How beautiful
00:00:21.38\00:00:25.85
The hands that served
00:00:25.89\00:00:29.39
The wine and the bread
00:00:29.42\00:00:32.43
And the sons of the earth
00:00:32.46\00:00:36.16
How beautiful
00:00:36.20\00:00:40.10
The feet that walked
00:00:40.14\00:00:43.84
The long dusty roads
00:00:43.87\00:00:47.21
And the hill to the cross
00:00:47.24\00:00:51.01
How beautiful
00:00:51.05\00:00:57.02
How beautiful
00:00:58.25\00:01:02.26
How beautiful
00:01:05.36\00:01:10.63
Is the body of Christ
00:01:10.67\00:01:16.54
How beautiful
00:01:19.61\00:01:23.58
The heart that bled
00:01:23.61\00:01:27.35
That took all my sin
00:01:27.38\00:01:30.89
And bore it instead
00:01:30.92\00:01:34.26
How beautiful
00:01:34.29\00:01:38.29
The tender eyes
00:01:38.33\00:01:41.96
That chose to forgive
00:01:42.00\00:01:45.53
And never despise
00:01:45.57\00:01:48.84
How beautiful
00:01:48.87\00:01:53.84
How beautiful
00:01:55.94\00:01:59.95
How beautiful
00:02:03.05\00:02:08.42
Is the body of Christ
00:02:08.46\00:02:12.66
And as He laid down His life
00:02:12.69\00:02:19.63
We offer this sacrifice
00:02:19.67\00:02:26.37
That we will
live just as He died
00:02:26.41\00:02:33.42
Willing to pay the price
00:02:33.45\00:02:40.22
Willing to pay the price
00:02:40.26\00:02:45.33
How beautiful
00:02:49.00\00:02:53.54
The radiant Bride
00:02:53.57\00:02:57.24
Who waits for her Groom
00:02:57.27\00:03:00.58
With His light in her eyes
00:03:00.61\00:03:03.95
How beautiful
00:03:03.98\00:03:07.78
When humble hearts give
00:03:07.82\00:03:11.49
The fruit of pure life
00:03:11.52\00:03:14.49
So that others may live
00:03:14.52\00:03:18.23
How beautiful
00:03:18.26\00:03:23.23
How beautiful
00:03:25.37\00:03:29.37
How beautiful
00:03:32.41\00:03:37.75
Is the body
00:03:37.78\00:03:40.02
Of Christ
00:03:40.05\00:03:46.72
How beautiful
00:03:46.76\00:03:50.93
The feet that bring
00:03:50.96\00:03:54.43
The sound of good news
00:03:54.46\00:03:57.77
And the love of the King
00:03:57.80\00:04:01.34
How beautiful
00:04:01.37\00:04:05.67
The hands that serve
00:04:05.71\00:04:09.28
The wine and the bread
00:04:09.31\00:04:12.71
And the sons of the earth
00:04:12.75\00:04:16.58
How beautiful
00:04:16.62\00:04:21.56
How beautiful
00:04:24.49\00:04:28.73
How beautiful
00:04:32.90\00:04:36.91
Is the body
00:04:40.58\00:04:44.15
Of Christ
00:04:44.18\00:04:49.98
Amen!
00:05:03.00\00:05:04.40
Good morning, ASI.
00:05:10.61\00:05:13.44
So happy to be here today.
00:05:13.48\00:05:15.51
How many of you remember
00:05:15.54\00:05:16.88
the first ASI
Convention you attended?
00:05:16.91\00:05:20.72
I see some hands.
00:05:20.75\00:05:22.52
It was a memorable time.
00:05:22.55\00:05:23.89
I'm sure mine
was way back in 1979.
00:05:23.92\00:05:28.52
I'd love to say that
I was only 10 years old,
00:05:28.56\00:05:30.69
but that just wasn't the case.
00:05:30.73\00:05:33.09
We were in Colorado Springs
meeting in a hotel ballroom.
00:05:33.13\00:05:36.56
And we were
excited went on Sabbath,
00:05:36.60\00:05:39.53
we almost hit 400 people.
00:05:39.57\00:05:43.44
We've seen the organization
grow year after year.
00:05:43.47\00:05:48.64
I remember being
invited by Dr. Raymond Moore,
00:05:48.68\00:05:51.18
and his sweet wife Dorothy.
00:05:51.21\00:05:53.62
And as soon as we got there,
00:05:53.65\00:05:55.05
we were befriended by
Henry and Robin Martin
00:05:55.08\00:05:59.05
who became lifelong
friends from that very moment.
00:05:59.09\00:06:02.96
I know all of you should
feel like ambassadors to ASI.
00:06:02.99\00:06:08.30
This morning I'd
like you to welcome
00:06:08.33\00:06:09.76
our guest speaker Julian Archer,
00:06:09.80\00:06:12.97
coming all the way
from Queensland, Australia
00:06:13.00\00:06:15.80
to join us today.
00:06:15.84\00:06:19.04
How many of you
would come that far
00:06:19.07\00:06:22.81
to address an
audience like this?
00:06:22.84\00:06:26.61
Well, this retired businessman
00:06:26.65\00:06:28.82
by the way from
a successful career
00:06:28.85\00:06:32.29
was in his 30s
00:06:32.32\00:06:34.56
when he decided to start
00:06:34.59\00:06:37.26
a nonprofit Faith vs. Finance.
00:06:37.29\00:06:41.96
Today he's going
to ask the question,
00:06:42.00\00:06:44.53
"Is it possible to
be financially secure
00:06:44.57\00:06:48.57
without becoming
spiritually bankrupt?"
00:06:48.60\00:06:51.94
I think his personal testimony
will address that this morning.
00:06:51.97\00:06:56.98
Immediately
following this presentation,
00:06:57.01\00:06:58.91
he'll be doing a
seminar in room 370B.
00:06:58.95\00:07:03.05
And there he'll be talking
about the Christian atheist
00:07:03.08\00:07:06.55
believing in God,
but trusting in money.
00:07:06.59\00:07:11.89
I feel that ASI is
the perfect audience
00:07:11.93\00:07:14.96
for Julian to be
speaking to this morning.
00:07:15.00\00:07:17.80
We're filled
with business people
00:07:17.83\00:07:20.97
that make their
living in a variety of ways.
00:07:21.00\00:07:24.77
But you all have
one thing in common,
00:07:24.81\00:07:27.64
you're using the
blessings that God has given you
00:07:27.68\00:07:31.18
to further His
work by sharing Christ
00:07:31.21\00:07:34.65
in your sphere of influence.
00:07:34.68\00:07:37.29
I mean, you're going
to hear more from Julian.
00:07:37.32\00:07:39.85
But in my ASI heart, I
know that he too will be blessed
00:07:39.89\00:07:45.03
by the warm
welcome that ASI gives him.
00:07:45.06\00:07:47.26
Thank you, Sharon.
00:07:52.60\00:07:56.00
Christen, we have a problem.
00:07:56.04\00:07:59.71
I always wanted to say that.
00:07:59.74\00:08:03.55
But thank God that
we also have a solution.
00:08:03.58\00:08:06.05
Amen.
00:08:06.08\00:08:07.42
We also have a solution.
00:08:07.45\00:08:09.72
Friends, we live in a
time in earth's history
00:08:09.75\00:08:11.45
when it's not business as usual.
00:08:11.49\00:08:14.32
It's not business as usual.
00:08:14.36\00:08:16.96
And I want to this morning
to open up a conversation.
00:08:16.99\00:08:21.46
Some say that it's a
long overdue conversation.
00:08:21.50\00:08:25.40
It's not between me and you,
00:08:25.43\00:08:26.77
it's between your
heart and God's heart.
00:08:26.80\00:08:31.04
And as Sharon has just shared
it's around the question now,
00:08:31.07\00:08:34.94
"Is it possible to
be financially secure
00:08:34.98\00:08:39.28
without becoming
spiritually bankrupt?"
00:08:39.31\00:08:44.35
I want to start
with my testimony.
00:08:44.39\00:08:49.92
My testimony is
like any of yours
00:08:49.96\00:08:52.93
or like many of yours
00:08:52.96\00:08:54.53
begins not just with myself
00:08:54.56\00:08:57.07
but also with my
family, my extended family.
00:08:57.10\00:09:02.07
There's a photograph
of my family in 1971.
00:09:02.10\00:09:05.67
I'm the little
guy, the smallest one.
00:09:05.71\00:09:08.71
My sister Kathie,
beside me and my Mum and Dad,
00:09:08.74\00:09:10.98
Delphine and Ray Archer 1971.
00:09:11.01\00:09:16.72
Let's jump in
ahead of the story.
00:09:16.75\00:09:18.09
Let's go back to when my
dad back there on the ride.
00:09:18.12\00:09:23.76
I was 14 years old.
00:09:23.79\00:09:26.80
From birth through
to 14 years of age,
00:09:26.83\00:09:28.93
my father had to attend church
at least eight times a week.
00:09:28.96\00:09:33.84
In a busy week it
was 11 times a week.
00:09:33.87\00:09:35.57
They weren't
Seventh-day Adventist.
00:09:35.60\00:09:37.67
But he had to go to church
between 8 and 11 times a week.
00:09:37.71\00:09:40.28
One of his jobs as a child
00:09:40.31\00:09:41.91
once he reached
his teenaged years
00:09:41.94\00:09:43.91
was to be the home
brew kid, that meant
00:09:43.95\00:09:46.68
that he was the
member of the extended family
00:09:46.72\00:09:49.72
who had to make all of
the beer for his own parents,
00:09:49.75\00:09:53.02
for the uncles and
aunts, and everybody else.
00:09:53.05\00:09:55.79
And of course
being the specialist,
00:09:55.82\00:09:57.16
brew maker in the family,
he drank more than he should.
00:09:57.19\00:10:02.63
And so he had some challenges.
00:10:02.66\00:10:07.17
He hated church.
00:10:07.20\00:10:08.97
He hated God.
00:10:09.00\00:10:10.91
And he wanted to get
away from his family.
00:10:10.94\00:10:14.91
He tried to not attend church.
00:10:14.94\00:10:16.64
He played with his parents.
00:10:16.68\00:10:18.35
He tried to disappear
00:10:18.38\00:10:20.82
when it was time to go to church
00:10:20.85\00:10:22.48
every day of the week.
00:10:22.52\00:10:24.62
But he kept getting
dragged into church.
00:10:24.65\00:10:27.06
And so he thought
the only solution.
00:10:27.09\00:10:30.39
There's only one solution to
me to not have to come to church
00:10:30.43\00:10:33.86
next week or tomorrow
00:10:33.90\00:10:36.87
is if the church doesn't exist.
