Participants: Pr. Dwight K Nelson
Series Code: NP
Program Code: NP042508
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00:29 Give thanks to the Lord
00:31 Our God and King 00:33 His love endures forever 00:37 For He is good 00:39 He is above all things 00:41 His love endures forever 00:44 Sing praise 00:50 Sing praise 00:54 Sing praise 00:58 Sing praise 01:02 Forever God is faithful 01:06 Forever God is strong 01:11 Forever God is with us 01:15 Forever and ever 01:19 With a mighty hand and an outstretched arm 01:24 His love endures forever 01:28 For the life that's been reborn 01:32 His love endures forever 01:36 Sing praise 01:40 Sing praise 01:44 Sing praise 01:48 Sing praise 01:51 Forever 01:53 Forever God is faithful 01:57 Forever God is strong 02:01 Forever God is with us 02:05 Forever and ever 02:10 From the rising to the setting sun 02:14 His love endures forever 02:17 And by the grace of God 02:20 We will carry on 02:22 His love endures forever 02:26 Sing praise 02:30 Sing praise 02:33 Hallelujah, sing praise 02:35 Sing praise, sing praise 02:40 Let sing it up forever. 02:43 Forever God is faithful 02:46 Forever God is strong 02:51 Forever God is with us 02:55 Forever and ever 02:59 Forever God is faithful 03:03 Forever God is strong 03:07 Forever God is with us 03:12 Forever and ever, forever 03:22 Hallelujah. 03:37 The church said amen. 03:38 Amen. Amen. 03:41 Because God is faithful to us, 03:44 we say in this next song "Blessed Be Your Name," 03:47 for Your steadfast love, for Your continued mercies. 03:51 Blessed Be Your Name. 04:08 Blessed be Your Name 04:10 In the land that is plentiful 04:15 Where Your streams of abundance flow 04:19 Blessed be Your name 04:24 Blessed Be Your name 04:27 When I'm found in the desert place 04:31 Though I walk through the wilderness 04:35 Blessed Be Your name 04:38 Every blessing 04:40 Every blessing You pour out 04:43 I'll turn back to praise 04:47 Into the darkness. 04:49 When the darkness closes in, Lord 04:53 Still I will say 04:55 Blessed be the name of the Lord 05:00 Blessed be Your name 05:04 Blessed be the name of the Lord 05:08 Blessed be Your glorious name 05:16 Blessed be Your name 05:19 When the sun's shining down on me 05:23 When the world's all as it should be 05:27 Blessed be Your name 05:32 Blessed be Your name 05:35 On the road marked with suffering 05:39 Though there's pain in the offering 05:43 Blessed be Your name 05:46 Let's sing it out every blessing. 05:49 Every blessing You pour out 05:51 I'll turn back to praise 05:57 When the darkness closes in, Lord, 06:01 Still I will say 06:03 Blessed be the name of the Lord 06:07 Blessed be Your name 06:11 Blessed be the name of the Lord 06:16 Blessed be Your glorious name 06:21 You give and take away. 06:23 You give and take away 06:26 You give and take away 06:31 My heart will choose to stay 06:35 Lord, blessed be Your name 06:38 You give. 06:39 You give and take away 06:43 You give and take away 06:47 My heart will choose to say 06:51 Lord, blessed be Your name 06:56 Blessed be Your name of the Lord 07:00 Blessed be Your name 07:05 Blessed be Your name of the Lord 07:09 Blessed be Your glorious name 07:13 Blessed be the name of the Lord 07:17 Blessed be Your name 07:21 Blessed be the name of the Lord 07:25 Blessed be Your glorious name 07:34 Amen. 07:37 My Jesus, I love thee. I know thou art mine. 07:44 My Jesus 07:48 I love thee 07:52 I know thou art mine 08:01 For thee 08:05 All the follies 08:10 Of sin 08:14 I resign 08:18 My gracious Redeemer. 08:21 My gracious Redeemer 08:28 My Savior art thou 08:39 If ever 08:44 I loved thee 08:49 My Jesus 08:54 'Tis now 09:02 You may be seated. 09:12 Thank you for the cross, Lord 09:19 Thank you for the price You paid 09:25 Bearing all my sin and shame 09:30 In love You came 09:34 And gave amazing grace 09:38 Thank you for this love, Lord. 09:39 Thank you for this love, Lord 09:46 Thank you for the nail-pierced hands 09:52 Washed me in Your cleansing flow 09:57 Now all I know 10:00 Your forgiveness and embrace 10:06 Sing together. Worthy is the Lamb. 10:07 Worthy is the Lamb 10:14 Seated on the throne 10:20 Crown You now with many crowns 10:27 You reign victorious 10:34 High and lifted up 10:40 Jesus, Son of God 10:47 The Darling of heaven crucified 10:57 Worthy is the Lamb 11:04 Worthy is the Lamb 11:08 Sing together. Thank you for the cross, Lord. 11:10 Thank you for the cross, Lord 11:17 Thank you for the price You paid 11:23 Bearing all my sin and shame 11:28 In love You came 11:31 And gave amazing grace 11:35 Thank you for this love. 11:37 Thank you for this love, Lord 11:43 Thank you for the nail-pierced hands 11:50 Washed me in Your cleansing flow 11:54 Now all I know 11:57 Your forgiveness and embrace 12:02 Worthy is the Lamb 12:04 Worthy is the Lamb 12:11 Seated on the throne 12:17 Crown You now with many crowns 12:23 You reign victorious 12:30 High and lifted up 12:36 Jesus, Son of God 12:43 The Darling of heaven crucified 12:51 Worthy. 12:53 Worthy is the Lamb 13:00 Worthy is the Lamb 13:06 Worthy is the Lamb 13:13 Worthy is the Lamb 13:19 Worthy is the Lamb. 13:21 Worthy is the Lamb 13:27 Seated on the throne 13:34 Crown You now with many crowns 13:40 You reign victorious 13:47 High and lifted up 13:52 Jesus, Son of God 13:53 Jesus, Son of God 13:58 The Darling of heaven. 14:00 The Darling of heaven crucified 14:08 Hallelujah. 14:10 Worthy is the Lamb 14:14 Worthy is the Lamb 14:16 Worthy is the Lamb 14:23 Worthy is the Lamb 14:29 Worthy. 