Participants: Pr. Dwight Nelson
Series Code: NP
Program Code: NP120608
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02:42 Good morning Pioneer Memorial. Happy Sabbath.
02:48 Can I see those beautiful smiles 02:49 this morning for our king, amen? 02:52 So delighted to be here with you again this Sabbath. 02:54 This is the last Sabbath for the semester. 02:57 And so our students will be traveling soon, 02:59 we pray that those here in the community 03:00 will pray for them as they travel. 03:02 But shall we sing this Sabbath together. 03:04 Let's stand on our feet and sing together 03:06 "Hark! The herald angles sing." 03:52 Hark, the herald angels sing 03:57 Glory to the newborn King! 04:01 Peace on earth, and mercy mild 04:05 God and sinners reconciled!' 04:10 Joyful, all ye nations rise 04:14 Join the triumph of the skies 04:19 With th' angelic host proclaim 04:23 'Christ is born in Bethlehem!' 04:27 Hark! The herald angels sing 04:32 'Glory to the newborn King.' 04:38 Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace! 04:42 Hail the Sun of Righteousness! 04:47 Life and light to all He brings 04:51 Risen with healing in His wings 04:56 Mild He lays His glory by 05:00 Born that man no more may die 05:04 Born to raise the sons of earth 05:09 Born to give them second birth 05:13 Hark! The herald angels sing 05:17 'Glory to the newborn King!' 05:25 Amen, amen. Amen. 05:28 This next song says, "Come, now is the time to worship." 05:31 What an appropriate song this Sabbath day, 05:33 as we come as God has called us near to his side, 05:37 to be refreshed, to be renewed, now is the time to worship. 05:48 Come, now is the time to worship 05:55 Come, now is the time to give your heart 06:02 This sound beautiful. 06:03 Come, just as you are to worship 06:11 Come 06:12 Come, just as you are before your God 06:20 Come 06:23 One day every tongue will confess You are God 06:29 One day every knee will bow 06:33 Still the greatest treasure remains for those 06:37 Who gladly choose You now 06:44 Come, now is the time to worship 06:52 Come, now is the time to give your heart 07:01 Come, just as you are to worship 07:10 Come, just as you are before your God 07:18 Come 07:22 Come 07:27 Come 07:37 "I will sing of the mercies of the Lord." 07:40 I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever 07:48 And declare, His faithfulness in truth 07:54 I will testify. 07:55 I will testify of one crucified 08:02 And I'll sing 08:03 And I'll sing His praises 08:05 To all generations 08:07 To all generations To all generations 08:14 To all generations we speak 08:21 To all generations 08:22 To all generations To all generations 08:29 To all generations we sing 08:36 This is our testimony 08:38 of the risen savior, I will sing. 08:40 I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever 08:47 And declare, His faithfulness in truth 08:53 So with all my heart 08:55 So with all my heart and every breath 09:01 I will shout 09:03 I will shout His praises to all generations 09:10 To all generations 09:14 To all generations we speak 09:22 To all generations To all generations 09:29 To all generations we speak 09:35 We may chorus out. 09:36 To all generations To all generations 09:43 To all generations we speak 09:51 To all generations To all generations 09:58 To all generations we sing 10:06 Halleluiah, we share of the risen savior, 10:11 His desire to save us. 10:13 He's come to save us from our sins, you may be seated. 10:20 In our worship we bring in often, we bring our lives. 10:22 The Bible declares a life of worship. 10:28 Michaela, will you lead us in this song. 10:55 Over the skies of Bethlehem appeared a star 11:02 While angels sang to lowly shepherds 11:09 Three Wiseman seeking truth traveled from afar 11:16 Hoping to find the child from heaven 11:22 Falling on their knees 11:26 They bow before the humble 11:30 Prince of Peace 11:34 I bring an offering of worship to my King 11:41 No one on earth deserves the praises that I sing 11:49 Jesus, may You receive the honor that You're due 11:57 O Lord, I bring an offering to You 12:15 The sun cannot compare to the glory of Your love 12:23 There is no shadow in Your presence 12:30 No mortal man would dare to stand before Your throne 12:37 Before the Holy One of heaven 12:43 It's only by Your blood 12:46 And it's only through Your mercy, Lord, I come 12:55 I bring an offering of worship to my King 13:02 No one on earth deserves the praises that I sing 13:09 Jesus, may You receive the honor that You're due 13:17 O Lord, I bring an offering to you 13:23 I bring an offering of worship to my King 13:30 No one on earth deserves the praises that I sing 13:37 Jesus, may You receive the honor that You're due 13:45 O Lord, I bring an offering to you 13:52 O Lord, I bring an offering to you 13:59 O Lord, I bring an offering to you 20:13 Twas the nighttime before primetime, 20:20 all through the world, 20:23 every creature was stirring, except for the church. 