Introductory music...
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Come, Thou Fount
of every blessing
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Tune my heart to sing thy grace;
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Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
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Call for songs
of loudest praise.
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Teach me ever to adore Thee,
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May I still Thy goodness prove,
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While the hope of endless glory
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Fills my heart
with joy and love.
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Here I raise my Ebenezer,
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Hither by Thy help I've come,
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And I hope by Thy good pleasure
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Safely to arrive at home...
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Safely to arrive at home.
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Jesus sought me when a stranger,
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Wandering from the fold of God,
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He to rescue me...
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He to rescue me from danger
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Interposed His...
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precious blood...
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precious blood,
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precious... blood...
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music...
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O, to grace how great a debtor
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Daily I'm constrained to be!
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Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
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Bind me closer still to Thee.
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Prone to
wander, Lord, I feel it,
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Here's my heart...
O, take and seal it;
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Seal it for Thy courts above.
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Seal it for Thy courts above...
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Audience clapping.
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Good morning, Sabbath School.
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I hope there's going to
be bells in heaven don't you?
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Ring the bells of
heaven... for heaven...
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I have with me today
Jim Rennie from Asian Aid,
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he's the CEO
for that Ministry...
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far away ASI members are
working all around the world,
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Jim, we're so glad to
have you here this morning
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tell us about your ministry,
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what do you do...
what is your focus?
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Well, my main
activity is child sponsorship,
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we take children based on need
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and put them in
Adventist Schools
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in many countries in Asia,
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we have over 3,000 children
there... in Adventist Schools.
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You've been
involved in this ministry
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for some years haven't
you... it's not a new ministry,
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3,000 young people to support
in school is a lot of sponsors,
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is that how it's done?
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Yes, each child
has a specific sponsor
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and we're very heavily in India
and Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka
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and we have
just entered Myanmar,
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the church in
Myanmar has a huge need
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and we've just had
to take 800 children
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so my need's not
children... it's sponsors.
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I see, Myanmar...
that's former Burma...
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I think we remember
our history a little bit,
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that's a
challenging country to enter
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and you're looking to help...
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how many children are
you going to help there?
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Well, the church
system in Myanmar
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has about 8,000 children
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and in Myanmar, the
school outreach is critical
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because they're not
allowed to do public outreach,
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the Army runs the Country but
they have a good relationship
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but the School System in Myanmar
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is facing challenges
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because the Government
just made education free
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so the church has asked
for our help in Myanmar.
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I see, well that...
that is a challenge.
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What other
aspects of the ministry...
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are you
expanding in other areas?
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Yes, we've just
extended into a new project
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called "Operation Child Rescue"
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and Operation Child Rescue
based in Bangalore... in India,
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is involved in the
rescue of children from beggary,
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slave labor and girls
from the sex industry.
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Oh my! we hear about the...
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we don't even like to
hear about those stories
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but we know that
they're out there,
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can you tell us, now that
you've started this ministry,
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do you have some
experiences already?
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Yes, well the first one is
the one that's just fascinating
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and heartbreaking
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we have tied in with an
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Adventist Rescue
Scene here in Bangalore
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and they're rescuing babies,
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they have anywhere between
13 and 20 babies at a time
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and it's
heartbreaking to visit there
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but we're actually
really saving lives,
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there's one little girl, Poomi,
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Poomi was just found in a
bush on the side of the road
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and when we took...
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they took her in, the
Police brought her in...
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she had a broken arm and
wounds all over her body,
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she would have
died within the hour
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so her life
was... was changed...
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How old are the babies...
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when you say you
found her in the bushes...
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We believe...
about three months...
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Interviewer: Oh my!
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the other one we have...
and the pictures aren't there
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but her name was
Nalli... and the parents...
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this was the
fourth girl in the family,
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and so, because of
being a girl... sadly...
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and because of
shortage of money,
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they sold her for a
couple of thousand rupees
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to a middleman,
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he then sold the
baby for 20,000 rupees
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which is about
300 dollars to a gang
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and it was just at the time
that the police raided the gang
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and so, she now is in the Home,
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once again, we have no idea
what would have happened to her
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so it's a very exciting...
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but man! when you walk
into where those babies are,
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it's pretty hard
and heartbreaking.
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So, Operation Child Rescue is
really an exciting development
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for us to be in, I
could speak about the...
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the rescuing the girls but...
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come by and we're
happy to share with you.
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So, do you have school buildings
and your own Facilities
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or actually...
because you sponsor them...
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you're actually
helping to integrate them
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into our own Adventist Schools.
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Yes, we own no
schools or orphanages
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all the schools... we're in
about a 103 Adventist Schools
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and the orphanages are all
owned and run by the Church
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and we're the
funding and support Agency
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to the sponsored children.
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That's a very effective way
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to do ministry
because that way...
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every dollar that
comes to sponsor a child,
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you're not having to
pay for all the Facilities,
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you're just directly
being able to support them.
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Well, the sponsorship's going
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towards the
operating of the Schools
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but yes, and we're truly a
supported ministry of the church
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because about 85 percent of
our funds go back to the church.
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Well, now... you
mentioned Nepal...
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and we knew that Nepal
has been in the news for...
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recently...
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and a very tragic disaster there
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you've brought
someone extra with you
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to share a
little bit this morning,
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give us some good
news that came out of Nepal
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and that terrible calamity.
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Well, as you are aware,
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there was a
terrible earthquake in Nepal
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and Asian Aid has the
privilege of being involved
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with Scheer
Memorial Adventist Hospital
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which is the only
Adventist Institution in Nepal
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and as soon as the
earthquake happened,
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I contacted Dr. Dale Mole who
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we're excited to
have with us today,
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he's the CEO and we
said, we have to do something.
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Now we're not normally
in the emergency business
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but because of our relationship
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and I was just
determined to move very quickly,
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we contacted ASI who shared
it with their mailing list
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and also 3ABN who very
generously promoted it heavily
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on the Network and we set
an objective of 200,000 dollars
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and today we're just so excited
that we can officially hand over
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to Scheer
Adventist Memorial Hospital
00:10:06.40\00:10:08.60
a check for 320,000 dollars.
00:10:08.64\00:10:11.91
Well God has blessed,
Adventist people are so generous
00:10:11.94\00:10:17.28
they did more
than you asked for,
00:10:17.31\00:10:19.61
thank you so much for sharing
and thank you so much so...
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do you want to make a comment?
00:10:22.75\00:10:24.09
Yes, just on behalf
of the hospital staff
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and especially...
the people of Nepal...
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I have to tell you, I
am personally overwhelmed
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by the generosity and
support that we have received
00:10:33.76\00:10:38.17
from Asian Aid USA,
ASI and 3ABN Network
00:10:38.23\00:10:42.24
and the generous
donors in the viewing audience
00:10:42.27\00:10:46.68
so, from the bottom of my heart,
I want to say, "Thank you. "
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And we thank you also,
thank you for your ministry.
00:10:49.81\00:10:52.48
Thank you.
00:10:52.51\00:10:53.85
Well, are you ready to travel
to another part of the world
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in this magic Sabbath
School class of today?
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So we go from... over in Asia...
00:11:00.49\00:11:03.96
we go now to the
jungles of the Amazon
00:11:04.03\00:11:06.96
and we're
welcoming today Brad Mills
00:11:07.00\00:11:09.90
who is a Nurse Practitioner
who has a fantastic ministry
00:11:09.93\00:11:14.67
there on the Amazon
River, it's a mighty river...
00:11:14.70\00:11:18.54
what is this...
comparison of the river
00:11:18.57\00:11:21.24
in terms of the
largest in the world
00:11:21.28\00:11:23.95
or near-largest in the world?
00:11:23.98\00:11:25.65
Good morning, happy Sabbath,
00:11:25.68\00:11:27.28
Pastor Cleveland, the
Amazon River is actually
00:11:27.32\00:11:29.45
the second-largest
river in the whole world
00:11:29.48\00:11:31.59
only second to the Nile...
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and it has the most
water... even more than the Nile
00:11:33.59\00:11:37.53
in all of its tributaries.
00:11:37.56\00:11:38.93
So, it's quite a
river highway isn't it,
00:11:38.96\00:11:41.63
that goes for
such a long distance,
00:11:41.66\00:11:43.47
well, I've had the privilege of
visiting your ministry one time
00:11:43.50\00:11:47.24
and it's just so impressive
when you see that huge waterway
00:11:47.27\00:11:51.27
and see you folks nestled
there on the edge of the Amazon
00:11:51.31\00:11:55.31
with a little Mission Station,
00:11:55.34\00:11:56.78
tell us what your
Lifesaver Mission...
00:11:56.81\00:11:59.35
Lifesavers Mission does
for the work on the Amazon.
00:11:59.38\00:12:03.22
So we're based out of the city
of Manous which is Brazil...
00:12:03.25\00:12:06.55
we work in the
Amazon region of Brazil,
00:12:06.59\00:12:09.02
the city of Manaus is
actually a city of 2 million
00:12:09.06\00:12:12.53
and the Country of Brazil
00:12:12.56\00:12:15.03
has one of the
largest Adventist populations
00:12:15.06\00:12:17.53
of any country in the world
00:12:17.57\00:12:18.93
but when you
get into the Amazon,
00:12:19.00\00:12:21.04
you can travel for days...
00:12:21.10\00:12:22.60
you can travel over
thousands of kilometers by boat
00:12:22.64\00:12:25.64
and enter
regions full of villages
00:12:25.67\00:12:28.04
that have never had
an Adventist presence,
00:12:28.08\00:12:30.55
there are no Adventist churches,
no Adventists have visited
00:12:30.58\00:12:32.78
and that's really
where we're targeting
00:12:32.81\00:12:35.92
so we use boats,
we use Health Clinics,
00:12:35.95\00:12:39.09
we use volunteers
and travel on the boats
00:12:39.12\00:12:42.19
up and down the rivers
to bring in anything...
