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Series Code: NP
Program Code: NP211113S
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00:42 The head that once was crowned
00:46 With thorns 00:48 Is crowned with glory now 00:54 The Savior knelt to wash 00:58 Our feet 01:01 Now at His feet 01:03 We bow 01:20 The one who wore our sin 01:24 And shame 01:26 Now robed in majesty 01:32 The radiance 01:33 Of His perfect love 01:38 Now shines for all to see 01:44 Your name, Your name is victory 01:51 All praise will rise to Christ 01:56 Our king Your name, 02:00 Your name is victory 02:05 All praise will rise to Christ 02:09 Our king 02:24 The fear that held us 02:28 Now gives way 02:31 To Him who is our peace 02:37 His final breath 02:39 Upon the cross 02:44 Is now alive in me 02:53 Your name, Your name is victory 03:00 All praise will rise to Christ 03:04 Our king Your name, 03:08 Your name is victory 03:13 All praise will rise to Christ 03:18 Our king 03:21 By Your spirit I will rise 03:25 From the ashes of defeat 03:28 The resurrected King 03:32 Is resurrecting me 03:35 In Your name I come alive 03:38 To declare Your victory 03:42 The resurrected King 03:45 Is resurrecting me 03:48 By Your spirit 03:50 I will rise From the ashes of defeat 03:55 The resurrected King 03:59 Is resurrecting me 04:01 In Your name I come alive 04:05 To declare Your victory 04:09 The resurrected King 04:12 Is resurrecting me 04:22 Hallelujah! 04:27 You have won the victory 04:35 Hallelujah! 04:40 You have won it all for me 04:46 'Cause death could not hold 04:49 You down 04:53 You are the risen 04:56 King Seated 05:01 In majesty 05:07 You are the Risen King 05:16 Hallelujah! 05:21 You have won 05:23 The victory 05:30 Hallelujah! 05:34 You have won it all 05:35 You have won it all for me 05:40 Death could not hold You down 05:41 Death could not hold You down 05:47 You are the risen King 05:48 You are the risen King 05:53 Seated in majesty 05:55 Seated in majesty 06:00 You are the risen King 06:02 You are the risen King 06:12 By Your spirit 06:13 I will rise From the ashes of defeat 06:19 The resurrected King is resurrecting me 06:25 In Your name I come alive 06:29 To declare Your victory 06:33 The resurrected King is resurrecting me 06:39 The resurrected King 06:43 Is resurrecting me 06:46 The resurrected King 06:50 Is resurrecting me 07:28 For the beauty of the earth 07:35 For the glory of the skies 07:41 For the love 07:44 which from our birth 07:49 Over and around us lies 07:53 Over and around us lies 07:56 'Lord of all, to Thee 08:00 See raise 08:05 This our joyful hymn of praise 08:17 For the beauty of each hour 08:24 Of the day 08:26 And of the night 08:31 Hill and vale 08:36 And tree and flower Sun 08:39 And Moon and stars of light Sun 08:42 And Moon and stars of light 08:46 'Lord of all, to Thee 08:50 We raise 08:55 This our joyful hymn of praise 09:07 For the joy of human love 09:11 For the joy of love 09:14 Brother, sister, parent, child Brother, sister, parent, child 09:20 Friends on earth Friends on earth 09:24 And friends above And friends above 09:28 For all gentle thoughts and mild 09:35 'Lord of all, to Thee 09:40 We raise 09:44 This our joyful hymn Our joyful hymn 09:48 Of praise 09:53 For each perfect gift 09:55 Of Thine 10:00 To our race so freely given 10:06 Graces human 10:09 And divine Flowers 10:14 Of earth 10:17 And buds of heaven 10:21 'Lord of all, to Thee 10:25 We raise 10:30 This our joyful hymn 10:33 Our joyful hymn of praise 10:40 Our joyful hymn 10:45 Of praise 10:59 Amen. 11:13 You however know all about my teaching, 11:17 my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, 11:21 love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings, 11:26 what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, 11:29 Iconium, and Lystra, the persecutions I endured, 11:33 yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. 11:36 In fact, everyone who wants to live 11:38 a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. 11:43 For I am already being poured out 11:45 like a drink offering, 11:47 and the time for my departure is near. 11:50 I have fought the good fight, 11:52 I have finished the race, I have kept the faith, 11:56 now, there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, 12:00 which the Lord, the righteous judge, 12:03 will award to me on that day, and not only to me, 12:07 but also to all who have longed for His appealing. 12:28 The life of Paul that intrepid warrior that you 12:32 and I have been tracking these last few Sabbaths 12:37 came to an end 12:40 with this sound, 12:50 the razor sharp edge 12:53 of a silver blade 12:56 in a Roman executioner's hand, 13:00 just one split second. 13:05 And Paul was beheaded, 13:09 his lips now silent, 13:13 his heart now stopped, 13:18 his brilliant intellect, 13:22 darkness. 13:25 And yet he died unafraid. 13:30 How could that be? How could that be? 13:35 And can you and I die the same way? 13:39 That's the question. 13:42 Let's pray. 13:45 Oh, Father, 13:47 teach us how to die 13:51 so that we might learn how to live. 13:55 In Jesus, 13:58 we pray, 14:00 amen. 14:02 I've got to tell you, 14:04 it is an utterly 14:06 surreal narrative 14:11 the way this warrior's life ends. 14:14 I mean, where were we last week? 14:16 The brethren, remember the brethren? 14:19 Paul makes the concession, 14:21 seven days in the temple, 14:24 the inevitable happens. 