Participants: Dwight K Nelson
Series Code: NP
Program Code: NP170415A
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00:09 [ "Christ is Alive!" plays ] 02:31 [ Song ends ] >> Would you bow your heads with me as we pray. 02:36 Father in heaven, Lord, Savior, mighty redeemer... we come this morning thanking 02:44 You for forming the universe after Your own heart and seeing fit to build a bridge between 02:50 heaven and earth named Jesus Christ. This morning, Lord, we come with 02:56 the image of the Cross in our minds, thanking You for the sacrifice. 03:02 And we also come this morning, Lord, with the image of that glorious open tomb, as we 03:08 worship You here this morning. Thank You for loving us and calling us Your own. 03:14 In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen. Good morning, and welcome. I'm so glad you're here this 03:21 morning. Are you glad to be here? I want to welcome you. 03:24 This is just an amazing, incredible High Sabbath. There's so much energy in the 03:29 room this morning. And you know what's amazing about that energy, is that it's 03:34 founded on the Gospel, and it's founded on Jesus Christ. Because Jesus Christ is mighty 03:39 to save, and He proved it 2,000 years ago. And today we celebrate that and 03:46 remember that, especially this morning on our Sabbath Resurrection service. 03:51 So I invite you to stand with us this morning as we sing praises to God, first starting off with 03:56 "Mighty to Save." [ "Mighty to Save" plays ] 07:10 [ Song ends, piano continues playing ] >> God is mighty, amen? 07:15 But He's not just mighty. He's mighty for a purpose. And that purpose is salvation. 07:22 And you may come this morning thinking, "Phew, man, how could I ever be worthy of the love of 07:27 the Father?" And the Father this morning responds to you, and He says, 07:33 "My love is deep, and my love is vast. It was so large I stretched out 07:37 my arms for you on the Cross." And so, this morning, no matter where you are, the burdens that 07:43 you're carrying, I invite you to come forward during this song. Come lay your burdens at the 07:49 foot of the Cross and bask in the glory and the warmth of the love of the Father because His 07:55 love was so deep for us. Come forward in our preparation for prayer. 08:00 [ "How Deep the Father's Love For Us" plays ] 09:36 [ Tempo slows ] [ Flourish, song ends ] 09:47 [ Mid-tempo music plays ] 13:10 [ Music intensifies ] 13:21 [ Song ends ] >> Mm! Amen and amen. Yeah. 13:26 [ Applause ] 13:32 Oh, boy, when I grow up, I want to play in the band. Isn't that something? 13:36 That was just beautiful. Thank you, Alan Mitchell and Wind Symphony, 13:40 Andrews University. Hey, happy Easter, boys and girls. 13:43 Nice to see you on this glorious, sunshiny Resurrection Sabbath. 13:51 Oh, you're looking lovely. Oh, you are looking so springtime and lovely today. 13:55 Thank you for looking this way. So, the story's about a dog. And so I want you to look on the 13:59 screens right now. I want you to look on the worship screen, and you see a 14:03 dog. That dog is -- Oh, it's a mutt. That dog is part shepherd, 14:07 German shepherd, but they don't know what the other part is. And this dog has been in 14:12 trouble, mm-hmm. I think this is either the third or the fourth owner. 14:16 I'm not gonna tell you the name of the dog, just because -- look at that. 14:20 And you know where the dog lives? Ozark City, Alabama. 14:23 Anybody here from Alabama? Alabama. That's where the doggy's from. 14:28 Oh, the dog just has a way of getting in trouble. I don't know what happens. 14:33 I mean, it's not his fault. One day, as he's gonna -- [ Panting ] 14:38 And his owner's checking him out. "You know, you don't look very 14:41 healthy. Say, 'Ah.'" "Ahh!" 14:43 "Oh, yeah, you're not healthy." So he took that dog to the veterinarian. 14:48 And the veterinarian checked the dog out and said, "Uh-oh. Bad news. 14:53 This dog has heartworms." [ Gasps ] You don't want heartworms if 14:56 you're a dog. You don't even want them if you're ahuman. 