00:10:36.90\00:10:39.00
And he became what we would
call a dynamite church planter.
00:10:39.03\00:10:43.71
He went to his uncle's
farm and he got some gelignite,
00:10:43.74\00:10:47.44
it's like
dynamite, and some fuses.
00:10:47.48\00:10:50.61
And at 14 years of age
having sat there in church,
00:10:50.65\00:10:54.28
and looked at the structure
of the building so many times,
00:10:54.32\00:10:56.58
he knew exactly where to place
the gelignite and the fuses.
00:10:56.62\00:11:01.26
So that he
could run in one door,
00:11:01.29\00:11:02.96
run around, light every fuse,
00:11:02.99\00:11:05.23
and then run out the back door
before that church was planted.
00:11:05.26\00:11:10.37
He went to school that day.
00:11:10.40\00:11:11.90
He took the gelignite home.
00:11:11.93\00:11:13.27
He hid it at home.
00:11:13.30\00:11:14.67
He went to school and
he told one of his friends,
00:11:14.70\00:11:16.94
"Tonight, I'm going
to blow up my church."
00:11:16.97\00:11:19.77
Well, if anybody
else had said that
00:11:19.81\00:11:21.98
other than Ray Archer,
00:11:22.01\00:11:23.35
the friend would have just gone,
00:11:23.38\00:11:24.85
"Oh yeah, whatever good one."
00:11:24.88\00:11:27.22
But because it was Ray Archer,
00:11:27.25\00:11:28.72
a young guy who had got
the cuts on average every day
00:11:28.75\00:11:33.66
from grades 8
through to grade 10.
00:11:33.69\00:11:37.19
The friend knew
that my dad was serious.
00:11:37.23\00:11:39.29
And so he told the principal,
00:11:39.33\00:11:40.66
and the
principal told the police,
00:11:40.70\00:11:42.03
and the police came
and took my dad away.
00:11:42.06\00:11:43.90
They said, "Son,
what's the problem?"
00:11:43.93\00:11:45.27
And he explained to them
00:11:45.30\00:11:46.63
but he had to go to church
between 8 and 11 times a week.
00:11:46.67\00:11:50.11
And they said, "Okay.
00:11:50.14\00:11:51.54
Where is the gelignite?"
00:11:51.57\00:11:53.44
And so they were probably
not expecting that it was real
00:11:53.48\00:11:56.41
but dad took them home
and gave them the gelignite.
00:11:56.44\00:12:01.28
And they then went
and took his parents away,
00:12:01.32\00:12:05.15
they didn't take them far,
00:12:05.19\00:12:06.92
but they showed
them the gelignite.
00:12:06.96\00:12:08.29
And they said, "Do you
realize that your son Raymond
00:12:08.32\00:12:10.23
was going to blow
up the church tonight?"
00:12:10.26\00:12:13.76
And they had no idea.
00:12:13.80\00:12:16.10
And the police said, "Look,
you should probably back off
00:12:16.13\00:12:18.90
on the religion thing a bit."
00:12:18.93\00:12:20.27
Which they did but
Dad already had enough
00:12:20.30\00:12:21.94
and soon after he left home.
00:12:21.97\00:12:24.64
Well, he went to live
with his older brother
00:12:24.67\00:12:26.78
and they got into
all sorts of mischief.
00:12:26.81\00:12:28.81
In fact it wasn't long before
his older brother was in jail
00:12:28.84\00:12:31.15
for counterfeiting bank notes.
00:12:31.18\00:12:33.78
He didn't have a license
00:12:33.82\00:12:35.15
like your
government to just print them.
00:12:35.18\00:12:36.52
And so he had
to counterfeit them
00:12:36.55\00:12:39.62
on his own sort
of printing system.
00:12:39.65\00:12:41.92
And so, Dad got
into more troubles
00:12:41.96\00:12:45.59
drinking too much
again, getting into trouble.
00:12:45.63\00:12:49.06
Ended up sort of
living on and off the streets,
00:12:49.10\00:12:51.67
met my mother.
00:12:51.70\00:12:53.60
In the process
was able to do a trade
00:12:53.64\00:12:56.07
in refrigeration mechanics.
00:12:56.10\00:12:58.41
And met Mum, had
my sister and myself
00:12:58.44\00:13:01.21
as two young
babies in the house.
00:13:01.24\00:13:03.95
The refrigeration
mechanics business
00:13:03.98\00:13:07.05
while he was doing that well,
00:13:07.08\00:13:08.58
he started a small
business on his 21st birthday.
00:13:08.62\00:13:10.82
He said, "On my 21st birthday,
I want to be self employed."
00:13:10.85\00:13:13.99
And so he did that,
right on his 21st birthday.
00:13:14.02\00:13:16.89
And he had a welder.
00:13:16.93\00:13:18.53
And a friend of his said,
00:13:18.56\00:13:19.89
"Can you weld for me
a bench press machine?"
00:13:19.93\00:13:21.96
Now that's a piece
of gymnasium equipment
00:13:22.00\00:13:24.10
for pushing the
weights off your chest.
00:13:24.13\00:13:26.00
And so he welded
it up for his friend.
00:13:26.03\00:13:27.80
And he sold it to his friend,
and he made a small profit.
00:13:27.84\00:13:30.61
And he thought,
"Hey, that's cool."
00:13:30.64\00:13:32.31
And so he made
another one and he sold it.
00:13:32.34\00:13:33.88
And another and he sold it.
00:13:33.91\00:13:35.24
And he started another business
00:13:35.28\00:13:36.61
called Archer Body
Building Equipment.
00:13:36.64\00:13:38.61
And this was in the
late 1960s when the...
00:13:38.65\00:13:43.05
What would you call,
00:13:43.08\00:13:44.42
the pumping iron
trend was beginning,
00:13:44.45\00:13:46.09
bodybuilding was happening
00:13:46.12\00:13:47.46
in California, in Australia,
and in different places.
00:13:47.49\00:13:50.93
And so, Dad then
decided, with, Mum, they said,
00:13:50.96\00:13:53.26
"Hey, we're
making this equipment.
00:13:53.29\00:13:55.06
And so we can get it cheap,
00:13:55.10\00:13:56.43
why don't we open a gymnasium,
a bodybuilding center."
00:13:56.46\00:13:58.43
And so they did.
00:13:58.47\00:13:59.80
And before you know
it, they had 1000 members.
00:13:59.83\00:14:01.70
And so they opened another one
and got another 1000 members.
00:14:01.74\00:14:04.51
And they thought, "Hey,
we've got all these people
00:14:04.54\00:14:05.87
coming in for the gym,
00:14:05.91\00:14:07.68
why don't we open
a health food store?
00:14:07.71\00:14:09.14
And then we can sell
them all the protein drinks
00:14:09.18\00:14:10.95
and everything
else that they need
00:14:10.98\00:14:12.85
to keep healthy."
00:14:12.88\00:14:15.85
By the age of 24,
Mum and Dad had started,
00:14:15.88\00:14:20.06
and were running
themselves five businesses.
00:14:20.09\00:14:24.69
They were what we would
now call serial entrepreneurs.
00:14:24.73\00:14:27.76
They would see an opportunity
and they would jump at it.
00:14:27.80\00:14:30.63
They were very successful.
00:14:30.67\00:14:33.44
But their marriage
was absolutely hell.
00:14:33.47\00:14:36.30
Their marriage
was completely shot.
00:14:36.34\00:14:37.97
God was not in the system.
00:14:38.01\00:14:40.38
They were
working 18 hours a day.
00:14:40.41\00:14:43.85
My sister Kathie and I
were being babysit quite a lot
00:14:43.88\00:14:46.35
because Mum and
Dad were out a lot.
00:14:46.38\00:14:48.65
And they had to
make a decision in 1974
00:14:48.68\00:14:52.05
between business and marriage.
00:14:52.09\00:14:55.12
And I thank God
that they chose marriage.
00:14:55.16\00:14:58.49
We moved out to the
what we call the bush,
00:14:58.53\00:15:00.56
you might call it
the forest, or the wilds,
00:15:00.60\00:15:03.00
or I don't know some place
hidden away out in the state
00:15:03.03\00:15:07.34
somewhere up in the mountains.
00:15:07.37\00:15:09.10
And we bought a
little block of land in 1974.
00:15:09.14\00:15:12.04
It was only 33 acres.
00:15:12.07\00:15:13.68
On one side was a
1500 acre cattle property
00:15:13.71\00:15:16.41
with rolling hills
and lots of forest,
00:15:16.44\00:15:18.15
and on the other side was
a 2,000 acre cattle property.
00:15:18.18\00:15:22.15
And we lived
there between those two.
00:15:22.18\00:15:23.92
And we tried to
be self-sufficient.
00:15:23.95\00:15:26.89
Mum and Dad had sold
all of the businesses
00:15:26.92\00:15:28.66
except the health food store.
00:15:28.69\00:15:30.76
We tried to grow our own food.
00:15:30.79\00:15:32.13
There was no electricity,
there was no running water.
00:15:32.16\00:15:34.00
We were living in a shed
00:15:34.03\00:15:35.36
that was 8 foot
wide and 14 feet long
00:15:35.40\00:15:38.73
out in the middle of nowhere.
00:15:38.77\00:15:41.64
We became hippies.
00:15:41.67\00:15:43.04
We're a little bit
later, it was the 70s I know,
00:15:43.07\00:15:44.87
but that should've
been done in the '60s
00:15:44.91\00:15:46.74
but we were busy in the '60s.
00:15:46.78\00:15:48.78
And so we became
hippies with the long hair
00:15:48.81\00:15:51.55
and the long beard
for Dad, and barefoot,
00:15:51.58\00:15:55.05
and we didn't
wear a lot of clothes
00:15:55.08\00:15:57.39
because we didn't
have washing machine.
00:15:57.42\00:15:59.05
And we didn't have neighbors.
00:15:59.09\00:16:00.42
And of course the
only reason we wear clothes
00:16:00.46\00:16:01.79
is because we have neighbors.
00:16:01.82\00:16:03.43
And so we had the freedom.
00:16:03.46\00:16:06.70
And that's how I grew up
00:16:06.73\00:16:08.06
in a very
carefree sort of lifestyle.
00:16:08.10\00:16:10.23
In fact on that I still remember
00:16:14.60\00:16:17.84
one day walking down to
the dam where we used to bathe,
00:16:17.87\00:16:22.68
and of course no
clothes, no towels.