14:27 There's a flash mob 14:30 when they recognize this most recognizable face 14:33 in the Roman Empire, 14:35 a flash mob that nearly lynches him. 14:39 Romans intervene 14:41 under the cover of night. 14:43 With the Roman army escort, in chains, 14:47 Paul is slipped out of Jerusalem. 14:51 And now begins 14:54 the dragging of the wait, 14:58 three long years of waiting in chains, 15:03 in Caesarea. 15:08 Cut off from the church, 15:10 which by the way didn't step forward 15:12 to seek his release. 15:14 Cut off from the churches 15:16 he has planted Gentile churches, 15:19 who have to be wondering, 15:20 "Where in the world is Paul? 15:23 Anybody hear from him?" 15:27 Two consecutive Roman governors, 15:31 four public hearings, 15:36 in which he is not released, until finally in desperation 15:40 in that Roman courtroom in Caesarea, 15:43 he speaks the faded words, 15:46 "I appeal to Caesar." 15:52 And if you're a Roman citizen, 15:54 you are granted that appeal. 15:58 And so Paul was turned over to a centurion 16:00 named Julius to stand trial in Rome 16:04 before an emperor named Nero. 16:08 Yeah, Nero. 16:11 And now we enter into the mists, 16:13 the mystery of Paul's ending. 16:15 I mean, come on. 16:17 The Book of Acts ends with this triumphant two years 16:19 of house arrest in the city on the seven hills, 16:23 and it stops. 16:25 Paul is in house arrest. 16:28 He has visitation rights with his friends and acquaintances. 16:33 Boom, the end. 16:34 That's not the end. 16:38 What happens next? Nobody's sure. Does it end? 16:42 Not a word in Acts about a hearing before Nero? 16:46 Not a word in Acts about multiple hearings 16:50 before the execution? 16:52 Nobody knows. 16:55 Did his prayer, did his dream, 16:57 there in Romans 15, 16:58 "I will go to Spain before I die for Christ. 17:01 I will go to Spain." 17:03 Did that dream come true? 17:04 We don't know. 17:07 Nobody knows. 17:10 All we have is the last hurriedly 17:14 scribbled out letter Paul ever writes. 17:18 And from that letter, 17:19 there are pieces of embedded evidence that give us 17:24 a suggested ending. 17:27 We will look at those right now. 17:30 Because also embedded in that last will and testament 17:35 is the secret on how to die unafraid. 17:41 And that's the secret I want. 17:44 Open your Bible to 2 Timothy. 17:47 2 Timothy, 17:49 near the end of the New Testament. 17:51 If you get to Hebrews, you've gone too far. 17:53 Pull it back. 17:54 2 Timothy, it's just two pages in my Bible. 17:58 2 Timothy, some evidence emerges 18:01 right near the very end. 18:04 And we're going to imagine what this could be telling us. 18:09 2 Timothy, 18:11 this is a letter by the way that begins 18:14 with this tender salutation, 18:17 to my beloved Son, Timothy. 18:23 Paul's not married, he has no children. 18:26 Timothy, will you remember that name 18:28 in this journey that you 18:29 and I have been walking through? 18:31 We remember, wasn't he the young boy 18:33 that was converted there by Paul in the city 18:35 of Lystra? 18:36 Yep, that one. 18:38 That was the boy that stood there and watched 18:39 the people in Lystra stone Paul to death. 18:41 Yes, that same Timothy. 18:43 Watching the corpse 18:45 he thought being dragged out of the city 18:47 and dumped outside the gates, same young Timothy 18:50 who wept over the stilled form of Paul 18:54 who leaps to his feet. 18:59 Marches back into town, but after that moment, 19:02 they are bound together at the heart. 19:06 Aging prisoner, 19:08 young pastor. 19:11 That's the Timothy. 19:14 Let's go to the end. Let's go to the end. 19:16 So go over to Chapter 4. 19:20 Paul gives us now a clue. 19:22 It's a big one, it's helpful. 19:26 1 Timothy 4:16. 19:28 At my first defense, 19:29 hit the pause button right there. 19:31 Okay. Now what do we know? 19:32 There is a first defense. 19:35 We weren't sure how many times he appeared before Nero. 19:37 Did he appear before Nero in any of them? 19:40 We don't know. 19:41 "At my first defense, no one came to my support, 19:44 but everyone deserted me. 19:48 May it not be held against them all alone." 19:52 We'll keep reading. 19:53 "But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, 19:57 so that through me 19:58 the message might be fully proclaimed, 20:00 and all the Gentiles might hear it. 20:03 And I was delivered from the lion's mouth." 20:05 Now, is that a cryptic description of Nero? 20:07 We don't know. 20:09 I was delivered from the lion's mouth. 20:10 That's the devil for sure. 20:13 Right? 20:14 A roaring lion, Peter would remind us. 20:17 I was delivered from the lion's mouth. 20:20 So the first defense has ended. 20:23 And we can conclude, 20:24 misty as it is that something takes place. 20:29 Now, this has us curious, 20:31 this business of nobody stepping forward, 20:34 not even Dr. Luke, 20:35 who will be there the second time, 20:37 what's happened in Rome? 20:40 Ah, could it be that the Christians, 20:44 this fledgling infant church 20:46 is under intense persecution in Rome right now? 20:50 Could it be that the city 20:52 of Rome has been set on fire, 20:54 as the rumors indicate, by the Emperor Nero himself, 20:58 who wanted to rebuild 21:00 the trashy center of the city on the seven hills, 21:06 sets the fire? 21:07 The greatest Roman historian Tacitus describes 21:12 what happens. 21:14 By the way, five days the fire rages. 