14:30 Worthy is the Lamb 14:42 Amen. 14:51 O come 14:53 Let us adore Him 15:01 O come 15:03 Let us adore Him 15:11 O come 15:13 Let us adore Him 15:23 Christ 15:27 The Lord 15:31 Sing that again. 15:33 O come 15:35 Let us adore Him 15:42 O come 15:45 Let us adore Him 15:53 O come let us 15:58 Adore Him 16:05 Christ the Lord 16:18 Hallelujah 16:26 Hallelujah 16:33 Hallelujah 16:42 Hallelujah 16:50 What stood will stand 16:54 Though all be fallen 17:00 The good return 17:04 That time has stolen 17:10 Though creatures groan in misery 17:20 Their flesh prefigures liberty 17:27 To end travail and bring to birth 17:33 Their new perfection in new earth 17:40 Hallelujah, Hallelujah 17:42 Hallelujah 17:44 Hallelujah, Hallelujah 17:46 Hallelujah 17:47 Hallelujah, Hallelujah 17:49 At word of that enlivening 17:55 Let the trees of the wood all sing 18:00 And every field rejoice 18:07 Let praise 18:11 Rise up out of the ground like grass 18:23 Hallelujah, Hallelujah 18:31 Hallelujah 18:36 Hallelujah 18:38 Hallelujah 18:45 Hallelujah 18:49 Hallelujah, Hallelujah 18:59 What stood 19:02 whole in every piecemeal 19:08 Thing that stood 19:10 Will stand though all 19:18 Hallelujah, Hallelujah 19:20 Hallelujah, Hallelujah Hallelujah, Hallelujah 19:24 Hallelujah, Hallelujah 19:26 Fall-field and wood and all in them 19:32 Rejoin the primal Sabbath's hymn 19:45 Hallelujah 19:49 Hallelujah 19:53 Hallelujah 19:58 Hallelujah 20:02 Hallelujah 20:06 Hallelujah 20:11 Hallelujah, Hallelujah 20:58 Hallelujah, Hallelujah 21:00 Hallelujah, Hallelujah Hallelujah, Hallelujah 21:05 Hallelujah, Hallelujah 21:24 Larry Ulery, one of the Behavioral Science Faculty 21:26 here at Andrews University, sent me a test the other day. 21:29 It's called the hurry sickness test, 21:32 he administers this test in his class on stress. 21:34 He teaches seminars on stress 21:36 and when he's-- and it's not a whimsical test, 21:37 it's not you know something to smile. 21:39 It's just-- it's a serious test 21:40 for type A behavior kind of people. 21:43 And when I took the test, 21:44 I'm telling you, I got it right here, 21:45 when I took this test I flunked it immediately. 21:49 I mean guys, it's embarrassing 21:51 you know, I wonder if we all. 21:53 I-- I just wonder if we all have hurry sickness, 21:57 I mean do we all and these are-- 21:59 these are some of the characteristic 22:02 that you-- you pick about, you recognize about yourself. 22:06 Do we all hurry the speech of others, 22:07 come on, come on, just hurry people on, 22:09 come on, come on, do we say, 22:10 yes and huh, yes and huh, 22:11 yes and huh, huh, huh.... 22:14 We finish people sentences... 22:17 Get on with it, I got stuff to do. 22:23 I wonder if we all suffer from hurry sickness. 22:29 He calls it polyphasic thought or performance. 22:32 Do you do-- do you do polyphasic thought 22:34 or performance, do you? 22:36 That's when you think or do more 22:38 than one thing simultaneously. 22:40 While listening you're thinking of tasks, 22:42 while golfing you're thinking of work, 22:44 while eating you're reading, and talking, and planning. 22:48 We're always forever in a rush. 22:51 And so Larry said hey, Dwight my favorite tombstone epitaph. 22:54 All right, you know the tombstone is, 22:56 you know what an epitaph, 22:57 it's what you put on there after you're gone. 22:59 My favorite one he said is 23:01 "Got everything done still died." 23:07 I got it all done. I still died. 23:10 Hey you know what guys, it doesn't matter 23:11 if you get it all done or not you're gonna die. 23:13 You're gonna die. 23:16 I think we all got hurry sickness, don't we? 23:18 It driven, driven, driven, driven, driven. 23:21 It must be God knew that we were gonna have 23:24 hurry sickness on this planet 23:25 and so before you and I were even born God designs this, 23:29 this divine antidote saying "I'm gonna give these to you, 23:32 I'm going to mainline it right into your system 23:34 and when you get this antidote 23:36 it will help cure you of that hurry sickness." 23:40 I am gonna give you another 24 hour period. 23:42 I've already had six, but I'm gonna stick one more in 23:45 and the seventh 24 hour period 23:48 is my antidote to your hurry sickness. 23:52 The Bible calls it the Sabbath, 23:54 but on this Sabbath and in which we wrap up 23:56 our little serious call God's Party. 23:58 We're gonna call it God's Yahoo Day, Yahoo. 24:04 Because ladies and gentleman, 24:05 that is precisely what the Sabbath is about. 24:07 It is a day of yahoo. 24:09 I want to share with you a creation story 24:11 we have never shared. 24:12 We have been on two series together the Sabbath series, 24:15 and then it's book ending right up with the-- 24:17 with God's Party series that we'll wrap in today. 24:20 We never went to this creation account, 24:22 so open your Bible to the Book of Job. 24:23 Just find the Book of Job. 24:25 If you can find the Psalms, 24:26 it will be the book before the Psalms. 24:27 In fact let me give you the page number, 24:29 it's page 300 rather, 365 in the Book of Job. 24:34 Here's a creation story, 24:35 this is the creation account, we never read it. 24:38 You and I have never shared these words together before, 24:40 but here is the Yahoo. 24:44 This is the yahoo of all the heaven. 24:49 Okay, these is Job 38 you found it Job 38, 24:53 I'm sorry, I gave you the page number, 24:54 didn't give the chapter Job 38, Job 38:4. 24:59 Okay, so Job pour me, pour me, 25:01 Job has finally run out of his ammunition. 25:04 Why is this happening to me? 25:07 He is finally through and God says, 25:09 "You're through boy, take a breath. 