¤¤
00:00:00.20\00:00:03.06
¤¤
00:00:09.34\00:00:12.24
>> ¤ You left Your
throne and Your kingly crown ¤
00:00:20.25\00:00:29.82
¤ When You came to Earth for
me ¤ ¤ But in Bethlehem's inn ¤
00:00:29.99\00:00:44.21
¤ There was found no room for
Your Holy Nativity ¤ ¤ O come to
00:00:44.21\00:01:06.96
my heart ¤ ¤ Come to my heart
¤ ¤ Lord Jesus ¤ ¤ There is room
00:01:06.96\00:01:25.78
in my heart for You ¤ ¤¤
00:01:25.78\00:01:35.19
[ Music stops ]
00:01:41.60\00:01:43.87
>> Let us pray.
Dear Heavenly Father,
00:01:44.03\00:01:47.57
thank you that we made it
through another week, and that
00:01:47.57\00:01:50.61
it's the Sabbath, and we
can rest and rejoice in You.
00:01:50.61\00:01:53.98
Thank you, also, for the
snow that gives us a reminder
00:01:53.98\00:01:57.08
that You can
make all things new.
00:01:57.08\00:01:59.75
You can make us pure and holy,
and all we have to do is ask to
00:01:59.91\00:02:04.15
be filled with Your Holy Spirit.
Thank you for that gift that
00:02:04.15\00:02:07.69
You've given us. We ask all
these things in Your name, and
we love You so much.
00:02:07.69\00:02:11.19
Amen.
00:02:11.19\00:02:13.09
¤¤ Please stand as we sing
00:02:14.93\00:02:18.00
our first song. ¤¤
00:02:18.00\00:02:22.07
¤¤
00:02:30.75\00:02:33.65
¤¤
00:03:03.75\00:03:06.65
¤¤
00:03:29.24\00:03:32.14
¤¤
00:03:59.90\00:04:02.87
¤¤
00:04:19.25\00:04:22.16
¤¤
00:04:43.38\00:04:46.28
¤¤
00:05:04.27\00:05:07.17
¤¤
00:05:29.29\00:05:32.19
¤¤¤ ¤¤
00:05:51.78\00:05:57.69
¤¤
00:06:08.96\00:06:11.87
¤¤
00:06:30.52\00:06:33.42
¤¤
00:06:58.75\00:07:01.72
¤¤
00:07:28.74\00:07:31.65
¤¤
00:07:48.70\00:07:51.60
¤¤
00:08:18.06\00:08:20.96
¤¤¤
00:08:46.09\00:08:48.99
¤¤ Now, for this next song,
00:08:59.90\00:09:02.94
it's a new take on an old carol
that I know you're all familiar
00:09:02.94\00:09:06.54
with. The beginning of it starts
00:09:06.54\00:09:09.11
with these words,
"Our God saves," and isn't
00:09:09.11\00:09:12.05
that a great message? The
reason He saves is because
00:09:12.05\00:09:15.42
He sent His Son in the
manger to be on Earth with us.
00:09:15.42\00:09:19.29
So I ask that you join us
in singing "Joy to the World."
00:09:19.29\00:09:23.66
¤¤
00:09:23.66\00:09:26.56
¤¤
00:09:41.34\00:09:44.25
Joy to the world. ¤¤
00:10:06.77\00:10:11.51
¤¤
00:10:36.67\00:10:39.57
¤¤
00:10:59.42\00:11:02.39
¤¤
00:11:24.58\00:11:27.48
And isn't that such a wonderful
thought -- that we have hope
00:11:46.13\00:11:49.20
in God's name? Right
now I ask that if you
00:11:49.20\00:11:52.67
have the desire to feel this
joy, or if you already have it,
00:11:52.67\00:11:57.05
just come to the front.
Come to the front and sing glory
00:11:57.05\00:11:59.91
and praise and
honor to God's name.
00:11:59.91\00:12:02.85
¤¤
00:12:02.85\00:12:05.75
You rule the world. ¤¤
00:12:09.69\00:12:14.73
¤¤
00:12:34.05\00:12:36.95
¤¤
00:12:50.40\00:12:53.30
¤¤
00:13:20.90\00:13:23.77
¤¤
00:13:30.04\00:13:32.94
>> Well, good morning, boys and
girls. Nice to see you on this
00:14:04.34\00:14:10.28
snowy Sabbath at last.
You've been praying? We got it.
00:14:10.28\00:14:14.18
It's a beautiful, beautiful
Sabbath today. Nice to have you.
00:14:14.18\00:14:18.92
My, my, my. Whoops. Come on in.
00:14:18.92\00:14:20.62
We got some good seats left.
Yep, there you go. Nice to have
00:14:20.62\00:14:25.26
you on this last
Sabbath of the semester.
00:14:25.26\00:14:27.13
Don't miss next Sabbath
-- Children's Celebration
00:14:27.30\00:14:28.96
of Christmas.
Ooh, bring that toy.
00:14:28.96\00:14:31.43
And if you come the following
week, the Sabbath just before
00:14:31.43\00:14:34.34
Christmas, like we always
do, we have a gift for you
00:14:34.34\00:14:36.97
December 23. So
you pass that word on
00:14:36.97\00:14:38.94
to Mom and Dad.
00:14:38.94\00:14:40.38
But nice to have you. You're
looking great today. Say, here's
00:14:40.54\00:14:44.78
a story from one of my story
scouts. I tell you what. They
find the best stories.
00:14:44.78\00:14:47.45
I don't know how they do
it. Darius Jankiewicz. He's a
00:14:47.45\00:14:51.25
professor here at the
Theological Seminary where he
thinks deep thoughts, but he
00:14:51.25\00:14:56.39
found this story for us. It's
from Maplewood, New Jersey.
Maplewood, New Jersey. And I
00:14:56.39\00:15:01.83
want to tell you about Michelle
Bordeaux -- that's her name --
and her little family.
00:15:01.83\00:15:05.73
Michelle says, "Look-it,
look-it. It's Christmastime.
00:15:05.73\00:15:09.00
It's Christmastime. You know,
the people that deliver, they
00:15:09.00\00:15:13.61
deliver packages to our house.
I'm talking about FedEx driver.
I'm thinking of the U.P.S.
00:15:13.61\00:15:17.51
driver. I'm thinking of
the mailman or the mail lady.
00:15:17.51\00:15:21.08
They do such nice things for us.
This year I'm putting right out
here near the front door
00:15:21.08\00:15:26.39
where you would put the package,
I'm gonna put a little stand,
and I'm gonna put some goodies
00:15:26.39\00:15:31.39
on it -- some chocolates and
some candy canes and some -- Oh,
I think I'll put some
00:15:31.39\00:15:36.40
Kleenex Tissues because they
might be blowing their nose.
I'll put a little hand-warmer
00:15:36.40\00:15:41.34
or two there, and I'll just say,
'Help yourself. Free.'" So she
00:15:41.34\00:15:47.28
put it out. She went off to
work. She came back that night.
