Participants:
Series Code: NP
Program Code: NP220416S
|
00:02 ♪♪
00:12 >> Good morning, happy Sabbath. We're so happy that you're here 00:15 with us this week. As we sing a couple of songs, we 00:17 just encourage you to sing with us and praise the God that we 00:20 get to serve. ♪♪ 00:28 Please stand. [ "Lead Me to the Cross" 00:32 begins ] ♪♪ 03:48 You may be seated. [ "Touch the Sky" begins ] 03:52 ♪♪ 07:37 >> Amen. >> Amen. 07:40 ♪♪ 07:48 >> Morning. The Scripture reading this 07:51 morning is found in Matthew 28:5-7, and it says, 07:54 "The angel said to the women, 'Do not be afraid, for I know 07:57 that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 08:00 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. 08:03 Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his 08:06 disciples, "He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. 08:10 There you will see him." Now I have told you.'" ♪♪ 08:19 >> As we sing this next song on Easter Sabbath, I invite you 08:23 to assume the posture of prayer as we sing our next song. 08:27 [ "I Hear the Savior Say" begins ] 09:30 >> Please come forward as we sing. 12:41 >> Aren't you glad that Jesus... 12:46 >> Well, good morning and happy Easter Sabbath to all of you boys and girls. 12:50 What a treat to see you, and look at what you did. Bless you for all those 12:55 offerings that you've put in there. Good to see all of you. 13:00 Do you feel as happy as you look? 13:03 I can tell you do. And you're right. 13:06 Papa's very happy that he's got his three favorite 13:09 granddaughters right here. 13:11 Ella and Izzy. And where's Lily? Oh, she's in mother's arms. 13:16 Right beside daddy. Hey, good to have all of you guys. 13:20 Do you know what this is? What do I have in my hand? This is a water bottle. 13:26 Yep. You ever drink from these? Oh, everybody loves water. 13:30 What? You looking for somebody? >> I'm right here. 13:33 >> Oh, there you are. Hey, dad. You have drunk from these water 13:39 bottles, I know you have. 'Cause it's -- Do you love the taste of water? 13:43 Yeah, isn't it great? Oh, it's just a wonderful taste, especially when you're thirsty. 13:48 And in New Camden, New Jersey, just this last week, in school, I'm talking about 13:54 Bobby Stonaker. Bobby was in school. Nine years old. 13:59 Anybody here nine years old? Nine years old, just your age. Give me a high-five. 14:04 He was nine years old, third grade. You get into third grade? 14:07 Oh, man, he's just like you. Bobby is in school last Wednesday, and he says, "Man, 14:12 I'm getting thirsty right now. Right now, I need some water." Well, mother put a little 14:18 water bottle. She did, she put it in his little lunch. 14:21 So he reached down to his little lunch and brought out a little water bottle, and he said, 14:25 "Okay, I'm gonna have a drink right now. Teacher doesn't mind." 14:28 And he can't get the lid off. Have you ever had it where it's just so tight you can't get the 14:32 lid off? He can't get the lid off. Well, this is just crazy. 14:37 Well, I know how I'd get it off. He said, "I'll just put" -- Don't you ever do this. 14:41 He said, "I'll just put this in my mouth like this, and I'm gonna just turn it and turn." 14:46 You know, if you really bite down hard on it, theoretically, it would break loose. 14:52 So he went... [Grunting] And all of a sudden, it broke loose! 14:57 But the problem was he was holding the jar so tight that, when the top came off, the water 15:04 behind it just went -- pssh -- into his mouth and... [ Gasps ] 15:09 [ Gulping ] And I watched the security camera video, and first, he gets 15:18 out, he goes back to the sink in the back. [ Gulping ] 15:22 Nothing's coming out. And then, he walks all the way to the front of class and his 15:27 teacher's Mrs. Jenkins, Janiece Jenkins. She's right there, and he comes 15:31 up to her, and he looks up at her, he goes... [Gulping] And she looked down, and she 15:38 made one correct -- as only teachers can make -- decision just like that. 15:44 He is choking on something. She has no idea what it is. She whirls him around. 