Participants: Pr. Dwight K. Nelson
Series Code: NP
Program Code: NP160827A
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00:32 To God be the glory, great things He hath done
00:38 So loved He the world that He gave us His Son 00:44 Who yielded His life an atonement for sin 00:50 And opened the life gate that all may go in 00:57 Praise the Lord, praise the Lord 01:00 Let the earth hear His voice 01:03 Praise the Lord, praise the Lord 01:06 Let the people rejoice 01:09 O come to the Father, through Jesus the Son 01:15 And give Him the glory 01:19 Great things He hath done 01:25 O perfect redemption, the purchase of blood 01:31 To every believer the promise of God 01:38 The vilest offender who truly believes 01:45 That moment from Jesus a pardon receives 01:52 Praise the Lord, praise the Lord 01:55 Let the earth hear His voice 01:59 Praise the Lord, praise the Lord 02:01 Let the people rejoice 02:05 O come to the Father, through Jesus the Son 02:11 And give Him the glory 02:15 Great things He hath done 02:21 Great things He hath taught us, great things He hath done 02:28 And great our rejoicing through Jesus the Son 02:34 But purer, and higher, 02:38 and greater will be 02:41 Our wonder, our transport, 02:45 when Jesus we see 02:49 Praise the Lord, praise the Lord 02:52 Let the earth hear His voice 02:55 Praise the Lord, praise the Lord 02:58 Let the people rejoice 03:02 O come to the Father, through Jesus the Son 03:08 And give Him the glory, great things He hath done 03:22 Pray with me this morning, 03:23 praise the Lord all you servants of the Lord 03:26 who minister by night in the house of the Lord. 03:29 Lift up your hands in the sanctuary 03:31 and praise the Lord. 03:33 Father, may our hearts be true. 03:36 May our submission be total, 03:38 may our recognition of you as God 03:40 and King of this universe be complete, 03:42 in Jesus' name we pray, amen. 03:49 I will give, you all my worship 03:53 I will give, you all my praise 03:58 You alone, I long to worship 04:03 You alone, are worthy of my praise 04:22 I will worship I will worship 04:26 With all of my heart With all of my heart 04:31 I will praise you I will praise you 04:35 With all of my strength All my strength 04:40 I will seek you I will seek you 04:44 All of my days All of my days 04:49 I will follow I will follow 04:53 All of your ways All your ways 04:59 I will give, you all my worship 05:03 I will give, you all my praise 05:07 You alone, I long to worship 05:12 You alone, are worthy of my praise 05:25 I will bow down I will bow down 05:29 Hail you as king And hail you as king 05:34 I will serve you I will serve you 05:38 I will give you everything Everything 05:43 I will lift up I will lift up 05:47 My eyes to your throne My eyes to your throne 05:52 I will trust you I will trust you 05:56 Trust you alone 06:01 I will give, you all my worship 06:05 I will give, you all my praise 06:10 You alone, I long to worship 06:14 You alone, are worthy of my praise 06:19 I will give, you all my worship 06:24 I will give, you all my praise 06:28 You alone, I long to worship 06:33 You alone, are worthy of my praise 06:42 Have you thought for a moment 06:43 what idols you might have in your life? 06:46 You know, we think of idols in Old Testament terms, 06:49 we think of these little things, right? 06:50 The statues that we put in our homes and we say, 06:53 that's not a good thing to have. 06:57 But I'm confident that we have re-contextualized idols 07:00 and basically in idols anything that gives 07:03 more of your devotion than God. 07:07 Anything that you think will give you a power 07:10 that only God can give you, 07:11 only, anything that you think will give you a strength 07:13 and a healing that only God can do. 07:17 And we come here to worship every Sabbath. 07:21 I hope we're reminding ourselves 07:22 that nothing else will do 07:24 except for worship with the Most High. 07:28 None else and nothing else has the power that He has, 07:33 nothing else and no one else 07:35 has sacrificed as much as He has 07:38 for your devotion. 07:40 So we come here, 07:42 we come to glorify Him 07:45 'cause He alone deserves the glory. 08:12 We will glorify the King of kings 08:18 We will glorify the Lamb 08:23 We will glorify the Lord of lords 08:29 Who is the great I am 08:37 Lord Jehovah reigns in majesty 08:42 We will bow before His throne 08:47 We will worship Him in righteousness 08:53 We will worship Him alone 09:06 He is Lord of Heaven, Lord of Earth 09:11 He is Lord of all who live 09:16 He is Lord above the universe 09:22 All praise to Him we give 09:29 We will glorify the King of kings 09:35 We will glorify the Lamb 09:40 We will glorify the Lord of lords 09:46 Who is the great I am 09:51 Who is the great I am 09:59 One of the amazing things 10:00 when you look at scripture 10:02 about worship is that it's intended, 10:05 worship with Him is intended to engage your mind, 10:08 engage your spirit and engage your body. 10:11 When Moses came to the burning bush, 10:13 God said to him, 10:15 run holy ground, take off your sandals and so, 10:17 Moses had to physically remove his sandals 10:19 to be in the presence of God. 10:21 When the angels appeared in all of their majesty 10:24 to the shepherds in their glory and proclaiming who Jesus was, 10:27 they were taken back, 10:29 and the Bible records their physical response 10:31 to all of that glory and majesty, 10:33 which is dim compared to that of the glory of God. 10:35 When the elders in Revelation are seated 10:38 around the throne of God proclaiming his holy, 10:40 they are bowing down before Him, 10:43 in a physical way giving themselves up 10:46 and surrendering themselves to Him 10:48 and recognize that He alone is worthy. 