い 00:00:01.06\00:00:06.67 >> Let's bow our heads and pray. Dear Heavenly Father, 00:00:10.14\00:00:14.11 it is Your Holy Sabbath, and we are so glad to be here 00:00:14.11\00:00:17.31 to worship and praise Your name. 00:00:17.31\00:00:19.38 As we sing, as we pray, as we listen, we just ask that the 00:00:19.41\00:00:23.25 noise that we make will reach up to Your Heavenly Kingdom, to 00:00:23.25\00:00:27.42 Your throne, and as we thank You for all that You've done for us this week, in Jesus' name, amen. 00:00:27.42\00:00:32.49 >> Amen. 00:00:32.49\00:00:33.56 >> Happy Sabbath! Has the Lord been good to you 00:00:33.60\00:00:37.07 this week? 00:00:37.07\00:00:38.47 Amen. In fact, there's a saying that I know we're all 00:00:38.50\00:00:41.54 pretty familiar with. It says, "God is good all the time, 00:00:41.54\00:00:47.04 and all the time, God is good." So, God is good... >> All the 00:00:47.04\00:00:51.45 time. >> And all the time, God is good, right? And He deserves 00:00:51.45\00:00:56.38 all our worship and our praise. In fact, David writes -- in 00:00:56.38\00:01:01.02 Psalm 34, he says, "I will bless the Lord at all times, and I'll 00:01:01.02\00:01:04.56 let His praise be continuously on my lips." And he was writing this even in a time of trial for 00:01:04.56\00:01:10.13 him. And then in verse 3, he says, "O, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt 00:01:10.13\00:01:15.04 His name together." So, here we are together. I just invite you 00:01:15.04\00:01:19.81 to stand as we sing, as we praise and worship our God. 00:01:19.81\00:01:23.61 [ "I Will Magnify the Lord" begins ] 00:01:23.65\00:01:29.05 [ Congregation sings ] 00:01:29.05\00:01:30.99 Amen. You may be seated. 00:03:44.05\00:03:47.16 [ "Who You Say I Am" begins ] 00:03:56.10\00:03:58.90 >> Amen! [ "I Will Bless the Lord" 00:07:38.15\00:07:43.79 begins ] い 00:07:43.79\00:07:55.64 い い 00:07:55.64\00:08:13.42 >> Sing with us "I Will Bless the Lord." 00:08:13.42\00:08:16.86 い [ Congregation sings ] 00:08:16.86\00:08:22.23 He has done great things. 00:09:06.37\00:09:08.88 Amen. Hasn't He done great things 00:11:11.47\00:11:14.07 for us? 00:11:14.07\00:11:15.14 So, I just invite you as we sing this last song that you reflect on all that He's done for you, 00:11:15.17\00:11:21.21 and if you're going through a hard time, just remember to 00:11:21.21\00:11:24.71 claim all His promises. And if you would like, I would just 00:11:24.71\00:11:28.32 invite you to come to the front as we sing, and maybe on the other side, you'd just like to 00:11:28.32\00:11:33.46 praise Him for all that He's done for you. So, please stand 00:11:33.46\00:11:37.73 as we sing. [ 10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord) begins ] 00:11:37.76\00:11:43.33 [ Congregation sings ] 00:11:43.33\00:11:46.43 [ Applause ] 00:19:15.95\00:19:18.52 >> I want to pray with you, and let's dive into these moments 00:19:21.22\00:19:25.09 together. Oh, God, like the Orion Strings just played that invitation, "Come, Christians, 00:19:25.09\00:19:33.07 join and sing, 'Hallelujah, amen.'" We've been much in 00:19:33.07\00:19:37.41 worship already. We're not not through yet, Father. 00:19:37.41\00:19:40.34 You have a word to send to us. We want to have ears to hear. Hide this voice so that 00:19:40.34\00:19:44.81 it's your voice that really is deep in our hearts. We pray in 00:19:44.81\00:19:52.02 Jesus' name. Amen. Charles Swindoll wrote the book, "Strike the Original Match," 00:19:52.05\00:19:54.52 and in the book, he tells a story of a little 00:19:54.52\00:19:56.89 4-year-old girl named Susie. She has just heard 00:19:56.89\00:20:01.53 for the first time in her life the story of "Snow White." 00:20:01.53\00:20:06.37 Everybody knows the story of "Snow White." 00:20:06.37\00:20:09.24 She can hardly wait to get home, and with wide-eyed amazement 00:20:09.24\00:20:11.77 as she burst through that door, she says, "Mommy, you're not 00:20:11.77\00:20:14.01 going to believe this story." 00:20:14.01\00:20:15.41 So she recites the story to her, including the part where Prince 00:20:15.44\00:20:19.55 Charming comes on that white stallion and gets off and plants that kiss on Snow White 00:20:19.55\00:20:24.32 and brings her back to life. "And, Mommy, do you know what 00:20:24.32\00:20:28.29 happens next?" And Mother with a smile, says, "Yes -- and they lived happily ever after." 00:20:28.29\00:20:33.26 "No," Susie frowned. "They got married." Come on, Susie. 00:20:33.26\00:20:40.37 You got a problem with marriage? Girl, give us a break. So, I 00:20:40.37\00:20:46.47 went to Google. I said, "Hey, yo, Google, is Susie right? Do we have a problem with 00:20:46.47\00:20:50.38 marriage?" And Google started kicking up some numbers for me. 00:20:50.38\00:20:53.58 In America -- only America -- every 36 seconds, there is a 00:20:53.58\00:21:01.59 divorce. Whoa. That's almost 2,400 a day. That's 16,800 a 00:21:01.59\00:21:09.00 week. That's 876,000 divorces a year. And get this -- for first marriages, the rate 00:21:09.00\00:21:15.40 of divorce is 41%. "And they lived happily ever after." 00:21:15.40\00:21:22.58 "No. They got married." Maybe that little girl is on to 00:21:22.58\00:21:27.78 something. What's up with this? You know, obviously it's a very complicated business, 00:21:27.78\00:21:31.95 this business of marriage, I mean, given the fact that there are huge differences 00:21:31.95\00:21:37.26 between men and women. I mean, we know them -- huge 00:21:37.26\00:21:41.06 differences. Why wouldn't that be a big challenge? I like the 00:21:41.06\00:21:44.67 way Jennifer Jill Schwirzer describes these differences. I think she kind of nailed it 00:21:44.67\00:21:50.21 on the head. Let me put it on the screen for you. 00:21:50.21\00:21:53.54 Jennifer Schwirzer -- "Women are like the remote control." All right, guys. Listen to this. 00:21:53.54\00:21:58.28 "Women are like the remote control. Men cannot figure out 00:21:58.28\00:22:01.65 how they work, but they keep pushing the buttons." [ Laughter 00:22:01.65\00:22:04.69 ] I mean, is that it or what? They just can't figure it out. Okay, turnaround is fair play. 00:22:04.69\00:22:10.33 So, she says, "Okay, let's talk about men. 00:22:10.36\00:22:12.29 Men are like ziplock bags -- they hold everything in, but you 00:22:12.29\00:22:15.70 can still see straight through them." 00:22:15.70\00:22:18.63 Oh, my. [ Laughter ] The differences between 00:22:18.67\00:22:21.64 men and women. Come on. We were created to be different. 