male announcer: This
presentation is brought to you
00:00:02.50\00:00:03.97
by the friends of the
Amazing Facts Ministry.
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Doug Batchelor: On
Christmas Eve 1971,
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17-year-old Juliane
Koepcke boarded Lansa flight 508
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with her mother in Lima, Peru.
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After crossing
the Andes Mountains,
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dark thunderclouds
surrounded the aircraft,
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causing severe turbulence.
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Suddenly, a bolt
of lightning struck
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the plane's
engine, tearing off a wing.
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As the doomed airliner
spiraled towards the earth,
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the cabin disintegrated,
and Juliane found herself
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strapped to a row of
seats falling silently
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through the stormy sky.
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Plummeting over 10,000 feet,
she struck the jungle canopy
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and slammed into
the forest floor.
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Incredibly, Juliane survived
the two-mile fall with a just
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a broken collarbone
and a gash in her arm.
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Failing to find other survivors,
Juliane hiked for days to reach
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civilization and was eventually
reunited with her father.
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You know, the Bible talks about
when Adam and Eve fell through
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the devil's temptations
in the Garden of Eden,
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it brought down
the whole human race.
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But Jesus came to help us
survive this great fall into sin
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and to make it back
to the Father's house.
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Do you ever think that
maybe you have fallen too far
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or too many times?
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Join me now for some
encouragement as we talk about
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what the Bible has to
say on this important topic.
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Doug: Our message this
morning is dealing with
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When A Christian Falls,
and the Bible has a lot to say
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about the subject of falling.
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There's actually a somewhat
famous report that has made
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the rounds, it's also a little
bit humorous, about a bricklayer
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who sent in a report to
an insurance company that was
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asking for more information
regarding an accident.
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This is, dates back several
years, but it's a masterpiece.
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I'd like to share this with you.
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"I'm writing in
response to your request
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for additional information.
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In block number three of
the accident reporting forum,
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I put 'poor planning'
as a cause of my accident.
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You said in your letter that
I should explain more fully.
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I trust that the following
details will be sufficient.
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I am a bricklayer by trade.
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On the day of the accident,
I was working alone on a roof
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of a ten-story building.
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When I completed my
work, I discovered I had about
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500 pounds of bricks leftover.
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Rather than carry them down by
hand, I decided to lower them to
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the ground in a barrel by using
a pulley which fortunately was
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attached to the side of
the building at the 10th floor.
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Securing the rope at ground
level, I went to the roof,
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loaded the 500 pounds of bricks
in the barrel, then went back
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down to the ground to untie
the rope, holding it tightly
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to ensure a slow descent
of the 500 pounds of bricks.
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You'll note in block 11 of
the accident reporting form
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that I weigh 135 pounds.
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Due to my surprise, it
being jerked off the ground so
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suddenly, I lost my presence
of mind and forgot to let go
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of the rope.
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Needless to say, I proceeded
at a rapid rate up the side
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of the building.
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In the vicinity
of the fifth floor,
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I met the side of
the barrel coming down.
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This explains the fractured
skull and broken collarbone.
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Fortunately, by this time,
I regained my presence of mind
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and was able to hold tightly
to the rope in spite of my pain.
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I continued my rapid ascent, not
stopping until the fingers of my
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right hand were lodged two
knuckles deep in the pulley.
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At approximately the same time,
however, the barrel of bricks
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hit the ground, and the
bottom fell out of the barrel.
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Devoid of the weight of the
bricks, the barrel weighed now
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approximately 30 pounds.
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I refer you again to my
weight in block number 11
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of the accident reporting forum.
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As you might imagine, I
began a rapid descent down
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the side of the building.
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In the vicinity of the fifth
floor, I met the empty barrel
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coming up again.
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This accounts for the two
fractured ankles and lacerations
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of my legs and lower body.
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Fortunately, the second
encounter with the barrel slowed
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me enough to lessen the injuries
when I fell into the pile
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of bricks, and only
three vertebrae are cracked.
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I'm sorry to report however,
that as I lay there on the
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bricks in pain and unable
to stand, forgetting the empty
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barrel ten stories above
me, I lost my presence of mind
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and I let go of the rope."
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That's sort of funny.
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Sometimes people laugh
when others fall, they've got a
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special type of comedy,
it's called physical comedy
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and some comedians are
known for their acts involve
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a lot of falling Dick
Van Dyke, Jackie Gleason,
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and Charlie Chaplin,
and The Three Stooges,
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and Jerry Lewis, and
they're always trying
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to invoke a laugh by falling.
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And people sometimes
think it's funny when they see
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someone else fall.
