Participants: Pr. Dwight Nelson
Series Code: NP
Program Code: NP082909
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00:29 Indescribable, uncontainable
00:32 You placed the stars in the sky 00:35 And you know them by name 00:38 You are amazing God 00:43 All power. 00:45 All powerful, untamable 00:48 Awestruck we fall to our knees 00:51 As we humbly proclaim 00:54 You are amazing God 00:57 You sound beautiful. 00:58 Let's sing it once more, "Indescribable." 01:01 Indescribable, uncontainable 01:04 You placed the stars in the sky 01:07 And you know them by name 01:10 You are amazing God 01:17 All powerful, untamable 01:20 Awestruck we fall to our knees 01:23 As we humbly proclaim 01:26 You are amazing God 01:32 You are amazing. 01:34 You are amazing God 01:40 One last time, "You are amazing." 01:43 You are amazing God 01:58 Our God is an awesome God, he reigns 02:05 Form heaven above 02:08 With wisdom, power and love 02:13 Our God is an awesome God 02:18 Our God is an awesome God, he reigns 02:26 Form heaven above 02:29 With wisdom, power and love 02:34 Our God is an awesome God 02:53 Splendor. 02:55 "The splendor of a King 03:02 Clothed in majesty 03:07 Let all the earth rejoice 03:11 All the earth rejoice 03:14 Wraps. 03:15 He wraps Himself in light 03:22 And darkness tries to hide 03:28 And trembles at His voice 03:31 And trembles at His voice 03:34 How great. 03:35 How great is our God, sing with me 03:43 How great is our God, and all will see 03:49 How great, 03:53 How great is our God 04:00 Every voice, age to age. 04:03 Age to age he stands 04:10 And time is in His hands 04:14 Beginning and the End Beginning and the End 04:21 Godhead, Three in one. 04:23 The Godhead, Three in one 04:28 Father, Spirit, Son. 04:29 Father, Spirit, Son 04:34 The Lion and the Lamb The Lion and the Lamb 04:40 How great. 04:41 How great is our God, sing with me 04:49 How great is our God, and all will see 04:55 How great, 04:58 How great is our God 05:05 Name above all names 05:08 Name above all names 05:14 Worthy. 05:15 You are Worthy of all praise 05:19 My heart. 05:21 And my heart will sing 05:24 How great is our God 05:31 Let's praise our God today, name above all names. 05:34 Name above all names 05:38 You are worthy. 05:40 You are Worthy of all praise 05:44 My heart. 05:46 And my heart will sing 05:49 How great is our God 05:55 Then sings my soul. 05:57 Then sings my soul 06:02 My Savior God, to Thee 06:10 How great Thou art 06:16 How great Thou art 06:21 Then sings my soul. 06:23 Then sings my soul 06:28 My Savior God, to Thee 06:34 How great. 06:36 How great Thou art 06:42 How great Thou art!" 07:10 Jesus, the very thought of thee 07:19 With sweetness fills my breast 07:28 But sweeter 07:31 Far thy face to see 07:38 And in thy presence rest 07:53 No voice can sing 07:57 No heart can frame 08:01 Nor can the memory find 08:10 A sweeter sound 08:15 Than Jesus name 08:19 The Savior of mankind 08:47 O hope of every contrite heart 08:55 O joy of all the meek 09:03 To those who fall 09:07 How kind thou art 09:11 How good to those who seek 09:41 But what to those who find? 09:47 Ah, this nor tongue 09:51 Nor pen can show 09:58 The love of Jesus 10:03 What it is 10:07 None but who love him know 10:43 Jesus, Jesus 10:52 Jesus, Jesus 10:59 Jesus, our only joy be thou 11:08 As thou our prize wilt be 11:16 In thee be all our glory now 11:25 And through eternity 11:33 Eternity 11:38 In thee be all our glory now 11:46 And through eternity 11:51 And through eternity 11:56 Amen 12:01 Amen 12:20 We commence the journey together right now. 12:24 I wanna began that journey with prayer. 12:28 Holy Father, we're here in this place. 12:32 Jesus front and center as it must be. 12:38 We can only imagine that moment one day. 12:42 Not faith to faith, 12:44 but face to face with the same Lord Jesus. 12:50 The spirit is here we sense him. 12:53 As we commence this journey, 12:55 oh, God, do something deep within us 12:59 and that Holy Scripture engage not only our minds 13:03 but address our hearts and guide our lives 13:07 after Jesus we pray in His name, amen. 13:14 "Then God's temple in heaven was opened, 13:19 and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant. 13:26 And there came flashes of lightning, 13:28 rumblings, peals of thunder, 13:31 an earthquake and a great hailstorm." 13:37 The temple. 13:41 Why bother with the temple in the 21st century? 13:47 Because of an illustration 13:49 about Fenway Park in Boston, that's why. 13:55 This summer a physician friend of mine 13:57 from California named Fred Bishop. 14:00 Put me in touch with the research and studies 14:04 of a trends analyst named Chris Martenson. 14:09 And as I began to move 14:11 through his astounding conclusions, 14:16 I came across an illustration he used 14:18 that was so startling for me 14:21 that I have shared this illustration with everyone 14:24 I summered with this year. 14:26 And now I want to share with you. 14:29 It's about Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. 14:33 Now if you are not an aficionado 14:35 of the sport of baseball, 14:36 you have no idea what Fenway Park is, 14:39 but it's where the Boston Red Sox play. 14:41 I put a picture of Fenway Park on the screen. 14:43 It's a great painting by the way. 14:45 For the sake of illustration, right now 14:47 let's assume that Fenway Park is watertight. 14:51 You can fill it to the top with water. 14:53 And let's also assume that I handcuff you 14:57 to the top seat in the highest bleacher, 14:59 you see up there in the right hand corner. 