¤¤
00:00:00.60\00:00:08.10
>> Let's stand
together on this first Sabbath
00:00:11.07\00:00:13.81
of the new year as we pray.
00:00:13.81\00:00:15.71
Morning has broken, Holy
Father, on this first Sabbath
00:00:25.55\00:00:28.99
of a brand-new year.
00:00:28.99\00:00:31.19
And where better to come than
right here in this house of
prayer for all people?
00:00:31.23\00:00:36.50
And "all people" means not only
here in the Midwest, but also
00:00:36.50\00:00:40.77
over there in the Middle East.
Oh, God, peace on Earth,
goodwill to mankind.
00:00:40.77\00:00:45.57
That Christmas gift sure got
broken awfully early, didn't it?
00:00:45.57\00:00:51.71
So now what? Only You know what
lies ahead this new year. What
00:00:51.71\00:00:56.79
we know is that here with You,
we are safe, and that with You,
all things do work together
00:00:56.79\00:01:01.52
for good to those who love You.
So please make this house a
prayer a house of peace
00:01:01.52\00:01:06.73
on Earth. This new year
for the sake of Christ Jesus,
00:01:06.73\00:01:11.23
who is the foundation of this
house forever and ever. Amen.
00:01:11.23\00:01:16.87
>> Amen. >> Happy
Sabbath. Happy Sabbath.
00:01:16.87\00:01:25.01
And happy New Year.
00:01:25.01\00:01:27.12
You know, at the beginning
of the year, we often are --
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It's a time of excitement, you
know, sometimes a bit of fear,
00:01:30.42\00:01:33.72
trying to figure out what's
gonna happen this year, right?
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But, you know, God has been
faithful to us. He brought us
00:01:36.93\00:01:41.53
through 2019 now to 2020. So,
you know, at this time, we're
gonna sing praises,
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and I just invite you to sing
with us these marvelous hymns. [
"Holy, Holy, Holy" begins ]
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[ Congregation singing ] ¤¤
00:02:08.89\00:02:20.07
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¤¤ ¤¤
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[ "The Lord Is
My Light" begins ]
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You may be seated. ¤¤
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[ Congregation singing ] ¤¤
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¤¤ ¤¤
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¤¤ [ "To God Be
the Glory" begins ]
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¤¤ [ Congregation singing ]
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¤¤ [ "The Church Has One
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Foundation" begins ] ¤¤
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Please stand. ¤¤
00:08:04.45\00:08:13.92
[ Congregation singing ] ¤¤
00:08:13.92\00:08:25.83
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Amen. You know,
at the beginning of
00:10:18.38\00:10:20.88
the new year, we want
to make sure that we set
00:10:20.88\00:10:23.12
off on the right
foundation. Isn't that correct?
00:10:23.12\00:10:26.45
On Jesus Christ. And,
you know, setting aside
00:10:26.45\00:10:29.32
all the things that
were probably plaguing us
00:10:29.32\00:10:32.09
throughout the last year,
you know, we know that we can
00:10:32.09\00:10:34.93
only conquer those
things because of Christ
00:10:34.93\00:10:37.70
and because of His
grace. So let us continue on and
00:10:37.70\00:10:41.27
sing about His marvelous grace.
[ "Marvelous Grace" begins ]
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[ Congregation singing ] ¤¤
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00:11:10.43\00:11:29.42
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00:12:07.39\00:12:26.34
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¤¤ [ "Draw Me Nearer" begins ]
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[ Congregation singing ] ¤¤
00:13:09.35\00:13:21.53
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¤¤ ¤¤
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¤¤ [ "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus"
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begins ] ¤¤
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[ Congregation singing ] ¤¤
00:14:17.55\00:14:29.60
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00:15:06.47\00:15:24.89
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00:15:24.89\00:15:34.00
>> Well, good morning, boys and
girls, on this first Sabbath of
00:15:37.57\00:15:41.34
-- What's the number for this
year? The number. I'm having
00:15:41.34\00:15:44.34
hard time remembering. What's
the number? Tell me. 2020.
00:15:44.34\00:15:48.74
Oh, I can't believe it's 2020.
Well, that's gonna be an easy
00:15:48.74\00:15:54.12
one to remember. Don't you
think? We'll keep writing
"2019." But it's easy to
00:15:54.12\00:15:59.65
remember 2020. Nice to see you.
Did you have -- Did you have a
nice holiday break?
00:15:59.65\00:16:04.33
I can tell looking at you.
00:16:04.33\00:16:06.46
You got some
rest? School starts up
00:16:06.49\00:16:09.70
in just a few hours. Yeah.
00:16:09.70\00:16:14.34
Yep, few hours till Monday. We
got any visitors here? Oh, I see
00:16:14.37\00:16:21.68
some visitors. Nice to have you.
We were in Kettering Church last
Sabbath, where our son and
00:16:21.68\00:16:27.32
his wife -- but really what's
important -- Ella and Izzy go to
00:16:27.32\00:16:30.75
church. So that's where we were.
Beautiful day. Okay, so this is
00:16:30.75\00:16:35.09
from Sharon Dudgeon. She's the
lady that runs WAUS, keeps it on
00:16:35.09\00:16:42.76
the air 24/7. Oh, wait a minute.
This is about a family from
00:16:42.76\00:16:45.90
Georgia. Anybody here from
Georgia? Georgia, Georgia, down
South. The family said -- It
00:16:45.90\00:16:52.51
just happened just a few weeks
ago. They said, "Okay, Mommy,
00:16:52.51\00:16:55.94
Daddy." Little India and her
brother Jack. "Mommy and Daddy,
00:16:55.94\00:16:59.05
we got to get a Christmas tree.
It's time to get a Christmas
tree, and we want a live one
00:16:59.05\00:17:02.42
again, please. We want a live
one," so they go to the store
and they get a live
00:17:02.42\00:17:05.99
Christmas tree. What did they
do with it? They bring it home.
00:17:05.99\00:17:08.49
They set the Christmas -- Did
you do this, too? They set the
00:17:08.49\00:17:11.46
Christmas tree up in their
house. Can you imagine that? In
00:17:11.46\00:17:14.83
their house. And then Mother,
she collects these little owl --
You know what an owl is?
00:17:14.83\00:17:19.90
Little owl ornaments, and just
she puts them all over and had
00:17:19.90\00:17:23.44
the lights, and, oh, it's their
favorite, favorite Christmas
tree. So just a few days ago,
00:17:23.44\00:17:28.61
they were having supper, and
little India got up, and she
went out to the living room.
00:17:28.61\00:17:35.52
So she went by the Christmas
tree, and Mother heard a scream,
and little India comes running
00:17:35.52\00:17:40.96
back into the room, and she's
crying. She says, "Mama, that
00:17:40.96\00:17:45.06
was not -- that was not nice to
do." Mother says, "Nice to do
what?" She says, "You know those
00:17:45.06\00:17:48.76
owl ornaments? It just
looked at me and winked."
00:17:48.76\00:17:55.87
Mother says, "What are you
talking about?" "Well, you need
00:17:55.87\00:17:59.37
to look at --" So Mother said,
"Okay. Just stay right here.