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They've discovered that even
some animals, chimpanzees, for
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example, will laugh when they
see another chimp trip or fall.
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Kind of sinister that you're
glad it's not you, I suppose.
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But biblically
falling is not a funny matter.
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It can be very serious.
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All of the pain, and the death,
and the misery that we see
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in the world today
is a result of a fall.
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There in the Garden of Eden
man was given a simple test of
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loyalty to God and His Word,
or they could choose to follow
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the rebel, which
involved really self-worship.
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And because Adam and Eve did not
trust the Lord, and maybe they
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wanted the God-like powers
the serpent promised, they fell.
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Romans 5:12, "Therefore,
just as sin came into the world
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through one man,
and death through sin--"
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So, death spread to all
men because all have sinned.
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Romans 3:23, for
how many have sinned?
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All have sinned, and fallen
short of the glory of God.
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We've all experienced
that because of the fall
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of Adam and Eve.
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Pastor was talking to his
five-year-old son about Adam
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and Eve, and the temptation
in the garden, he said,
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"Now, what can
we learn from that?"
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And the boy said,
"Don't play with snakes."
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And it's still good advice,
do not listen to the devil.
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Now, that brings us to our
story that was in our Scripture
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reading about a person
that's in church that falls.
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And it's a story of Eutychus
that you find in Acts chapter
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20, and I'd like to take you
back there again very quickly.
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Paul is preaching
in this region of Asia.
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He's gonna leave the
next day, and he doesn't know
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if he'll ever see him again.
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And so, the whole church
has gathered for the Sabbath.
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They close the Sabbath together.
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Now technically, it's
the first day of the week,
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and he
preaches, and he preaches,
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and he preaches.
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And back then at night,
they didn't have LED lights.
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They didn't have incandescent
bulbs or fluorescent lights.
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They used lamps, and these oil
lamps tended to put off a little
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bit of oil, and it says
that there were many lamps
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in the upper chamber.
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And the reason they mentioned
that is if there's a lot
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of lamps, there's
often some smoke residue.
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You ever choke when
someone puts out all the candles
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on a birthday cake?
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And it got hard to breathe.
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And so, this young man thought,
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"Well, I'm gonna sit a
little closer the window."
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The building's full of
people, so it's short on oxygen.
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It may have been a warm night,
and the lamps are filling the
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place with smoke and so Eutychus
thought that he had a good seat,
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and he leaned down in this stone
window sill three stories up,
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tried to keep some fresh
air, and still he had one ear
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on the sermon.
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Paul was long in preaching.
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And Eutychus, overcome
with sleep, not realizing the
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precarious place, don't
sleep in the edge of a window.
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And he
flinched, but he flinched,
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and he fell out the window.
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He fell down from the third
story, and he was taken up dead.
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Parents and
people ran downstairs,
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and they embrace them,
and he died from the fall.
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It was fatal.
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But Paul feels really bad
because he knows partly it's
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because he preached too long.
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And he went down.
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It's interesting,
the word that's used.
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Eutychus fell and
Paul went and fell on him.
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And he's praying as he's hugging
him, and he tells the crowd
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gathered around,
"Trouble not yourselves,
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for his life is in him."
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Now, this point,
you're in Acts chapter 20.
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Paul's faith is pretty strong.
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He's already affected
some miracles, including maybe
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his own
resurrection when he was stoned.
00:09:09.61\00:09:13.05
And not the Paul
resurrected himself,
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but God raised him up
and a miracle takes place.
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The boy was dead.
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Paul goes and he embraces him.
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You know, when Elijah
and Elisha resurrected a boy,
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maybe Paul was
thinking back on this story,
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they both did it
through physical contact.
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In one case, Elisha put himself
on the boy and embraced him.
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"Trouble not
yourself, his life is in him."
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And so, there
was great rejoicing.
00:09:42.84\00:09:44.75
Now, how is it that he fell?
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Here he's a
member, he's in church,
00:09:48.88\00:09:50.19
he's listening to
a sermon and he fell.
00:09:50.22\00:09:52.29
Where was he sitting?
00:09:52.32\00:09:55.26
He's sitting near the edge.
00:09:55.29\00:09:58.13
You know how
people fall out of church?
00:09:58.16\00:10:01.20
They stay on the edge.
00:10:01.23\00:10:03.40
If he had been in the room,
it might have been a little
00:10:03.43\00:10:05.37
tougher, but he
wanted to stay on the edge.
00:10:05.40\00:10:08.57
And you know who it
was the devil attacks?
00:10:08.60\00:10:12.37
Those on the edge.
