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>> Good morning, and welcome
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to Pioneer Memorial Church.
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Whether you're with us
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here in person or online,
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we're so glad to have you
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as part of our Feast of Hymns.
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For this next part
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of the service,
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I invite you to remain seated
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as three choirs
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are going to lead us in
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"Holy, Holy, Holy."
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>> Amen.
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>> Lord God Almighty,
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angels adore thee,
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Casting down their crowns
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around the glassy sea.
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Lord God Almighty,
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there is none beside me.
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Perfect in power
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and love and purity.
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Lord God Almighty,
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all thy works shall praise
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thy name in earth and sky
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and sea.
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As we sing our expression of
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joy, you'll find the words
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and music in the bulletin
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insert.
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Please stand.
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>> Good Sabbath, church.
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The words of joy today
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are taken from Psalm 98.
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"O sing to the Lord a new song,
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for he has done
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marvelous things.
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His right hand and his holy arm
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have gained him the victory.
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The Lord has made known
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his salvation.
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His righteousness
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He has revealed
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in the sight of the nations.
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He has remembered his mercy
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and his faithfulness
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to the house of Israel.
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All the ends of
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the earth have seen
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the salvation of our God.
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Shout joyfully
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to the Lord, all the earth.
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Break forth in song.
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Rejoice and sing praises.
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Sing to the Lord with the harp,
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with the harp
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and the sound of a psalm,
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with trumpets
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and the sound of a horn.
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Shout joyfully before
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the Lord, the King."
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This is God's word.
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May we be blessed and touched
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by God's joy among us.
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>> We have much to be thankful
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for this season, do we not?
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You know, at this time of year,
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usually we will look back
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over the last 360-plus days
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to see what blessings
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we have received,
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and this is a good thing to do.
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My guess is, all of us,
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regardless of
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how difficult this last year
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was, we can find something
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to be grateful for.
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For instance,
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I'm fairly certain
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that all of us here
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can be grateful for food of
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which you have had at least some
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over the last year.
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You are sitting here after all.
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We can be grateful for shelter.
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Whether you live in an abode
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that is humble or high,
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we can all be grateful
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for a roof over our head.
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We can also be grateful
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for even more important things.
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We can be grateful
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for family and for friends
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and for fellowship.
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All of these things
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are to be grateful for.
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But I wonder if there is an even
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better way to be thankful.
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In fact,
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could it be that this type
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of thankfulness, by itself,
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is forever incomplete?
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Because, you see,
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the truth is that
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of all the things
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that I just mentioned,
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food and shelter and family,
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et cetera, all of those things
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that you or I might be thankful
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for have already happened.
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And you might be thinking,
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"Well, what's so wrong with
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that?"
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Turn in your Bible,
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please, to Matthew 8:5.
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Matthew, the eighth chapter,
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beginning with verse 5,
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page 653
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in the red pew Bible,
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that is somewhere around
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where you're sitting.
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Matthew 8:5.
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This, for context here,
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is just after Jesus
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on the sermon on the Mount,
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the longest sermon
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that we have Jesus doing.
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He's just finished that.
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He is headed now
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to Capernaum, which is his home.
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His hometown, obviously,
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originally, was Bethlehem,
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but Capernaum was
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his adopted base of operations
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as he ministered
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in the region of Galilee.
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And in this story
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we're about to read,
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he is going to meet
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an important person.
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Here's what happens.
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Matthew 8:5.
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"When Jesus had entered
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Capernaum, a centurion came
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to him asking for help."
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Pause right there, please.
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A centurion --
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We don't have these
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in our military now,
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although we do have something
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that is close to it.
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Centurions were
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kind of mid-level officers.
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They were the backbone
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of the Roman military.
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As you might imagine
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from the name, century,
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centurion, there's supposed
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to be about 100 men under him.
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In other words,
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in actual practice,
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probably 50 to 100.
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He was
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a relatively important man.
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And he has a request.
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Verse 6.
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"'Lord,' he said,
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'my servant lies at home
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paralyzed
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and in terrible suffering.'
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Jesus said to him,
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'I will go and heal him.'
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The centurion replied, 'Lord,
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I do not deserve to have
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you come under my roof.
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But just say the word,
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and my servant will be healed.
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For I myself
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am a man under authority,
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with soldiers under me.
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I tell this one, "Go,"
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and he goes,
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and that one, "Come,"
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and he comes.
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I say to my servant,
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"Do this," and he does it.'
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When Jesus heard this,
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he was astonished
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and said to those following him,
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'I tell you the truth,
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I have not found anyone
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in Israel with such great faith.