00:16:22.71\00:16:24.45
Well, you don't need to towel,
00:16:24.48\00:16:25.81
you walk down to
the dam to the pond,
00:16:25.85\00:16:27.55
you wash yourself off
00:16:27.58\00:16:28.92
and you walk back
up to your little shed,
00:16:28.95\00:16:30.29
and by the time you get
back to the shed you're drying,
00:16:30.32\00:16:31.65
you don't have to
wash towels or anything.
00:16:31.69\00:16:33.25
So it was all good.
00:16:33.29\00:16:34.62
And I still
remember walking down there.
00:16:34.66\00:16:36.89
And five years old and we
met the neighbor on his horse
00:16:36.93\00:16:41.10
checking his cattle.
00:16:41.13\00:16:42.96
And I still remember in
my little five year old mind
00:16:43.00\00:16:45.83
standing there
looking up at the neighbor,
00:16:45.87\00:16:48.64
Mum and Dad, talking to him
00:16:48.67\00:16:50.01
about the
weather, or his cattle,
00:16:50.04\00:16:51.37
or something and thinking
00:16:51.41\00:16:52.74
"Julian, there's something
wrong with this picture."
00:16:52.77\00:16:55.74
It reminds me of a
little girl and her dad
00:16:55.78\00:16:57.71
who were riding on their bicycle
00:16:57.75\00:16:59.58
somewhere I don't know
I'm not sure where it was.
00:16:59.61\00:17:01.58
And Dad was out trying to show
00:17:01.62\00:17:02.95
his little girl a lot of nature.
00:17:02.98\00:17:04.32
And they're riding
along there on their bikes.
00:17:04.35\00:17:06.05
And the father saw a sign
that said, "Naturalist Camp".
00:17:06.09\00:17:08.82
And he thought, "Cool,
we got to ride down there.
00:17:08.86\00:17:10.46
We'll see some more nature.
00:17:10.49\00:17:11.83
There's obviously a
scenic spot down there."
00:17:11.86\00:17:14.20
And so as they're
riding down the road,
00:17:14.23\00:17:15.66
coming the other way
00:17:15.70\00:17:17.03
three or four
adults on their bicycles,
00:17:17.07\00:17:18.53
and they've got
absolutely no clothes on.
00:17:18.57\00:17:20.97
It was a naturalist camp
00:17:21.00\00:17:22.80
or I thought it
was a nudist camp.
00:17:22.84\00:17:24.97
And as the people go past going
the other way, and they go on,
00:17:25.01\00:17:28.71
the Dad stops his bike
and stops the little girl
00:17:28.74\00:17:30.65
and says, "Emily, Emily,
00:17:30.68\00:17:32.25
did you notice anything
wrong with those people?"
00:17:32.28\00:17:34.48
And she said, "Yes, Dad,
00:17:34.52\00:17:35.85
they weren't
wearing their helmets."
00:17:35.88\00:17:38.85
And that's a little bit
like I felt as a five year old
00:17:38.89\00:17:40.96
standing there
looking at this guy
00:17:40.99\00:17:42.32
going there's
something wrong here
00:17:42.36\00:17:43.76
but I don't know what it is.
00:17:43.79\00:17:46.93
And so life went on.
00:17:46.96\00:17:48.66
And we had a health
food store in Ipswich
00:17:48.70\00:17:53.57
that Mum and Dad used
to go to one at the time
00:17:53.60\00:17:56.50
to work in the
health food store.
00:17:56.54\00:17:58.87
And every day in that health
food store a man would come in,
00:17:58.91\00:18:01.21
His name was Harry Walker.
00:18:01.24\00:18:03.68
Now Harry was an
engineer in the railways.
00:18:03.71\00:18:05.41
And Harry would ask Mum
and Dad, how are the kids?
00:18:05.45\00:18:09.08
How's the house building going
00:18:09.12\00:18:10.45
because by this time
Dad was building a house.
00:18:10.49\00:18:13.22
In fact he was building a
house out of sandstone and logs.
00:18:13.25\00:18:16.36
It took him seven years.
00:18:16.39\00:18:17.76
He cut a lot of the stone
out of the ground himself.
00:18:17.79\00:18:20.83
And Harry would
build this relationship.
00:18:20.86\00:18:23.33
Now looking back on
what Harry was doing,
00:18:23.37\00:18:25.00
today we would call
it friendship evangelism.
00:18:25.03\00:18:28.64
We had no idea
what Harry was doing.
00:18:28.67\00:18:30.01
We just thought he was buying
a loaf of bread every day.
00:18:30.04\00:18:31.57
And we couldn't work out
00:18:31.61\00:18:32.94
what he was doing with the bread
00:18:32.97\00:18:34.31
because Harry
didn't have any kids.
00:18:34.34\00:18:35.68
It was just him and
his wife Doth at home.
00:18:35.71\00:18:37.05
But Harry was
building relationship
00:18:37.08\00:18:38.78
through those loaves of bread.
00:18:38.81\00:18:41.58
And one day Harry
came into the shop
00:18:41.62\00:18:42.98
and he said to my Dad Ray,
00:18:43.02\00:18:45.29
he said, "Ray,
there's a guy coming to town.
00:18:45.32\00:18:47.46
And he's going to tell us about
00:18:47.49\00:18:49.02
how the Egyptians built
the pyramids out of stone.
00:18:49.06\00:18:50.96
Would you like to come along
00:18:50.99\00:18:52.33
because I know you're
building a house out of stone."
00:18:52.36\00:18:54.80
And Dad went, "That sounds cool.
00:18:54.83\00:18:56.16
Harry, I'm going to come."
00:18:56.20\00:18:57.53
And so we piled
into our old pickup.
00:18:57.57\00:19:00.64
And we drove down to
town there every night
00:19:00.67\00:19:02.80
for this
program to try and learn
00:19:02.84\00:19:04.37
about how the Egyptians
00:19:04.41\00:19:05.74
built the pyramids out of stone.
00:19:05.77\00:19:07.11
But we never actually
worked out how to do that.
00:19:07.14\00:19:09.38
But we learned
some wonderful people.
00:19:09.41\00:19:10.75
And then we went
back to the bush.
00:19:10.78\00:19:12.58
Mum and Dad kept going
to the health food store.
00:19:12.61\00:19:14.75
And Harry kept buying
his loaf of bread every day.
00:19:14.78\00:19:17.89
One day Harry came in and
eat, my mother was in the store.
00:19:17.92\00:19:20.16
And he said, "Delphine,
there's somebody coming to town.
00:19:20.19\00:19:22.56
And they're going to be talking
about vegetarian cooking.
00:19:22.59\00:19:26.76
Would you like to come
along to learn how to do it?"
00:19:26.80\00:19:28.96
Well, Mum
thought "Yeah, I suppose.
00:19:29.00\00:19:32.53
We're certainly not vegetarians.
00:19:32.57\00:19:33.90
But I'll talk to Ray."
00:19:33.94\00:19:35.27
So she went home
and explained it to Dad.
00:19:35.30\00:19:36.94
And Dad said, "Vegetarians.
00:19:36.97\00:19:40.08
Well, you know,
I'm a bodybuilder.
00:19:40.11\00:19:42.44
No, we have no
interest in that."
00:19:42.48\00:19:44.18
And Mum said, "But,
Ray, a lot of our customers
00:19:44.21\00:19:47.85
are vegetarians and
maybe we could sell more stuff
00:19:47.88\00:19:50.95
if we knew how to
cook vegetarian food."
00:19:50.99\00:19:53.39
Saw me up.
00:19:53.42\00:19:54.76
Dad just want to
know where do we go.
00:19:54.79\00:19:57.19
So we all piled
in the pickup again,
00:19:57.23\00:19:59.49
and we drove down
there to the town of Ipswich,
00:19:59.53\00:20:01.93
and we learned how
to cook vegetarian food.
00:20:01.96\00:20:03.60
And we went back to the bush.
00:20:03.63\00:20:04.97
And Harry kept coming
00:20:05.00\00:20:06.33
and buying a loaf
of bread everyday.
00:20:06.37\00:20:08.00
Praise God for
people like Harry.
00:20:08.04\00:20:11.01
One day Harry came
in and he said to Dad,
00:20:11.04\00:20:12.54
he said, "Ray, would
you like to go to church?"
00:20:12.57\00:20:15.71
Well, Harry didn't
know all of Dad's background
00:20:15.74\00:20:17.55
and that he'd already
been to church enough,
00:20:17.58\00:20:19.75
most of us will go
in our entire lifetime.
00:20:19.78\00:20:23.55
And Dad would
normally say, "Not a chance.
00:20:23.59\00:20:26.35
You know I'm..."
00:20:26.39\00:20:28.82
But Harry was his friend.
00:20:28.86\00:20:31.33
And he thought I've
got to get a better excuse
00:20:31.36\00:20:32.69
and so he said,
"That's it, that's it."
00:20:32.73\00:20:35.80
Harry, what day
do you go to church?
00:20:35.83\00:20:38.77
'Cause he knew Harry
would go to church on Sunday.
00:20:38.80\00:20:40.27
And Sunday was the
only day that we never drove
00:20:40.30\00:20:42.20
from out in the country
all the way into the city.
00:20:42.24\00:20:44.94
And so he's safe there,
00:20:44.97\00:20:46.31
and Harry said
Saturday mornings.
00:20:46.34\00:20:48.88
And Dad went "Ah".
00:20:48.91\00:20:51.05
Because Saturday
mornings were the only morning
00:20:51.08\00:20:53.05
that we all went to town
00:20:53.08\00:20:54.42
because Saturday morning
00:20:54.45\00:20:55.78
was when we went
to buy our groceries.
00:20:55.82\00:20:57.15
And so sure enough
the next Saturday morning
00:20:57.19\00:20:58.52
there we are all down in
town buying all of our groceries
00:20:58.55\00:21:01.26
and driving up to the Ipswich
Seventh-day Adventist Church.
00:21:01.29\00:21:05.13
We parked outside.
00:21:05.16\00:21:06.49
And we had a problem you see,
00:21:06.53\00:21:07.86
we, our old
pickup was really old
00:21:07.90\00:21:09.60
and the doors didn't lock.
00:21:09.63\00:21:11.03
And we had a
week's worth of groceries
00:21:11.07\00:21:12.47
in the back of a pickup.
00:21:12.50\00:21:13.84
And we thought "Well,
what are we going to do
00:21:13.87\00:21:15.20
with the groceries."
00:21:15.24\00:21:16.57
And we thought "That's it,
we'll take them into church."
