¤¤ [ "Open the Eyes of My Heart"
00:00:00.76\00:00:11.17
begins ]
00:00:11.17\00:00:13.11
>> You guys can take a
seat for our next song.
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[ "Friend of God" begins ]
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>> Alright. This is
the time in the service
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where if you have something
that you've been carrying around
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this week or maybe this month
or maybe just this year time,
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or we invite you guys to
come forward for the prayer.
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The last song we're
seeing is called "Living Hope."
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And that's because
we have a living hope.
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There are millions,
billions of people around the
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world that have no
hope. They go to work.
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They go to school
with just just the mind-set
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of having another day tomorrow.
But we have that living hope.
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We have the hope that there is
a world outside of this world.
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We have the hope
that there is a Heaven
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that God is preparing for
us. We have that living hope.
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And so I encourage you guys,
if there's something that you're
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holding onto, something that's
been weighing down on you,
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or maybe it's just the
praise that you want to bring it
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to God, I
invite you at this time
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to come forward. I also
invite you guys to stand
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as we sing our last
song. [ "Living Hope" begins ]
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>> All right, so good morning
and happy Sabbath, all of you.
You guys are all looking amazing
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this wonderful morning. I hope
you're all doing well as well.
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So I just have a quick question
before we start with this story.
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How many of you guys
have ever felt scared before?
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I've, for sure, felt scared a
lot. So when I was a little bit
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younger than you guys -- I was
about 2 or 3 -- I used to always
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be super afraid of swimming. I
was super scared of water. It
was just super scary to me.
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And that's because one time
when I was 3, yeah, we went to a
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really warm, nice place called
Florida. My dad, we packed us up
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in our trailer. It's kind of
like a house on wheels. And we
drove down to Florida.
00:13:14.26\00:13:17.79
And, so, we went to this city.
It's called Panama City Beach.
And we went to this beach.
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And as soon as we got there, we
went down to the beach, and I
just jumped right in the water,
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and I got all the saltwater in
my eyes and it stung, and I did
not like it at all.
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And, so I told my dad, "Dad, I
never want to get in that water
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again." And he said, "Okay."
And, so, the next day, he put me
in the water again.
00:13:32.77\00:13:36.71
And, so, I was in that water,
and it was just the worst
experience of my life.
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And, so, after that, I did not
get in the water. I stayed on
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the beach, and I made a sand
castle, and it was great. And
then the waves came, and it
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destroyed my castle. And,
so, I was even more upset at the
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water. And, so, it was just the
worst experience of my life.
And, so, we went back home
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to this beautiful cold place
called Michigan. And, so, we
stayed here, and we
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didn't really have a family trip
for the next couple of years.
But eventually, my dad decided
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that we were going to go back to
the same place. And, so, we went
00:14:04.87\00:14:08.24
back to Florida. We went
back to Panama City Beach.
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And instead of going to the
beach this time, my dad told me,
he said, "I want to teach you
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how to swim." And, so, he took
me to the pool because it was a
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little more enclosed, and, so,
was a little bit safer to swim
there. And, so, my dad got in
00:14:18.35\00:14:22.02
the water before me, and I stood
on the edge of the pool, and I
looked at him, and he looked at
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me, and he said, "All right,
Nathan, jump in. I'll catch
00:14:25.29\00:14:28.93
you." I said, "absolutely not. I
don't want to get my eyes hurt.
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I don't wanna get stung. It's
too scary for me." So I did not
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get in. So for 10 minutes,
my dad kept telling me, "Nathan,
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get in the water. Get in the
water. You'll enjoy it It's a
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lot of fun." And I said, "no
way." And, so, for 10 minutes,
we went back and forth
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because I was too scared to get
into the water. But eventually,
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my dad said to me, he said,
"Nathan, look at me. I'm your
00:14:46.88\00:14:49.55
dad. You can trust me." And, so,
he opened his arms, and I looked
00:14:49.55\00:14:52.79
at him. I said, "All right, dad,
I'm going gonna trust you." And,
so, I jumped as high as I
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could. I probably got
half an inch off the ground.
00:14:56.32\00:14:58.93
I jumped into his arms, and he
caught me, and he hugged me, and
he gave me a kiss on the
00:14:58.93\00:15:02.56
head, and he said, "Oh, Nathan,
I'm so proud of you. You're so
00:15:02.56\00:15:06.00
brave. And you jumped into this
water." And then we had two
hours, two hours that we just
00:15:06.00\00:15:10.14
played in the pool, and it was
so much fun. So ever since then,
00:15:10.14\00:15:13.31
I've loved swimming. In the
story, it makes me think about
our Heavenly Father,
00:15:13.31\00:15:16.78
right? Our God, he's
so strong and he's so big.
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And he's always holding his arms
out to us. And he's telling us,
00:15:19.65\00:15:23.12
"hey, my son, my daughter, jump.
I'll catch you. I can always
00:15:23.12\00:15:26.45
catch you. I love you. And I'm
with you." Our friend Jesus,
he's always with us, and he's
00:15:26.45\00:15:31.06
always there to catch us. Who
here is thankful for Jesus, for
catching us and being there
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with us? Amen. Amen.
Does one of you want to pray
00:15:34.63\00:15:38.20
to Jesus and say thank you?
Come on up. What's your name?
00:15:38.20\00:15:42.17
>> Nicole. >> Nicole. All
right, let's pray, Nicole.
00:15:42.17\00:15:45.04
>> Thank you, Jesus. Pray my
Sabbath. And pray for -- thank
00:15:45.04\00:15:50.45
you, Jesus. Pray. Amen. >> Amen.
00:15:50.45\00:15:53.42
So as you guys go back to your
seats, remember, Jesus is always
00:15:53.42\00:15:57.49
with you. ¤¤ >> ¤
Lord, until I reach
00:16:00.56\00:16:10.13
my home ¤ ¤
Until I reach my home
00:16:10.13\00:16:14.44
¤ I never expect my journey
over ¤ ¤ Till I reach my home
00:16:14.47\00:16:19.44
¤ Lord, until I reach my home ¤
Until I reach my home ¤ I never
00:16:19.44\00:16:28.08
expect my journey over ¤ ¤ Till
I reach my home >> ¤ I would not
00:16:28.08\00:16:34.39
be a sinner ¤ I tell you the
reason why ¤ I'm afraid my Lord
might call my name ¤
00:16:34.39\00:16:40.20
¤ And I wouldn't be ready to
die ¤ >> ¤ Lord, until I reach
00:16:40.20\00:16:44.37
my home ¤ ¤ Until I reach my
home ¤ I never expect my journey
00:16:44.37\00:16:50.97
over ¤ ¤ Till I reach my home
>> ¤ I went up on the mountain
00:16:50.97\00:16:57.21
¤ I didn't know where to stay ¤
But then my soul got happy ¤
Then I stayed all day
00:16:57.21\00:17:05.25
>> ¤ Lord, until I reach my
home ¤ ¤ Until I reach my home
00:17:05.25\00:17:11.39
¤ I never expect my journey
over ¤ ¤ Till I reach my home
00:17:11.39\00:17:16.87
>> ¤ I've got a crown up in
that kingdom ¤ ¤ Ain't that good
00:17:16.87\00:17:22.40
news? ¤ I've got a crown up in
that kingdom ¤ ¤ Ain't that good
00:17:22.40\00:17:28.31
news? ¤ I'm gonna lay down this
world ¤ ¤ Gonna shoulder up my
00:17:28.31\00:17:34.12
cross ¤ Gonna take it home ¤
Gonna take it home ¤ Gonna take
00:17:34.12\00:17:41.36
it home to my Jesus ¤ ¤ Ain't
that good? >> ¤ Lord, till I
00:17:41.36\00:17:49.10
¤ Reach my home >> ¤
Lord, till I ¤ Reach my home
00:17:49.10\00:17:57.47
>> ¤ Until I reach,
until I reach ¤ ¤ Reach my home
00:17:57.47\00:18:03.55
¤ Until I reach, until I reach ¤
Until I reach my home ¤ Until I
reach, until I reach
00:18:03.55\00:18:12.19
¤ Reach my home ¤ Until I reach,
until I reach ¤ Until I reach my
00:18:12.19\00:18:20.96
home ¤ Until I reach ¤
Reach my home ¤ Until I reach
00:18:20.96\00:18:29.90
¤ Reach my home ¤
Until I reach ¤ Reach my home
00:18:29.90\00:18:39.11
¤ Until I reach ¤
Reach my home ¤ Until I reach
00:18:39.11\00:18:47.66
¤ Reach my home ¤
Until I reach ¤ Reach my home
00:18:47.66\00:18:56.13
¤ Until ¤ I reach ¤ My
00:18:56.13\00:19:10.01
¤ Ho-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-me
[ Applause ]
00:19:10.01\00:19:22.66
>> Father, thank you. We needed
that. That's like a tonic for
00:19:25.56\00:19:29.13
the soul -- until I reach my
home. It's a crazy world we're
00:19:29.13\00:19:38.04
in right now. Pastor Lindsey
just led us in prayer, praying
for the coronavirus.
