Participants:
Series Code: NP
Program Code: NP210918S
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00:12 [ "Joy of the Lord" begins ] ♪♪ 00:19 >> Happy Sabbath, church. Happy Sabbath. 00:21 I hope you're having a great morning today. 00:24 I'm gonna invite you to stand with us as we praise God today. 00:27 ♪♪ ♪♪ 00:47 ♪♪ ♪♪ 01:07 ♪♪ ♪♪ 01:27 ♪♪ ♪♪ 01:46 ♪♪ ♪♪ 02:06 ♪♪ ♪♪ 02:26 ♪♪ ♪♪ 02:45 ♪♪ ♪♪ 03:05 ♪♪ ♪♪ 03:25 ♪♪ ♪♪ 03:45 ♪♪ ♪♪ 04:04 ♪♪ ♪♪ 04:24 ♪♪ ♪♪ 04:44 ♪♪ ♪♪ 05:04 ♪♪ You may be seated. 05:17 [ "See a Victory" begins ] ♪♪ 05:30 ♪♪ ♪♪ 05:50 ♪♪ ♪♪ 06:10 ♪♪ ♪♪ 06:29 ♪♪ ♪♪ 06:49 ♪♪ ♪♪ 07:09 ♪♪ ♪♪ 07:29 ♪♪ ♪♪ 07:49 ♪♪ ♪♪ 08:09 ♪♪ ♪♪ 08:28 ♪♪ ♪♪ 08:48 ♪♪ [ "Wait On You" begins ] 09:00 ♪♪ ♪♪ 09:20 ♪♪ ♪♪ 09:40 ♪♪ ♪♪ 09:59 ♪♪ ♪♪ 10:19 ♪♪ ♪♪ 10:39 ♪♪ ♪♪ 10:58 ♪♪ ♪♪ 11:18 ♪♪ ♪♪ 11:38 ♪♪ ♪♪ 11:57 ♪♪ ♪♪ 12:17 ♪♪ ♪♪ 12:37 ♪♪ ♪♪ 12:56 ♪♪ ♪♪ 13:16 ♪♪ ♪♪ 13:36 ♪♪ ♪♪ 13:55 ♪♪ ♪♪ 14:15 ♪♪ ♪♪ 14:35 ♪♪ ♪♪ 14:55 ♪♪ ♪♪ 15:14 ♪♪ >> Amen! 15:25 [ Cheers and applause ] 15:33 [ Piano plays ] ♪♪ 15:41 ♪♪ 15:46 >> ♪ Take my life, Lord, send me ♪ ♪ Let me do Your will 15:59 ♪ Give me strength and sight and skill ♪ ♪ Your purpose to fulfill 16:11 ♪ Take my life, Lord, send me ♪ Use me for Your good ♪ Re-create my heart 16:25 ♪ Turn aside my doubt ♪ And send me ♪ Send me, O Lord 16:39 ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪ Some will seek after riches 16:54 ♪ Some require fame ♪ Some refuse to live their lives in praise of Jesus' name ♪ 17:12 ♪ Gold is not forever ♪ Fame soon ebbs away ♪ So for me, I choose to serve 17:27 and love the Lord ♪ ♪ And His commands obey ♪ Take my life, Lord, send me 17:41 ♪ Let me do Your will ♪ Give me strength and sight and skill ♪ 17:52 ♪ Your purpose to fulfill ♪ Take my life, Lord, send me ♪ Use me for Your good 18:09 ♪ Re-create my heart ♪ Turn aside my doubt ♪ And send me 18:19 ♪ Send me ♪ Send me ♪ Send me, O Lord 18:35 >> Amen. 18:45 >> For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you 18:49 except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. 19:15 ♪♪ 19:29 >> "For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the 19:33 gospel -- not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of 19:38 Christ be emptied of its power. For the message of the cross is 19:43 foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are 19:48 being saved it is the power of God." 19:54 O God. Unleash the power of our Lord Jesus Christ at the cross, 20:05 today, right now, please. We humbly pray. Amen. 20:15 I heard someone make a point once, and I've never been able to 20:20 forget it. And I'm hoping that you won't be, either, because I believe 20:24 the point is right. The late John R.W. Stott once observed this prescient 20:35 piece of advice. Never forget the other person's conscience is on your side. 20:45 When you're wanting to share Jesus with somebody, never forget. 20:48 Let me put that on the screen because I need you to just brood over this for a moment or two. 20:53 Never forget the other person's conscience is already on your side. 21:00 What's he talking about? He's saying, when you're wanting to share Jesus with somebody -- 21:05 could be a buddy of yours, a colleague at work, a neighbor, doesn't matter. 21:12 Somebody who doesn't believe in God. "Ohh, no God. 21:15 There is no Christ. There is no fate. There's nothing metaphysical 21:19 at all." When you're dealing with somebody like that, always 21:23 remember that person has a conscience that is already tilted to God. 21:32 You say, "Can you prove it?" I can. Garden of Eden -- God's standing 21:37 there with Lucifer, the serpent. By the way, that was a creepy children's story. 21:43 I mean... [ Laughter ] I saw it first service and I 21:46 leaned over to Pastor Lindsey and I said, "The snake is gonna crawl out of that bag, 21:50 you watch!" It's a powerful story. Thank you, Phil and Ms. Newkirk. 21:56 So, God's standing in the Garden of Eden and he has Lucifer the fallen rebel; he has the two 22:01 fallen now, Adam and Eve, parents of the human race. And he speaks words you have 22:06 heard before. The words go like this. "I am gonna place enmity between 22:13 you, snake -- between you and the offspring, the children of this woman. 