い
00:00:00.23\00:00:06.74
>> Please pray with me. Dear
heavenly Father, we just want to
thank You for all that
00:00:11.21\00:00:17.85
You've done for us. And the fact
that we are here in Your house
of worship to lift up
00:00:17.85\00:00:23.22
Your name -- we just pray that
you accept our humble offerings
of worship and bless us this
00:00:23.22\00:00:29.06
hour. Amen.
00:00:29.06\00:00:31.06
Happy Sabbath,
church! >> Happy Sabbath.
00:00:31.23\00:00:34.36
>> I know it's been snowing a
little bit, and, you know, some
00:00:34.36\00:00:37.83
of you might be happy.
00:00:37.83\00:00:39.27
And others might be kind of
disappointed about the fact of
snow, but I know we can all
00:00:39.43\00:00:45.51
agree that we are happy
that it's Sabbath. Amen?
00:00:45.51\00:00:49.41
And that we are here to praise
and worship our Lord and Savior.
So, please stand with us as we
00:00:49.41\00:00:56.42
sing these songs of praise.
00:00:56.42\00:00:58.35
[ "How Lovely Is Your
Dwelling Place" playing ]
00:01:01.22\00:01:06.73
い [ Congregation sings ]
00:01:06.73\00:01:14.17
[ "Holy Is the
Lord" playing ] い
00:04:13.68\00:04:24.19
[ Congregation sings ]
00:04:24.36\00:04:27.86
[ Song ends ] [
"Holy Ground" playing ]
00:07:17.23\00:07:30.81
い [ Congregation sings ]
00:07:30.81\00:07:41.89
[ Organ plays
"Holy, Holy, Holy" ]
00:09:33.30\00:09:41.38
い [ Congregation sings ]
00:09:41.38\00:09:55.86
>> Well, good morning, boys
and girls. Nice to see you on
00:12:47.23\00:12:52.57
this... Whoo! We thought we were
going to really snowed out, but
00:12:52.57\00:12:56.27
not so bad. Just a little cold
and snow. But you look warm and
00:12:56.27\00:13:01.78
happy... and hungry. I'm glad
to have you here, all of you.
00:13:01.78\00:13:05.05
Say, speaking of hungry, I
went to Apple Valley yesterday.
00:13:05.05\00:13:08.02
Oh, it's a great store right
here in our little village,
00:13:08.18\00:13:11.35
Apple Valley. I
went fruit shopping.
00:13:11.35\00:13:14.42
Mm-hmm.
00:13:14.42\00:13:15.92
It's a great place to visit
anytime, but boy, you visit on a
Friday, you really meet a lot of
00:13:16.09\00:13:20.03
people at Apple Valley on a
Friday. So, I brought the fruit
00:13:20.03\00:13:24.93
here. I'm going to just see how
well you recognize fruit. So,
I'm going to pull the fruit
00:13:24.93\00:13:30.44
out, and then I'll show it
to you. And you look at them and
00:13:30.44\00:13:35.34
tell me what this
is. What is it? >> Peach.
00:13:35.34\00:13:38.18
>> Peach. Okay.
What is this? >> Apple.
00:13:38.18\00:13:40.75
>> Apple. Have you
done this before? Okay.
00:13:40.75\00:13:44.75
This? >> Orange. >> Orange.
00:13:44.75\00:13:47.39
Okay, here comes a
really hard one. >> Banana.
00:13:47.39\00:13:50.29
>> Oh, banana, okay, all right.
All right, all right. Uh...
00:13:50.29\00:13:54.46
>> Pear! >> Pear. That's good.
00:13:54.46\00:13:57.43
Oh, juicy, juicy. >> Plum!
>> Plum. Boy, you are good.
00:13:57.43\00:14:01.80
You won't get this one, I know.
>> Lemon! >> Oh, good night.
00:14:01.80\00:14:06.54
>> Apple! >> Apple, all right.
What else do we have here?
00:14:06.54\00:14:09.58
Oh, little -- >>
Orange! >> Yeah, little orange.
00:14:09.58\00:14:12.58
Oh, and I know you
don't know these. >> Grapes!
00:14:12.58\00:14:15.25
>> Oh, okay, okay, okay. All
right. All right. Now, I'm going
00:14:15.25\00:14:18.99
to give some fruit to you, okay?
Don't eat it till I tell you to.
00:14:18.99\00:14:23.06
All right? I'm going to give it
to you. If you're sitting right
in this area, you've got the
00:14:23.06\00:14:27.23
lucky, lucky seats today because
I'm going to give you some
00:14:27.23\00:14:30.43
fruit. Don't eat it right away,
please. Oh, who wants an apple?
Okay, an apple's going to go
00:14:30.43\00:14:36.20
right here. Don't eat
it. Who wants a peach?
00:14:36.20\00:14:38.67
Look at that fuzz all over
it. Who wants an orange? Okay.
00:14:38.67\00:14:42.61
Look at that. Anybody
want the lemon and the plum?
00:14:42.61\00:14:44.85
Okay... >> I don't want a
lemon. >> Okay. Who wants this?
00:14:44.85\00:14:49.08
Anybody down here on the
front row? Okay. There you go.
00:14:49.08\00:14:52.05
All right. Now, don't
eat it. Don't eat it yet.
00:14:52.05\00:14:53.46
Okay, now, I want you to check
those out. Okay, squeeze them.
00:14:53.46\00:14:59.56
Feel the juice inside. Isn't
that something? Do you feel the
00:14:59.56\00:15:04.00
juice inside? Ooh! [ Chuckles ]
Yeah... Well, don't squeeze them
00:15:04.00\00:15:07.90
that hard. [ Laughs ]
Okay. Are you ready to eat them?
00:15:07.90\00:15:13.51
How many would like to eat
them? Would you really? >> No.
00:15:13.51\00:15:19.08
>> You going to eat that? >> No.
>> Why aren't you going to eat
00:15:19.08\00:15:21.12
it? >> It's fake. >> It's fake?
00:15:21.12\00:15:22.98
How do you know it's fake? [
Laughs ] How do you know it's
00:15:22.98\00:15:26.92
fake? Huh? >> It's hard.
>> Because you can't eat it.
00:15:26.92\00:15:29.49
But yours isn't fake, is it?
>> No, it's fake. >> It's fake?
00:15:29.49\00:15:34.20
Okay. How about the plum? The
plum looks very juicy to me. >>
00:15:34.20\00:15:36.93
Is that -- >> It's fake. >>
It's fake? What's up with this?
00:15:36.93\00:15:39.97
Apple Valley --
fake, fake fruit? >> No!
00:15:39.97\00:15:42.64
>> No, I didn't get those
at Apple Valley. I got those at
00:15:42.64\00:15:46.54
Sabbath school. Huh? [ Chuckles
] Nope, I left all the real ones
00:15:46.54\00:15:50.95
up here. Real, real. Well, the
pear's not real, and the grapes
00:15:50.95\00:15:53.98
aren't real. Real, real, real.
