Participants: Lyndi Schwartz
Series Code: 15ASIC
Program Code: 15ASIC000009A
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00:22 Introductory music...
00:51 Come, Thou Fount of every blessing 00:57 Tune my heart to sing thy grace; 01:03 Streams of mercy, never ceasing, 01:07 Call for songs of loudest praise. 01:11 Teach me ever to adore Thee, 01:16 May I still Thy goodness prove, 01:21 While the hope of endless glory 01:26 Fills my heart with joy and love. 01:30 Here I raise my Ebenezer, 01:36 Hither by Thy help I've come, 01:43 And I hope by Thy good pleasure 01:48 Safely to arrive at home... 01:53 Safely to arrive at home. 01:58 Jesus sought me when a stranger, 02:06 Wandering from the fold of God, 02:15 He to rescue me... 02:20 He to rescue me from danger 02:27 Interposed His... 02:33 precious blood... 02:40 precious blood, 02:47 precious... blood... 02:52 music... 02:59 O, to grace how great a debtor 03:03 Daily I'm constrained to be! 03:06 Let Thy goodness, like a fetter, 03:11 Bind me closer still to Thee. 03:17 Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, 03:21 Here's my heart... O, take and seal it; 03:23 Seal it for Thy courts above. 03:32 Seal it for Thy courts above... 03:40 Audience clapping. 03:44 Good morning, Sabbath School. 03:47 I hope there's going to be bells in heaven don't you? 03:52 Ring the bells of heaven... for heaven... 03:56 I have with me today Jim Rennie from Asian Aid, 04:01 he's the CEO for that Ministry... 04:02 far away ASI members are working all around the world, 04:06 Jim, we're so glad to have you here this morning 04:08 tell us about your ministry, 04:10 what do you do... what is your focus? 04:11 Well, my main activity is child sponsorship, 04:15 we take children based on need 04:18 and put them in Adventist Schools 04:20 in many countries in Asia, 04:23 we have over 3,000 children there... in Adventist Schools. 04:28 You've been involved in this ministry 04:31 for some years haven't you... it's not a new ministry, 04:34 3,000 young people to support in school is a lot of sponsors, 04:38 is that how it's done? 04:39 Yes, each child has a specific sponsor 04:44 and we're very heavily in India and Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka 04:50 and we have just entered Myanmar, 04:52 the church in Myanmar has a huge need 04:55 and we've just had to take 800 children 04:58 so my need's not children... it's sponsors. 05:01 I see, Myanmar... that's former Burma... 05:04 I think we remember our history a little bit, 05:06 that's a challenging country to enter 05:09 and you're looking to help... 05:10 how many children are you going to help there? 05:12 Well, the church system in Myanmar 05:14 has about 8,000 children 05:16 and in Myanmar, the school outreach is critical 05:19 because they're not allowed to do public outreach, 05:23 the Army runs the Country but they have a good relationship 05:26 but the School System in Myanmar 05:29 is facing challenges 05:31 because the Government just made education free 05:34 so the church has asked for our help in Myanmar. 05:37 I see, well that... that is a challenge. 05:40 What other aspects of the ministry... 05:42 are you expanding in other areas? 05:45 Yes, we've just extended into a new project 05:48 called "Operation Child Rescue" 05:51 and Operation Child Rescue based in Bangalore... in India, 05:55 is involved in the rescue of children from beggary, 05:59 slave labor and girls from the sex industry. 06:03 Oh my! we hear about the... 06:06 we don't even like to hear about those stories 06:08 but we know that they're out there, 06:09 can you tell us, now that you've started this ministry, 06:13 do you have some experiences already? 06:15 Yes, well the first one is the one that's just fascinating 06:19 and heartbreaking 06:20 we have tied in with an 06:22 Adventist Rescue Scene here in Bangalore 06:24 and they're rescuing babies, 06:27 they have anywhere between 13 and 20 babies at a time 06:30 and it's heartbreaking to visit there 06:34 but we're actually really saving lives, 06:37 there's one little girl, Poomi, 06:38 Poomi was just found in a bush on the side of the road 06:42 and when we took... 06:44 they took her in, the Police brought her in... 06:47 she had a broken arm and wounds all over her body, 06:50 she would have died within the hour 06:53 so her life was... was changed... 06:56 How old are the babies... 06:57 when you say you found her in the bushes... 06:59 We believe... about three months... 07:01 Interviewer: Oh my! 07:02 the other one we have... and the pictures aren't there 07:06 but her name was Nalli... and the parents... 07:10 this was the fourth girl in the family, 07:14 and so, because of being a girl... sadly... 07:17 and because of shortage of money, 07:19 they sold her for a couple of thousand rupees 07:22 to a middleman, 07:23 he then sold the baby for 20,000 rupees 07:27 which is about 300 dollars to a gang 07:31 and it was just at the time that the police raided the gang 07:35 and so, she now is in the Home, 07:38 once again, we have no idea what would have happened to her 07:41 so it's a very exciting... 07:43 but man! when you walk into where those babies are, 07:47 it's pretty hard and heartbreaking. 07:49 So, Operation Child Rescue is really an exciting development 07:54 for us to be in, I could speak about the... 07:56 the rescuing the girls but... 07:58 come by and we're happy to share with you. 08:01 So, do you have school buildings and your own Facilities 08:05 or actually... because you sponsor them... 08:08 you're actually helping to integrate them 08:10 into our own Adventist Schools. 08:11 Yes, we own no schools or orphanages 08:14 all the schools... we're in about a 103 Adventist Schools 08:18 and the orphanages are all owned and run by the Church 08:23 and we're the funding and support Agency 08:26 to the sponsored children. 08:27 That's a very effective way 08:29 to do ministry because that way... 08:30 every dollar that comes to sponsor a child, 08:33 you're not having to pay for all the Facilities, 08:36 you're just directly being able to support them. 08:38 Well, the sponsorship's going 08:40 towards the operating of the Schools 08:42 but yes, and we're truly a supported ministry of the church 08:46 because about 85 percent of our funds go back to the church. 08:50 Well, now... you mentioned Nepal... 08:52 and we knew that Nepal has been in the news for... 08:56 recently... 