20:31 Dawned in their kerchiefs and robed in their gowns, 20:36 the church was asleep as the curtain came down. 20:41 With all due apology to Clement Clarke Moore 20:46 or Henry Livingstone, scholars aren't sure 20:49 which one of them composed that beloved poem 20:52 "Twas the night before Christmas." 20:53 Without, with all due apology to either one of them. 20:57 I tell you, what it makes you wonder, doesn't it? 21:00 On this nighttime before primetime, 21:03 is the church snoring through the final curtain call. 21:12 Let's pray together. 21:16 Are we Father, asleep 21:23 in this nighttime 21:27 in today's teaching as we wrap up our journey. 21:31 Oh, God through the words of Christ, 21:35 speak to the hearts of this campus, in this community 21:39 and all those who worship with us. 21:42 We pray in Jesus' name, amen. 21:47 How would you like to get your doctorate in psychology, 21:50 and get it by researching? 21:53 One of your favorite childhood games, 21:57 1990 Elizabeth Newton earned her doc, 22:00 PhD in psychology from Stanford University 22:03 and she did it by studying a game, my brother and I, 22:08 my brother Greg and I used to play all the time 22:10 and I'll bet you, you played it? 22:12 You may even still play it? 22:14 Late at night when you can't sleep 22:15 and your kid brothers in the trundle bed right beside you. 22:18 Hey Greg, guess this one? 22:20 And you tap out the tune, have you played that, 22:23 I know they have a name for this, 22:25 guess that tune probably. 22:27 You tap the tune out. It's all right, what was it? 22:30 In fact, let me do it for you right here. 22:33 You guess the tune? I'll give you a clue later. 22:37 All right, all right. 22:59 Oh, I love that one, don't you just love that one. 23:02 That is one of my favorites. 23:05 That is one of my favorites, what is it? 23:10 No. No, you missed it, you missed it. 23:12 I'm gonna give you one more clue. 23:13 I'll do it one more time before this is over. 23:16 But any way look, so Elizabeth Newton, 23:19 that's what she does, for her doctoral research 23:20 she divides her study group into two categories. 23:24 There are the tappers and there are the listeners, all right. 23:28 Turns out the listening isn't so easy as you thought 23:31 or as you just proved, a 120 songs, familiar songs 23:35 were tapped out to the listeners 23:37 and they guessed only 2.5% of those songs, 23:40 three out of 120. 23:45 And it was right here that Elizabeth Newton's research 23:49 suddenly earned her doctoral degree in psychology. 23:54 I want to quote from a book that my friend Ally Archer, 23:57 who is our youth pastor here, he gave it to me 23:59 for having a part in his wedding this summer. 24:01 This is Chip and Dan Heath's book, "Made to Stick: 24:04 Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die." 24:08 And this is fascinating, hold on. 24:11 Before the tapper has tapped out the songs, 24:13 Newton came to them and said all right, 24:15 I want you to kind of guess the percentage of songs 24:18 that will be figured out by the listeners 24:20 and there too a man and woman said oh, 24:22 about 50-50 one out of two. 24:26 And yet the numbers you just heard indicate 24:29 that in fact the ratio was only 2.5% or 1 out of 40. 24:35 Why? 24:36 Because when a tapper taps, 24:39 she is hearing the song in her head 24:45 and can't for the life they figured out 24:47 why you can't get it? 24:49 I'll do it again. 24:50 This time I'll tell you it's a Christmas carol. 25:02 Come on! 25:05 "O little town of Bethlehem. How still we see thee lie." 25:09 What do you think it was? 25:10 She was coming around the mountain? 25:13 Rather, so easy. 25:17 Now, this is Newton's point. 25:20 Here we go, I put it on the screen for you. 25:22 "It's hard to be a tapper. 