25:11 Listen to me, I got some questions for you now. 25:13 Listen to me son, Verse 4, 25:16 "Where were you," Job 38:4 "Where were you 25:20 when I laid the foundations of the earth, huh?" 25:22 Creation where were you? 25:24 Tell me, if you have any understanding. 25:25 Who determined its measurements? 25:27 Surely you know! 25:28 Or who stretched the line upon it? 25:30 To what were its foundations fastened? 25:32 Or who laid its cornerstone, 25:34 when the morning stars sang together, 25:36 and all the sons of God shouted Yahoo!" 25:42 There it is, you know what 25:45 because of home foreclosures going on right now, 25:48 8000 foreclosures a month now in the United States. 25:51 Most of you will never have the joy of moving into a house 25:55 you design and built from the ground up. 25:59 Those days are over, 26:00 I never moved into one of those either 26:01 so don't feel bad. 26:04 Huh, 26:08 but people tell me that when you've built this house 26:11 and you've made the plans and you've watched it 26:12 go together piece by, piece by, piece. 26:14 There is a Yahoo moment, 26:16 when you walks through that door 26:18 and say yes, this is ours. 26:21 That's what this is all about. 26:23 God spent six days constructing a pristine planet 26:28 and then walk through the door and they all say "Yahoo!" 26:33 they shouted for joy. 26:34 I liked the way the New Revised Standard 26:36 puts this in Job 38, 26:38 "When the morning stars sang together..." 26:42 There is NRSV." 26:43 At creation, the morning stars sang together 26:46 and all the heavenly beings, 26:49 all the heavenly beings shouted for joy." 26:52 You know what the word for joy is in Hebrew? 26:54 It's Yahoo! All right. 27:00 What's the matter after 25 years, 27:01 you don't believe me? 27:05 All right, take out your study guide, 27:06 let's get that down. 27:07 Now one of the Sabbath is God's Yahoo day. 27:09 Thank you ushers, we got the great, 27:10 great, great ushers of the church 27:15 who are here today just-- 27:16 let's get the study guides out please to anybody 27:18 who needs the study guide, you'll like this they're five 27:20 very specific strategies for you 27:22 to turn the yahoo day into full of yahoo. 27:24 Five simple strategies, 27:25 we are gonna end with those in just a moment. 27:27 Take your study guide, please, 27:28 if you didn't get one, hold you hand up 27:30 and while they're passing that out, 27:31 those of you who are joining us on television, 27:33 we're delighted to have you. 27:34 Let me put it on the screen for you. 27:35 If you go to our website www.pmchurch.tv, 27:40 that's our website. 27:41 You go there, you're looking for the series, 27:42 we're just wrapping it up today, 27:43 it's called God's Party. 27:45 We started out with MySpace, 27:46 and then we went to Facebook, and then we went to YouTube, 27:49 and then we went to Green Google, 27:50 and today it's Yahoo. 27:51 You're looking for Yahoo 27:53 and when it says study guide there, 27:54 you click that on and you'll have 27:56 the identical study guide we have. 27:59 All right and by the way those of you 28:00 who're leaving now school years up, 28:02 you can keep in touch with us, 28:04 keep in touch with us at that website, 28:06 you can get the podcast and you get the video cast, 28:08 you do anything you want, 28:09 we want to keep in touch with you. 28:11 We'd love to-- we'd love to have you 28:13 of course come back, we're looking forward to your 28:15 coming back one of these days. 28:16 All right, write it down please 28:18 sentence number one in that study guide. 28:19 "For a generation with "hurry sickness, 28:21 " the Sabbath is God's Yahoo Day." 28:25 Write that down, the Sabbath is God's Yahoo Day. 28:27 And I am telling you what? 28:29 You can almost here the yahoo in the ancient Prophet Isaiah. 28:32 This is one of the great Sabbath passages in the Bible 28:35 we have saved till the end, this is for yahoo Sabbath. 28:38 Go to Isaiah Chapter 58, 28:40 we'll end on this passage Isaiah 58, 28:44 Isaiah 58 page 500, 28:47 there is a great page number for you 28:48 500 in our pew Bible if you didn't bring your Bible, 28:52 Grab your pew Bible and read just two lines. 28:55 Isaiah 58 two line verses 13, and 14, 29:00 Isaiah 58:13 God speaking 29:03 "If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, 29:05 and from doing your pleasure on my holy day, 29:08 hey, if you call the Sabbath a delight, 29:10 the holy day of the Lord if you call it honorable, 29:12 and you shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, 29:14 nor finding your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words." 29:16 Then God said I got a deal for you, 29:18 "Then you shall delight yourself in the Lord, 29:22 and I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, 29:25 I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob 29:27 your father for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it." 29:30 What is God's promise here? Write it down. 29:32 "I have given you the Sabbath to be a delight, delight." 29:38 It's my Yahoo, My Holy Day, My Yahoo Day. 29:42 "How much of a delight? Hey, listen to this. 29:45 This is kind of embarrassing 29:46 so we are not gonna look the text up together. 29:48 The same Hebrew word 29:49 that Isaiah uses here in Chapter 58:13, 29:52 he will use one last time in his book in Chapter 66:11 29:56 when he describes a little suckling baby 29:59 at his mother's breast 30:02 and he says "Now there is delight." 