Participants: Pr. Dwight K. Nelson
Series Code: NP
Program Code: NP022506
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00:27 How great, how awesome is He
00:32 And together we sing 00:34 Together we sing everyone sing 00:40 Everyone sing 00:42 So we Holy is the Lord 00:45 God Almighty 00:49 The earth is filled with His glory 00:54 Holy is the Lord God Almighty 01:00 The earth is filled with His glory 01:05 The earth is filled with His glory 01:09 Let's sing it together again 01:12 We stand and lift up our hands 01:16 For the joy of the Lord is our strength 01:23 We bow down and worship Him now 01:27 How great, how awesome is He 01:32 And together we sing Together we sing 01:37 Everyone sing Everyone sing 01:43 Holy is the Lord God Almighty 01:49 The earth is filled with His glory 01:53 Holy is the Lord God Almighty 01:59 The earth is filled with His glory 02:05 The earth is filled with His glory 02:08 It's rising up. 02:10 And it's rising up all around 02:15 It's the anthem of the Lord's renown 02:21 It's rising up all around 02:26 It's the anthem of the Lord's renown 02:32 And it's rising up all around 02:37 It's the anthem of the Lord's renown 02:43 It's rising up all around 02:48 It's the anthem of the Lord's renown 02:56 And together we sing Together we sing 03:01 Everyone sing Everyone sing 03:06 Holy is the Lord God Almighty 03:12 The earth is filled with His glory 03:17 Holy is the Lord God Almighty 03:23 The earth is filled with His glory 03:28 The earth is filled with His glory 03:34 The earth is filled with His glory 03:49 In Revelation it says, 03:53 "Whenever the living creatures give glory, 03:56 honor and thanks to him 03:58 who sits on the throne and who lives forever and ever, 04:01 the twenty-four elders fall down before him 04:04 who sits on the throne and worship him 04:07 who lives forever and ever. 04:09 They lay their crowns before the throne..." 04:29 Sing with us, "We fall down." 04:33 We fall down 04:36 We lay our crowns 04:39 At the feet of Jesus 04:46 The greatness of His mercy and love 04:53 At the feet of Jesus 04:58 We cry holy, holy, holy 05:05 And we cry holy, holy, holy 05:12 And we cry holy, holy, holy 05:19 Is the Lamb 06:17 The rest of the verse says, 06:19 "You are worthy, our Lord and God, 06:21 to receive glory and honor and power, 06:24 for you created all things, 06:26 and by Your will they were created 06:28 and have their being." 06:30 When I read this text, 06:34 you see this visual picture of these amazing beings 06:39 and they are in the presence of God 06:40 and all they can do is just cry holy. 06:44 They're showing of God's presence. 06:48 If you are in of God's presence, 06:50 if you fill the need to come up for prayer, 06:54 we want to invite you to come as we sing, 06:56 "We fall down, "the last, the last part. 07:11 We fall down We lay our crowns 07:17 At the feet of Jesus 07:24 The greatness of His mercy and love 07:30 At the feet of Jesus 07:36 And we cry holy, holy, holy 07:42 And we cry holy, holy, holy 07:49 And we cry holy, holy, holy 07:55 Is the Lamb 07:58 We cry holy. 08:02 We cry holy, holy, holy 08:09 And we cry holy, holy, holy 08:16 And we cry holy, holy, holy 08:23 Is the Lamb 08:30 Let's kneel together as we pray. 08:49 Dear God, you've heard our songs 08:52 and the desires of our heart 08:54 and we do cry to you holy, holy, holy. 08:57 No matter what language is our native tongue, 09:00 we, you are still a holy God, not just to us, 09:03 but to a world that you have called us to serve 09:06 and a world that You came to seeking to save. 09:09 So God, because you are holy, 09:11 we have come into Your presence on the day 09:13 that You have called holy. 09:16 We ask that You will transform our lives 09:19 through these sacred hours that we spend with You. 09:23 God, you alone are worthy of our praise. 09:27 We prayed you this morning because you are God of mercy. 09:30 You are God of love. 09:31 You died on the cross for us. 09:33 You gave us families. You gave us friends. 09:35 You gave us the gift of music, 09:38 hands to play and voices to sing. 09:41 And we long for the day 09:42 when we will be in heaven to have a taste 09:44 of what that music is really like. 09:47 How we can sing with more than one voice 09:50 and hear strings that are beyond 09:51 what we can imagine in this world. 09:53 But God, tune our voices and tune our strings 09:56 to sing your praises. 09:58 Not to comprise with what the world 09:59 would have us to sing 10:01 or what the world would have us to play. 10:02 But only things that will are bring worship to you. 10:05 And we have said that we longed to give you 10:07 all of your worship and all of our praise. 10:09 And God, this week we realized 10:11 that we have worshipped other things. 10:13 We have put things in the place of You, 10:16 when we should have been seeking 10:17 You first and Your kingdom. 10:20 And then You have promised all the good things 10:22 will be added on to us. 10:24 Oh God, help us to delight in You 10:25 so that You can truly grant us the desires of our hearts. 10:28 Even when to us 10:29 some of those things were so modeled. 10:32 Oh God, how'd you long to come and to make all things new 10:36 when there will be no more sorrow, 10:37 no more death and no more crying. 