Participants:
Series Code: PME
Program Code: PME230114S
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00:15 >> Good morning and happy Sabbath to each 00:17 and every one of you that is here today. 00:20 And those who are worshiping online 00:21 or by some other media form, thank you also for joining us 00:25 in worship. Today here at Pioneer Memorial 00:28 Church, we are worshiping God and praising Him for everything. 00:33 No matter where we came from this past week, we are praising 00:36 God and worshiping Him. As we continue to worship, let's 00:39 move to our call to worship. And so please read when prompted 00:43 by the words on the screen. 01:09 Let's bow our heads. God, today we come before You in humility, bowing before You, 01:15 knowing that You are God and we are here to worship. So, Lord, right now 01:19 accept our worship. Be here in this place. We turn to You, and so let 01:24 everything today glorify and uplift You. Amen. 01:34 >> We are told that if we do not praise our God, that the rocks 01:41 will cry out because He is worthy to be praised. 01:46 Let us join together with all creation 01:50 in this first song. Let's stand and sing praises to 01:53 our God. ♪♪ 02:02 ♪♪ 04:50 ♪♪ ♪♪ 07:55 ♪♪ ♪♪ 08:31 Here we go. Verse one. 10:09 ♪♪ >> Amen. 10:12 Thank you for joining us in that song. 10:15 Our scripture reading today is found in the 10:17 Book of Acts 1:6-8. If you'd like, I invite you 10:21 to turn to your Bibles, Acts 1:6-8. 10:31 And it reads like this. "Then they gathered around him 10:35 and asked him, 'Lord, are you at this time going to restore the 10:40 kingdom to Israel?' He said to them: 'It is not for 10:45 you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own 10:49 authority. But you will receive power when 10:53 the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in 10:58 Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the 11:03 earth.'" Amen. 11:05 >> Amen. 11:09 ♪♪ >> Please stand. 11:16 ♪♪ 15:14 ♪♪ ♪♪ 15:32 >> Let's pray. Oh, God, we just sang it. We go to all the world, one name 15:39 and only one name upon our lips -- the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. 15:47 So what does that mean for us here at Andrews University and Andrews Academy and 15:50 Ruth Murdoch Elementary School and Pioneer and this little village in such a big world? 15:57 Foxhole praying. Teach us. Teach us to pray that way 16:05 we pray in Jesus name. Amen. Turns out the president of this 16:10 university, Andrea Luxton, has made a decision, and she announced it 16:15 this last week. 16:17 This Wednesday, four days from now, will be a day of prayer 16:22 at Andrews University, at Andrews Academy, at 16:27 Ruth Murdoch Elementary School, at Pioneer, and in this 16:31 community. And how should we pray? 16:37 I say, let's pray with foxhole praying. 16:40 Here we go. "Mission Impossible (Maybe): 16:43 Foxhole Praying." So let's foxhole praying? 16:47 Well, what's a foxhole? You know what a foxhole is? Yeah, it's a hole. It's a pit. 16:52 [ Laughs ] It's a trench in warfare beneath which or inside 16:58 of which soldiers duck for incoming hostile fire. [ Imitating gunfire ] 17:09 Foxhole praying. Got it right here. Never saw it before until 17:14 just a few weeks ago. And when I saw it, I said, "Oh, man, that's not something 17:18 just to share for yourself. Dwight, you got to share that with your friends." 17:21 So I'm sharing it with you today. An incredible story. 17:23 Open your Bible. Open your Bible, please, to the Book of Acts, and I'm not 17:28 putting it on the screen. I told everybody last week, "Listen, I'm tired of putting 17:32 all the verses on the screen because nobody's bringing their Bibles." 17:36 You don't have your Bible, grab the pew Bible in front of you. There's a Bible for you. 17:40 Let's go to the Book of Acts. Let me tell you something. A very unique pattern that 17:44 develops in the Book of Acts goes like this. And by the way, 17:50 you would never wish to be back in the good old days of Acts, trust me. 17:54 Number one, a friend of Jesus performs a miracle. This happens over and over 17:58 and over again in Acts. Number two, a crowd immediately gathers out of curiosity. 18:03 Number three, a friend of Jesus, that friend begins to tell everybody about who this Jesus 18:07 is -- the name and the power that healed this poor, sick soul. 18:12 Number four, the authorities become suspicious because a crowd has gathered and this 18:17 speaker holding them spellbound, who is he? Number five -- So, the friend of 18:24 Jesus is arrested and examined. So far in the story. Check, check, check, check. 