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Series Code: NP
Program Code: NP190629A
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00:11 >> Let us pray together. Holy and gracious God, we have 00:14 gathered here because You have invited us. 00:16 We know that You are present with us wherever we came from. 00:19 You are present with us in this place. 00:21 You are present with all people because of Your love for all of 00:25 Your children. But we are gathered here to be 00:27 present to You, to offer our prayers and response to Your 00:31 self-giving, Your grace, Your love for us. 00:34 And as we are a present to the God who is always with us, may we be transformed by Your grace 00:39 to reflect Your love for this world in the worship of our lives. 00:43 May that happen as we pray and praise and worship together this morning. 00:47 We pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen. 00:56 ♪♪ [ Congregation singing ] 01:15 [ Congregation singing ] [ Congregation singing ] 01:33 [ Congregation singing ] [ Congregation singing ] 01:52 [ Congregation singing ] [ Congregation singing ] 02:10 [ Congregation singing ] [ Congregation singing ] 02:29 [ Congregation singing ] [ Congregation singing ] 02:47 [ Congregation singing ] [ Congregation singing ] 03:06 [ Congregation singing ] [ Congregation singing ] 03:24 [ Congregation singing ] [ Congregation singing ] 03:43 [ Congregation singing ] [ Congregation singing ] 04:01 [ Congregation singing ] [ Congregation singing ] 04:20 [ Congregation singing ] [ Congregation singing ] 04:38 [ Congregation singing ] [ Congregation singing ] 04:57 [ Congregation singing ] [ Congregation singing ] 05:16 [ Congregation singing ] [ Congregation singing ] 05:34 [ Congregation singing ] [ Congregation singing ] 05:53 [ Congregation singing ] [ Congregation singing ] 06:11 [ Congregation singing ] [ Congregation singing ] 06:30 [ Congregation singing ] [ Congregation singing ] 06:48 [ Congregation singing ] [ Congregation singing ] 07:07 [ Congregation singing ] [ Congregation singing ] 07:25 [ Congregation singing ] [ Congregation singing ] 07:44 [ Congregation singing ] [ Congregation singing ] 08:02 [ Congregation singing ] [ Congregation singing ] 08:21 [ Congregation singing ] [ Congregation singing ] 08:39 [ Congregation singing ] [ Congregation singing ] 08:58 [ Congregation singing ] [ Congregation singing ] 09:16 [ Congregation singing ] [ Congregation singing ] 09:35 [ Congregation singing ] [ Congregation singing ] 09:53 [ Congregation singing ] [ Congregation singing ] 10:12 [ Congregation singing ] [ Congregation singing ] 10:30 [ Congregation singing ] [ Congregation singing ] 10:49 [ Congregation singing ] [ Congregation singing ] 11:08 ♪♪ ♪♪ 11:24 ♪♪ 11:40 >> Let's pray for that "renovate the house" process, as well. Let's pray right now. 11:46 Oh, God, this is our Father's world. Why should our hearts be sad? 11:55 The Lord is king. Let the heavens ring. God, raise that the earth be 12:01 glad. We're glad that we can come to You with anything. 12:05 Some people are going through bad stuff right now. They need to know this is Your 12:12 world, and You're still on the throne. We need to remind ourselves that 12:16 house is Your house. This house is Your house. This space is Your space. 12:20 Fill it now, and be at work behind the scenes, dear God. We humbly ask, in Jesus' name. 12:26 Amen. 12:28 Now, look, I'm not a prophet nor the son of a prophet, but I'm 12:32 gonna make a prediction right here. 12:35 Right here, right now. The very last exile in this 12:41 world, the very last exile will be a woman. 12:47 That was an interesting thought. 12:49 Given all this hubbub in the world and in the church about 12:54 the place of the woman, the very last exile will be a woman. 13:01 I don't suppose we should be surprised because the very first 13:04 exile, in the beginning, was a woman. 13:06 So that the last exile would be a woman, hey, I'm okay. 13:09 But it's you and me, the exiles who are squeezed in between the 13:12 two. We're way down here with the 13:15 last woman. This narrative is for us. 13:19 It's a dramatic narrative. It comes alive right now. 13:24 Once upon a time, way up in the northwest corner of Italy, a 13:30 woman crouched in hiding. She knew they were coming for 13:35 her. She knew she was marked for 13:38 extinction, decimation, finished. 13:42 Gone. She knew, and so she hid. 13:48 Hmm. 4:00 in the morning, black, 13:53 chilly April morning, cold... Could we see them by the light 14:00 of the moon. We would see the surrounding 14:04 Alps with white halos where the snow still lies. 14:08 It's 4:00 AM -- Boom! goes a cannon. 