Participants:
Series Code: NP
Program Code: NP170819A
|
00:01 ♪♪
02:17 >> Amen. >> Amen. You know, I often wonder, what 02:20 does it mean, that power in the blood? 02:23 Things don't always go the way we want them to go in our lives, 02:26 and sometimes I feel like God's not with me or that I'm failing 02:31 God. 02:32 But the problem is never God. God is always here with me, always here. 02:38 His strength, His power, is constant. And so if there's a problem, 02:45 it's me not reaching on to and claiming that power in the blood of Jesus. 02:52 And as we sing these songs, as we sing about the power of the blood of Jesus, the sacrifice, 02:58 He already paid the price. He's done the work. We just have to reach out and 03:02 hold on to that power. So let's make that power real in our lives by just saying, 03:07 "Jesus, here I am. Cover me with Your blood." [ "The Blood" playing ] 06:22 >> Amen! >> Amen! 06:23 >> It is so comforting to know that His blood never, never 06:29 loses its power. I am thankful for that, and... 06:34 the knowledge that that sacrifice that He did on Calvary just for you and for me 06:43 so that we could have a chance to be with Him forever -- that's awesome, and I can't 06:49 possibly wrap my mind around that. "Thank You" is not even enough. 06:57 This morning as we sing the next song, I'd like us to really meditate on the words. 07:03 And I know that "Thank You" is not enough, but fortunately, we serve a God that knows our 07:10 heart, and it goes beyond thankfulness. And as we sing this, we just 07:16 want Him to know... "Thank You. Thank You, Jesus, for doing that 07:22 for me." [ "Worthy Is the Lamb" plays ] 09:36 >> Maybe you had a tough week today -- this week. Maybe your week was very 09:44 frustrating. You know what? Jesus wants to hear about that. 09:50 But maybe your week was amazing, and you had so many blessings that you could actually touch 09:57 and see, and you're anxious to share that with Jesus as well. Whatever your week was, 10:04 I'd like to invite you to come forward and share that with Him, Who wants to know every detail 10:12 about us. He wants to know that we are connected. 10:16 So, as we sing this song one more time, I'd like to invite you to come front and talk to 10:22 Him. 12:48 >> Good morning. Boys and girls, all right, let's be quiet so we hear the story. 12:53 How are you all doing this morning? >> Good. 12:55 >> My name is Daniel, and I'm a field biologist, 12:59 which is just a fancy way of saying that I get to be outside 13:02 a lot, and I get to spend time with wild animals, 13:04 and I get paid for it, which is wonderful. 13:08 Now, I've been blessed with many adventures throughout my years as a biologist, and I want to 13:13 share a special story with you guys, but before I get to that, I want to see if you guys 13:19 can guess what my favorite study animal is from looking at a skull that I brought. 13:29 >> Oh! [ Indistinct conversations ] >> All right. 13:34 Who can guess what this is? It's a mammal. It eats only plants. 13:41 It has one type of tooth -- just molars -- and it lives its whole life in the water. 13:47 Any guesses? >> A beaver! >> A beaver? Good guess. 13:52 Not quite. A little bigger. Look at the skull. 13:55 >> Alligator. >> Alligator? All right. Do you want to guess? 14:01 No? Crocodile? Whale? No, it's a manatee. 14:09 >> What? 14:11 >> You wouldn't have guessed. I would have been very 14:12 impressed. So, I study manatees, and I've 14:17 had the unbelievable blessing of working with manatees in many 14:21 countries -- Cuba, Panama, Mexico. 14:23 But the story... actually, even most recently, this last month, 14:27 I was down in the Amazon River in Brazil. 14:29 I got to work with Amazonian manatees. 14:31 There's a picture there that you guys can see. 14:33 But the story I want to share with you guys this morning 14:37 goes back a little further to when I was just a student 14:40 still just starting with manatees, and it takes place 14:43 in Honduras. 14:44 Now, I had organized a series of flights. We use a small plane to fly 14:49 over a large area to see where these animals are. And I had organized six flights 14:55 that I needed to do, and I scheduled 10 days -- 10 days for six flights. 15:01 How many extra days did I have? Four extra days. I thought that should be plenty 15:07 of time for all the things that can happen, just in case. Right? 15:12 So, I invited two other scientists, and I invited a pilot. 