00:12:42.22\00:12:44.89
anything that
can open up a village
00:12:44.93\00:12:46.49
and our main objective is church
planting among the Amazon.
00:12:46.53\00:12:50.27
Amen, well, you have been there
00:12:50.30\00:12:53.74
a number of years
already haven't you...
00:12:53.77\00:12:55.40
and your wife and
your two boys and...
00:12:55.47\00:12:57.17
We've been there
almost eight years.
00:12:57.21\00:12:58.84
And so tell us about some of
the projects that you're doing
00:12:58.87\00:13:02.51
and how that's opened
up some doors for you...
00:13:02.54\00:13:04.61
and experience, we'd
love to hear some stories.
00:13:04.65\00:13:06.88
Sure, so among the Amazon,
00:13:06.92\00:13:09.78
we have three
different health clinics
00:13:09.82\00:13:11.42
which is very little
where we staff with nurses,
00:13:11.45\00:13:14.69
physicians and dentists
that come in as volunteers
00:13:14.72\00:13:17.89
and live in these areas,
00:13:17.96\00:13:19.39
we do them kind of as a post
that will reach a whole region,
00:13:19.43\00:13:22.56
we put them
strategically in areas
00:13:22.60\00:13:24.33
where there's no
Adventist presence
00:13:24.37\00:13:26.03
and obviously the
medical work as you all know
00:13:26.07\00:13:28.27
opens the doors,
00:13:28.30\00:13:29.64
besides medical work,
we do educational work,
00:13:29.67\00:13:32.07
we do village development,
00:13:32.11\00:13:33.98
we've done so many fun
things like going into a village
00:13:34.01\00:13:36.38
where there's
not a single outhouse
00:13:36.41\00:13:38.55
in a village of
more than 50 families
00:13:38.61\00:13:40.72
and help them in
building outhouses
00:13:40.78\00:13:43.22
which is a whole
educational process.
00:13:43.28\00:13:45.75
In one village we had a
lady that said to her husband,
00:13:45.82\00:13:48.29
"I don't know why they think
00:13:48.32\00:13:49.66
they need a
bathroom in the house"
00:13:49.69\00:13:51.03
and, you know,
they would just walk out
00:13:51.06\00:13:53.60
in the jungle
and use the bathroom
00:13:53.63\00:13:55.03
and so once we got a pioneer
worker living in the village,
00:13:55.06\00:13:58.07
that had a
bathroom in their house,
00:13:58.10\00:13:59.47
it wasn't about two months and
the lady said to her husband,
00:13:59.50\00:14:01.54
"I want you to put one
of those in our house too. "
00:14:01.57\00:14:04.57
That's amazing, so, while
you traveled up the Amazon
00:14:04.61\00:14:07.48
a lot of times,
do you sense a...
00:14:07.51\00:14:10.05
some kind of a providence
sometimes when you're traveling?
00:14:10.08\00:14:13.21
Where to stop and
when to stop and...
00:14:13.25\00:14:15.18
Absolutely, you
know, we pray so much
00:14:15.25\00:14:17.02
because there
are so many people...
00:14:17.05\00:14:18.82
there are so many villages...
00:14:18.85\00:14:20.19
and so we say, "Lord, lead us...
00:14:20.22\00:14:21.56
lead us where people
are searching for truth"
00:14:21.59\00:14:23.12
and I'll share a story with
you, one of our Bible Workers...
00:14:23.16\00:14:25.79
our Pioneer Bible
Workers was living in a village,
00:14:25.83\00:14:28.43
they travel by dugout canoes,
00:14:28.46\00:14:30.27
which on some tributaries,
00:14:30.30\00:14:32.07
there's a small
river and that's fine
00:14:32.10\00:14:33.64
and some of them are large,
00:14:33.67\00:14:35.00
he was working
on one of the rivers
00:14:35.04\00:14:36.37
that's seven
kilometers wide in some areas
00:14:36.40\00:14:40.74
so when you get into a storm,
00:14:40.78\00:14:42.21
you're looking at
waves just like the ocean
00:14:42.24\00:14:44.45
and so he's in this
little dugout canoe,
00:14:44.48\00:14:46.65
with this little motor
behind and he got into a storm
00:14:46.68\00:14:49.45
as he was traveling
to one of the villages
00:14:49.48\00:14:51.09
to do a Bible Study and he
tried to weather out the storm
00:14:51.12\00:14:54.86
and the waves were
getting bigger and he said,
00:14:54.89\00:14:56.22
"This boat's going under
00:14:56.26\00:14:57.59
so I've got to get to
shore as quick as I can"
00:14:57.63\00:14:59.29
so he started coming to shore
and there was a house there
00:14:59.33\00:15:03.10
and he stopped in
front, he pulled up the canoe
00:15:03.13\00:15:05.10
far away from the water
00:15:05.13\00:15:06.74
so it wouldn't
get filled with waves
00:15:06.77\00:15:09.30
and he walked up to the house
in the pouring rain and said,
00:15:09.34\00:15:12.04
"I'm just passing
by can I stop here?"
00:15:12.07\00:15:14.04
well Divine
Providence was in this house...
00:15:14.08\00:15:17.25
this mother with her
children was not from this area,
00:15:17.28\00:15:20.78
she actually had lived
in a little jungle city
00:15:20.82\00:15:23.28
where her 16-year-old
got involved in drugs
00:15:23.32\00:15:25.72
and one night... on the
road, he got shot in the head
00:15:25.75\00:15:28.42
and so... imagine
in a jungle city...
00:15:28.46\00:15:31.36
he was transported by boat
which took a couple of days
00:15:31.39\00:15:35.16
to get to the hospital
00:15:35.20\00:15:36.53
where he was then put in the ICU
00:15:36.56\00:15:38.13
and he had
several brain surgeries
00:15:38.20\00:15:39.83
and the Physician said,
"He's not going to walk,
00:15:39.87\00:15:41.90
he's not going to talk,
he's going to be a vegetable"
00:15:41.94\00:15:44.57
and this mother, who said,
00:15:44.61\00:15:48.01
"Is there any real...
is there really a God?"
00:15:48.04\00:15:50.25
said, "Lord God, if
you're out there, save my son"
00:15:50.28\00:15:53.42
and he walked
out of the hospital
00:15:53.45\00:15:56.72
with half a head...
the surgery they did...
00:15:56.79\00:16:00.02
he only has half a head now,
he walked out of the hospital
00:16:00.06\00:16:02.89
talking, walking, and
they went to this jungle
00:16:02.92\00:16:05.56
and they bought this
house out in the jungle
00:16:05.59\00:16:08.13
that was closer to the
city for further medical care
00:16:08.16\00:16:10.33
and she said,
"Lord, you've saved my son,
00:16:10.37\00:16:12.40
now I want to know who you are
00:16:12.43\00:16:13.77
send someone to
teach me Bible truth
00:16:13.80\00:16:16.84
and whoever that person is,
00:16:16.87\00:16:18.51
I want to see it in
the Bible" so this day...
00:16:18.54\00:16:20.54
here our Bible
Worker is traveling past...
00:16:20.58\00:16:22.51
gets in a storm,
stops at her house
00:16:22.54\00:16:24.51
and he comes up and she says,
00:16:24.55\00:16:25.88
"Who are you and
what are you doing?"
00:16:25.91\00:16:27.25
And he says, "Well,
I live in this village,
00:16:27.28\00:16:28.62
we're working in
this village development
00:16:28.65\00:16:30.15
and I'm actually
going into another village
00:16:30.19\00:16:31.75
to do a Bible Study"
00:16:31.79\00:16:33.12
and she said,
"You do Bible Studies?"
00:16:33.15\00:16:34.49
And he said, "Yeah"
00:16:34.52\00:16:35.86
and she said,
"Teach me about the Bible"
00:16:35.89\00:16:37.23
so he said,
"Well, let's sit here
00:16:37.26\00:16:40.50
while we're in
this storm and talk... "
00:16:40.56\00:16:41.90
and she said, "I've
been reading in the Bible
00:16:41.93\00:16:44.07
and I read
something about the Sabbath,
00:16:44.13\00:16:45.60
do you know
anything about that?"
00:16:45.63\00:16:47.04
And it was so exciting, he
came back and shared with us
00:16:47.10\00:16:50.37
so, I went and met this family,
the 16-year-old with half a head
00:16:50.41\00:16:54.81
can't remember things,
he has a problem with memory
00:16:54.84\00:16:58.98
when he started
studying the Bible
00:16:59.01\00:17:00.38
he remembers
everything he studies
00:17:00.42\00:17:02.15
and he's now
giving Bible Studies
00:17:02.18\00:17:03.89
to the village
that's closer to him
00:17:03.95\00:17:05.55
and when I met him, he
came and he said to me,
00:17:05.62\00:17:07.76
"I... I... I... I
want to be a missionary"
00:17:07.79\00:17:09.89
it was so exciting to see that.
00:17:09.92\00:17:12.09
Oh my! isn't that wonderful
00:17:12.13\00:17:14.23
an unintentional stop on a
village because of the storm...
00:17:14.26\00:17:18.43
the storm that brought him
to that very special experience,
00:17:18.47\00:17:22.50
any other quick story?
We have just a few seconds,
00:17:22.54\00:17:25.81
I know that families are
there, they need education,
00:17:25.84\00:17:29.01
can you just give us a thought,
what are you hoping to do
00:17:29.04\00:17:31.91
to help young
people have an education?
