Participants: Pr. Dwight K Nelson
Series Code: NP
Program Code: NP041208
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00:27 Good morning and welcome to PMC.
00:29 Thank you for joining us this morning. 00:30 We are so happy to have all our visitors here today. 00:33 Ah, that's a full house and we are grateful to be here 00:36 and I just want to read you a verse in Hebrews 10:21 00:44 and it says, "And since we have a great High Priest 00:47 who rules over God's house, let us go right into 00:51 the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting in him. 00:55 For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled 00:58 with Christ's blood to make us clean, 01:01 and our bodies have been washed with pure water." 01:05 Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope 01:08 that we affirm, for God can be trusted 01:10 to keep His promise. 01:12 Let us think of ways to motivate one another 01:14 to acts of love and good works. 01:17 And let us not neglect meeting together, 01:19 as some people do, but encourage one another, 01:22 especially as the day of the Lord is coming soon. 01:28 We invite you to come into the Lord's presence boldly 01:31 because of Jesus Christ and worship together 01:36 in the beauty of holiness. 01:44 Stand with us as we sing our first song 01:46 "Come now is the time to worship." 01:51 Come, now is the time 01:55 to worship 01:59 Come, now is the time 02:03 to give your heart 02:07 Come, just as you are 02:11 to worship 02:15 Come, just as you are 02:19 before your God 02:23 Come It's to come 02:27 Come, now is the time 02:31 to worship 02:35 Come, now is the time 02:39 to give your heart 02:43 Come, just as you are 02:47 to worship 02:51 Come, just as you are 02:55 before your God 03:01 Come One day every tongue 03:04 will confess you are God 03:07 One day every knee will bow 03:11 Still the greatest treasure remains 03:13 For those, who gladly choose you now 03:19 One day every tongue will confess you are God 03:23 One day every kneewill bow 03:27 Still the greatest treasure remains 03:29 For those, who gladly 03:32 choose you now 03:37 Come, now is the time 03:41 to worship 03:45 Come, now is the time 03:48 to give your heart 03:53 Come, just as you are 03:56 to worship 04:01 Come, just as you are 04:04 before your God 04:09 Come One day 04:13 every tongue will confess You are God 04:17 One day every knee will bow 04:21 Still the greatest treasure remains for those, 04:24 Who gladly choose you now. 04:29 One day every tongue will confess you are God 04:33 One day every knee will bow 04:37 Still the greatest treasure remains for those, 04:40 Who gladly choose you now. 04:46 Come, now is the time 04:51 to worship 04:55 Come, now is the time 04:58 to give your heart, Come 05:08 Amen. Oh God, you are my God 05:12 and I'll ever praise you. 05:15 Let's stay standing as we sing "Oh God, You are my God." 05:27 Oh God, You are my God 05:32 And I will ever praise You 05:37 Oh God, You are my God 05:41 And I will ever praise You 05:46 I will seek You in the morning 05:51 And I will learn to walk in Your ways 05:55 And Step by step You lead me 06:00 And I will follow You all of my days 06:12 Oh God, You are my God 06:16 And I will ever praise You 06:20 Oh God, You are my God 06:25 And I will ever praise You 06:28 I will seek You 06:29 I will seek You in the morning 06:34 And I will learn to walk in Your ways 06:38 And Step by step You lead me 06:43 And I will follow You all of my days 06:48 And I will follow 06:50 And I will follow You all of my days 06:54 And I will follow You all of my days 06:59 And Step by step You lead me 07:03 And I will follow You all of my days 07:08 And I will follow 07:10 And I will follow You all of my days 07:14 And I will follow You all of my days 07:19 And Step by step You lead me 07:23 And I will follow You all of my days 07:45 Amen, you may be seated. 07:58 Revelation 15:3 starts out saying, 08:02 "And they were singing the song of Moses, 08:05 the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb 08:08 and this was the song "Great and marvelous 08:11 are your works, O Lord, the Almighty. 08:14 Just and true are Your ways, O King of the nations. 08:18 Who will not fear you, Lord, 08:20 and glorify Your name? 08:22 For You alone are holy. 08:25 All nations will come and worship before You, 08:27 for Your righteous deeds have been revealed." 08:45 The splendor of the King. 08:49 The splendor of a King 08:55 Clothed in majesty 09:01 Let all the earth rejoice, 09:04 All the earth rejoice. 09:07 He wraps himself in Light, 09:08 He wraps himself in Light, 09:14 And darkness tries to hide 09:19 And trembles at His voice 09:23 Trembles at His voice 09:27 How great is our God! 09:32 Sing with me How great is our God! 09:38 And all will see How great, 09:42 How great 09:45 is our God 09:50 And Age to age He stands 09:52 And Age to age He stands 09:58 And time is in His hands 10:06 Beginning and the end Beginning and the end 10:09 The Godhead 10:11 The Godhead Three in One 10:17 Father, Spirit, Son 10:22 The Lion and the Lamb, 10:25 The Lion and the Lamb. 10:29 How great is our God! 10:33 Sing with me, 10:34 Sing with me How great is our God! 10:40 And all will see How great, 10:44 How great is our God 10:50 Everybody sing Name above all names 10:54 Name above all names 10:59 You are Worthy of all praise 11:06 My heart will sing 11:09 How great is our God! 11:13 Let's sing How great is our God 11:18 How great is our God, 11:23 sing with me 11:25 How great is our God, 11:29 and all will see How great, 11:33 how great is our God 11:39 How great is our God 11:42 How great is our God, 11:48 sing with me 11:49 How great is our God, 11:54 and all will see 11:58 How great, how great is our God 12:02 All together now How great is our God, 12:07 How great is our God, 12:13 sing with me 12:14 How great, how great is our God. 12:19 And all will see how great, 12:24 How great is our God. 16:48 Let us be joyful. 