Let's praise Jesus this morning.
00:00:09.00\00:00:10.77
Sing with all of your
heart and all of your mind.
00:00:37.20\00:00:39.87
He is exalted the
King is exalted on high
00:00:57.72\00:01:03.63
I will praise Him
00:01:03.66\00:01:06.19
He is exalted forever exalted
00:01:06.23\00:01:10.17
And I will praise His name
00:01:10.20\00:01:16.64
He is the Lord,
00:01:18.71\00:01:22.51
Forever His truth shall reign
00:01:22.54\00:01:27.08
Heaven and Earth
00:01:27.12\00:01:30.82
Rejoice in His holy name
00:01:30.85\00:01:35.52
He is exalted
00:01:35.56\00:01:37.26
The King is exalted on high
00:01:37.29\00:01:43.93
He is exalted the
King is exalted on high
00:01:43.97\00:01:49.94
I will praise Him
00:01:49.97\00:01:52.47
He is exalted forever exalted
00:01:52.51\00:01:56.64
And I will praise His name
00:01:56.68\00:02:04.12
He is the Lord,
00:02:04.15\00:02:09.09
Forever His truth shall reign
00:02:09.12\00:02:13.83
Heaven and Earth
rejoice in His holy name
00:02:13.86\00:02:21.77
He is exalted
00:02:21.80\00:02:24.31
The King is exalted on high
00:02:24.34\00:02:30.88
He is the Lord,
00:02:30.91\00:02:34.82
Forever His truth shall reign
00:02:34.85\00:02:39.45
Heaven and Earth
rejoice in His holy name
00:02:39.49\00:02:47.40
He is exalted
00:02:47.43\00:02:49.90
The King is exalted on high
00:02:49.93\00:02:56.37
He is exalted the
King is exalted on high
00:02:56.40\00:03:03.55
My Jesus, my Savior
00:03:18.99\00:03:24.67
Lord there is none like you
00:03:24.70\00:03:29.37
All of my days I want to praise
00:03:29.40\00:03:35.51
The wonders of Your mighty love
00:03:35.54\00:03:42.25
My comfort, my shelter
00:03:44.82\00:03:50.29
Tower of refuge and strength
00:03:50.33\00:03:55.50
Let every breath, all that I am
00:03:55.53\00:04:01.74
Never cease to worship You
00:04:01.77\00:04:09.64
Shout to the Lord,
all the earth, let us sing
00:04:09.68\00:04:16.08
Power and
majesty, praise to the King
00:04:16.12\00:04:22.36
Mountains bow down
and the seas will roar
00:04:22.39\00:04:27.83
At the sound of Your name
00:04:27.86\00:04:35.07
I sing for joy at
the work of your hands
00:04:35.10\00:04:41.04
Forever I'll love
you, Forever I'll stand
00:04:41.08\00:04:47.68
Nothing compares to
the promise I have in You
00:04:47.72\00:04:54.69
My Jesus, my Savior
00:05:01.40\00:05:07.10
Lord there is none like You
00:05:07.14\00:05:11.77
All of my days, I want to praise
00:05:11.81\00:05:18.21
The wonders of Your mighty love
00:05:18.25\00:05:26.22
My comfort, my shelter
00:05:26.25\00:05:32.89
Tower of refuge and strength
00:05:32.93\00:05:37.77
Let every breath, all that I am
00:05:37.80\00:05:44.17
Never cease to worship You
00:05:44.21\00:05:52.05
Shout to the
Lord, all the earth,
00:05:52.08\00:05:55.58
Let us sing
00:05:55.62\00:05:58.52
Power and
majesty, praise to the King
00:05:58.55\00:06:04.99
Mountains bow down
and the seas will roar
00:06:05.03\00:06:10.47
At the sound of Your name
00:06:10.50\00:06:17.27
I sing for joy at
the work of Your hands
00:06:17.31\00:06:23.45
Forever I'll love
You, Forever I'll stand
00:06:23.48\00:06:29.95
Nothing compares to
the promise I have in You
00:06:29.98\00:06:37.69
Shout to the
Lord, All the earth,
00:06:42.46\00:06:46.27
Let us sing Power and majesty,
00:06:46.30\00:06:51.74
Praise to the King
00:06:51.77\00:06:55.38
Mountains bow down
And the seas will roar
00:06:55.41\00:07:00.78
At the sound of Your name
00:07:00.82\00:07:08.49
I sing for joy at
the work of your hands
00:07:08.52\00:07:14.66
Forever I'll love
You, Forever I'll stand
00:07:14.70\00:07:21.40
Nothing compares
to the promise I have
00:07:21.44\00:07:27.08
Oh, nothing compares
to the promise I have
00:07:27.11\00:07:33.48
Oh, nothing
compares to the promise
00:07:33.52\00:07:38.82
I have in You
00:07:38.85\00:07:43.49
Amen, you may be seated.
00:07:47.30\00:07:50.47
I want to invite
you during this song,
00:07:50.50\00:07:51.97
at any point of time to
come forward for our prayer,
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as we stand in awe
00:07:55.27\00:07:57.74
and in amazement of our God.
00:07:57.77\00:08:01.64
So come forward.
00:08:01.68\00:08:03.01
You dance over me
00:08:19.46\00:08:25.73
While I am unaware
00:08:25.77\00:08:31.91
You sing all around
00:08:31.94\00:08:37.88
But I never hear the sound
00:08:37.91\00:08:43.89
Lord, I'm amazed by you
00:08:43.92\00:08:50.26
Lord, I'm amazed by you
00:08:50.29\00:08:56.70
Lord, I'm amazed by you
00:08:56.73\00:09:03.41
How You love me
00:09:03.44\00:09:06.17
You paint the morning sky
00:09:10.18\00:09:16.55
With miracles in mind
00:09:16.58\00:09:22.79
My hope will always stand
00:09:22.82\00:09:29.13
For You hold me in Your hand
00:09:29.16\00:09:34.74
Lord, I'm amazed by You
00:09:34.77\00:09:41.04
Lord, I'm amazed by You
00:09:41.08\00:09:47.25
Lord, I'm amazed by You
00:09:47.28\00:09:53.99
How You love me
00:09:54.02\00:09:57.03
How wide
00:10:00.70\00:10:06.53
How deep
00:10:06.57\00:10:12.57
How great
00:10:12.61\00:10:17.38
Is Your love for me
00:10:17.41\00:10:25.22
How wide
00:10:25.25\00:10:31.39
How deep
00:10:31.43\00:10:37.33
How great
00:10:37.37\00:10:41.97
Is Your love for me
00:10:42.00\00:10:46.37
Lord, I'm amazed by You
00:10:49.41\00:10:55.48
Lord, I'm amazed by You
00:10:55.52\00:11:01.96
Lord, I'm amazed by You
00:11:01.99\00:11:09.10
How You love me
00:11:09.13\00:11:14.90
Lord, I'm amazed by You
00:11:14.94\00:11:22.18
How You love me
00:11:22.21\00:11:25.61
Oh, Lord, You're beautiful
00:11:29.35\00:11:37.13
Your face is all I seek
00:11:40.26\00:11:47.87
And when your eyes
00:11:51.14\00:11:56.44
Are on this child
00:11:56.48\00:12:01.92
Your grace abounds to me
00:12:01.95\00:12:09.86
Jesus, lover of my soul
00:12:29.28\00:12:35.05
Let me to Thy bosom fly
00:12:35.08\00:12:40.56
While the nearer waters roll
00:12:40.59\00:12:46.03
While the tempest still is high
00:12:46.06\00:12:51.63
Hide me, O my Savior, hide
00:12:51.67\00:12:57.31
Till the storm of life is past
00:12:57.34\00:13:03.08
Safe into the heaven guide
00:13:03.11\00:13:09.02
Oh, receive my soul at last
00:13:09.05\00:13:15.09
Other refuge have I none
00:13:15.12\00:13:21.06
Hangs my helpless soul on Thee
00:13:21.10\00:13:26.97
Leave, oh, leave me not alone
00:13:27.00\00:13:32.94
Still support and comfort me
00:13:32.97\00:13:39.48
All my trust on Thee is stayed
00:13:45.82\00:13:51.49
All my help from Thee I bring
00:13:51.53\00:13:57.30
Cover my defenseless head
00:13:57.33\00:14:01.87
With the shadow of Thy wing
00:14:01.90\00:14:08.41
With the shadow of Thy wing
00:14:08.44\00:14:15.42
Plenteous grace
with Thee is found
00:14:27.16\00:14:32.80
Grace to cover all my sin
00:14:32.83\00:14:38.61
Let the healing streams abound
00:14:38.64\00:14:44.31
Make and keep me pure within
00:14:44.35\00:14:50.49
Thou the life of fountain art
00:14:50.52\00:14:56.73
Freely let me take of Thee
00:14:56.76\00:15:03.33
Spring Thou up within my heart
00:15:03.37\00:15:08.54
And rise, rise
00:15:08.57\00:15:14.61
Rise to all eternity
00:15:14.64\00:15:21.62
Jesus, lover of my soul
00:15:40.70\00:15:47.21
Let me to Thy bosom fly
00:15:47.24\00:15:53.82
Jesus, lover of my soul
00:15:53.85\00:16:00.82
Jesus, lover of my soul
00:16:00.86\00:16:07.83
Amen.
00:16:25.68\00:16:27.02
Thank you, Julie.
00:16:34.92\00:16:36.83
We really needed that today.
00:16:36.86\00:16:40.96
Jesus, lover of my soul.
00:16:41.00\00:16:47.30
Begin, beginning
in this New Year,
00:16:47.34\00:16:49.67
our series entitled
Charmed into Righteousness,
00:16:49.70\00:16:51.97
the second half you never see,
00:16:52.01\00:16:54.14
it's the matchless
attractions of Christ.