08:58 and a very tragic disaster there 09:02 you've brought someone extra with you 09:04 to share a little bit this morning, 09:06 give us some good news that came out of Nepal 09:09 and that terrible calamity. 09:11 Well, as you are aware, 09:14 there was a terrible earthquake in Nepal 09:16 and Asian Aid has the privilege of being involved 09:18 with Scheer Memorial Adventist Hospital 09:21 which is the only Adventist Institution in Nepal 09:25 and as soon as the earthquake happened, 09:30 I contacted Dr. Dale Mole who 09:32 we're excited to have with us today, 09:35 he's the CEO and we said, we have to do something. 09:38 Now we're not normally in the emergency business 09:41 but because of our relationship 09:43 and I was just determined to move very quickly, 09:45 we contacted ASI who shared it with their mailing list 09:50 and also 3ABN who very generously promoted it heavily 09:55 on the Network and we set an objective of 200,000 dollars 10:01 and today we're just so excited that we can officially hand over 10:06 to Scheer Adventist Memorial Hospital 10:08 a check for 320,000 dollars. 10:11 Well God has blessed, Adventist people are so generous 10:17 they did more than you asked for, 10:19 thank you so much for sharing and thank you so much so... 10:22 do you want to make a comment? 10:24 Yes, just on behalf of the hospital staff 10:26 and especially... the people of Nepal... 10:29 I have to tell you, I am personally overwhelmed 10:33 by the generosity and support that we have received 10:38 from Asian Aid USA, ASI and 3ABN Network 10:42 and the generous donors in the viewing audience 10:46 so, from the bottom of my heart, I want to say, "Thank you. " 10:49 And we thank you also, thank you for your ministry. 10:52 Thank you. 10:53 Well, are you ready to travel to another part of the world 10:57 in this magic Sabbath School class of today? 11:00 So we go from... over in Asia... 11:04 we go now to the jungles of the Amazon 11:07 and we're welcoming today Brad Mills 11:09 who is a Nurse Practitioner who has a fantastic ministry 11:14 there on the Amazon River, it's a mighty river... 11:18 what is this... comparison of the river 11:21 in terms of the largest in the world 11:23 or near-largest in the world? 11:25 Good morning, happy Sabbath, 11:27 Pastor Cleveland, the Amazon River is actually 11:29 the second-largest river in the whole world 11:31 only second to the Nile... 11:33 and it has the most water... even more than the Nile 11:37 in all of its tributaries. 11:38 So, it's quite a river highway isn't it, 11:41 that goes for such a long distance, 11:43 well, I've had the privilege of visiting your ministry one time 11:47 and it's just so impressive when you see that huge waterway 11:51 and see you folks nestled there on the edge of the Amazon 11:55 with a little Mission Station, 11:56 tell us what your Lifesaver Mission... 11:59 Lifesavers Mission does for the work on the Amazon. 12:03 So we're based out of the city of Manous which is Brazil... 12:06 we work in the Amazon region of Brazil, 12:09 the city of Manaus is actually a city of 2 million 12:12 and the Country of Brazil 12:15 has one of the largest Adventist populations 12:17 of any country in the world 12:19 but when you get into the Amazon, 12:21 you can travel for days... 12:22 you can travel over thousands of kilometers by boat 12:25 and enter regions full of villages 12:28 that have never had an Adventist presence, 12:30 there are no Adventist churches, no Adventists have visited 12:32 and that's really where we're targeting 12:35 so we use boats, we use Health Clinics, 12:39 we use volunteers and travel on the boats 12:42 up and down the rivers to bring in anything... 12:44 anything that can open up a village 12:46 and our main objective is church planting among the Amazon. 12:50 Amen, well, you have been there 12:53 a number of years already haven't you... 12:55 and your wife and your two boys and... 12:57 We've been there almost eight years. 12:58 And so tell us about some of the projects that you're doing 13:02 and how that's opened up some doors for you... 13:04 and experience, we'd love to hear some stories. 13:06 Sure, so among the Amazon, 13:09 we have three different health clinics 13:11 which is very little where we staff with nurses, 13:14 physicians and dentists that come in as volunteers 13:17 and live in these areas, 13:19 we do them kind of as a post that will reach a whole region, 13:22 we put them strategically in areas 13:24 where there's no Adventist presence 13:26 and obviously the medical work as you all know 13:28 opens the doors, 13:29 besides medical work, we do educational work, 13:32 we do village development, 13:34 we've done so many fun things like going into a village 13:36 where there's not a single outhouse 13:38 in a village of more than 50 families 13:40 and help them in building outhouses 13:43 which is a whole educational process. 13:45 In one village we had a lady that said to her husband, 13:48 "I don't know why they think 13:49 they need a bathroom in the house" 13:51 and, you know, they would just walk out 13:53 in the jungle and use the bathroom 13:55 and so once we got a pioneer worker living in the village, 13:58 that had a bathroom in their house, 13:59 it wasn't about two months and the lady said to her husband, 14:01 "I want you to put one of those in our house too. " 14:04 That's amazing, so, while you traveled up the Amazon 14:07 a lot of times, do you sense a... 14:10 some kind of a providence sometimes when you're traveling? 14:13 Where to stop and when to stop and... 14:15 Absolutely, you know, we pray so much 14:17 because there are so many people... 14:18 there are so many villages... 14:20 and so we say, "Lord, lead us... 14:21 lead us where people are searching for truth" 14:23 and I'll share a story with you, one of our Bible Workers... 14:25 our Pioneer Bible Workers was living in a village, 14:28 they travel by dugout canoes, 14:30 which on some tributaries, 14:32 there's a small river and that's fine 14:33 and some of them are large, 14:35 he was working on one of the rivers 14:36 that's seven kilometers wide in some areas 14:40 so when you get into a storm, 14:42 you're looking at waves just like the ocean 14:44 and so he's in this little dugout canoe, 14:46 with this little motor behind and he got into a storm 14:49 as he was traveling to one of the villages 14:51 to do a Bible Study and he tried to weather out the storm 14:54 and the waves were getting bigger and he said, 14:56 "This boat's going under 14:57 so I've got to get to shore as quick as I can" 14:59 so he started coming to shore and there was a house there 15:03 and he stopped in front, he pulled up the canoe 15:05 far away from the water 15:06 so it wouldn't get filled with waves 15:09 and he walked up to the house in the pouring rain and said, 15:12 "I'm just passing by can I stop here?" 15:14 well Divine Providence was in this house... 