Participants:
Series Code: NP
Program Code: NP220115S
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00:13 Would you stand with me and sing a children's song
00:17 about the river of life that can flow through us? 00:21 Please stand up. 00:23 We'll start slow as the children do 00:25 and then we'll go a little faster, okay? 00:34 I've got a river of life flowing out of me 00:39 Makes the lame to walk and the blind to see 00:44 Opens prison doors, sets the captives free 00:50 I've got a river of life flowing out of me 00:54 Spring up, O well, within my soul 00:59 Spring up, O well, and make me whole 01:05 Spring up, O well, and give to me 01:11 That life abundantly 01:14 Let's speed it up a little bit. 01:16 I've got a river of life flowing out of me 01:21 Makes the lame to walk and the blind to see 01:25 Opens prison doors, sets the captives free 01:30 I've got a river of life flowing out of me 01:34 Spring up, O well, within my soul 01:38 Spring up, O well, and make me whole 01:43 Spring up, O well, and give to me 01:48 That life abundantly 01:56 And now, we're going to slow it down 01:58 and we're going to talk about 01:59 how we come to God in His worship. 02:02 You can come to Him in humble spirit, 02:05 in prayer, and in singing. 02:07 And remember that our God is an awesome God, 02:10 so join us as we sing the songs. 02:15 Humble thyself in the sight of the Lord 02:18 Humble thyself in the sight of the Lord 02:20 Humble thyself in the sight of the Lord 02:23 Humble thyself in the sight of the Lord 02:26 And He shall lift you up 02:32 Higher and higher 02:33 And He shall lift you up 02:41 Our God is an awesome God 02:44 He reigns from heaven above 02:48 With wisdom, power and love 02:52 Our God is an awesome God 02:55 Kneel and pray... 02:57 Kneel and pray in the sight of the Lord 03:00 Kneel and pray in the sight of the Lord 03:03 Kneel and pray in the sight of the Lord 03:06 Kneel and pray in the sight of the Lord 03:09 And He shall lift you up 03:15 Higher and higher 03:16 And He shall lift you up 03:23 Our God is an awesome God 03:27 He reigns from heaven above 03:31 With wisdom, power and love 03:34 Our God is an awesome God 03:38 Sing a new song... 03:40 Sing a new song in the sight of the Lord 03:43 Sing a new song in the sight of the Lord 03:45 Sing a new song in the sight of the Lord 03:48 Sing a new song in the sight of the Lord 03:51 And He shall lift you up 03:57 Higher and higher 03:59 And He shall lift you up 04:06 Our God is an awesome God 04:10 He reigns from heaven above 04:13 With wisdom, power and love 04:17 Our God is an awesome God 04:20 Our God is an awesome God 04:24 He reigns from heaven above 04:28 With wisdom, power and love 04:32 Our God is an awesome God 04:44 Our Scripture today 04:46 is Colossians 1:15-17. 04:52 "The Son is the image of the invisible God, 04:55 the firstborn over all creation. 04:58 For in Him all things were created, 05:01 things in heaven and on earth, 05:04 visible and invisible, 05:08 whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities, 05:11 all things have been created through Him 05:14 and for Him. 05:16 He's before all things 05:18 and in Him all things hold together." 05:31 Redeemed how I love to proclaim it 05:36 Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb 05:40 Redeemed through His infinite mercy 05:45 His child and forever I am 05:49 Redeemed, redeemed 05:54 Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb 05:58 Redeemed how I love to proclaim it 06:03 His child, and forever, I am 06:08 Redeemed and so happy in Jesus 06:13 No language my rapture can tell 06:17 I know that the light of His presence 06:22 With me doth continually dwell 06:26 Redeemed, redeemed 06:31 Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb 06:35 Redeemed how I love to proclaim it 06:40 His child, and forever, I am 06:48 You may be seated. 15:07 Let's pray. 15:11 Oh God, just watching life transpire like that 15:13 on the screen, 15:15 leaves us out of breath. 15:18 It's the lives we are living in the fast lane 15:23 of this culture as a nation, 15:25 this planet. 15:29 Any way you can help us, 15:32 speak to us through ancient scripture. 15:36 Engage our minds, address our lives, 15:41 we humbly pray in Jesus' name. 15:44 Amen. 15:46 I want you to listen to a quieting poem 15:50 written by the American poet, Wendell Berry. 15:54 The title, The Peace of Wild Things. 15:59 Let me put it on the screen because poems, 16:01 if you can see it while you're listening, 16:03 it sure helps. 16:04 So here's Wendell Berry, 16:07 The Peace of Wild Things. 16:11 "When despair for the world grows in me 16:14 and I wake in the night 16:15 at the least sound in fear 16:17 of what my life and my children's lives may be. 16:22 I go and lie down where the wood drake 16:26 rests in his beauty on the water, 16:30 and the great heron feeds. 16:34 I come into the peace of wild things, 16:37 who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief. 16:42 I come into the presence of still water. 16:46 And I feel above me the day-blind stars 16:49 waiting with their light. 