00:17:31.98\00:17:34.05
Sure, well the Lord has
provided us with a piece of land
00:17:34.08\00:17:37.25
in one of the jungle settings,
00:17:37.29\00:17:38.95
that we're...
working with the local church
00:17:38.99\00:17:40.86
in the Union right now
to open up a boarding school
00:17:40.89\00:17:43.69
in the jungle,
Adventist families...
00:17:43.73\00:17:46.49
once they become Adventists
00:17:46.53\00:17:47.86
or those that are Adventists
have no option for education
00:17:47.90\00:17:51.07
and so we're
moving by faith right now
00:17:51.10\00:17:53.23
to start a school that
would be able to provide
00:17:53.27\00:17:55.60
Adventist Education for people
that live in the jungle as well.
00:17:55.67\00:17:58.17
Amen, you know
there's a long history
00:17:58.21\00:18:00.28
of Adventist work
on the Amazon River,
00:18:00.31\00:18:02.34
I think the
Halliwells would be proud
00:18:02.38\00:18:05.08
of what you're doing
Brad... and your family,
00:18:05.11\00:18:06.88
we thank you for
Amazon Lifesavers.
00:18:06.92\00:18:10.35
Amen, God bless you.
00:18:10.39\00:18:11.72
Good morning...
members and friends of ASI
00:18:11.75\00:18:17.69
my name is Jeremiah Weeks,
00:18:17.73\00:18:19.13
I am the new
Director of ShareHim.
00:18:19.16\00:18:21.83
ShareHim is an
evangelistic ministry
00:18:21.86\00:18:24.33
of the Carolina Conferences
of Seventh-day Adventists
00:18:24.37\00:18:27.10
and this morning on behalf of
00:18:27.14\00:18:30.01
ShareHim... on behalf
of the Carolina Conference,
00:18:30.04\00:18:32.91
on behalf of our
Founder and Director Emeritus,
00:18:32.94\00:18:36.61
Elder Bob Folkenberg,
also, one of our dedicated
00:18:36.64\00:18:40.25
team members, Pastor
Benny Moore and our entire team,
00:18:40.32\00:18:43.62
I want to say a
great big thank you.
00:18:43.65\00:18:46.09
Thank you for your
support of young people
00:18:46.12\00:18:49.99
in evangelism
00:18:50.03\00:18:51.39
there is no better
investment I can think of
00:18:51.43\00:18:55.53
than encouraging
and mentoring and aiding
00:18:55.56\00:18:59.53
a young person to get involved
in sharing Jesus Christ.
00:18:59.57\00:19:03.34
This year, ASI... you
helped in a major way,
00:19:03.37\00:19:08.58
so many different projects,
00:19:08.61\00:19:11.31
so many that
involve young people
00:19:11.35\00:19:12.95
in particular
helped ShareHim with a...
00:19:12.98\00:19:15.58
what in fact was the largest
project we've done to date.
00:19:15.62\00:19:20.09
In the month of June, we
took about 230 young people,
00:19:20.12\00:19:24.59
young adults,
primarily from Europe,
00:19:24.63\00:19:27.66
Australia and New Zealand
00:19:27.70\00:19:29.76
for two weeks of
evangelistic preaching,
00:19:29.80\00:19:32.97
each one of those young people
00:19:33.00\00:19:34.70
preached an entire
two-week evangelistic campaign
00:19:34.74\00:19:37.64
in Southern Mexico in
13 different cities...
00:19:37.67\00:19:40.78
we have a few maps that
show where they come from,
00:19:40.81\00:19:45.18
they come from
parts of the world
00:19:45.21\00:19:48.08
where to be
honest... the Christian church
00:19:48.12\00:19:50.89
including the
Seventh-day Adventist Church
00:19:50.92\00:19:53.62
has struggled in growth
00:19:53.66\00:19:55.46
and often it's not
growth... it's decline...
00:19:55.49\00:19:57.53
Australia and New
Zealand... our next map here...
00:19:57.56\00:20:01.60
several from Central Europe,
00:20:01.63\00:20:03.67
you can see
their ages even there,
00:20:03.73\00:20:05.97
also from the UK
and from Ireland...
00:20:06.00\00:20:07.90
The Republic of
Ireland, our next map
00:20:07.97\00:20:09.84
and then our final map shows
00:20:09.87\00:20:12.14
so many that came from
Europe... as a whole...
00:20:12.17\00:20:16.64
you helped make this possible,
young people from Italy,
00:20:16.68\00:20:19.78
from France, from
Belgium, The Netherlands,
00:20:19.81\00:20:22.08
from Finland
00:20:22.12\00:20:23.45
and at the close of this
event in Southern Mexico,
00:20:23.49\00:20:28.72
we had the privilege of bringing
these young people... over 200
00:20:28.76\00:20:32.69
to the General Conference
Session in San Antonio,
00:20:32.73\00:20:35.96
here they are meeting in
00:20:36.03\00:20:37.37
what was the
Nominating Committee Room
00:20:37.40\00:20:39.90
but here... filmed
with our ShareHim Team
00:20:39.93\00:20:42.54
and it was a privilege to
be with them all in one place,
00:20:42.57\00:20:45.34
Elder Wilson and
others were with us
00:20:45.37\00:20:48.41
just a few weeks
ago there in San Antonio
00:20:48.44\00:20:51.45
these young
people will be changed
00:20:51.48\00:20:54.78
and are changed
through this experience
00:20:54.82\00:20:56.82
they will never forget it
00:20:56.85\00:20:59.15
and it was a privilege
00:20:59.19\00:21:01.42
working with them
and seeing the passion
00:21:01.49\00:21:03.26
that is growing in
their hearts to share Jesus
00:21:03.29\00:21:06.59
especially in their
number one mission field
00:21:06.63\00:21:09.90
right where they live.
00:21:09.96\00:21:11.30
In closing, I want to
share a story with you,
00:21:11.33\00:21:15.30
this is a story of Lisa...
she was one of six young ladies,
00:21:15.34\00:21:20.01
she came from
Finland and preached with us,
00:21:20.04\00:21:22.44
the Mentor of that group told me
00:21:22.48\00:21:26.18
this has made a real impact,
00:21:26.21\00:21:28.22
some of these young ladies are
00:21:28.25\00:21:30.15
looking at changing their career
00:21:30.19\00:21:32.02
so they can be more
active in sharing Jesus
00:21:32.05\00:21:35.32
and I want to share
with you now, Lisa's story,
00:21:35.36\00:21:38.56
again, thank you so much.
00:21:38.59\00:21:40.43
Music...
00:21:40.46\00:21:48.10
more music...
00:21:48.14\00:21:52.24
some more music...
00:21:52.27\00:21:56.51
My name is Lisa and
I come from Finland.
00:21:56.54\00:21:58.98
I live in the countryside,
we have like... two neighbors
00:21:59.01\00:22:02.55
and I'm the fourth
child... youngest...
00:22:02.58\00:22:05.62
and I'm still in High School,
00:22:05.65\00:22:07.46
I came to God... one year ago...
00:22:07.49\00:22:09.26
I signed up for this
00:22:09.29\00:22:10.96
without really
realizing what I was doing
00:22:10.99\00:22:12.73
and here I am.
00:22:12.76\00:22:14.10
It was great to go
to Mexico and preach,
00:22:14.13\00:22:18.37
every day we start
with morning devotion
00:22:18.40\00:22:20.70
and after that... I
usually go through the...
00:22:20.74\00:22:22.27
I read about the
sermon for a few hours
00:22:22.30\00:22:24.51
about seven o'clock
we'll leave to that church
00:22:24.54\00:22:28.58
and my taxi
driver and translator
00:22:28.61\00:22:30.95
will come with
me, when we get there,
00:22:30.98\00:22:32.51
those people are
really excited to meet me
00:22:32.55\00:22:34.78
and we have that
worship and the sermon
00:22:34.82\00:22:36.99
and people pray
and after that...
00:22:37.02\00:22:39.29
they chat with me and
we... chat for a while...
00:22:39.32\00:22:42.49
I decided to go to this program
00:22:42.52\00:22:44.86
because spreading the gospel
is really important to me,
00:22:44.89\00:22:48.16
when I go... get back to Finland
00:22:48.20\00:22:50.33
I think that one
thing I will remember is
00:22:50.37\00:22:53.54
that I had my first
sermon two weeks ago
00:22:53.57\00:22:56.71
and now when I look at it back,
00:22:56.74\00:22:58.54
it is not... at the
moment, it is so natural
00:22:58.57\00:23:00.51
to just go there and spread
the gospel... it's easy...
00:23:00.54\00:23:03.11
and when you ask the Father
that "Please give me the words
00:23:03.14\00:23:05.68
I got to do this by myself... "
00:23:05.71\00:23:07.22
words just start
coming out of your mouth...
00:23:07.25\00:23:09.18
and it's amazing, it's...
00:23:09.22\00:23:10.62
it just lets you
know that God is with you
00:23:10.65\00:23:13.29
and now when I
get back to Finland,
00:23:13.36\00:23:14.69
I know that He will
be with me in Finland too
00:23:14.72\00:23:17.03
so when I preach... I...
there's nothing to be afraid of
00:23:17.06\00:23:19.56
because He is with me.
00:23:19.59\00:23:24.07
Welcome to Washington State
00:23:24.10\00:23:27.54
and welcome to ASI.
00:23:27.57\00:23:29.77
Today I have been
asked to present...
00:23:29.80\00:23:34.38
on the Sabbath School topic
00:23:34.41\00:23:37.11
and it's the book of Esther.
00:23:37.15\00:23:39.75
When I discovered the
topic of the lesson...