15:16 His name was Chuck. And I got all the paperwork done. 15:19 And we arrived in Honduras, and I had everything ready, and we were set to go. 15:25 We were going to start on a Sunday, and we were going to finish the last day whenever we 15:29 got to those six surveys. The time I had scheduled for those 10 days -- listen up, 15:35 guys -- was from Sunday to the Tuesday of the following week. Now, Sunday came, and I got over 15:42 to the airport, and you won't guess what I saw. >> What? 15:47 >> There was a big, white jet, a $20 million jet, and it was in the middle of the airport 15:54 landing strip, and they told us, "Nobody is flying in, and nobody can fly out." 15:58 Because this plane came in the night with no lights, and it was abandoned there, and if you 16:03 don't believe me, you can Google it later. And it was just abandoned there. 16:08 And for three days, they did an investigation. They didn't find out until many, 16:12 many years later who the jet belonged to. But the long... the short of it 16:16 is that we couldn't fly out for three days, so I lost three days immediately. 16:21 So now I was just down to seven days. And I needed six flights. 16:26 And one of those days was the Sabbath. So, we waited three days, and 16:31 Wednesday came. We got there early. We got into the plane. 16:35 And then they told us, "There's a fuel shortage. We can't give you fuel until 16:39 everybody else gets fuel because you're a private plane." Boy, I was feeling really 16:43 worried at this point 'cause I was group leader, and even though I was half the age of the 16:47 other biologists, I had all the responsibility. Well, everybody got their fuel, 16:52 and would you believe there was just enough fuel for us to be able to do what we needed to do? 16:58 So, I was praising God for that. The next day came. It was a Thursday. 17:03 We got there early. There was enough fuel. We took off. 17:07 We did our flight. Everything was great, and then as we were returning, the pilot 17:12 comes on. Now, he has a way to talk just to me through the channel. 17:16 And he talks just to me, and he said, "Hey, Daniel, there's a slight problem." 17:20 I said, "Uh, what's the problem?" He said, "The flaps aren't 17:23 working." Now, we're about to land. And I'm not a pilot. 17:28 I'm not an expert in planes. But I knew that that wasn't great. 17:31 The flaps are sort of the brakes for the plane to slow down. And so I said, "Is there a 17:36 problem?" And he said, "Well, not necessarily. 17:38 It just means we're going to have a hot landing," which essentially means in 17:42 pilot-speak that we're going to land fast, faster than you're supposed to land. 17:46 Well, I didn't tell the other crew members. I didn't want 17:48 to stress them out. And we landed, and thankfully it was safely. 17:53 Then I was worried -- are we going to waste a lot of time, days, possibly, in fixing these 17:58 flaps? But thankfully, it was a simple fix. 18:01 Friday came. We came back. We did our flight. 18:06 Everything was fine. About midway through, Chuck comes on the radio again 18:11 and says, "Daniel, slight problem." At this point, I'm starting to 18:15 really get worried. He said, "The battery is dead. The alternator's not working." 18:20 Now I'm thinking, "All right. Is that a problem?" And he said, "Well, not really, 18:26 as long as we don't stall. As long as the engine doesn't stop, 'cause we only have one 18:31 engine, then we're fine." Because otherwise, the only way to start it again is to manually 18:35 turn the propeller. Now, we're 500 feet up in the air. 18:38 No one wants to get out of the plane and turn that propeller. So, thankfully, once again, 18:43 we landed safely. The plane did not stall. I didn't tell the other crew 18:48 members about that one, either. Now, we landed. And I had to find that old 18:53 mechanic again. I think I have a picture of him so you can see. 18:56 And it was a quick fix again. It was a very simple fix, so we were very grateful. 19:01 It was like a 50-cent fix. But I paid him a nice $20 tip. All right. 19:05 Now, the next day was Sabbath. I had done three flights. God had been good to us multiple 19:10 times on all three of those flights. I had a big decision to make. 19:13 I only had four more days available, and I needed three flights. 19:16 The weather was going to be good for Sabbath, Sunday, and Monday, but Tuesday, the last day 19:21 available, it was scheduled to rain. Now, I thought long and hard, 19:26 and I prayed, and I said, "God, I want to be faithful to You." But I was so worried about what 19:30 the other scientists would say if we took a day off that was perfectly fine to fly. 19:35 How would they understand taking off the Sabbath? What do you think I did, boys 19:39 and girls? Should I take the Sabbath off? >> Yes. 19:45 >> You bet. I said, "You know what? Come what may, I'm going to 19:50 honor God. He has been faithful to me. So I'm going to trust in God." 19:54 And I remembered what I was taught in elementary school at Ruth Murdoch. 