15:02 After handcuffing you to that seat, 15:05 I carrying a magic eyedropper 15:09 walk all the way down to the pitcher's mound. 15:12 You see the pitcher's mound down there 15:13 in the middle of that green grass. 15:16 I step on to that pitcher's mound 15:18 and I left the magic eyedropper up 15:21 and I released a single drop of water. 15:25 Now the reason the eyedropper is magic 15:27 is because that water every 60 seconds will double. 15:33 So in 1 minute it will be 2 water drops. 15:36 In 2 minutes it will be 4 water drops. 15:38 In 3 minutes you get the picture, 15:39 it will be 8 and so on and so on. 15:41 Here's the question for you? 15:44 You're handcuffed up there. 15:46 How much time do you have to get out of Fenway Park 15:51 before it's filled with water? 15:56 How much time would you like? 16:00 At 12:44, because I dropped the drop of water, 16:04 let's say at noon. 16:05 At 12:44, you're still handcuffed. 16:09 Down on the floor of Fenway 16:11 there is now 5 feet of water, all right? 16:15 93% of Fenway is still empty. That's 12:44. 16:21 How much time do you have to extricate yourself 16:23 now if you're gonna get out alive? 16:26 By 12:49 the entire park is filled 16:31 to the top with water. 16:35 In 5 minutes 93% got down in 5 minutes. 16:42 Now Chris Martenson's illustrating the point 16:44 and he is not a Christian as far as I can tell, 16:47 but that wouldn't matter, would it? 16:49 He is illustrating the point of the power of compounding 16:54 and he quotes a gentleman named Albert Bartlett. 16:57 Now I'll put Bartlett's words on the screen for you. 16:59 "The greatest short coming of the human race 17:03 is our inability to understand the exponential function." 17:10 And then this trends analyst Martenson 17:13 begins to put up graph after graph after graph. 17:17 Let me just run a few by, just a few. 17:18 All right here we go. 17:19 These are called hockey stick graphs 17:21 and you'll see why in just one second. 17:23 Let's take the human population. 17:26 We'll start right here, 17:27 the beginning, whenever the population began. 17:29 Here is the graph of the human population over the centuries. 17:34 Until you comedown, you come into the 2000, 17:36 you come to 2007, 8, 9 and then the graph shoots up. 17:40 In the next 30 years 3 billion more human beings 17:44 will be on this planet. 17:45 Where they're gonna live if the present rate continues? 17:48 Here is another graph. 17:50 This is the human consumption of energy, all right? 17:53 Starts right here whenever we started consuming energy, 17:56 it goes like this, goes like this, goes like this, 17:58 but then you get down to 2000, 2005, 2006, and it skyrockets. 18:06 India and China are onboard. 18:09 There is another graph 18:10 watch this one, US indebtedness. 18:15 1776 government debt right here, 18:19 American's debt, 1776 it just keeps going, 18:22 nothing happening, this is great, 18:24 this is wonderful, until you get down 2000, 18:27 2007, 8, 9 and this thing goes out sight. 18:31 The power of compounding so that when the sweep comes 18:36 it happens in a very just like Fenway Park 18:40 short period of time. 18:42 After studying Chris Martenson's research, 18:46 I go to that apocalyptic classic 18:48 called Great Controversy, 18:49 I've never seen this sense before, 18:50 I'm gonna put it on the screen for you right now. 18:53 "The end will come more quickly 18:56 than men and women expect." 19:02 Amazing. 19:04 Now, "Then God's temple in heaven was opened, 19:08 and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant. 19:12 And there came flashes of lightning, 19:13 rumblings, peals of thunder, 19:15 an earthquake and a great hailstorm. 19:17 Could it be ladies and gentlemen, 19:20 that what is transpiring right now 19:22 in the temple above even as we are speaking? 19:28 Could it be? 19:30 That because of this phenomenal acceleration 19:32 called exponential growth could it be? 19:37 That what's taking place up there is critically important 19:42 and significant, to your life and mine on this planet? 19:46 Because I believe the answer is yes. 19:47 We begin a new series today it's called "The Temple." 19:50 I'm ready to go. Pull your study guide out. 19:51 Let's fly. 19:52 Pull you study guide out right now, 19:54 please in your worship bulletin, 19:55 brand new study guide for a new series called "The Temple." 19:58 You didn't get a study guide? 19:59 We've got friendly ushers here and here they come. 20:01 Hold your hand up, I wana make sure 20:03 everybody here sees these four realities 20:07 of the temple and heaven. 20:08 Four realities 20:09 and when the fourth one is over, I am out of here. 20:11 Okay, four of these. 20:13 If you didn't get a study guide, 20:14 hold your hand up all the way 20:15 to the back of the balcony in the overflow, 20:17 choir you got the study guides? 20:19 All right, good. Keep your hand up. 20:21 I want to say to those of you who are watching us right now. 20:23 We're delighted to have you. 20:25 We're beginning a brand new series newly, 20:27 you will be able to get the same study guide. 20:28 Let me put our website on the screen for you. 20:30 Put it on the screen, you see it right there 20:32 PMCHURCH.TV. WWW.PMCHURCH.TV. 20:37 You're looking for a brand new series entitled "The Temple." 20:40 And the title of part one which is right now 20:44 "Through a Crack in the Door". 20:47 All right, "Through a Crack in the Door." 20:50 So, you hit study guide where it says 20:52 "Through a Crack in the Door," you'll have this study guide. 