I would like to begin
this morning by having you
00:00:30.29\00:00:33.19
turn in your Bibles with
me to the book of Acts...
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Acts 1 and we're going
to read verse 11 together...
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Now I'm going to lead
into it by reading verse 10,
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and then when I get to
verse 11, you'll all join me
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because as you could
see, it is on the screen.
00:00:50.65\00:00:54.15
I'm going to read
verse 10 first and then
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we'll jump to verse 11.
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And now the Scripture reading...
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May the Lord add a
blessing to the reading,
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and impartation
of His Holy Word.
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I invite you to bow
your heads with me as I ask
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for the Lord to guide...
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Loving Father in Heaven,
This is not a human moment,
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but a divine one and
it is humbling to know
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you've chosen me
to be the conduit.
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And so Lord, come now
and speak to Your people.
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Speak through me, to me,
and may the question, "why,"
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give us reasons to wrestle,
to come to conclusions that
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impact our eternal destiny.
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In Jesus name we pray... Amen
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A few months ago, I
was listening to the radio
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and I like to be a
person that is up-to-date on
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what's happening - like to
know what's going on around me.
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I'm somewhat of an
information vacuum...
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I want to know what's
happening in the news;
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I want to know what's
happening in the world;
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I want to know what's happening
in politics and religion.
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I believe that ignorance
is bliss to a certain degree,
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but to be completely
in the dark, means to
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be completely
unready and unprepared,
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so I like to
know what's going on.
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And our world, right
now, is in serious trouble.
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We have come to the
climate where it doesn't take
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very many things to
push us into a great crisis,
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politically,
economically, religiously.
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With terrorism on one side
and uncertainty on the other,
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our world is
grappling with a big question...
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"Why are we where we are?"
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And because people are
not looking to the Word of God
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for the answer, the "why"
continues to remain unnoticed
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in this pool of diverse options.
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But I want you, for a
moment, to consider why...
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"Why" is a small
word with a big impact
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that all by itself
"why" is a question.
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Some of you as parents
and grandparents may have been
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caught into the vacuum of your
grandchild or your little child
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continuing to challenge
you by saying, "Why mommy,"
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and you tell them why.
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"Why grandpa," and you
say, "Well this is why."
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"But why?" And they continue
in the rhetoric of "why,
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and the repetitiveness
of "why" until you come
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to the answer, "Well
that's just how it is,"
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and they say, "Why?"
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"Why" is a small word,
but it's a big question
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that all by
itself demands an answer.
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"Why" has a brother
and his name is "How"
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that does not have the
same effect on people as "why,"
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but it is a part
of the family trinity.
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And last but not least in
this family trio is "what?"
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"Why," "how," and "what,"
and depending on where you
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begin from, you can start
with "what," "how," and "why."
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But each one of these
words are SO relevant to what
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we do today - HOW we
do what we do and WHY
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we do what we do, that
this morning I want to take you
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down the road of "why,"
eventually getting to the
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"what," and then
ending on the "how."
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Why, what and
how... say that with me.
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"Why, what and how."
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Consider the following...
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Often when we meet people,
they ask the questions...
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"What do you do?" They
don't begin with "why,"
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they often begin with "what."
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"What do you do?"
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And we now begin to
unfold before them what we do.
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But we don't ever
tell them why we do it.
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People often say,
"What church do you attend,"
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and then we go down
the denominational list
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which inevitably is a
list of conflict because I'm
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suggesting to you today that if
Christians began with question:
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"Why are we a member of
THIS particular denomination?"
00:06:02.42\00:06:06.66
...There would be less
division and more unity.
00:06:06.70\00:06:10.47
But we often say,
"why?" We often say, "what
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church do you attend?"
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And then, "What do you want
to be?" we ask the young people.
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Not "why" do you want
to be that, but "what"
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do you want to be?"
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"What school do you attend?"
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"What kind of car do you drive?"
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We always begin
with the word "what."
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"What do you eat?"
"What do you wear?"
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"What town do you live in?"
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The question "why" has
now come to the forefront in
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the minds of "The
Fortune 500 Companies,"
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the mega companies of America,
mega corporations, schools,
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businesses that after 20 or
30 years of being in business,
00:06:55.41\00:06:59.71
they have now decided -
they've got to grapple with the
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question, Why do
they manufacture what they
00:07:02.92\00:07:06.62
manufacture - why do they exist?
00:07:06.65\00:07:10.43
And when you lose - hear
me carefully this morning...
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When you lose the "why" in
your life, in your marriage,
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in your walk as a Christian,
in your role as a supervisor,
00:07:19.47\00:07:25.54
in your position as a
parent or father or mother...
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When you lose the "why,"
then the "what" and "how"
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doesn't really matter.
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Consider the following...
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The question "why"
used to always come in last
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until people
realized that "what" and "how"
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is not as important as "why."
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The year was 1984 and I
want you to hear me carefully...
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The Washington Redskins were
playing the Los Angeles Raiders.
00:07:53.07\00:07:57.97
The day after the
Raiders defeated the Redskins,
00:07:58.01\00:08:02.14
one would think that the
talk of the town would be the
00:08:02.18\00:08:05.31
game; however, the question
that eclipsed the Super Bowl
00:08:05.35\00:08:10.69
was - "Did you
see that commercial?"
00:08:10.72\00:08:13.56
That was the question -
not Did you enjoy the game?
00:08:13.59\00:08:16.62
But, did you
see that commercial?
00:08:16.66\00:08:18.49
The commercial remembered long
after Super Bowl 18 was over
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was as follows...
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Some marketing team
came up with a scheme that
00:08:28.44\00:08:31.64
even 33 years later,
for those who saw it,
00:08:31.67\00:08:35.61
they have not forgotten it.
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It showed a long line of
people dressed in gray...
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remember that Pastor C.A.?
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Long line of people dressed
in gray, dingy outfits marching
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lockstep in a trance
into a large dimly lit gray,
00:08:53.83\00:09:01.30
smoky theater.
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They were sitting on wood
benches in front of a large
00:09:02.74\00:09:07.58
screen - no one made a sound.
00:09:07.61\00:09:10.45
This commercial lasted
all of 1 minute and 4 seconds.
00:09:10.48\00:09:13.75
No one made a sound.
00:09:13.78\00:09:15.55
No one spoke a word.
00:09:15.58\00:09:19.79
The commercial was a portrayal
of a totalitarian regime
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holding sway
over the population.
00:09:24.36\00:09:28.16
On the screen was a
talking head - spewing rhetoric
00:09:28.20\00:09:31.67
that held the
audience in a wide-eyed daze,
00:09:31.70\00:09:35.97
but suddenly - I said, SUDDENLY,
00:09:36.00\00:09:38.44
in the distance a
running woman appeared.
00:09:38.47\00:09:41.14
In this sea of gray, she
stood out with short blond hair,
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a white top and a
red runner's shorts.
00:09:47.05\00:09:51.05
She was in full sprint carrying
a large sledge hammer in her
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hands, if you've seen it you'd
know what I'm talking about.
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She was also being
pursued as it were by police
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in heavy riot gear - they were
attempting, as best they could,
00:10:03.67\00:10:09.04
to prevent her from
accomplishing her mission.
00:10:09.07\00:10:11.54
In this theater, people sitting
in a trance, gray outfits,
00:10:11.57\00:10:16.14
gray room, gray atmosphere,
she was running as if
00:10:16.18\00:10:21.28
everything in the
future depended upon her
00:10:21.32\00:10:24.49
accomplishing her design.
00:10:24.52\00:10:26.32
Before they could catch her,
she spun her body around twice
00:10:26.35\00:10:30.36
to give the sledge
hammer momentum and then she
00:10:30.39\00:10:33.23
tossed it at the dismay
of the police pursuing her,
00:10:33.26\00:10:36.80
at this giant screen with
a force that was so powerful
00:10:36.83\00:10:41.64
it caused the screen to
explode and the explosion
00:10:41.67\00:10:46.14
broke the crowd from their
lethargy... can you see it?
00:10:46.17\00:10:51.81
As the commercial faded,
the scrolling caption on the
00:10:51.85\00:10:55.95
screen was... "On January 24th,
00:10:55.98\00:11:00.26
Apple Computer will introduce
Macintosh and you will see
00:11:00.29\00:11:05.06
why 1984 won't be like 1984."
00:11:05.09\00:11:09.60
When Macintosh was introduced,
they didn't talk about
00:11:12.47\00:11:17.61
the features or the
benefits of the product.
00:11:17.64\00:11:21.01
It was not about a
differentiating value
00:11:21.04\00:11:24.51
proposition which is called
the "DVP" in business meaning.
