Participants: Dwight K Nelson
Series Code: NP
Program Code: NP171111A
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00:00 ♪♪
00:10 >> Father God, we come humbly bowed at the foot of the throne. We just want to thank you for 00:14 this beautiful Sabbath day, Lord. The Holy Spirit is moving, Lord. 00:17 And so we ask that you come and you fill this place, you fill the temple that is us, Lord. 00:23 We just thank you so much for a Sabbath day, that we get to praise you and be a part of your 00:28 family. We love you, Lord. In your son Jesus' precious and 00:32 holy name, we pray. Amen. 00:35 Would you stand with me as we celebrate this? 00:39 My professor was telling me that his granddaughter -- He just got 00:43 a new granddaughter and he was so excited about it that he 00:46 wanted to celebrate it. And I imagine that God feels the 00:49 same way, that when one of us says we want to give our lives 00:52 to him, that we want to celebrate that. 00:54 So, let's celebrate with our Father in Heaven. 00:56 This song goes like this. 01:11 Sing it with me. 01:15 Let's sing "hallelujah." 01:37 Praise him. 01:51 Hallelujah. 02:00 Our God is worthy. Hallelujah. 02:27 Hallelujah. 03:03 Hallelujah. 03:21 ♪ Oh, oh ♪ 03:26 Hallelujah. 03:35 One more time. 03:40 >> Praise God. >> We're gonna keep on praising 03:43 the Lord, because he is God alone. 03:46 ♪♪ 06:51 ♪♪ 09:33 Now is this time that we ask you to come forward and lay your burdens down before the throne, 09:41 before the throne of God, which is so gracious and so kind. Open up your hearts to the 09:47 Holy Spirit and let him rain down in your life. So, now is the time. 09:51 Please come forward and let God take your burdens. Let him be the strength where we 09:57 can't be. ♪♪ 10:06 Come forward. 10:57 How we need your touch. 12:03 >> Happy Sabbath to you. So, here's a story. It happened just a few days ago, 12:07 from my story hunter, Sharon Dugan. She's found this. 12:10 This is over in Devonshire. That would be England. Southwest England. 12:15 Mother Edwards is at the kitchen. [ Humming ] 12:20 "Breakfast plate's got to be clean." Well, how come she's doing it 12:23 all alone? Because her husband and her son are out in the corral, where the 12:27 sheep are. They're a little farm family. [ Humming ] 12:32 [ Imitates water running ] And, suddenly -- Does this ever happen to you? 12:37 That, sometimes, when you're -- You feel like there's somebody behind you? 12:42 Does it ever happen to you? You just feel like there's somebody standing behind you. 12:46 And she said, "That's strange, because I'm all alone in this kitchen. 12:49 Who could it be?" And she turned around. Oh, it's their border collie, 12:53 Rocky. Let's see Rocky on the screen. It's their border collie, Rocky. 12:57 7 months old. She said... [ Pants ] 13:00 She said, "Rocky, what are you doing here?" And she went back to... 13:03 [ Humming ] But she said -- Then she went like this... 13:09 [ Sniffs ] She said, "Rocky..." [ Gasps ] 13:14 And when she turned around, do you know what she saw? From her kitchen, right behind 13:18 her, let's see the picture on the screen, please. That is what she saw. 13:23 Those are her sheep. Her brand-new sheepdog, border collie is just figuring 13:30 out what to do. And he saw the back door open and he brought nine sheep in. 13:37 Nine sheep. We've been talking about shepherds. 13:39 He brought in, this little shepherd dog, nine sheep. She said -- In fact, she quickly 13:45 took a video. So, that's a screen capture. She said, "What am I gonna do?! 13:50 Oh, no!" And she said, "It's wee, poo, and mud." 13:53 That's what's happening in the space. She says, "Oh, no." 13:56 She said, "All right." Proper English woman that she is, she said, "You came in 14:01 through the back door, but let's do this proper. You will go out the front door." 14:05 And they all, with Rocky leading, went out the front door, leaving their reminders 14:10 all the way out, until -- Oh, let's put the picture on the screen, because somebody left 14:16 the gate open, and Rocky thought, "They all --" the sheep -- "need to go home." 14:23 Oh. We just had some shepherds up here a few moments ago. Sometimes, you can't follow a 14:28 shepherd. Rocky the Shepherd did not know what to do. 14:33 