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Series Code: NP
Program Code: NP090911
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00:21 Nobody knows the troubles I see.
00:35 Nobody knows but Jesus. 00:47 Nobody knows the troubles I see. 01:00 Glory, hallelujah! 01:11 Sometimes I'm up, sometimes I'm down. Oh yes, Lord. 01:23 Sometimes I'm almost to the ground. Oh yes, Lord. 01:39 Nobody knows the troubles I see. 01:51 Nobody knows but Jesus. 02:02 Nobody knows the troubles I see. 02:14 Glory, hallelujah! 02:26 Although you see me going 'long so, Oh yes, Lord, 02:37 I have my trials here below. Oh yes, Lord. 02:56 Nobody knows the troubles I see. 03:08 Nobody knows but Jesus. 03:20 Nobody knows the troubles I see. 03:32 Glory halle, glory halle, glory hallelujah! 04:02 We invite you to turn to page 9 in your bulletins 04:05 as we share the word this morning. 04:07 You could follow in your bulletins or on the screen, 04:11 and we ask that you please read responsively with us. 05:07 They are considered among the most sublime of all words 05:14 in sacred literature; the prologue of the fourth gospel, 05:20 only eighteen verses long. 05:25 And yet in these short verses of this majestic introduction 05:33 the story of the universe, and you and me, and God is captured. 05:39 And so as we did last Sabbath, before we pray today, 05:46 I'd like to read the words of the prologue with you. 05:51 Pull out your Bible, whatever translation you've 05:53 brought this morning. 05:55 I have the New King James here. 05:57 We're going to read these eighteen short verses together. 06:02 If you didn't bring a Bible, grab the pew Bible 06:04 right in front of you. 06:09 Our brand new series, the Last Word, 06:10 The Fourth Gospel for a Final Generation. 06:14 I want to read the prologue again with you. 06:17 John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, 06:22 and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 06:28 He was in the beginning with God. 06:32 All things were made through him; 06:34 and without him nothing was made that was made. 06:37 In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 06:40 And the light shines in the darkness; 06:44 and the darkness did not comprehend it. 06:47 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 06:49 This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, 06:54 that all through him might believe. 06:57 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear 06:59 witness of that Light. 07:00 That was the true Light, which gives light to every man 07:03 coming into the world. 07:07 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, 07:09 and the world did not know him. 07:12 He came to his own, and his own did not receive him. 07:16 But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become 07:21 children of God, to those who believe in his name: 07:25 who were born, not of blood, not of the will of the flesh, 07:28 nor of the will of man, but of God. 07:31 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, 07:36 (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten 07:40 of the Father,) full of grace and truth. 07:43 John bore witness of him, and cried out, saying, This was he 07:47 of whom I said, He who comes; after me is preferred before me, 07:50 for he was before me 07:53 And of his fullness we have received, and grace for grace. 07:57 For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth 08:01 came through Jesus Christ. 08:03 No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, 08:07 who is in the bosom of the Father, he has declared him. 08:11 Let's pray. Oh God, we sang in a moment ago Word of God, 08:18 Word of God speak. 08:22 We're asking that again. 08:25 A few moments together, but oh Word of God speak, 08:30 for Your children listen. 08:34 In the name of the Word we pray, Amen. 08:39 Would you like to see what it looked like? what it looked like 08:44 when the Word became flesh? 08:47 I found a stunning piece of video on You Tube, 08:52 and I want to share it with you. 08:53 But before we put it up, here's what I want you 08:55 to be doing please, please. 08:57 As you see this footage, I want you to be imagining that what 09:04 you're actually seeing is the Word of God being made flesh; 09:11 God Himself in human fetal form. Watch. 09:59 Isn't that amazing? 10:00 That's the way it was when you were born. 10:02 In fact I was thinking, it kind of looked like you, 10:04 as I was looking at that image. 10:06 That's the way it was when I was born. 10:08 That's the way it was when Jesus was born. 10:11 And who's this Jesus? 10:13 He's the Word made flesh. 10:15 But here's the question, How could it possibly be that our 10:19 human, finite minds could comprehend this notion that the 10:24 infinite Creator God of the Universe reduced Himself 10:28 into a zygote, a fertilized egg in the womb of a teenager? 10:34 How can it be? And yet that is the one line Christmas narrative 10:45 of here in the fourth gospel. 10:48 The Christmas story, just one line long in the gospel of John, 10:52 but I'd like to brood over that Christmas story with you on this 10:56 holiday weekend, not Christmas. 10:58 Pull out your Bible again if you closed it. 11:01 If you didn't pull out the Bible the first time, pull it out now. 11:04 With me ruminate over these words. 11:06 Verse 14, John 1:14, Page 714 in your pew Bible. 11:11 Grab that one. I want you to just let the Word come in. 11:15 We just sang it a moment ago, Word of God speak; 11:18 let the Word speak. 11:20 And, by the way, I love this idea of these Andrew Study 11:22 Bibles circulating. 