¤¤
00:00:00.43\00:00:02.30
¤¤ >> ¤ On a hill far away
00:07:21.97\00:07:35.38
¤ Stood an old, rugged cross
¤ The emblem of suffering and
00:07:35.42\00:07:48.70
shame ¤ ¤ But I love that old
cross ¤ Where the dearest and
best ¤ For a world of lost
00:07:48.70\00:08:01.84
sinners was slain ¤ ¤ So I'll
cherish the old rugged cross ¤
00:08:01.84\00:08:13.56
¤ Till my trophies, at last,
I lay down ¤ ¤ I will cling to
00:08:13.56\00:08:24.20
the old rugged cross ¤ ¤ And
exchange it someday for a crown
00:08:24.20\00:08:40.65
¤ ¤ Oh, the old rugged cross ¤
So despised by the world ¤ Has a
wondrous attraction
00:08:43.45\00:08:56.26
for me ¤ ¤ For the dear Lamb
of God ¤ Left his glory above
00:08:56.26\00:09:07.81
¤ To bear it to dark Calvary
¤ So I'll cherish the old rugged
00:09:07.81\00:09:23.59
cross ¤ ¤ Till my trophies,
at last, I lay down ¤ ¤ I will
00:09:23.59\00:09:33.90
cling to the old rugged cross ¤
¤ And exchange it someday for a
00:09:33.90\00:09:49.52
crown ¤ ¤ To the old rugged
cross I will ever be true ¤ ¤
Its shame and reproach
00:09:51.15\00:10:03.10
gladly bear ¤ ¤ Then he'll call
me someday to my home far away ¤
00:10:03.10\00:10:15.44
¤ Where his glory forever
I'll share ¤ ¤ So I'll cherish
00:10:15.44\00:10:26.25
the old rugged cross ¤ ¤ Till my
trophies, at last, I lay down ¤
00:10:26.25\00:10:39.10
¤ I will cling to the old
rugged cross ¤ ¤ And exchange it
00:10:39.10\00:10:50.85
someday for a crown ¤ ¤ And
exchange it someday for a crown
00:10:50.85\00:11:10.10
¤ >> All: Amen. >> Oh, thank
you, Rob and Bethany Folkenberg.
00:11:12.57\00:11:18.04
That was beautiful. That hymn
was sung for the first time just
00:11:18.04\00:11:23.45
a few miles from here, on
Pokagon Road. And, boys and
00:11:23.45\00:11:27.22
girls, may I say, you are
looking rather fine today. Do
you feel as good as you look?
00:11:27.22\00:11:34.12
Yeah, I can tell you do. So
my story scouts -- they're out
00:11:34.12\00:11:39.63
finding stories, and this is
another one of those -- from
Florida just a few days ago.
00:11:39.63\00:11:44.80
I'm talking about a
little boy named Oriley and his
00:11:44.83\00:11:48.80
older brother named Orion.
They're living down in Florida.
00:11:48.80\00:11:52.74
Yep, little place
called Webster, Florida.
00:11:52.74\00:11:56.18
And Oriley and Orion are really
excited because they have a
00:11:56.21\00:12:04.32
brand-new pet, and I want to
see that pet on the screen. Oh,
00:12:04.32\00:12:08.62
there he is. He's a little pit
bull. That is a pit bull.
Doesn't look like a pit bull,
00:12:08.62\00:12:13.60
does it? Looks so warm
and cuddly. So, this happened
00:12:13.60\00:12:17.90
just a few days ago, and
Orion and Oriley are out in the
00:12:17.90\00:12:25.77
backyard playing. And guess
who's with them. Little pit
bull. His name is Zeus.
00:12:25.77\00:12:29.78
Zeus is with them. And they're
roaming. And Zeus is 9 months
00:12:29.78\00:12:33.35
old now. And they're just racing
around the backyard, and mother
00:12:33.35\00:12:37.85
comes out to just watch the boys
in the backyard with little Zeus
running around. And then mother
00:12:37.85\00:12:41.59
spots something very unusual.
All of a sudden, Zeus, this pit
bull, 9 months old,
00:12:41.59\00:12:45.83
just lunges toward
little Oriley. >> Uh-oh.
00:12:45.83\00:12:51.73
>> Uh-oh. He just lunges. He
leaps forward, but instead of
stopping at Oriley,
00:12:51.73\00:12:56.91
he flies through the air, and,
just beyond Oriley, he lands on
something in the grass.
00:12:56.91\00:13:04.55
And he takes his pit-bull head
and he reaches down in the grass
00:13:04.55\00:13:10.52
and goes... Oh, they're all
watching. What's he doing? Oh,
00:13:10.52\00:13:15.62
good night. What is happening
here? And Oriley had just looked
around, when he thought,
00:13:15.62\00:13:19.83
"Oh --" Excuse me. "Oh,
that's just a piece of rope.
00:13:19.83\00:13:22.83
He's just playing with a rope."
But as they watched, suddenly,
that rope began to move.
00:13:22.83\00:13:31.04
And as Orion starts running over
to his little brother, he
stopped and he said,
00:13:31.04\00:13:35.41
"Wait a minute. Step
back." And they both step back
00:13:35.41\00:13:37.58
just as Zeus, 9 months old, big,
little pit bull decides there's
only one thing to do.
00:13:37.58\00:13:47.36
"Whatever that is in the grass,
I'm going to have to stop it by
landing on top of it."
00:13:47.36\00:13:52.56
And so he took his little,
big body, and he just dropped it
00:13:52.56\00:13:56.80
down hard on top of that
whatever it was that was moving.
Oh, my. Let's take a look.
00:13:56.80\00:14:03.44
Let's take a look to see
what it was that was moving. Oh!
