GYC 2008: For This Purpose

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Generation. Youth. Christ. (GYC)

Ron duPreez ~ No Matter What: How morality impacts your mortality

Ron du Preez

Mind Games of the Great Manipulator

I don't think I'm going to, if somebody can turn this off, I won't need this.

As some of you know, thanks, Sebastian, we announced it last night very briefly.

I was given 2 minutes to introduce everything, and I didn't have a chance to tell the rest of the story.

So this morning we're going to actually pray for Dr.

Kish, his wife Brenda who's a good friend of mine also.

Kish is 1 of my professors at Andrews University.

Brenda's mother had a double stroke this week.

Kish called Philip Mills to let him know that he could not make it.

Who was there last night when we announced it?

Kish cannot make it, and therefore I was asked just less than 48 hours ago to substitute.

I'm a substitute and if you need to go to another session I won't feel bad, but I just want you to be aware of that.

So we'll pick up from where we are here today.

I did ask somebody, Ashley said she was going to make copies of something for me.

So, but we will continue with the session as we announced it last night because of the change in our plans.

Could you bring that pulpit for me around here if you don't mind?

You guys, you're going to help each other there?

So, as I said, I'm just filling in for Dr.

Kish, and, you know, this is unfortunately a change that we couldn't avoid.

If you need to go somewhere else, that's okay.

All of these cores and everything brings me a little closer to everybody.

So let's begin then with a prayer with your understanding now that I am not Dr.

Holy Father, thank you for the time we can spend here now considering important issues so that each 1 of us, By your grace, through your power, and to your glory only, we'll make wise, correct, compassionate, Christ-centered, scriptural decisions in our lives.

I pray that you'll bless each 1 of us as we take time to reflect here together today.

1 thing I do at the beginning of my first session is to sing a song and that gives people time to find where they're going.

And so we'll just sing the song through once and We might have a chance to do this later on as well.

And then I've got something I want to share with you before we get into thinking very carefully about matters.

Now, some of you might have heard this song before.

Now not everything is very easy, so listen carefully and do exactly what I do.

Thy word have I hid deep down in my heart That I might not sin against thee my God.

Open thou mine eyes that I may Behold great things in thy law, so shall I keep it continually.

Intentionally, so that you can learn to listen while you speak.

Sometimes you have to do that when you're a Christian, isn't that true?

Okay, when you're speaking, listen to the Lord.

And by the way, He does wonderful things when you're doing that.

When you're sharing with somebody and you say, Lord, I need help.

And you keep talking and God speaks as he speaks to your heart.

Let's finish the song and then I've got something I'm going to hand out to you right here.

And I brought some pens and pencils for those who might not have brought 1 today.

You're going to start this session with a test.

Thy Word if I hid, deep down in my heart, that I might not sin against Thee my God.

Against thee, my God, open thou mine eyes, that I may behold great things in thy law, so shall I keep it continually.

The law of thy mouth is better than gold.

I delight myself in Thy statutes, O Lord, and rejoice in Thy way.

You folks did quite well for a first time through there.

As I said last night, I announced that the topic was mind games of the great deceiver.

And in order to do that I wanted to start by challenging your thinking.

And so what I'm going to do, how many of you need a pen or a pencil?

And since this is a session in ethics, Are you listening?

Those of you who raised your hands, you are expected to return the pen or pencil.

Especially since some of them do cost 2 or 3 dollars.

So I'm going to ask if you can hand these out to those who will be returning them.

If you need 1, I would like them back, okay?

I think my wife got this for her birthday or something.

So, other than that, please return the pen.

Mutiny Over Music

Holy Father, thank you so much for your grace in our lives.

Thank you for bringing us here to this Generation of Youthful Christ Conference.

Thanks, Lord, for not giving up on us when we have misstepped, when we've made mistakes, when we've sinned.

But Father, especially we want to pray for the mother-in-law of Dr.

Miroslav Kish, Brenda's mother, who has had a double stroke.

Bring physical healing to her, Lord, if it be your will.

Give comfort and support to those who are struggling with this issue.

And Father, we pray that you'll be with us now as we touch on some tough topics.

Going back to the Word of God to see your counsel, your guidance for our lives.

I can't start this session without picking up my guitar because, so that you know, as I said, with Dr.

Kish not being able to be here, the session that I'm going to deal with right here, the title of the session is, believe it or not, Mutiny over Music.

So we're going to deal with music for this session.

I said I'm going to deal with the issue of sexuality a little later on, but for right now we're going to deal with the issue of music, and in 1 session I'm going to share with you, hopefully by God's grace, some biblical principles, some answers to the many issues that are being raised, especially today in the culture, in the context, in the church.

