Participants: David Asscherick
Series Code: OTR
Program Code: OTR000800
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01:15 The Holy Spirit came at Pentecost
01:22 He came in mighty fullness then 01:28 His witness thru believers won the lost 01:34 And multitudes were born again 01:40 The early Christians scattered all over the world 01:46 They preached the gospel fearlessly 01:52 Tho' some were martyred and to lions hurled 01:57 They marched along in victory 02:03 Come Holy Spirit dark is the hour 02:14 We need Your filling 02:19 Your love and Your mighty power 02:26 Move now among us Stir us we pray 02:38 Come Holy Spirit revive the church today 02:52 Then in an age when darkness gripped the earth 02:58 The just shall live by faith was learned 03:04 The Holy Spirit gave the church new birth 03:10 As reformation fires burned 03:16 In later years the great revivals came 03:22 When saints would seek the Lord and pray 03:28 O once again we need that holy flame 03:34 To meet the challenge of today 03:39 Come Holy Spirit dark is the hour 03:51 We need Your filling 03:56 Your love and Your mighty power 04:03 Move now among us Stir us we pray 04:14 Come Holy Spirit Revive the church today 04:27 Revive the church today Revive the church today 04:52 Hey, thank you, man, that's good. 04:56 All right. Good evening, everyone. 04:59 Good evening. How's your day going? 05:01 Good. Did anyone had a good day? 05:08 Praise God. Okay, good. 05:11 And me too, I had a great day, I went skateboarding. 05:16 Where are the kids that I went skateboarding with? 05:18 Yeah, right there, those are my skating buddies, right there. 05:21 Can I skateboard? Can I? 05:24 Tell them. I love to go skateboarding. 05:30 You know, I basically started skateboarding 05:32 when I was, oh, 11 years old. 05:34 My dad took me to a Kmart. 05:36 And he said, I could buy anything 05:37 I wanted in the store up to $50. 05:40 And so I bought a skateboard 05:41 and I think he regretted that day for the rest of his life. 05:45 And so basically I just did the skateboarding thing 05:47 and I moved to California when I was 18 years old 05:50 to become a professional skateboarder, no joke. 05:54 And I was there for two years 05:55 and lived the pro skateboarder life 05:58 and now of course, I love the Lord Jesus Christ. 06:00 And that's the direction that my life has gone. 06:02 But I still love to skate 06:04 and love to go to the skateboard parks. 06:06 And just be cruising around 06:07 and having a good time and introducing myself. 06:10 And invariably, you know, I'm oldest person there. 06:15 And it'll come up, so you know, 06:16 people will like, how long you've been skateboarding. 06:19 Like well, I suppose the oldest one of you. 06:20 Who is the oldest of you? How old are you Jeremy? 06:24 Okay, 14, exactly that's my point. 06:26 So somebody will say, "So like how old are you?" 06:28 Or no, they'll say, "How long you've been skateboarding?" 06:29 That's what they say. And I'll say, "like 21 years." 06:37 And as we sort of have this conversation 06:39 then it'll come up that I'm a pastor. 06:42 And it's really kind of funny. 06:43 You can just see the word like spreading like, 06:47 people skateboarding around, 06:48 come up to the top of the ramp like, "Are you really a priest?" 06:55 And so it's--no not a priest, pastor, pastor. 07:03 At least not a priest in the catholic sense. 07:05 So anyway, I had a great day today, 07:07 I went skateboarding 07:08 and it's really nice to be down here in Tennessee 07:11 where the weather is warmer than where I am from. 07:14 In Michigan, it's been kind of cold in Michigan. 07:16 Now I'm not from Michigan, I'm actually from Wyoming. 07:20 And I don't lay any claim to Michigan, 07:22 not that I don't love it there but before I moved to Michigan, 07:24 my two favorite things in the world were surfing. 07:27 That is to say as far as recreational activities. 07:29 Surfing and rock climbing 07:31 and there are no oceans in Michigan 07:34 and there are no rocks in Michigan. 07:37 The rocks that they do have in Michigan are the things 07:39 that they use to pave their driveways with. 07:41 Right, you know, 07:43 in fact just the other day we were driving through Michigan 07:45 with my two boys, Landon and Jabel. 07:46 And there is this little sledding hill. 07:48 And I said, "Look boys a mountain." 07:50 Yeah, its like-- it's like 50 feet high. 07:53 So I'm just thrilled to be here. 07:56 It's a great privilege for me to be here 07:57 at Southern Adventist University 07:59 and I have already met several wonderful people 08:01 and been introduced to many people. 08:03 And I want to thank you for welcoming me so warmly. 08:07 And I'm looking forward to this evening presentation. 08:10 It's entitled "What wondrous love is this." 08:12 And that title of course, comes from a well known hymn, 08:16 "What wondrous love is this, O my soul?" 08:19 And it is I think may be my current favorite presentation. 08:23 And I love to give this presentation 08:25 because it ministers to my soul. 08:27 And when I began to pray, God, what do You want me to preach? 08:31 God, what message do You want me to deliver? 08:34 He made it very clear early on that one of the presentations 08:38 that I had to present was this one I'm going give tonight. 08:41 And I'm really looking forward to it 08:42 and I know the Spirit of God is going to move tonight. 08:44 Not because of this man, but in spite of this man 08:47 and because of the Holy Spirit, amen. 08:50 So let's begin with a word of prayer 08:51 that's what I like to do. 08:53 And just ask God to be with us. 08:55 I think that's the best way to go about 08:56 any meaningful substantive Bible study. 08:59 And then we'll get right into the Word of God. 09:01 Did you bring your Bibles tonight? 09:02 Yes. Okay, great, praise the Lord. 09:05 Okay let's begin with the word of prayer. 09:08 Father in heaven we come before You this evening. 09:11 We want to thank You for Your goodness. 09:14 Father, we want to testify that You're good and we're but dust. 09:19 And we glory in Your marvelous condescension 09:22 and sending Your Son, Your only begotten Son into the world, 09:26 to save sinners of whom we're chief. 09:30 Father, tonight as we open Your word, 09:32 we're going to ask that 09:34 something supernatural will take place here, 09:36 that You'll give us a supernatural 09:39 extraordinary experience with Your spirit. 09:44 Father, I'm going to do my best tonight. 09:47 You made my mouth, You made my tongue 09:49 and so I pray that the words will be eloquent. 09:51 I pray they will be the right words, 09:53 the most piercing words. 09:55 But Father, at the end of the day in the final analysis 09:58 we need Your spirit to be here, 10:01 to pierce through hardened hearts, 10:04 to pierce through indifferent hearts. 10:07 And Father, for those hearts that are here, 10:09 that are receptive to give us a stronger more grounded sense 10:15 of the love of God. 10:18 Father, be with us tonight as we open Your word, 10:20 may You open our hearts for we ask in the marvelous 10:23 mighty glorious name of Jesus, let everyone say, amen. 10:31 Well, I think I might have just mentioned this, 10:33 this morning prior to becoming a Christian, 10:37 I was a punk rocker. 