00:11:24.55\00:11:27.78
They didn't talk about
why people would be willing to
00:11:27.82\00:11:31.19
pay more, but they discovered
that people are willing to
00:11:31.22\00:11:37.53
pay more - hear me carefully...
00:11:37.56\00:11:39.53
... if they see that the
product is worth the value.
00:11:39.56\00:11:44.27
They said,
"People WILL pay more."
00:11:44.30\00:11:45.93
In a world where
computers are relatively cheap
00:11:45.97\00:11:48.67
and IBM dominated the market,
where Dell held a massive
00:11:48.70\00:11:53.34
share of the
market, Macintosh stepped up
00:11:53.38\00:11:55.98
to the plate and
allowed their product to do ALL
00:11:56.01\00:11:59.95
the talking for them.
00:11:59.98\00:12:02.82
Advertisers said that
it was less of a commercial
00:12:02.85\00:12:07.76
and more of a manifesto.
00:12:07.79\00:12:09.49
A manifesto simply is a
declaration, a pronouncement,
00:12:09.52\00:12:13.70
or a statement.
00:12:13.73\00:12:15.06
And from January 1984 to
the present, Apple has continued
00:12:15.10\00:12:21.07
to dominate sales by
being able to remain relevant
00:12:21.10\00:12:25.51
and fresh to each generation.
00:12:25.54\00:12:29.51
The message of the
commercial was simple.
00:12:29.54\00:12:31.28
The message of the
Apple commercial was simple.
00:12:31.31\00:12:33.55
This gray room, this
woman running in red and white,
00:12:33.58\00:12:36.38
the breaking of the screen,
the breaking of individuals
00:12:36.42\00:12:39.65
out of their lethargy - their
state of almost comatose...
00:12:39.69\00:12:42.39
The MESSAGE of the
commercial was simple...
00:12:42.42\00:12:44.79
Apple said, "It is time to
break from the status quo."
00:12:45.89\00:12:50.90
It is time to step out from
being just like everybody else.
00:12:50.93\00:12:54.60
It is time to stand
up and to be counted.
00:12:54.64\00:12:57.34
It is time to understand
WHY we make computers.
00:12:57.37\00:13:00.81
It's time to give
the people what they NEED
00:13:01.51\00:13:04.51
rather than just
blending in and the sole intent
00:13:04.55\00:13:08.18
behind that commercial was to
ignite a revolution around the
00:13:08.22\00:13:12.55
single word "why."
00:13:12.59\00:13:15.22
And if you pause for a
moment, you'd say to yourself
00:13:15.26\00:13:18.46
that 33 years is a long
time and although products
00:13:18.49\00:13:22.40
have changed and fashion
has changed, the one thing that
00:13:22.43\00:13:25.63
never changed for Apple,
and I read this just recently,
00:13:25.67\00:13:28.84
the one thing that
never changed for Apple is...
00:13:28.87\00:13:32.17
"Why we do what we do."
00:13:32.21\00:13:37.55
Advertisers began to question
00:13:38.85\00:13:40.85
why Apple - even when
they appeared to almost
00:13:40.88\00:13:43.89
lose their relevance,
how they were able to adjust
00:13:43.92\00:13:47.16
and come back in such a
mighty way - even though
00:13:47.19\00:13:49.69
their products was
among some of the most
00:13:49.72\00:13:51.29
expensive on the market.
00:13:51.33\00:13:52.66
They still,
today, remain relevant.
00:13:52.69\00:13:55.66
They looked at the need
and they discovered that if we
00:13:55.70\00:13:58.53
fulfill the need, the DVP
would take care of itself.
00:13:58.57\00:14:03.67
People are willing to
invest - hear me carefully...
00:14:03.71\00:14:07.58
People are willing to invest
in the very thing that they
00:14:07.61\00:14:11.31
see has lasting value.
00:14:11.35\00:14:14.05
Can I transition
here... If they saw in us
00:14:14.08\00:14:18.29
that we exemplified and
personified and communicated
00:14:19.02\00:14:24.39
that what we believe
is important because of
00:14:24.43\00:14:29.90
WHY we believe it.
00:14:29.93\00:14:31.27
If they saw that what we
do is important because of
00:14:31.30\00:14:34.40
WHY we do it, I believe
they'll be more individuals
00:14:34.44\00:14:38.24
wanting OUR product because
our "why" would never change.
00:14:38.27\00:14:43.51
You see "why" never changes.
00:14:43.55\00:14:45.45
Why you do - never changes.
00:14:45.48\00:14:47.42
HOW you do it and WHAT
you are going to do next
00:14:47.45\00:14:49.95
may change, but why
you do it never changes.
00:14:49.98\00:14:53.15
That's why
baseball happens every year.
00:14:53.19\00:14:55.76
Why do they play baseball?
00:14:55.79\00:14:57.13
Because somebody has
gotta be the champion.
00:14:57.16\00:14:59.29
Why is basketball
never losing it's relevance?
00:14:59.33\00:15:01.16
Why is all the sports
that happen from year-to-year,
00:15:01.20\00:15:03.30
moment-to-moment
never lose their relevance
00:15:03.33\00:15:05.40
because they always
answer the question "WHY?"
00:15:05.43\00:15:10.11
And so I'm
suggesting to you today...
00:15:10.14\00:15:12.14
The "why" of Apple
needs to become the why of
00:15:14.81\00:15:18.71
everything we do and the "why"
in Apple was simply this...
00:15:18.75\00:15:22.02
Here is the "why."
They said and it is still
00:15:22.05\00:15:25.39
their slogan today - "We
exist, they said, to empower
00:15:25.42\00:15:30.23
individuals."
00:15:30.26\00:15:31.89
"We exist not to empower groups,
but to empower individuals."
00:15:31.93\00:15:38.73
They now are their
focus to the individual...
00:15:38.77\00:15:41.44
what we do and how we do
it is not as important as
00:15:41.47\00:15:45.47
WHY we do it.
00:15:45.51\00:15:46.84
You see, when we are driven
by the "why," then drive and
00:15:46.88\00:15:50.01
commitment will never change.
00:15:50.05\00:15:51.61
"Why" will shape "how"
and make "what" valuable.
00:15:51.65\00:15:55.18
Now that I've got you
confused, let me unconfuse you
00:15:55.22\00:15:59.92
because what, how and
why can get you confused
00:15:59.95\00:16:03.22
if you don't understand
the importance behind "why."
00:16:03.26\00:16:07.40
You see, on the heels
of His farewell speech,
00:16:07.43\00:16:11.73
as Jesus began to ascend
to His home and our home,
00:16:11.77\00:16:14.80
Rosemary, He made the
sure promise to us that
00:16:14.84\00:16:19.24
He was not leaving to
return where He was going.
00:16:19.27\00:16:25.25
When Jesus left, He told
His disciples, "I've got a round
00:16:25.28\00:16:29.85
trip ticket." Amen?
00:16:29.88\00:16:32.95
Acts 1:9-10, you're turning
in your Bibles with me...
00:16:32.99\00:16:36.19
When Jesus left, He said
to His disciples, "I've got a
00:16:36.22\00:16:39.79
round trip ticket, I've
been here for 3-1/2 years,
00:16:39.83\00:16:42.50
but when I come back,
the best is yet to come."
00:16:42.53\00:16:45.03
And He left them with what I
want to leave you with today.
00:16:45.07\00:16:48.10
He drove them with
a single word "why."
00:16:48.14\00:16:55.51
In the church today, the
Adventist Church, we boast
00:16:55.54\00:16:58.41
now being out since
1863, we boast our history
00:16:58.45\00:17:01.98
we boast our
growing institutions,
00:17:02.02\00:17:04.22
we try to do everything we
can, we try to do what we do
00:17:04.25\00:17:08.16
to gain membership, but
I'd like to suggest to you
00:17:08.19\00:17:10.53
today if why we do what
we do was the driving factor,
00:17:10.56\00:17:16.93
the what and the how
would take care of itself.
00:17:16.97\00:17:20.94
Why do you do that,
rather than WHAT you do?
00:17:20.97\00:17:25.67
Give me some time to
unfold it... Acts 1:9-10
00:17:25.71\00:17:28.84
When Jesus left, He assured
the disciples that He had a
00:17:28.88\00:17:34.45
round trip
ticket. The Bible says...
00:17:34.48\00:17:36.62
While they do what? Watched
00:17:50.10\00:17:53.00
Two men stood by
in white apparel.
00:18:10.89\00:18:13.19
I would suggest to
you that these were not
00:18:13.22\00:18:14.76
ordinary men -
these were angels.
00:18:14.79\00:18:16.46
You see, God always has angels.
00:18:16.49\00:18:19.49
The King always
has security detail.
00:18:19.53\00:18:22.73
He always has His
secret service with Him.
00:18:22.76\00:18:26.20
He is always escorted.