16:52 For a time, 16:54 I rest in the grace of the world, 16:59 and am free." 17:01 Isn't that beautiful? 17:04 He gets that last line, "For a time, 17:08 I rest in the grace of the world, 17:12 and am free." 17:15 I wish that were true about us Americans, 17:18 don't you? 17:20 Let me run the numbers by you. 17:23 It loaded this, "70% of American adults report 17:27 they obtained insufficient sleep 17:30 at least one night a month." 17:33 Only one night? 17:36 Here's another one, "11% report 17:38 insufficient sleep every night." 17:41 Now we're all there together. 17:45 "The National Institutes of Health predicts 17:47 that America's sleep debt is on the rise, 17:51 and that by the middle of the 21st century, 17:53 more than 100 million Americans 17:56 will have difficulty falling asleep." 18:00 Oh boy. 18:03 "Presently the cost to industry and medicine 18:05 for sleep deprived Americans 18:06 stands at $63.2 billion per year 18:11 of lost productivity." 18:14 And I know what you're thinking up in the balcony 18:18 that's just about you, 18:20 poor adults in America. 18:23 And since you brought it up and you're in the balcony, 18:25 let's talk about teens, okay? 18:27 Here we go. 18:29 "73% of teens are getting less than the recommended 18:33 8-10 hours of sleep per night." 18:36 You say, "8-10 hours of sleep, 18:38 but I don't have to get 8-10 hours of sleep anymore. 18:40 I'm a teen now." 18:42 That's what you get when you're a kid. 18:43 Oh yeah, watch this. 18:44 "Teens need more sleep than they did as children 18:47 because of their development spurt 18:49 their bodies and minds are experiencing." 18:53 Hey, keep watching, teens. 18:55 Teens with short sleep... 18:56 Okay, so that's a technical term. 18:58 What's short sleep? 18:59 6.5 hours or less in bed a night. 19:03 That's not lying on the floor with your ear pods. 19:06 No, it's in bed, 6.5 hours or less a night. 19:10 "Teens with short sleep consumed 12 extra grams 19:15 of sugar each day." 19:17 Now, why would they do that? 19:19 Because when you're sleep deprived, 19:20 your blood sugar's down and your body knows, 19:23 "Get some sugar in me." 19:25 And so where do teens turn? 19:28 They turn to junk food, drinks, whatever to wake themselves up. 19:32 And watch, 19:34 when you calculate it over a year, hold on, 19:36 that's an extra 4.5 pounds of sugar every year 19:39 for sleep deprived teens, 19:41 confirming the pediatric obesity crisis 19:44 in America. 19:46 I guess, we're all sleep deprived. 19:51 Poor America, my, oh my massive, 19:55 sleep deprivation. 19:56 What's that line from Wendell Berry's poem? 19:59 "I rest in the grace of the world, 20:03 and am free." 20:05 I'm thinking that's the perfect line 20:08 for God's antidote to America's sleeplessness. 20:13 Let's check it out. Come on. 20:14 Let's go. 20:15 Grab your Bible, Genesis Chapter 1. 20:17 Let's go back to the creation story again. 20:19 You got a Bible there. 20:20 If you got it on your device, that's fine. 20:23 Genesis Chapter 1 in the beginning, 20:26 "So six days of creation have now been completed." 20:29 Yeah, we know the story. 20:30 Genesis Chapter 1 and we drop all the way down 20:32 to the very end of Chapter 1 20:34 in this book of beginnings, 20:35 and here it is, verse 6. 20:38 "And God saw all that He had made 20:43 and it was very good. 20:45 And there was evening and there was morning, 20:47 the sixth day. 20:50 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed 20:52 in all their vast array." 20:54 Now, I want you to watch first something happened in. 20:56 Moses who wrote this, 20:59 he's going to use the two-word phrase seventh day, 21:04 he's going to use it three times. 21:06 You count and we're going to read it 21:08 on the screen together. 21:09 And every time that word seventh day appears, 21:12 it appears in a sentence seven words 21:15 in the Hebrew long, 21:17 seven words long, seventh day. 21:20 This isn't just some little fly by night. 21:22 Oh, by the way, there's a seventh day. 21:24 This is calculated to show the character 21:30 of the seventh day. 21:31 "So thus the heavens and the earth were completed 21:32 in all their vast array..." 21:34 Now you can count them. 21:36 By the seventh day God had finished the work 21:39 He had been doing. 21:40 "So on the seventh day He rested from all His work. 21:44 Then God blessed the seventh day 21:47 and made it holy 21:49 because on it He rested from all the work of creating 21:51 that He had done." 21:53 What's going on here? 21:55 Something intentional has taken place. 21:59 God will eventually call it 22:01 to borrow the Hebrew word for rest Shabbat. 22:05 It is the divine creation of Shabbat. 22:11 What's up with Shabbat? 22:12 I'll show you what's up with Shabbat. 22:14 I rest in the grace of the world, and am free. 22:19 When you think about Shabbat, 22:23 I want to tell you in the heart of it, 22:25 is not just rest, rest, sleep deprived as we are. 22:30 It's about the rest of our relationship. 22:33 Watch this. 22:37 If our Creator wanted to simply create a day 22:41 at the end of every week 22:42 so that you can catch up on all the sleep 22:44 you missed in the previous six days 22:45 that would have been one thing. 