¤¤
00:00:00.60\00:00:07.30
>> Father God, we come humbly
bowed at the foot of the throne,
00:00:10.04\00:00:13.61
just thanking You
for another day of life.
00:00:13.61\00:00:16.04
Lord, this morning we ask that
you give us a breakthrough -- a
breakthrough in the way that
00:00:16.08\00:00:21.02
we see you, a breakthrough in
the way that we see this world
around us, Lord, a breakthrough
00:00:21.02\00:00:25.92
in the way that we believe in
You. We ask that you invite --
00:00:25.92\00:00:30.99
We invite Your Holy Spirit to
come and join us. We invite your
00:00:30.99\00:00:34.83
angels to come sing with and
through us as we praise You, as
we honor You, as we glorify Your
00:00:34.83\00:00:39.27
name. We ask You to be here in
the midst as we worship you, oh,
Lord, and we ask that our
00:00:39.27\00:00:43.54
worship and our praise be
honorable. We ask all these
00:00:43.54\00:00:48.21
things in your Son's
precious name. Amen. >> Amen.
00:00:48.21\00:00:51.65
>> Good morning, church
family. >> Good morning.
00:00:51.68\00:00:54.32
>> It is a pleasure to be
here with you this morning.
00:00:54.32\00:00:56.65
If some of you
didn't know, there is the
00:00:56.65\00:00:59.25
Worship and Music Conference
going on this weekend, and it
00:00:59.25\00:01:01.86
has been a blast.
00:01:01.86\00:01:03.69
It's been so wonderful, and
we've been able to share in
diversity and our differences in
00:01:03.73\00:01:09.00
music genres and styles, and
this morning I want to share
with you a new song.
00:01:09.00\00:01:13.40
The song is called "I Believe."
And so I would invite you to
stand on your feet as we sing
00:01:13.40\00:01:18.47
this song to God -- "I Believe"
-- okay? Because in the verse
00:01:18.47\00:01:24.58
Luke 12:22, it says do not worry
about what you will wear or what
you will do or about your life.
00:01:24.58\00:01:29.78
Why? Because we believe, and we
should believe, that God, our
Heavenly Father, has a plan for
00:01:29.78\00:01:35.06
your life. So stand on your feet
with me and let's sing this song
00:01:35.06\00:01:40.03
to our Lord and
Father. [ "I Believe" begins ]
00:01:40.03\00:01:44.20
Now I need you guys to try
this with me. Do you believe?
00:03:05.41\00:03:07.48
Do you all hear it? Do
you know it now? Try it.
00:03:07.48\00:03:10.69
[ Song continues ]
00:03:10.69\00:03:12.62
Okay, this next part, we're
gonna say so long, bye-bye, to
all of our fears, all of our
00:04:16.05\00:04:21.39
troubles. If you're in college,
bye-bye to all those exams,
00:04:21.39\00:04:24.73
right? Okay. Let's sing,
"Bye-bye to my pains and my
sorrows. So long, bye-bye."
00:04:24.73\00:04:29.56
Here we go. One time.
Wave your hands with me.
00:04:29.56\00:04:37.24
"So long." I don't believe
you. Come on. Tell the Lord.
00:04:37.24\00:04:42.78
[ Song continues ]
00:04:42.78\00:04:44.71
Come on. I know there are some
kids out there. [ Song continues
00:04:49.52\00:04:54.62
] The young at
heart, believe God. Yes.
00:04:54.62\00:05:00.33
[ Song continues ]
00:05:00.33\00:05:02.23
One more time.
[ Song continues ]
00:05:39.77\00:05:43.30
Amen, amen. And because we
believe, we have 10,000 reasons
00:06:34.12\00:06:40.96
to sing praise and honor and
glory to God, and I know you
know this song, so let's bless
00:06:40.96\00:06:45.73
the Lord with our voices and
with our souls and with our
hearts, okay? [ "10,000 Reasons"
00:06:45.73\00:06:50.61
begins ] He's worthy to be
praised. [ Song continues ]
00:06:57.78\00:07:01.98
Amen. [ "O Come to the
Altar" begins ] You know, even
00:10:43.91\00:10:55.65
though... we are... able to
bless the Lord and we're able to
00:10:55.65\00:11:00.06
praise Him, for we already know
what He's going to do for us, it
doesn't mean that we don't fall
00:11:00.06\00:11:05.49
short in lack of faith sometimes
and doesn't mean that our hearts
aren't hurting. It doesn't mean
00:11:05.49\00:11:09.90
that we aren't human. But in our
humanness, we can still cry out
00:11:09.90\00:11:13.10
and come before the altar to
seek our Father, and that's what
00:11:13.10\00:11:17.24
He asks us to do. "Just come and
talk to me." And so that's what
I'm inviting you to do here in
00:11:17.24\00:11:21.31
this song. I know that this is
one we sing often, but really
think about the words and know
00:11:21.31\00:11:26.25
that God is calling you to the
altar. He doesn't want to be far
00:11:26.25\00:11:28.82
from you. He won't force you, so
you have to come voluntarily. So
00:11:28.82\00:11:34.19
sing with me. [ Song continues ]
00:11:34.19\00:11:36.12
You're already down here. You're
already ready to lay your
burdens before the Lord, so just
00:13:55.00\00:13:59.80
sing out with me. What a
wonderful, what a glorious, what
00:13:59.80\00:14:03.94
a marvelous savior he
is. [ Song continues ]
00:14:03.94\00:14:07.38
>> Well, happy first Sabbath of
April, boys and girls. Nice to
00:16:29.88\00:16:34.59
see you. You're looking very
springy today. You know, spring
00:16:34.59\00:16:37.76
came between the beginning and
end of first service today.
That's what was so cool.
00:16:37.76\00:16:41.23
It just came right in, 'cause it
was cold when I came this
morning, and then I went out
00:16:41.23\00:16:46.20
during the break, and "Ooh!"
Nice to have you. Glad you're
00:16:46.20\00:16:50.11
here. Okay. So, today's
story comes from one of my story
00:16:50.14\00:16:53.14
scouts. Her name is Sharon
Dudgeon. She's the
manager/director of
00:16:53.14\00:16:56.91
WAUS.
00:16:56.91\00:16:58.78
Comes from North Carolina
-- Claremont, North Carolina.
00:16:58.81\00:17:02.02
Anybody here from North
Carolina? Okay, here it is. It's
00:17:02.02\00:17:06.32
about a pit bull. You know what
a pit bull looks like? Let's put
00:17:06.32\00:17:08.89
a pit bull on the screen right
now. That's not the actual pit
bull, but let's see if we can
00:17:08.89\00:17:11.99
get it on the screen here. Yep.
Oh-ho, yeah. That's a pit bull.
00:17:11.99\00:17:16.50
Yep. And the pit
bull's name is Rocky.
00:17:16.50\00:17:20.07
Mm-hmm. So, Rocky is out in
his yard one evening, just a few
00:17:20.07\00:17:28.28
days ago, when along comes
-- Let's see the next guest,
00:17:28.28\00:17:31.61
please. Ohhhhhh! Do you know
what that is? That is an
opossum, or we just
00:17:31.61\00:17:36.72
call them possums. You know
those possums. And guess what --
00:17:36.72\00:17:41.09
the moment Rocky saw the possum,
what do you think Rocky did?