19:58 I remembered what I was taught in high school and at Andrews University when I 20:01 attended here, and I remembered what I was taught at Loma Linda while was attending 20:05 there. And so I decided to take the day off, and to my surprise, 20:10 none of the other scientists said anything. They thought it was a good idea. 20:14 And we had a great time at the natural preserve that we went to just enjoy nature during 20:19 Sabbath. We returned on Sunday to flights and Monday, and both those days 20:26 went without a hitch -- no problem, everything great. The weather -- perfect. 20:30 Then came Tuesday, our last day, for our sixth survey. 20:35 We needed that survey to occur. We knew the rain was coming. We took off early in the 20:39 morning, and we headed east. We got to our location, where we started our four-hour survey. 20:43 And we could see the rain about a mile away as it was coming towards us. 20:48 It always comes from east to west in that region of the world. 20:52 And as we're doing the survey, we could see the rain getting closer and closer. 20:56 We could start smelling the rain. In fact, we started feeling 20:59 raindrops hitting the plane, and of course, in such a small plane, flying so low, it's very 21:03 dangerous when the rain hits. You don't want to be conducting those kinds of surveys. 21:08 And so I was praying inside while I was doing this survey, and I just remember that right 21:13 as we were descending to land, finishing up the survey, the rain overtook us like a 21:19 wave, and it was like a powerful thunderstorm as we were landing. And when we got down to the 21:25 runway and we touched down, I just remember the sound of the rain and all of us looking 21:31 wide-eyed at each other in amazement. Nobody said a word. 21:36 But we were all thinking the same thing -- "How in the world did we just pull this off?" 21:42 Six surveys, six days that we did them. We honored the Sabbath. 21:47 Boys and girls, when I come up with a difficult situation in my life, I think back on that 21:53 story, and I'm encouraged by it, and I want to encourage you guys. 21:57 Trust in God because He is faithful. Who would like to pray? 22:02 >> Me. >> Nice and loud. >> Dear Jesus, 22:09 please help that plane to stay... other planes to stay up. And please help them to fly 22:18 well and nothing to go wrong with them. In Jesus' name we pray. 22:24 Amen. >> Amen. >> I want to do it! 22:28 >> All right, if you quietly return to your seats... Thank you very much. 22:34 [ Indistinct conversations ] 22:38 [ Organ playing ] 25:52 >> Amen! 25:57 >> Let's talk to Him. O God, we do have that hope. We have a world to reach in this 26:02 generation. These last few moments, we give them to You. 26:08 In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. 26:12 George Knight -- you've probably heard of him -- wrote a piece 26:20 in a journal this summer. I read it. 26:23 The title of this piece, by the way, begins with these two 26:26 words -- "Ground zero." And his opening word, with an 26:30 exclamation after it, is "Hiroshima!" 26:35 Soon as I saw that word, I said, "Man, that's from the land of my birth. 26:39 Hiroshima. We Americans say "Hiro-SHE-ma." I said, "Wait a minute. 26:44 Ground Zero. My mom gave me a black-and-white album that Dad put together." 26:49 I pulled it out. Sure enough, two black-and-white photos... 26:54 ground zero. And by the way, what was the date on that? 26:58 August 6, 1945. So we're talking about 72 years ago this month. 27:02 Okay, so let's see the picture, picture number one. Let's go. 27:05 That -- my dad did not take that one, by the way. But that's the picture the world 27:10 saw just hours after this nuclear explosion obliterated an entire city in my homeland. 27:17 Here are my dad's pictures. Here we go. Number one. 27:20 Number one -- it's my dad's handwriting there -- was to say "Hiroshima. 27:23 A-bomb Center." They called it the A-bomb back then. 27:26 That means about 1/2 mile above that dome is where the nuclear device detonated and just... 27:32 [ Imitates explosion ] Picture number two. 27:35 Look at that, and can you read my dad's handwriting underneath 27:38 it? It's pretty small there. 27:39 It says, "Most operated on living survivor." 27:42 That's seven years after. This is 1952. 27:45 I don't know how my dad found out about it. 27:47 He obviously spoke to this guy, this gentleman, in Japanese. 