Participants:
Series Code: NP
Program Code: NP181201A
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00:20 Hark! the herald angels sing
00:24 "Glory to the newborn King 00:29 Peace on earth and mercy mild 00:33 God and sinners reconciled" 00:38 Joyful, all ye nations rise 00:42 Join the triumph of the skies 00:47 With the angelic host proclaim 00:51 "Christ is born in Bethlehem" 00:56 Hark! The herald angels sing 01:00 "Glory to the newborn King" 01:06 Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace 01:11 Hail the Son of Righteousness Light 01:15 Life and life to all He brings 01:20 Risen with healing in His wings 01:25 Mild He lays His glory by 01:29 Born that man no more may die 01:34 Born to raise the sons of earth 01:38 Born to give them second birth 01:43 Hark! The herald angels sing 01:48 "Glory to the newborn King" 02:11 O Come all ye faithful 02:16 Joyful and triumphant 02:20 O come ye, O come ye 02:25 To Bethlehem 02:30 Come and behold Him 02:35 Born the King of angels 02:39 O come, let us adore Him 02:44 O come, let us adore Him 02:48 O come, let us adore Him 02:54 Christ the Lord 02:59 Sing, choirs of angels 03:04 Sing in exultation 03:08 O sing, all ye citizens 03:12 Of heaven above 03:17 Glory to God, 03:21 all glory in the highest 03:26 O come, let us adore Him 03:31 O come, let us adore Him 03:36 O come, let us adore Him 03:41 Christ the Lord 03:57 Silent night 04:02 holy night 04:06 All is calm 04:10 All is bright 04:14 Round yon virgin mother and Child 04:22 Holy Infant, so tender and mild 04:30 Sleep in heavenly peace 04:38 Sleep in heavenly peace 04:51 Joy to the world, the Lord has come 04:56 Let earth receive her King 05:00 Let every heart prepare Him room 05:05 And heaven and nature sing And heaven and nature sing 05:10 And heaven, and heaven and nature sing 05:16 Joy to the world, the Savior reigns 05:21 Let men their songs employ 05:26 While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains 05:31 Repeat the sounding joy Repeat the sounding joy 05:36 Repeat, repeat the sounding joy 05:42 No more let sins and sorrow grow 05:47 Nor thorns infest the ground 05:52 He comes to make His blessings flow 05:57 Far as the curse is found Far as the curse is found 06:02 Far as, far as the curse is found 06:09 He rules the world with truth and grace 06:14 And makes the nations prove 06:19 The glories of His righteousness 06:24 And wonders of His love And wonders of His love 06:29 And wonders, wonders of His love 06:38 Amen. 06:39 You may be seated. 06:57 Crown Him the Son of Righteousness 07:05 Crown Him the King above all kings 07:11 Let the nations declare He is Lord 07:17 Sing Emmanuel the Savior is born 07:37 Crown Him the Son of Righteousness 07:44 Crown Him the King above all kings 07:50 Let the nations declare He is Lord 07:56 Sing Emmanuel the Savior is born 08:03 He shall be called Wonderful Counselor 08:10 Everlasting One 08:16 He shall be called Jesus the Savior 08:23 Peace to earth has come 08:29 We worship and adore Him 08:35 The Lord 08:48 Jesus the Son of God 08:52 He reigns 08:55 Forever His kingdom will not fail 09:01 God Almighty in justice He comes 09:07 Sing Emmanuel great is His love 09:14 He shall be called Wonderful Counselor 09:20 Everlasting One 09:27 He shall be called Jesus the Savior 09:33 Peace to earth has come 09:39 We worship and adore Him 09:45 The Lord 09:51 Unto us His love has come 09:57 Unto us Christ is born 10:03 Now to Him be the glory 10:08 And all the praise 10:16 Unto us His love has come 10:22 Unto us Christ is born 10:28 Now to Him be the glory 10:33 And all the praise 10:41 Unto us His love has come 10:47 Unto us Christ is born 10:53 Now to Him be the glory 10:58 And all the praise 11:06 He shall be called Wonderful Counselor 11:13 Everlasting One 11:19 He shall be called Jesus the Savior 11:25 Peace to earth has come 11:31 We worship and adore Him 11:37 The Lord 11:43 Now to Him be the glory 11:48 And all the praise 11:56 Now to Him be the glory 12:01 And all The praise 12:14 Amen. Amen. 12:21 Thou didst leave Thy throne 12:25 And Thy kingly crown 12:28 When Thou camest to earth for me 12:34 But in Bethlehem's home Was there found no room 12:41 For Thy holy nativity 12:48 Oh, come to my heart, Lord Jesus 12:54 There is room in my heart for Thee 13:01 Heaven's arches rang when the angels sang 13:08 Proclaiming Thy royal degree 13:14 But of lowly birth didst Thou come to earth 13:21 And in greatest humility 13:27 Oh, come to my heart 13:31 Lord Jesus 13:34 There is room in my heart for Thee 13:41 The foxes found rest 13:44 And the birds their nest 13:48 In the shade of the forest tree 13:54 But Thy couch was the sod O Thou Son of God 14:00 In the deserts of Galilee 14:07 Oh, come to my heart 14:10 Lord Jesus 14:13 There is room in my heart for Thee 14:21 This is now the time in our service 14:24 where we come forward 14:25 to bring our praises and petitions to the Lord. 14:28 This is such a season to be thankful for. 14:31 We can be thankful for so many things, 14:34 but in the midst of all the celebration 14:36 there's still hurt, and there's still pain. 14:40 So whatever it is 14:41 that you need to bring to the Lord, 14:42 I ask that you bring it here and now. 14:44 Please come, join us here in the front. 