I'll go out and look."
00:17:59.37\00:18:02.01
So Mother looks. There's
the lovely owl ornaments.
00:18:02.01\00:18:04.71
She loves saving these and
putting them up every Christmas.
And all of a sudden, one of the
00:18:04.71\00:18:08.28
ornaments went like
this. [ Laughter ] "What?
00:18:08.28\00:18:14.49
There's a live owl in our tree."
The whole family came running.
"Stand back, stand back."
00:18:14.49\00:18:21.16
There's that little owl. "How
long has this owl been in here?"
00:18:21.16\00:18:26.30
"Well, we haven't had the tree
anywhere but in here since it
came from the store."
00:18:26.30\00:18:30.07
"No, can't be that long." They
call up a nearby nature center.
00:18:30.07\00:18:34.44
They say, "Listen we got --
You're not gonna believe this.
We have an owl in the tree."
00:18:34.44\00:18:36.98
Oh, the guy on the other line
says, "I know what that is.
That's the eastern screech owl."
00:18:36.98\00:18:41.65
"Eastern screech owl? We haven't
heard a peep." "Well, that's
00:18:41.65\00:18:48.22
what you got." "Oh, what are we
gonna do?" "We'll send somebody
00:18:48.22\00:18:52.69
out tomorrow." So that somebody
came out, 'cause it takes
somebody special to take little
00:18:52.69\00:18:56.16
owls out of big Christmas trees.
They have somebody that does
that for a special work.
00:18:56.16\00:18:59.90
And this specialist came, and he
looked at it -- "Hmm." Said,
"Yeah, oh, yeah, this
00:18:59.90\00:19:05.07
is an eastern screech owl.
Now, there's only one way we can
00:19:05.07\00:19:09.94
remove it. First of all, you got
to feed it. He's very skinny.
00:19:09.94\00:19:11.98
He must have been in this
tree a long time." No food.
00:19:11.98\00:19:14.72
So they fed it some food. He
told them the kind of food. And
00:19:14.72\00:19:18.75
then he said, "Okay, now, here's
the deal. I'm gonna get him. I'm
gonna put him in a box.
00:19:18.75\00:19:23.26
Do you have a box?" "We got a
box." "Okay, I need you to keep
00:19:23.26\00:19:26.16
the box with a blanket over it.
And tonight when it gets dark,
dusk outside, I want you
00:19:26.16\00:19:32.03
to take the box outside. Put
it there with the blanket on it
00:19:32.03\00:19:36.14
and then take the blanket off,
go back in the house, and wait."
And that's exactly what they
00:19:36.14\00:19:41.04
did. The expert little owl
remover got the little owl,
00:19:41.04\00:19:45.48
put it in the box. There goes
the blanket. There goes the box
00:19:45.48\00:19:49.72
to the back room. "Okay, now,
tonight when it gets darkish,
that's what I want you
00:19:49.72\00:19:54.02
to do. Okay? All
right. See you later. Bye."
00:19:54.02\00:19:57.83
And that's what they did. When
it began to get twilight and
dusk, they said, "Okay, come
00:19:57.83\00:20:02.03
on, kids." They carried
that box out, set it down.
00:20:02.03\00:20:05.80
They took the blanket off, and
the little owl just didn't do a
00:20:05.80\00:20:09.50
thing. "Okay, let's just leave
it here. Maybe he likes to be
alone when he leaves."
00:20:14.78\00:20:19.51
They go back in the
house. Nothing happened, nothing
00:20:19.51\00:20:22.48
happened. Got dark. Finally,
late at night, they said, "Well,
00:20:22.48\00:20:24.65
we better go out and check."
Guess what. The owl's gone.
00:20:24.65\00:20:28.49
Hallelujah. The owl flew away.
You're saying, "That's just a
00:20:28.49\00:20:33.09
made-up story." No, it's a true
story. I got a picture of the
00:20:33.09\00:20:35.46
owl right here. Look at the
big screen right now. That's the
00:20:35.46\00:20:39.17
owl. That's a real live eastern
screech owl. You don't want them
00:20:39.17\00:20:43.77
screeching in your ear. But
that's where it was -- in the
00:20:43.77\00:20:48.24
Christmas tree. Hey, now, wait a
minute. Wait a minute, wait a
minute. Sometimes when you go
00:20:48.24\00:20:51.08
from Christmas to New Year's,
little owls get in your heart.
That's what happens, really.
00:20:51.08\00:20:55.42
Little owls. Little owls of
naughty thoughts, little owls of
00:20:55.42\00:21:03.46
bad habits. They get inside your
heart over the holiday because
everybody's just kind of
00:21:03.46\00:21:07.40
relaxing, not keeping an eye
out. And the little owls get
inside of us, the things we
00:21:07.40\00:21:11.97
don't want inside of us in the
new year. Do you know what we
got to do? We got to call the
00:21:11.97\00:21:16.20
little owl specialist. And what
is the little owl specialist's
00:21:16.20\00:21:20.18
name? >> Jesus. >> Oh, you knew
this one. Of course, it's Jesus.
00:21:20.18\00:21:24.18
And when you say, "Jesus, I have
some bad thoughts. I have some
00:21:24.18\00:21:28.85
naughty habits. Could You take
them away?" Jesus says, "That's
what I do. I'm a little owl
00:21:28.85\00:21:35.12
specialist." But you have to ask
Him. If you don't ask Him, He
00:21:35.12\00:21:40.03
can't do that. He has to have
your permission. Oh, I know a
little prayer I'd like to pray
00:21:40.03\00:21:44.93
all this year. "Dear Jesus, take
the little owls out that came in
today. Just take the little owls
00:21:44.93\00:21:50.34
out." Okay? And
will He do it? Every time
00:21:50.34\00:21:54.48
you ask Him, He'll do it. You
have to keep asking every day.
00:21:54.48\00:21:58.88
Oh, who wants to thank Jesus for
being the specialist that can
00:21:58.88\00:22:03.55
remove those little owls from
us? Is there anybody here? Are
you putting your hand up?
00:22:03.55\00:22:09.72
Yeah. Come on. Let's do. Let's
pray. Let's thank Jesus for
00:22:09.72\00:22:15.96
being that friend of ours who is
a specialist with little owls.
What's your first name?
00:22:15.96\00:22:20.64
>> Sam. >> Sam. We're
gonna pray with Sam, all
00:22:20.64\00:22:22.90
right? Could you close
your eyes, please, and fold your
00:22:22.90\00:22:26.24
hands? Thank you, Sam. >> Dear
Jesus, thank you for this day.
00:22:26.24\00:22:29.31
Please bless us all good days,
using for service. And please
00:22:29.31\00:22:33.75
help us -- that people will not
be sick. We love You. Amen. >>
Amen. Thank you, Sam.
00:22:33.75\00:22:41.72
We love You, Jesus. It's a
beautiful prayer. You can say
that in your heart.
00:22:41.72\00:22:45.06
"We love You. Keep those little
owls out, Jesus, this new year."
