Welcome to Anchors Of Truth
from the 3ABN Worship Center.
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The Great
Controversy with John Bradshaw.
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I was at the General Conference
Headquarters on last year,
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and I was listening to a
world leader of the church
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talk about his experience with
the book, The Great Controversy.
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He said that he was going
to preach in Denver, Colorado
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and got snowed in to his hotel,
interestingly enough, with the
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Bible and The Great Controversy.
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For two days, nothing but the
Bible and The Great Controversy.
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And he read The Great
Controversy through in two days.
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Which is no small feat
since you're talking a book of
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about 600 pages.
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But he said it changed his life.
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And we agree that
The Great Controversy
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may be one of the most powerful
books written by Ellen White.
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Because it gives us a
view of the conflict between
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good and evil,
between Christ and Satan,
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on a macro level, on a cosmic
level, on a worldwide level.
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During these
particular meetings, our speaker
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John Bradshaw has taken that
macro view and brought it down
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to a personal level.
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He has taken the great
controversy and applied it
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to individual lives.
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And we see how this macro
battle between Christ and Satan
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has very micro
ramifications in our own lives;
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how the battle is played
out in the lives and hearts
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of men and women worldwide.
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And so it is my pleasure
to welcome you once again
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to the fourth in
our series of meetings
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dealing with the
great controversy.
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And today his
topic is going to be,
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The Controversy And
The Time Of The End.
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And so we're going to take a
look at the great controversy
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as it impacts on end
time life; your life, my life.
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We expect a great work
from the Lord this day.
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And so I ask you to give ear
to the man of God as he speaks,
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and open your
hearts for the message.
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Which I believe will
help us take one more step
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along that road
that leads to glory.
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Our music ministry this morning
is coming from our friend,
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our founder, Danny Shelton.
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He will be singing
the song, All My Praise.
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But before he comes to
minister to us in music,
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would you now bow your heads
with me in a word of prayer.
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Gracious Father, we just praise
You and we just thank You.
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We love You so very much.
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We thank You, Lord,
for any number of things;
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for life, health,
strength, for the Sabbath day,
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for Your goodness.
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But most of all, Lord,
we are thankful for Jesus;
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the Author, the
Finisher of our faith,
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the One in whom we live
and move and to have our being,
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the Lord of all.
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Father, as we sit now, we ask
You to prepare us for Your word.
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Because we want to be
prepared on that Day when
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Jesus comes again.
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So help us, Lord,
to feast on Your word,
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as it were, to fatten up
on Your word, so that when the
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lean times come we
will be full of Your word.
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We praise You, Lord, and we ask
You to have Your way this day
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in our lives for those in
this house and those watching
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and listening around the world.
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We just praise
You and thank You.
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Bless this speaker.
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In Jesus' name, amen.
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And now, Danny Shelton.
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The next voice you will
hear after him will be that of
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our speaker, our
friend, John Bradshaw.
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All my praise,
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I give You all my praise.
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That's all I have to offer You.
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I now build a
sanctuary deep within my heart.
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And all my praise
I offer up to You.
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I love You Lord, oh
how I love You Lord.
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I bear my heart and soul to You.
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I'm an empty broken vessel
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filled with
hurt and pain inside.
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Still I offer up
all my praise to You.
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Fill me Lord, oh
please fill me Lord,
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with Your Holy Spirit.
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Fill me now.
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For I long for Your anointing,
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that I may work for You.
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Fill me Lord,
touch me Lord just now.
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All my praise,
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I give You all my praise.
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That's all I have to offer You.
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I now build a sanctuary
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so deep within my heart.
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And all my praise
I offer up to You.
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Oh, and all my praise
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I offer up to You.
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Well, we must say thank
you, and thank the Lord.
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And I must say
good morning, everyone.
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Good morning, everyone.
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What a blessing to see
you here and a blessing
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for me to be here.
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Blessing, you know.
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It gives me an
opportune opportunity.
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Is there such a thing?
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An opportune moment for
me to mention something here.
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And I hope you
don't mind me doing that.
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But right before this
television program began,
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there was a one or
a two minute broadcast
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featuring a lovely
looking fellow with a
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mellifluous New Zealand accent.
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I'm not saying who it was.
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Could have been anyone.
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But what it was, was Every Word.
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And that's a daily devotional
that I do at It Is Written.
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And I would
encourage you to receive that
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because I think
you'll be blessed.
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And I'm confident
that others will be blessed
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as you take the opportunity
to share it with someone else.
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I mentioned just a couple
of nights ago right here how
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a friend of mine was
asked by an individual
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what it is that
helps him be so positive.
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He said, "I start my day
with a spiritual thought."
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And he gave him a little card.
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He said, "Why
don't you try this."
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And so the devotionals
are general enough to be a
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blessing to everybody, pointed
enough to be worth something,
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not too pointed that
your neighbor is going to be
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offended by them or
you be offended by them.
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So do check that out.
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If you go to itiswritten.com,
you'll see the little thingy.
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It use to be a big thingy, but
we made it little because the
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big part is now given to
our evangelistic series in
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Paris, France coming up.
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You'll be able to click
there and then subscribe.
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I would
encourage you to subscribe.
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You'll be blessed.
It's 60 seconds long.
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Although, I think today, if
you'll look at the web site,
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we've really blown it out
and we've gone to 2 minutes.
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Two minutes.
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That's a marathon.
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A 60 second start to your day.
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I'm just wanting to
suggest that if it's not
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your thing, then great.
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If it is, you'll say,
"That was a blessing."
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We are here to talk
about the great controversy.
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Not the book so much.
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Perhaps this afternoon
when we speak, I might get into
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the book just a little bit.
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But this great theme, really,
it's the foundation of the
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message that God has given
us down here in the end of time.
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The great controversy theme.
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We're going to discuss
this a little bit more.
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This is our fourth part.
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And this afternoon,
part five and the final part.
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The great
controversy theme is that theme,
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it's that thing that
brings together the very aspects
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of what we believe as a people.
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It pulls together the teachings
of God and lines up in a
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cohesive manner who
we are, why we're here,
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what we believe,
what we are to do with it,
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and where we're going.
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It helps us to see
why it all matters.
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And the great controversy
theme gives us the big picture,
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the big picture.
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It is when you step back
and see the big picture that
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things start to make sense.
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I mentioned, if you took a...
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What do you call that thing
you look at the stars with?
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A telescope. Right?
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If you took a telescope
to the zoo and zoomed in
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on an elephant, you would
say, "I don't know what that is.
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It's just a patch of gray."
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That's all you would think.
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If you backed off a
little bit and maybe looked with
00:10:37.43\00:10:39.67
the naked eye, you
would see, ah, elephants.
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Several of them walking
in the elephant enclosure
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out there in the wild.
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You see, the big
picture helps you make sense
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of all the little
parts of the big picture.
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You may look at a
piece of a jigsaw puzzle
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and say, "I don't
know what this is."
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It's a color,
maybe a line through it.
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When you look at the
box, the jigsaw puzzle box,
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you see where it fits in.
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You say, "Ah ha, it's
part of a bigger picture."
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And so, we want to look at
and consider the bigger picture,
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the bigger picture.
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There's much we
could talk about it.
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But why don't we just
talk about it and pray,
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and expect God to bless us.
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Let's pray, would you bow
your heads with me as we pray.
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Our Father in heaven,
we thank You today that we
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can come to You
in the name of Jesus.
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We are grateful.
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And in the words of
the old hymn, "In our hand
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no price we bring.
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Simply to the cross we cling."
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And Lord, we cling.
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David said long
ago, "What is man that
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Thou art mindful of him?"
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What are we?
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All have sinned and come
short of the glory of God.
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And so we are grateful
today that as Peter wrote,
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"The longsuffering of
our God is salvation."
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I am thankful You bear with us.
00:12:00.42\00:12:02.71
And I am thankful
that as a Master Gardener,
00:12:03.21\00:12:07.06
You tend Your garden
that You might grow us
00:12:07.83\00:12:10.69
into trees of righteousness,
00:12:10.72\00:12:12.71
that You might grow
us that we would be ready
00:12:13.68\00:12:16.37
for the harvest.
00:12:17.04\00:12:18.79
And so as we think
about that harvest,
00:12:19.19\00:12:21.22
after a certain fashion this
morning, we pray Your blessing
00:12:21.25\00:12:26.80
not just that we be blessed,
but that our minds be clear,
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that we hear the
voice not of the speaker,
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but the voice of a Savior.
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That we hear the
voice not of man,
00:12:37.28\00:12:38.89
but the voice
of the Holy Spirit.
00:12:38.92\00:12:41.14
I pray that we'll see
something in Your Word
00:12:41.97\00:12:43.77
today that will help us,
help us towards Your kingdom.
00:12:43.80\00:12:46.55
And not just help us, but I pray
that during our deliberations
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and our meditations You
will be glorified and lifted up,
00:12:50.90\00:12:55.84
and seen to be as
the God of this universe
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and the sinners only hope.
00:12:58.71\00:13:00.22
Grant us these mercies now.
00:13:01.69\00:13:02.91
We pray humbly
and we pray sincerely.
00:13:02.94\00:13:06.76
And we pray in Jesus' name.
00:13:07.73\00:13:09.08
Please would you
say with me, amen.
00:13:09.11\00:13:12.47
A couple of days ago, I
read a very fascinating article
00:13:15.74\00:13:18.99
by a fellow
named, Malcolm Gladwell.
00:13:19.02\00:13:22.11
If you're not
familiar with Malcolm Gladwell,
00:13:22.89\00:13:24.76
your life is
probably going to be okay.
00:13:24.79\00:13:27.11
But if you are, you'll know
that he's a smart journalist.
00:13:27.14\00:13:31.83
Insightful fellow.
00:13:32.16\00:13:33.91
He make a couple of
books particularly famous.
00:13:35.15\00:13:37.65
One was called,
The Tipping Point.
00:13:37.68\00:13:39.37
Another was called, Blink.
00:13:39.40\00:13:41.86
I'm not saying I recommend them.
00:13:42.34\00:13:44.16
I'm not sure at all
of the content of them.
00:13:44.19\00:13:46.52
I'm simply saying
they're well known books.
00:13:46.55\00:13:48.81
What Gladwell does is
he has a happy knack of
00:13:49.75\00:13:52.79
looking at very interesting
insightful investigations
00:13:52.82\00:13:57.54
into the way the
human mind works.
00:13:58.13\00:14:01.10
And he will explain
certain social phenomena.