16:51 Thanks you Andrews again, you are beautiful, 16:53 we needed that. 16:55 Let's be joyful 16:57 come to be just that in His presence. 17:02 Thank you very much Bells, 17:05 well done. 17:10 Let's pray together. 17:14 Although I like the appeal of that piece, let's be joyful. 17:20 Why shouldn't we be joyful, this is your house, 17:22 this is your day and we are here in family. 17:26 Over the next few moments as we reflect together about 17:30 the meaning of that experience. 17:34 Being in our midst, stir up our minds, 17:36 hide the noises, it's just flush our hearts, 17:41 may we hear you in scripture we pray in Jesus' name. 17:46 Amen. So two Sabbaths ago we found God in MySpace, 17:53 the last Sabbath sure enough there he is in Facebook 17:56 and I hope you're not surprised that today 17:58 He shows up in YouTube. 18:01 Why wouldn't he show up in YouTube everybody else 18:03 shows up in YouTube like Judson Laipply, 18:07 you heard of him? 18:08 Judson Laipply, I hadn't heard of him 18:10 either until I came across 18:12 this piece uploaded to the web just this week 18:17 written by a sophomore at Duke University, 18:21 a young man named David Distenfeld 18:26 titled the essay, "You too can YouTube" 18:28 but seriously here we go. 18:30 Judson Laipply is my personal hero. 18:34 Sure, he's no New York City firefighter, 18:36 but he's a hero nonetheless. 18:38 You probably don't recognize his name, 18:40 but I'm sure everyone reading this has seen his work. 18:44 Judson is the star of the most viewed video on YouTube. 18:50 How many views does he have, you ask? 18:52 Well, to indicate the staggering enormity of this number, 18:55 I will activate my keyboard's caps lock feature 18:58 and give it to you before I give you the number. 19:02 I needed to just say a word about YouTube? 19:04 There may be some people here it is possible, 19:07 who had not heard about YouTube. 19:10 Let me just tell you what YouTube is. 19:13 YouTube is a site in cyberspace run by Google 19:19 that is available to any human being 19:22 that has the ego strength to put a video camera 19:26 in front of himself, push the record button 19:29 and do any thing you want and then upload it to YouTube. 19:33 I mean I'm telling you the truth, 19:35 you can be as nutty as a squirrel and end up 19:37 on YouTube, which is probably 19:39 what you are when you do. 19:43 You can take pictures of squirrels, 19:44 you can take pictures of your pets, 19:46 you can take pictures of your babies, 19:47 some of the hottest better way if you ever and this- 19:50 this is just a little pastoral council 19:52 if you are ever going through a day 19:53 and you are really bummed out you are just feeling awful, 19:58 go on to YouTube and then type in laughing babies, 20:01 just type in laughing babies, you will leave on cloud nine, 20:05 you will be the happiest person on earth, 20:07 when that little baby is through. 20:10 So many way you can do that, 20:11 you put news clippings it's the most, 20:13 it is the most frequented video swap shop in the universe. 20:16 All right, so that's where Judson Laipply shows up. 20:19 How many people have visited Judson Laipply? 20:23 He has only recorded one video in his life 20:28 and he ended up on YouTube to indicate 20:31 and I may repeat that sentence, 20:32 to indicate the staggering enormity of this number, 20:34 I will not activate my keyboard's caps lock feature, 20:37 the number of viewers for Judson Laipply 20:40 81 million 697,000.004, 81.7 million people 20:49 had met Judson Laipply. 20:52 Look at if Judson is on YouTube 20:54 ladies and gentleman God has to be here. 20:56 The question is, are you too on his YouTube 21:00 and I need to plunge into 21:03 this word of God with you this morning. 21:05 God's YouTube invitation, God's YouTube YouToo invitation. 21:08 Open your Bibles please to Hebrews 10, 21:10 Hebrews 10 we are as unknown as Judson Laipply 21:17 perhaps but here is a line from Holy Scripture 21:21 that shifts the paradigm, 21:22 this is God's YouTube YouToo invitation. 21:25 By the way if you didn't bring your Bible, 21:26 grab the pew Bible in front of you. 21:27 Hebrews that would be in the New Testament. 21:29 Let me give you a page number 21:31 for that that would be page 809 Hebrews 10 just two lines 21:36 from ancient scripture you and I have never been 21:38 to these two lines together before but the time is right. 21:41 Hebrews 10 I'll be in the New King James Version 21:45 and it's just two verses, verses 24 and 25, let's go. 21:50 All right verse 24 "And let us consider one another 21:54 in order to stir up love and good works. 21:57 In verse 25 "Not forsaking the assembling 22:00 of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, 22:03 but exhorting one another, and so much the more 22:06 as you see the Day that is capital D 22:08 as you see the capital D Day approaching." 22:11 You say, hey do I, it doesn't say anything 22:12 YouTube in this whole passage. 22:16 I want to tell you something my friend it has YouTube 22:18 written all over it and if you just put a few little sketches 22:22 on that to study guide of yours, you will see it too, 22:24 so take out your study guide in your worship bulletin today. 22:27 Let's just cut to the chase. 22:29 Study guide is in your worship bulletin. 22:31 Visitors if you came in and you didn't get 22:33 your study guide just hold your hand up, 22:35 our friend the ushers will make sure 22:37 that you get one right now, all the way 22:38 to the back in the balcony please. 22:41 And those of you watching on television, 22:43 we are delighted you are joining us for this series. 22:45 Let me give you our website put it on the screen for you 22:47 www.pmchurch.tv that's our website you - you type 22:54 in that website, you are looking for a series, 22:55 little series called God's Party. 22:57 That's the series, it's a little five parted, 22:59 this is part three. 23:00 We have only two more and all by the way 23:01 don't miss green Google, don't miss green Google 23:04 next weekend all right. 