22:47 That's the way we celebrate Shabbat by the way. 22:48 It's the day to catch up. 22:50 But no, no, no, He has something in mind. 22:56 I'm going to run three lines by you. 22:58 First line, I learned from a friend of mine, 23:02 a very bright physicist. 23:03 He died just last year. 23:04 His name is Clark Rowland. 23:07 He taught me this years ago, 23:08 and I've never forgotten the line. 23:11 I'll put it on the screen for you 23:12 and you'll see why I haven't forgotten it. 23:15 "God is a Being questing for friends." 23:18 Do you want to know the truth about the Creator? 23:21 He's a Being questing for friends. 23:24 He lives for that. 23:26 He is that. 23:28 This is the quintessence of who He is, 23:31 I'm a Being questing for friends. 23:33 Now, along comes the American novelist, 23:35 Reynolds Price. 23:36 And he says, "I'll put it this way for you." 23:39 He's probably right. 23:41 "The Maker of all things loves and wants me." 23:44 That's the line we've run by a few times, 23:46 you and me. 23:47 Both lines are teaching an eternal truth. 23:50 Never forget this because this is the core. 23:53 This is the hard core, 23:54 the soft core of the seventh day. 23:57 Here's the truth, 23:58 relationship is what matters most to God. 24:03 That's the deal. 24:05 You want to know what matters most to God? 24:07 It's relationship. 24:10 So when He creates the planet in six days, 24:12 and He says, "You know what? 24:14 We need one more day." 24:15 What do you suppose that one more day would be for? 24:18 You guessed it, for relationship. 24:20 God is a Being questing for friends. 24:21 I want to have a day, just the same length 24 hours. 24:25 It's not going to come at the beginning of the week. 24:26 It's not going to come in the middle of the week. 24:28 It's not going to come on the fifth day of the week. 24:30 It's going to come on the seventh day of the week. 24:33 I will have a day 24:35 where they will learn the truth of Me. 24:38 I am a Being questing for friends. 24:42 The Maker of all things loves and wants me, why? 24:46 Because relationship is a huge deal 24:50 to the Being who created you 24:52 and the Being who created me, that's why. 24:57 Norman Gulley, a friend of mine, he... 25:00 Actually, I was a kid growing up in Japan. 25:02 He was teaching at the college in Japan. 25:03 He's written this systematic theology, 25:05 three volumes so far. 25:07 And this is volume number two and it's titled, 25:09 Creation Christ and Salvation. 25:11 So my friend Norman Gulley, 25:13 picking up on this relational reality of the Sabbath, 25:16 his words now on the screen, 25:17 "God created humans to enjoy a reciprocal love relationship 25:21 with the Trinity as experienced in the inner history 25:25 or communion among the persons of the Trinity." 25:29 Oh, I like that. Keep reading. 25:30 "What an awesome privilege," Norman writes. 25:33 "Their first full day of life..." 25:36 Think about it. 25:38 Their first full 24-hour period 25:40 they ever had on this planet home of theirs. 25:42 Their first full day of life 25:44 was lived in sacred communion with their Creator, 25:47 the pre-incarnate Christ. 25:50 If the Sabbath was necessary before the fall, 25:53 how much more it is needed 25:56 throughout human history after the fall? 25:59 Come on. 26:00 That's little throwaway. 26:03 We don't need it anymore. 26:05 Rubbish. 26:08 God is a Being questing for friends. 26:10 Why would He ever get rid of a day 26:12 in which He can go 26:14 deep, deep, deep, deeper, deep? 26:16 Come on, girl, come here. 26:17 Come on, boy, come here. 26:18 We're going deeper today, deeper, deeper. 26:20 Why would He get rid of the day for the human race 26:25 when this day shows us that the Maker of all things 26:27 loves and wants me? 26:30 Oh my, my, my. 26:32 And here's why this point is such a big deal 26:35 and why I'm standing up here today. 26:38 I believe that if you and I can grasp this, 26:40 I mean, if we really get it... 26:42 Not just, "Okay. Okay. 26:43 Yeah, I got that. Next." 26:45 No, if we go deep with this thought, 26:47 if we grasp this, 26:48 I believe that the experiential 26:52 significance of the Sabbath, 26:54 the existential significance of the Sabbath, 26:57 which is relationship is what matters most to God. 27:00 I believe that truth, 27:02 that significance 27:04 suddenly makes simple 27:09 this idea of you and me 27:12 on the seventh day of every week 27:15 of our life forever. 27:18 It makes all the sense in the world for you and me 27:22 to discover how on this day to go deeper. 27:25 And by the way, what is obviously saying to us 27:28 is that this is not going to be trouble. 27:29 This is not going to be a burden. 27:31 Are you kidding? 27:33 This is a gift. 27:34 Oh, come on. 27:35 I know the Ten Commandments like you do. 27:37 Sure I do. 27:38 I know how the Fourth Commandment 27:39 begins. 27:41 Everybody knows how the Fourth Commandment 27:42 begins. 27:44 Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. 27:45 Yeah, I know that. 27:46 And I know I have a lot of friends 27:48 in the evangelical community that say, 27:49 "You know what? 27:50 This idea of the seventh day Sabbath 27:54 that's a vestige of ancient legalism 27:57 and we don't do it anymore." 