14:12 The designated sign. And the Italian dragoons who 14:17 just two days ago had ingratiated themselves to the 14:20 hapless villagers saying, "We're here just a couple days, then 14:25 we'll on our way," inviting themselves into all the homes of 14:28 that little village, leap from their beds -- Boom! 14:32 That's the sign. Swords and knives unsheathed. 14:38 And thus begins the blood extermination of a little 14:43 Italian town called La Torre on the banks of the 14:47 Perricci River, that is flowing red by the time the sun rises. 14:55 It is the planned extermination of the Waldensians. 15:00 This Christ-loving, Bible-believing, resistance 15:06 movement to Rome, far away. A tragic moment is described by 15:11 James Wilie in his graphic history of the Waldensians. 15:13 I'll put it on the screen for you, describing that morning 15:16 with these agonizing words." 15:41 You see the ellipses? Dot, dot, dot? 15:44 It's too horrific to read in civilized presence. 15:48 But Wilie records it. Children torn 15:52 from the arms of their mothers. 16:12 End quote. How many thousand Waldensians 16:16 perished in Rome's extermination attempt in those sequestered, 16:22 Alpine valleys? Only Heaven knows. 16:27 But we do know that when some of the survivors made their way to 16:31 England, Sir Oliver Cromwell announces a day of mourning and 16:35 fasting in that kingdom. And the great English poet 16:39 John Milton grabs his pen to capture for posterity the infamy 16:44 of that Roman massacre. He describes in his poem how 16:48 many of the Waldensians, that early morning, resorted to a 16:51 hideout that they had up the mighty Castelluzzo. 16:54 It's a couple miles high above the valley floor. 16:57 But on the way to the top is a cavern, and they amassed 17:01 themselves, these survivors -- We're talking about moms and 17:04 dads and children and grandmas and grandpas and strangers with 17:08 their gates hiding in that cave. But the dragoons knew that cave. 17:15 Takes a while to climb it -- two hours. 17:17 Karen and I have climbed it twice. 17:19 The dragoons make their way to that cave and, you guessed it, 17:22 one by one, they hauled them out, and up to the rocky 17:25 precipice, they hurled them down -- I stood, I said, 17:28 "Hold onto me, hold onto me" -- to the rocks and their deaths. 17:32 Milton describes that infamous day in his sonnet "On The Late 17:37 Massacre in Piedmont." On the screen, please. 18:24 End quote. "Hey, Dwight, what's this have 18:27 to do with the very last exile?" It has everything to do. 18:31 Open your Bible with me right now to the Apocalypse, last book 18:34 of the Bible, Chapter 12. Let's go. 18:37 Our little "In Exile" miniseries is ending right now, as you can 18:41 see on the screen. "The Very Last Exile." 18:43 If you missed any of these pieces, they're all sitting 18:46 there on that website, www.newperceptions.tv. 18:51 Let's go Revelations Chapter 12. Verse 1, I'm in the NIV. 19:49 Hit the pause button. My, oh my, oh my. 19:52 What a beautiful -- I picture her as beautiful. 19:55 I mean, she's right in the sun. She's standing on the moon. 19:59 She has a garland of 12 stars. What a beautiful but tragic 20:05 woman in this tale. I mean, to have that salivating, 20:11 roaring dragon. "Which head is gonna get the 20:14 head of my child when it comes out?" 20:16 Seven heads just waiting for that baby to be born! 20:21 Beautiful. Oh, woman, you are in trouble. 20:25 You have done something to have incited this seven-headed beast, 20:30 seeking to exterminate you, devour you, finish you. 20:36 But it gets even worse. Watch this. 20:38 Because she flees the dragon, and he's hot on her trail. 20:42 Okay, drop down to Verse 13. 20:49 Now, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on. 20:50 Come on, this dragon, this seven-headed crimson dragon -- 20:54 Who is he? I'll tell you who he is. 20:59 Verse 6 says there was war in Heaven. 21:01 Michael and his angels fought, and the dragon and his angels 21:03 fought back. But I love Verse 8. 21:05 I love Verse 8. You have to look at it in your 21:07 Bible. Look at Verse 8. 21:09 "But he, the dragon, was not strong enough." 21:12 Hallelujah! "He was not strong enough, and 21:15 they, he and his minions, lost their place in Heaven." 21:18 Now, who's this dragon? Come on. Verse 9 on the screen. 21:28 Please never forget the devil is "evil" with a "D." 21:31 All right? There's good to him. 21:34 He's been the incarnation of evil from the beginning. 21:38 So who is he? 21:48 That's who this bad dragon is. Yeah, but who's this woman? 