00:10:12.41\00:10:13.71
Who does the wolf go after?
00:10:13.74\00:10:16.41
It's the lambs
that are on the edge.
00:10:16.44\00:10:19.48
And a lot of people that are
sort of on the edge of church,
00:10:19.51\00:10:22.58
now I'm not speaking
specifically to young people who
00:10:22.62\00:10:24.79
are sitting on the outside
of the building right now,
00:10:24.82\00:10:26.65
but I'm talking about
those who, in their lives,
00:10:26.69\00:10:29.96
they sort of go to
church once a week.
00:10:29.99\00:10:31.43
They want to stay connected,
but they're living on the edge,
00:10:31.46\00:10:35.26
and they are kind of
have one foot in the church,
00:10:35.30\00:10:38.40
and they've got
one foot in the world.
00:10:38.43\00:10:42.04
So, if you want to be
safe, you want to be right
00:10:42.07\00:10:44.17
in the middle
of the flock, amen?
00:10:44.21\00:10:47.18
Get involved, get
in the middle of it.
00:10:47.21\00:10:50.15
Get in the thick of it.
00:10:50.18\00:10:51.48
You're a lot
more-- you're a lot safer.
00:10:51.51\00:10:53.38
You're more inclined
to survive as a Christian
00:10:53.42\00:10:55.68
if you stay
involved in a church.
00:10:55.72\00:10:57.49
That's one of our goals here
in Granite Bay is you'll notice
00:10:57.52\00:11:02.29
that we try to involve
the young people in the music,
00:11:02.32\00:11:04.69
in the Scripture reading.
00:11:04.73\00:11:06.26
Some of them volunteer with the
media, they help with the sound.
00:11:06.29\00:11:10.00
And I think it's so important
that we keep the young people
00:11:10.03\00:11:12.77
engaged, and we
keep them involved.
00:11:12.80\00:11:14.50
They're a lot more
likely to stay with the faith.
00:11:14.54\00:11:17.01
If they sit near the edge
and all they hear is long-winded
00:11:17.04\00:11:19.87
preachers, there's a
chance they can fall.
00:11:19.91\00:11:23.95
That's not only
young people that fall,
00:11:23.98\00:11:25.75
but it happens to all of us.
00:11:25.78\00:11:28.88
The Bible says
the apostles fell.
00:11:28.92\00:11:31.99
Jesus foretold
that that would happen.
00:11:32.02\00:11:34.66
Matthew chapter 26, verse 31
Jesus said, and I'm reading this
00:11:34.69\00:11:38.73
from the English
Standard Version.
00:11:38.76\00:11:40.80
He said, "You will all
fall," I think King James says,
00:11:40.83\00:11:43.37
"You will all stumble."
00:11:43.40\00:11:45.00
But that's the word.
00:11:45.03\00:11:46.43
"You will all fall away
because of me this night.
00:11:46.47\00:11:48.94
For it is written, 'I
will strike the shepherd,
00:11:48.97\00:11:51.97
and the sheep of the
flock will be scattered.'"
00:11:52.01\00:11:54.11
How is it that Peter
ended up denying Christ?
00:11:54.14\00:11:57.58
Have you read there in
Mark chapter 14 it says
00:11:57.61\00:11:59.55
Peter followed,
after Jesus was arrested,
00:11:59.58\00:12:01.85
"Peter followed
from a distance."
00:12:01.88\00:12:05.12
And because he was following
from a distance, and when Jesus
00:12:05.15\00:12:07.72
went into the judgment
hall, Peter stayed on the edge,
00:12:07.76\00:12:11.46
hanging out with the
the enemies of Christ.
00:12:11.49\00:12:13.90
And when he was
hanging out with the enemies,
00:12:13.93\00:12:15.26
eventually he denied them.
00:12:15.30\00:12:19.07
So, you want to
stay in the middle of it.
00:12:19.10\00:12:21.10
Says, "They all
forsook him and fled."
00:12:21.14\00:12:24.21
One of the ways that people fall
is you can fall through pride.
00:12:24.24\00:12:29.84
This is how the devil fell.
00:12:29.88\00:12:31.81
Notice, 1 Timothy 3:6, "Don't
exalt a novice as an elder,
00:12:31.85\00:12:37.49
lest being puffed up with pride
00:12:37.52\00:12:39.79
he falls in the same
condemnation as the devil."
00:12:39.82\00:12:44.66
A way to keep from
falling is through humility.
00:12:44.69\00:12:48.50
Proverbs 16:18, "Pride
goes before destruction,
00:12:48.53\00:12:52.27
and a haughty
spirit before a fall."