But there's one shepherd in the universe who is the bestest shepherd there is. 14:38 And what's his name? Jesus, the good shepherd. And if we follow him, he takes 14:45 us home. Oh. He takes us home. How many are glad we have a 14:52 very, very, very good shepherd named Jesus? And how many want to say, 14:57 "Jesus, I will follow you wherever you lead"? Amen. 15:02 So, do I have a young man today? Oh, you were fast. Who's gonna pray? 15:07 All right. Come on up. Let's take that microphone. What's your name? 15:13 >> Jasiel. >> Jasiel. All right. Let's bow our heads and fold our 15:18 hands, close our eyes as Jasiel thanks Jesus for being our very best shepherd. 15:24 >> Thank you, God. Thank you for this beautiful day. 15:27 And thank you -- God is our shepherd, where he can keep us safe from the bad peoples and 15:34 help the ones who are sick and hurt, where they can have a really good time and have really 15:43 good hearts in their body. Amen. >> Amen. Thank you, Jasiel. 15:48 That was a beautiful prayer. As you go quietly and reverently back to your seats, you can say 15:53 that "thank you, Jesus, for being our very best shepherd." ♪♪ 16:31 ♪♪ 16:50 >> ♪ Lord, I will lift ♪ ♪ Mine eyes to the hills ♪ ♪ Knowing my help ♪ 17:13 ♪ Is coming from You ♪ ♪ Your peace You give me ♪ ♪ In time of the storm ♪ 17:38 ♪ You are the source of my strength ♪ ♪ You are 17:46 the strength of my life ♪ ♪ I lift my hands in total praise to you ♪ 18:05 ♪ Lord, I will lift ♪ ♪ Mine eyes to the hills ♪ ♪ Knowing my help ♪ 18:25 ♪ Is coming from You ♪ ♪ Your peace You give me ♪ ♪ In time of the storm ♪ 18:48 ♪ You are the source of my strength ♪ ♪ You are 18:57 the strength of my life ♪ ♪ I lift my hands in total praise to you ♪ 19:12 ♪ Amen ♪ ♪ Amen ♪ ♪ Amen ♪ 19:23 ♪ Amen ♪ ♪ Amen ♪ ♪ Amen ♪ 19:33 ♪ Amen ♪ ♪ Amen ♪ ♪ You are 19:48 the source of my strength ♪ ♪ You are the strength of my life ♪ 19:59 ♪ I lift my hands in total praise to you ♪ ♪ Amen ♪ 20:14 ♪ Amen ♪ ♪ Amen ♪ ♪ Amen ♪ 20:24 ♪ Amen ♪ ♪ Amen ♪ ♪ Amen ♪ 20:37 ♪ Amen ♪ [ Applause ] 20:56 >> Oh. Hector Flores, two doors down, 21:00 our neighbor, and the Academy orchestra, the Academy Chorale, 21:04 "Total Praise." 21:07 Let's pray. Oh, God, that's what we need -- total praise. 21:10 Total praise when we don't feel like praising you at all. That's kind of the backstory to 21:18 these few moments we have left together -- total praise. Oh, God, infuse the story and 21:28 make it fit for us each. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. 21:33 >> All: Amen. 21:34 >> Here's a story I bet you have never heard before in your 21:38 life...maybe. Once upon a time, there was a 21:44 very good king. He was a great leader and a very 21:49 bad devil. 21:53 And, so, one day, Satan shows up in the throne room itself. I imagine Satan sitting right 22:00 before -- right beside, right beside the king. "Yo, King. 22:06 You're looking good today. Boy, if that is a look of happy contentment on a face if I've 22:12 ever seen one. I suppose you have every right to be happy, given who you are, 22:18 the gifts you have, the leadership you bring. You know, if you just run the 22:26 numbers again, King, you remember the numbers when you became king? 22:29 Puny and poor, this nation. Look at it now. You've done this. 22:35 Good on you. Your Majesty, good on you. One little fly in the ointment, 22:41 however. I'm a little worried for you, King. 22:45 Mm-hmm. Yes, I am. You see, the enemies that you have living all around you -- 22:50 they don't know how strong you really are. You haven't sent the word out. 22:57 It makes me wonder -- if you could marshal every able-bodied young man in your kingdom, how 23:04 many would you have in your army? Oh, I know you're not supposed 23:08 to take census to find that out, but you know what the problem is? 23:12 I'm gonna tell you. It's this theocracy business. God leading his Israel. 23:19 Pfft! It's you, King. You have to have a human leader, 23:24 and you're the leader. So I'm wondering -- what would happen if you went ahead and 23:30 commissioned a census? Nobody has to know. Just do it low-key. 23:35 But once you've taken the numbers, we could get them -- Just let them slip, and a few 23:40 people here. And the word gets to your enemies -- 'David has that big 23:45 an army? We'll never touch him.'" That's what I would do if I were 23:51 you." And, lo and behold, once upon a time, the good king David 23:58 listened to the voice beside the throne and he said, "Great idea. I think we'll do it." 24:06 Open your Bible with me to that story that you've never read before...maybe. 