00:14:01.68\00:14:04.88
Because he will explain to
you that you might not have
00:14:05.45\00:14:07.88
understood this, but the
mind works a certain way.
00:14:07.91\00:14:11.91
You could call him, I
guess, a behavioral scientist.
00:14:11.94\00:14:14.93
He's not. He's a journalist.
00:14:14.96\00:14:16.63
But he acts a little
bit in his writings like a
00:14:16.66\00:14:19.20
behavioral scientist.
00:14:19.23\00:14:20.54
Why do we do some of
the things that we do?
00:14:20.57\00:14:24.48
Now in this article that I
read just a couple of days ago,
00:14:25.63\00:14:28.29
Gladwell explained that...
00:14:28.32\00:14:30.11
And this struck
me as surprising.
00:14:30.14\00:14:32.33
He explained that when David
was victorious over Goliath,
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that wasn't really
such a big surprise.
00:14:39.64\00:14:41.73
In as much as by
analyzing historical data,
00:14:43.20\00:14:47.96
it is found that a
surprising amount of the time,
00:14:48.26\00:14:52.74
David triumphs over Goliath
00:14:52.75\00:14:56.04
in warfare, one
nation against another.
00:14:56.90\00:15:00.05
There were certain
parameters that he drew.
00:15:00.08\00:15:01.74
There were certain
metrics that he applied to this.
00:15:01.77\00:15:04.50
But you might get a small
army, that people thought had
00:15:04.77\00:15:08.05
absolutely no hope, fighting
against a very large army.
00:15:08.08\00:15:11.88
And a remarkable
proportion of the time,
00:15:12.28\00:15:15.23
the small army actually
triumphs over the large.
00:15:15.26\00:15:19.08
Not always, of course.
00:15:19.42\00:15:21.04
But a surprising
amount of the time.
00:15:21.86\00:15:24.21
And he said here's why.
00:15:25.12\00:15:26.52
In situations like that, David
recognizes that he is David.
00:15:27.57\00:15:32.15
A stripling, a lad.
00:15:33.52\00:15:35.58
Weak, one might say.
00:15:35.61\00:15:37.48
And he recognizes that
Goliath stands over 9 feet tall.
00:15:38.08\00:15:42.38
David recognizes that if he
goes to Goliath like this...
00:15:43.57\00:15:47.42
...and says, "Bring
what you've got, Goliath,"
00:15:47.89\00:15:50.19
Goliath will
squash him like a bug.
00:15:51.13\00:15:52.98
If he fights
Goliath on Goliath's terms,
00:15:54.13\00:15:57.79
he will not win.
00:15:58.15\00:15:59.97
However, when David
does something unorthodox,
00:16:00.00\00:16:04.30
something that
Goliath isn't expecting,
00:16:04.33\00:16:07.21
it is then Goliath can be
surprised and even defeated.
00:16:07.24\00:16:11.85
What was it in the Bible
narrative that took place
00:16:12.45\00:16:15.23
in David versus Goliath?
00:16:15.26\00:16:17.42
Well to begin with, the
king, the cowardly king,
00:16:17.43\00:16:19.33
who should have been out
there fighting Goliath himself,
00:16:19.34\00:16:21.30
he said to the lad,
"Here, put on this armor."
00:16:21.33\00:16:23.79
And David said, "No, I
cannot fight in that armor.
00:16:25.28\00:16:27.64
That's just not
going to work for me.
00:16:27.65\00:16:29.32
I need to fight in my own armor.
00:16:29.97\00:16:32.09
I cannot play to
your strengths, king.
00:16:32.10\00:16:34.51
I don't need to be
following an orthodox path here.
00:16:34.54\00:16:38.22
I don't want to be
following convention because
00:16:38.61\00:16:40.56
convention will fail me.
00:16:40.59\00:16:41.67
Instead, I need to be
doing what works for me.
00:16:41.70\00:16:44.94
Just let me go out
there with a slingshot
00:16:44.97\00:16:48.64
and five little
stones, five smooth stones."
00:16:50.13\00:16:53.95
Now ladies and
gentlemen, that's madness.
00:16:53.98\00:16:57.13
Goliath was 9 feet
tall. He was a brute of a man.
00:16:57.59\00:17:00.57
He looked like he'd been carved
out of the side of a mountain.
00:17:00.60\00:17:02.80
He was covered up with armor.
00:17:02.83\00:17:04.25
He had in front of
him an armor bearer.
00:17:04.28\00:17:06.69
And David said, "I'm
going to come up against Goliath
00:17:07.58\00:17:10.57
with a piece of
leather and five pebbles.
00:17:10.60\00:17:14.52
And that will be enough."
00:17:14.55\00:17:16.57
Well, David did something
else that was interesting.
00:17:17.44\00:17:19.91
He had an element of surprise.
00:17:20.45\00:17:23.35
What did David do?
00:17:23.37\00:17:24.37
Did David walk up and stalk
up and slink up and skulk up?
00:17:24.38\00:17:28.12
What did David do when
he went up against Goliath?
00:17:28.13\00:17:30.24
He ran, he ran
right towards him.
00:17:31.02\00:17:32.79
Here's this great big guy.
00:17:33.38\00:17:34.57
He's been defying the
armies of Israel for goodness
00:17:34.58\00:17:36.98
knows how long.
00:17:36.99\00:17:37.98
"All they will do
is quake in their boots
00:17:38.04\00:17:40.01
and shiver and shake."
00:17:40.04\00:17:41.41
Yet along comes a lad,
sizes up the situation,
00:17:41.44\00:17:44.42
makes a short excursion to a
creek, whips out his slingshot,
00:17:44.45\00:17:47.85
and runs towards the giant.
00:17:47.88\00:17:50.78
Goliath was surprised.
00:17:51.74\00:17:53.02
There was an
element of surprise.
00:17:53.05\00:17:54.71
David had an
unorthodox approach.
00:17:54.91\00:17:57.83
And of course, it didn't
hurt that David was a crack shot
00:17:58.37\00:18:02.26
with a sling, did it.
00:18:02.29\00:18:03.52
That helped.
00:18:03.55\00:18:04.74
Goliath died.
00:18:05.32\00:18:06.90
The champion fell.
00:18:07.42\00:18:08.85
Gladwell talked about that.
00:18:08.88\00:18:09.86
He also talked
about T.E. Lawrence.
00:18:09.89\00:18:11.52
You might know him
better as Lawrence Of Arabia.
00:18:11.55\00:18:14.58
Lawrence Of Arabia won victories
he should never have won
00:18:14.61\00:18:17.27
with a rag tag group of soldiers
who were not well fitted
00:18:17.57\00:18:20.52
for conventional warfare.
00:18:20.55\00:18:21.92
Instead, recognizing
they were not stronger,
00:18:21.95\00:18:26.08
Lawrence decided
they had to be smarter,
00:18:26.72\00:18:29.05
smarter than the foe.
00:18:29.08\00:18:30.88
They needed to be agile,
they needed to be aggressive,
00:18:31.18\00:18:34.15
they needed to be indefatigable.
00:18:34.18\00:18:35.70
They could not tire or relent.
00:18:35.71\00:18:38.07
They had what Gladwell would
call, just to coin a phrase,
00:18:38.67\00:18:42.58
attitude.
00:18:43.54\00:18:45.09
Attitude.
00:18:45.89\00:18:47.08
He then went on and talked about
something very fascinating.
00:18:47.29\00:18:49.64
He wrote in his article
about a girl's basketball team.
00:18:50.45\00:18:53.99
Now, there was a group of girls
that formed a basketball team.
00:18:55.12\00:18:57.76
They were 12 years old.
00:18:57.79\00:18:59.50
Little girls in the
Silicon Valley in California.
00:18:59.92\00:19:02.70
Now the coach was an Indian
man, I mean Indian from India,
00:19:03.44\00:19:08.05
who had never played
basketball in his life.
00:19:08.08\00:19:11.11
And he sized up the situation.
00:19:11.87\00:19:13.54
He said, "I've got a bunch of
skinny white girls who've never
00:19:14.32\00:19:16.62
played basketball and
don't know anything about it.
00:19:16.65\00:19:18.91
I do not want to see
them get whipped every week.
00:19:19.54\00:19:23.36
I want them to win.
00:19:23.80\00:19:25.42
But I'm not much
of a basketballer.
00:19:25.81\00:19:27.39
I've never played the game."
00:19:27.40\00:19:28.40
This man was a
computer programmer.
00:19:28.41\00:19:30.23
Smart fellow.
00:19:30.26\00:19:31.57
His computer engineering
has actually implicated
00:19:32.24\00:19:34.91
and affected the
world in which you live.
00:19:34.92\00:19:36.33
He's done some
stuff that's very smart.
00:19:36.36\00:19:38.41
He said, "How can we
approach basketball knowing that
00:19:39.48\00:19:42.08
we're up against
Goliath and we're going to lose.
00:19:42.11\00:19:44.85
We will fight
against big tall girls.
00:19:44.88\00:19:46.67
Girls who were born with
basketballs in their hands.
00:19:46.70\00:19:49.35
Girls who can shoot
the ball through the hoop
00:19:49.75\00:19:52.49
with their eyes closed.
00:19:52.52\00:19:53.67
My girls are little, they're
not strong, they can't shoot.
00:19:53.68\00:19:57.18
They're not good
basketball players.
00:19:57.21\00:19:58.65
But we are going to win."
00:19:58.68\00:19:59.86
He looked at basketball and
he said, "Why do people play
00:20:00.53\00:20:02.88
basketball the way they play?"
00:20:02.91\00:20:04.60
The team has the ball,
the other team runs back.
00:20:05.52\00:20:08.22
And gets on what?
00:20:08.77\00:20:10.13
Defense.
00:20:10.61\00:20:11.61
And they get in position
so that the other team can
00:20:11.71\00:20:14.47
execute a move they've practiced
a thousand times in practice.
00:20:14.50\00:20:17.92
And when they
score, this team who scored
00:20:18.35\00:20:21.46
runs back to the other end and
defends while the other team,
00:20:21.49\00:20:26.04
who just got scored on,
takes the ball and they execute
00:20:26.07\00:20:28.28
a move that they have practiced
two thousand times in practice.
00:20:28.29\00:20:31.64
And so it goes
backwards and forwards.
00:20:31.67\00:20:33.56
And the computer programmer
looked at this and said,
00:20:33.59\00:20:35.32
"This is madness.
00:20:35.35\00:20:36.59
Also, if my girls play that
way, we will lose every time."
00:20:37.85\00:20:41.51
He said, "Now
that's not going to work."