25:26 The problem is that tappers have been given knowledge 25:28 the song title that makes it impossible for them 25:30 to imagine what it's like to lack that knowledge. 25:34 When they're tapping, they can't imagine what it's like 25:37 for the listeners to hear isolated taps 25:39 rather than the song." 25:40 I like this. "This is the Curse of knowledge. 25:45 Once we know something, we find it hard to imagine 25:48 what it was like not to know it. 25:49 Our knowledge has 'cursed'." 25:51 As the Heath brothers put it as cursed us. 25:54 ''And it becomes difficult for us 25:55 to share our knowledge with others, 25:57 because we can't readily re-create 25:59 our listeners' state of mind." 26:03 Could that be our problem too? 26:06 We hear the tune of divine truth in our minds 26:10 and we figure everybody else 26:11 surely can hear this tune as well, 26:14 when it turns out that most, in fact cannot hear, 26:19 we're the only ones who can, if we're even listening? 26:27 "Twas the nighttime before primetime." 26:31 And all through the world, 26:32 every creature was stirring except for the church, 26:36 dawned in their kerchiefs and wrapped in their gowns 26:40 the church was asleep as the curtain came down. 26:45 Reminds me of an old story so familiar, 26:49 we may read it only once. 26:51 Open your Bible with me please to the Gospel of St. Matthew, 26:54 Matthew Chapter 25, as we put a wrap on this journey 26:58 you and I've been on for a few weeks now. 27:01 Matthew Chapter 25, 27:03 I'll be in the today's New International Version. 27:08 You didn't bring a Bible, you got to see this, 27:09 we're gonna read it once. 27:11 You got to see it in that pew Bible in front of you. 27:13 So, grab the pew Bible, it will be page 668, 27:17 the New King James Version, read along. 27:20 Matthew Chapter 25. 27:22 Oh, come on everybody knows this story 27:24 that's read the gospels, Matthew 25:1, 27:28 Jesus speaking on the eve of His death, all right. 27:32 Matthew 25:1 "At that time, Jesus said, 27:35 the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins 27:38 who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 27:42 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 27:44 The foolish ones took their lamps 27:46 but did not take any oil with them." 27:48 Verse 4, "The wise, however, 27:50 took oil in their jars along with their lamps. 27:53 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, 27:55 and they all became drowsy and fell asleep." 28:00 Verse 6, "At midnight the cry rang out: 28:03 'Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!' 28:05 Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 28:08 The foolish ones said to the wise, 28:09 'Give us some of your oil, our lamps are going out. 28:11 "'No,' they replied, 28:13 'there may not be enough for both us and you. 28:14 Instead, go to those who sell oil, 28:16 you buy some for yourselves.'' 28:17 Verse 10, "But while they were on their way 28:21 to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. 28:25 The virgins who were ready 28:26 went in with him to the wedding banquet. 28:28 And the door was shut. 28:33 Later the others came also. 'Sir, Sir!' they said. 28:36 'Open the door for us!' 28:38 But he replied, 'Truly I tell you, I don't know you.' 28:46 Therefore Jesus concludes, 28:49 because you do not know the day or the hour." 28:53 You must watch. Watch. Watch. 28:58 Because you do not know the day or hour. 29:03 There are two lines 29:06 in that very familiar story that I am praying. 29:09 Well, we'll rest our attention this morning 29:11 and I wish you jot them, both down right now. 29:13 Take that study guide please out of your worship bulletin. 29:16 Grab that study guide the final study guide, 29:18 you want to make sure you get this, 29:19 if you didn't get it, and your, you're within reach 29:22 of our very friendly ushers, put your hand up, 29:24 they'll make sure that you get the study guide. 29:26 There is material coming that I want you to have. 29:29 Hold your hand up, you all the way 29:30 in the back of the balcony. 29:31 Hold your hand up and while we are doing that 29:33 we're delighted to have those of you 29:34 who are watching right now. 29:36 Go to our website, let me put it 29:37 on the screen for you, www.pmchurch.tv 29:42 You see it there. 29:45 It's kind of small at the bottom of that screen, 29:47 but you can see it, www.pmchurch.tv. 29:51 You're looking for the series primetime. 29:53 The series is coming to an end today. 