21:17 We just celebrated a few weeks ago Chicago's big fire, 21:20 you remember this? 21:22 Well, you don't remember it, but its 100 years ago. 21:24 The fire of Chicago everybody still talks about it. 21:28 Five days that fire raged. 21:31 Seven of the 14 divisions 21:33 were either totally destroyed or damaged. 21:36 Half of the city is in ashes. 21:39 Now Tacitus says, 21:40 "Let me tell you what happened next." 21:44 Therefore, he's writing this in Latin, 21:47 "To Scotch the rumor, Nero substituted culprits, 21:51 and punished with the utmost refinements of cruelty, 21:54 a class of men, scapegoats," 21:56 that's what they're called, "loathed for their vices, 21:59 whom the crowd styled Christians, 22:04 Christus, from whom they got their name 22:06 had been executed by the sentence 22:07 of the procurator Pontius Pilate, 22:09 when Tiberius was Emperor. 22:11 Their execution was made a matter of sport. 22:13 Some were sewn up in the skins of wild beasts 22:15 and then savaged to death by dogs, 22:19 others were fastened to crosses as living torches, 22:22 to serve as lights when the daylight failed." 22:25 A massive persecution is broken out. 22:30 Why should we be surprised or condemned 22:32 the fact nobody came forward? 22:33 Why would you come forward now? 22:39 Assuming that Paul was released after his first defense, 22:43 I escaped the jaws of the lion 22:45 and spent two years because that is what scholars 22:48 would estimate would be the break, 22:49 two years traveling around maybe getting to Spain, 22:53 who knows? 22:54 What is clear now 22:56 is that he has been incarcerated all over again 22:59 in the same city of Rome. 23:02 Only there's no house arrest now. 23:03 No, no, 23:04 he's in that subterranean dungeon 23:06 called Mamertine. 23:10 And he knows that his time is running out. 23:12 In fact, just before he talks about his first defense, 23:14 this line, "Timothy, my beloved son, 23:17 do your best to come to me quickly." 23:20 He'll end the letter, "Please come before winter." 23:24 Why? 23:25 Winter shuts down the sea lanes, 23:26 that's why nobody can come from Asia Minor to Rome. 23:29 "Come now. 23:31 Come to me. 23:33 Come quickly." 23:34 That's all we know. 23:37 So he turned to his last will and testament 23:39 and from that will 23:41 and testament on the eve of his execution, 23:43 a confession treasured by all of Christendom today 23:47 is uttered. 23:49 At in the confession, 23:51 the secret to dying unafraid, here we go. 23:56 "For I am already being poured out like a drink..." 24:01 Word here is the sacrificial pouring out at the altar. 24:05 "I am already being poured out like a drink offering, 24:09 and the time for my departure is near." 24:18 Where's the secret? That's here. 24:23 Embrace your mortality. 24:26 Whatever we just read 24:27 the first secret jumps right out so we grab it. 24:30 Secret number one, embrace your mortality. 24:32 The time for my departure is near. 24:34 What's going on with that word? 24:36 The word departure is actually a very poignant word, 24:40 because Paul has spent a life saying goodbye. 24:43 Some of you grown up with a life that has said 24:45 too many goodbyes, you already know. 24:48 Just getting on a plane is bad and sad enough. 24:53 But when Paul would leave, there was no plane. 24:56 Oftentimes he's on a ship. 24:58 The word for departure is loosing, 25:01 the time of my loosing has come. 25:03 And what's loosing? 25:04 Loosing is that braided rope that is bound 25:09 to the shoreline that tethers the boat to land. 25:12 When they're ready to leave, the rope is unwound, 25:15 it's thrown to the sailors, puff of wind 25:18 and the vessel sails out of the harbor. 25:23 The time of my loosing has come. 25:25 What's he really saying? 25:26 The time for me 25:27 to say goodbye for the last time has come. 25:33 There may be a lump in the throat of this intrepid man. 25:38 If you don't get here soon enough, 25:41 we will have already said our last goodbye. 25:48 Paul, by the way, 25:50 speaking of embracing your mortality, 25:51 Paul has lived constantly 25:54 with this idea that he's going to die. 25:56 Watch this. 25:57 He's scribbled to the, his church plan in Corinth, 25:59 I face death every day. 26:01 The old King James reads, I die daily. 26:06 I'm facing death every day. 26:08 He is considering his end every day. 26:12 But that's the secret. 26:13 If you don't want to be afraid of death, 26:15 you got to talk about death. 26:16 You have to face death. 26:18 You have to deal with death. 26:19 You can't just put it off. 26:21 Some of you think, I'll be jinxed 26:22 if I say anything about my death. 26:24 So I'm not going to say anything about it, 26:25 then nobody hears it, and then I won't die. 26:27 Rubbish. 26:28 You still die. 26:31 You got to talk about it. 26:33 Years ago, there was a book called Tuesdays with Morrie. 26:35 You remember that book? I read the book. 26:37 It's a great book written by Mitch Albom 26:40 who still, by the way, 26:41 sports journalist for the Detroit Free Press. 26:44 All right? 26:45 So Mitch, he had this beloved mentor in college. 26:48 Twenty years ago, when he was in college, 26:51 this mentor, this professor meant so much to him, 26:53 and now Mitch has heard that this mentor has contracted 26:58 Lou Gehrig's disease, ALS. 27:02 He's dying. 27:04 And somehow Mitch arranges for him to visit the mentor. 