Hey, wait a minute. You got the
00:15:53.98\00:15:56.72
fake. Wait a minute. Okay, two
questions, two questions, and
00:15:56.72\00:15:59.75
then I'm going to let you go --
two questions. Question number
one. Who invented real fruit?
00:15:59.75\00:16:05.16
Who invented real
fruit? >> God! >> God did.
00:16:05.16\00:16:08.03
Who invented fake
fruit? >> People. >> Satan.
00:16:08.03\00:16:12.57
>> Satan. You got it.
You go, girl. You nailed it.
00:16:12.57\00:16:17.57
All right. So... how do people
know when the fruit is fake?
00:16:17.57\00:16:23.21
Because it doesn't taste right.
Jesus makes the fruit of love.
Satan makes fake love.
00:16:23.21\00:16:30.29
People think they have love.
Oh, that's fake. Jesus makes the
00:16:30.29\00:16:34.39
beautiful fruit of peace. Maybe
it's like a plum. And Satan
00:16:34.39\00:16:37.93
makes fake peace. You're not
really at peace. Jesus makes the
fruit of joy. And Satan makes
00:16:37.93\00:16:43.10
fake joy. It's not really stuff.
The only way you get real fruit
00:16:43.10\00:16:47.17
with Jesus. Hey, listen to this.
[ Whispers ] The only way you
get real fruit with Jesus...
00:16:47.17\00:16:50.44
The only way you get real fruit
with Jesus is you have to stay
with Him because He says, "If
00:16:50.44\00:16:54.21
you abide in me and I in you,
you'll have fruit." You stay
with Me, and I stay
00:16:54.21\00:16:58.28
with you -- you'll have fruit.
And will it be fake? Oh, ho, ho,
00:16:58.28\00:17:03.99
no. People, when they meet you,
they'll taste the fruit you have
and say, "Oh, that is so real."
00:17:03.99\00:17:10.19
All right, let me see these fake
fruits. Put them in my hand,
00:17:10.19\00:17:14.66
please. Let me just see these
fake fruits. Let me just make
00:17:14.66\00:17:17.87
sure. Was there another one out?
Is there a fake banana out? Oh,
00:17:17.87\00:17:23.64
a fake lemon. Do you want fake
fruit or real fruit? >> Real.
00:17:23.64\00:17:26.14
>> I want real fruit. Who wants
to thank Jesus for real fruit?
00:17:26.14\00:17:30.31
For making real fruit for us?
Young man, you come right here.
Come on up here, yep.
00:17:30.31\00:17:35.35
Real fruit. Let me put this down
so I can get the microphone to
00:17:35.35\00:17:39.62
you. Real fruit. What's
your first name? >> Marco.
00:17:39.62\00:17:42.62
>> Marco, come here, Marco.
Let's pray with Marco. He's
going to thank Jesus for
00:17:42.62\00:17:47.13
making the real fruit, which, if
we have Jesus, we'll have real
00:17:47.13\00:17:52.43
fruit, too. All right, Marco.
>> Thank You, God, because He
00:17:52.43\00:17:58.17
blessed us. Thank You because
He made us real fruit. Amen.
00:17:58.17\00:18:03.28
>> Amen. Thank you, Marco. A
beautiful prayer. Say that in
your heart as you go
00:18:03.28\00:18:07.88
back to your seat -- "Thank You,
God, for making real fruit."
Thank you, Marco, and a happy
00:18:07.88\00:18:12.15
Sabbath, everybody. See you.
00:18:12.15\00:18:14.59
い
00:18:23.53\00:18:32.71
い い い
00:18:32.87\00:19:00.87
い い い
00:19:00.87\00:19:28.83
い い い
00:19:28.83\00:19:56.83
い い い
00:19:56.83\00:20:24.79
い い い
00:20:24.79\00:20:52.71
い い い
00:20:52.71\00:21:20.74
い い い
00:21:20.74\00:21:48.57
>> O God, we want the real
stuff, not that fake fruit. We
have fallen for the
00:21:52.71\00:21:58.01
counterfeit before. Love, joy,
and peace... Your fruit grown in
00:21:58.01\00:22:06.86
us. Even in these moments where
we contemplate, grow that fruit
in us, we pray in Jesus' name.
00:22:06.86\00:22:15.46
Amen.
00:22:15.46\00:22:17.67
If you've ever played the
game of Hearts, and you probably
00:22:17.83\00:22:20.30
have, you know that a
heart can trump it all.
00:22:20.30\00:22:22.80
But isn't that the
great truth of life?
00:22:22.80\00:22:26.44
A heart makes all the
difference in the world.
00:22:26.44\00:22:30.58
So, here's the question.
00:22:30.58\00:22:32.15
What are you doing with your
heart? What am I doing with my
00:22:32.31\00:22:35.42
heart? Are we willing to give
our heart away? Man, sounds like
00:22:35.42\00:22:40.69
we're getting ready for a
Valentine's moment or something.
00:22:40.69\00:22:44.36
No. Instead, a very compelling
story that I'm going to read you
in just two moments.
00:22:44.36\00:22:48.50
First a one-liner. The one-liner
sets the story up, and this is
00:22:48.50\00:22:52.90
such an amazing one-liner. It
appears only in one place in the
Gospels, the Gospel of Mark.
00:22:52.90\00:22:56.94
Take a look at this.
00:22:56.94\00:22:57.97
I want you to see
it -- just one line.
00:22:58.14\00:23:00.31
Mark, chapter 10, is
it? Mark, chapter 10.
00:23:00.31\00:23:03.35
Mark, chapter 10.
00:23:03.35\00:23:06.28
Find it in your Bible because
you need to see it. It's there
00:23:06.45\00:23:09.15
in your Bible. Amazing little
one-liner, has to do with Jesus.
A kid grew up in a wealthy home,
00:23:09.15\00:23:17.96
went to the best of schools,
shows up one day. Wants to see
00:23:17.96\00:23:23.47
Jesus. Says, "Hey, Lord, what
do I have to do to get saved?"
00:23:23.47\00:23:26.67
Jesus said, "Hey. How are you
doing with the Ten
Commandments?" [ Scoffs ] He
00:23:26.67\00:23:30.67
said, "Man, I have kept the Ten
Commandments since I'm knee-high
to a grasshopper." And now comes
00:23:30.67\00:23:36.71
Mark's line. Nowhere else in the
Gospels... Matthew 10:21 -- do
you have it there, Matthew
00:23:36.71\00:23:43.15
10:21? One line.
00:23:43.15\00:23:44.42
And "Jesus looked at him"...
And He what? And "loved him."
00:23:44.59\00:23:50.03
Look at that line. And "Jesus
looked at him and loved him."
