Participants: Dwight K Nelson
Series Code: NP
Program Code: NP170429A
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00:16 >> ♪ Oh, come, and let us worship the King ♪ 00:24 ♪ Our joyful praises now we sing ♪ ♪ Alleluia, Alleluia ♪ 00:41 ♪ Alleluia, Alleluia ♪ ♪ Alleluia ♪ [ Song ends ] 00:59 >> Oh, God, with the psalmist, we exclaim, "This is the day the Lord has made. 01:04 Let us rejoice and be glad in it." For this is the day we have 01:09 prayed over and waited for. And forgive our curiosity, God, but what is this day to You? 01:15 On this last Sabbath of this semester, we wish to extend a very special invitation to you, 01:22 dear Father. Do You see the open door to our hearts? 01:26 We humbly ask that You might enter in and inside of us all at Pioneer Memorial Church, at 01:34 New Life Fellowship. Enter in and do a new thing, a reconciliation thing, a "Jesus 01:41 on the inside" thing, a "my God, who has begun a new work in you, will bring it to completion by 01:46 the day of Christ Jesus" thing. Oh, God, in Christ Jesus, our Lord, let this day be all it can 01:53 possibly be, as a shining tribute to Your unifying love both here and up there, both now 01:59 and forever. Amen. >> Amen. 02:04 [ "My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less" plays ] 03:31 [ "Oh, How I Love Jesus" plays ] 05:52 [ "All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name" plays ] 06:10 ♪ All hail the power of Jesus' 08:51 >> ♪ My hope is built on nothing less ♪ ♪ Than Jesus' blood and 08:58 righteousness ♪ ♪ I dare not trust the sweetest frame ♪ 09:05 ♪ But wholly lean on Jesus' name ♪ 09:14 ♪ When darkness veils His lovely face ♪ ♪ I rest on His unchanging 09:21 grace ♪ ♪ In every high and stormy gale ♪ 09:27 ♪ My anchor holds within the veil ♪ ♪ On Christ, the solid rock, I 09:35 stand ♪ ♪ All other ground is sinking sand ♪ 09:41 ♪ On Christ, the solid rock, I stand ♪ ♪ All other ground is sinking 09:49 sand ♪ 10:01 ♪ His oath, His covenant, His blood ♪ ♪ Support me in the whelming 10:09 flood ♪ ♪ When all around my soul gives way ♪ 10:15 ♪ He then is all my hope and stay ♪ ♪ On Christ, the solid rock, I 10:23 stand ♪ ♪ All other ground is sinking sand ♪ 10:29 ♪ On Christ, the solid rock, I stand ♪ ♪ All other ground is sinking 10:36 sand ♪ 10:46 ♪ When He shall come with trumpet sound ♪ ♪ Oh, may I then in Him be 10:54 found ♪ ♪ Dressed in His righteousness alone ♪ 11:00 ♪ Faultless to stand before the throne ♪ ♪ On Christ, the solid rock, I 11:08 stand ♪ ♪ All other ground is sinking sand ♪ 11:13 ♪ On Christ, the solid rock, I stand ♪ ♪ All other ground is sinking 11:21 sand ♪ ♪ On Christ, the solid rock, I stand ♪ 11:27 ♪ All other ground is sinking sand ♪ ♪ On Christ, the solid rock, I 11:34 stand ♪ ♪ All other ground is sinking sand ♪ 11:43 ♪ On Christ, the solid rock, I stand ♪ ♪ All other ground is sinking 11:53 sand ♪ ♪ All other ground is sinking sand ♪ 12:03 ♪ On Christ, the solid rock, I stand ♪ ♪ All other ground is sinking 12:14 sand ♪ ♪ All other ground is sinking sand ♪ 12:24 ♪ On Christ, the solid rock, I stand ♪ ♪ All other ground is sinking 12:36 sand ♪ ♪ All other ground is sinking sand ♪ 12:47 ♪ On Christ, the solid rock, I stand ♪ ♪ All other ground is sinking 13:00 sand ♪ ♪ All other ground is sinking sand ♪ 13:10 ♪ On Christ, we stand ♪ [ Song ends ] >> Amen. 13:25 >> Well, good morning, boys and girls. Nice to see you on this last 13:30 Sabbath of April, last Sabbath of the semester, last Sabbath of the year. 13:38 And you're looking just great. All right, so, let's think about this. 13:44 Thank you, Sharon Dugan, who sent me this story. This comes from Darwin. 13:51 This comes from Darwin. You want to have a seat right there, Corey? 13:55 This comes from Darwin, Australia, so this is in Northern Australia. 13:59 And in Australia, the farther north you go, the hotter it gets. 14:03 So it's tropical weather up in Darwin. [ Imitates radio static ] 14:09 "We have an emergency. We have an emergency. We need fire trucks. 14:15 We need fire trucks on the south of town. Please, fire trucks. 14:18 We have a two-story building that's on fire. Would you please send fire 14:22 trucks?" [ Imitates radio static ] "We'll be on our way. 14:25 We're coming on our way right now, mate. Good day. Bye." 14:27 [ Imitates radio static ] A house is on fire, two stories tall, going up in smoke. 14:34 Ohh! It's a sad picture whenever a house catches on fire. 14:37 So, the firemen all come. [ Imitating siren ] And they come, they drive up. 14:42 They jump out of their fire trucks. They grab those big, heavy 14:45 hoses. They're dragging the hoses around. 14:47 "All right, turn the water up." [ Exhaling sharply ] They're just getting ready to go 14:53 around the back of the yard. One of the big, brave volunteer firemen has the hose, and he's 14:57 getting ready to go. Oh, he stops. "Chief! Chief! 