27:07 And every Tuesday they would get together 27:09 and this dying man who embraces his mortality 27:12 is giving Mitch lessons for life. 27:15 And when you read the book, you get the lessons, 27:17 Paul embraces his mortality. 27:20 That's a key. 27:22 And by the way, for us as Christians, 27:23 is that not a huge reality? 27:28 I mean, what has happened for us? 27:30 We just sang about it. 27:32 The resurrected King resurrects me. 27:36 Early in the book, 27:38 Paul writes these words to remind Timothy, 27:40 "Hey boy, 27:42 it's not like we don't have hope." 27:44 And so here at the beginning of the book, 27:46 Timothy, this grace that has saved you, 27:48 Paul says, "This grace has now been revealed 27:50 through the appearing of our Savior, 27:52 Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death. 27:56 The great English poet, John Donne, 27:57 wrote the poem death be not proud. 27:59 It opens with those words, it ends with these words, 28:02 "Oh, death, thou shalt die." 28:07 Death will die. 28:09 Jesus has destroyed death, and has brought life 28:12 and immortality to light through the gospel." 28:16 So when we embrace our mortality, 28:17 we have this sub story, 28:21 this subplot thoroughly imbedded in our minds. 28:26 Death is not the last... 28:28 It's not the last word. 28:29 Oh, it's true. 28:30 Death can take your life, but it cannot keep your life. 28:35 It can't keep it. 28:36 It'll have to give you back. 28:41 But the time my departure is at Him. 28:47 Yeah, that day, 28:49 when the one who is the resurrection 28:51 and the life will sit on that cloud of glory 28:54 and all you love is appearing, 28:56 you know that that day is coming. 29:00 Jesus who said, I am the resurrection 29:01 and the life. 29:03 She who believes in me though she dies, 29:06 yet shall she live." 29:08 That hope. 29:09 Oh, yes, death can take our life, 29:11 but it cannot keep our life. 29:13 Can we get a hallelujah to that? 29:15 It cannot keep our life. 29:20 So embrace your mortality. 29:22 And by the way, do not embrace death. 29:24 Do not embrace death. 29:26 Death is an enemy, never embrace death. 29:29 Rage, rage against the darkness. 29:32 Don't embrace it. 29:33 What you embrace is you make peace with Jesus. 29:36 You make peace with Jesus, who is your friend, 29:39 your savior and your deliverer from death. 29:42 That's why Paul is not afraid of dying. 29:45 The secrets on how to die 29:48 unafraid are embedded right here. 29:50 We've just looked at the first one. 29:52 Now we go to the second one. 29:54 Not before being reminded that Paul himself wrote this line. 29:57 I love this line. 29:59 This is scribbled to his church plant in Ephesus, 30:01 "Wake up sleeper." 30:03 Oh, this is great. 30:04 "Wake up sleeper, rise from the dead, 30:07 and Christ will shine on you." 30:09 For Paul and every writer in the New Testament 30:12 and every writer in the Old Testament 30:13 death is a sleep from which you can be awakened. 30:18 Death can take you, but it cannot keep you. 30:23 All right, secret number two. 30:25 Verse 7, the last will and testament 30:28 of the intrepid warrior goes on. 30:31 I have fought the good fight, 30:34 I have finished the race, 30:37 I have kept the faith. 30:41 Secret number one, embrace your mortality. 30:43 Secret number two, fulfill your destiny. 30:47 What's going on here? 30:48 By the way, when it says, fulfill your destiny, 30:51 don't forget your destiny either. 30:53 Come on. 30:55 Some of you just like young Timothy grew up in the faith. 30:59 Yes, you did. 31:01 Timothy who was blessed with this godly grandmother. 31:03 What was her name? Lois. 31:04 Godly mother. What was her name? 31:05 Eunice. Has a Greek pagan father. 31:09 But his, but the maternal leaders 31:10 of his family are believers, 31:13 first as Jews and then as Christians. 31:17 Timothy is growing up singing Jesus love me, 31:20 loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so. 31:25 Well, they didn't have that song back then. 31:28 But he grew up believing. 31:29 Some of you have you grown up with that song. 31:31 Yes, you have. You've grown up with the Bible. 31:35 Never apologize for that huge spiritual advantage 31:39 you are given. 31:40 And by the way, if you're young parents, 31:42 and I see a bunch of you young parents here, 31:44 do not do anything to forbid 31:46 and prevent your children from enjoying that same huge 31:50 advantage you had. 31:52 We got young parents now, they were grown up 31:55 with the songs and the stories. 31:57 Are they doing that with their children? 31:58 Oh, I wish. 32:00 Oh, how I wish. 32:02 We cannot raise a new generation 32:04 that has not grown up 32:08 with a faith of our fathers and mothers. 32:12 Embrace your mortality, 32:15 fulfill your destiny, 32:18 because God has wired you. 32:21 I am what I am, what we shared last Sabbath. 32:24 You know, when Taznia was singing up here 32:26 and she said, "You know, I just love to sing." 32:27 You know why? Because that's the way God wired her. 32:30 He hasn't wired me that way. 32:32 But He wired her that way. 32:33 And what a beautiful expression 32:35 of her devotion to God as she worships. 32:37 We are all wired uniquely. 32:41 No, there's nobody just like you. 32:44 So you got to show up, number one. 32:47 And number two, 32:48 you got to know that you have a destiny. 32:51 Some of you have found it. 32:52 Some of you have not. That's okay. 32:54 You don't have to have found it yet. 32:55 But some of you have found it. 32:57 Paul has kept true to his destiny. 