30:05 How many of you remember those days? 30:09 If you have heard a baby, have you ever heard a baby, 30:11 a suckling baby, nursing, come on you have, haven't you? 30:15 I mean it is some sound. 30:17 That is a sound of delight and hunger both, 30:19 just kind of... 30:22 Isaiah says "That, that is what I want you, 30:27 I want you to find in me on the Sabbath, 30:31 just like a nursing baby on my holy day, 30:35 delight yourself in me." 30:36 Jot it down, will you? 30:37 The Hebrew word Isaiah chooses 30:38 for delight describes a very person 30:41 it's either mother or God, person focused joy. 30:44 A person focused joy, that why keep your pen moving, 30:47 Job can explain back in the book we were in. 30:49 Job 22:6, 30:50 "Then you will have your delight in the Lord Almighty." 30:53 Like you were at your mother's breast, 30:56 that's what you gonna do, you gonna delight in God. 30:58 Ladies and gentlemen, God is big. 31:01 God is big on relationship, isn't He? 31:05 This is an-- this is a person focused joy. 31:08 A joy that comes every Sabbath day, 31:11 when we gather in the presences of our God, 31:15 our forever friend, our eternal creator, Yahoo! 31:20 Yup, it's back again, yeah. 31:23 So how can we get the most yahoo 31:24 out of God's Yahoo Day? 31:25 Here's the question. 31:26 How can we get the most yahoo out of the Sabbath? 31:30 Now, you're gonna fill this in your study guide. 31:31 This is from Isaiah 58:13 from the New Revised, 31:35 I like this "If you refrain from trampling..." 31:37 Write that down, I like that wording better, 31:40 "If you refrain from trampling on the Sabbath." 31:47 The other night Democratic presidential primary, 31:50 Philadelphia some of you probably watched it, 31:54 got the report of it afterwards. 31:56 They put a video question stuck it right into that. 32:02 Call her on video, 32:03 Barack Obama what's up with that? 32:05 How can you never wear 32:06 the American flag on your lapel? 32:10 Oh, my, I'll tell you what that, that was a set up. 32:14 Why? You know why? 32:16 What's the big deal? 32:17 Because respect for you nations flag 32:19 whatever your nationality we're a hundred nations here. 32:22 Respect for the flag is considered 32:23 a primary virtue of patriotism, 32:26 if I-- look where is old glory? 32:28 If I took the stars and stripes, 32:30 brought old glory here, threw it on the ground, 32:32 and then all over just ground my feet in, 32:35 you would in an instant, 32:36 those of you that are from this nation. 32:38 You'd sense that, you'd sense that upfront, why? 32:42 Because a flag represents a nation, 32:46 it represents-- it's what the flag represents, 32:48 it represents the people. 32:50 Isaiah's point here ladies and gentlemen, 32:52 is inescapable write it down, 32:53 "To trample on the flag of the Sabbath 32:55 is paramount to insulting the God 32:59 that the day represents." 33:01 When you trample on the Sabbath, 33:03 you are insulting the one behind the flag 33:06 because remember the Sabbath 33:07 is a very person center kind of joy, 33:10 a person's center kind of day. 33:12 So what's it mean to trample on the Sabbath? 33:14 Take a look at those, we'll put it on the screen here, 33:16 it's in your study guide. 33:17 You'll need to fill it in, this is Isaiah 58:13. 33:19 Now the entire verse in New Revised 33:21 "If you refrain from trampling the Sabbath, 33:23 from pursuing your own interest on my holy." 33:27 Write that in "On my holy day. 33:30 If you call the Sabbath a delight 33:32 and the holy day of the Lord honorable, 33:35 if you honor it, not going your own ways, 33:37 serving your own interest, 33:38 or pursuing your own affairs..." 33:41 Hit the pause button right there. 33:43 Hey, listen what-- so what are we, 33:45 you wrote the word down twice, what are we gonna do 33:46 with this old fashion word holy. 33:48 I mean who likes the word holy that's just-- 33:50 that is so blasé,, holy, we even uses it anymore. 33:55 I'm gonna ask you two questions about holy, 33:56 you tell me the answers. 33:57 You tell me the answers right now. 33:59 Question number one. 34:01 Can God set aside space and declare it holy. 34:05 This is where I show up. Can God do that? 34:07 Does He has the right to do that? 34:09 Hey, that's a whole story, 34:10 that's a whole story, the burning bush isn't it? 34:13 I showed up here, hey, Moses, 34:14 take your shoes off, you are now on holy ground 34:17 just a measly little shrub before 34:19 but the moment God infuses it, it's holy. 34:22 I mean come on the Jews, the Israelites had that-- 34:26 that little tent church tabernacle that 34:28 moved all through the wilderness for 40 years 34:31 and everywhere they put it up, boom! 34:33 That is holy ground. 34:36 By the way, teenage girl, little teenage virgin, 34:40 inside her womb God showed up 34:43 and the angel said "what you have in your womb sis 34:46 is the holy one of God." 34:48 Can God occupy space and say now the space is holy? 34:51 Yeah, He did, He occupied the human being, 34:54 this is now this is holy. 34:56 So if God can occupy space and declare it holy, 35:01 here's the follow up question. 35:02 Can God occupy time and call it holy, can He? 35:08 But of course why not? 35:11 That what the Seventh-day Sabbath is all about, 35:14 I have a whole week, 35:15 but God says only one of those days 35:17 I personally occupy. 35:19 I set it ablaze like the burning bush. 35:22 Can God do it? 35:23 You bet He can, in fact, 35:24 let's be clear about this, jot it down. 35:25 When God declares something holy, 35:27 there it is in your study guide. 