29:55 This is the wrap, title of this teaching, 29:58 "Twas the nighttime before primetime." 30:00 When you get to that title it will say study guide, 30:02 you click on there, you'll have the same study guide. 30:06 Give you a minute to... Not a minute, 30:09 we'll give you a split second to find that. 30:12 Keep your hands up all the way to balcony 30:14 and an overflow as well. 30:16 Put your hand up, we'll make sure 30:17 that you get the study guide. 30:20 All right, what are the two lines, write them down. 30:21 "They all fell asleep." 30:25 That's line number one, "They all fell asleep." 30:29 And then the other line, "At midnight the cry rang out: 30:33 The Bridegroom is coming!" 30:39 Two lines, what's the point. 30:44 Twas the nighttime before primetime 30:45 in all through the world. 30:47 Every creature were stirring except for the church, 30:49 dawned in their kerchiefs and wrapped in their gowns, 30:52 the church was asleep as the curtain came down. 30:57 I'm a bit embarrassed to ask this, 30:59 but I'm gonna do it anyway. 31:01 Am I the only one hearing the tapping, 31:05 the incessant tapping behind the headlines, 31:10 we've been experiencing of late. 31:15 Maybe, it's just I'm hearing things, 31:18 like the Heath brothers put it, 31:19 I'm hearing a bunch of disconnected taps, 31:21 like a kind of bizarre Morse code. 31:24 Is that it? 31:26 What I want to do here is 31:27 run three headline categories by you. 31:30 I would like to kind of get your sense of this, 31:32 you might be only one or you-- 31:33 anybody else hearing any tapping here. 31:36 All right, headline categories. See what you think. 31:38 What's the tune, we're supposed to be hearing 31:40 from these headlines? 31:41 Headline category number one, 31:43 jot it down, the 'Economy', 'Economy'. 31:45 Headline category one, economy, 31:47 I've never in all of my short life experience 31:50 such a drumbeat of headlines pounding out the news 31:56 that our economy is tanking faster, 31:58 then they can re-write the headlines for the next day. 32:01 I've never seen anything like it in my life. 32:06 Here's a piece from a financial blog out on the west coast. 32:09 He could have written this tomorrow. 32:12 It's in your study guide, take a look at it. 32:14 You'll have to fill it in. 32:16 "Today the news is unrelentingly bad. 32:19 Layoffs are soaring, home building is plunging, 32:21 and stocks are falling off a cliff. 32:23 The whole house of cards seems to be collapsing. 32:25 Imagine how it must feel to be a treasury official 32:28 or central banker today. 32:29 Unlike the rest of us, who can only watch 32:31 with horrified fascination as the global economy implodes, 32:34 you're actually expected to do something about it. 32:37 But what? 32:39 Everything you try, no matter how huge 32:40 and impressive it sounds at first, 32:43 fails miserably within days, if not hours. 32:46 Now you're huddled with your advisors around 32:47 a conference table, yelling at your 32:49 foreign counterparts on the speakerphone. 32:51 You need a new plan to keep the world 32:53 from ending tomorrow." 32:55 His words, "from ending tomorrow." 33:00 You got the website. You can check that out for yourself. 33:03 Apparently there are more than a few who are hearing a tune 33:08 behind the drumming headlines of late. 33:13 So that's headlines category number one 'Economy.' 33:15 Headline category number two, jot it down. 33:17 We'll call it 'Humanity', 'Humanity'. 33:23 Back in August, Newsweek writer 33:24 Jessie Elli wrote a piece 33:26 about a new paranoia in this age, get this. 33:29 Young men who believe they are the subjects 33:31 of their own reality TV show. 33:39 You see they're in your study guide, jot it down. 33:40 "Joel Gold, the director of psychiatrics 33:43 at New York's Bellevue Hospital Center, 33:45 describes it as ''the pathological product 33:48 of our insatiable appetite for self-exposure." 33:53 Oh, boy. 33:56 Have we all become the stars 33:58 in our own reality TV shows, is that it? 34:02 I mean, even the tragedy in Mumbai, 34:05 just a week ago even that tragedy. 34:09 What do you have? 34:10 You have every news camp on earth pointed at them. 34:15 A handful young men, who now commands 34:19 center stage on their own reality TV show, 34:27 our insatiable appetite for self-exposure. 