20:54 Keeps your hand up. 20:55 Our friendly ushers are coming your way, 20:57 but we need to go. 20:58 So, looking through a crack in the door right now. 21:00 What can we know about the temple in heaven? 21:03 There are four realities, jot this down. 21:05 Reality number one, we can know that there is one. 21:09 Would you jot that down please? 21:10 We can know reality number one, that there is one. 21:14 There is a temple. 21:17 Let's go to our theme text for this series. 21:20 I read it just a moment ago, but now we read it together. 21:22 Go to the Bible's last book the Apocalypse. 21:24 Go to the Book of Revelation please, Chapter 11. 21:29 Let's read that line one-- 21:31 Let's read that line one more time. 21:34 Revelation 11:19. 21:36 By the way if you didn't bring a pew Bible, grab-- 21:38 I'm sorry, if you didn't bring your own Bible, 21:40 grab a pew Bible. 21:41 Don't take it home please. 21:42 But grab our pew Bible, 21:44 and turn to the last book of the Bible. 21:47 I got the page number here, it will be page 829. 21:51 I'm in the NIV for this series. 21:52 Most university students are with NIV, 21:55 so we kind of be connected 21:57 with the same translation as far. 21:59 Chapter 11 Revelation 11:19. 22:03 Let me read it again and you are hearing. 22:04 Then, this is at end of time. 22:07 Every scholar I know says we know, 22:10 this is at the end, all right. 22:12 In the flow of the Apocalypse. 22:14 "Then God's temple in heaven was opened, 22:18 and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant. 22:22 And there came flashes of lightning, 22:24 rumblings, peals of thunder, 22:25 an earthquake and a great hailstorm." 22:29 Would you write that down please? 22:30 Revelation 11:19 fill it in, 22:32 "Then God's temple in heaven was opened, 22:35 and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant." 22:39 Two temples there. 22:41 One temple but two words temple. 22:43 The Bible presupposes the existence 22:45 of a loving creator God. 22:47 He has a place some-- He has a place somewhere 22:50 in this universe where He resides, 22:51 it is a palace and the Bible calls His palace 22:54 "The Temple," that's it, okay. 22:57 Okay, let me put another text up on the screen for you, 23:00 Habakkuk 2:20- The Lord is in his holy-- 23:04 Once in a while you hear choir sing that as a response. 23:06 "The Lord is in his holy temple, 23:09 let all the earth keep silence before him." 23:16 Keep silent, Habakkuk 2:20. Let me give you one more. 23:19 By the way you can take your concords 23:20 just look under temple, there are scores of these. 23:24 Let me give you one more though, 23:25 Psalm 102:19, Psalm 102:19, we put it on the screen. 23:30 "The Lord looked down from his sanctuary-- 23:34 He looked down from his sanctuary on high, 23:36 from heaven He viewed the earth." 23:39 You notice in the scriptures that the word temple 23:41 and the word sanctuary are interchanged 23:44 in describing God's dwelling place. 23:45 The Bible is very clear. God's sanctuary is in heaven. 23:48 It's His temple. 23:50 So what we can know about the temple? 23:51 What realities? 23:52 Reality number one, there is one. 23:55 Reality number two, jot it down please. 23:57 We can know that God is seated there on his throne. 24:02 It's little longer line, 24:04 I'll give you a moment to fill that in, 24:05 that God is seated there on his throne. 24:12 God's temple is His pass. 24:15 And from His throne He rules the universe. 24:18 Now I got to tell you, the Bible offers precious 24:20 little detail regarding this temple. 24:26 But the Bible is replete 24:29 with dramatic details about the throne. 24:33 I want to take you to three, 24:34 the three great throne passages in scripture. 24:37 And rather than just putting this on the screen 24:39 and letting you follow that way, 24:40 I want you to follow along please in your Bible. 24:41 And we'll take them in order as they appear in the Bible. 24:44 Let's go back to the Book of Ezekiel. 24:46 We are hardly ever in that book. 24:48 He was a very young prophet by the way just barely married, 24:51 young man Ezekiel All right. 24:53 Ezekiel Chapter 1. He is in a vision. 24:56 By the way all three of these are visions 24:57 because there ain't nobody that's been to the temple 25:01 and come back to tell of it, all right. 25:04 You can't get there physically, unless God takes you. 25:08 But in vision these three, three descriptors. 25:11 All right, so we'll go to Ezekiel Chapter 1. 25:14 In the pew Bible that would be page 557. 25:20 Ezekiel Chapter 1, 25:21 and by the way we got art majors here, we got-- 25:24 this generation you are so visual. 25:26 Every thing is visual for you. 25:28 so you're not gonna have any problem. 25:29 We thought about, we said, 25:30 "Shall we put some colors up there, 25:31 shall we do some..." 25:32 No, no, no, no, 25:34 your imagination is much more powerful 25:36 than anything we can put on the screen, 25:38 so you just let your vision, 25:39 let your imagination go wild as it were. 25:42 Okay, we are gonna here Ezekiel Chapter 1, 25:45 pick it up in verse 25. 25:48 "Then there came a voice 25:51 from above the expanse over their heads..." 25:54 And by the way the expanse 25:55 has just been described as sparkling like ice. 25:59 You got this-- you got this 26:00 almost like a diamond sky, sparkling like ice. 26:04 "Then there came a voice from above the expanse 26:06 over their heads as they stood with lowered wings." 