14:59 Just bad. "Nah, I don't think there's anything we can do. 15:03 We're gonna need to put this dog to sleep." You know what that means? 15:07 >> Yes. >> It gets some medicine, and the dog just falls asleep and 15:11 never wakes up. That's what they did. But he woke up! 15:15 [ Laughter ] What's up with that? So he's happy. 15:19 [ Panting ] Oh, he's so happy to be alive. [ Panting ] 15:24 So, the owners left him in the shelter, animal shelter, and another family came along and 15:30 said, "We want that dog. That's a lovely dog. We'll take it. 15:32 Not sure what we're gonna name it, but we'll take that dog. [ Singsong voice ] Oh, here, 15:35 puppy, puppy!" [ Normal voice ] And the doggy ran all over the property. 15:38 But one day -- "We told you not to go out in the street." [ Inhales sharply ] But the dog 15:41 went out in the street. Boom! Here comes a car. Ohh! Right on his hip. 15:45 His leg is mangled. Ohh, everybody's crying in the family. 15:49 Everybody's crying. They have to take it back to the same veterinarian. 15:53 "You're gonna have to put this dog to sleep." "Ohh. We're so sad." 15:57 And so that's what they did. September 10th, the veterinarian put the dog to sleep, filled out 16:01 an official document that said "destroyed" on it. Listened to the heart. 16:08 It's gone. [ Cries ] The family went home. The next morning, when the 16:12 veterinarian came, guess who's sitting up in his cage, eating all the food that was left in 16:19 that cage. It's all gone. They said, "This dog -- How many 16:23 lives dodogshave? I don't know." But when they looked -- And so 16:27 that family left the dog. This family adopted the dog. And do you know what this family 16:32 named that dog? Lazarus. [ Laughter ] 16:35 That -- [ Laughs ] That is Lazarus. I think that's a great name for 16:38 a dog that keeps coming back to life, don't you? Lazarus the dog. 16:43 Wait a minute! Wait a minute! Every eye, every eye, every eye looking up here at the big 16:46 Cross. Looking at the Cross. Because that's where the 16:50 Lord Jesus, who raised Lazarus back to life -- that's where they hung Him, and He did die. 16:55 They buried the Lord of Lazarus. And you know what Satan did? He got the big official document 17:00 out, and he wrote "destroyed." He was the only one clapping, but he was clapping. 17:05 "Destroyed." But three days later, guess what happened. 17:08 Three days -- Does anybody know what happened? Come on, tell me what happened. 17:11 Three days later, who comes marching out of that grave, that hole in the ground? 17:14 Who comes marching out? It's the Lord Jesus Himself. Yay! 17:22 And that's why we're in church today, because Jesus rose -- and that's why all these lilies, and 17:27 that's why this worship's special today. Jesus rose. 17:30 Let me see that picture of Jesus, our Savior. Oh, there's a beautiful picture 17:35 of Jesus, our Sa-- There it is on the big screen, too. Jesus rose again, and that's why 17:41 we're here. Oh, how He loves us. Oh, how He loves us. 17:46 Who would like to thank Jesus today? I need a little boy today. 17:49 I've had a lot of little girls, but is there a little boy who would thank Jesus? 17:54 Are you raising your hand, or is your sister raising your hand for you? 17:57 [ Laughter ] Yeah, hey, nice try, sis. Okay, is there a boy here that 18:02 would pray? Okay, "Mr. Blue Shirt." Come on. Come on, you have to make your 18:07 way through here. And while you're coming, I'm getting the microphone for you. 18:10 Yep. Watch out now. Here comes the young gentleman who's gonna thank Jesus. 18:15 Shh! He's gonna thank Jesus for being our Savior and rising again so 18:21 that we one day will rise again, too. What's your name, junior? 