Participants: Dwight K. Nelson
Series Code: NP
Program Code: NP171209A
|
00:00 ♪♪
00:09 ♪♪ 00:20 >> ♪ You left Your throne and Your kingly crown ♪ 00:29 ♪ When You came to Earth for me ♪ ♪ But in Bethlehem's inn ♪ 00:44 ♪ There was found no room for Your Holy Nativity ♪ ♪ O come to my heart ♪ 01:06 ♪ Come to my heart ♪ ♪ Lord Jesus ♪ ♪ There is room in my heart 01:25 for You ♪ ♪♪ 01:41 [ Music stops ] 01:44 >> Let us pray. Dear Heavenly Father, 01:47 thank you that we made it through another week, and that 01:50 it's the Sabbath, and we can rest and rejoice in You. 01:53 Thank you, also, for the snow that gives us a reminder 01:57 that You can make all things new. 01:59 You can make us pure and holy, and all we have to do is ask to be filled with 02:04 Your Holy Spirit. Thank you for that gift that You've given us. 02:07 We ask all these things in Your name, and we love You so much. 02:11 Amen. 02:14 ♪♪ Please stand as we sing 02:18 our first song. ♪♪ 02:30 ♪♪ 03:03 ♪♪ 03:29 ♪♪ 03:59 ♪♪ 04:19 ♪♪ 04:43 ♪♪ 05:04 ♪♪ 05:29 ♪♪ 05:51 ♪♪♪ ♪♪ 06:08 ♪♪ 06:30 ♪♪ 06:58 ♪♪ 07:28 ♪♪ 07:48 ♪♪ 08:18 ♪♪ 08:46 ♪♪♪ 08:59 ♪♪ Now, for this next song, 09:02 it's a new take on an old carol that I know you're all familiar 09:06 with. The beginning of it starts 09:09 with these words, "Our God saves," and isn't 09:12 that a great message? The reason He saves is because 09:15 He sent His Son in the manger to be on Earth with us. 09:19 So I ask that you join us in singing "Joy to the World." 09:23 ♪♪ 09:41 ♪♪ 10:06 Joy to the world. ♪♪ 10:36 ♪♪ 10:59 ♪♪ 11:24 ♪♪ 11:46 And isn't that such a wonderful thought -- that we have hope 11:49 in God's name? Right now I ask that if you 11:52 have the desire to feel this joy, or if you already have it, 11:57 just come to the front. Come to the front and sing glory 11:59 and praise and honor to God's name. 12:02 ♪♪ 12:09 You rule the world. ♪♪ 12:34 ♪♪ 12:50 ♪♪ 13:20 ♪♪ 13:30 ♪♪ 14:04 >> Well, good morning, boys and girls. Nice to see you on this snowy 14:10 Sabbath at last. You've been praying? We got it. 14:14 It's a beautiful, beautiful Sabbath today. Nice to have you. 14:18 My, my, my. Whoops. Come on in. 14:20 We got some good seats left. Yep, there you go. Nice to have you on this last 14:25 Sabbath of the semester. 14:27 Don't miss next Sabbath -- Children's Celebration 14:28 of Christmas. Ooh, bring that toy. 14:31 And if you come the following week, the Sabbath just before 14:34 Christmas, like we always do, we have a gift for you 14:36 December 23. So you pass that word on 14:38 to Mom and Dad. 14:40 But nice to have you. You're looking great today. Say, here's a story from one 14:44 of my story scouts. I tell you what. They find the best stories. 14:47 I don't know how they do it. Darius Jankiewicz. He's a professor here at 14:51 the Theological Seminary where he thinks deep thoughts, but he found this story for us. 14:56 It's from Maplewood, New Jersey. Maplewood, New Jersey. And I want to tell you about 15:01 Michelle Bordeaux -- that's her name -- and her little family. 15:05 Michelle says, "Look-it, look-it. It's Christmastime. 15:09 It's Christmastime. You know, the people that deliver, they deliver packages 15:13 to our house. I'm talking about FedEx driver. I'm thinking of the U.P.S. 15:17 driver. I'm thinking of the mailman or the mail lady. 15:21 They do such nice things for us. This year I'm putting right out here near the front door 15:26 where you would put the package, I'm gonna put a little stand, and I'm gonna put some goodies 15:31 on it -- some chocolates and some candy canes and some -- Oh, I think I'll put some 15:36 Kleenex Tissues because they might be blowing their nose. I'll put a little hand-warmer 15:41 or two there, and I'll just say, 'Help yourself. Free.'" So she put it out. 15:47 She went off to work. She came back that night. She said, "Wow. 15:51 Look at that. [ Scoffs ] Man, wonder if that was 15:55 the FedEx driver that was so hungry? Look at that. 15:58 He took all the Ghirardelli Chocolates." That's the expensive chocolate. 16:03 "He took all the Ghirardelli Chocolate. [ Scoffs ] 16:06 Didn't even think about people coming after him. Well, I'll restock it tonight 16:09 for tomorrow morning." She put it out, everything filled up -- 16:12 Ghirardelli Chocolate, Snicker bars, Reese's bars -- everything out. 16:16 She went off to work with her husband, came back that night... 16:20 "Man, I tell you what. The guys that deliver stuff to our house are a bunch of 16:23 pigs. I mean, they just ate it all." [ Scoffs ] 16:28 She went in and told her husband. "You know, that's gratitude 16:32 for you. They just took everything. Hmm." 16:35 She said, "Well, okay. We'll do it again tomorrow morning." 