24:10 1 Chronicles 21. Check it out. 1 Chronicles 21. 24:19 I'm gonna be in the New International version. You didn't bring a Bible, grab 24:23 the pew Bible. It's gonna be page 290 in your pew Bible. 24:26 Let's just take a look at this story for a moment, because it opens up exactly as we've just 24:30 described. Look at that. 21:1. 24:42 And so David calls in the joint chiefs chairman. "Yo, Joab. Got an idea. 24:49 I'm want find out -- how many able-bodied young men that can bear a sword do we have? 24:53 Let's go a little census." And Joab -- I've got to tell you -- Joab is a rascal. 24:58 He's a scoundrel a lot of the time. But even here, he sniffs the 25:03 Devil and he responds, "King --" Well, you've got his response right here in Verse 3. 25:19 "Aren't you the happy singer of Israel? And aren't your songs all filled 25:24 with this 'I trust God'?" Why would you do this?" But notice Verse 4. 25:38 9 months and 20 days later, according to 2 Samuel that has the same account. 25:43 9 months and 20 days later. "Oh, King, we've done as you asked." 25:47 And here comes the report, Verse 5. 25:57 ...including 470,000 in the home state of Judah, where the king 26:02 is from. 26:04 And something happens. When he hears "1.1 million" -- "You've got an army -- Wow! -- 26:10 of 1.1 million!" He's just leaning back for a high five, and every alarm bell 26:20 in his conscience, every red light -- "Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding! 26:23 Flash, flash, flash, flash, flash, flash." And he realizes, "My God. 26:30 What have I done to you?" 26:35 Drop down. Those are his words. Verse 8. 26:51 "What was I thinking?"' [ Knocks on lectern ] 26:56 Knock-knock. "Who is it?" "It's Gad." 26:59 "Oh. Gad, the prophet. Oh, so you've heard, huh?" "I have." 27:07 "God knows?" "He does. And, Your Majesty, God cannot 27:15 sit by and allow this challenge to His rule in Israel go unrequited. 27:21 So I have been sent to you to give you three options. You choose. 27:25 These are your three options. Option number one -- for three years, a devastating 27:31 famine in your land. For three months, option number two, your enemy ravaging 27:39 you and your people. Or three -- for three days, a destructive pestilence for your 27:50 people. I'll give you some time to think about it. 27:54 I'll come back." "Stop!" And David cries out to Gad. 28:01 Look at this. Verse 13. 28:07 "Please, please, please, please." 28:14 "I don't want the enemy here -- not even for three months. 28:16 Let me fall into the hands of the Lord." 28:19 In other words, "Give me those three days." And Gad said, "Very well. 28:26 The clock begins when I walk out this door." [ Imitates clock ticking ] 28:29 72-hour clock. We're not told what the pestilence is. 28:34 All we're told is that, from Dan in the North, all the way to Beersheba in the South, 28:41 Israelites start dropping like flies. And before the 72 hours are up, 28:48 70,000 Israelites are dead. Dead. It's kind of like -- It must have been like when God was 28:55 in the wilderness with the children of Israel. You remember that? 28:58 And, one day, they said, "We've had it with your leadership. Out of here." 29:01 God said, "Okay, okay. I'm backing up. But you'll wish I hadn't." 29:05 Because God had been holding them at bay, these venomous vipers, who then sneak into the 29:10 camp and, with their poison, take down thousands. This is it. 29:14 "Okay, King. You're the big head honcho around here. 29:17 Have at it. Let's see what you can do." Boom! 70,000 dead. 29:23 David now is dressed in sackcloth, ashes, with the board of elders. 29:29 They're down on their knees, pleading with God. The 72 hours not quite up, 29:33 because there's one more destructive act. Drop down to Verse 16. 29:37 And David looked up while they were in this prayer service. 30:01 You see, leaders are shepherds. We just have five leaders ordained as shepherds. 