00:20:41.54\00:20:42.79
He sized up the game and he
said, "Here's what we'll do.
00:20:42.82\00:20:45.71
We'll take an
unorthodox approach.
00:20:46.49\00:20:48.54
When the other team gets the
ball, instead of running back
00:20:49.04\00:20:51.98
to our end, we'll get
right up in their face.
00:20:52.01\00:20:54.60
And I will teach my girls
to defend, defend, defend."
00:20:55.10\00:20:58.44
You've heard of
full-court press?
00:20:58.47\00:20:59.69
There are times teams
apply the full-court press.
00:21:00.09\00:21:03.21
This fellow had his girls
apply the full-court press
00:21:03.24\00:21:05.58
all game long.
00:21:05.61\00:21:08.23
And so, here are these
other 12 year old girls who play
00:21:09.04\00:21:11.32
plenty of basketball, but they
weren't use to having some girl
00:21:11.35\00:21:13.88
stick her hand in their face.
00:21:13.89\00:21:15.46
And so they looked
for someone to pass to
00:21:15.84\00:21:17.65
but everybody was defended.
00:21:17.68\00:21:18.94
And they're back
at the other end.
00:21:18.97\00:21:20.53
Often they would hang
onto the ball too long
00:21:21.49\00:21:23.45
before the five seconds or ten
seconds, or however long it is.
00:21:23.48\00:21:26.55
They'd have to
give possession up.
00:21:26.56\00:21:27.91
These girls were under
the basket, they would score,
00:21:28.21\00:21:30.23
and then they'd stay
there and get their hands
00:21:30.26\00:21:32.04
in the girls faces again.
00:21:32.07\00:21:33.35
There were times they would
score fifteen goals unanswered.
00:21:34.57\00:21:38.12
They would start the game
on a 25 points to nothing tear
00:21:38.15\00:21:42.11
because the other
girls were not use to
00:21:42.14\00:21:44.58
David's unconventional approach.
00:21:44.91\00:21:48.24
And so you say, "Why
don't professional teams do it?"
00:21:49.35\00:21:51.70
Don't know.
00:21:51.95\00:21:52.95
For the same reason that
professional basketballers don't
00:21:52.96\00:21:55.28
throw free throws like this...
00:21:55.31\00:21:57.10
Anybody remember the basketball
player who use to throw
00:21:59.77\00:22:02.30
free throws like that?
00:22:02.33\00:22:03.34
Rick Barry.
00:22:03.84\00:22:04.97
And he had an
excellent scoring percentage.
00:22:05.47\00:22:07.70
But other basketball
players looked at Barry with the
00:22:07.73\00:22:10.57
granny shot and said,
"That's just not cool."
00:22:10.60\00:22:13.94
So they shoot like this because
it's cool, even though they're
00:22:14.76\00:22:17.14
not going to get the ball
in nearly as much of the time.
00:22:17.15\00:22:19.40
See, convention
doesn't always help.
00:22:19.94\00:22:22.52
You might need to
be unconventional.
00:22:22.55\00:22:24.26
Particularly when your
name is David and you are
00:22:24.29\00:22:27.62
up against Goliath.
00:22:27.65\00:22:29.42
Basketball is not war, no.
00:22:29.89\00:22:32.51
Some people would say it's
much more serious than that.
00:22:33.04\00:22:36.39
But it isn't war.
00:22:38.08\00:22:39.48
But it makes the point.
00:22:39.51\00:22:40.87
Ladies and
gentlemen, sometimes you are
00:22:41.30\00:22:42.98
up against a powerful foe.
00:22:43.01\00:22:44.50
And if you fight the
foe on the foe's terms,
00:22:44.53\00:22:46.48
you are going to lose.
00:22:46.49\00:22:48.61
Instead, you've got to think
about what your strengths are.
00:22:49.43\00:22:53.33
You've got to
play to your strengths.
00:22:54.28\00:22:55.94
You might need
to be maneuverable,
00:22:55.97\00:22:57.74
you might need to be responsive,
you might need to be agile.
00:22:57.77\00:23:01.09
And you are definitely,
definitely, definitely
00:23:01.12\00:23:05.16
going to have to have
what Gladwell called, attitude.
00:23:05.19\00:23:09.26
You're going to have to
have the right attitude.
00:23:09.59\00:23:11.92
Ladies and gentlemen,
we can learn from that.
00:23:11.95\00:23:14.58
Please, in your Bible, turn with
me to the book of Revelation.
00:23:14.61\00:23:17.02
In the book of Revelation,
we read about the big picture.
00:23:17.44\00:23:20.76
We read of the
great controversy that is
00:23:21.02\00:23:23.34
raging in this world.
00:23:23.37\00:23:24.50
You could call it the
great controversy between
00:23:24.53\00:23:27.58
good and evil, but that
would be slightly inaccurate.
00:23:27.61\00:23:29.89
That would be one step
away from where you need to be.
00:23:30.34\00:23:33.13
This is the great controversy
between Christ and Satan,
00:23:33.16\00:23:35.75
between Christ and Satan.
00:23:36.33\00:23:38.09
Satan, we'll get to
this in a moment, fell when
00:23:38.41\00:23:40.94
he was in heaven.
00:23:40.95\00:23:41.99
And he hates you.
00:23:42.00\00:23:43.53
And he hates you particularly
because you love God.
00:23:44.47\00:23:46.85
Even if you didn't love
God, he'd still hate you.
00:23:46.88\00:23:50.39
I'm amazed.
00:23:51.55\00:23:54.24
And every now and
then he does this;
00:23:54.55\00:23:56.88
Satan will bless his own.
00:23:56.91\00:23:58.50
But Satan even hates his own.
00:23:58.51\00:24:01.98
Isn't that something?
00:24:02.42\00:24:04.22
That's why he'll take someone
and get him or her hooked,
00:24:04.59\00:24:08.70
addicted, down
trodden, beaten down, and then
00:24:09.20\00:24:14.50
chew that person up
and spit him or her out.
00:24:14.53\00:24:17.35
You would think that
he'd want to bless people for
00:24:17.66\00:24:19.91
acting like
devils, but he doesn't.
00:24:19.94\00:24:21.68
Satan hates you
because God loves you,
00:24:22.60\00:24:25.51
because you were
made in the image of God.
00:24:25.54\00:24:27.34
So he hates us, he hates us.
00:24:27.48\00:24:29.50
And we read in
Revelation 12 and verse 12,
00:24:29.53\00:24:31.28
"Therefore rejoice ye heavens,
and ye that dwell in them."
00:24:31.29\00:24:34.42
The verse goes on to say, "Woe
to the inhabitants of the earth
00:24:34.58\00:24:37.87
and of the sea, for
the devil is come down
00:24:37.88\00:24:41.34
unto you having..." What?
00:24:41.37\00:24:42.94
"...great wrath."
00:24:43.50\00:24:44.59
What does that
word "wrath" mean?
00:24:44.62\00:24:45.76
It means what? Anger.
00:24:45.77\00:24:47.62
But he doesn't have anger.
00:24:47.65\00:24:48.92
He has what kind of anger?
00:24:48.95\00:24:50.51
Great anger, great wrath.
00:24:50.54\00:24:51.99
Why? Because he knows
that he only has a... What?
00:24:52.02\00:24:55.32
We are in an enemy, my
brothers and my sisters,
00:24:55.88\00:24:58.11
we are in an enemy
against an enemy that we are...
00:24:58.14\00:25:00.46
Not in an enemy,
we are in a warfare.
00:25:00.49\00:25:02.20
We are in a warfare against
an enemy that is bigger than us,
00:25:02.94\00:25:08.42
more powerful than
us, smarter than us.
00:25:08.43\00:25:13.12
If you've been alive
as long as the devil,
00:25:13.98\00:25:16.54
you have learned some things.
00:25:16.55\00:25:18.23
He's smart.
00:25:18.49\00:25:19.54
Now he's not smart
enough to surrender to Jesus.
00:25:20.35\00:25:23.44
But he's smart, he's clever.
00:25:24.18\00:25:25.62
If you want to match IQ's with
the devil, you are going to lose
00:25:25.65\00:25:28.55
no matter how
smart you think you are.
00:25:28.58\00:25:30.41
The Word of God tells us
we are caught in the midst
00:25:31.99\00:25:35.04
of a great controversy.
00:25:35.07\00:25:36.68
Long ago, Satan said
that he wanted to be like God.
00:25:38.26\00:25:40.90
How do we know? We
read it in Isaiah 14.
00:25:40.93\00:25:43.62
"I will be like the Most High."
00:25:43.64\00:25:45.63
He wanted to sit in God's place.
00:25:45.64\00:25:47.58
And so the misery we see in
the world today is caused by
00:25:48.64\00:25:51.43
an angry devil desperately
determined to receive on earth
00:25:51.44\00:25:55.62
the worship he was not
successful in getting when
00:25:56.24\00:25:58.66
he was in heaven.
00:25:58.69\00:26:00.16
When you read the story and
you get to the end of the story,
00:26:00.83\00:26:03.90
you discover Satan is
going to sweep the world away.
00:26:04.47\00:26:08.09
Look around.
00:26:08.12\00:26:09.24
He's doing a pretty good job.
00:26:09.27\00:26:10.96
Revelation chapter 13 says,
"All that dwell upon the earth
00:26:11.91\00:26:15.40
shall..." Do what?
00:26:15.43\00:26:16.67
You know it's so
interesting, isn't it?
00:26:17.68\00:26:19.42
It's so interesting.
00:26:19.68\00:26:21.14
The Bible doesn't say,
"All that dwell upon the earth
00:26:21.17\00:26:23.45
will follow him,"
even though it does say,
00:26:23.48\00:26:26.17
"All the world
wondered after the beast."
00:26:26.18\00:26:27.99
It says they'll go a
step further than following.
00:26:28.27\00:26:32.05
I mean, you might
be a republican or a
00:26:33.24\00:26:35.69
democrat or an independent.
00:26:35.70\00:26:36.77
You might be fixing to
vote later on this year
00:26:36.78\00:26:38.88
and you would say, "Well, I
want to follow President Obama,"
00:26:38.91\00:26:42.46
or "I want to follow
whoever is on the other side."
00:26:42.49\00:26:44.94
Romney most
likely, I don't know.
00:26:44.97\00:26:47.08
Or, "I'm going to
follow some independent."
00:26:47.67\00:26:50.57
But you're not going to
worship them, one might hope.
00:26:50.60\00:26:53.20
To follow is one thing. Right?
