Participants:
Series Code: PME
Program Code: PME250104S
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00:12 ♪ 07:55 >> Good morning, boys and girls. 07:56 How are you doing today? 07:57 >> Good. 07:58 >> Good? Good? 07:59 Happy Sabbath. 08:00 You guys look good. 08:03 So, today, I have a story 08:04 for you guys about me 08:06 when I was a younger kid. 08:10 So, how many of you guys 08:11 like to ride bikes? 08:12 >> Me! 08:13 >> Me. 08:14 >> Oh, yeah. 08:15 I loved riding bikes 08:17 when I was growing up. 08:19 And at a certain point, 08:21 I started 08:22 to get into mountain biking. 08:23 Do you guys know what 08:24 mountain biking is? 08:25 Yeah? 08:26 It's where you ride your bike 08:27 in the woods on trails. 08:28 Did you know 08:29 that Andrews University 08:30 actually has mountains? 08:33 It's the only place in Michigan 08:34 that has mountains. 08:35 But you got to come to Andrews. 08:36 All right? 08:38 So, I used to ride 08:39 my bike here on Andrews 08:41 on the trails in the woods 08:42 back there all the time. 08:44 But the problem was, 08:47 my bike was kind of old. 08:49 It was kind of rusty, 08:50 and it kept breaking down. 08:52 And so I went to my mom and 08:54 my dad, and I said, "Mom, Dad, 08:56 I like riding my bike so much. 08:59 And the problem is, 09:01 whenever I hit a jump, 09:04 the handlebars are loose, 09:05 and they always kind of 09:05 just fall down, 09:08 or the chain is constantly 09:09 falling off, 09:10 and the the wheel's 09:11 constantly going flat. 09:13 And I don't know what we can do, 09:15 but it would be possible for me 09:17 to somehow find a better bike?" 09:20 And my mom and dad, 09:23 they said, "Johnny, you know 09:24 we don't buy things 09:26 for you all the time. 09:27 We don't have a lot of money 09:28 to just spend on this and that. 09:30 But we see that you love 09:32 riding your bike so much. 09:33 We're going to take you 09:34 to the store 09:35 and get you a new bike." 09:38 And I was like, "Oh, let's go." 09:41 So we got in the car, 09:42 and we went to the store 09:45 that you always go to 09:47 to buy the most quality bikes. 09:49 We went to Walmart, right? 09:51 And so we go -- 09:53 we go to Walmart. 09:53 And my mom and dad said, 09:54 "Hey, you can look at 09:57 the bikes here 09:58 and pick out a bike as long 09:59 as it's under $100. 10:01 And I was like, 10:02 "Okay, no problem." 10:03 So I -- man, 10:04 I'm just going through, 10:05 looking at the different bikes. 10:06 And there I saw it, 10:08 a brand-new mountain bike 10:11 with full suspension. 10:12 And I said, 10:13 "I'm gonna get this one." 10:15 So we got the bike. 10:17 And, man, 10:18 I loved riding that thing. 10:21 Then, about a few weeks later, 10:25 I went on a bike ride 10:27 on the trails 10:29 with some of my friends. 10:32 And this time, we kept riding 10:34 further and further 10:35 back into the woods. 10:38 And then we got to a part 10:40 of the trails that I had never, 10:42 ever been on before. 10:44 My friends had been 10:45 there, and they said -- 10:47 They said, "Johnny, Johnny, 10:49 this trail is really, 10:51 really fun the faster you go." 10:55 And I was like, "Okay. 10:56 All right." 10:57 And so they said, 10:58 "We're gonna go down first, 11:00 and once we get to the bottom 11:01 of the hill, we're going to yell 11:03 back up at you 11:04 and tell you that you can go." 11:05 So all of my friends, 11:06 they rode down first 11:07 until it was just me 11:09 at the top of the hill. 11:11 And then I heard 11:12 from the bottom of the hill, 11:13 "Johnny, you can go now! 11:15 Remember, don't use your brakes! 11:18 Go really fast!" 11:20 And so, you know, I -- 11:23 I get on my bike right there 11:25 at the top of the hill, 11:28 and I start down the trail. 11:30 And I start pedaling faster, 11:32 faster. 11:33 I'm picking up more speed, 11:34 more speed, more speed, 11:35 more speed, faster, faster, 11:37 faster, faster. 11:38 When all of a sudden -- fww! 11:41 I flew off the hill. 11:45 And my tires were like this high 11:48 off the ground. 11:51 And it was just me 11:52 and my bike in midair. 11:55 And all I saw 11:56 in front of me was a tree. 11:59 [ Congregation groans ] 12:01 The front of my bike 12:03 hits the tree. 12:05 I go flying over the handlebars, 12:07 land on the ground. 12:08 My friends come up to me 12:09 and they say, 12:10 "Johnny, Johnny, are you okay?" 12:11 And I couldn't really breathe 12:12 because I got the wind 12:13 knocked out of me, 12:13 and I was like, "Uh, yeah." 12:15 And they said, "Hey, 12:16 it's okay to cry. 12:18 Real men cry. It's okay. 12:19 It's manly to cry." 12:20 And I said, "No, no, 12:21 I'm not gonna cry. 12:23 I was more concerned about 12:24 my bike. 12:25 So I got up, 12:26 I had a couple scratches, 12:27 but I got up, and I went over, 12:29 and I looked at my bike. 12:30 Oh, no! 12:32 My brand-new bike. 12:35 The front tire was bent. 12:37 The frame 12:38 of the bike was twisted. 12:39 And I said, "Oh, man." 12:42 Apparently, Walmart 12:43 actually doesn't have 12:44 the best bikes in the world. 12:45 [ Laughter ] 12:47 So I said, 12:47 "What am I gonna do?" 12:50 So what do you guys think I did? 12:51 I was scared. 12:52 I was scared my mom and dad 12:54 were going to be angry at me 12:55 for breaking this bike 12:58 that they had just got me. 13:01 Aww. So I hid it. 13:03 I hid it in my garage. 13:06 I didn't want to tell 13:07 my parents. 13:08 So, one week passes by, 13:10 and I kept the bike hidden. 13:13 I was scared -- "Mom and Dad 13:14 are gonna be angry. 13:16 I feel so guilty about this. 13:17 I don't want to tell them. 13:18 I don't want to tell them." 13:20 Two weeks go by. 13:22 Aw, man. 13:23 The guilt just keeps 13:24 eating away at me. 13:25 Now it's awkward. 13:26 My interaction with my parents 13:28 is a little more awkward now 13:29 'cause I'm hiding 13:30 something from them. 13:32 Three weeks, four weeks pass by. 13:35 And finally, I can't take 13:36 the guilt any longer. 13:38 I go to my mom and my dad. 13:40 I say, "Mom, Dad?" 13:43 "Yes, son?" 13:45 "Remember that bike you got me?" 13:47 "Yes." 13:49 "I crashed it, and I broke it." 13:53 "We know." 13:55 They said, 13:56 "You did a terrible job 13:57 at hiding it in the garage." 13:58 My dad said, "I saw it 13:59 every single day. 14:00 I was just passing..." 14:01 [ Laughter ] 14:04 And then they said, 14:05 "Are you okay?" 14:06 My mom said, "Are you okay?" 14:07 And I said, "Yeah, I'm okay, 14:08 but I just feel so guilty." 