¤¤
00:00:00.23\00:00:09.24
[ Organ begins "All Hail
the Power of Jesus' Name" ]
00:00:09.40\00:00:16.44
>> Amen. You may be seated.
00:03:08.02\00:03:13.92
[ "Lord of All
Creation" begins ]
00:03:13.92\00:03:17.33
[ "All Who Are Thirsty" begins ]
00:06:18.44\00:06:21.38
>> Amen. In a
world that is constantly
00:08:39.48\00:08:43.49
changing from peaceful to
turbulent, sometimes the same
00:08:43.49\00:08:47.26
thing is reflected in our lives,
where we're going through many,
many different changes.
00:08:47.42\00:08:52.36
And it's hard to grasp on to
something that remains constant,
but there is a God who is there,
00:08:52.36\00:08:58.57
who is always constant. From age
to age, He has given us His
promises, and He calls us to
00:08:58.57\00:09:04.77
come to Him, to rely on Him. So
at this time, I just invite you
to stand, and if you feel
00:09:04.77\00:09:11.01
like He is calling you, I just
invite you to also come forward
and give those burdens or those
00:09:11.01\00:09:17.09
praises to Him. So, join
us as we sing "El Shaddai."
00:09:17.09\00:09:21.32
[ "El Shaddai" begins ]
00:09:21.49\00:09:23.29
>> Well, good morning,
boys and girls. Nice to see you.
00:12:51.37\00:12:53.13
I can't believe this.
What month is this already?
00:12:53.30\00:12:55.70
>> March. >> [ Laughs ] March.
00:12:55.70\00:12:57.71
Is this the first
Sabbath of March already?
00:12:57.71\00:13:00.38
Oh, my. Where is this year
going? And just a few more days,
00:13:00.54\00:13:04.61
and spring will be here.
Yay! I got a story about winter,
00:13:04.61\00:13:08.28
though. And I don't remember
which one of my story scouts
00:13:08.28\00:13:11.29
sent it to me. I just
know it's the right story.
00:13:11.29\00:13:13.12
I've been saving it. Happened
just five weeks ago. In North
00:13:13.12\00:13:15.96
Carolina... Anybody here
from North Carolina? Happened in
00:13:15.96\00:13:19.56
North Carolina. Casey Hathaway,
3 years old. Look at -- who's 3
here? Anybody here 3?
00:13:19.56\00:13:24.43
>> Me! >> Okay, so he's
just your height right there.
00:13:24.43\00:13:28.34
Casey -- you're 3.
I got that. Casey Ha--
00:13:28.34\00:13:31.31
Another 3-year-old. Hey, let's
just put a picture of Casey
Hathaway on the screen
00:13:31.31\00:13:35.61
just so that we can
picture him. There. There he is.
00:13:35.61\00:13:38.31
That's Casey Hathaway. He's
with a couple friends of his.
00:13:38.31\00:13:42.35
Ooh, it's cold in North
Carolina. But he's over at his
00:13:42.35\00:13:46.09
grandma's place, and things are
warmer at Grandma's place, but
they're playing outside.
00:13:46.09\00:13:49.26
He's just playing in his shirt,
you know, because he's going to
00:13:49.26\00:13:52.36
go in the house. But when their
playing came to an end, guess
what! The two friends of his
00:13:52.36\00:13:58.93
went into Grandma's house. But
Casey didn't go in. The friends
were in there for a
00:13:58.93\00:14:02.97
while, and Grandma says, "Yo,
kids, where's Casey?" "Well, I
thought he had already
00:14:02.97\00:14:06.94
come in." "No.
Where... Did you leave...
00:14:06.94\00:14:09.14
Is Casey still outside?" "Well,
I guess he must not have come in
00:14:09.14\00:14:13.35
with us." Grandma said, "What is
that?" She's drying her hands
off on her kitchen apron.
00:14:13.35\00:14:16.75
She sticks her head
out the door. "Yo, Casey!
00:14:16.75\00:14:18.85
Ca-sey! Whoo-hoo!
Whoo-hoo!" No answer.
00:14:18.85\00:14:23.63
Come on! Where would Casey go?
There's just some woods in the
00:14:23.63\00:14:26.76
back. Ahh. "I hope he
didn't go exploring again."
00:14:26.76\00:14:30.57
After an hour, Grandma's getting
worried. After two hours, she's
00:14:30.57\00:14:34.90
really worried, and when it's
two hours and somebody's
missing, who do you call?
00:14:34.90\00:14:38.71
What three numbers do
you dial? >> 9-1-1. >> 9-1-1.
00:14:38.71\00:14:41.58
You call the police. So that's
what Grandma did. She says,
00:14:41.58\00:14:44.88
"Listen. I have a little
3-year-old boy. He's 2 feet 2
inches tall. His name is Casey.
00:14:44.88\00:14:48.92
And he hasn't come home. He
was just playing in my backyard.
00:14:48.92\00:14:51.49
I feel terrible." Soon
the police are joining in the
00:14:51.49\00:14:53.99
search. Grandma calls some
friends. "Hey, listen. We can't
00:14:53.99\00:14:56.49
find Casey. Can you come over
here?" So her friends come over,
and soon the neighborhood is
00:14:56.49\00:14:59.03
over. They're going everywhere
looking for Casey. Nobody can
00:14:59.03\00:15:02.10
find him. Then they get a
helicopter... [ Imitates rotors
] ...shining a light down.
00:15:02.10\00:15:06.47
No Casey. Then they send up
some drones. [ Imitates drones ]
00:15:06.47\00:15:08.67
No Casey. They have
K-9... their K-9 unit.
00:15:08.67\00:15:12.64
Those are special German
shepherds. [ Imitates dogs
00:15:12.64\00:15:16.41
sniffing ] And they can't find
Casey. Wednesday morning, no
Casey. Wednesday afternoon, no
00:15:16.41\00:15:20.52
Casey. Wednesday night,
no Casey. He's gone! Thursday
00:15:20.52\00:15:24.89
morning, oh, no! Thursday
morning, the temperature has
dropped down to the low 20s, and
00:15:24.89\00:15:29.39
in North Carolina, that's a
state of emergency. And so they
call the rescue off.
00:15:29.39\00:15:33.96
They say, "We can't... It's too
cold for you to be out, guys.
00:15:33.96\00:15:37.63
Go home." Everybody's given up.
They even hired some divers to
00:15:37.63\00:15:41.54
go into the river. Can they find
Casey there? And then it was
00:15:41.54\00:15:45.94
late Thursday night. The divers
are in the river. They're up to
00:15:45.94\00:15:49.61
their waist. If Casey's in this
river, he's over his head.
They're up to their waist, and
00:15:49.61\00:15:52.95
they stop. Shh,
shh. Shh, shh, shh.
00:15:52.95\00:15:55.75
They thought they heard the
sound of a little baby crying.