00:19:38.04\00:19:42.18
The whole Adventist Church is
praying now for the coronavirus,
00:19:42.18\00:19:45.91
wherever it is on this planet.
We're praying for our leaders
who have to decide, do we
00:19:45.91\00:19:49.82
convene the whole church in
Indianapolis this summer or not?
I can't imagine the magnitude
00:19:49.82\00:19:54.96
of that decision. But we're
lifting them up, as Pastor
Lindsey has just done.
00:19:54.96\00:19:59.16
You do whatever it takes. We
got to get on. But before we go
00:19:59.16\00:20:02.40
home, we have a world to
reach. And we have -- We got us.
00:20:02.40\00:20:09.04
And, so, dear God, take this us
moment, infuse it in our minds
and hearts with the
00:20:09.04\00:20:14.28
Holy Spirit. We
pray, in Jesus name, Amen.
00:20:14.28\00:20:18.31
So a friend of mine sent me
an e-mail, and the title of the
00:20:18.35\00:20:21.92
e-mail is "Pastoral Visit."
I've got to make a pastoral
00:20:21.92\00:20:24.45
visit this
afternoon. So I know about --
00:20:24.45\00:20:27.29
I know about pastoral visits.
It's just a short little e-mail.
00:20:27.29\00:20:32.09
I'll read it to you.
"After the birth of their child,
00:20:32.09\00:20:34.56
an Episcopal pastor,
wearing his clerical collar."
00:20:34.56\00:20:38.30
You've seen
those clerical collars.
00:20:38.30\00:20:39.77
You know, he's a pastor.
"An Episcopal pastor, wearing
00:20:39.77\00:20:43.24
his clerical collar, visited
his wife in the hospital.
00:20:43.24\00:20:47.01
He greeted her with a hug and
kiss and gave her another hug
and kiss when he left.
00:20:47.04\00:20:51.11
Later, the wife's roommate
commented to her, 'Your pastor
is sure friendlier than mine.'"
00:20:51.11\00:20:56.42
[ Laughter ] Oh, I love
that. Because you know what?
00:20:56.42\00:21:02.32
There's -- The point is,
obviously, between husbands and
wives, there's a lot of hugging
00:21:02.32\00:21:06.23
and kissing going on. You can be
a clergy couple and have hugging
00:21:06.23\00:21:09.76
and kissing going on, if that's
okay with you. And we all know
why we do it is to have babies,
00:21:09.76\00:21:15.57
right? [ Light laughter ] Right.
So -- [ Chuckles lightly ]
00:21:15.57\00:21:19.34
So you can imagine Zechariah and
Elizabeth. They've been a clergy
00:21:19.34\00:21:27.15
couple all their lives. And they
really were a clergy couple.
00:21:27.15\00:21:29.35
And they've been hugging and
kissing all their lives. But
they have no child.
00:21:29.35\00:21:32.12
Like 10 percent of American
couples -- No child. So you can
00:21:32.12\00:21:38.39
also imagine the flabbergasted
shock when the elderly man hears
that angel announced to him
00:21:38.39\00:21:44.13
that he and his wife are going
to have a baby. How in the whole
00:21:44.13\00:21:49.14
wide world could that possibly
happen? Let's pick up the story
00:21:49.14\00:21:53.84
right there. Come on. Go to it.
Luke, Chapter 1. The Gospel of
00:21:53.84\00:21:56.91
Luke, chapter 1. You got it on
your phone, pull it out. Luke,
00:21:56.91\00:21:59.68
Chapter 1 -- we're going to pick
it up in verse 18. I'm in the
00:21:59.68\00:22:04.25
NIV. And the page number -- if
you want to grab the pew Bible
in front of you, the page number
00:22:04.25\00:22:07.56
is 688. Let's go -- verse 18.
"And Zechariah asks the angel,
00:22:07.56\00:22:12.79
How can I be sure of this?' I am
an old man, and my wife is well
00:22:12.79\00:22:19.03
along in years.' And the angel
said to him, 'Yo, I am Gabriel.
I stand in the presence of God,
00:22:19.03\00:22:26.94
and I have been sent to speak to
you to tell you this good news.'
00:22:26.94\00:22:30.58
"And it is obvious to me
that you do not believe this is
00:22:30.58\00:22:34.65
possible. "So you know what I'm
gonna do? I'm going to give you
some time to think on this in
00:22:34.65\00:22:38.49
total silence. You will
not be able to speak." Pshew.
00:22:38.49\00:22:44.49
That's right. verse 21.
00:22:44.49\00:22:48.20
Meanwhile, because he's leading
in worship and everybody's out
there in the Temple.
00:22:57.17\00:23:00.38
"Where is he? Where is he? Where
is he? Where's the where's the
00:23:00.38\00:23:02.71
leading pastor
today for worship?"
00:23:02.71\00:23:04.18
verse 22.
00:23:07.72\00:23:09.32
[ Babbling ]
00:23:10.65\00:23:13.39
And he and Elizabeth resumed
their hugging and kissing. And
00:23:24.90\00:23:32.61
guess what? They got it. This
elderly father who said, "how
can it be?" nine months
00:23:32.61\00:23:39.31
later believes. And he exclaims,
"let it be.: I want you to see
00:23:39.31\00:23:45.39
this. Oh, my. Unbelievable.
verse 57. So you got to drop
00:23:45.39\00:23:49.19
down a bit in
that Luke, Chapter 1.
00:23:49.19\00:23:50.59
But of course. They're having
parties all over the town."
00:23:58.37\00:24:00.97
"And on the eighth day" -- so
little John is now 8 days old.
00:24:00.97\00:24:05.21
He's gonna be Zechariah Jr.
We just know it. But no, no, no,
00:24:09.74\00:24:14.58
no, no, no. They said to her,
"Girl, there's no one among your
family tree who has that name."
