Participants: Dwight K Nelson
Series Code: NP
Program Code: NP160116A
|
00:08 Happy Sabbath, PMC. Happy Sabbath.
00:11 It's a pleasure to worship with you today. 00:13 This first song we're gonna sing is sort of an invitation, 00:16 a call to worship, an invitation to God, 00:20 to the Holy Spirit, to His presence to say God, 00:23 we want Your presence here with us 00:26 as we worship, as we learn, 00:27 I mean, as we gather together as a body of believers. 00:30 So I invite you to sing this first song, 00:32 maybe unfamiliar to some of you but if so we're gonna-- 00:35 We're gonna sing this first chorus, 00:36 I like you to sing with me. 00:42 Holy Spirit, You are welcome here 00:48 Come flood this place, fill the atmosphere 00:54 Your glory, God, is what our hearts long for 01:01 To be overcome by Your presence, 01:06 Lord 01:12 Your presence, Lord 01:16 I invite you to stand with me as we sing. 01:22 There's nothing worth more That could ever come close 01:28 No thing can compare You're our living hope 01:34 It's Your presence, Lord 01:37 Your presence, Lord 01:42 As I've tasted and seen. 01:47 I've tasted and seen of the sweetest of loves 01:53 Where my heart becomes free 01:56 and my shame is undone 02:03 Your presence, Lord We sing the Holy Spirit. 02:11 Holy Spirit, You are welcome here 02:17 Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere 02:24 Your glory, God, is what our hearts long for 02:29 To be overcome by Your presence, Lord 02:41 Your presence, Lord 02:46 There's nothing worth more. 02:50 There's nothing worth more That could ever come close 02:56 No thing can compare You're our living hope 03:05 Your presence, Lord 03:11 As I've tasted. 03:15 I've tasted and seen of the sweetest of loves 03:21 Where my heart becomes free 03:24 and my shame is undone 03:28 Sing Your presence. 03:30 Your presence, Lord 03:35 We invite the Holy Spirit. 03:38 Holy Spirit, You are welcome here 03:44 Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere 03:50 Your glory, God, is what our hearts long for 03:56 To be overcome by Your presence, Lord 04:03 Holy Spirit, You are welcome here 04:08 Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere 04:14 Your glory, God, is what our hearts long for 04:20 To be overcome by Your presence, Lord 04:31 Your presence, Lord 04:39 Let us become more aware of Your presence 04:45 Let us experience the glory of Your goodness 04:50 Let us become. 04:51 Let us become more aware of Your presence 04:57 Let us experience the glory of Your goodness 05:07 Your presence, Lord 05:11 We sing Holy Spirit. Lift your voice with me now. 05:15 Holy Spirit, You are welcome here 05:21 Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere 05:27 Your glory, God, is what our hearts long for 05:34 To be overcome 05:37 by Your presence, Lord 05:42 Your presence. 05:46 Your presence, Lord 05:51 And, Father, we come before You now 05:54 with open arms and open hearts. 05:58 Father, we invite Your presence to be with us. 06:02 We're standing here now saying, we need Your presence 06:06 today, every day, Lord, in all that we do. 06:09 So we invite You to dwell with us now. 06:11 In Jesus' name, amen. 06:21 Come, thou Fount of every blessing 06:26 Tune my heart to sing Thy grace 06:30 Streams of mercy, 06:33 Never ceasing Call for songs of loudest praise 06:40 Teach me some melodious sonnet 06:45 Sung by flaming tongues above Praise the mount! 06:52 I'm fixed upon it 06:55 Mount of thy redeeming love 07:06 Here I raise mine Ebenezer Hither 07:12 by Thy help I'm come 07:15 And I hope by Thy good pleasure 07:20 Safely to arrive at home 07:25 Jesus sought me when a stranger 07:29 Wandering from the fold of God 07:34 He to rescue me from danger 07:39 Interposed His precious blood 07:50 O, to grace how great a debtor 07:55 Daily I'm constrained to be 07:59 Let Thy goodness, like a fetter 08:04 Bind my wandering heart to Thee 08:08 Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it 08:13 Prone to leave the God I love 08:17 Here's my heart Lord, take and seal it 08:22 Seal it for Thy courts above 08:29 We gather each week as a body of believers. 08:34 We gathered to praise God. 08:36 We gathered to learn about God. 08:39 We also gathered to pray, bring our problems, 08:42 bring out thanksgiving to bring it all. 08:44 So in this time as we sing our last song, 08:46 I invite everyone there's something on their heart 08:49 praise or thanksgiving to come forward. 