00:23:39.78\00:23:44.22
the content of the
lesson on the book of Esther
00:23:44.29\00:23:48.69
as I looked
through the quarterly
00:23:48.72\00:23:51.43
I kept pointing and saying,
00:23:51.46\00:23:52.79
"Well, why
couldn't it be this topic,
00:23:52.83\00:23:54.46
why couldn't it be that topic,
00:23:54.50\00:23:56.33
those are so much
better than the book of Esther"
00:23:56.36\00:24:00.00
and I was quite concerned
00:24:00.04\00:24:01.77
but you know God is good
and He knows what He's doing
00:24:01.80\00:24:04.37
and He never fails.
00:24:04.41\00:24:06.01
The topic for today is,
"For Such a Time as This"
00:24:06.04\00:24:09.34
and before we get started...
let's bow our heads for prayer.
00:24:09.38\00:24:13.68
Father in heaven,
00:24:13.72\00:24:15.18
we need an
outpouring of your Holy Spirit
00:24:15.22\00:24:19.69
this morning, on me as
well as on your people,
00:24:19.72\00:24:24.06
we ask that
your Word comes alive
00:24:24.09\00:24:27.73
to our hearts and
our hearts to your Word
00:24:27.76\00:24:31.17
that we may receive the blessing
that you have for us today
00:24:31.20\00:24:35.94
for Jesus' sake, amen.
00:24:35.97\00:24:38.37
As I mentioned,
our topic for today
00:24:38.41\00:24:41.54
is "For Such A Time As This"
00:24:41.58\00:24:43.95
it's covering the
content of the book of Esther.
00:24:43.98\00:24:47.02
It turns out that
the Book of Esther
00:24:47.08\00:24:49.45
is the only book in the
Bible where the name of God
00:24:49.48\00:24:55.29
is not mentioned,
00:24:55.32\00:24:56.66
although God is
all over the Book
00:24:56.69\00:24:59.59
so I want you to
begin to turn in your Bibles
00:24:59.63\00:25:05.23
to the Book of Esther,
00:25:05.27\00:25:06.87
we will take a
helicopter look at this book
00:25:06.90\00:25:11.44
although we won't
cover every verse,
00:25:11.47\00:25:14.31
we will skim over the
passages so we get some idea.
00:25:14.34\00:25:19.78
I had a thought
00:25:19.81\00:25:22.55
that the Bible and
Seventh-day Adventists
00:25:22.58\00:25:26.92
have looked at the Bible in
terms of the cosmic conflict.
00:25:26.96\00:25:30.63
The great controversy themes
00:25:30.66\00:25:33.19
and certainly the book
of Esther, is no exception.
00:25:33.23\00:25:37.07
That theme runs
also through this book
00:25:37.10\00:25:40.80
and so we're going to look
at it in that context today.
00:25:40.84\00:25:43.61
We'll be skimming
over, as I mentioned
00:25:43.64\00:25:45.41
until we get to chapter 4.
00:25:45.44\00:25:47.34
The setting is Medo-Persia
and the questions is,
00:25:47.38\00:25:53.05
"Why Medo-Persia?"
00:25:53.11\00:25:54.45
The Bible tells us
that the army of Cyrus
00:25:54.48\00:25:57.79
presented itself
before the walls of Babylon,
00:25:57.82\00:26:01.22
The Jews held captive there,
00:26:01.29\00:26:03.53
so it is a sign of
deliverance from captivity
00:26:03.56\00:26:06.59
and that their deliverance,
in fact, was drawing nigh,
00:26:06.63\00:26:09.90
because for more than a
century before his birth,
00:26:09.93\00:26:13.07
Inspiration had
mentioned Cyrus by name.
00:26:13.10\00:26:17.51
Isaiah chapter 45
records some of these words
00:26:17.54\00:26:21.34
and they are really quite
inspirational... things such as,
00:26:21.38\00:26:25.48
"Thus says the
Lord to His anointed...
00:26:25.51\00:26:28.22
to Cyrus, whose
right hand I have held,
00:26:28.25\00:26:30.89
I have called you by your name,
00:26:30.92\00:26:33.56
I have named you
though you have not known me"
00:26:33.59\00:26:37.46
Ellen White says that
Cyrus read these words
00:26:37.49\00:26:41.33
and his heart was deeply moved
00:26:41.36\00:26:44.43
and he determined to fulfill
his divinely appointed mission.
00:26:44.47\00:26:48.60
So there was a
decree that he sent out
00:26:48.64\00:26:51.54
50,000 of the
children of the captivity
00:26:51.57\00:26:54.54
responded and
returned to their own land
00:26:54.61\00:26:57.91
but Ellen White
points out that thousands...
00:26:57.95\00:27:01.22
hundreds of thousands...
the vast, super majority,
00:27:01.25\00:27:05.62
stayed behind in
the land of their exile
00:27:05.65\00:27:08.69
not having zeal
enough for God's house
00:27:08.72\00:27:11.16
and not wanting to undergo the
hardships of the return journey.
00:27:11.19\00:27:15.36
One would think... that
despising that wonderful
00:27:15.40\00:27:19.43
provision of God,
that He would exclude them
00:27:19.47\00:27:23.20
from the special
protection of providence,
00:27:23.24\00:27:28.24
but do you remember
in the Book of Exodus,
00:27:28.28\00:27:32.75
when Moses asked God
to show him His glory,
00:27:32.78\00:27:37.25
Moses... the Lord said to him...
00:27:37.29\00:27:39.45
"The LORD, The LORD
God, merciful and gracious,
00:27:39.49\00:27:43.43
longsuffering and abounding
in goodness and truth... "
00:27:43.46\00:27:47.13
that "abounding and goodness"
in the original language
00:27:47.16\00:27:50.80
means, "Hesed,"
00:27:50.87\00:27:52.20
Hesed means... "a love
that will not let you go"
00:27:52.23\00:27:55.47
and so God continued,
Ellen White tells us...
00:27:55.50\00:27:58.77
through manifold agencies,
00:27:58.81\00:28:00.18
to plead with
the exiles to return
00:28:00.24\00:28:02.41
and Zechariah pled with
them, "Please leave Babylon now"
00:28:02.44\00:28:07.15
and that's how we find
ourselves in Medo-Persia
00:28:07.18\00:28:11.35
and the children of the
captivity still present there.
00:28:11.39\00:28:15.29
It has near us,
Xerxes the Great,
00:28:15.32\00:28:18.13
he was the king and we
find him in chapter one
00:28:18.16\00:28:21.76
and Ellen White points out
that because they did not leave,
00:28:21.80\00:28:27.84
now they were
facing a momentous crisis,
00:28:27.87\00:28:31.91
they were facing death.
00:28:31.94\00:28:33.27
Chapter 1 tells
us that during his...
00:28:33.31\00:28:36.11
the third year of
Xerxes the Great's reign,
00:28:36.14\00:28:39.01
there was a lavish
feast that was provided
00:28:39.05\00:28:41.88
lasting seven days,
00:28:41.92\00:28:43.72
everyone great
and small was invited
00:28:43.75\00:28:46.39
to this lavish feast,
00:28:46.42\00:28:47.99
one thing was a problem,
00:28:48.02\00:28:49.49
Queen Vashti
displeased the King...
00:28:49.52\00:28:52.43
in fact the verse says that
"the King's anger burnt in him"
00:28:52.46\00:28:57.37
against Queen Vashti.
00:28:57.40\00:28:58.93
She was dismissed
from her position as Queen
00:28:58.97\00:29:02.77
and now he needed a new Queen
and Chapter two lays out for us
00:29:02.80\00:29:07.94
the auditioning process
for having to get a new Queen.
00:29:07.98\00:29:11.61
Chapter two tells
us that all these women
00:29:11.65\00:29:15.72
were lovely and beautiful
and young... they were virgins
00:29:15.75\00:29:20.06
and there was one in particular,
Esther, she was a Jew,
00:29:20.09\00:29:24.33
raised by her
devout, Jewish cousin
00:29:24.36\00:29:28.06
and foster father, Mordecai,
of the tribe of Benjamin.
00:29:28.13\00:29:32.30
The Biblical record states that
she was lovely and beautiful
00:29:32.33\00:29:37.37
but she was a
woman of principle,
00:29:37.41\00:29:40.41
possessed... of
remarkable self-control,
00:29:40.44\00:29:43.38
what a wonderful quality
to possess... self-control,
00:29:43.41\00:29:47.95
she had humility and
practical noble self-sacrifice,
00:29:47.98\00:29:52.45
when it was her turn
to go before the King,
00:29:52.49\00:29:55.19
the record says that
she requested nothing
00:29:55.22\00:29:58.06
and because of her
beauty and her character,
00:29:58.09\00:30:00.90
she became Queen.
00:30:00.93\00:30:02.36
There's another key
player in this story
00:30:02.40\00:30:05.07
and that is Haman.
00:30:05.10\00:30:07.70
Haman was a prince
00:30:07.74\00:30:10.31
and he attained to
an even higher position
00:30:10.34\00:30:14.44
in the King's Government,
above all the Princes.
00:30:14.48\00:30:17.51
Once that happened,
00:30:17.55\00:30:19.51
the King
demanded... or commanded...
00:30:19.55\00:30:22.72
that everyone
bow down, worship him
00:30:22.75\00:30:25.89
and pay him homage.
00:30:25.92\00:30:27.26
Esther Chapter 3 verse
5... it tells us that Mordecai
00:30:27.29\00:30:32.99
refused to worship
anyone but the God of heaven.
00:30:33.03\00:30:37.33
And so, because of that,
00:30:37.37\00:30:39.47
Haman's heart was filled
with wrath against Mordecai
00:30:39.50\00:30:43.54
that he did not bow
to him or to worship him
00:30:43.57\00:30:46.84
and he devised a
plan to execute Mordecai
00:30:46.88\00:30:50.11
and to destroy all the Jews.
