Participants:
Series Code: NP
Program Code: NP180428A
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00:00 ♪♪ [ Piano plays ]
00:10 >> I'm just gonna ask real quick -- First of all, happy 00:13 Sabbath. >> All: Happy Sabbath. 00:14 >> Amen. Now, it's such a beautiful 00:17 Sabbath, but specifically for me 'cause this week was a little 00:20 bit tougher for me. It was the last week before 00:24 finals exams. This was the time of the week 00:26 where everything was just piling up. 00:29 In the beginning of this week, I'm not gonna act like I was in my perfect happy mind. 00:34 I was a little bit down. But I believed in God when -- [ Sighs ] 00:38 I believe that, because He's done it before, He's gotten me through so many weeks like this, 00:43 that He would do it again. So when I say happy Sabbath, it's a beautiful Sabbath. 00:48 Can we say that one more time? Can we just say, "Happy Sabbath"? 00:51 >> All: Happy Sabbath. >> It's a beautiful day where I can just rest and just praise 00:54 Him and just declare His glory and how indescribably wonderful He is. 01:01 Can we sing that? 01:02 "From the heights of heights." [ Congregation sings ] 01:12 ♪♪ Sing it with us. 01:19 ♪♪ ♪♪ 01:38 ♪♪ Sing it with your heart! 01:47 ♪♪ We have an amazing God. 01:57 Just listen to what you're singing to. 02:04 ♪♪ God, You are. 02:15 ♪♪ I love this part. "Who has..." 02:24 ♪♪ ♪♪ 02:36 This God who imagined everything into existence. 02:43 ♪♪ 02:53 "None can..." Sing it with your heart, come 02:56 on. 03:02 ♪♪ ♪♪ 03:18 Sing it to Him! 03:24 ♪♪ You're singing this, declaring 03:27 who God is. With all of your heart. 03:36 ♪♪ And You are God. 03:51 Just listen to what you're singing about Him. 03:58 ♪♪ ♪♪ 04:18 ♪♪ Can we just state it and just 04:21 declare that? 04:28 ♪♪ ♪♪ 04:40 Our God is so amazing! Can we just sing that to Him? 04:49 ♪♪ ♪♪ 05:01 Our God is so great. He madeeverythingwith just a 05:05 single thought. There's nothing too strong for 05:08 our God. "All powerful." 05:15 ♪♪ ♪♪ 05:26 I love this next part. "Incomparable." 05:29 [ Volume lowers ] 05:35 ♪♪ Whoo! 05:40 Do you understand what... We don't even see the depths of 05:45 ourownhearts, and God knows everything we're ashamed of but 05:48 still loves us. Keep singing that. 05:54 Ah! 05:58 My sinful heart. You don't love me just enough, 06:03 but You love me just the same. Can we sing that one last time? 06:11 Just sing it to Him. 06:18 ♪♪ ♪♪ 06:31 Somebody needs to hear that, just the voices. 06:33 Somebody needs to hear that. "Incomparable." 06:38 This is for someone. 06:45 ♪♪ ♪♪ 06:57 Amen. Amen. 07:05 [ "Agnus Dei" plays ] 07:12 This is the song I imagine we're gonna sing in heaven, when we just pour our crowns down to 07:17 Him, when we're shielding our faces. This song is so simple because 07:24 all you can just say is just, "Alleluia, for the Lord God Almighty reigns." 07:30 Holy are You, Lord God Almighty. Worthy is the Lamb. Sometimes, I don't even need to 07:37 ask God for anything. All I just do is praise Him, praise Him because I know He's 07:42 taking care of my problems before I even ask. Can we do that when we sing this 07:47 song? Can we just simply praise Him, not asking anything, just praise 07:52 Him because it's already done? 07:58 "Alleluia." 08:04 ♪♪ Sing it to Him. 08:14 ♪♪ Imagine being right in heaven, 08:24 God before him, just declaring to him. 08:32 ♪♪ "For the Lord." 08:48 ♪♪ Just sing it to Him 'cause it's 08:52 His song. 08:58 ♪♪ ♪♪ 09:18 ♪♪ Sing to Him! 09:28 ♪♪ ♪♪ 09:43 Sing it to Him. 09:48 ♪♪ ♪♪ 10:08 ♪♪ ♪♪ 10:19 Sing that again. 10:24 ♪♪ ♪♪ 10:44 ♪♪ Hallelujah. Hallelujah. 10:48 [ Song ends, "Total Praise" plays ] 10:56 ♪♪ This is your song for Him. 11:05 ♪♪ Sing it to Him. 11:10 Our help comes from Him. 11:17 ♪♪ We all have things that we need 11:20 to give to God. 11:27 ♪♪ ♪♪ 11:39 Don't worry about anyone around you. 11:42 Don't worry about anything you see. 11:44 Don't worry about feeling insecure. 11:47 Give God the praise that's on your heart. 11:50 This is you and God. Sing it to Him. 12:01 ♪♪ It's your time with God. 12:12 ♪♪ ♪♪ 12:32 ♪♪ Sing, "Lord." 12:39 ♪♪ Just give it to Him in this 12:50 moment. I don't know what's on your 12:52 heart, what you need to tell Him, but tell Him right now. 12:55 This is your time with God. It doesn't matter how long it's 12:59 been since you talked to God. It doesn't matter how long. 13:02 You're here right now. You're here right now with Him. 13:06 You're here right now. 13:13 ♪♪ Sing it to Him. 13:20 ♪♪ Lord, You're so good. 13:28 No matter what we're going through, You can take care of 13:30 it, God. Somebody needs to hear this, 13:34 God. Somebody needs to hear this. 13:36 I believe in Your power. I declare Your power in the Name 13:40 of Jesus. 13:46 ♪♪ [ Applause ] 13:59 ♪♪ ♪♪ 14:16 Give it to God right now. Don't worry about the people 14:20 around you. 14:27 Amen. 14:32 ♪♪ Such a powerful, mighty God we 14:44 have. All we can say is amen to Your 14:47 glory and Your Name. 14:54 ♪♪ ♪♪ 15:12 [ Flourish ] Hallelujah! 15:15 [ Song ends, applause ] 15:19 >> Happy Sabbath to you. Is this the last Sabbath of April? 15:22 It is! This is the last Sabbath at Andrews University, except they 15:25 start May Express in just a few days, and then they'll go plowing right through the 15:29 summer. And you have a few more weeks at your schools, I know. 15:32 I know you do, but it's nice to see you on this beautiful, beautiful -- as Chaplain José 15:38 said, "At last, a Sabbath in spring." Nice to have you. God bless you. 15:44 Say, I was in Thailand just a few days ago, and so we're in 15:49 this beautiful "Garden of Eden." 15:53 I'd never been in a place like this, and there were a bunch of missionaries with their 15:57 children -- over 200 of them -- and we were meeting together and worshiping every day, and 16:01 they're just getting rested and refreshed from the Adventist Frontier Missions 16:05 global retreat. They came from all over the world, and I want to show you a 16:08 beautiful place that they went to. This is in Chiang Mai, the 16:11 second-largest city in Thailand. So there's some of the places where they were staying. 