00:22:21.64\00:22:24.44 Let's not be too hard on ourselves. But maybe that's the 00:22:24.44\00:22:27.68 challenge with this "And they lived happily ever after" business. "Roommates, Bad Dates, 00:22:27.68\00:22:37.02 & Soulmates." Come on. There's got to be a better way. 00:22:37.02\00:22:42.59 I'm gonna invite you to open up your book. Did you bring the 00:22:42.59\00:22:46.36 Bible with you? Didn't bring a Bible, grab the pew Bible in 00:22:46.36\00:22:48.80 front of you because you need to see this. As far as I'm concerned, this is one of the 00:22:48.80\00:22:53.47 most moving depictions of what it means to be a soul mate. What 00:22:53.47\00:23:00.24 does it mean to be a soul mate? Open your Bible to that ancient 00:23:00.24\00:23:04.15 book Ecclesiastes. It's really hard to find. So, if you have a Bible, you got to go to the 00:23:04.15\00:23:08.25 middle, and that would be Psalms, and then you go to Proverbs, and then you get 00:23:08.25\00:23:12.09 to Ecclesiastes, written by the same wise-at-one-time King 00:23:12.09\00:23:16.96 Solomon. All right? So, let's go to Ecclesiastes. Ecclesiastes -- 00:23:16.96\00:23:22.73 let's drop down to chapter 4. Let's just take a look. Soul mates -- what are they all 00:23:22.73\00:23:27.70 about? Here we go -- Ecclesiastes 4:9 -- I'm in the 00:23:27.70\00:23:32.04 NIV -- "Two are better than one." Hit the pause button right 00:23:32.04\00:23:36.71 there. "Two are better than one," because guess what? Even Solomon knew one is 00:23:36.71\00:23:41.38 the loneliest number that you'll ever do. He says, "Two are 00:23:41.38\00:23:47.09 better than one." Now, remember, this is the same Solomon, 00:23:47.09\00:23:51.26 who we learned about a little earlier in this miniseries. This is the same Solomon 00:23:51.26\00:23:55.16 who had 700 wives. You remember that? 700 wives and 300 00:23:55.16\00:24:00.70 concubines. A little boy thought they were porcupines. 300 of 00:24:00.70\00:24:04.37 them. This is the same Solomon, only he's much jaded now. When 00:24:04.37\00:24:08.04 he writes the book of Ecclesiastes, he has crested, he has peaked, and he's on the 00:24:08.04\00:24:14.05 downward slope toward the end. And now he's just kind brooding. "Two are better than one. You 00:24:14.05\00:24:18.75 know what? I guess it's true." Two are better than 700. Two are 00:24:18.75\00:24:23.96 better than 300. "Two are better than one, two, two." And then he 00:24:23.96\00:24:29.06 puts together four very practical reasons why two are better than one, and you've got 00:24:29.06\00:24:34.44 to see these reasons for yourself, okay? So grab the study guide. There should be a 00:24:34.44\00:24:37.64 study guide tucked in that worship bulletin somewhere. You didn't get a study guide? 00:24:37.64\00:24:40.98 Where are our friendly ushers? They're ready to go. Hold your 00:24:40.98\00:24:43.65 hand up. You got to get this study guide. You got to get it. Up in the balcony, those of you 00:24:43.65\00:24:47.02 watching on live-streaming right now, you have the study guide right where you're at. 00:24:47.02\00:24:51.19 If you're watching on television right now, go to our website. 00:24:51.19\00:24:53.56 Let's put it on the screen for you -- www.newperceptions.tv. 00:24:53.59\00:24:57.96 You're looking for a little miniseries called "Roommates, 00:24:57.96\00:25:00.26 Bad Dates, & Soulmates." This is Part 3. 00:25:00.26\00:25:02.66 We're wrapping it up. It ends right now. 00:25:02.66\00:25:06.10 You go to Part 3, you click on the study guide, you'll have the 00:25:06.10\00:25:10.11 identical study guide. 00:25:10.11\00:25:11.84 Four very practical reasons why two are better than one. Let's 00:25:11.87\00:25:15.71 go. Let's read verse 9 again -- on the screen, as well. "Two are 00:25:15.71\00:25:20.78 better than one because they have a good return for the their labor." Would you jot this down, 00:25:20.78\00:25:26.25 please? Reason number one -- "Two are better than one" because you have someone 00:25:26.25\00:25:30.29 to share the cost. We can call it financial benefit. 00:25:30.29\00:25:35.30 Come on. This just makes sense. I mean, in the rising cost of 00:25:35.30\00:25:40.27 living these days, from a purely pragmatic, purely economic perspective, two are better than 00:25:40.27\00:25:46.37 one. So, you go to the website Money Under 30. So, you have to 00:25:46.37\00:25:49.88 be under 30 to get the money on this website, moneyunder30.com. They write the financial 00:25:49.88\00:25:54.32 benefits of marriage -- on the screen. 00:25:54.32\00:25:56.62 "Research has shown the financial benefits --" there 00:25:56.65\00:25:59.55 really is a lift -- "the financial benefits of marriage. 00:25:59.55\00:26:02.72 Long-term marriage offers a 77% better rate 00:26:02.72\00:26:06.73 of return than staying single, and total wealth 00:26:06.73\00:26:10.27 of married persons increases 16% year over year. 00:26:10.27\00:26:14.40 In other words --" jot this down -- 00:26:14.40\00:26:16.30 "the longer you are married, the more money you make," 00:26:16.30\00:26:20.64 theoretically. All right? 00:26:20.64\00:26:23.45 Theoretically, 'cause some of you are saying, "Man, that ain't 00:26:23.45\00:26:26.08 true, not with our marriage." That's okay. 00:26:26.08\00:26:29.65 There's nothing wrong with you. "In other words, the longer 00:26:29.65\00:26:31.69 you're married, the more money you make." 00:26:31.69\00:26:33.25 Keep reading. "If this was the reported 00:26:33.25\00:26:34.76 returns on a stock growth fund, we'd all be jumping in." 00:26:34.76\00:26:38.49 Right? Man, you got returns like this? Let me in on the ground 00:26:38.53\00:26:42.30 floor of that IPO. But, listen, folks. We're not talking about 00:26:42.30\00:26:47.14 how to be great business partners. No, we're talking about soul mates, and Solomon 00:26:47.14\00:26:51.77 says reason number one is, "Look, you have someone to share 00:26:51.77\00:26:55.01 the cost." Here comes reason number two. Let's read that. That's the next verse. 