Participants:
Series Code: GYC
Program Code: GYC190007S
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00:32 Are you guys ready for some testimonies?
00:34 Amen. 00:36 Well, my first interview, 00:39 please introduce yourself and what did you do today? 00:42 My name is Ostap 00:44 and we had a chance to be 00:45 at the Jeffersonville SDA Church 00:47 to remodel the church. 00:50 How old is this church? 00:52 The building was built in 1873. 00:57 Did it look like it was that old? 00:59 It sure did. 01:02 So what did you end up doing for that church? 01:06 We had the opportunity to empower the youth 01:09 to come with us, 01:10 all 57 of us showed up at this church 01:13 and in three hours we repainted the walls, 01:16 we sealed the floor, we cleaned the kitchen, 01:20 the bathrooms got a makeover. 01:22 The church looks amazing. 01:24 We have some videos, I'm sorry, 01:26 some photos of before and after. 01:29 So if we can put that. 01:31 That's the group that went out to this church. 01:34 And then that's the before, 01:35 and tell me a little bit about this before photo? 01:39 This is the fellowship hall. 01:40 This is where their meals happen. 01:42 This is where they have different seminars 01:44 and it needed a little bit of a tune-up. 01:47 Let's see what happened after. 01:50 Look at that, and it looks brand new. 01:53 Yes, they had some issues with water leaking, 01:56 the floor was in rough condition. 01:57 The walls look really bad 01:59 with different shades of paint that were fading. 02:01 And so we went through 02:02 and just remodeled the whole fellowship hall. 02:06 What have you learned working with young people, 02:10 and rebuilding, and restoring a church? 02:14 We represent God, right? 02:17 We represent His church. 02:20 And what better way than to equip the young people 02:22 to go ahead and rebuild the church, 02:25 that is their church, 02:26 that they will continue to run and support 02:29 until Jesus returns. 02:31 Amen. Thank you, Ostap. 02:32 Thank you for your ministry. 02:34 Tell me your name, 02:36 and what role did you play in the church rebuilding? 02:39 So my name is Cheyna, 02:40 and I was actually in charge 02:42 of painting the mural in the baptistery. 02:44 How did you get that role? 02:45 It's funny 02:47 because one random day on Instagram, 02:49 Ostap had actually messaged me and asked me, 02:51 "If I could paint a mural for a baptistery." 02:55 Do you do that work? 02:57 It's funny, because over a decade ago, 03:00 my family and I painted some murals for our church. 03:03 And so when he had asked me, 03:04 I was kind of reluctant and scared 03:05 because I'm like, I don't have mommy with me 03:07 to help me paint this mural or anything, 03:09 it's going to be my hands. 03:12 So I know there's some photos of before and after the mural, 03:16 and it looks beautiful. 03:17 What did you... 03:19 What was the Bible verse you used? 03:21 So the Bible verse I'm using for the baptistery 03:23 is Matthew 3:16-17. 03:26 And when you see the picture or saw the picture, 03:28 you saw dove. 03:29 It talked about how the heavens were open 03:31 and saw, 03:32 He saw a dove descending from heaven, 03:34 the Holy Spirit descending as a dove 03:35 from heaven 03:37 and lightning upon Him 03:38 and heard a voice from heaven saying, 03:40 "This is My beloved Son in whom I'm well pleased." 03:42 So my prayer is that when people get baptized, 03:45 and they come out of the water when they see that Bible verse, 03:47 when trials or tribulations come, 03:49 and they might feel like nothing, 03:50 even after baptism 03:52 that they will remember 03:53 that God is well pleased with them 03:55 and that God loves them because they are His children. 03:57 Amen. 03:59 Thank you, Cheyna, for painting the baptistery. 04:03 Next we have Mar... 04:04 Can you say your name for me again? 04:06 Marliano. 04:07 And your wife? Kerry. 04:09 So you guys, 04:11 we also went door-to-door on buses. 04:14 We have a few photos 04:16 describing how sunny the day was. 04:18 Let's put up those photos. 04:21 Oh, this is a bus driver. 04:23 Every bus driver got a little gift 04:25 with Steps to Christ in a little gift bag. 04:29 But it was raining, who was rained upon? 04:34 Thank you for going out anyway. 04:37 You guys went out door-to-door and something, 04:41 you guys actually had another partner. 04:43 How old were they? 04:45 Yes, we had a partner Fredrick. 04:48 There he is, I see his hand. 04:49 Raise your hand, Fredrick. 04:51 Okay. He was awesome. 04:52 He's around 12, 12 or 13, I think he was. 04:55 But he was awesome. 04:56 So you guys get out of the bus. 04:59 You're going one direction 05:00 and what does Fredrick tell you? 05:02 Yes, he rescued us because we were getting lost. 05:04 We were reading the map incorrectly, 05:07 going in the completely opposite direction 05:09 and he redirected us to where we needed to go. 05:12 Okay, well praise the Lord for Fredrick, 05:15 12-year-old directing you the right direction. 05:18 At the end of the day or at the end of your stop, 05:22 your last door, it had been raining. 05:26 Your things are getting wet, 05:28 but there was one final lady that you met. 05:30 What was her name? 05:31 Her name was Brenda. 05:33 And what happened at that door? 05:36 We were cold and tired at this time. 05:39 This is not weather that we're used to whatsoever. 05:43 We got there, the paper that we had was wet. 05:46 She was in her pajamas. 05:47 She came up but she was so friendly. 05:49 And we started speaking to her, tell her, 05:51 telling her about some of the things 05:52 that we came to do. 05:54 I let my wife explain a bit. 05:55 Quote that as well. 05:57 Okay, so she's looking at this damp sheet of paper 05:59 and we went through the top half 06:00 of the questions, 06:02 and she said, "Well, I want help to stop smoking." 06:05 She says, she would love to learn 06:07 how to cook vegetarian meals. 