16:16 Let's see the dining room. Oh, there's a -- Look at all those lily pads. 16:20 You can see some of them budding. But I must tell you this, boys 16:23 and girls. It was like a garden. It was like the Garden of Eden, 16:26 and I saw animals there. I saw animals, very strange animals, but I'm gonna show them 16:32 to you, and I want to see how good you are in spotting animals, okay? 16:36 So you have your eyes ready to go? Look at these two screens. 16:39 Here we go. First animal, please. Oh, there he is. 16:42 What is that? >> Bunny rabbit? >> A bunny. You nailed it. 16:46 It is a bunny. Can't you see that bunny? Look at those floppy ears and 16:51 that eye just watching. Very good. Well, do you know what that 16:54 bunny's made out of? Let's see another one. We'll find out. 16:57 Oh! I bet you can't recognize those. >> Together: Elephants! 17:00 >> Those are elephants. Do you see the mommy elephant and the little baby holding on 17:03 to the mommy's tail? Oh, look at those elephants. Those are all bushes. 17:08 You see the bush here? The elephant comes right up out of the bush, and the gardeners, 17:13 hundreds of gardeners, who just shape the branches until it turns into the shape of an 17:17 elephant. Let's see the next one. You won't get this one. 17:20 Oh! Out of -- [ Indistinct shouting ] Can you see the dolphins? 17:24 Boy, you got good eyes. I didn't think you'd see those at all, jumping over the water. 17:28 They're made out of -- It's just a growing bush. Oh, you're not gonna get the 17:32 next one. I know you won't get the next one. 17:34 Yeah! >> Together: Dinosaur! >> Oh, I'm sorry. 17:37 [ Chuckles ] You got it. Yeah, look at that dinosaur. "Boom, boom, boom, boom!" 17:43 >> It's made of a bush! >> What? >> It's made out of a bush. 17:46 >> It's made out of a bush. You're absolutely right. Let's see if this next one is 17:49 made out of a bush. Ooh! More -- What are those? >> Together: Bunnies! 17:54 >> Hey, listen, if somebody could shape your life and grow your life and turn your branches 18:00 this way and that way, would you want to be made to look like a bunny? 18:05 >> Together: No! >> Would you like to look like a dinosaur? 18:08 >> Together: No! >> How 'bout an elephant? >> Together: No! 18:12 >> Do you know what? Jesus says, "I'm the vine, you're the branches. 18:16 I'll train you until you look like... me!" 18:20 He says, "You'll look just like me." I don't want to grow up and look 18:23 like an animal, do you? >> Together: No! >> I want to grow up and look 18:27 just like Jesus. He says, "I can do it. I'll be the vine, you be the 18:32 branches, and I will train your little life to look just...like...me." 18:37 How many want Jesus to just keep working on us till we look just like Him? 18:42 Yep. Me too. And, Jovan, you got me before the service began. 18:50 I had you on hold. Come on. Come on up. Jovan, grab a microphone when 18:54 you come. There's got to be one somewhere. There it is. 18:58 We're gonna pray with Jovan. He's gonna lead us in prayer. He's gonna thank Jesus for 19:02 [Whispering] shaping us into His own likeness. [ Normal voice ] Let's close our 19:05 eyes and fold our hands. Jovan? >> Dear God, we give You thanks 19:09 for bringing all of us together as a family, and we ask that You bless all of us who may be going 19:14 through hard times and ask You to bless everyone who is sitting here today. 19:18 And we give You thanks for having us all together as we worship You, dear Father. 19:23 >> Amen. >> In the Name, we pray. Amen. >> Amen. 19:25 Beautiful prayer, Jovan. You can be saying that as you go back to your seat now with 19:30 Jovan. Just say, "Thank you, Jesus. You're a wonderful Savior." 19:34 Bless you. Happy Sabbath, everybody. 19:40 >> Oh, God, we are glad to be alive. We are glad to be here. 19:43 We are glad to know that it is Your house and this is Your presence. 19:48 We linger just a little longer. If You have a word for us, now would be the time to send it 19:53 through, clean out the distractions and the clutter, get through to our hearts. 20:00 Somebody's gonna get called to do the impossible through You. And we want to know, "Are You 20:09 thinking about me? Are You thinking about him, about her?" 20:13 Speak, Lord. Your servant heareth. In Jesus' name, we pray. 20:19 Amen. 20:21 Speaking of joy and attitude, a joyful attitude, somebody wrote 20:25 this. It says, "Author unknown." 20:27 Probably by that famous author "Anon E. Moose." [anonymous] 20:31 [ Laughter ] This is just 10 lines long, but let me share it with you. 20:35 "There once was a woman who woke up one morning, looked in the mirror, and noticed that she 20:40 only had three hairs on her head." It can happen. 20:44 "'Well,' she said, 'I think I'll braid my hair today.'" 20:46 [ Laughter ] "So she did, and she had a 20:48 wonderful day. The next day, she woke up and 20:50 looked in the mirror and saw that she had only two hairs on 20:53 her head. 'Mm,' she said, 'I think I'll 20:56 part my hair down the middle today.'" 