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Doug Batchelor:
Biblical sacrifice is joyful.
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I'm sure that the reason there's
a lot of miserable Christians
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out there is because there's a
lot of people who want to go to
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heaven and they appreciate what
Jesus did, but they're not ready
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to make a complete sacrifice.
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Doug Batchelor: Message today,
we're going to be talking about
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really a very important central,
core Bible theme dealing with
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the beauty of sacrifice.
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Sacrifice, and typically when we
think about sacrifice, we recoil
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a little bit at the idea because
it makes us think of some form
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of horrific self-denial.
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And it is true that sacrifice
can mean the greatest form of
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self-denial at all,
laying down your life.
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I remember hearing a story
from World War II where 1st
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Lieutenant John Robert Fox was
there stationed in Italy during
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the heat of the battle, and
his job was an advanced position
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where he was looking with
binoculars and he was giving
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instructions and coordinates to
the artillery operators to bring
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in the bombs and
artillery on various positions.
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And he'd call on the
radio, "It's a--Enemy's in
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this position.
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Rain down
artillery and bombs here.
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And oh, the enemy,
they're over here."
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And then somehow up this valley,
he suddenly noticed that he had
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missed this larger German Nazi
force that was coming right in
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upon him.
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But he could have dropped
everything and run for his life
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and been okay, but he knew that
they would surprise his own men
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and that there was going
to be a great loss of life.
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So he called in the coordinates
and he said, "You need to drop
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everything you've
got on this position."
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And on the other end of the
radio, they said, "Well, that's
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where you are."
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He said, "You better do it
and you better do it fast."
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And they rained in the
artillery and it took his life.
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When the American forces finally
came to the position there, it
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was in the town of Soma Colonia,
Italy, they saw that there was
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Lieutenant Fox surrounded
by about a hundred dead
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German soldiers.
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And they took a medal and they
placed it on his chest because
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he had truly realized that other
people's lives will be lost if I
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don't call in the
fire on my position.
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And really this is what Jesus
did is He called in all the
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wrath of the devil on
His position so that we could
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be saved.
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Now, that's the purest form
of sacrifice, when we think of
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someone laying down their life.
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And Jesus said in John 15:13,
"Greater love has no man than
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this, that someone would
lay down his life for another."
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Sacrifice.
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Sacrifice is really a beautiful
thing, and it might be good to
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look at a definition
as we go on with this.
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Sacrifice is, by definition, and
this is not a total definition,
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forfeiture or giving up of
something highly valued for the
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sake of someone or something
considered to have greater value
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or claim.
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It's giving up something
or sacrificing, forfeiting
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something that you value to
obtain something you think is of
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great worth.
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And we must be very valuable to
the Lord that He would sacrifice
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His life to save us.
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Now, sacrifice for the
Christian is not optional.
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There's a misconception that is
somehow filtered its way through
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a lot of Christian churches that
because Jesus sacrificed His
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life, He did that so we don't
need to sacrifice; that we're
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off the hook somehow.
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That's not the
teaching of the Bible.
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He sacrificed as
an example for us.
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Let me give you a few
verses that explain that.
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Mark 8:34.
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Of course, we had one
in our scripture reading.
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"Whoever therefore desires
to come after Me, let him deny
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himself, and take up
his cross, and follow Me."
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Whoever wants to come after
Jesus, you've gotta self-deny
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and follow him.
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"For whoever desires to save his
life will actually lose it, but
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whoever loses his life or
sacrifices his life for My sake
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and the gospel's will save it.
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For what will it profit a man
if he gains the whole world, and
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loses his own soul?"
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If you refuse to make the
important sacrifices because you
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think you're gaining
something, you're actually
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losing everything.
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Someone said, "That which you
sacrifice for God is never lost.
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It multiplies."
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You do not lose
anything you sacrifice for God.
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"Or what will a man give
in exchange for his soul."
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Matthew 13:44, you know this
parable, "Again, the kingdom of
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heaven is like a treasure hidden
in a field, which when a man
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finds it he hides it; and
for joy over it--" notice the
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word "joy."
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True sacrifice is beautiful.
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It's a blessing.
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"For joy over it he goes and he
sells all that he has any buys
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the field."
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I just want to
give you the picture.
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In Bible times,
they didn't have banks.
