Participants:
Series Code: NP
Program Code: NP180630A
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00:10 >> Father, it's in Your name that we come this morning. We thank You for being our God
00:16 and for loving us. We thank You that we have an advocate in Jesus Christ, and 00:20 it's His name that we glorify today. God, we give You the honor and 00:24 praise. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen. Please stand with us 00:28 as we sing "Christ is Risen." 00:31 ♪♪ ♪♪ 00:47 ♪♪ ♪♪ 01:04 ♪♪ 02:16 ♪♪ 05:11 ♪♪ ♪♪ 05:22 >> Such a wonderful song about Christ being alive. 05:26 He didn't stay at the tomb. It's because of the tomb He 05:30 being risen, that He could be our advocate in our sacrifice, 05:34 for us. The next song we're gonna sing 05:36 this morning is a new take on an old hymn. 05:39 You'll recognize the choruses from the song "At the Cross." 05:44 "At the cross where I first saw the light." 05:47 And then there's a new chorus and a new bridge that we've 05:50 adapted to this song. So sing with us. 05:53 You'll pick it up really quickly at the beginning. 05:56 It's just a powerful song of being at the cross with Jesus 05:59 and what he's done for us. 06:02 ♪♪ ♪♪ 06:18 ♪♪ 08:14 ♪♪ ♪♪ 08:28 ♪♪ 10:27 ♪♪ ♪♪ 10:43 ♪♪ 10:54 >> It's a week ago Thursday, and I'm writing my sermon for last 10:57 Sabbath, and Karen comes running in. 10:59 "Oh, no, Dwight, you got to come out! 11:02 Come out! Come out! You're not gonna believe this." 11:05 I went racing out of the house, and here is what I saw. 11:08 Let's put it on the -- Excuse me. Excuse me, papa. 11:10 Let's put it right here. Can you tell what that is? 11:16 Well, that looks like a nest that is broken in half. 11:18 Let's look at a close-up of it. Ooh! 11:22 What are those? Those are birds, but they're 11:26 little robins. Little robins, and I thought -- 11:29 Only two robins? And then I looked and further 11:32 away in the grass here was somebody else. 11:35 I said, "Oh! There he is!" You know what happened? 11:40 The wind was blowing, and that little nest that was up in our 11:43 crabapple tree just went "Boom!" Hit the ground, broke open, and 11:46 now Karen and I are saying, "What are we gonna do? 11:49 What are we gonna do? Somebody's gonna have to save 11:51 these birds. I guess we have to do it. 11:53 What should we do? We've got some Scotch tape. 11:55 We went in the garage. Can we somehow tape this? 11:58 Can we tape this little nest together and we'll put it back 12:00 up in the tree? And that's what we did. 12:03 We put some garbage bag plastic around it and put it back up in 12:06 the tree, and a few minutes later -- Boom! 12:09 And I went to this little guy -- let's see the next picture. 12:12 I went to this little guy, and he thought I was his mother. 12:15 And he thought I had food, and his mouth just instinctively 12:18 went open, like you do when you're a little tiny baby and 12:21 you know that food is near. He just opened his mouth. 12:24 "I'm so hungry!" But where's the mother? 12:26 And then all of a sudden, she flew by! 12:29 She stood up in this tree! [ Imitating robin chirping ] 12:35 [ Gasps ] I wonder what the mother's gonna do! 12:37 So we tiptoed away, and sure enough, the mother came down, 12:40 and she had a worm dangling in her beak, and she dropped the 12:44 worm in that hungry little mouth, and she flew away. 12:47 "Well, maybe, love, we'll just leave these here and the mother 12:49 will take care of them. That's good." 12:51 And as soon as we went inside... [ Imitating thunder crashing ] 12:54 That was a week ago Thursday when we had this huge rain 12:58 storm, and the rains came down and the floods came up. 13:03 It was that day. [ Inhales sharply ] 13:05 What are we gonna do? It's raining. 