Participants:
Series Code: NP
Program Code: NP180303A
|
00:00 ♪♪
00:10 >> ♪ Majesty ♪ ♪ Worship His majesty ♪ 00:18 ♪ Jesus who died ♪ ♪ Now glorified ♪ 00:23 ♪ King of all kings ♪ ♪ Majesty ♪ 00:31 ♪ Worship His majesty ♪ ♪ Unto Jesus be all glory, 00:39 honor, and praise ♪ ♪ Majesty ♪ 00:47 ♪ Kingdom authority ♪ ♪ Flow from His throne ♪ 00:54 ♪ Unto His own ♪ ♪ His anthem raise ♪ 00:58 >> "So exalt." >> ♪ So exalt, lift up on high 01:04 the name of Jesus ♪ ♪ Magnify, come glorify 01:12 Christ Jesus the King ♪ ♪ Majesty ♪ 01:20 ♪ Worship His majesty ♪ ♪ Jesus who died, 01:26 now glorified ♪ ♪ King of all kings ♪ 01:33 ♪ Majesty ♪ ♪ Worship his majesty ♪ 01:41 ♪ Unto Jesus be all glory, honor, and praise ♪ 01:51 ♪ Majesty ♪ ♪ Kingdom authority ♪ 02:00 ♪ Flow from His throne ♪ ♪ Unto his own ♪ 02:04 ♪ His anthem raise ♪ ♪ So exalt, lift up on high 02:14 the name of Jesus ♪ ♪ Magnify, come glorify 02:23 Christ Jesus the King ♪ ♪ Majesty ♪ 02:32 ♪ Worship His majesty ♪ ♪ Jesus who died ♪ 02:39 ♪ Now glorified ♪ ♪ King of all kings ♪ 02:47 ♪ Jesus who died ♪ ♪ Now glorified ♪ 02:52 ♪ King of all ki-i-ngs ♪ [ Music stops ] 03:06 [ "To God Be the Glory" plays ] ♪♪ 03:19 ♪♪ >> "To God be the glory." 03:31 ♪ To God be the glory, great things He hath done ♪ 03:37 ♪ So loved He the world that He gave us His Son ♪ 03:43 ♪ Who yielded His life, an atonement for sin ♪ 03:49 ♪ And opened the life gate that all may go in ♪ 03:54 ♪ Praise the Lord, praise the Lord ♪ 03:57 ♪ Let the earth hear His voice ♪ ♪ Praise the Lord, 04:02 praise the Lord ♪ ♪ Let the people rejoice ♪ 04:06 ♪ O, come to the Father, through Jesus the Son ♪ 04:12 ♪ And give Him the glory, great things He hath done ♪ 04:19 ♪ O, perfect redemption, the purchase of blood ♪ 04:25 ♪ To every believer the promise of God ♪ 04:32 ♪ The vilest offender who truly believes ♪ 04:38 ♪ That moment from Jesus a pardon receives ♪ 04:44 ♪ Praise the Lord, praise the Lord ♪ 04:48 ♪ Let the earth hear His voice ♪ ♪ Praise the Lord, 04:52 praise the Lord ♪ ♪ Let the people rejoice ♪ 04:57 ♪ O, come to the Father, through Jesus the Son ♪ 05:03 ♪ And give Him the glory, great things He hath done ♪ 05:11 ♪ Great things He hath taught us ♪ 05:15 ♪ Great things He hath done ♪ ♪ And great our rejoicing 05:21 through Jesus the Son ♪ ♪ But purer, and higher, 05:27 and greater will be ♪ ♪ Our wonder, our transport 05:33 when Jesus we see ♪ ♪ Praise the Lord, 05:37 praise the Lord ♪ ♪ Let the earth hear His voice ♪ 05:42 ♪ Praise the Lord, praise the Lord ♪ 05:45 ♪ Let the people rejoice ♪ ♪ O, come to the Father, 05:51 through Jesus the Son ♪ ♪ And give Him the glory, 05:57 great things He hath do-o-ne ♪ >> Ah, amen, amen. 06:06 God has been so good, hasn't he? Praise the Lord. 06:09 Let the earth hear our voice, hear our song. 06:13 And today we rejoice because of the Lamb who is worthy. The Lamb that came to this earth 06:19 to die in our place, to take on our sinfulness so that we could take onHisrighteousness. 06:27 And worthy is that Lamb, worthy is He to be praised. Sing with us this morning, 06:32 "Worthy is the Lamb." [ "Worthy is the Lamb" plays ] 06:37 ♪♪ ♪ Thank you for the cross, 06:48 Lord ♪ ♪ Thank you for the price 06:54 You paid ♪ ♪ Bearing all my sin and shame ♪ 07:02 ♪ In love You came ♪ ♪ And gave amazing grace ♪ 07:10 ♪ Thank you for this love, Lord ♪ 07:16 ♪ Thank you for the nail-pierced hands ♪ 07:22 ♪ Wash me in Your cleansing flow ♪ 07:27 ♪ Now all I know ♪ ♪ Your forgiveness and embrace ♪ 07:36 ♪ Worthy is the Lamb ♪ ♪ Seated on the throne ♪ 07:48 ♪ Crown You now with many crowns ♪ 07:54 ♪ You reign victorious ♪ ♪ High and lifted up ♪ 08:06 ♪ Jesus, Son of God ♪ ♪ The darling of Heaven, 08:15 crucified ♪ ♪ Worthy is the Lamb ♪ 08:26 ♪ Worthy is the Lamb ♪ ♪ Thank you for this love, 08:36 Lord ♪ ♪ Thank you for the nail-pierced 08:43 hands ♪ ♪ Wash me in Your cleansing 08:48 flow ♪ ♪ Now all I know ♪ 08:52 ♪ Your forgiveness and embrace ♪ ♪ Worthy is the Lamb ♪ 09:05 ♪ Seated on the throne ♪ ♪ Crown You now 09:14 with many crowns ♪ ♪ You reign victorious ♪ 09:23 ♪ High and lifted up ♪ ♪ Jesus, Son of God ♪ 09:34 ♪ The darling of Heaven, crucified ♪ 09:42 ♪ Worthy is the Lamb ♪ ♪ Worthy is the Lamb ♪ 09:54 ♪ Worthy is the Lamb ♪ ♪ Worthy is the Lamb ♪ 10:07 ♪♪ [ "Oh, Draw Me, Lord" plays ] 10:16 ♪ Oh, draw me, Lord ♪ ♪ Oh, draw me, Lord ♪ 10:30 ♪ Oh, draw me, Lord ♪ ♪ And I'll run after You ♪ 10:43 ♪ Oh, draw me, Lord ♪ ♪ Oh, draw me, Lord ♪ 10:57 ♪ Oh, draw me, Lord ♪ ♪ And I'll run after You ♪ 11:12 ♪ Oh, draw me, Lord ♪ ♪ Oh, draw me, Lord ♪ 11:25 ♪ Oh, draw me, Lord ♪ ♪ And I'll run after You ♪ 11:41 ♪ Oh, draw me, Lord ♪ ♪ Oh, draw me, Lord ♪ 11:55 ♪ Oh, draw me, Lord ♪ ♪ And I'll run after You-ou-ou ♪ 12:21 [ "Amazing Love" plays ] ♪♪ 12:34 ♪♪ ♪♪ 12:47 ♪ And can it be that I should gain ♪ 12:54 ♪ An interest in the Savior's blood? ♪ 13:00 ♪ Died He for me, who caused His pain? ♪ 13:08 ♪ For me, who Him to death pursued? ♪ 13:14 ♪ Amazing love ♪ ♪ How can it be ♪ 13:21 ♪ That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me? ♪ 13:28 ♪ Amazing love ♪ >> ♪ Amazing love ♪ 13:31 >> How can it be ♪ >> How can it be ♪ 13:35 >> ♪ That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me? ♪ 13:43 ♪♪ >> ♪ He left His Father's 13:51 throne above ♪ ♪ So free, so infinite 13:57 His grace ♪ ♪ Emptied Himself of all 14:05 but love ♪ ♪ And bled for Adam's 14:10 helpless race ♪ >> ♪ 'Tis mercy all, 14:16 immense and free ♪ >> ♪ For, O my God ♪ 14:24 >> ♪ It found out me ♪ >> ♪ It found out me ♪ 14:29 >> ♪ Amazing love ♪ >> ♪ Amazing love ♪ 14:33 ♪ How can it be ♪ ♪ That Thou, my God, shouldst 14:39 die for me? ♪ ♪♪ 14:54 ♪♪ ♪♪ 15:15 >> ♪ Long my imprisoned spirit lay ♪ 15:20 ♪ Fast bound in sin and nature's night ♪ 15:25 >> ♪ Thine eye diffused a quickening ray ♪ 15:31 ♪ I woke, the dungeon flamed with light ♪ 15:37 ♪ My chains fell off, my heart was free ♪ 15:43 ♪ I rose, went forth, and followed Thee ♪ 15:58 ♪♪ ♪♪ 16:14 ♪♪ ♪ No condemnation now I dread ♪ 16:27 ♪ Jesus, and all in Him, is mine ♪ 16:34 ♪ Alive in Him, my living Head ♪ ♪ And clothed in 16:43 righteousness divine ♪ ♪ Bold I approach 16:50 the eternal throne ♪ ♪ And claim the crown, 16:57 through Christ my own ♪ ♪♪ 17:05 ♪ Amazing love ♪ >> ♪ Amazing love ♪ 17:09 >> ♪ How can it be ♪ >> ♪ How can it be ♪ 17:12 ♪ That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me? ♪ 17:20 ♪♪ >> ♪ That Thou ♪ 17:25 >> ♪ That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me-e-e-e-e? ♪ 17:45 [ Music stops ] 17:57 >> Oh, thank you, Steve. Beautiful. Thank you, choir. 