Participants:
Series Code: NP
Program Code: NP190420A
|
00:01 ♪♪
00:10 >> Would you all bow your heads in prayer with me? 00:16 Father God, what a blessing it is to be here today, on your Sabbath's Easter day, Lord. 00:22 I just want to remember what you have told us in your Word. 00:27 You said in John 3:16 -- church, say it with me -- "For God so 00:33 loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that 00:38 whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting 00:44 life." 00:45 God, you are a great God, and because you have sent your Son and because He has risen, we 00:50 believe, Lord. And so we stand here today just praising your name, honoring, 00:54 glorifying you, Lord, for you are worthy. And we are nothing without you, 00:58 Lord. Thank you. In your Son, Jesus', precious, 01:01 holy, and powerful name, we pray. Amen. 01:05 You know, this morning, church, I am blessed to be able to be up here with my brother and friend 01:11 Randall to be able to sing, praise, and honor to God. But, Randall, I understood that 01:16 you have had a bit of a tough time this week. So, would you tell us about 01:19 that? I heard the testimony, and it was good. 01:22 >> Absolutely. 01:23 You know, right now I'm finishing up school. 01:26 I'm in my last year of P.T. school, and I'm on my third 01:28 clinical right now. 01:30 And that means just every day I see a lot of ugly in the world. I see a lot of broken people 01:34 who come to my clinic wanting fixing. And it's just encouraging for me 01:40 and for them to be able to share with them that there's more than this. 01:46 There's hope beyond the grave because of the cross. There's more than just this 01:50 disease that you may have. We have so much hope because of Jesus' sacrifice. 01:55 And, honestly, this is such a big Sabbath for me because it's a lot bigger than Christmas, for 02:02 me personally, because if Christmas is the start of Jesus' 02:05 mission, Easter is the triumphant ending and success of Jesus' mission here on earth. 02:10 And I just love it so much. And, church, if you will stand with me, let's sing about it 02:15 together. >> Please stand. 02:24 [ "Christ Is Risen" begins ] ♪♪ 02:36 [ Congregation sings ] 05:59 >> Sing it with me. 07:31 It's because He lives. Claim it this morning. 08:42 But we have hope. We have hope this morning. 09:53 Just because He lives. 10:51 [ "Worthy Is the Lamb" begins ] [ Congregation sings ] 14:36 Worthy is He. Worthy is He of all glory and 14:40 honor, power, and praise. And we have been giving Him 14:43 glory and honor and praise this morning. 14:45 But at this time, God wants to hear what is on your heart. 14:49 If you have anything to offer God this morning, whether it's a 14:53 prayer request or just an offering of thanks, at time this 14:56 please come forward as we gather before the Lord in prayer, as we 15:00 sing "Worthy." ♪♪ 15:08 [ Congregation sings ] 20:10 [ Song ends ] >> Oh, thank you, Andrews University Wind 20:15 Symphony. How about it, congregation? How about a loud "amen"? 20:19 How about a loud "amen" for that beautiful rendition of "Were You There?" -- when He 20:24 rose up from the grave. Beautiful. Thank you, Byron Graves and 20:29 musicians. We needed that. Hey, nice to see all of you on 20:33 this beautiful resurrection weekend Sabbath. You're looking so spring-y. 20:38 And we're so glad that you're here. I want to introduce you to a 20:42 friend of mine. This guy has been -- We've been friends for some time now. 20:45 He sits in my study where I write, where I have worship. He's just there. 20:48 He's not a real conversationalist. Let's see. 20:50 Which door is he gonna come out of? I need to invite him to come on 20:53 out here. Oh, here he comes. He's coming out the other door. 20:56 Sorry. He's over here. Oh, I want you to meet my friend. 20:59 He's my buddy. He is my buddy. Tabones. His name is Tabones. 21:05 Thank you, Deacon Dan. Oh, he's so happy. 21:10 You know, he's never come to church before. 21:12 This is the first time he's come to church. 21:13 And I wanted it to be on this weekend, and so -- 21:17 Don't talk to him because he doesn't talk. He's a skeleton. 21:21 Do you know what? When you were in your mommy's tummy, already Jesus the Creator 21:26 was beginning to put a little, tiny skeleton together, not this big, not this many bones, 21:31 but as you keep growing, one of these days you're gonna have 206 bones from the tip of the toe to 21:38 the crown of the head just like Tabones, my friend. Yep. 21:43 And do you know what? You got a skeleton inside of you right now, don't you? 21:48 Can you feel your skeleton? Anybody can feel your skeleton? Grab your knee. Grab your knee. 21:52 Grab your knee. Oh, oh. This part right here. Grab the knee. Oh, I feel it. 21:56 We got a skeleton inside. Here's the question for you. Did Jesus have a skeleton? 