21:53 I mean, she's beautiful. I love the picture. 21:55 Oh, you know what, in Apocalyptic literature, a pure 21:59 and beautiful woman always symbolizes God's faith community 22:04 on Earth. Pure and beautiful. 22:06 Oh, by the way, if they ever ask you to play a part in an 22:10 Apocalyptic program at your school, and they ask you to play 22:14 a part, never choose the impure woman because she's called a 22:19 whore. She's a prostitute. 22:22 It's bad. You don't want to play her part. 22:25 You don't want to sleep with her, either. 22:27 No, no, no, you don't want to sleep with her. 22:30 This is the beautiful woman, tragic story that hers is. 22:35 But, oh, girl, you are -- you are in big trouble because 22:38 that dragon is gonna get you. You have been marked for 22:42 extermination! Verse 13 again. 23:07 Two times periods -- 1260 days. That time period we just read, 23:11 the same, and scholars are clear that those are the dark, dark, 23:15 dark Middle Ages. But the woman is given wings. 23:19 She flies. She flies to a wilderness. 23:23 Now, in Apocalyptic prophecy, water always symbolizes people. 23:27 People, masses. But the opposite of water is a 23:32 barren land, dry, no water. That describes the sparsity of 23:37 population. So she flees to where there are 23:40 few people. But the dragon sees her, doesn't 23:43 he? Mm-hmm. 23:46 He knows where she's hiding. She has fled Rome's long arm in 23:50 reach -- not a bad idea. But they know now where she's 23:54 hiding. Verse 15. Read it. 24:01 The serpent spewed what? People! People spewed up into 24:04 Northern Italy. Spewed up into France. 24:08 Spewed up wherever. He smells their existence. 24:18 He has one idea. Disengage. Disseminate. 24:31 Exterminate. The point of that torrent is 24:35 killing. 24:41 This is Verse 16. 24:45 That Earth has been a helper for centuries. 24:48 No more today. No more, too late. 24:52 We've found you. Hey, listen, fellow exiles. 24:55 Listen, listen, listen, listen. This is not history, this is now 24:58 you and me. Let's think for a moment. 25:00 It has always been -- true or false. 25:02 It has always been the dragon's modus operandi from the 25:04 beginning to kill the faithful, loyal adherence to the creator 25:07 God. True or false. 25:08 >> True. >> Of course it's true. 25:09 "Yo, Cain, your kid brother makes me as sick as he makes 25:12 you. You know what you're gonna do? 25:13 You're gonna kill him. Just kill him! 25:15 I don't care how you do it, just kill him!" 25:17 And what does Cain do? He hears that voice. He obeys. 25:21 He kills Abel. From the first murder to the end 25:25 of time, Jesus says he's been a murderer and liar from the 25:28 beginning. That's the dragon for you. 25:31 And if you're in exile, as you and I are, guess what? 25:35 Mother and her children are all marked for extermination. 25:41 Mm. Exiles. Even in hiding, he'll find them. 25:45 And thus, it is that century after century of repeated 25:49 attempts into the sequestered valleys of the Northern Italian 25:54 Alps, he finally breaks through. April 24, 1655, the tragic 25:58 morning of -- Oh, but what about the tragic 26:02 night of August 23, 1572, the tragic night of the 26:06 St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre? This dragon is massacre-crazy. 26:12 Exterminate, exterminate, exterminate. 26:16 And as you're gonna find out in a moment, his preferred 26:20 modus operandi for that is decapitate. 26:24 Decapitate. Hmm. 26:26 What's this story have to do with you and me? 26:28 [ Chuckles ] I'll put this on the screen, 26:32 because this is the take-home line. 26:34 Put it up there, please, right now. 26:37 This narrative clearly reveals. Revelation 12. 26:46 She's always had a mission. She will always have children. 26:49 And the exiles today have her mission. 26:52 The exile movement leads to the exile mission. 26:56 That's the line. Put it up again. 26:59 I got to read that again. 27:08 Because, you see, there's one verse left. 27:10 Let's read it together. Revelation 12:17. 27:15 So the Earth helps the woman. The dragon's furious! Verse 17. 27:27 She has children. Children born in exile, just 27:30 like she is. She has children. 27:32 Who are these children? John describes them. 27:41 Two marks for the exiles at the end. 27:43 In the end game here, the two marks. 27:46 Number one, they have the testimony of Jesus. 27:48 Yep. That is the people who keep the 27:53 Ten Commandments have the testimony of Jesus. 27:57 Well, the Ten Commandments, we understand. 