14:59 Thou camest, O Lord With the living Word 15:06 That should set Thy people free 15:13 But with mocking scorn And with crown of thorn 15:19 They bore Thee to Calvary 15:26 Oh, come to my heart, 15:29 Lord Jesus 15:33 There is room in my heart for Thee 15:40 When the heavens shall ring 15:43 And the angels sing 15:47 At Thy coming to victory 15:53 Let Thy voice call me up 15:57 Saying "Yet there is room 16:01 There is room at My side for thee" 16:08 My heart shall rejoice 16:12 Lord Jesus 16:15 When Thou comest and callest for me 20:45 Let's pray, Oh God, 20:47 what child is this? 20:49 This child that now an entire planet recognizes, 20:54 but doesn't know. 20:58 Get the story out, 21:00 we humbly pray in Jesus' name, amen. 21:05 Back in 1895, 21:07 an American writer named Henry Van Dyke Junior 21:09 wrote a book. 21:10 It ended up being a classic. 21:12 I don't know if you've heard of it, 21:13 The Other Wise Man. 21:15 Tradition says there were three wise men 21:17 because of the three gifts. 21:19 So he writes of a fourth wise man, 21:21 he gives him a name. 21:22 Artaban, 21:24 and Artaban was standing beneath the midnight heavens 21:26 when that mysterious star exploded into existence. 21:30 His three friends living far away 21:32 also witnessed the birth of the star. 21:35 They communicate, 21:36 "We'll go together to find the Child King, 21:39 portended by the star. 21:44 Artaban starts out with his little casket, 21:48 his treasure chest of his three gifts, 21:50 a sapphire, a ruby, and a pearl of great price. 21:56 But as he is with his steed, 21:59 racing to the point of rendezvous, 22:01 he comes across a man dying at the side of the road. 22:03 He alights, he jumps down, ministers to the man, 22:07 and by the time it gets back up on that... 22:11 Onto that horse, and arrives at the rendezvous point, 22:15 they're gone, 22:16 they thought he wasn't coming, they went. 22:19 And now all he has is a horse, 22:20 and you can't cross the desert with a horse. 22:22 And so with one of his treasures 22:24 he purchases a camel caravan, 22:27 and they ride, the caravan and he. 22:31 And when he arrives in Bethlehem, of course, 22:34 his three Magi friends are gone. 22:35 And a parent, parents with the child, 22:38 they're gone as well. 22:39 He races to Egypt, hoping to find the baby there, 22:43 they're gone from Egypt. 22:44 He goes to country after country after country 22:46 in the story as Van Dyke tells it, 22:48 it's about him all along the way 22:50 with this compassion and his care, 22:52 finding people in need and caring for them. 22:55 Thirty three years go by, and on a sunny morning, 22:59 he comes riding into Jerusalem unbeknown to him. 23:02 This is the day of Jesus crucifixion. 23:06 As he's moving down an alleyway of Jerusalem, 23:08 he sees a young girl being sold as a slave, he steps up, 23:10 he pulls out his last treasure, a pearl of great price, 23:16 he buys her freedom. 23:18 And she turns away. 23:19 He turns down the alley 23:21 and a loose roof tile tumbles the air 23:24 strikes him in the head, he's on the ground and die. 23:26 This man, who has spent his life 23:29 looking for the Christ child. 23:31 Before he dies, he hears a voice. 23:34 The voice speaks these words, "Verily, I say unto thee, 23:37 in as much as thy has doneth unto one of the least of these, 23:40 my brethren, thou has done it unto Me. 23:43 and they're in calm radiance of wonder and love." 23:48 Artaban dies 23:51 realizing he has found the King. 23:55 There is the question, 23:57 maybe you're the other wise man, 23:58 maybe you're the other wise woman. 24:00 Have you found the King? 24:03 I want to go to the story of these three. 24:05 We say three because there are three gifts. 24:07 Open your Bible to Matthew Chapter 2. 24:09 This is the real story. 24:11 It doesn't really matter how many wise men there were, 24:13 the truth of the matter is 24:14 if that these three gifts are what will preoccupy us, 24:17 this beautiful advent season. 24:19 Gift today, a gift next Sabbath, 24:21 and just then before Christmas, the third gift. 24:23 Matthew Chapter 2. 24:25 So you're finding it in your Bible. 24:27 I'm being in NIV. 24:29 Matthew 22:1. 24:33 "And after Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, 24:35 during the time of King Herod, 24:37 Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, 24:40 'Where is the one 24:42 who has been born king of the Jews? 24:44 We saw his star when it rose, 24:46 and we have come to worship Him.' " 24:49 You know what? 24:50 You can't help but admire these pagans, strangers 24:55 driven across countless miles of sand, 24:58 seeking, searching, following. 25:02 It reminds me the words of Blaise Pascal, 25:03 the French mathematician, you remember, and philosopher. 