27:59 Oh, really? 28:00 Yeah, you know, vestige no longer necessary. 28:04 I didn't know that. 28:07 "I suppose you shall not kill 28:08 is also a vestige of ancient legalism 28:10 and we don't do it anymore. 28:12 No, we don't kill." 28:14 "Well, how about steal?" "No, no, no, we don't steal." 28:16 "Well, how about bearing false witness?" 28:18 "No, we don't bear false witness." 28:19 "How about dishonoring my mommy and my daddy?" 28:21 "No, you can't do that. 28:23 It's against the Ten Commandments." 28:25 Well listen, my friend, 28:26 you're telling me that nine out of the Ten Commandments 28:27 are not legalistic if you do them 28:29 but if you do one of them, it's legalistic? 28:31 Give me a break. 28:32 What kind of silly game is this? 28:34 Who came up with it? 28:36 Are you making the rules, 28:38 or is this book making the rules? 28:40 Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. 28:43 Especially when I remember that the finger 28:46 of the being who brought me into existence 28:49 once upon a long ago time 28:51 that finger reached out of a fiery light. 28:54 And that finger began to carve on tablets of granite, 28:59 the Decalogue and He carved the words, 29:02 "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy." 29:08 That's not legalism at all. 29:10 It's coming to know this Being 29:13 who is questing for friends. 29:17 The Maker of all things who loves and wants me. 29:20 All 10 are gift because He loves and wants me, 29:23 the fourth one included. 29:26 That's not rocket science. 29:27 That's Holy Scripture. 29:30 What's the big deal? 29:32 The big deal is relationship is what matters most to God. 29:35 That's the core. 29:36 That's the quintessence of God's character, 29:39 which is why He made a day 29:41 accentuating our relationship with our Creator 29:43 and He made sure would come 29:45 at the end of every single week, 29:46 perpetually, for the rest of time 29:47 from the beginning of time to the end of time. 29:49 Has time ended yet? No. 29:51 So then it's still in force. 29:54 It never ends. 29:56 As long as there's a seven day week, 29:57 it will end with Shabbat. 30:00 And that's the greatest command, 30:02 you and me, we'll go deeper today. 30:03 You and me, just you and me. 30:06 Whoa. 30:08 And as if to prove it. 30:10 You get out the old King James Version, 30:11 and you read the apocalypse, the Bible's last book. 30:14 This line is in Revelation, 30:16 and I love it in the old King James. 30:18 So here it is. 30:19 Without apology, we're going to read 30:20 some old Shakespearean English. 30:22 Here we go. 30:23 "Thou art worthy, O Lord..." 30:25 By the way, God is sitting on a throne at this moment. 30:27 He's surrounded by these living creatures 30:29 and 24 elders. 30:31 I mean, and the whole, all of heaven. 30:33 "Thou art worthy, O Lord, 30:35 to receive glory and honor and power: 30:37 for thou hast created all things." 30:39 So they're singing now. 30:41 They're singing to the Creator. 30:42 "Thou hast created all things and for thy" 30:44 and I put the line there, 30:46 "for thy pleasure 30:48 they are and were created." 30:53 For your pleasure, can you believe it? 30:57 Did it ever occur to you that God enjoys you 31:00 for the sheer pleasure of knowing you? 31:06 You see, we've all thought it's the other way around. 31:08 No, I'm created, you were created 31:10 so that we can have the sheer pleasure 31:12 of knowing Him. 31:14 God says, "No, it's the other way around. 31:17 For My pleasure, I wanted you. 31:21 You got born because I chose you. 31:23 You got born into this life because I call for you. 31:28 It's My pleasure to have you." 31:30 Listen, this day is created for God to connect with us 31:33 so that His pleasure might be realized 31:36 and our pleasure might be fulfilled. 31:37 What's wrong with that? 31:39 You got a problem with that? 31:41 No. 31:43 Oh God, You are worthy 31:44 to receive glory and honor and power, 31:46 for you have created all things and for Your pleasure 31:48 they are and were created. 31:50 My, my. 31:52 A.W Tozer who wrote that 70 years ago, 31:55 runaway bestseller for evangelical America, 31:59 The pursuit of God. 32:00 You come to house of prayer on Wednesday nights. 32:02 We just started a journey through it. 32:04 You can only come through zoom. 32:05 But if you're serious about coming, 32:07 you just call us 32:08 and you give us an email address and your name, 32:10 and we'll send you the link. 32:13 I'm going through the book right now. 32:14 This is dynamite. Look at this. 32:16 A.W Tozer, "God formed us for His pleasure 32:20 and so formed us that we as well as He 32:23 can in divine communion," 32:25 oh, I live this, "enjoy the sweet 32:27 and mysterious mingling of kindred personalities." 32:31 Isn't that good? 32:33 Keep reading. 32:34 "He meant us to see Him and live with Him 32:37 and draw our life from His smile." 32:42 Beautiful! 32:44 To me, this is the heart of the "raison d'etre" 32:47 for this seventh day Sabbath. 