00:23:50.03\00:23:56.03
Come on. We say it, don't
we? "Can you feel the love?"
00:23:56.03\00:23:59.30
"Oh, I feel the love." You know,
I have a feeling that as that
00:23:59.30\00:24:08.21
young, wealthy man stands before
Jesus, the eyes of Jesus look
into him... I have a feeling he
00:24:08.21\00:24:14.75
felt the love. Hey, listen.
Just because you feel the love
00:24:14.75\00:24:16.95
doesn't mean you say yes
to Jesus. We know he didn't.
00:24:16.95\00:24:20.92
But that's just the deal. You
have to make a decision. Perfect
setup for the story
00:24:20.92\00:24:27.60
I want to read to you right now.
Five years ago this month,
Christianity Todaypublished
00:24:27.60\00:24:32.93
her testimony. "Who are
you talking about, Dwight?"
00:24:32.93\00:24:34.64
I'm talking about Rosaria
Champagne Butterfield. Then
Philip Yancey read her
00:24:34.64\00:24:39.61
stunning first-person account
and included it in his
subsequent book, published,
00:24:39.61\00:24:45.98
called "Vanishing Grace." I've
got the book. It's a great book.
00:24:45.98\00:24:49.85
I'm going to read the story to
you in her words as recorded by
00:24:49.85\00:24:55.42
Philip Yancey. So, here it is --
Christianity Todayfive years ago
this month published the
00:24:55.42\00:25:00.20
testimony of Rosaria Champagne
Butterfield, who described her
00:25:00.20\00:25:06.07
younger self as a "leftist
lesbian professor who despised
Christians." "I tired," she
00:25:06.07\00:25:16.18
writes, "I tired of students who
seemed to believe that 'knowing
Jesus' meant knowing little
00:25:16.18\00:25:20.22
else. Christians in particular
were bad readers, always seizing
opportunities to insert a Bible
00:25:20.22\00:25:25.65
verse into a conversation with
the same point as a punctuation
mark," namely "to end it rather
00:25:25.65\00:25:30.66
than deepen it. Stupid.
Pointless. Menacing. That's what
00:25:30.66\00:25:36.67
I thought of Christians and
their god Jesus, who in
paintings looked as powerful as
00:25:36.67\00:25:40.44
a Breck Shampoo commercial
model." Yancey summarizes... "As
a professor of English and
00:25:40.44\00:25:47.24
women's studies, Butterfield
cared deeply about morality,
justice, and compassion.
00:25:47.24\00:25:50.91
For guidance, she looked to
Freud, Hegel, Marx, and Darwin
-- and not to Jesus,
00:25:50.91\00:25:56.35
mainly because of His zealous
'band of warriors,'" as she
00:25:56.35\00:25:59.52
called them. "While researching
the Religious Right and their
'politics of hatred against
00:25:59.52\00:26:04.99
queers like me,'" as she put it,
"she forced herself to read the
Bible, the source that in her
00:26:04.99\00:26:09.76
opinion had led so many people
off track. She published a
critical article in the local
00:26:09.76\00:26:14.40
newspaper about Promise
Keepers," which was an
organization for men, "and
00:26:14.40\00:26:19.14
proceeded to file away the
response letters in two boxes,
one for hate mail and one for
00:26:19.14\00:26:23.55
fan mail. One letter, however,
fit neither box. In a kind and
00:26:23.55\00:26:31.62
inquiring spirit, a Presbyterian
pastor from Syracuse, New York,
encouraged her to explore
00:26:31.62\00:26:37.03
further her conclusions. How did
she arrive at them? On what
basis did she decide on
00:26:37.03\00:26:41.20
her moral convictions? After
first throwing the letter away,
she later fished it out of
00:26:41.20\00:26:45.80
the recycling bin and stared at
it. Eventually she accepted"...
00:26:45.80\00:26:49.57
You're not going to believe
this. "Eventually she accepted
00:26:49.57\00:26:51.97
the pastor's invitation to
dinner and over the next two
years became friends with Ken
00:26:51.97\00:26:57.65
and his wife, Floy. She
recalls, 'They entered my world.
00:26:57.65\00:27:02.08
They met my friends. We did
book exchanges. We talked openly
00:27:02.08\00:27:07.52
about sexuality and politics.
They did not act as if such
conversations were polluting
00:27:07.52\00:27:10.83
them. They did not
treat me like a blank slate.'
00:27:10.83\00:27:14.50
Meanwhile, Butterfield continued
to read the Bible, many times,
in multiple translations.
00:27:14.50\00:27:20.17
Finally, she found herself" --
you're not going to believe this
-- "in the pew of that
00:27:20.17\00:27:24.47
pastor's church, feeling
conspicuous with her butch
00:27:24.47\00:27:27.64
haircut." Her words again --
"'Then, one ordinary day, I came
to Jesus, openhanded and naked.
00:27:27.64\00:27:35.42
In this war of worldviews,
Ken was there. Floy was there.
00:27:35.42\00:27:41.46
The church that had been praying
for me for years was there.
00:27:41.46\00:27:46.33
Jesus triumphed. And I was a
broken mess. Conversion was a
train wreck. I didn't want to
00:27:46.33\00:27:51.83
lose everything that I had
loved. But the voice of God sang
a sanguine love song in the
00:27:51.83\00:27:56.64
rubble of my world.'" Yancey
goes on. "Rosaria Butterfield,
00:27:56.64\00:28:03.85
now herself a pastor's wife,
still champions morality,
justice, and compassion.
00:28:03.85\00:28:10.22
She came to faith in search of a
foundation for what she valued,
drawn by the tender care of two
00:28:10.22\00:28:16.49
Christians who graciously
pointed her to that foundation."
Yancey then editorializes
00:28:16.49\00:28:29.37
on Rosaria's personal testimony
and makes a vital point for you
00:28:29.37\00:28:35.24
and me. And I want you to get
that point. In fact, you've got
00:28:35.24\00:28:37.61
Yancey's words in the study
guide. Pull it out right now. I
want you to get it.
00:28:37.61\00:28:40.95
This is good stuff. Pull
your study guide out right now.
00:28:40.95\00:28:44.85
Those of you that didn't get
a study guide, please put your
00:28:44.85\00:28:47.89
hand up. Here come our
ushers. They're coming your way.
00:28:47.89\00:28:50.26
Up in the
balcony, there they are.
00:28:50.43\00:28:51.56
Those of you watching on
the live stream right now, you
00:28:51.56\00:28:54.13
already are where the study
guide is, www.newperceptions.tv.
00:28:54.13\00:28:59.30
But we're putting it on the
screen for those watching on
00:28:59.30\00:29:01.60
television. You
see that website there,
00:29:01.60\00:29:03.94
newperceptions.tv.
Go to that website.
00:29:03.94\00:29:06.78
You're looking
for "Game of Hearts:
00:29:06.78\00:29:09.28
Can You Feel the Love?"
