Hello and welcome
to 3ABN Fall Homecoming
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Camp Meeting 2017.
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What a blessing we've been
having this weekend so far,
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haven't we? We're so
glad each one of you are here
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and so glad you
have joined us at home.
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I know the Lord has
something very special
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prepared for each one of us.
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Our speaker of the
hour is Shelley Quinn.
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She is 3ABN's
program development manager,
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and what a blessing she
and her husband J.D. are.
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She's a woman of the
Word... a woman of prayer
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and a woman who walks out,
who lives out what she preaches.
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The message she will
be bringing for us is
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called With All My Heart.
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Before she comes
and ministers to us
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we're also going to hear
from another woman of God:
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Sr. Yvonne Lewis. The
song she will be bringing
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for us is the same
title as Shelley's title:
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With All My Heart. I
love to hear Yvonne sing
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because she sings from her
heart and her walk with Jesus.
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So as soon as
Yvonne shall have sung
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the next voice you will
hear is that of Shelley Quinn.
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In this quiet place with You
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I bow before Your throne
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and bare the deepest part of me
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to You and You alone.
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I keep no secrets
for there is no thought
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You haven't known...
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I bring my best and all the rest
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to You and lay them down.
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Oh...
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With all my heart
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I will love You, Lord,
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and live my life
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each day to know You more.
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All that is in me
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is Yours completely.
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I'll serve You only
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with all my heart.
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You faithfully supply my needs
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according to Your plan.
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So help me,
Lord, to seek Your face
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before I seek Your hand.
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I trust You'll do
what's best for me
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when I don't understand.
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I will follow in obedience
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in every circumstance.
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With all my heart
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I want to love You, Lord,
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and live my life
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each day to know You more.
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All that is in me
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is Yours completely.
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I'll serve You only
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with all my heart!
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Thank you, Yvonne. God bless.
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That's one of my favorite
songs; it IS my favorite song
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that Yvonne sings.
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And actually we could go
home if we just let those words
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sink deep in our heart
because there is a message
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in that song.
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Well, we're just so glad that
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all of you are here.
And thank you so much
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for coming. I
love Fall Camp Meeting
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because Homecoming
is so much more intimate
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and it's a lot of
fun to be with you all.
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We are going today...
If you have your Bibles,
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you might want to
open to I John chapter 4.
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I John chapter 4.
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What we will do in
the next 45 minutes is
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we will ask and
answer five questions
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about the interaction of love
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between God and man.
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And these five questions
are very important for all of us
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to know the answer to
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and to be able to
explain to others.
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Let's pray.
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Heavenly Father, we
pause once again today
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to come before
Your throne of grace
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to praise You, Lord, for
You are worthy of our praise.
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Lord, we thank you for the
gift of Your Son Jesus Christ.
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We thank you for the
gift of Your Holy Spirit
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and the gift of
Your Word, Father.
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How we praise You and thank you
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that You did not leave us
as orphans but Father, that
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we may come to know You
by the power of Your Spirit
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through Your Word. And
right now I pray in Jesus' name,
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Father, that You'll
get me out of the way.
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Help me to be
surrendered to You.
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Speak through me by the
power of Your Holy Spirit.
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Please send Your Holy
Spirit to be our teacher.
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This is a message I
need to hear as well, Lord.
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And we ask in the name of
Jesus that You will give us
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ears to hear what the
Holy Spirit has to say.
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In Jesus' holy name we pray
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thanking You for the answer,
Lord, to the prayer of faith.
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Amen... amen.
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All right... I John chapter 4.
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Let's look at verse 16.
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I John 4:16 and John writes:
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Love has its origin from God.
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God is the source of love.
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Do you know His love?
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That word know is intimate.
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Do you KNOW God's love
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by not just
observation but by experience?
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Do you BELIEVE His love?
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It is so critical
that we know and believe
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the love that God has for us
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because if we don't we will
keep God at arms' distance...
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which I did for many years
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because I had
been taught erroneously
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that God burned people in
an everlasting, never ceasing
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torment and I could not
understand how God is love
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and I kept Him at
an arms' distance.
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Now when I found the truth
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that helped me embrace
God and know that He is love.
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When we think about people
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who keep God at arms' distance
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the first question I want
to ask and answer is this,,,
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because I can sit here
and talk about the love of God
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but if you haven't
known the love of God,
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if you don't
believe the love of God,
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then I'm just going to
be talking over your head.
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You're not going to
pay any attention to me.
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And a question
that people often ask
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and maybe you
have asked this as well
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is: "If God is love,
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why does He allow us
to experience pain? "
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Have you ever
wondered about that?
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The answer is
really quite simple
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because God loved us so much...
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He wanted us to be His
children and He loved us so much
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that He created us in His image.
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He created us with free will.
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He created us with intelligence
and the ability to rule...
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to go out and have
dominion over the earth.
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Without free will
we would not be able
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to achieve and
accomplish things on our own.
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Without free will we
would not be like God.
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We would not be able to love
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because love by its very
definition involves choice.
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Love cannot be forced.
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It cannot be coerced;
it cannot be demanded;
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it cannot be purchased.
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Love includes the will.
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And clearly scripture
teaches that the will of God
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is that He loves all mankind
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so much that He
wants all men to be saved.
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And the greatest event of love
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that ever happened
or ever will happen
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happened on the hill of Calvary
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when Christ died
for us on the cross.
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As I was considering
this question about pain
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I did a little research.
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And something that I learned
that's really interesting
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is the area of the
brain that gives us free will
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is the prefrontal cortex
right here behind your forehead.
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This is the area of the brain
that functions with free will
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giving us the power of choice.
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But guess what else?
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This is the area of the brain
that identifies and experiences
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pain. How many of you
would like to be pain free?
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No physical
pain... no emotional pain?
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Every hand is going up. Right?
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Well, there is
a remedy for pain.
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In the late 1940's
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doctors noticed
that psychotic patients
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who were receiving lobotomies
experienced no pain afterward.
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Now they really couldn't
tell the effect of the lobotomy
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on the psychotic patient
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as much as they did
later on when they began
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doing this procedure on
psychologically-normal patients
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who had been
suffering from severe pain
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and that just wasn't
responsive to any treatment.
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And at first it
seemed very successful
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because they didn't experience
pain, they didn't have anxiety
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or fears. But
it didn't take long
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until the disastrous
consequences were discovered.
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What they found is
that after a lobotomy
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the patients lost their ability
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to think or react quickly.
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They were dull. They
found that these patients
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sometimes totally
lacked any kind of emotional
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expression or response.
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They showed a striking
reduction in driving energy
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or in interest and
they lost their personality.
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So what lobotomies proved...