23:06 But today is YouTube YouToo, 23:08 that's what you are looking for under God's Party, 23:10 YouTube YouToo and right there it will say, 23:12 it will say study guide. 23:14 Click there and you will have the identical study guide 23:17 with the answers by the way those of you watching, 23:19 the answers at the bottom. 23:21 So let's go, ha. 23:23 Everybody have one. 23:24 All right, first line in our study guide today, 23:27 Hebrews 10:24, 25 is God's strongest 23:30 YouTube YouToo invitation, write there in please, 23:34 invitation - this is a strongest by known invitation 23:37 in anywhere in Holy Scriptures, 23:39 we're going to note in just a moment, 23:40 keep your pen moving. 23:41 The motto of Google's YouTube, 23:43 this is their - this is their motto "Broadcast Yourself" 23:46 all right, but the motto of God's 23:49 YouTube is "Bring Yourself," Bring Yourself. 23:54 What's that supposed to mean? 23:55 Let's take a closer look at this, 23:57 this little two liner that we just read together, 24:00 let's read it again Hebrews 10:24. 24:03 "And let us consider one another in order to stir up love 24:06 and good works, not forsaking the assembling 24:09 of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, 24:12 but exhorting one another, and so much the more 24:14 as you see the Day approaching." 24:16 Now listen guys, there is a single Greek word 24:20 that unlocks that entire line. 24:23 It's a lot of words in English assembling ourselves together. 24:28 All of that can be captured in one Greek word. 24:30 In fact jot this down where you see there in the study guide, 24:32 here is the one word, episunagoge. 24:35 Now epi means act and sunagoge means gathering together 24:39 I want you to look at that word sunagoge, 24:40 can you see an English word that comes out sunagoge? 24:43 What it would be ah? 24:45 Synagogue you got it. 24:46 Write it down, synagogue. 24:48 Clearly jot this down. 24:50 This word describes a gathering together 24:52 for worship, that's what you do in the synagogue, 24:54 so this has to be talking about weekly worship. 24:59 I need to remind you in case you've forgotten 25:00 that in the New Testament Jews and Christians often worshiped 25:04 in the very same place, always 25:07 on the very same day, in the New Testament. 25:10 In fact let me show you this. 25:11 Let's just go back to the story 25:13 of the New Testament church in the Book of Acts. 25:14 Put your ribbon right there in Hebrews 10, 25:17 we will be right back. 25:18 But Acts 13 I'll give you just a line or two from this history 25:24 that will show you that in fact there they are same place 25:30 same day, all right this is Acts 13 so Paul and Barnabas, 25:33 John, Mark has cut run and Paul and Barnabas 25:36 are staying together this is a - what they call Paul's 25:38 first missionary journey. 25:40 And verse 14 when they departed 25:42 from Perga, Paul and Barnabas, 25:44 they came to Antioch in Pisidia, 25:46 and they went into where? 25:49 They went into the synagogue on what day of the week? 25:51 On the Sabbath day and they sat down. 25:54 And obviously the ruler of the synagogue spots 25:58 these two gentlemen and anytime a stranger showed up 26:01 if they look like they were educated, 26:02 the word would go back to them as one of the ushers 26:06 took it back to Paul and Barnabas to either 26:07 of you have something to say and Paul was hoping 26:09 for that open door, he jumps to his feat 26:11 and Paul preaches from verse 16 26:14 all the way down to verse 41, all right. 26:17 As soon as the sermon is over. 26:19 Notice the next line verse 42, 26:22 "So when the Jews went out of the synagogue, 26:25 the Gentiles begged that these words 26:28 might be preached to them when? 26:31 Be preached to them in the next Sabbath." 26:33 All right, so that's just going to be a few Jews 26:35 to get-together in the next Sabbath. 26:36 No, drop down to verse 44. 26:38 And on the next Sabbath almost the whole city, 26:44 almost the whole city, came together 26:46 to hear the word of God. 26:48 Jews and Christian yep, yep, yep, 26:49 Gentiles and Jews yep, in fact turned towards Acts 17, 26:55 taking a look at the greatest Christian who ever lived, 26:58 what was his, what was his custom? 27:01 Acts 17:2, "Then Paul, as his custom was, 27:06 went in to them, where is he, 27:07 verse 1 says he is in the synagogue, 27:09 he went into them, and for three Sabbaths 27:13 reasoned with them from the Scriptures." 27:15 He says of course Dwight, if you want to reach to Jews 27:18 that's where you go, you go to the synagogue. 27:19 There are no Gentiles there. 27:20 Synagogues are only for Jews. 27:23 Oh my friend you don't want to jump too quickly 27:25 to that conclusion because go over to Chapter 18, 27:27 all right, just one, one column over 27:29 to Chapter 18, look at verse 4. 27:31 Now Paul is in Corinth. 27:32 "And he Paul reasoned in the synagogue 27:34 every Sabbath, and persuaded whom? 27:37 Both Jews and Greeks." 27:39 You are going to the synagogue. 27:41 If you believe in Almighty Creator God, 27:42 you are going to worship on that Almighty Creator God's day 27:45 and you will worship where others are worshiping 27:47 the same God on that same day. 27:49 So you are always, you are always 27:51 in the Sabbath in a synagogue, Jews and Gentiles alike. 27:54 In fact scribble it down, will you, 27:56 Throughout the New Testament Jews and Christians 27:58 worshiped together on the same Sabbath 28:00 and often in the same synagogue. 28:04 All right, so what's the-- what's the writer Hebrews 28:07 trying to tell us? 28:10 Go back to where you, put the bulletin or that ribbon, 28:12 let's look at Hebrews 10:24. 28:15 "And let us consider one another in order to stir up love 28:18 and good works, not forsaking 28:20 the assembling of ourselves together, 28:22 as is the manner of some is but exhorting one another, 28:25 and so much the more as you see the Day approaching." 