00:16:54.18\00:16:58.58
That's a little seven prater,
00:17:01.25\00:17:02.82
our creative design engineer
00:17:02.85\00:17:06.79
Jonathan LaPointe has
worked those seven parts
00:17:06.82\00:17:09.32
into a very short video.
00:17:09.36\00:17:11.19
I want to roll it, have prayer,
and then we're on, Let's go.
00:17:11.23\00:17:15.63
Oh, God, are you
really all of that and more?
00:18:17.66\00:18:22.26
All of that, what
Julie was just saying,
00:18:22.30\00:18:25.87
lover of our souls.
00:18:25.90\00:18:29.37
What does that mean?
00:18:29.40\00:18:32.31
In the cusp of this New Year,
00:18:32.34\00:18:34.01
what does that mean for us?
00:18:34.04\00:18:36.14
Make it clear, today, right now
00:18:36.18\00:18:38.61
in Your word, we
pray in Christ name.
00:18:38.65\00:18:41.28
Amen.
00:18:41.32\00:18:42.98
So I was reading last
week the Los Angels Times,
00:18:43.02\00:18:45.72
we were out in L.A
for a family reunion
00:18:45.75\00:18:47.86
with my mother, siblings,
00:18:47.89\00:18:49.52
and nephews and nieces.
00:18:49.56\00:18:54.50
And I get to the
op-ed page L.A Times.
00:18:54.53\00:18:56.60
Okay, so this is last week.
00:18:56.63\00:18:59.23
And a headline catches my eye.
00:18:59.27\00:19:00.87
Not a Happy New Year.
00:19:00.90\00:19:03.41
I'm saying, I say,
what's up with that?
00:19:03.44\00:19:06.11
So who wrote this?
00:19:06.14\00:19:07.48
Michael Mitchler is a
father, husband, teacher
00:19:07.51\00:19:11.01
and an author,
living in upstate New York.
00:19:11.05\00:19:13.68
So as a guy living in New
York writing for the L.A Times,
00:19:13.72\00:19:16.58
then I found out, I
want to read it to you.
00:19:16.62\00:19:20.56
My daughter
Hanna died last year.
00:19:20.59\00:19:25.09
A tumor slowly ate away
at her 17 year old brain,
00:19:25.13\00:19:28.56
'causing it to
lose motor functions,
00:19:28.60\00:19:30.40
speech, life, it was March 2014,
00:19:30.43\00:19:34.74
all the treatments
and clinical trails,
00:19:34.77\00:19:36.34
and prayers couldn't stop it,
00:19:36.37\00:19:37.71
and I still don't have
the words to talk about it.
00:19:37.74\00:19:40.34
I'm supposed to be somewhat
dexterous with language,
00:19:40.38\00:19:42.54
I teach high school English
00:19:42.58\00:19:44.01
and I even
wrote a book recently.
00:19:44.05\00:19:46.95
I don't have,
00:19:46.98\00:19:48.52
often have a hard time
coming up with something
00:19:48.55\00:19:51.09
to say or a way to say it.
00:19:51.12\00:19:53.05
When it comes to
talking about Hanna's death,
00:19:53.09\00:19:54.86
however, things
have been different.
00:19:54.89\00:19:58.43
This conversations
with new acquaintances
00:19:58.46\00:20:00.10
tilt towards family
00:20:00.13\00:20:01.56
and there's no
avoiding the matter.
00:20:01.60\00:20:02.93
I give her death a
quick and cursory mention,
00:20:02.96\00:20:05.07
I've adopted this technique
00:20:05.10\00:20:06.43
partly out of
empathy for the poor person
00:20:06.47\00:20:08.17
who couldn't
possibly have seen this turn
00:20:08.20\00:20:09.70
in the conversation coming
00:20:09.74\00:20:11.27
and partly out of
self preservation,
00:20:11.31\00:20:13.14
so I can navigate it quickly,
00:20:13.17\00:20:14.68
compartmentalize my emotions
00:20:14.71\00:20:16.31
and then get back to
getting through the day.
00:20:16.34\00:20:21.72
But embedded deep
within this terse treatment
00:20:21.75\00:20:23.69
of my profound pain is a
subtle language mechanism,
00:20:23.72\00:20:27.39
a secret code I've
clung to as a means of coping.
00:20:27.42\00:20:31.33
When I say, as I did earlier
00:20:31.36\00:20:32.93
my daughter
Hanna died last year.
00:20:32.96\00:20:36.77
I know that those
two essential words
00:20:36.80\00:20:39.13
last year keep me in
the immediate wake of it all
00:20:39.17\00:20:43.41
and somehow keep
my daughter here,
00:20:43.44\00:20:45.41
and close, and present.
00:20:45.44\00:20:48.71
In 2014, it was raw
and there was no doubt
00:20:48.74\00:20:51.61
we were in the
mist of our tragedy.
00:20:51.65\00:20:52.98
She had just
died through our 2015,
00:20:53.01\00:20:55.58
saying last year has certainly
00:20:55.62\00:20:57.82
put the event in
the past linguistically,
00:20:57.85\00:20:59.82
but anyone truly
listening can sense
00:20:59.85\00:21:02.26
that it is ever present.
00:21:02.29\00:21:03.99
It seems like yesterday,
00:21:04.03\00:21:06.39
and I and my
family continue to wear
00:21:06.43\00:21:08.26
our grief like a
threadbare garment.
00:21:08.30\00:21:10.90
With 2016 approaching though,
00:21:10.93\00:21:12.90
just what exactly
am I supposed to say?
00:21:12.93\00:21:14.97
What language am
I supposed to use?
00:21:15.00\00:21:16.54
Come Friday,
'cause this came out
00:21:16.57\00:21:18.07
the day before New
Year's Eve, all right?
00:21:18.11\00:21:20.01
So come Friday, that
would be New Year's Day.
00:21:20.04\00:21:22.18
Come Friday, I will no longer
be able to refer to last year,
00:21:22.21\00:21:25.41
when discussing Hanna's death.
00:21:25.45\00:21:27.05
I'll need to put a
date on it, a year on it,
00:21:27.08\00:21:29.12
making it somehow historical
and creating distance.
00:21:29.15\00:21:33.66
My daughter's death will become
some static event in time,
00:21:33.69\00:21:37.19
and because time
passes and the years turn,
00:21:37.23\00:21:40.26
we will be expected to move on.
00:21:40.30\00:21:44.17
Never before has New Year's Eve
with its countdown to midnight,
00:21:44.20\00:21:47.30
it's simple turn
of a calendar page,
00:21:47.34\00:21:49.30
it's song of old
acquaintance being forgot,
00:21:49.34\00:21:52.17
brought on such
dread and utter confusion
00:21:52.21\00:21:54.58
about moving forward.
00:21:54.61\00:21:56.44
There is no chance that I'll
forget my daughter, of course,
00:21:56.48\00:22:00.05
but the calendar can't
possibly jibe with my emotions.
00:22:00.08\00:22:03.05
The years are
moving too fast for me now.
00:22:03.08\00:22:07.59
While memories of Hanna remain
00:22:07.62\00:22:09.89
like the comfort of lingering
smoke from a favorite candle.
00:22:09.92\00:22:13.66
The year's end will
be coaxing us to throw
00:22:13.70\00:22:15.63
open the windows
and clear the air
00:22:15.66\00:22:17.27
for rebirth and renewal,
00:22:17.30\00:22:18.93
but I don't want
to clear the air.
00:22:18.97\00:22:23.07
I want to remember, I
want to slow it all down
00:22:23.10\00:22:26.61
and just sit for a while,
00:22:26.64\00:22:28.51
not moving until I'm
ready, not talking about it
00:22:28.54\00:22:31.21
until I can get the words right.
00:22:31.25\00:22:34.02
Instead of a New
Year with new numbers,
00:22:34.05\00:22:37.19
I need a new language
that allows me to linger
00:22:37.22\00:22:40.59
and wait
00:22:40.62\00:22:42.82
and hold on.
00:22:42.86\00:22:45.99
Wow.
00:22:46.03\00:22:47.36
Only a parent
who has lost a child,
00:22:51.83\00:22:53.44
and there are a
number of you here.
00:22:56.50\00:23:00.48
Only a parent
who has lost a child
00:23:00.51\00:23:04.21
can know the crystal
pain that clings like icicles
00:23:04.25\00:23:09.45
to this
father's perpetual grief.
00:23:09.48\00:23:14.82
Tomorrow afternoon, 4 o'clock,
00:23:14.86\00:23:19.49
Howard Performing Art Centre,
00:23:19.53\00:23:22.56
this campus says good bye
00:23:22.60\00:23:25.73
to a young
co-head, Whitney Watson.
00:23:25.77\00:23:29.37
Her folks are in
our midst these hours
00:23:29.40\00:23:33.51
before tomorrow.
00:23:33.54\00:23:37.11
You know, I read
this and I must tell you,
00:23:37.15\00:23:40.45
I just bow before the magnitude
of this father's grief.
00:23:40.48\00:23:44.82
The pain,
00:23:44.85\00:23:46.19
the love, the loss,
00:23:49.79\00:23:54.23
you can say to
me, hey, hey, Dwight,
00:23:54.26\00:23:56.30
God is love and, you
know, I think I get it.
00:23:56.33\00:24:00.84
You can say to me,
you know the Bible says,
00:24:00.87\00:24:02.87
for God so loved the world,
and I think I can grasp it.
00:24:02.90\00:24:07.44
But when a
father sobs out His love
00:24:07.48\00:24:09.44
from such brokenness like this.