00:26:55.01\00:26:57.88 That would be verse 10. "If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. 00:26:57.88\00:27:04.89 But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up." Jot 00:27:04.89\00:27:10.66 it down. Reason number two -- "Two are better than one" because you have someone 00:27:10.66\00:27:13.13 to help you up. That's called emotional benefit. You ever see 00:27:13.13\00:27:18.03 a turtle and -- You're walking in the woods, and you see a turtle on the path, 00:27:18.03\00:27:20.40 and the turtle is on his back, on his shell. And those wrinkly 00:27:20.40\00:27:24.17 legs are just clawing the air because he can't get himself up. You are like that turtle, 00:27:24.17\00:27:29.08 and so am I. We have to somebody help us up. We were created to 00:27:29.08\00:27:34.12 sit by the fire and warm our hearts in the presence of someone. Yeah, this is emotional 00:27:34.12\00:27:41.69 help. We got to have it. All right? But there are four of these. Here comes number three. 00:27:41.69\00:27:45.89 What is this? This is verse 11. "Also --" Oh, Solomon says, 00:27:45.89\00:27:48.40 "I got a third practical reason." "Also, if two lie down 00:27:48.40\00:27:52.73 together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm 00:27:52.73\00:27:56.40 alone?" Well, a very fair point. Let's call this a physical -- 00:27:56.40\00:28:01.91 physical benefit. "Two are better than one" because you have someone to keep you warm. 00:28:01.91\00:28:05.85 Hey, you can go to Google and type in -- you type in "marriage 00:28:05.85\00:28:12.59 and physical benefits," there are a thousand studies out 00:28:12.59\00:28:16.32 there. You'll see. I was reading Newsweek magazine, and I read a 00:28:16.32\00:28:20.73 piece where they're discussing marriage and how it affects us physically and actually 00:28:20.73\00:28:25.13 increases our longevity. The next week -- I tell you the 00:28:25.13\00:28:29.30 truth -- someone wrote into the editor. I read the letter, tore it out. It's a man. He's 00:28:29.30\00:28:34.38 writing. And I'm quoting it because I have it. "The University of California, 00:28:34.38\00:28:38.88 San Francisco study you reported on in your article 'For Longer 00:28:38.88\00:28:44.39 Life, Take A Wife' is wrong. Married men don't live longer than unmarried men. 00:28:44.39\00:28:49.96 It just seems that way." Can you believe that? Yes. Solomon is 00:28:49.96\00:28:59.00 making a case for soul mates. He says, "I got one more for you." 00:28:59.00\00:29:02.90 Let's read it here in verse 12. "Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves." 00:29:02.90\00:29:11.05 "Two are better than one --" jot it down -- because you have someone to help you fight." 00:29:11.05\00:29:14.98 That would be a security benefit. Most battles are lost 00:29:14.98\00:29:19.09 when you have no one to help you fight. When you're fighting alone, that's when the battle is 00:29:19.09\00:29:23.53 lost. You know as a little kid that when you're on that recess 00:29:23.53\00:29:27.00 playground, if you had your older brother somewhere nearby, I don't care what that bully 00:29:27.00\00:29:30.60 says, your brother can step up and whoop him. When you know you 00:29:30.60\00:29:36.50 have somebody, you do so much better. That's what Solomon says. Four practical reasons why 00:29:36.50\00:29:42.51 two are better than one. Yeah, but, Dwight, time-out. Time-out. 00:29:42.51\00:29:47.55 Come on, Dwight. Is he talking about friendship or marriage? Is there a difference? 00:29:47.55\00:29:58.36 Or maybe that's our problem. Like little Susie, who was disillusioned, like jaded 00:29:58.36\00:30:04.63 Solomon, maybe we're not sure that this "living happily ever 00:30:04.63\00:30:08.57 after" business has to do with friendship, has to do with relationships, really has to do 00:30:08.57\00:30:15.94 with marriages. "I'm gonna tell you something, Dwight, and I hope you're listening to me, 00:30:15.94\00:30:20.48 boy. I watched my parents go through hell with their divorce. 00:30:20.48\00:30:28.59 It was messy. It was painful. We were the walking wounded, and if 00:30:28.59\00:30:34.56 you're telling me that I got to sign up for that all over again, not in a thousand years will I 00:30:34.56\00:30:40.57 make a commitment, not like that." And you know what, my friend? Guess what? 00:30:40.57\00:30:47.04 You just made a hugely fair point. I acknowledge that. 00:30:47.04\00:30:54.18 Some of you here -- And I've heard the stories. Some of you 00:30:54.18\00:30:57.95 here have experienced a painful, dysfunctional marriage, whether as a kid growing up 00:30:57.95\00:31:02.26 in your parents' home or as you surviving a marriage long ago or 00:31:02.26\00:31:07.66 surviving a marriage right now. And that's one of the things a pastor's heart just says, 00:31:07.66\00:31:11.97 "Man, I don't want this to start ganging up and making people feel guilty or feeling bad about 00:31:11.97\00:31:16.64 what they're in right now." Nobody intends that, but I need 00:31:16.64\00:31:21.81 to say this. In all fairness, there are some very beautiful, wonderful marriages 00:31:21.81\00:31:29.95 on this planet. In fact -- don't tell anybody -- but you are surrounded right now 00:31:29.95\00:31:35.26 by some of them. So, we got to find out, what is the 00:31:35.26\00:31:41.36 difference? What is the key between hell on Earth and Heaven on Earth? There's a wonderful 00:31:41.36\00:31:52.14 love story that most people have never heard in their lives, and I'm going to tell it 00:31:52.14\00:31:54.71 to you right now. In the Reader's Digest forum, it's the story of C.S. Lewis, 00:31:54.71\00:32:00.18 a confirmed bachelor who had no plans to ever, ever -- read my 00:32:00.18\00:32:08.56 lips -- marry. Les and Leslie Parrott -- in their wonderful 00:32:08.56\00:32:13.46 book, they share a few of the highlights. I'm going to pass 00:32:13.46\00:32:16.16 them on to you. So, I'm quoting the Parrotts right now. "He was a scruffy old Oxford 00:32:16.16\00:32:19.10 bachelor, university, a Christian apologist, and an author of best-selling 00:32:19.10\00:32:23.81 books for children." Everybody knows "Narnia," right? "Narnia," "Narnia," "Narnia." 