¤ ¤
00:00:01.90\00:00:21.48
How Beautiful,
sung by Johanna Mosquara
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¤How beautiful the hands that
served the wine and the bread¤
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¤and the sons of the earth.¤
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¤How beautiful
the feet that walked¤
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¤the long dust roads
and the hill to the cross.¤
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¤How beautiful, How beautiful¤
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¤How beautiful is
the body of Christ.¤
00:01:06.23\00:01:13.80
¤How beautiful is
the heart that bled.¤
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¤that took all my
sins and bore it instead.¤
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¤How beautiful the tender eyes¤
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¤that chose to
forgive and never despise¤
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¤How beautiful. How beautiful.¤
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¤How beautiful is
the body of Christ.¤
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¤And as he lay down his
life we offer this sacrifice¤
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¤that we will
live just as he died:¤
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¤willing to pay the price,
willing to pay the price.¤
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¤How beautiful the radiant
bride who waits for her Groom¤
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¤with His light in her eyes.¤
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¤How beautiful
when humble hearts give¤
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¤the fruit of pure lives
so that others may live.¤
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¤How beautiful, How beautiful.¤
00:03:18.53\00:03:28.54
¤How beautiful is
the body of Christ.¤
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¤How beautiful
the feet that bring¤
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¤the sound of good news
and the love of the King.¤
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¤How beautiful
the hands that serve.¤
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¤The wine and the bread
and the sons of the earth¤
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¤How beautiful, How beautiful.¤
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¤How beautiful is
the body of Christ.¤
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Good morning ASI. So Happy to
be here today. How many of you
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remember the first ASI
convention you attended?
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I see some hands. It was
a memorable time, I'm sure.
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Mine was way back in 1979. I'd
love to say that I was only 10
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years old, but that just wasn't
the case. We were in Colorado
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Springs meeting in a hotel ball
room and we were excited when
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on Sabbath we almost hit
400 people. We've seen the
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organization grow year after
year. I remember being invited
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by Dr. Raymond Moore and
his sweet wife, Dorothy, and as
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soon as we got there we were
befriended by Henry and Robin
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Martin who became lifelong
friends from that very moment.
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I know all of you should feel
like ambassadors to ASI. This
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morning I'd like you to welcome
our guest speaker, Julian Archer
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coming all the way from
Queensland, Australia to
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join us today. How many of you
would come that far to address
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an audience like this? Well this
retired businessman, by the way,
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his successful career was in his
30s. When he decided to start
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a nonprofit Faith Vs. Finance.
Today he's going to ask the
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question, is it possible to
be financially secure without
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becoming spiritually bankrupt?
I think his personal testimony
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will address that this morning.
Immediately following this
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presentation, he'll be doing
a seminar in Room 370B and there
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he'll be talking about the
Christian atheist, believing in
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God but trusting in money.
I feel that ASI is the perfect
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audience for Julian to be
speaking to this morning. We're
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filled with business people that
make their living in a variety
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of ways, but you all have one
thing in common: You're using
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the blessings that God has
given you to further his work by
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sharing Christ in your sphere
of influence. I need you to hear
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more from Julian, but in my ASI
heart I know that he too will be
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blessed by the warm
welcome that ASI gives him.
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Thank you Sharon. Houston we
have a problem. I always wanted
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to say that. But thank God that
we also have a solution. Amen.
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We also have a solution. Friends
we live in a time in earth's
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history when it's not business
as usual. It's not business as
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usual. I want this morning
to open up a conversation. Some
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say that's it's a long overdue
conversation. It's not between
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me and you. It's between your
heart and God's heart. As Sharon
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has just shared, it's around the
question of is it possible, is
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it possible to be financially
secure without becoming
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spiritually bankrupt. I want
to start with my testimony. My
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testimony, like many of yours,
begins much as myself, but also
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with my family and my extended
family. There's a photograph of
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my family in 1971. I'm the
little guy, the smallest one.
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My sister, Kathy,
beside me and my mom and dad in
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Richa, 1971. That's jumping
ahead of the story. Let's go
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back to when my dad, up there
on the right, was 14 years old.
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From birth to 14 years of age
my father had to attend church
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at least eight times a week. In
a busy week, it was 11 times a
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week. They weren't Seventh-day
Adventists, but he had to go to
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church between eight and eleven
times a week. One of his jobs
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as a child once he reached
his teenage years was to be the
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home brew kid. That means
that he was the member of the
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the extended family who had to
make all of the beer for his own
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parents, for the uncles and
aunts and everybody else. And
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of course being the specialist
beer-maker in the family, he
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drank more than he should. So
he had some challenges. He hated
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church and he hated God
and wanted to get away from his
00:10:09.47\00:10:12.71
family. He tried to not attend
church, he pled with his parents
00:10:12.74\00:10:18.05
he tried to disappear when it
was time to go to church every
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day of the week but he kept
getting dragged into church.
00:10:22.75\00:10:26.82
And so he felt the only solution
there's only one solution for me
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to not have to come to church
next week or tomorrow is if the
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church doesn't exist. And
he became what we would call a
00:10:37.23\00:10:40.90
dynamite church planter. He went
to his uncle's farm and he got
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some gel-ignite, like dynamite,
and some fuses and at 14 years
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of age, having sat there
in church and looked at the
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structure of the building
so many times, he knew exactly
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where to place the gel-ignite
and the fuses so he could run
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in one door run around and light
every fuse and then run out the
00:11:01.99\00:11:06.73
back door before that church
was planted. He went to school
00:11:06.80\00:11:12.07
that day. He took the gel-itnite
home, he hid it at home. When he
00:11:12.10\00:11:15.20
went to school he told one of
his friends, tonight I'm going
00:11:15.24\00:11:17.61
blow up my church. Well
if anybody else had said that
00:11:17.64\00:11:21.81
other than Riacha, the friend
would have just gone ah yeah
00:11:21.84\00:11:25.18
whatever, yeah good one but
because it was Riacha, a young
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guy who had got the cut on
average every day from grade
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eight through grade 10,
the friend knew that my dad was
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serious. So he told the
principal, and the principal
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told the police and the police
came and took my dad away. They
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said, son what's the problem.
And he explained to them that
00:11:43.90\00:11:46.23
he had to go to church between
eight and 11 times a week. And
00:11:46.27\00:11:50.34
they said OK where's
the gel-ignite. So they were
00:11:50.37\00:11:55.08
probably not expecting that
it was real but dad took them
00:11:55.11\00:11:57.38
home and gave them the
gel-ignite and by then went and
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took his parents away. They
didn't take them far but they
00:12:02.45\00:12:07.26
showed them the gel-ignite and
they said do you realize that
00:12:07.29\00:12:09.46
your son, Raymond, was going
to blow up the church tonight?