22:21 In other words, they may be -- they will be born with an internal tilt towards Me, 22:28 because if they aren't, you'll kill them all. I know you. 22:36 In that conscience, I will embed within their minds, I'm gonna shine my light upon it. 22:44 They don't have to accept it. They will know it, though. And if they follow that light, 22:50 it will lead them to Me." Never forget the other man's conscience, the other woman's 22:57 conscience is always on your side. So, here I would agree with 23:03 Gregory Boyd. Thought he makes a great point here. 23:07 "Our insatiable hunger for a depth of Life" -- and by the way, this is capital-L "Life." 23:13 This is life at its max. This is Maslow's top of the pyramid of human needs, 23:21 self-actualization. When I become -- This is my dream, to become everything I've 23:25 been destined to become. You have it, I have it. "Our insatiable hunger for a 23:30 depth of Life that only God can give is a sort of built-in 'homing device' intended to lead 23:38 us to Him." Have you ever heard of homing pigeons? 23:42 Of course you have. Amazing creatures. Do you know that they can take a 23:48 homing pigeon -- get this -- 1,100 miles away from its roost, they'll throw it in the air, 23:56 flap flap flap flap flap, 60 miles an hour, it will return to its roost. 24:02 Scientists are calling it the magnetoreception. Inside, they can sense a 24:08 magnetic field. That's what Boyd's talking about. 24:13 "Our insatiable hunger for a depth of Life that only God can give is a sort of built-in 24:18 'homing device' intended to lead us to Him. The Trinity is our home" -- 24:23 Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- "And we are never fully satisfied or at peace until we 24:30 rest in Him." Wow! Every human being comes into 24:36 this life hankering, hungering for the capital-L Life. It's been embedded in us. 24:44 Somebody once said that we are all born with a God-shaped vacuum in our hearts. 24:51 My little granddaughter -- I haven't talked about her in a while. 24:53 My little granddaughter was born 2 1/2 weeks ago. She's doing fine. 24:56 Thanks for asking. Do you know that when little Lily Elizabeth was born, she was 25:01 born with a God-shaped vacuum inside her heart. We all are. 25:06 In fact, the ancient church father Augustine, or Augustin as some are saying now -- these are 25:11 his words. "Our hearts are restless 'til they find rest in You," O God. 25:18 We are born with that homing device. We have this insatiable hunger 25:26 and thirst for what only God can give. "I'll put enmity between you and 25:34 her kids." Never forget the other woman's conscience is always already on 25:43 your side. And that is precisely what the brilliant, young, intellectual 25:51 rabbi, Jew, named Saul discovered. This young hater of 26:00 Jesus of Nazareth who has vowed to crush, kill it, strangle it in the cradle, this infant 26:08 movement following this Jesus of Nazareth. This young rabbi personally 26:15 ordering the execution of men, women, and children to stamp out Christianity. 26:22 Until that fateful day on the Damascus road, and we've already lived that moment, haven't we? 26:27 When in an explosion of blinding light, the risen living Christ appears to him -- and Paul in 26:33 one of his testimonies, twice he tells this story. Once it's told historically. 26:37 In one of those tellings, he said, "I cried out, "What do you want, Lord?'" 26:48 You know, I have a feeling that that awful -- I'm talking about the awful moment when Paul stood 26:54 there -- Saul, the young Saul. He had orchestrated this execution. 26:58 As he stands there watching, also a young, intellectual, brilliant mind who believes 27:04 Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah, a guy named Stephen -- as he watches Stephen expire 27:10 in front of his eyes. That awful moment -- I predict, because of the inner tilt toward 27:15 Jesus Christ, that awful moment never left him. It haunted him. 27:21 And the more zeal he exercises to stamp this movement out, the stronger grows the gnawing 27:27 suspicion -- "Maybe Stephen was right and I killed an innocent man, and people are dead." 27:41 Such is the nature of this homing device conscience that is divinely tilted toward the truth 27:47 as it is in Jesus Christ. What is the truth as it is in Jesus Christ? 