Participants:
Series Code: NP
Program Code: NP180623A
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00:10 >> Would you stand with me as we sing "Come Thou Almighty King"? 00:16 [ "Come Thou Almighty King" begins ] 00:53 [ Congregation sings ] 03:26 >> Amen. >> Continue singing with me now 03:30 as we sing "Shout to the Lord." [ "Shout to the Lord" begins ] 03:43 My Jesus. [ Congregation sings ] 05:13 Let's sing it again. My Jesus. 05:17 [ Congregation sings ] 06:52 Amen. Isn't it a blessing to be able 06:55 to sing with the rest of God's creation the praises to Him? 06:58 He deserves it. He deserves it. 07:01 And one of the things that in recognizing and praising 07:05 the Lord that we realize is we need Jesus. 07:09 We need him. There's no getting around it. 07:12 We need Jesus. So sing with me this song, 07:16 "Jesus, I Need You." You may have heard it before, 07:18 but it's very simple. Follow along with us. 07:22 [ "Jesus, I Need You" begins ] Here we go. 07:29 [ Congregation sings ] 07:50 And Jesus. 08:14 Beauty for ashes. 08:19 Sing to your God. 08:36 Jesus. 08:58 And Jesus. 10:22 One more time. Jesus, I need you. 10:48 Amen. This one I know you all know. 10:53 This is "The Air I Breathe." Isn't that -- should be the 10:58 anthem of our lives is, "Lord, you are the very air that I 11:02 breathe"? So sing along with me. 11:06 This is "The Air I Breathe." And in the middle of this song, 11:09 there's another part that says, "Falling on my knees." 11:14 So we will be coming forward at that time, but just kind of 11:18 follow along with us and say the words not to us, not to this 11:21 crowd, but to your Heavenly Father. 11:23 Be ready to give Him your all. This is "The Air I Breathe." 11:30 [ "The Air I Breathe" begins ] [ Congregation sings ] 11:37 Yes. 11:57 This is my daily bread. 12:43 This is the air I breathe. 12:51 This is the air I breathe. 12:57 This is the air. One more time. 13:03 This is the air. 13:21 Falling on my knees. 13:31 One more time. Falling. 13:43 Falling on my knees. 13:54 Some things I can't see. 14:06 Some things I can't see. 14:19 And this is your opportunity to come forward and to lay your 14:23 burdens down at the foot of the throne. 14:26 It's where we bow our knees. It's where we give our all 14:28 to the Lord. So start coming forward now. 14:31 And allow the Holy Spirit to enter your heart. 14:36 Let's sing, "Falling on our knees." 14:41 [ Congregation sings ] 15:01 Some things I cannot see. 15:12 Some things. 15:36 Sing it with me. 15:48 I understand better. 15:59 I understand. 16:27 This is the air. 16:51 >> Good morning, boys and girls. Nice to see you on this kind of gray first official Sabbath 17:00 of summer. Nice to have you. Ooh, we got a great group here. 17:05 And you know what? Pastor John was absolutely right. 17:08 I have a quiz today. 17:12 School's out, but today we're gonna have school again. 17:15 And I want to see how well you do on this quiz, so listen very 17:19 carefully. 17:20 Don't let anybody around you talk right now. Shh. 17:24 Listen very carefully. Because here's what we're gonna do, okay? 17:28 We're gonna play a sound. You're gonna hear a sound. You won't see a thing. 17:35 You'll hear a sound. It's the sound of a bird. The bird you need to guess. 17:41 Okay? We're gonna play a sound. It's the sound of a bird. 17:44 Tell me who it is. First hand up, I'll acknowledge you, okay? 17:48 Shh. We got to hear this now. These birds are hard to hear. Shh. Okay. Sound number one. 17:56 [ Duck quacking ] >> What? [ Children shouting "duck" ] 18:01 Ah! You're right. You're absolutely right. 18:07 Boy, you are a bright bunch. I'm gonna make this harder. I'm gonna make this harder. 18:14 We're gonna hear another sound right -- Oh, wait a minute. We didn't put the picture of the 18:17 duck up. Quack, quack, quack, quack. That's a mallard, yup. That is. 18:22 Okay. Sound number two. Here it comes. Shh. [ Bird chirping ] 18:29 [ Children shouting "bird" ] What was it? Robin is right. 18:35 Let's see a robin. Oh! Hey, and by the way, don't miss next Sabbath. 18:40 Shh. Next Sabbath I got a real first-person account story about 18:45 a robin that happened just this week. But we'll show you the pictures 18:50 next Sabbath. Okay. So far, you're doing very well, but here comes one that's gonna 18:54 stump you. Here it comes right -- Now let's hear the sound, 18:57 please. Shh. [ Bird singing ] 19:01 [ Indistinct shouting ] I'm sorry. You all lost. Let's put him on the screen, 19:12 please. That's a Baltimore oriole. And they have been all over our 19:16 community this week -- this spring. Thank you, Jesus, for 19:21 Baltimore orioles. Okay, teacher needs it quiet for the quiz to continue. 