¤
00:00:02.00\00:00:10.21
>> It's still morning.
00:00:19.38\00:00:20.72
Good morning.
00:00:20.82\00:00:21.48
[ Laughs ]
00:00:21.58\00:00:23.18
Welcome.
00:00:23.28\00:00:24.42
I'm really glad to see you here.
00:00:24.52\00:00:27.39
And for those of you
00:00:27.49\00:00:28.69
joining us via media,
00:00:28.79\00:00:30.49
we especially welcome you.
00:00:30.59\00:00:32.46
Those of you in the balcony
00:00:32.56\00:00:33.86
and all over the -- all
00:00:33.96\00:00:35.20
over the congregation.
00:00:35.30\00:00:37.10
It's a sight for sore eyes
00:00:37.20\00:00:38.80
to see you here.
00:00:38.90\00:00:40.57
What a blessing.
00:00:40.67\00:00:42.14
Anyhow, years ago, I was here
00:00:42.24\00:00:44.21
for a commencement address
00:00:44.31\00:00:46.04
by a fellow named
00:00:46.14\00:00:47.41
E.E. Cleveland.
00:00:47.51\00:00:49.61
And he said -- There was civil
00:00:49.71\00:00:52.51
unrest all over the country.
00:00:52.61\00:00:53.88
He said, "You look west,
00:00:53.98\00:00:54.72
it looks terrible.
00:00:54.82\00:00:56.12
You look east,
00:00:56.22\00:00:57.45
doesn't look any good.
00:00:57.55\00:00:59.25
You look south, terrible.
00:00:59.35\00:01:01.19
And look north,
00:01:01.29\00:01:02.66
it's not so hot either.
00:01:02.76\00:01:03.86
But if you look up,
00:01:03.96\00:01:05.56
it looks good."
00:01:05.66\00:01:07.76
Isn't that true still today?
00:01:07.86\00:01:09.80
If we look up, it looks so good.
00:01:09.90\00:01:12.70
There's a God up there
00:01:12.80\00:01:13.84
who loves us.
00:01:13.94\00:01:15.54
And He loves you personally.
00:01:15.64\00:01:17.97
In the bulletin is a call
00:01:18.07\00:01:20.21
to worship, and you'll
00:01:20.31\00:01:21.68
see it on the screens.
00:01:21.78\00:01:23.48
So I want to invite you
00:01:23.58\00:01:25.01
to stand with me as we recite
00:01:25.11\00:01:28.65
this antiphonally, alright?
00:01:28.75\00:01:31.85
Shall we pray?
00:02:04.02\00:02:05.39
Father, we ask
00:02:05.49\00:02:08.02
for your presence here today,
00:02:08.12\00:02:11.16
that your Holy Spirit
00:02:11.26\00:02:12.49
and the angels
00:02:12.59\00:02:14.50
would bring your presence here,
00:02:14.60\00:02:16.73
presence of Jesus, our Savior,
00:02:16.83\00:02:18.80
our Lord, our sacrifice.
00:02:18.90\00:02:22.04
So, Father, may what happens
00:02:22.14\00:02:25.57
here put a smile on your heart.
00:02:25.67\00:02:28.64
We thank you in Jesus' name.
00:02:28.74\00:02:31.25
Amen.
00:02:31.35\00:02:32.25
¤
00:02:36.15\00:02:37.85
>> Good morning. Happy Sabbath.
00:05:12.64\00:05:15.64
Do you know,
00:05:15.74\00:05:16.51
I remember some of you being in
00:05:16.61\00:05:18.15
my 4-year-old Sabbath school,
00:05:18.25\00:05:19.45
and you've grown up so fast.
00:05:19.55\00:05:22.18
I wish you would have been
00:05:22.28\00:05:23.79
at my house this week because
00:05:23.89\00:05:25.49
I love this time of year.
00:05:25.59\00:05:28.09
Besides having the flowers
00:05:28.19\00:05:30.13
growing outside and the leaves
00:05:30.23\00:05:31.96
all turning green,
00:05:32.06\00:05:33.66
do you know what I have
00:05:33.76\00:05:34.46
at my house?
00:05:34.56\00:05:36.03
I have a pair of robins
00:05:36.13\00:05:37.63
who have two baby birds,
00:05:37.73\00:05:40.07
and we've been able to watch
00:05:40.17\00:05:41.90
them feed them this week.
00:05:42.00\00:05:43.94
And the other thing that is
00:05:44.04\00:05:45.34
in my yard is a pair of bunnies.
00:05:45.44\00:05:47.84
And I have the cutest little
00:05:47.94\00:05:49.04
cottontail bunny
00:05:49.14\00:05:50.15
about that big that loves
00:05:50.25\00:05:51.48
to hop around my yard.
00:05:51.58\00:05:53.45
But, you know,
00:05:53.55\00:05:54.12
that I have to listen for,
00:05:56.02\00:05:58.79
and you have to be very quiet.
00:05:58.89\00:06:01.06
And usually I have to be
00:06:01.16\00:06:02.66
by my hummingbird feeder
00:06:02.76\00:06:04.03
or by flowers
00:06:04.13\00:06:05.79
in order to hear this.
00:06:05.89\00:06:08.06
And when I listen
00:06:08.16\00:06:09.36
really carefully,
00:06:09.46\00:06:10.50
do you know what I hear?
00:06:10.60\00:06:12.33
I hear something go,
00:06:12.43\00:06:13.37
"Bzzz-zzz-zzz-zzz."
00:06:13.47\00:06:15.40
What do you think it is?
00:06:15.50\00:06:16.40
>> A bee.
00:06:16.50\00:06:17.27
>> A bee! That's right.
00:06:17.37\00:06:18.61
And you know what?
00:06:18.71\00:06:19.54
This isn't just any normal bee.
00:06:19.64\00:06:21.31
This is a really,
00:06:21.41\00:06:22.54
really special bee.
00:06:22.64\00:06:24.21
Do you know what it is?
00:06:24.31\00:06:25.81
It's a honey bee.
00:06:25.91\00:06:28.05
Do you know what?
00:06:28.15\00:06:29.15
Honey bees aren't really this
00:06:29.25\00:06:30.12
big.
00:06:30.22\00:06:30.95
They're about that big.
00:06:31.05\00:06:31.85
They're pretty little.
00:06:31.95\00:06:33.42
And they have a very,
00:06:33.52\00:06:35.76
very important job
00:06:35.86\00:06:37.46
to do this time of year.
00:06:37.56\00:06:39.43
Do you know what they do?
00:06:39.53\00:06:41.10
They pollinate the flowers
00:06:41.20\00:06:43.77
and the trees that are around.
00:06:43.87\00:06:45.37
You know, "pollinating"
00:06:45.47\00:06:46.33
is a really big word,
00:06:46.43\00:06:47.70
but it means that they make it
00:06:47.80\00:06:49.80
so the fruit can grow
00:06:49.90\00:06:51.64
from the flowers.
00:06:51.74\00:06:53.71
You know, it's really, really
00:06:53.81\00:06:54.98
cool because a honey bee
00:06:55.08\00:06:57.55
has how many legs?
00:06:57.65\00:06:59.21
One, two, three,
00:06:59.31\00:07:00.52
four, five, six.
00:07:00.62\00:07:02.65
And how many wings does it have?
00:07:02.75\00:07:05.42
It has four.
00:07:05.52\00:07:06.39
It has two on each side.
00:07:06.49\00:07:07.96
And, you know,
00:07:08.06\00:07:08.62
these wings will hook together.
00:07:11.16\00:07:13.46
And as they wiggle, that's what
00:07:13.56\00:07:15.30
makes the buzzing sound.
00:07:15.40\00:07:17.23
And then, when they stop,
00:07:17.33\00:07:19.17
the wings will fold up,
00:07:19.27\00:07:20.54
and they'll go back down
00:07:20.64\00:07:21.67
on their back
00:07:21.77\00:07:23.07
and they'll walk around.
00:07:23.17\00:07:25.27
Do you know, this time of year,
00:07:25.37\00:07:26.57
the honey bees are so busy
00:07:26.68\00:07:29.28
because they have lots and lots
00:07:29.38\00:07:31.78
and lots of things to pollinate.
00:07:31.88\00:07:33.85
You know what?
00:07:33.95\00:07:35.15
I had blueberries for breakfast
00:07:35.25\00:07:36.45
this morning,
00:07:36.55\00:07:37.59
and for every three blueberries
00:07:37.69\00:07:40.52
I ate, two of them
00:07:40.62\00:07:42.99
were pollinated by the bees.
00:07:43.09\00:07:45.79
That means if there weren't
00:07:45.89\00:07:46.73
any bees around,
00:07:46.83\00:07:47.83
I would have only had one
00:07:47.93\00:07:49.26
blueberry for breakfast.
00:07:49.36\00:07:50.73
That's not very much, is it?
00:07:50.83\00:07:53.00
But the -- the honey bees are so
00:07:53.10\00:07:54.77
cool.
00:07:54.87\00:07:56.10
They live in a hive,
00:07:56.20\00:07:58.34
and they live in a colony
00:07:58.44\00:07:59.74
of up to 60,000 sisters.
00:07:59.84\00:08:03.41
Would you guys like to have
00:08:03.51\00:08:04.15
60,000 sisters?
00:08:04.25\00:08:05.65
>> No.
00:08:05.75\00:08:06.72
>> Well, I don't know.
00:08:06.82\00:08:07.45
I have one sister,
00:08:07.55\00:08:08.58
and I love her dearly,
00:08:08.68\00:08:10.02
but I don't think I could put up
00:08:10.12\00:08:11.15
with 60,000 of her.
00:08:11.25\00:08:13.42
But there are 60,000 bees
00:08:13.52\00:08:15.72
in a colony,
00:08:15.82\00:08:17.49
and they're all girls,
00:08:17.59\00:08:18.79
except for a few drones,
00:08:18.89\00:08:20.23
which are the boy bees.
00:08:20.33\00:08:21.63
And there's a queen bee
00:08:21.73\00:08:22.63
that lays eggs.
00:08:22.73\00:08:24.27
And this queen bee is really,
00:08:24.37\00:08:25.27
really busy.
00:08:25.37\00:08:26.20
Do you know she can lay up
00:08:26.30\00:08:27.57
to 2,000 eggs in one day?
00:08:27.67\00:08:30.37
And then, it is the worker
00:08:30.47\00:08:32.67
bees' job to take care
00:08:32.77\00:08:35.11
of all those baby bees.
00:08:35.21\00:08:37.55
Now, they also have another job.
00:08:37.65\00:08:39.61
They have to go out
00:08:39.71\00:08:40.78
and find pollen.
00:08:40.88\00:08:42.28
And the pollen is
00:08:42.38\00:08:43.72
what helps them make the honey.
00:08:43.82\00:08:46.92
Now, if you look at the screen
00:08:47.02\00:08:47.92
up here,
00:08:48.02\00:08:48.72
I have a picture of a bee.
00:08:48.82\00:08:51.76
Let's see. Can you see it?
00:08:51.86\00:08:54.20
Can you see the honey bee?
00:08:54.30\00:08:55.76
And look at its back legs.
00:08:55.86\00:08:57.13
Can you see that?
00:08:57.23\00:08:58.93
That is called a pollen basket.
00:08:59.03\00:09:01.97
And that is really cool
00:09:02.07\00:09:03.20
'cause when the bees go out
00:09:03.30\00:09:04.74
and they touch the flowers,
00:09:04.84\00:09:06.94
they get the pollen
00:09:07.04\00:09:08.28
from the flowers,
00:09:08.38\00:09:09.84
and they take it to another
00:09:09.94\00:09:11.01
flower and another flower
00:09:11.11\00:09:12.08
and another flower,
00:09:12.18\00:09:13.08
and that's how they pollinate.
00:09:13.18\00:09:15.22
Now, when a bee finds
00:09:15.32\00:09:17.72
a nice field of flowers,
00:09:17.82\00:09:20.19
or maybe a great big cherry tree
00:09:20.29\00:09:21.59
full of buds,
00:09:21.69\00:09:23.09
she is going to go back
00:09:23.19\00:09:25.39
to the hive, and she's going to
00:09:25.49\00:09:27.23
do something very special then.
00:09:27.36\00:09:29.50
She's going to go into her hive,
00:09:29.60\00:09:32.33
and she has to tell all of
00:09:32.43\00:09:34.50
the other bees where it is.
