Participants:
Series Code: NP
Program Code: NP191207S
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00:11 >> Good morning, everyone. Happy Sabbath. 00:13 We are so glad to be here with you today. 00:17 We just want to begin with a word of prayer. 00:19 Please bow your heads with me. Heavenly Father, 00:24 The King of the Universe, God, we just want to celebrate today 00:28 what You did for us when You came to this earth, Lord. 00:32 We can't celebrate it enough. When we weren't able to save ourselves, You came for us, 00:38 Lord. We just want to celebrate You today, God, and we ask that You 00:42 would help us to have a heart open to You so we can give You the glory and the honor and the 00:46 praise. 00:48 In your name we pray. Amen. [ "Away in a Manger" begins ] 00:53 ♪♪ [ Congregation singing ] 01:02 ♪♪ ♪♪ 01:22 ♪♪ ♪♪ 01:42 ♪♪ ♪♪ 02:02 ♪♪ ♪♪ 02:21 ♪♪ ♪♪ 02:41 ♪♪ ♪♪ 03:01 ♪♪ ♪♪ 03:21 ♪♪ ♪♪ 03:40 ♪♪ ♪♪ 04:00 ♪♪ ♪♪ 04:20 ♪♪ ♪♪ 04:39 ♪♪ ♪♪ 04:59 ♪♪ >> Amen. 05:11 I love that song because it reminds us 05:13 that even though we face all kinds of different troubles 05:17 and stresses and trials and worries that we can have 05:21 that underlying joy that the king of the universe 05:24 came to this earth for us and showed us the greatest 05:27 example of love and humility. So we want to celebrate this. 05:31 We have all the instruments here like it says in Psalms 05:35 that we should worship God with all the instruments. 05:38 And we're going to sing a beautiful hymn cycle here, 05:40 and I just want to invite you when we start to sing 05:42 "O Come, All Ye Faithful," we're talking about you, 05:45 so that's your chance to come forward 05:48 for the altar call, come forward if you would like to pray here 05:53 at the altar. If you'd like to bring something 05:55 forward, your time is when we sing "O Come, All Ye Faithful." 06:10 [ "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" begins ] 06:14 ♪♪ ♪♪ 06:25 [ Congregation singing ] ♪♪ 06:37 ♪♪ ♪♪ 06:57 ♪♪ ♪♪ 07:17 ♪♪ ♪♪ 07:36 ♪♪ ♪♪ 07:56 [ "Angels We Have Heard On High" begins ] 08:01 ♪♪ ♪♪ 08:17 [ Congregation singing ] ♪♪ 08:30 ♪♪ ♪♪ 08:48 ♪♪ ♪♪ 09:06 ♪♪ ♪♪ 09:25 ♪♪ ♪♪ 09:43 ♪♪ ♪♪ 10:01 ♪♪ ♪♪ 10:20 ♪♪ ♪♪ 10:38 [ "What Child Is This" begins ] ♪♪ 10:48 ♪♪ [ Congregation singing ] 10:58 ♪♪ ♪♪ 11:16 ♪♪ ♪♪ 11:34 ♪♪ ♪♪ 11:53 ♪♪ ♪♪ 12:11 ♪♪ [ "O Come, All Ye Faithful" 12:22 begins ] ♪♪ 12:33 ♪♪ [ Congregation singing ] 12:45 ♪♪ ♪♪ 13:04 ♪♪ ♪♪ 13:22 ♪♪ ♪♪ 13:40 ♪♪ ♪♪ 13:58 ♪♪ ♪♪ 14:16 ♪♪ ♪♪ 14:35 ♪♪ ♪♪ 14:53 ♪♪ >> Amen. 15:03 >> Amen. 15:10 >> Thank you, Deacon Jones. Nice to see all of you 15:16 on this first Sabbath of Advent, first Sabbath of December. 15:22 When our boy, Kirk -- our son Kirk was 5 years old -- 15:26 I got to find out, are there any 5-year-olds here? 5 years old. 15:30 5, 5, there, there, there, there, there. Good good. 15:34 Yeah. 5 years old. When Kirk was 5 years old -- by the way, today's his 15:37 birthday. He's 40. Turning 40 today. Yeah, not 3 but 5. 15:42 When he was 5, he just kind of knew that Christmas was coming. And there was one thing he was 15:47 always looking for -- anything that could get him into his favorite store in the world. 15:53 And now we'll get the slide in the right place. Anything -- 15:57 Let's put it on the screen here. His favorite store is... Oh, we don't even have it on the 16:01 screen. There it is -- Toys "R" Us. Oh, and back then when we had 16:08 newspapers, Toys "R" Us, every week before Christmas we put a little advertisement 16:13 in the newspaper with lots of pages and pictures. And, oh, I'd sit down 16:18 with the Sunday paper, so here comes my little boy, Kirk. 16:21 So I'm sitting down reading the Sunday newspaper, and all of a sudden, I hear footsteps coming 16:24 from his bedroom. Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap. Soon, a finger's tapping the 16:29 newspaper. I put the newspaper down. "Hey, Kirk." 16:32 "Yeah, Dad, Dad, I see you have the Toys "R" Us catalogs they put in the paper. 16:37 Could I look at that, please?" I said, "Sure, Kirk. Help yourself." 16:41 So he'd grab it. He'd race back to his room. And I'd keep reading. 16:46 About four minutes later, I hear the same little steps. Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap. 16:51 Tap, tap, tap, on my newspaper. I put it -- "Hey, Kirk. It's you again." 16:54 "Yeah, Dad. Look, look, look. I've just been looking in this Toys "R" Us catalog. 16:57 Do you see this? This is just what I want for Christmas. 17:02 Yeah, that's what I said -- "What?" "What? 17:06 I never heard about this one before. Okay, Kirk, that's a great idea. 17:09 Thank you for sharing that with me." And he'd be gone. 17:11 The next week, come back from running Sunday morning, another newspaper and Kirk comes. 