30:18 "Stop the plague." Knock-knock. 30:23 It's Gad. "God just heard you. His instruction is -- build an 30:28 altar on the spot where you see the angel." David scrambles to obey. 30:33 Offer sacrifices. He offers sacrifices. And now watch this. Verse 26. 30:46 And hallelujah. Look at this, guys. 30:48 And hallelujah. 30:53 God nukes, and that altar's gone. God nukes the sacrifice from 31:02 Heaven on the altar of burnt offering. Isn't that something? 31:13 Wow. "You're forgiven. Hey, King, it's over. 31:22 I forget it now. I forget it. I forget it. You're forgiven." God has mercy on the foolish, 31:29 guilty king. But David is so relieved with joy that he races from that 31:34 spot, back to the palace, grabs a pen, and begins to compose a new song, a new prayer, a new 31:40 psalm. And you and I -- iGen members, you and me, as well, desperately 31:50 need what David has embedded in this profound praise of hope. IGen. Hey, are you acquainted 32:03 with this little description, iGen? The generation iGen? 32:09 I had some friends who gave me a a book just last week. Wow. The book's written by 32:13 a psychologist at San Diego State University. Her name -- Jean Twenge. 32:18 Here's the title of the book -- "iGen." Little "I" and then a capital 32:21 "G." "iGen: Why Today's Super-Connected Kids Are Growing 32:24 Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy -- and Completely Unprepared for 32:28 Adulthood -- and What That Means for the Rest of Us." She got the whole book in a 32:32 title. [ Laughter ] Apparently, she's the one who 32:37 has invented this moniker, iGen, for this new generation. That's all those born -- Listen. 32:42 Do the arithmetic. All those born between 1995 and 2012. 32:48 These sociology demographics are generally 17 to 19 years long. So, if you're born from 1995 to 32:56 2012, do the arithmetic. If you're born in 1995, you would be 22 years old now. 33:05 So, you've got the 22-year-olds, and coming up behind them, you have the 20-year-old. 33:09 And then you have the 19-year-olds. And then you have the 33:12 18-year-olds. And good night. Look at this. 18 to 22 -- that is the average 33:17 demographic for American colleges and universities. We're talking about university 33:21 students right here. IGen. IGens. You know why she calls 33:27 them iGens? Because these kids who are alive today were born with the "I," 33:31 with the Internet wired into their brains and a smartphone stuck forever in their hands and 33:39 their walls papered with social media. I have some iGen friends on this 33:45 campus. I love hanging around them. They've got a lot of energy. 33:49 They have a crazy sense of humor. But look out. 33:52 I could not believe this when I read the book last week. Listen to this. 33:57 This stunned me. "The mental and emotional stress this new generation is living 34:01 with --" In spite of all that energy -- Let me put Jean Twenge on the screen for you. 34:06 You have this in the study guide that you can take home. "In 2016 --" I'm quoting her 34:11 now. You got iGen right here. This is iGen right here, okay? 34:37 She says it's not an accident. Twenge goes on to report that screening tests show -- and I'm 34:43 quoting her again -- "A shocking rise in depression in a short period of time --" listen to 34:48 this -- "With 56% more teens experiencing a major depressive episode in 2015 than in 2010 and 34:55 60% experiencing severe impairment." They're the highest entering 35:02 class in college to self-identify. "I have mental-health issues 35:07 that rank me lower than average. My health is not good, 35:12 mentally." The numbers are now in. 1 out 9 teenagers, 1 out of 11 35:18 young adults are experiencing, as she puts it here, "clinically diagnosable, major depression." 35:25 I wish you could have been here last Friday night. It was great last night. 35:29 It wasn't here, though. We were with Dan Jackson. But last Friday night, a week 35:33 ago, Proximity Vespers here. A young college student -- her name Sarah Hill -- she tells the 35:40 first-person account. 35:42 This is a testimony of her suicidal depression and how the 35:47 baptism of the Holy Spirit was God's turning her around. 