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Series Code: NP
Program Code: NP200222S
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00:10 >> Let's start the service with a word of prayer. 00:12 Bow your heads with me. >> Heavenly Father, 00:16 it is Your beautiful Sabbath. The sun is out. 00:21 You assured us that You are with us here. 00:24 But now we ask for a special anointing of Your Holy Spirit 00:27 because today is Sabbath and today is church. 00:31 As we praise, I ask that You open our hearts, 00:34 fill us with Your Spirit, and bring us joy and 00:38 a gratitude that we are here together in community. 00:41 In Jesus' name. Amen. Once again, 00:45 good morning, happy Sabbath. I want to start by asking you 00:51 all to stand up. 00:53 And I want to do something a little different today. So stand up with me. 00:57 And I want you to look at your neighbor. I want to say, "Hey, neighbor. 01:02 It's Sabbath. God is good. And we are 01:07 in the Father's house." Amen. Amen. 01:11 So as we start, this is a new song. 01:14 Sing this with me. 05:52 For those of you who wish to stay standing, you may. 05:55 But if you also need to sit down, you can do so as well. 05:57 But join us. Freely worship with us. 06:00 ♪♪ ♪♪ 06:09 ♪♪ 10:21 So I wanted to share with you guys this passage 10:25 in Matthew 9:19. This is how it says. 10:27 This is the Word of God saying, "So Jesus 10:29 and His disciples got up and went with Him. 10:32 Just then, a woman who had suffered for 12 years 10:35 with constant bleeding came up behind Him. 10:37 She touched the fringe of His robe, for she thought, 10:41 'If I can just touch His robe, I will be healed.' 10:45 She drew close. Jesus turned around, and when 10:47 He saw her, He said, 'Daughter, be encouraged. 10:50 Your faith has made you well.'" Oh, how He's faithful to us. 10:55 "And the woman was healed at that very moment." 10:59 And at this time, those of you who want to draw close, 11:03 want to touch Jesus' robe, please come forward. 11:07 And for the ones that decided to sing, stand up for this 11:10 last song. Meditate with us on 11:12 "Great Is Thy Faithfulness." ♪♪ 11:20 ♪♪ ♪♪ 11:38 ♪♪ ♪♪ 11:56 ♪♪ 17:05 ♪♪ 17:15 >> Well, good morning, boys and girls. Nice to see you on this 17:17 "Oh, thank you, Jesus, for the sunshine" Sabbath. And you got sunshine 17:22 in your faces, and I love it. So today, this children's story, I've got to set up -- 17:28 I got to set up my car seat right here 17:30 because I got a story from jolly old England. 17:34 Al right. So in England -- 17:38 I'm sitting in the car seat right here. And it's the story 17:44 about Jason and Jane. Jason's the father. Jane's the mother. 17:49 Only she's not the mother yet, because they're driving on the M5. 17:53 Now, that's a big traffic highway in southwest England, okay? 17:58 It's like I-94 out here. They're driving on the M5. Boy, these cars 18:03 are going fast today. See, I'm driving on this side of the -- 18:06 Karen sent me a note between services. "Dwight, you drove on the wrong 18:09 side at first service." So I'm on this side. I hope you see that. 18:12 I'm on this side. This is the wrong side. But all Americans drive 18:16 on the wrong side, anyway. So what does it matter? So his wife is sitting 18:19 right here. She's pregnant. She's for 40 weeks pregnant. 18:24 Ooh. 40 weeks. That's pretty big. That is really big. 18:29 So they're going to the hospital. Well, why not? 18:31 After 40 weeks. So Dad, he's just driving away here. 18:35 Yes, he is. "How you doing, love? You you look fine. 18:40 You are great with child. I can hardly wait to see that child. 18:44 But we got time, so don't you worry about it." A lot of traffic here. 18:47 Oh, and the road is under construction. They got these orange things 18:49 on this side and orange things on this side. No shoulder. 18:52 You can't turn off. You're just stuck in these two lanes, and one lane 18:55 is going faster than the other. And Jason is going about 50 miles an hour. 18:58 Vroom! "That's not bad. Traffic's moving pretty 19:01 good today, wouldn't you say?" And then she said, "Oh!" "Excuse me?" 19:06 "Oh!" "Is something happening to you? Listen, don't worry. 19:12 Just hold it, hold it, hold it. It's not gonna be that far to the hospital. 19:15 I can't make it. We'll just get around this traffic." 19:17 So she's getting ready to have a baby. "You're fine. Hold on." 19:22 Vroom! "I gotta get this thing going faster. 19:25 You okay? Good." When all of a sudden -- "Oh!" 19:29 What? No. He didn't crash. He's keeping an eye on his mommy 19:34 because she's going to have a baby. And he looks down. 19:36 "Oh! The b-- Give me -- Give me the phone. Dial -- Dial the number." 19:41 They dial the emergency number. "Hello, operator. I'm driving down M5. 