25:07 His words on the screen. 25:09 "If you are searching for God, then you have found Him." 25:14 I like that. 25:16 Apparently, the journey is the reward. 25:18 In seeking for God, you have begun finding Him. 25:23 Verse 1 again, 25:25 "And after Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, 25:27 during the time of King Herod, 25:28 Magi from the east came to Jerusalem. 25:30 And they asked, 'Where is the one 25:32 who has been born king of the Jews, 25:33 we saw a star when it rose 25:35 and we have come to worship Him.' " 25:39 James A.K. Smith is a philosopher. 25:41 He teaches up the road in Grand Rapids, 25:42 Calvin College and seminary. 25:45 Just a few days ago, 25:46 I got a hold of this three volume set 25:48 on culture and worldview. 25:49 I'm reading volume one, 25:51 it's called Desiring the Kingdom. 25:52 And in the book, he describes 25:54 what we're all driven for, the human race. 25:58 I put his words, Smith's words on the screen, 26:01 "This is just to say..." 26:02 What is it we're seeking for? 26:04 "This is just to say that to be human 26:07 is to desire the kingdom, 26:08 some version of the kingdom," 26:10 Look, we don't all look for the same kingdom, 26:12 but we're all in search of a kingdom. 26:14 What's he talking about? 26:16 "This is just to say that to be human 26:17 is to desire the kingdom, some version of the kingdom, 26:19 which is the aim of our quest. 26:22 Every one of us is on a kind of Arthurian..." 26:25 You remember King Arthur and the, 26:28 the Knights of the Round Table, you remember that legend? 26:31 They're looking for the chalice, 26:32 they believed it. 26:34 The legend was that that's the goblet Jesus 26:36 lifted up in the upper room. 26:40 "Every one of us is on a kind of Arthurian quest 26:44 for the Holy Grail," 26:45 that's what they call that chalice, 26:46 "that hope for, longed-for, dream 26:48 for picture of the good life. 26:50 The realm of human flourishing 26:52 that we pursue without ceasing." 26:53 Everybody driven to find the kingdom 26:56 of human flourishing, 26:57 to be thevery best that we have longed for. 27:01 Live in a world of Magi. 27:05 Seekers, looking for a kingdom, 27:09 maybe subconsciously looking for the king of the kingdom, 27:13 all of us. 27:16 Verse 1 again, 27:18 "And after Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, 27:20 during the time of King Herod, 27:22 Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, 27:24 'Where is the one 27:26 who has been born king of the Jews? 27:27 We saw His star when it rose 27:29 and we have come to worship Him.' " 27:32 You see this Magi have chanced upon 27:35 a prediction from one of their own, 27:37 a member of the ancient order named Balam. 27:40 They came across this line. 27:42 On the screen for you, Numbers Chapter 24, 27:44 "A star will come out of Jacob 27:47 and a scepter will rise out of Israel." 27:50 Is this the harbinger of the promised King? 27:55 And so they set out. 27:56 Desire of Ages, 27:58 sits behind the veil of their inner thinking. 28:01 Put the words on the screen for you, 28:02 "The light of God is ever shining 28:05 amid the darkness of heathenism." 28:08 Today, we'd say secularism, we'd say paganism, 28:12 the light of God, ever in that darkness. 28:14 "As these Magi studied the starry heavens 28:17 and sought to fathom the mystery 28:18 hidden in their bright paths, 28:20 they beheld the glory of the Creator. 28:23 The Magi had welcomed the light of heaven-sent truth 28:26 in their search of Hebrew scriptures." 28:29 But here's the fascinating line, 28:30 "Now it was shed upon them in brighter rays, 28:32 here it comes, through dreams, 28:35 they were instructed to go 28:36 in search of the newborn Prince. 28:40 You know what? 28:42 This is a provocative reminder. 28:43 You have to admit 28:45 that God is willing to tap every arsenal he has 28:51 to connect with a man, to connect with a woman, 28:52 to connect with a nation. 28:56 And He uses dreams. 28:59 I sit on the board of an organization 29:02 that just put up a massive billboard 29:05 outside of Detroit, the largest air populous, 29:07 population in America, all right? 29:08 A big billboard, and on the billboard, 29:10 these words, 29:12 "If in your dreams you have seen a man 29:15 dressed in white, call this toll free number." 29:19 And the number is there. 29:21 What's going on? 29:22 We're finding out that in the Islamic world, 29:24 across the Islamic world 29:27 dreams are beginning to point to somebody, 29:31 a man dressed in white. 29:34 Would it bother you 29:36 if God showed up to the politicians of the day, 29:40 and somehow makes a play 29:42 for their minds and their loyalty? 29:44 I mean, you want to talk about 29:45 the president of the United States, 29:46 you want to talk about the president of China, 29:48 what is it? 29:49 The G20 down in Argentina right now, 29:51 take any of those leaders, UK prime minister, 29:53 Germany's prime minister, what does that matter? 