10:53 So when we worship, it's a total human experience. 10:59 It's giving our mind, it's giving our heart, 11:02 our spirit and our bodies entirely to God. 11:07 Total submission to Him. 11:10 So this morning, 11:11 we have you standing as a symbol of that submission. 11:17 We have you singing 11:19 as a demonstration of your hearts 11:21 giving to Him, 11:23 the only one who deserves it. 11:26 And we're praying 11:28 'cause our spirit must confess our need for Him. 11:33 We need to look to Him to teach us the way, 11:36 the truth and the life. 11:52 Speak, O Lord, as we come to You 11:59 To receive the food 12:02 Of Your Holy Word 12:07 Take Your truth, plant it deep in us 12:14 Shape and fashion us 12:18 In Your likeness 12:23 That the light of Christ might be seen today 12:31 In our acts of love 12:34 And our deeds of faith 12:39 Speak, O Lord, and fulfill in us 12:45 All Your purposes for Your glory 12:53 So many of us here need 12:55 God's purpose fulfilled in our lives, 12:56 there are so many things at the end of this week 12:58 that are unresolved. 13:00 There're still hearts that are broken. 13:02 There is still bodies that need healing. 13:05 But the scripture says this, it says that, 13:07 "He is the powder and we're the clay." 13:10 So this morning if you need that powder 13:13 to shape something in your life, 13:15 we invite you to come forward as we sing this next verse. 13:17 Come as close to the cross 13:20 and invite Him to shape you, to direct you, 13:23 to give new purpose to your life. 13:25 Come forward. 13:32 Teach us, Lord, full obedience 13:39 Holy reverence 13:43 True humility 13:48 Test our thoughts and our attitudes 13:54 In the radiance of Your purity 14:03 Cause our faith to rise, cause our eyes to see 14:10 Your majestic love 14:14 And authority 14:19 Words of pow'r that can never fail 14:25 Let their truth prevail over unbelief 14:33 When Christ was on the cross, He stretched out His arms 14:38 and because of His sacrifice, 14:39 He was able to receive 14:41 as the Father is able to receive us. 14:44 This morning if you want to receive 14:46 what God has for you in your life, 14:48 I ask you to do the same. 14:50 Open your arms up to Him 14:53 as an act of worship this morning, 14:54 just put your arms in front of you 14:56 and open it up and receive 14:58 what He has to give you as we sing this final verse. 15:22 Speak, O Lord, and renew our minds 15:29 Help us grasp the heights 15:33 Of Your plans for us 15:38 Truths unchanged from the dawn of time 15:44 That will echo down 15:48 Through eternity 15:54 And by grace we'll stand on Your promises 16:01 And by faith we'll walk 16:05 As You walk with us 16:10 Speak, O Lord, till Your church is built 16:17 And the earth is filled with Your glory 16:31 Speak, O Lord, till Your church is built 16:38 And the earth is filled with Your glory. 16:48 Amen. 16:53 Good morning. 16:55 This morning as a anthem is a Spanish setting of words 16:59 that come from the gospel of Matthew 18:19 and 20. 17:03 And in English this reads, 17:05 "Again, I say to you, 17:07 if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, 17:10 it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 17:14 For where two or three are gathered in my name, 17:17 there am I among them." 20:51 That was beautiful, wasn't it? 20:56 In any language, 21:00 it's the truth we need. 21:03 Two of you over there, I'm there. 21:07 You agree about something in the word with someone else, 21:14 I give you that word. 21:19 Thank you, chamber singers. 21:22 Great promise to begin the New Year. 21:27 Dear God, what they just sang. 21:30 Oh, my. 21:32 The red letter promise of Jesus, 21:33 two or three of you together, I'm there. 21:37 Two of you agree about anything you need of heaven, 21:41 I will give you. 21:47 Well, we're all agreed, 21:51 that this teaching 21:53 whatever it is 21:56 needs the full awed power 21:59 of the mighty third person that the God had release through it, 22:02 so please have your way, 22:03 hide me, hide any distractions right now, 22:06 may your voice be the voice of God 22:08 somehow penetrate our inner thought processes 22:12 and leave us never the same again, 22:14 in Jesus name we pray, 22:16 amen. 22:18 Because you see that's particularly 22:20 why I'm really enthusiastic about this series, 22:24 been working all summer on it. 22:29 I believe that what you're about to discover 22:31 that we will discover together is going to change your life. 22:34 You will never be the same again, 22:35 it will change your life forever. 22:37 The only reason I know that is because this teaching, 22:40 this summer has changed my life 22:44 and my mind how I think. 