19:45 I'm -- I'm going 50 miles an hour. And my wife -- my wife. 19:49 Oh, the baby is coming. What do I do?" And the operator said, 19:52 "Sir, sir, sir, sir. Calm down. Calm down. Let that baby come. 19:56 Just let it come. Now, you're going 50 miles an hour. 19:59 Just begin to slow your car. Slow it down. Slow it down. The traffic 20:02 will get around you. Slow it down. Put your flashers on!" 20:05 Pzz! Pzz! Pzz! "Okay, got your flashers on? Now slowly bring it to a stop." 20:10 "Okay. I am. But I'm telling you what. The baby's coming! 20:12 The baby's coming!" A big truck comes up behind. They call it a lorry 20:15 over there. The big truck stops. He puts his big flashers on. 20:18 Traffic's going around. The car comes to a stop. "What do I do now? 20:22 Oh, no! The baby's here!" [ Laughter ] The baby was there. 20:29 In two minutes, that baby was born. In two minutes. 20:34 "What do I do now?" "Well, hold the baby." "Okay." 20:37 [ Laughter ] Then the ambulance got there. Finally the ambulance got there. 20:42 They took care of Mother and the newborn baby. They named the baby Harry. 20:46 I wonder where they got that name. And so Harry and Mother 20:50 are fine. Father's very harried, but they're going to 20:55 the hospital now in the ambulance. And the ambulance driver -- 20:58 The attendants in the back. "Okay, let's fill out this birth certificate. 21:03 Place of birth. What am I gonna put? M5." 21:05 That's what they put on the birth certificate. M5. 21:08 Can you imagine growing up and they say, "Hey, where were you born?" 21:11 "M5. Front seat, 7:57 a.m." That's when it was. 21:17 Oh, my. Can you believe that? Sometimes you can look 21:19 at something and say, "Well, we got lots of time yet. Oh, we got lots of time." 21:24 And it turns out time's up. people are looking at the world right now, and they're saying, 21:28 "Oh, we got lots of time. Jesus is not coming yet. We got time. 21:33 Someday, but not now." Boom. And then it happens. Oh, boy. 21:41 Jesus says, "Listen. I'm not telling you when I'm coming. 21:44 I'm coming soon. But I need you to help prepare your friends and 21:48 neighbors in your neighborhood. All those boys and girls that are your age. 21:51 Tell them about me. Tell them I'm coming soon." That's what Jesus said. 21:56 You don't have to be afraid. But it's gonna be like that. Just be ready. Be prepared. 22:04 Oh, who -- Aren't you glad that Jesus is coming soon? How many are glad that Jesus 22:09 is coming soon? Let me just see your hands. Yeah, I figured. 22:11 That would be everybody. Who would like to pray today and say, "Jesus, 22:15 I want you to help us prepare our little world for your soon coming"? 22:23 Who would like to pray today? I need a little girl today. I got one right there, because 22:27 we had a boy in the first service. Alright. 22:29 Sissy, I'm gonna stay seated. Can you just grab that little microphone over there? 22:34 Alright. Come on over here. Madam, come on over here. What's your first name? 22:39 >> Talia. >> Natalia? >> Talia. 22:41 >> Talia. I love that name -- Talia. Come on over here. 22:43 Alright, boys and girls, fold your hands and close your eyes. 22:47 And Talia is going to thank Jesus for helping us prepare. Alright? 22:51 >> Lord, thank you for all you have done. Lord, thank you for helping us 22:55 come to church safely. Thank you for preparing us for your coming soon. 22:59 Lord, thank you for all you have done. Lord, forgive our sins and soon, 23:03 once church is over, we'll go home safely. Help us all to have 23:06 a wonderful day. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen. >> Amen. 23:09 Talia, that was a beautiful prayer, sister. Thank you very much. 23:13 As you go quietly and reverently back to your seats, what Talia prayed. 23:16 You pray the same. Dear Jesus, thank you, thank you, thank you. 23:20 Happy Sabbath. 23:24 >> Let's pray. Dear God, thank you for that. It is good enough for us. 23:30 So, what do we do with it, given this moment in history? What do we do with it? 23:35 Make it clear, please. In Jesus' name. Amen. 23:40 A friend of mine named Jean Sequeira sent me 23:42 a story this last week. I read the story. 23:45 It's unbelievable. I'm going to share it with you 23:47 right now. It's short story. 23:50 I have it written up right here. it appears on the website -- 23:52 This is where you can get it. If you'd like a copy of it, 23:55 it appears on the website RevivalAndReformation.org. 23:59 You go to that website. You'll know what story you're 24:02 asking for. Alright? 24:04 It's written by -- It's titled "Angels All Around," by 24:07 Melony Coleman. 24:09 And at the bottom, it says, "Melony Coleman is a pastor's wife 24:12 and mother of three. She and her family live in southern Oregon." 