20:58 [ Laughter ] 20:59 "And she did and had a grand day. The next day, she woke up and 21:02 looked in the mirror and noticed that she had only one hair on her head. 21:05 'Well,' she said, 'today I think I'll wear my hair in a ponytail.'" 21:07 [ Laughter ] "And she did, and she had a fun, fun day. 21:11 The next day --" [ Gasps ] "The next day, she woke up and 21:13 looked in the mirror and noticed that there wasn't a single hair on her head. 21:16 'Yippee!' she exclaimed. 'I don't have to fix my hair today!'" 21:20 [ Laughter, applause ] That's the deal with attitude -- attitude, attitude. 21:26 Attitude of joy. Yes can do. That's what we're calling it 21:29 around here, the "yes can do" attitude. I love the way that popular 21:32 writer Chuck Swindoll put it. We open this little three-parter that ends right now -- we opened 21:37 it with Swindoll's words. 21:39 Put it on the screen for you again. 21:41 Take a look at this. Isn't this something that just 21:43 kind of pump you up? "This may shock you," Swindoll 21:45 writes, "but I believe the single most significant decision 21:49 I can make on a day-to-day basis is my choice of attitude." 22:19 Attitude. Living with a 'tude. 22:22 That's the kind of 'tude I'd like to have, yes can do. 22:26 It's what we've been reflecting on together -- 22:28 "Yes Can Do: How to Live With an Attitude," "Yes Can Do: How to 22:31 Pray With an Attitude," and today, "Yes Can Do: How to Dare 22:35 With an Attitude." Some of you are gonna go out of 22:37 this place, and you are gonna be confronted with an impossibility 22:40 that anybody else without your conviction and attitude would 22:43 turn back and say, "I quit. It's over. 22:46 I'm not going ahead." 22:48 But because of what God is gonna say to you in His Word today, you're gonna realize, "I can go 22:52 over that." Yes can do. I was amazed how many verses in 22:57 the Bible really have "can do" in it. [ Chuckles ] I started a 23:00 collection of them. We opened up with the famous Philippians 4:13. 23:04 "Ican doall things through Christ --" Let's read these out loud. 23:07 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Here was the second one -- 23:11 Deuteronomy, Moses praying to God. 23:18 And now today. Oho, you're gonna love this one. Job. 23:21 We're talking about Job, who went through hell in his book. We're talking about the same 23:25 Job, chapter 42, the last words in the Book of Job, from the lips of Job. 23:30 Can you believe this? Go back to the book before the Psalms, and it's Job, and find 23:35 the last page of Job. That would be Job 42. Take a look at this. 23:39 I'm in the New International Version. Whatever translation you have or 23:42 what you got on your phone's fine by me. Didn't bring any of that, grab 23:46 the pew Bible in front of you. 23:48 Job 42:1. And verse 1 simply reads, "Then 23:51 Job replied to the Lord --" Well, we got to get on to verse 23:54 2. Here it is. 23:55 "I know that You --" What? "You can do all things; no 24:00 purpose of Yours can be thwarted." 24:04 "I've been to hell and back, and one thing I know, and that is, 24:10 oh, God, you can do all things." [ Chuckling ] Wow. 24:15 "You can do." And that's exactly -- By the way, that's exactly what 24:20 Jonathan believed, and because he did, you are about to experience one of the most 24:23 stunning attitude-adjustment stories in all of sacred literature. 24:27 You may have never heard this story before, but it's in the Bible. 24:30 But before we go to the story, I want you to [Exhaling sharply] focus your eyes on a picture. 24:34 We'll put it on the screen for you. Take a look at this picture. 24:38 Can you believe that? Take a look at that. That, my friends, is the 24:42 Wadi -- that's Arabic for "valley" or "ravine --" that's the Wadi Suweinit. 24:47 It's a deep gorge that ran beneath the ancient Philistine garrison at a place called 24:53 Michmash. That's it, the ravine between two cliffs. 24:57 Now, keep looking at this picture because, on either side of the picture, you'll see 25:00 cliffs. On the north side of the picture -- that would be the 25:03 left side of the picture -- you'll see a cliff that they called Bozez. 25:06 And on the right side of the picture -- that would be the south side -- you'll see a cliff 25:10 called Seneh. Take a good look at it because right here, 3,400 years ago, a 25:16 young prince and his armor-bearer changed the course of history. 25:22 Come on. Let's look. 1 Samuel 14. Find it in your Old Testament, 25:26 1 Samuel 14. Unbelievable story. 1 Samuel 14. 25:32 We'll begin in verse 1. "One day, Jonathan --" Oho. 25:35 That's the young prince. "One day, Jonathan, son of Saul, 25:38 said to his young armor-bearer, 'Come, let's go. 25:41 Let's go over to the Philistine outpost on the other side.' 25:45 But --" Shh! [ Whispering ] He did not tell 25:47 his father. [ Normal voice ] You know why? 25:49 Because his father is moody, mercurial, newly crowned 25:52 King Saul, who is so insecure in his administration that he's 25:56 required this ragtag army to hang around in his sight, he's 25:58 got them under his thumb, and, "Nobody leaves without my 26:01 permission." "Shh! We won't tell my dad." 26:06 Verse 2. 26:14 "...among whom was Ahijah, who was wearing an ephod." 26:16 That's the clothing of a high priest. 26:18 "He was a son of Ichabod's brother Ahitub, son of Phinehas, 26:21 son of --" the famous high priest Eli -- everybody knows 26:24 Eli -- "the Lord's priest in Shiloh. 26:26 No one was aware that Jonathan had left." 26:28 Now verse 4. "On each side of the pass that 26:31 Jonathan intended to cut across to reach the Philistine outpost 26:34 was a cliff --" we just saw that picture -- "one was called Bozez 26:37 and the other was Seneh." 