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it gave us evidence
that this area of our brain
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that functions - this is the
area where free will functions -
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it gives us the ability to dif-
ferentiate between good and bad,
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better and best. It
gives us the ability
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to temporarily store
and manipulate information
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so that we can
understand and reason and learn.
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It gives us the
ability to recognize
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that our current activities
have future consequences.
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It gives us the
ability to plan forward...
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to develop a plan and
work toward a defined goal
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and predict the outcomes.
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It gives us the ability to
suppress unacceptable urges.
00:14:00.17\00:14:04.94
And yes, it also is the
area that gives us the ability
00:14:05.34\00:14:10.25
to experience pain.
00:14:10.45\00:14:11.78
But all of those hands
that went up earlier...
00:14:11.98\00:14:14.52
let me ask you this:
00:14:14.72\00:14:16.05
you want to be pain
free. How many of you
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would like to receive a
lobotomy to be pain free?
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You know, something
that we need to remember:
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God is NOT the author
of pain and suffering.
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God creates all things perfect.
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God is the origin of love.
00:14:37.21\00:14:40.24
The origin of pain
and suffering is rebellion
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against God's authority.
00:14:45.81\00:14:48.22
When Satan rebelled in heaven
00:14:48.62\00:14:51.22
his rebellion
raised this question:
00:14:51.82\00:14:55.56
does God have the right
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to rule over His
intelligent beings
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and decide for them
what's right and what's wrong?
00:15:03.57\00:15:07.54
Now God could have snuffed
out the great controversy -
00:15:08.10\00:15:13.07
the controversy between
good and evil - immediately.
00:15:14.08\00:15:17.38
He could have snuffed out
Satan as soon as he rebelled.
00:15:18.11\00:15:21.18
Or even He could have
snuffed out Adam and Eve
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as soon as they rebelled.
00:15:24.39\00:15:26.09
But what would that have proven?
00:15:26.29\00:15:28.52
Only that He was
more powerful than they.
00:15:29.29\00:15:32.53
So what God did is He
allowed Satan to come to earth
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to test the
hearts of Adam and Eve.
00:15:37.23\00:15:40.14
Not for His benefit -
not for God's benefit -
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but for their benefit.
00:15:44.17\00:15:46.57
Adam and Eve
made a wrong choice.
00:15:47.34\00:15:50.95
You know why? Because
they had never learned
00:15:51.15\00:15:55.92
through the
experience of hardship
00:15:56.12\00:15:59.29
what God's love really was like.
00:15:59.69\00:16:02.92
But what the
devil intended for evil
00:16:03.32\00:16:06.49
God turned it
around for their good.
00:16:06.73\00:16:09.46
Through their
fall into temptation
00:16:09.66\00:16:12.97
Adam and Eve discovered
and had a greater revelation
00:16:13.37\00:16:18.74
of God's goodness and His
mercy and His faithfulness
00:16:19.14\00:16:23.38
and His love.
00:16:23.58\00:16:25.15
They learned that
only God's purposes
00:16:25.35\00:16:28.95
lead to ultimate happiness.
00:16:29.25\00:16:32.85
Without knowledge of what
life is like apart from God
00:16:33.25\00:16:37.76
how can we really
come to understand
00:16:38.43\00:16:41.56
that His way is best?
00:16:41.76\00:16:43.87
You know, God's ways
are higher than our ways.
00:16:44.27\00:16:46.43
His thoughts are
higher than our thoughts.
00:16:46.63\00:16:48.27
We'll never
fully understand them.
00:16:48.47\00:16:50.17
But what God
ordained was that Satan
00:16:50.57\00:16:54.14
after Adam and Eve passed
him the keys to the kingdom
00:16:54.31\00:16:57.71
He ordained that Satan would
have a short, pre-determined
00:16:58.11\00:17:01.85
time on earth to try to prove
his malicious lie against God:
00:17:02.05\00:17:06.79
that God was unfair and
that God was not loving.
00:17:06.99\00:17:11.63
Now you may say: "Short?
It's been nearly 6,000 years! "
00:17:12.09\00:17:16.87
But don't forget what
Peter says in II Peter 3:8.
00:17:17.27\00:17:22.90
If we were to take the
continuum of infinity...
00:17:34.62\00:17:40.06
if I had a line
that never ended this way
00:17:40.26\00:17:42.49
and the line kept going
and it never ended that way
00:17:42.69\00:17:45.96
and if we were
to take 6,000 years
00:17:46.36\00:17:49.33
that the great
controversy has been going on
00:17:49.53\00:17:51.70
and we were to
mark it on that line
00:17:51.90\00:17:54.30
it would be a little
pinprick on the line.
00:17:54.80\00:17:58.41
It doesn't seem short to us
00:17:58.91\00:18:01.04
but to God a
thousand years is like a day.
00:18:01.24\00:18:05.15
So Christ is coming!
00:18:05.55\00:18:09.92
He will return soon. He
will come as soon as every
00:18:10.12\00:18:13.69
person on earth
has made a decision
00:18:13.89\00:18:16.86
either to reject or accept God.
00:18:17.06\00:18:19.73
And as long as
there's one person left
00:18:19.93\00:18:22.06
that He knows will make
that decision to accept Him
00:18:22.26\00:18:25.80
I believe He's going
to hold His coming back.
00:18:26.00\00:18:28.64
But He will usher
in an eternal kingdom
00:18:28.84\00:18:32.54
where there's no more sin,
no more pain, no more suffering.
00:18:32.74\00:18:36.11
And this will be the Hallelujah
time of no more tears.
00:18:36.31\00:18:40.35
The second question that
we want to ask and answer:
00:18:41.12\00:18:44.72
how do we know that God
loves us with all of His heart?
00:18:44.92\00:18:48.12
Let's look at Jeremiah 32:40-41.
00:18:48.32\00:18:51.79
It will be on the
screen. Jeremiah 32:40-41.
00:18:51.99\00:18:55.90
This is the Lord
speaking and He says:
00:18:56.10\00:18:59.33
That's God
speaking to you today.
00:19:27.56\00:19:30.00
This is covenant love language.
00:19:30.20\00:19:32.43
The Bible describes
God's love as being universal,
00:19:33.00\00:19:37.71
as being impartial.
00:19:38.11\00:19:41.54
He doesn't put
one above the other.
00:19:41.94\00:19:44.15
It describes God's love
as being self-sacrificing,
00:19:44.35\00:19:48.75
unconditional, faithful.
00:19:48.95\00:19:51.62
As being
protective and corrective...
00:19:51.82\00:19:54.99
because He is
the perfect Father.
00:19:55.19\00:19:57.46
As being patient
and tender and merciful.
00:19:58.29\00:20:01.00
Forgiving and enduring.
00:20:01.20\00:20:02.56
God's love
unifies... it brings together.
00:20:02.76\00:20:06.57
It edifies... it builds up.
00:20:06.80\00:20:09.14
God's love quells our fears.