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I say to you
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that many will come from
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the east and the west
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and will take their places
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at the feast with Abraham,
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Isaac, and Jacob
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in the kingdom of heaven.
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But the subjects of the kingdom
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will be thrown outside
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into the darkness,
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where there will be weeping
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and gnashing of teeth.'
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Then Jesus said
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to the centurion,
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'Go! It will be done just
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as you believed it would.'
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And his servant was healed
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at that very hour."
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Wow.
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[ Chuckles ]
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And thus, the centurion
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and all of his household
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undoubtedly were left rejoicing.
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But the Pharisees
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and the Jewish leaders, and
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perhaps even Jesus' own
00:26:04.93\00:26:07.10
disciples were left fuming.
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You see,
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Jesus has done here something
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that's a major faux pas
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by Jewish standards of the day.
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Number one,
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he has gone to the home --
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he's agreed to go to
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the home of a Gentile.
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The traditions of the Jews
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at that time said
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that that made you somehow
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unclean before the sight of God.
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But it wasn't just any Gentile.
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Number two, Jesus was going
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to a Gentile Roman.
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A Roman, part
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of the very nation
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that was oppressing
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and had overthrown the Jews
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and was now occupying Palestine.
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And it wasn't just any Roman.
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Number three,
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it was a Roman centurion,
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a member of the military.
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I mean, who knows?
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It could be some of the very men
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that had struck down Jews
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in this particular centurion's
00:26:54.01\00:26:55.11
unit.
00:26:55.21\00:26:55.98
And Jesus had agreed to go,
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and he performs this miracle.
00:26:58.78\00:27:03.22
And he infers
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that men like this centurion
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will be in the kingdom.
00:27:07.09\00:27:09.39
But the subjects of the kingdom,
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the ones who should know better,
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will not be.
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Yes, there was much rejoicing
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in that centurion's house,
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and probably a great deal
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of fuming, again, perhaps even
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amongst Jesus' own disciples
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at what Jesus had done.
00:27:26.81\00:27:29.91
Now let us think carefully
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for a moment here.
00:27:31.05\00:27:32.75
What made the difference?
00:27:32.85\00:27:35.45
What made the difference
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between the rejoicing
00:27:37.02\00:27:38.29
of the centurion
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and his household
00:27:39.09\00:27:40.29
and the fuming on the part
00:27:40.39\00:27:42.42
of many of the Jews that heard
00:27:42.52\00:27:44.46
and understood that this
00:27:44.56\00:27:45.29
event was taking place?
00:27:45.39\00:27:46.66
Well, we could probably give
00:27:46.76\00:27:48.30
a number of answers to that,
00:27:48.40\00:27:50.07
but perhaps, at the very least,
00:27:50.17\00:27:53.40
we could say this.
00:27:53.50\00:27:56.00
The Jews of Jesus' day
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could only manage to survive
00:27:58.37\00:28:00.64
in the present
00:28:00.74\00:28:02.21
by protecting the past.
00:28:02.31\00:28:05.68
But the Roman centurion
00:28:05.78\00:28:07.65
could thrive in the present
00:28:07.75\00:28:10.09
by living as though God's
00:28:10.19\00:28:11.89
future had already come.
00:28:11.99\00:28:15.79
Now let's unpack
00:28:15.89\00:28:16.46
that for a moment.
00:28:16.56\00:28:18.23
The Jews of Jesus' day
00:28:18.33\00:28:19.59
could only manage to survive
00:28:19.69\00:28:20.73
in the present
00:28:20.83\00:28:21.43
by protecting the past.
00:28:21.53\00:28:22.63
Almost everything they did
00:28:22.73\00:28:23.90
was about the past.
00:28:24.00\00:28:25.47
You know, "We are God's
00:28:25.57\00:28:26.70
chosen people because he said so
00:28:26.80\00:28:27.90
in the past,
00:28:28.00\00:28:29.04
that we have traditions
00:28:29.14\00:28:30.41
by the dozens,
00:28:30.51\00:28:31.14
by the hundreds,
00:28:31.24\00:28:31.91
that have been passed
00:28:32.01\00:28:32.51
down from our rabbis
00:28:32.61\00:28:34.21
and teachers, et cetera.
00:28:34.31\00:28:35.01
If, in the past --
00:28:35.11\00:28:36.81
The temple in Jerusalem
00:28:36.91\00:28:38.91
has been built here in the past,
00:28:39.01\00:28:40.65
and we will protect it."
00:28:40.75\00:28:42.55
Their days were consumed
00:28:42.65\00:28:44.19
with protecting what had
00:28:44.29\00:28:45.95
happened, and the best most
00:28:46.05\00:28:47.52
of them could eke out
00:28:47.62\00:28:49.12
was to survive in the present.