15:17 this mother with her children was not from this area, 15:20 she actually had lived in a little jungle city 15:23 where her 16-year-old got involved in drugs 15:25 and one night... on the road, he got shot in the head 15:28 and so... imagine in a jungle city... 15:31 he was transported by boat which took a couple of days 15:35 to get to the hospital 15:36 where he was then put in the ICU 15:38 and he had several brain surgeries 15:39 and the Physician said, "He's not going to walk, 15:41 he's not going to talk, he's going to be a vegetable" 15:44 and this mother, who said, 15:48 "Is there any real... is there really a God?" 15:50 said, "Lord God, if you're out there, save my son" 15:53 and he walked out of the hospital 15:56 with half a head... the surgery they did... 16:00 he only has half a head now, he walked out of the hospital 16:02 talking, walking, and they went to this jungle 16:05 and they bought this house out in the jungle 16:08 that was closer to the city for further medical care 16:10 and she said, "Lord, you've saved my son, 16:12 now I want to know who you are 16:13 send someone to teach me Bible truth 16:16 and whoever that person is, 16:18 I want to see it in the Bible" so this day... 16:20 here our Bible Worker is traveling past... 16:22 gets in a storm, stops at her house 16:24 and he comes up and she says, 16:25 "Who are you and what are you doing?" 16:27 And he says, "Well, I live in this village, 16:28 we're working in this village development 16:30 and I'm actually going into another village 16:31 to do a Bible Study" 16:33 and she said, "You do Bible Studies?" 16:34 And he said, "Yeah" 16:35 and she said, "Teach me about the Bible" 16:37 so he said, "Well, let's sit here 16:40 while we're in this storm and talk... " 16:41 and she said, "I've been reading in the Bible 16:44 and I read something about the Sabbath, 16:45 do you know anything about that?" 16:47 And it was so exciting, he came back and shared with us 16:50 so, I went and met this family, the 16-year-old with half a head 16:54 can't remember things, he has a problem with memory 16:59 when he started studying the Bible 17:00 he remembers everything he studies 17:02 and he's now giving Bible Studies 17:03 to the village that's closer to him 17:05 and when I met him, he came and he said to me, 17:07 "I... I... I... I want to be a missionary" 17:09 it was so exciting to see that. 17:12 Oh my! isn't that wonderful 17:14 an unintentional stop on a village because of the storm... 17:18 the storm that brought him to that very special experience, 17:22 any other quick story? We have just a few seconds, 17:25 I know that families are there, they need education, 17:29 can you just give us a thought, what are you hoping to do 17:31 to help young people have an education? 17:34 Sure, well the Lord has provided us with a piece of land 17:37 in one of the jungle settings, 17:38 that we're... working with the local church 17:40 in the Union right now to open up a boarding school 17:43 in the jungle, Adventist families... 17:46 once they become Adventists 17:47 or those that are Adventists have no option for education 17:51 and so we're moving by faith right now 17:53 to start a school that would be able to provide 17:55 Adventist Education for people that live in the jungle as well. 17:58 Amen, you know there's a long history 18:00 of Adventist work on the Amazon River, 18:02 I think the Halliwells would be proud 18:05 of what you're doing Brad... and your family, 18:06 we thank you for Amazon Lifesavers. 18:10 Amen, God bless you. 18:11 Good morning... members and friends of ASI 18:17 my name is Jeremiah Weeks, 18:19 I am the new Director of ShareHim. 18:21 ShareHim is an evangelistic ministry 18:24 of the Carolina Conferences of Seventh-day Adventists 18:27 and this morning on behalf of 18:30 ShareHim... on behalf of the Carolina Conference, 18:32 on behalf of our Founder and Director Emeritus, 18:36 Elder Bob Folkenberg, also, one of our dedicated 18:40 team members, Pastor Benny Moore and our entire team, 18:43 I want to say a great big thank you. 18:46 Thank you for your support of young people 18:50 in evangelism 18:51 there is no better investment I can think of 18:55 than encouraging and mentoring and aiding 18:59 a young person to get involved in sharing Jesus Christ. 19:03 This year, ASI... you helped in a major way, 19:08 so many different projects, 19:11 so many that involve young people 19:12 in particular helped ShareHim with a... 19:15 what in fact was the largest project we've done to date. 19:20 In the month of June, we took about 230 young people, 19:24 young adults, primarily from Europe, 19:27 Australia and New Zealand 19:29 for two weeks of evangelistic preaching, 19:33 each one of those young people 19:34 preached an entire two-week evangelistic campaign 19:37 in Southern Mexico in 13 different cities... 19:40 we have a few maps that show where they come from, 19:45 they come from parts of the world 19:48 where to be honest... the Christian church 19:50 including the Seventh-day Adventist Church 19:53 has struggled in growth 19:55 and often it's not growth... it's decline... 19:57 Australia and New Zealand... our next map here... 20:01 several from Central Europe, 20:03 you can see their ages even there, 20:06 also from the UK and from Ireland... 20:07 The Republic of Ireland, our next map 20:09 and then our final map shows 20:12 so many that came from Europe... as a whole... 