29:56 Is that... 29:57 He's not going to show up to politicians. 29:59 We all know how godless politicians are? 30:02 Oh, really? 30:05 Wasn't there a godless... 30:06 Wasn't there a godless governor once, 30:08 a Roman governor, 30:10 whose wife was given a dream 30:13 from the man in white? 30:16 If God could reach Pilate through a dream, 30:20 and a spouse, fair game. 30:24 We dismiss our leaders too quickly. 30:26 And I was glad to hear 30:28 Pastor John pray for our leaders, 30:29 the leaders of this nation. 30:31 We're not about political ideology and loyalty. 30:33 Now we're about the salvation 30:36 of the human race, seekers. 30:39 What's so revealing to me 30:41 in the story of the Magi is a profound links. 30:43 God goes to save one individual, 30:47 one nation like Herod, watch this. 30:50 Verse 3, "When King Herod heard this, he was disturbed." 30:54 Listen, if you consider yourself 30:56 the King of the Jews, and you hear the king, 30:58 the real King of the Jews has been born. 31:00 Are you on red alert? 31:01 Of course you are. 31:02 So he's disturbed, "and all Jerusalem with him." 31:05 Verse 4, "And when he called together 31:07 all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, 31:10 he asked them 31:12 where the Messiah was to be born." 31:14 Oh, they said, verse 5, "In Bethlehem in Judea, 31:16 for this is what the prophet has written.'" 31:19 Matthew Chapter 5, 31:20 "But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, 31:22 are by no means least among the rulers of Judah, 31:25 for out of you will come a ruler 31:26 who will shepherd my people.' 31:28 Then Herod call, 31:32 he calls the Magi to him, 31:34 and he finds out from them the exact time 31:37 the star has appeared.'" 31:39 When was that baby born? 31:42 Verse 8, "And he sent them to Bethlehem and he said," 31:45 wink, wink, 'Go and search carefully for the child. 31:47 And as soon as you find him I want you to report to me, 31:49 so that I too may go and worship him.'" 31:54 Desire of Ages again on the screen. 32:04 Because the wise men go. 32:08 Could God have save Herod, 32:09 by the way, before Desire of Ages? 32:10 Could God have save Herod? 32:13 Do you know what? 32:14 This is Herod the great. 32:16 The day is coming 32:17 when the great grandson of Herod the Great 32:20 will be sitting in a courtroom 32:22 and listening to the testimony of a man named Paul, 32:28 who will eloquently lay out a case 32:29 for the fledging religion called Christianity. 32:32 And when Paul finishes his defense, 32:35 the great grandson, Herod Agrippa II will cry out, 32:39 "Almost you persuade me 32:43 to become a Christian." 32:46 And God make a play for Herod himself? 32:49 He does. 32:57 "And after they had heard the king, 33:01 they went on their way." 33:02 This is verse 9. 33:04 "And the star that they had seen 33:05 when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place 33:08 where the child was." 33:09 Verse 10, "And when they saw the star, 33:11 they were overjoyed." 33:13 Because supernatural affirmation 33:17 that they're not on a wild goose chase, 33:19 this is a mission they've been sent on. 33:22 Verse 10, "And when they saw the star, they were overjoyed," 33:24 in verse 9, "and on coming into the house, 33:28 they saw the child with his mother, Mary, 33:29 and they bowed down and worshiped Him. 33:33 Then they opened their treasures 33:34 and presented Him with gifts of gold, 33:36 frankincense, and myrrh. 33:38 And having been warned in a dream 33:39 not to go back to Herod, 33:41 they return to their country by another route." 33:45 Now, Desire of Ages on the screen, 33:47 "Beneath the lowly guise of Jesus, 33:50 they recognized the presence of divinity. 33:54 They gave their hearts to Him as their Savior." 33:57 We're talking about pagan seekers, but they sense, 34:00 "This is the divine one." 34:01 "They give their hearts to Him as their Savior, 34:04 and then poured out their gifts, 34:06 gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. 34:09 What a faith was theirs! 34:10 It might have been said of the wise men from the East, 34:12 as afterward of the Roman centurion, 34:14 'I have not found so great faith, 34:15 no, not in Israel.'" 34:19 Put that line up on the screen again. 34:21 "Then they opened their treasures 34:22 and presented Him with the gifts of gold." 34:26 Three gifts, gift number one, 34:29 the coinage of kings. 34:32 You got to admit. 34:33 This is a beautifully meaningful moment. 34:37 I mean here are these pagan seekers 34:39 faces to the ground, 34:41 worshipping the child before them, 34:42 they opened their treasure caskets, 34:44 the gold spills out before the baby. 34:48 And little did they know 34:51 that while they have given their gold 34:53 to this one, they considered king, 34:55 He has given His gold to them. 35:00 The gift is working, absolutely, 35:01 but as it turns out, 35:03 it's a gift straight from the king. 35:05 I want to end with the Christmas story 35:07 as told in Revelation. 