26:08 All right, talking about some angelic creatures. 26:10 Verse 26, "Above the expanse over their heads 26:14 was what looked like a..." 26:15 You are trying to imagine this in your mind 26:17 what looked like a throne of sapphire. 26:20 Now, I need to tell you sapphire is resplendent blue. 26:24 Such as throne it's blue, glass throne, it look like. 26:27 So, there appeared 26:30 "what look like a throne of sapphire 26:33 and high above on the throne 26:36 was a figure like that of a man." 26:38 You know, I was looking very closely Ezekiel said, 26:41 I couldn't quite tell, there was so much light there, 26:43 but it looked like a human being sitting 26:47 on that resplendent blue throne. 26:51 What can Ezekiel do? 26:52 He has to use a language he has. 26:55 He gone on, verse 27. 26:57 Oh, and by the way, "I saw 27:00 that from what appeared to be his waist up..." 27:03 So he looking at that being on the throne. 27:05 "What appeared to be this waist up 27:06 he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, 27:09 and that from there down from his waist down, 27:12 he looks like fire, 27:14 and brilliant lights surrounded Him." 27:17 He just have this yellow, gold, oranges, 27:19 just you put your hand up, 27:21 it's so bright, brilliant light. 27:23 Verse 28, "Like the appearance 27:25 of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day..." 27:28 Ever seen a rainbow? 27:30 Ah, that shimmeringness. 27:32 "Like the appearance of a rainbow 27:34 in the clouds on a rainy day, 27:35 so was the radiance around this being. 27:38 This was the appearance 27:39 of the likeness of the glory of the Lord." 27:43 And "When I saw it, I fell facedown, 27:47 as you and I would 27:49 and I heard the voice of one speaking." 27:52 Mercy! 27:56 Notice how the descriptors built as we go. 27:59 Very next book is Daniel, 28:00 so just keep going towards the end of your Bible. 28:03 Daniel, there are only three 28:05 depicters passages at depict the throne. 28:09 And this is number two Daniel 7, 28:13 so you are holding those pictures now, 28:15 holding the colors. 28:17 You gonna see some more colors added along the way. 28:20 Let's go Daniel 7, Daniel 7 just two verses Daniel 7, 28:26 he also is envisioned, verse 9, 28:27 "As I looked, thrones were set in place, 28:31 and the Ancient of Days..." 28:33 Does yours have capital A, capital D 28:36 Ancient of Days it's a title. 28:37 "And Ancient of Days took his seat." 28:39 Now you need to understand 28:40 that in the near eastern culture 28:42 from which Daniel writes. 28:43 The older you get, the wiser you are. 28:47 The wider your hair, the wiser your mind. 28:51 Hallelujah. 28:53 So that's why when God wants to picture himself 28:57 to near Easterners who are the readers. 29:00 He says "I'll show up as an old man. 29:02 They will know I'm the wisest of the wise." 29:05 So that's why He shows up as an old man. 29:06 Look at throne are set in place, 29:09 and by the way pearl throne you noted that. 29:11 And the "Ancient of Days took His seat. 29:13 His clothing was as white as snow, 29:15 and the hair of his head was white like wool." 29:19 Keep reading, "His throne was flaming with fire." 29:23 We got fire again here, 29:24 "His throne was flaming with fire, 29:25 and its wheels were all ablaze." 29:28 Apparently God's throne can be moved around, 29:31 it has wheels on it. 29:33 Interesting thought. 29:34 Verse 10 and "A river of fire was flowing, 29:37 coming out from before him. 29:39 Thousands upon thousands attended him, 29:40 ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. 29:43 The court was seated, and the books were opened." 29:45 And you know what? 29:46 When I read, and the river of fire was flowing, 29:49 I'm thinking Hawaii, Mount Kilauea. 29:52 Have you ever seen pictures of Mount Kilauea at night? 29:55 That's what I'm thinking. I'm thinking this lava flow. 30:00 Just watery fire flowing out from underneath God's throne, 30:05 isn't that amazing? 30:07 Wow, so you got all these pictures now. 30:08 We got rainbows, we got fire, gold and orange. 30:14 One more picture. 30:16 The last Book of the Bible, also envision. 30:20 Here comes and Greg read from these word 30:23 just a moment ago. 30:25 Here comes Revelation 4, 30:30 Revelation 4, let's pick up in verse 1 30:34 "After this I looked, and there before me 30:38 was a door standing open in heaven..." 30:40 Through a crack in the door now, 30:43 we gonna take a look ourselves. 30:45 There is a crack in the door. 30:48 "There is a door standing open in the heaven 30:49 and the voice I had first heard 30:51 speaking to me like a trumpet said, 30:53 "'Come up here, and I will show you 30:56 what must take place after this.' 30:57 and at once, boom verse 2, "I was in the sprit, 31:00 and there before me was a throne..." 31:02 Here we go again. 31:03 "Throne in heaven withs someone 31:06 someone sitting on it." 31:12 Verse 3, "And the one who sat there 31:14 had the appearance of jasper..." 31:19 Pliny, the Younger, the ancient naturalist 31:23 around the time John, 31:25 describes jasper much different in the way it is today. 31:28 It was a translucent stone, 31:30 light could penetrate though it, 31:32 so I'm looking and this beam it's like light, 31:34 it's coming straight through him. 31:36 It's like jasper, and more over carnelian. 31:42 Carnelian? 31:43 You know that is? Brilliant red. 31:46 So light pouring through brilliant red 31:49 and there's another color, watch this. 31:51 "And a rainbow resembling an emerald." 