Participants: Pr. Chris Buttery
Series Code: CSH
Program Code: CSH021433
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00:01 (MUSIC)
00:10 (MUSIC) 00:45 >>WELCOME TO SACRAMENTO CENTRAL SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH 00:47 HERE IN SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA. 00:50 WE'RE SO GLAD THAT YOU ARE TUNING IN. 00:51 WHETHER YOU ARE LISTENING IN ON THE RADIO, WATCHING LIVE ON OUR 00:54 WEBSITE AT 'SACCENTRAL.ORG' OR JOINING US ON THE VARIOUS 00:57 TELEVISION NETWORKS, WE'RE JUST GLAD THAT YOU ARE TUNING IN AND 01:01 WE LOOK FORWARD TO SINGING SONGS WITH YOU AND OPENING UP GOD'S 01:05 WORD AND STUDYING TOGETHER TODAY. 01:07 AND, OF COURSE, TODAY IS NO EXCEPTION. 01:09 WE'RE GOING TO START WITH YOUR FAVORITES AND THE FIRST REQUEST 01:12 IS 'FILL MY CUP, LORD' - THIS IS A LOVELY SONG - #493 - AND THERE 01:19 WERE SO MANY REQUESTS FOR THIS SONG THAT I JUST DECIDED TO PICK 01:22 ONE REGION OF THE WORLD SO I PICKED EUROPE. THIS IS FROM 01:27 TONKA IN CROATIA - WE DON'T GET MANY REQUESTS FROM CROATIA SO AN 01:31 EXTRA SPECIAL HELLO TO TONKA, ALEX IN HUNGARY, SELINA AND 01:36 JONATHAN IN THE NETHERLANDS, AND SAMUEL IN GERMANY. 01:40 SO #493 - WE'LL DO ALL THREE STANZAS. 01:42 JOIN WITH US - 'FILL MY CUP, LORD'. 01:45 (MUSIC) 04:30 >>FILL MY CUP - IS THAT YOUR PRAYER THIS MORNING? 04:33 THAT GOD WILL FILL UP YOUR CUP AND MAKE YOU WHOLE. 04:38 OUR NEXT SONG YOU'LL FIND ON #147 AS WE CONTINUE WORKING OUR 04:43 WAY THROUGH THE HYMNAL SINGING THE SONGS WE'VE NEVER HEARD 04:46 BEFORE AND TODAY IS NO EXCEPTION. 04:50 NO ONE REQUESTED THIS FROM AROUND THE WORLD SO I HAVE A 04:54 SNEAKY SUSPICION THAT IF, YOU KNOW, SOMEONE KNEW IT THEY MAY 04:58 HAVE REQUESTED IT. SO WE'RE GOING TO LEARN IT ALL 05:00 TOGETHER TODAY. #147 - 'CHRIST UPON THE MOUNTAIN PEAK' - AND 05:05 WE'LL DO THE FIRST, SECOND, AND FOURTH STANZAS. JOIN WITH US. 05:08 (MUSIC) 07:10 >>WASN'T THAT BEAUTIFUL? THAT SECOND STANZA WAS ABOUT THE 07:14 TRANSFIGURATION. DID YOU CATCH THAT? 07:17 THERE'S SO MANY NEW SONGS THAT I KNOW WE HAVEN'T SUNG YET AND 07:22 SOME OF THOSE THAT WE HAVE THAT ARE JUST BEAUTIFUL AND THE 07:25 MESSAGE IN THE SONGS - SO WE LOOK FORWARD TO SINGING MORE OF 07:29 THESE NEW ONES WITH YOU. SO IF YOU WANT A HEAD START NEXT 07:32 WEEK WILL BE THE ONE ACROSS THE PAGE - #148 - SO YOU CAN START 07:36 LEARNING THAT AND WE WILL SING THAT TOGETHER NEXT WEEK. 07:39 AT THIS TIME LET'S BOW OUR HEADS FOR PRAYER. 07:43 FATHER IN HEAVEN, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BRINGING US HERE TODAY 07:48 TO STUDY YOUR WORD AND TO SING TOGETHER. 07:50 WE THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BLESSING US WITH THE SABBATH, 07:56 THAT ONE DAY OUT OF THE WHOLE WEEK WHEN WE CAN JUST FORGET 07:59 ABOUT THE THINGS THAT WE'RE WORKING ON, THAT WE'RE WORRYING 08:02 ABOUT AND WE CAN JUST SPEND 24 HOURS WITH YOU, RESTING IN YOUR 08:08 PROMISES. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LOVING US, 08:11 FOR DYING FOR US, AND GIVING US THE HOPE OF CHRISTIANS THAT ONE 08:15 DAY SOON WE WILL SEE YOU COMING IN THE CLOUDS OF GLORY. 08:18 I PRAY THAT YOU BE WITH THOSE THAT ARE SUFFERING. 08:21 OUR HEARTS GO OUT TO THE FAMILIES OF THE PLANE CRASH 08:24 VICTIMS AND THERE ARE SO MANY OTHER HURTING PEOPLE IN THIS 08:29 WORLD AND I PRAY THAT YOU WILL JUST PUT YOUR ARMS AROUND THEM 08:31 AND LOVE THEM. BE WITH US NOW. BE WITH OUR SPEAKER AS HE BRINGS 08:36 US THE LESSON STUDY. IN JESUS' NAME, AMEN. 08:40 AT THIS TIME OUR LESSON STUDY IS GOING TO BE BROUGHT TO US BY, 08:43 YES, OUR SENIOR PASTOR, PASTOR CHRIS BUTTERY. 08:55 >>WELL GOOD MORNING. GOOD TO SEE YOU THIS MORNING. 08:59 AND THANK YOU FOR THAT BEAUTIFUL MUSIC. 09:02 THANK YOU FOR SINGING SO NICELY. 09:04 IT'S ALWAYS A JOY TO SING TO THE LORD, AMEN? AMEN. 09:10 WE'VE BEEN ENJOYING OUR LESSON STUDY - OUR QUARTERLY LESSON 09:16 STUDY - 'THE TEACHINGS OF JESUS' - HAVEN'T WE? 09:20 IF THERE WAS ANYONE'S TEACHINGS THAT WE WOULD WANT TO SIT UP AND 09:24 PAY ATTENTION TO IT WOULD BE THAT OF JESUS, WOULD IT NOT? 09:27 THE ONE WHO MADE EVERYTHING, WHO KNOWS EVERYTHING, WHO CREATED 09:30 EVERYTHING, THE ONE WHO KNOWS WHAT IT'S GOING TO TAKE FOR US 09:35 TO BE WITH HIM FOREVER - WE'D WANT TO PAY SOME CLOSE ATTENTION 09:39 TO HIS TEACHINGS. AND THAT'S WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING 09:41 HERE FOR THE LAST FEW WEEKS AND WE WANT TO WELCOME, ALSO, THOSE 09:46 THAT ARE JOINING US ONLINE, TV, WHEREVER YOU MIGHT BE TUNING IN. 09:51 WE'RE SO GLAD THAT YOU'VE JOINED US AND WE WANT TO LET YOU KNOW 09:53 ABOUT OUR SPECIAL FREE OFFER, THE BIBLE STUDY 'A LOVE THAT 09:57 TRANSFORMS' - OFFER #710 - AND YOU WANT TO CALL IN TO 10:01 1-866-STUDY-MORE OR 1-866-788-3966. 10:06 WELL, HERE WE ARE STUDYING GOD'S WORD AGAIN. WHAT A JOY. 10:12 AND TODAY'S LESSON - IT'S TALKING ABOUT 'LIVING LIKE 10:19 CHRIST.' LAST WEEK WAS 'GROWING IN CHRIST' AND THIS WEEK 10:25 HAS BEEN ABOUT LIVING LIKE CHRIST. 10:29 AN IMPORTANT LESSON, WOULDN'T YOU SAY? SURE. 10:34 OUR MEMORY TEXT - AND WE'LL READ THAT TOGETHER HERE - IS JOHN 10:38 CHAPTER 13, VERSE 34 AND IT SAYS, "A NEW COMMANDMENT I GIVE 10:46 TO YOU, THAT YOU ALSO" - DO WHAT? 10:50 - "LOVE ONE ANOTHER; AS I HAVE LOVED YOU, THAT YOU ALSO LOVE 10:55 ONE ANOTHER." SO THAT'S THE NEW COMMANDMENT 11:01 AND IT PROBABLY WASN'T - WELL, I SHOULDN'T SAY PROBABLY - IT 11:05 WASN'T A NEW COMMANDMENT, REALLY. 11:07 ALL THROUGHOUT - OR THE LISTENERS OF JESUS IN THAT DAY, 11:10 ALL THROUGHOUT THE OLD TESTAMENT, UNDERSTOOD THE 11:12 BIBLICAL INJUNCTION TO LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR OR TO LOVE YOUR - THE 11:16 STRANGER. AND SO IT WASN'T REALLY A NEW 11:21 COMMANDMENT BUT PROBABLY NEW IN THE SENSE THAT THERE WAS A NEW 11:25 STANDARD. UP TO THIS PARTICULAR TIME FOLK 11:28 DIDN'T HAVE REALLY A CLEAR IMAGE OF THE CHARACTER OF GOD. 11:34 THEY HAD AN ACCURATE PICTURE OF WHAT THE CHARACTER OF GOD WAS 11:37 LIKE UP TO THAT POINT BUT JESUS, NOW, WHO WAS THE WORD MADE FLESH 11:42 - THE ONE WHO'D COME TO REVEAL THE FATHER - REVEALED JESUS - 11:47 REVEALED THE FATHER IN A SIGNIFICANT WAY. 11:49 AS YOU WATCH JESUS - AS THEY WATCHED JESUS' LIFE - AS THEY 11:54 WATCHED HIM GOING ABOUT DOING GOOD THEY RECOGNIZED AND SAW WHO 12:00 THE FATHER WAS. AND SO, THERE WAS A NEW STANDARD 12:03 - A NEW STANDARD: "AS I HAVE LOVED YOU, LOVE OTHERS - 12:09 LOVE ONE ANOTHER AS I HAVE LOVED YOU." 12:12 THAT WAS WHAT WAS NEW ABOUT THE COMMANDMENT. 