35:28 "When God declares something holy, 35:30 be it a burning bush, or the Seventh-day Sabbath, 35:34 it is because he has infused it with His" what? 35:38 "It's his presence," guys. It's not just His thought. 35:41 No, He's personally present 35:43 and that's what makes something holy. 35:45 It can't be holy if He's not present. 35:47 He's present in it and it becomes holy. 35:52 Wow! 35:54 Let's read it again, Isaiah 58:13-14 New Revised, 36:01 "If you refrain from trampling the Sabbath, 36:03 from pursuing your own interests on my holy day; 36:05 if you call the Sabbath a delight 36:07 and the holy day of the Lord honorable, 36:09 if you honor it, not going your own ways, 36:12 serving your own interests, or pursuing your own affairs, 36:14 then you shall take delight in the Lord." 36:17 NIV, "Then you'll find your joy." 36:20 You'll find your joy, Yahoo! 36:22 You will find your joy in the Lord. 36:25 Why? Oh, this is it. 36:27 Because, write it down, the joy of the Sabbath 36:31 is the presence of God, that's why. 36:34 I repeat that, the joy of the Sabbath 36:38 is the presence of God. 36:41 Oh, He's with me on Sunday, He's with me on Monday, 36:43 Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, 36:46 but when you come to the seventh day. 36:47 It's like-- it's like He gets into that 36:49 bush of time and He sets it ablaze 36:53 in a way none of the other days is ablaze, the seventh-day. 37:01 By the way, I can forget that day, 37:06 you can break that day, but we cannot change that day. 37:11 Uh-huh. 37:13 You can think you can but you can't, 37:17 set ablaze, fire. 37:19 I'm in that day. So here's the question. 37:22 How can I keep this burning bush of a day alive 37:26 with the joy of God's presence? 37:28 I'm gonna leave you now with five simple strategies. 37:31 Five simple strategies, jot them down. 37:33 Everyone begins with the letter G. 37:35 Memorize these, you'll be fine. 37:37 Five simple strategies 37:39 to keep the Yahoo in God's Yahoo Day. 37:43 Number one. Guard the doors. 37:46 Number one. Guards the door. 37:47 What are you talking about, Dwight? 37:48 I'll show you, Leviticus 23.32 37:51 it's there in your study guide, keep your pen moving, 37:53 "From evening to evening 37:55 you shall celebrate your Sabbath." 38:00 What's going on here, jot it down. 38:01 "The doors to the Sabbath are the sun downs 38:04 on Friday evening and Saturday evening." 38:06 By the way, jot this down as well, 38:08 that's the way Jesus Himself celebrated the Sabbath. 38:11 You look at Mark I, 38:12 he celebrated the Sabbath from sundown to sundown. 38:15 What's the big deal? 38:16 Why would anybody keep time in that kind of crazy way? 38:20 It's only crazy to us in the third millennium. 38:23 It was never crazy in the beginning. 38:24 You know why? 38:25 Jot it down, you have that right there, 38:27 because that's the way 38:28 God began time-keeping in the beginning. 38:31 Remember, when God came to this little hunk of rock 38:33 in the middle of the space, what was here first? 38:38 Darkness, darkness is here 38:40 and then he says let there be light 38:42 and from that moment on and forever more 38:45 God has chosen to mark time by darkness first then light 38:48 and that's why everyday in the creation account says 38:51 and the evening and the morning were the first to second. 38:55 Always evening then morning, the day starts in the dark. 38:59 So what he's saying, Dwight, 39:00 when he's talking about guarding the doors, 39:01 oh, what I'm saying is, meet God at the door, 39:04 when the suns going down. 39:06 You just get to the door. This is the door time. 39:08 You guard that door. 39:10 Don't you let another day come crashing in 39:12 because these other days love to try to get in 39:15 and occupy your mind, 39:16 you guard that door or what should I do? 39:19 A piece of cake, you got a good CD, 39:22 you got some great religious music, 39:24 some of your favorite gospel music, 39:26 whatever, put a little bit of music on. 39:28 You got a guitar in the corner there, 39:30 grab a guitar, you got an old dusty piano, 39:32 go to the piano, 39:33 you got more people in the house 39:34 than just you, bring them all together say "Hey guys, 39:37 we're opening the door now Sabbath is coming 39:40 and guess who's coming with the Sabbath, 39:42 He's coming in now, guard the door, 39:45 keep it open and He walks in." 39:48 You sing, you might want to read Mathew 11:28, 39:52 "Come to me, Jesus says, and I'll give you rest." 39:55 Oh, Jesus, I got hurry sickness please give me your-- 39:58 give me Your blessing. 40:01 So you might read a little something. 40:02 Karen and I memorize passages, just do that for the joy of it. 40:07 You can memorize a song. 40:08 We're working on John 14 right now. 40:10 Okay, it's not rocket science guys, 40:12 just do something, read a little story, 40:15 and then a prayer. 40:16 And what's the prayer supposed to be? 40:17 God, I just open the door come on in. 40:20 We've been waiting for You all week. 40:21 We knew You'd come, this is Your day. 40:23 I'm guarding that door, 40:24 nobody else gets in but You, come. 40:27 Hey by the way, let me say to you young parents, 40:29 young parents listen to me. 40:32 Worship 10 minutes, 40:36 because we've grown up in some-- 40:37 some of us have grown up in homes 40:38 that the worship went 20 minutes, 40:39 it went 30 minutes, it went 40 minutes. 40:41 Look, unless you're doing something 40:43 that's really captivating, you can eventually ruin 40:46 the arrival of the Sabbath. 40:48 Keep it short and simple. 40:49 Keep it upbeat. Keep it happy. 