Well Danny, it's
homecoming. It is.
00:00:48.27\00:00:51.33
It's great to be here.
It's wonderful. We have
00:00:51.73\00:00:53.58
it each year. Yeah. Years ago we
used to have one Camp Meeting.
00:00:53.68\00:00:57.17
Right. People started saying
"Well how about in the Fall? "
00:00:57.37\00:00:59.83
And we said: "Well, not
a lot of people can come.
00:01:00.03\00:01:01.69
You've got in school.
People are back to work. "
00:01:01.79\00:01:04.63
Right. You know,
all these things.
00:01:04.73\00:01:06.10
And they can only
usually take one summer vacation
00:01:06.30\00:01:08.70
or time. But people
said: "We really enjoy... "
00:01:08.90\00:01:11.21
So we said: "You know
what? Where there be a few or
00:01:11.41\00:01:13.22
whether there be
a lot, let's do it.
00:01:13.33\00:01:15.32
Let's organize
it... put it together.
00:01:15.42\00:01:17.14
Let's have a great
spiritual time in the Lord. "
00:01:17.25\00:01:19.23
And you know, we've got a
good group here to start with
00:01:19.43\00:01:21.46
but we're going to have a
fantastic group this weekend.
00:01:21.66\00:01:25.07
Um-hmm. I really
believe that. A lot of people
00:01:25.27\00:01:26.64
are going to drive in.
00:01:26.67\00:01:28.04
You all are fantastic too.
He just means - oh yeah - we'll
00:01:28.07\00:01:29.44
have more of you. Fantastic.
More fantastic; more fantastic.
00:01:29.47\00:01:32.69
And they are going to drive in.
00:01:33.60\00:01:36.65
And you know, we've got
even... this is unusual...
00:01:36.85\00:01:40.44
but we have some spots
available for motorhomes
00:01:40.64\00:01:44.00
and trailers. So if
you have one, bring it.
00:01:44.20\00:01:46.53
We'll find a place for you.
00:01:46.73\00:01:48.15
And hook-ups are free, right?
00:01:48.36\00:01:50.56
Yeah, absolutely. Just
come. If you're watching
00:01:50.66\00:01:52.74
and literally on television
wherever, you've got time
00:01:52.94\00:01:55.65
to show up. Now tomorrow
we're going to have meetings
00:01:55.75\00:01:58.29
all day long. Yes.
And all tomorrow night,
00:01:58.39\00:02:01.48
all day Sabbath.
So we want you to...
00:02:01.58\00:02:03.52
those of you at home you
know say: "Hey drive over. "
00:02:03.72\00:02:06.08
Maybe you're in 100 miles...
200. In fact, for Sabbath
00:02:06.18\00:02:08.78
you've got time to
drive 1,000 miles if you want
00:02:08.98\00:02:11.24
if you get in
tonight and get a good start.
00:02:11.44\00:02:13.03
Really do. And
bring your kids with you
00:02:13.23\00:02:15.80
because we've got outstanding
young people and children's
00:02:16.00\00:02:20.27
programs. Well, Maryann,
of course, your daughter.
00:02:20.38\00:02:22.39
She's here but she has
somebody special with us
00:02:22.49\00:02:25.17
this time. Well
she does. She brought
00:02:25.27\00:02:26.81
several groups in. But
one is the Knapps Group
00:02:27.01\00:02:29.97
that's here. Yes. All
right! And they're working with
00:02:30.07\00:02:32.50
the teenagers I
think it is. Yes... yeah.
00:02:32.61\00:02:35.03
And so these are
fantastic young people
00:02:35.23\00:02:38.38
that have some experiences
from around the world.
00:02:38.58\00:02:41.30
They will inspire
your young people.
00:02:41.50\00:02:44.50
So be sure to bring
them here for this weekend.
00:02:44.60\00:02:47.51
It's going to be just a
really inspiring weekend.
00:02:47.61\00:02:51.34
Well it is. And we
have as our special
00:02:51.54\00:02:54.77
speaker that's very...
I mean, this was not easy
00:02:54.87\00:02:57.98
to get this guy scheduled here.
00:02:58.08\00:02:59.50
But Bro. John Carter.
He's going to be telling us
00:02:59.60\00:03:02.04
some incredible stories of
coming back from New Guinea.
00:03:02.14\00:03:04.83
Yeah. We just heard
some of those. Amazing!
00:03:05.04\00:03:07.10
You don't want to miss this. No.
00:03:07.20\00:03:08.60
And he's going to be
preaching after while.
00:03:08.70\00:03:10.69
We have another pastor we'll
introduce in just a moment -
00:03:10.89\00:03:13.70
that's right - that's going to
be here that you're going to be
00:03:13.90\00:03:15.64
blessed by this young man also.
00:03:15.75\00:03:17.52
That's right. And so we're
just going to have a great time.
00:03:17.73\00:03:20.09
You all ready to have
a great time in the Lord?
00:03:20.20\00:03:21.72
Everybody here? All
right. I see some faces
00:03:21.82\00:03:23.90
that come every year, and
we're glad that you are here.
00:03:24.00\00:03:26.14
Even twice a year some
of you are coming back.
00:03:26.24\00:03:28.60
So praise the
Lord that you're here!
00:03:28.80\00:03:30.32
So we're going to get
ready for Camp Meeting.
00:03:30.52\00:03:31.89
I think we ought to just
sing. We've got Jimmy Rhodes
00:03:31.97\00:03:34.00
over here. OK. We've
got Jill Morikone over here.
00:03:34.10\00:03:36.76
And we kind of put them
on the spot and asked them
00:03:36.79\00:03:38.90
to play What A Day That
Will Be, just the chorus,
00:03:39.01\00:03:41.97
and we want you to
sing it with us. All right?
00:03:42.07\00:03:44.12
Isn't that a
beautiful song? It is!
00:04:20.49\00:04:22.48
What a day -
glorious day - that will be!
00:04:22.68\00:04:24.81
How many is
looking forward to that?
00:04:25.01\00:04:26.38
You all looking forward to that?
00:04:26.41\00:04:27.78
No more sickness. No more pain.
00:04:27.81\00:04:29.31
No more sorrow. Amen! And
literally it's going to be
00:04:29.41\00:04:32.79
an amazing time.
Elder Carter said something
00:04:32.89\00:04:34.81
earlier today. He
said: "Well be sitting around
00:04:34.91\00:04:36.91
after... " What'd he say?
"15 billion years. " Yeah right.
00:04:37.02\00:04:40.33
And we're like: "Wow! You
don't really think about it. "
00:04:40.43\00:04:42.80
But he said: "Well that's
what eternity's all about! "
00:04:42.95\00:04:44.80
That's right. Fifteen
billion years from now
00:04:44.90\00:04:46.85
we'll be talking about -
wow - the wonderful times
00:04:46.95\00:04:48.82
and the wonderful
God that we serve.
00:04:48.92\00:04:51.00
We will. Right
now we're going to
00:04:51.10\00:04:54.05
listen as Tammy
sings for us. That's right.
00:04:54.15\00:04:56.10
Tammy Chance?
That's right. You know her
00:04:56.20\00:04:58.37
pretty well, don't you?
Well yeah. She's my baby sister.
00:04:58.47\00:05:01.11
All right. And
brother Kenny's out here.
00:05:01.21\00:05:02.68
It's his baby sister. Yeah.
00:05:02.78\00:05:04.28
And this is...
Tammy's going to come out.
00:05:04.38\00:05:06.54
She's actually
doing a new project
00:05:06.75\00:05:08.77
over at the 3ABN Sound Center.
00:05:08.87\00:05:10.74
All right. Is it about
finished? It's not finished.
00:05:10.85\00:05:12.64
Ooh, I
didn't... it's your fault.
00:05:12.84\00:05:14.21
I started to say I wish
I hadn't of brought it up.
00:05:14.24\00:05:15.80
I'm supposed... She
asked me to sing one song
00:05:15.90\00:05:18.76
with her and I haven't
had the chance this week.
00:05:18.86\00:05:20.65
So she keeps e-mailing
me and says: "Get over there
00:05:20.75\00:05:23.39
and finish so we can
have this album done. "
00:05:23.49\00:05:25.77
So, what are you
going to sing tonight Tammy?
00:05:25.98\00:05:27.92
Father's Eyes.
That's a real old one
00:05:28.12\00:05:30.09
about 20-30 years old.
Amy Grant used to sing it.
00:05:30.19\00:05:32.96
A song with great
meaning. All right. Amen.
00:05:33.06\00:05:36.13
I may not have been
every mother's dream
00:05:45.80\00:05:50.40
for her little girl.
00:05:50.60\00:05:53.10
And my face may not grace
00:05:53.40\00:05:56.90
the minds of
everyone in the world.
00:05:57.01\00:06:00.69
But that's all right.
00:06:00.99\00:06:03.22
As long as I can
have one wish, I pray
00:06:03.42\00:06:08.31
when people look inside my life
00:06:08.61\00:06:12.90
I want to hear them say:
00:06:13.20\00:06:17.37
"She has her father's eyes. "
00:06:17.67\00:06:22.00
Her father's eyes.
00:06:23.08\00:06:26.36
Eyes that find the good in men
00:06:26.67\00:06:30.63
when good is not around.
00:06:30.93\00:06:34.62
Eyes that find
the source of help
00:06:34.92\00:06:38.72
when help cannot be found.
00:06:38.92\00:06:42.46
Eyes full of compassion.
00:06:42.86\00:06:46.32
seeing every pain.
00:06:46.62\00:06:50.36
Knowing what we're goin' through
00:06:50.67\00:06:54.31
and feeling it the same.
00:06:54.51\00:06:58.87
Just like my father's eyes.
00:06:59.27\00:07:03.60
My father's eyes.
00:07:03.90\00:07:07.69
My father's eyes.