16:38 But the husband said, "Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk. You know what I want to do?" 16:42 He's kind of a technology nerd. He said, "I'm gonna put up a little -- my little 16:45 GoPro Camera right here on the chair" -- fastened it up -- 16:48 "and we're gonna take pictures." So sure enough, they put the little table out again 16:54 with the Ghirardelli and all the other little goodies free, and while they were gone 16:59 the next day, there went the GoPro -- [ Imitating camera shutter 17:04 clicking ] Anybody moving? [ Clicking resumes ] 17:09 They could hardly wait to get home that night. "I want to find out was it 17:13 the U.P.S. driver, or was it the mailman, or was it the FedEx driver?" 17:17 They looked at the camera. They said, "Oh, put it on the computer so we can see it." 17:21 Excuse me. And they put it on the screen, and that's who it was. 17:26 [ Laughter ] A very overweight squirrel, by the way. 17:30 You notice that. Can you believe that? It wasn't the drivers at all. 17:34 That squirrel does what squirrels do. If the food's outside, 17:37 I eat it. It's for me. But you know what, boys and 17:40 girls? Take a look at that squirrel. He is a very wise squirrel. 17:46 He went for the best gifts first. He went for 17:49 the Ghirardelli Chocolate. And he would come back -- The camera showed he came back, 17:53 and then he went for the Reese's bars, and finally the little Snicker bars. 17:56 He knew what was best. You know what? Hey, listen, listen. 18:02 Thank you, Darius, for that story. When God looked down on us 18:05 at this season of the year, we remember, and He said, "I'm gonna give my children 18:09 on Earth a gift." Did he give a second-rate gift or a third-class gift? 18:13 Noo! He gave the number-one gift of the universe. 18:16 He gave His Son. And you know what at Christmastime? 18:21 That's what we ought to be thinking. It's not, "Oh, can I get that 18:24 new video game? Please, please, please? Can I get that new Barbie doll? 18:26 Please, please, please?" No, no, no. "May I get the best gift 18:30 in the universe? May I get the gift of Jesus this Christmas?" 18:35 Take a lesson from that squirrel. Go for the best. 18:38 Go for Jesus. Who would like to thank Jesus for being -- Yes, sir. 18:43 You were so fast. I'm gonna invite you to come forward. 18:46 [ Clears throat ] Excuse me. Let's fold our hands 18:50 and close our eyes. What's your name? >> Hazael. 18:53 >> Hazael. We're gonna close our eyes and fold our hands, and Hazael's 18:57 gonna thank Jesus for being the best, the very best gift in the whole universe for us. 19:02 Hazael? >> Thank you, God. Thank you for this beautiful day 19:08 and help the people who are stuck in the snow and that are having accidents, and -- 19:18 and we're thankful for something we don't have, we can -- we can just be thankful 19:25 what we have in our life. Amen. >> Beautiful prayer, Hazael. 19:29 Thank you. And, boys and girls, you can say that in your heart like Hazael 19:33 prayed. Thank you, Jesus. You're the best gift of all. 19:38 Thank you. ♪♪ 19:58 ♪♪ 20:13 ♪♪ 20:34 ♪♪ >> ♪ I hear the prophet 20:42 callin' ♪ 20:44 ♪ Prepare the way of the Lord ♪ ♪ I hear the prophet callin' ♪ ♪ Prepare the way of the Lord ♪ 21:02 ♪ I hear the prophet callin' ♪ ♪ Prepare the way of the Lord ♪ ♪ I hear the prophet callin' ♪ 21:17 ♪ Prepare the way of the Lord ♪ ♪ Come and make straight the way in the desert ♪ 21:27 ♪ A highway for our God ♪ ♪ Come and make straight the way in the desert ♪ 21:37 ♪ Prepare the way of the Lord ♪ ♪ Prepare the way of the Lord ♪ ♪ I hear Isaiah callin' ♪ 21:55 ♪ "Fear not your God will come" ♪ ♪ I hear Isaiah callin' ♪ 22:05 ♪ "Fear not your God will come" ♪ ♪ Then will the eyes 22:11 of the blind be opened ♪ ♪ The ears of the deaf will hear ♪ 22:19 ♪ And then the mute will shout for joy ♪ ♪ The mute will shout for joy ♪ 22:29 >> ♪ For joy ♪ >> ♪ Shout for joy ♪ >> ♪ Shout for joy ♪ 22:32 >> ♪ They'll be shouting for joy ♪ ♪ They'll be shouting for joy ♪ 22:37 ♪ And the desert will be joyful and blossom as a rose ♪ ♪ And the desert will be joyful 22:53 and blossom as a rose ♪ ♪ We shall rejoice with joy and singing ♪ 23:03 ♪ And see the glory of God ♪ ♪ We shall rejoice with joy and singing ♪ 23:13 ♪ And see the glory of God ♪ ♪ And see the glory of God ♪ ♪ I hear the prophet callin' ♪ 23:30 ♪ Prepare the way of the Lord ♪ ♪ I hear the prophet callin' ♪ ♪ Prepare the way of the Lord ♪ 23:45 ♪ Prepare ye the way of the Lord ♪ >> Amen. 24:03 >> Let's pray together. Oh, God, we hear a prophet calling. 