00:18:26.23\00:18:27.57
His importance demands
the attention of holy angels.
00:18:27.60\00:18:31.27
They were there when He rose.
00:18:31.31\00:18:32.87
They followed Him in His life.
00:18:32.91\00:18:34.94
They announced His
entrance into the world.
00:18:34.98\00:18:37.98
And they were there to witness
His ascension and in this
00:18:38.01\00:18:41.65
context, at the ascension of
Jesus, the disciples witnessed
00:18:41.68\00:18:46.22
for the first time - what human
eyes had never seen before.
00:18:46.25\00:18:49.39
They saw Jesus leave.
00:18:49.42\00:18:52.63
They didn't see Him
come, they saw Him leave,
00:18:52.66\00:18:55.80
and this sight was so
captivating that heaven
00:18:55.83\00:19:01.74
had to interrupt the
nostalgia in verse 11...
00:19:01.77\00:19:05.47
Go there with me...
They were so captivated.
00:19:05.51\00:19:08.21
I mean, wouldn't you be -
if you saw somebody ascending
00:19:08.24\00:19:11.01
to heaven? Come on now!
00:19:11.05\00:19:12.38
Wouldn't you be?
Come on now... Amen?
00:19:12.41\00:19:14.72
If all of a sudden your
friend said, "I'm leaving,"
00:19:14.75\00:19:16.82
and he decided to
ascend in front of you,
00:19:16.85\00:19:19.32
and you stood
there... "Uh Don, Don?"
00:19:19.35\00:19:29.30
"Don?" And all of a sudden,
00:19:29.33\00:19:32.60
he's just going up
and up and up and up,
00:19:32.63\00:19:36.50
and all of a sudden,
you can't see him anymore.
00:19:36.54\00:19:39.44
You're kind of waiting
because in human reality,
00:19:39.47\00:19:42.54
we say, "What goes
up, must come down."
00:19:42.58\00:19:46.72
I want to tell you today, Jesus
went up and He will come down.
00:19:46.75\00:19:49.28
Come on, say Amen somebody...
00:19:49.32\00:19:51.05
But in the
nostalgia of standing around,
00:19:51.09\00:19:54.29
Heaven had to interrupt
this nostalgic memorable moment
00:19:54.32\00:19:59.79
with the question in verse 11.
00:19:59.83\00:20:04.63
Say the next word with me.
00:20:09.00\00:20:11.47
The Jesus that was
with you every day...
00:20:19.88\00:20:22.78
this same Jesus, the
Jesus that calmed the waters
00:20:22.82\00:20:27.26
in the most
frightful moment of your life,
00:20:27.29\00:20:29.62
this same Jesus, the
Jesus that took loaves
00:20:29.66\00:20:33.46
and fishes and fed the
5,000, this same Jesus,
00:20:33.50\00:20:37.73
the Jesus that you
saw healed the lame,
00:20:37.77\00:20:40.87
raised the dead,
give sight to the blind,
00:20:40.90\00:20:44.04
come on somebody, say Amen!
00:20:44.07\00:20:45.41
This same Jesus - Jesus
left a resume so long that when
00:20:45.44\00:20:51.15
the book of John ended,
He said - "If I would write
00:20:51.18\00:20:56.05
about everything
that Jesus ever did...
00:20:56.08\00:20:58.99
Now I'm talking about
3-1/2 years of life...
00:20:59.02\00:21:01.06
because John was not
in heaven with Jesus.
00:21:01.09\00:21:03.26
As-a-matter-of-fact,
he wasn't called Jesus
00:21:03.29\00:21:04.83
until He came down
here, but John still says...
00:21:04.86\00:21:07.83
let me go there with you...
come on turn there with me.
00:21:07.86\00:21:09.76
John 21- let's go there,
look at it, look at it...
00:21:09.80\00:21:13.64
"This same Jesus...
Oh how beautiful it is
00:21:13.67\00:21:17.54
to have a connection with
Jesus, can the church say Amen?
00:21:17.57\00:21:25.08
This same Jesus - John
21:25, when John put this there,
00:21:25.11\00:21:32.62
in other words, He
says, I'm going to end my book
00:21:32.65\00:21:34.52
at chapter 21, but if I kept
going, I wouldn't have enough
00:21:34.56\00:21:39.09
space! He said...
00:21:39.13\00:21:41.16
I mean, I'm in my 50s,
00:21:58.21\00:22:01.52
that's all I'm
going to tell you.
00:22:01.55\00:22:02.88
But for someone to live
for 3-1/2 years on earth,
00:22:02.92\00:22:08.49
just 3-1/2- how many children
that are 3-1/2 years old
00:22:09.99\00:22:14.26
a parent would say,
"If I wrote on everything
00:22:14.30\00:22:16.56
they did, I wouldn't
have space to write it,
00:22:16.60\00:22:18.20
the world couldn't
contain what they did."
00:22:18.23\00:22:19.63
I doubt that, but
Jesus... but Jesus was so driven
00:22:19.67\00:22:23.27
by the "why," He came.
00:22:23.30\00:22:25.11
Jesus was so empowered by the
"why," He came - that John said,
00:22:25.14\00:22:30.11
"If I took the time to
tell you everything that He did,
00:22:30.15\00:22:34.92
and how He did it, and
what He did, and how it impacted
00:22:34.95\00:22:39.35
the world, I suppose the world
itself could not contain it."
00:22:39.39\00:22:42.92
One writer said, "If every
stalk on earth was a quill,
00:22:42.96\00:22:47.86
and every man a scribe by
trade, if the ocean was ink,
00:22:47.90\00:22:52.90
and the skies were parchment,
there still would not be
00:22:52.93\00:22:58.57
enough room to talk about Jesus.
00:22:58.61\00:23:02.31
This same Jesus and in
that very pivotal moment,
00:23:02.34\00:23:06.28
they began to remember...
"Is He going to come back?"
00:23:06.31\00:23:09.32
This was the Jesus
that went to the cross;
00:23:09.35\00:23:12.62
this was the Jesus
that chose normal men.
00:23:12.65\00:23:16.56
Let me repeat that,
ABNORMAL men, sinful men,
00:23:16.59\00:23:22.63
forgave them,
empowered them, enlisted them,
00:23:22.66\00:23:27.90
commissioned them and this
motley crew of individuals that
00:23:27.94\00:23:33.14
just don't know what's ahead
of them are locked into the
00:23:33.17\00:23:35.78
moment looking
at this same Jesus.
00:23:35.81\00:23:40.08
The focus of the question
was not why are they gazing,
00:23:41.48\00:23:43.92
the focus of the question
was "Why do you stand gazing?"
00:23:43.95\00:23:51.73
The angels were not
troubled by the fact that they
00:23:51.76\00:23:54.80
were looking, the angels
were troubled by the fact that
00:23:54.83\00:23:57.93
there was no activity.
00:23:57.97\00:23:59.37
Now they were standing,
waiting for Jesus to come,
00:23:59.40\00:24:05.94
and when I read this
text, in the context of the book
00:24:05.97\00:24:09.94
written by Simon Sinek,
"Start With the Word Why,"
00:24:09.98\00:24:13.35
he pushed me into a corner
that I had not been in before,
00:24:13.38\00:24:17.75
and he said to me, "John,
how long you been preaching?"
00:24:17.79\00:24:20.32
"Thirty years"
00:24:20.36\00:24:21.72
"How long you been a
pastor?" "Thirty years"
00:24:21.76\00:24:23.86
"How long you been
married?" "Thirty-four years"
00:24:23.89\00:24:26.16
"Why?"
00:24:26.19\00:24:30.00
"Well because uh, uhm,
because I like to preach."
00:24:30.03\00:24:39.77
"Why?" And he kept pushing me
00:24:39.81\00:24:47.28
to another "why."
00:24:47.32\00:24:53.02
And until the reason became,
"I do what I do and the reason
00:24:53.05\00:25:01.90
why I do it - is my
connection to Jesus...
00:25:01.93\00:25:07.34
Every other reason
made no difference."
00:25:07.37\00:25:13.98
"Why are you a vegetarian?"
00:25:14.01\00:25:15.51
"Because it's a
clean way to live."
00:25:15.54\00:25:17.05
Well, I wanna tell you,
there are some atheists that
00:25:17.08\00:25:19.18
are better
vegetarians than you are."
00:25:19.21\00:25:22.62
In the occult world, there
are some people that don't eat
00:25:22.65\00:25:28.26
half of what we eat, so
you cannot be a vegetarian
00:25:28.29\00:25:31.53
Just because it's
a clean way to live.
00:25:31.56\00:25:33.36
Vegetarianism is not salvation,
00:25:33.40\00:25:35.40
it's a way to
live! Amen somebody.
