Participants: Pr. Doug Batchelor
Series Code: EG
Program Code: EG021702A
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00:00 (MUSIC)
00:16 >>FOR THOSE YOU WHO ARE REGULARS, YOU'LL NOTICE THAT OUR 00:19 BACKGROUND IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT AND YOU PROBABLY GATHERED THAT 00:24 WE ARE BEGINNING A NEW SERIES AND YOU'RE CORRECT. 00:27 I'VE BEEN LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS FOR SOME TIME. 00:30 WE'RE GOING TO BE TALKING FOR, PROBABLY, THE NEXT TWELVE 00:33 PRESENTATIONS ABOUT THE LIFE OF ONE OF THE GREAT BIBLE 00:38 CHARACTERS, AND THAT WOULD BE DAVID - 00:41 A SERIES CALLED THE SHEPHERD KING . 00:44 NOW, TODAY'S PRESENTATION IS GOING TO BE PART 1, TALKING 00:46 ABOUT HOW THE LORD LOOKS AT THE HEART. 00:50 THERE'S VERY FEW PEOPLE IN HISTORY - I DON'T JUST MEAN 00:55 BIBLE HISTORY, BUT I MEAN HISTORY IN GENERAL - THAT HAVE 01:00 EXPERIENCED AS MUCH ADVENTURE AND THE HIGHS AND LOWS AND THE 01:05 MANY FACETS OF LIFE AS THE SUBJECT THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE 01:09 CONSIDERING IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS. 01:12 YOU KNOW, THERE ARE PEOPLE IN HISTORY THAT YOU MIGHT CALL 01:15 'SULEIMAN THE MAGNIFICENT' OR 'IVAN THE TERRIBLE' OR 01:20 'ALEXANDER THE GREAT', BUT THERE REALLY IS NO SUPERLATIVE THAT 01:25 YOU CAN FIND TO DESCRIBE THIS INCREDIBLE CHARACTER, DAVID. 01:30 MATTER OF FACT, A COUPLE OF HUNDRED YEARS AGO, BIBLE 01:35 CRITICS, EVEN SOME OF THE SCHOLARS WERE SAYING, 'WELL, 01:38 DAVID REALLY JUST WAS MANUFACTURED. HE'S A SERIES OF 01:42 STORIES THAT CAME FROM HEBREW LORE. THERE REALLY WAS NO 01:46 PERSON NAMED DAVID'. JUST LIKE SOMETIMES THEY ARGUE, 01:49 'THERE REALLY WAS NO KING ARTHUR' - THAT HE'S A FICTIONAL 01:52 CHARACTER FROM HEBREW HISTORY MADE TO INSPIRE, BUT - AND TO 01:58 TEACH SOME LESSONS, BUT THERE REALLY COULD NEVER POSSIBLY BE 02:02 ONE INDIVIDUAL THAT HAD THAT MUCH TALENT AND ADVENTURE PACKED 02:06 INTO A SINGLE LIFE.' AND THAT'S WHAT THEY SAID. 02:10 AND SO THEY DOWNPLAYED AND THEY DISMISSED THE STORY ABOUT DAVID 02:15 AND THE ACCURACY OF HIS EXPERIENCE. BUT THEN, SOME 02:18 THINGS HAPPENED THAT BEGAN TO SHAKE UP THE CRITICS. 02:21 FOR ONE THING, SOME DISCOVERIES WERE MADE. 02:23 FOR INSTANCE, TALKING ABOUT THE HOUSE OF DAVID, IN 1993 AND '94 02:29 IN NORTHERN ISRAEL, THERE WAS A SECTION OF A MONUMENT STONE - A 02:34 STELE - AND IT WAS FOUND IN THE TEL DAN - DAN IS A NORTHERN 02:38 TERRITORY OF ISRAEL - IT HAD AN INSCRIPTION ON IT - I THINK 02:41 WE'VE GOT A PICTURE OF IT UP THERE ON THE SCREEN - AND IN THE 02:45 INSCRIPTION IT TALKS ABOUT THE HOUSE OF DAVID. 