Baby crying out here?
00:15:55.75\00:16:00.59
They follow the sound. They get
to a clump of thorn bushes, and
00:16:00.59\00:16:06.70
inside the thorn bushes, guess
who was there. Casey! Oh, his
face just broke into
00:16:06.70\00:16:11.70
this glorious smile! He
said, "I want to see my mommy!
00:16:11.70\00:16:14.67
I want some water!" And they
rushed him, and the whole
neighborhood cheered!
00:16:14.67\00:16:18.81
And everybody's whistling!
Exactly like that. Then Casey
00:16:18.81\00:16:25.18
told a story. He says, "Listen.
While I was out there"... little
00:16:25.18\00:16:28.98
3-year-old... "While I was out
there, I had a friend the whole
00:16:28.98\00:16:33.62
time." "What?! You had a friend?
But if you had a friend, that
friend should have brought you
00:16:33.62\00:16:36.66
home!" "No, I had a
friend the whole time.
00:16:36.66\00:16:38.96
He stayed with me night and
day." "No, you didn't have a
00:16:38.96\00:16:42.66
friend." "I had a friend." And
here's the friend that Casey was
00:16:42.66\00:16:46.70
describing. Put it on the
screen, please. >> Oh! >> Yep.
00:16:46.70\00:16:53.78
North Carolina. Lot of black
bears in North Carolina. Casey
said, "That friend stayed
00:16:53.78\00:17:00.05
with me the whole time." Oh, my.
Isn't there a verse in the Bible
00:17:00.05\00:17:05.19
that says, "And the bear of the
Lord will encamp around those
who fear him and deliver them"?
00:17:05.19\00:17:10.73
[ Laughter ] No, it says
"angel," doesn't it? But could
it be that an angel
00:17:10.73\00:17:14.93
showed up as a bear and the
angel just said, "Yo, Casey.
00:17:14.93\00:17:19.13
Stay with me. Come on, boy. I'll
keep you warm at night. Come on.
00:17:19.13\00:17:21.90
Cuddle up right here. I'll stay
with you till they find you."
00:17:21.90\00:17:27.01
Oh, my. You know what
that bear said to Casey?
00:17:27.01\00:17:29.94
That bear said to Casey, "Let's
be friends. Let's be friends.
00:17:29.94\00:17:33.72
Let me be your friend." Why,
that bear reminds me of Jesus.
00:17:33.72\00:17:37.42
Jesus looks at you and me, and
He says, "Let me be your friend.
Let me take care of you.
00:17:37.42\00:17:41.79
I'll keep you warm at night.
I'll be the best friend you have
00:17:41.79\00:17:45.56
ever had. Let me be your
friend." Oh, my. A bear or
00:17:45.56\00:17:51.90
Jesus? I'll take Jesus every
time, although I thank Jesus for
sending the bear to save Casey.
00:17:51.90\00:17:57.64
What do you say? Oh, my,
Who wants to thank Jesus for
00:17:57.64\00:18:00.78
being that kind of a friend?
Sister, come on down. I saw your
00:18:00.78\00:18:03.98
hand. Who wants to thank Jesus
for being that kind of a friend?
00:18:03.98\00:18:07.18
You go, girl. Come on. Okay,
ladies, if you can watch out --
somebody's coming right
00:18:07.18\00:18:10.42
behind you. There she comes.
We'll get a microphone over
00:18:10.42\00:18:13.56
here. Let's thank
Jesus. What's your name, honey?
00:18:13.56\00:18:15.79
>> Gaby. >> Gaby.
Let's close our eyes and fold
00:18:15.79\00:18:19.43
our hands as Gaby thanks Jesus
for being our saving friend. >>
00:18:19.43\00:18:26.30
Thank You, Lord. Thank You what
you've given. Bless all of the
people that come to praise
00:18:26.30\00:18:34.58
Jesus. Let the ones that doesn't
know Jesus. In Jesus' name.
00:18:34.58\00:18:40.32
Amen. >> Amen. That was
a beautiful prayer, Gaby.
00:18:40.32\00:18:42.95
You can say that in your heart
as you go back to your seats.
00:18:42.95\00:18:46.59
Thank you, Jesus. Bless those
who don't know You yet.
Beautiful prayer, Gaby.
00:18:46.59\00:18:50.89
Happy Sabbath, everybody.
00:18:50.89\00:18:52.26
[ Applause ] >> Oh, that was
beautiful. Thank you, Andrews
00:22:31.85\00:22:39.85
University Festival Band. Byron
Graves. Beautiful, beautiful.
00:22:39.85\00:22:44.36
These are teenagers from all
over the Great Lakes states and
00:22:44.36\00:22:49.50
Canada. We've got Kingsway and
Crawford here. Nice to have all
00:22:49.50\00:22:54.04
of you. Thanks for coming. Come
again when you can stay longer.
00:22:54.04\00:22:59.74
"Simple Gifts." That's what they
played for us, and that's what
00:22:59.74\00:23:05.55
we need. Let's pray. O God, the
simplest gift of all -- turns
00:23:05.55\00:23:10.55
out, it's the greatest gift of
all. And for it we humbly pray.
In Jesus' name. Amen.
00:23:10.55\00:23:19.26
So, is it okay with you if we
kind of cut to the chase right
00:23:19.43\00:23:22.86
now? Come on.
00:23:22.86\00:23:23.90
Let's go. When
you're talking about the
00:23:23.90\00:23:25.53
entity called the church,
00:23:25.53\00:23:26.63
there are three options. Option
number one -- "I wouldn't take
00:23:26.80\00:23:29.90
it." Option number
two -- "It's a mistake."
00:23:29.90\00:23:33.01
Option number three --
"I'm putting my money on that
00:23:33.17\00:23:35.91
one." Let me
share what these three
00:23:35.91\00:23:37.45
options are. Option
number one goes like
00:23:37.45\00:23:39.25
this. "You know what?
00:23:39.25\00:23:40.45
The church is in such a
mess these days, I'm quitting.
00:23:40.45\00:23:43.02
I'm out of here Adiós.
00:23:43.02\00:23:44.85
Arrivederci.
00:23:44.85\00:23:46.55
Sayonara. Gone."
That is an option.
00:23:46.72\00:23:51.59
But in my humble opinion, it is
both illogical and misguided.
Let me tell you why.
00:23:51.59\00:23:57.67
Because anybody going to church
believes in this Book, and this
Book says that God -- this is a
00:23:57.67\00:24:01.57
direct quote, Acts 20:28 -- that
God purchased the church with
00:24:01.57\00:24:05.34
His own blood. Come on! He's
huge on the church. You want to
00:24:05.34\00:24:11.58
bail out on it? You want to walk
away? Of course, you may. That's
00:24:11.58\00:24:15.45
your option. One of the most
touching moments, in my humble
opinion, again, in the life of
00:24:15.45\00:24:22.22
Jesus, bar none, four Gospels,
is that day -- maybe it was an
afternoon -- when Jesus, who,
00:24:22.22\00:24:28.00
by the way, knows how to count,
and He can tell that the crowd
count is getting lower and lower
00:24:28.00\00:24:36.04
and lower as His teaching
grows stronger and stronger and
00:24:36.04\00:24:43.68
stronger. He knows what's up.
