い 00:00:00.20\00:00:06.77 い 00:00:11.07\00:00:20.92 い 00:00:21.08\00:00:26.99 >> You can be seated. Isn't it great to come together to praise God in this new year? 00:03:07.05\00:03:11.72 We have a God worthy of our praise, and the next couple songs we're going to sing are 00:03:11.72\00:03:15.92 two of my favorite hymns. "Jesus Loves Me, This I Know." That's good news, isn't it? 00:03:15.92\00:03:22.76 And "Blessed Assurance Jesus is Mine." As we're starting this 00:03:22.76\00:03:27.97 new year, as we're thinking about how God has revealed himself in scripture, as we're 00:03:27.97\00:03:32.31 coming together, let's remember these important messages, these simple, basic, essential truths 00:03:32.31\00:03:38.35 of our faith. 00:03:38.35\00:03:40.25 Amen. Stand with me as we sing our last song. 00:09:15.68\00:09:19.42 I hope that that blessed assurance is something that you 00:09:19.42\00:09:25.03 feel today. And I hope that that is something that means the world to you, that walking 00:09:25.03\00:09:29.16 through life with Jesus as your best friend and savior. Today, 00:09:29.16\00:09:33.94 you might be going through some challenging times, some stressful times, or there's 00:09:33.94\00:09:38.81 something weighing on your heart, that's keeping you down. And Christ wants to take that 00:09:38.81\00:09:43.68 from you, and so, today, as we sing this last song, I invite you to bring that to him, 00:09:43.68\00:09:48.28 symbolically, by coming to the front, and we'll pray for them together. Stand as we sing 00:09:48.28\00:09:52.02 "There's No Problem Too Big that God Cannot Solve It." い 00:09:52.02\00:10:06.10 い い 00:10:06.10\00:10:26.02 >> Let's pray. Oh, God. So, we're asking, new year, new 00:13:04.51\00:13:09.92 life, new chapter, new something. Be a vision. 00:13:09.92\00:13:15.46 Cast a vision. Let us see clearly today. In Jesus' name, 00:13:15.46\00:13:23.13 amen. So, I'm trying to find the oldest letter in my possession. 00:13:23.30\00:13:28.67 I'm thinking, "Man, what's the oldest letter I have?" 00:13:28.67\00:13:32.91 I know there's a box out in the garage with Karen's and my love 00:13:32.91\00:13:36.64 letters when we were teenagers, but that's not old. 00:13:36.64\00:13:40.68 There's got to be something out there. 00:13:40.68\00:13:42.78 And then I thought of it. 00:13:42.78\00:13:46.59 I found an envelope. Sure enough, it was in the back of my 00:13:46.76\00:13:52.26 family file. Sylvia Fagel, who, with her family, used to be very active members in this 00:13:52.26\00:13:58.90 congregation. A few years ago, she sent me an envelope with a letter in it, and I shall be 00:13:58.90\00:14:03.57 forever indebted to that woman. Because inside the envelope, 00:14:03.57\00:14:07.11 there is -- Now, I was gonna bring it here today, but I said, "No, I don't want to risk losing 00:14:07.11\00:14:11.11 this. I don't want it disappearing." So I took a photocopy of it. But inside the 00:14:11.11\00:14:16.22 envelope, there is a folded -- many times folded -- piece of onion-paper stationery. 00:14:16.22\00:14:21.16 We're talking about very thin. It's been opened and unfolded and folded a hundred times. 00:14:21.16\00:14:28.13 Her dad carried that in his wallet, Frank Marsh, the great professor, Emmanuel Missionary 00:14:28.13\00:14:34.20 College, Andrews University -- Dr. Marsh, biologist. He carried this folded-up letter 00:14:34.20\00:14:42.71 in his wallet for years. Do you know who the letter's from? 00:14:42.71\00:14:46.31 It's from my great-grandfather. Go figure. I could not believe 00:14:46.31\00:14:51.09 it. My great-grandfather, Lewis Azariah Hoopes, one of the first 00:14:51.09\00:14:55.99 presidents of Union College, made his way in his retirement years over to Chicago. 00:14:55.99\00:15:00.56 He's in the Hinsdale Sanitarium. He's being cared for by some young, male nursing attendants. 00:15:00.56\00:15:09.67 They're nursing students, but they're moving on. And one of 00:15:09.67\00:15:17.85 those attendees... was Frank Marsh. My great-grandfather, Lewis Hoopes -- L.A. Hoopes, 00:15:17.85\00:15:25.79 they called him -- dictated this to a woman at his bedside. He died a few days later. 00:15:25.79\00:15:32.49 So I have the photocopy right here. And it's in all caps 00:15:32.49\00:15:35.76 because she wrote it down and then typed it up on an old typewriter. You don't know what 00:15:35.76\00:15:40.10 those are, but lookit -- it turns out like this. "To my dear boys..." he writes. 00:15:40.10\00:15:45.71 This is what he dictated. "...if it must be that I must soon be laid away to rest in my 00:15:45.71\00:15:51.48 narrow home -- " that would be the grave -- "it is my request that the dear boys who have 00:15:51.48\00:15:58.52 cared for me and so tenderly smoothed my pillows and my bed and who have cared for me as 00:15:58.52\00:16:04.43 gently as a nurse does a tender babe, should be the ones to carry my earthly remains to 00:16:04.43\00:16:10.17 their last resting place. And when you come to look into my face for the last time, may 00:16:10.17\00:16:17.97 you see a smile, which shall be a mute token of appreciation of your last loving and tender 00:16:17.97\00:16:24.35 service. And may it be your unspeakable privilege to welcome 00:16:24.35\00:16:30.05 the great shout and trumpet call to a land of bliss, where there will be a glad reunion. 