18:00 Thank you, Professor Zork. "Amazing love, how can it be 18:05 that Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?" 18:08 Perfect. That's what we need. 18:11 We need a vision of that love. Let's pray. 18:14 Oh, God, as the choir has just sung, amazing, amazing love, 18:20 You, who are our God, shouldst die for us. 18:23 Why? Why? And then that You should bid us 18:28 follow you. Show us how. 18:30 These few moments we have, show us how. 18:33 We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. 18:36 Do you remember, when you were a kid in Sabbath school, and the 18:38 teacher just stood up in front of you and she said, "All right, 18:41 boys and girls --" usually a she, can be a he -- stood up in 18:43 front of you and said, "All right, boys and girls, watch my 18:45 hands." Everybody's watching the 18:47 teacher's hands. And she took her fingers and she 18:50 went like this. Remember that? 18:52 She went like this, and then she closed her hand into kind of a 18:56 double-sized fist. And she said to you, "Here is 19:01 the church, here is the steeple. Open the doors-- Oh! -- where 19:10 are all the people? 19:12 Oh, and the little boy and his little girl, he said, "Boy, that is something what my teacher 19:16 can do." And then she said, "Watch this, boys and girls. 19:18 Just watch this." And we didn't know, but she's putting her hands together 19:22 differently. And she says, "All right, we'll make that church again. 19:25 Here we go. Here is the church, here is the steeple, 19:33 open the doors, look at all the people! Wow!" 19:38 And the whole place just goes electric. [ Laughter ] 19:41 Does it still bless your soul? Yeah. You know what? 19:45 Don't you wish that the truth about the Church could be that simple? 19:49 But as it turns out, there are two competing theories for the Church. 19:56 And they have all to do with where the teacher's fingers are. Two competing theories. 20:01 I want to run them by you. Check that out. See if you agree. 20:04 Let's call the first theory, theory number one, 20:07 The Church As a Field. Put it on the screen, please. 20:11 The Church as a Field. Now, do you notice the direction 20:14 the arrows are pointing in theory number one? 20:16 Yeah, which direction are they pointing? 20:17 They're all pointing in -- in, in, in, in. 20:20 Everything is inside the Church. Here is the church, here's the 20:22 steeple. 20:23 Open the doors -- whoo! -- there are all the people. See, that's that theory -- the 20:28 Church as a field. Suggesting that if you get enough people inside these four 20:32 walls, the Kingdom of Heaven can really -- can really go into -- go into high-drive mission. 20:40 I mean, this is the Church, The Church As a Field theory that makes having the very best 20:47 choir on earth, as we had today, your choir. Having the coolest preacher, 20:53 having the hottest youth group, having the funnest Sabbath school classes, because you got 20:58 to get everybody in. You have to get them in. The Church As a Field 21:03 looks to the Church within these walls as a dramatic stage for the Kingdom's salvation mission. 21:11 Hey, listen, don't get me wrong. There's nothing wrong with having -- There's nothing wrong 21:14 at all with having a wonderful choir. There's nothing wrong with 21:17 having a thoughtful preacher. There's nothing wrong with having a youth group that's 21:21 really gung ho, or Sabbath schools that are fun. But... 21:27 well, there's a second theory. Let me share it with you. So, this is the first theory -- 21:30 The Church As a Field. Here's the second theory. Put it on the screen for you. 21:34 The contradistinction is immediately clear to you by the 21:36 direction of the arrows. Have you noticed? 21:38 The arrows in the Field, everything is coming here. 21:41 Where do the arrows go now? Everything is out. 21:45 The Church as a Force. And what's the point of 21:49 The Church As a Force? You're moving away from the 21:51 Church. This theory suggests that the 21:53 real life and mission of the Church is not built around the 21:56 one hour, two hours, maybe three hours, max, that you may spend 21:59 within the four walls of the church. 22:01 No, no, no, no, no. The Church As a Force is the 22:04 theory that suggests it's what happens when weleavethis place 22:08 for plus-six days. 22:11 That's the Kingdom mission, that's the Kingdom business, and that's how God advances His 22:17 cause on earth. Now, don't get me -- Don't get me wrong, again. 22:21 There's nothing wrong with the choir in The Church As a Force. There's nothing wrong with the 22:28 preaching or the youth group or the Sabbath school, but the emphasis is not here, it's out 22:33 there. In fact, The Church As a Force theory declares that the Church 22:38 is not the field and that, in fact, theworldis the field, which is precisely the point 22:44 Jesus is making on that unforgettable outdoor church, because you couldn't find a 22:47 church big enough to hold the crowds when Jesus got up to teach and preach. 22:51 So, he's sitting in a little boat, and he's bobbing up and down. 22:54 It's one of those, "Can you hear me now?!" without a P.A. moments, as the crowd lines up 23:00 along the rocky shore of the Sea of Galilee. And I want to go there with you. 23:04 Open your Bible with me, please, to Matthew 13. Picture is set up here in 23:07 chapter 13. You didn't bring a Bible, you got your smartphone with you? 23:12 You have it there. Grab a pew Bible if you don't have a Bible. 