Participants: Dwight Nelson
Series Code: 13SCM
Program Code: 13SCM000008
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00:31 Wow! Second night of Camp Meeting here in West Frankfort.
00:36 Danny, it's a beautiful time, isn't it? 00:39 Oh, it's been beautiful weather and beautiful folk here. 00:42 Give yourself an "Amen, " all right? Amen! All right! 00:45 Praise the Lord that you all made it here safely 00:47 from many many states and a few countries - yeah - 00:50 around the world. So what we want you to do 00:52 is turn off your cell phone. I'm doing this 'cause I just 00:56 now remembered mine wasn't off. 00:57 So you want to shut off your cell phone if you don't mind 01:00 because they may go... Yours on too? 01:03 Yeah, it was. But the only one I worry about is you 01:05 because you're the only one that calls me when I'm on the air. 01:08 Yeah, that's right. I called him one night. 01:11 I should have been watching 3ABN. 01:12 I called him and he answered it and he was on the air 01:14 doing a live program. So... 01:17 Well I can't get it back in the holster now. 01:20 OK, well just anywhere works. All right. 01:22 So you do yours the same way, OK? Thank you. 01:25 Mollie Sue, we're glad that you're here. 01:27 Oh, it is a joy to be here. 01:29 Are you all glad to see Mollie? Amen! Amen! 01:33 Thank you; thank you. 01:34 Mollie and Hal have been through some stormy weather 01:38 in the last few months starting off with the car wreck. 01:41 Just driving down the road minding our own business - 01:43 yeah - and a lady lost control of her car. 01:47 Wasn't her fault, just... Any of you ever lost 01:50 control of your car? 01:51 See, I don't know that I ever have. 01:53 But if I ever do, I hope that I don't barrel right into somebody 01:57 head-on. That was just a very difficult thing 01:59 that we went through. 02:00 But then as a result of that 02:03 some of the scans that they did on me showed that I had 02:07 some things that were pre-existing. 02:09 And so the encouragement I got from the hospital in St. Louis 02:14 that was looking at the areas of problems that I had from 02:18 the accident said: "When you get home 02:20 you need to go see your oncologist. " 02:22 That was a bit frightening. 02:25 And as a lot of you know 02:28 the diagnosis from that was pretty frightening. 02:33 But I'm here to tell you 02:37 that through the grace and mercy of God 02:39 after the diagnosis there was a prognosis. 02:43 Do ya'll know the difference in a diagnosis and a prognosis? 02:46 Diagnosis are the facts... 02:48 and the fact is it's pretty grim. 02:51 But "you shall know the truth" and what will the truth do? 02:54 Set you free. See, it's the truth that sets you free 02:56 not those facts. And the prognosis is 02:59 although it may not be curable it's controllable. 03:03 Do you know who encouraged I was 03:05 when that doctor said controllable? 03:08 That became my favorite word. All right! 03:10 It's controllable. All right. 03:12 And I have had some people that 03:17 found it difficult to think that I would go to a cancer center 03:21 and have some treatment. 03:23 But I had to make some decisions on my own. 03:28 You can't let somebody else make decisions for you 03:31 when you're in a difficult time. 03:32 And praying and trusting God with my whole life... 03:36 First and foremost, I trust God. Amen! 03:40 He was... and I know the scriptures... 03:44 the scriptures that say He was "wounded for my transgression; 03:47 He was bruised for my iniquities. 03:49 The chastisement of my peace was upon Him 03:53 and by His stripes... I am healed. " 03:57 And I have total confidence in God's Word 04:00 and total confidence in Him. 04:02 First and foremost, that is my confidence: 04:05 in Christ my healer. Amen. 04:08 But secondarily, I truly believe that God works through doctors. 04:12 And so I am looking at and using 04:17 modern technology, modern science, the medical field. 04:20 And thirdly, you know there's another area that helps us 04:24 and that is natural remedies. 04:26 Those things that boost your immune system. 04:29 So the decision I made for this grim diagnosis 04:33 was: "I'm going to trust God with my life. " 04:35 All right. "I'm going to allow modern medicine 04:38 to do what it can for me. 04:40 And of course, I'm going to use those immune boosters 04:43 and those things that will help me through natural... " 04:46 But this is what I ask of you. 04:48 Please continue to pray as the Lord lays you on my heart... 04:51 or lays me on your heart. 04:53 I appreciate that so much. 04:55 Your prayers have sustained me 04:57 and God is my source and my supply. 04:59 So I thank you all so very much. Amen! 05:01 I had someone say: "Well you know there's no use for doctors. 05:05 It's wrong... you shouldn't go to doctors. " 05:07 And I said: "If you're in a car wreck and your arm gets 05:09 cut off, what are you going to do? 05:10 You can't take a pill or you know take a healthy drink 05:13 to help fix your arm. " So there is a use for doctors, 05:16 right? Sometimes we must be wise and be prudent. 05:19 And you're very wise and very prudent. We're thankful for 05:22 Loma Linda that treated you so well and did a great work 05:26 with you out there. They did an incredible job 05:28 and I appreciate it so much. All right! A great place, 05:30 and we believe the Lord has led in this. 05:32 We think that even out of the accident 05:35 Mollie might not have known so soon if... 05:38 And that word "controllable. " 05:40 That has been... That is a good word. You see, 05:43 controlled until the Lord comes: 05:46 that's a healing, isn't it? 05:48 Amen! And so that's what we're looking for. 05:50 You know, sometimes I bet you wish Hal was controllable. 05:55 But he's not. This is what I am saying, 05:59 and this - I mean it with all my heart: 06:00 I will live with cancer until I die of old age. 06:04 Amen. We love it; we love it. Amen! 06:07 All right. And you know, a lot of people live with 06:09 a lot of things. You do... you know that. 06:11 Some of you are walking-around miracles. 06:14 In fact, I mentioned last night and maybe I'd better not... 06:18 I'd better let him say it, but someone that was here 06:21 on the platform last night - and it wasn't Dwight - 06:24 said to me that his father for like twenty years 06:29 has lived with multiple myeloma, a bone cancer. 