08:55 Ooh, ooh 09:05 You're beautiful 09:07 Ooh, ooh 09:17 You're beautiful 09:20 I see your face in every sunrise 09:25 The colors of the morning are inside 09:30 Your eyes The world awakens in the light of the day 09:37 I look up to the sky and say 09:42 "You're beautiful" 09:44 Ooh, ooh 09:54 You're beautiful 09:56 Ooh, ooh 10:06 You're beautiful 10:09 I see your power in the moonlit night 10:14 When planets are in motion and galaxies are bright 10:20 We are amazed in the light of the stars 10:26 It's all proclaiming who You are, 10:30 "You're beautiful" 10:32 Ooh, ooh 10:42 You're beautiful 10:44 Ooh, ooh 10:53 Sing this out with me. 10:56 I see you there hanging on a tree 11:02 You bled and then you died and then you rose again for me 11:08 Now you are sitting on Your heavenly throne 11:14 Soon You will be coming home, 11:18 "You're beautiful" 11:20 Ooh, ooh 11:30 You're beautiful 11:32 Ooh, ooh 11:42 You're beautiful 11:44 When we arrive at eternity's shore 11:49 Where death is just a memory and tears are no more 11:56 We'll enter in as the wedding bells ring 12:01 Your bride will come together and we'll sing 12:06 "You're beautiful" 12:08 Ooh, ooh 12:18 You're beautiful 12:20 Ooh, ooh 12:41 I see your face. 12:44 I see your face, 12:46 You're beautiful You're beautiful, 12:52 You're beautiful Sing it out with me. 12:56 I see your face, 12:58 You're beautiful You're beautiful, 13:05 You're beautiful 17:49 Let's pray. 17:54 Oh, God, You know our hearts. 17:56 No games here. 18:00 What is is and You know 18:04 in advance of what we've even heard 18:07 yet we are asking 18:12 that You will direct our attention 18:14 to what needs attention. 18:18 We're here in the name of Christ. 18:20 We've been much in worship to this very moment. 18:23 We're not stopping. 18:26 Speak to us we pray in Jesus' name, amen. 18:32 Can you believe this? 18:35 There is a website 18:38 that actually advertises 18:44 and offers sexual affairs to those who are married? 18:49 Of course, will do this for a little fee. 18:53 Apparently, now I insert that word apparently 18:57 so that you know I've never been 18:59 to this website, all right. 19:02 Apparently, I read it in the newspaper 19:05 that's why I know. 19:08 Apparently, the website's homepage 19:12 features a picture as Leonard Pitts 19:16 puts it in his syndicated column from Allen, Miami. 19:19 Features a picture of a 19:21 "ubiquitous brunette counseling discretion 19:25 with an index finger to her pouty lips." 19:32 Also on the website it boasts an "Affair Guarantee Program," 19:39 through which, here's a quote. 19:41 "Through which you are promised a refund 19:43 if you can't find a suitable partner to cheat with." 19:47 No kidding. No kidding. 19:51 And they describe their customers as 19:53 "free-thinking people who choose to engage in 19:56 fully lawful online activities." 19:58 Their tagline is 20:00 "Life is short, have an affair." 20:05 The only reason we know about this 20:06 is because hackers hacked into their website last summer 20:12 and exposed by publishing a list 20:14 of their 32 million customers. 20:20 Yeah, men and women, young and not so young 20:24 who believe the line, 20:26 "life is short, have an affair." 20:31 Included in that list of customers 20:33 was a gentleman name John Gibson. 20:38 Leonard Pitts describes him. 20:41 I'll read it to you. 20:44 "He was a married father of two, 20:48 a pastor and a professor 20:51 at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. 20:55 He is said to have loved fixing cars 20:57 and to have had an oddball laugh. 20:59 In photos, he and his wife Christi 21:00 and their two kids come across as a goofy, fun-loving bunch. 21:04 Pictures of them radiate joy. 21:07 Christi Gibson came home August 24 21:09 to find her husband dead of suicide." 21:12 You see, his name was on that list. 21:17 "In his note, says his wife, 21:19 he expressed profound remorse. 21:24 'What we know about him,' she told CNN, 21:26 'is that he poured his life into other people, 21:29 and he offered grace and mercy 21:30 and forgiveness to everyone else, 21:31 but somehow he couldn't extend that to himself.' 21:39 "Life is short, 21:42 have an affair," as it turns out 21:45 for first half of that tagline was true. 21:47 John Gibson was 56 years old. 21:54 Every time you and I come back from going down to South Bend, 21:58 we've to cross the Indiana, 22:00 Michigan borders, isn't that right? 22:02 And every single, Highway 31, 22:04 and every single time you cross the border 22:05 there it is a huge blue letters 22:10 "Pure Michigan." 22:15 I mean, come on, who you kidding? 22:17 You talking about Michigan? 22:19 We all live in Michigan, 22:21 "Pure Michigan" you got to be kidding me. 22:24 You don't know the secrets in our hearts. 22:31 Once upon a time there was a man, 22:32 a capital "M" Man. 22:34 Not because he was from Michigan. 22:36 Now the capital "M" Man was from Nazareth. 22:39 No pure Nazareth signs 22:41 on the streets entering that city notorious. 22:45 The scuttlebutt around town is 22:47 "Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?" 22:52 But apparently someone very good 22:56 and very pure came out of Nazareth 23:01 and lived to be in stories like this. 23:05 Once upon a time Jesus was attending a dinner 23:09 thrown in His honor by a rather wealthy Pharisee name Simon. 23:12 Simon had been healed by leprosy. 23:14 Healed of leprosy by Jesus 23:16 and so as an expression of his gratitude, 23:18 he pulls off one of those 23:20 wish I had an invitation to that kind of banquet. 