17:16 He just had a nose for it. "Oh, Dad, can I have the Toys "R" Us catalog?" 17:22 "Yeah, you can take it back to your bedroom." "Great." He's gone. 17:25 I'm reading the newspaper. About four minutes later, guess what? 17:28 He comes, he says, "Dad, you see this? This is so cool. 17:34 I got to have it." Well, it wasn't what it was last week. 17:37 Hey, this went on for week after week. And every time, it's a new gift. 17:40 Until one day, I'll never forget this as long as I live, one day 5-year-old Kirk, he took the 17:47 Toys "R" Us, 'cause they put it in for about six months in the newspaper. 17:50 So, he comes back. He comes back. He's been looking at it. 17:54 And this time when he's coming, I can hear him coming, not because he's going tap, tap, 17:57 tap, tap. He's breathing heavy. He's what we call 18:00 hyperventilating. [ Breathing heavily ] He said, "Dad, Dad, you got 18:05 see this." And I put the newspaper down. I looked, and he said, "Dad, 18:09 see this? Do you see this? I've been wanting this 18:11 my whole life." [ Laughter ] "You have? 18:16 Kirk, I'm just hearing about it today." Oh, boys and girls, listen. 18:20 I want to give you a little secret. Don't tell your parents I'm 18:23 telling you this. But here's what you got to do. If you want something special, 18:29 you can't keep changing it every week. You've got to let your mom and 18:35 dad know that you really want this. If you keep asking for the same 18:41 thing -- the same thing. Because when they hear it over and over, they say, "She, he 18:47 really wants this." "Oh, thanks for sharing that." You're welcome. 18:52 Jesus says -- Jesus says -- Hey, Jesus says, "it's the same way with me. 18:58 I really love it. I have some gifts that are so special that I need you to ask 19:03 over and over and over again, not because you're talking." No, no, no, no. 19:07 Not because you're convincing Daddy or Mommy just because we want to know do you really want 19:12 this. Jesus has some gifts that are so special, He says, 19:16 "Ask me every day, and I'll get that gift for you." Wow. 19:24 Can you imagine that for Jesus? Oh, my. Here we are celebrating 19:29 giving gifts and Christmas and all, but there is one gift that's the best gift of all. 19:33 Anybody know what the best gift of all would be? Come on. Tell it to me. 19:36 Call it out. What's the best gift of all? Jesus. God. You got it right. 19:42 Holy Spirit. That's the best gift of all. Every day. 19:47 He says, "You asked me. I'll give it to you." Who wants to thank Jesus 19:50 for giving us only good gifts and invites us to ask Him every day? 19:56 Well, little girl, how are you? You're standing up. What's your name? 20:01 >> Lily. >> Lily? She's your cousin? 20:04 Well, I'm glad you brought your cousin today. Hey, Lily. Nice to have you. 20:08 Would you mind thanking Jesus for being the wonderful savior? You're ready for this, 20:12 aren't you? >> Dear Jesus, thank you -- >> Hold it, Lily. 20:16 They're waiting to turn this on. Okay, now we go, Lily. >> Dear Jesus, thank you for 20:21 this day. Please help us to drive safely home. 20:26 And thank you for that God sent His own son to die on the cross for us and remove our sins. 20:37 It's kind of sad that He died on the cross for us. Dear Jesus, thank you for this 20:44 day. Please help -- >> "Amen." 20:47 >> Amen. >> Amen. [ Laughter ] 20:50 Alright, girl. That was a beautiful prayer, Lily. 20:54 That was a beautiful prayer. Thank you, Lily. Thank you, boys and girls. 21:00 As you go back to your seats, you can say "Amen, Jesus. You're the best gift of all." 21:05 Where are you visiting from? 21:13 ♪♪ ♪♪ 21:33 ♪♪ ♪♪ 21:53 ♪♪ ♪♪ 22:12 ♪♪ ♪♪ 22:32 ♪♪ ♪♪ 22:52 ♪♪ ♪♪ 23:12 ♪♪ ♪♪ 23:32 ♪♪ ♪♪ 23:51 ♪♪ ♪♪ 24:11 ♪♪ ♪♪ 24:31 ♪♪ ♪♪ 24:51 ♪♪ ♪♪ 25:11 ♪♪ ♪♪ 25:37 >> Let's pray. Oh, God, how do those words go? Be near me, Lord Jesus. 25:42 I ask thee to stay close by me forever and watch me I pray. 25:54 In this season, that's our prayer. Just stay with us, please. 25:57 Just stay with us. It's a crazy world out there. But You're on the throne. 26:04 Make it clear what we're about to hear together in the word of God we pray, 26:08 in Jesus' name, amen. 26:10 So, the title of the homily as we wrap up this DIY series -- 26:15 What's DIY stand for? Do it yourself. 26:17 So we're doing this kind of a Gen Z do-it-yourself series this 26:21 fall. And the last title here 26:24 you see it on the screen, "A DIY Guide 26:27 for the Perfect Gift: No More Blue Christmas." 26:30 You ever hear the Christmas carol... 