00:28:49.22\00:28:53.19
But the centurion --
00:28:53.29\00:28:55.40
the centurion manages to thrive
00:28:55.50\00:28:58.30
in the present by living
00:28:58.40\00:29:00.27
as though God's future
00:29:00.37\00:29:01.97
had already come.
00:29:02.07\00:29:03.67
I wonder
00:29:06.71\00:29:07.54
if we could learn a few things
00:29:07.64\00:29:08.51
from that centurion.
00:29:08.61\00:29:09.71
You know, I mentioned a few
00:29:12.45\00:29:13.18
weeks ago that we Adventists can
00:29:13.28\00:29:15.95
have a love-hate relationship
00:29:16.05\00:29:17.15
with the end of time.
00:29:17.25\00:29:19.92
On the one hand,
00:29:20.02\00:29:20.89
there are many of us
00:29:20.99\00:29:21.69
that rightly love
00:29:21.79\00:29:22.86
to talk about some of the signs
00:29:22.96\00:29:25.43
of the end, you know,
00:29:25.53\00:29:27.10
signs in
00:29:27.20\00:29:27.86
the natural world of decay,
00:29:27.96\00:29:29.30
you know, signs in
00:29:29.40\00:29:30.10
the political world, wars
00:29:30.20\00:29:31.83
and rumors of wars, et cetera.
00:29:31.93\00:29:33.47
These are all good
00:29:33.57\00:29:34.47
and important things.
00:29:34.57\00:29:35.20
Jesus himself
00:29:35.30\00:29:36.20
said these are signs,
00:29:36.30\00:29:37.34
legitimate signs,
00:29:37.44\00:29:38.27
of his soon return,
00:29:38.37\00:29:39.04
so we need to pay
00:29:39.14\00:29:39.97
attention to them.
00:29:40.08\00:29:41.81
But on the other hand,
00:29:41.91\00:29:44.15
there are some signs
00:29:44.25\00:29:45.65
that we are reluctant
00:29:45.75\00:29:47.32
to talk about,
00:29:47.42\00:29:49.25
signs not out there,
00:29:49.35\00:29:50.89
but signs in here
00:29:50.99\00:29:52.55
and maybe even in here.
00:29:52.65\00:29:55.76
Signs like Revival and
00:29:55.86\00:29:58.59
Reformation,
00:29:58.69\00:29:59.86
signs like the outpouring
00:29:59.96\00:30:01.23
of the Holy Spirit of God,
00:30:01.33\00:30:02.40
signs and wonders --
00:30:02.50\00:30:03.37
that makes us nervous --
00:30:03.47\00:30:04.20
mass conversions,
00:30:04.30\00:30:05.33
every member a minister,
00:30:05.43\00:30:06.67
power-packed gatherings
00:30:06.77\00:30:08.24
of hundreds in this building
00:30:08.34\00:30:10.17
and other buildings
00:30:10.27\00:30:10.87
around the world
00:30:10.97\00:30:11.71
throughout the week,
00:30:11.81\00:30:12.64
devoting ourselves to prayer
00:30:12.74\00:30:14.01
and Bible study and evangelism.
00:30:14.11\00:30:15.84
Oh, what a day that will be.
00:30:15.94\00:30:18.41
And yet...
00:30:22.95\00:30:26.15
we are sometimes reluctant
00:30:26.25\00:30:27.86
to talk about that day.
00:30:27.96\00:30:31.16
In fact, sometimes we are
00:30:31.26\00:30:32.43
even embarrassed
00:30:32.53\00:30:33.80
by talk about that day,
00:30:33.90\00:30:36.56
and our silence on such topics
00:30:36.67\00:30:39.30
can become deafening.
00:30:39.40\00:30:40.90
How come?
00:30:43.24\00:30:45.97
Why can we be reluctant
00:30:46.07\00:30:47.64
to talk about those signs?
00:30:47.74\00:30:52.88
Well, again, I suppose there's
00:30:52.98\00:30:53.85
a variety of reasons,
00:30:53.95\00:30:54.92
but could it be that one of
00:30:55.02\00:30:55.92
the most foundational ones,
00:30:56.02\00:30:58.49
the reason we don't talk about
00:30:58.59\00:30:59.85
those kinds of signs is
00:30:59.95\00:31:02.82
because there's a part of us
00:31:02.92\00:31:03.93
that doesn't really believe
00:31:04.03\00:31:04.89
it's ever going to happen.