00:20:09.34\00:20:12.31
It negates fear.
00:20:12.51\00:20:14.38
And God's love is
beyond human understanding.
00:20:14.58\00:20:19.55
It transcends all
human understanding.
00:20:20.08\00:20:22.82
But trust me when I say this:
00:20:23.02\00:20:25.29
somebody here
needs to hear this.
00:20:26.32\00:20:28.29
God loves you
with all of His heart.
00:20:28.69\00:20:31.53
His heart wells
over with love for you,
00:20:31.73\00:20:34.23
and from that well of
love flows all of the blessings
00:20:34.40\00:20:38.63
of His grace.
And there is nothing
00:20:38.83\00:20:41.80
that God loves more than
for us to come to receive
00:20:42.00\00:20:47.11
the goodness from Him.
00:20:47.31\00:20:49.01
In Jeremiah
chapter 31 and verse 3-
00:20:49.21\00:20:52.75
again, this will
be on the screen -
00:20:52.95\00:20:54.28
God says:
00:20:55.08\00:20:56.42
Again, this is covenant
love language that expresses
00:21:10.57\00:21:14.40
God's enduring love and
faithfulness for His covenant
00:21:14.60\00:21:18.37
people. Hesed is a word...
00:21:18.57\00:21:22.04
Are you familiar
with what hesed means?
00:21:22.44\00:21:25.15
You know, we talk
about agape all the time
00:21:26.11\00:21:28.28
and that's important.
00:21:28.48\00:21:29.82
But in the Old
Testament the Hebrew word
00:21:29.95\00:21:33.92
hesed is the
equivalent for grace.
00:21:34.12\00:21:38.53
It was used 240
times in the Old Testament.
00:21:38.83\00:21:44.53
I want us to look now at
a definition from the Book
00:21:45.07\00:21:48.50
of the Dictionary
of the Old Testament:
00:21:48.70\00:21:50.77
Wisdom, Writings, and Poetry.
00:21:50.97\00:21:52.67
This is the definition of hesed.
00:21:52.87\00:21:56.51
And I absolutely
adore the way David
00:22:22.50\00:22:28.04
felt about God's hesed.
00:22:28.24\00:22:31.61
He says in Psalm 63 verse 3:
00:22:31.81\00:22:35.35
See, if we get
to be like David...
00:22:45.56\00:22:48.53
David knew... he understood
00:22:48.93\00:22:52.23
that God's love, God's grace
00:22:52.43\00:22:55.97
was better than everything
that this world had to offer.
00:22:56.17\00:23:01.51
And that's how God wants
us to understand His love.
00:23:02.11\00:23:06.25
Now we are familiar with agape.
00:23:06.92\00:23:09.55
This is the term that
is most frequently used
00:23:09.75\00:23:12.22
in the New Testament for love.
00:23:12.42\00:23:14.56
And this signifies a
spontaneous, self-giving,
00:23:14.76\00:23:19.03
unconditional, unmerited love.
00:23:19.23\00:23:23.97
There's nothing that you
can do to earn that love.
00:23:24.47\00:23:27.54
There's nothing that you
can do to deserve that love.
00:23:27.94\00:23:30.77
But this is the
way God loves you!
00:23:30.94\00:23:33.88
Jesus said in John 3:16:
"For God so loved the world... "
00:23:34.08\00:23:38.68
He so agaped the world...
00:23:38.88\00:23:41.52
"that He gave
His only begotten Son
00:23:42.22\00:23:45.62
that whoever would
believe in Him would not perish
00:23:46.02\00:23:49.19
but have everlasting life. "
00:23:49.39\00:23:51.59
And then Paul turns
around in Romans 5:8
00:23:51.79\00:23:54.13
and he says: "This
is how God demonstrates
00:23:54.36\00:23:57.93
His own love for us
00:23:58.13\00:24:00.24
that He sent His
Son to die for us
00:24:00.74\00:24:04.41
while we were yet sinners. "
00:24:04.61\00:24:07.48
Can you imagine how much
more God will do for us now?
00:24:07.91\00:24:12.05
The God of eternity
stepped out of heaven;
00:24:12.55\00:24:15.88
He condescended to become flesh.
00:24:16.08\00:24:19.95
And you know what?
Christ - God in the flesh -
00:24:20.96\00:24:25.46
accepted the cruel cross -
the cruel death on the cross -
00:24:25.66\00:24:30.93
to die for you and me...
even though we were completely
00:24:31.33\00:24:35.80
undeserving.
Totally undeserving!
00:24:36.00\00:24:40.18
What is the wages of sin? Death.
00:24:41.14\00:24:44.11
But the gift of
God is eternal life
00:24:44.88\00:24:48.32
through Christ Jesus.
00:24:48.52\00:24:49.92
You are worth nothing less
00:24:51.02\00:24:54.49
to God than the
price that He paid
00:24:54.69\00:24:58.43
with the precious
life blood of His Son.
00:24:58.63\00:25:00.96
Don't ever forget that.
00:25:01.66\00:25:03.26
Don't ever feel that
you're not good enough
00:25:03.77\00:25:07.67
because God puts
great value on you.
00:25:07.87\00:25:10.94
Paul told the
Ephesians in Ephesians 2:4-5
00:25:11.71\00:25:15.51
He said:
00:25:15.71\00:25:17.05
It's a gift!
00:25:32.79\00:25:34.56
God is the source of
life but what does sin do?
00:25:34.93\00:25:37.97
Sin cuts us off from God.
00:25:38.17\00:25:40.34
It cuts us off
from the source of life.
00:25:40.64\00:25:44.41
So without Christ
00:25:44.81\00:25:47.34
our future would
be an eternal death.
00:25:47.54\00:25:51.15
But our loving and merciful God
00:25:51.65\00:25:53.58
provided forgiveness of sin...
so the gift of eternal life
00:25:53.78\00:25:57.55
through Christ Jesus.
00:25:57.72\00:25:59.05
And our covenant
Christ is with us always...
00:25:59.39\00:26:03.56
just as He was
in the old covenant.
00:26:03.76\00:26:06.59
The messenger of the covenant.
He went with them as the cloud
00:26:06.83\00:26:10.77
by day. In the
heat of the day He was
00:26:10.97\00:26:13.54
their protection. He
was the flame of fire...
00:26:13.74\00:26:16.44
the pillar of fire at night.
00:26:16.64\00:26:18.24
And in Hebrews
13:5 He Himself has said
00:26:18.74\00:26:22.74
"I will never leave you;
I will never forsake you. "
00:26:22.94\00:26:27.65
You know, we pray: "Lord,
be with us through the night. "
00:26:27.85\00:26:32.02
"Lord, be with us today. "
00:26:32.22\00:26:33.96
"Lord. be with
us on this trip. "
00:26:34.16\00:26:35.79
You know what we
should be praying? "Oh, Lord,
00:26:35.99\00:26:38.36
give us a... just
give us a divine revelation
00:26:38.56\00:26:44.13
and an awareness of Your
constant presence with us. "
00:26:44.33\00:26:48.80
God never leaves you;
He never forsakes you.