35:09 It's just a one liner, simple little line. 35:11 But watch this, talking about a gift exchange. 35:14 Revelation Chapter 12, 35:16 Bible's last book, the Apocalypse. 35:18 Christmas story, verse 5, 35:20 "And she gave birth to a son, a male child, 35:23 who 'will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.'" 35:25 That's a Messianic prophecy, He's going to be the King. 35:30 "And her child was snatched up to God and to His throne." 35:33 That's it. 35:34 That's the Christmas story in Revelation. 35:36 But go back, just turn back a few pages to Chapter 3. 35:41 Revelation 3, bright red letters, 35:43 obviously these are the words of Jesus. 35:45 Revelation 3:14, 35:46 "And to the angel of the church 35:49 in Laodicea write: 35:51 These are the words of the Amen, 35:53 the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation." 35:56 Now drop down to verse 18. 35:59 "I counsel you to buy from me." 36:01 What's the gift? 36:03 "I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in fire, 36:06 so you can become rich and white clothes to wear, 36:08 so that you can cover your shameful nakedness, 36:10 and salve to put on your eyes, so that you can see." 36:16 Ain't that incredible? 36:17 What the wise man, what the Magi 36:20 give to the Christ child, that same Christ child, 36:23 when He grows up and ascends eventually 36:24 to the throne of the universe 36:26 returns as a gift to all who seek Him, 36:30 solid gold. 36:32 What's that line again? 36:33 "I counsel you to buy from Me gold 36:35 refined in the fire, so you may become rich!" 36:39 It's got a God speak line, isn't it? 36:42 Buy from Me that which is free? 36:43 I mean, how can you buy something 36:44 and call it free? 36:46 How can you call it a gift, when I've purchased it? 36:48 And when God speaks, that's the way He talks. 36:51 There's something so priceless about this gift that it's free. 36:55 In fact, let me put Isaiah Chapter 55, 36:59 same God speaking the same way. 37:01 Verse 1 in the Old Testament, "Come, all you who are thirsty, 37:04 come to the waters, and you have no money come, 37:08 buy, and eat! 37:09 Come buy wine and milk 37:11 without money and without cost." 37:13 I mean, how can you buy, I'm penniless. 37:17 No, no, no, no, without money and without cost 37:19 means you'll never have enough money to buy it, 37:22 and so I'll never charge you a penny to have it. 37:27 In other words, what is priceless, it's free. 37:32 Solid gold. 37:36 The solid gold of Christ Jesus Himself. 37:41 I'm reading a book right now. 37:43 Title of the book, Wounded in the House of His Friends, 37:47 it's written by Ron Duffield. 37:49 In the book he tells, 37:52 "In December 1891 37:53 that short little five foot three inch 37:56 American writer named Ellen White 37:58 has landed in Australia. 38:00 She's thinking about the friend 38:01 she's left behind in America as she speaks. 38:04 December 19, she speaks to a group in Melbourne, 38:07 and these are her words." 38:08 Put it on the screen for you. 38:10 She describes how this solid gold 38:11 comes from Jesus, on the screen. 38:13 "Jesus did not seek you and me because we were his friends." 38:18 Didn't say, "Whoa, you know, 38:19 we've been friends for a long time, 38:20 I'll go die for her, I'll die for him." 38:22 No, no, no, no, "Jesus did not seek you and me 38:24 because we were his friends, 38:26 for we were estranged from him and unreconciled to God. 38:30 It was while we were yet sinners," quoting Romans 5, 38:35 "as while we were yet sinners that Christ died for us." 38:41 If Jesus were to show up right now, 38:45 in front of you, in front of me 38:47 as we're worshiping God at this moment in His house. 38:52 If He were to stand 38:53 on the other side of your music stand 38:55 or on the other side of your pew, 38:56 and He reaches out with a universal gesture of, 38:59 "Give me your hand." 39:02 And He would reach out, 39:03 and you would tremblingly place your hand in His. 39:09 When His sleeve goes back, you'll see a purple scar, 39:15 and realize His body is covered with purple scars, 39:19 not just on His wrist, not just in His side, His feet, 39:22 His whole back was lacerated, 39:24 and has healed purple. 39:29 And even holding His hand, I suppose, 39:35 we would struggle to grasp the immensity 39:40 of what those scars represent. 39:44 He hanging on that cross, 39:48 crying out into the darkness, 39:51 "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" 39:55 That He hanging on that cross was willing to die. 40:00 Get this, He was willing to die for forever, 40:03 so that you and I could live 40:06 forever and ever. 40:09 I'll leave forever 40:12 if you let Dwight home forever. 40:15 How do you comprehend that? 40:18 It's a gospel. 40:23 The magnitude, the wonder of it all. 40:28 She goes on and talking to that group 40:30 in Melbourne, on the screen. 40:31 But Jesus has promised to give us His Holy Spirit, 40:35 the one gift that brings every other gift with it, 40:37 the one gift, 40:38 you ask for the Holy Spirit every single morning, 40:40 you get every gift in the treasury of heaven. 