13:07 We looked outside. Let me see a picture from the 13:09 front room, living room. Ah, it's kind of out of focus. 13:12 We looked outside. Wait a minute! 13:14 Is that the mother robin? Can you see? 13:16 Is that the mother robin on top of those little birds? 13:18 No, no, no, no. It can't be. 13:19 So let's enlarge that picture and let's see. 13:21 [ Gasps ] It's the mother robin. I've never seen a mother robin 13:25 do this, but you know what she did? 13:27 She put her wings out just like this, she wrapped them around 13:30 her three little babies, and she just pulled them tight. 13:33 And you can see her there. The wings are fluffed way out 13:36 for the babies. The Bible says "He will cover 13:41 you with His feathers and under His wing we shall live." 13:47 Oh! God is the same way. In fact, let's see a picture of 13:49 Calvary. That's what Jesus did. 13:51 He put his arms out like two big wings for every boy and girl 13:54 that he could reach. Every boy and girl all over the 13:57 world, He just wants to pull all the children, all the mommies 14:01 and daddies, all the grown-ups under His wing. 14:04 And Calvary is his wings stretched far to draw us in. 14:10 And as long as He's covering us, nothing to worry. 14:14 Those little robins had nothing to worry, thanks to mother 14:17 covering them with her wings. Aren't you glad for Jesus? 14:21 That's what mommy and daddy are gonna do today. 14:23 That's what we're all gonna do today, take the bread and the 14:27 cup, the little white dowel, and we'll celebrate Jesus putting 14:30 His wings out and drawing the whole world into His salvation. 14:33 Who would like to thank Jesus for being our savior today and 14:38 drawing us under His wings? Come here, sissy. 14:41 We haven't had you before. What's your name? 14:45 >> Enana. >> Enana. 14:46 Okay, we're gonna pray with Enana. 14:49 As she closes her eyes, we'll close our eyes. 14:52 We'll fold our hands. And Enana's gonna thank Jesus. 14:55 >> Jesus, thank you for this day and thank you... 15:00 And Jesus, help us... [ Sighs ] 15:06 ...with everything. In Jesus' name, Amen. 15:08 >> Amen. Thank you, Enana. And thank you, boys and girls. 15:12 As you go quitely back to your seats, you can say "Thank you, 15:15 Jesus." Thank you for drawing us under 15:17 your wings and being our savior. Thank you. 15:20 ♪♪ 15:29 >> So, I have some good news for you today. 15:31 If you're keeping track, I have some good news for you today 15:35 because it is now less than six months until we have 15:38 Christmas. [ Laughter ] 15:40 No kidding. Less than six now. 15:42 We've passed the halfway mark! So we might as well pull a page 15:46 out of Walmart's playbook and talk about Christmas in 15:49 summertime. Open your Bible, please, to the 15:52 Gospel of Luke, the Christmas story, Chapter 2. 15:54 And while you're finding Luke 2, let me just set the story up 15:58 because the shepherds have just returned to their little flocks 16:03 on the hillsides outside of Bethlehem. 16:05 They have followed the angel Gabriel's advice. 16:08 They have a wide-eyed race to that little barnyard. 16:12 And in that manger, they fell to their knees in worship, 16:16 the little tiny, wrapped in swaddling cloth, baby, as their 16:21 new Messiah King. Speaking of new leadership, that 16:25 was it. That's all they can talk about. 16:27 Desire of Ages says it was the brightest scene ever witnessed 16:30 by human eyes, and that's all they're talking about that night 16:33 as they head back to the hills. Now, that's the story. 16:36 Then the very next verse, Verse 21, the little 8-day-old 16:39 Jesus is circumcised. Now our story begins in 16:42 Verse 22. So we're in Luke 2, and let's go 16:46 to Verse 22. Got it. 17:17 Speaking about birds, there they are again. 