00:09:34.60\00:09:37.01
Now, can she just say, "Hey,
00:09:37.11\00:09:38.37
guys, right outside the door,
00:09:38.47\00:09:40.81
there's some flowers."
00:09:40.91\00:09:42.08
Can she do that?
00:09:42.18\00:09:43.65
No, she can't.
00:09:43.75\00:09:44.88
She has to have a special way
00:09:44.98\00:09:46.61
of doing that.
00:09:46.72\00:09:47.72
And God has given her
00:09:47.82\00:09:48.98
that special way.
00:09:49.08\00:09:51.19
She will do one of two kinds
00:09:51.29\00:09:52.29
of dances.
00:09:52.39\00:09:53.59
The first kind of dance
00:09:53.69\00:09:54.69
that she will do
00:09:54.79\00:09:55.69
is called a circle dance.
00:09:55.79\00:09:57.29
And when she does
00:09:57.39\00:09:57.99
the circle dance,
00:09:58.09\00:09:59.19
she's going to go straight,
00:09:59.29\00:10:01.10
and she's going to turn around,
00:10:01.20\00:10:03.37
and she's just going to
00:10:03.47\00:10:04.80
keep making circles,
00:10:04.90\00:10:06.67
and that's going to tell all
00:10:06.77\00:10:08.10
the other bees that the flowers
00:10:08.20\00:10:10.01
are really, really close.
00:10:10.11\00:10:12.87
But if she does a waggle dance,
00:10:12.97\00:10:16.01
the waggle dance,
00:10:16.11\00:10:17.01
she goes into her hive,
00:10:17.11\00:10:19.05
and she starts going like this
00:10:19.15\00:10:20.38
back and forth and back
00:10:20.48\00:10:21.75
and forth and back and forth,
00:10:21.85\00:10:23.15
and the faster she goes back
00:10:23.25\00:10:24.42
and forth
00:10:24.52\00:10:25.19
and the longer she goes,
00:10:25.29\00:10:27.69
tells the bees that the flowers
00:10:27.79\00:10:29.62
are farther away.
00:10:29.72\00:10:31.23
And then when she gets
00:10:31.33\00:10:32.06
to the end of her run,
00:10:32.16\00:10:33.26
she goes like this,
00:10:33.36\00:10:34.10
and she turns around,
00:10:34.20\00:10:35.03
and she comes right back
00:10:35.13\00:10:36.13
to the beginning,
00:10:36.23\00:10:37.27
and she does it again.
00:10:37.37\00:10:38.30
And she might do this 50
00:10:38.40\00:10:39.53
or 60 times while all
00:10:39.63\00:10:41.74
the other worker bees watch.
00:10:41.84\00:10:43.67
Except this time, when she gets
00:10:43.77\00:10:45.07
to the end of her run,
00:10:45.17\00:10:46.44
she's going to turn
00:10:46.54\00:10:47.64
and she's going to go left,
00:10:47.74\00:10:49.28
and she's going to go back
00:10:49.38\00:10:50.28
to the beginning part,
00:10:50.38\00:10:51.58
and she's going to go all over,
00:10:51.68\00:10:53.05
all back and forth
00:10:53.15\00:10:54.05
and back and forth.
00:10:54.15\00:10:55.35
Do you know what?
00:10:55.45\00:10:56.28
God made them so amazing.
00:10:56.38\00:10:59.72
Do you think the other bees
00:10:59.82\00:11:01.82
could find the flowers if they
00:11:01.92\00:11:04.06
didn't follow her directions?
00:11:04.16\00:11:06.80
No, they couldn't. They might.
00:11:06.90\00:11:08.93
What if they went outside
00:11:09.03\00:11:10.10
and they thought
00:11:10.20\00:11:11.87
that she did a circle dance
00:11:11.97\00:11:13.74
instead of a waggle dance,
00:11:13.84\00:11:15.47
and they looked right outside
00:11:15.57\00:11:16.37
their hive.
00:11:16.47\00:11:17.21
Could they find the flowers?
00:11:17.31\00:11:19.97
They couldn't.
00:11:20.08\00:11:21.64
Do you know, I know somebody
00:11:21.74\00:11:23.31
else that has given us
00:11:23.41\00:11:25.95
instructions to follow, too,
00:11:26.05\00:11:28.35
so we can make it
00:11:28.45\00:11:29.58
to our heavenly home.
00:11:29.68\00:11:30.89
Do you know who that is?
00:11:30.99\00:11:32.95
Jesus. That's right.
00:11:33.05\00:11:34.82
Jesus has given us
00:11:34.92\00:11:36.59
the special things
00:11:36.69\00:11:37.83
that we need to do
00:11:37.93\00:11:39.33
so we can go home
00:11:39.43\00:11:40.53
and live with him.
00:11:40.63\00:11:42.06
Do you think Jesus is waiting
00:11:42.16\00:11:43.90
patiently for us to come home?
00:11:44.00\00:11:46.47
Oh, I think he is.
00:11:46.57\00:11:47.67
He loves each one of us,
00:11:47.77\00:11:49.30
very special, and he has made
00:11:49.40\00:11:51.44
a special home for us.
00:11:51.54\00:11:53.01
But in order for us
00:11:53.11\00:11:54.54
to go to that home,
00:11:54.64\00:11:56.01
we have to follow the directions
00:11:56.11\00:11:57.95
that God has given us.
00:11:58.05\00:11:59.91
What about, like, obeying
00:12:00.08\00:12:01.18
our mom and dad?
00:12:01.28\00:12:02.32
Has he told us that we should
00:12:02.42\00:12:03.12
do that?
00:12:03.22\00:12:04.62
Yeah.
00:12:04.72\00:12:05.95
What about coming to church
00:12:06.05\00:12:06.92
on Sabbath?
00:12:07.02\00:12:08.22
Is that another direction
00:12:08.32\00:12:09.32
that Jesus has given us?
00:12:09.42\00:12:11.39
Yeah, he has. But you know what?
00:12:11.49\00:12:12.96
The bees are different.
00:12:13.06\00:12:14.46
The bees have to --
00:12:14.56\00:12:16.43
they follow the wiggle dance
00:12:16.53\00:12:18.97
or the circle dance by instinct.
00:12:19.07\00:12:22.24
But we don't have that instinct.
00:12:22.34\00:12:24.21
We can pray and we can say,
00:12:24.31\00:12:26.07
"I want to ask Jesus
00:12:26.17\00:12:27.74
to be in my life."
00:12:27.84\00:12:29.38
But unless we trust him
00:12:29.48\00:12:32.08
and Jesus helps us,
00:12:32.18\00:12:33.48
we can never, ever make it
00:12:33.58\00:12:35.72
to heaven without his help.
00:12:35.82\00:12:37.75
Now, you know what the bees
00:12:37.85\00:12:38.82
like to eat?
00:12:38.92\00:12:41.66
What is this?
00:12:41.76\00:12:43.63
>> Honey.
00:12:43.73\00:12:44.63
>> It's honey.
00:12:44.73\00:12:45.99
And you know what?
00:12:46.09\00:12:46.96
This honey is so special
00:12:47.03\00:12:49.03
because this honey
00:12:49.13\00:12:51.93
took about 25 bees six months
00:12:52.03\00:12:56.24
to make that much honey.
00:12:56.34\00:12:58.41
That's not very much honey,
00:12:58.51\00:12:59.31
is it?
00:12:59.41\00:13:00.41
It takes them
00:13:00.51\00:13:01.31
their whole lifetime
00:13:01.41\00:13:03.71
just to make that much honey.
00:13:03.81\00:13:05.78
You know what?
00:13:05.88\00:13:06.41
They spend their whole life
00:13:06.51\00:13:08.22
serving their other bees,
00:13:08.32\00:13:09.92
just like
00:13:10.02\00:13:10.59
Jesus wants us to spend
00:13:10.69\00:13:12.19
our whole life serving him.
00:13:12.29\00:13:14.16
Now, I want you to look
00:13:14.26\00:13:15.09
at my screen one more time.
00:13:15.19\00:13:16.59
I have a picture
00:13:16.69\00:13:17.63
of a waggle dance.
00:13:17.73\00:13:19.16
Now, I want you to look,
00:13:19.26\00:13:20.46
and look for the bee
00:13:20.56\00:13:21.50
that has a yellow spot
00:13:21.60\00:13:23.13
on the back of her head.
00:13:23.23\00:13:24.77
Can you see it?
00:13:24.87\00:13:28.44
Can you see it right here?
00:13:28.54\00:13:31.27
I guess it's a red spot.
00:13:31.37\00:13:32.64
It looked more yellow earlier.
00:13:32.74\00:13:34.54
But can you see? Watch.
00:13:34.64\00:13:35.94
See? Here she's going back
00:13:36.04\00:13:37.28
and forth and back and forth.
00:13:37.38\00:13:39.65
And all the other bees
00:13:39.75\00:13:41.38
are watching, and they're going
00:13:41.48\00:13:42.48
to follow them,
00:13:42.58\00:13:43.95
just like we want to follow
00:13:44.05\00:13:45.39
Jesus, don't we?
00:13:45.49\00:13:46.65
Because we know Jesus is coming
00:13:46.76\00:13:47.99
so soon
00:13:48.09\00:13:49.69
and we want to go to heaven
00:13:49.79\00:13:50.53
with him
00:13:50.63\00:13:51.23
and live in that special house
00:13:51.33\00:13:52.49
that he's making for us.
00:13:52.59\00:13:54.36
I need somebody to help me have
00:13:54.46\00:13:55.50
our prayer this morning.
00:13:55.60\00:13:56.33
You want to come help?
00:13:56.43\00:14:00.20
Thank you. Okay.
00:14:00.30\00:14:03.17
Can you ask Jesus to be with us
00:14:03.27\00:14:04.61
and be like the bees?
00:14:04.71\00:14:05.34
Okay.
00:14:05.44\00:14:06.84
>> Dear Jesus, please help us
00:14:06.94\00:14:08.41
to be with you.
00:14:08.51\00:14:10.15
Please help the people
00:14:10.25\00:14:11.21
who don't know you.
00:14:11.31\00:14:12.65
Please help them to change
00:14:12.75\00:14:14.08
their ways and follow you.
00:14:14.18\00:14:15.78
Amen.
00:14:15.88\00:14:17.42
>> Amen. Thank you, sweetheart.
00:14:17.52\00:14:18.72
>> Our Scripture reading of
00:14:24.59\00:14:25.49
today is coming from
00:14:25.59\00:14:26.33
Isaiah 43: 16-19,
00:14:26.43\00:14:28.90
and I'll be reading from
00:14:29.00\00:14:29.86
the New International Version.
00:14:29.96\00:14:33.03
"This is what the Lord says --
00:14:33.13\00:14:34.34
he who made a way through
00:14:34.44\00:14:35.44
the sea, a path through
00:14:35.54\00:14:36.37
the mighty waters,
00:14:36.47\00:14:37.84
who drew out the chariots
00:14:37.94\00:14:39.17
and horses, the army
00:14:39.27\00:14:40.41
and reinforcements together,
00:14:40.51\00:14:41.91
and they lay there never to rise
00:14:42.01\00:14:43.31
again, extinguished,
00:14:43.41\00:14:44.91
snuffed out like a wick.
00:14:45.01\00:14:46.72
Forget the former things.
00:14:46.82\00:14:48.12
Do not dwell on the past.
00:14:48.22\00:14:49.55
See, I am doing a new thing!
00:14:49.65\00:14:51.32
Now it springs up.
00:14:51.42\00:14:52.52
Do you not perceive it?
00:14:52.62\00:14:54.16
I am making a way
00:14:54.26\00:14:55.36
in the wilderness and streams
00:14:55.46\00:14:56.49
in the wastelands."
00:14:56.59\00:14:57.06
Amen.
00:14:57.16\00:14:58.19
¤
00:15:01.76\00:15:02.86
>> This week, we've been having
00:19:55.12\00:19:55.92
a great week at the Tent.
00:19:56.02\00:19:57.19
How many of you guys
00:19:57.29\00:19:57.73
have come out?
00:19:57.83\00:19:58.69
>> Yeah.
00:19:58.79\00:19:59.76
>> Amen.
00:19:59.86\00:20:01.50
For those of you who don't know,
00:20:01.60\00:20:02.50
the Tent is a -- is led out
00:20:02.60\00:20:04.87
by seventh and eighth graders
00:20:04.97\00:20:06.30
who -- including writing
00:20:06.40\00:20:08.57
and preaching their own sermons.