00:14:03.44\00:14:08.04
Do you know what that is? That
is one of the most poisonous
snakes in the whole,
00:14:08.04\00:14:13.01
wide world. That's a coral
snake. Its venom, when it bites
00:14:13.01\00:14:16.82
you, ooh, adios! Goodbye! You
can't live. And when they came
00:14:16.82\00:14:23.02
-- Because they didn't know what
it was yet. They didn't know
00:14:23.02\00:14:25.46
what it was. When they came
over, there is Zeus lying on top
of that whatever it was
00:14:25.46\00:14:29.13
that he was going...with. And
they roll Zeus over and they see
00:14:29.13\00:14:35.50
that coral snake and they see
four bites on the belly of Zeus.
And I'm sorry to tell you --
00:14:35.50\00:14:43.68
I'm sorry to tell you -- he
didn't make it. They raced him
00:14:43.68\00:14:48.52
to the animal hospital, but
there wasn't antivenom strong
enough to save that little pit
00:14:48.52\00:14:54.09
bull's life. Do you know what?
That pit bull gave his life for
those two little boys
00:14:54.09\00:14:58.76
that didn't see trouble coming.
Oh, I'm thinking about somebody
else that came to this world.
00:14:58.76\00:15:04.47
He saw a snake coming and
he said, "I'm going to have to
00:15:04.47\00:15:07.10
stand between these children
and that snake," and he ended up
00:15:07.10\00:15:11.17
throwing himself atop that
snake, and who is that
somebody's name? >> Jesus.
00:15:11.17\00:15:15.08
>> And what's the name of
the snake? Oh, it's the enemy.
00:15:15.08\00:15:19.75
Shh! Don't even give his name.
Shh! Don't even mention his
00:15:19.75\00:15:23.12
name. Jesus stepped between us
and that enemy, and do you know
what the serpent did?
00:15:23.12\00:15:27.89
Pssh! And he put all his venom
and poison into Jesus. And guess
00:15:27.89\00:15:33.93
what. Jesus died to save us from
getting -- pssh! -- that venom
00:15:33.93\00:15:41.57
from that wicked snake. And so
when mother and father today --
00:15:41.57\00:15:45.04
They're going to take a little
bit of bread and they'll take a
00:15:45.04\00:15:47.68
tiny little cup. They'll eat
their bread and they'll drink
from the cup. Do you know why?
00:15:47.68\00:15:50.35
Because we're celebrating that
Jesus took the poison and became
00:15:50.35\00:15:55.75
our savior on that cross. That's
what we've come to celebrate
00:15:55.75\00:15:59.65
today. Aren't you glad Jesus
stepped between us and a snake?
Oh, we're not talking about Zeus
00:15:59.65\00:16:03.96
and the little coral snake.
We're talking about the king of
00:16:03.96\00:16:08.06
the universe and the fallen
Lucifer. Jesus stepped between
us and took the poison
00:16:08.06\00:16:16.00
and died our death. Aren't you
thankful? How many want to put a
00:16:16.00\00:16:19.51
hand up and just say, "Oh,
Jesus. I am so thankful. What
00:16:19.51\00:16:23.08
Mommy and Daddy celebrate today,
I celebrate, too. I thank you."
00:16:23.08\00:16:28.52
Who would like to thank Jesus in
prayer? You're going to pray a
00:16:28.52\00:16:33.32
prayer, and that prayer is going
to thank Jesus. Do I see a hand
00:16:33.32\00:16:39.43
up close by? I see a hand,
sissy, right there. You want to
00:16:39.43\00:16:42.66
come here? Come on up. You come
on up here, sissy. What's your
00:16:42.66\00:16:48.77
name? >> Eva. >> Eva, okay.
Eva is going to come and pray.
00:16:48.77\00:16:51.87
Everybody close your eyes. Fold
your hands as Eva thanks Jesus
for being our savior.
00:16:51.87\00:16:57.55
>> Dear Jesus, I thank you
for this day. Thank you because
00:16:57.55\00:17:00.75
you're our savior. Thank you
because you died on the cross
00:17:00.75\00:17:04.55
for us. In Jesus' name, amen.
>> Amen. Eva, that's a beautiful
00:17:04.55\00:17:08.12
prayer. As you go quietly and
reverently back to your seats,
you say, "Thank you, Jesus," and
00:17:08.12\00:17:11.79
we're going to sing the first
stanza of that beautiful hymn,
"On a hill far away,
00:17:11.79\00:17:18.50
the old rugged cross." Mommy and
Daddy will sing that as you're
00:17:18.50\00:17:22.00
going back to your seats. >>
¤ On a hill far away ¤ Stood an
00:17:22.00\00:17:33.35
old rugged cross ¤ The emblem of
suffering and shame ¤ ¤ But I
love that old cross
00:17:33.35\00:17:44.86
¤ Where the dearest and best ¤
For a world of lost sinners was
00:17:44.86\00:17:56.94
slain ¤ ¤ So I'll cherish
the old rugged cross ¤ ¤ Till my
00:17:56.94\00:18:09.48
trophies, at last, I lay down ¤
¤ I will cling to the old rugged
00:18:09.48\00:18:22.90
cross ¤ ¤ And exchange it
someday for a crown ¤ >> Oh,
Father, we've come to do
00:18:22.90\00:18:36.14
just that. Unbelievable that
someone would jump between us
00:18:36.14\00:18:42.78
and the destroyer of the planet
and take our poison in his own
00:18:42.78\00:18:50.96
body. Make it clear as we
reflect together, let it come
00:18:50.96\00:18:55.26
alive in our
worshipping hearts and minds.
00:18:55.26\00:18:57.07
We pray in Jesus' name, amen.
So, how much are you worth?
00:18:57.10\00:19:06.61
I saw a little piece long ago,
and I finally tracked it down
00:19:06.61\00:19:10.75
in Google. Journal
of American Medical
00:19:10.75\00:19:13.62
Association --
the magazine JAMA --
00:19:13.62\00:19:16.12
back in 1922, ran an
article on somebody's estimation
00:19:16.12\00:19:23.46
of the worth of the human body.
00:19:23.46\00:19:26.13
So, they took all the compounds
and chemicals, put a price tag
00:19:26.16\00:19:32.40
to it. Here's how the piece
summarizes our net worth,
assuming an average man,
00:19:32.40\00:19:37.74
alright? Here we go.