33:00 I have finished the race I was given, 33:02 and I have kept the faith I was taught. 33:08 Yeah, but, Dwight, I thought we're talking about 33:09 how to die unafraid. 33:10 What's this have to do with dying unafraid? 33:12 Glad you asked. 33:15 Let me tell you why. 33:18 There's a line in Scripture that I have memorized. 33:21 I say it all the time to myself. 33:24 It's been a huge blessing for me. 33:26 And it's from the old NIV. 33:28 So I've got the new NIV here. 33:30 It's the one before this one. 33:32 But I'm going to put the line on the screen for you. 33:34 I love for you to memorize it, because it's true. 33:38 See what you think. This is Psalm 138:8. 33:44 This is 2 Timothy 3:14. 33:50 I just need you to know before I give you this line, 33:52 don't go anywhere. 33:54 I want you to get this line before you leave. 33:56 I just want you to know 33:58 that I wasn't making up this stuff about Paul 34:00 telling Timothy, 34:02 "Man you grown up singing Jesus love me, 34:03 loves me this I know." 34:05 I'm not making that up. 34:06 Just sentences before this last will 34:09 and testimony, covenant. 34:11 Here we go. 34:12 Chapter 3, "But as for you, my son, 34:15 my beloved Son, Timothy, 34:16 continue in what you have learned 34:18 and have become convinced of, because you know 34:20 those from whom you learned it." 34:22 Yes, mommy and grandma. "And how from infancy..." 34:27 This is what I'm talking about. 34:28 You want your children from infancy. 34:30 That's why we got these great Sabbath schools downstairs. 34:34 They are filled with children. You know why? 34:36 Because parents want their children from infancy 34:39 to be filled with the truth as it is in Jesus. 34:42 No apology. 34:44 You're not taking some great heroic risk for showing up 34:47 with your children to Sabbath School. 34:49 Hundreds are showing up. 34:53 "Oh, you remember Timothy, 34:54 how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, 34:56 which are able to make you wise for salvation 34:59 through faith in Christ Jesus." 35:00 Yes, boy, you, you know. 35:04 That's why you must fulfill your destiny that was begun 35:08 when you were just a toddler. 35:11 Oh, that's good. 35:14 Now, that line from Psalm 138:8, 35:19 it's great, memorize this. 35:22 "The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me." 35:24 Oh, Dwight, that's too short. 35:26 No, it's not too short. 35:27 So you can memorize it, 35:28 the Lord will fulfill His purpose for me. 35:31 I say that all the time to myself. Why? 35:32 Because there are times when I'm wondering, 35:34 "Is my purpose for living still in place?" 35:38 And if not, what am I supposed to do about it? 35:41 Nothing. 35:43 Because if God has a purpose for your life, 35:44 and here's how it's going to help you 35:46 with your fear of death. 35:47 If God has a purpose for your life, 35:49 listen carefully now. 35:50 If God has a purpose for your life, 35:52 and He does, you've been wired for a unique purpose. 35:56 If God has a purpose for your life... 36:00 You're saying, Dwight, you're repeating yourself. 36:02 Well, they sang one line in the chorus 36:04 13 times. 36:08 I guess repetition links it harder 36:12 and stronger into the mind. 36:14 Listen, if God has a divine purpose for your life, 36:18 then guess what? 36:21 God being God 36:22 is not stopping your life till the purpose is done. 36:26 If you're alive right now, 36:29 and you look alive to me from up here. 36:32 If you're alive right now, 36:33 the purpose of God for your life 36:35 is still in place. 36:37 It is still happening. 36:39 You have no idea what is happening, 36:41 but it is happening for you, my friend, 36:44 and it is happening for me, 36:45 the Lord will fulfill His purpose for me. 36:48 That's huge good news, about not having to worry. 36:52 Because if he's going to fulfill His purpose for me, 36:54 I'm not going to die till the purpose is over. 36:58 There's nothing wrong with that. 37:02 Listen, that doesn't give you 37:03 the consolation that you're going to live forever. 37:06 That's not saying, therefore I will live forever. 37:08 No, your purpose may be done at 28. 37:12 I'm serious. 37:14 My purpose could end tomorrow, today. 37:20 But it's okay, because when I die, 37:23 my family will know His purpose was fulfilled. 37:27 Why would God have let him die before finishing His business? 37:32 I know it's not consolation 37:33 when we've lost a young teen, a teen so full of promise, 37:37 we say how could this happen? 37:41 It's heartbreaking. 37:42 But let us not minimize the truth that God can fulfill 37:47 a teen's life in those first fruitful years 37:51 of living to the place that boy, 37:53 that girl has fulfilled her mission on this planet 37:56 before she died. 37:58 Don't tell God He can't do it. 38:01 You need at least 40 years. He says I do not. 38:06 Jesus died at 35. 38:11 If you're alive, there's a purpose for you. 38:15 And I hope you find it if you haven't. 38:19 Embrace your mortality. 38:21 Mortality, that's secret number one. 38:23 Secret number two, fulfill your destiny. 38:24 And by the way, don't waste your days, 38:26 don't fritter away the opportunities 38:28 you have right now to be living out 38:30 and discovering your purpose. 38:31 Don't waste today. 38:34 You won't get another day like this ever again. 