00:22:45.06\00:22:50.20
Happy New Year
Sabbath to all of you.
00:22:50.20\00:22:52.30
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00:22:57.51\00:23:16.46
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00:23:16.46\00:23:35.31
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00:23:35.31\00:23:54.20
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00:23:54.20\00:24:13.18
¤¤ ¤¤
00:24:13.18\00:24:32.03
¤¤ ¤¤
00:24:32.03\00:24:50.95
¤¤ ¤¤
00:24:50.95\00:25:09.90
¤¤ ¤¤
00:25:09.90\00:25:28.79
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00:25:47.68\00:26:06.66
¤¤
00:26:06.66\00:26:15.97
>> Let's pray. And then we
go. Oh, God, that's our prayer.
00:26:20.74\00:26:26.05
Beautifully rendered by these
three musicians, your disciples,
00:26:26.05\00:26:33.12
your children. Be our vision.
2020... is the year, and 20/20
00:26:33.12\00:26:40.20
is the vision we long for. Grant
it to us. Teach us how in these
00:26:40.20\00:26:45.67
few moments we have together
with You now. We pray in Jesus'
00:26:45.67\00:26:49.97
name. Amen.
00:26:49.97\00:26:51.71
Speaking of vision, I suppose
it's safe to say that everybody
00:26:51.74\00:26:56.81
in this space, I'm just
guessing -- I don't know what
00:26:56.81\00:26:59.91
the age is -- but I'm just
guessing probably from 10 and on
00:26:59.91\00:27:01.98
up has stood before one of
those ubiquitous eye charts
00:27:01.98\00:27:07.72
in a doctor's office
somewhere. Have you done that?
00:27:07.72\00:27:10.56
You know what I'm talking about?
Come on, let's see it on the
00:27:10.56\00:27:12.39
screen.
00:27:12.39\00:27:13.46
Bring back good memories. There
it is. It's called the Snellen
00:27:13.50\00:27:17.73
chart. You've seen it. Snellen
chart, and you know the drill.
00:27:17.73\00:27:21.27
The nurse comes, and she says to
you, "Now, listen, listen, sir,
put your feet on that line."
00:27:21.27\00:27:26.61
That's not hard to do. Okay.
She says, "Now, I want you to
00:27:26.61\00:27:29.21
put the left hand over
your left eye." I can do that.
00:27:29.21\00:27:31.88
"All right, now, look at
the wall, the chart." Now, look,
00:27:31.88\00:27:36.05
when you get to that point, if
you say, "What wall?" it's
pretty much over. You just say,
00:27:36.05\00:27:39.49
"Well, give me those glasses."
She said, "Okay, wise guy, tell
me what's the top letter."
00:27:39.49\00:27:46.09
And I'm telling you the truth.
I've seen a lot of these charts.
The top letter's always "E."
00:27:46.09\00:27:50.27
I don't know why that is. It's
always "E." So when you go in,
00:27:50.27\00:27:55.74
if you don't remember another
thing, just remember the first
line is "E" and just say "E."
00:27:55.74\00:27:59.74
You got it. It'll be "E."
They say, "Keep the hand -- Keep
00:27:59.74\00:28:04.21
the hand on your left eye. Okay,
now, tell me what's line two."
00:28:04.21\00:28:07.42
And I went and wrote them down.
Line two -- "F," "P." "What's
00:28:07.42\00:28:14.46
line three?" "'T,' 'O,' 'Z.'"
"Mm-hmm, how about line four?"
"'L,' 'P,' 'E,' 'D.'"
00:28:14.46\00:28:19.56
I'm telling you, they're all on
Google. Just memorize the chart
00:28:19.56\00:28:22.33
before you go to the doctor's
office, you're gonna be fine.
But if you get down
00:28:22.33\00:28:27.20
to the eighth line -- if you
get down to the eighth line --
00:28:27.20\00:28:30.57
This is the one you got to
memorize 'cause this is the
00:28:30.57\00:28:33.78
20/20 line. "D," "E," "F," "P,"
"O," "T," "E," "C." You'll learn
00:28:33.78\00:28:39.68
that. That means you have 20/20.
What does 20/20 mean? Well, I
don't know, either.
00:28:39.68\00:28:44.25
I did a little bit investigating
this week. Jet fighter pilots --
00:28:44.25\00:28:48.52
You got to have 20/20 minimum so
you can be a jet fighter pilot.
00:28:48.52\00:28:51.73
If you got 20/20. 20/20 means
you standing 20 feet away see
that sign and others
00:28:51.73\00:28:57.80
standing 20 feet away also
saw the same sign and saw it the
00:28:57.80\00:29:01.97
same way. Just means you're
average. That's all it means.
Now, you can have a 20/40
00:29:01.97\00:29:07.84
vision. And that's when the
test subject sees at 20 feet
00:29:07.84\00:29:11.91
what a person with normal vision
sees at 40 feet. In other words,
00:29:11.91\00:29:15.25
your vision is half worse than
the normal vision. 20/40 -- You
00:29:15.25\00:29:20.66
don't want 20/40, but you can
pass any driver's license eye
test in all 50 states with
00:29:20.66\00:29:26.93
20/40. You can have 20/80. That
means you're able to read an
alarm clock at 10 feet.
00:29:26.93\00:29:32.50
By the way, that's a good way to
get up in the morning -- put the
alarm clock 10 feet away.
00:29:32.50\00:29:36.10
And when you turn it off, you're
up. Or you could have 20/200.
00:29:36.10\00:29:39.44
Oh, you don't want 20/200.
You're legally blind with
00:29:39.44\00:29:42.21
20/200. But you're able to see
the "S-T-O-P" on the stop sign
00:29:42.21\00:29:47.65
when you drive by. 20/20. Yeah,
you drove by, so you didn't see
00:29:47.65\00:29:53.25
it. You didn't see it. You
caught that. Or I just caught
00:29:53.25\00:29:59.09
it. Isn't that something? Here
we are at the year of our Lord
00:29:59.09\00:30:03.90
2020. And there's not a one of
us here that isn't in desperate
need for 20/20 vision.
00:30:03.90\00:30:10.07
My, oh, my. The year
has come. This is your year.
00:30:10.07\00:30:14.31
This is my year. And guess
what. Two things, two realities.
00:30:14.31\00:30:18.98
Number one, God is very big
on 20/20. And He has a perfect
00:30:18.98\00:30:27.99
prayer for 20/20 vision in 2020.
Open your Bible with me, please,
to the middle of your
00:30:27.99\00:30:31.39
Bible, Psalm 119. So that's the
middle of the Bible, the longest
00:30:31.39\00:30:35.80
chapter in the entire Bible,
Psalm 119. Let's drop down to
00:30:35.80\00:30:41.74
verse 18. This is the perfect
prayer for 20/20 vision, Psalm
119. I'm in the NIV, verse 18.
00:30:41.74\00:30:48.11
Oh, wow. Open my --
Isn't that beautiful?
00:30:56.89\00:31:02.42
Does that strike you as a
beautiful prayer? "Open my eyes
00:31:02.42\00:31:06.49
that I may see wonderful things
in your Torah." Because it's in
the Hebrew. That would be "Your
00:31:06.49\00:31:10.33
law, Your Word, in Your book."