19:26 Shh. I think you might get this one. I don't know. 19:33 Let's play it. [ Birds squawking ] [ Indistinct shouting ] 19:39 Sea gull. Let's see a sea gull on the screen right behind you, 19:42 Mom and Dad. Let's see a sea gull on the screen. 19:45 There we go. Very good. Okay, this one is quiet. Shh. 19:50 This one is harder, harder, harder, but you have to listen 'cause it's kind of quiet. 19:57 Listen. [ Bird cooing ] [ Indistinct shouting ] 20:02 Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong. Do it again. Hey. 20:07 [ Bird cooing ] [ Children shouting "owl" ] Wrong, wrong, wrong. 20:16 I'm sorry, boys and girls, but let's see the picture of this one, please. 20:21 It's a dove. Okay. Final one. Okay, this is it. 20:28 If you get this one right, you've passed the entire quiz. If you get this one. 20:35 Don't tell anybody what it is till you're really sure. Okay, final sound. 20:39 Let us hear it now. [ Rooster crowing ] [ Children shouting "rooster" ] 20:52 Okay. Everybody passes the quiz because that was a cock-a-doodle-doo rooster. 20:58 Hey, listen, listen. Shh. When you get to know a bird's voice, you know who the bird is. 21:07 When you get to know Jesus' voice, you know who is speaking to you. 21:13 That's why we have children's stories at Sabbath school and school. 21:17 And you have family worship at home so that you get to learn Jesus' voice, and you'll know 21:23 who's speaking to you. Aren't you glad that Jesus wants us to recognize Him? 21:30 Who wants to thank Jesus for us? Thank Jesus for all these birds 21:34 and for helping us learn His voice. Okay, I need a young man because 21:41 I had ladies last time. Do I have a young man here? Right here? 21:46 Come on up. What's your first name? >> Martin. 21:50 >> Which one? >> Martin. >> Martin. I like that name, 21:54 Martin. All right, we're gonna close our eyes with Martin and fold our 21:59 hands as Martin prays. >> Dear Jesus, thank you for knowing us and thank you for 22:06 today is Saturday and for loving us. In Jesus' name, amen. 22:10 >> Amen. Thank you, Martin. Beautiful prayer. As you go quietly and reverently 22:14 back to your seats, thank you, Jesus. We hear your voice. 22:20 Happy Sabbath. 22:24 >> Come, Holy Spirit, dove divine. Hover over me, Holy Spirit. 22:35 Oh, I like the rain, Father, torrential. That's what we need. 22:39 We need a massive global outpouring of the Holy Spirit's rain. 22:44 We need it in our hearts. So bless this moment in teaching, make it clear. 22:50 We humbly pray in Jesus' name. Amen. 22:53 Speaking of birds, did you know that there is a bird at the 23:01 beginning and at the ending of the Gospel of Mark. 23:09 Did you know that? There is also a bird at the 23:13 beginning, at the ending of the Gospel of Matthew. 23:16 There's also a bird at the beginning and the ending of the 23:19 Gospel of Luke. And not to be left out, the 23:23 fourth Gospel of John -- a bird at the beginning and a bird at 23:26 the ending. Amazing. 23:29 Bookends for all four Gospels. And guess what -- it's not the same bird. 23:33 It's a different bird. But it occurs to me that if we can bring these two birds 23:39 together, hopefully there might emerge, in your mind and mine, an unescapable truth. 23:47 Let's start with the bird at the end. It's a story the whole world 23:51 knows. It's one of the classic stories on what we call conscience. 23:59 Ever hear of the conscience? It's the one metaphysical bond that every human being 24:07 possesses. It's what unites us as a human race. 24:10 We all have a conscience. Peter had a conscience. Let's go to that story. 24:16 Open your Bible with me, please, to the Gospel of Mark chapter 14. 24:19 We'll start at the end. We'll get to the beginning, but let's start at the end. 24:23 Mark chapter 14. I'm in the New International version. 24:27 Whatever translation you have is fine by me. Grab the pew Bible if you didn't 24:30 bring one and follow along. It's page 686 in your pew Bible. Mark chapter 14. 24:37 Familiar story. It's early Friday morning. Jesus is gagged and bound 24:44 in Caiaphas' mansion upstairs. And your friend and mine Peter is out in the courtyard. 24:51 Let's go. 24:52 Mark 14:66. "And while Peter was below in 24:56 the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high 24:59 priest came by. And when she saw Peter warming 25:03 himself," obviously by the fire, "she looked closely at him. 25:07 'Yo, you, you also were with that Nazarene, Jesus,' she said. 25:13 But he denied it. 'I don't know or understand what you're 25:17 talking about,' he said, and he went out through the entryway." 25:20 I have a collection of sermons written by the great Scottish preacher Peter Marshall. 