00:26:53.97\00:26:56.52
You might see someone
who's got a nice coat on
00:26:56.86\00:26:59.66
and you say, "I like that coat.
00:26:59.69\00:27:01.11
I'm going to get
one just like that."
00:27:01.14\00:27:02.62
You will follow
her or his example.
00:27:02.65\00:27:04.85
But that's not worship.
00:27:04.88\00:27:06.25
The Word of God
says, in the end of time
00:27:06.49\00:27:08.56
all the world will
worship the beast, bowing down,
00:27:08.59\00:27:13.50
yielding allegiance,
falling flat on their faces.
00:27:13.51\00:27:17.19
And I guess that's
symbolically speaking.
00:27:17.22\00:27:20.57
Everybody, except for a remnant,
00:27:20.60\00:27:24.30
the group whose names are
not written in the book of life
00:27:25.02\00:27:27.29
of the Lamb slain from
the foundation of the world.
00:27:27.32\00:27:29.17
Here we are in the time of the
end, and the controversy rages.
00:27:29.20\00:27:33.55
Heaven's final
judgment is taking place
00:27:33.93\00:27:36.59
and the controversy rages.
00:27:36.62\00:27:38.39
We do not have long.
00:27:38.42\00:27:40.87
Do you agree with me
that we don't have long?
00:27:40.90\00:27:42.46
We do not have long.
Look around the world.
00:27:42.95\00:27:44.73
Environmentally,
the world is groaning.
00:27:44.76\00:27:47.21
Some say it's falling apart.
00:27:47.24\00:27:49.54
I don't know what you
make of global warming.
00:27:49.57\00:27:51.64
But there's some crazy
things going on out there,
00:27:51.67\00:27:53.88
global warming or not.
00:27:53.91\00:27:55.28
The world seems to
be getting about...
00:27:56.06\00:27:59.45
Now I'm thankful
that in southern...
00:27:59.48\00:28:00.84
Can you believe this;
in southern California
00:28:01.04\00:28:02.99
the air quality is much better
than it was a generation ago.
00:28:03.02\00:28:06.09
Thank God I got to
southern California when I did.
00:28:06.81\00:28:09.12
So it's not all bad news.
00:28:10.61\00:28:11.76
But generally, globally.
00:28:11.77\00:28:13.61
We're cutting down the
rain forests and we're sending
00:28:13.91\00:28:16.66
pollution up into the air.
00:28:16.69\00:28:18.31
We are barely
managing to hold it together.
00:28:18.87\00:28:20.89
Economically, if you believe the
experts, the financial systems
00:28:20.92\00:28:23.96
of the world are being
held together with duct tape
00:28:23.99\00:28:27.06
and good intentions.
00:28:27.09\00:28:28.95
Morally, we are sinking.
00:28:29.46\00:28:31.49
Maybe morally we have sunk.
00:28:32.17\00:28:34.14
You cannot have
an opinion anymore,
00:28:34.15\00:28:37.66
if it is biblical and
traditional, without being
00:28:37.69\00:28:40.33
phobic or hateful or intolerant.
00:28:40.36\00:28:43.02
How did that happen?
00:28:43.05\00:28:44.81
I mean, you don't have
to be mean about people that
00:28:46.16\00:28:48.69
you think aren't
living a right lifestyle.
00:28:48.72\00:28:50.90
You don't have to, man.
00:28:50.93\00:28:51.97
God help us, there's so
many Christians who are mean
00:28:51.98\00:28:54.83
and hateful towards
people who are, what we would
00:28:54.86\00:28:57.97
consider, not living right.
00:28:58.00\00:28:59.15
Man, you don't
have to agree with them,
00:28:59.96\00:29:01.39
but you don't have to hate them.
00:29:01.42\00:29:02.47
However, you
can't even disagree now,
00:29:02.49\00:29:07.50
you can't even
have an opinion now,
00:29:09.47\00:29:11.99
without being labeled a hater.
00:29:12.60\00:29:14.88
That's where we
are, that's where we are.
00:29:15.53\00:29:18.07
Socially, if you want to look
at how bad off we are socially,
00:29:19.90\00:29:24.32
you don't have to get down to
the impoverished part of town.
00:29:25.27\00:29:28.16
You just need to look
at how people are behaving
00:29:28.19\00:29:30.18
during the election cycle.
00:29:30.21\00:29:31.74
It seems as though when
we're campaigning to lead the
00:29:33.33\00:29:37.68
free world, it brings
out the very worst in people.
00:29:37.71\00:29:41.25
Jerry Springer proved
long ago, people can lose their
00:29:41.88\00:29:44.48
sense of shame pretty quickly.
00:29:44.49\00:29:46.48
Religiously, Babylon is
sharpening her claws and
00:29:47.26\00:29:49.68
getting ready to
swoop, getting ready to
00:29:49.69\00:29:51.87
come in for the kill.
00:29:51.90\00:29:53.37
The churches in the
world are in a perilous state.
00:29:53.40\00:29:57.55
That's not to say
God doesn't have some
00:29:57.82\00:29:59.41
might fine people in them.
00:29:59.42\00:30:00.57
Revelation chapter 18 depicts
God, quotes God as saying,
00:30:00.60\00:30:04.74
"Come out of
her..." Who? "...My people."
00:30:04.77\00:30:07.75
So before we write everybody
off, let's remember that
00:30:07.78\00:30:10.26
the majority of God's people
are in churches that you would
00:30:10.29\00:30:15.08
consider aren't following
all of the Word of God.
00:30:15.11\00:30:18.04
But there's a reason
they've got to come out.
00:30:18.61\00:30:20.70
They come out because the
churches are drifting further
00:30:21.04\00:30:23.54
and further and
further away from God's ideal.
00:30:23.57\00:30:28.96
I had to laugh when I found
out a fellow in Michigan was
00:30:30.17\00:30:33.06
deciding, he was a
pastor, trying to figure out
00:30:33.09\00:30:35.73
how to reach his community.
00:30:35.74\00:30:36.74
He said, "I know what I'll do.
00:30:36.75\00:30:37.75
I'll start up a
tattooing shop in the church."
00:30:37.76\00:30:43.15
Alright.
00:30:45.70\00:30:46.76
Suppose to have the
Word of God in our heart.
00:30:47.07\00:30:48.70
You can come to
church and leave with the
00:30:48.73\00:30:50.00
Word of God in your skin.
00:30:50.03\00:30:51.52
I guess that's a
pretty frivolous example.
00:30:52.84\00:30:54.91
But I'm thinking
that's not God's plan A.
00:30:54.94\00:30:57.65
You think that's right?
00:30:57.68\00:30:58.66
Now friends, the fact
that there are churches
00:30:59.98\00:31:02.15
that we can see that we
would figure are drifting,
00:31:02.18\00:31:03.84
that fact that we can
see in Christianity a drift,
00:31:03.87\00:31:06.40
doesn't mean that
lets us off the hook.
00:31:06.50\00:31:08.87
We have learned, in fact,
many of us have learned to be
00:31:08.90\00:31:11.53
so faithful to God,
we don't even smile.
00:31:11.56\00:31:13.94
We are so faithful to God,
we've forgotten how to be nice.
00:31:16.59\00:31:19.80
So dedicated to truth,
like it's an abstract concept,
00:31:20.42\00:31:25.19
that we have forgotten
the real truth is Jesus.
00:31:25.20\00:31:28.84
So preoccupied with right
and wrong we can forget that
00:31:29.45\00:31:32.82
there are people involved.
00:31:32.85\00:31:34.45
People who need to be
loved and cared about.
00:31:34.46\00:31:36.19
People who need to be
helped up more than they
00:31:36.22\00:31:39.03
need to be helped out.
00:31:39.06\00:31:40.28
I'm convinced,
friend, we don't have long.
00:31:41.12\00:31:42.82
The Bible says so.
00:31:42.85\00:31:43.86
It seems that the only
sign left to be fulfilled is
00:31:43.89\00:31:47.99
the one that said the
whole world is going to
00:31:48.00\00:31:49.87
hear the gospel message.
00:31:49.90\00:31:51.04
And that sign is
being fulfilled as we speak.
00:31:52.10\00:31:56.83
Literally, as we speak.
00:31:56.86\00:31:58.87
The great controversy is being
carried on down through time.
00:31:58.90\00:32:01.41
It's coming to a head down here.
00:32:01.44\00:32:02.62
Satan, the master conspirator,
has set this world up
00:32:02.65\00:32:05.60
so that there's
nothing left for it to do but
00:32:05.63\00:32:07.70
fall over completely.
00:32:07.73\00:32:10.14
We are down here
in earth's last days.
00:32:10.82\00:32:13.22
The controversy comes to a head.
00:32:13.25\00:32:15.01
God is not asleep
at the wheel, however.
00:32:15.04\00:32:19.53
While Satan works...
00:32:20.31\00:32:21.62
I had somebody say
to me not very long ago,
00:32:21.65\00:32:24.11
"We don't need to talk about
the devil and give him credit."
00:32:24.14\00:32:26.19
"Brother, I read
how the story ends."
00:32:29.63\00:32:31.60
Talk about the devil
until you're blue in the face,
00:32:32.67\00:32:34.52
but if you read
Ezekiel chapter 28
00:32:34.55\00:32:36.23
and Revelation
chapter 20, the devil ends up
00:32:36.26\00:32:38.05
burning into ashes.
00:32:38.08\00:32:39.47
I don't think
discussing what Satan is doing
00:32:40.65\00:32:42.31
is giving him much credit.
00:32:42.34\00:32:43.64
Unless you think that
burning in the end of time
00:32:44.21\00:32:46.15
is a bit of credit.
00:32:46.18\00:32:47.18
Down here in the end of
time, God is not asleep.
00:32:48.02\00:32:51.97
God is at work.
00:32:52.80\00:32:55.39
And what's He doing?
00:32:55.42\00:32:57.04
God is busy raising up
a group of people who will
00:32:57.07\00:33:00.29
refute Satan's charges.
00:33:00.32\00:33:02.87
Satan said, "God is a liar."
00:33:03.54\00:33:05.54
Satan said that to
Adam and Eve in the garden,
00:33:05.57\00:33:07.75
"God doesn't want you to have
that fruit because if you do,
00:33:07.78\00:33:10.94
you'll be advantaged.
00:33:10.97\00:33:12.08
And God doesn't want
you experiencing advantages.
00:33:12.11\00:33:14.62
Consider God to be cruel."
00:33:14.63\00:33:16.49
Satan has done
nothing but lie about God,
00:33:17.73\00:33:19.51
and lie about God's people.