00:24:09.48\00:24:13.35
Yo, somehow,
00:24:13.38\00:24:15.92
we're faintly able
to grasp the stark truth
00:24:15.95\00:24:22.66
about God's love,
00:24:22.69\00:24:24.03
and we dare to wonder,
00:24:27.03\00:24:28.43
is it possible that God loves us
00:24:28.46\00:24:32.67
even more than this?
00:24:32.70\00:24:37.24
Open your Bible
with me to Romans 5.
00:24:37.27\00:24:41.44
It's not a strange passage,
00:24:41.48\00:24:42.84
you may have read
it before Romans 5,
00:24:42.88\00:24:46.05
our passage for this harmony.
00:24:46.08\00:24:51.05
Romans 5,
00:24:51.09\00:24:52.92
I'll be in the New
International Version.
00:24:52.95\00:24:54.29
You didn't bring your
Bible, you got to see this.
00:24:54.32\00:24:55.66
Don't read it on the screen.
00:24:55.69\00:24:57.03
Pull the pew Bible
out in front of you,
00:24:57.06\00:24:58.39
you'll be page
760 in the pew Bible.
00:24:58.43\00:25:02.80
Romans 5, I
want to read verse 8.
00:25:02.83\00:25:04.77
"But God..."
00:25:07.94\00:25:09.27
You see that?
00:25:09.30\00:25:10.64
"But God demonstrates
his own love for us in this:
00:25:10.67\00:25:15.54
While we were still
sinners, Christ died for us."
00:25:15.58\00:25:20.95
Won't you go back to verse 6?
00:25:20.98\00:25:22.68
"You see, at
just the right time,
00:25:22.72\00:25:24.15
when we were still powerless,
Christ died for the ungodly."
00:25:24.19\00:25:27.82
Now comes verse 7,
00:25:27.86\00:25:29.19
"Very rarely will anyone
die for a righteous person,
00:25:29.22\00:25:31.43
though for a good person
00:25:31.46\00:25:32.89
someone might
possibly dare to die."
00:25:32.93\00:25:34.83
But here comes verse 8 again,
00:25:34.86\00:25:36.46
" God demonstrates his
own love for us in this:
00:25:36.50\00:25:40.00
While we were still
sinners, Christ died for us."
00:25:40.04\00:25:44.91
Verse 10 "For if,
while we were God's enemies,
00:25:44.94\00:25:48.01
we were reconciled to him
through the death of his Son,
00:25:48.04\00:25:50.71
how much more,
having been reconciled,
00:25:50.75\00:25:53.78
shall we be saved
through his life!"
00:25:53.82\00:25:56.55
What you and I have just read
00:25:56.58\00:25:58.32
iterated three
times is the profound time
00:25:58.35\00:26:01.09
line of the gospel.
00:26:01.12\00:26:02.66
Did you catch it?
00:26:02.69\00:26:04.03
We just read it.
00:26:04.06\00:26:05.39
Want you to go
grab your study guide,
00:26:05.43\00:26:06.76
I want you go get
this. This is a huge point.
00:26:06.80\00:26:08.86
Absolutely essential to catch.
00:26:08.90\00:26:11.00
The time line of the gospel.
00:26:11.03\00:26:12.37
Your study guide, by
the way, is stuck into your
00:26:12.40\00:26:13.74
New Year Bulletin.
00:26:13.77\00:26:15.10
You don't have one?
We got some ushers here.
00:26:15.14\00:26:16.47
Thank you ushers,
if you would bring
00:26:16.50\00:26:17.84
some study guides
up and down these rows,
00:26:17.87\00:26:19.84
just hold your hand up and
then usher will come your way.
00:26:19.87\00:26:24.11
I suppose we have to
throw the tile slide up
00:26:24.15\00:26:25.51
one more time,
put it on the screen.
00:26:25.55\00:26:29.58
There it is,
00:26:29.62\00:26:31.42
those of you
watching on a television,
00:26:31.45\00:26:33.15
or a laptop or wherever.
00:26:33.19\00:26:36.32
If it's not live streaming,
00:26:36.36\00:26:37.69
our website is www.pmchurch.tv
00:26:37.73\00:26:40.10
you're looking
for little series,
00:26:40.13\00:26:42.10
it takes us into the first
Sabbaths of this new season,
00:26:42.13\00:26:44.90
Charmed into Righteousness.
00:26:44.93\00:26:47.14
Last Sabbath, The
Only Savior, today,
00:26:47.17\00:26:49.40
The Truest Friend, and you look,
00:26:49.44\00:26:50.87
those of you live streaming
00:26:50.91\00:26:52.24
you've have
written and they're saying,
00:26:52.27\00:26:53.61
"Hey, where we
find the study guide?"
00:26:53.64\00:26:54.98
Just go down, go down below,
00:26:55.01\00:26:56.34
beneath the image, it's
on your screen right now,
00:26:56.38\00:26:57.71
and you'll see the
study guide is right there.
00:26:57.75\00:26:59.75
All right, let's go.
00:26:59.78\00:27:01.12
Three iterations of
this profound time liners,
00:27:01.15\00:27:03.18
jot it down, verse 6,
00:27:03.22\00:27:04.65
"While we were still powerless."
00:27:04.69\00:27:06.32
write in the word powerless,
we read that in verse 6.
00:27:06.35\00:27:08.92
Two verses later, verse 8
"While we were still sinners."
00:27:08.96\00:27:12.19
Paul writes, and then
two verses later, verse 10
00:27:12.23\00:27:14.10
"While we were still enemies."
00:27:14.13\00:27:18.37
Three times, three iterations
of the single timeline
00:27:18.40\00:27:21.30
with one truth, jot it down,
00:27:21.34\00:27:22.90
"God loved us
before," that's a huge point.
00:27:22.94\00:27:27.34
"Before we were loveable,"
while we were still a rotten,
00:27:27.38\00:27:33.72
unlovely mess, He loved us.
00:27:33.75\00:27:37.99
I'm telling you what.
00:27:38.02\00:27:40.02
This is a big
deal when you consider
00:27:40.06\00:27:41.39
our social media
postings these days.
00:27:41.42\00:27:43.53
Come on,
everybody's on social media now.
00:27:43.56\00:27:45.36
They just released
January 1 by the way,
00:27:45.39\00:27:46.73
the top ten social media sites
and guess who is number one?
00:27:46.76\00:27:50.20
Of course 1.1
billion human beings,
00:27:50.23\00:27:52.27
Facebook and
underneath it Twitter,
00:27:52.30\00:27:55.07
about 250
million and then on down.
00:27:55.10\00:27:57.74
So everybody's
into social media now.
00:27:57.77\00:28:00.31
But they're doing
research now on our postings
00:28:00.34\00:28:02.24
and guess what
they're finding out?
00:28:02.28\00:28:03.61
As I wrote in today's
blog, don't read it now,
00:28:03.65\00:28:05.71
they're finding
out that in fact,
00:28:05.75\00:28:07.22
we act like we're
curators in the museum.
00:28:07.25\00:28:09.08
You know what a curator does?
00:28:09.12\00:28:11.29
What he does is he says...
00:28:11.32\00:28:13.25
she says, "I'm gonna
put the pizzazz out front,
00:28:13.29\00:28:16.12
I'll hide the ugly
stuff in the back."
00:28:16.16\00:28:18.36
Curators arrange,
they put the best up front.
00:28:18.39\00:28:21.76
We are curating
our own self images,
00:28:21.80\00:28:24.67
that's what they're finding out.
00:28:24.70\00:28:26.20
This is fascinating,
it's in your study guide,
00:28:26.23\00:28:28.00
the quote, put it
on the screen for you.
00:28:28.04\00:28:29.40
Walt Mueller
describes those of us
00:28:29.44\00:28:32.67
who are third Millennials
this identity formation
00:28:32.71\00:28:35.74
that we all practice.
00:28:35.78\00:28:37.65
These are His
words on the screen,
00:28:37.68\00:28:39.18
"For digital natives
00:28:39.21\00:28:41.15
living out their
lives in an online world,
00:28:41.18\00:28:43.28
the identity options
00:28:43.32\00:28:45.02
from which to choose
are virtually limitless.
00:28:45.05\00:28:47.76
Kids, and I add the words
and adults are able to perform
00:28:47.79\00:28:51.09
through a growing
multitude of social media sites
00:28:51.13\00:28:54.03
by choosing the
words they post,"
00:28:54.06\00:28:56.46
might be true, might false,
00:28:56.50\00:28:57.93
"by posing and photo-shopping
themselves into images
00:28:57.97\00:29:00.87
that don't come close
to who they really are."
00:29:00.90\00:29:04.01
As media critic
Quentin Schultze observed,
00:29:04.04\00:29:06.71
'The digital world
suffocates virtue by allowing us
00:29:06.74\00:29:10.08
unbridled freedom to be
all things to all people.
00:29:10.11\00:29:15.18
To give ourselves
over to the highest bidder
00:29:15.22\00:29:17.55
or to the most
persuasive master."
00:29:17.59\00:29:21.29
' Hey, guys, why do we do it?
00:29:21.32\00:29:22.66
Young or aged, why do we do it?
00:29:22.69\00:29:24.16
You know why?
00:29:24.19\00:29:25.53
Because we're convinced
that little low me, you kidding,
00:29:25.56\00:29:27.96
weird as I am,
00:29:28.00\00:29:29.53
these are the stuff I
don't do, the cool I am not,
00:29:29.56\00:29:32.67
nobody would be attracted to me,
00:29:32.70\00:29:34.44
but if I rephotoshop myself,
00:29:34.47\00:29:37.37
now you want to be a
friend, now you will follow.