00:25:35.43\00:25:39.93
But "why you are" ought
to be connected to Jesus.
00:25:39.97\00:25:44.51
When Jesus went up, he
did not want his disciples
00:25:47.91\00:25:54.48
to remain inactive because
I would suggest to you today
00:25:54.52\00:25:58.22
the passage in Matthew 24:14,
"And this gospel of the kingdom
00:25:58.25\00:26:02.82
shall be preached in
all the world for a witness
00:26:02.86\00:26:05.89
unto all nations and
then shall the end come."
00:26:05.93\00:26:08.43
Until the gospel
gets to the entire world,
00:26:08.46\00:26:11.60
Jesus will not return.
00:26:11.63\00:26:14.67
So we've got to ask
ourselves a serious question...
00:26:14.70\00:26:19.21
"Why are we Seventh-day
Adventist Christians?"
00:26:19.24\00:26:23.04
For you see, the
disciples, long before 1863,
00:26:23.08\00:26:28.68
the disciples were
Seventh-day Adventists.
00:26:28.72\00:26:32.79
Isn't that right?
They kept the Sabbath,
00:26:32.82\00:26:35.12
and they looked forward to
the Second Advent of Jesus.
00:26:35.16\00:26:37.89
So being a Seventh-day
Adventist is not something that
00:26:37.93\00:26:41.90
happened in 1863- it happened
when Jesus met the disciples,
00:26:41.93\00:26:46.40
and He empowered them with
the words that He gave to them
00:26:46.43\00:26:49.60
in Matthew
28:18-20, go there with me...
00:26:49.64\00:26:52.27
Matthew 28:18-20- For you
see Jesus was not just going up,
00:26:52.31\00:26:57.58
but He was about
to turn up the power;
00:26:57.61\00:27:00.05
He was not just going
up, but He was about to
00:27:00.08\00:27:02.32
turn up the power so that these
disciples that were standing
00:27:02.35\00:27:05.92
gazing - and I want to say...
"Waiting for Jesus to come
00:27:05.95\00:27:11.83
is not a good
use of time." Amen!
00:27:11.86\00:27:19.13
Have you ever waited?
It's the worst thing to do.
00:27:19.17\00:27:25.74
That's why, when I'm
driving and I get to a light
00:27:25.77\00:27:28.68
that I know is
long, you know what I do,
00:27:28.71\00:27:30.15
I don't wait, I do
something, and have you noticed
00:27:30.18\00:27:39.72
that the moment you
decide to do something
00:27:39.75\00:27:42.32
while you're
waiting, what happens?
00:27:42.36\00:27:44.86
The light changes.
00:27:44.89\00:27:48.50
But if you just sit there
waiting for the light to change,
00:27:48.53\00:27:53.94
it seems as though
today, the light is longer
00:27:53.97\00:27:57.01
than it's ever been before.
00:27:57.04\00:27:58.91
I'm going somewhere with this.
00:27:58.94\00:28:01.08
If we just sit around
waiting for Jesus to come,
00:28:01.11\00:28:04.15
it's going to seems like
He just ain't coming back.
00:28:04.18\00:28:09.05
But if we get out of our
seats and go into the streets,
00:28:09.08\00:28:13.96
and reach out to the
highways and the hedges,
00:28:14.66\00:28:17.16
and to those who know and
those who are still in darkness,
00:28:17.19\00:28:20.16
and those who have never
heard the name of Jesus or those
00:28:20.20\00:28:23.23
brothers and sisters in Christ
who just have not received
00:28:23.26\00:28:27.24
the truth as it is completely
revealed in God's word,
00:28:27.27\00:28:30.61
if we get busy as we
wait for the coming of Jesus,
00:28:30.64\00:28:34.81
it will seem as though
Jesus is coming tomorrow.
00:28:34.84\00:28:43.82
The angels were not
upset that they were looking,
00:28:43.85\00:28:45.85
the angels were upset that
they were just standing looking.
00:28:45.89\00:28:49.92
Look at the word there - that
word is a sense of inactivity.
00:28:49.96\00:28:54.00
"Why do you stand gazing?"
00:28:54.03\00:28:56.77
The fact of the matter is Jesus
is coming again and they were
00:28:56.80\00:28:59.47
concerned, "Will you at
this time restore Jerusalem?"
00:28:59.50\00:29:02.17
The Lord said, "It's
not up to you to know
00:29:02.20\00:29:03.71
the times and the seasons which
the Father put in My own hand."
00:29:03.74\00:29:06.47
It is not up to us and so
often we are so determined
00:29:06.51\00:29:09.94
that we want to
know when Jesus comes,
00:29:09.98\00:29:11.55
we look at EVERY
prophetic sign...
00:29:11.58\00:29:13.18
Okay, all the four
beasts of Daniel are fulfilled.
00:29:13.21\00:29:17.75
We're down to the
last beast of Daniel.
00:29:17.79\00:29:20.36
Yes, the undescript iron-toothed
beast that represents Rome.
00:29:20.39\00:29:24.79
Okay, good - there
ain't no more after that.
00:29:24.83\00:29:27.43
We're at the seventh
church of the seven churches,
00:29:27.46\00:29:29.90
we're in Laodicea - ain't
no more churches after that.
00:29:29.93\00:29:32.47
Praise God for prophecy.
00:29:32.50\00:29:36.07
But I'm going to suggest to
you... because we know that,
00:29:39.67\00:29:43.04
because we know that,
it ought to motivate us
00:29:43.08\00:29:48.68
to do all we can, all in our
power to hasten the coming of
00:29:48.72\00:29:53.46
our Lord. Amen? Amen!
00:29:53.49\00:29:58.03
It's easy to say,
"Well... and I think part of the
00:29:58.06\00:30:00.90
challenge we have down
here is we have a whole lot of
00:30:00.93\00:30:03.67
satellites over there
doing the work for us.
00:30:03.70\00:30:08.50
But thank God for people
like John, Don and Janelle and
00:30:08.54\00:30:13.44
before that Joe O'Brien and
all our ministry departments
00:30:13.48\00:30:16.51
that are active - thank
God for those that ARE active,
00:30:16.54\00:30:19.08
but I have been told by
inspiration, Ellen White says,
00:30:19.11\00:30:22.78
"The Holy Spirit will not
be poured out corporately until
00:30:22.82\00:30:27.52
the majority of the
church is working for the
00:30:27.56\00:30:30.13
coming of Jesus.
00:30:30.16\00:30:32.36
So what does the
devil want us to do?
00:30:32.39\00:30:33.93
He wants us to
stand here gazing...
00:30:33.96\00:30:36.73
Do you think He's coming
before the next presidency?
00:30:36.77\00:30:43.77
He should have
come before this one.
00:30:43.81\00:30:45.74
No Amen is necessary.
00:30:47.91\00:30:51.35
That was not a
political statement.
00:30:51.38\00:30:56.48
Do you think
global warming is a sign
00:30:56.52\00:30:58.39
that Jesus is coming soon?
00:30:58.42\00:31:01.42
You know what the sign
of the coming of Jesus is?
00:31:01.46\00:31:03.46
His church getting
busy, that's what the sign is.
00:31:03.49\00:31:08.46
"Blessed is the man when the
Lord comes, so find him doing."
00:31:08.50\00:31:11.97
The Lord is looking
for an active church,
00:31:12.00\00:31:14.00
not a church that just
has a belief because I would
00:31:14.04\00:31:16.40
suggest to you that if
while we are looking for Jesus
00:31:16.44\00:31:19.34
does not affect
how we use our time,
00:31:19.37\00:31:21.91
then what we
believe doesn't matter.
00:31:21.94\00:31:24.21
If WHY we are looking for
the return of Jesus does not
00:31:24.25\00:31:29.25
affect how we use
the time He has given us,
00:31:29.28\00:31:31.92
then WHAT we
believe doesn't matter.
00:31:31.95\00:31:37.06
Because Apple said,
"People don't buy what you make,
00:31:37.09\00:31:40.70
they buy WHY you make it,"
and it's true to this very day.
00:31:40.73\00:31:46.30
Matthew 28:18-20, that's
where you are and I'm reading
00:31:48.80\00:31:53.07
this in the King James
Version for there's a particular
00:31:53.11\00:31:55.24
reason I want to make that's
included in this translation...
00:31:55.28\00:31:59.21
And He said to them, "All
power is given Me in... where?
00:32:02.18\00:32:06.92
Heaven and in... earth.
00:32:06.96\00:32:09.46
Go ye therefore and do... what?
00:32:09.49\00:32:11.46
"Teach all nations."
00:32:11.49\00:32:13.76
You know, when
Donald said "Benton,"
00:32:13.80\00:32:16.23
in my mind I said, "Why
not Thompsonville? Come on...