02:51 AND THAT JUST REALLY SHOOK UP THE CRITICS. 02:52 AND, BY THE WAY, IT IS, TODAY, IN THE MUSEUM OF JERUSALEM AND 02:57 IT GENERATED A LOT OF DEBATE AND ARTICLES, BUT THEY LOOKED AT IT 03:00 AND THEY LOOKED AT IT AGAIN AND THEY SAID, THAT IS WHAT IT SAYS. 03:03 MEANING, THERE REALLY WAS A PERSON NAMED DAVID AND IT WAS 03:05 HIS MONARCHY, KNOWN AS THE HOUSE OF DAVID. 03:08 WELL, EVEN BEFORE THAT, THEY'D FOUND ANOTHER INSCRIPTION AND 03:11 IT'S WHAT THEY CALLED 'THE MOABITE STONE' WRITTEN BY KING 03:14 MESHA OF MOAB AND, DURING ROUGHLY THE SAME TIME PERIOD 03:19 AND, AGAIN, THEY FOUND THE INSCRIPTION 'THE HOUSE OF DAVID' 03:23 - THESE STELES WERE STONE MONUMENTS OR PILLARS THAT THEY 03:27 WOULD INSCRIBE HISTORY ON AND EVEN JOSHUA DID THAT WHEN THE 03:31 CHILDREN OF ISRAEL CROSSED OVER. THEY PLASTERED SOME ROCK AND 03:34 THEY PUT THE BLESSINGS AND THE CURSINGS ON THIS. 03:37 THEY WOULD PUT THE HISTORY OF NATIONS ON THESE ROCKS. 03:40 AND THEN, AT KARNAK, IN EGYPT, THERE'S A PHARAOH - HE WAS 03:45 PHARAOH SHOSHENQ I - HE IS ACTUALLY, IN THE BIBLE, REFERRED 03:50 TO AS SHISHAQ - THE SAME KING - HE RECORDS HIS VICTORY OVER 03:54 REHOBOAM, WHO IS THE GRANDSON OF DAVID AND, IN THE DIFFERENT 03:59 CITIES THAT HE MENTIONS, THERE'S ONE LOCATION REFERRED TO AS THE 04:03 HEIGHTS OF DAVID. AND SO, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT HOW 04:08 LITTLE EXCAVATION IS REALLY DONE IN THAT TERRITORY, THERE IS 04:12 PROBABLY A LOT MORE YET TO BE DISCOVERED. 04:15 EVERY TIME THEY TRY AND BUILD IN JERUSALEM THEY RUN INTO 04:16 ARTIFACTS; THEY JUST DON'T HAVE TIME TO STOP AND DUST OFF AND 04:20 SIFT THROUGH ALL OF THE ARTIFACTS THAT THEY DISCOVER. 04:24 AND THERE'S PROBABLY GOING TO BE MORE THAT WILL COME TO LIGHT, 04:27 BUT THERE IS PLENTY, I THINK, THAT YOU CAN FIND IN HISTORY 04:31 THAT TELLS US THAT DAVID WAS A REAL PERSON. 04:34 EVEN THE WAY THE STORY OF DAVID IS RECORDED IN THE BIBLE, IT NOT 04:40 JUST - IT DOESN'T JUST GLORIFY HIS GOOD DEEDS AND HIS FEATS AND 04:44 HIS VALOR, IT TALKS ABOUT HIS WEAKNESS AND HIS BAD DECISIONS. 04:48 AND YOU READ ABOUT IT AND YOU SAY, 'THIS WAS A VERY HUMAN 04:50 INDIVIDUAL. NOW, OF THE PEOPLE THAT YOU CAN 04:54 STUDY IN THE BIBLE, FEW HAVE A BIGGER IMPACT ON BIBLICAL 04:58 HISTORY AND CHRISTIANITY THAN THE CHARACTER OF DAVID. 05:03 ABRAHAM IS MENTIONED 232 TIMES IN THE BIBLE. 05:08 MOSES IS MENTIONED 850 TIMES IN THE BIBLE. 05:11 JESUS IS MENTIONED 981 TIMES - HIS NAME - IN THE BIBLE, BUT THE 05:17 NAME OF DAVID IS MENTIONED MORE THAN A THOUSAND TIMES IN THE 05:21 BIBLE. YOU KNOW, THERE ARE OTHER PEOPLE 05:23 IN THE BIBLE THAT HAD THE NAME MOSES. 