00:20:08.67\00:20:10.51
Our next song is a theme song
00:20:10.61\00:20:11.44
for the Tent.
00:20:11.54\00:20:12.21
Please stand and join us in
00:20:12.31\00:20:13.04
singing.
00:20:13.14\00:20:16.38
¤
00:20:16.48\00:20:18.31
>> Thank you.
00:24:35.50\00:24:37.91
¤
00:24:38.01\00:24:42.81
>> A few weeks ago, we completed
00:24:51.82\00:24:54.66
a sermon series entitled
00:24:54.76\00:24:56.69
"Why We Are Here."
00:24:56.79\00:24:59.49
If you missed that,
00:24:59.59\00:25:00.66
you can find it at pmchurch.org.
00:25:00.76\00:25:02.76
We have links there to our
00:25:02.86\00:25:03.60
sermon archives,
00:25:03.70\00:25:04.73
and I would strongly encourage
00:25:04.83\00:25:06.07
you to see them,
00:25:06.17\00:25:07.44
not for the sake of
00:25:07.54\00:25:08.74
my homiletical skills,
00:25:08.84\00:25:10.21
but for the sake of the message
00:25:10.31\00:25:11.14
that's there.
00:25:11.24\00:25:12.54
We asked and answered
00:25:12.64\00:25:14.34
the question, "Why are we here?"
00:25:14.44\00:25:16.48
Why is there a Seventh-Day
00:25:16.58\00:25:17.35
Adventist Church?
00:25:17.45\00:25:18.61
There's all kinds of churches
00:25:18.71\00:25:19.51
out there.
00:25:19.61\00:25:20.18
And we answered that question
00:25:22.45\00:25:23.59
by looking at, essentially,
00:25:23.69\00:25:24.82
two things -- briefly,
00:25:24.92\00:25:25.82
the Great Commission of
00:25:25.92\00:25:26.72
Matthew 28:18-20, very much a
00:25:26.82\00:25:28.66
part of who we are
00:25:28.76\00:25:29.62
and why we're here.
00:25:29.72\00:25:30.66
And secondly,
00:25:30.76\00:25:31.56
we spent most of our time in the
00:25:31.66\00:25:32.76
three angels' messages
00:25:32.86\00:25:33.86
of Revelation 14:6-12.
00:25:33.96\00:25:36.56
Those messages are the core
00:25:36.67\00:25:39.17
reason why God
00:25:39.27\00:25:40.90
went through the difficulty
00:25:41.00\00:25:41.97
of creating
00:25:42.07\00:25:43.54
a new movement, the Seventh-Day
00:25:43.64\00:25:45.01
Adventist movement.
00:25:45.11\00:25:47.28
Now, the reason
00:25:47.38\00:25:48.18
I mentioned that, why I bring
00:25:48.28\00:25:49.48
that back to your memory,
00:25:49.58\00:25:51.08
is because we are sitting
00:25:51.18\00:25:52.68
on an institutional campus.
00:25:52.78\00:25:55.35
We are an institutional church.
00:25:55.45\00:25:57.19
We are on the campus
00:25:57.29\00:25:59.62
of a community that follows
00:25:59.72\00:26:01.36
an academic calendar,
00:26:01.46\00:26:02.89
and what that means is that
00:26:02.99\00:26:04.76
summer is here.
00:26:04.86\00:26:08.20
The sun is out.
00:26:08.30\00:26:09.53
The birds are singing.
00:26:09.63\00:26:10.50
The grass is green.
00:26:10.60\00:26:12.17
The ice has melted -- mostly.
00:26:12.27\00:26:15.20
And it's a beautiful time
00:26:15.30\00:26:15.90
of year.
00:26:16.00\00:26:16.60
when we dial things
00:26:18.74\00:26:19.81
back a little bit.
00:26:19.91\00:26:20.81
Now, if you are a professor
00:26:20.91\00:26:22.74
or a student that is going
00:26:22.84\00:26:23.88
to school full-time
00:26:23.98\00:26:25.01
through this summer,
00:26:25.11\00:26:26.31
you have our utmost sympathies.
00:26:26.41\00:26:28.98
We'll be praying for you
00:26:29.08\00:26:29.92
that you will endure
00:26:30.02\00:26:30.89
because you, too, need a break.
00:26:30.99\00:26:32.65
Summertime is a time when
00:26:32.75\00:26:34.79
we dial things back,
00:26:34.89\00:26:36.19
we spend time with family
00:26:36.29\00:26:37.23
and with friends.
00:26:37.33\00:26:37.96
We head out to the water,
00:26:38.06\00:26:39.03
to the beach, or to the park,
00:26:39.13\00:26:40.03
and picnics are there.
00:26:40.13\00:26:41.06
It's a great time
00:26:41.16\00:26:42.63
to slow down a bit,
00:26:42.73\00:26:44.63
to get our breath back,
00:26:44.73\00:26:45.83
to regroup, so that we can
00:26:45.93\00:26:47.34
be ready to hit things hard
00:26:47.44\00:26:49.14
when we come back in the fall.
00:26:49.24\00:26:51.47
Summer is a great time.
00:26:51.57\00:26:57.45
And it's my personal experience
00:26:57.55\00:27:01.55
that it can -- doesn't have to
00:27:01.65\00:27:02.85
be -- but it can also be
00:27:02.95\00:27:04.82
a time of drift.
00:27:04.92\00:27:09.16
We just finished talking about
00:27:09.26\00:27:10.53
the three angels' messages
00:27:10.63\00:27:11.83
and the importance,
00:27:11.93\00:27:12.79
the core of who we are.
00:27:12.89\00:27:14.66
This is why God called us
00:27:14.76\00:27:15.63
into being.
00:27:15.73\00:27:17.17
And they are too important
00:27:17.27\00:27:18.43
to let fade away.
00:27:18.53\00:27:20.37
We must take a summer's rest.
00:27:20.47\00:27:22.34
Absolutely.
00:27:22.44\00:27:23.27
But we also must not forget.
00:27:23.37\00:27:27.34
And so, consequently,
00:27:27.44\00:27:28.51
I want to invite you to join me
00:27:28.61\00:27:30.05
in doing at least three things
00:27:30.15\00:27:31.05
this summer.
00:27:31.15\00:27:32.75
Number one, stay close to Jesus.
00:27:32.85\00:27:36.42
Stay close to Jesus.
00:27:36.52\00:27:37.65
You know, whatever your
00:27:37.75\00:27:38.95
devotional routine is,
00:27:39.05\00:27:40.52
or if you don't have
00:27:40.62\00:27:41.32
a devotional routine, start now.
00:27:41.42\00:27:42.76
Now is your time.
00:27:42.86\00:27:43.59
Starting pistol just went off.
00:27:43.69\00:27:45.16
Start having a devotional time.
00:27:45.26\00:27:46.46
Spend time in the word.
00:27:46.56\00:27:47.50
Spend time in prayer
00:27:47.60\00:27:48.66
every day with Jesus.
00:27:48.76\00:27:49.90
Spend time
00:27:50.00\00:27:50.70
with fellow believers.
00:27:50.80\00:27:52.00
Go to church.
00:27:52.10\00:27:52.73
Go to Sabbath school.
00:27:52.83\00:27:53.74
If you're outdoors,
00:27:53.84\00:27:54.97
have church with other people.
00:27:55.07\00:27:55.87
Spend time with
00:27:55.97\00:27:57.17
like-minded believers.
00:27:57.27\00:27:58.51
Iron will sharpen iron.
00:27:58.61\00:28:00.08
Stay strong in Jesus
00:28:00.18\00:28:02.21
in the summer season.
00:28:02.31\00:28:04.28
Secondly,
00:28:04.38\00:28:05.95
reread those three angels.
00:28:06.05\00:28:08.28
Revelation 14: 6-12.
00:28:08.38\00:28:10.52
You know, my prayer is that,
00:28:10.62\00:28:11.85
at the very least,
00:28:11.95\00:28:13.12
during that four-part series,
00:28:13.22\00:28:14.12
that we gained
00:28:14.22\00:28:15.09
a fresh appreciation
00:28:15.19\00:28:16.26
for the messages of Christ
00:28:16.36\00:28:17.39
that are found in those
00:28:17.49\00:28:18.46
three angels' messages,
00:28:18.56\00:28:19.93
and perhaps we even learned
00:28:20.03\00:28:21.16
some new things from them.
00:28:21.26\00:28:22.83
Regardless,
00:28:22.93\00:28:24.37
we just scratched the surface.
00:28:24.47\00:28:27.54
There is so much more
00:28:27.64\00:28:28.84
in those three angels' messages,
00:28:28.94\00:28:30.04
and you need to know it.
00:28:30.14\00:28:31.07
You need to know what those
00:28:31.17\00:28:31.91
things are because
00:28:32.01\00:28:32.94
it's a message of Christ.
00:28:33.04\00:28:34.31
It's the gospel.
00:28:34.41\00:28:36.11
You know, if you think about it,
00:28:36.21\00:28:36.81
the three angels' messages are
00:28:36.91\00:28:38.01
the culmination of 6,000 years
00:28:38.11\00:28:40.55
of salvation history.
00:28:40.65\00:28:42.58
So no wonder we just touched the
00:28:42.68\00:28:44.79
tips of the mountaintops here.
00:28:44.89\00:28:46.12
There's so much more.
00:28:46.22\00:28:47.09
Read them again and again.
00:28:47.19\00:28:48.16
Study them.
00:28:48.26\00:28:49.22
Get your concordance out.
00:28:49.32\00:28:50.33
Look up the words
00:28:50.43\00:28:51.19
that are there.
00:28:51.29\00:28:51.96
Find the Old Testament roots
00:28:52.06\00:28:53.16
and some of
00:28:53.26\00:28:54.13
the New Testament references
00:28:54.23\00:28:55.16
that are there.
00:28:55.26\00:28:56.36
Make these three angels'
00:28:56.46\00:28:57.73
messages your own
00:28:57.83\00:28:58.87
because they are.
00:28:58.97\00:29:01.37
God has given it to us,
00:29:01.47\00:29:03.24
and we have a job to do.
00:29:03.34\00:29:06.01
And number three,
00:29:06.11\00:29:08.34
I would invite you this summer
00:29:08.44\00:29:09.08
to join me
00:29:09.18\00:29:10.78
in actively praying for
00:29:10.88\00:29:13.52
and keeping your eyes open
00:29:13.62\00:29:15.92
for God to do...
00:29:16.02\00:29:18.05
Well, let me tell you a story.
00:29:22.09\00:29:25.83
Many years ago, when I was
00:29:25.93\00:29:27.56
a young pastor,
00:29:27.66\00:29:29.60
when I had free time,
00:29:29.70\00:29:31.40
I would go and test-drive
00:29:31.50\00:29:33.00
sports cars for fun.
00:29:33.10\00:29:35.87
Now, I'm not recommending
00:29:35.97\00:29:36.57
that you do this.
00:29:36.67\00:29:37.37
There is something disingenuous
00:29:37.47\00:29:38.54
about going to a dealership
00:29:38.64\00:29:39.84
from which you have no intention
00:29:39.94\00:29:41.44
of purchasing a vehicle
00:29:41.54\00:29:42.68
and asking to test drive a car.
00:29:42.78\00:29:44.65
Okay. You don't need to do that.
00:29:44.75\00:29:46.31
But this is different times.
00:29:46.41\00:29:47.18
I've grown a bit since then.
00:29:47.28\00:29:48.55
It was a Sunday afternoon,
00:29:48.65\00:29:50.59
and I knew exactly which
00:29:50.69\00:29:51.95
dealership I wanted to go to.
00:29:52.05\00:29:53.79
This is in the Seattle area
00:29:53.89\00:29:55.89
there in Lynnwood,
00:29:55.99\00:29:57.09
there's Auto Row.
00:29:57.19\00:29:59.09
Now, this was quite a while ago.
00:29:59.19\00:30:00.23
Maybe they've all gone bankrupt
00:30:00.33\00:30:01.36
and it's a golf course now.
00:30:01.46\00:30:02.20
I have no idea.
00:30:02.30\00:30:03.37
But there are dozens
00:30:03.47\00:30:04.40
of dealerships on Auto Row.
00:30:04.50\00:30:06.70
And there was one --
00:30:06.80\00:30:07.57
it was a Chevy dealership,
00:30:07.67\00:30:09.50
and I had driven past it earlier
00:30:09.60\00:30:10.77
in the week,
00:30:10.87\00:30:12.14
and there was a 1996
00:30:12.24\00:30:14.28
yellow Corvette that was there.
