Participants:
Series Code: NP
Program Code: NP220827S
|
00:01 ♪♪
00:12 >> Good morning. It's still morning. 00:14 And happy Sabbath. We are excited to have you guys 00:17 joining us here at Pioneer this Sabbath, whether you're joining 00:21 in person or online. It has been a good week, hasn't 00:24 it? Oh, man, it has been good. 00:28 School is full force at Ruth Murdoch and at the academy, and it's good to have the 00:34 students back. It was good to see them in school, and it just -- I mean, 00:41 it's fun. Now, I'd like to invite you to join me as we read together the 00:47 Call to Worship. 01:16 Dearest Heavenly Father, as we enter Your courts with thanksgiving, I pray that You 01:25 will enter our hearts. I pray that as we worship You here in Your house that you will 01:34 dwell in us. Pray that You will bless us this morning in Your name. 01:40 Amen. 01:54 >> Good morning, Church. How's everyone doing today? 01:58 We're going to sing some songs for you. 02:00 I would ask that you all stand up with us and praise together 02:04 this morning. 02:09 ♪♪ 02:17 ♪♪ 02:24 ♪♪ 02:32 ♪♪ 02:39 ♪♪ 02:47 ♪♪ 02:55 ♪♪ 03:02 ♪♪ 03:10 ♪♪ 03:17 ♪♪ 03:25 ♪♪ 03:32 ♪♪ 03:40 ♪♪ 03:48 ♪♪ 03:55 ♪♪ 04:03 ♪♪ 04:10 ♪♪ 04:18 ♪♪ 04:25 ♪♪ 04:33 ♪♪ 04:41 ♪♪ 04:48 ♪♪ 04:56 ♪♪ 05:05 ♪♪ 05:15 ♪♪ 05:24 ♪♪ 05:34 ♪♪ 05:43 ♪♪ 05:52 ♪♪ 06:05 ♪♪ 06:14 ♪♪ 06:23 ♪♪ 06:32 ♪♪ 06:41 ♪♪ 06:50 ♪♪ 06:59 ♪♪ 07:08 ♪♪ 07:17 ♪♪ 07:26 ♪♪ 07:35 ♪♪ 07:44 ♪♪ 07:53 ♪♪ 08:02 >> If you have a praise or a verse to bring to the Lord today 08:05 in prayer, I invite you to come forward now as we sing these 08:09 final verses. 08:11 ♪♪ 08:20 ♪♪ 08:30 ♪♪ 08:39 ♪♪ 08:49 ♪♪ 08:58 ♪♪ 09:08 ♪♪ 09:17 ♪♪ 09:27 ♪♪ 09:36 ♪♪ 09:46 ♪♪ 09:55 ♪♪ 10:05 ♪♪ 10:14 ♪♪ 10:24 ♪♪ 10:34 >> This next song is called "Rest On Us." 10:36 And I was thinking about the words of this song, and it says, 10:41 it says, "Come rest on us." 10:43 And it's talking about the Holy Spirit, and we all need that in our lives. 10:47 Like, I wouldn't be able to sing up here if I didn't have the Holy Spirit. 10:50 He wouldn't be able to speak. Like, we need him so much. And so I invite you, as we stand 10:55 to sing this next song, if you know it, please sing out, and if you don't, I invite you to pray 11:00 it. Just say the words. Yeah, so please sing with us. 11:04 ♪♪ 11:14 ♪♪ 11:23 ♪♪ 11:33 ♪♪ 11:43 ♪♪ 11:52 ♪♪ 12:02 ♪♪ 12:12 ♪♪ 12:21 ♪♪ 12:31 ♪♪ 12:41 ♪♪ 12:50 ♪♪ 13:00 ♪♪ 13:10 ♪♪ 13:19 ♪♪ 13:29 ♪♪ 13:38 ♪♪ 13:48 ♪♪ 13:58 ♪♪ 14:07 ♪♪ 14:17 ♪♪ 14:27 ♪♪ 14:36 ♪♪ 14:46 ♪♪ 14:56 ♪♪ 15:05 ♪♪ 15:15 ♪♪ 15:25 ♪♪ 15:34 ♪♪ 15:44 ♪♪ 15:54 >> Okay, so our Scripture reading this morning is found in 15:56 Romans 16:19-20. It says, "Everyone has heard 16:00 about your obedience, so I rejoice because of you; but I 16:04 want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what 16:07 is evil. 16:08 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be 16:13 with you." 16:15 ♪♪ ♪♪ 16:35 ♪♪ 16:45 ♪♪ 16:55 ♪♪ 17:05 ♪♪ 17:14 ♪♪ 17:24 ♪♪ 17:34 ♪♪ 17:44 ♪♪ 17:54 ♪♪ 18:04 ♪♪ 18:14 ♪♪ 18:24 ♪♪ 18:33 ♪♪ 18:43 ♪♪ 18:53 ♪♪ 19:03 ♪♪ 19:13 ♪♪ 19:23 ♪♪ 19:33 ♪♪ 19:43 ♪♪ 19:52 ♪♪ 20:02 ♪♪ 20:12 ♪♪ 20:22 ♪♪ 20:32 ♪♪ 20:42 ♪♪ 20:52 ♪♪ 21:02 ♪♪ 21:11 ♪♪ 21:21 ♪♪ 21:31 ♪♪ 21:41 ♪♪ 21:51 ♪♪ 22:03 >> Holy Spirit, we cannot see you. Holy Jesus, we cannot see You. 22:08 Holy Father, we cannot see You. But You're here. The angels of Heaven are here. 22:18 And I've been praying that for these few moments that we have together that there are no other 22:22 angels here. We need a victory. We're going to see one. 22:29 For the battle belongs to the Lord. Let that be clear. 22:33 Right now, we pray in Jesus' name. >> Amen. 22:37 >> Amen. 22:38 I'm embarrassed to tell you this, but I've been afraid of 22:42 snakes ever since I was a kid. 22:45 I blame it on the mamushi. The mamushi is reputed to be the 22:52 one and only poisonous snake on the islands of Japan. 22:59 And I grew up with my little Japanese buddies, drilled into 23:03 my head, you don't want to ever meet the mamushi. 23:07 It's a killer. One summer, glorious morning, the azure waters of a little 23:15 mountain lake called Nojiri. My missionary family and all the missionary families from all 23:22 denominations would gather every summer for sun and fun, and, oh, my, some of the best memories. 