06:33 So... But it's been controllable. 06:36 He's lived with it 20-25 years but he takes his treatment 06:40 and takes care. And that just shows 06:43 God is ultimately in control. Our lives are in His hands. 06:46 Amen! Well again, for those of you watching 06:50 thank you for joining us for Spring Camp Meeting 2013 06:54 here at 3ABN. 06:56 Right now we're going to invite some folk to come out 07:00 and sing with us. We have Bruce Fjarli and his group 07:03 the Valley View Quartet. 07:05 Where are they? And C.A. Murray: are you part of the group? 07:08 You're not dressed the same. C.A.'s not dressed... 07:11 John, Pastor John, they did their own thing, you know. 07:14 Oh yeah; so all right. So we've got a whole group of singers. 07:18 We're going to sing Showers of Blessing. 07:19 We want you all to sing with us, all right? 07:21 Let's get the words up on the screen. 08:03 Do that chorus again. 08:25 Tonight, heavenly Father, we do plead 08:29 for the showers of blessing. 08:33 Father, we're just so thankful tonight 08:35 that Mollie can be here. Amen! 08:37 That she and Hal survived a terrible accident 08:41 and that even after that 08:43 when that diagnosis came 08:45 that You were right there with both of them: 08:48 helping Hal through his recovery 08:51 and helping Mollie through hers. 08:54 Thank you, Father. Thank you for all Your blessings. 08:57 We praise You. We realize, Lord, that You are coming soon. 09:00 We want to be ready. 09:02 In Jesus' name, Amen. Amen! 09:07 Well we have some special music tonight. 09:09 And my baby sister, Tammy Chance, is going to come out. 09:14 And I think she's doing Sweet, Sweet Spirit. 09:16 Sister Tammy, thank you for being here. 09:19 You look pretty tonight! Tammy look pretty tonight? 09:21 All right. You can pay me afterwards but... 09:24 I started to say "I'm shocked. " 09:26 When does he ever say anything nice? 09:28 The older you get like this you learn it's easier to... 09:31 My brother once said: "I just want peace in my life. " 09:34 So now, you look beautiful, Tammy. 09:36 You're the best sister I have. 09:38 You're the most wonderful sister I have. 09:40 Boy that's great. I only have one but she's a good one. 09:43 It's true. Thank you. 09:44 Tammy's got a great gift of music and we're glad 09:46 you share it for Jesus. Thank you. 10:04 There's a sweet 10:08 sweet Spirit 10:12 in this place 10:19 and I know 10:23 that it's the Spirit 10:27 of the Lord. 10:34 There are 10:37 sweet expressions 10:42 on each face 10:50 and I know 10:53 that it's the presence 10:58 of the Lord. 11:07 Sweet Holy Spirit, 11:15 Sweet 11:17 Heavenly Dove, 11:22 Stay 11:24 right here with us, 11:30 Filling us 11:32 with Your love, 11:38 And for 11:41 these blessings 11:45 we lift our hearts in praise, 11:51 Without a doubt we'll know 11:56 that we have been revived 12:00 when we shall 12:04 leave 12:09 this place. 12:18 Amen. 12:24 Thank you, Tammy. 12:26 That was beautiful, wasn't it? Amen. 12:28 There's a sweet, sweet Spirit in this place. 12:34 And I tell you, if we ever needed those showers of blessing 12:38 it would have to be this moment in earth's history. 12:43 Oh, we're praying up at Andrews University 12:47 "God, do a new thing. " 12:49 You know that line "showers of blessing? " 12:51 That's right out of the book of Ezekiel. 12:52 God said there will be showers of blessing. 12:56 We need those showers. 12:59 Thank you, Tammy, for singing that. 13:01 And that testimony of Mollie's: isn't that something? 13:05 What God has done! God bless Mollie and Hal. 13:11 We never know. 13:13 You wake up at the beginning... it's just another day. 13:16 But life can be irrevocably changed 13:20 in just a split second. 13:22 But praise God she's here. 13:24 I talked to Hal tonight. 13:28 When you step out onto the road, you put your life 13:32 in your hands. I go running everywhere I go to preach. 13:38 So this morning I said: "I'm going to run. " 13:40 I have a little gizmo that tells me how far I've run. 13:44 So I said: "I'm going to run into Thompsonville. " 13:46 You've heard of the place near here. 13:49 "I'm going to run into Thompsonville. " 13:51 I have no idea what the neighbors are like; 13:53 I have no idea what the traffic is like 13:55 at this time of the morning. 13:59 But beautiful countryside. 14:02 And you come into the little town and I'm making my way 14:05 just past... There's a major intersection 14:07 where the road shoots off to your right. 14:09 And then all of a sudden I hear... 14:11 And a runner's ears are always tuned to hear... 14:15 because those are the nails of a dog coming up behind you. 14:21 And there were two of them. God bless those Thompsonville dogs. 14:26 There were two of them and you never know with a dog. 14:29 It's just... And you yell at the top of your lungs 14:34 and hope that that will somehow instill respect. 14:38 But they just kept going 14:40 so I kept running as fast as I could. 14:47 I went running once... Had just flow over to London 14:51 for a satellite series. 14:53 Early in the morning... woke up with jet lag. 14:57 "Ah, I've got to shake this off. " 14:59 So it was... the sun had just come up. 15:02 About 6:30... whatever. 15:05 Wintery February. 15:08 Frigid still air. 15:10 So I go out running. 15:12 About 1/2 mile from where I was staying at Newbold College 15:15 outside of London crossed a parking lot. 15:19 A pub, you know, those little restaurant/bars 15:23 that they have: pubs... 15:25 Can't remember the name but I think it's something like 15:27 Roebuck or something like that. 15:29 Empty parking lot. As I run across 15:33 for some reason... There's a telephone pole 15:35 and my eyes for some reason are attracted up the telephone 15:38 pole and here is a sign that's just been nailed up. 15:42 And I looked up at the sign and I read the words. 15:45 I scribbled them down; have them right here. 15:50 Fatal collision... This was a Thursday morning. 15:53 Fatal collision here Sunday 10:38 PM. 15:58 If you have information, call the police at... 16:01 and then the English telephone numbers. 