00:31:04.99\00:31:06.19
After all, I've heard it said --
00:31:10.70\00:31:11.97
My guess is, if you've spent any
00:31:12.07\00:31:12.87
time around the Adventist
00:31:12.97\00:31:13.67
church, you've probably heard it
00:31:13.77\00:31:14.24
said, too.
00:31:14.34\00:31:15.97
It goes something like this.
00:31:16.07\00:31:17.27
"They told my grandfather
00:31:17.37\00:31:19.14
that Jesus was coming soon,
00:31:19.24\00:31:21.48
and he didn't.
00:31:21.58\00:31:23.91
They told my father that Jesus
00:31:24.01\00:31:26.11
was coming soon, and he didn't.
00:31:26.21\00:31:29.62
And now you're telling me
00:31:29.72\00:31:31.49
that Jesus is coming soon, and
00:31:31.59\00:31:35.09
you expect me to believe that?"
00:31:35.19\00:31:36.39
Ladies and gentlemen,
00:31:41.40\00:31:42.30
it is, indeed, hard to wait
00:31:42.40\00:31:46.97
so long for something so good
00:31:47.07\00:31:50.07
and so needed
00:31:50.17\00:31:51.64
as the second coming of Jesus.
00:31:51.74\00:31:54.74
It can be a real challenge
00:31:54.84\00:31:55.51
sometimes.
00:31:55.61\00:31:58.91
And sometimes,
00:31:59.01\00:32:00.18
in our fear of disappointment,
00:32:00.28\00:32:02.32
too many of us have become
00:32:02.42\00:32:03.72
at least somewhat like
00:32:03.82\00:32:04.79
1st-century Judaism.
00:32:04.89\00:32:06.32
We survive in the present
00:32:06.42\00:32:08.12
by defending the status quo,
00:32:08.22\00:32:09.79
what is right now.
00:32:09.89\00:32:11.43
And we can actually, at times,
00:32:11.53\00:32:12.89
oppose talk of revival or
00:32:12.99\00:32:14.86
the latter reign of the spirit,
00:32:14.96\00:32:16.03
either outright, verbally,
00:32:16.13\00:32:17.30
or just by our quiet lack
00:32:17.40\00:32:18.57
of participation.
00:32:18.67\00:32:19.57
And at the same time,
00:32:19.67\00:32:21.17
we seek to maintain
00:32:21.27\00:32:22.64
whatever level of comfort
00:32:22.74\00:32:23.54
we have today,
00:32:23.64\00:32:24.57
making sure that any talk
00:32:24.67\00:32:26.61
of seemingly far-fetched things
00:32:26.71\00:32:28.21
like reaching the masses and
00:32:28.31\00:32:29.54
thousands of conversions
00:32:29.64\00:32:30.85
in a day, et cetera, et cetera,
00:32:30.95\00:32:31.81
stays just that --
00:32:31.91\00:32:33.31
talk and not action.
00:32:33.42\00:32:37.02
Because action might lead
00:32:37.12\00:32:38.92
to disappointment.
00:32:39.02\00:32:40.62
And who needs more of that?
00:32:40.72\00:32:42.36
But hold on.
00:32:47.40\00:32:50.37
Wait just a moment.
00:32:50.47\00:32:52.20
What about that centurion?
00:32:52.30\00:32:57.31
That centurion was no stranger
00:32:57.41\00:32:58.94
to disappointment himself.
00:32:59.04\00:33:01.64
I mean, let's think about this.
00:33:01.74\00:33:03.45
For this centurion
00:33:03.55\00:33:05.58
to do what he has done
00:33:05.68\00:33:06.95
in this story
00:33:07.05\00:33:07.85
obviously means he
00:33:07.95\00:33:08.92
had already experienced
00:33:09.02\00:33:10.22
probably a pretty wide range
00:33:10.32\00:33:11.59
of disappointment.
00:33:11.69\00:33:12.39
For instance, disappointment
00:33:12.49\00:33:13.86
with Roman medicine.
00:33:13.96\00:33:16.29
You know, he may not have been
00:33:16.39\00:33:17.09
the highest-ranking officer
00:33:17.19\00:33:18.19
in the Roman military,
00:33:18.29\00:33:18.99
but he was certainly
00:33:19.09\00:33:19.69
no slouch, either.
00:33:19.79\00:33:20.66
This was a man of influence
00:33:20.76\00:33:21.86
and probably a man of wealth.
00:33:21.96\00:33:23.50
In Luke's version of this story,
00:33:23.60\00:33:25.17
it tells about
00:33:25.27\00:33:25.93
how this centurion built
00:33:26.03\00:33:27.17
an entire synagogue there,
00:33:27.27\00:33:28.40
probably in Capernaum.