06:10 And then she gets down to those spiritual side 06:12 and my husband is reading the questions to her 06:15 because she didn't have her glasses on. 06:16 And she starts to go. 06:18 No, I don't know that, I don't know about Bible study, 06:21 because and by this, she's now under her breath. 06:26 She's not confident. 06:27 She seem, "Well, I've been reading 06:29 and I worship on the Sabbath, 06:31 I do the Seventh-day Sabbath. 06:33 I don't eat pork." 06:34 And she's listing all of these things 06:36 as if she's been studying, 06:38 but there's no one else 06:40 that has this belief that she has. 06:42 So then I turned to her and I said, 06:43 "Well, you know, 06:45 they're almost 3,000 young people 06:46 at our convention center close by, 06:48 and we worship on the Sabbath. 06:50 And we do most of these things that you do." 06:53 And she turns to my husband and goes, 06:55 "What are you?" 06:57 And then he says... 06:58 Yeah, I explained to her 06:59 that we are Seventh-day Adventist. 07:01 She never heard of a Seventh-day Adventist, 07:02 yet was keeping a Sabbath, yet was not eating pork, 07:06 and so many other things, 07:08 speaking about a second coming as well. 07:09 So when I explained to her what we are 07:11 and what our name means. 07:13 In my mind, I'm just saying 07:14 that you're Seventh-day Adventist, 07:15 you just don't recognize it. 07:17 The amazing thing was as well 07:19 that she said that that very morning 07:20 she was praying and asking for God 07:23 to send somebody 07:24 because she felt like she was alone, 07:26 she didn't have anywhere to worship. 07:28 She didn't have anybody to really share 07:29 what she was learning 07:31 and that very day she prayed 07:32 and we showed up at her door. 07:34 That was amazing for us. 07:36 Amen. 07:37 That is so beautiful. 07:39 So yes, amen? 07:42 Your last door experience. 07:45 This lady also has friends of different denominations. 07:50 She has no one who can really share her faith 07:55 and what God has been revealing, 07:57 but you showed up. 07:59 What? 08:00 She wanted to do what? 08:01 She wants to come to church tomorrow. 08:04 She would have, she would come 08:06 if her son-in-law would take her. 08:08 But we asked if we could come and pick her up. 08:11 So we're arranging for that to happen 08:12 because she doesn't... 08:14 She only stays home, studies her Bible on a Sabbath, 08:17 because there's no one in the area 08:19 that believes these things. 08:20 So she has been trying to find somewhere to go. 08:24 Well, thank you for going out. 08:25 I know it's not your type of weather. 08:29 But I'm glad you went. 08:30 Thank you so much. 08:32 Thank you. 08:34 And now, off to our last story, 08:35 please tell me your name and what happened at your door? 08:42 My name is Destini. 08:44 And we were in the rain just like everybody else. 08:47 And we showed up at a door, we got no answer. 08:50 And so, of course, we continued down the street. 08:52 About two doors down, 08:54 we're on the porch of this second house here 08:57 and we hear a voice from our left 08:59 and she goes, "What do you want?" 09:03 And it kind of caught us off guard 09:05 but we turn around and we see this lady, 09:07 she's probably like in her mid-50s 09:10 at the house that we had just came from. 09:11 So we enthusiastically ran back up to the door. 09:15 And we're like, 09:16 "Hey, we're here doing a community survey. 09:18 We want to figure out what your needs are." 09:20 And I show her the list of things 09:22 that we could be offering. 09:24 And I said, 09:25 "Would any of these benefit you and your family 09:27 or your family?" 09:28 And once I mentioned a family she shared with me, 09:30 "Oh, it's just me. 09:31 I have no family. They're all dead." 09:34 And that kind of caught me off guard. 09:35 But I continued 09:38 with the spiritual needs as well, 09:41 so would Bible studies interests you at all. 09:44 That's when she started opening up 09:45 and sharing with me how she grew up in a church. 09:48 And the leaders in that church were very abusive to her. 09:51 And this really distorted her image of God, 09:54 and my heart just went out to her 09:56 as she was sharing that with me 09:58 about how she felt like God was punishing her 10:01 and how she basically seems to have 10:03 this view of God as like a tyrant. 10:06 And she really started 10:08 questioning the truths of that church 10:10 that she grew up in, 10:11 and also became, 10:13 she seemed really curious 10:15 as to the Bible and what it teaches. 10:19 And she was sharing also that, 10:21 that curiosity really sparked after her mom had passed away 10:24 about two years ago. 10:26 So you met a lady who was interested 10:29 in spiritual things and spiritual conversations, 10:31 but the conversation went deeper. 10:35 She started revealing about things about death. 10:38 And then what did she reveal to you? 10:40 Right, so yeah, 10:43 the conversation just went really deep. 10:45 And she was sharing 10:47 how after her mother passed away, 10:49 how the car horn was like, honking by itself, 10:55 lights in the house were bursting, 10:58 and some weird things were happening 11:00 that reminded her of her mother. 11:03 And it was just crazy. 11:05 She actually was asking, 11:08 you know, I don't understand this stuff. 11:10 But I know that the Bible also says 11:13 that the dead know nothing. 11:15 And I said, you know, 11:16 you just answered your own question. 11:19 So and she's not only interested 11:20 in the state of the dead, 11:22 but she's also, 11:24 she has questions about the Sabbath, 11:27 and about the Antichrist. 11:30 And she's just searching and you know what, guys, 11:33 was so cool is, 11:35 these are the type of people 11:37 that we're never going to find unless we go, 11:40 unless we go to the doors and find them, 11:42 and it's just so cool to see God work, it's powerful. 