20:16 you helped make this possible, young people from Italy, 20:19 from France, from Belgium, The Netherlands, 20:22 from Finland 20:23 and at the close of this event in Southern Mexico, 20:28 we had the privilege of bringing these young people... over 200 20:32 to the General Conference Session in San Antonio, 20:36 here they are meeting in 20:37 what was the Nominating Committee Room 20:39 but here... filmed with our ShareHim Team 20:42 and it was a privilege to be with them all in one place, 20:45 Elder Wilson and others were with us 20:48 just a few weeks ago there in San Antonio 20:51 these young people will be changed 20:54 and are changed through this experience 20:56 they will never forget it 20:59 and it was a privilege 21:01 working with them and seeing the passion 21:03 that is growing in their hearts to share Jesus 21:06 especially in their number one mission field 21:09 right where they live. 21:11 In closing, I want to share a story with you, 21:15 this is a story of Lisa... she was one of six young ladies, 21:20 she came from Finland and preached with us, 21:22 the Mentor of that group told me 21:26 this has made a real impact, 21:28 some of these young ladies are 21:30 looking at changing their career 21:32 so they can be more active in sharing Jesus 21:35 and I want to share with you now, Lisa's story, 21:38 again, thank you so much. 21:40 Music... 21:48 more music... 21:52 some more music... 21:56 My name is Lisa and I come from Finland. 21:59 I live in the countryside, we have like... two neighbors 22:02 and I'm the fourth child... youngest... 22:05 and I'm still in High School, 22:07 I came to God... one year ago... 22:09 I signed up for this 22:10 without really realizing what I was doing 22:12 and here I am. 22:14 It was great to go to Mexico and preach, 22:18 every day we start with morning devotion 22:20 and after that... I usually go through the... 22:22 I read about the sermon for a few hours 22:24 about seven o'clock we'll leave to that church 22:28 and my taxi driver and translator 22:30 will come with me, when we get there, 22:32 those people are really excited to meet me 22:34 and we have that worship and the sermon 22:37 and people pray and after that... 22:39 they chat with me and we... chat for a while... 22:42 I decided to go to this program 22:44 because spreading the gospel is really important to me, 22:48 when I go... get back to Finland 22:50 I think that one thing I will remember is 22:53 that I had my first sermon two weeks ago 22:56 and now when I look at it back, 22:58 it is not... at the moment, it is so natural 23:00 to just go there and spread the gospel... it's easy... 23:03 and when you ask the Father that "Please give me the words 23:05 I got to do this by myself... " 23:07 words just start coming out of your mouth... 23:09 and it's amazing, it's... 23:10 it just lets you know that God is with you 23:13 and now when I get back to Finland, 23:14 I know that He will be with me in Finland too 23:17 so when I preach... I... there's nothing to be afraid of 23:19 because He is with me. 23:24 Welcome to Washington State 23:27 and welcome to ASI. 23:29 Today I have been asked to present... 23:34 on the Sabbath School topic 23:37 and it's the book of Esther. 23:39 When I discovered the topic of the lesson... 23:44 the content of the lesson on the book of Esther 23:48 as I looked through the quarterly 23:51 I kept pointing and saying, 23:52 "Well, why couldn't it be this topic, 23:54 why couldn't it be that topic, 23:56 those are so much better than the book of Esther" 24:00 and I was quite concerned 24:01 but you know God is good and He knows what He's doing 24:04 and He never fails. 24:06 The topic for today is, "For Such a Time as This" 24:09 and before we get started... let's bow our heads for prayer. 24:13 Father in heaven, 24:15 we need an outpouring of your Holy Spirit 24:19 this morning, on me as well as on your people, 24:24 we ask that your Word comes alive 24:27 to our hearts and our hearts to your Word 24:31 that we may receive the blessing that you have for us today 24:35 for Jesus' sake, amen. 24:38 As I mentioned, our topic for today 24:41 is "For Such A Time As This" 24:43 it's covering the content of the book of Esther. 24:47 It turns out that the Book of Esther 24:49 is the only book in the Bible where the name of God 24:55 is not mentioned, 24:56 although God is all over the Book 24:59 so I want you to begin to turn in your Bibles 25:05 to the Book of Esther, 25:06 we will take a helicopter look at this book 25:11 although we won't cover every verse, 25:14 we will skim over the passages so we get some idea. 25:19 I had a thought 25:22 that the Bible and Seventh-day Adventists 25:26 have looked at the Bible in terms of the cosmic conflict. 25:30 The great controversy themes 25:33 and certainly the book of Esther, is no exception. 25:37 That theme runs also through this book 25:40 and so we're going to look at it in that context today. 25:43 We'll be skimming over, as I mentioned 25:45 until we get to chapter 4. 25:47 The setting is Medo-Persia and the questions is, 25:53 "Why Medo-Persia?" 25:54 The Bible tells us that the army of Cyrus 25:57 presented itself before the walls of Babylon, 26:01 The Jews held captive there, 26:03 so it is a sign of deliverance from captivity 26:06 and that their deliverance, in fact, was drawing nigh, 26:09 because for more than a century before his birth, 26:13 Inspiration had mentioned Cyrus by name. 26:17 Isaiah chapter 45 records some of these words 26:21 and they are really quite inspirational... things such as, 26:25 "Thus says the Lord to His anointed... 26:28 to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held, 26:30 I have called you by your name, 26:33 I have named you though you have not known me" 26:37 Ellen White says that Cyrus read these words 26:41 and his heart was deeply moved 26:44 and he determined to fulfill his divinely appointed mission. 26:48 So there was a decree that he sent out 26:51 50,000 of the children of the captivity 26:54 responded and returned to their own land 26:57 but Ellen White points out that thousands... 27:01 hundreds of thousands... the vast, super majority, 27:05 stayed behind in the land of their exile 27:08 not having zeal enough for God's house 27:11 and not wanting to undergo the hardships of the return journey. 27:15 One would think... that despising that wonderful 27:19 provision of God, that He would exclude them 27:23 from the special protection of providence, 27:28 but do you remember in the Book of Exodus, 27:32 when Moses asked God to show him His glory, 27:37 Moses... the Lord said to him... 27:39 "The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, 27:43 longsuffering and abounding in goodness and truth... " 27:47 that "abounding and goodness" in the original language 27:50 means, "Hesed," 27:52 Hesed means... "a love that will not let you go" 27:55 and so God continued, Ellen White tells us... 27:58 through manifold agencies, 28:00 to plead with the exiles to return 28:02 and Zechariah pled with them, "Please leave Babylon now" 28:07 and that's how we find ourselves in Medo-Persia 28:11 and the children of the captivity still present there. 