17:19 Part 5 -- "Gone to the Birds, Lessons from the Divine 17:22 Ornithologist." All this month of June, we've 17:25 been finding the birds, and these are the last birds. 17:29 Two little pigeons. What's up with that? 17:34 Let's go to the law, actually, that they are carefully 17:37 following. Go back to Leviticus. 17:38 When's the last time you were in Leviticus? 17:40 Nobody goes to Leviticus anymore, but let's go back to 17:43 Leviticus Chapter 12. Do you mind? 17:45 Just turn back a few pages to the beginning of your Bible, 17:48 Leviticus, Chapter 12. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus. 17:51 Chapter 12. Let's take a look at this. 17:55 Here's why they went to the temple. 17:56 This is Verse 6 in Leviticus 12. 18:03 Speaking of the mother who's just given birth... 18:15 Now drop down to Verse 8. 18:32 Now, Joseph and Mary are obviously among the poorer class 18:36 in Palestine. There is no way they have money 18:39 for a lamb, and so they scrape a few coins together to buy two 18:43 little pigeon, and that's it. And according to the law, they 18:47 present the two pigeons on behalf of Mother Mary. 18:52 Roy Gane is absolutely right when he observes that the 18:56 sacrifice was a poignant reminder. 18:58 Say, "What's happening here?" These two pigeons that will be 19:01 sacrificed, a poignant reminder that every human life begins 19:06 under a cloud of mortality. A baby is born, and two 19:10 creatures die. Could be a lamb, could be two 19:14 pigeon. A baby is born, two creatures 19:17 die. It's this shadow the entire 19:19 human race now lives under. Mortality. 19:23 Right? But, by the way, it's not just 19:31 the purification rights. Two pigeons. 19:34 Two pigeons are for two sinners. One sinner, two pigeons. 19:40 Turn a few pages back to Chapter 5. 19:44 Isn't this something? Chapter 5, Verse 7. 19:46 Leviticus 5:7. 20:00 Now, there's a verse that precedes that that I want you to 20:01 catch. It's Verse 5. 20:23 Or if they're dirt-poor, it'll be two pigeons. 20:30 Two little creatures for sin. The priest takes them. They're sacrificed. 20:35 And with the confession of your sin, taking now your offering to the priest, who will make 20:42 atonement for you and your sin, the story is you will be cleansed. 20:46 You'll be washed. You'll be purified. You will be pardoned. 20:49 You will now -- watch this -- you will now be at one. That's why they call it making 20:53 atonement. You will now be at one with God. What's going on here? 20:57 You don't need a degree in theology to figure out that this ancient liturgical practice has 21:02 Calvary and the Savior written all over it, doesn't it? But isn't it amazing that what 21:08 we just read begins with confession? I mean, why should we confess? 21:14 God already knows. Ah! Good question. Because confession -- What's 21:19 that old adage? Confession is good for the... It's good for the soul. 21:25 Anytime a human being confesses his or her wrong to another human being or to Almighty God 21:32 Himself, anytime you make the act of confession, you know -- how well I know -- it is an 21:40 admission of failure. It's an admission of defective behavior. 21:44 It's an admission -- "I did wrong, I sinned, and I'm sorry." We're ashamed to admit it. 21:53 It's embarrassing. "I'm sorry for what I did. Will you forgive me?" 22:01 I had to do it just the other day on a Sabbath, right here, in this sanctuary during worship. 22:07 I had to sit down beside one of our sound techs, and I had to whisper to him -- it was a 22:13 little embarrassing for me -- I had to whisper to him, "I'm sorry for that remark I made 22:18 when we were having crew call earlier this morning." He just smiled and waved. 