00:16:30.05\00:16:36.36 I want to see all your faces there, and we'll all shout 00:16:36.36\00:16:43.70 hallelujah! Lewis Azariah Hoopes," who died a few days later, May 14, 1925. Wow! 00:16:43.70\00:16:53.64 And I have that letter -- the last letter. Oh, I'll treasure 00:16:53.64\00:16:58.58 that till I die, until Jesus comes. You know what? Don't feel 00:16:58.58\00:17:04.22 so envious of me, 'cause the truth is, there is a letter you possess, just like this one, 00:17:04.22\00:17:12.19 dictated just like this one, deep, with affection, just like this one, that anticipates the 00:17:12.19\00:17:18.63 reunion on the great resurrection morning. There is a letter you possess. It's the 00:17:18.63\00:17:24.27 last letter ever written. And I want to invite you today to turn 00:17:24.27\00:17:29.04 to that letter. Open your Bible to the Bible's last book, the Apocalypse, the last letter. 00:17:29.04\00:17:32.98 I want to tell you something, this is about as close as we will ever get, you and I, to 00:17:32.98\00:17:37.69 ripping open an envelope and finding a letter from Jesus to us, signed, sealed, and 00:17:37.69\00:17:41.96 delivered. Revelation, the last letter. Revelation 3. 00:17:41.96\00:17:49.06 Revelation 3. Find it in your Bible. I'll find it in mine. 00:17:49.06\00:17:52.60 I'm in the NIV. Whatever translation you have is fine. 00:17:52.60\00:17:56.84 You're watching on livestream, come on, grab that Bible, pull your phone out, whatever. 00:17:56.84\00:18:01.31 Let's go. Revelation 3:14. And by the way, those of us that 00:18:01.31\00:18:06.18 have red-letter Bibles, hoo! This is all -- This is a sea of 00:18:06.18\00:18:11.15 red. Every scholar has agreed these are the words of Jesus himself, the risen, ascended, 00:18:11.15\00:18:19.66 soon-coming savior of the world. These are his words. Okay. So 00:18:19.66\00:18:22.70 this is Revelation 3:14. Jesus sends a message to you and me. 00:18:22.70\00:18:27.70 "I have given myself three names, especially for you, 00:18:38.98\00:18:45.42 Laodicea. And here are my three names -- number one, you may 00:18:45.42\00:18:50.09 call me Amen." Have you ever known anybody who has a name "Amen"? Everybody loves the word 00:18:50.09\00:18:54.20 "amen." Even atheists love the word "amen." Everybody uses it. 00:18:54.20\00:18:58.07 You say the word in Greek, you say the word in Hebrew, you say the word in English, it's the 00:18:58.07\00:19:01.90 same word -- amen, or ah-men. You know what it means? "Yes, what you just heard is 00:19:01.90\00:19:07.74 absolutely, truly so." When you say "amen" -- If I say to you, 00:19:07.74\00:19:15.22 "Yo, God has been really good to you," and you say, "Amen," to me, what you're saying is, "Boy, 00:19:15.22\00:19:20.69 I want to tell you something. What you just expressed is absolutely, all-caps, yes!" 00:19:20.69\00:19:27.76 And so... That's why Paul comes along -- Before John-boy wrote 00:19:27.76\00:19:33.64 Revelation, Paul came along, and he wrote a line, and he gave Jesus the name first. 00:19:33.64\00:19:38.97 Look at this. This would be 2 Corinthians 1:20. 00:19:38.97\00:19:42.28 Look at these words on the screen. "For no matter how many 00:19:42.28\00:19:45.25 promises --" Oh, I love this. 00:19:45.25\00:19:47.15 Jesus is the "amen" of God. He's the all-caps, absolutely, truly, "it is so," "you can take 00:19:55.79\00:20:01.90 this to the bank" assurance that any promise God makes is ratified in Christ. 00:20:01.90\00:20:08.77 You may be 12 days into the new year, and you're already feeling 00:20:08.77\00:20:12.94 lonely. You're already feeling like it's just -- "This is not gonna be a good year for me, 00:20:12.94\00:20:18.05 just like last year." There's a promise somewhere. I think it's Hebrews 13:5, where 00:20:18.05\00:20:23.18 this, amen, God says, "I promise you, I will never leave you or 00:20:23.18\00:20:28.72 forsake you." Wow. "I'll never leave you." Jesus is the amen, 00:20:28.72\00:20:33.40 all-caps, absolutely true, "you can take it to the bank" assurance God will never leave 00:20:33.40\00:20:40.40 you. This year, you're gonna meet Jesus in a way you have never met him before. 00:20:40.40\00:20:44.24 This year, you are gonna speak to Jesus -- not to Alexa, not to a parrot -- you're gonna speak 00:20:44.24\00:20:48.91 to Jesus in a way you've never talked to him before, and he's gonna talk back -- with your 00:20:48.91\00:20:53.88 name. Amen. I was talking with a friend of 00:20:53.88\00:21:00.19 mine. We grew up in Japan together. I call her every so 00:21:00.19\00:21:04.99 often, every few Friday afternoons. Called her yesterday. Landlord came and 00:21:04.99\00:21:10.63 said, "You got to move out of this house" they've been in since 2003. "Where we gonna 00:21:10.63\00:21:16.71 move? The car -- broke, it's dead. It's not even working." 00:21:16.71\00:21:26.61 Husband, dentist. Lost his job. And she's struggling to stay 00:21:26.61\00:21:33.86 alive. I've never seen a more buoyant, exuberant young woman. 00:21:33.86\00:21:39.66 Not so young. We're the same age -- which, of course is young. I said to myself, "Boy, she must 00:21:39.66\00:21:48.77 believe the promise in Psalm 37:25. David says, "I've been 00:21:48.77\00:21:53.61 young, and I'm old now, but I have never seen the righteous 00:21:53.61\00:21:56.01 forsaken. Never, never, never! I've never seen a friend of God forsaken or his children, her 00:21:56.01\00:22:00.08 children begging bread." Some of you wondering how you're gonna feed your children next 00:22:00.08\00:22:03.75 week. "I've never seen the righteous forsaken or the 00:22:03.75\00:22:08.49 children begging bread." Jesus says, "I am the absolutely yes, true, amen, all-caps 00:22:08.49\00:22:14.36 assurance that that promise will come true." I'm telling you 00:22:14.36\00:22:19.53 what, I love his name, Amen. I love that name. I'm gonna call 00:22:19.53\00:22:22.00 you -- Jesus, may I call you Amen? "Amen," he says. The other day, I was having a 00:22:22.00\00:22:27.91 pity party. You ever have those, where you're the only one 00:22:27.91\00:22:30.41 invited to