15:01 Come here, come here, come here! There's no way I'm going in that backyard! 15:05 I don't care what house is burning!" "What's the problem, mate? 15:09 Let me see what --" [ Gasps ] The backyard... 15:15 do you know what was in the backyard? May I show you a picture of what 15:20 was in the backyard? Look at the screens. Let's look at the screens. 15:23 In the backyard -- a saltwater crocodile!? 13 feet long? 15:32 More teeth than 13? [ Laughter ] Saltwater crocodile?! 15:37 "I'm not going, Chief!" [ Exhales sharply ] "Well, get the fire from here. 15:41 "No, but we have to get to the back!" [ Panting ] 15:45 The men all stood there looking. 15:51 What would you do? [ Laughing ] What would you do? "Just let the building burn 15:59 down. We don't need the -- Just let the crocodile go." 16:01 [ Chuckles ] No! You volunteered to put fires 16:04 out! You've got to rescue! That rescue includes saltwater 16:08 crocodiles. And then somebody noticed -- "Wait a minute. 16:12 It looks like there's a little fence around it." "You sure? 16:15 Okay, bring the hoses, guys." [ Exhaling sharply ] And they dragged the hoses in. 16:23 [ Exhaling sharply ] [ Laughter ] [ Laughs ] 16:28 Ohh, my. "Shall we save the house, or save the crocodile?" 16:32 Well, they lost the house, but they saved the crocodile. That's a female crocodile. 16:37 Her name is Albert. Go figure. That's the pet. She's a pet. She's been a pet before the 16:44 1970s. These crocodiles in Australia will live up to 70 years old. 16:51 Ohh! I'm so glad, when Jesus said, "I want you to work for me; go 16:55 fishing for fish," I'm glad he didn't mean saltwater crocodiles, aren't you? 17:00 Although, I wonder if Jesus loves even crocodiles. Do you think He does? 17:08 Oh, yes, He made them. And because the fish and crocodiles represent people, He 17:13 loves all people. And so, when He says, "Go fishing," He says, "Just help me 17:18 get everybody you can because I died for them all." That's what this cross is all 17:24 about right here on the stage. That's what that cross is all about on the floor. 17:29 You can just barely see it. "I died for everyone. Now help me reach them, please." 17:38 How many want to say, "Jesus, if You died for me and all of them, I'm willing to help You"? 17:43 Anybody want to put a hand up and say, "I'm willing to help You, Jesus"? 17:46 Not -- No, no, not saltwater crocodiles. I'm willing to help You reach 17:51 people. I want to love them just like You. 17:55 Who would like to pray and thank Jesus -- Sissy, come here, please. 17:59 Yeah, you, please. What's your name? >> Joanna. 18:02 >> Joanna? Perfect. Joanna -- Can we get a microphone for Joanna, please? 18:07 Bless you. Joanna, let's pray together, and let's thank Jesus -- Come here, 18:11 Joanna. Let's thank Jesus for loving us and asking us to help Him love 18:18 everybody. Thank you, Joanna. >> [ Clears throat ] 18:22 Let's close our eyes and pray. Our Father, thank You for making us. 18:30 Thank You for giving us the Sabbath. >> Amen. 18:35 >> We want You to forgive our sins. And everywhere we go, will You 18:45 be with us? In Jesus' name, we pray. >> Both: Amen. 18:49 >> Thank you, Joanna. Beautiful prayer. As you quietly and reverently 18:52 back to your seats, just like Joanna said -- thank You, Jesus. Thank You, thank You, thank You. 18:57 Happy Sabbath, everybody. [ "Christ for the World" plays ] 21:08 [ Song ends ] >> Let's pray. Dear God... 21:12 oh, at the foot of the Cross, we all stand. Here is where broken hearts can 21:21 be mended -- not fully healed, but mended. Eternity is where there will be 21:27 no more tears and no more death. So at the foot of the Cross, we receive Your divine Word, that 21:37 this day is Your day. And we, Your children, eagerly follow where You lead. 21:45 Make this day all You dreamed it to be for the glory of our Lord Jesus, in whose name we 21:51 pray. Amen. 21:54 [ Birds singing ] 22:01 [ Footsteps approach ] 22:31 Christon Arthur, the university provost, came into cabinet the 22:34 other day, and he said, "Guys, I have a story you need to hear," 22:37 and you need to hear it, as well. 22:39 Hurricane Katrina, you remember that? 22:41 '05. New Orleans is underwater. 22:44 People are dying. Master Sergeant Mike Maroney of 22:48 the U.S. Air Force is on board an Air Force chopper, rescue 22:51 chopper. They're looking. 22:53 They're looking. Any survivors? 22:56 Maroney spots a family on top of the roof. He's a pararescuer. Pararescuer. 23:04 Down the rope he goes. One by one, the family plucked away from certain death. 