22:46 And I will never be the same again. 22:53 I tell you this, 22:54 not because I have found something, 22:56 I'm nothing. 22:58 But I came across three authors who found this for me 23:00 and because they have helped me, 23:02 I promised God, 23:04 if this is clear to me I will teach it to you. 23:09 Now the title of this series is a hashtag 23:13 #RxF4now. 23:18 The reason it's a hashtag is number one, 23:23 you can use that hashtag. 23:25 We've got a team 23:26 that will be monitoring the hashtags on Twitter 23:28 all through every presentation. 23:30 You can use that hashtag, I bet you do it. 23:32 I started it last night, 23:35 because I tweet on Friday night's. 23:38 Number two, the reason for this hashtag 23:42 as our title is because the hashtag says it all. 23:46 You say, Dwight, I don't see a thing in that, 23:47 that's okay. 23:49 It will come to you someday. 23:52 Even if you think you know it now, 23:56 we're gonna plunge in it, 23:57 plunge into it together. 23:58 So without further ado, let's roll that video trailer 24:00 and then go to the Word of God. 24:38 In the beginning God created 24:41 the heavens and the earth. 24:46 Listen to our president, 24:47 our brand new president Andrea Luxton 24:48 standing right here on Thursday, 24:50 preaching to the entire university community. 24:53 And she announces to us, 24:54 "Hey, you know what 24:56 this New Year's going to be about? 24:57 It's gonna be about stories 24:58 because we are all stories in the writing, 25:00 thousands of stories at Andrews University, 25:01 thousands at the Pioneer Memorial Church. 25:04 It's the blending of the story. 25:06 So why not start off with the story 25:08 that predates us all. 25:09 Genesis 1, let's go. 25:11 Genesis 1, in the beginning... 25:14 You didn't bring a Bible, 25:16 got a pew Bible right in front of you. 25:17 Page one in the pew Bible. 25:19 I'm in the New International Version. 25:22 Genesis 1, here we go. 25:27 Verse 1, 25:28 "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 25:35 Now the earth was formless and empty, 25:37 darkness was over the surface of the deep, 25:39 and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. 25:42 And God said, 'Let there be light,' 25:47 and there was light." 25:52 ' We might as well cut to the chase. 25:55 There is no more powerful force in the entire universe 25:58 than the word God speaks. 26:03 That point is so critical to the truth 26:05 we will discover together this morning, 26:07 that we got to write it down right now. 26:09 Grab your study guide out of your worship bulletin, 26:11 there is a study guide, a brand new study guide. 26:13 We've gone all summer without study guides 26:15 but we're back into them now. 26:18 Come on, ushers. 26:20 Thank you for making sure that 26:21 everybody here gets a study guide. 26:24 Now, here they come. 26:26 You didn't get a study guide, hold your hand up. 26:27 The ushers will come in here, they will assist you. 26:31 Those of you watching right now 26:32 on a screen somewhere, 26:34 let we put our 26:37 website on the screen. 26:38 There you go. You see it. 26:39 There it is. 26:41 New Series #RxF4Now. 26:45 Title of today's teaching Believe! 26:48 Notice the exclamation mark, all right. 26:50 Believe! 26:51 You go to that website www.newperceptions.tv, 26:57 you'll see the hashtag. 26:59 Click on study guide, you'll have it. 27:01 You want this collection, there is a chain right now. 27:05 And we go. 27:06 Okay, so come on, let's jot it down. 27:09 Genesis 1:3 we just read these words. 27:11 "And God said, let..." 27:15 Oh, circle that word 27:16 'cause we're coming back to you, 27:17 you see that word all the way through. 27:19 "Let there be light and there was light." 27:23 Keep writing, 27:25 "There is no more powerful force 27:26 in all the universe than the word that God speaks." 27:30 What's that mean, Dwight? 27:31 Hang on. Keep writing. 27:33 "Whatever he says, is..." 27:37 In other words when God speaks a word, 27:39 that spoken word creates the reality it describes. 27:45 God speaks the word light and in a nanosecond, boom. 27:48 there is light. 27:50 Because the Word of God is the most powerful force 27:53 in the universe, that's why. 27:56 And so that's why in the creation account 27:58 you'll find two phrases woven all the way through 28:01 and God said and it was so, and God said and it was so. 28:04 Day number two, and God said, 28:06 "Let there be atmosphere and it was so." 28:07 Day number three, God said, 28:08 "Let there be land with vegetation upon it 28:11 and it was so." 28:12 Day number four, God said, 28:13 "Let there be lights in the sky, 28:15 sun, moon and planets and it was so. 28:16 Day number five, 28:18 "Let there be birds in the air 28:19 and fishes in the sea and it was so." 28:22 Day number six, 28:23 "Let there be animals that roam and crawl 28:26 over the face of the earth and it was so." 28:28 Also day number six, let there be man, 28:30 let there be woman and it was not so." 28:34 You know why? 28:35 Because he never said it. 28:38 We are the only part of this creation 28:41 that God refused to speak into existence. 