00:15:47.28\00:15:51.58
She said, "Wow. Look at that. [
Scoffs ] Man, wonder if that was
00:15:51.58\00:15:55.82
the FedEx driver that
was so hungry? Look at that.
00:15:55.82\00:15:58.89
He took all the Ghirardelli
Chocolates." That's the
expensive chocolate.
00:15:58.89\00:16:03.49
"He took all the Ghirardelli
Chocolate. [ Scoffs ]
00:16:03.49\00:16:06.39
Didn't even think about people
coming after him. Well, I'll
00:16:06.39\00:16:09.70
restock it tonight for tomorrow
morning." She put it out,
everything filled up --
00:16:09.70\00:16:12.90
Ghirardelli Chocolate, Snicker
bars, Reese's bars -- everything
00:16:12.90\00:16:16.50
out. She went off to work
with her husband, came back that
00:16:16.50\00:16:20.58
night... "Man, I tell you what.
The guys that deliver stuff to
our house are a bunch of
00:16:20.58\00:16:23.85
pigs. I mean, they
just ate it all." [ Scoffs ]
00:16:23.85\00:16:28.42
She went in and told her
husband. "You know, that's
00:16:28.42\00:16:32.35
gratitude for you. They
just took everything. Hmm."
00:16:32.35\00:16:35.96
She said, "Well, okay. We'll
do it again tomorrow morning."
00:16:35.96\00:16:38.86
But the husband said, "Tsk, tsk,
tsk, tsk. You know what I want
00:16:38.86\00:16:42.10
to do?" He's kind of a
technology nerd. He said, "I'm
gonna put up a little -- my
00:16:42.10\00:16:45.33
little GoPro Camera right here
on the chair" -- fastened it up
00:16:45.33\00:16:48.14
-- "and we're gonna take
pictures." So sure enough, they
put the little table out again
00:16:48.14\00:16:54.44
with the Ghirardelli and all the
other little goodies free, and
while they were gone
00:16:54.44\00:16:59.65
the next day, there went
the GoPro -- [ Imitating camera
00:16:59.65\00:17:04.02
shutter clicking ] Anybody
moving? [ Clicking resumes ]
00:17:04.02\00:17:09.86
They could hardly wait to get
home that night. "I want to find
00:17:09.86\00:17:13.33
out was it the U.P.S. driver,
or was it the mailman, or was it
00:17:13.33\00:17:17.67
the FedEx driver?" They looked
at the camera. They said, "Oh,
put it on the computer so we can
00:17:17.67\00:17:21.47
see it." Excuse me. And they put
it on the screen, and that's who
00:17:21.47\00:17:26.21
it was. [ Laughter ] A very
overweight squirrel, by the way.
00:17:26.21\00:17:30.05
You notice that. Can you believe
that? It wasn't the drivers at
00:17:30.05\00:17:34.28
all. That squirrel does
what squirrels do. If the food's
00:17:34.28\00:17:37.19
outside, I eat it. It's for
me. But you know what, boys and
00:17:37.19\00:17:40.96
girls? Take a look at that
squirrel. He is a very wise
00:17:40.96\00:17:46.70
squirrel. He went for the
best gifts first. He went for
00:17:46.70\00:17:49.76
the Ghirardelli Chocolate. And
he would come back -- The camera
showed he came back,
00:17:49.76\00:17:53.44
and then he went for the Reese's
bars, and finally the little
00:17:53.44\00:17:56.77
Snicker bars. He knew what
was best. You know what? Hey,
00:17:56.77\00:18:02.21
listen, listen. Thank you,
Darius, for that story. When God
00:18:02.21\00:18:05.38
looked down on us at this season
of the year, we remember, and He
said, "I'm gonna give my
00:18:05.38\00:18:09.78
children on Earth a gift." Did
he give a second-rate gift or a
00:18:09.78\00:18:13.69
third-class gift? Noo! He
gave the number-one gift of the
00:18:13.69\00:18:16.83
universe. He gave His Son. And
you know what at Christmastime?
00:18:16.83\00:18:21.70
That's what we ought to be
thinking. It's not, "Oh, can I
00:18:21.70\00:18:24.03
get that new video game? Please,
please, please? Can I get that
00:18:24.03\00:18:26.50
new Barbie doll? Please, please,
please?" No, no, no. "May I get
00:18:26.50\00:18:30.07
the best gift in the universe?
May I get the gift of Jesus this
00:18:30.07\00:18:35.28
Christmas?" Take a lesson from
that squirrel. Go for the best.
00:18:35.28\00:18:38.61
Go for Jesus. Who would like
to thank Jesus for being -- Yes,
00:18:38.61\00:18:43.08
sir. You were so fast. I'm gonna
invite you to come forward.
00:18:43.08\00:18:46.05
[ Clears throat ]
Excuse me. Let's fold our hands
00:18:46.05\00:18:50.03
and close our eyes.
What's your name? >> Hazael.
00:18:50.03\00:18:53.83
>> Hazael. We're gonna close
our eyes and fold our hands, and
00:18:53.83\00:18:57.67
Hazael's gonna thank Jesus for
being the best, the very best
gift in the whole universe for
00:18:57.67\00:19:02.77
us. Hazael? >> Thank you, God.
Thank you for this beautiful day
00:19:02.77\00:19:08.28
and help the people who are
stuck in the snow and that are
having accidents, and --
00:19:08.28\00:19:18.12
and we're thankful for something
we don't have, we can -- we can
00:19:18.12\00:19:25.46
just be thankful what we have
in our life. Amen. >> Beautiful
00:19:25.46\00:19:29.93
prayer, Hazael. Thank you. And,
boys and girls, you can say that
in your heart like Hazael
00:19:29.93\00:19:33.10
prayed. Thank you, Jesus.
You're the best gift of all.