00:30:50.15\00:30:53.48
It's quite of a very dramatic
00:30:53.52\00:30:56.92
punishment for someone
who wouldn't worship you.
00:30:56.95\00:31:00.29
In Chapter 6, we
find Haman again,
00:31:00.36\00:31:03.83
now he's in the Outer
Court of the King's palace
00:31:03.86\00:31:06.33
and he wants to
ask the King permission
00:31:06.39\00:31:08.83
to hang Mordecai on a
Gallow that he had constructed.
00:31:08.86\00:31:14.14
Coincidentally,
the King was awake
00:31:14.17\00:31:17.14
and he went and spoke to him,
and Haman presented his request.
00:31:17.17\00:31:21.64
The King said to him,
00:31:21.68\00:31:25.05
"You know I have
somebody I want to honor"
00:31:25.08\00:31:26.98
and Haman thinking, you know,
00:31:27.02\00:31:29.02
"I am the guy... there is nobody
more deserving than I am...
00:31:29.05\00:31:33.09
so here's the plan,
King, I want you to...
00:31:33.12\00:31:37.16
to provide a royal
robe that you have worn,
00:31:37.19\00:31:41.20
a horse on
which you have ridden,
00:31:41.26\00:31:43.93
with a crest on the horse's head
00:31:43.97\00:31:46.80
and parade honoree and horse
00:31:46.84\00:31:49.60
through the
streets of Medo-Persia. "
00:31:49.64\00:31:52.97
Haman's heart was lifted up,
00:31:53.01\00:31:57.15
he aspired to the
highest place of honor
00:31:57.18\00:32:00.62
and pursued it by
destroying others.
00:32:00.65\00:32:03.99
I want you to note
two things, first of all,
00:32:04.02\00:32:08.22
worship of Haman was
commanded by the King,
00:32:08.26\00:32:12.43
secondly, Haman's
heart was lifted up,
00:32:12.46\00:32:15.83
there's a quote I want to read
you from the Desire of Ages,
00:32:15.86\00:32:19.63
it will appear on the screen,
00:32:19.67\00:32:21.04
Ellen White says
that the exercise of force
00:32:21.07\00:32:25.81
is contrary to the
principles of God's government;
00:32:25.84\00:32:29.61
He desires only
the service of love;
00:32:29.64\00:32:33.62
and love cannot be commanded;
00:32:33.65\00:32:36.05
it cannot be won
by force or authority.
00:32:36.08\00:32:39.75
Only by love is love awakened.
00:32:39.79\00:32:43.19
Another quote in
Patriarchs and Prophets,
00:32:43.22\00:32:46.56
she tells us, "God
desires from His creatures
00:32:46.59\00:32:49.93
the service of love...
00:32:49.96\00:32:52.47
service that
springs from an appreciation
00:32:52.50\00:32:55.50
of His character.
00:32:55.54\00:32:57.11
He takes no
pleasure in forced obedience;
00:32:57.14\00:33:00.91
and to all He
grants freedom of will,
00:33:00.94\00:33:04.65
that they may render
Him voluntary service. "
00:33:04.71\00:33:09.35
It's interesting
that as we look at Haman,
00:33:09.38\00:33:13.79
we see several principles
00:33:13.86\00:33:15.36
that began to
awaken in Haman's heart
00:33:15.39\00:33:18.49
that is one of the principles
in the cosmic conflict
00:33:18.53\00:33:22.53
and that's the
principle of self-exaltation.
00:33:22.56\00:33:25.83
This slide, which
will come up on the screen,
00:33:25.87\00:33:29.10
shows us some of these things,
00:33:29.17\00:33:30.77
this is an ominous sign,
00:33:30.81\00:33:36.04
however, praise
the Lord, here it is,
00:33:36.08\00:33:39.48
"The Self-Exalting Principle"
00:33:39.51\00:33:41.65
one of the principles
in the great controversy,
00:33:41.68\00:33:44.99
she says, "Little by little,
00:33:45.02\00:33:48.12
Lucifer came to indulge a
desire for self-exaltation.
00:33:48.16\00:33:52.66
Pride in his own glory nourished
the desire for supremacy. "
00:33:52.69\00:33:58.73
That's in The Great Controversy.
00:33:58.77\00:34:00.50
In Isaiah we find
words such as this,
00:34:00.54\00:34:03.10
"How did this
happen to Lucifer?"
00:34:03.14\00:34:05.64
Isaiah says, "How you have
fallen from heaven, O Lucifer,
00:34:05.67\00:34:09.81
son of the morning!
how has this happened?"
00:34:09.84\00:34:12.25
And then, recorded a
few words where it says,
00:34:12.28\00:34:14.65
"You have said in your heart,
I will ascend into heaven,
00:34:14.68\00:34:18.79
I will exalt my throne
above the stars of God:
00:34:18.85\00:34:21.56
I will also sit on the
mount of the congregation,
00:34:21.59\00:34:24.26
I will ascend
above the heights...
00:34:24.29\00:34:26.23
in fact, you know what?
00:34:26.26\00:34:27.60
I will be like the most High"
00:34:27.63\00:34:30.87
and then... the
last line on there...
00:34:30.90\00:34:33.13
I'm sorry this
slide was taken off,
00:34:33.17\00:34:35.30
she says that this was...
sin originated in self-seeking.
00:34:35.34\00:34:40.68
As we look at that, we
recognize that Lucifer...
00:34:40.71\00:34:45.71
the principle of Lucifer...
that self-exalting principle...
00:34:45.75\00:34:49.45
was in the heart of Haman.
00:34:49.48\00:34:51.15
Ezekiel also tells us
00:34:51.19\00:34:53.19
that Lucifer was
perfect in all his ways
00:34:53.22\00:34:56.29
until iniquity was found in
him and what was the iniquity?
00:34:56.32\00:35:01.13
The Bible tells us,
"his heart was lifted up. "
00:35:01.16\00:35:05.03
This is the
self-exalting principle...
00:35:05.07\00:35:07.90
the self-centered
principle and in fact,
00:35:07.94\00:35:11.21
this is the root, the
foundational principle
00:35:11.24\00:35:14.51
of evil in all of our hearts.
00:35:14.54\00:35:16.75
But there was another principle
and it's in Esther chapter 4
00:35:16.78\00:35:20.88
and I want you to turn
now into Esther, chapter 4,
00:35:20.92\00:35:25.02
this is very
important, Esther, chapter 4,
00:35:25.05\00:35:28.82
Esther, Job, Psalm,
00:35:28.89\00:35:32.29
and in Esther chapter 4
00:35:32.33\00:35:35.70
Mordecai gets the
message about what is going on
00:35:35.73\00:35:38.83
and he begins to
mourn in sackcloth and ashes
00:35:38.87\00:35:41.97
and Esther
asked what's going on,
00:35:42.00\00:35:44.04
she sends a messenger,
00:35:44.11\00:35:45.44
he sends a message back that
all the Jews have been commanded
00:35:45.47\00:35:48.84
to be destroyed
00:35:48.88\00:35:50.21
and he gave a copy of
the decree to the messenger
00:35:50.25\00:35:54.15
to give to Esther,
I want you to notice
00:35:54.18\00:35:56.38
in verse 10 and 11,
what happened at this point,
00:35:56.42\00:35:59.85
Esther spoke to
Hatach and gave him a command
00:35:59.89\00:36:03.26
for Mordecai,
the command was this,
00:36:03.29\00:36:06.53
"All the Kings servants and the
people of the King's provinces
00:36:06.56\00:36:10.10
know that any man or woman
00:36:10.13\00:36:13.50
who goes into the
inner court of the King,
00:36:13.54\00:36:16.57
who was not been
called, he has but one law
00:36:16.60\00:36:19.47
and that is... he
would be put to death"
00:36:19.51\00:36:22.34
I read in these
words, Esther said,
00:36:22.41\00:36:25.55
"This is really scary,
I'm not going to do this,
00:36:25.58\00:36:28.62
I've not been
called now for three months
00:36:28.65\00:36:30.55
for 30 days...
I can't do this. "
00:36:30.59\00:36:33.76
And then we read
in verses 14 and 15,
00:36:33.79\00:36:36.89
something remarkable.
00:36:36.93\00:36:39.23
In verse 13 it says that
00:36:39.26\00:36:41.46
Mordecai told
them to answer Esther,
00:36:41.53\00:36:44.53
"Do not think in your heart
00:36:44.57\00:36:46.53
that you will escape
in the King's palace,
00:36:46.57\00:36:49.57
any more than
all the other Jews,
00:36:49.60\00:36:51.81
for if you
remain completely silent
00:36:51.84\00:36:55.71
at this time,
00:36:55.74\00:36:57.91
relief and deliverance
will arise for the Jews
00:36:57.95\00:37:01.48
from another place
00:37:01.52\00:37:02.85
but you and your
father's house will perish,
00:37:02.88\00:37:05.82
yet, who knows,
00:37:05.85\00:37:08.69
whether you have
come to the kingdom
00:37:08.72\00:37:10.86
for such a time as this. "
00:37:10.89\00:37:12.86
Esther begins to recognize that
00:37:12.89\00:37:17.13
there is something
important about this mission,
00:37:17.17\00:37:21.04
this is not now...
00:37:21.07\00:37:22.77
just about her... and her
own safety and her salvation,
00:37:22.80\00:37:26.07
this is for
something bigger than herself
00:37:26.11\00:37:29.84
and the call is
going to be significant.