12:15 THERE WAS THE STANDARD - 'AS I'VE LOVED YOU, AS I'VE GIVEN 12:18 FOR YOU, AND AS I'M GOING TO LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU, LOVE ONE 12:22 ANOTHER AS I'VE LOVED YOU.' IF WE WERE TO, KIND OF, SUMMARIZE 12:28 THE LESSON HERE THIS MORNING OVER THE COURSE OF THE WEEK, WE 12:33 WOULD PROBABLY SUGGEST THAT THE WATERMARK OF TRUE CHRISTIANITY 12:37 IS BEING MOLDED BY THE TENDERNESS, THE SYMPATHY, 12:41 CONSIDERATION AND COMPASSION REVEALED IN JESUS' LIFE. 12:45 YOU KNOW WHAT A WATERMARK IS, RIGHT? 12:47 THE DESIGN THAT'S IN SOME PAPERS AS IT'S BEING MANUFACTURED AND 12:52 IT'S VISIBLE ONLY WHEN YOU HOLD IT UP TO THE LIGHT AND TYPICALLY 12:57 IT IDENTIFIES THE MAKER. AND SO THE WATERMARK OF TRUE 13:02 CHRISTIANITY IS THE LIFE OF A FOLLOWER OF JESUS BEING MOLDED 13:06 AND SHAPED INTO THE LIKENESS OF JESUS. 13:09 THIS PARTICULAR LESSON DEALS PRIMARILY WITH THE PASSIVE 13:13 VIRTUES OF CHRISTIANITY - THE PASSIVE GRACES OF CHRISTIANITY. 13:19 THERE ARE ALSO THE ACTIVE GRACES OF CHRISTIANITY LIKE FORCE AND 13:27 PERSEVERANCE AND COURAGE. THESE ARE ALSO FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT. 13:34 THIS IS ALSO REFLECTING THE LIFE OF CHRIST. SO IF WE WERE TO TALK 13:38 ABOUT THE LIFE OF JESUS - AND WE WILL HERE IN A LITTLE BIT AND 13:42 AS WE HAVE BEEN - WE'LL TALK ABOUT THE LIFE OF JESUS. 13:44 WE SEE THAT JESUS NOT ONLY EXHIBITED THE PASSIVE GRACES 13:47 VIRTUES BUT ALSO THE ACTIVE ONES - THE MORE AGGRESSIVE ONES, AS I 13:52 MENTIONED, LIKE PERSEVERANCE AND COURAGE AND FAITH. 13:56 BUT THIS WEEK'S LESSON WE'VE BEEN FOCUSING ON THE PASSIVE 14:00 GRACES - LOVE AND TENDERNESS AND SYMPATHY AND CONSIDERATION - 14:06 AND THAT'S GOOD TOO. 14:07 I WAS READING AN ARTICLE AND IT WAS VERY INTERESTING. 14:11 THE LADY, HER NAME WAS CAROL WOODLE - CAROL WOODLE - AND - I 14:16 THINK I PRONOUNCED THAT RIGHT - BUT SHE WAS A PERSON THAT HAD A 14:24 - SHE WAS ACTUALLY A LOOK-ALIKE OF OPRAH WINFREY AND OPRAH 14:29 WINFREY, OF COURSE, WE UNDERSTAND IS A BIG FIGURE AND 14:32 IN THE LIMELIGHT A LOT AND SOMEHOW HAS TAKEN A LITTLE BIT 14:38 OF A BACKSEAT RECENTLY, WITH HER NEW NETWORK, BUT HERE WAS CAROL 14:44 WOODLE WHO LOOKED LIKE OPRAH WINFREY. 14:45 SO EVERY TIME CAROL WOODLE WENT TO THE STORE SHE WOULD BE 14:49 STANDING THERE AND, YOU KNOW, THOSE MAGAZINES THAT SIT THERE 14:51 AND YOU'VE GOT THE 'O' MAGAZINE AND PEOPLE WOULD LOOK AT THE 14:54 MAGAZINE AND THEY'D LOOK OVER AT CAROL AND THEY'D BE WONDERING 14:56 WHETHER THIS IS, IN FACT, OPRAH WINFREY. 15:00 AND PEOPLE COMING UP AND SHAKING HER HAND AND ONE OR TWO, THREE 15:03 PEOPLE IN LINE LOOKING, 'COULD IT BE HER? 15:05 COULD IT BE?' AND ONE PARTICULAR DAY A LADY - 15:09 AN OLDER LADY - SAW CAROL, THINKING SHE WAS OPRAH, AND RAN 15:12 OVER TO HER AND SHE WAS IN COMPLETE TEARS AND GRABBED 15:15 CAROL'S HAND AND WAS SOBBING AND SAID HER ONLY DREAM WAS TO EVER 15:20 MEET OPRAH WINFREY. AND FOR CAROL, THAT DID IT. 15:25 FOR CAROL, THAT WAS IT. SHE DECIDED FROM THAT DAY ON SHE 15:27 WAS GOING TO BE AN IMPERSONATOR OF OPRAH WINFREY AND SO THAT'S 15:31 WHAT SHE DECIDED TO DO. AND IF YOU LOOK AT THE PICTURES 15:35 OF CAROL WOODLE - JUST GOOGLE HER - GOOGLE IMAGES - YOU'LL SEE 15:38 SHE'S NEARLY THE SPITTING IMAGE OF OPRAH. 15:43 NOW NEXT TO ELVIS THERE'S ALSO MARILYN MONROE. 15:46 TO LOOK LIKE A CELEBRITY IMPERSONATOR, THE INDIVIDUALS 15:50 STUDY THE MAKE-UP, SOME - AND BY THE WAY, SOME IMPERSONATORS 15:53 DON'T LOOK LIKE THE ACTUAL PERSON. 15:55 THEY'VE GOT TO PUT A LOT OF MAKE-UP ON AND WIGS AND COSTUMES 15:58 AND SO THEY ANALYZE THE MAKE-UP AND THE COSTUMES AND THE 16:01 CHARACTERISTICS UNTIL THEY'RE ABLE TO IMITATE THEM. 16:04 AND THEY POUR OVER FILMS OR READ BIOGRAPHIES AND PRACTICE THEIR 16:08 SONGS UNTIL THEY'VE NEARLY PERFECTED THE IMITATION OF THAT 16:14 PARTICULAR PERSON. DID YOU KNOW THAT THERE ARE 16:15 ABOUT 20,000 - THEY ESTIMATE ABOUT 20,000 - PROFESSIONAL 16:19 IMPERSONATORS IN THE UNITED STATES? 16:21 AND THAT WOULDN'T INCLUDE THOSE WHO JUST GO AROUND PRETENDING TO 16:24 BE SOMEONE THAT THEY'RE NOT. THIS IS PROFESSIONAL 16:27 IMPERSONATORS. AND THE REASON THAT THERE ARE SO MANY IS 16:31 BECAUSE NATURALLY, IN OUR SOCIETY, CELEBRITIES ARE 16:33 HIGHLY ESTEEMED - HIGHLY REGARDED. 16:36 A DOCTOR BY THE NAME OF JAMES HOURAN, HE'S A NEW YORK-BASED 16:40 PSYCHOLOGIST AND HE STUDIES CELEBRITY WORSHIP AND HE SAID 16:44 THIS - VERY INTERESTING - HE SAID, "HUMAN BEINGS ARE 16:47 HARD-WIRED TO WORSHIP SOMETHING. 16:51 AND IN THE ABSENCE OF ORGANIZED RELIGION WE TURN TO TRYING TO 16:55 COPY AND LEARN FROM PEOPLE THAT ARE SUCCESSFUL. WOW. 17:00 NOW THERE ARE SOME IMPERSONATORS - AND ONLY A FEW - THAT ACTUALLY 17:04 HAVE BEEN ABLE TO - ACTUALLY HAVE BEEN ABLE TO BECOME LESS 17:11 AND LESS ACQUAINTED WITH WHO THEY REALLY ARE. 17:14 THEY'VE LOST THEIR IDENTITY. THEY'VE PRACTICED AND IMITATED 17:16 THAT PARTICULAR PERSON SO OFTEN AND SO MANY TIMES THAT THEY'VE 17:20 LOST WHO THEY REALLY ARE. THEY CAN'T FIGURE OUT WHO THEY 17:23 ARE. THEY'VE LOST THEIR IDENTITY. 17:26 YOU KNOW, IT'S ONE THING TO PUT ON SPOCK EARS WHEN YOU'RE GOING 17:30 TO A CONVENTION, BUT IT'S ANOTHER THING TO PUT ON SPOCK 17:32 EARS SEVEN DAYS A WEEK WHEN NO ONE'S WATCHING. 17:35 AND THAT'S PROBLEMATIC WHEN YOU'RE IMPERSONATING SOMEONE AND 17:39 YOU'VE FORGOTTEN WHO YOU ARE. 17:41 WELL, CHRISTIANS ARE CALLED TO BE IMITATORS OF JESUS CHRIST AND 17:46 HIS CHARACTER AND THAT'S WHAT THE LESSON IS ABOUT. AND WE 17:48 WON'T EVER LOSE OUR IDENTITY WHEN WE FOLLOW JESUS. IN FACT, 17:52 OUR IDENTITY CRYSTALLIZES AND OUR PERSONALITY BECOMES MORE 17:56 REFINED AND BECOMES MORE IMPROVED. WE ACTUALLY BECOME 18:00 ALL THAT WE - THAT GOD WANTS US TO BE AS WE FOLLOW JESUS. 18:05 WITHOUT JESUS WE CANNOT BECOME ALL THAT GOD REALLY WANTS US TO 18:07 BE, BUT WITH JESUS HE MAKES US ALL THAT HE DESIRES US TO BE. 18:11 NOW THERE ARE SEVERAL BIBLE TEXTS THAT TALK ABOUT THE IDEA 18:16 OF CHRISTIANS IMITATING OR FOLLOWING JESUS. I'M GOING TO 18:18 SHARE A FEW WITH YOU AND FEEL FREE TO WRITE THEM DOWN. 18:21 I'M JUST GOING TO GO DOWN THEM ON AT A TIME. 18:22 1 CORINTHIANS CHAPTER 11 AND VERSE 1. THE APOSTLE PAUL SAYS, 18:26 "IMITATE ME, JUST AS I ALSO IMITATE CHRIST." 18:31 AND SO THE APOSTLE PAUL TOLD FOLK, 'LOOK, JUST FOLLOW ME - 18:34 IMITATE ME INASMUCH AS I IMITATE JESUS.' IF WE'RE A FOLLOWER OF 18:38 JESUS WE IMITATE HIM. EPHESIANS 5:1, THE SAME AUTHOR 18:42 SAID, "THEREFORE BE IMITATORS OF GOD AS DEAR CHILDREN." THEN 18:49 THERE'S PHILIPPIANS 2:5 - I TOLD YOU I'M GOING TO GO THROUGH THEM 18:51 RELATIVELY QUICK. WE'LL STOP AND LOOK AT A FEW VERSES HERE. 18:54 THE APOSTLE PAUL SAYS IN PHILIPPIANS 2:5, "LET THIS MIND 18:57 BE IN YOU WHICH WAS ALSO IN" - WHO? - "CHRIST JESUS." 