28:44 He is so in love with the very thought of this new race, 28:47 that He will painstakingly personally sculpt. 28:53 A man and a woman into existence 28:55 and then He will with His own breath, 28:58 you could almost say that 29:00 when He created us, it took His breath away. 29:05 And by the way, who's the creator? 29:08 Never forget that the creator in Genesis 1 29:11 is the creator in John 1. 29:14 You look all these verses up in your Bible 29:15 and mark them down. 29:17 I know you will. 29:18 So we're just gonna put them on the screen now. 29:19 John 1:1, 3 and 14, jot it down. 29:24 "In the beginning was the..." 29:25 what? 29:27 Say that to me. 29:28 What is it? In the beginning was the word. 29:30 The most powerful force in the universe. 29:31 "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, 29:35 and the Word was God. 29:37 Through him or are all things were made", 29:39 and God said and it was so and God said and it was so. 29:44 "Through Him all things were made, 29:45 without Him nothing was made that has been made, 29:47 and the word..." 29:48 Who is this word by the way? 29:50 And verse 14, 29:51 "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us." 29:56 Christ Jesus was and still is our creator. 30:00 He is the creator of the universe. 30:03 That's the point. 30:06 In the beginning when He spoke a word, 30:11 that's spoken word created the reality it described. 30:15 Today when He speaks the word, 30:17 that spoken word will create a reality it describes. 30:22 God says, you can't miss this, you can't miss this, 30:24 so it is replete throughout scripture. 30:26 Here's what I want you to see in your Bible. 30:29 I don't want you to read it off the screen, Isaiah. 30:33 Oh, this is good. 30:34 Isaiah 55, 30:36 Isaiah 55, 30:39 page 498 in the pew Bible. 30:41 Isaiah 55, so we go back to the creation 30:45 that the theme of the creation is woven in the verse 10. 30:47 We want to get to verse 11 30:48 but verse 10 sets this up with the creation motive. 30:51 Isaiah 55:10, you got it there. 30:55 Good. 30:56 "As the rain and the snow come down from heaven." 30:58 There is only one place on earth 31:00 where you can get rain and snow the same day 31:01 and that's Michigan. 31:03 This text was written for people from Michigan. 31:05 How did God know? 31:07 How did He know? 31:08 But He did. 31:10 "As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, 31:12 and do not return to it without watering the earth 31:16 and making it bud and flourish, 31:18 so that it yields seed for the sower 31:19 and bread for the eater." 31:21 Here it comes now. 31:22 "So is my word that goes out from my..." 31:26 what? From my what? 31:27 From my mouth. 31:29 I speak it. 31:31 "So is my word that goes out from my mouth. 31:33 It will not return to me empty, 31:36 but will accomplish what I desire 31:38 and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." 31:43 That is so dynamite. 31:44 You got to fill that verses in, 31:45 we're gonna need a double reading of this. 31:47 Write it down, "So is my word that goes out from my mouth. 31:54 It will not return to me empty, 31:56 but it will accomplish what I desire 32:01 and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." 32:05 You see whatever God says is. 32:11 When God speaks the word, 32:13 that spoken word creates the reality that it describes. 32:19 I'm reading the Message Bible Through right now. 32:21 And so I began reading it middle of the summer. 32:24 And I said, I want to read the Message Bible Through 32:26 before Hope trending. 32:27 And the only way I could do it, I calculated it, 32:29 it would, was to read 30 pages a day. 32:31 So as a part of my worship now 32:32 30 pages a day from the Message, 32:34 so just this week I'm in Isaiah and I found this verse. 32:37 Eugene Peterson 32:38 who only can render something with in a fresh twist. 32:41 I put it on the screen for you, jot it down. 32:43 Isaiah 45:23, from the message. 32:47 "Every word out of my mouth does what it says?" 32:53 Isn't that good? 32:55 "Every word out of my mouth does what it says." 32:59 Which is why by the way Titus 1:2. 33:02 I'm gonna put Titus 1:2, throwing for a loop up there. 33:05 I'm gonna put Titus 1:2 on the screen right now, 33:08 because you see it in your study guide. 33:10 "God cannot lie." 33:13 Every word out of my mouth does what it says. 33:15 So if God steps into our space today said, 33:19 "Oh, by the way I have a little option 33:20 to make the sky today's chartreuse." 33:22 Guess what color of the sky is? 33:25 It's chartreuse. 33:26 If God says, I haven't even looked at the color out there 33:28 but whatever God speaks, exists. 33:31 He cannot lie. 33:32 Because, if He says it, what's the point? 33:35 If He says it, 33:37 it is. 33:40 Wow. 33:43 Omnipotent power. 33:44 Not only in the words of God but in the Word of God. 33:48 Watch this 2 Timothy 3:16. 33:52 Jot it down. 33:53 "All Scripture is God-breathed." 33:57 Hyphenated word. 33:58 I love it in the NIV. 34:00 "All Scripture is God-breathed." 34:02 Remember we just read it a moment ago. 34:04 Read it with John as he read our scripture Psalm 33:6, 34:08 "And all the starry host of them 34:10 by the breath of his mouth." 