00:24:18.65\00:24:23.09
You got no John in your
tree. Why wouldn't you name him
00:24:23.09\00:24:27.00
Zechariah Jr.? We're going to
ask his dad just to make sure
that you got this right."
00:24:27.00\00:24:30.43
And, so, they go to -- they go
to his dad in verse 62. "And
they made signs to his
00:24:30.43\00:24:36.44
father." Which, by the
way, indicates that probably
00:24:36.44\00:24:42.71
Zechariah was not only dumb or
mute, He was deaf. He couldn't
00:24:42.71\00:24:48.38
hear either. Gabriel said, "I'm
gonna gave you silence." Boy, he
00:24:48.38\00:24:52.52
got silence. He says, "Give me
something to write on. Give me
something to write on."
00:24:53.36\00:24:59.49
Then finally -- then finally
there in verse 63. They bring
00:24:59.49\00:25:04.87
him that writing tablet. He
asked for the writing tablet.
00:25:04.87\00:25:07.37
"And to everyone's
astonishment," with that little
stylus on that clay pallet, he
00:25:07.37\00:25:11.97
inscribes the words, "His name
is John." And immediately his
mouth was opened and his tongue
00:25:11.97\00:25:19.88
set free, and he began to speak,
praising God." And I am sure he
00:25:19.88\00:25:23.69
is standing, and there's
high-fives all over the
community. And everybody going
00:25:23.69\00:25:29.02
like this -- "Whoa. This is some
baby. You see what happened to
00:25:29.02\00:25:34.30
that dad? The moment he said his
name, boom, pshew, it all came
00:25:34.30\00:25:40.24
back." In verse 65...
00:25:40.24\00:25:41.47
You see, back then -- back then,
they didn't have telephones and
00:25:48.48\00:25:51.88
they didn't have telegrams, but
they did have tell-a-neighbor.
And all you have to do is tell
00:25:51.88\00:25:54.98
one little the secret to a
neighbor, and it's all over the
00:25:54.98\00:25:57.52
world. Trust me. You don't
need electronics. And the whole
00:25:57.52\00:26:03.06
community in the region is
talking about these sayings.
00:26:03.06\00:26:05.86
Verse 66. What an appropriate
question on this weekend where
we're having a parenting
00:26:13.57\00:26:18.51
conference call "Disciple." Oh,
last night, I wish you could
have been there in the youth
00:26:18.51\00:26:21.81
chapel. It was full, as
Ben and Brianna Martin are
00:26:21.81\00:26:24.85
leading us, thinking about
creative parenting for third
00:26:24.85\00:26:29.18
millennials. Wow. There isn't
a child born whose parent, whose
00:26:29.18\00:26:34.99
father, whose mother looks in
that tiny little prune face and
says, I wonder what this girl
00:26:34.99\00:26:38.89
is going to turn out to be.
What's this boy going to turn
00:26:38.89\00:26:44.03
out to be?" Well, you know what?
Actually, Zechariah and
Elizabeth didn't have to sit
00:26:44.03\00:26:46.70
around and say, "what do you
think the boy's going to turn
00:26:46.70\00:26:49.30
out to be?" They've already been
told. They had been given, in no
uncertain terms, the exact
00:26:49.30\00:26:54.48
mission of this child. I want
you go to back just in case you
00:26:54.48\00:26:58.08
forgot it. Go back and pick it
up there in verse 13, because
this is when Gabriel shows up.
00:26:58.08\00:27:02.22
This is when Gabriel absolutely
shocks Zechariah. He cannot even
00:27:02.22\00:27:07.16
speak. Gabriel
shows up -- verse 13.
00:27:07.16\00:27:08.76
He has not been praying for a
baby. Nobody that age prays for
00:27:14.46\00:27:17.73
a baby. He's been
praying for Jesus to come.
00:27:17.73\00:27:20.40
He's been praying for the
Messiah to arrive. "Your prayers
00:27:20.40\00:27:25.64
have been heard. I got good news
for you. Your wife, Elizabeth
will bear you a son."
00:27:25.64\00:27:28.01
"Well, what's that have to
do with us?" "Well, listen.
00:27:28.01\00:27:29.94
You are to call him John. He
will be a joy and a delight to
you, and many will rejoice
00:27:29.94\00:27:34.22
because of his birth, for he
will be great in the sight of
00:27:34.22\00:27:37.69
the Lord. He's never to take
wine or other fermented drink,
and he will be filled with
00:27:37.69\00:27:42.06
the Holy Spirit even
before he is born. Verse 16.
00:27:42.06\00:27:44.89
"Now here it comes. This is the
reason your baby is going to be
00:27:57.41\00:28:01.54
born. Now, listen to me,
Zechariah. Get this clear, and I
want you to tell your wife about
00:28:01.54\00:28:04.65
it. And when that baby comes, I
want you to remember these
words. I spoke them to you right
00:28:04.65\00:28:09.32
here in church, in worship." "To
make ready" -- how's it go? "To
make ready a people
00:28:09.32\00:28:15.39
prepared for the Lord." They
knew. Put those words on the
00:28:15.39\00:28:19.53
screen for us, please.
come on. "To make ready a people
00:28:19.53\00:28:22.83
prepared for the Lord." "That's
the mission of your "child,
00:28:22.83\00:28:27.67
Zechariah. And by the way, on
the authority of that one line,
I need to remind every young
00:28:27.67\00:28:33.11
parent who's here in worship
today or watching on a screen
somewhere on this planet, I need
00:28:33.11\00:28:39.41
to remind every future young
parent who is here today and
listening, I need to remind
00:28:39.41\00:28:48.56
every parent today, that on the
authority of this one line, this
generation that is being birthed
00:28:48.56\00:28:56.23
in the very context of the soon
return of Jesus -- this
generation has been given the
00:28:56.23\00:29:02.37
identical one-line mission, "to
make ready a people prepared for
00:29:02.37\00:29:07.78
the Lord." >> Amen. >> Come
on. Once you have been given the
00:29:07.78\00:29:10.58
why, mommy and daddy, once you
understand the why your child
was born, you will better
00:29:10.58\00:29:16.15
understand the how your child
must live. Let me take a few
00:29:16.15\00:29:21.09
moments and talk about that
"how." I'm really excited about
this, as you can tell.
00:29:21.09\00:29:25.09
I want to share with you seven
mentoring practices that will
turn a young parent
00:29:25.09\00:29:32.00
into a vital mentor. Reach
inside your worship bulletin
00:29:32.00\00:29:35.77
right now. Did you get worship
bulletins? Reach inside and pull
out a study -- there's a study
00:29:35.77\00:29:38.77
guide, a brand-new study guide.
Brittany's put a beautiful study
guide together, and I want you
00:29:38.77\00:29:41.54
to see it. And this is
cardstock. So you can carry this
00:29:41.54\00:29:44.75
thing with you. Wherever you
move to, you can take this with
00:29:44.75\00:29:47.15
you. You say, "I'm not even a
parent yet." Good. I'm thinking
00:29:47.15\00:29:49.58
about you, especially. You write
this down. Someday you'll want
00:29:49.58\00:29:52.89
to know what you discover today.
00:29:52.89\00:29:54.36
Grab that study guide, and
let's put the title slide on the
00:29:54.39\00:29:57.09
screen, please, because there
at the bottom you see -- those
00:29:57.09\00:29:59.29
of you watching live streaming
right now, you're already at
00:29:59.29\00:30:01.33
that website. But
those of you watching on
00:30:01.33\00:30:02.73
television right now,
you see the website --
00:30:02.73\00:30:04.00
newperceptions.tv.
newperceptions -- one word --
00:30:04.00\00:30:07.24
dot TV. You go there.