00:29:37.41\00:29:41.01
Yeah, that's the point.
00:29:41.04\00:29:42.38
A friend of me,
00:29:42.41\00:29:43.75
a friend of mine gave me
Michael Horton's newest book,
00:29:43.78\00:29:48.05
fascinating title by the way,
I'm working my way through it,
00:29:48.08\00:29:50.79
Ordinary, Sustainable Faith
in a Radical Restless World.
00:29:50.82\00:29:54.19
You have the quote as well.
00:29:54.22\00:29:55.62
He's quoting a
psychiatrist now, okay?
00:29:55.66\00:29:58.13
So some bright minds are
looking at these postings,
00:29:58.16\00:30:00.10
a psychiatrist.
00:30:00.13\00:30:01.46
Put the words on the screen.
00:30:01.50\00:30:02.83
The name of the
psychiatrist, Keith Ablow,
00:30:02.86\00:30:04.63
he warns based
on recent studies.
00:30:04.67\00:30:07.34
He warns of quote, now
I'm quoting the psychiatrist,
00:30:07.37\00:30:10.01
"The toxic psychological
impact of media and technology
00:30:10.04\00:30:14.08
on children,
adolescents, and young adults,
00:30:14.11\00:30:17.05
and not so young adults, I add,
00:30:17.08\00:30:18.85
particularly as it regards
00:30:18.88\00:30:20.65
turning them into
faux, or fake celebrities,
00:30:20.68\00:30:24.09
the equivalent of lead actors
00:30:24.12\00:30:25.92
in their own
fictionalized life stories.
00:30:25.95\00:30:28.66
On Facebook, young,
and not so young people,
00:30:28.69\00:30:31.09
can fool
themselves into thinking
00:30:31.13\00:30:32.63
they have hundreds
or thousands of friends.
00:30:32.66\00:30:34.93
They can delete
unflattering comments.
00:30:34.96\00:30:36.67
They can block anyone
who disagrees with them
00:30:36.70\00:30:38.20
or pokes holes in
their inflated self-esteem.
00:30:38.23\00:30:40.94
Using Twitter, young,
and not so young people,
00:30:40.97\00:30:43.37
can pretend they
are worth ''following,"
00:30:43.41\00:30:45.44
as though they
have real-life fans,
00:30:45.47\00:30:48.01
when all that is really
happening is the mutual fanning
00:30:48.04\00:30:51.55
of false love and false fame."
00:30:51.58\00:30:54.02
Ouch!
00:30:54.05\00:30:55.38
Why you all nodding your heads?
00:30:59.39\00:31:01.89
'Cause it's true.
00:31:01.92\00:31:04.63
Which makes Romans 5 timeline
00:31:04.66\00:31:07.30
even more stunning
because before we could,
00:31:07.33\00:31:10.57
before we had the time
to photoshop ourselves,
00:31:10.60\00:31:12.73
to make
ourselves attracted to God,
00:31:12.77\00:31:14.20
while we were still
a rotten unlovely mess.
00:31:14.24\00:31:17.27
God saw us and he
said, "You, I love."
00:31:17.31\00:31:22.18
While we were still sinners,
while we were still enemies,
00:31:22.21\00:31:24.61
while we were still
powerless, I loved you.
00:31:24.65\00:31:29.12
And I said I want that girl,
00:31:29.15\00:31:31.55
I want that boy for my friend.
00:31:31.59\00:31:36.69
Romans 5:8,
00:31:36.73\00:31:38.76
"But God demonstrates his
own love toward us in this:
00:31:38.79\00:31:43.40
While we were still sinners,
00:31:43.43\00:31:45.57
Christ came
down, and died for us."
00:31:45.60\00:31:48.64
And by the way,
did you catch that,
00:31:48.67\00:31:50.01
it's not just
Jesus who loves us.
00:31:50.04\00:31:52.14
It's almost like Jesus
who loves us and the father
00:31:52.17\00:31:53.94
ticked off at us, it's not true.
00:31:53.98\00:31:57.31
"God Himself has
demonstrated His love
00:31:57.35\00:32:01.75
for the likes of you and me,
00:32:01.78\00:32:03.12
while we were still
sinners, Christ died for us."
00:32:03.15\00:32:05.65
By the way, in
contradistinction to
00:32:05.69\00:32:07.69
when we became good,
then Christ died for us.
00:32:07.72\00:32:11.63
Wrong.
00:32:11.66\00:32:14.90
The before, the before
is absolutely critical,
00:32:14.93\00:32:18.53
in fact jot it down.
00:32:18.57\00:32:19.90
"The Father loved us and
Christ died for us before,
00:32:19.93\00:32:22.74
before we could
spiritually photoshop ourselves
00:32:22.77\00:32:24.94
into some sort
of attractive state.
00:32:24.97\00:32:27.48
Are you kidding?
00:32:27.51\00:32:28.84
God, God exclaims to
Israel, are you kidding?
00:32:28.88\00:32:30.85
You think, I chose you
because you're attracted?
00:32:30.88\00:32:33.35
Ezekiel Chapter 16,
I'm not gonna read it here.
00:32:36.92\00:32:39.85
I give you the
references, the verses there,
00:32:39.89\00:32:41.46
it's just very stunning.
00:32:41.49\00:32:43.69
You keep your
finger here in Romans 5.
00:32:43.73\00:32:45.06
I'll just pick up a line,
00:32:45.09\00:32:46.43
'cause I haven't marked
it, so I'll get to it quick.
00:32:46.46\00:32:48.66
God says, hey, hey, hey, I
want to tell you something,
00:32:48.70\00:32:50.53
Israel, yo, you people
think you're the chosen ones?
00:32:50.57\00:32:53.23
Listen up.
00:32:53.27\00:32:54.67
On the day you were born,
your cord was not cut, okay.
00:32:54.70\00:32:57.21
So there's a little baby with
umbilical cord dragging around.
00:32:57.24\00:32:59.61
That was you.
00:32:59.64\00:33:01.91
Your cord was not cut,
00:33:01.94\00:33:03.28
nor were you washed
with water to make you clean,
00:33:03.31\00:33:04.85
nor were you rub with
salt or wrapped in cloths.
00:33:04.88\00:33:07.85
So when the boy Jesus is born,
like all good Hebrew mothers,
00:33:07.88\00:33:11.39
washed with salt, clean
00:33:11.42\00:33:13.25
and then wrap
with swaddling cloths,
00:33:13.29\00:33:14.92
not clothes, it's cloths.
00:33:14.96\00:33:16.29
That was the way Jesus gave.
00:33:16.32\00:33:18.83
"No one looked at you guys said
00:33:18.86\00:33:20.40
he's talking to his chosen ones,
00:33:20.43\00:33:21.76
no one looked on you with
pity, or had compassion enough
00:33:21.80\00:33:23.73
to do any of
these things for you.
00:33:23.77\00:33:26.43
You were thrown
out in the open field,
00:33:26.47\00:33:28.17
from the day you were
born, you were despised.
00:33:28.20\00:33:30.14
Nobody wanted you,"
00:33:30.17\00:33:31.51
do you understand that?
00:33:31.54\00:33:32.87
Nobody and, "then I
pass by," oh, this is yuck.
00:33:32.91\00:33:36.64
"Then I pass by and I saw
you kicking about in your blood
00:33:36.68\00:33:41.22
and as you little
girl, as you little boy,
00:33:41.25\00:33:44.02
lay there in your blood.
00:33:44.05\00:33:45.49
I said you live,
00:33:45.52\00:33:47.96
in the next verse,
00:33:47.99\00:33:49.32
he says and I took
a corner of my garment
00:33:49.36\00:33:50.86
and I put that corner
of my garment over you
00:33:50.89\00:33:52.86
and that's a covenant, you and I
00:33:52.89\00:33:54.23
are gonna be married one day."
00:33:54.26\00:33:55.60
Grow up girl, grow up boy,
00:33:55.63\00:33:57.43
we're gonna be
married, you and me.
00:33:57.47\00:34:00.40
And you began to
grow, puberty set in,
00:34:00.44\00:34:02.17
and that's the
actual language in the NIV,
00:34:02.20\00:34:03.54
"puberty set in."
00:34:03.57\00:34:06.68
You became rather attractive
00:34:06.71\00:34:09.48
and then what did you do?
00:34:09.51\00:34:12.21
"But you
trusted in your beauty,"
00:34:12.25\00:34:13.58
verse 15, "And
you used your fame
00:34:13.62\00:34:15.32
to become a prostitute
00:34:15.35\00:34:17.85
and all your
detestable practices."
00:34:17.89\00:34:19.65
Verse 22, "You
and your prostitution,
00:34:19.69\00:34:21.39
you did not remember
the days you were youth.
00:34:21.42\00:34:23.49
You didn't
remember what you were
00:34:23.53\00:34:24.86
before you were photoshopped.
00:34:24.89\00:34:26.23
When you were naked and bare,
00:34:26.26\00:34:27.60
and kicking
about in your blood."
00:34:27.63\00:34:30.07
Not a very pretty
picture of the God who says,
00:34:30.10\00:34:32.87
when you were that, I loved you.
00:34:32.90\00:34:36.40
Boy, that word before
is absolutely a big deal.
00:34:36.44\00:34:40.18
The timeline of
the gospel before,
00:34:40.21\00:34:42.94
before, you became who you are.
00:34:42.98\00:34:46.82
When you were still
rotten, unlovely and a mess,
00:34:46.85\00:34:50.32
I loved you.
00:34:50.35\00:34:51.95
In fact, Paul makes
the same point in Romans,
00:34:51.99\00:34:54.76
your fingers are
already there in Romans 5.
00:34:54.79\00:34:56.12
But just turn a few
pages back to Romans 3.