the party? [ Laughter ] Yeah. 00:22:30.41\00:22:32.85 I was having a pity party, feeling sorry for myself. Man, this dumb ice-capades 00:22:32.85\00:22:36.75 business, what were you thinking? A guy with your kind 00:22:36.75\00:22:41.52 of brains, walking out on ice like that? And not just walking on it, skating on it? 00:22:41.52\00:22:46.33 Oh, pitiful. Why'd I go skating? Why did I have to fall? 00:22:46.33\00:22:52.57 Fracture your shoulder, fracture your hip. [ Scoffs ] 00:22:52.57\00:22:56.54 I mean, God, come on -- couldn't you -- You could've stopped 00:22:56.54\00:22:59.24 that. You didn't have to let it go. You just stop it. When you 00:22:59.24\00:23:04.45 get -- injure -- "Poor pity me" parties, you're not rational anymore. You're not thinking 00:23:04.45\00:23:10.12 clearly. God says, "What are you talking about, boy? Who do you think kept your head 00:23:10.12\00:23:14.46 from hitting that concrete wet? Who kept your head up? You're telling me that I failed 00:23:14.46\00:23:20.96 you?" Well, then, I'm in tears. "No, no, no, you didn't. 00:23:20.96\00:23:25.47 You didn't." That's the problem with pity parties. 00:23:25.47\00:23:28.80 Elijah had one, Moses had one -- they all have them. John the 00:23:28.80\00:23:32.37 Baptist had one. Everybody has a pity party now and then just to feel good. And I tell you what, 00:23:32.37\00:23:39.28 I don't know what happened to you in 2018, and I'm not sure what's gonna happen to anybody 00:23:39.28\00:23:43.55 in 2019, but this much I know -- there is a promise somewhere in the Bible -- I think it's 00:23:43.55\00:23:46.59 Romans 8:28, where it says, "God causes all things to work together for good to those who 00:23:46.59\00:23:52.86 love God and are called according to his purpose." You have nothing to fear in the 00:23:52.86\00:23:56.73 new year -- nothing! Jesus is the amen, all-caps, yes, absolutely true, "take that 00:23:56.73\00:24:01.20 one to the bank, boy," "girl, take that to the bank," I am with you till the end. 00:24:01.20\00:24:06.24 You have nothing to fear. I don't care what happens to you. 00:24:06.24\00:24:10.61 And sometimes it's very bad that happens to us. But God says, 00:24:10.61\00:24:15.85 "I'll make it very good one day. Stay with me. Don't bail on me 00:24:15.85\00:24:20.89 now." Jesus says, "You can call me the Amen," but he has another 00:24:20.89\00:24:23.86 name, too. He has three of them, Jesus. 00:24:23.86\00:24:25.76 "The faithful and true witness." Wow. Now there is a title. "You may call me faithful and 00:24:32.40\00:24:36.71 true witness." The Greek word for "witness" is "martur." 00:24:36.71\00:24:40.78 From whence comes the English word "martyr." "You can call me 00:24:40.78\00:24:46.58 the faithful and true martyr." You want to -- You want to complain about your 00:24:46.58\00:24:51.75 suffering? The moment we stand at the foot of the cross, there 00:24:51.75\00:24:54.99 is no complaint left. The human cup of suffering has been drained to its dregs by the 00:24:54.99\00:25:00.96 God of the Universe, who climbed all alone -- Oh, guys, that song 00:25:00.96\00:25:05.10 that you -- that song that you sang, man, I didn't think I'd get beyond it. But he carried -- 00:25:05.10\00:25:10.44 If he carried the world, Josh -- If he carried the world upon his shoulders, my brother, my 00:25:10.44\00:25:18.78 sister, he can carry you. He can carry you anywhere he wants you 00:25:18.78\00:25:26.22 to go. He'll carry -- Let him carry you. Don't be the big hero 00:25:26.22\00:25:29.39 of your story. Let him be the hero. Let him carry you. 00:25:29.39\00:25:33.93 If he carried the world upon his shoulders. Oh, we could've 00:25:33.93\00:25:37.73 stopped the service right there. He is the Great Sufferer, Calvary, the cross, the last 00:25:37.73\00:25:43.64 letter. Now, here's the deal. The last letter has the passion 00:25:43.64\00:25:47.98 of the Christ of the universe, who willingly exchanged his place in heaven for our place in 00:25:47.98\00:25:54.45 hell. Trade places. "You live, I die forever." 00:25:54.45\00:25:58.45 Pbht. The faithful and true martyr. The faithful and true 00:25:58.45\00:26:02.49 witness. But he has three names, and the third name is the Ruler 00:26:02.49\00:26:05.86 of God's Creation. Now, some of your translations read "The Origin of God's Creation" or 00:26:05.86\00:26:10.23 "The Source of God's Creation" or "The Beginning of God's Creation." [ Chuckles ] 00:26:10.23\00:26:13.50 It doesn't matter. It's all the same. I did something really 00:26:13.50\00:26:16.94 cool over the holiday. I downloaded, for my phone, that is really smart now, and a very 00:26:16.94\00:26:23.18 cool astronomy app. This app is so neat that, in the middle of 00:26:23.18\00:26:29.68 the night, you can take it in the dark, and you can point it at any star that is over your 00:26:29.68\00:26:34.26 head or on the horizon, and it immediately identifies it, and at the bottom of the screen, 00:26:34.26\00:26:38.83 tells you all about that star or that planet or that constellation. I mean, what is 00:26:38.83\00:26:44.73 so cool about that. By the way, did you know this? There are a trillion galaxies in 00:26:44.73\00:26:51.84 this universe. Trillion. That the creator -- the origin 00:26:51.84\00:26:55.94 of God's creation -- created himself. A trillion. 00:26:55.94\00:26:58.58 And do you know how many stars that makes? 1 septillion. 