23:13 [ Exhaling sharply ] They are flown to safety, and, as the family is getting off, a 23:19 little 4-year-old girl, a part of that family, in an act of spontaneous joy, throws her arm 23:27 around Maroney, cheek to cheek, and hugs him in gratitude. The little girl didn't know that 23:36 Maroney was suffering from PTSD, post-traumatic stress disorder. He would soon be redeployed to 23:43 Iraq and then to Afghanistan, and, during those dark days of his life, when he suffered on 23:50 the inside, he kept pulling out the little picture of this girl -- her name he does not 23:56 know -- but this little girl who hugged him. Because when he looks at the 24:00 picture, it's like he sees the purpose of his life. "Somebody has gotten rescued by 24:05 my life." I want you to see the picture that he carried in his pocket 24:09 all those dark days. There he is. He'd stare at it. 24:14 "Wow! I did something." Eventually, he returned to the United States, set out to find 24:20 that little girl. Doesn't know her name. Starts a social-media 24:24 campaign -- #FindKatrinaGirl. All to no avail. Then, 10 years later, 24:31 Master Sergeant Mike Maroney gets the surprise of his life when, on a television set, that 24:40 little girl comes walking into the room. The place goes bonkers. 24:44 You can check it out on YouTube sometime. And as he is holding her in his 24:51 arms -- I want you to see the "before" and "after" picture. [ Laughter ] 24:56 As he is holding her in his arms, he says to LeShay Brown -- that's her name. 25:02 He spoke a line we, too, need to hear today. He says to her, "You rescued me 25:09 more than I rescued you." She gave him a reason for living. 25:14 She kept him going. Because that's what rescue does to the rescuer. 25:24 "You rescued me more than I rescued you." Because, you see, it's true -- 25:29 when you rescue others, you yourself are the one that gets rescued. 25:33 Unbelievable. You pluck them out of the waters where they're stranded. 25:38 You rescue them, but, by that very act, they end up rescuing you. 25:44 It's the great law of reciprocal giving. Let me just run this law by you 25:49 in case you're not sure it really exists. Let me put it on the screen for 25:52 you. No study guides today. As Jesus once promised -- this 25:55 is in the Sermon on the Mount -- "Give, and it will be given to you." 25:58 Rescue another, and you will be rescued. James, his stepbrother, goes 26:01 even further. 26:02 His words on the screen -- James 5:20... 26:10 Even your own sins as the rescuer. 26:12 Rescue another, and you will be rescued. 26:14 It's no wonder that wise King Solomon exclaimed in the 26:17 Book of Proverbs -- on the screen, Proverbs 11:25 and 30... 26:27 Rescue another, and you will rescue yourself. 26:31 The great prophet Daniel exclaims, at the end of his 26:34 book -- Daniel 12:3, on the screen... 26:41 Rescue another, and you yourself will be rescued. 26:45 It's a reciprocal act of fishing for people. It is absolutely stunning what 26:49 God brings back to the fishers. Unbelievable. And as Mike Maroney said to 26:57 LeShay Brown, "You rescued me more than I rescued you." It's no wonder that Jesus was so 27:05 big about fishing for people. I want to go back to a line we have never actually examined 27:11 together in this four-part series. Oh, we touched it as a Scripture 27:14 reading. Never went here, Matthew chapter 4. 27:17 Open your Bible, please, to Matthew chapter 4. Thank you, Terri and Yolanda, 27:20 for reading that for us and with us. Matthew chapter 4. 27:25 I'm in the New International. Matthew chapter 4, just before the Sermon on the Mount in 27:30 Matthew's rendition. Matthew chapter 4. Let's pick it up in verse 18... 27:43 [ Chuckles ] Red letters. Verse 19... 27:50 "At once --" verse 20 -- "they left their nets and followed 27:52 him. Going on from there, Jesus saw 27:55 two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John." 27:58 That would be John boy. "They were in a boat with their 28:00 father Zebedee, preparing their nets. 28:02 Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat 28:05 and their father and followed him." 28:07 Because, you see, there comes a time when you no longer follow your parents, but, instead, you 28:14 follow Jesus. Now, if your parents also follow Jesus, [Chuckles] that makes it 28:20 all the easier for you, trust me. But whether they follow Jesus or 28:24 not, there comes a time when they no longer serve. They no longer become the 28:28 impetus for your decision-making. They no longer serve as the 28:31 reason for your living and serving. They had career dreams for you, 28:34 but let them have their dreams. God has a dream for you, and that's the one you pursue. 28:40 You shift your purpose, you shift your motivation from them to Him. 28:44 And it's okay because you will still love and honor them for the rest of your days, but you 28:49 follow Jesus. And that's exactly what you saw happen just a split second ago. 28:55 But I want you to notice verse 19. Red letters... 