00:26:49.20\00:26:52.27
And there should be
no doubt in your heart
00:26:52.47\00:26:55.81
about God's love for you.
00:26:56.01\00:26:57.78
No matter who you are, no matter
how bad you think you are,
00:26:57.98\00:27:03.62
He longs for you
with all of His heart.
00:27:04.02\00:27:07.69
And the question is:
will you receive His love?
00:27:07.89\00:27:13.46
Will you allow God to love you?
00:27:13.66\00:27:17.27
So now let's look
at our third question.
00:27:18.17\00:27:20.14
What does He
desire from us in return?
00:27:20.54\00:27:26.14
Turn to Mark chapter 12 please.
00:27:26.54\00:27:29.24
Mark chapter 12.
00:27:29.44\00:27:31.18
If God loves us so much
that He created us in His image
00:27:31.38\00:27:36.12
to be His children, and
He threw out the Bible...
00:27:36.32\00:27:40.16
The Old Testament and the
New is trying to convince us
00:27:40.36\00:27:44.83
of this great love
that He has for us...
00:27:45.03\00:27:48.40
this is His plan... what does
He expect from us in return?
00:27:48.90\00:27:54.84
He desires that we would
respond to His covenant love.
00:27:55.04\00:28:00.21
As He loves us
with all of His heart
00:28:01.01\00:28:04.68
His desire is that we'll
love Him with all of our heart.
00:28:04.88\00:28:07.15
Look at Mark 12:29
is where we'll begin.
00:28:07.35\00:28:10.32
Mark 12:29.
00:28:10.52\00:28:12.45
Someone asked Jesus: "What's
the greatest commandment? "
00:28:13.15\00:28:15.49
and Jesus answered him
saying: "The greatest of all the
00:28:15.69\00:28:19.09
commandments is 'Hear, O
Israel, the Lord our God,
00:28:19.29\00:28:21.60
the Lord is One. And you
shall love the Lord your God
00:28:21.80\00:28:24.73
with all of your
heart, with all of your soul,
00:28:24.93\00:28:27.57
with all of your mind,
and with all of your strength.
00:28:27.77\00:28:31.41
This is the
first... this is the greatest
00:28:31.61\00:28:35.01
commandment. ' " Jesus is
quoting Deuteronomy 6:4-5.
00:28:35.21\00:28:40.95
This is a foundational
truth of the old covenant.
00:28:41.15\00:28:45.05
It is also a foundational
truth of the new covenant
00:28:45.25\00:28:48.79
because love for God is
central to entering into
00:28:49.69\00:28:55.46
and keeping covenant with Him.
00:28:55.66\00:28:58.03
And what this summarizes...
loving Him with all of our
00:28:58.57\00:29:01.57
heart, soul,
mind, and strength...
00:29:01.77\00:29:03.44
it summarizes the first
four of the Ten Commandments.
00:29:03.94\00:29:08.04
That we will have no
other God before Him.
00:29:08.24\00:29:10.21
That we'll not make an
idol and bow down to it.
00:29:10.41\00:29:13.21
That we will not
take His name in vain.
00:29:13.45\00:29:15.45
And that we'll remember the
Sabbath to joyfully celebrate
00:29:15.85\00:29:19.05
that time with Him.
00:29:19.25\00:29:20.59
Now then Jesus
goes on in verse 31
00:29:21.26\00:29:26.19
and He says: "This is
the second that is like it:
00:29:27.23\00:29:30.37
you shall love your
neighbor as yourself.
00:29:30.77\00:29:34.14
There's no greater commandment
- NO OTHER COMMANDMENT -
00:29:34.54\00:29:38.07
greater than these. "
00:29:38.27\00:29:39.84
Here He's
quoting Leviticus 19:18.
00:29:40.08\00:29:42.81
See, genuine love for
God naturally results in love
00:29:43.35\00:29:48.02
for our fellow human beings.
00:29:48.22\00:29:50.02
And what this summarizes
00:29:50.69\00:29:53.22
when He says: "Love
your neighbor as yourself"
00:29:53.46\00:29:56.02
He's summarizing the second
tablet of the Ten Commandments.
00:29:56.42\00:30:00.10
That you will honor
your mother and your father.
00:30:00.50\00:30:03.43
That you'll not
commit murder or adultery.
00:30:03.63\00:30:06.50
That you'll not steal.
00:30:06.90\00:30:08.24
That you will not
bear false testimony.
00:30:08.27\00:30:10.27
And that you'll not covet!
00:30:10.67\00:30:12.01
So this is why then
Jesus in Matthew 22:40 said:
00:30:12.17\00:30:15.28
"On these two commandments
00:30:15.48\00:30:17.81
hang all the law
and the prophets. "
00:30:18.01\00:30:20.88
When you see all the law
and the prophets together
00:30:21.42\00:30:23.95
that means the
entire Old Testament.
00:30:24.15\00:30:26.59
And Jesus is saying: "This
is what it's about, folks. "
00:30:27.02\00:30:30.73
Love is the root of
God's Ten Commandments
00:30:31.23\00:30:35.86
and it is the
fulfillment of the law.
00:30:36.26\00:30:38.87
You know, God's
commandments are not
00:30:39.27\00:30:43.04
just about how we behave.
00:30:43.24\00:30:46.17
It's about who we are
00:30:46.37\00:30:48.91
when the love of
God is in our hearts.
00:30:49.11\00:30:52.11
Now, how can God know
00:30:52.91\00:30:55.95
or how can we know
00:30:56.15\00:30:58.05
if God's love is being
perfected in our hearts?
00:30:58.89\00:31:02.09
Let's look at I John 2:4-5.
00:31:02.29\00:31:05.09
I John 2:4-5.
00:31:05.29\00:31:07.40
John says:
00:31:07.93\00:31:09.23
True religion begins and ends
00:31:29.95\00:31:33.32
with loving God
and loving humanity...
00:31:33.52\00:31:36.79
our fellow human beings.
00:31:36.99\00:31:38.39
When you are
faced with a decision
00:31:38.59\00:31:41.50
here is what you
should ask yourself.
00:31:42.46\00:31:45.73
Just choose whatever best
00:31:46.23\00:31:49.94
will exhibit love for God
00:31:50.14\00:31:53.91
and love for humanity
00:31:54.11\00:31:55.64
following God's Ten Commandments
as your rule of thumb
00:31:55.84\00:31:58.95
and you'll never
go wrong... ever.