23:16 I'd love for you to see this right in front of you here. Matthew 13 -- I'm going to be in 23:20 the New International Version. And I see some ushers coming through the line there, saying, 23:23 "Hey, would you like a study guide?" You want a study guide because 23:26 it has some cool quotes in it. But there's nothing to fill in today. 23:29 No "fill in the blanks" today, so don't feel bad if you don't see a blank up there. 23:33 Matthew 13:1 -- "That same day Jesus went out of the house and he sat by the lake. 23:38 Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and he sat in it, while all 23:44 the people stood on the shore. And then he told them many things in parables." 23:50 So, this outdoor church, he starts telling stories. Now, we're going to skip the 23:53 first story because everybody knows it. But the stunning and dramatic 23:57 second story, we're not going to skip. Drop down to verse 24. 24:00 "And then Jesus told them another parable." Here we go, now. 24:04 "'The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.'" 24:08 We're talking about a farmer here, folks. We're talking about a very wise 24:11 and good farmer, and he sows good seed in his field. "'But --' verse 25 -- "'while 24:18 everyone was sleeping, his enemy --'" ooh, it has to be a jealous farmer. 24:23 It has to be some envious farmer nearby that doesn't like the way that this farmer is so good at 24:27 growing his crops. And in the middle of the night, while Farmer Brown is sound 24:31 asleep and all his hired hands, an enemy comes and sowsweeds among the wheat and then -- 24:36 ch-ch-ch ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch ch-ch-ch-ch -- the enemy goes away. 24:39 Verse 26 -- "'And when the wheat sprouted --'" hey, wait a minute, that can't be tomorrow. 24:42 No, that can't be next week. No, this is probably a month or two later. 24:45 When the wheat finally sprouts and there's a little growth at the head, the servants come 24:50 racing into the farmhouse one day -- "[Panting] Master, you're not gonna believe 24:55 this, but your field has weeds in it." You know, what's the big deal 24:59 about weeds? We always have weeds. We could try a little collection 25:01 of weeds somewhere. "No, no, no, no, no, no, Master. No, everywhere. 25:04 It's as if -- It's as if it was just evenly spread out the entire field." 25:08 "You can't be serious." "I am." "Bah. I know who did this" -- 25:14 verse 28. "'An enemy did this,' he replied.'" 25:18 The servants said, "Okay, we'll help you. We'll go out, we'll pull up all 25:22 the weeds, all the tears, all the -- Darn it, we'll just pull them all up." 25:26 "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. You're not gonna pull them up. Lookit, if you pull the weeds 25:30 up, you're gonna pull the wheat up. I can't afford to lose one 25:33 sprout of wheat." So, here's the deal -- verse 29. 25:38 No, verse 30 -- let's drive down to verse 30. 25:40 "'Let both the wheat and the weeds grow together until the 25:44 harvest. And at that time I will tell 25:46 the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in 25:48 bundles to be burned; and then gather the wheat and bring it 25:51 into my barn.'" 25:52 Now, that was such -- That was such a dramatic story, and the disciples are so puzzled by it, 25:57 that the moment Jesus gets out of the boat and goes back into town -- turn the page -- they 26:02 come straight to him. This is verse 36. The disciples come up to him, 26:05 and they say, "Lord, Lord, Lord -- what is this, 36? -- "And he left the crowd and he 26:08 went into the house. And his disciples came to him and said, 'Please explain to us 26:12 the parable of the weeds in the field.'" "What in the world were you 26:16 trying to say?" Jesus says, "Hey, simple. Listen, guys. Here it is. 26:20 Verse 37 -- "'The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man.'" 26:26 That's Jesus' favorite title for Himself -- the only one he uses -- "Son of Man." 26:30 "That's me, sowing the good seed." And the field is the what? 26:35 The field is the world. It's not the Church. No, no, no, no, no, no. 26:41 The field is the world. Jesus agrees, the Church As a Force. 26:45 "'The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. 26:50 And the weeds are the people of the evil one, and the enemy --'" you probably already guessed 26:54 this, Jesus said to the disciples -- the enemy who sows them who sows them is guess who? 26:58 It's the devil, of course. "Evil" with a "D." It's the devil. 27:02 "'The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. 27:07 And as the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age.'" 27:14 Wow. What's the point of this parable? 27:18 What's the point of this parable? Do I -- I'll tell you what the 27:21 point of the parable is. Jesus does the weeding. Did you notice, it doesn't 27:27 happen till the end of the age. And it's His angels that go out and do it. 27:30 Isn't that right? Jesus does the weeding. Leave the weeding of the field 27:35 to Him. Let me put it another way. It is not the mission of the 27:40 Church to weed the field. He says, "No, no, no, no, my angels, they'll take care of it. 27:45 Don't worry about it." Why? Because it's not the mission of 27:50 the Church to weed the field. It's the mission of the Church tolovethe field. 27:54 That's our mission. Let me put it -- Let me repeat it, please. 27:57 The mission of the Church is to love peopletoJesus, not to weed peoplefromJesus. 28:04 Come on, think, think, think. You got to leave the weeding, then you got to leave it to the 28:07 Kingdom. Let the people that run the Kingdom take care of it. 28:09 That's not your job. In fact, Jesus, to make the point clearer, he says, "Let me 28:14 just re-emphasize that point, because you guys are not getting it." 28:16 And you drop down, he tells another story -- verse 47. "'And once again, the kingdom of 28:20 heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. 