15:49 She takes her big teacher arms, and she puts her arms around his front, his chest, and she put 15:55 her fist. You know, you do it like this. You just put your hand over your 15:58 fist and you go right under here if somebody's choking. And what is it called? 16:01 You know what it's called? >> CPR. >> CPR? Well, that's close. 16:05 [ Laughter ] Very close. It's also called 16:09 the Heimlich maneuver. I didn't expect you to know that. 16:13 But she went around and she grabbed and she goes, "Ugh!" And I'm watching on this video. 16:19 She went, "Ugh!" He goes, "Uhh." She says, "Do it again. 16:23 Number two. Ugh!" [ Groans ] Nothing. 16:26 She does it the third time. I counted them. "Ugh!" 16:30 Pop! [ Laughter ] The water -- The cap fell on the 16:36 floor, and he looked up with this look of, "Ahh!" It happened so fast. 16:44 She did have CPR training. She knew what to do. But she said later, she said, 16:48 "I just grabbed him and began to do what I should do." And now he's crying. 16:52 And the teacher's starting to feel like crying, too. And she goes over to her desk as 16:57 he grabs a little bit of Kleenex, and she pulls it out, and she rubs her little third 17:02 grader's cheeks. She said, "You're gonna be all right, Bobby." 17:05 And, oh, my. You have your daddy or mommy, this afternoon, show you that 17:09 little video. Oh, my. You know what? 17:12 When I saw that teacher do that, you know who I thought about? I thought about Jesus. 17:16 I thought about Jesus way up there in Heaven, and he's looking down, and Jesus says, 17:20 "Wait a minute, angels, hold it, hold it. They're choking. 17:24 The mommies and daddies are choking. The little boys and the little 17:27 girls are choking. They're not choking on water bottle caps. 17:30 They're choking on sin and they need help. They're gonna die if I can't 17:35 get that out." And, so, Jesus came down, and they put Him on a cross just 17:39 like that. You see that cross? And they made sure his arms 17:43 were wide open so that he could do a global, universal Heimlich maneuver and reach 17:50 around the whole human race, and on their behalf, He went, "Ugh!" And... [Popping lips] 17:57 Those sins start coming out when people find out there's a Savior who could take care of me. 18:02 [ Popping lips ] Yeah, and I tell you one other thing, and I love this part. 18:08 You know what He did? They put Him in a grave. That's why we're here today. 18:12 They put Him in a grave, but they couldn't keep Him, they couldn't keep Him locked in. 18:16 And Sunday morning, when He raised Himself back up, Sunday morning, He said, "Okay, I got 18:20 one more Heimlich maneuver. I'm gonna take the door of this grave and I'm gonna squeeze 18:26 the door of every grave on this Earth until -- pow! -- the grave is no longer a one-way trip. 18:35 I'm gonna open the door to Heaven." Oh, my. 18:40 Don't you just love Jesus? They asked little Bobby afterwards -- or reported it -- 18:44 "What do you want to say to your teacher?" And he looked up at her 'cause 18:47 she was there, too. He looked up at her and he said, "I love you." 18:51 Oh. For God so loved the world that He gave His only son. 18:56 That's why we're here today. And we can say, "I love you." How many want to say, "I love 19:01 you," back to Jesus? You want to just put a hand up and say, "Jesus, I love you 19:05 so much." Yeah, we do. Who would like to thank Jesus? 19:10 Who would like to be the volunteer prayer today who would like to thank Jesus. 19:15 Young lady, I see your hand up. You come on over here. And let's get a microphone. 19:20 Here, we got one. Thank you, Carl. And I know who your 19:24 grandparents are. What's your first name? >> Uh, I forgot. 19:29 >> Judith. >> Judith! >> Well, it's a good thing your 19:32 grandpa hangs around you. >> Yeah. >> Hey, Judith, would you mind 19:36 thanking Jesus for us for being such a wonderful Savior? >> Yeah. 19:40 >> Let's close our eyes and fold our hands. >> Jesus, thank you for this 19:47 life and thank you for... [ Laughs ] I don't -- 19:52 >> That's good. >> Thank you for... ev-- 19:58 Thank you for loving us. >> Mm-hmm. >> And thank you for coming to 20:05 Heaven. And thank you for life. >> Yes. 20:14 >> And thank you for a people who loves you. >> Mm-hmm. 20:22 And -- And... And thank you for... And thank you for... 20:34 And... >> Amen. >> Amen. 20:36 >> Amen. Hey, hey. Hey, Judith, you come here. Let me give you a hug. 20:40 Because your grandpa's a preacher, and I can tell it's rubbing off on you. 20:43 You're gonna be a great preacher. All right? 