We have enough sugar in us
00:19:37.74\00:19:41.34
to fill a shaker, alright? So
we all have sugar in us. Enough
00:19:41.34\00:19:45.88
iron in us to make a medium-size
nail. We got that. Enough
00:19:45.88\00:19:51.75
phosphorus in us to make 2,200
match tips. [ Imitates match
striking ] Enough fat in us
00:19:51.75\00:19:58.79
to produce seven bars of soap.
Enough potassium in us to
explode a toy cannon.
00:19:58.79\00:20:07.50
Enough sulfur in us to rid an
average-size dog of fleas. And
one more ingredient --
00:20:07.50\00:20:12.81
enough lime in us to whitewash
a chicken coop. Total back there
00:20:12.81\00:20:20.88
in 1922 -- the total cost of
the ingredients -- 98 cents. So,
00:20:20.88\00:20:26.49
come on. How much are we really
worth? You know, the reality is,
00:20:26.49\00:20:36.67
we live in a time, thanks to
social media and its culture,
00:20:36.67\00:20:40.30
where the assault on our
self-worth is absolutely
massive. You want to talk about
00:20:40.30\00:20:46.27
cyberbullying? Unbelievable.
Where anonymous kids, who don't
00:20:46.27\00:20:54.55
remain anonymous for long, take
ahold of some social-media
platform, pick on one person,
00:20:54.55\00:21:01.99
and then they gang up, and
everybody is now shooting just
venom at this little girl
00:21:01.99\00:21:07.96
or this little boy or whomever.
Cyberbullying just takes that
fragile self-concept
00:21:07.96\00:21:16.27
and just crushes it, and we have
kids who try to survive that
00:21:16.27\00:21:21.48
crushing. And it's not just
cyberbullying, because nobody's
ever picked on you in social
00:21:21.48\00:21:25.75
media, but the reality is that
social media offers something we
00:21:25.75\00:21:35.16
adults do, and that is, we
curate ourselves. You know what
00:21:35.16\00:21:41.66
I'm talking about. We go to
social media and we make the
picture of us hardly even look
00:21:41.66\00:21:46.40
like us. It is the ideal us that
we want the world to see. We
tell stories about ourselves
00:21:46.40\00:21:51.44
that, when I read it, I'm
feeling so bad about myself.
00:21:51.44\00:21:55.94
Number one, I don't look like
him. Number two, that's never
00:21:55.94\00:21:59.31
happened to me. And your
curation, which really is not
you, comes to me, and I think it
00:21:59.31\00:22:05.19
is you. And now I'm feeling
bad for me and I turn around and
00:22:05.19\00:22:10.23
curate myself. And you don't
have to be a child to have a
fragile self-concept that just
00:22:10.23\00:22:15.86
gets fractured thanks to social
media. How much are we worth? [
00:22:15.86\00:22:19.60
Chuckles ] Boy, I tell you what.
It really isn't social media.
It's the enemy of us all.
00:22:19.60\00:22:25.37
Every one of us has heard
his whispering. "You're nothing.
00:22:25.37\00:22:29.14
You are a loser, reject."
We've all heard that voice. It's
00:22:29.14\00:22:34.88
the... [ Hisses ] ...the venom
of that serpent. So the big
question is, is there
00:22:34.88\00:22:42.49
an antidote for this venom that
pretty much the entire culture
suffers from today?
00:22:42.49\00:22:48.60
I want you to open your Bible.
Come on. Go to the little book
00:22:48.60\00:22:51.03
of 1 Corinthians, New Testament.
1 Corinthians 6. We're looking
00:22:51.03\00:22:55.14
for an antidote. We got to get
this. If we can somehow find
healing for our fractured
00:22:55.14\00:23:01.21
self-worth, our just broken
self-concept, if we can find
healing for it, oh, today will
00:23:01.21\00:23:06.65
have been a high day in the
kingdom. 1 Corinthians 6,
please. Alright. I'm in the NIV.
00:23:06.65\00:23:13.22
Listen, this is familiar. It's
not like I'm introducing a text
you've never read before.
00:23:13.22\00:23:16.16
Some of you could
repeat this by memory,
00:23:16.16\00:23:18.53
But let's just read it out loud.
We'll read it out loud together.
00:23:18.56\00:23:20.86
We'll put it on the
screen. "Do you not know that
00:23:20.86\00:23:24.87
your bodies are
temples of the Holy Spirit,
00:23:24.87\00:23:28.64
who is in you, whom you
have received from God?"
00:23:28.64\00:23:31.91
It's a question.
"Do you not know that?"
00:23:31.91\00:23:33.91
Now, come on. Little louder.
00:23:33.91\00:23:35.38
Let's read the answer.
"You are not your own."
00:23:35.38\00:23:39.18
Here comes Verse 20.
00:23:39.18\00:23:40.65
"You were bought at a price.
Therefore, honor God with your
00:23:40.68\00:23:48.16
bodies." Now, what kind of an
antidote is that? Who bought us,
00:23:48.16\00:23:50.73
and at what price? We have
been trained from childhood --
00:23:50.73\00:23:53.26
We already know the answer. Of
course we know who bought us. We
know what the price was.
00:23:53.26\00:23:56.77
We learned how to sing it.
"Jesus loves me, this I know,
for the Bible tells me so."
00:23:56.77\00:24:01.44
We got it down. The problem is,
it doesn't get very far inside
00:24:01.44\00:24:07.48
of us. It's not deep enough to
stick. Now, who bought us? How
00:24:07.48\00:24:11.85
much did he pay? Paul has
already given us the answer. Let
me put 1 Corinthians 2:2
00:24:11.85\00:24:14.65
on the screen for you. This is
Paul talking. "For I resolved to
00:24:14.65\00:24:19.19
know nothing while I was with
you except Jesus Christ and Him
crucified." Paul declares, "Look
00:24:19.19\00:24:26.06
here, guys. It's the cross of
Christ. That's the place.
Calvary is the place where
00:24:26.06\00:24:31.00
you were bought at a price."