24:07 We hear the prophets calling, "Prepare the way of the Lord." You did that 2,000 years ago. 24:13 Could You do it all over again? As we move into Scripture for these few moments together, 24:22 ignite our minds and our hearts with Your two gifts. We pray in Jesus' name. 24:29 Amen. 24:31 "But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth 24:36 His Son, born of a woman." So this last week I found 24:44 myself, of all things, reading The Jerusalem Post, 24:48 the newspaper online. 24:50 I wanted to gauge the response in that ancient city to the announcement of 24:54 the President of my country that, in fact, he believes Jerusalem is the capital of 24:59 Israel, and thus the Embassy of the United States needs to be moved from Tel Aviv 25:03 to Jerusalem, which, apparently, is a rather contentious and rather controversial proposal, 25:10 and which, of course, we will leave alone wisely. But I then imagine myself, okay, 25:18 so if I were in Jerusalem 2,000 years ago and reading The Jerusalem Post, 25:23 what would it be like? The fact of the matter is, whether you liked it or not, 25:29 it really was the fullness of time. We just noted that reference. 25:32 It really was the fullness of time back then. 25:35 I want to run them by you -- seven -- seven realities 25:39 of life in society and culture before the Messiah's 25:42 First Coming, and since we're running through this list of 25:46 seven, ask yourself, Mm, could it be these seven are in place 25:49 again? Let's check them out, 25:51 all right? Just jot them down in your mind. 25:55 Reality Number One. The entire Roman Empire is in a 200-year period 26:00 of peace they called Pax Romana. The peace of Rome, right? Some are calling it today 26:09 Pax Americana. Whatever the condition in Americana is now, 26:15 there is a prevailing peace on this planet. So that's factor number one. 26:19 Here's Reality Number Two. That part of the world 2,000 years ago was at peace 26:23 under one government. They were. It's the Empire. 26:27 Well, we're not under one government today, I understand, but, again, that peace, 26:31 and maybe there'll be one government someday. Who knows? 26:35 Reality Number Three. 2,000 years ago, there was one universal language. 26:40 No matter what your mother tongue, you read and spoke Greek. 26:46 2,000 years later, there is one universal language, and it is... It's English, yeah. 26:53 It's because Americans can't learn anything else, and so we're stuck with that. 26:57 [ Laughter ] All right, Reality Number Four. Travel by land and sea 27:01 2,000 years ago was relatively safe. It is still, 2,000 years later, 27:06 relatively safe and relatively instantaneous. You can get there from here 27:09 in a matter of hours anywhere, right? Here's Reality Number Five. 27:14 Holy Scripture was available in the Greek language. It was called the Septuagint, 27:18 the Greek Old Testament, and you could read the Bible anywhere in the Empire. 27:22 Guess what? The Bible is in practically every tongue on Earth today. 27:27 You can do the same. Here's Reality Number Six. 2,000 years ago, ooh, people 27:31 were dissatisfied with the state of the world and the culture and religion. 27:34 There was a numinous emptiness the human soul longed to fill, but people didn't quite know 27:40 where to turn. I'd say in 2,000 years, nothing's changed, right? 27:47 And here's Number Seven. 2,000 years ago, the Jews were dispersed everywhere 27:53 like Coca-Cola. They were in every hamlet, every village, every corner 27:58 of the Roman Empire. So if God wants to do something big, all He has to do is 28:05 reignite the Jewish faith. Read Messiah. And then when they come 28:11 to the Holy Days, as they faithfully did, they go home to wherever home is, and in 28:16 a matter of days, that message goes to the entire Empire today. I suppose God has a handful 28:23 of friends here and there around the planet who could be His delivery system, but even 28:27 more significantly, God does have a mechanism today. It's instantaneous, 28:31 at the speed of light. We're talking about the Internet, we're talking 28:34 about social media, we're talking about radio, we're talking about television, 28:40 we're talking about standing in line at the checkout counter at Walmart, because that's 28:44 where I read the National Enquirer where nobody sees me reading it. 28:47 I just kind of scan the headlines of what's happened. 28:49 [ Inhales sharply ] "But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth 28:56 His Son, born of a woman." Makes you wonder, doesn't it? Could it be the world is once 29:04 again in position -- not for the Messiah's First Coming, but could it be the landscape 29:11 has been shaped for His Second Coming? "But in the fullness of time." 29:19 Let's take a look at that line because even more important than that line are the two gifts 29:25 immediately behind it. Take a look at this. Did you know there were two? 29:28 Open your Bible to Galatians chapter 4, please, Galatians chapter 4. 