29:04 Ah. [ Tsk-tsking ] God bless the NIV. 29:07 They tried their hardest to make that sentence feel comfortable, but, in doing so, they totally 29:13 sidestepped the actual Greek Matthew uses. I'm gonna put the Greek on the 29:20 screen for you right now. This is the Greek rendition. "Follow --" It literally reads, 29:25 "Come behind." It's two words. "Follow Me, and I will make all 29:31 of you --" 'cause it's plural -- "I will make all of you fishers of people." 29:36 You see, the NIV turns the "I will make you" into "I will send you out." 29:41 But that robs us of the very good news that Jesus offers to make us what He calls us to be. 29:48 It reads, "I will make you." That little chorus, "I will make you," we'll sing it for the last 29:53 time in a moment. The chorus is right. It got the Greek right. 29:57 "I will make you fishers of men. You don't have to fret," Jesus 30:02 is saying to you and me. "You don't have to fuss. All you need to do is trust me." 30:06 "I will put my trust in Him." Seven-word Credo. Works here beautifully. 30:11 "You just trust me, and I will make you a successful fisher of people. 30:15 I'll do it for you." Isn't that great? Let me repeat 'cause you might 30:23 not be getting it. It's too early in the morning. Jesus doesn't just command us to 30:28 be fishers of people. He offers us an extreme makeover -- maybe change the 30:34 word to a "joyful" makeover -- that will actually make us fishers of people. 30:40 "I will do it for you. I'll do it." What's not to like about that? 30:51 I love that line from "Christ's Object Lessons." 333 -- on the screen. 30:54 This is so true... 30:59 "What I ask you to do, [Snaps fingers] I do. 31:03 I will equip you. I will empower you. 31:08 I will energize you. You will be a fisher for people 31:13 because I will do it. I will make you into what I need 31:16 you to be." Isn't that great? 31:19 "I'll do it." 31:21 Whatever Jesus asks us to do, He enables us to do. So if He says, "Become fishers 31:25 of people --" "Yo, Lord, I will be a fisher of people." No sooner does the word leave 31:29 Your lips, then that omnipotent word immediately creates the reality it describes. 31:33 "I am now a fisher of people. I am now a fisher of people." Yes, sir. Yes, Lord. 31:39 And by the way... the reason this is so is because [Chuckles] the truth is fishing 31:47 does not come natural to nobody -- to nobody. You're not born a fisherman. 31:54 There's no woman who wakes up and says, "Aw," and starts sobbing, "I'm just not a 31:58 fisherwoman." You're not born -- no fisherman is born. 32:01 You got to hang around somebody whose done it before. And you learn the little tricks 32:04 of the trade. You learn the little -- "This is this, and then this is what you 32:08 do next." And that's how you learn, by observing. 32:10 The deal is, the more times you go fishing, the more successful you are at fishing. 32:14 But if you never go, guess how many fish you're gonna catch. Zero. Not a nothing. 32:19 You have to go. 32:20 "I will make you." Some of you have put off fishing 32:25 for people, for one reason or another, for most of your life. 32:30 You know who you are. You just have not done it. You've said, "Aw, it's not my 32:35 gift. No, it's not my responsibility nor my mission in this life. 32:38 Mnh-mnh. I know what I'm gifted to do, and it's not fishing. 32:41 So thank you." Doesn't cut it. Jesus gave this call and command 32:49 to all 12 of his followers. And you want to talk about a very diverse group? 32:54 Some were gifted in some ways. Very diverse. None of them is alike. 33:00 All 12 of them, recipients of His command -- I'll put that on the screen for you. 33:05 "Follow Me --" All 12 of them. "All 12 of you, follow Me, and I will make you fishers of 33:10 people." All 12 of them. "Go therefore unto all the world 33:13 and make disciples of all nations." All 12 of them. 33:15 "Don't be afraid. From now on, you will fish for people." 33:20 All 12 of them. It's the Great Commission, not the "Great Suggestion." 33:31 It's a commission. "You follow me? You fish. Do you hear me? 33:35 You fish, girl. You fish. I teach you. I'll make you a fisherman. 33:39 You can count on me. I'm not gonna let you down. I want you to succeed more than 33:46 you'll ever know. Come on. Let's go. Follow Me." So, to protest, "Oh, it's not my 33:54 gift; I just have other things I can do in my life --" wrong! "I know it's not your gift," 34:00 He's saying, but that's precisely the point. "I will make it your gift. 34:06 I will make you a fisher of people. Follow Me. Follow Me. 34:11 I'll make you a fisher of people." By the way, Mark's rendition of 34:16 this story -- Mark adds a second word that's not in Matthew. We'll put Mark -- The 34:20 New American Standard Bible catches it, so it's on the screen now. 34:24 "And Jesus said to them, 'Follow Me, and I will make you 34:27 become --'" See that extra word? 34:28 It's in the Greek. It's an extra word. 34:30 Become -- "I will make you become fishers of men." 34:35 Mark adds that word "become." 