When you find that, it'll say
00:29:09.28\00:29:12.18
"Study Guide" below
that title. Click on it.
00:29:12.18\00:29:13.95
You'll have the
same study guide.
00:29:13.95\00:29:15.88
I would love for
you to have these quotes
00:29:15.88\00:29:17.59
and the teaching this morning.
All right? All right. Now, for
00:29:17.75\00:29:22.82
Philip Yancey's reflection on
Rosaria's story. On the screen,
00:29:22.82\00:29:26.49
please. "'Jesus looked at him'"
-- write it in -- "'and loved
00:30:03.33\00:30:06.57
him.'" You have that line
just above this quotation, Mark
00:30:06.57\00:30:10.51
10:21. Don't ever forget that
one line. It's the one to take
00:30:10.51\00:30:13.68
home. "'Jesus looked at him,'"
right, "'loved him,'" both
00:30:13.68\00:30:16.38
places. "'Jesus looked
at him and loved him.'"
00:30:16.38\00:30:20.08
Did you get that? What
Yancey is saying -- I mean,
00:30:20.08\00:30:23.28
Jesus did not specialize
in techniques and arguments.
00:30:23.28\00:30:25.82
He listened to people. He was
honest. He was forthright in his
00:30:25.99\00:30:29.19
response to them, but He did so
with a compassion that just drew
00:30:29.19\00:30:33.13
them. "He looked at him, and he
loved him." Ken and Floy looked
00:30:33.13\00:30:39.17
at Rosaria, the leftist lesbian
professor, and they loved her.
They didn't argue with her.
00:30:39.17\00:30:46.37
They didn't debate world views.
They just loved her. Love,
00:30:46.37\00:30:53.72
acceptance, and forgiveness --
that was the heart of Jesus.
That's the heart of God, and
00:30:53.72\00:30:58.02
that's supposed to be your heart
and mine -- love, acceptance,
00:30:58.02\00:31:01.26
and forgiveness, for all people,
no matter who they are... no
matter why they are...
00:31:01.26\00:31:08.70
no matter where they are... no
matter what they are. You don't
get a "Get out of love
00:31:08.70\00:31:14.80
free" card in this life. All
people. "Jesus looked at him and
00:31:14.80\00:31:22.81
loved him." A few days ago,
an anonymous note was left in my
00:31:22.81\00:31:29.85
box in this church. My executive
assistant, Claudia, she puts it
in my desk unopened.
00:31:29.85\00:31:34.19
It's an envelope. On the outside
of the envelope with red and
00:31:34.19\00:31:40.83
black pens, the writer
presumably has decorated the
envelope. Inside the decoration
00:31:40.83\00:31:47.74
are these words -- "Thank you so
much for helping." I opened the
00:31:47.74\00:31:52.57
envelope, and I found inside it
a small note folded in half,
right here. I opened the note.
00:31:52.57\00:31:58.48
I read it. "Thank you so much
for everything you have done to
00:31:58.48\00:32:05.39
help me grow closer to God as
a gay person." I looked at the
00:32:05.39\00:32:11.89
bottom. There's a signature,
obviously intentionally
illegible like the signature on
00:32:11.89\00:32:16.77
my birthday letters. [
Laughter ] I read it again.
00:32:16.77\00:32:21.64
"Thank you so much for
everything you have done to help
me grow closer to God as a gay
00:32:21.64\00:32:28.14
person." And a little
heart drawn by the signature.
00:32:28.14\00:32:36.18
You know what? This anonymous
note gives me hope, Pioneer,
00:32:36.18\00:32:42.86
that we in this church, we in
this congregation, can become a
force for God, a force for good,
00:32:42.86\00:32:50.70
a force for God's healing
world in a fractured and hurting
00:32:50.70\00:32:56.47
world. Right now. We got to
start somewhere. You've got to
00:32:56.47\00:33:05.48
start somewhere. You start with
whoever shows up first. And when
you're playing the game
00:33:05.48\00:33:09.65
of Hearts, what do you lead
with? You're going to lead with
00:33:09.65\00:33:12.79
love. Love will be your first
hand. Love will be the first
card. Love will be the first
00:33:12.79\00:33:17.43
overture, just like Jesus. "And
he looked at him, and he loved
00:33:17.43\00:33:20.43
him." Just like Jesus with the
woman at the well. You remember
00:33:20.43\00:33:24.33
her, that little Samaritan girl?
Noontime -- the disciples are
00:33:24.33\00:33:30.34
gone. And she's headed out to
the well in the heat of the day,
obviously doesn't want to run
00:33:30.34\00:33:34.64
into anybody. But bad luck
-- there is a young Jewish male
00:33:34.64\00:33:39.18
sitting on the lip of that well
-- double whammy. And He looks
at her. And He smiles.
00:33:39.18\00:33:47.19
He operationalizes no
secret technique. Mnh-mnh.
00:33:47.19\00:33:50.66
He avoids... getting into no
argument to prove that He's
right and that she's wrong.
00:33:50.66\00:33:54.56
Mnh-mnh. He just
quietly asks for a favor.
00:33:54.56\00:33:58.00
Man. "I am so thirsty.
Would you mind getting Me a
00:33:58.00\00:34:04.51
drink of water?" Knowing who she
was, knowing the morality or the
00:34:04.51\00:34:12.85
lack thereof by which she lived,
Jesus' heart just simply,
quietly, genuinely reached out
00:34:12.85\00:34:21.86
to the stranger and asked a
favor. Jesus looked at her, and
00:34:21.86\00:34:29.56
He loved her. Never
met her before in His life.
00:34:29.56\00:34:32.60
Yancey comments... Put
it on the screen for you.
00:34:32.60\00:34:37.04
And then Yancey concludes...
00:35:08.57\00:35:11.44
Brilliant! Just like
Jesus. Jesus looked at her.
00:35:25.75\00:35:34.83
And He loved her. The anonymous
writer of my note clearly has a
00:35:34.83\00:35:41.14
thirst for God. "Help me,
church," he or she is writing.
00:35:41.14\00:35:45.87
"Help me, church. Help me to go
deeper with God." If Pioneer...
If we could be a church, a faith
00:35:45.87\00:35:59.52
community, where all who enter
here have our pledge to love
them, to accept them, and to
00:35:59.52\00:36:07.03
forgive them, you wouldn't be
able to keep the people away.
Remember Jerry Cook's line
00:36:07.03\00:36:15.04
last week? Jerry Cook in
his book, "Love, Acceptance, and
00:36:15.04\00:36:18.24
Forgiveness"? You remember that
line? Let me repeat it for you.
00:36:18.24\00:36:20.41
Put it on the screen
again. From last week.
