Participants:
Series Code: NP
Program Code: NP191221S
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00:18 [ "The Glory of the Father" begins ]
00:19 ♪♪ The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us. 00:26 We beheld the glory of the Father, of the Father, 00:34 We beheld the glory 00:40 of the Father, Full of grace and truth. 00:54 In the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God. 01:11 In Him was life; and the life was 01:20 light of men. He came to his own 01:32 and his own and his own received him not. 01:45 The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us. 01:52 We beheld the glory of the Father, 02:00 We beheld the glory of the Father, 02:11 Full of grace and truth. ♪♪ 02:30 >> "And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, 02:35 and we beheld His glory" -- The glory of the only begotten 02:41 of the Father. 02:43 And is anybody complaining that the sun in all its resplendent beauty is shining 02:49 into these windows? I think last year at this time, Pastor José, we were in snow. 02:55 >> Yes. >> Hard to believe. >> Hard to believe. 02:59 >> The year has flown by. I want to welcome you on this Sabbath just before Christmas. 03:03 Thank you for coming. We enjoyed that delectable Pioneer tradition. 03:10 First service devoted to nothing but breakfast together. Place was packed. 03:16 We got to do that again and again. I want to thank the Sinclair 03:20 family and the Francisco family who made with their team that beautiful spread possible. 03:28 We're gonna shift into a carol now -- a carol we have never sung before. 03:32 I predict you have never sung this carol. In fact, we're not even gonna 03:35 put it to music. The words are there, and we're gonna read this as our 03:40 responsive call to Christmas worship today. So open your bulletin. 03:45 It's there in front of you. Open your bulletin, turn to the worship, and you see it 03:50 listed -- "A Christmas Call." I'm gonna invite you to stand. Once you find your bulletin, 03:57 I want you to stand as we read this together. 04:09 Who is He in yonder stall at Whose feet the shepherds 04:14 fall? >> 'Tis the Lord, oh wondrous 04:18 story. 'Tis the Lord, 04:20 the King of glory. 04:22 >> Who is He on yonder tree, dies in shameful agony? >> 'Tis the Lord, oh wondrous 04:30 story. 'Tis the Lord, the King of glory. 04:34 >> At His feet, we humbly fall. Crown Him, crown Him, Lord of all. 04:40 >> At His feet we humbly fall. Jesus, Jesus, Lord of all. >> Let us pray. 04:49 Jesus, Jesus, Lord of all, can we be honest with You? This countdown to Christmas 04:56 every year, it's wearing us out, and we have no one to blame, we know, but ourselves. 05:03 Cognitively, we get it. Emmanuel, Messiah, born in Bethlehem. 05:09 But truthfully, we're so distracted, we no longer marvel over that sticky, glistening, 05:16 newborn being -- really, truly You, our dear Savior. You. 05:22 And so, this simple prayer right now -- Forgive us our distracted living. 05:27 And right now, please, even as we sing these beloved carols once again, re-invade our 05:32 imaginations, re-ignite the inside of us with divinity's fire of love so that we, too, 05:39 might be convinced that nothing shall separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ, 05:45 Jesus, our Lord. Amen. 05:49 ♪♪ ♪♪ 06:09 ♪♪ ♪♪ 06:29 ♪♪ ♪♪ 06:49 ♪♪ ♪♪ 07:09 ♪♪ ♪♪ 07:29 ♪♪ ♪♪ 07:49 ♪♪ ♪♪ 08:09 ♪♪ ♪♪ 08:29 ♪♪ ♪♪ 08:49 ♪♪ ♪♪ 09:09 ♪♪ ♪♪ 09:28 ♪♪ ♪♪ 09:48 ♪♪ ♪♪ 10:08 ♪♪ ♪♪ 10:28 ♪♪ ♪♪ 10:48 ♪♪ ♪♪ 11:08 ♪♪ ♪♪ 11:28 ♪♪ ♪♪ 11:48 ♪♪ ♪♪ 12:08 ♪♪ ♪♪ 12:27 ♪♪ ♪♪ 12:47 ♪♪ ♪♪ 13:07 ♪♪ ♪♪ 13:27 ♪♪ ♪♪ 13:47 ♪♪ ♪♪ 14:07 ♪♪ 14:17 ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ 14:47 ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ 15:17 ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ 15:46 ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ 16:16 ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ 16:46 ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ 17:21 [ Organ plays ] ♪♪ ♪♪ 17:45 ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ 18:14 ♪♪ 18:24 >> Well, good morning, boys and girls. 18:26 This Sabbath before Christmas. Are you looking festive or what? 18:30 Thank you, Deacon Jones. You got red on, a lot of you, 18:34 and green. What is this? 18:37 How beautiful you are. >> Hi, Pastor Dwight. 18:40 >> Hey, nice to see you. Glad you're here. 18:42 Oh, I got a special guest today. I'm gonna introduce him to you 18:46 right now. He graduated from 18:48 Andrews University just a few years ago -- aviation and 18:51 English major, and his name John Irvine. 18:55 I want you to meet my friend John Irvine. 