34:38 You know why? Because it's a process, that's why. 34:40 [ Chuckles ] It's a process. It's a life journey based on a heart, love for the Savior who 34:45 saved you when you yourself were lost. And you carry Jesus' picture in 34:49 your wallet, and you look at it every day, and you say, "This is the God who saved me." 34:55 And it's looking at that picture every day that makes you realize, "I have to do it for 35:00 others. What He did for me, I must do for others." 35:05 For those who are still protesting -- "Aw, but come on, Dwight. 35:08 I'm just not sure this is me. I'm not there, and I don't think I'm ever gonna be there." 35:11 For you, I want to read some words. These are rather provocative. 35:15 These are from Erwin Raphael McManus' book, "Seize Your Divine Moment." 35:20 Wow. What a powerful book. I'll put the words on the screen for you. 35:25 "This relationship between faith and uncertainty is inescapable. 35:31 What required faith for you yesterday --" Hold on now. 35:34 Read it. "[ Singsong voice ] What 35:36 required faith for you yesterday may become commonplace for you 35:40 tomorrow." [ Normal voice ] Pause button. 35:44 In other words, this life that you're living, that you and I 35:48 are living right now, this life... 35:51 you know, living without the need or desire to do any fishing 35:55 at all for people -- the life that you're living right now, in 35:58 the beginning, it may have been sufficient for you, in the days 36:02 and the years that are passed. 36:04 But guess what. You've gone on. You have gone on. 36:06 You're at a different place now in your walk with God. This is not beginner's faith 36:10 anymore. Look at you. Look how mature you are, not 36:13 just by looks, but by your life experience. And no fishing? No fishing? 36:22 Listen to McManus' point. This is good. 36:25 Back on the screen here... 36:33 "Although --" Now, listen, listen. 36:35 Read. "Although they are still 36:37 expressions of your faith, they --" And we're talking about 36:40 your everyday ways of living, living out your faith, "But I 36:42 don't want to fish." Living out your faith, but no 36:44 fishing. "Faith, but no fishing. 36:46 That's what I want, God." Those thoughts, that way, is no 36:50 longer -- This way of living is no longer the challenge that 36:54 launched you to a new-faith experience. 36:57 Once upon a time, when you stepped out for Jesus, that was 36:59 a huge challenge. 37:01 But guess what. Guess what's happening. You're flatlining right now. 37:06 I'm flatlining. You cannot hold this flatline, no-growth, no-challenge, 37:10 no-fishing choice without significant spiritual repercussions in your own walk 37:15 with God. It will impact you. You will suffer... 37:21 lack because of it. "Wow, Dwight. You're getting kind of punchy 37:27 here." No. No, no, no, no, no. You think about it. 37:29 If your faith is no longer growing, because there's nothing challenging you -- "I don't need 37:32 to pray God-sized prayers. I can do this all pretty much myself these days." 37:37 If your faith is no longer challenging you, you are no longer growing. 37:41 You are maintaining the status quo, and, in the Christian life, status quo always means no 37:46 growth -- no growth. That's McManus' point. Now, I want you to catch this 37:51 last sentence. 37:53 "While at first simply trusting God to take you outside your 37:56 experience is a huge leap of faith --" oh, it was when you 38:00 and I came to Jesus -- "eventually, God will expect 38:05 more from you." Hmm. 38:11 "Remember, faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain 38:15 of what we do not see." McManus writing -- "Once 38:18 something is a certainty, it no longer requires faith. 38:21 "Don't be surprised..." 38:29 It doesn't cut it anymore. You've already reached that 38:31 level. 38:32 You got to go higher. "Lord, lift me up --" we sang it a moment ago -- "on higher 38:39 ground." You got to keep going higher and higher and higher. 38:42 You can't stay back there. There's no growth. Jesus' appeal to you and me -- 38:49 and I'm listening to this just as carefully as you are -- is to become fishers of people. 38:53 It is tactically and tacitly the divine offer to raise the bar in our spiritual walk with God. 38:59 "I want to raise the bar. I want to raise the bar." We've become too comfortable. 39:05 We have become too secure. And what's true for individuals is true for congregations. 39:10 Too comfortable, too secure, too "same old, same old," too status quo -- too "no growth"! 39:19 No growth. It no longer takes great measures of faith for us to live 39:25 out our spirituality. It is precisely to counteract that dangerous plateauing in our 39:31 spiritual experience that fishing for people will push us to new, exhilarating faith 39:36 experiences with Christ because now I really need God to intervene. 