10:40 So grateful for the hope that we have that those 10:42 who have fallen asleep in Jesus, 10:44 wait for the resurrection when Jesus will come. 10:48 In the meantime, may we ourselves 10:50 into the work with the Master 10:52 knowing that nothing we do for Him 10:53 is a waste of time or of effort. 10:58 God, we praise the campus community 11:00 that You will bless the faculty and staff here, 11:03 that You'll bless the administrators. 11:05 Thank you for the young people that are on our platform today. 11:08 They are devoted talents to you. 11:10 And for the faculty and staff that they represent 11:13 who are training them to know and to love Jesus. 11:16 God, we desire Your power in our lives 11:19 so that we will be able to overcome sin 11:21 and that we will heal the world 11:23 that so desperately needs to know about Jesus 11:25 because you have put Your love out on us. 11:27 May we hear Your call, 11:29 to go and make a difference in the lives 11:31 of those around us. 11:32 Be with Pastor Dwight this morning. 11:34 You'll be with him as he is prepared 11:36 to bring us Your word. 11:38 May we be prepared to hear 11:40 and to make our lives to be more like Jesus, 11:43 so that we will answer the passion of your heart 11:46 in Jesus' name, we pray. 11:47 Amen. 15:46 Jesus, joy of man's desiring 15:58 Holy wisdom, 16:03 love most bright 16:24 Drawn by Thee, 16:28 our souls aspiring 16:36 Soar to uncreated light 17:04 Word of God, 17:08 our flesh that fashioned 17:18 With the fire of life impassioned 17:33 Striving still to truth unknown 17:45 Soaring, dying round 17:52 Thy throne 18:31 Thank you, Festival 18:32 Players, let's pray together 18:34 and let's get into God's word together. 18:35 Oh God, you know, 18:40 you know our hearts and like that old, 18:44 like that old spirituous things 18:45 if we ever needed our Lord before, 18:48 we sure do need Him now. 18:50 And so, we just, we just heard the choir and the orchestra 18:54 sing about Jesus, the joy of our desiring. 18:58 And I pray to your God, 19:00 that this day of special fasting and prayer 19:03 will be filled with Jesus from beginning to end. 19:06 That He is the one we are hungry for. 19:08 He is the one we are thirsty for. 19:10 Come down on this campus and every other campus 19:14 that is joined together this Wednesday. 19:16 Let this be a God day for this continent 19:20 and for our community of faith, we humbly pray. 19:24 Oh, and Father, we are going to get into the word right now. 19:26 Please, we need the spirit to open our minds 19:29 to what You need to teach us in Jesus name. 19:31 Let all the people say, amen. 19:34 All right here's the question. 19:35 What are you supposed to do? 19:37 What are you supposed to do when it seems that God 19:40 keeps slamming the door in your face? 19:47 I tell you what? 19:49 We could take a show of hands right now, 19:50 you would be surprised, 19:52 how many of us right here right now 19:54 feel the cold of a shut door smacked dab against our noses. 20:00 We are dealing with closed doors. 20:02 This morning I want you to ponder with me 20:04 just for few moments. 20:05 Ponder with me two classic case studies of closed doors. 20:08 Perhaps by the time 20:10 we're through the two case studies, 20:11 it will occur to us that in fact 20:14 the very best way to an open door 20:16 is through a closed one. 20:19 Let's see if that's true. 20:20 Case study number one. 20:21 I love presidential libraries. 20:26 I love going through and we were coming back 20:27 from St. Louise this summer, 20:29 went right through Springfield, Illinois 20:31 and had the chance to visit the... 20:32 You see it there on the screen, 20:34 the brand new Abraham Lincoln presidential library. 20:37 I tell you what, of the all libraries I've been to, 20:39 this is the most engaging, the most intriguing, 20:41 the most hi-tech of presidential libraries, period. 20:44 Abraham Lincoln, you know him, of course, 20:46 arguably the greatest president 20:48 in the history of the United States. 20:49 But I didn't know this. 20:52 I never realized, how many closed doors 20:56 Lincoln had to go through 20:58 before he finally got to an open door. 21:01 Let me just run this by. 21:03 My friend Don Murray gave me this list 21:04 and it's something else. 21:06 Take a look at this. We'll put it on the screen. 21:08 All right, 1832, Lincoln lost his job. 21:11 1832, he was defeated in a race for the Illinois legislature. 21:15 1833, he failed in business. 21:18 1834, he was elected to the Illinois legislature. 21:22 1835, his sweetheart died. 21:25 1836, he had a nervous breakdown. 21:28 1838, he was defeated for speaker 21:30 of the Illinois legislature. 21:32 1842, he was defeated for election to Congress. 21:36 1846, he was elected to Congress. 21:39 1848, he lost his bid to get reelected to Congress. 21:43 1849, he was rejected for land officer. 21:46 1855, he was defeated in a race for the Senate. 21:50 1856, he was defeated in a race for the vice-presidency. 21:53 1858, he again was defeated in a race for the Senate. 21:58 1860, Abraham Lincoln is elected 22:00 the President of the United States. 22:02 Have mercy. Wow. 22:07 Closed door, closed door, closed door, closed door, 22:10 closed door, closed door. 22:12 I tell you what? I'm so tempted. 22:13 I can't do it because I got some notes on that pulpit. 22:16 I am so tempted to veer off here and say to you, 22:20 never, never, never give up. 22:23 You must never, never give up. 22:27 That open door maybe just around the corner. 