00:12:09.49\00:12:13.29
And they had no idea. The
police said well look you should
00:12:13.33\00:12:18.53
probably back off on the
religion thing a bit, which they
00:12:18.57\00:12:20.44
did, but dad has already had
enough and soon after he left
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home. Well he went to live with
his older brother and they got
00:12:23.77\00:12:27.74
into all sorts of mischief. In
fact it wasn't long before his
00:12:27.78\00:12:30.71
older brother was in jail for
counterfeiting bank notes. He
00:12:30.75\00:12:34.28
didn't have a license like your
government to just print them
00:12:34.32\00:12:36.95
and so he had to counterfeit
them on his own sort of printing
00:12:36.99\00:12:41.09
system. So dad got into more
trouble, drinking too much again
00:12:41.12\00:12:46.76
and getting into trouble. He
ended up sort of living on and
00:12:46.80\00:12:50.00
off the street. He met my mother
In the process, was able to do a
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trade in refrigeration mechanics
and met mom. Had my sister and
00:12:55.47\00:13:00.78
myself with two young babies
in the house. The refrigeration
00:13:00.81\00:13:06.21
mechanics business-while he
was doing that well he started a
00:13:06.25\00:13:09.45
small business on his 21st
birthday. He said by my 25th
00:13:09.48\00:13:12.42
birthday I want to be self-
employed. And so he did that
00:13:12.45\00:13:14.69
right on his 21st birthday. He
had a welder and a friend of his
00:13:14.72\00:13:19.26
said can you weld for me a
bench press machine. Now that's
00:13:19.29\00:13:22.33
a piece of gymnasium equipment
for pushing the weights off your
00:13:22.36\00:13:25.70
chest. So he welded up for
his friend and he sold it to his
00:13:25.73\00:13:28.47
friend and he made a small
profit and he said, hey, that's
00:13:28.50\00:13:31.74
cool. So he made another one and
he sold it and another and he
00:13:31.77\00:13:34.68
sold it and he started another
business called Archer Body
00:13:34.71\00:13:37.25
Building Equipment. This was
in the late 1960s when the, what
00:13:37.31\00:13:43.59
would you call it, the pumping
iron trend was beginning. Body
00:13:43.65\00:13:46.49
building was happening in
California, in Australia and
00:13:46.52\00:13:49.86
different places and so dad then
decided with mom, they said, hey
00:13:49.89\00:13:53.46
we're making this equipment so
we can get it cheap, why don't
00:13:53.50\00:13:56.83
we open a gymnasium, a body
building center. And so they did
00:13:56.90\00:13:59.10
and before you know it they
had 1000 members. So they opened
00:13:59.13\00:14:02.14
another one and got another
1000 members and they thought
00:14:02.17\00:14:05.01
hey we got all these people
coming in for gym why don't we
00:14:05.04\00:14:07.98
open a health food store and
then we can sell them all the
00:14:08.01\00:14:10.05
protein drinks and everything
else that they need to keep
00:14:10.08\00:14:15.42
healthy. By the age of 24
mom and dad had started and were
00:14:15.45\00:14:20.86
running themselves five
businesses. They were what we
00:14:20.89\00:14:25.76
now call serial entrepreneurs.
They would see an opportunity
00:14:25.79\00:14:28.40
and they would jump at it. They
were very successful but their
00:14:28.43\00:14:33.94
marriage was absolutely hell.
Their marriage was completely
00:14:34.00\00:14:37.57
shot. God was not in their
system. They were working 18
00:14:37.61\00:14:42.44
hours a day. My sister Cathy and
I were being baby sat quite a
00:14:42.48\00:14:46.21
lot because mom and dad were
out a lot. They had to make a
00:14:46.25\00:14:49.85
decision in 1974 between
business and marriage and I
00:14:49.88\00:14:55.36
thank God that they chose
marriage. We moved out to what
00:14:55.39\00:14:59.89
we called the bush. You might
call it the forest or the wilds
00:14:59.96\00:15:03.57
or I don't know. Some place
hidden away out in the state
00:15:03.60\00:15:07.24
somewhere up in the mountains
and we bought a little block of
00:15:07.27\00:15:10.97
land in 1974. It was only 33
acres. On one side was a 1500
00:15:11.01\00:15:14.51
acre cattle property with
rolling hills and lots of forest
00:15:14.54\00:15:18.01
and on the other side was a 2000
acre cattle property. And we
00:15:18.05\00:15:22.38
lived there between
those two and we tried to be
00:15:22.42\00:15:25.15
self-sufficient. Mom and dad
had sold all of the businesses
00:15:25.19\00:15:28.59
except the health food store.
We tried to grow our own food.
00:15:28.62\00:15:32.56
There was no electricity, there
was no running water. We were
00:15:32.59\00:15:34.63
living in a shed that was
8 foot wide and 14 feet long.
00:15:34.66\00:15:38.07
Out in the middle of nowhere.
We became hippies. We were a
00:15:38.10\00:15:43.24
bit late. It was the 70s I
know, but that should have been
00:15:43.27\00:15:46.34
done in the 1960s but we were
busy in the 1960s. So we became
00:15:46.37\00:15:50.11
hippies with the long hair
and the long, beard for dad and
00:15:50.15\00:15:54.58
bare foot and we didn't wear a
lot of clothes because we didn't
00:15:54.62\00:15:57.82
have a washing machine. We had
neighbors and of course the only
00:15:57.85\00:16:01.09
reason we wore clothes
was because we had neighbors.
00:16:01.12\00:16:03.32
So we had the freedom and that's
how I grew up, a very carefree
00:16:03.36\00:16:10.07
sort of lifestyle. In fact, I
still remember one day walking
00:16:10.10\00:16:19.41
down to the dam where we
used to bathe, and of course, no
00:16:19.44\00:16:23.14
clothes, no towel. You don't
need a towel. You walk down to
00:16:23.18\00:16:26.35
the dam, to the pond, you wash
yourself off and you walk back
00:16:26.38\00:16:29.08
up to your little shed and
by the time you get back to the
00:16:29.12\00:16:30.89
shed you're dry and you don't
have to wash towels or anything.
00:16:30.92\00:16:33.12
So it was all good. I still
remember walking down there
00:16:33.15\00:16:35.59
and at five years old we met the
neighbor on his horse checking
00:16:35.62\00:16:41.93
his cattle. And I still remember
in my little five-year-old mind
00:16:41.96\00:16:45.97
standing there, looking up
at the neighbor, talking to him
00:16:46.00\00:16:48.30
Mom and dad talked to him about
the weather or his cattle or
00:16:48.34\00:16:50.87
something and thinking Julian
there's something wrong with
00:16:50.91\00:16:53.94
this picture. It reminds me of
the little girl and her dad who
00:16:53.98\00:16:57.85
were riding on their bicycle and
the dad was out trying to show
00:16:57.88\00:17:03.55
little girl a little of nature
and they were riding along on
00:17:03.62\00:17:05.22
their bikes and that father saw
a sign that said naturalist camp
00:17:05.25\00:17:08.52
He thought will clearly we've
got to ride down there. We'll
00:17:08.56\00:17:10.86
see some more nature. There's
obviously a scenic spot down
00:17:10.89\00:17:13.13
there. So as their riding down
the road coming the other way
00:17:13.16\00:17:16.23
three or four adults on
their bicycles and they've got
00:17:16.26\00:17:18.93
absolutely no clothes on. It was
a naturalist camp all right, it
00:17:18.97\00:17:23.27
was a nudist camp. As the people
got past down the other way
00:17:23.30\00:17:27.58
then they go on, the dad stops
his bike and says to the little
00:17:27.61\00:17:31.25
girl and says Emily did you
notice anything wrong with those
00:17:31.28\00:17:34.15
people? And she says, yes daddy,
they weren't wearing their
00:17:34.22\00:17:37.19
helmets. And it's a little bit
like I felt like a 5-year-old
00:17:37.22\00:17:40.46
standing there looking at this
guy going, there's something
00:17:40.49\00:17:43.12
wrong here but I don't know what
it is. So life went on and we
00:17:43.16\00:17:49.83
had a health food store in
Ipswich that mom and dad used
00:17:49.86\00:17:55.00
to go to one at a time to work
in the health food store. And
00:17:55.04\00:17:59.11
every day in that health food
store a man would come in. His
00:17:59.14\00:18:01.54
name was Harry Walker. Now Harry
was an engineer in the railways
00:18:01.58\00:18:05.61
and Harry would ask mom and
dad how are the kids, how's the
00:18:05.65\00:18:09.42
house building going, because
by this time dad was building a
00:18:09.45\00:18:12.35
house. In fact, he was building
a house out of sandstone and
00:18:12.39\00:18:15.69
logs. It took him seven years.