20:46 God bless you, Judith. God bless you, boys and girls, as you go quietly and reverently 20:50 back to your seats. Thank you, Jesus, for loving on us. 20:54 Amen. 21:00 ♪♪ 23:53 [ Applause ] 24:05 ♪♪ 25:05 >> Let's pray. Oh, God, we just sang it to you. 25:10 Our confession of hope and faith, made like Him. 25:14 Like Him, we rise, alleluia. Ours the cross, the grave, 25:18 the skies, alleluia. Lock that hope. 25:23 Lock that faith deep in our hearts as you speak to us now 25:26 through your word, in Jesus' name, amen. 25:30 >> Amen. >> The message that echoes from 25:34 the empty sepulcher today catches us by surprise. 25:41 Ain't no grave... gonna hold my body down. 25:46 Hmm. 25:48 Johnny Cash, the great American country singer who -- by the way, and you didn't know this -- 25:53 who got delivered from his deadly addiction to cigarette smoking by attending one of the 25:57 Seventh-day Adventist Church's stop smoking clinics. They used to call it a five-day 26:02 plan to stop smoking. You might remember that. And then it became BreatheFree. 26:07 And for the rest of his life, he carried in his heart a soft spot for Adventists. 26:12 Johnny Cash, just days before he died, collaborated with a producer friend of his named 26:18 Rick Rubin, and they recorded the title song on the album that was released posthumously, 26:25 "Ain't No Grave Gonna Hold My Body Down." One reviewer wrote wrote it 26:30 this way. "When the recording was released on the posthumous album 26:34 'America VI: Ain't No Grave'" -- came out in 2010 -- "listeners encountered a fragility in his 26:41 legendary voice that made the performance porous and transcendent. 26:46 'The Washington Post's' critic, Bill Friskics-Warren, wrote about it with these words -- 26:52 'spiritual, even biblical quality of the music.'" End quote. 26:57 The roots of this song are tied back to Negro spirituals in the late 1800s. 27:03 Ain't no grave gonna hold my body down. Ain't no grave gonna hold my 27:08 body down. When I hear the trumpets sound, I'm gonna get up out of the 27:13 ground 'cause ain't no grave gonna hold my body down. The Easter story. 27:21 Let me remind you. "Once upon a time, after the Sabbath, at dawn on the first 27:26 day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. 27:31 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from Heaven, and going to 27:36 the tomb, rolled back that stone and sat on it. His clothes were white as snow. 27:41 The guards were so afraid of Him that they shook and became like dead men." 27:46 Oh, I like the the graphic way "Desire of Ages" renders this. 28:05 Ain't no grave gonna hold my body down. Ain't no grave gonna hold my 28:11 body down. When I hear the trumpets sound, I'm gonna get up out of the 28:16 ground 'cause ain't no grave gonna hold my body down. I'm so excited about this song, 28:22 I want to start singing it. Can I get an amen to that song, by the way? 28:27 Come on. "Ain't No Grave." "Ain't No Grave." 28:31 That was the shout, by the way, that ignited the Book of Acts. Mm-hmm. 28:35 When the truth penetrated society there was a risen Savior, that was the shout. 28:42 But what's so amazing to me -- and I just saw this week and I got to share it with you -- is 28:46 the profound cause and effect that the message of the risen Savior produced in the lives of 28:51 those who believed in the beginning. Story number one. 28:54 Peter is preaching his heart out. It's the day of Pentecost. 28:58 50 days after Jesus rises from the tomb, he's preaching away. Let's interrupt him in a sermon. 29:04 Here we go. Acts 2:32. Peter's preaching... 