24:16 Well, Karen and I used to pastor in southern Oregon before coming here. 24:20 So kind of picture that area. She's writing now, okay? "I'm going to share 24:25 an almost unbelievable story, but it's true. It just happened 24:27 a couple weeks ago." So we're talking about fairly fresh here. 24:31 "My husband is a pastor in the U.S. state of Oregon." So this is 24:34 an international website. So it just explains where Oregon is. 24:38 "And it was opening night of our evangelistic series, 'Revelation of Hope.' 24:44 I've been encouraging more prayer in our church, so I decided that I 24:47 would oversee the prayer room during the series. My team consists of mostly 24:51 homebound elderly friends or people praying from their homes. So I wasn't sure how much 24:55 participation I would have during the meetings. I decided to create 24:59 a prayer room anyway, hoping that some of the church members would be willing to come 25:03 in and pray periodically during the meetings. That first Friday night, 25:09 it was just me. I felt alone, but I prayed anyway. 25:14 Again, Sabbath evening, it was just me. I felt a bit 25:18 more discouraged. I put on a beautiful rendition of 'The Lord's Prayer.' 25:22 And while it played, I prayed. 'I know that where two or three are gathered together in Your 25:27 name, You are there, Lord. But what if it's just me?' I prayed silently. 25:34 When the song finished, I opened my eyes, and the room was full of angels. 25:43 I started crying as I looked around the room in amazement. The angels were tall, 25:47 as tall as the ceiling, with broad shoulders. They stood shoulder to shoulder 25:50 with their backs to the wall all around the edges of the room. 25:54 I felt tiny compared to them. They had wings and wore flowing robe-like clothes. 25:59 I was drawn to their faces. They looked like men. Very handsome. 26:03 Their eyes were so kind, and they smiled gentle, comforting smiles. 26:07 Their facial features were defined, and they had a warrior-like atmosphere 26:11 boldness about them. Their dark hair flowed down to their shoulders, and 26:16 they looked almost iridescent. While I couldn't see through them, I almost could. 26:23 Their forms shown with yellow-white color. I was only able to see them 26:27 for four or five seconds, and then they were gone. But I couldn't stop crying 26:30 for the rest of the evening. I had been so discouraged, wondering if God could work 26:36 if it was only me in the prayer room. He showed me in a miraculous way 26:40 that if one person is praying, it is enough." >> Amen. 26:46 >> "I feel so unworthy and humbled that He would give me this great gift. 26:50 I still cry often as I think about this sacred experience. I continued to pray 26:55 in our church prayer room alone, but I'm no longer discouraged, for I know 27:00 the room is full of angels, even though I can't see them. I just had to share. 27:05 We must never underestimate the power of prayer. Even if just one person is 27:10 praying, that's enough. God is at work even when we can't see." 27:17 You know, a bunch of women came back from the tomb. They said, "We saw angels." 27:23 And the men, skeptics that men are, just kind of laughed. "Yeah, you were crying awfully 27:29 hard, weren't you?" Turns out the Gospel writers believed those women. 27:36 In every Gospel that records it, is because a woman testified through tears. 27:41 "I saw angels." So I'm not just quickly dismissing 27:46 that story and saying, "Emotionalism." Can you believe it? 27:52 I have a feeling one day that in eternity we're going to discover that the 27:55 angels were absolutely enmeshed with us in the mission of God on this earth to save every man, 28:01 woman, and child alive, and we never knew it. That singing that we had 28:07 today, William and your team, thank you. That was just beautiful. 28:10 And I'm sure the angels who are lining these walls were singing with us. 28:16 They love it when God is glorified and His name is praised. 28:22 Turns out that we're beginning a brand-new series right now, 28:25 and the series is titled "Prepared?" 28:30 Are we? The teaching today begins -- 28:33 wouldn't you know it -- with an angel story. 28:36 An angel who showed up to an old man in church. And when the old man 28:39 walked out to all the worshipers who were waiting for him, and he said, "Hey, 28:42 listen, I have seen an angel." He communicated to them. [ Scoffs ] 28:47 [ Chuckles ] The story is so familiar to us. 28:55 Maybe it doesn't even need to be repeated. But, you see, the angel 28:59 that showed up had a line tucked in his very last line, and it's a line 29:05 that becomes the meme and the mission of this generation right now. 29:11 And I'm talking about, yeah, Gen Zers and Millennials and Gen Xers, and, like I said, 29:16 "Okay, Boomers," and the Silent Generation and all. One line. 29:24 Let's go to that angel speaking to that elderly man. Open your Bible 29:27 to the Gospel of Luke. You've got to see this for yourself. 29:30 Luke chapter 1. Didn't bring a Bible? Grab the pew Bible 29:33 in front of you. Page 688 in the pew Bible. Didn't bring a pew Bible? 