27:59 The Fourth Commandment -- everybody knows that the 28:01 Ten Commandments, the Fourth Commandment calls for a 28:03 Sabbatarian community. So it would be a Sabbatarian 28:05 community, and what's the other one? 28:07 Has the testimony of Jesus. Oh! Just a few pages later. 28:10 Revelation 19:10, the testimony of Jesus is the 28:13 Spirit of Prophecies. So here will be a band of exiles 28:16 at the end of time who are Sabbatarians and have the spirit 28:20 of prophecy, whatever that is. Isn't that amazing? 28:26 [ Exhales sharply ] Which means that the exiles 28:30 stand with Mother Church at the end of time, when the 28:34 dragon moves in for decapitation. 28:35 I want to share a verse with you that you have never read. 28:38 You've read it, but you've skipped right over it. 28:41 You have not seen what's in this verse, I'll just bet you. 28:43 Revelations 20:4. I want to show that generation 28:47 at the very end. So let me just turn a few pages. 28:49 What are we, in 12? So eight pages over. 28:52 Revelations 20:4. And it goes like this. 28:58 Oh, you see, Jesus has returned to the Earth, and he has 29:01 redeemed -- He has rescued all his exiled 29:03 children, and Revelation 7 declares -- 29:06 When you see the crowd, you'd have no idea how many of them -- 29:09 The number is so big, no man can count them. 29:12 Nobody can count them. So you mathematicians, you can't 29:14 count them. It's a huge group that Jesus 29:16 takes to Heaven. Now, this is in Heaven. 29:18 They call it the millennium. Some people call it the 29:20 millennium. In Heaven, he sees thrones, and 29:22 seated on the thrones are those who had been given authority to 29:24 judge. Now, keep reading because this 29:26 is gonna open your eyes. 29:28 What's that next word? Beheaded. Beheaded. 29:34 Decapitation, all right? I saw the souls of those -- 29:36 These are people on Earth -- that had been -- chick, chick, 29:39 chick -- decapitated. 29:43 Now, watch this. Number one, their testimony 29:45 about Jesus and because of, number two, the word of God. 29:48 Hey, wait a minute! That's what we just read of the 29:50 Revelation 12:16 community! Number one, they keep the 29:53 Commandments of God, and, number two, they have the testimony of 29:55 Jesus. This is the same group! 29:57 They call them "The Remnant," the very last exiles. 30:02 These are the -- shh! -- decapitated ones. 30:06 "Aww, come on, Dwight, you can't prove that." 30:07 Well, just read the next line. That cinches it. 30:09 What's the next line? 30:20 Ladies and gentlemen, this is called the end of the end game. 30:24 These are the Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who are asked -- 30:27 "You see this image, this golden image? 30:29 You bow down to it right now, or we're gonna -- shh! -- 30:31 decapitate you." And they're gonna say, just like 30:35 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did, "Oh, King, we will not bow 30:39 down to this image. Even if you stoke the fires 30:42 seven times hotter, we're not bowing down. 30:45 Even if God does not save us, we're not bowing down. 30:48 Shh! Decapitation. These are they. They made it. 30:54 They died. The last exile. Ooh! Wow. 31:03 These are the last one of the woman's seed on Earth. 31:06 Exiles like her, executed like so many of her children through 31:09 the ages. Apparently -- Listen, listen. 31:11 Apparently, the children of the beautiful woman at the end of 31:15 time will not be exempted from the fate of the children of the 31:18 beautiful woman throughout time. Same fate. Same fate. 31:23 Some of us thought we were going to Heaven on beds on ease. 31:29 Apparently not. "And your point is, Dwight, 31:34 hmm?" Oh, it's not my point, it's 31:37 John's point. You got to get it. 31:40 The beautiful woman's exile mission gets completed and 31:43 finished by her exiled children, and in doing so, they will face 31:48 the searing heat of the dragon's last fury. 31:51 [ Exhales sharply ] Enraged dragon will hurl his 32:00 end game forces against the east to decapitate them, and some 32:05 of them will sear their testimony with a supreme 32:09 sacrifice of death. Meaning... 32:14 This very narrative, what it's already been hinting, we're 32:18 getting it now. We just got it. 32:21 I want you to look at the two verses we skipped over, and then 32:24 I'll sit down. Go back to Verse 10. 32:27 This is amazing. You got to see this. 32:29 Verse 10. Look at this. Should be in your Bible. 32:32 Oh, yeah, we got to back to Chapter 12. 32:34 Chapter 12, Verse 10. 