40:51 Sing a great song that the kids love. 40:54 You all along bring a few friends over, 40:55 celebrate the Sabbath, bring your friends over, 40:57 celebrate the Sabbath, guard the doors. 40:59 And by the way, 41:00 when the Sabbath goes out that door, 41:01 when the Sabbath goes out, you guard that door. 41:03 Do a little bit of a ritual all over again saying God 41:06 what a day, thank You, now go with us into the week, 41:10 please dear God, go with us into the week 41:12 make this the best week, 41:13 that we can possibly live for You. 41:15 I'm telling you what? 41:16 It's just a little ritual at the beginning, 41:17 you guard the door at the beginning, 41:18 you guard the door at the end 41:19 that Sabbath observance will not be some kind of ugh... 41:24 It's going to be a joy. You guard the doors. 41:26 Number two, get your rest. 41:32 Here's the Chinese sage's 41:33 three word biography of the west. 41:35 Okay, he's writing about us, hurry, worry, bury. 41:39 Ain't that great? 41:40 That's us. That's our life story. 41:42 Hurry, worry, bury. We got hurry sickness. 41:45 Let me tell you something. 41:46 Who has time to slow down and rest? 41:48 So we're flying over to Africa a couple of months ago 41:50 in the British Airways Magazine I read there, 41:53 that they've calculated that the average, 41:55 listen the average politician, the average politician 41:58 in 1995 spoke 50% faster than he or she did in the 1940's. 42:04 We are just living faster now, listen to this, 42:08 the Beethoven's Fifth Symphony takes 20% less time 42:12 to perform now than when it was first composed. 42:19 I got to get over it, come on, come on, come on, 20% faster. 42:24 Guys we're sick, we got hurry sickness. 42:29 Slow down, hey, hey, hey, get some rest, 42:32 slow down, shh, slow down. 42:36 That's what God is saying. 42:38 I wonder we're worn out, but the Sabbath is an antidote. 42:40 Hey jot this down, will you? 42:41 Get your Sabbath rest 42:43 in the dark part of the Sabbath. 42:48 Get your Sabbath rest 42:49 in the dark part of the Sabbath. 42:50 Research now shows, listen carefully, 42:52 research now shows that the rest gained 42:54 in the darkness surpasses the value of the rest 42:57 you gain in the daylight. 43:00 So if you want a Sabbath rest which you're gonna need 43:02 and I want, get it when it's dark 43:06 because afternoons were not made for naps on the Sabbath. 43:10 Get your rest when it's dark. 43:13 All right, number three, 43:15 Go to church, we did this with YouTube, 43:17 so there's no point in spending a whole lot of time here 43:19 but I came across this old classic 43:21 that has these words in it by M. L. Andreasen, 43:23 I like this. 43:24 It's not in your study guide. Read it on the screen. 43:26 "When God's people meet in the appointed place 43:29 on the Sabbath to worship, they're thrice blessed, 43:33 they themselves are a blessed people." 43:35 Are you blessed? Am I blessed? 43:37 Come on, blessed. They're a blessed people. 43:40 Number two, the place in which they worship is blessed 43:43 and number three, the very time of worship, 43:46 the very day is blessed. 43:48 Blessed three times over. Now it goes on. 43:50 "A holy people worship a holy God 43:53 at a holy time in a holy place." 43:56 Wow, surely under such conditions 43:58 God's richest blessing maybe expected. 44:01 Ain't that great? 44:02 Wow, so when you go to church on the Sabbath, 44:07 you are blessed three times, three times as much. 44:10 You'd say, I do it at home. 44:11 No, you can't do it at home, you won't get it at home, 44:13 trust me, you will not get it at home, 44:15 you can't, it's impossible. 44:17 The thrice blessed happens when this is a part of it. 44:21 All right, number four, Give of yourself. 44:24 These all begins with G, just five of them. 44:26 Give of yourself. 44:27 You know what's so amazing about Isaiah 58 44:29 is that God's Sabbath appeal is book ended right 44:32 smack dab against God's call to social action. 44:36 Look at verse 7, this is Isaiah 58, 44:38 look at verse 7, 44:40 God says, "Hey, you want to know 44:46 is it not when you share your bread with the hungry, 44:51 and you bring to your house the poor who were cast out, 44:53 when you see the naked and you cover them, 44:56 and you do not to hide yourself from your own flesh and blood." 44:58 Verse 10, look it, God says, 45:00 "If you'll extend your soul to the hungry, 45:02 if you'll satisfy the afflicted soul, 45:04 I'm gonna do something for you. 45:05 Your light will dawn in the darkness 45:07 and your darkness shall be as the noonday." 45:12 Wow, write it down, 45:13 the Sabbath is God's day for serving others. 45:17 The socially marginalized, 45:19 the economically disenfranchise, 45:21 the spiritually alienated, 45:23 find those people and serve them, 45:26 serve them on the Sabbath. 45:27 That why the Sabbath is yours, give of yourself. 45:30 God says, it will come back so-- 45:32 it will come back in spades to you. 45:34 Give, give, which is why by the way 45:37 we sent the buses up this road every Sabbath afternoon 45:40 and what time we meet at 3 o'clock at Lampson, 45:42 every Sabbath afternoon the buses go up the road 45:44 to Benton Harbor, Why? 45:45 Because young adults are at their optimum, 45:49 when they're giving of themselves, 45:51 we're all by the way, it's not just college kids, 45:53 it's all of us need to be giving, 45:55 give of yourself on the Sabbath. 