18:57 Come on up, John. We're not gonna call you 18:59 Uncle John. >> [ Chuckles ] 19:00 >> You're just John to all of us, okay? 19:03 Does he look like he's from England? 19:04 >> Yes. >> What a wonderful country 19:06 to be from. 19:08 And living in our area now, working down in... >> Well, working in Elkhart 19:14 actually. >> Working in Elkhart but you're living in St. Joe. 19:16 >> Yes. >> You're living with your aunt. >> That's right. 19:18 >> Oh, that's a nice arrangement. I like that. 19:20 >> It works. >> Okay, so, John, why in the world are you standing up in 19:23 front of these kids on the Sabbath before Christmas? What has happened to you? 19:27 >> Well, I've got a very unusual story about how the best gift I got this year actually came 19:33 before Christmas, which is very strange. >> Wow. 19:36 >> Yeah. >> Tell us about the gift. >> So, I have two dogs, one 19:40 called Mowgli, one called Brody. >> Two dogs?! >> Two dogs, yeah, yeah. 19:43 >> Whoa, okay. >> How many of you have got pets? 19:46 >> Anybody have pets at home? >> Who's got dogs? Who's got cats? 19:49 >> Mm-hmm. Got a lot of pet-lovers here. You're in the right audience. 19:53 >> That's it. So you know. How much do you love your pets? Lots, right? 19:57 Yeah, me, too. So, one Tuesday morning, I was just going about my day, 20:03 working on my house, and I get a phone call. >> Down in Elkhart. 20:06 >> Down in Elkhart. >> Yeah. >> I get a phone call from my 20:08 aunt that one of my dogs, Brody, is missing. >> Missing?! 20:12 >> Disappeared, yeah. He completely disappeared. >> Ooh... 20:16 >> He was nowhere to be found, so I came back to St. Joseph, and we looked everywhere 20:20 for this dog. We looked in the ravines, the neighborhoods -- everywhere we 20:25 could, but we couldn't find him anywhere. He was nowhere to be found. 20:29 >> Has Brody ever done this before? >> Not quite that bad, 20:34 but yeah. [ Chuckling ] >> That was a hedged bet. 20:37 >> Yeah. So this is bad news 'cause Brody's gone. 20:41 So what are your options? If you've lost a dog in St. Joseph, Michigan, what do 20:44 you do? >> Well, first of all, I was thinking, "What can you do to 20:47 get your pet back when it's lost?" So I went to Facebook. 20:50 >> Mm! >> And yeah, I thought I'd make a post for people to have a look 20:53 at with some pictures of Brody being cute with his brother, Mowgli. 20:57 It always helps if you're cute, right? >> Right. 21:00 >> And I put that up there to see if anyone had seen him anywhere, but nobody had seen 21:06 him. >> No response. >> No response. 21:08 Nobody had seen him anywhere at all, so it was very, very sad. 21:12 >> What'd you do at the gas stations? >> Well, I went around to the 21:15 gas stations, and we had fliers, and we said "missing dog" on the front door. 21:19 >> Oh, you're not gonna get that dog back. >> No. 21:22 What was that, a Norwegian Elkhound? >> Yeah, black Norwegian. 21:25 >> Ohh, he was a great dog. >> He was a fantastic dog, yeah. >> So that's day one. 21:30 You had all those options. >> Mm-hmm. >> Oh, you even called -- 21:33 What about the veterinarians? >> Yeah, I called the local vets to make sure that, obviously, 21:36 if somebody had found him, if they brought him to the vets just to check. 21:40 >> Day two, what's happening? >> So day two, we're looking -- We obviously looked 21:45 everywhere... >> Facebook. >> ...to find him, so Facebook 21:47 was going over well. >> Did you get any responses? >> We did get responses. 21:50 We got pictures of other dogs -- not quite Brody, so obviously... [ Laughter ] 21:53 Like, "Is this your dog?" I'm like, "Oh, close. I mean, if he's going in a week, 21:57 maybe I'll take him but right now probably not." >> Ohh boy... 22:00 >> Yeah, so... >> 3,000 responses you got? >> Well, yeah. 22:04 All the people in this church, it was more than double that, and it's a lot of people in 22:08 church today, isn't there, so that's a huge response from the community. 22:12 >> Yeah, people were kind of sad for you. >> Yeah, they were. 22:15 >> Day three, any sign of Brody yet? >> No sign of Brody yet. 22:18 >> Oy yi yi yi yi. >> Not at all. >> [ Tsking ] 22:22 So what are you doing now? >> Well, my neighbors, the Johnstons who were up earlier, 22:25 actually, they helped us. Their daughter helped and her husband helped -- 22:29 looked for Brody. We knocked on everybody's doors in the local neighborhood just 22:33 to see if they'd seen him, but again, he was nowhere to be found, so I was really getting 22:38 sad at this point. >> Is anybody praying about day three? 