18:26 >> J.J. -- Jaziel. >> Jay? >> Yes. 18:29 >> Jaziel. Jay Jaziel, come on. Let's pray. >> No, J-A-Z-I-E-L. 18:34 >> Oh, J.J. Jaziel? >> No. >> No. 18:36 >> J-A-Z-I-E-L. >> Oh, you're spelling me your name. 18:39 [ Chuckling ] Okay. [ Laughter ] I thought your first name was 18:43 Jay. Okay. Jaziel. Would you mind praying? 18:47 Let's close our eyes and fold our hands as Jaziel thanks Jesus for being our Savior. 18:53 >> Thank You, God. Thank You for this beautiful day. 18:55 Thank You for everybody that's in church. Thank You for everybody that's 18:59 feeling better. Thank You for everybody that's going to -- with Jesus. 19:04 Thank You for everybody that's healthy and eating lots of foods. 19:09 >> Mm-hmm. >> Thank You, and amen. >> Amen, Jaziel. 19:12 That's a beautiful prayer. All right. As you go quietly and reverently 19:16 back to your seats, I got to talk to your mom and dad, the big people, for a moment. 19:20 But a blessed Resurrection weekend to you. God bless you. Happy Sabbath. 19:29 [ Majestic music plays ] 23:38 [ Music intensifies ] 23:47 [ Music softens ] 24:39 [ Song ends ] 24:44 [ "Christ the Lord Is Risen Today" plays ] 28:38 [ Song ends ] >> Amen. >> Amen. Amen. 28:41 Oh, God, You have heard our hearts. With all the voice that is in 28:48 us, we sing of our hope. We sing of our trust. We believe. 28:58 "Ours the Cross, the grave, the skies." Alleluia. 29:05 Oh, living Christ, through Your Spirit, engage these last moments we have in worship, in 29:12 Your Word. We pray in Your name. Amen. 29:18 [ Birds singing ] 29:25 [ Footsteps approach ] 29:56 You'd have to believe that if Jesus were resurrected today, 30:01 somebody would have tried to capture the moment with their 30:09 cellphone. [ Click tongue ] 30:12 "Got it!" 30:17 United Airlines... [ Congregation murmurs ] 30:21 That's all I'm saying. [ Laughter ] Come on, this is the world of a 30:27 camera is always recording everything. But you know what? 30:30 If I could go on YouTube today and there be two Resurrection scenes -- the one, of course, of 30:34 the actual Resurrection of my Lord Jesus, or the other scene -- I would choose the 30:38 other scene because, probably, the first scene would be whited out totally. 30:43 You couldn't see a thing. And the second scene -- to me, the mystery is embedded in it as 30:50 the one who was dead and is now alive is squatting around a campfire with His closest 30:56 friends, and they're having breakfast down by the lake. And as the orange shadows dance 31:04 on this resurrected man's face, I can't imagine. I'd replay it and replay it and 31:11 replay it. I want relive that moment with you. 31:15 Because I can assure you, here in John 21, Peter -- Let's see. Peter and Thomas and Nathanael 31:21 and James and John and two other fishing buddies, for the rest of their lives, they never forgot 31:27 that early morning breakfast by the shores of Galilee. So find John 21. 31:32 That's our homily passage for this Easter weekend -- John 21. Let's pick it up. 31:40 I'm in the NIV. Whatever Bible you have -- Pew Bible's in front of you. 31:43 You can find it there, as well. It's page 732 in the pew Bible. Let's start in verse nine. 31:49 "And when they landed --" That would be the disciples, the 31:53 seven I just mentioned. And they'd been out all night. 31:56 "And when they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there 32:00 with fish on it, and some bread. And Jesus said to them --" verse 32:04 12 -- "'Come and have breakfast.' 32:07 None of the disciples dared ask him, 'Who are you?' 32:11 They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came, and took the bread, 32:15 and He gave it to them, and He did the same with the fish. 32:18 This was now --" verse 14 -- "the third time Jesus appeared 32:21 to his disciples after He was raised from the dead." 32:27 You know what? If I had been sitting there, squatting around that campfire, 32:31 I believe the cat would've gotten my tongue, too. I mean, what are you gonna say? 32:35 You know the boys are -- They're all young. They're... 32:40 Nobody's speaking, but, "[Whispering] Look, look, look. Look, look, look! 32:44 [ Normal voice ] He was dead. He's alive, and His hand just brushed mi-- His hand just 32:50 brushed mine as He handed me the bread." 