00:12:52.30\00:12:55.40
And you can read in
1 Corinthians 10:12,
00:12:55.44\00:12:57.77
"Therefore lead him who
thinks he stands take heed
00:12:57.81\00:13:01.01
lest he fall."
00:13:01.04\00:13:02.34
So, how do Christians fall?
00:13:02.38\00:13:05.01
They can fall through thinking
too much about themselves,
00:13:05.05\00:13:08.88
just like the
devil, fall through pride.
00:13:08.92\00:13:11.99
I think this is
really where Judas fell.
00:13:12.02\00:13:14.52
Judas just had such
confidence in himself.
00:13:14.56\00:13:18.49
He was so sure of his abilities.
00:13:18.53\00:13:19.86
He thought that he was
gonna manipulate circumstances
00:13:19.89\00:13:22.46
that would force
Jesus to be proclaimed King,
00:13:22.50\00:13:25.73
and he was gonna get
all the credit for it.
00:13:25.77\00:13:28.40
He didn't, he didn't
want Jesus washing his feet,
00:13:28.44\00:13:31.51
but Jesus washed the
feet of the other disciples.
00:13:31.54\00:13:33.48
They all humbled themselves.
00:13:33.51\00:13:36.01
Judas had his feet
washed, and he went out
00:13:36.04\00:13:37.98
and he betrayed Christ.
00:13:38.01\00:13:40.45
And so, it's through pride.
00:13:40.48\00:13:42.52
Doug: Don't go
anywhere, friends.
00:13:43.45\00:13:45.02
In just a moment,
we'll return for the rest
00:13:45.05\00:13:46.49
of today's presentation.
00:13:46.52\00:13:48.92
Do you sometimes feel like
your faith is a little lukewarm?
00:13:48.96\00:13:52.53
Do you struggle with motivation
when it's time to go to church?
00:13:52.56\00:13:56.36
Does it seem lately like you're
being more easily overcome
00:13:56.40\00:13:59.40
by temptation?
00:13:59.43\00:14:01.37
Well, friend, don't
despair. You're not alone.
00:14:01.40\00:14:03.77
Millions of Christians struggle
with the same challenges.
00:14:03.81\00:14:06.94
They want to keep their
experience vibrant and strong.
00:14:06.98\00:14:10.08
If you're longing to
renew your passion for Jesus,
00:14:10.11\00:14:12.45
there are some very real
practical steps you can take
00:14:12.48\00:14:16.95
to experience a
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00:14:16.99\00:14:19.52
So, to help you reignite that
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00:14:19.55\00:14:22.79
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00:14:36.40\00:14:39.04
I promise that your faith will
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And after you read
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00:14:53.22\00:14:55.56
make sure and
share it with a friend.
00:14:55.59\00:14:58.26
Well, let's return to
today's presentation and learn
00:14:58.29\00:15:00.93
some more amazing
facts from the Word of God.
00:15:00.96\00:15:04.53
Doug: Hebrews 6:4,
now you gotta be careful.
00:15:04.57\00:15:06.90
You know, we are so
thankful that God is merciful,
00:15:06.94\00:15:10.34
God is forgiving.
00:15:10.37\00:15:11.91
If it wasn't for his persistent
mercy, where would we be?
00:15:11.94\00:15:16.28
If we only had ten years
of mercy, those of us that are
00:15:16.31\00:15:19.38
20 would be all out.
00:15:19.41\00:15:21.88
And God's merciful is so great,
but there is a risk you can
00:15:21.92\00:15:24.82
presume on God's mercy.
00:15:24.85\00:15:26.76
There's a verse, we get
questions on this verse in our
00:15:26.79\00:15:30.89
Bible program on a regular
basis because it almost seems
00:15:30.93\00:15:33.86
like it leaves no hope.
00:15:33.90\00:15:35.20
Notice, Hebrews 6,
verse 4, it's in the Bible.
00:15:35.23\00:15:38.30
You gotta look at
it, difficult verse.
00:15:38.33\00:15:41.34
"For it is impossible for
those who were once enlightened,
00:15:41.37\00:15:45.74
and they've tasted the heavenly
gift, and they have become
00:15:45.77\00:15:48.58
partakers of the Holy Spirit,
and they've tasted the good word
00:15:48.61\00:15:52.21
of God and the powers of the
age to come, if they fall away,
00:15:52.25\00:15:58.35
to renew them
again to repentance,
00:15:58.39\00:16:01.02
since they crucify again
for themselves the Son of God,
00:16:01.06\00:16:04.43
and put Him to an open shame."