28:15 It has near us, Xerxes the Great, 28:18 he was the king and we find him in chapter one 28:21 and Ellen White points out that because they did not leave, 28:27 now they were facing a momentous crisis, 28:31 they were facing death. 28:33 Chapter 1 tells us that during his... 28:36 the third year of Xerxes the Great's reign, 28:39 there was a lavish feast that was provided 28:41 lasting seven days, 28:43 everyone great and small was invited 28:46 to this lavish feast, 28:48 one thing was a problem, 28:49 Queen Vashti displeased the King... 28:52 in fact the verse says that "the King's anger burnt in him" 28:57 against Queen Vashti. 28:58 She was dismissed from her position as Queen 29:02 and now he needed a new Queen and Chapter two lays out for us 29:07 the auditioning process for having to get a new Queen. 29:11 Chapter two tells us that all these women 29:15 were lovely and beautiful and young... they were virgins 29:20 and there was one in particular, Esther, she was a Jew, 29:24 raised by her devout, Jewish cousin 29:28 and foster father, Mordecai, of the tribe of Benjamin. 29:32 The Biblical record states that she was lovely and beautiful 29:37 but she was a woman of principle, 29:40 possessed... of remarkable self-control, 29:43 what a wonderful quality to possess... self-control, 29:47 she had humility and practical noble self-sacrifice, 29:52 when it was her turn to go before the King, 29:55 the record says that she requested nothing 29:58 and because of her beauty and her character, 30:00 she became Queen. 30:02 There's another key player in this story 30:05 and that is Haman. 30:07 Haman was a prince 30:10 and he attained to an even higher position 30:14 in the King's Government, above all the Princes. 30:17 Once that happened, 30:19 the King demanded... or commanded... 30:22 that everyone bow down, worship him 30:25 and pay him homage. 30:27 Esther Chapter 3 verse 5... it tells us that Mordecai 30:33 refused to worship anyone but the God of heaven. 30:37 And so, because of that, 30:39 Haman's heart was filled with wrath against Mordecai 30:43 that he did not bow to him or to worship him 30:46 and he devised a plan to execute Mordecai 30:50 and to destroy all the Jews. 30:53 It's quite of a very dramatic 30:56 punishment for someone who wouldn't worship you. 31:00 In Chapter 6, we find Haman again, 31:03 now he's in the Outer Court of the King's palace 31:06 and he wants to ask the King permission 31:08 to hang Mordecai on a Gallow that he had constructed. 31:14 Coincidentally, the King was awake 31:17 and he went and spoke to him, and Haman presented his request. 31:21 The King said to him, 31:25 "You know I have somebody I want to honor" 31:27 and Haman thinking, you know, 31:29 "I am the guy... there is nobody more deserving than I am... 31:33 so here's the plan, King, I want you to... 31:37 to provide a royal robe that you have worn, 31:41 a horse on which you have ridden, 31:43 with a crest on the horse's head 31:46 and parade honoree and horse 31:49 through the streets of Medo-Persia. " 31:53 Haman's heart was lifted up, 31:57 he aspired to the highest place of honor 32:00 and pursued it by destroying others. 32:04 I want you to note two things, first of all, 32:08 worship of Haman was commanded by the King, 32:12 secondly, Haman's heart was lifted up, 32:15 there's a quote I want to read you from the Desire of Ages, 32:19 it will appear on the screen, 32:21 Ellen White says that the exercise of force 32:25 is contrary to the principles of God's government; 32:29 He desires only the service of love; 32:33 and love cannot be commanded; 32:36 it cannot be won by force or authority. 32:39 Only by love is love awakened. 32:43 Another quote in Patriarchs and Prophets, 32:46 she tells us, "God desires from His creatures 32:49 the service of love... 32:52 service that springs from an appreciation 32:55 of His character. 32:57 He takes no pleasure in forced obedience; 33:00 and to all He grants freedom of will, 33:04 that they may render Him voluntary service. " 33:09 It's interesting that as we look at Haman, 33:13 we see several principles 33:15 that began to awaken in Haman's heart 33:18 that is one of the principles in the cosmic conflict 33:22 and that's the principle of self-exaltation. 33:25 This slide, which will come up on the screen, 33:29 shows us some of these things, 33:30 this is an ominous sign, 33:36 however, praise the Lord, here it is, 33:39 "The Self-Exalting Principle" 33:41 one of the principles in the great controversy, 33:45 she says, "Little by little, 33:48 Lucifer came to indulge a desire for self-exaltation. 33:52 Pride in his own glory nourished the desire for supremacy. " 33:58 That's in The Great Controversy. 34:00 In Isaiah we find words such as this, 34:03 "How did this happen to Lucifer?" 34:05 Isaiah says, "How you have fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, 34:09 son of the morning! how has this happened?" 34:12 And then, recorded a few words where it says, 34:14 "You have said in your heart, I will ascend into heaven, 34:18 I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: 34:21 I will also sit on the mount of the congregation, 34:24 I will ascend above the heights... 34:26 in fact, you know what? 34:27 I will be like the most High" 34:30 and then... the last line on there... 34:33 I'm sorry this slide was taken off, 34:35 she says that this was... sin originated in self-seeking. 34:40 As we look at that, we recognize that Lucifer... 34:45 the principle of Lucifer... that self-exalting principle... 34:49 was in the heart of Haman. 34:51 Ezekiel also tells us 34:53 that Lucifer was perfect in all his ways 34:56 until iniquity was found in him and what was the iniquity? 35:01 The Bible tells us, "his heart was lifted up. " 35:05 This is the self-exalting principle... 35:07 the self-centered principle and in fact, 35:11 this is the root, the foundational principle 35:14 of evil in all of our hearts. 