00:30:07.24\00:30:08.34
You're looking for a
little series called "Prepared?"
00:30:08.34\00:30:11.44
question mark. And
this is number three --
00:30:11.44\00:30:14.54
"Turning Young
Parents into Vital Mentors."
00:30:14.54\00:30:17.61
You go there and it
says, "Study Guide."
00:30:17.61\00:30:19.35
Click on it.
00:30:19.35\00:30:20.92
Seven mentoring practices. Let's
go. Mentoring practice number 1
00:30:20.95\00:30:25.75
-- Parents must worship
the Giver of the child. Okay.
00:30:25.75\00:30:30.49
So as soon as the baby's born,
notice how Zechariah responds.
00:30:30.49\00:30:36.77
verse 67. "And his father
Zachariah" -- well, little John
is 8 days old. "And his father
00:30:36.77\00:30:41.80
Zechariah was filled with the
Holy Spirit and he prophesied:
'Praise be to the Lord,
00:30:41.80\00:30:45.91
the God of Israel, because
he has come to his people and
00:30:45.91\00:30:50.68
redeemed them.'" The first
response of a parent every
single day is to worship the
00:30:50.68\00:30:57.15
Giver of your child. Would you
jot this down. Because it's one
of those great laws of
00:30:57.15\00:31:02.76
parenting. You can't pass
on what you don't live out. You
00:31:02.76\00:31:07.96
can't pass on what you don't
live out. The child will only
get it, this business of
00:31:07.96\00:31:12.17
worshiping the Giver, if you do
it. If you don't worship the
Giver, the child will never
00:31:12.17\00:31:16.77
worship the Giver. No.
Why should she? Why should he?
00:31:16.77\00:31:19.21
They've been watching you. Now,
I learned something last night.
00:31:19.21\00:31:21.81
This is fascinating. I had
never thought of this before.
00:31:21.81\00:31:24.58
So, Ben and Brianna -- they're
gonna be there, by the way, 3:00
00:31:24.58\00:31:28.32
afternoon. Don't miss it. 3:00
in the youth chapel. They taught
a point I had never
00:31:28.32\00:31:34.52
heard. How did I miss out
on this? Here's what they said.
00:31:34.52\00:31:38.03
If you want your child to have
a relationship with your child's
00:31:38.03\00:31:43.60
Savior, a relationship with the
Giver of your child to you, if
you want your child to have a
00:31:43.60\00:31:46.74
relationship, you know what
you gotta do? You gotta let the
00:31:46.74\00:31:51.27
child watch you having worship.
I didn't know that. I thought
when you have worship,
00:31:51.27\00:31:57.35
you just close the door, and you
have it all privately. You've
got to let that child
00:31:57.35\00:32:01.78
walk in on your daddy when
you're there alone with your
00:32:01.78\00:32:04.69
Bible. Let that child sit
down with you. "Hey, go get your
00:32:04.69\00:32:07.29
Bible. Come here. Sit with
daddy. We'll have worship
together." You let the child
00:32:07.29\00:32:11.33
have worship with you. You don't
-- you don't hide it from the
00:32:11.33\00:32:16.00
child, because the child's
watching you like a hawk. And
that mini little hard disk
00:32:16.00\00:32:20.00
in that beautiful brain of that
girl or that boy is recording
every single detail.
00:32:20.00\00:32:26.07
And that child will say, "ah,
That's how you have a
relationship with the
00:32:26.07\00:32:32.11
Almighty God." Oh,
that's good. You know what?
00:32:32.11\00:32:36.92
Brianna and Ben -- they've got
two precious boys, and we all
love them around here.
00:32:36.92\00:32:41.62
But Brianna, in her spare time
as a mother -- can you imagine
this? -- she has a website.
00:32:41.62\00:32:46.13
I'm gonna give you the website
right now. Jot it down because
00:32:46.13\00:32:48.53
it's not in your study guide.
Scribble it in the margin.
00:32:48.53\00:32:52.53
Disciplemama.com. I like that,
because that's what mamas do.
00:32:52.53\00:32:54.87
They disciple. That's what papas
do. They disciple. Disciplemama.
00:32:54.87\00:32:57.44
So I went to that website again.
That girl has put together
something that is a totally
00:32:57.44\00:33:02.81
amazing. We talked about
social-media missionaries last
00:33:02.81\00:33:06.15
week. She'd be one of them.
There are people all over the
world that to come to this site.
00:33:06.15\00:33:09.38
How to deal -- listen to this.
This is one of her blogs. "How
to deal with mama guilt."
00:33:09.38\00:33:14.26
Because there's not a mother
that doesn't feel guilty at
00:33:14.26\00:33:17.06
times. There's not a daddy that
doesn't feel guilt either. How
to help your child worship
00:33:17.06\00:33:21.86
Jesus. Oh, my.
go to the Website --
00:33:21.86\00:33:25.07
disciplemama.com. Now, the point
is, I know that you wanted your
00:33:25.07\00:33:30.64
child. Now, some of you got
surprised with it. But I know
you wanted the child.
00:33:30.64\00:33:34.94
I know that God wanted you to
have that child. Now, here's the
00:33:34.94\00:33:40.42
deal. I don't care the
circumstances that got you
pregnant. The fact of the matter
00:33:40.42\00:33:45.45
is that God chose for that baby
of yours to be born. Some of you
00:33:45.45\00:33:52.69
have heard the story of your
past. Let me tell you something,
girl. Let me tell you something,
00:33:52.69\00:33:58.50
boy. It doesn't matter the
circumstances of your birth.
What counts is that you got
00:33:58.50\00:34:02.67
chosen. You were chosen to be
born. You need to lock that in
00:34:02.67\00:34:06.94
your brain every single day. I
was chosen. I was chosen. Mom
and dad, you need to lock
00:34:06.94\00:34:10.98
that into your brain every day.
"She is chosen. She was born
00:34:10.98\00:34:14.95
because God chose her for us. Do
you understand that you have the
greatest mission a human
00:34:14.95\00:34:19.95
being can have on this planet?
Get this. Here's what you've got
00:34:19.95\00:34:23.53
to do. This is why it's so
great. You have to take a child
00:34:23.53\00:34:26.19
from zero, okay? So this is
zero. You have to take a child
from zero all the way to
00:34:26.19\00:34:30.83
eternity. That's your mission
should you choose to accept it?
It's from zero to eternity.
00:34:30.83\00:34:34.67
It doesn't get greater or more
significant than that. Zero to
00:34:34.67\00:34:39.27
eternity. Zero to eternity. You
may not even be pregnant yet.
00:34:39.27\00:34:44.58
But it is none too early
to begin living by this same
00:34:44.58\00:34:48.08
mission. Put it on the screen,
please, again for us. "What's
the mission, Dwight?"
00:34:48.08\00:34:52.09
If you have been born in this
season of the soon-coming of
00:34:53.56\00:34:58.16
Jesus, then you were born
with this mission. If you're too
00:34:58.16\00:35:02.43
young right now to even know
that there's such a thing as a
mission, your parents are old
00:35:02.43\00:35:06.67
enough and wise enough to now
know this is your mission.
Whether you are adopted,
00:35:06.67\00:35:14.71
whether you came by natural
birth, it does not matter.
00:35:14.71\00:35:17.91
The moment you came -- this is
your mission. Alright. Seven of
00:35:17.91\00:35:24.42
these. Here comes number 2.