23:28 Anyway, this particular day, morning, I'm racing down from our little cabin perched on the 23:33 hillside, I'm racing down to the lakeside because my buddies are going to be there and we're 23:37 going to have some fun. So as I'm racing down, I'm just feeling what a glorious day this 23:43 is to be alive. Deep woods, thick canopy, hard packed clay path. 23:51 And I'm wearing my zoris. That's what the Japanese call -- that's what we call flip flops. 23:56 You know, the zoris, the thing between the toes. 24:01 And then I round a corner, and there's a shaft of sunlight, and it's one of those 24:05 "Chariots of Fire" moments when you just leap into the air and you feel the wind in your face. 24:10 And you're running because it's downhill. Those leaps are boing, boing, 24:15 boing. And as I'm off the ground and in that sunlight, I happen to look 24:19 down. And there, coiled in that sunlight, mamushi. 24:28 Now, you know how it is on the cartoons. Mid-air, you stop, and you begin 24:33 to put it in reverse, and you just start as fast as you can to get back. 24:38 I found out it doesn't work. It doesn't work. And when my wobbly now sandaled 24:46 foot comes down, bam! 24:50 I'm not sure who was more frightened, that killer snake or this petrified American kid. 24:58 The way it leaped off and into the woods, I later realized it was nothing but a common garter 25:05 snake. Yeah. I suppose every normal human 25:11 being is afraid of snakes. I cannot speak for the abnormal. [ Laughter ] 25:21 You know, maybe there's something inbred in us from the Garden of Eden and that talking 25:25 snake. And I have a feeling there's something subliminal inside of 25:28 us. But what I do know is this. Once upon a time, Jesus offered 25:35 his friends power over snake-ophobia. And I want to go to that story 25:40 now. It's a short story, but I want to go to it. 25:44 Because we need, on the cusp of a new year -- hasn't even started yet, but on the cusp, 25:48 on the eve of a new year, we need what Jesus is promising here about the snake, 25:56 a.k.a. the serpent. Open your Bible with me, please, to the Gospel of Luke 26:02 chapter 10. Let's drop down to verse 17. Jesus has just set off 26:07 72 young disciples. These are brand-new disciples. And he said there, "Listen, 26:14 guys, I'm going through the cities and towns in a moment, but I need you to go first. 26:18 So just move through in my name." And they move through. 26:22 And now the story picks it up when they come back. And I want you to watch this. 26:28 I'll put it on the screen here. Open your Bible to Luke 10. Drop down a verse 17. 26:33 Here it is. "The seventy-two returned with joy." 26:38 Wow, why are they filled with joy? "They returned with joy, and 26:41 they said, 'Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.'" 26:48 Isn't that something? Wouldn't you love -- wouldn't you love if Jesus authorized you 26:53 to have power over those demons. Now notice the 72 are really clear. 27:00 There is no confusion in their minds where the power came from. Absolutely, the caveat, the 27:05 precondition, they got it. "Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name." 27:13 That's the big deal. "In your name." We know it's not in us. 27:19 "In your name." 27:23 You think about it, just hours before his crucifixion, Jesus utters some huge promises 27:32 that we get in his name. Jot these down. Don't forget them. 27:37 I love these verses. This is in the upper room. In 24 hours, he'll be dead. 27:40 Here we go, in John 14:12. "Very truly" -- in the Greek -- I mean, I mean -- 27:45 "Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, 27:50 and they will do even greater things in these because I am going to the Father, and I will 27:55 do whatever you ask..." How's it read? "In my name." "I will do whatever you ask 28:00 in my name so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything 28:07 in my name." 28:11 "And I will do it." Wow, Lord! "Even the demons submit to us in 28:19 your name." 28:23 No wonder when Peter and John are arrested and they're asked to give account for their 28:28 actions just hours ago, they reference that name. But I love -- Oh, you do, too. 28:35 I love the way they describe that name here in Act 4:12. "Salvation" -- Peter and John 28:41 speaking. "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name 28:48 under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved." There's no greater name. 28:54 There is no other name than Jesus. So when I hear a kid swear in 28:58 Jesus' name, when I hear a grown man cuss in Jesus' name, I cringe. 