10:39 Now I got into the punk rock thing 10:42 because friend of mine named Timothy Johnson, 10:45 his dad was a colonel at the air force base 10:48 that my father was stationed at as well. 10:50 Okay, my dad was in the air force 10:52 and we were stationed in the same area 10:54 and he lived just down the road and he was a punk rocker. 10:57 He was several grades older than me. 10:59 I was probably 12 years old, 13 years old. 11:02 And he was probably 15 or 16 11:04 and he had blue hair and yellow hair 11:07 and he would wear you know, 11:09 kind of raggedy clothes and safety pins. 11:11 And I knew he had plenty of money. 11:12 It wasn't the matter of, you know, 11:13 they couldn't afford these clothes. 11:15 That's just kind of the way he dressed 11:16 and he lived just down the road and so I became his friend. 11:18 And one time he invited me to a show, 11:20 to go to a punk rock show. 11:22 I'd never been to a punk rock show before. 11:23 I was a 13 year old kid. 11:24 Well, somehow I talked my mother into letting me go. 11:27 And I came to this show 11:28 and I've never seen anything like it in my whole life. 11:31 I mean there was just crazy, radical, 11:33 amazing strange people there, lots of them. 11:37 And they had these bands up there. 11:40 And I remember one particular girl 11:42 that I got to know very well, her name was April. 11:44 She had like a 3 foot high punk Mohawk. 11:48 And she was the singer for one of the bands-- 11:50 social joke, it's just ba, ba, ba. 11:52 Just singing and I was like, wow, just taking it all in. 11:55 Well, anyway I became a punk rocker somehow 11:58 in the course of events and that was really what I was. 12:01 That was my persona. 12:03 And eventually I got involved 12:05 in punk rock bands and started singing. 12:07 We didn't really sing, we more screamed 12:09 but it was called singing. 12:11 And it was actually called music which I think is debatable. 12:14 But I was in that scene for a number of years. 12:17 In fact until I became a Christian, 12:18 I was a full on punk rocker. 12:21 And when I first became a Christian, 12:23 it was very difficult for me to sing, 12:26 because I was so accustomed to being in bands. 12:28 I was in bands since I was 17 years old. 12:30 I was converted when I was almost 24. 12:31 So for the better part of 7 years, 12:33 I was like a screamer, right. 12:35 And when I first started hearing Christian singing, 12:39 it was totally new to me. 12:40 I wasn't raised really in a Christian context. 12:43 And I was taken by it. 12:45 I enjoyed the singing 12:46 and I wanted to learn how to sing. 12:48 Well, I was working in this vegetarian restaurant. 12:51 In fact it was the very vegetarian restaurant 12:53 that I had gone into as a vegan straightedge punk rocker. 12:56 I don't know if that means anything to you. 12:58 But I was a crazy vegan straightedge punk rocker 13:01 and I went into this vegetarian restaurant. 13:03 And all the people there 13:05 called one and other brother and sister. 13:08 And I thought that was the strangest thing. 13:10 The ladies generally wore dresses 13:12 and they were so pleasant and so nice 13:14 and I was a very abrasive person. 13:16 And it's funny because I would go in there with blue hair, 13:18 pink hair, yellow hair, red hair, no hair, long hair, 13:21 dreadlocked hair, crazy hair. 13:22 You know, piercing everywhere, 13:24 tattoos, dress you know slovenly. 13:26 And I thought they were weird. 13:30 I thought these people were the weirdest people 13:31 I have ever seen, but they loved me. 13:33 And they treated me like, you know, 13:35 they just treated me very well. 13:36 And all of my friends that went in there 13:37 and anyway the long and the short of it is, 13:40 is they gave me this book called the 'Great Controversy.' 13:43 You've probably never heard of it, It's an old book. 13:45 And, anyway, I ended up reading that book. 13:48 And I can tell you that I literally read that book 13:50 and in two weeks, God changed my whole life. 13:55 Can you say, amen? Amen. 13:56 I mean, my every single part of my life, 13:59 every single thing from my language, 14:02 to my girlfriend, to my interest, 14:04 to my music, I mean every single part of my life, 14:07 except my dietary habits I guess. 14:09 Because I was a vegan before and I was a vegan after, right. 14:12 And so everything changed just literally overnight, right. 14:16 Well, I went to work 14:17 I was actually studying medicine at the University of Wyoming. 14:20 That's what I wanted to do, I wanted to be a doctor. 14:22 And you think a punk rock doctor. 14:24 Well, sure. Why not? 14:26 So I decided to take a year off. 14:29 I told my dad, you know, 14:30 dad, I want to take a year off of school. 14:32 And this was actually my father's alma mater, 14:35 the University of Wyoming. 14:37 And he at the time was the vice president 14:38 of the university, very pro education. 14:42 And I was doing very well in school, 14:43 A student, you know, top of my class. 14:45 And so when I told my dad, 14:47 I wanted to drop out of the premed program. 14:50 That would cause me to loose my scholarships. 14:53 And just take a year off to study the Bible. 14:57 He thought that was a great idea. 14:59 He really supported that decision. 15:01 Do you think? No, hardly. 15:04 And so what ended up happening was, 15:05 I'd to move in, not because my parents kick me out, 15:08 but because it was such a tense environment. 15:10 I moved in with the people 15:12 that owned the vegetarian restaurant 15:13 and I started working at this vegetarian restaurant, right. 15:15 And so I'd be like in the back washing lettuce. 15:18 And I wanted to learn how to sing, right. 15:21 And so I loved the singing, it just sounded so nice to me 15:24 and I wanted to learn how to sing this song 'Amazing Grace.' 15:27 You've heard the song, of course. 15:29 And I'd be in the back there washing lettuce. 15:31 And I'd say, "Amazing Grace." And I couldn't do it. 15:37 And lady that own the restaurant, 15:38 who is just the nicest women ever. 15:40 She could sing of course like an angel 15:41 and she would comeback and she do the very wrong thing to me. 15:45 She would laugh at me, right, 15:47 because she could sing like an angel 15:49 and I couldn't even carry a tune in a basket. 15:50 And so she would comeback 15:52 and she'd say, "You'll learn to sing." 15:53 You know, she used to kind of mock me. 15:54 And by the way, if you're ever singing 15:56 next to someone in church who sings like a frog like, 15:58 tell them they sound beautiful, 15:59 give them a little encouragement, okay. 16:03 So I was back there and I just couldn't sing 16:05 and I just couldn't sing and I just couldn't sing, 16:06 and I kept trying and trying and in my car, 16:08 you know, I just belt it all day, 'Amazing Grace.' 16:13 And it just-- it never quite came out right. 16:16 But overtime I learned to sing. 16:21 And one day I opened my mouth and I said 'Amazing Grace.' 16:26 And I was like, wow. 16:29 I said "Mary, Mary, listen to this." 16:31 You know, and I actually was able to start singing. 16:34 And then I wanted to learn the song, 'Blessed Assurance.' 