39:40 Now I really need Jesus to step in. Now we're praying God-sized 39:45 prayers. Why? Because now I'm concerned about 39:47 saving lost people, which is what's driven God from the beginning -- only now I'm 39:51 catching it. You're not too old. Some of you are in your 70s. 39:55 Some of you are in your 80s. You are not too old to start fishing. 40:00 Ask any fisherman on this planet, and he'll tell you you're never too old to fish. 40:09 So, let Him raise you. Let Him lift me, like that rescue helicopter, out of our 40:15 comfort zone, into a world of radical faith and unpredictable but deeply fulfilling and 40:20 exhilarating fishing. "I will make you. I'll do it. You follow me. 40:25 I'll do it, but I need your permission. Grab ahold of that net with me. 40:31 It won't hurt you. Grab ahold of that with me. Let's do it together." 40:38 Wow. "In the very act of rescuing others, could it be you rescued 40:45 me more than I rescued you?" Hmm. Jesus promises great news. 40:54 "I will make you." You don't even have to go to school. 40:58 You don't even need a -- There's no degree on this you get. Anybody, anywhere, anytime on 41:04 this planet... can be made into a fisher of people. 41:12 It's that simple. No kidding. It's that simple. Let me end with a quotation and 41:19 a story. First, the quotation. "Desire of Ages" makes this 41:21 point powerfully, this reciprocal-giving point. Wow. Look at this. 41:25 On the screen -- "Desire of Ages." 41:27 "And he who seeks to give light to other will himself be 41:31 blessed." Let me repeat that. 41:34 And she who seeks to give light to others will herself be 41:39 blessed. "There shall be showers of 41:41 blessing," quoting Proverbs 11:25. 41:44 "He that watereth shall be watered also himself." 41:47 She who waters will herself be watered. 41:50 It's reciprocal, remember? Reciprocal. 41:53 You rescue, but you're actually getting rescued in the process. 41:57 "God could have --" Now continuing on here. 41:59 "God could have reached His object in saving sinners without 42:02 our aid --" Could've done it. Of course he could've. 42:05 "But in order for us to develop a character like Christ's, we 42:09 must share in His work. In order..." 42:18 And I have very good news for you. 42:20 Jesus assures us, on this last day of the semester... "I have very good news for you. 42:31 I will make you fish for people. I'll be your Maker. I'll be your mentor." 42:42 Hey, wait a minute. Is Jesus is your Maker and mentor, does it get any better 42:45 than that? Come on, does it get any better? "I'll be your Maker, I'll be 42:48 your mentor. I will do this with you." [ Exhales deeply ] 42:55 How could you go wrong? Want to end with a story. 43:02 This is from Donald Miller's book, "Blue Like Jazz." This book is whimsically 43:07 powerful -- or maybe I should say powerfully whimsical, but it's a great book. 43:12 Found it for a dollar on a used-book tray. 43:21 Donald Miller. Goes like this. This is the story. 43:26 "The first day of school was exhilarating. It was better than high school." 43:30 He's going to Reed College. Now, you need to know that Reed College is one of the top 43:37 Ivy League, liberal-arts colleges in the nation. I went online. 43:42 They have an admission waiting list a mile long. It's expensive. 43:50 And it's not Christian. It's just an Ivy League, liberal-arts school. 43:55 "The first day of school was exhilarating." So he's a freshman. 43:58 "It was better than high school. There were 400 freshmen in my humanities class. 44:06 Dr. Peter Steinberger, the acting president, delivered a lecture of which I understood 44:09 about 10%, but the 10% I understood was brilliant. I loved it. 44:12 I made noises while he was teaching --" hmm -- "humming noises, noises --" mm-hmm, 44:16 mm-hmm -- "noises in agreement with his passionate decrees." Rather heady for a freshman 44:22 accepted into such a top school. "After class, I would usually go to the commons and organize my 44:28 notes. It was in the commons where I met Laura, who, although she was 44:31 an atheist, would teach me a great deal about God." Hmm. 44:36 "Her father, whom she loved and admired deeply, was a Methodist minister in Atlanta, yet she was 44:40 the only one in her family who could not embrace the idea of God. 44:43 She explained that her family loved her all the same and that there was no tension because of 44:47 her resistance to faith. Laura and I started meeting every day after lecture, 44:50 rehashing the day's themes. I don't believe I ever met anybody as brilliant as Laura. 44:56 She seemed to drink in the complicated themes of Greek literature as though they were 45:00 cartoons. 'What did you think of the lecture?' I once asked her. 45:03 'I thought it was okay.' 'Just okay?' I asked. 'Yeah, I mean, you know, this is 45:07 supposed to be a pretty challenging school, and I wasn't that challenged. 45:11 Not that good of an introduction, if you ask me. I hope they don't put the 45:14 cookies on the lower shelf all year.' 