Participants:
Series Code: NP
Program Code: NP201219S
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00:13 ♪♪ >> I don't know about you guys, 08:29 but as we're singing these songs, I can't help but imagine 08:32 what the shepherds must have felt like on that silent night. 08:35 You see, they were the first to tell of Jesus' First Coming. 08:38 But we're given the opportunity to tell of His Second Coming. 08:41 So as we sing the second verse, we invite you to stand and sing 08:45 with us. 10:07 ♪♪ 10:21 >> ♪ Infant holy ♪ Infant lowly ♪ For his bed 10:32 ♪ A cattle stall ♪ Oxen lowing ♪ Little knowing 10:44 ♪ Christ, the babe ♪ Is Lord of all >> ♪ Swiftly winging 10:56 ♪ Angels singing ♪ Bells ringing ♪ Tidings bringing 11:08 ♪ Christ, the babe ♪ Is Lord of all ♪ Christ, the babe 11:18 ♪ Is Lord of all 11:36 >> ♪ Infant holy ♪ Infant lowly ♪ For his bed 11:47 ♪ A cattle stall ♪ Oxen lowing ♪ Little knowing 11:59 ♪ Christ, the babe ♪ Is Lord of all >> ♪ Swiftly winging 12:10 ♪ Angels singing ♪ Bells ringing ♪ Tidings bringing 12:21 ♪ Christ, the babe ♪ Is Lord of all ♪ Christ, the babe 12:32 ♪ Is Lord of all 12:49 >> ♪ Flocks were sleeping ♪ Shepherds keeping ♪ Vigil till 13:00 ♪ The morning new ♪ Saw the glory >> ♪ Saw the glory 13:08 >> ♪ Heard the story >> ♪ Heard the story >> ♪ Tidings of 13:16 ♪ A gospel true >> ♪ Thus rejoicing >> ♪ Thus rejoicing 13:24 >> ♪ Free from sorrow >> ♪ Free from sorrow >> ♪ Praises voicing 13:30 >> ♪ Praises voicing >> ♪ Greet the morrow >> ♪ Greet the morrow 13:35 >> ♪ Christ, the babe ♪ Is Lord of all >> ♪ Christ, the babe 13:42 ♪ Is Lord of all >> ♪ Christ, the babe ♪ Is Lord 13:52 of all ♪ 14:12 [ Music stops ] >> Amen. >> Amen. 14:21 ♪♪ [ Static crackling ] 14:24 >> Hey, Sis, Dad, Mom, come on! "Children's Story" is on! 14:29 >> Merry Christmas, boys and girls. 14:31 Today, I'm going to share a story with you about when my 14:34 son, Christian, was a little boy. 14:37 Oh, did Christian love trains. 14:40 He loved trains so much that he would have me take him to every train museum, buy him every 14:46 single toy, and not just a Thomas the Tank. He used to like those wooden 14:51 BRIO sets. And he used to make the entire Hoboken Station while he played 14:56 for hours and hours with his wooden trains. Well, one day, I found out about 15:02 a train museum in Strasburg, Pennsylvania. And I also found out that you 15:08 were able to stay at a hotel that was an actual train. And you would be able to sleep 15:14 there, eat there, have your family there. Well, one day, we found out 15:19 about a steam-train-engine ride. And I talked to Christian and my daughter, Ariana, and I said to 15:26 them -- They were probably 6 and 4 at that time. And I said to them, "Would you 15:31 like to do this trip with Mommy and Daddy?" And of course they said "yes." 15:35 So we planned this trip for two months away. And every day, we would go to 15:40 the calendar and we would "X" out the days remaining. First, there were four weeks. 15:47 Then there were three weeks. Then there were two weeks. Then there was one week. 15:54 Then seven days, six days, five days. Finally, the day came for us to 16:01 go on this trip when we would be going on this steam-train ride. We loved it! 16:07 We got to Lancaster, Pennsylvania. There were so many trains, and 16:11 it was everything train museum you can think of. And every activity was centered 16:17 on being on this train. When we finally went to the train ticket agent and we bought 16:26 our tickets to go on the train ride, Mommy even dressed the two children -- Ariana in her pink 16:34 little overalls and her train hat, and Christian in his blue overalls and his train hat. 16:41 And we got to the train station, and I got the tickets and I let Christian even hold all four 16:48 tickets -- Daddy's ticket, Mommy's ticket, Ariana's ticket, and Christian's ticket. 16:54 And we saw the first train go by. But it wasn't our train. 16:59 We saw the second train go by, and it wasn't our train. And, finally, after waiting so 17:04 many weeks and days and hours and minutes, the time came for us to go on this train ride. 17:11 Christian had the tickets in his little pocket, and I sat Christian on my lap. 17:17 And as the conductor came by to get the tickets from people to people, the train was really 17:23 full, so we waited and we waited. And Christian looked out the 17:28 window and looked out the window, holding on to the tickets in his little pocket. 17:32 And as he held the little tickets, we waited and we waited and we waited some more. 17:40 And, finally, when Mr. Conductor came to where we were sitting, Christian had fallen asleep! 