28:29 You know what he is doing. 28:30 He simply to say, any question? Hey, 28:32 hey don't give up, don't, don't give up on worshiping 28:36 on the Sabbath don't you dare give up. 28:39 He is saying come on, do I, I don't see 28:40 a word about the Sabbath here. 28:42 We just, we just note there is a huge hint 28:44 with that word synagogue there because 28:47 that is where you meet to worship on the Sabbath 28:49 but there is one more hint, fascinating. 28:52 And one of our doctoral students here in Andrews University 28:54 who is working on his PhD in New Testament is in the thick 28:59 of his dissertation right now and he has shared this with me. 29:01 And I'm excited to be able to share with you, 29:03 it's my friend Erhard Gallos. 29:06 Now watch this. 29:07 You see the writer of Hebrews 29:09 has already dealt with the Sabbath. 29:12 Gallos in his-in his research is saying actually 29:15 if you note carefully chapter, Hebrews 4 and Hebrews 10 29:20 are parallel chapters and he shared with me, 29:23 there are three major ways in which it is clear by the syntax 29:26 and the semantics that these two chapters are intended 29:29 by the writer to be parallel. 29:32 So that what get started in Chapter 4 29:34 gets finished in Chapter 10. 29:36 Now this is fascinating, this is cutting edge. Watch this. 29:39 I take you back to Chapter 4. 29:41 So here in 10 but just go back for a moment to Chapter 4 29:45 where the writer talks about the seventh day Sabbath. 29:47 Yep, he does. 29:49 Hebrews 4: drop down to verse 4. 29:51 "For He God has spoken in a certain place 29:54 of the seventh day in this way. 29:55 And God rested on the seventh day 29:58 from all His works." 30:00 And the writer has taken, has taken verse 2 30:03 straight out of Genesis 2 and he say, 30:04 hey remember the creation story, 30:05 that's what I'm talking about the seventh day Sabbath. 30:08 Now taking the divine model of resting 30:11 on the seventh day Sabbath, The writer then turns 30:13 to his readers and he said, hey guys, 30:15 we got to do the same. 30:16 Drop down to verse 9 so "There remains therefore 30:21 a rest for the people of God." 30:27 I need you to get this down and I'm, 30:29 and it's in your study guide, so you can boot on this later. 30:32 This is the only place, jot it down, 30:34 This is the only place in the New Testament 30:36 and in the Old Testament Greek which would be the Septuagint, 30:39 this is the only place where that word sabbatismos 30:43 where that word is used, no where else. 30:47 Now the word is actually used in extra biblical literature, 30:50 that means literature outside of the Bible and it always 30:52 describes jot it down, Sabbath keeping. 30:56 So he is talking about Sabbath keeping and the NIV 30:59 therefore correctly translates it, 31:01 let's put it on the screen there. 31:02 "There remains, then, a Sabbath - rest 31:06 for the people of God." 31:08 Then the writer says, hey, I'm talking to you 31:10 and he goes on to verse 10. 31:11 "For he or she who has entered into God's rest has himself 31:15 also ceased from his works as God as God did from His." 31:20 Jot it down. The writer of Hebrews is saying, hey, 31:22 all of you who are reading, 31:25 we also must rest from our work even as God did, 31:29 we must rest from our work on the same seventh day Sabbath. 31:32 The writer is making a pitch for the seventh day Sabbath 31:37 and then here is the, here is the stunning conclusion. 31:41 Erhard and it's in the study guide for you. 31:43 "Erhard Gallos' doctoral research is suggesting 31:45 that in chapters 4 and 10 the writer of Hebrews 31:48 is appealing to his readers to neither give up 31:51 the day of Sabbath rest, that's chapter 4 nor the way 31:56 of Sabbath worship, that's chapter 10, 31:58 they are bound together, just locked. 32:01 By the way evidential proof that the seventh-day Sabbath 32:03 is the only day of rest divinely continence in the entire 32:08 New Testament because Hebrews is written just months 32:11 before the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. 32:14 It is still big that day of rest 32:17 in the New Testament church, wow. 32:22 So now, how do we know that? 32:24 Let's read that, that little twosome 32:26 again here in Chapter 10:24, 32:28 "And let us consider one another 32:30 in order to stir up love and good works." 32:32 Verse 25, "Not forsaking the assembling 32:35 of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, 32:37 but exhorting one another, and so much the more 32:40 as you see the Day approaching." 32:42 Ladies and gentlemen write it down, 32:44 the appeal of Hebrews 10:25 for Christians is simply. 32:48 Let us not give up coming together 32:51 to worship God on the Sabbath day. 32:55 That's the appeal. 32:58 And by the way the keyword jot this down as well, 33:00 the key word is together, together, together. 33:08 Few months before the end of World War II, 33:11 C S Lewis, everybody knows C S Lewis, 33:13 the brilliant Christian apologist of last century, 33:16 C S Lewis, who was an atheist. 33:19 Like the young man who read the testimony this morning 33:21 an atheist, C S Lewis was an atheist 33:23 converted found Jesus Christ and became 33:25 a radical disciple of the Savior. 33:27 C S Lewis just a few months before 33:29 the end of World War II, he is a Britisher. 33:31 So he is in a large, he is in the headquarters 33:33 to a large manufacturing firm in Sussex, England. 33:36 And they have asked and talked about the Christian 33:39 immersed in industry and at the end 33:41 of his little talk he says okay, any question. 33:43 We have the record of the question 33:45 that were asked to C S Lewis 33:46 and one of those questions was this. 33:49 Is attendance at a place of worship or membership 33:53 with the Christian community necessary 33:55 to a Christian way of life? 33:57 I - do I have to go church? 33:59 Come on do I have to go to church to be a good Christian? 