00:26:58.58\00:27:01.62 "Hey, Dwight, how big is 1 septillion?" Septillion -- it's 00:27:01.62\00:27:07.99 a one with 24 zeros -- pssh! -- behind it. Go calculate that number. "I created them all." 00:27:07.99\00:27:15.66 And, by the way, the Bible says he has named every star in the 00:27:15.66\00:27:18.83 universe. Every star, he has a name. Boy, he has a name for 00:27:18.83\00:27:24.57 you, apparently. You're worth way more than a star to him. 00:27:24.57\00:27:31.31 Wow. So, listen, whatever he's gonna say to us in this letter, whatever he's gonna ask of me, 00:27:31.31\00:27:34.98 whatever he's gonna ask of you, let us be sure and clear now that he surely has all the power 00:27:34.98\00:27:40.26 necessary in the universe to make what he asks of us come 00:27:40.26\00:27:44.56 true. We will not have to make it come true. He will make it 00:27:44.56\00:27:47.76 come true, with our permission. Pfft! There's nothing he cannot 00:27:47.76\00:27:52.17 do. Septillion? Go figure. Please indulge me. 00:27:52.17\00:27:55.44 Let me share with you one of my favorite quotations from the 00:27:55.44\00:27:58.94 book, a classic, "A Desire of Ages." Put it on the screen for you. "The gift of Christ --" 00:27:58.94\00:28:02.81 Oh, I love this -- "reveals the Father's heart. It testifies 00:28:02.81\00:28:07.08 that the thoughts of God toward us are 'thoughts of peace, and not of evil.' It --" the gift of 00:28:07.08\00:28:10.95 Christ -- "declares that while God's hatred of sin is as strong as death --" oh, here it comes 00:28:10.95\00:28:14.62 -- "His love for the sinner --" that would be you and me -- "His love for the sinner is stronger 00:28:14.62\00:28:19.23 than death." Keep reading. 00:28:19.23\00:28:22.86 "Favor is heaped upon favor, gift upon gift" -- and it only 00:28:34.94\00:28:37.85 keeps getting better. Keep reading. 00:28:37.85\00:28:39.75 "The whole treasury of heaven is open to those He seeks to save." 00:28:39.75\00:28:44.35 That's you and me. 00:28:44.35\00:28:46.25 You may be an agnostic, you may be an atheist, you're hearing these words for the first time, 00:29:05.11\00:29:09.78 but there's gonna be a spark of hope that springs in your soul, 00:29:09.78\00:29:16.48 in your mind. You're not an accident left to fend for yourself. Somebody's emptied the 00:29:16.48\00:29:21.92 treasury of heaven to save the likes of you and me. Wow. 00:29:21.92\00:29:27.50 And who are the lucky recipients of the last letter? Once upon a 00:29:27.50\00:29:32.40 time, they were a church of young Christians who lived in a real ancient city, called 00:29:32.40\00:29:39.41 Laodicea. And, by the way, your friend and mine, Ranko Stefanovic -- Oh, he's just 00:29:39.41\00:29:44.15 started. Have you started studying your Sabbath School theme study guide for these 00:29:44.15\00:29:50.12 three months? It's the whole Book of Revelation. The whole 00:29:50.12\00:29:54.02 book. We're gonna spend the same amount of time on just one 00:29:54.02\00:29:58.23 letter. But he does it every day. Oh, make sure you get ahold -- Before you leave this church, 00:29:58.23\00:30:02.73 ask for a copy. "I got to have that little booklet on 00:30:02.73\00:30:05.87 Revelation." Lookit, the scholars are clear. Of course, there were seven actual cities 00:30:05.87\00:30:10.84 in Turkey today, but scholars are also just as clear that those seven churches represent 00:30:10.84\00:30:16.04 seven epics, seven chapters of Christianity in the Christian church, from the New Testament 00:30:16.04\00:30:20.98 church in the 1st century to the last church in the last century, 00:30:20.98\00:30:25.45 the final century. Thus, the last letter to Laodicea is especially applicable. 00:30:25.45\00:30:28.49 Hold on, now. 00:30:28.49\00:30:29.39 And earnestly targeted to the last generation of believers and 00:30:29.56\00:30:32.99 followers of Christ. That could be you. 00:30:32.99\00:30:35.36 That could be me. Why not? 00:30:35.36\00:30:40.54 So, why don't we read through the letter right now, together, 00:30:40.54\00:30:43.07 you and me? "Excuse me. 00:30:43.07\00:30:44.74 Excuse me, Dwight. Thank you so much. 00:30:44.74\00:30:46.81 Great suggestion, but I'd just as soon not. 00:30:46.81\00:30:49.24 I have never found this letter very interesting, frankly." 00:30:49.24\00:30:52.65 Oh, really? Hmm. 00:30:52.65\00:30:56.05 Well, what if we borrowed a page from Kellogg's marketing 00:30:56.05\00:30:58.55 campaign that was brilliant for Corn Flakes -- "Taste them again 00:30:58.55\00:31:01.42 for the first time." 00:31:01.42\00:31:02.89 How can you do anything -- do anything again for the first 00:31:03.06\00:31:06.36 time? That was brilliant. Why do we read this letter for the 00:31:06.36\00:31:11.77 first time? Read it again for the first time. Let's do it. 00:31:11.77\00:31:16.40 Come on. It's only nine verses. This is nothing but a short 00:31:16.40\00:31:20.94 letter. Let's read it out loud. No, no, don't read it out loud. Let's read it just off the 00:31:20.94\00:31:24.78 screen or in your Bible. Verse 14. 00:31:24.78\00:31:28.32 The New King James reads, "I'm about to vomit you out of my 00:31:46.33\00:31:50.84 mouth." Verse 19 -- "Those whom I love --" there are only two letters where he even mentions 00:32:10.93\00:32:15.56 love, and it's this church, Laodicea, and Philadelphia. Singled out to be told, "I love 00:32:15.56\00:32:22.30 you." 00:32:22.30\00:32:24.21 Final line -- "Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches." 00:32:46.56\00:32:52.73 Nine verses long, that's it. But you know what? I guess -- I 00:32:52.73\00:32:57.11 guess what's so embarrassing about the letter -- Hold on, hold on. I guess what's so 00:32:57.11\00:33:01.11 embarrassing about the letter is what's not in the letter. [ 00:33:01.11\00:33:06.85 Scoffs ] I'm gonna run three sample letters by you. I'm gonna ask you after every 00:33:06.85\00:33:11.39 letter, "Did you hear any of this in this letter?" all right? So here's sample letter number 00:33:11.39\00:33:15.22 one -- "Dear