26:32 ♪ I'll have a blue I sang it to my senior 26:36 engineering student here at Andrews University, 26:39 PowerPoint producer, yesterday. He said "I have never heard that 26:42 carol at all." So most of you haven't heard it, 26:45 probably. But anyway, it turns out -- 26:49 So here's the deal. Turns out these blue 26:51 Christmases, they're not an anomaly at all. 26:56 Guess what? I want you to read the words of a mental health specialist who 27:00 works at Fresno Pacific University. Her name is Lisa Keith. 27:04 She wrote these words just a few days ago. Put them on the screen for you. 27:07 There you see it. "'Blue Christmas' is more than a holiday song. 27:13 Blue Christmas, sometimes also called the Longest Night." Now, I never knew that. 27:17 So that was new. "'Blue Christmas,' also called the Longest Night, is a day in 27:21 the Advent season" -- alright, the season of Christmas -- "usually December 21 or 22." 27:25 Well, we remember those dates because it's the beginning of what? 27:28 It's the beginning of winter. But it's the longest darkness in the entire calendar 27:33 of the human race. "Marking the lengthiest night of the year." 27:38 "On this day, some churches hold a service that recognizes 27:41 that the holidays are sometimes 'blue' or sad." 27:44 We're not holding a service, but we are spending a moment in this 27:47 homily considering that. Now, she goes on. Watch this. 27:50 "You might be having a 'blue' Christmas because you are away 27:52 from family," and in Andrews University, there are 27:55 people, lots of people who are away from family. 27:58 You may be away from them all through this holiday. 28:02 Now, you might be having a blue Christmas because you're -- 28:04 Look at the next one. You are alone. 28:06 Or you may be having a blue Christmas this year 28:09 because you're dealing with illness or death. 28:13 Or you may be having a blue Christmas this year 28:15 because you are filled with thoughts of happier times, 28:17 Christmases long ago. 28:19 What she has just recognized are the universal mental health triggers that produce this blue 28:27 funk we know as depression. And she's right. You may never have experienced 28:34 depression in your life. And some of you might say, "Man, this mental health emphasis, 28:38 we're sure not into that. I'm doing just fine." I'm telling you what, out of the 28:41 blue -- Pardon the pun. Out of the blue, it can come, and Christmas can be that 28:46 trigger for that despair, that sense of anxiety, that sense of fear. 28:51 Depression. Listen, Gen Z-ers, you know this statistically. 28:56 Everybody is telling us about you, that you've got it. But the truth of the matter is 29:01 we all struggle with this. I'm read a book right now written by a rabbi. 29:06 His name is Joshua Liebman. It's a best-seller. It was a best-seller. 29:09 Title of the book, "Peace of Mind." It was number -- Listen to this. 29:12 It was number one on the New York Times best-seller list for 58 weeks. 29:17 Wow. In 1946. Yeah. 29:22 I'm just getting caught up on some books. Actually, I read this book a 29:26 long time ago, and then somebody mentioned it. I went online and found a PDF, 29:29 and so I have the book on my phone and I read it in my spare time. 29:32 This rabbi is bright. I'll put some words on the screen from Joshua Liebman. 29:37 You see them there. No study guide today. 29:39 So there are the words. "Our susceptibility to anxiety 29:42 is the soul of our human growth, our human dream, and vision." 29:45 Guess what -- we are all susceptible to anxiety. 29:48 That's the point he's making. Keep reading. 29:50 "It is merely the conspiracy of silence about our deepest 29:53 inner feelings" -- "I'm not telling anybody what 29:56 I'm going through. That's the problem with us. 29:58 By the way, Gen Z-ers have found the solution to that. 30:01 The rest of us are just keeping it bottled in. 30:04 "It is merely the conspiracy of silence about our deepest inner 30:07 feelings, our habit of hiding behind the masks of 30:09 convention" -- "Hey, how you doing?" 30:11 "Fine, thank you. And you? And you? How are you?" 30:14 "Fine, thank you. Couldn't be better." 30:16 Mask, mask, mask. Not true, not true, not true. 30:20 He says "That's what prevents --" Keep reading 30:22 "What prevents us from recognizing --" I thought this 30:24 was insightful. "The universal brotherhood of 30:27 anxiety which binds the whole human race together." 30:29 The universal sisterhood binds us all together. 30:32 There's no way Gen Z-ers have a corner on this. Every one of us experiences 30:36 anxiety. Every one of us knows fear. And every one of us has tasted 30:40 of that depressive spirit. The universal brotherhood or sisterhood of anxiety 30:46 with the human race. Guess what -- We're all in this thing together. 