17:49 Fallen asleep?! We had waited so long to be on this very train ride, and 17:55 Christian had fallen asleep. I gently took the tickets out and I gave them to Mr. Conductor 18:04 and I said, "Thank you very much." And I handed the tickets to 18:09 them. Well, the train ride was only about 30 to 40 minutes long, but 18:14 the whole time, Christian slept and he slept and he slept. We arrived back at the station 18:24 where we left off, and when we got off the train, Christian woke up. 18:29 He had waited so long for this moment, and the entire time, he fell asleep and never even 18:37 realized that he was on the train that he so longed to be a part of. 18:42 More importantly, he did not get to experience that joy of being on the train because he was 18:49 asleep. Boys and girls, it's the holiday season, and Jesus has given us 18:55 the greatest gift, which is the gift of His son. But I'm asking you today not to 19:02 miss the train. Do not miss that opportunity to know Jesus as your personal 19:08 savior. Do not miss that opportunity to know Jesus every day by reading 19:14 your Bible, practicing your memory verses, and spending time with Jesus by praying with 19:21 others, for others, and on behalf of others. I want to give myself to Jesus 19:26 today for the holiday season and say, Jesus, take my heart today and always and help me to be 19:33 awake always for you. How many boys and girls today would like to say, "Jesus, I 19:40 give you my heart. I will stay awake, I will stay alert, and I will love you with 19:45 my whole heart, until you come soon. And, Jesus, thank you for the 19:51 gift of salvation." Have a good Sabbath, boys and girls. 19:54 Bye. 19:56 >> Let's pray. >> Jesus, thank you for this 19:59 day. Thank you for helping us. 20:00 >> We thank you, Lord, that you can keep us safe from danger and 20:04 help people to know that it's not about presents, but about 20:07 your birth and that you saved us. 20:12 And, Lord, please help our church family to be safe. 20:15 We thank you, Heavenly Father, and we pray in Jesus' name. 20:19 Amen. ♪♪ 20:26 [ Static crackling ] 20:34 >> Happy Sabbath, everyone, and merry Christmas. 20:36 My name is José Bourget. This is my daughter, 20:39 Abigail Rose, the best that 2020 had to offer. 20:44 And we're gonna be reading today's Scripture from 20:47 Matthew 2:3-6. Here we go. 21:31 Can't wait to hear what God teaches us today in the 21:37 Scriptures and teaching of His Word. 21:45 >> I want to pray with you, and then let's plunge into this 21:49 Christmas moment. O God, birthday of the King, we 21:55 know it's not December 25. We know that. 21:59 It probably was in October, before the rains. 22:02 The shepherds are outdoors. But, still, with the whole 22:07 world, we pause, in this dark pandemic season, to remember the 22:13 coming of the King. He was born in our midst to save 22:16 us. May he be front and center these 22:19 few moments we have now. We humbly pray in Jesus' name. 22:24 Amen. So, lookit, I don't know if 22:26 you've been following the news. I have no idea. 22:29 In case you haven't, I need to tell you, in case you don't 22:33 know, in two days -- I'm telling you the truth. 22:36 In two days, you and I are gonna experience a very unique, 22:44 once-in-a-thousand-lifetimes moment, when we witness a 22:49 spectacular space event. 22:51 Are you following this news? Come on. You got to be. Am I the only one following 22:54 that? The last time this event was this clear and this close was 23:01 when Genghis Khan was roaming the Asian steppes -- March 4, 1229 A.D. 23:08 Almost 800 years ago. The last time we would be this close and this spectacular. 23:17 So, I've already set -- I have it right here in my phone. I'm gonna get an alarm. 23:21 I'm gonna get an alarm in two days, on December 21. I'm gonna get an alarm two hours 23:26 in advance so that I can find a horizon to the southwest, okay? So, this is south. 23:31 This would be southwest. You got to find a horizon. Don't find a treed horizon. 23:36 Try to find one without trees, because that's the moment when the two massive behemoths of the 23:42 solar system, Jupiter and Saturn, will come the closest they have been in almost 23:48 800 years. How close will it be? I want to take you to 23:54 Scientific American. You know, this is kind of a scientist website and a 23:59 magazine. I want to take you there, and I've got the changer in my own 24:04 pocket here. So let's go. Scientific American website. 24:08 "For the last great conjunction --" That's what they call this moment when Jupiter 24:11 and Saturn get close. So, about every 20 years, the orbits get close, okay? 24:16 It's no big deal. "On May 28, 2000, the apparent distance between Jupiter and 24:21 Saturn in the sky was 68.9 arc minutes." I don't know what that is. 24:27 I didn't have time to look it up. But scientists here are all 24:30 saying, "Yeah, we know." Okay. "68.9 arc minutes, or more than twice the diameter of the 24:34 full moon." So, I put my hand out here. There's the full moon right 24:37 there. And I double it. That's about how close they got, 24:40 okay? Now, how's it gonna be this time? 24:44 Here we go. "In contrast, with 2020's great conjunction --" In two days, may 24:51 I remind you? Don't be sleeping early on December 21. 