Mentoring practice number 2 --
parents must declare
00:35:24.42\00:35:28.29
the name of the child. We read
it just a moment ago. Both
Elizabeth and Zechariah
00:35:28.29\00:35:33.53
are absolutely convicted. This
is to be the name. We didn't
00:35:33.53\00:35:39.70
have the luxury, at least Karen
and I didn't, of an angel coming
along and say, "By the way,
00:35:39.70\00:35:42.74
you're wondering what to name
that boy. You call him Kirk."
No, we just chose Kirk --
00:35:42.74\00:35:46.94
Dwight Kirkpatrick Nelson.
But you know what? We didn't do
00:35:46.94\00:35:54.48
this. But you can do it. You're
part of a generation being born
00:35:54.48\00:35:57.12
on the edge of eternity. Why did
you and your husband -- Some of
you are anticipating
00:35:57.12\00:36:00.69
that child. You're gonna
have a child someday, and you're
00:36:00.69\00:36:03.39
thinking, "Man, what are we
going to name this child?" Why
00:36:03.39\00:36:06.19
don't you do this? Why don't you
huddle up, just the two of you,
husband and wife, with Jesus?
00:36:06.19\00:36:09.93
And you say, "Jesus, given the
mission we have, given the
values we have embraced,
00:36:09.93\00:36:14.04
given the dreams we have for
this child, what name would you
00:36:14.04\00:36:18.37
recommend that we choose for our
child?" Someday that little girl
is going to ask you, I promise
00:36:18.37\00:36:23.65
you. Someday that boy is going
to climb up onto your lap,
Daddy. He's gonna say, "Hey,
00:36:23.65\00:36:27.78
Daddy, why am I named this? Why
did you name me this?" And that
00:36:27.78\00:36:32.45
will be your aha moment, given
by the God of the universe, to
tell that child, "You know what,
00:36:32.45\00:36:36.73
Son, before you were born, we
picked your name out. Your
mother and I prayed.
00:36:36.73\00:36:40.36
We asked Jesus to lead us to the
name that would capture the
values that we embrace.
00:36:40.36\00:36:47.30
That's your name." Do you know
what? That kid's going to go
00:36:47.30\00:36:50.87
through life with his shoulders
thrown back. "I got named
00:36:50.87\00:36:56.14
because Jesus helped my parents
pick it." "Really?" "Yeah."
00:36:56.14\00:37:01.28
Okay.
00:37:01.28\00:37:02.68
There's seven
mentoring practices.
00:37:02.72\00:37:04.62
Here comes
mentoring practice number 3.
00:37:04.62\00:37:08.12
Now, this is really
good, because from verse 68
00:37:10.36\00:37:13.06
through verse 79,
Zechariah is pronouncing
00:37:13.06\00:37:16.13
a blessing upon his newborn son.
00:37:16.13\00:37:18.27
Now, little John. Come on.
You understand? He's 8 days old.
00:37:18.30\00:37:21.10
Little John cannot comprehend
a word of what his father is now
00:37:21.10\00:37:25.14
saying. But that's okay. The
father addresses his boy, and I
want you to see this.
00:37:25.14\00:37:28.64
This is beautiful, actually.
It's the actual wording of a
00:37:28.64\00:37:32.98
personal blessing pronouncement.
Drop down to verse 76. So you
00:37:32.98\00:37:35.62
can see, old man Zechariah, he's
got that baby in his arms, 8
00:37:35.62\00:37:39.35
days old. "And you, my child"
-- he's speaking to John...
00:37:39.35\00:37:43.39
Whoa. Blessing.
00:37:51.23\00:37:55.77
Gary Smalley --
The great family-life
00:37:55.80\00:37:58.27
specialist, Gary
Smalley, and the psychologist
00:37:58.27\00:38:01.44
John Trent collaborated
together with a wonderful book.
00:38:01.44\00:38:05.75
You can still get the
book. It's being printed.
00:38:05.75\00:38:07.78
It's called "The Blessing."
If you're a young parent,
00:38:07.78\00:38:10.52
buy the book. It's
a little paperback.
00:38:10.52\00:38:12.25
"The Blessing."
In the in the book
00:38:12.25\00:38:14.22
The Blessing, they remind
us that from time immemorial,
00:38:14.22\00:38:16.62
fathers and
mothers have often gathered
00:38:16.62\00:38:18.63
their little ones to them
and they have put their hands
00:38:18.63\00:38:21.30
on those heads and
they pronounce the blessing
00:38:21.30\00:38:23.93
of God over their children.
Abraham did it. Isaac did it.
00:38:23.93\00:38:26.87
Jacob did it. Joseph did it.
Moses did it. Everybody did it.
00:38:26.90\00:38:32.64
Jesus, in fact, himself did
it. Do you know that? Yeah, when
00:38:32.64\00:38:35.41
they brought -- When the mothers
brought the little babies, they
00:38:35.41\00:38:38.01
said, "We want you to pronounce
a blessing. Please, pronounce a
blessing on our child."
00:38:38.01\00:38:41.88
And Jesus did it. Now, Gary
Smalley and John Trent remind us
00:38:41.88\00:38:46.72
that in 1602, there was a
book on Jewish family life
00:38:46.72\00:38:50.43
and practice with the German
name "Brantspiegel." Alright?
00:38:50.43\00:38:55.70
In the book, these
words on the screen -- 1602.
00:38:55.70\00:38:59.17
What a powerful way through
touch and prayer, all through
your child's stages.
00:39:14.68\00:39:19.59
I remember when I left home, my
folks gathered me -- They
gathered around me,
00:39:19.59\00:39:23.86
my little brother and sister.
But I'm leaving home for the
first time to go away
00:39:23.86\00:39:26.90
to Singapore to Academy, and
their hands being laid on, and
00:39:26.90\00:39:30.90
the blessing is being
pronounced. And my dad read the
same verse that his dad read to
00:39:30.90\00:39:34.27
him when he left home for
the first time. The blessing got
00:39:34.27\00:39:38.14
passed. Now, I didn't think a
thing about it, but it was a big
deal. You can do it, too.
00:39:38.14\00:39:45.18
Alright. Mentoring practice
number 4. Now, this is a good
00:39:45.18\00:39:50.25
one. Alright. Zechariah
certainly did that all the way
00:39:53.99\00:39:57.19
through his pronounced blessing.
The child psychologist Donna
00:39:57.19\00:40:00.96
Habenicht -- She's a member of
our congregation who happened to
be sitting right over there
00:40:00.96\00:40:03.57
in first church. She has
written a wonderful book.
00:40:03.57\00:40:06.77
Title of the book -- "How
to Help Your Child Really Love
00:40:06.77\00:40:09.70
Jesus." In fact, if you bring
your child to us for dedication
to the Lord Jesus, we'll give
00:40:09.70\00:40:13.34
you a free copy that book,
just like that. In the book,
00:40:13.34\00:40:17.48
she tells a story about a little
family with a 2-year-old named
00:40:17.48\00:40:20.58
Jonathan. Okay, so the
2-year-old is going to church.
Well, they're in a church.