28:24 And when it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. 28:27 And then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets and threw the bad away. 28:30 This is how it will be --'" here comes the punch line all over again -- "'This is how it will 28:34 be at the end of the age. The angels will come down,'" and they'll do the separating -- 28:38 "Good fish, bad fish, bad fish, good fish, good fish, good fish, good fish, bad fish." 28:42 They'll do the separating. So far, are we together? Yeah. 28:48 And what's the point of the parable if the good and the bad fish? 28:50 What's the point of the parable of the weeds and wheat? Leave the weeding of the field, 28:56 leaving the sorting of the fish to Jesus. Leave it all to Him. 29:03 And have you noticed when the weeding and the sorting comes, by the way? 29:06 When does the weeding and the sorting come, in both of them? When does it come? 29:09 At the end of the age. That's the return of Christ. That's the end of human history 29:13 as we know it. So, by the way, that means that if you considerate it your job, 29:17 in the Church, your personal mission -- self-called, of course -- is to identify people 29:21 that need to be outside the Church, not inside the Church -- that means that you have to wait 29:25 till the last second of human history and do it then. You can't do it now... 29:29 either way. The weeding is His. The sorting -- The sorting is 29:34 His mission. Why? Because you and I may make a very sad mistake. 29:37 That's why we may throw a fish out that was ready to be a good fish, and it just looked like a 29:42 bad fish. We may pull up a plant that turns out it was a wheat. 29:45 It was not weed. We'd have messed up. I want to read a dynamite little 29:55 line. I put it on the screen for you. 29:57 It's from the classic "Christ's Object Lessons." 29:58 It's kind of commenting on this parable -- the wheat and the 30:00 weed. Put that line up, please. 30:02 Christ "has not committed to us the work of judging character 30:05 and motive." Isn't that something? 30:09 I was having Bible studies once with a young man. He ran with a fast crowd. 30:15 In fact, he was living with his girlfriend. We were having Bible studies, 30:19 and he started coming to church. And then, one day, the electric company turned off his 30:23 electric -- turned off his electricity. "Failure to pay." 30:27 It can happen. A few days went by, and finally, that young man said, "You know, 30:32 this is crazy. I need that electricity." He climbed up the -- He climbed 30:34 up the pole and said, "I'll put it back together." [ Imitates electric crackle ] 30:37 He grabbed the wrong wire. [ Snaps fingers ] Electrocuted. 30:40 His family came to me and said, "Pastor, would you conduct his funeral?" 30:44 I have no idea what that young man was thinking that day when he tried to reconnect his house. 30:50 All I know is that God loved him, and I'm going to love him in life and I'm going to love 30:54 him in death. Go back to that "Christ's Object Lessons." 31:00 Keep reading. Christ "has not committed to us the work of judging character 31:03 and motive. He knows our nature too well to entrust this work" 31:06 to you and me. "Should we try to uproot from the Church those whom we suppose 31:10 to be spurious --" that means "fake." There's been a lot of "fake" in 31:15 the public conversation of America these days. "This isfakeChristians." 31:21 These are fake Christians. The Church says, "We're going to -- We -- They've got to be 31:24 fake Christians. Throw them out." "We would be sure --" she goes 31:27 on -- "We would be sure to make mistakes." Keep reading. 31:29 Oh, this is something. 31:31 "Often we regard as hopeless subjects the very ones whom 31:35 Christ is drawing to Himself." Did you not know? 31:41 What were you thinking? 31:43 Hey, time-out. Who are the people that you think are hopeless? 31:46 Who are the people you think are hopeless? Would it be an alcoholic? 31:51 I mean, we're talking alcoholic to the very DNA of his bones. Would it be somebody -- this 31:57 opioid addiction that is kind of the number-one health crisis in the United States right now? 32:01 And by the way, "Time" magazine just last week came out with something I've never seen in all 32:05 its history, and that is a black-and-white issue. Black-and-white photographs of 32:09 one photographer who chronicles with his camera the drug, the opioid epidemic in America. 32:14 Not a single ad in that entire -- not a single ad. That's how serious it is. 32:20 Maybe it's one of those opioid addicts. "Oh, you're not gonna -- 32:25 You know? T-That's hopeless, trust me." Hopeless subjects. 32:29 How about those addicted to sex? Sex in any form you wish. Call it up. 32:34 We don't have enough time to call up the different forms. Any form of sex -- sex that's 32:39 deviant. It's what you consider to be blatantly immoral. 32:43 Those kinds of people obviously are hopeless subjects, right? Pedophile. 32:49 How about a pedophile? How about an abuser? We've been hearing a lot of talk 32:53 lately about abusers? How about an abuser? A hopeless subject. 32:57 The man with his fourth wife? The wife with her fifth husband? You see, the reality is, we 33:06 morally marginalize people in our minds. And when we marginalize them, we 33:12 also ostracize them. Not in here. Not in here, do you understand? 33:18 And isn't that something? All the while we are cutting them off, Christ is trying to 33:23 draw them in. All the while we are pushing them out, he said, "Come on." 33:27 He's trying to drag them, pull them in. Put that line up again, please. 33:33 "Often we regard as hopeless subjects the very ones whom Christ is drawing to Himself." 33:39 "Listen, listen, Pastor. Dwight, listen. We can't love people. 