Laodicea, thank you for the way you have faithfully remained true to me and to my 00:33:15.22\00:33:21.50 truth. You have lived in the most deceptive and destructive 00:33:21.50\00:33:25.10 time in human history, but you have stood tall for me, and I am 00:33:25.10\00:33:31.44 so proud of you. I'm coming soon, and my reward for you is with me. Well done, good and 00:33:31.44\00:33:35.54 faithful church. You've been faithful over a few things, and now I will make you 00:33:35.54\00:33:38.48 ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord, 00:33:38.48\00:33:42.05 amen." Did you get a whiff of that in that letter to Laodicea, 00:33:42.05\00:33:45.99 the last letter? Nope. Not a line. Not a hint. Well, let's 00:33:45.99\00:33:51.23 try another one. Sample letter number 2. "Dear Laodicea, the most missionary-minded 00:33:51.23\00:33:57.63 generation in all of history. You have felt such a divine obligation to share the glad 00:33:57.63\00:34:02.20 tidings with all the human race. You who have crossed the street and crossed the seas from me, 00:34:02.20\00:34:07.21 bless you. Look at how many will be in the kingdom because of 00:34:07.21\00:34:10.41 your faithful witness. Well done, good and faithful 00:34:10.41\00:34:12.95 servants. Enter into the joy of your lord." Nope. 00:34:12.95\00:34:17.29 Not a hint. Not a hint. [ Scoffs ] 00:34:17.29\00:34:21.32 Okay, let me give you -- Look, I'm getting better at this. 00:34:21.32\00:34:23.53 Give me one last try. Please. "Dear Laodicea, you go, church 00:34:23.53\00:34:29.80 of the end time. You who've kept the commandments of God and have 00:34:29.80\00:34:35.70 the testimony of Jesus, which is the spirit of prophecy. Wow! You 00:34:35.70\00:34:39.84 done good! You had more divine light shining on your pathway than any other previous 00:34:39.84\00:34:44.28 generation of church. You not only realized the profound privilege it is to be 00:34:44.28\00:34:47.72 the generation upon whom the ends of the earth have come, but you have chosen to live up to 00:34:47.72\00:34:51.85 the light you received, which is why you have become a divine showcase to the world, like I 00:34:51.85\00:34:57.09 intended Israel of old to become, a living testimony to the healing, empowering truth 00:34:57.09\00:35:02.23 and law of God proclaimed in the three angels' messages. Oh, I love your hospitals, your 00:35:02.23\00:35:07.14 schools, your congregations, your people. They have attracted 00:35:07.14\00:35:10.51 the attention of the entire world because of the deep compassion with which you have 00:35:10.51\00:35:15.21 loved the people living around you and each other. And I mean each other, because 00:35:15.21\00:35:21.08 by loving one another -- red and yellow, black and white, rich or poor, educated or illiterate, 00:35:21.08\00:35:27.96 man or woman, straight or gay -- you have loved one another as I 00:35:27.96\00:35:33.60 have loved you. By this, the whole world now knows you are my people. Well done, good and 00:35:33.60\00:35:38.77 faithful church. Enter into the joy of your lord." 00:35:38.77\00:35:41.50 Is there a hint of that in this letter? Not a hint. 00:35:41.50\00:35:46.21 Not a breath. In fact -- [ chuckles ] This is -- This is a 00:35:46.21\00:35:54.92 bit embarrassing to bring it up, which is why, no doubt, none of us enjoys reading this letter at 00:35:54.92\00:35:58.85 all. "Oh, no, don't -- I'm not reading the last 00:35:58.85\00:36:01.06 letter." And that is, because there is not a single word of 00:36:01.06\00:36:07.23 commendation from Jesus in this letter at all. In fact, the letter's content is 00:36:07.23\00:36:15.30 all condemnation. [ Laughs ] Zero, nada, nothing! 00:36:15.30\00:36:25.88 Of any "You go, guys. I'm proud of you." "Hey, Dwight, come on. 00:36:25.88\00:36:33.29 Get off your high horse." [ Scoffs ] "Listen, boy, where's 00:36:33.29\00:36:39.43 the gospel in this? Where's the good news in this? Where's the 00:36:39.43\00:36:45.63 grace in this?" Well, I'll tell you what. There's plenty of gospel, there's plenty of grace, 00:36:45.63\00:36:50.47 there's plenty of good news in the last letter. The problem is, 00:36:50.47\00:36:54.04 none of it is in the recipients of the letter. It's all in the sender. In fact, of the sender, 00:36:54.04\00:37:03.95 there's a line in scripture -- I've got to put it on the screen 00:37:03.95\00:37:07.06 for you, please. Acts 20:28, the sender, the lord of Laodicea, who is he? He's the one "who 00:37:07.06\00:37:13.19 bought the church with His own blood." You understand that? Jesus bought a church called 00:37:13.19\00:37:21.94 Laodicea. He bought us 2,000 years in advance, paid for it, 00:37:21.94\00:37:28.88 exchanging his place in heaven for our place in hell. No, no, 00:37:28.88\00:37:33.72 no, no. Don't you go around pouting about the last letter has no good news, no grace, no 00:37:33.72\00:37:37.99 gospel in it. It has all that you need. It's not in the 00:37:37.99\00:37:41.39 receiver. It's in the sender, and that's the difference. We're kind of miffed because it 00:37:41.39\00:37:46.23 doesn't say anything about us. "Look at us. Look what we done." 00:37:46.23\00:37:53.07 Well, he did. Yeah. Nevertheless -- please hear my 00:37:53.07\00:38:03.55 heart on this -- the only reason I screwed up my courage... to write and preach a series of 00:38:03.55\00:38:11.19 sermons on the most unread and unwanted of letters in the Bible, the last letter, is 00:38:11.19\00:38:17.03 because, apparently -- and this is what I cannot shake -- apparently, it is really, really 00:38:17.03\00:38:27.57 critical that we understand the last letter. I can't blow it 00:38:27.57\00:38:36.91 off. We've done it for decades. We can't dismiss it. We've done it for generations. 