00:17:41.09\00:17:45.63
"I'm outta here." He is straight
for that possum, and what do you
think the possum did?
00:17:45.63\00:17:49.90
"I'm outta here." And he is
running as fast as he can, and
that pit bull is coming
00:17:49.90\00:17:54.00
faster and faster, and the
possum sees -- "Oh, here comes a
00:17:54.00\00:17:57.34
pipe! Here comes an underground
pipe! I'm going in!" Shoom!
00:17:57.34\00:18:00.71
There went the possum. "Goodbye,
Rocky! Whoo-hoo!" Rocky comes --
00:18:00.71\00:18:06.45
no way. Now, the pipe is only a
foot tall, and he's 2 feet tall.
That means he's gonna have to be
00:18:06.45\00:18:11.12
on his belly, but he gets down
on his belly.
Mi-mi-mi-mi-mi-mi-mi-mi-mi-mi-
00:18:11.12\00:18:14.56
mi-mi-mi-mi-mi-mi-mi-mi-mi-mi-
mi-mi-mi-mi-mi-mi-mi-mi-mi-mi!
When his owner came out,
00:18:14.56\00:18:20.56
"Hey, Rocky! [ Whistles ] Hey,
yo, Rocky! Where are you?!" No
00:18:20.56\00:18:25.07
answer. "Wait a minute. Did I
hear something like barking far
00:18:25.07\00:18:28.34
away?" The owner began to walk
up and down. He walked away from
00:18:28.34\00:18:31.24
the house, and, suddenly, it
sounds like it's coming from
under the ground -- barking.
00:18:31.24\00:18:34.94
"I wonder if that's Rocky."
Calls 911. The fire engines
00:18:34.94\00:18:38.71
come, and they begin doing --
They said, "Rocky?" They'd look
00:18:38.71\00:18:41.32
in the hole. [ Imitates dog
whimpering ] And they'd listen.
00:18:41.32\00:18:44.19
"He's in there." Rocky was 100
feet into the pipe, and he's
stuck. And they don't know where
00:18:44.19\00:18:50.49
he is, so they're saying, "Right
here? Should we cut it right
here? No, he's not there.
00:18:50.49\00:18:53.36
How 'bout right here? Nope,
not there. How 'bout over here?
00:18:53.36\00:18:55.96
Nope." Finally, they get 100
feet down, and they cut it open.
00:18:55.96\00:19:01.04
There is Rocky. They can tell.
They can hear him. In fact,
let's put a picture of
00:19:01.04\00:19:04.91
Rocky on the screen. Can you see
Rocky? They've cut the plastic
00:19:04.91\00:19:10.51
pipe, because, fortunately, he's
in a plastic pipe, and there he
is trying to get out.
00:19:10.51\00:19:14.05
Good news -- he got out.
Hallelujah! Rocky got saved. You
know, sometimes when we
00:19:14.05\00:19:21.42
chase something that we're not
supposed to be chasing, we can
00:19:21.42\00:19:24.53
get stuck. You know what Jesus
says? Don't chase money. Jesus
says don't chase money.
00:19:24.53\00:19:28.63
But if Jesus were telling the
children's story right now, he'd
say, "Hey, boys and girls, don't
00:19:28.63\00:19:32.43
chase toys. I don't want you to
chase toys," because we always
00:19:32.43\00:19:35.87
have to have the next toy. We
see a toy at school. Our friend
00:19:35.87\00:19:38.31
has a toy. The neighbor has
a toy. "Mommy, Daddy, I have to
00:19:38.31\00:19:41.24
have more toys!" "You already
have 400." "I have to have this
one." Don't chase toys.
00:19:41.24\00:19:46.51
You'll get stuck. And it could
mean your life. Oh! I am so glad
00:19:46.51\00:19:52.25
that even when we get stuck,
Jesus knows where we're stuck,
and you know what He does?
00:19:52.25\00:19:56.42
Electric saw. [ Imitates saw
buzzing ] He can open up that
00:19:56.42\00:19:59.59
place where we're stuck and set
us free. But, you know, as soon
as he sets us free, He says the
00:19:59.59\00:20:03.33
same thing they said to Rocky.
"Don't you ever go chasing
00:20:03.33\00:20:06.60
possums again. Do you hear me?"
That's what He'll say. "Don't
keep chasing that money!
00:20:06.60\00:20:11.97
It'll kill you!" Oh, Jesus,
thank You for finding us and
getting us set free.
00:20:11.97\00:20:20.18
Who wants to thank Jesus for
being our set-free Lord? Let's
just thank Jesus for being
00:20:20.18\00:20:25.99
our set-free Lord.
What's your first name? >> Sam.
00:20:25.99\00:20:31.26
>> Would you please close your
eyes and fold your hands as Sam
is going to thank Jesus for
00:20:31.26\00:20:37.67
being our set-free Lord? Sam?
>> Dear Jesus, thank You that
00:20:37.67\00:20:41.94
You're here with us. >> Mm-hmm.
>> And please bless us and that
00:20:41.94\00:20:46.04
the Sabbath is here and that the
Sabbath is the best day ever and
that You're here with us...
00:20:46.04\00:20:52.55
>> Amen. >> ...and
that... all the kids are here...
00:20:52.55\00:20:56.69
>> Mm-hmm. >> ...and
that Pastor Dwight is safe...
00:20:56.69\00:21:00.69
>> Yeah. >> ...and his
leg is all done... >> Amen.
00:21:00.69\00:21:03.73
>> ...and helped healed. We love
You. Amen. >> Amen. Thank you,
00:21:03.73\00:21:08.46
Sam. That was a precious prayer.
All right. As Sam just said, as
00:21:08.46\00:21:12.17
you're going back to Mom and
Dad, you say, "Thank you, Jesus.