00:37:29.88\00:37:32.21
Let's keep reading, verse 15,
00:37:32.25\00:37:35.42
once Esther heard the
inspiring command of Mordecai,
00:37:35.45\00:37:41.19
"You have been
called to the kingdom
00:37:41.22\00:37:44.89
for such a time as
this... " verse 15 says,
00:37:44.93\00:37:48.40
"Esther told them to
return this answer to Mordecai,
00:37:48.43\00:37:52.07
'Go, gather all the Jews
who are present in Shushan
00:37:52.10\00:37:56.40
and fast for me,
neither eat nor drink
00:37:56.44\00:38:00.41
for three days, night or day:
00:38:00.44\00:38:02.98
my maids and I
will fast likewise;
00:38:03.01\00:38:05.35
and so I will go to the
king which is against the law:
00:38:05.38\00:38:08.78
and if I perish, I perish. '"
00:38:08.82\00:38:12.85
I can see two
things going on in verse 16
00:38:12.89\00:38:16.59
and verse 11,
00:38:16.62\00:38:18.69
on the one hand there's an
attempt for self-preservation
00:38:18.73\00:38:22.76
and somehow by
the miracle of God,
00:38:22.80\00:38:25.27
by verse 16, she
recognizes, "You know what?
00:38:25.30\00:38:28.70
There's something more
important than my own life
00:38:28.74\00:38:32.04
and that is the
life of my people. "
00:38:32.07\00:38:34.51
She begins to
intercede for her people
00:38:34.54\00:38:36.91
and she develops a
spirit of self-sacrifice,
00:38:36.95\00:38:40.45
"If I lose my life in
this attempt to save my people,
00:38:40.48\00:38:44.55
then so be it... " the
fate of an entire nation
00:38:44.59\00:38:48.79
hung on that single
decision to lose her life.
00:38:48.82\00:38:52.93
That decision on the
side of self-sacrifice
00:38:52.96\00:38:56.87
was the only remedy
00:38:56.90\00:38:59.03
for the self-exalting
principle of Haman.
00:38:59.07\00:39:01.94
I want to
summarize where we've been.
00:39:01.97\00:39:05.34
The Jews were
now in Medo-Persia,
00:39:05.37\00:39:07.71
they shouldn't have been there,
00:39:07.74\00:39:10.01
God had asked them to
leave and they did not leave
00:39:10.05\00:39:12.58
and by His love that
will not let them go,
00:39:12.61\00:39:16.28
he has now provided and
is going to provide for them.
00:39:16.32\00:39:20.09
There's a slide,
thanks to Dan Halton,
00:39:20.12\00:39:23.22
that I want to show you, it
is a slide of Nathan Greene,
00:39:23.26\00:39:28.30
it's Jesus Christ
interceding for the world,
00:39:28.33\00:39:33.00
this picture has
captivated my heart.
00:39:33.03\00:39:36.37
I'm going to read the verse
on the bottom of this slide
00:39:36.40\00:39:40.08
but as we look at this
picture of Jesus Christ
00:39:40.14\00:39:43.51
interceding for mankind,
00:39:43.55\00:39:45.55
it occurred to me that
as He is praying for us,
00:39:45.61\00:39:49.55
He is praying because
each of us in our hearts,
00:39:49.58\00:39:52.85
have in our hearts
the principle of Haman,
00:39:52.89\00:39:56.06
that's a self-exalting
principle and he's praying,
00:39:56.12\00:39:59.36
I want to read what it says,
00:39:59.39\00:40:00.73
John chapter 12,
verses 24 and 25,
00:40:00.76\00:40:03.20
"Most assuredly, I say to you,
00:40:03.23\00:40:05.43
unless a grain of wheat
falls into the ground and dies,
00:40:05.47\00:40:09.87
it remains alone;
00:40:09.90\00:40:11.31
but if it dies, it
produces much grain.
00:40:11.37\00:40:14.54
He who loves his
life will lose it;
00:40:14.58\00:40:17.28
and he who hates
his life in this world
00:40:17.31\00:40:19.98
will keep it for eternal life. "
00:40:20.02\00:40:22.28
The principle of self-sacrifice
00:40:22.35\00:40:24.55
is a principle that
is willing to lose life.
00:40:24.59\00:40:29.36
I want to focus on
the greater realities,
00:40:29.39\00:40:34.06
we know the story about Esther
and the outcome of that decision
00:40:34.10\00:40:37.53
to save others
rather than just herself
00:40:37.57\00:40:40.44
and I want to focus on
these greater realities.
00:40:40.47\00:40:45.84
There's a quote that Ellen
White has in the Desire of Ages,
00:40:45.87\00:40:49.78
page 20, and it says this,
00:40:49.81\00:40:53.52
"It will be seen
00:40:53.55\00:40:56.45
that the glory shining
in the face of Jesus Christ
00:40:56.48\00:41:00.09
is the glory of
self-sacrificing love.
00:41:00.12\00:41:03.49
In the light of
Calvary it will be seen
00:41:03.53\00:41:06.43
that the law of
self-renouncing love
00:41:06.46\00:41:09.43
is the law of life
for earth and heaven;
00:41:09.46\00:41:12.57
that the love which
'seeketh not her own'
00:41:12.60\00:41:15.77
has its source in
the heart of God... "
00:41:15.80\00:41:18.94
I want to
00:41:18.97\00:41:23.48
read to you something
00:41:23.55\00:41:26.95
before we look
at this next slide
00:41:26.98\00:41:30.85
although we
couldn't put the slide up...
00:41:30.89\00:41:32.22
about Jesus in Gethsemane
and this slide, likewise,
00:41:32.25\00:41:37.46
I think is a
very important slide,
00:41:37.49\00:41:39.29
I want you to
focus on the picture
00:41:39.36\00:41:41.13
of Jesus Christ in Gethsemane.
00:41:41.16\00:41:43.57
I'm going to read something
here from the Desire of Ages,
00:41:43.60\00:41:47.34
"When Jesus Christ
was in Gethsemane... "
00:41:47.37\00:41:50.94
I want you to picture
him in his agony and grief
00:41:50.97\00:41:56.31
and I want to read something
here from the Desire of Ages.
00:41:56.34\00:41:59.95
"Many look on this conflict
between Christ and Satan
00:41:59.98\00:42:03.69
as having no special
bearing on their own life
00:42:03.72\00:42:07.49
and for them, it
is of little interest
00:42:07.52\00:42:10.39
but within the
domain of every human heart,
00:42:10.43\00:42:14.73
this controversy is repeated. "
00:42:14.76\00:42:17.13
What's the controversy?
00:42:17.17\00:42:18.53
It's this idea
of self-exaltation
00:42:18.57\00:42:21.30
versus self-sacrifice
00:42:21.34\00:42:23.37
and why is this in the...
in the case of Jesus Christ?
00:42:23.41\00:42:27.18
In our humanity,
00:42:27.21\00:42:29.04
Christ was to
redeem Adam's failure,
00:42:29.08\00:42:32.38
but when Adam was
assailed by the tempter,
00:42:32.41\00:42:35.45
notice this very carefully,
00:42:35.48\00:42:36.82
"None of the effects of sin
were upon him... " that's Adam,
00:42:36.85\00:42:40.86
"he stood in the
strength of perfect manhood,
00:42:40.89\00:42:44.09
possessing the full
vigor of mind and body,
00:42:44.13\00:42:47.96
it was not thus with
Jesus, for 4,000 years,
00:42:48.00\00:42:51.80
the race had been
decreasing in physical strength
00:42:51.83\00:42:54.97
and in mental
power and in moral worth
00:42:55.00\00:42:57.74
and Christ took
upon Him the infirmities
00:42:57.77\00:43:00.48
of degenerate humanity
00:43:00.51\00:43:02.04
and only thus
could He rescue the race.
00:43:02.08\00:43:05.01
Jesus Christ was in
the fight of His life
00:43:05.08\00:43:07.78
and actually, the
conflict of the ages,
00:43:07.85\00:43:10.55
was for our lives.
00:43:10.59\00:43:11.92
As I read through
these things on Gethsemane,
00:43:11.95\00:43:15.82
I want you to
focus on this slide
00:43:15.86\00:43:18.33
and what Jesus
Christ went through.
00:43:18.36\00:43:22.10
She tells us,
"Behold Him contemplating
00:43:22.16\00:43:25.57
the price to be
paid for the human soul,
00:43:25.60\00:43:29.40
in His agony, He
clings to the cold ground
00:43:29.44\00:43:33.01
as if to prevent Himself from
being drawn farther from God.
00:43:33.04\00:43:36.64
Terrible was the temptation
00:43:36.68\00:43:40.05
to let the human
race bear the consequences
00:43:40.08\00:43:43.32
of its own guilt... while
He stood innocent before God.
00:43:43.35\00:43:47.72
Again, the Son of God was
seized with super human agony
00:43:47.76\00:43:51.53
and fainting and exhausted
He staggered back to the place
00:43:51.59\00:43:55.33
of His former struggle,
00:43:55.36\00:43:56.70
His suffering was
even greater than before
00:43:56.73\00:43:59.53
as the agony of
soul came upon Him,
00:43:59.57\00:44:02.00
His sweat was as it were
00:44:02.04\00:44:03.81
great drops of blood
falling to the ground,
00:44:03.87\00:44:06.68
a short time before,
00:44:06.71\00:44:08.54
Jesus had stood
like a mighty Cedar,
00:44:08.58\00:44:11.35
withstanding the
storm of opposition
00:44:11.38\00:44:14.12
that spent its fury on Him.
00:44:14.15\00:44:15.95
He stood forth in divine
majesty as the Son of God.