00:38:36.91\00:38:44.42 Somebody's gonna have to take this letter seriously. It may be 00:38:44.42\00:38:50.46 the elixir we're waiting for... to turn this whole blooming mess 00:38:50.46\00:38:57.40 around. [ Taps ] 00:38:57.40\00:38:59.87 Ellen White on the screen. 00:39:00.10\00:39:02.00 Ouch. Did you catch that last line? Talking about you and me? 00:39:37.84\00:39:44.08 That hurts. 00:39:56.12\00:39:58.99 The only good news I have to you about hurt is that some guy -- I don't know who this guy is. 00:39:59.16\00:40:03.93 I wish they'd find out. Let's just give the guy a name. Let him stand up and say, "Oh, 00:40:03.93\00:40:07.37 yeah, I'm the guy that invented that phrase. I'm doing therapy 00:40:07.37\00:40:11.31 now. They got this great phrase -- 'No pain, no gain.'" Who thought of that one? 00:40:11.31\00:40:18.45 Did you invent that? [ Scoffs ] Apparently -- [ Laughs ] 00:40:18.45\00:40:25.69 Apparently, what it means is, sometimes the only way to get from here to there is real hurt. 00:40:25.69\00:40:36.36 And we've been trying to have it sugar-coated with honey mixed in with it -- pablum -- and wonder 00:40:36.36\00:40:46.11 why we're in the mess we're still in. Hmm. 00:40:46.11\00:40:55.75 So, I had a dream the other night. And in the dream, a voice 00:40:55.75\00:41:02.49 or an impression -- and I could clearly hear it. That's all I 00:41:02.49\00:41:07.46 know -- kept repeating -- I mean, repeating it -- "You must claim Zechariah 10:1 now." 00:41:07.46\00:41:18.11 [ Scoffs ] Middle of the night. I could hear it as clear as if 00:41:18.11\00:41:22.98 you were talking to me, 3 feet away -- "You must claim 00:41:22.98\00:41:33.86 Zechariah 10:1." I woke up, words ringing in my ears. I fell 00:41:33.86\00:41:40.83 back to sleep. A few days ago. And it repeated itself in that dream -- "You must claim the 00:41:40.83\00:41:50.07 promise of Zechariah 10 --" Look, I've known Zechariah 10:1 00:41:50.07\00:41:55.68 for years. But why is the voice, why is this impression, whatever -- why am I getting this idea 00:41:55.68\00:42:00.65 that this is the time to do it? In my dream -- and I know, by the way, because I journaled the 00:42:00.65\00:42:04.32 next morning. I wrote it down to make sure that I wouldn't make 00:42:04.32\00:42:11.09 it up. In my dream, I grappled and pushed back against wherever this was coming from and 00:42:11.09\00:42:19.87 thought, "How in the world can you present this promise to a generation that seemingly has no 00:42:19.87\00:42:26.54 interest in so profoundly spiritual a promise like this 00:42:26.54\00:42:32.38 one?" A campus like this... dusty old promise like that -- 00:42:32.38\00:42:41.56 pfft! I'll go somewhere else. I'll read something else. I said, "You can't -- 00:42:41.56\00:42:48.06 You can't be serious." "You must claim the promise of Zechariah 00:42:48.06\00:42:52.77 10:1." I told Karen about it. Wednesday night, I told my prayer partner about it. 00:42:52.77\00:43:00.91 And he said, "Seems pretty clear to me." I'm gonna share that 00:43:00.91\00:43:07.48 line with you right now as we wrap. Zechariah 10:1. It's the next to the last book 00:43:07.48\00:43:13.29 in the Old Testament. So you find Malachi -- you go Matthew, 00:43:13.29\00:43:16.42 Malachi, and then there's Zechariah, going backwards. 00:43:16.42\00:43:22.10 Zechariah 10:1. Put the words on the screen for you. Ask the Lord 00:43:22.10\00:43:30.11 for rain --" This is the New King James. "Ask the Lord for rain in the time of the latter 00:43:30.11\00:43:35.64 rain. The Lord will make flashing clouds --" that would be thunderstorms and lightning. 00:43:35.64\00:43:38.85 "He will give them showers of rain." You ask, "He will give 00:43:38.85\00:43:43.49 showers of rain, grass in the field for everyone." You see, in 00:43:43.49\00:43:47.32 Palestine, there were two major rainfalls. The early rain, as they called it, was in the 00:43:47.32\00:43:50.59 Autumn. Just as soon as you put the seeds into the ground, that rain was to help germination 00:43:50.59\00:43:54.66 take place and get these little sprouts going. The final rain 00:43:54.66\00:43:58.67 comes at the end of the cycle of growing. It comes in the springtime, and it's called the 00:43:58.67\00:44:03.24 latter. This is the early, this is the latter. Torrential rains, 00:44:03.24\00:44:07.61 because the grain and crop -- the crops have to now move into full maturity before -- boom! -- 00:44:07.61\00:44:12.68 the harvest comes. The harvest, in scripture, is absolutely 00:44:12.68\00:44:15.38 clear. It's always the end of the world. Always the end of the 00:44:15.38\00:44:21.39 world. So, hearing this simple command, the Lord of Laodicea -- And by the way, the Lord of 00:44:21.39\00:44:24.83 Laodicea is the one who spoke these words. It's the same 00:44:24.83\00:44:27.86 Christ, it's the same savior, the creator of the world. He's admonishing his people, his 00:44:27.86\00:44:31.13 friends, you and me, "When you get to the springtime, when the times look like the season of 00:44:31.13\00:44:35.40 the latter rain -- And I don't know about you, but I've been 00:44:35.40\00:44:38.44 looking at this planet, I've been looking at this nation, and I'm saying, "Something crazy's 00:44:38.44\00:44:42.61 going on." And I don't care what you rise up to defend, we're in a mess. And it has nothing to do 00:44:42.61\00:44:49.15 with politics and everything to do with "Do you have eyes to see what is happening to this 00:44:49.15\00:44:52.69 nation?" Two Sabbaths from now, I'm gonna preach, because I 00:44:52.69\00:44:56.16 believe the letter to Laodicea is a letter to America, and we're gonna spend that whole 30 00:44:56.16\00:45:00.96 minutes focusing on America. Because America is in a heap of 00:45:00.96\00:45:07.44 trouble. And if we're just gonna sit here as a faith community and twiddle our thumbs and say, 00:45:07.44\00:45:11.11 "Well, it's not affecting me. I'm doing quite well, thank you," then get over it. 00:45:11.11\00:45:15.11 Look beyond your own personal interests. Look at what's 00:45:15.11\00:45:19.48 happening to America. Look at what's happening to the nation, 00:45:19.48\00:45:23.62 the world today. I'm telling you, we can sit here and pretend 00:45:23.79\00:45:29.49 nothing's up. Guess what. We are in the season of the 00:45:29.49\00:45:34.36 latter rain. That's before everything 00:45:34.36\00:45:36.36 collapses and it's over. We are fast there. 