22:30 Isn't that something? 22:31 Okay, that's case study number one. 22:32 Let's go to case study number two. 22:35 What do you do when it seems 22:36 God keeps slamming the door on your face? 22:38 Case study number two. 22:39 Open your Bible please to the Book of Acts, 22:40 Acts Chapter 16. 22:42 I need to do some parallel thinking now. 22:45 Let's see how good you are at this. 22:46 While you are finding Act 16 in your Bible, 22:48 I also need you please to reach into the bulletin 22:51 and pull out today's brand new study guide. 22:53 You are gonna need that study guide, pull it out now. 22:55 If you didn't get a study guide, 22:57 hold your hand up, 22:58 our ushers are ready to put one in your hands. 22:59 Hold your hand up, don't be embarrassed. 23:01 You gonna want this one. 23:02 In the balcony, hold your hand up. 23:03 And those of you 23:05 who are watching right now on television, 23:06 let me put the website on the screen for you. 23:07 There it is www.pmchurch.tv, go to that website, 23:12 that's our Pioneer Memorial Church website. 23:15 Click on to our series, Eternity's Edge, 23:18 that's the series. 23:19 And the teaching you want to click on 23:20 to is the Macedonian Matrix. 23:23 All right, you click on there, it'll say study guide. 23:26 You click on study guide. 23:27 You'll have the identical study guide 23:28 we got right here. 23:30 Because, we need to get this opening proposition 23:33 that we just teased at a moment ago. 23:35 We need to put that in writing. 23:36 So let's, let's, let's keep it in the form of a question 23:39 but let's jot it down. 23:40 You got your study guide, fill it out please. 23:42 Could it be...? They're right there at the top. 23:44 Could it be that the very best way 23:46 to the open door...? 23:48 There it is. 23:49 The very best way to the open door 23:52 is through the closed ones. 23:56 Hmm, think about that. 23:58 Now case study number two, Acts Chapter 16. 24:01 I should have been turning there while I was talking, 24:02 Acts Chapter 16, 24:04 I'm gonna be in the New International Version. 24:06 If you didn't bring your Bible, 24:07 we've got a pew Bible right in front of you. 24:09 And the page number you want to find is 746. 24:12 Let's go. 24:14 Acts Chapter 16, everybody ready to go up here, Act 16, 24:17 let's begin in verse 6, fascinating, fascinating story. 24:21 Acts 16: 6, 24:23 "Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region 24:26 of Phrygia and Galatia, 24:28 having been kept by the Holy Spirit 24:32 from preaching the word in the province of Asia." 24:36 Whoa! What's going on here? 24:37 Let's put a map on the screen. 24:39 Take a look at this map. 24:40 Here is a map of what we would call Asia Minor today. 24:43 Let's circle Phrygia, so you can see where they were. 24:45 Okay, there they are and they are also in Galatia. 24:47 Let's put a circle around Galatia. 24:48 Now look it, they are finished up 24:50 in those two regions and they want to go west. 24:52 Do you see Asia over there? 24:54 I put a circle around Asia. 24:55 They want to go to Asia but the record reads, 24:59 how does it read here? 25:00 They were kept by the Holy Spirit 25:02 from preaching there. 25:04 Hey, folks, sounds like a closed door to me, 25:07 doesn't it? 25:09 Absolutely. 25:10 So instead of heading west, they have, say well, look it, 25:13 we been south, we gone east, can't go west. 25:15 What direction is left? 25:17 We're gonna go north. 25:18 So here they go, that would be now verse 7, 25:21 and when they came, they are going northward, 25:23 "When they came to the border of Mysia, 25:26 they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus 25:32 would not allow them." 25:34 Let's put that map back up on the screen. 25:36 So now they're going up north. 25:37 Where is Mysia? There it is. 25:39 And they want to go to Bithynia but when they try, 25:44 they can't get in. 25:47 The Holy Spirit once again prevents them 25:50 from entering a new region. 25:51 Now, just a little aside here, scholars, 25:53 scholars wonder if in fact, Peter, you remember Peter, 25:56 big fisherman Peter. 25:58 If in fact Peter was not up in Bithynia right now 26:02 in his own ministry since he refers to Bithynia 26:05 in one of his letters. 26:06 So the supposition is the Holy Spirit 26:08 decides to spare any antagonizing 26:11 between these two vogue apostles 26:14 because I remind you just a little bit earlier 26:16 in the city of Antioch in public, 26:20 Paul dressed down Peter by name 26:24 because of Peter's waffling going back and forth 26:28 over this issue of our gentiles really secure 26:31 in our community of faith. 26:32 So Paul calls his number in front of everybody. 26:36 So the thinking is, the spirit decides, 26:40 "Hey, let's keep these two strong personalities apart. 26:43 Let's keep them focused on their unique quality." 26:46 And let me just say this. 26:48 There is nothing wrong with having strong convictions 26:55 and we don't have to always agree on everything. 27:00 But there are times when like Paul, 27:03 we have to speak up and speak out 27:05 in front of everybody 27:06 when you discern a dangerous compromise 27:08 that is slowly growing quietly amongst the community, 27:11 a compromise that others have become blind to. 27:15 And by the way, hey, no Matthew 18 for Paul, 27:19 he doesn't say, "Hey, Peter, 27:21 I got to have a little private conversation 27:22 with you here." 27:24 No, in front of everybody, by name he calls it, 27:28 what he sees it as he sees it. 27:31 Which I guess is a lesson for us all. 27:34 But whatever the reason, the spirit prevents Paul 27:39 entering Bithynia. 