19:01 THAT'S RIGHT. AND SO THERE'S THE EXAMPLE - THE 19:04 FOLLOWING AFTER - THE IMITATING OF JESUS. 19:07 1 PETER 2:21 SAYS, "FOR TO THIS YOU WERE CALLED, BECAUSE CHRIST 19:13 ALSO SUFFERED FOR US, LEAVING US AN EXAMPLE, THAT YOU SHOULD" - 19:17 DO WHAT? - "FOLLOW HIS STEPS:" AND IN 1 19:21 JOHN 2:6, "HE WHO SAYS HE ABIDES IN HIM OUGHT HIMSELF ALSO TO 19:26 WALK JUST AS HE WALKED." THAT'S RIGHT. 19:31 NOW TURN TO MATTHEW CHAPTER 11 AND LOOK AT VERSE 29. 19:34 WE OFTEN SKIP - I DON'T WANT TO SAY WE OFTEN SKIP OVER THIS, BUT 19:37 WE FOCUS, WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THESE VERSES, WE FOCUS IN 19:40 ON A PARTICULAR ASPECT OF THESE VERSES - RESTING IN JESUS, 19:44 TAKING ON HIS YOKE - BUT NOTICE WHAT IT SAYS IN MATTHEW 11, 19:48 VERSE 29 - THESE ARE THE WORDS OF JESUS - IN VERSE 28 HE SAYS, 19:52 "COME UNTO ME ALL YE THAT LABOR AND ARE HEAVY LADEN, AND I WILL 19:54 GIVE YOU REST." AND HE SAYS, "TAKE MY YOKE UPON 19:58 YOU," - AND WHAT ARE THE NEXT WORDS? - "LEARN" - LEARN OF ME. 20:03 COPY ME. IMITATE ME. I'M YOUR EXAMPLE. 20:06 IMITATE ME - "AND LEARN OF ME; FOR I AM MEEK AND LOWLY IN 20:11 HEART: AND YE SHALL FIND REST UNTO YOUR SOULS." 20:16 ALRIGHT - AND THEN JUST A COUPLE OTHER VERSES YOU CAN WRITE DOWN: 20:19 LUKE CHAPTER 6, VERSE 36, JESUS SAID, "THEREFORE BE MERCIFUL, 20:24 JUST AS YOUR FATHER ALSO IS MERCIFUL." 20:28 THE COUNTERPART TO THAT IS MATTHEW 5:48, "BE YE THEREFORE 20:30 PERFECT, EVEN AS YOUR FATHER WHICH IS IN HEAVEN IS PERFECT." 20:34 AS GOD IS PERFECT IN HIS REALM, GOD IS ASKING HIS FOLLOWERS TO 20:37 BE PERFECT HERE IN THEIR REALM, YOU SEE? AND THEN, LASTLY, 20:40 JOHN 13:15 - JESUS SAID, "FOR I HAVE GIVEN YOU AN EXAMPLE, THAT 20:45 YE SHOULD DO AS I HAVE DONE TO YOU." AND, OF COURSE, HE WAS 20:48 TALKING THERE ABOUT WASHING ONE ANOTHER'S FEET. 20:52 BUT IN THE BROADER SENSE JESUS SAID, 'LOOK, AS I'VE DONE TO 20:54 YOU, I'M ASKING YOU TO FOLLOW ME AND DO AS I'VE DONE AS WELL.' 20:58 AND SO THERE ARE MULTIPLE VERSES IN THE BIBLE THAT SPEAK TO THE 21:01 IDEA OF IMITATING - FOLLOWING THE EXAMPLE OF JESUS. 21:06 OFTEN WE TALK ABOUT IT BUT VERY SELDOM DO WE - SOMETIMES WE JUST 21:10 DON'T STOP AND PAUSE AND CONSIDER THE BIBLICAL EVIDENCE 21:13 THAT SUPPORTS THAT IDEA. AND NOW YOU'VE GOT A FEW TEXTS 21:16 NOW THAT YOU CAN REFER TO AND PUT IN YOUR ARSENAL. 21:21 ALRIGHT, WE'RE GOING TO SUNDAY'S LESSON. 21:23 WE ARE TO BE IMITATORS OF JESUS AND WHEN WE DO WE WON'T EVER 21:27 LOSE OUR IDENTITY. IT'LL BE CRYSTALLIZED AND OUR 21:29 PERSONALITY WILL BE REFINED. ALRIGHT, SUNDAY'S LESSON. 21:34 HOW DID JESUS LIVE? OR HOW JESUS LIVED. 21:37 HOW DID JESUS LIVE? JESUS' LIFE NATURALLY WAS A LIFE 21:40 OF UNSELFISH, SELF-SACRIFICING LOVE, WAS IT NOT? 21:45 THAT WAS THE LIFE OF JESUS. HIS PRIORITIES CENTERED ON 21:50 OTHERS RATHER THAN HIMSELF. JESUS WAS OUTWARD FOCUSED RATHER 21:54 THAN ALWAYS CONSIDERING HIS OWN NEEDS. 21:59 WHEN WE THINK OF JESUS, HIS HANDS WERE ALWAYS READY TO 22:02 RELIEVE SUFFERING AND TROUBLE THAT HAD COME TO INDIVIDUALS. 22:06 HE CARED FOR THOSE THAT MAY HAVE BEEN EVEN CONSIDERED LOW - 22:10 OF LOW VALUE IN SOCIETY'S ESTIMATION. 22:13 WE THINK ABOUT CHILDREN. WE THINK ABOUT WOMEN. 22:17 WE THINK ABOUT FOREIGNERS AND LEPERS AND TAX COLLECTORS. 22:21 JESUS CAME NEAR TO EACH ONE AND ENCOURAGED EACH ONE AND LIFTED 22:24 EACH ONE UP AND SHARED HIS CONCERN FOR EACH. 22:29 SO JESUS' LIFE WAS A LIFE OF UNSELFISH LOVE. 22:33 THAT WAS JESUS' LIFE. 22:34 AND THAT LED JESUS TO VIEW PEOPLE IN A PARTICULAR WAY. 22:41 IF YOU LOOK AT VARIOUS VERSES IN THE SCRIPTURES, ESPECIALLY IN 22:45 MATTHEW, AND THE GOSPELS, YOU'LL READ WHERE JESUS SAW THE 22:49 MULTITUDE AND HE HAD - HE WAS MOVED WITH WHAT? 22:53 DO YOU REMEMBER THE WORD? COMPASSION. YEAH, COMPASSION. 22:57 HE SAW THE MULTITUDE THAT WERE LIKE SHEEP SCATTERED - NO 23:00 SHEPHERD - AND HE WAS MOVED WITH COMPASSION. AND SO JESUS' LIFE 23:05 WAS A LIFE OF COMPASSION. AND THE WORD COMPASSION HAS THIS 23:10 IDEA OF YOUR INNER EMOTIONS - YOUR BOWELS YEARN. 23:14 THAT'S KIND OF ODD - I DON'T MEAN OUR BOWELS DON'T NATURALLY 23:17 YEARN, BUT THIS IS THE HEART - THE DEEPEST INNERMOST FEELINGS 23:22 OF A PERSON THAT IS - THAT'S BEING CALLED OUT TO HAVE 23:26 COMPASSION ON A PERSON - TO CARE FOR ANOTHER PERSON. 23:30 TO FEEL SYMPATHY FOR; TO PITY THAT PERSON. 23:33 THE DICTIONARY DEFINES COMPASSION AS 'SYMPATHETIC PITY 23:38 AND CONCERN FOR THE SUFFERING OR MISFORTUNES OF OTHERS.' SO WHEN 23:43 WE THINK OF JESUS WE'RE THINKING ABOUT HIS ENCOUNTER WITH THE TWO 23:46 BLIND MEN THAT HE ENCOUNTERED ON HIS WAY INTO JERICHO, WHO WERE 23:50 CRYING OUT TO HAVE MERCY ON THEM AND JESUS STOPPED TO CONSIDER 23:55 THEM. HE HAD COMPASSION ON THEM. 23:57 WE THINK ABOUT THE PLEADING LEPER WHO WAS ASKING TO BE 24:01 CLEANSED. JESUS HAD COMPASSION ON HIM. 24:04 AND THEN, OF COURSE, THERE WAS THE WIDOW - THE WIDOW OF NAIN - 24:08 AND SHE'D JUST LOST HER SON AND HE WAS BEING CARRIED IN A COFFIN 24:12 OUTSIDE THE CITY AND JESUS' HAPPY PROCESSION MET THAT SAD 24:15 PROCESSION AND INSTEAD OF JESUS AND THE DISCIPLES - OR AT LEAST 24:19 JESUS SAYING, 'YOU KNOW WHAT, WE'RE PRETTY HAPPY HERE. 24:21 WE DON'T WANT TO BE DISTURBED BY SOME GRIEF.' AND PASSING ON THE 24:25 OTHER WAY, JESUS MET THAT PROCESSION AND HE BROUGHT 24:27 HAPPINESS AND CHEER TO THAT PROCESSION INSOMUCH AS HE RAISED 24:31 THAT WIDOW'S SON. POWERFUL STORY. 24:34 SO WE SEE JESUS - WE SEE HIM HAVING COMPASSION - MOVED WITH 24:39 COMPASSION TO HELP AND TO RELIEVE THE SUFFERINGS AND 24:42 MISFORTUNES OF OTHERS. NOW I HAVE A BIBLE VERSE HERE, 24:46 MATTHEW 20, VERSE 28, SOMEONE WAS GOING TO READ THAT FOR US 24:48 HERE. THANK YOU. AND WE'RE ASKING THE QUESTION, 24:53 'HOW DID JESUS LIVE?' HOW DID JESUS LIVE? 24:55 WE'VE TALKED ABOUT IT HERE BUT LET'S JUST LOOK AT A COUPLE OF 24:57 VERSES HERE. ACTS CHAPTER 10 - WE'LL GO THERE 25:00 AS WELL - ACTS 10:38 - AND THEN WE'LL COME TO MATTHEW 20:28. 25:04 ACTS CHAPTER 10, VERSE 38 - TALKING OF JESUS' BAPTISM WHEN 25:13 HE WAS ANOINTED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT. 25:18 YOU REMEMBER THE EXPERIENCE OF JESUS AT HIS BAPTISM? 25:21 THE BIBLE SAYS THE HEAVENS WERE OPENED, HE HEARD HIS FATHER'S 25:25 VOICE THAT SAYS, 'MY BELOVED SON IN WHOM I'M WELL PLEASED.' AND 25:27 THE HOLY SPIRIT DESCENDED UPON HIM LIKE A DOVE. 25:31 HE WAS ANOINTED THE MESSIAH - THE CHRIST - WHICH MEANS 25:34 'ANOINTED ONE.' BUT HERE IN ACTS CHAPTER 10 AND VERSE 38 IT SAYS, 25:39 "HOW GOD ANOINTED JESUS OF NAZARETH WITH THE HOLY GHOST AND 25:43 WITH" - WHAT FRIENDS? - "POWER:" - AND HOW DID HE USE 25:46 THAT POWER? - "WHO WENT ABOUT DOING GOOD, AND HEALING ALL THAT 25:51 WERE OPPRESSED OF THE DEVIL; FOR GOD WAS WITH HIM." 25:56 HERE'S THE EVIDENCE OF GOD BEING WITH A PERSON. 