27:50 He'd been through multiple surgeries. 27:52 Obviously not at ground zero. Somewhere in the periphery. 27:55 Still surviving seven years later. 27:57 Ground zero. 27:58 George says, "Okay, what's ground zero?" So he throws by four 28:01 definitions, and it's the fourth one that I hope will catch your mind and heart. 28:07 "Ground zero," he says, "is where the action takes place. Ground zero is where change 28:10 happens. Ground zero is where the course of world history is shifted in 28:13 new directions." Here it comes now, number four. Put it on the screen, please. 28:25 Just leave that up there. Let it hang there for a moment. 28:27 Take a look at that. Ground zero, in this 28:31 intergalactic, cosmic battle between light and darkness... 28:35 "Ground zero in the great controversy between Christ," 28:38 the protagonist, "and Satan," the antagonist, 28:41 "is the struggle..." Hey, wait a minute, guys. 28:43 This is why we exist. "...is the struggle for the 28:46 hearts and minds of" what? "The next generation." 28:51 God raised this little campus up, what was it, 1901, 1902? I forget. 28:57 Emmanuel Missionary College. Raised it up why? Because of the ground-zero 29:03 mission we have. What's our theme for this weekend? 29:07 Total Engagement: Building the Kingdom. And, oh, by the way, when you 29:11 factor in -- talking about this next generation that's already here -- when you factor in the 29:16 chaos and craziness that over the summer has gripped our nation... 29:20 Let's not talk about Barcelona and the world. Let's just talk about America 29:23 right here. Last week in Charlottesville... What's going on with this 29:27 country? Any notion of racial reconciliation, movement, has 29:34 suddenly dissipated in this battle of press releases and press conferences. 29:39 And where are we? What's happening? George Knight is absolutely 29:44 right. 29:53 And by the way, this struggle has been going on for the entire history of the human race. 29:59 In fact, George quotes another George, and those of you who are in education -- there are a 30:02 whole bunch of you that are -- the American educator and influential educational 30:07 theorist -- I'm talking about George S. Counts, last century. Wrote nine books. 30:12 George quotes from one of those books with this prescient, in my humble opinion, prescient 30:17 observation. Put the words on the screen for you. 30:28 Hmm! 30:44 And I'm thinking great controversy... 30:50 Now, here comes the line. 31:03 Sound familiar? Last half of the sentence -- 31:15 Wow! Martin Luther, whose 500th anniversary you're going to hear 31:19 a whole lot more about as we move towards October, Martin Luther -- that was his 31:24 passion. That's why he was so big on teaching -- to shape the next 31:28 generation is to shape the future. Everybody knows it. 31:32 Adolf Hitler knew it. Joseph Stalin knew it. Kim Jong-un knows it 31:36 from North Korea. Ellen White, American reformer and spiritual leader -- she knew 31:42 it. Go for the young. We exist because of that vision. 31:47 So, ground zero, George Knight, you're right. 31:58 What are we going to do then? On the cusp of a new year, how then shall we live? 32:03 Consider for a moment something Jesus said just literally a few paces away from 32:09 ground zero, Calvary. On the very morning, by the way, the very morning of his 32:16 execution. I want you to picture Jesus' face. 32:18 Please. He stands there bound and gagged almost. 32:24 Look at His face... bruised and bloodied from being jumped from behind and beaten by 32:30 that godless Charlottesville-esque rabble in Caiaphas' judgment hall. 32:35 Look at him, one eye black and blue and swollen nearly shut like a whupped prizefighter, the 32:40 other eye still open and dark and clear but tired. 32:44 Splattered blood coagulated on His cheeks and drying into His 32:48 beard, His lips still swelling further from the pummeling by 32:53 human fists. He stands bound in front of the 32:56 governor, and the governor, 32:58 ticked to high heavens for being awakened in this ungodly hour that is becoming more ungodly by 33:05 the second... Pilate speaks. We pick the story up in the 33:10 Gospel of John, chapter 18. Take a look at it. John 18. 33:17 Drop down to verse 33. "Pilate then went back inside 33:20 the palace, summoned"... "Yo, prisoner, come here!" 33:25 ..."summoned Jesus and asked Him, 'Are you the king of the 33:33 Jews?'" 33:42 Pilate's stunned by the obvious nobility of whoever this is. 33:47 [ Scoffs ] 33:55 "Jesus said, 'My kingdom'"... building the kingdom -- 34:01 here's the original kingdom builder -- 34:04 "'My kingdom is not of this world. 