23:23 And everybody who is anybody in town was there. 23:27 The dinner has began 23:30 and the sounds of silver cutlery clinking softly 23:33 against the fine bone china 23:35 punctuated with laughter and chatter, 23:37 zigzagging back and forth 23:39 across a heavy laden table of entrees 23:42 and vegetables as far as the eye can see. 23:46 Sometime during that scrumptious feast, 23:49 a woman of the night 23:52 tiptoed into the dominantly male boisterous gathering. 24:00 If you're a local you recognized her, 24:05 especially if you are a male. 24:10 She was a town whore. 24:14 A very attractive woman 24:15 who prostituted her innocence and her beauty 24:20 for a bit of income. 24:24 Somewhere along the way she met this capital "M" Man, 24:29 Jesus of Nazareth. 24:32 Any conversation between them was so private 24:35 we have not a whisper of that conversation. 24:40 But it is apparent from the quiet glow 24:43 that radiates from her face tonight 24:46 that He has changed her life. 24:50 Pure Jesus, big change. 24:54 No more impurity within, forgiven. 24:58 She is a pure woman now. 25:02 And even as Simon 25:04 has thrown this banquet in honor of Jesus 25:07 even so this woman crashes the party 25:10 also in gratitude to this same Jesus. 25:15 Before anyone can hiss, "Get out of here, woman" 25:19 she reaches into the folds of her garment 25:21 and she pulls out a container of nard perfume 25:26 from the petals grown at the foot of the Himalayas. 25:32 Before anyone could stop her, 25:33 she has broken the container open 25:36 and begins as she stifles her sobs 25:41 begins to drip the perfume along with her tears 25:48 on the feet of this man, 25:50 feet recline from behind. 25:56 And as she sobs 25:58 she finally, she is a prostitute, 26:02 she finally lowers her head, loosens the tresses of her hair 26:06 and begins to wipe His feet. 26:09 The perfume and the tears 26:14 as she kisses the feet. 26:17 That's how a prostitute says thank you. 26:22 Jesus finally feels something down there. 26:26 Turns around 26:28 and even beyond the aroma of dinner, 26:31 He picks up the scent. 26:34 He turns around sees her, 26:38 smiles a look of recognition 26:41 and says, "You are welcome." 26:44 But not so the Pharisee Simon. 26:47 I want you see how Simon responds. 26:49 Open your Bible to Luke Chapter 7, 26:52 Luke Chapter 7. 26:57 You didn't bring a Bible, 27:00 pull that pew Bible out, you got to see this. 27:02 Luke Chapter 7, 27:03 I'm gonna pick it up in verse 39. 27:06 I'm in the NIV here. 27:08 And "When the Pharisee--" 27:10 That would be Simon, 27:12 "Who had invited Jesus saw this, he said to himself, 27:16 'If this man were a prophet, 27:17 he would know who is touching him 27:19 and what kind of woman she is -that she is a sinner.' 27:23 Jesus answered" isn't that something? 27:25 It says if they were in conversation already. 27:28 "Jesus answered him, 27:32 'Simon, I have something to tell you.' 27:34 'Tell me, teacher,' he said." 27:36 Okay. 27:37 "'Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. 27:39 One owed him five hundred denarii,'" 27:40 One denarii is day's labor for a common labor. 27:43 "'One owed him five hundred denarii, 27:44 and the other fifty. 27:45 Neither of them had the money to pay him back, 27:47 so he forgave the debts of both. 27:49 Now, Simon, which one of them will love him more?' 27:52 Simon replied, 'I suppose the one 27:54 who had the bigger debt forgiven.' 27:56 'You have judged correctly,' Jesus said. 27:59 Then he turned toward the woman" 28:01 and there is not a sound in the room 28:02 but the voice of Jesus. 28:04 Now as "He turned toward the woman at his feet 28:09 and he said to Simon, 'Do you see this woman?'" 28:11 The whole room is staring at her. 28:15 "'Do you see this woman?' 28:16 I came into your house. 28:18 You did not give me any water for my feet, 28:20 but she wet my feet with her tears 28:21 and wiped them with her hair. 28:22 You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, 28:24 from the time I entered, 28:25 has not stopped kissing my feet. 28:26 You did not put oil on my head, 28:28 but she has poured perfume on my feet. 28:30 Therefore, I tell you, Simon, 28:31 her many sins have been forgiven 28:33 as her great love has shown. 28:35 But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.'" 28:39 By the way, Desire of Ages pulls the veil aside, 28:41 strips it aside and says, 28:43 Simon was the one who led this woman 28:44 into sinning the very first time. 28:50 Why has Simon not showing great love? 28:56 Because he's not been forgiven. 28:58 And why is he not been forgiven? 28:59 Because he has not asked, that's why. 29:02 No love, cold heart. 29:05 "Then Jesus said to her, 'Your sins are forgiven.' 29:10 The other guests began to say among themselves, 29:12 'Who is this who even forgives sins?' 29:14 Jesus said to the woman, 29:15 'Your faith has saved you, 29:18 go in peace.'" 29:21 Wow, did you catch that? 29:24 This woman is forgiven. 29:26 Sexual impurity gone. 29:28 Cleansed forever. 