27:41 I don't know about you 27:42 but it sure feels like a closed door to me, 27:45 wouldn't you say? 27:46 So, now, what's a, what's a, what's an apostle to do? 27:49 What's Paul supposed to do? 27:51 He's not sure because have you noticed 27:53 when God closes a door in your life, 27:57 you are never quite sure what to do next. 28:02 Karen and I had the privilege of being out in California 28:03 last weekend with 2 or 300 Japanese 28:06 for their biannual camp meeting. 28:09 And while we were there, 28:10 we took the story of Joseph together. 28:12 I find that an absolutely fascinating story 28:16 because here's the story of a guy. 28:17 Closed door, closed door, closed door, closed door, 28:19 closed door, closed door. 28:20 He's had this dream that he's gonna be the great leader 28:23 from, since he was knee height of a grasshopper 28:25 but no open doors, closed, closed, closed, 28:29 just like Abraham Lincoln by the way, just like Moses. 28:33 Moses who spends 40 years with the closed door, 28:36 can't figure out what God's up to. 28:37 I guess the door is forever shut. 28:42 Just like Paul, when God closes a door in your life, 28:45 you are never quite sure where to turn next. 28:47 So here's the good news. 28:49 You don't have to feel bad. 28:50 You are not alone. 28:51 It happens all the time. 28:54 All right, so where is Paul to go? 28:57 There's only one direction left. 28:59 He's tried south, he's tried east, 29:00 he's tried west, he's tried north well, 29:02 let's, let's, let's see if we can go a little further. 29:06 Verse 8 and so, Paul and his team, 29:08 "They passed by Mysia and went down to Troas." 29:11 That's a sea port city, little coastal town. 29:14 And verse 9, 29:15 "During the night Paul had a vision of a man 29:18 of Macedonia standing and begging him, 29:21 'Come over to Macedonia and help us." 29:23 Verse 10, "And after Paul had seen the vision, 29:26 we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, 29:28 concluding that God had called us 29:30 to preach the gospel to them." 29:33 Let me put that map back up. 29:34 Take a look at this, folks. 29:35 Here's that map. 29:37 They tried to go west, closed door. 29:38 They tried to go north, closed door. 29:40 Finally, they just wander over to Troas and lo and behold, 29:44 there is the open door 29:46 that God has been waiting for them to find. 29:50 I tell you what, that open door is so significant. 29:51 I need you to read it now 29:53 form Eugene Peterson's the message translation. 29:56 Got it right there in the study guide for you. 29:57 and I will put it on the screen. 29:59 Take a look at this. 30:00 Now here comes the message, 30:02 "Proceeding on through Mysia, 30:04 they went down to the seaport Troas. 30:07 That night Paul had a dream. 30:09 A Macedonian stood on the far shore 30:11 and called across the sea, 30:12 "Come over to Macedonia and help us!" 30:18 I love this, the emphasis is mine." 30:20 The dream gave Paul his map. 30:23 We went to work at once getting things 30:24 ready to cross over to Macedonia. 30:26 All the pieces came together. 30:27 We knew now for sure that God had called us 30:31 to preach the good news to the Europeans." 30:35 I like that. 30:36 "We knew now for sure." 30:38 Would you write it down please? 30:40 For you see the best way to an open door 30:44 is through a closed one. 30:47 Write it down. 30:48 If I keep your pen moving, that's the anomaly. 30:50 That's the mystery of divine guidance. 30:53 Write in the word guidance. 30:56 The best way to an open door is through a closed one. 31:00 You know, sometimes we think because the door is closed 31:02 that means there's no way to get through. 31:04 God says. "Hey, hey, time out. 31:06 No, no, no, no, that's not what I mean it all." 31:08 It's precisely because the door is closed 31:11 that you're gonna get through, write this down, another door. 31:16 I am thinking of another door, 31:18 which is why I keep allowing them. 31:19 Keep writing. 31:21 Your closed doors, so that finally one day, 31:24 you will come to my open door. 31:28 That's just the way I lead my friends. 31:31 I use closed doors to get you to an open door, 31:35 Whoa... 31:39 So, have you been knocking on some close doors lately? 31:47 Needing money 31:50 when it seems there is none. 31:53 Needing friends 31:55 when it seems there is no one around. 31:57 Needing guidance, 32:00 when it appears, there is no divine answer. 32:04 Needing health and healing, and it doesn't seem to come. 32:08 Needing professional success? 32:10 What's up with that? 32:12 But you keep hitting the door of professional failure. 32:15 Where is my open door? 32:17 I want to tell you something my friend, 32:18 I have got very good news for you today. 32:20 The best way to an open door is through a closed one. 32:23 Which means that if you had been running 32:26 through a lot of close doors lately, 32:28 there is an open door possibly just around the corner 32:33 from where you are right now, hallelujah. 32:37 Don't you ever give up, 32:38 don't you ever, ever, ever give up. 32:42 And would it be something by the way. 32:44 Would it this be something? 