29:05 You have turned the name of the only being in the universe who can save you into a curse. 29:13 Don't you know what you're saying? It's not funny. 29:17 It's not cool. The whole media -- yeah, that's where it's done. 29:23 Saturated with that. You do it automatically yourself. 29:27 Stop it. It's his name. And you'll never get there 29:33 without his name on your lips. 29:38 My. I love the way "Desire of Ages" puts it. 29:43 But before "Desire of Ages", I love the way King Solomon puts it. 29:46 Proverbs 18:10. "The name of the Lord." Oh, I love this. 29:50 "Is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe." 29:54 If you have the name of Jesus on your lips and the enemy is chasing you down, that name 30:00 on your lips is like a tower. Shoom, you are surrounded by a rocky fortress. 30:05 And you're inside the tower. You are safe. You are saved in that name. 30:11 Now "Desire of Ages" makes all the sense in the world. Here we go. 30:14 "Satan trembles and flees before the weakest soul." Anyb-- who here is the weakest 30:20 soul? Come on, put your hand up. Admit it, the weakest soul. 30:23 "Satan fears and trembles before the weakest soul who finds refuge in that mighty 30:31 name." Come on. Lord! 30:35 "Even the demons submit to us in your name." 30:42 Breathe that prayer. Keep that name on your lips in this new year, on campus, 30:47 off campus. You'll be just fine. Alright. 30:51 Luke 10:17 again. "And the seventy-two returned returned with joy, and they 30:55 said, 'Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.'" And Jesus responds, "I saw Satan 31:02 fall like lightning from heaven." Wow. 31:07 Hey, listen, those of you that have come to Michigan for the first time, I'm going to tell 31:10 you something. When Jesus says, "I saw Satan fall like lightning," if you're 31:14 new around here, wait till you live through one of our humdinger, full-light, 31:20 full-sound nature displays. You'll never have a thunderstorm like it like here in Michigan. 31:30 Our little 8-year-old daughter did us a wonderful favor. She decided to spend a week with 31:35 Papa and Grammy this summer. Oh, they had a wonderful time with Ella. 31:40 She has two younger sisters, but it was just Ella. And in the middle of one of 31:45 those nights while she was here, all nature ripped loose. Boom, pssh, boom, pssh! 31:53 And I hear the door handle to our bedroom turn. And I hear a little steps, 31:59 pitter patter, pitter patter. I said, "Ella, is that you?" "Yes, Papa." 32:03 "Get in bed. Come on, crawl in." 32:08 Jesus said, "I saw Satan fall like lightning." Pssh! 32:14 "From Heaven." What's going on here? I'll tell you. 32:17 There are three possible answers. Let me submit them to you and 32:20 see what you think. Number one, Jesus words could certainly be describing that 32:23 explosive battle of words and war of wits that took place in the heavenly courts. 32:29 Unbelievable. The saddest words in all of Scripture -- Revelation 12:7. 32:33 "Then war broke out." Isn't that sad? Where did it break out? 32:39 That's the sad part -- in Heaven. In a perfect place with perfect 32:42 people, with perfect love, war breaks out. If your marriage starts to fall 32:46 apart, don't be surprised. The author of war had his start early on. 32:55 Before he got a hold of you. "Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought 33:00 against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. 