He cut a lot of the stone out of
00:18:15.72\00:18:19.43
the ground himself. Harry would
build this relationship. Now
00:18:19.46\00:18:23.47
looking back on what Harry was
doing, today we would call it
00:18:23.50\00:18:26.60
friendship evangelism. We had
no idea what Harry was doing. We
00:18:26.63\00:18:30.21
just thought he was buying a
loaf of bread every day and we
00:18:30.24\00:18:32.14
couldn't work out what he
was doing with the bread because
00:18:32.17\00:18:33.88
Harry didn't have any kids.
It was just him and his wife Dot
00:18:33.91\00:18:36.85
at home. But Harry was building
relationship through those
00:18:36.88\00:18:39.35
loaves of bread. One day Harry
came into the shop and he said
00:18:39.38\00:18:44.22
to my dad, Ray, he said, Ray
there's a guy coming to town and
00:18:44.29\00:18:47.79
he's going to tell us about how
the Egyptians built the pyramids
00:18:47.82\00:18:50.93
out of stone. Would you like to
come along because I know you're
00:18:50.96\00:18:52.53
building a house out of stone.
And dad went, that sounds cool
00:18:52.56\00:18:57.17
Harry, I'm going to come. So we
piled into our old pickup and we
00:18:57.23\00:19:00.97
drove to the end of town there
every night for this program
00:19:01.00\00:19:03.64
to try and learn about how the
Egyptians build the pyramids out
00:19:03.67\00:19:06.91
of stone. Well we never actually
worked out how to do that, but
00:19:06.94\00:19:09.94
we met some wonderful people
and then we went back to the
00:19:09.98\00:19:11.91
bush. Mom and dad kept going to
the health food store and Harry
00:19:11.95\00:19:15.38
kept buying his loaf of bread
every day. One day Harry came
00:19:15.42\00:19:18.72
in and my mother was in
the store and he said Delphine
00:19:18.75\00:19:20.99
there's somebody coming to town
and they're going to be talking
00:19:21.02\00:19:26.33
vegetarian cooking. Would you
like to come along to learn how
00:19:26.36\00:19:28.90
to do it. Well, mom thought yeah
I suppose. We're certainly not
00:19:28.93\00:19:33.44
vegetarians but I'll talk to Ray
So she went home and explained
00:19:33.47\00:19:35.90
it to dad and dad said
vegetarians. I'm a body builder.
00:19:35.94\00:19:42.21
Why what in the world. No we've
got no interest in that. And mom
00:19:42.24\00:19:44.98
said, but Ray a lot of
our customers are vegetarians
00:19:45.01\00:19:48.72
and maybe we could sell more
stuff if we knew how to cook
00:19:48.75\00:19:51.85
vegetarian food. Sign me up. Dad
just wanted to know. Where do
00:19:51.89\00:19:56.86
we go? So we all piled in the
pickup again and we drove down
00:19:56.93\00:20:00.40
there to the town of Ipswich
and we learned how to cook
00:20:00.43\00:20:01.73
vegetarian food. And we went
back to the bush and Harry kept
00:20:03.20\00:20:05.83
coming in and buying a loaf of
bread every day. Praise God for
00:20:05.87\00:20:09.07
people like Harry. One day Harry
came in and he said to dad, he
00:20:09.10\00:20:12.94
said Ray would you like to
go to church. Well Harry didn't
00:20:12.97\00:20:16.34
know all of dad's background and
that he'd already been to church
00:20:16.38\00:20:19.85
enough for the rest of us would
go in our entire lifetime. And
00:20:19.88\00:20:23.85
dad would normally say ha, not a
chance, you know I'm urrr, urrr,
00:20:23.89\00:20:28.02
urrr. But Harry was his friend
and he said I've got to get a
00:20:28.06\00:20:33.66
better excuse and so he said
ah, that's it, that's it. Harry
00:20:33.70\00:20:36.43
what day do you go to church?
Cause he knew Harry would go to
00:20:36.46\00:20:39.53
church on Sunday and Sunday
was that only day that we never
00:20:39.57\00:20:41.80
drove from out in the country
all the way into the city. So
00:20:41.84\00:20:45.71
he thought he was safe there.
And Harry said Saturday mornings
00:20:45.74\00:20:48.18
and dad went aaahhh, because
Saturday mornings were the only
00:20:48.21\00:20:52.45
morning that we all went to
town because Saturday morning
00:20:52.48\00:20:55.08
was when we went to buy our
groceries. Sure enough the next
00:20:55.12\00:20:57.32
Saturday morning there we are
all down in town buying all of
00:20:57.35\00:21:00.56
our groceries and driving
up to the Ipswich Seventh-day
00:21:00.59\00:21:03.19
Adventist church. We parked
outside and we had a problem
00:21:03.22\00:21:06.90
See our old pickup was really
old and the doors didn't lock
00:21:06.93\00:21:10.77
and we had a week's worth
of groceries in the back of the
00:21:10.83\00:21:13.03
pickup. And we thought well
what are we going to do with the
00:21:13.07\00:21:14.87
groceries. And we thought,
that's it, we'll take them into
00:21:14.90\00:21:17.81
church. So we picked up all our
groceries and the only carton
00:21:17.84\00:21:20.34
that we had to pack groceries
into were beer cartons. Four X
00:21:20.38\00:21:25.75
beer. In Australia we spell beer
X- X-X-X because we can't spell
00:21:25.78\00:21:30.15
beer and so we had these four X
beer cartons and we walked into
00:21:30.19\00:21:33.66
the church, mom, dad, Cathy and
myself carrying these cartons.
00:21:33.72\00:21:36.79
We put them under the back seats
and then we went around and we
00:21:36.83\00:21:39.49
sat on those seats to look after
them because we weren't sure
00:21:39.53\00:21:41.56
about some of the people. But
you know the interesting thing
00:21:41.60\00:21:45.97
was that the same people, this
was a curious thing, the same
00:21:46.00\00:21:49.00
people who had an interest in
Egypt, also had an interest in
00:21:49.04\00:21:52.77
vegetarian cooking because
we saw them at the same two
00:21:52.81\00:21:54.68
programs. And when we turned
up at church, those same people
00:21:54.71\00:21:57.41
were there in a city the size of
Ipswich. This is a curious thing
00:21:57.48\00:22:02.52
So we sat there, dad's long
beard, my long hair, mom and
00:22:02.55\00:22:08.39
Cath wearing hippie clothes,
bare feet, smelling different.
00:22:08.42\00:22:12.43
Dad was still smoking a bit and
drinking too much. And I give
00:22:12.46\00:22:16.26
you all those details because
Ipswich Seventh-day Adventist
00:22:16.30\00:22:21.14
church never said anything to us
about any of it. They just loved
00:22:21.17\00:22:25.17
us. They loved us into Christ.