34:31 What's happening to us as a race? 34:35 You heard this a few weeks ago young adult Miami, 34:44 with his webcam going live on the internet 34:51 intentionally overdoses himself in front of 34:53 the people who are watching him. 34:55 Some are egging him on, others are begging him not to. 35:02 That webcam stays on for 12 hours 35:06 where he lies on his bed. 35:08 Somebody reports it finally to the police. 35:10 They walk into the room, walk straight to the webcam, 35:12 flip it off, the young man is dead. 35:16 The insatiable appetite for self-exposure. 35:24 I mean when, you know, you read Edward Gibbon's, 35:27 "Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire." 35:29 And I tell you what? 35:31 It isn't hard to imagine one day 35:34 that like the ancient Romans we'll be doing death live 35:39 on television or the internet. 35:42 People watch, pay to view. What's happening to us? 35:48 I mean, just please Black Friday, that hoard of shoppers, 35:53 they crashes down the door in the Long Island Wal-Mart 35:57 and tramples a security guard to death, 36:01 racing to get my favorite present for me. 36:06 All the while they are running over him, 36:08 they're walking by him, he's dying and nobody stops. 36:14 Please, what is happening to us as a race? 36:21 Can you hear the tune, 36:22 behind the incessant tapping of the headlines. 36:26 What have we become? 36:28 Now here, your listed categories 36:29 is much longer but one more. 36:31 Headline category number three, write it down, 'Prophecy'. 36:34 Okay, so you have ''Economy, Humanity, Prophecy." 36:38 The European Parliament right now 36:40 is debating a provision for all workers 36:42 in the European Union, 36:43 it's a provision called Working Time Directive. 36:46 You go on to Google, just type in those three words 36:48 Working Time Directive, 36:49 you have all the European reports of this. 36:52 Principally, it is an effort to safeguard European workers 36:55 by regulating the amount of overtime work 36:57 that would be allowed providing a minimum weekly rest. 36:59 All right, so you got to have this much time off. 37:02 Not surprisingly, 37:04 Europe's catholic bishops have been pushing 37:06 the members of the European parliament 37:07 to amend the directive, 37:08 so that the minimum weekly rest period 37:10 "shall in principle include Sunday." 37:15 I've this in the study guide for you. 37:18 Piotr Mazurkiewicz, 37:21 secretary general of the Brussels-based 37:23 Bishop's Conferences of the European Communities, 37:26 " Now you have to fill this in "Said the protection of Sunday 37:30 'is a cornerstone of the European social model 37:34 and an issue of central importance for workers 37:36 and their families. 37:37 It would make sense, he goes on, 37:38 to complete the current draft by adding a provision on Sunday 37:42 as a weekly day of rest.' 37:44 " And then a week and a half, it will come to vote. 37:48 All for the good of the workers understandably so, 37:51 but Rome's unprecedented public efforts to return 37:56 secular Europe into her ecclesiastical fold 38:01 is a harbinger of an agenda that is clearly global. 38:04 Listen, folks, this is not rocket science, 38:07 please, it isn't rocket science to observe 38:10 that an increasingly severe economic collapse 38:13 can provide the cover for overt legislative action 38:17 E2U consider unthinkable or at best unlikely in Europe 38:21 or in the United States of America. 38:25 Does anybody else hear the tune 38:28 behind the incessant tappings of the headlines these days 38:33 and what is the tune playing? 38:37 Twas a nighttime before primetime 38:39 and all through the world 38:41 every creature was stirring except for the church, 38:44 dawned in their kerchiefs and wrapped in their gowns, 38:46 the church was asleep, as the curtain came down. 38:54 So, what about you? What about me? 38:56 Are we sleeping? 38:59 It doesn't even occurs we're reading at the parable 39:00 that we just did is clear. 39:04 Everybody in the parable sleeps, isn't that right? 39:06 Didn't everybody sleep, all 10 slept. 39:08 So it can't be ascent to sleep. 39:12 The critical difference 39:13 between the five wise and the five foolish, 39:15 once they've awaken turns out 39:16 to have been simply a relational one. 39:19 Five of them didn't know the bridegroom. 39:23 They are pounding on the door and he says, 39:26 I'm so sorry, I don't know you. 39:32 It will be sad, wouldn't it? 39:34 To know the tune behind the headlines, 39:38 but not know the one behind the tune. 39:43 So do you know him, do you? 39:47 I want to tell you something. 