33:03 But he was not strong enough," that dragon, "and they lost," the dragon and his angels, 33:07 "their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down -- that ancient serpent 33:11 called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, 33:15 and his angels with him." "I saw Satan fall like lightning," shoom, "from 33:22 heaven." I suppose it could fit that, couldn't it? 33:24 Sure, but then perhaps option number two. Jesus words could be describing 33:29 the powerful effect of these 72 new young disciples moving among the masses, healing diseases 33:35 and casting out demons. "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven." 33:41 Why not? It would work. Or maybe option number three. Perhaps the fullest fulfillment 33:47 of Jesus' words. Took place in that bloody and desperate hand to hand, 33:54 mind to mind Battle in a garden called Gethsemane, on a mountaintop called Calvary. 34:03 I mean, Jesus crushed... the opposition. Could be. 34:12 On the Tuesday before he is crucified, executed, and dies on Friday, on the Tuesday 34:17 before, he spoke these words, late Tuesday afternoon. "Now is the time for judgment 34:22 on this world; now the prince of this world," a.k.a. the serpent, "Will be driven out. 34:29 And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself." 34:35 And he said this to show the kind of death he was going to die. 34:39 "I saw Satan fall like..." thum! -- "lightning from heaven." 34:47 Calvary, for sure. Maybe it's a composite of all three. 34:51 What does it matter? He saw Satan hurled from heaven. 35:00 To bad news, bad news. Earth. 35:09 The mega battle between light and darkness. 35:13 Once upon a time up there, and now raging around us. 35:16 I hate to tell you. You didn't get a choice in this 35:19 one. The mega battle is in your face 35:21 and life right now as we speak. Could be happening just now. 35:27 Two sides whispering into one mind. 35:34 Because the truth of the matter is this terrible serpent majors in sex. 35:42 He does. When he got hurled out of heaven and then booted out of the 35:47 Garden of Eden after he deceived Eve and then Adam, he turned his attention, 35:53 his diabolical attention to human sexuality. It's the one gift we have from 36:00 the creator that's a lot like the creator. We can make more. 36:06 The creator carefully builds walls around it so that it isn't just willy-nilly exercised 36:12 everywhere a human body goes. But the enemy says, "I'll take that sexuality," because he 36:21 would spit in the face of Jesus if he could reach him now. He hates the creator. 36:27 So I'll get your kids. I'll get your creatures, and I'll turn and I'll twist that 36:32 sexuality so that it becomes self sex and partner sex and pornography. 36:41 I'll just twist it all up, and I'll ruin that gift, and nobody on this godless planet 36:46 will remember where it came from. Scientists today, godless, 36:50 cannot explain sex. It's the one riddle they cannot explain. 36:53 How did we get sex? How could that have evolved? Impossible. 36:56 Something had to be already put together. 37:00 I'll destroy it. I'll destroy that sexuality. 37:06 I'm just saying, when it comes to our sexuality, the snake, a.k.a. the serpent, is no friend 37:12 of yours or mine. But there's good news for you and me. 37:17 Let's read it again. "And the seventy-two returned to with joy and they said, 'Lord, 37:21 even the demons submit to us in your name.'" And Jesus "replied, 'I saw Satan 37:24 fall like lightning from heaven. I --" Jesus goes on -- "have given you authority to trample 37:31 on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; 37:36 and nothing will harm you.'" >> Amen. >> Oh, I think that deserves 37:42 more of an amen than that. >> Amen. >> Come on. 37:45 Isn't that amazing? "Nothing will harm you." Guess what? 37:52 This authority to trample on snakes and scorpions was not limited -- limited to 37:57 the 72 disciples or the 12 or to Christ Himself. It is an authority Christ 38:01 gives to all His disciples. Take the time one of His disciples was in a mess. 38:07 276 human beings on that boat that is being pounded to pieces and is eventually split in half, 38:15 and all 276 hurled into the raging sea of that gale-force storm and washed up 38:22 all 276 of them -- survivors on what appears to be a godless crag of rock 38:29 in the middle of the Mediterranean called Malta. The islanders who were behind 38:33 the rocks and wherever emerge to -- to save the survivors. They build this massive bonfire. 