And in a poignant moment, He
turns to His closest friends,
00:24:43.68\00:24:51.32
and He says, "Hey, guys. Are you
wanting to leave, too?" Silence.
00:24:51.32\00:25:00.46
Nobody speaks. And then Peter --
God bless Peter -- Peter speaks
00:25:00.46\00:25:08.00
up. "Lord, to whom shall we
go? Who has the words of eternal
00:25:08.00\00:25:15.11
life? We have nowhere else to
go. Why would we leave You?
You're our last great hope."
00:25:15.11\00:25:24.99
There are hearts today who
say the same. "I know we're in a
00:25:24.99\00:25:31.43
storm right now, and I know that
this is choppy weather, but I'm
00:25:31.43\00:25:37.77
not jumping ship. That's option
number one, jump ship. Option
number two goes like
00:25:37.77\00:25:42.04
this. "When it comes to the
church, rather than leaving it,
00:25:42.04\00:25:45.64
we settle into it -- oh,
but with a cultural tie, so to
00:25:45.64\00:25:50.88
speak. We stay in the church. I
mean, this is the church our
parents grew up in.
00:25:50.88\00:25:55.48
This is the church our
grandparents grew up in. We grew
00:25:55.48\00:25:58.02
up in it. Why would I leave this
church? I mean, please, what
would people think if I left the
00:25:58.02\00:26:01.79
church? This is
where all my friends are."
00:26:01.79\00:26:04.46
Do you know what? There are
millions of Jews, Protestants,
00:26:04.46\00:26:09.13
and Catholics who have used that
flimsy argument for remaining
with their religion.
00:26:09.13\00:26:13.27
You can make that option. It's
your choice. "No intellectual
00:26:13.27\00:26:18.37
commitment, no financial
support, not even an existential
bond with the church, some
00:26:18.37\00:26:23.85
little mystical tie that binds
me to its tenets and its
practices. No, we stay, but we
00:26:23.85\00:26:28.35
stay physically. We do not
stay mentally. We do not stay
00:26:28.35\00:26:33.82
spiritually." But how honest is
that sort of two-timing
business? I mean, come on.
00:26:33.82\00:26:39.93
Why don't you just go for
option number one and drop the
00:26:39.93\00:26:42.93
charades? Now, I'm not
recommending option number one
or option number two. I'd like
00:26:42.93\00:26:48.64
to challenge you with option
number three. You say, "Come on,
Dwight. What's option three?"
00:26:48.64\00:26:52.11
What if we opted to engage in
brutally honest soul searching
and submit ourselves to the
00:26:52.11\00:27:00.68
possibility that the problem
isn't with the church -- the
problem is with me and you?
00:27:00.68\00:27:09.46
What if we said, "All right, I'm
going to be honest, playing no
games with my mind.
00:27:09.46\00:27:16.83
Could it be that the church
I belong to... Could it be it
00:27:16.83\00:27:21.97
turns out I'm the one needing
spiritual reformation, spiritual
00:27:21.97\00:27:26.41
transformation?" Option number
three. I'd like to challenge you
to embrace it with me.
00:27:26.41\00:27:29.74
Right? What do you say we
go for it? Let's just try it.
00:27:29.74\00:27:32.51
Let's see how it works. Here's
how it works. The moment you say
00:27:32.51\00:27:36.65
yes to option number three,
brutal soul searching, in that
very instant, an ancient letter
00:27:36.65\00:27:43.16
long, long ago will suddenly be
in our faces [ Chuckles ]
because you can't duck this
00:27:43.16\00:27:49.26
letter. You can't get away from
it. And besides, why would you
00:27:49.26\00:27:53.40
even try? It's the last letter.
It's the last letter of the
00:27:53.40\00:27:56.07
Bible. It's the last
letter of the Apocalypse.
00:27:56.07\00:27:58.31
It's the last word. As scholars
say, seven generations of
00:27:58.31\00:28:04.01
history, seven epochs of
history, seven chapters from the
Cross of Christ to the coming of
00:28:04.01\00:28:09.12
Christ. The last letter is
directed to those living just
before the coming of Christ.
00:28:09.12\00:28:14.76
I want to go to that last letter
with you today once again. Five
times we've read that
00:28:14.76\00:28:20.03
letter. It's a short letter.
I wish people who wrote their
00:28:20.03\00:28:23.00
e-mails would keep it this
short. It's a short letter. Come
00:28:23.00\00:28:26.74
on. Take a look at it.
Revelation chapter 3, the last
00:28:26.74\00:28:30.47
letter, come on. You got your
Bible here? You got a phone
here. It's in your phone.
00:28:30.47\00:28:33.71
Pull it out. Take a look at
this with me. Revelation 3:14.
00:28:33.71\00:28:37.48
Red letters -- that means
Jesus speaking. He dictated the
00:28:37.48\00:28:41.15
letter. Here it is.
00:28:41.15\00:28:43.39
"I was in the beginning, and I'm
the Amen at the end, and I'm
everything in between.
00:28:51.59\00:28:56.30
Listen up. I'm writing to you."
00:28:56.30\00:28:58.63
Thanks a lot!
00:29:16.92\00:29:17.85
"Here I am! I stand
at the door and knock.
00:29:37.57\00:29:40.31
If anyone hears my voice and
opens the door, I will come in"
00:29:40.31\00:29:42.78
to her, I will come in to him,
I will come in to them, "and I
00:29:42.78\00:29:45.71
will eat with
them, and they with me."
00:29:45.71\00:29:48.35
The end. And by the
way, did you catch verse 19?
00:29:59.06\00:30:01.93
Let me put verse 19 on
the screen. Look at 19 again,
00:30:01.93\00:30:04.77
please. Does that feel like a
little bit of cognitive
dissonance going on?
00:30:10.21\00:30:13.58
I mean, you're talking about
love and discipline at the same
00:30:13.58\00:30:16.98
time. Did you ever get spanked?
You probably never got spanked
00:30:16.98\00:30:20.65
in your life. Come on. I'm
looking at you, and I can tell
you've never been spanked.
00:30:20.65\00:30:24.72
I got whupped all the time. You
know, my folks would say before
00:30:24.72\00:30:30.53
the whipping, "Now, Dwight, we
want you to know, boy, that we
00:30:30.53\00:30:37.80
love you." This doesn't feel
like love at all. "And by the
00:30:37.80\00:30:42.94
way," and did your folks ever
say this? Did your folks ever
say, "And by the way, this is
00:30:42.94\00:30:46.44
going to hurt me more than it
hurts you"? [ Laughter ] Did
your folks say that?