25:58 GOD IS WITH THAT PERSON WHEN THAT PERSON IS DOING GOOD AND 26:02 RELIEVING THE SUFFERINGS AND NEEDS OF OTHERS THE BEST THEY 26:05 KNOW HOW. MATTHEW 20 AND VERSE 28. 26:10 >>"EVEN AS THE SON OF MAN CAME NOT TO BE MINISTERED UNTO BUT TO 26:15 MINISTER, AND TO GIVE HIS LIFE A RANSOM FOR MANY." 26:19 >>SO JESUS' LIFE - THANK YOU - JESUS' LIFE WAS CENTERED ON 26:24 SERVING. THAT'S IT - SERVING OTHERS, 26:29 BENEFITTING OTHERS, BLESSING OTHERS. 26:33 I WANT TO JUST SHARE A FEW QUOTES FROM MY FAVORITE BOOK. 26:37 THE BOOK IS 'THE DESIRE OF AGES' - TALKING ABOUT THE LIFE OF 26:41 JESUS. AND THIS INSPIRED COMMENTARY - 26:43 TALKING ABOUT THE CHILDHOOD OF JESUS AND THERE ARE A COUPLE OF 26:47 CHAPTERS THAT ARE POIGNANT - THAT ARE POWERFUL. 26:51 ONE IS - ONE CHAPTER IS 'THE CONFLICT YEARS' - TALKING OF 26:54 JESUS' HOME LIFE AND HOW HE GREW UP. 26:57 BUT JUST LET ME READ THESE STATEMENTS. 26:59 THERE ARE TWO: ONE'S ON PAGE 70 AND ONE'S ON PAGE 87 AND THEY 27:03 JUST SUMMARIZED THE LIFE - THE HEART OF JESUS. IT SAYS, 27:10 "JESUS LIVED TO RELIEVE EVERY CASE OF SUFFERING THAT HE SAW. 27:17 HE HAD LITTLE MONEY TO GIVE BUT HE OFTEN DENIED HIMSELF OF FOOD 27:22 IN ORDER TO RELIEVE THOSE WHO APPEARED MORE NEEDY THAN HE. 27:25 TO THOSE WHO WERE IN NEED HE WOULD GIVE A CUP OF COLD WATER 27:29 AND WOULD QUIETLY PLACE HIS OWN MEAL IN THEIR HANDS. 27:36 FROM HIS EARLIEST YEARS HE WAS POSSESSED OF ONE PURPOSE: 27:39 HE LIVED TO BLESS OTHERS. THAT WAS THE HEART OF CHRIST AND 27:45 CHRIST WAS REVEALING THE HEART OF WHO? GOD THE FATHER. 27:49 YOU SAW - JESUS SAID, 'YOU'VE SEEN ME YOU'VE SEEN THE FATHER. 27:53 AND ALL THAT I'M DOING COMES FROM THE FATHER.' HE LIVED TO 27:58 BLESS OTHERS. JUST POWERFUL. I REMEMBER I HAD JUST GIVEN MY 28:04 LIFE TO THE LORD AND THE PASTOR SAID, 'IF YOU'RE GOING TO GROW 28:07 IN JESUS YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO HAVE MORNING DEVOTIONS. 28:10 YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO SPEND TIME WITH JESUS.' AND I WAS 28:12 LIKE, 'WHAT IS 'DEVOTIONS?' I DON'T - A DEVOTED LIFE I 28:16 UNDERSTAND, BUT WHAT ARE 'DEVOTIONS?' AND HE SAID, 'WELL, 28:19 YOU JUST SPEND TIME WITH THE LORD, YOU PRAY, AND YOU OPEN 28:20 THE BIBLE AND READ AND I ENCOURAGE YOU TO READ THE LIFE 28:22 OF JESUS. AND SO I WAS ALSO SHARED THE BOOK 'DESIRE OF AGES' 28:28 AT THAT TIME - READ IT WITH THE GOSPELS. AND I'VE GOT TO TELL 28:31 YOU, IT WAS TRANSFORMATIONAL. I MEAN, JUST SPENDING TIME 28:34 STUDYING THE LIFE OF JESUS, LOOKING AT HOW HE LIVED AND 28:38 WHAT HE DID FOR OTHERS, I MEAN, JUST UNBELIEVABLE. 28:41 WHEN I GOT THROUGH THE GOSPELS AND 'DESIRE OF AGES' I ASKED, 28:44 'WELL WHAT SHOULD I DO NOW?' SO I JUST WENT BACK AGAIN - 28:47 I DID THAT SEVEN TIMES. I MEAN IT'S JUST FANTASTIC. 28:49 YOU'VE GOT TO READ THE GOSPELS AND YOU'VE GOT TO SPEND TIME IN 28:52 'THE DESIRE OF AGES.' BUT JESUS LIVED - HE WAS POSSESSED OF ONE 28:56 PURPOSE. HE LIVED TO BLESS OTHERS. 28:59 IS OUR LIFE A BLESSING TO OTHERS? 29:02 YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT NATURE - SOME ELEMENTS IN NATURE 29:06 - THEY LIVE TO - THEY PURELY - THEY LIVE PURELY JUST TO 29:09 BENEFIT OTHERS. THINK ABOUT, FOR EXAMPLE, THE SUN. 29:13 THE SUN EXISTS FOR WHAT PURPOSE? 29:17 BECAUSE IT WANTS TO BE THE BIGGEST AND BRIGHTEST THING IN 29:20 OUR SOLAR SYSTEM? NO. THERE'S A PURPOSE FOR THE SUN. 29:24 WHAT'S THE PURPOSE - THE SUN'S PURPOSE? 29:26 TO PROVIDE LIGHT - THAT'S RIGHT - TO BRING WARMTH TO PLANET 29:31 EARTH. TREES - THINK ABOUT TREES FOR A MOMENT. 29:35 THEY PROVIDE - THEY LIVE TO PROVIDE SHADE. 29:38 THEY LIVE TO PROVIDE A HOME FOR BIRDS, SQUIRRELS, SOME ANIMALS, 29:42 EVEN SOME INSECTS. THEY ALSO PROVIDE OXYGEN, YEAH. 29:48 THE ARBOR DAY FOUNDATION - ACCORDING TO THE ARBOR DAY 29:50 FOUNDATION, THEY SAID A MATURE, LEAFY TREE PRODUCES AS MUCH 29:55 OXYGEN IN A SEASON AS TEN PEOPLE INHALE IN A YEAR. 30:01 JUST A SINGLE TREE. MATURE TREE. 30:04 A SINGLE MATURE TREE CAN ABSORB CARBON DIOXIDE AT A RATE OF 48 30:08 POUNDS PER YEAR AND RELEASE ENOUGH OXYGEN BACK INTO THE 30:11 ATMOSPHERE TO SUPPORT TWO HUMAN BEINGS. 30:14 THAT'S WHAT ANOTHER GROUP SAID. 30:16 SO TREES AND SUN AND OTHER OBJECTS LIVE, NOT FOR THEIR GOOD 30:21 BUT FOR THE GOOD AND BENEFIT OF OTHERS. 30:24 AND WHEN WE SEE NATURE, WE SEE THESE THINGS - WE SEE THE 30:26 CHARACTER OF GOD REVEALED AND WHEN WE LOOK AT JESUS, WHOSE 30:30 LIFE WAS LIKE THE SUN AND LIKE THE TREE AND HE LIVED TO BENEFIT 30:35 AND BLESS OTHERS. SO THAT'S HOW JESUS LIVED. 30:37 LET'S GO TO MONDAY'S LESSON AND LET'S TALK HERE A LITTLE BIT 30:42 ABOUT A STORY THAT JESUS TAUGHT IN LUKE CHAPTER 10. 30:49 JESUS WAS CONTINUALLY TRYING TO EDUCATE HIS DISCIPLES AND THOSE 30:54 THAT FOLLOWED HIM HOW - WHAT IT MEANT TO FOLLOW HIM - WHAT IT 30:57 MEANT TO LIVE FOR JESUS. AND SO IN THIS PARTICULAR STORY 31:03 HE WANTED TO ILLUSTRATE THE KIND OF LOVE THAT HE WAS SHARING - 31:06 THAT HE WAS COMMUNICATING TO OTHERS. 31:12 AND THIS IS THE PARABLE OF THE GOOD SAMARITAN AND WE READ THE 31:15 STORY IN LUKE CHAPTER 10 AND IT'S VERSES 30 TO 37. 31:20 I THINK WE KNOW THE STORY PRETTY WELL BUT THE LEAD-IN TO THE 31:25 STORY IS A LAWYER CAME TO JESUS TEMPTING HIM - TRYING TO TRIP 31:29 JESUS UP - AND YOU CAN GO BACK TO VERSE 25 - HE SAID, "MASTER, 31:35 WHAT SHALL I DO TO INHERIT ETERNAL LIFE?" AND JESUS SAID, 31:38 "WHAT IS WRITTEN IN THE LAW?" THEY WERE ACTUALLY SUGGESTING 31:40 THAT JESUS DIDN'T UPHOLD THE LAW LIKE HE OUGHT TO. IT SEEMED LIKE 31:44 HE WAS DIMINISHING THE LAW AND JESUS RESPONDS, 'WHAT DOES THE 31:47 LAW SAY?' AND THE LAWYER REPEATED TO - THE SHEMA - 31:52 I BELIEVE IT'S CALLED - YES, THE SHEMA, WHICH IS A 31:55 CONFESSION OF FAITH RECITED BY DEVOUT JEWS BACK THEN. 31:58 IT WAS DEUTERONOMY CHAPTER 6, VERSE 5 AND LEVITICUS 19:18. 32:02 AND HE SAID, "THOU SHALT LOVE THE LORD THY GOD WITH ALL THY 32:05 HEART, AND WITH ALL THY SOUL AND WITH ALL THY STRENGTH, AND WITH 32:07 ALL THY MIND; AND THY NEIGHBOR AS THYSELF." 32:12 BUT HE REALIZED THAT HE DIDN'T LOVE HIS NEIGHBOR AS HIMSELF AND 32:16 SO HE TRIED TO JUSTIFY HIMSELF BY ASKING JESUS THE QUESTION, 32:21 "AND WHO IS MY NEIGHBOR?" BACK THEN THE SQUABBLE AMONGST 32:27 THE JEWS AND THE RELIGIOUS LEADERS - BECAUSE A LAWYER WAS A 32:31 RELIGIOUS LEADER. HE WAS THE PROTECTOR OF THE LAW, 32:34 THE ONE WHO EDUCATED PEOPLE REGARDING THE LAW. 32:36 THE SQUABBLE WAS NOT SO MUCH THE SAMARITANS BEING THEIR NEIGHBORS 32:40 - THEY UNDERSTOOD THAT THEY WERE NOT THEIR NEIGHBORS. 