00:33:28.50\00:33:29.70
You have to have
00:33:29.80\00:33:30.51
some cash for that.
00:33:30.61\00:33:32.71
And any of the doctors
00:33:32.81\00:33:33.84
in the land probably
00:33:33.94\00:33:35.11
could have been at his disposal,
00:33:35.21\00:33:36.64
but he had been disappointed.
00:33:36.75\00:33:39.21
And let's just follow this
00:33:39.31\00:33:40.08
through logically.
00:33:40.18\00:33:41.22
The very fact that this
00:33:41.32\00:33:42.45
centurion is now talking
00:33:42.55\00:33:43.79
face-to-face with Jesus,
00:33:43.89\00:33:45.85
of all people, probably means
00:33:45.95\00:33:48.49
that he has come to the place
00:33:48.59\00:33:50.19
where he is disappointed with
00:33:50.29\00:33:51.93
much of the Roman system itself.
00:33:52.03\00:33:56.77
The endless conquest,
00:33:56.87\00:33:58.90
the Pagan worship,
00:33:59.00\00:34:00.57
the idolatry all
00:34:00.67\00:34:02.64
had left him dry
00:34:02.74\00:34:04.71
and disappointed.
00:34:04.81\00:34:06.54
But in his disappointment,
00:34:10.85\00:34:13.25
notice what he doesn't do.
00:34:13.35\00:34:16.92
He doesn't consult his fears.
00:34:17.02\00:34:19.05
He does not defend
00:34:19.15\00:34:20.69
the status quo as though
00:34:20.79\00:34:22.52
that's all that there is.
00:34:22.62\00:34:23.93
He does not deny
00:34:24.03\00:34:25.29
that great things can happen
00:34:25.39\00:34:26.66
or that great things are coming.
00:34:26.76\00:34:27.86
But instead, notice carefully,
00:34:27.96\00:34:29.40
he places his trust
00:34:29.50\00:34:31.47
in the invisible.
00:34:31.57\00:34:35.27
The invisible.
00:34:35.37\00:34:37.57
You know, as far as we know,
00:34:37.67\00:34:38.57
the centurion had never met
00:34:38.67\00:34:40.01
Jesus prior to this point.
00:34:40.11\00:34:41.01
Oh, he'd probably heard
00:34:41.11\00:34:41.88
something about him,
00:34:41.98\00:34:42.64
but he'd never met him.
00:34:42.74\00:34:44.08
And so what that means is,
00:34:44.18\00:34:45.65
is that the centurion here
00:34:45.75\00:34:46.72
is quite literally placing
00:34:46.82\00:34:47.92
his faith in that
00:34:48.02\00:34:49.15
which was as yet unseen,
00:34:49.25\00:34:51.05
undone, quite literally
00:34:51.15\00:34:52.45
invisible to anything
00:34:52.55\00:34:54.22
the human eye could see.
00:34:54.32\00:34:57.09
And what was the result?
00:34:57.19\00:34:59.86
Well, the result of that faith
00:34:59.96\00:35:02.46
in the invisible
00:35:02.56\00:35:03.50
was transformation,
00:35:03.60\00:35:05.67
was new hope,
00:35:05.77\00:35:06.94
new strength, life born anew.
00:35:07.04\00:35:09.70
How else do you describe
00:35:09.80\00:35:11.57
healing someone who's paralyzed
00:35:11.67\00:35:13.14
and near the point of death
00:35:13.24\00:35:14.21
when the doctor doesn't
00:35:14.31\00:35:15.38
even walk into the room?
00:35:15.48\00:35:17.31
[ Chuckles ]
00:35:17.41\00:35:18.65
Ladies and gentlemen,
00:35:20.85\00:35:21.92
Jesus never fails.
00:35:22.02\00:35:25.12
Jesus never fails.
00:35:25.22\00:35:27.32
Now, he may take longer
00:35:27.42\00:35:28.86
than we would like sometimes.
00:35:28.96\00:35:29.89
He may not act always
00:35:29.99\00:35:31.33
when we think he should act.
00:35:31.43\00:35:32.33
But when the time is
00:35:32.43\00:35:33.80
truly right, God moves.
00:35:33.90\00:35:35.76
God does precisely what
00:35:35.86\00:35:37.53
he said he would do.
00:35:37.63\00:35:39.30
And this is not just
00:35:39.40\00:35:40.74
like a dozen times in history,
00:35:40.84\00:35:42.47
or even what's limited in
00:35:42.57\00:35:44.14
what we have in the Bible here.