00:30:46.44\00:30:52.71
Oh, you heard it from your
folks, too, huh? Man, you can be
00:30:52.71\00:30:57.45
young and hear that stuff.
Must be in some parenting book
00:30:57.45\00:31:01.59
somewhere... You..."This
hurts you more than me? Ah.
00:31:01.59\00:31:05.56
Let's trade places, then, so
you won't be hurt as much." [
00:31:05.56\00:31:10.53
Laughter ] Verse 19 again, come
on. Cognitive dissonance. "Those
whom I love" -- Jesus
00:31:10.53\00:31:15.24
speaking -- "I rebuke and
discipline. So be earnest and
00:31:15.24\00:31:18.54
repent." Now, the problem is
we're reading this in the
English because if we could read
00:31:18.54\00:31:21.44
it in the Greek, it goes like
this. "Those whom I feel an
affection for, those whom I feel
00:31:21.44\00:31:27.75
close to, those whom I love,"
phileo, Philadelphia, city of
00:31:27.75\00:31:32.29
brotherly love. This is the only
church in the seven that gets
this warmth expressed to it.
00:31:32.29\00:31:39.29
"I have the warmth of
friendship for you. I love you."
00:31:39.29\00:31:43.47
This is the only church, the one
at the end. And by the way, did
00:31:43.47\00:31:49.44
you notice this? He's not
declaring His love before the
00:31:49.44\00:31:52.77
discipline as your parent did.
He's affirming his love after
the discipline, and that's
00:31:52.77\00:31:57.41
the only time when your mind is
open to comprehend love. Pretty
00:31:57.41\00:32:02.85
smart move. What kind of
discipline you talking about?
Well, what did He just call you?
00:32:02.85\00:32:07.59
Miserable. Naked.
What was this? Wretched.
00:32:07.59\00:32:13.46
Poor. Blind. Mm!
00:32:13.46\00:32:15.76
Not -- the last letter is not
about name calling, folks. By
the way, you remember.
00:32:15.76\00:32:19.67
We've already found this out.
Those five epithets -- Jesus
embraced them all at the
00:32:19.67\00:32:24.61
Cross. He became all
five. No, this isn't about name
00:32:24.61\00:32:27.21
calling. This is about life
changing. This is about soul
00:32:27.21\00:32:30.81
saving. "And by the way, I'm
standing at the door, and I'm
knocking. I'm the only friend
00:32:30.81\00:32:34.58
you have that loves you this
deeply. Do you understand that?
I am your very best friend, and
00:32:34.58\00:32:38.09
I'm the only one who can save
you, and I'm standing at your
door, and I'm knocking right
00:32:38.09\00:32:41.52
now, girl. I'm knocking right
now, boy." That's what he's
00:32:41.52\00:32:47.96
saying here,
verse 20. Read it again.
00:32:47.96\00:32:49.73
It's an amazing, amazing line.
"Behold, I stand at the door and
00:32:59.27\00:33:05.48
knock." And wouldn't you know
it? That one line can be
understood in three very
00:33:05.48\00:33:11.52
different ways. And all three
very different ways are correct.
They're three invitations.
00:33:11.52\00:33:19.26
And you gotta get this. There's
a study guide tucked away in
your worship bulletin.
00:33:19.26\00:33:23.40
Will you pull that study guide
out right now, please? I want
you to jot these three
00:33:23.40\00:33:26.30
invitations down. Yeah. We
got ushers who will come your
00:33:26.30\00:33:28.74
way. You didn't get a
study guide? Put your hand up.
00:33:28.74\00:33:30.94
In the balcony, here, in the
band as well. We'll get a study
00:33:30.94\00:33:37.15
guide to you. You know, we're
putting it on the screen here.
00:33:37.31\00:33:40.45
This is the
series, "The Last Letter."
00:33:40.45\00:33:42.05
"Home Alone" 19. You
know, this "Home Alone"
00:33:42.05\00:33:44.42
franchise -- these are the
Christmas children videos that
00:33:44.42\00:33:47.39
come out. I went on...
00:33:47.39\00:33:48.89
The whole world knows
"Home Alone," by the way,
00:33:48.89\00:33:51.56
so I go on Google to find out
how many have you had. I get up
00:33:51.73\00:33:55.90
to five -- "Home Alone 5." I
went ahead, just to be safe, put
19 there so that we're not
00:33:55.90\00:33:59.80
stepping on anybody's toes. Home
Alone. Okay, so you click on
00:33:59.80\00:34:04.57
"Home Alone," and you'll
get this study guide. All right?
00:34:04.57\00:34:07.08
Okay, let's go. Invitation
number one, jot it down, please.
00:34:07.08\00:34:09.38
Invitation number one, Jesus'
gospel invitation. Yeah, this is
00:34:09.38\00:34:14.22
a gospel invitation. This is the
invitation, by the way, that was
00:34:14.22\00:34:17.72
captured for an entire
generation by the composer Ralph
Carmichael. You ever heard this
00:34:17.72\00:34:21.09
song? ¤ The Savior is waiting to
enter your heart ¤ ¤ Why don't
00:34:21.09\00:34:29.63
you let Him come in? ¤ ¤ There's
nothing in this world to keep
00:34:29.63\00:34:38.51
you apart ¤ ¤ What
is your answer to Him? ¤
00:34:38.51\00:34:42.61
Let's do the chorus
together, on the screen.
00:34:42.78\00:34:44.51
[ Congregation sings ]
00:34:44.51\00:34:48.52
There's the word
door, door, door.
00:35:04.80\00:35:06.97
¤¤
00:35:06.97\00:35:14.34
"Here I am. I stand at the door
and knock." It's Jesus' gospel
00:35:14.51\00:35:21.05
invitation. By the way, it's not
just here in Revelation. It's
all the way through the
00:35:21.05\00:35:23.35
Bible. Grab your
pen now. Jot this down.
00:35:23.35\00:35:25.99
Proverbs 23:26, God speaking.
"My child, give Me your" what?
"Give Me your heart."
00:35:25.99\00:35:30.99
"I'm standing at the door. Give
Me your heart." Or go to the New
00:35:30.99\00:35:35.00
Testament. Jesus, on the eve of
His execution, John 14:23 -- jot
00:35:35.00\00:35:39.20
this down.
00:35:39.20\00:35:40.20
"My Father will love them, and
We will come to them and make
00:35:42.50\00:35:44.81
Our" -- what's the word
there? "We'll make our home.
00:35:44.81\00:35:47.11
We'll make our home with
you." So it's not just Jesus who
00:35:47.11\00:35:50.48
comes. Jesus says, "The Father
will come with Me." And a little
00:35:50.48\00:35:54.22
bit earlier in the same upper
room, in verse 17 of chapter 14,
Jesus has already spoken these
00:35:54.22\00:35:57.92
words. Jot this down.