29:36 Grab that phone in front of you and find it. Luke chapter 1. 29:41 We're going to begin with the words of the angel. That's verse 13. 29:44 I'm in the New International Version. Whatever you have is 29:47 going to work perfect. 29:51 "But the angel --" And we know the angel's name 29:53 because he introduces himself a few moments later. 29:56 Gabriel. 30:12 Now, let me just show you what's going on at this moment. 30:16 So go back to verse 7. You see verse 7 there? 30:19 "But they --" Zechariah and Elizabeth... 30:28 There is no in vitro fertilization taking place here for that elderly couple. 30:32 We're talking about a pure, real-life miracle. They're gonna give birth 30:37 to a baby. Speaking of that baby, John, keep reading, verse 14. 30:41 And, "He" -- John... 30:59 And here comes verse 17. We're looking for our meme. 31:02 "Is there a mission for me today," you're asking. 31:05 Here it is -- verse 17. "And he" -- John -- "will go on 31:09 before the Lord" -- our Lord, Christ Himself -- "in the spirit 31:13 and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the 31:16 parents to their children and the disobedient 31:18 to the wisdom of the righteous" -- 31:19 and here it is -- "to make ready a people" -- 31:23 What? "A people prepared 31:27 for the Lord." 31:30 That's quite a line. The predicted birth of John the Baptizer, 31:36 miraculously born to herald Christ's First Coming. I got to think 31:44 out loud with you. Let's kind of check the logic of this. 31:47 See if I'm off base here. Check it out. If God raised up a baby, 31:56 a man, to prepare the world for the Messiah's First Coming, would it be okay 32:04 to maybe conclude that before the Messiah's Second Coming, he will raise up not one man, 32:12 he will raise up a generation before Jesus comes? Does that make any sense? 32:21 Now, I need to tell you something -- our friend Gabriel, and he's gonna be a friend 32:25 of ours one day. The most majestic living angel in the universe took the place 32:32 of our dreaded enemy. Our friend Gabriel has quoted -- When he's speaking 32:38 to old man Zechariah, he has actually quoted the words of a prophecy on the last page 32:44 of the Old Testament that has Second Coming, fire and judgment, 32:49 written all over it. He's quoting a Second Coming prophecy to talk about 32:56 the First Coming. You've got to check this out. So go to Malachi. 32:59 That's the last book of the Old Testament. Go to the last page 33:02 of the Old Testament. So you get back to Matthew and then just go one page 33:05 before Matthew, and that's Malachi. The last chapter of Malachi is 33:08 Malachi chapter 4. Watch this. This is what Gabriel quotes to 33:12 Zechariah. 33:15 Let's just set it up. Verse 1. 33:16 So this is Malachi 4:1. "'Surely the day is coming; 33:20 it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every 33:25 evildoer will be stubble, and the day that is coming 33:29 will set them on fire,' says the Lord Almighty," 33:31 the Lord of Hosts, "'Not a root or a branch 33:34 will be left to them.'" 33:37 It's a picture of absolutely cataclysmic destruction. It's what the Bible calls 33:43 the Day of the Lord, which always describes the Second Coming of Christ. 33:47 Now watch this. Drop down to verse 5. "See" -- Now here's where 33:49 Gabriel borrowed heavily for Zechariah. 34:08 That's about as cataclysmic as you can imagine. So Gabriel goes to the 34:13 Second Coming picture of Jesus, and he says, "By the way, that's what John 34:19 is going to do." So now we don't have to guess. Is the logic strong? 34:23 Are you kidding? The corroboration, we just saw it. 34:27 The conclusion is that just as John the Baptizer was raised up to prepare 34:31 for the Messiah's Second Coming, there will be a people at the end of time 34:35 also raised up to prepare for the Messiah's Number-Two Coming. That's the point. 34:42 What's that line? Put it on the screen again for us, please. 34:50 The tag line of John's mission has everything to do with the mission 34:55 of the end-time generation. And that would be you. And that would be me. 34:59 And that includes the angels who will join in this sprint 35:07 to the end zone... to make ready a people prepared for the soon-coming 35:13 Lord. I'm going to admit something to you. 35:17 For months now, I've been brooding over that one line that was just on the screen. 35:24 What do I do with this? God. In fact, that line 35:30 is so important to me, I've printed it out and I've taped it on the wall 35:33 where I have worship and I meet Him every morning. I brooded over this line 35:39 with seven questions -- brooding kind of questions in my mind, and I don't mind 35:43 sharing them with you. Question number one, as I look at that line, 35:47 I wonder, is the faith community I belong to, from the youngest to the oldest, 35:51 even aware anymore of our raison d'être, as the French would put it? 35:56 Our reason for existence. Are we aware of it? Question number two, 36:01 do the newest among us -- and I'm talking about you Gen Zers. 36:04 Do the newest among us have any inkling to the high destiny that you've been born to? 36:11 Has anybody told you yet? Question number three -- Oh, God, I wonder, 36:16 is this the time to sound the earnest call for those who believe 36:20 in the soon coming of Christ to rise up and embrace this divine mission? 