32:53 F.F. Bruce, in his commentary of this moment -- his words on the 32:57 screen. "The disciples, it appears, were 33:00 conscious of a certain uneasiness --" Yeah, cat got my 33:03 tongue -- "an uneasiness in the presence of their risen Lord..." 33:20 Hey, listen, listen. If you've had breakfast with a man who was dead and is now 33:26 resurrected, I'm just thinking there's probably nothing in life that would make you afraid 33:33 again. Don't you suppose? I mean, come on. 33:37 I heard Andy Stanley ask that question once, and I thought to myself, "You are right on." 33:43 I mean, look. So, North Korea this weekend triggers a nuclear device -- 33:49 well, the talking heads out there -- and plunges the world, 100 years exactly after 33:57 World War I, into some sort of global conflagration. But what's there to fear? 34:04 Can't the man beside the breakfast campfire handle it? Isn't He the one who was dead 34:11 but is now alive forevermore? I mean, look. So, the doctor walks into your 34:17 examining room with the X-rays and C.T. scans as evidence and pronounces, "You are not gonna 34:23 make it." [ Scoffs ] But what's there to fear? 34:28 Can't the man beside the breakfast campfire handle it? Isn't He the one who was dead 34:33 once but now is alive forever? I mean, come on. I'm just saying. Look. 34:39 All those high-flying dreams that you have, your daydreams and your night dreams about your 34:44 career that one day is coming, suddenly, like smoke, dissipate when the reality of past school, 34:52 past graduation sinks in, and you're trying to get a job with the grades you got. 34:59 Hey, wait a minute. Wait, wait, wait, wait a minute. What's there to be afraid of? 35:03 Can't the man who sat by the campfire -- couldn't He do something about this? 35:07 Isn't He the one who was dead once but is now alive forevermore? 35:11 I'm just saying, ladies and gentlemen. When you've had breakfast with a 35:16 man who was dead and is now resurrected, you pretty much have nothing to be afraid of 35:21 ever again. "Yeah, but Dwight, let me just tell you something, boy. 35:25 He has never sat around my campfire." Well, of course you're right. 35:31 I've never seen Him, either. Maybe that's why, eight days after his Resurrection, Jesus 35:36 shows up again unannounced, uninvited, into the upper room... 35:43 an upper room, eight days ago, that was minus Thomas. I'm talking about the Thomas 35:50 who's been moping all around the house for eight days now, just pouting to himself, "He shows up 35:54 to them. He doesn't show up to me. I tell you what, I refuse to 35:58 believe it. Unless I touch him, all bets are off. 36:03 I'm not gonna believe." Eight days later, Jesus shows up, and He goes straight to 36:08 Thomas. "Yo, Thomas. Come here. 36:11 Come here, come here, come here. Give me your hand. 36:16 You're touching my wounds. You feel that? Mm-hmm. 36:19 Come here. You're touching my broken, open 36:25 chest." 36:29 And Thomas, his face flushed now, but with awe and adoration, drops to his knees, and he cries 36:38 out, "My Lord and my God." And then Jesus says, "Hey, Thomas, Thomas." 36:48 Well, just turn one page back. We'll get His actual words here. One page back. 36:50 So this is John 20:29. 36:53 "Then Jesus told Thomas --" see -- "'Because you have seen 36:57 me, you have believed; but blessed are those who have not 37:01 seen and yet have believed." 37:06 Apparently -- Hey, hey. Apparently, he has sat around our own campfires. 37:11 We just never saw him there. And what he's whispering today is, "Believe, believe. 37:16 Just believe. I'm with you. I was there." [ Laughs ] 37:23 I repeat, when you've had breakfast with a man who's been dead and who is now alive, you 37:28 pretty much have nothing to be afraid of, don't you? So, we have this moment with 37:34 Thomas, and we have the early morning breakfast. But let's go to the story. 