00:33:19.54\00:33:20.80
But God is raising up a people
who will be faithful to God
00:33:20.81\00:33:24.69
in the most difficult period
in the history of the cosmos.
00:33:24.72\00:33:31.54
Friend, I want you to think
about what God is calling us to
00:33:32.52\00:33:34.97
in the time of the end.
00:33:35.00\00:33:36.22
The world wonders
after the beast, we are told.
00:33:36.53\00:33:40.06
But on the other
side of the page,
00:33:40.09\00:33:41.91
literally, literally on
the other side of the page,
00:33:43.73\00:33:48.06
God has a people who do not
receive the mark of the beast,
00:33:48.09\00:33:51.50
but instead are
sealed with the seal of God.
00:33:51.53\00:33:54.11
Say it with me, "Here is
the patience of the saints,
00:33:54.14\00:33:58.05
here are they that..."
00:33:58.06\00:33:59.40
And what?
00:34:01.08\00:34:02.08
"..and the faith of Jesus."
00:34:02.38\00:34:04.02
While Satan is working,
while it looks like the last
00:34:04.05\00:34:07.19
drops of decency are
going to slip down the plug hole
00:34:07.22\00:34:10.14
of this world, God
is raising up a people.
00:34:10.15\00:34:14.16
We are to go to
earth's remotest bounds
00:34:14.19\00:34:16.26
calling people to embrace
Christ and the love of Christ,
00:34:16.29\00:34:19.05
calling people to remember that
grace is more powerful than sin,
00:34:19.08\00:34:23.82
calling people to remember
that God's ability to lift
00:34:23.85\00:34:26.54
a person up is greater
than Satan's ability to
00:34:26.57\00:34:29.49
pull a person down.
00:34:29.52\00:34:30.92
I don't know someone who
has not fallen along the way.
00:34:31.58\00:34:35.15
We are faulty.
00:34:35.18\00:34:36.84
But we celebrate God's grace
and we revel in His ability
00:34:36.87\00:34:41.93
to make us into what
we cannot make ourselves.
00:34:41.96\00:34:46.29
There is a
destination we are heading to,
00:34:46.32\00:34:49.06
ladies and gentlemen.
00:34:49.09\00:34:50.17
We aren't on a
train bound for no place.
00:34:51.01\00:34:53.42
We are heading for something.
00:34:53.98\00:34:56.10
And that is, let's keep
it straight here, we are
00:34:56.11\00:34:59.00
heading for a date with
the seal of the living God.
00:34:59.03\00:35:02.26
Now I don't want
you to think I'm getting
00:35:03.83\00:35:05.11
the cart before the horse.
00:35:05.14\00:35:06.17
The destination is
Jesus. That's true, that's true.
00:35:06.20\00:35:08.54
Not a belief
system, not a doctrine,
00:35:09.29\00:35:10.95
not an idea, but a Person.
00:35:10.98\00:35:12.51
The destination for
the Christian is Christ.
00:35:12.54\00:35:14.91
But I have a thought.
00:35:16.01\00:35:17.24
If you don't really understand
what Jesus wants to do in
00:35:17.92\00:35:20.31
your life, you might never get
to where Jesus wants you to be.
00:35:20.34\00:35:23.05
If you're a pilot, you don't
say that the aim is flying.
00:35:23.66\00:35:26.63
The aim is the destination.
00:35:27.34\00:35:28.92
You're going to get there
via the flying, that's correct.
00:35:28.95\00:35:31.93
But if you don't understand
the destination and your
00:35:32.36\00:35:34.46
coordinates are
off by a degree...
00:35:34.47\00:35:35.87
You know, when I was a
boy growing up in New Zealand,
00:35:35.90\00:35:38.51
I road my bicycle down to
Mr. Farrow's stationers shop.
00:35:39.81\00:35:42.53
That's where I
picked up the newspapers.
00:35:42.56\00:35:44.09
I was a paper boy and I
went and delivered newspapers.
00:35:44.12\00:35:46.71
And early in the
morning, we'd go down there and
00:35:46.74\00:35:48.93
he would open the shop
about a quarter to six.
00:35:48.96\00:35:50.93
And we'd get our
newspapers and we'd go.
00:35:50.96\00:35:53.20
And I arrived one morning
and Mr. Farrow looked ashen.
00:35:53.40\00:35:57.07
Now this man, he had the
disposition of a librarian.
00:35:57.08\00:36:00.11
I don't say that unkindly.
00:36:00.14\00:36:01.28
He was a very sober looking
fellow and a very responsible
00:36:01.31\00:36:04.54
kind of a man.
00:36:04.57\00:36:05.62
And he was a
pillar in the community.
00:36:05.65\00:36:07.43
And when we arrived that
morning, he looked ashen.
00:36:07.46\00:36:10.59
In fact, I
thought I smelled alcohol.
00:36:10.60\00:36:13.37
I don't know if I did or not,
but there was something weird.
00:36:14.54\00:36:16.73
And he looked
like he'd seen a ghost.
00:36:17.38\00:36:19.36
And then I
discovered what had happened.
00:36:20.60\00:36:22.51
We'd just found out as
a nation that an airplane
00:36:23.78\00:36:27.48
that had taken off from
New Zealand had just flown
00:36:27.51\00:36:29.62
into the side of a mountain
in Antarctica, Mount Erebus.
00:36:29.65\00:36:33.05
You've never heard of
it, but every New Zealander,
00:36:33.08\00:36:34.70
it is imprinted
on our consciousness.
00:36:34.73\00:36:37.52
Imprinted. Mount Erebus.
00:36:37.55\00:36:39.56
The plane was flying, people
were on a flight seeing trip.
00:36:39.59\00:36:41.78
And suddenly the pilot,
or maybe the plane, said,
00:36:42.86\00:36:45.41
"Pull up, pull up."
00:36:45.42\00:36:46.43
And some sirens sounded.
00:36:46.46\00:36:47.60
And so they tried to pull
up but all the did was they
00:36:47.61\00:36:50.06
managed to smear the
aircraft and its occupants,
00:36:50.07\00:36:53.92
266 or 267, 260 some of them,
along the side of the mountain.
00:36:53.95\00:37:00.89
They were flying in
white out conditions.
00:37:01.92\00:37:03.13
They couldn't see
where they were going.
00:37:03.16\00:37:04.48
You know why?
00:37:04.92\00:37:05.96
Because when they
programmed the computer,
00:37:05.99\00:37:07.85
the coordinates were off.
00:37:08.14\00:37:10.03
They programmed it to fly
into the side of a mountain.
00:37:12.11\00:37:15.00
Someone made a
mistake, a costly mistake.
00:37:15.85\00:37:17.94
If the coordinates are off a
little bit, you're not going to
00:37:18.34\00:37:20.46
make it to where you want to go.
00:37:20.49\00:37:22.05
God wants us to be so immersed
in Jesus down here in the
00:37:23.11\00:37:26.74
time of the end, so immersed
in Jesus in the midst of this
00:37:26.77\00:37:30.12
great controversy, that we
know that Christ is going to
00:37:30.14\00:37:34.52
work in our lives to
get us right to where
00:37:34.55\00:37:36.74
He wants us to be.
00:37:36.77\00:37:38.60
To the measure of the stature
of the fullness of Christ.
00:37:38.89\00:37:42.29
Not marked with the beasts mark,
but sealed with God's seal.
00:37:42.32\00:37:46.80
As we are sealed and
given and yielded, it is then
00:37:46.83\00:37:52.23
that it is
demonstrated Satan is a liar,
00:37:52.26\00:37:55.34
and God in this
great controversy is true.
00:37:55.82\00:37:58.53
Our attitude, our
approach, is important.
00:37:58.56\00:38:00.62
The foe is mightier than we.
00:38:00.65\00:38:02.17
If we will learn to
play to our strengths,
00:38:02.57\00:38:04.73
we can triumph in this
thing even though we are
00:38:06.98\00:38:09.26
David and not Goliath.
00:38:09.29\00:38:11.46
Remember what
David said to Goliath?
00:38:11.49\00:38:13.59
I'm going to read it to you.
00:38:13.60\00:38:14.60
Here's what David said
to Goliath, I love this.
00:38:14.61\00:38:16.55
It helps our
focus, helps our focus.
00:38:16.58\00:38:19.13
What is our strength?
00:38:19.43\00:38:20.45
Remember, we've got
to play to our strength.
00:38:20.48\00:38:22.12
What's our strength?
00:38:22.15\00:38:23.38
David knew what
his strength was.
00:38:23.41\00:38:25.06
His strength
wasn't his right arm.
00:38:25.09\00:38:26.98
Or maybe he was left
handed. I don't know.
00:38:27.01\00:38:28.46
His strength wasn't
the cut of the leather
00:38:28.72\00:38:30.94
that the sling was made out of.
00:38:30.97\00:38:32.20
His strength wasn't the stones,
nor was it his marksmanship.
00:38:32.21\00:38:35.41
He described his strength
when he said to Goliath,
00:38:36.64\00:38:38.83
"You come to me with a
sword and with a shield,
00:38:38.86\00:38:41.73
but I come to thee in the
name of the Lord of hosts,
00:38:42.01\00:38:46.48
the God of the
armies of Israel."
00:38:46.51\00:38:49.21
Friend, the name of the
Lord of hosts is our strength.
00:38:49.51\00:38:52.09
The God of the armies
of Israel is our strength.
00:38:52.12\00:38:55.10
Our strength in the
time of the end is Jesus.
00:38:55.13\00:38:58.36
"Here are they that keep
the commandments of God,"
00:38:58.39\00:39:00.42
ah, "and the faith of Jesus."
00:39:00.45\00:39:03.57
Faith in Christ,
a living breathing,
00:39:03.60\00:39:06.34
moment by moment connection.
00:39:06.37\00:39:07.72
A surrender to him.
00:39:07.73\00:39:09.74
Praying without ceasing.
00:39:09.77\00:39:12.04
Living by every word that
proceeds from the mouth of God.
00:39:13.10\00:39:18.42
If we will have the right
attitude, wholly leaning on
00:39:18.95\00:39:23.12
Jesus' name, then we
will experience the power of
00:39:23.15\00:39:26.70
Christ's aptitude coursing its
way through our spiritual veins.
00:39:26.73\00:39:32.58
God is trustworthy.
00:39:32.88\00:39:34.31
God is good. God is love.
00:39:34.34\00:39:35.91
We can know that,
and we need to know that.
00:39:35.94\00:39:37.70
The world needs to know that.