00:21:16.60\00:21:18.21
So we picked up
all their groceries
00:21:18.24\00:21:19.67
and the only cartons
that we had to pack groceries
00:21:19.71\00:21:21.94
into would be cartons, 4
XB in Australia we spell "B".
00:21:21.98\00:21:26.28
Well, where I come
from it's spelt XXXX
00:21:26.31\00:21:28.52
because we can't spell "B".
00:21:28.55\00:21:30.25
And so we had
these 4 XB cartons.
00:21:30.29\00:21:32.42
And we walked into church.
00:21:32.45\00:21:33.96
Mum, Dad, Kathie, and
myself carrying these cartons.
00:21:33.99\00:21:36.86
We put them under the backseats.
00:21:36.89\00:21:38.29
And then we went around
00:21:38.33\00:21:39.66
and we sat on those
seats to look after them
00:21:39.69\00:21:41.03
because we weren't sure
about some of the people.
00:21:41.06\00:21:44.40
But you know the
interesting thing was
00:21:44.43\00:21:46.74
that the same people,
and this was a curious thing,
00:21:46.77\00:21:48.67
the same people who
had an interest in Egypt
00:21:48.70\00:21:51.87
also had an interest
in vegetarian cooking
00:21:51.91\00:21:53.64
'cause we saw them at
the same two programs.
00:21:53.68\00:21:55.11
And when we turned up at church
those same people were there.
00:21:55.14\00:21:58.88
In a city the size of Ipswich.
00:21:58.91\00:22:00.75
This is a curious thing.
00:22:00.78\00:22:02.58
So we sat there.
00:22:02.62\00:22:04.35
Dad's long beard, my long hair,
00:22:04.39\00:22:07.59
Mum and Kath
wearing hippie clothes,
00:22:07.62\00:22:10.43
bare feet, smelling different.
00:22:10.46\00:22:12.53
Dad was still smoking
a bit, drinking too much.
00:22:12.56\00:22:15.93
And I give you all those details
00:22:15.96\00:22:18.53
because Ipswich
Seventh-day Adventist Church
00:22:18.57\00:22:21.34
never said anything
to us about any of it.
00:22:21.37\00:22:23.81
They just loved us.
00:22:23.84\00:22:25.51
They loved us into Christ.
00:22:25.54\00:22:26.88
And of course
when we had questions
00:22:26.91\00:22:28.24
about some of those things
00:22:28.28\00:22:29.71
we had Harry, our friend Harry.
00:22:29.74\00:22:31.61
Hey, Harry, why
don't people do this?
00:22:31.65\00:22:33.38
Why don't they eat this?
Why don't they drink this way?
00:22:33.42\00:22:35.08
What? What?
00:22:35.12\00:22:36.69
And Harry would
lovingly share us those answers.
00:22:36.72\00:22:40.86
Well, we went
back into business.
00:22:40.89\00:22:42.46
And I won't go into a lot
of the details about business
00:22:42.49\00:22:44.56
because I know you
guys are business people
00:22:44.59\00:22:46.29
and you've experienced that all,
00:22:46.33\00:22:47.90
the stresses and challenges,
00:22:47.93\00:22:49.26
obviously you've experienced
the miracles of God leading.
00:22:49.30\00:22:53.00
We started a small
fruit and nut tree nursery.
00:22:53.03\00:22:55.34
God led us through
Mum and Dad's faith,
00:22:55.37\00:22:58.17
they learned about
Jesus through Egypt.
00:22:58.21\00:23:01.61
And so Dad just wants to
tell everybody about Egypt.
00:23:01.64\00:23:03.88
And so he jumped on a
plane, and flew over to Egypt,
00:23:03.91\00:23:05.71
and took photos of the
pyramids, and came back,
00:23:05.75\00:23:07.32
and rented the local
hall, and put an ad in the paper
00:23:07.35\00:23:09.32
and said, "Come along
and learn about Egypt."
00:23:09.35\00:23:11.55
And people came and
people were baptized.
00:23:11.59\00:23:14.12
And he moved to the next town.
00:23:14.16\00:23:15.49
And we ran the programs
there and people were baptized.
00:23:15.52\00:23:17.93
And the next
town, and the next town.
00:23:17.96\00:23:19.29
We finally ran out of towns.
00:23:19.33\00:23:21.16
And it was all self-supporting
00:23:21.20\00:23:22.53
through our
little fruit and nut tree
00:23:22.56\00:23:23.90
nursery at the time.
00:23:23.93\00:23:25.70
And God led us to keep one
of those we had 214 varieties
00:23:25.73\00:23:30.07
of fruit and nut trees
in this little business.
00:23:30.11\00:23:32.84
And God led us to
keep one of those trees,
00:23:32.87\00:23:34.68
it was the olive tree.
00:23:34.71\00:23:36.81
And we went out on
the road doing evangelism,
00:23:36.85\00:23:38.81
we kept the olive trees.
00:23:38.85\00:23:40.45
And the olive trees
then funded our evangelism
00:23:40.48\00:23:44.25
from that point onwards.
00:23:44.29\00:23:46.05
In fact God lead
us, lead Mum and Dad
00:23:46.09\00:23:49.26
when they're on their knees
going through that catalogue,
00:23:49.29\00:23:51.09
trying to work out which
one of the 214 plants to keep.
00:23:51.13\00:23:54.76
He led them to the olive trees.
00:23:54.80\00:23:57.13
And the olive tree business
within four years of starting
00:23:57.17\00:24:01.34
it became the largest
olive tree nursery in the world.
00:24:01.37\00:24:04.01
Dad then led...
00:24:04.04\00:24:05.37
Sorry, God then led Dad and Mum,
00:24:05.41\00:24:07.84
primarily Dad
into another business
00:24:07.88\00:24:09.48
called olive leaf extract
00:24:09.51\00:24:10.85
which is a herbal
medicine business,
00:24:10.88\00:24:13.75
and we had 500,000 olive trees.
00:24:13.78\00:24:16.42
There may be some
pictures here of an olive tree.
00:24:16.45\00:24:19.19
I'll come up when they're ready.
00:24:23.53\00:24:25.79
And in 2007, at the beginning
of the global financial crisis.
00:24:25.83\00:24:31.10
I sort it down here.
00:24:34.14\00:24:35.90
In 2007, in the
global financial crisis
00:24:35.94\00:24:39.64
we sold that business,
00:24:39.67\00:24:41.98
the last of 12
businesses for Mum and Dad.
00:24:42.01\00:24:44.78
And again went into
full time ministries.
00:24:44.81\00:24:49.68
We have a family foundation
and they got involved in that.
00:24:49.72\00:24:52.69
Dad, got involved
with breeding butterflies
00:24:52.72\00:24:54.32
as a way of finding
people for Bible studies.
00:24:54.36\00:24:58.36
And I am involved in a ministry
called Faith vs Finance.
00:24:58.39\00:25:02.63
We saw God's blessing
00:25:02.66\00:25:04.00
in those ministries
and businesses so much.
00:25:04.03\00:25:08.50
But as those
businesses were blessed
00:25:08.54\00:25:10.24
and those hockey stick
graphs went up rapidly,
00:25:10.27\00:25:13.14
the profits went up fast.
00:25:13.17\00:25:16.85
I wanted to ask you
"What impact do you think
00:25:16.88\00:25:20.65
that had on my
relationship with Jesus Christ?"
00:25:20.68\00:25:23.85
As we saw God
leading in those businesses,
00:25:23.89\00:25:26.65
what impact did that have
00:25:26.69\00:25:28.72
on my
relationship with Jesus Christ?
00:25:28.76\00:25:32.06
Did it go up, or did it go down?
00:25:32.09\00:25:36.97
You would think that
surely with God leading
00:25:37.00\00:25:39.03
in so many different ways,
00:25:39.07\00:25:40.40
and us seeing the
miracles in those businesses,
00:25:40.44\00:25:42.54
and using the
profits of those businesses
00:25:42.57\00:25:44.27
to support God's
work around the world
00:25:44.31\00:25:46.34
that my personal
relationship with Jesus Christ
00:25:46.37\00:25:48.14
would have got stronger.
00:25:48.18\00:25:49.68
But it didn't, it
actually got weaker.
00:25:49.71\00:25:53.25
Just having some trouble
with the click here guys,
00:25:53.28\00:25:54.98
we've got no
movement in that slide.
00:25:55.02\00:25:58.32
So let me tell you
what happened in my life,
00:26:02.12\00:26:06.63
in those years of business.
00:26:06.66\00:26:08.06
Okay, we're back on track.
00:26:12.73\00:26:14.84
In those years of
business, I became proud.
00:26:14.87\00:26:20.64
Number one, I became proud.
00:26:20.68\00:26:22.78
I became proud because God had
given me a business to operate,
00:26:22.81\00:26:26.41
to run that was bigger
than any of my friends had.
00:26:26.45\00:26:29.72
Regardless of the
fact that the profits
00:26:29.75\00:26:31.12
were going into God's
work primarily I became proud.
00:26:31.15\00:26:33.69
I became a Pharisee.
00:26:33.72\00:26:35.42
I became a Pharisee because
in God's Word it tells me
00:26:35.46\00:26:39.59
"Julian, if you obey
me, I will bless you."
00:26:39.63\00:26:42.43
I was always being blessed
more than any of my friends.
00:26:42.46\00:26:45.33
And therefore I must
have been being more obedient
00:26:45.37\00:26:47.77
than any of my friends.
00:26:47.80\00:26:49.47
Can you see the
Pharisee coming through?
00:26:49.50\00:26:53.64
And I became self-reliant.
00:26:53.68\00:26:56.81
Subconsciously, I was thinking,
00:26:56.85\00:26:58.88
you know, God's
blessed me so much
00:26:58.91\00:27:00.42
that I don't need Him anymore.
00:27:00.45\00:27:02.35
Of course I
would never say that.
00:27:02.38\00:27:03.72
I was an elder at church.
00:27:03.75\00:27:05.65
I was taking sermons,
00:27:05.69\00:27:07.02
were supporting
projects around the world.
00:27:07.06\00:27:08.42
On the outside,
everything looked great.
00:27:08.46\00:27:13.40
But on the inside, I
knew I had a problem.
00:27:13.43\00:27:16.26
I had let God's blessings
become a curse in my life.
00:27:16.30\00:27:19.97
I started to focus on the
gifts more than on the giver.
00:27:20.00\00:27:24.91
A few years ago, I was trekking
in the Himalayas with my sons.
00:27:24.94\00:27:28.28
And I came across this
quote by Mahatma Gandhi
00:27:28.31\00:27:31.65
which is say that, the fact is
00:27:31.68\00:27:33.62
the moment financial
stability is assured,
00:27:33.65\00:27:36.62
spiritual
bankruptcy is also assured.