00:30:14.38\00:30:16.28
And as I drove by,
00:30:16.38\00:30:17.01
it caught my eye.
00:30:17.11\00:30:17.75
that one this weekend."
00:30:18.91\00:30:20.58
So, sure enough, Sunday
00:30:20.68\00:30:21.75
afternoon, I got dressed
00:30:21.85\00:30:23.79
a little bit better
00:30:23.89\00:30:25.69
than I might have otherwise
00:30:25.79\00:30:26.76
gotten dressed
00:30:26.86\00:30:27.49
on a Sunday afternoon.
00:30:27.59\00:30:29.02
I mean, you have to look
00:30:29.12\00:30:29.82
the part, right?
00:30:29.92\00:30:30.89
The salesman has to believe
00:30:30.99\00:30:32.69
that at least there's some
00:30:32.79\00:30:33.70
possibility
00:30:33.80\00:30:34.93
that you have the ability
00:30:35.03\00:30:36.33
to purchase this vehicle
00:30:36.43\00:30:37.60
if you're ever going to get
00:30:37.70\00:30:38.33
a chance to test-drive it.
00:30:38.43\00:30:39.60
So I dressed up a little bit,
00:30:39.70\00:30:41.54
and I went to the dealership
00:30:41.64\00:30:42.74
and kind of meandered
00:30:42.84\00:30:43.44
around a little bit.
00:30:43.54\00:30:44.57
Sure enough, the yellow Corvette
00:30:44.67\00:30:45.31
still there.
00:30:45.41\00:30:46.68
Head salesman comes out.
00:30:46.78\00:30:48.51
"Can I help you, sir?"
00:30:48.61\00:30:50.11
"Oh, well, yes.
00:30:50.21\00:30:51.21
I was wondering, would it be
00:30:51.31\00:30:52.88
possible for me to test-drive
00:30:52.98\00:30:54.82
that car, the Corvette?"
00:30:54.92\00:30:56.62
And he said, "Well, certainly.
00:30:56.72\00:30:59.22
Let me see if I can find
00:30:59.32\00:31:00.29
somebody here to help you,"
00:31:00.39\00:31:01.62
and calls back and do
00:31:01.72\00:31:03.56
whatever they do at dealerships.
00:31:03.66\00:31:04.86
And the next salesman came out,
00:31:04.96\00:31:06.83
and he comes to me,
00:31:06.93\00:31:08.26
and he says, "Well, sir,
00:31:08.36\00:31:09.26
which car are you looking at?"
00:31:09.36\00:31:10.13
We went outside, we're looking
00:31:10.23\00:31:10.97
there at the Corvette.
00:31:11.07\00:31:11.63
for a test-drive?"
00:31:12.83\00:31:14.54
He said, "Well, I'm sure we can
00:31:14.64\00:31:15.40
make that work.
00:31:15.50\00:31:16.64
If I could just
00:31:16.74\00:31:17.24
have your driver's license
00:31:17.34\00:31:18.37
so I can get a photocopy
00:31:18.47\00:31:19.14
of that,
00:31:19.24\00:31:19.77
So I get him my driver's
00:31:21.28\00:31:22.34
license, and he goes in, and I
00:31:22.44\00:31:23.75
don't know what the problem was,
00:31:23.85\00:31:24.78
but for whatever reason,
00:31:24.88\00:31:26.28
they couldn't photocopy
00:31:26.38\00:31:27.78
my driver's license.
00:31:27.88\00:31:30.15
Now, the skeptic in me
00:31:30.25\00:31:31.85
says they didn't think I was
00:31:31.95\00:31:33.56
going to be buying the car.
00:31:33.66\00:31:34.56
So they went to plan B and
00:31:34.66\00:31:36.06
they -- he said to me, he said,
00:31:36.16\00:31:37.63
"Well, we we can't make a copy
00:31:37.73\00:31:38.73
of your license right now,
00:31:38.83\00:31:39.96
but if you don't mind,
00:31:40.06\00:31:41.00
I can ride with you."
00:31:41.10\00:31:43.33
Oh.
00:31:43.43\00:31:44.47
[ Laughter ]
00:31:44.57\00:31:47.17
Well, how much fun is that
00:31:47.27\00:31:48.24
when you've got the guy
00:31:48.34\00:31:49.10
sitting right here next to you
00:31:49.20\00:31:50.24
in the passenger seat, right?
00:31:50.34\00:31:51.14
So, "Uh..."
00:31:51.24\00:31:52.27
But what are you going to say?
00:31:52.37\00:31:53.04
Right?
00:31:53.14\00:31:53.98
So I said, "Okay, sure.
00:31:54.08\00:31:55.01
N-No problem."
00:31:55.11\00:31:56.11
And so he gets his stuff
00:31:56.21\00:31:57.31
together,
00:31:57.41\00:31:57.95
and we look around the car
00:31:59.48\00:32:00.38
and open the hood and inside,
00:32:00.48\00:32:01.35
and then we get inside
00:32:01.45\00:32:02.25
and getting ready
00:32:02.35\00:32:03.18
to take a test drive.
00:32:03.28\00:32:05.19
And he says, "So, Mr. Anderson,
00:32:05.29\00:32:08.42
what do you do for a living?"
00:32:08.52\00:32:10.09
[ Laughter ]
00:32:10.19\00:32:12.29
[ Sighs ]
00:32:12.39\00:32:13.66
Now, for those of you that are
00:32:13.76\00:32:14.60
not pastors, if you want to
00:32:14.73\00:32:15.63
knock the hole in any party
00:32:15.73\00:32:17.17
boat, you just tell people what
00:32:17.27\00:32:18.47
you do for a living, all right?
00:32:18.57\00:32:20.44
People do all kinds of stuff.
00:32:20.54\00:32:21.57
Usually they say, "Oh, I'm
00:32:21.67\00:32:22.54
sorry.
00:32:22.64\00:32:23.14
Did I swear?"
00:32:23.24\00:32:24.37
I don't know what it is with
00:32:24.47\00:32:25.04
pastors.
00:32:25.14\00:32:25.97
We just make people feel guilty
00:32:26.07\00:32:26.84
for swearing.
00:32:26.94\00:32:27.64
They'll swear all the other time
00:32:27.74\00:32:29.44
when they're not with us.
00:32:29.54\00:32:30.15
But if they're with us --
00:32:30.25\00:32:30.58
Anyway...
00:32:30.68\00:32:32.01
So, I think to myself,
00:32:32.11\00:32:33.65
"Oh, boy, here we go."
00:32:33.75\00:32:34.78
And I say, "Well,
00:32:34.88\00:32:37.02
I'm a pastor."
00:32:37.12\00:32:40.39
And you can just see the color
00:32:40.49\00:32:41.52
drain out of his face.
00:32:41.62\00:32:43.26
Like, "Oh, no."
00:32:43.36\00:32:46.80
Because pastors don't buy,
00:32:46.90\00:32:48.36
you know, 2- or 3-year-old
00:32:48.46\00:32:49.76
yellow Corvettes, right?
00:32:49.86\00:32:52.07
And so he's depressed.
00:32:52.17\00:32:53.47
And then he kind of rallies
00:32:53.57\00:32:54.57
a little bit, and he says,
00:32:54.67\00:32:56.10
"So -- So what church do you
00:32:56.20\00:32:57.41
pastor?"
00:32:57.51\00:33:00.61
And I don't know for sure,
00:33:00.71\00:33:01.61
but I'm guessing he was kind of
00:33:01.71\00:33:02.31
thinking to himself,
00:33:02.41\00:33:03.08
"Maybe if it's a megachurch,
00:33:03.18\00:33:04.51
he's got money, right?"
00:33:04.61\00:33:08.25
And I said, "Well, I'm the
00:33:08.35\00:33:09.72
pastor of the Forest Park
00:33:09.82\00:33:11.22
Seventh-Day Adventist Church in
00:33:11.32\00:33:12.05
Everett."
00:33:12.15\00:33:13.59
And he went right back
00:33:13.69\00:33:15.26
to where he was before.
00:33:15.36\00:33:16.02
[ Sighs ]
00:33:16.12\00:33:17.26
Now, I don't know that
00:33:17.36\00:33:18.13
it's because
00:33:18.23\00:33:18.93
he'd ever heard of the church,
00:33:19.03\00:33:19.69
but probably because
00:33:19.79\00:33:20.70
he hadn't heard of the church.
00:33:20.80\00:33:22.26
And if he hadn't heard of it,
00:33:22.36\00:33:23.03
it must not be very big.
00:33:23.13\00:33:24.00
"And I've got now this
00:33:24.10\00:33:24.97
poor pastor about
00:33:25.07\00:33:26.84
to go on a test drive for a car
00:33:26.94\00:33:28.07
that he's not going to buy."
00:33:28.17\00:33:29.34
So he's depressed, right?
00:33:29.44\00:33:30.64
But I've got the keys.
00:33:30.74\00:33:31.77
And so I start the car,
00:33:31.87\00:33:33.24
and we back out there,
00:33:33.34\00:33:34.18
we buckle up,
00:33:34.28\00:33:35.51
and we come up to the street.
00:33:35.61\00:33:37.55
We're about to turn out
00:33:37.65\00:33:39.21
and to go for this test drive.
00:33:39.31\00:33:40.92
And you got
00:33:41.02\00:33:41.52
Off to the right was -- it was
00:33:42.78\00:33:44.15
kind of going up a hill here.
00:33:44.25\00:33:45.35
And so you could see any traffic
00:33:45.45\00:33:47.39
that was coming down there.
00:33:47.49\00:33:48.16
It was easy to spot it.
00:33:48.26\00:33:49.69
On the left, yeah, not so much.
00:33:49.79\00:33:51.83
It was, you know, a couple
00:33:51.93\00:33:53.03
hundred feet, something like
00:33:53.13\00:33:54.13
that down this direction.
00:33:54.23\00:33:55.43
And then there was a corner
00:33:55.53\00:33:56.43
turning to the right.
00:33:56.53\00:33:57.40
And it was kind of hard
00:33:57.50\00:33:58.37
to see traffic was coming.
00:33:58.47\00:33:59.80
And for whatever reason,
00:33:59.90\00:34:00.94
at that time on Sunday,
00:34:01.04\00:34:02.04
traffic was heavy.
00:34:02.14\00:34:03.91
So I'm sitting there,
00:34:04.01\00:34:04.41
I'm waiting,
00:34:04.51\00:34:05.24
looking right and left.
00:34:05.34\00:34:06.27
"Let's get going here.
00:34:06.37\00:34:07.24
I want to drive this thing,"
00:34:07.34\00:34:07.91
right?
00:34:08.01\00:34:09.08
And finally, it's clear
00:34:09.18\00:34:10.41
on the right, nobody coming,
00:34:10.51\00:34:12.28
and I look on the left
00:34:12.38\00:34:13.52
and it sure looks clear to me.
00:34:13.62\00:34:16.25
And I pull out into
00:34:16.35\00:34:17.49
the intersection.
00:34:17.59\00:34:19.75
Now, somehow, I had missed a car
00:34:19.85\00:34:22.89
coming very swiftly
00:34:22.99\00:34:24.76
from this direction.
00:34:24.86\00:34:26.59
And this takes a little while
00:34:26.70\00:34:27.66
to tell, but obviously this is
00:34:27.76\00:34:28.66
happening fairly quickly.
00:34:28.76\00:34:30.67
This guy in this car
00:34:30.77\00:34:32.20
is coming very fast here.
00:34:32.30\00:34:33.87
I pull out, I turn,
00:34:33.97\00:34:35.27
I see him right there, right?
00:34:35.37\00:34:37.41
And I can still see him.
00:34:37.51\00:34:38.27
He's making gestures of
00:34:38.37\00:34:39.51
friendship and fellowship and...
00:34:39.61\00:34:40.84
[ Laughter ]
00:34:40.94\00:34:42.21
...inviting me to --
00:34:42.31\00:34:43.31
Yeah, making wishes for my
00:34:43.41\00:34:45.05
family and lineage, et cetera.
00:34:45.15\00:34:46.75
And so I need to do something.
00:34:46.85\00:34:50.15
So I mashed the gas pedal.
00:34:50.25\00:34:53.39
And I'm turning to the left
00:34:53.49\00:34:54.46
because I'm going to go
00:34:54.56\00:34:55.12
this direction, right?