'Cookies?' I asked. 45:17 I thought she had cookies." [ Laughter ] 45:21 "Laura would go on to explain the ideas I didn't understand. 45:24 In time, she figured out that I was a Christian, but we didn't 45:26 talk much about it. 45:31 The goofy thing about Christian faith is that you believe it and don't believe it at the same 45:36 time. It isn't unlike having an imaginary friend. 45:39 I believe in Jesus. I believe he is the Son of God. But every time I sit down to 45:43 explain this to somebody, I feel like a palm reader, like somebody who works at a circus, 45:46 or a kid who's always making things up or somebody at a "Star Trek" convention who 45:50 hasn't figured out the show isn't real." [ Laughter ] 45:54 "Until..." One-word paragraph. "Until... 45:58 When one of my friends becomes a Christian -- which happens about every 10 years because I am such 46:03 a sheep about sharing my faith -- the experience is euphoric. 46:08 I see in their eyes the trueness of the story. Everybody at Reed was telling me 46:12 something was wrong with Laura. They said she was depressed or something. 46:15 I ran into her at a lecture at the Vollum lounge, which is beautiful like a museum with its 46:19 tall white walls. Laura sat in front of me, and, when the lecture was over, she 46:23 didn't leave. Neither did I. I didn't want to bother her, but 46:26 I could tell she was sad about something. 'How are you?' I asked. 46:30 'I'm not good.' She turned to face me. I could see in her eyes she'd 46:34 spent the morning crying. 'What's wrong?' 'Everything.' 46:37 'Boy stuff?' I asked. 'No.' 'School stuff?' I asked. 46:40 'No.' 'God stuff?' Laura just looked at me. 46:44 Her eyes were sore and moist. 'I guess so, Don. I don't know.' 'Can you explain any of it -- I 46:50 mean, the way you feel?' 'I feel like my life is a mess. I can't explain it. 46:54 It's just a mess.' 'I see,' I said. 'Don, I just want to confess, I 46:58 have done terrible things. Can I confess to you?' 'Ooh, I don't think confessing 47:03 to me is gonna do you any good.' As I said it, Laura wiped her eyes with her fingers. 47:09 'I feel like He's after me, Don.' 'Who's after you?' I asked. 47:12 'God.' 'Well, I think that's very beautiful, Laura. 47:14 I believe you. I believe God wants you.' 'I feel like he's after me,' she 47:18 repeated. 'Well, what do you think he wants?' 47:20 'I don't know. I can't do this, Don. You don't understand. 47:23 I can't do this!' 'Can't do what, Laura?' 'Be a Christian.' 47:27 'Well, why can't you be a Christian?' Laura didn't say anything. 47:30 She just looked at me and rolled her tired eyes. She dropped her hands into her 47:34 lap with a sigh. 'I wish I could read you my journal,' she said, looking 47:38 blankly at the wall. 'There is this part of me that wants to believe. 47:41 I wrote about it in my journal. My family believes, Don. I feel as though I need to 47:45 believe, like I'm gonna die if I don't believe, but it is all so stupid, so completely stupid.' 47:51 'Laura, why is it that you hang out with the Christians on campus?' 47:54 'I don't know. I guess I'm just curious.' She wiped her eye again. 47:58 'You're not dumb, I don't think. I just don't understand, Don, how you can believe this stuff.' 48:03 'I don't either, really' I told her, 'but I believe in God, Laura. 48:07 There is something inside me that causes me to believe, and I now believe that God is after 48:12 you, that God wants you to believe, too.' 'What do you mean?' she asked, 48:18 dropping her hands in her lap and sighing once again. 'I mean the idea that you want 48:21 to confess. I think that God is wanting a relationship with you, and that 48:25 starts by confessing directly to him. He is offering forgiveness.' 48:29 'You're not making this easy, Don. I don't exactly believe I need a 48:32 God to forgive me of anything.' 'I know, but that's what I believe is happening. 48:36 Perhaps you can see it as an act of social justice. The entire world is falling 48:40 apart because nobody will admit they're wrong, but, by asking God to forgive you, you are 48:45 willing to own your own mess.' Laura sat silent for awhile. She sort of mumbled under her 48:53 breath. 'I can't, Don. It isn't a decision. 48:56 It isn't something you decide.' 'What do you mean?' 'Well, I can't get there. 49:00 I just can't say it without meaning it.' She was getting very frustrated. 49:03 'I can't do it. It would be like trying to fall in love with somebody or trying 49:08 to convince yourself your favorite food is pancakes. You don't decide those things. 49:11 They just happen to you. If God is real, He needs to happen to me.' 49:17 'That's true, but don't panic. It's okay. God brought you this far, Laura. 49:21 He will bring you the rest of the way. It may take time.' 49:25 'But this hurts,' she said. 