33:42 I mean, you just can't have people like that in here. What are they gonna think about 33:45 this Church? They're gonna make some conclusions about us, and it's 33:49 not right. No, they've had all the chances they need. 33:53 Those kind of people do not belong in here." I've got to tell you, 33:57 that's why I've been moved by the compelling thrust of Jerry Cook's book, "Love, 34:03 Acceptance and Forgiveness." to the place I'm dreaming now. 34:08 No, I'm praying now that the Church I belong to 34:12 might one day become known far and wide as a people who are 34:15 like Jesus -- a people who love, a people who accept, a people 34:18 who forgive, no matter who, no matter what, no matter where, 34:21 no matter why. They just love, accept, and 34:23 forgive. I keep dreaming and praying 34:26 that the Church one day -- this Church -- might become a safe 34:30 haven for other sinners like you and me. 34:34 Or maybe not so much like you and me. 34:36 Sinners that Jesus loved out of their pain, loved out of their 34:40 guilt. Boy, look at Jesus. 34:42 I mean, please. What was that line we just read? 34:45 "Often we regard as hopeless subjects the very ones whom 34:47 Christ is drawing to Himself." And you want to talk about 34:51 Zacchaeus the cheat, the public embezzler? 34:54 "Come on in." You want to talk about Mary Magdalene, the whore -- 34:58 seven times, so deep that addiction -- seven times, demons are cast out of her. 35:02 You want to talk about the thief on the cross? "Come on in." 35:04 You want to talk about -- Who do you want to talk about? You want to talk about the 35:08 secret abuser, because those are usually the -- that's usually the case for abusers. 35:12 They do it secretly. You want to talk about the guilty Pharisee named Simon, who 35:17 was an abuser, and Jesus knew. You want to talk about the loud-mouthed braggadocio 35:24 Peter the Denier? You want to talk about the cool executive Judas? 35:29 Takes them all. And do you know what the common bond is between all these names 35:33 I've just mentioned? Here's the common bond. To a man, to a woman, to a 35:38 person, they were loved, accepted, and forgiven by Jesus. Even when they didn't ask for 35:46 it, they were forgiven. My, oh, my. They couldfeelthe love. 35:54 Isn't it amazing how Jesus loved the people we normally marginalize and ostracize? 36:01 If you feel like you're one of these sinners right now, I want you -- I got some good news 36:05 for you. Just look at the way Jesus treats sinners. 36:08 I'm sorry about the way the Church treats sinners sometimes, but I want you to look at Jesus 36:13 right now and notice how he treats sinners. Love, acceptance, and 36:19 forgiveness. "I offer that to you. Come follow me. 36:23 Come on. Let's go. I got a Church big enough for you." 36:29 Wow. Even Judas. "Desire of Ages" says that on 36:33 that fateful night, just hours before Jesus would be executed because Judas will betray Him in 36:38 a few, couple, three hours -- "Desire of Ages" tells us that when the callous but gentle 36:44 hands of the Master reached down to scrub the dusty feet of Judas, His heartthrilled. 36:52 He could feel the love. He is known in this -- He knows, in this nefarious, dark moment 36:57 that's about to unfold, that he is still being loved by the Jesus he's going tosellfor 37:02 30 pieces of silver. He felt the love. Can you feel the love around 37:09 here withyou... and with me? Can you feel the love? 37:16 The truth is, the Church of Jesus Christ back then was filled with moral wrecks like 37:22 you and me, and it still is because of you and me. Keep reading. 37:27 On the screen again. Christ "has not committed to us the work of judging character 37:30 and motive. He knows our nature too well to entrust this work" to you 37:33 and me. "Should we try to uproot from the Church those whom we suppose 37:37 to be spurious --" or fake -- "Christians, we should be sure to make mistakes. 37:41 Often we regard as hopeless subjects the very ones whom Christ is drawing to Himself." 37:45 Now she goes on. Here we go. "Were we to deal with these 37:49 souls according to our imperfect judgment, it would perhaps extinguish their last hope." 37:56 The fact that they are here is the last hope God has. And you're going to 38:02 extinguish it? [ Blows sharply ] At what price? 38:07 For what cause? The purity of the Church? The moment you join the Church, 38:13 it was no longer pure. And that's true for me, too. 38:23 "Many --" she goes on -- Ellen White -- "Many who think 38:26 themselves Christians will at last be found wanting. 38:29 And many will be in heaven who their neighbors supposed would 38:32 never enter there." Why? Because we judge "from 38:34 appearance, but God judges the heart." 38:38 Someone has said that when you get to heaven, there will be 38:40 three surprises. Surprise number one -- there 38:41 will be people there you never thought would be there. 38:44 Surprise number two -- there will be people missing that you thought for sure would be there. 38:47 And surprise number three -- you're there. [ Laughter ] 38:55 [ Sighs ] "Often we regard as hopeless subjects the very ones whom 39:01 Christ is drawing to Himself," which is precisely it is not the mission of the Church toweed 39:07 the field. It's the mission of the Church tolovefield. 39:11 We've not been called to weed people out. We've been called 39:13 to love peoplein... six days, seven days a week. If only we could be that kind of 39:22 people. If only we could be a people that would make the three 39:26 minimal guarantees. [ Clicks tongue ] I'm thinking Jerry Cook again. 39:30 I'll put his words one more time on the screen for you. 39:32 "The minimal guarantee we must make to people --" in or out 39:36 of the Church -- "is that they will be loved -- always, 39:39 under every circumstance, with no exception. 39:41 The second guarantee is that they will be totally accepted, without reservation. 