00:44:15.98\00:44:19.99
Now, He was like a reed beaten
and bent by the angry storm. "
00:44:20.06\00:44:25.03
Now she goes through
some very important things
00:44:25.06\00:44:27.93
and she says here, "The
humanity of the Son of God,
00:44:27.96\00:44:32.50
trembled in that trying hour
00:44:32.53\00:44:35.64
He prayed not
now for His disciples
00:44:35.67\00:44:37.91
that their faith might not fail
00:44:37.94\00:44:40.11
but for His own
tempted agonized soul.
00:44:40.18\00:44:43.81
Christ, even now,
00:44:43.85\00:44:45.95
might have
refused to drink the cup
00:44:46.01\00:44:47.88
apportioned to guilty
man it was not yet too late,
00:44:47.92\00:44:50.82
He might wipe the
bloody sweat from His brow
00:44:50.85\00:44:53.52
and lead men to
perish in his iniquity,
00:44:53.56\00:44:55.76
He might say,
00:44:55.79\00:44:57.19
'Let the transgressor
receive the penalty of his sin,
00:44:57.23\00:45:00.20
I will go back to my Father,'
00:45:00.23\00:45:02.10
three times He
prayed, 'Oh my Father,
00:45:02.13\00:45:05.13
let this cup pass
from me but now... '"
00:45:05.17\00:45:08.47
she says, "the
history of the human race
00:45:08.50\00:45:11.47
comes up before
the world's Redeemer,
00:45:11.51\00:45:14.31
He sees that the
transgressors of the Law
00:45:14.34\00:45:17.11
if left to
themselves, must perish.
00:45:17.15\00:45:20.02
He sees the helplessness of man,
00:45:20.05\00:45:22.88
He sees the power of sin,
00:45:22.92\00:45:24.52
the woes and
lamentations of a doomed world
00:45:24.55\00:45:27.26
rise before Him,
00:45:27.29\00:45:28.62
He beholds its impending
fate and His decision is made,
00:45:28.66\00:45:32.96
He will save man at
any cost to Himself. "
00:45:32.99\00:45:37.23
Doesn't this
sound just like Esther?
00:45:37.27\00:45:39.97
"If I perish, I perish"
and His decision was made.
00:45:40.00\00:45:44.71
I want to tell you that
as Seventh-day Adventists,
00:45:44.74\00:45:49.41
we have a message
that is so powerful
00:45:49.44\00:45:52.01
to be given to the world
00:45:52.05\00:45:53.68
and I believe that the
Seventh-day Adventist Church
00:45:53.72\00:45:57.42
has been called to the
Kingdom for such a time as this.
00:45:57.45\00:46:01.12
This quote in the
Christ's Object Lessons page 415
00:46:01.16\00:46:05.06
in case it doesn't come
up on the screen right away,
00:46:05.09\00:46:08.96
Ellen White says in this quote,
00:46:09.00\00:46:11.67
"It is the darkness
of misapprehension of God
00:46:11.70\00:46:15.40
that is enshrouding the world.
00:46:15.44\00:46:17.51
Men are losing their
knowledge of His character.
00:46:17.54\00:46:21.58
It has been misunderstood
and misinterpreted. "
00:46:21.64\00:46:25.65
She says, "At this time
00:46:25.68\00:46:27.32
a message from God
is to be proclaimed,
00:46:27.35\00:46:30.25
a message
illuminating in its influence
00:46:30.29\00:46:33.19
and saving in its power...
00:46:33.22\00:46:34.86
the last rays of merciful light,
00:46:34.89\00:46:37.56
the last message of
mercy to be given to the world,
00:46:37.63\00:46:40.90
is a revelation of
His character of love.
00:46:40.93\00:46:43.93
The children of God
are to manifest His glory.
00:46:43.97\00:46:47.57
In their own life and character
00:46:47.60\00:46:50.77
they are to reveal
00:46:50.81\00:46:52.14
what the grace of
God has done for them. "
00:46:52.17\00:46:54.54
Elsewhere,
Ellen White points out
00:46:54.58\00:46:56.91
that the message that was given
00:46:56.95\00:46:59.18
at the Minneapolis
General Conference,
00:46:59.21\00:47:01.02
she said that that message,
portrayed and proclaimed
00:47:01.08\00:47:04.85
an uplifted Savior
00:47:04.92\00:47:06.72
that presented
not only justification
00:47:06.76\00:47:09.72
but asked us to receive
the righteousness of Christ
00:47:09.76\00:47:12.73
made obedient to all
the commandments of God.
00:47:12.76\00:47:15.56
Brothers and
Sisters, I believe that today,
00:47:15.60\00:47:18.07
the Seventh-day Adventist Church
00:47:18.10\00:47:19.70
has been raised up
"for such a time as this,"
00:47:19.73\00:47:22.64
to present a message that's
illuminating in its influence
00:47:22.67\00:47:25.84
and saving in its power.
00:47:25.87\00:47:27.54
Speaker is
looking at her notes...
00:47:27.58\00:47:33.05
As we contemplate these things,
00:47:33.08\00:47:38.45
we are aware that
there are, in our own hearts,
00:47:38.49\00:47:45.13
things that are
vying for supremacy
00:47:45.16\00:47:48.63
and self-sacrifice versus
the self-emptying principle
00:47:48.66\00:47:58.47
and so, I wanted
to look a little bit
00:47:58.51\00:48:03.45
at the disciples themselves.
00:48:03.48\00:48:06.61
Up until Thursday
afternoon of Passion Week,
00:48:06.68\00:48:12.92
Jesus appeared to be a failure.
00:48:12.95\00:48:17.23
Some people,
00:48:17.26\00:48:19.89
thought that
perhaps He was successful
00:48:19.93\00:48:22.80
and that was because
He had done a few miracles
00:48:22.83\00:48:25.93
and a few things like that
but as He looked at His life...
00:48:25.97\00:48:30.41
it was the last
week of His life,
00:48:30.47\00:48:33.68
and for all
intents and purposes,
00:48:33.71\00:48:36.34
few people really comprehended
00:48:36.41\00:48:38.98
what His ministry
really was all about.
00:48:39.01\00:48:41.18
If you had one week
00:48:41.22\00:48:44.12
and you were at the very
last week of your ministry
00:48:44.15\00:48:46.49
after three-and-a-half years
00:48:46.52\00:48:47.86
and your disciples who
would spread the gospel...
00:48:47.89\00:48:50.86
carry on your work had
no idea what you were up to,
00:48:50.89\00:48:54.30
how would you feel?
00:48:54.33\00:48:55.66
Jesus was about
to face the cross
00:48:55.70\00:48:58.40
and His disciples were arguing
about who would be the greatest
00:48:58.43\00:49:03.64
and for three-and-a-half
years with them,
00:49:03.67\00:49:06.44
Jesus Christ had spent that time
00:49:06.47\00:49:09.94
trying to explain this
principle of self-sacrifice
00:49:09.98\00:49:13.72
and
self-emptying love and service
00:49:13.75\00:49:17.25
by any rational
measure, He was a failure.
00:49:17.29\00:49:21.06
As they argued about
who was the greatest,
00:49:21.09\00:49:24.93
this wasn't a little
issue, it was the issue
00:49:24.96\00:49:28.23
that had started all
of sin in the first place
00:49:28.26\00:49:33.27
and after three-and-a-half
unsuccessful years
00:49:33.30\00:49:38.27
of publicly demonstrating
00:49:38.31\00:49:40.88
the principle of
selfless service,
00:49:40.91\00:49:43.35
Jesus said, "I'll
try it one more day. "
00:49:43.38\00:49:47.98
It was going to be
the most stunning example
00:49:48.02\00:49:52.69
of faith that the
universe has ever seen.
00:49:52.72\00:49:57.16
Faith that God was right
faith that this would work,
00:49:57.19\00:50:01.80
faith that somehow
00:50:01.83\00:50:03.67
in the hearts and
minds of humanity,
00:50:03.70\00:50:06.27
we would grab
hold of this principle
00:50:06.33\00:50:09.14
of self-sacrifice,
self-emptying love
00:50:09.17\00:50:11.94
and we would be transformed
00:50:11.97\00:50:13.78
and yet Jesus... in
the next 24 hours...
00:50:13.81\00:50:20.02
what He was to do
wasn't going to be the same
00:50:20.05\00:50:24.25
as he'd always done,
00:50:24.29\00:50:25.62
yes, he'd demonstrate the
principle of selfless service...
00:50:25.65\00:50:28.92
one more day,
00:50:28.96\00:50:30.29
but this time He
went to the extreme...
00:50:30.33\00:50:33.29
He was all in "sink or swim"
00:50:33.33\00:50:36.26
Selflessness
would forever be defined
00:50:36.30\00:50:40.57
by what He was to do
in those next 24 hours,
00:50:40.60\00:50:44.84
there's a graph
that I'd like to show,
00:50:44.87\00:50:48.44
it's called the
"Hockey Stick Graph"
00:50:48.48\00:50:49.91
and this graph shows something
that I think is important,
00:50:49.94\00:50:54.95
if you look at
this Hockey Stick Graph,
00:50:54.98\00:50:57.29
you see the horizontal line
where something is going on,
00:50:57.32\00:51:01.89
this graph has been used
to demonstrate things like
00:51:01.92\00:51:04.09
temperature changes
00:51:04.13\00:51:05.56
or poverty changes
and those kinds of things,
00:51:05.59\00:51:08.10
but I want to use this graph
to demonstrate what happened
00:51:08.13\00:51:11.70
in the life of Jesus
the three-and-a-half years
00:51:11.73\00:51:15.34
and then... that final day.