38:40 And Paul, the prisoner, not wanting to stand around and do nothing, said, "I'll help you." 38:45 And he picks up some flotsam and some driftwood and he's throwing it in the fire. 38:49 But when it gets close to the heat, a viper embedded in the wood suddenly latches on 38:54 to Paul's hands. And the natives, all pagans, gasp. 38:58 "Ah, justice, the goddess has gotten him. He was saved from the sea, 39:06 but now she makes sure he dies." And Paul goes, "Out! Ugh!" 39:16 And the pagans stand wide-eyed, "When will the venom strike?" They watch and they watch. 39:23 And finally, he goes about his work and they conclude he's a god. 39:30 "Hey, Paul, you're not a part of the 72. You're not a part of the 12." 39:37 But the promise is for him. "Ugh." "'I have given you authority 39:46 to trample on the snakes.'" Even the serpent who is trying to crush Paul. 39:53 "No witness to Caesar. Kill him before he gets arraigned." 39:59 Didn't work. In fact, Paul, months earlier, scribbled this line 40:03 that was our Scripture reading. Scribbled it to the Christians in Rome. 40:07 He's headed to Rome now. He didn't think he was coming in chains, but that's the sad 40:11 story. "The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. 40:16 The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you." "Crush Satan under your feet"? 40:22 Sound familiar? Of course. The very words of Jesus. "'I have given you authority to 40:29 trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy.'" 40:34 And guess what? "'Nothing will harm you.'" Now, you and I have studied 40:38 the Bible a few times together. And whenever we come across something called 40:42 a double negative, I point it out because a double negative is unusual 40:45 and it says, "Stop. This is really being negated here." 40:50 But I just learned this week, in preparing for this moment, that this is not 40:53 a double negative. This is a triple negative. And I've never in my life 40:57 ever read a triple negative in Scripture. Watch. 41:06 "And nothing --" negative one -- "no, not ever." In Greek. 41:14 Triple negative -- Nothing will ever be able to do what? To do what? To harm you. 41:20 "You will not be harmed. The authority I give you over this snake -- 41:25 you will not be harmed. Exercise that authority in My name. 41:31 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet." Wow. 41:39 Triple-negative promise. Mercy. You say, "Hey, Dwight, how can I 41:45 have this promise operative in my life?" Three -- Let me share them 41:49 with you. Three steps for victory. I'll share these three and 41:54 sit down. Alright, here they come in rapid-fire sequence. 41:58 Step number one for victory -- connect with Jesus every morning. 42:03 Every morning, and you'll be connected with Satan-crushing power. 42:08 As Jesus said a moment ago, "The prince of the world will be driven out when I am lifted up." 42:12 So if you lift Jesus up every day, at the beginning of the day, in your dorm room 42:17 or your apartment or your mansion in the -- on the hilltop or wherever it is you live, 42:22 if you lift Jesus up every day, He says, [Snaps fingers] the prince of the world 42:28 will be cast out. You want, you need, you must have that connection 42:33 with Jesus every morning. You know why? Because He knows where the 42:36 snakes are. And this is even more important. The snakes know where He is. 42:42 And if He's in you, I'm not hanging with -- I'm not hanging around there. 42:46 She's got Jesus. He's got Jesus in his heart. Yeah. 42:54 "Dwight, how can I connect? Give me something." I will. 42:56 In just a moment, I'm going to give you a phone number. You text to me immediately. 43:00 And immediately, you'll have an answer from me with a method. 43:03 Alright? Okay, there are three of these. There's number one -- connect 43:06 with Jesus every morning. Number two -- connect with Jesus' friends every day. 43:12 What's amazing about this story of the 72 is that, as Jesus did with the 12, he does 43:18 with the 72. He sends them out two by two. That's not Noah's Ark. 43:25 He sends His disciples out two by two. Why? 43:29 Because when you're hanging with Jesus' friends, you got safety. 