00:45:36.36\00:45:40.04 I have no date for you. But I'll tell you this before I 00:45:40.04\00:45:43.30 sit down. I will tell you this. 00:45:43.30\00:45:45.11 That same little lady says, "When the latter rain happens, 00:45:45.11\00:45:47.14 there'll be guys sitting there, saying, 'There's nothing 00:45:47.14\00:45:49.18 happening. There's nothing happening. 00:45:49.18\00:45:50.45 There's nothing happening to me.'" 00:45:50.45\00:45:51.85 They will not see it, and anybody around them, when they 00:45:51.85\00:45:53.85 finally a little something, say, "That's a bunch of fanaticism. 00:45:53.85\00:45:56.08 Don't worry about that." 00:45:56.08\00:45:57.49 When the latter rain is actually happening, you'll be sitting in the middle of that thunderstorm, 00:45:57.65\00:46:01.89 and there will not be a drop falling on you, and you'll say, "What's the problem? 00:46:01.89\00:46:05.96 What's all this excitement about?" Ladies and gentlemen, 00:46:05.96\00:46:10.47 this is not rocket science now. It's called eyes and ears. Something's happening to this 00:46:10.47\00:46:16.94 nation and this world. It's the only way I can explain it. 00:46:16.94\00:46:24.18 [ Scoffs ] "You must claim the promise of Zechariah 10:1." 00:46:24.18\00:46:32.82 On the page of Zechariah 10:1, I scribbled the words of this little American writer that I've 00:46:32.82\00:46:38.99 been quoting here. One more time on the screen. It's from a book 00:46:38.99\00:46:42.63 called "Our Father Cares." All eyes on the screen. Oh, by the 00:46:42.63\00:46:46.67 way -- No, before you put that up, do you know what the rain is? 'Cause we're talking about 00:46:46.67\00:46:50.41 rain, but what's the rain? The Bible's absolutely clear. Let me just put one more line 00:46:50.41\00:46:53.11 up. Isaiah 44:3, put it on the screen, please. 00:46:53.11\00:46:56.21 God says... 00:46:56.21\00:46:58.11 Rain, in scripture, is the Holy Spirit being poured out. The latter rain is a final 00:47:04.09\00:47:09.26 pouring out of the Holy Spirit upon hearts that are able and willing to receive that gift. 00:47:09.26\00:47:16.50 In the season of the latter rain, the command is, "Start asking for it, start asking, 00:47:16.50\00:47:21.74 start praying. I'm not coming up with nobody asking. 00:47:21.74\00:47:24.31 I'm not gonna surprise you and show up. Somebody has to want 00:47:24.31\00:47:28.18 this." Well, you be the somebody, then. With me. Now the words on the screen, 00:47:28.18\00:47:35.22 "Our Father Cares." "The outpouring of the Spirit in the days of the apostles was the 00:47:35.22\00:47:38.82 beginning of the early or former rain." That's Pentecost -- wow. 00:47:38.82\00:47:42.49 "Glorious was the result." 00:47:42.49\00:47:44.39 The last rains. 00:47:54.84\00:47:56.74 This is the time. This is the time. Don't put it off. 00:48:05.75\00:48:11.69 I'm going ahead, and there'll be a bunch of people sitting around you who are going ahead. 00:48:11.69\00:48:16.12 You want to play hard-to-get, that's your game. I'm not trying 00:48:16.12\00:48:21.73 to get you. But the Lord of Laodicea is gonna make a play for your soul. Don't go running 00:48:21.73\00:48:28.10 away from this. "Well, I don't want to hear that. I don't want 00:48:28.10\00:48:30.61 to hear that. I'm not gonna hear that. Just give me something else." No, be a man -- take it. 00:48:30.61\00:48:36.44 Be a woman -- take it. Open up yourself. The whole point is, we 00:48:36.44\00:48:44.62 got to ask. What better gift to prepare us for receiving the 00:48:44.62\00:48:49.16 message embedded in the last letter than the Holy Spirit himself. How about a daily 00:48:49.16\00:48:53.46 baptism of the Holy Spirit? How about a daily baptism of the 00:48:53.46\00:48:57.67 Holy Spirit? Subsequent to the dream -- okay? -- after the dream, I pull out my old Helmut 00:48:57.67\00:49:05.37 Haubeil's best-seller now. Over 700,000 of these circulating the 00:49:05.37\00:49:08.88 planet. "Steps to Personal Revival." I pulled it out, and I read the first 40 pages. 00:49:08.88\00:49:12.91 I said, "Wow." You know, a year and a half ago, you and I went 00:49:12.91\00:49:16.65 through this. Many of you have the book. Many of you have it 00:49:16.65\00:49:19.29 electronically. Many of you have it hard copy. Pull the book out. You don't have the book, I want 00:49:19.29\00:49:24.73 to make that book available to you right now. Take out your 00:49:24.73\00:49:28.46 ConnectCard. Come on, let's go. Take out ConnectCard. I'm gonna give you a chance to 00:49:28.46\00:49:31.27 get this book, no charge. Absolutely no charge. You see 00:49:31.27\00:49:35.47 that ConnectCard? Pastor Riley talked about it just a moment ago. I'll pull mine out, too. 00:49:35.47\00:49:40.44 Listen, this is it. We either ask for it, or we don't. 00:49:40.44\00:49:44.85 I'm appealing to you to please ask for the daily outpouring, the baptism of the Holy Spirit. 