00:35:57.92\00:35:58.85
The gospel invitation is
the whole Trinity saying, "Hey,
00:36:04.23\00:36:09.20
We're knocking together. Can We
come into your life?" Oh, what a
profound invitation.
00:36:09.20\00:36:14.50
It's no wonder Ellen
White has claimed -- I love this
00:36:14.50\00:36:16.44
one-liner. How come
I've never seen this
00:36:16.44\00:36:17.91
before? On the screen...
00:36:17.91\00:36:19.41
"That heart is the happiest that
has Christ as an abiding guest."
00:36:19.57\00:36:24.55
You see, He's not a
member of the family.
00:36:24.55\00:36:26.48
He's a guest. You invite Him in.
00:36:26.48\00:36:28.98
He only comes by invitation.
"Let us," she goes on,
00:36:28.98\00:36:32.19
"acknowledge Him as
our Friend and Saviour."
00:36:32.19\00:36:35.52
"Behold, I stand..." [ Knocking
] "...at the door and knock."
00:36:35.69\00:36:40.20
Three invitations. Invitation
number one -- Jesus' gospel
00:36:40.20\00:36:43.30
invitation. Jot it down.
Invitation number two -- Jesus'
endtime invitation.
00:36:43.30\00:36:48.27
Because as it turns out, Jesus
has already used this metaphor
about the door when He
00:36:48.27\00:36:52.74
was here with us. In
fact, put it on the screen.
00:36:52.74\00:36:55.51
He's giving a recital of what
it's going to be like on the
planet before He returns.
00:36:58.38\00:37:03.05
The words on the screen. "Then
they" -- that's the world --
"will see the Son of
00:37:03.05\00:37:07.02
Man" -- that would be Me, He
says -- "coming in the clouds
with great power and glory."
00:37:07.02\00:37:11.39
Even so, you too, when you see
these things happening,
recognize that He is near, right
00:37:11.39\00:37:17.87
at the" -- What's the word? He's
at the door! "Behold, I stand at
00:37:17.87\00:37:23.77
the door and knock" means "I'm
almost here! I'm almost here.
Anybody waiting for Me?"
00:37:23.77\00:37:31.75
Revelation is replete with this
idea of imminence, you know,
this almost, this soon business.
00:37:31.75\00:37:37.42
On the screen, jot this down.
Quoting Jesus, "'Look! I am
coming...'" what's the
00:37:37.42\00:37:41.06
word? "'...soon!'...He who
testifies to these things says,
00:37:41.06\00:37:45.69
'Yes, I am coming soon.'"
"Behold, I stand at the door and
knock" means "I'm almost here!"
00:37:45.69\00:37:50.33
Do you understand that? "I
am almost here for you." Yeah.
00:37:50.33\00:37:58.21
Yeah. "I think I'm on... Come
on, Dwight. Give me a break.
00:37:58.21\00:38:00.21
Don't you think I can figure
this out? That was 1,900 years
00:38:00.21\00:38:04.88
ago!" So your point is? What's
your point? Go ahead and make
00:38:04.88\00:38:10.72
it. You have a problem
with this imminence business?
00:38:10.72\00:38:14.59
The New Testament
is replete with it.
00:38:14.76\00:38:16.59
You know why? I'll tell you why.
00:38:16.59\00:38:19.89
I have a friend who
has a... had a friend.
00:38:19.89\00:38:22.66
37 years old, fit as a fiddle.
One young wife and two young
00:38:22.83\00:38:28.50
children. And in one instance a
few weeks ago, [ Snaps ] gone!
Nothing wrong with him.
00:38:28.50\00:38:33.94
[ Snaps ] Gone!
00:38:33.94\00:38:36.85
That's why the Bible
never backs off of imminence.
00:38:37.01\00:38:41.52
It never backs off "soon."
Because it might not be "I'm at
00:38:41.52\00:38:45.62
the door for all of you,"
but, "Sir, I am at the door for
00:38:45.62\00:38:49.52
you.
00:38:49.52\00:38:50.89
I'm coming for you."
Knock-knock. [ Snaps ]
00:38:51.06\00:38:55.63
Over. Yeah, it's
somber. That's why it's there --
00:38:55.63\00:39:02.90
to shake us up, to wake us
up and say, "Can't play this
00:39:02.90\00:39:07.18
waiting game. What are you
waiting for?" And by the way,
it's going to happen the same
00:39:07.18\00:39:15.85
way for the entire civilization.
[ Snaps ] That's it.
00:39:15.85\00:39:20.46
"Are you serious?"
That's it. Look at this.
00:39:20.46\00:39:23.69
Paul, 1 Thessalonians
5:2-3. Jot this down.
00:39:23.69\00:39:29.56
Look at -- have you ever heard
of a thief who sends you a
postcard and says, "I'm going to
00:39:32.93\00:39:35.60
be in your neighborhood next
week. Hope to see you then"?
00:39:35.60\00:39:37.87
What? There's no thief
in the world that does that.
00:39:37.87\00:39:39.77
Why doesn't he do that? Because
it's the element of surprise.
00:39:39.77\00:39:43.21
If you know that the thief is
coming tonight to your dorm room
or to your house, you're going
00:39:43.21\00:39:47.32
to be sitting there with a
40-gauge shotgun, right? "I got
a surprise for you!"
00:39:47.32\00:39:53.22
No, you never know. That's
the whole metaphor of a thief.
00:39:53.22\00:39:56.32
That's what it'll be with the
human race. "The day of the Lord
00:39:56.32\00:39:59.19
will come like a
thief in the night.
00:39:59.19\00:40:00.13
While people are saying,
'Peace,'"...High-five, man,
00:40:00.30\00:40:03.06
"'Peace and safety, destruction
will come on them suddenly..."
00:40:03.06\00:40:06.20
Write that word down.
"...suddenly, as labor pains on
00:40:06.20\00:40:08.80
a pregnant woman,
and they will not..."
00:40:08.80\00:40:10.67
And in the Greek,
it's a double negative.
00:40:10.67\00:40:12.61
"...they will
will no not escape."
00:40:12.61\00:40:14.81
Impossible. [ Snaps ]
00:40:14.81\00:40:16.38
Finished! That was it.
00:40:16.38\00:40:18.38
That was it! "I
thought there was more
00:40:18.38\00:40:20.45
supposed to
happen." Nope, that was it.
00:40:20.45\00:40:21.82
It's over.
00:40:21.82\00:40:22.88
"Behold, I stand at the door and
knock" therefore must not only
mean "I am returning to you
00:40:23.05\00:40:29.69
soon." It means "I am returning
to this civilization soon."