34:13 All Scripture... 34:15 "All scripture is God-breathed 34:19 and is useful for teaching, 34:21 rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness." 34:23 The book, here's the deal. 34:25 The book is the Word of God 34:28 and this book as the Word of God 34:32 can unleash omnipotent power 34:36 in your mind. 34:37 I'm gonna share a testimony with you in just a moment, 34:42 how this has changed my life. 34:47 It would change the way you think. 34:50 It would change the way you feel. 34:53 It would change the way you live. 34:55 It will change your new year. 34:58 The power is in this God-breathed word. 35:02 Amen. Wow. 35:05 In fact when the word was here among us made flesh, 35:09 He drove home that point. 35:10 Don't want you to miss it. 35:12 These would be red letters in your Bible, 35:14 but we'll put it on the screen, John 6:63, Jesus speaking. 35:17 "The words I have spoken to you", 35:20 the what? 35:22 The words. 35:23 All the red letter words in the gospels. 35:26 Those are the words He spoke. 35:27 "The words I have spoken to you, 35:30 they are full of the Spirit..." 35:32 And by the way the Greek word for spirit is breath 35:34 can be trust out of the wind, breath, spirit. 35:37 They are full of the breath of God, 35:39 the spirit and life. 35:42 Now there is an idea for you. 35:43 You want a little unique devotional life 35:46 at the beginning of this New Year? 35:49 Why not go on a red letter diet? 35:52 For your worship just the red letters. 35:54 You work your way slowly through one of the gospels 35:56 one at a time. 35:57 Why not? 35:59 Every word is breath, breath in the spirit of God. 36:02 Every word has my life embedded in it. 36:05 What Jesus is saying? He's saying read My word. 36:08 Believe My words. 36:11 And they will come to life in you. 36:16 By the way, that's the only variable, 36:18 the only variable, 36:20 the only condition for this profound truth 36:21 that we are coming to grips with. 36:24 Some of you encountering it 36:26 for the first time in your life. 36:27 That's the only variable to this truth and that is, 36:31 you must believe. 36:35 And by the way, 36:36 I just, because I know what you're thinking. 36:38 God is not like 36:40 these long legal releases you have to scroll through 36:42 when you're downloading an app on to your device 36:44 and you go through, read, read, read, read, 36:46 get all-- 36:47 I agree or I have read this agreement, 36:49 you know those that you never read. 36:53 God is not like that. 36:55 Is our God is doing with this stupendous promise of His 36:59 embedding it with so many exceptions 37:01 that He'll never have to deliver. 37:03 Nope, nope, nope only one condition. 37:06 Here it is. Jot it down. 37:08 Hebrews 11, the Bible hall of faith. 37:10 Hebrews 11 definition of faith verse 1. 37:13 "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for 37:17 and assurance in what we do not see." 37:23 That's what faith is, I don't see it. 37:24 I can't feel it but I believe. 37:28 Oh, don't miss verse 6 also there. 37:30 Verse 6, 37:31 "And without faith 37:33 it is impossible to please God..." 37:35 You know why? 37:36 Because anyone who comes to God must believe, 37:39 number one, that He exists and number two, 37:41 that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him. 37:47 Now guys, look, 37:48 God is not trying to play hard to get, 37:49 I will make this so hard 37:51 you'll never be able to get to me. 37:52 Are you kidding? 37:54 This is the most logical thing for God to say, 37:55 Hey, you and me, 37:56 we're going to do business together. 37:58 Now I got to tell you, if you don't believe me, 37:59 if you do not accept My word, 38:02 you reject it, we can't do business. 38:04 It's not my fault. 38:06 I want to do business but you have to trust Me, 38:08 you have to believe Me. 38:11 That's what He's saying. 38:13 Reminds me of the story 38:15 of the desperate father of the boy 38:17 possessed with the evil demon 38:19 and the disciples are absolutely 38:21 unable to cast out that demon. 38:22 And all of a sudden Jesus shows up. 38:24 You remember this? 38:26 And the desperate father, heartbroken father cries out, 38:30 "Yo, if you can have mercy on me and my boy, 38:35 and Jesus turns right around and He quotes the father. 38:38 What is this, Mark 9:23 and Jesus says, ""If you can"?" 38:42 You're saying to me, if you can? 38:45 Fill it in. 38:47 Everything is possible for the one who believes. 38:51 "And immediately the boy's father exclaimed, 38:53 'Oh, I do believe. 38:55 Please, help me overcome my unbelief.''" 38:58 And with that the boy is boom, he's healed, 39:01 the demon cast out. 39:04 What's up with that? 39:06 I'll tell you what's up with this. 39:07 That father did not have pure belief. 39:10 By his own admission he had some belief 39:13 and he had some disbelief. 39:17 But apparently Jesus is not demanding perfect faith. 39:22 Not even requiring a faith with no doubts. 39:25 I'll take you with your doubts. 39:27 All I need is just a grain of mustard seed 39:29 amount of faith. 39:30 Just give me a grain, just a grain. 