32:42 THE GENTILES, THEY WERE NOT THEIR NEIGHBORS. 32:44 THE OUTCASTS OF SOCIETY, THEY CERTAINLY WEREN'T THEIR 32:47 NEIGHBORS. BUT WHAT ABOUT THE CLASS OF PEOPLE? 32:50 MAYBE THIS CLASS WAS THEIR NEIGHBOR. 32:52 MAYBE THIS ONE WAS. AND SO THAT WAS THE ARGUMENT. 32:54 AND JESUS WAS ABOUT TO BLOW THE LID OFF THEIR PRECONCEIVED 32:56 NOTIONS AND IDEAS. "WHO IS MY NEIGHBOR?" - 33:00 AND IN THIS PARTICULAR STORY JESUS SHARES, HE HIGHLIGHTS - 33:06 CLARIFIES - WHAT IT MEANS TO BE NEIGHBORLY AND ANSWERS THE 33:10 QUESTION 'WHO IS MY NEIGHBOR?' VERSE 30 SAYS, "A CERTAIN MAN 33:13 WENT DOWN FROM JERUSALEM TO JERICHO, AND" - WHAT HAPPENED? - 33:17 HE "FELL AMONG THIEVES." - HE WAS ROBBED. 33:19 HE WAS LEFT HALF DEAD. AND AS HE WAS THERE DYING A 33:25 PRIEST AND A RELIGIOUS LEADER - A PRIEST AND A LEVITE CAME BY 33:31 AND THEY PASSED BY ON THE OTHER SIDE. 33:33 ONE COMPLETELY IGNORED HIM. THE OTHER ONE GOT CURIOUS, 33:35 LOOKED OVER, AND WENT ON THE OTHER SIDE. 33:37 THEY PROBABLY WERE JUST COMING BACK FROM SERVING IN THE TEMPLE 33:40 IN JERUSALEM AND TO TOUCH SOMEONE WHO WAS HALF DEAD - THAT 33:43 MEANT THEY WOULD HAVE TO GO THROUGH A BUNCH OF CEREMONIES TO 33:46 BE CEREMONIALLY CLEAN SO THEY COULD SERVE AGAIN IN THE TEMPLE 33:49 AND SO IT WAS TOO MUCH FOR THEM TO DO AND IT WAS INCONVENIENT SO 33:52 THEY PASSED ON BY - DIDN'T CARE - "BUT A CERTAIN SAMARITAN" - 33:56 VERSE 33 - "A CERTAIN SAMARITAN, AS HE JOURNEYED, CAME WHERE HE 33:58 WAS: AND WHEN HE SAW HIM, HE HAD COMPASSION ON HIM," - THERE'S 34:02 THAT WORD AGAIN - COMPASSION - "HAD COMPASSION ON HIM, AND WENT 34:06 TO HIM, AND BOUND UP HIS WOUNDS, POURING IN OIL AND WINE, AND SET 34:08 HIM ON HIS OWN BEAST, AND BROUGHT HIM TO AN INN AND TOOK 34:11 CARE OF HIM. AND ON THE MORROW WHEN HE 34:13 DEPARTED, HE TOOK OUT TWO PENCE, AND GAVE THEM TO THE HOST, AND 34:15 SAID UNTO HIM, TAKE CARE OF HIM; AND WHATSOEVER THOU SPENDEST 34:18 MORE, WHEN I COME AGAIN, I WILL REPAY THEE." 34:22 AND SO HERE YOU'VE GOT A MAN WHO'S LEFT HALF DEAD ON THE 34:25 ROAD. IT'S VERY LIKELY HE WAS A JEW. 34:28 HIS OWN PEOPLE PASSED HIM BY - THE RELIGIOUS LEADERS AT THAT - 34:31 WALKED BY HIM AND A SAMARITAN - ONE WHO WAS DESPISED BY THE JEWS 34:36 - STOPPED, TOOK PITY ON THE MAN - HAD COMPASSION FOR HIM - 34:38 COMPASSION MOVED HIM TO TAKE ACTION, BECAUSE COMPASSION 34:41 ALWAYS DOES THAT - IT ALWAYS MOVES A PERSON TO TAKE ACTION. 34:44 COMPASSION MOVED HIM TO TAKE ACTION, HE SPENT HIS RESOURCES, 34:48 CARED FOR THE MAN, PUT HIM ON HIS OWN BEAST OF BURDEN, TOOK 34:52 HIM TO AN INN - EVEN TOLD THE INNKEEPER, 'IF YOU SPEND MORE 34:54 FOR HIS CARE, I'LL REPAY YOU WHEN I COME BACK THROUGH.' 34:57 DID HE GO THE EXTRA MILE? YEAH. HE DIDN'T JUST SAY, 35:01 'HERE'S A BAND-AID. ALL THE BEST.' HE DID WHAT 35:06 NEEDED TO BE DONE TO GET THE MAN BACK ON HIS FEET, DID HE NOT? 35:10 SURE, HE DID ALL THAT HE COULD TO HELP HIM - TO BE A NEIGHBOR. 35:14 SO JESUS ASKED THE QUESTION, 'SO WHO IS THE NEIGHBOR?' 35:19 THE TWO THAT SAID THAT THEY WERE RELIGIOUS OR THE ONE THAT 35:22 ACTUALLY DID SOMETHING GOOD FOR SOMEONE IN NEED? 35:26 IT WAS THE SAMARITAN AND THE LAWYER COULDN'T EVEN SAY 35:29 SAMARITAN, HE JUST SAID, 'THE ONE THAT HELPED HIM. 35:31 THAT ONE.' AND SO NEIGHBOR - THE NEIGHBOR - TO BE NEIGHBORLY - TO 35:37 BE A NEIGHBOR - OR NEIGHBOR JUST SIMPLY MEANS 'NEAR ONE'. 35:41 OUR NEIGHBORS ARE ALL OF THOSE WHO STAND IN NEED, ARE THEY NOT? 35:45 WHETHER THEY NEED HELP PHYSICALLY OR WHETHER THEY NEED 35:47 HELP SPIRITUALLY, EVERY PERSON ON PLANET EARTH IS OUR NEIGHBOR 35:52 IRRESPECTIVE OF COLOR, NATIONALITY - IRRESPECTIVE OF 35:58 RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION, POLITICAL PARTY - IT DOESN'T MATTER, 36:04 EVERYONE IS OUR NEIGHBOR, ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO NEED JESUS. 36:10 WE NEED TO COME NEAR AND HELP INDIVIDUALS COME TO KNOW JESUS. 36:16 SO THIS WAS THE LESSON OF THE PARABLE: THE SAMARITAN TOOK CARE 36:21 OF THE JEW - THE ONE WHO DIDN'T - THE JEWS DIDN'T TREAT THE 36:26 SAMARITANS WELL AT ALL. AND DO YOU THINK THE SAMARITAN 36:28 TOOK THAT INTO CONSIDERATION? IF HE HAD TAKEN THAT INTO 36:33 CONSIDERATION, WHAT WOULD HE HAVE DONE? 36:36 HE WOULD HAVE MOSEYED ON BY, RIGHT? 36:37 HE WOULD HAVE JUST KEPT ON GOING. 36:39 BUT HE DIDN'T TAKE THAT INTO CONSIDERATION. 36:41 YOU KNOW, A LOT OF TIMES WHEN WE ARE POISED TO HELP SOMEBODY AND 36:46 WE CONSIDER WHO MAY NEED THE ASSISTANCE, SOMETIMES WE MAY 36:50 PONDER WHAT THAT PERSON - HOW THAT PERSON MAY HAVE TREATED US 36:53 OR WHAT THEY MAY HAVE SAID TO US OR HOW THEY'VE TREATED A FAMILY 36:56 MEMBER. AND BECAUSE THEY MAY NOT HAVE 36:58 TREATED US WELL OR A FAMILY MEMBER - OUR SPOUSE OR OUR 37:01 CHILDREN - BUT THEY NEED HELP, WE'LL JUSTIFY OUR NOT HELPING 37:08 BECAUSE OF THE WAY THEY'VE TREATED OUR FAMILY MEMBER OR 37:12 EVEN OURSELVES. THE SAMARITAN COULD HAVE EASILY 37:15 JUSTIFIED HIMSELF AND MOVED ON BUT HE DIDN'T. HE STOPPED AND 37:19 HELPED SOMEONE WHO, GIVEN THE CHANCE, WOULD HAVE SPAT ON HIM 37:23 BECAUSE HE WAS A SAMARITAN, BUT HE HELPED HIM NONETHELESS. 37:27 THE LESSON OF THE GOOD SAMARITAN IS ONE OF IMPARTIAL KINDNESS 37:32 IRRESPECTIVE OF HOW A PERSON TREATS YOU, IRRESPECTIVE OF WHAT 37:34 THEY MAY HAVE SAID TO YOUR SPOUSE OR YOUR CHILDREN - 37:37 WHATEVER THEOLOGICAL TENANTS THEY HOLD TO - WHETHER THEY HAVE 37:41 A CONSERVATIVE WORSHIP EXPERIENCE OR A LIBERAL ONE, 37:44 EVERYONE IS OUR NEIGHBOR AND EACH ONE NEEDS TO BE TREATED 37:47 AS WE WOULD WANT TO BE TREATED. 37:49 THAT'S THE GOLDEN RULE, IS IT NOT? THAT'S THE GOLDEN RULE. 37:53 JESUS TAUGHT HERE ABOUT A MAN WHO GAVE A MAN A HAND UP. 37:58 HE DIDN'T GIVE HIM A HAND OUT, HE GAVE HIM A HAND UP. 38:01 HE LEFT HIM THERE TO - HE GAVE HIM A GOOD HEAD START AND THE 38:05 GUY WAS TO KIND OF TEND FOR HIMSELF AFTERWARDS - BUT HE GAVE 38:09 HIM A HAND UP, NOT NECESSARILY A HAND OUT. 38:12 AND WE JUST NEED TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT WHEN 38:14 WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HELPING OTHERS. 38:18 IT'S JUST AS WRONG FOR A PERSON, THROUGH BAD CHOICES THEY MAKE, 38:22 THAT PUT THEMSELVES IN A NEEDY POSITION, THUS BECOMING A BURDEN 38:25 ON OTHERS TO HELP THEM AS IT IS SIMPLY TO NEGLECT TO HELP THE 38:30 SAME PERSON IN NEED. SHOULD I SAY THAT AGAIN? 38:35 I'M GOING TO SAY THAT AGAIN. 