32:36 In the Greek, it's megale phone. So this is really loud. 32:40 This is big stuff. When megale phone appears -- 32:42 those two words in the Greek, you know it, this is huge. 32:49 Oh, I love that. "Now have come." 32:52 Scholars believe that these words are sung the moment the 32:57 crucified, buried, risen Jesus ascends back to Heaven and is 33:02 enthroned, in Chapter 5, on the throne of the universe, all of 33:07 Heaven sings these words. The 24 Elders, they sing these 33:12 words. Oh, I love that, because of 33:14 Calvary. "Now have come." 33:16 You know what Jesus said on Calvary in the English? 33:19 "It is finished." This is to match the English 33:22 "It is finished." "It is finished." 33:25 "Now have come." "It is finished." 33:27 "Now have come." What is it? 33:29 What is it, this megale phone announcement? 33:46 So somebody in Heaven is singing this. 33:56 Hallelujah! He's down! He's down! 33:59 Calvary! He's down! He's down. 34:03 This last week, I was talking with a young man who got sucked 34:09 into drug culture in our little corner of the world. 34:14 Started off with a little bit of weed, then prescription drugs -- 34:18 not his own. Then meth. 34:20 Before he knew it, he was hooked. 34:23 But in moments of sobriety, the voice of God would speak to him 34:28 and call him away from that bondage. 34:31 "You don't want this. You don't need this. Come to me. 34:35 I'll set you free. But I need you to want Me." 34:39 And he told me, as I'm sitting there listen to him, that, just 34:44 like that, that gator in the grass shows up. 34:48 And I scribbled it down, what he told me, okay? 34:51 Then I would hear this other voice, a harsh voice of 34:54 accusation. "You can't go back now! 34:57 Look at you! You're hopeless addicted! 34:59 I mean, how many times have you asked God to deliver you, and He 35:02 hasn't, now has he? He has not delivered you." 35:04 "You might as well give up, girl. 35:05 "You might as well give up, boy." 35:08 You ever heard that voice before? 35:11 Oh, I have. "You know why? 35:15 Because you're a loser! O-L -- Loser. That's you. 35:19 And God doesn't want losers hanging around Him! 35:23 So you might as well give up. That's why God's never answered 35:25 your prayer. You're a loser! 35:26 If you had been stronger, you'd have been healed by now, but, 35:29 no, you're not healed. You're a loser. 35:31 Loser, loser, loser, loser, loser!" 35:33 That's the way the accuser works! 35:35 When this boy is telling me this, tears are in my eyes 35:40 because I'm a personal eyewitness to the battle, and 35:44 I'm saying to myself, "I cannot believe the brutalization of the 35:50 enemy over every victim he holds." 35:54 I just was -- You've heard that voice. 36:00 I've heard that voice. That voice is a killer. 36:04 But I'm here to tell you, by the authority of God's word of the 36:08 verse I just read that that voice is a liar! 36:10 >> Amen! >> He is a liar! 36:13 You are not a loser! You are the object of the savior 36:17 of the universe who picked you out before you born and said, 36:21 "I want that girl in My house one day. 36:23 I want that boy in My house one day. 36:26 Mark him, Gabriel. Mark her, Gabriel. 36:29 That's my child. I've chosen her." 36:30 >> Amen! >> "I've chosen her. 36:34 I'm not gonna lose her. And that voice of the sweet God 36:38 of the beautiful woman is whispering to you, "Don't 36:42 believe it. Don't believe it, it's not true. 36:45 I love you. You are not a loser. 36:48 You're my girl. You're my boy. And you're coming home with me 36:53 one day. Stick with me! Stay with me. 36:56 I have to have your permission now. 36:59 Wow. What you have just read in that 37:05 one line, that announcement from Heaven, exposes the nakedness of 37:10 the devil's modus operandi. It's bankrupt, he's lying. 37:15 But he has so many believing his voice now. 37:17 They give up, they throw in the towel, they hoist the white flag 37:19 of surrender. "I give up. All right." 37:21 "You always wanted to live this way anyway, didn't you? 37:23 You always want it, now you have it. 37:25 You don't have to have a conscience now. 37:26 You don't have to feel bad now. I got you. 37:29 I'll take good care of you, girl. 37:30 I'll take good care of you, boy. Just stay with me." 37:33 Liar. Liar. Jesus, when He cries out from 37:37 that centered cross -- "It is finished" is announcing. 37:40 "Now has come!" And put it on the screen again. 37:43 Do you see what's come now, thanks to Calvary? 