05:26 THERE ARE OTHER PEOPLE IN THE BIBLE THAT HAD THE NAMES JESUS 05:29 AND JOSEPH, BUT THERE'S ONLY ONE PERSON IN THE BIBLE THAT HAD THE 05:32 NAME DAVID. THERE IS NO OTHER PARALLEL 05:35 TO THIS INDIVIDUAL. ABOUT 66 CHAPTERS IN THE BIBLE - 05:39 THAT'S A LOT - ARE DEDICATED TO DAVID. OF THE 150 PSALMS, 76 OF 05:48 THOSE PSALMS ARE CALLED 'PSALMS OF DAVID'. 05:51 NOW, THERE ARE SOME PSALMS, LIKE THE SECOND PSALM, FOR INSTANCE, 05:55 IT DOESN'T SAY 'A PSALM OF DAVID', BUT WHEN PETER QUOTES 05:58 FROM THE 2 PSALM IN THE NEW TESTAMENT, HE CALLS IT A PSALM 06:01 OF DAVID. SO THERE ARE SOME OF THE PSALMS 06:03 THAT WERE PROBABLY WRITTEN BY DAVID THAT HE DOESN'T 06:05 EVEN GET CREDIT FOR. AND SO, THE IMPACT OF THE PERSON 06:11 WE'RE GOING TO CONSIDER ON THE CHRISTIAN FAITH AND BIBLE 06:15 HISTORY IS REALLY HARD TO MEASURE. 06:18 DAVID WAS A REMARKABLE PERSON. THE NAME DAVID, IT 06:24 MEANS 'BELOVED'. IT'S VERY SIMILAR TO THE WORD 06:27 'LOVE' IN THE BIBLE AND IT MEANS THE FAVORED OR THE BELOVED ONE. 06:33 THERE'S EVEN A BOOK IN THE BIBLE - YOU KIND OF GATHER THAT THE 06:36 WHOLE PURPOSE OF THIS BOOK IS TO INTRODUCE THE COMING OF DAVID. 06:40 IT'S CALLED THE BOOK OF RUTH . WHEN YOU GET TO THE END OF THE 06:43 BOOK OF RUTH IT SAYS - BOAZ AND RUTH, THEY HAD THIS BABY NAMED 06:48 OBED - IT'S A WONDERFUL LOVE STORY ABOUT A MOABITE GIRL 06:52 WHO IMMIGRATES AND COMES TO BETHLEHEM AND HOW HER FAMILY 06:56 IS REDEEMED - IT'S A STORY OF REDEMPTION. 06:59 AND THE WHOLE STORY CONCLUDES BY SAYING THEY HAD A BOY NAMED 07:03 OBED, WHO THEN HAD A BOY NAMED JESSE, WHO HAD A BOY NAMED 07:06 DAVID. AND SO IT ALL LEADS INTO THE 07:10 STORY OF THIS MAGNIFICENT KING. NOW, DAVID IS NOT THE FIRST 07:15 KING, AND MAYBE I'LL GET TO THAT IN A MINUTE. ONE REASON I THINK 07:18 IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR US TO DO THIS SERIES - YOU MIGHT BE 07:20 THINKING, 'OH, PASTOR DOUG, WE'RE A CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 07:23 WHY ARE WE GOING TO SPEND SO MUCH TIME IN THE OLD TESTAMENT 07:26 TALKING ABOUT AN OLD TESTAMENT CHARACTER?' 07:29 THAT DOESN'T BOTHER ME, IT DOES BOTHER SOME PEOPLE. 07:31 BUT YOU NEED TO KNOW THAT THE FIRST THING IT SAYS IN THE NEW 07:35 TESTAMENT - IT TALKS ABOUT THE GENEALOGY OF JESUS, THE SON OF 07:39 DAVID. AND SO, TO UNDERSTAND JESUS, YOU 07:43 REALLY NEED TO KNOW SOMETHING ABOUT DAVID BECAUSE DAVID 07:46 IS A TYPE OF CHRIST. HE IS PROBABLY ONE OF THE MOST 07:51 PROFOUND TYPES OF CHRIST - JOSEPH, MOSES, DAVID ARE VERY 07:57 POWERFUL EXAMPLES, IN THEIR LIVES, OF JESUS. 