Hmm. We've heard that all our
lives, so big deal.
00:24:31.00\00:24:39.81
No, no, no, no. Think about it.
Think about it. Come on. Come
00:24:39.81\00:24:43.55
on. Do you know how much Jesus
paid for you? 98 cents? That was
00:24:43.55\00:24:47.65
'22, 1922. We're worth a few
pennies more. How much did Jesus
pay for you? Do you understand
00:24:47.65\00:24:52.05
this? That when Jesus died on
Calvary, he actually mentally,
emotionally, and spiritually
00:24:52.05\00:24:58.29
embraces the reality that when
He dies, it will be a forever
00:24:58.29\00:25:03.53
death, and He will die that
forever death so that little old
00:25:03.53\00:25:07.40
you, little old me, might live
forever instead. He will
exchange places with us.
00:25:07.40\00:25:13.44
That absolutely blows your mind
when you think about it. That's
why we need to come
00:25:13.44\00:25:16.88
to the cross often, just to --
"You mean he was willing to die
00:25:16.88\00:25:21.02
forever so that I could live
forever?" Yep. You were bought
00:25:21.02\00:25:26.72
at a price. What price? "Willing
to pay eternity." Man, somebody
00:25:26.72\00:25:35.73
must love me. Come on. For
somebody to pay a price like
that, you would have
00:25:35.73\00:25:38.40
to be loved to the max. Brennan
Manning tells a story about a
friend of his named
00:25:38.40\00:25:43.91
Ed Farrell, who's going over to
meet his family in Ireland. He's
never been over to Ireland.
00:25:43.91\00:25:49.64
And he's over there for 2 weeks,
summer vacation. And he meets
00:25:49.64\00:25:53.92
his uncle, who is going to turn
80 while Ed is there. In fact,
00:25:53.92\00:25:58.42
on the day of his uncle's
birthday, Ed and his uncle get
up early, and they walk the
00:25:58.42\00:26:03.19
distance to Lake Killarney, and
they stand there together, side
by side, for 20 minutes
00:26:03.19\00:26:08.23
not saying a word, just
body-to-body as they watch the
00:26:08.23\00:26:13.40
sun raise up over Lake Killarney
and the Irish sky. 20 minutes
00:26:13.40\00:26:19.51
later, they're heading home.
Ed happens to look down at his
00:26:19.51\00:26:22.81
uncle, and he sees his uncle's
face just breaking out into this
00:26:22.81\00:26:27.42
huge grin, and he says, "Uncle
Seamus, you must be happy." And
his uncle replied, "I am."
00:26:27.42\00:26:35.99
But why? And then his
uncle speaks these words --
00:26:35.99\00:26:39.93
"Because the father of Jesus is
very fond of me." "Because the
00:26:39.93\00:26:52.54
father of Jesus
is very fond of me."
00:26:52.54\00:26:55.74
And then Brennan
Manning comments.
00:26:55.78\00:26:57.18
I'll put his words
on the screen for you.
00:26:57.18\00:26:58.88
This is good. "If
the question were put to
00:26:58.88\00:27:01.28
you," worshippers, right
now, "'Do you honestly believe
00:27:01.28\00:27:04.59
that God likes you' --
Not loves you, because,
00:27:04.59\00:27:08.06
theologically, He must
-- so, how would you answer?
00:27:08.06\00:27:11.49
If you could answer,
'The Father is very fond of
00:27:11.49\00:27:13.03
me,' there would
come a relaxedness,
00:27:13.03\00:27:17.63
a serenity, and a compassionate
attitude toward yourself
00:27:17.63\00:27:21.80
that is a reflection
of God's own tenderness."
00:27:21.80\00:27:25.31
If we really believed
that the father of the universe
00:27:25.31\00:27:28.84
was fond of us,
all the belittling
00:27:28.84\00:27:31.68
efforts of the
enemy, all of those fragile
00:27:31.68\00:27:36.12
spirit-crushed taunting
that we receive from him,
00:27:36.12\00:27:40.72
it would be for
naught. We'd just blow it away.
00:27:40.72\00:27:42.69
"I don't care.
The father of Jesus
00:27:42.69\00:27:45.19
is very fond of me."
00:27:45.19\00:27:47.66
Because we all know.
Cognitively, intellectually,
00:27:52.50\00:27:56.14
we know it's at the cross
where that love is poured out.
00:27:56.14\00:28:01.18
Doug Cooper, in his wonderful
little book "Living God's
00:28:01.18\00:28:03.45
Love" -- Douglas Cooper
puts it this way, on the screen.
00:28:03.45\00:28:06.08
"Nothing in human history
has demonstrated more vividly
00:28:06.08\00:28:08.65
the value of a human being
than the death of Jesus Christ
00:28:08.65\00:28:12.25
for each person." And to that,
00:28:12.25\00:28:14.06
everybody here says,
"Amen, amen, we got it."
00:28:14.06\00:28:16.89
No, no, no, no. Now,
notice his next line.
00:28:16.89\00:28:19.63
"When a person begins to see
that God loves him that much,"
00:28:19.63\00:28:26.53
to exchange places
forever and ever --
00:28:26.53\00:28:28.17
"You'll be dead forever
so I could live forever."
00:28:28.17\00:28:30.21
When God loves me that much,
even while I am yet a sinner,
00:28:30.21\00:28:37.88
when I hear the
voice of Jesus Christ
00:28:37.88\00:28:40.12
addressing me from the
cross and gently calling me
00:28:40.12\00:28:41.98
'beloved,' I come to see myself
00:28:41.98\00:28:46.99
in a new light."
That's what Cooper is writing.
00:28:46.99\00:28:49.29
"She gains -- a
woman who does this,
00:28:49.29\00:28:51.89
a man who does this -- "He gains
a new sense of his own worth.
00:28:51.89\00:28:55.10
He sees the value
that God places on him.