36:25 Or question number four, have we already abandoned our mission? 36:29 Have we already given up our hope? Are we settling down 36:33 for a long winter's nap? Question number five, should I fear for my church? 36:40 Should I fear for my own soul? Question number six, dear God, isn't it time for us? 36:49 Lookit. I understand that all 10 virgins in Jesus' parable slept, right? 36:54 They all -- All 10 slept. I understand that. But is this the time 37:00 for us to be aroused from paralyzing lethargy, from our dangerous slumber? 37:06 God, what would you do if you were here? Question number seven, 37:10 the last one -- When will we hear God's high calling to 37:14 a radical Christianity and a radical Adventism that has not even been tried yet? 37:23 Apparently, we're not alone in this lethargic miasma. One of the bright minds 37:30 and luminary thinkers of this generation is David Brooks. He's a writer and commentator. 37:35 His latest book, "The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life." 37:40 I'm reading the book thanks to the gift of a friend, okay? In the book, Brooks describes 37:46 what he calls -- I'll put this on the screen for you because it's a tongue twister -- 37:49 what he calls the "moral directionlessness" of this generation. 37:54 Because this is our generation. And by the way, when he says "generation," 37:57 he's not talking about Gen Zers or Millennials or Xers or Boomers. 38:01 No, no. He said he means everybody alive right now in this culture. 38:05 That's the miasma that we suffer from -- moral directionlessness. 38:12 And, by the way, he describes moral directionlessness as coming from a loss. 38:20 Listen, listen, listen. It arises out of a loss of purpose. 38:24 "I don't know why I exist." Wow. So Brooks -- 38:36 loss of purpose leads to moral directionlessness. David Brooks on the screen. 38:51 Now, you're gonna have three graduation speakers standing on this platform 38:54 in just a few weeks. And they're gonna tell you you can dream anything you want, 38:58 you can go anywhere you want, you can be anything you want, the future is limitless for you. 39:03 But if you don't know why you exist, 39:06 that only ups the pressure, as Brooks notes correctly. 39:11 Brooks goes on, "Eventually, there's no escaping 39:15 the big questions." Alright. 39:16 So I love the way he formulates these three questions. 39:19 When's the last time you asked yourself these three questions? 39:21 They don't sound like anything you would have thought to ask, 39:23 but I'm gonna put them in front of you. 39:25 Look at David Brooks. Question number one, 39:26 what's my best life? Am I living my best life? 39:30 Are you living your best life now? 39:31 Is this the best that life gets? Am I living? 39:35 What's my best life? Question number two, 39:38 what do I believe in? When's the last time you did 39:40 inventory of your beliefs? I mean, really, 39:43 what do you believe in? Do you believe? 39:46 And then question number three, where do I belong? 39:49 Am I where I belong? Where do I belong? 39:53 And then he quotes the Danish Christian philosopher 39:55 Soren Kierkegaard, on the screen. 39:58 "Kierkegaard once summarized the question" -- 40:00 the big question -- "this way." Quoting him now. 40:03 "What I really need to be clear about is what I am to do, 40:08 not about what I must know. It is a question of finding 40:11 a truth that is truth for me, of finding the idea for which 40:15 I am willing to live and die." Have you found that yet? 40:20 "It is for this my soul thirsts, as the deserts of Africa 40:23 thirst for water." Wow. Why do I exist? 40:29 What is the purpose for my life? Why was I born? 40:33 God, tell me. These are 40:37 existential questions, and it doesn't matter how old 40:38 you are or how young you are. Everybody here 40:41 has to answer them. So, what's the answer? 40:44 What were you born for? What lights your fire 40:47 and keeps you driven...now? 40:56 I want to say something. And this is especially true if you're young right now. 41:03 Because if you don't find the answer -- Let me rephrase that. 41:08 If you don't find the answers at the beginning of your life, you will spend the rest of your 41:15 life trying to find the answers. Find them now. Find them now. There's a reason you're here. 41:24 God dreams you into existence. Find that answer. 