And of course when we had
00:22:25.21\00:22:27.78
questions about some of those
things, we had Harry, our friend
00:22:27.81\00:22:32.01
Harry. Hey Harry why don't
people do this, why do they eat
00:22:32.05\00:22:34.22
this, why do they drink this way
why, what, what, what. And Harry
00:22:34.28\00:22:37.55
would lovingly share us those
answers. Well we went back into
00:22:37.59\00:22:42.06
business and I won't go
into a lot of the details about
00:22:42.09\00:22:44.39
business because I know you guys
are business people and you've
00:22:44.43\00:22:46.56
experienced it all the stresses
and challenges of it. You've
00:22:46.59\00:22:49.46
experienced the miracles of
God leading. We started a small
00:22:49.50\00:22:54.00
fruit and nut tree nursery.
God led us through mom and dad's
00:22:54.07\00:22:58.24
faith. They'd learned about
Jesus through Egypt so dad just
00:22:58.27\00:23:02.58
wanted to tell everybody about
Egypt. So he jumped on a plane
00:23:02.61\00:23:04.61
and flew out to Egypt and took
photos of the pyramids and came
00:23:04.65\00:23:07.12
back and rented the local hall
and put an ad in the paper and
00:23:07.15\00:23:09.25
said come along and learn about
Egypt and people came and people
00:23:09.28\00:23:12.82
were baptized. And he moved
to the next town and we ran the
00:23:12.85\00:23:16.32
program there and people were
baptized. And the next town and
00:23:16.36\00:23:18.76
the next town. We finally
ran out of towns and it was all
00:23:18.79\00:23:21.70
self-supporting through
out little fruit and nut tree
00:23:21.73\00:23:23.73
nursery at the time. We had 214
varieties of fruit and nut trees
00:23:23.77\00:23:30.81
in this little business and
God led us to keep one of those
00:23:30.87\00:23:34.91
trees; it was the olive tree and
we went out on the road doing
00:23:34.94\00:23:38.18
evangelism. We kept the olive
trees and the olive trees then
00:23:38.21\00:23:42.28
funded our evangelism from that
point onward. In fact, God led
00:23:42.32\00:23:48.29
mom and dad when they were on
their knees going through their
00:23:48.32\00:23:50.73
catalogue trying to work out
which one of the 214 plants to
00:23:50.79\00:23:54.13
keep. He led them to the olive
trees. The olive tree business
00:23:54.20\00:24:00.24
within four years of us starting
it became the largest olive tree
00:24:00.27\00:24:02.57
nursery in the world. God then
led dad and mom, primarily dad,
00:24:02.60\00:24:08.24
into another business called
olive leaf extract, which is an
00:24:08.28\00:24:11.21
herbal medicine business and we
had 500,000 olive trees. There
00:24:11.25\00:24:16.69
may be some pictures here of an
olive tree. They'll come up when
00:24:16.72\00:24:24.03
they're ready. In 2007, at
the beginning of the global
00:24:24.06\00:24:30.63
financial crisis we sold
that business, the last of 12
00:24:30.67\00:24:42.64
businesses for mom and dad
and again went into full time
00:24:42.68\00:24:47.72
ministries. We have a family
foundation and they got involved
00:24:47.75\00:24:52.99
with that. Dad got involved with
breeding butterflies as a way of
00:24:53.02\00:24:55.22
finding people for Bible studies
and I am involved in a ministry
00:24:55.26\00:25:00.63
called Faith vs. Finance.
We saw God's blessing in those
00:25:00.66\00:25:03.87
ministries and businesses so
much. Once those businesses were
00:25:03.90\00:25:10.31
blessed and those hockey-stick
graphs went up rapidly, the
00:25:10.34\00:25:13.68
profits went up fast. I want
to ask you what impact do you
00:25:13.71\00:25:20.52
think that had on my
relationship with Jesus
00:25:20.55\00:25:23.79
Christ? As we saw God leading
in those businesses what impact
00:25:23.82\00:25:27.19
did that have on my relationship
with Jesus Christ? Did it go up
00:25:27.26\00:25:33.63
or did it go down. You
would think that surely with God
00:25:33.70\00:25:39.07
leading in so many different
ways and I'd seen the miracles
00:25:39.10\00:25:41.20
in those businesses and using
the profits of those businesses
00:25:41.24\00:25:44.07
to support God's work around
the world, that my personal
00:25:44.11\00:25:46.84
relationship with Jesus Christ
would have got stronger, but
00:25:46.88\00:25:49.88
it didn't; it actually
got weaker. Just having some
00:25:49.91\00:25:53.72
trouble with the clicker here
guys and got no movement on that
00:25:53.78\00:25:58.59
side. So let me tell you what
happened in my life in those
00:25:58.62\00:26:07.03
years of business. OK, we're
back on track. In those years of
00:26:07.03\00:26:16.47
business I became proud. Number
one, I became proud. I became
00:26:16.50\00:26:23.21
proud because God had given me
a business to operate, to run,
00:26:23.24\00:26:26.82
that was bigger than any of my
friends had. Regardless of the
00:26:26.85\00:26:30.52
fact that the profits were going
into God's work primarily, I
00:26:30.59\00:26:33.09
became proud. I became a
Pharisee. I became a Pharisee
00:26:33.12\00:26:36.73
because in God's word it tells
me, Julian if you obey me I will
00:26:36.76\00:26:41.03
bless you. And I was being
blessed more than any of my
00:26:41.06\00:26:44.47
friends and therefore, I must
have been being more obedient
00:26:44.50\00:26:47.34
than any of my friends. Can you
see the Pharisee coming through?
00:26:47.40\00:26:50.94
And I became self-reliant.
Subconsciously I was thinking
00:26:50.97\00:26:58.75
you know God's blessed me so
much that I don't need him any
00:26:58.78\00:27:01.12
more. Of course, I would never
say that. I was an elder at
00:27:01.15\00:27:05.35
church. I was having sermons.
I was supporting projects around
00:27:05.39\00:27:08.02
the world. On the outside,
everything looked great.
00:27:08.06\00:27:12.03
But on the inside I knew I
had a problem. I had let God's
00:27:12.06\00:27:17.47
blessings become a curse in my
life. I started to focus on the
00:27:17.50\00:27:21.64
gifts more than on the Giver.
A few years ago I was trekking
00:27:21.67\00:27:26.11
in the Himalayas with my sons
and I came across this quote
00:27:26.14\00:27:29.61
by Mahatma Gandhi which says
the fact is the moment financial
00:27:29.64\00:27:36.79
stability is assured spiritual
bankruptcy is also assured.
00:27:36.82\00:27:39.62
Ouch. For 15 years prior to
reading that quote I had worked
00:27:39.65\00:27:46.13
very had to become financially
stable and had succeeded beyond
00:27:46.16\00:27:49.33
my wildest dreams. But in
my heart where nobody else saw
00:27:49.36\00:27:56.47
not the person sitting beside me
at ASI, not the person sitting
00:27:56.50\00:27:59.21
beside me on the plane going
off on a mission trip, not the
00:27:59.24\00:28:02.01
person listening to my Sabbath
School lesson. Where nobody else
00:28:02.04\00:28:04.98
saw I knew that I was losing
my first love to Jesus Christ.
00:28:05.01\00:28:09.22
I knew that money had its claws
on me and I was in trouble. I
00:28:09.25\00:28:15.89
began to realize that when I
was abundantly blessed, I was
00:28:15.92\00:28:19.53
actually in the most spiritually
dangerous stage of my life.