24:57 "In contrast, with 2020's great conjunction -- which coincides with the December solstice, the 25:01 shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and the longest in the Southern 25:05 Hemisphere -- the gas giants will appear separated by just 6.1 arc minutes. 25:11 That is roughly the thickness of a dime held at arm's length." So you hold a dime right out 25:17 here. So, I'm gonna hold it between your thumb and index finger. 25:20 That little space is how far apart they're gonna be. I'm imagining -- I've never seen 25:24 this before. I'm imagining, to the naked eye, it's gonna look like one 25:28 glorious white light just -- They're calling it, in fact, "the Christmas star." 25:36 For the life of me, I cannot imagine what the real Christmas star looked like. 25:40 I love the story. You know, the Christmas story is only told twice in the 25:44 New Testament. It's amazing. It is the greatest holiday in 25:47 Christendom, the most music, the most pageantry, and it's only told twice. 25:53 Calvary is told four times. The resurrection, four times. The Christmas was told once in 25:57 Luke -- that's the shepherd story -- and in Matthew, where we're going right now. 26:01 Matthew 2. Open your Bible, please to Matthew 2. 26:03 This is the Wise Men story. But, oh, I'm so -- I am so glad that God gave us these details. 26:13 I want to think about that star. And, by the way, I want to say to our media team, just a 26:19 superb -- Richard and Gaddel in particular. You know this moving background? 26:24 We're not gonna get snow this year, so we decided, "Let's get it right now and just pretend." 26:30 So we have this snowing background. And we got stars up on the wall, 26:34 and the little planetarium light stars are moving around and around. 26:38 Let's go to the story. Come on. Mark -- Matthew, rather. 26:42 Matthew 2. So, I'm gonna have it here. This is gonna be from the N.I.V. 26:46 We'll set it up here. "After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the 26:52 time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem." Thank you, Pastor Raleigh. 26:56 You dealt with this with your other two preacher partners last week. 27:01 "Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked --" This is the only place the Wise Men 27:06 speak in the entire narrative. This is what they say. "'Where is the one who has been 27:11 born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.'" 27:21 A lot of people think that, you know, the shepherds came one night, and the next night, the 27:27 Wise Men show up. No, no, no, no. When Matthew says "after," that 27:32 "after" encapsulates a lot, a lot of time, because the star is moving, and they've been 27:39 following it. You can't prove that the star is moving, Dwight. 27:43 I sure can. Come on. Drop down to Verse 9. Here it is. 27:47 "After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose 27:53 went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was." 28:00 That star is not moving fast. It can't be moving fast. I love walking in the early 28:05 morning. Oh, I just love it. It's just my favorite part of 28:07 the day. "The heavens declare the glory of God." 28:09 And I tell you what, when you walk before there's any sun up and it's just stars and there 28:14 are no clouds, it is a spiritual moment. You will know if you do it. 28:21 But what I'm always looking for is a satellite, a moving star as it were. 28:26 I had a bonus morning one week ago. Three satellites in one walk. 28:31 Wow! That's something. Anyway... [ Laughter ] 28:35 Yeah, you're not impressed, I can tell. Satellites -- satellites... 28:39 [ Laughter ] ...you know, speed of a satellite is just like this. 28:42 If you take your eyes off of the satellite, you go back, look at the stars, your eyes will go 28:46 back to the same place. It's no longer there. It's just -- They move fast. 28:50 This is a moving -- It is a moving -- We know it's moving. But it's moving slowly. 28:58 Oh, and I love this -- I love the classic on the life of Jesus. 29:00 If you don't have the book "Desire of Ages," go to amazon.com and get that book for 29:04 yourself. "Desire of Ages." Best book I've read on the life 29:06 of Jesus. It fills in some blanks beautifully. 29:09 So, let's just take a look at "The Desire of Ages" here "The Wise Men had seen a 29:14 mysterious light in the heavens upon that night when the glory of God flooded the hills of 29:20 Bethlehem." When Angel Gabriel shows up, this nuclear moment. 29:25 "Fear not. Don't be afraid." That moment, when the choir 29:30 behind him says, "Come on, give us the cue, Gabriel. We're ready to sing." 29:34 At that moment, the explosion of light. They saw it. 29:39 It was just this...light. "The Wise Men had seen a mysterious light in the heavens 29:46 that night when the glory of God flooded the hills of Bethlehem. As the light faded --" so now 29:51 the light disappears -- "a luminous star appears and lingers in the sky. 29:57 It is not a fixed star, nor a planet, and the phenomenon excites the keenest interest." 