22:41 >> Yeah, my grandmother, my mother, and so many random people on Facebook. 22:44 >> Where do they live? >> They live in England. >> So they're praying in England 22:47 for lost Brody in St. Joseph, Michigan? >> Yes, they are. 22:50 >> Wow. Okay. Day four. 22:54 >> So, day four, obviously when you've done everything that you can and you still don't find 22:59 something that you're looking for, you get quite sad. So obviously, on day four, 23:03 I was really sad. I was thinking, "Is there anything I haven't already done 23:07 to try and find Brody?" >> Poor Brody. >> Yeah. 23:10 Four days, it was very, very cold. There was snow on the ground. 23:14 It was 10 degrees. >> 10 degrees. He can't survive a winter 23:18 like that. >> No, so we were very worried for him. 23:23 We weren't losing faith completely, but we were starting to imagine what life would be 23:26 like without Brody. >> So this person on Facebook sends you a picture from up on 23:31 Covert area. Tell us about that. >> Yeah, so, Covert, Michigan -- 23:35 How many of you came from St. Joseph or Niles today? Anybody here? 23:40 Nobody here, okay, that's cool. >> No, we're all Berrien Springers. 23:42 >> Berrien Springs? Okay. Well, that's a long way away. It's about 30 miles away, 23:46 so it would take you a while to walk that. >> Alright. 23:50 >> She sent me a picture of the dog -- or a dog -- with his back legs and his tail and said, 23:54 "Hey, I know this is a long shot because we're so far away, but is this your dog? 24:00 He's been running around, and we've seen him for the last few days. 24:03 >> And all you can see if the back and the little tail? >> That's right. 24:05 >> Oh, brother. >> Yeah, so it wasn't much to go off, needless to say. 24:09 >> No, no. >> I didn't have anything else better to do to try and find 24:12 him. >> You drove up to Covert? >> That's right, I did. 24:15 >> Fortunately, you had a good car. >> Well, it was on the way to 24:18 Covert, it started misfiring, as well, so I thought, "Brilliant, this is my day. 24:22 Fantastic. Everything's gonna go as planned." 24:24 >> But you had Mowgli with you. >> I had Mowgli, his brother, yeah, who was obviously very 24:28 sad, too. Really wanted to find him by the fourth day. 24:31 >> That was a bad story for Christmas. Why'd you bring this one? 24:33 >> Well -- Yeah, I know. So, it gets better, actually. >> Oh, it does? 24:38 >> It does. Thankfully, yes, it does. >> Okay. Alright. 24:40 >> There is a happy ending. >> Yeah, what is it? >> I took Mowgli there, and we 24:43 were looking in the woods, we were looking along the road. We were looking everywhere 24:47 and he was nowhere to be seen. We got the other dog, Mowgli -- He was barking. 24:52 All of a sudden, he was looking all excited. >> What's the siren thing? 24:56 >> Oh, okay. They howl at ambulances. >> What? 25:00 >> Yeah, they howl at ambulances, yeah. >> They have an ambulance on 25:04 your phone and you play it? >> I played an ambulance noise, and he howled. 25:09 >> The dogs howl when they hear it? >> All the time. 25:11 >> Oh, that's brilliant, brilliant. Okay, so Mowgli starts howling. 25:15 >> Yeah, so I thought if we can get him to howl -- 'Cause we was so excited, I thought maybe 25:19 Brody was there. So he did, and we walked a bit further down the road, 25:23 and then something happened... >> What? >> ...which was amazing. 25:26 I was on the phone with my aunt, looking up a deck... >> Yes. 25:29 >> ...and there was this black fluffy thing on top of the deck. >> A black fluffy thing? 25:32 >> Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. >> [ Exhales sharply ] >> So, it starts looking down 25:36 at me. I'm like, "Brody, is that you?" And he wags his tail. 25:40 This is five days later. I thought I was never going to see him again. 25:44 And then he runs down the deck at what seemed to be 100 miles an hour -- so fast. 25:49 And it was him. We found him. >> I can't believe it. 25:51 >> Yeah, yeah. It was absolutely unbelievable, really. 25:55 >> Five days out in the cold. You said it got down to 8 degrees one night. 25:59 >> Yes, it did, yeah. >> [ Exhales sharply ] Hey, what do you think about 26:04 that? Was that a great story to have today, the Sabbath before 26:08 Christmas, or what? [ Children answering yeah ] [ Applause ] 26:10 Well, there's three of you that enjoyed it. >> That's a start. 26:14 [ Applause continues ] >> Oh, man. It's too bad you didn't bring 26:17 Brody to church. We don't allow dogs in this church, but it's too bad you 26:20 didn't bring him because it would be so cool to see the dog that got lost and found. 