34:07 If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by 34:09 the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom 34:11 is from another place.'" Aha! 34:34 And there it is. Just a few steps away from ground zero, Calvary, the 34:39 driving, compelling heart of Adventist education reduced to a single sentence -- 34:44 "What is truth?" This last spring, the chaplains and the pastors convened a group 34:53 of Andrews studentsnot -- key word --notmembers of our faith community. 34:59 So, over pizza downstairs here in the commons, Chaplain June led an informal conversation. 35:05 A young Baptist coed is in that circle eating pizza. "So, what do you think about 35:12 Andrews University?" She said, "I like it here." A little bit later, "What do you 35:20 think about the Seventh-Day Adventist Church?" She looked up. 35:27 "You know, it's strange," she said. "I ask my Seventh-Day Adventist 35:33 friends" -- fellow students here at the university -- "I ask my Seventh-Day Adventist friends 35:37 what it is they believe, and they reply, 'How should I know? 35:44 I just grew up in the church.'" [ Exhales ] When I heard that, I'm telling 35:51 you the gospel truth -- I not only blushed, but my stomach just shriveled into a tiny 35:56 little fist... because I like to think that some of the brightest kids in 36:03 our faith community are students in this university. It can't be those students she's 36:07 talking about, can it? I mean, come on. They grew up in Adventist homes. 36:11 They went to Adventist schools all their lives. I've been brooding over her 36:16 words all summer. "What do you believe?" "[Scoffs] How should I know? 36:20 I just grew up in the church." [ Inhales sharply ] But you know what? 36:26 I thank God for that little Baptist coed. Number one, she likes being 36:31 here. Number two, she has Adventist friends. 36:34 Number three, she came to share some pizza with us. And number four, maybe she was 36:38 telling us something we needed to hear. What Jesus just said to Pilate 36:44 as we stood there listening. Repeat the words again -- verse 37. 36:49 "You're a king, then," Pilate shoots back. 37:06 "I have one mission, for which I was born. I have one reason 37:12 for my life." I have one reason why I teach in this university. 37:18 I have one reason why I serve in this university. I have one reason why I lead in 37:23 this university. I have one reason why I preach in this university. 37:28 I came into the world to testify to truth. What truth? 37:33 "The truth I was talking about last night alone with my 11 when I said to them, 'I am the way 37:44 and the truth and the life.'" That truth. The truth as it is in Jesus. 37:53 That's the fire in the belly of the Seventh-Day Adventist university -- the truth as it is 38:01 in Jesus. George Knight -- ground zero. 38:05 How'd he put it? 38:07 "Ground zero in the great controversy between Christ and 38:10 Satan is the struggle for the hearts and minds 38:12 of the next generation." 38:14 That's our mission. That's what we're all about. Led to this university so that 38:18 we might engage with Christ in this struggle, His struggle, His struggle, 38:25 for the hearts and minds of the next generation. You say, "Ha! 38:28 Nice try, Dwight. That'syourmission, not my mission." 38:34 And you know what? You're absolutely right. It is my mission. 38:38 But it is not my mission alone. Because I'm going to tell you something that you already have 38:42 sensed, and you've known this a long time, anyway, I know. You know as well as I do 38:47 that they'll listen more closely to you than they ever will to me. 38:52 I'm talking about those moments in the class. They're there -- for some reason 38:59 today, the passion of your life is being poured out in your lecture about this discipline 39:05 that you love. It's just pouring into the space of that room. 39:10 Something happens. You know, I teach graduate students over here at the 39:17 theological seminary. That something is not every day. I understand that. 39:21 But there are days, and you know it, mind and heart connected with the young seated in those, 39:31 at those desks in front of you, and it's at that moment -- they're wide-eyed. 39:36 You know why? Because they're wannabes. They want to be what you are. 39:42 That your grasp, your lucid grasp of the discipline you champion -- they want to be 39:47 just like you. And when this comes out of you, and by the way, you could be 39:51 the most bashful professor on this campus or you could be the most exuberant one around. 