14:10 And they said, "We forgive you. 14:12 It's okay." 14:14 And they gave -- they got down, 14:15 and they both gave me a big hug. 14:18 And this is oftentimes 14:19 how it goes with God. 14:20 Sometimes when we make mistakes, 14:22 we're afraid of God, 14:25 and we think that he's gonna be 14:26 angry with us 14:27 and not forgive us. 14:28 But the Bible tells us 14:31 that we don't have to hide 14:32 our mistakes or our sins 14:34 from God because it says 14:36 that if we go to God 14:39 and we tell him 14:40 that we're sorry for what 14:41 we have done, 14:42 he will always forgive us. 14:46 So how many of you want to say, 14:46 with one hand, 14:48 "Lord, I'm sorry for the 14:50 mistakes that I've made in life. 14:51 I want to ask for 14:52 your forgiveness"? 14:53 And then, with the other hand, 14:55 say, "Thank you so much, Lord, 14:56 for being so loving 14:58 and so forgiving 15:01 and for being someone 15:04 that we can always go to 15:05 and not be afraid of." 15:07 All right. Can I get 15:08 a volunteer for prayer? 15:12 All right, I'm going to come -- 15:14 We're going with you. 15:16 What's your name? 15:17 >> Josiah. 15:18 >> Josiah. All right. 15:20 Let's kneel for prayer 15:21 right here. 15:25 >> Dear Heavenly Father, 15:27 please bless this day. 15:29 Please bless the people 15:32 who's at church today. 15:34 Please bless the people 15:35 who are sick 15:36 because we are in the winter. 15:38 And please bless that we have 15:39 a good Sabbath today. 15:41 Amen. 15:41 >> Amen. 15:43 Thank you, boys and girls, 15:44 for coming to Children's Story. 15:45 You guys can go 15:46 back to your seats. 17:48 >> Happy Sabbath 17:49 and happy New Year, everyone. 17:51 >> Happy Sabbath. 17:53 >> [ Chuckles ] 17:55 I threw you for a loop there, 17:56 didn't I? 17:57 Yes, that's outside 17:58 of the Adventist rhythm. 17:59 The Sabbath part was fine, 18:00 but the New year was 18:01 not quite there, yeah. 18:03 Well, truly happy New Year 18:04 to you. 18:05 It is good to be back with you. 18:06 Been away 18:07 for a little bit, at least. 18:08 I went down to GYC 18:09 in Columbus, Ohio. 18:11 Had a good visit there. 18:13 Their weather's 18:14 not very impressive. 18:15 The water falls 18:16 from the sky in liquid form. 18:19 It's not like here in Michigan, 18:21 where we have hearty weather 18:22 and it falls frozen. 18:23 That's definitely an improvement 18:25 to be back here at home. 18:27 I want to let you know here 18:28 at the beginning of this year 18:30 that the Pioneer Memorial Church 18:32 elders, of which there are many, 18:34 have been in the process 18:36 and will continue to be 18:37 in the process of developing 18:39 a comprehensive 18:40 strategic ministry plan for 18:43 our congregation. 18:45 They have met three times so 18:46 far, and my guess is, 18:49 I'm going to say six months. 18:50 We might be done 18:50 sooner than that. 18:51 We'll see. 18:52 But our hope is that, 18:54 by the beginning 18:55 of next school year, 18:56 certainly, we will be ready 18:58 to begin 18:58 to do some implementation. 18:59 You'll be hearing more 19:00 about this 19:01 in the weeks and months ahead. 19:03 In fact, I will be taking some 19:05 of the time from the pulpit here 19:08 to explain what 19:10 the elders are looking at. 19:11 Some of the big-picture items, 19:12 the ministry concepts, 19:14 the biblical concepts, that 19:16 the elders are wrestling with, 19:18 looking to implement deeper 19:20 and deeper here at Pioneer. 19:22 In that way, you'll be able 19:23 to kind of go along with us 19:24 on this journey. 19:25 I'm excited. 19:26 I think there's 19:27 some great possibilities. 19:28 There's all kinds 19:29 of really good things 19:30 that are already 19:31 happening here at Pioneer. 19:32 Amen? 19:34 And we think we can take 19:35 those great things 19:36 and make them even more fruitful 19:39 with some additional planning 19:41 and some additional work. 19:42 So please pray for us. 19:44 Pray for us as a group of elders 19:46 as we go through this process. 19:47 Ask that the Spirit will be 19:49 the leader at each one 19:50 of our planning meetings. 19:51 Ask for the Spirit 19:52 to fill each elder. 19:53 Because in between meetings, 19:54 we always have homework. 19:55 We're always thinking about 19:56 things 19:57 and working on Google Docs 19:58 together, and we really want 20:00 this to be something 20:01 that will bear much fruit 20:02 for the Kingdom of God. 20:04 So we appreciate your prayers. 20:05 And by the way, next week is 20:08 when I'm going to begin 20:09 to share with you some 20:10 of the big-picture items 20:11 that the elders are looking at. 20:13 So I hope that you can be here 20:14 with us. 20:18 As we contemplate that process, 20:20 as we look towards becoming 20:22 even more fruitful 20:23 for the Lord here, 20:24 I thought it might be helpful 20:26 if we took some time 20:28 to remember. 20:31 To remember 20:32 some foundational truths. 20:35 If you're listening right now 20:36 and you're not yet a follower 20:37 of Jesus Christ, we're so glad 20:38 that you're listening. 20:39 What I'm gonna say this morning 20:40 might seem shocking, 20:42 perhaps even scandalous. 20:44 I know it did to many of us 20:45 before we became Christians. 20:47 And if you are a Christian, 20:48 my prayer is, 20:50 is that what we do, 20:51 this reminder this morning, 20:53 will inspire you afresh at 20:55 how deep and broad 20:56 and great is the love 20:58 that God has lavished upon us. 21:00 >> Amen. 21:01 >> Let me begin with a story. 21:06 Way back in 1944, December 16, 21:11 a young lieutenant -- 21:12 He was a pilot. 21:14 Lieutenant Chuck Hartman -- 21:16 took off from a place called 21:19 Tacloban, where the military 21:21 base was located at, 21:22 along with 14 21:23 other planes in his flight. 21:24 Now, Tacloban is 21:25 in the Philippines, 21:26 and forgive me if I'm 21:27 not pronouncing it correctly. 21:29 I pronounced it this way 21:30 in first service 21:30 and no one came up 21:31 and chastised me, 21:32 so I'm assuming 21:33 I'm doing this correctly. 21:35 Tacloban in the Philippines 21:35 there, they took off. 21:37 It was reasonably clear weather. 21:39 They were out 21:39 to do some strafing runs 21:41 and some bombing runs. 21:43 Lieutenant Hartman was 21:44 in a P-47 fighter plane. 21:46 And for those of you 21:47 that know your World War II 21:48 history, the P-47 was one 21:50 of the staples 21:51 of the U.S. military in the air. 21:54 It was a fairly heavy fighter 21:56 plane, and that meant it tended 21:58 to use a bit of fuel. 22:01 That's important, because 22:03 as we'll see here, 22:04 when they went out for 22:04 the strafing run, 22:05 they finished doing their runs, 22:09 and the commanding officer 22:10 radioed to everybody, 22:11 "Okay, it's time 22:11 to head back to base." 22:13 They turned 22:14 and began to begin to head back 22:16 towards Tacloban, and as they 22:17 were over the island of Negros, 22:20 they ran into weather. 