11:45 So she signed up for Bible studies, 11:47 this lady signed up for Bible studies. 11:49 Praise the Lord, young people, when we go out and knock, 11:52 people are interested and ready to accept 11:55 the appeal of studying the Bible. 11:58 Thank you so much. 12:01 Christ can indeed personally understand 12:05 and relate to our trials. 12:07 He can do that and so much more 12:09 because Christ did 12:11 what no human could ever hope to do. 12:14 Spotless was He born 12:16 and spotless was He torn for me. 12:19 Holy is He. 12:21 Because of this blessed am I. 12:24 My only hope is for Him to be born in me. 12:36 Everything inside me 12:39 Cries for order 12:44 Everything inside me 12:46 Wants to hide 12:50 Is this shadow 12:53 An angel or a warrior? 12:58 If God is pleased with me 13:01 Why am I so terrified? 13:06 Someone tell me 13:08 I am only dreaming 13:13 Somehow help me see 13:15 With Heaven's eyes 13:20 And before my head agrees 13:24 My heart is on its knees 13:27 Holy is He 13:31 Blessed am I 13:33 Be born in me 13:40 Be born in me 13:47 Trembling heart 13:50 Somehow I believe 13:54 That You chose me 14:01 I'll hold you in the beginning 14:05 You will hold me in the end 14:08 Every moment in the middle 14:12 Make my heart your Bethlehem 14:15 Be born in me 14:23 All this time We've waited for the promise 14:30 And all this time You've waited for my arms 14:36 Did You wrap yourself Inside the unexpected 14:43 So we might know That Love would go that far? 14:49 Be born in me 14:55 Be born in me 15:02 Trembling heart 15:04 Somehow I believe 15:09 That You chose me 15:15 I'll hold you in the beginning 15:19 You will hold me in the end 15:22 Every moment in the middle 15:26 Make my heart your Bethlehem 15:29 Be born in me 15:35 I am not brave 15:38 I'll never be 15:42 The only thing My heart can offer 15:46 Is a vacancy 15:49 I'm just a girl 15:52 Nothing more 15:55 But I am willing 15:59 And I am Yours 16:16 Be born in me 16:22 Be born in me 16:29 I'll hold you in the beginning 16:32 You will hold me in the end 16:36 Every moment in the middle 16:39 Make my heart your Bethlehem 16:42 Be born in me. 17:10 Good evening and happy Sabbath, GYC. 17:16 As we begin this evening, 17:17 I would like to take the opportunity 17:21 to thank GYC and everyone 17:24 that is involved with this great organization, 17:28 for the opportunity to stand here 17:30 before and with you, 17:32 and to be given the privilege to preach the Word of the Lord. 17:38 Friends, I have been blessed. 17:39 I hope that you have been blessed. 17:40 I hope that over the course of these past few days, 17:43 the Spirit of God has spoken to your heart, 17:46 and I hope that He does so again this evening. 17:51 I want to ask you a question. 17:54 What does love look like? 17:58 How many of you here would say that you've ever been in love? 18:03 So how many of you then know? 18:05 I saw some wives look at their husbands. 18:07 How many of you know then what love looks like? 18:12 I would like to take your minds back 18:14 not too long ago 18:16 to when a member of the royal family of Britain 18:19 fell in love with an American divorcee. 18:23 Who is it that I'm talking about? 18:26 It is not Harry and Megan. 18:29 No, might not so long ago was slightly relative. 18:31 I'm referring to King Edward and Wallis Simpson. 18:37 At the passing of King George the V, 18:40 King Edward the first in line to the throne 18:42 humbly took his father's position. 18:45 Little did he know, however, 18:47 that his reign would last less than a year. 18:51 Why? 18:53 Because the king to be had fallen in love. 18:57 You see, five years before he took the throne, 19:00 Edward had met Wallis Simpson. 19:04 And they decided 19:06 that they were going to get together. 19:07 The only hindrance with that 19:09 was really that Wallis was already married, 19:11 actually for the second time. 19:14 And so in order to be with the prince 19:17 and the soon to be king, 19:19 she had to leave her husband and get another divorce. 19:22 And as they tried every which way to be married, 19:25 they were met only with opposition. 19:28 The Church of England didn't take too kindly 19:30 to the idea of the king marrying a divorcee. 19:34 And although they tried every avenue to be united 19:38 in holy matrimony, 19:39 they were unsuccessful, which left only one option. 19:44 The king would have to give up the throne. 19:49 And so he did. 19:51 Three hundred and twenty six days 19:53 after he became king, 19:55 in December 1936, 19:58 King Edward abdicated the throne 20:00 to his younger brother. 20:01 Shortly after that he got married. 20:05 And they lived happily, 20:06 at least we would assume 20:07 so until he passed in the year of 1972. 20:13 Friends, I tell you this story 20:14 because I believe 20:16 that true love always involves sacrifice. 20:23 And what greater sacrifice than giving up the throne 20:27 to be with the one that you love? 20:30 And so I ask you again. 20:33 Have you ever been in love? 20:36 The title for my message this evening 20:39 is "The Kingmakers." 20:41 Let's pray. 20:43 Father in heaven we pray 20:44 that Your Spirit would be present here 20:47 with us this evening. 20:50 Father, Lord, we are not worthy. 20:55 We have sinned against You and against heaven. 20:58 We're not worthy to be call Your daughters or Your sons. 21:01 But Father, Your Son, 21:02 Jesus Christ will forever be worthy 21:04 to be called our Savior. 21:06 And so we ask that He would speak to us 21:08 this evening. 21:09 We pray in Jesus' name, amen. 21:12 I would like you to turn in your Bibles 21:14 to 1 Samuel Chapter 18. 21:18 1 Samuel Chapter 18. 21:20 You'll find that just after 1 Samuel 17. 21:24 When you're there, you can say amen. 21:28 1 Samuel Chapter 18, 21:29 I believe presents us 21:31 with possibly the greatest picture of love 21:34 outside of the life of Christ. 