00:34:55.22\00:34:56.52
And I mash the gas pedal,
00:34:56.62\00:34:57.49
and the wheels light up.
00:34:57.59\00:34:58.23
I mean, it wasn't
00:34:58.33\00:34:59.46
a super car in those days.
00:34:59.56\00:35:00.60
I mean, Corvettes,
00:35:00.70\00:35:01.26
300 horsepower,
00:35:01.36\00:35:03.23
330 foot pounds of torque,
00:35:03.33\00:35:04.13
something like that.
00:35:04.23\00:35:04.97
But that's enough.
00:35:05.07\00:35:06.77
And I mashed the gas pedal,
00:35:06.87\00:35:08.17
and the wheels spin,
00:35:08.27\00:35:09.20
and I'm turning to the left,
00:35:09.30\00:35:10.21
and the rear end kicks out.
00:35:10.31\00:35:11.41
Okay?
00:35:11.51\00:35:13.51
Now, you need to know,
00:35:13.61\00:35:14.74
by this time in my life,
00:35:14.84\00:35:15.74
I've been doing amateur
00:35:15.84\00:35:16.68
motorsport for about 10 years,
00:35:16.78\00:35:18.78
and this is fun.
00:35:18.88\00:35:19.98
This is great fun.
00:35:20.08\00:35:21.12
Okay?
00:35:21.22\00:35:22.48
I'm not concerned in the least.
00:35:22.58\00:35:23.65
And the Corvette is a good
00:35:23.75\00:35:24.55
handling car even in those days.
00:35:24.65\00:35:25.92
And so it ends out there.
00:35:26.02\00:35:27.22
I thought, "Well, this is cool.
00:35:27.32\00:35:28.29
Let's keep going."
00:35:28.39\00:35:30.83
So I kept my foot in it. Right?
00:35:30.93\00:35:32.36
And so we're -- mrr! -- we're
00:35:32.46\00:35:33.53
powersliding down this side of
00:35:33.63\00:35:34.73
the road there.
00:35:34.83\00:35:35.53
Not for a huge -- maybe 60 --
00:35:35.63\00:35:36.70
I don't know -- 80 feet,
00:35:36.80\00:35:37.47
something like that.
00:35:37.57\00:35:38.83
And going side like that.
00:35:38.93\00:35:40.20
And you let off the gas
00:35:40.30\00:35:41.27
a little bit,
00:35:41.37\00:35:42.20
rear end tucks in, grab second
00:35:42.30\00:35:43.84
gear, mash the pedal -- mrr! --
00:35:43.94\00:35:45.31
you know, down there,
00:35:45.41\00:35:46.37
make the right-hand turn,
00:35:46.47\00:35:47.58
drop it into third,
00:35:47.68\00:35:48.48
and begin to coast down,
00:35:48.58\00:35:49.21
because, I mean,
00:35:49.31\00:35:50.01
you know, it's not my car.
00:35:50.11\00:35:51.28
I don't want to hurt anything.
00:35:51.38\00:35:52.05
Right?
00:35:52.15\00:35:52.81
[ Laughter ]
00:35:52.91\00:35:54.38
And about this time,
00:35:54.48\00:35:55.82
I look over at the salesman
00:35:55.92\00:35:57.55
in the passenger seat.
00:35:57.65\00:35:58.49
[ Laughter ]
00:35:58.59\00:36:01.12
He looks very different than he
00:36:01.22\00:36:02.66
did just a few moments ago.
00:36:02.76\00:36:04.73
He looks something like this.
00:36:04.83\00:36:06.49
[ Laughter ]
00:36:06.59\00:36:08.00
He's grabbing the door
00:36:08.10\00:36:09.06
handle with this one.
00:36:09.16\00:36:09.86
The blood is drained out
00:36:09.96\00:36:11.00
of his hands, right, like this.
00:36:11.10\00:36:12.87
And I'm smiling
00:36:12.97\00:36:14.07
over in my seat like this.
00:36:14.17\00:36:15.57
"This is good, right?"
00:36:15.67\00:36:17.91
I give him
00:36:18.01\00:36:18.44
a moment to calm down,
00:36:18.54\00:36:19.67
and we're gently going through
00:36:19.77\00:36:20.61
the gears through town.
00:36:20.71\00:36:23.21
And without looking at me,
00:36:23.31\00:36:25.15
he finally says something.
00:36:25.25\00:36:26.35
And here's what he said.
00:36:26.45\00:36:29.28
"What church did you say
00:36:29.38\00:36:30.32
that you pastored?"
00:36:30.42\00:36:31.75
[ Laughter ]
00:36:31.85\00:36:35.02
That salesman
00:36:40.50\00:36:41.83
just could not believe
00:36:41.93\00:36:43.97
that someone from my line
00:36:44.07\00:36:45.70
of work could drive in that way.
00:36:45.80\00:36:47.80
Okay?
00:36:47.90\00:36:50.27
Isn't it interesting --
00:36:50.37\00:36:52.27
Isn't it interesting
00:36:52.37\00:36:54.28
how difficult it is to discern
00:36:54.38\00:36:56.75
someone's capabilities
00:36:56.85\00:36:59.18
based on their title
00:36:59.28\00:37:00.88
or where they're from?
00:37:00.98\00:37:03.62
Hmm.
00:37:03.72\00:37:06.59
If you have a Bible,
00:37:06.69\00:37:07.89
turn please to John 1:43.
00:37:07.99\00:37:10.66
John 1:43.
00:37:10.76\00:37:14.50
It's page 714 -- 7-1-4 --
00:37:14.60\00:37:17.10
in your red pew Bible.
00:37:17.20\00:37:18.87
It should be around there
00:37:18.97\00:37:19.70
somewhere where you're sitting.
00:37:19.80\00:37:21.17
Page 714, John 1,
00:37:21.27\00:37:24.41
beginning with verse 43.
00:37:24.51\00:37:28.34
Now, being John chapter 1,
00:37:28.44\00:37:29.61
we are obviously starting early
00:37:29.71\00:37:31.81
here in the ministry of Jesus.
00:37:31.91\00:37:33.78
In fact, at this point,
00:37:33.88\00:37:34.85
Jesus only has a few members
00:37:34.95\00:37:37.35
of what would become his inner
00:37:37.45\00:37:38.62
circle of disciples.
00:37:38.72\00:37:40.39
Peter and Andrew, they are
00:37:40.49\00:37:42.86
part of the group there,
00:37:42.96\00:37:44.76
and Jesus is looking to build
00:37:44.86\00:37:46.19
upon this inner circle,
00:37:46.29\00:37:47.23
and that's where we join
00:37:47.36\00:37:48.00
the story.
00:37:48.10\00:37:48.70
"The next day, Jesus
00:37:51.23\00:37:52.67
decided to leave for Galilee,
00:37:52.77\00:37:54.74
finding Philip" -- so disciple
00:37:54.84\00:37:56.14
number three here --
00:37:56.24\00:37:56.84
"finding Philip, he said to him,
00:37:56.94\00:37:59.24
'Follow me.'
00:37:59.34\00:38:01.71
Philip, like Andrew and Peter,
00:38:01.81\00:38:03.55
was from the town of Bethsaida.
00:38:03.65\00:38:05.71
Philip found Nathaniel --"
00:38:05.81\00:38:07.75
okay, number four here --
00:38:07.85\00:38:08.85
"found Nathaniel and told him,
00:38:08.95\00:38:11.35
'We have found the one Moses
00:38:11.45\00:38:14.16
wrote about in the Law,
00:38:14.26\00:38:15.89
and about whom the prophets
00:38:15.99\00:38:17.29
also wrote."
00:38:17.39\00:38:19.43
Pause right there.
00:38:19.53\00:38:20.66
Now, there's no pictures
00:38:24.30\00:38:24.90
in Scripture,
00:38:25.00\00:38:26.53
no video recordings.
00:38:26.63\00:38:28.57
But here's my guess.
00:38:28.67\00:38:31.11
In this short sentence,
00:38:31.21\00:38:33.07
I think Nathaniel's hopes
00:38:33.17\00:38:35.18
are beginning to skyrocket
00:38:35.28\00:38:37.85
because he's got Philip
00:38:37.95\00:38:39.01
standing there in front of him,
00:38:39.11\00:38:39.95
and maybe
00:38:40.05\00:38:41.58
the other two gentlemen are also
00:38:41.68\00:38:42.48
standing there, as well.
00:38:42.58\00:38:43.79
And the looks on their face,
00:38:43.89\00:38:45.42
they are dead serious.
00:38:45.52\00:38:46.76
They are dead serious.
00:38:46.86\00:38:48.72
"The Messiah is here."
00:38:48.82\00:38:53.13
I mean, that's what he's
00:38:53.23\00:38:53.93
hearing.
00:38:54.00\00:38:54.83
That's what's coming to his ears
00:38:54.93\00:38:55.86
right now. He knows all of this.
00:38:55.96\00:38:57.20
You know, even though this is
00:38:57.30\00:38:58.37
one of the darkest times
00:38:58.47\00:38:59.90
in Israel's history.
00:39:00.07\00:39:01.04
Ellen White talks about this
00:39:01.14\00:39:01.90
in "Desire of Ages."
00:39:02.00\00:39:02.74
The 1st century A.D.,
00:39:02.84\00:39:04.21
spiritualism was at an all-time
00:39:04.31\00:39:06.01
high amongst God's people.
00:39:06.11\00:39:07.78
Spiritualism was at an all-time
00:39:07.88\00:39:08.74
high.
00:39:08.84\00:39:09.51
Things were not looking good
00:39:09.61\00:39:10.61
for the home team.
00:39:10.71\00:39:11.81
And it's into that brew
00:39:11.91\00:39:13.31
that Jesus comes.
00:39:13.42\00:39:15.55
But at this point, Nathaniel
00:39:15.65\00:39:16.38
doesn't know that.
00:39:16.48\00:39:17.89
He's getting the commercial,
00:39:17.99\00:39:19.39
though, and it's coming through
00:39:19.49\00:39:20.56
pretty clear.
00:39:20.66\00:39:21.76
Here are these gentleman's
00:39:21.86\00:39:22.86
faces, they're all lit up.
00:39:22.96\00:39:24.06
"The one that Moses talked
00:39:24.16\00:39:24.79
about."
00:39:24.89\00:39:25.83
From the time a Jewish person,
00:39:25.93\00:39:27.76
you know, was this big or
00:39:27.86\00:39:28.96
younger, they would have been
00:39:29.06\00:39:30.37
told stories about the Messiah.
00:39:30.47\00:39:31.83
They would have been quoted
00:39:31.93\00:39:32.50
"The Messiah
00:39:33.80\00:39:34.44
is going to come someday.
00:39:34.54\00:39:35.44
He will set us free.
00:39:35.54\00:39:36.54
He'll take care of us
00:39:36.64\00:39:37.27
politically and socially
00:39:37.37\00:39:38.34
and spiritually,"
00:39:38.44\00:39:39.04
all of these great things.
00:39:39.14\00:39:40.91
And now some of his friends
00:39:41.01\00:39:45.21
are standing before him
00:39:45.31\00:39:46.51
and saying, "It's happened.
00:39:46.61\00:39:49.18
He has come."
00:39:49.28\00:39:54.62
And my guess is, Nathaniel's
00:39:54.72\00:39:55.89
heart is just --
00:39:55.99\00:39:56.86
I mean, just rising.
00:39:56.96\00:39:57.99
"Really? Really?"
00:39:58.09\00:40:02.60
And all that fervor
00:40:02.70\00:40:04.20
comes crashing down in the space
00:40:04.30\00:40:06.30
of a mere seven words.
00:40:06.40\00:40:09.77
Look at it again here.
00:40:09.87\00:40:10.57
Verse 45.
00:40:10.67\00:40:12.51
"Philip found Nathaniel and told
00:40:12.61\00:40:13.74
him, 'We have found the one
00:40:13.84\00:40:15.01
Moses wrote about in the Law,
00:40:15.11\00:40:16.38
and about whom the prophets
00:40:16.48\00:40:17.68
also wrote, Jesus of Nazareth,
00:40:17.78\00:40:20.52
the son of Joseph.'
00:40:20.62\00:40:23.75
'Nazareth!
00:40:25.45\00:40:27.52
Can anything good come from
00:40:27.62\00:40:29.79
there?' Nathaniel asked."