18:28 We got five checks. Here comes number six. And either the charges are 18:31 pressed or the case is dropped. And finally, number seven -- check -- the disciple is 18:37 scourged, incarcerated, released, or martyred. That's it. 18:43 Over and over and over, that same pattern, Book of Acts. So that's 18:47 what's happening right now. Come on, Acts 4. You've got that Bible, that pew 18:50 Bible in front of you. Acts 4. Grab it, because this story 18:53 is going to be a YouTube. You're going to see it. When the words are there, 18:56 you'll just see it in your mind. It's one of the great opening sagas to this 19:02 Book of Acts. Acts 4:1 I'm reading. "The priests and the captain of 19:06 the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to 19:11 the people. They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were 19:14 teaching the people, proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead." 19:18 So what do they do? Yep, true to form. "They seized Peter and John and, 19:22 because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day." 19:27 The next day, they bring the boys out. I don't know if they're in 19:30 handcuffs or not, but they're brought to the Supreme Council. This is the Sanhedrin, 19:35 and under cross-examination -- now you're watching this in a YouTube -- 19:38 under cross-examination, here it is, verse 8. "Then Peter, filled with the 19:43 Holy Spirit, said to them: 'Rulers and elders of the people! 19:47 If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was 19:52 lame...'" Hey, wait a minute. You remember that story? 19:55 They're going to a prayer meeting at 3:00. They're having a day of prayer 19:59 there. 3:00 in the afternoon, and there's this beggar. 20:02 You remember that beggar born lame? Just wobbly legs, 20:07 nothing to them. But he's brought by his family to beg every day. 20:11 Peter walks by, sympathy in his heart. "What can I do for this boy? 20:17 "Silver and gold have I none." How's that end? "Silver and gold have I none, 20:21 but such as I have I give to you." And then what are the following 20:26 words? "In the name of Jesus of Nazareth, get up and walk." 20:32 And that thick fisherman's wrist from hauling nets all his young life reaches down because there 20:40 might have been a flicker of "Do I do it now?" That wrist comes down and grabs 20:44 that bony skinny arm and yanks him heavenward. And somewhere between down and 20:51 up, boom, those legs for years have never felt pressure. Now he stands and he is whooping 20:59 and hollering and he's -- he's yelling "Praise God" and the crowd is racing from 21:04 across those sacred precincts. And you got it -- miracle, crowd, and now the rest follows. 21:10 Under the duress of cross-examination... I'm telling you, "Rulers and 21:15 elders, you've taken us to account for this act of kindness shown to a man who was lame 21:22 and were being asked how he was healed? I'll tell you. 21:25 "'Know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of 21:29 Nazareth, whom you crucified'" -- preaching truth to power -- "'whom you crucified 21:35 but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed.'" 21:40 And then Peter... Now we're talking about -- we're talking about 21:45 a bumbling fisherman, uneducated, unschooled, unprepared 21:51 at this moment. Peter speaks, and out of his mouth comes the greatest 21:58 magisterial proclamation about the uniqueness of Jesus Christ in the entire universe. 22:05 Out of that fisherman's lips on the spot. Oh, this one's too good. 22:11 I got to put -- I got to put it on the screen. It's verse 12. Come on. 22:14 Verse 12, right in front of you. Here it is. It's Peter speaking 22:17 under cross-examination. You got the YouTube moment. "Salvation is found in no one, 22:23 I'm telling you, gentlemen of the jury." "'Salvation is found in no one 22:27 else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.'" 22:35 Man, oh, man, oh, man. Jesus is the only one that counts. 22:43 It must have been -- That must have been the secret of the early Church. 22:46 "We don't have silver. You don't have gold. But what we have, in the name 22:50 of Jesus, get up and walk." Someday that's going to happen, and you may be the one 22:57 to speak the words. Hold on, foxhole praying. You'll be ready. 23:03 Alright. The Book of Acts of the apostles, oh, I love it. 23:06 "Jesus only" -- speaking of this moment, "Jesus only," in these words is contained the secret of 23:11 the life and power that mark the history of the early Church. 23:16 Jesus only. Jesus numero uno. 23:24 Jesus only. Wow. So how could this untrained, uneducated fisherman do it? 23:31 Piece of cake. Jesus told him. "Yo, Pete, when this happens to you, don't worry about it." 23:37 Did Jesus read to him? Yeah. Same author of Acts, Luke, in his Gospel, 21, 23:43 Jesus spoke these words. Not these. This is Nikolaus von Zinzendorf. 