00:34:56.16\00:35:01.50
I'll just read a few lines here.
00:35:01.53\00:35:02.86
Paul says, I'm
gonna get away the,
00:35:02.90\00:35:04.23
get all the blood and
mucous out of the story
00:35:04.27\00:35:05.63
and the
umbilical cord is not cut,
00:35:05.67\00:35:07.00
I'll just leave all that out.
00:35:07.04\00:35:08.37
I'll just tell you the truth,
morally, here's your picture.
00:35:08.40\00:35:10.11
Verse 10, Romans 3:10,
00:35:10.14\00:35:11.47
"As it is written:"
00:35:11.51\00:35:12.84
These are all quotations
from the Old Testament.
00:35:12.87\00:35:14.21
"There is no one
righteous, not even one,
00:35:14.24\00:35:17.15
there is no one who understands,
00:35:17.18\00:35:18.51
there is no one who seeks God."
00:35:18.55\00:35:19.91
Nobody on this planet.
00:35:19.95\00:35:21.28
"All, verse 12,
have turned away,
00:35:21.32\00:35:23.08
they have
together become worthless,
00:35:23.12\00:35:24.99
there is no one who
does good, not even one.
00:35:25.02\00:35:28.09
Your throats are open graves,
your tongues practice deceit.
00:35:28.12\00:35:31.06
The poison of
vipers is on your lips.
00:35:31.09\00:35:32.99
Your mouths are full of
cursing and bitterness.'
00:35:33.03\00:35:34.93
' And yadda yadda
yadda, that's you.
00:35:34.96\00:35:38.40
So the timeline is
crucial for us to get.
00:35:38.43\00:35:44.71
Three iterations to
drive home the profound truth
00:35:44.74\00:35:49.11
that God loved
us and die for us,
00:35:49.14\00:35:50.75
while we were still a
rotten, unlovely mess.
00:35:50.78\00:35:55.68
God demonstrates His
own love toward us and this,
00:35:55.72\00:35:59.29
while we were still
sinners, Christ died for us.
00:35:59.32\00:36:04.13
You know, when it
comes to advertising.
00:36:04.16\00:36:05.73
Don't you just love
all these little pop-up ads
00:36:05.76\00:36:07.46
in the internet and billboards?
00:36:07.50\00:36:10.67
When it comes to advertising,
marketing, Madison Avenue,
00:36:10.70\00:36:13.64
there's a little adage
00:36:13.67\00:36:15.00
we've all
learned as human beings
00:36:15.04\00:36:16.44
and you know it as well.
00:36:16.47\00:36:17.81
If it seems too
good to be true it,
00:36:17.84\00:36:22.11
how does it ago?
00:36:22.14\00:36:23.48
Usually is too good to be true.
00:36:23.51\00:36:27.05
But Desmond Ford
comes along in his
00:36:27.08\00:36:29.85
short little
commentary on Romans entitled,
00:36:29.88\00:36:31.85
Right With God, Right Now.
00:36:31.89\00:36:33.62
Says that's not the
way it is with the gospel.
00:36:33.66\00:36:35.79
That may be Madison
Avenue in marketing,
00:36:35.82\00:36:37.59
but the gospel,
00:36:37.63\00:36:38.96
here are Ford's words
on the screen for you.
00:36:38.99\00:36:40.33
With the gospel
it's the opposite,
00:36:40.36\00:36:42.46
as Madison Avenue.
00:36:42.50\00:36:43.83
It must be true, the
gospel because it's so good,
00:36:43.87\00:36:47.24
in fact and I'd
never seen this before
00:36:47.27\00:36:48.90
the word God is just a
contraction of the word good.
00:36:48.94\00:36:52.07
So take the word good,
00:36:52.11\00:36:53.44
drop an o out of
it boom, you got God.
00:36:53.48\00:36:55.58
But guess what it works
the same way with the devil.
00:36:55.61\00:36:57.71
The word, devil is just an
expansion of the word evil.
00:36:57.75\00:37:01.18
So you got evil,
00:37:01.22\00:37:02.58
then you put a d in
front of it and you got devil.
00:37:02.62\00:37:06.76
Those are your
choices, no man can serve two,
00:37:06.79\00:37:09.32
you can't, there's no third,
its just these, this New Year.
00:37:09.36\00:37:12.29
Those are your choices.
00:37:12.33\00:37:15.30
Ford goes on, God is good,
00:37:15.33\00:37:18.20
gooder, I like that,
00:37:18.23\00:37:19.57
gooder than we could ever think,
00:37:19.60\00:37:21.27
just as we are
worser than we ever thought.
00:37:21.30\00:37:24.37
You have to keep
the two at equipoise.
00:37:24.41\00:37:27.21
God, he writes is
better than we ever considered,
00:37:27.24\00:37:29.58
we are worse than
we ever suspected.
00:37:29.61\00:37:33.01
That God
demonstrated His own love for us
00:37:33.05\00:37:36.02
in this while we
were still sinners,
00:37:36.05\00:37:38.09
Christ died for us,
while we were still sinners.
00:37:38.12\00:37:42.32
Wow!
00:37:42.36\00:37:45.19
At last we conclude that
00:37:45.23\00:37:46.56
this divine love is
some sort of, you know,
00:37:46.59\00:37:47.93
sterile love, it
isn't guys, okay,
00:37:47.96\00:37:49.96
look, look, look, look.
00:37:50.00\00:37:51.33
God says look at...
00:37:51.37\00:37:52.70
I am love, that's true.
00:37:52.73\00:37:54.07
I am love, but I'm telling you
00:37:54.10\00:37:55.44
this is not an easy
thing for me to love you.
00:37:55.47\00:37:56.81
Take a look at yourself
please, I will go ahead,
00:37:56.84\00:37:59.34
no, no, don't
worry, I will go ahead,
00:37:59.37\00:38:00.98
because I have
to, because I'm love.
00:38:01.01\00:38:02.54
I'm not really into this,
I don't have my heart in it.
00:38:02.58\00:38:04.91
Are you kidding?
00:38:04.95\00:38:06.28
Do you think it's that way?
00:38:06.31\00:38:07.75
Exact opposite,
according to scripture,
00:38:07.78\00:38:10.02
John Peckham teaches
philosophy and theology
00:38:10.05\00:38:13.09
over theological seminary.
00:38:13.12\00:38:14.82
His brand new
book, just came out,
00:38:14.86\00:38:17.16
The Love of God:
A Canonical Model.
00:38:17.19\00:38:19.69
Quoted from it last week.
00:38:19.73\00:38:21.63
Number one reader's choice,
for the IVP Academic Press,
00:38:21.66\00:38:25.77
number one choice of readers.
00:38:25.80\00:38:28.50
John Peckham says, hey guys,
00:38:28.54\00:38:31.17
you got to see
what the scripture
00:38:31.21\00:38:32.54
says of God's love,
00:38:32.57\00:38:33.91
I will put it on the
screen, this is beautiful,
00:38:33.94\00:38:35.84
scripture presents
God as affectionate.
00:38:35.88\00:38:39.21
Ever think that
God is affectionate?
00:38:39.25\00:38:40.72
As affectionate and loving,
00:38:40.75\00:38:42.68
devotedly interested
00:38:42.72\00:38:44.05
and intimately
concerned about humans,
00:38:44.09\00:38:46.59
affected by the
world in feeling joy
00:38:46.62\00:38:49.82
and delight in
goodness, yet feeling sorrow,
00:38:49.86\00:38:52.23
passion and intense anger,
00:38:52.26\00:38:53.60
alongside feeling
profound compassion
00:38:53.63\00:38:56.20
and the desire to redeem humans.
00:38:56.23\00:38:58.10
Now it's true, while
none can overpower God,
00:38:58.13\00:39:01.47
he is affected
by worldly events.
00:39:01.50\00:39:04.67
Crisis, tragedies,
He's affected by it
00:39:04.71\00:39:07.58
because He's
willingly opened Himself up
00:39:07.61\00:39:09.98
to reciprocal love
relationship with creatures.
00:39:10.01\00:39:13.92
You know what
reciprocal means, don't you?
00:39:13.95\00:39:17.02
One on one, we give.
00:39:17.05\00:39:18.39
We each give, all right.
00:39:18.42\00:39:19.75
One more line, God enjoys
00:39:19.79\00:39:21.62
and is deeply
affected by reciprocal
00:39:21.66\00:39:25.63
though asymmetrical,
that means there is huge love
00:39:25.66\00:39:28.06
over here on God's part,
00:39:28.10\00:39:29.43
tiny little love on my part
and this is not even-steven.
00:39:29.46\00:39:31.53
It's really asymmetrical,
00:39:31.57\00:39:33.44
but God is
affected by reciprocal
00:39:33.47\00:39:36.64
relationship with
humans, end point.
00:39:36.67\00:39:40.74
Wow, case in point by the
way, what we just read, verse 10
00:39:40.78\00:39:43.24
here on Romans Chapter
5, let me read it to you
00:39:43.28\00:39:45.15
in the Today's English Version
or the Good News translation,
00:39:45.18\00:39:47.98
put it on the screen for you.
00:39:48.02\00:39:49.35
I love the way they translate,
verse 10, here it goes.
00:39:49.38\00:39:52.65
"We were God's enemies,
00:39:52.69\00:39:55.52
but he made us his friends
through the death of his Son.
00:39:55.56\00:39:58.76
Now that we are God's friends,
00:39:58.79\00:40:01.66
how much more will we
be saved by Christ's life!"
00:40:01.70\00:40:05.30
And then I like verse
11 but that's not all,
00:40:05.33\00:40:07.10
we rejoice because
of what has God done
00:40:07.14\00:40:09.00
through our Lord Jesus Christ
00:40:09.04\00:40:10.74
who has now made
us God's friends.