29:31 Go in peace. 29:34 Pure Michigan. 29:36 Pure Jesus. 29:38 How pure this Jesus? 29:40 Grab your study guide and let's fill it out some 29:43 rather astounding declarations of scripture. 29:45 You got to see this. 29:46 You got your study guide in your worship bulletin, 29:48 you should, pull it out. 29:49 You didn't get a study guide 29:51 here come our friendly ushers your way. 29:52 Hold your hand up, you're gonna want this one 29:53 in the balcony. 29:55 Yep, there they are. 29:56 Hold your hand up, let's go. 29:58 And by the way let me put this on the screen. 29:59 Those of you watching streaming right now 30:01 or you're watching on a television set 30:03 somewhere on this planet, glad to have you. 30:05 By the way this is the first time 30:06 I can announce this, 30:08 here is the website that you go to, 30:09 www.newperceptions 30:13 this is the New Perceptions telecast. 30:15 You go to www.newperceptions.tv 30:18 Go to that website you find a little series called 30:21 "Charmed into Righteousness." 30:23 This teaching is entitled "The Purest Life." 30:29 When you click on "The Purest Life" 30:30 you will see the study guide embedded right there 30:32 waiting for you now. 30:36 Pure Jesus, how pure, let's go. 30:38 Got your pen. 30:40 First let's consider the testimony of the Bible. 30:42 The Bible has a testimony about Jesus you bet. 30:44 In fact you not even have to look at the screen 30:46 because I'm gonna read this to you 30:47 and we are gonna go that fast. 30:48 Here we go, 1 Peter 2:22, 30:51 "Jesus committed no sin," write it in 30:54 "and no deceit was found in His mouth." 30:58 Pure Jesus. 30:59 Keep going. 31:00 1 John 3:5, "In Him there is no sin." 31:04 Pure Jesus. 31:06 Here we go, Hebrews 7:26, 31:07 "He was 'holy, blameless, undefiled,'" 31:11 not a spot on Him. 31:13 "Undefiled, separated from sinners.'" 31:16 Pure Jesus. 31:17 That's the Bible testimony about Him. 31:18 Guess what? 31:20 Jesus say, Jesus has testimony about Himself. 31:22 Jot them down. 31:23 Jesus speaking to a crowd in John 8:46, 31:26 "Which one of you in the crowd convicts Me of sin?" 31:28 All right, step forward. 31:30 You ever seen me sin, 31:31 you step forward, you tell the story. 31:33 Be my guest. 31:34 Nobody breathe the word. 31:37 Here's another time, 31:39 this is just before His execution. 31:40 The night before He is crucified 31:41 John 14:30, 31:43 "The prince of this world" that would be Satan. 31:45 "The prince of this world is coming. 31:46 He has no hold on me." 31:49 Not even a hangnail on one of his fingers 31:51 has caught my garment. 31:53 He has no hold, zero, not, nothing, nothing in me. 31:59 The testimony of the Bible, the testimony of Jesus, 32:02 now the testimony of Desire of Ages. 32:04 Jot this down, will you? 32:07 Sends us from that classic on life of Jesus. 32:09 Here's one "He was the embodiment of purity, 32:11 an example of spotless integrity." 32:15 Spotless. 32:18 Here's another one. 32:19 "People could not appreciate the purity of Jesus spirit 32:22 upon which there was no stain of sin." 32:26 No stain. 32:29 Now I want to run three lines by that show 32:33 how Christ was personally impact living 32:35 in the cesspool of sin. 32:37 Nazareth the cesspool of sin. 32:39 Hanging around 157 variety sinners 32:41 like you and me the cesspool of sin. 32:44 Here's how it, here's how it felt inside of Him. 32:48 Jot this one down. 32:50 "As one with us, 32:51 Jesus must bear the burden of our guilt. 32:53 The Sinless One must feel the shame of sin. 32:55 The peace lover must dwell with strife, 32:57 the truth must abide with falsehood, 32:59 purity with vileness. 33:01 Every sin, every discord, every defiling lust 33:04 that transgression had brought, was torture--" 33:09 Write it down, "Was torture to His spirit." 33:14 Hey, let me ask you a question. 33:15 Hit the pause button right there. 33:16 Let me ask you a question. 33:18 Would you use the word torture to describe hanging around sin 33:22 for you and me? 33:23 Are you kidding? 33:24 It's not torture, it's entertainment. 33:26 We downloaded by the gigabytes to our devices 33:29 so that we can watch. 33:30 Oh, yeah, this is art imitation, 33:33 imitating reality, that's what we are saying. 33:35 Hey, this is nothing. 33:36 Yeah, they are killing each other 33:38 but come on that's just all fake. 33:39 Yeah, they are sleeping together, 33:41 she's being raped but so, I mean this is all, 33:43 you know, this is how I enjoy a Saturday night. 33:45 You got a problem with this? 33:48 We don't call it torture. 33:49 We entertain our selves with it. 33:51 How you suppose Jesus? 33:52 Do you think He be downloading gigabytes of that stuff 33:55 on to His devices and say, "What am I gonna do tonight? 33:58 Come over to my room." 34:00 Can you imagine Christ? 34:02 Do you know why, 34:03 because He knows that these are demons, 34:06 these are demons who have taught the human race 34:09 how to behave as animals that's why. 34:12 And every time they do this even art imitating reality, 34:15 it is spitting in the face of the Creator. 