25:25 Title of the collection of sermons, "Mr. Jones, Meet the Master." 25:30 In one of his sermons, he zeroes in to this very moment when the young maiden and Peter are 25:38 talking. And he suggests a thought I, in all my life, have read nowhere 25:43 else, and I'd like you to ponder it for a moment. He says, "What if -- What if 25:49 this little maid girl has heard about this famous Jesus? The crowds have been thronging 25:56 his name. What if she has heard -- not only heard of him, but maybe, at 26:02 a distance, saw him? What if she senses there's something unusual about this 26:07 Jesus who's upstairs with the high priest? And what if she's saying to 26:11 herself, 'If I could only find somebody that knows this man, I need to ask about, 'Who is he?' 26:19 And she spots somebody, 'Yo, you're a Nazarene, aren't you?'" Hoping that he would pause and 26:27 say, "I am. What do you want to know about Jesus?" 26:32 But Peter, so consumed with his self-preoccupation, his knee-jerk fear thinks that she 26:41 wants to turn him in. And so -- boom -- without thinking, he says, "I don't know 26:46 what you're talking about." And just like me, how many times have I done it, to save myself 26:53 embarrassment or to be preoccupied with my own self-focus, I miss a golden 27:01 opportunity to give a testimony for Jesus. That's all they wanted to know. 27:08 The little girl doesn't let up. Go back to the account here. Verse 68. 27:14 "But Peter denied it. 'I don't know or understand what you're talking about, girl,' 27:17 he said, and he went out into the entryway." But verse 69, "When the 27:21 servant girl saw him there, she said again to those standing around, 'I'm telling you, guys, 27:26 this fellow is one of them.' And again he denied it," verse 70. 27:31 And "After after a little while, those standing near," obviously by the fire, "said to 27:36 Peter, 'Come on, come on, man. I know that accent. You're from the North. 27:40 Surely you are one of them, for you are a Galilean.'" And now notice verse 71, 27:45 "And he," Peter, "began to call down curses, and he swore to them, 'I never knew this 27:52 blankety, blank, blank, blank man in my life.'" The air is blue with fisherman 27:58 obscenities. "I don't know this man you're talking about." 28:04 And "Immediately" -- verse 72 -- "Immediately" -- Mark's favorite word -- "the rooster crowed" -- 28:11 cock-a-doodle-doo -- "the second time. Then Peter remembered the word 28:16 that Jesus had spoken to him. 'Before the rooster crows twice you will disown me three times.' 28:20 And Peter broke down and wept." The translation reads, "Wept bitterly." 28:27 Now, Dr. Luke, God bless him, captures a split second that no other Gospel records. 28:35 And that is between Peter's obscenity-laden denial and the cock-a-doodle-doo of the 28:42 rooster. In that split second, Jesus is being led across the portico. 28:47 Jesus hears what Peter has just said. Jesus' hurt eyes turn to the big 28:53 fisherman and when the cock crows, Peter instinctiv-- of course, instinctively -- 29:00 You know, sometimes somebody is staring at you and you know they're staring at you and -- 29:05 but you don't know who it -- and you turn. And their eyes meet, and Peter's 29:12 conscience and heart broke. "Desire of Ages" describes this moment. 29:19 You have it in your take-home study guide today. Let me put it on the screen for 29:23 you -- "In that gentle countenance, Peter read deep pity and sorrow, but there's no 29:27 anger there in Jesus' face. 29:37 There's that word. "Conscience was aroused. 29:40 Memory was active...Once more he looked at his Master, and saw a 29:43 sacrilegious hand raised to slap him across the face. 29:46 Unable longer to endure the scene, he rushes out, heartbroken, from the hall." 29:52 Conscience, a broken heart, but it was not the rooster that broke Peter's heart. 30:01 It was the dove. And therein lies the difference between the rooster and the dove 30:13 when it comes to the conscience. So we turn to the dove now at the beginning of the book. 30:19 Go back just a few pages to Mark chapter 1. All four Gospels bookended with 30:26 these two birds. Mark chapter 1. Drop down to verse 9 and, "At 30:32 that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 30:37 Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open." 30:42 The Greek word is "schizo," which is from the word "schism" or "scism," where it's just 30:46 ripped. "He saw heaven being ripped open and the Spirit descending on him 30:53 like a dove." 31:11 Look, if the rooster represents an awakened conscience and the dove represents the Holy Spirit, 31:17 as all four Gospels attest to, that means there is some sort of profound linkage going on here 31:25 between the birds that begin and end all four Gospels. Some kind of linkage here. 31:33 In fact, in a cryptic line that Jesus once spoke to His disciples, sage counsel, by the 31:38 way. Don't even look it up. We'll put it on the screen. 