26:25 A lot of prayers going into him. Wait a minute -- Oh, your aunt is here! 26:28 Oh, your aunt is here with Brody? [ Children whoa ] 26:32 Your aunt is the president of Andrews University?! Are you serious?! 26:36 >> [ Laughs ] [ Whoa'ing continues ] >> [ Laughs ] 26:40 Alright, guys, stay -- Don't get up. Stay. Brody's coming your way. 26:45 Oh, Brody is so happy to see you. He said, "I knew if I could get 26:49 found, I'd be in church before Christmas." Hallelujah. 26:55 Oh, isn't he precious? Now, I wish that we could all hug Brody, but we can't. 27:00 [ Laughter ] Alright. Auntie Andrea is gonna hold on 27:07 to him. But you know what -- You know what, John, seriously, you and 27:10 your aunt co-own that beautiful dog. >> Yeah. 27:14 >> This really is not just an answer to prayer. >> No, it was -- Sometimes 27:18 in life, you got to just a little bit more. >> Yeah, and you certainly did. 27:22 The lengths you went to. You know what, boys and girls, listen to this. 27:24 This is like Jesus. Brody reminds me of Jesus. Because when Jesus decided to 27:29 come to this Earth to save every boy and girl that He could, He did everything He could think 27:35 of -- He didn't go on Facebook. He didn't post it in the gas station. 27:39 Jesus came himself to look for lost boys and girls. That's what Christmas is all 27:46 about. It's not about presents. It's about Jesus looking for 27:49 lost children -- >> It's definitely not about commercials. 27:53 >> It's definitely not about commercials. That's exactly right. 27:55 [ Laughter ] Let's stay out of this commercial business. 28:01 You may be going into Communication. [ Laughter ] 28:04 So the deal is, Jesus came all the way down here to save us, and we needed Brody to remind us 28:11 that if you can love a dog like John Irvine and Aunt Andrea love this dog, then you can sure love 28:19 children all over the world. What do you say? Come on, I need a boy or a girl 28:23 that would like to pray on the Sabbath before Christmas and thank Jesus for being our 28:30 Savior. Okay, you've had some good comments this morning. 28:33 What's your first name? >> Jack. >> Jack? 28:36 >> Yeah. >> Oh, Jack, you're perfect for this. 28:38 >> I'm the son of Adam Fanner. >> You're the son of Adam Fanner? 28:42 >> Yes. >> Well, he's proud of you right now. 28:44 [ Laughter ] And Jack, thank you. Good answers. 28:48 Would you thank Jesus for going to all of this to save all of us? 28:53 Thanks, Jack. >> Dear Jesus, thank you for Sabbath. 28:58 Thank you for Christmas. Please help the poor kids to have a person that can give 29:08 money to them so that they can have a little bit. 29:18 Thank you that...he found his dog, whatever his name is. I can't remember. 29:24 >> [ Whispering ] Thank you for saving us. >> Thank you for saving us. 29:29 Thank you that You died on the cross. In Your holy name, amen. 29:31 >> Amen. Thank you, Jack, for that beautiful prayer. 29:34 >> Alright, boys and girls. Don't move! Don't move! Because we have a special 29:37 present for you today because it's the Sabbath before Christmas. 29:41 So we're gonna get our ladies, who are friends of Jesus, to be standing at the aisles where 29:47 you're gonna go back to your seat. We sure love you just like Jesus 29:50 does, and we're glad you're a part of our Pioneer family. A Merry Christmas to all of you. 30:00 >> Well, not all stories end well, and we know that. 30:05 The story I want to share with you right now was written by 30:08 Chris Rice -- the songwriter, the singer, 30:12 well-known. And he put the story to music. 30:19 It's about a girl, but we don't know who she is. 30:23 Is she his wife? Is she his daughter? 30:27 She she a friend? 30:29 All we know about this girl is that she's lost -- just plain lost. 30:36 And this song, which I have listened to again and again, is a haunting prayer at night 30:47 to the God of the universe. And the title of the song is "Can You Spare an Angel 30:53 Tonight?" I wish I could sing it for you, but you'd leave before the 30:59 end...[chuckling] and so I'm not gonna try that. But I have the words right here. 31:05 I want you just to kind of get the picture of this girl who's lost. 31:09 ♪ "Found her staring at the rain ♪ ♪ And asking why it has to hurt 31:13 so bad ♪ ♪ Where's the limit to the pain her heart can take before it 31:18 breaks in half ♪ ♪ I wanted to be strong enough to hold her and show her 31:25 the way ♪ ♪ But she's so far out of reach ♪ 31:29 ♪ And now all I can do is pray And then the chorus. ♪ Can You spare an angel 31:36 tonight ♪ ♪ Send a little help from Your side ♪ 31:41 ♪ 'Cause somebody's lost down here ♪ ♪ Let him wing his way through 31:46 the dark ♪ ♪ Carry some of Your love into her heart ♪ 31:51 ♪ Can You spare an angel ♪ Spare an angel Every time I listen to this 31:58 song, I'm thinking of somebody. It might be a she because the pronoun is feminine. 