00:28:55.10\00:29:01.37
Now, listen, folks. The cross
that we've come to celebrate
00:29:01.40\00:29:05.94
today is the story of God so
loving the world that we finally
00:29:05.94\00:29:12.98
get it. All our crushed and
wounded self-concepts not
withstanding, it finally dawns
00:29:12.98\00:29:20.76
on us, like that Irish sunrise.
Oh! "The father of Jesus is very
00:29:20.76\00:29:27.20
fond of me." In fact, you know
what? I wish you'd say those
words. Come on. Put them on the
00:29:27.20\00:29:30.50
screen. Let's just say them out
loud together. Sometimes, when
00:29:30.50\00:29:34.40
our ears hear what our lips say,
our mind actually starts
believing it. Let's say it out
00:29:34.40\00:29:39.24
loud together. "The Father is
very fond of me." Now, the way
the uncle put it is, "The father
00:29:39.24\00:29:44.88
of Jesus," so we'll add, "of
Jesus" this time. "The father of
00:29:44.88\00:29:49.15
Jesus is very fond of me." Do
you believe that about yourself?
00:29:49.15\00:29:53.02
Huh? Do you? Do you really think
that God is fond of you, He
00:29:53.02\00:29:58.09
likes you? I know He has to love
you, but that He likes you?
Listen to Cooper again,
00:29:58.09\00:30:02.10
because how does this work?
Okay, we're looking at the
antivenom to crushed self-worth.
00:30:02.10\00:30:06.97
How does this work?
One more line from Cooper.
00:30:06.97\00:30:09.87
"Individually coming to
believe in and comprehend
00:30:09.90\00:30:12.81
the magnitude and intensity
of that sacrifice on the cross
00:30:12.81\00:30:16.91
is the one and only experience
which can instill in a person
00:30:16.91\00:30:21.15
the necessary foundation
for healthy self-worth."
00:30:21.15\00:30:27.59
Trying to grasp the magnitude
of that. Our GROW group --
00:30:27.62\00:30:30.03
I hope you're having a great
time in your GROW group. We're
having a wonderful time
00:30:30.03\00:30:32.63
in ours. We're looking
at Neil Anderson's book,
00:30:32.63\00:30:35.56
"Victory Over the Darkness." And
here is the subtitle -- "Realize
00:30:35.56\00:30:41.20
the Power of Your Identity in
Christ." And I've been brooding
on this for a few days, because
00:30:41.20\00:30:44.67
we'd just been reading this, and
it's that little line, "In
Christ," and he just
00:30:44.67\00:30:48.41
goes to work on that line. I'm
not going to try to summarize
00:30:48.41\00:30:51.51
him. I'll put Neil Anderson on
the screen, and you just kind of
00:30:51.51\00:30:55.18
brood over this with me.
"Understanding," he writes,
"your identity in Christ" --
00:30:55.18\00:30:59.45
That's the big theme of the
New Testament. When you accept
00:30:59.45\00:31:01.89
Jesus, you are in
Christ. We are in Him.
00:31:01.89\00:31:03.89
"Understanding your
identity in Christ is essential
00:31:03.93\00:31:06.13
for living the Christian
life. People cannot consistently
00:31:06.13\00:31:09.70
behave in ways that
are inconsistent with the
00:31:09.70\00:31:12.20
way they perceive themselves."
Lookit -- and this is good --
00:31:12.20\00:31:15.94
"You don't change
yourself by your perception.
00:31:15.94\00:31:19.61
You change your
perception of yourself
00:31:19.61\00:31:21.91
by believing the
truth." Did you get that?
00:31:21.91\00:31:24.61
There are a lot of
positive-thinking books
00:31:24.61\00:31:26.28
out there that say, "Just change
the perception, and you'll be
00:31:26.28\00:31:28.58
fine. Just
change your perception."
00:31:28.58\00:31:30.02
No, no, no, no, no. You
have to believe the truth.
00:31:30.02\00:31:32.42
That's what will change
your perception of yourself.
00:31:32.42\00:31:35.16
And then he gives an example.
"If you perceive yourself
00:31:35.16\00:31:40.46
wrongly, you will live wrongly
because what you are believing
00:31:40.46\00:31:44.13
is not true." Keep going.
00:31:44.13\00:31:46.00
"If you think you
are a no-good bum,
00:31:46.00\00:31:48.37
you will probably
live like a no-good bum."
00:31:48.37\00:31:52.37
If you think you are an
inferiority-complex-ridden
00:31:52.37\00:31:55.74
wallflower, guess
what. You'll behave like an
00:31:55.74\00:31:59.08
inferiority-complexed
wallflower would live.
00:31:59.08\00:32:03.92
If you think there's no
-- I could stand up in front
00:32:03.92\00:32:05.95
of people and say
anything. If you live with that
00:32:05.95\00:32:09.12
as the picture of you,
that's the reality you get.
00:32:09.12\00:32:12.33
Now he says, "Turn
it around." Watch this.
00:32:12.33\00:32:14.20
There's one more
sentence here. "But if, however,
00:32:14.20\00:32:18.67
you see yourself as
a child of God who is
00:32:18.67\00:32:20.64
spiritually alive in Christ"
-- now, that's the key, "in
00:32:20.64\00:32:23.94
Christ" -- "you will
begin to live accordingly.
00:32:23.94\00:32:27.04
Next to a knowledge of
God, a knowledge of who you are
00:32:27.04\00:32:30.48
is by far the most important
truth you can possess."
00:32:30.48\00:32:35.65
So, here is the question. How do
you perceive yourself right now?
00:32:35.68\00:32:39.55
Hmm? How do you
perceive yourself right now?
00:32:39.55\00:32:45.73
What Neil Anderson is suggesting
is that if we will simply grasp
the truth of what it means to be
00:32:45.73\00:32:51.27
in Christ, the identity that the
New Testament, that the Bible
00:32:51.27\00:32:56.54
gives us, starts to become our
own perception. And, in fact,
this is worth the whole price of
00:32:56.54\00:33:00.84
the book. He has a page and a
half of what he calls his little
00:33:00.84\00:33:05.05
"I am" statements. "The Bible
says I am, therefore I am." A
00:33:05.05\00:33:08.35
page and a half. Let me just run
some of these by you. "I am a
00:33:08.35\00:33:11.12
child of God." True or false?