40:43 "He, Jesus, has promised to give us His Holy Spirit, 40:46 that we might become assimilated to His nature, 40:49 changed into His image." 40:51 Now, here it comes, "Buy faith," 40:54 buy with no money. 40:55 "Buy faith and love." 40:57 That's the gold, 40:58 "the precious, beautiful attributes 41:00 of our Redeemer." 41:01 And by the way, it's Jesus' faith that you buy, 41:03 you don't buy your own faith. 41:04 You're not saved by your own faith. 41:07 It's Jesus' faith that saves you. 41:09 You're not saved by your own love and affection, 41:12 for the God of the universe, 41:14 it's His love and affection for you. 41:16 Buy faith, 41:18 buy the solid gold. 41:23 The beautiful attributes of our Redeemer, 41:26 and then she ends that little talk. 41:28 "O, shall we not open the heart's door 41:31 to this heavenly Visitor? 41:33 And let Him in." 41:36 So here's the deal, now sit down. 41:39 What if this Christmas? 41:41 What if this Christmas, we, you, and I 41:44 decided to go for the solid gold 41:47 of Jesus Himself. 41:49 That's what He gives. 41:50 He said, "You come to me, 41:52 that's what I'll give, priceless. 41:54 Buy it for free." 41:56 He say, "Dwight, come on, give me a gift, give me a gift, 41:59 where I could get the solid gold 42:01 of Jesus this Christmas, and into the New Year, 42:03 and want to give you that gift right now. 42:05 And by the way, it's free." 42:07 There's nothing wrong with asking for a gift. 42:08 Let's ask Jesus for this one. 42:10 You have to have a smartphone for this gift. 42:14 Most of you have the app already on, 42:16 so I'm just going to go straight to... 42:18 Let's put on the screen. 42:19 You need to have this app. 42:20 And you'll see where we're going. 42:22 You see the YouVersion app up on the screen. 42:24 You already have YouVersion on your smartphone, I'm sure. 42:28 Okay, so here's what you do. 42:31 You don't have it, just go to the App Store, 42:32 Android, Apple, doesn't matter. 42:35 Here's what you do. This is really cool. 42:38 You can do this with a YouVersion. 42:39 There are probably other apps 42:41 that you can do it with as well. 42:42 So anyway, I'm gonna do it right here in front of you. 42:43 So you can know that it works. 42:45 So you tap the brown Bible, 42:48 and it opens it up, right? 42:52 Then you look down at the bottom of the page, 42:56 and it'll say, read, all right. 42:58 So you hit read, it'll take you do 43:00 any Bible passage you wish. 43:01 So you type in a Bible passage, and then up at the top, 43:04 you see this little sound icon, little sound icon. 43:06 You tap that, watch, here's what happens? 43:09 There's something else. 43:12 You ready? 43:13 Okay. 43:15 The Vine and the Branches, Chapter 15. 43:19 It's on the message. 43:20 "I am the Real Vine and my Father is the Farmer. 43:22 He cuts off every branch of me that doesn't bear grapes. 43:26 And every branch that is grape-bearing 43:27 he prunes back so it will bear even more. 43:30 We are already pruned back by the message I have spoken. 43:34 "Live in me. 43:35 Make your home in me just as I do in you. 43:37 In the same way that a branch can't bear grapes by itself 43:40 but only by being joined to the vine, 43:43 you can't bear fruit unless you are joined with me. 43:46 I am the Vine, you are the branches. 43:49 When you're joined with me and I with you, 43:51 the relation intimate and organic, 43:53 the harvest is sure to be abundant. 43:55 Separated, you can't produce a thing." 43:59 Ain't that cool? 44:01 That is absolutely cool. 44:03 You have the app anywhere, you got to have ear buds, 44:07 and you don't do this in the middle of class, 44:09 you just, you leave the ear buds 44:10 in your pocket. 44:11 But in the middle of the day, you say I got to connect, 44:15 I got to connect with Jesus. 44:16 And by the way, when you use the YouVersion, 44:19 don't go to the Old Testament 44:20 and the rest of the New Testament. 44:21 Begin, concentrate on Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. 44:25 You just... 44:26 I would suggest you just work one story at a time, 44:29 work your way through the gospel. 44:30 When you get to the end of that gospel, go to the next. 44:31 But always hit the little icon, the sound icon at the top, 44:34 put your ear buds in. 44:36 And you know what? 44:37 While you're listening, I'm telling you, 44:40 the Spirit of Living God is talking to you 44:42 while you're listening to the words of scripture. 44:44 Some people think, look at, 44:46 "Do you have to read the Bible to get the blessing out of it?" 44:48 Wrong. 44:50 Revelation 1:3, 44:51 "Blessed are those who hear the word." 44:55 You got to have the app. 44:59 You have to have the app. 45:02 But you got a smartphone, you got an app, 45:05 you can hear Him speaking to you. 45:08 And the Holy Spirit will be, 45:09 He'll be in that electronic transmission. 