11:23 Thank you, Pastor Hosea for that idea; beautiful idea. 11:26 I don't know if they've come by your way, but we're going to, 11:28 when we get these Bibles all marked up they'll become gifts 11:31 for somebody, knowing that they were marked in the worship 11:35 of the community of Andrews University 11:38 at the Pioneer Memorial Church. 11:39 So thank you for what you did. 11:41 Alright, this is John 1:14. 11:59 And the Word... By the way, did you know that this 12:02 is the only other place in the prologue where the 12:04 name Word appears? 12:06 In the first teaching last week, as we embarked on this journey, 12:10 we read it in the opening syllable. 12:12 Let's read it again. Verse 1. 12:24 We noted from our study last week that the Word shares the 12:27 eternity and the deity of all of Almighty God Himself, 12:30 but He is a separate being from Almighty God. 12:37 So who is this Word? 12:39 Ha, verse 14 declares He's the One who became flesh. 12:47 Thus John's opening salvo is quick and clear. 12:53 What he's telling us: the Christ child asleep in Bethlehem's 12:58 manger was none other than the eternal God made flesh. 13:02 That's all the Christmas story John has; 13:04 no angels, no shepherds, no wise men, 13:06 only the enfleshment of God. 13:09 And the Word became, became. 13:14 Do you know what? the Greek word for became is already 13:18 used in the prologue. 13:19 It was used twice in verse 3. Notice verse 3. 13:28 The last two was made are the identical Greek word. 13:31 So He, the Word, made everything. 13:36 Now get the profound implications. 13:39 Get this: He, the Word, created the entire universe. 13:43 He made everything. That's verse 3. 13:44 And in verse 14 the Word, same Word, was made, see was made, 13:49 which means that the Creator of the entire cosmos, 13:52 and the universe, the Creator Himself made Himself. 13:57 He made Himself into a zygote. 14:00 You remember that from biology, don't you? 14:03 He made Himself into a zygote, implanted in a teenage womb. 14:08 Wow! How did He do it? We're not told. 14:13 In fact the only word... 14:16 Here's the word the Bible uses for what John is 14:19 trying to describe here. 14:30 That's all we know. 14:32 The enfleshment of God; a mystery. 14:34 But I tell you what, if there's ever a generation who might 14:38 be able to probe and brood over this mystery, 14:41 it ought to be this one, given our genetic engineering, 14:44 and stem cell research today, such a possibility is no longer 14:48 beyond imagining, thanks to science today. 14:51 And the Word became... 14:56 The Creator transforming Himself into the creature inside that 15:00 little girl's womb. 15:04 Here's what He looked like. 15:06 This is... Take a look here, this is what He looked like. 15:09 That is a human fetus. 15:12 Just hold that on the screen. 15:14 That is the Word, became. 15:17 That's what He became. Just like that. 15:22 The Eternal God tucked inside that fertile warm house, 15:30 the uterus of this girl. 15:33 And the Word, and the Word, became flesh. 15:41 By the way, that's a very interesting word the word flesh. 15:43 In the Greek it's sarx. 15:45 It's used in the New Testament to describe the human race, 15:47 to describe our humanity, to also describe our 15:50 fallen human nature. 15:51 So which way is John using it here? 15:53 What does he mean by that word? 15:55 It's clear the way John is using it here. 15:56 He's simply saying... 15:59 That's what he's saying. 16:03 The divine being who was One with the Father, 16:06 but separate from the Father, became a human being as well. 16:09 Now look, I know this is a holiday weekend, alright? 16:12 And I know that you put your mind on kind of a slow simmer, 16:16 but I need you to think deep right now. 16:18 I need you to think deep, please. 16:20 I'm going to show you some words in just a second. 16:22 Some words from a Dutch commentator. They're heavy. 16:27 You're going to have to probe, you're going to hang on, 16:29 and you're going to have to concentrate. 16:31 The name of the commentator: Herman Ridderbos. 16:35 When I put the words on the screen try to... 16:40 Just grasp with me what he is trying to tell us. 16:43 Put him on the screen. Let's go. 16:45 Alright, that's what we just read here in John 1:14. 16:56 So it wasn't, Hey, hey Guys, I'm here. 16:58 I'm Jesus of Nazareth. I'm now flesh. 17:00 No, no, no, no, no, no, it's more. 17:02 It is to become flesh. 17:13 that we have just read in the prologue, 17:15 talking about the Word is... 17:18 All the redemptive categories 17:23 Now hold on! 17:31 So whoever this Jesus of Nazareth is, 17:33 everything that's been said about the Word 17:35 is now true about Him. 17:37 Absoluteness, exclusiveness, it all applies to this 17:41 Jesus of Nazareth. 17:43 And, keep reading. 17:48 This Jesus of Nazareth possesses what only God possesses. 17:54 Completely, all of this... 18:00 He cannot be a mere man, John is declaring. 18:06 In other words, hey, let's unpackage this for a second. 18:09 In other words, when the Word was born baby Jesus 18:13 lying in the manger, alright? when the Word was born 18:16 baby Jesus, He didn't just, He didn't just put on human nature 18:20 like a suit of clothes. 18:22 Hey guys, I got My human nature on. 18:23 How does it look? Do I look human enough? 18:25 No, and He didn't take off His divine... 18:27 Hey listen, let Me take off the divine so I can become human. 