39:50 I've been especially burdened this last three months, 39:54 just watching, observing the world. 39:59 I'm very concerned and fearful 40:04 that the impending crises will catch the church asleep. 40:11 Without a vibrant personal relationship 40:15 with the one who is soon to return. 40:20 I'm telling you, I have noticed my praying 40:23 becoming more and more preoccupied with this petition 40:28 that God will somehow awaken the church 40:31 to our deep need for Jesus. 40:37 I care around in my Bible all of them, 40:40 a six word prayer that was composed a century ago, 40:46 it goes like this "We seem the sit 40:48 as though we were paralyzed." 40:49 And then here comes the six words 40:51 "God of heaven, wake us up!" 41:01 I mean, what's the point, jot it down. 41:02 What is the point of knowing the tune behind the headlines, 41:05 if we don't know the one behind the tune? 41:10 And how is it with you, young primetimers. 41:14 You're the reason 41:15 we got into this series in the first place. 41:21 I want to tell you something now 41:22 that I wouldn't have told you at the beginning, 41:24 but since it's over, it's over. 41:27 You know, the reason, you know the reason 41:30 why you are the primetime generation. 41:34 It's not because there is something 41:36 intrinsically special or unique about you. 41:42 It is rather a simple and incontrovertible truth 41:45 and that is when it is nighttime, 41:49 then it is primetime. 41:52 Write that down. 41:54 When it is nighttime, it's the nighttime 41:57 that makes the primetime. 41:58 It's not the people that make the primetime, 42:00 it's the nighttime that makes the primetime. 42:03 When it is nighttime, then it is primetime. 42:08 And in this midnight hour of history, 42:11 I tell you that's what makes you the primetime generation. 42:15 And so my young friends, I need to say this 42:17 with all your earnestness that I can muster. 42:20 As a pastor of this campus, 42:23 I need to alert you 42:27 that we are in nighttime now. 42:32 It's interesting that word night, 42:33 jot it down, how it appears, 42:36 just a position in scripture, look at this the Apostle Paul, 42:38 Romans 13:11-14, one line out of that passage, 42:41 "The night is nearly over; and the day is almost here." 42:46 Look at this one. 42:48 The words of our Lord Himself, John 9:4, 42:51 "Night is coming, when no one can work." 42:53 Now Jesus is speaking of, of His impending crucifixion 42:56 but the very words indicate an affirmation 42:59 that night can apparently get so deeply dark 43:02 that it becomes impossible finally to do any work at all. 43:07 Now listen, we are not there yet, 43:11 trust me you will know when we are you know. 43:18 Isaiah 21:11 "Watchmen, you can hear the tune 43:22 tapping out behind the headlines. 43:24 Watchmen, what is left of the night?" 43:27 What is left? How much of night is left? 43:33 Every now and then I'll have a university student 43:35 walk into my office here at the church, 43:38 and it goes something like this, 43:40 hey pastor, I'm telling you what, 43:41 I'm, I'm under conviction that Jesus is coming soon. 43:46 I'm wondering, what do you think about this idea? 43:48 I'm thinking a dropping out of school 43:50 and going straight to work for God right now. 43:54 What do you think? That's a fair question. 43:59 Let's say you were the one 44:00 that brought it up 20 years ago. 44:04 What would you be today? 44:05 Well, you would be 20 years into God's mission, hallelujah. 44:11 But you would also be 44:13 without the benefits of a liberal hard education 44:18 and you would be intellectually handicapped. 44:22 You'll say, oh, come on, Dwight, 44:26 that's a little bit below the belt. 44:30 The classic on Christ's parables, 44:32 Christ object lessons, I put it in your study guide 44:34 so you could see it for yourself. 44:35 You have to fill it in. 44:36 Notice this, "If placed under the control of His spirit, 44:42 the more thoroughly the intellect, 44:44 " write it down the intellect. 44:47 "The more thoroughly the intellect is cultivated, 44:51 the more effectively it can be used in the service of God." 44:54 Now look, "The uneducated man who is consecrated to God 44:59 and who longs to bless others can be, 45:01 and is, used by the Lord in His service." 