31:40 Matthew 10:16. On the screen, please. You see it there? 31:45 Jesus says, "Hey, guys, ladies, I'm sending you out like sheep among wolves." 31:51 This is no picnic. This isn't a garden party. I'm sending you into war like 31:57 sheep among wolves. "Therefore" -- Now here comes the sage counsel -- "be as 32:01 shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves." Hmm. 32:11 Be as shrewd as snakes. Now, let me ask you a question. Who's the shrewdest snake, 32:17 serpent you have ever heard of in the entire world? Who would it be? 32:23 Of course, of course. Revelation 12:9. How does it put it? 32:25 "That ancient serpent called the devil or Satan who leads the whole world astray." 32:30 And so, hold on, hold on. The only way we who follow Jesus can be as shrewd and as wise as 32:36 our mortal enemy is if we are somehow tipped off in advance and prepared for his diabolical 32:42 assaults. That's the only way we get out of this place. 32:48 Otherwise we're dead meat. Here's a verse you grew up with as a kid. 32:52 Let me put it on the screen for you. I hope you'll go home and mark 32:56 all these in your Bible. Come on, there's a chain here of a Bible study that you can brood 33:00 over for a long time. Put it on the screen, please. 33:02 1 Corinthians 10:13. Paul writing, "No temptation has 33:07 overtaken you except what is common to mankind. 33:10 And God is faithful." Oh, yes, He is. 33:13 "He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear." 33:18 Keep reading. 33:28 I'm gonna tell you something. I don't know if you got it, but there is some powerful good news 33:32 wrapped up in that line we just shared. Powerful good news. 33:34 You said, "What's the good news there, Dwight?" Well, I'll tell you what. 33:38 Do you realize that every temptation you face -- any temptation, every temptation you 33:44 face has been pre-tested? Get this -- It has been pre-tested before it comes to 33:51 you. God pre-tests every one of our temptations. 33:56 Now, we just had Kirk and Chelsea with us, and we've had a wonderful time with our little 34:01 Ella and her younger sister. Ella's 4 and Isabel is 4 months. But you know when mother Chelsea 34:07 bathes Isabel, the baby, you know what she does? She puts some hot water in the 34:11 sink or hot water in the bathtub or the little tiny tub -- she'll put hot water in and you know 34:15 the next thing she does? She puts her hand in. You know why she's doing that? 34:21 She wants to make sure that this water's not too hot. Once she determines it's not too 34:25 hot, then she'll lower the little baby into that water. That's exactly what God does 34:29 with you and me. He puts His hand into that temptation. 34:33 I see what's coming. And he pre-- he pre-tests. He pre-checks the temptation. 34:42 Because as the way God has it figured, if He doesn't do it in advance, if He doesn't learn in 34:49 advance, we're all gone. How you do that, God? That's a great question to ask. 34:54 I'll tell you how He does it. I love this story in the Old Testament. 34:58 It's one of my favorites. It's in the time of Elijah and the mortal enemy king of Israel. 35:03 Okay, the Nation of Israel. The mortal enemy king has begun to notice a pattern. 35:08 Every time he plans a strategic, secret assault, when he brings his army there, guess what -- 35:14 either Israel is prepared and fully armed or they're gone. This happens time after time 35:21 after time, and finally, one day, you can just hear this king in his war counsel room, 35:26 he says, "Guys, I have had it. There is a snitch in this circle. 35:30 Which one of you is the mole? Who is leaking our strategies?" "Not me. Not me. 35:38 Not me. Not me." And then, God bless this little officer, he said, 35:41 "[ Clears throat ] Excuse me, royal highness." And I love his words. 35:45 Put it on the screen, please. This is 2 Kings 6:12. 35:48 On the screen. "'None of us, my lord the king,' 35:52 says this officer, 'but I'll tell you who it is. 35:55 It's Elisha the prophet who is in Israel, he tells the king of 35:58 Israel the very words you speak in your bedroom.'" 36:03 Embarrassing. 