29:31 I'll be in the New International Version. Whatever translation you 29:35 brought, bless you. Galatians chapter 4. You didn't bring a Bible at all, 29:39 pull the pew Bible out in front of you or share with somebody sitting beside you in the choir. 29:43 Galatians 4:4 -- "But when the set time had fully come --" 29:47 that's how the NIV renders it. "But when the set time had fully 29:51 come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law --" 29:55 verse 5 -- "to redeem those under the law that we might 29:59 receive adoption to sonship." Now, folks, that is Paul's 30:02 version of the Christmas story. 30:04 That's it. It's not very long. I timed myself. 13.75 seconds, you can read 30:08 through that story, those two verses. But you know what? 30:12 Paul's got one -- Paul has one up on half of the Gospels. A lot of people think that all 30:18 four Gospels tell the story of Jesus' birth. Wrong. 30:21 Not a word about it in Mark, not a single line about it in John except for "the Word became 30:25 flesh," but that's not a story. That's theology. Matthew and Luke are the only 30:30 tellers of the birth of the Savior. Paul does it more than Mark, 30:37 more than John, 14 seconds and one line long. And, oh, boy, does he pack it 30:42 into that one line. You think about it. Look at it. 30:45 We have God. Yep, number one, Paul has God in the story. 30:49 Number two, Paul has God's Son. Number three, he has a teenage virgin. 30:53 Number four, he has the birth. Number five, he has the Son coming to save sinners. 30:59 He uses the word "redemption." And number six, the sacrificial death of the Son, with seven 31:05 thrown in, and that is, it's gonna make a difference in your life when this story comes to 31:10 be. But you know what? If all we had was just Paul's, 31:16 if we didn't have any Gospel, we just had Paul, we'd have enough for the gift of Jesus. 31:21 We really would because Paul's already talked about Jesus here in Galatians. 31:24 You remember Galatians 2:20? I predict you can repeat this out loud with me, even from the 31:28 old King James. Maybe you learned it as a kid. "I am crucified with Christ. 31:32 Nevertheless, I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me, and the life I live, I live --" now, 31:38 here it comes -- "I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for 31:45 me." That's the deal. He loved me. 31:49 And He gave Himself for me. He was the King of the universe. Can you believe this? 31:53 Comes down to this dark, dismal, this bleak planet. And He comes down as a man here. 31:58 He said, "I'm God with you. I'm one with you. I'm here -- the King." 32:06 Now, the whole nation -- We don't have royals in America, but America really goes gaga 32:10 over the royals. And you know. Don't pretend like you haven't 32:13 been following this story. Prince Harry is gonna get married. 32:16 You been following that story? What's her name again? Meghan Markle? 32:20 Would that be it? Come on. Put the picture up of Harry and Meghan on the -- Oh, look at 32:25 that. She's awfully attractive, I'd have to say myself. 32:28 But there he is, Prince of England, and there is his fiancée. 32:35 Whoa. And presumably, they will stand probably in the -- oh, it would 32:41 be Westminster Cathedral in London before the Archbishop of Canterbury. 32:46 And he will pledge his devotion and lifelong adoration to her and she to him. 32:51 Isn't that what's supposed to happen? The royal -- a royal falling in 32:56 love with a commoner. And by the way, keep the screen up because two years ago, for 33:01 the French magazine Elle -- I think that's it -- she gave an interview. 33:04 But this was long before the engagement, and she noted to the world that, in fact, she is a 33:09 biracial child. She has a father who is white, and she has a mother who is 33:12 African-American. And that's now being blended with the pure royal lineage of 33:19 Prince Harry? Yep. A royal falls in love with a 33:23 commoner. It's the stuff of fairy tales. Hey, by the way, it's the stuff 33:26 of the Gospel. The royal in the universe falls in love with a planet of runaway 33:32 children. Mm! And He says, "I'm gonna be bound 33:38 to you by a tie that can never be broken, the royal and the commoner." 33:44 I love the way "Steps to Christ" puts it. 33:46 Put it on the screen for us, please. 33:47 By the way, you can get the study guide. 