34:04 Lewis' answer will surprise you. 34:06 I'll put it on the screen for you. 34:07 That's a question which I cannot answer. 34:11 My own experience is that when I first became a Christian, 34:14 about fourteen years ago, "I thought that I could 34:17 do it on my own, by retiring to my rooms and reading theology, 34:22 and I wouldn't go the churches and Gospel Halls." 34:25 Hey wait a minute, does that sound familiar? 34:27 Have you heard that words before? 34:28 Hey come on pastor, I don't need to come 34:30 to this place to worship, what do you think, 34:32 you got some monopoly worship around here? 34:34 I can worship in my room, I can worship in my home. 34:36 All I need is a good book or the good book. 34:39 I don't need any of this kind of assembling 34:42 ourselves together stuff. 34:44 I mean come on, come on do I, I got an iPod 34:46 I will even download one of your sermons, 34:48 okay that's the deal, I'll download 34:49 one of your sermons, but I want to listen to my own music, 34:51 listen to your sermon when I wish 34:53 and I don't have to hang around 34:54 all of this stuff assembling ourselves together. 34:58 Oh, by the way, by the way, Dwight, it's just a two of us. 35:02 We are going to walk along the lake. 35:03 We are going to be in the great outer doors of the Creator. 35:05 We don't need anybody else when you are this in love. 35:09 What's this assembling ourselves together stuff, 35:12 that's the way Lewis used to think. 35:15 Now notice, how he goes on, 35:17 back on the screen in your study guide. 35:19 "Then later, then later I found 35:22 that if there is anything in the teaching 35:23 of the New Testament which is in the nature of a command, 35:27 it is that you are obliged to celebrate the communion, 35:30 and you can't do it without going to Church." 35:33 That's something, you got to go, keep reading, 35:37 he says I don't tell you about the churches true, 35:40 I disliked very much their hymns, 35:42 which I considered to be fifth-rate poems 35:45 set to sixth-rate music. 35:48 Aha and unless you come on time out time out, 35:53 that may have been the hymns that C S Lewis was listening to, 35:56 I don't even know what he was listening 35:57 to but I don't want you to interpret that every hymn 35:59 we had around here ranks 36:00 in that category, no way Jose. 36:04 Ah, the hymns you and I have sing, come on. 36:08 He says, anyway I don't consider those hymns, 36:10 that's why I didn't go to church he said, 36:11 I considered to be fifth-rate poems set to sixth-rate music. 36:14 But as I went on watch this I saw the great merit of it. 36:18 I came up when I went to church against different people 36:22 with quite different outlooks and different education, 36:24 and then gradually my conceit just began peeling off. 36:30 I realized that the hymns which were just sixth-rate music were, 36:33 nevertheless, being sung with devotion and benefit 36:36 by an old saint in elastic-side boots in the opposite pew, 36:41 and then you realize that you aren't fit to clean those boots. 36:47 Final line fill it in. 36:49 It gets you out of your solitary conceit." 36:58 It has become fashionable in some circles not far from here 37:04 to demonstrate your intellectual prowess 37:08 and you are finally tuned artistic discernment 37:11 by announcing I'm not going where they are singing 37:15 fifth-rate poems set to sixth-rate music 37:19 which we call praise music here for university students. 37:25 I thought I might get more than one amen out of that, 37:28 and that was our worship leader there, no he wasn't. 37:34 Hey listen guys, Lewis all right, 37:36 let's talk about Lewis. 37:37 In mind certainly much brighter than mine and perhaps 37:39 even brighter than yours. 37:43 Got over this stuffy huffy, I'm not hanging around people 37:47 who are just like me and who don't like the kind of music 37:50 I like and don't like the kind of preaching I like. 37:53 I'll get over it Lewis said. 37:55 How did he describe these people? 37:56 He said - he said I discovered the different people 37:59 with quite different outlooks and different education. 38:02 When they come together in this communal togetherness, 38:06 you know, what he said, it peeled away my solitary conceit. 38:11 And sometimes that's the only way you can describe or reason, 38:15 not to join a community in worship, solitary conceit. 38:24 We read it again verse 24, 38:26 "And let us consider one another in order to stir up love 38:30 and good works, not forsaking 38:32 the assembling of ourselves together, 38:33 as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, 38:36 and so much the more as you see the Day appearing." 38:39 Hey, ladies and gentlemen, the point is simple 38:40 and clear, write is down. 38:42 The communal day of the Sabbath is to be experienced 38:45 in the communal way of worship." 38:48 I.E. write it down together, together, together. 38:53 Of course, of course you can worship God 38:56 all alone in your room, all alone in your home, 38:58 all alone in your trailer, your apartment of course. 39:01 I worship in every single morning and you know what, 39:03 I'm the richer and the better for being alone with God. 39:06 But, being alone at home, 39:08 home alone is not enough, is not enough. 39:14 Home alone is no substitute for being at the ballpark. 39:20 Hey, it's the baseball season, isn't it? 39:22 It's baseball season, hallelujah. 39:24 You know what, you want to talk about 39:25 fifth rate poetry set to sixth rate music. 39:28 Here is one for you and yet when you hear this, 39:30 I want you to note the communal language 39:32 in what all of us ball fans sing at the seventh inning stretch 39:37 when it comes to that little pause in our group fellowship. 39:41 Take me up to the ball game, 39:46 take me up with the crowd, 39:50 see the word crowd, Buy me some peanuts 39:54 and Cracker Jack, I don't care if I never get back. 39:59 Let me root, root, root for the home team 40:05 see home team, and if they don't win, 40:11 it's a shame, for it's one, two, three strikes 40:17 you're out in the old ball game. 40:20 Now guys, that is a song about communal fellowship. 