36:07 What's going on here? That little dove, that little dove apparently can fly up into 36:14 the tiniest corner of the room and, in that corner, overhear every conversation and monitor 36:22 every thought in that space. Unrecognized, unnoticed, but there he is in the war room of 36:32 the dastardly, the dark, the dark, despicable enemy of you and me, in the war room of Satan 36:41 himself. There's a third person that got it, unseen, recording it all. 36:47 Oh, you're going after Dwight today. Hmm, they're going after Dwight 36:52 today. To my guardian angel comes the word, "Look out." 36:58 I just heard it. They're going for your human charge. 37:03 When he walks around that corner, when she steps into that room, she will be hit in the 37:10 face with a blitz. God has two choices -- don't let her in there. 37:16 They'll kill her. They will destroy her. Keep her out of that room. 37:22 Don't let her go. Or he can handle this. He can handle this. 37:27 If he's relying on me, stay with him, be prepared. It will be an assault like no 37:33 other assault he's experienced. That's how he does it. How's he do this? 37:39 He did it just like that. He's there in the war counsels, and he's listening, and he's 37:45 reading every thought. Wow. Oh, no wonder God says, 37:52 Psalm 50:15. Here's your text. Put it on the screen. 37:55 God says... You know why? Because I've already made 38:00 provision for that moment. Now, if you don't call on me, I'm not intervening. 38:04 Free choice, your choice. But if you want me, ask me for help and I will deliver you. 38:11 I'll save you if you want it. If you don't want it, okay. No temptation comes to you 38:18 without a way of escape and a path to certain victory. Ahh, then what's the moral 38:22 mechanism by which God orchestrates your deliverance? Go back to that line, 38:26 Matthew 10:16, on the screen. 38:32 The serpent we know, the dove we know, and it is the dove, the Holy Spirit who preserves our 38:37 innocence. In fact, do you know that Jesus once told us, "A vital function 38:42 of the Holy Spirit is to know what's coming before it comes." I've always looked at this text. 38:48 I'm gonna put it on the screen for you right now. 38:50 John 16:13. I've always looked at this text, 38:52 just on the eve of his execution, as the Holy Spirit 38:55 one day will be able to tell us what's coming down the pike. 38:58 I now see this in a fresh new way. 39:01 Watch this. But Jesus speaking... 39:16 God wants to help you. He speaks what He hears. He's in the war room chambers of 39:22 the enemy and then He will tell you, He will alert you what is yet to come just like he did 39:27 with Israel against the enemy king. You're about to be attacked. 39:31 Hey, listen to me. You're about to be attacked today. 39:35 You have no idea. I see that you're planning on a little time with me. 39:38 I'm telling you what, I wouldn't go out there half dressed. I wouldn't go out there 39:42 half naked. I would not go out there without armor on. 39:45 Boy, stay here a little longer. I have to get you prepared. They're gonna kill you. 39:51 He has a battalion that will slaughter you unless you and me are together on this one -- 40:01 on any one. Yeah. What's going on here? 40:06 It's this -- It's this -- It's this...moral command center. You say, "Dwight, you're making 40:13 this up." I am not. In fact, I want you to check a 40:16 text. I don't want you to read it off the screen. 40:18 You just go back to the Book of Isaiah. I'm gonna show you something 40:21 that you'll never forget this text. I hope it gets marked in your 40:24 Bible eventually. Isaiah 30. Go to Isaiah 30, okay? 40:26 So you have your Bible. Go back to the Old Testament. Isaiah 30. 40:30 One line. Take a look at this. Isaiah 30. Drop down to verse 21. 40:39 God's speaking, "Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a 40:47 voice behind you, saying, 'Unh-unh-unh-unh-unh-unh-unh. This -- This is the way; walk in 40:58 it.'" It's called the conscience. Put it on the screen. 41:01 Let's just look at that word for a moment. It's called the conscience. 41:04 Every human being has a conscience. 41:12 It's that inner voice that belongs to the dove, the 41:15 Holy Spirit who engages your moral control center through his 41:20 voice that instructs you your next moves. 41:24 It's called the conscience. Jesus said when he was 41:27 describing the Holy Spirit a little earlier in the upper 41:29 room, he says, "He will be in you." 41:31 This says you'll hear a voice behind you. 41:33 Guess what -- it's actually in you. 41:35 It'll come from inside of you. It'll be inside your mind. 41:37 And if you've been listening to that voice, you'll recognize it. 41:40 You'll recognize it immediately and you'll know who's speaking 41:42 to you. That's how you learn a voice. 