00:19:33.10\00:19:38.84
Thank you. ¤¤
00:19:38.84\00:19:42.78
¤¤
00:19:58.73\00:20:01.60
¤¤
00:20:13.71\00:20:16.61
¤¤ >> ¤ I hear the prophet
00:20:34.63\00:20:42.30
callin' ¤
00:20:42.30\00:20:44.44
¤ Prepare the way of the Lord ¤
¤ I hear the prophet callin' ¤ ¤
Prepare the way of the Lord ¤
00:20:44.61\00:21:02.02
¤ I hear the prophet callin' ¤ ¤
Prepare the way of the Lord ¤ ¤
I hear the prophet callin' ¤
00:21:02.02\00:21:17.64
¤ Prepare the way of the Lord ¤
¤ Come and make straight the way
00:21:17.64\00:21:27.92
in the desert ¤ ¤ A highway for
our God ¤ ¤ Come and make
straight the way in the desert ¤
00:21:27.92\00:21:37.86
¤ Prepare the way of the Lord ¤
¤ Prepare the way of the Lord ¤
¤ I hear Isaiah callin' ¤
00:21:37.86\00:21:55.51
¤ "Fear not your God will come"
¤ ¤ I hear Isaiah callin' ¤
00:21:55.51\00:22:05.62
¤ "Fear not your God will
come" ¤ ¤ Then will the eyes
00:22:05.62\00:22:11.69
of the blind be opened ¤ ¤
The ears of the deaf will hear ¤
00:22:11.69\00:22:19.80
¤ And then the mute will shout
for joy ¤ ¤ The mute will shout
00:22:19.80\00:22:29.31
for joy ¤ >> ¤ For joy ¤ >> ¤
Shout for joy ¤ >> ¤ Shout for
00:22:29.31\00:22:32.61
joy ¤ >> ¤ They'll be shouting
for joy ¤ ¤ They'll be shouting
00:22:32.61\00:22:37.82
for joy ¤ ¤ And the desert will
be joyful and blossom as a rose
¤ ¤ And the desert will be
00:22:37.82\00:22:53.77
joyful and blossom as a rose ¤
¤ We shall rejoice with joy and
00:22:53.77\00:23:03.35
singing ¤ ¤ And see the glory
of God ¤ ¤ We shall rejoice with
00:23:03.35\00:23:13.15
joy and singing ¤ ¤ And see the
glory of God ¤ ¤ And see the
glory of God ¤ ¤ I hear the
00:23:13.15\00:23:30.44
prophet callin' ¤ ¤ Prepare the
way of the Lord ¤ ¤ I hear the
prophet callin' ¤ ¤ Prepare the
00:23:30.44\00:23:45.79
way of the Lord ¤ ¤ Prepare ye
the way of the Lord ¤ >> Amen.
00:23:45.79\00:24:00.40
>> Let's pray together. Oh,
God, we hear a prophet calling.
00:24:03.17\00:24:07.34
We hear the prophets calling,
"Prepare the way of the Lord."
You did that 2,000 years ago.
00:24:07.34\00:24:13.82
Could You do it all over again?
As we move into Scripture for
these few moments together,
00:24:13.82\00:24:22.36
ignite our minds and our hearts
with Your two gifts. We pray in
00:24:22.36\00:24:29.30
Jesus' name. Amen.
00:24:29.30\00:24:31.00
"But when the fullness of
time had come, God sent forth
00:24:31.17\00:24:36.27
His Son, born of a woman."
So this last week I found
00:24:36.27\00:24:44.05
myself, of all things,
reading The Jerusalem Post,
00:24:44.05\00:24:48.02
the newspaper online.
00:24:48.02\00:24:50.25
I wanted to gauge the response
in that ancient city to the
00:24:50.42\00:24:54.59
announcement of the President of
my country that, in fact, he
believes Jerusalem is the
00:24:54.59\00:24:59.73
capital of Israel, and thus the
Embassy of the United States
needs to be moved from Tel Aviv
00:24:59.73\00:25:03.97
to Jerusalem, which, apparently,
is a rather contentious and
rather controversial proposal,
00:25:03.97\00:25:10.77
and which, of course, we will
leave alone wisely. But I then
imagine myself, okay,
00:25:10.77\00:25:18.61
so if I were in Jerusalem
2,000 years ago and reading The
00:25:18.61\00:25:23.42
Jerusalem Post, what would it be
like? The fact of the matter is,
whether you liked it or not,
00:25:23.42\00:25:29.12
it really was the fullness
of time. We just noted that
00:25:29.12\00:25:32.16
reference. It really was
the fullness of time back then.
00:25:32.16\00:25:34.86
I want to run them by you
-- seven -- seven realities
00:25:35.03\00:25:39.20
of life in society and
culture before the Messiah's
00:25:39.20\00:25:42.47
First Coming, and since we're
running through this list of
00:25:42.47\00:25:46.14
seven, ask yourself, Mm, could
it be these seven are in place
00:25:46.14\00:25:49.94
again? Let's check them out,
00:25:49.94\00:25:51.78
all right? Just jot
them down in your mind.
00:25:51.78\00:25:55.52
Reality Number One. The entire
Roman Empire is in a 200-year
00:25:55.68\00:26:00.29
period of peace they called Pax
Romana. The peace of Rome,
right? Some are calling it today
00:26:00.29\00:26:09.33
Pax Americana. Whatever the
condition in Americana is now,
00:26:09.33\00:26:15.24
there is a prevailing peace
on this planet. So that's factor
00:26:15.24\00:26:19.57
number one. Here's Reality
Number Two. That part of the
world 2,000 years ago was at
00:26:19.57\00:26:23.85
peace under one government.
They were. It's the Empire.
00:26:23.85\00:26:27.45
Well, we're not under one
government today, I understand,
but, again, that peace,
00:26:27.45\00:26:31.39
and maybe there'll be one
government someday. Who knows?
00:26:31.39\00:26:35.29
Reality Number Three. 2,000
years ago, there was one
universal language.
00:26:35.29\00:26:40.30
No matter what your mother
tongue, you read and spoke
00:26:40.30\00:26:46.80
Greek. 2,000 years later, there
is one universal language, and
it is... It's English, yeah.
00:26:46.80\00:26:53.01
It's because Americans can't
learn anything else, and so
we're stuck with that.
00:26:53.01\00:26:57.28
[ Laughter ] All right, Reality
Number Four. Travel by land and
00:26:57.28\00:27:01.78
sea 2,000 years ago was
relatively safe. It is still,
00:27:01.78\00:27:06.32
2,000 years later, relatively
safe and relatively
instantaneous. You can get there
00:27:06.32\00:27:09.92
from here in a matter of hours
anywhere, right? Here's Reality
00:27:09.92\00:27:14.83
Number Five. Holy Scripture was
available in the Greek language.
It was called the Septuagint,
00:27:14.83\00:27:18.40
the Greek Old Testament, and you
could read the Bible anywhere in
00:27:18.40\00:27:22.04
the Empire. Guess what? The
Bible is in practically every
tongue on Earth today.
00:27:22.04\00:27:27.28
You can do the same. Here's
Reality Number Six. 2,000 years
00:27:27.28\00:27:31.01
ago, ooh, people were
dissatisfied with the state of
the world and the culture and
00:27:31.01\00:27:34.72
religion. There was a numinous
emptiness the human soul longed
to fill, but people didn't quite
00:27:34.72\00:27:40.06
know where to turn. I'd say in
2,000 years, nothing's changed,
00:27:40.06\00:27:47.03
right? And here's Number Seven.
2,000 years ago, the Jews were
dispersed everywhere
00:27:47.03\00:27:53.10
like Coca-Cola. They were
in every hamlet, every village,
00:27:53.10\00:27:58.37
every corner of the Roman
Empire. So if God wants to do
something big, all He has to do
00:27:58.37\00:28:05.11
is reignite the Jewish faith.
Read Messiah. And then when they
00:28:05.11\00:28:11.59
come to the Holy Days, as they
faithfully did, they go home to
wherever home is, and in
00:28:11.59\00:28:16.06
a matter of days, that message
goes to the entire Empire today.