00:40:10.77\00:40:14.34
I love that
language, jot it down,
00:40:14.38\00:40:15.71
will you in your study guides,
00:40:15.74\00:40:17.08
so that you have
this translation with you.
00:40:17.11\00:40:18.61
"We were God's enemies,
but he made us his friends,
00:40:18.65\00:40:22.78
through the death of his son.
00:40:22.82\00:40:24.25
Now that we're God's friends,
00:40:24.29\00:40:27.42
how much more we will
be saved by Christ's life!"
00:40:27.46\00:40:30.29
Peckham is absolutely right.
00:40:30.33\00:40:31.66
God enjoys,
00:40:31.69\00:40:33.03
He's deeply
affected by this reciprocal.
00:40:33.06\00:40:36.13
One on one, relationship,
friendship with you,
00:40:36.16\00:40:40.34
I mean come on,
wasn't that Jesus'
00:40:40.37\00:40:41.70
point in the upper
room less than 24 hours
00:40:41.74\00:40:43.10
before He was executed,
00:40:43.14\00:40:44.47
what did Jesus say? Put
it on the screen for you.
00:40:44.51\00:40:46.07
Fill it in your study guide.
00:40:46.11\00:40:47.44
John 15, upper room, verse 13,
00:40:47.48\00:40:49.44
"Greater love
has no one than this:
00:40:49.48\00:40:51.88
to lay down
one's life for one's,"
00:40:51.91\00:40:53.72
what's the next word?
00:40:53.75\00:40:55.12
"Friends," keep writing.
00:40:55.15\00:40:57.45
"You are my,"
00:40:57.49\00:40:58.92
what's the next word?
00:40:58.95\00:41:00.29
"Friends, if you
do what I command."
00:41:00.32\00:41:03.22
And oh, by the way,
00:41:03.26\00:41:04.59
everybody in the upper
room has already pledged to do
00:41:04.63\00:41:05.96
whatever their master
commands, you count on me,
00:41:05.99\00:41:07.70
Peter says, "Yes, sir,
I'm with you till death."
00:41:07.73\00:41:10.20
And what does
Peter do in a few hours?
00:41:10.23\00:41:11.93
Cursing the name of
his friend, he denies Him.
00:41:11.97\00:41:16.57
By the way, the gospel
says, all the disciples fled.
00:41:16.60\00:41:19.94
All of them fled.
00:41:19.97\00:41:23.48
And just hours
after resurrection,
00:41:23.51\00:41:24.85
what does Thomas say?
00:41:24.88\00:41:26.21
I don't believe it, I
don't believe it, doubtsome.
00:41:26.25\00:41:29.72
You are my friends.
00:41:29.75\00:41:31.75
Yo, Lord did you
say that to those guys,
00:41:31.79\00:41:34.12
you got to be kidding me?
00:41:34.16\00:41:35.49
You're not saying
that about us, are you?
00:41:35.52\00:41:36.86
We're the same.
00:41:36.89\00:41:38.29
I mean please, friends,
00:41:38.33\00:41:41.03
you call us friends?
00:41:41.06\00:41:45.67
God, You have this exclusive
00:41:45.70\00:41:47.24
one on one
reciprocal, reciprocal.
00:41:47.27\00:41:52.07
Romans 5:10,
00:41:52.11\00:41:53.44
I'm gonna read it
again one more time,
00:41:53.48\00:41:54.81
"We were God's enemies,
00:41:54.84\00:41:56.18
but he made us his friends
through the death of his Son.
00:41:56.21\00:41:58.11
Now we are God's friends,
00:41:58.15\00:42:00.32
now that we are how much more
00:42:00.35\00:42:01.68
will we be saved
by Christ's life!"
00:42:01.72\00:42:04.15
Clark Rowland
was absolutely right,
00:42:04.19\00:42:06.25
"God is a Being
questing for friends."
00:42:06.29\00:42:09.39
Used to say that to me,
00:42:09.42\00:42:10.76
God is a Being
questing for friends.
00:42:10.79\00:42:13.80
It's over the holiday break.
00:42:13.83\00:42:16.26
I took my little, my
dad to Argentina for a week
00:42:16.30\00:42:18.13
and then LA for a week.
00:42:18.17\00:42:19.53
I took along my
little Steps to Christ.
00:42:19.57\00:42:23.57
And I say, you know,
00:42:23.61\00:42:24.94
I'm gonna read a
chapter at a time,
00:42:24.97\00:42:26.31
I'm looking for all the words,
00:42:26.34\00:42:27.68
Love or derivatives of love
00:42:27.71\00:42:29.04
and just putting a
little mark on the margin.
00:42:29.08\00:42:31.55
You know what, it
occurs to me, guys,
00:42:31.58\00:42:33.38
that if you wanted to,
00:42:33.42\00:42:35.98
you could do a lot worse at
the beginning of the new year
00:42:36.02\00:42:38.29
than reading a chapter
whenever you have the time,
00:42:38.32\00:42:40.99
just a chapter at a
time for this little classic.
00:42:41.02\00:42:44.59
And on page 100,
00:42:44.63\00:42:46.19
how that's an easy
reference to remember, page 100.
00:42:46.23\00:42:49.30
Let me read this for you.
00:42:49.33\00:42:51.17
It's in your study guide, I
put it on the screen as well.
00:42:51.20\00:42:53.47
Isn't this something,
00:42:53.50\00:42:55.34
"The relations between God
and each soul are as distinct
00:42:55.37\00:43:00.11
and full as though
there were not another soul
00:43:00.14\00:43:02.81
upon the earth to
share his watchcare,
00:43:02.84\00:43:04.78
not another soul for
whom he gave his beloved Son."
00:43:04.81\00:43:11.45
The truth about
Jesus' love for you,
00:43:11.49\00:43:12.82
the truth about the Father's
love for you, is either,
00:43:12.85\00:43:14.32
I don't know how God does this,
00:43:14.36\00:43:15.69
but He is able to zone
out, zone out everybody else
00:43:15.72\00:43:18.69
in the universe and he says
if you're the only human being.
00:43:18.73\00:43:21.23
You're the only one,
you and I, that's it.
00:43:21.26\00:43:24.13
Reciprocal, you ever call these
800 numbers and need help, huh?
00:43:24.17\00:43:27.94
800 numbers,
toll-free, you call the number,
00:43:27.97\00:43:30.21
operator gets on and you
can hear a hundred other voices.
00:43:30.24\00:43:32.57
Everybody, yak,
yak, yak, yak, yak.
00:43:32.61\00:43:34.38
You get some young man in India
00:43:34.41\00:43:35.98
or some woman in
the United States
00:43:36.01\00:43:37.35
and you're trying to explain
00:43:37.38\00:43:38.71
and you know
this is what I need.
00:43:38.75\00:43:40.98
God says I'm not that way,
00:43:41.02\00:43:42.58
I'm not an 800 number
00:43:42.62\00:43:43.95
where I got a bunch of
operators taking these calls.
00:43:43.99\00:43:45.82
I take every call myself and
I can take them simultaneously,
00:43:45.85\00:43:48.96
and it feels to
you as if there's
00:43:48.99\00:43:50.89
nobody else in the world.
00:43:50.93\00:43:52.26
I'm only talking to you.
00:43:52.29\00:43:54.70
Wow, wow.
00:43:54.73\00:43:57.53
As if there were no
other soul on earth,
00:43:57.57\00:44:00.60
that's the truth.
00:44:00.64\00:44:02.24
No wonder, you can
call him your friend,
00:44:02.27\00:44:06.01
F.R.I.E.N.D - friend.
00:44:06.04\00:44:10.78
In fact, jot these down.
00:44:10.81\00:44:12.15
Jot them down as
fast I can read them.
00:44:12.18\00:44:13.58
These are just from
Steps to Christ, Boom!
00:44:13.62\00:44:15.08
Boom! Boom!
00:44:15.12\00:44:16.45
Talking about the
friendship with God, here we go,
00:44:16.48\00:44:17.82
I'm not even gonna
read the page number.
00:44:17.85\00:44:19.19
Steps to
Christ, here's the line.
00:44:19.22\00:44:20.56
"Jesus is our Friend,"
00:44:20.59\00:44:21.99
capital F,
"friend and Savior still."
00:44:22.02\00:44:24.86
Here's another one.
00:44:24.89\00:44:26.23
"What a precious
friend, we have found in Jesus."
00:44:26.26\00:44:30.23
Here's another one.
00:44:30.27\00:44:31.60
"Prayer is the
opening of the heart to God
00:44:31.63\00:44:33.00
as to a what?
00:44:33.03\00:44:34.80
As to a friend."
00:44:34.84\00:44:36.17
Here's another one.
00:44:36.20\00:44:37.54
"He, God the Father
is our best friend."
00:44:37.57\00:44:40.71
Write in the word best.
00:44:40.74\00:44:42.28
And one more
from Steps to Christ.
00:44:42.31\00:44:43.78
"Jesus is our friend."
00:44:43.81\00:44:48.18
Same author by the way.
00:44:48.22\00:44:49.55
In a letter she wrote on
May 24, 1905, Ellen White,
00:44:49.58\00:44:52.49
personal letter to a woman.
00:44:52.52\00:44:53.89
"My dearest child Mabel,"
00:44:53.92\00:44:55.72
you need to fill this in.
00:44:55.76\00:44:57.09
"O that we all realized that
00:44:57.13\00:44:59.16
true happiness is
found in taking Christ
00:44:59.19\00:45:01.63
as our nearest
and dearest friend."
00:45:01.66\00:45:05.17
Boy I love that,
nearest and dearest friend.
