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Series Code: NP
Program Code: NP180331A
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00:09 >> Father God, it's in Your presence that we come, today on 00:12 this special Easter Sabbath, celebrating the resurrection of 00:17 Jesus Christ, who paid the debt for us. 00:21 Father God, we come with thanksgiving, we come with 00:24 rejoicing because of what You have done in our lives. 00:27 So today, Lord, let this be an outpouring, a manifestation of 00:31 Your love in us as we worship You today. 00:34 Thank You for being here, Father. 00:36 In Your name, I pray. Amen. 00:38 ♪♪ ♪♪ 00:54 ♪♪ [ Congregation sings ] 02:48 ♪♪ ♪♪ 03:02 [ Congregation sings ] 03:30 >> Savior... 04:03 >> Fill my life. 06:31 >> Amen. Amen. 06:36 ♪♪ ♪♪ 06:52 ♪♪ ♪♪ 07:07 [ Congregation sings ] 11:05 ♪♪ ♪♪ 11:12 ♪♪ ♪♪ 11:20 >> Christ is risen. Amen. >> Amen. 11:23 >> He's the God that we serve, and it's in Christ alone that we 11:25 put our faith. And today, as we sing our prayer 11:28 song, I invite you to come forward because in Christ we 11:31 have the victory. It's in Christ alone that we 11:33 have the forgiveness of sins. So now, come forward as we sing 11:37 "Christ Alone," and lay your burdens at the foot of the 11:40 cross. Bring them before Him because 11:42 it's in Christ alone that we worship today. 11:47 ♪♪ ♪♪ 12:03 [ Congregation sings ] 15:52 ♪♪ ♪♪ 16:08 ♪♪ 16:19 >> Well, good morning, boys and girls. Nice to see you on this 16:23 Easter Sabbath. A little cold out, little wet out. 16:29 But a lot of warmth in our hearts. Nice to have all of you here. 16:32 We have some visitors here. Always glad to have you. We've got the regulars. 16:37 Yep, I see that. Thank you, Deacon Jones, for that, and thank you, boys and 16:43 girls, for bringing that offering forward. This story is from my story 16:49 scout, Sharon Dudgeon. 16:53 She runs the WAUS radio station. She found this for me. 16:56 It's from Titusville, Florida. Anybody here been to 16:59 Titusville, Florida? I'd like to be in 17:01 Titusville, Florida, right now. Wouldn't that be wonderful? 17:04 Titusville, Florida, a little boy named Mason -- anybody here 17:07 named Mason? -- he's going to eat with Mom and Dad in 17:09 'O' Brady's Restaurant in Titusville, Florida, a few weeks 17:12 ago. As he goes in, he is so excited 17:14 because there is a little place in the restaurant, a little play 17:18 area for children. 17:20 So he says, "After I've eaten my food, Mommy and Daddy, can I go over there and play while you're 17:24 still eating?" "Yes, you may, Mason, but you eat all your food first." 17:27 Yum, yum, yum, yum, yum. He's gone. He's over in that play area. 17:31 There's nobody else there. No children there. Just himself. He looks at this, he looks at 17:35 that. [ Gasps ] Ooh! Have you seen one of these? 17:38 Have you seen these? It's a big machine like this, glass windows all the way 17:41 around, big machine. Inside, there are toys! But you have to put some money 17:45 in the machine, and it has this big claw that comes down. Have you seen those? 17:48 Big claw comes down, and it grabs a toy, and you get a toy. Oh! Oh! 17:54 "Oh, no," he says. "I don't have any money. I do not have any money at all. 17:58 What am I gonna do?" Oh! Wow. I didn't see that." As he got down low, he 18:04 realized -- don't ask me how -- but that if he would just kind of let all this air out... 18:10 [ Breathing heavily ] [ Groaning ] He could crawl through that hole. 18:14 He could get through that hole. He would come up the other side, inside, upside-down, and he -- 18:19 Boom! He's inside the glass box with all these toys! 18:23 "Which one shall I play with now? I don't know!" He starts playing with them all. 18:29 Finally, he looks -- He says, "Oh, I need to leave. Well -- Oops. 18:34 There's no way out!" You can get out the way you came in! 18:40 Impossible! Let me see a picture of Mason. Oh, I think he looks very, very 18:47 worried. He looks very -- Look at him crying. 18:52 He's like, "Help! Help! Help! Help! Help! Help!" Nobody can hear him! 18:57 Finally -- oh, finally -- Jeremy House, a volunteer firefighter, he hears a child, 19:03 he looks -- [ Gasps ] He said, "Hey! Call 911! We got to go!" 19:07 Phoom! He runs over there, and soon the firemen are there. Let's see the next picture. 