31:55 We are all those mystic colors but now John says, no, 31:58 it's just the shining green. 32:02 "A rainbow resembling an emerald encircled the throne. 32:05 And surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, 32:07 see multiple thrones 32:08 and seated on them were twenty-four elders. 32:10 And they were dressed in white 32:11 and had crowns of gold on their heads." 32:13 From Verse 5, "The throne came flashes of lightning... " 32:16 We read that a moment ago. 32:17 "Rumblings and peals of thunder. 32:18 Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. 32:20 These are the seven spirits of God." 32:22 And finally verse 6. 32:23 "And also before the throne there was what 32:25 looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal." 32:29 Just shining water. 32:33 Wow, do you understand? 32:37 Every time you and I come 32:38 into this building and we worship God. 32:42 That's what's -- that's what's there. 32:45 What you got in your mind now? 32:46 That's what's there. Something like it. 32:52 Four realities that we can know about the throne of God. 32:54 Reality number one there is one. 32:56 Reality number two, God is in the temple 32:58 seated upon His throne. 33:00 Write it down please reality number three that God, 33:03 what can we know that God is surrounded 33:05 there by myriads of intelligent beings. 33:10 I'll give you a little extra moment to write all of that, 33:15 that God is surrounded there 33:18 by myriads of intelligent beings. 33:22 You wana call them angels, it's fine. 33:24 Want to call living creatures, that's fine. 33:26 They are obviously, here's what we know, 33:27 they are obviously created junior partners with God 33:33 in the administration of His entire universe. 33:37 They work like this with God. 33:41 Whatever, whoever they are. 33:42 And by the way John does the arithmetic 33:44 and comes up with the same number that Daniel. 33:46 We read Daniel's number a moment ago. 33:47 Look at John. 33:48 He must be a fast counter because he comes up 33:50 with the same number Chapter 5, 33:51 just drop, go over to Chapter 5:11. 33:54 "Then I looked and I heard the voice of many angels..." 33:56 Here comes the number. 33:57 "Numbering thousands upon thousands, 33:59 and that would be millions because thousands times 34:00 thousands are million 34:02 and ten thousand times ten thousand, 34:03 that would be 100 million at least. 34:05 So, millions, numbering millions 34:09 and they, now get this, the Bible hasn't said 34:12 a word yet about the temple. 34:13 I wish I could tell you. I have no idea. 34:15 All I know is that these millions, 34:17 hundreds of millions encircled the throne. 34:21 They're right around that sapphire throne. 34:26 They encircle the throne and the living creatures 34:29 and the elders. 34:33 How big do you suppose God's temple is? 34:35 I mean try to imagine this. 34:36 How big do you suppose God's temple is? 34:39 Any clue? 34:41 You know, you come to Solomon 34:43 when he is dedicating this little temple here on earth. 34:45 Put this on the screen for you. He cries out 1 Kings 8:27. 34:49 He said, oh, God "The heavens, 34:51 even the highest heaven, cannot contain you." 34:56 There is no way we could build a temple for you. 34:59 So how big is God's? How big is God's temple? 35:02 I have no idea. Let me ask you this. 35:04 Let me ask you this. 35:05 What is the largest temple on this planet right now? 35:12 The largest structure on planet earth today 35:15 that is a structure for worship. 35:17 Think of the largest temple, 35:18 what is it we know today? 35:20 Buddhist temple you thinking over the Far East? 35:22 Maybe a Hindu temple 35:24 somewhere in that mighty sub-continent? 35:26 The largest temple on earth today 35:29 is that picture right there, 35:31 St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. 35:34 Our tour guy told us, get this. 35:36 Our tour guy told us 35:38 that you can crowd 100,000 worshippers 35:42 into that temple right there. 35:45 Isn't that amazing? 35:46 And here, ladies and gentlemen, 100,000 35:48 what is that to the hundreds of millions 35:51 that are in the temple above. 35:53 Obliviously our puny finite broken 35:55 human comprehension cannot fathom 35:59 anything big enough to how is God. 36:03 And yet the Bible says, no, no, 36:05 He has a temple, His throne is in it. 36:08 There are these myriads that circle Him. 36:14 What we know about God's temple in heaven? 36:15 Number one, there is one. 36:17 Number two, God is seated on His throne in that temple. 36:19 Reality Number 3, myriads of angels 36:21 surround God upon His throne there. 36:22 And finally here it is. 36:24 Reality Number 4, jot it down please. 36:26 We know that God's temple is His Mission Control 36:30 for his universe and for this earth. 36:34 Just two words and capitalize them would you please, 36:37 do me a favor capitalize the M and C. Mission Control. 36:43 God's temple is His Mission Control 36:44 for his universe and for this earth. 36:46 I tell you what? I would love this. 36:48 I don't know how they would have found my phone number. 36:50 But I would love this, 36:53 if I would get a call one day from NASA 36:55 and the voice on the other end say, 36:57 hey, Dwight, we hear that you would 36:59 really like to get up close 37:01 and watch the launch of a space shuttle in our control room. 37:07 We got a ticket, come on down 37:08 and boom to stand-- to stand in the corner 37:12 out of the way and watch 37:14 as the ground just shakes and this takes place. 37:19 I mean can you imagine? 