35:16 But there was another principle and it's in Esther chapter 4 35:20 and I want you to turn now into Esther, chapter 4, 35:25 this is very important, Esther, chapter 4, 35:28 Esther, Job, Psalm, 35:32 and in Esther chapter 4 35:35 Mordecai gets the message about what is going on 35:38 and he begins to mourn in sackcloth and ashes 35:42 and Esther asked what's going on, 35:44 she sends a messenger, 35:45 he sends a message back that all the Jews have been commanded 35:48 to be destroyed 35:50 and he gave a copy of the decree to the messenger 35:54 to give to Esther, I want you to notice 35:56 in verse 10 and 11, what happened at this point, 35:59 Esther spoke to Hatach and gave him a command 36:03 for Mordecai, the command was this, 36:06 "All the Kings servants and the people of the King's provinces 36:10 know that any man or woman 36:13 who goes into the inner court of the King, 36:16 who was not been called, he has but one law 36:19 and that is... he would be put to death" 36:22 I read in these words, Esther said, 36:25 "This is really scary, I'm not going to do this, 36:28 I've not been called now for three months 36:30 for 30 days... I can't do this. " 36:33 And then we read in verses 14 and 15, 36:36 something remarkable. 36:39 In verse 13 it says that 36:41 Mordecai told them to answer Esther, 36:44 "Do not think in your heart 36:46 that you will escape in the King's palace, 36:49 any more than all the other Jews, 36:51 for if you remain completely silent 36:55 at this time, 36:57 relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews 37:01 from another place 37:02 but you and your father's house will perish, 37:05 yet, who knows, 37:08 whether you have come to the kingdom 37:10 for such a time as this. " 37:12 Esther begins to recognize that 37:17 there is something important about this mission, 37:21 this is not now... 37:22 just about her... and her own safety and her salvation, 37:26 this is for something bigger than herself 37:29 and the call is going to be significant. 37:32 Let's keep reading, verse 15, 37:35 once Esther heard the inspiring command of Mordecai, 37:41 "You have been called to the kingdom 37:44 for such a time as this... " verse 15 says, 37:48 "Esther told them to return this answer to Mordecai, 37:52 'Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan 37:56 and fast for me, neither eat nor drink 38:00 for three days, night or day: 38:03 my maids and I will fast likewise; 38:05 and so I will go to the king which is against the law: 38:08 and if I perish, I perish. '" 38:12 I can see two things going on in verse 16 38:16 and verse 11, 38:18 on the one hand there's an attempt for self-preservation 38:22 and somehow by the miracle of God, 38:25 by verse 16, she recognizes, "You know what? 38:28 There's something more important than my own life 38:32 and that is the life of my people. " 38:34 She begins to intercede for her people 38:36 and she develops a spirit of self-sacrifice, 38:40 "If I lose my life in this attempt to save my people, 38:44 then so be it... " the fate of an entire nation 38:48 hung on that single decision to lose her life. 38:52 That decision on the side of self-sacrifice 38:56 was the only remedy 38:59 for the self-exalting principle of Haman. 39:01 I want to summarize where we've been. 39:05 The Jews were now in Medo-Persia, 39:07 they shouldn't have been there, 39:10 God had asked them to leave and they did not leave 39:12 and by His love that will not let them go, 39:16 he has now provided and is going to provide for them. 39:20 There's a slide, thanks to Dan Halton, 39:23 that I want to show you, it is a slide of Nathan Greene, 39:28 it's Jesus Christ interceding for the world, 39:33 this picture has captivated my heart. 39:36 I'm going to read the verse on the bottom of this slide 39:40 but as we look at this picture of Jesus Christ 39:43 interceding for mankind, 39:45 it occurred to me that as He is praying for us, 39:49 He is praying because each of us in our hearts, 39:52 have in our hearts the principle of Haman, 39:56 that's a self-exalting principle and he's praying, 39:59 I want to read what it says, 40:00 John chapter 12, verses 24 and 25, 40:03 "Most assuredly, I say to you, 40:05 unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, 40:09 it remains alone; 40:11 but if it dies, it produces much grain. 40:14 He who loves his life will lose it; 40:17 and he who hates his life in this world 40:20 will keep it for eternal life. " 40:22 The principle of self-sacrifice 40:24 is a principle that is willing to lose life. 40:29 I want to focus on the greater realities, 40:34 we know the story about Esther and the outcome of that decision 40:37 to save others rather than just herself 40:40 and I want to focus on these greater realities. 40:45 There's a quote that Ellen White has in the Desire of Ages, 40:49 page 20, and it says this, 40:53 "It will be seen 40:56 that the glory shining in the face of Jesus Christ 41:00 is the glory of self-sacrificing love. 41:03 In the light of Calvary it will be seen 41:06 that the law of self-renouncing love 41:09 is the law of life for earth and heaven; 41:12 that the love which 'seeketh not her own' 41:15 has its source in the heart of God... " 41:18 I want to 41:23 read to you something 41:26 before we look at this next slide 41:30 although we couldn't put the slide up... 41:32 about Jesus in Gethsemane and this slide, likewise, 41:37 I think is a very important slide, 41:39 I want you to focus on the picture 41:41 of Jesus Christ in Gethsemane. 41:43 I'm going to read something here from the Desire of Ages, 41:47 "When Jesus Christ was in Gethsemane... " 41:50 I want you to picture him in his agony and grief 41:56 and I want to read something here from the Desire of Ages. 41:59 "Many look on this conflict between Christ and Satan 42:03 as having no special bearing on their own life 42:07 and for them, it is of little interest 42:10 but within the domain of every human heart, 42:14 this controversy is repeated. " 42:17 What's the controversy? 42:18 It's this idea of self-exaltation 42:21 versus self-sacrifice 42:23 and why is this in the... in the case of Jesus Christ? 42:27 In our humanity, 42:29 Christ was to redeem Adam's failure, 42:32 but when Adam was assailed by the tempter, 42:35 notice this very carefully, 42:36 "None of the effects of sin were upon him... " that's Adam, 42:40 "he stood in the strength of perfect manhood, 42:44 possessing the full vigor of mind and body, 42:48 it was not thus with Jesus, for 4,000 years, 42:51 the race had been decreasing in physical strength 42:55 and in mental power and in moral worth 42:57 and Christ took upon Him the infirmities 43:00 of degenerate humanity 43:02 and only thus could He rescue the race. 43:05 Jesus Christ was in the fight of His life 43:07 and actually, the conflict of the ages, 43:10 was for our lives. 