26:46 Where Saul is camped. Put it on the screen again. Take a look so now you can 26:51 picture this. The boys are on the right side of the picture, all right? 26:54 That's the south side. At this moment, they're behind a boulder. 26:59 They have no binoculars, no little telescope. They have to shield their eyes. 27:02 They're looking around the rock, and Jonathan is saying, "Hey, see. 27:05 [ Whispering ] Look, look, look. That's it, other side. We'll have to go up the north 27:09 face, but up atop, you see the garrison there, the soldiers. Shh, shh, shh! There they are." 27:14 [ Normal voice ] As they survey the scene, you could see the two of them scanning the north face. 27:20 "Where would we go?" 27:21 Then Jonathan speaks. Verse 6. "Jonathan said to his young 27:24 armor-bearer, 'Come, come. Let's go over to the outpost of 27:27 those uncircumcised men." That's code language for pagan. 27:30 "Let's go to those pagans. We're gonna go to that 27:33 fortress." "Perhaps the Lord will act in 27:36 our behalf." Oho, this is something else. 27:45 Hey, listen, ladies and gentlemen, don't you just love that kind of an attitude? 27:47 Yes can do! I mean, here he is. "Bro, I think we can do it. 27:55 We'll go down this cliff, and then we'll cross the ravine, and we'll call them. 27:59 [ Whistles ] We'll get their attention. And then we'll go up. 28:04 We'll climb up the north face all the way to the top." [ Scoffs ] 28:11 Can -- "Listen, by way I got it figured, there are only two of us -- 600 back with my dad, but, 28:15 listen, what's that matter? 2, 600 -- doesn't matter how many God needs. 28:18 He can do it by two, He can do it by many. He can save Israel." 28:24 And then notice verse 7. The armor-bearer responds. You put yourself in the 28:27 armor-bearer's place, and you've just heard this proposal." 28:30 The armor-bearer says in verse 7, "Yo, prince..." 28:41 You know why that man is responding that way? 28:42 I'll tell you why. 28:44 Because people love hanging around a leader with a "yes can do" attitude. 28:47 People love to follow somebody who says, "Yes can do. We can do it." 28:50 If the leader's wimpin' around, if the leader's whining around -- "The circumstances are 28:54 poor for us. We're just not gonna make it. I'm so sad that the story has 28:58 turned out this way." Nobody wants to hang around with a leader like that. 29:01 You want to hang around with somebody, you hang around with a man or a woman that believes, 29:05 "We can do this in the power of God. We can do this. 29:08 Let's not turn back. Let's keep going forward. We'll go up that rock." 29:13 "Yes, sir. I'm with you all the way." "Patriarchs and Prophets," by 29:18 the way, tells us that, when they're hiding behind that boulder before they go down, 29:21 the boys bow down on their faces before the God of Israel. 29:25 Put "Patriarchs and Prophets" on the screen for you. 29:28 "With earnest prayer to the --" capital G -- "Guide of their 29:31 fathers, these two young men agreed upon a sign by which they 29:34 might determine how to proceed." Now, I got to tell you 29:37 something. This sign is ingenious. 29:39 It is a gutsy sort of sign. You're gonna have to admit this. 29:43 And Jonathan now says, "I'm thinking we ought to do this." "Are you serious?" 29:47 Lookit. Go down to verse 8. So, Jonathan, after they pray, says, "Okay, look, look, look. 29:52 Come on, then. Here's what we do. We'll cross over toward them and 29:56 let them see us." So that's that whistle. [ Whistles sharply ] 29:58 "We'll call them. They'll have to see us." Now, look. 30:02 "If they say to us --" verse 9 -- "'Wait there until we come to you,' we will stay where we 30:07 are and not go up to them. But if they say, 'Come up to us, boys, and we'll teach you a 30:13 thing or two,' we will climb up, because that will be our sign that the Lord has given them 30:19 into our hands.'" Hit the pause button right there. 30:23 I want you to catch something that you don't catch the first time you go through this, and 30:26 that is that Jonathan -- You know what he'snotsaying? Jonathan is not embedding a 30:32 coward's retreat into any strategy that they're imagining. Jonathan is not saying, "If they 30:40 say, 'Yo, boys, come on up here...'" Jonathan is saying, "Look... 30:47 no matter what they say, we're holding this ground." Do you notice that, ladies and 30:53 gentlemen? There is no escape. "If they say, 'Yo, boys we're 30:57 coming down,' that doesn't mean 'get out of here.' No, we're holding this ground, 31:01 no matter which way they respond." Jonathan is convinced he will 31:07 engage the battle. Isn't that amazing? Isn't that amazing. 31:13 No way out. "We fight to the death." [ Exhales deeply ] 31:20 Sure you want to follow a leader like that? [ Scoffs ] 31:27 I love that picture, by the way. You know why I love it? Because it's a picture of the 31:31 church, that's why. There's a line Jesus speaks, and we've totally gotten the line 31:34 wrong, and you'll see what we've done with it. Do you remember when Jesus 31:37 turned to Peter and He turned to his disciples and said, "Hey, I want to tell you something"? 31:40 Let's put it on the screen here, Matthew 16:18. Jesus says, "I will build My 31:44 church," all right? "I'm the church builder. You're not the church builder. 31:48 You're not the church builder. I will build My church --" and now notice this. 31:51 Jot this down in your study guide, please. "And the gates of Hades --" 31:55 write in the word "gates," because that's a key. "And the gates of Hades will not 32:01 overcome it." Now, Jesus could absolutely be no clearer. 32:06 Do you know why? Because the gates never go to battle. 