I suppose God has a handful
00:28:16.06\00:28:23.33
of friends here and there around
the planet who could be His
delivery system, but even
00:28:23.33\00:28:27.60
more significantly, God does
have a mechanism today. It's
00:28:27.60\00:28:31.71
instantaneous, at the speed of
light. We're talking about the
Internet, we're talking
00:28:31.71\00:28:34.71
about social media, we're
talking about radio, we're
talking about television,
00:28:34.71\00:28:40.28
we're talking about standing in
line at the checkout counter at
Walmart, because that's
00:28:40.28\00:28:44.15
where I read the National
Enquirer where nobody sees me
00:28:44.15\00:28:47.42
reading it. I just kind of
scan the headlines of what's
00:28:47.42\00:28:49.72
happened. [ Inhales sharply ]
"But when the fullness of time
had come, God sent forth
00:28:49.72\00:28:56.33
His Son, born of a woman." Makes
you wonder, doesn't it? Could it
be the world is once
00:28:56.33\00:29:04.67
again in position -- not for the
Messiah's First Coming, but
could it be the landscape
00:29:04.67\00:29:11.58
has been shaped for His Second
Coming? "But in the fullness of
00:29:11.58\00:29:19.59
time." Let's take a look at that
line because even more important
than that line are the two gifts
00:29:19.59\00:29:25.19
immediately behind it. Take a
look at this. Did you know there
00:29:25.19\00:29:28.50
were two? Open your Bible to
Galatians chapter 4, please,
Galatians chapter 4.
00:29:28.50\00:29:31.40
I'll be in the New International
Version. Whatever translation
00:29:31.40\00:29:35.30
you brought, bless you.
Galatians chapter 4. You didn't
bring a Bible at all,
00:29:35.30\00:29:39.27
pull the pew Bible out in front
of you or share with somebody
sitting beside you in the choir.
00:29:39.27\00:29:43.28
Galatians 4:4 -- "But when
the set time had fully come --"
00:29:43.45\00:29:47.18
that's how the NIV renders it.
"But when the set time had fully
00:29:47.18\00:29:51.32
come, God sent his Son, born of
a woman, born under the law --"
00:29:51.32\00:29:55.59
verse 5 -- "to redeem those
under the law that we might
00:29:55.59\00:29:59.36
receive adoption to sonship."
Now, folks, that is Paul's
00:29:59.36\00:30:02.76
version of the Christmas story.
00:30:02.76\00:30:04.50
That's it. It's not very long. I
timed myself. 13.75 seconds, you
00:30:04.67\00:30:08.60
can read through that story,
those two verses. But you know
00:30:08.60\00:30:12.27
what? Paul's got one -- Paul has
one up on half of the Gospels. A
lot of people think that all
00:30:12.27\00:30:18.28
four Gospels tell the
story of Jesus' birth. Wrong.
00:30:18.28\00:30:21.18
Not a word about it in Mark, not
a single line about it in John
except for "the Word became
00:30:21.18\00:30:25.22
flesh," but that's not a story.
That's theology. Matthew and
00:30:25.22\00:30:30.26
Luke are the only tellers of the
birth of the Savior. Paul does
00:30:30.26\00:30:37.63
it more than Mark, more than
John, 14 seconds and one line
long. And, oh, boy, does he pack
00:30:37.63\00:30:42.74
it into that one line. You
think about it. Look at it.
00:30:42.74\00:30:45.34
We have God. Yep, number
one, Paul has God in the story.
00:30:45.34\00:30:49.14
Number two, Paul has God's Son.
Number three, he has a teenage
00:30:49.14\00:30:53.28
virgin. Number four, he has the
birth. Number five, he has the
Son coming to save sinners.
00:30:53.28\00:30:59.62
He uses the word "redemption."
And number six, the sacrificial
death of the Son, with seven
00:30:59.62\00:31:05.06
thrown in, and that is, it's
gonna make a difference in your
life when this story comes to
00:31:05.06\00:31:10.87
be. But you know what? If
all we had was just Paul's,
00:31:10.87\00:31:16.10
if we didn't have any Gospel, we
just had Paul, we'd have enough
for the gift of Jesus.
00:31:16.10\00:31:21.21
We really would because Paul's
already talked about Jesus here
00:31:21.21\00:31:24.41
in Galatians. You remember
Galatians 2:20? I predict you
can repeat this out loud with
00:31:24.41\00:31:28.32
me, even from the old King
James. Maybe you learned it as a
kid. "I am crucified with
00:31:28.32\00:31:32.82
Christ. Nevertheless, I live,
yet not I, but Christ lives in
me, and the life I live, I live
00:31:32.82\00:31:38.69
--" now, here it comes -- "I
live by the faith of the Son of
God, who loved me and gave
00:31:38.69\00:31:45.47
Himself for me."
That's the deal. He loved me.
00:31:45.47\00:31:49.10
And He gave Himself for me. He
was the King of the universe.
Can you believe this?
00:31:49.10\00:31:53.41
Comes down to this dark, dismal,
this bleak planet. And He comes
down as a man here.
00:31:53.41\00:31:58.35
He said, "I'm God with you. I'm
one with you. I'm here -- the
00:31:58.35\00:32:06.15
King." Now, the whole nation --
We don't have royals in America,
but America really goes gaga
00:32:06.15\00:32:10.43
over the royals. And you know.
Don't pretend like you haven't
00:32:10.43\00:32:13.46
been following this
story. Prince Harry is gonna get
00:32:13.46\00:32:16.80
married. You been following that
story? What's her name again?
00:32:16.80\00:32:20.77
Meghan Markle? Would that be it?
Come on. Put the picture up of
Harry and Meghan on the -- Oh,
00:32:20.77\00:32:25.34
look at that. She's awfully
attractive, I'd have to say
00:32:25.34\00:32:28.61
myself. But there he is, Prince
of England, and there is his
00:32:28.61\00:32:35.65
fiancée. Whoa. And presumably,
they will stand probably in the
00:32:35.65\00:32:41.79
-- oh, it would be Westminster
Cathedral in London before the
Archbishop of Canterbury.
00:32:41.79\00:32:46.83
And he will pledge his devotion
and lifelong adoration to her
00:32:46.83\00:32:51.90
and she to him. Isn't that
what's supposed to happen? The
royal -- a royal falling in
00:32:51.90\00:32:56.10
love with a commoner. And by the
way, keep the screen up because
00:32:56.10\00:33:01.21
two years ago, for the French
magazine Elle -- I think that's
it -- she gave an interview.
00:33:01.21\00:33:04.75
But this was long before the
engagement, and she noted to the
world that, in fact, she is a
00:33:04.75\00:33:09.02
biracial child. She has a father
who is white, and she has a
00:33:09.02\00:33:12.99
mother who is African-American.