22:01 Yes or no? >> Yes! >> Well, of course. 22:03 He had to have a skeleton. He is human just like you and me. 22:08 Jesus had a skeleton. Could you see it? No, because He had, like you, 22:13 skin all over it. But you know what? I went -- So, I'm giving you a 22:19 little report now. I went to Jerusalem, where Jesus died. 22:24 And I went to the two graves. And they're not sure which one is it, so I went to them both, 22:28 where Jesus was buried, and I checked them both out. And I'm here to report to you 22:33 right now -- Are you listening? Right now I'm here to tell you that I could not see -- I'm 22:39 telling you the truth. I could not see any bones in Jesus' tomb. 22:46 Do you know why? >> Why? >> Why? 22:49 >> Resurrected. [ Laughter ] >> Oh, I like an inquisitive 22:53 mind like that. Yeah. Why could I not see any bones? 22:57 >> Because He -- He raised up and He... >> He raised up. 23:02 You got it, my man. He raised up, and He still has His skeleton, but He raised up. 23:10 Do you know what they call it when you're sleeping in death and you get raised up? 23:15 There's a technical word for it. They call it resurrection. Let me hear you say it. 23:21 >> Resurrection. >> And when Jesus came up, He still had His same friends. 23:27 He still went on walks and talks with them. And then one day -- schoo! -- 23:32 there He went to Heaven. But the very good news is He's coming back soon, and when he 23:37 comes back, if any of us is sleeping in the grave, don't worry. 23:45 If we have a grandma sleeping in the grave, we have a grandpa sleeping in the grave, even a 23:50 mommy or a daddy, don't worry. When Jesus comes, resurrection means the sleeping wake up. 23:59 He's gonna call our names. And He's gonna say, "Yo, you. Yo, Johnny, come on. 24:07 I've come to take you home." Oh, my. I want to be there. I don't want to die. 24:13 I want to be there when Jesus comes, don't you? >> Oh, yes, I do. 24:17 >> But I'm not worried. I'm not worried at all. Who wants to -- Who would like, 24:22 on this resurrection Sabbath, to pray to Jesus and say, "Oh, Jesus, thank you for conquering 24:29 the grave. We're not afraid of death because you're gonna come and 24:33 you're gonna give us life forever and ever." And, young man, did you have 24:37 your hand up? >> What? >> Did you have your hand up? 24:40 >> Yeah. >> Do you want to pray? >> Yeah. 24:42 >> Oh, good. Come on over. What's your first name? >> Jack. 24:45 >> Jack. Oh, I like that name -- Jack. Okay, we're gonna pray with 24:48 Jack. Let's fold our hands, close our eyes, and thank Jesus for being 24:54 our Savior. Jack? >> Dear Jesus, thank you for 24:57 this day. Thank you for Sabbath. Thank you for all the wonderful 25:01 things that you have made. Thank you for Easter. Thank you that you have died on 25:07 the cross. Amen. >> Amen. Thank you, Jack. 25:10 That was beautiful. As you go quietly and reverently back to your seats, thank you, 25:14 Jesus. Just like Jack said, thank you, Jesus, for being our Savior. 25:18 Happy resurrection Sabbath to you. 25:25 [ "Christ the Lord Is Risen Today" begins ] 26:02 [ Congregation sings ] 28:18 [ Congregation sings ] 29:03 [ Song ends ] >> Oh, God, we sing those words -- "Ours the cross, the 29:10 grave, the skies." Hallelujah. We've not come to this place 29:17 without hope. We have come with a sadness perhaps, but we have not entered 29:25 here without hope. Let the living Christ engage our minds and address our hearts. 29:31 We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. 29:34 You may be seated. As we celebrate the resurrection 29:40 of our Lord Jesus Christ today, do you know what the number-one 29:47 cause of stress is this resurrection weekend in the 29:52 United States, the number-one reason why Americans are 29:56 stressed out on this sacred weekend? 30:02 Number one. And by the way, a few weeks ago, 30:04 we did a survey of the student body -- 318 responses. 30:09 "What is your number-one felt need?" 30:12 Number two in the Andrews University student body 30:16 is the number-one stressor in America right now. 30:21 Question -- does the resurrection of Jesus Christ offer any solution to our 30:29 number-one need? Let me read a poem to you composed by 30:35 Paul Laurence Dunbar, a very short poem simply titled "The Debt." 30:40 That's D-E-B-T. Three verses. "This is the debt I pay, just 30:48 for one riotous day -- years of regret and grief, sorrow without relief. 