39:33 That's all I needed for the father, 39:34 that's all I need for you 39:36 but I have to have that mustard seed. 39:41 What do we just read, 39:42 "Faith is confidence in what we hope for 39:44 and assurance in what we do not see." 39:47 After all by the way, 39:49 that was certainly on display in that pagan Roman centurion 39:53 who interrupts Jesus one beautiful Palestine morning, 39:57 when he says, "Excuse me, sir, 39:59 I have a servant very dear to my heart 40:02 and he is dying. 40:04 I need you to heal him. I'll go to your house. 40:05 No, no, no, you're not coming to my place. 40:09 No. 40:10 You just say the word, you just say the word 40:14 and my servant will be healed. 40:15 And Jesus quilts around on His heal. 40:21 And He says, 40:22 I have been hanging around to save for years 40:25 and I have never found his kind of faith, 40:29 that this pagan Roman just has displayed, 40:32 and then Jesus turns back to that soldier 40:35 and eye to eye, Jesus speaks these words. 40:37 Matthew 8:13 "Go! Let..." 40:41 Now I want you to write that word 40:43 in because there it is again. 40:44 "Let it be done 40:47 just as you believed it would be." 40:50 Let it be done, the same creator who cried out, 40:52 "Let there be light." 40:55 Cries out to this pagan centurion, 40:58 let it be done as you believe and boom, it was. 41:02 God said it was done. 41:04 God said it was done. Let, it was done. 41:10 Wow. 41:12 "Faith is confidence in what we hope for 41:16 and assurance in what we do not see." 41:19 Now look, there's one more story. 41:22 We got to share this one. 41:26 In the middle of the night, once upon a time, 41:32 God shows up to a friend of His 41:35 who's sound asleep. 41:38 And God says, 41:40 "Hey, Abraham, Abraham, 41:44 feel sorry to wake you up. 41:47 But I've been thinking, 41:49 I've been listening to you and Sarah. 41:52 I know how disappointed you are with Me. 41:56 You know, 41:57 I promised you a child and you're beginning to doubt 42:00 that I could ever give you, what I promised you. 42:05 So you and I need to have a conversation, 42:06 crawl out of that bed please. 42:09 Abraham tiptoes out of the tent. 42:12 He steps beneath this midnight sea of silver. 42:17 Like that little boy on the cover 42:19 of today's worship bulletin. 42:21 And he looks up, 42:24 and God says to him, the pre-incarnate Christ, 42:27 good for you Abraham, I want you to look up there. 42:30 Look, look, look. 42:32 Do me a favor, will you account them, 42:33 count them for me. 42:34 I need to know. Okay, God I will. 42:37 Oh, God this is crazy. This is impossible. 42:41 That's my point, Abraham. 42:45 That's my point. 42:48 I promised you, 42:51 the word came out of my mouth, 42:54 you will get it from me. 42:57 Amen. 42:59 And both Genesis 15:6 and Romans 4:3 43:03 read the identical way. 43:04 Jot it down. 43:05 "Abraham believed God, 43:09 and it was credited to him as righteousness." 43:14 Do you know what Abraham did as he's looking up to the stars 43:15 and God whispers in his ears, 43:17 you're going to have descendants this many. 43:19 Do you know what Abraham did, he said, 43:22 amen. 43:25 That's all he did. 43:27 They are not having a theological discussion. 43:29 God is not unfolding the plan of salvation. 43:31 They're having, they're talking about a promise 43:32 that Abraham once upon a time received from God, 43:34 and he's not sure it's going to come through now. 43:36 And Abraham finally says, amen. 43:41 And God said, perfect. 43:43 You are righteous. 43:49 That's all I need. I accept your amen. 43:52 I now declare you right 43:54 because righteousness at its gut essence 43:57 simply means right. 43:59 I declare you right. 44:02 A kind physician 44:03 who lives on the other side of the lake from us, 44:06 the state over there to the west, 44:08 sent me a book this summer. 44:10 I read it. 44:13 It has hugely impacted my thinking, 44:18 and my living. 44:21 It's written by a young New Zealander named 44:23 Camron Schofield. 44:24 Title of the book, "Heralding the Loud Cry." 44:28 Schofield captures this moment 44:32 that we just lived. 44:34 I'll put Schofield's words on the screen, 44:35 you read off the screen. 44:37 It's in your study guide, you take it home. 44:38 "God said to Abraham, 44:42 'Look at the stars, 44:43 tell the number of them and so shall thy seed be.' 44:46 And Abraham believed God. 44:50 He said 'Amen.' 44:52 And what did God say? 44:54 God said, 'You are right. You are righteous.'" 44:58 Now he asks us, readers a question, 45:01 Camron does. 45:02 "Are you willing to believe 45:04 that is how Abraham became righteous? 45:07 But does that sound too easy? 45:10 "When God says something, is He right?" 45:13 Of course, Camron, He's right. 45:15 "And if I say that that is so, that what He has said is so, 45:18 then am I not right as well?" 45:20 Of course Camron, you're right. 45:22 "If God is right when He says it and I say, 45:25 'Amen, let it be, so be it.'" 45:27 It was a ways to translate the word. 45:30 "Then am I not right?" 45:32 In fact, "Am I then not as right as God is? 45:37 But of course, you are 45:38 because if God's right and I say amen, 45:41 I'm right, I'm just as right as He. 45:47 "And if He is right... 