00:32:16.26\00:32:20.54
Why not West
Frankfort? Why not Galatia?
00:32:20.57\00:32:25.17
Why not Metropolis?"
00:32:25.21\00:32:27.78
We've got a responsibility
to plant in every field
00:32:27.81\00:32:31.81
around us, but I
can understand...
00:32:31.85\00:32:33.98
You know, sometimes we
think "Well, I would do more,
00:32:34.02\00:32:37.09
if more people would respond,
but I don't know how many
00:32:37.12\00:32:40.29
people I'm going to get,
so I'm going to narrow it
00:32:40.32\00:32:41.86
down to Benton - if
we could start there."
00:32:41.89\00:32:43.99
But I would like to suggest
to you, the more feet on the
00:32:44.03\00:32:46.56
ground, the more preparation
for the coming of Jesus.
00:32:46.59\00:32:49.36
The more people will know
that Jesus is soon to come.
00:32:49.63\00:32:52.57
And He has called us to take our
time and use it in preparation
00:32:52.60\00:32:58.77
for His soon return.
00:32:58.81\00:33:00.34
Jesus said to them,
"All power is given unto Me."
00:33:00.38\00:33:04.85
How much power
church? All power...
00:33:04.88\00:33:06.88
In heaven and in earth
and here's the commission...
00:33:06.92\00:33:09.75
And I like this part... "And
lo, I am with you how often?
00:33:24.47\00:33:27.44
ALWAYS, even unto
the end of the world."
00:33:27.47\00:33:31.44
Why we are looking for
Jesus to return does not affect
00:33:31.47\00:33:34.44
how we use our time
than what we believe
00:33:34.48\00:33:36.98
does not matter.
00:33:37.01\00:33:38.41
We have often tried to
convince people to follow Jesus
00:33:38.45\00:33:42.85
by what we
believe... follow me carefully.
00:33:43.52\00:33:47.49
What do you believe?
00:33:47.52\00:33:48.89
I believe in the Sabbath.
00:33:48.92\00:33:50.56
I believe that when you
die, you rest in the grave.
00:33:50.59\00:33:53.46
I believe that we're
living in the hour of judgment.
00:33:53.50\00:33:56.56
I believe in the
literal, visible, physical
00:33:56.60\00:33:59.57
second coming of Christ.
00:33:59.60\00:34:00.94
And they say, "Oh that's well,
that's supported by Scripture,"
00:34:00.97\00:34:03.71
and oftentimes people
become Seventh-day Adventist
00:34:03.74\00:34:07.31
Christians based on
the fact that when you walk
00:34:07.34\00:34:10.48
through our
28-Fundamentals, the reality is
00:34:10.51\00:34:13.08
you cannot argue
with them because they are
00:34:13.11\00:34:14.95
Scripturally based.
00:34:14.98\00:34:17.79
But, if you become a Christian
intellectually and not become
00:34:17.82\00:34:20.39
one in your heart,
then you don't have any
00:34:20.42\00:34:23.02
motive to do anything to
get anybody else where you
00:34:23.06\00:34:25.56
already are.
00:34:25.59\00:34:28.20
And I suggest if that was
the only "why" that Jesus used,
00:34:37.41\00:34:40.64
then they wouldn't be
as motivated as they were,
00:34:41.94\00:34:44.31
but there was another "why" that
Jesus had introduced to them.
00:34:44.35\00:34:47.08
Let's go to Luke
24:1... There was another "why"
00:34:47.12\00:34:50.29
that preceded this second "why."
00:34:50.32\00:34:53.15
Luke 24:1-6... "Now on the first
day of the week, Luke 24:1,
00:34:55.52\00:35:02.73
The first "why" -
"Very early in the morning
00:35:02.76\00:35:07.97
THEY and certain other
women with them came to the
00:35:08.00\00:35:12.27
tomb bringing the
spices which they had prepared.
00:35:12.31\00:35:16.71
But they found the stone - what?
00:35:16.75\00:35:19.25
Rolled away from the tomb.
00:35:19.28\00:35:21.45
That behold -
there they are again.
00:35:30.49\00:35:34.03
Two men, I would suggest
the same two men that was
00:35:34.06\00:35:37.20
at the ascension
of Jesus, Angels...
00:35:37.23\00:35:41.10
Two men stood by
them in shining garments.
00:35:41.14\00:35:45.84
They said to them
- what did they say?
00:35:49.34\00:35:52.11
"Why?" Why do you seek
the living among the dead?
00:35:52.15\00:35:56.89
He is not here, but is risen."
00:35:56.92\00:35:58.25
Can the church say Amen?
00:35:58.29\00:36:00.06
We don't serve a dead
Lord, we serve a risen Lord.
00:36:00.09\00:36:02.99
There is no... let me
make it clear - there is NO
00:36:03.02\00:36:05.73
religion or philosophy
on the planet that can claim
00:36:05.76\00:36:10.40
that their Lord or their
leader is still alive today.
00:36:10.43\00:36:17.61
They go to honor Him
at this tomb and that tomb
00:36:21.21\00:36:24.58
in this shrine and that
shrine, but we don't have a
00:36:24.61\00:36:27.82
hole in the ground where
our Lord is - He is risen.
00:36:27.85\00:36:30.52
Come on church, say Amen. Amen!
00:36:30.55\00:36:32.55
But here's the question...
You see the "why" of the
00:36:32.59\00:36:36.09
risen Savior
REVIVED the disciples.
00:36:36.12\00:36:38.99
The "why" of the ascended
Savior empowered the disciples.
00:36:39.03\00:36:42.93
You see because He has
risen, and because He ascended,
00:36:42.96\00:36:47.17
the reviving of
their hopes became the
00:36:47.20\00:36:50.27
empowerment of their mission.
00:36:50.31\00:36:51.77
They said, "Wait a
minute, we thought that when
00:36:51.81\00:36:54.31
He went to the
cross, that was it!"
00:36:54.34\00:36:56.24
That wasn't it - Jesus went to
the cross to bring us with Him.
00:36:56.28\00:37:00.15
But when He comes back again,
He's gonna take us with Him,
00:37:00.18\00:37:03.08
but between the going to
the cross and going to heaven,
00:37:03.12\00:37:06.15
there's a work that God has
called every one of us to do,
00:37:06.19\00:37:09.29
and the good news of the risen
Savior was what they preached...
00:37:09.32\00:37:13.16
But the promise of the returning
Savior was WHY they preached.
00:37:13.19\00:37:18.33
The risen Savior,
what they preached,
00:37:18.37\00:37:21.27
the promise of His
return was "why" they preached,
00:37:21.30\00:37:25.41
and I say to you
today, Christianity is greatly
00:37:25.44\00:37:27.94
divided because
of what we believe.
00:37:27.98\00:37:30.45
Baptists argue with Adventists.
00:37:30.48\00:37:32.55
Catholic argue
with Pentecostals.
00:37:32.58\00:37:35.35
Presbyterians argue
with Jehovah Witnesses.
00:37:35.38\00:37:38.29
But I'd like to suggest to
you today - if we examine why
00:37:38.32\00:37:41.92
our beliefs are what they
are and measured it by the
00:37:41.96\00:37:44.79
Bible, I would say
today, the walls of separation
00:37:44.83\00:37:48.16
would come down.
00:37:48.20\00:37:52.70
Praise the Lord.
00:37:53.80\00:37:57.94
Thank you Bob.
00:37:57.97\00:38:00.58
If Christians today... we
don't bring down the walls
00:38:00.61\00:38:05.61
to follow the pope,
we bring down the walls
00:38:05.65\00:38:08.38
to follow Jesus.
00:38:08.42\00:38:09.75
We don't bring down
the walls just to agree,
00:38:09.78\00:38:12.85
when you study God's word,
it will bring the walls down.
00:38:12.89\00:38:18.39
I cannot forget
Harmon and Helen...
00:38:18.43\00:38:22.83
Harmon is now
resting in Jesus...
00:38:22.86\00:38:24.73
You see the "why" is powerful...
00:38:24.77\00:38:26.30
The "why" will rip you
from your lackadaisical position
00:38:26.33\00:38:29.94
as a Christian and
FORCE you to determine
00:38:29.97\00:38:32.97
where your
future is going to be.
00:38:33.01\00:38:34.68
Harmon showed up
- you may remember,
00:38:34.71\00:38:36.21
for this has been a
number of years ago.
00:38:36.24\00:38:37.65
"Harmon," I never forgot, we
were ending prayer meeting...
00:38:37.68\00:38:40.78
One Wednesday night in
the sanctuary, right here...
00:38:40.82\00:38:44.49
and Harmon and his wife
stood over there and after the
00:38:44.52\00:38:47.62
meeting was done, I
walked over to them...