18:29 No, no, no, no, no, what John is trying to make sure we get 18:33 through his careful language is that the squalling baby 18:36 that emerges from Mary's young womb, was the Word, fully God, 18:40 made flesh, fully man. Wow! 18:45 And that point is so critical, that point is so profound, 18:48 we've got to jot it down right now. 18:50 Grab your new study guide. 18:52 It's in your worship bulletin. 18:53 Pull your new study guide out. 18:54 Now I'm going to get to your cell phones in just a moment. 18:58 Because you're going to use your smart phone or your cell phone 18:59 right here, because I need to hear from you. 19:01 I'm getting to that; not now. 19:03 Pull out your study guide. 19:04 If you didn't get a study guide... 19:06 Thank you ushers. Let's make sure everybody 19:07 gets a study guide. 19:09 Hold your hand up if you came in and there were several 19:10 of you, and only one of you grabbed the study guide. 19:11 You're going to want this study guide. 19:13 Alright, hold your hand up. 19:14 Good, there are hands all the way to the back. 19:15 There are hands up in the balcony. 19:17 Those of you who are watching in over flow, put your hand up. 19:20 We'll get study guides to you as well; our youth chapel. 19:23 We'll get study guides to you. 19:26 Let's fill this in while it's still fresh in our minds. 19:30 Okay, and while the ushers are doing that, let me welcome those 19:33 of you who are watching on television right now. 19:34 We're delighted to have you. 19:36 I want you to have the same study guide. 19:37 I'm going to put it on the screen for you. 19:38 Our website; when you go to that website you can 19:40 get the study guide. 19:41 Alright, let's us put it on the screen. 19:43 There it is. You see it. 19:44 See it at the bottom: www. pmchurch. tv, 19:48 www. pmchurch. tv 19:51 You're looking for a brand new series called The Last Word: 19:55 The Fourth Gospel for a Final Generation. 19:57 See the big banner at the top. 19:58 You know where that series is. 20:00 This is teaching number two. 20:01 The title of this teaching: The In-flesh-ment of God. 20:05 And then when you see that you'll say, study guide, 20:08 and if you click on it you'll have our identical study guide. 20:10 And, by the way, those of you watching live streaming, 20:12 right now, wherever you are on earth, we're glad to have you. 20:15 You get your study guide while you're watching. 20:17 It's sitting there already for you. 20:19 Alright, let's go! 20:20 Everybody got a study guide? 20:22 Keep your hands up there 20:23 They're working their way to you, but we need to go. 20:26 Okay, so we fill out the first line. 20:28 This is a simple one. 20:29 You won't have a... 20:30 If you get your study guide late you'll know what goes in there. 20:33 Because that's what we're grappling with this morning. 20:40 The Christmas story according to John. 20:43 The Word became flesh. 20:44 Now to help us understand Herman Rodderbos' vital point, 20:49 we're going to go back to that quotation. 20:51 We'll fill in some key words this time, and hopefully, 20:53 it will illumine the quotation. 20:55 Let's go back to Ridderbos the Dutchman. 20:59 He's writing now his commentary on John. 21:27 Key point. Jot that down. 21:30 Everything the prologue uses to describe the Word now... 21:32 It's going to get... It's going to show up somewhere else. 21:34 All those redemptive categories of the Word... 21:42 This cannot be for anybody else in the entire universe. 21:46 ...now apply to the man, Jesus of Nazareth. 21:49 Jot that down. Jesus of Naz; just write Naz. 21:53 You know, it's a little shorter, short line there. Swinch it in. 21:56 All of that, every prerogative of the Word now applies 22:00 to Jesus of Nazareth, and in His person. Look at this. 22:08 So Jesus of Nazareth possesses what only God can possess. 22:11 That ought to tell you about His divinity. 22:14 He possesses that which belongs to God alone. 22:18 That means all of this... 22:24 He's not a mere man. 22:27 He's not a good teacher. 22:29 You remember our teacher from last week. 22:31 No, no, no, no, no, no, hence... 22:33 Keep your pen moving. 22:37 That is the prologue's point. 22:41 Drama is about... I'll tell you what, 22:43 we're going to love this gospel, story, after story, after story. 22:45 But this key point will be locked in our minds now. 22:48 He's fully God and fully man. 22:50 Keep your pen moving. 22:57 That's why you read both of those titles 22:59 in the New Testament. 23:01 That's why, because He's both. 23:04 Keep your pen moving. 23:06 Incarnation is a Latin word, carnal. 23:08 Carnal means flesh, so incarnation means in-flesh-ment. 23:13 Fill that in; in-flesh-ment. 23:16 When you say God was incarnated that means God became flesh. 23:19 The infleshment of God. 23:27 Yeah, but come on Dwight, why would the Word 23:29 want to become flesh? 23:30 What's the big deal? 23:32 Huh, let's look at the verse again? 23:33 And the Word became, or was made flesh, and dwelt.. 23:37 Uh, and dwelt among us. 23:41 Hey, do you remember the story that the late Paul Harvey... 23:44 You remember Paul Harvey. 23:46 You knew who Paul Harvey was. 23:47 You're not that... 23:49 Yeah, you know who Paul Harvey is. 23:50 Alright, so... Paul Harvey used to love to tell this story 23:54 every Christmastime. 23:56 He'd tell it on his radio; huge syndication all over the nation. 23:59 Do you remember the Christmas story that he would tell? 24:01 It was about this Christmas Eve blizzard. 24:03 Do you remember this Christmas Eve blizzard, 24:05 and the father who didn't believe this nonsense 24:08 about God becoming man, which is the story of Christmas. 