16:35 And so I learned to sing that song 16:37 and then I just came to love singing 16:40 which by the way I don't believe it 16:42 when people tell me they can't learn to sing. 16:43 I think anybody can learn to sing 16:45 if you really try and you are willing to just be vulnerable 16:47 and just humble yourself and try it, right. 16:49 It worked for me. 16:51 And so here's the thing, ever since then I love to sing 16:54 and what I like to do in my own personal devotion 16:56 is to spend time singing. 16:58 Right, I spend sometime singing just myself. 17:00 You know, most of the time people sing in a congregation, 17:03 but it's not very personal, is it? Is it? 17:07 I mean, okay, think about singing in a congregation. 17:09 You sing at the end of the church service. 17:10 And you're singing because everybody else is singing. 17:12 And you can have a worshipful experience. 17:14 I'm not suggesting that you can't. 17:15 But singing is truly powerful and truly awesome, 17:19 when you're by yourself singing to Jesus. 17:21 And it's just incredible and so oh, I suppose 17:24 about six or seven months ago now. 17:26 I was singing through the hymnal, 17:28 because there's many hymns I don't know. 17:29 But I like to sing through the hymnal. 17:30 And I came to this song 162 in the hymnal. 17:33 It's 'What wondrous love is this?' 17:36 You know that song. 17:37 'What wondrous love is this, O my soul.' 17:40 'What wondrous love is this, O my soul.' 17:44 'What wondrous love is this, O my soul.' 17:47 That would cause the Lord of bliss, 17:50 to bear the dreadful curse for my soul. 17:55 Now, as I was singing through that, 17:56 it dawned on me that the author of that hymn was struck 18:01 with what he perceived to be a radical imbalance of exchange. 18:06 Here what he's saying? 18:08 He said what, what wondrous love is this? 18:11 What wondrous love is this, O my soul, 18:14 that would cause the Lord of bliss 18:17 to bear the dreadful curse for me. 18:22 And there in my devotions as I was singing the song, 18:24 I got to thinking about the idea of value. 18:28 The idea of what everyone? Value. 18:30 Value, and also the similar ideas of worth 18:34 and this idea of exchange 18:36 clearly that's what the hymn writer was struck with. 18:38 It didn't appeared to him to be a fair exchange. 18:41 I mean the Lord of bliss bears the dreadful curse for me. 18:44 There seem to be an imbalance of exchange there. 18:47 I got to thinking about that idea. 18:49 And so what I do is something that I love to do. 18:51 I went to the dictionary and I looked up the word worth. 18:56 I loved the dictionary. 18:57 And I looked up the word worth and this is what it says. 19:02 The value of something especially in terms of money. 19:07 The amount of something that can be bought 19:09 for a particular some of money 19:11 or that will last for a particular length of time. 19:15 Worth, so really, the whole idea 19:18 behind this idea of worth is the idea of exchange. 19:22 The idea of what everyone? 19:24 Exchange, so we might use the word this way. 19:25 We might say, potentially you're going to buy a car. 19:28 And you look at the car 19:30 and you'll say, what's the price on the car? 19:31 And the person says, "The price is $10,000." 19:33 You might say, "That car is not worth $10,000 to me." 19:38 Basically, what you're saying is, 19:39 I don't feel that I'm getting 19:41 enough bank for my buck out of the car 19:42 to cause me to want to spend $10,000, worth. 19:48 Another idea of worth is not just in terms of money, 19:51 but in terms of time. 19:52 Someone might say, "It's worth it for me 19:54 to finish my postgraduate degree." 19:57 It's worth it for me to do that. 19:59 Or someone might say, "This relationship 20:01 that I'm involved in, this is a good use of my time." 20:04 It's worth it for me to be involved in this relationship. 20:08 This idea of exchange, 20:09 I give something and I get something 20:12 and if what I get back 20:13 is of sufficient value, then it's worth it. 20:15 Are we all together everyone, yes or no? Yes. 20:17 So the idea of worth 20:19 is the idea of exchange and the idea of value. 20:23 Now, in discussing the idea of worth, 20:25 it's important to understand something 20:27 that is very, very central 20:28 to the concept of worth and that is this. 20:31 Worth is subjective. 20:35 Worth is, what did I say everyone? 20:37 Subjected, that is to say that the worth of something 20:39 or the value of something is determined 20:42 by the one who is willing to pay the price for said object. 20:45 Is that makes sense everyone, yes or no? Yes. 20:47 Okay, never was this clear to me 20:49 then in the days just before my wedding. 20:51 And my wife is sitting right over there. 20:53 She is the prettiest girl in the whole-- 20:55 why don't you stand up so we can all look at you. 20:56 You just try it, come on. 20:57 There she is, isn't she beautiful? 20:59 Absolutely beautiful. 21:02 And by the way, by the way when I met my wife, 21:07 this is a true story when I met my wife 21:08 I asked her to marry me 21:10 six weeks after the day I met her. 21:14 And astonishingly she said yes. It's a true story. 21:18 You know, it was-- anyway I knew she was the one? 21:21 I don't necessarily recommend 21:23 this course of action to any of you. 21:27 But it can work that way 21:28 if you're fully surrendered to the Lord Jesus Christ 21:30 and she was and I was and we just wanted God's plan. 21:32 But anyway, here's the point. 21:34 After I asked her to marry me and she said yes. 21:36 You know, I'm thinking like in a couple of weeks, right. 21:40 I mean, I'd never been married before. 21:42 So I didn't know that we have to do this whole process. 21:44 And so what happens is when you get married, 21:47 when you ask and she says yes, then you're engaged. 21:51 Right, are you with me on this? 21:52 I'll give you a little lesson. 21:53 Okay. Then you are engaged. 21:55 And that process of engagement can last for months. 22:01 I know it's hard to believe, I mean months. 22:03 And so I asked her to marry me. 22:04 And we set a date that was almost seven months later. 22:07 I couldn't believe, I mean to me it was like seven months. 22:09 What do we do in the meantime? 22:14 So I was one of those guys that just wanted to get married, 22:17 like I didn't care about the details. 22:19 Ladies, I am sorry. 22:21 Like, I didn't care about 22:22 the color of the bridesmaid's dresses. 22:23 I mean, nothing mattered to me. 22:25 You know, if we got the little cutting device 22:27 that had her name on it, you know. 22:28 what the cake was, I cared about nothing. 22:31 All I cared about was at the end of the day, 22:33 April 4th 1999, I was married to that woman. 22:35 That was like, that was it, 22:37 that's the bottom line for me, right. 22:39 So one of the things that you've to do 22:40 when you're getting ready 22:41 for a wedding is you've to rent tuxedos. 22:44 You're with me? 22:46 So my wife is from Northern California, 22:48 Northern California. 22:49 And right in the area where she lives, 22:51 there's a lot of sort of wealthy affluent people, 22:54 there's vineyards, and there's a lot of money in that area. 22:57 And she lives just down the road from a town called St. Helena. 23:00 Has anybody here ever been to St. Helena, California before? 23:02 Okay, so you know the kind of town it is, okay. 23:04 You know, what I'm talking about. 