33:48 You don't have to fill it in, but the quotes are yours to take 33:50 home. They're in your worship bulletin 33:51 right now. "Steps to Christ" on the 33:52 screen -- "He who was one with God has linked Himself with the 33:55 children of men by ties that are never to be broken." 34:00 Keep reading -- "When Christ took human nature up on Him, He 34:03 bound humanity --" that would be us commoners -- "to Himself --" 34:06 there's the royal -- "by a tie of love that can never be broken 34:10 by any power, save the choice of man or woman herself." 34:13 You can make the choice, "I don't want to be tied to you. 34:16 Nope. Let me go." And you may go. This is the gift that God gave 34:22 to you and me when He sent forth His Son, born of a woman. And what difference does that 34:30 birth, that life, that death, that resurrection, that ascension, that promise of the 34:34 Messiah's Second Coming -- what difference does that life -- does all of that make for you 34:39 and me? Paul said, "Are you kidding? It makes all the difference in 34:44 the world." Paul talks about adoption. Did you notice that? 34:47 He talks about adoption. He's the only New Testament writer to link salvation to 34:52 adoption. And when he talks about adoption, by the way -- psch -- 35:02 every reader of Galatians -- and they're in the Roman Empire there -- the moment you say 35:08 "adoption," bingo, they know. It's a -- Adoption is a huge deal in the Roman Empire. 35:14 Carl Cosaert, in his stirring little one-volume commentary on the book of Galatians, points 35:19 out -- listen to this -- During the first 200 years of the Caesars, the emperors of the 35:28 Roman Empire, only three of those Caesars actually inherited the throne. 35:34 The rest of them were all adopted by the previous Caesar and put into power. 35:40 So, when you talk about adoption, it's a very big deal in the Roman Empire. 35:43 In fact, the three Caesars, Claudius, Titus, and Domitian, the only ones. 35:48 Everyone else adopted into the royal family. 35:53 Carl Cosaert on the screen. What's the big deal about 35:56 adoption? Whew! Keep reading. 35:59 "Adoption was a legally binding agreement that guaranteed a 36:02 number of privileges." Here they go. 36:26 Wow! All of that when you got 36:29 adopted. [ Exhales sharply ] It's a huge 36:32 deal for Paul to say, "You've been adopted into the royal 36:37 family of the universe. Let me tell you something. 36:40 When Karen and I adopted our two kids, Kirky and Kristy [scoffs] 36:44 do you know at one time -- no kidding -- at one time, there 36:48 was so much legal rigmarole that we had to go through that we had 36:51 hired three lawyers -- count them -- three lawyers in three 36:55 separate states, all battling for us to get this petition 36:59 through the courts to an official "yes" to the request 37:05 for adoption. Adoption is a very big, 37:09 permanent deal, and it has to be done right. 37:13 Trust me. And of course that's Paul's 37:16 point. 37:17 Because of Jesus' death in our place on Calvary, the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself 37:21 for me, no matter what the contesting devil has to say -- "Yo, you can't have him. 37:26 You can't have her." God signed his adoption papers in blood. 37:31 You have already been chosen. God already knew you were coming, and He said, "I'll take 37:37 him, I'll take her, I'll take them, I'll take you all." My, oh, my. 37:43 Adopted by the royals, with all the attendant rights thereof. Isn't that something? 37:53 And what does adoption mean? What does it mean? Watch this because the plot only 37:59 thickens. Here we go. 38:01 Let's read the passage all the way through, and then we'll find 38:05 out what it means. 38:32 God has made us heirs, adopted heirs into His kingdom. And did you catch that? 38:37 Not with one gift, but with two gifts, two gifts, because first God sends us His Son. 38:43 That's Paul's language -- He sends us His Son. And then did you catch that? 38:47 He sends us the Spirit of His Son. So, first we have the Bethlehem 38:51 of the Son, and that would be -- that would be Christmas. Then we have the Bethlehem of 38:56 the Spirit, and that would be Pentecost. Two gifts. 39:02 When you're adopted into the family of God, two gifts. But it's the sec-- 39:06 Hold on, now. Hold on. It's the second gift that is proof that, in fact, you've been 39:10 adopted, gift number two. You say, "Dwight, I don't see anything about proof that I've 39:14 been adopted into God's family." I beg to differ with you. Read verse 6 again. Come on. 39:30 Now, Jewish children who spoke Aramaic -- Jewish children -- they all did -- would call their 39:37 daddies "Abba." It was a term of endearment -- "Abba." 39:41 And you don't need a course in linguistics to know that any child anywhere on this planet -- 39:48 the first sounds a child makes -- tell me if this is right or wrong. 