30:56 Pay it I will to the end, until the grave, my friend, gives me a true release, gives me the clasp 31:03 of peace. Slight was the thing I bought. Small was the debt I thought. 31:10 Poor was the loan at best. But, oh, the interest." Debt. 31:20 There isn't one of us here that doesn't know the meaning of that word that sounds just like 31:24 "death." And what's the difference? And by the way, even if it's not 31:32 financial debt that you face today, the truth of the matter is that there's depression. 31:37 And what is depression but emotional debt? There is despair, and what is 31:43 despair but existential debt? There is discouragement, and what is discouragement but 31:48 personal debt? There's divorce, relational debt, destruction, painful debt, 31:56 death, the ultimate of debts. So, the question this resurrection weekend for us is, 32:05 who shall deliver us from this body of debt? We turn to the resurrection 32:12 story. Open your Bible with me, please, to the Gospel of Luke. 32:15 You got your phone with you? Pull it out. Luke chapter 24. Let's go to the resurrection 32:19 story. Luke chapter 24. I'm in the New International 32:23 Version today. Luke 24. Didn't bring a Bible, grab the 32:27 pew Bible in front of you. Just let your eyes rest on the story of that first resurrection 32:34 long ago. 32:35 Luke chapter 24, picking it up in verse 1. 32:38 "And on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, 32:41 the women took the spices they had prepared, and they went to 32:44 the tomb. They found the stone rolled away 32:47 from the tomb, and when they entered, they did not find the 32:51 body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about 32:55 this, suddenly --" schoo! -- "two men in clothes that gleamed 32:59 like lightning stood beside them. 33:02 And in their fright, the women bowed down with their faces to 33:04 the ground." Whatever beings these are, they 33:07 deserve worship, and they are on their faces. 33:10 And the men speak. "But the men said to them --" 33:13 I love this -- "'Why do you look for the living among the dead?'" 33:18 "Did you have the address for this cemetery to find the one you're looking for? 33:23 Why are you looking -- There aren't living around here. This is a cemetery." 33:29 "'Why do you look for the living among the dead? 33:31 He's not here. He's risen. Remember how he told you, while 33:35 he was still with you in Galilee.'" 33:38 The words of Jesus -- now here they come -- "'"The Son of Man 33:42 must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified 33:46 and on the third day be raised again."' 33:49 And then --" the last line of the Easter story -- "And then 33:53 they remembered His words." 33:57 Turns out that our deliverance from debt has a whole lot to do with remembering because how 34:04 easily we forget, how we forget that just yesterday I had to have this, I had to have it, and 34:11 today I can't figure out how I pay for this now. How easily we forget. 34:17 How did Paul Laurence Dunbar put it? "Slight was the thing I bought. 34:21 Small was the debt I thought. Poor was the loan at best. But, oh, the interest." 34:27 And it's the interest that kills us, en-chains us, and suffocates us. 34:30 We all know it. How quickly we forget. Put that last line up again -- 34:37 Luke 24:8. "Then they remembered His words," because how easily we 34:45 forget, all of us, which is how we get into debt time after time again. 34:50 All of us -- we forget. And by the way, how big is this all of us? 34:53 You'll be surprised to hear this. You're not alone. 34:56 Let me run some stats by you. Reach into your resurrection weekend bulletin. 35:00 Pull out the study guide for today. Pull it out. 35:04 Jot these numbers down, will you? You didn't get a study guide, 35:07 here come our ushers. They'll make sure you have one. Just put your hand up -- up in 35:11 the balcony, as well -- and we'll be happy to serve you. Those of you who are watching on 35:15 television -- live stream or television delayed -- we're glad that you're here on this joyous 35:21 weekend. You see on the screen there -- this is the little series, "How 35:26 to Survive the Coming Economic Crisis." This is a miniseries. 35:30 It ends next week, the final wrap-up. But today's edition, "Breaking 35:35 the Chains of Financial Bondage" -- who doesn't want that? 35:39 Me too. Okay, let's jot it down. We're not alone. 