32:50 "He means us to see Him and to live with Him 32:53 and to draw our life from His smile." 32:59 We aren't talking about bad news here, folks. 33:00 We're talking about the best news a human race 33:02 can possibly have 33:03 and that is God wanted you, 33:05 and that's why you're alive right now. 33:06 And He has a way to meet you perpetually, 33:08 the seventh day of every week for the rest of your life. 33:12 What's bad news about that? 33:15 Not a thing. 33:18 In fact, I want you to hear God say this to you. 33:21 I never knew this till this week. 33:23 This is something else. 33:25 The Christ, the pre-incarnate Christ, 33:30 who is the Creator, 33:31 is talking to one of His closest friends 33:35 He's ever had. 33:36 The man named Moses. 33:38 They're in deep conversation and Christ says to Him. 33:42 I want to remind you about creation. 33:45 So this is not Genesis now. 33:46 There's a whole another picture. 33:48 Watch this. 33:49 He says, "Moses, I want to remind you 33:50 about creation, how it affected Me." 33:52 Okay, let's take a look. 33:54 Exodus 31:17, He's speaking to Moses, 33:57 "The Sabbath will be a sign. 34:01 Every perpetual seventh day, 34:03 the Sabbath will be a sign 34:05 between me and the Israelites forever." 34:08 "See, I've told you Sabbath is made for the Jews." 34:11 Well, you're contradicting the Lord Himself. 34:13 He said the Sabbath was made for man. 34:16 If that means the Sabbath was made for the Jews, 34:19 then when He says, "The woman is made for man," 34:22 she was made only for Jews and nobody here believes that. 34:26 I don't think, right? 34:30 But that's how we can be. 34:31 Israelites, do you have a problem with that? 34:33 Paul comes along in Galatians Chapter 6 34:35 and he calls every Christian an Israelite. 34:37 This is the children of His... 34:38 We are the children of Israel. 34:40 Well, who are you talking about, Paul? 34:41 I'm talking about the Christian Church. 34:42 That's who I'm talking about. 34:44 There's no question in the New Testament 34:45 is real now, 34:46 it's through the church instead of literal Israel, 34:51 real life Jews. 34:53 But the church is to be the Israelites of God. 34:57 I don't have a problem with Him saying, 34:58 "I made this for everybody." 35:01 That's what He's saying, for everybody. 35:03 "The Sabbath will be a sign 35:04 between Me and the Israelites forever. 35:06 For in six days, the Lord made the heavens in the earth, 35:09 and on the seventh day He rested." 35:11 And now, he's adding something 35:12 that's not in the creation story. 35:14 "And on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed." 35:18 I got to tell you about that word refreshed. 35:22 We cannot conclude. 35:23 That's somehow it was so taxing 35:26 for the Creator to do six days... 35:28 I can't... 35:30 Six days I made at this. 35:31 I am worn. 35:34 I never thought making humans would be so tiring. 35:36 That can't be it. 35:39 He's rested and refreshed. 35:43 Robert Alter, I looked at him last week. 35:46 This one man interpreter of the Hebrew Bible. 35:50 Robert Alter calls this word a flagrant anthropomorphism. 35:54 In other words, he says 35:55 this is unusual to use this word on God 35:57 because this is a very humanesque kind of word. 36:00 And Alter renders it, God caught his breath. 36:04 And Alter says, "The reason I'm doing that here 36:06 is because in Chapter 23, 36:08 when the Israelites came to the Sabbath, 36:09 it says they caught their breath, 36:11 and it's the same word there. 36:13 So I want it to be the same word here, 36:15 and God caught his breath." 36:17 It's almost like God... 36:19 when it comes to the Sabbath, God says, 36:20 "Hey guys, let's catch our breath together." 36:23 But it cannot be that God's worn out. 36:25 It cannot be God said, "I need some rest, please. 36:27 How about you?" 36:28 No, something else was going on here. 36:32 And by the way, 36:33 also it cannot be that God is so proud 36:38 of what He's done in creating the world 36:40 that He just wants to glow over it 36:43 because He's already done that in the sixth day. 36:45 And by the way, 36:46 don't be hard on God you do that. 36:48 You make a little something that you watched on YouTube 36:51 and you saw the little pattern and you saw it. 36:52 You are so proud, you're showing everybody. 36:55 A little recipe that you got in some Internet site, 36:58 you make you hand it out to everybody, 36:59 "Hey, I made this." 37:02 When you make something, you're naturally proud. 37:05 That's not an evil pride. 37:06 God was proud. 37:07 He says, "This is really good. 37:10 Did I do it?" "Yeah, You did." 37:13 So it can't be that that's what it means 37:16 when He's refreshing Himself. 37:20 By the way, Karen and I over the holiday, 37:24 we have a week of a little holiday break. 37:27 And so my Christmas gift from Karen was a backup camera 37:31 for my old Camry. 37:32 I've just been wishing and wishing. 37:35 Why didn't the car come with one? 37:37 So she bought it for me. 37:39 The problem is we had to install it 37:41 so we took seven hours. 37:44 She's sitting on the front row, I cannot lie. 37:47 We took seven hours over two days. 37:50 And she's Miss DIY. She's the teen in our family. 