30:49 So what's this business, right, about no more blue Christmas? Is there any way 30:54 to take it away? Oh, great question. Truth of the matter is I want to 30:59 suggest to you that there is a gift that you can get this Christmas -- I'm serious. 31:03 There's a gift that you can get that can take away -- take away -- put mileage, let's put 31:10 it that way. It'll put mileage between you and your mental health distress, 31:15 miles between my mental health distress and me. The gift is clued big time in 31:21 the Christmas story. I want you to open your Bible, please, with me to 31:24 Luke chapter 1. Luke has the most detailed pre and Christmas and post story 31:30 in all the New Testament. So, go to Luke chapter 1, because the clue is right here, 31:33 and you need to know this. She is a Gen Z-er. I'm just telling you, she -- 31:38 if she were alive today, she would be a Gen Z-er. Why? Because Gen Z is between 31:42 the age of 13 and 24. She's right there. In fact, Karen and I were 31:49 reading a book last night for worship. One author suggesting she was 31:51 either 12, 13, or 14 -- right there. "Who you talking about, Dwight?" 31:55 I'm talking about this little Gen Z-er who ends up being the star of the Christmas story, 32:00 almost. There was a bigger star. >> Take a look at 32:05 Luke chapter 1. Let's check this one out. Verse 26. I'm in the NIV. 32:09 "In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy --" so, that's John the Baptist's 32:13 mother, alright? -- in the sixth month of her pregnancy, "God sent the angel Gabriel to 32:17 Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, 32:23 a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary." here's that little teen. 32:28 "The Angel went to her and said, 'Greetings, you who are highly favored! 32:32 The Lord is with you.'" Wow. Isn't that incredible? I mean, can you believe this? 32:38 Somehow, you can be between the ages of 13 and 24, and you can be a teen and it could be said 32:43 of you, "You are highly favored, and the Lord is with you." 32:46 I'm telling you, if you fall into that age bracket, don't you ever back off 32:50 the thought that God has something big for you to do. Come on, look what he did 32:54 with that little girl. She had no clue this was going to be her lot in life. 32:59 Alright, got to keep reading. Read verse 29. And Mary -- okay, this little 33:04 teen -- and, "Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting 33:09 this might be." I mean, why wouldn't she be troubled? 33:12 Come on. Number one, the angel has just showed up in your bedroom. 33:15 [ Light laughter ] That would scare you. And number two, teens 33:18 are used to be called -- used to being called everything by family and friends, 33:22 but nobody's ever come along and called me "highly favored of God." 33:27 [ Sighs ] I'm telling you. Don't you sell yourself short. 33:33 God has something big for you. You just wait and see. Okay, pick it up, verse 30. 33:38 "But the angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid.'" I love that Gabriel. 33:42 Wherever he shows up in the New Testament, his opening words are, "Do not be afraid." 33:45 It must have been -- Hey, we got a Gabriel right here. [ Light laughter ] 33:49 It must have been, Gabe -- It must have been, there was something about Gabriel's 33:55 [Sighs] person. Pshhh! You know, and there's light, and 34:00 everybody's petrified. Yeah, "Don't -- Hey -- Hey, girl -- teen, 34:04 don't be afraid." "Don't be afraid, Mary. You have found favor with God. 34:08 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call Him Jesus. 34:12 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him 34:17 the throne of His father David, and He will reign over Jacob's descendants forever; and His 34:21 kingdom will never end.'" "My Lord, you are talking about the Messiah. 34:25 I am going to give birth to Him? That's impossible. I've never had sex with 34:34 anybody." Now, I need to hit the "pause" button right here, 34:38 because you and I live in such a crazy culture, with upside-down morals 34:42 that there are actually -- get this -- there are actually some young men -- 34:46 there are some teens -- there are some women -- young women -- who because all their friends 34:54 are having sex, feel like they're weird. And the friends who know 35:00 that they're still virgins kind of titter and taunt. Unbelievable. 35:08 I'm telling you what, girl. Don't you give in that sweet-talking. 35:12 I'm telling you what, boy. Those false eyelashes -- don't you let them get your heart. 