22:23 Now this was not a thunderstorm. 22:25 Not that kind of a storm. 22:26 No high winds. 22:28 Just clouds, very deep. 22:31 And so they climbed. 22:33 They said, "Well, we'll climb 22:34 over the top of those 22:34 so that we can then come 22:35 back down and land at base." 22:37 They went up to 10,000 feet, 22:38 11,000 feet, 12,000, 22:40 all the way up to 16,000 feet, 22:42 and there was no break. 22:44 And finally, Lieutenant Hartman, 22:45 I mean, all this climbing 22:46 is taking what little fuel 22:47 he had left. 22:48 He looks at his fuel gauge. 22:50 He has about 30 pounds 22:51 of fuel left. 22:53 And for those of you 22:53 who know anything about a P-47, 22:55 that's like a whisper 22:56 of fuel left over. Okay? 22:59 He radios his commanding 23:01 officer, and he says, 23:02 "I got to go down. 23:03 I got to find a place to land." 23:04 And right about that time, 23:05 there was this small break 23:07 in the clouds. 23:09 And he took it. 23:10 He dove down through. 23:12 He leveled off just above 23:13 sea level, 23:14 couple hundred feet above 23:15 sea level there. 23:16 And to his relief, 23:18 he looked over to his left, 23:19 and there was an island. 23:21 He thought, "Well, okay, 23:22 if I gotta ditch in the water, 23:23 there's gonna be someplace 23:23 I can go." 23:25 He gently brings the plane 23:26 down like this, 23:27 and the tail kisses the water, 23:29 and then it grabs it 23:30 with a vengeance, 23:31 slams the plane down. 23:33 Big wave of water washes over. 23:35 He thinks, "Oh, no! 23:35 I'm sinking already." 23:37 The water recedes. 23:39 "Oh, great." 23:40 And then, it starts to turn. 23:43 P-47 was kind of top-heavy. 23:45 And in a flash, 23:47 Lieutenant Hartman throws 23:48 back the canopy, 23:49 grabs his life raft, 23:51 bails out of the plane 23:52 just as the thing goes blub blub 23:53 underneath the water. 23:55 He inflates the raft 23:57 and begins to paddle 23:58 towards the land. 24:00 Now, that would've been 24:01 all fine and good, 24:02 except that the tide was 24:04 against him, and he was not -- 24:05 After a little while, 24:06 it was very clear he's 24:07 not making any progress at all. 24:08 He looks through the foggy air, 24:10 and he sees on the beach, 24:12 there's like seven or eight 24:12 people there. 24:14 And suddenly, it dawns on him -- 24:16 "I have no idea 24:19 which island in the Philippines 24:21 I've just landed next to." 24:23 You see, at that time 24:24 in the war -- this is 1944. 24:27 The war didn't end until 1945, 24:29 but by the end of 1944, 24:30 in the Philippines, 24:30 there was portions 24:31 of the islands that were still 24:32 in enemy hands, 24:33 and there were portions of it 24:34 that weren't and that were 24:35 friendly to U.S. soldiers. 24:38 And he's like, 24:39 "Which one is it?" 24:40 And just then, those seven 24:41 or eight people jump 24:42 into a large canoe 24:43 and begin paddling 24:44 very swiftly towards him. 24:48 He reaches for his .45 24:49 to make sure 24:49 that it's still accessible. 24:52 And, finally, this canoe 24:53 is getting closer and closer, 24:54 and when they're close enough, 24:55 you can almost make out 24:56 some facial features. 24:57 He heard the last thing 24:58 he expected to hear -- 25:01 "Don't shoot! We're friends!" 25:05 And sure enough, they were. 25:09 You see, as it turns out, 25:11 this was the island of Bohol, 25:13 and right near the town 25:15 of Valencia. 25:17 And the enemy forces 25:19 had actually been occupying 25:20 Bohol since 1942. 25:22 It had not gone well 25:23 for the locals. 25:25 But the tides of war 25:27 had changed just recently, 25:29 and the enemy had 25:30 withdrawn from the island. 25:33 Those 7 or 8 people on the beach 25:35 had seen Lieutenant Hartman's 25:37 plane before it went under, 25:39 and they recognized its markings 25:41 as being American. 25:43 And in their minds, 25:44 the liberators had come home. 25:48 The word traveled like wildfire, 25:49 and almost 200 people greeted 25:52 Lieutenant Hartman 25:53 there on the beach. 25:54 You know, 6 feet tall, 25:56 you know, young, muscular. 25:57 To them, he seemed to embody all 25:59 that was good about America, 26:00 and they were going to let 26:02 him know. 26:03 For the next three weeks, 26:05 they treated him like a king. 26:07 In fact, 26:08 they even called him that. 26:09 They gave him the title 26:10 "King of the Island." 26:12 They assigned him six chefs. 26:15 Now, I don't know 26:16 what you do with six chefs, 26:17 but I'll bet you eat pretty well 26:18 when you've got that many, 26:19 right? 26:20 They assigned him, also, 26:21 a personal bodyguard 26:22 and another person 26:23 to hold his pistol for him. 26:26 Okay? That was their whole job. 26:27 He couldn't go anywhere there in 26:29 Valencia without having 26:30 one 100 to 200 people 26:32 that were following him around. 26:33 Later on, 26:34 Lieutenant Hartman said, 26:35 "I had no idea how to act." 26:36 I mean, 26:36 I guess they don't teach you how 26:38 to deal with this in boot camp. 26:39 And so he said, 26:40 "I didn't know what to do, 26:41 so I just waved like FDR," 26:43 like the president would, right? 26:44 Okay? 26:45 He'd travel around 26:46 and people would greet him, 26:46 "Thank you for your service. 26:47 Thank you, thank you, 26:48 thank you." 26:49 After three weeks 26:50 of this royal treatment, 26:54 somebody got a radio message 26:56 back to Tacloban and said, 26:57 "Hey, I think we've got one 26:58 of your guys here." 26:59 And sure enough, 27:01 they sent a seaplane over, 27:03 I think it was at Catalina. 27:04 They came in and landed there. 27:05 And it honestly was 27:07 a very emotional goodbye 27:09 for the people of Valencia. 27:10 They bid 27:12 Lieutenant Hartman goodbye, 27:14 he got on the plane, 27:15 and he left, 27:16 bringing to an end 27:17 probably one 27:18 of the most unusual episodes 27:21 in the Pacific Theater 27:22 in all of World War II. 27:29 And I wonder... 27:32 how would you like 27:34 to be treated like that? 27:39 Not bad, huh? 27:41 To be treated like royalty. 27:42 To be treated like 27:44 a king or a queen? 27:45 You know, if it's your birthday 27:46 or, like, if you're mom or dad, 27:47 it's Mother's Day 27:48 or Father's Day. 27:49 Something like that, right? 27:50 That you might get a few hours 27:51 of royal treatment. 