21:37 When we think of love, 21:38 our minds usually just go straight 21:41 to the romantic we think of, 21:43 we think of Adam and Eve, Isaac and Rebecca, 21:46 Jacob and Rachel, Ruth and Boaz, 21:48 we think of David and well, 21:51 we think of David and maybe many women, 21:54 but I think that the relationship, 21:57 I think that the relationship between Jonathan and David 22:00 is also a picture if not even more of a picture 22:04 of what true love is. 22:06 And just because two people have a connection 22:09 and are willing to go to the ends of the earth 22:11 for one another 22:12 does not mean 22:14 that they are romantically involved. 22:16 Some people interpret this 22:18 as though there was more than a friendship, 22:20 but you can have a friendship that shows a complete picture 22:24 of the love and the character of our God. 22:28 It is in David's great victory over Goliath in the chapter 22:31 just prior to this, 22:33 and his subsequent conversation with Saul 22:35 that we pick up this conversation 22:37 in 1 Samuel 18:1, it says, 22:39 "And it came to pass, 22:40 when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, 22:43 that the soul of Jonathan was knit 22:46 with the soul of David, 22:48 and Jonathan loved him as his own soul." 22:52 David had won the heart of Jonathan 22:56 and I believe that this is a picture 22:59 of true Christianity. 23:01 True Christianity is not found 23:04 in the acceptance of theories of doctrines, 23:06 nor in a certain acceptance of lifestyle, 23:09 although doctrine and lifestyle have their place, 23:12 but the very essence of Christianity 23:15 is revealed in the outpouring of the heart 23:18 in devotion to another person. 23:22 I'll say amen for you. 23:24 Paul says that without this experience, 23:26 our religion is but sounding brass 23:29 and a tinkling cymbal. 23:32 When John spoke of this love in his epistle, 23:34 he said that if a man claims to love God 23:37 but hates his brother, then he is a liar. 23:40 But some of us have taken this to say 23:43 that in order for our relationship with God 23:45 to remain genuine, 23:47 all we have to do is not hate our brother, 23:50 but this is not what John had in mind. 23:52 John was saying, if you hate your brother, 23:53 then you definitely don't love God. 23:55 But in reading this, 23:57 the hope is that you would love 23:58 all of your brothers and sisters 24:00 as you claim to love God. 24:02 It is not enough friends to just not hate. 24:06 Our Christianity 24:08 and our personal relationship with God 24:10 will always be demonstrated by our ability to love others, 24:16 and Jonathan's heart beats for David. 24:21 Verse 3 says, 24:22 "Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, 24:24 because he loved him as his own soul." 24:27 This is not the normal connection 24:29 I might add, 24:30 that you normally find between two men. 24:33 You see, when you have, 24:35 when you look at relationships that females make, 24:38 they seem to usually connect on an emotional level. 24:43 They're happy to share with one another. 24:45 They'll even go as far as to touch one another 24:48 to hug one another, to encourage one another, 24:50 to console one another. 24:52 But oftentimes, men aren't like that. 24:55 That's not to say if you're like that, 24:56 you're not a man that you seems to not be the norm 24:59 and maybe this is a generalization. 25:01 Maybe I'm just speaking about myself here. 25:04 But actually what I found 25:05 is that men kind of seem to bond 25:08 over action instead of emotion. 25:11 We like to do things, 25:13 we like to come together 25:14 and plan some sort of adventure or something 25:16 that we could possibly overcome. 25:18 And we usually don't have to talk 25:20 on the way to doing that. 25:23 It's not unimaginable for a group of guys 25:25 who are excited about something that they were about to do, 25:28 to head in the same place in the same car, 25:30 and to remain unbearably silent in that vehicle, 25:33 even though 25:34 they're all really looking forward 25:36 to what they're about to do. 25:38 They're loving it. 25:39 They're connecting. 25:40 They're getting to know 25:42 one another better through silence. 25:45 Jonathan and David, 25:46 I believe are connecting on the deepest of levels. 25:51 They're connecting on a spiritual level. 25:54 Sure, there's a lot of similarities. 25:56 They're probably close in age, 25:58 similar backgrounds 25:59 and that they have grown up fighting. 26:01 Jonathan grown up fighting people, 26:03 David grown up fighting animals. 26:06 But where they connect really 26:07 is in that desire to give their lives 26:10 to serve God. 26:12 And I wish that more of us as young people 26:15 would connect on that level. 26:17 I encourage my fellow young people, 26:20 to look to make friends 26:21 with those that can actually bring you 26:23 closer to God. 26:25 It's too easy to just connect with people 26:28 that are similar to us, 26:30 that look like us and dress like us 26:32 and like the same things that we do. 26:35 We ought to look to connect with people 26:37 that want to pray with us, that want to pray for us, 26:41 that are concerned with our spiritual life 26:43 and with our eternal life 26:44 because I believe that those are the friends 26:47 that will stick with us until the end. 26:51 Verse 4, 26:53 however, is where I really want to labor. 26:55 The Bible says in 1 Samuel 18:4, 26:59 "And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, 27:04 and gave it to David, and his garments, 27:06 even to his sword, and to his bow, 27:09 and to his belt." 27:14 Friends, do you know who Jonathan is? 27:16 He is the prince of Israel, his garments and his robe, 27:21 they represent who he is. 27:23 They testify 27:24 that he is next in line to the throne. 27:26 And this is not merely just an exchange of clothing. 