19:12 They're working around that. They're saying, "There's got to be a way to get this boy." 19:14 "No, you know what, let's just leave him there. He's gonna be happy the rest of 19:17 his life. He has toys. Just leave him there! 19:20 He doesn't need to go home!" [ Laughs ] They found a way! They found a way and got little 19:27 Mason out. Hallelujah! You know, when I saw that story 19:32 about Mason, I said, "Hey, wait a minute, some people say that when you go into the grave, 19:37 there's no way out. You are stuck forever in that grave!" 19:40 That's what they said about Jesus. "If you go in that grave, you'll 19:43 never come out again." But guess what? He came out! He came out of what they said 19:50 could never become out of. And because He did, He's coming soon so that you and 19:58 me -- we all can come out. What do you say to that? Let's clap. 20:02 Let's just clap if we're happy for Jesus at opening up the door. 20:07 We're not trapped! We're not trapped! Jesus is alive and He's coming 20:15 back to get us out. Hallelujah. Who would like to thank Jesus? 20:21 Young man, your hand was up. Who would like to thank Jesus? Come on. Come on up. 20:27 What's your name? I like those glasses. What's your name? 20:31 >> Jaciel. >> Jaciel. Jaciel. Jaciel's gonna pray, sissy. 20:34 Watch this. So, Jaciel, I'm gonna give you the microphone. 20:36 Let's close our eyes. Thank Jesus with Jaciel for getting us out. 20:42 >> Thank you, Jesus, for this day, and help us to be nice. And thank you, Jesus, for 20:51 getting us out and dying on the cross for us so the sins can go away and the happiness can come 20:58 to us and help us, that we can have a good day in Sabbath today. 21:03 Amen. >> Amen. Jaciel, you're gonna be a 21:05 preacher. God bless you. That was a beautiful prayer. 21:08 Can you say what Jaciel said in your heart as you go back to your seat now? 21:11 Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jaciel. Thank you very much. 21:14 Very well done. 21:17 ♪♪ ♪♪ 21:36 ♪♪ ♪♪ 21:54 [ Congregation sings ] 23:20 >> Amen. >> Amen. >> Oh, God, we have opened our 23:25 hearts to You. That is our single hope. And we go on. 23:32 Ours, the cross, the grave, the skies. One day. Together at last. 23:41 Forever and ever. Speak to us. Yet, in this moment, alone with 23:51 You and Your word, we pray in Christ's name, the living one. And all the people said, 23:58 "Amen." Amen. Have a seat, please. 24:09 You have to suppose that it's a bit instructive, this business 24:12 of the story of Easter that we just heard a moment ago as we 24:16 began this glorious worship service. 24:18 It's a bit instructive for us, how that story in the particular version we read addresses, it 24:27 seems, one of the great fears that is no longer a great fear. 24:36 You come to any American, and you say, "Listen, what are you 24:40 afraid of?" And Americans over the years 24:42 have said, "Well, death and public speaking." 24:47 It's just always in the surveys. 24:51 But a survey was released this last fall from Chapman University. 24:56 It's the fourth annual survey, a survey of American fears. 1,200 Americans across this land 25:03 were asked the question "What makes you afraid or very afraid?" 25:10 Incredible. I want to read to you the top 10. 25:16 I have all 48 here, but let me just read to you the top 10. Would these have been one of 25:21 yours? We'll start with number 10, air pollution. 25:27 Number 9, North Korea using weapons. Number 8, global warming and 25:34 climate change. Number 7, the U.S. will be involved in another World War. 25:39 Number 6, high medical bills. Number 5, not having enough money for the future. 25:44 Number 4, pollution of drinking water. Number 3, pollution of oceans, 25:48 rivers, and lakes. Number 2, American Healthcare Act, or "Trumpcare." 25:53 Either one. Number one -- corrupt government officials. 25:58 The top fears of America this Easter. And where is "fear of death?" 26:04 It's number 48. And where is "fear of public speaking?" 26:06 Number 52. Something's changed. This list is so significant, 26:14 that next Sabbath, you and I are gonna spend a few moments just looking carefully at really what 26:18 is being told to us. Because listen, folks, if we're gonna engage America's heart, we 26:24 have to address America's fears. And they aren't the old fears that we thought they were. 26:32 We'll talk more about that next week. I'll explain this. 26:39 Christopher Bader, a Professor of Sociology at 26:41 Chapman University led the team effort. 