23:49 No relation to Peter. But I want this line to go up right now out of place 23:54 because it shows you what the passion of Jesus means when you have it. 24:00 I've had these words on my -- taped to my wall in the course of life. 24:06 "I have but one passion," Zinzendorf...spoke. "I have but one passion -- 24:13 It is He, only He." Peter has one passion. It is He, only He. 24:19 And under cross-examination, Jesus -- Jesus' promise to Peter absolutely does come true. 24:26 He's talking to the disciples, "But make up your mind not to worry beforehand 24:30 how you will defend yourselves." Don't plan your little speech in advance, "For I will 24:35 give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist 24:42 or contradict." He proved it true for Peter. And in a moment that comes for 24:47 you where you'll be on the spot, and it may be just over a game of pickleball or over a lunch 24:54 with a business associate or a kid from across the hall that you're talking with, 24:58 but in that moment when it presents itself, boom. It's what happened to Peter. 25:04 You think he planned this speech? Are you kidd-- 25:07 Wow. What's going on here? Well, look at verse 13. 25:12 You have your Bible open. "When they saw the courage of Peter and John" -- 25:16 this is the Supreme Court -- "and realize that they were unschooled, ordinary men, 25:21 they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus." 25:27 I have one passion. That is He, only He. They were men who lived 25:31 with Jesus. Listen, when you get -- Hey. Listen. 25:35 When you get close to Jesus first thing in the morning... this is true about you. 25:41 How does it work? Well, you get close to Him and people notice. 25:46 How could that be? Because when you're with Jesus, He speaks through you. 25:53 And they took note... that these man, these two boys, His fishermen -- fishermen -- 25:59 have been with Jesus. Ah. Well, they're flummoxed. 26:05 So they had the men leave. They huddled. "What are we going to do? 26:08 This is a mess. This has get out of control." And finally, verse 18, 26:12 drop down there. They called them back in again. They command them, "Don't you 26:16 ever speak again. Don't you ever teach again at all in the name of Jesus." 26:19 But Peter and John replied. Both Both John Boy and Peter now are replying together. 26:26 "'Which is right in God's eyes: to listen to you, or to him?'" Lookit. 26:30 They're Pharisees in that Supreme Court. Every Pharisee would tell you, 26:32 "Don't listen to us. Listen to him." So it's a no-brainer. 26:36 Smart question to ask -- "'Which is right in God's eyes: to listen to you or to Him? 26:39 You be the judge! As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen 26:44 or heard.'" I thought you said this is about foxhole praying. 26:50 We're now there. Watch this. They go home. They're released. "Don't you ever say a word. 26:57 Not in that name." They go back. Drop down to verse 23. 27:00 And "On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the 27:05 chief priests and the elders had said to them. And when they heard this, they 27:08 raised their voices" -- and in the NIV, it's plural. I don't know what your 27:12 translation is, but the Greek, it's just singular. Not a lot of voices. 27:15 There's one voice. They all are praying with one voice. 27:18 Whatever this foxhole praying is taking place -- and we're going to have a day 27:22 of prayer on this campus and in Andrews Academy's campus and Ruth Murdoch's campus -- 27:28 whatever this one voice is, there is unanimity apparently in the content 27:34 of the prayer. Watch this. We listened to Daniel pray 27:38 last week, didn't we? Now we're listening to a whole room full -- the upper room. 27:42 And by the way, the upper room is huge. I once had the privilege 27:45 of preaching in that upper room. Archeologists are absolutely convinced 27:49 that that is the actual upper room of the gospels in Acts. 27:53 It's a huge room. I was so surprised. They're all crowded in there. 27:58 They've heard the threats and now they begin to pray. So drop down to verse 24. 28:04 "When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer. 28:07 "Sovereign Lord,' they said, 'you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and 28:12 everything in them.'" By the way, that's the last line of the fourth commandment. 28:17 They're Seventh Day people. "'Sovereign Lord, Creator, who made the heavens and the earth 28:23 and the sea, and everything in them.'" Identical line. 28:27 "'You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David.'" 