40:25 Why are you laughing? 40:26 Let me just, you didn't catch it, did you? 40:27 This great American pastime is about communal fellowship. 40:32 Take me out with the crowd, 40:34 I want to root for the home team, 40:35 for if they don't win, it's a shame. 40:36 Hey listen, why is it a shame because 40:38 I'm a part of them and they are part of me 40:41 and we are all going down and we are all going to stand together. 40:43 We win together, we lose together, 40:46 we do it together. 40:48 Hey listen guys, listen if it's is a choice seriously, 40:51 if it's a choice between sitting at home 40:54 in front of my tiny little television screen or being out 40:58 in that stadium that is packed and sitting 41:01 on those uncomfortable pews, I mean bleachers 41:03 with all those people, if it is a choice, 41:08 I'm willing to sit on anything if you give me a chance 41:13 to hang around some people who share the same passion I do, 41:16 people who would root for the same team I'm because 41:21 ladies and gentleman you know what's its all about, 41:23 it's all about community, community. 41:29 What do you think keeps the Pura Cup fans going? 41:38 Community, I just want to wear 41:40 that red C on my cap, 41:44 a century without a win. 41:51 It's all about community. 41:53 You say what's the big deal about going to ballpark, 41:54 you be thinking about church, 41:55 I'll be talking about ballpark you think about church. 41:58 Here you go, number one. 41:59 Why do I go to a ballpark? 42:01 Number one to share and strengthen my resolve. 42:08 I get stronger when I hang around other fans. 42:10 Number two. Why do I go to a ballpark? 42:12 To reinforce my loyalty and number three, 42:15 why do you I to a ballpark? 42:16 To embolden my witness, makes me stronger 42:21 and I have been around you. 42:22 Look at this verse 24. 42:24 "And let us consider one another 42:25 in order to stir up love and good works." 42:29 Ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, 42:32 why do I go to a ballpark? 42:33 Because I need to know that I'm not alone. 42:36 It may be true for every baseball fan you can think about 42:39 but I want to tell you something that is even more true today 42:41 for a counter cultural moment at this moment in human history 42:45 we have to, we have to come together and gain strength 42:50 and bestir each other up and say, yeah, thats right. 42:52 Pull our back, I about gave up this week 42:55 but I'm glad to know there are few others on the same team, 42:57 hallelujah, thank you Jesus. 43:00 By the way I don't understand this, 43:01 would you explain this to me? 43:03 If I'm a fan of the Yankees as I'm, they say, 43:05 hey, isn't he a great fan. 43:08 But if I'm a fan of Jesus Christ, 43:09 they say, hey, isn't he a great fanatic. 43:13 What's up with that? 43:15 Why can't we be a fan of the Lord Jesus Christ 43:18 and His community of faith at the end of time? 43:20 Why can't we be fans? 43:22 I mean they are sitting in the rain 43:25 on the worst seats in the world, just to be together? 43:32 You know why? 43:35 I'll tell you why? 43:36 Because there is nothing like community and God, 43:41 oh mercy, God, jot this down will you? 43:43 God is big on communal worship. 43:48 Because we are not just going to be with fans, 43:49 we are going to be with the Creator Himself. 43:52 We are going to be with the Creator Himself. 43:54 And oh boy, that's why He is so big 43:57 on communal gatherings, communal worship. 44:01 By the way God has a YouTube piece, yes He does. 44:04 And that's what God says, I have got YouTube 44:07 and I need you too in my YouTube. 44:09 You know why, because God is not into solitary. 44:11 Oh, He loves being along with you, 44:12 don't miss understand me. 44:14 God is not into solitary when it comes to this moment, 44:16 God says the more the merrier. 44:17 You bring them in. 44:18 Go bring your friends, go bring your family, 44:20 you guys come on over. 44:21 I want to meet with everybody you can find, 44:24 because God is big on community. 44:27 He says you know what, 44:28 I don't like this little YouTubes 44:29 that are just one pictures, one hero shows no, 44:31 he says my YouTube is a YouToo invitation 44:35 and I want everybody in the picture, I want everybody. 44:39 In fact jot that down, will you? 44:41 His favorite YouTube Sabbath picture 44:42 is a group portrait, a group portrait. 44:46 Oh, sure He loves one on one, He loves it. 44:48 But you got to know 44:50 that where two or three are gathered together. 44:53 Do you remember this Mathew 18:20, 44:55 Jesus said, where two or three 44:57 are gathered together in my name, 44:59 that's not just three guys hanging around on the corner, 45:01 no in my name you have come to worship, 45:03 where two or three are gathered together in my name, 45:05 I am there in the midst of them." 45:08 Listen you may not have 3000 like pioneer, ah? 45:12 Tell you what all you need is three, 45:13 if you got three, you got God. 45:15 One of those three is God. 45:17 You got, you got God whenever you come together in His name. 45:22 God is big on communal worship. 45:26 I figured out why God is big on communal worship by the way, 45:28 because He is the Father. 45:30 If you are father, if you are dad as I am. 45:33 You know every dad is really keen on being able to have 45:36 sometime alone with his separate children. 45:38 I mean I got Kirk, I like to have time alone with Kirk. 45:41 I got Kristen, I like to have time alone with Kristen. 45:44 Well, I have three kids now, 45:46 because that little girl got married. 45:47 I want you tell you something, 45:48 because some of you have been praying. 45:50 Yesterday morning at 4 o'clock plane landed at Fort Riley, 45:55 Kansas and our son in law medic with US Army Rangers stepped off 46:00 that plane and survived 14 months in Baghdad. 46:03 And we are saying thank you Jesus. 