30:03 So, here are these pagan scholars -- "Hey, did you see that? 30:06 Did you see that? Did you see that?" "Yeah, yeah, yeah." 30:09 "That star was a distant company of shining angels, but of this, the Wise Men were ignorant." 30:14 We're not dealing with a natural phenomenon here. This is moving. 30:18 They are taking their directions from this moving star, whatever it is. 30:28 And it attracted their keen minds. Oh, keep reading. 30:34 "Yet, they were impressed --" Something inside said that "the star was of special import to 30:39 them. They consulted priests and philosophers. 30:41 They searched the scrolls of ancient records. The prophecy of Balaam had 30:45 declared, 'There shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Scepter shall rise out of Israel.'" 30:50 Star, king. Star, king. What is this? "Could this strange star have 30:54 been sent as a harbinger of the Promised One? The Magi had welcomed the light 30:58 of heaven-sent truth. Now it was shed upon them in brighter rays. 31:02 Through dreams, they were instructed to go in search of the newborn Prince." 31:08 Wow. By the way, they got dreams at the end. We'll see that in a moment. 31:13 Dreams at the beginning, dreams at the end. Some of you are bothered by 31:16 that. You say, "Listen, I don't like to have the fingerprints of God 31:20 that much on a human event. We need to be able to just kind of plow through this alone." 31:23 Are you kidding? I would like to ask God to place His fingerprints on my life in 31:31 every way He can possibly imagine and just leave my life covered with His fingerprints. 31:35 Why wouldn't you want God's fingerprints? Some of you right now -- I 31:40 believe, one day, when we look back, some of you are, right now, going through the most 31:45 mysterious moment of your life, the most perplexing, the most confusing, the most painful. 31:51 Associate Chaplain Danielle, just a moment ago, was praying for you. 31:55 Some of you are going through what you cannot believe is true. I believe the day will come one 32:01 day when we will look back on these dark moments of this very dark pandemic, and, somehow, the 32:07 God who did not cause this has His fingerprints on our lives right now. 32:11 You have nothing to be afraid of. He has not abandoned you. 32:14 He has not abandoned me. I say, O Jesus, star of the night, put your fingerprints all 32:24 over me, please. I'm not bothered a wit by God intervening. 32:29 That's my God for you. He intervenes. Well, let's read Verse 10. 32:36 We read Verse 9. Verse 10. "And when they saw the star --" 32:39 Oh, I love this. "When they saw the star, they were overjoyed." 32:43 It seems a little undersold to me, underplayed. And, so, Frederick Dale Bruner, 32:48 in his commentary on the Book of Matthew -- here's how he renders it. 32:52 "When they saw the star, they felt the deepest and most profound joy." 32:57 Don't you love that? We're not talking about just joy. 33:00 We're talking about the deepest and most profound joy you can imagine. 33:03 They had it. Do you know why? Because here's what I'm 33:05 suspicious of. I'm suspicious that after they've had this little 33:09 tête-à-tête with King Herod and the clergy of Jerusalem, they go back to their dromedaries, if 33:15 they rode camels. I have no idea. They go back to those beasts of 33:20 burden. And there's a gnawing doubt in their hearts now. 33:27 "I mean, we came to the capital of Israel, and the clergy had no clue. 33:35 The King, half Jew, says, 'I don't know anything about this.' 33:39 Maybe we were wrong. Maybe we've been following a dream that isn't true." 33:49 Are there times when you doubt? Oh, there are times when I doubt. 33:56 There have been times when I've just, in the dark, said, "What if this isn't true? 34:02 What if all of this is a story that they've brilliantly put together? 34:09 No God." Oh, just chills up and down your back and say, "I don't want to 34:15 go down that road." Do you know what? That we've been created with the 34:19 capacity to doubt. If we were not created with the capacity to doubt, when the 34:23 enemy comes to us, we'd say, "Yeah, that must be true. Yeah. Oh, yeah. I believe you." 34:27 We would believe everything told to us. We have to be able to doubt. 34:30 It is not a sin to doubt. The sin is if I coddle that doubt, I embrace it, and I grow 34:35 it. I refuse to consider the voice that's saying, "That's not true, 34:39 Dwight. You don't have to believe that voice. 34:41 That voice is lying to you. Listen to me." If I say, "No, I don't want to 34:44 hear from you," then it becomes an issue of rebellion against my creator. 34:52 I can't imagine them not getting back to -- getting back to their transportation and not 34:59 wondering, "Man, did we make a mistake?" The next night -- You see, 35:03 that's why there's this super, abounding joy. The next night, they get out, 35:07 and there is the star, and it's moving. And no wonder it reads, "When 35:11 they saw the star..." "Whew! We were right. We have not made a mistake." 