00:28:19.56\00:28:24.67
And I desperately needed to find
out how to stop God's blessings
00:28:24.70\00:28:27.04
from becoming curses. Which
brings us to the question is it
00:28:27.07\00:28:31.41
possible to be financially
stable, financially secure
00:28:31.44\00:28:37.05
without becoming spiritually
bankrupt? And I thank God that
00:28:37.08\00:28:41.35
the answer is yes, we can. But
there are conditions attached.
00:28:41.38\00:28:46.52
Let's turn in our Bibles
to Matthew 6, Matthew 6:19-24.
00:28:46.55\00:28:53.90
Jesus speaking at the middle
of the sermon on the mount.
00:28:53.93\00:28:56.93
Matthew 6:19-24. And in
Matthew 6:19 we read this, Jesus
00:28:56.97\00:29:02.74
speaking, Do not lay up for
yourselves treasures on earth.
00:29:02.77\00:29:06.31
Is that a suggestion or a
command? It's a command isn't it
00:29:06.34\00:29:11.51
Do not, Julian, Julian, do not
lay up for yourselves treasures
00:29:11.55\00:29:16.58
on earth where moth and rust
destroy and thieves break in and
00:29:16.62\00:29:18.95
steal, but lay up for yourselves
treasures in heaven where
00:29:18.99\00:29:21.86
neither moth nor rust destroys
and where thieves do not break
00:29:21.89\00:29:24.36
in and steal, for where your
treasure there what? there your
00:29:24.39\00:29:29.43
heart will be also. Let's
go down a couple of verses to
00:29:29.46\00:29:33.74
verse 24. Again it's speaking to
me, it's speaking to you. Julian
00:29:33.77\00:29:37.11
put your name in there. No
one how many people? no one can
00:29:37.14\00:29:43.55
serve two masters. For he will
either hate the one and love the
00:29:43.58\00:29:46.65
other or else he will be loyal
to one and despise the other.
00:29:46.72\00:29:49.45
Julian, you can't serve God and
money. Yes I can Lord, yes I can
00:29:49.48\00:29:53.69
What I'm doing is I'm working
really hard in business and I
00:29:53.76\00:29:56.46
know that's taking like 60, 70
hours a week and it's taking a
00:29:56.49\00:29:59.03
lot of my family time and I
know I don't have enough time to
00:29:59.06\00:30:01.03
spend with you in the morning
sometimes, but I'm working on
00:30:01.06\00:30:03.13
really hard on this business's
and it's your business and you
00:30:03.16\00:30:05.07
know I'm doing it for you
and because we're giving lots of
00:30:05.10\00:30:07.10
money into your work and the
gospel is going to all the world
00:30:07.14\00:30:09.24
because we're supporting it and
that's how I'm serving you and
00:30:09.27\00:30:13.04
my money. Julian, you can't do
it. Your heart can't do it. You
00:30:13.07\00:30:21.45
either love me and serve me or
you love money and serve money.
00:30:21.48\00:30:24.62
Look at your calendar, Julian.
Who do you love? Look at your
00:30:24.65\00:30:31.16
bank account Julian. Who do you
love? You can't serve both of
00:30:31.19\00:30:35.96
us. Right in the middle between
those verses I skipped a couple
00:30:36.00\00:30:39.53
of verses, 22 and 23, where he
talks about the lamp of the body
00:30:39.57\00:30:42.60
is the eye. And I couldn't work
out why he would talk about out
00:30:42.64\00:30:44.81
why he would talk about our eyes
in the middle of a section on
00:30:44.84\00:30:47.34
treasures on heaven and earth
and money. I thought maybe it's
00:30:47.41\00:30:52.65
because with our eyes we covet.
Yeah, that's it we covet things.
00:30:52.68\00:30:57.32
That's why that's in there. But
then I thought of something else
00:30:57.35\00:30:59.19
As I looked at my own life and
the challenge that this passage
00:30:59.22\00:31:03.43
brought to me. I realized that
I had one eye on my heavenly
00:31:03.46\00:31:10.63
treasures and the other eye on
my earthly treasures and I was
00:31:10.67\00:31:14.77
a cross-eyed Christian. And I
was wondering why when I tried
00:31:14.80\00:31:18.21
to follow Jesus that I was
stumbling because I couldn't see
00:31:18.24\00:31:22.71
clearly. I was a cross-eyed
Christian. One eye on heaven
00:31:22.74\00:31:26.05
and one eye on earth. The
problem that I faced was this.
00:31:26.08\00:31:36.02
The teeter-totter problem, see-
saw problem. I don't know what
00:31:36.06\00:31:38.59
you call it in your
country where you're from. As my
00:31:38.63\00:31:42.83
finances when up my faith went
down. When my finances went down
00:31:42.86\00:31:48.50
then my faith went up; please
Lord help me, I need money,
00:31:48.54\00:31:49.87
we've got bills to pay here;
it's your business. You know.
00:31:51.74\00:31:53.94
But when he blessed me I didn't
have enough time for him again.
00:31:54.01\00:31:59.71
The teeter-totter principle.
Faith versus finance. Ellen
00:31:59.75\00:32:07.49
White in the book Evangelism,
p. 561, says this: In the
00:32:07.56\00:32:10.96
Friends when a person prospers
either God gains a partner or
00:32:31.55\00:32:39.39
the person loses their soul.
It's that simple. We're going to
00:32:39.42\00:32:46.53
talk more about this in the
Seminar following but I'm going
00:32:46.56\00:32:49.36
give you the crux of the
message right now. And that is
00:32:49.40\00:32:54.37
that as our blessing go up
our knees must go down. As our
00:32:54.40\00:33:04.08
blessing go up, whether they're
our material blessings, whether
00:33:04.15\00:33:07.05
they're talents, whether it's
education, whether it's position
00:33:07.12\00:33:09.48
or status, whatever it is, as
those blessing go up, our knees
00:33:09.52\00:33:13.02
must go down and if they don't
we are not going to heaven. It's
00:33:13.05\00:33:19.49
serious friends. It's serious.
The more our blessing go up,
00:33:19.53\00:33:22.80
the more our knees must go
down otherwise we're fooling
00:33:22.83\00:33:25.63
ourselves in our relationship
with Christ. Man looks on the
00:33:25.67\00:33:31.41
outward appearance but the Lord
looks at the heart. The Gallop
00:33:31.44\00:33:37.11
poll is an international,
secular research agency.
00:33:37.15\00:33:43.02
One of their surveys, I
think this one studies about 175
00:33:43.05\00:33:45.72
countries, they
asked this question:...
00:33:45.75\00:33:47.12
It was a yes/no scenario.
And you can see that in nations
00:33:51.63\00:33:53.86
where the annual per-capita
per person income was between
00:33:53.90\00:33:58.53
zero and $2000 U.S., 95 percent
of the population said yes. We
00:33:58.57\00:34:03.27
Religion is important in my
every day life. But when the
00:34:03.30\00:34:07.31
income got to $25,000 a year
or more on average per person in
00:34:07.38\00:34:11.55
that nation, less than half of
the people were still interested
00:34:11.58\00:34:14.58
in religion on a daily basis.
Teeter-Totter friends, up and
00:34:14.62\00:34:18.92
down. Faith versus finance.
This isn't something that just
00:34:18.95\00:34:22.46
affects individuals.