00:21:12.17\00:21:15.47
>> ¤ Ride on, King Jesus
¤ No man can a-hinder thee
00:21:19.44\00:21:29.95
>> ¤ Ride on, ride on
00:21:29.95\00:21:33.89
¤ Ride on, ride on >> ¤ Ride on,
King Jesus >> ¤ Ride on, King
00:21:33.92\00:21:38.96
Jesus >> ¤ No man can a-hinder
thee >> ¤ Ride on, King Jesus >>
¤ Ride on, King Jesus
00:21:38.96\00:21:46.13
>> ¤ Ride on >> ¤ No man can
a-hinder thee ¤ He is King of
00:21:46.13\00:21:54.61
kings ¤ He is Lord of lords ¤
Jesus Christ, the first and last
00:21:54.61\00:21:59.35
¤ ¤ No man works like Him >> ¤
He is King of kings ¤ He is Lord
00:21:59.35\00:22:05.62
of lords ¤ Jesus Christ, the
first and last ¤ ¤ No man works
00:22:05.62\00:22:09.72
like Him >> ¤ Oh, ride on, King
Jesus >> ¤ Ride on, King Jesus
00:22:09.72\00:22:15.33
>> ¤ No man >> ¤ No man can
>> ¤ Can a-hinder me >> ¤ Can
00:22:15.33\00:22:19.00
a-hinder me >> ¤ Ride on,
King Jesus >> ¤ Ride on ¤ No man
00:22:19.00\00:22:24.07
>> ¤ No man >> ¤ Can a-hinder
me >> ¤ King Jesus rides
00:22:24.07\00:22:28.84
a milk-white horse ¤ >> ¤ No man
works like Him >> ¤ The river of
00:22:28.84\00:22:33.45
Jordan He did frost ¤ ¤ And
no man works like Him >> ¤ King
00:22:33.45\00:22:37.75
Jesus rides in the middle of the
air ¤ ¤ No man works like Him ¤
He calls His saints
00:22:37.75\00:22:42.22
from everywhere ¤ ¤ No
man works >> ¤ No man works
00:22:42.22\00:22:44.79
>> ¤ No man works >> ¤ No man
works >> ¤ No man works like Him
00:22:44.79\00:22:47.73
>> ¤ Oh, ride on, King Jesus ¤
No man can a-hinder me >> ¤ Ride
00:22:47.73\00:22:59.17
on, ride on >> ¤ King Jesus,
ride on ¤ No man >> ¤ No man
00:22:59.17\00:23:03.58
>> ¤ Can a-hinder me >> ¤ Ride
on, ride on >> ¤ Ride on, ride
00:23:03.58\00:23:11.22
on >> ¤ Ride on, King Jesus >> ¤
Ride on, King Jesus >> ¤ No man
00:23:11.22\00:23:19.09
can a-hinder me >> ¤ Ride on,
King Jesus >> ¤ Ride on, King
00:23:19.09\00:23:24.27
Jesus >> ¤ Ride on >> ¤ No man
>> ¤ No man >> ¤ Can a-hinder me
00:23:24.27\00:23:28.57
>> ¤ Ride on, ride on >>
¤ Ride o-o-o-o-o-n >> ¤ Ride
00:23:28.57\00:23:37.61
o-o-o-o-o-n >> ¤ Ride on, ride
on ¤ Ride on, King Jesus >> ¤
00:23:37.61\00:23:45.82
Ride o-o-o-o-o-n ¤ Oh, ride on,
King Jesus >> ¤ Oh, ride on,
ride on >> ¤ Ri-i-i-i-i-de on
00:23:45.82\00:23:54.40
¤ Ride on, ride on, ride
on >> ¤ On high >> ¤ On high
00:23:54.40\00:23:58.87
>> ¤ On hi-i-i-i-i-gh >> ¤ On
hi-i-i-i-i-gh >> ¤ Ri-i-i-i-i-de
00:23:58.87\00:24:06.11
¤ O-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-n >> Amen.
>> Thank you. Thanks, choir.
00:24:06.11\00:24:19.29
Let nothing back. That
was beautiful. Ride on.
00:24:19.29\00:24:24.03
Right on. It's actually "ride
on." But you can say, "Right on"
00:24:24.03\00:24:30.70
to Jesus, as well. Right on.
Do you ever picture Him coming
00:24:30.70\00:24:34.24
to you on a big white horse,
saying, "I-I just -- I knew you
were needing me, and I-I
00:24:34.24\00:24:38.57
happened to show up"? Sometimes
I imagine that in my brain --
that He shows up on a
00:24:38.57\00:24:42.48
big white horse. "And I'm
here to help you. I heard you.
00:24:42.48\00:24:48.22
Be at peace." Right on.
Let's pray. Oh, Jesus, ride on.
00:24:48.22\00:24:55.06
Just keep riding. Hold us close.
Take us with You wherever You're
00:24:55.06\00:24:59.26
going till You come. And this
teaching... is Your teaching.
00:24:59.26\00:25:06.74
We're asking You, please,
through Your mighty spirit, to
make it clear to us.
00:25:06.74\00:25:12.57
In Your name we
pray. Amen. >> Amen.
00:25:12.57\00:25:16.51
>> Let's share three
short stories, all right?
00:25:16.54\00:25:18.31
Short story number
1 -- here it comes.
00:25:18.31\00:25:20.82
I was talking with a friend of
mine who lives somewhere else in
00:25:20.82\00:25:24.59
this country the other day.
I've known her for quite some
00:25:24.59\00:25:28.49
time. A friend,
by the way, who has
00:25:28.49\00:25:32.09
done very well, if I
might say. [ Chuckles ]
00:25:32.09\00:25:36.70
Yeah. Beautiful family...
00:25:36.70\00:25:40.04
great job, pulling in figures
that I know nothing about.
00:25:40.04\00:25:45.34
I mean, nobody in her house --
Seriously, nobody in her house
goes walking through the house,
00:25:45.37\00:25:49.41
saying... ¤ If I were
a rich man [ Humming ]
00:25:49.41\00:25:53.55
¤ Da-da-dee-dee dee-dee-dee-dee
dee ¤ Nobody -- Nobody does it.
00:25:53.55\00:25:57.62
Why? They're already rich. Why
would you hum that song?
Beautiful wife, beautiful
00:25:57.62\00:26:04.23
mother, beautiful professional.
But she got ahold of me the
00:26:04.23\00:26:10.77
other day. "I wish you'd pray
for me. The responsibilities in
my life right now are so hard to
00:26:10.77\00:26:18.34
handle, but especially," she
went on, "the uncontrollable
responsibilities that come when
00:26:18.34\00:26:23.58
you choose to live a certain
standard of living." And then,
00:26:23.58\00:26:30.15
in words that just tugged at
this little pastor's heart... "I
wish I could be back at
00:26:30.15\00:26:36.36
Andrews, in my dorm room, and
have a talk with myself." Mm.
00:26:36.36\00:26:44.47
I'm sorry. You can't go back.
But you very well may have an
important talk with yourself,
00:26:44.47\00:26:53.91
because guess what, girl --
you're not alone. What you just
00:26:53.91\00:26:59.35
said has been echoed by
thousands across this country
right now. Take the Pulitzer
00:26:59.35\00:27:04.95
Prize-winning journalist Charles
Duhigg. Wrote a piece in
January. My friend Melky spotted
00:27:04.95\00:27:11.93
it, sent it to me. Oh, my. I
want to share -- This is story
00:27:11.93\00:27:15.80
number 2 now. I want to share a
few lines from that piece.
Here's how it begins.
00:27:15.80\00:27:21.07
"My first charmed week as
a student at Harvard Business
00:27:21.07\00:27:26.11
School." Turns out he enrolled
at Harvard University. He's an
00:27:26.11\00:27:31.41
MBA student. He goes to their
15th-year class reunion and how
is gonna write about that
00:27:31.41\00:27:38.15
reunion, okay? But anyway... "My
first week as a student at
Harvard Business School late in
00:27:38.15\00:27:41.36
the summer of 2001 felt like a
halcyon time for capitalism. At
the time, for the 895 of us
00:27:41.36\00:27:47.56
first-yearers preparing
ourselves for business moguldom,
what really excited us was our
00:27:47.56\00:27:53.47
good luck. A Harvard MBA seemed
like a winning lottery ticket, a
00:27:53.47\00:27:57.71
gilded highway to world-changing
influence, fantastic wealth, and
00:27:57.71\00:28:02.58
if those self-satisfied
portraits that line the hallways
were any indication, a lifetime
00:28:02.58\00:28:08.45
of deeply meaningful work."
Yeah! "So it came as a bit of a
00:28:08.45\00:28:13.15
shock" -- here we go -- "when I
attended my 15th reunion last
summer," just last summer,
00:28:13.15\00:28:18.46
"to learn how many of my former
classmates weren't enjoying
their professional lives.