39:55 It doesn't matter, your personality type at all. You are just so caught up. 39:59 There is just like fire inside of you. I want to suggest to you that 40:03 that fire moment -- and we all know those moments when we teach -- that fire moment 40:08 is the moment of Christ Jesus where He steps into that space. He doesn't care what your 40:14 discipline is. He led you into the discipline you have chosen. 40:16 But that's His perfect entree out of that moment of hot passion for learning 40:22 and growing. That's His moment, and He steps into the air. 40:27 You're not talking theology. You don't work for the religion department. 40:33 You have your own calling, but in the exercise of that calling, in the moment when mind to mind, 40:39 and don't ask me why, but it's almost like they're breathless. They're just sitting there 40:45 in the palm of your hand, which is a nail-scarred hand that says, "I made you for this. 40:53 I made you for this." And you know it's true because sometimes it surprises 41:01 even you. When the class empties and everybody's gone and you're all 41:06 alone, and you're flipping your computer shut, you sense He was here. 41:14 "He walked into my room today. And I wasn't even talking about Him." 41:28 Wow. So, I tell you what, my friend. Nice try. 41:33 You can't pin that mission on me. It's ours. 41:38 You're making a sale. Financial investor that you are, you're making a sale. 41:43 You're down. You're crunching the numbers. You are waxing eloquent about 41:46 the state of the market today, and these clients are just... they're justthere. 41:51 That moment when your palm is the palm of Christ... is the Christ moment 41:57 for your kind of work. Huge respect for you in that split second. 42:06 It happens here through you, through us. So, here's the question -- how 42:11 can I be comfortable testifying to the truth as it is in Jesus day in and day out? 42:16 Let me end with this. In anticipation of the upcoming 500th anniversary of the 42:22 Wittenberg door and Luther and the Reformation, I read three biographies of Luther this 42:27 summer and scanned two others. In the biography by the English historian Derek Wilson -- title 42:33 of his biography, "Luther: Out of the Storm." This is fascinating. 42:38 In describing the deep angst, this grinding sense of being utterly lost -- it was so bad 42:47 for Luther, he coined a German word for it,anfechtungen. He was in the grip of 42:53 anfechtungen. Wilson makes the point that it was those moments that 43:04 something happens. Put his...just one line. Put it on the screen for you. 43:07 Derek Wilson. His -- Luther -- Luther's... 43:18 The Lord knows we all have those treadmills to have to grind through every single day. 43:23 As important as those treadmills are, what was happening to Luther is beyond the treadmill. 43:29 It's something he encounters all alone, sometimes for days and nights while he's going 43:36 around his work. He's just... justanfechtungen is deep within his soul. 43:41 He's struggling for God, struggling. The point is, what's happening 43:45 is, he's making it his own. It's becoming his. It's not a theory. 43:51 It's not a piece of knowledge. It's...Now it's just moving in. And Wilson points out, it's how 43:57 that angst that leads to the Bible, that leads to God, to Christ, to the Calvary 44:02 and the Reformation. One day, Luther was so troubled about God that his spiritual 44:07 mentor, Johann von Staupitz, who was vicar general of the Augustinian order that Luther 44:14 was part of as a monk and a priest, Staupitz is listening to Luther. 44:20 By the way, Staupitz and Luther loved each other all the way through until Staupitz died, 44:25 though they would have to part company theologically. Staupitz is listening to Luther. 44:31 He's distraught over God, and at one point, he interrupts -- "Martin! 44:36 God is not angry at you! But you are angry at Him. 44:41 Look at the Cross. Look at the Cross, 44:45 Martin." Jesus stands bound and almost 44:54 gagged before Pilate that Friday morning early. 44:58 He knows just a few steps away, ground zero, but He also knows that on Tuesday afternoon, His 45:07 last time in the sacred temple, with a crowd around Him, He announced to everyone who 45:13 would listen the words in John 12:32... 45:22 And then John boy scribbles in the next line, "He spoke of 45:26 His impending death" -- crucifixion -- 45:31 lifted up between heaven and earth, hoisted. Ground zero, the Cross. 45:37 That's the explosive drawing that pulls us into the vortex of the great controversy, 45:45 the struggle for the young minds and hearts of the next generation -- for which you 45:50 were born. You were born for this. Do you understand? 