27:53 But when the sun comes up 27:54 the next day, everybody says, 27:55 "We're done with that. 27:56 That was so yesterday. 27:57 All right? Okay? 27:58 We're not doing that." 27:59 Imagine being treated like this. 28:00 And this is not, this scenario 28:02 with Lieutenant Hartman, 28:03 this is not like, you know, 28:03 slaves serving 28:05 a conqueror or something. 28:06 These were willing people. 28:08 "Oh, yes, 28:08 we want to do what -- 28:10 We'll take your clo-- 28:11 We'll take all of these things. 28:12 We'll do them for you. 28:12 We'll feed you. 28:13 We'll lavish all of this -- 28:15 this great treatment on you." 28:17 Wouldn't it be great 28:19 to be treated like royalty? 28:26 Well, good news. 28:29 You can be. 28:32 And let me show you how. 28:34 Turn in your Bibles, 28:35 please, to Zechariah 3:1. 28:39 Zechariah 3:1. 28:42 So, on page 637, 28:44 in the red Bible, 28:45 that's probably somewhere around 28:46 where you're sitting, page 637, 28:48 Zechariah chapter 3, 28:50 beginning with verse 1. 28:51 Let me give you a little history 28:53 that's behind this story 28:54 in Zechariah 3. 28:56 Zechariah was a prophet of God, 28:59 and his ministry took place 29:01 after the return from exile 29:03 in Babylon for the Jews. 29:05 Now, if you're not familiar 29:05 with that, 29:06 let me just briefly tell you. 29:08 The Israelites, God's people 29:10 for centuries actually had been 29:11 in rebellion against God 29:12 to varying levels. 29:14 And towards the end of 29:15 this time, they were 29:17 openly in rebellion. 29:18 Terrible things were happening. 29:20 Murder was an epidemic. 29:22 There are texts in the Bible 29:23 that talk about blood running 29:24 in the streets in Jerusalem. 29:26 Idolatry was everywhere. 29:27 There was temple prostitution. 29:28 There was even 29:29 the sacrifice of children 29:31 in the flames to foreign gods. 29:34 Israel, consequently, 29:35 was allowed to be taken 29:36 into captivity into Babylon. 29:38 It's where modern-day Iraq 29:39 is today. 29:40 They were there for 70 years, 29:42 and after that time finished, 29:43 God opened the way 29:44 for the Israelites 29:45 to come back to Palestine, 29:47 and that's the time 29:48 of Zechariah's ministry. 29:50 They come back to Palestine. 29:51 They are rebuilding -- 29:52 they're rebuilding Jerusalem, 29:53 and most importantly, 29:55 they are rebuilding the temple. 29:58 Now, if you've heard 29:59 this part of Jewish history 30:00 before, it's kind of easy 30:01 to pass over that fact. 30:02 But let me just re-emphasize 30:03 for you. 30:04 This was absolutely huge. 30:07 The temple being rebuilt was 30:09 a sign that the one 30:11 and only building 30:12 on planet Earth 30:14 dedicated to the worship 30:15 of the one true God, Yahweh, 30:17 was being restored. 30:19 It was a massive deal. 30:23 And that's 30:24 where we join the story. 30:26 Zechariah 3. 30:27 Let's read just verse 1. 30:30 "Then he," meaning God, 30:32 "showed me," Zechariah, 30:34 "Joshua, the high priest, 30:36 standing before the angel 30:38 of the Lord, 30:39 and Satan standing at 30:41 his right side to accuse him." 30:45 Pause there, please. 30:47 Three characters right off 30:48 the bat in this story. 30:50 Joshua here, 30:51 character number one, is 30:53 not the same Joshua of -- 30:55 He's not Moses' protégé, 30:56 not the one that helped lead 30:57 the conquest of Canaan, 30:58 er cetera, er cetera. 30:59 That Joshua would be quite 31:01 well-preserved by this point. 31:03 This is a different Joshua, 31:04 and he is actually 31:06 the first high priest in Israel 31:09 after the return from exile. 31:11 He's serving in Jerusalem, 31:12 although not quite yet 31:13 because the temple's not done. 31:15 He is an actual person, 31:16 an actual human being. 31:17 He's character number one 31:18 here in this first verse. 31:19 Character number two 31:21 is this angel of the Lord, 31:24 which is almost certainly 31:25 Jesus Christ himself. 31:28 Now, this tends 31:29 to trouble some Christians 31:31 because they don't like 31:31 Jesus being referred to 31:32 as an angel, right? 31:34 But actually the Bible does this 31:35 on a couple of occasions. 31:37 And, indeed, it is 31:38 very appropriate here 31:39 because as we're going to see 31:40 in just a few verses, 31:42 this angel of the Lord 31:43 does something 31:45 that only Jesus Christ can do. 31:49 So, we have Joshua, 31:51 the high priest. 31:52 We have this angel 31:53 of the Lord, Jesus Christ, 31:56 and we have this third 31:57 character, Satan. 31:59 And when this was being read, 32:01 because that's what this 32:02 was for. 32:03 This message from Zechariah 32:04 is to be read to the people of 32:05 Israel there, to be 32:06 of an encouragement to them. 32:07 When this was read to them, 32:09 my guess, at the very least, 32:12 some of the Jews that 32:13 were listening were surprised, 32:15 and my guess is there were many 32:16 of them, maybe even most, 32:18 that were absolutely astonished 32:19 to hear this. 32:22 Because the devil is 32:25 almost front and center 32:27 in this prophetic scene. 32:31 And to our ears today, 32:32 if you're a Christian, you've 32:33 been around the Bible 32:33 for a while, you say, 32:34 "Well, what's the big deal? 32:35 I mean, 32:35 we've seen the devil front 32:36 and center in a lot 32:37 of different scenarios." 32:38 It is true. 32:39 We are familiar with that, 32:41 but not in the Old Testament. 32:44 In fact, in the Old Testament, 32:46 this almost never happens. 32:50 In fact, 32:51 you know the Hebrew word here 32:52 in Zechariah 3:1 is "Sah-tahn." 32:54 You'll never guess how we 32:55 translate that in English. 32:55 Yes. "Sah-tahn." 32:58 And it literally 32:59 translates as "adversary." 33:01 In other words, 33:02 Satan was just kind of a 33:03 run-of-the-mill word, 33:05 and it was used to describe 33:06 human adversaries. 33:07 You know, if a opposing army 33:08 was coming towards Israel, 33:10 then it was called satan, okay? 33:11 It was an adversary, right? 33:13 But here in Zechariah 3:1, 33:15 the word has the definite 33:16 article attached to it. 33:18 In other words, it has the word 33:19 "the" attached to it. 33:21 "ha-satan" 33:22 or literally "the adversary." 33:26 In other words, 33:27 this is not an adversary, 33:28 but the adversary, 33:30 Satan himself. 33:31 And such a reference 33:32 specifically to 33:33 the personal being of Satan 33:35 occurs only rarely 33:36 in the Old Testament. 33:37 In fact, there's really 33:38 only three places. 33:39 There's 1 Chronicles 21, 33:40 there's Job 1 and 2 -- 33:41 same story, two chapters -- 33:43 and Zechariah right here. 33:44 Those are the only examples. 