27:51 Open your Bible with me now to where I read just a moment ago, 1 Corinthians. 27:55 Find 1 Corinthians in your Bible. You've got your Bible with you, 27:58 and I'm glad you do. You have a device that has 1 Corinthians on it, 28:03 and I'm glad you do. 1 Corinthians chapter 1. I'm gonna begin in verse 17. 28:09 I'm in the New International Version, alright? Paul is writing here to that 28:14 church planted by this intrepid warrior in this pagan citadel called Corinth. 28:20 He's writing to the believers there. Alright, verse 17. 28:23 "For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel -- not with wisdom and 28:30 eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. For the message of the cross is 28:35 foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of 28:41 God." Drop down now to verse 22. "Jews demand signs and Greeks 28:46 look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to 28:55 Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God 29:01 and the wisdom of God." How bizarre, how scandalous was this message of a crucified 29:10 Messiah King. N.T. Wright himself, a very bright mind, in his book 29:18 "Paul: A Biography," these are his words. He says, "Let's talk about the 29:23 Jews first." 29:49 Our hoped-for King and Messiah ends up on a Roman cross? You are out of your mind, sir! 29:59 It isn't much better in the Evangelical world in America today. 30:04 At least here in America. So confused have Evangelicals become in having to choose 30:09 between Caesar and Christ, that the Faustian bargain to have the best of politics and 30:15 the best of religion has ended up with some kind of gross hybrid of theology and ethics. 30:21 Do you know what Paul discovered? Listen carefully, because it 30:26 will become true again here. Paul discovered that the most vociferous and dangerous 30:33 opposition that came to him were from the people of his own faith. 30:39 Want you to remember that. The people of your own faith can end up being your most violent 30:50 opposition. Ohh. So, that's how it is with the 30:55 Jews with this message. I wonder how it is with the non-Jews. 30:58 "As for the non-Jewish world -- well, the suggestion that a Jew might be the new 'Lord' over all 31:04 other Lords was bad enough, but a crucified man?" You gotta be kidding me! 31:09 "Everybody knew that was the most shameful and horrible death imaginable. 31:13 How could such a person be hailed as Kyrios?" That's the Greek title for Lord. 31:18 "And if the answer was (as it would be for Paul) that God had raised this man from the dead, 31:23 that would merely convince his hearers that he was indeed out of his mind. 31:28 (A Roman governor would accuse him of that later on, but Paul must have been quite used to 31:32 people saying it)." End quote. How did Paul put it here in this 31:41 letter to the infant church in Corinth? Our message of the cross? 31:46 Ah, it's "a stumbling block to Jews and it's foolishness to Gentiles." 31:51 So, what kept Paul going? 31:53 Here's what kept him going. Listen. 31:56 His belief that the conscience of the other man was on his 32:01 side. That's what fueled him -- 32:05 his belief that deep within the human heart, there was a longing 32:08 for something, for someone to make sense out of this world of 32:11 lunacy, someone or something to deliver us from the dark, bleak 32:16 future of annihilation or nonexistence. 32:19 There is something in the human breast that refuses 32:27 to reject the notion. 32:30 And that's why Paul kept playing to this homing device, the other person's conscience that was on 32:35 his side, deep in the heart of the listener. Whether, by the way, he's 32:41 addressing a crowd -- oh, he'll do it in a crowd. I want you to watch this. 32:45 He's in Athens, the citadel of the intelligentsia of the Roman Empire. 32:50 And they heard him and they say, "Yo, yo, you, stranger, you stand up here in front of us -- 32:54 we're gonna check you out." And so Paul -- watch this. This is Acts 17:23. 