00:51:15.37\00:51:17.41
If you look at
the horizontal line,
00:51:17.44\00:51:19.34
that's the shaft
of the hockey stick,
00:51:19.37\00:51:21.24
nothing is going on
00:51:21.28\00:51:22.64
but all of a
sudden some event happens
00:51:22.68\00:51:25.38
and as you see,
00:51:25.41\00:51:26.92
that line going
up diagonally there,
00:51:26.95\00:51:30.39
something dramatic happened
00:51:30.42\00:51:31.75
and I want to tell you
that what happened in the
00:51:31.79\00:51:35.06
experience of the disciples
had to be the uplifted Savior.
00:51:35.09\00:51:38.53
You know the story of
Gethsemane... the betrayal,
00:51:38.56\00:51:41.73
we talked about some of
the passage... in Gethsemane
00:51:41.76\00:51:44.90
but Jesus Christ, on the cross,
00:51:44.93\00:51:50.14
when He cried out,
00:51:50.21\00:51:51.91
"My God, my God...
why have you forsaken me?"
00:51:51.94\00:51:54.88
And the disciples are
witness to some of these things
00:51:54.91\00:51:58.68
and I just want to read
00:51:58.71\00:52:00.82
some of the things
Ellen White said about this,
00:52:00.85\00:52:02.92
she says that the guilt
of every descendent of Adam,
00:52:02.95\00:52:07.26
was pressing upon His heart,
00:52:07.29\00:52:09.56
the wrath of God against sin,
00:52:09.59\00:52:11.76
the terrible
manifestation of His displeasure
00:52:11.79\00:52:14.83
because of iniquity...
filled the soul of His Son
00:52:14.86\00:52:17.83
with consternation,
00:52:17.87\00:52:19.50
she says that the withdrawal
00:52:19.53\00:52:22.04
of the Divine
countenance from the Savior,
00:52:22.07\00:52:23.77
in this hour of supreme anguish,
pierced His heart with a sorrow
00:52:23.81\00:52:28.48
that can never be
fully understood by man.
00:52:28.54\00:52:31.71
She said that Satan...
00:52:31.75\00:52:33.48
Satan with his
fierce temptations,
00:52:33.52\00:52:36.55
wrung the heart of Jesus,
00:52:36.58\00:52:38.45
the Savior could not see
through the portals of the tomb,
00:52:38.49\00:52:41.52
all these things
were weighing in on Jesus
00:52:41.56\00:52:44.36
as He was facing the final hour
00:52:44.39\00:52:46.56
and when He said,
00:52:46.59\00:52:47.93
"My God, my God...
why have you forsaken me?"
00:52:47.96\00:52:50.57
That was not an act,
00:52:50.60\00:52:52.60
he felt
abandoned... forsaken of God.
00:52:52.63\00:52:56.27
This example of selflessness
00:52:56.30\00:53:00.84
is the ultimate gift
of Jesus to the universe,
00:53:00.88\00:53:04.55
not just because He was
saving mankind in the process,
00:53:04.58\00:53:08.05
but because the
influence of selflessness
00:53:08.08\00:53:11.55
is the greatest gift
that He could give to anyone
00:53:11.59\00:53:15.29
and why is that?
00:53:15.32\00:53:16.73
Because the light of Calvary...
00:53:16.79\00:53:20.23
it will be seen that the
law of self-renouncing love
00:53:20.26\00:53:24.23
is the law of life
for earth and for heaven
00:53:24.27\00:53:27.54
that the love that
seeketh not her own
00:53:27.57\00:53:30.61
has its source
in the heart of God.
00:53:30.64\00:53:33.61
That influence... sealed
by the blood of Jesus Christ,
00:53:33.64\00:53:37.91
then shown forth with a clarity
00:53:37.95\00:53:40.68
impossible to
achieve before then
00:53:40.72\00:53:43.22
changing the lives and hearts
00:53:43.25\00:53:45.55
of the eleven disciples forever,
00:53:45.59\00:53:47.79
and changing the world
and the universe as well.
00:53:47.82\00:53:50.96
At 9:30 on a
July evening in 1988,
00:53:50.99\00:54:00.57
a disastrous explosion and fire
00:54:00.60\00:54:04.67
happened on an
oil drilling platform
00:54:04.71\00:54:07.91
in the North Sea off
the coast of Scotland.
00:54:07.94\00:54:10.38
One hundred and
sixty six crew members
00:54:10.41\00:54:14.58
and two rescuers died,
00:54:14.62\00:54:15.95
there were 63 crew
members that survived,
00:54:15.98\00:54:19.12
one of them was Andy Mochan,
a Superintendent on the Rig,
00:54:19.15\00:54:22.99
the explosion and
the alarms awakened him
00:54:23.02\00:54:25.99
and he was badly hurt but
he escaped from his quarters
00:54:26.03\00:54:30.60
to the edge of the platform,
00:54:30.63\00:54:32.80
as he looked down 15 stories
00:54:32.83\00:54:34.90
into the cold, frigid
waters of the North Sea,
00:54:34.97\00:54:38.37
he saw twisted steel and debris
00:54:38.41\00:54:41.98
littered on the
surface of the water
00:54:42.01\00:54:44.28
and he knew that if he jumped,
00:54:44.31\00:54:46.75
he would survive 20
minutes without rescue,
00:54:46.78\00:54:50.89
he looked to his right
hand and he saw flames,
00:54:50.92\00:54:54.69
he looked on his left
hand and he saw flames,
00:54:54.72\00:54:58.43
he looked behind
him and he saw flames
00:54:58.49\00:55:00.66
and he made a decision to
jump into the frigid waters,
00:55:00.70\00:55:05.60
when he was asked,
00:55:05.63\00:55:07.30
"Why did you jump
into the frigid waters?"
00:55:07.34\00:55:12.97
He said, "Well, I
faced two possibilities
00:55:13.01\00:55:18.61
one of them was possible
death or certain death...
00:55:18.65\00:55:23.28
I could jump or fry...
so I decided to jump. "
00:55:23.32\00:55:27.82
Pause...
00:55:27.86\00:55:30.96
If we look at the
life of Queen Esther,
00:55:30.99\00:55:34.00
her burning
platform was recognizing
00:55:34.03\00:55:36.97
that the lives of her
people were in jeopardy
00:55:37.03\00:55:40.40
and the question is,
00:55:40.44\00:55:43.37
"What will our
burning platform be?"
00:55:43.41\00:55:47.11
Ellen White makes a comment...
00:55:47.14\00:55:53.05
before we show
the last two slides,
00:55:53.08\00:55:54.95
she says that the
heaven-appointed purpose
00:55:54.98\00:55:58.25
of giving the
gospel to the world
00:55:58.29\00:56:01.22
in this
generation is the noblest
00:56:01.26\00:56:03.73
that can appeal
to any human being.
00:56:03.79\00:56:06.19
Millions upon millions have
never so much as heard of God
00:56:06.23\00:56:11.77
or of His love
revealed in Christ,
00:56:11.83\00:56:13.77
it is their right to
receive this knowledge
00:56:13.80\00:56:17.87
to answer their cry,
00:56:17.91\00:56:19.44
to every household
upon whom has show the light
00:56:19.47\00:56:23.31
of the gospel
comes at this crisis,
00:56:23.35\00:56:26.15
the question put
to Esther the Queen...
00:56:26.18\00:56:28.68
at that momentous
crisis in Israel's history.
00:56:28.72\00:56:32.09
"Who knoweth whether
thou art come to the kingdom
00:56:32.12\00:56:35.46
for such a time as this?"
00:56:35.49\00:56:37.16
But then she
continues with two paragraphs
00:56:37.19\00:56:40.16
that I want to read to you
that I want to be on the screen
00:56:40.20\00:56:43.26
because these, I think,
are our burning platform.
00:56:43.30\00:56:47.80
"Those who think of hastening
or hindering the gospel
00:56:47.87\00:56:52.37
think of it in
relation to themselves
00:56:52.41\00:56:55.51
and to the world.
00:56:55.54\00:56:57.98
Few think of
its relation to God.
00:56:58.01\00:57:00.68
Few give though to the suffering
00:57:00.72\00:57:03.05
that sin has caused our Creator.
00:57:03.08\00:57:05.32
All heaven
00:57:05.35\00:57:07.46
suffered in Christ's agony;
00:57:07.49\00:57:10.59
but that suffering
did not begin or end
00:57:10.63\00:57:13.36
with His
manifestation in humanity.
00:57:13.40\00:57:16.13
The cross is a
revelation to our dull senses
00:57:16.16\00:57:20.10
of the pain that
from its very inception,
00:57:20.14\00:57:24.04
sin has brought
to the heart of God.
00:57:24.07\00:57:26.78
Every departure
from the right...
00:57:26.81\00:57:29.44
every failure of
humanity to reach His ideal,
00:57:29.48\00:57:33.21
brings grief to Him. "
00:57:33.25\00:57:34.98
"Our world is a
vast lazar house,
00:57:35.05\00:57:39.82
a scene of misery
that we dare not allow
00:57:39.85\00:57:43.89
even our thoughts to dwell upon.
00:57:43.93\00:57:46.19
Did we realize it as it is,
00:57:46.26\00:57:49.16
the burden
would be too terrible.
00:57:49.20\00:57:51.77
Yet God feels it all.
00:57:51.83\00:57:54.94
In order to
destroy sin and its results
00:57:54.97\00:57:58.71
He gave His best Beloved,
00:57:58.74\00:58:00.74
and He has put it in our power,
00:58:00.78\00:58:02.81
through co-operation with Him,
00:58:02.84\00:58:04.81
to bring this scene
of misery to an end. "
00:58:04.85\00:58:07.82
Brothers and Sisters,
00:58:07.85\00:58:09.82
I believe that we have
been called to the Kingdom
00:58:09.85\00:58:12.72
for such a time as this.
00:58:12.75\00:58:16.36
ASI Spokane, Washington.
00:58:16.39\00:58:19.96