41:28 And then he turns to Friedrich Nietzsche to drive 41:32 the point home, on the screen. "Nietzsche says" -- Oh, this is 41:35 good -- "Nietzsche says that he who has a 'why' to live 41:39 for can endure any 'how.'" Do you know why you live today? 41:46 Why do you exist "If" -- Keep reading. 41:49 Brooks now. "If you know 41:51 what your purpose is, you can handle the setbacks." 41:55 Doesn't matter what happens to you if you know why you live. 42:00 So, what's all this have to do with John the Baptizer and you and me? 42:03 I tell you what, it has everything to do. You think about it. 42:07 "To make ready a people prepared for the Lord" is the great why. 42:14 Look at that line. Burn that line into your consciousness. 42:18 Never forget it. "To make ready a people prepared for the Lord" 42:22 is the great why, not only for John the Baptist to prepare the world 42:25 for the Messiah's First Coming. It's the great why for you and me to prepare the world 42:30 for the Messiah's Coming Number Two. It's the great why. 42:35 John knew why he existed. He knew. Do you know why you exist? 42:43 I'll tell you what, brothers and sisters, this one line 42:47 is a home-run pitch. You know what a home-run pitch is? 42:50 That means the pitcher throws this thing so slow -- so slow that you're gonna 42:54 knock it out of the park. It's the perfect pitch. You are now given 42:58 the perfect pitch. This is why you exist. One line. 43:03 Put it on the screen again for us, please. 43:10 I want to tell you something. In fact, let me just talk to the young now for a moment. 43:14 God is offering you, seriously -- God is offering you 43:18 a reason to live that will clear your head like a dab of green wasabi 43:23 on your sushi. You ever eaten wasabi, like us Japanese do? 43:30 I mean, you take a little bit of wasabi. [ Inhales sharply ] 43:33 Sinus problems -- none. Gone. Oh, that's hot! 43:37 Ooh! Clears your head. To prepare a people 43:43 for the Lord. "To make ready a people prepared for the Lord" 43:48 will clear your head of the insufferable questions that have been going through 43:52 your mind these last few months and even years. Some of you have been wrestling 43:56 over, number one, what should I do for the rest of my life? Number two, what career 43:59 is God calling me to? Number three, what's my future gonna look like? 44:02 This will clear your head, because you think about it now. Think, think, think, think, 44:06 think with me. If you will embrace this line as the why of your life, to make 44:13 ready the people you know for the return of the Lord, it won't matter 44:19 what your career becomes. It won't matter where your career unfolds. 44:25 It won't matter how much or how little your career makes. If you make this one line, 44:35 "To make ready a people prepared for the Lord," your life mission. 44:42 It will bring such a razor focus to your living, not only for the why 44:45 that you exist, but also for the what you can do and how you can do it 44:49 while you exist. Come on. Lookit. If you're going into medicine -- 44:53 alright, you're going into medicine or healthcare. That's great. 44:58 Face every patient as an opportunity to help that life prepare for 45:04 the return of Jesus. You say, "I'm not going into medicine and healthcare." 45:08 Okay, if you're going into accounting and law -- Oh, that's splendid. 45:13 Good. Then face every client as an opportunity 45:18 to prepare that person for the soon coming of Jesus. You say, "I'm not going into 45:22 any of that. I'm going into teaching." Hallelujah. 45:24 You're going into teaching. Then see every young student that sits before you 45:28 as a divine opportunity to prepare that child, in his early 20s, 45:36 for the soon coming of Jesus. Listen, it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter whether 45:42 you're going into the arts or you're in the sciences or you're in aerospace or you're 45:45 in architecture or you're in the service industry or you are applying some sort of trade. 45:50 It doesn't matter what color the collar you wear is. It may be a blue collar. 45:56 It may be a white collar. It may be no collar. Even if you don't know 46:03 yet what your career is going to turn out to be, if you embrace this life 46:07 mission, you can wed it to that eventual choice, and you will never be 46:11 the same again. It will be fire that will compel you 46:18 to live only for Jesus, wherever you go, wherever he sends you. 46:25 "To make ready" -- Oh, look at that again. "To make ready a people 46:30 prepared for the Lord" will bring a razor focus not only to why you exist, 46:35 but also to what you can do and how you can do it while you exist. 46:39 Knowing that made all the difference in the world for John. 46:42 And I'm going to tell you, knowing that will make all the difference in the world 46:48 for every year between now and the end of your life or the return of Christ. 