00:31:59.15\00:32:01.55
Now turn to
Deuteronomy chapter 4
00:32:01.75\00:32:03.59
because I want to show you some-
thing that so many people miss.
00:32:03.79\00:32:09.12
You know, the Old Testament...
00:32:09.52\00:32:11.93
When we think of the old
covenant - and Deuteronomy
00:32:12.13\00:32:15.23
is the book of the law -
00:32:15.43\00:32:17.33
this is the covenant
that Moses wrote up...
00:32:17.73\00:32:22.07
the book of the law. It got
put into the side of the ark
00:32:22.27\00:32:25.31
in the pocket. But
most people think that
00:32:25.51\00:32:28.71
there was no grace
in the old covenant.
00:32:28.91\00:32:31.71
The old covenant
is nothing but grace!
00:32:31.91\00:32:34.52
And that's what the
sanctuary was all about
00:32:35.08\00:32:38.89
was... this was theology
in physical form to show them
00:32:39.09\00:32:43.16
the grace of God.
00:32:43.39\00:32:44.73
But God has always
sought whole-hearted love
00:32:45.06\00:32:49.20
from His people and
obedience has always been
00:32:49.40\00:32:52.50
just an expression of
loving gratitude for God's love.
00:32:52.70\00:32:56.87
Even in the old covenant
faith was essentially a matter
00:32:57.27\00:33:01.84
of the heart. So nine times
in the book of the covenant,
00:33:02.04\00:33:06.45
the book of Deuteronomy,
nine times the expression
00:33:06.65\00:33:10.32
"with all your heart" appears.
00:33:10.52\00:33:12.79
We're going to look
at four of those because
00:33:12.99\00:33:14.72
the other five
pretty much repeat.
00:33:14.92\00:33:17.36
So let's look at Deuteronomy
chapter 4, look at verse 29.
00:33:17.76\00:33:22.93
Verse 29.
00:33:23.26\00:33:24.67
And here it says:
00:33:24.80\00:33:27.60
When you know how
much God loves you
00:33:40.38\00:33:42.25
and the good plan
He has for your life
00:33:42.45\00:33:44.19
that's how you will seek Him.
00:33:44.39\00:33:46.02
And then Deuteronomy
chapter 6 if you'll turn there
00:33:46.22\00:33:49.46
and we'll look at verse 5.
00:33:49.99\00:33:51.89
This is what we
just heard Jesus quote
00:33:52.09\00:33:55.86
when we were
looking at Mark chapter 12.
00:33:56.06\00:33:58.37
Deuteronomy 6 and verse 5 says:
00:33:58.77\00:34:01.84
Now flip over to chapter
10 and let's look at verse 12.
00:34:09.04\00:34:13.62
In Deuteronomy 10 and verse 12.
00:34:13.82\00:34:16.89
This describes the
evidence of our love.
00:34:18.42\00:34:22.82
So we're to walk in
His ways... to love Him.
00:34:42.84\00:34:45.98
To serve Him with all
of our heart and soul.
00:34:46.18\00:34:49.62
But here's the best one
in Deuteronomy chapter 30
00:34:50.15\00:34:53.52
if you'll turn there.
00:34:53.72\00:34:55.06
Deuteronomy
chapter 30 and verse 6.
00:34:55.22\00:34:58.49
Because I have to tell you:
00:34:58.69\00:35:00.73
I can't love the Lord my
God with all of my heart,
00:35:00.93\00:35:03.90
my soul, my mind,
and my strength...
00:35:04.10\00:35:07.24
not in my human ability.
00:35:07.90\00:35:11.04
But look at Deuteronomy 30:6.
00:35:11.24\00:35:14.08
It is God who enables
us to love Him this way.
00:35:14.28\00:35:18.01
All of your
heart... whole-hearted love.
00:35:28.32\00:35:30.86
An undivided heart.
00:35:31.06\00:35:33.73
In Ezekiel 11 and verse 19
00:35:34.73\00:35:37.80
God says this:
00:35:39.10\00:35:40.84
God's heart is
undivided. He consistently
00:35:52.65\00:35:55.85
is demonstrating
and expressing His love,
00:35:56.05\00:35:59.39
His faithfulness,
His trustworthiness,
00:35:59.59\00:36:02.86
and His loyalty to
His covenant people.
00:36:03.06\00:36:05.59
But our covenant-keeping
God expects His people
00:36:06.16\00:36:09.96
to respond to this
and to do the same.
00:36:10.17\00:36:13.67
He wants a
reciprocal, whole-hearted love
00:36:14.07\00:36:17.97
and devotion to Him.
So since we can't do this
00:36:18.17\00:36:22.01
in our own He gives us a
new heart and a new spirit
00:36:22.21\00:36:26.92
that we might
love Him in this way.
00:36:27.12\00:36:29.62
See, when you
have a divided heart
00:36:30.12\00:36:32.92
it undermines
your commitment to God.
00:36:33.12\00:36:37.33
So we must ask ourselves
00:36:37.69\00:36:40.23
"Is my heart undivided? "
00:36:40.43\00:36:42.36
"Is it? " How do we
recognize a divided heart?
00:36:43.20\00:36:46.70
Paul describes three
possible heart conditions
00:36:47.30\00:36:50.97
of man's relationship to God.
00:36:51.17\00:36:54.24
We find this in I
Corinthians 2:14-16
00:36:54.41\00:36:58.85
and chapter 3 verses 1-4.
00:36:59.05\00:37:02.02
First Paul talks
about the natural man.
00:37:02.42\00:37:04.32
He's hardhearted...
no relationship with God.
00:37:04.52\00:37:07.39
He's engaged in earthly
pursuits with all of his heart.
00:37:07.59\00:37:11.63
He's looking for fame and
fortune and money and pleasure
00:37:11.83\00:37:15.20
and power. Then
there is the spiritual man
00:37:15.40\00:37:20.54
who is at the polar
opposite of the natural man.
00:37:20.74\00:37:25.37
The spiritual man
has a united heart
00:37:25.57\00:37:28.58
whole-hearted love for the Lord.
00:37:28.78\00:37:30.85
He has a real and intimate
love connection with God.
00:37:31.01\00:37:34.52
But then there is the flesh...
00:37:34.92\00:37:39.22
the carnal Christian
who has a divided heart
00:37:39.42\00:37:43.73
and divided loyalty.
One foot in the kingdom
00:37:44.13\00:37:47.66
and one foot in the world.
00:37:47.86\00:37:49.43
Loyalty is divided
between God and self.
00:37:50.13\00:37:53.13
And here is what Jesus
says about the carnal Christian.
00:37:53.34\00:37:57.17
Let's look at
Matthew 15 and verse 8.
00:37:57.37\00:37:59.87
Matthew 15 and verse 8.