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They didn't have a Savings
and Loan with a big safe in the
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middle of it.
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A lot of people, if you
had money you were saving, they
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would actually dig
a hole and bury it.
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And they'd pace it off, and
figure where they buried it, and
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have some landmarks, and
maybe tell a few trusted family
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members in case
something happened to them.
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You've probably heard in
England, these guys were out
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there with a
metal detector going.
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One man had a metal detector
and he just was combing over the
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different fields because he
knew that the Romans had once
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occupied Great Britain and
they'd hidden their gold in
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the fields.
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And sure enough, his detector
went off and it registered
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something that looked
like a solid metal, like gold.
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And they dug down and they found
this--I think it's called the
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Hoxne Hoard.
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Millions of dollars of gold and
stuff that someone just buried
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out in the field.
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So it wasn't uncommon in
Bible times, you'd be leasing
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someone's field
and you'd be farming.
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And you're goin' along with your
donkey pulling the plow, and all
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of a sudden the plow
hits something and it unturns
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this rock.
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And you look under the rock and
there's a box, and you look in
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the box and there's treasure.
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But you're an honest man, it's
not your field, meaning it's not
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your treasure, so you cover it
back up and you go to the owner
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and you say, "I'd
like to buy that field."
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Says, "What would you
want with that old field?"
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He said, "I just--you know,
it just has become very precious
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to me.
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And what's it going to cost?"
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Well, he gives him the price.
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He says, "Wow, in order to
do that, I'm going to have to
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liquidate everything."
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And you go home and you
tell your wife, says, "We're
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selling everything."
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What for?
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"For Homer's field."
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Homer's field?
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There's nothing out there.
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Sorry you ever
rented that field.
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What do you want
to buy that field for?
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"Trust me."
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You want to sell everything
we've got for that field?
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Must have been some
interesting conversations.
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It's worth more than they
know, and they sell everything.
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They have a garage sale.
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They sell everything they've
got, and they put the last penny
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on the table, and
they buy Homer's field.
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I just made up the name Homer
just because you needed that.
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Was it worth it?
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Oh yeah, he knows
there's much more in the field.
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But Jesus said in order to
get that treasure, you gotta
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sell everything.
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You gotta be sold
out for the gospel.
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And then He goes on a similar
parable and He says, "Or it's
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like a merchant seeking precious
pearls, who, when he finds a
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pearl of great price, he
goes and he sells," how much?
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All that he has,
and he buys the field.
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Luke 14:27, Jesus said, "Whoever
does not bear his cross and come
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after Me cannot be My disciple."
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You pick up your cross because
there's going to be a sacrifice,
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and if it's your cross,
it's probably your sacrifice.
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Take your cross.
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You're crucified with Christ.
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Again, He says in Luke 14--He
says it three times in Luke.
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I'm just reading you two.
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Luke 14:33, "So likewise,
whoever of you does not forsake
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all that he has
cannot be My disciple."
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That means when you come to
Christ, it takes everything.
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He wants the complete surrender.
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And so many, I'm sure that
the reason there's a lot of
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miserable Christians out there
is because there's a lot of
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people who want to go to heaven
and they appreciate what Jesus
00:08:50.69\00:08:53.73
did, but they're not ready
to make a complete sacrifice.
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So they have enough religion
to know about the dos and the
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don'ts, but they don't have the
joy of really believing their
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sins are forgiven 'cause they've
made a partial sacrifice.
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And until you come to the point
of really putting it all on the
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line for the Lord and saying,
"All that I have and all that I
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am are yours," you
don't experience the freedom.
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That's the joy of
making that sacrifice.
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Someone wrote that, "Since the
Son of God has died for me, the
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least I can do is
the same for him."
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If Jesus is God and God died for
me, then no sacrifice--really,
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what sacrifice is too
much to make for God who made
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everything, who died for you?
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It might mean sacrificing
what looks like a high
00:09:37.41\00:09:41.21
earthly position.
00:09:41.24\00:09:42.58
A lot of people have
decided to put the Lord first.
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The Bible talks about Moses, who
seemed to have the promise of
00:09:46.25\00:09:50.59
being in the line of Pharaoh.
00:09:50.62\00:09:53.59
Hebrews 11:24, "By faith."
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And when you make a sacrifice
it's often done by faith.