46:05 You were praying, many of you were praying, 46:07 now, you don't need to clap. 46:09 You just say, amen thank you Jesus. 46:11 And the moment I say that, the moment I say that I know 46:15 what moms and dad who met a plane for a different reason, 46:20 wives and husbands who greeted a flag draped return. 46:28 I don't take it likely but every dad 46:31 wants time with his kids alone, 46:33 but there is nothing like a father's heart. 46:35 The father says, listen for the holidays 46:36 I want everybody, I want everybody to come. 46:38 I want all the children here and that's why the Sabbath 46:42 which is God's holy day from whence comes the word holiday. 46:45 God said up, bring the whole family. 46:46 I'm not into one on one today, you just bring everybody 46:49 you've got, every seventh day, I want to have a party 46:52 and we are going to call it a holiday. 46:55 Which is right by the way. 46:57 When God posts a picture on YouTube of the future, 47:00 only God can do that, He can post a picture 47:02 that hasn't even been taken yet. 47:03 But, He posted on YouTube, He says, I want to show you 47:05 the future, in the future it's a group portrait. 47:10 Watch this, this is Isaiah 66:22, 47:13 "For as the new heavens and the new earth, 47:15 which I will make, shall remain before me, says the Lord." 47:18 Okay, I'm going to build this thing all over again. 47:20 "So shall your descendants and your name remain." 47:23 Now watch this ladies and gentleman verse 23. 47:25 "And it shall come to pass that from one new moon to another 47:28 and from one Sabbath to another all flesh shall come to worship 47:33 before me, says the Lord." 47:36 That is so important that I wish you would jot it down 47:38 in your study guide, please write it down, 47:40 "From one Sabbath to another, all flesh in the new earth 47:43 shall come to worship before Me 47:45 forever and ever,' says the Lord." 47:48 Every seventh day throughout eternity 47:51 will be a Sabbath and God will be having 47:55 everybody home for worship, ain't it some. 47:59 Every Sabbath for ever and ever. 48:03 It's a group portrait. 48:05 Wow, want to be a part of that group portrait. 48:08 Anybody here want to be a part of that group portrait one day, 48:10 but of course so here is the question. 48:14 Do you will I remember the truth that Hebrews is teaching, 48:19 Jot it down will you please. 48:21 "If you want to be in the portrait then, 48:23 you've got to be in the group picture now!" Why? 48:29 Because right now we are close to the return of Jesus 48:31 to this planet than we have ever been before. 48:34 Let me read it with you one more time. 48:35 Hebrews 10:24, "And let us consider one another 48:39 in order to stir up love and good works, 48:41 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, 48:44 as is the manner or habit of some, 48:47 but exhorting one another, and so much the more 48:50 as you see the capital D Day approaching." 48:54 What's the capital D Day that the writer is referring to? 48:57 Drop down to verse 37. 48:58 "For yet a little while, and He who is coming 49:02 will come and will not tarry." 49:05 Jesus is coming again, that's His point. 49:11 If you want to be in the portrait then, 49:13 you got to get in the group picture now, now. 49:18 In fact write this down, "The closer the Day of Christ 49:20 draws to us, the closer we must draw 49:23 to each other on Christ's Day." 49:26 I'm telling you what ladies and gentleman, 49:27 you will not find a stronger appeal in all of Holy Scripture 49:30 to come to church, to come to church. 49:34 There is nothing stronger than what we've just read today. 49:37 In fact look at this, look at this from the NIV. 49:40 "Let us not give up meeting together, 49:42 as some are in the habit of doing, 49:44 but let us encourage one another and all the more 49:46 as you see the Day approaching." 49:48 Do you know why this is so crucial 49:49 because corporate worship is tied to personal readiness. 49:53 Getting ready for the return of Jesus 49:55 involves me hanging around. 49:56 You say, Dwight, just hang around God all alone, no. 49:58 I get strength from you, that I cannot get when I pray alone. 50:04 I get strength from you, when we come together, 50:08 it's about getting ready. 50:13 You know what that means. 50:15 We need to being right now. 50:17 The days of skipping church and absenting ourselves 50:20 from worship are over. 50:23 Ladies and gentlemen, we've been too late to say fair 50:25 about Sabbath worship. 50:27 We kind of thought, you know what, 50:28 this is - this is little option. 50:29 I'm waking up today and I'm just not feeling real rested 50:31 and so I think today I am going to stay away from church. 50:34 I will turn on the radio, I will watch it on TV. 50:37 We have become too lazy to be fair, 50:39 I mean, you know, may be I get back to it. 50:40 The problem is once you skip, is this true? Once you skip, 50:44 it's so much easier the next Sabbath to skip 50:46 and then it's so much easier the next Sabbath to skip 50:48 and before you know you are just playing skip, 50:52 skipping, skipping and skipping. 50:55 We have been too lackadaisical about this. 50:59 The passion of Hebrews 10 declares that the days 51:01 of skipping church and absenting ourselves 51:03 from worship must end, why? 51:05 Because Jesus is coming soon. 51:07 If fact jot this down, will you. 51:09 Corporate worship is linked to personal readiness. 51:12 Prepare to meet your God, O Israel. 51:14 Prepare O Israel to meet your God, come together, 51:17 come together, come together and prepare. 51:20 Don't you prepare alone, you come, 51:22 come, and come together? 51:25 A friend of mine was here last week for the spring meetings. 51:31 We were visiting together afterwards 51:33 and we found a conversation, he is from California, 51:35 so we fell into conversation about the economy, 51:37 I don't know if any of you are watching the economy, 51:39 it may be one of the big, big, big stories just on the brink 51:43 of the horizon, just keep your eye on the economy. 