35:41 Here's the good news. Misery loves company. Jot these numbers down. 35:45 At the end of last year, 178.6 million Americans had a credit card. 35:52 Wow. Keep going. And the average credit card debt 35:56 per borrower is $5,736, up about 7.5% from 2016. Can you believe it? 36:07 In fact, keep writing. If you paid only the minimum 36:10 payments on a $5,000 credit-card debt, you would be in debt for 36:15 more than 18 years. And -- get this. 36:18 And you would end up paying $6,372 in interest based on 36:22 national averages, which means -- add the $5,000 -- you 36:26 pay over $11,000 just to pay off that $5,000 bill. 36:30 Go figure. Did you think they were in this as a ministry to you? 36:34 [ Laughter ] Millennials -- no, no, before that. 36:40 According to a NerdWallet study, the average American household -- get this -- has 36:45 more than $16,000 in credit-card debt. That's not mortgage, student 36:49 loan, nothing. That's only credit cards. Keep writing. 36:52 Millennials -- here we go now -- 18 to 34 -- got millennials here today. 36:58 18 to 34, millennials now carry around $36,000 in debt. That includes student loans. 37:06 That includes credit cards. That includes mortgages -- very few millennials with mortgages. 37:11 In fact -- jot this down -- total student debt in this country now exceeds 37:15 $1.3 million. I'm sorry. Trillion. I just can't say that word. 37:23 I just can't say that word. [ Laughing ] Thank you for correcting me. 37:26 Man, I am so glad you're here today. [ Laughter ] 37:30 I just can't say the word "trillion." It just doesn't seem possible. 37:33 How could you have $1.3 million -- $1.3 trillion of student loans? 37:39 I'm leaving that number right now. You know what? 37:43 For this generation -- Seriously, for this generation, mortgage is not the new debt. 37:46 They'll never have to worry about mortgage because they'll be paying off their education. 37:50 That's their houses now. My. Okay. Keep going. 37:55 Thus, 75% of Americans live from paycheck to paycheck, nothing left over. 38:00 Keep going. More than half have less than $1,000 reserved somewhere for 38:05 emergency purposes. 38:06 And the final number -- according to USA Today, some 40 38:10 million Americans, or 16% of the adults, think they will miss at 38:14 least one credit-card due date in 2019. 38:17 "I will go in debt further 'cause I'll miss it." 38:21 Why? Because we're in debt. That's the big deal, the number-one stressor in America. 38:25 So, like the women at the tomb who are wondering as they go to the tomb, "Who's gonna roll the 38:29 stone away?" we're asking the same thing this resurrection weekend -- "Who's gonna roll the 38:33 stone of my debt away, my little credit card. I can't pay it off." 38:37 Hmm. "Then --" How's that line go? "Then they remembered Jesus' 38:44 words." And what shall the words of Jesus tell us? 38:48 Well, let's just go back to the words that the angels quoted. Jot this down in your study 38:52 guide. Remember, they said, "Now, don't you remember what He told you?" 38:55 And here's what He told them. "The Son of Man must be 38:58 delivered over to the hands of sinners --" key word -- "to the 39:01 hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised 39:05 again." 39:06 It's the Gospel story in one, tiny sentence, and you just got it. 39:10 Answer me this question. When Jesus died on the cross 2,000 years ago, on 39:14 Good Friday -- and by the way, for His followers then, it was an awful and tragic Friday. 39:19 But when Jesus died on the cross, what does the Gospel declare? 39:22 What does the Bible teach that God placed upon Jesus? What did God place upon Jesus? 39:31 Let's find out. Isaiah 53:6. You remember this line. 39:35 "And the Lord has laid on Him the --" what? -- the iniquity, the sins, all of them. 39:41 You're saying, "What sins are you talking about, Dwight?" I'm telling about them all, 39:43 the ones that we laugh off with a little snicker. "Not a big deal." 39:46 The ones that are so oppressive with their guilt it's like a ball and chain that we carry 39:50 through life. Those are the sins. He took them all, all of my 39:53 sins. Is that just an Old Testament bit of good news? 39:55 No. God laid the debt of all my sins on the heart of the Lord Jesus, 39:59 and it crushed His heart. It's also New Testament. Jot this down. 40:04 2 Corinthians 5:21 -- "And God made Him who had no sin to be sin for you and me, so that in 40:10 Christ we might become the righteousness of God." Our terrible indebtedness was 40:16 laid on Him. Ladies and gentlemen, I want to tell you something. 