28:31 They now quote Psalm 2. "'Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? 28:36 The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his 28:40 anointed one.'" Why do they all rise up against the Messiah whom we serve, 28:44 the living Christ? "'Indeed,'" they go on in that prayer, "'Herod,'" 28:49 that's the half-Jew king, "'Pontius Pilot,'" that's the Roman governor, "'met together 28:55 with the Gentiles,'" those are the pagans, "'and the people of Israel in this city to 29:01 conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. 29:06 And now...'" That's my next word in my translation, but hold it right 29:11 there because here comes -- here comes...the foxhole prayer. And I'll tell you what's not 29:19 the foxhole prayer. Have you noticed they haven't said a word about 29:23 "Would you please protect us?" Haven't said a word about "Would you please deliver us?" 29:29 And what struck me as I had brooded over this is last fall, they don't even say, 29:36 "Send down the Holy Spirit." Not a word about the Holy Spirit. 29:44 They come instead to verse 29, and I'm going to "iso" this -- this line on the screen for us 29:51 all. "'Now Lord, consider their threats and enable Your servants 29:58 to speak Your word with great boldness.'" I repeat, look at that prayer. 30:06 No pleading for protection, no praying for deliverance, not even a prayer for the 30:10 outpouring of the Holy Spirit. They have one prayer. It is a foxhole prayer 30:14 that has one passion. "Lord, help us help You win the war. 30:21 Enable Your humble servants... to speak Your word with great boldness... 30:28 to show the truth about Jesus for those who don't know Him." That's it. One prayer. 30:35 "'Now Lord, consider their threats and enable Your servants to speak Your word with great 30:41 boldness.'" You say, "Aw, Dwight, there's more to that prayer. 30:44 You left it off." Well, it's true. There's one more verse. 30:47 I'll show you the verse after in this prayer. It's verse 30. 30:51 You can reduce the prayer to a language you and I can speak easily to Jesus any time. 30:56 "Grant us the boldness to reach lost people for You." That's it. 31:05 Here's the next verse. Verse 30. "'And stretch out your hand to 31:11 heal and perform signs and wonders'" -- And oh, by the way, next week, "Avatars" -- you've 31:16 heard of avatars. "Avatars and Angels." Everybody's heard of avatars 31:20 on this planet this new year. "'Stretch out your hand'" -- Don't miss next week. 31:28 Signs and wonders. Signs and wonders. "'Stretch out your hand to heal 31:31 and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.'" 31:34 And here's the conclusion. "After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was 31:39 shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the 31:44 word of God boldly." I'm tell you. No prayer for protection. 31:50 No pleading for "deliver us from evil." No petitioning, "Pour out the 31:56 Holy Spirit upon us." They have one single prayer -- ""Grant us the boldness to reach 32:04 lost people for You.'" So what's the lesson here? Two lessons. 32:09 One, we ought to pray the same prayer. And number two, we've been 32:15 wrong. We have been wrong, and I finally realized it. 32:19 You say, "Wrong about what?" Well, let me explain. Several months ago, 32:23 when Karen and I announced that we were bringing our pastorate here at Pioneer 32:27 to an end, the end of May, this coming May, in the homily that followed -- 32:32 some of you'll remember this. In the homily that followed, I happened to mention 32:37 that for 39 years, there has been one prayer that I'd pray again 32:41 and again on and off. I'll be honest, more off sometimes than on. 32:48 But one prayer that I prayed over these 39 years, and, man, nothing's happened. 32:55 "What's that prayer, Dwight?" Well, it's a prayer, "Dear God, would You please revive? 32:59 Would You please revive this wonderful campus Andrews University and 33:03 the Pioneer Memorial Church and Andrews Academy and Ruth Murdoch Elementary School? 33:08 Would You please revive us? Pour out Your spirit on us." Well, I received an e-mail 33:17 instantly. I didn't see it instantly, but the timestamp indicates 33:21 this person sent the e-mail as soon as I finished my homily. I have no idea 33:26 who this person is. All I have is a last name. I have no idea where he 33:31 or she is living on this planet. But I'm going to read the e-mail to you. 33:35 It's very short. And it goes like this. "Sir," I don't mind 33:43 that. You wanna call me sir, be my guest. 33:46 "Sir, FYI" -- In case you don't know what FYI stands for, For Your Information, alright? 33:54 "Sir, FYI, from all appearances, Almighty God has been utilizing you and PMC for revival. 