38:36 ACTUALLY, I'LL READ THAT AGAIN - I WROTE IT DOWN BECAUSE I KNEW 38:38 I'D FORGET IT AND IT WAS PRETTY POWERFUL AS IT WAS COMING TO ME. 38:40 "IT'S JUST AS WRONG FOR A PERSON, THROUGH THE BAD CHOICES 38:43 THEY MAKE THAT PUT THEM IN A NEEDY POSITION, TO EXPECT HELP 38:48 FROM OTHERS AND TO BE A BURDEN TO OTHERS, AS IT IS TO NEGLECT 38:52 TO HELP THE SAME PERSON IN NEED." 38:55 SO THE LESSON HERE IS TREAT OTHERS AS YOU WOULD WANT TO BE 38:59 TREATED, RIGHT? NOT 'DO NOT DO TO OTHERS WHAT 39:03 YOU YOURSELF DISLIKE.' JESUS DIDN'T DEAL WITH THE 39:06 NEGATIVE HERE, HE DEALT WITH THE POSITIVE. 39:08 DO UNTO OTHERS AS YOU WOULD HAVE THEM DO UNTO YOU. 39:11 AND HE CERTAINLY DIDN'T TEACH 'TREAT OTHERS AS THEY TREAT 39:14 YOU.' IT'S EASY TO TREAT SOMEONE WELL WHEN THEY'VE TREATED YOU 39:19 WELL, IS IT NOT? YEAH, IT'S EASY FOR US TO DO THAT. AND IT'S EASY 39:22 TO TREAT SOMEONE POORLY IF THEY'VE TREATED US POORLY. 39:27 BUT JESUS SAID, 'TREAT OTHERS AS YOU WOULD WANT TO BE TREATED.' 39:36 WE LOVE GOD AS MUCH AS THE PERSON WE LIKE THE LEAST. 39:40 A COUPLE OF BIBLE VERSES HERE - SOMEONE HAS 1 JOHN 4, VERSE 20 - 39:45 1 JOHN 4, VERSE 20 - RIGHT OVER HERE. 39:48 FABULOUS. TURN WITH ME TO 1 JOHN. 39:50 WE'LL LOOK AT A COUPLE OF VERSES OVER THERE. 39:52 BEFORE WE GET TO 1 JOHN 4:20, LOOK AT 1 JOHN 2:4. 39:58 NOTICE WHAT THE WRITER SAYS. HE SAYS, "HE THAT SAITH, I KNOW 40:05 HIM" - THAT IS, 'I KNOW GOD.' - "AND KEEPETH NOT HIS 40:09 COMMANDMENTS," - AND WHAT ARE THE COMMANDMENTS? 40:12 TO LOVE GOD WITH ALL - TO SUMMARIZE IT - TO LOVE GOD WITH 40:14 ALL YOUR HEART, MIND, SOUL AND STRENGTH AND TO LOVE YOUR 40:16 NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF - HE THAT SAYS I KNOW HIM BUT DOES NOT DO 40:21 THIS - DOES NOT LOVE GOD SUPREMELY AND DOES NOT LOVE 40:25 HIS NEIGHBOR AS HIMSELF IS A WHAT? 40:27 "LIAR, AND THE TRUTH IS NOT IN HIM." 40:31 WE ONLY LOVE GOD AS MUCH AS THE PERSON WE LOVE THE LEAST. 40:34 LOOK AT 1 JOHN 4 AND VERSE 12 AND THEN WE'LL COME TO VERSE 20, 40:39 "NO MAN HATH SEEN GOD AT ANY TIME. 40:41 IF WE LOVE ONE ANOTHER, GOD DWELLETH IN US, AND HIS LOVE IS 40:46 PERFECTED IN US." AND SO THE LOVE THAT WE EXPRESS 40:49 TOWARD OTHERS COMES FROM WHO? GOD. 40:51 AND IT REVEALS THAT GOD'S LOVE IS ABIDING AND DWELLING IN OUR 40:54 HEARTS, YOU SEE. OKAY, 1 JOHN 4 AND VERSE 20. 40:58 >>"IF A MAN SAY, I LOVE GOD, AND HATETH HIS BROTHER, HE IS A 41:02 LIAR: FOR HE THAT LOVETH NOT HIS BROTHER WHOM HE HATH SEEN, HOW 41:05 CAN HE LOVE GOD WHOM HE HATH NOT SEEN?" 41:08 >>THAT'S A POWERFUL VERSE, ISN'T IT? IT SPEAKS FOR ITSELF. 41:11 OUR DEFAULT SETTING IS EASY TO - IT'S EASY TO DISMISS A PERSON 41:16 WHO IRRITATES US. IT'S EASY TO LOATHE A PERSON WHO 41:19 MISTREATS US. AND SO THE NEED HERE IS FOR, NOT 41:22 AN EXTERNAL CHANGE, BUT FOR A HEART TRANSFORMATION AND THAT 41:26 COMES - YOU KNOW SOMETIME NEARLY EVERY DAY, DOESN'T IT? 41:29 SOMEONE CHALLENGES YOU, TESTS YOU, RUBS YOU THE WRONG WAY. 41:33 IT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH TO SAY, 'WELL I'LL BE AT CHURCH ON 41:35 SABBATH' OR 'I'M PAYING A FAITHFUL TITHE' OR 'I'LL TREAT 41:39 THEM WELL NEXT WEEK.' AT THAT VERY MOMENT WE ARE CALLED UPON 41:42 TO SAY, 'LORD, CHANGE MY HEART BECAUSE RIGHT NOW 41:45 I'M NOT LIKING THIS PERSON VERY MUCH. 41:47 YOU DON'T HAVE TO LIKE THE WAY THEY'VE TREATED YOU. 41:49 IF THEY'VE MISTREATED YOU, YOU DON'T HAVE TO LIKE THAT. 41:51 BUT WE'RE CALLED TO LOVE THAT PERSON, RESPECT THAT PERSON, SEE 41:54 IN THEM THE POTENTIAL AS IF THEY'VE GIVEN THEIR LIVES TO 41:58 JESUS - WHAT THEY COULD BECOME TRANSFORMED BY JESUS. 42:01 ALRIGHT, WE GO TO TUESDAY'S LESSON, 'LOVING SERVICE.' WE'RE 42:04 DIRECTED TO THE STORY OR THE PARABLE IN MATTHEW CHAPTER 25 OF 42:09 THE SHEEP AND THE GOATS. LOVING SERVICE. 42:14 'MANY PEOPLE WISH TO SERVE GOD,' SOMEONE SAID, 'BUT ONLY IN AN 42:18 ADVISORY CAPACITY.' AND I HOPE THAT THAT'S NOT OUR EXPERIENCE. 42:24 THEY WANT TO TELL GOD WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE. 42:27 'WHY DON'T YOU DO THIS AND DO THAT?' 42:29 RATHER THAN DOING WHAT GOD HAS ASKED US TO DO. 42:33 AND IN MATTHEW CHAPTER 25 WE'RE TOLD AND WE'RE SHARED - IT'S 42:37 BEEN TOLD US HERE - AND JESUS SHARES WITH US THAT, IN ESSENCE, 42:40 WE ARE HIS HANDS AND HIS FEET AND HIS MOUTH - YOU'VE HEARD IT 42:43 BEFORE. WE ARE HIS AMBASSADORS, HIS 42:49 MISSIONARIES, THE ONES WHO CARE FOR OTHERS WHILE JESUS IS NOT 42:53 HERE. WE ARE HIS HANDS AND HIS FEET. 42:57 AND IN THIS PARTICULAR STORY JESUS - WELL, LET'S LOOK AT THIS 43:01 HERE - VERSE 31 - JESUS IS TALKING ABOUT HIS RETURN AND THE 43:06 JUDGMENT AND HE'S TALKING ABOUT THE GOATS AND THE SHEEP BEING 43:10 SEPARATED AND THE KING SAYS TO THOSE ON HIS RIGHT HAND, WHICH 43:15 ARE THE SHEEP, "COME...INHERIT THE KINGDOM 43:18 PREPARED FOR YOU" - VERSE 35 - WHY? - 43:20 "FOR I WAS AN HUNGRED, AND YE GAVE ME MEAT: I WAS THIRSTY, AND 43:23 YE GAVE ME DRINK: I WAS A STRANGER, AND YE TOOK ME IN: 43:24 NAKED, AND YE CLOTHED ME: I WAS SICK AND YE VISITED ME: I WAS IN 43:27 PRISON, AND YE CAME UNTO ME. THEN SHALL THE RIGHTEOUS ANSWER 43:30 HIM, SAYING, LORD, WHEN SAW WE THEE AN HUNGRED, AND FED THEE? 43:32 OR THIRSTY, AND GAVE THEE DRINK?" 43:33 - OR A STRANGER, ETC. AND VERSE 40, "AND THE KING SHALL ANSWER 43:36 AND SAY UNTO THEM, 'VERILY I SAY UNTO YOU, INASMUCH AS YE HAVE 43:40 DONE IT UNTO ONE OF THE LEAST OF THESE MY BRETHREN, 43:42 YE HAVE DONE IT UNTO ME.'" UNTO ME. 43:46 AND THIS WOULD JUST BE TALKING ABOUT THOSE - THE BRETHREN THAT 43:50 FOLLOWED JESUS OR OUR PROFESSED CHRISTIANS, THIS WOULD BE ALL OF 43:53 HUMANITY - ALL OF HUMANITY ARE GOD'S CHILDREN WHEN IT COMES TO 43:58 THE WAY HE LOVES THE WORLD AND HIS VIEWS CONCERNING MANKIND. 44:05 WHAT'S THE BASIC MESSAGE OF THE PARABLE OF THE SHEEPS AND GOATS? 44:10 SHEEP AND GOATS? WHO WAS ON THE LEFT? 44:13 THE GOATS BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T DO THOSE THINGS TO PEOPLE IN NEED. 44:18 THEY DIDN'T - AND THEN THEY DIDN'T DO IT TO JESUS, 44:20 OBVIOUSLY. WHAT'S THE BASIC MESSAGE OF THE PARABLE? 44:23 WELL, THE WAY WE TREAT OTHERS IS THE WAY WE WOULD TREAT CHRIST. 44:27 IT KIND OF BUILDS ON WHAT WE WERE READING HERE IN 1 JOHN 4:20 44:30 - THE WAY WE TREAT OTHERS IS THE WAY WE WOULD END UP TREATING 44:33 JESUS. I MEAN, THAT'S PRETTY HEAVY 44:36 STUFF - PRETTY, PRETTY HEAVY. THERE'S NO OTHER WORD FOR IT. 44:40 WE'RE RESPONSIBLE - WE'RE NOT RESPONSIBLE - OR RATHER, 44:42 YES, WE'RE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR FIXING ALL THE ILL AROUND US, 44:47 BUT WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR DOING WHAT WE CAN WITH WHAT WE HAVE 44:51 WHEN WE CAN DO IT, YOU SEE? 44:53 YOU'VE PROBABLY HEARD THE STORY ABOUT THE KID WHO WAS ON THE 44:57 BEACH AND THERE WERE A WHOLE BUNCH OF JELLYFISH THAT HAD BEEN 45:00 WASHED UP ON THE SHORE AND HE WAS - AN OLDER GENTLEMAN WAS 45:03 WALKING THE BEACH LINE - HE WAS THROWING THE JELLYFISH - THE 45:06 YOUNG KID WAS THROWING THE JELLYFISH BACK INTO THE WATER 45:08 AND THE OLD MAN WAS WATCHING THIS SCENE AND THE YOUNG MAN 45:12 WOULD PICK UP A JELLYFISH AND THROW IT IN THE WATER. 