37:53 So now she's, "Dwight, Dwight, look at the screen drive. 37:55 No, you don't know. 37:57 Do this." 37:58 Seven hours to put it in. 38:01 And by the way, we're still married. 38:07 Yeah, thank you. 38:08 You thought that was a big treat. 38:12 We had fun doing it. 38:13 I'm telling you the truth. We have fun. 38:15 It was something we had just uniquely us 38:17 and we're both brainless 38:19 when it comes to technology 38:20 so that's why it was so fun. 38:22 So it's okay for God to say, "Hey, yo, this is really good." 38:27 Nothing is wrong with that. 38:28 But it can't be that, 38:30 He already did that on the sixth day. 38:31 So what's going on here? 38:32 I'll tell you what's going on. 38:34 Why is He being refreshed? 38:35 He's being refreshed because on the seventh day, 38:39 this brand new human race 38:41 He becomes one-to-one with them in a relationship 38:46 He's never had before with them. 38:48 Remember we just found out from Norman Gulley, 38:51 their first 24-hour, 38:52 full 24-hour day was with the Creator. 38:56 It's because of a relationship. 38:59 So this is what they were made for. 39:03 This is what I am and now we're together. 39:07 Oh no, God was refreshed. You know why? 39:10 Because the Maker of all things loves and wants me. 39:13 You know why? 39:14 Because God is a Being questing for friends. 39:16 Do you know why? 39:18 Because relationship 39:19 was what matters most to our Creator. 39:21 The Shabbat is to celebrate, 39:25 perpetually, forever, 39:28 the day the Creator and us 39:31 became one human race with God. 39:35 That's a big deal. 39:37 It's a big deal. Amen and amen. 39:39 Oh, wow. 39:40 Yeah, amen indeed. 39:42 These aging words from creation do remind us of Augustine 39:45 and everybody gets excited about 39:46 the last half of Augustine's... 39:48 Augustine is we should say, sentence. 39:51 But you know that you've read these words many times, 39:53 "Thou has formed us for Thyself 39:56 and our hearts are restless till they find rest in Thee." 40:00 Now for a sleep deprived, 40:02 restless America, this is great 40:03 because this says our restlessness 40:05 can be met by a fresh rest in God. 40:09 But we forget that 40:11 there's the first part of the sentence, 40:12 "You have formed us for yourself, 40:15 by the way for your pleasure you have formed us." 40:20 We were made for the pleasure of Almighty God. 40:26 And that's why your heart skips a beat 40:28 when you realize Jesus is in the room with you. 40:31 The Holy Spirit does a little something to you, 40:33 and you're not the same. 40:35 And you realize, "Whoa, what's happening here?" 40:37 Because you were made for that. 40:39 You were made to connect 40:40 with your Creator every seventh day, perpetually, 40:45 forever and ever into the future. 40:48 That will be you in the Creator's day. 40:52 Why would anybody say, "Oh, we don't like it"? 40:55 And by the way, you say, "Oh no, 40:57 there's something about it being changed." 41:00 The Creator, when He was here, 41:01 never breathed the word. 41:03 It's amazing to me that if He was going to undo 41:05 everything He had done in finger, in granite, 41:08 over and over and over again 41:11 He would at least set something while He was here. 41:14 "Oops, I forgot. 41:15 I was supposed to tell them. 41:17 There's nothing there." 41:19 It takes three texts and work them and work them 41:21 and work them and work them 41:22 until they fit what you want. 41:25 He can't do it. 41:26 He cannot do it, not America, not evangelicals in America. 41:31 Nobody can do it. 41:33 It's His finger. 41:37 Maybe this ancient decreed is correct. 41:41 This is the shorter Catechism of the Westminster, 41:44 creed question. 41:46 "What is the chief end or goal of man?" 41:49 Answer, "Man's chief end is to glorify God 41:53 and enjoy Him forever." 41:54 I love that. 41:56 Glorify God and enjoy Him forever 41:57 that's why you were made. 41:59 That's why I was made, 42:03 enjoy Him forever. 42:06 What a God? 42:07 And we thought this was bad news. 42:09 This is not bad news. 42:11 This is the greatest news you've ever heard. 42:14 We'll always have a day together, boy. 42:16 Girl, we'll always have a day together. 42:19 Yeah. 42:20 No wonder the Psalmists, 42:22 when they want to express their adoration of God, 42:25 they have... 42:26 When they want to glorify God, look how the Psalmists do it. 42:29 Psalm 73, oh boy, take a look at this. 42:33 Asaph is the Psalmist in this text. 42:37 Psalm 73, and I want you to get these verses 42:39 because you're going to look this up, 42:41 verses 25 and 26. 42:43 This is beautiful. 42:44 "Whom have I in heaven but You? 42:49 And earth has nothing I desire besides you. 42:54 My flesh and my heart may fail, 42:58 but God is the strength of my heart 43:00 and my portion forever." 43:02 God, I'm talking to You. 43:03 I'm talking about You. 43:09 This is the way people live. 43:12 It's okay to be excited about a passion for God. 43:18 You were made for this. 43:23 I'm going to tell you a story. 43:27 When our little daughter... 43:29 little, I always call her little. 