35:16 "When they saw the star, they felt the deepest and most profound joy." 35:22 Ah, yeah. Reminds me of this sentence from the apocalyptic classic, 35:26 "The Great Controversy." "Whoever is with singleness of purpose seeking to do God's 35:30 will --" and that would be you, because I know you -- "Earnestly heeding the light already given 35:35 to you, you will receive greater light." I love this. 35:38 This is a promise for us. "To that soul who's seeking some star of heavenly radiance will 35:45 be sent to guide him, will be sent to guide her into all truth." 35:52 Isn't that beautiful? Some star of heavenly radiance will be sent to guide you. 36:00 And where will the star lead you? Where the star always leads, of 36:06 course, to Jesus. Look at Verse 11. "And on coming to the house --" 36:12 By the way... Didn't say, "On coming to the stable," "In coming to the 36:19 manger." Time has gone by. You've got to get the Magi all 36:24 the way from Persia, Babylonia, the Land of the Two Rivers -- You've got to get them thousands 36:28 of kilometers up the Fertile Crescent and down. Even if they cut across the 36:33 desert, you've got to get them to Jesus. The blessed family has moved 36:40 into a house now. That's not a typo. He's in a house now. 36:44 "On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and 36:48 then worshipped Him. Then they opened their treasures and they presented Him with 36:52 gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned in a 36:57 dream --" God's on a pretty close basis with this crew of pagan scholars. 37:03 "And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country 37:09 by another route." Moral of the story? In this world of utter pandemic 37:18 darkness, be the star. Be the star God needs to lead somebody in that darkness to 37:32 Jesus. You be the star. Why not? You be the star. 37:39 I think of the life of Brandon Bernard, who was executed a week ago Thursday at 37:43 9:27 in the evening at the federal penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana. 37:48 That's one week ago and two days. A tragic crime committed at the 37:53 age of 18. 37:56 Could have ended in an even greater tragedy at the age of 37:59 40, had not this young Seventh-Day Adventist prisoner 38:05 reconnected with the forgiveness and redemption of the Lord 38:09 Jesus Christ. And, so, we were praying. 38:12 The story got picked up. The division was praying across 38:17 Canada and North America. Praying that God would somehow 38:21 intervene. And when Thursday evening came 38:23 and we kept following the news -- And I'm following guys 38:26 that are tweeting media reporters who are on-site, at 38:30 the penitentiary, part of the witness team for the execution. 38:34 I'm reading their tweets. "Will the Supreme Court -- Will the Supreme Court come through?" 38:38 We know that the Supreme Court eventually turned down the petition, and he was executed. 38:46 I woke up the next morning. I'm telling you the truth. Early Friday morning -- It was a 38:50 week ago yesterday. I mean, there, we had rallied people across the nation to band 38:54 together in praying for God, "Please, intervene and save this young man's life," when, in 38:59 fact, the Holy Spirit whispered to me, "Hey, Dwight." Did it ever occur to you that we 39:08 have an entire human race sitting on the death row right now? 39:13 Every man, woman, and child is on death row, and you're rallying the troops for one 39:19 young man. What are you doing? Where are you rallying the 39:26 troops for a lost world?" Oh, my. Good question. 39:36 In all honesty, it had never occurred to me before -- the human race is sitting on death 39:42 row right now. My. And who's praying for them now? 39:49 Who's praying for your neighbors? What are we doing for them now, 39:55 for my neighbors? It is intriguing that Matthew -- God bless this Evangelist -- has 40:04 already covertly inserted, embedded in the story the compelling -- the notion of the 40:10 compelling love of God for all humanity sitting on death row. He's already embedded that. 40:15 We don't get this, but in Matthew 1, this mysterious genealogy, guess who he embeds. 40:20 Surprise entries in his genealogy. Four pagan women -- Tamar, a 40:25 fake prostitute, Rahab, real prostitute, Ruth, pagan Moabite, is the wife of Uriah -- We 40:35 remember her as Bathsheba. Pagan wife seduced by King David, whose blood is in 40:41 the Messiah's veins. Matthew's making a huge point. Four of them, four pagans on 40:48 death row in Chapter 1. And guess what. He's the only one to remind us, 40:50 "There are three pagans you need to know about." You say, "How do you know there 40:53 were three?" Well, we're just gonna guess, as tradition does, that there are 40:56 three gifts, so there are three Magi, okay? Three pagan scholars sitting on 41:03 death row. Seven of them. Seven of them on either side of 41:12 Jesus. As it was when Jesus was born, guess what -- on either side of 41:19 Him when He dies, Matthew drives home the same point -- two thieves. 