Oh, yeah, I am. But why don't I
00:33:11.12\00:33:14.79
live like a child of God? Why do
I get beaten down? He says, you
00:33:14.79\00:33:20.06
know, "You read this page and a
half every morning for two
weeks." I think that's great
00:33:20.06\00:33:24.57
counsel. "I am a child of
God." Here is another one. "I am
00:33:24.57\00:33:27.54
Christ's friend." How do I know
I'm Christ's friend? Because
Jesus said, in John 15,
00:33:27.54\00:33:30.41
"You are my friends." I'm Jesus'
friend today. When you head out
00:33:30.41\00:33:36.34
of your dorm room or you head
out of your apartment or
trailer, you head out with the
00:33:36.34\00:33:40.02
concept, "I am His friend."
Here is another one. We're just
00:33:40.02\00:33:43.52
reading this one. "I am a temple
of the Holy Spirit." I'm his
00:33:43.52\00:33:48.39
temple. Wow. He's inside of me
right now. And then I love his
last one. Oh, this one is good.
00:33:48.39\00:33:51.96
I'll put it on the screen. His
last one goes like this. "I am
not the great 'I am,'
00:33:51.96\00:33:57.70
but by the grace of God I
am what I am." Isn't that good?
00:33:57.70\00:34:03.17
Yeah. He's just quoting Paul
there, in 1 Corinthians 15:20.
Paul says, "Listen, I know
00:34:03.17\00:34:07.74
you got expectations from me. I
know you're kind of dissing me.
00:34:07.74\00:34:10.48
I don't care. I am
what I am. I don't have to
00:34:10.48\00:34:13.45
live up to your self-concept.
I don't have to live up to your
00:34:13.45\00:34:17.45
picture of me. I am what I am. I
have been wired this way, and
this is the way I live.
00:34:17.45\00:34:21.56
If you don't like it, talk to
God. He's the one who made me.
00:34:21.56\00:34:24.49
I am what I am." What
are you? What are you?
00:34:24.49\00:34:30.40
Could it be that once we know
what we are in Christ, we will
00:34:33.40\00:34:39.04
live accordingly? Look, look,
look, look. If I am a child of
the King, then can't I live
00:34:39.04\00:34:45.31
with a quiet confidence that
comes from recognizing -- Hey,
00:34:45.31\00:34:49.98
what are children of the king
called? So, what's a boy child
00:34:49.98\00:34:52.82
of a king called? What's a boy
child of the king called? It's a
00:34:52.82\00:34:55.39
prince. What's a girl child? A
princess. If I am a child of the
00:34:55.39\00:34:59.23
king, can't I live like a
princess? Can't I live? Can't I
00:34:59.23\00:35:02.43
go through the day like a
prince? I mean, please. I'm not
taking your word for it.
00:35:02.43\00:35:05.80
I know who I am. I'm a child
of the king. You may not be as
00:35:05.80\00:35:11.34
wealthy as the Queen of England,
but you are a child of the King
00:35:11.34\00:35:16.44
of Heaven. Hey, listen. You may
be looked upon in social media
00:35:16.44\00:35:20.98
as the scum of the Earth, the
detritus of society, but guess
what. You and I were
00:35:20.98\00:35:26.52
bought with a price. Somebody
paid an infinite price to have
00:35:26.52\00:35:33.93
you with him. Wow. You were
bought with a price. What's the
00:35:33.93\00:35:39.10
price? Let's let Peter throw in
his 2 cents worth. Peter on the
00:35:39.10\00:35:43.71
screen. 1 Peter 1:18-19.
"For you know" -- sure you do --
00:35:43.74\00:35:47.91
"that it was not with perishable
things such as silver or gold
00:35:47.91\00:35:50.98
that you were
redeemed," which is another word
00:35:50.98\00:35:52.65
for bought, "bought
from the empty way of life
00:35:52.65\00:35:55.58
handed down to you
from your ancestors."
00:35:55.58\00:35:57.29
No, no, no, no, no,
"But you were bought with
00:35:57.29\00:35:59.49
the precious blood of
Christ, a lamb without blemish
00:35:59.49\00:36:04.03
or defect." Man, does somebody
00:36:04.03\00:36:08.36
really love you that
much? Did somebody really pay
00:36:08.36\00:36:12.70
an infinite price to
have you in his heart?
00:36:12.70\00:36:19.27
Give me a break. 100 years ago,
00:36:19.27\00:36:24.25
these words on the screen.
"The soul is of infinite value.
00:36:24.25\00:36:29.72
The worth of the soul can
be estimated only by the price
00:36:29.72\00:36:32.82
paid to ransom it." And
now notice this -- three
00:36:32.82\00:36:35.32
exclamation marks in a
row. "Calvary! Calvary! Calvary!
00:36:35.32\00:36:40.76
will explain the
true value of the soul."
00:36:40.76\00:36:44.93
Son and daughter
of God, that is you,
00:36:44.93\00:36:47.00
isn't it, out there?
Son and daughter of God,
00:36:47.00\00:36:50.91
you're a child of the King.
Somebody sacrificed everything
00:36:50.91\00:36:55.71
to have you and me back.
Then shall we not live as sons
00:36:55.71\00:37:03.32
and daughters of the
King? Speaking of the King,
00:37:03.32\00:37:08.66
John Stott, in his
commentary on Romans,
00:37:08.66\00:37:10.39
tells of how King George
V -- and so this is over in
00:37:10.39\00:37:13.09
England -- how King George V
used to admonish his son Edward,
00:37:13.09\00:37:16.13
Prince of Wales -- This
is the king that abdicated
00:37:16.13\00:37:18.37
eventually, alright?
00:37:18.37\00:37:20.77
Young Edward -- he later,
Edward, recalled how his father
00:37:20.80\00:37:26.68
disciplined him. Now, these are
his words, Edward's words. "My
father was a strict
00:37:26.68\00:37:29.61
disciplinarian. Sometimes,
when I had done something wrong,
00:37:29.61\00:37:33.28
he would admonish me, saying,
'My dear boy, you must always
remember who you are.'"