00:27:36.65\00:27:40.46
Ouch.
00:27:40.49\00:27:42.56
For 15 years prior to
reading to that quote,
00:27:42.59\00:27:44.69
reading that quote
I had worked very hard
00:27:44.73\00:27:46.46
to become financially stable
00:27:46.49\00:27:48.16
and had succeeded
beyond my wildest dreams.
00:27:48.20\00:27:52.50
But in my heart
when nobody else saw,
00:27:52.53\00:27:56.57
not the person
sitting beside me at ASI,
00:27:56.60\00:27:58.37
not the person
sitting beside me on the plane
00:27:58.41\00:28:00.08
going off on a mission trip,
00:28:00.11\00:28:01.54
not the person listening
to my Sabbath school lesson,
00:28:01.58\00:28:03.61
when nobody else saw I knew
00:28:03.65\00:28:07.25
that I was losing my
first love with Jesus Christ.
00:28:07.28\00:28:09.95
I knew that money
had its claws on me.
00:28:09.98\00:28:13.19
And I was in trouble.
00:28:13.22\00:28:15.62
I began to realize that
when I was abundantly blessed,
00:28:15.66\00:28:19.36
I was actually in
the most spiritually
00:28:19.39\00:28:20.73
dangerous stage of my life.
00:28:20.76\00:28:24.50
And I desperately
needed to find out how to stop
00:28:24.53\00:28:26.43
God's blessings
from becoming curses,
00:28:26.47\00:28:29.30
which brings us to the question,
00:28:29.34\00:28:30.84
is it possible to
be financially stable,
00:28:30.87\00:28:35.14
financially secure
00:28:35.18\00:28:37.41
without becoming
spiritually bankrupt?
00:28:37.45\00:28:40.72
And I thank God
that the answer is yes.
00:28:40.75\00:28:42.98
We can.
00:28:43.02\00:28:45.32
But there's conditions attached.
00:28:45.35\00:28:47.52
Let's turn in our
Bibles to Matthew 6.
00:28:47.56\00:28:49.99
Matthew 6:19-24.
00:28:50.03\00:28:52.93
It's Jesus speaking,
00:28:52.96\00:28:54.30
it's the middle of
the Sermon on the Mount...
00:28:54.33\00:28:56.67
Matthew 6:19-24.
00:28:56.70\00:28:59.80
And in Matthew
6:19, we read this,
00:28:59.83\00:29:02.37
Jesus speaking do not lay up
00:29:02.40\00:29:04.77
for yourselves
treasures on earth.
00:29:04.81\00:29:06.14
Is that a
suggestion or a command?
00:29:06.17\00:29:10.35
It's a command, isn't it?
00:29:10.38\00:29:11.71
"Julian, do not lie up for
yourselves treasures on earth,
00:29:13.98\00:29:16.99
where moth and rust destroying
00:29:17.02\00:29:18.35
with thieves break in and steal.
00:29:18.39\00:29:19.72
But lay up for
yourselves treasures in heaven
00:29:19.75\00:29:21.62
where neither
moth nor rust destroys
00:29:21.66\00:29:23.32
and where thieves do
not break in and steal
00:29:23.36\00:29:25.19
for way your
treasure is there you, what?
00:29:25.23\00:29:28.66
"There your heart will be also."
00:29:28.70\00:29:31.43
Let's skip down a
couple of verses to verse 24.
00:29:31.47\00:29:35.20
Again it's speaking to
me, it speaking to you,
00:29:35.24\00:29:36.91
Julian, put your name in there.
00:29:36.94\00:29:40.08
No one...
00:29:40.11\00:29:41.44
How many people?
00:29:41.48\00:29:42.81
No one can serve two masters,
00:29:42.84\00:29:44.75
for either he will hate
the one and love the other,
00:29:44.78\00:29:46.68
or else he will
be loyal to the one
00:29:46.72\00:29:48.05
and despise the other.
00:29:48.08\00:29:49.42
Julian, you can't
serve God and money.
00:29:49.45\00:29:52.05
Yes, I can, Lord. Yes, I can.
00:29:52.09\00:29:53.79
What I'm doing is I'm
working really hard in business
00:29:53.82\00:29:56.29
and I know that's
taking like 60-70 hours a week,
00:29:56.32\00:29:58.56
and it's taking a
lot of my family time.
00:29:58.59\00:30:00.00
And I know I don't have
enough time to spend with You
00:30:00.03\00:30:01.56
in the morning sometimes.
00:30:01.60\00:30:02.93
But I'm working
really hard in business
00:30:02.96\00:30:04.30
and it's Your business.
00:30:04.33\00:30:05.67
And you know I'm
doing it for You.
00:30:05.70\00:30:07.04
And because we're giving
lots of money into Your work,
00:30:07.07\00:30:08.40
and the gospel's
going to all the world
00:30:08.44\00:30:09.77
because we're supporting it,
00:30:09.80\00:30:11.14
and that's how I'm
serving You and money.
00:30:11.17\00:30:15.68
Julian, you can't do it.
00:30:15.71\00:30:18.31
Your heart can't do it.
00:30:18.35\00:30:21.22
You either love Me and serve Me,
00:30:21.25\00:30:23.32
or you love
money and serve money.
00:30:23.35\00:30:26.96
Look at your calendar, Julian.
00:30:26.99\00:30:28.49
Who do you love?
00:30:28.52\00:30:30.93
Look at your
bank account, Julian.
00:30:30.96\00:30:32.29
Who do you love?
00:30:32.33\00:30:34.40
You can't serve both of us.
00:30:34.43\00:30:37.27
Right in the middle
between those verses
00:30:37.30\00:30:38.73
I skipped a couple
of verses 22 and 23,
00:30:38.77\00:30:40.94
where he talks about the
lamp of the body is the eye.
00:30:40.97\00:30:43.97
And I couldn't work out
00:30:44.01\00:30:45.34
why he would talk about our eyes
00:30:45.37\00:30:46.71
in the middle of a
section on treasures
00:30:46.74\00:30:48.08
on heaven on earth and money.
00:30:48.11\00:30:51.01
And I thought well, maybe it's
because with our eyes we covet.
00:30:51.05\00:30:55.28
And I thought, yeah,
that's it, we covet things,
00:30:55.32\00:30:56.89
that's why it was in there.
00:30:56.92\00:30:58.25
But then I
thought of something else.
00:30:58.29\00:30:59.75
As I looked at my own life
00:30:59.79\00:31:01.19
and the challenge that
these passages brought to me,
00:31:01.22\00:31:05.56
I realized that I had one
eye on my heavenly treasures
00:31:05.59\00:31:10.67
and the other eye on
my earthly treasures.
00:31:10.70\00:31:14.04
And I was a
cross-eyed Christian.
00:31:14.07\00:31:16.44
And I was wondering
00:31:16.47\00:31:17.81
why when I tried to follow Jesus
00:31:17.84\00:31:21.14
that I was stumbling
because I couldn't see clearly.
00:31:21.18\00:31:22.84
I was a cross-eyed Christian.
00:31:22.88\00:31:25.31
One eye on heaven
and one eye on earth.
00:31:25.35\00:31:29.95
The problem that
I faced was this.
00:31:29.98\00:31:34.19
The teeter totter
problem. Seesaw problem.
00:31:36.22\00:31:38.19
I don't know what you
call it in your country
00:31:38.23\00:31:40.20
where you're from.
00:31:40.23\00:31:42.46
As my finances went
up, my faith went down.
00:31:42.50\00:31:47.47
When my finances went
down, my faith went up.
00:31:47.50\00:31:49.40
Please Lord, help me.
00:31:49.44\00:31:50.77
I need money. We
got bills to pay here.
00:31:50.81\00:31:52.54
It's your business, you know.
00:31:52.57\00:31:55.18
But when He blessed me,
00:31:55.21\00:31:57.68
I didn't have
enough time for Him again.
00:31:57.71\00:32:00.95
The teeter totter
principle, faith vs finance.
00:32:00.98\00:32:06.12
Ellen White in the book
Evangelism, page 561 says this,
00:32:06.15\00:32:10.89
"In the history of men
00:32:10.93\00:32:12.29
we learn how
dangerous is prosperity.
00:32:12.33\00:32:16.73
Prayers are often requested
00:32:16.77\00:32:18.10
for men and women in affliction,
00:32:18.13\00:32:19.47
and this is as it should be,
00:32:19.50\00:32:21.17
but the most earnest
prayers should be solicited
00:32:21.20\00:32:24.57
for those who are placed
in a prosperous position.
00:32:24.61\00:32:27.01
These men, these women
are in the greatest danger
00:32:27.04\00:32:30.55
of losing the soul."
00:32:30.58\00:32:31.91
Friends, when a person prospers,
00:32:34.25\00:32:36.75
either God gains a partner
or the person loses their soul.
00:32:36.79\00:32:41.89
It's that simple.
00:32:41.92\00:32:43.26
We're going to talk more about
this in the seminar following.
00:32:46.16\00:32:49.03
But I'm going to give you
00:32:49.06\00:32:51.47
the crux of the
message right now.
00:32:51.50\00:32:53.90
And that is that as
our blessings go up,
00:32:53.94\00:32:58.57
our knees must go down.
00:32:58.61\00:33:03.41
As our blessings go up
00:33:03.45\00:33:04.95
whether they are
material blessings,
00:33:04.98\00:33:06.45
whether they are
talents, whether it's education,
00:33:06.48\00:33:08.38
whether it's positional
status, whatever it is
00:33:08.42\00:33:10.82
as those blessings go
up, our knees must go down.
00:33:10.85\00:33:14.26
And if they don't,
we're not going to heaven.
00:33:14.29\00:33:19.09
It's serious,
friends. It's serious.
00:33:19.13\00:33:21.56
The more our blessings go up,
00:33:21.60\00:33:22.93
the more our knees must go down.
00:33:22.96\00:33:24.57
Otherwise, we're
fooling ourselves
00:33:24.60\00:33:26.87
in our relationship with Christ.
00:33:26.90\00:33:30.61
Man looks on the
outward appearance,
00:33:30.64\00:33:32.04
but the Lord looks at the heart.
00:33:32.07\00:33:36.01
The Gallup Poll,
00:33:36.04\00:33:37.38
those are international
secular research agency.
00:33:37.41\00:33:41.85
On one of their
surveys done in...
00:33:41.88\00:33:43.39
I think this was done
in about 175 countries,
00:33:43.42\00:33:45.49
they asked this question.