00:35:44.24\00:35:45.01
No, no, no, no.
00:35:45.11\00:35:45.97
There are tens of thousands of
00:35:46.07\00:35:47.41
times, even millions of times,
00:35:47.51\00:35:49.21
down through history
00:35:49.31\00:35:50.08
in the private lives
00:35:50.18\00:35:51.15
of his followers
00:35:51.25\00:35:52.18
and even before the wide-eyed
00:35:52.28\00:35:53.75
masses where God has proven
00:35:53.85\00:35:55.78
faithful.
00:35:55.88\00:35:57.22
That which he has said
00:35:57.32\00:35:58.45
he has done.
00:35:58.55\00:36:00.69
All of which means
00:36:05.19\00:36:08.70
that you and I here in the
00:36:08.80\00:36:09.80
present have a choice to make.
00:36:09.90\00:36:13.84
We can be content
00:36:13.94\00:36:15.30
to merely survive
00:36:15.40\00:36:17.57
in the often painful present,
00:36:17.67\00:36:19.61
bah-humbug'ing along
00:36:19.71\00:36:21.21
as a relic of some
00:36:21.31\00:36:22.41
formerly passionate movement,
00:36:22.51\00:36:24.31
or -- or -- we can choose
00:36:24.41\00:36:27.78
to thrive in the present
00:36:27.88\00:36:30.05
by realizing the future
00:36:30.15\00:36:31.99
even now.
00:36:32.09\00:36:34.29
By taking God at His Word,
00:36:34.39\00:36:36.09
by remembering,
00:36:36.19\00:36:37.13
as the centurion did,
00:36:37.23\00:36:38.19
that it is Jesus
00:36:38.29\00:36:39.46
who has promised these things,
00:36:39.56\00:36:41.13
who has promised revival and
00:36:41.23\00:36:42.56
reformation and miracles,
00:36:42.66\00:36:43.77
and legions of believers
00:36:43.87\00:36:44.87
engaged in prayer
00:36:44.97\00:36:45.93
and passionate Bible study,
00:36:46.03\00:36:47.07
and the outpouring
00:36:47.17\00:36:47.94
of the Spirit of God
00:36:48.04\00:36:49.00
for the finishing of the work,
00:36:49.10\00:36:50.07
and because Jesus
00:36:50.17\00:36:51.51
has never failed to deliver
00:36:51.61\00:36:53.01
on his promises,
00:36:53.11\00:36:54.11
we can choose to act
00:36:54.21\00:36:55.71
as though they are certain
00:36:55.81\00:36:56.85
to occur,
00:36:56.95\00:36:57.75
because they are certain
00:36:57.85\00:36:59.08
to occur because
00:36:59.18\00:37:00.48
Jesus Christ has said it.
00:37:00.58\00:37:03.85
You see, as it turns out,
00:37:05.45\00:37:07.82
the best way to guarantee
00:37:07.92\00:37:09.86
that Jesus will return
00:37:09.96\00:37:11.56
in your lifetime is to live
00:37:11.66\00:37:13.70
as though Jesus will return
00:37:13.80\00:37:15.03
in your lifetime.
00:37:15.13\00:37:16.46
[ Chuckles ]
00:37:16.56\00:37:18.73
And let's put an even
00:37:18.83\00:37:19.63
finer point on that.
00:37:19.73\00:37:21.27
Jesus will return
00:37:21.37\00:37:23.37
when two things converge.
00:37:23.47\00:37:26.14
The prophetic time clock
00:37:26.24\00:37:28.48
and the readiness of his people.
00:37:28.58\00:37:30.95
The prophetic time clock
00:37:31.05\00:37:32.68
and the readiness of his people.
00:37:32.78\00:37:35.95
Ladies and gentlemen,
00:37:36.05\00:37:36.82
by my reckoning,
00:37:36.92\00:37:37.89
the prophetic clock
00:37:37.99\00:37:39.15
is nearing midnight,
00:37:39.25\00:37:41.49
but are his
00:37:41.59\00:37:42.42
people nearing ready?
00:37:42.52\00:37:46.80
Are we truly living
00:37:46.90\00:37:47.86
effectively for God?
00:37:47.96\00:37:49.66
Are we following his voice?
00:37:49.76\00:37:51.27
Are we daily
00:37:51.37\00:37:52.30
about our father's business?
00:37:52.40\00:37:53.37
Are we doing all
00:37:53.47\00:37:54.27
that we can be doing
00:37:54.37\00:37:55.60
to reach the lost
00:37:55.70\00:37:56.74
and the wandering for Christ?