45:53 Everything you do has been born for this. So, what would happen 46:00 if you and I, every morning, had a quiet nook alone, and somehow we 46:10 tiptoe up to the Cross again? You get there however way you wish to get there. 46:15 You want to read the Gospels one at a time? I mean, the last chapters of 46:18 the Gospels one at a time? You want to read some book you love about Calvary? 46:22 "Desire of Ages"? It doesn't matter to me. 46:25 But what would happen if you and I, every morning, would kneel at 46:28 ground zero, the ground zero of the Cross, and we would look up 46:32 into that face? He's not hanging on the Cross 46:34 now. It's a beautiful face. 46:35 No coagulated blood, no crown of thorns. 46:38 But He's still the Savior of the world. What would happen if, every day, 46:43 we prayed the prayer of Fanny Crosby? Remember Fanny Crosby? 46:48 ♪ I am Thine, O Lord ♪ ♪ I have heard Thy voice ♪ ♪ And it speaks Thy love 46:55 to me ♪ ♪ And I long to rise in the arms of faith ♪ 47:02 ♪ And be closer drawn to Thee ♪ Sing it. ♪ Draw me nearer, 47:12 nearer, blessed Lord ♪ ♪ To the Cross where Thou hast died ♪ 47:22 ♪ Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer, blessed Lord ♪ ♪ To Thy precious 47:35 bleeding side ♪ What would happen if every morning that were our prayer? 47:43 We just prayed it. We sang it even to Him. I don't know where those kids 47:48 that this little Baptist coed talked to are going to be this year. 47:52 It is very possible they will be in your classes. So, "Hey, how do I know? 48:00 I just grew up in the church." Let's reverse the testimony. Let's move from growing up in 48:07 the church to... growing up in Christ. 'Cause that kid, after that 48:15 red-hot moment when you've had the whole class, there's going to be a kid one day who waits 48:20 for everybody else to leave, and he's standing in front of you, and he says, "Listen, Prof. 48:25 I've been noticing something. Would you please tell me about your faith?" 48:34 And you'll open your mouth -- I promise you, you will open your mouth, and words will come out 48:39 of the mouth you did not expect because that's the ground-zero moment 48:44 that all heaven has called you for. Because of you at Andrews 48:52 University, that kid, that girl, knows Jesus. Amen. 49:00 And amen. Yeah, I know that's why you're here. 49:05 Me, too. Let's dedicate ourselves. Let's ask God to dedicate us. 49:10 This is a very special moment. Here's what we're going to do. Turn to page 12 of your bulletin 49:14 and bring it with you, please. It's the litany of dedication for today. 49:21 I'm going to invite the president in a moment -- she's going to come up here, 49:23 Andrea Luxton, and she's going to lead us in this litany of dedication. 49:26 She's going to be joined on this side by Jeannie Leiterman, who's principal 49:31 of Andrews Academy. But here's the deal. If you are a member of the 49:37 Andrews University family -- staff, faculty, administration, whatever you do, in some little 49:42 nook and cranny around here, I want to invite you right now. Let's not wait for somebody 49:46 else. You just step forward, and they'll come follow on right 49:48 behind you. Would you mind just coming up here to the front? 49:51 We do this where we're just standing here under the ground-zero symbol of Calvary. 49:56 I want you to come forward as we surrender our lives and the year to Him, Who is our 50:02 Lord and Savior. You come on up. And I want to say to new student 50:06 parents who are here, parents who are here with new students, parents, when we get to the 50:12 portions marked "faculty and staff," would you read those portions with the faculty and 50:17 staff? They'll be all over this place. But you just lift your voice up 50:21 as well. And the rest of us will listen and join in and be a part of 50:25 that prayer of dedication. They're coming forward. While they're coming forward, 50:29 let's all stand together. So just please stand where you're seated right now. 50:33 Up in the balcony, those of you who are watching on live streaming right now, be a part 50:38 of this. Join us in this moment as we cross the edges into a brand-new 50:43 uncharted year. 50:46 >> This is a group of passionate and committed individuals 50:50 who are here because they believe in Seventh-Day Adventist 50:54 education and because they believe in young people and 50:57 making a difference in their future. 