00:33:45.52\00:33:46.96
Is religion an important
part of your daily life?
00:33:46.99\00:33:49.59
It was a yes, no scenario.
00:33:49.62\00:33:52.49
And you can see that in nations
00:33:52.53\00:33:54.00
where the annual per
capita per person income
00:33:54.03\00:33:56.93
was between $0-2,000 USD,
00:33:56.97\00:33:59.87
95% of the population said,
00:33:59.90\00:34:02.04
"Yes, religion is
important in my everyday life."
00:34:02.07\00:34:06.88
But when the income got
to $25,000 a year or more
00:34:06.91\00:34:10.08
on average per
person in that nation,
00:34:10.11\00:34:12.51
less than half of the people
00:34:12.55\00:34:13.88
were still interested in
religion on a daily basis.
00:34:13.92\00:34:17.02
Teeter totter friends, up
and down, faith vs finance.
00:34:17.05\00:34:21.06
This isn't something
that just affects individuals.
00:34:21.09\00:34:23.29
This is something
that affects congregations.
00:34:23.32\00:34:25.36
This is something that
affects entire nations.
00:34:25.39\00:34:29.50
Some of you will know of
the group Credit Suisse of
00:34:29.53\00:34:33.64
a Swiss
financial services company.
00:34:33.67\00:34:35.90
They do a lot of research
around the world as well.
00:34:35.94\00:34:37.71
And in fact
every year they put out
00:34:37.74\00:34:39.31
what's called the
Global Wealth data book.
00:34:39.34\00:34:42.31
And I track
this book every year.
00:34:42.34\00:34:45.01
And I look at a copy of it,
you can see it for free online.
00:34:45.05\00:34:48.85
They survey around 200 nations,
00:34:48.88\00:34:51.49
not surveying the
people by phone survey,
00:34:51.52\00:34:53.56
but looking at all
of the government data
00:34:53.59\00:34:56.56
on wealth, and
finance, and investments,
00:34:56.59\00:34:58.83
and everything in those nations.
00:34:58.86\00:35:01.63
And one of the
things that they identify
00:35:01.66\00:35:04.40
is the average wealth
level of adults in that nation
00:35:04.43\00:35:10.67
for more than 200
nations around the world.
00:35:10.71\00:35:13.94
Can anybody guess for me
00:35:13.98\00:35:15.31
which nation has
the richest adults?
00:35:15.34\00:35:19.28
Not the biggest GDP
00:35:19.31\00:35:20.68
or some of these other measures.
00:35:20.72\00:35:22.08
But just the richest private
wealth adults as on average.
00:35:22.12\00:35:26.96
Any guesses?
Haven't heard it yet?
00:35:26.99\00:35:32.39
Norway. No.
00:35:32.43\00:35:34.46
Switzerland. I heard
it down here somewhere.
00:35:34.50\00:35:35.83
Yeah, Switzerland, correct.
00:35:35.86\00:35:39.17
The Swiss adults are
the richest in the world.
00:35:39.20\00:35:41.50
Let's have a look
at some of the data.
00:35:41.54\00:35:42.87
There we go.
Switzerland, number one.
00:35:45.94\00:35:48.04
Iceland, number two.
00:35:48.08\00:35:49.41
Australia, number three.
00:35:49.44\00:35:50.78
United States, number four.
00:35:50.81\00:35:52.15
Bermuda, Greenland, Luxembourg,
Norway, New Zealand, U.K.
00:35:52.18\00:35:54.82
the list changes
each year slightly.
00:35:54.85\00:35:58.32
But the top 15 nations
00:35:58.35\00:36:00.86
sort of take their
ranks in the top overall.
00:36:00.89\00:36:04.06
But look at the
column on the right hand side
00:36:04.09\00:36:06.56
for those top 10 nations
00:36:06.59\00:36:07.93
the percentage who answered
00:36:07.96\00:36:09.30
"No, religion is not
important in my everyday life."
00:36:09.33\00:36:12.10
And compared with the percentage
00:36:12.13\00:36:13.47
that answered "No"
00:36:13.50\00:36:14.84
in the poorer
countries at the bottom.
00:36:14.87\00:36:17.51
There it is
again, Credit Suisse.
00:36:17.54\00:36:21.04
It's easier for a camel to
go through the eye of a needle
00:36:21.08\00:36:23.24
than for a rich
man for a rich nation
00:36:23.28\00:36:26.08
to get into heaven.
00:36:26.11\00:36:28.88
When God blesses us, we
tend to walk away from Him.
00:36:28.92\00:36:33.86
And some of you will have
noticed something interesting
00:36:33.89\00:36:35.82
about those top ten nations.
00:36:35.86\00:36:37.89
And that is that
those top 10 nations
00:36:43.16\00:36:44.87
were all founded
on which religion.
00:36:44.90\00:36:48.87
Yeah, most of them were
founded on Christian principles,
00:36:48.90\00:36:51.04
their laws were
built on God's Word,
00:36:51.07\00:36:55.04
and God blessed
us because of it.
00:36:55.08\00:36:57.78
And like the children of Israel
00:36:57.81\00:36:59.15
when they walked
over the Jordan River
00:36:59.18\00:37:00.88
to the other side,
00:37:00.92\00:37:03.79
and lived in homes
that they didn't build
00:37:03.82\00:37:05.45
and cities they didn't build,
00:37:05.49\00:37:06.82
and ate from
vineyards and olive groves
00:37:06.86\00:37:08.19
that they didn't plant,
00:37:08.22\00:37:09.56
and drank from wells
that they didn't dig,
00:37:09.59\00:37:11.26
what was Moses' warning to
them before they crossed over?
00:37:11.29\00:37:13.73
He said that's what's
going to happen to you
00:37:13.76\00:37:15.10
when you get over
to the other side,
00:37:15.13\00:37:16.46
you're going to be
blessed zillionaires.
00:37:16.50\00:37:19.17
But do not forget
the Lord, your God.
00:37:19.20\00:37:22.70
And what did they do?
00:37:22.74\00:37:24.61
In the midst of the luxury,
they walked away from God.
00:37:24.64\00:37:30.01
It's not a modern problem.
00:37:30.05\00:37:32.48
Well, it's a modern problem
00:37:32.51\00:37:33.85
but has been
around for a long time.
00:37:33.88\00:37:36.72
John Wesley, founder
of the Methodist church,
00:37:36.75\00:37:38.72
a man of God said this in 1789,
00:37:38.75\00:37:41.89
he said that, "Wherever
true Christianity spreads,
00:37:41.92\00:37:44.26
it must cause
diligence, hard work,
00:37:44.29\00:37:46.76
and frugality, careful spending
00:37:46.80\00:37:48.53
which in the
natural course of things,
00:37:48.56\00:37:49.90
must create riches!
00:37:49.93\00:37:52.00
And riches
naturally create pride,
00:37:52.03\00:37:54.20
love of the
world, and every temper
00:37:54.24\00:37:56.81
that is
destructive of Christianity."
00:37:56.84\00:38:00.34
Friends, I've
seen that in my life.
00:38:00.38\00:38:02.41
I've seen it in
the life of my nation.
00:38:02.44\00:38:06.11
It's true.
00:38:06.15\00:38:07.85
Wherever true
Christianity spreads,
00:38:07.88\00:38:09.45
it must cause
diligence and frugality.
00:38:09.48\00:38:13.56
Which in the natural
course of things creates riches.
00:38:13.59\00:38:18.49
And riches
naturally create pride,
00:38:18.53\00:38:21.60
love of the
world, and every temper
00:38:21.63\00:38:25.20
that is destructive
of true Christianity.
00:38:25.23\00:38:28.10
It's a dangerous cycle.
00:38:28.14\00:38:29.47
I asked a friend of mine
00:38:33.71\00:38:35.04
to illustrate for me to
do a drawing that illustrated
00:38:35.08\00:38:39.48
what the inside of
my heart looked like.
00:38:39.51\00:38:41.78
In those years,
when I was living
00:38:41.82\00:38:43.62
as a cross-eyed Christian.
00:38:43.65\00:38:46.32
In Revelation 3 Jesus says,
"Behold, I stand at the door
00:38:46.35\00:38:49.02
and knock the door of my heart,
00:38:49.06\00:38:50.39
the door of your heart,
00:38:50.43\00:38:51.76
but what I had done is
I had taken the blessings
00:38:51.79\00:38:53.76
that God had given me."
00:38:53.80\00:38:55.13
And by the way we didn't
own all of these blessings.
00:38:55.16\00:38:56.97
We saw the awful
tale many years ago.
00:38:57.00\00:38:59.53
But the things in the
picture represent things
00:38:59.57\00:39:03.77
that might be in your
life that were in my life.
00:39:03.81\00:39:05.97
It could be sport,
it could be travel,
00:39:06.01\00:39:07.54
it could be education, it
could be preaching ability,
00:39:07.58\00:39:09.58
it could be music, it
could be a screen time,
00:39:09.61\00:39:13.15
it could be a
collection of something
00:39:13.18\00:39:15.22
that you just love to collect,
00:39:15.25\00:39:17.72
but it's getting between
you and the door of your heart.
00:39:17.75\00:39:20.09
It's getting between
00:39:20.12\00:39:21.46
you and your
relationship with Jesus Christ.
00:39:21.49\00:39:22.92
It's taking your time,
your money, your energy,
00:39:22.96\00:39:24.86
your focus, your attention,
00:39:24.89\00:39:28.16
and drawing you away
00:39:28.20\00:39:29.60
from the urgency of
the time in which we live.
00:39:29.63\00:39:33.10
And that's what my
friend drew for me.
00:39:33.13\00:39:34.47
Billy Sunday, the
American evangelist said
00:39:36.64\00:39:38.67
that many a man is
going to slip into hell
00:39:38.71\00:39:41.24
with his hand on
the door knob of heaven.
00:39:41.28\00:39:43.71
Maybe there's something in there
00:39:46.88\00:39:48.22
that you see in your life
00:39:48.25\00:39:50.15
that you really need
to talk to God about,
00:39:50.19\00:39:52.52
you know, heart to
heart conversation.
00:39:52.55\00:39:56.59
In the Review and
Herald, November 2, 1886 says,
00:39:56.62\00:39:59.63
"The true witness behold
I stand at the door knock,
00:39:59.66\00:40:03.37
the heavenly guest
is standing at your door
00:40:03.40\00:40:05.77
while you are
piling up obstructions
00:40:05.80\00:40:07.50
to bar his entrance."
00:40:07.54\00:40:08.87
Friends, I had never read this
00:40:08.90\00:40:10.24
when my friend
drew this picture.