26:43 He makes this -- He concludes this. 26:45 Put it on the screen. Fascinating. 26:50 Quoting him... Hmm. 27:04 What was the question the girls asked on the way to the tomb? 27:07 "Who will roll this stone away for us?" 27:13 Truth of the matter is, you and I, we may not be our fears in 27:18 that top 10, but there is not a soul here that doesn't have a 27:20 fear, that does not have an uncertainty, that does not have 27:23 an anxiety that is intimidated by this huge stone, whatever it 27:28 may be in your life. This huge stone that is blocking 27:31 your way, and you're asking the question -- "Who's gonna move 27:35 this stone for me?" Can anybody roll it away, 27:42 or am I destined to be pinned to this cold earth with that fear? 27:47 Let's go back to that Easter story. 27:52 Gospel of Mark. Open your Bible, please, to the 27:54 Gospel of Mark. Chapter 16. 27:56 He has a little slant to it, and you'll see the way it ends, 28:00 that no other Gospel writer demonstrates. 28:03 Mark 16. I'm in the New King James 28:08 version today. You didn't bring your own Bible, 28:12 grab the pew Bible in front of you. 28:13 We've got some of our friendly ushers also coming your way. 28:16 They have study guides. It's no fill-in-the-blank study 28:19 guide today. It's a "keep the study guide for 28:21 the quotations" day. And you're gonna want these 28:24 quotations. All right, so this is Mark 16:1. 28:30 They read it to us just a moment ago. 29:01 Needless to say. 29:21 Now, watch this -- Verse 8. 29:31 Fear. 29:34 We all have them. Attitude. Fear. 29:41 In the shadows of Jesus' now-empty tomb, there's a question we need to confront. 29:48 How important, how vital is this thing, this spirit, this attitude that's within us? 30:03 How important is attitude? Just a few weeks ago, my friend Sherry Davis sent me an e-mail. 30:09 It was Friday afternoon. I'm trying to get through my e-mails. 30:12 I'm here at the office all alone, and she says, "Hey, Dwight, I've read something 30:15 you're gonna be interested in. You're gonna like it." So she sends me a link. 30:21 And I shoot her an e-mail back. "Thanks so much, Sherry. Blessings on you. Bye-bye. 30:25 Oh, I will read it, don't worry about it. See ya." 30:28 But then -- and this happens to you -- you say, "I should have read it." 30:33 I'll forget. I just know I'll forget to go to the link. 30:35 So I quickly go to the link. It's an article written by a young Australian woman. 30:40 Her name -- Maritza Brunt. And in the article, she quotes Charles Swindoll, and when I 30:48 read those words from Swindoll, I tell you what, something just came over me. 30:52 Those words are still reverberating in my soul, and I just have to share those words 30:57 with you. Do you know who Charles Swindoll is? 31:00 He's the popular American writer. He's been a pastor. 31:03 He's a university chancellor. 31:06 These words are in that study guide that you'll take home. 31:08 You'll never forget them. I'll put them on the screen for 31:10 you. Chuck Swindoll writing... 31:22 There's that word. 31:44 And then here's the keeper, here's that last line. 32:00 End quote. You like that? Attitude! 32:06 We all have one. In fact, attitude pretty much 32:10 comes down to this. "No can do" or "Yes, can do." 32:17 Now, if like me, you've grown up in a country where English is 32:20 not the language and very few knew it when I was there in 32:22 Japan. You know, you often run into 32:24 "No can do." "Oh, no, no, no, no, no!" 32:26 That's the only English they know. 32:28 "No can do. No, no, no, no, no. No, no, no, no. No can do." 32:31 You never hear anybody say, "Yes, can do," do you? 32:35 No. It makes you wonder, are we just 32:39 automatically wired when we're born for "No can do?" 32:43 I mean, why is it -- why is it that we can say "No," just like 32:47 that, and "Yes" is just like dragging it out of you? 32:49 The nominating committee calls you up and they're at work right 32:51 now. The nominating committee calls 32:53 you up and you say, "No can do." "I can't do that." 32:56 Oh, yes, you can. Why are we wired that way? 33:02 "No can do." "Yes, can do." 33:05 Which is it? And you want to guess which way 33:08 the resurrected Christ tilts the needle? 33:11 I'm gonna tell you in case you're struggling to figure 33:13 out the answer. There is no question. 