00:40:29.69\00:40:37.20
Look at -- we're not dealing
with rocket science. Now, I talk
with bright people.
00:40:37.20\00:40:39.70
When I fly, I get to sit
by bright people. I talk with
00:40:39.70\00:40:43.30
bright people on this campus,
where I live. Guess what.
There's this numinous uneasiness
00:40:43.30\00:40:48.64
among thinking human beings
today that senses there's some
approaching dread that we do not
00:40:48.64\00:40:56.82
know of. There's some shoe
that's going to fall next, and
00:40:56.82\00:41:00.69
we have no clue what this shoe
is. We just know it's coming.
That's what the Bible is saying.
00:41:00.69\00:41:09.23
"Hey, Earth. Hey,
America. Hey, Andrews.
00:41:09.23\00:41:16.24
Hey, Laodicea. Guess
what. I'm almost there."
00:41:16.24\00:41:23.71
Ooh. Three invitations.
Invitation number one -- Jesus'
00:41:23.71\00:41:27.25
gospel invitation. Invitation
number two -- Jesus' endtime or
end game invitation.
00:41:27.25\00:41:33.79
That little American lady writer
that we quoted a moment ago --
00:41:33.79\00:41:37.43
let me put her
on the screen again.
00:41:37.43\00:41:38.33
"Remember" -- there's
an enemy in this game.
00:41:48.77\00:41:51.47
The enemy..."Satan has come down
with great power, to work with
00:41:51.47\00:41:54.84
all deceivableness," all
craftiness, all trickery -- why?
00:41:54.84\00:42:00.62
Because he knows he's lost, but
he's taking every soul with him
00:42:00.62\00:42:06.59
that he can.
00:42:06.59\00:42:07.82
"Behold, I stand at the door
and knock; if anyone hears My
00:42:07.99\00:42:13.26
voice..." Oh, by the way, yeah,
it's not just this. [ Knocking ]
There's a voice going along with
00:42:13.26\00:42:17.63
this. I don't know if it's
a plea. I don't know if it's
00:42:17.63\00:42:20.60
begging. I don't know if He's
shouting. "Anybody in there?
00:42:20.60\00:42:26.24
Anybody in there, would you open
the door?" The voice accompanies
00:42:26.24\00:42:31.41
the knocking. Three invitations.
Here's invitation number three,
00:42:31.41\00:42:33.68
the last one. Jot that down,
please. Jesus' embarrassing
00:42:38.75\00:42:41.92
invitation. And it took a
retired German businessman
turned pastor, who taught me
00:42:42.09\00:42:48.63
this. And it is embarrassing,
but it's true. And I said, "Why
00:42:48.63\00:42:52.40
have I never seen this before?"
But I'm passing it on to you.
00:42:52.40\00:42:56.60
Check it out. It's embarrassing
because what's going on in that
Laodicean church of Christ in
00:42:56.60\00:43:01.91
the seventh and final period
before He returns is that it's
conducting its business as if
00:43:01.91\00:43:07.08
the Lord is not in their midst.
Or could it be the other way
00:43:07.08\00:43:10.75
around? As if the Lord is
in their midst. But surprise,
00:43:10.75\00:43:15.52
surprise, surprise. He's not
in their midst. He's outside.
00:43:15.52\00:43:19.06
Will you jot that down? It
appears that Jesus is not even
00:43:19.06\00:43:24.40
in the church. He's standing on
the outside. Here's this church
-- can you believe it?
00:43:24.40\00:43:29.50
This church going through their
great debates, this church going
through their grand feats.
00:43:29.50\00:43:34.41
Here's Laodicea through its
glorious "We have need of
nothing" motions and
00:43:34.41\00:43:38.65
countermotions, and all the
while, the Lord of Laodicea is
outside the church.
00:43:38.65\00:43:43.22
Go figure! And by the way,
what's interesting about this
00:43:43.22\00:43:46.65
Laodicean church -- they're the
ones that the Apocalypse calls
00:43:46.65\00:43:49.62
the remnant. The remnant. This
is the final generation, and
what are they thinking?
00:43:49.62\00:43:53.76
And I ask myself, "Dwight, what
are you thinking? What are we
00:43:53.76\00:43:57.83
thinking?" Apparently, we can't
hear Him. Maybe that's it. We
just can't hear Him.
00:43:57.83\00:44:01.97
I can't imagine you and I... in
our great deliberations and our
mighty discussions, I can't
00:44:01.97\00:44:07.34
imagine that if we were
hearing... if we could hear the
00:44:07.34\00:44:10.15
knocking, we wouldn't all join
together and run to the front
door of the Pioneer Memorial
00:44:10.15\00:44:13.85
Church and throw the door open.
"Jesus, come on in!" I can't
00:44:13.85\00:44:16.89
imagine one person intentionally
turning Him away and saying,
"Nah, I don't want to hear that.
00:44:16.89\00:44:19.45
I don't want to hear it. I
can't hear it. I can't hear it."
00:44:19.45\00:44:21.56
No. We... Apparently, it's
so noisy in the Laodicean church
00:44:21.56\00:44:28.23
before the end, there's so much
distraction, that nobody hears
the knocking. So the knocking
00:44:28.23\00:44:35.50
now has to be accompanied with
a voice. Wow. Makes you wonder,
00:44:35.50\00:44:43.95
doesn't it? How long have we
been home alone as a church? How
long have we been home
00:44:43.95\00:44:54.39
alone? Hmm. How embarrassing.
00:44:54.39\00:44:58.36
Or as this writer
puts it, what a loss.
00:44:58.53\00:45:00.53
Put this on the screen, please.
00:45:00.53\00:45:01.70
"What a terrible thing it is
to exclude Christ from His own
00:45:17.98\00:45:20.48
temple," His own church!
"What a loss" -- write that
00:45:20.48\00:45:23.22
down -- "What a
loss for the church!"
00:45:23.22\00:45:26.12
So here's the question.
00:45:26.12\00:45:27.39
What are we supposed to do now?
As humbling as it's going to
feel -- and trust me,
00:45:27.56\00:45:32.56
it will feel that way -- we need
to cry what the people cried out
when they were listening to
00:45:32.56\00:45:37.50
Peter on the day of Pentecost.
You remember the story, don't
00:45:37.50\00:45:40.87
you, of Pentecost? I mean, it
went like wildfire, electricity,
through the city. There are a
00:45:40.87\00:45:45.47
bunch of fishermen who were
speaking the languages of the
empire, and all of the
00:45:45.47\00:45:50.11
representative strangers are
hearing it in their own mother
tongue. What's going on?
00:45:50.11\00:45:53.21
And Peter stands up and says,
"Yo! Stop! Shh. Quiet. Time out.