00:07:07.89\00:07:13.82
Just like my father's eyes.
00:07:15.30\00:07:19.73
On that day when we will pay
00:07:24.29\00:07:27.91
for all the things we have done.
00:07:28.01\00:07:31.77
Good and bad...
they'll all be had
00:07:32.07\00:07:35.86
and seen by everyone.
00:07:36.06\00:07:39.49
But when you're
called to stand and tell
00:07:39.76\00:07:43.44
just what you saw in me
00:07:43.64\00:07:47.50
More than anything I know
00:07:47.80\00:07:51.56
I want your words to be:
00:07:51.76\00:07:56.15
"She has her father's eyes. "
00:07:56.45\00:08:00.98
Her father's eyes.
00:08:01.67\00:08:05.18
Eyes that find the good in men
00:08:05.58\00:08:09.34
when good is not around.
00:08:09.55\00:08:13.06
Eyes that find
the source of help
00:08:13.46\00:08:17.14
when help cannot be found.
00:08:17.34\00:08:20.90
Eyes full of compassion
00:08:21.20\00:08:24.85
seein' every pain.
00:08:25.15\00:08:28.68
Knowing what we're goin' through
00:08:28.98\00:08:32.62
and feeling it the same.
00:08:32.82\00:08:37.28
Just like my father's eyes.
00:08:37.59\00:08:41.84
My father's eyes.
00:08:42.35\00:08:46.23
My father's eyes.
00:08:46.43\00:08:52.34
Just like my father's eyes.
00:08:53.39\00:08:57.11
My father's eyes.
00:08:57.51\00:09:01.35
My father's eyes...
00:09:01.65\00:09:07.62
Just like my father's eyes.
00:09:08.99\00:09:13.84
Do do do do do.
00:09:16.71\00:09:22.59
Amen! Amen! Thank you, Tammy.
00:09:23.18\00:09:26.28
Well it's my privilege to
introduce Pastor James Venegas.
00:09:26.68\00:09:30.78
And brought him out
here because instead of just
00:09:30.98\00:09:34.02
the normal introduction
he's kind of a new face to 3ABN.
00:09:34.22\00:09:38.02
Good looking young face, right?
00:09:38.22\00:09:39.94
And... Thank you.
Yeah, he said "thank you"
00:09:40.24\00:09:42.25
and you all said
"Yes. " You see that?
00:09:42.35\00:09:44.01
And he hails all the
way from Down Under...
00:09:44.41\00:09:47.70
the great nation of Australia.
00:09:47.90\00:09:50.07
I know that's
confusing for some people.
00:09:50.37\00:09:52.15
But yeah. We are
now in Los Angeles,
00:09:52.35\00:09:55.88
and when I tell them that
I'm Australian they kind of
00:09:56.18\00:09:58.47
scratch their heads a
little bit. And I look like
00:09:58.58\00:10:01.27
every other "Los
Angelene" around.
00:10:01.37\00:10:03.53
But I am Australian as
you can hear with the accent.
00:10:03.93\00:10:06.49
Well you know, you don't have
the accent that John Carter does
00:10:06.70\00:10:10.55
now... 'cause you
don't say "lauer" do you
00:10:10.58\00:10:12.58
when you're talking
about the law of God?
00:10:12.62\00:10:14.59
I think he says
"the lauer of God"
00:10:14.69\00:10:16.14
and I'm always...
"Oh, I know what he said.
00:10:16.24\00:10:18.19
The law of God. " Some
are more broad than others.
00:10:18.30\00:10:20.47
Oh I see. OK.
00:10:20.67\00:10:22.23
All right. Well listen tell
us a little bit about your past.
00:10:22.43\00:10:25.60
Were you born and
raised in an Adventist home?
00:10:25.90\00:10:27.56
Yes I was. I was born and
raised in Sydney, Australia
00:10:27.86\00:10:30.76
in the Adventist church.
00:10:30.86\00:10:32.23
My parents were
immigrants from South America.
00:10:32.40\00:10:34.63
From Chile - OK
- in South America.
00:10:34.83\00:10:36.92
So yeah, just...
in a Spanish church
00:10:37.12\00:10:40.37
was where we started life.
00:10:40.47\00:10:41.84
And it was a very active
evangelistic Spanish church.
00:10:41.96\00:10:44.49
Uh-huh. And I didn't
move to an English church
00:10:44.70\00:10:47.29
until I became an adult.
00:10:47.39\00:10:48.84
And so... And I've
been out of the Spanish
00:10:49.04\00:10:51.64
church for about 20 years now.
00:10:51.74\00:10:53.29
Wow. How long did you...
00:10:53.39\00:10:55.46
how old were you when you
knew that God had a calling
00:10:55.67\00:10:58.93
on your life?
Well it happened for me
00:10:59.03\00:11:00.67
I had the opportunity to
sing in a group similar to
00:11:00.87\00:11:03.67
the Heritage Singers -
OK - back in Australia.
00:11:03.77\00:11:05.70
And I was in that
group and traveling around
00:11:06.00\00:11:07.86
speaking and singing to people
that that penny dropped for me.
00:11:08.06\00:11:11.23
Just seeing the difference that
was making in people's lives -
00:11:11.43\00:11:14.03
um-hmm - but also the difference
that it was making in mine.
00:11:14.33\00:11:17.09
I moved away from
the starry-eyed singer
00:11:17.19\00:11:20.81
to a real deep relationship.
00:11:21.01\00:11:22.69
And it started from there.
That went to Avondale College
00:11:22.79\00:11:25.10
and then now pastoral ministry.
00:11:25.30\00:11:27.45
And speaking of
pastoral, you're working with
00:11:27.55\00:11:30.36
Pastor John Carter.
What are you doing there?
00:11:30.46\00:11:32.47
Tell us. Well, I've
been on an amazing journey
00:11:32.57\00:11:34.67
this year. February 1 this year
00:11:34.77\00:11:36.35
we arrived for the first
time in the United States.
00:11:36.45\00:11:38.85
My family: my wife Kaylene;
00:11:39.25\00:11:41.54
two children: Daniel, Leticia.
00:11:41.64\00:11:43.27
Um-hmm. We packed up
from Australia and moved here
00:11:43.47\00:11:45.41
to pastor at the
Carter Report Center
00:11:45.51\00:11:47.71
in Arcadia, California.
00:11:47.92\00:11:49.29
All right. So it's
been a whirlwind for us.
00:11:49.35\00:11:52.22
And we've even gone to PNG
to do an evangelistic campaign.
00:11:52.45\00:11:55.43
Now to here. It's just
been an amazing year for us.
00:11:55.74\00:11:58.76
And we're going to be hearing
a lot about PNG, I'm sure,
00:11:58.86\00:12:01.73
through both of you
that have been there
00:12:01.83\00:12:03.20
and all of you
because of some incredible
00:12:03.31\00:12:05.24
miracles that have taken place
there. Elder Carter was sharing
00:12:05.34\00:12:09.44
some this evening.
I said: "We've got to
00:12:09.54\00:12:11.28
get all of this
out to the public. "
00:12:11.38\00:12:13.46
God is alive and well
and He's still on the throne.
00:12:13.56\00:12:15.97
Can you say
"Amen" to that? Amen!
00:12:16.07\00:12:17.48
Somebody excited
tonight to be a Christian? Amen!
00:12:17.58\00:12:20.25
You glad that you've
learned the truths of the Bible
00:12:20.39\00:12:22.09
through the
Seventh-day Adventist church?
00:12:22.29\00:12:23.66
Many of you... our
viewers that are watching...
00:12:23.86\00:12:25.75
We read a letter today...
At the board meeting Jim did...
00:12:25.95\00:12:28.60
some guy said in the area... he
said: "I used to deliver pizzas;
00:12:28.63\00:12:31.96
I had a rock band. " And
he began to tell all about it.
00:12:32.06\00:12:35.25
And his band was starting
to take off and do some things.
00:12:35.46\00:12:37.66
But he said: "I started
watching and listening to 3ABN
00:12:37.87\00:12:40.83
television and radio
and it's changed my life.
00:12:41.03\00:12:43.54
Everything in my life has
changed. It's been godsend
00:12:43.84\00:12:46.23
literally. " Amen. So
that's what's happening.
00:12:46.33\00:12:48.27
Tonight we're so happy
to introduce to many of you
00:12:48.47\00:12:52.43
who don't know
Pastor James Venegas.
00:12:52.63\00:12:54.71
It's a thrill for
us to have you here
00:12:54.91\00:12:56.53
and we're looking
forward to a great Camp Meeting
00:12:56.63\00:12:58.45
and we're asking
God's blessings upon you.
00:12:58.65\00:13:01.39
Thank you for having me
here, Danny. Thank you so much.
00:13:01.69\00:13:03.81
Well it is a real joy as
I've said to be with you.
00:13:04.21\00:13:08.17
I know that when I arrived
in the States, the very first
00:13:08.27\00:13:10.92
thing that I could
read on people's minds was
00:13:11.02\00:13:14.03
"Hold on a minute. Is
this guy truly Australian? "
00:13:14.13\00:13:17.25
And second to that is:
"Boy... he looks young. "
00:13:17.55\00:13:21.60
And I've had to explain
that we... we've been around
00:13:22.00\00:13:25.86
a little while. We've celebrated
20 years together with my wife.
00:13:25.96\00:13:28.94
My son is 14 years of age.
00:13:29.14\00:13:31.24
He's now in grade
9 here in the States.
00:13:31.44\00:13:33.32
And my daughter
is 12 years of age.
00:13:33.73\00:13:36.07
So we've been
around a little while.
00:13:36.27\00:13:37.85
But I guess I have to
thank God for my South American
00:13:38.06\00:13:41.91
Hispanic skin.
00:13:42.01\00:13:44.11
Having been born and
raised in the Adventist church
00:13:45.76\00:13:48.01
I have seen a lot in my time.