45:10 He will be behind you. 45:12 He'll say, "You girl, did you catch that? 45:13 Boy? 45:15 Did you hear what I'm telling you?" 45:18 There'll be times when your tears will 45:21 trickle down your cheeks. 45:22 Why? 45:24 Because something He said was so personal, 45:28 and you were listening to Him. 45:30 That's all. 45:31 It's a free gift. 45:33 There's nothing wrong with asking for gifts 45:35 for Christmas is there. 45:38 You want solid gold, 45:41 you want to go deeper 45:42 and deeper and deeper with Jesus 45:43 than you've ever been before? 45:45 I want to tell you something. 45:47 When you go deeper and deeper, 45:48 there's stuff that happens 45:50 that can never happen until you're down there. 45:53 And you can be 19 and get down there. 45:57 You can be 20 and get down there. 46:00 It's not a matter of age, it's a matter of desire. 46:04 "Blessed are those who hear." 46:07 Get yourself the app for free for Christmas. 46:11 You know why? 46:12 Because you're the other wise man, that's why. 46:15 You're the other wise woman. 46:16 You say, "How do you know, Dwight?" 46:18 I know because you're here. 46:21 You wouldn't be here. 46:22 You would not be here, 46:25 if you weren't a wise man. 46:29 I want to end with the letter. 46:33 Got it from my friend, Bob Butts. 46:36 He's a longtime member of our parish. 46:38 I suppose he's in his 80s, he's in a home, a care home. 46:44 And he sent me the letter. 46:45 I recognized his handwriting on the outside, 46:47 so I ripped the envelope open, and I see at the top, 46:51 I said, "Oh, this looks... 46:52 This must be hotel stationary." 46:55 If you've ever done that, stayed in a hotel room 46:57 and taken the stationary home and used it? 46:59 It's for that, you can, it's okay, it's not illegal. 47:02 So I said, "Bob? 47:04 Why does he write me a letter on this?" 47:05 'Cause it looks like a hotel. 47:08 And then I dropped down, and it says, 47:10 "private and confidential, private and confidential." 47:12 Why would Bobby sending me a letter 47:14 that's private and confidential. 47:16 So I'm expecting it to read Dear Dwight, 47:19 but it reads instead Dear Mr. Butts. 47:23 Oh, good night, this is a letter to Bob, 47:25 and he just sent me a photocopy of it. 47:28 Okay, "I should first like to apologize 47:30 for the length of time it has taken us 47:32 to reply to your letter. 47:34 The last several months have been extremely busy 47:36 for this office, and we have consequently 47:38 been unable to reply as quickly as we should have liked to." 47:42 That sounds very formal kind of English to me, 47:45 must be a form letter or something. 47:48 Then I get to the second paragraph. 47:50 "The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge 47:52 have asked me to thank you." 47:55 Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, do you know who they are? 47:59 Now I told everybody in first service, 48:01 they were Harry and Megan. 48:03 People lined up the door to correct me afterwards. 48:09 They are not Harry and Megan, 48:11 they are William and Kate, 48:15 the future King of England. 48:19 They just had a baby named Louis, 48:22 and Bob must have written them, 48:25 and sent a gift because they're thanking him. 48:28 The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge... 48:30 Am I making this up? 48:32 "The Duke and the Duchess of Cambridge 48:33 have asked me to thank you 48:35 for their kind letter and gift." 48:36 I'm thinking what would Bob send to them? 48:39 "Their Royal Highness, TRH," that's what it stands for. 48:42 "Their Royal Highnesses are most grateful to you 48:45 for taking the trouble to send them the book, 48:48 100 Favorite Bible Verses." 48:53 You go, Bob, I mean you go. 48:57 Did any of you send that book too? 48:59 We didn't even think about it, did we? 49:02 But here's a guy in retirement home, 49:07 full time care, and he says, 49:09 "I want to send something to celebrate 49:11 the birth of Prince Louis. 49:16 It was really most thoughtful of you. 49:19 And the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge 49:21 have asked me to send you 49:22 their warmest thanks and best wishes." 49:25 Hugs and kisses. 49:27 God, it doesn't say hugs and kisses, 49:28 it says, this is just English, it's British. 49:33 "Your sincerely, Claudia Spens." 49:37 Ain't that amazing? 49:38 It isn't, guys? Royalty. 49:40 Oh, by the way, what I thought was a hotel, 49:43 it's Kensington Palace. 49:46 I thought it was hotel, a new chain. 49:51 Oh, my. 49:53 We're talking about royalty, folks, Kensington Palace. 49:56 When the Magi bow before the Christ child, 49:59 they worshipped Him as King, He is royalty, 50:01 King of kings, and Lord of lords. 50:04 And it is in His presence that we have gathered 50:07 to worship today. 50:08 But I have good news for you. 50:10 When you follow the wise man's example, 50:13 and you bow down to worship 50:15 the same King, 50:20 you will not get a letter from the palace secretary. 