34:03 Perhaps the revival is other than your definition." >> Mercy. 34:08 >> [ Laughs ] That's exactly what I said. Mercy! 34:14 I have no idea who this guy is or girl. But it just hit me like a bolt. 34:22 What was that line again? "Perhaps the revival 34:26 is other than your definition." And I have been mulling on that. 34:31 I've been brooding on that all the fall behind us. 34:34 Could it be I have been insisting to God on a definition 34:37 of revival that is not His definition for today? 34:43 Man. And then when I discover 34:48 this prayer that we just discovered... 34:52 that there's no mention of protection, 34:54 there's no pleading for "Don't let me die. 34:56 Don't let me die. Keep me out of prison. 34:58 Don't let anything -- Don't let any harm or danger 35:00 come to me," none of that. 35:02 There's not even a prayer for "Send down the Holy Spirit. We're ready down here." 35:07 None of that. When hits me as I'm reading this last fall Acts 4, could it 35:15 be we have prayed the wrong prayer? Because I know people all over 35:23 this campus and community who have been praying and praying for God 35:27 to pour out a spirit on Andrews University and Andrews Academy and 35:30 Ruth Murdoch Elementary School. And by the way, that is a very appropriate prayer. 35:34 I'm not dissing the prayer, but it may not be the right one. 35:42 "'Grant us the boldness to reach lost people for You.'" 35:52 Hmm! Wow. 36:00 After all, wasn't that -- Come on. Come on. Now it's dawning on me. 36:04 Wasn't that precisely what Jesus was saying when His last words are spoken 36:09 to the 11 disciples on top of the Mount of Olives? Red letters in Acts 1, 36:16 read by our praise team a moment ago. Our Scripture reading, isn't 36:21 that what Jesus is saying right here? Come on, look at it. 36:23 "But you will receive power," boys and girls. "You will receive power when 36:31 the Holy Spirit comes on you." And why would the Holy Spirit come on you? 36:34 Because "'you will then be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, 36:40 and to the ends of the earth.'" When the Holy Spirit comes on you -- He's promising us, 36:47 "When the Holy Spirit comes on you, I promise you not you might be, you may be. 36:52 No, you will be." Do you understand that? When you have the Spirit 36:59 of Christ come upon you, you will be. And that's a promise. 37:04 "You will be My witnesses to the people next door, to the people in the next state, to 37:08 the people in the next country, to the ends of the earth. I promise you, you will be 37:17 My witness." Whew! I guess this is starting 37:23 to make sense. Which, by the way, is precisely why when the early Church 37:30 engages foxhole praying, there is not a whisper of the Holy Spirit. 37:36 They have one passion. One passion. Enable. 37:41 Come on, "Grant us the boldness." Enable Your servants 37:45 "to reach lost people for You." You say, "Dwight, I'm not a servant of Jesus." 37:49 Oh, yes, you are. Because if you're a disciple, you're a servant. 37:52 "Well, I'm not even a disciple." Oh, yes, you are -- soon -- because a disciple? 38:00 Follow Jesus. Some of you are here and you're not following Jesus yet. 38:05 But you came because some friends came and it seems the right thing to 38:08 do on a religious institution -- institutionalized campus. You're going to become a friend 38:15 of Jesus. I can tell just by looking at you. 38:18 He's already marked you. He's got big plans for you. I'm telling you what. 38:24 And guess what? When He calls you, here's what you become. 38:28 He grants to you boldness to reach lost people for Him. Ah. 38:39 Help us help You save the lost. That's what the prayer is. Help us help You win the war. 38:46 Help me help You reach the people on this campus who are in my little circle. 38:52 Help me reach them for You. That's it. So rather than praying for 38:58 revival, to look like 1971, 1972, because that's when the big revival happened 39:05 at Andrews University. I was not here. I was at Southern... 39:11 and we got the word. "Something's happened at Andrews University." 39:16 "The great Andrews University?" "The great Andrews University. Something's happened." 39:23 A friend of mine came up to me after first service and he said, "Dwight, I was here. 39:28 I was a student when that revival took place. They had a chapel one day 39:34 and all of a sudden, poof. I don't know." I've read the records over and 39:39 over again. I've had my staff. We've pored over this. 39:42 How could we do this again? How could we do this again? Somebody got up in chapel 39:46 and gave a testimony, somebody came behind her and gave a testimony. 