00:45:53.21\00:45:56.79
Hey, listen, guys. These
men are not drunk. This is the
00:45:56.79\00:46:03.53
outpouring of the mighty Spirit
of God." And Peter pivots on
that point, and he begins to
00:46:03.53\00:46:08.36
unfold the life and the
crucifixion and the resurrection
of Jesus of Nazareth.
00:46:08.36\00:46:12.17
When he's through, the crowd is
so moved, do you know what they
00:46:12.17\00:46:15.40
cry out? "What are we supposed
to do?" And Peter answers, and I
want you to see his answer.
00:46:15.40\00:46:21.28
Put it on the screen. Acts 2:38.
00:46:21.28\00:46:23.81
Do you know what we just read?
That's the identical word in the
letter to the Laodiceans.
00:46:36.89\00:46:42.60
Didn't Jesus just use this word
"repent" in verse 19? Yeah,
"Repent," He says in verse
00:46:42.60\00:46:47.97
19. "Be baptized." That
means hit the reset button.
00:46:47.97\00:46:51.54
Start over again. And open the
door. Because if you open the
00:46:51.54\00:46:56.14
door, you'll receive, Peter
says, the gift of the Holy
Spirit. "I will come into you."
00:46:56.14\00:47:00.82
"Yeah, but, Dwight, that's Jesus
coming in, not the Holy Spirit
00:47:00.82\00:47:04.65
coming in." Wrong. Look at
the last line of this letter.
00:47:04.65\00:47:08.42
"Whoever has ears, let them hear
what the" -- what the what? --
"what the Spirit says to the
00:47:09.19\00:47:15.73
churches." It's the Spirit who's
been talking this whole time.
00:47:15.73\00:47:19.87
Jesus said, "I'm knocking, but
when I come in, boom, you have
what the Spirit has
00:47:19.87\00:47:25.04
promised." And what is the
Spirit saying to the Seventh-Day
00:47:25.04\00:47:29.78
Adventist Church today? "I know
you think you don't have need of
anything, Laodicea,
00:47:29.78\00:47:37.29
I know you think you can pull
off the healing of this church,
but there aren't enough
00:47:37.29\00:47:44.39
parliamentary rules and
procedures to vote yourselves
into healing the fracture and
00:47:44.39\00:47:49.93
reviving the church. You just
can't take action. You can't
00:47:49.93\00:47:55.24
vote Me in. You can't vote Me
out. I stand at the door and
knock if you'll repent.
00:47:55.24\00:48:04.75
Admit to Me and to each other
that I'm the only hope, the only
solution left for your Church.
00:48:04.75\00:48:10.05
Ask Me to come into your midst.
Call upon Me. Cry out for Me.
00:48:10.05\00:48:14.36
I will come in. And I will
deliver the Church. I will heal
00:48:14.36\00:48:24.83
the Church. I will pour out
my Spirit upon all flesh. And
00:48:24.83\00:48:33.14
you'll be healed." That's a hard
Word for Laodicea to swallow
because we're so used to
00:48:33.14\00:48:38.75
quid pro quo. I mean, you
go through these steps, you're
00:48:38.75\00:48:42.35
going to get this result. We've
been going through all kinds of
00:48:42.35\00:48:46.05
revised and re-- steps and
procedures, and we're still not
getting the result. What's up
00:48:46.05\00:48:51.76
with that? Because we can't
program Him into our midst. We
have to actually invite Him,
00:48:51.76\00:48:57.20
and He says, "When I come in,
would you repent? Would you turn
00:48:57.20\00:49:01.77
your back on what you've tried?
Would you come to Me just as you
00:49:01.77\00:49:06.71
are?" I'm going to have to put
my arm around you. You put your
00:49:06.71\00:49:09.68
arm around me. That's what
repent means. We reject what
we've tried. We now turn to the
00:49:09.68\00:49:15.15
only supernatural solution left
to us, and O God, that would be
00:49:15.15\00:49:20.06
You. That would be You. Come
into our midst. We've done it
00:49:20.06\00:49:26.90
all, and we're still hurting and
fractured. And we're getting
absolutely nowhere.
00:49:26.90\00:49:34.60
That's what's going on. And
that's why it's so embarrassing.
00:49:34.60\00:49:38.44
Because He's in the
Church -- not. He's out there.
00:49:38.44\00:49:48.72
"Let me in. Open that door.
Repent. Hit the reset button.
00:49:48.72\00:49:54.59
I'll give you the Holy Spirit."
The one gift, by the way, that
brings every other gift with it.
00:49:54.59\00:50:02.46
Can you imagine that? I mean,
just try to picture what God is
00:50:02.46\00:50:08.10
offering us here. He says,
"Look, I'll start with one
person at a time. That one
00:50:08.10\00:50:11.94
person -- he, she will ask Me
for the daily baptism of the
Holy Spirit, and I will come in
00:50:11.94\00:50:16.31
every day," because the Holy
Spirit is speaking -- Jesus and
the Holy Spirit are both there
00:50:16.31\00:50:20.78
-- "I will come into her today,
I will come into him today, with
just one person. That's all I
00:50:20.78\00:50:25.12
need is one person." Because in
the divine mathematics of God,
00:50:25.12\00:50:30.19
it takes only one until suddenly
two. Ooh, two are there. Two
people prayed for the daily
00:50:30.19\00:50:37.97
baptism of the Holy Spirit. And
then before you know it, boom,
00:50:37.97\00:50:41.50
four. Let's put the Holy
Spirit's geometric progression
00:50:41.50\00:50:44.84
on the screen. Read these
numbers for me. This is how fast
it can happen. Watch this.
00:50:44.84\00:50:48.14
Let's start out with... Let's
read one. Okay, one, you're the
00:50:48.14\00:50:51.25
one, so He starts with you. One,
okay, read it out loud with me.
00:50:51.25\00:50:54.82
2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128,
00:50:54.82\00:51:02.72
256, 512, 1,024, 2,048,
00:51:02.72\00:51:08.33
4,096, and up. Mathematicians
call it geometric progression.
00:51:08.33\00:51:13.34
It just takes the one to start,
and somewhere on the planet, oh,
00:51:13.34\00:51:18.67
I wish it would be here, but it
may not be. It may be far across
the seas in Africa, in Asia,
00:51:18.67\00:51:24.85
somewhere, poof, there is an
explosion. Somewhere 500 miles
away, poof, there's another
00:51:24.85\00:51:30.69
explosion. And suddenly from
east to west, north to south,
the Earth is literally being set
00:51:30.69\00:51:35.76
ablaze. Revelation 18:1, just
before the return of Jesus, a
mighty angel comes down and sets
00:51:35.76\00:51:41.96
the entire planet on fire with
the glory of God. And it started
00:51:41.96\00:51:46.47
with just one. One teenager
says, "I'm not quitting. I'll
keep praying that prayer
00:51:46.47\00:51:52.31
every day." Just
one. That's all it takes.
00:51:52.31\00:51:56.24
Geometric progression.