23:06 So it's kind of sophisticated, posh you know, hip and-- 23:10 So anyway we let went through the little directory there, 23:13 Yellow Pages and we called a clothing store 23:16 that rented tuxedos in St. Helena 23:18 and so we went there and ordered to rent the tuxedos, right. 23:21 We called the head, they said, "Yeah, we rent tuxedos, 23:23 you have to come in and look at the catalogs. 23:24 Okay, so we went down there. 23:26 We parked our Honda Accord 23:27 between the Mercedes and BMW, right. 23:30 And so we go inside and the lady meets us there at the door 23:34 and Violeta goes with her over to look at the catalog. 23:37 Now by the way, this wasn't just any old clothing store. 23:40 This is a Clothia. You know, what a Clothia is? 23:45 It's a clothing store. 23:48 But it just has kind of a funny name, it's a Clothia. 23:51 So we went to this Clothia to rent tuxedos 23:53 and when we got in there, 23:55 Violeta go over to the counter there 23:56 to spend time with the person to sort of look and decide 23:59 you know, what color is the cummerbund 24:00 and the tie and how long, all of that stuff. 24:02 I could careless. 24:04 So I just start looking around, right. 24:06 I'm just in this clothing store and I start looking around. 24:09 And right off the back, I spot, there's some jackets there, 24:11 cause it was a men's clothing store, Clothia. 24:13 There was some blazers there, kind of an English looking 24:18 like a tweed, almost a herringbone style 24:21 with a little leather patches on the elbow. 24:22 Are you with me? And that looked okay. 24:25 I mean it really just looked all right. 24:26 I was, you know, I was interested in it. 24:29 And the way that I shopped by the way 24:31 is I figured out what something costs 24:33 before I decide if I like it. 24:37 Are you with me? Yeah. 24:39 Like all the ladies didn't get that. 24:40 She is like, what did he say? 24:43 No, no, no, so if I'm walking along in the mall 24:48 and I look through a store there. 24:50 And I see a pair of shoes, 24:52 here's the thought process I go through. 24:54 I see the shoes and I think to my-- 24:55 I think I might be interested in that pair of shoes, I might be. 24:59 There is the potential that I could be interested, 25:01 so I will go in and see what they cost. 25:03 And so I go in and I turn the shoe upside down 25:05 and if it says $150, I don't like them, right. 25:09 Oh, those are the ugly shoes I've ever seen. 25:10 But if it says $29.95 then I might like them. 25:15 Then I can make the decision. 25:16 See, so first, I know the cost 25:18 and then I decide if I like them. 25:19 So, so that's just the just the very 25:21 intelligent way of shopping by the way. 25:22 I'd recommend you try it. 25:24 So I go into this clothing store there. 25:26 And there's all of these blazers hanging in a row there. 25:29 My wife is up front talking to the lady 25:31 and I look at the blazer and I think well, 25:32 I might be interested in liking this, I might. 25:35 So I look at the tag on the little sleeve 25:38 and I look at that and I think. 25:40 There's a misprint. It's a misprint. 25:43 So I look at the one behind it, same thing. 25:46 And I'm thinking two misprints. 25:47 Look at the third one, same thing. 25:49 So I look at the back of the jacket 25:51 to see if there's like a jetpack or something. 25:55 You know, see if there's maybe 25:56 like some Kevlar reinforcement. 25:58 Nothing, just a wool jacket. 26:02 $5,000. Oh. 26:05 And i was like, wasn't even that nice looking. 26:10 And immediately I knew we were not going to buy our tuxedos. 26:14 We were not going to rent our tuxedos from this place. 26:16 So I thought, well, this will be fun, 26:17 you know, obviously my wife has not got 26:18 to the bottom line with this lady. 26:20 So I'm just going to wander around the store 26:21 and just have little fun. 26:23 So I go over to the shirts. 26:24 White cotton button-up shirt, 26:26 just like the one I'm wearing here today. 26:27 That I think I paid $14 for it at Ross Dress for Less. 26:33 Amen, come on. 26:40 $600. Oh. 26:44 Belts, $500, shoes, just off the charts. 26:49 So I was beginning to wonder 26:50 if there's anything in the store I could actually afford. 26:53 And I went over there and there was this little wicker basket 26:56 and there were socks in it. 26:59 And it wasn't the three-pack, it was the one-pack. 27:03 $72. Oh. 27:07 Now while I'm sort of having this, 27:09 you know, this little exercise here in just absolute amazement. 27:14 It daunts on me. I have this here eureka moment. 27:18 Wait a minute, this place is open for business. 27:23 Are you with me, see if you follow it? 27:24 I thought wait a minute. People must shop here. 27:29 Right, doesn't that make sense? 27:31 I mean, people must shop here. 27:33 Otherwise, they wouldn't be open for business. 27:34 Which much mean then that somebody else 27:37 not me, maybe one of you. 27:39 Somebody else would go into that same store 27:41 they would see those same jackets 27:43 and they would look at that same price tag. 27:45 And they would see that same price 27:47 and they'll think ah, what a great jacket 27:51 and its only $5,000. 27:53 So they'll try it on, you know, 27:55 and stand in front of the three way mirror 27:57 and you'll say, "Sweetie, what do you think of these?" 27:58 Oh, that looks really nice, that go well with your khakis 28:01 and it's only $5,000. 28:03 You know, we'll take two, right. 28:05 And we'll pick up a few shirts and a belt 28:07 and some socks right out of there. 28:08 I mean there must be people 28:10 that spend that kind of money for those things. 28:13 Now, listen carefully here. 28:15 To me no blazer is worth $5,000. 28:21 Are you with me? It's not worth it. 28:25 Let's say that together. It's not worth it. 28:28 But is it worth it to somebody else? 28:30 Yeah. And that's the point. 28:32 So the whole concept of worth and value, 28:35 the central component in worth and value 28:38 is that it is subjective, that's point number one. 28:40 It's only two points tonight, 28:42 so you'll get it, its piece of cake. 28:43 Okay, so worth is subjective. Let's say that together. 28:47 Worth is subjective. Worth is subjective. 28:49 Another way of saying that is this. 28:50 The one who is willing to pay the price 28:52 for an item determines its worth. 28:56 So far, so good. So to me it's not worth it. 28:58 But if somebody else looks at the same jacket 29:00 and says its worth it to them, it's a deal. 29:02 The one who is willing to pay the price 29:03 determines the value or worth of an object. 29:06 Now with this backdrop in mind remember the hymn writer, 29:09 'What wondrous love is this, O my soul'. 29:11 'What wondrous love is this, O my soul 29:13 that it would cost the Lord of bliss 29:14 to bear the dreadful curse for me, for me.' 29:19 With that imbalance of exchange and this idea of worth, 29:22 this context of worth in our mind, 29:24 let's open our Bibles now to the Gospel of Matthew. 29:28 Matthew 13, now that's the first book of the New Testament. 29:31 Matthew 13, you'll find it. 29:34 And Jesus here is speaking in a parable. 29:36 He's speaking in a what, everyone? 29:38 A parable. A parable. 29:39 Now Jesus frequently spoke in parables 29:41 and people wonder why Jesus spoke in parables. 