40:19 This is great news. His spotless, perfectly lived life, un-indebted, was credit, 40:26 has been credited to you and to me. In fact -- jot this down, will 40:33 you? -- "He died a debtor, so that we might live debt free." "Yeah, but, Dwight, come on. 40:38 Time out, time out. I know -- Listen, listen. This is talking about moral 40:42 indebtedness. Nobody here is talking about financial indebtedness, those 40:46 verses you're quoting." Oh, so you want something that has a little monetary jingle to 40:49 it? 40:50 I'll give you one, another one -- 2 Corinthians chapter 8 40:54 on the screen, 8:9 -- "For you know the grace of our 40:57 Lord Jesus Christ that though He was rich, yet for your sake He 41:02 became poor so that you, through His poverty, might become rich." 41:07 I hate to tell you, but that's about as monetary a depiction as you can get anywhere in the 41:12 Bible. He who was the richest of the rich took on the poverty of you 41:16 and me, and who are we? We are the poorest of the poor. Look at us. 41:21 So that through that transaction, we who are in debt up to our eyeballs might be 41:27 delivered from our debt by exchanging our debt for His wealth and riches. 41:34 The story of the resurrection. Hallelujah. But we forget. 41:41 Put that line again, please, the last line of this Easter story that we read -- "Then they 41:47 remembered His words." "Yeah, but come on, Dwight. Please. 41:52 What does this have to do with freeing me from financial bondage, from financial debt?" 41:55 That's a very good question. Let me answer the question with another question. 42:00 Could it be -- Now, think with me. 42:02 Could it be that the Christ who bore our moral indebtedness to 42:05 the grave and He buried it in that grave and He came up out of 42:08 the grave without that moral indebtedness -- it's all 42:11 buried -- could it be that that same Jesus has the capacity to 42:15 bury our financial indebtedness in the hole in the ground and 42:19 leave it there and we come up free and delivered? 42:27 I mean, couldn't He do it? Of course. 42:31 It's just a rhetorical question. You got to remember what He 42:34 said. That's what the women said -- 42:36 "Oh, I get it now. I remember what He said." 42:37 You remember what He said in the Sermon on the Mount? 42:40 See if you remember this one. Jot it down in your study guide, Jesus speaking, 42:44 Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 6:33. "Seek --" what's the next word? 42:48 "Seek first." Ooh. "Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all 42:54 these things will be added to you." "Now, Dwight, how's that gonna 42:58 get me out of financial debt?" Oh, I want to share with you a story. 43:02 I just learned this story this week. You're not gonna -- Well, you 43:07 might believe it. [ Laughter ] I'm gonna say this story 'cause 43:11 I want to -- to the last action step. Let me share with you a handful 43:14 of action steps, all right? We're talking about credit-card debt. 43:17 That's all America's thinking about on this holiday weekend. So let's talk about that. 43:21 Let me just share with you a series of action steps. Jot them down real quick. 43:24 They're there in your study guide. Number one, perform what 43:27 Dave Ramsey calls a "plasectomy." Do you know what a plasectomy 43:32 is? It's cutting up the plastic in your wallet. 43:37 Use cash. Use cash. We get a little magazine here at 43:42 the church called Thriving. It's put out by a Christian credit union. 43:45 I was going through that magazine just two or three weeks ago, and I came across this 43:52 interesting little bit of practical counsel. I put it in. 43:54 It's not a fill-in-the-blank thing, but you see it tucked into your study guide. 43:58 Thriving is saying, "Okay, number one, don't use debt -- don't use credit cards to buy 44:02 short-term consumer goods such as clothing, entertainment, or electronics." 44:06 Just -- Come on. Why? Because it's gonna be gone. I'll outgrow it. 44:09 Number two -- "Avoid debt over items with a short life-span and little resale value." 44:13 That thing's worth nothing now. And finally, number three -- "Avoid debt which comes with a 44:18 very high interest rate." And guess what. Credit cards come with a very 44:22 high interest rate. Avoid those. Okay. Cash. Number one. 44:26 Number two. No, no. Put Dave Ramsey up. You got to hear Ramsey speak for 44:31 himself. 