00:40:29.89\00:40:33.83
[ Chuckles ]
00:40:33.93\00:40:36.90
The Nazareth factor has struck.
00:40:37.00\00:40:41.90
You know, in those days,
00:40:42.00\00:40:42.87
Nazareth was not considered
00:40:42.97\00:40:44.41
to be a very good place
00:40:44.51\00:40:46.44
by many of the Jews.
00:40:46.54\00:40:48.14
We're not told
00:40:48.24\00:40:48.81
exactly why that was,
00:40:48.91\00:40:50.28
so we're left to surmise
00:40:50.38\00:40:51.18
as best we can.
00:40:51.28\00:40:52.15
I think
00:40:52.25\00:40:52.81
why Nazareth did not rank high
00:40:54.22\00:40:55.42
on many people's list
00:40:55.52\00:40:56.08
in those days.
00:40:56.18\00:40:57.65
First of all, Nazareth harbored
00:40:57.75\00:40:59.25
questionable characters.
00:40:59.35\00:41:02.16
How do we know?
00:41:02.26\00:41:03.76
Because Mary, Joseph, and Jesus
00:41:03.86\00:41:05.16
lived there.
00:41:05.26\00:41:08.43
Yeah, some people believed Mary
00:41:08.53\00:41:09.73
when she told the story of how
00:41:09.83\00:41:10.93
she came to be pregnant.
00:41:11.03\00:41:12.07
A lot, undoubtedly, didn't.
00:41:12.17\00:41:14.47
And it's quite possible
00:41:14.57\00:41:15.44
that one of the reasons
00:41:15.54\00:41:16.14
why God sent Mary,
00:41:16.24\00:41:17.77
Joseph, and Jesus to Nazareth
00:41:17.87\00:41:19.61
is because they would have
00:41:19.71\00:41:20.34
less opposition there.
00:41:20.44\00:41:22.38
There were other people that had
00:41:22.48\00:41:23.51
questionable stories
00:41:23.61\00:41:24.75
and backgrounds in Nazareth,
00:41:24.85\00:41:25.95
and it had a bit
00:41:26.05\00:41:27.38
of a reputation, apparently,
00:41:27.48\00:41:28.88
as being that kind of a place,
00:41:28.98\00:41:31.29
not where you would normally
00:41:31.39\00:41:33.32
expect the Messiah to come from.
00:41:33.42\00:41:37.93
But, secondly,
00:41:38.03\00:41:39.06
and probably more importantly,
00:41:39.16\00:41:40.43
at least in the objections here,
00:41:40.53\00:41:42.36
is that Nazareth, when it
00:41:42.46\00:41:43.67
came to the political scene,
00:41:43.77\00:41:45.07
when it came to how power
00:41:45.17\00:41:46.67
flowed in Palestine,
00:41:46.77\00:41:49.04
Nazareth was a big zero.
00:41:49.14\00:41:52.41
Nothing.
00:41:52.51\00:41:54.61
No senators came from Nazareth.
00:41:54.71\00:41:57.78
Where should the Messiah
00:41:57.88\00:41:58.95
have been expected from
00:41:59.05\00:41:59.95
in the popular mind-set?
00:42:00.12\00:42:00.58
What city?
00:42:00.68\00:42:02.52
Yeah, Jerusalem. Exactly.
00:42:02.62\00:42:03.82
That's where the Sanhedrin was.
00:42:03.92\00:42:04.79
That was -- you know,
00:42:04.89\00:42:05.45
the temple was there.
00:42:05.55\00:42:06.62
Of course, all of these things.
00:42:06.72\00:42:08.09
Of course the Messiah
00:42:08.19\00:42:09.52
would come from there,
00:42:09.62\00:42:10.46
and the Messiah definitely
00:42:10.56\00:42:11.73
wouldn't come from a political
00:42:11.83\00:42:13.19
backwater like Nazareth.
00:42:13.29\00:42:14.86
No influence,
00:42:14.96\00:42:16.20
no pull with the masses,
00:42:16.30\00:42:17.90
no cash, no credit here
00:42:18.00\00:42:19.67
for anybody that was going to
00:42:19.77\00:42:20.77
take the revolution
00:42:20.87\00:42:22.77
that the Messiah would
00:42:22.87\00:42:23.74
undoubtedly bring seriously.
00:42:23.84\00:42:25.91
No, no, no, no, no, no.
00:42:26.01\00:42:26.88
If the Messiah
00:42:26.98\00:42:27.98
was going to come,
00:42:28.08\00:42:29.71
it sure wouldn't be from there.
00:42:29.81\00:42:35.55
And, of course, Nathaniel, being
00:42:35.65\00:42:37.59
from Cana, which is right
00:42:37.69\00:42:39.42
next door to Nazareth,
00:42:39.52\00:42:40.46
he knew all of this
00:42:40.56\00:42:41.99
all too well.
00:42:42.09\00:42:45.99
So, Philip, the messenger,
00:42:46.09\00:42:49.00
sensing that he was not going
00:42:49.10\00:42:50.20
to convince Nathaniel
00:42:50.30\00:42:51.07
with mere words,
00:42:51.17\00:42:52.07
gave probably the only reply
00:42:52.17\00:42:54.70
that made any sense.
00:42:54.80\00:42:56.67
Lookit there at verse 46 again,
00:42:56.77\00:42:58.27
John 1.
00:42:58.37\00:43:00.74
Nathaniel says, "'Nazareth!
00:43:00.84\00:43:02.04
Can anything good come from
00:43:02.14\00:43:03.08
there?'
00:43:03.18\00:43:05.81
'Come and see,' said Philip."
00:43:05.91\00:43:11.32
"Come and see."
00:43:11.42\00:43:13.62
Verse 47 -- "When Jesus
00:43:13.72\00:43:16.06
saw Nathaniel approaching,
00:43:16.16\00:43:17.53
he said of him, 'Here is a true
00:43:17.63\00:43:19.73
Israelite
00:43:19.83\00:43:21.10
in whom there is nothing false.'
00:43:21.20\00:43:24.40
'How do you know me?'
00:43:24.50\00:43:26.67
Nathaniel asked.
00:43:26.77\00:43:28.74
Jesus answered,
00:43:28.84\00:43:31.11
'I saw you while you were
00:43:31.21\00:43:33.68
still sitting under the fig tree
00:43:33.78\00:43:36.21
before Philip called you.'"
00:43:36.31\00:43:41.22
Now, we do not know exactly
00:43:41.32\00:43:42.58
what Philip was doing --
00:43:42.68\00:43:44.25
or, excuse me -- what Nathaniel
00:43:44.35\00:43:45.32
was doing under that fig tree,
00:43:45.42\00:43:48.02
but it must have been something
00:43:48.12\00:43:49.06
of great importance in his life.
00:43:49.16\00:43:52.26
Yeah, maybe he was -- he was
00:43:52.36\00:43:53.56
going through messianic
00:43:53.66\00:43:54.76
prophecies.
00:43:54.86\00:43:55.46
Maybe he was
00:43:55.56\00:43:56.23
thinking about his role.
00:43:56.33\00:43:57.23
Maybe like so many in Israel
00:43:57.33\00:43:58.93
at that time, he was in despair
00:43:59.03\00:44:00.87
that the Messiah was ever
00:44:00.97\00:44:01.74
going to come.
00:44:01.84\00:44:03.17
Whatever it was,
00:44:03.27\00:44:04.64
for Nathaniel,
00:44:04.74\00:44:05.37
this was a huge deal.
00:44:05.47\00:44:06.34
There was something
00:44:06.44\00:44:08.08
that was deeply personal
00:44:08.18\00:44:10.15
and known to no one else,
00:44:10.25\00:44:13.31
except God, that took place
00:44:13.42\00:44:15.72
under that fig tree.
00:44:15.82\00:44:19.05
And at that moment,
00:44:19.15\00:44:20.19
at least for Nathaniel,
00:44:20.29\00:44:21.59
to use Ellen White's phrase,
00:44:21.69\00:44:22.82
"Divinity flashes
00:44:22.92\00:44:23.86
through humanity,"
00:44:23.96\00:44:26.66
and Nathaniel realizes
00:44:26.76\00:44:29.23
that the only other one
00:44:29.33\00:44:31.13
who could have known what
00:44:31.23\00:44:32.60
happened under that fig tree
00:44:32.70\00:44:34.74
is now sitting here,
00:44:34.84\00:44:36.57
right in front of him.
00:44:36.67\00:44:40.18
And my guess is, for a few
00:44:40.28\00:44:41.18
moments, he was speechless,
00:44:41.28\00:44:43.68
and the conviction flooded his
00:44:43.78\00:44:44.48
soul.
00:44:44.58\00:44:46.85
And finally he expresses it.
00:44:46.95\00:44:49.72
"Then Nathaniel declared,"
00:44:49.82\00:44:50.42
verse 49,
00:44:50.52\00:44:52.59
"'Rabbi, you are the Son of God.
00:44:52.69\00:44:56.89
You are the King of Israel.'
00:44:56.99\00:45:00.43
Jesus said, 'You believe
00:45:00.53\00:45:03.37
because I told you I saw you
00:45:03.47\00:45:05.17
under the fig tree.
00:45:05.27\00:45:07.07
You shall see greater things
00:45:07.17\00:45:10.74
than that.'"
00:45:10.84\00:45:15.11
Nathaniel has met the Messiah.
00:45:15.21\00:45:20.12
And it never would have happened
00:45:20.22\00:45:22.45
if he had not answered
00:45:22.55\00:45:24.25
the invitation to
00:45:24.35\00:45:26.22
"come and see."
00:45:26.32\00:45:31.53
You know, we need to study
00:45:31.63\00:45:33.06
our Bibles. Absolutely.
00:45:33.16\00:45:34.93
You will never hear me say
00:45:35.03\00:45:35.93
otherwise.
00:45:36.03\00:45:36.43
This is God's word.
00:45:36.53\00:45:37.33
We need to know it.
00:45:37.43\00:45:38.00
We need to study it.
00:45:38.10\00:45:38.90
It needs to be part of our life.
00:45:39.00\00:45:40.40
It has to be something that
00:45:40.50\00:45:41.70
we spend sufficient time in,
00:45:41.80\00:45:43.30
that we know who God is and what
00:45:43.41\00:45:45.61
he is asking for our day.
00:45:45.71\00:45:46.64
Absolutely.
00:45:46.74\00:45:47.88
And there comes a time
00:45:47.98\00:45:50.55
when you've got to do it.
00:45:50.65\00:45:53.01
You can't just read it.
00:45:53.11\00:45:54.82
You have to live it.
00:45:54.92\00:45:56.92
You've got to go and actually
00:45:57.02\00:45:58.35
see for yourself who Jesus is,
00:45:58.45\00:46:00.89
what he can do, what his plans
00:46:00.99\00:46:02.22
are for your life.
00:46:02.32\00:46:03.56
You've got to come and see.
00:46:03.66\00:46:07.86
All of which brings up
00:46:07.96\00:46:09.96
two important things.
00:46:10.07\00:46:12.03
Number one.
00:46:12.13\00:46:14.77
Don't let the Nazareth Factor
00:46:14.87\00:46:16.81
keep you from seeing
00:46:16.91\00:46:18.04
God work in a new way.
00:46:18.14\00:46:21.41
Don't let the Nazareth Factor
00:46:21.51\00:46:22.78
keep you from seeing
00:46:22.88\00:46:23.71
God work in a new way.
00:46:23.81\00:46:26.88
Now, at the risk of gross
00:46:26.98\00:46:28.38
understatement,
00:46:28.48\00:46:29.88
Jesus was a new thing, okay?
00:46:29.98\00:46:33.42
And Jesus had a hand
00:46:33.52\00:46:34.69
in Earth's affairs.
00:46:34.79\00:46:35.86
Of course he had.
00:46:35.96\00:46:36.46
Yes. All things were made
00:46:36.56\00:46:38.13
through him at creation.
00:46:38.23\00:46:39.16
All -- We understand that.
00:46:39.26\00:46:40.60
But as far
00:46:40.70\00:46:41.30
as the physical presence,
00:46:41.40\00:46:42.76
the incarnation of Christ,
00:46:42.86\00:46:43.97
the embodiment of God
00:46:44.07\00:46:45.43
on Earth here,
00:46:45.53\00:46:46.87
that was a new thing.
00:46:46.97\00:46:49.57
This had not happened before,
00:46:49.67\00:46:51.14
right? It was a new thing.