43:31 When our daughter Christine got married 43:33 to the young man she fell in love with, 43:35 they were way too young. 43:37 She was 18 and he was 19... 43:43 But they were intent. 43:44 They were just very intent. 43:46 We're getting married. 43:49 They didn't have to get married, 43:50 by the way. 43:51 And by the other way, 43:53 they've been happily married for 17 years now. 43:57 But when it came time... 43:59 Yeah, I had a hard time with it. 44:00 I'll just be honest with you. It was a hard time for me. 44:03 I said, "Man, I'm losing my little girl 44:04 but not at 18 is too young to lose her. 44:07 I can lose her at 25 or what..." 44:11 It was a beautiful wedding. I stood right here. 44:13 Karen stood beside me. 44:14 I preached the homily to my daughter and her 44:16 new husband to be. 44:20 And it was a long day. 44:21 I mean, we had the reception over Chanshung 44:22 and family out of town had to come 44:25 so we had it late into the night 44:26 early Monday morning. 44:27 Okay, so it was a Sunday, early Monday morning. 44:31 My heart is churning inside of me. 44:35 I was just trying to come to grips 44:38 with what has happened. 44:41 And I made my way down 44:43 to where I have worship every morning 44:47 and held my Bible up 44:48 because I read a Psalm a day like I have told you. 44:52 And wouldn't you know it, 44:54 Psalm 73 is the reading for the day after 45:00 my little girl's marriage, wedding. 45:06 And I started reading those words 45:08 that are on the screen. 45:12 It's like an epiphany. 45:14 It was like God 45:16 showed up in that little space. 45:20 And He said to me, 45:23 "Hey, I know how you're feeling. 45:28 I've been there and done that. 45:30 Come on, Dad. 45:31 You knew she was going to leave some time 45:35 but it hurts. 45:37 But I want to tell you something boy, 45:38 listen to me carefully. 45:40 I will never 45:43 ever leave you. 45:47 I am with you forever." 45:51 Just reading those two lines 45:55 and it was as if the Creator Himself said, 45:57 "Hey, you'll make it. 46:01 I'm with you." 46:03 Oh whom have I in heaven but You? 46:06 And the earth there's nothing I desire 46:08 besides You. 46:09 My flesh and my heart may fail 46:12 but God is a strength of my heart 46:14 and my portion forever. 46:16 Yeah, I believe 46:21 the timeless message of our Creator, 46:23 when we come to every seventh day, 46:25 is that message. 46:27 When you went to the Sabbath hours, 46:28 He may say to you, "Girl, boy, 46:31 you may have lost everything you loved this week. 46:35 You may have lost what you wanted this week. 46:38 You may have lost the dearest person on earth 46:40 to you this week." 46:42 And several of you in this parish 46:43 have heard Him say that on this Sabbath 46:47 because you lost your life. 46:54 But then He says to you, "But I'm here to tell you, 46:59 you have me 47:01 and I will never leave you, never. 47:07 We were made for each other. 47:08 Do you understand that?" 47:14 You see, the deal is, 47:17 I'm convinced 47:19 that if you and I will grasp the rich significance 47:22 of the seventh day Sabbath 47:24 and see His passionate relational heart, 47:28 which is a heart cry of the Creator, 47:32 I have to have time with you now. 47:34 If we will grasp that 47:37 it'd be a joy to find fresh ways 47:40 that we can spend these 24 hours together. 47:42 It's not like, "I got to do this." 47:44 No. I'm with you. 47:47 If we will shift the paradigm, 47:51 the Sabbath takes on a whole new meaning. 47:54 And that's what I want for you, 47:57 and that's what I want for me and for this campus. 48:01 That's what we need, a paradigm shift. 48:05 You know why? 48:06 Because the Sabbath is all about Jesus, that's why. 48:10 Listen to me now, 48:11 I want to tell you something about Jesus. 48:13 John 1, Colossians 1, Hebrews 1, 48:18 those three great first chapters 48:20 of these three giant books of the New Testament 48:23 declare that the Jesus of Nazareth 48:26 that the gospels kept telling stories, 48:28 have kept telling stories about 48:30 is none other than the Almighty Creator, 48:33 God of this universe, 48:34 who came down and became flesh, 48:36 five fingers on each hand, 48:39 five toes on each foot 48:43 and He came down here. 48:46 And on Good Friday, which by the way, 48:48 was an awful Friday 2000 years ago, 48:53 the Creator of the human race 48:57 watched as the creatures 49:00 He created killed Him. 49:10 I want to tell you something. 49:13 There are three startling parallels 49:17 and I hope you never forget these. 49:19 We end right here. 49:20 Three starling parallels between creation and Calvary. 49:26 Watch this, same being, watch this, all right. 49:31 Write this down in your heart and never forget. 49:35 Startling parallel number one between creation and Calvary, 49:39 the same Being in both makes the same declaration 49:44 on the same day, 49:46 the sixth day at creation, He cried out, 49:50 "This is very good." 49:52 And on Calvary His cry was, "It is finished," 49:57 for His work was done in both creation and Calvary 50:02 on the sixth day, finished. 