43:11 As I read through these things on Gethsemane, 43:15 I want you to focus on this slide 43:18 and what Jesus Christ went through. 43:22 She tells us, "Behold Him contemplating 43:25 the price to be paid for the human soul, 43:29 in His agony, He clings to the cold ground 43:33 as if to prevent Himself from being drawn farther from God. 43:36 Terrible was the temptation 43:40 to let the human race bear the consequences 43:43 of its own guilt... while He stood innocent before God. 43:47 Again, the Son of God was seized with super human agony 43:51 and fainting and exhausted He staggered back to the place 43:55 of His former struggle, 43:56 His suffering was even greater than before 43:59 as the agony of soul came upon Him, 44:02 His sweat was as it were 44:03 great drops of blood falling to the ground, 44:06 a short time before, 44:08 Jesus had stood like a mighty Cedar, 44:11 withstanding the storm of opposition 44:14 that spent its fury on Him. 44:15 He stood forth in divine majesty as the Son of God. 44:20 Now, He was like a reed beaten and bent by the angry storm. " 44:25 Now she goes through some very important things 44:27 and she says here, "The humanity of the Son of God, 44:32 trembled in that trying hour 44:35 He prayed not now for His disciples 44:37 that their faith might not fail 44:40 but for His own tempted agonized soul. 44:43 Christ, even now, 44:46 might have refused to drink the cup 44:47 apportioned to guilty man it was not yet too late, 44:50 He might wipe the bloody sweat from His brow 44:53 and lead men to perish in his iniquity, 44:55 He might say, 44:57 'Let the transgressor receive the penalty of his sin, 45:00 I will go back to my Father,' 45:02 three times He prayed, 'Oh my Father, 45:05 let this cup pass from me but now... '" 45:08 she says, "the history of the human race 45:11 comes up before the world's Redeemer, 45:14 He sees that the transgressors of the Law 45:17 if left to themselves, must perish. 45:20 He sees the helplessness of man, 45:22 He sees the power of sin, 45:24 the woes and lamentations of a doomed world 45:27 rise before Him, 45:28 He beholds its impending fate and His decision is made, 45:32 He will save man at any cost to Himself. " 45:37 Doesn't this sound just like Esther? 45:40 "If I perish, I perish" and His decision was made. 45:44 I want to tell you that as Seventh-day Adventists, 45:49 we have a message that is so powerful 45:52 to be given to the world 45:53 and I believe that the Seventh-day Adventist Church 45:57 has been called to the Kingdom for such a time as this. 46:01 This quote in the Christ's Object Lessons page 415 46:05 in case it doesn't come up on the screen right away, 46:09 Ellen White says in this quote, 46:11 "It is the darkness of misapprehension of God 46:15 that is enshrouding the world. 46:17 Men are losing their knowledge of His character. 46:21 It has been misunderstood and misinterpreted. " 46:25 She says, "At this time 46:27 a message from God is to be proclaimed, 46:30 a message illuminating in its influence 46:33 and saving in its power... 46:34 the last rays of merciful light, 46:37 the last message of mercy to be given to the world, 46:40 is a revelation of His character of love. 46:43 The children of God are to manifest His glory. 46:47 In their own life and character 46:50 they are to reveal 46:52 what the grace of God has done for them. " 46:54 Elsewhere, Ellen White points out 46:56 that the message that was given 46:59 at the Minneapolis General Conference, 47:01 she said that that message, portrayed and proclaimed 47:04 an uplifted Savior 47:06 that presented not only justification 47:09 but asked us to receive the righteousness of Christ 47:12 made obedient to all the commandments of God. 47:15 Brothers and Sisters, I believe that today, 47:18 the Seventh-day Adventist Church 47:19 has been raised up "for such a time as this," 47:22 to present a message that's illuminating in its influence 47:25 and saving in its power. 47:27 Speaker is looking at her notes... 47:33 As we contemplate these things, 47:38 we are aware that there are, in our own hearts, 47:45 things that are vying for supremacy 47:48 and self-sacrifice versus the self-emptying principle 47:58 and so, I wanted to look a little bit 48:03 at the disciples themselves. 48:06 Up until Thursday afternoon of Passion Week, 48:12 Jesus appeared to be a failure. 48:17 Some people, 48:19 thought that perhaps He was successful 48:22 and that was because He had done a few miracles 48:25 and a few things like that but as He looked at His life... 48:30 it was the last week of His life, 48:33 and for all intents and purposes, 48:36 few people really comprehended 48:39 what His ministry really was all about. 48:41 If you had one week 48:44 and you were at the very last week of your ministry 48:46 after three-and-a-half years 48:47 and your disciples who would spread the gospel... 48:50 carry on your work had no idea what you were up to, 48:54 how would you feel? 48:55 Jesus was about to face the cross 48:58 and His disciples were arguing about who would be the greatest 49:03 and for three-and-a-half years with them, 49:06 Jesus Christ had spent that time 49:09 trying to explain this principle of self-sacrifice 49:13 and self-emptying love and service 49:17 by any rational measure, He was a failure. 49:21 As they argued about who was the greatest, 49:24 this wasn't a little issue, it was the issue 49:28 that had started all of sin in the first place 49:33 and after three-and-a-half unsuccessful years 49:38 of publicly demonstrating 49:40 the principle of selfless service, 49:43 Jesus said, "I'll try it one more day. " 49:48 It was going to be the most stunning example 49:52 of faith that the universe has ever seen. 49:57 Faith that God was right faith that this would work, 50:01 faith that somehow 50:03 in the hearts and minds of humanity, 50:06 we would grab hold of this principle 50:09 of self-sacrifice, self-emptying love 50:11 and we would be transformed 50:13 and yet Jesus... in the next 24 hours... 50:20 what He was to do wasn't going to be the same 50:24 as he'd always done, 50:25 yes, he'd demonstrate the principle of selfless service... 50:28 one more day, 50:30 but this time He went to the extreme... 