24:11 Ah, I don't believe that stuff! 24:13 And how in the howling snow of that dark night... 24:16 You remember that? 24:17 ...a flock of black birds sees this fireplace. 24:20 They're looking for safety. 24:21 They're looking for refuge, and they see this orange glow. 24:24 Ah, there is safety! That flock just comes shooting 24:27 out of the stormy night. 24:29 But thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump. 24:31 They didn't realize there was a window pane there. 24:33 and how the little boy was with his Daddy, 24:36 and the little boy goes running, and he puts his hands on the 24:39 glass and he says, Oh Daddy, Daddy, look at them! 24:41 They're, they're thrashing about. 24:42 Daddy we got to do something. 24:43 They'll freeze to death out here. 24:45 You remember that story, don't you? 24:46 how the father and the little boy bundle up in all 24:49 their Michigan finest, and they go trouncing out into the snow. 24:52 And this is a piece of cake. 24:54 We're going to pick these birds up, because we have a little 24:57 shed right over there we'll put them in. 24:59 And you remember? they came, these giants. 25:00 But when they stooped over to pick up the birds, 25:04 how do you suppose the birds reacted? thrashing frantically 25:07 backwards, To get away from me! Get away! 25:09 The father realized, I can't. 25:11 I'm not going to be able to get these birds. 25:13 And so you remember how in the story 25:14 the little boy got the idea. 25:15 He said, Daddy, look, what we'll do is we'll open the door. 25:17 I'll get some bread crumbs, and we'll just from where the birds 25:21 are we'll drop the crumbs. 25:23 They'll eat the crumbs. 25:24 We'll lead them right into safety. 25:25 And so they do their bread crumb thing. 25:27 Does it work? Are you kidding? 25:28 The birds have no idea what these bread crumbs are for. 25:31 Not that... no clue that they lead to salvation. Forget it! 25:34 So the father says, Okay, we'll do it the tough way. 25:37 We're going to shoo them in. 25:38 Ho, Ho, Ho, Ho they try, and the birds go berserk. 25:43 And more to himself than to his boy, in the howling winter 25:48 blizzard the father says out loud, Ah, if only I could become 25:53 one of these black birds, I could speak their language. 25:56 They would trust me, and I could tell them, Guys you've got 26:00 to go there to be saved. 26:01 And as Paul Harvey, in his inimitable style, 26:05 as he tells it, Just then through the howl of the wind, 26:07 the Christmas Eve bells began to ring, and the father knew 26:13 the truth of God becoming man. 26:17 Just a simple little parable, but it explains to a degree, 26:22 does it not? It explains effectively why it was the Word 26:26 became flesh and dwelt among us. 26:28 So that He could be one of us. 26:30 So that He could share our life. 26:31 So that He could share our language. 26:33 So He could lead us to safety. 26:34 But, but, whoa, whoa, whoa. 26:35 The prologue of John is much deeper than 26:37 Paul Harvey's parable. 26:39 The prologue of John says, Whoa, there's much more to this. 26:42 Watch this. The Greek word, the Greek word for dwelt is the 26:52 verb form, is the verb form of a noun that the Greek 27:00 Old Testament called the Septuagint, 27:02 a noun used to describe the sanctuary or the tabernacle. 27:06 Do you remember that little portable church they carried all 27:09 through the wilderness? 27:10 Do you remember that? 27:11 Same word, I mean, you know what that portable church was? 27:14 It was a bunch of badger skins on the outside. Badger skins! 27:17 But inside of it the very glory of Almighty God! 27:21 John takes that same word, turns it into a verb, 27:26 and he says, That's what's happening. 27:28 In fact some scholars believe, listen to this, 27:31 that the reason the Septuagint translators chose the word 27:34 skana, skana for tabernacle... 27:38 The reason they chose that word was because it had the same 27:42 consonants as the Hebrew word for Shekinah in the English: 27:46 s k n, same consonants. 27:50 Ah, just badger skins on the outside, but Shekinah, 27:54 eternal glory on the inside. 27:57 And the Word, and the Word became flesh. 28:03 In fact we'll put it on the screen. 28:04 This is the way that you could read it. 28:15 You see guys, that's the whole point. 28:17 It's not just enough for God to get up close to us so that we're 28:21 not afraid of this big creature coming at us, 28:23 so that He can speak our language and lead us 28:24 to safety or salvation. 28:26 No, no, no, no, no, the prologue says no. 28:27 There's also another critical reason why the Word would 28:31 become flesh, and that is so that we might 28:33 behold the glory of God. 28:37 Now here's the question: Has the glory of God already been seen 28:41 on earth by the time they write this? Yeah, of course. 28:44 Remember the burning bush? Glory of God. 28:47 You remember that tall pillar of cloud or fire? Glory of God. 28:49 You remember Mount Sinai going crazy with that pyrotechnics 28:52 explosion at the top? Glory of God. 28:54 The most holy place in that tabernacle? Glory of God. 28:58 They've already seen the physical glory of God. 29:01 But when John uses the word glory, he's not talking about 29:04 the physical glory of God. 29:06 He's talking about the glory of this life that will culminate in 29:10 this mighty climax at Calvary. 29:13 It's the glory of God's character. 29:16 In fact, you remember this story? 29:18 Remember the meltdown of the the children of Israel dancing 29:20 in front of the golden calf at the foot of Mount Sinai? 