35:53 You know what? When she tells that story -- And 35:55 there are people here who are not iGen, a bunch of you. 35:59 When she tells that story, it's not good news, but it's a 36:03 reassurance that those of us who are a little bit older than 36:07 iGen, those of us who have been on the way a little bit longer 36:10 aren't so alone as they once thought. 36:13 We used to think, you know, college kids -- happy-go-lucky, 36:16 got nothing, got nothing. This generation, more than any 36:19 other, college kids is struggling to survive, 36:25 emotionally and mentally. 36:28 Pssh! So, David, who goes through this horrendous mental -- this 36:35 emotional meltdown, this spiral of depression -- The toxic mix of personal guilt and helpless 36:40 inability to change his circumstances -- When David composes a song of healing and 36:44 hope -- and that's where we're going with this -- it turns out it's not just for iGen. 36:49 It's for all of us, this song. In fact, I'll tell you this. I've been keeping prayer lists 36:53 for a long time, where I put my friends and people I know on the list. 36:57 I have never in my life had so many on my prayer list who are friends of mine, my age and 37:04 younger, who are battling for their very life right now. I've never had this many. 37:14 It's not just the young. It's all of us. You may not be suffering 37:22 physically, and that's okay. But you may be battling mentally. 37:29 You may be battling emotionally. And, by the way, you don't need to be embarrassed about that 37:34 either, because we all face it. It's life. It's like the opening words in 37:40 Scott Peck's book. What is it? 20, 30 years ago? 37:44 "The Road Less Traveled." The opening three words -- put it on the screen. 37:50 Welcome to the human race. But for iGen and for the Third Millennials that we all 37:56 are, it is compoundedly more difficult today. That's the deal. 38:01 So, now we've got to go to this. So, David composes this beautiful psalm. 38:06 You've got to go. Come on. Psalm 30. Psalm 30. Middle of your Bible. 38:10 Psalm 30. Find it. Let's read this psalm. You'll see. 38:15 Scholars believe that, in fact, he wrote this after the meltdown that we just relived together. 38:20 Psalm 30. Here we go. Verse 1. Total praise. "I bring total praise to you, 38:27 Dear God." That's a Hebrew word that pictures the lowering of a 38:34 bucket into a very deep well, dark well, and then you pull and you pull and you pull it. 38:46 Remember him saying, "I don't care which punishment you send. Just don't put the enemies on 38:50 me. Don't let my enemies gloat over me." 38:52 Keep going. 38:58 What are you talking about, David? 39:02 "I thought I was going to die. That's the realm of -- "You 39:07 brought me up from the realm just before I went into that 39:11 grave." Oh, total praise again. 39:22 And then here comes Verse 5. 39:29 Keep reading. 39:37 Hallelujah. We have a friend, and every time Karen and I go to stay with 39:44 them, spend the night, he always -- Invariably, he always opens up our time in his house 39:48 with these words. "Hey, Dwight, I just want to remind you that houseguests and 39:52 dead fish have this in common -- they all begin to stink after three days." 39:56 [ Laughter ] "There's the door. Go! Don't stay three days. 40:01 Please deliver us." That's exactly the language that the psalmist is using here, 40:06 David is using. He's describing weeping as a houseguest. 40:10 Oh, he's lingering. His weeping may linger over the night. 40:14 The weeping may stay in your house and in your heart over the night, but -- boom! -- the 40:18 dawn -- And the Hebrew reads this way. There's no verb in the Hebrew -- 40:22 "At dawn, joy," because our houseguest is gone. It's gone. 40:30 Weeping may endure for the night. But rejoicing, joy comes in the 40:38 morning. There's some powerful, poetic parallelism going on here, and 40:41 you need to see this. I'll put it on the screen for you. 40:44 David -- first, the poet, the singer -- he describes anger. Okay, he's got the anger. 40:49 Then he says, "But anger leads to favor." Then the next one. 40:53 He describes a moment of anger, but a lifetime of favor. Then he describes the night, but 40:58 it's paralleled with the morning. And then he describes weeping, 41:02 but it's paralleled with joy. "Oh, good news," David says. "Good news. 41:08 Weeping, the houseguest will stay only one night, but then comes the morning -- joy." 41:19 Wow. "Oh, but that's right -- I have a confession to make." He's so caught up in this total 41:24 praise. Oops. And he goes straight to his confession. 