08:00 THE BOOK OF JEREMIAH, CHAPTER 23, VERSE 5, "'BEHOLD, THE DAYS 08:04 ARE COMING,' SAYS THE LORD, 'THAT I WILL RAISE TO DAVID A 08:08 BRANCH OF RIGHTEOUSNESS; A KING SHALL REIGN AND PROSPER, AND 08:12 EXECUTE JUDGMENT AND RIGHTEOUSNESS IN THE EARTH.'" - 08:14 A PROPHECY ABOUT CHRIST - IT'S CALLED THE BRANCH OF DAVID. 08:18 REVELATION 22 - HERE YOU ARE AT THE END OF THE BIBLE AND JESUS 08:21 IS SPEAKING - IT'S IN RED LETTERS - AND CHRIST SAID, 08:25 "I...HAVE SENT MY ANGEL TO TESTIFY TO YOU THESE THINGS IN 08:28 THE CHURCHES. I AM THE ROOT AND THE OFFSPRING 08:31 OF DAVID, THE BRIGHT AND MORNING STAR." 08:35 AND SO YOU SEE, FRIENDS, IT'S SO IMPORTANT THAT WE ARE TALKING 08:37 ABOUT THE LIFE OF DAVID BECAUSE, WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT THE LIFE OF 08:40 DAVID, YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT JESUS. 08:42 AND YOU'LL BE SURPRISED, AS WE EXPLORE THE LESSONS IN THE BIBLE 08:46 FROM THE EXPERIENCES OF DAVID, HOW MUCH YOU'RE GOING TO LEARN 08:50 ABOUT JESUS. AND SO, REALLY, TO UNDERSTAND 08:54 THIS - NOW OUR STUDY TODAY, JUST SO YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT THE 08:56 NEIGHBORHOOD WILL BE, IF YOU GO TO THE FIRST BOOK OF SAMUEL, 09:00 CHAPTER 16, THAT IS GOING TO BE THE NUCLEUS FOR WHERE 09:04 WE'RE GOING TO BE. 1 SAMUEL CHAPTER 16 - WE CANNOT 09:09 DIVE RIGHT IN AND START TALKING ABOUT DAVID WITHOUT GIVING 09:12 YOU A LITTLE BACKGROUND. DAVID WAS PROBABLY BORN ABOUT, OH, 09:18 1010 B.C. THE EVENTS WE'RE GOING TO CONSIDER TRANSPIRE ABOUT 09:24 1025 B.C. FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT LIKE WORLD HISTORY, THIS IS 09:29 ABOUT THE TIME THAT SOME PEOPLE LEFT SOUTHERN CHINA IN BOATS AND 09:33 BEGAN TO EXPLORE AND SETTLE POLYNESIA. 09:37 THIS IS ABOUT THE SAME TIME THE CHINESE DISCOVERED GUNPOWDER. 09:41 THIS IS ABOUT THE SAME TIME, IN THE AMERICAS, THE OLMEC 09:45 CIVILIZATION BEGAN TO DEVELOP MATH AND BUILD PYRAMIDS. 09:50 AND YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT A THOUSAND YEARS - WHAT WE USED TO 09:53 CALL B.C., WHICH WAS BEFORE CHRIST, UNTIL THE AGNOSTICS 09:58 CHANGED IT TO BCE AND TRIED TO GET RID OF ANY REFERENCE TO GOD 10:01 IN THAT. YOU'VE GOT TO UNDERSTAND 10:04 SOMETHING ABOUT THE KING BEFORE DAVID. 10:07 NOW, DAVID IS NOT THE FIRST KING OF ISRAEL. 10:10 I'VE HEARD SOME SAY THAT. TECHNICALLY HE'S NOT EVEN 10:14 THE SECOND KING OF ISRAEL. THERE WAS ONE MAN THAT WAS A 10:17 KING IN ISRAEL FOR A BRIEF TIME DURING THE TIME OF JUDGES, 10:20 AHIMLECH, HE WAS NOT A GOOD GUY AND HE DIDN'T END WELL. 10:24 HE GOT HIT ON THE HEAD BY A STONE THAT A WOMAN THREW OFF THE 10:26 WALL. HE HAD KIND OF A SHORT, VIOLENT REIGN. BUT THE FIRST 10:31 KING OF THE UNITED KINGDOM WAS A KING BY THE NAME OF SAUL. 10:36 AND YOU MAY REMEMBER THE STORY ABOUT THE FALL OF SAUL IS NOT A 10:42 HAPPY ONE, BUT IT'S THERE. IT'S AN IMPORTANT STUDY. 