29:13 Yes, sir. 29:23 3,000 people come forward in that altar call and are baptized that day, and look what happens 29:29 to that fledgling movement just birthed. Here we go. 29:52 Now, you don't see it yet, but it's there. Just enough evidence to hint at 29:57 the conclusion. But because you're not convinced, let's go to the 30:01 second story. Story number two. Peter and John have spent the 30:04 night in jail. How come? Because they healed a lame man. 30:07 Born lame, by the way. Healed him in the name of Jesus of Nazareth, who was alive 30:13 and well. Yeah, they've been arrested. They're in front of the 30:18 authorities. We're now in Acts 4:10, and Peter -- we interrupt Peter 30:21 again. Here he goes. "Then know this, you clergy"... 30:37 That room full of clergy is stumped. They've got to just debate next 30:42 steps. They dismiss Peter and John. Verse 18. 30:47 "And then, they called them in, Peter and John, again"... 31:16 Peter and John go back to the fledgling movement. They now bring the healed lame 31:20 man with them, a new member. They have a mighty prayer session, and at the end of the 31:25 prayer session -- true story -- the Holy Spirit is poured out all over again. 31:30 Let's pick it up. Notice the effect. 31:40 Keep reading. 31:51 Whoa! 32:06 End quote. This is a second time now we've observed this pattern. 32:11 You say, "What pattern, Dwight?" Well, see if you see it. Whenever the message of a risen 32:17 Savior is proclaimed, there is a reciprocal response among those who believe. 32:23 Story number one. They embrace the message of the risen Savior and they 32:26 immediately begin to serve one another, especially the needy among them. 32:29 Story number two. They embrace the message of the risen Savior and they 32:33 immediately begin to serve one another to the place there is not one needy person in the 32:37 whole movement. Leading us to tentatively -- okay, I'm willing to put 32:42 the word in -- tentatively conclude... 32:56 Hmm. They believe in the risen Christ and they demonstrate that belief 33:02 by radical service or radical serving one to another. So radical, in fact, that some 33:09 are willing to liquidate their assets for the sake of the needy. 33:13 Have mercy. Why? Well, I'm gonna add a word here. 33:18 "Because the message of a risen Savior always"... Now, this is dependent on 33:25 the premise here -- belief. 33:35 Story number three. You say, "Well, Dwight, I'm not sure. 33:38 Give me one more." Okay, story number three, just a few pages later. 33:42 Let's go to Acts 9. "In Joppa, There was a disciple named Tabitha." 33:47 That's Aramaic. "In Greek, her name is Dorcas." And both the Greek and the 33:52 Aramaic mean "gazelle." "She was always doing good and helping the poor." 33:57 Now, there must have been something about this little baby girl that's born that leads this 34:01 mother to conclude that, "You know what? We got a spry little dancer on 34:05 our hands here, and we're going to name her 'Gazelle.'" Well, I got three granddaughters 34:09 that you just met, and they are spry all over the place. They're like gazelles 34:13 themselves. So Dorcas, Tabitha, whichever name you wish, when she embraces 34:21 the teaching, the announcement of a risen Savior, out of devotion to Him, she immediately 34:30 devotes her life to radical service. Immediately. 34:38 And then tragedy strikes... and she does die very unexpectedly. 34:45 But I want you to keep reading. "About that time, she became sick and died, and her body was 34:50 washed" -- the Jewish custom -- "her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room." 34:55 Keep reading. 35:05 You got to do something. 35:12 And what sight greets his eyes? 35:23 She's made a mark on that little community. "Peter sent them all out of the 35:28 room; then he got down on his knees" -- Oh, I wish I had a YouTube of 35:31 this. "He got down on his knees and he prayed, and turning toward the 35:36 dead woman" -- the corpse -- "he said, 'Tabitha, get up.' She opened her eyes, and seeing 35:44 Peter, she sat up." Now, I learned from my friend, F.F. Bruce, the great 35:49 New Testament commentator, something I never seen before, and I want to pass it on to you. 35:57 What is happening here -- And you'll get it immediately. What is happening here is that 36:03 Peter is repeating what he saw done when Jesus raised Jairus -- Remember the ruler of the 36:11 synagogue, Jairus, and little 12-year-old daughter, she died, and Jesus raised the daughter. 