00:32:23.81\00:32:27.48 We all know it. "And she was an American, much younger and 00:32:27.48\00:32:34.58 divorced with two sons." Whoa. Back in 1952, she happened 00:32:34.58\00:32:39.29 to make a trip to England. She bumped into C.S. Lewis. Don't 00:32:39.29\00:32:45.29 ask me how. And a friendship formed. She comes back across the pond, which is what they 00:32:45.29\00:32:49.26 call the Atlantic, back to the States, but they begin to correspond. And as they 00:32:49.26\00:32:54.44 intellectually, iron sharpening iron -- as they correspond, 00:32:54.44\00:32:58.37 sparks are flying, intellectual sparks, and there's something happening in their minds 00:32:58.37\00:33:01.94 as they're drawn to each other. You guessed it. Joy finally 00:33:01.94\00:33:06.45 moves to England with her boys, and that proximity just deepens 00:33:06.45\00:33:11.65 the friendship. But then there's trouble because Joy runs out of funds and she has days left 00:33:11.65\00:33:17.89 on the visitor's visa. So C.S. Lewis makes a decision. He's going to help this woman. 00:33:17.89\00:33:25.80 He says, "Listen, you marry me. I'll give you rights to be living in this country." 00:33:25.80\00:33:31.51 And that's what she did, and she stayed. But as the Parrotts 00:33:31.51\00:33:36.28 write, something is going on in her body that nobody knew. Let me read this to you. 00:33:36.28\00:33:43.02 "Early in the marriage, Joy's body revealed a secret it had 00:33:43.02\00:33:47.52 kept hidden. She had cancer, and it was irreversible. The well-ordered life of 00:33:47.52\00:33:53.16 C.S. Lewis suffered a meltdown, but in the process, the English 00:33:53.16\00:33:57.53 man of letters realized how deep his love for Joy really was." 00:33:57.53\00:34:00.90 C.S. Lewis would later write these words on the screen. 00:34:00.94\00:34:04.01 "We feasted on love." Oh, I love this. 00:34:04.01\00:34:06.17 "We feasted on love, every mode of it, 00:34:06.17\00:34:08.34 solemn and merry, romantic and realistic, sometimes 00:34:08.34\00:34:11.71 as dramatic as a thunderstorm, sometimes comfortable 00:34:11.71\00:34:15.28 and unemphatic as putting on your soft slippers. 00:34:15.28\00:34:18.65 She was my pupil and my teacher, my subject and my sovereign, 00:34:18.65\00:34:23.26 my trusty comrade, friend, shipmate, fellow soldier. 00:34:23.26\00:34:28.23 My mistress but at the same time all that any man friend 00:34:28.23\00:34:33.20 has ever been to me." 00:34:33.20\00:34:37.37 Can you be married and be friends? Are you kidding? 00:34:37.41\00:34:46.45 Of course. Two are very much better than one -- for some. 00:34:46.45\00:34:56.59 So, anyway, they gave Joy the best medical treatment that was offered at that time. 00:34:56.59\00:35:02.16 They brought her home. C.S. Lewis was committed to her care. 00:35:02.16\00:35:08.44 Her remission was short-lived. "Near death --" Now I'm quoting. "Near death -- " the Parrotts. 00:35:08.44\00:35:15.51 "Near death, Joy told him, 'You have made me happy,' and then a little while later, 00:35:15.51\00:35:22.62 'I am at peace with God.'" He led that woman to God and fell 00:35:22.62\00:35:30.36 in love with her. Joy died at 10:15 that evening in 1960. "She smiled," Lewis later 00:35:30.36\00:35:34.73 recalled, "but not at me." God. 00:35:34.73\00:35:41.34 Then Les and Leslie Parrott -- they observe -- On the screen 00:35:41.37\00:35:45.21 now. You have to fill this in. 00:35:45.21\00:35:46.81 "If there is a lesson to be gained from this amazing love 00:35:46.81\00:35:50.08 story, it must be that partners without a spiritual depth 00:35:50.08\00:35:54.68 of oneness can never compete with the fullness of love 00:35:54.68\00:35:59.19 that soul mates --" write that down -- 00:35:59.19\00:36:01.06 "that soul mates enjoy. Marriage," they go on, 00:36:01.06\00:36:07.00 "when it is healthy --" that's a huge caveat. 00:36:07.00\00:36:10.23 "Marriage, when it is healthy, has a mystical way of revealing 00:36:10.23\00:36:15.97 God, a way of bringing a smiling peace to our restless hearts." 00:36:15.97\00:36:23.88 It did it for C.S. Lewis and Joy Davidson. That was her name. 00:36:23.91\00:36:27.72 And you know what? It could do it for you, the soul-mates 00:36:27.72\00:36:32.79 thing. It could do it for me. You don't have to be married to 00:36:32.79\00:36:38.86 have a soul mate. You don't have to be old to develop a soul mate. You could be you right 00:36:38.86\00:36:47.07 now, you and somebody else in which you develop this two-and-better-than-one idea. 00:36:47.07\00:36:56.18 By the way, the research is in. Soul mates that find a bond in God have the strongest 00:36:56.18\00:37:02.62 relationships of all, bar none. The research is in. I want you 00:37:02.62\00:37:08.59 to hear how God puts it. Let's put it on the screen for us, 00:37:08.59\00:37:11.26 please. This is Jeremiah 9, God speaking here in verse 24. God 00:37:11.26\00:37:14.73 says, "Okay, guys, I'm talking to all of you." "Let the one who boasts boast about this -- that 00:37:14.73\00:37:19.13 they have the understanding to know --" and that's the Hebrew word yada. "They have the 00:37:19.13\00:37:24.94 understanding to know me, that I am the Lord." God says, "Yo, yo, yo, yo, my own time-out. 00:37:24.94\00:37:30.11 You want to have something to boast about? You want to have 00:37:30.11\00:37:32.85 something to put at the front of your list of reasons why I'm 00:37:32.85\00:37:36.95 glad to be alive? I am that. I am that. If you would just know me. Yada -- know me." 00:37:36.95\00:37:42.22 God takes the very same word the Bible uses to describe Adam and Eve's sexual relationship, 00:37:42.22\00:37:48.33 but he says, "That's how I want you to know me." I'll show you 00:37:48.33\00:37:52.30 this. This is Genesis 4:1 on the screen. This is the NIV. 00:37:52.30\00:37:57.24 "Adam made love." Now, that word, "made love," is actually 00:37:57.24\00:38:02.08 -- The literal in Hebrew is, "Adam knew." The old King James says, "Adam knew Eve, 00:38:02.08\00:38:06.25 his wife, and she conceived." NIV reads, "Adam made love to 00:38:06.25\00:38:10.95 his wife Eve, and she became pregnant." 