00:28:18.46\00:28:24.83
In fact, they were miserable. I
heard about one fellow alum who
had run a large hedge fund
00:28:24.83\00:28:29.57
until being sued by investors,
who also happened to be the fund
manager's relatives.
00:28:29.57\00:28:34.54
Another person had risen to a
senior role inside one of the
nation's most prestigious
00:28:34.54\00:28:39.75
companies before being
savagely pushed out by corporate
00:28:39.75\00:28:45.22
politics. Another had learned in
the maternity ward that her firm
was being stolen by a conniving
00:28:45.22\00:28:50.49
partner. Now, look, those
are extreme examples, of course.
00:28:50.49\00:28:54.50
Most of us were living
relatively normal, basically
content lives, but even among my
00:28:54.50\00:28:59.50
more sanguine classmates, there
was a lingering sense of
professional disappointment.
00:28:59.50\00:29:05.24
They talked about missed
promotions, disaffected
children, billable hours in
00:29:05.24\00:29:10.15
divorce court. They complained
about jobs that were
unfulfilling, tedious, or
00:29:10.15\00:29:14.85
just plain bad. One classmate
described having to invest $5
00:29:14.85\00:29:20.02
million a day, which didn't
sound terrible, until he
explained that if he put only $4
00:29:20.02\00:29:25.06
million to work on Monday, he
had to scramble to place $6
million on Tuesday. And his
00:29:25.06\00:29:31.13
co-workers were constantly
undermining one another in
search of the next promotion.
00:29:31.13\00:29:34.14
It was insanely stressful
work done among people he didn't
00:29:34.14\00:29:40.48
particularly like. He earned
about $1.2 million a year and
hated going to the office.
00:29:40.48\00:29:49.28
'I feel like I'm wasting my
life,' he told me. 'When I die,
is anybody going to
00:29:49.28\00:29:53.86
care that I earned an extra
percentage point of return? My
work feels so totally
00:29:53.86\00:29:59.23
meaningless.' He recognized the
incredible privilege of his pay
00:29:59.23\00:30:04.23
and status, but his anguish
seemed genuine." He goes on.
"'If you spend 12 hours a day
00:30:04.23\00:30:09.87
doing work you hate, at some
point, it doesn't matter what
your paycheck says,'
00:30:09.87\00:30:14.28
he told me." Charles Duhigg
commenting, "There's no magic
00:30:14.28\00:30:21.85
salary at which a bad job
becomes good. He had received an
offer at a start-up, and he
00:30:21.85\00:30:25.82
would have loved to take it, but
it paid half as much, and he
felt locked into a lifestyle
00:30:25.82\00:30:30.49
that made this pay cut
impossible. 'My wife laughed
when I told her about it,' he
00:30:30.49\00:30:36.30
said to me." End of story. Title
of the piece -- here it is --
00:30:36.30\00:30:40.67
"Wealthy, Successful, and
Miserable." So, which one is it?
00:30:40.67\00:30:47.61
¤ If I were a rich man
Or wealthy, successful, and
00:30:47.61\00:30:55.92
miserable? Story number 3 --
once upon a time, there was a
man who did very well with his
00:30:55.92\00:31:02.59
investments. Jesus told a story
about him, and we're gonna track
this story 'cause it's one of
00:31:02.59\00:31:06.93
those "wow" stories. Open your
Bible with me to the Gospel of
00:31:06.93\00:31:09.96
Luke chapter 12. Luke chapter
12. Jesus' story about this
investor, agrarian investor.
00:31:09.96\00:31:20.28
Here we go. Luke chapter 12. You
don't have a Bible, it's too
dark where you're sitting, it'll
00:31:20.28\00:31:23.98
be on the screen.
These lights... this is it.
00:31:23.98\00:31:29.52
This is the next four weeks. And
then we move out. But we'll be
00:31:29.52\00:31:35.99
back. We'll be back at the end
of the summer, and you're gonna
love it when you come back.
00:31:35.99\00:31:39.76
All right. This is Luke
chapter 12. I'm in the NIV --
00:31:39.76\00:31:42.00
Did I tell you
that? -- Verse 16.
00:31:42.00\00:31:44.90
[ Laughing ] Wow! You should
have seen it! That huge green
00:31:52.47\00:31:58.31
John Deere combine is just
chewing up the back 40 like it's
going out of style, and every
00:31:58.31\00:32:04.95
truck he could rent is pulling
under that huge spout that is
shooting down yellow gold grain.
00:32:04.95\00:32:12.89
Next truck, please. Next truck.
At the end of the day, there's
so many rental trucks at the
00:32:12.89\00:32:17.70
farmyard, there's not room for
one more. Oh, man! That night...
00:32:17.70\00:32:23.91
this farmer sat down at his
mahogany desk... that trusty old
00:32:23.91\00:32:30.45
adding machine that's been his
all these years. He says, "Let
me just calculate the numbers."
00:32:30.45\00:32:35.22
And as he's running his fingers
-- "I'm gonna try that again."
00:32:35.22\00:32:37.59
As he's running his fingers,
he's realizing, "I have more
cubic yards of golden grain than
00:32:37.59\00:32:42.96
I have cubic space of silos.
What am I gonna do?" Verse 17.
00:32:42.96\00:32:48.33
"Yes, indeed. That's what I'm
gonna do." He has no clue, of
00:33:04.08\00:33:08.48
course, as you and I do,
overhearing the story -- he has
no clue that he's using the
00:33:08.48\00:33:14.86
first-person singular possessive
pronoun "my," "my," "my." It's
00:33:14.86\00:33:21.30
on his lips. Now, we can't fault
him. This is his grain. It was
00:33:21.30\00:33:24.67
his farm. Let's not be too hard
on the man. But Jesus is telling
00:33:24.67\00:33:28.30
us something about him.
Let's read verse 18 again. Hmm.
00:33:28.30\00:33:37.45
Hallelujah. Oh. Late that night,
after crunching the numbers for
00:33:57.50\00:34:03.44
the sixth time to make sure
they're right, the man goes up
the rickety stairs, crawls into
00:34:03.44\00:34:10.75
bed with his slumbering wife,
and he is feeling so good, he
just starts humming...
00:34:10.75\00:34:15.92
¤ If I were a rich man ¤
Ya-da-da-da da-da
doo-doo-doo-doo dee-dee-dee-dee
00:34:15.92\00:34:21.46
doo, yes ¤ And he drifts off
to sleep. While he's snoring...
00:34:21.46\00:34:28.76
the curtains at his window stand
stiff... when all of a sudden,
00:34:28.76\00:34:35.64
those stiff curtains begin to
mysteriously tremble, and as
they tremble, they seem to part,
00:34:35.64\00:34:41.58
and coming on a midnight breeze
is the presence that fills that
00:34:41.58\00:34:46.55
dark space. The presence has a
voice. And the voice speaks to
the slumbering man in verse 20.