37:48 Number one. Number two. 37:51 Number three. It has all come now, and you got 37:58 it. It's all on your side. 38:00 >> Amen! >> "Now have come!" 38:04 Oh, I tell you what, that was such a great song that you led 38:07 us in, Nick. Nice to have you back. 38:09 A moment ago. This is the song, 38:10 "In Christ Alone," but lookit. "No power of hell..." 38:15 "No power of hell, no scheme of man 38:18 Can ever pluck me from His hand Till He returns or calls me home 38:23 Here in the power of Christ I'll stand" -- 38:26 He's a liar! The accuser is a liar. 38:32 [ Laughter ] That's all Jesus needed to say, 38:35 and that's all I need to say. [ Laughter continues ] 38:38 Satan is a defeated foe. He lost at Calvary, but he 38:42 desperately needs you not to believe that he lost. 38:47 Hence the toothless roar of this gutless dragon. 38:53 I've got what you're gonna say to Satan next time he comes to 38:55 you. When you dial that 911 to Jesus, 38:57 I have the exact words, I'm gonna put them on the screen for 38:59 you. You're gonna want to jot this 39:01 down. It's the Little Classics 39:02 Steps to Christ, pages 34 and 35. 39:03 Okay, so jot this because you're gonna put this on a little note 39:06 card and carry it around in your office and in your home and your 39:08 door room, or wherever. This is a great quote. 39:10 Put on the screen, please. 39:17 And he does it to all of us. 39:26 911! 911! The dragon is here! 39:29 Just look up to the light. When you look to the light, 39:33 suddenly, it's not dark anymore. The accuser always brings 39:38 darkness. Jesus is the light of the world. 39:40 Look up to the light. Keep going, because here comes 39:43 the action words you're gonna use. 39:50 Hey, yo! Yo, dragon! You're right! 39:56 You're trying to prove something to me? 39:59 I acknowledge that." Acknowledge your sin. 40:02 Keep reading. 40:05 Now here are your words. Quoting 1 Timothy 1:15. 40:12 "You got it right! I am a sinner, but I got it 40:15 right. Christ Jesus came to save me, 40:17 so I'm saved! Accusing voice, I'm saved." 40:19 And, by the way, the rest of that 1 Timothy 1:15 goes like 40:23 this. Paul said, "Christ Jesus came 40:25 into the world to save sinners who I am the worst," in the NIV. 40:29 "I am the worst sinner, so go ahead, lay it on me! 40:31 Tell me some more! What else did I do?" 40:33 What else did I do yesterday? Tell me what I'm gonna do 40:36 tomorrow. He can't. 40:39 I bet that drives him crazy. [ Laughter ] 40:43 Tell me! I am a sinner, but Jesus died 40:48 for me. Oh, brother. 40:52 911, get this gator out of here. Back to the weeds. 40:57 Look, keep reading. 41:01 You got to remember that. The closer you get to the love 41:11 of God, you'll figure it out. 41:27 End quote. Listen, listen, ladies and 41:30 gentlemen, the devil has no addiction. 41:32 Has no addiction that Jesus cannot crush. 41:35 That's gonna be a battle till the last day. 41:37 All addictions are a battle till the last day. 41:40 Once addicted, you know, you're gonna live with that. 41:42 But that doesn't mean you have to fall day after day after day. 41:46 No, no, no, no, no. We are blood. 41:50 Oh, I got to show you this. No addiction, no temptation, 41:54 mnh-mnh, can withstand the crimson power of Calvary. 41:58 So that's the other verse, then I'll sit down. 42:00 Verse 11. Okay, put this on the screen 42:03 because I put a little annotations there. 42:04 Who are the they? The remnant, 42:08 the last exiles on Earth. They triumphed, or overcame, or 42:11 conquered him. Who's the him? 42:13 The accusing but defeated dragon. 42:15 They triumphed over him by the blood the Lamb -- code language 42:19 for Calvary. What's their testimony? 42:23 "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I 42:25 am the worst!" Do you understand that? 42:27 "I already know this. You're not telling me a thing!" 42:31 By the word of their testimony, they overcome the killer, the 42:35 accuser. Oh, keep reading because there's 42:38 more. 42:48 The last exiles. Devil, I'm talking to you. 42:52 You can go ahead and decapitate me. 42:55 Go ahead. I don't need this head anymore, 42:59 anyway. You can take it off! 43:03 I know whom I have believed, and I know He is able to keep that 43:08 which I have committed unto Him until that day. 43:11 I may die. You may hear one day. 43:14 "That's a little bump in the ground, that old Dwight boy. 43:19 He's gone." But I tell you what, 43:24 I win. You lose, Devil. You lose. 43:32 Take my head. They did not shrink from death. 43:36 No. There will be a band of exiles 43:38 at the end. Not all of the exiles will end 43:40 up that way. But it'll be an end game you'll 43:43 never forget. Till Jesus just wipes that 43:46 memory and says, "Isn't it great to be home? 43:48 Forget it." And we'll forget it all. 43:52 Heaven is cheap enough. [ Sighs ] 43:56 You lost, Devil. Because by His grace, I am His 44:01 forever and ever, Amen. Amen. 44:03 And, by the way, that young man, saved in Jesus. 