29:22 Do you remember that? 29:23 After that meltdown has been taken care of, 29:25 and Moses has pleaded for the lives of the people, 29:27 Moses says, and he prays this prayer in Exodus 33:18. 29:31 And I have this prayer right where I have 29:33 worship every morning. 29:34 I love this prayer in the Old King James. 29:35 I beseech thee, O God, show me thy glory. 29:40 Do you remember that prayer? 29:41 He wanted to see God's glory? 29:43 Remember that? Yeah. 29:44 So God says, Okay, come on up to the mountain. 29:46 What did Moses see? pyrotechnics? Are you kidding? 29:49 God says, I'm going to put My hand over you. 29:51 You're just going to see My back. 29:52 But what did God do when He walked by? 29:54 He described His what? His character. 29:57 That's the glory. The earth has not seen a full self revelation 30:02 of God; seeing the life of the Word made flesh. 30:06 Which means that in this series, as we track the Word made flesh, 30:10 we are seeing God every single time. 30:13 How He behaves? That's God. 30:16 How He cares? That's God. 30:17 How He loves? That's God. 30:20 The glory that pinnacles at Calvary. Wow! 30:24 Listen to this: Desire of Ages. 30:27 You have to fill this in. 30:28 It's a classic on the life of Christ. 30:30 Put the words on the screen. 30:44 Here it goes now. 30:49 Write it in. 30:53 Would you fill that in, please? 30:55 Self-sacrificing love; that's the glory. 30:59 The glory shining in the face of the Word made flesh. 31:02 The glory of self-sacrificing love. Keep reading. 31:11 You know what self-renouncing love is? 31:12 When you want something and somebody you love 31:15 also wants it, you give it. 31:16 When somebody who's asking something from you that will 31:19 be sacrificial for you, you give it. 31:21 I'm going to tell you a story that's just coming to 31:23 my mind right now. 31:25 I hadn't planned to tell this story, 31:26 but it's coming to my mind right now. 31:27 A young coed met me after the service last week, last week, 31:31 right here in this church. 31:33 Because I was hanging right around that front pew. 31:35 If you ever want to chat that's where I'll be; 31:37 Not at the door, but right here. Okay? 31:40 So she comes. She has a little catch in her voice. 31:44 I said, What's up? 31:46 She hands me an envelope. 31:48 She says, I've had a dream, and she described her dream to me. 31:52 But she said, God came to me. 31:55 I've never met this girl in my life. 31:57 God came to her. She's a new student. 31:59 God came to me, and God said, Girl, that dream of yours, 32:05 would you be willing to sacrifice for 32:08 somebody else's dream? 32:11 She said, I've been wrestling with this, 32:12 and Pastor, I need to do this, and she handed me an envelope. 32:14 And I said, What's in this envelope? 32:15 And she says, $800.00. 32:17 She is chasing a dream herself, but she gave $800.00 32:26 as an act of worship to God. 32:28 Now listen to me carefully. 32:29 That's what self-renouncing, self-sacrificing life is. 32:33 You give it up for somebody else. 32:36 Once in a while we see it in the human race. 32:42 The Word became flesh so that the glory of God, 32:46 we could see it day in and day out. 32:49 Isn't that amazing? 32:51 God bless that young coed at Andrews University. Wow! 33:05 That's where... Where did she get it from? 33:07 She got it straight from God's heart. 33:08 I mean it was just mainlined into her. 33:09 She was simply doing as God would do. Keep reading. 33:16 And I wanted you to see that word. 33:20 The character. What is God's glory? 33:23 It's His character. 33:24 The Word becomes flesh so that we can see, 33:27 see the character of God lived out in our midst. Wow! 33:43 So what? Yo! So what? 33:49 I mean, yeah, big deal! 33:53 What difference does the Word becoming flesh in our lives 33:58 today make for us? 34:01 What difference does the divine Christ becoming human made 34:03 in the way you lived this last week? 34:05 Has it made any difference? 34:07 Did you even think about it? 34:08 Look, why is it good news that the Son of God 34:13 is also the Son of man? 34:16 Here's the question: What does the humanity of Christ 34:19 mean to you right now? 34:22 I want to hear from you right now. 34:25 Take out that phone of yours, will you? 34:26 Come on, you've been dying to use it. 34:28 Pull it out, pull it out. 34:30 You know, I called it smart. 34:32 I said, This is first service, I not... 34:33 We've never done this before, so I'm kind of learning as I go. 34:36 They said, Dwight... 34:37 They come up to me afterwards. 34:39 Dwight, don't call these Smart phones. 34:41 It's just phone. Any phone can do this. 34:43 And I'm thinking to myself, You know why I call 34:45 them Smart phones? 34:46 Because any phone that can send a text is very smart to me. 34:49 But no, no, that's a special category of phones. 34:52 Let's just say, Take out your cell phone. 34:53 Okay, Would you just take out your cell phone, please? 34:56 I'm going to put a question, and a number on the screen, 34:59 and I have Karen's ipad. 35:01 Yeah, I'm hoping if I use this enough times it becomes 35:05 Dwight's ipad, see, so I'm trying to work it in here. 35:08 I have Karen's ipad in the pulpit. 35:10 Alright, so I got to turn it on now, because I am going to read 35:14 what you sent me in a split second. 35:16 Now don't put the, don't put the question up yet, 35:18 because I found it in the first church before 35:20 I was even through. Pssst! 