34:17 Do you think He finds joy? That's entertainment? 34:19 You want to spend Saturday night 34:21 spitting in God's face? 34:23 You can't believe it. 34:25 Of course He wouldn't watch it. 34:29 No spot. 34:31 Pure Jesus. 34:34 Maybe that's our problem. 34:35 Why is it so easy to be impure? 34:37 Because we live in a world saturated with the cesspool 34:40 and we are comfortable with it 34:42 and we go to the cesspool for entertainment. 34:45 Tell me that one. 34:47 Can you believe it, all of us? 34:54 There is another line from Desire of Ages. 34:55 "His spirit of stainless purity shrank from the spectacle." 34:59 Wouldn't that be something, if we can, 35:00 if something popped up on the computer screen 35:02 and we actually shrank from it? 35:06 Something in a dark, dark corner somewhere 35:07 we shrank from it. 35:09 Some smutty joke in a circle of buddies 35:12 we actually shrank. 35:14 Stop that. 35:16 One more, 35:18 Desire of Ages speaking about the night, 35:20 He is on trial right now. 35:22 "Christ suffered keenly under abuse and insult. 35:25 And He suffered in proportion to the perfection 35:27 of His holiness and His hatred of sin. 35:29 To be surrounded by human beings 35:31 under the control of Satan was revolting to Him." 35:35 Write that word down. 35:37 I want you to catch it, revolting. 35:39 Revolting to Him. 35:42 You want to know what's revolting to me. 35:44 Glad you asked, I'll tell you. 35:46 Sticking my hand into a toilet bowl 35:48 to retrieve an object I find very revolting. 35:55 In my book you have to want that object very dearly 36:00 to stick your hands into an empty toilet bowl 36:04 and if the bowl is filled with 36:05 what belongs in a toilet bowl you can have it. 36:10 I'm not going back for it. 36:13 Nobody likes keeping company with fecal matter. 36:18 Do we? No, we no. 36:21 For the stainless, spotless, 36:24 pure son of God hanging around with sinners was revolting 36:27 and torture to His spirit 36:28 and thus he shrank back from it. 36:31 And yeah, hold on, hold on, hold on. 36:33 Get this. 36:35 But because His love for the lost rebel race 36:39 is so strong, 36:41 He agrees to plunge into the sewer head first 36:48 if that's what it will take to save this race 36:51 and He came down to our cesspool 36:54 and live next door. 36:57 Isn't that some? 36:58 You would have to love somebody pretty much 37:00 to go into a cesspool to save them. 37:05 But speaking of the contents of a toilet bowl. 37:08 The only way I can handle such fecal matter 37:11 is if it's in the diaper of someone I love. 37:15 If I tell you about my granddaughter Ella 37:17 I probably have. 37:19 Look it, I love my granddaughter Ella 37:23 so in my mind she doesn't have fecal matter, 37:25 we call it poop. 37:27 What's wrong with poops? What's wrong with poop? 37:29 You can handle poop, 37:30 it's fecal matter that I can't stand. 37:34 When it's somebody you love 37:36 and by the way little Ella's daddy, 37:38 I have changed Kirk's diapers many, many times 37:41 without the gag reflex taking over. 37:44 If it were your diapers adios. 37:50 You see, it's the mindset that makes the difference. 37:53 It's the same poop. 37:57 The wretches under the control of Satan 38:00 who spat on Jesus' face during His trial 38:03 created a revolting moment of reversion 38:07 for the pure Son of God. 38:09 And listen, listen, 38:10 and yet when His friend Peter 38:13 falls under the same control of the same Satan 38:17 for a few desert moments that same night, 38:19 Jesus can look on Peter with mourn for love, 38:22 no wrenching now, why? 38:24 Because there is a difference. Oh, sure. 38:28 He loved His enemies out of principle 38:30 but oh, my how He loves you and me out of passionate love 38:34 for who we longed to be 38:40 or we can be and we pray to be. 38:48 You're no stranger to God. 38:51 You know, the impurity that change you 38:53 like a ball and metal links. 38:59 You are no stranger to God 39:01 and He is already set in motion away 39:05 to set you free. 39:07 He loves you too much. 39:08 He loves you doesn't matter to Him the chain. 39:12 He loves me. 39:15 Pure Michigan, 39:17 Pure Jesus, but pure me? 39:22 Yep. 39:25 One passage, 39:26 I want you to look at this, 1 John. 39:28 Very end of your Bible, 1 John just for revelation. 39:30 1 John unbelievable. Take a look at this. 39:33 These words are in your Bible. 39:36 1 John 3, get a feel for this. 39:40 1 John 3:1, oh, I love verse 1. 39:43 By the way, 39:45 in my humble opinion the New International Version 39:47 has best rendered verse of any translation around. 39:50 So I've got the NIV right here. 39:51 1 John 3:1, 39:53 "See what great love the Father has lavished..." 39:58 Oh, that word "Has lavished on us, 40:03 that we should be called children of God!" 40:06 And by the way, 40:07 that's not some day, no, no, no. 40:09 He is calling us that right now that we should be called 40:12 the children of God and that is what we are. 40:14 Not many, not years down the road 40:18 that you get your act together, 40:19 then you will be one of My favorite children. 