29:43 Why didn't He just say it straight out? 29:44 Well, one of the reasons that Jesus spoke in parables is 29:47 He had the impossibly difficult task of communicating 29:51 a world that was so totally radically different from our own 29:55 to people who'd never seen anything like it before. 29:58 Have you ever visited another country 30:00 or a just a, yeah, another country 30:01 that's a good illustration. 30:03 You've never been to before 30:04 and you'd culture shock you're like wow, 30:06 I've never seen anything like this before. 30:07 Anybody here who ever had that experience, okay. 30:09 So then when you go back and try to explain that country 30:12 the ambience of that country, 30:14 the ethos of that country 30:16 to someone who has never been there. 30:17 Is that easy or difficult? 30:19 It's very difficult because how do you describe the smells 30:22 and the taste in the way that the people carry themselves. 30:24 Well, think of Jesus. 30:26 Jesus has lived in a non-fallen universe. 30:30 That is to say in a sinless universe 30:33 and here He comes to explain to these stiff necked 30:37 obstinate hardhearted, hardheaded disciples 30:40 the glories of an un-fallen universe 30:43 and they have nothing with which to compare it. 30:45 Where they've no context to understand 30:47 a universe without sin, 30:49 a universe without pain, death, disease. 30:51 I mean how you're going to explain that. 30:54 Jesus had a significantly difficult task here. 30:57 Didn't He, yes or no? 30:58 And so He frequently would speak in parables. 31:01 You'd find Him saying the strangest things. 31:03 He'd say things like this. 31:04 He'd say, "The kingdom of heaven is like"-- 31:09 the disciples are all waiting with bated breath. 31:12 And he would say, "The kingdom of heaven is like, 31:15 it's like, ah, a mustard seed." 31:23 And the disciples would say what did He, what? 31:26 Did He say like a mustard seed? 31:28 Ye, ye, ye, and Jesus is on a roll now. 31:30 It's like a mustard seed. 31:32 And He would just start to explain it. 31:34 And the disciples are just like-- 31:37 No kingdom on earth is like a mustard seed. 31:41 So Jesus had this difficulty of explaining 31:43 the celestial realities to people 31:45 that have nothing to compare with. 31:47 Nothing, no referent and so He would frequently 31:50 begin His parables by saying things like 31:52 the kingdom of heaven is like. 31:55 Now look at Matthew 13, Mathew 13, 31:57 now Jesus sometimes told very long parables. 32:00 Like in Luke 15 you have just 3 parables 32:02 in the whole chapter. 32:03 Very long parables like 32:04 the 'Parable of the Prodigal Son.' 32:06 But some of Jesus' parables were very short. 32:07 And here in just 3 verses we have 2 parables. 32:10 Three verses 2 whole parables, the first one is in verse 44. 32:13 Matthew 13:44, look at the language. 32:16 "Again the kingdom of heaven" is what. 32:20 "The kingdom of heaven is" what? 32:22 "Like" ye, ye, ye "The kingdom of heaven 32:24 is like a treasure hidden in the field which a man found 32:28 and hid and for joy over he goes 32:30 and sells all that has and he buys that field." 32:32 One parable, one verse, verse 45 32:36 "Again the kingdom of heaven is" what everyone? 32:38 "Like a merchant man seeking beautiful pearls" 32:40 Soon when he had found one pearl of great price. 32:42 "He went and sold all that he had 32:45 and he bought it." 32:47 The kingdom of heaven is like this guy. 32:50 And he's walking through and out of the way field 32:52 and as He's strolling through this out of the way field, 32:54 He stubs His toe on something. 32:56 And it doesn't feel quite like a rock. 32:58 It doesn't feel quite like a tree root. 32:59 And so He looks down to investigate it 33:01 and it looks unusual. 33:02 Something about that it grabs His attention. 33:03 And He begins to sort of excavate there 33:05 and as He digs apart, 33:06 He realizes it's something manmade. 33:08 It may be a box or a sack, and as He pulls it up 33:11 He finds a treasure. 33:14 Now this was not uncommon in the days of Jesus. 33:16 Jesus is describing something here 33:17 that could have happened reasonably 33:19 routinely in His days. 33:20 Because today if you had a treasure, 33:21 you'd put it in a bank or you put in a stock market. 33:23 You likely would not go hid it in a field. 33:25 But in those days Jesus Himself said, 33:27 "Hey don't put your treasures down here on earth, 33:28 because a thief could take it or it could be rusted 33:31 or a moth could eat it up. 33:32 And so if people had something that they wanted to keep secret. 33:35 They didn't want thieves to be able to get it. 33:36 They go and not uncommonly to out of the way field, 33:40 they bury it and that will be like their safety deposit box. 33:42 And it would remain there until they either went retreat it. 33:46 But what happened if something happened to them and they die. 33:49 So the treasure is still there. 33:50 And so it was not at all uncommon in the days of Jesus 33:53 for someone to find someone else's treasure. 33:55 And Jesus says, hey, the kingdom of heaven is like a man 33:58 walking through in out of a way field 34:00 who stubs his toe on something, looks down and finds a treasure, 34:03 then goes home, he tells his family and his friends. 34:06 He's going to liquidate all of his assets 34:08 so he can buy that one field. 34:10 Now let me ask you a question. 34:12 How do you think that looks? 34:14 How do you think the liquidating of all of his assets 34:16 to buy one piece of property? 34:18 How does that look to those who were not there 34:21 to see the treasure? 34:22 Wise financial decision or unwise? 34:25 Probably, unwise right? 34:26 They'd say oh, you did the poor choice. 34:28 You need to diversify your stock portfolio, right. 34:31 Now don't put all your eggs in one basket, 34:33 but he could try to explain to them what he'd found. 34:36 But they might try to discourage him 34:37 and dissuade him from making that decision. 34:39 Now what does this parable mean? 34:42 Well, I think it's pretty simple really. 34:45 When we walking through this field 34:48 called life encounter the gospel, 34:51 when we run into Jesus, 34:54 we are willing to liquidate all of our assets, 34:56 so that we can obtain Jesus. 34:58 Can someone say, amen. 35:00 I mean listen, Jesus has a way 35:02 of turning your whole life upside down. 35:04 Someone say, amen. Amen. 35:06 Jesus is not like a little caboose 35:08 that you nicely neatly add 35:10 to the end of the rest to your life. 35:12 If you truly want a radical relationship with Jesus, 35:15 it changes everything. 35:16 Yes or no. Yes. 35:18 And so when you encounter Christ 35:20 everything, everything is on the table. 35:23 Everything is up for grabs, 35:24 I mean you are willing to do whatever you feel 35:26 God is calling you to do. 35:28 And that can look very irrational to people 35:31 who have not seen the treasure that you've seen. 35:34 Yes or no. 35:35 Okay, so I already described you 35:36 that I was in the punk rock world 35:38 and etcetera, etcetera and now in my community 35:42 rather you could've been anything 35:43 and people would have accepted it. 35:45 You could have been transvestite, 35:47 you could have been a homosexual, 35:49 you could have been anything 35:51 and people would have accepted you. 35:53 But in my community if you became a Christian, 35:55 this was like the highest form of treason. 