50:24 When you bow down to worship Him. 50:26 Guess what? 50:28 There will be a knock at your door. 50:30 And when you go to the door, 50:32 there will be the highest royalty 50:35 in the universe, 50:36 standing there with a smile on His face. 50:39 Saying, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. 50:42 If you hear me knocking and my voice open the door, 50:46 and I'll come into you, 50:47 and we will spend the day together." 50:52 Good news, ladies and gentlemen, 50:54 solid gold. 50:56 You give Him the little that you give Him, 50:58 but the gift exchange is incredible. 51:00 He gives you Himself every day 51:04 that you open that door, 51:08 listen to His voice through your ear buds 51:11 and say, "Come on in, today." 51:17 Wow, you can't go deeper than that. 51:21 When you're through just turn the card upside down, 51:23 and our ushers are now going to stand 51:24 and receive the Connect cards from you. 51:27 Just put it in the offering plate, 51:28 include your... 51:29 You're talking about a gift exchange, 51:31 you have something to give, that's fine. 51:33 You didn't have anything to give today, 51:35 that's all right with us. 51:37 We're just glad you're here. 51:38 Put that in the offering plate as well. 51:39 And while the ushers are now serving you, 51:41 we're going to sing what the Wind Symphony 51:44 beautifully rendered just a moment ago 51:47 by Giovanni, What Child Is This. 51:49 We're going to put the words to it 51:51 and sing together. 51:53 I'll put the words on the screen for you. 52:21 What child is this, who, laid to rest 52:26 On Mary's lap is sleeping? 52:32 Whom angels greet with anthems sweet 52:39 While shepherds watch are keeping? 52:46 This, this is Christ the King 52:52 Whom shepherds guard and angels sing 52:59 Haste, haste to bring Him laud 53:04 The babe 53:06 The son of Mary 53:13 Why lies He in such mean estate 53:20 Where ox and ass are feeding? 53:26 Good Christians, fear, for sinners here 53:33 The silent Word is pleading 53:41 This, this is Christ the King 53:47 Whom shepherds guard and angels sing 53:54 Haste, haste to bring Him laud 54:00 The babe, the son of Mary 54:08 So bring him incense, gold, and myrrh 54:14 Come, peasant, king, to own Him 54:21 The King of kings salvation brings 54:28 Let loving hearts enthrone Him 54:35 This, this is Christ the King 54:41 Whom shepherds guard and angels sing 54:48 Haste, haste to bring Him laud 54:55 The babe, the son of Mary 55:07 Oh, God, what can we give you this Christmas, 55:12 the little we have, 55:14 we have along the way. 55:18 But we're being a bit bolder this Christmas, 55:22 and we're asking for a gift. 55:24 Please give us the solid gold 55:28 of Jesus Himself. 55:31 Take us deeper and deeper than we've ever been before. 55:42 And as we bow to worship you each new morning, 55:48 accept our invitation. 55:49 Lord Jesus, come in, 55:53 come in today together. 56:01 And now may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, 56:05 and the love of God, 56:07 and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit 56:08 be with you all. 56:11 Amen. 56:16 Thank you for joining us in worship today. 56:18 I hope you were blessed. 56:20 As we enter the busy holiday season, 56:21 I trust you're able to snatch some quiet moments 56:23 to reflect on all that you're grateful for. 56:26 Me, I'm thankful for you, 56:28 for your prayers, for your letters, 56:29 which literally come to us from around the world. 56:32 You'll never know the impact your prayers 56:34 for this ministry have on me and our entire team. 56:37 Trust me, you bless me through your prayers. 56:40 So I'm thankful for you. 56:41 I'm thankful for the young creative tech team 56:43 that makes this ministry happen. 56:45 They keep coming up with new innovative ideas 56:47 for sharing the gospel globally through electronic media, 56:50 television, radio, web, mobile, whatever. 56:53 What's more, these young innovators have had the skills 56:56 and the commitment to see our projects through. 56:59 So I'm thankful for you, I'm thankful for them. 57:02 And you'd expect me to say this 57:03 as another year draws to an end. 57:05 I'm also thankful 57:06 for the financial support of viewers like you 57:08 that makes this ministry possible. 57:10 If you've been blessed this New Year, 57:12 I'd like to ask you to join the hundreds 57:14 who financially support our New Perceptions Ministry. 57:17 It's simple to do, just call our toll free number 57:20 877-HIS-WILL, the two words, HIS-WILL, 57:23 and our friendly operators will be happy to assist you. 57:26 Trust me, no gift is too small 57:28 for God to use to spread His good news. 57:30 And let me remind you, 57:31 not a single penny of your donation 57:32 will come to me. 57:34 Every gift is entirely invested in our mission 57:36 to communicate God's everlasting gospel 57:39 to what we believe is an end-time generation. 57:42 So once again, the number to call is 57:43 877-HIS-WILL. 57:46 This Christmas, I wish for you 57:48 God's very best wrapped up in Jesus, 57:50 24/7 all the way through the New Year to come. 57:55 God bless you. |
Revised 2018-12-30