35:21 And I'm with people that I thought didn't 35:23 know how to do this. 35:27 Boy did they embarrass me! 35:28 They said, You dummy, don't you know 35:31 we're as good as those kids? 35:33 All right. So I've got to turn this on, see. 35:37 Yeah, I know how to do this. 35:40 See, Wow! How'd you do that, Dwight? 35:43 I practiced. Okay, alright, whoa! 35:49 Okay, now here's the deal. 35:50 I'm going to put the question on the screen. 35:55 I want you to answer it. 35:56 No, don't put the question up yet. 35:57 I want you to answer it. 35:59 Just do this... You guys are incredible! 36:00 I saw one guy just... all in one hand. 36:02 Could never read the text, but it was all one hand. 36:05 Okay, okay, here comes the question. 36:07 And by the way, those of you who are watching, 36:10 live streaming right now, this is for you, too. 36:12 Anywhere in the world you can text this number. Alright? 36:15 So, here's the question. 36:17 What does the humanity of Christ mean to you right now? 36:20 I don't need a paragraph for an answer. 36:21 I just need a few words. 36:23 Okay? Come on, get those thumbs moving. 36:24 What does the humanity of Christ mean for you right now? 36:32 Oh my, it is working. 36:34 Mission Control-Ho! 36:38 This is where it all... 36:39 Okay, so what I'm going to do... 36:41 I'm up here at the top. 36:42 The problem is that the top keeps changing. 36:44 Alright, I'll give you just a little more time. 36:46 Sh, sh, sh, sh, sh, sh, sent. 36:49 Okay, text the number on the screen. 36:53 Answer the question: What does the humanity 36:55 of Christ mean to you? 36:56 It means... Here we go... It means He's approachable. 37:01 Ooh, I like that. It means He's approachable. 37:04 It means hope for me. 37:06 Here's another one. 37:07 It means companionship. 37:08 It means life more abundantly. 37:11 Here's one. It means He can relate to me. 37:16 Spot on! He can relate to me. 37:20 He can relate to me. 37:21 I'd better step up my game. 37:24 Very good! Love beyond understanding. 37:29 You've got that right. 37:34 It means life; one word. 37:37 That He became flesh was life for me. 37:44 Oh, I liked that one! 37:45 Where, where did it go? 37:48 Man is it going! I'm up to 302 already! 37:51 Come on guys, I can't get all of you in. 37:55 Slow down! Okay, I'll just go to the top. 37:59 Everything! Oh, I liked that one! 38:02 What does it mean to you? Everything. 38:04 Open door to divinity. 38:06 Ooh! It means now I have an open door to God. 38:10 Wow! That's all one person put: Wow! 38:15 Yeah, that's a Wow! 38:16 Awesome! Here's another one: Awesome! 38:17 Oh, don't go back! Go back! 38:23 You know, this is technology. 38:26 That's the problem with these things. 38:28 I'm trying to get back. 38:29 Maybe that's God saying, You've had enough of these. 38:35 It's Apple saying, You've had enough of these. 38:42 Okay, Come on. View yew, okay, view. 38:46 Spew, okay. It means He understands my plight. 38:50 It means I always have a friend. 38:53 It means that we mean enough to God that He would do anything 38:58 to see us in Heaven. 38:59 Isn't that good? Wow! 39:07 It means God becoming one with us to save us. 39:10 That's it, that's the bottom line. 39:12 It means having a friend who is always there, 39:15 even if I can't see Him. 39:19 Wow! We're up to 478 now. 39:22 It means that we mean enough to God that He would do anything 39:30 to see us in Heaven. 39:31 Yeh! Can you believe that you mean that much to God, 39:36 by the way? You mean so much to God that He became you, 39:42 to get you to live with Him. 39:44 What's up with that? 39:52 Uh, it means the opportunity to dwell with Him forever. 39:56 Ah, hey guys, you're alright. 39:59 Everybody's right! Everybody's right! 40:02 Now I had to sum all of this up, you're responses, 40:05 before I even saw them. 40:07 So here's how I summed it up. 40:08 See if this works, will you, please? 40:10 I wrote this out. Here's what the humanity of 40:14 Christ means to us. 40:16 Take your study guide again. 40:28 See, when you send a text message to me 40:30 that's not personal. 40:32 I have no idea who this text message is coming from. 40:33 It's just a bunch of numbers at the top. 40:35 But when the Word became flesh; we now know this truth 40:39 about God; He is the God who is up close and personal. 40:43 That's a familiar third millennial expression, isn't it? 40:46 Up close and personal. 40:47 What's that mean? Because of the incarnation, 40:50 because of the infleshment of God, He's up close and personal. 40:53 Would you jot this down please? It means He's 40:57 I mean the drama's about to begin in the gospel of John, 41:01 and I'm telling you, Jesus is going after, I mean He is in the 41:04 face with a heart of love, but He's in the face of people who 41:07 think they have it all together when they are bankrupt. 41:10 He really gets in my face when Dwight thinks 41:12 he has it all together. 41:14 And man, you are empty right now, boy. 41:16 I'm in your face; you need Me. 41:18 You'll watch Him do that again and again in these stories. 41:21 In our face some of the time. 41:24 But I love this next one. 41:28 All of the time, all of the time by our side. 41:33 He's the God who's up close and personal. 41:36 Just keep your pen moving. Who to be 41:43 That's the truth. He wanted to be one with us, 41:48 so He became one of us. 41:50 And you can't get any closer than that, can you? 41:55 No you cannot. That's as close as it comes. 41:58 I don't think you can express it much more 42:02 pointedly than this. 42:03 I'm going to hold this up. 42:04 See if we can get a camera on this. 42:06 I want you to have this book. 42:09 This book is the paperback edition... Thank you. 42:13 This is a paperback edition... Thank you very much. 42:19 Come on, stop! Okay, adios. Goodbye. 