16:06 I tell you what: 16:08 you can be minding your own business just running 16:11 through life, but when you come to a place 16:14 'cause I quickly did the arithmetic. 16:16 Today's Thursday. Good night. Four... 16:18 four days ago somebody's life, 16:23 somebody's dreams, 16:26 somebody's prayers, somebody's everything: 16:30 10:38 at night... Gone just like that! 16:33 It's a sobering experience, isn't it? 16:36 I mean, I'm driving down here yesterday. 16:38 Black cross in the middle of the median. 16:40 What's that tell you? White cross later 16:42 on the side of the road. What does that tell you? 16:44 Somebody perished here. 16:49 It is a sobering experience whenever you stand on the... 16:53 stand beside the place someone has died. 16:57 Tonight I want to stand with you. 16:59 There'll be no balloons, no little teddy bears, 17:02 no flowers, no plastic roses... 17:05 just a cross. 17:07 But I want to stand with you and for a moment 17:11 take in the drama 17:16 that made that cross possible. Let's pray together. 17:19 Oh God. We're thankful for Mollie and Hal. 17:24 Could have been a cross beside the road. 17:27 You spared their lives; doesn't always happen that way. 17:32 Certainly didn't happen that way, holy Father, 17:35 on that fateful Friday afternoon they now call good... 17:39 but it was an awful, awful Friday. 17:42 Didn't happen that way 2,000 years ago. 17:46 As we step back out of time into that distant memory 17:50 let Calvary come alive. 17:53 Let us know the truth, and may the truth set us free. 17:56 We pray in Jesus' name, Amen. 18:00 Open your Bible with me to the story of Calvary. 18:03 Let's go to Calvary. 18:05 Last night was Thursday night 18:07 in the Passion Weekend. 18:09 I know the days of the week, but last night was Thursday night. 18:11 We went to the upper room... Jesus there with the eleven. 18:13 Tonight Friday; tomorrow Friday. 18:15 We're moving... We're moving toward the Sabbath and Sunday 18:19 before our time together is over. 18:21 Let's go to Matthew chapter 27. 18:23 This is the... the apex 18:29 of the gospel story. 18:31 You know that the gospels are really crucifixion 18:34 stories with an introduction. 18:37 Predominant portion of Matthew and Mark and Luke and John: 18:42 all crucifixion story... and resurrection, of course... 18:45 with a tacked on introduction. 18:48 Everything in the history of the universe 18:51 moves to Calvary. Calvary is the center of all time. 18:56 Matthew chapter 27. 18:59 I want to read this with you. Think, brood, with you 19:01 through these familiar verses. 19:04 I want to pick it up... Let's begin in verse 24. 19:07 This is Matthew 27. I'll be in the New King James version. 19:10 Whatever translation you have 19:11 I'm just glad you've got your Bible. 19:13 Thank you for bringing it tonight. 19:14 Matthew chapter 27 verse 24: 19:16 "When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all 19:20 but rather that a tumult was rising, he took water... " 19:23 And what'd he do? 19:25 "He washed his hands before the multitude saying: 19:29 'I am innocent of the blood of this just person. 19:32 You see to it. ' And all the people answered and said... " 19:38 Read those words out loud with me. 19:40 "His blood be on us and on our children. " 19:46 I don't know how many times I have read the crucifixion 19:49 account and I've always seen in those verses 19:51 just this self-curse as it were. 19:55 People calling down: "Put His blood on us. " 19:58 "Go ahead and kill Him... we don't care. " 20:01 Then I came across a gentleman with whom I had the privilege of 20:05 becoming friends with before he died: 20:10 Roger Morneau. Does that name ring a bell with you? 20:12 That great prayer warrior Roger Morneau. Yeah. 20:15 So I never met Roger Morneau. We were going to fly him out 20:17 to lead a prayer service just before Net '98. 20:22 Are you old enough to know about Net '98? 20:23 Did you hear about it? Yeah, OK. 20:25 So we were going to fly Roger from California 20:28 out to pray with us before Net '98... having a big day 20:31 of fasting and prayer. And three days before 20:34 he was to fly he died of a heart attack 20:36 so I never had the privilege of meeting him face to face. 20:39 But a great... a giant of a prayer man. 20:41 And you have read his books: 20:43 Answers to Incredible Prayer; 20:45 More Answers to Incredible Prayer. 20:46 You're holding up one right now. All right. 20:49 You can get them at the ABC. 20:50 Anyway, through Roger I learned this. Roger says: 20:53 "You know what? Every morning of my life I read 20:55 Matthew chapter 27 verse 24 through verse 54. " 20:58 He said: "I figure that if I can go to the highest place 21:02 a human can kneel and bow at the foot of Calvary 21:05 and I can begin every day at Calvary 21:08 I'll be doing all right. " 21:10 And I said to myself: "You know what? If a great man 21:11 like Roger, the great prayer warrior, will go to Calvary 21:15 every day... a little guy like me? I should be going 21:17 to the same place. " So thank you, Roger. 21:20 He taught me that journey... every morning. 21:23 Read it just this morning. 21:25 But it was in that re-reading every day that I suddenly 21:27 realized: "Wait a minute! Verse 25? This isn't a curse... 21:30 this is a powerful prayer. " 21:32 What did the people cry out and say? 21:33 What did the people cry out to Pilate? What did they say? 21:37 "His blood... " Say it out loud with me. 21:38 "His blood be on us and on our children. " 21:43 And so every morning when I get two verses into that 21:47 thirty-verse recitation of Calvary every morning, 21:50 two verses in and I come across that line 21:52 I stop right there and I say: 21:54 "God, I want You to be with Kirk; I want You to be with 21:56 Kristy; I want You to be with Karen and me. 21:59 May His blood be on us. " Rather than a curse 22:01 it occurs to me: this is a beautiful, powerful prayer. 22:05 "God, let the blood of Jesus be on me today. " 22:09 What would happen if the children of the church were 22:11 prayed over every single day across this land 22:14 and every mother, every grandmother, every grandpa, 22:16 every father would pray at the beginning of the day 22:18 "Oh God, Your blood be on my daughter; Your blood be on 22:20 my son; Your blood be on my grandchildren 22:23 and on me too. " 22:25 Can you imagine our kids going out into the day 22:27 under the blood? Now I'm praying for Kirk and his wife 22:30 and Kristy and her husband. 