This is something that affects
00:34:22.49\00:34:24.06
congregations, this is something
that affects entire nations.
00:34:24.13\00:34:27.86
Some of you will know of
the group Credit Swiss, a Swiss
00:34:27.86\00:34:34.24
financial services company, they
do a lot of research around the
00:34:34.27\00:34:37.31
world as well and, in fact,
every year they put out what's
00:34:37.37\00:34:39.57
called the Global Wealth
Data book and I track this book
00:34:39.61\00:34:44.21
every year and I look at a copy
of it, you can see it for free
00:34:44.25\00:34:47.38
on-line. They survey around
200 nations. Not surveying the
00:34:47.42\00:34:52.59
people by phone survey but
looking at all the government
00:34:52.62\00:34:55.06
data on wealth and finance and
investments and everything in
00:34:55.09\00:34:59.63
those nations and one of
the things that they identify is
00:34:59.66\00:35:04.60
the average wealth level of the
adults in that nation for more
00:35:04.63\00:35:11.24
than 200 nations around the
world. Can anybody guess for me
00:35:11.27\00:35:15.11
which nation has the richest
adults. Not the biggest GDP or
00:35:15.14\00:35:20.92
some of these other measures
but just the richest private
00:35:20.95\00:35:23.52
wealth adults on average. Any
guesses? I haven't heard it yet.
00:35:23.59\00:35:35.26
Switzerland, I heard it
down here somewhere. Switzerland
00:35:35.30\00:35:38.07
the ritz. The Swiss adults are
the richest in the world. Let's
00:35:38.10\00:35:41.64
have a look at some of the
data. Look at some of the data.
00:35:41.67\00:35:43.00
There we are, Switzerland
number one, Iceland number two,
00:35:43.04\00:35:49.01
Australia number three. United
States number four, Bermuda,
00:35:49.04\00:35:52.25
Greenland, Luxembourg, Norway,
New Zealand, U.K. The list
00:35:52.28\00:35:55.68
changes each year slightly but
the top 16 nations sort of take
00:35:55.72\00:36:01.76
their ranks in the top. But look
at the column on the right-hand
00:36:01.79\00:36:06.43
side, today's top 10 nations.
But the percentage who answered
00:36:06.46\00:36:09.50
said no religion is not
important in my every day life.
00:36:09.53\00:36:13.00
The percentage that answered no
in the poorer countries at the
00:36:13.03\00:36:16.04
bottom. There it is again.
Credit Swiss. It's easier for a
00:36:16.07\00:36:21.81
camel to go through the eye
of a needle than for man, for a
00:36:21.84\00:36:24.58
rich nation, to get into heaven.
When God blesses us, we tend to
00:36:24.61\00:36:31.22
walk away from him.
Some of you will have noticed
00:36:31.25\00:36:35.59
something interesting about
those top 10 nations. And that
00:36:35.62\00:36:43.43
is that those top 10 nations
were founded on which religion.
00:36:43.47\00:36:49.70
Yeah, most of them were founded
on Christian principles. Our
00:36:49.74\00:36:51.31
laws were built on God's word
and God blessed us because of
00:36:51.34\00:36:57.01
it. And what the children
of Israel when they walked over
00:36:57.05\00:37:00.08
the Jordan River to the other
side and lived in homes that
00:37:00.15\00:37:04.82
they didn't build and cities
they didn't build and ate from
00:37:04.85\00:37:07.29
vineyards and olive groves
00:37:07.32\00:37:08.66
that they didn't plant and drank
from wells that they didn't dig
00:37:08.69\00:37:11.03
What was Moses warning to them
before they crossed over. He
00:37:11.06\00:37:14.10
said that's going to happen
to you when you get over on the
00:37:14.13\00:37:16.03
side you're going to be blessed
millionaires, but do not forget
00:37:16.06\00:37:20.34
the Lord your God. And what
did they do? In the midst of the
00:37:20.37\00:37:25.97
luxury they walked away from
God. It's not a modern problem.
00:37:26.01\00:37:32.25
Well it is a modern problem but
it's been around for a long time
00:37:32.28\00:37:34.72
John Wesley, founder of the
Methodist church, a man of God,
00:37:34.75\00:37:39.72
said this in 1799. He said that:
00:37:39.75\00:37:58.81
Friends, I've seen that in my
life. I've seen it in the life
00:37:58.84\00:38:03.31
of my nation. It's true.
Wherever true Christianity
00:38:03.38\00:38:09.45
spreads it must cause diligence
and frugality, which in the
00:38:09.48\00:38:13.99
natural course of things creates
riches and riches naturally
00:38:14.02\00:38:20.06
create pride, love of the
world, and every temper that is
00:38:20.13\00:38:26.00
destructive of true Christianity
It's a dangerous circle. I asked
00:38:26.03\00:38:34.08
a friend of mine to illustrate
for me, to do a drawing that
00:38:34.11\00:38:38.08
illustrated what the inside
of my heart looked like in those
00:38:38.11\00:38:42.15
years when I was looking as a
cross-eyed Christian. Revelation
00:38:42.18\00:38:47.16
three Jesus says behold I stand
at the door and knock, the door
00:38:47.19\00:38:50.03
of my heart, the door of your
heart. But what I had done is
00:38:50.06\00:38:52.49
I had taken the blessings that
God had given me, and by the way
00:38:52.53\00:38:55.30
I didn't earn all of
these blessings, we sold the
00:38:55.33\00:38:57.53
Eiffel tower many years
ago, but the things in the
00:38:57.57\00:39:02.37
picture represent things that
might be in your life that were
00:39:02.40\00:39:05.04
in my life. It could be sport.
It could be travel, it could be
00:39:05.07\00:39:08.08
education, it could be preaching
ability, it could be the music,
00:39:08.11\00:39:11.45
it could be screen time,
it could be a collection of
00:39:11.48\00:39:14.82
something that you just love
to collect. But it's getting
00:39:14.85\00:39:18.15
between you and the door of your
heart. It's getting between you
00:39:18.19\00:39:21.29
and your relationship with
Jesus Christ. It's taking your
00:39:21.32\00:39:23.86
time, your money, your energy,
your focus, your attention and
00:39:23.89\00:39:28.40
drawing you away from the
urgency of the time in which we
00:39:28.43\00:39:32.13
love. That's what my friend
drew for me. Billy Sunday, the
00:39:32.17\00:39:37.51
American evangelist, said that
many a man is going to slip into
00:39:37.54\00:39:40.98
hell with his hand on the door
knob of heaven. Maybe there's
00:39:41.01\00:39:47.32
something in there that you
see in your life that you really
00:39:47.35\00:39:50.69
need to talk to God about, heart
to heart conversation. In the
00:39:50.72\00:39:57.03
Review and Herald, November
2, 1886, says the true witness
00:39:57.06\00:40:00.70
behold I stand at the door
and knock. The heavenly guest is
00:40:00.73\00:40:04.23
standing at your door while you
are piling up obstructions to
00:40:04.27\00:40:07.60
bar his entrance. Friends, I had
never read this when my friend
00:40:07.64\00:40:10.87
drew this picture. This is just
my experience. Somebody sent
00:40:10.91\00:40:13.58
this to me a couple of years ago
and I was in tears when I read
00:40:13.64\00:40:16.38
it. Jesus is knocking through
the prosperity he gives you.