41:46 You have to just keep hearing it and heeding it, and it will keep 41:49 coming back to you. 41:50 You'll have it memorized. You know the sound of His voice. I do. 41:55 And guess what -- you can be a Fuzzy Wuzzy in the heart of the Eastern Highlands of 42:00 Papua New Guinea. You can be a business-suited millennial on the streets of the 42:04 windy city of Chicago. You can be a retiree in Berrien County. 42:08 It doesn't matter who you are. It doesn't matter where you live. 42:11 It doesn't matter what you do. You have a conscience unless you are totally insane. 42:16 You have a conscience. You were born with this internal direct-connect from God 42:25 to your conscience. It is the moral authority of your life night and day. 42:28 And some of you are saying, "Yeah, but, Dwight, can the conscience be wrong?" 42:34 Great question. Of course it can. Let me give you an illustration. 42:39 A little boy grows up in a home where, let's say, drinking soy milk is the gospel truth. 42:48 One day he visits his little friend's house and his friend's mother comes out eventually with 42:52 a plate of steaming chocolate chip cookies and two filled-to-the-rim glasses of 42:58 whole milk -- white. He eats a few cookies and gulps down that glass of milk. 43:07 And moments later -- bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop. You just violated your 43:17 conscience. His parents told him to drink only soy milk. 43:22 Question -- is that boy's conscience right or wrong? Answer -- yes. 43:31 [ Laughter ] That's it. Yes. Come on. 43:39 Yes, we are to obey our consciences, and, yes, our consciences can be wrong. 43:44 What is this, a little bit of double-talk from Paul? No, it's not. 43:47 I want to show you this. Put it on the screen, please. Two verses that you've probably 43:52 labored through before and couldn't make much sense out of them, and I'm gonna show you 43:56 what, they're telling you something big deal right now. On the screen -- 43:59 1 Corinthians 8:4,7. Let's start with verse 4. "So then" -- So, Paul's writing 44:05 to a bunch of pagans who have just been baptized into Christ Jesus. 44:08 They're brand-new baby Christians. So he's writing to them. 44:11 "So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols" -- Hit the pause button right 44:15 there. You see, there's a debate going on in this church that's just 44:18 been planted. The debate is, we all grew up eating the meat sold in the meat 44:22 market. Nothing wrong with that. But we remember now that all of 44:27 this meat was first placed before the idols, it was dedicated to the god that the 44:31 idol represents, and then it's brought down. Therefore, we can no longer eat 44:35 that meat. Now, watch what Paul does here. "So then, about eating food 44:41 sacrificed to idols" -- Here he goes now -- "We know that an idol is nothing at all in the 44:47 world." It's just a hunk of rock. It's a slab of stone. 44:51 It's a piece of wood. It's an overlaid bit of fake gold. 44:54 That's all it is. "We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world and that 44:59 there is no God but one." There's only one God in this universe. 45:02 Hallelujah. That's what Paul's writing. 45:05 "But" -- Now drop down to verse 7 -- "not everyone knows this." 45:21 When they eat the food offered to a no nothing, worthless, piece of wood, they're 45:29 condemned. Poof. Apparently, a conscience can be 45:37 weak or even wrong, but when we violate that weak or wrong conscience, we defile 45:43 ourselves. He says, "You're defiled now." We defile ourselves, and guess 45:48 what -- that is a sin. Paul -- Romans 14:23. You have all of these verses in 45:55 your study guide. 45:56 Notice Paul writing. Speaking of eating, "Whoever 46:00 has doubts is condemned if they eat." 46:04 So, you've got questions, you're not sure? 46:06 You go ahead and eat it. "You are condemned if you eat 46:09 because your eating is not from faith, and everything that does 46:13 not come from faith is sin." 46:16 That's one of the most comprehensive definiti-- It is the most comprehensive 46:19 definition in all of scripture for sin. What is sin? 46:22 It's what you know is wrong. You can be wrong about the wrong, but it's still a sin 46:28 to you. Isn't that something? To violate your conscience. 46:34 When this moral command center inside of you is flashing red -- beep, beep, beep, beep, beep -- 46:40 whatever it is, it's warning you about, do not do it. Don't! 46:52 If it's going off, stop. Because when you disobey your conscience, no matter how weak 47:01 or how wrong it may be, like the little boy drinking soy milk, you deaden it. 47:06 And a deadened conscience can eventually become a dead conscience, and you are lost. 47:15 It's shut down. It's gone. Paul describes these dead 47:22 consciences. He uses the word in 1 Timothy 4, "sear." 47:25 So you take a hot iron on my skin, and I have all these little holes here, my pores. 