00:36:20.41\00:36:23.45
"The minimal guarantee we must
make to people is that they will
00:36:23.45\00:36:27.88
be loved" -- write that
in, please -- "they will be
00:36:27.88\00:36:31.85
loved --" always loved --
"under every circumstance"
00:36:31.85\00:36:36.22
loved, "with no
exception" loved.
00:36:36.22\00:36:38.33
I was visiting with someone
this last week who was politely
00:37:03.49\00:37:06.76
challenging this notion of love,
acceptance, and forgiveness
00:37:06.76\00:37:10.49
without reservation.
"I mean, please, Dwight,
00:37:10.49\00:37:12.69
are you serious? So,
okay, let me give you
00:37:12.69\00:37:14.83
an
illustration," this person said.
00:37:14.83\00:37:16.50
"So, we get a murderer in here,
and we forgive him for that
00:37:16.50\00:37:18.77
first murder, but what happens
00:37:18.77\00:37:19.80
if next week he commits a
murder and then he asks for
00:37:19.97\00:37:22.60
forgiveness? Are we supposed to
forgive him, say, 'Stay right
here'? What if he goes in the
00:37:22.60\00:37:25.94
next week, and what if he keeps
murdering somebody every single
00:37:25.94\00:37:30.75
week?" [ Exhales sharply
] Well, we'd be in trouble,
00:37:30.91\00:37:33.95
wouldn't we? But
that wasn't Jerry Cook's
00:37:33.95\00:37:36.45
point, nor is it mine,
although it does make you think.
00:37:36.45\00:37:40.72
This is rather gutsy of Jesus to
answer Peter the way He did --
00:37:40.72\00:37:43.86
you remember that day?
00:37:43.86\00:37:44.86
I don't know what they were
doing, but Peter suddenly pipes
up in the middle of the day,
00:37:45.03\00:37:48.20
says, "I've been thinking, God."
And when Peter thinks, look out.
"I've been thinking, God.
00:37:48.20\00:37:53.20
How many times should I forgive
my brother who sins against me?
00:37:53.20\00:38:01.34
Seven?" See, Peter -- the rabbis
in his day, from a mistaken
interpretation of a single line
00:38:01.34\00:38:05.65
in Amos, thought that three
would be the limit. So, Peter
says, "I'm going to
00:38:05.65\00:38:09.32
double it and throw in one to
make it a perfect number. Seven
times I forgive a brother
00:38:09.32\00:38:13.22
who sins against me." And then
Jesus replies to Peter, on the
00:38:13.22\00:38:17.39
screen please... Familiar
words. You know these words...
00:38:17.39\00:38:19.16
Can you believe that? 490 times.
00:38:27.10\00:38:31.11
I'm supposed to forgive a sister
who sins against me, a brother
00:38:31.11\00:38:34.51
who sins against
me, 490 times! Please!
00:38:34.51\00:38:40.35
"Clearly" -- would
you write this down?
00:38:40.35\00:38:42.35
Keep your pen moving.
"Remember -- love, acceptance,
00:38:50.49\00:38:53.40
and forgiveness are not about
granting license to sinners, but
00:38:53.40\00:38:57.23
rather about showing love
to sinners like" you and me.
00:38:57.23\00:39:01.20
Show love. The first
play in your hand is love.
00:39:02.84\00:39:11.05
You play the heart. Just like
Jesus. And when Ken and Floy
00:39:11.05\00:39:20.59
loved Rosaria like Jesus did,
like God does, she could feel
the love. And guess what.
00:39:20.59\00:39:26.56
That's how she came to believe
the love. She had to first feel
00:39:26.56\00:39:29.20
it, and then she came to believe
it. Ken and Floy loved her. God
00:39:29.20\00:39:35.37
won her. Because that's how it
works. We do the loving. Calvary
00:39:35.37\00:39:41.11
does the winning. The winning is
His business. The loving is
ours. "Jesus looked at him and
00:39:41.11\00:39:48.42
loved him." Jesus
looked at her and loved her.
00:39:48.42\00:39:52.49
My. The question, I suppose,
that begs to be asked is "Come
00:39:52.49\00:39:56.89
on, Dwight, I mean, how does
this kind of love grow up in me?
How does it grow up in us?
00:39:56.89\00:40:00.36
How do we become a church that
loves all sinners who enter its
00:40:00.36\00:40:06.47
doors?" Fair question. Actually,
the answer is quite
uncomplicated, embarrassingly
00:40:06.47\00:40:11.34
simple, to be honest with you.
In fact, if we put two lines
together -- and this didn't hit
00:40:11.34\00:40:15.84
me. This is the first time in
my life that it hit me this last
00:40:15.84\00:40:19.01
week as I'm preparing for today.
If you put two lines together,
you've got the how.
00:40:19.01\00:40:23.79
Watch this. I mean, two lines
that every Christian on this
00:40:23.79\00:40:28.79
planet already knows. Two
lines. You put them together.
00:40:28.79\00:40:31.36
There's your how. The first
line, everybody knows. We talked
00:40:31.36\00:40:34.76
about it. We sang a hymn about
it a moment ago. Number one --
00:40:34.76\00:40:37.70
jot it down, please -- the fruit
of the Spirit. Okay, so
everybody knows the
00:40:37.70\00:40:40.47
"fruit of the Spirit" passage,
but just in case we all need a
little brusher-upper, let's go
00:40:40.47\00:40:47.51
to Galatians chapter 5 and drop
down to verse... Galatians 5,
00:40:47.51\00:40:55.12
drop down to verse 22 and
23. These are the fruits of the
00:40:55.12\00:40:58.02
Spirit. Everybody knows
this. Okay, so, Galatians 5.
00:40:58.02\00:41:00.29
Put it on the
screen for you as well.
00:41:00.46\00:41:02.92
Galatians 5:22 -- "But the fruit
of the Spirit is love, joy,
00:41:02.92\00:41:07.40
peace, forbearance," or
patience, "kindness, goodness,
00:41:07.40\00:41:12.07
faithfulness,
gentleness, and self-control."
00:41:12.07\00:41:15.07
Nine graces of the Christian
life, nine fruits, as it were,
00:41:15.07\00:41:19.27
nine of them. Wow.
00:41:19.27\00:41:22.84
But did you
notice what we just read?
00:41:22.84\00:41:25.81
Did you see how it
reads? It reads in the singular.
00:41:25.81\00:41:28.28
"The fruit of the Spirit." It
doesn't say, "The fruits of the
00:41:28.45\00:41:33.12
Spirit." It says, "The fruit,"
singular, "of the Spirit." And
scholars and commentators
00:41:33.12\00:41:36.76
have kind of wrestled over
this one. Nobody's quite sure --
00:41:36.76\00:41:38.96
why did Paul write it in the
singular? One suggestion is -- I
00:41:38.96\00:41:43.33
give this to you as a
possibility -- one suggestion is
that Paul put it in the singular
00:41:43.33\00:41:49.70
to remind us that there is a
single Source for these fruits.