00:37:56.84\00:37:58.07
Are we faithfully living
00:37:58.17\00:37:59.34
like the centurion
00:37:59.44\00:38:00.41
in the present,
00:38:00.51\00:38:01.38
fully trusting that God's
00:38:01.48\00:38:02.64
glorious future
00:38:02.74\00:38:03.75
is going to happen?
00:38:03.85\00:38:05.48
This Thanksgiving,
00:38:09.72\00:38:11.72
please do give thanks
00:38:11.82\00:38:15.86
for what's happened in the past.
00:38:15.96\00:38:17.86
That's a good thing to do.
00:38:17.96\00:38:19.33
Thank God for family
00:38:19.43\00:38:20.56
and for friends
00:38:20.66\00:38:21.63
and for food and shelter
00:38:21.73\00:38:22.73
and all of those things.
00:38:22.83\00:38:23.33
Yes, yes, do that.
00:38:23.43\00:38:24.93
And let's also make
00:38:25.03\00:38:28.20
our gratitude complete
00:38:28.30\00:38:29.84
by taking it
00:38:29.94\00:38:30.94
one better step further.
00:38:31.04\00:38:33.51
As we thank God
00:38:33.61\00:38:35.31
for his blessings in the past,
00:38:35.41\00:38:37.11
may we also live
00:38:37.21\00:38:38.58
in such certainty of God's
00:38:38.68\00:38:39.91
faithfulness and power
00:38:40.02\00:38:41.22
that we actually thank God
00:38:41.32\00:38:42.68
for his blessings
00:38:42.78\00:38:43.85
in advance of them happening.
00:38:43.95\00:38:46.49
Thank God now for the great
00:38:46.59\00:38:48.72
revival movement that is coming.
00:38:48.82\00:38:50.89
Thank God now for the great wave
00:38:50.99\00:38:52.66
of reformation
00:38:52.76\00:38:53.46
that is on its way.
00:38:53.56\00:38:54.93
Thank God now for the outpouring
00:38:55.00\00:38:56.87
of the Holy Spirit
00:38:56.97\00:38:57.83
that will fall on God's people.
00:38:57.93\00:39:00.74
The finest hour of God's Church
00:39:00.84\00:39:02.87
is coming.
00:39:02.97\00:39:05.77
And it is coming here to Pioneer
00:39:05.87\00:39:08.31
and this campus and beyond.
00:39:08.41\00:39:10.81
So let us live
00:39:10.91\00:39:12.68
and be grateful now
00:39:12.78\00:39:14.98
for the invisible that
00:39:15.08\00:39:18.12
we might be ready when it comes.
00:39:18.22\00:39:21.16
¤ Deep river
00:39:32.67\00:39:36.94
¤ My home is over Jordan
00:39:40.28\00:39:48.88
¤ Deep river, Lord
00:39:48.98\00:39:58.53
¤ I want to cross over
00:39:58.63\00:40:02.00
into campground ¤
00:40:02.10\00:40:07.07
¤ Deep river
00:40:07.17\00:40:14.18
¤ My home is over Jordan
00:40:14.28\00:40:22.95
¤ Deep river, Lord
00:40:23.05\00:40:32.13
¤ I want to cross over
00:40:32.23\00:40:35.50
into campground ¤
00:40:35.60\00:40:42.17
¤ Oh, don't you want to go
00:40:44.37\00:40:47.71
>> ¤ Don't you want to go
00:40:47.81\00:40:50.05
>> ¤ To the gospel feast
00:40:50.15\00:40:56.42
¤ That promised land
00:40:56.52\00:41:03.02
where all is peace? ¤
00:41:03.12\00:41:11.80
¤ Deep river
00:41:14.07\00:41:17.84
¤ My home is over Jordan
00:41:20.44\00:41:27.45
¤ Deep river
00:41:27.55\00:41:34.46
¤ Want to cross over
00:41:34.56\00:41:37.36
into campground ¤
00:41:37.46\00:41:41.20
¤ Deep river
00:41:43.53\00:41:50.14
¤ My home is over Jordan
00:41:50.24\00:41:58.25
¤ Deep river, Lord
00:41:58.35\00:42:07.46
¤ I want to cross over
00:42:07.56\00:42:11.33
into campground ¤
00:42:11.43\00:42:16.50
[ Applause ]
00:42:20.34\00:42:23.17
>> This is the time for us
00:45:36.36\00:45:37.47
to bring forward our gifts.
00:45:37.57\00:45:40.60
I want to invite the Pathfinders
00:45:40.70\00:45:41.80
to come forward
00:45:41.90\00:45:42.70
as they will be receiving
00:45:42.80\00:45:43.47
the gifts.