41:27 What we just experienced a moment ago. Look at him. Verse 6. 41:32 Okay? Mr. Confident, Mr. Cocky Leader. [ Snaps fingers ] 41:35 "Give me a census. How big is my army?" "I will never topple. 41:42 The enemies are no threat to me." "It wasn't me." 41:59 "God, if I die now, you have no praise from me. Do you understand that? 42:02 I cannot praise you. No total praise, nothing, if I go to this grave. 42:07 Don't let me go." Keep reading. 42:17 And then he just can't keep back from that total praise. And now here comes the title of 42:22 our little miniseries, straight out of the Bible, Verse 11. 42:34 I'm quoting the Bible. >> Amen. >> Yes! 42:48 >> Total praise. Amen. >> All: Amen. 42:53 >> Isn't that great? Total praise. ♪ You turned my mourning 42:59 into dancing again ♪ You ever heard that song? Some of you are trying to sing 43:03 it. "Because, Dwight, we sure know you aren't singing it." 43:07 [ Laughter ] I think of those words by Tommy Walker and Ron Kenoly. 43:14 ♪ You turned my mourning into dancing again ♪ ♪ You lifted my sorrows ♪ 43:23 ♪ I can't stay silent ♪ ♪ I'm must sing, for your joy has come ♪ 43:29 [ Vocalizes ] [ Laughter ] [ Applause ] 43:32 No, no, no, no. Now, that -- Have you ever noticed that when a child gets 43:41 good news -- No kidding. When a child gets good news, what does a child instinctively 43:45 do? Daddy comes home early. "Hey, kids, we're going to the 43:47 beach today. I'm taking the rest of the day off." 43:49 And then mama says, "Hey, Grandma's coming." "Whoa!" 43:52 "We're gonna have a party tonight." What does the little child to, 43:57 naturally, without restraint, when good news dawns upon that young mind? 44:03 Starts dancing, huh? No, you don't do that. You don't do that. 44:08 [ Laughter ] What does a child do? The child responds physically. 44:14 And when I told this story in first service, my friend Skip MacCarty, who used to be a 44:18 pastor here, came up to me and he said, "Hey, Dwight, do you remember, just a few months 44:21 ago --" And I had forgotten all about this. Listen to this. 44:23 So, I'm coming to the end of first-service sermon. We have a little girl named 44:26 Chloe. She's just precious. And, so, at the end of the 44:30 sermon, we're just getting ready -- Candice is sitting right over there, and we're 44:33 gonna move now to the hymn at the end. And little Chloe can't stay 44:37 still any longer. She comes flying out of her -- Because second row. 44:42 She flies up here. She grabs my leg. Excuse me. Whoops. 44:45 She grabs my legs and starts going 'round and 'round while she's holding on to my legs. 44:49 And I'm saying, "We're gonna sing number..." and then whatever it was. 44:54 And her mother is dying a thousand deaths. [ Laughter ] 44:59 And I told her mother, Tanya -- I said, "Tanya, that was the most beautiful thing. 45:02 That was the most beautiful thing." But why? 45:04 Because she didn't know you're not supposed to show joy in church. 45:08 >> Come on! >> She just thought it just flows naturally. 45:13 "You turned my mourning into dancing again. ♪ You lifted my sorrows ♪ 45:23 "I can't stay silent. I must sing, for your joy has come." 45:28 Lookit -- David is not "Dancing with the Stars." Let's just get that clear. 45:32 He's not "Dancing with the Stars." He's dancing before the 45:36 almighty, Lord of all stars. >> Come on, come on! >> He's moving. 45:40 He tells the patriarchs and prophets he's moving to the beat of the -- the rhythm of the 45:46 song. That's their word. He's moving to the rhythm of 45:49 what is being performed. He's moving to it. Why? "Because you set me free. 45:55 You turned my mourning into dancing. You took my sackcloth and you 46:02 gave me joy." Ah. Wow. Could it happen here? 46:06 It has to. Hey, iGen, everybody behind me, and iGen out there, it has to. 46:12 That's your only hope. The most depressive generation in the history of 46:16 record-keeping. So, what's up with that? The technology has conspired 46:20 against us all. Trust me. Not just you, all of us. 46:24 But God says, "Don't worry." When you get to feeling dark and mournful, I have a solution for 46:32 you." And I want to share them now. Three mental-health nuggets. 