00:13:48.22\00:13:50.86
We've traveled a lot in the
group that I've shared with you
00:13:51.06\00:13:53.46
about. And I really
have come to the conviction
00:13:53.56\00:13:56.70
that in our church and
in the Christian churches
00:13:56.80\00:13:59.03
there's a great need for
Christians, for Adventists
00:13:59.13\00:14:03.07
alike, to be
living a sanctified life.
00:14:03.17\00:14:07.02
I find that in
the world that we live
00:14:08.75\00:14:11.00
we have Christians
misrepresenting the character
00:14:11.31\00:14:15.01
of God every
single week on the news.
00:14:15.11\00:14:18.93
And coming from Australia
I guess we live in a country
00:14:19.43\00:14:22.99
that a little bit more
along the atheist line.
00:14:23.09\00:14:25.97
And we have the major
churches coming out these days
00:14:26.37\00:14:29.53
and misrepresenting God in
ways you couldn't even imagine.
00:14:29.63\00:14:33.20
These days the leaders
of these churches come out
00:14:34.37\00:14:37.80
on television
interviews saying that the Bible
00:14:37.90\00:14:41.58
is just a made up
story... that it's a myth.
00:14:41.69\00:14:45.55
These are religious leaders.
00:14:45.75\00:14:47.14
That the miracles of the
Bible are just myths and that
00:14:47.54\00:14:50.94
the
resurrection is again a myth.
00:14:51.04\00:14:53.18
We have people that misrepresent
God in so many ways.
00:14:53.28\00:14:58.25
And so I believe
that in our church -
00:14:58.35\00:15:00.18
in the
Seventh-day Adventist church -
00:15:00.38\00:15:02.72
it's so important that we
are living sanctified lives
00:15:02.92\00:15:06.20
so that the world can
see the true character of God
00:15:06.40\00:15:09.00
through us.
00:15:09.41\00:15:11.09
My opening passage for
this meeting and for my sermon
00:15:12.18\00:15:16.77
is found in
Leviticus chapter 19.
00:15:16.87\00:15:19.27
And this is the
launching pad for the sermon
00:15:19.37\00:15:20.98
that I'm going to share.
Leviticus chapter 19 verse 2.
00:15:21.08\00:15:25.99
If you have your Bibles, I
invite you to open them up.
00:15:26.20\00:15:28.96
And Leviticus 19
verse 2 reads as follows:
00:15:30.20\00:15:33.17
From verse 1: "The
Lord said to Moses:
00:15:36.69\00:15:39.61
'Speak to the entire assembly
of Israel and say to them
00:15:39.81\00:15:43.50
be holy because
I, the Lord your God,
00:15:43.70\00:15:47.90
am holy. ' "
00:15:48.20\00:15:50.85
And with that in mind
I'm just going to invite you
00:15:51.15\00:15:52.52
to bow your heads as
we ask God's presence
00:15:52.55\00:15:54.43
and His anointing on the Word.
00:15:54.53\00:15:55.94
Father in heaven, we
are discussing a broad
00:15:57.16\00:16:00.43
subject tonight. This is
an important message for us
00:16:00.53\00:16:05.30
as Adventists. It's
an important message
00:16:05.40\00:16:08.27
that the world needs to hear and
see through us as Christians.
00:16:08.37\00:16:12.06
But Lord, this message is
also fraught with danger...
00:16:13.98\00:16:16.25
it's a subject that
the devil is attacking.
00:16:16.35\00:16:18.58
He is trying to
distort and misrepresent.
00:16:18.88\00:16:21.59
And so we ask especially
for Your Holy Spirit to be
00:16:21.89\00:16:25.06
with us, to anoint
us, to speak through us.
00:16:25.17\00:16:28.35
To open our eyes to
what You want to teach us.
00:16:28.55\00:16:31.48
To help us to start
living the sanctified life...
00:16:31.98\00:16:35.88
the Christlike life
that You would have us live.
00:16:36.08\00:16:39.63
Is our prayer in
Jesus' name, Amen.
00:16:39.83\00:16:43.16
Now this passage in
Leviticus chapter 19
00:16:46.43\00:16:50.08
is a very important passage.
00:16:50.48\00:16:52.35
It's spoken by God through
Moses to the people of Israel.
00:16:52.55\00:16:56.73
These people are a new nation.
00:16:57.61\00:16:59.42
They have just
come out of Egypt.
00:16:59.62\00:17:01.72
They have gone to Sinai.
00:17:01.92\00:17:03.68
They have received
the Ten Commandments...
00:17:03.88\00:17:05.25
the law of God.
00:17:05.42\00:17:06.79
And now God is
establishing His rules for life,
00:17:06.82\00:17:10.25
His guidelines for their living.
00:17:10.46\00:17:13.36
And He tells Moses to
lay it out immediately
00:17:13.66\00:17:17.30
straight up to tell them that
God's purpose for His people
00:17:17.50\00:17:20.88
is that they be sanctified.
That they be holy people.
00:17:21.08\00:17:24.90
And then throughout the book
He specifies what that means.
00:17:25.63\00:17:29.45
What holy means. What
it means to be sanctified.
00:17:29.65\00:17:32.78
So the whole book of
Leviticus is really surrounding
00:17:32.98\00:17:37.30
this key message
of sanctification.
00:17:37.50\00:17:40.69
Of being holy...
of being sanctified.
00:17:40.89\00:17:43.20
He wants His people -
God wants His people -
00:17:45.39\00:17:48.16
to be a people that are
different to the nations that
00:17:48.36\00:17:52.71
surround Israel. And
the nations that will
00:17:52.81\00:17:54.55
surround Israel once they
move on to the Promised Land.
00:17:54.65\00:17:57.37
He wants His people to
be distinct to the pagan
00:17:57.57\00:18:01.39
worship that
existed in those days.
00:18:01.49\00:18:04.24
He wanted them to be different.
00:18:04.34\00:18:05.90
He's calling them to obedience.
00:18:06.97\00:18:09.33
He's calling
them to faithfulness.
00:18:09.53\00:18:12.21
He's calling them to
be separate... to be holy.
00:18:13.44\00:18:16.21
But this concept of
being sanctified and holy
00:18:17.31\00:18:20.90
like I said in my prayer is
a topic that has been skewed.
00:18:21.10\00:18:24.59
It's a topic that has
been debated, and there's been
00:18:24.62\00:18:27.90
a lot of misunderstanding
and disagreement
00:18:28.00\00:18:30.14
as to what it means to be holy.
00:18:30.34\00:18:32.95
And it's such an important topic
for us as Adventist Christians
00:18:33.45\00:18:37.42
that I can show you that
the Bible is really bookended
00:18:37.62\00:18:40.36
by the whole concept of
holiness from start to finish.
00:18:40.46\00:18:44.32
If we open up our Bibles
to Genesis chapter 2 verse 3,
00:18:44.52\00:18:48.20
for example, at the very
outset of scripture we find
00:18:48.40\00:18:52.34
the theme of
holiness right there.
00:18:52.54\00:18:54.74
Chapter 2 verse 3 of Genesis.
00:18:54.94\00:18:57.28
And it reads as follows:
00:19:00.71\00:19:02.96
"Then God blessed
the seventh day... "
00:19:05.14\00:19:07.58
And what did He make it?
00:19:07.68\00:19:09.05
"holy. " Or He sanctified it.
00:19:09.08\00:19:12.00
And He... "because on it
He rested from all of the work
00:19:13.50\00:19:18.02
of creating that He had done. "
00:19:18.22\00:19:20.42
And so the very first thing
that we find in the story of
00:19:20.62\00:19:23.56
creation is that we get to
the Sabbath. God blesses it.
00:19:23.66\00:19:26.48
He sets it apart
and He declares it holy.
00:19:26.58\00:19:29.60
Straight up the theme is
introduced of sanctification...
00:19:29.80\00:19:32.72
holiness.
00:19:32.92\00:19:34.29
And then if we turn to
the end of the scriptures
00:19:34.32\00:19:35.69
we find that it
ends in the same way.
00:19:35.78\00:19:38.18
In Revelation
chapter 22 verse 11 where the
00:19:38.38\00:19:43.67
the subject of
holiness is the last broach
00:19:44.84\00:19:47.88
to the closing
of the entire Bible.
00:19:48.08\00:19:50.87
Revelation chapter 22 verse 11.
00:19:51.72\00:19:55.76
And it reads: "Let
the one who does wrong
00:19:58.16\00:20:01.50
continue to do
wrong" is the declaration.
00:20:01.70\00:20:04.19
"Let the vile
person continue to be vile.
00:20:04.39\00:20:07.28
Let the one who does
right continue to do right.
00:20:07.48\00:20:09.79
And let the holy
person continue to be holy. "
00:20:10.19\00:20:16.10
So as you can see
it's the theme that is
00:20:17.19\00:20:19.95
right throughout the
Bible starting at Genesis,
00:20:20.05\00:20:22.63
continuing
through to Revelation.
00:20:22.83\00:20:24.22
And it permeates the
whole of the Bible and yet
00:20:24.43\00:20:26.47
we live in a world that
scarcely speaks of holiness
00:20:26.87\00:20:31.24
any more. That scarcely talks
about sanctification any more.
00:20:31.34\00:20:35.37
It is a theme that
is to be avoided by many
00:20:35.58\00:20:38.53
for many reasons.
00:20:39.46\00:20:41.36
And I believe
it's a Satanic work
00:20:41.56\00:20:43.44
that is... because the devil
knows that his time is short.