10:47 THE PEOPLE, UP UNTIL THAT TIME, WHEN THEY ENTERED INTO THE 10:50 PROMISED LAND, THEY WERE LED BY GENERALS LIKE JOSHUA AND JUDGES 10:56 - SOMETIMES THE PRIESTS, BUT THEY WERE DIFFERENT FROM THE 10:59 OTHER NATIONS IN THAT THE LORD WAS THEIR KING. 11:03 AND, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE ANCIENT KINGDOMS DIDN'T REALLY 11:06 HAVE A SINGULAR KING. SOME OF THEM, LIKE THE 11:08 PHILISTINES, DIDN'T HAVE ONE KING. 11:10 THEY WERE DIVIDED INTO - THEY CALLED THEM KINGS BUT THEY WERE 11:13 DIVIDED INTO LIKE FIVE DISTRICTS AND THEY SORT OF HAD THIS 11:16 COALITION OF DISTRICT KINGS. WELL, THE HEBREWS HAD THEIR 11:21 TWELVE TRIBES AND THEY WOULD HAVE VARIOUS JUDGES, BUT THEY 11:24 REALLY SAW GOD AS THEIR KING. BUT THEN SOMETHING 11:27 CAME OVER THEM. THEY SAID, 'YOU KNOW, WE DON'T 11:29 HAVE LIKE A CAPITAL, WE DON'T HAVE A KING WHO LEADS US OUT, 11:34 AND WE WANT TO BE LIKE THE OTHER KINGDOMS. 11:36 WE WANT SOMEONE WHO'S GOING TO GO FIGHT OUR BATTLES FOR US. 11:38 WE DON'T WANT THE HEADACHES OF ORGANIZATION.' AND THEY CAME TO 11:42 SAMUEL, WHO HAD BEEN A FAITHFUL PROPHET FOR MANY YEARS - 11:46 PROBABLY OVER 40 YEARS - SAMUEL WOULD BE THE LAST OF TWELVE 11:50 JUDGES. AND THEY SAID - AND YOU'LL FIND 11:53 THIS IN 1 SAMUEL CHAPTER 8, VERSE 5, "...NOW MAKE US A 11:56 KING TO JUDGE US LIKE ALL THE NATIONS." JUST AN INTERESTING 12:01 FOOTNOTE - NOW YOU DON'T MIND IF I STOP AND TEACH INSTEAD OF 12:03 PREACH ALONG THE WAY? JUST SOMETHING YOU MIGHT WANT TO 12:06 KNOW: IT WAS NEVER GOD'S ORIGINAL PLAN FOR THEM TO HAVE A 12:09 KING, BUT GOD KNEW THEY WOULD, EVENTUALLY, HAVE A KING BECAUSE, 12:14 DURING THE TIME OF MOSES, HE SAID, 'WHEN YOU HAVE A KING'. 12:18 AND SO GOD FORESAW THAT THEY WOULD EVENTUALLY CLAMOR TO HAVE 12:21 A KING, BUT IT WASN'T HIS ORIGINAL PLAN. 12:25 HE WAS TO BE THEIR KING. THEY SAID, 'MAKE US A KING. 12:28 WE WANT TO BE LIKE THE OTHER NATIONS.' WHICH IS ALREADY A 12:31 SIGN OF GOING THE WRONG DIRECTION. 12:33 AND SO, FINALLY, SAMUEL CONSENTED AND, AFTER BEING 12:38 GUIDED, HE PICKED SAUL AS THEIR KING. 12:42 IT'S INTERESTING, THE NAME 'SAUL' MEANS 'ASKED FOR' AND 12:45 IT'S ALMOST LIKE GOD SAID, 'YOU ASKED FOR IT'. 12:47 AND WHEN SAMUEL HELPED PICK THE KING AND SAUL WAS CHOSEN - HE 12:53 WAS VERY TALL - HE WAS KIND OF WHAT EVERYONE WOULD HAVE 12:57 PICTURED IF YOU SAID, 'PICTURE A MIGHTY KING'. 