45:57 You'd say, come on, Dwight, please, wait a minute, 45:59 the Sabbath is to be day for my rest. 46:02 It's to be a day for my relaxation, 46:04 so if I go outside after dinner 46:06 and we have a little game of touch football, 46:08 what's the problem with that? 46:10 I mean if I go down on the beach 46:11 and they're playing beach volleyball, 46:12 what's the problem if I joined in just a little bit, 46:14 maybe, I want to go for a little leisurely swim, 46:16 I need to relax. 46:28 There is no way for a preacher like me 46:30 to possibly come up with a list of do's and don'ts 46:35 that will satisfy and cover the basis. 46:38 I mean I like to just sit on the Sabbath afternoon 46:40 after having a good-- have had a good dinner 46:42 especially in this season. 46:43 I'd like to talk politics 46:44 and so we get into the presidential politics 46:46 and we talk about hey, who's got the edge here. 46:49 Are you serious, my day, that conversation? 46:57 Huh, you can't be serious. 47:00 Aren't six days enough for that stuff? 47:03 Take a break. 47:09 Otherwise, Jesus Himself never attempted 47:12 to set up a long list of rules do's and don'ts. 47:15 He just said I'm not touching that, 47:16 you got a bright mind use it! 47:20 Use that mind. 47:21 You delight in Me, Jesus says, 47:22 just delight in Me. 47:24 If I can be a part of it, 47:25 if I can be the thick of it, do it. 47:27 If can't be in the thick of it 47:28 and it's all about you, forget it. 47:30 You got six days for you, I get one. 47:33 Give me that one. 47:39 I got an email from a friend of mine, 47:42 they said you know something, 47:44 Dwight, I'll tell you about the Sabbath 47:45 in our community of faith, you know what it is, 47:46 it's going to church, you're praying 47:47 and you're gonna get some kind of a sermon 47:49 that'll feed you, then you go home, 47:50 you have this huge dinner. 47:52 Then you take a long nap 47:53 and then you're gonna have a little nature time 47:54 so you go down the beach, you walk along the beach 47:56 and play a little bit of volley ball and-- 48:02 when does sun go down around here anyway. 48:04 Man, this day never ends. 48:08 He says, we've got it all wrong. 48:10 He says, why don't we celebrate the Sabbath like Jesus did? 48:13 Seven of Jesus' great miracles were reserved for the Sabbath. 48:18 Telling us guess what? 48:19 It is good to do well toward others. 48:23 Seven of his best miracles reserve for the Sabbath. 48:26 In fact, jot this down, will you? 48:27 Mathew Chapter 12:10 in The New Living, I like this, 48:30 "It is right to do good on the Sabbath." 48:32 The Sabbath isn't about serving yourself, 48:34 it's about giving yourself. 48:36 Give, give, give, you'll be happier. 48:39 Hey, you'll be happier, you'll be healthier, 48:42 you'll be holier, happier, healthier, and holier, 48:46 if you give yourself. 48:47 Don't hang on to that stuff, 48:48 that stuff isn't worth hanging on to, please. 48:53 A century ago, look-- 48:54 isn't it some, you have to fill it in. 48:55 A century ago this appeal was made 48:56 according to the fourth commandment, 48:58 see it there in your study guide. 48:59 "According to the fourth commandment, 49:01 the Sabbath was dedicated to rest and religious worship. 49:04 All secular employment was to be suspended, 49:06 but works of mercy and benevolence 49:08 were in accordance with the purpose of the Lord. 49:10 They were not to be limited to time or place." 49:13 Now isn't this something. 49:14 "To relieve the afflicted, to comfort the sorrowing, 49:17 is a labor of love that does honor to God's holy day." 49:24 Hallelujah, finally number five, 49:27 write it down, Glory in your God. 49:30 That's the yahoo factor. 49:32 The NRV how does it read, 49:33 "Then you will find joy in your Lord." 49:36 Don't find, come on, on the Sabbath, 49:38 now seriously on the Sabbath. 49:39 Don't find joy in your gadgets, 49:41 put the toys down, put the toys down. 49:44 Don't find joy in your gadgets. 49:45 On the Sabbath don't find joy in your homework, 49:48 don't find joy in your homework, 49:49 don't glory in that. 49:51 On the Sabbath, don't find joy in your employment, 49:53 what do you want to talk about it? 49:54 Forget it, just let it go. 49:56 On the Sabbath don't find joy in shopping. 49:59 Why would you want to go shopping on the Sabbath? 50:01 We're so crassly materialistic anyway. 50:03 On the Sabbath let it go, 50:05 don't find joy in entertainment, 50:07 entertaining yourself, what are you gonna do? 50:09 Go to a sports, do a little bit of sports, 50:10 check up on the scores. 50:11 Don't find joy in that. 50:13 Let it go, on the Sabbath delight yourself in me? 50:17 Like a baby at his mother's breast, 50:23 you come, you come to me with joy. 50:28 I'll work through you, 50:29 you serve you give, I work through you. 50:31 I'll make this world a better place 50:32 because you and I share this day together. 50:37 Delight yourself in me, Gods cries out. 50:40 Slow down, please, calm down, 50:43 quiet down, lay them down. 50:45 I like this, Calvin Miller came up with this, 50:47 lay them down. 50:48 What's He talking about that last quote, there it is. 50:51 "All watches must be checked." 50:54 Now wouldn't that be great if on the Sabbath 50:56 we all took our watches off. 50:59 I'd love to do it in church. 51:00 You kill us but I love to do in church. 51:03 Get rid of all these clocks, all of them. 51:09 "All watches must be checked 51:10 at the gates of the throne room." 51:11 Isn't this great. 51:12 "To run in and out of the presence of royalty 51:13 or try to do-- try to set the limits 51:15 on our conversation is to forget who we are 51:18 and to whom we are talking. 