45:04 Don't you go pointing out of this church today, 45:06 oh, but I never really got an education, 45:09 God is not gonna be able to use me, wrong, wrong, wrong. 45:12 You will be used, trust me. 45:14 However, however notice the caveat. 45:19 "But those who, with the same spirit of consecration, 45:24 have had the benefit of a thorough education, 45:27 can do a much more extensive work for Christ. 45:30 They stand on," write it down "vantage ground, 45:35 " You know what that means? 45:36 It's an advantage to be intellectually sharp. 45:42 It's an advantage. 45:44 You stand on vantage ground. 45:48 The Lord, listen to this, 45:49 "The Lord desires us to obtain all the education possible, 45:54 with the object in view of imparting 45:56 our knowledge to others..." 45:57 That's always the object guys. 45:58 It's not so that I can become bright 46:00 and every body say, oh, aren't you smart? 46:02 No. 46:03 The point of the education is to enable you 46:05 to be more effective in God's mission. 46:08 "Our minds" keep reading, 46:10 "Our minds should be so trained that if necessary 46:13 we can present the truths of His word 46:15 before the highest earthly authorities 46:17 in such a way as to glorify His name." 46:22 Write it down. 46:23 "We should not let slip even one opportunity." 46:29 Don't let it go. Don't you let it go. 46:32 "One opportunity of qualifying ourselves 46:34 intellectually to work for God." 46:39 Of course, you must remain in school 46:43 just because it's nighttime 46:46 doesn't mean it isn't the right time 46:49 to get your primetime mind in life equip for maximum value 46:53 and intellectual service for Christ. 46:55 But here is the good news. 46:59 You can do primetime, halleluiah. 47:02 You can do primetime right here. 47:06 12 miles up the road, 47:07 there is an intercity called Benton Harbor; 47:09 we need a 100 more young adults 47:12 who will help us with our street ministry in that city. 47:15 12 miles up the road, Student Missions. 47:19 Our Student Missions is ready to send you anywhere on earth 47:23 that you're willing to go for Christ. 47:26 While you are deepening your intellect 47:27 and broadening your education as well. 47:30 Just talk to Chaplain Jay Firth or Chaplain Karen. 47:35 Hey, listen, start your own ministry 47:36 right here on the campus or in the community. 47:38 Are you into publics? Start a public ministry? 47:40 Are you in tutelary? 47:41 We got high schools all over this place 47:43 and elementary schools 47:44 that desperately need young adult tutors. 47:48 Listen, be a part of public evangelism. 47:52 We just had 30 Andrews University students 47:55 help us with the discoveries '08 series. 47:57 And here is some great news for you. 47:58 In the New Year, 48:00 we are gonna partner with the religion department 48:01 and invite students of all disciplines to conduct 48:04 public teaching series all around this county. 48:10 Signup, we're hoping to begin a peer to peer mission 48:17 for Notre Dame University students, 48:19 we need bright minds. 48:21 We already have those going at Lake Michigan College. 48:23 You can help there. 48:24 The point is you can do primetime right here, 48:27 so why wait? Do it now. 48:30 And by the way, the greatest prescription 48:34 for keeping awake is to stay working. 48:39 Just work. Work. 48:44 This is the primetime. 48:47 If you stay awake, you will stay awake. 48:52 If you stay at work, I tell you what? 48:57 Primetimers, church deeply needs you. 49:03 We need you. 49:06 There's some others who are sleeping, 49:08 I'm not sure when they'll awake. 49:13 We need you. 49:16 You know, Elizabeth Newton was right. 49:17 In her doctor research she said, hey, 49:19 you know the prime of the tappers is, 49:21 you got to remember 49:22 that the listeners can't hear the tune 49:23 that the tapper is hearing in his mind, 49:25 hearing in the heart because you see the only people 49:27 who can hear the tune are those who know the tune. 49:31 You already know the tune. 49:33 You already know the tune, which is why God needs you, 49:37 since you can recognize the tune to share with those 49:41 who don't know the tune, the nature of the tune. 49:44 So that they too.., can be a part of this nighttime moment 49:51 therefore one hour, 49:53 one hour assure in an eternal day, 49:59 which is why I must tell you. 50:02 If you know the one behind the tune, 50:05 and you know the tune behind the tapping, 50:11 we're under moral obligation. 