00:20:43.84\00:20:47.30
He knows that if he
can sabotage the whole idea
00:20:47.60\00:20:50.15
of what it means to be holy,
00:20:50.25\00:20:51.62
if he can get in there
and confuse the people,
00:20:51.68\00:20:53.68
get them arguing about
the topic amongst each other,
00:20:53.88\00:20:56.66
get them thoroughly
distorting the concept,
00:20:56.86\00:20:59.88
then he will have a
whole group of Christians
00:21:00.09\00:21:03.90
who claim a form of godliness
00:21:04.10\00:21:06.84
and yet deny the power thereof.
00:21:07.04\00:21:09.34
And so holiness is something
that is much needed in our
00:21:10.98\00:21:13.31
churches but yet we don't
hear it preached very often
00:21:13.41\00:21:16.98
from our pulpits any more.
00:21:17.18\00:21:18.71
So God wants specifically
a sanctified people.
00:21:22.70\00:21:27.91
Now we've been talking about
this in our lessons in the last
00:21:28.11\00:21:30.75
few weeks when we
studied I Thessalonians.
00:21:30.85\00:21:33.20
But I want to show you one other
passage in the New Testament
00:21:33.40\00:21:35.79
where Peter is
challenging the Christians
00:21:36.00\00:21:39.72
to be holy as well... just like
Moses did in the days of old.
00:21:39.92\00:21:43.84
So we'll open up to I
Peter chapter 1 verses 15-16
00:21:44.05\00:21:48.30
and we'll find Peter
reiterating what Moses said
00:21:48.50\00:21:52.15
all those years earlier.
00:21:52.35\00:21:53.72
I Peter chapter 1 verses 15-16.
00:21:53.75\00:21:59.23
The whole section is on
being holy, but I'm just
00:22:01.86\00:22:04.49
grabbing a small portion of it.
00:22:04.59\00:22:06.10
Verse 15 reads: "But
just as He who called you
00:22:08.20\00:22:12.34
is holy so be holy in all that
you do. For it is written... "
00:22:12.44\00:22:18.06
and he quotes from Leviticus...
00:22:18.26\00:22:20.02
"Be holy because I am holy. "
00:22:20.22\00:22:24.62
So now this is a concept
that is not just a broad concept
00:22:25.47\00:22:28.93
that requires
holiness from a day.
00:22:29.03\00:22:31.78
We are no longer talking
about holiness of articles
00:22:32.08\00:22:35.27
in the sanctuary
service or of the holy place
00:22:35.38\00:22:39.07
or the most holy place.
00:22:39.17\00:22:40.71
We are being taught
very specifically here
00:22:41.01\00:22:43.77
that God's
people are to be holy.
00:22:43.98\00:22:47.01
So if Moses said that
to the people of Israel
00:22:47.21\00:22:50.84
and now Peter says it to
the early Christian church
00:22:50.94\00:22:53.48
who is now scattered
all around the world, surely
00:22:53.69\00:22:57.41
this is a concept that is
important for us as God's people
00:22:57.61\00:23:01.15
also today.
00:23:01.25\00:23:03.31
So what does the
word holy actually mean?
00:23:03.61\00:23:06.26
What does the word holy entail?
00:23:06.47\00:23:09.91
What does it
mean to be sanctified?
00:23:10.84\00:23:13.50
If we look up the words
in the original language
00:23:13.80\00:23:16.39
in Hebrew the
word holy is "qodesh".
00:23:16.59\00:23:18.78
And some of you may
know this: that the word
00:23:18.98\00:23:20.83
qodesh in Hebrew
means to consecrate,
00:23:20.93\00:23:24.63
to dedicate to, to be hallowed,
to separate, to set apart.
00:23:24.83\00:23:30.26
And so essentially this
idea is where things or people
00:23:30.56\00:23:34.71
are consecrated to God
and set apart for holy use...
00:23:34.91\00:23:38.06
for holy purposes.
00:23:38.26\00:23:39.63
That is what the
Hebrew word qodesh means.
00:23:39.66\00:23:42.46
Holy; to set apart; to
consecrate for holy use.
00:23:43.53\00:23:47.56
And that extends
to people as well.
00:23:47.96\00:23:50.31
To priests... to God's people.
00:23:50.51\00:23:52.69
In the New Testament we
have another word called hagios
00:23:52.90\00:23:57.39
which is a Greek adjective
as opposed to the Hebrew verb.
00:23:57.59\00:24:01.00
And this one has a
similar connotation
00:24:01.10\00:24:03.27
to the Hebrew
but with a slight...
00:24:03.47\00:24:05.49
slightly different meaning.
00:24:05.59\00:24:06.96
So hagios in the
Greek means distinct.
00:24:07.15\00:24:11.57
It means different from.
00:24:11.77\00:24:13.61
It means other; it means
different from the world.
00:24:13.81\00:24:18.45
So if you put these
two words together...
00:24:19.56\00:24:21.60
if you put
qodesh from the Hebrew
00:24:21.80\00:24:23.94
and hagios from the Greek
together you have a concept
00:24:24.14\00:24:27.80
that is about being
separate, being consecrated,
00:24:28.00\00:24:31.30
being distinct from
the world in which we live.
00:24:31.50\00:24:36.11
Notice there's no mention there
of moral behavior at that point.
00:24:37.94\00:24:43.20
The words really just
refer to being different
00:24:43.40\00:24:46.53
to the way of the world
and being like God who is holy.
00:24:46.74\00:24:51.41
It is a distinction that
we have that God's people need
00:24:52.29\00:24:54.71
to have from the world.
And so hagios provides the root
00:24:54.81\00:24:58.70
for many different
Greek words like holiness,
00:24:58.80\00:25:01.86
sanctification, to
sanctify, and saint.
00:25:02.06\00:25:07.02
So in essence holy
means separate, different,
00:25:07.22\00:25:09.97
devoted to, consecrated to.
00:25:10.07\00:25:12.03
In essence it
means being Christlike.
00:25:12.23\00:25:14.61
In essence it means
having the attributes of God
00:25:16.03\00:25:20.77
who alone is holy.
00:25:20.97\00:25:22.47
He is holy other and He's
absolutely morally perfect.
00:25:22.67\00:25:27.93
And so we are to
share those attributes,
00:25:29.19\00:25:31.17
but this is where the
misunderstanding can come in
00:25:31.27\00:25:33.99
where people can carry
that through to its full extent
00:25:34.09\00:25:36.91
and we get a
distortion of this truth.
00:25:37.01\00:25:40.23
In reality, the word holy is
not about absolute perfection.
00:25:41.46\00:25:46.72
The word holy is
about separation.
00:25:47.54\00:25:50.88
It's about consecration
which includes obedience.
00:25:51.08\00:25:56.77
Did you hear that?
00:25:58.04\00:25:59.41
The word holy is
about separation.
00:25:59.44\00:26:02.19
Separation from sin? Yes.
00:26:02.39\00:26:04.33
Separation from the world.
00:26:04.43\00:26:05.80
It's about
consecration to God... holiness.
00:26:05.90\00:26:10.44
And Bible-believing Christians,
Seventh-day Adventists,
00:26:11.52\00:26:14.74
must be true believers...
truly sanctified, truly holy.
00:26:14.84\00:26:20.00
And the process starts
when we accept Jesus...
00:26:20.41\00:26:23.42
when we accept
Christ and salvation.
00:26:23.53\00:26:25.07
But then it extends
from there for a lifetime
00:26:25.27\00:26:27.86
and we are transformed,
changed into the image of God.
00:26:27.96\00:26:31.14
And then we have the passages
that we've been studying
00:26:31.24\00:26:33.76
lately. For example:
John chapter 17 verse 17.
00:26:33.86\00:26:39.52
John 17 verse 17.
00:26:39.92\00:26:42.12
We are told that Christians are
to be sanctified by God's Word.
00:26:42.42\00:26:47.58
Verse 17 reads:
00:26:49.08\00:26:51.80
"Sanctify them by the truth:
00:26:53.10\00:26:56.15
Your Word is truth. "
00:26:56.56\00:26:58.94
And then if we were to
just review some of the passages
00:26:59.04\00:27:01.66
we've been studying in our
lessons in I Thessalonians...
00:27:01.76\00:27:05.07
I Thessalonians
chapter 4 verse 3.
00:27:05.37\00:27:09.20
We'll just review a
couple of these verses
00:27:09.30\00:27:10.98
because they're
important to our theme.
00:27:11.38\00:27:14.54
I Thessalonians
chapter 4 verses 3 to 7.
00:27:14.74\00:27:20.36
"It is God's will that
you should be... " What?
00:27:23.47\00:27:27.19
"sanctified, made holy.
00:27:28.65\00:27:31.59
That you should
avoid sexual immorality.
00:27:33.19\00:27:35.83
That each of you should
learn to control your own body
00:27:35.93\00:27:38.54
in a way that is
holy and honorable,
00:27:38.64\00:27:40.54
not in passionate lust like
the pagans who do not know God.
00:27:40.64\00:27:44.45
And that this
matter no one should wrong
00:27:44.68\00:27:47.22
or take advantage
of a brother or sister.
00:27:47.33\00:27:49.57
The Lord will punish all
those who commit" these things.
00:27:49.77\00:27:55.06
I'll just turn the
page. "who commit such sins
00:27:55.17\00:27:57.80
as we told you and
warned you before. "
00:27:58.00\00:28:00.43
So in essence this
is about being different
00:28:00.74\00:28:02.99
to the pagan cultures around us.
00:28:03.10\00:28:04.50
To living a life that
is according to God's will
00:28:04.70\00:28:08.46
for our lives.
00:28:08.76\00:28:10.59
The only other verse that I
want to share along this line
00:28:12.69\00:28:15.04
is in the next chapter.
00:28:15.14\00:28:16.85
I Thessalonians
chapter 5 verse 23
00:28:17.05\00:28:19.60
where it says: "May God Himself,
00:28:20.00\00:28:23.30
the God of peace, sanctify
you through and through.