00:16:04.46\00:16:06.90
Here he's telling us that he
says it's impossible for people
00:16:06.93\00:16:10.83
who've had all these benefits.
00:16:10.87\00:16:12.17
If they fall away, in other
words, if they turn away from
00:16:12.20\00:16:14.90
every one of the best gifts
of God, what more can God do?
00:16:14.94\00:16:18.51
And Peter describes that and
he said, "It's like a pig who
00:16:18.54\00:16:22.74
is washed that were
turns to wallowing in the mire,
00:16:22.78\00:16:25.65
or a dog that turns
to its vomit again."
00:16:25.68\00:16:28.65
Some who fall can't get up
again and because they had all
00:16:28.68\00:16:33.92
the benefits, and they turned
their back on all the benefits.
00:16:33.96\00:16:37.36
Now, I don't want
to discourage you.
00:16:37.39\00:16:38.83
Some are thinking, "Does that
mean that if a believer turns
00:16:38.86\00:16:42.40
from God, they cannot be saved?"
00:16:42.43\00:16:44.03
Now, of course,
it's not teaching that.
00:16:44.07\00:16:45.77
What would you do with
the story of the prodigal son?
00:16:45.80\00:16:48.84
What would you do to the
story of David, or Peter,
00:16:48.87\00:16:51.24
or even Moses when
he lost his temper?
00:16:51.27\00:16:53.84
And so, Christians
fall, and God is very patient.
00:16:53.88\00:16:58.25
The apostles, they, like I
said, they denied the Lord.
00:16:58.28\00:17:03.32
And we're so
thankful for God's mercy,
00:17:03.35\00:17:05.59
but you take a lot of risks.
00:17:05.62\00:17:08.36
If you live near the
edge, it's kind of like riding
00:17:08.39\00:17:10.79
a motorcycle.
00:17:10.83\00:17:12.13
If you keep wondering how
far you can lean on the turns,
00:17:12.16\00:17:13.96
eventually you'll find
what that point is by falling,
00:17:14.00\00:17:17.87
and you may not survive.
00:17:17.90\00:17:20.34
You never know when you're gonna
get to that point where you
00:17:20.37\00:17:22.40
think you've got your
balance, and you don't.
00:17:22.44\00:17:24.37
You don't want to
find out the hard way what
00:17:24.41\00:17:25.81
that point is, right?
00:17:25.84\00:17:27.84
But you can learn
from your falling.
00:17:29.11\00:17:32.48
How many of you, by
show of hands, think you fell
00:17:32.51\00:17:36.42
when you were learning to walk?
00:17:36.45\00:17:39.32
That should be every
hand, isn't that right?
00:17:39.35\00:17:42.52
And so, there's a lot to be
learned by falling and a certain
00:17:42.56\00:17:45.99
amount of falling is expected.
00:17:46.03\00:17:47.66
And you know, even for baby
Christians, I used to think,
00:17:47.73\00:17:51.63
you know, in a perfect world,
when someone comes to Christ
00:17:51.67\00:17:55.30
and they accept Jesus, if
they really have enough faith,
00:17:55.34\00:17:58.87
they never need to sin again.
00:17:58.91\00:18:01.71
You know, I've come to believe
that's not very realistic.
00:18:01.74\00:18:04.45
It seems like when a
person first comes to Christ,
00:18:04.48\00:18:06.75
there's never a
good excuse for sin.
00:18:06.78\00:18:08.18
Don't misunderstand.
00:18:08.22\00:18:09.98
But typically, when we
are learning the new way
00:18:10.02\00:18:14.19
of walking in the Lord,
you're gonna make mistakes.
00:18:14.22\00:18:18.23
The Bible says
in Isaiah chapter 1,
00:18:18.26\00:18:19.86
"We've got to learn to do good."
00:18:19.89\00:18:21.43
That's a learning process.
00:18:21.46\00:18:22.76
That means you don't
know everything about it,
00:18:22.80\00:18:24.17
you have to
unlearn a lot of mistakes.
00:18:24.20\00:18:26.47
So, you may learn along the way.
00:18:26.50\00:18:29.97
You know, baby
eagles, now humming birds
00:18:30.01\00:18:32.21
and eagles are different.
00:18:32.24\00:18:33.54
Hummingbirds, the babies,
when they first leave the nest,
00:18:33.58\00:18:37.05
they're flying.
00:18:37.08\00:18:38.65
It's just like they know.
00:18:38.68\00:18:39.98
No lessons, they don't
get a license, a medical,
00:18:40.02\00:18:41.82
anything, they just fly.
00:18:41.85\00:18:44.09
Eagles are a little different.