33:01 He's talking now to this highfalutin group. "For as I walked around [your 33:07 city] and I looked carefully at your objects of worship -- I even found an altar with this 33:14 inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD." Bingo! There is something deep inside 33:23 these intellectuals that Paul immediately harnesses. Aha! 33:26 You're not quite sure, are you, what to believe, hoping against hope that you might satisfy your 33:33 deepest longing that heretofore has remained unfulfilled, and so you have an unknown God. 33:39 Well, I am here to tell you who that God is. He's playing to the homing 33:44 device in the most brilliant minds in the Roman Empire. Beautiful. 33:51 Smart. Yeah. The other man's conscience, 33:59 Paul knew, was on his side. And by the way, it can be even a one-on-one. 34:04 Watch what he does in his defense before King Agrippa -- half Jew King Agrippa. 34:08 First he tells his testimony. And by the way, when you're wanting to share Jesus with 34:12 people, start with your testimony. People love a story. 34:14 Tell them what's happened to you and the difference it makes in your life. 34:19 Paul has told the story, and now here in Acts 26, he's talking to the King. 34:25 "But God has helped me to this very day; so I stand here and testify to small and great 34:30 alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said 34:34 would happen -- that the Messiah would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would 34:40 bring the message of light to his own people and to the Gentiles. 34:44 At this point" -- the Roman governor -- "Festus interrupted Paul's defense. 34:48 'You are out of your mind, Paul!' he shouted. 'Your great learning is driving 34:53 you insane.'" I love this exchange. Excuse me! 35:00 "'I am not insane, most excellent Festus,' Paul replied. 'What I am saying is true and 35:05 reasonable. The king is familiar with these things'" -- we're going for the 35:10 homing device now. "'The king is familiar with these things, and I can speak 35:15 freely to him. I'm convinced that none of this has escaped his notice, because 35:20 it was not done in a corner. King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets?'" 35:24 Don't wait for an answer. "'I know you do.' The Agrippa said to Paul, 'Do 35:31 you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?'" 35:38 Ding! He's hit the homing device. It's working. 35:45 "Paul replied, 'Short time or long -- I pray to God that not only you but all who are 35:52 listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains.'" 35:59 My! Paul knows the other man's conscience is already 36:05 on his side. And Paul also knows the great truth of Oswald Chambers' single 36:13 line -- 36:27 There is only one being in the universe who can satisfy the aching in the abyss of your mind 36:34 and your heart and your spirit. And that is the Lord Jesus Christ. 36:44 For that reason, when Paul came trudging into Corinth for the first time, his strategy to 36:51 reach that pagan bastion of immorality was very clear. It had worked with the Athenian 37:02 intellectuals. It had taken hold in Corinth. And Paul determines, "From 37:09 henceforth, this will be my strategy." Want you to drop down 37:16 to chapter 2 here. So, we're in chapter 1. You got to see this. 37:19 This is powerful. 1 Corinthians 2:1. "And so it was with me, 37:23 brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human 37:28 wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God." No, no, no. 37:33 "For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified." 37:44 I knew the homing device was in every man, women, and child that I would address, and I 37:49 would go to that homing device, the last aching abyss in that heart, and tell the truth about 37:57 Jesus. I'm determined to know nothing except Jesus Christ and Him 38:03 crucified. Why? Because there's only one being 38:07 in the universe that can satisfy the last aching abyss in the human heart, and that is the 38:12 Lord Jesus Christ. Deep within the secular heart of our pagan culture right now, 38:20 today, that is still the gospel truth. In fact, I want to read 38:25 something to you. My producer today for PowerPoint is a young student here at 38:29 Andrews University. He's a physics major. His name is Alex Navarro. 