33:14 The magnetic north of Holy Scripture always points its 33:18 needle to "Yes, can do." Come on. 33:25 12 spies reconnoitering this raw Pagan land called Canaan. 33:30 They come back. 10 of them say, "No can do." 33:34 But two of them insist -- "Yes, can do." 33:38 I'm telling you the truth. The magnetic north of the 33:43 Holy Scripture always points the needle to "Yes, can do." 33:50 Here's another one. Lone prophet. 33:52 By the way, one of the greatest prophets. 33:54 Lone prophet. Against the hordes of Israel. 33:57 Atop a mountain that is about to be nuked. 34:02 A mountain called Carmel. And what does Israel say? 34:05 "No can do! No can do! No can do!" 34:06 The lone prophet thunders "Yes, can do," and fire comes 34:10 down and incinerates that summit. 34:14 Because the magnetic needle of Holy Scripture always tilts to 34:19 "Yes, can do." And, oh, by the way, the 34:22 Scripture doesn't play heroes and hide all the defects. 34:25 12 hours later, the same prophet, because he's insulted 34:31 Jezebel, who screams into this torrential downpour -- "I will 34:37 kill you if it's the last thing I do!" 34:40 That same "Yes, can do" prophet, in now utter fear, flees with 34:46 the cry, "I quit! No can do!" Apparently, the needle can go 34:52 like this pretty fast in all of us. 34:55 But the magnetic north of Holy Scripture always tilts the 34:58 needle to "Yes, can do." Take the God of the universe, 35:01 made flesh as he's sobbing alone in a dark and treacherous 35:04 garden. "No can do. Abba, Father. 35:06 No can do. No can do." But through the dark, through 35:10 the mysterious shadows, a voice comes, "Oh, no, my son. 35:14 Yes, can do. Yes, can do." 12 hours later, 35:20 when that same Jesus is hanging on the center cross of Calvary, 35:24 the gaping, stunned universe is concluding "No can do" has won. 35:31 "No can do" has won. Not knowing that 36 more hours 35:37 and there will be such a seismic shock that it goes off the 35:42 Richter scale inside that sepulchre, and with blazing 35:46 light, "Yes, can do" comes marching out, forever the 35:50 victor. "Yes, can do." 35:56 The needle of Scripture. The needle of attitude always 36:05 always points to "Yes, can do." You don't believe me? 36:11 Let me share with you the greatest "Yes, can do" line 36:13 you've ever read in your life. Here it is. 36:15 Move from Mark where you were. Go to Philippians. 36:18 Find the little book of Philippians. 36:20 Okay, that'll take you a few seconds. 36:21 Philippians, moving towards the end of the New Testament. 36:24 Keep going. Philippians. Philippians 4. 36:26 Find that chapter. Short little book. 36:29 Paul's in prison. Mr. Big "Yes, Can Do," by the 36:31 way, one of the biggest "Yes, can do" in the history 36:34 of Christianity. Attitude. 36:37 And he writes this. He's in prison and he writes 36:39 this, Verse 13. Put it on the screen, please. 36:42 Verse 13. Let's read it outloud together. 36:49 Let's do that one more time. 36:54 There they are, those two little words -- "can do." 36:57 "Can do." Yeah, but, Dwight, you said -- 37:02 You said that the magnetic north of Holy Scripture always points 37:05 the needle to "Yes, can do." There's no "Yes" in that. 37:10 You are really picky on an Easter weekend. 37:13 I can't believe that. You want a "yes," 37:16 I'll give you a "yes." Just turn a few pages back to 37:19 2 Corinthians 1. Come on, just a handful of pages 37:22 back. 2 Corinthians 1. 37:24 You want the "yes," here you go. 2 Corinthians 1.19. 37:42 Now, keep reading. Verse 20. 37:53 There's the "yes" you wanted. "Yes, can do." 37:56 All the promises of God. 38:00 All of them are "yes" in Christ. Wow. Why is that? 38:10 It's because Jesus is God's all-caps -- Jesus is God's all-caps "YES, CAN DO" creator, 38:20 and "YES, CAN DO" savior. All caps! He created the entire universe. 38:26 This "YES, CAN DO" mind and being creates the entire universe. 38:32 "Yes, can do." Creator of the universe. Beloved savior of the world. 