32:45 If it turns out, 32:46 that the open door waiting for you, 32:48 and the open door waiting for me 32:49 and the open door waiting for Andrews University 32:51 is the very same door, the open door that Paul found. 32:57 Look at verse 9 again. Let me read that. 32:59 "During the night Paul had a vision 33:03 of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, 33:06 ''Come over to Macedonia and help us." 33:09 That's the Macedonian Matrix. 33:11 The Macedonian cry. 33:18 Jim Collins, those who of you that read 33:19 business leadership literature recognize the name Jim Collins. 33:24 He wrote a rather celebrated book... 33:29 entitled, I'll put on the screen for you here, 33:30 Good to Great. 33:32 Here's the subtitle. 33:34 Good to Great, why some companies make the leap 33:36 and others don't. 33:38 I'm working my way through this book. 33:39 In the book he describes, how successful organizations 33:42 the most by the way, good is easy, great is hard. 33:46 Good is easy, great is hard. 33:47 So they've taken the greatest. 33:49 He describes how the most successful organizations 33:52 and companies and leadership teams 33:55 are driven by what he calls a BHAG. 33:58 And that's how you pronounce it a BHAG. 34:01 What does Jim Collins mean when he describes a BHAG, 34:04 let's put it on the screen. 34:05 I want you to get the BHAG down. 34:07 What is a BHAG? 34:08 It is a big, hairy, audacious goal. 34:12 Big, hairy, audacious goal. 34:15 What does that mean, audacious? 34:17 By the way, I was just reading the paper this week 34:19 and I saw that word audacious used in the newspaper. 34:21 Those of you that are following the news 34:23 from our sister country of the UK 34:25 know that there was a huge bank crisis. 34:28 One of the largest in history, $87 million stolen 34:31 this last week from a bank in England. 34:34 And they called it an audacious caper. 34:36 Audacious means wild and crazy and huge. 34:42 Now what is Collins point? 34:47 A BHAG, in fact you need to jot this down. 34:49 A BHAG, a huge daunting goal is a vision. 34:52 Would you write this in please? 34:54 It is a vision, so compelling 34:57 that it drives the entire organization 35:00 in its unique mission and destiny. 35:03 Do you get those two words, vision and mission, 35:05 critical words? 35:06 The most successful companies and organizations 35:08 and leadership teams are driven by their BHAG. 35:12 Everybody's cute as to what the BHAG is. 35:15 Nobody has to be told what it is, 35:16 the whole organization, 35:18 the institution knows and everybody is driven 35:20 by that solitary big, hairy, audacious goal. 35:26 In the Macedonian cry, 35:29 God gave Paul a compelling BHAG. 35:34 A big, hairy, audacious goal that Paul had not seen. 35:37 You think about it. 35:38 Paul here therefore has been content to simply 35:40 wander around Asia Minor. 35:42 Nothing wrong with that goal by the way. 35:44 But wondering around 35:45 and God comes to him and he says, 35:46 "You know what boy you are dreaming 35:48 way too small for me, 35:50 you want a province. 35:51 I want to give you a continent 35:53 that will turn to be the entire west. 35:56 I give it all to you. 35:57 You need a BHAG, 35:59 you need a huge mission and vision from me. 36:04 So how did the message, put it, jot this down. 36:06 I love Peterson's rendition of this line. 36:09 "The dream gave Paul his map." 36:13 That's his BHAG map. 36:15 And then Luke goes on. 36:17 "We went to work at once getting things ready to cross 36:19 over to Macedonia. 36:20 All the pieces came together." 36:22 And by the way, when an organization, 36:23 when an institution, 36:24 when a leadership team has a BHAG, 36:26 that's what happens. 36:27 Suddenly all the pieces begin to start to fit. 36:30 We knew now Luke writes, 36:32 "We knew now for sure that God 36:33 had called us to preach the good news 36:35 to the Europeans." 36:36 They went from Asia to Europe to the entire west 36:40 with the new vision, a BHAG. 36:43 A BHAG from God. 36:44 A BHAG for God. 36:47 Hallelujah. 36:49 And guess what? 36:50 It took closed doors to find the open one. 36:57 Always does. 36:59 So here's the question that begs to be asked. 37:01 What is God's BHAG vision for your life? 37:05 What is God's BHAG vision for my life? 37:07 What is God's BHAG vision for this University? 37:10 Ever wonder? 37:11 The Macedonian Matrix. 37:13 Write it down, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." 37:19 You know what the Greek, 37:20 it's very interesting in the Greek here. 37:21 The Greek that describes the man in the dream begging, 37:24 Paul will use that same words for begging 37:26 later when he writes 2 Corinthians 12. 37:28 And in fact let me put it on the screen here, 37:30 when he's begging God to healing, 37:31 this is 2 Corinthians 12:8. 37:33 "Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take away" 37:37 this physical malady. 37:39 Now keep your pen moving. 37:40 In other words, 37:41 the intensity with which Paul pleaded 37:43 with God for a physical deliverance 37:46 is the same intensity 37:48 with which this Macedonian stranger pleaded 37:50 with Paul for spiritual deliverance. 