41:25 He is born and He dies in the middle of sinners, like you and me. 41:33 Wow. And, by the way, you think, "Well, these Magi -- you know, the Jews had a heart for these 41:40 Magi." No, no, no. Let me share with you 41:44 Frederick Bruner. "Official Israel deeply despised the magicians and astrologers of 41:51 the Gentiles and felt that God has rescued His people from the tyranny of the stars and from 41:55 those who claimed to know their secrets." "Yeah, stay away from people -- 41:59 Children, don't ever play with those kids." "Biblically faithful Israel felt 42:02 about the Magi roughly the way theological orthodoxy --" and we have a lot of orthodox 42:07 theological professors here -- "feels -- How theological orthodoxy feels in the present 42:12 about the New Age spirituality." "Kind of kinky, kind of weird, but, you know, there might be a 42:16 little light in that." That's how the Jews felt about these Magi. 42:21 Keep going. "To Israel and to the early church --" even the readers of 42:24 Matthew, who are dominantly Jews, the intended audience, to them, "then, astrologers, which 42:31 is exactly what the Magi were, would be the least-deserving guests at the birthday party of 42:37 the Christ." Yeah, just sings the birthday of the King, and Matthew wants you 42:41 to know He had the least-deserving guests. That's his point. 42:45 "That's why Matthew -- the Evangelist! -- is delighted to see exactly such people 42:52 invited." Isn't that beautiful? Matthew has set this story up. 42:57 He has set this story up so that we will notice what comes between. 43:02 Here's what comes between the four and the three sitting on death row. 43:06 "But after Joseph had considered this --" divorcing his young betrothed fiancée -- "an angel 43:12 of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, 'Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid 43:17 to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 43:22 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His 43:29 people from their sins.'" We ought to really be reading that, "He will save His people 43:33 from our sins." I'm talking about my sins and your sins. 43:37 Ladies and gentlemen, this is the Christmas Gospel. This is it. 43:41 Born in the middle of pagans on death row, dies in the middle of pagans, sinners, and rebels on 43:51 the cross. It's love on the move. It's what it is. 43:57 It's love on the move. That star is a symbol of love on the move. 44:05 And guess what. The moral of the story is this. You're the star. 44:11 You're the star. How did that line go? "To that soul that's seeking 44:15 some star of heavenly radiance will be sent to guide him, to guide her to Jesus." 44:20 Be that star. Please, be that star. God hasn't forgotten that person 44:27 on death row. You're His solution. Love on the move. 44:30 You be that star. You move into that darkness. "How's it work, Dwight?" 44:37 Works like this. Just a few days ago, about a week, I was shopping in a 44:44 Dollar General store, my favorite shopping place. And I'm looking for essentials. 44:51 That's why I go to Dollar General. So, as I get up to the cash 44:55 register, there is one of these whirly turnstile carousel bookracks. 45:02 I never pass one of those. I never pass one of those without spinning it around. 45:06 If it's in an airport, I'll spin it around. I'm looking for something worth 45:09 reading. Those are the two key words -- "worth reading." 45:12 So, I'm spinning it around. It's before I go to the cashier. And I see a book I have never 45:16 read before, and I buy the book. Title of the book, "The Autobiography of Malcolm X." 45:22 Hmm. I bought it. I'm about halfway through it now. 45:29 But imag-- You should have seen my eyes -- you should have seen my eyes when I read what you're 45:34 gonna read now on this screen. Alex Haley, the great writer, interviewed Malcolm X and wrote 45:42 the story. So, Malcolm X is thinking about his childhood in Lansing, 45:45 Michigan. Anybody heard of Lansing? Of course. Just up the road. 45:48 This is Malcolm X writing in his biography. "About this time --" He's just 45:53 an adolescent. Lanky adolescent. "About this time, my mother 45:57 began to be visited by some Seventh-Day Adventists --" I had to stop. 46:02 I said, "Wait a minute. Let me get that again." Seventh-Day Adventists. 46:05 Spells it a little differently, Alex Haley does, but we got it. "Visited by some 46:09 Seventh-Day Adventists, who had moved into a house not too far down the road from us." 46:15 Good for you, neighbors. Good for you. Keep reading. 46:18 "They would talk to her --" his mother -- "for hours a time and leave booklets and leaflets and 46:25 magazines for her to read." Kind of sounds familiar, doesn't it? 46:29 From another generation. "We began to go with my mother to the Adventist meetings that 46:35 were held further out in the country. For us children, I know that the 46:39 major attraction was the good food they served." I have been to a lot of 46:43 Adventist potlucks, and I can tell you, Malcolm X is absolutely right. 