Open my eyes. I want to see what
00:31:10.33\00:31:15.34
I've never seen before. I want
to be able to see what You see,
00:31:15.34\00:31:18.51
God. Would You be able to grant
me that kind of vision where I
can see what You see?
00:31:18.51\00:31:23.61
"Open my eyes that I may
see." Robert Alter, the Hebrew
00:31:23.61\00:31:32.32
specialist, in his magnum opus
-- It's a four volume. He just
00:31:32.32\00:31:35.19
came out with this one calendar
year ago. In his magnum opus,
the translation -- one-man
00:31:35.19\00:31:42.06
translation and commentary on
the Hebrew Bible. Somebody
graciously anonymously
00:31:42.06\00:31:47.00
gave it to me. In his
translation -- Put this on the
00:31:47.00\00:31:53.14
screen for you. Here's how he
renders Psalm 119:18. "Unveil my
00:31:53.14\00:32:00.15
eyes," oh, God. I like that.
"Unveil my eyes that I may look
upon the wonders of Your
00:32:00.15\00:32:06.76
teaching." God, God, God,
something is veiling my sight.
00:32:06.76\00:32:09.96
Something is obscuring my
vision. Take it away, whatever
00:32:09.96\00:32:14.40
it is. Take it away. I have to
see You clearly. Now, he makes a
00:32:14.40\00:32:18.43
comment on this one line.
Put his comment on the screen.
00:32:18.43\00:32:21.17
"Throughout the psalm" -- 119
-- "the speaker not only affirms
00:32:21.17\00:32:25.27
his adherence to God's teaching
but prays for the capacity
00:32:25.27\00:32:29.81
to understand it." I want to
know what this book is saying.
00:32:29.81\00:32:33.15
I can't. I need help.
Open my eyes that I may see.
00:32:33.15\00:32:38.55
Something's obscuring my
understanding. It's keeping me
00:32:38.55\00:32:41.36
from seeing clearly what it is
that You're trying to tell me.
00:32:41.36\00:32:46.26
Unveil my eyes. Open my eyes. I
have to know Your will this new
00:32:46.26\00:32:49.20
year. I have to know Your will.
Open my eyes that I might see.
00:32:49.20\00:32:55.54
Wow. In fact, there's an old
hymn. We sang it in first
service. ¤ Open my eyes that I
00:32:55.54\00:33:01.94
may see ¤ Glimpses of truth Thou
hast for me ¤ You remember that
00:33:01.94\00:33:05.88
one? Yeah, you're a boomer, you
grew up with that. But the
modern version is --
00:33:05.88\00:33:11.35
the modern version is -- ¤ Open
the eyes of my heart, Lord ¤
00:33:11.35\00:33:15.49
Isn't it? ¤ Open the eyes of
my heart ¤ I want to --  What?
00:33:15.49\00:33:19.56
¤ I want to see You ¤ I want
to see You Beautiful, beautiful
00:33:19.56\00:33:27.70
prayer, perfect prayer for the
new year. Here's the good news.
The opening of our eyes
00:33:27.70\00:33:32.34
is a very big deal to God, and
I'm gonna show you that. Just
00:33:32.34\00:33:38.25
boom, boom, boom. Big deal to
Him. Watch this. In the
beginning, it was a big deal.
00:33:38.25\00:33:42.35
"Psst, you, girl, look up here.
I'm talking to you." It's the
00:33:42.35\00:33:47.46
serpent. He's got Eve's
attention now. And notice what
he says to Eve. Let's put it on
00:33:47.46\00:33:51.46
the screen. Genesis 3:5. What
does the serpent say? "You know
00:33:51.46\00:33:54.96
what, girl? God's afraid that if
you eat this fruit, it will open
00:33:54.96\00:34:01.17
your eyes and you will be like
God." And so guess what. She ate
00:34:01.17\00:34:04.94
the fruit, little knowing, Eve
and Adam, that the fruit of
disobedience is eyes blinded,
00:34:04.94\00:34:11.01
not eyes open. It worked in the
reverse. But, of course, that
00:34:11.01\00:34:14.58
was the lie. Gotcha, gotcha.
So this eye-opening business,
00:34:14.58\00:34:20.36
God's in the business of opening
eyes. So this is a little later
00:34:20.36\00:34:23.36
in the Book of Genesis, and
we've got this fugitive on the
00:34:23.36\00:34:29.66
lam. Young handmaiden from
Egypt. She's wandering now in
00:34:29.66\00:34:35.37
the wilderness with her little
boy Ishmael. They're gonna die
of thirst because there is no
00:34:35.37\00:34:41.98
water. God comes along. Look at
God. Watch this. Genesis 21:19.
00:34:41.98\00:34:45.38
I'm telling you what, God loves
to answer the prayer, "Open my
00:34:54.06\00:34:58.36
eyes." He's in the business of
opening eyes. He's doing it all
00:34:58.36\00:35:01.20
the time. He did it that time
when that obstinate,
incalcitrant prophet is
00:35:01.20\00:35:10.21
flailing. He's gonna beat this
beast to death. [ Imitates whip
00:35:10.21\00:35:14.58
cracking ] "What were you
thinking? You just crushed my
00:35:14.58\00:35:18.51
leg on that wall. Didn't you see
the wall, you blind beast?" [
Imitates whip cracking ]
00:35:18.51\00:35:23.15
And the beast says to him, "Why
are you beating me?" What's
really comical about this
00:35:23.15\00:35:29.16
is he actually answers
the beast. He's so mad.
00:35:29.16\00:35:32.86
"Because look what you
just did. That's why." Oops.
00:35:32.86\00:35:36.40
Who's the donkey? And then all
of a sudden, shoo! Watch this.
00:35:36.40\00:35:43.74
Numbers 22:31. "The the Lord
opened Balaam's eyes, and he saw
00:35:43.74\00:35:49.28
the Angel of the Lord." That's
the pre-incarnate Christ Himself
standing right there.
00:35:49.28\00:35:52.98
Shoo! "Take another
step, buddy, you're dead meat."
00:35:52.98\00:35:57.72
He now sees what the donkey's
been seeing. God loves -- God
00:35:57.72\00:36:03.79
loves to open eyes. He does
it -- He does it for a living.
00:36:03.79\00:36:10.27
I mean, the boy comes walking
in there. I'm guessing he's a
00:36:10.27\00:36:12.50
teenager. He could be in his
early 20s. I don't know, the
young man. He's hyperventilating
00:36:12.50\00:36:15.97
when he steps into the
prophet's bedroom. [ Gasping ]
00:36:15.97\00:36:18.61
"Oh, we're doomed, we're doomed,
we're doomed. We're surrounded.
00:36:18.61\00:36:21.34
Prophet, you gotta come
and see." And I love this about
00:36:21.34\00:36:26.68
Elisha. What Eric Friedrickson
calls "non-anxious presence."
The prophet gets up.
00:36:26.68\00:36:33.09
"All right, all right, all
right. I'll come, I'll come."