40:21 No, no, right now you are His child. 40:24 See what love He has lavished on you and me 40:27 that we should be called children of God! 40:28 And that is what we are! 40:30 The reason the world does not know us 40:31 is that it did not know him." 40:34 I mean, how could you not love back a being 40:38 who has gone to the depths of the cesspool 40:43 of this rebellion out of love to pull us out. 40:47 How could you not love Him? 40:49 Verse 2, Verse 2, "Dear friends, now..." 40:54 John is really wanting us to get this. 40:55 This is, this is old man John. 40:57 Now this is John boy, 40:58 this is John boy has become old man John. 41:00 "Dear friends, now are we children of God, 41:04 and what we will be..." 41:06 Oh, wait a minute. Wait a minute. 41:07 Now we are but don't, 41:08 Jesus takes us as we are you bet. 41:10 Good news of the gospel, 41:11 He takes us as we are but the good news of the gospel 41:14 also is He does not leave us just as we are. 41:17 He will take us that way but He won't leave us that way. 41:19 And as John is pointing right here. 41:21 "Dear friends, now we are children of God, 41:24 and what we will be has not yet been made known." 41:27 God is not finished with me. 41:29 Is He finished with you? Probably not. 41:31 So hold on, it will be made known. 41:34 One day it will click, you will say ah, "But we know..." 41:37 Keep reading, "But we know that when Christ appears..." 41:41 You see this is the great advent hope. 41:42 See that window over my head, 41:44 rose window this is the great advent home. 41:46 'We know that when Christ appears, 41:48 we shall be like him, 41:51 for we shall see him as he is." 41:56 Something happened along the way. 41:58 We got charmed into righteousness 42:00 and God just kept changing us, changing us, 42:02 changing us and when we finally see Him, 42:04 boom He says, "You're just like Him." 42:10 Paul says it over in 1 Corinthians 15:51 42:13 making the same point. 42:14 "We will all be changed in a flash, 42:16 in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet." 42:19 When Jesus comes, 42:20 that's not talking about just the bodies by the way, 42:22 that's talking about our very spirit, 42:25 our very selves. 42:27 We'll all be changed just like that. 42:30 You know what, that's good news. 42:32 That's good news. 42:34 That's good news for somebody like you, 42:35 somebody like me. 42:36 We struggle day in and day out, we struggle. 42:39 Do you struggle too I mean, just day in and day out, 42:42 just a constant battle? 42:45 But the good news is what you-- 42:47 look, you just stay with me. 42:49 You just stay with me 42:50 and when I return the final what God left, 42:53 I'll finish it. 42:55 Don't worry, I will finish what I started. 42:57 Oh, good you see. That's a great idea. 42:59 If God is gonna change me on the day of Jesus' return 43:01 and I'll just go ahead and keep on singing our old song 43:03 and until then I'll go on sinning. 43:08 No, it sounds like Oscar Wilde 43:11 who upon hearing of the gospel's good news 43:13 about God's great forgiveness. 43:15 Oscar Wilde, 43:17 you put the words on the screen please. 43:18 "This is a great idea. I love sinning. 43:20 God loves forgiving. Wonderful arrangement!" 43:23 What's not to like. 43:25 I get washed up right at the end. 43:27 No, sorry, Oscar, not so fast. 43:30 Because when you realize that it's your own sin, 43:33 when you realize your sins cost the death 43:36 of the most loving being in the universe, 43:39 why would you go on spitting in His face every day? 43:44 Why would you do that? 43:46 You would want to stop that because He loves you so deeply. 43:51 Wow, and then there's verse 3 one more. 43:55 "All who have this hope" the hope of Jesus return, 43:59 "All who have this hope in him..." 44:01 Our hope is in Him not in ourselves. 44:03 But watch this, this is a verb. 44:05 "All who have this hope all purify themselves..." 44:09 The verb says we do it. 44:11 "All purify themselves, just as he is pure." 44:17 Apparently you don't just sit back in the gospel and say, 44:20 "Let Jesus take care" 44:23 apparently He calls you into partnership. 44:27 How serious boy are you 44:28 about this pure business? 44:35 Want to know what the practical steps are 44:38 that you can, 44:39 you can purify yourself as John describes it here. 44:43 Jot them down. 44:44 All of these by the way, 44:45 these lines I'm gonna share with you they are often 44:47 in the little book Steps to Christ. 44:48 Here we go, jot them down please. 44:49 Number one, "If you long to be set free from impurity..." 44:52 Get this, ''Recognize this longing 44:55 as the voice of God to your soul.'" 44:59 Recognize, it's God's voice. 