35:58 So when I became a Christian, 36:00 my friends ceased to have an interest in me. 36:04 Are you with me everyone, yes or no. 36:06 okay, now when I became a Christian 36:08 even the direction of my vocation started to change 36:11 and I started to thinking that maybe God was leading me 36:12 into different direction. 36:14 Everything was on the table. 36:16 My friends thought I was crazy. 36:18 In fact my friends used to say, don't talk to David Asscherick 36:21 to some of my other friends, don't talk to David Asscherick, 36:23 he's been brainwashed 36:25 to which I would always respond invariably respond. 36:27 My brain could use a good washing. 36:31 Are you with me? 36:32 But all my friends they didn't-- they could not understand, 36:34 because they hadn't seen the treasure that I've seen. 36:36 My father couldn't understand, 36:37 my own brothers and sisters couldn't understand 36:39 and so to with you. 36:40 If you really make a radical hard commitment to Jesus, 36:43 there is a very good chance 36:45 that people around you are not going to understand 36:47 the decisions that you're making. 36:48 Someone say, amen. Amen. 36:50 But you're so smitten, so taken with the treasure. 36:53 You let it all on the line. 36:55 Isn't that right? 36:57 So I think that's what the parable is teaching. 36:58 I think when we encounter Christ? 37:00 When we encounter the gospel in the field, 37:02 we say it's all on the table. 37:04 My career is on the table. 37:06 My education is on the table. 37:07 My relationships are on the table. 37:09 My enjoyments, recreations are on the table. 37:11 Everything is on the table. 37:14 Jesus what do you want me to do? 37:18 I believe that is exactly what the parable is teaching. 37:21 But I also believe that this does not exhaust 37:26 the interpretive possibilities. 37:29 Apparently for this man, the treasure was worth it. 37:34 Was what everyone? Worth it. 37:36 Because notice the Bible says, he goes and sells it for joy. 37:41 In other words we're not supposed to feel sorry for him. 37:42 We're not supposed to say, oh, too bad for that guy. 37:44 He liquidated all his assets just to buy that one field. 37:47 He's happy about it. 37:48 He cannot wait to do it even though people around him 37:51 may or may not understood. 37:52 Are we all together, yes or no? 37:53 Now with this framework in mind, 37:55 take one of these ribbons if you have it. 37:56 Put it right here or a pen 37:58 or a finger or whatever you have. 37:59 Put it right here and go with me to 2 Corinthians 4. 38:02 Remember I told you there were two basic principles 38:04 in this presentation, you've got one. 38:06 Now let's go look at the other 2 Corinthians 4. 38:09 First principle is that worth is subjective 38:12 that the one who is willing to pay a price 38:14 for an object determines its worth and its value. 38:17 And if that make sense say, amen. Amen. 38:19 Okay, now check this out, second principle. 38:23 It is nearly always the case, 38:26 it is nearly always the case that the contents of something 38:31 is worth more than the container that is in. 38:35 Are you with me? 38:37 It is nearly always the case that the contents of something 38:40 is worth more than the container, okay. 38:43 So think about this. A bank. 38:46 Why do people rob banks? 38:48 Right, not because of the superior architecture, right. 38:52 People rob banks because there is money in there, right? 38:55 And so what makes the bank valuable. 38:57 What's on the outside or what's on the inside? 38:59 It's on the inside, that's exactly right. 39:01 Think of--think of a coffin, right. 39:04 What's more valuable the outside or the inside? 39:06 Yeah, well what's on the inside, right? 39:08 That person-- there's a person in there. 39:09 How about a box of candy? 39:11 Now I love to say that one 39:13 because like all the health reformers 39:14 are like the box, you know. 39:21 But for the rest of us, we would say the candy, right. 39:26 You go right down the list and it is nearly always the case 39:31 that the contents of something 39:33 is worth more than the container than it's in. 39:34 If that make sense say, amen. 39:36 Okay, so follow this analogy. 39:37 In 2 Corinthians 4, 2 Corinthians 4 39:40 and notice with me verse 6. 39:42 2 Corinthian 4, I mean what verse everyone? Verse 6. 39:45 "For God, who commanded the light 39:47 to shine out of darkness, has shone in our." Where? "Hearts." 39:51 "Hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of glory of God 39:53 in the face of Jesus Christ." 39:55 Verse 7 "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels 40:00 that the excellence of the power maybe of God and not of us." 40:04 Simple analogy. 40:06 Paul says, the same God who in the beginning said, 40:09 let there be light and there was light. 40:11 The same God who in the very beginning said, 40:13 let there be light and boom light flooded 40:15 the then dark universe, has now spoken into an equally dark, 40:19 equally voided, equally vacuous location, 40:22 except now he's not speaking literal light, 40:24 he's speaking the light of the knowledge 40:27 of the glory of God. Where? 40:29 Into the sinned hardened, 40:31 sinned darkened heart of mankind. 40:33 Are you with me everyone? 40:35 So he says, "For God who commanded the light 40:37 to shine at the darkness that's shone in our hearts 40:38 to give us the light of the knowledge 40:40 of the glory of God." Where, where is it? 40:41 What's God like? 40:42 How can we know what He's really like? 40:44 In the face of Jesus? 40:45 And then he says and we have this treasure. 40:48 What treasure Paul, well, of course, 40:49 the treasure in context 40:50 is"the light of the knowledge of who God is." 40:53 And we have it in this jar of clay. 40:57 Paul obviously is referring to himself as the vessel. 41:01 We have "the light of the knowledge of who God is." 41:03 Do you realize how totally privileged you are 41:06 to know who God is? Can you say, amen? 41:09 I mean there are people in this world 41:11 who are absolutely blinded by the darkness of superstition 41:15 and all kinds of paganism. 41:17 They think that God is 41:18 some austere vindictive exacting creditor. 41:21 We know who God is. 41:22 Is that something important to know 41:23 in this great enterprise called life, yes or no? 41:26 That's the most important thing, the most important thing is 41:29 who is God and second most important thing is who am I? 41:32 You know, who God is and Paul was basically rejoicing. 41:34 He says, "We have the light of the knowledge 41:36 of the glory of God in the face of Jesus." 41:38 And we have it in earthen vessels in ourselves. 41:43 That the Excellency maybe of God and not of us. 41:45 So here is a good illustration, let me grab this thing. 41:49 All right, so here is juice container. 41:50 This would work really nice. 41:53 I have to hold it like this 41:55 I think so they can't tell what brand it is. 41:56 Okay, so basically here is the analogy, here's the analogy. 42:01 We're like this juice container 42:03 but what's inside of the container 42:05 is the knowledge of who God really is. 42:07 The light of the knowledge of the glory of God. 42:09 God's character in his essence. 