And that's now being blended
with the pure royal lineage of
00:33:12.99\00:33:19.86
Prince Harry? Yep. A
royal falls in love with a
00:33:19.86\00:33:23.80
commoner. It's the stuff of
fairy tales. Hey, by the way,
00:33:23.80\00:33:26.77
it's the stuff of the Gospel.
The royal in the universe falls
in love with a planet of runaway
00:33:26.77\00:33:32.94
children. Mm! And He
says, "I'm gonna be bound
00:33:32.94\00:33:38.55
to you by a tie that can never
be broken, the royal and the
00:33:38.55\00:33:44.55
commoner." I love the way
"Steps to Christ" puts it.
00:33:44.72\00:33:46.05
Put it on the
screen for us, please.
00:33:46.05\00:33:47.16
By the way, you can
get the study guide.
00:33:47.16\00:33:48.39
You don't have to fill it in,
but the quotes are yours to take
00:33:48.39\00:33:50.09
home. They're in
your worship bulletin
00:33:50.09\00:33:51.43
right now.
"Steps to Christ" on the
00:33:51.43\00:33:52.99
screen -- "He who was one with
God has linked Himself with the
00:33:52.99\00:33:55.83
children of men by ties
that are never to be broken."
00:33:55.83\00:34:00.30
Keep reading -- "When Christ
took human nature up on Him, He
00:34:00.30\00:34:03.51
bound humanity --" that would be
us commoners -- "to Himself --"
00:34:03.51\00:34:06.91
there's the royal -- "by a tie
of love that can never be broken
00:34:06.91\00:34:10.25
by any power, save the
choice of man or woman herself."
00:34:10.25\00:34:13.21
You can make the choice, "I
don't want to be tied to you.
00:34:13.21\00:34:15.88
Nope. Let me go." And you may
go. This is the gift that God
00:34:16.05\00:34:22.39
gave to you and me when He sent
forth His Son, born of a woman.
And what difference does that
00:34:22.39\00:34:30.27
birth, that life, that death,
that resurrection, that
ascension, that promise of the
00:34:30.27\00:34:34.90
Messiah's Second Coming -- what
difference does that life --
does all of that make for you
00:34:34.90\00:34:39.84
and me? Paul said, "Are
you kidding? It makes all the
00:34:39.84\00:34:44.35
difference in the world." Paul
talks about adoption. Did you
00:34:44.35\00:34:47.92
notice that? He talks about
adoption. He's the only New
Testament writer to link
00:34:47.92\00:34:52.29
salvation to adoption. And when
he talks about adoption, by the
00:34:52.29\00:35:02.10
way -- psch -- every reader of
Galatians -- and they're in the
Roman Empire there -- the moment
00:35:02.10\00:35:08.40
you say "adoption," bingo, they
know. It's a -- Adoption is a
huge deal in the Roman Empire.
00:35:08.40\00:35:14.08
Carl Cosaert, in his stirring
little one-volume commentary on
the book of Galatians, points
00:35:14.08\00:35:19.05
out -- listen to this -- During
the first 200 years of the
Caesars, the emperors of the
00:35:19.05\00:35:28.89
Roman Empire, only three of
those Caesars actually inherited
00:35:28.89\00:35:34.30
the throne. The rest of them
were all adopted by the previous
Caesar and put into power.
00:35:34.30\00:35:40.34
So, when you talk about
adoption, it's a very big deal
in the Roman Empire.
00:35:40.34\00:35:43.91
In fact, the three Caesars,
Claudius, Titus, and Domitian,
00:35:43.91\00:35:48.84
the only ones. Everyone else
adopted into the royal family.
00:35:48.84\00:35:53.48
Carl Cosaert on the screen.
What's the big deal about
00:35:53.65\00:35:56.72
adoption? Whew! Keep reading.
00:35:56.72\00:35:59.09
"Adoption was a legally binding
agreement that guaranteed a
00:35:59.09\00:36:02.26
number of
privileges." Here they go.
00:36:02.26\00:36:05.39
Wow! All of that when you got
00:36:26.38\00:36:29.15
adopted. [ Exhales
sharply ] It's a huge
00:36:29.15\00:36:32.45
deal for Paul to say, "You've
been adopted into the royal
00:36:32.45\00:36:37.36
family of the universe.
Let me tell you something.
00:36:37.36\00:36:40.00
When Karen and I adopted our two
kids, Kirky and Kristy [scoffs]
00:36:40.00\00:36:44.93
do you know at one time --
no kidding -- at one time, there
00:36:44.93\00:36:48.00
was so much legal rigmarole that
we had to go through that we had
00:36:48.00\00:36:51.54
hired three lawyers -- count
them -- three lawyers in three
00:36:51.54\00:36:55.14
separate states, all battling
for us to get this petition
00:36:55.14\00:36:59.91
through the courts to an
official "yes" to the request
00:36:59.91\00:37:05.99
for adoption.
Adoption is a very big,
00:37:05.99\00:37:09.49
permanent deal, and
it has to be done right.
00:37:09.49\00:37:13.43
Trust me. And of
course that's Paul's
00:37:13.43\00:37:16.00
point.
00:37:16.00\00:37:16.90
Because of Jesus' death in our
place on Calvary, the Son of God
who loved me and gave Himself
00:37:17.07\00:37:21.47
for me, no matter what the
contesting devil has to say --
"Yo, you can't have him.
00:37:21.47\00:37:26.27
You can't have her." God signed
his adoption papers in blood.
00:37:26.27\00:37:31.91
You have already been chosen.
God already knew you were
coming, and He said, "I'll take
00:37:31.91\00:37:37.32
him, I'll take her, I'll take
them, I'll take you all." My,
00:37:37.32\00:37:43.43
oh, my. Adopted by the royals,
with all the attendant rights
thereof. Isn't that something?
00:37:43.43\00:37:53.03
And what does adoption mean?
What does it mean? Watch this
because the plot only
00:37:53.03\00:37:59.84
thickens. Here we go.
00:37:59.84\00:38:01.71
Let's read the passage all the
way through, and then we'll find
00:38:01.88\00:38:05.11
out what it means.
00:38:05.11\00:38:07.02
God has made us heirs, adopted
heirs into His kingdom. And did
00:38:32.44\00:38:37.41
you catch that? Not with one
gift, but with two gifts, two
gifts, because first God sends
00:38:37.41\00:38:43.59
us His Son. That's Paul's
language -- He sends us His Son.
And then did you catch that?
00:38:43.59\00:38:47.22
He sends us the Spirit of
His Son. So, first we have the
00:38:47.22\00:38:51.59
Bethlehem of the Son, and that
would be -- that would be
Christmas. Then we have the
00:38:51.59\00:38:56.77
Bethlehem of the Spirit,
and that would be Pentecost. Two
00:38:56.77\00:39:02.27
gifts. When you're adopted into
the family of God, two gifts.
00:39:02.27\00:39:06.21
But it's the sec-- Hold on, now.