39:45 The third thing we must guarantee is that no matter how miserably they fail or how 39:49 blatantly they sin, unreserved forgiveness is theirs for the asking with no bitter taste left 39:54 in anybody's mouth." 39:56 And finally, "A church that can make that commitment to every 40:00 person is a church that's learning to love and a church 40:02 that will be a force for God." There it is -- what Jerry Cook 40:07 calls the theory of The Church as a Force. 40:11 A force for what? A force for good, a force for 40:14 God, a force for grace, a force for love, acceptance, 40:17 and forgiveness. 40:18 Do you understand that the Church is the most powerful institution on this planet, 40:24 bar none, to live out the love of God? It is divine love that makes the 40:29 Church the most significant and influential body of human beings anywhere on the planet. 40:35 Not a university. Not a hospital. The most powerful force on this 40:40 planet is the local Church. You're the Church. I'm the Church. 40:47 When we go through these doors, in just a few moments, there goes the Church. 40:52 Three hours, an hour here, [Snaps fingers] six-plus days out there. 40:57 There goes the Church. Here they come. Look out, world. 41:00 That's the Church as a Force theory. But I'll make the guarantee to 41:08 you -- this is my minimal guarantee to you -- that if you walk through these doors -- if 41:11 you walk through these doors, I guarantee you that I will love you without reservation, 41:17 I will accept you without conditions, and I will forgive you. 41:24 You want to be forgiven? I will forgive you, no matter what. 41:27 You walk through this -- You walk through these doors, that's our minimum guarantee 41:32 to you as a people. The moment I walk out these doors, by the way, any human 41:36 being I meet, tomorrow morning at 9:00... up to our knees in mud, 41:42 together, the guarantee is I love you. I accept you. 41:50 I don't care what you've done, I forgive you. Some people think this is cheap 41:55 grace and you're just trying to kind of let people off the hook too easy. 41:59 The problem is, we've been keepingonthe hook for so long, they don't know what to do with 42:03 the Church. It's time to let them off the hook. 42:07 We're not hook-fishing. We're loving as a force. We're loving as a force. 42:16 Love, acceptance, and forgiveness. 42:20 Put it on the screen. The Church has been raised up to 42:22 be the greatest force for divine love anywhere on this planet. 42:25 The question is, can you feel the love around here? 42:27 That's the question. 42:30 I was praying this last Wednesday morning. Woke up early -- way too early. 42:34 [ Scoffs ] [ Sighs ] Couldn't go back to sleep, and 42:38 that's what I'm doing now. If I can't get back to sleep, I say, "Okay, I'm not gonna sit 42:41 here and count sheep. I'll talk to God." So I go down there in the dark. 42:47 And you know what? It's just, all of a sudden, man, just like there's just -- 42:49 pbht! -- this burden on my heart. And I'm wrestling with God over, 42:53 "What's it gonna take? What's it gonna take? What it's gonna take for this 42:57 Church, this congregation? What's it gonna take for this university? 43:01 What it is it going to take?" Because the truth of the matter is -- I'll be really honest with 43:05 you -- I'm not naive. I know that the preacher can't preach nothing, diddly-squat 43:10 into you. He can't even preach it into himself. 43:13 So all this call about loving our neighbors and all this call about being baptized daily by 43:17 the Holy Spirit, I understand that. I'm preaching till I'm blue in 43:20 the face, but it doesn't matter. The preacher can't pull it off. And every preacher will 43:27 eventually learn that lesson -- you can't. You have to have -- You have to 43:32 have intervention. "What kind of intervention you talking about, Dwight?" 43:38 I'm talking about the intervention that happens [Sighs] 43:42 when a personal representative of Jesus Christ himself shows up -- shows up -- 43:51 shows up wherever it is you pray. I hope you have a same place 43:55 you go to. Don't just be doing, "Eeny, meeny, miny, moe" 43:59 every day. Terribly confusing for your mind, because it always is 44:02 trying to understand, "What's the setting we're in now?" You need to go back to the same 44:07 place. If it's a dormitory room, it's the same place. 44:10 If it's a trailer park, it's the same place. If it's an apartment, it's the 44:13 same place. Go back to the same place. And when you're there without 44:16 distraction, alone with God, that's where the personal representative of Christ Himself 44:21 shows up. He's called the -- He's called the Comforter. 44:26 He's not your enemy. Eugene Peterson calls Him "your friend," "the friend." 44:30 He's the advocate. He's your defender. He is on your side to the max. 44:36 When He shows up, here's all you do. You just say, "Hey, Holy Spirit, 44:41 you got to fill me. I can't fill myself. Okay, I understand all of this, 44:47 but I just can't fill myself." That's it. I wish there was some kind of 44:52 cool secret. I wish there was some kind of rocket science that we could 44:55 tap into here. It's not. It's just plain, it's simple. 44:57 "You ask me. Let me fill you today." The whole point is to come back 45:03 tomorrow and ask again, and come back tomorrow and ask again. Today, today, today just keep 45:06 getting filled. That's the point. You know what? 45:09 At some point, this thing has to turn -- this thing has to turn practical. 45:13 And what I mean by "practical" is, you got to be able to walk out of wherever it is you have 45:18 prayer, walk back into the world, and start looking for a chance to do something to show 45:22 that you care for somebody. I don't care who the somebody is, you just walk out of your 45:25 dormitory room and back onto the campus, and, "I'm going to find somebody today that I can care 45:30 for." That's it. It's just no big deal. 45:32 "Holy Spirit, waken me, let me know." And by the way, the 45:37 opportunities come in just innocuous, very subtle ways. Somebody may come up to you and 45:41 say, "Hey, can you spot me 5?" "What are you talking about?" "I need 5 bucks." 