22:32 "Oh God, may Your blood be on Kirk and Chelsea 22:34 and may Your blood be on Kristy and Andrew. " 22:36 And guess what? We just found out a few months ago 22:39 that we're going to become grandparents in October! 22:42 And so I'm praying because it's Kirk and Chelsea 22:45 having the baby, so I'm praying "Oh God, 22:46 and may Your blood be on little baby Nelson... whatever it is. " 22:50 Actually they've taken the picture. 22:52 They know what the baby is. 22:54 But the kids these days... you know what they're doing? 22:56 Something I've never heard of before. 22:57 They have these gender coming out parties. 23:00 So they're the only ones who know. 23:02 Everybody's going to come at the end of June... 23:03 All the family and friends are going to be gathered together 23:05 and then they're going to slice a cake. And if it's pink 23:07 you know what it'll be and if it's blue. 23:09 They kind of do these things. Can you believe that? 23:11 What's gotten into this generation? 23:13 Just tell everybody. 23:17 But what a powerful prayer. Verse 25: "And all the people 23:20 answered and said to Pilate: 'His blood be on us 23:22 and on our children. ' " 23:25 You know, maybe Roger Morneau was onto something. 23:27 Maybe you'll read the story of Calvary every single day 23:31 for the rest of your life. 23:32 Don't tell me your worship is too busy, 23:34 you don't have the time. You can slip the story 23:35 of the cross in. I try to read it every single day. 23:39 I come to verse 25: 23:41 "His blood be on us and on our children. " 23:43 "Then... " verse 26... "Pilate released Barabbas 23:46 to them and when he had scourged Jesus he delivered Him 23:48 to be crucified. " 23:50 Some scholars believe there were up to three scourgings. 23:52 THREE scourgings. 23:55 You know, the Latins coined a word: excruciatus 23:58 which means in Latin "from out of the cross. " 24:01 From whence comes our English word... 24:03 What English word do you think comes from excruciatus? 24:06 Excruciating. The next time you say 24:08 "I have an excruciating headache" you're saying 24:10 "I have pain that comes from out of the cross. " 24:13 Whatever the scourging is about, 24:15 whatever this barbaric form of execution in which you 24:19 in which you actually asphyxiate... 24:21 you drown, you're unable to breathe. 24:25 You're nailed in a position that forbids you to suck your 24:29 diaphragm up finally far enough to drink in 24:33 a morsel of air. 24:35 You drown. 24:38 Three scourgings. "And when he released Barabbas 24:41 to them he had Jesus scourged 24:43 and he delivered Him to be crucified. " 24:45 Drop down to verse 32: "And now as they came out" - 24:48 this is the Roman soldiers and Jesus - 24:50 "they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. 24:53 Him they compelled to bear His cross. 24:56 And when they had come to a place called Golgotha, 24:59 that is to say 'Place of the Skull, ' they gave Jesus 25:01 sour wine mingled with gall to drink. 25:04 But when He had tasted it He would not drink. " 25:07 If this were a room full of college students 25:10 which I have the privilege of serving 25:12 I probably would pause right there and say: "Wait a minute. 25:14 did you catch what happened? 25:16 They're passing a bottle around and when it came to Him 25:19 He would not drink. " 25:24 Verse 33: "And when they had come to a place called Golgotha, 25:27 that is to say 'Place of the Skull, ' 25:29 they gave Him sour wine mingled with gall to drink 25:32 but when He had tasted it He would not drink. 25:35 Then... " Why wouldn't He drink by the way? 25:38 Why wouldn't He drink? 25:40 Because He can't risk a moment of inebriation. 25:43 He can't go one split second without His mind in instant 25:47 contact with the King of the Universe. 25:49 I see some younger faces in this room and so I'm going to 25:51 pause to just remind you: that's why the devil 25:55 is so big on alcohol. 25:57 The moment you ingest that fluid it begins slowly 26:02 to put your brain to sleep. And when you brain is asleep 26:07 it's a heyday for hell. 26:10 God cannot intervene. When your brain is asleep 26:14 you won't cry for help. And in that inebriated state 26:18 you may drive a car, 26:20 you may make a sexual decision 26:22 that you'll regret for the rest of your life. 26:24 But in that inebriated state it's curtains for moral control. 26:30 That's why alcohol is HUGE 26:35 in the devil's arsenal tonight. 26:37 That's the only reason: it puts your mind to sleep 26:40 and you can't think. You say: "I just drink... " 26:43 "I'm not really a big drinker. " 26:45 Any drink: your mind begins to nod and you're dead meat. 26:52 You learn something from Jesus right here. 26:54 He would not touch it. 26:56 He will not drink even a sip. He's dying of thirst. 26:59 He won't touch that liquid. 27:05 Verse 35: "And then they crucified Him. 27:07 And they divided His garments, casting lots that it might be 27:10 fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet 27:12 'They divided My garments among them and for my clothing 27:14 they cast lots. ' " Verse 36: 27:16 "And sitting down they kept watch over Him there. " 27:18 That's what you can do every single morning: just sit down, 27:21 open up Matthew 27. If you get tired of Matthew 27, 27:25 then you go to Mark 15. If you get tired of Mark 15, 27:27 you go to Luke 23. If you're tired of Luke 23, 27:29 then you go to John 19. If you're tired of the gospels, 27:31 then you read Isaiah 53. 27:32 You've got five cycles you can go through 27:35 every day and go to Calvary. 27:37 And you'll be a better man for it; you'll be a better woman 27:40 for it. Go to the foot of the cross every single day. 27:44 That's what you do. "Sitting down they kept watch. " 27:47 That's what we're going to do tonight: we're going to keep 27:49 watch on the figure on the center cross. 