00:18:44.12\00:18:46.69
They have to sort
of get the hang of it,
00:18:46.72\00:18:48.56
and some eagles do not survive.
00:18:48.59\00:18:50.56
I think I've heard
one out of five eagles
00:18:50.59\00:18:52.26
does not survive its
first flight because, you know,
00:18:52.29\00:18:54.96
eagle nests are
usually very high.
00:18:55.00\00:18:57.83
They need to learn.
00:18:57.87\00:18:59.17
Sometimes they'll wait until
they're up there in the nest.
00:18:59.20\00:19:01.30
And they wait until the the wind
picks up, and they'll just hover
00:19:01.34\00:19:04.51
over the nest and
then pull their wings in.
00:19:04.54\00:19:05.84
And they'll
hover and they'll pull.
00:19:05.87\00:19:07.21
And they get the hang of it.
00:19:07.24\00:19:08.48
Sometimes when they're making
their first flight, the mother
00:19:08.51\00:19:10.88
or the father goes underneath
them and when they realize
00:19:10.91\00:19:14.05
they're dropping out of
control, they kind of catch them
00:19:14.08\00:19:16.99
and either lower down easy,
or lift them back up again.
00:19:17.02\00:19:20.42
That's why God uses that
phrase when he talks to Israel.
00:19:20.46\00:19:23.73
Says, "Like an eagle,
I bore you on my wings."
00:19:23.76\00:19:28.66
Because there's a
learning process involved,
00:19:28.70\00:19:32.00
and sometimes it
takes time for us to learn.
00:19:32.03\00:19:35.24
So, don't be discouraged.
00:19:35.27\00:19:37.54
Sometimes we learn through our
falls, and through our trials.
00:19:37.57\00:19:41.21
Now, you can survive a fall, and
that's one of the most important
00:19:41.24\00:19:46.48
things I want to tell you.
00:19:46.51\00:19:47.82
We've already established--
00:19:47.85\00:19:49.15
I won't ask for a show of hands.
00:19:49.18\00:19:50.55
I expect if you're
honest, every hand would go up.
00:19:50.59\00:19:52.62
How many of us have fallen
in seeking to walk with the Lord
00:19:52.65\00:19:57.46
at some point along
the way in varying degrees?
00:19:57.49\00:20:01.76
We've disobeyed.
00:20:01.80\00:20:03.30
We've done what we
knew we shouldn't do.
00:20:03.33\00:20:06.10
And then we repent.
00:20:06.13\00:20:08.84
But it's not always easy.
00:20:08.87\00:20:10.67
How do you survive?
00:20:10.71\00:20:12.71
You, first of all, if we
sin, what are we told to do?
00:20:13.74\00:20:18.51
Confess our sin
to the Lord, repent,
00:20:20.52\00:20:24.05
go to the Lord in prayer.
00:20:24.09\00:20:25.39
Claim the promise that
if we confess our sins,
00:20:25.42\00:20:28.49
he is faithful and
just to forgive our sins
00:20:28.52\00:20:31.06
and to cleanse us
from all on righteousness.
00:20:31.09\00:20:33.80
Then does God forgive us?
00:20:33.83\00:20:36.13
How do we know?
00:20:36.16\00:20:38.37
Because he said so.
00:20:38.40\00:20:40.27
"What if I don't feel forgiven?"
00:20:40.30\00:20:42.74
You don't go
based on how you feel.
00:20:42.77\00:20:45.77
"But I have
problems forgiving myself."
00:20:45.81\00:20:49.14
Are you setting yourself up
as a higher tribunal than God?
00:20:49.18\00:20:53.38
You think that your
judgment is more important
00:20:53.42\00:20:56.08
than God's judgment?
00:20:56.12\00:20:58.35
If God says, "I forgive
you," if we were repent--
00:20:58.39\00:21:00.69
well, what is repentance?
00:21:00.72\00:21:02.39
Well, it's been sorry for
your sin, not just sorry you got
00:21:02.42\00:21:05.06
caught but remorseful, and
you don't want to do it again.
00:21:05.09\00:21:07.30
You don't want to hurt him.
00:21:07.36\00:21:08.63
And this is a very important
teaching you don't hear
00:21:08.66\00:21:11.37
a lot about, but it was a
primary teaching in the Bible.
00:21:11.40\00:21:14.40
The Bible says Jesus
began preaching repent.
00:21:14.44\00:21:18.17
John the Baptist
began preaching repent.
00:21:18.21\00:21:20.21
The disciples began preaching.
00:21:20.24\00:21:21.54
"Men and brethren,
what should we do?"