47:30 [ Imitating sizzling ] No more holes, no more anything. It's just scar tissue. 47:35 Seared consciences. Wow. Listen, even if your conscience 47:47 is wrong -- Now, listen very carefully to this. Even if your conscience is wrong 47:53 and all your family and friends are telling you it is wrong, do not violate your moral command 48:02 center's communication to you. Do not violate that conscience. The clearest -- I've never 48:09 preached on the conscience before. The clearest statement I've ever 48:12 read is this that's gonna appear on the screen now. I've never seen a clearer 48:18 statement. Put it on the screen for you. 48:20 "The Christian" -- This is from a commentary -- "The Christian 48:25 should never violate his conscience. 48:28 Oh, yes, it may require educating. 48:31 It may tell him that certain things are wrong that in 48:34 themselves turns out may not be wrong, but" -- Hold on -- "until 48:38 convinced by the Word of God and the Spirit of God that a certain 48:42 course is proper for her, she ought not to -- he ought not to 48:47 pursue that course. He must not make others the 48:50 criterion for his conduct; he must go -- we must go to the 48:54 Scriptures and learn for ourselves our duty in the 48:57 matter." 48:59 If the conscience is going off, obey it. Obey it. 49:06 Or, for you, it's a sin. Even though it's wrong, it's a sin. 49:11 Ooh. Yeah, but come on, Dwight. This isn't right of God to hold 49:17 me accountable to something that's weak or wrong. Why doesn't he just wink 49:21 at my ignorance? The Bible says he does that. Ah! But think a minute. 49:26 Think, think. Unfortunately, the conscience is too extremely fine-tuned 49:32 an instrument. So fine-tuned that it is seriously damaged when it is 49:40 ignored or when it is disobeyed. If we keep saying, "No, I'm not gonna listen to you." 49:49 Whenever it flashes red, we dim the subsequent flashings. We muffle the voice of 49:54 the Holy Spirit to the place Jesus once warned, "You keep this up, you have committed 49:58 the unpardonable sin." Yup, you have. You keep this up. 50:06 Wow. It's like Chrissy, our little girl, she came home from school 50:12 one day, Ruth Murdoch, and I asked her to do something. And I'd never heard this before. 50:17 I asked her to do something and she goes like this, "Talk to my hand. 50:21 My face ain't listening." [ Laughter ] Did you learn that in church 50:27 school? Where'd you get -- Some kid on the playground. 50:31 "Talk to my hand. My face ain't listening." It's like a little boy whose 50:34 mother's admonishing, "I can't hear you, Mommy. I can't hear you. 50:37 I really can't. I really can't hear you, Mom. Sorry." 50:41 Eventually the voice grows silent. Not because God is mad at you. 50:49 Are you kidding? But because you can no longer hear His voice. 50:53 You have switched frequencies. Your conscience is no longer tuned to the frequency 50:57 of His voice. Jesus called it the unpardonable sin, which in essence is the one 51:01 sin that you don't want to have pardoned. You know why? 51:04 Because you don't want to let it go. That's the unpardonable sin. 51:07 Whatever it is, you keep saying no to him and finally he says, "I got it. N-O." 51:15 Adios. Talk to my hand. My face ain't listening. 51:22 I can't hear you, Jesus. I can't hear you at all. Isn't this weird? 51:25 I can't hear you. The dove of the Holy Spirit and the rooster of your conscience, 51:33 two gifts from God. Two birds, two gifts, one voice to save you, and that's the 51:40 truth. Two birds, two gifts, one voice to save you. 51:45 From a century ago, listen to this. Put it up on the screen. 51:49 Wow. "As we yield to the influence of the Spirit of God" -- That would 51:52 be the dove -- "our conscience" -- That's the rooster -- "becomes tender" -- 51:56 See what happens? "The conscience becomes tender and sensitive and sin 52:01 that we would have passed by with little thought, becomes exceeding sinful." 52:08 The more you open up yourself to the Holy Spirit, the more perceptive you become and more 52:13 sensitive your conscience becomes to the poison of the serpent called sin. 52:21 And when you daily seek the baptism, when you daily seek the infilling of the Holy Spirit, 52:26 guess what. Now, I want you to just hold on to your pew right now. 52:29 Guess what -- stuff you used to laugh off suddenly matters. Stuff you used to shrug off 52:40 suddenly matters. Stuff you used to wave off suddenly matters. 52:46 You know why? Because it matters what you watch. 