51:01 Let's read together. "Standing before God on the eve of this new year, 51:09 we affirm our mission as a Seventh-Day Adventist school of higher education, 51:13 expressed in our theme, "Total Engagement: Building the Kingdom." 51:20 >> We recognize God's call to both engage and enlist the minds and hearts of the next 51:27 generation. Keep a close watch on yourself and on your teaching. 51:32 Stay true to what is right, and God will save you and those who hear you. 51:39 >> Wasn't this a mission Christ Himself embraced? "For this reason I was born and 51:43 for this purpose. I have come into the world to bear witness to the truth. 51:48 Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice." >> Then day and night let us 51:54 listen to His voice, we who are called by the Spirit of Jesus to testify to His 52:00 truth and build His Kingdom. "I am the way, the truth, and the life." 52:07 By what we teach and how we teach, may the truth of Jesus be reflected through us to our 52:14 students. >> We accept His total-engagement command -- 52:19 "a new commandment I give you that you love one another. As I have loved you, so you must 52:26 love one another." >> But what about His total-engagement admonition, 52:33 "Keep a close watch on yourself and on your teaching"? >> We accept the Holy Spirit's 52:39 counsel and will seek to prepare and shape the next generation, that they too may follow the 52:46 Savior and build His Kingdom. >> Then may the God Who entrusts the next generation to 52:54 us empower us to equip them in the Holy Spirit's Kingdom mission to reach the 53:00 civilization before Christ returns. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. 53:07 >> Amen. Amen. >> And amen. 53:12 >> Loving heavenly Father, eternal Holy Spirit, and divine 53:16 Savior Jesus Christ, we come in the name of Jesus 53:19 into Your presence this morning. 53:21 We are standing here in Your presence. We come with gratitude for Your 53:27 protection, Your goodness and guidance in the past years. We have wandered sometimes too 53:33 often, and You have called us back to You. When we have stumbled, You have 53:39 lifted us up again. And we come and thank You for Your commitment to us. 53:45 We are unworthy, yet You have created and redeemed us. We praise You, O Lord, for Your 53:52 grace and Your mercy. Thank You for the glorious gift of the Cross and the 53:58 Resurrection. As the school year begins, we come before You 54:03 because we desperately need You. In our various capacities, we need to be sure that we kneel 54:10 before You as students of the science of salvation, so that our students may know Jesus as 54:16 their Savior and may live as faithful Seventh-Day Adventist Christians. 54:21 We come from diverse backgrounds, multiple ethnicities, so many languages. 54:28 Teach us, Lord, to respect each other, to respect diversity, but also, Lord, may we experience 54:35 the unity that the world does not know, a unity that we may find in You alone. 54:41 We dedicate ourselves to You, Master Teacher. In humble surrender, we give 54:46 You back our classrooms, our dorms, our appointments, our goals, our objectives, our 54:52 outcomes, yes, our budgets, and our agendas. We surrender all to You. 54:59 In fact, we dedicate this school year, this campus, our very lives, to You this year. 55:06 And we ask that through Your Spirit, Your grace, and Your mercy, we may be empowered, that 55:13 this may be the best school year ever -- not in our estimation but in Yours, the best year 55:20 ever at Andrews University. In Your holy name we pray and dedicate ourselves. 55:27 Amen. >> Amen. [ Organ playing ] 55:32 >> ♪ The Lord bless you and keep you ♪ ♪ The Lord lift His countenance 55:42 upon you ♪ ♪ And give you peace, and give you peace ♪ 55:53 ♪ The Lord make His face to shine upon you ♪ ♪ And be gracious unto you, 56:05 and be gracious ♪ ♪ The Lord be gracious, gracious unto you ♪ 56:20 ♪ Amen ♪ ♪ Amen ♪ ♪ Amen ♪ 56:30 ♪ Amen ♪ ♪ Amen ♪ ♪ Amen ♪ 56:43 ♪ Amen ♪ 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. 57:10 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 57:19 sharing with us how God has blessed them through this program, and I'd love to hear 57:24 from you, as well. 57:25 It's not that hard -- simple, really -- just visit our 57:27 website, newperceptions.tv. That's one word, 57:30 newperceptions.tv. And click on the "contact" link 57:34 at the top of the page. Shoot me that e-mail. 57:37 Once again, thank you for being 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 57:48 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 57:57 here. In the meantime, God be with you and bless you real good. 58:05 ♪♪ |
Revised 2017-08-25