37:37 There's a story tucked in right between the two. It's a wonderful story. 37:42 And, by the way, it's a fishing story, and Thomas is a part of it. 37:46 So, John, in his storytelling way, in John 21 -- This is the epilogue to his Gospel like 37:51 chapter one is the prologue to it. John begins this way. 37:57 John 21:1... 38:06 You can hear old John -- There's John boy, but he's an old man 38:09 now. He's saying, "Hey, listen, 38:10 children. Shh! 38:11 I got a story for you. It happened this way. 38:13 Listen to me." Here comes the story now -- 38:17 verse two. "Simon Peter --" we know him -- 38:19 "Thomas --" [Chuckles] we know him, who's also known as 38:21 Didymus, or twin -- "Nathanael from Cana --" we know him -- "in 38:24 Galilee, the sons of Zebedee --" that would be John boy and his 38:27 older brother, James, yep -- "and two other unnamed disciples 38:31 were all together." Verse three. 38:34 "Hey, guys," Peter announces, "I'm going fishing." 38:40 And they all, with one voice, answer, "We're going with you, 38:44 Pete." And that's exactly what 38:47 happened. "So they went out and got into 38:49 the boat, but that night --" aw -- "that night they caught 38:52 nothing." It's a beautiful night. 38:54 The once full Passover orb is now just a sliver. 38:59 This is days later. But it's still picture perfect because the beams from the 39:05 moon -- silver light just rippling on the lapping lake against the gunwales of their 39:13 skiff. Beautiful but depressing. I mean, please! 39:19 No fish all night! 39:24 Now, remember now, these are fishermen. 39:25 They have done this for a living. 39:27 But when Jesus called them, they left their nets, they left the 39:29 boats behind, and they said, "Okay, we're following You." 39:33 But some of them have families to feed. 39:37 Some of them --Allof them are dealing with hunger. 39:41 And there is no money, thanks to Judas' pilfering from the collective till. 39:47 If ever they need a night of successful fishing, it would have to be tonight. 39:51 But they caught nothing. Mm. "Desire of Ages" describes this moment. 39:57 I love it. 39:59 Put it on the screen for you. "All night, they toiled, without 40:02 success. Through the weary hours, they 40:04 talked of their absent Lord, and recalled the wonderful events 40:07 they had witnessed in His ministry --" right here, right 40:10 here -- "beside the sea. They questioned as to their own 40:12 future." Some of you are worried about 40:14 your future right now. "They questioned as to their own 40:16 future. They grew sad at the prospect 40:18 before them..." 40:31 Oh, I love that. "At length, the morning dawned." 40:35 Beyond every midnight of nothing, there will come the morning of promise. 40:43 Amen. Reminds me of Bill and Gloria Gaither's splendid Easter 40:47 gospel song. ♪ Then came the morning ♪ You remember that? 40:54 ♪ Morning ♪ ♪ Night turned into day ♪ ♪ The stone was rolled away ♪ 41:00 ♪ Hope rose with the dawn ♪ ♪ Then came the morning ♪ ♪ Shadows vanish before the 41:08 sun ♪ ♪ Death had lost, and life had won ♪ 41:13 ♪ For morning had come ♪ I'm promising you, if you're in a night right now -- if you're 41:22 in a night right now, I'm promising you, the morning is coming. 41:27 >> Amen! >> Yeah! 41:29 All right, verse four. "Early in the morning --" Here 41:33 it comes.... 41:38 So he calls out to them, "Yo, friends! 41:41 Haven't you any fish?" "No!" they answered. 41:47 "He said, 'Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you 41:50 will find some.'" They still don't get it. 41:55 "And when they did, they were unable to haul the net in 41:57 because of the large number of fish. 41:59 Then the disciple whom Jesus loved --" that would be John 42:01 boy -- "said to Peter, 'It's the Lord!' 42:03 As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, 'It's the Lord,' he wrapped 42:06 his outer garment around him -- for he had taken it off --" and 42:09 he's not gonna show up in front of the Lord in his underwear -- 42:11 plunges into the water -- "jumps into the water. 