42:10 Can you say, amen? 42:12 Okay, and so what would be more important then, 42:14 the juice or the container. 42:17 And of course, the juice would be more valuable. 42:18 And so to so to in this scenario, you would think. 42:23 Now remember that I said that is usually the case 42:26 that the contents of something is worth 42:27 more than the container. 42:30 But I actually said that one time when I was preaching, 42:32 I made that mistake as a preacher of saying. 42:34 It's always the case. 42:37 Right, as a preacher you learn to never say, 42:39 never or always, because somebody invariably 42:42 is going to take you to task, right. 42:44 And so I got this guy that comes to my church. 42:46 He is a doctor, he is a neurologist, 42:48 very intelligent man that thinks about things 42:50 in a different kind of way. 42:52 And he's a great guy I love him very much, Dr, David Gaston. 42:56 And so anyway Dr. Gaston, he always, 42:58 you know, when he comes out, 42:59 he's got some little pithy thing to say to me. 43:01 You know, about the sermon some little, 43:03 you know anecdote the sort of, 43:04 you know, stick it to me a little bit. 43:06 And so I had said the first time I ever preach this presentation, 43:08 I said it's always the case that the contents 43:10 is worth more than the container. 43:12 It's always the case. 43:13 So here comes Dr. Gaston, he says, "Pastor, 43:15 I thought of an example of where the container is 43:18 worth more than the contents." 43:20 And I thought, okay, well here we go, 43:21 every Sabbath, something every Sabbath. 43:23 So I said, "Okay, Dr. Gaston what is it?" 43:25 And he's a doctor, he's a neurologists. 43:27 He thinks very intelligently but very differently. 43:30 And he said, "Your bladder." 43:39 Are you with me? 43:41 And I was like-- I'll give you that one. 43:47 Okay, so now what I say is, it's usually the case. 43:52 Okay, now watch this, watch this. 43:56 The light of the knowledge of the glory of God, 43:58 that is who God is. 44:01 My Bible says, "God is love." 44:07 What was the love of God? 44:09 Best shone, most epitomized. 44:12 I'm hearing it on the cross, that's right. 44:16 If you wanted to distil the essence 44:17 of the Christian faith down to a single event, 44:19 it would be cross. Amen. 44:22 What is the message of the cross? 44:24 In a sentence this is the message of the cross. 44:27 God valued sinful humanity more than His own existence. 44:33 That is the message of the cross. 44:35 When Jesus cried on the cross "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani." 44:39 From Jesus perspective this was a terminal event. 44:43 As Ellen White says in that marvelous volume 44:44 there in Desire of Ages. 44:46 She said that Jesus could not see 44:47 through the portals of the tomb. 44:49 For Jesus this was a terminal event. 44:51 He said, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me. 44:53 The message of the cross is that God valued sinful humanity 44:57 more than His own existence. 45:00 I want to put it in another way. 45:02 God would rather go to hell for you 45:04 than live in heaven without you. 45:09 Paul says, "We have this treasure." 45:13 The light of the knowledge of the glory of who God is, 45:15 the essence of who God is 45:16 and that is best exemplified there on the cross. 45:19 He said, "We have this in a jar of clay." 45:22 Where the jar of clay is? 45:24 You just think about that. 45:25 Now remember what I told you. 45:26 It is nearly always the case that the contents of something 45:28 worth more than the container. 45:30 But the message of the cross is that God valued this container 45:34 more than what's in it. 45:35 What's in it is the character of God. 45:37 The very essence of who God is. 45:40 The message of the cross 45:41 is that God valued the jar of clay more than Himself. 45:46 Are you with me? 45:52 So I guess that's another example. 45:55 Where according to God at least, 45:59 the container is worth more than the contents. 46:07 Now with that in mind, go back to Matthew 13. 46:12 Let's go back to Matthew 13. 46:16 And let's look at that parable again. 46:18 Let's just check it out again. 46:19 Let's see if we couldn't find another gem in here. 46:23 I think there is one. 46:27 We've already discussed the man is walking to the field 46:28 then he stubs his toe on a treasure 46:30 and he looks down and he says. 46:31 What is the treasure? 46:33 He excavates, its some incredible awesome treasure. 46:35 So much so that he is willing to liquidate 46:36 all of his assets to obtain that one thing. 46:38 We're all on the same page every one, yes or no. 46:40 And we say, "Oh, what was this amazing treasure?" 46:41 It's the gospel, it's the Lord Jesus Christ. 46:43 And when we find Jesus, we're willing to give up 46:45 everything for the Lord Jesus. 46:46 Can someone say, amen? Amen. 46:48 But what if that's not all the parable is teaching. 46:53 What if there's something even better. 46:55 What if there's something deeper that undergirds this parable, 46:58 that's even more profound. 47:02 Let's look at it again verse 44, Matthew 13:44 47:04 "Again the kingdom of heaven is like 47:06 a treasure hidden in the field. 47:07 Which a man found and hid and for joy over he goes himself 47:11 all that he has and he buys that field. 47:13 Again the kingdom of heaven is like 47:15 a merchant man seeking beautiful pearls. 47:17 Who when he had found the one pearl of great price, 47:20 he went and sold all that he had and he bought it." 47:22 Something about that pearl, 47:24 something about that treasure caught his eye. 47:28 Never seen anything like it before. 47:29 It's unique. 47:33 So I'm reading through this book called Christ Object Lessons. 47:38 It's an old book, you've probably never heard of it. 47:41 And I'm reading on page 118, listen to this. 47:47 The parable of the merchant man seeking goodly pearls 47:50 has a double significance. 47:53 Oh, really, I'm all ears. 47:55 A double significance. 47:57 What kind of significance? What does double mean? 47:59 Also it has two significances. 48:01 Okay, it applies not only to men 48:05 as seeking the kingdom of heaven, 48:06 that's what we've already said. 48:08 "But to Christ as seeking his lost inheritance. 48:13 Christ the heavenly merchant man seeking goodly pearls 48:15 saw in lost humanity the pearl of great price in man 48:20 in David defiled and ruling by sin. 48:22 He saw the possibilities of redemption. 48:24 Hearts that have been battleground 48:25 of the conflict with Satan and that have been rescued 48:28 by the power of his love are more precious to the redeemer 48:30 than those than are those who have never fallen." 48:34 I could go as far as to add here if you'd allow me that 48:39 "those who have been redeemed 48:40 and rescued by the power of His love 48:41 are more precious to the redeemer than himself." 48:46 Now this parable gets a lot more awesome. 48:49 Because the essence of this parable 48:52 like I got a little secret for you. 48:54 The essence of the gospel 48:56 is not primarily about what you give up. 48:59 It's about what Jesus gave up. 49:02 Well, that is paradigm shift. 49:05 What, what, what? 49:06 So the centre of religion 49:08 is not about my sacrifice but His sacrifice. 