00:36:33.09\00:36:35.86
So the boy gets the prophet
out. Said, "Look, the enemy is
00:36:35.86\00:36:41.63
surrounding us." Non-anxious
presence. The prophet says, "Let
me pray a prayer to Jesus right
00:36:41.63\00:36:45.10
now." Let's put it on the
screen. What are the first three
words of this prayer?
00:36:45.10\00:36:49.40
Say it out loud with me.
00:36:49.40\00:36:50.94
Open her eyes, Lord. She's
actually praying the prayer
00:36:56.31\00:36:59.58
right now. Open her eyes so that
she may see. He's in the busi--
00:36:59.58\00:37:05.29
He loves opening eyes. Oh, man.
00:37:05.29\00:37:10.03
So I suppose nobody's surprised
that when you get into the
00:37:14.20\00:37:21.10
heart of the Old Testament and
God starts promising about the
00:37:21.10\00:37:25.74
coming Messiah that God would
actually link this to the
Messiah's mission on Earth.
00:37:25.74\00:37:30.48
Watch this. Isaiah 42:6-7 on
the screen. God speaking to the
00:37:30.48\00:37:35.58
Messiah. "I will make you a
light for the Gentiles," to do
what? Let's read this one out
00:37:35.58\00:37:41.32
loud. "To open the eyes that are
blind." That's the Messiah --
00:37:41.32\00:37:47.23
That was to be the Messiah's
mission. No wonder -- In fact,
00:37:47.23\00:37:53.34
you're probably gonna challenge
me right now. Correct me if I'm
00:37:53.34\00:37:58.21
wrong. I'm quite sure that in
this case I'm not. But some of
00:37:58.21\00:38:02.11
you are mean. You say, "Okay,
give me the challenge." So
here's the challenge.
00:38:02.11\00:38:06.78
Have you noticed -- Has it ever
occurred to you it seems,
doesn't it, that Jesus
00:38:06.78\00:38:11.92
dealt more with blindness than
any other human ailment. Oh,
yeah, he healed a few
00:38:11.92\00:38:21.00
lepers. I know
those stories. So do you.
00:38:21.00\00:38:24.00
He cast out some demons. I know
those stories. You know them,
00:38:24.00\00:38:27.90
too. He healed a few crippled.
Yes, yes. I remember those
00:38:27.90\00:38:32.94
stories. He even raised three
people back to life. But more
than all of those --
00:38:32.94\00:38:39.38
you check the record out -- He's
healing blind people. I wonder
why He concentrated
00:38:39.38\00:38:46.39
on the blind ailment. You
remember some of these blind
00:38:46.39\00:38:53.90
stories? Sure, you do. Blind
Bartimaeus. Our youth pastor,
00:38:53.90\00:38:57.27
Pastor Lindsey, just a few weeks
ago did a beautiful job with
00:38:57.27\00:39:01.30
this. Bartimaeus. Jesus coming
out of Jericho. By the way,
00:39:01.30\00:39:06.88
Matthews tells the story later
than Mark. And Matthew says, "By
the way, guys, I know Mark said
00:39:06.88\00:39:10.21
just -- you thought it was only
Bartimaeus. I'm telling you, I
00:39:10.21\00:39:13.08
was there. There were two blind
men." It's very interesting when
you compare the responses,
00:39:13.08\00:39:17.45
because Jesus asks -- in both
accounts, Jesus asks, "What do
you want me to do for
00:39:17.45\00:39:20.56
you? What do you
want?" And Bartimaeus answers.
00:39:20.56\00:39:23.76
Bartimaeus -- It's almost a
direct quote of Psalm 119:18.
"Open my eyes that I may see."
00:39:23.76\00:39:29.70
Direct quote. The two blind men
in Matthew, they cry out, "That
00:39:29.70\00:39:35.24
our eyes may be opened." ¤ Open
the eyes of my heart, Lord ¤
00:39:35.24\00:39:42.04
God loves that prayer. It's what
Jesus did more than any other
00:39:42.04\00:39:46.48
miracle. He opened eyes. You
know, it makes you wonder. Do
you suppose Jesus focused on
00:39:46.48\00:39:51.49
our physical ailment of
blindness because what we really
have a problem with
00:39:51.49\00:39:55.29
is our spiritual ailment of
blindness? And maybe that's the
00:39:55.29\00:40:00.63
point He's wanting us to get.
I'm looking at your eyes now.
They're trying to stay open,
00:40:00.63\00:40:05.57
but... I'm looking
at your eyes right now.
00:40:05.57\00:40:11.44
I'm wondering if you can
really see out of those. Yeah.
00:40:11.44\00:40:16.14
So Jesus comes along and He does
a blind man in John chapter 9.
00:40:16.14\00:40:18.71
You remember that. Spits on
the ground. Makes this yucky
00:40:18.71\00:40:24.19
concoction and then He [Imitates
squishing] all over the closed
eyelids of a man who was born
00:40:24.19\00:40:29.12
blind. Young man, I'm imagining.
Never seen in his lifetime. And
00:40:29.12\00:40:33.53
Jesus says, "Yo, go to the Pool
of Siloam, please, and wash this
off. That's all I'm telling
00:40:33.53\00:40:38.57
you." "Man, go -- Can you point
me in the direction of Siloam?
00:40:38.57\00:40:41.80
Where's Siloam? Help me.
Help me, please. I got to get to
00:40:41.80\00:40:44.27
Siloam right away." He gets
to the water. He washes it off.
00:40:44.27\00:40:47.24
And guess what. This man who has
never seen a lick of light his
00:40:47.24\00:40:53.45
whole life can see everything
in 20/20 vision. Can you imagine
00:40:53.45\00:41:00.39
the joy that was in his heart?
I know the joy that was in his
00:41:00.39\00:41:04.36
heart, 'cause I saw a YouTube
about three or four weeks ago. I
don't know how I stumbled
00:41:04.36\00:41:07.86
into this YouTube. Maybe
you sent it to me. I don't know.
00:41:07.86\00:41:11.43
But it's of a kid. True
story. You can go online.
00:41:11.43\00:41:14.20
Not now. Every time I say,
"You can go online," people go,
00:41:14.20\00:41:18.51
"Okay, sure. What's that site
again?" No. Forget it. You can
00:41:18.51\00:41:23.85
check it out for yourself.
You'll start crying. There's
00:41:23.85\00:41:28.48
this kid who was born
color-blind. No, really. Some of
00:41:28.48\00:41:32.02
you have seen it. He was born
color-blind. People were nodding
00:41:32.02\00:41:34.79
in first service. I said, "Wow,
man. There are a lot of YouTube
watchers in first service."
00:41:34.79\00:41:39.36
So he's born color-blind.
They've invented glasses -- true
story -- that enable color-blind
00:41:39.36\00:41:45.70
people to see color.