00:39:38.00\00:39:39.62
You can believe
the lies if you want.
00:39:39.65\00:39:42.76
But if you taste, you
will see that the Lord is good.
00:39:43.15\00:39:48.49
You know, Satan knows that.
00:39:49.53\00:39:50.66
It's one of the
reasons he misrepresents God.
00:39:50.69\00:39:52.68
He might not be able to
get you on some of this,
00:39:53.35\00:39:55.14
but he's wrapping up
the world pretty quickly.
00:39:55.17\00:39:57.46
You know, you can think about
how Satan misrepresents God.
00:39:58.94\00:40:06.08
He's got
theologians all over the world
00:40:06.11\00:40:08.74
who are inventing new
ways to misrepresent God.
00:40:10.32\00:40:13.43
I don't know if I've told you
this already since I was here.
00:40:16.31\00:40:18.21
Maybe.
00:40:18.22\00:40:19.22
I met a lady
once who was a witch.
00:40:20.49\00:40:22.42
A real one.
00:40:22.85\00:40:23.90
They exist, you know.
00:40:25.04\00:40:26.38
And she was a witch
because when she went to church,
00:40:27.12\00:40:30.77
the preacher would talk about
a God who would burn people
00:40:30.80\00:40:33.79
in hell forever.
00:40:33.89\00:40:35.04
Now I don't know if you
know how long forever is.
00:40:36.16\00:40:38.03
You probably don't,
but take it from me;
00:40:38.06\00:40:39.74
it's a mighty long time.
00:40:40.14\00:40:41.50
And the longer she
thought about this God who would
00:40:43.30\00:40:45.29
burn people forever, the
more she realized she didn't
00:40:45.32\00:40:47.61
want to have Him in her life.
00:40:47.64\00:40:49.06
She figured she'd be
better off without Him.
00:40:49.09\00:40:50.67
And so she left Christianity
all together and became a witch.
00:40:51.72\00:40:54.42
This false teaching,
which has made more atheists
00:40:56.19\00:40:58.58
out of people than any other
false teaching I can think of,
00:40:58.61\00:41:00.98
was invented by the devil so
that in the great controversy
00:41:01.94\00:41:05.13
masses of people
would say, "Who would want
00:41:05.16\00:41:07.18
to worship a God like that?"
00:41:07.21\00:41:08.83
And there are unbelievers
who think believers are fools
00:41:09.58\00:41:11.82
because we bother with
a God who would do that.
00:41:11.85\00:41:13.93
We don't bother with
a God who would do that.
00:41:14.53\00:41:16.14
He wouldn't do that.
00:41:16.17\00:41:17.61
I talked to somebody
about this once and he said,
00:41:18.58\00:41:20.69
"God can do whatever He wants."
00:41:21.11\00:41:22.48
I agree, I agree.
00:41:22.51\00:41:23.75
But there are some
things God does not want to do.
00:41:23.78\00:41:25.68
What kind of a father
wants to burn his children
00:41:26.15\00:41:28.16
forever and ever and ever?
00:41:28.19\00:41:29.65
It makes no... Come on, man.
00:41:29.68\00:41:31.20
Think about this in the
context of the big picture.
00:41:32.04\00:41:33.99
When God began this
thing, He had a perfect world.
00:41:34.00\00:41:37.09
There were no cesspools.
00:41:37.12\00:41:38.30
I grew up in a large
yard, we had a big backyard.
00:41:38.33\00:41:42.82
And dad always
had a compost heap.
00:41:42.85\00:41:44.71
Always.
00:41:44.74\00:41:46.32
If you spend time around...
00:41:46.33\00:41:48.41
And it wasn't a silage heap.
00:41:48.44\00:41:49.70
But if you spend time around
farms, you can get to the place
00:41:49.73\00:41:52.21
where you even
enjoy the smell of silage.
00:41:52.22\00:41:54.23
You can get use to it.
00:41:55.86\00:41:56.91
But the truth of the
matter is, a compose heap,
00:41:58.27\00:41:59.96
that's where stuff rots.
00:41:59.99\00:42:01.83
Nasty, really,
when you think about it.
00:42:02.37\00:42:04.38
You think God is going to
have a universe throughout
00:42:05.59\00:42:09.97
eternity that's got some
old cesspool compost heap
00:42:10.00\00:42:13.53
on it some place?
00:42:13.56\00:42:14.72
You think God is
going to have a perfect
00:42:15.40\00:42:16.96
universe except for one...
00:42:16.97\00:42:18.00
It just doesn't even make sense.
00:42:18.03\00:42:19.85
There's no way you
can stack this thing up.
00:42:20.44\00:42:22.05
God's not going to
have a beautiful universe
00:42:22.08\00:42:23.85
except for over there.
00:42:23.86\00:42:25.51
Fly over there and you can
still hear grandma squealing.
00:42:25.54\00:42:28.16
You don't want that.
00:42:28.19\00:42:29.62
Rotten teaching.
00:42:30.73\00:42:32.20
God the tyrant,
worse than Hitler.
00:42:32.56\00:42:34.77
You can look at other
false teachings of the Bible.
00:42:35.65\00:42:37.42
The idea that when you
die, you go straight here
00:42:37.45\00:42:39.15
or straight there,
straight some place.
00:42:39.18\00:42:41.00
And if you do, if
you do, Jesus is a liar.
00:42:41.51\00:42:44.73
Because He said that He was
the resurrection and the life.
00:42:44.76\00:42:47.10
But it means that you can
get to heaven without Jesus.
00:42:47.57\00:42:49.96
That's what it means.
00:42:49.97\00:42:50.97
You can get to
heaven without Jesus.
00:42:51.26\00:42:53.18
When you die, you're just
going to wing your way there.
00:42:53.21\00:42:55.67
No resurrection necessary.
00:42:55.70\00:42:57.47
Isn't that something.
00:42:57.48\00:42:58.86
I was taught as a child
you can come to the priest
00:43:00.16\00:43:02.99
and confess your sins.
00:43:03.02\00:43:04.82
I'm glad I don't have a
bad word to say about the
00:43:05.12\00:43:07.22
priests in our church.
00:43:07.23\00:43:08.24
They were good
men as far as I knew.
00:43:08.25\00:43:09.75
Good men, good fellows,
00:43:09.78\00:43:11.97
but not God.
00:43:12.73\00:43:13.97
And here we were encouraged,
"Go to confession, go to..."
00:43:15.33\00:43:17.65
I wrestled with that.
00:43:17.66\00:43:18.78
As a child I wrestled with that.
00:43:18.88\00:43:21.29
And it's not just
that the teaching is wrong,
00:43:22.25\00:43:24.46
it's not just
that it's unbiblical.
00:43:24.49\00:43:26.15
But in the great controversy,
it paints a bad picture of God.
00:43:26.18\00:43:30.01
In the great
controversy, it says you can get
00:43:31.40\00:43:33.38
to heaven your way, without
taking your sins to Jesus.
00:43:33.41\00:43:37.11
You see what the devil has done?
00:43:37.14\00:43:39.47
He doesn't just flood the
world with false teaching.
00:43:39.48\00:43:41.58
I mean, listen, there are
all kinds of people who believe
00:43:41.61\00:43:43.97
all kinds of crazy things.
00:43:44.00\00:43:45.33
It's likely that some of your
doctrinal positions are wrong.
00:43:45.64\00:43:48.53
I'm talking about little stuff.
00:43:48.54\00:43:49.79
We would have
differences of opinions among
00:43:50.09\00:43:52.20
ourselves on certain things.
00:43:52.23\00:43:53.29
And we're not all going to be
right about every last detail.
00:43:53.32\00:43:55.35
You know what I mean?
00:43:55.38\00:43:56.43
I don't want you
to misunderstand me
00:43:56.94\00:43:58.05
when I say that.
00:43:58.06\00:43:59.09
There are some
details that we differ on.
00:43:59.12\00:44:00.98
That's fine, that's alright.
00:44:01.01\00:44:03.45
Often, there's no harm intended.
00:44:03.48\00:44:06.07
And that's true
throughout Christianity.
00:44:06.10\00:44:07.44
But Satan intends harm.
00:44:07.54\00:44:09.71
And you might be
wondering your way through life
00:44:10.58\00:44:12.90
doing what you think is best.
00:44:12.93\00:44:14.53
Satan is trying
to drag you down.
00:44:14.56\00:44:17.08
He'll tell you the ten
commandments don't matter.
00:44:17.11\00:44:19.28
Which is the same as
telling you God doesn't matter,
00:44:19.94\00:44:22.00
because they represent Him.
00:44:22.03\00:44:23.42
He'll tell you that you're body
is not the temple of the Holy...
00:44:24.43\00:44:26.59
Hang on a minute.
00:44:26.62\00:44:27.66
Let's talk about that
for a moment, shall we.
00:44:28.31\00:44:30.08
Friends, we need to be serious
about some of these things
00:44:32.22\00:44:34.07
because we're living
in the time of the end,
00:44:34.10\00:44:35.54
in the time of the end.
00:44:36.23\00:44:38.55
John wrote, "I wish above
all things that you may prosper
00:44:38.58\00:44:40.99
and be in health, even
as your soul prospers."
00:44:41.02\00:44:43.04
Satan says, "If it
smells good, eat it.
00:44:43.34\00:44:45.26
If it tastes good, pig out.
00:44:45.29\00:44:47.39
Why stop?
00:44:47.95\00:44:49.08
They've got a
pill for that now."
00:44:49.11\00:44:51.52
I love these TV commercials,
"Got heartburn? Take a pill."
00:44:52.72\00:44:57.89
The commercial
should say, "Got heart burn?
00:44:59.80\00:45:03.34
Stop eating that
junk you're eating."
00:45:03.37\00:45:05.26
That's what it should say.
00:45:06.93\00:45:08.03
"Take a pill."
00:45:09.09\00:45:10.17
"Ah, good, I can keep
on eating my Big Mac's.
00:45:10.20\00:45:12.49
I've just got to take a pill."
00:45:12.52\00:45:13.79
Sure.
00:45:14.79\00:45:15.97
You know, John wrote
that good health gives you
00:45:16.80\00:45:22.08
a spiritual advantage.
00:45:22.11\00:45:23.11
That's what he said.
00:45:24.16\00:45:25.17
Friend, we need
every advantage we can get.
00:45:26.20\00:45:29.05
We're in a great controversy.
00:45:29.06\00:45:30.34
A bunch of 12 year old girls
go out on a basketball court
00:45:31.09\00:45:33.66
trying to figure out
how to beat these big girls
00:45:33.69\00:45:35.54
who knew
basketball front and back.