27:52 "Sitting down they kept watch over Him there. " 27:54 Verse 37: "And they put up over His head 27:57 the accusation written against Him: 27:59 THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS. 28:02 Then two robbers were crucified with Him, 28:04 one on the right and the other on the left. 28:06 Those who passed by blasphemed Him 28:09 wagging their heads and saying 'Ha! You who destroy the temple 28:12 and build it in three days: save yourself! ' 28:14 'Yo! If You're the Son of God come down from the cross. ' 28:18 Likewise the chief priest also mocked Him with the scribes 28:21 and the elders saying: 'He saved others... Himself 28:24 He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, 28:26 let Him come down from the cross and we will believe in Him. 28:29 He trusted in God... let Him deliver Him now 28:31 if He will have Him for He said: I am the Son of God. ' " 28:34 Count them in the New King James: three times 28:36 the word "if" appears... three "ifs. " 28:39 Matthew ends with three "ifs. " 28:41 Guess what? Matthew begins with three "ifs. " 28:44 Have you heard those "ifs" before? 28:47 Somebody met Him after 40 days and 40 nights 28:51 without water or food and said "if, if, if. " 28:57 Someone meets Him. This is the desperate and final showdown, 29:02 and the three "ifs" are embedded in those taunts. 29:05 If, if, if. 29:09 If Jesus goes through, 29:11 if He is as victorious as He was in the wilderness, 29:15 it's finis for Lucifer... 29:19 and he knows it. 29:21 If, if, if. 29:26 "Even the robbers... " verse 44 Matthew reminds us: 29:28 "Even the robbers who were crucified with Him reviled Him 29:31 with the same thing. " Now here we go... here we go. 29:35 Verse 45: "Now from the sixth hour... " That would be noon. 29:39 "until the ninth hour... " That would be 3 o'clock 29:41 in the afternoon. "there was darkness 29:44 over all the land and about the ninth hour 29:47 Jesus cried out with a loud voice... " 29:49 Megas lephone in the Greek. 29:52 Megas lephone. What English word sounds like megas lephone? 29:56 Megaphone! 29:57 Some people think that this is a little sob, a whimper. 30:00 "Oh My God! " This is no sob. 30:04 This is no whisper. 30:05 This is a scream in the dark! 30:07 "My God, My God, 30:12 why have You forsaken Me? " 30:14 "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? " 30:18 "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? " 30:25 When you stand at the site of someone's death 30:29 it is a sobering experience. 30:39 What's happening in that naked scream? 30:45 What's transpiring in that desperate cry? 30:52 What's up? 30:55 Richard John Neuhaus 30:56 in his book Death on a Friday Afternoon: 31:00 He jots it down: "Something has been lost. 31:03 Something has been withdrawn 31:05 and it cannot be called back. " 31:11 Something dreadful is transpiring now. 31:19 Matthew Arnold, the English poet... Let me read this to you. 31:23 He captures the sense of lost- ness in his poem Dover Beach. 31:27 You remember that from English literature days? 31:30 Dover Beach. Let me just read a line, a stanza, 31:33 from that poem. The sea of faith 31:35 was once, too, at the full, and round earth's shore 31:38 lay like the folds of a bright girdle furled. 31:43 But now I only hear its melancholy, long, 31:47 withdrawing roar, 31:48 retreating, to the breath of the night wind 31:50 down the vast edges drear and naked shingles 31:53 of the world. " Did you hear that line? 31:56 "Its melancholy, long, withdrawing roar. " 32:00 Something is being lost here 32:06 that shall not be recovered. 32:09 "My God, My God, why have You forsaken me? " 32:18 I've heard... I've heard the scream of human pain. 32:23 I walk down the hospital. It's part of my sacred duty 32:26 as a pastor to step into hospitals too frequently. 32:30 I've walked down the septic corridor of a hospital 32:34 and I've heard behind a closed door... 32:36 I've heard the muffled scream of human pain. 32:38 I've heard somebody screaming behind that door. 32:44 I've heard my children scream when they were kids. 32:49 I've heard these words "My God" 32:52 but never uttered like this desperate prayer. 32:57 But I have never in my life 33:00 ever heard a scream like this. 33:05 You know, it is humanly impossible... 33:08 it is humanly impossible for you and me 33:12 to possibly fathom the depths 33:16 that are captured by that one shattering scream in the dark. 33:22 "My God, My God, why have You cut Me off? " 33:29 Is this the cry of human pain? 33:33 Do you suppose that's it? 33:35 "Why? Why? Why? " 33:38 Is that it do you think? 33:40 I've stood by parents... 33:42 I've stood by all sizes of caskets. 33:47 Full-size caskets. 33:51 Tiny little 18" caskets. 33:55 I've stood beside parents sobbing over that clay form... 34:01 the tears salty 34:05 falling onto that lifeless promise of hope. 34:11 I've heard the question... I've heard the question 100 times. 34:14 Why? Why? Why? 34:19 Is this the cry of human pain? 34:21 Is this the cry of human suffering? 34:22 "God, why is this happening to me? " 34:24 Is that what Jesus is crying? 34:26 Is He crying: "Why is this happening to me? " 34:31 You remember Mel Gibson and The Passion of the Christ? 34:34 Does that kind of ring a bell? It was years ago. 34:36 Remember they came out with this full-length Hollywood 34:39 production on the death of Jesus. You remember that? 34:42 So I get this little letter in the mail 34:44 and it says For Senior Pastors only with your spouse. 34:47 Must bring photo I.D. 34:53 Come to Chicago to a private showing - 34:57 pre-release showing - of The Passion of the Christ. 35:03 So I went over. 35:05 In a church. 35:07 Senior Pastors only... their spouses. 35:10 Checked your I.D. at the door. 35:12 They didn't want the press to get an advance 35:14 because it has already stirred up quite a bit of controversy. 35:17 And you've got to admit it was a pretty brilliant 35:19 marketing tactic for whoever was putting that together. 35:21 I sat beside a pastor. 35:24 I'm telling you: he cried all the way through. 35:28 The scene of Jesus' scourging is just... it's just revolting. 35:33 But if you watch Mel Gibson's treatment of Calvary 35:37 you'll walk away with the conclusion that what Calvary 35:39 is about is human pain. 35:40 "Whoa... whoa did He suffer for me! " 35:45 And if we make the conclusion that the cross is about 35:48 human pain we have missed the whole point of Calvary. 