00:34:46.55\00:34:53.56
And with that pronouncement, the
man jerks awake. He clutches his
00:35:06.80\00:35:11.17
chest, and before he can awaken
his wife [Snaps fingers] he's
00:35:11.17\00:35:19.48
dead. The end. Wow. Why would
Jesus tell such a somber, scary
00:35:19.48\00:35:26.82
story? Turns out that the
punchline to all three of these
stories is the very same
00:35:26.82\00:35:31.63
punchline. The punchline about
this alum who's feeling very
overwhelmed these days over the
00:35:31.63\00:35:37.07
price tag of her success, the
punchline to the 15th-year class
reunion of Harvard MBAs, and the
00:35:37.07\00:35:43.41
punchline to the suddenly rich
farmer. Interestingly and very
rarely does Jesus not only
00:35:43.41\00:35:49.88
include a headline to a parable
but a tagline, and when you take
the headline and the tagline and
00:35:49.88\00:35:56.85
you put them together, you get
the punchline. Let's check 'em
00:35:56.85\00:36:02.09
out. Grab your study guide. Come
on. It's in your worship
bulletin. Pull your study guide
00:36:02.09\00:36:05.19
out right now. While you're
doing that, we'll put it on the
00:36:05.19\00:36:07.76
screen for those who
are watching at this moment.
00:36:07.76\00:36:10.67
It's a little miniseries called
"How to Survive the Coming
00:36:10.70\00:36:13.20
Economic
Crisis." This is part 2.
00:36:13.20\00:36:15.40
Part 1 is already
there on the website.
00:36:15.40\00:36:17.91
Part 2 -- "If I
Were a Rich Man."
00:36:17.91\00:36:20.31
You look for the
word "study guide" --
00:36:20.31\00:36:22.08
two words, "study
guide." Click on there.
00:36:22.08\00:36:23.88
You'll have the
same study guide as us.
00:36:23.88\00:36:25.35
You want to get the headline,
the tagline, and the punchline.
00:36:25.35\00:36:28.45
Let's jot the, uh -- Let's get
the headline, because we haven't
00:36:28.48\00:36:33.59
even read it yet. It's what
leads into the story. So, go up
to verse 13. This is Luke 12:13.
00:36:33.59\00:36:37.59
I want to tell you something.
Jesus is very smart here. You
never want to get in the
00:36:43.80\00:36:49.47
middle of a food fight called
"the battle over inheritance."
00:36:49.47\00:36:55.04
You can't win. Stay out of it.
And Jesus is very bright, and He
00:36:55.04\00:36:59.88
does. Jot that down. That's
the headline. Jot it down.
00:37:15.80\00:37:18.47
There it is in your study guide.
00:37:18.47\00:37:20.40
Hit the "pause" button right
there, 'cause I hate that word
00:37:25.87\00:37:29.38
"greed." I hate that word. Don't
you? Greed feels yucky. It feels
00:37:29.38\00:37:33.85
dirty. Greed feels like, "Gimme,
gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme,
gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme,
00:37:33.85\00:37:37.85
gimme, gimme." Guess
what. You know what greed it?
00:37:37.85\00:37:40.12
"Gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme,
gimme, gimme, gimme." It is
00:37:40.12\00:37:42.86
that. In fact, here's a
definition from the dictionary
-- "intense selfish desire for
00:37:42.86\00:37:47.10
something, especially
wealth, power, and food." Greed.
00:37:47.10\00:37:54.17
Watch out. Be on your guard
against all kinds of greed.
00:37:54.17\00:37:57.97
But the headline continues.
Keep your pen moving. Here's the
00:37:57.97\00:38:01.54
second half of it. Ladies and
gentlemen, please note that
Jesus is not instructing us that
00:38:07.62\00:38:11.72
life doesn't consist of
possessions. Of course we have
possessions. You have them. I
00:38:11.72\00:38:15.16
have them. It's not a sin to
have possessions. But life does
00:38:15.16\00:38:18.86
not consist in the abundance --
this accumulating, this
accumulating, this accumulating.
00:38:18.86\00:38:23.33
No, it doesn't. The key word
is "abundance" that you just
00:38:23.33\00:38:30.37
scribbled in. There's a website,
believe it or not -- a website
00:38:30.37\00:38:34.71
entitled Happify. Now, here's
how you spell it --
H-a-p-p-i-f-y. Happify.com.
00:38:34.71\00:38:40.15
And at that website, because
they're dealing with -- There's
00:38:40.15\00:38:44.52
a whole discipline today, by the
way, in the academy called "the
economics of happiness."
00:38:44.52\00:38:48.36
The scientists now are studying
happiness. We're running out of
00:38:48.36\00:38:51.63
it so fast, they're gonna find
out, what do we do to hold on to
this, okay? So, at Happify.com
00:38:51.63\00:38:56.30
-- you have it in your
study guide. Jot this down.
00:38:56.30\00:39:00.94
Fascinating to me. "Another
happiness factor" -- That's all
they talk about is happiness.
00:39:00.94\00:39:04.54
"Another happiness factor is
what positive psychologists" --
that's a realm of psychology --
00:39:04.54\00:39:09.61
"refer to as the" -- jot it
down -- "hedonic treadmill."
00:39:09.61\00:39:14.95
Now, "hedonic" means
-- You know, hedonism is
00:39:14.95\00:39:18.09
pleasure-seeking. So, it's
called the hedonic treadmill.
What are the authors talking
00:39:18.09\00:39:21.92
about? Well, keep reading.
"Through the same process of
00:39:21.92\00:39:25.79
habituation" -- A lot of big
words here. I didn't even know
00:39:25.79\00:39:28.76
what that word meant. I had to
look it up. But it's a
psychological term.
00:39:28.76\00:39:31.77
And I put it in brackets
for you. What does "habituation"
00:39:31.77\00:39:35.14
mean? It means a decrease in our
response to a stimulus after
being repeatedly exposed to it.
00:39:35.14\00:39:39.51
It's what a drug addict
experiences. So, one time --
00:39:39.51\00:39:42.34
"Ooh, that's a great high." But
the second time, not quite as
00:39:42.34\00:39:45.38
high. The third time, not quite
as high. So what does the drug
00:39:45.38\00:39:48.32
addict do? He has to keep upping
the dose. Pleasure. Hedonic
treadmill. Upping the dose.
00:39:48.32\00:39:55.89
We do that when we accumulate
things. This is the point
00:39:55.89\00:39:58.66
they're making. In
fact, keep reading.
00:39:58.66\00:40:00.03
You've got to keep buying more
and more and more to get the
00:40:20.48\00:40:24.72
same high. Hedonic treadmill.
00:40:24.72\00:40:29.92
Welcome to the third
millennium. We're all on it.
00:40:29.92\00:40:34.20
We have to have more.
"I just have to have more."
00:40:34.20\00:40:38.20
[ Sighs ] Like
little rats, we keep
00:40:38.20\00:40:40.90
running and running and running
after the next new possession,
00:40:40.90\00:40:43.41
the next new pay
increase, the next new pleasure.
00:40:43.41\00:40:45.54
The hedonic treadmill -- that's
what Jesus is talking about
00:40:45.57\00:40:48.54
right here. Read verse 15 again.
00:40:48.54\00:40:49.68
It's this hedonic treadmill that
Jesus is warning us about. "Stay
00:40:59.05\00:41:04.16
away from it! In fact, let me
tell you a story about a farmer
once who had a great crop."
00:41:04.16\00:41:09.73
And he sets up his story with
that headline. So, that's the
00:41:09.73\00:41:14.17
headline. Now we got to get the
tagline, because if you put the
headline and the tagline, you
00:41:14.17\00:41:18.17
get the punchline. So what's the
tagline? Well, let's drop down
00:41:18.17\00:41:20.54
to the end of the story. We'll
read the last line of the story
one more time -- verse 20.