42:14 And the other disciples followed in the boat --" verse eight -- 42:16 "towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from 42:19 shore, about a hundred yards. And when they landed, they saw a 42:22 file of burning coals --" there's that breakfast -- 42:26 "burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread." 42:30 Where'd that come from? 42:32 Verse 10. "And Jesus said to them, 'Bring some of the fish you've 42:36 caught.'" So Simon Peter is back out into the water, climbs back in the 42:39 boat, drags the net ashore. "It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net 42:45 was not torn." Verse 12. Jesus said to them, "Come, come, 42:48 come. Let's have breakfast." "None of the disciples dared ask 42:52 him, 'Who are you?' They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came, took the bread, and 42:56 gave it to them -- did the same with the fish. This was now the third time 43:00 Jesus appeared to his disciples after He was raised from the dead." 43:06 Thus ends the second-greatest fishing story in all the Gospels... 43:13 which, by the way, was intentionally re-enacted in order for them and us not to 43:24 forget the punch line in the firstgreatest fishing story in all the Gospels... 43:31 which is why the second fishing story happened in the first place, which is why the first 43:37 story's punch line is absolutely essential. Last time we were together, we 43:42 were in that -- Come on, just for old time's sake. Just back to Luke 5. 43:47 We were in -- This is the great opening fish story of the Gospels. 43:50 We just read the closing. Luke chapter 5. Luke 5. All right, we'll pick it up in 43:57 verse four. 43:58 So, Jesus has the crowd here, and, "When he'd finished 44:00 speaking, Jesus said to Simon --" "Hey, Pete --" "'Put 44:04 out into the deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.' 44:08 And Simon answered --" does this sound familiar? -- "'Master, 44:12 we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything.'" 44:16 Happening all over again in that second story. 44:18 "'But --'" Peter goes on -- "'because You say so, I'll let 44:21 down the nets.' And when they had done so --" 44:23 [Exhales sharply] -- "they had caught such a large number of 44:26 fish that the nets began to break. 44:27 So they signaled to their partners in the other boat --" 44:29 "Come, come, come, and help us!" And they came and filled both 44:32 boats so full that both boats are going down now. 44:37 And Peter... "When Simon Peter saw this --" 44:40 verse eight -- "he fell at Jesus' knees, and he said, 'Go 44:43 away from me. Go away from me, Lord; I am a 44:45 sinful man!' For he and all his companions 44:47 were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were 44:49 James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon's partners. 44:52 Then --" Here comes the punch line now. 44:54 "Then Jesus said to Simon, 'Don't be afraid. 44:59 Don't be afraid. From now on, you will fish for 45:06 people...'" 45:13 Speaking of fear, there it is again. There it is. 45:17 Because as it turns out, fishing and fear -- I'm talking about fishing for people, that is. 45:22 Fishing and fear very often go together. 45:27 I mean, if I share the good news that Jesus has resurrected and 45:30 that He's coming back to Earth again soon, what will people 45:33 say? What will my friends think? 45:34 How will my colleagues react? What will my neighbors say? 45:38 Do you know -- Listen, listen. Do you know that the number-one reason why people don't fish is 45:43 because of their fear of what people will think of them? [ Scoffs ] 45:52 I have a friend in Las Vegas -- good place, by the way, to have friends. 