38:38 If you don't want to be afraid of death, 38:40 and stay focused on the high calling 38:41 and destiny that God is growing in your life, 38:44 then no matter when you die, 38:45 you die with your destiny fulfilled, 38:48 and you can rest in peace. 38:51 You can sleep in peace. 38:53 I have fought a good fight, 38:55 I have finished my race, 38:58 I have kept the faith, 39:02 three secrets total. 39:04 Two of them, we've just heard. 39:08 The last verse. 39:10 "Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, 39:15 which the Lord, the righteous Judge..." 39:17 By the way, he's talking about righteous 39:20 Judge because he knows he will not stand in the end 39:22 before a righteous Judge. 39:24 But I will have one, one day. 39:27 Oh, that's pregnant with meaning. 39:30 "The Lord, the righteous Judge will award me on that day," 39:34 yes, sire, "and not only to me, 39:36 but good news to everybody listening right now but also 39:39 to all who have longed for Jesus appearing." 39:42 Got to get an amen for that. 39:44 Come on Adventists, 39:49 this is your promise. 39:53 Secret number three, 39:55 claim your legacy. 39:58 Secret number one, embrace your mortality. 40:00 Secret number two, fulfill your destiny. 40:02 And secret number three, now, claim your legacy. 40:07 Paul says I have a crown waiting for me. 40:11 Oh, he's claiming it. 40:13 Why should I be afraid when my crown from Jesus 40:15 is in store for me right now? 40:17 On the eve of his impending death, 40:19 he claims his legacy, and he says it's mine. 40:23 And by the way, 40:25 when he writes the word crown, in Greek, 40:28 as he wrote, it looks like this. 40:33 There should be a name that jumps out 40:35 of this Greek word for crown to you. 40:38 It jumps out to you. What's that name? 40:41 Your mask is on, what's that name? 40:44 Stephen. 40:46 Every time you think about it, 40:47 every time this apostle would scribble the word crown, 40:51 Stephanos, the crown of victory. 40:54 Every time he scribbles that word and looks at it, 40:58 what memories do you suppose returned to him 41:02 as he stood there that day, sanctioning, 41:05 supporting the stoning, 41:07 the brutal stoning of Stephanos, 41:11 the first Christian martyr? 41:15 Paul knows that in a few days, he will be a martyr too. 41:19 It's from the Greek word martus, 41:21 which means witness. 41:23 He will witness as Steven did, by his death. 41:29 Martyrs. 41:31 I have a book in my library, 41:33 titled Foxe's Book of Martyrs. 41:37 It's gruesome. 41:39 They wouldn't print something like that today. 41:44 In the Dark and Middle Ages, 41:46 men, women and children gave their lives for believing 41:50 and standing up for Jesus in His truth. 41:52 By the tens of thousands, 41:54 some estimates millions during that long period 41:57 of darkness became martyrs, 42:02 witnesses by their death. 42:07 Unfortunately, for you and me, 42:08 that's all behind us, right? 42:10 Wrong. It's not behind us. 42:13 I can prove it to you right now. 42:15 The apocalypse, 42:17 the Bible's last book, watch this. 42:19 You'll see it. 42:21 Revelation Chapter 20:4, 42:23 "There will be martyrs in heaven." 42:24 So that's just, because they've talked about martyrs in heaven, 42:27 the preceding verse, I've summarized it 42:28 so that we can get the next verse. 42:29 "There will be martyrs in heaven, 42:31 'who had been beheaded. 42:37 There will be martyrs in heaven, 42:38 who had been beheaded because of their testimony 42:42 about Jesus, 42:43 and because of the Word of God." 42:45 Now keep going, because there John identifies 42:48 who these martyrs are. 42:49 They had not worshiped the beast or its image 42:54 and had not received its mark on their foreheads 42:57 or their hands." 42:59 You don't have to know much about the apocalypse 43:01 to know that that's language that describes 43:03 the end game just before Jesus comes, 43:06 some sort of global enforcement. 43:12 With a command, you will do it on the pain of death, 43:16 or you will be executed. 43:21 Has that happened yet? Oh, it hasn't. 43:23 It hasn't happened yet. 43:27 The American writer Ellen White says, 43:30 "Yeah, that's true. 43:33 That's a good interpretation." 43:36 She writes prior to the last closing conflict, 43:39 "Many," this is just before Jesus comes, 43:42 "Many will be imprisoned, 43:44 many will flee for their lives from cities and towns, 43:47 and many will be martyrs for Christ's sake 43:51 in standing in defense of the truth." 43:57 Many. 44:00 Many. 44:03 You mean, in this age? Yep. 44:08 You're talking about this century? 44:11 Could be. 44:12 Do you mean this decade? 44:16 Could be. 44:18 Many. 44:22 Shall we fear such a death? 44:25 And by the way, 44:28 there are martyrs all over this planet as we speak. 44:32 The problem is you and I 44:33 with our western exclusivity have determined 44:38 there's no martyrs because of our septic world 44:42 where it can't happen. 44:47 But all over this planet, there are men and women 44:49 laying down their lives for the Lord Jesus Christ. 44:59 Shall we fear such a death? 45:01 Don't have to. Watch this, this is beautiful. 45:03 Desire of Ages, "The disciples were not endowed 45:06 with the courage and fortitude 45:07 of the martyrs until such grace was needed." 45:13 You don't have the courage of a martyr right now 45:15 and I could tell you what? 45:16 Neither do I. 45:20 I'm not going to go out to seek martyrdom. 