35:53 I had a dear, dear friend who died of cancer 35:57 tethered to a morphine drip. 36:00 You can't tell me six hours on the cross 36:03 is equivalent to three weeks of that drip. 36:08 Can't be. There have been martyrs who have died... 36:11 My friend Steve Bohr is taking us through the Dark Ages 36:14 with this Jezebel and Elijah. That's good stuff. 36:17 Great teaching. 36:19 There have been martyrs who have died more painful deaths 36:23 than Calvary. Come on... let's be honest. 36:25 Calvary's not the summit of human pain. 36:27 Something else is happening at Calvary. 36:29 Something else is transpiring in that center... 36:33 on that center cross. 36:34 Let me read this to you. This is Desire of Ages page 753. 36:40 This classic on the life of Jesus. Listen to this: 36:42 "All His life Christ had been publishing to a fallen world 36:45 the good news of the Father's mercy and pardoning love. 36:49 Salvation for the chief of sinners was His theme. " 36:52 When Jesus is giving a theme do you know what He's talking 36:54 about every single time? 36:56 Salvation for the chief of sinners. 36:58 God is not somebody to be afraid of. 37:00 God is somebody to be a friend of. 37:01 You run not from Him... run TO Him. 37:04 Run to Him. 37:06 Jesus' stories are to draw us back to God. 37:11 Not a God that is the harshest critic in the universe. 37:16 A God who is the greatest lover, the greatest Father, 37:20 the Mother, the One whose arms are outstretched. 37:25 Salvation... Did you catch that? 37:28 "Salvation for the chief of sinners was His theme. 37:32 But now with the terrible weight of guilt He bears 37:34 He cannot see the Father's reconciling face. 37:38 The withdrawal of the divine countenance from the Savior 37:40 in this hour of supreme anguish 37:42 pierced His heart with a sorrow that can never be fully 37:45 understood by man. " Now listen: "So great was this agony 37:49 that His physical pain was hardly felt. " 37:51 Is Calvary about physical pain? 37:54 No it is not. 37:55 It's not about pain. That movie was wrong. 38:00 Calvary is not about human pain. 38:03 Calvary is about the divine price. 38:07 The divine price to redeem us from that pain... 38:11 this painful existence. 38:14 Well Dwight, are you saying that there's no pain in this story? 38:18 Are you serious? 38:21 This is brutal to the max! 38:26 This is no anesthetized picnic for Jesus. 38:32 Excruciatus, remember? Barbaric! 38:35 From out of the cross He's suffering. 38:37 But how did she put it here? 38:39 "So great was this agony 38:41 that His physical pain was hardly felt. " 38:43 What agony are you talking about? 38:44 She's talking... "I'm talking about, " she said, 38:46 "the mental agony. " The mental agony. 38:50 Something is happening. 38:53 That's why that cross goes dark for three hours - 38:55 pitch black - because God said "I'm not letting anybody 39:00 in this universe see this moment now. " 39:02 "I will be in those shadows along with My Son. " 39:05 "Nobody will see this... He won't even know. " 39:07 "My God, why have You cut me off? " 39:11 But in that funerial pall of blackness 39:16 something's happening. 39:18 Something's happening. The only cryptic clue we have 39:22 to what is happening on that center cross 39:25 is this line... this naked scream. 39:30 Read verse 46 again: "And about the ninth hour 39:32 Jesus called out with a... " megaphone... "with a loud voice 39:35 saying 'Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? ' 39:37 That is: 'My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? ' " 39:44 Where did Jesus get that line? 39:46 Where did the Savior of the world find 39:52 that line? 39:54 It's a prayer. It's a prayer from the Old Testament. 39:57 I want you to go to that one little prayer 40:00 and the cryptic clue is embedded there. 40:02 Go back to Psalm 22. 40:06 Psalm 22. 40:09 It is more than obvious the moment we begin to read 40:13 Psalm 22 that there's only one person in the universe 40:16 that could possibly ever have prayed this prayer 40:20 in its entirety. Can't be David. 40:22 It cannot be David... it must be the Son of David. 40:25 Psalm 22... I want you to go back to Psalm 22. 40:28 Turn back... don't miss this in your own Bible. 40:30 You'll be amazed at what you see now in Psalm 22. 40:34 Jesus has reached back to that ancient prayer 40:37 and He has put it on His lips and we hear only the first line. 40:43 Some scholars believe that there was a practice in 40:46 synagogues where the leader up front would begin a prayer, 40:51 a Psalm, by reciting the first line. 40:54 And then all the worshipers, having learned that prayer 40:58 as they did, all the worshipers would then quietly under their 41:02 breath be repeating the prayer all the way through. 41:06 What is amazing is that it works for the middle cross at Calvary. 41:11 The opening line of the prayer is cried out 41:16 by our Lord Himself. 41:18 Psalm 22 verse 1: "My God... " There it is! 41:22 "My God... why have You forsaken Me? 41:25 Why are You so far from helping Me 41:27 from the words of my groaning? 41:29 Oh My God, I cry in the daytime but You do not hear 41:32 and in the night season I am not silent. " 41:35 "Where are You? " 41:37 "I'm crying to You. Can You not hear Me now? " 41:45 Something is happening in the mind of the one praying. 41:49 Watch this. Drop down to verse 6: 41:51 "But I... " What's it say in yours? 41:53 "I am a... I am a worm. " 41:57 "I am a worm and no man, a reproach of man 42:01 and despised by the people. " 42:03 "I am a worm. " 42:05 Jesus, You're not a worm! 42:09 You're the eternal God incarnated in human flesh. 42:11 That's what You are... don't forget it, Jesus. 42:13 No! "I am a worm. " 42:16 Something has happened to Jesus because just hours earlier 42:19 in that high priestly prayer on the way to Gethsemane 42:22 John 17 He says: "Oh Father, by the way, 42:24 remember the glory that I shared with You 42:27 from the beginning. " 42:29 He knew then who He was. 42:33 But now: "I am a worm and no man, a reproach 42:38 to man and despised by the people. " 42:41 What is happening to Jesus? 42:42 I'll tell you, ladies and gentlemen, what is happening 42:44 to Jesus. Isaiah 53 verse 6. 42:47 "All we... " Say it out loud with me. 42:49 "All we like sheep have gone astray. 