38:38 "Yes, can do." He saves the entire human race. In the death that he poured out 38:47 at Calvary. "Yes, can do." That's why the magnetic north of 38:54 Holy Scripture always tilts the needle to "Yes, can do." Because that's the way God is. 38:58 God so loved the world. And, by the way, when he loved you and me, we were at our 39:03 un-loveliest. Write that down. "Un-loveliest." That's what you were. 39:08 Un-loveliest. And he looked at you and he looked at me, and he said, 39:12 "Hey, Gabriel, yes, can do." 39:16 We can get her. We can get him! We can get them. Let's try. 39:24 "Yes, can do." That's why. By the way, just last week -- 39:28 not this week, but the week before --Christianity Today 39:31 came out with this spectacular very moving commemorative 39:34 edition in honor of Billy Graham -- the great 39:37 Evangelist Billy Graham, who, by the way, was the founder of 39:40 Christianity Today. The Evangelical magazine exists 39:43 today because he said, "We need a magazine for Evangelicals." 39:46 So this is just chock-full of stories and articles from front 39:49 to back, and one of the stories told me about how when 39:51 Billy Graham ever sat down in front of a microphone -- 39:54 So he's gonna give an interview, so he's gonna check the mic. 39:57 They'd say, "Reverend Graham, can we just test your 39:59 microphone?" Oh, he's standing up in the 40:01 stadium. Tonight it'll be filled, but 40:03 he's standing in that empty stadium. 40:04 They said, "Mr. Graham, would you speak into the mic?" 40:06 Every time he's given an opportunity in his lifetime, do 40:10 you know what he said? "For God so loved the world, 40:13 that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in 40:17 Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life." 40:21 And you know why he did that? Because there may be some 40:24 technician somewhere, this will be the only Gospel he will hear 40:28 as he adjusts the gauges. "For God so loved the world..." 40:32 "Yes, can do!" When he looked at you and he 40:35 looked at me. Wow. 40:36 But the question is, let's be honest -- 40:39 I mean, how do we experience this attitude adjustment that 40:43 will turn us from the usual "No can do" default? 40:46 Because that's the way we were born, and by the way, the older 40:50 you get, the more "No can do" becomes your language. 40:54 Sorry. How can we can go through an 40:57 attitude adjustment so that we can move from this default 41:00 "No can do" to the mighty appealing "Yes, can do" attitude 41:03 of God? How can it happen? 41:05 I'm gonna show you how, and it is so simple, you're not gonna 41:07 believe it. Let's go back to 41:09 Philippians 4:13. You don't even have to go back. 41:11 It goes like this... 41:17 Now, it turns out that the oldest manuscripts in Greek do 41:21 not have the name of Christ. Mnh-mnh. 41:25 And, generally, the old manuscripts are the most 41:27 accurate. So newer translations -- some of 41:29 you were following along in your newer translations. 41:31 Newer translations render it this way. 41:33 In fact, let me just show you. David Bentley Hart. 41:36 He is down here at Notre Dame, but he came out withYale Press, 41:39 a new translation of the New Testament. 41:41 Terribly wooden but extremely engaging. 41:45 It's just called "The New Testament." 41:47 This is how he renders. We'll put it on the screen. 41:52 He's American Orthodox. He is an expert at Greek, okay? 42:01 So, who's this "him" that Paul is referring to? 42:05 Well, it's really not a huge discovery. 42:09 If you just look behind Verse 13 and then look twice after 42:13 Verse 13, it's Christ Jesus. Christ Jesus -- three times. 42:16 Christ Jesus. So it's a no-brainer case. 42:19 He's talking about Christ Jesus. However, if the antecedent still 42:25 remains uncertain, you could just as well say that the 42:31 antecedent to him is the Holy Spirit. 42:35 "Oh, you cannot, Dwight." Yes, you can. Let me show you. 42:38 You still here in 2 Corinthians 1? 42:40 Look at Verse 20. We just read that, but we'll go 42:42 beyond. Verse 20. 42:48 Now, keep reading. 42:54 Keep reading. 43:04 The gift of the Holy Spirit -- Did you catch that? -- is the 43:08 divine guarantee that all God's promises are a mighty "yes," 43:13 an almighty "yes" in Christ Jesus. 43:16 That's it, right there. So Philippians 4:13 could 43:18 actually read this way. Let's read this one out loud 43:21 together. It could actually read this way. 43:29 Yep. Speaking of which, the other 43:34 day, our twice-retired dear Pastor Don -- Don Dronen -- was 43:38 having an early-morning worship and he sent me a quotation he 43:41 came across. This is so dynamite, I have to 43:44 share it with you right now. It's in your study guide. 43:46 You'll take it home. But put in on the screen, 43:48 please. 