00:40:20.58\00:40:23.35
It's the Sabbath. It's a little
Adventist church. And when
00:40:23.35\00:40:27.26
Mother and Father took their eye
off of that energetic little
2-year-old, he broke away from
00:40:27.26\00:40:31.53
them, raced up onto the
platform, grabbed the prayer
mic, put it in his mouth,
00:40:31.53\00:40:34.83
and said, "Hi, Jesus!" And the
place all laughed. They were so
00:40:34.83\00:40:41.87
happy. The parents were going
under the pew. Why was everybody
00:40:41.87\00:40:46.74
so happy? Because little
Jonathan, 2 years old,
associated coming to church with
00:40:46.74\00:40:52.01
being with Jesus. That's
why. He got it. Now, Donna has
00:40:52.01\00:40:56.69
some great principles, and I'm
going to ask you to jot these
down, because I've put
00:40:56.69\00:40:59.59
them in there for you. I'm
getting a bit of feedback and a
ring on this, guys.
00:40:59.59\00:41:04.09
Turn me down just a little,
please. Alright. Thank you.
00:41:04.09\00:41:08.46
So, Donna Habenicht -- Donna
Habenicht comes up with this
00:41:08.46\00:41:13.37
list of six. And
let's put it down.
00:41:13.37\00:41:14.64
Just jot these down.
"Show your children" --
00:41:14.67\00:41:16.24
Number one -- show
your children Jesus' love
00:41:16.24\00:41:18.47
through your own
love. Oh, that's good.
00:41:18.47\00:41:21.84
So what's she saying? She
said, hug your little baby.
00:41:21.84\00:41:24.21
And you say, "Mommy
loves you and so does Jesus.
00:41:24.21\00:41:26.98
Daddy loves you. Oh, Daddy loves
you. And so does Jesus love
00:41:27.02\00:41:30.72
you." What's happening? The
child is associating parental
love with Jesus love.
00:41:30.72\00:41:35.22
That's all you want. That's
all you want to have happen.
00:41:35.22\00:41:38.96
Alright, here's number two.
Jot it down. Paint a friendly
00:41:38.96\00:41:41.90
picture of Jesus.
Keyword -- "friendly."
00:41:41.90\00:41:45.47
Go, boy. You go, girl.
You just made Jesus so happy.
00:41:53.24\00:41:57.58
Okay, here's a good one.
I thought this one was good.
00:41:57.58\00:42:01.25
"Jesus, look at this
beautiful rose. You made this."
00:42:11.13\00:42:15.30
Smell that. "Jesus made
that. Thank you, Jesus."
00:42:15.30\00:42:19.13
What's happening? What's
happening is the child is
hearing conversation of Jesus
00:42:19.13\00:42:22.57
all through the day. And it's
not like something you do only
00:42:22.57\00:42:25.24
at night when you kneel down
with your parents. It's
something you do. You can talk
00:42:25.24\00:42:27.91
to Jesus all day long. And
that's exactly what we want that
00:42:27.91\00:42:31.68
child to know.
What number was at?
00:42:31.68\00:42:33.25
Was that 3? Okay.
That's right. Okay.
00:42:33.28\00:42:35.08
Number 4 -- joyfully
introduce Jesus through stories
00:42:35.08\00:42:38.42
and pictures about His
life. Have you ever heard of
00:42:38.42\00:42:41.22
"My Bible Friends"?
We've got a whole generation
00:42:41.22\00:42:43.66
raised on "My Bible
Friends." Guess what.
00:42:43.66\00:42:45.49
They're still in
print. My grandchildren
00:42:45.49\00:42:46.90
are reading them
now. "My Bible Friends"
00:42:46.90\00:42:48.76
is a beautiful way for
youngsters to meet Jesus.
00:42:48.76\00:42:50.73
The pictures are full page.
You'll never forget him out of
00:42:50.73\00:42:53.70
your mind. And so is
a picture of Jesus --
00:42:53.70\00:42:56.27
This is another
idea. A picture of Jesus
00:42:56.27\00:42:57.74
surrounded by children
-- put that on the wall.
00:42:57.74\00:42:59.94
So every time she wakes up,
every time he wakes up, he sees
00:43:00.04\00:43:02.91
the picture of Jesus. "Oh, he's
a friend of children." That's
00:43:02.91\00:43:07.88
good. One more. Number
6. Oh, this is important.
00:43:19.03\00:43:23.20
Wasn't that good? You can do it.
Alright. Practice number 5 --
00:43:34.78\00:43:37.68
parents must confirm the mission
-- write that in, please --
00:43:37.68\00:43:41.22
the mission of the child. Now
let's read that again. Verse 76.
00:43:41.22\00:43:44.75
We were just there a moment ago.
"And you, my child" -- the words
00:43:44.75\00:43:49.16
of blessing. Zechariah is not
only blessing his baby, he's
confirming the baby's
00:43:58.43\00:44:01.70
mission, to make ready. Put
it on the screen again, because
00:44:01.70\00:44:05.34
that's every baby that's being
born in this third millennial
generation. "To make ready a
00:44:05.34\00:44:10.41
people" -- can
put on the screen?
00:44:10.41\00:44:12.35
The reason I'm insistent on that
is because if we can just lock
00:44:15.12\00:44:18.72
this in our minds, it'll stay
with us. It won't just be gone.
My mother, God bless her,
00:44:18.72\00:44:25.03
did not choose my career or my
calling. It wasn't till I was a
00:44:25.03\00:44:29.43
junior in high school that God
said, "You know what? You're not
going into medicine.
00:44:29.43\00:44:32.00
You're going into ministry." My
mother never pushed me one way
00:44:32.00\00:44:35.97
or the other. She just fed
whatever was happening in my
life, as far as life vocation.
00:44:35.97\00:44:41.11
But she took the opportunity.
This is why I'm telling you
00:44:41.11\00:44:43.75
this. She took the opportunity
every time it was appropriate to
00:44:43.75\00:44:47.92
remind me that I was born for a
reason. She said, "Dwight, Jesus
has a plan for your life, son.
00:44:47.92\00:44:53.86
Come on, boy. Jesus has a plan
for your life." When I nearly
00:44:53.86\00:44:58.03
drowned at 3 years of age in
a little mountain lake and they
00:44:58.03\00:45:01.36
pulled me out of that water --
I should be dead. Boy, did she
00:45:01.36\00:45:04.37
start zooming that in. "Somebody
is keeping you alive, Dwight.
00:45:04.37\00:45:07.90
Jesus has spared your life
for a reason." At the age of 10,
00:45:07.90\00:45:11.94
in that same mountain lake,
when I skied, slalom, one ski on
00:45:11.94\00:45:16.98
water, headfirst into a cement
pylon, they said it sounded like
a watermelon dropping on
00:45:16.98\00:45:22.12
concrete when the head hit.
She said, "Dwight, somebody is
00:45:22.12\00:45:27.22
keeping you alive. Jesus is
keeping you alive." At the age
of 16, when I nearly drowned
00:45:27.22\00:45:30.39
snorkeling in Guam, she said,
"Dwight --" I don't know how my
00:45:30.39\00:45:33.70
mother -- How do mothers make it
that far in life? That's just --
00:45:33.70\00:45:37.80
That's awful. Now, do you go
through that, too, Mom? She just
00:45:37.80\00:45:43.00
kept taking the opportunity. You
don't need near-death moments.
00:45:43.00\00:45:45.77
You just do it all the time. You
were born for a reason. "I knew
that, boy, the moment
00:45:45.77\00:45:48.84
I looked into your face." The
father is speaking. "You were
00:45:48.84\00:45:52.35
born for a reason. And I'm
telling you, don't you ever
forget that reason. You may
00:45:52.35\00:45:55.35
forget a lot, but don't you ever
forget. Jesus wanted you to be
born. He has a dream for you."
00:45:55.35\00:46:00.06
Wow. "Desire of
Ages." Look at this.