27:30 If you go back 27:32 to the Book of Genesis 41:37 onwards, 27:36 the pharaoh recognizes in Joseph 27:38 that this truly is a man in whom God resides with 27:43 and so what the pharaoh does? 27:44 If you read verse 42, it says, 27:46 "And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, 27:48 and put it upon Joseph's hand, 27:50 he arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, 27:53 and put a gold chain around his neck." 27:56 Pharaoh was showing Joseph 27:58 that by giving him new clothing, 28:00 a ring and a chain 28:02 that symbolically Joseph's very identity 28:04 in the king, in the kingdom of Egypt 28:07 was also changing 28:08 and here Jonathan is doing the same thing. 28:11 Friends, I want you to understand 28:13 the sacrifice that is taking place here. 28:15 Jonathan has spent the last few years 28:17 preparing to be the next king of Israel. 28:20 The blessing of heaven is clearly already upon him. 28:24 He is moved by divine impulses to go forth 28:27 and slay the Philistines. 28:28 He believes that God can use one man 28:31 to change the course of history. 28:33 And he arguably has already become that one man 28:35 because the Bible testifies that Israel stands on that day 28:38 because Jonathan was used by the Lord to save them. 28:42 But God had also chosen David 28:45 to be sole successor and not Jonathan. 28:48 The thing is, nobody had told Jonathan that. 28:53 But catch this, his heart is so in tune 28:55 with his creator 28:56 and his love for his friend David 28:58 is so great 29:00 that he gives up the throne so that David can have it. 29:02 Instead he says to David, "My friend, I love you so much. 29:06 I will give up everything that I am 29:09 so you can be everything that God wants you to be." 29:14 Friends, that's love. 29:15 And don't miss the part 29:17 where Jonathan gives David his sword. 29:19 This is important. 29:21 David doesn't have a sword. 29:22 I mean, why would a shepherd need a sword? 29:24 The insinuation is that when David went to war 29:26 against the bear and the lion 29:28 that he killed them with his bare hands. 29:30 It says that he grabbed the beast 29:32 by its beard. 29:33 He had no sword. 29:34 When he went to take on Goliath, 29:36 he didn't have a sword. He used stones. 29:38 In fact, he even rejected Saul's sword 29:41 because it says he hadn't proved it. 29:44 David did not have a sword. 29:45 In fact, if you go back to 1 Samuel 13:22 onwards, 29:49 no one in Israel had a sword. 29:51 The only two men that had a sword 29:53 were both Saul and Jonathan. 29:56 And Jonathan giving his sword to David, 29:59 he was not just saying that you will take my place 30:02 as the next in line of the throne. 30:03 He said you will take my place 30:05 as the leader of this great nation in battle. 30:09 Have you realized that it's from this point forth 30:11 that David goes out with Saul's army 30:14 and when he returns, 30:15 the women are there singing. 30:17 That Saul has killed his thousands 30:20 and David his ten thousands. 30:22 Of course, they're the men that have killed the most. 30:25 They're the only men with swords. 30:30 Friends, Jonathan gives up his position 30:34 not begrudgingly, 30:36 not sulking that God had chosen someone else over him 30:40 and he wasn't going to get the spotlight. 30:43 His heart was overflowing with love. 30:45 And his decision 30:47 was that which poured out of his heart naturally, 30:50 and I think that that my friends is love. 30:54 I've come to the conclusion 30:56 that that love is the most unnatural love 31:00 that exists in our world today. 31:04 When God sent His Son, 31:05 I believe He sent Him to show us how to love 31:09 but not necessarily how to love romantically. 31:12 The love of God is the greatest love 31:14 even it's not a romantic love. 31:16 When a widow loses their spouse 31:18 and we tell them that God will be their spouse, 31:21 we are not talking in a romantic sense, 31:22 we are saying 31:24 that God will devote Himself to you 31:26 in as much as any husband or wife 31:29 would devote themselves to you. 31:30 Loving romantically, 31:32 I would bet to you 31:33 this evening is actually not that hard. 31:36 In many cases, it seems to come naturally, 31:39 it is loving unselfishly, that is our greatest challenge. 31:45 And I think it is completely evident 31:46 within our church today 31:48 that that is the case 31:49 because there has always 31:50 and there will always be issues that we do not agree on. 31:54 But, friends, theological differences 31:56 do not have to lead 31:57 to the disowning of Christian attitudes. 32:00 If we cannot love those who we disagree with, 32:03 even though we're part of the same faith, 32:05 how we possibly love our enemies? 32:07 When Christ was giving His sermon on the mount, 32:09 He taught that this is real perfection. 32:12 This is the character of the Father, 32:14 to bless the righteous and the unrighteous, 32:18 to love one's enemies. 32:21 Friends, I think that God knew 32:22 we would struggle in this issue, 32:24 this issue of loving one another. 32:25 And let me tell you why I think this is evident. 32:28 As Seventh-day Adventists we believe in the law of God, 32:31 can you say amen? 32:33 But we must look at the whole law as it is. 32:35 And I encourage you especially to look at it not as a list 32:39 of do's and don'ts, 32:40 but rather look at the last six commandments 32:42 from the perspective 32:44 of how breaking them actually hurts others. 32:49 You see, when we break the fifth, 32:51 we're hurting our parents. 32:53 When we break the sixth, 32:54 we're taking the lives of others. 32:56 When we break the seventh, 32:57 we're destroying other people's marriages. 32:59 When we break the eighth, we're stealing from others. 33:02 When we break the ninth, we're lying from others. 33:04 When we break the tenth, we're jealous of others. 33:07 Friends, if we saw that it was important for God 33:09 to tell us to remember the Sabbath, 33:11 because we would forget, 33:13 then how or what does it tell us 33:15 that He asked us to love one another 33:17 six times in a row and then wrote it in stone. 