33:47 And why -- why -- the silence? 33:52 I mean, in the New Testament, 33:53 Satan gets named all the time, 33:55 but in the Old Testament, 33:56 almost never. 33:58 How come? 34:00 Well, the Bible itself 34:02 does not say specifically, 34:05 but our best guess is probably 34:06 this -- the most plausible 34:08 reason for this silence about 34:09 Satan's name as a personal being 34:11 is that for much 34:12 of the Old Testament era, 34:13 when Israel found a being 34:15 that was strong, powerful, 34:17 and could bring harm to those 34:18 who opposed it, 34:19 they had a strong 34:20 tendency to do what? 34:23 Yeah, I heard a few people. 34:24 To worship it. 34:26 And so God may 34:27 have intentionally kept a lid 34:29 on Satan's name, 34:30 keeping him from being 34:31 directly identified 34:32 and potentially, 34:33 therefore, directly worshiped. 34:35 But if that's the case, 34:36 in Zechariah 3, 34:38 all of that is gone. 34:43 And how come? 34:44 Why name Satan 34:46 specifically here? 34:51 Well, quite possibly 34:53 because the stakes for God's 34:54 people are sky high. 34:58 Israel is 34:59 at a crossroads in her history. 35:01 Let me just fill in some 35:02 of the gaps here. 35:03 At the very time of this vision, 35:05 that Zechariah is getting here 35:06 in Zechariah 3, 35:07 the reconstruction 35:08 of the temple, 35:09 as I mentioned before, 35:10 and with it, 35:11 the last opportunity 35:12 for Israel to become 35:13 a healthy host 35:14 for the coming Messiah. 35:16 That reconstruction effort 35:17 is being dramatically opposed. 35:22 Satan saw their progress. 35:25 The spirit of prophecy 35:26 is crystal clear on this. 35:27 Satan saw the progress of 35:29 of Jerusalem 35:30 and to his great dismay, 35:32 the temple being restored. 35:33 He knew what that meant. 35:34 He knew what was going to happen 35:35 in that building. 35:37 And so he stirs up the tribes, 35:38 the nations that are 35:39 around Jerusalem there, 35:40 to come and oppose 35:41 the rebuilders. 35:42 You can read about this 35:43 in Ezra and Nehemiah. 35:45 And I'm just going to sum 35:46 up here. 35:47 Essentially, these other tribes 35:48 and nations around Jerusalem 35:49 came and said, 35:50 "If you keep rebuilding, 35:51 we will kill you. 35:54 We will take your vineyards. 35:55 We will take your houses. 35:56 We will kill your family, 35:57 and we will kill you." 36:01 And to many of those in Israel 36:03 at that time, it looked like 36:05 the rebuilding effort 36:06 for the most important building 36:08 on the planet was going to fail. 36:15 And at this time, 36:16 under the threat of death, 36:18 what now would the Jews do? 36:21 God's people 80 years earlier, 36:23 70 years earlier, 36:24 70, 80, 100 years earlier, 36:25 they had made mistakes. 36:26 They had made 36:27 the wrong decision. 36:28 What would they do now? 36:29 Would they cave to Satan's 36:31 pressures or 36:32 would they stand firm for God? 36:36 And to my understanding, 36:37 this is surely 36:37 why God is breaking 36:38 with this millennia of silence 36:40 about Satan and directly 36:41 in his name, et cetera, 36:42 because he is trying 36:43 to drive home 36:44 a very important point. 36:45 Let me put it here 36:46 on the screen for you. 36:47 If you are trying 36:48 to do something good for God, 36:50 particularly something 36:51 very good, don't be surprised 36:53 when Satan pays you 36:54 a personal visit. 36:58 I mean, the Israelites, 36:59 think of the temptation here. 37:00 "Oh, you know, we thought 37:01 we were doing the right thing. 37:02 You know, 37:02 we're rebuilding the temple. 37:03 This is for God's glory. 37:05 And now look what's happening. 37:06 Swords at our throats and bows 37:07 and arrows pointed at us." 37:10 And, basically, what 37:11 God is saying here, "No, no, no, 37:12 no, don't be surprised. 37:14 You're doing something good 37:15 and even grand for me 37:17 and for my glory. 37:18 Of course the devil 37:19 is going to show up. 37:23 Don't be surprised. 37:28 Time-out for just a moment. 37:30 Come back to the present. 37:33 Pioneer family, 37:37 if the elders here at our church 37:40 are successful -- 37:43 we're praying they will be -- 37:45 and great plans begin to unfold 37:47 for our church and beyond, 37:50 plans that will bring glory 37:51 to God and a greater harvest 37:53 for Him, and glory to His name, 37:55 do we really think 37:56 that the devil is going to 37:58 just sit back, 38:00 wave, and wish us good luck? 38:03 I mean, the devil wants nothing 38:04 more than to keep every church 38:07 in the doldrums, you know? 38:09 People can be happy 38:10 when they come to church. 38:11 That's fine. 38:11 They can enjoy the fellowship. 38:13 But they can't become fruitful 38:15 in the devil's mind. 38:16 They cannot become fruitful. 38:18 Don't let them get energized 38:19 and moving out 38:20 into the community 38:21 and branching out in new ways. 38:22 Don't let them become galvanized 38:23 as you're contending 38:25 as one person for the gospel. 38:26 Don't let that happen. 38:30 So, ladies and gentlemen, 38:32 if over the next few months 38:35 the devil decides to show up 38:37 in person, in whatever form that 38:39 would be, don't be surprised. 38:43 This is 38:44 why we must be people of prayer. 38:47 Amen? 38:48 >> Amen. 38:49 >> This is why we must, 38:50 each of us, 38:51 walk with Christ each day. 38:52 This is why we must be filled 38:54 with the Holy Spirit of God. 38:55 Yes, that we may know 38:56 Jesus Christ, of course, 38:57 and that we may stand 38:59 against the devil 39:00 and his schemes, 39:01 because by God's power, 39:02 we will prevail over them. 39:07 You say, "How do you know?" 39:09 Because my Bible tells me so. 39:13 Let me read verse 1 again, 39:14 and this time let's go just 39:15 a little bit further. 39:18 Zechariah 3:1. 39:19 "Then he showed me Joshua, 39:20 the high priest, 39:21 standing before the angel 39:22 of the Lord, and Satan standing 39:24 at his right side 39:25 to accuse him." 39:25 Verse 2. 39:27 "The Lord said to Satan, 39:29 'The Lord rebuke you, Satan! 39:31 The Lord who has chosen 39:32 Jerusalem, rebuke you! 39:34 Is not this man a burning stick 39:37 snatched from the fire?'" 39:40 Ladies and gentlemen, 39:43 God fights for his people. 39:48 When the devil shows up, 39:50 it's not like Jesus just kind of 39:51 sits back and says, 39:51 "Well, good luck. 39:52 Hope you make it," right? 39:54 When the devil shows up 39:55 to oppress God's people, 39:56 Jesus shows, too, 39:57 and he fights for his people. 39:59 He's not content to simply -- 40:01 You know, "Let them go, 40:02 and maybe they'll get mashed. 