45:00 Some of you here are longing to be set free. 45:03 It doesn't matter you are longing that's God. 45:06 God says that's the great first step 45:08 you, you're ready to go. 45:11 Let's go. All right. Number two, jot it down. 45:13 "Ask God to give you repentance, 45:15 to reveal Christ to you in His infinite love, 45:18 in His perfect purity." 45:19 All of these lines from Steps to Christ. 45:21 Tell you what, you pull the gospel out every morning. 45:23 Every morning you get alone with Jesus 45:25 just one little story a day, you watch Jesus 45:29 and ask God to reveal Him to you 45:31 in His perfect purity. 45:32 Guess what? 45:33 God will reveal Christ, 45:35 the pure Jesus in places you never knew before. 45:38 I found one of those places this week. 45:39 Okay, so it's John 8, John 8, 45:41 which is the woman taken in adultery 45:43 thrown at Jesus' feet. 45:44 You remember the story John 8. 45:46 By the way where is the man? Where is the man? 45:49 Can't have adultery with just the woman. 45:51 Where is the man? 45:52 But they left the man out. It's a set up. 45:55 One author I was reading this week said this, says, 45:57 you know what, this is probably the scenario. 46:00 She was stripped to her waist. 46:02 This young woman was stripped to her waist 46:04 and made to stand in front of this capital "M" 46:07 Man in the crowd. 46:10 And there Jesus is looking at her. 46:14 Now I imagine Jesus just as much a red blooded male 46:17 as you and I are if you are male. 46:22 He is looking 46:23 but His communion with God is so fired up His heart, 46:26 so protected His mind that He can stand there 46:28 and not lust all over her. 46:29 He is looking at her as a child of God 46:31 that needs salvation. 46:33 Unmoved. 46:35 You watch pure Jesus in the gospels 46:37 what we behold we become. 46:42 I like the way Ed tells children stories. 46:44 Let's repeat that out loud together. 46:46 What we behold we become. 46:48 Oh, you didn't hear me like Ed would say. 46:50 Let's do that again out loud together. 46:52 "What we behold we become." 46:55 So love the universe, go to Jesus. 46:59 Number three, jot it down please. 47:00 "Seek for the purity of heart 47:02 that is in harmony with the law of God 47:04 and the character of Christ." 47:06 God's ten precepts for human happiness, 47:08 the Ten Commandments. 47:09 There are wall to protect us. 47:10 Hey, some of you from Brazil. 47:12 Karen and I as you remember were down in Brazil 47:14 back in May last year. 47:16 So they wanted to take us out 47:17 to see this beautiful wild canyon 47:18 and there they were signs 47:20 posted in English and Portuguese, 47:22 "Danger, do not get any closer to the edge." 47:28 That's what the law of God is, it's a huge sign. 47:30 The seventh commandment is about sexual impurity, 47:33 it's a huge sign, danger, don't get any closer, 47:36 you stay...stop. 47:38 Don't get any closer to the edge. 47:40 It's to protect us. 47:42 And by the way the law is a picture of Jesus in words. 47:44 It's His character. 47:45 Number four, jot it down. 47:47 "Do not put off the work of forsaking your sins, 47:50 and seeking purity of heart through Jesus." 47:53 Don't put it off. 47:54 No money honors when it comes to fleeing sexual impurity. 47:57 Cut it off, your right hand offends you, gone. 48:00 Your eye offends you, take your eye off. 48:02 What's He saying, act now. 48:04 Don't just sit there and say, 48:05 oh, please, I'm so helpless, I'm so weak. 48:07 No, take action. Don't put it off. 48:12 We need to have the-- This is Margaret Thatcher. 48:14 Some guy was once accosting her somehow, 48:17 put Margaret Thatcher's words on the screen 48:19 challenging that woman leader. 48:21 "Sir," she replied to him. 48:22 "Sir, I have done battle every single day of my life." 48:27 Don't you talk to me about fighting. 48:29 That's the same testimony we ought to offer up. 48:32 "I have done battle every single day of my life." 48:38 Peter Hubbard writes, put his words on the screen. 48:41 "We are not fighting a physical war, 48:44 but a spiritual one." 48:45 Sinclair Ferguson, he is quoting him 48:47 "explains, 'What then is this killing of sin? 48:50 It is the constant battle against sin 48:52 which we fight daily 48:54 the refusal to allow the eye to wander, 48:57 the mind to contemplate, 48:58 the affections to run after anything 49:00 which will draw us from Christ." 49:03 That's from Hubbard's book "Love into Light: 49:05 The Gospel, the Homosexual, and the Church." 49:11 Number five, 49:12 "Jesus desires to restore you to Himself 49:15 to see His own purity and holiness reflected in you." 49:20 Number six, "The less we see to esteem in ourselves, 49:24 the more we shall see to esteem in the infinite purity 49:27 and loveliness of our Savior." 49:28 And finally number seven, 49:30 "Christ in His purity and holiness, 49:32 Christ in His matchless love- 49:35 this is the for the soul's contemplation. 49:38 It is by loving Him, copying Him..." 49:43 What you behold, you become. 49:44 You copy Jesus. 49:46 Jesus says just follow Me, copy Me, go ahead, copy Me. 49:49 "It is by loving Him, copying Him, 49:51 depending wholly upon Him, 49:52 that you are to be transformed into His likeness." 