51:46 Anyway so we started talking about the economy 51:47 and so my friend who lives in Southern California 51:50 was telling me about his tax accountant 51:52 because this is the season and so he was in visiting 51:54 his tax account the other day. 51:56 The tax account is a member of a mega church 51:58 in Southern California, one of those huge, huge churches 52:01 and the tax accountant told my friend do you know 52:03 what in our cut, because they started 52:05 talking about the economy. 52:06 Do you know what in our congregation 52:08 one of out ten families is now going 52:11 through foreclosure, foreclosure. 52:14 Do you know what foreclosure is? 52:16 Never got into a house yet. 52:17 Foreclosure means I can't do it, 52:19 I just the house is not worth as much as the loan anymore, 52:21 I'm out of here, close it up. 52:25 A friend last Sabbath second church 52:27 sitting over there works in a very large 52:30 financial institution in Chicago, he is an Andrews grad 52:32 and you can be really proud of him. 52:33 Anyway he came by as he was going out, he said, 52:35 hey, listen this economy thing, what do you think. 52:37 He says, let me tell you something Dwight, 52:38 there are now in this nation 8000 foreclosures a day. 52:43 8000 a day so all you need is a little domino action 52:47 going on here, we have foreclosures 52:50 that bump into mortgage institutions, 52:52 that bump into banks, that bump into Wall Street, 52:55 that bumps into the United States. 52:57 Ladies and gentlemen, we have a falling dollar, 52:59 we have escalating oil. 53:02 We got the Middle East as dry as the tender box 53:04 waiting for one more spark come on. 53:07 Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, John McCain 53:11 there is nobody who can be our savior now? 53:15 Nobody. All of this protracted process 53:20 get real when God is ready? Here is the point. 53:25 When God is ready. 53:28 Pull the plug and just like that it goes. 53:33 How does it go here, "For yet a little while, 53:37 and He who is coming will come and will not tarry." 53:42 So let us not forsake the assembling of ourselves 53:45 together so much the more as the day approaches. 53:49 Every one of this little five parters 53:52 in this God's God's Party series, 53:54 each one of these parts ends with a little something 53:58 practical and simple you can do. 54:01 So here is today's something simple. 54:03 I need you to go to your friends, is it very simple? 54:07 I know that I have been preaching to the choir 54:09 the whole morning long because you are here. 54:13 I need you to go to your friends. 54:16 You know who your friends, they don't listen to me, 54:18 they will listen to you and I need you to say to your friends. 54:21 It's time, it's time to come back to church, 54:26 it's time to come back to Jesus while there is still time. 54:31 Come on my friend, come with me, you bring your friend. 54:36 She doesn't want to go alone, you come with her. 54:38 He doesn't want to go alone you bring him because it's time. 54:43 We can't afford to not being in a group portrait right now. 54:49 Get alone and it will be the death of us. 54:56 Dwight Lyman Moody the great American evangelist 54:59 of the 19th century was visiting a businessman one evening 55:03 by the fireplace in the businessman's home 55:04 and the businessman was waxing eloquent with Moody, 55:08 tell you what I have to go to church please, 55:12 I mean I got the Bible and go out the fuss 55:17 of trying to find that place, 55:19 the convents has been crowded into 55:20 those tight little pews I don't need it. 55:22 All I need is to be able to get alone with God once a week 55:26 and I will be fine and Moody never said a word, 55:28 not a not a single word. 55:30 When the man was finally through, 55:33 Moody reached over to fireplace and he grabbed the tongs 55:36 and he reached into that red hot flame and he pulled out 55:40 a burning coal and he slid it out 55:44 on to the edge of the hearth 55:47 and the two of them sat in silence and stared at that coal 55:53 as slowly but very surely it lost its glow, 56:00 it lost its flame until finally in the end it was nothing more 56:05 than a little wisp of smoke and a coal chard piece. 56:22 Let's pray you and me. 56:25 Oh God, oh God 56:30 get us back to the fire please. 56:35 Get us back to the group portrait 56:40 while there is still time. Amen. 56:49 I wanted to take one more moment 56:51 here at the end of the telecast to let you know how grateful 56:53 I am for your journey with us, 56:56 with our New Perceptions Ministry. 56:57 You may think that New Perceptions 56:59 is only about television but I need to tell you, 57:01 we do have a website which is more than just the study guide. 57:05 I know we go to the study guide every week 57:06 but if you go to our website, let me put the address 57:08 on the screen again, www.pmchurch.tv. 57:13 You'll find at that website a blog. 57:15 I write every Wednesday. 57:16 I sit down with my laptop and write up a blog, 57:18 something as commenting on world events, 57:20 something local, something national. 57:22 You get the blog. 57:23 You want archive, previous teachings 57:26 from here in the Pioneer Pulpit, 57:27 you go to that annotated archive. 57:30 You can pick out a message, it will be sent to you. 57:32 You want to get into the podcast business, 57:35 I am not real high-techie on this but if you click podcast, 57:39 you'll be able to connect instantly 57:40 with every new teaching that comes from the Pioneer Pulpit. 57:43 The point is we're trying to connect with a generation 57:45 on the move, on the go. 57:47 Thanks for being a part of it. 57:49 Thanks for your prayer partnership. 57:50 We have got to connect with this generation 57:52 at this time in earth's history. 57:54 And I'm grateful you and I are sharing the mission. 57:57 God bless you until next time. |
Revised 2014-12-17