40:02 Maybe they'll make it, 40:03 maybe they won't." 40:04 No, no, no, no, no, no. 40:05 Jesus is incarnational 40:07 from the very beginning. 40:08 His mindset is incarnational. 40:10 He will fight for his people. 40:12 And did you notice 40:12 the imagery here? 40:13 It said there at the end 40:14 of verse 2, 40:16 "Is not this man a burning stick 40:18 snatched from the fire?" 40:19 Do you see what that means? 40:20 For 70 years, 40:23 the Jews had been in captivity. 40:24 They were afflicted. 40:27 They were in the fires 40:28 of affliction, 40:29 the furnace of affliction. 40:31 Because of their disobedience, 40:32 God could no longer protect them 40:33 as he had before. 40:34 And so, yes, 40:35 the fire of Satan's wrath 40:36 was against them. 40:37 And for that 70 years, it was 40:39 like all the promised blessings 40:40 of God were going up 40:41 in smoke and ash before them. 40:46 But Jesus is not afraid of fire. 40:48 >> Amen. 40:49 >> Jesus isn't afraid of 40:50 anything. 40:52 And when he sees his people 40:53 here, when the time 40:54 of their correction was up, 40:56 he reaches into the fire -- 40:58 doesn't wait for it to go out. 40:59 He reaches into the fire, 41:00 and he pulls his people out. 41:04 Praise the Lord that we do 41:05 not serve a God 41:05 who sits afar off, 41:07 but he will fight for us. 41:11 But the story gets even better. 41:13 Think carefully here. 41:16 We would think 41:18 that for Christ to defend 41:19 someone so vigorously -- 41:21 right? -- face-to-face, 41:22 reaching into the fire, 41:23 as it were, to pull them out, 41:25 we would think that the person 41:27 he is fighting for 41:28 must be a great prize. 41:31 And look the part. 41:33 In human thinking, 41:35 isn't that how we do it? 41:36 Like, if we're going to risk 41:36 life and limb, 41:37 the prize had better be 41:38 pretty good, right? 41:39 According to 41:39 normal human nature. 41:41 We humans love to chase after 41:44 bright, shiny objects, right? 41:47 If it's going to bring us money 41:48 or, you know, gold, silver, 41:49 fame, power, all these things, 41:51 we'll fight for that, right? 41:52 And so we would think, "Joshua 41:54 here, he must be a great prize." 41:55 Well, what does 41:56 this great prize look like? 42:00 Verse 3. 42:04 "Now Joshua was dressed 42:06 in filthy clothes 42:08 as he stood before the angel." 42:12 Oops. 42:13 [ Chuckles ] 42:15 Not much bright and shiny here, 42:16 is there. 42:19 But now we can understand 42:19 something. 42:21 We can now understand 42:22 why the devil was so bold 42:24 in his accusations of Joshua. 42:25 Did that cross your mind 42:26 when we first read this? 42:28 Satan is not sending 42:29 a letter to Joshua. 42:30 He's not standing 42:32 from a thousand yards away 42:33 and shouting his accusations. 42:35 Satan is pictured here 42:35 in this vision 42:37 actually in the presence of God 42:39 himself, right at the right hand 42:41 of Joshua, accusing him. 42:42 And now we know why he felt 42:44 so confident to do that. 42:45 Because Joshua is a mess. 42:48 He's filthy, he's dirty, 42:51 he's grungy. 42:53 Surely the devil 42:54 must have thought, "Jesus won't 42:57 fight for this one." 43:01 But notice what 43:02 Christ's response is. 43:03 Verse 3 again 43:04 and then further. 43:06 "Now Joshua was dressed 43:07 in filthy clothes 43:08 as he stood before the angel. 43:10 The angel said --" 43:11 this is Jesus now -- 43:12 "to those who were standing 43:13 before him, 43:15 'Take off his filthy clothes.' 43:19 Then he said to Joshua, 'See? 43:22 I have taken away your sin, 43:24 and I will put 43:25 rich garments on you.'" 43:27 And about this time, 43:28 Zechariah is getting caught up 43:29 here in this renewal. 43:30 "Then I said, 'Put a clean 43:32 turban on his head.' 43:33 So they put a clean turban 43:34 on his head and clothed him 43:36 while the angel of 43:36 the Lord stood by." 43:40 Ladies and gentlemen, 43:41 here is the blessed 43:42 scandal of the gospel. 43:44 Here is the pure little secret 43:46 of salvation 43:47 that sets Christ apart 43:49 from legions of earthly rulers 43:50 and frustrates 43:51 the devil to no end. 43:52 Here it is. 43:53 Christ fights for us 43:55 before we're cleaned up. 43:57 >> Amen. 43:58 >> That's what's happening here. 44:00 Joshua -- 44:01 The Lord goes into the fire 44:02 of affliction 44:03 and brings his people out before 44:05 they have cleaned themselves up. 44:07 This is an astonishing thing. 44:09 The Bible talks about it 44:10 on numerous occasions. 44:11 Notice this -- Romans 5, 44:12 beginning with verse 6. 44:14 "You see, at just the right 44:14 time, when we were still 44:16 powerless, Christ died for 44:17 the ungodly. 44:18 Very rarely will anyone die 44:20 for a righteous person, 44:21 though for a good person, 44:22 someone might possibly dare 44:23 to die. 44:24 But God demonstrates 44:25 his own love for us in this. 44:27 While we were still sinners, 44:29 Christ died for us." 44:32 >> Amen. 44:34 >> You know, Satan must have 44:35 thought that Joshua was 44:36 pretty easy prey, 44:37 so dirty and filthy 44:38 was this supposed man of God. 44:40 And by extension, 44:41 because Joshua was the high 44:42 priest, he represented 44:43 the entire nation. 44:44 Satan must have thought 44:45 the entire nation was easy prey. 44:47 "Look how filthy 44:48 and dirty that they are." 44:50 But the truth, from Scripture, 44:53 is crystal clear. 44:55 Christ, in full knowledge of our 44:58 sin, sees in us 45:01 who have rebelled against God, 45:03 the possibility of new life, 45:05 the possibility of fellowship 45:07 with him, the possibility 45:09 of a clean heart, a new heart, 45:10 even a joyful and obedient one. 45:13 And yet it gets even better. 45:16 Look at verse 6, please. 45:21 "The angel of the Lord 45:22 gave this charge to Joshua. 45:24 'This is what 45:25 the Lord Almighty says: 45:27 "If you will walk in my ways 45:28 and keep my requirements, 45:30 then you will govern my house 45:34 and have charge of my courts, 45:35 and I will give you a place 45:37 among these standing here."'" 45:38 Let me read that again, 45:39 the words of the Lord. 45:40 "'"If you will walk in my ways 45:42 and keep my requirements, 45:44 then you will govern my house 45:46 and have charge of my courts, 45:47 and I will give you a place 45:49 among these standing here."'" 45:51 Do you see what God is offering 45:53 to Joshua and, 45:53 by extension, to us? 45:56 You know the first part there 45:57 in that declaration, 45:58 says, "Walk in my ways 45:59 and keep my requirements." 46:01 This is a call to freedom. 