00:46:00.06\00:46:01.92
"Desire of Ages."
Speaking of John the Baptist.
00:46:01.92\00:46:04.66
Wow. Mentoring
practice number 6 --
00:46:11.07\00:46:13.30
There are only seven of
these. Here comes number 6.
00:46:13.30\00:46:16.00
Watch this. This is beautiful.
00:46:18.67\00:46:20.28
This is called "like father,
like son." Are you ready for
00:46:20.31\00:46:23.31
this? Okay, let's do father
first. Verse 67. And, "His
00:46:23.31\00:46:28.52
father Zechariah was filled
with the Holy Spirit." Okay?
00:46:28.52\00:46:30.65
You got that in verse 67? Now
drop down to verse 80. "And the
child" -- John -- "grew
00:46:30.65\00:46:35.49
and became strong" -- the Greek
can read -- "in the Spirit."
00:46:35.49\00:46:39.73
Like father, like son. Isn't
that beautiful? So, hey, Mom and
00:46:39.73\00:46:45.23
Dad, why not pray the
prayer every day? "Holy Spirit,
00:46:45.23\00:46:50.47
today..." Lookit. He's only 9
months old. But I'm holding him
00:46:50.47\00:46:53.17
here for you. "Holy Spirit,
today, I want You to baptize
00:46:53.17\00:46:56.51
him. I want you to baptize
him with Your power." And your
00:46:56.51\00:47:02.78
mission -- protect him. "Oh,
and, by the way, Holy Spirit,
00:47:02.78\00:47:06.52
she's just 11 months old, but
I wish you would baptize me too,
00:47:06.52\00:47:10.99
right now." Every day, ask the
Holy Spirit to baptize that baby
00:47:10.99\00:47:17.53
and you. Oh, my. What a
difference. >> "Yeah, but,
Dwight, come on. This isn't John
00:47:17.53\00:47:21.87
the Baptist. I heard Gabriel say
he'd be filled with the Holy
Spirit before he's born."
00:47:21.87\00:47:25.04
Oh, I beg to differ with you.
Watch this. "Desire of Ages"
00:47:25.04\00:47:28.88
again on the screen. You
have it in your study guide.
00:47:28.88\00:47:31.78
Beep keep reading. "If we
will live" -- Mommy and Daddy.
00:47:43.59\00:47:46.49
"If we will live in communion
with God, we too" -- Mother and
00:47:46.49\00:47:50.07
Father -- "we may expect the
Divine Spirit to mold our little
ones, even from their earliest
00:47:50.07\00:47:56.20
moment." When is the earliest
moment? [ Inhales sharply ]
00:47:56.20\00:48:00.98
Aaahh! That's pretty much the
earliest moment, isn't it? Did I
00:48:00.98\00:48:05.78
get that right? From the
earliest moment. "Well, when he
gets to be 10 or when she gets
00:48:05.78\00:48:10.55
to be 12" -- Nonsense. You
start asking for the Holy Spirit
00:48:10.55\00:48:13.19
to fill your child newborn. And
you never back off that prayer
00:48:13.19\00:48:18.63
until you die, because your
children will never be out of
your mind. Parents, that's why
00:48:18.63\00:48:22.30
we've been given these wrinkly
knees. Because you're a parent
00:48:22.30\00:48:27.04
until you die. And that child,
as long as that child is alive,
is your mission field --
00:48:27.04\00:48:32.31
"To make ready a people prepared
for the Lord." To make ready a
00:48:32.31\00:48:35.08
boy, to make ready a grown-up
girl. It doesn't matter. That's
00:48:35.08\00:48:40.92
our mission. Wow.
Alright. There's one more.
00:48:40.92\00:48:45.15
Mentoring practice number 7...
00:48:45.15\00:48:47.72
Watch this. Reverse 80 again.
We just read it. Verse 80 again.
00:48:51.53\00:48:55.73
"He lived in the
wilderness." Question. Question.
00:49:02.77\00:49:06.71
Write that down. "You control
what comes into your home."
00:49:16.38\00:49:20.49
The very word "wilderness" --
you think about it -- suggests
less is better, huh?
00:49:20.49\00:49:24.89
"Less of what, Dwight, are you
talking about?" Come on. Come
00:49:24.89\00:49:26.90
on. "What are you talking about?
Less of what? If less is better,
00:49:26.90\00:49:29.20
If I'm to make a wilderness out
of my home, what kind of less
are you talking about?"
00:49:29.20\00:49:32.87
Jot down a few ideas that came
to my mind. See if you can add
00:49:32.87\00:49:36.94
to them. Less streaming.
Listen. You've surely lived
00:49:43.11\00:49:49.32
long enough to know that what
gets streamed into a house these
00:49:49.32\00:49:54.52
days is less and less morally
fit for human consumption. I'm
00:49:54.52\00:50:01.70
just saying. Less streaming. In
fact, there is an unseen being.
00:50:01.70\00:50:05.87
Hold on. Hold on to your pew
now. There is an unseen being
00:50:05.87\00:50:08.20
who uses Wi-Fi streaming to
infiltrate the minds and lives
00:50:08.20\00:50:13.17
of both children and adults in
the same house. Somebody in your
house -- Somebody has to be
00:50:13.17\00:50:19.25
monitoring the content of that
incoming Wi-Fi warfare into your
home. And I imagine that
00:50:19.25\00:50:25.29
somebody is you, young father.
I imagine that somebody is you,
00:50:25.29\00:50:30.33
young mother. Somebody
has got to be taking control.
00:50:30.33\00:50:35.03
Less. So the very word
"wilderness" suggests less is
00:50:46.37\00:50:51.88
better. "What's another less,
Dwight?" Well, I'm glad you
asked. Let me give you another
00:50:51.88\00:50:55.35
one. There's less streaming
You're not gonna like this one.
You're not gonna like this one.
00:50:55.35\00:51:02.02
There's less sugar. Come
on. Listen to me, please.
00:51:02.02\00:51:08.70
You surely have lived long
enough to know that baby food is
packed full of sugar.
00:51:08.70\00:51:13.87
You've lived long enough to know
that kids' breakfast cereals and
00:51:13.87\00:51:18.01
everything else -- packed with
sugar. You now have lived long
enough to know that adult food
00:51:18.01\00:51:21.54
is jam-packed with sugar because
the food industry, the sugar
00:51:21.54\00:51:26.08
industry, has made certain that
we are all addicted to sugar.
00:51:26.08\00:51:33.39
All of us. So there has to be
somebody in your home that
recognizes that there is an
00:51:33.39\00:51:39.66
unseen being who uses appetite.
I'm talking about sugar. I'm
talking about alcohol.
00:51:39.66\00:51:45.00
I'm talking about caffeine.
Lookit. it was a big deal to
00:51:45.00\00:51:47.67
Gabriel. He said, "I don't want
your boy drinking any of this."
00:51:47.67\00:51:51.01
Now, all he could talk about
back then was alcohol. There
would be some others.
00:51:51.01\00:51:56.51
He would say, "Listen.
This child is gonna be ready for
00:51:56.51\00:51:59.21
Jesus to come. This child is
going to be an agent for our
kingdom, "to make ready a people
00:51:59.21\00:52:02.82
prepared for the Lord." Then
he -- she will not drink this.