37:54 You got to, you got to, you got to help us, come over. 37:59 You know why? 38:01 Because lost people are faced 38:03 with the most awful closed door of all. 38:08 The door of eternity, shut. 38:09 The door of salvation, shut. 38:13 And by the way, not shut on God's part. 38:16 The fact of the matter is lost people 38:17 don't even know that there is a door 38:19 and they don't know that the door is wide open. 38:22 They don't even know there's a door. 38:25 And he is begging. 38:27 I beg of you, come over here, come west, and help us please. 38:35 And where is Macedonia for us? 38:39 It's BHAG vision for third millennial Adventism. 38:42 There's BHAG vision for Andrews and you and me. 38:44 Where is Macedonia for us? 38:45 I'll tell you where it is, 38:47 it's the entire planet of lost men, 38:48 women and children. 38:49 It's a secular west, it is the pagan east, 38:51 and the cites that both including Benton Harbor 38:54 and South Bend. 38:57 By the way, please, please, don't miss next Sabbath, 39:03 next weekend. 39:04 I tell you why? 39:06 We're gonna go to the last place in the universe. 39:07 There's one unconquered, unexplored region left. 39:11 One left and next Sabbath we'll go to it. 39:13 We'll go to the only book in the Bible, 39:15 only on that ends with the question. 39:17 The only book and we'll find out what that is. 39:20 Don't you miss next weekend? 39:22 By the way, where's Macedonia? 39:25 It's all around us, I got an email just a few days ago 39:28 from one of our viewers here in Michiana. 39:30 Let me read the email to you. 39:31 "Please pray for my complete conversion, 39:34 I've never really given in totally to God's promptings 39:37 and I had been watching pastor Nelson's sermons 39:39 on channel 46 39:40 and I'm convinced that I'm gonna submit now. 39:42 We are looking at eternity." 39:44 Come over, come over in the Macedonia and help us. 39:50 Could it be, now here's 39:52 where I really need you to be thinking. 39:55 Could it be that our vitality as a community of face 40:01 and as a religious academic institution 40:03 is directly proportional to our immersion 40:07 into this BHAG mission for God. 40:13 I had brooded on this for months now. 40:15 And I'm gonna tell you the truth. 40:17 I believe that absolutely there is a correlation. 40:20 So that leads me to ask could it be 40:23 that the closed doors that we're experiencing 40:26 are being closed by God one by one 40:30 so that we might finally find the open door 40:33 of his BHAG vision for us all. 40:36 Come over, come on, 40:39 come over into Macedonia and help us. 40:41 Help me reach every man, woman, and child on earth. 40:43 Make that your compelling spiritual mission 40:44 at that place. 40:45 Make it the mission of your life, 40:47 the mission of that campus. 40:48 Teach it, talk it, pray it, seek it, model it, 40:50 finance it like Nike says just do it. 41:02 Could it be our doors are being closed 41:07 one after another until finally 41:11 we get to the open door that's been waiting 41:13 there all along. 41:19 A mission, God's BHAG mission. 41:21 By the way, a mission, 41:23 not just for the religion department, 41:27 or the theological seminary, 41:29 but a mission every department, 41:30 every floor that had building, 41:32 every staff team driven by God's BHAG 41:35 to move out in the Macedonia, 41:37 with every creative method that the bright minds 41:40 of this campus can come up with. 41:41 It can be done. 41:43 Scott Moncrieff, professor of English. 41:47 He wrote a blog, I read it yesterday, 41:49 in the Adventist Review. 41:50 "Why I believe in God?" 41:53 Dealt with the reality of struggling 41:55 with that question. 41:57 I'm so proud of him? 41:58 One of our Andrew's faculty. 41:59 Why? 42:01 Because he's taking his belief in God and sharing it 42:03 with the wider world. 42:05 BHAG, a BHAG vision of taking it off this campus 42:12 and into the world. 42:13 I tell you what? 42:16 This is my sense and I may be wrong here, 42:18 but when we unabashedly make God's BHAG our BHAG, 42:21 all the financial and numerical indicators 42:24 that we've been so concerned about, 42:25 I really believe the numbers will grow, 42:27 they will simply grow. 42:28 Because when the word goes out, 42:30 that we've embraced a compelling BHAG 42:31 for the mission of God. 42:33 There isn't a dedicated family alive in this nation, 42:36 that wouldn't want his young to be nurtured 42:38 and train in that same BHAG mission. 42:41 Bring it on. Take my children please. 42:45 150 of our students every Sabbath afternoon 42:47 go to Benton Harbor, thank you Jesus. 42:49 And thank you for those students. 42:50 But you know what? 42:52 There are 2,750 other students who need a mission. 42:56 Doesn't have to be Benton Harbor, 42:58 doesn't have to be it all. 42:59 Student missions, task force, 43:02 create some new mission ministries. 43:05 Having a dialogue with the leaders in Chicago 43:07 for the last two months. 43:12 We're looking at 9.3 million human beings 43:15 in the greater Chicago land area. 43:19 And on the conversation just this last Wednesday night, 43:22 the president there said. 43:23 "Dwight, what do you suppose we could do?" 43:25 Andrews University and Chicago teamed up 43:30 to reach the windy city. 43:32 I sat down last nigh after meditating 43:33 on some other scripture passages 43:35 and pulled out a legal pad, a yellow pad, 43:37 and I began to scribble ideas, what could be done. 43:40 We got the brightest 43:42 and the best of the young adults 43:43 in the denomination, right here on this campus. 