46:03 It's a call to freedom. 46:05 The Bible is 46:06 very clear about this. 46:07 The Book of James talks about 46:08 look deeply into the law 46:09 that brings freedom. 46:11 Some translations say "liberty" 46:13 because God's ways are always 46:14 the ways of freedom. 46:15 When Jesus died on the cross, 46:17 he made it possible for us 46:19 to die to the old ways of sin. 46:21 And when he rose from the grave, 46:22 he made it possible for us 46:23 to not merely be forgiven, 46:24 as good as that would be, 46:25 but now to have the power 46:27 to live a new life in him. 46:29 You do not have to be held 46:30 in chains of sin any longer, 46:33 because Jesus has made it so. 46:36 And that's a call to freedom. 46:37 God's ways are always 46:39 the paths of freedom. 46:40 Any other path is 46:42 the path of bondage. 46:44 At the very beginning here, 46:45 Jesus calls Joshua and, 46:46 by extension, us 46:48 to the ways of freedom. 46:49 "Obey me," he says. 46:50 "Follow my law, 46:50 follow my commands. 46:52 These are the paths of freedom. 46:55 Secondly, he says, 46:56 "Govern my house." 46:57 "Joshua, you keep 46:58 the covenant with me, 46:59 you will govern my house." 47:00 Now, for Joshua, 47:01 this was a powerful thing 47:02 because, basically, what 47:03 Jesus was saying to Joshua was 47:05 this -- "The temple 47:06 will be rebuilt. 47:09 You will have courts 47:10 to serve me in. 47:11 Those people that 47:12 are threatening you right now, 47:13 saying they're gonna take your 47:14 vineyards and your houses, 47:15 et cetera, don't believe them. 47:16 They're not going to win. 47:17 I will prevail. 47:18 You will have a place." 47:20 And by extension, the promise 47:21 comes to us, as well. 47:23 When Jesus saves us, 47:25 he doesn't save us to set us 47:26 on the sidelines somewhere 47:27 where we're just gonna be bored 47:28 and kind of twiddle our thumbs 47:29 until the kingdom comes. 47:30 No, he gives each one of us 47:32 gifts that we might be 47:33 substantial servers 47:35 in his kingdom, 47:37 and many others will be blessed 47:38 because of that ministry. 47:40 You have been called. 47:42 And number three, 47:44 Jesus says to Joshua, 47:45 "You're gonna have a place 47:46 among these standing here," 47:48 he says. 47:49 Now, notice carefully, 47:50 at this point in the vision, 47:51 the devil's gone. 47:53 He's lost the fight. 47:54 He's not in this picture. 47:56 If we were to read earlier 47:57 in the book of Zechariah, 47:58 we would discover exactly 47:59 who is standing there. 48:01 It's angels. 48:03 Let that sink in. 48:05 What Jesus is saying to Joshua 48:07 and to us, 48:08 to anyone who is willing 48:09 to call Jesus Lord and Savior, 48:11 is this -- that not only 48:13 will you have the protection 48:14 and guidance of angels 48:15 now, this side of heaven, 48:17 but someday soon, you will go 48:19 home with Jesus, and you 48:21 will be surrounded forever 48:23 with the company of those 48:25 standing there that day. 48:28 That's tremendous. 48:30 I mean, what better 48:30 reward could there be? 48:32 We will be sons and 48:34 daughters of God. 48:36 We will be royalty 48:39 and treated like it. 48:41 We have been chosen 48:44 for this very thing. 48:50 Which reminds me of a story. 48:52 Or perhaps, I should say, 48:53 the rest of the story. 48:57 In 2004, Lieutenant Hartman, 49:01 now in his 80s, 49:03 went to the doctor's office 49:05 not far from his home 49:07 in western Pennsylvania. 49:08 He met a doctor there 49:09 who's named Dr. Lim, 49:10 and in the course 49:11 of their conversation, 49:12 Dr. Lim casually mentioned 49:14 that he had been born 49:15 in the Philippines 49:16 on the island of Bohol 49:18 in the little town of Valencia. 49:21 Well, you can imagine 49:22 the conversation that ensued 49:23 after that. 49:24 The enthusiastic sharing 49:26 memories and whatnot like this. 49:27 But nothing more came of it, 49:29 at least not right away. 49:32 Sometime later, 49:34 Dr. Lim flew home. 49:35 He went to Valencia 49:36 on the island of Bohol 49:37 in the Philippines. 49:39 And when he landed 49:39 at the airport, 49:40 he ran into a stranger, 49:41 and they struck up 49:42 a conversation, and explained, 49:43 "I'm a doctor. 49:44 I work in the United States," 49:45 et cetera. 49:46 And somehow mentioned, 49:47 "Oh, you know what? 49:48 I'm actually working with a guy 49:51 that crash-landed his plane 49:53 off of the shore of Valencia." 49:56 And the stranger immediately 49:57 said back, "Oh, 49:58 you mean Lieutenant Hartman." 50:01 Wow. 50:02 One thing led to another, 50:05 and in October of 2005, 50:08 61 years after he had splashed 50:10 down his P-47 near Valencia, 50:13 Lieutenant Hartman, his wife, 50:14 and one of his sons 50:15 went back to Valencia. 50:19 40 people met them 50:20 at the airport with a big banner 50:21 that read "Welcome home, 50:22 Chuck Hartman." 50:23 It turned out to be 50:24 quite a visit. 50:25 The chief of police met them 50:27 at the base of the stairs. 50:28 You know, when I get on -- 50:29 when I go flying 50:30 and someone from the police 50:31 department greets me, it's never 50:32 to treat me like royalty. 50:33 It's always 50:34 for some other purpose. 50:35 But not so here. 50:36 I mean, they come down the steps 50:37 of the airline, and there's 50:38 the chief of the police and his 50:39 lieutenant next to him there, 50:41 welcoming them to Valencia. 50:43 They put them up at this great 50:44 hotel, local resort 50:45 right there on the beach. 50:46 Lieutenant Hartman's wife later 50:48 said, "We carried nothing 50:51 during our visit. 50:52 Not a thing. 50:53 Bags, plates, I mean, 50:55 you name it, they just -- 50:56 'Oh, let me take that for you. 50:57 Please, let me take that 50:57 for you.'" 50:58 Treated them like royalty 50:59 from morning till sunset. 51:01 They went to the local school. 51:02 They were greeted like heroes 51:04 by the schoolchildren. 51:05 They were smiling and laughing 51:06 and shaking their hand. 51:07 Newspaper reporters came 51:09 to interview them. 51:11 And wouldn't you know it, 51:12 among those 40 people 51:13 that first greeted him 51:14 at the airport, 51:16 two of them were in the canoe 51:18 61 years earlier that went out 51:20 to greet him in the water. 51:23 And throughout his visit, 51:24 these people 51:25 that were only children 51:26 when Lieutenant Hartman landed 51:27 on the shore, came up to him 51:28 and they greeted him, 51:29 shook his hand, 51:29 and they thanked 51:30 him for his service. 51:32 October 27th in Valencia 51:34 was Founder's Day, 51:35 and Lieutenant Hartman 51:36 and his wife, riding in a jeep, 51:37 were named 51:38 grand marshals of the parade. 