Yes, there are issues that come up repeatedly and we've been looking at that.

But since this is the issue of music, I'm going to share this with you.

And the words, by the way, were written by David, the psalmist.

I added the music, and we'll talk about the issue of music in a few minutes.

Now, a couple parts of it are a little difficult, so listen carefully and sing everything I do.

Thy word if I hid, good, deep down in my heart, that I might not sin against thee, my God.

Again see my God, open the mine eyes, that I may behold great things in thy law, so shall I keep it.

I thought some of you are going to get stuck.

Yes, some of you picked up there but remember you must sing while you listen.

Now a couple of places where that happens so we'll do it again from the beginning.

I would if I hid Deep down in my heart that I might not sin against Thee, my God.

Open Thine eyes that I may behold great things in thy law, so shall I keep it continually.

I delight myself in thy statutes, O Lord, and rejoice in thy way.

You did pretty well for the first time through.

We did this a couple of times, the first session.

Now the second session, we can put away the instrument.

We're going to get into that important topic on the issue of music.

Yes, I know it's quite a divisive topic, but we as Christians want to make sure we are together on the topic.

Somebody said to me, in fact, Danny Shelton said to me 1 day, I was down at 3ABN, and he said, Ron, can you do me a favor?

Can you write a book, 48 pages, just a little book, on the basic principles of music?

Because we're struggling here at 3ABN, people are trying to bring all kinds of music along.

He says, and I don't have a small little 48 page book, a simple 1 with biblical principles to say to them, here is the biblical principles.

And here is why we have certain music that we select.

Have you noticed, by the way, up to this point in time, that the music on 3ABN is not like other Christian stations.

Okay, because Danny Shelton told me in person he's trying to hold the line.

Did you know that in the United States, how many of you by the way are from outside the USA?

80 to 85% of Americans claim to be Christians.

Many have never read the Bible seriously, if at all.

And here in the United States, you ask Americans who claim to be Christians, can you name 5 of the 10 Commandments?

They can't even name 5 of the 10 Commandments.

Unfortunately Americans have not and even Adventists, I'll give you a shocker in a minute, are not spending time in the Word, spending time in the Bible.

Have you heard of Willow Creek Church, Pastor Bill Hybels?

How many have heard of Willow Creek Church?

Bill Heibel, about 30 something years ago, started a church.

He went around with friends to check what people wanted in a church.

And recently the church rebuilt a brand new sanctuary.

The church cost, the sanctuary cost, 72 million dollars.

Well, they have a membership of 7, 200 in the church.

But this huge church by Bill Hybels, they aren't just building a sanctuary, they went and they surveyed the people who've been attending for decades.

They did a complete survey of them and asked them questions because of the methods they've been using.

And by the way, I've got some video footage of what they do, and I've watched the music that they play, and the questions were very important, and the results.

Having spent 30 years creating and promoting a multi-million dollar organization, and they did the research, Bill Hybels confesses.

Majoring In Minors?

Father in heaven, we thank you for the opportunity we have of getting together again today to consider more issues that are relevant to our lives as Christians.

Bless us Lord as we dig into your holy word.

Bless us as we consider how these issues impact our lives, but more importantly, how they witness to others as to who our Lord and Master is.

Bless his mother-in-law, guide and direct the doctors and the nurses, keep us close to Jesus.

How many of you have heard of a man by the name of Steve Irwin?

Steve Irwin was that famous Australian outdoors guy, popular on television.

Some of you might be remembering about him now.

And 2 years ago, he was at the Bat Reef of Australia shooting a segment for a series on his television show called The Ocean's Deadliest.

And he swam close to 1 of those deadly animals, a stingray.

He was illustrating how dangerous and how deadly animals can be.

Unfortunately, he illustrated it too closely.

He came on top of the stingray and the stingray's barb went up into his chest, put a hole in his heart.

And within minutes, Steve Irwin was dead.

Anybody, everybody remember that story now?

Well known Steve Irwin, highly popular guy.

And so I thought I would start with that story because in a certain sense Christians, we as Adventists, are surrounded by deadly animals, if you please.

The deadly animal I would like to suggest is a thing called culture.

A few years ago, this is the year 2003, there was a big section in the Chicago Tribune which had culture versus faith.

I have it right here, November 2003, November 30, 2003, 5 years ago.

And there was a big issue that says, American faith has met American culture, according to Alan Wolf.

And then he ends up and says, guess what?

And he's 1 of the political scientists who believes that the impact of culture on faith has had a devastating effect.