33:22 It tells us that He knows our nature. 33:26 I've realized this in marriage. 33:31 Those that are married 33:33 will know what I'm talking about. 33:36 On our marriage day, my wife and I declared 33:39 to love one another. 33:40 And from that day forward, 33:41 God has been showing us how to actually love. 33:47 And, friends, I'll be completely honest 33:49 and completely transparent with you. 33:51 Marriage is the hardest thing I've ever had to do in my life. 33:56 It's the most beautiful and the most rewarding 34:00 and the most satisfying thing that I've ever done in my life, 34:03 but it's also the most difficult 34:06 because every day I wake up, 34:08 my concern is not who's lying next to me, 34:10 but who's lying next to the person 34:12 that's lying next to me, my concern is me. 34:15 Because every day that I rise up from my bed, 34:18 my battle is with self. 34:20 And marriage reminds me of how selfish I can be. 34:26 Yesterday, we were at a seminar and someone asked, 34:30 "How you can know if marriage is for you." 34:33 My answer was simple. 34:35 "Check your pulse. 34:39 Because if you're alive, 34:40 then it's likely that marriage is for you." 34:42 If you're alive, 34:43 it's because God wants you in the kingdom. 34:45 And it seems that marriage is designed 34:47 almost solely for that purpose. 34:51 Marriage is all about 34:53 putting someone else before yourself. 34:57 And, friends, I believe that that is the mind of Christ. 35:03 Why do I say this? 35:04 In Philippians 2:3, it says, 35:06 "Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory, 35:10 but in lowliness of mind 35:11 let each esteem others better than themselves. 35:17 Look not every man on his own things, 35:19 but every man on the things of others. 35:21 Let this mind be in you, which is also in Christ Jesus." 35:27 This mind, the mind of Christ 35:30 is the mind where you esteem others 35:33 as being better than yourselves. 35:37 I know this isn't an amen sermon, 35:39 no one likes to hear these things. 35:42 Paul says that we should not conform 35:44 to this world, 35:45 but we should be transformed by the renewing of our minds. 35:47 That, my friends, is the gospel, 35:49 to take the mind of Christ. 35:51 How do you know if the gospel is really taking 35:53 a hold of your life? 35:56 You esteem others better than yourself. 36:01 What does that mean? 36:02 It means to respect. 36:04 It means to admire. 36:06 It means to approve of someone 36:08 more than you approve of yourself. 36:13 But if you really believed that the others out there 36:17 were greater than you, 36:19 it would not just be a false humility of admitting, 36:21 oh yes, everyone is better than I am. 36:23 No, no, no. 36:24 If you truly esteemed others better than yourself, 36:27 then you, my friends, 36:28 would sacrifice yourself for them. 36:32 It's the gospel that you believe in, 36:34 calling you to sacrifice what you have 36:36 so that others can prosper to a greater degree than you. 36:42 Shortly after I became a Christian, 36:44 I had to leave my home. 36:47 The lifestyle that I had chosen to live 36:50 wasn't mixing so well with my family's lifestyles, 36:53 and I was asked to leave. 36:56 I had nowhere to go. 36:58 It might be a stretch to say that I was homeless, 37:01 but I didn't have anywhere to stay 37:03 at least for a few hours. 37:06 It was only a few hours because I received a phone call 37:10 from one of my closest friends, 37:11 now his name is Clive Coutet. 37:12 I think some of you already know him. 37:15 And he called me that morning. 37:16 He said, "Dean, is everything okay? 37:20 I woke up this morning with a burden for you. 37:23 And I prayed for you. 37:24 And I just want you to know that if anything is wrong, 37:27 if you're ever in trouble, 37:28 or you ever need somewhere to stay, 37:30 I just want you to know that I've got your back." 37:34 I looked at my phone. 37:36 I looked up at the sky. 37:39 I looked back at my phone. 37:40 I said, "Well, actually, it's funny that you say that." 37:45 And I explained the situation to him. 37:47 It took me about two hours to get to his house. 37:50 And when I got there, 37:51 he opened the door and standing just behind him 37:53 was his mother and his father. 37:56 And I'll never forget the moment 37:58 when his mom came up to me 38:00 wrapped her arms around me and said, 38:05 "We are your parents now. 38:09 We are your family now. 38:11 This is your home now. 38:15 You can stay with us for as long as you want." 38:18 And, friends, at no point 38:20 did they ever asked me for rent money. 38:22 At no point did they ever asked me 38:24 to chip in with money for food 38:28 and to push it out even further, 38:30 as I made my way through the embraces 38:32 that I know I didn't deserve, 38:34 Clive took me upstairs to his bedroom 38:37 and introduced me to my new bedroom. 38:40 He moved out all of his stuff in that time. 38:43 In fact, he moved 38:44 into his dad's computer editing room. 38:47 He lived literally under a table 38:49 that in all honesty 38:51 had so many VHS cassettes stored on top of it. 38:53 It looked like it could collapse 38:54 at any moment. 38:58 Friends, it was on that day that I saw 39:01 what real Christianity looked like. 39:04 On that day, 39:06 I saw what true love looked like. 39:09 And it made a difference in my life. 39:12 It showed me that the love of God 39:13 was actually in the hearts of people. 39:16 I saw real love that day 39:17 because I saw in others 39:19 that they were willing to give up their comforts, 39:21 their home and their money for me 39:22 who they barely knew. 39:25 I saw people that for some reason, 39:27 esteemed me higher than they esteemed themselves. 39:30 And, friends, I want to encourage you, 39:32 that your acts of service and your kind words, 39:35 when you put yourself out there for others. 