44:07 You say, "How do you know that, Dwight?" 44:09 Because I heard him pray this week for prayer and exile, set 44:15 free in Christ. Amen. 44:20 I'm gonna pray right now. Oh, God... 44:27 This is the good news. We the exiles. 44:32 Motley band, we are. But the beautiful woman, 44:37 oh, she's our mother. And we live in the closing 44:46 of the great narrative. And it's possible some here will 44:51 pay the supreme price in sacrifice for their testimony on 44:56 your behalf. Oh, God, we're not anticipating 44:59 trouble, but if you ever need a testimony from our lips, you 45:03 give it to us. Jesus said, "Don't you even 45:06 worry about what you're gonna say because at that very 45:09 split-second, the Spirit of my Father will give it to you." 45:12 Luke 12:11. While you're standing there. 45:15 So we're not worried, Jesus. It would be an honor to live for 45:19 You. And if we had to die for You, 45:21 it would be an honor, as well.' But in this group, this 45:24 gathering of exiles, dear God, this is the end of this little 45:28 series. Not for you. 45:32 I need to make a call right now. I haven't gotten to the connect 45:40 card yet, but I want to give an invitation right now. 45:45 There's a man here that needs to clarify his stand with You. 45:51 I don't know, but You know. Call that man right now to take 45:58 the stand as an exile, as a King of Kings and beautiful 46:02 woman. There's a woman here battling 46:06 the voice of the accuser, who keeps taking her down and 46:12 rubbing her face in it. He is no friend. 46:16 He's a foe. But he's defeated. 46:18 Father, I pray for that woman, I pray for that man. 46:22 I pray for that young adult. I pray for that senior citizen. 46:27 We're exiles. And what Jesus has done for us 46:32 can never be taken away for the rest of eternity. 46:34 "Now have come!" Salvation and power. 46:39 The kingdom of our God and the authority of His Messiah. 46:42 So, in that good news, call that man, call that woman to make a 46:47 decision right now and stand to his feet, stand to her feet. 46:52 It's a quiet decision. But you call for them. 46:55 And in the standing... In the standing... 47:02 May the power of the mighty third person of the God had just 47:05 sweeped into that heart and mind fresh for this new day. 47:12 So while every head is still bowed in prayer... 47:17 I want to give an invitation to those who would like to stand 47:22 right now. Not asking you to come to the 47:26 front. Not asking you put your hand on 47:30 a Bible and swear that you'll never make a mistake again. 47:36 You may be in the choir. Spiritual people, religious 47:40 people are particularly the victims of a dragon. 47:45 Particularly, particularly. If your heart right now saying, 47:50 "I just need to take a stand, like Shadrach, Meshach, and 47:56 Abednego, I'm just gonna be in exile. 47:58 I'm just gonna take that stand. This is not a call for general 48:02 rededication. But I want to invite you to 48:05 stand. Up in the end of the balcony, on 48:07 these wings on the side, in the choir. 48:09 It doesn't matter. We're all exiles here. 48:13 We all have issues, trust me. WE all have issues. 48:17 But God never gives up on us. God never gives up on us. 48:23 Because Calvary has seen His choice of you and His choice of 48:28 me. And so if you would like to take 48:33 this moment -- you're not doing this for me. 48:37 You're doing it for God, but you're really doing it for 48:41 yourself and saying, "I need to go on record to myself," and God 48:45 will honor that. God bless you who are standing. 48:48 God bless you. It's a great day for the 48:51 Kingdom of Heaven and you. I'm proud of you. 48:55 Some of you are still resting with it. 48:57 "I don't know. Just as soon not saying 48:59 anything about myself by standing. 49:01 What are people gonna think?" Oh, I know those thoughts. 49:04 Yeah, you may be too sensitive to have to show somebody that 49:09 you really need to take this stand. 49:12 God understand your heart. He knows how you're composed. 