22:23 "Aw, don't worry about it." But I had to. It's my conscience. 22:28 My conscience said, "You got to do something about this. Make it right." 22:34 Yeah, you're right. It is embarrassing. But I also knew that the very 22:39 act of confessing is an act of vulnerability that actually strengthens the life of the one 22:44 willing to become vulnerable. You see, confession is good for the soul. 22:49 Let me tell you about Brené Brown. She's the one that spoke to 22:53 us -- two TED talks. You know TED talks, of course. She spoke those 22:57 mega-million-viewer-watched -- two TED talks. 43-plus-million people have 23:04 watched her little 20-minute presentation. I watched it coming back from 23:07 Japan in the United lounge, waiting to catch my plane. I said, "I'm gonna watch that 23:11 again -- Brené Brown." And I started taking notes in my yellow pad -- very interesting. 23:16 She observes -- "People who are willing to become vulnerable are 23:19 people who have the courage to be imperfect and admit it..." 23:28 and confess it. 23:32 And as she says, "There are people who have learned to live 23:36 wholeheartedly, who discover that what made them vulnerable 23:41 makes them beautiful." Now, this is one of the crazy 23:43 realities of life. Do you know what? 23:44 And she made this point again and again, and I got to share it 23:47 with you. 23:48 Do you know what people are drawn to? They're not drawn to your 23:51 strengths. People are always drawn to your weaknesses. 23:55 It's true. Why is that? Because you're weak like me, 24:00 and, suddenly, I can identify with you. That's why we love Peter, and 24:04 that's why we love David -- because of their weaknesses. We're just drawn to them. 24:08 They're not...china-doll saints. She's making a point. Confession is good for the soul. 24:19 Turns out it's very good for the soul. That's why this line is inserted 24:21 before the "two pigeons." 24:23 This is verse five again. 24:29 Just confess it. 24:33 Roy Gane in his commentary -- it's a wonderful commentary, the NIV commentary -- an 24:37 application commentary on the Book of Leviticus. He quotes this one line from 24:41 Max Lucado. I love this. This is about as good as it gets 24:43 with confession. 24:45 Let's put Max Lucado on the screen. 24:47 Lucado writing, "Confession is telling God you did the thing He 24:51 saw you do." You know, it's as if we think, 24:55 "Well, if I say this to God, He's gonna find out something." 24:58 Are you kidding? He already knows. 25:00 You have no reason to hold back. Tell God anything you wish. 25:03 He already knows it all. And as Lucado goes on, "He," 25:08 God, "doesn't need to hear it as much as you --" and I -- "need 25:12 to say it." Confession is good for the soul. 25:18 Roy Gane scribbles this line down. 25:21 I'll put it on the screen for you -- very insightful here. 25:24 "A state of denial --" "I have nothing to confess with this 25:27 whole sad incident. I have nothing to say." 25:30 "A state of denial expiates," resolves, erases, "nothing." 25:37 I know friends who were once friends who are no longer friends because neither one will 25:40 apologize to the other. I can't believe it, but it's true. 25:43 They will not apologize to the other, and they are now -- there's just this wall between 25:47 them. And I'm thinking, "Just one of you, if you would break down and 25:53 say, 'I was wrong --'" Confession! It's your weakness that people 25:57 are drawn to, not your strength, anyway. Admit you're weak. 26:03 "A state of denial expiates nothing." 26:05 Keep reading Roy. 26:13 That's good. 26:22 You know what cognitive dissonance is? 26:24 There's something inside of you that's saying, "It's not right. There's just something that's 26:28 not fitting here. There's something not right between me and my spouse. 