00:46:51.24\00:46:54.54
So often we think we know
00:46:54.64\00:46:57.61
exactly how God will act
00:46:57.71\00:46:59.68
and what God will do.
00:46:59.78\00:47:02.05
We've got it all figured out.
00:47:02.15\00:47:02.95
There's this little box
00:47:03.05\00:47:03.92
that we keep God in.
00:47:04.02\00:47:04.69
"This is how he functions."
00:47:04.79\00:47:06.12
Now, it is true -- it is true
00:47:06.22\00:47:08.36
that there are some things about
00:47:08.46\00:47:09.49
God that are completely
00:47:09.59\00:47:10.36
predictable.
00:47:10.46\00:47:11.29
They are always -- they
00:47:11.39\00:47:12.03
are constant.
00:47:12.13\00:47:13.03
God is love.
00:47:13.13\00:47:15.80
God loves you.
00:47:15.90\00:47:16.93
That's a constant.
00:47:17.03\00:47:18.10
God is just.
00:47:18.20\00:47:19.17
God is merciful.
00:47:19.27\00:47:20.10
God is kind.
00:47:20.20\00:47:21.30
All of those things are true.
00:47:21.40\00:47:22.24
His character is true.
00:47:22.34\00:47:23.44
His law can be trusted, right?
00:47:23.54\00:47:24.61
It doesn't change.
00:47:24.71\00:47:25.27
All of that is true.
00:47:25.37\00:47:28.44
But how He expresses
00:47:28.54\00:47:29.78
His character,
00:47:29.88\00:47:32.81
there's a bit of creativity
00:47:32.91\00:47:34.38
that goes along with that.
00:47:34.48\00:47:35.25
Someone say Amen.
00:47:35.35\00:47:37.25
There's some novelty there.
00:47:37.35\00:47:39.15
God is unpredictable in his
00:47:39.25\00:47:41.69
expressions at times in history.
00:47:41.79\00:47:43.59
He is not a tame God.
00:47:43.69\00:47:46.43
Think about some of the novel
00:47:46.53\00:47:47.40
ways that God has moved
00:47:47.50\00:47:49.06
throughout salvation history.
00:47:49.16\00:47:50.50
For instance, a son is born
00:47:50.60\00:47:52.30
to Abraham and Sarah,
00:47:52.40\00:47:53.57
even though their childbearing
00:47:53.67\00:47:54.67
years were far, far behind them.
00:47:54.77\00:47:57.07
No one expected that.
00:47:57.17\00:47:58.41
No one would have imagined a
00:47:58.51\00:47:59.64
plan -- "Hey, I've got a good
00:47:59.74\00:48:00.31
idea.
00:48:00.41\00:48:01.24
Let's take two people
00:48:01.34\00:48:02.21
that have been trying for nine
00:48:02.31\00:48:03.28
decades to get pregnant,
00:48:03.38\00:48:04.41
and let's give a baby shower
00:48:04.51\00:48:05.45
for them, shall we?
00:48:05.55\00:48:06.58
This will be a great thing."
00:48:06.68\00:48:07.75
Nobody thought that because
00:48:07.85\00:48:08.98
God was doing a new thing.
00:48:09.08\00:48:12.59
How about this?
00:48:12.69\00:48:13.76
God uses a prison inmate
00:48:13.86\00:48:15.99
to interpret Pharaoh's dreams,
00:48:16.09\00:48:17.63
leading that inmate, Joseph,
00:48:17.73\00:48:18.93
to ultimately become second
00:48:19.03\00:48:20.40
in command of all of Egypt.
00:48:20.50\00:48:22.26
No one was expecting this.
00:48:22.36\00:48:23.60
No one would have dared
00:48:23.70\00:48:24.57
to imagine such a thing.
00:48:24.67\00:48:25.73
I've got it.
00:48:25.83\00:48:27.20
To to take care of God's people,
00:48:27.30\00:48:28.40
we're going to have somebody
00:48:28.50\00:48:29.24
who's hated by his brothers,
00:48:29.34\00:48:30.71
his murder is faked,
00:48:30.81\00:48:32.07
he's sold into slavery,
00:48:32.17\00:48:33.17
he's accused falsely,
00:48:33.27\00:48:34.11
he gets thrown into jail.
00:48:34.21\00:48:35.14
This is perfect.
00:48:35.24\00:48:37.05
This is exactly how we would
00:48:37.15\00:48:37.75
do it.
00:48:37.85\00:48:38.45
No, this is a new thing
00:48:38.55\00:48:41.02
that God is doing.
00:48:41.12\00:48:43.05
And how about this?
00:48:43.15\00:48:44.02
In the midst of great sin
00:48:44.12\00:48:45.32
and apostasy,
00:48:45.42\00:48:47.16
God sends the underdog
00:48:47.26\00:48:48.79
Samson to become a master
00:48:48.89\00:48:51.29
riddler, to slay Philistines
00:48:51.39\00:48:53.40
with a donkey's jawbone,
00:48:53.50\00:48:54.73
to tear off city gates
00:48:54.83\00:48:55.73
with his bare hands,
00:48:55.83\00:48:56.63
becoming finally the most
00:48:56.73\00:48:57.80
effective and successful blind
00:48:57.90\00:48:59.20
soldier to have ever lived,
00:48:59.30\00:49:00.84
giving his life in the fight for
00:49:00.94\00:49:02.10
the deliverance of God's people.
00:49:02.20\00:49:03.51
No one was expecting this.
00:49:03.61\00:49:05.07
No one would have imagined
00:49:05.17\00:49:05.87
to plan on this.
00:49:05.97\00:49:07.21
God was doing a new thing.
00:49:07.31\00:49:10.61
And in our day -- oh,
00:49:10.71\00:49:11.81
it makes me wonder.
00:49:11.91\00:49:13.42
In our day,
00:49:13.52\00:49:15.95
what new thing might Christ be
00:49:16.05\00:49:18.12
about to unleash for his people?
00:49:18.22\00:49:21.19
Now, follow me carefully here
00:49:21.29\00:49:22.09
because this is really
00:49:22.19\00:49:22.89
important, okay?
00:49:22.99\00:49:25.96
By definition --
00:49:26.06\00:49:27.66
By definition, if there
00:49:27.76\00:49:29.40
is to be widespread revival
00:49:29.50\00:49:31.83
and reformation in the church --
00:49:31.93\00:49:33.64
Would you like to see
00:49:33.74\00:49:34.40
that happen, by the way?
00:49:34.50\00:49:35.97
Yeah, amen. Absolutely.
00:49:36.07\00:49:37.17
Amen. Not just here.
00:49:37.27\00:49:38.64
We'd like to see it all over.
00:49:38.74\00:49:39.81
That would -- praise the Lord.
00:49:39.91\00:49:40.61
That would be marvelous.
00:49:40.71\00:49:41.98
But by definition, if there is
00:49:42.08\00:49:43.91
to be widespread revival
00:49:44.01\00:49:45.91
and reformation in the church,
00:49:46.01\00:49:47.15
then something new
00:49:47.25\00:49:48.48
has to happen.
00:49:48.58\00:49:50.52
It cannot just be same old,
00:49:50.62\00:49:52.02
same old, because same old,
00:49:52.12\00:49:53.12
same old is not revival
00:49:53.22\00:49:54.42
and reformation.
00:49:54.52\00:49:56.06
I mean, you've heard it before.
00:49:56.16\00:49:56.99
The definition of insanity
00:49:57.09\00:49:58.46
is doing the same thing
00:49:58.56\00:50:00.36
over and over
00:50:00.46\00:50:01.46
and expecting different results.
00:50:01.56\00:50:03.40
Exactly.
00:50:03.50\00:50:04.97
Some people have said,
00:50:05.07\00:50:06.07
"You Adventists are crazy."
00:50:06.17\00:50:07.07
Maybe they're right.
00:50:07.17\00:50:08.34
In other words,
00:50:11.81\00:50:13.94
the final outpouring of
00:50:14.04\00:50:15.18
the Spirit of God in the former
00:50:15.28\00:50:16.38
and the latter reigns --
00:50:16.48\00:50:17.35
we talked about this a number of
00:50:17.45\00:50:18.01
months ago.
00:50:18.11\00:50:19.18
This is the only blessing
00:50:19.28\00:50:20.48
that can enable us to finish
00:50:20.58\00:50:21.62
the work of sharing Christ
00:50:21.72\00:50:22.88
and the three angels' messages.
00:50:22.98\00:50:24.22
By definition, this means that
00:50:24.32\00:50:26.25
something new has to happen.
00:50:26.35\00:50:28.62
We must do things differently,
00:50:28.72\00:50:30.89
and God will do things
00:50:30.99\00:50:32.69
differently.
00:50:32.79\00:50:35.83
Now, to be clear -- to be
00:50:35.93\00:50:37.07
clear -- God, in his newness,
00:50:37.17\00:50:41.50
is not asking us to take
00:50:41.60\00:50:42.80
that which is sinful
00:50:42.90\00:50:44.11
and try to use it for His glory.
00:50:44.21\00:50:46.68
We should not say, "Well,
00:50:46.78\00:50:47.71
because God is going to do a new
00:50:47.81\00:50:48.81
thing, that means that we're
00:50:48.91\00:50:49.81
going to partner with beer
00:50:49.91\00:50:50.95
companies and brothels and use
00:50:51.05\00:50:52.11
worldly methods to reach the
00:50:52.21\00:50:53.11
masses for Christ."
00:50:53.21\00:50:54.22
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
00:50:54.32\00:50:55.88
The Bible's crystal clear about
00:50:55.98\00:50:56.52
that.
00:50:56.62\00:50:57.02
Romans 3:8 --
00:50:57.12\00:50:58.75
"The condemnation that will
00:50:58.85\00:50:59.82
attend all of those who say,
00:50:59.92\00:51:01.22
'Let us do evil
00:51:01.32\00:51:02.22
that good may result.'"
00:51:02.32\00:51:03.56
That's not what we're talking
00:51:03.66\00:51:04.09
about here.
00:51:04.19\00:51:07.20
But what we are talking
00:51:07.30\00:51:08.26
about here is this.
00:51:08.36\00:51:10.37
Within the bounds of His
00:51:10.47\00:51:12.00
goodness and His righteousness,
00:51:12.10\00:51:13.87
God is going to do a new thing
00:51:13.97\00:51:17.81
in His people.
00:51:17.91\00:51:19.41
It's going to happen.
00:51:19.51\00:51:21.28
And if history
00:51:21.38\00:51:22.04
is any indication,
00:51:22.14\00:51:23.24
it may, indeed, surprise us
00:51:23.35\00:51:25.75
when it comes.
00:51:25.85\00:51:27.82
And if that surprise,
00:51:27.92\00:51:29.25
indeed, comes our way,
00:51:29.35\00:51:30.85
we must be careful to not
00:51:30.95\00:51:32.29
immediately say, "Can anything
00:51:32.39\00:51:34.09
good come from Nazareth?"
00:51:34.19\00:51:38.59
For as long as it aligns
00:51:38.69\00:51:40.60
with Scripture --
00:51:40.70\00:51:42.33
hear it well --
00:51:42.43\00:51:43.90
simply because something is not
00:51:44.00\00:51:45.57
normal is not sufficient reason
00:51:45.67\00:51:47.47
to condemn it.
00:51:47.57\00:51:49.77
And if that
00:51:49.87\00:51:50.67
not normal/something new
00:51:50.77\00:51:52.01
kind of thing comes our way in
00:51:52.11\00:51:53.48
the months and years ahead,
00:51:53.58\00:51:54.54
instead of embracing
00:51:54.64\00:51:55.58
the Nazareth Factor, let's
00:51:55.68\00:51:56.68
instead say, "Come and see.
00:51:56.78\00:51:59.41
Come and see.
00:51:59.51\00:52:01.28
Let's see if the Lord is doing
00:52:01.38\00:52:02.62
a new thing here."
00:52:02.72\00:52:05.99
Which leads us to a second thing
00:52:06.09\00:52:08.06
that the story of Jesus
00:52:08.16\00:52:09.96
and Nathaniel tells us.
00:52:10.06\00:52:12.73
Don't let your own
00:52:12.83\00:52:15.20
Nazareth Factor keep you
00:52:15.30\00:52:17.87
from joining the new thing
00:52:17.97\00:52:19.63
that God will do.
00:52:19.73\00:52:22.60
Your own Nazareth Factor.