44:32 On the screen -- this is Dave Ramsey -- "There is no --" 44:34 those are his caps -- "There is no positive side to credit card 44:38 use. You will spend 12% to 18% more 44:41 if you use credit cards instead of cash." 44:44 Why? Because you've already got it. 44:45 "I can afford it." If you have to use plastic, I 44:49 suggest a debit card. I use them for travel and the 44:52 occasional convenience of ordering something over the 44:54 Internet or phone. Other than that, I use cash." 44:59 You can be as poor as a church mouse and still just use cash. Okay, number two -- "Always pay 45:05 more than the minimum." We got that one from those numbers a moment ago. 45:08 I mean, can you believe that -- $5,000 balance? Paying the minimum payment, 45:11 it'll take you over 18 years to pay it off, and you end up paying interest of $6,372, plus 45:17 the $5,000. They're not trying to be your best friend. 45:22 Unh-unh. Pay more than the minimum. Come on. 45:24 Pay more than the minimum. 45:26 Okay, number three -- "Pay off your credit cards beginning with 45:28 the lowest balance in order to experience success as soon as 45:31 possible." There's some counselors out 45:33 there -- and I've seen them online. 45:35 There's some counselors that say, "No, no, take the highest-interest-rate loan that 45:38 you're paying off and work on that one." No, because you know what? 45:41 You'll be paying that forever, and you will never taste success. 45:44 Take the smallest one you got and just have a party when you do the first one and you pay it 45:49 off, all right? Number four -- "Reduce the interest rate." 45:54 The Motley Fool website -- their address, by the way, www.fool.com. 46:01 I love that. The Motley Fool -- you know what they suggest? 46:05 "The credit card companies are so eager to keep you as their customer, they will oftentimes 46:11 lower their finance charge." Call them up. There's an 800 number on the 46:15 back of your bill. Call them up. But here's the caveat. 46:18 You have to call them before you miss your first payment because once you've missed a payment, 46:23 you are a liability to them. They won't talk nothing with you. 46:28 So, call them while you're still making the minimum payments and say, "Sir, I'd love to stay with 46:33 your company. I need you to lower my rate." You'll be surprised what they'll 46:38 do for you. Okay, number five -- "Beware of debt settlement companies." 46:41 Oh, brother. The Federal Trade Commission gets a heavy volume of 46:44 complaints from consumers about these. "Hey, come on. Come over here. 46:47 Come to this website. Come over here. We'll help you out, man. 46:49 We'll just take a little bit of your money, and we'll help you out." 46:51 Forget it. You need to either go straight to your credit-card company, 46:55 go to the bank where you have this loan, or call this number. Now, this didn't get in your 46:59 study guide, and I want you to put it on the screen, please. Let's put that number. 47:02 It's an 800 number. Call the National Foundation for Credit Counseling. 47:05 I called this number last week to check it out. It's okay. 47:09 In fact, do you know they are the first and largest nonprofit dedicated in this nation to 47:15 financial well-being? So, jot this down for a friend of yours, all right? 47:19 You don't need it. But jot it down for a friend of yours. 47:22 800 -- 800-388-2227. Give it to your friend. Do her a favor. 47:29 Do him a favor. Hang on to that number and give it to them. 47:32 All right. Because the point is this -- you got to talk to somebody. 47:38 You have to talk. You can't just keep it inside. And that's action -- There are 47:41 only seven of these. Here comes action step number six -- "Talk to somebody." 47:45 You've got to talk. 47:48 James Scurlock in his eye-opening book "Maxed Out" 47:51 puts it this way -- on the screen -- "Maybe it's because of 47:54 what Dave Ramsey calls the intense shame that everybody 47:58 feels about debt, the false certainty that everybody else 48:03 has got it to together except poor little me." 48:06 Wrong. "Or maybe it's what Bob, the 48:10 Debtors Anonymous member I interviewed, told me." 48:13 Bob said, "Debt is simply not a socially acceptable topic. 48:16 One can talk about one's sex life or even one's drug 48:19 addiction as though it were fashionable, but owning up to 48:22 one's financial troubles means being ostracized from the world 48:26 of polite conversation." 48:28 It's true. There's just a stigma. There is shame attached to this. 48:32 You got to get over that shame. You've suffered long enough. Resurrection is about freedom. 48:39 It's time to begin the freedom march. Talk to somebody. 48:43 You got that 800 number. Talk to them. You got somebody that's close 48:47 that you feel safe with? Talk to her. Talk to him. From paupers to millionaires, 48:54 there are thousands of people in debt. You're not alone. 