00:45:35.57\00:45:38.25
They said, "We
need every advantage."
00:45:38.85\00:45:40.84
And so they played
to their strengths.
00:45:40.87\00:45:42.34
A strength God has given
us is the truth that our body
00:45:42.37\00:45:45.80
is the temple
of the Holy Spirit.
00:45:45.83\00:45:47.75
Now if you think I'm meddling;
00:45:48.16\00:45:49.50
that's alright, I am.
00:45:50.96\00:45:52.43
I'm meddling.
00:45:52.46\00:45:53.53
But I'm meddling
for your own good.
00:45:53.93\00:45:55.06
You know what? I read
a headline the other day.
00:45:55.09\00:45:56.69
"Red meat raises
chance of dying young."
00:45:57.44\00:46:01.47
You know, in Europe
they've got cigarette packets.
00:46:03.92\00:46:06.07
And on them, they've got
pictures of lungs that are
00:46:06.10\00:46:09.07
getting eaten up
by cancer and stuff.
00:46:09.10\00:46:10.96
Lungs with tumors on them.
00:46:11.21\00:46:12.61
I wonder if they shouldn't put
some warning like that on the
00:46:13.51\00:46:16.24
side of roast beef when they're
selling it at a butcher store.
00:46:16.34\00:46:20.08
Show someone who's on a hospital
bed who just had some kind of
00:46:21.38\00:46:25.29
cardiac arrest.
00:46:25.30\00:46:26.55
It's in the
news, man. L.A. Times.
00:46:27.57\00:46:30.19
I'm not talking
about the Podunk Herald.
00:46:30.22\00:46:32.21
L.A. Times.
00:46:32.24\00:46:33.77
"All red meat is bad for you."
00:46:33.80\00:46:37.32
And some of our people
think we are critical when
00:46:43.76\00:46:45.52
we talk about health.
00:46:45.55\00:46:46.62
Now it's true, it's true, you
won't eat your way into heaven.
00:46:47.19\00:46:50.78
And there are some people who
are a little too sanctimonious
00:46:51.68\00:46:54.30
about their garlic consumption.
00:46:54.33\00:46:55.63
They want the
whole world to know
00:46:55.66\00:46:58.19
how much garlic they eat.
00:46:58.67\00:47:00.95
Garlic is good for you,
man, but there are some things
00:47:03.97\00:47:05.67
you need to keep to yourself.
00:47:05.70\00:47:07.02
Let that light
shine under a bushel.
00:47:09.52\00:47:11.33
But while you won't
eat your way into heaven,
00:47:13.61\00:47:15.48
there's a chance you
could eat your way out.
00:47:15.49\00:47:17.23
That's the truth.
00:47:17.73\00:47:18.82
Olympic games
later on this year.
00:47:19.02\00:47:20.58
I haven't met one Olympian
who's doing his or her training
00:47:20.61\00:47:23.89
at Krispy Kreme.
00:47:23.90\00:47:25.07
Okay, I haven't
met one Olympian.
00:47:26.47\00:47:28.26
But if I had, I wouldn't
have met one who's doing their
00:47:28.29\00:47:31.19
training at Krispy Kreme.
00:47:31.22\00:47:32.71
You know, during
the New York marathon
00:47:32.74\00:47:34.39
they had these drink tables.
00:47:34.41\00:47:35.52
And they grab the little
cup of drink and they learn
00:47:35.55\00:47:37.22
to drink on the run.
00:47:37.23\00:47:38.23
It's not 7-Up in
the drink contains.
00:47:38.26\00:47:40.87
It's water.
00:47:41.63\00:47:42.70
They're putting
the good stuff in.
00:47:43.10\00:47:44.38
Now don't misunderstand me.
00:47:44.41\00:47:45.53
There's room for an
occasional indulgence.
00:47:45.59\00:47:47.89
You can get so stiff,
man, that all you want to do
00:47:47.92\00:47:50.16
is eat crackers
and lettuce leaves.
00:47:50.17\00:47:52.81
You don't need to be like that.
00:47:52.82\00:47:53.87
You can enjoy some
things in your diet.
00:47:53.90\00:47:56.23
But what I'm telling you
is that we are in the midst
00:47:57.16\00:47:58.81
of a great controversy out here.
00:47:58.82\00:48:00.38
And when you are under
heat of a time of trouble
00:48:00.94\00:48:03.40
such as never was
since there was a nation,
00:48:03.42\00:48:05.21
you are not going to be
crying out to God and saying,
00:48:05.24\00:48:07.59
"Oh God, I wish I'd
eaten more chocolate cake."
00:48:07.62\00:48:11.05
You won't be doing that.
00:48:11.08\00:48:12.11
You'll be saying, "Lord,
it's too late for me now to
00:48:12.45\00:48:14.35
gain some spiritual
advantages that I might have
00:48:14.38\00:48:16.85
gained back then."
00:48:16.88\00:48:18.39
There's coming a time when
we will need every advantage
00:48:18.42\00:48:21.30
that we can.
00:48:21.33\00:48:23.23
Instead, we're
fogging our minds, man.
00:48:23.26\00:48:25.79
I grew up in the
Waikato in New Zealand.
00:48:25.82\00:48:27.90
Foggy place. Big river.
00:48:27.93\00:48:30.00
I use to be on the
river doing my paper run
00:48:30.03\00:48:31.96
and watch the fog
roll down the river.
00:48:31.97\00:48:34.64
Fog all over the place.
00:48:35.10\00:48:36.30
I can't tell you how many
times I drove down the road at
00:48:36.33\00:48:38.68
fifteen miles an hour.
00:48:38.71\00:48:39.84
All I could see was the white
line on the side of the road.
00:48:39.87\00:48:43.16
It was like a lifeline.
00:48:43.17\00:48:45.12
You just wanted
the fog to clear.
00:48:45.15\00:48:47.37
Jesus gave us the health message
so that the fog would clear
00:48:48.06\00:48:51.46
and so you could, man,
you'd see spiritually for miles.
00:48:52.44\00:48:56.06
You don't have to go
along pecking at the ground like
00:48:56.09\00:48:58.66
a chicken when you
can fly like an eagle.
00:48:58.69\00:49:01.13
God gave us these advantages.
00:49:01.23\00:49:02.94
It reminds me of something.
00:49:03.18\00:49:04.18
When a ship gets into a storm,
the captain will sometimes
00:49:04.21\00:49:06.47
give orders to toss overboard
everything that's not needed.
00:49:06.50\00:49:09.43
At least they use to.
00:49:09.46\00:49:10.44
Back there in Acts
chapter 27, Paul is on a ship.
00:49:11.11\00:49:13.67
The ship is in a storm.
00:49:13.70\00:49:15.12
The Word of God says,
"The ship was being exceeding
00:49:15.15\00:49:19.03
tossed with a tempest.
00:49:19.06\00:49:20.32
So the next day they lightened
the ship, and with their
00:49:20.35\00:49:22.15
own hands they cast out
the tackling of the ship."
00:49:22.16\00:49:24.71
Now the tackling was
important, but right then
00:49:24.72\00:49:26.72
they didn't need it.
00:49:26.75\00:49:27.78
And so they got rid of it.
00:49:28.32\00:49:30.38
They got rid of everything
but that which was essential.
00:49:30.39\00:49:35.09
The day is coming for us.
00:49:36.39\00:49:37.92
I can't tell you just
what it's going to look like,
00:49:38.64\00:49:40.59
but I can tell you
that if we believe,
00:49:40.62\00:49:42.11
we need every advantage.
00:49:42.14\00:49:43.56
Then we're going to
start taking some steps
00:49:43.57\00:49:45.50
to get out of our lives
the stuff that isn't essential.
00:49:45.53\00:49:48.38
Some of us are going to sink
under the weight of our stuff.
00:49:48.41\00:49:52.55
Time to get rid of it.
00:49:53.14\00:49:54.28
I'm not trying to talk to
you about just what exactly.
00:49:54.31\00:49:56.89
You figure it out.
00:49:56.92\00:49:58.61
You pray, and God will tell you.
00:49:58.64\00:50:00.40
There's a time of trouble
coming such as never was.
00:50:00.75\00:50:03.10
Better to lose some
stuff and save your vessel
00:50:03.13\00:50:05.94
than keep your
stuff and sink entirely.
00:50:06.52\00:50:09.20
In Proverbs, we read a
verse that ought to sober us up.
00:50:09.23\00:50:12.08
Proverbs 4:23, "Keep thy
heart with all diligence,
00:50:12.11\00:50:17.31
for out of it are
the issues of life."
00:50:17.32\00:50:19.22
Not just
diligence, but all diligence.
00:50:19.25\00:50:21.55
Keep your heart, keep your mind.
00:50:21.58\00:50:23.25
Protect it, preserve it, look
after it with all diligence.
00:50:23.26\00:50:27.17
The margin says,
keep it with all keeping.
00:50:27.20\00:50:30.08
You know, in this battle
we call the great controversy,
00:50:31.68\00:50:34.77
There is a pressing
need to keep the mind.
00:50:35.29\00:50:38.43
Because, after all,
we're in a battle for the mind.
00:50:38.46\00:50:41.81
The mark of the
beast is put into the minds
00:50:42.37\00:50:44.10
of those who
haven't kept their mind.
00:50:44.13\00:50:45.35
The seal of God is
placed into the minds of
00:50:45.38\00:50:47.86
those who have
yielded their mind to God.
00:50:47.87\00:50:50.79
We've got to be diligent.
00:50:50.82\00:50:52.06
Man, I got crept out in England.
00:50:53.46\00:50:55.09
Everywhere you turn,
you see signs saying,
00:50:56.47\00:50:59.01
"Closed circuit television
cameras are watching you."
00:50:59.04\00:51:01.82
Someone told me... I
don't know if this is true.
00:51:03.53\00:51:05.03
I guess I should check
my facts before I tell you.
00:51:05.06\00:51:07.16
But someone said that 25%
of all the security cameras
00:51:07.19\00:51:10.14
in the world are
in Great Britain.
00:51:10.17\00:51:11.59
That's an area
smaller than Colorado.
00:51:12.98\00:51:14.91
And you're in a little
village in the nowhere;
00:51:16.49\00:51:18.19
closed circuit cameras.
00:51:18.22\00:51:19.71
I came out of Paddington
Station in West London,
00:51:20.76\00:51:23.39
there was a
closed circuit TV car.