43:34 And I'm telling you, you're new on this campus -- I met a boy last night -- this 43:38 was such a beautiful moment. That board overhead. I mean, it was absolutely one of 43:44 those -- I'll never forget it. Look at that board. It's covered. 43:49 And every name, not in red -- because red are faculty, staff, and community teachers -- 43:56 every name not in red is a student. The new students were here 43:59 last night. All the student leaders were here last night. 44:04 And when I gave that appeal, look. That's Jesus. 44:11 He -- These are Jesus' friends. You'll spot Jesus' friends. You can see them a mile away 44:17 on this campus. Stay with Him. Everybody needs a Jesus friend. 44:24 You don't have one, text me in just a moment. I'll find one for you. 44:28 You don't want to -- You don't want to, you don't have to go through life 44:32 on this campus alone. Don't. Don't. Alright, there are three of 44:40 these. Connect with Jesus every morning' connect with 44:42 Jesus' friends every day; and watch where you walk. Watch where you walk. 44:49 The mamushi lives on certain pathways. Some turf, by the way, 44:56 is no-brainer Satan territory. If you are struggling with alcohol, and you walk 45:03 into a bar for water, you're dead. You're just dead. 45:11 Right? If you struggle with pornography and you wander around 45:19 on your laptop, you're dead. You're dead. Some turf is no-brainer 45:28 Satan territory. Don't ever go on territory you know to be his. 45:34 I don't care what your friends tell you, they're wrong. You want victory over an impure 45:42 mind, victory over impure thoughts, and you're watching flicks filled with nudity and 45:48 sex, you're crazy and you're dead. 45:58 Watch where you walk. The mamushi waits for your reckless carelessness. 46:07 Like a cobra. You ever seen a cobra? Grew up in Singapore 46:09 as well as Japan. Went to school in Singapore. You ever seen a cobra? 46:15 You never know. [ Hisses ] Gotcha. Just like that. It's that quick. 46:21 That quick. You can't move. You're too close. You -- You're dead. 46:26 That's the way it is. Three simple strategies, one powerful outcome. 46:34 Mel Gibson's dramatic portrayal of Jesus' victorious death on the Cross, 46:38 "The Passion of the Christ" -- and most of you who are young are too young to know 46:43 what that is, but within that movie, there was a flashback moment 46:50 to when they threw a young woman at Jesus' feet. And they want him to stone her 46:56 for her sexual sin. Okay? The woman is sobbing 47:06 on the dusty road. Her head is dangling, dropped down in shame. 47:14 Her hair brushing the dust. Jesus stands near, and from the side, the camera turns then. 47:22 We got the picture. The camera turns now to see a slithering viper 47:27 carving S's in the dust. His beady eyes are on the woman, his victim. 47:34 And in that split second, a sandal foot comes down right on the -- right on the 47:40 neck of that viper. And instinctively, if you grab a viper right here, 47:44 those jaws go wide-open. He can't breathe. Nothing. "I'm overcome. 47:51 I've been beat." 47:54 The foot of Jesus on the killer snake. 47:59 "I can't breathe. Let me go. Let me go." 48:06 Wow. Hollywood's effort to portray -- Hollywood's effort to portray 48:17 this line from Genesis, it might work -- Genesis 3:15 There in the Garden, 48:22 before they were all expelled, the Creator, Christ the pre-incarnate Jesus, 48:28 speaks to the serpent now. That's Satan. "nd I will put enmity between 48:34 you, serpent, and the woman between your offspring and hers." 48:39 That's the Messiah that one day will come to save us all. "And He --" the Messiah -- "will 48:44 crush your head, Satan, and you will crush His heel." 48:49 Now I need to tell you something about this battle you're in. 48:52 You didn't get a choice, and you can't opt out now. 48:54 But I need to tell you that you cannot battle the devil 48:58 and come out unscathed. You just can't. 49:05 But if you don't battle the devil, you'll come out dead. You can't opt -- opt out 49:13 of this war. It's here. You say, "I don't want to," 49:17 you're dead. Calvary, the Cross, the place where Christ 49:27 defeated Satan. Boom! Foot on the neck. You're dead. 49:34 He's not dead yet. He's still wiggling, writhing. There's life left in him. 49:44 But he can't have you, and he can't have me, without our permission. 