46:53 You got to know the why. You got to know the why. Now I'm going to speak 47:00 a warning into your consciousness right now. I'm going to warn you. 47:03 Listen. You need to understand this. This is a dangerous mission. 47:11 The one you were born for. You will be opposed from the day that you embrace it. 47:18 Because Gabriel has a counterforce in this universe who will seek to crush 47:25 your determination to live by this solitary line. The story does not 47:31 always end well. I mean, that's what Dietrich Bonhoeffer is trying to 47:35 tell us. In these immortal words of Bonhoeffer -- You know, 47:37 these words. I'll put it on the screen for you. 47:44 When Christ calls a woman, he bids her come and die. Bonhoeffer died 47:53 soon after those words. John the Baptist died a brutal death. 48:00 Do you know that Jesus one time, the pre-incarnate Christ, actually personally chose. 48:06 "I want that baby right there. I want that baby to be the forerunner 48:10 of my mission on Earth. Hang on to that baby. Keep an eye on him. 48:14 That's my forerunner." John was picked before he was born. 48:20 And I need you to know that on the authority of Jeremiah chapter 1 and 48:23 Galatians chapter 1, you, too, were picked before you were born. 48:28 God has a vision for you. But the bottom-line mission is absolutely clear -- 48:33 "to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." That's you. 48:41 John, would end up paying a tragically very high price, a deadly price, 48:48 his-head-on-a-silver-platter price. Shoo! 48:55 You're gonna be opposed. But it's time you had something to live for. 49:02 It's time to have something to die for. And your life will never 49:07 be the same again once you know. This is your why. You were born for this. 49:17 You were. And it is your why. You want something easy? 49:21 Okay, okay. Then you be a part of the 80% of young adults today 49:25 who have no clue what their life purpose is. David Brooks quotes a study. 49:29 This is amazing. Here's the study, David Brooks. He found, from this study, 49:35 I'm quoting now, "Only 20% of young adults have a fully realized 49:41 sense of purpose." 80%. No clue, just live for today. 49:49 Eat, drink, and be merry. Tomorrow we die. Is that what you live for? 49:55 Is that the passion of your life? Instead, I want to appeal to you 50:01 to join the elite 20%. Join the elite 20%. You don't have to live in a 50:07 miasmatic fog. You can live with clarity to make ready a people 50:12 prepared for the Lord. Put that up again, please. 50:17 Live for that. That's your why. Oh, come on, you're right. 50:22 It's high risk. I'm telling you, this is high risk. 50:26 But I got great news for you. The higher the risk, the greater the reward. 50:33 You settle for low risk -- a little low-risk life. That's what you're living? 50:38 Low reward, low reward. The higher the risk, the greater the reward. 50:46 Just stand at the foot of the cross. Just stand at 50:48 the foot of the cross. Look at that stained, coagulating blood on Calvary. 50:57 The higher the risk, the greater the reward. "To make ready a people prepared 51:02 for the Lord." John died for that. Guess what. 51:05 Jesus died for the same mission. See, Christ came to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. 51:12 The mission that John has, the mission that Jesus had is a mission you now have -- 51:17 you now are granted. You're invited to embrace it. 51:26 High risk. [ Chuckles ] You got it. 51:29 High reward. You cannot imagine the reward that's waiting for you 51:36 when you invest your life, whatever your career turns out to be, 51:43 in this life-and-death mission. Man, it doesn't get any better than this, 51:49 I'm telling you. There's only one way to define this mission. 51:53 I'll spell it for you and put it on the screen. 52:02 Radical. I have the privilege of meeting with nine young adults. 52:06 They're all undergrads here at Andrews University. We meet every other Tuesday 52:09 evening. And I said, "Hey, guys, I want you to go home and think 52:14 about this word, and I want you to send me an e-mail. Give me your definition 52:17 of 'radical.' To a Gen Zer, what is 'radical'?" 52:20 I got their responses right here. Can't read them all. 52:24 I'll read some of them. Here's one. Oh, "I believe being radical 52:29 in this sense is to focus on someone or something so earnestly 52:33 that it changes your life." Oh, you got that right. "A radical follower 52:40 is someone who does not only see God as their savior but earnestly wants others 52:44 to be saved. As God and the main goal of radically following -- As God is 52:49 that main goal, the news about His soon coming should be spread radically, 52:54 as well. More than ever, our generation seems to be 52:57 the least connected to Jesus. So it is up to us not to only work with people 53:02 outside the church," but listen to this, "But rather we are to work 53:06 for those who are already in the church who are desensitized to this mission. 