50:06 Startling parallel number two, 50:09 the same being in creation and Calvary 50:14 rested on the same seventh day Sabbath. 50:17 In the Garden of Eden, 50:19 Christ was the Lord of the Sabbath. 50:21 And in the Garden Tomb Christ was the Lord of Salvation. 50:26 He is one and the same. 50:29 And startling parallel number three, 50:32 the same Being did it all for the same reason 50:36 because He loves you and wants you 50:42 and that's the gospel truth. 50:44 My God whom have I in heaven but You? 50:48 And earth has nothing I desire besides you. 50:52 My flesh and my heart may fail 50:53 but God is the strength of my heart 50:56 and my portion forever. 50:58 To which every Sabbath, 51:00 let us all say, 51:01 amen and amen. 51:04 Amen. 51:21 Oh God, what can we say? 51:25 Did You really love us that much... 51:31 To create us 51:35 and then to recreate us at Calvary? 51:40 This is Your pleasure. 51:44 This is why You exist. 51:46 This is what You live for. 51:48 My God forgive us 51:53 for what we've thought 51:57 about Your seventh day Shabbat 52:01 and know our hearts please, know our hearts. 52:08 We want to meet You 52:11 and go deeper with You 52:12 every seventh day perpetually 52:15 to the end of time. 52:18 That's what we want because that's what You want. 52:24 In the name of our Creator who made us 52:27 and gave up His life for us and rose for us, 52:31 in the name of our Creator, amen. 52:38 We're going to sing a beautiful hymn now. 52:41 It's a beautiful hymn, 52:43 Come Thou Fount of every Blessing. 52:45 I will tell you that if you go to our... 52:48 If you want to get our electronic connect card 52:50 because it's always available to you 52:52 whether I talk about it up front or not. 52:54 You just dial Banner 2 because it'll fit today, 52:57 269-281-2345. 53:00 And when you get there, 53:01 you will see there are three steps. 53:03 I want to find the rest of relationship 53:06 in Jesus on His seventh day Sabbath. 53:08 Yes, me too. 53:09 Number two, I would like some specifics 53:11 on how to most effectively celebrate 53:13 the Sabbath with Jesus. 53:15 Me too. 53:16 You got to put your email address 53:17 if you want those. 53:19 And number three, I would like to follow the Lord 53:20 of the Sabbath and be baptized. 53:22 You've never been baptized? 53:23 You've been waiting? Perfect, let's do it. 53:25 We have a beautiful service right here. 53:27 Come on. 53:28 Not tomorrow, not next week but when you're ready, 53:31 just put a checkmark in that third box 53:34 and leave me an email address. 53:36 I'll be back in touch with you 53:38 because if the Creator loves us this much, 53:41 it makes all the sense in the world to me 53:44 to spend the rest of my life with Him. 53:52 Please stand as we sing. 53:58 Come Thou fount of every blessing 54:03 Tune my heart to sing Thy grace 54:08 Streams of mercy never ceasing 54:13 Call for songs of loudest praise 54:17 Teach me ever to adore Thee 54:22 May I still Thy goodness prove 54:27 While the hope of endless glory 54:32 Fills my heart with joy and love 54:38 Here I raise my Ebenezer 54:43 Hither by Thy help I've come 54:48 And I hope by Thy good pleasure 54:53 Safely to arrive at home 54:58 Jesus sought me when a stranger 55:03 Wandering from the fold of God 55:08 He to rescue me from danger 55:13 Interposed His precious blood 55:19 O, to grace how great a debtor 55:24 Daily I'm constrained to be 55:29 Let Thy goodness like a fetter 55:35 Bind me closer still to Thee 55:39 Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it 55:45 Prone to leave the God I love 55:50 Here's my heart, O, take and seal it 55:55 Seal it for Thy courts above 56:07 Shabbat is just like Shekinah. 56:12 That word means God is in it. 56:16 Today, this Sabbath God is in it 56:21 and it is His date with us. 56:26 Shall we make it our date with Him? 56:32 Amen. 56:36 The Lord bless you and keep you. 56:42 The Lord make His face 56:44 shine upon you 56:46 and be gracious to you. 56:49 The Lord turn His face toward you 56:53 and give you peace. 56:59 One of the hot debates on this planet today 57:01 is this collective conversation 57:03 about Creation versus Evolution. 57:06 Are there 1000 voices offering their perspectives? 57:08 The truth is that in God's Word 57:10 there are some pretty definitive statements 57:13 that I examined those statements 57:15 and the evidence for creation. 57:16 In a little book I wrote, 57:18 Creation and Evolution subtitle. 57:19 I thought we'll look at the evidence that our master, 57:21 designer created our planet. 57:24 I'd love for you to join the conversation 57:25 and check out the evidence for yourself. 57:28 In fact, if you call 57:29 our toll free number 877-HIS-WILL, 57:31 the two words HIS-WILL, 57:33 I'll make sure one of these books, 57:34 at no charge to you is in the mail. 57:36 The number again, 877-HIS-WILL. 57:39 Let the operator know 57:41 you want the book Creation and Evolution, 57:43 and we'll get it in the mail to you as soon as possible. 57:47 Until we're together again right here 57:48 on New Perceptions next week, 57:51 may the grace and peace 57:53 and the hope of the Creator abide with you. |
Revised 2022-02-10