45:22 Only a fool would do that. 45:25 We just don't have it. 45:26 And by the way, speaking of the disciples of Jesus, 45:28 guess what? 45:29 Judas who commit suicide out of the picture, 45:32 they're all martyred except one, John boy, 45:35 all martyred, all of them. 45:37 Every single one of them and he tried with John boy. 45:41 The disciples were not endowed with the courage 45:43 and fortitude of the martyrs until such grace was needed. 45:49 Do we have to be afraid? No, 45:51 I'm not afraid. Why? 45:55 You'll be fine. 45:57 I will be fine. 45:59 And if like Paul, it is our destiny 46:02 to lay down our lives for Christ Jesus our Lord, 46:04 that at that moment we will be endued 46:07 with the courage and fortitude of the martyrs. 46:10 That's it. 46:11 And there it is, ladies and gentlemen, 46:12 the threefold secret to dying unafraid. 46:16 Put it up again, secret number one, 46:18 embrace your mortality in Jesus. 46:21 Secret number two, fulfill your destiny in Jesus. 46:25 Secret number three, claim your legacy in Jesus. 46:30 And now for one last moment. 46:32 Let's reverently look in on the final moments of Paul's life. 46:37 Take that moment where, 46:39 when he stands before the wily Nero. 46:43 You're going to read now 46:44 a striking word picture collage from Sketches 46:49 from the Life of Paul. 46:53 Ever find that little book? 46:55 Do yourself a favor, get it. 46:57 All right. 46:59 So now they're face to face, 47:02 the protagonist and the antagonist. 47:05 Here we go. 47:06 Paul and Nero face to face, 47:09 the youthful monarch and I insert 47:10 the words because it's true, 47:12 he was 32 years old at the time. 47:14 He's just a boy. 47:15 "The youthful monarch bearing upon his sin 47:18 stamped countenance the shameful record 47:20 of the passions that reigned within the aged prisoner's 47:24 calm and benignant face telling of a heart at peace with God 47:28 and man. 47:29 The wretched whose soul was stained with incest 47:32 and matricide, he killed his own mother, 47:34 was robed in purple, 47:36 and seated upon the throne, while the purest and noblest 47:39 of men stood before the judgment seat, 47:41 despised, hated and fettered." 47:47 Paul notices that the place is packed with spectators. 47:53 He is well-known in the empire after all. 47:58 "As Paul gazed upon the throng before him in the courtroom, 48:02 Jews, Greeks, Romans, 48:05 with strangers for many lands, his soul was stirred 48:08 with an intense desire for their salvation. 48:11 Once more Paul had an opportunity 48:13 to raise aloft before a wondering multitude 48:16 the banner of the cross of Christ. 48:19 With more than human eloquence and power..." 48:22 What does that mean? 48:24 That's what Jesus promised. 48:25 So I got to hit the pause button right here. 48:27 Don't ever forget this promise of Jesus, 48:29 Luke 12:11-12. 48:31 If you can read it in the New Living Translation, 48:33 it goes like this. 48:35 Don't think in advance about what you're going to say 48:37 when you stand in front of Nero. 48:40 Because at that moment, as NLT puts it, 48:43 while you are standing there, 48:45 the spirit of My Father will give you what to say. 48:48 It will be given to you. 48:50 You don't write a speech and put it in your shoes, 48:53 hoping you'll have the speech the day you're arrested. 48:56 It will be given to you. 48:59 Trust God, don't worry. 49:02 I love that. 49:04 With more than human eloquence and power, 49:06 Paul that day, urged home upon their hearts 49:09 the truths of the gospel. 49:13 Now, I want you to try to picture this moment 49:15 because this is a stunning word picture. 49:16 You got to see it. 49:17 All right, let it form in your mind. 49:20 His countenance, we're talking about the prisoner, 49:21 the aged prisoner, Paul. 49:23 "His countenance glows with the light of heaven, 49:26 as though reflecting the rays of the sun," 49:28 like the roof opened up, and there's this shaft 49:31 of sunlight on his face. 49:36 "Many who looked upon him in that hall of judgment, 49:39 saw his face 49:41 as it had been the face of an angel." 49:44 By the way, Acts Chapter 6, 49:47 the trial of Stephen and it begins the last verse 49:50 of Acts 6 with this very line, 49:53 the face of an angel. 49:55 That was Saul's impression of Stephen, 49:58 and wouldn't you know it? 50:00 Saul's about to die, and what he saw in Stephen 50:03 is happening to him, he has no idea it's happening. 50:07 His face a glow, like an angel. 50:10 There'll be an angel for you when you die. 50:15 There'll be an angel for me. 50:19 "Many who looked upon him in that judgment hall, 50:22 saw his face as an angel." 50:23 I'll keep reading. This is unbelievable. 50:25 "Tears dimmed many eyes that had never before been seen 50:30 to weep." 50:32 Hardened men 50:38 in the courtroom. 50:40 Tears dimmed many eyes it had never before been seen 50:42 to weep. 50:44 "The gospel message found its way to the minds 50:46 and hearts of many 50:47 who would never have listened to it, 50:49 but for the imprisonment of Paul." 50:51 There it is, ladies and gentlemen, 50:53 the shining reason God will still allow martyrs 50:55 at the end of time 50:57 to lay down their lives before Jesus comes, 50:59 is for the profound 51:01 and lasting effect their testimony will have 51:03 in turning witnesses 51:05 who view it to salvation just in time, 51:11 and so God allows it. 51:13 And afterwards, 51:15 if He says was that okay with you? 51:21 But, of course. 