35:17 [ Laughter ] Don't believe it. Don't believe it, 35:23 because you know what? Listen, listen, listen. God can do business -- 35:29 big business -- with people who are walking down his designated pathway. 35:37 Don't you ever let -- Now, how does that song go? "Don't you let nobody 35:40 turn you 'round." Hold that ground, girl. Hold their ground. 35:45 God has something big for you. He'll honor you. Yeah, you'll get the last laugh. 35:50 Verse 34. 35:52 And Mary said -- "'How will this be,' she asked the angel, 'since 35:56 I am a virgin?'" And the angel answered, 'The 36:00 Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High 36:03 will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will 36:05 be called the Son of God.'" 36:08 Wow. Did you catch that? "The Holy Spirit will come into you, and your life is going to 36:12 forever be changed infinitely for the better." It was that way for Mary. 36:15 And guess what. It's going to be that way for you. 36:17 Same Holy Spirit. You're not going to believe how he rearranges the landscape 36:24 if you'll just let him. So, that gift we're talking about, that can chase the blues, 36:29 I'm going to suggest to you that that gift is the Holy Spirit Himself. 36:33 I want you to think about that gift for a moment. I want you 36:36 to think about the Holy Spirit. We need to go to one of the great Christmas shopping stores 36:39 on the planet. Put Macy's on the screen. Okay, there's Macy's. 36:44 This is the big -- This is -- This is the -- the mother of Macy's stores. 36:48 We have one down in South Bend, but this is Macy's. You and I are going into Macy's 36:52 tonight together, you and me. Okay, so, we go into the door. We go into the door. 36:56 And as soon as you get in, you know, Macy's, they always put the perfume counter 36:59 right there. So there's this -- this lovely young attendant, she's standing 37:02 by a little table off to the side a little bit. There are two gifts, nicely 37:06 wrapped, on her table. She sees us coming in, and she says, "Hey, yo, come over here. 37:11 we've got something for you." "Oh, really?" So, we walk over, you and I, 37:15 and we look at that. She says, "Listen, this is the Christmas season, and we have 37:19 a gift for you. You may have this gift." And she points at one box. 37:24 "Or you may have this gift. Now, to make it easy, I'm going to show you what's inside 37:29 both boxes." And I look at you and I wink, and I say, "Man, that's the way 37:33 I like it, when you know what you're asking for, before you ask." 37:37 So she opens the first box. "[ Gasps ] Whoo! I'm telling you what. 37:42 I have seen these. I have seen these advertised in those flight magazines 37:46 that are targeting rich readers. I have seen these handcrafted, European with every gadget 37:53 on them -- wristwatches. Thousands of bucks. Just saw one last week in Prague 38:03 for like -- for $8,000. Wow. And I'd love to own 38:09 one of those." Said, "Or -- Listen, you can have this box, or you can have 38:13 this box." And so she opens the other box, and inside the other box 38:16 is a little card that's been engraved. And inscribed on the card 38:20 are these words. "The bearer of this card is entitled to the entire inventory 38:30 of this Macy's department store. Signed by the chairman of the board for macys.inc." 38:39 So, she asks -- She asks you and me -- she says, "Hey, listen, which one -- 38:43 which one do you want?" 38:45 Now, I'm with you, and I can tell by looking at you, you are 38:47 a lot faster than me. And I'm having a hard time 38:50 with this one. So I drop my voice, because 38:52 I don't want this woman to think I'm making a fool out of myself. 38:54 And I say, "Listen, psst-psst-psst-psst psst-psst. 38:56 Did I hear this right? I can have that beautifully 39:00 exquisite European wristwatch right now?" 39:04 And you nod at me. "Oh." 39:07 But I can also have, if I wish, the entire store of goods and 39:14 goodies, which, of course, would include the European wristwatch, 39:17 right now?" 39:19 You nod again. I say, "Man, this is a tough choice. 39:23 What am I going to do?" You're looking at me and saying, "You nincompoop." 39:29 [ Laughter ] Take the one gift that brings every other gift with it." 39:35 >> No. >> Ah, good counsel. A century ago, in a little book 39:43 called "My Life Today," these words were written. I put them on the screen 39:46 for you. Dyn-o-mite. On the screen, "With the 39:49 reception of this gift --" the author has just been talking about the Holy Spirit. 39:53 "With the reception of this gift, all other gifts would be ours." 39:59 Mercy. Keep reading. 40:01 "For we are to have this gift according to the plenitude of 40:03 the riches of the grace of Christ." 