00:52:22.70\00:52:26.17
You say, "Pastor Shane, what do
00:52:26.27\00:52:27.08
you mean by that?"
00:52:27.18\00:52:29.08
Truth be told,
00:52:29.18\00:52:31.01
we are all in some way
00:52:31.11\00:52:33.01
from "Nazareth," aren't we?
00:52:33.11\00:52:36.62
Every last one of us.
00:52:36.72\00:52:39.22
We've all got things in our
00:52:39.32\00:52:40.29
lives that are apparent
00:52:40.39\00:52:41.19
weaknesses.
00:52:41.29\00:52:42.92
Maybe it's where we've grown up.
00:52:43.02\00:52:45.33
You know, my early years
00:52:45.43\00:52:46.70
were certainly nothing that you
00:52:46.80\00:52:47.36
would shout about.
00:52:47.46\00:52:48.63
We were dirt poor.
00:52:48.73\00:52:49.50
A single-mom home.
00:52:49.60\00:52:51.20
You would not have
00:52:51.30\00:52:52.43
looked at me --
00:52:52.53\00:52:53.64
If you had looked at me in those
00:52:53.74\00:52:54.57
days, you would have said,
00:52:54.67\00:52:55.50
"You know what? The odds are
00:52:55.60\00:52:56.50
pretty slim that the Lord could
00:52:56.60\00:52:57.44
do anything with this guy."
00:52:57.54\00:52:59.57
It's the Nazareth Factor.
00:52:59.67\00:53:01.04
Maybe it's sins that we've
00:53:01.14\00:53:01.94
committed in the past.
00:53:02.04\00:53:02.81
Errors and mistakes
00:53:02.91\00:53:03.78
that we have made,
00:53:03.88\00:53:04.48
et cetera, et cetera.
00:53:04.58\00:53:05.71
And in looking at these things,
00:53:05.81\00:53:06.85
all too often, we make
00:53:06.95\00:53:08.05
the huge mistake of saying,
00:53:08.15\00:53:09.55
"Well, because of thus and
00:53:09.65\00:53:11.12
such --" fill in the blank --
00:53:11.22\00:53:12.92
"I can't be of much use to God."
00:53:13.02\00:53:17.99
And I think this is
00:53:18.09\00:53:19.06
particularly true when we talk
00:53:19.16\00:53:20.26
about the end of time.
00:53:20.36\00:53:22.86
You know, my prayer
00:53:22.96\00:53:23.93
is that when we talked about
00:53:24.03\00:53:25.07
the three angels' messages
00:53:25.17\00:53:26.23
that we made it crystal clear
00:53:26.33\00:53:27.07
that God
00:53:27.17\00:53:27.74
is more than able to carry us
00:53:27.84\00:53:29.20
through in those things.
00:53:29.30\00:53:31.11
There'll be difficult times,
00:53:31.21\00:53:31.84
challenging times,
00:53:31.94\00:53:32.71
testing times, absolutely.
00:53:32.81\00:53:34.08
But the Lord is able.
00:53:34.18\00:53:35.64
He will finish that which he
00:53:35.74\00:53:36.54
started.
00:53:36.64\00:53:38.08
There's no one that will be left
00:53:38.18\00:53:39.11
behind that wishes to truly be
00:53:39.21\00:53:40.32
with Jesus Christ.
00:53:40.42\00:53:41.52
Jesus is going to take all those
00:53:41.62\00:53:42.88
that truly wish to be with him.
00:53:42.98\00:53:43.89
He will take them.
00:53:43.99\00:53:45.02
We will be safe through those
00:53:45.12\00:53:45.65
times.
00:53:45.75\00:53:46.96
But that is a different thing,
00:53:47.06\00:53:48.92
I have found over the years
00:53:49.02\00:53:49.82
of ministry,
00:53:49.92\00:53:51.29
then believing that you could
00:53:51.39\00:53:52.63
also have a pivotal role to play
00:53:52.73\00:53:55.50
in helping to bring about
00:53:55.60\00:53:57.10
God's final will on this planet.
00:53:57.20\00:53:59.70
So often we think, "Okay,
00:53:59.80\00:54:01.14
I'm going to survive,
00:54:01.24\00:54:02.10
but I don't know
00:54:02.20\00:54:02.77
that I can participate."
00:54:02.87\00:54:04.71
And I just want to tell you
00:54:04.81\00:54:05.71
that both things can be true.
00:54:05.81\00:54:08.04
Not only will God preserve you,
00:54:08.14\00:54:09.54
but he wants to preserve you
00:54:09.64\00:54:10.65
that you will have the privilege
00:54:10.75\00:54:11.98
of carrying out key parts
00:54:12.08\00:54:13.75
in his final plan for the Earth,
00:54:13.85\00:54:15.52
for the world, to carrying out
00:54:15.62\00:54:16.52
the gospel and the
00:54:16.62\00:54:17.45
three angels' messages.
00:54:17.55\00:54:18.45
You -- even you.
00:54:18.55\00:54:21.72
For people who say to
00:54:21.82\00:54:22.79
themselves, "No, I can't
00:54:22.89\00:54:23.93
possibly be of use to God in
00:54:24.03\00:54:25.39
this particular last movement
00:54:25.49\00:54:26.70
here," I think Christ says to
00:54:26.80\00:54:28.36
them, "My child, think again."
00:54:28.46\00:54:30.73
For what is impossible with men
00:54:30.83\00:54:32.20
is possible with God.
00:54:32.30\00:54:34.57
In fact, let's put it this way.
00:54:34.67\00:54:36.17
Could it be -- could it be
00:54:36.27\00:54:37.41
the one of the many reasons
00:54:37.51\00:54:38.61
that God planned for Jesus
00:54:38.71\00:54:40.01
to live so many years
00:54:40.11\00:54:41.18
in Nazareth is so that people
00:54:41.28\00:54:43.14
forever after would see
00:54:43.24\00:54:45.05
that it's not where you're from,
00:54:45.15\00:54:46.68
it's where you're going.
00:54:46.78\00:54:48.72
It's not what your address is,
00:54:48.82\00:54:50.35
but who your Lord and Savior is.
00:54:50.45\00:54:52.92
It's not who's in your family
00:54:53.02\00:54:54.36
tree but who has set you free.
00:54:54.46\00:54:56.62
That's what matters.
00:54:56.73\00:54:59.83
You see, the days just ahead
00:54:59.93\00:55:00.96
of us will be far more impactful
00:55:01.06\00:55:03.53
than test-driving some sports
00:55:03.63\00:55:05.17
car with a skeptical salesman
00:55:05.27\00:55:06.74
riding shotgun.
00:55:06.84\00:55:08.90
This is no test drive.
00:55:09.00\00:55:10.31
This is the real thing.
00:55:10.41\00:55:11.84
And the skeptics who don't
00:55:11.94\00:55:12.91
believe in us or our God
00:55:13.01\00:55:14.41
are far more numerous
00:55:14.51\00:55:15.51
than just one.
00:55:15.61\00:55:17.61
But if I read my Bible
00:55:17.71\00:55:18.91
correctly, those skeptics
00:55:19.01\00:55:21.32
will be proven wrong.
00:55:21.42\00:55:23.55
For the word of God
00:55:23.65\00:55:24.85
promises that the final push
00:55:24.95\00:55:26.76
of the gospel is on its way.
00:55:26.86\00:55:28.99
The outpouring
00:55:29.09\00:55:29.82
of the Holy Spirit,
00:55:29.92\00:55:30.79
the final one, really is coming.
00:55:30.89\00:55:32.96
The good news of Christ
00:55:33.06\00:55:34.56
in the three angels' messages,
00:55:34.63\00:55:35.66
it really will go global
00:55:35.76\00:55:37.70
as a witness to all the nations,
00:55:37.80\00:55:39.27
and then the end will come.
00:55:39.37\00:55:40.47
Praise the Lord.
00:55:40.57\00:55:42.14
And in the midst of all of that,
00:55:42.24\00:55:43.51
please, I plead with you,
00:55:43.61\00:55:45.01
do not underestimate
00:55:45.11\00:55:46.68
what God can do in
00:55:46.78\00:55:48.14
and through your life.
00:55:48.24\00:55:49.71
Do not be held back
00:55:49.81\00:55:51.18
by your past, your history,
00:55:51.28\00:55:52.51
your home life growing up,
00:55:52.61\00:55:53.85
your address, or your station
00:55:53.95\00:55:55.28
in life, any of that, for Jesus
00:55:55.38\00:55:56.95
specializes in not
00:55:57.05\00:55:58.29
just doing a new thing
00:55:58.39\00:56:00.32
but in making a new you.
00:56:00.42\00:56:03.96
And like Nathaniel
00:56:04.06\00:56:05.06
under that fig tree years ago,
00:56:05.16\00:56:06.93
Jesus sees you, he sees me today
00:56:07.03\00:56:09.73
just as we are, and he loves us,
00:56:09.83\00:56:11.63
and he calls us to work
00:56:11.73\00:56:12.97
with him in the new thing
00:56:13.07\00:56:14.20
he is about to do.
00:56:14.30\00:56:16.24
Don't let his Nazareth Factor
00:56:16.34\00:56:18.44
keep you from seeing
00:56:18.54\00:56:19.74
that new thing.
00:56:19.84\00:56:21.18
And don't let your own Nazareth
00:56:21.28\00:56:23.28
Factor keep you from joining it.
00:56:23.38\00:56:26.08
Come and see what Jesus can do.
00:56:26.18\00:56:29.98
>> Before you go, let me take
00:56:38.79\00:56:39.96
just a moment to share with you
00:56:40.06\00:56:41.03
an opportunity to get into
00:56:41.13\00:56:42.66
the Bible in a fresh, new way.
00:56:42.76\00:56:45.03
All across the world,
00:56:45.13\00:56:46.40
more and more people are hearing
00:56:46.50\00:56:47.50
the call to examine
00:56:47.60\00:56:48.70
the Scriptures for themselves.
00:56:48.80\00:56:50.77
If you felt drawn to learn
00:56:50.87\00:56:51.87
more about God's word,
00:56:51.97\00:56:53.17
but you don't know where
00:56:53.27\00:56:53.98
to start, or you're just looking
00:56:54.08\00:56:55.74
for a more in-depth examination
00:56:55.84\00:56:57.18
of Bible truths,
00:56:57.28\00:56:58.91
then I have something right here
00:56:59.01\00:57:00.38
that I believe
00:57:00.48\00:57:01.02
you're going to enjoy.
00:57:01.12\00:57:02.88
I would like to send you
00:57:02.98\00:57:03.92
a series of Bible study guides.
00:57:04.02\00:57:06.25
Each of these study guides asks
00:57:06.35\00:57:07.76
and answers very important
00:57:07.86\00:57:09.19
questions, such as these
00:57:09.29\00:57:10.49
examples right here.
00:57:10.59\00:57:11.96
Why does God allow suffering?
00:57:12.06\00:57:14.10
Can God be trusted?
00:57:14.20\00:57:16.73
Each of the initial five guides
00:57:16.83\00:57:18.23
begins with a story
00:57:18.33\00:57:19.67
to introduce the subject.
00:57:19.77\00:57:21.40
Then, through a series
00:57:21.50\00:57:22.24
of focused questions,
00:57:22.34\00:57:23.84
you'll soon be learning portions
00:57:23.94\00:57:24.87
of the Bible
00:57:24.97\00:57:26.17
you may never have known before.
00:57:26.27\00:57:28.24
And when you're through,
00:57:28.34\00:57:29.48
you'll be able to share
00:57:29.58\00:57:30.31
with others these inspiring
00:57:30.41\00:57:31.78
truths from God's word.
00:57:31.88\00:57:34.45
Just call our toll-free number.
00:57:34.55\00:57:35.78
It's on your screen now.
00:57:35.88\00:57:37.05
877, the two words "HIS WILL."
00:57:37.15\00:57:41.06
Friendly operators are standing
00:57:41.16\00:57:42.16
by to send you these guides.
00:57:42.26\00:57:44.26
Once again, that's 877-HIS-WILL.
00:57:44.36\00:57:47.23
Call that number.
00:57:47.36\00:57:48.76
And don't forget to join me
00:57:48.86\00:57:49.96
next week right here
00:57:50.07\00:57:51.27
at this same time.
00:57:51.37\00:57:52.30
¤
00:58:00.51\00:58:10.42
¤
00:58:10.52\00:58:20.43
¤
00:58:20.53\00:58:27.04