00:38:10.95\00:38:13.52 Jot this down, will you, so that you never forget it. 00:38:13.56\00:38:16.42 "God takes the same word for making love, yada, and declares 00:38:16.42\00:38:20.90 'That's what I want in a relationship with you. 00:38:20.90\00:38:23.06 'The intimacy --'" there we go. "'The intimacy 00:38:23.06\00:38:27.00 of a husband and a wife. I want you to know me like 00:38:27.00\00:38:30.71 Adam knew Eve.'" Wow. 00:38:30.71\00:38:33.81 Marriage is really a very big deal to God, 00:38:33.81\00:38:37.71 which is why, by the way, He is so intense in His effort 00:38:37.71\00:38:41.48 to defend marriage in a world that is turning it upside down. 00:38:41.48\00:38:47.12 "Marriage, guys -- that's about you and me. 00:38:47.12\00:38:49.52 You don't have to be married. That's about you and me, 00:38:49.52\00:38:52.53 you and me." Whew. 00:38:52.53\00:38:57.63 So would you like to be a bonded soul mate with somebody? 00:38:57.63\00:39:01.14 I repeat -- you don't have to marry them to become soul mates. Although if you are married, 00:39:01.17\00:39:05.81 that's the right person to start with right there. Okay? 00:39:05.81\00:39:10.65 Now, look, you got to remember this caveat. "Becoming soul 00:39:10.65\00:39:14.62 mates is not about sex." I know we think it is, but it's not. 00:39:14.62\00:39:19.69 Alan McGinnis, in that powerful book of his, "The Friendship 00:39:19.69\00:39:23.66 Factor," on the screen -- "There can be no intimacy without --" 00:39:23.66\00:39:27.46 and the italics are his. "There can be no intimacy without 00:39:27.46\00:39:33.03 conversation." Listen, guys, you can have sex without conversation, piece of cake. 00:39:33.03\00:39:38.51 But you can't have intimacy without conversation, for how 00:39:38.51\00:39:43.18 else will you get to deeply know the person? You have to have communion of mind to mind 00:39:43.18\00:39:51.42 and soul to soul. Now, William -- And by the way, did William 00:39:51.42\00:39:56.62 do a great job on that children's story? I say we ought to have him every Sabbath. 00:39:56.62\00:40:00.06 Yeah, he did a great job. William did the research this 00:40:00.06\00:40:03.83 summer on sex, and so he sent it to me. And I got this from his 00:40:03.83\00:40:06.90 research. A woman named Alice Fryling -- 00:40:06.90\00:40:09.67 Put it on the screen, please, a powerful point about intimacy. 00:40:09.70\00:40:13.41 Get this. You got to write it down. 00:40:13.41\00:40:14.94 "Sex is an expression of intimacy, 00:40:14.94\00:40:17.95 not the means to intimacy." You don't do sex in order 00:40:17.95\00:40:22.18 to become intimate. It may be expression of intimacy 00:40:22.18\00:40:26.89 with a husband and wife, but you don't do it to get it. 00:40:26.89\00:40:29.49 Keep reading. "True intimacy springs from 00:40:29.49\00:40:31.73 verbal and emotional communion. True intimacy is built on 00:40:31.73\00:40:34.73 a commitment to honesty, love and freedom. 00:40:34.73\00:40:37.70 True intimacy is not primarily a sexual encounter. 00:40:37.70\00:40:40.77 Intimacy, in fact, has almost nothing to do with our sex --" 00:40:40.77\00:40:45.21 write that in -- "organs. A prostitute 00:40:45.21\00:40:48.04 may expose her body, but her relationships 00:40:48.04\00:40:50.78 are hardly intimate." 00:40:50.78\00:40:52.18 True or false? True. So, how then can you and I 00:40:52.21\00:40:59.62 become soul mates with another human being, married or not? And what is it that binds 00:40:59.62\00:41:05.43 these mates, these soul mates together forever? Great 00:41:05.43\00:41:10.40 question. We left off the very last line of Solomon here in his 00:41:10.40\00:41:16.14 Ecclesiastes 4. I'm going to return to that line. He's 00:41:16.14\00:41:19.01 already given us the four practical reasons. Yeah, you got financial benefit. Yeah, you got 00:41:19.01\00:41:23.35 emotional benefit. Yeah, you got physical benefit. Yeah, you got security benefit. But here it 00:41:23.35\00:41:29.15 comes now, the stinger at the end. Let's read the last line of 00:41:29.15\00:41:36.62 Ecclesiastes 4:12. Put it on the screen. Here it comes -- "A cord of three strands is not --" 00:41:36.62\00:41:44.60 what? "quickly broken." In other words, two are better than one, 00:41:44.60\00:41:50.91 but -- hold on -- three are better than two. Three are better than two. Or, as Solomon 00:41:50.91\00:42:00.58 just wrote, "A cord of three strands is not quickly broken." What's this aging king 00:42:00.58\00:42:05.95 at the end of his life now trying to tell us? Let me show 00:42:05.95\00:42:09.79 you. Let me show you. I got it right here. This is 00:42:09.79\00:42:11.93 one of the beautiful crimson "save that pew" chords at 00:42:11.93\00:42:17.07 Pioneer. Mm-hmm. This will drape over for a wedding. 00:42:17.07\00:42:19.13 We'll just say, "Oh, I got to save that one and that one and that one," or a funeral, 00:42:19.13\00:42:22.77 for special people. All right? This is one of those. 00:42:22.77\00:42:25.11 I want to show you something very interesting about this. So, 00:42:25.11\00:42:28.88 this has a cord. This has a cord right here. All right? This is a cord. Now, I'm going to twist 00:42:28.88\00:42:33.95 this backwards so that I expose -- I expose the cord to you so we know its composition. 00:42:33.95\00:42:41.12 So I'm going to twist it backwards. Yeah, yeah, yeah, 00:42:41.12\00:42:44.56 there it goes, and, oh, my, what do I have here? I have two 00:42:44.56\00:42:49.80 strands, two little strands, but they are bound together by the 00:42:49.80\00:42:54.74 third strand. Do you see that? Can you see that where you're 00:42:54.74\00:42:57.27 sitting? They are bound together by the third strand, and when you have a third strand, 00:42:57.27\00:43:01.71 you cannot break this cord. What's going on here? Two are 00:43:01.71\00:43:11.22 better than one, soul mate. But if you will weave into your relationship the third strand, 00:43:11.22\00:43:21.53 you've got what will last forever and ever. Wow, isn't 00:43:21.53\00:43:31.47 that something? Hey, big guy, what are you doing? [ Laughter ] 00:43:31.47\00:43:34.18 Are you looking for me, or you want this cord? No, you're 00:43:34.18\00:43:37.11 looking for your folks. I hope they find you. Oh, Mother, bless 00:43:37.11\00:43:42.15 you. It was nice to meet your son. Anyway, kids are precious. That's what Pioneer is all 00:43:42.15\00:43:48.29 about. I tell you, none of this one-generation stuff. 