38:34 So, Alex after we went through this material yesterday, said, "Hey, I got to tell you 38:37 about a song. It's written by a guy that, he's a Christian, he writes music for 38:42 non-Christians. The song is called 'Stupid Deep.'" 38:47 The name of the guy is Jon Bellion. So we found it on YouTube. 38:53 Don't look it up now. The acoustical version, by the way. 38:57 I don't know what the other one is, but this one will take your soul into flight. 39:03 I'm gonna read the words to you. Here they are. "What if who I hoped to be 39:08 was always me? And the love I fought to feel was always free? 39:16 What if all the things I've done were just attempts at earning love? 39:21 'Cause the hole inside my heart is stupid deep. It's stupid deep. 39:30 What if where I've tried to go was always here? And the path I tried to cut 39:35 was always clear? Why has life become a plan to put some money in my hand, 39:40 when the love I really need is stupid cheap? Stupid cheap." 39:48 A young man in America, crying out. Why am I trying to fill the 39:53 emptiness in my heart when there is someone else offering to fill it free? 39:58 Stupid cheap. Stupid deep. Jesus is still our only hope. 40:11 Only Jesus Christ and Him crucified can satisfy the last aching abyss in our hearts. 40:18 For I have determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. 40:24 And taps into that power that's in calvary and in the soul of Paul. 40:30 From "Sketches From the Life of Paul," these words -- "[Paul' clung to the cross of 40:34 Christ as the only guarantee of success. The love of Christ was like the 40:42 omnipotent, undying motive which upheld him in his conflicts with self." 40:46 Do you have conflicts with self? Are you kidding? You can't be -- You can't be -- 40:51 You trying to fool me? Every day, all day long. All day long. 40:59 "The love of Christ was the omnipotent, undying motive which upheld him in his conflicts with 41:04 self and the power of Satan, in his struggles with spiritual wickedness in high places, 41:08 in his life-long labors, as Paul pressed forward against the unfriendliness of the world and 41:13 the burden of his own infirmities." Wow. 41:20 For I've determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified, 41:27 because only Jesus Christ and Him crucified can possibly satisfy the last aching abyss 41:34 in humanity's heart today, in America, across the sea, anywhere on this planet. 41:41 Only one being can touch and heal that aching abyss. Social media bingeing cannot 41:51 satiate that longing. Not all the friends, not all the followers in the world can 41:56 fulfill your thirsting for love, for attention, for compassion, for companionship. 42:01 But Jesus Christ and Him crucified can do that. He can do that, I promise you. 42:08 And you don't have to be lonely any longer. Self-medication through alcohol 42:15 or prescription medications cannot satisfy the deep inner longing for healing, for help, 42:20 for a hand that will reach out to guide you through the darkness you're going through 42:24 right now. But Jesus Christ and Him crucified, He can do it. 42:29 He can be what your heart is longing for. Unbridled sex with all its 42:37 hypnotic addictions and its self-deceiving pledges cannot quench the last ache in the 42:48 abyss of your soul. It can't. You'll always come up 42:55 wanting for more. But Jesus Christ and Him crucified, He can do it. 43:02 Hey, you don't have to be addicted any longer. Oh, I'll tell you what, I am -- 43:07 I am so grateful. And I hope we'll fill this sanctuary for "The Darkness 43:12 Will Not Overcome." We'll fill this sanctuary. Two weeks from last night, we'll 43:18 fill it right here. Why? Because everything that the 43:23 human heart is longing for, every thirst, every hunger is gonna be addressed by a young 43:30 preacher named Richie Halversen. And I'm so excited that he's coming. 43:35 He's gonna engage us where we need the engagement the most. This campus needs "The Darkness 43:42 Will Not Overcome." This state needs "The Darkness Will Not Overcome." 43:47 This nation needs "The Darkness Will Not Overcome." But you won't get it on 43:51 livestream. We will not livestream this. Nope! 43:55 You will be here if you want it. That's it. There is no livestream. 