37:22 The thrill of being in mission control, huh, mercy. 37:28 Although you know this, don't you? 37:29 You do know this. 37:31 Mission control doesn't feel a single rumble. 37:37 You know why? 37:38 Because it's not in Florida. 37:39 Do you know where our mission control is? 37:41 Call out to me. Where is mission control? 37:43 Houston, Texas. 37:45 Let's put a picture of the actual control room 37:48 there in Houston, Texas. 37:51 That's where it is. But you know what? 37:53 Big deal, when your telemetry communication is wireless, 37:56 the distance between mission control 37:58 and the actual mission is immaterial. 38:01 You can be billions of miles away theoretically 38:03 and boom you're in touch. 38:08 And that's why David, you got to see this prayer. 38:11 That's why he is praying the sanctuary prayer. 38:13 Go back, I want to see in your own Bible, Psalm 18, 38:16 David knows, he doesn't know anything about telemetry 38:19 and wireless communication. 38:20 All David knows is God. 38:22 I'm in big trouble and you are in mission control. 38:26 Watch this Psalm 18. 38:28 Find Psalm 18, we'll look at just verse 6. 38:33 It's good news for you and me by the way, 38:34 the year is just commencing. 38:36 You need to know David is on to something right here. 38:40 Psalm 18:6 "In my distress I called to the Lord, 38:45 I cried to my God for help. 38:47 From his temple he heard my voice; 38:52 my cry came before Him, into his ears." 38:58 Can you believe that? 38:59 Telemetry, wireless, who cares? 39:02 When you are in trouble you say, 39:04 "God, I'm in trouble, help." 39:07 Mission control hears it. 39:11 Even in my ear. 39:16 It's not quite as clear in my ear, 39:17 it takes longer for signals to get out of my ear 39:18 but once it gets out, it's okay. 39:24 Michiana, anywhere on earth, 39:27 God, I am in trouble, help. 39:31 He heard me with His ear 39:32 and notice His response, verse 9 39:34 and God mounted the chariot beam and flew. 39:38 Verse 9, "He parted the heavens and came down, 39:42 I called to Him and boom, He came down. 39:46 Isn't that amazing? 39:48 Oh my. 39:51 If it happens to David, 39:53 surely it would happen to you and me. 39:54 You know what? 39:55 When we are talking about the temple, 39:57 here is the point ladies and gentlemen. 39:58 We are not talking about some little tiny 40:00 bit of architecture somewhere in the universe 40:02 it looks nice on a postcard. 40:03 This isn't about postcards. 40:05 This is about mission control of the universe. 40:10 Mission control, apparently this divine mission control 40:14 of the universe is so intricately connected 40:16 with every creature in this cosmos 40:19 that even a tiny little sparrow cannot tumble in death 40:22 from its tree top perch without God 40:24 noting that reality and marking that moment. 40:27 Jesus said that your father knows 40:29 a sparrow is down. 40:31 And then as I wrote in my blog today, 40:34 if it says it for sparrow, 40:36 how much more value are you to Him 40:41 when you cry out mission control help. 40:47 Wow, just one little click away, one click. 40:54 Which by the way is our theme for the new season 41:01 in house of prayer? 41:04 You gonna see this... you gonna see on campus 41:08 of next few days Praying Through the Sanctuary. 41:13 Came across the method of praying 41:14 I never experienced it, I heard about it. 41:20 Got hold of a little book and starting Wednesday night, 41:23 we gonna take the schema blueprint, 41:27 God's temple? 41:28 We gonna move through it and find a new way 41:30 to energies our praying. 41:31 If your praying is kind of hit a plateau, 41:33 and you're just not feeling like it-- 41:34 You know, it's just not 41:35 a big deal to me praying at all. 41:36 I want to invite you to come Wednesday night 41:38 7 o'clock right over there in the youth chapel, 41:39 come and join us. 41:41 Let's pray our way through the sanctuary. 41:43 Just one click away, 41:45 that's how far mission control is. 41:47 As the world found out that day 41:48 and I have learned that one billon people 41:50 were listening that day, when the click went down 41:53 from Apollo 13 to mission control. 41:58 Huston as it go? 42:01 Huston, we had a problem. 42:05 Now popular Lovell says Huston we have a problem. 42:08 But we've got the recording right here. 42:10 First I want to put a picture of that moment in Apollo 13. 42:13 That's the actual control room, all right? 42:15 That's Houston. 42:17 Now this recording is a little scratchy. 42:19 This is the actual recording of that transmission 42:23 when they announced. 42:24 We've-- the actual wording is, 42:26 we've had a problem. 42:28 Listen up. 42:31 Okay, here we've had a problem here. 42:34 This is Houston saying in please. 42:36 Oh, Houston, we've had a problem. 42:39 We've had main B undervolt. 42:42 Roger main B undervolt. 42:45 Okay, standby 13 we're looking at it. 42:50 Matter of fact Commander Lovell, 42:52 Houston, we've had a problem. 42:54 They are on a target for a catastrophe. 43:00 Mission control, averse the catastrophe. 43:03 Now here's a deal. Can you imagine? 43:06 Try to imagine with me. 43:07 The stun silence in the temple 43:10 when mission control received that faithful transmission 43:14 from this newly created planet, heaven. 43:18 Do you read me? Heaven. 43:22 We've had a problem, we got a problem. 43:27 The new human race, two members big 43:30 has just voted to join Lucifer in his rebellion, 43:34 send help, start now. 43:38 Heaven. 43:40 We have a problem. 