39:51 The first sounds a child makes is, "Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah," because 39:57 they don't know how to put their lips together and make the sound. 40:00 It's just an "ah." "Ah, ah, ah." I used to love to hear my kids 40:04 going, "Ah-ahh, ah, ah, ah, ah." There's just, "Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah." 40:07 But when they learn to put their lips together to make, "Bah, Abba, Abba, Abba, Abba," it's 40:15 just the natural call of a child. In America, the kids say, "Papa, 40:20 Papa, Papa, Papa, Papa." No, sorry -- it's, "Mama, Mama, Mama." 40:25 [ Laughter ] Why do I always think "Papa" comes first? 40:28 Actually, it's harder to say "Papa" than it is to say "Mama." "Mama, Mama." 40:32 That's the point. And by the way, Jewish students, when they -- and this 40:36 is a university -- when they're particularly feeling affectionate to one of their 40:39 sermons -- one of their professors, rather, before exams, they have this warmth of 40:45 a feeling. The Jewish students would actually call the professors 40:48 "Abba." "Excuse me, Abba. I have a question on what you 40:51 just lectured." Abba. Aramaic. Jesus himself spoke Aramaic. 40:57 But Jesus is the first person on record to call God "Abba," as He does in that dark and 41:07 desperate night in Gethsemane. "Abba, Abba, Abba, Father. I beg of you. 41:13 Take this cup, please. I can't drink it. I can't drink it. 41:16 Take -- Abba, Abba, take the cup, please. I'm begging of you." 41:22 The cry of a child to his daddy. And by inserting it right here, Paul is powerfully linking that 41:30 language, the language of Jesus in Gethsemane -- He's linking it to every adopted child. 41:36 Now, here's the proof. If the Holy Spirit is in you and he, inside of you, calls out, 41:43 "Abba, Father," and you address the Father, "Abba, Father," Paul says that's proof. 41:49 You are -- You have taken the term of endearment only used by Christ for God, and you now have 41:57 prayed that name. You're in the family. "Our Father who art in Heaven." 42:04 You pray that prayer, you're in the family. Wow. 42:12 Abba. Daddy. Father. And there they are, our Abba Father's two gifts, two of them, 42:21 two gifts to the human race forever and ever, amen. The Bethlehem of the Son -- 42:26 we got it. The Bethlehem of the Spirit -- we got it. 42:32 But both gifts -- He sent His Son, and then He sent the Spirit of His Son. 42:37 Now, John Witvliet, Professor of Worship up at Calvin College and Seminary -- we quoted from 42:40 him last Sabbath. 42:42 Let me put his words on the screen for you here. 42:44 Very perceptive. Here they are. 43:12 The two greatest gifts in the universe. 43:16 God sent His Son. God sent the Spirit of His Son. In English -- Okay, this is 43:24 American English, all right? I don't know if it's English, English. 43:26 This is American English. It might be from overseas, and it might not sound familiar to 43:32 you, but in English, when you have two gifts for the price of one, you call it a "twofer." 43:36 Let's put that on the screen. You call it a "twofer." That means "two for the price of 43:42 one," right? A twofer. Right here, in Paul's tiny 43:47 little Christmas story, is embedded the greatest twofer in the universe, two for the price 43:54 of one, because when Jesus shows up, guess who He talks about. All He can talk about is the 43:59 Holy Spirit, and when the Holy Spirit shows up, guess who he talks about. 44:01 All he can talk about is Jesus. I mean, you would think these two had something going, which 44:06 of course they do. What they have going is their unrelenting, undying love for 44:10 the likes of you and me. "For God so loved the world --" Never forget this line. 44:18 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son and His only Spirit." 44:25 That's the Gospel truth. A twofer, a royal twofer, two for the price of one. 44:33 "You get them both because I love you." And so when Gregory Boyd, as we 44:37 noted earlier this semester -- 44:38 When Gregory Boyd in his book "Present Perfect" notes this 44:44 line, "My life is Christ -- nothing else really matters," 44:47 really -- put this on the screen for you -- really, he is saying, 44:50 "My life is the Holy Spirit -- nothing else really matters," 44:54 because when you have the one, you have the other. 44:57 And when you have the other, you get the one. 44:59 It's God's royal twofer. You want to see how it works? 