32:07 Sometimes I think about a he. And I think of that plaintive plea. 32:14 "Can You spare an angel tonight? Send some help from Your side 32:21 'cause somebody's lost down here." I wonder how many angels God 32:28 would spare for one lost soul. I'm talking about somebody that you love right now, somebody 32:33 that you know right now is lost. How many angels could God spare for her, for him? 32:39 How many angels could God spare for a lost planet in space? "Can You spare an angel 32:46 tonight?" Christmas is all about night and angels, and so let's go to 32:51 the Christmas story and find out if this song has anything to do with what we're about to read. 32:55 Open your Bible. There are only two places in the New Testament where the birth of 32:58 Jesus is discussed. Matthew 1:2 and Luke 1:2. Between the two of them, 33:03 20 times angels show up. Open your Bible to Luke's version -- familiar words. 33:08 You've been there before. We go again. That's what we do at 33:10 Christmas -- tradition. 33:12 We go back to the story again and again because we never tire 33:16 of hearing it. I'm in the NIV today. 33:19 Luke chapter 2. Drop down to verse 6. 33:22 "While they," Joseph and Mary, "were there," in oh little town 33:25 of Bethlehem, "the time came for the baby to be born, and she 33:30 gave birth to her firstborn, a son. 33:34 She wrapped Him in cloths and placed Him in a manger," 33:37 a box of cow feed, "because there was no guest room 33:40 available for them." R. Kent Hughes in his inspiring 33:46 short book titled "The Gift" graphically describes the moment 33:50 of Jesus' birth. This is something else, but you 33:52 got to see it on the screen, so I'll put the words up on 33:54 the screen. 34:37 I suppose it's a natural human tendency to want to sanitize God right out of the Christmas 34:42 picture. Wrong. There's only one -- At the time 34:45 that the story took place, there was only one class that would really understand it. 34:48 They were considered just a little better than lepers, and they were called shepherds. 34:54 They understood manure. They understood blood and birth and hard places. 35:04 And yet, into that wrenching moment, the King of angels comes Savior. 35:14 Makes His entrance. Can't believe this. I mean, I'd love to have seen 35:19 the angels' faces when they're standing there. They're everywhere -- but 35:24 they're hovered and they're watching. Can you imagine what's going 35:27 through their minds as that tiny head -- as Hughes put it -- "slippery with blood..." 35:31 The hair, you can see it, sticky and matted. That little head pops out of 35:35 the birth canal of a teenaged mother. All they know is that their King 35:39 is gone. For nine months, He hasn't been around at all in the kingdom. 35:43 They also know this -- that they are direct divine orders to do whatever it takes to save that 35:49 little mother so that the child can be born. Turns out, there's a rebel angel 35:55 loose who with half a blink would've destroyed her and would destroy you and would destroy 36:01 me. But now this. And they're trying to figure it 36:07 out. 36:09 "The Desire of Ages" beautifully depicts how the angels are moved 36:12 by the mystery of love's incarnation. 36:16 "The Desire of Ages." Look at that. 36:18 "Our little world is the lesson book of the universe. 36:21 God's wonderful purpose of grace, the mystery of redeeming 36:24 love, is the them into which the angels..." 36:27 Go to the New Testament. "...the 'angels desire to look, 36:30 and it will be their study throughout the endless ages." 36:34 Now keep reading. "Both the redeemed and the 36:38 unfallen beings," the angels, "will find in the cross of 36:42 Christ their science and their song. 36:45 It will be seen that the glory shining in the face of Jesus 36:47 is the glory of self-sacrificing love," end quote. 36:50 Can You spare an angel tonight? Are you kidding? 36:55 You could've have kept them away! 36:58 Look at verse 8. "And there were shepherds living 37:00 out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks 37:04 at night. An angel of the Lord appeared 37:08 to them," oh, "and the glory of the Lord shone around them, 37:14 and they were terrified." 