00:41:49.70\00:41:55.71
Oh, boy. That's true, isn't it?
I mean, you think about it. On
the eve-- He's going to be
00:41:55.71\00:41:58.91
dead in less than 24 hours. He's
dead and buried in less than 24
hours, and what does
00:41:58.91\00:42:02.78
Jesus say to them? Put
it on the screen, please.
00:42:02.78\00:42:04.89
Jesus says to His followers,
"I am the vine; you are the"
00:42:04.89\00:42:08.36
what? "You are the branches.
00:42:08.36\00:42:09.99
If you remain in me and I
in you, you will bear much"...
00:42:09.99\00:42:13.76
What's the word? "You
will bear much fruit."
00:42:13.76\00:42:15.93
Jot that down in
your study guide.
00:42:15.93\00:42:17.23
You're going to bear fruit.
You stay in me and I stay in
00:42:17.23\00:42:20.10
you, you're going to have fruit.
Oh, and by the way, "apart from
00:42:20.10\00:42:24.77
me you can do"
zero, nada, "nothing."
00:42:24.77\00:42:27.91
Zilch.
00:42:27.91\00:42:29.18
In other words, the
fruit only comes through Me.
00:42:29.34\00:42:33.38
"The only way you can have fruit
is through Me. Without Me, no
00:42:33.55\00:42:38.52
fruit." He's the vine. We're
the branches. He's the Source.
00:42:38.52\00:42:42.06
We're the recipients. It's all
about Jesus. You say, "Dwight,
00:42:42.06\00:42:45.76
are you serious?" Of course I'm
serious. In fact, let's do the
00:42:45.76\00:42:49.13
little Jesus test right here,
okay? So, we're going to do a
Jesus test on Galatians 5,
00:42:49.13\00:42:53.13
on the fruits of the Spirit
here. Here's what we're going to
00:42:53.13\00:42:57.04
do. It says, "But the fruit of
the Spirit is," but we're going
to say, "But the portrait of
00:42:57.04\00:43:00.71
Jesus is," okay? So, we're going
to turn it into a portrait.
00:43:00.71\00:43:02.64
Let's see if it fits. "But
the portrait of Jesus is love."
00:43:02.64\00:43:05.41
Would that fit for you? Hmm?
"But the portrait of Jesus is
00:43:05.41\00:43:09.05
joy." Still okay? "But
the portrait of Jesus is
00:43:09.05\00:43:12.29
peace." His picture is patience.
His picture is kindness.
00:43:12.29\00:43:16.09
The portrait of Jesus is
goodness. It's faithfulness.
00:43:16.09\00:43:18.23
The picture of Jesus is
gentleness and self-control.
Does it pass the Jesus test?
00:43:18.23\00:43:23.53
It sure does. All of that is
the way He lived in our midst.
00:43:23.53\00:43:28.84
Well! Maybe they're right.
Maybe that's why Paul chose the
00:43:28.84\00:43:32.67
fruit to be singular so that it
all comes from one Source, and
the Source is our Lord Jesus.
00:43:32.67\00:43:38.38
Oh, but somebody else says,
"Wait a minute! Wait a minute!
It could be this other.
00:43:38.38\00:43:41.15
Time out. Let me offer
an alternative suggestion."
00:43:41.15\00:43:43.72
And this is perhaps viable.
Here's the alternative. Because
00:43:43.72\00:43:49.26
the first fruit is the crowning
fruit that defines all others
that follow, Paul says the fruit
00:43:49.26\00:43:55.33
of the Spirit -- let's put it on
the screen -- "the fruit of the
00:43:55.33\00:43:59.63
Spirit is love." That's his
point. It's love. Everything
00:43:59.63\00:44:04.87
else flows out of love. Well,
I suppose that could work, too.
00:44:04.87\00:44:08.91
Joy, peace, gentleness,
goodness, kindness -- all flows
00:44:08.91\00:44:13.35
out of love. Yeah, I buy that.
But then it was right here in my
study this last week that
00:44:13.35\00:44:19.75
suddenly, "Wait a minute. Wait a
minute. Wait a minute. This
line, this line, this line.
00:44:19.75\00:44:23.26
Hey, that other line. I want to
check that other line. Could it
be that they are bound
00:44:23.26\00:44:28.60
together?" Let's check the other
line. So, the first line is the
00:44:28.60\00:44:31.50
fruit of the Spirit -- jot this
down. Line number 2 is the fruit
00:44:31.50\00:44:34.37
of love. The fruit of love. And
because love is on everybody's
mind this season of
00:44:34.37\00:44:38.24
the year, let's go to the love
chapter of the Bible. That would
be 2 Corinthians 13.
00:44:38.24\00:44:42.51
2 Corinthians 13 is the great
love chapter. Everybody knows
00:44:42.51\00:44:49.25
this. Oh, this is a moving,
moving chapter. I read it this
00:44:49.25\00:44:53.99
morning, just read it to myself.
If I speak with the tongues of
men and angels but have not
00:44:53.99\00:44:58.23
love, I'm like a -- bong! --
clanging cymbal. So, he goes
through that, but I
00:44:58.23\00:45:03.23
want to drop down to where he
really laser focuses in on the
definition of love.
00:45:03.23\00:45:08.00
Drop down to verse 4. Let's
read... Let's just look at these
00:45:08.00\00:45:10.74
three verses here. Verse 4...
00:45:10.74\00:45:12.57
Verse 5...
00:45:18.38\00:45:19.35
Keep reading.
00:45:23.79\00:45:25.12
Now, verse 7...
00:45:28.32\00:45:29.46
And then I just
love that next line.
00:45:33.19\00:45:35.00
"Love never fails." By the way,
we need to ask the question,
"Does this passage,
00:45:35.00\00:45:41.87
like the fruit passage, does it
stand up to the Jesus test?" So,
00:45:41.87\00:45:46.37
let's find out. Let's go back
now, and everywhere it says
"love," we'll switch it with the
00:45:46.37\00:45:50.11
name of Jesus. Verse 4. "Love is
patient." Okay. So, that reads,
00:45:50.11\00:45:57.39
"Jesus is patient." Are we...
Does that work so far? "Jesus is
00:45:57.39\00:46:02.49
kind." "It does not envy."
"Jesus does not envy. Jesus does
00:46:02.49\00:46:06.03
not boast. Jesus is not
proud." Verse 5. "Jesus does not
00:46:06.03\00:46:09.66
dishonor others. Jesus is not
self-seeking. He's not easily
angered. He keeps no record of
00:46:09.66\00:46:13.40
wrongs. Jesus does not delight
in evil, but rejoices with the
truth. Jesus always protects.
00:46:13.40\00:46:18.14
He always trusts. He always
hopes. He always perseveres.