13:00 THEY SAY CHARLEMAGNE WAS A VERY LARGE MAN - RODE A VERY BIG 13:03 HORSE. HE WAS A - YOU GO TO FRANCE, 13:05 YOU SEE SOME OF THE STATUES OF CHARLEMAGNE, HE WAS HUGE. 13:08 AND, OF COURSE, THEY ALWAYS DO THAT WITH STATUES, BUT THEY SAY 13:10 IN REAL LIFE HE WAS A BIG MAN - A MIGHTY WARRIOR. 13:13 THIS IS WHAT THEY PICTURED WITH SAUL. 13:15 HE WAS A BIG MAN - THE BIBLE SAID HE'S A HEAD AND SHOULDERS 13:20 ABOVE EVERYBODY ELSE. AND THEY'VE DONE ENOUGH 13:24 EXCAVATION DURING THAT TIME PERIOD AND THEY WERE KIND OF 13:28 THE SAME HEIGHT AS WE ARE. IT'S KIND OF INTERESTING, YOU 13:31 KNOW, YOU GO TO EUROPE AND ENGLAND, THEY EXCAVATE AND YOU 13:33 LOOK AT THE ARMOR THAT THE MEN WORE, THEY WERE SHORT. 13:37 THEY JUST ALL HAD RICKETS - THEY DIDN'T EAT WELL - BUT WHEN THEY 13:39 DO THE EXCAVATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST, THEY WERE ABOUT OUR SIZE. 13:43 MATTER OF FACT, SOME OF THEM GOT TO ABOUT NINE FEET AND A HALF. 13:46 THAT WAS GOLIATH, FRIENDS, WE'LL GET TO THAT LATER. 13:49 BUT - SO TO SAY THAT SAUL WAS A HEAD AND SHOULDERS TALLER THAN 13:52 EVERYBODY ELSE - YOU KNOW, HE'S PROBABLY SIX-FEET FOUR OR 13:58 SOMETHING. HE WAS A TALL MAN. AND EVERYONE THOUGHT, 14:01 'WHAT A KING!' AND HE STARTED OUT HUMBLE. MATTER OF FACT, 14:06 LATER, WHEN HE WAS REBUKED BY SAMUEL, SAMUEL SAID TO HIM, 14:10 'WHEN YOU WERE LITTLE' - THIS WAS 1 SAMUEL 15 - "WHEN YOU WERE 14:13 LITTLE IN YOUR OWN EYES," - EVEN THOUGH HE WAS TALL, HE WAS 14:16 HUMBLE - "WERE YOU NOT HEAD OF THE TRIBES OF ISRAEL? 14:20 AND DID NOT THE LORD ANOINT YOU KING OVER ISRAEL?" 14:25 SAUL WAS CHOSEN BY GOD, BUT WITH POWER OFTEN COMES TEMPTATION. 14:33 YOU'VE HEARD THE EXPRESSION MANY TIMES, 'POWER CORRUPTS' - AND AS 14:36 SAUL WENT OUT IN THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD AND HE WAS VICTORIOUS 14:39 IN THE BATTLE AND ALL THE PEOPLE BEGAN TO PRAISE HIM AND SING 14:42 ABOUT HIM, IT BEGAN TO GO TO HIS HEAD AND HE STARTED THINKING, 'I 14:45 REALLY MUST BE SOMETHING SPECIAL - CHOSEN BY GOD, VICTORIOUS IN 14:48 BATTLE, AND HERE, JUST WITH A FEW MEN WE DEFEATED MUCH BIGGER 14:51 ARMIES AND HE STARTED TO TAKE THE GLORY ON HIMSELF AND HE 14:55 BECAME PROUD. AND THEN HE GOT WHERE HE WASN'T 14:58 LISTENING TO THE DIRECTION OF GOD. 15:00 HE WASN'T OBEYING THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD, AND GOD 15:04 BEGAN TO WITHDRAW HIS SPIRIT FROM SAUL. 15:10 ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS HE WAS GIVEN SOME OPPORTUNITIES TO 15:14 REDEEM HIMSELF - SOME MAJOR TESTS. 