26:30 There's something not right between me and my children. There's something not right 26:33 between me and that colleague. There's something not right between me and my students." 26:37 Cognitive dissonance is your conscience that is creating this uncomfortable, miserable 26:42 feeling. And the conscience is creating it because it's saying, "Resolve 26:46 it. Go to that person and say, 'I'm sorry.'" 26:53 Of course it's embarrassing. But you got to do it. Cognitive dissonance. 27:00 If you do not solve that, do you know what you're living with? If you do not solve that, you're 27:03 living with dis-ease. No ease. And it is a spiritual disease 27:13 for a conscience to be blinking -- "Resolve this, please, resolve this, please," 27:18 and no resolution takes place. It's a disease. 27:21 That's the wisest man who ever lived, Solomon -- put it on the 27:23 screen please, Proverbs 28:13 -- why Solomon admonishes... 27:35 Wow! In two little pigeons, we got a full-blown soteriology taking 27:39 place in front of our eyes right now! Amazing. 27:45 But you're absolutely right. So much was embedded into the shadows of that ancient 27:49 liturgical system. Two pigeons, one Savior. Calvary. That's it. 27:59 Two pigeons, one Savior -- Calvary. And whenever I say the word 28:05 "Calvary," I think of my mother. You know why? Because she had a beautiful 28:09 voice. And she used to sing this song in public there in Japan, as a 28:12 kid growing up. "Calvary conquered my heart. Calvary conquered my heart." 28:19 I went to the YouTube, and I said, "Is there anybody out there that has recorded that 28:23 song, 'Calvary Conquered My Heart'?" And I found out there's some 28:25 singing group -- I had never heard of them. They're called 28:27 The White Sisters, and they were a women's trio, sisters, and they sang that song as only a 28:34 women's trio sings. And if any of you ever get inspired again to form a women's 28:38 trio, what a blessing to the world. There's nothing like a women's 28:45 trio. ♪ Calvary conquered my heart ♪ ♪ Calvary conquered my heart ♪ 28:54 ♪ When I gazed on that tree, I saw Christ Jesus dying for me ♪ ♪ Yes, Calvary conquered my 29:05 heart ♪ It's just a little -- It's just a small line. 29:11 But that's Calvary. And it's because of Calvary that this passage we read with 29:16 Michael a moment ago is so true. Put it on the screen. Let's read the opening line. 29:21 Everybody knows 1 John 1:9, but let me read the verses that follow it, but let's put it on 29:25 the screen. 29:26 Let's read that out loud together. 29:38 It's a two-step gift. God says, "I'm not only gonna 29:41 forgive you -- it's gone -- I will purify your verify life. 29:44 I will purify your mind. I will purify your heart. I'll purify your relationship. 29:48 That wall is gone. I've forgiven it. I make you pure now." 29:52 I mean, it doesn't get any better than that. And John goes on. 29:55 "If we claim we've not sinned --" "Hey, that's not my fault, it's His." 30:10 "He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of 30:16 the whole wide world." He is the two pigeons for you and me -- two pigeons. 30:25 One forgiveness. Two pigeons. One cleansing to the depths of 30:31 your soul. Two pigeons, one Savior for you and me. 30:38 And we can declare to the universe because of those two pigeons and that one Savior, we 30:42 can say, "Hey, universe, Calvary conquered my heart. 30:48 Calvary's conquered my heart because I, at Calvary, through 30:53 the Lord Jesus Christ, received God's forgiveness, I received my 30:58 cleansing, and out of that vulnerability of having to 31:02 confess my need of that cleansing, by the grace of Him, 31:06 I become beautiful in His sight. And that's what matters the most 31:13 anyway. 