00:28:23.50\00:28:28.31
May your whole
spirit, soul, and body be kept
00:28:28.61\00:28:31.28
blameless at the coming
of our Lord Jesus Christ.
00:28:31.49\00:28:34.73
The One who calls you is
faithful and He will do it. "
00:28:35.03\00:28:39.14
So there's no question
that in scripture we are told
00:28:39.99\00:28:42.52
that God's people
need to be sanctified.
00:28:42.82\00:28:45.62
There is no question that
the Bible teaches holiness.
00:28:45.72\00:28:48.56
It is from cover to cover.
00:28:48.77\00:28:50.14
It is throughout the
Old Testament and New.
00:28:50.34\00:28:52.86
But the problem is the devil
takes ahold of a theme like this
00:28:53.80\00:28:57.12
and he skews it to such a point
00:28:57.23\00:28:59.37
that he gets the
church arguing amongst itself
00:28:59.58\00:29:04.79
over the... over the theme.
00:29:05.19\00:29:07.51
He so misrepresents the idea.
00:29:07.91\00:29:11.40
He creates such
misunderstanding.
00:29:11.70\00:29:14.61
And so we get this
pendulum swing of people that...
00:29:14.81\00:29:17.31
that go to
extremes on the subject
00:29:17.41\00:29:20.16
and the whole idea
gets swept under the carpet.
00:29:20.36\00:29:23.68
People avoid it; it
doesn't get preached on.
00:29:23.88\00:29:26.22
And yet it's such a fundamental
teaching for our times...
00:29:26.42\00:29:30.42
for the last days.
00:29:30.62\00:29:31.99
For example, on one extreme
we have some people that...
00:29:32.79\00:29:35.87
don't want to take the full step
00:29:36.07\00:29:40.12
where we are
basically going to resemble
00:29:40.32\00:29:43.15
the image of God in a
complete sinless state.
00:29:43.35\00:29:46.01
And so some of the people
that subscribe to this view
00:29:46.31\00:29:50.80
to an extreme... they
end up being very judgmental.
00:29:50.90\00:29:54.17
Critical of everyone they find.
00:29:54.20\00:29:56.01
They can be very nasty people.
00:29:56.21\00:29:58.96
And yet we get
people on the other extreme
00:29:59.16\00:30:01.79
where they are
completely permissive
00:30:01.89\00:30:04.33
and they lead a
free and easy existence.
00:30:04.53\00:30:07.41
Easy... easy goes.
00:30:07.61\00:30:09.07
There are no rules;
there are no boundaries.
00:30:09.27\00:30:11.46
And we have people... It
never ceases to amaze me...
00:30:11.56\00:30:14.65
people living together
before marriage as if it's -
00:30:14.95\00:30:17.83
I'm talking Christians - as
if it's something that is...
00:30:17.93\00:30:21.79
that is normal.
00:30:21.89\00:30:23.38
We have all sorts of
things that happen in God's name
00:30:23.78\00:30:27.34
because there is a
pendulum swing the other way
00:30:27.54\00:30:29.85
where people object to any
talk of Christian perfection.
00:30:30.06\00:30:34.80
But then the majority of
us sit somewhere in between.
00:30:36.12\00:30:38.72
And what's interesting
to me is that there is a...
00:30:38.92\00:30:41.43
there is a lukewarm existence
that happens in our churches
00:30:41.63\00:30:44.83
where we see ourselves
as having a balanced view,
00:30:44.93\00:30:49.30
as having a balanced theology,
00:30:49.50\00:30:51.20
as understanding
the concept of holiness
00:30:51.30\00:30:54.04
and yet in the
churches that I have seen
00:30:54.44\00:30:57.56
in the places that I have been
00:30:57.66\00:30:59.11
we find a Christianity
that is well and truly lukewarm.
00:30:59.31\00:31:04.93
That is not holy in the
sense that the Bible teaches.
00:31:05.03\00:31:09.42
We find unsanctified
Christians in our pews
00:31:11.47\00:31:16.65
who claim to have
that form of godliness.
00:31:17.05\00:31:19.61
Claim to take
the name of Christian
00:31:19.81\00:31:23.01
and yet the behavior
is just not compatible
00:31:24.36\00:31:29.70
with the nature, with
the person of Jesus Christ.
00:31:29.90\00:31:32.97
And I'm talking about the
majority of us sitting here.
00:31:34.22\00:31:37.88
You and I. I'm not talking
about anyone to any extreme now.
00:31:38.08\00:31:41.01
I'm talking about those of us
who are regular church attenders
00:31:41.21\00:31:44.16
who claim to be practicing,
active Seventh-day Adventist
00:31:44.26\00:31:47.50
Christians.
00:31:47.60\00:31:49.26
And yet where is
the character of Christ?
00:31:50.31\00:31:53.30
I'm being very frank
with you because to be honest
00:31:54.65\00:31:58.07
I have seen such
behavior in my short years.
00:31:58.28\00:32:02.42
I've seen such bitterness.
00:32:04.15\00:32:06.08
I've seen such anger
defending Christian truths.
00:32:06.48\00:32:11.81
I've seen a lot of knowledge
where we can defend every single
00:32:12.11\00:32:15.69
fundamental that
we believe and yet
00:32:15.79\00:32:18.73
when the rubber meets the road
00:32:18.93\00:32:20.34
our behavior just doesn't match
up with the claim that we make
00:32:20.45\00:32:23.96
of being Christians...
Christ-like, sanctified people.
00:32:24.16\00:32:29.58
And I ask myself:
"What is going on? "
00:32:30.79\00:32:33.20
And I'm reminded that obviously
we live in the last days
00:32:33.30\00:32:37.04
of this earth's history
and the devil is attacking
00:32:37.24\00:32:41.50
like never, ever before.
00:32:41.60\00:32:43.27
The devil does not
want the church sanctified
00:32:44.47\00:32:47.68
and representing Christ as
it should be representing Him.
00:32:47.79\00:32:50.67
The devil is trying
to do whatever it takes
00:32:50.97\00:32:54.36
to distort this concept
and to have us misrepresent
00:32:54.60\00:32:58.87
the character of Christ.
00:32:58.97\00:33:00.47
And so we have people
that indulge in all sorts of
00:33:01.88\00:33:05.89
entertainment. We
have people that...
00:33:06.19\00:33:09.53
that happily drink
and will happily do things
00:33:09.73\00:33:15.50
very similar to the world.
00:33:15.70\00:33:17.76
There is no difference;
there is no setting apart.
00:33:17.96\00:33:20.11
The church is starting
to look just like the world
00:33:20.31\00:33:24.05
in which we live.
00:33:24.25\00:33:25.80
And I believe that
this is no coincidence
00:33:28.62\00:33:31.26
and we need to take
stock of what is going on
00:33:31.46\00:33:36.18
in our churches.
00:33:36.38\00:33:38.51
I also believe that our leaders
00:33:38.71\00:33:40.71
need to be sanctified leaders.
00:33:40.91\00:33:43.23
I find that we are losing a
sense of sanctity and integrity
00:33:43.53\00:33:49.44
in our leaders. The
leaders need to be leading
00:33:49.64\00:33:52.61
by example. And this was the
whole problem with the nation
00:33:52.71\00:33:55.18
of Israel. It
was the high priest,
00:33:55.28\00:33:57.57
it was the leaders themselves,
00:33:57.67\00:33:59.04
that had lost that
relationship with God.
00:33:59.07\00:34:01.15
That had lost their
idea of sanctification.
00:34:01.35\00:34:03.79
And so they themselves
were leading the nations astray.
00:34:03.99\00:34:07.83
And I believe this is what's
happening in our world leaders.
00:34:09.37\00:34:12.16
Pastors, elders, as
well as church members
00:34:12.36\00:34:17.90
have lost the
idea of sanctification.
00:34:18.10\00:34:22.32
So what we need is
a sanctified church...
00:34:25.43\00:34:29.15
a Christ-like church.
00:34:29.36\00:34:31.26
But what does...
what does this take?
00:34:32.89\00:34:36.31
What has to happen?
00:34:36.51\00:34:38.32
I believe what has to
happen is that we need to start
00:34:38.53\00:34:41.53
to see ourselves in
the mirror of God's Word.
00:34:41.73\00:34:45.56
Because everybody that I've met
00:34:45.76\00:34:48.46
kind of justifies
where they are at.
00:34:48.66\00:34:51.33
There are very few
people that will admit
00:34:51.43\00:34:53.56
that they are
living unsanctified lives.
00:34:53.76\00:34:56.89
I've rarely come across
a person who has said to me
00:34:57.09\00:35:00.65
"Yes, look...
I'm falling short. "
00:35:00.85\00:35:02.44
Most people will
somehow... somehow
00:35:02.64\00:35:05.28
find that they sit
somewhere in the middle,
00:35:05.38\00:35:07.83
somewhere close to Christ,
00:35:08.03\00:35:09.40
and everybody
else is somewhere else.
00:35:09.44\00:35:12.82
Rarely do we see
ourselves clearly in the mirror
00:35:13.02\00:35:16.52
of God's Word and
in God's commandments
00:35:16.62\00:35:18.55
and realize that:
"Hey... this is me! "
00:35:18.75\00:35:22.73
There's not some mysterious
church out there that lacks
00:35:23.03\00:35:26.30
sanctification. It's
not the Adventist church
00:35:26.40\00:35:28.88
or the leadership of the church.
00:35:28.98\00:35:30.35
We are the church!
00:35:30.38\00:35:32.98
And if sanctification is
going to begin in our church
00:35:33.28\00:35:35.49
surely it begins with me.
00:35:35.69\00:35:38.68
Surely it begins with me.
00:35:38.98\00:35:42.31
A truly sanctified
person, according to scripture,
00:35:46.14\00:35:49.60
is someone who never
sees themselves as perfect
00:35:49.90\00:35:54.24
or good.