53:10 Many Gen Zers who are in the church most likely don't care even about thinking 53:14 about being ready because we're so absorbed in our own lives, only thinking about 53:18 where we will be in our worldly future, rather than putting more focus on getting 53:21 ready for our future in heaven." You go, Gen Zer. Well put. 53:26 Here's another one. "I would describe a radical follower of Jesus 53:29 as being someone that truly does and follows what God in the Bible shows them, 53:35 even if this means it is in an opposite direction that the church they are 53:39 a part of is going." Stand up and tell the church, "You're going the wrong way. 53:44 We're supposed be go this way." Oh, I like that. "They will even go in 53:48 a different direction than what their friends and family are. I think that my peers 53:52 would respond in a manner that does -- in a manner of what does this -- 53:58 They're gonna respond with, 'What does this mean for us today?' 54:00 I think people would be receptive if it were shown to them 54:04 that they are included in the mission right now, not just when you get older." 54:10 You nailed it. It's good. Here's another one. "How do I define 'radical'? 54:14 Any extreme action taken to complete a goal you desire 54:17 to complete against the norm, pushing the limits." Now, he unpacks -- 54:22 This undergrad unpacks this. "I think one thing that all young people can agree on 54:26 is that no one likes being pressured into something." Right. Me too. 54:30 "Oftentimes, young people are taught that that their life with God is a duty, 54:35 not a relationship. I think that the best way to get people to be interested 54:39 in being someone with the spirit and power of Elijah is by being that yourself. 54:44 Leadership, including spiritual leadership, must always involve transparency. 54:48 We will be people who make other people's lives better by having a clear mission, 54:53 love. If our main focus is to love one another in the spirit and truth, 54:58 we will do these things. We will prepare people for the coming of the Lord, 55:01 we will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and we will cause those who are 55:05 rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly." Whoo. You go. 55:13 Two more. "Using the context of Luke 1, I would define 'radical' as that 55:18 which goes against the typical status quo of what secular societal norms 55:23 have taught us to prioritize. Being radical in the righteous sense 55:27 requires one to forgo what the rest of the secular world may deem as typical. 55:31 In today's society, doing the morally right thing against all odds 55:35 is often seen as a radical move. However, over time, even the definition of moral 55:40 objectivity has become frayed and distorted as postmodernism continues to hold influence, 55:46 even in the church." Very well put. One more. 55:55 "In reality, I feel the Gen Zers may be hesitant to give up 55:58 a life of societal comfort, just as some were hesitant to follow Jesus in his time. 56:03 However, I feel there is greater opportunity now, 56:07 more than ever, to spread the news on how important 56:09 this truly personal mission is in the greater good 56:11 of everyone's lives. The mission holds power, 56:13 notably in the evidence of the impact 56:16 this personal mission has had on the lives of successfully 56:19 radical followers of Christ. These personal testimonies 56:22 could lead fellow Gen Zers to understand the gravity 56:25 and importance of this mission to make people ready. 56:29 A people prepared for the Lord." 56:34 Pretty impressive. 56:36 You got it. 56:44 Guess what. There is no more radical reason to live. 56:49 There is no more radical mission to serve than to join John and the Angels 56:56 in following Jesus to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. 57:01 >> Amen. >> Yeah, I join you. Amen. 57:09 >> We've been really blessed by the financial support that comes 57:11 from our viewers, and we've made a conscious decision not to 57:15 continually appeal to you for that support. 57:17 The fact is, as everyone in the industry will tell you, we're 57:20 needing to make constant upgrades to our technology. 57:23 So if God has blessed you and you'd like to further the work 57:26 of this ministry, we invite you to partner with us. 57:28 Not a single penny of your donation will go to me. 57:31 Every bit of your gift goes to the mission of blessing your 57:35 community and our world. You can donate on our website, 57:38 newperceptions.tv. Or call the number. 57:41 You know the number -- 877-HIS-WILL. 57:43 Again, that number is 877 -- the two words "HIS-WILL." 57:48 And may the God who has blessed you continue to pour into your 57:50 life the gifts of His joy and His hope. 57:54 Thank you. And I'm looking forward to 57:56 seeing you, right here, again, next time. 58:02 ♪♪ ♪♪ 58:19 ♪♪ |
Revised 2020-03-04