00:09:57.69\00:10:01.26
"By faith Moses, when he became
of age, he refused to be called
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the son of Pharaoh's daughter,
choosing rather to suffer
00:10:04.97\00:10:08.80
affliction with the people
of God than to enjoy the passing
00:10:08.84\00:10:12.51
pleasures of sin."
00:10:12.54\00:10:14.08
People thought, "Moses,
you're missing your chance in
00:10:14.11\00:10:16.98
the palace."
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More people know about Moses now
when--here's this guy, goes out
00:10:18.81\00:10:22.05
in the desert, and he thought,
"No one will ever hear from
00:10:22.08\00:10:23.79
me again.
00:10:23.82\00:10:25.15
I'm just following
around these sheep.
00:10:25.19\00:10:27.76
No one's ever
going to know about me."
00:10:27.79\00:10:29.82
The whole world knows about him
because he chose to forsake the
00:10:29.86\00:10:34.20
pleasures of sin for a season.
00:10:34.20\00:10:36.93
And the Bible's full of heroes
like that, for you and I to
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think about.
00:10:40.50\00:10:41.84
Of course, one of the great
sacrifice stories is Abraham.
00:10:41.87\00:10:44.57
What would be harder, give
yourself or to give your child?
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What's a more
difficult sacrifice?
00:10:50.61\00:10:53.48
Abraham, these are the sacrifice
heroes in the Bible, took his
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son up the mountain.
00:10:57.32\00:10:58.62
He had faith, offered his son.
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Jephthah offered his daughter
rather than to violate a vow
00:11:00.86\00:11:05.93
to God.
00:11:05.96\00:11:07.23
Hannah offered to
sacrifice her son.
00:11:07.30\00:11:10.40
She prayed for
a child for years.
00:11:10.43\00:11:11.97
Finally, God gives her child.
00:11:12.00\00:11:13.34
She said, "I'm
giving it to God."
00:11:13.37\00:11:15.07
Now, that's a sacrifice.
00:11:15.10\00:11:17.21
He didn't die.
00:11:17.24\00:11:18.54
I mean--and Jephthah, by the
way, did not burn his daughter.
00:11:18.57\00:11:20.94
Some people misunderstand that.
00:11:20.98\00:11:22.44
He also gave his
daughter to the temple.
00:11:22.48\00:11:24.61
She would never marry
and have children after that.
00:11:24.65\00:11:29.12
Elisha, wealthy son of
these farmers, they got 12 teams
00:11:29.15\00:11:34.49
of oxen.
00:11:34.52\00:11:35.82
And he kisses his mother
and father goodbye, decides to
00:11:35.86\00:11:39.26
follow Elijah, and become the
apprentice of a poor prophet.
00:11:39.29\00:11:41.93
I mean, really, you know, Elisha
you know, he lives by a creek,
00:11:41.96\00:11:46.23
and he's fed by birds, and
lives in the attic of a widow.
00:11:46.27\00:11:50.04
It wasn't a very promising
future to be the apprentice for
00:11:50.07\00:11:52.54
a poor prophet.
00:11:52.57\00:11:54.18
Lives in a cave
out in the wilderness.
00:11:54.21\00:11:56.44
Elisha said, "I'll leave
everything and follow you."
00:11:56.48\00:11:59.25
And you know, that's why
when Elijah was about to go to
00:11:59.28\00:12:02.18
heaven, he said,
"Anything I can do for you?"
00:12:02.22\00:12:04.29
He said, "Yeah, I want a double
portion of your inheritance,"
00:12:04.32\00:12:07.49
which was the Holy Spirit.
00:12:07.52\00:12:10.33
And the firstborn was supposed
to get a double portion of the
00:12:10.36\00:12:12.43
inheritance, but he had faith
and he made that sacrifice.
00:12:12.46\00:12:16.67
Nehemiah leaves the Persian
palace to go and try and build
00:12:16.70\00:12:20.90
these ruins in
the promised land.
00:12:20.94\00:12:23.84
The apostles, it tells us about
Peter, James, John, Andrew,
00:12:23.87\00:12:28.38
and Matthew.
00:12:28.41\00:12:29.74
The others probably
made similar sacrifices.
00:12:29.78\00:12:32.98
Luke 5:11, "So when they brought
their boats to land, they
00:12:33.01\00:12:36.58
forsook all and followed him."