00:35:54.45\00:35:56.54
A truly sanctified
person is someone who never
00:35:56.84\00:35:59.74
sees themselves
as perfect or good.
00:35:59.84\00:36:03.25
A truly sanctified person
is constantly dwelling on the
00:36:05.66\00:36:09.79
character of Christ.
00:36:09.99\00:36:12.45
Constantly dwelling
on Christ's character...
00:36:12.65\00:36:15.82
not so much on
me and my character.
00:36:16.02\00:36:19.58
A truly sanctified
person is someone who
00:36:19.98\00:36:23.77
has subconscious Christlikeness.
00:36:23.97\00:36:27.85
Someone who's not even
aware that they are Christ-like.
00:36:28.05\00:36:31.45
Someone who is Christ-like
and other people can tell
00:36:31.55\00:36:34.88
but yet they don't
have an awareness of it.
00:36:34.98\00:36:37.26
In fact, the person is more
aware of their own sinful state
00:36:37.46\00:36:43.08
than anything else.
00:36:43.38\00:36:45.39
Being Christ-like is a
conformity to God's will
00:36:46.19\00:36:50.84
in every area of our lives...
00:36:51.05\00:36:53.69
not just in the
religious, church-going area.
00:36:53.89\00:36:57.72
It is taking God's will
to every corner of our lives.
00:36:57.92\00:37:01.62
To every corner of our heart.
00:37:01.72\00:37:03.26
To every part, every
segment, everything we do
00:37:03.46\00:37:06.32
from work to leisure
to family to marriage.
00:37:06.35\00:37:09.67
Every aspect of our
lives needs to be permeated by
00:37:09.87\00:37:13.39
this sanctification.
00:37:13.49\00:37:15.61
God's will needs
to cover all of that.
00:37:15.81\00:37:18.15
Nothing should
be hidden from Him.
00:37:18.35\00:37:20.74
Sanctification is
also a progressive...
00:37:23.08\00:37:25.73
a progressive process.
00:37:26.13\00:37:29.08
We are called saints
because it starts at salvation.
00:37:30.23\00:37:33.42
When someone comes to
Christ they are justified
00:37:33.52\00:37:36.09
and sanctification
begins at that point.
00:37:36.19\00:37:38.88
But it is a process
that takes a whole lifetime
00:37:39.08\00:37:43.34
where God works through
tough times, through good times.
00:37:43.54\00:37:47.29
He works on our character
molding us and shaping us
00:37:47.50\00:37:50.73
into the image of Christ.
00:37:50.93\00:37:52.87
And you know, sanctification
is always linked to evangelism
00:37:55.46\00:38:00.50
and to service. There
is no such thing as being
00:38:00.70\00:38:04.08
sanctified and I
guess just coming to church
00:38:04.28\00:38:07.53
and sitting in a pew and
not living for anybody else
00:38:07.73\00:38:12.83
but ourselves. To just
becoming fat Christians
00:38:12.93\00:38:16.27
where we just are
fed and fed all the time
00:38:16.38\00:38:18.69
and we never serve,
we never evangelize.
00:38:18.79\00:38:22.45
That's not
sanctification. It can't be!
00:38:22.65\00:38:25.61
I mean the only reason
we're on this earth still
00:38:25.91\00:38:28.46
is that there's a world out
there that needs to be saved.
00:38:28.66\00:38:30.84
So surely sanctification
also includes evangelism.
00:38:31.04\00:38:35.36
We can't just be
sitting around on our hands
00:38:35.76\00:38:38.99
waiting for the
second coming of Christ.
00:38:39.19\00:38:41.55
We need to be "sign-doers"
not just "sign-watchers. "
00:38:41.75\00:38:44.55
So sanctification
includes that as well:
00:38:44.95\00:38:48.39
service, evangelism.
00:38:48.59\00:38:51.85
I want to now kind
of switch a little bit
00:38:54.02\00:38:55.93
'cause I've been showing you
a bit of scripture and theology
00:38:56.03\00:38:58.95
and I want to share with
you a little story that for me
00:38:59.05\00:39:02.67
really shows what
sanctification looks like.
00:39:02.87\00:39:06.58
What it looks like
in a person's life.
00:39:06.78\00:39:08.84
It is a Bible story
that I think is an excellent
00:39:08.94\00:39:12.56
illustration of what
it means to be sanctified.
00:39:12.66\00:39:15.55
I think it's
full of lessons for us
00:39:15.65\00:39:17.72
to hold on to and to learn from.
00:39:17.92\00:39:20.27
And so I want to invite
you to open up your Bibles
00:39:20.47\00:39:22.69
to Genesis chapter 37
00:39:22.89\00:39:25.56
which is the very
beginning of scripture
00:39:25.66\00:39:28.18
to one of the most famous
Biblical stories in the whole
00:39:29.49\00:39:33.80
of the Bible.
Genesis chapter 37.
00:39:33.90\00:39:36.16
So in essence what we've done is
we've laid down the foundation
00:39:36.46\00:39:39.71
theologically from scripture
the passages that talk about
00:39:39.91\00:39:42.76
holiness and sanctification.
00:39:42.87\00:39:44.59
But now I want us to see
what it actually looks like
00:39:44.79\00:39:47.35
in real life...
in a person's life.
00:39:47.65\00:39:50.45
So Genesis chapter 37
00:39:50.65\00:39:54.07
and I want us to
read from verse 3.
00:39:54.28\00:39:57.66
And it says: "Now
Israel loved Joseph
00:40:02.92\00:40:05.74
more than any of his other sons
00:40:05.94\00:40:07.88
because he had been
born to him in his old age.
00:40:08.18\00:40:12.90
And he made an
ornate robe for him.
00:40:13.10\00:40:15.80
When his brothers saw
that their father loved him
00:40:16.00\00:40:18.72
more than any of
them they hated him
00:40:18.82\00:40:22.28
and could not
speak a kind word to him.
00:40:22.48\00:40:26.64
Joseph had a dream, and
when he told it to his brothers
00:40:26.84\00:40:30.60
they hated him all the more.
00:40:30.81\00:40:32.75
He said to them:
'Listen to this dream I had.
00:40:32.95\00:40:36.03
We were binding sheaves
of grain out in the field
00:40:36.23\00:40:38.44
when suddenly my
sheaf rose and stood upright
00:40:38.64\00:40:41.49
while your sheaves
gathered around mine
00:40:41.69\00:40:45.02
and bowed down to it. ' "
00:40:45.12\00:40:48.35
This is a young
man... We all know the story.
00:40:48.65\00:40:51.52
I want to just give you a
little bit of background on this
00:40:51.72\00:40:53.34
story and why I like it so much.
00:40:53.44\00:40:55.35
This story is the
longest Biblical narrative -
00:40:55.56\00:40:58.51
Biblical story -
in the entire Bible.
00:40:58.61\00:41:00.78
It is so full of
lessons for us to learn
00:41:00.98\00:41:04.61
on the subject
of sanctification.
00:41:04.81\00:41:07.09
What I need to also
share with you is that
00:41:07.40\00:41:09.70
Hebrew narrative needs to be
understood in a different way
00:41:09.80\00:41:12.62
to the way we think
in the Western world.
00:41:12.82\00:41:15.37
I need to tell you
that Hebrew narratives
00:41:15.47\00:41:18.25
are very compact
in the sense that they
00:41:18.45\00:41:20.91
don't give a lot of
descriptive words for characters
00:41:21.13\00:41:23.73
or for places.
They are very compact
00:41:23.83\00:41:26.05
because the Hebrew language
was a very small language.
00:41:26.25\00:41:30.14
In fact, it only had 5,000 words
00:41:30.34\00:41:33.92
in its whole vocabulary.
00:41:34.12\00:41:36.62
And that was 5,000 but
only 2,000 of them were
00:41:37.51\00:41:41.99
root words. So 2,000 root words
00:41:42.09\00:41:44.85
extended to 5,000
words is all they had to use
00:41:44.95\00:41:48.41
to explain their stories.
00:41:48.61\00:41:50.45
And so they would have to use
a lot of different conventions
00:41:50.55\00:41:54.38
to try to get
their point across.
00:41:54.48\00:41:56.85
I tried to find out
how many words we have
00:41:57.15\00:41:59.45
in our English language.
And it's very hard to determine
00:41:59.55\00:42:02.60
but they say it's about 250,000.
00:42:02.70\00:42:05.25
A quarter of a
million words in our language
00:42:05.35\00:42:08.21
to explain what
we need to explain.
00:42:08.41\00:42:11.06
So you can
imagine the difference.
00:42:11.11\00:42:12.68
Where I can break something
up and I can give you adjectives
00:42:12.89\00:42:15.91
and really pull something apart
00:42:16.01\00:42:18.01
whereas the Hebrews
had just the stories.
00:42:18.11\00:42:21.16
And they had to use
things like repetition,
00:42:21.36\00:42:23.59
they had to use
things like dialogue
00:42:23.79\00:42:27.17
to get the character across.
00:42:27.27\00:42:29.60
They would often
place stories side by side
00:42:29.80\00:42:32.93
without any comment, and
what you would have to do
00:42:33.13\00:42:35.35
is compare those two stories
to see what lesson the author
00:42:35.45\00:42:39.45
wanted to get across.
00:42:39.55\00:42:41.09
And the characters
were rarely described.
00:42:42.55\00:42:46.39
Their motives
are rarely described.
00:42:46.42\00:42:48.16
We have to really try
to understand and hear
00:42:48.36\00:42:50.70
the dialogue and try to
see their actions to work out
00:42:50.80\00:42:54.07
who's the good guy
and who's not the good guy
00:42:54.27\00:42:56.11
and try to find out
what the story is about.
00:42:56.21\00:42:58.66
And so with that in mind
00:42:58.96\00:43:01.32
I want us to just notice
a few things about the story
00:43:01.62\00:43:04.28
of Joseph and what we can learn
00:43:04.38\00:43:07.23
about
sanctification from his life.