43:45 We got faculty second to none. 43:47 If you could harness that resource, 43:49 it's just the drive, 43:51 it's a hop-skipping and jump around the corner of this lake. 43:53 We could be in Chicago on weekends. 43:56 We could be planting churches, 43:57 we could be growing the work of Christ. 44:00 Of course we've got Benton Harbor, 44:01 we are not gonna abandon Benton Harbor. 44:04 But there is more to the world than Benton Harbor. 44:13 "During the night Paul had a vision 44:15 of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, 44:18 'Come over to Macedonia and help us." 44:21 Come to the west, cross over those waters. 44:23 Come into our darkness, bring the light of your Christ. 44:26 Hey, jot this down, 44:28 just a little over a hundred years ago 44:29 these words are written. 44:31 And you need to fill it in. 44:32 there's one key word missing. 44:34 I'm gonna read the quote, it's in your study guide, 44:35 "To show a liberal, self-denying spirit 44:39 for the success of foreign missions..." 44:41 That would be God's BHAG, his global BHAG. 44:43 To show concern for that "Is a sure way to advance 44:47 home missionary work." 44:49 In other words, Andrews University and Pioneer. 44:51 You want to grow here? 44:52 Get out there for the... 44:53 Here it goes, 44:55 "For the prosperity of the home work..." 44:57 Andrews and Pioneer, "Depends largely under God, 45:00 upon the..." 45:01 Write it in reflex influence. 45:04 "Reflex influence of the evangelistic work 45:07 done in countries afar off." 45:08 That would be God's BHAG again. 45:10 "It is in working to supply the necessity of others, 45:13 others, others that we bring our souls into touch 45:16 with the source of all divine power." 45:19 Did you catch that phrase, the reflex influence? 45:23 I don't know if doctors still do this, 45:25 but you remember when as a kid, 45:26 you went to a doctor 45:28 and he sat you down on that little table there and he said, 45:30 "All right, cross your leg and you crossed your leg 45:34 and you remember he took a little black hammer, 45:36 and he just hits you right there, 45:37 and when he hits you, you're booing. 45:39 He made you feel like a fool, isn't it? 45:41 He hits you in the knee and your foot would shoot up. 45:43 What' he doing? 45:45 He's testing your reflexive response. 45:49 When you work with something here, 45:52 there's an automatic reflexive response. 45:56 The point that we're seeing here is that, 45:58 when you get involve out there, 46:01 there is a reflexive influence 46:03 and it creates vitality in here. 46:07 Our senior leadership team of pastoral staff right now 46:09 is reading a book called The Externally Focused Church. 46:13 The book is absolutely right on. 46:15 Externally focused churches, externally focused campuses 46:19 living in a world out there experience here 46:22 to for unknown vitality and growth. 46:26 Why? Because it's reflexive. 46:28 You go out there, you'll do better in here. 46:31 I know that this is not street wise. 46:35 I know what the people on the street say, 46:37 the people on the street say, "Hey, boy. 46:38 You're having trouble with your resources, 46:41 hang on to everything you got." 46:42 Pull it in, pull it in, pull it in, you might lose it all. 46:44 That's craziness. 46:46 Because you know why? 46:47 The kingdom of God is the very opposite 46:49 of the kingdom of this earth. 46:50 In the kingdom of God, 46:51 He who wants to save his life must what? 46:54 You gotta lose your life, in order to save it. 46:56 You can't save it. 46:58 If you save it, you die. 47:00 If you lose it, you grow. 47:05 BHAG, God's BHAG vision. 47:09 I tell you what, to more from good, 47:11 it's not hard Jim Collins says, 47:13 it's not hard to be good. 47:15 There are whole lot of goods out there, 47:17 churches and colleges. 47:19 But it's tough to be great, to move from good to great. 47:26 You need a big, hairy, audacious goal that everybody, 47:33 everybody supports. 47:35 What is our BHAG? 47:39 It's the same one Paul had, it's the Macedonian Matrix. 47:42 Come over come-on, come over here. 47:45 "Come over to Macedonia and help us. 47:49 Oh, what happened, I'm gonna sit down, 47:50 but let me just ask you this, what would happen, 47:53 if at every board meeting, 47:56 there're boards all over this campus, 47:57 we have one here, we have one over there. 47:59 what will happen if in every board meeting, 48:01 we began the board meeting by asking the question, 48:04 how we doing with our BHAG? 48:07 How is it going, what's new with the BHAG? 48:11 what will happen, if every time that committee met, 48:13 it began with the BHAG question? 48:15 Every time the RAs gathered in the dorm, they say, 48:17 "Hey, listen what's happen, how we're reaching the lost, 48:20 right here in our circle? 48:21 What would happen if every time the faculty convened, 48:24 the faculty meeting began with the question, 48:27 how we doing with our BHAG. 48:31 What would happen? 48:34 If every time the student association got together 48:36 with its top leadership. 48:38 Now first question after the prayer is 48:40 how we doing with our BHAG? 48:43 What's happening? 48:46 You see to go from good to great, 48:49 you have to have a BHAG. 48:52 And everybody needs to know, I'm a part of it. 48:56 Every department, every staff team, 48:59 everybody shares the same BHAG. 49:05 Come over, in the Macedonia. 