Unbelievable. So the teacher,
00:41:45.70\00:41:50.27
who is also color-blind, in that
classroom, this is a happy day
for him, and he can hardly wait
00:41:50.27\00:41:54.81
for that kid to get here. And
the parents have kind of sneaked
00:41:54.81\00:41:57.65
in. And so in front of
everybody, the teacher presents
these glasses to the boy
00:41:57.65\00:42:01.68
that's color-blind, and he kind
of was a little nervous, like,
"Why am I putting these on
00:42:01.68\00:42:05.19
in front of everybody?" But
he puts them on. And then this
00:42:05.19\00:42:08.99
smile just goes from ear to ear.
00:42:08.99\00:42:11.53
You can tell he's seeing
color, and all of a sudden,
00:42:11.56\00:42:15.96
he starts crying.
00:42:15.96\00:42:17.67
He just starts crying. So I
start crying, 'cause that's the
00:42:17.70\00:42:21.60
cue. [ Laughter ] I'm so touched
by this. And the teacher comes
00:42:21.60\00:42:26.17
over with tears in his eyes. And
he just leans over to that
little boy, and he just holds
00:42:26.17\00:42:29.54
him. And I'm saying, "Does
it get any better than this?"
00:42:29.54\00:42:33.85
I can't imagine that guy
who's never seen a lick of light
00:42:33.88\00:42:36.32
in his life coming back,
saying, "Wow, wow, wow, wow."
00:42:36.32\00:42:41.79
Well, unfortunately,
every party has a pooper.
00:42:41.79\00:42:45.66
That's why we invited you.
00:42:45.66\00:42:48.40
There was a party pooper there.
They're called Pharisees. God
00:42:48.43\00:42:53.74
bless them. And they went
-- they went postal. They went
00:42:53.74\00:42:57.11
postal. I mean, of all the
audacity of this guy, who's the
creator of the universe.
00:42:57.11\00:43:01.21
This guy on the Sabbath, the
seventh-day Sabbath, in honor of
00:43:01.21\00:43:05.71
the creation. Why did He do
this? So in rage, the Pharisees
00:43:05.71\00:43:12.35
cross-examine this now-healed
former blind man. And when he
keeps touché-ing right back,
00:43:12.35\00:43:19.03
right back, right back, they
finally excommunicate him. "Get
00:43:19.03\00:43:25.77
out!" He goes to church, which
is a good thing to do when
you've been cut off.
00:43:25.77\00:43:30.07
He goes to church and he bumps
into a man he's never seen in
00:43:30.07\00:43:34.68
his life. But when the man
speaks, it's the one voice he
00:43:34.68\00:43:39.18
will never forget for the rest
of his life. And he is down on
his knees before Jesus
00:43:39.18\00:43:45.95
worshiping his healer. And then
Jesus says these clue words.
00:43:45.95\00:43:49.46
Here comes the clue, now. John
9:39 on the screen. Notice what
00:43:49.46\00:43:55.56
Jesus says. Oh, boy, which is
worse, to be born blind or to
become blind? There's a thought
00:44:07.61\00:44:12.88
question for you.' Which would
you rather be, born blind or
00:44:12.88\00:44:17.15
become blind? Oh, this is bad.
Jesus says you can -- you can
00:44:17.15\00:44:22.76
become blind. Do you suppose
Jesus focused most of His
miracles on the blind,
00:44:22.76\00:44:28.16
wanting to make sure that we
got it? That it's not just about
00:44:28.16\00:44:31.83
a physical ailment. It's
about a spiritual brokenness,
00:44:31.83\00:44:36.34
a darkness that has crept
over your heart. Some of you are
00:44:36.34\00:44:42.21
doing something in your life
that you absolutely know right
now God does not want you to do.
00:44:42.21\00:44:47.45
I never told you that. Nobody
else told you that. But you have
00:44:47.45\00:44:53.49
a conscience, and that
conscience is saying to you,
"This is wrong. This is really
00:44:53.49\00:44:57.96
wrong. What are you
thinking, girl, boy?"
00:44:57.96\00:45:02.73
That's why you're blind. That's
why you need the healer. You
can't heal yourself of
00:45:07.30\00:45:15.18
blindness. It
won't work. Unh-unh.
00:45:15.18\00:45:19.58
In fact, Jesus wrote a letter
once. The last love letter
00:45:19.58\00:45:23.08
in all of Scripture. He wrote
it to a church called Laodicea.
00:45:23.08\00:45:26.02
He says, "I'm talking to you. I
love you. I love you. But you
are -- you are pitiful,
00:45:26.02\00:45:35.06
wretched... poor... naked...
00:45:35.06\00:45:40.47
and blind." Spiritual
blindness is a big deal.
00:45:40.47\00:45:46.98
And we all suffer. That's why he
keeps going after the physical
00:45:46.98\00:45:55.42
-- so that we get the spiritual.
"Open my eyes, Lord, that I may
00:45:55.42\00:46:00.86
see. Unveil me. Something's
blocking my vision." Jesus says,
00:46:00.86\00:46:04.09
"You know exactly what's
blocking your vision. You want
that vision unblocked, girl, you
00:46:04.09\00:46:07.03
get rid of that. Boy, you quit
doing that." "Unblock my vision.
00:46:07.03\00:46:12.30
Unveil my eyes that I may
see You. I may see You." We were
00:46:12.30\00:46:19.87
worried this past summer -- true
story -- that Karen might be
00:46:19.87\00:46:24.45
losing her sight. Didn't talk to
you about it, but we were
concerned. She had gone for
00:46:24.45\00:46:28.65
routine cataract surgery on
her second eye. It had gone well
00:46:28.65\00:46:31.19
with the first one, and we were
sure it would be ditto for the
other eye, but afterwards,
00:46:31.19\00:46:35.36
something was wrong. Her sight
was not returning as it should
00:46:35.36\00:46:41.23
be this time. It became more
difficult for her to see. It's
00:46:41.23\00:46:44.83
out of focus and kind of
darkness here and there, and,
oh, my. So we -- they sent her
00:46:44.83\00:46:51.57
to a retinologist. That's a
specialist on the retina, as you
00:46:51.57\00:46:55.51
can guess, and they said, "Well,
there's something going on with
00:46:55.51\00:46:58.98
this retina." So the surgeon
goes in for the retina. Bandaged
00:46:58.98\00:47:04.79
up. I mean, when you come out of
those surgeries, you're bandaged
up like this, and 24 hours and
00:47:04.79\00:47:08.36
then you take this off. And we
went through all of that, but
when she took it off,
00:47:08.36\00:47:11.83
it was worse. There was blood
seeping into the eyeball, and it
00:47:11.83\00:47:17.00
was now affecting everything.
She was seeing it. Oh, the
surgeon says, "Well,
00:47:17.00\00:47:22.37
this does happen sometimes. We
gotta go back in again." And by
00:47:22.37\00:47:28.98
this point, I'm telling you the
truth, we're praying for sight.
We are saying, "God, plain and
00:47:28.98\00:47:31.98
simple, just sight,
please, for Karen. Just sight.
00:47:31.98\00:47:36.95
Just give her sight. Don't take
it away." She went in for the
00:47:36.95\00:47:41.32
third surgery. Took the bandage
off later. And guess what.
00:47:41.32\00:47:50.60
Sight was healed.
Hallelujah. Praise God.