46:47 It's good food. It's just good food. Doesn't get any better. 46:53 "But we listened, too." When you do the social stuff, don't forget, people are 46:59 listening, as well. They're not just there to eat. They're following what you're 47:03 doing." "We listened, too. There were a handful of Negroes, 47:08 from small towns in the area, but I would say it was 99% white people" in that church. 47:15 Hmm. "The Adventists felt that we were living at the end of time, 47:22 that the world was soon coming to an end. But they were the friendliest 47:26 white people I had ever seen." I'll leave that on the screen. [ Laughter ] 47:34 "The friendliest white people I had ever seen." 99% of the church, whites. 47:44 But when he writes his story -- And, by the way, you know his life. 47:50 Young American Muslim minister, human-rights activist, popular figure during the 47:54 Civil Rights Movement in the early '60s. Best known for his time spent as 48:00 a vocal spokesman for the Nation of Islam, eventually gunned down at the age of 39. 48:06 That's Malcolm X. But he remembers his childhood. "And they were the friendliest 48:14 white people I had ever seen." Just this lanky adolescent with his mom and siblings. 48:20 Who could have guessed that he would end up becoming the great Malcolm X? 48:26 They had no idea. It was just love on the move. We don't care how you're gonna 48:30 turn out. We're just glad that you turned in to our church, and we're 48:35 gonna love on you. "They were the friendliest white people I had ever seen." 48:43 Makes you wonder if they had come, at that time, to this church, at that time, would he 48:51 have been able to say, "Yeah, those people at Andrews University are the 48:56 friendliest white people I've ever seen -- Pioneer." It's called love on the move, 49:04 brothers and sisters, not because you know that some kid's gonna become world-famous. 49:07 "I'd better love him in case he turns out to be famous." Who does that? 49:11 Nobody does that. No. Simply because that's the story of the Christmas star. 49:17 Love on the move is the Christmas star that always leads to Jesus. 49:20 "So, Dwight, would you please be that star? Yo, you -- would you please be 49:25 that star?" What was that line again from "Great Controversy"? 49:28 "Whoever is with singleness of purpose seeking to do God's will, earnestly heeding the 49:32 light already given, will receive greater light." Keep looking, keep seeking. 49:36 You're gonna get it. God has measured and noted your persistence. 49:41 "To that soul some star of heavenly radiance will be sent to guide her, to guide him into 49:48 all truth." You be that star of heavenly radiance. 49:52 It's called love on the move. I think it's the most beautiful definition that you could come 49:56 up with for love on the move. Some star of heavenly radiance that moves the darkness and 50:03 comes into the orbit of someone who needs to know Jesus now. Wow. 50:13 I received a letter this Monday. Good timing. I'm gonna end with it right now. 50:23 "December 10. Dear Pastor Nelson, my name is..." 50:29 I'll leave the name out. "I'm writing to thank the Pioneer Memorial Church for 50:32 helping us and showing compassion during a difficult time in our lives. 50:36 My wife and I, along with our three children, emigrated to the United States from India in the 50:40 year 1988 and joined Andrews University as students. Life at the university was very 50:47 difficult for us at that time because of financial problems. We struggled through three years 50:51 of education and were totally broke by the year 1990, so we decided not to celebrate 50:56 Christmas in 1990. No Christmas tree, no Christmas gifts, no new clothes, no toys 51:02 for the kids. We explained our difficulties to the kids, and they understood. 51:06 The Sabbath before Christmas, we went to Pioneer." Do you understand this is the 51:10 Sabbath before Christmas? This is the day they were in Pioneer, alright? 51:14 "The Sabbath before Christmas, we're there. We went to first service, and 51:19 then the children went to Sabbath School. It was a very cold and dreary 51:22 day." Some things never change in Michigan. 51:24 [ Laughter ] "When the church was over, I asked my wife and children to 51:29 stay inside the church while I went and heated up the car and brought it to them. 51:33 While they waited at the church, someone started talking to the kids about Christmas and gifts, 51:37 and my children told them our story of no Christmas celebration. 51:41 I was not aware of this conversation. 51:44 On Christmas Eve, I received a call from someone from the 51:47 church. She asked me not to sleep early, 51:49 because she and her friends were coming over to see us. 51:52 She came later with so many gifts, clothes, and toys. 51:55 What an amazing event for our children. 51:57 Unfortunately, I forgot to ask her name and never met her 52:01 again." You know why? 52:03 Because love on the move never leaves a business card. 52:09 I don't care who I am. It's not important for you to 52:12 know who I am. I'm just gonna love you. 52:15 That's all I'm gonna do. 52:16 I'm nobody to you, but who cares? "I forgot to ask her name and 52:23 never met her again." Maybe she's sitting here. "She truly was an angel. 