42:51 We have turned every one to his own way and 42:55 the Lord has laid on Him... " Tell me. 42:59 Tell me. 43:01 How much of the iniquity? 43:03 All. How many people in this room? 43:05 How many viewers on this network? 43:09 How many human beings? 43:10 All! "The Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. " 43:15 You say: "Dwight, what sins would that include? " 43:19 All. But don't worry about all 43:22 because the moment I said iniquity, 43:24 the moment we injected the word sin, 43:28 your mind just like that saw it. 43:32 You know what it is. 43:34 Whatever the sin is it doesn't matter to me. 43:37 I have my own struggles, trust me. 43:40 But the moment we think sin and iniquity 43:45 immediately if the conscience is working 43:48 this vehicle through which the Holy Spirit speaks 43:50 just like that we got it. 43:52 We know whatever that sin is. 43:55 Doesn't matter to me what yours is. 43:57 You have it... I have it. 44:00 "The Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. " 44:02 You say: "Dwight, I don't have it. " 44:04 We have the sin of lying so now you're also in that category. 44:08 We ALL have sinned. 44:13 Isaiah 53:6: "The Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all. " 44:17 II Corinthians chapter 5 verse 21. 44:19 "God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us 44:24 that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. " 44:26 He's made to be sin. 44:28 You say: "No, no, no, no... I don't see how that could work. " 44:31 Me either. 44:34 But the sheer naked terror and agony of Calvary 44:38 is proof enough it worked! 44:42 The sins got transferred. 44:44 "Behold the Lamb of God... " Who does what? 44:47 "Who takes away... " John 1:29... 44:50 "who takes away the sins of the world. " 44:51 The sin of the world. 44:55 Something mysterious... 44:57 something has been unsheathed in the darkness 45:03 and now that dagger is slowly 45:09 being brought to the heart of God made flesh. 45:16 Wow! "I am a worm and no man, 45:20 a reproach of man and despised by the people. " 45:23 Now keep reading. You say: "Dwight, I don't really think 45:25 this is Calvary. " So the opening works but 45:27 keep reading, verse 7: "All those who see Me 45:30 ridicule Me. " Remember, He's praying under His breath now. 45:33 "All those who see Me ridicule Me. 45:36 They shoot out the lip, they shake their heads saying... " 45:38 Ha! Verse 8: "He trusted in the Lord, let Him rescue Him. 45:41 Let Him deliver Him since He delights in Him. " 45:43 Have you heard those words before tonight? 45:46 Have you heard the words tonight? Yes you have. 45:48 Who... who taunted Him with those words? 45:52 The rabble from the chief priest and the thieves. 45:57 "He trusted God, let Him rescue Him. " 46:02 Oh, look at verse 9: "But You are He who took Me 46:04 out of the womb. 46:06 You made Me trust while on My mother's breast. " 46:10 There's never a mention of the father - of a father - 46:14 in Psalm 22. 46:16 The only mention is of a mother. 46:19 "He took Me from My mother's breast. " 46:24 Keep reading. 46:25 "I was cast upon You from birth. 46:29 From My mother's womb You have been My God. " 46:34 Hit the pause button right there... I need to tell you 46:36 something fascinating right there. 46:38 "You have been My God" in the Hebrew reads like this: 46:44 eli or eli attah. 46:49 "You have been My God. " Eli means My God... 46:53 "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? " 46:56 "You have been My God. " Eli attah. 47:01 BUT if you're listening to somebody speaking in the 47:05 original tongue, if you're listening to it being prayed 47:08 in the original language and you're not listening carefully 47:11 instead of hearing Eli attah you can hear Eli attah... 47:16 And Eli attah means Elijah come. 47:22 And the men in the dark at the foot of the cross 47:26 hear this naked scream and "Shhhh... 47:30 He's calling for Elijah. 47:32 Let's see if Elijah comes. " 47:34 Steve Bohr preaching about Elijah. 47:38 Elijah at Calvary. They misheard Him. 47:43 He said: "You have been My God. " Eli attah 47:46 and they heard Eli attah. 47:48 It's just where you put the vowels. 47:54 Still not convinced this is a Calvary? 47:57 That there's only one person in the universe who could ever 48:00 have prayed this prayer and meant it all the way through? 48:05 Keep reading. Verse 15: "My strength is dried up 48:10 like a potsherd and My tongue clings to My jaw. " 48:13 When does your tongue cling to the top or the bottom 48:16 of your mouth? When does it cling? 48:18 When you are thirsty! 48:20 Don't miss Sabbath morning... I'll talk about that. 48:24 "My tongue clings to My jaws; You have brought Me to the dust 48:27 of death. " Now look at verse 16: 48:29 "For dogs have surrounded Me; the congregation of the wicked 48:31 has enclosed Me. They pierced My... " 48:35 There's only one person in the universe who could have prayed 48:37 this prayer. He's praying it right now. 48:41 Look at verse 17: "I can count all My bones; 48:43 they look and they stare at Me. " 48:44 You know why? Because He's raw naked. 48:46 They've stripped Him of His last dignity. 48:49 They're gambling over what He had. 48:53 Verse 18: "They divide My garments among them 48:56 and for My clothing they cast lots. " 49:00 Isn't that amazing? 49:03 "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? " 49:06 And then the prayer goes... the prayer goes subterranean. 49:09 The prayer goes inside and just as muttering, 49:11 as mumbling, 49:13 slowly praying the great Messianic Psalm 22. 49:21 But then something very interesting happens. 49:23 In fact, Felix Mendelssohn when he decides to make this 49:25 grand choral composition of Psalm 22 49:28 right there in the middle of verse 21 he moves from the minor 49:33 to the major key. 49:36 Verse 21: "Save Me from the lion's mouth 49:39 and from the horns of the wild oxen... " 49:41 Pause... And some of your newer translations actually show 49:43 a space there... You see that space. 49:45 There's a space - pause. Now in the major key 49:49 "You have answered Me. " 49:52 Everything now is moving toward this positive. 49:56 Positive, positive... but I've got to take you 49:58 to that last line. Watch this... verse 31: 50:00 "They will come... " He's still praying... 