36:18 Peter is step by step. Watch this. First of all, he watched Jesus 36:21 do this. Only Peter, James, and John were there. 36:25 He watched Jesus say, "Everybody out of the room. 36:27 Just everybody out." What does Peter do? 36:29 "Everybody out of the room." Then he hears Jesus, in Aramaic, 36:32 'cause that's what Jesus spoke. And by the way, 36:34 the Gospel of Mark is the only place that gives us Jesus' 36:37 Aramaic words in that room with the dead body of 36:40 the 12-year-old. The Aramaic is talitha cumi. 36:45 He hears Jesus say, "Talitha cumi." 36:48 And what Peter does is repeat those identical two words, 36:52 except he changes one letter. Instead of saying talitha cumi, 36:56 he says, "Tabitha cumi." 36:59 He's following Jesus right down the line. And what happens next? 37:05 Oh, let's go back and set it up. 37:11 Keep reading. "Turning toward the dead woman, he said, 'Tabitha cumi. 37:15 Get up, Gazelle.' She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter, she sat up. 37:21 And he took her by the hand." Guess what Peter saw Jesus do with the daughter of Jairus. 37:25 What did he do? Jesus took that little girl by the hand. 37:28 And Peter says, "I guess that that's what we do next, step three," and he takes the hand 37:32 and he brings her right up. "He took her by the hand and he helped her to her feet. 37:36 And then he called for the believers" -- come on in, take a look at this -- 37:40 "especially the widows, and presented her to them alive. And this became known all over 37:44 Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord." Can you imagine that headline? 37:49 Wow. Wow, the power of a risen Savior flows back into that dead body, 37:57 and beautiful Dorcas or Tabitha, she wakes up. And what she was doing when she 38:02 was cut down, she immediately resumes when she's raised back up. 38:07 She starts serving the needy. I'm telling you. I'm not making this up. 38:11 Three stories in a row. Story number one, story number two, story number three, 38:16 all with the same truth. 38:26 That's the key. You got to believe. Of course. 38:29 In other words, if you today -- I'm talking to you right now -- if you today believe He's alive, 38:35 and most of you here do, ipso facto -- that's two little words -- on the basis of that 38:41 fact, if you believe he's alive, you serve. That's it. 38:46 If you believe Jesus lives right now, you serve. You serve. 38:52 ♪ I serve a risen Savior ♪ He's in the world today Stop. 39:02 I like that -- I like the way that begins. I serve. 39:06 I serve. If you believe he's alive, you serve. 39:11 Wow. But what I've been brooding over this week is, how does this work 39:15 in real time? How does this work in real life? Come on. 39:20 Here's the conclusion I've come to. Now, you're gonna have to check 39:24 this out because I have no way to do but listen to what you say. 39:27 I'm gonna give you three givens. Okay, three givens. Let's see if they help us. 39:31 Given number one, put it on the screen for you. 39:37 Hands down, hands down our greatest enemy, right? That's just a given. 39:42 I mean, come on, please. I traverse up and down the halls of hospitals in this county. 39:47 I traverse up and down the roads of this county. I sit beside those at the edge 39:52 of life, on the verge of death, and you got to trust me -- there is nobody that considers death 39:57 good news. Oh, yes, the little caveat that you want insert here. 40:02 That's true. For some, death does come as a sweet release from the grueling 40:06 battle to live, but otherwise, death is our mortal foe. Never make peace with death. 40:15 Was that Dylan Thomas? Rage, rage into the night. Don't go softly. 40:21 Fight it. Death is an enemy. But thank God for 40:25 the New Testament. 1 Corinthians 15. "But thanks be to God, who 40:28 giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." Oh, death, where is your sting? 