Hold on. It's the second gift
that is proof that, in fact,
00:39:06.21\00:39:10.25
you've been adopted, gift number
two. You say, "Dwight, I don't
see anything about proof that
00:39:10.25\00:39:14.12
I've been adopted into God's
family." I beg to differ with
you. Read verse 6 again. Come
00:39:14.12\00:39:18.12
on. Now, Jewish children who
spoke Aramaic -- Jewish children
-- they all did -- would call
00:39:30.17\00:39:37.04
their daddies "Abba." It was
a term of endearment -- "Abba."
00:39:37.04\00:39:41.08
And you don't need a course in
linguistics to know that any
child anywhere on this planet --
00:39:41.08\00:39:48.18
the first sounds a child makes
-- tell me if this is right or
00:39:48.18\00:39:51.52
wrong. The first sounds a child
makes is, "Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah,
ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah,"
00:39:51.52\00:39:57.69
because they don't know how to
put their lips together and make
00:39:57.69\00:40:00.50
the sound. It's just an "ah."
"Ah, ah, ah." I used to love to
00:40:00.50\00:40:04.07
hear my kids going, "Ah-ahh, ah,
ah, ah, ah." There's just, "Ah,
00:40:04.07\00:40:07.80
ah, ah, ah, ah." But when they
learn to put their lips together
to make, "Bah, Abba, Abba, Abba,
00:40:07.80\00:40:15.78
Abba," it's just the natural
call of a child. In America, the
00:40:15.78\00:40:20.75
kids say, "Papa, Papa, Papa,
Papa, Papa." No, sorry -- it's,
"Mama, Mama, Mama."
00:40:20.75\00:40:25.72
[ Laughter ] Why do I
always think "Papa" comes first?
00:40:25.72\00:40:28.12
Actually, it's harder to say
"Papa" than it is to say "Mama."
00:40:28.12\00:40:32.36
"Mama, Mama." That's the point.
And by the way, Jewish students,
when they -- and this
00:40:32.36\00:40:36.20
is a university -- when they're
particularly feeling
affectionate to one of their
00:40:36.20\00:40:39.80
sermons -- one of their
professors, rather, before
exams, they have this warmth of
00:40:39.80\00:40:45.11
a feeling. The Jewish
students would actually call the
00:40:45.11\00:40:48.48
professors "Abba." "Excuse me,
Abba. I have a question on what
00:40:48.48\00:40:51.95
you just lectured." Abba.
Aramaic. Jesus himself spoke
00:40:51.95\00:40:57.45
Aramaic. But Jesus is the first
person on record to call God
"Abba," as He does in that dark
00:40:57.45\00:41:07.36
and desperate night in
Gethsemane. "Abba, Abba, Abba,
Father. I beg of you.
00:41:07.36\00:41:13.10
Take this cup, please. I can't
drink it. I can't drink it.
00:41:13.10\00:41:16.40
Take -- Abba, Abba, take
the cup, please. I'm begging of
00:41:16.40\00:41:22.24
you." The cry of a child to his
daddy. And by inserting it right
here, Paul is powerfully linking
00:41:22.24\00:41:30.62
that language, the language of
Jesus in Gethsemane -- He's
linking it to every adopted
00:41:30.62\00:41:36.76
child. Now, here's the proof. If
the Holy Spirit is in you and
he, inside of you, calls out,
00:41:36.76\00:41:43.23
"Abba, Father," and you address
the Father, "Abba, Father," Paul
00:41:43.23\00:41:49.64
says that's proof. You are --
You have taken the term of
endearment only used by Christ
00:41:49.64\00:41:57.05
for God, and you now have prayed
that name. You're in the family.
"Our Father who art in Heaven."
00:41:57.05\00:42:04.22
You pray that prayer,
you're in the family. Wow.
00:42:04.22\00:42:12.29
Abba. Daddy. Father. And there
they are, our Abba Father's two
gifts, two of them,
00:42:12.29\00:42:21.04
two gifts to the human race
forever and ever, amen. The
Bethlehem of the Son --
00:42:21.04\00:42:26.37
we got it. The Bethlehem
of the Spirit -- we got it.
00:42:26.37\00:42:32.71
But both gifts -- He sent His
Son, and then He sent the Spirit
00:42:32.71\00:42:37.09
of His Son. Now, John Witvliet,
Professor of Worship up at
Calvin College and Seminary --
00:42:37.09\00:42:40.76
we quoted from him last Sabbath.
00:42:40.76\00:42:42.32
Let me put his words on
the screen for you here.
00:42:42.49\00:42:44.96
Very perceptive. Here they are.
00:42:44.96\00:42:47.56
The two greatest
gifts in the universe.
00:43:12.69\00:43:15.99
God sent His Son. God sent the
Spirit of His Son. In English --
00:43:16.16\00:43:24.27
Okay, this is American English,
all right? I don't know if it's
00:43:24.27\00:43:26.40
English, English. This is
American English. It might be
from overseas, and it might not
00:43:26.40\00:43:32.04
sound familiar to you, but in
English, when you have two gifts
for the price of one, you call
00:43:32.04\00:43:36.88
it a "twofer." Let's put that on
the screen. You call it a
"twofer." That means "two for
00:43:36.88\00:43:42.68
the price of one," right? A
twofer. Right here, in Paul's
00:43:42.68\00:43:47.76
tiny little Christmas story, is
embedded the greatest twofer in
the universe, two for the price
00:43:47.76\00:43:54.10
of one, because when Jesus shows
up, guess who He talks about.
All He can talk about is the
00:43:54.10\00:43:59.23
Holy Spirit, and when the Holy
Spirit shows up, guess who he
00:43:59.23\00:44:01.94
talks about. All he can talk
about is Jesus. I mean, you
would think these two had
00:44:01.94\00:44:06.54
something going, which of course
they do. What they have going is
their unrelenting, undying love
00:44:06.54\00:44:10.91
for the likes of you and me.
"For God so loved the world --"
Never forget this line.
00:44:10.91\00:44:18.62
"For God so loved the world that
He gave His only Son and His
00:44:18.62\00:44:25.63
only Spirit." That's the Gospel
truth. A twofer, a royal twofer,
two for the price of one.
00:44:25.63\00:44:33.77
"You get them both because I
love you." And so when Gregory
00:44:33.77\00:44:37.41
Boyd, as we noted
earlier this semester --
00:44:37.41\00:44:38.81
When Gregory Boyd in his book
"Present Perfect" notes this
00:44:38.97\00:44:44.65
line, "My life is Christ --
nothing else really matters,"
00:44:44.65\00:44:47.28
really -- put this on the screen
for you -- really, he is saying,
00:44:47.28\00:44:50.69
"My life is the Holy Spirit
-- nothing else really matters,"
00:44:50.69\00:44:54.86
because when you have
the one, you have the other.
00:44:54.86\00:44:57.06
And when you have the
other, you get the one.
00:44:57.06\00:44:59.86
It's God's royal twofer.
You want to see how it works?