15:16 ON ONE OCCASION, SAMUEL SPECIFICALLY SAID TO SAUL, 15:20 'BEFORE YOU GO DOWN TO BATTLE WITH THE PHILISTINES, WAIT SEVEN 15:23 DAYS. I WILL COME TO YOU AT GILGAL. I'LL OFFER SACRIFICE. 15:27 WAIT FOR ME.' SAUL WENT DOWN FOR THIS MASSIVE BATTLE, ALL THE 15:31 FORCES OF THE PHILISTINES HAVE GATHERED AND HE WAITED - AND HE 15:34 THOUGHT THAT THEY WERE GOING TO ATTACK ANY TIME AND HE LOST 15:37 FAITH AND HE SAID, 'LOOK, SAMUEL'S GETTING OLD. 15:40 HE FORGOT. HE'S RUNNING BEHIND. 15:42 I'LL DO WHAT NO' - NO MAN WAS SUPPOSED TO DO BUT THE LEVITES 15:48 AND THE PRIESTS - HE OFFERED SACRIFICE. 15:52 AND RIGHT WHEN HE DID THAT SAMUEL CAME. 15:56 SAMUEL SAID, 'BECAUSE YOU DISOBEYED - GOD WAS GETTING 15:58 READY TO ESTABLISH YOUR KINGDOM - THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN A 16:01 DYNASTY OF KINGS - A MONARCHY NAMED AFTER YOU IF YOU HAD 16:05 PROVEN YOURSELF FAITHFUL. BUT NOW, YOU'RE GOING TO LOSE 16:08 THE KINGDOM BECAUSE YOU LOST PATIENCE. 16:11 A LOT OF PEOPLE LOSE EVERYTHING WHEN THEY LOSE PATIENCE. 16:15 WELL, SEVERAL YEARS WENT BY - EVEN THOUGH GOD SAID YOUR 16:17 MONARCHY WON'T CONTINUE - HE STILL HAD A CHANCE TO REDEEM 16:20 HIMSELF. SAMUEL WAS SENT, AGAIN, TO SAUL. 16:23 HE SAID, 'I'M SENDING YOU TO FIGHT AGAINST THE MORTAL ENEMIES 16:26 OF ISRAEL, THE AMALEKITES' - AMALEK WAS THE SON OF ESAU AND 16:30 THEY WERE THE FIRST TO ATTACK ISRAEL WHEN THEY BECAME A NATION 16:33 AND THEY CAME OUT OF EGYPT. HE SAID, 'I WANT YOU TO GO 16:35 ATTACK AND ANNIHILATE THOSE PEOPLE. 16:38 DO NOT TAKE ANY OF THE SPOIL. DESTROY EVERYTHING - THEY ARE 16:41 CORRUPT DISEASED PEOPLE.' SAUL WAS GIVEN AN ORDER: 'IF YOU 16:45 DON'T DESTROY THEM, THEY'LL DESTROY YOU.' AND HE SAID, 'WIPE 16:48 THEM OUT.' SAUL DIDN'T WANT TO DO THAT. AND THE PEOPLE, THEY 16:52 SAID TO THE KING, 'OH, YOU DON'T WANT TO DESTROY ALL THESE 16:54 SHEEP.' THEY WON - THEY BEAT THE SOLDIERS AND THEY SAID, 'DON'T 16:56 DESTROY ALL THE ANIMALS, I MEAN, YOU KNOW, WE'LL KEEP THEM. 16:59 WE'LL SACRIFICE THESE INSTEAD OF SACRIFICING OUR OWN AND SO WE'LL 17:02 END UP WITH MORE.' AND HE GAVE IN TO WHAT THE PEOPLE WANTED, 17:06 WHICH IS A MAJOR FAILURE FOR A GOOD LEADER. 17:09 IF YOU'RE GOING TO BE A SPIRITUAL LEADER, YOU'VE GOT TO 17:11 GET YOUR LEADERSHIP FROM GOD, NOT FROM THE PEOPLE, BECAUSE THE 17:14 PEOPLE ARE ALWAYS GOING TO KIND OF LEAD YOU DOWN. 17:17 YOU NEED TO STAND AND LEAD BACK TO GOD. 17:19 AND HE GAVE IN TO THE PEOPLE AND GAVE IN TO THE CROWD AND GOD 17:25 TOLD SAMUEL, 'LOOK, SAUL HAS STOPPED FOLLOWING ME. 17:29 HE NOT ONLY SAVED THE SHEEP AND THE GOATS AND THE CATTLE, HE DID 17:33 NOT KILL AGAG. HE SAID, 'OH, IT WOULD BE 17:35 NICE TO BRING BACK A TROPHY. WE'VE CAPTURED THE KING ALIVE. 