00:12:36.62\00:12:40.16
So what does it cost?
00:12:40.19\00:12:43.49
Most Christians don't really
understand what it means to make
00:12:43.53\00:12:46.49
that kind of sacrifice.
00:12:46.53\00:12:47.86
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Doug Batchelor: You
know, Jesus tells a story.
00:13:24.00\00:13:25.70
Actually it's not a story,
it's a true event, but He drew
00:13:25.73\00:13:29.70
attention to this widow.
00:13:29.74\00:13:31.04
Mark 12:41, "Many who
were rich put in much."
00:13:31.07\00:13:36.18
They'd blow the trumpet and
everyone gathered, "So and so's
00:13:36.21\00:13:38.41
making this donation."
00:13:38.45\00:13:39.75
And they'd go, "Oh!"
00:13:39.78\00:13:41.12
and then they'd all
applaud and go "ooh" and "ahh."
00:13:41.15\00:13:43.22
They dropped the coins in one by
one, big gold coins, big thunk
00:13:43.25\00:13:46.12
on the bottom of the box.
00:13:46.15\00:13:48.22
"Then one poor widow," she
was waiting until the fanfare
00:13:48.26\00:13:50.99
drifted away, and she quietly,
by herself, hoping nobody would
00:13:51.03\00:13:54.10
notice, "she threw in two
mites, which make a quadrans."
00:13:54.10\00:13:59.90
Now a mite, just so you know,
you got gold coins, and you got
00:13:59.93\00:14:03.27
silver coins, and
then you had bronze coins.
00:14:03.30\00:14:05.47
They weren't even copper.
00:14:05.51\00:14:06.84
It was cheaper than copper.
00:14:06.88\00:14:08.74
It's bronze, and it was
a little bitty bronze coin.
00:14:08.78\00:14:11.68
And one Bible commentator I
read said we have nothing in our
00:14:11.71\00:14:15.48
currency to explain it because
it was about a third of a penny.
00:14:15.52\00:14:20.76
So she throws in two thirds of
one penny, but then Jesus said
00:14:20.79\00:14:24.89
it was everything she had.
00:14:24.93\00:14:27.30
You might be able to buy a piece
of a piece of bread with that.
00:14:27.30\00:14:32.53
Oh, maybe more.
00:14:32.57\00:14:33.87
I don't know what bread cost
back then but it wasn't much.
00:14:33.90\00:14:37.71
And she--and Jesus
called His disciples to himself.
00:14:37.74\00:14:41.81
He said, "Assuredly, I say to
you this poor widow," He nodded
00:14:41.84\00:14:45.18
towards this widow that just
went through the line, "has put
00:14:45.21\00:14:48.65
in more than all of those--" and
they can tell by the way she's
00:14:48.68\00:14:52.35
dressed she's poor.
00:14:52.39\00:14:54.59
She may not only be a
widow, she may be a widow with
00:14:54.62\00:14:57.89
orphaned children.
00:14:57.93\00:15:00.40
And it says, "She put in more
than all those who've given to
00:15:00.43\00:15:04.37
the treasury; for they put in
of their abundance, but from her
00:15:04.40\00:15:09.34
poverty she put in
her whole livelihood."
00:15:09.37\00:15:13.78
In other words,
she gave everything.
00:15:13.81\00:15:16.38
Isn't it interesting?
00:15:16.41\00:15:17.71
I've observed, it seems like
poor people, it's more easy for
00:15:17.75\00:15:21.45
them to give everything.
00:15:21.48\00:15:23.99
Perhaps they figure, "Well, I'm
so close to nothing anyway, what
00:15:24.02\00:15:26.55
difference will it make
if you give your last $2."
00:15:26.59\00:15:32.43
It sometimes is interesting how
those who have the least give
00:15:32.46\00:15:36.00
the most.
00:15:36.03\00:15:37.37
They may not give the most in
numeric value, but they give the
00:15:37.40\00:15:40.27
most in percentage.
00:15:40.30\00:15:44.01
And Jesus was calling attention
to her and says, "Yeah, you
00:15:44.04\00:15:47.64
know, on the scale you might
not think it's much, but she's
00:15:47.68\00:15:51.15
giving 100%."