37:18 Have you ever seen an angel? I know I have. I just didn't know it was 37:23 an angel. I mean, come on, you think about it -- Lookit, if Uncle Abraham 37:27 and nephew Lot can see two poor wayfaring strangers and have no clue initially that these are 37:34 beings from the eternal kingdom -- Lookit, if it can happen to them, it can happen 37:38 to you and to me. In fact, the Bible gives, based on their story, a little 37:42 tidbit of advice. 37:45 Let's consider it this Christmas on the screen, please. 37:48 "Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers..." 37:50 By the way, little Jack prayed a beautiful prayer. 37:54 You're listening to these kids' prayers, aren't you. 37:57 And he's thinking of all the kids out there that don't have. 38:01 The rest of us are thinking, "Well, what can I have?" 38:03 Not that little boy. Yeah. 38:16 Wait a minute, come on. I want to ask you a question. Do you suppose the salvation 38:19 bell ringer is really an angel and watches you every time you walk by without putting a penny 38:24 in that basket? Could be an angel. I wouldn't be surprised if my 38:29 angel would show up at our door, I open the door, and here's a homeless woman begging for a 38:33 handout, and the angels are saying, "I wonder if Dwight's ever changed." 38:38 No, it might've been you sitting there at that intersection. It's a red light. 38:44 There's somebody standing on that corner beneath the red light. 38:47 He has a cardboard sign in his hand. And before you can avert your 38:51 gaze to pretend like you don't know he's standing there, he's looking straight at you. 38:56 And the card reads, "Need food. No work." 39:04 Would you put it past our angels to show up a lot more than we think they do? 39:10 Just to see is it making any difference in her life yet. What's that line we just read? 39:18 Do not forget to show generosity to strangers. They may be angels checking to 39:22 see if your belief in Jesus makes any difference in the way you live. 39:26 ♪ Can You spare an angel tonight ♪ 39:33 I can't imagine what it was like for those blue collar, 39:37 low social rung shepherds that starry, starry and chilly night. 39:43 I mean, we just read the words, and they were terrified. 39:45 The Greek reads, "And they feared a great a fear." 39:47 They are paralyzed! 39:51 And I'm not surprised, given who shows up. 39:54 "How do you know, Dwight, who shows up?" 39:56 Because when this being shows up from the eternal throne room, 40:00 every single time his first words are, "Don't be afraid." 40:04 "Hey, yo, yo, yo, yo, you don't have to be afraid 40:07 of me." Gabriel. 40:13 Easy for you to say, Gabriel. "Don't be afraid." 40:17 Verse 10, look at it. 40:21 "But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid.'" 40:25 He's already done it twice in the Christmas story. 40:27 "'Do not be afraid.'" He did it at the Garden, too. 40:31 When that one angel shows up, [imitates explosion] they're 40:33 like dead men on the ground. We can't be hard on the 40:37 shepherds. 40:40 They at least held their ground. "'Do not be afraid. 40:45 I bring you good news..." The Greek means "evangelize." 40:48 "'I bring you good news that will cause great joy 40:51 for all people.'" We've just had great fear. 40:52 Now we got great joy for all the people. 40:54 Verse 11. "'Today in the town of David, 40:57 a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord. 41:01 And this will be a sign to you -- You will find a baby 41:04 wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.' 41:11 And suddenly, a great company of the heavenly host appeared 41:16 with the angel." Hit the pause button right 41:18 there. The Greek word for "a great 41:19 company of the heavenly host" is stratia. 41:23 It means -- It's a military term for a band of warriors. 41:28 That's why in the Old Testament when God is referred to, He's 41:30 often called "the God of angel armies." 41:33 Angels travel in armies at times. 41:36 [ Shews ] 41:41 The point is this is no Sabbath afternoon sunshine band 41:46 song service going on. This is the real deal. 41:53 Kent Hughes one more time. I happen to agree with him. 41:56 I'd never thought of this before, but I happen to agree 41:57 with him. See what you think. 41:59 His words on the screen. "Note well that it says a 'great 42:03 company,'" here in Luke 2, "beyond count," he thinks. 42:08 I think that every angel was there because this was the most 42:12 amazing and greatest event that had ever happened in the 42:15 universe. I think they stretched from 42:17 horizon to horizon, obscuring the winter constellations," 42:20 and that midnight sky. "I like to imagine that they 42:23 radiated gold and pink and electric blue and hyacinth and 42:27 ultraviolet. And that some of them were 42:29 sparkling. And then, when they lifted their 42:31 voices to God, it was in cosmic stereo!" 