45:46 There will be an instant flash within you that says, "Okay, you got $5. 45:50 You happen to have $5 today? Give it to him." I have a friend who said, 45:55 "Dwight, you need to get a book." So I went and got the book, 45:58 because he read it. He said, "It really blessed me." So I went and got the book. 46:01 It's written by -- It's written by a businessman in Grand Rapids, Michigan, 46:06 of all places -- just up the interstate. His name is Clare De Graaf -- 46:09 good Dutch name for Grand Rapids. And this very successful 46:13 businessman has written a book -- I'll put the -- It's in your study guide. 46:17 The title of the book is "The 10-Second Rule." Do you want to know what the 46:20 10-second rule is? Here it is, reduced to a single sentence. 46:23 The 10-second rule -- "Just do the next thing you're reasonably 46:26 certain Jesus wants you to do -- and do it within the next 10 46:29 seconds." That's it. 46:31 Because you are bright enough to know -- and so am I -- that if I take a little time to say, "Uh, 46:36 I don't know." The guy is standing on the corner of the street and he's 46:40 saying, "Need food, have children. Can you help?" 46:43 I see that. This guy's a pro. I'm telling you, he's a pro. These guys do this for a living. 46:47 They're rich. They're wealthier than me. Why would I want to give money 46:51 to feedhisbad habits? You give yourself more than 10 seconds, and it's over, 46:55 because your bright mind will tell you all the logical reasons why you should not be unselfish 47:00 right now. "You should not help anybody. Take care of what you got. 47:04 Hang on to it, boy." You can't -- You can't let it go. 47:07 That's his point. Just respond, "Okay, I'll do it." 47:13 10 seconds, or your mind will talk itself out. You see, the problem with the 47:18 human race... is selfishness. So, I'm studying -- Anybody 47:23 study the Sabbath school lesson anymore? So, my friend John Matthews has 47:26 written a Sabbath school lesson for this quarter. It's dynamite stuff. 47:29 I ripped this out. Look, this week. What is this? This is Wednesday. 47:32 Oh, boy, did he get it right, here. Listen to this. 47:34 "Whatever your motive for giving may be, it is on a continuum that ranges from ego to 47:41 altruism." You're either giving to be seen or you're really the little 47:45 widow down here and just giving it because Jesus said, "Give me everything you have," and you're 47:49 giving. So, somewhere you're -- Isn't that right? 47:51 Come on, it's for all of us. "The fight on this continuum between selfishness and giving 47:56 is fought more frequently than any other spiritual fight on earth." 48:02 That's our biggest battle. I'm telling you, you could be 13, 14, you can be 17, 18, 48:07 it doesn't matter. It's the same battle. It's the same struggle, "Shall I 48:11 let it go, or shall I hang on to it? Somebody needs me now, 48:15 but shall I give?" The whole human race -- this is thenumero-unobattle on earth. 48:23 It's the battle for selfishness. Isn't that something? And what did he put here? 48:28 Oh, "The bottom line comes down to one word, 'love.'" You go, John. 48:33 "Love. And love cannot be manifested without self-denial, a 48:36 willingness to give of one's self, even sacrificially, for the good of others." 48:39 That's how you do it. You just do it. You just do it. 48:42 The Holy Spirit says, "Do it," and you do it. And every time you do it, 48:47 that unselfish muscle gets stronger and stronger, and finally, in an arm wrestle, 48:53 it can put the selfish muscle down just like that. And I can tell you, people that 48:58 I know and love, in this very space, who have now a very strong unselfish muscle. 49:03 Doesn't matter what the cause, there they are, and they're not wealthy. 49:08 They're unselfish. Love, acceptance, and forgiveness through the 49:13 Holy Spirit. Oh, by the way, I need to say this before I sit down. 49:16 Love, acceptance, and forgiveness -- Do you know what, moms and dads?. 49:20 Let me talk to the moms and dads here for a moment. It applies to your children -- 49:24 love, acceptance, and forgiveness. Even when you're going through 49:27 hell with that child, it applies, so that you will love that child, you will accept that 49:35 child, you will forgive that child no matter what the child has done. 49:41 You can't control the child. Have you finally figured that out? 49:45 [ Congregation murmurs ] It's over. But you love that child, you 49:50 accept that child, and you forgive that child. Only the Holy Spirit can give 49:55 you that. Some of you parents have been through -- been through 49:58 nightmares. I was talking with a fellow dad the other day, and he's saying, 50:03 "Aw, you can't believe it." I said, "No, I can believe it. Been there and done that." 50:08 Oh, by the way, are you a child? Are you a child? You have parents? 50:11 You can flip it around. You can treat your parents in the same way -- love, 50:15 acceptance, and forgiveness for your parents. Doesn't matter what your daddy 50:18 has done to you... what your mother has done or not done. 50:23 You love that parent, you accept that parent, you forgive that parent, no matter what. 50:28 "Dwight, are you saying that this abuse that I've been suffering, I somehow must remain 50:32 in that abuse? Are you kidding?" Forgiveness is not being 50:37 complicit. Forgiveness is not giving permission. 50:42 But forgiveness can be a tough love that stands up and says, "Enough of this." 50:46 And you talk to somebody, girl. You talk to somebody, boy. You talk to somebody you respect 50:50 and trust, and you get help. I'm not telling you to stay there and be ruined. 50:55 Do you understand? But I am saying you must love your -- you must love your 50:58 father and mother, you must accept your father and mother, you must forgive your father and 51:02 mother, andGodwill take care of you. But it's all through the 51:06 Holy Spirit. 