00:15:51.18\00:15:54.45
And so when the Lord looks at
what we give, is it the amount
00:15:54.48\00:15:58.72
or is it the percentage of
the heart God's interested in?
00:15:58.75\00:16:04.13
Everyone's going to
give differently based on the
00:16:04.16\00:16:05.86
resources that we have, but if
we all gave so we all felt it.
00:16:05.89\00:16:10.90
A lot of people give, and you'll
drive home in the same car, and
00:16:10.93\00:16:14.37
you'll live under the same roof,
and you'll--everything will be
00:16:14.40\00:16:16.91
the same.
00:16:16.94\00:16:18.34
A sacrifice means you
give so you actually experience
00:16:18.37\00:16:23.65
some difference.
00:16:23.68\00:16:25.55
There's a vacuum.
00:16:25.58\00:16:26.92
That's a sacrifice.
00:16:26.95\00:16:28.25
Everything else is an
offering or a donation.
00:16:28.28\00:16:31.12
Sacrifice is different.
00:16:31.15\00:16:35.19
The widow gave 100%.
00:16:35.22\00:16:38.16
You know, I've
thought about it before.
00:16:38.19\00:16:40.33
It's going to be interesting
for her in the judgment.
00:16:40.36\00:16:42.16
Jesus, you know,
He points to her.
00:16:42.20\00:16:43.53
She was hoping that she could
discreetly give her two cents
00:16:43.57\00:16:46.53
and then slip out of the temple.
00:16:46.57\00:16:48.37
And He says, "See that widow?"
00:16:48.40\00:16:50.54
And she goes, "Oh no,
no, I'm so embarrassed.
00:16:50.57\00:16:52.51
I had nothing to give,
just--" He said, "She gave more
00:16:52.54\00:16:54.81
than anybody."
00:16:54.84\00:16:56.38
Now, in the resurrection when
things take on their real value,
00:16:56.41\00:17:01.85
all of the Jews who went through
the temple that day and blew the
00:17:01.88\00:17:06.35
trumpet, made their
donations and tried to get a lot
00:17:06.39\00:17:08.39
of attention.
00:17:08.42\00:17:09.76
They gave to be seen of men and
Jesus says that's all the reward
00:17:09.79\00:17:13.73
they're going to get.
00:17:13.76\00:17:15.03
All of their names have
drifted off into obscurity.
00:17:15.06\00:17:17.13
Nobody knows who they are.
00:17:17.17\00:17:19.37
But when you get to heaven, the
two cents that that widow gave
00:17:19.40\00:17:24.51
by her example has
inspired more giving.
00:17:24.54\00:17:28.84
I'm guessing billions and
billions of dollars have come
00:17:28.88\00:17:34.22
into the cause of God because
Jesus drew attention to her
00:17:34.25\00:17:38.02
two cents.
00:17:38.05\00:17:39.39
Wasn't even two cents,
two thirds of one cent.
00:17:39.42\00:17:42.72
Won't that be something?
00:17:42.76\00:17:44.06
It's like I'm
telling the story today.
00:17:44.09\00:17:45.43
Hopefully it inspires you.
00:17:45.46\00:17:46.96
It's been inspiring people for
2000 years all over the world in
00:17:47.00\00:17:51.53
virtually every church.
00:17:51.57\00:17:53.17
Think about how her gift
multiplied and she probably went
00:17:53.20\00:17:56.47
up to the offering box that day
and thought, "I know this won't
00:17:56.50\00:17:59.57
make any difference."
00:17:59.61\00:18:01.01
What a difference it made!
00:18:02.44\00:18:04.21
You figure the whole world
has been changed by that little
00:18:04.25\00:18:07.95
bitty gift that she gave.
00:18:07.98\00:18:09.78
So if you're thinking, "Well,
you know, I'd like to give, but
00:18:09.82\00:18:11.92
my little bit, it won't make
a big difference," you have no
00:18:11.95\00:18:15.16
idea what God can do
with your little gift.
00:18:15.19\00:18:17.83
Because she gave her all,
it's made a big difference.
00:18:17.86\00:18:23.20
Sacrifice, as I mentioned,
will cost you something.
00:18:23.23\00:18:26.90
King David--there was this
plague going through Israel and
00:18:26.94\00:18:30.61
David knew he needed to make an
offering to God to intercede for
00:18:30.64\00:18:34.54
his people to stay the plague.