42:35 I think it was surround sound. 42:40 Unbelievable. "The Desire of Ages," by the way -- this is a direct quote -- 42:45 describes that scene, quote, as, "the brightest picture ever beheld by human eyes." 42:55 And all of that not for Caesar, not for Caiaphas or whoever the reigning high priest 43:01 Annas was. For a ragtag band of shepherds. Why? 43:09 'Cause God only shows up where He's wanted, that's why. 43:15 You want Him this Christmas? Do you really? If you want Him, He'll show up. 43:24 ♪ Can You spare an angel tonight ♪ 43:27 I'll read verse 13 again. 43:41 And guess what, His favor rests on every man, woman, and child born onto this planet. 43:45 That's the good news. Can You spare an angel tonight? How'd that go? 43:53 "Spare an angel tonight. Send a little help from Your side 'cause somebody's lost 43:58 down here." You know what, it's not such an offbeat idea, this asking God 44:06 for a spare angel. You think about it. I mean, why not? 44:12 After all, angels serve the King of angels Himself, and they adore Him. 44:17 So what's wrong in asking? I mean, why else would they all show up at His birth in 44:22 Bethlehem? He has the entire...angelic... population under His command. 44:34 And lookit, if the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost, which is what Jesus announced, 44:38 by the way, to the gasping -- to the gasping shock of all those crowed around Zacchaeus' 44:44 home -- the worst of the baddest sinners in town, Zacchaeus. If Jesus can say the Son of Man 44:51 came to seek and save the lost, and salvation has come to this house, I don't care how bad you 44:55 are, I don't care how hopeless you may have been, that little baby from Bethlehem has chosen 45:02 your heart and your life for His return address, if you wish. 45:12 ♪ Can You spare an angel tonight ♪ ♪ Somebody's lost down here 45:18 You know, maybe this is the gift that we should be praying for this Christmas. 45:23 A little compilation called "The Truth About Angels." 45:25 Powerful...these words on the screen. 45:30 "Angels are sent from the heavenly courts, not to destroy, 45:36 but to watch over and guard imperiled souls, to save the 45:39 lost..." All of that. 45:41 That emphasis is mine. "...to save the lost, to bring 45:44 the straying ones back to the fold." 45:47 Angels are sent. Why are they sent? 45:48 Because somebody's asking, "Can You spare another angel? 45:52 I've got somebody in my life that is desperate for You, and if You would just send 45:56 to her an extra angel, I think this can be the season You win. Can You spare an angel tonight? 46:06 I beg of You. 46:10 There surely is a mother here -- There surely is a mother here who, in the anguish of her 46:17 night, has already prayed, "Oh, God, can You spare an angel for my little girl, my Lord, 46:29 tonight? Can You spare an angel for my little boy?" 46:34 There is not a father here who, without a catch in his throat and a tear in his eye 46:44 hasn't prayed the prayer, "Dear God, can You spare another angel tonight? 46:54 Por favor? Please." 46:59 What's that line again? Put it on the screen. 47:09 I don't know, maybe this should be the gift that we ought to be wanting this Christmas. 47:13 This is the gift to pray for. Can You spare an angel tonight? I mean, why else would Jesus 47:21 come? Why else did He die? Somebody's lost down here. 47:26 The Son of Man came to seek and save the lost. Look, I got to sit down. 47:32 I don't know who you're praying for. I have no idea. 47:35 You're surely not praying for yourself. I have no idea who it is 47:39 you pray for. You may be at the place with that particular person where it 47:45 just seems this is one unsavable child. This is one unsalvagable life. 47:56 You pray for them for forever and nothing seems to change. You know what our problem is? 48:04 I'll tell you. We forget who the angels are. 48:09 We're talking about the guardians, the interveners, the celestial warriors. 48:17 A New Zealander, a Kiwi named John Dawson -- I'll never forget this sentence from his book and 48:23 I read it two or three times. "Taking Our Cities for God." 48:26 I want to put it on the screen. John Dawson. 48:29 I hope you never forget it, either. 48:30 Do you see it on the screen? "The prayer of a human being 48:32 can alter history by releasing legions of," what? 48:37 "...legions of angels into the earth." 48:39 Now here comes the sentence. 48:50 If we really believed angels made a difference. 48:54 Can You spare a legion of angels tonight? 