00:41:20.54\00:41:23.98
"But God said to him, 'You
fool!'" That's the only place in
00:41:23.98\00:41:28.22
all of Scripture where God
calls a man a fool. "'You fool!
00:41:28.22\00:41:31.52
This very night your life will
be demanded from you. Then who
will get what you have
00:41:31.52\00:41:36.69
prepared for yourself?'" Now
here it comes. "'This,'" Jesus
00:41:36.69\00:41:40.80
says, "'is how it will be with
whoever stores up things for
themselves but is not'" --
00:41:40.80\00:41:45.70
How does that line end? It
is not what? Rich. Come on. How
00:41:45.70\00:41:51.27
does it end? Rich toward whom?
'"Rich toward God.'" Would you
jot that down, please?
00:41:51.27\00:41:56.31
Tagline -- "This is how it will
be with whoever stores up things
00:41:56.31\00:42:01.18
for themselves." It's not wrong
to store up things 'cause I'm
gonna give it away to the
00:42:01.18\00:42:04.49
neighborhood, I'm gonna send it
to ADRA. It's not wrong to store
up things, but if it's all for
00:42:04.49\00:42:07.86
yourself, it's wrong. You're
being rich toward yourself when
00:42:07.86\00:42:11.83
you, in fact -- Jesus says, "You
need to be rich toward God."
00:42:11.83\00:42:18.60
"My. Rich toward God? Are you
serious, Jesus? Listen, how
could I possibly be
00:42:18.60\00:42:25.04
rich toward God when I can't
even be rich toward me?!" Let me
00:42:25.04\00:42:31.25
give you another website --
Investopedia, a website that
deals with investments and
00:42:31.25\00:42:36.65
investing. In February, I read a
most interesting analysis. Get a
00:42:36.65\00:42:39.45
load of this. It's
in your study guide.
00:42:39.45\00:42:40.52
"According to
the Credit Suisse" --
00:42:40.56\00:42:43.22
that's this giant international
bank in Switzerland.
00:42:43.22\00:42:49.20
They put out a
global-wealth report in 2018.
00:42:49.20\00:42:51.90
According to that
report, "The top 1%" --
00:42:51.90\00:42:54.20
So, write that number in.
"The top 1% of adults account
00:42:54.20\00:42:57.04
for more than 47% of
household wealth globally.
00:42:57.04\00:43:00.51
This raises an interesting
question -- who exactly are the
00:43:00.51\00:43:05.31
1% worldwide? The
surprising answer?
00:43:05.31\00:43:08.15
If you're an American" --
Now, some of you are saying,
00:43:08.15\00:43:10.75
"Lookit, Dwight, I'm
not an American, okay?
00:43:10.75\00:43:12.79
So get over it." No. If
you're living in America,
00:43:12.79\00:43:15.09
that's exactly what it means.
If you're living in America and
00:43:15.09\00:43:17.79
you're living like an American,
and you are, "if you're an
00:43:17.79\00:43:20.90
American" -- watch this --
"you don't have to even be close
00:43:20.90\00:43:24.43
to being
uber-rich to make the list.
00:43:24.43\00:43:27.00
An income of
$32,400" -- annual income --
00:43:27.00\00:43:31.71
"$32,400 a year will
allow you to make the cut.
00:43:31.71\00:43:34.94
So if you're an accountant"
-- some of you are --
00:43:34.94\00:43:37.45
"if you're a registered
nurse" -- I'm married to one --
00:43:37.45\00:43:40.85
"or even an elementary-school
teacher, congratulations.
00:43:40.85\00:43:44.25
The average wage for any of
these careers falls well within
00:43:44.25\00:43:48.16
the top 1% worldwide."
00:43:48.16\00:43:52.96
My! Turns out we were richer
than we thought! Are we? Yeah.
00:43:52.99\00:44:02.47
But the reason we're up in that
1%, the article goes on to note,
is because of the extreme
00:44:02.47\00:44:12.28
poverty on this planet, and
because everybody else is so
low, it makes us look high.
00:44:12.28\00:44:23.53
We ought to carry that world in
our hearts a little more than we
do, don't you think?
00:44:23.53\00:44:28.60
[ Exhales sharply ] We're rich!
But it isn't that we're so rich.
00:44:28.60\00:44:34.34
It's that they're so poor. But
when Jesus commands us, "I want
you to be rich toward God,"
00:44:34.34\00:44:39.94
he isn't commanding a certain
level of earning. No, no, no,
00:44:39.94\00:44:42.98
no, no, no. He's calling us to a
certain level of giving. This is
00:44:42.98\00:44:46.05
all about giving. In fact, jot
this down. Let's put the
headline and tagline together.
00:44:46.05\00:44:49.28
"When you combine the headline
in His parable with the tagline
00:44:49.32\00:44:52.42
of His parable, you very quickly
come to His punchline" --
00:44:52.42\00:44:55.36
one word, write it in -- "Give!"
That's the punchline -- "Give!"
00:44:55.36\00:45:05.17
Well, we kind of knew
that was coming, didn't we?
00:45:05.17\00:45:08.30
What's the big
deal about giving?
00:45:08.30\00:45:09.80
I'll tell you. I've
never read anywhere in
00:45:09.80\00:45:11.64
literature a more prescient
description of the benefits of
00:45:11.64\00:45:15.04
giving than what
you're about to read.
00:45:15.04\00:45:17.11
Ed Gungor, in his book
"Religiously Transmitted
00:45:17.11\00:45:20.25
Diseases"... [ Laughter ]
00:45:20.25\00:45:23.79
...writes about giving. You
have it in your study guide.
00:45:23.79\00:45:27.36
"Giving touches a nerve in
us that nothing else does."
00:45:27.36\00:45:32.79
It's the most
sensitive nerve you have.
00:45:32.79\00:45:35.56
I've had people come up to me
and say, "Dwight, don't you ever
00:45:35.56\00:45:37.53
preach about money
again or we're leaving."
00:45:37.53\00:45:42.24
Why? Because that nerve is so
00:45:42.24\00:45:44.97
sensitive, it immediately
goes into a toxic reaction.
00:45:44.97\00:45:50.88
Ooh. "Giving
touches a nerve in us
00:45:50.88\00:45:53.05
that nothing else does.
We look a lot like God" --
00:45:53.05\00:45:55.12
Here's the good news. "We
look a lot like God when we
00:45:55.12\00:45:57.59
do it." John 3:16
-- "For God so loved
00:45:57.59\00:45:59.45
the world" that He
did what? That He gave.
00:45:59.45\00:46:02.89
We look like God when we do it.
"When you give" -- keep your pen
00:46:02.89\00:46:06.23
moving -- "you defy the fear,"
and we all have this fear,
00:46:06.23\00:46:09.46
"that you won't
have enough someday."
00:46:09.46\00:46:11.63
When you come to retirement,
"I'm not gonna have enough."
When you come to getting out of
00:46:11.67\00:46:15.14
college, "I'm not gonna have
enough." When you come to having
00:46:15.14\00:46:18.24
a baby, "I'm not gonna have
enough." That's the fear that
00:46:18.24\00:46:24.28
keeps needling us. "Don't give.