48:59 Don't be shamed out of help. You need help. Now, here it comes. 49:06 I promised you this short story before I sit down. Here it comes. 49:09 I wish you could have been in chapel this week. Were you in chapel this week? 49:13 Aw, I wish you could have been in chapel this week. It was something else. 49:16 We had a student right up here. He is a pre-med biology major from Pennsylvania. 49:21 His name -- Gianni Zanatta. Okay? So, Gianni delivers the chapel 49:25 address, and I'm sitting right over there. And he opens up -- This is very 49:31 clever. He opens up with a black screen and in white letters -- "Money." 49:35 Got all of our attention. And he says, "Okay, guys, I'm gonna ask you a series of 49:39 questions, and here come the questions. Questions number one -- how many 49:42 of you take advantage of one of these monthly subscription services?" 49:45 And on the screen, there was Dollar Shave Club, and there was Ipsy. 49:49 Dollar Shave is for the guys. Ipsy's for the girls 'cause they'll send you all that makeup 49:53 that you want. "Just keep -- keep telling us to send it to you. 49:57 With a bill, of course, but just -- we'll keep sending it." Now, he put up a whole bunch of 50:01 them. And hands went up all over this place. 50:03 He said, "Okay, now I'm gonna raise the bar a little. How many pay monthly 50:07 subscription fees for music? That would be iTunes or Spotify." 50:09 "Oh, of course. I got to have my music." Okay. Good. 50:12 And the only way you can do that, by the way, is with a credit card. 50:17 They're pretty clever. The only way you can do that is with a credit card. 50:19 All right, number three. He says, "Okay, but now, how many of you pay for your own 50:23 food?" Well, far less hands went up, but some hands went up. 50:27 All right. "How many of you are paying for your apartment or your dormitory 50:31 room?" Fewer hands still, but they're going up. 50:34 Finally, the last question -- "How many of you are paying your own school bill?" 50:39 I turned around to look. I saw two girls sitting right there. 50:43 That was it. Now, there may have been more. I couldn't see everybody. 50:46 And then he said, "Let me tell you a story. As a student at 50:49 Andrews University, this is what happened to me. You know those little 50:53 credit-card things they keep sticking in your bag at the bookstore 'cause everybody wants 50:57 to get into that bag? I sent one in. I got a credit card. 51:02 It came to me, in my name. $200 credit limit. Yes! 51:09 [ Laughter ] So, he said, "I started using that credit card, and I was 51:12 paying the minimum payment. Oh, boy, did they love me paying the minimum payment. 51:16 Suddenly, a few months later I went up to $400. Yo! 51:20 $400 credit limit. Good. And so I kept paying that minimum payment. 51:24 Bum-bum. Suddenly, I go up to $800 credit limit. 51:30 Wow. I kept making my minimum payment. 51:33 They -- true story -- They raised me up to $1,600. My, my, my, my, my." 51:43 But what he didn't realize was happening is his minimum payment was making his debt go like 51:49 this. Chk...chk...chk...chk...chk. And one day it hit him. 51:56 He was so embarrassed and shamed. This is what he's saying right 52:00 here. He said, "I didn't want to talk to anybody, I was so 52:03 embarrassed. I finally went to some close friends, and I told them, 'You 52:06 can't believe what I've done.' Finally I went to God," he said. He's a preacher's kid. 52:13 He said, "God, what am I gonna do? I got myself in a pickle now." 52:18 And just like that, not a voice, but a conviction came to his mind. 52:22 Schoo! "Yo, all that tithe that you haven't been paying in order to 52:28 pay off everything else -- what's happening with that?" And he said it was just like, 52:34 "Ah." And then he put it up on the screen, so I'm gonna do the same 52:38 thing right here. He put up these familiar words from Malachi 3:10. 52:41 And he took it right beyond Malachi verse 10 -- that's 3:10 52:44 on this one -- "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that 52:48 there may be food in my house." "Bring me that 10%," God says. 52:51 "And I want you to test me in this," says the Lord of Hosts. 52:54 "I want you to put me to the test. 52:55 I want you to put me on the line. 52:57 See if I'll come through and see if I'll not throw open the 52:59 floodgates of Heaven and pour out so much blessing that there 53:02 will not be room enough to store it." 53:04 And most of us stop right there, but he kept going. 