00:51:23.42\00:51:26.07
Or for those of you
who don't speak English;
00:51:27.44\00:51:29.12
a closed circuit television car.
00:51:29.15\00:51:32.13
And there were cameras on it.
00:51:36.47\00:51:38.28
They drive down the
street watching you.
00:51:39.07\00:51:42.39
Frankly, I think that's creepy.
00:51:44.38\00:51:45.98
But it makes a point.
00:51:47.62\00:51:48.69
They're serious.
00:51:49.43\00:51:50.72
They're looking out for harm.
00:51:50.75\00:51:51.87
Especially in the year
with the Olympic games.
00:51:51.90\00:51:54.16
They know there's trouble.
00:51:54.19\00:51:55.45
They're watching like hawks.
00:51:55.48\00:51:57.23
They are keeping their
cities with all diligence.
00:51:57.54\00:51:59.75
You know what I'm saying?
00:51:59.78\00:52:00.88
Are you on the lookout?
00:52:01.71\00:52:03.03
Is Satan
cutting across your bow?
00:52:03.83\00:52:06.58
This isn't life
just rolling along.
00:52:07.10\00:52:09.02
We are not the three little
pigs with some big old bad wolf
00:52:09.03\00:52:11.75
trying to huff and puff
and blow our house down.
00:52:11.78\00:52:13.75
This is life and
death. This is serious.
00:52:13.78\00:52:16.56
There is an angry devil
so full of hatred toward God
00:52:16.59\00:52:19.79
that he will take you in
a moment, if only he could.
00:52:19.80\00:52:22.56
The Bible says he has great
wrath in this great controversy
00:52:24.47\00:52:28.32
because he knows that
he has only a short time.
00:52:28.35\00:52:31.73
Friend, we need to be diligent.
00:52:32.14\00:52:34.64
The Word of God says so.
00:52:34.67\00:52:36.16
Diligent.
00:52:36.19\00:52:37.24
This isn't a time
for playing church.
00:52:37.67\00:52:40.21
This isn't the time for a
lackadaisical approach to faith.
00:52:40.70\00:52:44.00
This is no time for nominalism.
00:52:44.03\00:52:46.91
Nominalism is a scourge.
00:52:46.94\00:52:49.31
I hear the term
"cultural Christian."
00:52:50.89\00:52:53.01
I say, what is that?
00:52:53.04\00:52:55.07
You can't be a
Christian culturally.
00:52:55.64\00:52:57.77
It's not something
that you're just born into.
00:52:58.78\00:53:01.21
It's not something you inherit.
00:53:01.75\00:53:03.57
Christianity is an individual
personal faith relationship
00:53:03.58\00:53:07.69
with a loving living Savior.
00:53:07.72\00:53:09.42
You're not a Christian
unless you've got that.
00:53:09.45\00:53:11.35
Now you might be falling.
00:53:11.36\00:53:12.36
I'm not saying you're not a
Christian if you're falling.
00:53:12.37\00:53:13.94
Christianity is a growth.
00:53:13.97\00:53:15.90
Sanctification is
the work of a lifetime.
00:53:15.93\00:53:18.43
Understand that.
00:53:18.46\00:53:19.48
There's a growth, the
Word of God makes clear.
00:53:20.07\00:53:22.27
But this isn't a game.
00:53:22.30\00:53:24.26
You know what?
00:53:24.27\00:53:25.27
It is better to be reaching
out for Jesus and falling
00:53:25.28\00:53:28.61
than to be coming to
church dressed just so saying,
00:53:29.78\00:53:32.08
"Amen and happy Sabbath,"
and walking out the door
00:53:32.11\00:53:34.81
forgetting that God even exists.
00:53:34.84\00:53:36.65
It is better to be
struggling, crying out to God,
00:53:37.05\00:53:42.06
than living that
lackadaisical nominal life
00:53:42.69\00:53:46.15
and not crying out to God.
00:53:47.83\00:53:50.20
Where can
nominalism lead us all?
00:53:51.08\00:53:54.21
I don't mean to
be judgmental here.
00:53:54.22\00:53:56.00
But you go to the
doctor and the doctor will say,
00:53:57.00\00:53:58.60
"Bob, I've got
some news for you.
00:53:58.61\00:54:00.17
If you don't make
some changes, you've only
00:54:00.20\00:54:01.54
got 'x' left to live."
00:54:01.57\00:54:03.84
God says some of
the same things to us.
00:54:04.17\00:54:06.17
Time to make some
changes; attitudinal changes,
00:54:06.20\00:54:08.40
serious about faith.
00:54:08.43\00:54:09.78
Jesus died on the
cross. That's serious.
00:54:09.79\00:54:11.90
Can you say amen?
00:54:11.91\00:54:12.91
Jesus is coming back soon.
00:54:12.92\00:54:14.31
That's serious. Amen?
00:54:14.32\00:54:15.45
It's also wonderful.
00:54:15.55\00:54:16.74
We say, "hallelujah."
00:54:17.19\00:54:18.41
We're going to look
up and cry out and shout,
00:54:18.44\00:54:20.46
"Here He is, that's wonderful."
00:54:20.49\00:54:22.15
But it's serious.
00:54:22.26\00:54:23.26
That's why Jesus
said, "Be ye also ready."
00:54:23.29\00:54:27.74
But too many of God's
people, people who went to
00:54:28.21\00:54:30.57
Sabbath school and people
who went to church school, and
00:54:30.60\00:54:33.62
people who belong
to the academy band,
00:54:33.65\00:54:35.76
and people who sat
on committees at church,
00:54:35.77\00:54:37.66
too many of them won't
be ready for Jesus' return.
00:54:37.69\00:54:42.39
Because in the white
heat of the great controversy,
00:54:42.42\00:54:44.81
they were nominal.
00:54:44.84\00:54:46.41
They were lukewarm
instead of passionately
00:54:46.44\00:54:49.01
on fire for Jesus Christ.
00:54:49.04\00:54:50.94
When God comes into your
life, He will bring a warmth,
00:54:50.95\00:54:55.98
He will bring a strength,
He will bring a passion.
00:54:56.01\00:54:58.68
He will bring a fire, a fire.
00:54:58.69\00:55:02.83
We are in a war.
00:55:03.03\00:55:05.45
The dragon was mad with
the church and went to make war
00:55:05.46\00:55:10.27
with the remnant of her seed.
00:55:10.30\00:55:12.40
I've never been on a
battlefield, never been
00:55:13.01\00:55:14.51
on a real live on.
00:55:14.54\00:55:15.86
I'm thankful for that.
00:55:16.30\00:55:17.43
I have great admiration
for those who have stepped
00:55:18.44\00:55:20.45
into the arena of war
and have served their country
00:55:20.48\00:55:22.97
so that people like you
and me can have freedom.
00:55:22.98\00:55:25.02
God bless our
veterans, God bless them.
00:55:25.05\00:55:28.28
You don't have to like
war, you don't have to like
00:55:28.72\00:55:30.75
the decisions that governments
make, but you can be thankful
00:55:30.78\00:55:33.65
that there's someone
ready to go and defend you.
00:55:33.66\00:55:36.45
I'm thankful.
00:55:36.48\00:55:37.54
Any veteran will tell you
that out on the battlefield is
00:55:38.63\00:55:41.19
no time for goofing around.
00:55:41.22\00:55:42.59
You need to have your
wits about you because
00:55:43.92\00:55:45.44
there is an enemy
who will take you out.
00:55:45.47\00:55:47.25
And if you keep your wits
about you, you're going to
00:55:48.16\00:55:49.92
protect someone next to you.
00:55:49.95\00:55:51.00
You know something, friend?
00:55:51.01\00:55:52.01
Your witness is either
a strength or a weakness
00:55:52.03\00:55:56.43
to the person beside you.
00:55:56.46\00:55:57.79
There are people
depending on you.
00:56:00.32\00:56:02.24
Your attitude on the
battlefield is vital.
00:56:02.87\00:56:07.39
We are a body, see.
00:56:07.84\00:56:10.87
What happens in one
part affects the other.
00:56:10.90\00:56:12.83
And we are in a
battle out there.
00:56:13.38\00:56:15.16
Let me see if I can
tell you this quickly.
00:56:16.69\00:56:18.19
At the time of the
second world war, the French had
00:56:18.81\00:56:20.56
built the Maginot Line.
00:56:20.57\00:56:21.55
The Maginot Line was a fortress.
00:56:21.58\00:56:23.59
They were leery of the Germans
and they didn't want to be
00:56:23.62\00:56:25.57
caught out by
any German attacks.
00:56:25.60\00:56:27.81
So they built the Maginot Line.
00:56:27.82\00:56:29.01
It was expensive.
00:56:29.04\00:56:30.09
It was a fortification between
the French and German border.
00:56:30.12\00:56:35.16
And if I'm not mistaken,
also between France and Italy.
00:56:35.17\00:56:37.62
They dug enormous trenches.
00:56:38.26\00:56:39.83
Trenches that could
hold thousands of men.
00:56:39.84\00:56:41.84
Trenches so big they
would swallow up tanks.
00:56:41.87\00:56:44.44
Trenches so big they
were virtually impregnable.
00:56:44.88\00:56:47.09
They were air conditioned.
There were power plants.
00:56:47.61\00:56:49.82
Somebody told me there
were elevators down there.
00:56:49.85\00:56:51.81
And even an electric train.
00:56:51.82\00:56:54.17
But Germany had attacked
Poland and Czechoslovakia.
00:56:55.23\00:56:57.50
Now they were looking at France.
00:56:57.53\00:56:58.65
The French had the Maginot Line.
00:56:58.68\00:56:59.90
They thought they were okay.
00:56:59.93\00:57:01.05
But they didn't count on
the Germans going right around
00:57:01.08\00:57:05.31
the Maginot Line and
attacking them through the
00:57:05.32\00:57:07.04
Ardennes Forest of Belgium.
00:57:07.05\00:57:09.20
You see, they felt
like they were Goliath.
00:57:11.31\00:57:13.04
David, really Goliath,
did something unconventional.
00:57:13.67\00:57:16.83
Friend, they didn't watch.
00:57:16.86\00:57:18.98
And they were taken out.
00:57:19.66\00:57:20.80
We are in a battle out here.
00:57:20.83\00:57:22.06
Let's watch.
00:57:22.09\00:57:23.26
We won't be
taken out if we watch.
00:57:23.27\00:57:24.88
We won't be taken out if
we keep our eyes on Jesus.
00:57:24.89\00:57:29.05
We'll be okay.
00:57:29.08\00:57:30.30