31:21 Want to pray with you. Oh, God... two pigeons, one Savior. 31:31 And, oh, my, do we need that Savior today. There's nobody here saying, "I 31:36 don't need a Savior. I haven't sinned." We've all sinned. 31:40 We've sinned this morning. But we come because this is a place for sinners to come. 31:50 Frumply, crumply, sinners that we are, we don't look our best to You right now, but, oh, God, 31:58 in the shadow of the Cross, we cry out to You, "Forgive me. I've sinned." 32:04 Cleanse me. I have sinned. Wash me. Thank You for giving this 32:12 moment. Thank You for giving us the towel and the bread and the cup. 32:21 Wash us. We humbly pray together in Jesus' name. 32:28 Amen. 32:33 [ "The Blood Will Never Lose Its Power" plays ] 32:41 ♪♪ >> Sing, "The blood." 32:56 ♪♪ ♪♪ 33:16 ♪♪ ♪♪ 33:35 ♪♪ ♪♪ 33:55 ♪♪ ♪♪ 34:15 ♪♪ ♪♪ 34:35 ♪♪ ♪♪ 34:55 ♪♪ ♪♪ 35:15 ♪♪ ♪♪ 35:35 ♪♪ ♪♪ 35:55 ♪♪ [ Flourish, song ends ] 36:07 [ "Mighty to Save" plays ] 36:14 ♪♪ ♪♪ "Everybody needs compassion." 36:36 ♪♪ ♪♪ 36:56 ♪♪ ♪♪ 37:16 ♪♪ ♪♪ 37:36 ♪♪ ♪♪ 37:56 ♪♪ ♪♪ 38:16 ♪♪ ♪♪ 38:36 ♪♪ ♪♪ 38:56 ♪♪ ♪♪ 39:16 ♪♪ ♪♪ 39:36 ♪♪ ♪♪ 39:56 ♪♪ 40:06 ♪♪ [ Song ends, "Jesus Paid It All" plays ] 40:24 ♪♪ 40:34 ♪♪ ♪♪ 40:54 ♪♪ ♪♪ 41:14 ♪♪ ♪♪ 41:34 ♪♪ ♪♪ 41:54 ♪♪ ♪♪ 42:14 ♪♪ ♪♪ 42:33 ♪♪ ♪♪ 42:53 ♪♪ ♪♪ 43:13 ♪♪ ♪♪ 43:33 ♪♪ ♪♪ 43:53 ♪♪ ♪♪ 44:13 ♪♪ ♪♪ 44:33 ♪♪ ♪♪ 44:49 [ Song ends ] 44:53 >> Thank you, singers. 45:02 "Jesus paid it all. All to Him we owe. 45:07 Sin had left --" how's that go? -- "a crimson stain. He washed me white as snow." 45:16 Two pigeons, one Savior, so that we would never forget that Thursday night when He had the 45:26 whole eternity on His mind and heart. He pauses in that supper, and He 45:33 leaves us this gift. Want you to close your eyes and let your mind go back to that 45:39 fateful Thursday night as Julie Clayburn reads the word picture in Matthew. 45:44 This is a word picture of what we've come to celebrate. 45:54 >> "As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. 45:57 Then He broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, 46:00 saying, 'Take this and eat it, for this is my body.' 46:04 Then He took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, 46:09 'Each of you drink from it, for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and His 46:15 people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many. 46:20 Mark my words -- I will not drink wine again until the day I drink it new with you in my 46:26 Father's Kingdom.'" We invite the congregation to kneel while Lynell offers the 46:30 blessing and the emblems of this service. 46:49 >> "Dear Father God, we come before You today having just 46:53 experienced a foot washing. Now, as we partake of this bread 46:58 and this cup, we ask for a heart washing and for Your blessings 47:05 on these emblems. 47:06 May these symbols of Your shed blood and broken body renew us. May we fully participate in Your 47:14 plans for our joy. Let us be washed clean, prepared to more clearly reflect Your 47:21 love to others. We invite You in. We thank You, Lord. 47:27 We love you." In Jesus' name, amen. 47:42 ♪♪ ♪♪ 47:59 >> ♪ And can it be, and can it be? ♪ ♪ Amazing love, how can it be? ♪ 48:14 ♪ And can it be that I should gain ♪ ♪ An interest in the Savior's 48:25 blood? ♪ ♪ Died He for me who caused His pain ♪ 48:35 ♪ For me, who Him to death pursued? ♪ ♪ Amazing love ♪ 48:48 ♪ How can it be ♪ ♪ That Thou, my God ♪ ♪ Should die for me? ♪ 49:16 ♪♪ ♪ He left His Father's throne above ♪ 49:30 ♪ So free, so infinite His grace ♪ ♪ Emptied Himself of all but 49:39 love ♪ ♪ And bled for Adam's helpless race ♪ 49:48 ♪ 'Tis mercy all ♪ ♪ Immense and free ♪ ♪ For, oh, My God ♪ 50:08 ♪ It found out me ♪ ♪ And can it be? ♪ ♪ Amazing love, how can it be? ♪ 50:29 ♪ No condemnation now I dread ♪ ♪ Jesus, and all in Him, is mine ♪ 50:43 ♪ Alive in Him, my living Head ♪ ♪ And clothed in righteousness 50:54 divine ♪ ♪ Bold I approach ♪ ♪ The eternal throne ♪ 51:12 ♪ And claim the crown ♪ ♪ Through Christ my own ♪ ♪ Amazing love ♪ 51:32 ♪ How can it be ♪ ♪ That Thou, my God ♪ 51:50 ♪ Should die ♪ ♪ For me-e-e-e? ♪ 52:08 ♪ Amazing ♪ ♪ Lo-o-o-ve ♪♪ >> Amen! 52:35 >> Amazing, amazing love... so that we would never forget that love. 52:45 Jesus gave to us the bread. He said, "This is the symbol of my broken body. 52:51 Every time you eat this, do this in remembrance of me." 53:02 In the same way, He turns to us, as He did that night. He says, "All of you, drink this 53:13 cup, a symbol of my blood. Remember me when you drink this." 53:27 And, surely, Jesus would speak the words, again, "You are all clean. 53:35 You are all clean. Go forth now with me to a world that desperately needs my 53:44 friends. Go for me." And we do what they did before 53:50 they went forth. The record says, "And when they had sung a hymn, they went out." 53:56 We're going to sing that hymn -- hymn 407. If you'll pull your hymnal out, 54:01 it's hymn 407, and while you're doing that, I want to remind you that, like they also did, we 54:06 receive an offering for the poor. You remember when Judas left, 54:10 they said, "Oh, he's gonna deliver some money to the poor." If God has blessed you these 54:17 last three months and you wish to pass that blessing on to others, there will be ushers at 54:22 all the doors as we leave. Out of that abundance, thank you for your gift. 54:27 Berrien County knows this is a church you can come to. There will be help. 54:31 And because of your sacrifice, your generosity, we are able to help. 54:35 God bless you in advance. Now, there's no more joyful hymn than this. 54:40 Let's stand as we sing hymn 407, "Sent Forth By God's Blessings." And, by the way, the words are 54:45 gonna be on the screens. It's the first time we've had them on the screen, so you can 54:49 just sing without the hymnal and let your heart open up to our Lord. 54:53 [ "Sent Forth By God's Blessings" plays ] 55:01 ♪♪ ♪♪ 55:21 ♪♪ ♪♪ 55:41 ♪♪ ♪♪ 56:01 ♪♪ ♪♪ 56:21 ♪♪ 56:26 [ Song ends ] >> "And now may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love 56:32 of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all." Let all God's people say... 56:39 >> All: Amen. >> And amen. ♪♪ 56:51 ♪♪ 56:58 >> Before you go, let me take an extra moment to share with you 57:00 an opportunity to get into the Bible in a fresh new way. 57:04 All across the world, more and more people are hearing the call 57:06 to examine Scriptures for themselves. 57:09 If you felt drawn to learn more about God's word but you don't know where to start or you're 57:13 just looking for a more in-depth examination of Bible truths, then I have something right here 57:18 that I believe you're gonna enjoy. I want to send a series of 57:21 guides to get you started. This one's entitled "Why Does God Allow Suffering?" 57:25 Each guide begins with a story and an introduction of the subject. 57:28 Then, through a series of focus questions, you'll be learning portions of the Bible you may 57:32 never have known before. 57:33 And when you're through, you'll be able to share with others 57:36 some of these inspiring Bible truths. 57:38 So just call our toll-free number. 57:39 It's on the screen. 877-- the two words, HIS-WILL. 57:43 Our friendly operators are standing by to send these study 57:45 guides to you. Once again, that's 877-HIS-WILL. 57:49 Call that number, and then again, join me next week, right 57:53 here at the same time. "New Perceptions." 58:00 ♪♪ ♪♪ 58:20 ♪♪ |
Revised 2018-07-05