45:13 ANOTHER JELLYFISH AND THROW IT IN THE WATER AND THE ELDERLY MAN 45:18 CAME OVER TO THE YOUNG MAN AND SAID, 'WHAT ARE YOU DOING?' 45:19 HE SAID, 'WELL, I'M TRYING TO SAVE ALL THE JELLYFISH.' AND THE 45:21 BEACH WAS JUST LITTERED WITH ALL THESE JELLYFISH. 45:24 THE OLD MAN SAID, 'THERE'S NO WAY YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE A 45:26 DIFFERENCE.' WITH THAT THE YOUNG KID PICKED UP ONE OF THE 45:29 JELLYFISH, THREW IT BACK IN THE WATER AND HE SAID, 'WELL, I MADE 45:32 A DIFFERENCE TO THAT ONE.' AND THAT'S WHAT JESUS IS ASKING US 45:35 TO DO - TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE WHERE WE CAN. 45:38 WE'RE NOT INDIVIDUALLY CALLED TO FIX ALL THE WORLD'S PROBLEMS. 45:41 WE CAN'T DO THAT. BUT, INDIVIDUALLY AND COLLECTIVELY, 45:45 GOD'S CHILDREN CAN MAKE A MASSIVE, MASSIVE DIFFERENCE. 45:50 BY THE WAY, THIS TEACHING IS NOT ABOUT - 45:56 THIS STORY IS NOT ABOUT GREAT ACHIEVEMENTS EITHER, BUT THE 46:00 SPIRIT IN WHICH THE WORK IS DONE. 46:03 IF YOU GO TO MATTHEW CHAPTER 7, THERE'S A GROUP OF PEOPLE WHEN 46:06 JESUS COMES BACK AND THEY'RE SAYING TO HIM, 'LORD, LORD HAVE 46:09 WE NOT DONE?' - WE'LL READ IT HERE TOGETHER - 46:11 MATTHEW 7:22 AND 23 - MATTHEW 7:22 AND 23 - IT SAYS, "MANY 46:16 WILL SAY TO ME IN THAT DAY, 'LORD, LORD, HAVE WE NOT 46:18 PROPHESIED IN THY NAME? AND IN THY NAME HAVE CAST OUT DEVILS? 46:21 AND IN THY NAME DONE MANY WONDERFUL WORKS?" 46:23 SO HERE ARE A BUNCH OF PEOPLE WHO'VE DONE A LOT OF GOOD THINGS 46:26 AND JESUS SAYS TO THEM, IN VERSE 23, "AND THEN I WILL PROFESS 46:30 UNTO THEM, I NEVER KNEW YOU: DEPART FROM ME, YE THAT WORK 46:34 INIQUITY.'" SO THIS IS NOT - JESUS IS NOT TEACHING SALVATION 46:38 BY DOING GOOD THINGS FOR THOSE IN NEED. 46:40 THAT'S EVIDENT BECAUSE THE SURPRISE OF THE SAVED ONES 46:45 DEMONSTRATES THAT THEY LOVED NOT TO EARN MERIT OR GAIN MERIT. 46:51 THEY SAID, 'WHEN DID WE DO THOSE THINGS?' WE DON'T KNOW. 46:53 THEIR LEFT HAND DIDN'T KNOW WHAT THEIR RIGHT HAND WAS DOING. 46:57 SOME FOLK ARE SHAKING THEIR OWN HANDS FOR THE GOOD THINGS THAT 46:59 THEY DO, BUT THE ENCOURAGEMENT IS TO NOT LET YOUR RIGHT HAND 47:02 KNOW WHAT YOUR LEFT HAND DOES AND VICE VERSA. 47:04 JUST DO IT BECAUSE JESUS IS ASKING YOU TO DO IT. 47:07 AND BE HAPPY TO DO IT. JESUS IS TEACHING SALVATION - 47:09 JESUS TEACHES SALVATION THROUGH FAITH BUT A FAITH THAT WORKS BY 47:13 LOVE AND PURIFIES THE SOUL. THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT 47:19 HERE. LET'S MOVE TO WEDNESDAY. WE WERE ON TUESDAY. 47:23 WE'RE GOING TO WEDNESDAY AND LET'S TALK ABOUT THIS STICKY 47:26 ISSUE OF LOVING YOUR ENEMIES. LOVING YOUR ENEMIES - I WANT TO 47:30 TELL YOU A QUICK STORY ABOUT AN IRANIAN LADY. 47:32 HER NAME IS AMENEH BAHRAMI - AMENEH BAHRAMI - 47:40 AND SHE LOST HER SIGHT. BECAUSE SHE HAD SUFFERED BURNS 47:43 TO HER FACE, HER SCALP, AND HER BODY IN AN ATTACK THAT WAS 47:47 CARRIED OUT BY A MAN BECAUSE HE WAS MAD. AND THE REASON HE WAS 47:52 MAD IS BECAUSE SHE REFUSED TO MARRY HIM. 47:55 WHEN SHE CAME FROM - WHERE SHE COMES FROM SHE HAD THE LEGAL 48:00 RIGHT FOR THE VICTIMS TO ASK - WHERE SHE COMES FROM THE VICTIMS 48:04 HAVE A LEGAL RIGHT TO ENFORCE A LAW - AN EYE FOR AN EYE LAW - 48:10 IT'S EYE FOR AN EYE - NO PUN INTENDED. IT'S QISAS - QISAS - 48:18 EYE FOR AN EYE LAW - EYE FOR EYE RETRIBUTION. 48:23 AND SO BLINDED AND DISFIGURED BY THE ACID THROWN INTO HER FACE, 48:31 AMENEH FOUND HERSELF STANDING ABOVE HER ATTACKER IN A HOSPITAL 48:37 OPERATING ROOM AS A DOCTOR WAS ABOUT TO PUT SEVERAL DROPS OF 48:40 ACID INTO ONE OF HIS EYES - EYE FOR AN EYE RETRIBUTION - IT WAS 48:45 LEGAL TO DO - IT'S LEGAL TO DO THAT IN IRAN. 48:47 SHE'D BEEN COMPLETELY DISFIGURED BY THIS MAN BECAUSE SHE SAID 48:50 'NO' - HE WANTED TO MARRY HER. GOOD THING SHE SAID 'NO', RIGHT? 48:55 MAN. THERE SHE WAS STANDING OVER HIM 48:59 AS A DOCTOR WAS ABOUT TO PUT ACID INTO HIS EYE. 49:02 SO WHAT DID SHE DO? THE MAN WAS ON HIS KNEES. 49:05 HE WAS WEEPING BECAUSE HE KNEW WHAT WAS ABOUT TO HAPPEN. 49:09 THE DOCTOR REALIZED THAT AMENEH WASN'T COMFORTABLE AND ASKED 49:12 WHETHER HE SHOULD PROCEED. WITH TEARS IN HER EYES SHE SAID, 49:17 'NO.' SHE SAID 'NO. I HAVE FORGIVEN HIM.' THIS 49:22 GRIPPING SCENE WAS BROADCAST ON IRAN'S STATE TELEVISION. 49:26 AMENEH BAHRAMI DEMONSTRATED WHAT IT MEANT TO FORGIVE YOUR 49:29 DEBTORS. LOVE YOUR ENEMIES. 49:32 LUKE CHAPTER 6 - LET'S GO OVER THERE. 49:34 WE'VE GOT A LITTLE BIT OF GROUND TO COVER IN A SHORT TIME SO I'M 49:37 GOING TO MOVE OVER SOME OF THE NOTES I'VE GOT HERE, BUT LET'S 49:40 GO TO LUKE CHAPTER 6, VERSES 27 AND 28 - SOMEONE HAS LUKE 6:32 49:45 TO 35 - RIGHT HERE. THANKS MICHAEL. 49:48 LUKE 6:27 AND 28 - IN WHAT PRACTICAL WAYS IS LOVE TOWARD 49:53 OUR ENEMIES MANIFESTED? IN WHAT PRACTICAL WAYS? 49:56 LET'S READ 27 AND 28 TOGETHER. IT SAYS, "BUT I SAY UNTO YOU" - 50:00 THIS IS JESUS - "WHICH HEAR, LOVE YOUR ENEMIES, DO GOOD TO 50:04 THEM WHICH HATE YOU, BLESS THEM THAT CURSE YOU, AND PRAY FOR 50:07 THEM WHICH DESPITEFULLY USE YOU." 50:09 SO AN ENEMY CAN SHOW - ENEMY CAN SHOW ENMITY IN THREE WAYS: 50:14 HOSTILE ATTITUDE - THAT'S NUMBER ONE - THEY CAN HATE YOU. 50:17 THEY CAN SHARE ABUSIVE WORDS - CURSE YOU - AND THEN HAVE 50:21 ABUSIVE ACTIONS - MANIFEST ABUSIVE ACTIONS TOWARDS YOU - 50:26 THAT'S 'SPITEFULLY USE YOU AND PERSECUTE YOU.' BUT JESUS ASKS 50:29 US TO RESPOND WITH THREE MANIFESTATIONS OF LOVE TO 50:34 COUNTER THE WAY THAT A PERSON WOULD HAVE BEEN TREATED. 50:39 AND THAT'S IN LUKE CHAPTER 6 AND WE'RE LOOKING AT VERSES 50:43 32 TO 35. JESUS SAYS 'LOVE YOUR ENEMIES.' 50:49 MICHAEL, WOULD YOU PROCEED TO READ? THANK YOU. 50:52 >>LUKE 6, VERSES 32 THROUGH 35, "BUT IF YOU LOVE THOSE WHO 50:57 LOVE YOU, WHAT CREDIT IS THAT TO YOU? 51:00 FOR EVEN SINNERS LOVE THOSE WHO LOVE THEM. 51:03 AND IF YOU DO GOOD TO THOSE WHO DO GOOD TO YOU, WHAT CREDIT IS 51:07 THAT TO YOU? FOR EVEN SINNERS DO THE SAME. 51:10 AND IF YOU LEND TO THOSE FROM WHOM YOU HOPE TO RECEIVE BACK, 51:15 WHAT CREDIT IS THAT TO YOU? 51:16 FOR EVEN SINNERS LEND TO SINNERS TO RECEIVE AS MUCH BACK. 51:20 BUT LOVE YOUR ENEMIES, DO GOOD, AND LEND, HOPING FOR NOTHING IN 51:26 RETURN; AND YOUR REWARD WILL BE GREAT, AND YOU WILL BE SONS OF 51:30 THE MOST HIGH. FOR HE IS KIND TO THE UNTHANKFUL AND EVIL." 51:36 >>AMEN. SO THE RESPONSE HERE IS TO TREAT INDIVIDUALS THAT TREAT 51:40 YOU POORLY WITH DIGNITY AND RESPECT. 