Don't give. Hang on, girl. Boy,
00:46:24.28\00:46:27.82
hang on to this. You're gonna
need this." Oh, when you give,
you defy the fear that you won't
00:46:27.82\00:46:33.49
have enough. You insult greed"
-- There's that dirty word.
00:46:33.52\00:46:36.49
"You insult greed, the impulse
to acquire or possess more than
00:46:36.49\00:46:40.40
one needs or deserves. If
you really believe that God
00:46:40.40\00:46:44.63
owns it all and that He is your
source and provider, giving will
00:46:44.63\00:46:48.74
be a simple matter...
00:46:48.74\00:46:49.97
The arena of giving is the only
place where exactly what's going
on in Dwight's heart is being
00:46:50.01\00:46:56.04
revealed." God says to Gabriel,
"Hey, Gabriel, find out how much
00:46:56.04\00:46:59.55
the boy's giving, huh? And then
tell me. That number that he
00:46:59.55\00:47:04.69
comes up with will tell me the
spiritual condition of Dwight's
heart." I'm sorry, but it's red
00:47:04.69\00:47:12.99
hot, and it's -- Why? Because
the nerve from giving goes
straight to your heart.
00:47:12.99\00:47:20.47
It's a very sensitive nerve.
Oh, but the last line is even
00:47:20.47\00:47:23.87
better. That's why the headline
and the tagline of this parable,
when you join them together,
00:47:34.78\00:47:39.09
they compose "Give!" "Give!"
"Please give," Jesus says.
00:47:39.09\00:47:48.13
And when Jesus breathes just a
few moments after he ends this
little story, He profoundly
00:47:48.13\00:47:53.70
makes a point, and this
is so tender. I love this.
00:47:53.70\00:47:55.57
Just drop down. Now, he's
talking -- Verse 22 says he's
00:47:55.57\00:47:58.44
only talking to his disciples.
Shh! This is just the people
that are really close to Him,
00:47:58.44\00:48:01.88
all right? So that'd be
you and me. [ Laughter ]
00:48:01.88\00:48:03.85
Verse 32, Luke 12. "Do
not be afraid, little flock."
00:48:03.85\00:48:08.02
Oh, I love that. That's a good
shepherd. That's a good shepherd
00:48:08.02\00:48:11.25
saying, "Hey, sheepies. Hey,
sheepies. You sheepies who
follow me... you're my homeboy.
00:48:11.25\00:48:17.69
You're my homegirl. You're
following me. "Do not be afraid,
00:48:17.69\00:48:23.40
little flock." "I know this can
cause fear when you deal with
00:48:23.40\00:48:26.50
this subject. Don't be afraid."
"For your Father has been
pleased to give you the
00:48:26.50\00:48:29.77
kingdom." You already have
the kingdom. It's not like you
00:48:29.77\00:48:32.57
earned the kingdom by giving a
certain amount and then, "Oh,
okay. Let her in. Come on.
00:48:32.57\00:48:35.51
He really did well. That was
a good gift. You just got in."
00:48:35.51\00:48:37.88
No, it's not that at all. You
already have the kingdom. You
00:48:37.88\00:48:41.85
have everything. Hmm.
So, what should I do, Lord?
00:48:41.85\00:48:44.55
Verse 33.
00:48:44.59\00:48:46.49
Let's read this one out loud
together. We've known this since
00:49:04.94\00:49:07.31
Sabbath-school days. Let's do
it out loud together. "For where
00:49:07.31\00:49:11.81
your treasure is, there your
heart will be also." So give!
00:49:11.81\00:49:18.22
Give! Give! It's like I was
sitting up there, saying, "Can
00:49:18.22\00:49:22.92
we make this hurt any more?
Gabriel, what should I bid?
You'll really tighten the screws
00:49:22.92\00:49:26.03
here"? No. That's not it at all.
When you're rich toward God,
00:49:26.03\00:49:32.00
your heart -- Look at this. When
you're rich toward God, your
heart is like with Him.
00:49:32.00\00:49:37.21
You know why? Because God's
already a giver. He's the
biggest giver in the
00:49:37.21\00:49:39.87
whole universe. So when you
give, you and God go like this,
He said, "Man, we're
00:49:39.87\00:49:43.41
this, you and me -- us." Why?
Because he said, "Bank of
Heaven. I gave it all.
00:49:43.41\00:49:49.18
[ Chuckles ] I've given you
everything you have with joy.
I'm asking for everything you
00:49:49.18\00:49:54.52
have back to Me with gratitude.
Is that a switch? Is that fair
00:49:54.52\00:49:59.43
enough?" "Fair enough." "We're
gonna be like this. Do you
00:49:59.43\00:50:01.63
understand that? We're gonna be
like this, you and me." When you
00:50:01.63\00:50:04.77
give, you're just like God. And
He loves it. Of course He loves
00:50:04.77\00:50:07.60
it. Why wouldn't he? "Well, how
do I give, Jesus?" "Give to the
00:50:07.60\00:50:11.61
poor who are all around you.
Come on. You've got eyes. Use
00:50:11.61\00:50:13.74
'em. Give to the poor." "Yeah,
but, Jesus, what about -- What
00:50:13.74\00:50:16.71
else?" "The needs are in front
of you. There will be needs all
00:50:16.71\00:50:19.15
around you. Just give. Just keep
giving. You'll be like me."
"Yeah. Pssh. I don't know.
00:50:19.15\00:50:25.99
Dwight, I think you're really
pushing this. And, besides, can
00:50:25.99\00:50:29.86
I just talk confidentially with
you? What right does He have to
00:50:29.86\00:50:37.77
ask this from me? I mean, come
on. I earned it. I spent months
00:50:37.77\00:50:44.27
building up this little kitty.
And now you're asking me to give
00:50:44.27\00:50:53.01
from it?" Well, we just read Ed
Gungor a moment ago. I hate to
keep repeating him,
00:50:53.01\00:50:57.35
but put him on the
screen -- those last lines.
00:50:57.35\00:51:00.26
You know what? Here's
the truth. This came --
00:51:14.27\00:51:17.97
We were producing this, and it
came then, and we already had
the study guide printed.
00:51:17.97\00:51:21.64
I'm sorry. But this line I want
you to get. Would you scribble
00:51:21.64\00:51:24.71
it, please? Scribble it down in
your study guide. This is the
take-home line right
00:51:24.71\00:51:27.32
here.
00:51:27.32\00:51:28.25
That's why God's big on giving,
'cause the more you give, the
closer you and God grow.
00:51:32.49\00:51:37.16
He doesn't need your tiny little
quarters and dollar bills. "I
own the whole place."
00:51:37.16\00:51:45.10
No. When you give, you become
like Me, and we go like this.
You and Me are like this.
00:51:45.10\00:51:51.01
Man, we're like this. Don't you
let anything keep you from being
00:51:51.01\00:51:54.51
close to Me. The only thing that
could make us not be close to
Him anymore is when we quit
00:51:54.51\00:51:59.31
giving, and you know when you
quit giving, 'cause giving a
dollar to a child who walks by
00:51:59.31\00:52:03.45
and saying, "Man, I did a great
thing today" -- you did a great
thing, but that's not the
00:52:03.45\00:52:08.99
giving. That's not the giving
Jesus is talking about.
Everybody can't give the same
00:52:08.99\00:52:14.23
amount -- I understand that
-- but everybody can sacrifice
00:52:14.23\00:52:19.30
equally, can't we? We can.