00:38:47.66\00:38:48.99
I said, "He looked
like a stately gentleman,
00:38:49.02\00:38:51.03
he looked like an
elder... I said, "Are you an
00:38:51.06\00:38:52.96
elder in the Adventist Church?"
00:38:52.99\00:38:55.40
He said,
"Naow," you know Harmon.
00:38:55.43\00:38:57.80
I said, "Are you
a deacon?" "Naow."
00:38:57.83\00:39:01.10
I said, "Are you
a member?" "Naow."
00:39:01.14\00:39:04.44
I said, "Are you
visiting through ABN?" "Naow."
00:39:04.47\00:39:07.91
I said, "Then what
brings you here?" "You."
00:39:07.94\00:39:09.81
I said, "Explain."
00:39:09.84\00:39:12.95
He said, "About 6 months ago
00:39:12.98\00:39:16.15
when you were
doing "House Calls,"
00:39:16.18\00:39:18.22
you challenged me -
you said, "Why do you go...
00:39:18.25\00:39:22.02
WHY do you go to
church on Sunday?"
00:39:22.06\00:39:25.89
And I said, "Look up
these five words and whatever
00:39:25.93\00:39:27.80
you follow, whatever
your discover, take it to your
00:39:27.83\00:39:30.43
pastor and ask
him to explain it."
00:39:30.47\00:39:33.60
Look up - Saturday, Sunday,
7th day, first day and Sabbath.
00:39:33.64\00:39:36.81
And he said, "I did that
and that's why I'm here."
00:39:36.84\00:39:40.68
In his 70s, his wife in
her 70s, he was an elder
00:39:45.45\00:39:49.48
in his church 39 years,
his wife - treasurer 37 years.
00:39:49.52\00:39:52.59
They were where they were
because of WHAT they believed,
00:39:52.62\00:39:57.26
and it defined
HOW they worshipped,
00:39:57.29\00:40:00.66
but when they asked
the question, "WHY we are
00:40:00.70\00:40:03.70
where we are and WHY we
believe what we believe,"
00:40:03.73\00:40:07.14
it ripped them from
39 and 37 years of being
00:40:07.17\00:40:11.81
in an "almost" place to
where God wanted them to be.
00:40:11.84\00:40:17.01
I said, "Tell me the story."
00:40:18.41\00:40:19.75
He said, "Well I went to
my pastor and I asked him
00:40:19.78\00:40:21.38
"why, why?"
00:40:21.42\00:40:22.75
He said, "Why?"
What did he say, "Why,
00:40:22.78\00:40:24.85
pastor, WHY don't we
keep the Sabbath, WHY?"
00:40:24.89\00:40:28.62
The pastor said, "Look, I'm
the pastor, you're the member...
00:40:28.66\00:40:31.29
I preach, you listen."
00:40:31.33\00:40:33.63
That was his testimony
00:40:33.66\00:40:35.00
He said, "That
ain't good enough."
00:40:35.03\00:40:36.36
So he got upset and
went away for 2 weeks
00:40:36.40\00:40:38.20
down to Alabama
in his fifth wheel.
00:40:38.23\00:40:39.63
Came back and said, "Pastor,
"I'm going to ask you again,"
00:40:39.67\00:40:41.74
"Why don't we talk
about the Sabbath?"
00:40:41.77\00:40:43.61
He said, "Well, in this
church you will no longer
00:40:43.64\00:40:45.41
be teaching Sunday School,
you are no longer an elder,
00:40:45.44\00:40:47.68
you'll be sitting
down from this point on."
00:40:47.71\00:40:50.25
He said, "That's
not good enough."
00:40:50.28\00:40:52.08
He took him to the office
and he stood there talking
00:40:52.11\00:40:54.88
to the pastor and he
looked at the bible and he said,
00:40:54.92\00:40:56.62
"Pastor, I notice your
Bible is highlighted so much,
00:40:56.65\00:40:59.32
so WHY don't we
keep the Sabbath?"
00:40:59.35\00:41:01.92
He said, "Well the things
that are highlighted in my Bible
00:41:01.96\00:41:04.43
... I never forgot this...
he said, "The things that are
00:41:04.46\00:41:06.96
highlighted are
the things they told me
00:41:07.00\00:41:08.76
NEVER to talk about."
00:41:08.80\00:41:14.57
And then the next Sunday,
he asked him one more time...
00:41:14.60\00:41:17.87
"Pastor, WHY don't you
talk about the Sabbath."
00:41:17.91\00:41:20.64
He said, "Look, you got
the problem, you solve it."
00:41:20.68\00:41:23.78
He said, "I am, I'm
going to the Adventist Church."
00:41:23.81\00:41:26.48
Laughter... And he came
here and they got baptized,
00:41:26.51\00:41:29.15
well in their 70s...
his son, Mike and Mary,
00:41:29.18\00:41:33.86
they said, when I met them,
"Our dad has lost his mind!"
00:41:33.89\00:41:38.39
Four months later, they
got baptized, come on say Amen!
00:41:38.43\00:41:41.26
You see, when you
ask the question "WHY?"
00:41:41.30\00:41:43.67
it may look like
your mind is SHOT,
00:41:43.70\00:41:45.70
but the Bible will clear up any
mind that seems to be wandering.
00:41:45.73\00:41:49.07
The Word of God
is a Book of light,
00:41:49.10\00:41:51.27
and I would suggest to
you, the turning point in every
00:41:51.31\00:41:54.78
Christian will come when
we examine what we believe
00:41:54.81\00:41:57.55
and measure it by
the word of God...
00:41:57.58\00:41:59.61
But what's happening in
the world today is Christians
00:41:59.65\00:42:02.22
Fare not like the Bereans.
00:42:02.25\00:42:03.85
Look at Acts 17:11-
They're not like the Bereans,
00:42:03.89\00:42:06.96
they are not like
the New Testament Church.
00:42:06.99\00:42:08.96
When somebody says, "I'm
a New Testament Christian,
00:42:08.99\00:42:11.26
I'd say, "Well if you
are, then you must be examining
00:42:11.29\00:42:14.46
the Scriptures!"
Look at the Bible...
00:42:14.50\00:42:16.90
The Bereans... The Bible says...
00:42:16.93\00:42:19.50
And they searched
the Scriptures how often?
00:42:27.21\00:42:30.35
You know, you might
be listening on the radio
00:42:34.52\00:42:37.02
right now to this sermon or
maybe watching it on television,
00:42:37.05\00:42:39.49
I don't know where you
are, but I want to ask you,
00:42:39.52\00:42:41.22
I want to challenge
you... Why are you a Baptist?
00:42:41.26\00:42:43.49
Why are you a Presbyterian?
00:42:43.53\00:42:44.96
Why are you a Catholic?
00:42:44.99\00:42:46.36
Why are you a Lutheran?
00:42:46.39\00:42:47.83
And I want you to challenge
everything you believe by
00:42:47.86\00:42:50.63
God's word!
00:42:50.67\00:42:55.37
But there's no third category...
00:42:55.40\00:42:57.21
God's not coming
back for denominations,
00:42:57.24\00:42:59.01
He's coming back for those
who serve Him and worship Him
00:42:59.04\00:43:01.91
in Spirit AND in truth.
00:43:01.94\00:43:05.78
And I would suggest to
you today that Scriptural
00:43:05.81\00:43:07.68
integrity has been
weakened by WHAT we believe
00:43:07.72\00:43:10.15
rather than why we believe it.
00:43:10.19\00:43:12.39
You cannot read the
Bible and end up in the dark.
00:43:12.42\00:43:15.26
You cannot study the
Scriptures and end up
00:43:15.29\00:43:17.43
in the wrong place and I would
also like to add that when you
00:43:17.46\00:43:22.16
study the Bible,
whatever didn't make sense
00:43:22.20\00:43:24.63
will make sense when
you let the Bible supersede
00:43:24.67\00:43:27.40
what you precede - let
the Bible be the guide.
00:43:27.44\00:43:31.41
2 Timothy 3:16- Here's why
God has given us His word...
00:43:31.44\00:43:35.71
He says, "All Scripture is
given by inspiration of God,
00:43:35.74\00:43:39.81
and is profitable for doctrine,
for reproof, for correction,
00:43:39.85\00:43:44.35
for instruction
in righteousness."
00:43:44.39\00:43:46.65
When you read the word of God,
and you follow the word of God,
00:43:46.69\00:43:50.26
the word of God is a
light, it will always lead us
00:43:50.29\00:43:52.83
out of darkness into
this marvelous light.
00:43:52.86\00:43:55.16
The Psalmist David said...