51:07 Only the Holy Spirit, I'm telling you. 51:08 That's it. That's all I'm going to say. 51:10 It's the Holy Spirit that can pull this off. 51:12 The pledge we are about to take -- No, the pledge I'm about 51:14 toinviteyou to take -- go to the bottom of your study guide, 51:17 please, and look at it, the pledge. 51:18 I'm going to read that pledge to you right now, and then I'll 51:21 sit down. The pledge. 51:24 Only through the power of the Holy Spirit can we make a pledge 51:27 like this. I'm praying that you would be 51:28 willing to make the pledge. I am making the pledge, 51:31 I'm telling you, with you. Let's look at the pledge. 51:33 You see it there. We'll put it up on the screen 51:34 for you. "The Pledge. 51:36 I make this commitment to you --" and then there is a 51:39 fill-in-the-blank -- you can put anybody in that blank you wish. 51:41 Every day, it may be somebody else. 51:43 It may be your roommate, it may be your parent, it may be your 51:45 spouse, it may be your child, it may be the stranger you just 51:48 met, it may be the visitor that walks into your church, it may 51:50 be your office colleagues, it may be your enemy. 51:52 You put your enemy's name in that spot. 51:55 Somebody deserves this pledge from you. 51:58 Okay, let's read. You see the pledge on the screen 52:02 here. I make this commitment to 52:04 you --" blank. "I will love you -- always, 52:07 under every circumstance, with no exception. 52:10 I will accept you -- totally and without reservation. 52:12 And no matter how miserably you fail or how blatantly you sin, 52:15 I offer unreserved forgiveness to you for the asking. 52:19 I choose to love you as Jesus loves me." 52:22 And then you sign it. And you keep it. 52:25 You're not turning this in. You keep it. 52:27 You keep it. Let's read it out loud together. You read off the screen or your 52:32 study guide, and I'll read it right here in my notes. Out loud together, everybody 52:35 reading. "I make this commitment to you. I will love you -- always, under 52:43 every circumstance, with no exception. I will accept you -- totally and 52:48 without reservation. And no matter how miserably you fail or how blatantly you sin, 52:55 I offer unreserved forgiveness to you for the asking. I choose to love you as Jesus 53:03 loves me." Signature. "The Pledge" -- it's time. 53:09 It is time for this Church to turn a corner. It is time for this people to 53:15 become a force on this planet. And the only force that wins in this battle is the force of 53:20 divine love. That's the only force that wins. I want to invite the ushers to 53:26 stand. I want to pray with you in just a moment, but I want to sing 53:28 this -- some profound words to a very familiar tune. And so, ushers, let's go. 53:33 Let's receive the morning tithes and offerings. We don't want to be selfish. 53:36 So if God has freely blessed you, then freely you've received, freely give. 53:39 Let the Lord have what you have, and be happy. But let's sing this hymn -- 53:45 "Lord, Whose Love In Humble Service," to the wonderful Beethoven tune. 53:49 We'll sing it, and we'll stand on the third stanza. Okay, let's go, ushers. 53:52 Thank you. [ Organ plays Beethoven's "Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee" ] 53:58 ♪♪ ♪♪ 54:10 >> ♪ Lord, whose love in humble service ♪ 54:15 ♪ Bore the weight of human need ♪ 54:20 ♪ Who upon the Cross, forsaken ♪ ♪ Worked Your mercy's perfect 54:27 deed ♪ ♪ We, Your servants, 54:30 bring the worship ♪ ♪ Not of voice alone, 54:35 but heart ♪ ♪ Consecrating to Your purpose ♪ 54:41 ♪ Every gift which You impart ♪ ♪ Still Your children wander 54:51 homeless ♪ ♪ Still the hungry cry 54:55 for bread ♪ ♪ Still the captives 54:59 long for freedom ♪ ♪ Still in grief we mourn 55:04 our dead ♪ ♪ As You, Lord, 55:08 in deep compassion ♪ ♪ Healed the sick and freed 55:13 the soul ♪ ♪ By Your Spirit 55:17 send Your power ♪ ♪ To our world to make it 55:22 whole ♪ ♪ As we worship, grant us 55:31 vision ♪ ♪ Till Your love's revealing 55:35 light ♪ ♪ In its height and depth 55:39 and greatness ♪ ♪ Dawns upon our quickened 55:44 sight ♪ ♪ Making known the needs 55:48 and burdens ♪ ♪ Your compassion bids us 55:53 bear ♪ ♪ Stirring us to ardent 55:57 service ♪ ♪ Your abundant life to share ♪ 56:06 ♪♪ 56:07 >> Oh, Father, oh, Son, oh, Holy Spirit, it is Your abundant life that flows 56:13 with eternal love. It is that...which we need. And so we stand before you in 56:21 this moment before we move as a force back out into the world. Oh, God, every morning, call us 56:30 to ask and then give. Pour into us the love, acceptance, and forgiveness of 56:37 Jesus. And then pour it out of us. And may the world be a better 56:43 place because You are our God and we are Your children. In Jesus' name we pray. 56:50 Amen. [ Organ plays ] 57:06 >> We've been really blessed by the financial support that comes 57:08 from our viewers, and we've made a conscious decision not to 57:11 continually appeal to you for that support. 57:14 The fact is, as everyone in the industry will tell you, we're 57:17 needing to make constant upgrades to our technology. 57:20 So if God has blessed you and you'd like to further the work 57:23 of this ministry, we invite you to partner with us. 57:25 Not a single penny of your donation will go to me. 57:28 Every bit of your gift goes to the mission of blessing your 57:31 community and our world. You can donate on our website, 57:34 newperceptions.tv. Or call the number. 57:37 You know the number -- 877-HIS-WILL. 57:40 Again, that number is 877 -- the two words "HIS-WILL." 57:44 And may the God who has blessed you continue to pour into your 57:47 life the gifts of His joy and His hope. 57:50 Thank you. And I'm looking forward to 57:52 seeing you, right here, again, next time. 57:59 ♪♪ ♪♪ 58:19 ♪♪ |
Revised 2018-03-12