00:47:50.60\00:47:55.14
Jesus told -- Jesus experienced
a story with another blind man
where it did not take
00:47:55.14\00:48:02.31
three surgeries, but it took
three touches. We're gonna end
00:48:02.31\00:48:06.95
with this, okay? Three touches.
I want you to check this out.
00:48:06.95\00:48:09.78
Most unusual. Scholars are kind
of scratching their heads and
saying, "Well, this is very --
00:48:09.78\00:48:12.75
this is strange." Took three
touches. So open your Bible,
00:48:12.75\00:48:16.86
last passage here, Mark chapter
8. Find the Gospel of Mark,
00:48:16.86\00:48:20.76
chapter 8. And let's
begin the story in verse 22.
00:48:20.76\00:48:26.07
Okay, hit the pause button
right there. I have a book in my
00:48:34.11\00:48:37.05
library. I've had it for years.
It's written by a man named
00:48:37.05\00:48:41.42
Kevin Miller. The title of the
book is "The Second Touch." The
00:48:41.42\00:48:46.15
title is based on this story,
okay? Now, I respect the author,
but I humbly beg to differ with
00:48:46.15\00:48:56.16
him. I think he missed a third
touch that's there. And it's the
00:48:56.16\00:49:01.47
third touch that makes a
difference. Let's go. So now we
00:49:01.47\00:49:04.14
pick it up in verse 23.
00:49:04.14\00:49:05.37
So they brought the
blind man to him, and Jesus
00:49:05.41\00:49:07.64
took the blind man by the
hand. There is touch number one.
00:49:07.64\00:49:10.25
If you're keeping track of the
touches, there is touch number
00:49:10.25\00:49:12.65
one. "And they led him
00:49:12.65\00:49:14.62
outside the village.
When" -- oh, here it comes
00:49:14.62\00:49:16.95
again -- "he had
spit on the man's eyes
00:49:16.95\00:49:19.75
and put his hands on
him, Jesus asked, 'Do you see
00:49:19.75\00:49:23.73
anything?'"
00:49:23.73\00:49:25.39
The man looked up and said, "Yo,
I see people. But they look like
00:49:25.43\00:49:32.83
trees walking around." Now, I'll
tell you, many a sermon has been
00:49:32.83\00:49:38.21
written stopping right there.
And the moral is clear. We can
00:49:38.21\00:49:42.58
become so self-preoccupied,
so focused on ourselves that we
00:49:42.58\00:49:47.78
lose focus to everybody around
us, and that's a wonderful
00:49:47.78\00:49:50.59
point, I'm sure. It's not the
right point today. There still
is a third touch. Here comes the
00:49:50.59\00:50:00.10
third touch. "Once more" --
Isn't that amazing? "Once more
00:50:00.10\00:50:04.40
Jesus put his hands" -- number
three -- "on the man's eyes. And
then his eyes were opened,
00:50:04.40\00:50:09.04
his sight was restored, and he
saw everything -- he saw
everything clearly."
00:50:09.04\00:50:16.88
¤ I can see clearly now, the
rain is gone ¤ Remember those
00:50:16.88\00:50:26.35
words? ¤ I can see all obstacles
in my way ¤ ¤ Gone are the dark
00:50:26.35\00:50:31.23
clouds that had me blind ¤ ¤
It's gonna be a bright, bright,
00:50:31.23\00:50:38.80
sunshiny day ¤ That's what he
said. "I can see." It's like the
00:50:38.80\00:50:42.57
boy. "I can see." Yeah. Well...
00:50:42.57\00:50:51.18
Truth is -- You help me out. If
he had run away after the second
00:50:51.18\00:50:56.72
touch, how good would his vision
be? No, he'd still be -- "It's
00:50:56.72\00:51:02.12
all -- The world's out of
focus." He had to stick around
for the third touch.
00:51:02.12\00:51:08.20
You and I can run up. "Yo,
Jesus, nice to see you. Gotta
00:51:08.20\00:51:12.93
go." We're running off with
only the second touch, and we've
00:51:12.93\00:51:17.07
totally missed the realization.
It's the third touch that makes
00:51:17.07\00:51:23.11
the difference. How many of us,
while we're wolfing down
breakfast, are grabbing a little
00:51:23.11\00:51:28.32
devotional thought? We
found it on an app or whatever.
00:51:28.32\00:51:31.12
So that's my worship today.
Are you serious? Yeah. Oh, no.
00:51:31.12\00:51:34.82
I'm going to class, and we got
the buds in, and we're listening
00:51:34.82\00:51:38.53
to a religious podcast on the
way to class or on the way to
work. "Well, that's my worship
00:51:38.53\00:51:43.30
today." You gotta be kidding
me. We sit down with a little
00:51:43.30\00:51:45.97
devotional book. Next day, got
it done. "See ya!" The point of
00:51:45.97\00:51:51.74
the third touch is you have to
linger in the presence of the
healer. Does that make sense?
00:51:51.74\00:51:59.51
You have to linger. I have
people say all the time, "Okay,
Dwight, so how much time
00:51:59.51\00:52:03.99
should I spend with Jesus
every day?" I have no idea.
00:52:03.99\00:52:07.42
I know that if you're a college
kid and you come stumbling in
here and you say, "You know,
00:52:07.42\00:52:10.96
Pastor, my life is just burned
out right now spiritually. I
don't know what's going on
00:52:10.96\00:52:14.23
with my life. You got
any counsel?" Yeah, I do.
00:52:14.23\00:52:16.46
For you, 15 minutes a day.
15 minutes a day. What I know is
00:52:16.46\00:52:23.67
five minutes won't cut it. If
that's your worship in 2019, I
got good news for you.
00:52:23.67\00:52:31.85
You're ready for a change.
You've been running out after
00:52:31.85\00:52:36.48
two touches, and it's the third
touch that makes a difference.
It's the third touch.
00:52:36.48\00:52:40.99
You got to linger in his
presence. Some of you got an
00:52:40.99\00:52:45.13
e-mail -- A bunch of you got an
e-mail from me on New Year's
Eve. Hope you've read it by now.
00:52:45.13\00:52:50.83
And in that e-mail is -- is a
little announcement. Our new
theme for the new year
00:52:50.83\00:52:56.37
is gonna be "Love on the Move."
And in preparation for the big
launch, which will be next week,
00:52:56.37\00:53:01.34
in preparation for that, let's
all of us as a congregation read
00:53:01.34\00:53:05.41
the little book "Steps to
Christ" through in 13 weeks.
That would be one chapter
00:53:05.41\00:53:09.78
a week. What's so hard
about that? That's just a few
00:53:09.78\00:53:13.25
paragraphs a day. Let's do that
together. And at the bottom of
00:53:13.25\00:53:18.29
the e-mail, it said, "Click on
here." Boom, I took you to the
home page of our website.