32:09 Gates never go to war, do they? No, it'sarmieswho go to war. The only time gates ever appear 32:15 in a story of a battle is when the enemy has retreated to behind its gates and the chasing 32:21 army is at the gates, pounding on the gates to get the enemy. That's what Jesus is describing 32:27 here. This is not a defensive posture. This is anoffensivestance. 32:34 "I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it." 32:39 The church battering against the gates of hell, against the gates of the kingdom of Satan -- 32:45 battering against those gates, battering them open so that they can rescue those being held in 32:50 that fortress. That's the picture of the church. 32:53 This is not a coward's picture. This is not hell coming to us and just beating us back and we 32:59 have nowhere to go now. It's the exact opposite. Amazing. 33:05 Just like Jonathan. We're gonna engage. "I don't care what they say, I 33:09 don't care what their response is -- we engage them!" And that's what Jesus is saying 33:15 to you and me. "Don't you worry about how the enemy responds. 33:18 Don't you worry about the enemy's countermoves. Engage him. 33:22 You engage him for me." And guess who will be with us always, even to the end of the 33:28 age. Yeah. Once upon a time, Ellen White 33:34 was shown a picture of the endgame battle. You got to see this. 33:39 I'll put it on the screen. It's in your study guide. You need to fill it out. 33:43 So, she's looking on, and here's what she sees. 33:46 "The battle raged. Victory alternated from side to 33:49 side." One time, oh, there went it. 33:51 Oh, no, there went it. "Now," she says, "the soldiers 33:53 of the cross give way." It looks like they're being 33:55 beaten back. And then she quotes 33:57 Isaiah 10:18, "As when a standardbearer fainteth." 34:00 He drops the flag. But hold on, hold on, hold on. 34:03 Their apparent retreat was but to gain a more advantageous 34:07 position." Sometimes, you are driven back, 34:10 but do you understand this? 34:12 God cannot lose. Do you understand? It is humanly, divinely 34:17 impossible for God to lose. He can't lose. He always wins. It sometimes looks like we're in 34:24 retreat, but He says -- [ Shushing ] "You watch where you -- You're 34:28 coming around a corner here. You'll be perfectly positioned now." 34:33 He doesn't lose. Keep reading. 34:36 When they realized that, "Shouts of joy were heard. 34:39 A song of praise to God went up, and the angel voices --" oh, we 34:43 have help, like your voices, the angel voices join... 34:50 "united in the song, as Christ's soldiers planted His banner on 34:54 the walls of fortresses --" now, jot this down -- this is 34:57 unbelievable -- "on the walls of fortresses till then --" jot in 35:01 those two words. Until then, these had been 35:03 fortresses held by the enemy. Do you know what "till then" 35:07 means? The fortress fell. 35:09 Somebody went up against the gates, and that fortress came 35:12 down. And in a few days, I'm getting 35:14 on a big jet plane, and I'm gonna cross the Pacific, and 35:17 I'll be in Japan two weeks from right now. 35:20 "Why you going to Japan, Dwight?" [ Scoffs ] 35:22 Why did we have the day of fasting and prayer a few weeks ago? 35:24 Why? Because there is a massive fortress called the "Land of the 35:29 Rising Sun," and the iron grip of the enemy has held for centuries the Japanese people. 35:41 And he says, "I'm not letting go. I'm not letting go." 35:46 But Jesus says, "Sorry. Even the gates of hell will not be able to keep my people out. 35:54 Do you understand that? 35:56 Sorry. It's over, Satan. I need you praying. 36:03 That's the deal. I just need you praying. 36:05 [ Chuckles ] Please don't wait for two weeks from today. 36:08 Please start praying immediately." 36:11 Because the day will come -- With all my heart, I believe this -- yes can do. 36:15 The day will come when the banner of the Lord Jesus will be planted on the walls of the 36:19 Land of the Rising Sun. In fact, I'm gonna share a promise with you. 36:25 You want something to pray? And certain is -- I'm sorry I didn't get it into the study 36:28 guide. Didn't get it into my notes until last night, but I want you 36:31 to see this. Jeremiah chapter 16. Mercy. Did you know that this was in 36:36 your Bible? Jeremiah chapter 16. I'm just gonna read it to you 36:39 'cause we didn't even have time to put it on the screen. Jeremiah 16:19. 36:42 Jeremiah is praying to God, okay? 36:45 This is dynamite now. This is dynamite stuff. 36:47 Jeremiah is praying to God in Jeremiah 16:19. 36:52 "Oh, Lord, my strength and my fortress, my refuge in time of 36:56 distress, to You --" hey, God, to You -- I know -- "to You the 37:01 nations will come from the ends of the earth." 37:04 They're gonna come to You one day. Now, I want you to get what 37:07 Jeremiah's prophesying the nations are gonna say. Watch this. 37:10 Keep reading. "To You the nations will come from the ends of the earth, and 37:14 they will say --" now, listen -- "our ancestors --" Hit the pause button right there because Japan 37:20 ishugeon ancestors. Ancestor worship is what has held this island nation in an 37:27 iron grip. But they're gonna say one day, "Our ancestors possess nothing 37:33 but false gods." [ Snaps fingers ] It dawns on them. 37:39 "I can't believe this. All these gods, all these centuries." 