00:37:33.28\00:37:40.42
Stott then writes -- put it
on the screen, John Stott --
00:37:40.46\00:37:43.26
"It is my conviction
that our heavenly Father
00:37:43.26\00:37:46.09
says the same to us every day:
'My dear child, you must always
00:37:46.09\00:37:51.63
remember who you are.'"
00:37:51.63\00:37:55.50
"I'm a child of the King. I'm
a child of the King. With Jesus,
00:37:55.54\00:38:02.44
my savior." Don't we sing that?
"I'm a child of the King." How
00:38:02.44\00:38:10.19
much are we worth? The full and
deep healing of our fractured
self-worth, our broken
00:38:10.19\00:38:21.66
self-concepts. No, no, no, no,
no, no. You're not that. You are
a child of the King.
00:38:21.66\00:38:28.50
So that we would never forget,
Jesus gave us the Lord's Supper.
He put emblems out on the table
00:38:28.50\00:38:33.81
and He said, "Every time you
do this, I want you to remember
00:38:33.81\00:38:39.18
my death for you. I exchanged
places with you in eternity with
00:38:39.18\00:38:46.12
all my being. I want you to
remember. I bought you back, and
you are worth all of this to
00:38:46.12\00:38:53.83
me." >> And, so, we gather as
redeemed sons and daughters of
00:39:54.79\00:39:58.96
the King. That's who we are,
00:39:58.96\00:40:03.16
without apology.
We've been to the cross
00:40:03.16\00:40:10.67
in our minds, and now,
through physical symbols,
00:40:10.67\00:40:15.04
we go to that cross.
00:40:15.04\00:40:18.55
Jesus said, "I'm giving you this
so that you will never forget,
00:40:18.58\00:40:24.22
not until I come. You will never
forget who you are." So with joy
00:40:24.22\00:40:31.79
and a quiet spirit of receiving
his gift, let's sit back. Wanda
Ferguson is going to read
00:40:31.79\00:40:37.37
the record of that sacred night
that has become a dear, dear
00:40:37.37\00:40:45.37
Thursday to us, and then we'll
kneel with her husband, Duane,
all of us together, as we ask
00:40:45.37\00:40:49.51
God's blessing on these symbols
that they might come alive in
00:40:49.51\00:40:54.38
us. Fractured self-concept,
fractured self-worth healed at
the foot of the cross.
00:40:54.38\00:41:01.42
>> Reading from
NIV, 2 Corinthians 11.
00:41:05.03\00:41:10.33
"For I receive from the
Lord what I also pass on to you.
00:41:10.33\00:41:18.04
The Lord Jesus, on the
night that He was betrayed, took
00:41:18.07\00:41:26.15
bread, and when He had given
thanks, He broke it and said,
00:41:26.15\00:41:35.86
'This is my body which is for
you. Do this in remembrance of
me.' In the same way, after
00:41:35.86\00:41:45.40
supper, He took the cup, saying,
'This cup is the new covenant in
remembrance of me' --
00:41:45.40\00:41:54.38
the new covenant' -- excuse
me -- of my blood. Do this,
00:41:54.38\00:42:02.22
whenever you drink it, in
remembrance of me. For whenever
you eat this bread and drink
00:42:02.22\00:42:07.89
this cup, you proclaim the
Lord's death until he comes.'"
May we all be blessed.
00:42:07.89\00:42:15.70
>> Kneel. >> I'd like to
invite you to kneel as we pray.
00:42:19.37\00:42:23.94
Father, we've just
gone through the process
00:42:36.58\00:42:38.85
of washing each other's feet.
00:42:38.85\00:42:43.36
It reminds us of the fact that
you have said, "Blessed is the
00:42:43.39\00:42:51.33
meek, for they shall inherit the
Earth." Lord, give to us meek
00:42:51.33\00:42:58.47
and humble spirits that are
willing to be used by you to be
a blessing to others.
00:42:58.47\00:43:06.88
We're also reminded that it is a
miniature baptism. Lord, we love
00:43:06.88\00:43:16.06
beginnings, and as we come now
to your table, we feel
brand-new, recommitted.
00:43:16.06\00:43:25.60
Lord, make this a conversion
experience daily and just now
00:43:25.60\00:43:34.01
for us. Renew us not just with
water, but with your Holy
Spirit. And as we come now
00:43:34.01\00:43:42.48
to show honor to Jesus because
we love him and are so grateful
00:43:42.48\00:43:49.99
for what He has done for us, as
John Newton said once, "We
remember for ourselves --
00:43:49.99\00:43:58.53
we are great sinners, but he
is a great savior." As we accept
00:43:58.53\00:44:09.71
the wafer as a symbol of his
body, tortured and broken on the
cross of Calvary for us,
00:44:09.71\00:44:21.26
and as we drink the grape juice,
we remember that he said that he
would not drink it again
00:44:21.26\00:44:30.13
until he drinks it with us in
heaven above. Oh, Lord, we look
00:44:30.13\00:44:36.07
forward to that day when we can
drink it with you. We pray in
00:44:36.07\00:44:44.38
Jesus' name, amen. ¤¤
00:44:44.38\00:44:46.31
>> Hey, guys, that was
beautiful. Thank you both.
00:49:28.26\00:49:34.97
Don't you just want to stand
up and say, "Jesus, that's my
00:49:34.97\00:49:38.17
prayer. I'm giving it all. I'm
surrendering everything. You can
00:49:38.17\00:49:41.78
have all of me, all
I possess, all to you."
00:49:41.78\00:49:45.85
It's what happens when you come
to the foot of the cross. The
Spirit has access to us
00:49:48.45\00:49:54.19
in ways -- He cannot reach us
any other method. Jesus turns to
00:49:54.19\00:50:03.47
us as he did to His Disciples
that night. He said, "This is my
body, the symbol of my body,
00:50:03.47\00:50:10.64
broken for you. Eat
this in remembrance of me."