42:25 Alright... Ha! Are you doing that to me? 42:30 Is somebody doing this? 42:31 Can you do that from your cell phone? 42:33 You can? What should I do now? 42:34 Should I just turn... Yeh. 42:37 You watch this. This thing has never been shut off 42:40 so fast in it's life. 42:41 Goodbye. Okay. Ha! 42:48 It's out of power now. 42:50 I can't do anything. 42:51 I want you to have this book right here. 42:53 This is the inspirational best seller, the classic on the life 42:56 of Jesus called The Desire of Ages. 42:58 The reason I'm so excited about this particular one, 43:00 which is why I want you to see the cover... 43:01 Because when you go to the bookstore, we've already told 43:03 the University bookstore, and the Christian bookstore across 43:05 the street here; alert them that you're going to be coming. 43:07 This book is in the New King James Version. 43:11 And that's why I want you to read the life of Christ 43:13 with a fresher translation than the old King James. 43:15 The Old King James is just tough sledding sometimes. 43:18 You're going to love this. 43:21 The Desire of Ages. 43:23 You know what? Why don't you join the journey? 43:26 Just grab one of these; you've got the gospels. 43:28 We're going to be on this journey, 43:30 you and I, for a few weeks. 43:31 You can read ahead, read ahead. 43:34 In the bulletin the reflection questions are all there 43:36 so that you can know what next week's teaching is 43:38 going to start focusing on. 43:39 You can spend a week working over that chapter, 43:41 because we're going to go a chapter at a time 43:43 when we get out of this prologue. 43:44 Only one more time in the prologue. 43:45 Reflections on September 11. that will be next week, 43:48 That will be next week from the prologue: 43:50 The Children of Abraham in the Bosom of the Father. 43:54 Don't miss next week. 43:56 Once we get into the drama it's just story, bang, bang, bang, 43:59 with teaching, teaching, teaching. 44:00 Get a hold of this book. 44:02 Let this book become a part of your worship journey. 44:04 I want to read from this book a couple of quotations, 44:08 and then I want to tell you a story and sit down, all right? 44:09 A couple of quotations, tell you a story, and sit down. 44:12 Okay so, and, by the way, this is in your study guides, 44:17 so pull your study guide out because you're 44:18 going to fill this in. 44:19 This is just dynamite! 44:21 Talking about poignant, what does this mean? 44:23 What does the humanity of Christ mean to us? 44:25 Watch this! Put it on the screen for you. 44:28 This is the Desire of Ages, that classic. 44:43 Write it in. 44:46 You've said that again and again. 44:48 I read it right here in my i- pad. 44:49 You were saying it, saying it, saying it, 44:51 but isn't that something? 44:52 Our Creator is the friend of sinners. 44:54 And then I just love this line: 45:08 That one line, by the way, one of you, having worship in 45:12 organic chemistry, just started these worships last week. 45:15 You told me after First Church, That was the line we focused on. 45:19 So if you are in Organic Chemistry this week, 45:21 you heard that line read. Wow! Wow! 45:27 One more! Here's the other one. 45:42 I love this! 45:44 Can you believe this? 45:51 You're going to be closer to God now than ever 45:54 in the history of the universe. 45:56 Because out of your fall something happened between 46:00 you and God, which is why you'll be in eternity. Wow! 46:06 Keep reading now. 46:17 It's not that suit of clothes that He takes off 46:19 and says, Hey, this was a great experiment. 46:22 Sure glad it ended well. 46:23 Are you kidding? He now has you forever and ever, Amen. 46:28 He is human forever and ever, Amen. 46:31 Fully God, fully man, forever and ever, Amen. 46:34 You don't understand what He had to give up to have five fingers, 46:39 and five toes, and to be limited to one place in time. 46:43 He gave it up. He loved you so much, He loved me so much. Wow! 46:57 Keep going! 47:04 We have a brother in the universe who is one with us. 47:14 glorified Christ is our brother. 47:17 And then this last line. 47:18 It doesn't get more profound than this. 47:29 Up close and personal forever and ever, Amen. 47:38 That's what the humanity of Christ means to us: 47:40 Up close and personal. 47:44 Now I end with the story that happened just this week. 47:48 On the other end of the line the voice of a woman from a state 47:53 far from here, a lovely Southern accent to her voice. 47:58 I heard the voice say, I've been watching on television, 48:01 and so I wanted to call you. 48:04 And with that she began the story of a life that has been 48:08 crushed with difficulties. 48:10 Her daughter's life has been messed up by drugs, 48:13 two children out of wedlock with different fathers. 48:16 By the time she was through telling me about her daughter, 48:20 and those two grandchildren that the woman has brought 48:22 into her heart and home, the woman is in tears. 48:25 And then she told me about herself. 48:27 She's fighting breast cancer. 48:28 I mean it just kept compounding. 48:32 But I knew that if I called you, you would pray for me. 48:36 I said, You bet I'll pray for you! 48:38 But I want to read a Scripture first before we pray. 48:41 And so she's on the phone, and I'm reaching over to get my 48:44 Bible here at the office, and I pull it over. 48:46 I said, I want you to listen to these words. 