40:34 Oh, grave, where is your victory? Ain't no body... 40:43 that you have, ain't no body that I have can be pinned down in that grave. 40:50 Unh-unh, unh-unh. Wow. Given number one. Come on, let's just admit it. 40:57 Jesus conquered death. Amen. Let's go to given number two. Given number two. 41:01 "There is therefore" -- So following this little syllogism perhaps. 41:08 Now, this is really important. Because it's not just death that's our enemy. 41:13 And if Jesus licked death, as He did with His own mighty death and resurrection, there's 41:17 nothing -- now, here's the point -- there is nothing, there is no one else that we need to 41:22 fear. Do you understand that? In Romans 8, what's that great 41:26 line? If God is for us, who can be what? 41:30 Who can be against us? Nobody. It's a rhetorical question. 41:34 Nobody's against us. Not the enemy of fear. Mnh-mnh. 41:40 Nor the enemy of despair. Not the enemy of hopelessness, nor the enemy of helplessness. 41:47 Whatever paralyzes you in the darkest of nights, whatever immobilizes you in the brightest 41:54 of days, I don't care what it is, it cannot overcome you. It can't. 42:03 If you're in Him... you got it. No matter what. 42:11 Three givens, and then I'll sit down. Okay, here comes number three. 42:14 Given number three. Based on given one, given two. 42:25 Oh, I love that line. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." 42:29 There it is. The can-do spirit of the risen Christ that permeated, 42:33 infiltrated the early Christian church and turned them into can-do heroes for the king. 42:42 Can do. I can do all things through Christ. 42:45 They believed they could do it with him and through him. They saw the world as their 42:50 parish. They saw their assets as their gifts and the needs all around 42:54 them their glorious opportunities. "Man, this is perfect. 42:57 Let's go to work." Sign me up. Robert Schuller, in his 43:03 wonderful little book, "Move Ahead with Possibility Thinking." 43:06 I believe he's right. I'll put Schuller on the screen here. 43:11 "You can talk yourself into almost any attitude." That is one of the great 43:14 psychological truths of the human race. We had psychologists in first 43:18 service. We've got psychologists sitting here, and they'll tell you, 43:21 this is absolutely true. 43:33 Man, I got a young friend that calls me every now and then. He said, "Oh, brother, you're 43:38 not gonna believe this. This is just -- You got to -- 43:41 You should be working where I'm working." "Oh, yeah?" 43:44 "Yeah, I'm worn out. Not getting anywhere. Dead end." 43:51 No, no, no. Don't talk yourself into almost anything. 43:56 No, no, no. Not that. Schuller goes on. "Repeat out loud, 'I'm tired.' 44:01 Repeat out loud, 'I'm finished. I'm through,'" and guess what? "You will soon believe it." 44:07 Your mind will believe what your lips say. Be careful what your lips speak 44:11 to your mind. Be very careful. "The positive application" -- 44:16 I like this. So, this is the flip side. It not only works negatively, it 44:19 works beautifully positively. "The positive application is equally powerful. 44:23 'I'm going to be happy today.'" I'm gonna be courageous today. I'm gonna be confident today. 44:28 I'm gonna be energetic today. I'm gonna be kind today. I'm gonna be loving today. 44:33 And you say it. I'm gonna be loving all the way through that day, and you know 44:36 what? You will be loving. Through the power of the risen 44:40 Christ, you will be. Yes, you will. "The positive application is 44:45 equally powerful. 'I'm going to be happy today, though the skies are cloudy and 44:49 gray, no matter what comes my way, I'm gonna be happy today.' As the French author Colette 44:55 viewed her life on the screen," Schuller writing, "someone said to her, 'Yo, girl, it looked 44:59 like you were a very happy child,' and she answered, 'Yes, it's too bad I didn't realize it 45:07 at the time.'" Most of us have no idea that what we're going through right 45:13 now is actually good news. We're so convinced that it's bad news, it's just ruining my 45:17 life. We have no idea that God says, "Come on, girl, boy, hold off. 45:23 You can't see what I see." Wow. So what's that mean? 45:33 You know, as Schuller put it, you can you you can talk yourself into almost any 45:37 attitude you want to. But I love the attitude -- I love the attitude of 45:41 the Bible. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." 45:46 It's that can-do spirit that has led men, women, and children through the ages into radical 45:51 service to their risen Savior. It's that can-do spirit. In the name of Christ, my risen 45:56 Lord, that last Sunday over a hundred people -- you saw it on the big screen -- over a hundred 46:01 people. It was fatiguing, you bet. Four hours standing the whole 46:04 blooming time. But when Sunday was over, these over a hundred went home with a 46:13 sense of gratitude, a sense of being energized because 41 little children that were 46:19 sleeping on the floor in this county now are sleeping on beautiful beds with pillows 46:23 and quilts and mattresses. What's wrong with that? All because they volunteered. 46:33 They said, "Yeah, I can help. Sign me up. I'll do it. I'll do that." 46:37 Wow. He said, "Dwight, listen, I just haven't been able to find a real 46:44 need." Oh, I'm glad you brought that up because I want to remind you 46:48 that we have a volunteer engagement committee right now that is working, and they're 46:52 gonna be working till July 1. And they have to fill -- get this -- 600 positions of men, 46:56 women, teenagers, young adults, college students, non-college students, 600 volunteer 47:02 positions by July 1. And I need you to know there are a handful of volunteer 47:10 opportunities -- don't tell anybody -- that have your name written all over them. 47:16 No, I'm serious. Don't tell 'em I said that. They're ready to go. 47:22 "No, no, I can't. I'm not gifted." Oh, boy, there we go again. 47:25 "I'm not gifted." You keep saying, "I'm not gifted," all day long, and guess 47:28 what? You're not gifted. "I'm not smart." 47:31 Oh, boy, that is the biggest lie in the world. 47:35 You're bright. Can do. 47:38 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." 47:42 "Yeah, but I can't get up in front and preach. 47:44 I don't want anything that has me getting up front and 47:47 talking." America's number one fear is 47:49 public speaking. "I'm not going to do it. 47:51 No, if that involves that, you just count me out." 47:54 I want to tell you something. You can do it. 47:56 I'm gonna pick on my son sitting in the front row right now. 47:59 When he was in college here. Glenn Russell. 48:01 Everybody knows and loves Pastor Glenn Russell. 48:04 Dr. Glenn Russell. He took a bunch of academy -- 48:06 college kids over to Zimbabwe. 48:08 I think that's what it was. Yeah. And Kirk was going to preach 48:11 for the first time in his life. I was not in town. I was at a camp meeting when he 48:19 called and talked to Karen. His first words were -- Karen says, "Hey, how'd it go?" 48:24 He said, "Boy, it went, but it wasn't pretty." [ Laughter ] 48:30 You know what? This boy can get up in front of anybody today, talk to anybody 48:35 he wants to. Why? Because he did it anyway. 48:39 If you let your fears proscribe you, they stop you. You can't live by your fears. 48:45 You have to live by faith. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." 48:49 You can get up. That job may say, "Hey, girl, you're gonna stand in front of a 48:53 group of kids." That's okay. I'll stand in front of them. 48:55 You'll eventually stand in front of a group of adults and you'll be fine. 49:00 No, no. You get the point. No, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." 49:06 Hmm. So, don't you think the risen Christ has the authority to give 49:10 you the ability to say the very "yes" that the church is needing from you? 49:14 Just say, "Yes, sign me up." Of course he has it. For you to be the very servant 49:21 of Jesus the church needs like Dorcas and Peter and John and the healed lame man, of course. 49:28 ♪ Oh, I serve a risen Savior But I love the way it begins with "serve." 49:35 I serve. ♪ I serve a risen Savior ♪ He's in the world today 49:44 ♪ I know that he is living ♪ Whatever man may say Now, listen, listen, listen. 