45:58 His name is "Buck" Weaver. He's been a businessman, been in sales most of his life, and has 46:04 done well. And he's absolutely passionate -- I'm telling you, 46:07 he's absolutely passionate about reaching America for Christ. And he'll call me up every so 46:13 often, and I know exactly what he's gonna say. "Come on, Dwight. 46:16 We got to reach America. We got to reach America. So what are you doing about it?" 46:21 "Me?" "Yeah, what are you doing about it?" 46:25 We'll have the conversation. This year alone -- This year alone, since January, four 46:30 times -- I have four voicemails on my cellphone. Four times. 46:33 Same speech, same passion, same voice, same Buck. Buck's not afraid. 46:40 Jesus said, "Don't be afraid." Buck isn't. I finally called him back this 46:46 week. I said, "Yo, Buck. I been getting your messages." 46:50 [ Chuckling ] And he starts in again, all over again. "I'm just telling you, Dwight. 46:54 We got to reach America while it's time! You got a voice? Use it." 47:02 [ Sighs ] Jesus' words to Peter -- on the screen... 47:10 Erwin Raphael McManus, in his amazing book -- I wish you had it -- "Seizing Your Divine 47:17 Moment," he writes these words. 47:19 Put them on the screen for you. 47:21 "If the only calling you are ever certain of is the one where 47:25 Jesus calls us all to follow Him and He would make us become 47:31 fishers of people --" If that's all you have, it is more than 47:35 enough. "He commissions all of us --" By 47:37 the way, not just Buck Weaver. "He commissionsallof us to go 47:40 and make disciples of all nations. 47:43 Jesus came to seek and save the lost. 47:45 All of us have a calling to give our lives away for His sake..." 47:53 It's all you need. Because what Jesus said to 47:55 Peter, He says to Mary. 47:57 "Don't be afraid, girl. From now on, you will fish for me." 48:03 McManus is right. It's the one calling you have right now that you can be 48:07 absolutely certain of. Doesn't matter whether you've graduated or not. 48:10 Doesn't matter whether you've ever been to school in your life or not. 48:14 You have been called, and you're the one now that God considers the called one. 48:22 "Don't be afraid," Jesus says, "From now on, you will fish for people." 48:27 And God has given you ahuge green light. McManus tells a story in his 48:36 book, and I know this has happened to you, too. He says, "Do you remember the 48:39 time --" And I think everybody here will remember the time. "Do you remember the time where 48:44 you're stuck behind someone in traffic?" All right? 48:47 There's one person between you and the red light. You're obviously in a hurry. 48:50 You have some very important appointment. You got to get somewhere fast. 48:56 And do you remember how you're acting when you're there? Because there's one person 48:59 between you and that light, so you're clutching the steering wheel. 49:02 You're just holding it tight, and you're drumming it, you're drumming it. 49:06 And your eyes -- your eyes are frozen on that red light, and you're staring it down. 49:11 You're just waiting for the moment when -- bam! It feel like it takes forever, 49:15 but every time it changes, your foot goes off the brake and onto -- Oh! 49:19 [ Inhales sharply ] Just before the accelerator, you realize that the person in front of you 49:24 has no idea she has permission to move now. [ Laughter ] 49:30 Remember? McManus writing, "Instead of looking forward, she's fixed on 49:35 her own image in the rearview mirror, and she's always on a cellphone." 49:39 Have you seen that? [ Laughter ] [ Scoffs ] 49:42 [ Chuckling ] And now McManus writes, he said, "I want you to think what you were thinking." 49:46 Notallthose thoughts, but weren't you thinking something like this? 49:50 "Remember what you were thinking." I love this. 49:52 "Remember what you were thinking. Here's what you were thinking. 