52:28 We have never forgotten that kindness. We also met many other amazing 52:32 people at Andrews. I worked on campus, and the supervisors there were so kind 52:35 and gracious to us. At the end of 1990, I graduated with an MBA in accounting from 52:40 Andrews, and my wife graduated with a degree in nursing from Southwestern Community College. 52:45 We moved to California. I completed a CPA exam and started a tax practice, which 52:50 has grown well. My wife became a registered nurse, served the community 52:54 hospital for 30 years. Our children have become professionals. 52:57 God has been extremely gracious to us. We have not had the privilege to 53:00 go back and visit Andrews, but we have never forgotten the kindness, compassion, and grace 53:05 we received there. We thank God for the university and the church. 53:10 We look back, and all that we can say is, Lord, we praise you." 53:16 Yeah. "I'm sorry for writing a long letter, but we wanted to express 53:19 our thanks to you and others at Andrews. As we celebrate Christmas again, 53:23 we want to help someone there. I am attaching a check for $1,000 with this letter. 53:30 Please use this money to bless someone." We ended up blessing several 53:35 someones. "As a gift during this season of his first Advent, maybe some 53:42 poor ones will appreciate the gift as we did many years ago. God bless you all and thank you 53:48 for being a beacon. We've been listening to Pioneer for the last 30 years. 53:53 We thank God for you." Love on the move. Somebody got blessed because 54:01 anonymous love on the move just loved. Just loved. 54:07 You are that star of heavenly radiance that God is sending out into this dark pandemic world. 54:14 Don't kid yourself. You are a beautiful sight for the kingdom of heaven, and they 54:19 are cheering you on. If you're a young teenager, it doesn't matter to heaven. 54:23 They're just as excited about you as they are of octogenarians. 54:26 They're cheering you on. You are love on the move. What you do for someone, it may 54:32 never be recognized. Heaven keeps a record. And one day, you'll be told the 54:40 rest of the story. Love on the move. I say let's be that this new 54:49 year. What do you say? Let's just be that. 54:52 Come on. Let's do it. There may be somebody that's being brought to your mind right 54:57 now. Act on that, act on that. Let's pray. 55:03 O God, here we are the Sabbath before Christmas. Beautiful music, beautiful 55:07 church, beautiful people to worship with, and now we're going home. 55:12 Please, Dear Father, know our hearts. Keep making us stars of heavenly 55:23 radiance that you might be able to send us to guide someone else. 55:28 Love on the move. We'll love them to you, Jesus. We'll love them to you by your 55:34 grace. In your name, we pray. Amen. 55:41 [ "The First Noel" plays ] >> What is it about the holiday season that has given you 55:46 the greatest joy? Is it the time spent cutting down the family Christmas tree 55:50 at the local farm or maybe a special ornament placed on that lighted bough? 55:55 Or do you find joy in contemplating the profound meaning of the carols we sing? 56:00 Maybe Christmas joy is found in the memories you make together with friends and family 56:04 and the spirit of giving that surrounds this season. As we reflect on these joys, 56:10 let's always remember the great light who guides us, the One who brings and meaning to life -- 56:15 a loving Father who is at the heart of all treasured relationships and the wonderful 56:20 God who gave the ultimate gift in a newborn child. 56:24 Some of my joy this season comes in part from your letters, 56:27 your prayers, and your faithful giving of support to this 56:30 ministry which reaches literally around the world. 56:33 If you've been blessed this year, I'd like to ask you to 56:36 join the many people who financially support this global 56:39 New Perceptions ministry. It's simple to do. 56:42 Just call our toll-free number 877 -- two words -- HIS-WILL. 56:47 One of our friendly operators will be happy to help you. 56:50 You can also click the donate link at the top of our website. 56:53 Trust me, no gift is too small for God to use to spread the 56:57 good news of His love, His sacrifice, and His future 57:01 plans for our happiness. Every gift, by the way, 57:05 is entirely invested in our mission to communicate God's 57:07 good news to a generation who needs a hope found in Jesus, 57:11 which will bring them to joy in life. 57:14 So once again, the number to call is 877-HIS-WILL. 57:18 This season, my wish for you is that the mighty God, 57:22 the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace will be at 57:24 the heart of the very best memories made together 57:28 with your family and friends. ♪♪ 57:38 ♪♪ ♪♪ 58:00 ♪♪ |
Revised 2021-01-07