00:44:59.86\00:45:05.23
This is dynamite.
Ellen White on the screen,
00:45:05.23\00:45:07.97
please. "When the
Spirit was poured out
00:45:07.97\00:45:09.84
from on high --" that would
be Pentecost -- "When the Spirit
00:45:09.84\00:45:12.17
was poured out from on high, the
church was flooded with light,
00:45:12.17\00:45:14.64
but Christ --
Christ was the Light.
00:45:14.64\00:45:17.05
When the Spirit was poured
out from on high, the church was
00:45:17.05\00:45:20.02
filled with joy, but Christ
was the subject of that joy.
00:45:20.02\00:45:22.88
When the Spirit is poured out
upon God's people, in this day,"
00:45:22.88\00:45:26.12
here and now, "Christ's
name will be upon every tongue.
00:45:26.12\00:45:29.02
His love will fill every soul.
And when the heart embraces
00:45:29.02\00:45:32.13
Jesus, it will embrace
God, for all the fullness of God
00:45:32.13\00:45:34.93
dwells in Christ."
00:45:34.93\00:45:36.13
The royal twofer. They both show
up. You can get one without the
00:45:36.30\00:45:42.90
other. Impossible. You
can't have one exclusively.
00:45:42.90\00:45:46.81
"I don't need the other."
Never will be done. Twofer.
00:45:46.81\00:45:51.28
The royal twofer. And when you
get both, by the way, when you
00:45:51.28\00:45:57.92
get this twofer, Hold on to your
pew. You get it all. You have
everything God has to
00:45:57.92\00:46:03.16
offer. I'm serious. I'm
-- I'm as serious as a heart
00:46:03.16\00:46:06.80
attack. Let me put it on
the screen for you -- "Desire of
00:46:06.80\00:46:09.46
Ages. Look at this.
"The whole treasury of
00:46:09.63\00:46:12.20
heaven --" what's that
word before "treasury"?
00:46:12.20\00:46:14.07
Say that word out
loud. What's the word before
00:46:14.07\00:46:15.84
"treasury?" The whole treasury.
00:46:15.84\00:46:18.67
"The whole treasury of heaven is
open to those the Father seeks
00:46:18.67\00:46:23.35
to save. Having
collected the riches of
00:46:23.35\00:46:26.28
the universe and laid open
the resources of infinite power,
00:46:26.28\00:46:30.32
He gives them all --" a-l-l,
all -- "He gives them all into
00:46:30.32\00:46:37.46
the hands of Christ. And
He says to him, 'All these
00:46:37.46\00:46:40.53
are for man and woman. Use
these gifts to convince them
00:46:40.53\00:46:43.53
that there is no love greater
than Mine in earth or heaven and
00:46:43.53\00:46:46.87
that their greatest happiness
will be found in loving me.'"
00:46:46.87\00:46:50.37
You get the whole treasury of
heaven with that twofer. Is that
00:46:50.54\00:46:57.91
good news or what? Is that good
news? Come on. Tell me. Is that
00:46:57.91\00:47:00.95
good news or what?
Please. You get everything. Ah.
00:47:00.95\00:47:07.79
Then why are we so dull not to
ask for the everything God has
00:47:07.79\00:47:14.36
promised? Ah, come on. We just
-- We just penny it out. "God,
oh, God, I know this isn't
00:47:14.36\00:47:17.37
a big deal to You, but could
You give me -- I want this for
00:47:17.37\00:47:21.60
Christmas." We can have the
whole universe, and we're asking
for piddles. Why don't we ask
00:47:21.60\00:47:30.38
for more? I like the way Brendan
Manning put it, by the way. He's
00:47:30.38\00:47:33.62
absolutely right. On the screen
-- "Everything has been given to
00:47:33.78\00:47:36.89
us," confirming
"Desire of Ages."
00:47:36.89\00:47:38.79
Come on. You already have it.
"You already got it, boy. Girl,
00:47:46.49\00:47:50.57
you have it. Now experience what
I've given to you. I've given it
00:47:50.57\00:47:57.34
all to you. Did you say Jesus is
Lord?" "I did." "Welcome to the
00:47:57.34\00:48:05.15
family. Everything I have is
yours now, and nobody can take
00:48:05.15\00:48:10.19
it away from you. Stay with me,
girl. Stay with me, boy. Stay
00:48:10.19\00:48:15.66
with me. I'm gonna give it all
to you." God's great royal
twofer. And you know what?
00:48:15.66\00:48:24.07
This is the last Sabbath of
the semester. That's my deepest
00:48:24.07\00:48:27.77
desire and prayer for you. And
I'm praying it for me, too. And
that is that you and I would
00:48:27.77\00:48:32.61
simply experience what we
already possess. We have it
00:48:32.61\00:48:37.95
already. It's not like you
got to wait. "How long does this
00:48:37.95\00:48:40.38
take to get here?" It's already
here. You have it. The gift of
His Son and the gift of the
00:48:40.38\00:48:46.76
Spirit of His Son are already
ours. That's why every new
morning we ask for the daily --
00:48:46.76\00:48:52.69
the daily baptism of the Holy
Spirit. You say, "Dwight, that's
really a complicated prayer."
00:48:52.69\00:48:57.03
Are you serious? I'm gonna put
the prayer up. Will you memorize
00:48:57.03\00:49:00.57
it? It's only gonna be on the
screen five seconds. Please
memorize this in five
00:49:00.57\00:49:03.41
seconds.
00:49:03.41\00:49:04.31
Let's do that one
more time, out loud.
00:49:17.32\00:49:20.06
The royal twofer that brings
every other gift in the universe
00:49:27.50\00:49:31.53
is yours right now. I
want to end with a story.
00:49:31.53\00:49:37.11
Brendan Manning tells a
story about the golfing great
00:49:37.11\00:49:40.94
Arnold Palmer. You
ever heard of Arnold Palmer?
00:49:40.94\00:49:44.91
Died just a year ago. He
was -- He was moving through
00:49:44.91\00:49:49.08
a series of exhibition
games, matches in Saudi Arabia.
00:49:49.08\00:49:54.52
And the King of Saudi Arabia was
so impressed with Palmer that he
00:49:54.52\00:49:59.13
calls him up after the
exhibition matches are all over,
00:49:59.13\00:50:02.76
and the king proposes
to give Palmer a gift.
00:50:02.76\00:50:06.30
"I'm gonna give you a gift.