00:43:48.29\00:43:51.19 We are all generations. Why? Because this is the future. You saw that little boy. 00:43:51.19\00:43:55.10 He's probably gonna be a preacher someday. [ Laughter ] 00:43:55.10\00:43:59.70 So, two are better than one. Yeah, but three are better than 00:43:59.70\00:44:04.87 two. Do you have the third strand in your relationship, in 00:44:04.87\00:44:11.08 your marriage? Hey, mother and child, do you have it? Hey, hey, child with parents, 00:44:11.08\00:44:14.75 do you have that third strand? Hey, teacher with students, do you have that third strand? 00:44:14.75\00:44:20.02 Next-door neighbors, do you have that third strand? Yo, golfing 00:44:20.02\00:44:23.63 buddies, do you have that third strand? Spouses, do you have 00:44:23.63\00:44:29.03 that third strand? Because a cord of three strands cannot be quickly broken. I know who that 00:44:29.03\00:44:35.80 strand is. You say, "Dwight, you can't tell it from the context." 00:44:35.80\00:44:38.94 No, but I do one plus one equals two, and I got it figured out. Same Solomon who wrote 00:44:38.94\00:44:42.41 these words back in Proverbs 8:24 -- We looked at this with a 00:44:42.41\00:44:48.08 panel just a couple weekends ago. Put it on the screen. "A man who has friends 00:44:48.08\00:44:52.62 must himself be friendly." A woman must be friendly. We stopped it right there, 00:44:52.62\00:44:56.79 but there's another line. Notice this -- "But there is a friend 00:44:56.79\00:45:00.96 who sticks closer than a brother." I wonder who that friend is that sticks closer 00:45:00.96\00:45:05.00 than a brother for you and me. Oh, I remember somebody who, once upon a time, on the eve of 00:45:05.00\00:45:09.17 His death, He turned to His closest friends, and He said, "Greater love has no one than 00:45:09.17\00:45:13.01 this." Put it on the screen, John 15:13. 00:45:13.01\00:45:16.68 "Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for 00:45:16.68\00:45:20.58 one's friends." And guess what? I'm talking about you. "You are my friends if you do 00:45:20.58\00:45:25.09 what I command you." I'm just thinking if there's a friend who 00:45:25.09\00:45:29.62 sticks closer than a brother, if there's a friend who lays down his life for you, there's a 00:45:29.62\00:45:33.90 friend who call you his friend, wow, that has to be the soul-mate Jesus Christ Himself. 00:45:33.90\00:45:40.00 He, God, must be the third strand in that cord of three 00:45:40.00\00:45:46.71 strands. Don't you think? Oh, he's got to be. You got to have 00:45:46.71\00:45:51.08 the third strand. All right. So the big question is -- 00:45:51.08\00:45:53.98 Come on. Come on. Help me out now. How do I get that third 00:45:53.98\00:45:57.32 strand in my life right now? I want it for my relationships 00:45:57.32\00:46:00.39 that matter to me. Great question. I'm gonna invite the panel to come on up. 00:46:00.39\00:46:02.76 They're gonna answer this for you. Good question. 00:46:02.76\00:46:05.26 How do I get the third strand? Panel, for the last time, come 00:46:05.26\00:46:09.13 on up. You guys have just been super, and it's been an honor for me to work with you. 00:46:09.13\00:46:13.13 Let's just think about this. So, we're the Collegiate Council, 00:46:13.13\00:46:15.87 right? And there are four of our members who are not standing 00:46:15.87\00:46:18.74 here right now. But while we were seven this last spring, you put a survey together. 00:46:18.74\00:46:25.51 True? Yeah. You said, "We got to find out the felt needs 00:46:25.51\00:46:28.88 because are we scratching where people are itching?" And then we 00:46:28.88\00:46:32.59 went to Steve Yeagley at Student Life, and we said, "Hey, can we 00:46:32.59\00:46:35.16 run this?" He said, "Let me see the survey. Yeah. Oh, that's good. You can do it." 00:46:35.16\00:46:37.86 I went to Duane McBride afterwards. I said, "We got 317 00:46:37.86\00:46:41.76 responses of an e-mail to every student," and Duane said, "Man, 00:46:41.76\00:46:45.50 that's rock-solid. That's rock-solid representation." 00:46:45.50\00:46:50.31 Good. The numero-uno -- Anybody here speak Spanish? The 00:46:50.31\00:46:55.84 numero-uno felt need of Andrews University students on this campus -- Rebecca, what was it? 00:46:55.84\00:47:01.25 >> How to grow a relationship with God. >> I could not believe 00:47:01.25\00:47:04.19 it. I was just blown out of the water. When I looked at the 00:47:04.19\00:47:05.99 computerized tabulations, the number-one -- They talked about 00:47:05.99\00:47:09.56 finances. That's a big one. They talked about families, 00:47:09.56\00:47:12.43 relationships, but the number-one, how to grow a relationship with God, what Jill 00:47:12.43\00:47:21.00 Schwirzer calls -- I like this. We'll put this on the screen. She calls this going vertical, 00:47:21.00\00:47:24.61 going vertical. How do you do that? The number-one need of 00:47:24.61\00:47:28.38 Andrews University students -- Come on. Somebody, tell me. How do you go about this? 00:47:28.38\00:47:32.81 Guys -- William? >> Hmm? 00:47:32.81\00:47:38.62 >> Just thinking about going vertical, just talk us -- All three of you, just talk 00:47:38.62\00:47:43.93 as students on this campus. So, come on, you guys are as busy as 00:47:43.93\00:47:47.86 I know anybody to be busy on this campus. How do you keep going vertical? What do you do? 00:47:47.86\00:47:52.77 Come on. >> I mean, I love using the symbol of the cross. 