00:38:00.34\00:38:02.11
Our words are empty if
we don't put things or words
00:38:13.62\00:38:19.59
into action. We can
speak of loving God...
00:38:19.79\00:38:24.07
We can come to church
and talk about loving God.
00:38:24.43\00:38:27.44
But if we don't have
whole-hearted devotion to Him,
00:38:27.80\00:38:32.14
if we are not
walking in obedience to Him,
00:38:32.34\00:38:35.84
if we're not loyal to
Him we don't love Him.
00:38:37.65\00:38:40.32
When we love God we want
to do what is pleasing to Him.
00:38:40.72\00:38:44.22
And obedience is
the highest expression
00:38:44.42\00:38:47.69
of love and worship for God.
00:38:48.19\00:38:51.33
The carnal Christian
is a hearer of the Word
00:38:51.53\00:38:55.80
not a doer.
00:38:56.16\00:38:57.53
Self is what sits on
the throne of his heart.
00:38:57.77\00:39:01.77
With a divided heart,
he's double-minded and unstable
00:39:02.40\00:39:06.64
in all of his ways.
00:39:06.84\00:39:08.18
And if we don't love God
sufficiently, we won't remain
00:39:08.21\00:39:12.05
true to Him. Did you know
00:39:12.25\00:39:14.38
Paul is talking to
Christians in the church
00:39:14.78\00:39:18.15
when he's talking about
the carnal... the flesh...
00:39:18.65\00:39:22.86
the carnal Christian? You
can be a regular churchgoer.
00:39:23.26\00:39:28.90
You can hold a
denominational position.
00:39:29.10\00:39:33.74
You can be a pastor and
still be a carnal Christian
00:39:33.94\00:39:38.71
if you don't have
whole-hearted love for God.
00:39:38.91\00:39:43.14
That was the trouble
with the church of Laodicea.
00:39:43.48\00:39:47.22
They were lukewarm,
half-hearted Christians.
00:39:47.42\00:39:52.05
And I want to read this
to you from Ellen White.
00:39:52.45\00:39:55.66
This is from letter 44 in 1903.
00:39:56.06\00:39:59.76
Here's what she has to
say about that condition.
00:40:00.00\00:40:02.63
Wow! That's a wake-up call!
00:40:34.76\00:40:36.90
That is a wake-up call!
00:40:38.13\00:40:39.97
Whole-hearted love
for God is necessary
00:40:40.37\00:40:44.14
to present an
authentic and loving witness
00:40:44.27\00:40:49.58
to a skeptical world.
00:40:49.78\00:40:51.31
What do we do if we recognize
that we're carnal Christians?
00:40:52.65\00:40:57.25
What if we are lukewarm?
00:40:57.55\00:40:59.59
I had to ask
myself this question.
00:40:59.79\00:41:02.39
It is easy to get so
busy serving the Lord
00:41:02.59\00:41:07.20
that you start kind of
leaving Him on the outside.
00:41:07.40\00:41:11.07
Let me tell you
what we need to do.
00:41:12.43\00:41:14.40
If you know that
your heart is divided...
00:41:14.60\00:41:18.54
and so many of our hearts are...
00:41:18.94\00:41:21.21
all you have to do
is cry out and say:
00:41:21.71\00:41:25.15
"Oh my Jesus... don't
let my heart remain divided
00:41:25.35\00:41:29.55
and in darkness. "
00:41:29.75\00:41:31.35
And pray this beautiful promise
00:41:31.75\00:41:35.09
from Psalm 86 verse 11:
00:41:35.29\00:41:38.73
God can circumcise our hearts
00:41:50.74\00:41:54.21
and give us a new heart.
00:41:54.41\00:41:55.74
He can get self out of the way
00:41:55.78\00:41:57.61
and break the
bondage of the sin cycle
00:41:57.81\00:42:00.85
and half-hearted service.
00:42:01.05\00:42:02.38
Now the fourth question
I want to ask and answer is
00:42:03.22\00:42:06.02
this: how does
whole-hearted love behave?
00:42:06.22\00:42:10.33
How do we know if we are loving
God with all of our heart?
00:42:10.63\00:42:14.50
Well... our emotions,
our thoughts, our decisions,
00:42:14.73\00:42:20.44
our deeds will be God-centered.
00:42:20.64\00:42:23.91
God will be enthroned in our
hearts as our sovereign King.
00:42:24.64\00:42:30.15
We will love Him
with all of our heart!
00:42:30.55\00:42:32.48
There'll be no other love that
competes with our love for Him.
00:42:32.68\00:42:36.69
We'll delight in His love
00:42:36.89\00:42:38.89
and prefer Him
before all things.
00:42:39.09\00:42:41.36
We will enjoy spending
time speaking to Him in prayer.
00:42:41.76\00:42:45.63
We'll love Him
with all of our soul.
00:42:45.83\00:42:47.76
We will be united to Him
as one in spirit with Him.
00:42:47.96\00:42:51.63
We'll be surrendered and
yielded, walking in submission
00:42:51.83\00:42:56.37
to Him.Crucified to the
world and the world to us.
00:42:56.57\00:43:00.58
We will be ready to
sacrifice for Him rather than
00:43:01.48\00:43:05.11
to dishonor Him. If we
love Him with all of our mind,
00:43:05.31\00:43:08.65
we will apply our
mind to knowing Him;
00:43:08.85\00:43:11.55
we'll receive His
truth through Bible study;
00:43:11.75\00:43:15.06
we'll delight to
obey Him. AND it is love
00:43:15.26\00:43:20.80
that gives us the power
to keep His commandments.
00:43:20.96\00:43:24.70
If we love Him with
all of our strength,
00:43:25.30\00:43:27.30
we will use all of our
will, all of our energies
00:43:27.50\00:43:31.34
in service to Him
to bring Him glory.
00:43:31.54\00:43:35.44
This summarizes the
essence of scripture...
00:43:35.64\00:43:39.18
the whole duty of mankind.
00:43:39.38\00:43:41.88
You know, God removed
Saul as king of Israel
00:43:42.85\00:43:48.76
because he had a divided heart
00:43:49.16\00:43:51.36
and He set up David
as king of Israel saying:
00:43:52.16\00:43:56.70
"I have found David,
son of Jesse, to be a man
00:43:56.90\00:44:01.44
after My own heart
00:44:01.64\00:44:03.61
who will do all of My will. "
00:44:03.81\00:44:06.01
When I read the Psalms
00:44:07.18\00:44:09.91
I used to say: "The love
that David expresses is almost
00:44:10.15\00:44:15.58
sounds romantic
when he's writing. "
00:44:15.78\00:44:19.32
Has anybody ever
had that thought?
00:44:19.52\00:44:21.06
When he's writing about
God there's such emotion!
00:44:21.46\00:44:25.76
I want to do something right now
00:44:25.96\00:44:28.20
and I want you to just -
if you will - humor me here.