00:40:16.41\00:40:19.51
He loads you with lessons to
test your fidelity but then they
00:40:19.55\00:40:22.78
flow out from you to others.
Will you permit your selfishness
00:40:22.82\00:40:26.65
to triumph. Will you scorn
God's talents and lose your soul
00:40:26.72\00:40:29.86
through idolatrous love of the
blessings that he had given you?
00:40:29.89\00:40:33.19
In Luke 16 verses 13, 14 and
15, we read Jesus again saying
00:40:33.23\00:40:43.64
You can't serve God and money.
In verse 15 it says that the
00:40:43.67\00:40:50.58
Pharisees who loved money were
sneering at him and what did
00:40:50.61\00:40:57.42
Jesus say to them? Man looks at
the outward appearance, but God
00:40:57.45\00:41:05.26
looks at the heart. He said what
is wonderful in your eyes is an
00:41:05.29\00:41:10.73
abomination in the eyes of
God. God looks at the heart. In
00:41:10.77\00:41:16.77
Ezekiel 14 verse 3 we have
a similar problem. In fact, if
00:41:16.81\00:41:23.75
you've got your Bibles turn
there very quickly. Ezekiel 14
00:41:23.81\00:41:27.78
verse 3: Remember Ezekiel was
this reluctant prophet. He was
00:41:27.82\00:41:34.06
sent out and before he went God
had already told him that the
00:41:34.12\00:41:36.83
people aren't going to listen
to what you have to say. Imagine
00:41:36.89\00:41:39.29
that. A life calling where
God says go out into your life
00:41:39.33\00:41:43.10
calling. You'll basically be
of no effect but you need to go.
00:41:43.13\00:41:45.53
Man, Ezekiel went out and in
chapter 14, verse 1, let's start
00:41:45.57\00:41:51.57
there: Now some of the elders
of Israel came to me, came to
00:41:51.61\00:41:55.14
Ezekiel and sat before me and
the word of the Lord came to me
00:41:55.18\00:41:59.21
saying, Son of man, these men
have set up their idols in their
00:41:59.25\00:42:05.92
heart and put before them that
which causes them to stumble.
00:42:05.95\00:42:09.79
Ouch. Idols in my heart?
Put before me things that are
00:42:09.82\00:42:17.57
causing me to stumble. So what
was the solution? What was the
00:42:17.60\00:42:25.87
solution to me my faith versus
finance battle? Friends, I had
00:42:25.91\00:42:30.11
to have a heart attack. I had
to have a heart attack. You see
00:42:30.15\00:42:33.92
the heart I was born with is a
selfish heart. The only way that
00:42:33.98\00:42:37.92
I could clear all this stuff
out of my heart wasn't through
00:42:37.95\00:42:40.62
trying to daily stop looking at
the advertising and not focusing
00:42:40.66\00:42:45.33
on it and selling it and
all that sort of stuff. What I
00:42:45.36\00:42:49.00
needed was found in Ezekiel
36 and that's where I had an
00:42:49.03\00:42:54.34
epiphany. One morning I
was battling this faith versus
00:42:54.37\00:42:55.80
finance battle. I was doing my
morning worship. I came across
00:42:55.84\00:42:59.77
Ezekiel 36 verses 25-27.
I'm going to share what happened
00:42:59.81\00:43:03.58
to me in that time. One morning
my son came home from school.
00:43:03.65\00:43:10.99
He was 14 years of age.
And he said in front of me that
00:43:11.02\00:43:15.19
afternoon, he said, Dad if I
stand here like this can I turn
00:43:15.22\00:43:18.49
over my hand from there to
there without twisting my wrist?
00:43:18.53\00:43:22.06
And I said, no it's impossible.
And he said, No, I can do it.
00:43:22.10\00:43:24.53
And I said you can't and he said
I can. I said show me. And he
00:43:24.57\00:43:29.30
went like this: One, two, three,
four, five, six. When God puts
00:43:29.34\00:43:42.05
blessings in our hands it's the
exact same message that he gave
00:43:42.08\00:43:48.42
to Abraham. He said, I'm going
to bless you so that you can be
00:43:48.46\00:43:50.79
a blessing, so that you can
pour it out. I'm going to keep
00:43:50.83\00:43:54.13
putting them in your hand but
you keep pouring them out. Don't
00:43:54.20\00:43:56.73
put them in your heart;
pour them out, pour out those
00:43:56.80\00:44:00.47
blessings. Let's have a look
at Ezekiel 36:25-27. Do this
00:44:00.54\00:44:05.37
movement with me if you'd like.
Put your hand out in front.
00:44:05.41\00:44:08.88
We're going to go up, across,
out, up, down and out. I'm going
00:44:08.91\00:44:14.88
do it as we read this text.
Every time I say I will or you
00:44:14.92\00:44:17.65
will we're going to move our
hands once and we're going to
00:44:17.69\00:44:19.72
see God do a miracle. He's going
turn off from my selfish heart
00:44:19.75\00:44:23.02
that wants to hold onto
every thing to pouring it out.
00:44:23.06\00:44:26.80
You tell me how much do you
do and how much does God do.
00:44:26.83\00:44:32.03
Let's go. It's God speaking:
Then I will sprinkle clean water
00:44:32.07\00:44:35.04
on you and you shall be clean.
I will cleanse you from all your
00:44:35.07\00:44:39.01
filthiness and from all your
idols. I will give you a new
00:44:39.04\00:44:41.81
heart and put a new spirit
within you. I will take the
00:44:41.84\00:44:44.48
heart of stone out of your flesh
and give you a heart of flesh.
00:44:44.51\00:44:47.02
I will put my Spirit within
you and cause you to walk in my
00:44:47.08\00:44:51.22
statutes. Which way is your hand
facing? How much of it did you
00:44:51.25\00:44:55.69
do? None. God did it all. He
gave you a new heart and then
00:44:55.72\00:44:59.56
you will keep my judgments and
do them. Make a note of that in
00:44:59.59\00:45:03.77
the margin of your Bible. That's
a good one to share. Ezekiel 36.
00:45:03.80\00:45:11.41
Ellen White Steps to Christ page
18 and says it is impossible for
00:45:11.44\00:45:15.04
us of ourselves to escape from
the pit of sin in which we have
00:45:15.08\00:45:19.25
sunken. Our hearts are evil and
we cannot change them. Education
00:45:19.28\00:45:23.42
culture, the exercise of the
will, human effort, attending
00:45:23.49\00:45:26.96
ASI, going to church every week,
teaching lessons, being an elder
00:45:26.99\00:45:30.06
of the church, going on mission
trips. They all have their
00:45:30.13\00:45:32.76
proper sphere but here they are
powerless. They may produce an
00:45:32.79\00:45:37.60
outward correctness of behavior
but they cannot change the
00:45:37.63\00:45:41.54
heart. Remember in John chapter
3, a man called Nicodemus.