44:01 I hope we fill this sanctuary with the truth about this Jesus who is the only one that can 44:10 heal and satisfy this aching abyss deep within me. Whatever it is, my friend, that 44:19 you are turning to for relief, if it's not Jesus, you haven't found it yet. 44:26 Climbing the corporate ladder, are you? Trust me, when you get to the 44:29 top, it'll be just as empty as it is down here. You haven't found it yet. 44:34 Want to be a hero jock on the court, on the football field? Trust me, when you become that 44:39 hero -- and I hope you do -- you'll still be as empty as you are today. 44:45 You cannot fill that aching abyss in your heart, but Jesus Christ and Him crucified 44:51 can fill it. And if you give your life to Jesus, if you will come to the 44:56 Savior, you will never be the same again. You got to be here. 45:03 "The Darkness Will Not Overcome." You need to start praying, 45:07 by the way. Start praying that God will do an unusual work in our midst 45:13 and this will become a healing place for all who enter, night after night. 45:28 Only Jesus. Only Jesus -- Jesus who hung on 45:32 the cross for you and me, bled to death on the cross 45:37 for you and me. Our sins crush his life out. 45:44 Only Jesus. Paul would never be the same 45:49 when he discovered that Jesus is no fable. 45:52 It's no fairy tale. Jesus is the real deal. 45:56 And he can save you like he saved me. The Jesus who appears at this 46:04 supper table right now, in two moments... The Jesus who appears at this 46:10 supper table right now is the Jesus through the bread and the cup that symbolizes his blood, 46:18 is the Jesus who will activate those symbols, and inside of us, they become divine power 46:24 unleashed. We're already tilting toward Him. 46:28 Stay and let him take you. Let him have you. Only Jesus and Him crucified. 46:39 Only Jesus can fill the last aching abyss in my heart and in your heart, and He's 46:47 gonna do it right now. So, we're gonna move the furniture right now. 46:54 Don't move. If you happened to get by your entryway and didn't realize that 46:59 little communion kit is for you, just raise your hand right now. Our friends the ushers are 47:06 coming your way. Up in the balcony, you didn't get it up there? 47:08 Raise your hand. You're in the front of the church and didn't get it, just 47:11 raise your hand. We're gonna move furniture now, but we want to get this to you 47:17 to make this an unforgettable moment -- you and Jesus and us together. 47:22 And while they're doing that, ushers, come on up. Let's get that table, the Lord's 47:27 table, where it needs to be right now so that our hearts can gather with Jesus, who will heal 47:35 the last aching abyss in our hearts. 47:39 ♪♪ ♪♪ 47:58 ♪♪ ♪♪ 48:18 ♪♪ For I have determined to know 48:33 nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. 48:39 For there is only one Being who can satisfy the last aching 48:44 abyss of the human heart, and that is our Lord Jesus Christ, 48:49 who stands here now through His spirit, 48:54 beside you and me. And we will take these kits 49:02 and He will perform the miracle. To set us up, Flavio Prestes. 49:06 Flavio, read the sacred account of that -- when the last supper 49:10 became the Lord's supper. Read that so we can just imagine 49:13 this moment, please. >> I'm reading from the ESV. 49:19 "Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after 49:23 blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, 49:28 'Take, eat; this is my body.' And he took a cup, and when he 49:37 had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, 'Drink of it, all 49:42 of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured 49:48 out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 49:52 I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine 49:57 until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's 50:02 kingdom.'" >> Flavio's wife, Carina. 50:09 Carina, lead us in a prayer asking God to bless what we are 50:12 about to consume. >> Let's pray together. 50:17 Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for Your sacrifice. 50:21 Lord, we long for Your coming. 