50:01 "They will come and declare His righteousness to a people 50:04 who will be born that He has done this. " 50:07 If that phrase is taken... if it's translated 50:10 in the Hebrew, instead of "He has done this" 50:13 it can be translated "It is finished! " 50:18 He prayed that prayer from beginning to end 50:21 because we needed a cryptic clue to know what's happening. 50:24 If Calvary is not about human pain, then what's it about? 50:27 It's about the divine price. 50:28 And what is the divine price? 50:31 The divine price is you 50:35 must pay the wages of sin. 50:41 Romans 6:23: "For the wages of sin is death, 50:45 but the gift of God is eternal life. " 50:47 What kind of death is it? 50:49 The opposite of the gift. What's the gift? 50:51 Eternal life. Then what kind of death would it be? 50:54 Eternal death. 50:56 Eternal death. 50:57 God made Him to be sin. 51:01 "My God, You have... " This is it! This is it. 51:06 "You have cut Me off. " 51:22 Desire of Ages again. 51:24 Page 753 and 772. 51:29 "Satan with his fierce temptations wrung the heart 51:34 of Jesus. " Ladies, come on. 51:36 You know, you're mopping up the kitchen after your husband 51:39 was there... and cleaning it up. 51:41 And gentlemen, we really should be doing this ourselves. 51:44 When you take that dishcloth 51:47 and you've wiped it all down 51:49 what do you do with that dishcloth? 51:51 What does it mean when you wring that dishcloth out? 51:54 What do you do with it? 51:55 You put all the strength you have in those delicate hands 51:57 of yours and you clutch that cloth and you twist the hand. 52:00 And that which is in your hands is just twisted until 52:03 the last drop of water's gone. 52:07 "Satan with his fierce temptations 52:11 has wrung the heart of Jesus. 52:14 The Savior could not see... " Now listen carefully: 52:16 "The Savior could not see through the portals of the tomb. 52:19 Hope did not present to Him His coming forth 52:21 from the grave a conqueror or tell him of the Father's 52:24 acceptance of the sacrifice. 52:26 Jesus feared that sin was so offensive to God that 52:28 their separation was to be eternal. " 52:33 "It's over... I am gone... You have cut Me off. " 52:40 You see, we always have Jesus dying but He knows "I'll be up. 52:43 I'll be up... no big deal. 52:45 I've died... now I'll come up. " 52:50 Satan had so wrung His heart 52:53 in the desperate last-ditch hope 52:57 that He might walk away from this cross and say: 52:59 "You can have this sorry lot. I'm coming home, Father. " 53:03 And could He have? Could He have? 53:06 He could have and we never would have been born. 53:12 Gone. 53:16 Satan wrung His heart. 53:19 Jesus believed that their separation was to be eternal. 53:23 Now here's page 772: "It was not the spear thrust, 53:26 it was not the pain of the cross that caused the death of Jesus. 53:29 That cry uttered with a loud voice 53:32 at the moment of death, the stream of blood and water 53:34 that flowed from His side declared that He died 53:36 of a broken heart. 53:38 His heart was broken by mental anguish. 53:41 He was slain by the sin of the world. " 53:46 My sin. That darling little sin that you refuse to let go of. 53:51 The one that came to your mind just a moment ago when I said 53:53 "sin. " Bing... you saw it. 53:55 That sin that for some reason we refuse to part with. 54:00 That sin killed Him. 54:04 One sin... just one. 54:10 Have mercy is the sinner's prayer. 54:16 Have mercy on me. 54:18 I killed the Son of God. 54:23 Died forever. 54:27 Died forever. You say: "Well He didn't die forever. " 54:31 Oh yes He did. 54:32 I heard a little story when I was a boy. 54:34 I'll share it with you in closing. 54:37 The story about another little boy. 54:39 Maybe it was Uncle Arthur's Bedtime Stories. 54:41 I don't know where I heard this story but it's just been in 54:43 my mind ever since. 54:44 A little boy desperately ill. 54:50 Doctors examine him and they discover that they need... 54:55 he, the boy, must have life-saving blood or it's over. 54:59 Now in a case where a child needs blood who do you... 55:03 whom is tested first? 55:05 Huh? Of course the mother. 55:08 The mother... she bore him. 55:10 DNA didn't work. 55:12 Next one would be? Papa. 55:15 Didn't work. 55:16 Next one? Little sister. It worked. Yeah. 55:21 The doctors were very pleased they found the lifesaver. 55:26 So they get down on their knees and the papa's there 55:28 and they say: "Now listen honey, we need your blood. 55:33 Take some of your blood... 55:35 you'll save your brother's life. 55:38 Would you be willing? " 55:39 She turned her little face away 55:42 lost in thought. 55:44 Finally she turns back and looks up into that ring of adults 55:47 staring down at her and she bobs her curls. 55:49 She would do it. 55:51 So they take her into the laboratory. You've given blood; 55:53 you know it is: chush, chush, chush... 55:55 and there it goes into that little plastic bag. 55:57 Lifesaving blood. 55:59 When the procedure is over hold that cotton swab. 56:02 As she's walking out of the lab beside her daddy 56:05 she reaches up and she tugs at her daddy's coat 56:08 and she says: "Papa, when will I die now? " 56:14 And like a bolt out of the blue it hit the dad: 56:21 she just went through that procedure believing 56:25 that she would die. 56:27 Ladies and gentlemen, I'm asking you a question right now: 56:29 did that little girl die for her brother? Yes or no. 56:33 Of course she did. 56:35 Where did she die? She died up here. 56:36 She paid the price: I'm dead... you live. 56:39 Did Jesus die the forever death? 56:42 Absolutely, yes He did... He died it up here. 56:45 "My God, You've cut Me off. " 56:47 He died it up here forever and ever. 56:51 He was willing to die forever 56:53 so that you and I might live forever. 56:55 He was willing to die forever 56:58 so that you and I might live forever. 57:02 There's only one word for that. 57:05 "For I am convinced that nothing in all creation 57:09 shall be able to separate us from the love of God 57:13 which is in Christ Jesus. " 57:17 Let's pray. 57:19 Oh God, that love: 57:22 that love that will not let us go, 57:24 that love that is ours forever and ever. 57:29 We bow in absolute... |
Revised 2014-12-17