45:05 This is dynamite. Ellen White on the screen, 45:07 please. "When the Spirit was poured out 45:09 from on high --" that would be Pentecost -- "When the Spirit 45:12 was poured out from on high, the church was flooded with light, 45:14 but Christ -- Christ was the Light. 45:17 When the Spirit was poured out from on high, the church was 45:20 filled with joy, but Christ was the subject of that joy. 45:22 When the Spirit is poured out upon God's people, in this day," 45:26 here and now, "Christ's name will be upon every tongue. 45:29 His love will fill every soul. And when the heart embraces 45:32 Jesus, it will embrace God, for all the fullness of God 45:34 dwells in Christ." 45:36 The royal twofer. They both show up. You can get one without the 45:42 other. Impossible. You can't have one exclusively. 45:46 "I don't need the other." Never will be done. Twofer. 45:51 The royal twofer. And when you get both, by the way, when you get this twofer, 45:57 Hold on to your pew. You get it all. You have everything God has to 46:03 offer. I'm serious. I'm -- I'm as serious as a heart 46:06 attack. Let me put it on the screen for you -- "Desire of Ages. 46:09 Look at this. "The whole treasury of 46:12 heaven --" what's that word before "treasury"? 46:14 Say that word out loud. What's the word before 46:15 "treasury?" The whole treasury. 46:18 "The whole treasury of heaven is open to those the Father seeks 46:23 to save. Having collected the riches of 46:26 the universe and laid open the resources of infinite power, 46:30 He gives them all --" a-l-l, all -- "He gives them all into 46:37 the hands of Christ. And He says to him, 'All these 46:40 are for man and woman. Use these gifts to convince them 46:43 that there is no love greater than Mine in earth or heaven and 46:46 that their greatest happiness will be found in loving me.'" 46:50 You get the whole treasury of heaven with that twofer. Is that good news or what? 46:57 Is that good news? Come on. Tell me. Is that good news or what? 47:00 Please. You get everything. Ah. 47:07 Then why are we so dull not to ask for the everything God has promised? 47:14 Ah, come on. We just -- We just penny it out. "God, oh, God, I know this isn't 47:17 a big deal to You, but could You give me -- I want this for Christmas." 47:21 We can have the whole universe, and we're asking for piddles. Why don't we ask for more? 47:30 I like the way Brendan Manning put it, by the way. He's absolutely right. 47:33 On the screen -- "Everything has been given to us," confirming 47:36 "Desire of Ages." 47:46 Come on. You already have it. "You already got it, boy. Girl, you have it. 47:50 Now experience what I've given to you. I've given it all to you. 47:57 Did you say Jesus is Lord?" "I did." "Welcome to the family. 48:05 Everything I have is yours now, and nobody can take it away from you. 48:10 Stay with me, girl. Stay with me, boy. Stay with me. 48:15 I'm gonna give it all to you." God's great royal twofer. And you know what? 48:24 This is the last Sabbath of the semester. That's my deepest desire 48:27 and prayer for you. And I'm praying it for me, too. And that is that you and I would 48:32 simply experience what we already possess. We have it already. 48:37 It's not like you got to wait. "How long does this take to get here?" 48:40 It's already here. You have it. The gift of His Son and the gift of the Spirit of His Son are 48:46 already ours. That's why every new morning we ask for the daily -- the daily 48:52 baptism of the Holy Spirit. You say, "Dwight, that's really a complicated prayer." 48:57 Are you serious? I'm gonna put the prayer up. Will you memorize it? 49:00 It's only gonna be on the screen five seconds. Please memorize this in five 49:03 seconds. 49:17 Let's do that one more time, out loud. 49:27 The royal twofer that brings every other gift in the universe 49:31 is yours right now. I want to end with a story. 49:37 Brendan Manning tells a story about the golfing great 49:40 Arnold Palmer. You ever heard of Arnold Palmer? 49:44 Died just a year ago. He was -- He was moving through 49:49 a series of exhibition games, matches in Saudi Arabia. 49:54 And the King of Saudi Arabia was so impressed with Palmer that he 49:59 calls him up after the exhibition matches are all over, 50:02 and the king proposes to give Palmer a gift. 50:06 "I'm gonna give you a gift. You ask for it." Palmer politely demurs, "It 50:13 really isn't necessary, Your Highness. I'm just honored to have been 50:16 able to play here in front of you." But the King insisted, "I would 50:21 be deeply upset if you would not allow me to give you a gift." [ Inhales sharply ] 50:26 So Palmer thinks quickly on his feet, and he says, "Well, you know, King, just a little -- 50:31 just a club, a golf club. Give me a club, just as a memento of my time here. 50:37 Give me a club, please." The next morning, at Palmer's hotel, the title to a golf club 50:44 was delivered. We're talking about thousands of acres and trees and lakes and 50:50 sand traps and a clubhouse and everything. "You did ask for a club, didn't 50:55 you?" [ Laughter ] "You did ask for a club, didn't 50:58 you?" And then Brendan Manning -- here's the moral of the story. 