00:49:44.85\00:49:52.19 You know what the latter rain is? It's the Holy Spirit that's 00:49:52.19\00:49:55.12 falling on you, falling on people all around you, so it's happening to multiple, to 00:49:55.12\00:49:59.36 hundreds of people simultaneously. That's all it 00:49:59.36\00:50:02.93 is. It now happens en masse. But if you're not ready en masse, it won't be happening. 00:50:02.93\00:50:08.40 It will not happen. I'm sorry. So, pull this out. 00:50:08.40\00:50:14.44 We can't just go home. My next step today -- Pastor talked 00:50:14.44\00:50:18.65 about the front of the card, back of the card. My next step today, box number one, I'd like 00:50:18.65\00:50:21.42 to read Revelation 3 every week for the first three months of 2019. While this series is going 00:50:21.42\00:50:26.42 on, once a week, read the whole chapter. That'll be Philadelphia 00:50:26.42\00:50:30.03 and the last letter to Laodicea. Just read it. Humor yourself. 00:50:30.03\00:50:33.63 Just see what the Holy Spirit will do. Check. 00:50:33.63\00:50:37.23 Box number two -- please send me an electronic copy of Haubeil's best-selling book on the daily 00:50:37.23\00:50:41.20 baptism of the Holy Spirit. We will send you -- You put a checkmark there and 00:50:41.20\00:50:44.84 turn this card in, in one split second, 'cause you saw them all 00:50:44.84\00:50:47.91 standing up. They're coming to get it. You put a checkmark there, we will send you that 00:50:47.91\00:50:51.95 website, and you will get it. In a second and a half, it will be downloaded for you. 00:50:51.95\00:50:56.58 Read it. Read it, please. And finally, number three, box 00:50:56.58\00:51:02.36 number three, "I will join you in claiming God's promise in 00:51:02.36\00:51:05.96 Zechariah 10:1." I wish you would. I wish it were thousands across America that would begin 00:51:05.96\00:51:10.47 to pray. Maybe you're not living in Berrien Springs. 00:51:10.47\00:51:12.70 Maybe you're not a part of Andrews University. Maybe you're 00:51:12.70\00:51:16.24 not even living in Michigan right now but you're listening. I wish there would be thousands 00:51:16.24\00:51:19.57 of men, women, and children who are every day saying, "Dear God, you said claim Zechariah 10:1. 00:51:19.57\00:51:26.58 I now claim it, in the name of the great Amen, who says, "Absolutely you will have this! 00:51:26.58\00:51:32.35 Absolutely I promise. Ask me." Ushers, thank you so much for 00:51:32.35\00:51:38.39 being patient. Would you please stand? We'll have the prayer at 00:51:38.39\00:51:41.10 the end. But please now receive from us these ConnectCards and 00:51:41.10\00:51:45.30 our morning tithes and offerings. So, God has blessed you, the new year is beginning, 00:51:45.30\00:51:49.34 and you'd like to share that blessing, just put that in the offering plate, as well. 00:51:49.34\00:51:52.74 But your ConnectCard, just drop it, turn it upside down. And we're gonna sing a beautiful 00:51:52.74\00:51:57.51 hymn to Jesus, "Draw Me Nearer." "Draw Me Nearer," Fanny J. Crosby's great gospel 00:51:57.51\00:52:02.12 hymn. い い 00:52:02.12\00:52:24.07 Oh, God, you must draw us to that cross. We cannot save 00:55:05.93\00:55:15.68 ourselves. The church doesn't have what it takes. The nation 00:55:15.68\00:55:23.95 doesn't. The world doesn't. So, would you please, as we just prayed to you, draw us nearer 00:55:23.95\00:55:32.23 and nearer to your blessed side? Commune as friend to friend. We've made such a dreaded 00:55:32.23\00:55:48.14 obstacle out of the last letter when it is your desperate but loving appeal to find all the 00:55:48.14\00:55:57.19 treasury of heaven in Christ. We must find that truth of Jesus. 00:55:57.19\00:56:04.59 It'll set us free. Baptized by his spirit every day, it will 00:56:04.59\00:56:11.77 set us free, and timid tongues will be timid no longer. Resisting hearts will resist no 00:56:11.77\00:56:21.71 longer. You win. This is what it's been about for 00:56:21.71\00:56:26.55 centuries. And we're the ones in the season of the latter rain. 00:56:26.55\00:56:33.09 So, dear God, do whatever it takes in my life, in my heart, and in the lives and the hearts 00:56:33.09\00:56:41.70 of this people that I love, for the glory of Christ... the finishing of his mission, 00:56:41.70\00:56:54.21 the hastening of his return. We pray in his name. Let all the 00:56:54.21\00:57:03.42 people say amen. >> Thank you for taking the time to join us 00:57:06.52\00:57:08.79 in worship today. I'd like to spend another moment with you here at the end of our 00:57:08.79\00:57:11.33 program to share a word of hope. In fact, that's what this little 00:57:11.33\00:57:14.00 book is all about. In these uncertain times, and 00:57:14.00\00:57:16.26 let's face it, they're uncertain all over this planet, this book 00:57:16.26\00:57:19.40 entitled "The Great Hope" will help you understand not just 00:57:19.40\00:57:22.30 what God has planned for your future but for the future of 00:57:22.30\00:57:25.54 the entire human race. Light keeps shining on this dark 00:57:25.54\00:57:28.64 old world, and new truths long forgotten are being constantly 00:57:28.64\00:57:31.78 rediscovered. If you need a fresh dose of hope 00:57:31.78\00:57:34.48 for your life these days, or you know somebody else who could 00:57:34.48\00:57:37.35 sure use that gift of hope, then I'd like to invite you to grab 00:57:37.35\00:57:40.29 your phone, dial our toll-free number, 877 -- the two words -- 00:57:40.29\00:57:43.69 HIS-WILL. 877-HIS-WILL, and at no charge 00:57:43.69\00:57:47.66 to you, we'll get a copy in the mail to you right away. 00:57:47.66\00:57:51.00 Till the next time we meet, may the peace and hope of the 00:57:51.00\00:57:54.37 Lord Jesus be with you 24/7. 00:57:54.37\00:57:57.07 い い 00:57:59.77\00:58:17.99 い 00:58:17.99\00:58:26.90