People say, "Dwight, why do you
even deal with this subject of
00:52:19.30\00:52:24.01
giving?" Do you know that of all
the subjects -- all the subjects
00:52:24.01\00:52:27.64
that Jesus taught on, this is
the most predominant subject,
hands down, over anything else?
00:52:27.64\00:52:33.78
He keeps going back to
giving and giving and giving and
00:52:33.78\00:52:36.22
giving. Why? Because it's the
nerve. It runs straight to my
heart. It's the most sensitive
00:52:36.22\00:52:39.89
nerve. The nerve from here
to here is strong. And when you
00:52:39.89\00:52:47.60
tell me that -- When you
threaten this, my heart just
kind of starts shriveling. And
00:52:47.60\00:52:52.20
when you threaten this more, my
heart just keeps shriveling.
Why? Because this is how you
00:52:52.20\00:52:55.94
open your heart up -- this right
here. This is not very nice to
do this on television, is it?
00:52:55.94\00:52:59.54
[ Laughter ] I'll quit
doing it. I'll quit doing it.
00:52:59.54\00:53:04.71
But when you go from here to
your heart, that's it. That's
what Jesus is talking
00:53:04.71\00:53:10.22
about. [ Chuckles ] "The
more you give, the closer
00:53:10.22\00:53:13.59
you grow." So, the next time --
No, seriously. The next time --
00:53:13.59\00:53:16.69
Here's my -- I suggest the next
time you are alone with Jesus --
And you'll be alone with Jesus
00:53:16.69\00:53:21.40
in just a few hours. The next
time you're alone with Jesus,
here's what I want you
00:53:21.40\00:53:25.20
to do. I want you to ask
Jesus -- and He will comply.
00:53:25.20\00:53:28.27
I want you to ask Jesus, "Lord,
show me Your hands," all right?
Now, he's gonna do this with
00:53:28.27\00:53:33.01
you, so you have to reach your
hand out -- both hands. And you
take His two hands and
00:53:33.01\00:53:38.15
you hold His two hands and you
look down, and don't look at the
00:53:38.15\00:53:41.75
floor. Don't look at the
ceiling. You look at his hands,
and you will notice right near
00:53:41.75\00:53:45.39
his wrists there's an ugly
purplish, pinkish, grayish kind
of scar in both hands.
00:53:45.39\00:53:53.03
I want you to look at those
scars, and then I want you to
look up into His face.
00:53:53.03\00:53:57.93
Turn your eyes upon Jesus, and
you ask Him, "Lord... how come
You have those scars?"
00:53:57.93\00:54:05.07
And I promise you -- I promise
you this will be His answer to
00:54:05.07\00:54:09.81
you -- "Because I gave
everything I have for you." >>
00:54:09.81\00:54:15.38
Amen. >> "Everything. I gave it
all. If you'd been the only boy
on this planet, I'd give it all
00:54:15.38\00:54:20.72
for you." Oh. Next
time you're alone with
00:54:20.72\00:54:25.76
Jesus, you just do that. He'll
accommodate you. A century ago,
00:54:25.76\00:54:34.20
a writer captured this meaning
of calvary so poignantly. I want
to put the words on the
00:54:34.20\00:54:38.77
screen for you.
00:54:38.77\00:54:40.71
"Those who are recipients of His
grace, who contemplate the cross
of Calvary," the scarred hands,
00:54:47.45\00:54:53.32
"will not question concerning
the proportion" -- "Yeah, but I
shouldn't be having
00:54:53.32\00:54:56.76
to give that much.
00:54:56.76\00:54:58.16
So I want to say to my younger
friend, wherever she is right
00:55:25.42\00:55:32.03
now... I want to say to her,
"Girl... you want to come back
00:55:32.03\00:55:38.87
to college, huh? Be in that
dormitory room and give yourself
a little talk? I suggest spare
00:55:38.87\00:55:44.81
your breath. There's no need to
do that. Mnh-mnh. You need to
stay in this moment
00:55:44.81\00:55:48.74
in time. You need to sit down
with Jesus. You need to do this
00:55:48.74\00:55:52.38
hand thing with Jesus. And you
ask Jesus to help you give your
way out of the life
00:55:52.38\00:55:57.69
you're in right now. Just
start giving. Just start giving.
00:55:57.69\00:56:01.39
Just start giving. Give your way
out. It may not mean changing
00:56:01.39\00:56:05.46
your job, it may not mean
reducing your income, but it
will surely mean from henceforth
00:56:05.46\00:56:11.13
that you are going to be rich
toward God. It means that. You
just keep giving and giving
00:56:11.13\00:56:18.34
and giving.
00:56:18.34\00:56:19.91
And that crisis, that
existential crisis that you are
00:56:19.94\00:56:23.35
suffering right now
-- that crisis is gone.
00:56:23.35\00:56:27.15
Why? Because you've turned the
attention off of you to the God
00:56:27.15\00:56:30.75
who has been rich toward you,
and now you are rich toward Him.
00:56:30.75\00:56:35.29
It'll go just like that.
And, by the way, the stresses
00:56:35.29\00:56:39.09
that come from not having enough
money, the stresses that come
00:56:39.09\00:56:42.63
from having too much money
-- they're all relieved the same
00:56:42.63\00:56:46.03
way. You just
give and give and give
00:56:46.03\00:56:49.74
until God says,
"That's enough." You'll know.
00:56:49.74\00:56:54.91
You'll know. Crisis? No.
00:56:54.91\00:56:59.75
Not for you, because
you are rich toward God.
00:56:59.75\00:57:07.49
>> Think of the last time
someone said, "I'm praying
00:57:08.89\00:57:12.26
for you." Didn't
it give you a sense of
00:57:12.26\00:57:14.46
peace and reassurance
that somebody cares for me?
00:57:14.46\00:57:16.83
I know how I feel when I get an
e-mail from one of our viewers
00:57:16.83\00:57:19.53
saying, "Yo, Dwight.
I've been praying for you
00:57:19.53\00:57:21.64
lately." There's
nothing like knowing
00:57:21.64\00:57:23.24
someone is praying for
you. So I want to offer you an
00:57:23.24\00:57:25.27
opportunity to partner -- let
me, let us partner with you in
00:57:25.27\00:57:28.88
prayer. If you
have a special prayer
00:57:28.88\00:57:30.85
request or a praise of
thanksgiving you'd like to share
00:57:30.85\00:57:33.38
with us, I'm inviting you
to contact one of our friendly
00:57:33.38\00:57:35.88
chaplains. It's simple to do.
00:57:35.88\00:57:37.69
You can call our toll-free
number -- 877 -- the two words,
00:57:37.69\00:57:40.69
HIS WILL. 877-HIS-WILL.
00:57:40.69\00:57:43.93
That friendly voice that
answers, you tell him, you tell
00:57:43.93\00:57:46.90
her what your prayer need
is, we'll join with you in that
00:57:46.90\00:57:49.90
petition. May the
God who answers prayer
00:57:49.90\00:57:52.53
journey with you these next
few days until we're right back
00:57:52.53\00:57:55.17
here together again next time.
00:57:55.17\00:57:57.47
¤¤ ¤¤
00:58:00.38\00:58:18.69
¤¤ ¤¤
00:58:18.69\00:58:29.14