49:16 And I'm gonna make this easier for you now. 49:19 Because I'm gonna ask the others to stand, and when they're 49:21 standing, you're gonna stand with them, just look like this 49:24 is general rededication Nobody will know that you just 49:26 made a decision with Jesus. And He has taken that decision, 49:30 and he's sealed it. "You're my man. 49:33 You're my girl, my woman." Lord, I'm with you always, even 49:37 to the end of the age. I'll never leave you, boy. 49:40 Girl, I'll never leave you. Stay with me. 49:43 The accuser? [ Scoffs ] He'll be back. 49:46 Probably as soon as you walk out of here. 49:48 He's that dumb. But you stay with me. 49:52 You stay with me. All right? So you want to make that 49:57 silently, nobody will know you're making it. 49:59 Because I want to invite everybody here to rededicate 50:02 their lives to Jesus right now. Stand to your feet. 50:05 You want to rededicate your life to Jesus, then stand to your 50:08 feet. In the back, in the front. 50:11 On the sides. Oh, God, here we are. 50:18 Exiles. Thank you for calling for this 50:22 moment because you needed this moment, and we trust everybody 50:27 who has stood for whatever reasons he has stood. 50:30 We trust them all to you. We put all of our lives in Your 50:35 hands. Mother, beautiful mother that we 50:38 are children of, don't let us fail You now. 50:43 We've got to stand for this, and it's gonna get tougher. 50:47 Just keep your ears open, watch what's happening. 50:51 It's gonna get tougher. But, oh, God, You've made 50:55 provision. This is gonna be Your greatest 50:58 hour. And we are humble, weak, 51:02 fallible children, but we are exiles. 51:06 Like Daniel and Esther and Shadrach and Meshach and 51:09 Abednego, the little Jewish maiden and Jonah, we are exiles, 51:14 but we stand before you. Seal our hearts. 51:18 Seal this decision. We pray in Jesus' name. 51:22 Amen. >> Amen. 51:27 ♪♪ [ Congregation singing ] 51:38 [ Congregation singing ] [ Congregation singing ] 51:57 [ Congregation singing ] [ Congregation singing ] 52:16 [ Congregation singing ] [ Congregation singing ] 52:34 [ Congregation singing ] [ Congregation singing ] 52:53 [ Congregation singing ] [ Congregation singing ] 53:12 [ Congregation singing ] [ Congregation singing ] 53:30 [ Congregation singing ] [ Congregation singing ] 53:49 [ Congregation singing ] [ Congregation singing ] 54:08 [ Congregation singing ] [ Congregation singing ] 54:27 [ Congregation singing ] [ Congregation singing ] 54:45 [ Congregation singing ] >> I don't know what God is 54:57 needing to restore in your life, but that's the good news. 55:01 Whatever the devil has taken, the Bible has said, "What the 55:04 locust has taken, God has restored." 55:07 >> Amen. >> He'll make it up to you. 55:09 You've lost some years, have you? 55:11 You have. Is that a point of 55:14 consternation? It is not. 55:17 God has you now. You stood. I saw you. You stood. 55:22 And because you stood, God restores. 55:25 He'll make it up to you. You'll never be the same again. 55:28 I want you to stand again. We're gonna pray now. 55:32 I'm gonna read to you a beautiful prayer here in the 55:36 Apocalypse for the exiles. Oh, this is a beautiful prayer. 55:40 God restores. Thank you, singers, musicians. 55:45 God restores. And that good news will follow 55:50 us through an entire new week, all way till next Sabbath. 55:54 Yeah. But here's this prayer, and I'm 55:57 gonna pray it in your presence. A prayer for exiles. 56:01 "Now to Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His 56:06 blood and has made us to be a kingdom and priest who serve His 56:12 God and Father, through Him the glory and power forever and 56:17 ever..." Let all God's people say -- 56:21 >> Amen. >> And amen. 56:24 ♪♪ ♪♪ 56:37 ♪♪ 56:47 >> Before you go, let me take an extra moment to share 56:49 with you an opportunity to get into the Bible in a fresh, 56:52 new way. All across the world, more and 56:54 more people are hearing the call to examine Scriptures 56:57 for themselves. If you felt drawn to learn more 56:59 about God's Word, but you don't know where to start or you're 57:02 just looking for a more in-depth examination of Bible truths, 57:05 then I have something right here that I believe you're going to 57:08 enjoy. I want to send a series of 57:10 guides to get you started. This one's entitled, 57:12 "Why Does God Allow Suffering?" Each guide begins with a story, 57:15 an introduction of the subject. Then, through a series 57:18 of focus questions, you'll be learning portions 57:20 of the Bible you may never have known before, and when 57:22 you're through, you'll be able to share with others some of 57:25 these inspiring Bible truths. So just call our toll-free 57:27 number. It's on the screen -- 57:29 877 -- the two words -- HIS-WILL. 57:32 Our friendly operators are standing by to send these 57:34 study guides to you. Once again, 57:35 that's 877-HIS-WILL. Call that number, and then, 57:40 again, join me next week right here at the same time. 57:44 "New Perceptions." 57:50 ♪♪ ♪♪ 58:09 ♪♪ ♪♪ |
Revised 2019-07-08