43:44 And because heaven had a problem, 43:46 a huge problem, get this. 43:50 God says all right. 43:53 I'm gonna build another temple on earth. 43:58 I'm gonna set up another mission control on earth 44:03 and I'll be there in the midst of the meltdown. 44:07 Exodus and I'll put these words 44:09 on the screen for you. 44:11 Exodus 25, some of you 44:12 as kids had to learn this as a memory verse. 44:14 This is a great line. 44:16 Exodus 25, I'll read it off the screen with you. 44:18 Exodus 25. 44:23 God is talking to Moses all right. 44:24 They are on top of Mount Sinai together. 44:26 Then Moses, God is saying, 44:28 "Then have them make a sanctuary for me" 44:32 a mission control for me down there. 44:35 "Have them make a sanctuary for me, 44:37 and I will dwell among them. 44:41 Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings 44:44 exactly like the pattern I will show you." 44:48 Would you write that down in your study guide please? 44:50 "Let them make me a sanctuary." 44:52 Down there where you are Moses. 44:55 Let them make a mission control 44:58 that I may dwell among them. 45:00 By the way this is not a replica 45:01 of heaven's architecture. 45:03 Let them make me a sanctuary it doesn't mean, 45:05 I'll send the blueprints and we'll scale this-- 45:08 pardon me, we'll scale this way down. 45:10 We're not talking about exact scale of anything. 45:14 You just make me a sanctuary. 45:17 How can a human temple possibly contain 45:20 an infinite God, you can't do it. 45:21 In fact I like my friend Roy Adams. 45:23 In his book The Sanctuary, he's absolutely right. 45:26 I think I put the words in your study guide too. 45:27 I put it on the screen for you. 45:28 "We should not conceive of the earthly sanctuary 45:31 as a scale reproduction or replica 45:35 of the heavenly reality. 45:37 Rather the relationship ought to be seen primarily 45:39 in terms of 'functional correspondence,' 45:41 providing us with conceptual tools 45:43 and vocabulary allowing us to speak about the unspeakable, 45:47 to comprehend the incomprehensible." 45:49 However dimly just build me a place there. 45:54 Would you jolt it down, please keep writing. 45:55 "The sanctuary on earth was not a replica 45:58 of heaven's architecture, but rather a detailed 46:01 and dramatic portrayal of heaven's strategic mission." 46:07 It's about mission 46:08 "to save the fallen human race." 46:10 In fact jot it down. 46:11 This would be a new secondary divine 46:14 Mission Control Room for earth. 46:17 Which is why I keep the pen moving just a little further. 46:19 In Exodus 25 God says to Moses, 46:21 fill it in here. 46:22 "There" he's talking about this little box, its golden. 46:26 This little box called the ark. 46:27 "Their, above the cover between the two cherubim" 46:30 two angels as wings touch 46:32 "that are over the ark of the Testimony, 46:34 I will meet with you and give you all my commands." 46:38 A new command center. 46:40 Ladies and gentlemen, a new command center. 46:43 Something is critical 46:46 in that command center long ago. 46:53 Now we got to discover. 46:56 In fact let me put it. 46:57 Here's a one time I was showing artist's rendition. 46:59 Take a look at this. Isn't that something? 47:02 It's just a-- it was a small box, 47:04 hardly 3 feet long. 47:07 The ark and earth command center for his people. 47:10 Will you say, hey, Dwight, come on, please, please. 47:13 This is the 21st century A.D. 47:16 What in the world does any of that have to do with us? 47:18 And I want to say to you, 47:19 it has everything to do with you and me. 47:21 I want to end with a text we began with. 47:24 Go back to Revelation 11:19, all right? 47:26 We read it one more time, end with this. 47:30 Revelation 11:19. 47:32 "Then God's temple in heaven was opened, 47:36 and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant. 47:42 And there came flashes of lightning, 47:44 rumblings, peals of thunder, 47:46 an earthquake and a great hailstorm." 47:51 Ladies and gentlemen, through a crack in the door, 47:55 John is telling us 47:58 that just before the return of Christ to this earth, 48:03 there's an open temple in heaven 48:04 and inside the temple is the Ark of the Covenant 48:08 which is code language linking us 48:10 to the liturgical services of the earthly sanctuary. 48:14 As it turns out, we'll unpack this together 48:16 over the next few weeks. 48:17 As it turns out that single 48:19 sanctuary piece of furniture called the Ark of the Covenant 48:22 played a critical and central role. 48:25 One day a year in the very solemn 48:29 observance called the Day of Atonement. 48:32 The Jews still call it today Yom Kippur, the ark. 48:39 It was to be a divine-- 48:40 It was a divinely intended enactment 48:43 of God's final judgment of the human race 48:47 before the return of Christ. 48:51 Which means, that by introducing 48:53 the golden ark in heaven's temple at the time, 48:56 the apocalypse is Teletyping every reader 48:59 to the reminder that a cosmic day 49:00 of judgment in God's temple 49:02 will take place before the return of Christ 49:03 and while they will look, remember the hockey graph? 49:06 The hockey stick graph? 49:08 While they will look like life is going on as usual, 49:10 as usual, as usual, people get married, 49:13 people planting gardens, boom, the human race 49:18 including the living pass through that judgment. 49:25 Which means our friend Chris Martenson, 49:27 if he's right, that through the power 49:31 of compounding Fenway Park of earth can appear to be 49:34 filling in a predictable slow uniformity. 