51:26 What's going on in Nero's mind? Watch this. 51:28 "Never had Nero heard the truth 51:31 as he heard it upon that occasion. 51:33 Never had the enormous guilt of his own life been revealed 51:35 to him as it was revealed that day. 51:37 The light of heaven had pierced the sin-polluted chambers 51:41 of his soul. 51:42 He quaked with terror at the thought 51:44 of a tribunal before which he, ruler of the world, 51:47 should be arraigned, 51:49 and where his deeds should meet a just reward. 51:52 That moment," unbelievable, "that moment the invitation 51:56 of mercy was extended even to the guilty 51:59 and hardened Nero. 52:01 But only for a moment." 52:03 Never write off a public figure 52:07 as being beyond the reach of divine mercy. 52:11 Never write off a public figure 52:15 as too hardened, 52:17 too impervious to be penetrated by the good news 52:21 of our Lord Jesus Christ. 52:24 Light shining into that dark heart, 52:29 but only for a moment. 52:32 We are told that Nero 52:34 is so intimidated by the God of the Apostle Paul, 52:39 that he dismisses the court with no decision. 52:45 Paul is sent back to the Mamertine dungeon. 52:48 And then it reads 52:49 when the dungeon door snapped shut, 52:53 the door to mercy for Nero was closed. 52:58 He had a few moments 53:01 to change his mind, 53:03 but he said no. 53:06 Oh, my. 53:07 Only later was the command by the way given 53:09 to take the prisoner out and execute him. 53:11 And on the day of Paul's execution, 53:14 look at his spirit. 53:17 Look. 53:19 Can I be like this? 53:21 Well, I think why not? 53:23 Here it is, "Paul was led in a private manner 53:26 to the place of execution. 53:28 Few spectators were allowed to be present. 53:31 But the hardened soldiers appointed to attend him 53:33 listened to his words, 53:34 and with amazement saw him cheerful 53:36 and even joyous in the prospect of such a death." 53:39 Can you believe it? 53:41 Apparently his secret works. 53:44 You can come to your death unafraid. 53:48 "They saw him cheerful and even joyous in prospect 53:51 of such a death. 53:52 His spirit of forgiveness toward his murderers, 53:56 and his unwavering confidence in Christ 53:58 to the very last proved a savior of life unto life 54:02 to some who witnessed his martyrdom." 54:03 Now keep reading. 54:05 "More than one of those guards erelong accepted 54:09 the Savior whom Paul preached 54:11 and fearlessly sealed their faith with their blood." 54:15 How did Tertullian put it? 54:16 The blood of Christians is seed. 54:22 It's the only reason God allows martyrdom. 54:24 Somebody gets saved 54:28 that wouldn't have been saved. 54:32 So you can know that and I can know that, 54:35 should the day ever come, 54:38 somebody will get saved. 54:42 Wow. 54:44 "Finally, as he stood at the place of martyrdom, 54:48 he saw not the gleaming sword of the executioner 54:52 or the green earth so soon to receive his blood. 54:55 He looked up through the calm blue heaven 54:58 of that summer's day to the throne of the Eternal. 55:01 His last thoughts 55:03 and hopes are centered on the second advent 55:06 of his Lord. 55:07 And as the sword of the executioner descends, 55:14 and the shadows of death gather about the martyr soul, 55:18 his latest or last thoughts springs forward 55:23 as will his earliest, his first thought, 55:26 coming up on that great awakening, 55:27 that great getting up morning." 55:30 Where were the thoughts springing forward to? 55:33 "To meet the Lifegiver, his Lord Jesus Christ, 55:36 who shall welcome him one day, to the joy of the blest." 55:41 Amen and amen. 55:44 My, oh my, oh my. 55:48 And thus ends 55:51 the life of this noble friend of Jesus. 55:56 Life we've lived with now for a few weeks together. 56:02 A journey we've taken that I predict will leave none 56:06 of us ever the same again. 56:14 Let's pray. 56:16 Oh, God, grant us the privilege 56:19 of living a life as faithful as Paul's. 56:24 And if it's to glorify You, Father, 56:27 and fulfill the destiny of our lives then grant us 56:29 the privilege of dying a death 56:32 as faithful as Paul's. 56:37 For I know whom I have believed 56:42 and am persuaded that He is able 56:45 to keep that which I have committed 56:49 unto Him against that day. 56:57 One of the hot debates on this planet today 56:59 is this collective conversation 57:01 about Creation versus Evolution. 57:03 While there are a thousand voices 57:05 offering their perspectives, 57:06 the truth is that in God's Word, 57:08 there are some pretty definitive statements. 57:11 In fact, I examined those statements 57:12 and the evidence for creation in a little book 57:15 I wrote Creation and Evolution, 57:16 subtitle thoughtful look at the evidence that a master 57:19 designer created our planet. 57:21 I'd love for you to join the conversation 57:23 and check out the evidence for yourself. 57:25 In fact, if you call our toll free number 57:28 877-HIS-WILL, the two words, 57:29 HIS-WILL, I'll make sure one 57:31 of these books at no charge to you 57:33 is in the mail. 57:34 The number again, 877-HIS-WILL. 57:37 Let the operator know you want the book Creation 57:39 and Evolution, 57:41 and we'll get it in the mail to you as soon as possible. 57:44 Until we're together again, 57:46 right here on New Perceptions next week, 57:48 may the grace, and peace, 57:51 and the hope of the Creator abide with you. |
Revised 2021-12-09