00:44:28.40\00:44:32.67
The Psalms are
David's prayer journal
00:44:33.50\00:44:36.40
and we see how
much he loved the Lord.
00:44:36.60\00:44:39.97
I want to read to
you a few scriptures...
00:44:40.28\00:44:43.41
actually five verses...
00:44:43.61\00:44:45.18
from Psalm 119. But
because this is a prayer
00:44:45.38\00:44:48.85
I'm going to ask you to close
your eyes while I'm reading
00:44:49.25\00:44:52.35
this and see if
this is your prayer.
00:44:52.55\00:44:56.79
"Oh, with my whole heart I
have sought You. " David says.
00:44:56.99\00:45:02.46
"Oh let me not wander
from Your commandments.
00:45:02.66\00:45:05.30
Give me understanding
and I shall keep Your law.
00:45:05.50\00:45:07.94
Indeed I shall observe
it with my whole heart.
00:45:08.14\00:45:10.84
I entreated Your
favor with my whole heart.
00:45:11.04\00:45:14.98
Be merciful to me
according to Your Word.
00:45:15.18\00:45:18.25
I cry out with my whole heart.
00:45:18.45\00:45:21.48
Hear me, O Lord. I
will keep Your statutes.
00:45:21.68\00:45:24.69
I cry out to you.
00:45:24.89\00:45:26.22
Save me and I will
keep Your testimonies. "
00:45:26.25\00:45:30.36
Amen! Amen!
00:45:30.56\00:45:33.40
When was the last time
you cried out to God with your
00:45:34.40\00:45:37.77
whole heart? You
know, something that we see
00:45:37.97\00:45:42.84
is that if we have an
undivided heart like David
00:45:43.04\00:45:47.14
what we saw in those scriptures
is we will totally depend
00:45:47.34\00:45:51.01
upon God for salvation.
00:45:51.21\00:45:53.31
That's His plan.
We'll have a strong desire
00:45:53.52\00:45:56.12
to be in His presence...
we will be seeking Him.
00:45:56.32\00:45:59.52
We'll recognize that His
Word is the strength of our hope
00:45:59.72\00:46:04.46
and we'll have a strong
reliance on His promises.
00:46:04.66\00:46:07.86
And we will
understand that keeping His Word
00:46:08.03\00:46:12.07
puts a protective
barrier around us.
00:46:12.27\00:46:15.64
Did you notice that
David's whole-hearted cry
00:46:15.84\00:46:19.17
always included obedience?
00:46:20.01\00:46:23.01
He was wanting God...
He had this desire to obey.
00:46:23.21\00:46:28.35
And you know, David
knew that God gave us
00:46:28.55\00:46:32.89
His commandments
for our protection.
00:46:33.09\00:46:36.86
I want you to look at
this verse: Isaiah 48:18.
00:46:37.06\00:46:40.60
Isaiah 48:18.
00:46:40.80\00:46:42.63
God is lamenting here.
00:46:42.83\00:46:44.60
He's speaking and
here's what He says:
00:46:44.80\00:46:48.10
See, God gave us His command-
ments as a protective barrier
00:47:02.08\00:47:07.82
so that we would have peace.
00:47:08.02\00:47:11.23
And reverential love
will foster a deep commitment
00:47:11.53\00:47:15.73
of obedience that will
hold up in times of testing.
00:47:15.93\00:47:18.60
Now, David had failed
that test before, had he not?
00:47:19.33\00:47:24.21
when he committed adultery
with Bathsheba and then he
00:47:24.37\00:47:28.68
was guilty of murder of
Uriah, her husband, the Hittite.
00:47:28.88\00:47:33.18
But after David's death
00:47:33.65\00:47:36.69
we have the most
fascinating testimony of God.
00:47:37.09\00:47:41.09
And I want to read that to you.
00:47:41.29\00:47:43.06
This is when King Jeroboam
sent his wife in disguise
00:47:44.13\00:47:48.93
to the prophet Ahijah to
get word from the old man...
00:47:49.13\00:47:53.74
a word from God
through the old prophet.
00:47:53.94\00:47:56.57
Look at I Kings 14:7-8.
00:47:56.77\00:48:00.71
And this is what it says:
00:48:01.11\00:48:02.54
What? This is God speaking!
00:48:25.80\00:48:28.57
David was guilty of
murder, guilty of adultery
00:48:28.77\00:48:32.44
and God is saying "He
only did what was right
00:48:32.84\00:48:36.28
in My eyes. " Do you know
what this scripture proves?
00:48:36.48\00:48:38.65
When David realized his sin
00:48:39.05\00:48:42.18
he was so grieved
over his sin he repented.
00:48:42.38\00:48:45.69
He confessed; he
repented. And what this tells us
00:48:45.89\00:48:49.06
is that when we
sincerely confess and repent
00:48:49.46\00:48:53.90
God forgets what we ask
Him to forgive. Hallelujah!
00:48:54.10\00:48:58.03
Hallelujah! So how can
we have an undivided heart?
00:48:58.23\00:49:02.34
It begins with
Jeremiah 29:11-13.
00:49:02.54\00:49:06.37
Starts with the belief that
God has a plan for your life.
00:49:06.91\00:49:09.81
Here's what the Lord says:
00:49:10.01\00:49:11.35
You have to believe what God has
to say about you in His Word.
00:49:36.54\00:49:41.81
You've got to lean on God's Word
00:49:42.01\00:49:44.31
and not on your
own understanding.
00:49:44.51\00:49:46.51
Hold fast to His promises.
00:49:46.72\00:49:49.32
Now we are helpless to do this
00:49:49.72\00:49:53.96
without the
Spirit of God within us.
00:49:54.16\00:49:58.13
And I'm realizing
my time is almost up
00:49:58.33\00:50:01.40
so I'm going to
skip over a part of this.
00:50:01.80\00:50:04.47
And I want to
get you to Romans...
00:50:04.67\00:50:07.84
Well, you don't have to
turn there but we'll talk about
00:50:09.07\00:50:11.87
Romans 5:5. See, when God says
"Love Me with all your heart,
00:50:12.07\00:50:16.11
soul, mind, and
strength" I can't do it.
00:50:16.31\00:50:20.18
Not in my own strength.
00:50:20.38\00:50:22.28
It just makes me want to weep.
00:50:22.68\00:50:24.39
But remember this: that
all of God's commandments
00:50:24.59\00:50:27.62
are His promises.
So God will empower us.
00:50:27.79\00:50:32.36
He's going to
give us a new heart.
00:50:33.06\00:50:35.46
He will empower us to do this.
00:50:35.86\00:50:38.50
And how does He do this?
00:50:38.70\00:50:40.30
Romans 5:5 says that God pours
out His love into our hearts
00:50:40.60\00:50:46.54
by the power of the Holy Spirit.