00:47:52.77\00:47:57.04 The cross has vertical, and it has horizontal, right? >> Yeah. 00:47:57.04\00:47:59.61 >> And as we commune with people horizontally, we make time for 00:47:59.61\00:48:02.61 them. It's the same way with going vertical. You just have to 00:48:02.61\00:48:05.81 make time for our Savior. >> Mm-hmm. So you got to make time. 00:48:05.81\00:48:09.02 Alex, what about you? >> For me, it's all about my prayer life, 00:48:09.02\00:48:13.79 in the sense of, how do I commune with God? But then also how do I commune with Him 00:48:13.79\00:48:18.23 throughout my day? >> Mm-hmm. >> Really wanting to have true connection with Him 00:48:18.23\00:48:24.00 all the time so that I know that I'm always walking in His wood, 00:48:24.00\00:48:27.54 that He's always there with me, that my thoughts are always His thoughts, and His thoughts 00:48:27.54\00:48:31.51 are always mine. >> I like that as well. That's good. 00:48:31.51\00:48:34.24 Now, Rebecca, you're the one that actually did the study this summer on romantic relationships 00:48:34.24\00:48:39.18 because I know it couldn't -- And it needed to be you. So, Rebecca, I'm looking 00:48:39.18\00:48:46.96 at this research paper. So I have it in my hand here. You did 00:48:46.96\00:48:50.73 very well. This idea of pursuing. Come on. Unpack this for us. This pursuing -- 00:48:50.73\00:48:54.00 so, a guy on this campus pursues a girl, or a girl can pursue a 00:48:54.00\00:49:01.00 guy. What's all this saying? >> I think let's take steps back and just think about Jesus 00:49:01.00\00:49:07.04 first, right? So, when Jesus came, He didn't pursue power 00:49:07.04\00:49:11.65 or authority or riches. He pursued people, and He didn't want anything in return. 00:49:11.65\00:49:16.52 He'd pursue them with compassion. And I think about 00:49:16.52\00:49:20.29 just pursuing in our relationships, too, whether we're pursuing someone, or 00:49:20.29\00:49:24.69 someone's pursuing us, and to remember how Jesus pursued us, too. And there are some 00:49:24.69\00:49:27.46 indicators that the research talked about -- >> Yeah, you should share those. 00:49:27.46\00:49:29.53 I thought those were dynamite. So, these are people that are trying to build a soul-mate 00:49:29.53\00:49:33.74 relationship. They're kind of in this dating relationship now. 00:49:33.74\00:49:36.50 Those indicators -- share them, please. >> It says, "They are 00:49:36.50\00:49:39.81 present when they are with you." >> The person is present, 00:49:39.81\00:49:43.85 focused in on you. "They ask about your needs and preferences." >> Okay. 00:49:43.85\00:49:47.52 >> And this third one -- "They pray for you daily or with you. 00:49:47.52\00:49:50.62 They listen and remember what you said." >> Let's go back to 00:49:50.62\00:49:54.26 that one you just read -- "They pray for you daily." In other 00:49:54.26\00:49:56.62 words, the third strand is a big deal. It's a big deal to you, but it's a big deal 00:49:56.62\00:50:01.83 to the one who's pursuing you. >> Exactly, there is someone else in the picture, 00:50:01.83\00:50:04.87 and that is God. And the last one -- it says, "They share you 00:50:04.87\00:50:08.27 with others and are excited to bring you along." And I think about bringing you along the 00:50:08.27\00:50:12.44 journey. And so Jesus -- before He pursued people, the first thing that He did -- and Ellen 00:50:12.44\00:50:16.48 White talks about this so many times -- He pursued the Father 00:50:16.48\00:50:19.48 first. Early morning, He goes away by himself, or whenever He 00:50:19.48\00:50:22.45 found the time, as William mentioned, He pursued God first, and now He then is able 00:50:22.45\00:50:26.99 to overflow in His other relationships with people. >> 00:50:26.99\00:50:30.79 Hmm. >> Being, I guess, mindful of ourselves and thinking, "Is the person that's pursuing 00:50:30.79\00:50:36.03 me or the person that I'm pursuing putting God first in their life as well?" 00:50:36.03\00:50:39.37 Are they pursuing Jesus first? Only then can they truly pursue 00:50:39.37\00:50:43.47 the way God intended relationships to be. And I want to say one thing really quick, 00:50:43.47\00:50:46.24 is -- >> Sure. >> One last thing that the research was talking 00:50:46.24\00:50:50.61 about is to be mindful of our words. And it says, "Date someone," but I want to say, 00:50:50.61\00:50:56.65 "Be with people." >> Okay. >> Whatever relationship 00:50:56.65\00:50:58.85 you're in, be with people that will remind you of your worth 00:50:58.85\00:51:02.02 in the eyes of Jesus. >> Oh, that's a huge one because that 00:51:02.02\00:51:06.43 brings that third strand right into that dating relationship. It's not about what you and me 00:51:06.43\00:51:10.27 can get out of each other. It is this third-strand person who is 00:51:10.27\00:51:16.07 our soul mate. Oh, I like that. Rebecca, thanks for thinking of 00:51:16.07\00:51:19.24 that. So, guys, we did a little bit of talking this last winter about our own journeys. 00:51:19.24\00:51:25.28 We came up with these three R's. Let's just do the three R's, and then we'll put a wrap 00:51:25.28\00:51:28.88 on this moment. Okay, so, William, let's start with you, 00:51:28.88\00:51:36.26 first R. >> "Read." >> "Read." Okay. So, they're putting it up. 00:51:36.26\00:51:38.49 I threw you a curve, didn't I? You thought you were gonna be 00:51:38.49\00:51:40.76 last. >> Yeah, I did. No. I had to think about it for a sec. 00:51:40.76\00:51:43.90 "Read," okay. I mean, it works. >> So, you talked about 00:51:43.90\00:51:47.07 your prayer life. So, what is your prayer life? Reading is a 00:51:47.07\00:51:51.84 part of it? >> Of course, reading, and, you know, there's that I encourage myself 00:51:51.84\00:51:56.85 to do every day, and I actually pray for the desire to read 00:51:56.85\00:51:59.95 because it's so easy to lose that desire. So I actually pray 00:51:59.95\00:52:05.09 for Jesus to give me the desire every morning. >> Mm-hmm. 00:52:05.09\00:52:07.56 >> But in those places where -- those times where the desire feels like it's not there, 00:52:07.56\00:52:12.79 I have -- I guess what I say is, find something that makes that relationship personal, 00:52:12.79\00:52:18.53 more personal, something unique between you and God. And for me, 00:52:18.53\00:52:23.07 it's praise. So when I need to encourage myself to read more, I praise spontaneously, 00:52:23.07\00:52:28.64 just whatever comes to the heart just comes out, and it 00:52:28.64\00:52:31.58 re-energizes me. >> It fits you, you and your soul mate. >> Yes. 00:52:31.58\00:52:33.95 >> Alex, second R. > The second R is "reflect," and that's 00:52:33.95\00:52:39.75 really as we read and as we look into the Bible, of how can we be connected with the people 00:52:39.75\00:52:43.49 that we are reading about, and how can that be applied to our 00:52:43.49\00:52:47.23 lives? I think often about how I want to try to have my life be like Enoch's, so much so that 00:52:47.23\00:52:53.74 it says in the Bible that, "He walked with God, and then he was no more on this Earth." 