39:49 Somebody became behind him and gave a testimony. This chapel went for 2 to 3 39:53 hours long right here in the Pioneer Memorial Church. What's going on here? 39:58 I don't know. Apparently, somebody was praying. 40:03 My friend Skip McCarty, who came up to me and told me he was a student here, he said, 40:08 "You know what? They were meeting in the student center at night. 40:12 And some of those meetings went all night. And listen to this. 40:15 They are praying for lost people on this campus. They're praying. 40:21 They're praying for students by name that are lost. And they know they're lost 40:25 because I was lost until something happened to me and someone 40:28 must have been praying for me. They're praying all night long. And you know what's happening 40:32 while they're praying all night long? Kids are crawling out of bed 40:35 coming down to that center and saying, 'I don't know why I'm here, but I just feel impressed 40:40 to be here.' And we were just praying him." You can't do that. 40:48 The president of the university cannot legislate that. The pastor of the church cannot 40:53 say "Now we will do that." It is spontaneous. But you have to pray 41:00 the foxhole prayer. What is that prayer? "Grant me the boldness 41:05 to reach lost people for You." And kids are praying all night long while others 41:11 are coming from the dorms in response to those prayers. My, oh, my, oh, my. 41:18 I'm not dissing on praying for the Holy Spirit, nope. I'm just saying if you're 41:22 waiting for warm fuzzies and the chance to say we had a revival at Andrews, 41:27 that ain't what we're waiting for. We need more. 41:31 We're living at the end of time. Do you understand that? We are living at the end of 41:34 time. I don't care if you believe it or not. 41:37 We're still living at the end of time. 41:44 And if Jesus came tonight, would you be ready? I'm talking to you up there. 41:49 I'm talking to you in the back, talking to you watching on live stream right now. 41:53 If Jesus were to come tonight, would you be ready? Only you can answer that. 42:02 No, the president did a wise maneuver. A decision she made 42:10 to call this campus to prayer this Wednesday and the two other campuses 42:16 in our orbit here. Can God make you bold? Are you kidding? 42:24 I want to run this by real fast before I sit down. I'm going to give you five 42:26 promises from Holy Scripture that will give you the assurance that it is God's 42:30 will for you to become bold. You haven't been bold yet. You have not been bold yet. 42:34 You know it and I know it. But He's going to make you bold. Five promises. 42:38 Jot these down real quick. I'll leave 'em up just long enough to quote 'em 42:42 and you can check them out later. Psalm 138:3. 42:45 Oh, this is something. David writing, "When I called," O God, "You answered me; 42:51 You greatly embolden me." Apparently you can ask to be bold. 42:56 "You greatly, in response to my prayer," You emboldened me." This is the new NIV. 43:01 Now here's the old NIV, which I really like too. "You made me bold 43:05 and stout-hearted." Wow. That's a promise to be bold. 43:13 Here's another one. Proverbs 28:1 -- "The wicked flee though no one pursues, 43:18 but the righteous are as bold as a [roars] lion." Come on. 43:26 I'm not making that up. There's a boldness that happens in your soul when you pray the 43:34 foxhole prayer. It happened to me just this week. 43:42 I'm in a group. We're having an intense conversation, 43:47 and the Spirit says, "Say something." And I'm saying, "I haven't 43:49 prepared anything to say." It said, "I don't care what you prepared, just say something." 43:55 And so I opened my mouth. And I'm telling you what, something came out. 44:03 I guess it was the right something to say at that moment. Make me bold. 44:09 Oh, I love Daniel 11. This is the New King James rendition. 44:14 "The people who Know their God shall be strong and carry out great exploits." 44:19 Oh, that's good. Of course, I'm going to put Acts 4:31. 44:22 That is a huge promise right here in the ending to the story. "After they prayed, the place 44:27 where they were meeting was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit 44:31 and they spoke the Word of God boldly." That's a promise. 44:35 "Girl, you do that, I'll take care of you. That boldness you want, boy? 44:40 I'll take care of you." That's what Jesus just said. You'll receive power when 44:46 the Holy Spirit comes on you. You don't have to speak in tongues when the 44:49 Holy Spirit comes on you. You don't have to see visions when the Holy Spirit comes on 44:52 you. You don't even have to heal people to prove the Holy Spirit 44:55 comes on you. The Holy Spirit comes on you when you ask. 45:00 Not with warm fuzzies. He's just there for one mission -- to enable you, sir, 45:07 to be bold in your witness for Jesus. That's His one mission. 