44:05 In and out. "Daily" -- there's that word we 44:08 came to know. 44:19 So she's saying, "Lookit, in front of you -- you're on a 44:21 journey, and in front of you are these vast fields..." 44:28 Now, keep going! 44:36 When that Holy Spirit comes into you, when he takes up residence, 44:41 every day, vast sources of power. 44:44 Now, she says..." 44:47 She's quoting David now. "Dear Lord, you may take from me 44:50 whatever you wish. No kidding. 44:52 You may take from me whatever you wish, but what I'm asking 44:54 you is, please, do not take the Holy Spirit from me." 44:57 And then her last line... 45:02 Hey, come on. Time out, time out. 45:04 Let me just ask you this. Wouldn't you love to be daily 45:07 inspired with the omnipotence of God, this "Yes, can do" attitude 45:11 every day through the Holy Spirit? 45:13 Wouldn't you love to have that? Wouldn't you like to be daily 45:15 ignited by the Holy Spirit so that you face your day no matter 45:19 what is going on in your life right now -- what is happening 45:22 on this campus, what is happening in your career, it 45:24 doesn't matter. But you face the day now with 45:27 this "Yes, can do" attitude that only the Spirit of Christ can 45:31 bring to you. Wouldn't that be something? 45:34 Every single day. "I can do all things through the 45:38 Holy Spirit who strengthens me." What a powerful case for the 45:42 daily baptism of the Spirit. I mean, just ask him every day. 45:44 Just ask him. You know what you can say? 45:46 "Dear God, would you give me the mind of Christ?" 45:51 Wait a minute, Philippians 2:5. "Let this mind be in you which 45:54 was also in..." How does it go? 45:55 "...also in Christ Jesus." But look at this. 45:57 In the New American Standard Bible -- put it on the screen, 46:00 please. New American Standard. 46:02 How does it read? 46:05 There it is. 46:09 What attitude? The "Yes, can do" attitude. 46:13 Have that attitude in yourselves. 46:16 Who better to bring the "Yes, can do" attitude to us, 46:19 that attitude of Jesus, than the Holy Spirit himself? 46:24 You say, "Yeah, but, Dwight, come on, come on, come on." 46:26 I mean, what are all these things? 46:27 "I can do all things." What are all these things? 46:31 Well, that's not rocket science, either. 46:33 All these things would be simply whatever God wants us to 46:36 experience, whatever God wants us to achieve. 46:38 Higher than the highest human thought? 46:40 That's what I want for you. I want the very best for you. 46:42 Whatever he asks, whatever he wants, whatever he wishes. 46:46 "Yes, can do." You know why you can say 46:49 "Yes, can do" to whatever God asks of you? 46:51 You can say "Yes, can do" simply because when God asks me to do 46:58 something, He empowers me to do that something. 47:02 Whatever He asks you to do, He'll empower you to do. 47:06 There's a line somewhere. Where is it found? 47:08 I have no idea. All his biddings are enablings. 47:11 If He says, "Hey, hey, hey, I'm gonna ask you to do this." 47:14 If you say, "Yes, can do," He says, "I got the power for 47:16 you." It's omnipotent, by the way. 47:18 You can have it all. Wow. 47:22 That's why Romans 8:28, by the way... 47:26 Some of you are going through a really rough time right now. 47:29 I know. Tough. It hasn't been any worse than 47:33 this. It hasn't been any worse than 47:35 this. But that's why Romans 8:28 47:40 whispers to you... "We know that all things -- all 47:45 things work together for those who love God and are called 47:51 according to His purpose." Everything. 47:54 Hey, hey, hey, hey. Shh, shh, shh, shh. Stop, stop. 47:57 It does not read -- some people think it does -- 48:00 It does not read "all things are good." 48:02 It does not declare all things good. 48:04 All things are not good. Some things are evil. 48:07 And what has happened to you is from the hand of an enemy who 48:10 seeks only your death. Who seeks only your death. 48:14 But as the translation reads... "But we know that God causes all 48:21 things to work for good to those who trust Him, who Love 48:26 him." You can take anything. 