49:51 There's only one line to take away from these moments, and that is, "The Lord 49:58 wins the battle every time." >> Amen. 50:04 >> So call on Him. The name of Jesus on your lips in the morning. 50:08 Do it at night. Call on Him. Be safe and be saved this new year. 50:13 Amen. >> Amen. >> Amen. 50:18 Now I want you to text me. 50:21 Text "Brooding3." And please don't put a space 50:25 here. Some of you are putting a space 50:26 here. It's going off into the 50:28 universe. And we get it way late. 50:31 Text "Brooding 3" to this number that we use for this kind of 50:35 communication -- 269-281-2345. Alright? It's easy to remember. 50:40 Just text "Brooding3." You wanted something. 50:44 Here it is. "I want to connect with Jesus 50:48 every morning -- send me, Dwight, a new way to pray." 50:50 I will send it to you. If you text it in right now, 50:53 in return electronic speed, you will have what I want to 50:57 send you. Alright? 50:59 If you check box one, it will say my -- you know, you go 51:02 there -- I just did it yesterday again. 51:04 You go there, and there it is. "My next steps." Click. 51:07 Open up that scroll, and there it is. 51:10 You text that -- You check that, you'll get a return text. 51:15 Come on up, speakers. Excuse me. Come on up, singers. 51:19 Box number two -- "I want to connect with Jesus' friends 51:23 every day. Please help me 51:25 find those friends." If you put a checkmark there, 51:27 we will -- we will send how you can have your friends. 51:31 And finally, box number three, "I want to give my life to Jesus 51:35 and be baptized. Please help me." 51:38 Some of you came to this university, you've been 51:41 putting that decision off for reasons that you know 51:44 and God knows. But why -- why put it off 51:48 longer? You're not even a student here. 51:51 It's fine. You live in the community. 51:54 Fine by me. You want to give your life to 51:58 Jesus, who can stomp on your snake, and make a fresh, new 52:03 start? Put a checkmark there. 52:07 I'm going to show you one verse that follows verse 19, and it's 52:10 just verse 20. But listen to this. 52:13 Jesus ends his little discourse to the 72, 52:17 "'However --" hey, listen -- "do not rejoice 52:20 that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names 52:24 are written in heaven." So don't -- don't -- don't get 52:26 all huffy-puffy about your power. 52:30 You don't have power. Don't focus on what you do. 52:35 I want you to focus on what I've done. 52:39 You don't get saved by what you do. 52:41 You get saved by what He's done. And Calvary is what He's done. 52:46 It's called the Gospel. It's the only way 52:48 you'll get saved. If you haven't been to Calvary, 52:52 please put a checkmark there on number three. 52:57 Let me know. We'll be in touch with you 53:00 electronically. We'll find -- We'll find a way. 53:04 Oh, God, please, the snake, we're all afraid of him, 53:11 if we're honest. But Jesus crushed the snake, 53:17 and in the authority and power of Calvary's victory, 53:21 send every man, woman, boy, and girl in this space 53:27 out into a world that awaits us. On the eve of a new year, 53:31 send us out with a snake killer 53:38 on our side. In Jesus' name, we pray. 53:44 >> Amen. >> Amen. 53:48 [ "Give Me Jesus" plays ] ♪♪ 53:59 ♪♪ ♪♪ 56:35 >> Jesus -- there is no sweeter name. 56:40 And, God, as we leave this place, let that be our prayer -- 56:44 "Give me Jesus." There's no other name 56:49 which can save us. There's no other name 56:52 that can get us through the week that's ahead of us. 56:55 So, until we meet again, give us Jesus. 57:00 In Jesus' name. Amen. >> Amen. 57:06 >> 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 57:32 community and our world. You can donate on our website, 57:35 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 ♪♪ ♪♪ 58:20 ♪♪ |
Revised 2022-09-07