37:44 [ Chuckles ] "Our ancestors possessed nothing but false gods, worthless idols 37:49 that did them no good. Do people make their own gods? Yes, but they are not gods," the 37:55 people will say. Isn't that amazing? The day is coming when the 38:01 unfurled, blood-dipped banner of Emmanuel will fly atop the fortress of the 38:07 Land of the Rising Sun. But you know why? Because they'll let it. 38:10 They'll say, "We've been fooled." One translation says, "Our 38:13 ancestors were fools." "We've been fooled. These gods are nothing. 38:19 They're just wood overlaid with gold. That's not a Buddha. 38:22 That's just wood. There are no living spirits when you die." 38:30 [ Scoffs ] Now, it's not over. Now, here's where I need you to 38:33 put your finger when you're claiming this promise for Japan. Verse 21. 38:36 "Therefore now G--" So those quotation marks change. They stop and now someone else 38:40 is speaking. It's God. "Therefore, I will teach 38:43 them --" these pagans -- "This time, I will teach them my power and might. 38:51 Then they will know that my name is the Lord." "I'm gonna show my might this 38:57 time. I'm gonna flex my muscle this time. 38:59 I'm gonna show my power." I have an African prayer partner. 39:02 We meet every Wednesday night. He's a church administrator, Gilbert Wari, a great man of 39:07 faith. Anyway, every Wednesday night, after House of Prayer, we meet 39:10 in my study right here at the church. And Gilbert was telling me this 39:13 last Wednesday night -- 'cause we handed out this text at House of Prayer -- he was 39:16 telling me, he said, "Dwight, I want to tell you something about pagans. 39:18 I know you're coming with all these messages, evangelistic messages. 39:21 Let me remind you --" 'cause he grew up in a pagan, animist culture. 39:25 "Let me remind you that pagans aren't influenced by the niceties of Western philosophy. 39:30 They're not moved by that. They're saying, '[Scoffs] So? That's the wayyouthink.'" 39:35 What reaches a pagan mind and heart are those two words, "my power" and "might." 39:42 It is the supernatural that engages the attention of the pagan culture -- the 39:48 supernatural. Because now, as the priests, the magicians in Egypt said, 39:55 "Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh. This is the finger of God. This is not anything usual." 40:02 God says, "Stand back. When I show my might and my power, then the nations will 40:08 come to me." Isn't that amazing? Unbelievable. 40:11 Hey, would you jot that down in the corner of your study guide just so that you hang on to 40:15 that? Just put your finger there and claim it. 40:20 Let's go back to that battle scene, and I want you looking on 40:22 the screen. 40:33 Now here comes the new sentence. "The Captain of our salvation 40:36 was ordering the battle and sending support to His 40:39 soldiers." Anytime you take a moral stand, 40:42 you get support from the eternal headquarters -- anytime you take 40:47 a moral stand. Talk about that in a second. 40:53 "And he was sending support to His soldiers." 40:55 Last line. "His power --" There it is, 40:57 Jeremiah 16:21. "His power was mightily 41:00 displayed, encouraging them to press the battle to --" write it 41:04 down, please -- "to the gates." This is that "gates." 41:07 This is offensive, not defensive. 41:09 Yes can do! 41:11 At the very gates of hell. What did Jesus tell us? "I will build my church, and the 41:16 gates of hell will not overcome it." Ladies and gentlemen, we have no 41:19 choice. We have to engage the enemy -- on the campus of 41:21 Andrews University, off the campus of Andrews University. There's no way you can get 41:24 through this life without engaging the enemy. You have to! 41:27 You have to sign up for this war, or they'll sign you up on the wrong side. 41:36 Yes can do. We have no choice. Ah, let's finish this little 41:42 story. Back to verse 11. 41:44 So, verse 11. "So the both of them --" So, 41:47 here's these two young men. They're in the middle of this 41:49 little wadi, and they're looking up. 41:51 [ Whistles sharply ] They do the signal, and guess 41:53 what. They're spotted. 41:55 "So the both of them..." 42:04 I want to go back to that picture. 42:06 Do you see holes in that picture or what? 42:08 There are holes everywhere. They said, "Lookit, they've been hiding in these little holes. 42:12 They're finally getting -- Their little wimpy spirits are getting bold. 42:16 Look at those two boys down there." So you can get the picture now. 42:20 This is verse 12. And so, "The men of the outpost shouted down to Jonathan and his 42:25 armor-bearer, 'Come on up to us, and we'll teach you a thing or two, boys. 42:30 Come on up. We're waiting for you.'" And Jonathan, with this glint of 42:36 faith and risk-taking conviction, Jonathan turns to his armor-bearer, and he says to 42:42 the armor-bearer, "You go first, and I'll be right behind you." [ Laughter ] 42:48 Can you believe that? Why would he do that? That isn't what it says, does 42:51 it? What does he say to the armor-bearer? 42:52 "Come behind me, boy. We're going now. Get behind me!" 42:57 A leader never sends somebody out to the front. The leader leads. 43:00 The followers follow -- if the leader has can-do spirit. Yes can do. 43:05 "Come climb with me. The Lord has given them into the hand of Israel -- not into your 43:09 hand, not into my hand. He has given them into the hand of His people on earth." 43:13 And so, "Jonathan --" verse 13 -- "climbed up, using his 43:15 hand and feet, and his armor-bearer is right behind 43:18 him, and the Philistines fell before Jonathan, and his 43:20 armor-bearer followed and killed behind him." 43:22 And... 43:28 Keep reading. "Then panic struck the army --" 43:31 that would be the Philistine army -- "those in the camp and 43:34 the field, and those in the outposts and the raiding 43:37 parties -- and the ground literally shook. 