'I want to believe, but I can't. I hate this.' 49:33 Laura went back to her room. The next day, I got an e-mail from Penny, saying she, too, had 49:41 talked with Laura. Penny asked me to pray for her, as Laura felt trapped. 49:45 Penny said she was going to spend a great deal of time with her, really walking her through 49:48 her emotions. I had no explanation for Laura. I don't think there is an 49:53 explanation. My belief in Jesus did not seem rational or scientific, and yet 49:57 there was nothing I could do to separate myself from this belief. 50:00 I think Laura was looking for something rational because she believed that all things that 50:04 were true were rational, but that isn't the case. Love, for example, is a true 50:08 emotion, but it's not rational. What I mean is people actually feel it. 50:11 I've been in love. Plenty of people have been in love, yet love cannot be proved 50:15 scientifically. Neither can beauty. Light can't be proved 50:18 scientifically, and yet we all believe in light and, by light, see all things. 50:21 There are plenty of things that are true that don't make any sense. 50:25 I think one of the problems Laura was having was that she wanted God to make sense. 50:32 He doesn't. He'll make no more sense to me than I will make to an ant." 50:42 In his book, "Orthodoxy," G.K. Chesterton says, "Chess players go crazy, not poets." 50:47 [ Chuckling ] I like that. [ Laughter ] Donald Miller goes on. 50:53 I think he's right. "You'd go crazy trying to explain penguins. 50:56 It's best just to watch them and be entertained. I don't think you can explain 51:01 how Christian faith works, either. It's a mystery. 51:03 And I love this about Christian spirituality -- it cannot be explained, and yet it is 51:07 beautiful and true. It is something you feel, and it comes from the soul. 51:12 I crawled out of bed a few days later and cracked open the Bible on my desk. 51:16 I didn't feel like reading, honestly, so I turned on my computer and fidgeted with the 51:20 'Sim City' town I'd been working on. I checked my e-mail and noticed 51:25 one from Laura. She had sent it in the early hours of the morning. 51:29 The subject read, 'So, anyway, about all that stuff.' 'Dearest friend Don, I read 51:37 through the Book of Matthew this evening. I was up all night. 51:44 I couldn't stop reading, so I read through Mark. This Jesus of yours is either a 51:48 madman or the Son of God. Somewhere in the middle of Mark, I realized He was the 51:53 Son of God. I suppose this makes me a Christian. 51:59 I feel much better now. Come to campus tonight, and we'll get a bite to eat. 52:04 Much love, Laura.'" 52:09 I'm telling you... [ Taps book ] ...this is fishing. 52:14 It's not contrived. It's not forced. It's in the course of everyday 52:23 relationships. It just happens. And if you'll be there when it 52:30 happens, you get to pull the net in. "Don't be afraid. 52:36 Don't be afraid. From now on, you will fish for people." 52:44 And as Donald Miller wrote, catching one is euphoric. Let's pray. 52:54 Oh, God... I'm sure there is someone in this universe who's trying to 52:59 over-complicate all of this so that we will never put hand to net, never place heart in Jesus' 53:07 command -- never. But, oh, we have only robbed ourselves and you, those we 53:15 could've reached, if we just had said yes. You make me, Jesus. 53:21 You make me what You need me to be. And by Your grace, I will fish 53:27 with You for people. [ "I Will Make You Fishers of Men" plays ] 56:29 [ Song ends ] >> And now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we 56:34 ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church 56:40 and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. 56:46 Amen. >> Amen. [ Organ plays hymn ] 57:01 >> I want to take an extra moment to thank you for joining us in worship today. 57:05 It's by the continued support from viewers like you that we're able to bring this telecast. 57:09 Today I want to invite you, though, to share with us how this ministry has blessed you. 57:14 Truth is I get inspiring notes, e-mails, letters from viewers literally all over the world, 57:20 sharing with us how God has blessed them through this program, and I'd love to hear 57:23 from you, as well. 57:25 It's not that hard -- simple, really. 57:27 Just visit our website, newperceptions.tv. 57:29 That's one word, newperceptions.tv. 57:33 And click on the contact link at the top of the page. 57:35 Shoot me that e-mail. Once again, thank you for being 57:38 with us. 57:39 Thank you, by the way, for your own support. That support is what keeps this 57:43 telecast, week after week, reaching America, reaching North America, and reaching the 57:49 planet. That kind of generosity that you share is a huge boost and 57:53 blessing to us. And I hope you'll join us right here next time 'cause we'll be 57:58 here. In the meantime, God be with you and bless you real good. 58:05 ♪♪ |
Revised 2017-06-07