53:06 Good move, Gianni. "'I --'" God speaking -- "'I 53:10 will prevent pests from devouring your crops, your cash 53:13 crops. And the vines in your fields 53:14 will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,' says the Lord 53:17 Almighty." Why, "'Then all the nations are 53:20 gonna call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful 53:23 land,' says the Lord God Almighty." 53:25 And he told us, "When I read those words, I said, 'Oh, my. I know what I must do.'" 53:34 He said, "So I began -- When I would get my paycheck -- not a big paycheck, but it would be in 53:37 cash. As soon as I got back to the room, what I would do is I would 53:40 put that cash out, and I would pull off God's 10%. And I would say, 'All right, 53:44 that's for God. That's His, first, right off the top.'" 53:49 And he said, "And I started returning God's tithe. And then a few weeks later, it 53:53 suddenly hit me. Lookit, if I could do that --" And this is the genius of it. 53:56 "If I could do that for God's tithe, I bet you I could do that for food, clothing, whatever." 54:02 So, he -- next paycheck, cash, he puts it over here. "All right. 54:06 I put a little bit for food, put a little bit for clothing, some needs." 54:11 Psch. "And guess what?" he went on. "By faithfully setting aside 54:17 what belongs to God, I developed the ability to budget my finances. 54:22 And I set aside -- For every need I had, I set aside a little bit of cash, and slowly but 54:33 surely --" No, I'm telling you what, he's living evidence. 54:37 He stood right here and said, "Slowly but surely, my debt went down, down, down." 54:43 Now, ladies and gentlemen, I want you to please note that God did not send him a mystery check 54:48 of $5,000 from some pen pal somewhere to dig him out of that hole. 54:52 God said, "No, you got a bright mind. You partner with me. 54:58 You learn the discipline of setting my tithe aside, and then you begin to let it spread into 55:03 the rest of your financial management as a 21-year-old or a 20-year-old or an 18-year-old. 55:08 Doesn't matter to me. We'll do it together, you and me." 55:14 What did Jesus say a moment ago? Put the words on the screen again for us -- "Seek first the 55:21 Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these other things that you want, you 55:25 just got to have, the other things that you need -- you will have them all." 55:30 Isn't that cool? I mean, I heard the guy. He was standing right here. 55:37 Wow. You see, it's true. Jot it down -- action step 55:40 number seven. This is it. Number seven -- when you make 55:44 God first, He will make it last and last and last." But you got to make him numero 55:55 uno. 55:57 You got to make him ichiban. You make Him first. 56:02 "I'll take care of you, boy. Hey, girl, I'll take care of 56:06 you. Sir, with that heavy 56:10 indebtedness that you and your family are carrying, I'll take 56:14 care of you. You make me first, and I will 56:19 make it last. Test me. Try me. 56:24 I'm the closest friend you have, and I'll take care of you." Isn't that wonderful? 56:29 Wow. Because when you make God first, He really does make it last and 56:33 last and last. No matter how indebted you are right now -- I don't care the 56:36 cause of your indebtedness -- it does not matter -- when you make God first, He will make it last. 56:41 And listen to this. He will not only make it last. It gets even better than this. 56:44 He will get you out, and He will set you free if you make Him first. 56:51 So make Him first. That's the echo from the empty tomb today -- "Make me first, 57:00 and I'll take care of you. Until I return, I'll take care of you." 57:06 Amen. Yeah. Then they remembered Jesus' 57:10 words. "We got it." 57:16 >> I want to take an extra moment to thank you for joining 57:18 us in worship today. It's by the continued support 57:20 from viewers like you that we're able to bring you this program. 57:22 Today I want to invite you, though, to share with us how 57:25 this ministry has blessed you. I get inspiring notes, e-mails 57:28 from viewers literally all over the world telling me, "Look, 57:31 Dwight, God has blessing me this way, He's been doing this." 57:34 I would love to hear from you, as well. 57:36 Just visit our website. You know it -- 57:38 newperceptions.tv. And click on the "contact" link 57:41 at the top of the page. Send me a note. 57:43 Let me know what God has been doing right now in your life. 57:47 Once again, thank you for being with us today. 57:49 I hope you'll join us right here next time. 57:51 And until then, may the God of grace journey with you every 57:55 step of the way. 58:01 ♪♪ ♪♪ 58:19 ♪♪ |
Revised 2019-05-01