49:53 I see his hand of mercy. You see that? I see his hand of mercy? 49:56 Jesus hand will never show up. You're the hand. It's your hand of mercy that 50:02 Jesus uses. ♪ I see his hand of mercy I hear his what? 50:06 Voice of cheer. Jesus isn't gonna be speaking into the job that you take on. 50:10 You'll be speaking. He's using your voice. ♪ And just the time I need Him 50:16 He's always what? What's the word? He's always near. 50:20 Sing it with me. ♪ He lives ♪ He lives 50:24 ♪ Christ Jesus lives today ♪ He walks with me ♪ And talks with me 50:31 ♪ Along life's narrow way [ Congregation joins ] ♪ He lives, He lives 50:39 ♪ Salvation to impart ♪ You ask me how I know He lives ♪ 50:49 ♪ He lives within my heart Oh, hallelujah. Put it on the screen 50:59 one more time. 51:06 Sign me up, Jesus. Let me find a need and I'll fill it for You, Jesus. 51:10 I don't care when You need me. I don't care where You need me. I don't care what You need 51:15 from me. I can do all things through You. Sign me up. 51:21 And if you're willing to sign up, I need you to contact me right now. 51:24 I'm gonna put a number on the screen. I wish you would text one word 51:28 to this number, and I'll write a letter for you. Let's put it on the screen. 51:34 If you'll go to -- If you'll just type up in the number space 51:38 269-281-2345. This is our standard number 51:41 here. Everybody in Pioneer knows it. 51:43 But you don't have to be from Pioneer to do this. 51:45 And then, text the word. That's all you do. 51:47 Just "Signup4." Two more parts and it'd be 51:51 "Signup6," and the series is over in two Sabbaths. 51:54 Just text in the word "Signup4," and there will be a little 51:57 letter, and I need you to send this letter to the volunteer 52:00 engagement committee. Ah, it's not that complicated. 52:05 Here we go. 52:13 If you'll just hit send on that, we got the rest of the 52:17 information we need. We'll be back in touch with you. 52:20 There will be a volunteer opportunity with your name written all over, and I have no 52:24 idea what's going to be, but you're gonna love it. Why? 52:28 Because in the power of the risen Savior, I can do all things. 52:33 Serve our risen Savior. He's in the world today. Oh, Jesus, thank you, thank you 52:38 for being alive. Thank you for that Heimlich maneuver that took care 52:43 of sin and blew the door off of the tomb. Ain't no grave gonna hold my 52:48 body down. And, Dear Jesus, ain't no fear gonna hold my body down either. 52:53 Nope. Sign me up. I gladly serve where you 52:56 send me. Gladly. With rejoicing. 53:02 We go out into this Easter Sabbath with the hope of our Lord Jesus. 53:08 In your name, amen. 53:11 Come on, let's sing it together. ♪ I serve a risen Savior We'll actually do it really well 53:16 this time because we'll have an organist doing it for us. [ "He Lives" begins ] 53:23 ♪♪ 57:00 >> Before you go, let me take an extra moment to share with you 57:02 an opportunity to get into the Bible in a fresh, new way. 57:05 All across the world, more and more people are hearing the call 57:08 to examine Scriptures for themselves. 57:10 If you've felt drawn to learn more about God's Word, but you 57:12 don't know where to start or you're just looking for a more 57:15 in-depth examination of Bible truths, then I have something 57:18 right here that I believe you're gonna enjoy. 57:21 I want to send a series of guides to get you started. 57:23 This one's entitled "Why Does God Allow Suffering?" 57:26 Each guide begins with a story, an introduction of the subject. 57:29 Then, through a series of focus questions, you'll be learning 57:32 portions of the Bible you may never have known before. 57:34 And when you're through, you'll be able to share with others 57:37 some of these inspiring Bible truths. 57:39 Just call our toll-free number. It's on the screen. 57:41 877, the two words, "His will." Friendly operators are standing 57:45 by to send these study guides to you. 57:47 Once again, that's 877-HIS-WILL. Call that number, and then 57:52 again join me next week right here at this same time. 57:56 "New Perceptions." 58:00 ♪♪ ♪♪ 58:20 ♪♪ |
Revised 2022-04-28