45:12 Ohh. "You will be My witnesses to the ends of the earth.: 45:18 My, oh, my, oh, my. How does it work? Well, I'm gonna show you right 45:23 here, because Dr. Luke apparently is trying to make a point. 45:27 Twice in the same gospel, he makes the -- he quotes Jesus almost identically. 45:33 Why would you bring it back? We just saw it in Luke 21. Turn the 21 around, go to 45:38 Luke 12. He has already made this promise. 45:42 But apparently the promise is so critical that Luke includes it twice. 45:48 Now, here's the other one. We went to Luke 21 a moment ago. Here's Luke 20-- Luke 12:11. 45:54 I love this in the New Living Translation. Take a look at this. 45:56 Jesus speaking to His friends. You're a friend of Jesus. I'm a friend of Jesus. 46:00 Oh, and by the way, boys and girls, "'when you are brought to trial 46:05 in the synagogues and before rulers and authorities'" -- remember that 46:09 pattern in Acts? That just goes with the turf. When things get moving again 46:14 in the Church of God on Earth, this pattern will repeat. Can't help it. 46:20 Because the enemy is furious at emboldened young adults. He is furious at 46:26 teens who are emboldened. He is furious at senior citizens who suddenly have become 46:32 emboldened for Jesus. He's furious. He said, "I'll shut you up." 46:38 That's why the promise is good for you and me. Jot it down, Luke 12:11. 46:43 I left off the 12 here. 12:11-12. "'And when you are brought 46:47 to trial in the synagogues and before rulers and authorities, don't worry about how to defend 46:52 yourself or what to say, for,'" here it is, "'the Holy Spirit will teach you 46:58 what needs to be said even as you are standing there.'" No prep, no -- no CliffNotes, 47:07 no nothing on my iPhone. Nothing -- Where do I turn? Nothing. 47:12 You have no time to turn. "Speak for Me. Speak for Me now. 47:19 And if you obey that conviction, I promise you. You may feel 'haltering' -- 47:26 faltering right at the beginning. No, no, no, no, no. 47:29 You just keep putting one word in front of the other, and suddenly a string of words 47:35 will be given to you with your free choice being exercised the entire time." 47:38 It's called foxhole praying. The bullet -- [ Imitates gunfire ] 47:46 Praying in a war. That's what we'll do Wednesday. Foxhole praying. 47:54 That's what we do in church. Foxhole praying. Wow. 48:01 Imagine what would happen if Andrews University and Andrews Academy and 48:04 Ruth Murdoch Elementary School and Pioneer were filled with people who every morning prayed, 48:08 "Oh, God, grant me to be bold for You in sharing Jesus. Just grant it to me, enable me." 48:17 This is the revival we need. This is the one. We don't need '71, '72. 48:23 No, we don't need it. We don't need it. We need 2023. 48:27 And that's the revival He promises. To -- Imagine a generation of 48:34 young warriors -- I'm looking at some of them right here -- a generation of young warriors 48:39 boldly speaking and sharing Jesus with their world. Anywhere on campus, 48:46 they're ready because you just sat down at the cafeteria beside a lost person. 48:51 And three minutes into your conversation, you know this is your moment. 48:56 "Speak for Me, and you will." You say, "Ah, how's it going with 'Mission Impossible'? 49:05 'Your mission, should you choose to accept it.'" 49:11 What have you been saying? To make ready a people, prepare for the Lord? 49:14 That was last week. The mission is clear. Make a people ready. 49:18 You say, "No, that's not my mission. My mission is to 49:21 teach biology here." Well, of course it is. "No, my mission is to teach 49:25 accounting here." Oh, good. "I teach PT." 49:28 Good for you. "My mission is to teach the humanities, the arts, you know?" 49:33 Good. But every one of those subjects are your entree to young minds 49:42 that have been enlisted by the God of the universe to fight for Him. 49:49 And the opportunity will present itself in the course of one semester for you to reach that 49:54 boy, that girl, and instill a boldness for Christ. You can do it. Just be bold. 50:03 Find yourself saying something in front of the class you never thought you would say, 50:06 but you just did. Good for you. Yeah. 50:13 That's what revival will look like one day. I do believe. 50:18 Well, thank you, Dr. Luxton, for your appeal for us to join this day of prayer. 50:24 And we will join you Wednesday. Oh, man, the world's a mess right now. 50:32 You saw the communiqué that she sent out. She said -- She said, "I just 50:36 was at a meeting in San Francisco of all college presidents -- secular, public, 50:40 whatever." She said, "I couldn't believe." 