49:12 So here is Jesus and Jesus is the man 49:15 walking through the field. 49:16 Jesus is the man looking for that goodly pearl. 49:19 Jesus walks through the field 49:20 and He stubs His toe and He looks down. 49:26 It's not a rock. 49:29 It's not a tree. 49:31 It's not a root. 49:32 Does a little excavation. 49:34 It's a treasure, treasure. 49:37 He lifts it up. 49:40 So He's looking at this treasure. 49:51 And to you-- 49:57 He knows that treasure will cost him everything. 50:04 Jesus is the man walking through the market. 50:08 Comes upon a man selling pearls. 50:10 So let me see your pearl collections. 50:11 He's looking to the pearl, well, those are nice. 50:13 Let me see that one. 50:16 Oh, Jesus this is a very expensive pearl. 50:19 No I would like to see that pearl. 50:20 Can I please see that pearl? 50:22 Jesus, this is a very expensive pearl. 50:23 Oh, what's the cost on that pearl? 50:25 The cost on that pearl, Jesus is everything. 50:27 Now that'll cost you everything, including your life for Jesus. 50:31 I like-- there's something about it. 50:32 Can I see that pearl? 50:34 Okay, takes that pearl. 50:41 It's to you. 50:44 Cost me everything, ah, everything. 50:50 He says, "I'll take it. 50:53 I'll take it." 50:57 What if the essence of the gospel 50:59 is not about what you give up? 51:02 But about what Jesus has given up. 51:06 Jesus found you. 51:11 Jesus paid an infinite price for you. 51:13 If Jesus paid an infinite price for you. 51:15 Then it must follow that you're worth an infinite amount. 51:19 Oh, oh, but you protest. 51:21 No, not me, you don't know me. 51:24 You don't know everything about me. 51:26 I'm not worth that. 51:27 But wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute, 51:29 value is determined by the one 51:30 who is willing to pay the what? Price. 51:34 You're not the determiner 51:36 and arbiter of your value, God is. 51:38 God has determined what you're worth 51:40 and God looks at you and he says, 51:42 he, she is worth an infinite everything to me. 51:47 Now we live in a society that tells you that you're worth 51:50 such and such based on a variety of external things. 51:53 And for you ladies if you look just striking, 51:55 you've the certain figure and blah, blah, blah 51:57 then you're worth more than those who perhaps don't, right. 52:00 This is society. 52:02 And the guys, you know, you're worth, 52:03 you're accomplishments and your career 52:05 and what car you drive? 52:07 You can actually add to your value, you can add to your worth 52:09 and if you don't have the things 52:11 that our society deems as important and as central, 52:14 then you don't posses the same kind of worth as those who do. 52:18 But God looks at you, just as you are and he says, 52:22 he is worth everything to me. 52:23 She's worth everything to me. Amen. 52:27 I determine her value, I set her value 52:30 and I'm willing to pay it all. Amen. 52:36 Have you ever bought a lemon? 52:39 Has anyone here ever bought a lemon before? 52:42 Not the citrus fruit. 52:45 A lemon, you know a car that broke down. 52:47 Anyone or something else you bought a computer 52:49 and it was a piece of junk. 52:51 He bought it on eBay, you thought 52:52 you were getting a deal of a lifetime 52:53 and it was a piece of junk. 52:55 Go ahead raise your hands. 52:56 You consumer reports reader, 52:58 you know you've been gypped before. 53:00 Now do you know why you bought a lemon? 53:05 You bought a lemon for one reason, 53:10 you didn't know, you didn't know what was the lemon, 53:13 that's why you bought it. 53:15 On the dealership lot it looks so good, 53:17 you drove it out, it looks so good on eBay, 53:19 when you got it. 53:20 And then when you actually had it in hand, it broke down. 53:24 You bought a lemon because you didn't know. 53:27 But wait a minute. 53:29 God knows, God knows. 53:36 When God paid an infinitely high price for you beloved, 53:39 He knew exactly what He was getting. 53:46 He knew you were a lemon. 53:48 And He bought you anyway. 53:53 You are worth the very life of God. 54:00 That's the gospel. 54:04 God valued you more than His own existence. 54:10 That's the gospel. 54:13 Don't try to add to it. 54:15 Just accept it. 54:19 What do we're going to say to that? 54:22 You know, what I think we're going to say. 54:24 I think we're going to say, what wondrous love is this. 54:34 Ah, what wondrous love is this? 54:39 What wondrous love is this, 54:41 that would cause the Lord of bliss 54:43 to bear the dreadful curse for my soul, 54:50 for me with all of my faults and fumbles, 54:54 failures, hypocrisy, shortcomings. 54:59 What wondrous love is this? 55:06 In closing, there's a person here today 55:13 who has never accepted the Lord Jesus Christ 55:18 as their personal savior. 55:23 There's a person here today at least one probably more, 55:27 who have never in their hearts of hearts, 55:29 in the innermost core of their being understood 55:33 the price that was paid for them. 55:35 And that they can't add to it. 55:36 They can only accept it. 55:40 That God knows you're a lemon, 55:41 He bought you when you're a lemon, 55:43 He knew what He was getting and He did it anyway. 55:45 Stop trying to be what you're not and become a child of God. 55:51 'Cause God want to take you as He want to transform you. 55:53 Does He want you to be obedient? 55:55 Yes, yes, yes, yes. 55:56 But all of that comes 55:57 after you have a radical encounter with Jesus 56:00 and you realize, He laid it all down 56:03 for that treasure He found in the field. 56:06 And that treasure is you. 56:11 So where is that person? 56:13 So where is that person who wants to say tonight? 56:18 Jesus, I accept the infinite price that You paid for me. 56:26 I don't add to it. I can't explain it. 56:30 But tonight I accept it. 56:33 Where's that person, would stand for me? 56:36 Where's that person now. 56:37 I know you're here because I prayed about it. 56:40 There you are. There you are sister. 56:42 Where is that person? There you are. 56:46 Stand up that you know you're that person. 56:48 This would be the time to standup. 56:55 God bless you sister. 56:58 God bless you sister. 57:01 Who else stand up right now, you accept it? 57:04 Infinite price paid for you. 57:09 Somebody else? God bless you sister. 57:26 What wondrous love is this? Amen. 57:31 Let's pray, Father in heaven, 57:38 we can't explain it, but we believe it. 57:45 And we accept it. 57:47 For those who have stood afresh, 57:54 new, real, tangible, realization, 58:02 that their value is not wrapped up in what they do 58:07 and what they have and don't have, 58:08 their value is wrapped up 58:10 and the price that was paid for them. 58:11 And that price is the very life of God. 58:18 Father, we marvel that we stand back 58:23 and we say, what wondrous love is this, oh, Father. 58:31 Thank You, Thank You. 58:37 We're lemons and You knew it. 58:42 And You desire to make us into something more, 58:44 and something better, something grandeur. 58:49 But Father help us to stay grounded 58:52 in the great fact of the infinite price paid for us. 58:58 When as Paul says, we were still sinners. 59:05 In the mighty, marvelous, amazing, 59:11 wondrous name of Jesus 59:15 that all of God's lemons say amen. |
Revised 2014-12-17