00:52:02.82\00:52:05.49
And guess what, parent? You will
not drink that in front of that
00:52:05.49\00:52:11.06
child. You won't even drink
it behind that child's back,
00:52:11.06\00:52:15.70
because you have the same
mission your child has, which is
to make ready a people prepared
00:52:15.70\00:52:20.97
for the Lord. Appetite is a big
deal, and there is an unseen
being in your house and mine
00:52:20.97\00:52:26.94
that has discovered that if
he can manipulate appetite, and
00:52:26.94\00:52:30.78
what's appetite? I gotta have
it. What's appetite? I got have
00:52:30.78\00:52:33.01
it. What's appetite mean? I
gotta have it, and I gotta have
00:52:33.01\00:52:36.08
it now. He has discovered that
if he can manipulate appetite,
appetite becomes the power
00:52:36.08\00:52:41.12
and the passion that controls
the house. There are some
00:52:41.12\00:52:47.40
children who only eat one meal a
day. God bless them. One meal a
00:52:47.40\00:52:56.34
day all day long. All day long.
Every time that child is hungry,
food goes in that mouth.
00:52:56.34\00:53:01.11
Every time that child said,
"I want some," food goes in that
00:53:01.11\00:53:04.95
mouth. Come on. If you
keep cramming food by special
00:53:04.95\00:53:11.52
requests from your cherub, you
keep pushing food to him, you
keep pushing food to her,
00:53:11.52\00:53:18.89
how will she ever know that you
can actually control this power
inside of me that says,
00:53:18.89\00:53:23.37
"I have to eat right now"? You
don't have to eat right now. And
00:53:23.37\00:53:28.30
Mommy and Daddy, if you're
pushing food to your own lips
all day long, you have just
00:53:28.30\00:53:35.01
negated your argument.
You, too. You do little snacks
00:53:35.01\00:53:41.25
around the office. You do
little parties at 4:00 in the
00:53:41.25\00:53:46.62
afternoon. You do. "You
drink that. Why can't I?
00:53:46.62\00:53:51.29
You eat all day.
Why can't I?" Come on.
00:53:51.29\00:53:56.70
Somebody in your household will
have to be the one to take
charge so that appetite
00:53:56.70\00:54:02.14
and passion are under control
for all occupants under your
00:54:02.14\00:54:07.51
roof. Somebody in your house. I
don't know who it will be, your
00:54:07.51\00:54:09.84
mother. I don't know who it will
be, young father. But it has to
00:54:09.84\00:54:12.58
be somebody, because there is an
enemy that has said, "I'll get
you here." The very word
00:54:12.58\00:54:17.69
"wilderness" suggests less is
better. Let me give you just one
more. You can come up
00:54:17.69\00:54:22.32
with your own list beyond this.
00:54:22.32\00:54:24.39
You've surely
lived long enough to know
00:54:27.96\00:54:29.56
that the toy industry,
the technology industry,
00:54:29.56\00:54:31.40
the consumer industry live
by the mantra "You got to have
00:54:31.40\00:54:35.24
more," right? More
toys, more gadgets,
00:54:35.24\00:54:39.47
more stuff. Karen
and I, if we could do
00:54:39.47\00:54:41.21
it over, and she
was sitting in that row
00:54:41.21\00:54:42.94
this morning in first
service. If we could do it over,
00:54:42.94\00:54:48.05
we would never agree to
the purchase of that child's
00:54:48.05\00:54:51.72
first smartphone at the
age in which we purchased it.
00:54:51.72\00:54:55.26
>> Amen! >> I'm telling you,
Mom and Dad, beware of the plea,
00:54:55.29\00:54:59.46
"But all my friends
have one." Mm. Mm-hmm.
00:54:59.46\00:55:06.67
Mnh-mnh. No. Nope, nope,
nope, nope. God bless you, young
00:55:06.67\00:55:13.48
mothers, God bless you, young
fathers, who have the adult
courage, who have the chutzpah
00:55:13.48\00:55:19.95
to say no to more stuff around
your heart, more stuff around
00:55:19.95\00:55:26.52
your home. No. For the John the
Baptist generation of which you
00:55:26.52\00:55:29.62
and I are a part. Just like
John, control of our appetites
and passions is the only way
00:55:29.62\00:55:33.66
we will have the bodies
and minds Christ needs for his
00:55:33.66\00:55:37.00
end-game movement. One last time
on the screen, please. "To make
00:55:37.00\00:55:40.00
ready" -- this is
our mission, folks.
00:55:40.00\00:55:41.97
That's why Jesus came to endure
40 days and 40 nights of fasting
00:55:43.87\00:55:48.14
so that He might conquer the
appetite that has taken us all
down. The whole human race has
00:55:48.14\00:55:52.65
been taken down by appetite. He
conquered appetite. And He says,
00:55:52.65\00:55:56.42
"In me, you can do the same."
That's why Jesus spent seven
long, dark hours on Calvary,
00:55:56.42\00:56:01.59
to conquer sin.
What sin? All sin.
00:56:01.59\00:56:05.39
So that you and I might find
that sin conquered in our lives
00:56:05.39\00:56:09.30
through faith in Him. Somewhere
in the Bible, there is this
00:56:09.30\00:56:15.64
line... I want you to remember
that line, because it's not a
bad one for you, young father.
00:56:19.94\00:56:25.05
It's not a bad line for you,
young mother, to be able to say
to your children, to be able to
00:56:25.05\00:56:28.82
say to your child, "Honey, hey,
children, children, children, I
want you to do this.
00:56:28.82\00:56:32.22
You imitate -- You
imitate me as I imitate Jesus."
00:56:32.22\00:56:38.19
Come on, mothers. We're going
to say to them, "You imitate me.
00:56:38.19\00:56:41.60
Go ahead, girl. You
imitate me as I imitate Jesus."
00:56:41.60\00:56:45.40
And guess what. Because if you
keep your eyes on Jesus -- you
00:56:45.40\00:56:53.04
got that part? -- they'll be
safe in keeping their eyes on
you. And that is the truth
00:56:53.04\00:57:02.35
of parenting. Amen. >> Amen.
00:57:02.35\00:57:06.32
>> Think of the last time
someone said, "I'm praying
00:57:09.42\00:57:12.53
for you." Didn't
it give you a sense of
00:57:12.53\00:57:14.56
peace and reassurance
that somebody cares for me?
00:57:14.56\00:57:17.30
I know how I feel when I get an
e-mail from one of our viewers
saying, "Yo, Dwight.
00:57:17.33\00:57:20.97
I've been praying for you
lately." There's nothing like
00:57:20.97\00:57:23.71
knowing someone is praying for
you. So I want to offer you an
opportunity to partner -- let
00:57:23.71\00:57:27.51
me, let us partner
with you in prayer.
00:57:27.51\00:57:30.18
If you have a special
prayer request or a praise of
00:57:30.21\00:57:32.08
thanksgiving you'd like to
share with us, I'm inviting you
00:57:32.08\00:57:35.02
to contact one of
our friendly chaplains.
00:57:35.02\00:57:36.92
It's simple to do.
You can call our toll-free
00:57:36.92\00:57:38.89
number -- 877 -- the two
words "HIS WILL," 877-HIS-WILL.
00:57:38.89\00:57:44.03
That friendly voice that
answers, you tell him, you tell
00:57:44.03\00:57:47.13
her what your prayer need
is, we'll join with you in that
00:57:47.13\00:57:50.03
petition.
00:57:50.03\00:57:51.73
May the God who answers prayer
journey with you these next few
days until we're right back
00:57:51.77\00:57:55.50
here together again next time.
00:57:55.50\00:57:59.47
¤¤ ¤¤
00:57:59.51\00:58:18.93
¤¤
00:58:18.93\00:58:27.97