00:43:55.20\00:43:56.53
But I had to ask the
question... Then why are so many
00:43:59.30\00:44:04.21
Christians in the
dark and I bumped into the
00:44:04.24\00:44:07.34
"Protestant Reformation,"
and during the "Dark Ages,"
00:44:07.38\00:44:13.75
just before the
Protestant Reformation was born,
00:44:13.78\00:44:17.55
Roman Catholicism
had come up with a method
00:44:17.59\00:44:22.99
that has become today
one of the single most
00:44:23.02\00:44:26.59
prominent reasons why
there is so much darkness
00:44:26.86\00:44:29.43
in other churches.
00:44:29.46\00:44:33.44
Listen to the record...
According to Roman Catholic
00:44:33.47\00:44:37.27
theology, there are two sources
of revelation which constitutes
00:44:37.31\00:44:42.11
a single, what they
call, "deposit of faith,"
00:44:42.14\00:44:45.11
meaning the entirety of
divine revelation and the belief
00:44:45.15\00:44:50.35
for the deposit of
faith, they say is transmitted
00:44:50.39\00:44:53.86
to successive
generations in two methods...
00:44:53.89\00:44:56.86
in "sacred Scripture" and what
they call "sacred tradition."
00:44:56.89\00:45:01.43
"Sacred Scripture"
and they decide what
00:45:01.46\00:45:05.63
"sacred tradition" is.
00:45:05.67\00:45:08.34
And then they said,
"These interpretations are
00:45:08.37\00:45:10.54
communicated through what
they call, The Magisterium."
00:45:10.57\00:45:14.11
In other words, the magisterium
of the Catholic Church is a
00:45:14.14\00:45:18.21
board of authority, a
clergy made up of the pope and
00:45:18.25\00:45:21.75
the bishops and THEY decide,
as they look at the Bible,
00:45:21.78\00:45:26.09
they decide - hear me carefully,
they decide what in the Bible
00:45:26.12\00:45:31.43
matches their tradition.
00:45:31.46\00:45:34.26
If the Bible doesn't
match their tradition,
00:45:34.30\00:45:38.20
they leave it out.
00:45:38.23\00:45:40.87
In 1565, Pope Reggio elevated
tradition above the Bible...
00:45:40.90\00:45:46.31
How else can people keep Sunday
with no Scriptural authority,
00:45:46.34\00:45:50.15
and find that Sunday
satisfies because they have not
00:45:50.18\00:45:53.78
stood on God's word...
00:45:53.82\00:45:55.48
They haven't asked
"Why do I observe Sunday?"
00:45:55.52\00:46:01.56
Let the Bible be the
final authority. Amen somebody!
00:46:01.59\00:46:04.59
And the main reason why
we should not take man's word
00:46:04.63\00:46:07.63
above God's word is
that Paul the Apostle warned
00:46:07.66\00:46:10.97
his protégé Timothy.
00:46:11.00\00:46:12.50
In 1 Timothy 4:1, he says,
"Now the Spirit expressly says,
00:46:12.53\00:46:17.04
that in latter times...
Are we living in latter times?
00:46:17.07\00:46:22.01
That's the hour in
which we're living today.
00:46:31.42\00:46:33.69
"Doctrines of demons."
00:46:33.72\00:46:35.52
The unfortunate thing
and the beautiful thing...
00:46:35.56\00:46:37.83
the unfortunate thing is
some people are in darkness;
00:46:37.86\00:46:40.36
the beautiful thing is Jesus
is not content to leave those
00:46:40.40\00:46:45.17
that love Him in darkness.
00:46:45.20\00:46:47.24
He doesn't like
Babylon, but He says, "My people
00:46:49.17\00:46:52.01
are there."
00:46:52.04\00:46:53.38
An as a church, if there's
ever a time that we need to
00:46:53.41\00:46:56.58
preach with
fervency and dedication,
00:46:56.61\00:46:58.95
the "Three Angels Messages,"
I want to pause and say this...
00:46:58.98\00:47:02.45
Thank the Lord, I'm
not exulting an individual,
00:47:02.48\00:47:06.62
but I don't believe that
Three ABN would have had a
00:47:06.65\00:47:09.12
32-year-history if Danny
forgot that the reason WHY
00:47:09.16\00:47:14.66
it exists is to preach an
undiluted Three Angels Messages,
00:47:14.70\00:47:21.50
one that will
counteract the counterfeit.
00:47:21.54\00:47:24.27
The single most important
reason WHY it still exists today
00:47:24.31\00:47:28.48
in spite of all the bombs
that have been shot at it;
00:47:28.51\00:47:30.98
in spite of all the
innuendos and the false reports,
00:47:31.08\00:47:34.98
and the stories and the
books written to try to sink
00:47:35.02\00:47:37.72
this wafting ship - it still
stands today because we have
00:47:37.75\00:47:42.52
not forgotten why we are here.
00:47:42.56\00:47:44.63
ANY institution would lose
its relevance when they forget
00:47:44.66\00:47:49.86
why they're there.
00:47:49.90\00:47:51.57
You don't sell ice cream
because people want ice cream.
00:47:51.60\00:47:54.50
And then they give you surveys,
4 out of 5 dentists surveyed
00:47:54.54\00:47:58.11
recommend "Trident," you
remember that commercial?
00:47:58.14\00:48:00.34
Trident! Who told you
that they speak for us?
00:48:00.38\00:48:04.11
Why you do what you
do must be the motivation
00:48:04.15\00:48:08.18
when you grip the call
of God when you proclaim
00:48:08.22\00:48:12.65
unashamedly but lovingly
a message designed to bring
00:48:12.69\00:48:17.09
people out of
darkness, it will accomplish
00:48:17.13\00:48:19.83
what God has ordained
for it to accomplish...
00:48:19.86\00:48:22.30
And I say today, that God
has called us to be an unashamed
00:48:22.33\00:48:27.94
people, but a people filled
with the love of those that
00:48:27.97\00:48:31.44
do not yet know
what God's word says.
00:48:31.47\00:48:36.08
But there is something
that's equally debilitating...
00:48:36.11\00:48:40.82
What can be worse than
being in darkness is knowing
00:48:40.85\00:48:43.18
the truth and not allowing
it to impact the way we live.
00:48:43.22\00:48:48.16
It's one thing
to be in darkness,
00:48:48.19\00:48:49.92
it's one thing to be deceived,
but it's something all together
00:48:49.96\00:48:52.33
different to say, "I
know, but what I know has no
00:48:52.36\00:48:55.50
impact on how I live.
00:48:55.53\00:48:57.47
That's why the
"what" is your belief;
00:48:57.50\00:48:59.70
the "why" is your
authority and your inspiration.
00:48:59.97\00:49:02.94
WHY do I believe the
Bible's Sabbath is from
00:49:02.97\00:49:07.84
sunset Friday to sunset Sabbath?
00:49:07.88\00:49:10.21
You see I'm not just
talking to you, there are people
00:49:10.25\00:49:12.88
that are listening; there
are people that will be driving
00:49:12.91\00:49:16.05
in their cars; sitting
at home on their televisions
00:49:16.08\00:49:19.22
that need to know the
message, I don't just want to
00:49:19.25\00:49:21.96
talk to the choir.
00:49:22.02\00:49:23.36
God has given us the
responsibility to plant seeds
00:49:23.39\00:49:26.80
in those lives of this
community and the hearts
00:49:26.83\00:49:30.90
and minds of
those around the world.
00:49:30.93\00:49:35.40
So what I believe will
never be the driving force,
00:49:35.44\00:49:38.54
but WHY I believe
it will always maintain
00:49:38.57\00:49:41.78
the driving force.
00:49:41.81\00:49:43.14
Fashions will
change, time will change,
00:49:43.18\00:49:45.88
but WHY I do what I
do will never change.
00:49:45.91\00:49:50.42
That's why ever
year, somebody is
00:49:50.45\00:49:52.52
fighting for the championship.
00:49:52.55\00:49:54.56
The WHOLE purpose of 106
games season in baseball,
00:49:54.59\00:49:58.09
in 80 games in the
NBA, and however many games
00:49:58.13\00:50:01.63
in football and
however many games in hockey,
00:50:01.66\00:50:04.00
the only thing that motivates,
the only reason WHY they
00:50:04.03\00:50:07.30
do it is because
somebody needs to win.
00:50:07.34\00:50:11.31
Isn't that ridiculous?
00:50:11.34\00:50:13.54
Billions of dollars
every year, so at the very end
00:50:13.58\00:50:16.54
somebody could say... "I won."
00:50:16.58\00:50:21.35
But I want to tell you
if people can be motivated
00:50:21.38\00:50:27.46
to go and watch a
leather ball being thrown
00:50:27.49\00:50:29.96
through a metal hoop.
00:50:29.99\00:50:31.53
I love the game but I love
Jesus more than I love the game.