00:21:21.58\00:21:22.88
Peter said, Repent.
00:21:22.91\00:21:25.25
Repentance is a genuine sorrow
for sin, and the desire to stop
00:21:25.28\00:21:30.25
doing that which hurts
God, hurts your neighbor,
00:21:30.29\00:21:32.79
and hurts yourself,
and will ultimately end
00:21:32.82\00:21:35.66
in your eternal loss.
00:21:35.69\00:21:37.26
So, if you fall, repent,
confess, and then believe,
00:21:37.29\00:21:43.50
because you cannot
be saved without faith.
00:21:43.53\00:21:45.27
He says, "I will forgive
you, and if you do these things,
00:21:45.30\00:21:49.94
you repent and confess,
and I will cleanse you from
00:21:49.97\00:21:52.47
all on righteousness."
00:21:52.51\00:21:54.58
So, he's not
putting on probation.
00:21:54.61\00:21:57.31
He says, you are forgiven.
00:21:57.35\00:21:59.05
You're freely forgiven.
00:21:59.08\00:22:00.88
David confessed his
terrible sin and God said,
00:22:00.92\00:22:03.55
"Your sin has been put away."
00:22:03.59\00:22:06.09
When he
repented, he forgave him.
00:22:06.12\00:22:08.42
Isaiah said, "Woe is me.
00:22:08.46\00:22:09.76
I am undone.
00:22:09.79\00:22:11.13
I'm a man of unclean lips and
I dwell in the midst of them."
00:22:11.16\00:22:13.63
People with unclean lips, and
God touched a coal to his mouth
00:22:13.66\00:22:16.36
and said, "Your sin is
purged, your sin is taken away."
00:22:16.40\00:22:19.53
Zaccheus said, "If I've
taken anything from any man
00:22:19.57\00:22:23.64
by false accusation," God said,
00:22:23.67\00:22:25.97
"Salvation has
come to this house."
00:22:26.01\00:22:27.71
As soon as they repented and
confessed, thief on the cross.
00:22:27.74\00:22:30.88
"Lord, remember me when
you come into your kingdom."
00:22:30.91\00:22:33.28
What did Jesus say?
00:22:33.31\00:22:35.68
Here's a guy, he's a thief,
a rebel, and in one passage,
00:22:35.72\00:22:38.85
it says guilty of murder.
00:22:38.89\00:22:40.89
And God said, "You'll
be with me in paradise."
00:22:42.79\00:22:46.39
Believe that God forgives you.
00:22:46.43\00:22:49.60
And when you know that
you're forgiven, you don't want
00:22:49.63\00:22:51.97
to jeopardize
that, you want to live--
00:22:52.00\00:22:53.80
walk in the
newness of life, amen?
00:22:53.84\00:22:55.67
Now, I want to
illustrate something here.
00:22:55.70\00:22:58.57
I'm looking for a
couple of volunteers.
00:22:58.61\00:23:00.18
I'd like a couple of
young people that would help me.
00:23:00.21\00:23:03.41
There in the back as, of
course, all right, come on up,
00:23:03.45\00:23:05.95
two of you, yeah.
00:23:05.98\00:23:07.45
I saw two hands
go up. There you go.
00:23:07.48\00:23:08.88
That'll work. That's perfect.
00:23:08.92\00:23:10.22
Come on up here. I want
to illustrate something.
00:23:10.25\00:23:16.59
All right, let's see here.
You can come here, over here.
00:23:16.62\00:23:23.80
Young lady here, you go
on the other side of her.
00:23:23.83\00:23:26.50
Can you stand on one foot?
00:23:26.53\00:23:29.37
Now, while you're standing on
one foot, I want you to take one
00:23:29.40\00:23:31.81
finger, push her shoulder and
see if you can push her over,
00:23:31.84\00:23:33.91
one finger.
00:23:33.94\00:23:36.04
Okay, all right, you're
enjoying this, aren't you?
00:23:36.08\00:23:38.88
Okay now, I want
you to hold my hand.
00:23:38.91\00:23:44.49
Now stand on one foot.
Is that a little harder?
00:23:44.52\00:23:51.06
You're gonna hurt her.
You know what the point is?
00:23:51.09\00:23:58.10
It really helps if you
got a hand to hold when
00:23:58.13\00:24:00.37
you're trying to stand up
and keep from falling, amen?
00:24:00.40\00:24:03.04
Thank you very
much. You did a good job.
00:24:03.07\00:24:07.21
So, it's not just that
you fall, we want to learn how
00:24:07.24\00:24:12.48
to not fall, amen?