00:40:10.27\00:40:11.87
This is just my experience
00:40:11.91\00:40:13.24
and somebody sent this
to me a couple of years ago.
00:40:13.27\00:40:14.71
And I was in
tears when I read it.
00:40:14.74\00:40:16.71
Jesus is knocking through
the prosperity He gives you.
00:40:16.75\00:40:19.51
He loads you with
blessings to test your fidelity
00:40:19.55\00:40:22.28
that they may flow
out from you to others.
00:40:22.32\00:40:25.12
Will you permit your
selfishness to triumph?
00:40:25.15\00:40:27.36
Will you squander God's talents
00:40:27.39\00:40:28.79
and lose your soul
through idolatrous love
00:40:28.82\00:40:31.09
of the blessings
that He has given?
00:40:31.13\00:40:34.86
In Luke 16:13, 14, 15.
00:40:34.90\00:40:40.84
We read Jesus again saying,
00:40:40.87\00:40:45.17
"You can't serve God and money."
00:40:45.21\00:40:48.08
In verse 15, it
says, "But the Pharisees
00:40:48.11\00:40:52.38
who loved money
were sneering at Him."
00:40:52.41\00:40:57.12
And what did Jesus say to them?
00:40:57.15\00:41:00.49
Man looks at the
outward appearance
00:41:00.52\00:41:02.76
but God looks at the heart.
00:41:02.79\00:41:06.73
And He said what is
wonderful in your eyes
00:41:06.76\00:41:09.93
is an abomination
in the eyes of God.
00:41:09.96\00:41:14.34
God looks at the heart.
00:41:14.37\00:41:16.54
In Ezekiel 14:3.
00:41:16.57\00:41:18.37
We have a similar problem,
00:41:21.64\00:41:23.08
in fact, if you got your Bibles,
00:41:23.11\00:41:24.58
turn there very quickly.
00:41:24.61\00:41:26.61
Ezekiel 14:3.
00:41:26.65\00:41:29.88
Remember Ezekiel was
this reluctant prophet,
00:41:29.92\00:41:33.59
who was sent out.
00:41:33.62\00:41:34.96
And before he went,
God already told him
00:41:34.99\00:41:36.59
that the people
aren't going to listen
00:41:36.62\00:41:37.96
to what you have to say.
00:41:37.99\00:41:39.33
Mentioned that.
00:41:39.36\00:41:40.70
A life calling, where God says
go out into your life calling,
00:41:40.73\00:41:43.50
you basically be of no
effect but you need to go.
00:41:43.53\00:41:47.34
Man, Ezekiel went out.
00:41:47.37\00:41:48.70
And in chapter
14:1, let's start there.
00:41:48.74\00:41:51.61
Now, some of the
elders of Israel came to me,
00:41:51.64\00:41:54.74
came to Ezekiel,
and set before me.
00:41:54.78\00:41:56.98
And the word of the Lord
came to me saying, "Son of Man,
00:41:57.01\00:42:01.32
these men have set up
their idols in their hearts
00:42:01.35\00:42:06.49
and put before them that
which causes them to stumble."
00:42:06.52\00:42:11.96
Ouch, idols in my heart.
00:42:11.99\00:42:15.56
Put before me things
that causing me to stumble.
00:42:15.60\00:42:18.60
So what was the solution?
00:42:23.24\00:42:25.14
What was the solution to
my faith vs finance battle?
00:42:25.17\00:42:29.71
Friends, I had to
have a heart attack.
00:42:29.74\00:42:32.21
I had to have a heart attack.
00:42:32.25\00:42:33.58
You see the heart
that I was born with
00:42:33.62\00:42:34.95
is a selfish heart.
00:42:34.98\00:42:36.89
The only way that I could clear
all the stuff out of my heart
00:42:36.92\00:42:40.02
wasn't through
trying to daily stop looking
00:42:40.06\00:42:43.16
at the advertising forward
00:42:43.19\00:42:44.53
and not focusing
on it, and selling it,
00:42:44.56\00:42:46.43
and all that sort of stuff.
00:42:46.46\00:42:47.80
No, what I needed
was found in Ezekiel 36.
00:42:47.83\00:42:52.13
And that's where
I had an epiphany.
00:42:52.17\00:42:53.50
One morning, as I
was battling this fight
00:42:53.54\00:42:55.24
faith vs finance battle.
00:42:55.27\00:42:57.37
I was doing my morning worship.
00:42:57.41\00:42:59.07
I came across Ezekiel 36:25-27.
00:42:59.11\00:43:02.78
I'm going to share
what happened to you there.
00:43:02.81\00:43:05.01
What happened
to me in that time.
00:43:05.05\00:43:08.95
One morning my son
came home from school,
00:43:08.98\00:43:10.72
he was 14 years of age.
00:43:10.75\00:43:12.79
And he stood in front of me.
00:43:12.82\00:43:14.16
And he said, that
afternoon he said,
00:43:14.19\00:43:16.49
"Dad, if I stand here like this,
00:43:16.52\00:43:17.89
can I turn over my
hand from there to there
00:43:17.93\00:43:20.43
without twisting my wrist?"
00:43:20.46\00:43:22.36
And I said, "No,
it's impossible."
00:43:22.40\00:43:23.73
And he said, "No, I can do it."
00:43:23.77\00:43:25.10
And I said, "You
can't." He said, "I can."
00:43:25.13\00:43:28.04
I said, "Show me."
00:43:28.07\00:43:29.40
And he went like this.
00:43:29.44\00:43:31.44
One, two, three,
00:43:31.47\00:43:36.28
four, five, six.
00:43:36.31\00:43:41.18
When God puts
blessings in our hands,
00:43:41.22\00:43:46.45
it's the exact same
message that He gave to Abraham,
00:43:46.49\00:43:48.92
"I'm going to bless you,
so that you can be a blessing,
00:43:48.96\00:43:51.86
so that you can pour it out.
00:43:51.89\00:43:53.73
I'm going to keep
putting them in your hand
00:43:53.76\00:43:55.26
but you keep pouring them out.
00:43:55.30\00:43:56.70
Don't put them in
your heart, pour them out.
00:43:56.73\00:43:59.33
Pour out those blessings."
00:43:59.37\00:44:01.10
Let's have a look
at Ezekiel 36:25-27.
00:44:01.14\00:44:04.77
Do this movement
with me if you'd like.
00:44:04.81\00:44:07.11
We're going to put
your hand out in front,
00:44:07.14\00:44:08.71
we're going to go up,
across, out, up, down, and out.
00:44:08.74\00:44:14.68
I'm going to do it
as we read this text.
00:44:14.72\00:44:16.35
Every time I say,
"I will or you will,"
00:44:16.38\00:44:17.92
we're going to
move our hands once.
00:44:17.95\00:44:19.29
So we're going to
see God do a miracle.
00:44:19.32\00:44:20.66
He's going to turn us
over from our selfish heart
00:44:20.69\00:44:22.92
that wants to
hold on to everything
00:44:22.96\00:44:24.53
to pouring it out.
00:44:24.56\00:44:27.46
You tell me how
much of it do you, you do
00:44:27.50\00:44:29.50
and how much does God do?
00:44:29.53\00:44:31.10
Let's go.
00:44:31.13\00:44:32.53
It's God speaking, "Then I
will sprinkle clean water on you
00:44:32.57\00:44:35.47
and you shall be clean.
00:44:35.50\00:44:37.14
I will cleanse you
from all your filthiness
00:44:37.17\00:44:39.11
and from all your idols.
00:44:39.14\00:44:40.74
I will give you a new heart
00:44:40.78\00:44:42.14
and put a new spirit within you.
00:44:42.18\00:44:43.85
I will take the heart
of stone out of your flesh
00:44:43.88\00:44:45.98
and give you a heart of flesh.
00:44:46.01\00:44:47.55
I will put my spirit within you
00:44:47.58\00:44:49.08
and cause you to
walk in my statutes."
00:44:49.12\00:44:51.32
Which way is your hand facing?
00:44:51.35\00:44:53.92
How much of it did you do? None.
00:44:53.96\00:44:56.52
God did it all.
00:44:56.56\00:44:57.89
He gave you a new heart.
00:44:57.93\00:44:59.26
And then you will keep
my judgments and do them.
00:44:59.29\00:45:03.06
Make a note of that
in the marginal Bible,
00:45:03.10\00:45:04.43
friends, that's
good one to share.
00:45:04.47\00:45:08.87
Ezekiel 36.
00:45:08.90\00:45:11.17
Ellen White, Steps
to Christ, page 18 says,
00:45:11.21\00:45:13.71
"It is impossible for
us of ourselves to escape
00:45:13.74\00:45:17.98
from the pit of scene
in which we are sunken.
00:45:18.01\00:45:19.68
Our hearts are evil
and we cannot change them.
00:45:19.71\00:45:22.78
Education, culture,
the exercise of the will,
00:45:22.82\00:45:25.42
human effort, attending
ASI, going to church every week,
00:45:25.45\00:45:28.76
taking lessons,
being an elder at church,
00:45:28.79\00:45:30.63
going on mission trips
00:45:30.66\00:45:31.99
they all have
their proper sphere
00:45:32.03\00:45:33.36
but here they are powerless.
00:45:33.40\00:45:36.77
They may produce an
outward correctness of behavior,
00:45:36.80\00:45:39.43
but they cannot
change the heart...
00:45:39.47\00:45:42.27
There must be a
power working from within,
00:45:42.30\00:45:44.27
a new life from above,
00:45:44.31\00:45:46.71
before men can be
changed from sin to holiness.
00:45:46.74\00:45:49.04
The power is Christ."
00:45:49.08\00:45:51.51
You remember in John 3
a man called Nicodemus.
00:45:55.75\00:45:58.99
Nicodemus was
rich. He was powerful.
00:45:59.02\00:46:00.46
He was respected.
00:46:00.49\00:46:01.82
And he had lots of
other problems too.
00:46:01.86\00:46:04.19
He was a member of the Sanhedrin
00:46:04.23\00:46:05.56
the 70 leaders of Israel,
religio-political leaders.
00:46:05.59\00:46:12.13
He was looked up
to, he was respected,
00:46:12.17\00:46:15.30
on the outside
everything looked good.
00:46:15.34\00:46:17.44
But in his heart Nicodemus
knew that he wasn't saved.
00:46:17.47\00:46:22.94
And so he went to Jesus
at night time in the garden,
00:46:22.98\00:46:24.81
and remember that Jesus
said a number of things to him
00:46:24.85\00:46:26.65
and one of them was "Nicodemus,
you need to be born again."