51:43 And at the end of their visit, 51:44 it culminated with a visit back 51:47 to the very beach location 51:49 where he had come ashore 51:50 way back December 16, 1944. 51:58 There were tears all around 52:00 at Lieutenant Hartman's visit. 52:03 Tears from the locals 52:04 because of the joyful reminders 52:06 of the freedoms won long ago. 52:09 And tears from 52:10 Lieutenant Hartman, 52:12 who, in 1944, 52:13 was just another military pilot 52:16 but came to be loved 52:18 and cherished 52:19 and treated far better 52:20 than he deserved, 52:21 even like royalty, by people 52:25 he had previously never known. 52:30 Pioneer family, 52:33 as we contemplate new ministry 52:35 plans for the new year, 52:37 as we consider ramping up 52:39 our efforts to reach others 52:40 for Christ 52:41 and to become more effective 52:42 for him and for his glory, 52:44 let us let Joshua and God's 52:46 Word, and 52:47 even Lieutenant Hartman's story 52:48 remind us 52:49 of these foundational truths, 52:52 that all of us 52:53 have crash-landed in the ocean 52:55 of sin at some time or another, 52:57 that apart from Christ, 52:58 our spiritual 52:59 clothes are filthy. 53:00 Satan stands at our right side, 53:02 exalting in our dirty rags. 53:03 Many of us 53:04 have been tempted to give up 53:05 and sink beneath the waves. 53:09 But we must never forget 53:10 that Jesus himself 53:12 has chosen us to be royalty 53:14 for him, 53:16 and to have fellowship with him 53:17 both now and forever. 53:20 Ellen White put it this way. 53:21 "Prophets and Kings." 53:22 She says, "Zechariah's vision 53:24 of Joshua and the Angel 53:25 applies with peculiar force to 53:27 the experience of God's people 53:28 in the closing scenes 53:29 of the great day of atonement." 53:30 In other words, now. 53:32 "The remnant church will then 53:34 be brought into great trial 53:35 and distress. 53:36 Those who keep the commandments 53:37 of God and the faith 53:38 of Jesus will feel the ire 53:40 of the dragon and his hosts. 53:41 Satan numbers 53:42 the world as his subjects. 53:43 He has gained control even of 53:45 many professing Christians. 53:46 But here is a little company 53:48 who are resisting his supremacy. 53:50 If he could blot them 53:51 from the earth, 53:52 his triumph would be complete. 53:53 As he influenced 53:54 the heathen nations 53:55 to destroy Israel, 53:56 so in the near future 53:57 he will stir up the wicked 53:58 powers of earth 53:59 to destroy the people of God. 54:01 Men will be required 54:02 to render obedience 54:03 to human edicts in violation 54:04 of the divine law. 54:07 But all who have put on the robe 54:10 of Christ's righteousness 54:11 will stand before him as..." 54:13 What's that word? 54:15 Chosen. 54:16 "...as chosen and faithful 54:17 and true. 54:19 Satan has no power to pluck them 54:20 out of the hand of the Savior. 54:22 Not one soul 54:23 who in penitence and faith 54:24 has claimed his protection, 54:25 will Christ permit to pass 54:26 under the enemy's power. 54:27 His word is pledged. 54:29 'Let him take hold 54:30 of my strength, 54:31 that he may make peace with me, 54:32 and he shall 54:33 make peace with me.' 54:34 Isaiah 27:5. 54:36 The promise given 54:37 to Joshua is given to all: 54:40 'If you will keep my charge, 54:41 I will give you places to walk 54:43 among these standing here.' 54:46 Angels of God will walk 54:48 on either side of them, 54:48 even in this world. 54:50 And they will stand at last 54:51 among the angels that surround 54:53 the throne of God." 54:57 Let it ring loud and clear. 55:00 Christ has chosen you. 55:05 You are chosen to be 55:06 his sons and daughters, 55:08 sons and daughters of the king, 55:09 and he is ready 55:10 to treat us like royalty. 55:12 And with that kind of status 55:14 and power and protection 55:15 standing guard over us, 55:17 we can go boldly into 2025, 55:20 confident, courageous, 55:22 unafraid to make new plans 55:23 to reach new people in new ways 55:25 and tackle the work 55:26 that God has given us 55:27 to do with all the energy 55:28 and strength 55:29 that Heaven can give. 55:32 So, Pioneer family, 55:34 if you would like to thank God 55:35 for choosing you, 55:37 if you would like to say to God 55:38 that you desire 55:40 to do whatever he asks in 2025 55:42 and that you will help make 55:43 his Church the most effective 55:44 it can be for His glory, 55:46 then I invite you to stand 55:48 to your feet right now. 56:00 Lord Jesus, you have seen 56:01 our commitment here right now. 56:04 Indeed, you have chosen us. 56:07 You have not chosen us for 56:08 meaninglessness or obscurity, 56:10 Lord. 56:11 You have chosen us 56:12 to be your sons and daughters, 56:14 even royalty in your kingdom. 56:17 We are grateful for this, Lord, 56:18 and now empower this commitment. 56:20 You've seen us stand. 56:21 Please, Lord, 56:21 send your Holy Spirit 56:23 in the former and 56:23 the latter rains to fill 56:24 each person that has responded 56:26 to your call just now. 56:27 You long 56:28 for your work to be finished. 56:29 We would love it 56:30 if 2025 were the last year. 56:34 Please, Lord, 56:35 help us to make it so. 56:36 Empower your people 56:38 that great things 56:39 might be done for your glory, 56:41 the work might be finished, 56:43 and we might soon see 56:44 you face-to-face. 56:46 This is our prayer, 56:47 and we ask it in your name. 56:49 Amen. 56:53 I'm Shane Anderson, 56:54 the lead pastor here 56:55 at Pioneer Memorial Church. 56:57 At Pioneer Media, 56:58 we have been blessed 56:59 by the financial support 57:01 that comes from our viewers 57:02 like you that enable us 57:04 to continue this ministry. 57:06 We've made a conscious decision 57:08 not to continually appeal to you 57:09 for that support. 57:11 However, keeping this ministry 57:12 going takes money 57:13 to support our staff and 57:15 technology needs. 57:16 If God has blessed you 57:18 and you would like to further 57:19 the work of this ministry, 57:21 we invite you 57:21 to partner with us. 57:23 You can donate on 57:24 our website -- pmchurch.org -- 57:27 then click "Giving" at the top, 57:29 then select "Media Ministry," 57:33 or call the number 877-HIS-WILL. 57:36 Again, that number is 877, 57:38 the two words "His will." 57:41 My prayer is that the God 57:43 who has blessed you 57:44 will continue to pour 57:45 into your life the gifts 57:46 of His joy and His hope. 57:49 Thank you, and I'm 57:50 looking forward to seeing 57:51 you right here again next time. 57:54 ♪ 57:59 ♪ 58:09 ♪ 58:19 ♪ |
Revised 2025-02-04