00:18:34.58\00:18:36.98
And he went to this man that
owned this big threshing floor,
00:18:37.01\00:18:39.58
named Ornan.
00:18:39.61\00:18:40.95
And big threshing floor on top
of Mount Mariah was right where
00:18:40.98\00:18:42.82
Abraham offered Isaac.
00:18:42.85\00:18:45.05
And the King said, "Look,
I'd like to buy this threshing
00:18:45.09\00:18:49.39
floor, big flat area,
make an offering to God."
00:18:49.42\00:18:51.66
And this man had a big heart,
he said, "You're the King.
00:18:51.69\00:18:53.50
I give it to you."
00:18:53.53\00:18:55.06
And King said, "No."
00:18:55.10\00:18:56.43
He said, No, I
want to give it to you.
00:18:56.46\00:18:57.70
And David said, "No, I am not
going to sacrifice to the Lord
00:18:57.73\00:19:00.40
something that doesn't cost me.
00:19:00.44\00:19:03.34
I will not sacrifice."
00:19:03.37\00:19:05.54
He said, "Surely I
will pay you the price.
00:19:05.57\00:19:07.21
Nor will I offer burnt offerings
to the Lord my God of that which
00:19:07.24\00:19:10.38
cost me nothing."
00:19:10.41\00:19:11.78
That is not a sacrifice.
00:19:11.81\00:19:13.92
If it costs you
nothing, there's no sacrifice.
00:19:13.95\00:19:17.15
A lot of us want
free Christianity.
00:19:17.19\00:19:20.12
We want a discount.
00:19:20.16\00:19:21.89
We want to get a good deal.
00:19:21.92\00:19:23.63
We want to get it on sale.
00:19:23.66\00:19:26.80
You're not going to
find Christianity discounted.
00:19:26.83\00:19:33.13
Now, having said all that, it's
making us nervous, some of you.
00:19:33.17\00:19:37.44
Biblical sacrifice is joyful.
00:19:37.47\00:19:41.21
Hebrews 12, verse 1 and 2,
it says, "And let us run with
00:19:41.24\00:19:45.25
endurance the race that is set
before us, looking to Jesus, the
00:19:45.28\00:19:49.02
author and finisher of our
faith, who for the joy that was
00:19:49.05\00:19:53.25
set before Him--" nobody made a
bigger sacrifice than Jesus, but
00:19:53.29\00:19:56.46
was it a sad sacrifice?
00:19:56.49\00:19:58.73
Why did Jesus do it?
00:19:58.76\00:20:00.26
He was looking at the joy beyond
the sacrifice that would come.
00:20:00.30\00:20:05.30
What is a sacrifice?
00:20:05.33\00:20:06.63
Well, you forfeit something
for something worth more.
00:20:06.67\00:20:10.27
Jesus was looking at you being
redeemed and He thought, "That's
00:20:10.31\00:20:13.64
worth more.
00:20:13.68\00:20:15.01
It's worth My suffering."
00:20:15.04\00:20:16.44
"For the joy that was set
before Him He endured the cross,
00:20:16.48\00:20:20.32
despising the shame, and He has
sat down now at the right hand
00:20:20.35\00:20:24.12
of the throne of God."
00:20:24.15\00:20:26.19
David Livingstone, when he spent
the years in Africa, and he
00:20:26.22\00:20:28.82
endured all kinds of hardship,
and he had malaria, and hunger,
00:20:28.86\00:20:31.99
and exposure, and threatened--
he was attacked by lions, and
00:20:32.03\00:20:35.16
natives, and all kinds of
problems, and listen to what
00:20:35.20\00:20:38.00
living Livingstone said, "People
talk of the sacrifice that I've
00:20:38.03\00:20:42.30
made in spending so
much of my life in Africa.
00:20:42.34\00:20:44.97
Can it be called a sacrifice,
which is simply paying back a
00:20:45.01\00:20:48.31
small part of the great debt
owing to our God which we could
00:20:48.34\00:20:52.75
never repay?
00:20:52.78\00:20:54.22
Is it a sacrifice which brings
its own blessed rewards and
00:20:54.25\00:20:57.19
healthy activity, the
consciousness of doing good, the
00:20:57.22\00:21:00.99
peace of mind of bright hope of
glorious destiny in the future?