00:50:46.74\00:50:50.11
Wow! Do you realize
00:50:50.78\00:50:53.45
the Holy Spirit is not
just the spirit of holiness.
00:50:53.65\00:50:57.35
God is love; the Spirit is God.
00:50:57.75\00:50:59.92
He's the spirit of love,
so when God pours His love
00:51:00.19\00:51:03.83
into your hearts
He will enable you
00:51:04.03\00:51:07.30
when you have the Holy Spirit in
your heart to love Him with all
00:51:07.50\00:51:10.53
of your heart,
soul, mind, and strength.
00:51:10.73\00:51:12.33
He will empower you
to be able to love others
00:51:12.53\00:51:16.27
as yourself. Now let's
look - skip several graphics -
00:51:16.47\00:51:21.34
but we'll go to
graphic #25 and look at
00:51:21.54\00:51:24.71
I Thessalonians
chapter 3 verses 12 and 13.
00:51:24.91\00:51:30.75
Because when this love
is in your heart guess what?
00:51:30.95\00:51:34.46
As you grow in God's divine
love you grow in holiness.
00:51:34.66\00:51:39.46
I Thessalonians
3:12-13. Paul writes:
00:51:39.66\00:51:43.20
So as you grow in love
you become more like God.
00:52:09.06\00:52:12.53
God IS love,
00:52:13.40\00:52:15.10
and you become more
separated from sin... more holy.
00:52:15.66\00:52:20.00
So let's wrap this up and
put a neat little bow on it.
00:52:20.20\00:52:23.61
God delights in loving us
00:52:24.01\00:52:28.71
and He wants love and
service of our whole heart.
00:52:28.91\00:52:33.68
You know, God
says... In Ecclesiastes 3:11
00:52:34.45\00:52:37.59
Solomon writes...
Ecclesiastes 3:11:
00:52:38.42\00:52:41.72
The Bible clearly
teaches that man is mortal.
00:52:55.44\00:52:58.61
But we've got immortality...
this desire for immortality,
00:52:58.81\00:53:03.95
this desire for unending love.
00:53:04.15\00:53:06.65
Blaise Pascal...
have you heard of Pascal?
00:53:06.85\00:53:09.72
He's a famous mathematician,
physicist, philosopher.
00:53:09.92\00:53:13.66
And he said that men...
all men are seeking happiness.
00:53:13.96\00:53:19.59
They try in vain to fill
that emptiness in their heart
00:53:19.79\00:53:24.03
with things of this world.
00:53:24.23\00:53:25.77
And now let me quote him.
00:53:25.97\00:53:27.50
He says: "But all
these are inadequate
00:53:27.67\00:53:31.64
because the infinite abyss,
00:53:32.04\00:53:35.08
the eternity
that is in your heart,
00:53:35.28\00:53:37.01
that God-shaped hole
that is in your heart... "
00:53:37.21\00:53:39.81
the infinite
abyss, he calls it...
00:53:40.02\00:53:42.58
"can only be filled by an
infinite and a beautiful God. "
00:53:42.78\00:53:47.42
Only by God Himself.
00:53:48.96\00:53:51.53
So if you're feeling desperate
you are desperate for God.
00:53:52.33\00:53:57.33
He longs for you
with all of His heart.
00:53:57.73\00:54:00.14
And many of us started
with whole-hearted love
00:54:00.84\00:54:04.84
but what happened is just
what happened to the church
00:54:05.24\00:54:10.58
of Ephesus. Jesus
says in Revelation 2:4-5
00:54:10.78\00:54:14.62
If you've forgotten your
first love, don't spend time
00:54:30.87\00:54:34.10
feeling guilty and
under condemnation.
00:54:34.24\00:54:37.37
Don't let that hold you back.
You're wasting valuable time.
00:54:37.57\00:54:41.24
What we need is
soul-searching repentance.
00:54:41.44\00:54:44.01
Just go to God; trust Him
that He'll give you a new heart.
00:54:44.21\00:54:47.75
Trust Him that
He will forgive you.
00:54:47.95\00:54:50.05
He is wanting to love
you with all of His heart.
00:54:50.25\00:54:55.79
You know, the more
that we actually acknowledge
00:54:56.19\00:55:00.86
and understand our sins
the greater we will love God.
00:55:01.03\00:55:04.57
Did you know that? Let
me read from Luke 7:47.
00:55:04.77\00:55:08.47
Let me set this up.
00:55:08.67\00:55:10.01
Mary was a disciple
of God... of Christ...
00:55:10.31\00:55:13.68
and she was a sinner. She was
what we would call a bad sinner
00:55:13.88\00:55:19.08
before she met Him.
00:55:19.78\00:55:21.15
But when she came
to Jesus she absolutely
00:55:21.55\00:55:25.92
was turned around. Her
life was turned around.
00:55:26.12\00:55:28.79
So right at the end -
the week before He died -
00:55:28.99\00:55:32.36
she came to Him. He
was reclining at a table
00:55:32.56\00:55:35.66
in a Pharisee's house,
and she washed His feet
00:55:35.86\00:55:39.47
with her tears, she
dried them with her hair.
00:55:39.67\00:55:42.07
She anointed His feet with oil.
00:55:42.27\00:55:45.24
And look what He
says in Luke 7:47.
00:55:45.44\00:55:48.01
When we recognize
the depth of our sin
00:56:00.39\00:56:03.12
and remember that
we'll recognize His love.
00:56:03.32\00:56:06.19
Jesus said in Revelation 3:20
00:56:06.59\00:56:09.66
He desires to
come into our hearts
00:56:22.24\00:56:25.35
and have the closest communion.
00:56:25.55\00:56:27.75
How long have we
left Him on the outside?
00:56:28.15\00:56:32.52
Is Jesus standing on the
outside of your heart knocking?
00:56:32.72\00:56:37.66
Let Him in today.
00:56:37.86\00:56:40.60
He will come in
and change your heart.
00:56:40.96\00:56:44.53
And if you don't love
Him with all of your heart,
00:56:44.73\00:56:48.70
soul, mind, and strength,
faith it until you make it.
00:56:48.90\00:56:51.91
Not fake it... not F-A-K-E
00:56:52.11\00:56:54.18
but faith it... F-A-I-T-H.
00:56:54.38\00:56:57.51
Speak and say: "Oh, Lord, I
love You with all of my heart. "
00:56:57.71\00:57:00.95
Because He will
bring it into being.
00:57:01.08\00:57:04.15
But I want to leave
you with this scripture.
00:57:04.35\00:57:06.69
Zephaniah 3:14 and 17.
00:57:07.09\00:57:09.72
When we love God and
recognize His love, says:
00:57:09.92\00:57:12.86
Hallelujah!
00:57:28.41\00:57:30.35