48:59 Not to be outdone a century earlier, Ellen White -- these 49:02 words on the screen, as well. "Invisible armies of light and 49:06 power attend the meek and lowly ones..." 49:09 That would be you. 49:18 Can You spare an army tonight? Why not? You have not because you asked 49:27 not. ♪ Can You spare an angel tonight? 49:35 That baby born in that... stable -- not only born to live, 49:41 not only born to save, but that baby was born to die so that He 49:45 might save the most deformed, the most lost, and the baddest 49:53 of the bad sinners. Like you and me. 50:00 And He's the King of angels. Can't You spare one more angel 50:04 for that boy? One more angel for that girl? 50:10 Can't You spare an angel tonight? 50:15 Maybe it's your heart crying out, "I'm the one in despair. 50:21 I've lost. I've lost the battle." I tell you what, my friend, 50:27 if you're thinking that thought, you have not lost the battle. That's because the battle 50:31 is still waging for you. It might be this is the prayer for you. 50:36 "God, for me... I have tried so many times and this is like a ball and 50:41 chain on my ankle, and I can't get rid of it. Can You spare one more angel 50:46 tonight for me? For me, one more angel? And of course He can. 50:54 And of course He will. 'Cause that's why He came, to answer your prayer. 51:01 "[ Singsong voice ] I wonder as I wander out under the sky why Jesus the Savior 51:12 did come for to die for poor ornery sinners like you and like I. 51:24 I wonder as I wander out under the sky. 51:40 ♪♪ ♪♪ 51:53 >> ♪ I wonder as I wander out under the sky ♪ 52:02 ♪ How Jesus the Savior did come for to die ♪ 52:11 ♪ For poor on'ry people like you and like I ♪ 52:20 ♪ I wonder as I wander out under the sky ♪ 52:33 ♪ When Mary birthed Jesus, 'twas in a cow's stall ♪ 52:40 ♪ With wise men and farmers and shepherds and all ♪ 52:48 ♪ But high from God's heaven, a star's light did fall ♪ 52:55 ♪ And the promise of ages it then did recall ♪ 53:09 ♪ If Jesus had wanted for any wee thing ♪ 53:16 ♪ A star in the sky or a bird on the wing ♪ 53:23 ♪ Or all of God's angels in heav'n to sing ♪ 53:32 ♪ He surely could have had it for He was the King ♪ 53:45 ♪ I wonder as I wander out under the sky ♪ 53:54 ♪ How Jesus the Savior did come for to die ♪ 54:03 ♪ For poor on'ry people like you and like I ♪ 54:12 ♪ I wonder as I wander out under the sky ♪ 54:29 ♪♪ 54:36 >> Amen. Let's stand together. 54:52 Jesus, King of angels, what can we say? Thank you. 55:00 Thank you. Thank you. And please... 55:09 can You spare an angel tonight... 55:14 ...and save them, too? 55:18 Please. And thank you. Amen. 55:25 [ Organ plays ] ♪♪ ♪♪ 55:43 [ "The First Noel" plays ] >> What is it about the holiday season that has given you 55:48 the greatest joy? Is it the time spent cutting down the family Christmas tree 55:52 at the local farm or maybe a special ornament placed on that lighted bough? 55:57 Or do you find joy in contemplating the profound meaning of the carols we sing? 56:02 Maybe Christmas joy is found in the memories you make together with friends and family 56:06 and the spirit of giving that surrounds this season. As we reflect on these joys, 56:12 let's always remember the great light Who guides us, the One who brings and meaning to life -- 56:17 a loving Father who is at the heart of all treasured relationships and the wonderful 56:22 God who gave the ultimate gift in a newborn child. 56:26 Some of my joy this season comes in part from your letters, 56:29 your prayers, and your faithful giving of support to this 56:32 ministry which reaches literally around the world. 56:35 If you've been blessed this year, I'd like to ask you to 56:38 join the many people who financially support this global 56:41 New Perceptions ministry. It's simple to do. 56:44 Just call our toll-free number 877 -- two words -- HIS-WILL. 56:49 One of our friendly operators will be happy to help you. 56:52 You can also click the donate link at the top of our website. 56:55 Trust me, no gift is too small for God to use to spread the 56:59 good news of His love, His sacrifice, and His future 57:02 plans for our happiness. Every gift, by the way, 57:06 is entirely invested in our mission to communicate God's 57:09 good news to a generation who needs a hope found in Jesus, 57:13 which will bring them to joy in life. 57:15 So once again, the number to call is 877-HIS-WILL. 57:20 This season, my wish for you is that the mighty God, 57:23 the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace will be at 57:26 the heart of the very best memories made together 57:30 with your family and friends. ♪♪ 57:40 ♪♪ ♪♪ 57:59 ♪♪ ♪♪ 58:18 ♪♪ |
Revised 2020-12-17