00:50:10.64\00:50:15.98
¤¤
00:50:24.79\00:50:26.72
Jesus turns to us again and He
says, "This, this is the symbol
00:50:40.00\00:50:47.78
of my blood which is shed for
you. I'll never drink of the
fruit of the vine again
00:50:47.78\00:50:56.55
till you're home with me, son of
the King, daughter of the King.
00:50:56.55\00:51:01.99
Until we're all home together
around the throne, I'm not
00:51:01.99\00:51:07.66
touching this. So when you do
this, please do this again in
remembrance of me."
00:51:07.66\00:51:13.27
¤¤
00:51:18.64\00:51:20.58
Our hearts are full. Our spirits
are at rest. We sense a deep joy
00:51:30.42\00:51:42.46
in Christ, and I'm going to give
you a reason to be really happy
00:51:42.46\00:51:45.10
today, because it's just been
brought to my attention and I
00:51:45.10\00:51:50.21
need you to know that a man that
we've been praying for a lot, a
lot -- Robert Fusté -- praying
00:51:50.21\00:52:00.78
for him a lot here at Pioneer
and every other church in town,
I'm sure -- Today, right now,
00:52:00.78\00:52:09.46
Robert Fusté is here. And I
say we put our hands together
00:52:09.46\00:52:14.10
and let him know how grateful
we are for what God has done. [
00:52:14.10\00:52:20.40
Applause ] Robert, I see you
just behind the cameraman there,
00:52:25.07\00:52:28.64
but we praise God for what He's
done. Yep. And our praying has
00:52:28.64\00:52:33.25
not stopped. We're staying with
you and your little family every
00:52:33.25\00:52:38.92
step of the way. God wins, and
your presence here is such a
poignant reminder of that.
00:52:38.92\00:52:44.66
They had two traditions. One was
they received an offering at the
00:52:44.66\00:52:47.30
end of Passover supper. They
would receive an offering for
00:52:47.30\00:52:51.00
the poor, and we're going to do
the same. When you leave today,
there will be ushers at these
00:52:51.00\00:52:54.87
doors ready to receive a love
gift. You have so -- If God has
00:52:54.87\00:52:58.61
blessed you over the last three
months -- We only receive this
00:52:58.61\00:53:01.91
four times a year. If God has
blessed you over the last three
months and you'd like to pass
00:53:01.91\00:53:05.75
that blessing on to someone,
just drop it. Straight for
00:53:05.75\00:53:10.09
emergency. They come from
all over this county. They know.
00:53:10.09\00:53:12.29
Pioneer is their first
stop. They come here from Benton
00:53:12.29\00:53:15.39
Harbor. They come here from St.
Joseph. They come here from
Buchanan and Niles.
00:53:15.39\00:53:18.93
They come from Berrien County.
Why? Because here is a church
00:53:18.93\00:53:22.60
that says, "If you're in
trouble, let us know, and we'll
00:53:22.60\00:53:26.20
help you." So, freely. We
receive freely. Thank you for
freely giving. Then the other
00:53:26.20\00:53:31.71
tradition they had -- and we
love this one -- they sang. They
sang one of the great
00:53:31.71\00:53:36.41
psalms together to God Himself,
and so we're going to sing. It's
00:53:36.41\00:53:40.92
not a psalm. It's number 407 in
your hymnal right now, "Sent
Forth by God's Blessing."
00:53:40.92\00:53:45.82
The supper has ended, and
a world awaits us now. We go,
00:53:45.82\00:53:50.89
sons and daughters of the King,
our self-worth and self-concept
intact in Christ right now.
00:53:50.89\00:53:59.17
We go together. Let's stand
as we sing this beautiful hymn.
00:53:59.17\00:54:03.97
And, so, great Father King, we
go forth sons and daughters of
00:56:18.94\00:56:26.92
the King, children of the most
high God. We go forth into a
world desperate to know you,
00:56:26.92\00:56:34.19
desperate to know that the
father of Jesus is very fond of
00:56:34.19\00:56:40.50
me, too. Let us go with that
sense of who we are. Make us
00:56:40.50\00:56:46.13
bold for you. Love strongly
through us. And like children,
sons and daughters of the most
00:56:46.13\00:56:53.54
high King, we live in honor of
our Lord, Jesus. And now, to Him
00:56:53.54\00:57:00.05
who loves us and has freed us
from our sins by his blood and
has made us to be a kingdom
00:57:00.05\00:57:06.32
and priests to serve His God
and Father, to Him be glory and
00:57:06.32\00:57:11.63
power forever and ever. Let all
the people say "Amen." And amen.
00:57:11.63\00:57:17.03
I want to take an
extra moment to thank you
00:57:18.87\00:57:20.37
for joining us in worship today.
It's by the continued support
00:57:20.37\00:57:22.87
from viewers like you that we're
able to bring you this program.
00:57:22.87\00:57:25.87
Today, I want to invite you,
though, to share with us how
00:57:25.87\00:57:28.21
this ministry has blessed
you. I get inspiring notes,
00:57:28.21\00:57:31.51
e-mails from viewers
literally all over the world,
00:57:31.51\00:57:33.62
telling me, "Look,
Dwight. God has been blessing me
00:57:33.62\00:57:35.58
this way. He's been doing this."
00:57:35.58\00:57:36.99
I would love to
hear from you, as well.
00:57:36.99\00:57:38.95
Just visit our website -- you
know it, newperceptions.tv --
00:57:38.95\00:57:43.12
and click on the contact
link at the top of the page.
00:57:43.12\00:57:45.76
Send me a note. Let
me know what God has been
00:57:45.76\00:57:47.66
doing right now in your
life. Once again, thank you
00:57:47.66\00:57:51.43
for being with us today. I
hope you'll join us right here
00:57:51.43\00:57:54.00
next time, and until then,
may the God of grace journey
00:57:54.00\00:57:57.51
with you every step of the way.
00:57:57.51\00:58:00.11
¤¤
00:58:01.91\00:58:03.85