You ask for it." Palmer politely
00:50:06.47\00:50:13.14
demurs, "It really isn't
necessary, Your Highness. I'm
just honored to have been
00:50:13.14\00:50:16.01
able to play here in front of
you." But the King insisted, "I
00:50:16.01\00:50:21.05
would be deeply upset if you
would not allow me to give you a
gift." [ Inhales sharply ]
00:50:21.05\00:50:26.02
So Palmer thinks quickly on his
feet, and he says, "Well, you
know, King, just a little --
00:50:26.02\00:50:31.69
just a club, a golf club. Give
me a club, just as a memento of
00:50:31.69\00:50:37.23
my time here. Give me a club,
please." The next morning, at
Palmer's hotel, the title to a
00:50:37.23\00:50:44.41
golf club was delivered. We're
talking about thousands of acres
and trees and lakes and
00:50:44.41\00:50:50.28
sand traps and a clubhouse and
everything. "You did ask for a
00:50:50.28\00:50:55.02
club, didn't you?" [ Laughter ]
"You did ask for a club, didn't
00:50:55.02\00:50:58.85
you?" And then Brendan Manning
-- here's the moral of the
00:50:58.85\00:51:03.19
story. Put it on the screen,
please, so that we'll never
forget it. The moral of this
00:51:03.19\00:51:07.93
story -- "I am the King?" "You
are, oh, God." "I'm the King of
00:51:14.10\00:51:19.04
the universe?" "You are, oh,
God." "Then why don't you ask
me? Don't give me this piddly
00:51:19.04\00:51:26.98
stuff. Ask me. I'll give up the
half my kingdom for you, child
00:51:26.98\00:51:35.89
of mine." God's great twofer.
So, why don't we all through
this holiday and into the new
00:51:35.89\00:51:43.03
year ask the King not for little
gifts? Let's ask him for the
00:51:43.03\00:51:49.57
biggest and bestest gift of all
-- his twofer. What do you say?
00:51:49.57\00:51:54.11
Ah, let's pray. Oh, God, forgive
us. We think so small when we
00:51:54.11\00:52:01.12
could have the universe. Oh, and
you know my heart. That is
exactly my problem.
00:52:01.12\00:52:07.52
Dwight, you just think too
small. But in this short little
00:52:07.52\00:52:13.36
14-second Christmas story, you
have unpacked the universe for
00:52:13.36\00:52:19.87
us. And emboldened by the
thought, we, too, in the
presence of our King do not wish
00:52:19.87\00:52:29.61
to ask for small gifts. We wish
to have the best gift of all --
your twofer, please.
00:52:29.61\00:52:37.72
In the name of Jesus, grant us
the Spirit. Grant us them both.
00:52:37.72\00:52:42.42
Let all the people say,
"Amen, and amen." Freely we have
00:52:42.42\00:52:48.50
received. Freely let us give.
We'll give to Jesus. And while
00:52:48.50\00:52:51.77
they -- Thank you, ushers.
You may stand now to begin to
00:52:51.77\00:52:53.84
receive these. While they're
coming your way, let's sing this
great carol, "There's a Song in
00:52:53.84\00:52:58.57
the Air." It ends with the King.
It ends with the King. That
would be the last stanza.
00:52:58.57\00:53:03.31
Let's go.
00:53:03.31\00:53:04.71
¤¤ ¤¤
00:53:04.88\00:53:23.67
¤¤ ¤¤
00:53:23.67\00:53:42.45
¤¤ ¤¤
00:53:42.45\00:54:01.30
¤¤ ¤¤
00:54:01.30\00:54:20.12
¤¤ ¤¤
00:54:20.12\00:54:38.87
¤¤ ¤¤
00:54:38.87\00:54:57.69
¤¤ ¤¤
00:54:57.69\00:55:16.51
¤¤ ¤¤
00:55:16.51\00:55:34.73
And now may the grace of the
Lord Jesus Christ and the love
of God and the fellowship of the
00:55:34.86\00:55:41.50
Holy Spirit be with
you all. Amen. >> Amen.
00:55:41.50\00:55:47.48
>> Karen and I wanted to take
this family moment at the end of
00:55:47.64\00:55:50.71
our worship celebration to let
you know how grateful we are for
00:55:50.71\00:55:53.82
you. I've often
wished that through
00:55:53.82\00:55:55.45
the miracle of technology,
there'd be some way to turn this
00:55:55.45\00:55:57.89
screen into a two-way window
so that we could see you even as
00:55:57.89\00:56:00.42
you're looking at us.
00:56:00.42\00:56:01.99
I guess that would be like
Skyping our little
granddaughter, Ella.
00:56:02.16\00:56:05.29
But what a conversation we could
have together. >> One reason we
00:56:05.29\00:56:09.13
have to be thankful is for your
prayers. You'll never know the
impact your prayers have on this
00:56:09.13\00:56:14.24
ministry, on us, and our entire
team. We get letters literally
00:56:14.24\00:56:18.24
from around the world, and
nothing boosts our confidence
more than to hear that you're
00:56:18.24\00:56:23.38
praying for us. Thank you.
>> Another reason I'm personally
00:56:23.38\00:56:26.18
grateful to God is the very
gifted team of young producers
and techs who lead our
00:56:26.18\00:56:30.39
television, our live-streaming,
and our online ministries. And
get this number -- out of
00:56:30.39\00:56:35.02
the 50 team members, 47 are
volunteers who cheerfully give
00:56:35.02\00:56:39.46
their time to make "New
Perceptions" possible. I say God
bless them all. >> And maybe
00:56:39.46\00:56:44.23
you'd expect us to say this as
another year draws to an end,
but we're also thankful for the
00:56:44.23\00:56:49.17
financial support of viewers
like you who make this ministry
possible. If you've been blessed
00:56:49.17\00:56:54.38
this year, we'd like to ask you
to join the hundreds of people
who financially support our
00:56:54.38\00:56:59.45
"New Perceptions"
ministry. It's simple to do.
00:56:59.45\00:57:02.55
>> It really is. Just
call our toll-free number.
00:57:02.72\00:57:04.59
You'll see it on the screen now.
877 and then the two words "His
00:57:04.59\00:57:08.49
will." One of our
friendly operators
00:57:08.49\00:57:10.59
will be happy to assist
you. You can also click on the
00:57:10.59\00:57:12.99
"Donate" link at
the top of our website.
00:57:12.99\00:57:14.83
Trust me. No gift
is too small for God to
00:57:14.83\00:57:17.23
use to spread His good news.
And let me remind you, not a
00:57:17.23\00:57:20.47
single penny of your
donation will come to me.
00:57:20.47\00:57:23.00
Every gift is entirely invested
in our mission to communicate
00:57:23.00\00:57:26.64
God's everlasting Gospel to
what we believe is an end-time
00:57:26.64\00:57:30.15
generation. So,
once again, the number to
00:57:30.15\00:57:32.71
call is 877-HIS-WILL. >>
And so this Christmas, from
00:57:32.71\00:57:37.55
our family to yours, we wish for
you God's best gifts wrapped up
00:57:37.55\00:57:41.76
in Jesus day and night, all
through the new year to come.
00:57:41.76\00:57:45.49
>> Because remember, with Jesus,
the best isn't just behind us.
The very best is yet to come.
00:57:45.66\00:57:50.93
So, a blessed
holiday to all of you.
00:57:50.93\00:57:54.97
¤¤ ¤¤
00:58:00.41\00:58:18.86
¤¤
00:58:18.86\00:58:27.90