48:29 Look, He can take anything and turn it into the greatest win 48:33 you will ever experience. That's how he did it. 48:38 He took the worst of the worst and turned it into the best of 48:42 the best. Trust me," He says. "Trust me." 48:44 "Yes, can do." I want to hear "Yes, can do" 48:47 from you. Don't tell me "No can do." 48:48 That's why Jesus in the garden kept saying, "No can do. 48:51 Father, no can do. Abba, abba, no can do." 48:53 But finally, third prayer, God sweeps over him, "Oh, yes, you 48:57 can," and then he says, "Okay. Yes, can do. Your will. 49:03 Not what I want, what you want." And God will win through you 49:07 just like he won through the Lord Jesus Christ. 49:10 "Yes, can do." Ahh! I'm gonna share a secret 49:14 with you and tell you a story, and then sit down. 49:18 I'm gonna share a secret that you may not have known before. 49:21 And then tell you a story. There's one quotation, by the 49:28 way, that sets this up, that has "can do" written all over it. 49:31 I couldn't come to the end without sending this quotation 49:33 home with you, so I'm putting it on the screen. 49:35 It's from that classic, "Christ's Object Lessons." 49:37 You're gonna love it. This is your keeper. 49:51 No, no, no, no. It's not what you have. 49:57 I put them in all caps for you. 50:03 That would be me, "what I can do..." 50:11 Every soul that trusts Him. Now here come three 50:13 "He longs..." 50:17 He's standing by you right now, whatever it is you're going 50:19 through and it seems like there is a massive stone in front of 50:21 you, and you're not gonna get past this stone to eternity. 50:28 Here comes number two. 50:33 Don't sell him short! Ask for the biggest gift you 50:36 have ever asked for in your life! 50:39 Whatever the stone is that is in front of you right now -- 50:42 Is it divorce? Is it your health? 50:45 Is it your finances? It doesn't matter! 50:47 Ask him to move the stone! Just ask him. 50:52 Just ask him. 51:00 And then here's a line for our university community like ours. 51:07 You got four weeks left, but I'd be claiming that all through the 51:09 next four weeks. [ Laughter ] 51:11 It's just my counsel, humble as it is. 51:22 "Yes can do!" He can do it. I can do all things through 51:25 Christ. "I can do all things through the 51:27 Holy Spirit, who strengthens me." 51:30 Yep. That's the truth today. Go home with it. 51:32 You'll never have an Easter like this. 51:34 Go home with it. Your life will be changed. 51:37 Ask for an attitude adjustment. Move from your "No can do" to 51:40 your "Yes, can do." You'll be fine because let me 51:42 tell you a secret. You didn't know this, but I'm 51:44 gonna pass this onto you. People really love hanging with, 51:50 living with, working with, schooling with positive 51:59 attitude of others. They are the most popular people 52:04 on this campus. In that ad building, they're the 52:07 most popular people. Because when you're a 52:09 "Yes, can do" leader, when you have confidence, people 52:13 just line up right behind you. When you're a "Yes, can do" 52:16 follower, you line right up behind a "Yes, can do" leader 52:19 'cause it always takes one to draw up the other. 52:21 When you hang with someone who has a "Yes, can do" attitude -- 52:26 I mean, aren't they a joy to be around? 52:29 Come on, let's be honest. Aren't they a joy to be around? 52:31 I just being around them. Why? Because they lift my 52:34 confidence. They lift my hope. 52:35 They give me faith. They give me courage. 52:37 I feel like we can make this thing. 52:39 This isn't the end! Time of trouble going on? 52:43 This isn't the end. "Yes, can do." 52:47 When a leader demonstrates "Yes, can do" and a follower 52:50 demonstrates "Yes, can do," you got a winning combination. 52:53 And there is nothing you can't go through without the almighty 52:58 omnipotent, God of the universe, steps in for you. 53:01 Don't tell him how to do it. Ask him to do it. 53:06 Just ask him to do it. That's a little secret. 53:10 If you'll be the "Yes, can do" person in your little circle 53:12 where you live, in your dormitory, in your office, 53:15 you're the "Yes, can do" person, everybody will love being around 53:18 the water cooler with you. Why? Because you are positive. 53:22 "Yes, can do." "I can do all things through 53:27 Christ, or the Holy Spirit, who strengthens me." 53:30 All right. Here's that story. Karen and I, through the 53:34 kindness of a friend have been reading Max Lucado's book 53:37 "God Will Carry You Through." In this book is the story of 53:41 little Cooper and his mother and father. 