51:03 Put it on the screen, please, so that we'll never forget it. The moral of this story -- 51:14 "I am the King?" "You are, oh, God." "I'm the King of the universe?" 51:19 "You are, oh, God." "Then why don't you ask me? Don't give me this piddly stuff. 51:26 Ask me. I'll give up the half my kingdom for you, child of mine." 51:35 God's great twofer. So, why don't we all through this holiday and into the new 51:43 year ask the King not for little gifts? Let's ask him for the biggest 51:49 and bestest gift of all -- his twofer. What do you say? 51:54 Ah, let's pray. Oh, God, forgive us. We think so small when we could 52:01 have the universe. Oh, and you know my heart. That is exactly my problem. 52:07 Dwight, you just think too small. But in this short little 52:13 14-second Christmas story, you have unpacked the universe for us. 52:19 And emboldened by the thought, we, too, in the presence of our King do not wish to ask for 52:29 small gifts. We wish to have the best gift of all -- your twofer, please. 52:37 In the name of Jesus, grant us the Spirit. Grant us them both. 52:42 Let all the people say, "Amen, and amen." Freely we have received. 52:48 Freely let us give. We'll give to Jesus. And while they -- Thank you, 52:51 ushers. You may stand now to begin to receive these. 52:53 While they're coming your way, let's sing this great carol, "There's a Song in the Air." 52:58 It ends with the King. It ends with the King. That would be the last stanza. 53:03 Let's go. 53:04 ♪♪ ♪♪ 53:23 ♪♪ ♪♪ 53:42 ♪♪ ♪♪ 54:01 ♪♪ ♪♪ 54:20 ♪♪ ♪♪ 54:38 ♪♪ ♪♪ 54:57 ♪♪ ♪♪ 55:16 ♪♪ ♪♪ 55:34 And now may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the 55:41 Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen. >> Amen. 55:47 >> Karen and I wanted to take this family moment at the end of 55:50 our worship celebration to let you know how grateful we are for 55:53 you. I've often wished that through 55:55 the miracle of technology, there'd be some way to turn this 55:57 screen into a two-way window so that we could see you even as 56:00 you're looking at us. 56:02 I guess that would be like Skyping our little granddaughter, Ella. 56:05 But what a conversation we could have together. >> One reason we have to be 56:09 thankful is for your prayers. You'll never know the impact your prayers have on this 56:14 ministry, on us, and our entire team. We get letters literally from 56:18 around the world, and nothing boosts our confidence more than to hear that you're praying for 56:23 us. Thank you. >> Another reason I'm personally 56:26 grateful to God is the very gifted team of young producers and techs who lead our 56:30 television, our live-streaming, and our online ministries. And get this number -- out of 56:35 the 50 team members, 47 are volunteers who cheerfully give their time to make 56:39 "New Perceptions" possible. I say God bless them all. >> And maybe you'd expect us to 56:44 say this as another year draws to an end, but we're also thankful for the financial 56:49 support of viewers like you who make this ministry possible. If you've been blessed this 56:54 year, we'd like to ask you to join the hundreds of people who financially support our 56:59 "New Perceptions" ministry. It's simple to do. 57:02 >> It really is. Just call our toll-free number. 57:04 You'll see it on the screen now. 877 and then the two words "His 57:08 will." One of our friendly operators 57:10 will be happy to assist you. You can also click on the 57:12 "Donate" link at the top of our website. 57:14 Trust me. No gift is too small for God to 57:17 use to spread His good news. And let me remind you, not a 57:20 single penny of your donation will come to me. 57:23 Every gift is entirely invested in our mission to communicate 57:26 God's everlasting Gospel to what we believe is an end-time 57:30 generation. So, once again, the number to 57:32 call is 877-HIS-WILL. >> And so this Christmas, from 57:37 our family to yours, we wish for you God's best gifts wrapped up 57:41 in Jesus day and night, all through the new year to come. 57:45 >> Because remember, with Jesus, the best isn't just behind us. The very best is yet to come. 57:50 So, a blessed holiday to all of you. 58:00 ♪♪ ♪♪ 58:18 ♪♪ |
Revised 2017-12-14