00:53:18.29\00:53:21.53
There it is sitting there for
everybody to access, a brand-new
00:53:21.53\00:53:26.80
electronic copy of "Steps to
Christ" -- we call it our "Love
on the Move" edition -- and a
00:53:26.80\00:53:31.37
reading guide, "Love on the
Move" edition. You'll hear all
00:53:31.37\00:53:35.88
about this next week. But the
"Steps to Christ" part starts
now, because wouldn't it
00:53:35.88\00:53:39.48
be something if we were a
congregation that spent the
first 13 weeks of 2020 alone
00:53:39.48\00:53:44.89
with Jesus every week? Just a
few sentences every morning from
00:53:44.89\00:53:51.13
"Steps to Christ." Karen and I
have already begun. You say,
"Who is this Jesus in 'Steps to
00:53:51.13\00:53:55.80
Christ'? I mean, is He kind of
like --" Are you kidding? Let me
00:53:55.80\00:53:59.37
show you. This is just from the
first chapter that we're reading
for this first week.
00:53:59.37\00:54:02.20
You can go into the next week.
The week's kind of off-balance
00:54:02.20\00:54:05.77
with January 1 coming when it
did. Let me put some words on
the screen for you.
00:54:05.77\00:54:08.01
This is "Steps to Christ." From
the first chapter, "The enemy of
good" did what to the
00:54:08.01\00:54:14.85
minds of men? What's
that word there? He blinded.
00:54:14.85\00:54:18.29
Ladies and gentlemen, that's
what's happened to us. We have
00:54:18.29\00:54:21.79
been blinded by the enemy of all
good. Come on, just admit it.
Don't try to say, "No, I'm not
00:54:21.79\00:54:26.59
blind." No, we've been
blinded. How did he do it?
00:54:26.59\00:54:29.46
Keep reading. "So that
they looked upon God with fear."
00:54:29.46\00:54:33.00
They're not seeing clearly. Why
are you afraid of God? "They
thought of Him as severe
00:54:33.00\00:54:37.37
and unforgiving. It was
to remove this dark shadow."
00:54:37.37\00:54:40.31
That's the language of
blindness. "It was to remove
00:54:40.31\00:54:42.58
this dark shadow, by revealing
to the world the infinite love
00:54:42.58\00:54:45.71
of God, that Jesus came
to live among men and women.
00:54:45.71\00:54:48.48
Love and mercy and
compassion were revealed
00:54:48.48\00:54:50.52
in every act of Jesus'
life." This is so beautiful.
00:54:50.52\00:54:53.39
I tell you what. "His
heart went out in tender
00:54:53.39\00:54:56.06
sympathy to the
children of humanity.
00:54:56.06\00:54:58.69
He took our nature, that
He might reach our wants.
00:54:58.69\00:55:02.60
The poorest and humblest
are not afraid to approach Him.
00:55:02.60\00:55:06.33
Even little children were
attracted to Him. They love to
00:55:06.33\00:55:10.27
climb upon His" -- Oh, this is
beautiful. "They love to climb
upon His knees and gaze
00:55:10.27\00:55:13.68
into His pensive face,
benignant" -- that means bene--
00:55:13.68\00:55:17.88
We don't even use that word. It
means benevolent -- "with love."
00:55:17.88\00:55:23.15
That's the Jesus. That's
your healer. That's the Jesus
00:55:23.15\00:55:26.96
you meet every morning. Take
just a few sentences, a few
paragraphs in every chapter
00:55:26.96\00:55:31.29
every day. In 13 weeks,
we'll all be done together.
00:55:31.29\00:55:34.30
But we will have been with Jesus
every day. Isn't that beautiful?
00:55:34.30\00:55:40.60
Listen, you're saying, "Dwight,
I didn't get an e-mail. I'm not
00:55:40.60\00:55:44.04
even a member of your church."
Okay. Let me put it on the
00:55:44.04\00:55:46.21
screen, those of you watching
online, those of you sitting
right here. Put it on the
00:55:46.21\00:55:49.61
screen. Here's our
home page -- pmchurch.org.
00:55:49.64\00:55:52.78
Go to pmchurch.org.
And there you'll see,
00:55:52.78\00:55:56.42
very attractive, right
on that colorful home page,
00:55:56.42\00:55:58.99
"Steps to Christ"
New Year Reading Plan.
00:55:58.99\00:56:00.72
You click on that, bingo,
you're gonna have the e-version
00:56:00.72\00:56:03.53
of "Steps to
Christ," and you're gonna have
00:56:03.53\00:56:05.26
the reading guide.
I got it right here.
00:56:05.26\00:56:07.13
I printed it off
for Karen and me.
00:56:07.13\00:56:08.46
You're gonna have
this reading guide.
00:56:08.46\00:56:10.17
It'll take you every
day through the journey.
00:56:10.17\00:56:14.34
Oh, my. Praise God.
00:56:14.34\00:56:17.41
"Open my eyes, oh,
God, that I may see"
00:56:17.41\00:56:23.18
necessitates being alone
with the healer every morning.
00:56:23.18\00:56:30.49
"Oh, God, open my eyes that I
may see the wonderful things in
00:56:30.52\00:56:37.46
Your Word." Choose one of the
Gospels. Read a story a day
about Jesus, along with whatever
00:56:37.46\00:56:42.10
you read in that paragraph from
"Steps to Christ" every day.
Open my eyes, Lord.
00:56:42.10\00:56:49.80
Open my eyes I want to
see You. I want to see You.
00:56:49.80\00:56:55.58
20/20 vision for 2020. You got
to pray the 2020 prayer, and
you'll have the vision.
00:56:55.58\00:57:06.15
>> Think of the
last time someone said,
00:57:09.59\00:57:12.06
"I'm praying for you."
Didn't it give you a sense
00:57:12.06\00:57:14.36
of peace and reassurance
that, "Somebody cares for me"?
00:57:14.36\00:57:17.77
I know how I feel when I get an
e-mail from one of our viewers
00:57:17.77\00:57:19.93
saying, "Yo, Dwight, I've
been praying for you lately."
00:57:19.93\00:57:22.47
There's nothing like knowing
someone is praying for you.
00:57:22.47\00:57:24.94
So I want to offer you
an opportunity to partner --
00:57:24.94\00:57:27.61
Let me, let us
partner with you in prayer.
00:57:27.61\00:57:30.01
If you have a
special prayer request
00:57:30.01\00:57:31.65
or a praise of thanksgiving
you'd like to share with us,
00:57:31.65\00:57:34.32
I'm inviting you to contact
one of our friendly chaplains.
00:57:34.32\00:57:37.02
Simple to do. You
can call our toll-free
00:57:37.02\00:57:39.12
number, 877, the
two words "HIS WILL."
00:57:39.12\00:57:41.79
877-HIS-WILL.
That friendly voice
00:57:41.79\00:57:44.99
that answers, you tell him,
you tell her what your prayer
00:57:44.99\00:57:47.93
need is. We'll join with you
00:57:47.93\00:57:50.07
in that petition. May
the God who answers prayer
00:57:50.07\00:57:53.00
journey with you these next few
days until we're right back here
00:57:53.00\00:57:55.77
together again next time.
00:57:55.77\00:57:57.97
¤¤ ¤¤
00:58:00.88\00:58:19.36
¤¤
00:58:19.36\00:58:28.47