39:38 You have no idea the kind of impact 39:40 you could have on a single life. 39:43 I don't know if I would still be 39:44 in the faith today 39:46 were it not for the Coutet family. 39:49 Because that's where I was first shown 39:51 the real character of God. 39:54 And that's why I believe that the story of friendship 39:57 that we find in 1 Samuel Chapter 18 39:59 is one of the clearest pictures of the actual love of God, 40:03 because it is a near perfect representation 40:06 of what Christ does for you and I. 40:09 Christ stood there watching 40:11 as man came up against the great giants 40:13 except this time the giant, 40:15 the serpent was victorious. 40:17 Man had fallen into sin. 40:19 But the heart of the Son of God, 40:21 not just Jonathan was knit with the soul of man, 40:24 not just David and Jesus loved us as His own soul. 40:30 And in response to that love, 40:32 Jesus and man made a covenant 40:35 because He loved us as His own soul. 40:39 A covenant, friends, was made on the cross. 40:42 The cross of Calvary is the testimony of love. 40:45 It is the testimony of the Son of God 40:47 who looked upon you and I 40:48 and esteemed us higher than himself, 40:52 is the testimony of one who owned 40:54 all the riches of heaven 40:56 but agreed to lay all of that aside, 40:58 so that you and I could pick those riches back up. 41:01 It is the testimony of a God 41:03 that would become man and walk on this earth 41:05 for 33.5 years 41:07 the most this world could endure 41:09 and then suffer the most excruciatingly 41:11 painful and agonizing death, 41:13 separating Himself from the Father 41:16 so that you and I could be reunited 41:18 with that Father. 41:20 But He does not just offer us His death, 41:22 He offers us His life. 41:25 He offers us more than justification, 41:27 He offers us sanctification. 41:30 He places His robe upon us, 41:32 just as Jonathan placed His upon David. 41:35 He gives us that robe of righteousness. 41:38 Friends, He is faithful 41:39 and He is just to forgive us of our sins 41:42 and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 41:45 He gives us His garments. 41:47 He gives us His sword. 41:51 And Jesus Christ gave up everything for you and I. 41:56 Just as Jonathan 41:57 was the rightful heir to the throne, 41:59 and gave it up for David. 42:01 So too was Jesus the rightful king of heaven, 42:04 yet He gave up His crown so that He could crown us. 42:09 Friends, Jonathan was a kingmaker. 42:13 He laid aside his position, so that David could be king. 42:16 And I want to propose to you this evening 42:18 that Jesus too is a kingmaker. 42:21 He gave up His throne, 42:22 so that you and I could sit on it 42:24 next to His Father. 42:26 Friends, Jesus could not see 42:28 through the portals of the tomb, 42:30 that is love. 42:32 Jesus could not see a resurrection for Himself. 42:35 He hung on the cross and endured it, 42:38 He found joy in it, 42:39 firm in His conviction 42:41 that if He was never reunited with His Father would be okay 42:44 because of the chance that you and I would be. 42:48 That's love 42:50 as Satan wronged the heart of God. 42:54 His heart was given for us. 42:56 He trod the winepress alone, 42:59 so that you and I would not have to. 43:03 And to top it all off, Christ's death, Paul says, 43:07 was for us while we were yet sinners. 43:13 And so I bid you to dispel this false ideology 43:17 that we must come to God right. 43:22 The pleas to come, come to Him. 43:25 Do not expend the efforts trying to fix your life 43:29 before you come to Jesus, 43:31 because you will fail and you will fail 43:33 and you will fail again. 43:36 I have so many of my young people come to me, 43:38 "And, Mr. Dean, how do we know if we're ready for baptism?" 43:41 And I tell him the same thing every time 43:43 you know that you're ready to give 43:45 your hearts to the Lord 43:46 when you think 43:47 that you're not ready to give your heart to the Lord. 43:50 Because it is in that feeling, 43:52 it is that understanding that you cannot do this, 43:55 that makes it the most opportune time 43:57 to actually give Him your heart 43:59 because you will therefore dispel 44:00 with any notion 44:02 that the changes that are happening in your life 44:03 are happening because of you. 44:07 How do you know it's the right time 44:08 to come to God 44:09 because you think it might not be 44:12 because your trust in self is gone. 44:14 Don't wait until you work it back up. 44:16 Don't wait until you've made a few corrections. 44:18 Don't wait until you fix up your mess, come. 44:26 So my appeal tonight 44:29 is for a very specific group of people. 44:33 My appeal tonight is only for sinners. 44:37 Friends, heaven was poured out for you. 44:40 Jesus wants to make you a king and a queen in heaven. 44:43 The Bible says 44:45 that greater love hath no man than this 44:47 then he would lay down his life for his brothers. 44:50 And the Bible says that it is a greater blessing 44:52 to give than to receive. 44:54 Friends, that is not a verse for tithe. 44:57 That is a God given principle 45:01 that it is a greater blessing to give than to receive. 45:06 Friends, the Father looked around heaven 45:07 and noticed that you weren't in it. 45:10 He saw that you weren't there 45:11 but He steams you so much higher than Himself 45:14 that it was a great blessing for Him 45:16 to give His Son than to receive Him. 45:21 And so young people here of GYC, 45:25 I present to you the same opportunity. 45:29 It will be a greater blessing for you 45:31 to give your life to God 45:33 than to receive it unto yourself. 45:37 And as my sister-in-law comes forward 45:39 to sing this appeal song, 45:40 I encourage you all 45:42 to consider making that decision today. 