00:46:18.14\00:46:21.38
Jesus never fails." Well, does
that work? Let's try it one more
00:46:21.38\00:46:25.75
time. Let's putyourname in it. [
Congregation murmuring ] Right?
00:46:25.75\00:46:32.85
It's embarrassing, isn't it?
"Dwight, you got to be kidding
00:46:32.85\00:46:40.03
me." Yeah. It meets the Jesus
test. And that's why it's such a
00:46:40.03\00:46:46.50
big deal because the Jesus test
is for His own people to begin
to reflect the Jesus picture,
00:46:46.50\00:46:53.64
the Jesus fruit. Wow.
So, I said, "Okay, come on,
00:46:53.64\00:46:59.95
Dwight. Put them side by
side." And can you believe this?
00:46:59.95\00:47:03.35
They're almost identical.
Put it on the screen side by
00:47:03.35\00:47:05.99
side. Look at this -- you have
00:47:05.99\00:47:07.52
Galatians 5 on the left.
You have 1 Corinthians 13.
00:47:07.52\00:47:09.89
They both begin
with "love," "love."
00:47:09.89\00:47:11.53
Well, we got that
part that matches so far.
00:47:11.53\00:47:13.73
The next one is "joy."
The other one is "rejoices."
00:47:13.73\00:47:15.60
Well, that works, too. The
next one is "peace" and "not
00:47:15.60\00:47:17.73
easily angered." Well,
that would sure be peace
00:47:17.73\00:47:19.53
that passes understanding
because you're not ticked off.
00:47:19.53\00:47:21.60
The next one is "long
suffering," Galatians 5;
00:47:21.77\00:47:24.84
"suffers long,"
1 Corinthians 13.
00:47:24.84\00:47:27.18
I think that works.
What's the next one?
00:47:27.18\00:47:28.68
"Kindness," Galatians 5,
and "kind," 1 Corinthians 13.
00:47:28.68\00:47:32.68
Keep going.
"Goodness," Galatians 5;
00:47:32.68\00:47:35.28
"does not delight in evil."
Well, that would be a good way
00:47:35.28\00:47:37.82
to live, just celebrate somebody
falling into sin or just messing
00:47:37.82\00:47:41.59
up and morally melting
down. You don't rejoice in that.
00:47:41.59\00:47:44.63
The next one, "faithfulness,"
in 1 Corinthians, "always
00:47:44.63\00:47:47.96
trusts." Galatians speaks about
00:47:47.96\00:47:49.73
gentleness. "Keeps
no record of wrongs."
00:47:49.73\00:47:52.17
And finally, "self-control,"
and in 1 Corinthians 13, what
00:47:52.17\00:47:55.47
does it read? "Is
not self-seeking."
00:47:55.47\00:47:57.54
Here's the point,
ladies and gentlemen.
00:47:57.71\00:47:59.37
Look -- the two lists can be
woven together into a single
tapestry because both lists are
00:47:59.37\00:48:04.18
a description of Jesus. That's
the deal. It's all a picture of
00:48:04.18\00:48:09.28
Jesus. And "Jesus looked at him
and loved him." And Jesus looked
00:48:09.28\00:48:14.29
at her and loved him. And Jesus
looked down from the Cross...
00:48:14.29\00:48:23.67
and He loved them all. Hmm.
So, how can I be like Jesus?
00:48:23.67\00:48:28.84
How can I get this love of Jesus
in my heart so that my heart
kind of begins to feel the love
00:48:28.84\00:48:34.71
like His did? Well,
that's the fruit of the Spirit.
00:48:34.71\00:48:38.95
And Jesus said, "Abide in me
and I in you." I mean, this is
00:48:38.95\00:48:41.95
really not rocket science now,
is it? That's precisely how you
come to love, accept, and
00:48:41.95\00:48:47.09
forgive just like Jesus. Every
day, you abide in Him. Every
day, He abides in you
00:48:47.09\00:48:50.09
through the Holy Spirit. How
will He daily abide in you? Come
00:48:50.09\00:48:53.53
on. It's through the Holy
Spirit. How did Jesus get the
Holy Spirit in Him every day?
00:48:53.53\00:48:58.10
How did He get it... How did He
get the Holy Spirit in Him every
00:48:58.10\00:49:01.70
single day? Let me put these
words... We looked at these last
00:49:01.70\00:49:03.64
fall. Let me
throw them up again.
00:49:03.81\00:49:05.07
That's it.
00:49:13.72\00:49:15.05
You want the fruit of Jesus? You
need the Spirit of Jesus. You
want the Spirit of Jesus?
00:49:15.22\00:49:20.42
Ask Him. Ask to be
baptized every single day.
00:49:20.42\00:49:23.96
[ Snaps ] It's yours.
Yours. Free of charge.
00:49:23.96\00:49:30.27
Every morning a fresh baptism.
Boy, I want to love like Jesus.
00:49:30.27\00:49:36.07
I really do. I mess up. Very
embarrassed. I have to write
00:49:36.07\00:49:41.74
e-mails of apology.
[ Clicks tongue ] Bad.
00:49:41.74\00:49:45.38
But He's not giving up on me.
He doesn't give up on us. "Stay
00:49:45.38\00:49:52.99
with Me, boy. Stay with Me.
You abide in Me. Let Me abide in
00:49:52.99\00:49:55.89
you. You know that fruit? I'll
give you the real stuff. That
00:49:55.89\00:49:59.56
fake stuff? The veneer that you
pretend like you're all of this,
and everybody knows -- the
00:49:59.56\00:50:03.37
people that know you best
-- you're not all of that? That
00:50:03.37\00:50:06.74
fake fruit? I take it away.
I give you the real fruit." [
00:50:06.74\00:50:13.01
Sighs ] No wonder the two
prayers -- "Holy Spirit, today
00:50:13.17\00:50:15.68
pour God's love into me,"
and then before you leave your
00:50:15.68\00:50:18.08
little place of wherever it
is you have your worship every
00:50:18.08\00:50:20.02
morning, before you leave,
don't forget the second prayer.
00:50:20.02\00:50:21.55
"Holy Spirit, I'm leaving now.
Pour the love of God out of me."
00:50:21.72\00:50:25.12
"Pour the love of Godinme to
begin the day in this little
prayer time, and now
00:50:25.12\00:50:29.39
spend the rest of the day
pouring the love of God out of
00:50:29.39\00:50:32.23
me." The daily baptism of the
Holy Spirit is immersion in the
00:50:32.23\00:50:36.00
love of God. And Jesus looked at
her, and He loved her. They'd
never met in their lives,
00:50:36.00\00:50:40.34
but He loved her.
00:50:40.34\00:50:42.57
Ah. You know what?
00:50:42.74\00:50:45.01
If you want to kind of
freshen up that daily two-prayer
00:50:45.01\00:50:47.48
business, 'cause that could get
pretty monotonous, here's what
00:50:47.48\00:50:50.21
you could do. You
could read 1 Corinthians 13
00:50:50.21\00:50:52.98
every day of your life
for the rest of your life.