45:54 and I say the same thing that He has said, 45:57 can He say I am wrong?" 46:00 No, He can't. You're right. 46:04 You're not wrong, you're right. 46:06 Amen, you said. 46:10 One more line. 46:12 "Whatever it is, 46:14 no matter what it is, whatever He says, 46:16 if we will believe it, God will say, 46:20 'You are right. You are right.'" 46:28 Bing. 46:32 You see that word righteousness 46:33 can be a formidable barrier for us. 46:35 It's a kind of a scary word. 46:38 It's the word that threw Martin Luther for a loop 46:40 creating this deep fear of the holy God 46:42 he was seeking to please, 46:43 whose acceptance, he was desperate to win. 46:46 He was never sure that his sins were forgiven, 46:48 let alone forgotten. 46:49 And so he would flagellate himself for hours 46:51 and hoping that this will win God's. 46:55 Okay, you are okay Martin, you're okay. 47:04 But as Camron helps us see at its vital core 47:07 righteousness is simply about being in the right. 47:11 And what part of me needs to be in the right? 47:12 The part of me that says, amen to God's promise 47:15 which also is right. 47:18 Abraham believed God 47:20 and it was credited to him as righteousness. 47:25 What's the it? Tell me what that it? 47:26 What's the antecedent to the it? 47:28 What's the it? At it, what is it? 47:31 Believe. 47:33 Yeah, it was the act of believing. 47:36 Abraham said, amen. 47:39 You got it. You got it. 47:45 When God declared Abraham righteous, 47:47 God was saying, you are right. 47:50 I accept your amen. 47:53 I accept your believing in my promise, 47:56 you are right. 47:58 Read that line again, put it up please, 47:59 Camron, "Whatever it is, no matter what it is, 48:01 whatever God says, if we will believe it, 48:04 God will say, 'You are right. 48:06 You are right.'" 48:09 And what is so right about you and me? 48:11 What is right is that we say amen to the promise of God. 48:15 By the way, any promise of God. 48:18 Not just if reserved. 48:20 Any promise of God say, amen to it, He says, 48:23 you're right because I'm right. We're right together. 48:30 Too simple. 48:33 Too simplistic. 48:36 We're gonna spend a few days this fall 48:39 exploring this truth. 48:43 I know it will leave you never the same 48:45 because of what's happened to me 48:47 just in a few weeks. 48:50 So if it's okay with you, 48:51 I would like to close with a personal testimony. 48:54 There's been some stuff 48:55 I have struggled with in my life, 48:58 most all in my life I suppose. 49:02 I want to share struggle with you. 49:05 To show you the divine power behind this teaching 49:08 that when God speaks the word, 49:10 that spoken word creates the reality it describes. 49:16 Because you see the God who says, "Let there be light." 49:18 That God who said, let there be light 49:20 is the same God who said, jot this down please. 49:23 John 14:27, 49:24 "Let not your heart be troubled, 49:27 neither let it be afraid." 49:32 I have struggled with fear, 49:35 on and off throughout my life. 49:38 Sometimes quite rational I think, 49:40 sometimes very irrational. 49:45 But when a writer named EJ. Wagner 49:49 and another one named Camron Schofield, 49:52 let me through the series of Bible verses 49:54 we have just shared this morning, 49:56 it suddenly dawned on me. 49:59 God spoken word 50:02 creates the reality that it describes. 50:07 And I was out running one morning this summer. 50:09 I know the very place, 50:11 I know the very second in that run, 50:12 I'm near the end of the run. 50:15 And I am just opening my heart up to God, I said, 50:18 "God, these fears, 50:23 can't you say 50:25 anything to me for them. 50:31 And just like that, 50:33 the Spirit of God said to me, 50:36 while I'm running, 50:39 let not your heart be troubled, 50:42 neither let it be afraid. 50:44 And it was just, it was one of those 50:48 eureka moments 50:49 when all of the studying and reading I've been doing 50:53 just came together in my personal struggle. 50:57 And I realize the one who says, 50:59 let there be light just said to me, Dwight, 51:02 "Let not your heart be troubled. 51:04 Let it not be afraid." 51:06 And you know what? 51:08 It hasn't been since. 51:10 What's up with that? 51:12 Who thought of this? 51:16 God says, when the word comes out of My mouth, 51:18 it will accomplish 51:20 what I designed it to accomplish. 51:23 I don't want you to ever be afraid. 51:26 Leather of fishy skiff that's going down, 51:28 they didn't have to be afraid. 51:31 You don't have to fear. 51:32 Let not your heart be afraid. 51:35 Boom, gone. 51:38 So then I said and I said, "Wow." 51:41 I'm gonna say how many of these little let commands 51:43 that God has woven into scripture. 51:46 I found 28 of them. 51:49 Let and don't come up afterwards and asking me for it 51:53 'cause you're not getting a single one of them. 51:56 You do the work, 51:58 I pointed it out, you do the work. 52:01 You find them, all you need is a concordance 52:03 and look up the word let. 52:04 And look up every reference to let, 52:06 you'll see they're way more than 28. 