48:48 Now I didn't know that this sermon was going to... 48:49 I didn't know that was going to be in the sermon. 48:51 I didn't know where this sermon was going up close and personal, 48:53 but I ended up reading one of those majestic promises, 48:56 Isaiah 43, where God says, Do not be afraid; I am with you. 49:01 When you pass through the waters, 49:03 they will not overflow you. 49:05 When you pass through the fire, it will not burn you. 49:08 You are precious in My sight, so do not be afraid. 49:14 I am with you. Up close and personal. 49:17 That's what that promise is. 49:18 So we read that promise together on the long distance phone. 49:22 And then I said, I want to pray with you. 49:23 But she said, I want to tell you one more story. 49:25 I said, Alright. She said, I want to tell 49:29 you about my husband. 49:30 She hadn't mentioned him. 49:32 I said, Okay. My husband recently died of cancer. 49:36 And it's a dreadful cancer. 49:38 He was a truck driver. 49:41 Called home every single night. 49:45 He was her lifeline. 49:50 And after he died her little world just imploded upon itself. 49:58 Some time after his death, the grandchildren are staying with 50:03 some friends, so she's in the house all alone. 50:06 You got the picture? 50:08 She's in the house all alone. 50:09 She's lying in bed. 50:11 It's pitch black. And all of that brokenness just wells up 50:17 within her, and she begins to sob into the darkness. 50:21 God, don't you know what I'm going through? 50:26 How could You do this to me? 50:28 He was everything to me. My life is gone! 50:32 And she's just sobbing, and sobbing, and sobbing. 50:35 And then she told me, all of a sudden, in the dark, 50:42 she feels a presence right beside her. 50:50 And then she says, Pastor, I'm telling you the truth. 50:54 I heard the voice speak to me. 50:59 And the voice said to her, I know how your heart aches, 51:08 and I am so sorry. 51:13 It was never supposed to have turned out this way. 51:17 But I will be with you. 51:22 I will be with you the whole way. 51:26 And by this time, because I'm listening to a real live 51:31 testimony, I got my eyes out of... I can't see. 51:36 I'm trying to dry my cheeks. 51:38 I don't want her to hear I'm trying to get a hold of my voice. 51:41 Do you know why those tears sprang to my eyes? 51:45 I'll tell you why. 51:46 Because I've heard that story before. 51:48 I've heard that story before, again and again, 51:52 and it rings true, just like God. 51:56 He's done it. Wouldn't it be just like Him? 52:02 up close and personal? 52:05 Guys, I'm telling you, I'm telling you, it doesn't get any 52:11 better than Christ. 52:14 That has to be, this Christ who is God up close and personable, 52:21 that has to be about the best news you and I will ever hear 52:27 in this life, Amen, Amen. 52:38 Up close and personal. 52:44 So I've got to tell you; I've got to be honest with you. 52:47 I am praying. I have some friends praying. 52:50 I am praying that this opportunity God is giving us 52:56 to immerse ourselves in the life of Jesus, 53:00 whether you do it here, or dorm worships, or co-curricular, 53:03 or wherever, this year I am praying that this opportunity 53:10 Jesus is giving you to get up close and personal with Him 53:14 you'll not let it go. 53:16 You'll not say, Ah come on, it's just another journey. 53:20 No, no, no, no, no, no, no! 53:24 I believe Jesus is coming soon. 53:26 I mean the stuff that's just been happening... 53:28 I'm writing this fourth watch blog, you know. 53:30 But the stuff that's been happening; I'm saying, 53:31 Can I take a little pause, God? 53:33 Can I take a little pause in the sermon series? 53:34 I want to get into the Second Coming again. No. 53:36 I believe Jesus is coning soon. 53:38 Now listen carefully. 53:39 He's coming. He's going to come when He has a people that He is 53:45 enfleshed in, up close and personal, 53:48 so that when the world meets these people they will see Him 53:55 incarnated, up close and personal. 53:59 And so I'm inviting you, please, with all 54:03 the earnestness of my heart, I'm inviting you. 54:05 Please, don't miss this opportunity. 54:08 Please take... Get a hold of the New King James Desire of Ages. 54:12 Take your gospels and every week between our Sabbath's together, 54:16 every week get up close and personal with Jesus. 54:25 For the life of me, I can't think of what would be better 54:34 news than that truth. 54:45 I want to pray with you. 54:46 I want to pray with you, but before we do would you stand 54:49 with me and sing this little chorus? 54:51 You know it: Turn your eyes upon Jesus. 54:55 Look full in His wonderful face. 54:58 And the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light 55:03 of His glory and grace. 55:05 Let's sing that together, shall we? 55:55 I'm singing acapella with you now. 55:57 Let's sing it again, please, quietly as if it were a prayer. 56:46 Holy Father, that's the truth. 56:48 You'll have a generation at the end of time, 56:52 just before the return of Jesus, up close and personal. 56:58 You have become that to us. 57:02 And You are pleading, Please won't you become that to Me? 57:08 Up close, come, come, come nearer, up close. 57:12 Let's be personal, you and I. 57:15 Oh Father, don't let us miss this opportunity 57:20 to get up close and personal with the Word, 57:28 so that incarnated, enfleshed in us, this old world, 57:34 one last time might see the truth about You. 57:45 And now, may the love of God, and the grace of His Son, 57:54 and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you and me, Amen. |
Revised 2016-03-02