00:50:52.98\00:50:56.08
And I suggest that you
00:50:56.08\00:50:58.35
could read a lot worse every day
than to take a look at this word
picture of the very character of
00:50:58.52\00:51:03.79
Jesus every day you read it.
What is it, how many verses, 15?
00:51:03.79\00:51:07.86
16? Every day. I wish I could
tell you that that's an original
00:51:07.86\00:51:12.37
thought with me. [ Laughs ] It's
not. Let me put Ellen White's
00:51:12.37\00:51:15.10
words on the
screen. Take a look at this.
00:51:15.10\00:51:16.94
Oh, oh, that's just
what we were talking about.
00:51:22.51\00:51:24.41
"Read this chapter
every day." Wait a minute.
00:51:24.41\00:51:27.25
Just read it every day.
00:51:34.76\00:51:36.02
Every day. I got a little
pamphlet. It's long out of
00:51:36.19\00:51:38.96
print. 31 different translations
of 1 Corinthians 13. Every day a
00:51:38.96\00:51:44.40
new translation. You can put one
of those together yourself --
just go online, get all 13, line
00:51:44.40\00:51:48.24
them up, print them off. Let me
know when they're all ready to
go, and we'll just give
00:51:48.24\00:51:51.77
the PDF to everyone who wants
it. Read a different translation
00:51:51.77\00:51:55.24
every day. Read the same
one every day. Memorize it.
00:51:55.24\00:51:59.01
Concentrate on verses 4 to 7
because that describes how Jesus
wants to love through you...
00:51:59.01\00:52:04.35
today. Is that hard? It's not.
00:52:04.35\00:52:08.86
"Hey, listen. Listen. This daily
baptism in the Holy Spirit --
00:52:08.86\00:52:12.06
come on, Dwight. Get off
it." I'm not getting off it.
00:52:12.06\00:52:14.46
You know why? Because
listen. Listen. We willnever --
00:52:14.46\00:52:19.73
and I have it italicized in mine
-- we willnever become a loving
00:52:19.73\00:52:26.81
people and a loving church until
the fruit of the Spirit and the
love of Jesus can be seen
00:52:26.81\00:52:32.95
andfeltin us. Can youfeelthe
love when you're around them?
00:52:32.95\00:52:35.58
Yeah, I can. Can you feel
the love when you're around her?
00:52:35.58\00:52:38.75
Yes, I can. Can you feel
the love when you're around him?
00:52:38.75\00:52:42.26
Yes, I can. It's only
when youfeelthe love that
00:52:42.26\00:52:50.93
youknowsomething's there.
Can't feel it? It's not there.
00:52:50.93\00:52:58.77
Fake fruit. Genuine
fruit. And He looked on him.
00:52:58.77\00:53:05.58
He looked on her. O God, won't
You please make us that people
00:53:05.58\00:53:11.49
on this campus and in this
little community so that of us
it will be said, "And we saw
00:53:11.49\00:53:19.53
him, and we saw her, and we
loved them." Every single one of
00:53:19.53\00:53:27.10
them that walked through these
doors. Just like Jesus. Amen.
00:53:27.10\00:53:33.78
Amen. Speaking of fruit,
open your hymnal, please.
00:53:33.78\00:53:37.28
There are words there you have
never seen in your life. I
promise you you've never sung
00:53:37.28\00:53:41.48
them, but our minister of music
said, "Hey, listen, Dwight. You
see this little verse?
00:53:41.48\00:53:45.52
It's all based on Galatians
5:22 and 23, the fruits of the
00:53:45.52\00:53:49.36
Spirit." It's number 414. We're
going to sing 414. It looks like
00:53:49.36\00:53:53.36
four lines. It's only two
stanzas. You have to sing two to
00:53:53.36\00:53:56.60
make one. So it's just two
stanzas. Familiar tune, and
don't play... Well, just play --
00:53:56.60\00:54:00.67
give us a chord or two. And
we'll start. "Come, Thou Fount
00:54:00.67\00:54:03.34
of Every Blessing," that's the
tune. But these are some words.
414 -- let's just sing it
00:54:03.34\00:54:08.38
together. [ Organ plays
] [ Congregation singing ]
00:54:08.38\00:54:15.58
>> O Father, that's our prayer.
That's all we're asking for.
Just give us Jesus, please.
00:55:42.54\00:55:48.58
Let Him abide in us through
the Holy Spirit. Let us abide in
00:55:48.58\00:55:54.88
Him. And that fruit, that love,
O God, double portions for this
little church in this
00:55:54.88\00:56:05.56
big world. Make us a people just
like our Savior, who, when we
00:56:05.56\00:56:12.50
look on him, who, when we look
on her, we love them -- just
00:56:12.50\00:56:21.91
like Jesus. [ Organ playing
softly ] And now, may the grace
of the Lord Jesus Christ and the
00:56:21.91\00:56:29.62
love of the Father and the
fellowship of the Holy Spirit
00:56:29.62\00:56:35.96
abide with you.
Amen. [ Organ playing ]
00:56:35.96\00:56:53.41
>> I'd like to take one more
moment with you here at the end
00:56:57.38\00:56:59.21
of our program to offer
you something I think is really
00:56:59.21\00:57:01.72
special. I want to
send you this little
00:57:01.72\00:57:03.55
book called "Story of Hope."
00:57:03.55\00:57:05.49
In this sweeping look at the
story of the Bible, you're going
to journey from the dawn of the
00:57:05.65\00:57:09.72
human race in the Garden of Eden
through the stunning narratives
of the ancient patriarchs and
00:57:09.72\00:57:13.73
prophets and kings straight to
the breathtaking story of our
Lord Jesus, and then beyond
00:57:13.73\00:57:19.10
the New Testament, the prophetic
story of how life on this planet
ends and then begins again.
00:57:19.10\00:57:24.61
With my team of leaders, we are
reading through this book every
Monday afternoon, and I promise
00:57:24.61\00:57:29.28
you, you're going to get
blessed. I want to make sure you
00:57:29.28\00:57:32.35
get this book, no charge to you.
00:57:32.35\00:57:34.15
So, grab your phone and
dial our toll-free number...
00:57:34.32\00:57:36.99
887, and then the
two words "His will."
00:57:36.99\00:57:40.39
That's 877-HIS-WILL.
Just give one of our friendly
00:57:40.39\00:57:45.29
operators your name and mailing
address, and the book will be
00:57:45.29\00:57:48.13
in the mail. So, be blessed.
00:57:48.13\00:57:50.30
Until the next time we meet,
may the peace of our Lord Jesus
00:57:50.30\00:57:53.90
go with you.
00:57:53.90\00:57:55.40
い い
00:57:59.71\00:58:19.09
い
00:58:19.09\00:58:28.57