00:45:51.48\00:45:59.22
Nicodemus was rich, he was
powerful, he was respected and
00:45:59.25\00:46:01.89
he had lots of other problems
too. He was a member of the
00:46:01.92\00:46:07.50
Sanhedrin, the 70 leaders
of Israel, religiopolitical
00:46:07.56\00:46:11.20
leaders. He was looked up to,
he was respected. On the outside
00:46:11.23\00:46:15.94
everything looked good, but
in his heart Nicodemus knew that
00:46:15.97\00:46:21.01
he wasn't saved. So he went to
Jesus at nighttime in the garden
00:46:21.04\00:46:24.78
and remember that Jesus said a
number of things to him and one
00:46:24.81\00:46:27.02
of them was Nicodemus you need
to be born again. Nicodemus was
00:46:27.05\00:46:32.09
a bit confused about what that
meant. We understand it much
00:46:32.12\00:46:35.42
better now. It's a pillar of our
faith, it's a foundation of our
00:46:35.46\00:46:38.63
faith. And he said, Nicodemus,
I will be lifted up, I must be
00:46:38.66\00:46:42.23
lifted up. And later on in John
he says that when I am lifted
00:46:42.26\00:46:44.23
up I will draw all men unto me.
Another beautiful illustration
00:46:44.27\00:46:49.27
that Christ gave of the message
of salvation and of Calvary.
00:46:49.30\00:46:54.14
But both of those fade into
insignificance when you realize
00:46:54.18\00:46:57.15
that it was Nicodemus, a one-man
audience, out there in the dark
00:46:57.21\00:47:01.32
of the garden that Jesus said
Nicodemus God so loved the world
00:47:01.35\00:47:07.02
that he gave his only begotten
Son that whosoever believes in
00:47:07.09\00:47:10.66
him shall not perish but have
everlasting life. Nicodemus was
00:47:10.69\00:47:16.77
convicted but he wasn't
converted. Nicodemus was
00:47:16.80\00:47:20.14
convicted. He went back into the
Sanhedrin. On two occasions we
00:47:20.17\00:47:22.87
have record of him acting to
save the life of Christ when the
00:47:22.90\00:47:27.28
Sanhedrin wanted to kill
Jesus. He was convicted but not
00:47:27.31\00:47:30.95
converted. Friends, when
was Nicodemus converted? At the
00:47:30.98\00:47:37.82
cross. When he and Joseph
of Arimathea came to take the
00:47:37.85\00:47:42.99
body of Christ down. It's
the same time the disciples were
00:47:43.02\00:47:44.99
converted. When I am lifted
up I will draw all men unto me.
00:47:45.03\00:47:49.66
We're told in Desire of Ages
that Nicodemus died a poor man.
00:47:49.70\00:47:53.40
If you want to know what he did
with his money, read the book of
00:47:53.44\00:47:56.14
Acts. Nicodemus funded it. He
funded the gospel going to all
00:47:56.17\00:48:00.91
the world. Friends it's not
business as usual today because
00:48:00.94\00:48:03.48
Nicodemus set us an example that
if God is blessing you it's so
00:48:03.51\00:48:08.88
that you can take the gospel to
the entire world. In Florence,
00:48:08.92\00:48:14.99
just up from what my wife
and children tell me is the
00:48:15.02\00:48:18.19
world's best
00:48:18.46\00:48:19.79
chocolate shop is a museum with
a statue in it and it's called
00:48:19.83\00:48:23.70
the Florentine Pieta carved by
Michael Angelo. Michael Angelo,
00:48:23.77\00:48:32.21
incredible artist. It was carved
for the top of his own tomb and
00:48:32.24\00:48:36.01
the Pope came to Michael Angelo
and said Michael Angelo you've
00:48:36.04\00:48:37.95
done so much for us we want you
to carve this for your own tomb.
00:48:37.98\00:48:40.65
And so he carved it, Nicodemus
and the two Mary's taking down
00:48:40.72\00:48:44.65
Jesus off the cross. The reason
I wanted you to see this is
00:48:44.69\00:48:47.79
because of the plaque beside it
and historians say that the face
00:48:47.82\00:48:51.13
face of Nicodemus is the face
of Michael Angelo. It was a self
00:48:51.16\00:48:55.20
portrait. Michael Angelo was
converted late in life. After a
00:48:55.23\00:48:58.87
life of much success finally he
gave his heart to Christ in the
00:48:58.90\00:49:03.37
midst of success and he wanted
everybody to know that if he
00:49:03.44\00:49:08.48
had been there when his Christ
had died he would have done what
00:49:08.51\00:49:11.05
Nicodemus did. It never made
it to his tomb. There were some
00:49:11.08\00:49:14.38
faults in the marble and he
pushed it aside. But to me it's
00:49:14.42\00:49:17.32
a reminder that no matter where
we are in life God is a God of
00:49:17.35\00:49:21.89
second chances and third chances
and 77th chances. My dad used to
00:49:21.92\00:49:27.13
say to me as I was growing
up and he was on fire for Christ
00:49:27.13\00:49:30.07
I was a teenager he'd say Julian
if you died tonight could you be
00:49:30.10\00:49:32.93
sure that you had eternal life?
And I didn't know. I want to
00:49:32.97\00:49:37.97
tell you for many years I knew
that I didn't have eternal life.
00:49:38.01\00:49:40.88
But through that process in
Ezekiel 36 getting a new heart
00:49:40.91\00:49:46.41
from God. I want to tell you
it was the most painful but the
00:49:46.45\00:49:50.09
most beautiful thing that's ever
happened to me. A new heart.
00:49:50.12\00:49:54.16
And now I love that verse John
5:13 where John says beloved I
00:49:54.19\00:50:00.90
write to you speak to you who
believe in the name of the Son
00:50:00.93\00:50:04.13
of God so that you may know that
you have eternal life. Not that
00:50:04.17\00:50:09.80
you might hope that maybe
one day you could if you're good
00:50:09.84\00:50:11.84
enough or if you give enough. No
he said, I write to you so that
00:50:11.87\00:50:16.91
may know that you have
now eternal life. Ministry of
00:50:16.95\00:50:24.55
Healing: The life of the apostle
Paul was a constant conflict
00:50:24.59\00:50:28.12
with self. Friends that tells me
that when you get the new heart
00:50:28.16\00:50:30.33
the battle isn't over.
The battle is a daily battle.
00:50:30.39\00:50:33.96
In Philippians 1 verse 6 we have
that beautiful assurance that he
00:50:48.71\00:50:54.15
who has begun a good will in you
will complete it. And then in
00:50:54.18\00:50:59.02
Steps to Christ, p. 64....
00:50:59.05\00:51:02.02
Friends we do need to be cross-
eyed Christians, not because
00:51:30.65\00:51:33.62
we've got one eye on heaven
and the other eye on earth, but
00:51:33.66\00:51:37.59
because we've got both eyes on
the cross of Jesus Christ. Paul
00:51:37.63\00:51:42.56
said, I'm determined not to know
anything among you except Jesus
00:51:42.60\00:51:46.90
Christ and him crucified.
In 2 Timothy chapter 4 the very
00:51:46.97\00:51:55.21
last letter that we have of
Paul's life, in chapter 4 verse
00:51:55.24\00:51:59.11
7 is a verse that to me
is really important in this
00:51:59.15\00:52:01.75
this faith
versus finance battle.
00:52:01.78\00:52:03.42
He says I have fought the good
fight, I have finished the race,
00:52:03.49\00:52:07.96
and I have kept the faith.
Friends, I encourage you to keep
00:52:07.99\00:52:15.23
the faith. It's a battle.
It should be faith and finance.
00:52:15.26\00:52:20.10
It should be faith regardless
of finance. But in my life it's
00:52:20.14\00:52:26.11
been faith versus finance and I
thank God that whilst we have a
00:52:26.14\00:52:31.88
problem, God has the solution. I
encourage you as your blessings
00:52:31.91\00:52:38.32
go up may your knees go down.
00:52:38.35\00:52:40.62