40:05 Mercy. Keep reading. "And he is ready to supply every 40:09 soul --" your soul and my soul -- "according to our 40:11 capacity to receive." 40:13 Listen, folks, whatever is -- whatever is wrapped up in this capital-G gift called the 40:17 Holy Spirit, this much we know right now, from what we have just read. 40:22 When you receive this gift -- the gift of the Holy Spirit -- when you receive this gift, 40:27 you get every other gift, from the rich storehouse of Christ Jesus, in the universe. 40:31 It's all yours. You have it all. So, the big question is, "Do you want the watch, 40:40 or do you want the whole store, including the watch?" That is, like, not even a 40:46 question. Now, now that you've agreed with me, hold on. 40:50 Don't go anywhere now, because, come on, that means that if we will ask for this capital-G gift 40:56 of Christmas, called the Holy Spirit -- the gifts of the Spirit, which includes 41:00 all of the gifts, wouldn't it follow that some of those other gifts could be God's gift to me 41:08 to deal with my mental-health despair right now? Surely, if he says, "Every gift 41:17 you have, is you have the gift of the Holy Spirit, surely there's a gift somewhere 41:20 in there that will help me, what I'm going through right now. 41:24 Right? You say, "Well, Dwight, I don't know. 41:30 I'm not sure. Oh, come on." Think of -- I'm going to give 41:34 you 10 of the gifts -- 10 of the gifts in that storehouse. These are 10 of them. 41:37 There'll be a hundred more where these came from, okay? I'm going to put them 41:39 on the screen for you, so you can just see them in and register them in your brain. 41:42 Here they go. Gift number 1. Not in any particular order. The gift of peace. For what? 41:46 For our fear. Well, that's a good one. I'll take that one. 41:49 The gift of hope for our anxiety. Well, I don't mind that one 41:53 either. 41:54 Number 3, the gift of trust and faith for our depression. 41:57 Ooh, I could use that. Number 4, the gift of 42:00 forgiveness for our guilt. There are people all over the -- 42:03 all over this planet that are dying physically and mentally 42:07 because they don't have forgiveness setting them free. 42:10 Huh. Number 5, the gift of purity and 42:13 cleansing for our impurity. Number 6, the gift of 42:16 self-control for our runaway appetite. 42:18 Number 7, the gift of humility for our oversized ego. 42:21 Number 8, the gift of courage for our timidity. 42:24 Number 9, the gift of power for our weakness. 42:26 Number 10, the gift of discernment for our uncertainty. 42:30 And guess what. There are a hundred more where those 10 just came from. 42:34 Surely, one of those gifts would bless my life, your life in the midst 42:39 of this mental-health despair that we are experiencing. Surely there's a gift for me 42:45 and a gift for you. Only if you ask for the one gift. 42:53 Ask for the one, you get them all. I know what some of you 42:56 are thinking. "This is really preposterous. I mean, come on. 42:59 One gift gives all the other gifts? Who came up with that little 43:01 fairy tale?" Oh! I don't think it's a fairy tale 43:05 at all. Once upon a time, the Almighty God looked down, 43:08 and there was a young, young brand-newly crowned king, and God showed up to this king 43:16 in a dream. He said, "Hey, boy. Yo, Solomon. Ask me for a gift, 43:23 I'll give it to you." And Solomon, in that dream, he thinks, 43:29 And he looks up into the Almighty's space, and he says, 43:36 "I want the gift of your wisdom, so that I might, as a child, lead your people." 43:43 And the Almighty God smiles down on that slumbering young boy, and He says, "You know what? 43:52 I love you. Because you've asked for the one gift of wisdom, I'm 44:00 going to give you the riches, I'm going to give you the fame, I'm going to give you the power, 44:05 I'm going to give you the dominion you didn't ask for, just because you asked 44:12 for the right gift." Was it preposterous for God to make one gift 44:17 the giving of all other gifts? Apparently, it's not preposterous to God. 44:20 He can do whatever he wants to do. One gift -- capital-G -- brings 44:24 every other gift with it. Gifts to deal with my mental-health issues right now. 44:28 Gifts to deal with your mental-health issues right now as we're speaking. 44:32 Man, read it again. 44:33 Verse 35. Isn't that something? 44:35 The angel said to little Mary, "The Holy Spirit will come on 44:39 you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. 