51:19 God is the King. 51:20 We must lay down all our appointment books, 51:23 they are not significant in His presence. 51:25 "Better yet, let's do this last line, 51:27 you set laying down on your appointment books 51:29 take your PDA, take your little laptop, 51:31 outlook express, calendar, 51:33 take your paper appointment syllabus 51:39 and every seventh-day draw a circle around it 51:41 with these words "My appointment with God." 51:47 My appointment with God. 51:49 That's what God is saying, 51:51 "Hey guys, guys, delight yourself in Me. 51:53 Find your joy in me, 51:56 let your yahoo day, be this day. 51:59 You and me together." 52:01 Now, why, what's the big deal? 52:02 I'll tell you what, the joy of the Sabbath. 52:05 That's it, that's it. 52:07 The joy of the Sabbath is the presence of God 52:11 and for that there's only one word. 52:14 Yahoo! What do you say? 52:16 Amen. Amen. 52:19 Hey, listen, don't you hurry out of here yet. 52:26 I want to make an appeal. 52:28 We've been in this subject for quite a while now. 52:30 This is the last time we're in it for a while. 52:33 I want to make an appeal right now. 52:35 Would you like to join me today, right here? 52:38 Look at this hurrying, I got to hurry somewhere. 52:40 No, no, would you like to join me today, 52:44 in choosing to seek the presence of God 52:51 every seventh-day Sabbath. 52:54 Would you like join me in making that choice? 52:56 By the grace of God, 52:57 I choose to honor God on the seventh-day Sabbath. 53:01 You know what? 53:02 There's some of you who've never kept 53:03 the seventh-day Sabbath in your life. 53:06 You say, Dwight, is this some kind of-- 53:07 is this some kind of a, you know, you got to go 53:09 through a little check list kind of thing. 53:10 No, no, no, it's just a choice, 53:12 you choose, you choose. 53:16 I'm gonna spend this day with the joy of my life. 53:21 I think it'd be a perfect time 53:22 for you to make that choice right now. 53:23 Even if you've never kept 53:25 the seventh-day Sabbath in your life 53:26 and you liked it from this day on, 53:28 have God as the presence of joy in every Sabbath that you live. 53:33 How about standing to your feet, huh? 53:35 How about just standing to your feet, 53:36 don't, don't, don't just-- don't jump up 53:38 because I am up here. 53:41 The person beside you is standing 53:42 but no, no by standing you are saying, 53:45 you know what God by Your grace-- 53:48 by Your grace, by Your grace, 53:54 I want that yahoo day to be a day 54:01 of Your presence and Your joy. 54:08 It's His gift, it's our choice. 54:12 I'll ask our team to come back as I-- 54:14 I just love that song, 54:15 we're not going to sing it now for a while, 54:16 but I just love that song 54:18 and I want to sing it again with you. 54:20 It's Sabbath, 54:24 Justin wrote the words in this song, 54:27 I like it, it's Sabbath, it's Sabbath. 54:32 Don't hurry away please, don't hurry away, 54:35 it's Sabbath, lead us. 54:39 It's Sabbath, and my rest has arrived 54:47 It's Sabbath 54:49 A day God set aside. 54:50 A day God set aside 54:54 It's Sabbath. 54:55 It's Sabbath 54:57 It's a joy and delight. 54:59 It's a joy and delight 55:03 It's Sabbath 55:08 Sing that again it's Sabbath. 55:10 It's Sabbath, and my rest has arrived 55:18 It's Sabbath 55:20 A day God set aside. 55:22 A day God set aside 55:25 It's Sabbath. 55:26 It's Sabbath 55:27 It's a joy and delight. 55:29 It's a joy and delight 55:33 It's Sabbath 55:38 And this is our prayer, Oh, Holy God. 55:41 Oh, Holy God 55:43 This Holy day. 55:44 This Holy day 55:46 Please purify. 55:48 Please purify our lives we pray 55:54 Oh, Holy God. 55:56 Oh, Holy God, this Holy day 56:03 Please purify our lives we pray 56:11 It's Sabbath 56:15 It's a joy and delight 56:19 It's Sabbath 56:27 It's Sabbath 56:31 It's a joy and delight 56:35 It's Sabbath 56:45 And now may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, 56:49 and the love of God, and the fellowship 56:52 of the Holy Spirit be with you all, amen. 56:58 I wanted to take one more moment here 56:59 at the end of the telecast, 57:00 to let you know how grateful 57:01 I am for your journey with us, 57:04 with our New Perceptions Ministry. 57:06 You may think that New Perceptions 57:07 is only about television 57:09 but I need to tell you, we do have a website 57:11 which is more than just the study guide. 57:13 I know we go to the study guide every week 57:15 but if you go to our website, 57:16 let me put the address on the screen again, 57:18 www.pmchurch.tv. 57:22 You'll find at that website, a blog I write every Wednesday, 57:25 I sit down on my laptop and write up a blog 57:27 something as commenting on world events 57:29 something local, something national, 57:31 you get the blog. 57:32 You want to archive previous teachings 57:34 from here in the Pioneer Pulpit, 57:35 you go to that annotated archive, 57:38 you can pick out a message, it will be sent to you. 57:41 You want to get into a podcast business, 57:44 I'm not a real high-techie on this 57:46 but if you click podcast, 57:47 you'll be able to connect instantly 57:49 with every new teaching that comes from the Pioneer Pulpit. 57:51 The point is, we're trying to connect 57:53 with the generation on the move, on the go. 57:56 Thanks for being a part of it. 57:57 Thanks for you prayer partnership. 57:58 We've got to connect with this generation 58:01 at this time in earth's history, 58:03 and I'm grateful you and I are sharing the mission. 58:05 God bless you until next time. |
Revised 2015-03-19