53:44 Let me read the story to you. "Melanie Jasper says her son 53:47 Cooper -- I like that name -- was born with a smile on his 53:50 face. The dimple never left his cheek. 53:53 He won the hearts of every person he knew -- his three 53:56 older sisters, his parents, grandparents, teachers, and 53:58 friends. He loved to laugh and love. 54:01 His father J.J., confessing partiality, calls him 54:05 practically the perfect child. And Cooper was born to the 54:08 perfect family. Farm-dwelling, fun-loving, 54:12 God-seeking, and Christ-hungry, J.J. and Melanie poured out 54:16 their hearts into their four children. 54:18 J.J. cherished every moment he had with his only son. 54:21 That's why they were riding in the dune buggy on July 17th. 54:25 They intended to cut the grass together, but the lawn mower 54:28 needed a spark plug, and so while Melanie drove to town to 54:31 buy one, J.J. and 5-year-old Cooper seized the opportunity 54:34 for a quick ride. "You want to go with Daddy? 54:36 Let's go!" They had done this 1,000 times, 54:40 zipping down a dirt road in a roll-caged cart. 54:44 The ride was nothing new, but the flip was. 54:47 On a completely level road with Cooper safely buckled in, J.J. 54:52 made a circle, and the buggy rolled over. 54:56 Cooper was unresponsive. J.J. called 911, then Melanie. 55:00 "There's been an accident," he told her. 55:01 I don't think Cooper's gonna make it." 55:03 The next hours were every parent's worst nightmare -- 55:05 ambulance, E.R., sobs, and shock, and finally the news -- 55:09 Cooper had died. J.J. and Melanie found 55:16 themselves doing the unthinkable -- selecting a 55:19 casket, planning a funeral, and envisioning life without their 55:22 only son. In the coming days, they fell 55:24 into a mind-numbing rhythm. Every morning upon awakening, 55:27 they held each other and sobbed uncontrollably and, gathering 55:30 enough courage to climb out of bed, they would go downstairs to 55:32 the family and friends who awaited them. 55:34 They would soldier through the day until bedtime. 55:36 Then they would go to bed, hold each other, and cry themselves 55:39 to sleep." Some of you have been there. 55:44 J.J. told me, "There is no class or book on this planet that can 55:49 prepare you to have your 5-year-old son die in your 55:53 arms. We know what the bottom looks 55:55 like." The bottom. 55:58 We pass much of life, if not most of life, at mid-altitude. 56:02 Occasionally, we summit a peak -- our graduation, our 56:05 wedding, a promotion, the birth of a child -- but most of life 56:08 is lived at mid-level, Mondayish obligations of term papers and 56:13 carpools and expense reports and recipes. 56:16 But, on occasion, the world bottoms out. 56:21 The dune buggy flips, the housing market crashes, the test 56:25 results come back positive, and before we know it, we discover 56:30 what the bottom looks like. Today, J.J.'s hurts are still 56:34 deep, but his faith is deeper still." 56:37 Attitude. Attitude. "Whenever he tells the story of 56:43 losing Cooper, he says this -- 'We know what the bottom looks 56:48 like and we know who is waiting there -- it's Jesus Christ.'" 56:53 "Yes, can do." Amen. 57:03 >> Before you go, let me take an extra moment to share with you 57:05 an opportunity to get into the Bible in a fresh new way. 57:08 All across the world, more and more people are hearing the call 57:11 to examine Scriptures for themselves. 57:12 If you felt drawn to learn more about God's word but you don't 57:16 know where to start or you're just looking for a more in-depth 57:19 examination of bible truths, then I have something right here 57:22 that I believe you're gonna enjoy. 57:24 I want to send a series of guides to get you started. 57:26 This one's entitled "Why Does God Allow Suffering?" 57:29 Each guide begins with a story and an introduction of the 57:32 subject. Then, through a series of focus 57:34 questions, you'll be learning portions of the bible you may 57:36 never have known before. And when you're through, you'll 57:39 be able to share with others some of these inspiring Bible 57:41 truths. So just call our toll-free 57:43 number. It's on the screen. 57:44 877-HIS-WILL. Our friendly operators are 57:48 standing by to send these study guides to you. 57:50 Once again, that's 877-HIS-WILL. Call that number, and then 57:55 again, join me next week, right here at the same time. 57:59 "New Perceptions." 58:03 ♪♪ ♪♪ 58:20 ♪♪ |
Revised 2018-04-20