00:21:01.02\00:21:05.39
Away with such a word in
such a view with such a thought!
00:21:05.43\00:21:08.80
It is emphatically no sacrifice!
00:21:08.83\00:21:11.13
Say rather it is a privilege.
00:21:11.17\00:21:13.10
I've never made a sacrifice.
00:21:13.13\00:21:14.77
We ought not talk of sacrifice
when we remember the great
00:21:14.80\00:21:17.67
sacrifice that he made who left
His Father's throne on high to
00:21:17.71\00:21:22.34
give himself for us."
00:21:22.38\00:21:24.45
He had a good attitude.
00:21:24.48\00:21:26.41
He actually wanted to go
to China, but China closed.
00:21:26.45\00:21:28.78
He ended up going to Africa.
00:21:28.82\00:21:30.25
He just wanted to
go serve the Lord.
00:21:30.29\00:21:33.15
I just thought I'd throw
this in, it's interesting.
00:21:33.19\00:21:35.79
An English mission society wrote
to Livingstone one time when he
00:21:35.82\00:21:39.36
was in Africa, and he's now in
the center of Africa in just a
00:21:39.39\00:21:43.03
very difficult part.
00:21:43.06\00:21:44.40
They said, "Have you found
a good road to where you are?
00:21:44.43\00:21:46.63
If so, we'd like to
send some men to join you."
00:21:46.67\00:21:49.80
Livingstone wrote 'em back, he
said, "If they will only come if
00:21:49.84\00:21:53.01
there's a good
road, don't send them."
00:21:53.04\00:21:59.41
He did make a sacrifice.
00:21:59.45\00:22:02.22
Christians are often accused of
being morbid when they talk of
00:22:02.25\00:22:05.29
the joy of sacrificing.
00:22:05.32\00:22:06.86
I think it is one of the
deepest truths of the Christian
00:22:06.89\00:22:09.32
religion, far from
being the source of sadness.
00:22:09.36\00:22:12.13
Sacrifice is the greatest joy
and the source of illumination,
00:22:12.16\00:22:16.23
perhaps the
greatest of all joys.
00:22:16.26\00:22:18.83
Sometimes we give
God a lame sacrifice.
00:22:18.87\00:22:22.37
Ephesians 5:1-2, "Therefore be
imitators of God, dear children.
00:22:22.40\00:22:26.88
And walk in love, as Christ is
also loved us and given Himself
00:22:26.91\00:22:31.05
for us."
00:22:31.08\00:22:32.41
We want to give
him the best sacrifice.
00:22:32.45\00:22:34.35
Malachi says in chapter 1, verse
8, "And when you offer to the
00:22:34.38\00:22:38.29
Lord the blind as a sacrifice--"
You know, you're supposed to
00:22:38.32\00:22:41.49
give the best of your sheep.
00:22:41.52\00:22:43.63
And sometimes, well, it's
time to offer a sacrifice.
00:22:43.66\00:22:45.89
I've gotten the old
mangy sheep I can give.
00:22:45.93\00:22:48.16
There's a blind one.
00:22:48.20\00:22:49.50
Oh, I may as well sacrifice.
00:22:49.53\00:22:50.87
He's already blind.
00:22:50.90\00:22:52.20
That one, he's kinda gimpy.
00:22:52.23\00:22:53.57
He's got one bad leg.
00:22:53.60\00:22:54.90
He got run over by a truck.
00:22:54.94\00:22:56.27
I'll sacrifice that one.
00:22:56.30\00:22:58.04
And he says that they bring
these to the Lord, and he said,
00:22:58.07\00:23:02.11
"Boy, if you are going to give
a donation to your governor, you
00:23:02.14\00:23:06.21
don't bring a lame sheep."
00:23:06.25\00:23:07.68
You wouldn't offer
it to your governor.
00:23:07.72\00:23:10.69
You wouldn't offer it to a king.
00:23:10.72\00:23:13.12
Do you offer the leftovers
to the Lord or your best?
00:23:13.15\00:23:17.53
Oswald Chambers said, "Our
notion of sacrifice is though
00:23:17.56\00:23:20.66
it's the ringing out of us
something we don't want to give
00:23:20.70\00:23:23.47
up, full of pain,
and agony, and distress.