50:17 We are under a joyful invitation 50:23 to tell the world, 50:26 that Jesus is coming soon. 50:35 So today even as we began 50:39 I need to end in a way we did in first church, 50:46 I need to make a simple invitation 50:48 that won't take long to ponder. 50:51 If you as a young primetimer 50:53 would be willing to make yourself available 50:56 to the mission of Christ, 50:58 in this nighttime of primetime, 51:03 to take the glad tidings of Jesus' soon coming. 51:06 If you'd be willing to whatever your discipline is 51:09 to make yourself available to Christ, 51:12 for that nighttime mission. 51:15 You're sitting behind me. You're sitting in front of me. 51:18 I wish you would stand to your feet right now 51:21 and by that standing you just say, hey, 51:24 Jesus, please, please, please Jesus, 51:29 help me, help me. 51:35 I hear the tapping. 51:39 I know the tune. Please help me. 51:45 Holy Christ, 51:48 is really that a big deal for us to stand, 51:53 you've been standing for us for so long. 51:58 But by stranding today what we are humbly saying is 52:01 we don't want to sleep. 52:04 This is the greatest hour in the history of civilization. 52:09 We can't sleep through this curtain call please 52:12 and so we stand. 52:13 Give us something to do for you Jesus. 52:17 Doesn't matter what we've been trained to do. 52:19 Give us something to do for you to tell the world. 52:27 The earnestly good news. 52:32 The child of Bethlehem is soon to return. 52:37 Use us any way you wish but know our hearts, 52:41 oh Immanuel come, come Immanuel, we pray. 53:34 O come, O come, Immanuel 53:41 And ransom captive Israel 53:48 That mourns in lonely exile here 53:55 Until the Son of God appear 54:02 Rejoice! Rejoice! 54:08 Immanuel 54:12 Shall come to thee, 54:15 O Israel! 54:22 O come, Thou Wisdom from on high 54:29 And order all things, far and nigh 54:37 To us the path of knowledge show 54:44 And cause us in her ways to go 54:52 Rejoice! Rejoice! 54:57 Immanuel 55:01 Shall come to thee, 55:04 O Israel! 55:11 O come, Desire of nations, bind 55:19 All peoples in one heart and mind 55:26 Bid envy, strife and quarrels cease 55:34 Fill the whole world with heaven's peace 55:42 Rejoice! Rejoice! 55:47 Immanuel 55:52 Shall come to thee, 55:55 O Israel! 56:06 And now, may the God of hope 56:07 fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him. 56:12 So, that you may overflow with hope 56:15 by the power of the Holy Spirit, amen. 56:35 It's been a pleasure to be able to worship with you today. 56:37 I hope the spirit of Jesus has blessed your time with us 56:41 right here at the Pioneer Memorial Church 56:42 on the campus of Andrews University. 56:44 Do you know that around the world 56:45 people join us every week for this hour of worship? 56:48 We're always looking as a consequence 56:50 for new ways to bridge, 56:51 somehow to connect with these people 56:53 who come here to worship via the telecast. 56:56 One of the areas that is quickly growing for us 56:58 is our website. 56:59 We had more than a hundred 57:00 and forty thousand visitors last year. 57:03 It's an incredible opportunity 57:05 that God has given us to expand His kingdom. 57:08 If you would like to help partner with us 57:10 as we seek to spread the everlasting gospel, 57:13 I'd love to have you call our toll free numbers. 57:15 We've got very friendly operator standing by. 57:18 Here's the number, 877-HIS-WILL. 57:21 877 and then the two words HIS WILL. 57:23 One of the operators would be happy to give you the details 57:26 of how you can partner with this global ministry. 57:29 If you prefer, listen you can do it all online. 57:31 Go to our website please, www.pmchurch.tv. 57:36 I'd be honored to have the privilege 57:37 of partnering with you 57:38 as we seek to spread the truth about God for this generation. 57:42 We are living in urgent times. 57:45 Now more than ever, we've got to go to the world 57:48 with the good news entrusted to us. 57:50 So once again here's that toll free number, 877-HIS-WILL. 57:55 Thank you in advance for your generosity. 57:57 That blesses me and you grow this ministry. 58:00 I pray that the spirit of Christ 58:02 will abide with you every step of the way 58:04 and I hope you'll come back again next time right here 58:07 as we continue our worship journey together. |
Revised 2014-12-17