00:43:07.33\00:43:09.76
I need to tell you
that this young man grew up
00:43:10.06\00:43:12.87
in a dysfunctional home
with many step siblings.
00:43:12.97\00:43:18.06
And this was the result
of Jacob's unfaithfulness
00:43:18.26\00:43:21.29
in a time in his life
where he lacked the faith
00:43:21.49\00:43:25.23
to trust in God.
00:43:25.43\00:43:26.80
And so he had all of these
children to different wives
00:43:26.90\00:43:30.35
and it was a really
difficult family to live in.
00:43:30.55\00:43:34.41
And out of this dysfunctional
family comes this young man
00:43:35.53\00:43:40.99
with a
difference. He stands out.
00:43:41.19\00:43:43.54
He's got a pure
heart and a pure mind.
00:43:43.94\00:43:48.81
He's very honest
00:43:49.01\00:43:50.96
and he enjoys a close
relationship with God.
00:43:51.16\00:43:54.25
Ellen White talks
about him sitting at the feet
00:43:54.35\00:43:57.14
of his father, hearing the
stories of all of how God worked
00:43:57.24\00:44:00.66
in the lives of his father
and his great-grandfather.
00:44:00.86\00:44:04.08
He had a real interest
in God and the Word of God.
00:44:04.28\00:44:08.13
There's no coincidence
that he was receiving
00:44:09.47\00:44:11.97
prophetic visions from
God at such an early age.
00:44:12.17\00:44:16.48
This young man must
have been an exceptional,
00:44:16.68\00:44:19.60
godly, sanctified young man.
00:44:19.80\00:44:23.04
And you know,
his pureness of heart
00:44:25.48\00:44:28.67
and his character really accused
00:44:28.87\00:44:34.13
the characters of his brothers.
00:44:34.34\00:44:37.10
You may notice early in
the story he doesn't actually
00:44:37.30\00:44:39.68
say any more than he has
to. His words are very brief.
00:44:39.79\00:44:42.69
He describes his
dreams in a kind of naive way
00:44:42.89\00:44:46.84
and when they get
upset he doesn't answer back.
00:44:47.04\00:44:50.67
He doesn't elaborate.
00:44:50.77\00:44:52.14
He doesn't actually
say: "Yes, one day you're
00:44:52.18\00:44:54.11
going to all bow down to me. "
00:44:54.21\00:44:55.91
He's kind of
perplexed just like they are
00:44:56.11\00:44:58.57
trying to work out this dream.
00:44:58.77\00:45:00.49
So it's a naive thing
that he's sharing these dreams
00:45:00.69\00:45:03.11
with his brothers.
00:45:03.32\00:45:05.75
And his character stood
out and made them look bad.
00:45:06.05\00:45:09.86
And so it wasn't only Jacob's
favoritism that made them angry.
00:45:10.06\00:45:14.58
It was his life... it
was his sanctified life
00:45:14.69\00:45:18.26
that made them angry
because it showed them up.
00:45:18.36\00:45:20.96
And so we have the story.
00:45:24.73\00:45:26.10
You know it well, many of you,
00:45:26.13\00:45:28.04
where the brothers plot to
kill their younger brother.
00:45:28.25\00:45:32.12
And they wait for
him. They see him from afar
00:45:32.42\00:45:34.95
and they are prepared.
They're so angry they want to...
00:45:35.25\00:45:37.91
they want to
murder him in cold blood.
00:45:38.01\00:45:40.02
But Reuben - the
oldest brother - says: "No,
00:45:42.09\00:45:44.28
let's just throw
him in an empty well. "
00:45:44.48\00:45:46.37
And they do that.
00:45:46.77\00:45:49.02
But the anger is so great
00:45:51.99\00:45:55.63
that they can't...
they can't keep him there.
00:45:55.93\00:45:59.59
They end up selling him
to Midianites - Ishmaelites -
00:45:59.69\00:46:02.01
on their way to Egypt.
00:46:02.21\00:46:04.15
You know, the
interesting part of the story -
00:46:04.35\00:46:07.04
and Ellen White
talks about this too -
00:46:07.24\00:46:09.05
is that after they
manhandle him in anger
00:46:09.25\00:46:14.15
and they sell him off to the
Midianites, and he finds himself
00:46:14.35\00:46:17.14
alone without his father,
00:46:17.34\00:46:20.28
he finds himself afflicted
on the way to a strange land,
00:46:20.48\00:46:25.06
his mind goes back to
the angry eyes and the hatred
00:46:26.90\00:46:30.25
that his brothers had
displayed towards him.
00:46:30.65\00:46:34.87
And you know, in that
moment Ellen White tells us
00:46:36.41\00:46:38.91
that he had a moment
of uncontrolled grief.
00:46:39.02\00:46:42.12
He had a moment of
deep terror for a time.
00:46:44.19\00:46:48.70
Which implies to me that this
young man - though sanctified -
00:46:49.00\00:46:52.11
was not perfect. He
had a moment where he...
00:46:52.21\00:46:54.54
he distrusted. He didn't
know what we going to happen
00:46:54.64\00:46:57.54
in this foreign land.
00:46:57.74\00:46:59.18
But on that trip he
takes a moment to take stock.
00:47:01.43\00:47:05.15
He takes a moment to
recognize his own faults.
00:47:05.35\00:47:10.90
He comes to the
conclusion that yes, he has been
00:47:11.14\00:47:13.93
self-sufficient,
he's been demanding.
00:47:14.03\00:47:15.80
He recognizes
that he's fallen short.
00:47:16.00\00:47:19.50
And then he's reminded of
the God of his father, Jacob,
00:47:21.39\00:47:25.47
and he's reminded of the stories
that he heard at the feet of his
00:47:25.67\00:47:28.53
father. Stories about how when
his father was far from home
00:47:28.63\00:47:32.66
felt the presence of God
and the presence of angels.
00:47:32.86\00:47:35.66
And how his father had
trusted in the promises of God
00:47:35.96\00:47:40.43
and God had never let him down.
00:47:40.53\00:47:42.08
And so it's at that point
on the way to Egypt that...
00:47:42.48\00:47:47.00
that young
Joseph makes a decision
00:47:47.20\00:47:49.94
that will be the
turning point in his life.
00:47:50.34\00:47:53.22
At 17 he makes a decision that
00:47:54.72\00:47:58.13
would change his life forever.
00:47:58.33\00:48:02.10
He decides that he
will be faithful to God
00:48:03.38\00:48:08.51
no matter what
would come in his future.
00:48:08.71\00:48:13.51
He decides that he would lead
00:48:13.91\00:48:19.16
a sanctified, God-pleasing life
00:48:19.36\00:48:22.61
regardless of the
trials that may lay ahead
00:48:22.81\00:48:25.45
and even the temptations.
00:48:25.65\00:48:27.88
And so he has a moment with God
00:48:29.47\00:48:33.37
that completely
shapes the rest of his life.
00:48:33.57\00:48:36.81
And we know the
remaining part of the story
00:48:38.57\00:48:41.39
where he well and truly
encountered deep, deep trials
00:48:41.49\00:48:45.82
and major temptations
00:48:46.72\00:48:48.97
and he stays faithful.
00:48:49.27\00:48:51.36
And as a result of that
faithfulness we find an increase
00:48:51.56\00:48:55.47
in his blessings... for
him and for those around him.
00:48:55.57\00:48:59.63
And I have a couple of
examples. Verses that I want to
00:48:59.73\00:49:02.24
just show to you
that the blessing of God
00:49:02.34\00:49:04.33
as it increased
as he went along.
00:49:04.43\00:49:06.98
In chapter 39 verse 2
we have the first example
00:49:07.18\00:49:12.94
where it says: "The
Lord was with Joseph
00:49:13.17\00:49:15.76
so he prospered. And
he lived in the house
00:49:15.96\00:49:18.03
of his Egyptian master.
00:49:18.23\00:49:20.46
When his master saw
that the Lord was with him,
00:49:20.66\00:49:22.69
that the Lord gave him success
in everything that he did,
00:49:22.79\00:49:25.94
Joseph found favor in
the eyes of his master
00:49:26.24\00:49:30.01
and became his attendant. "
00:49:30.11\00:49:31.77
Potiphar put him in
charge of his household.
00:49:31.97\00:49:34.27
He entrusted into his
care everything that he owned.
00:49:34.47\00:49:37.65
From that time on
he put him in charge
00:49:37.85\00:49:40.35
of everything that
he owned essentially
00:49:40.45\00:49:42.70
as Potiphar recognizes in this
young man something different.
00:49:43.89\00:49:48.44
Something that
separates him from the rest.
00:49:48.64\00:49:51.97
And then we build on this.
00:49:53.00\00:49:54.37
There's repetition
that goes on in this story.
00:49:54.58\00:49:56.63
In verse 20 of that same chapter
00:49:56.83\00:49:58.97
we read a very similar passage
00:49:59.17\00:50:01.75
where he is now in
prison and it says:
00:50:01.95\00:50:04.56
"Joseph's master took
him and put him in prison -
00:50:04.76\00:50:06.91
the place where the
king's prisoners are confined -
00:50:07.11\00:50:10.78
but while Joseph was there in
prison the Lord was with him. "
00:50:10.89\00:50:15.24
We've heard this before.
00:50:15.34\00:50:16.71
He showed him
kindness, granted him favor
00:50:16.74\00:50:19.35
in the eyes of
the prison warden now.
00:50:19.45\00:50:22.01
And so the prison
warden puts Joseph in charge
00:50:22.21\00:50:25.53
of all of those
held in the prison.
00:50:25.73\00:50:27.36
Makes him responsible
for everything there.