00:51:56.24\00:51:58.51
Just one. And then
this thing that we've
00:51:58.68\00:52:02.58
called the latter
rain... What is the latter rain?
00:52:02.58\00:52:05.52
It's just a whole lot of people
in the same space experiencing
the daily baptism of the
00:52:05.69\00:52:09.89
Holy Spirit. That's all it is.
00:52:09.89\00:52:11.36
It's not like... [
Imitates explosion ]
00:52:11.53\00:52:13.13
...the roof's off
the church. Just one.
00:52:13.13\00:52:18.33
And I do believe
you are that one.
00:52:18.33\00:52:22.44
I believe it. I believe it.
00:52:22.44\00:52:24.61
Wow. All because the leaders and
the people of the church cried
00:52:24.77\00:52:31.75
out to God to do what is more
than clear we are not able to do
ourselves, pour out Your
00:52:31.75\00:52:36.08
Holy Spirit upon a... How
does she put it? A languishing
00:52:36.08\00:52:41.12
church. It must...but it can
only begin by obeying the Lord
of Laodicea's command, His plea,
00:52:41.12\00:52:48.50
"I want you to repent." It's
never comfortable to repent
because I have to repent
00:52:48.50\00:52:53.77
to you, and you hear me, and
it's very humbling. But that's
00:52:53.77\00:52:58.94
the only way. You talk to me.
But the only way we can break
the logjam is you repenting to
00:52:58.94\00:53:05.91
your husband, you repenting
to your wife. Repentance starts
00:53:05.91\00:53:14.69
with one. Repent. For unless
there is repentance, there'll be
00:53:14.69\00:53:23.16
no healing. There'll be no
revival. There'll be no Holy
Spirit until a new generation of
00:53:23.16\00:53:27.00
leaders and members is raised
up. And I may be the first
pastor... [ Snaps ] He's out.
00:53:27.00\00:53:34.11
"We're going to have to move.
Get him out." The point is "I'm
00:53:34.11\00:53:40.92
standing at the door knocking.
If you hear My voice," there'll
be a band of men, there'll be a
00:53:40.92\00:53:48.56
band of women, there'll be a
band of young adults at Andrews
University and in the
00:53:48.56\00:53:52.39
Seventh-Day Adventist Church,
who will cry out every day...
00:53:52.39\00:53:55.23
Let's put that prayer
on the screen, please.
00:53:55.23\00:53:57.87
...who will cry out every day...
00:53:57.87\00:54:00.10
Is that a hard prayer to
pray? Doesn't look too hard.
00:54:05.87\00:54:09.71
Let's try reading
it out loud together.
00:54:09.71\00:54:11.58
"O Jesus, please come in
and pour Your Spirit upon us
00:54:11.58\00:54:17.59
now!" You know what I want to
do? I want to kneel down right
00:54:17.59\00:54:21.19
here. I want to pray with you.
Come on. Let's kneel down. Let's
00:54:21.19\00:54:23.56
pray. It's one thing to put
it on the screen. It's another
00:54:23.56\00:54:27.50
thing to pray the words, you and
I together. O God, O Lord of
Laodicea, three invitations.
00:54:27.50\00:54:39.07
The gospel invitation -- we get
it. The endgame invitation --
00:54:39.07\00:54:44.25
we understand that. The
embarrassing one -- O Jesus, it
00:54:44.25\00:54:50.89
is embarrassing. Have You been
out... Have we left You out
there? Have we been home alone
00:54:50.89\00:54:56.19
all these years? It
cannot be! It just cannot be.
00:54:56.19\00:55:02.73
So, we are in a position of
abject humility before You. Our
00:55:02.73\00:55:10.04
heads are down. We're on our
knees. And we're asking You,
please, do whatever it takes to
00:55:10.04\00:55:17.98
awaken the repentance that needs
to be in my heart. O God,
forgive me for the times
00:55:17.98\00:55:25.89
too many when I have stepped in
between You and others and I
have eclipsed Your glory, I've
00:55:25.89\00:55:33.63
blocked the light from shining,
trying to insert myself into the
00:55:33.63\00:55:40.70
moment. Forgive me. I have
sinned. Forgive us, this church
00:55:40.70\00:55:49.31
we all love. We've opted to
stay in. But we need You to do
00:55:49.31\00:55:56.15
whatever it takes to lead us
into a deep repentance that
turns us from ourselves to our
00:55:56.15\00:56:03.06
Savior. Oh, Jesus.
Come in. We didn't...
00:56:03.06\00:56:11.37
We didn't know that was
You knocking. We thought it was
00:56:18.34\00:56:23.68
just... some interference. We've
blocked Your knocking and Your
00:56:23.68\00:56:31.05
voice out. Jesus, we hear You
now. Please come in for all of
00:56:31.05\00:56:38.19
us, and save Laodicea. You're
not going to lose the Church.
00:56:38.19\00:56:41.53
Save the people of Laodicea.
I humbly pray. Do whatever it
00:56:41.53\00:56:48.67
takes. But may we never be the
same again for having read Your
00:56:48.67\00:56:55.48
letter to us. In Your mighty
name, let all the people say,
"Amen." And Amen. Amen.
00:56:55.48\00:57:06.92
>> Think of the last time
someone said, "I'm praying
00:57:09.02\00:57:12.39
for you." Didn't
it give you a sense of
00:57:12.39\00:57:14.30
peace and reassurance
that somebody cares for me?
00:57:14.30\00:57:16.80
I know how I feel when I get an
e-mail from one of our viewers
saying, "Yo, Dwight.
00:57:16.97\00:57:20.64
I've been praying for you
lately." There's nothing like
00:57:20.64\00:57:23.37
knowing someone is praying for
you. So I want to offer you an
opportunity to partner -- let
00:57:23.37\00:57:27.18
me, let us partner
with you in prayer.
00:57:27.18\00:57:29.68
If you have a special
prayer request or a praise of
00:57:29.84\00:57:31.75
thanksgiving you'd like to
share with us, I'm inviting you
00:57:31.75\00:57:34.68
to contact one of
our friendly chaplains.
00:57:34.68\00:57:36.58
It's simple to do.
You can call our toll-free
00:57:36.58\00:57:38.55
number -- 877 -- the two
words "HIS WILL," 877-HIS-WILL.
00:57:38.55\00:57:43.69
That friendly voice that
answers, you tell him, you tell
00:57:43.69\00:57:46.83
her what your prayer need
is, we'll join with you in that
00:57:46.83\00:57:49.86
petition.
00:57:49.86\00:57:51.40
May the God who answers prayer
journey with you these next few
days until we're right back
00:57:51.57\00:57:55.47
here together again next time.
00:57:55.47\00:57:59.27
¤¤ ¤¤
00:57:59.44\00:58:19.23
¤¤
00:58:19.23\00:58:28.90