52:09 Because you see another struggle I've had 52:11 and some of you have the same struggle. 52:16 I really struggle to be like Jesus, 52:18 to be honest with you. 52:19 It's just that. 52:21 I just struggle and the people who know me best know. 52:24 He struggles. 52:28 Yeah. 52:30 And so as I'm putting these 'Let's' together, boom. 52:33 There it is. 52:35 Put it on the screen Philippians 2:5, 52:37 "Let this mind be in you 52:40 which was also in Christ Jesus." 52:43 Isn't that some? 52:44 The same God who said, let there be light just said, 52:47 let this mind be in you boy, my mind, I'm gonna put my mind, 52:52 Dwight, inside of you because I am your creator. 52:55 You will have my mind 52:57 and then I said to God as soon as that done. 52:59 I said, God, oh, I know I'll forget this. 53:02 "Would you please remind me constantly?" 53:05 And God says, "Okay, Gabriel, give the boy a break." 53:09 Let's remind him and all through the day now, 53:12 all through the day, boom, boom, 53:14 let this mind be in you, Dwight. 53:15 And before I walk into talk with somebody who's in trouble, 53:18 before I walk into a committee, before I walk in, 53:20 before I step up into this pulpit, 53:22 before I have a conversation, 53:24 before, before, boom. 53:29 Let this mind be in you which was in me. 53:33 You'll be fine. 53:34 Have I failed? 53:36 I hang my head in shame, because I forget, 53:39 even with constant reminders, I forget. 53:42 But I'm telling you what, these two verses have just 53:45 rewritten the game plan for my life. 53:49 Last night late, God and I were talking I said, 53:51 "God, why does it take you so long to figure this out?" 53:56 He says, "You're the one that took so long." 54:00 But I need it now in your life. 54:03 I need you to know this now. 54:05 Stuff is beginning to happen 54:08 and I need you in me to be like this. 54:13 Why do I share this with you 54:14 because some of you are struggling right now, 54:16 oh my, you are struggling. 54:19 There's something you long for that you're not getting. 54:21 There's something you want to overcome 54:23 that is not going away. 54:24 There's a child, there's a spouse, 54:29 there's stuff happening all around you 54:32 that is hurting you. 54:34 You are struggling and I am here to tell you today 54:38 that the God of the universe, 54:40 the pre-incarnate Christ who said, 54:42 let there be light is saying to you 54:45 what Jesus said in that little fishing skiff, 54:48 peace, let there be peace be still. 54:52 Forces of darkness around her, 54:54 forces of darkness inside of him, 54:56 I command you be still. 54:58 The Greek actually reads be muscled, shut up. 55:05 He needs to hear me, 55:08 she needs to hear the word out of my mouth 55:10 not her mind, 55:13 and not out of your's dark enemy. 55:17 God is ready for you. 55:19 He's gonna take you place, 55:21 you will never be the same again. 55:22 I promise you what you've just heard today 55:24 it's too late, you know too much. 55:27 You will never be the same again. 55:30 If you believe with an exclamation mark, 55:34 believe, believe. 55:41 You got it. 55:44 I promise you. 55:46 It may take me as long 55:48 as it took Isaac to come 55:50 but you hang on to me. 55:52 No, plan B like, hey, God, stay away from plan B's, 55:55 they'll kill you. 55:56 You stay with me. 55:58 I have a dream for your life 56:00 and that dream is going to come true. 56:03 How do I know that's to be true? 56:05 Let's put this on the cross and put it on the screen. 56:07 Isn't this something, isn't this something? 56:09 1 Thessalonians 5:24. Come on. 56:12 Put it on the screen. 56:14 "The One who calls you is faithful, 56:20 and He will do it." 56:24 I say, ladies and gentlemen, that we say amen, let it be so, 56:28 so be it to this promise. 56:30 What do you say? Amen. 56:32 Amen. Amen. Let us pray. 56:35 Oh, God, a string of verses 56:39 but they're all words out of Your mouth 56:43 to these worshippers who have been bowed before You 56:46 with receptive minds they have heard Your words 56:51 and those words have gone deep. 56:53 Dear God, now operationalize this humble little teaching, 56:58 operationalize it. 57:02 And may they never be the same again 57:06 as they walk with Him... 57:12 who is the creator 57:15 of the universe and of us too, 57:18 in Jesus' name we pray, 57:21 amen, amen. 57:26 I want take an extra moment 57:27 and let you know how grateful I am, 57:28 you joined us today. 57:30 I hear from the viewers and listeners like you 57:32 all across this nation and literally, 57:34 around the world and I'm thankful. 57:36 Because it's through the generosity 57:37 of the members of this congregation 57:39 and people like you 57:40 that we're able to bring you this program. 57:42 So far we shared today has touched your heart, 57:44 I like to invite you to become a financial partner with us. 57:46 Just give us a call. 57:48 Toll free number 877, the two words HIS-WILL, 57:51 877-HIS-WILL or if you'd rather, 57:54 go to our website www.pmchurch.tv. 57:58 Either way your generosity will bless 58:00 a new generation in cyber space all over this planet. 58:04 So thank you. 58:05 Thank you very much for your partnership. |
Revised 2017-02-05