00:46:26.68\00:46:31.45
Nicodemus was bit
confused about what that meant.
00:46:31.49\00:46:33.76
We understand
it much better now.
00:46:33.79\00:46:35.12
And it's a pillar of our faith.
00:46:35.16\00:46:36.93
It's a foundation of our faith.
00:46:36.96\00:46:38.86
And he said,
"Nicodemus, I'll be lifted up.
00:46:38.89\00:46:41.36
I must be lifted up."
00:46:41.40\00:46:42.73
And later on in John, He
says that, "When I am lifted up,
00:46:42.76\00:46:44.93
I will draw all men unto Me."
00:46:44.97\00:46:47.30
Another beautiful
illustration that Christ gave
00:46:47.34\00:46:50.61
of the message of
salvation and of Calvary.
00:46:50.64\00:46:53.54
But both of those
fade into insignificance
00:46:53.58\00:46:56.24
when you realize
that it was to Nicodemus.
00:46:56.28\00:46:59.08
A one man audience out
there in the dark of the garden
00:46:59.11\00:47:03.02
that Jesus said, "Nicodemus,
God so loved the world
00:47:03.05\00:47:07.79
that He gave His
only begotten Son
00:47:07.82\00:47:09.19
that whosoever believes
in Him should not perish,
00:47:09.22\00:47:11.59
but have everlasting life."
00:47:11.63\00:47:15.36
Nicodemus was convicted.
00:47:15.40\00:47:17.60
But he wasn't converted.
00:47:17.63\00:47:19.17
Nicodemus was convicted.
00:47:19.20\00:47:20.54
He went back into the Sanhedrin.
00:47:20.57\00:47:21.94
On two occasions
we have record of him
00:47:21.97\00:47:25.14
acting to save
the life of Christ
00:47:25.17\00:47:27.04
when the Sanhedrin
wanted to kill Jesus.
00:47:27.08\00:47:29.94
He was convicted
but not converted.
00:47:29.98\00:47:31.51
Friends, when was
Nicodemus converted?
00:47:31.55\00:47:37.05
At the cross.
00:47:37.09\00:47:39.05
When he and
Joseph of Arimathaea came
00:47:39.09\00:47:42.72
to take the body of Christ then.
00:47:42.76\00:47:44.09
It's the same time the
disciples were converted,
00:47:44.13\00:47:46.19
"When I am lifted up, I
will draw all men unto Me."
00:47:46.23\00:47:50.37
We're told in the Desire of Ages
00:47:50.40\00:47:51.73
that Nicodemus died a poor man.
00:47:51.77\00:47:53.94
If you want to know
what he did with his money,
00:47:53.97\00:47:55.30
read the Book of Acts.
00:47:55.34\00:47:56.67
Nicodemus funded it.
00:47:56.71\00:47:59.04
He funded the gospel
going to all the world.
00:47:59.07\00:48:00.84
Friends, it's not
business as usual today
00:48:00.88\00:48:03.04
because Nicodemus
set us an example,
00:48:03.08\00:48:07.22
that if God is blessing you,
00:48:07.25\00:48:08.58
it's so that you can take
the gospel to the entire world.
00:48:08.62\00:48:12.55
In Florence, just up from
what is my wife and children
00:48:12.59\00:48:17.56
tell me is the
world's best chocolate shop
00:48:17.59\00:48:20.70
is a museum with a statue in it,
00:48:20.73\00:48:23.26
and it's called
the Florentine Pieta...
00:48:23.30\00:48:25.03
carved by Michelangelo.
00:48:28.60\00:48:31.41
Michelangelo, incredible artist.
00:48:31.44\00:48:34.01
It was carved from
the top of his own tomb.
00:48:34.04\00:48:35.81
The pope came to
Michelangelo and said,
00:48:35.84\00:48:37.31
"Michelangelo,
you've done so much for us,
00:48:37.35\00:48:38.91
we want you to carve
this for your own tomb,
00:48:38.95\00:48:40.92
and so he carved it."
00:48:40.95\00:48:42.28
Nicodemus and the two Marys
00:48:42.32\00:48:43.65
taking down Jesus off the cross.
00:48:43.69\00:48:45.15
But the historians, the
reason I wanted to see this
00:48:45.19\00:48:47.36
is because there's
a plaque beside it.
00:48:47.39\00:48:49.02
And the historians say
that the face of Nicodemus
00:48:49.06\00:48:51.93
is the face of Michelangelo.
00:48:51.96\00:48:53.80
It was a self-portrait.
00:48:53.83\00:48:55.86
Michelangelo was
converted late in life.
00:48:55.90\00:48:58.53
After a life of much success,
00:48:58.57\00:49:00.17
finally he gave
his heart to Christ
00:49:00.20\00:49:02.90
in the midst of success.
00:49:02.94\00:49:04.87
And he wanted everybody to
know that if he had been there
00:49:04.91\00:49:09.01
when his Christ had died,
00:49:09.04\00:49:10.38
he would have done
what Nicodemus did.
00:49:10.41\00:49:12.71
He never made it to his tomb.
00:49:12.75\00:49:14.08
There were some
faults in the marble,
00:49:14.12\00:49:15.45
and he pushed it aside.
00:49:15.48\00:49:16.82
But to me it's a reminder that
no matter where we are in life
00:49:16.85\00:49:20.46
God is a God of second
chances, and third chances,
00:49:20.49\00:49:23.96
and 77th chances.
00:49:23.99\00:49:26.33
My dad used to say to
me as I was growing up
00:49:26.36\00:49:28.40
and he was on fire for Christ.
00:49:28.43\00:49:29.76
I was a teenager.
00:49:29.80\00:49:31.13
He'd say, "Julian,
if you died tonight,
00:49:31.17\00:49:32.53
could you be sure
that you had eternal life?"
00:49:32.57\00:49:35.37
And I didn't know.
00:49:35.40\00:49:37.74
I want to tell
you for many years
00:49:37.77\00:49:39.11
I knew that I
didn't have eternal life.
00:49:39.14\00:49:42.28
But through that
process in Ezekiel 36,
00:49:42.31\00:49:45.08
getting a new heart from God.
00:49:45.11\00:49:47.32
I want to tell you,
00:49:47.35\00:49:48.68
it's the most painful
but most beautiful thing
00:49:48.72\00:49:50.92
that's ever
happened to me, a new heart.
00:49:50.95\00:49:54.42
And now I love
that verse John 5:13.
00:49:54.46\00:49:58.73
Where John says, "Beloved, I
write to you, I speak to you,
00:49:58.76\00:50:02.56
who believe in the
name of the Son of God
00:50:02.60\00:50:04.93
so that you may know
that you have eternal life."
00:50:04.97\00:50:09.40
Not so that you might hope
that maybe one day you could
00:50:09.44\00:50:11.54
if you're good enough
for if you give enough.
00:50:11.57\00:50:14.21
No, he said, "I write
to you so that you may know
00:50:14.24\00:50:18.51
that you have now eternal life."
00:50:18.55\00:50:24.05
Ministry of Healing,
the life of the Apostle Paul
00:50:24.09\00:50:26.96
was a constant
conflict with self.
00:50:26.99\00:50:28.62
Friends, that tells me
that when you get the new heart,
00:50:28.66\00:50:30.49
the battle isn't over.
00:50:30.53\00:50:32.66
The battle is a daily battle.
00:50:32.69\00:50:34.76
He said, "I die daily.
00:50:34.80\00:50:36.80
His will and his
desires every day conflicted
00:50:36.83\00:50:39.53
with duty and the will of God."
00:50:39.57\00:50:41.50
But here's the
interesting thing,
00:50:41.54\00:50:42.90
"Instead of
following inclination,
00:50:42.94\00:50:44.97
he did God's will,
00:50:45.01\00:50:46.34
however
crucifying to his nature."
00:50:46.37\00:50:49.71
In Philippians 1:6, we
have that beautiful assurance
00:50:49.74\00:50:53.92
"That he who has
begun a good work in you
00:50:53.95\00:50:55.58
will complete it."
00:50:55.62\00:50:58.55
And then in Steps to Christ,
page 64, "Don't be discouraged,
00:50:58.59\00:51:01.72
there are those who have known
the pardoning love of Christ,
00:51:01.76\00:51:04.46
and who really desire
to be children of God,
00:51:04.49\00:51:07.26
yet they realize that
their character is imperfect,
00:51:07.30\00:51:09.33
their life faulty, and
they are ready to doubt
00:51:09.36\00:51:11.47
whether their hearts have
been renewed by the Holy Spirit.
00:51:11.50\00:51:15.20
To such I would say,
it's Ellen White writing here,
00:51:15.24\00:51:18.01
"Do not draw back in despair.
00:51:18.04\00:51:19.94
We shall often have to bow down
and weep at the feet of Jesus
00:51:19.97\00:51:23.48
because of our
shortcomings and mistakes,
00:51:23.51\00:51:25.85
but we are not
to be discouraged."
00:51:25.88\00:51:28.95
Friends, we do need to
be cross-eyed Christians
00:51:28.98\00:51:33.25
not because we've
got one eye on heaven
00:51:33.29\00:51:35.22
and the other eye on earth,
00:51:35.26\00:51:36.96
but because we've got both eyes
on the cross of Jesus Christ.
00:51:36.99\00:51:42.26
Paul knew what he said, "I
determined not to know anything
00:51:42.30\00:51:44.40
among you except Jesus
Christ and Him crucified."
00:51:44.43\00:51:48.90
In 2 Timothy 4,
the very last letter
00:51:53.21\00:51:55.68
that we have of
Paul's life in 4:7,
00:51:55.71\00:51:59.71
there's a verse that
to me is really important
00:51:59.75\00:52:01.55
in this faith vs finance battle.
00:52:01.58\00:52:05.12
He says, "I've
fought the good fight.
00:52:05.15\00:52:06.82
I've finished the race.
00:52:06.86\00:52:09.42
And I have kept the faith."
00:52:09.46\00:52:13.46
Friends, I encourage
you to keep the faith.
00:52:13.50\00:52:17.17
It's a battle.
00:52:17.20\00:52:18.53
It should be faith and finance.
00:52:18.57\00:52:19.90
It should be faith
regardless of finance.
00:52:19.93\00:52:24.67
But in my life it's
been faith vs finance.
00:52:24.71\00:52:27.68
And I thank God that
whilst we have a problem,
00:52:27.71\00:52:30.75
God has the solution.
00:52:30.78\00:52:35.02
I encourage you as
your blessings go up,
00:52:35.05\00:52:39.35
may your knees go down.
00:52:39.39\00:52:40.72