46:36 And I'll talk about new life and Pioneer, all right? And then we'll be done. 46:40 Here they are. I want to share these with you. These are fascinating. 46:44 If you want to read a chapter that will just lift your spirits, in terms of mental 46:47 health, there's a little classic called "Ministry of Healing." And the chapter title is 46:52 "Mind Cure." I read it this last week. Man, I said, "This is dynamite 46:56 stuff." So, I'm gonna give you three mental-health nuggets from that 47:00 chapter. Here we go. First one's on the screen. 47:09 Write that down, 'cause it's on your study guide. It's that little card stock 47:14 thing. You write it down. Nothing will raise your spirits 47:17 more than gratitude and praise. Isn't that good? Why does that work? 47:20 I'm gonna show you in a second. She goes on. 47:29 Write that down. It's a duty to pray, but so is praise and gratitude. 47:34 We're coming up to the Thanksgiving season. 47:37 Come on. Keep reading. 47:49 Come on. "Nothing will promote health of 47:53 body and soul more than a spirit of praise and gratitude." 47:56 "You turned my mourning into dancing." 47:58 Here comes mental-health nugget number two. 48:00 And it's number three that will give us the how-to. 48:02 Here comes number two. Oh, I love this. 48:10 Depression. 48:18 Song -- "You turned my mourning into dancing again." 48:23 You say, "Dwight, you don't even know that song. How can I possibly learn it?" 48:26 Well, you can do what I do. Seriously. Here's what I do. I just make songs up. 48:31 No, I do. I don't need the words to rhyme. I don't think God needs the 48:35 words to rhyme. He likes them to tunes, so I make up the tune and the song. 48:39 ♪ Jesus, you're my best friend ♪ ♪ Right now, yes ♪ ♪ Jesus, you're my best friend 48:45 right now ♪ ♪ Yes! ♪ ♪ Jesus, stay with me ♪ 48:48 ♪ Jesus, don't you go ♪ ♪ Jesus, stay with me ♪ That's what I do. 48:52 I'm talking to him. I'm singing to him. I'm making up a song. 48:55 That's all. That's all I'm doing. You can do that. 48:59 Nobody's listening to you. And nobody cares, which is half the problem. 49:08 But there's a song -- Lookit. You know, blessed assurance. Jesus is mine. 49:12 Oh, what a friend we have in Jesus. ♪ Oh, how I love Jesus ♪ 49:16 ♪ Oh, how I love Jesus ♪ ♪ Oh, how I love Jesus ♪ ♪ Because he first loved me ♪ 49:27 They won't all join you in singing, but it doesn't matter. You're not singing to them. 49:31 You're singing to yourself. Song is a weapon against depressive discouragement. 49:37 I'll pin you to the ground with that song. Okay, but here's the how-to. 49:41 This is -- Finally, mental-health nugget number three. 49:45 Come on, get this, now. This is huge. 49:53 What you talk about you become. Mm-hmm. 49:58 Whoa! Flip the coin over. Now, jot this down. 50:03 What's the principle here? "Feelings follow behavior." 50:07 Write that down. "Feelings follow behavior." 50:10 So, that's a little bracket I stuck in there. 50:14 Explain that in a second. 50:28 And I put it in brackets here. "Talk faith until you have 50:32 faith." It will come. 50:34 Behavior is to lead feelings. Feelings follow behavior. 50:39 That's the key to living. That's it. 50:42 That's the point she's making. You see, if you let your 50:45 behavior -- Look, look. If you let your behavior follow 50:47 your feelings -- "I'm sad. I feel sad. I feel sad. 50:50 I feel sad." Guess how you behave. 50:51 "I'm sad. I'm sad. I'm sad. I'm sad." 50:53 You can't help it. I'm just responding. 50:56 But you've got to turn it around, say, "No, feelings. 50:59 To the back of the line. I'm glad. I'm praising. 51:02 I'm happy in Christ. 51:05 I'm glad. I'm praising. I'm joyful in Christ." You behave that way, and guess 51:09 what -- like obedient children. They just step right in behind you. 51:18 And now they feel the way you're behaving. So, even when you don't feel 51:24 like it, start dancing. Not where people can see you. Just start dancing, start 51:29 praising, and before you know it, your feelings will follow. Why? Because feelings follow 51:33 behavior. That's how it works. Three mental-health nuggets, 51:40 which, when you think about it, turns out to be true not only for the ancient King David, but 51:44 listen to this, listen to this. It was also true for the living son of David. 