00:24:12.51\00:24:14.35
Does somebody offer us a hand?
00:24:14.38\00:24:16.82
John 10:28, "And I give them
eternal life," Jesus speaking.
00:24:16.85\00:24:23.53
"I give them eternal life and
they will never perish, neither
00:24:23.56\00:24:27.23
will anyone snatch
them out of my hand.
00:24:27.30\00:24:30.70
My Father who has given
them to me is greater than all
00:24:30.73\00:24:33.67
and no one is able to snatch
them out of my Father's hand."
00:24:33.70\00:24:38.44
Jesus will never let go of you.
00:24:38.47\00:24:40.81
He will not lose his grip, amen?
00:24:40.84\00:24:43.85
The Bible says you
can't keep a good man down.
00:24:43.88\00:24:46.88
Proverbs 24:16, "For a righteous
man may fall seven times
00:24:46.92\00:24:51.85
and rise again, but the
wicked will fall by calamity."
00:24:51.89\00:24:56.59
Psalm 37:23, "The steps of a
good man or ordered by the Lord,
00:24:56.62\00:25:01.06
and he delights in his way.
00:25:01.10\00:25:02.96
Though he fall, he will
not be utterly cast down.
00:25:03.00\00:25:07.34
For the Lord
upholds him with his hand."
00:25:07.37\00:25:11.41
And there's one fall that
you should deliberately perform
00:25:11.44\00:25:16.78
that will help
prevent the fatal fall.
00:25:16.81\00:25:20.48
The Bible says that
we must fall upon Christ,
00:25:20.52\00:25:22.78
and we will be broken.
00:25:22.82\00:25:25.52
Peter went out of the
garden after he denied Christ,
00:25:25.55\00:25:28.19
he went out to the Garden of
Gethsemane, he fell on his face
00:25:28.22\00:25:31.16
and he wept bitterly.
00:25:31.19\00:25:32.73
Matthew 21:44, "Whoever falls
on this stone will be broken,
00:25:32.76\00:25:37.43
but on whoever it falls,
it will grind him to powder."
00:25:37.47\00:25:41.70
If we cast ourselves on Christ,
if we fall upon Christ, and we
00:25:41.74\00:25:46.24
completely surrender to
him, that's what gives us
00:25:46.27\00:25:48.71
the strength and the
power to keep from falling.
00:25:48.74\00:25:53.18
I remember reading
about the great Blondin,
00:25:53.21\00:25:56.08
he was the greatest
of the tightrope walkers.
00:25:56.12\00:25:58.65
And Karen and I were recently
at Niagara Falls, and he was the
00:25:58.69\00:26:02.52
first one who walked across
Niagara falls on a tightrope.
00:26:02.56\00:26:06.09
And he did some amazing things.
00:26:06.13\00:26:09.50
They don't even know how many
times he walked across Niagara
00:26:09.53\00:26:14.97
because he did it so many
different ways, and he did
00:26:15.00\00:26:16.87
so many different
theatric variations of it.
00:26:16.91\00:26:19.97
Once he did it in a wheelbarrow.
00:26:20.01\00:26:22.04
Once he pushed someone
across in a wheelbarrow.
00:26:22.08\00:26:24.78
Once he carried a man across
Niagara Falls on his back.
00:26:24.81\00:26:28.88
By the way, he started tightrope
walking when he was five years
00:26:28.92\00:26:32.02
old, and he was just so
gifted at--in his balance.
00:26:32.05\00:26:37.43
Someone asked him one
time, "Don't you get nervous
00:26:37.46\00:26:39.76
when you're walking across the
Niagara Falls or one of these
00:26:39.79\00:26:44.37
great precipices and you see the
raging water down there and the
00:26:44.40\00:26:48.37
steam, and the power of it all,
and the wind starts to blow?"
00:26:48.40\00:26:52.41
And he said, "No, he says,
"Those things never scare me."
00:26:52.44\00:26:55.31
He said, "I don't
look at all of that."
00:26:55.34\00:26:57.35
Said, "Before I
cross a chasm," he says,
00:26:57.38\00:27:00.32
"I fix a silver star
at the opposite end."
00:27:00.35\00:27:04.22
And he said, "I keep my eyes
on the star and I know if I do
00:27:04.25\00:27:08.02
that, all I've gotta do is
put one foot in front of another
00:27:08.06\00:27:11.49
because the rope is straight.
00:27:11.53\00:27:14.20
And you know, that's the secret
to avoiding a fall is we keep
00:27:14.20\00:27:18.30
our eyes fixed upon Jesus, amen?
00:27:18.33\00:27:21.34
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