45:44 Consider finally giving your life to God. 45:47 Consider trusting Him with your life. 45:49 Consider giving Him everything that you have, 45:52 so that He can use you to make a difference in the home, 45:55 in the school and in the workplace 45:57 wherever you are. 45:59 Friends, it will be the greatest decision 46:01 that you ever make. 46:03 And to my young people, 46:04 especially if you feel the Spirit of God 46:08 moving you to esteem the love of God 46:11 higher than the pleasures of this world. 46:14 If the Spirit of God has been speaking to you 46:16 throughout these past few days here at GYC, 46:19 and encouraging you and moving your hearts 46:22 to pour out to Him everything that you have. 46:26 If today you say that you want to give 46:28 the Lord your life, 46:30 I encourage you as you listen to these words, 46:33 to come to the front, 46:34 so that we can pray and confirm that commitment. 46:49 The day is dimming 46:51 And I'm yearning for You 46:56 I won't be satisfied 46:59 Till I see Your face 47:04 Every victory, every loss 47:08 Every tick and every cross 47:12 You can put them all in place 47:18 It seems 47:20 I'm finding more of why 47:22 In these moments 47:26 I feel like I'm made to sing 47:29 Of how good You are 47:34 The more The years swell by and pass 47:39 Each second more than last 47:43 It's true by far 47:49 That no profound thought 47:54 Or clever rhyme 47:57 No soaring grand 48:01 Melodic line 48:05 No theory 48:08 Philosophy or sign 48:12 Can explain it 48:17 Can explain 48:25 Where You are, 48:29 I wanna be 48:33 It's Your grace 48:36 That has raised me 48:40 I'd give my whole life 48:44 To honor You 48:48 And whom I live 48:51 For whom I move 48:56 Better is one day 48:59 With You 49:04 Than a thousand elsewhere 49:21 I still remember What it felt like 49:25 Before You 49:28 I'm grateful every day 49:31 For how things have changed 49:36 I'll thank You every way I can 49:40 'Cause my life only began 49:44 When I heard You call my name 49:50 Now, no praise of man 49:55 No great acclaim 49:58 No humble looking 50:03 Kind of fame 50:06 No power, Wealth or worldly gain 50:12 Could satisfy me 50:19 Could ever satisfy 50:26 'Cause where You are, 50:30 I wanna be 50:34 It's Your love 50:37 That has changed me 50:41 I'd give the whole wealth 50:45 And all its charms 50:50 For a moment 50:53 In Your arms 50:58 Better is one day 51:00 With You 51:05 Than a thousand elsewhere 51:13 Better is one day 51:15 In Your courts 51:21 Better is one day 51:23 In Your house 51:28 Better is one day 51:30 In Your courts 51:36 Than anywhere else, oh 51:42 Lead me, lead me 51:46 Lead me to Yourself 51:50 Lead me to Your heart, 51:54 Lord Where You are, 52:01 I wanna be 52:05 It's Your grace 52:08 That has raised me 52:12 I'd give my whole life 52:16 To honor You 52:20 For whom I live 52:24 In whom I move 52:29 Better is one day 52:31 With You 52:36 Than a thousand elsewhere 52:44 Here is peace 52:48 Here is joy 52:52 Here is love 52:56 Here is freedom, freedom. 53:06 Friends when you look down the list of kings of Israel, 53:12 you will not see Jonathan's name. 53:15 You will see David's name, 53:16 but you will not see Jonathan's name. 53:19 But listen to this. 53:21 "Jonathan, by birth heir to the throne, 53:25 yet knowing himself set aside by the divine decree, 53:30 to his rival the most tender and faithful of friends, 53:33 shielding David's life at the peril of his own, 53:36 steadfast at his father's side 53:39 through the dark days of his declining power, 53:41 and at his side falling at the last." 53:46 The name of Jonathan 53:47 is treasured in heaven 53:50 and it stands on earth 53:52 a witness to the existence 53:55 and to the power of unselfish love. 54:03 Friends, your name too can be written in heaven. 54:07 In fact, your name too can be written 54:08 in heaven right now. 54:12 And so I appeal, 54:13 especially to those of you here this evening, 54:17 that have not yet given your life 54:19 to Jesus Christ through baptism. 54:22 If that is your desire, if you want to say, 54:24 Lord, I want to give you everything today. 54:28 I want to give you everything from this day forward 54:31 for the rest of my life. 54:32 Today, you want to commit your life to Jesus Christ. 54:35 I ask that you raise your hand. 54:38 Keep it high. 54:40 We're going to wait just a few seconds. 54:44 If you desire to make that commitment today, 54:47 if you want to respond to this love, 54:49 if you want to accept the crown 54:51 that Jesus Christ has laid aside for you, 54:56 then raise your hand high. 55:00 GYC, can you say amen? 55:02 We praise the Lord for the Spirit of God. 55:05 And now let us come together to pray 55:06 and confirm those decisions 55:08 that have been made, Brother Jim. 55:11 And I would like to request those who would be Jonathan 55:15 for these Davids 55:17 who've raised their hands to come forward as well 55:19 to know that they have people 55:20 whom they could lean on, 55:22 people who would lead them closer to Jesus. 55:25 So if there's anyone here that would say, 55:28 I would be a Jonathan to those Davids 55:32 will raise their hands, please come forward. 55:35 And I'd like to request everyone 55:36 to please draw closer 55:38 as we spend this time in prayer. 55:45 Anyone who wants to join us, please come. 55:52 And let us scoop ourselves 55:53 and for those of you who are standing 55:55 beside those people who have raised their hands, 55:58 please surround them. 56:00 Please pray with them. 56:02 Please raise your hands again for those young people. 56:05 And I'd like to request those people who are near you, 56:09 please surround them as we kneel down in prayer. 56:19 And for those of you who are in, in your pews, 56:23 please intercede for our brothers and sisters 56:25 who have given their lives to the Lord. 56:28 Let us sing this song. 56:32 Into my heart 56:36 Into my heart 56:40 Come into my heart 56:45 Lord Jesus 56:50 Come in today 56:56 Come in to stay 57:01 Come into my heart 57:07 Lord Jesus. |
Revised 2020-08-28