49:55 'Move, lady! It doesn't get any greener than this! 50:00 Move! What are you waiting for? This is as green as it gets. This is as 'go' as it gets." 50:08 And I said, "Man, I have parked behind that driver." And then he goes on with the 50:14 next sentence. Oops. [ Gasps ] 50:17 "I wonder if that's what God is thinking about us." "Dwight! 50:25 You! Girl! Boy! What are you waiting for? 50:31 That's as green a go as you will ever get in this lifetime. Move it! 50:37 Move it for me, please. Let's go!" What do you say inespañol? 50:42 iVamos! Let's go. Listen. 50:50 What did Jesus say? "Don't be afraid. From now on, the light is green. 50:57 And you will fish for people. You got a green light, girl. Boy, you got a green -- It's as 51:02 green as it'll ever get." I love this last word from "Desire of Ages" on the 51:07 second-greatest fishing story. 51:09 Put it on the screen for you. "It was to bring this scene --" 51:12 That would be Luke 5, the story we just read. 51:14 It was to bring the Luke 5 scene to their minds, and to deepen 51:17 its impression, that Jesus had again performed the miracle. 51:20 That's the early morning breakfast miracle in John 21. 51:23 "His act was a renewal of the commission to the disciples. 51:26 Though they were to be deprived of His personal companionship, 51:31 and of the means of support by their former employment, the 51:34 risen Saviour would still have a care for them." 51:38 Hold on. Listen to this. "While..." 51:55 Isn't that something? 51:57 If ever you decide -- and I hope you're not putting this off. If ever you decide to go fishing 52:03 with Him, you will succeed. You won't catch every -- You won't catch every fish in the 52:09 sea. Do you think there's a fisherman alive who says, "Since I can't 52:13 catch them all, I'm not gonna catch any"? That's asinine. 52:19 You just fish. And the promise is, "You will catch many." 52:25 Many. 52:31 Wow. "Do not be afraid; from now on, you will fish for people. 52:40 And, by the way, the light is green. Is it as green as it is ever 52:46 going to get. So please come fishing with me." And what do we say? 52:56 >> Amen. >> That's a pretty weak "amen." Come on! What do we say? 53:01 >> Amen! >> Amen! Amen! I want to pray with you, but I 53:06 want to pray at the end. While you're going through, we're gonna sing a great 53:10 Resurrection promise. 251 -- "I serve a risen Savior. He's in the world today." 53:15 Let's just sing this with all our gusto we have. [ "I Serve a Risen Savior" 53:23 plays ] 56:51 [ Song ends ] >> And now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the 56:55 eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the 57:00 sheep, may He equip you with everything good for doing His will. 57:05 And may He work in us what is pleasing to Him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory 57:11 forever and ever. Amen. 57:16 >> I'd like to take one more moment with you here at the end 57:19 of our program to offer you something I think is really 57:21 special. I want to send to you this 57:23 little book called "Story of Hope." 57:25 In this sweeping look at the story of the Bible, you're gonna journey from the dawn of the 57:29 human race in the Garden of Eden, through the stunning narratives of the 57:32 ancient patriarchs and prophets and kings, straight to the breathtaking story of our 57:36 Lord Jesus and then beyond the New Testament, the prophetic story of how life on this planet 57:41 ends and then begins again. With my team of leaders, we are reading through this book every 57:47 Monday afternoon, and I promise you, you're gonna get blessed. 57:50 I want to make sure you get this book -- no charge to you. 57:54 So grab your phone and dial our toll-free number -- 877, and 57:57 then the two words, "His will." That's 877-HIS-WILL. 58:03 Just give one of our friendly operators your name and mailing 58:06 address, and the book will be in the mail. 58:08 So be blessed. And until the next time we meet, 58:11 may the peace of our Lord Jesus go with you. 58:15 ♪♪ |
Revised 2017-04-20