00:50:31.56\00:50:36.16
And this thing that
the Lord has given to us
00:50:36.20\00:50:39.10
should always motivate us
to go beyond just what we do
00:50:39.13\00:50:44.11
and how we do it.
00:50:44.14\00:50:46.44
You see we argue about
what we do and how we do it,
00:50:46.47\00:50:50.45
but if why we do it
is the motivating force,
00:50:50.48\00:50:56.58
then it will impact the
hearts and lives of everyone
00:50:56.62\00:51:02.89
who firmly believes
that Jesus is coming again.
00:51:02.92\00:51:08.86
Today, I want to challenge
you, today I want to ask you to
00:51:08.90\00:51:15.30
ask yourself the question why,
00:51:15.34\00:51:17.47
why am I a
Seventh-day Adventist,
00:51:17.51\00:51:20.21
why do I come to church, WHY?
00:51:20.24\00:51:25.78
Why do I believe what I believe?
00:51:25.81\00:51:32.65
Why have I given my
life or have I given my life,
00:51:32.69\00:51:37.59
or why have I not given
my life to what I believe.
00:51:37.63\00:51:42.66
The ultimate authority
behind WHY and WHAT and HOW
00:51:42.70\00:51:49.47
we do it should always be Jesus.
00:51:49.50\00:51:53.17
We don't have to
know Jesus to desire
00:51:53.21\00:51:54.88
to keep the
commandments, but if we know WHY
00:51:54.91\00:51:56.91
the commandments should be
kept, then how we keep them
00:51:56.95\00:52:01.58
will be a blessing.
00:52:01.62\00:52:02.95
We don't have to be
kind, but if we know Jesus
00:52:02.98\00:52:08.62
WHY we are kind
will affect how we live.
00:52:08.66\00:52:12.29
We don't have to know Jesus
to be vegan and vegetarians,
00:52:12.33\00:52:16.36
but if why we eat that
way and live that way is
00:52:17.00\00:52:20.44
because we know WHY Jesus,
it will affect how we live.
00:52:20.47\00:52:29.11
The answer to the question why
will affect everything we do.
00:52:29.14\00:52:34.98
Why would David
try to fight a giant?
00:52:35.02\00:52:39.25
Why would Daniel
risk the lion's den?
00:52:39.29\00:52:42.46
Why would the Hebrews even
want the chance going into the
00:52:42.49\00:52:50.33
furnace of fire?
00:52:50.37\00:52:51.73
Why? Because they had
a connection with God.
00:52:51.77\00:52:59.44
They had a connection with
not just their Jewish beliefs,
00:52:59.47\00:53:03.88
nor traditions that they
learned before they were exiles
00:53:03.91\00:53:07.62
in Babylon - they had
a connection with God.
00:53:07.65\00:53:11.69
Today, if you don't
have a connection with God,
00:53:11.72\00:53:15.02
I want you to
ask the question why?
00:53:19.46\00:53:23.13
And I would suggest to you that
if you ask the question why,
00:53:23.16\00:53:29.37
and turn to God's word,
you'll discover that the
00:53:29.40\00:53:34.01
answer to the question
why will always be Jesus.
00:53:34.04\00:53:40.02
And when the answer comes
clear, and we can stand firm on
00:53:40.05\00:53:43.28
our what, we can firm on
our how, but we've got to begin
00:53:43.32\00:53:50.33
with our why.
00:53:52.43\00:53:53.83
And then finally, when the why,
what and how are all together,
00:53:53.86\00:53:58.00
we could answer the
question of the angels...
00:53:58.03\00:54:02.00
"Why do you stand gazing?"
00:54:02.04\00:54:03.81
I don't want to just
look for Jesus to come,
00:54:03.84\00:54:06.04
I want to work for the coming
of our Lord, what do you say?
00:54:06.07\00:54:09.08
I want to invite Pastor Joe
Arner to come, come on Brother
00:54:09.11\00:54:12.75
Joe, Pastor Joe.
00:54:12.78\00:54:14.25
I love this man, we've
had so many conversations,
00:54:14.28\00:54:18.29
we've had a lot
of prayer together.
00:54:18.32\00:54:21.09
We're praying
for the Arner family.
00:54:21.12\00:54:22.59
When God calls a man, He
does not revoke that call.
00:54:22.62\00:54:26.03
Can the church say Amen?
00:54:26.06\00:54:28.96
We're praying for God
to... I'm going to ask
00:54:29.00\00:54:30.80
just before our closing
song, but first I'm going to
00:54:30.83\00:54:36.37
ask Pastor Joe to pray.
00:54:36.40\00:54:40.24
He used to drive so far every
day just to bring his daughters
00:54:40.28\00:54:46.45
to our school years
ago, Rachel and Joella,
00:54:46.48\00:54:51.39
and one of them is going
to be getting married soon.
00:54:51.42\00:54:54.59
Very soon... Very soon.
00:54:54.62\00:54:56.56
You get close to the microphone,
but I'm going to ask you
00:54:56.59\00:54:59.69
this morning, Pastor Joe,
to pray that the people of God,
00:54:59.73\00:55:03.47
your family, all of us,
will ask ourselves why are we
00:55:03.50\00:55:10.17
Christians, why are we
Adventists, why do we do what
00:55:10.21\00:55:12.37
we do and I hope that the
answer to that will cause us not
00:55:12.41\00:55:17.38
to just stand gazing but to get
busy about the coming of Jesus.
00:55:17.41\00:55:21.92
Why don't you pray
for us this morning?
00:55:22.78\00:55:26.15
Father in Heaven,
We're here with our hearts
00:55:26.76\00:55:30.03
having been
prodded by Your word.
00:55:30.06\00:55:34.06
We felt the warmth
from being close to You
00:55:34.10\00:55:37.20
in the presence of
Jesus, but we know also that the
00:55:37.23\00:55:40.57
closer we come to You,
the more deeply You are a
00:55:40.60\00:55:45.41
part of our lives - the
hotter the flame becomes and the
00:55:45.44\00:55:50.88
warmth becomes
burning embers within us.
00:55:50.91\00:55:55.18
Lord, some of us have
been warm for a long time.
00:55:55.22\00:55:59.55
Some have been
just longing to be warm.
00:55:59.59\00:56:05.19
Lord, You know the
heart of every individual,
00:56:05.23\00:56:07.53
we're all part of Your
family, we're all Your children,
00:56:07.56\00:56:10.90
and we're all
wanting You to come soon.
00:56:10.93\00:56:14.84
We live in a world that
reminds us daily that it is not
00:56:14.87\00:56:19.27
what You intended it to be.
00:56:19.31\00:56:20.84
From our own personal lives
to the experiences that we see
00:56:20.88\00:56:25.41
around us, the music that we
hear sharing those same stories,
00:56:25.45\00:56:33.96
and Lord, we're thankful
that we have not followed
00:56:33.99\00:56:37.76
cunningly devised fables,
that You have made a promise
00:56:37.79\00:56:42.06
that You're going
to follow through with
00:56:42.10\00:56:44.83
and we don't want to be
among those individuals who have
00:56:44.87\00:56:47.74
said, "My Lord has
delayed His coming," and begin
00:56:47.77\00:56:50.47
to smite one another.
00:56:50.51\00:56:51.97
Lord, we want to be among
those individuals who have said
00:56:52.01\00:56:55.14
"My Lord has delayed
His coming" so that we can
00:56:55.18\00:56:59.35
SHARE, we can tell MORE,
we can increase the harvest,
00:56:59.38\00:57:05.09
and we would ask You,
Lord, humbly on our knees,
00:57:05.12\00:57:09.49
You would, Father,
forgive us for our sins
00:57:09.52\00:57:12.36
that You would fill us
deeply, fully with the power
00:57:12.39\00:57:16.50
of the Holy Spirit
and that, Lord, we might
00:57:16.53\00:57:19.40
rise to the feet to the
calling that You have given
00:57:19.43\00:57:22.30
to each of us to go
out into the field of labor
00:57:22.34\00:57:25.84
that You have set before
us and that Your name would be
00:57:25.87\00:57:28.94
glorified and
that when You do come,
00:57:28.98\00:57:32.25
we would all rise up
together arm-in-arm with great
00:57:32.28\00:57:36.22
smiles on our faces
with joy unexpressible
00:57:36.25\00:57:39.99
of what You have done for us.
00:57:40.02\00:57:43.06
Thank You Jesus for Pastor John,
for Angela, for their ministry
00:57:43.09\00:57:48.73
here in this church and
for every individual here,
00:57:48.76\00:57:51.60
You're touching hearts today.
00:57:51.63\00:57:53.67
May each one of us come
closer to You as we look forward
00:57:53.70\00:57:57.61
to Your coming soon.
00:57:57.64\00:57:59.04
In Your Holy Name we ask... Amen
00:57:59.07\00:58:02.54