44:43 So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God." 44:48 Isn't that amazing? When the Holy Spirit comes into you, what grows inside of you is 44:56 Jesus Himself. Quite literally, with Mary, when the Holy Spirit came into her, 45:01 what began to grow inside of her was the Lord Jesus Himself. Quite personally, with you and 45:07 me, when the Holy Spirit comes -- comes into you and me, what grows inside of you and me 45:15 is Jesus Himself. Until -- Until -- Until -- Listen to this -- Until you 45:20 are -- you are so filled with Jesus that you're going to birth Jesus in your social circles 45:26 where you hang out. "What do you mean, 'birth Jesus'?" 45:29 Well, he's just going to come out of you. [ Chuckling ] He's coming out 45:33 of you. Because you got filled. You're going to birth Jesus 45:37 in those executive -- in those executive suites where you work. 45:42 You're going to birth Jesus there, and he's -- Jesus is going to come out, 45:46 and he's going to be what they need, too. When the Holy Spirit comes into 45:50 you, Jesus grows inside of you until you birth Him in a dark world that desperately needs Him 45:59 right now. It's not an anomaly. It's not some little fake 46:03 Christmas fairy tale. The daily gift of the Holy Spirit, that's why it is 46:11 so critical. Now, look, some of us are struggling. 46:15 "Come on, get back to this 'Blue Christmas' stuff, Dwight." Some of us here are struggling. 46:19 Some of us watching right now on livestream, wherever you are, some of us 46:25 are struggling right now with mental-health issues big-time. 46:31 There's a generation that is struggling right now. Yeah, listen, I understand that. 46:39 This Jesus -- you know, this Jesus that you birth -- isn't He the one 46:43 that speaks to our anxieties? What did He say in the Sermon on the Mount? 46:47 Come on, put the Sermon on the Mount -- Matthew chapter 6. 46:50 What did Jesus say about our anxieties, please? "Do not worry, or be anxious, 46:54 about your life." "But seek first My kingdom. I'll take care of you. 46:56 I'll give everything else to you. You just seek. Seek me." 47:00 So, He says, I can deal with your anxieties. How about our fears? 47:03 Just before He is executed, what is Jesus saying? Put that on the screen. 47:06 "Let not your heart be troubled. Neither let it be afraid." "Trust in me. 47:10 I'll take care of you. You don't have to be afraid. Those fears do not paralyze you. 47:15 Do you understand? I've already conquered those fears." 47:18 "Well, yeah, but what about my depression, Lord? What about..." 47:21 The same night. Put these words on the screen. "Peace I leave with you, My 47:25 peace I give you." Every other gift comes with this, asking for the 47:31 Holy Spirit. The one big gift. Which is why we don't need 47:38 a DIY. Come on, we don't need a DIY list today, no. 47:41 You know what we need? We need a DIY prayer. You pray this prayer. 47:45 Here's the deal. You pray this prayer every morning. 47:48 You mean every word, and you've got it every day for the New Year. 47:53 I promise you. I'm going to give you a prayer now. 47:56 I'm going to ask you please to memorize it. There is no study guide. 47:59 Just lock this in your brain. You got a bright mind. You'll hang on to this. 48:03 Let's put the prayer on the screen, please. Here's the prayer. So simple. 48:08 "Dear Jesus, please fill me with Your healing Holy Spirit today. 48:16 Amen." Now, look, I understand about depression. 48:24 Some depressions are chemically induced. They're caused by chemical 48:29 imbalances, and the only way they can be dealt with is by dealing with a chemical 48:36 imbalance. The chemical imbalance can be dealt with sometimes 48:40 as simply as through sunlight, as we're now learning. It can be dealt with through 48:45 drugs, as we well know. It can even be dealt with through diet. 48:51 I had a young woman who might be sitting in this service right here. 48:54 I don't know. But she came up to me. She came up to me and she said, 48:57 "You know what? I have gone through major, major depression. 49:02 And they tried everything -- counseling this, medicine this, everything, everything. 49:06 And then somebody came along to me one day and said, 'Have you tried chia seeds?'" 49:10 Chia seeds. Yeah, omega-3. She said, "I took chia seeds, and the depression 49:16 has never returned." I can't verify the veracity of that. 49:22 I'm not a doctor. Listen, the whole point right here 49:28 is, pray the prayer and then swallow the pills. It's okay. That's the point. 49:36 It's okay to have pills. It is not a denial of faith. Do you know who invented 49:40 those pills? Do you know invented medical science? 49:42 Guess what. Jesus invented it. The Great Physician. He said, "Swallow these pills. 49:45 Keep praying to me. But swallow. It's okay." 49:51 Somebody will say, "Well, I really shouldn't." No, here's what I'm telling you. 49:56 The Holy Spirit -- The Holy Spirit Himself 50:02 is absolutely brilliant. He knows exactly 50:05 how you're wired. 