49:37 I mean, look at, I'm still-- I'm still handcuffed to this. 49:39 I'm not worried about my handcuff. 49:41 Everything is going on as it's always been going on, 49:43 nothing has changed, nothing has changed. 49:45 If Christ Martenson is right 49:47 than in a very hort span of time suddenly 49:51 everything can change and Fenway can be flooded. 49:55 If Martenson is right. 49:57 And he isn't right about this, 49:59 but if he's right then what's going on 50:01 right now up there 50:04 is of critical importance to us down here. 50:07 Oh, shall I be afraid? 50:08 Forget it. 50:10 Afraid? Never. 50:12 I want to end with this quotation from Desire of Ages. 50:14 It's in your study guide. Oh, this is beautiful. 50:17 "The Bible shows us God in His high and holy place, 50:21 not in a state of inactivity..." 50:31 It's not Buddhist. 50:33 "The Bible shows us God in His high and holy place, 50:35 not in a state of inactivity, not in silence and solitude, 50:39 but surrounded by ten thousand times 50:41 ten thousand and thousands of thousands 50:43 of holy intelligences, all waiting to do His will. 50:46 Through channels which we cannot discern. 50:49 God is in active communication 50:50 with every part of His dominion. 50:52 But it is in this speck of a world, 50:55 in the souls that He gave His only-begotten Son to save, 50:58 that His interest and the interest 51:00 of all heaven is centered." 51:03 Right here, right now. 51:06 God is bending... I love this. 51:08 "God is bending from His throne 51:10 to hear the cry of the oppressed. 51:12 To every sincere prayer He answers, 51:19 'Here am I."' 51:22 I'm here. 51:25 Heaven, we got a problem. 51:29 Where are you? 51:36 I'll have help in a nanosecond to you. 51:42 The truth of the temple, ladies and gentlemen. 51:44 It's the truth that God is still on His throne 51:46 which means, mission control is still in control, that's it. 51:52 Mission control is still in control. 51:56 And you know, what that means? 51:58 That means if you will trust your life to Him 52:01 this New Year just like Apollo 13, 52:07 he will bring you safely home at last. 52:16 So I say, I say let's tell Him right now 52:23 that we're trusting our lives to Him this New Year. 52:26 What do you say? You want to? 52:28 Stand on your feet and by standing on your feet 52:29 you says, God I trust my life to you this New Year. 52:32 I trust my life to you this New Year. 52:38 I trust You. 52:39 I have no idea what's coming. 52:42 I have-- I cannot fathom what lies ahead 52:46 but at this beginning moment, you can know 52:51 I'm trusting You mission control 52:55 to get me through. 52:57 There's a beautiful prayer of confident trust 53:02 that I want to end with today. 53:04 In fact it's our tradition here. 53:05 On the first Sabbath of a new school year, 53:08 you know, what we do? 53:09 We sing the Lord's prayer together. 53:11 To the Father on the throne in mission control. 53:15 It is a prayer of confidence. 53:17 Let's sing it as a prayer to Him right now. 53:28 Our Father 53:37 Which art in heaven 53:47 Hallowed be 53:56 Thy name 54:04 Thy kingdom come 54:11 Thy will be done 54:17 On earth 54:21 As it is in heaven 54:47 Give us this day 54:52 Our daily bread 54:57 And forgive us our debts 55:03 As we forgive our debtors 55:16 And lead us not 55:19 Into temptation 55:22 But deliver us from evil 55:29 For Thine is the kingdom 55:37 And the power 55:40 And the glory, forever 55:56 Amen 56:23 I like to take a moment here at the end of the service 56:25 to tell you about one of the most important groups of people 56:28 that make this ministry possible. 56:31 There are team of people, they are afraid to get down 56:33 into the thick life itself, 56:36 which is why you're gonna find them, 56:37 you will find them, moving forward on their knees. 56:40 They are prayer partners. 56:42 A group of men and women and young adults 56:45 who believe that this humble television ministry 56:48 has been raised up by God for such a time as this 56:50 and so they prey honestly that God will use the preacher, 56:54 that God will use me, that God will use the countless 56:56 other volunteers to spread the everlasting gospel 57:00 and the word of God and ways we could 57:01 never have imagined before. 57:03 They are the ones who are praying 57:04 that God is gonna open up the hearts of people, 57:08 open up the hearts of viewers around the world 57:10 for the message, the critical message 57:13 for this end time generation. 57:15 And what I like to do is ask you, 57:18 would you be willing to be a prayer partner with us? 57:20 A prayer partner with new perceptions. 57:22 You don't have to call the toll free number. 57:24 You don't have to go online to register. 57:26 All I need to know is that you would be willing 57:28 to lift this little ministry up day after day after day? 57:34 Pray that somehow through Radio and television in the web, 57:38 God will open up new doors, 57:40 new regions on earth 57:42 where the everlasting gospel can be proclaimed. 57:45 There is no question that power of prayer 57:48 has the potential to take this ministry to places 57:50 we could never have imagined before. 57:53 So that's it. 57:54 Would you please be willing to partner with me in prayer? 57:57 The times are urgent. 57:59 The need is critical and I hope you will say yes. 58:03 Till we're together in next time 58:05 may the prayer answering God. 58:07 accompany you every step of the way. |
Revised 2015-01-01