00:45:05.20\00:45:11.07
"He loves you and
will be your sympathizing,"
00:45:11.11\00:45:14.08
write it in,
00:45:14.11\00:45:15.44
"your sympathizing friend."
00:45:15.48\00:45:18.68
And then here
comes Adventist home,
00:45:18.71\00:45:20.05
this is great, are
there any mothers here today?
00:45:20.08\00:45:22.95
Any mothers?
00:45:22.98\00:45:24.72
Look at this,
00:45:24.75\00:45:26.09
"Jesus knows the
burdens of every mother's heart
00:45:26.12\00:45:28.76
and is her best friend."
00:45:28.79\00:45:33.60
Let's expand this circle.
00:45:33.63\00:45:35.23
Are there any women here today?
00:45:35.26\00:45:37.57
Any women here?
00:45:37.60\00:45:39.23
Because the next
line same page is for you.
00:45:39.27\00:45:41.40
Here it goes,
00:45:41.44\00:45:44.44
"He, Jesus, is
woman's best friend today
00:45:44.47\00:45:48.21
and is ready to aid her in
all the relations of life.'
00:45:48.24\00:45:50.55
' And even in the
sophisticated west,
00:45:50.58\00:45:52.15
where we proud
ourselves, oh man,
00:45:52.18\00:45:53.52
we're all gender,
gender equal around here,
00:45:53.55\00:45:55.95
even here, when
women are maligned
00:45:55.98\00:45:59.22
and shoved to the side,
we just don't talk about it.
00:45:59.25\00:46:03.49
There's somebody who
will always be your friend.
00:46:03.53\00:46:08.70
One more I got to
share this with you,
00:46:08.73\00:46:10.07
same author, in a
letter to an aged.
00:46:10.10\00:46:11.63
Anybody aged here?
00:46:11.67\00:46:13.54
I guess they were
all in the first service.
00:46:13.57\00:46:16.60
Let me share this with you.
00:46:16.64\00:46:18.81
So in a letter to an
aged Christian, same author.
00:46:18.84\00:46:21.91
"Just rest in Jesus'
arms," and this is the best,
00:46:21.94\00:46:24.75
"just rest in
Jesus' arms and know that
00:46:24.78\00:46:26.38
He is your Savior and your,"
00:46:26.41\00:46:27.75
write it down,
00:46:27.78\00:46:29.12
"very best Friend,"
00:46:29.15\00:46:31.25
he is your BFF forever and ever.
00:46:31.29\00:46:37.69
Your very best friend,
in the whole wide world,
00:46:37.73\00:46:43.30
in the entire universe,
He is your very best friend.
00:46:43.33\00:46:49.47
I'm telling you what, guys,
00:46:49.50\00:46:50.84
it doesn't get
any better than this.
00:46:50.87\00:46:52.21
Talking about
Charmed into Righteousness,
00:46:52.24\00:46:53.64
who wouldn't want to
be friends with the God
00:46:53.68\00:46:55.01
that thinks this of me?
00:46:55.04\00:46:56.38
I mean, can you imagine that?
00:46:56.41\00:46:59.81
Before I photoshopped myself up,
00:46:59.85\00:47:02.32
He wanted to be friends?
00:47:02.35\00:47:03.99
What's up with that?
00:47:04.02\00:47:07.76
I don't know
this LA Times Father
00:47:07.79\00:47:10.43
who lost his daughter.
00:47:10.46\00:47:11.79
I don't know
father Watson either,
00:47:14.66\00:47:21.00
but I tell you what?
00:47:21.04\00:47:22.37
Having heard their stories
and I read this testimony,
00:47:22.40\00:47:28.21
my heart aches with him.
00:47:28.24\00:47:31.41
My heart aches for that dad.
00:47:31.45\00:47:35.68
And I imagined in my
simple way of thinking that,
00:47:35.72\00:47:38.45
if there were
anybody on this planet
00:47:38.49\00:47:41.19
now that I could
turn to in my own,
00:47:41.22\00:47:43.29
in my own herd, in
my own dysfunction,
00:47:43.32\00:47:48.26
I could turn to this father,
00:47:48.30\00:47:51.50
and He have a heart
and He somehow know.
00:47:51.53\00:47:55.70
There is a father in
this universe who also lost
00:47:59.34\00:48:02.88
an only child,
00:48:02.91\00:48:05.05
a son,
00:48:05.08\00:48:06.41
he's the Father that says,
00:48:08.12\00:48:10.05
hey, I want to be your BFF.
00:48:10.09\00:48:14.02
I want to be your
best friend forever.
00:48:14.06\00:48:17.69
Could we walk
together this New Year?"
00:48:17.73\00:48:23.23
And I don't know about
you, but I tell you what,
00:48:23.26\00:48:25.03
if you give me his phone number,
00:48:25.07\00:48:26.40
I promise you,
00:48:26.43\00:48:27.97
I'll be glad to call him
00:48:28.00\00:48:29.34
every single day
of this New Year,
00:48:29.37\00:48:31.41
you give me his phone
number, I'll call him.
00:48:31.44\00:48:34.04
Now look, I
understand, He's busy,
00:48:34.08\00:48:35.54
He's got a
whole universe to run,
00:48:35.58\00:48:37.35
but you can't tell me,
00:48:37.38\00:48:38.71
that somebody who has
made that infinite a sacrifice
00:48:38.75\00:48:41.88
and investment in my life
wouldn't love for the moments,
00:48:41.92\00:48:45.65
when he and I were alone
and we just talk reciprocally,
00:48:45.69\00:48:49.12
you understand, one on
one and heart to heart.
00:48:49.16\00:48:52.09
Give me His phone number.
00:48:52.13\00:48:53.46
You don't want to call Him,
you give me His phone number.
00:48:53.50\00:48:55.33
I'll call him everyday.
00:48:55.36\00:48:57.20
And by the way, I understand
00:48:57.23\00:48:58.57
that I can't stay on
the phone for forever,
00:48:58.60\00:48:59.93
you know, I have a life to live.
00:48:59.97\00:49:01.84
So you know what,
00:49:01.87\00:49:04.01
I'll get up earlier,
00:49:04.04\00:49:05.91
I'll get up when it's
quiet and there's nobody in...
00:49:05.94\00:49:08.48
My roommate is still asleep
and the family is still in bed.
00:49:08.51\00:49:12.21
I'll get up early,
so that I can be alone,
00:49:12.25\00:49:14.48
be alone with my BFF
00:49:14.52\00:49:18.25
and just the
two of us will talk,
00:49:18.29\00:49:19.62
He'll talk to me through
the book and I'll talk back,
00:49:19.65\00:49:22.82
and reciprocally we'll
grow closer and closer,
00:49:22.86\00:49:28.40
until I'm charmed
into His righteousness.
00:49:28.43\00:49:31.83
That's what I would do.
00:49:31.87\00:49:33.20
Give me His number, come on.
00:49:33.23\00:49:35.04
You don't want to call Him?
00:49:35.07\00:49:36.57
Give me His number,
I'll call Him everyday.
00:49:36.60\00:49:40.21
By the way you give
me your email address,
00:49:40.24\00:49:42.08
give me your
email address right now
00:49:42.11\00:49:44.05
and I will send to
you a way to meet with God
00:49:44.08\00:49:47.35
everyday that you choose.
00:49:47.38\00:49:48.72
I'm not saying you
have to do it everyday,
00:49:48.75\00:49:50.09
you want to do it one in
seven, that's your choice.
00:49:50.12\00:49:52.85
Kind of a weird friendship,
one in seven, but hey.
00:49:52.89\00:49:57.03
I'll send you a message.
00:49:57.06\00:49:58.66
You give me your email address.
00:49:58.69\00:50:00.66
I will send you a message
so that you can be with God
00:50:00.70\00:50:03.00
every single day that you
want to be alone with Him,
00:50:03.03\00:50:06.20
with your best
friend forever and ever.
00:50:06.23\00:50:09.20
In fact, take your
connect card right now
00:50:09.24\00:50:10.94
and scribble that
email address down.
00:50:10.97\00:50:12.41
If you scribble
your email address
00:50:12.44\00:50:13.78
down on the front of this card,
00:50:13.81\00:50:15.24
not gonna go through
the whole card right now,
00:50:15.28\00:50:16.61
I want to end with the story,
00:50:16.64\00:50:17.98
then we'll go to the card,
00:50:18.01\00:50:19.35
but you put your email address
on the front of this card,
00:50:19.38\00:50:23.22
put your email address,
00:50:23.25\00:50:25.39
and then go to box number two,
00:50:25.42\00:50:26.76
turn it over,
my next step today,
00:50:26.79\00:50:28.12
I'll talk about
the others later.
00:50:28.16\00:50:29.49
I would like to grow
my friendship with Jesus
00:50:29.52\00:50:30.86
through prayer this New Year,
00:50:30.89\00:50:32.23
please send me
a new way to pray.
00:50:32.26\00:50:34.73
You just check box number two.
00:50:34.76\00:50:36.77
I'll send you
something in the mail.
00:50:36.80\00:50:38.13
Nobody's coming to
knock on your door.
00:50:38.17\00:50:39.50
I'll send you something, email.
00:50:39.53\00:50:42.10
Ushers are moving to the doors
00:50:42.14\00:50:43.47
now, they're gonna pick
this card up in just a second.
00:50:43.51\00:50:44.84
So please do it right now,
00:50:44.87\00:50:46.21
just scribble your email address
00:50:46.24\00:50:47.58
and then check box number two.
00:50:47.61\00:50:48.94
Now let me tell you that
story, I promised a story,
00:50:48.98\00:50:51.41
I want to end with a story.