00:45:43.57\00:45:44.24
And this is an opportunity
00:45:44.34\00:45:46.11
for us to bring song, food,
00:45:46.21\00:45:49.88
tithes and offerings
00:45:49.98\00:45:51.51
and, of course, our letters.
00:45:51.61\00:45:54.92
¤
00:45:55.02\00:45:59.55
>> ¤ Amen
00:55:30.79\00:55:40.34
>> Let us pray.
00:55:44.54\00:55:47.41
Lord Jesus, we have so much
00:55:47.51\00:55:48.61
to be thankful for.
00:55:48.71\00:55:49.84
We know, Lord,
00:55:49.94\00:55:51.28
because you have promised
00:55:51.38\00:55:53.38
that our praise is
00:55:53.48\00:55:54.32
precious in your ears.
00:55:54.42\00:55:56.25
Lord, we have much of it,
00:55:56.35\00:55:56.89
and we thank you for
00:55:56.99\00:55:57.72
the blessings of life and
00:55:57.82\00:55:58.85
of family and of friends,
00:55:58.95\00:56:00.09
all the many things
00:56:00.19\00:56:01.12
that you shower on us.
00:56:01.22\00:56:02.26
And, Lord, we thank you
00:56:02.36\00:56:04.29
for the great things
00:56:04.39\00:56:05.63
that are yet to come.
00:56:05.73\00:56:07.03
Bless us Lord,
00:56:07.13\00:56:07.96
this holiday season,
00:56:08.03\00:56:09.30
for we ask it in your name.
00:56:09.40\00:56:11.37
Amen.
00:56:11.47\00:56:14.50
¤
00:56:14.60\00:56:20.81
>> ¤ Take joy
00:56:20.91\00:56:23.28
¤ Take joy
00:56:23.38\00:56:26.05
¤ Live thanks
00:56:26.15\00:56:28.78
¤ Live thanks
00:56:28.88\00:56:31.92
¤ Joy
00:56:32.02\00:56:37.46
¤ Thanks
00:56:37.56\00:56:42.70
¤
00:56:42.80\00:56:48.57
>> I'm Shane Anderson,
00:56:51.94\00:56:53.07
the lead pastor here
00:56:53.17\00:56:54.48
at Pioneer Memorial Church.
00:56:54.58\00:56:56.58
At Pioneer Media,
00:56:56.68\00:56:57.71
we have been blessed
00:56:57.81\00:56:58.81
by the financial support
00:56:58.91\00:57:00.32
that comes from our viewers
00:57:00.42\00:57:01.62
like you that enable us
00:57:01.72\00:57:03.45
to continue this ministry.
00:57:03.55\00:57:05.82
We've made a conscious decision
00:57:05.92\00:57:07.29
not to continually appeal to you
00:57:07.39\00:57:08.76
for that support.
00:57:08.86\00:57:10.23
However, keeping this ministry
00:57:10.33\00:57:11.53
going takes money
00:57:11.63\00:57:12.83
to support our staff and
00:57:12.93\00:57:14.20
technology needs.
00:57:14.30\00:57:15.80
If God has blessed you
00:57:15.90\00:57:17.30
and you would like
00:57:17.40\00:57:18.20
to further the work of this
00:57:18.30\00:57:19.23
ministry, we invite you
00:57:19.33\00:57:20.90
to partner with us.
00:57:21.00\00:57:22.37
You can donate
00:57:22.47\00:57:23.51
on our website pmchurch.org,
00:57:23.61\00:57:26.61
then click "Giving" at the top,
00:57:26.71\00:57:28.78
then select "Media Ministry."
00:57:28.88\00:57:31.65
Or call the number
00:57:31.75\00:57:33.08
877-HIS-WILL.
00:57:33.18\00:57:35.72
Again, that number is 877,
00:57:35.82\00:57:37.92
the two words "HIS WILL."
00:57:38.02\00:57:40.62
My prayer is that the God
00:57:40.72\00:57:42.42
who has blessed
00:57:42.52\00:57:43.22
you will continue to pour
00:57:43.32\00:57:45.03
into your life the gifts
00:57:45.13\00:57:46.03
of his joy and his hope.
00:57:46.13\00:57:48.23
Thank you, and I'm
00:57:48.33\00:57:49.96
looking forward to seeing
00:57:50.07\00:57:50.93
you right here again next time.
00:57:51.03\00:57:53.00
¤
00:57:58.84\00:58:08.82
¤
00:58:08.92\00:58:18.83
¤
00:58:18.93\00:58:27.37