49:56 Pure Jesus, oh, God, 49:59 let me become like my Savior. 50:04 Pure Jesus. 50:07 I would jump, put it here, "All who have this hope in Him 50:11 purify themselves just as He is pure." 50:15 Pure Michigan. Pure Jesus. 50:19 Pure me, you see that's God's promise. 50:23 I will take those sewer rags 50:24 you have been wearing a lot lately. 50:25 I'll take those sewer rags 50:27 and I'm gonna take throw them away 50:29 and I want to surround you 50:31 with a white spotless stainless robe 50:34 of Jesus' perfect purity. 50:37 And when I see you, I see pure Jesus. 50:41 You don't get any better than that. 50:43 But I must say in closing. 50:45 You know, what breaks my heart. 50:47 Just breaks my heart thinking about that Baptist pastor 50:51 and professor in the opening story 50:55 who was so overwhelmed by his guilt, 50:57 so shamed by his sin 50:59 that when the hackers published his name 51:01 took his own life. 51:07 Somehow he forgot 51:10 that someone had already taken his shame 51:14 and borne his guilt 51:17 and paid his penalty so that he could live. 51:20 He forgot that there was someone in this universe 51:23 who has promised the deep cleansing 51:27 of His lavish love. 51:29 I'll clean you, I promise do. 51:32 In fact, it's right here 51:33 chapter 1 of this book, put it on the screen. 51:35 One line, 1 John 1:7. How does it go? 51:38 "The blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin." 51:42 Not just sexual sin, no, no, no, 51:44 all sin because some of you are saying, 51:46 "Hey, man, this sex thing is no problem to me." 51:49 All sin, 51:53 the sin of impurity and every other sin washed away 51:57 by His purifying, cleansing blood 52:01 if you want. 52:05 And that's the key, if you want. 52:12 Pure Jesus. 52:15 Pure You. 52:17 Pure Me. 52:19 If we want, 52:22 if we ask. 52:25 Let us pray. 52:28 Oh, God, we ask, we ask, we ask 52:32 please get us out, 52:37 get us out of that pool, strip our rags. 52:45 Pure Jesus, that spotless, stainless robe 52:50 please wrap it around us. 52:56 We shiver in our nakedness, 52:58 but wrap it around us and then draw us to You. 53:03 Pure Jesus, pure us, 53:09 because the blood of the Lamb washes 53:14 as pure as the wind driven snow 53:20 for which we say thank you, 53:23 amen. 53:27 Let's receive our morning tithes and offerings. 53:29 Our ushers are here, yes they are. 53:31 Let's stand ushers and let's go. 53:33 We've had our prayer 53:34 and we're gonna sing a beautiful song 53:36 about Jesus paying it all 53:37 and washing me as white as snow. 54:02 I hear the Savior say 54:08 Thy strength indeed is small 54:12 Child of weakness, Watch and pray 54:17 Find in Me thine all in all 54:23 Jesus paid it all 54:28 All to Him I owe 54:32 Sin had left a crimson stain 54:38 He washed it white as snow 54:45 Lord, now indeed I find 54:50 Thy power, and Thine alone 54:56 Can change the leper's spots 55:00 And melt the heart of stone 55:05 Jesus paid it all 55:10 All to Him I owe 55:15 Sin had left a crimson stain 55:20 He washed it white as snow 55:28 Since nothing good have I 55:33 Whereby Thy grace to claim 55:38 I'll wash my garment white 55:43 In the blood of Calvary's Lamb 55:49 Jesus paid it all 55:54 All to Him I owe 55:59 Sin had left a crimson stain 56:05 He washed it white as snow 56:15 Here's the benediction from scripture. 56:16 What a dynamite promise. 56:20 "Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling 56:23 and to present you before his glorious presence 56:26 without spot and with great joy 56:32 to the only God our Savior 56:33 be glory, majesty, power and authority, 56:36 through Jesus Christ our Lord, 56:38 before all ages, now and forevermore! 56:43 Amen." Amen. 56:44 Amen. 56:56 May I take an extra moment with you 56:58 and let you know how grateful I am 56:59 that you joined us and worshiped today 57:01 and from viewers like you across the nation 57:04 and literally around the world and I'm thankful. 57:06 If you would like to explore further 57:08 what we've just shared, 57:09 I hope you will visit us at our website. 57:11 It's an easy one to remember www.pmchurch.tv. 57:16 We are the Pioneer Memorial Church 57:18 here on the campus of Andrews University. 57:20 So that's www.pmchurch.tv. 57:23 Click on to that website 57:25 and you will be able to listen to a podcast of this material, 57:27 you can download the presentation, 57:28 you can print off the study guide, 57:30 you may have a special prayer need 57:32 that you wish to share with our prayer partners 57:34 or you may wish to partner with us 57:35 through a personal donation to help reach this generation 57:38 with the everlasting good news of Christ. 57:41 If you rather talk with someone, 57:42 call one of our friendly operators. 57:44 Here's the toll free number 877 and then the two words 57:47 HIS-WILL, 877-HIS-WILL. 57:51 In the meantime may the grace and peace of Jesus be yours 57:54 every step of this adventurous way. |
Revised 2017-08-03