51:43 DO GOOD. TO SPEAK WELL OF THEM EVEN IF THEY CURSE YOU. 51:45 BLESS THEM AND INTERCEDE FOR THEM - PRAY FOR THEM WHEN THEY 51:48 PERSECUTE YOU AND SPITEFULLY USE YOU. 51:50 THE CHRISTIAN'S ANSWER TO ANTAGONISM AND HATRED IS 51:53 OVERCOMING EVIL WITH GOOD - ROMANS 12, VERSE 21. 51:58 NATURALLY, WE'RE NOT TO PUT OURSELVES IN A DANGEROUS 52:00 POSITION. WE SHOULD REMOVE OURSELVES FROM 52:02 AN ABUSIVE SITUATION IF NEED BE. BUT WE ARE NOT TO TREAT OTHERS 52:07 THE WAY THEY MIGHT BE TREATING US. AND ISN'T IT INTERESTING? 52:11 JESUS, IN LUKE CHAPTER 6, VERSES 32 THROUGH 35, TALKS ABOUT THE 52:15 NEED TO LIVE ABOVE THE LOW STANDARD OF THE WORLD BECAUSE 52:18 EVEN CRIMINALS HELP EACH OTHER. HE SAID, 'IF YOU'RE HELPING 52:20 SOMEONE WHO'S HELPING YOU, WHAT GOOD IS THAT? 52:23 EVEN CRIMINALS, THEY'LL HELP EACH OTHER.' IF WE DON'T LOVE IN 52:26 A SUPERIOR WAY, WHAT'S THE VALUE OF CHRISTIANITY? 52:28 THAT'S WHAT JESUS IS ASKING. IF YOU'RE JUST LOVING OTHERS 52:32 BECAUSE THEY'RE LOVING YOU, WHAT GOOD IS THAT? 52:34 BUT WHEN YOU'RE LOVING OTHERS WHO AREN'T TREATING YOU WELL, 52:36 NOW - NOW WE'RE TALKING. NOW THERE'S A MANIFESTATION OF 52:41 DIVINE LOVE - LOVE THAT WE DO NOT NATURALLY POSSESS. 52:44 AND THAT LEADS US TO THURSDAY'S LESSON, 'HOW TO LIVE LIKE 52:47 JESUS.' JOHN CHAPTER 15 AND VERSE 5 - 52:50 I'M GOING TO HAVE SOMEONE READ THAT FOR US HERE. 52:52 JOHN CHAPTER 15 AND VERSE 5, THANK YOU. 52:56 WE'LL COME OVER TO YOU IN JUST A MOMENT. 52:59 HOW CAN WE EVER HOPE TO LIVE LIKE CHRIST? 53:02 FIRST, ALL HIS BIDDINGS ARE HIS ENABLINGS. 53:04 WHEN JESUS COMMANDS US TO DO SOMETHING, INHERENT IN THAT 53:08 COMMAND IS A PROMISE - A PROMISE FOR GRACE - A PROMISE FOR POWER 53:13 TO LIVE ABOVE THE HURT AND THE - THE HURT THAT YOU MAY HAVE 53:19 EXPERIENCED. FIRST, ALL HIS BIDDINGS ARE 53:22 ENABLINGS AND EVERY COMMAND IS A PROMISE. NUMBER 2, HE WILL WORK 53:25 IN US IF WE ALLOW HIM TO. PHILIPPIANS 2, VERSE 13 SAYS - 53:31 TELLS US THAT GOD WILL WORK IN US TO WILL AND TO DO OF HIS GOOD 53:36 PLEASURE BUT WE MUST BE WILLING TO LET HIM DO THAT. 53:39 HE'LL WORK IN US TO WILL AND TO DO OF HIS GOOD PLEASURE. 53:43 AND NUMBER 3, WE MUST ABIDE IN JESUS. JOHN 15, VERSE 5. 53:48 >>"I AM THE VINE, YE ARE THE BRANCHES: HE THAT ABIDETH IN ME, 53:53 AND I IN HIM, THE SAME BRINGETH FORTH MUCH FRUIT: 53:57 FOR WITHOUT ME YE CAN DO NOTHING." 54:01 >>SO AS WE ABIDE IN JESUS LIKE THE BRANCH ABIDES IN THE VINE 54:05 AND THE LIVING SAP MOVES THROUGH THE VINE TO PRODUCE THE LEAVES 54:09 AND THE FRUITS OF THAT VINE - THE FRUIT OF THAT VINE - SO WE 54:13 ARE TO BE CONNECTED TO JESUS - ABIDE IN HIM - ALLOW HIS - THE 54:19 LIFE-GIVING LOVE OF CHRIST TO FILL OUR HEARTS. 54:22 AND THAT HAPPENS THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT, YOU SEE. 54:24 WE CAN ONLY LOVE OUR NEIGHBOR AS CHRIST GIVES US THIS LOVE AND WE 54:30 CAN ONLY LOVE LIKE JESUS IF WE ABIDE IN HIM. 54:35 A COUPLE OF QUICK STATEMENTS I WANT TO READ IN CLOSING. 54:38 ONE IS FROM 'THE THOUGHTS FROM THE MOUNT OF BLESSING' PAGE 76. 54:41 NOTICE: "THE STANDARD" - OR - "THIS STANDARD IS NOT ONE 54:44 TO WHICH WE CANNOT ATTAIN. 54:46 AT EVERY COMMAND OR INJUNCTION THAT GOD GIVES, THERE IS A 54:49 PROMISE; THE MOST POSITIVE UNDERLYING THE COMMAND. 54:53 GOD HAS MADE PROVISION THAT WE MAY BECOME LIKE UNTO HIM AND HE 54:57 WILL ACCOMPLISH THIS FOR ALL" - NOTICE - "WHO DO NOT INTERPOSE A 55:03 PERVERSE WILL AND THUS FRUSTRATE HIS GRACE." SO IF WE SIMPLY JUST 55:09 INTERPOSE A PERVERSE WILL - WE SAY WE DON'T WANT TO DO IT AND 55:14 WE FRUSTRATE HIS GRACE - THEN WE'RE BLOCKING THE CHANNEL FOR 55:18 GOD'S GRACE AND LOVE TO FLOW THROUGH US, YOU SEE. 55:21 THE NEXT STATEMENT IS FROM 'DESIRE OF AGES' AND THIS IS ON 55:24 PAGE 668 - IT'LL HELP US OUT A LITTLE BIT MORE. 55:27 "ALL TRUE OBEDIENCE COMES FROM THE HEART. 55:29 IT WAS HEART WORK WITH CHRIST AND IF WE CONSENT" - IF WE 55:34 CONSENT - THAT'S GIVE PERMISSION FOR SOMETHING TO HAPPEN - THAT'S 55:37 IT - "HE WILL SO IDENTIFY HIMSELF WITH OUR THOUGHTS AND 55:41 OUR AIMS, SO BLEND OUR HEARTS AND OUR MINDS INTO CONFORMITY TO 55:44 HIS WILL, THAT WHEN OBEYING HIM WE SHALL BE BUT CARRYING OUT OUR 55:49 OWN IMPULSES." IF WE BUT CONSENT. GOD'S GRACE AND HIS 55:56 LOVE IS ALREADY FLOWING AND BEING POURED OUT. 56:00 AND IF WE BUT SIMPLY CONSENT - IF WE DON'T BLOCK WHAT HE WANTS 56:07 TO DO IN OUR LIVES - HOW DO WE DO THAT? 56:09 BY SIMPLY SAYING, 'NO.' BY SIMPLY SAYING, 'NO.' BUT IF WE 56:14 CONSENT, CHRIST WILL IDENTIFY HIMSELF WITH OUR THOUGHTS, OUR 56:17 AIMS - BLEND OUR HEARTS AND MINDS TO THE CONFORMITY OF HIS 56:21 WILL. IT'S AMAZING WHAT GOD'S GRACE CAN DO. 56:26 I WAS SITTING LISTENING TO AN INDIVIDUAL TELL A STORY OF AN 56:33 INDIVIDUAL THAT SHE HAD MET AND WOULD COME ACROSS QUITE 56:37 FREQUENTLY AND HIS LIFESTYLE WAS ALTERNATIVE - HE HAD SOME WEIRD 56:40 HAIR AND SOME WEIRD PIERCINGS AND ALL TYPES OF WEIRD THINGS. 56:45 AND THE HOLY SPIRIT SPOKE TO HER AND HE TOLD HER, 'I WANT YOU - I 56:50 WANT TO USE YOU TO LOVE THAT PERSON - THAT MAN - I WILL LOVE 56:54 THAT MAN THROUGH YOU.' AND HER FIRST RESPONSE WAS 'I DON'T KNOW 56:59 IF I CAN LOVE THAT PERSON.' GOD SAID, 'I'M GOING TO LOVE THAT 57:01 PERSON THROUGH YOU. THE IDEA IS YOU JUST NEED TO CONSENT. 57:06 AND SO SHE POURED OUT LOVE UPON THAT YOUNG MAN AND AS I WAS 57:10 TALKING TO HER SHE WAS JUST VERY ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT WHAT GOD WAS 57:14 DOING. THIS MAN'S - THIS GUY'S LIFE WAS 57:16 CHANGING BECAUSE OF THE LOVE - THE SYMPATHY AND COMPASSION AND 57:20 GOODNESS THAT SHE WAS HEAPING ON THIS MAN. 57:22 THE COLOR OF HIS HAIR WENT BACK TO NORMAL. 57:24 HE STARTED LOOKING NORMAL. HE STARTED LOOKING LIKE A YOUNG 57:27 MAN ALL BECAUSE SHE TOOK TIME TO ALLOW GOD TO LOVE THIS MAN 57:33 THROUGH HER. LIVING LIKE CHRIST SIGNIFIES 57:37 LOVING LIKE CHRIST, BECAUSE CHRIST IS LOVE. MAY WE LOVE LIKE 57:44 CHRIST BECAUSE CHRIST'S LOVE IS FLOWING THROUGH US. 57:48 I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR JOINING US AS WELL, ALL OUR VIEWERS. 57:51 AND PLEASE, DON'T FORGET TO CALL IN AND RECEIVE YOUR FREE OFFER, 57:55 THE BIBLE STUDY 'A LOVE THAT TRANSFORMS' - OFFER #710 - AND 57:59 YOU WANT TO CALL INTO 1-866-STUDY-MORE OR 58:02 1-866-788-3966. 58:06 THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. GOD BLESS YOU EACH. 58:07 I TRUST YOU'VE BEEN BLESSED AND ENCOURAGED THIS MORNING. 58:11 (MUSIC) |
Revised 2014-12-17