52:49 How long have you been watching that stuff? How long are you gonna keep 52:54 watching that stuff? There's a point where the bar gets raised and you go up with 53:01 the dove. You don't go down with the serpent. 53:05 How long you gonna keep listening to that stuff? You know what it does. 53:08 You know the red alert in your mind. Every time there's something 53:12 down, you push it down. Turn the music louder. How long will you say no to that 53:18 flashing red light? How long you gonna keep drinking that stuff? 53:23 Oh, I know all your friends drink it. I know it's kind of socially -- 53:28 You know, you're nothing if you don't. How long are you gonna keep 53:33 drinking that? There comes a point where the bar gets raised because we got 53:38 to make ready a people, prepare for the Lord, Jesus is coming. How long you gonna keep 53:44 eating that? You've known all your life. You've had a little -- You've 53:48 had a little gnawing inside of that conscience. You've seen that little flashing 53:52 red light. How long are you gonna keep eating this and expect to grow 53:55 in me? How long you gonna keep wearing that? 53:59 Hmm? Would you wear that with an audience with God? 54:05 How long are you gonna keep thinking those thoughts? I know what you're thinking. 54:09 I know what you're thinking. Why do you keep thinking that way? 54:13 Ladies and gentlemen, it's the moral command center of the human mind and life. 54:19 The dove coos and woos through that command center, and in a silent voice, let it go. 54:28 You're growing up. You can't quit being a teenager. Act like we've been walking 54:37 together for a while. The dove and the rooster -- two birds, two gifts, but they 54:46 combine into one voice that is always right. One voice, always right. 54:57 Which is why we need to ask for both gifts every day. 55:01 I'm serious. I'm gonna be doing this. 55:04 We've got to ask every day, "God, I need a clean conscience 55:07 today, and I need the baptism of the Holy Spirit today. 55:10 I have to have both gifts. I want the rooster and the dove 55:12 today. I have to have it today. 55:14 I'm telling you, God, I don't want to drink the Kool-Aid. 55:18 I don't want to suck that poison. 55:20 Every time I suck it, there's a red light that goes off, 55:23 flashing, I know it's happening. I'm tired of living with that 55:26 flashing red light. I'm gonna cut it out. 55:29 I'm gonna quit. 55:30 I'm asking you, Jesus, even as you were baptized in that water and you came up and 55:34 the Holy Spirit came down on you, I'm begging you, Lord Jesus, I want the 55:38 Holy Spirit to come into me not just when I'm baptized. I need to have it every morning 55:42 of my life. Fill me anew. Please send the dove. 55:46 Don't withhold your Spirit from me." David says in Psalms 51, "I 55:49 don't care what you take, but do not take your Spirit from me. I can't live without His 55:54 friendship. I can't live without His Lordship. 55:57 I need Him in me." You have to ask. I don't care how you ask it, but 56:03 you've got to ask. You don't want to keep going. You don't want to keep going at 56:09 the pace you're going. Stuff is ratcheting up. Just ask. 56:19 The dove and the rooster -- two birds, two gifts, one voice. And thank God it's the loving 56:26 voice of our Savior. Hmm? Thank God it's the loving voice 56:30 of our Savior. There's an ancient tradition that asserts that for the rest 56:34 of his life, Peter -- After that fateful night of denial, Peter could never hear a rooster 56:41 crowing without falling to his knees and weeping. Two birds, two gifts, one voice. 56:53 Thank God it's the loving voice of our Savior. Amen. Amen. 57:04 >> Thank you for taking the time to join us in worship today. I'd like to spend another moment 57:08 with you here at the end of our program to share a word of hope. In fact, that's what this little 57:11 book is all about. In these uncertain times, and let's face it, they're uncertain 57:15 all over this planet. This book entitled, "The Great Hope," will help you 57:19 understand not just what God has planned for your future, but for the future of the entire human 57:23 race. Light keeps shining on this dark old world and new truths long 57:28 forgotten are being constantly rediscovered. 57:31 If you need a fresh dose of hope for your life these days or you 57:33 know somebody else who could sure use that gift of hope, then 57:36 I'd like to invite you to grab your phone, dial our toll-free 57:39 number, 877, the two words HIS WILL -- 877-HIS-WILL. 57:44 And at no charge to you, we'll get a copy in the mail to you 57:47 right way. Till the next time we meet, may 57:50 the peace and hope of the Lord Jesus be with you 24/7. 57:58 ♪♪ ♪♪ 58:17 ♪♪ |
Revised 2018-06-28