43:39 It was a panic sent by --" whom? Sent by whom? 43:44 When you take a stand, all of heaven is on your side. 43:48 It may feel like you're just me against the world, me against all my friends, me against the 43:54 university, me against my people. It's never just you if you take 44:01 a stand. All of heaven, [Chuckles] and literally the ground is roiling 44:09 as an earthquake breaks out, and they kill each other off. The Philistines kill each other 44:13 off. They're just gone. You say, "Dwight, this is 44:17 awfully bloody to be sharing in church." Ladies and gentlemen, we've been 44:20 playing namby-pamby church for too long. There's a bloody war going on 44:25 out there, and if we don't determine to engage the enemy, we are meat, mincemeat! 44:33 Do you understand that? We either fight, or we quit. This university either fights, 44:39 or it quits. No cutting a deal. No parlaying with the enemy. 44:46 He wants total destruction. "You cut a deal with me, I'll decimate all of you." 44:51 We have only one choice. We have to take a stand. We have to take a stand. 44:57 As a Seventh-Day Adventist institution, we have to take a stand. 45:01 As one little tiny Seventh-Day Adventist young man, you have to take a stand. 45:06 As a young woman, you have to take a stand. You cannot not stand. 45:14 Wow. But the good news is, when you take that stand -- I don't care 45:18 if you live in a little village, I don't care if you're studying in a little, tiny village -- 45:24 you'll wake up the next morning, and there will be chariots of fire all around the village. 45:30 Now, how about that? Is that an intervention or what? He'll take care of you. 45:35 You take the stand, He'll take the charge. You take the stand, He takes 45:42 charge. Take a stand. All it takes is one boy, one 45:46 girl, one man, one woman, and the rest is history. Attitude -- "yes can do" becomes 45:51 "He can do." Put it easier -- we can do because He can do. 45:57 That's it. Erwin Raphael McManus, in his soul-stirring book -- oh, I love 46:02 this book -- title of the book, "Seizing Your Divine Moment" -- issues an important caveat to 46:07 tuck into this story. 46:08 So you're gonna see McManus on the screen now. 46:10 "Jonathan had an unwavering confidence in God's capacity." 46:14 Now, hold on. He's talking about you. 46:16 "He had absolute trust in God's character. 46:19 He seemed resolute and sure about whether God could be 46:23 trusted or not. That was settled for him. 46:26 Jonathan's focus was not, 'What is God's will for my life?' but 46:30 rather, 'How can I give my life to fulfill God's will?'" 46:35 Some of you have been stumbling all over this campus and all 46:37 through your lives 'cause you're a lot older than the students 46:39 here, and youstillhaven't figured out God's will for your 46:41 life. 46:42 Get over it. He has a will. Just put yourself in it. 46:48 You'll be fine. Now, you got to look at this line. 46:55 McManus -- you see it on the screen -- "I know this may be a 46:58 real stretch --" this might be a real stretch -- "but it's always 47:01 right to do what's right, even if it turns out --" what's the 47:05 word? -- "wrong." [ Scoffs, laughs ] 47:08 Just because you can't raise enough money to become a 47:10 missionary somewhere doesn't mean that it isn't God's will 47:12 for you to be a missionary. 47:14 Who said making whether you raise the money or not the great determinant whether you become a 47:19 missionary or not? No, God says, "I need your choice. 47:21 I'll raise the money. You make the decision." Don't you pansy around here, 47:25 asking, "Well, it must not be God's will." Forget it. 47:30 Listen, just because you didn't get accepted into the medical school of your choice does not 47:35 mean it is not God's will for you to be a physician. You just keep trying. 47:38 Yes can do. You don't have to have that diploma on your wall. 47:45 Five months -- [ Laughs ] I'm thinking out loud. 47:48 Five months after you've started your practice, nobody gives a hoot where you went to school. 47:52 "Can you heal me or not, doctor? That's all I want to know." Just because you didn't get 47:59 accepted, doesn't mean God has said no. Just because you prayed over a 48:03 decision -- Oh, oh, oh, hold on. Just because you prayed over a decision then made the decision 48:06 you believe was God's will for you and now all hell is breaking loose does not mean that 48:11 decision you made was not God's will. God's will sometimes is a tough 48:16 way to go. McManus again on the screen -- fill it in. 48:24 "If the Cross --" [ Laughs ] This is good. 48:26 "If the Cross teaches us anything, it teaches us that 48:30 sometimes God comes through afterwe've been killed!" 48:33 "Oh, gulp! Are you serious? I could die in this thing?!" 48:38 That's what Bonhoeffer meant -- Dietrich Bonhoeffer -- when 48:40 Christ calls a man, He bids him, "Come and die." 48:43 When He calls a girl -- "Come and die, come and die." He's not calling you to come and 48:46 live. You can live forever later. "Die for me now. 48:51 Die for me now." [ Applause ] Yes can do. 48:55 "I'll stand for You. If I have to stand alone, I will stand for You. 49:00 Though all men should forsake Thee, by Thy grace, I'll follow Thee." 49:05 That's what it is. I can do because He can do. 49:09 Oh, by the way, McManus one more time. 49:12 "Jonathan wasn't choosing to die." 49:14 No, no, no, no. He doesn't got some kind of 49:16 fatalistic spirit, no. "But he was choosing how he 49:19 wouldlive." Oho, I like that. 49:20 "He left the..." 49:29 That's what you and I do. God is doing something in 49:31 history, and we give our lives to it. 49:34 I have no idea how this is gonna turn out in Japan. I don'tcarehow it turns out in 49:38 Japan. God is giving his life for Japan, and I want to be there 49:41 when he's fighting. I don't have to give some kind of report to you when I come 49:45 back. I don't report to you anyway. [ Laughter ] 49:51 I have to simply be obedient to what God -- He says, "Dwight, you lived in Japan for 14 years. 