50:06 He knows exactly how to lead you down a path that will bring you what your heart wants 50:10 from Him most. He's brilliant. Jesus is all-powerful. 50:14 Now, here's what happens. These two team up, and they have people working for them. 50:18 And if you go and talk to those people that work 50:20 for them, those people -- because sometimes the truth 50:23 of the matter is, it's not drugs you need, it's not diet you 50:25 need, it's just the -- the thought processes mentally and 50:28 emotionally need to get readjusted. 50:30 And somebody listening in can say, "That's it, right there." 50:35 But no matter what avenue is chosen, the Great Physician 50:44 and the Holy Spirit. Wow. Let's -- Let's look at that 50:49 prayer again, in closing here. Please put the prayer up one more time. 50:53 "Dear Jesus, please fill me with Your healing Holy Spirit today. 51:02 Amen." Okay, let's repeat it out loud together. 51:05 Come on, let's just pray this prayer right now, out loud together. 51:08 "Dear Jesus, please fill me with Your healing Holy Spirit today. Amen." 51:16 Please take that off the screen. What's that prayer?" >> "Dear Jesus, please fill me 51:22 with Your healing Holy Spirit today. Amen." 51:26 >> You go! You got it. You'll never forget that prayer. [ Chuckling ] It's so simple. 51:33 But with that capital-G gift, you get every other gift that you're needing. 51:42 But you got to ask. You got to pray. And he's ready. 51:49 And that mental-health despair? That mental-health despair starts getting dealt with 51:55 right now and right here. [ "Joy to the World" begins ] ♪♪ 52:12 ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Congregation sings ] 52:29 ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ 52:59 ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ 53:29 ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ 54:00 ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ 54:25 Oh, God, we sing that because that's the answer, right there. The wonders of your love 54:33 for every man, woman, and child in this space, on this planet right now. 54:39 "Blue Christmas" -- we know the meaning. But here's the deal. 54:47 What we're humbly asking is, if you give us that capital-G gift, we're going to surrender 54:54 to you our mental-health needs. And you'll meet them, please, so that the peace of Christ 55:04 will abide in our hearts, and we will face the new year with absolute confidence. 55:13 In Jesus' name. Amen. [ "Joy to the World" begins ] 55:20 ♪♪ [ Music stops ] [ "The First Noel" begins ] 55:37 What is it about the holiday season that has given you the greatest joy? 55:41 Is it the time spent cutting down the family Christmas tree at the local farm? 55:45 Or maybe a special ornament placed on that lighted bough? Or do you find joy 55:49 in contemplating the profound meaning of the carols we sing? Maybe Christmas joy is found in 55:55 the memories you make together with friends and family, and the spirit of giving 55:58 that surrounds this season. As we reflect on these joys, let's always remember 56:04 the great light who guides us, the one who brings joy and meaning to life, a loving Father 56:09 who is at the heart of all treasured relationships, and the wonderful God 56:13 who gave the ultimate gift in a newborn child. 56:17 Some of my joy this season comes in part from your letters, 56:20 your prayers, and your faithful giving of support 56:23 to this ministry which reaches literally around the world. 56:26 If you've been blessed this year, I'd like to ask you 56:29 to join the many people who financially support this 56:31 global New Perceptions ministry. It's simple to do. 56:35 Just call our toll-free number, 877-- two words -- HIS-WILL. 56:40 Our friendly operators will be happy to help you. 56:43 You can also click the "donate" link at the top of our website. 56:46 Trust me, no gift is too small for God to use to spread 56:50 the good news of His love, His sacrifice, 56:53 and His future plans for our happiness. 56:55 Every gift, by the way, is entirely invested in our mission 56:59 to communicate God's good news to a generation who needs 57:03 the hope found in Jesus, which will bring them 57:05 to joy in life. So, once again, the number to 57:08 call is 877-HIS-WILL. This season, my wish for you 57:13 is that the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, 57:16 the Prince of Peace will be at the heart of the very best 57:20 memories made together with your family and friends. 57:23 ♪♪ ♪♪ 57:53 [ Piano plays ] ♪♪ 58:06 ♪♪ ♪♪ 58:22 ♪♪ |
Revised 2019-12-13