50:33 He was all in "sink or swim" 50:36 Selflessness would forever be defined 50:40 by what He was to do in those next 24 hours, 50:44 there's a graph that I'd like to show, 50:48 it's called the "Hockey Stick Graph" 50:49 and this graph shows something that I think is important, 50:54 if you look at this Hockey Stick Graph, 50:57 you see the horizontal line where something is going on, 51:01 this graph has been used to demonstrate things like 51:04 temperature changes 51:05 or poverty changes and those kinds of things, 51:08 but I want to use this graph to demonstrate what happened 51:11 in the life of Jesus the three-and-a-half years 51:15 and then... that final day. 51:17 If you look at the horizontal line, 51:19 that's the shaft of the hockey stick, 51:21 nothing is going on 51:22 but all of a sudden some event happens 51:25 and as you see, 51:26 that line going up diagonally there, 51:30 something dramatic happened 51:31 and I want to tell you that what happened in the 51:35 experience of the disciples had to be the uplifted Savior. 51:38 You know the story of Gethsemane... the betrayal, 51:41 we talked about some of the passage... in Gethsemane 51:44 but Jesus Christ, on the cross, 51:50 when He cried out, 51:51 "My God, my God... why have you forsaken me?" 51:54 And the disciples are witness to some of these things 51:58 and I just want to read 52:00 some of the things Ellen White said about this, 52:02 she says that the guilt of every descendent of Adam, 52:07 was pressing upon His heart, 52:09 the wrath of God against sin, 52:11 the terrible manifestation of His displeasure 52:14 because of iniquity... filled the soul of His Son 52:17 with consternation, 52:19 she says that the withdrawal 52:22 of the Divine countenance from the Savior, 52:23 in this hour of supreme anguish, pierced His heart with a sorrow 52:28 that can never be fully understood by man. 52:31 She said that Satan... 52:33 Satan with his fierce temptations, 52:36 wrung the heart of Jesus, 52:38 the Savior could not see through the portals of the tomb, 52:41 all these things were weighing in on Jesus 52:44 as He was facing the final hour 52:46 and when He said, 52:47 "My God, my God... why have you forsaken me?" 52:50 That was not an act, 52:52 he felt abandoned... forsaken of God. 52:56 This example of selflessness 53:00 is the ultimate gift of Jesus to the universe, 53:04 not just because He was saving mankind in the process, 53:08 but because the influence of selflessness 53:11 is the greatest gift that He could give to anyone 53:15 and why is that? 53:16 Because the light of Calvary... 53:20 it will be seen that the law of self-renouncing love 53:24 is the law of life for earth and for heaven 53:27 that the love that seeketh not her own 53:30 has its source in the heart of God. 53:33 That influence... sealed by the blood of Jesus Christ, 53:37 then shown forth with a clarity 53:40 impossible to achieve before then 53:43 changing the lives and hearts 53:45 of the eleven disciples forever, 53:47 and changing the world and the universe as well. 53:50 At 9:30 on a July evening in 1988, 54:00 a disastrous explosion and fire 54:04 happened on an oil drilling platform 54:07 in the North Sea off the coast of Scotland. 54:10 One hundred and sixty six crew members 54:14 and two rescuers died, 54:15 there were 63 crew members that survived, 54:19 one of them was Andy Mochan, a Superintendent on the Rig, 54:23 the explosion and the alarms awakened him 54:26 and he was badly hurt but he escaped from his quarters 54:30 to the edge of the platform, 54:32 as he looked down 15 stories 54:34 into the cold, frigid waters of the North Sea, 54:38 he saw twisted steel and debris 54:42 littered on the surface of the water 54:44 and he knew that if he jumped, 54:46 he would survive 20 minutes without rescue, 54:50 he looked to his right hand and he saw flames, 54:54 he looked on his left hand and he saw flames, 54:58 he looked behind him and he saw flames 55:00 and he made a decision to jump into the frigid waters, 55:05 when he was asked, 55:07 "Why did you jump into the frigid waters?" 55:13 He said, "Well, I faced two possibilities 55:18 one of them was possible death or certain death... 55:23 I could jump or fry... so I decided to jump. " 55:27 Pause... 55:30 If we look at the life of Queen Esther, 55:34 her burning platform was recognizing 55:37 that the lives of her people were in jeopardy 55:40 and the question is, 55:43 "What will our burning platform be?" 55:47 Ellen White makes a comment... 55:53 before we show the last two slides, 55:54 she says that the heaven-appointed purpose 55:58 of giving the gospel to the world 56:01 in this generation is the noblest 56:03 that can appeal to any human being. 56:06 Millions upon millions have never so much as heard of God 56:11 or of His love revealed in Christ, 56:13 it is their right to receive this knowledge 56:17 to answer their cry, 56:19 to every household upon whom has show the light 56:23 of the gospel comes at this crisis, 56:26 the question put to Esther the Queen... 56:28 at that momentous crisis in Israel's history. 56:32 "Who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom 56:35 for such a time as this?" 56:37 But then she continues with two paragraphs 56:40 that I want to read to you that I want to be on the screen 56:43 because these, I think, are our burning platform. 56:47 "Those who think of hastening or hindering the gospel 56:52 think of it in relation to themselves 56:55 and to the world. 56:58 Few think of its relation to God. 57:00 Few give though to the suffering 57:03 that sin has caused our Creator. 57:05 All heaven 57:07 suffered in Christ's agony; 57:10 but that suffering did not begin or end 57:13 with His manifestation in humanity. 57:16 The cross is a revelation to our dull senses 57:20 of the pain that from its very inception, 57:24 sin has brought to the heart of God. 57:26 Every departure from the right... 57:29 every failure of humanity to reach His ideal, 57:33 brings grief to Him. " 57:35 "Our world is a vast lazar house, 57:39 a scene of misery that we dare not allow 57:43 even our thoughts to dwell upon. 57:46 Did we realize it as it is, 57:49 the burden would be too terrible. 57:51 Yet God feels it all. 57:54 In order to destroy sin and its results 57:58 He gave His best Beloved, 58:00 and He has put it in our power, 58:02 through co-operation with Him, 58:04 to bring this scene of misery to an end. " 58:07 Brothers and Sisters, 58:09 I believe that we have been called to the Kingdom 58:12 for such a time as this. 58:16 ASI Spokane, Washington. |
Revised 2016-07-19