00:50:27.66\00:50:30.07
He continues to be blessed
00:50:30.27\00:50:32.19
AND whoever comes into
contact with this young man
00:50:32.39\00:50:35.77
is blessed as a result.
00:50:35.87\00:50:37.28
And so this blessing increases.
00:50:38.62\00:50:41.14
And we have another verse in
chapter 41 in verse 39 where...
00:50:41.34\00:50:45.59
where it says on
a bigger scale now.
00:50:45.79\00:50:48.79
Now we are seeing Pharaoh
- who is essentially the king
00:50:48.99\00:50:53.02
of Egypt... "Then
Pharaoh said to Joseph
00:50:53.12\00:50:55.62
'Since God has made
all this known to you
00:50:55.83\00:50:58.34
there is no one so
discerning or as wise as you.
00:50:58.54\00:51:02.17
You will be put in
charge of my palace
00:51:02.38\00:51:04.59
and all my people are
to submit to your orders.
00:51:04.69\00:51:08.17
Only with respect to the throne
will I be greater than you. ' "
00:51:08.37\00:51:11.29
So we've gone from
the house of Potiphar
00:51:11.59\00:51:13.92
to the prison of the king
00:51:14.12\00:51:16.17
now to the
whole nation of Egypt.
00:51:16.37\00:51:19.06
And it's
doesn't even stop there.
00:51:19.26\00:51:20.63
There's another verse
in that chapter - verse 56-
00:51:20.66\00:51:23.55
where we are told it
extended to the whole world.
00:51:23.75\00:51:27.25
When the famine was
spread over the whole country
00:51:27.55\00:51:30.53
Joseph opened the
storehouses and sold grain
00:51:30.73\00:51:33.87
to the Egyptians. We're
talking about a vast region
00:51:34.07\00:51:36.81
of people that he
was responsible for
00:51:37.02\00:51:39.82
and were blessed as a
result of his commitment
00:51:40.02\00:51:43.27
and faithfulness to God.
00:51:43.37\00:51:44.74
And so we kind
of know the story.
00:51:46.02\00:51:48.25
We kind of know that
this young man was different
00:51:48.35\00:51:51.21
and that God
blessed him as a result.
00:51:51.31\00:51:52.93
What I'd never
realized before in this story
00:51:53.13\00:51:55.34
when I was younger and
I've found out in recent years
00:51:55.64\00:51:58.37
as I've studied it more
00:51:58.47\00:51:59.84
was that there is a
comparison made in this story
00:52:00.03\00:52:02.43
that the author -
Moses - wants us to see.
00:52:02.63\00:52:05.50
And I didn't see
it in Sabbath School.
00:52:05.53\00:52:07.28
I didn't see it
when I was a young man.
00:52:07.38\00:52:08.99
And I quickly just want
to show you that comparison.
00:52:09.09\00:52:11.94
It's found in
chapter 38 of Genesis.
00:52:12.14\00:52:17.50
Chapter 38 of Genesis.
00:52:18.67\00:52:20.24
There is a bit of an
interruption in the flow
00:52:20.34\00:52:22.55
of the story. And I don't
know why I hadn't noticed it,
00:52:22.65\00:52:27.07
but it is there
and it is significant.
00:52:27.27\00:52:29.34
In chapter 38 we no
longer have the story of Joseph.
00:52:29.54\00:52:33.39
Joseph starts in 37
00:52:33.59\00:52:36.31
and then it
continues 39, 40, 41, up to 45.
00:52:36.51\00:52:40.20
Chapter 38 is different.
00:52:40.40\00:52:42.38
There is like a
change in scene there
00:52:42.58\00:52:46.39
and we talk about... we
learn about Judah, his brother.
00:52:47.20\00:52:52.02
And what we learn in
the story, just to be brief
00:52:52.22\00:52:54.68
because we don't
have a lot of time,
00:52:54.88\00:52:56.25
is that just as
Joseph left his father's home
00:52:56.30\00:52:59.43
Judah also left
his father's home.
00:52:59.53\00:53:02.32
Joseph was taken
without his consent
00:53:02.62\00:53:06.56
but Judah decided to
leave of his own volition.
00:53:07.38\00:53:10.68
Judah heads out to Canaan.
00:53:10.88\00:53:12.70
We are told that Judah
marries a Canaanite woman.
00:53:13.00\00:53:16.32
We are told that he has three
boys to this Canaanite woman
00:53:16.52\00:53:20.01
but everything
goes wrong with Judah.
00:53:20.31\00:53:24.89
He loses his firstborn.
00:53:25.19\00:53:28.03
He loses his second
born, and God calls them both
00:53:28.33\00:53:31.39
"wicked... "
these two boys of Judah.
00:53:31.49\00:53:34.39
Then Judah loses his wife.
00:53:34.69\00:53:37.74
And then eventually
he fails to trust God
00:53:38.14\00:53:41.33
and he ends up committing
a grievous sin of adultery
00:53:41.73\00:53:46.97
with Tamar, his
eldest son's daughter,
00:53:47.17\00:53:49.85
thinking that
she's a prostitute.
00:53:50.05\00:53:51.73
She was veiled.
And he solicits her
00:53:51.93\00:53:55.24
and has intimate
relations with her
00:53:55.44\00:53:57.69
and ends up
destroying everything.
00:53:57.99\00:54:01.18
And so the contrast is clear.
00:54:01.38\00:54:03.98
Where one son's -
Joseph's - life is up and up
00:54:04.18\00:54:07.33
as a result of his faithfulness,
00:54:07.53\00:54:09.23
the other son's life is
on the slide as a result
00:54:09.43\00:54:13.97
of his unfaithfulness.
00:54:14.07\00:54:16.44
His unsanctified life.
00:54:16.64\00:54:18.87
I believe that Moses
put that clause there
00:54:19.27\00:54:22.34
for us to see the contrast
between what it is to live
00:54:22.54\00:54:26.29
a sanctified life
versus an unsanctified life.
00:54:26.49\00:54:30.87
Joseph and Judah.
00:54:31.07\00:54:33.12
What's amazing to me
is that Joseph is the hero
00:54:34.07\00:54:38.65
of the story and yet it is Judah
00:54:38.75\00:54:40.64
who ends up being the
great great grandparent
00:54:40.84\00:54:43.87
of King David.
00:54:43.90\00:54:45.27
And it is Judah
and through his line
00:54:45.43\00:54:48.10
that Jesus Christ
comes... not Joseph.
00:54:48.30\00:54:51.78
And I believe that Moses
put that chapter in there
00:54:52.59\00:54:56.07
to show the people of Israel
who needed to come back to God,
00:54:56.18\00:54:59.42
that needed to be a holy nation,
00:54:59.62\00:55:01.26
he wanted them to
see one example of Joseph
00:55:01.36\00:55:03.63
who was always faithful
to God and who hardly ever
00:55:03.83\00:55:07.50
made an error but he
also wanted to tell them
00:55:07.71\00:55:11.68
that Judah - who
took a different journey,
00:55:13.19\00:55:16.41
he almost took
the long way around,
00:55:16.61\00:55:18.61
whose life was unholy
and unsanctified at one point
00:55:18.82\00:55:22.62
but who hit such a
rock bottom in his life
00:55:22.83\00:55:25.08
where he realized
the error of his ways -
00:55:25.18\00:55:27.81
and he, too, came back
to a sanctified experience.
00:55:28.01\00:55:32.83
And for me the
clincher of the story -
00:55:33.03\00:55:35.37
and I've only got a
few moments to finish -
00:55:35.57\00:55:37.09
is found in chapter 44 verse 18.
00:55:37.39\00:55:43.36
44 verse 18.
00:55:46.80\00:55:48.72
We find Judah entering
into the presence of Joseph
00:55:59.16\00:56:02.15
at the end of the story.
00:56:02.36\00:56:03.82
And for many many verses
on we find Judah pleading
00:56:04.12\00:56:07.93
for the life of his
younger brother Benjamin.
00:56:08.13\00:56:11.68
Something has
changed in the life of Judah.
00:56:11.88\00:56:15.46
Something has changed.
00:56:15.66\00:56:17.03
And we don't have time
to read the whole section
00:56:17.06\00:56:19.54
so I'm just going to
grab the ending of it
00:56:19.74\00:56:21.78
where Judah is pleading for
the boy. In verse 30 it says:
00:56:21.81\00:56:25.04
"So now if the
boy is not with us
00:56:25.24\00:56:26.86
when I go back to my father,
00:56:27.06\00:56:29.55
if my father - whose life
is closely bound up with the
00:56:29.75\00:56:32.31
boy's life - sees that the
boy isn't here, he will die. "
00:56:32.42\00:56:35.30
And then verse 33
says: "Now please,
00:56:35.50\00:56:37.32
let your servant
remain here as my lord's slave
00:56:37.52\00:56:40.33
in place of the boy.
Let the boy return home. "
00:56:40.43\00:56:42.93
And then in verse 34 he says:
00:56:43.23\00:56:45.14
"How can I go back to my father
if the boy is not with me?
00:56:45.34\00:56:47.94
No. Do not let me see
the misery that would come
00:56:48.04\00:56:51.27
to my father. " Essentially
00:56:51.47\00:56:53.97
Judah had just offered his
life for his younger brother
00:56:54.27\00:56:58.21
and he has just pleaded
for the father that he once
00:56:58.51\00:57:01.78
didn't care at all about.
00:57:01.88\00:57:03.85
So the Israelites heard this
00:57:04.15\00:57:06.47
and they realized the importance
of turning back to God.
00:57:06.67\00:57:09.17
And I think we, too,
must learn the importance
00:57:09.27\00:57:14.60
of a sanctified life
00:57:14.80\00:57:17.29
and coming back to
God even if we've strayed.
00:57:17.49\00:57:19.83
And it's not about absolute
perfection. It is about...
00:57:20.03\00:57:23.62