50:24 Why You don't come, Lord? We will take part on Your table here. 50:29 Please bless these emblems that they be meaningful and life-changing for us and that we 50:35 can spread that all over around us. In Jesus' name, amen. 50:40 >> Amen. Alright. [ Organ plays ] 50:47 ♪♪ 51:31 >> Here they are, the two symbols that Jesus gave us so that we would never forget 51:39 what He did for us and what He's going to do for us. There are two little lips -- 51:44 If this is your first time encountering this marvelous pandemic invention... 51:49 [ Chuckles ] One of these days, we'll have the real deal here, but... 51:54 This has all been sealed, so you don't have to worry about anything -- and by the way, 51:58 these wafers are now all gluten-free, so if that was a worry of yours, that's gone. 52:03 Alright, so there's a little -- there's a little tongue or lip. The first one is plastic, and 52:08 then it exposes that little tiny piece of bread. Alright. You can get it off. 52:18 Now, you just hold this in your hand. Don't put it on your mouth yet. 52:24 Just hold it in your hand. Because let's imagine that Jesus is here and He breaks the bread 52:30 and then His hands, not yet nail-scarred, reach to us and He says, "Listen, listen. 52:35 I want you to eat this bread. This is my body, which was broken for you. 52:40 Do this in remembrance of me." Let's do it in remembrance of His broken body. 53:06 Then, a little later, in the same supper, He took the cup. And we have the cup right here 53:12 in our hands. And this one's a little trickier. 53:27 Don't give up. Just keep picking at it. [ Laughter ] 53:31 It'll come. I keep telling myself. Alright. 53:36 And just about halfway back, that's all you need it back, just to be able to get that 53:40 fruit of the vine into your system. And when we ingest the bread and 53:44 when we ingest the grape juice, Jesus says, "I am in you, and you are in me, and whatever lies 53:55 ahead, we do together. We go together." And so, as He did that night, 54:00 He turns to the closest people on Earth to Him, and you are close to Him today, and He says, 54:05 "Listen, you do the same. Drink this in remembrance of me in Calvary. 54:18 [ Piano plays ] >> ♪ Face to face with Christ, 54:26 my Savior ♪ ♪ Face to face -- 54:33 what will it be ♪ 54:37 ♪ When with rapture I behold Him ♪ ♪ Jesus Christ who died for me 54:53 ♪ Face to face shall I behold Him ♪ ♪ Far beyond the starry sky 55:08 ♪ Face to face in all His glory ♪ ♪ I shall see Him by and by 55:26 ♪ What rejoicing in His presence ♪ ♪ When are banished 55:37 grief and pain ♪ ♪ When the crooked ways are straightened ♪ 55:47 ♪ And the dark things shall be plain ♪ ♪ Face to face 55:56 shall I behold Him ♪ ♪ Far beyond the starry sky ♪ Face to face 56:11 in all His glory ♪ ♪ I shall see Him by and by ♪ 56:30 >> Let's bow our heads. The God of peace who brought up 56:37 from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood 56:40 of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, may equip you in 56:44 every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is 56:49 pleasing in His sight through Jesus Christ, to whom be the 56:52 glory forever and ever. Amen. 56:55 >> Amen. [ Organ plays ] 56:59 ♪♪ 57:07 >> We've been really blessed by the financial support that comes 57:09 from our viewers, and we've made a conscious decision not to 57:12 continually appeal to you for that support. 57:15 The fact is, as everyone in the industry will tell you, we're 57:18 needing to make constant upgrades to our technology. 57:21 So if God has blessed you and you'd like to further the work 57:24 of this ministry, we invite you to partner with us. 57:26 Not a single penny of your donation will go to me. 57:29 Every bit of your gift goes to the mission of blessing your 57:33 community and our world. You can donate on our website, 57:36 newperceptions.tv. Or call the number. 57:39 You know the number -- 877-HIS-WILL. 57:41 Again, that number is 877 -- the two words "HIS-WILL." 57:45 And may the God who has blessed you continue to pour into your 57:48 life the gifts of His joy and His hope. 57:51 Thank you. And I'm looking forward to 57:53 seeing you, right here, again, next time. 58:00 ♪♪ ♪♪ 58:19 ♪♪ |
Revised 2021-09-28