00:52:53.74\00:52:58.31 >> Mm-hmm. >> I want to, in my reflection of what God is 00:52:58.31\00:53:02.84 showing me, have that same type of mentality and that same type of thought. >> That's good, 00:53:02.84\00:53:06.82 good. There's one more R, Rebecca. >> And the last and third R is "respond." 00:53:06.82\00:53:11.49 I think it's pretty self-explanatory, but there are 00:53:11.49\00:53:14.29 -- As we said, there's so many ways that you can respond to what God has blessed you with 00:53:14.29\00:53:17.56 and your relationship with Him. It could be through music. It could be through worship, 00:53:17.56\00:53:21.43 and sometimes it could even be just be writing it down somewhere just for you to read, 00:53:21.43\00:53:25.47 or it could be responding in a way of sharing what God has told 00:53:25.47\00:53:30.54 you that very day and, you know, maybe He wants you to share that with somebody else, and that's 00:53:30.54\00:53:33.14 another way of responding. >> Mm-hmm, beautiful. You know 00:53:33.14\00:53:35.91 what, guys? I'm really proud of the three of you and the others, as well, for the way you go 00:53:35.91\00:53:41.42 vertical. Just keep going vertical. That's where influence happens on this campus. 00:53:41.42\00:53:45.55 Thank you very much for being a part of the team. Put your hands 00:53:45.55\00:53:47.96 together. These guys have just done dynamite, dynamite for us. 00:53:47.96\00:53:54.40 [ Applause ] Let me read a story to you in conclusion. Title of 00:54:00.10\00:54:04.37 the headline, "Death Could Not Part Them." "Joseph H. Berghaus, 74, had cared for his disabled 00:54:04.37\00:54:11.11 wife for years, some say as long as 40 years, bathing her, 00:54:11.11\00:54:16.58 dressing her. Each evening, he had provided her with her only contact with the world. 00:54:16.58\00:54:21.06 He paid a neighbor to watch over her during the eight hours he 00:54:21.06\00:54:24.79 had to work at the maintenance job in San Gabriel, California, 00:54:24.79\00:54:28.20 but each evening, he would lift her into their car for an evening out. They liked to watch 00:54:28.20\00:54:32.30 people doing things they could not do, like bowling. Upon retirement 10 years ago, 00:54:32.30\00:54:37.47 Joseph devoted full time to meeting the needs of his paralyzed wife, Mary." 00:54:37.47\00:54:41.78 They really were named Joseph and Mary. "They had lived in the 00:54:41.78\00:54:44.98 same modest apartment for 20 years. The neighbors said she was afflicted right 00:54:44.98\00:54:49.65 after their marriage." 40 years paralyzed. Wow. 00:54:49.65\00:54:59.56 "So Joseph and Mary were a familiar sight at recreation 00:54:59.56\00:55:02.53 centers. They sat quietly, just watching. Mary could not make a sound because of her paralysis, 00:55:02.53\00:55:07.00 but the beauty in her smile revealed her contentment in spite of a major handicap. 00:55:07.00\00:55:12.17 Yesterday, a neighbor noticed their house was quiet, too quiet now for a whole week 00:55:12.17\00:55:19.45 with no response at the door. The police are called. Soon there were police cars, 00:55:19.45\00:55:22.88 ambulances and many curious onlookers. It was apparent that 00:55:22.88\00:55:25.89 Joseph Berghaus had been stricken in the bathroom with a 00:55:25.89\00:55:30.16 heart attack, then crawled toward his paralyzed wife in the bedroom. 10 feet from her bed, 00:55:30.16\00:55:38.47 he died. She had struggled from bed and, with superhuman efforts, reached her husband's 00:55:38.47\00:55:47.08 side. Paralyzed, unable to speak or move, she lay beside her 00:55:47.08\00:55:52.58 husband for four long days, perhaps reviewing in her mind the 40 years of love 00:55:52.58\00:55:59.52 he had given to her. The doctor reported her heart had stopped 00:55:59.52\00:56:03.66 four days later than her husband's. Death could not part 00:56:03.66\00:56:09.70 them." Two are better than one. And a cord of three strands 00:56:09.73\00:56:15.00 cannot be quickly broken. When He stretched out His arms 00:56:15.00\00:56:21.21 on that little mountaintop called Calvary, 00:56:21.21\00:56:24.11 the Lord of the crimson cord, and He died for every sinner 00:56:24.11\00:56:28.72 on this planet, like you and me, when He sealed 00:56:28.72\00:56:32.92 that soul-mate friendship with His life and death, 00:56:32.92\00:56:37.13 Jesus made a promise. 00:56:37.13\00:56:39.19 And here's the promise. It's a guarantee to you. "If you will 00:56:39.23\00:56:44.87 include me as the third strand in your relationship, any relationship, if you will 00:56:44.87\00:56:51.57 include me as the third strand, I guarantee you, you will be soul mates forever. 00:56:51.57\00:57:01.32 I guarantee you." 00:57:01.32\00:57:02.98 >> We've been really blessed by the financial support that comes 00:57:06.42\00:57:08.72 from our viewers, and we've made a conscious decision not to 00:57:08.72\00:57:11.43 continually appeal to you for that support. 00:57:11.43\00:57:14.60 The fact is, as everyone in the industry will tell you, we're needing to make constant 00:57:14.63\00:57:18.23 upgrades to our technology. So, if God has blessed you and you'd 00:57:18.23\00:57:22.84 like to further the work of this ministry, we invite you to 00:57:22.84\00:57:25.74 partner with us. Not a single penny of your donation will go to me. Every bit of your gift 00:57:25.74\00:57:29.74 goes to the mission of blessing your community and our world. 00:57:29.74\00:57:32.91 You can donate on our website, newperceptions.tv, 00:57:32.95\00:57:36.48 or call the number. You know the number -- 00:57:36.48\00:57:38.72 877-HIS-WILL. Again, that number is 877, 00:57:38.72\00:57:42.72 the two words, HIS WILL, and may the God who has blessed 00:57:42.72\00:57:46.29 you continue to pour into your life the gifts of 00:57:46.29\00:57:48.76 His joy and His hope. Thank you, and I'm looking 00:57:48.76\00:57:52.40 forward to seeing you right here again next time. 00:57:52.40\00:57:55.80 い い 00:57:59.37\00:58:18.76 い 00:58:18.76\00:58:28.30