49:07 Come over, in the Macedonia and help us. 49:11 I love that "The dream gave Paul his map." 49:16 Ladies and gentlemen, it must give us 49:17 our map to our BHAG map for Christ. 49:21 Because I want to remind you, 49:22 Jesus knew all about closed doors. 49:26 That night in the garden of Gethsemane, 49:29 as he is begging for a door to open, 49:31 all He can find in that sweaty 49:33 and black night is a closed door. 49:35 Do you know why? 49:36 Because the best way to an open door 49:38 is a closed one. 49:40 And so the door slams shut in Gethsemane 49:42 so that we get Calvary, 49:45 where that door is wide open to the whole human race. 49:48 It takes a closed door to get us to an open door. 49:53 If we've been going through closed doors lately, 49:56 that means there is still 49:58 an open door we're being let to. 50:04 A big, hairy, audacious goal for the Lord Jesus Christ, 50:09 you know why? 50:11 Because we're at eternity's edge. 50:12 That email from a viewer is absolutely right, 50:15 but it's not too late. 50:18 Our closed doors can lead us to God's open door 50:19 and by the way, this open door is so wide, 50:22 an entire campus can stream through it. 50:25 Come, I beg of you. 50:28 Come, come over, come over to Macedonia. 50:32 Please, and help us. 50:35 Wow that is a BHAG, 50:39 I want from my life, how about you? 50:43 Wow. 50:50 This Wednesday, when we gather to pray, 50:54 you know what? 50:55 That'd be a great focus 50:57 for our corporate praying around here. 50:59 Dear God, what is, what do you want us to do 51:05 to get to that open door. 51:07 Closed doors we know, we want the open door, God. 51:11 Can you imagine the whole campus on its knees? 51:13 Can't spend a whole days on your knees, 51:15 but you can spend part of that day on your knees, 51:17 you can, you really can. 51:19 And entire campus, faculty, 51:21 and administration and instructors 51:25 and staff and pastors and community members, 51:29 all of us praying, "God, take us to that open door, 51:34 we're ready to go, please." 51:38 Let's end by singing the words of Jesus to us. 51:42 Hymn 578, I love this hymn. 51:44 Let's sing it. 51:46 Let's had Jesus sing these words to us, 51:47 "So Send I You." 51:50 Like the father sent me, so I now send you hymn 578. 52:34 So send I you-by grace 52:39 made strong to triumph 52:44 O'er hosts of hell, o'er darkness, death 52:51 and sin My name to bear 52:55 and in that name to conquer - 53:00 So send I you, my victory to win 53:11 So send I you-to take to souls in bondage 53:21 The word or truth 53:24 that sets the captive free 53:29 To break the bonds of sin 53:34 to lost death's fetters - 53:39 So send I you, 53:42 to bring the lost to me. 53:50 So send I you-my strength 53:55 to know in weakness 54:00 My joy in grief, 54:04 my perfect peace in pain 54:09 To prove My power, 54:13 My grace, My promised presence- 54:19 So send I you, 54:23 eternal fruit to gain 54:30 So send I you- 54:34 to bear My cross with patience 54:40 And then one day 54:44 with joy to lay it down 54:50 To hear My voice, 54:54 "well done, My faithful servant- 55:02 Come, share My throne, 55:05 My kingdom, and My crown!" 55:15 "As the Father hath sent Me, 55:23 so send I you." 55:34 Oh, Father God, we're here. 55:36 We cannot help but hear that voice pleading, 55:40 pleading in the distance. 55:42 You've got to come out, you can't stay there, 55:46 you can't live by yourselves in that place, come out. 55:52 Come to us, and help us. 55:56 Holy Father, 55:57 please as we prepare to go to our knees in a day 56:01 of fasting and prayer. 56:03 Use that moment to show us 56:08 what personally you have for us. 56:10 What corporately you dream for us, 56:14 and then give us courage. 56:16 And a boldness born 56:19 of the greatest mission of all. 56:24 Do whatever it takes in this place we humbly pray. 56:32 And Jesus came and stood among them and said, 56:35 "Peace be with you." 56:39 And after he said this he showed them 56:40 his hands and his side and the disciples 56:42 were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. 56:46 Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you. 56:51 As the father has sent me, 56:56 so send I you." 57:01 Amen. 57:04 I want to take an extra moment and let you know, 57:05 how grateful I'm, you joined us in worship today. 57:08 I hear from viewers like you all across this nation 57:10 and literally around the world and I'm thankful. 57:13 If you'd like to explore further 57:15 what we just shared, hope you visit our website. 57:17 It's easy to remember, www.pmchurch, 57:20 we're the Pioneer Memorial Church 57:22 here on the campus of Andrews University, 57:24 www.pmchurch.tv. 57:27 Click on to that website, 57:28 you'll be able to listen to our podcast of this material, 57:31 or download my presentation for your MP3 player 57:33 or print out the study guide for further study. 57:36 You may have a special prayer need that you wish to share 57:38 with our prayer partners. 57:39 You may have an observation you wish to write to me. 57:41 Or you may want to partner with us 57:43 to a personal donation to help us 57:44 reach this generation with the everlasting gospel. 57:47 Let me hear from you. 57:48 You can write to me at www.pmchurch.tv 57:52 or if you rather talk with someone 57:54 call one of our friendly operators at 877-His-Will. 57:58 In the mean time, 57:59 may the grace and peace of Jesus 58:01 be yours every step of the way. |
Revised 2016-07-11