51:49 Come on. Hold on, hold on. The son of David -- when Jesus 51:54 hung on the cross, what is happening at Calvary? That was a dark and terrible 51:59 night, and Jesus is weeping. "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" 52:06 He's weeping, but he holds on. In the darkness, he holds on. He reaches out by faith, and 52:13 behavior leads feelings, until, finally, when he dies, he says, "Father, I commit my life, my 52:19 spirit into your hands. Amen." What happened there? 52:24 Weeping endured for the night, but by faith, Jesus knew there was a new morning about to 52:33 break. And joy comes in the morning, which means, really, the song 52:39 that we should be singing -- Put it on the screen, please. Just spell it differently. 52:48 What you and I are mourning over right now -- And we have a litany, all of us. 52:51 What we are mourning over right now, here's the promise -- that, with Jesus, he can turn our 52:56 mourning into morning. What's the morning? It's the morning of Jesus' 53:02 resurrection. Is that not good news for us all? 53:04 What's the morning? It's the morning of Jesus' return. 53:07 Is that not good for us all? "You turned my mourning into morning again." 53:16 Behavior -- "You turned it." So, whatever you're going through, my friends -- And I'm 53:23 looking out into faces that I know the answer to. Whatever it is you're going 53:28 through right now, don't give up. Do not, do not, do not give up. 53:32 There's only one person in this universe that's trying to take you down. 53:38 Don't give up. Lord Jesus, turn this mourning in my life into the morning of 53:46 your forever love and hope, I pray. Thank you. Thank you, Jesus. 53:55 I will dance in faith to what I just confessed to you. You've turned my mourning into 54:04 morning. "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing." 54:08 Let's sing it with our hearts wide open. Just three stanzas. 54:12 ♪♪ 54:34 >> ♪ Come, thou fount of every blessing ♪ ♪ Tune my heart to sing Thy 54:42 grace ♪ ♪ Streams of mercy never ceasing ♪ 54:48 ♪ Call for songs of loudest praise ♪ ♪ Teach me ever to adore Thee ♪ 54:58 ♪ May I still Thine goodness prove ♪ ♪ While the hopes of endless 55:06 glory ♪ ♪ Fills my heart with joy and love ♪ 55:14 ♪ Here I raise my Ebenezer ♪ ♪ Hither by Thy help I'm come ♪ ♪ And I hope by Thy good 55:27 pleasure ♪ ♪ Safely to arrive at home ♪ ♪ Jesus sought me when a 55:37 stranger ♪ ♪ Wandering from the fold of God ♪ 55:44 ♪ He to rescue me from danger ♪ ♪ Interposed His precious blood ♪ 55:56 ♪ Oh, to grace, how great a debtor ♪ ♪ Daily, I'm constrained to be ♪ 56:05 ♪ Let Thy goodness like a fetter ♪ ♪ Bind me closer still to Thee ♪ 56:16 ♪ Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it ♪ ♪ Prone to leave the God I 56:25 love ♪ ♪ Here's my heart, oh, take and seal it ♪ 56:31 ♪ Seal it for Thy courts above ♪ 56:41 >> And now may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the 56:48 Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen. >> All: Amen. 56:52 ♪♪ 57:04 >> Think of the last time someone said, "I'm praying for 57:07 you." Didn't it give you a sense of 57:09 peace and reassurance that "somebody cares for me"? 57:12 I know how I feel when I get an e-mail from one of our viewers 57:15 saying, "You know, Dwight, I've been praying for you lately." 57:17 There's nothing like knowing someone is praying for you. 57:19 So I'm gonna offer you an opportunity to partner. 57:22 Let me, let us partner with you in prayer. 57:24 If you have a special prayer request or a praise of 57:27 thanksgiving you'd like to share with us, I'm inviting you to 57:29 contact one of our friendly chaplains. 57:31 It's simple to do. You can call our toll-free 57:34 number, 877-HIS-WILL. 877-HIS-WILL. 57:39 That friendly voice that answers? 57:41 You tell him, you tell her what your prayer need is. 57:44 We'll join with you in that petition. 57:46 And may the God who answers prayer journey with you these 57:49 next few days, until we're right back here together again next 57:52 time. 57:56 ♪♪ |
Revised 2017-11-16