00:50:51.45\00:50:52.78
A Brazilian,
little Brazilian couple,
00:50:54.82\00:50:57.85
we got a lot a Brazilians
here, in this congregation.
00:50:57.89\00:51:01.62
A little Brazilian couple
named Italvino and Diva Posa.
00:51:01.66\00:51:08.56
Did I say that
right in Portuguese?
00:51:08.60\00:51:10.57
Portuguese,
00:51:10.60\00:51:12.77
yeah, little
Brazilian couple fell in love,
00:51:12.80\00:51:14.27
got married in 1949. Tada!
00:51:14.30\00:51:17.11
Take a look at
their wedding photo.
00:51:17.14\00:51:18.47
There they are, handsome couple.
00:51:18.51\00:51:20.31
Got married 1949.
00:51:20.34\00:51:22.54
Began to raise a
family, eventually 10 children.
00:51:22.58\00:51:26.05
Whoo, Mamma Mia, 10 children.
00:51:26.08\00:51:29.58
Husband worked hard,
00:51:29.62\00:51:30.95
you can take the
picture down now.
00:51:30.99\00:51:32.32
Husband worked hard,
00:51:32.35\00:51:35.22
so did mother,
00:51:35.26\00:51:36.83
and somewhere along
the way, mother Diva,
00:51:36.86\00:51:40.20
met a friend who
introduced her to Jesus
00:51:40.23\00:51:43.10
at The
Seventh-day Adventist Church,
00:51:43.13\00:51:45.53
and mother Diva is baptized,
as we saw just a moment ago,
00:51:45.57\00:51:49.34
baptized into Christ.
00:51:49.37\00:51:51.71
She asks
Italvino, and he says, "No."
00:51:51.74\00:51:56.08
He's a businessman,
00:51:56.11\00:51:57.45
so every time he
goes on a business,
00:51:57.48\00:51:58.81
she sticks into his suitcase,
00:51:58.85\00:52:00.18
literature, little
book, something to read,
00:52:00.22\00:52:02.75
and so when he gets
there to his destination,
00:52:02.78\00:52:04.79
pulls a book out and guess what?
00:52:04.82\00:52:06.49
Eventually, he too was baptized
00:52:06.52\00:52:09.99
and the two of
them became active
00:52:10.03\00:52:11.36
in their
witnessing and serving Jesus,
00:52:11.39\00:52:13.19
in their home
church in Porto Alegre
00:52:13.23\00:52:16.00
in Southern Brazil.
00:52:16.03\00:52:17.50
I want you to see the
picture of the couple now?
00:52:17.53\00:52:19.50
Handsome, aha,
handsome, beautiful.
00:52:19.53\00:52:22.80
Ten children by the way,
00:52:25.14\00:52:26.81
14 grandchildren,
00:52:26.84\00:52:28.31
six great grandchildren
00:52:28.34\00:52:31.21
but then it happened.
00:52:31.25\00:52:33.75
Italvino contracted leukemia
00:52:33.78\00:52:37.65
and then Diva
developed bladder cancer,
00:52:37.69\00:52:41.52
and so it was
that the two of them
00:52:41.56\00:52:42.89
ended up in the
same hospital room
00:52:42.92\00:52:44.49
this past autumn in
the Adventist Review
00:52:44.53\00:52:46.66
is the one that
where I found the story,
00:52:46.70\00:52:49.06
it's just this last fall,
00:52:49.10\00:52:50.43
they ended up in
the same hospital room
00:52:50.47\00:52:51.80
and they would
push their beds together
00:52:51.83\00:52:55.54
and so on October 3,
00:52:55.57\00:52:58.64
40 minutes apart,
00:52:58.67\00:53:01.71
these two lifelong friends died.
00:53:01.74\00:53:07.68
65 years of marriage,
00:53:07.72\00:53:09.45
slowly coming to
an end, they died.
00:53:09.48\00:53:13.19
Get this, they
died holding hands,
00:53:13.22\00:53:17.83
best friends forever.
00:53:17.86\00:53:23.67
There's a God in
this universe who says,
00:53:23.70\00:53:25.07
if you let me take your
hand, I'll walk with you.
00:53:25.10\00:53:28.50
I'll stay with you
girl, I'll stay with you boy,
00:53:28.54\00:53:31.31
I'll stay with
you till life is over,
00:53:31.34\00:53:33.61
just give me your hand
00:53:33.64\00:53:35.24
and I'll be your
BFF forever and ever,
00:53:35.28\00:53:40.65
amen.
00:53:40.68\00:53:42.45
Let's pray.
00:53:42.48\00:53:43.82
Oh, God, is it really,
00:53:43.85\00:53:45.55
is the good news
really this good?
00:53:45.59\00:53:49.09
Are you gooder than we thought?
00:53:49.12\00:53:51.69
Is Your love more
infinite than we have realized?
00:53:51.73\00:53:57.73
Please, know our hearts.
00:53:57.77\00:54:00.57
We want to be best
friends forever and ever.
00:54:00.60\00:54:03.81
Who better than you,
00:54:03.84\00:54:05.51
does it get any
better than this?
00:54:05.54\00:54:08.01
It does not.
00:54:08.04\00:54:09.71
So hear our
hearts, know our minds.
00:54:09.74\00:54:12.75
Take our hands we will
walk with you this year
00:54:12.78\00:54:18.22
through Jesus,
00:54:18.25\00:54:19.82
our Savior and Friend,
00:54:19.85\00:54:22.19
we pray, amen.
00:54:22.22\00:54:24.79
I want to sing that,
00:54:24.83\00:54:26.46
I want to sing
this great gospel song,
00:54:26.49\00:54:30.40
Jesus what a friend for sinners,
00:54:30.43\00:54:31.77
but I need to
get the ushers go on.
00:54:31.80\00:54:33.13
Let's go ushers.
00:54:33.17\00:54:34.50
God bless you, as we
receive our morning tithes
00:54:34.54\00:54:35.87
and offerings
and the connect card.
00:54:35.90\00:54:37.24
Turn your connect card
over, put it in and let's do it.
00:54:37.27\00:54:39.31
This is a short introduction,
we're ready to sing.
00:54:39.34\00:54:41.24
Jesus! What a
Friend for sinners!
00:54:59.03\00:55:03.67
Jesus! Lover of my soul
00:55:03.70\00:55:08.37
Friends may fail
me, foes assail me
00:55:08.40\00:55:10.87
He, my Savior, makes me whole
00:55:10.91\00:55:16.68
Hallelujah! What a Savior!
00:55:16.71\00:55:21.22
Hallelujah! What a friend!
00:55:21.25\00:55:25.69
Saving, helping, keeping, loving
00:55:25.72\00:55:30.63
He is with me to the end
00:55:30.66\00:55:37.00
Jesus! What a
Strength for weakness!
00:55:37.03\00:55:41.60
Let me hide myself in Him
00:55:41.64\00:55:45.71
Tempted, tried,
and sometimes failing,
00:55:45.74\00:55:50.35
He, my
Strength, my vict'ry wins.
00:55:50.38\00:55:55.08
Hallelujah! What a Savior!
00:55:55.12\00:55:59.39
Hallelujah! What a friend!
00:55:59.42\00:56:03.83
Saving, helping, keeping, loving
00:56:03.86\00:56:08.10
He is with me to the end
00:56:08.13\00:56:15.04
Jesus!
00:56:15.07\00:56:17.41
I do now receive Him
00:56:17.44\00:56:20.48
More than all in Him I find
00:56:20.51\00:56:25.25
He hath granted me forgiveness
00:56:25.28\00:56:29.98
I am His, and He is mine
00:56:30.02\00:56:34.89
Hallelujah! What a Savior!
00:56:34.92\00:56:39.73
Hallelujah! What a Friend!
00:56:39.76\00:56:44.40
Saving, helping, keeping, loving
00:56:44.43\00:56:49.04
He is with me to the end.
00:56:49.07\00:56:55.54
And now may the grace
of the Lord Jesus Christ
00:56:59.01\00:57:02.22
and the love of God,
00:57:02.25\00:57:03.95
and the
fellowship of the Holy Spirit
00:57:03.99\00:57:05.75
be with you all.
00:57:05.79\00:57:08.19
Amen.
00:57:08.22\00:57:09.56
I wanted to take an extra moment
00:57:18.50\00:57:19.83
to let you know how grateful
I am you joined us today.
00:57:19.87\00:57:22.30
I hear from
viewers and listeners like
00:57:22.34\00:57:24.07
you all across this nation
and literally around the world
00:57:24.11\00:57:27.31
and I'm thankful,
00:57:27.34\00:57:28.68
because it's through the
generosity of the members
00:57:28.71\00:57:30.38
of this
congregation and people like you
00:57:30.41\00:57:32.21
that we're able to
bring you this program.
00:57:32.25\00:57:34.72
So what we shared
today has touched your heart,
00:57:34.75\00:57:36.55
I'd like you to invite you
00:57:36.58\00:57:37.92
to become a
financial partner with us.
00:57:37.95\00:57:39.29
Just give us a
call, toll free number 877
00:57:39.32\00:57:42.09
the two words,
HIS-WILL, 877-HIS-WILL,
00:57:42.12\00:57:45.16
or if you'd
rather go to our website
00:57:45.19\00:57:47.43
www.pmchurch.tv.
00:57:47.46\00:57:50.77
Either way,
00:57:50.80\00:57:52.13
your generosity will
bless a new generation
00:57:52.17\00:57:53.84
in cyberspace
all over this planet,
00:57:53.87\00:57:56.60
so thank you.
00:57:56.64\00:57:57.97
Thank you very much
for your partnership.
00:57:58.01\00:58:00.61