00:23:23.50\00:23:26.90
The Bible idea of sacrifice is
that I give as a love gift the
00:23:26.94\00:23:31.31
very best thing I have."
00:23:31.34\00:23:34.04
So why am I dwelling
on this about sacrifice?
00:23:34.08\00:23:37.05
Why am I talking about this?
00:23:37.08\00:23:39.11
Because when I read these
stories in the Bible and I think
00:23:39.15\00:23:41.62
about sacrifice, I say, "Lord,
it'd be so easy to give 100% if
00:23:41.65\00:23:46.72
I loved 100%."
00:23:46.76\00:23:48.86
So if we're struggling to
sacrifice and give the way God
00:23:48.89\00:23:51.86
wants us to give of our lives,
of our time, of our means, of
00:23:51.89\00:23:55.66
our service, whatever it is, if
sacrifice is a struggle, is it
00:23:55.70\00:24:00.80
that we just gotta try harder?
00:24:00.84\00:24:02.14
Is that we've got to love more?
00:24:02.17\00:24:04.91
The more you
love, the easier it is.
00:24:04.94\00:24:08.68
Is it hard for a mother to care
for her baby that keeps them up
00:24:08.71\00:24:12.48
all night?
00:24:12.51\00:24:13.82
Well, maybe
sometimes, but they do it.
00:24:13.85\00:24:16.08
Why?
00:24:16.12\00:24:18.32
The more you
love, the easier it is.
00:24:18.35\00:24:21.86
And that's also true
in the Christian economy.
00:24:21.89\00:24:24.96
"By this we know love, because
He laid down His life for us.
00:24:24.99\00:24:29.40
And we ought to lay down
our lives for the brethren."
00:24:29.43\00:24:33.37
This is what sacrifice means,
and this is a beautiful thing.
00:24:33.40\00:24:36.44
Christianity, it's not
like sacrificing a baseball game
00:24:36.47\00:24:40.98
where you're giving up a
run tryin' to get another base.
00:24:41.01\00:24:44.31
It's talking about where
the rubber meets the road.
00:24:44.35\00:24:47.02
It's not talkin' about a
donation, it's talking about
00:24:47.05\00:24:49.88
a heart.
00:24:49.92\00:24:51.59
We give our hearts to him.
00:24:51.62\00:24:53.56
And when the Lord has our
hearts, He has everything else.
00:24:53.59\00:24:56.46
He'll have your service.
00:24:56.49\00:24:57.83
He'll have your time.
00:24:57.86\00:24:59.16
But what will move us to
make that kind of sacrifice, to
00:24:59.19\00:25:03.67
give all?
00:25:03.70\00:25:05.90
It's gotta be we love Him
because He first loved us.
00:25:05.93\00:25:10.57
When you see Jesus dying on that
cross where you belong because
00:25:10.61\00:25:15.41
He loved you, it should touch
our heart and say, "Lord, I'm
00:25:15.44\00:25:20.05
willing to give my life for You
because You're God, so You--oh,
00:25:20.08\00:25:22.85
and because You created me,
and You're my Savior, oh, and
00:25:22.88\00:25:25.85
because You bought me back, and
I am willing to sacrifice for
00:25:25.89\00:25:30.16
You my life."
00:25:30.19\00:25:33.03
Is that your desire?
00:25:33.06\00:25:34.36
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request page.
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It's now easier than ever
for you to study God's Word with
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"Amazing Facts" wherever
and whenever you want, and most
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important, to
share it with others.
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Doug Batchelor: You wish
you could get a new start.
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I'd like to live my life
over knowing what I know now.
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I don't want to start over and
just make all the same mistakes.
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I want to have my memories so
I don't make the same mistakes.
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But you do get a new beginning.
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You become a new creature, that
feeling of all your sins being
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washed away
because God promises it.
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Isn't that a
wonderful concept, friends?
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male: "I was thirsty
and you gave me drink.
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In as much as you did it to
one of the least of these, my
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brethren, you did it to me."
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male announcer: Don't forget
to request today's free offer.
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It's sure to be a blessing.
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And thank you for your continued
support as we take the gospel of
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Jesus Christ to the world.
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We hope you'll join us next week
as we delve deep into the Word
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of God to explore
more amazing facts.
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male announcer: This
presentation was brought to you
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by the friends of the
Amazing Facts Ministry.
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