49:55 You speak the language. What are you doing here? Get over there. 50:00 We'll see. We'll see." Yeah, that's all I say. "Yes, sir." 50:06 I know you don't think it's your gift. Doesn't matter. 50:10 In fact, a few days ago, Oswald Chambers -- You got to get this. 50:13 I read this every day. This is the little classic "My Utmost for His Highest." 50:16 Just a few days ago -- this sentence on the screen. 50:19 When it is a question of God's Almighty Spirit, never say 'I 50:23 can't.'" Never, never, never say "I 50:26 can't." "Never let the limitation of 50:28 your natural ability come in." I know you don't think it's your 50:32 gift. I understand that. 50:33 I know you have convinced yourself that you simply cannot 50:35 do whatever it is that God is asking you to do -- you're too 50:38 timid, you're too afraid, you're too ungifted, you're too 50:40 average. The "I can't" excuses fill the 50:43 ledgers of heaven. 50:45 That's all God hears. Moses stands in front of Him, and God says, "I need you, 50:48 Moses, to go back to Egypt." "I can't." God said, "What do you mean you 50:50 can't?" "I can't. I can't speak." "What are you doing right now?" 50:53 "I can't speak. I stutter." 50:55 "I'm telling you, go to Egypt. I'll be with you." 50:58 "I can't." "Why?" 50:58 "I'm a shepherd. I can't lead." "Did I make you? 51:03 Did I create your mouth? Is this my mission? 51:07 Say yes to me. Say 'yes can do' to me. 51:10 I'll do the rest. 51:12 You go with me. Do you understand me? Read my lips. You're going." 51:16 And Moses got it. But we have these "I can't, I can't, I can't." 51:21 No wonder Job finally exclaims, at the end of his book, "Oh, my God, I know that You can do all 51:27 things." 51:29 Chambers is right. Look at this. 51:36 Here it comes now... 51:42 We began this year talking about the Holy Spirit. 51:45 We now end it talking about the Holy Spirit. Because if you and I have been 51:50 baptized daily -- and we've talked a lot about this. If you and I have been baptized 51:54 daily by the Holy Spirit -- We're asking every day, "Holy Spirit, baptize me today. 51:58 Please, pour yourself out on me today." If you and I are baptized daily, 52:02 "I can't" is not in the vocabulary. If God says, "Do it," you do it. 52:10 Baptized daily is what takes our fear away. Baptized daily is what makes a 52:15 soldier out of a coward. Baptized daily reminds us where all the power is coming from. 52:21 It's no wonder Ellen White, just like Oswald Chambers, is so 52:24 adamant -- last quotation before I sit down, on the screen. 52:45 "It is beyond the power of language to express the 52:48 blessings the Holy Spirit brings to God's people." 52:52 So why don't we ask Him every day? 52:56 Every day. Every day. Every day. Attitude. Yes can do. Give me that 'tude. 53:08 We can do because He can do. And with an attitude like that, I tell you what, it doesn't 53:14 matter or whether you live or whether you die, because "I can do all things 53:19 through Christ, who strengthens me." What do you say to that? 53:22 >> Together: Amen. >> Amen. Amen. [ "Jesus Saves" plays ] 53:34 ♪♪ [ Congregation sings ] 53:42 ♪♪ ♪♪ 54:02 ♪♪ ♪♪ 54:22 ♪♪ ♪♪ 54:42 ♪♪ ♪♪ 55:02 ♪♪ ♪♪ 55:22 ♪♪ ♪♪ 55:42 ♪♪ 55:46 [ Song ends ] Oh, God, we stand before You, and we sing that conviction that 55:51 salvation is through our Lord Jesus. If we stand alone, Jesus saves. 55:55 If we stand as a band of intrepid disciples, Jesus saves. As we stand as a university 56:03 campus, Jesus saves. As we stand as a nation, Jesus saves. 56:07 He saves, Father. But here's my prayer for these who are standing now -- that 56:13 man, that woman. The moment we talked about impossibilities, You know what 56:19 popped into that mind, oh, God. Yes can do. You can do all things. 56:27 Tell her now, tell him now that, with You, it is done. It is done. 56:38 And now, through Him who can do immeasurably more than all that we ask or imagine, according to 56:46 His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus, 56:54 throughout all generations, forever and ever. Let all people of God say... 57:00 >> Together: Amen. >> And amen. [ Organ plays "Jesus Saves" ] 57:14 >> Think of the last time someone said, "I'm praying 57:17 for you." Didn't it give you a sense of 57:19 peace and reassurance that somebody cares for me? 57:22 I know how I feel when I get an e-mail from one of our viewers 57:24 saying, "Yo, Dwight. I've been praying for you 57:27 lately." There's nothing like knowing 57:28 someone is praying for you. So I want to offer you an 57:30 opportunity to partner -- let me, let us partner with you in 57:34 prayer. If you have a special prayer 57:36 request or a praise of thanksgiving you'd like to share 57:38 with us, I'm inviting you to contact one of our friendly 57:41 chaplains. It's simple to do. 57:43 You can call our toll-free number -- 877 -- the two words, 57:46 HIS WILL. 877-HIS-WILL. 57:49 That friendly voice that answers, you tell him, you tell 57:52 her what your prayer need is, we'll join with you in that 57:55 petition. May the God who answers prayer 57:58 journey with you these next few days until we're right back 58:00 here together again next time. 58:06 ♪♪ ♪♪ 58:25 ♪♪ |
Revised 2018-05-04