And so what I wanted to do today is consider some major issues that relate to how culture impacts our lives.

Now I know some people will say, oh, this is legalistic.

And by the way, yes, when I was growing up, teenage years and older, I struggled with some of these issues.

In fact, a little short story about myself.

You might, how many of you remember or have seen pictures of the 70s?

In fact, nowadays there's a little bit of a comeback.

And my hair gets pretty curly when it gets long.

I had an afro and I was studying theology.

My hair was getting longer and longer and I went to a camp meeting 1 day and when I came back from camp meeting I had heard news the president wanted to see me of the college.

I quickly went to my room and I flattened my afro as much as possible and I did everything to get it as, I didn't cut my hair, I didn't want to.

But when I showed up in the President's office he said, oh you're looking good.

He didn't realize I'd just simply gotten rid of the afro without cutting it.

I did not want to cut my hair because I wanted to look like everybody else.

I was there myself and I just knew why the president wanted to see me.

I managed to fool him, but guess who I didn't fool?

He was happy when he saw me little did he know with a little within 10 minutes I could probably get my Afro back.

So I understand the issue of with the so-called small things but open your Bibles I want to give you a few passages of scripture to reflect on right now right here because the question is is this legalism?

I'm using the term, you know what I mean by that.

Let's look at a half a dozen or so passages, maybe 4 right now to begin with.

We'll go into some others and let's consider what the Bible tells us.

I want to share with you an important biblical principle right here.

Some of you could probably say this by memory.

And again, I'm using the New King James version as we look, as we spend time in the Word here.

Well-known passage written by inspiration by the Apostle Paul.

Verse 31, Therefore, whether you eat or drink or Whatever you do, whatsoever you do, do what?

So that impacts me with my back then afro.

Go with me now to Solomon, the Song of Solomon, that little book that comes right before the big book of Isaiah, Song of Solomon, because you see sometimes we say, oh these are just little things, they are not important.

Song of Solomon chapter 2 verse 15, there's a principle I want to share with you that comes directly out of that passage.

Then we go to the New Testament and look at the words of none other than our Savior Jesus Christ.

Song of Solomon chapter 2 verse 15 and we're getting just the basic principle here.

Catch us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vines, for our vines have tender grapes.

It's interesting, it doesn't say the big foxes.

Here it talks about the little foxes who spoil the vines.

Sometimes we might say, oh it's just a little thing.

So Let's go to the book of Luke, the words of Jesus now.

Are little things important according to Jesus?

Here was the passage from Song of Solomon.

Now we're going to the New Testament, the book of Luke, and let's see the emphasis that our Savior places on this.

When He was on this earth, Jesus made a point of this issue of what is large and what is small.

He who is faithful in that which is what?

Military and Morality

Creator of all mankind, giver of life, redeemer, restorer, Holy Father, we come before you right now, thanking you for being such a wonderful God.

Bless us during this session as we dig into a radical topic, a topic that divides families, a topic that causes lots of consternation and conflict, Lord.

Help us to approach it from a Bible-based, Christ-centered, practical perspective so that today, instead of just heat, we can help to shed light on the subject so we can be kind and loving people.

How many of you, I'm going to ask a general question, how many of you have been in the military, are in the military, have a close friend, close friend or relative who is or has been in the military.

Yes, I'm not talking here in a vacuum, folks.

1, I have gone through a transition, a change, a transformation in my own perspectives on this issue.

I have to be faithful to the weight of biblical evidence.

You know what I mean by the weight of biblical evidence?

Sometimes there's a little bit of fuzziness here, a fuzziness there.

When you study the overall trend of the scriptures, it becomes clear.

So we're looking at the weight of biblical evidence.

So I've had to have to go through a transformation, a transition, a change in my thinking because of that.

No, I don't have anybody in my immediate family that I know of who's been in the military.

This father said, I have a son, I have a son.

He joined the military during his time at 1 of our Adventist colleges.

He joined, the father said, this is the father, this is the story, he joined when he was having a personal spiritual struggle.

But the military has paid for all its education.

He said, we would like to call you in because my son is being court-martialed.

I've got the letters here, I've got the information, they wrote to me, please come and help us.

Okay, so I flew down, oh sorry, they flew me down, they flew me down to the place and I got right here and I have the entire statement of this young man on this.

And so this year, yes, I was involved as a so-called expert witness on the issue in a court-martial on the issue of the military I had the chance to participate in that entire story so are you ready that's a little bit of background and yes I'm gonna go through quickly with a lot of material here.

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Ron duPreez ~ No Matter What: How morality impacts your mortality

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