50:43 You read it. "I could not believe it. There's just this sense of 50:47 uncertainty. Kind of a grayness in the air. Public education, 50:52 private education, I've never seen a hit like this post-pandemic 50:58 generation is facing." By the way, it's not just education, it's health care. 51:02 I got a son who works in a health care system. He's a physician's recruiter. 51:06 Health care has taken a huge hit. Any institution, 51:11 any church entities, please. It's right to have a day of prayer. 51:19 It's not an admission of anything except, "Dear God, we need Your help now." 51:25 That's the only admission you'll make. It's foxhole praying. 51:29 You want a foxhole prayer to lift up? Here it is. 51:32 "O God, enable me to be bold for You in sharing Jesus." 51:42 Here's your prayer to take home. Psalm 50:15 -- "'Call on Me in the day of 51:48 trouble; and I will deliver you,'" that's God speaking, "'and I will honor you.'" 51:55 Wednesday all across this campus, Andrews Academy, Ruth Murdoch, Pioneer community, 52:03 we're going to have a day of prayer. "Yeah, Dwight, are we supposed 52:07 to fast for this?" That's your choice. No one's requiring it. 52:12 It's your choice. Here's what I'm learning about fasting, because I'm still 52:14 experimenting with it myself. I have found that fasting focuses your mind, sharpens your 52:24 prayers and scatters the clutter and clatter of distractions. Here's what fasting does. 52:30 Shh... Just like a laser. Why wouldn't God love 52:35 to have His kids come to Him with laser attention? Of course. 52:41 "Fasting will hurt me." I'm just looking at you. 52:48 I don't think you'll be hurt. [ Laughter ] 52:52 I think you'll survive. I tried to be careful 52:56 where I looked. [ Laughter ] 53:01 Come on. Then at the end of the day, 5:00 53:04 in this beautiful sanctuary, we're going to gather. 53:07 All students are being invited. All staff, all faculty, all administrators, 53:14 all chaplains, all pastors, all community members. We're going to gather here 53:20 at 5:00, and the president himself will address this group. And we will lift up our voices, 53:27 plural will become singular. One voice will be lifted up to God. 53:30 A foxhole prayer. "'Call on Me in the day of trouble,'" You say? 53:35 We claim it, for You have promised "I will deliver you, Andrews University, 53:42 and you will honor Me, Andrews University. You will honor Me." 53:50 Okay. So I'm gonna sit down. "And the place where they were 53:55 meeting was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, 54:01 and they spoke the Word of God boldly." May that be the truth 54:08 about you and me and us together... 54:15 ...right now. Now... ♪ This little light of mine 54:23 ♪ I'm going to let it shine [ Piano playing ] That's nice key. 54:30 It's good. Don't let me sing. I'll ruin it. Come on, singers. Where are you? 54:34 Are you here? Where are the singers? Come on, guys. 54:38 This little light of mine, I'll let it shine. Let it shine, let it shine." 54:42 What a way to end the service, singing that little childhood prayer. 54:46 ♪♪ We're gonna stand. >> Please stand. 54:56 ♪♪ 56:25 ♪♪ 56:35 >> Thank you for worshiping with us here at Pioneer Memorial Church this 56:38 Sabbath. We know God's been here. We're gonna leave you with 56:44 the words of the disciples. "Enable Your servants to speak Your Word with great boldness. 56:50 Stretch out Hour hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders to the name through 56:55 the Your holy servant Jesus." Have a great and blessed Sabbath. 57:05 >> Thank you for taking the time to join us in worship today. 57:07 I'd like to spend another moment with you here 57:09 at the end of our program to share a word of hope. 57:11 In fact, that's what this little book is all about. 57:13 In these uncertain times -- and let's face it, they're uncertain 57:16 all over this planet -- this book entitled "The Great Hope" 57:20 will help you understand not just what God has planned 57:22 for your future, but for the future of the entire human race. 57:26 Light keeps shining on this dark old world and new truths 57:28 long forgotten are being constantly rediscovered. 57:32 If you need a fresh dose of hope for your life these days or you 57:34 know somebody else who could sure use that gift of hope, 57:38 then I'd like to invite you to grab your phone. 57:39 Dial our toll-free number, 877 the two words "HIS WILL," 57:43 877-HIS-WILL, and at no charge to you, we'll get a copy in the 57:48 mail to you right away. Till the next time we meet, 57:51 may the peace and hope of the Lord Jesus be with you 24/7. 57:59 ♪♪ ♪♪ 58:18 ♪♪ |
Revised 2023-01-25