17:39 AFTER ALL, IF THEY CAPTURED ME, I WOULDN'T WANT THEM TO KILL ME, 17:41 AND SO LET'S BRING HIM BACK AS A TROPHY - PUT HIM IN PRISON.' 17:44 AND, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE HE DID NOT ANNIHILATE AGAG AND THE 17:49 HOUSE OF AGAG - YOU READ LATER, IN THE BOOK OF ESTHER THERE WAS 17:57 SOMEONE WHO TRIED TO, NOW, ANNIHILATE ALL OF THE JEWS - HIS 18:00 NAME WAS HAMAN THE AGAGITE. WHEN YOU DON'T FOLLOW GOD'S 18:04 ORDERS - GOD CAN SEE DOWN THE LINE - HE KNOWS 18:06 WHAT HE'S SAYING. AND SO, SAUL DID NOT OBEY AND, 18:11 ULTIMATELY, GOD SAID, IN A MESSAGE THROUGH SAMUEL, 'TO OBEY 18:15 IS BETTER THAN SACRIFICE, AND TO HEARKEN THAN THE FAT OF RAMS. 18:18 YOUR REBELLION IS LIKE WITCHCRAFT. 18:20 BECAUSE YOU ARE NOT OBEYING ME, YOU ARE GOING TO LOSE THE 18:23 KINGDOM.' AND 1 SAMUEL 13:13, "AND SAMUEL SAID TO SAUL, 'YOU 18:29 HAVE DONE FOOLISHLY. YOU HAVE NOT KEPT THE 18:31 COMMANDMENT OF THE LORD YOUR GOD, WHICH HE COMMANDED YOU. 18:34 FOR NOW THE LORD WOULD HAVE ESTABLISHED YOUR KINGDOM OVER 18:37 ISRAEL FOREVER. BUT NOW YOUR KINGDOM 18:39 SHALL NOT CONTINUE." - NOTICE - "THE LORD HAS SOUGHT 18:43 FOR HIMSELF A MAN AFTER HIS OWN HEART, AND THE LORD HAS 18:48 COMMANDED HIM TO BE COMMANDER OVER HIS PEOPLE, BECAUSE YOU 18:51 HAVE NOT KEPT WHAT THE LORD COMMANDED YOU." 18:54 NOTICE THE WORD 'COMMAND' - COMMAND, COMMAND, COMMAND - 18:57 DO THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD MATTER TO GOD? 19:00 >>YES. >>IF YOU BELIEVE THE BIBLE, 19:02 IT'S PRETTY CLEAR THAT THEY DO. AND SO, AGAIN, YOU READ IN 1 19:09 SAMUEL 15:28 - "SO SAMUEL SAID TO HIM, 'THE LORD HAS TORN THE 19:12 KINGDOM OF ISRAEL FROM YOU TODAY, AND HAS GIVEN IT TO A 19:15 NEIGHBOR OF YOURS, WHO IS BETTER THAN YOU.'" WELL, AS SOON AS 19:19 SAUL HEARD THIS, INSTEAD OF THINKING OF HUMBLING HIMSELF AND 19:24 SAYING, 'LORD, I'M SORRY.' YOU KNOW, EVEN A WICKED KING LIKE 19:26 AHAB, WHEN HE HUMBLED HIMSELF, GOD SHOWED MERCY TO HIM. 19:30 AND THERE WERE SEVERAL TIMES WHEN KINGS HUMBLED THEMSELVES 19:32 AND HE SHOWED THEM MERCY. BUT SAUL, INSTEAD OF REPENTING 19:36 AND BEING SORRY, HE BEGAN TO BE SUSPICIOUS AND SAY, 'SOMEONE 19:40 ELSE IS GOING TO GET MY KINGDOM. THAT'S JUST NOT FAIR.' AND HE 19:43 WAS ANGRY WITH GOD AND HE BEGAN TO WONDER AND PLOT AND THINK, 19:46 'WELL, MAYBE I CAN STOP THAT PROPHECY. IF I FIND OUT WHO'S 19:50 GOING TO BE KING IN MY PLACE, I'LL GET RID OF THEM.' YOU KNOW, 19:53 SOMEONE ELSE WHO DID THAT - HIS NAME WAS HEROD THE GREAT. 19:56 HE KILLED ALL THE BABIES IN BETHLEHEM BECAUSE HE WAS 19:58 THREATENED THAT THERE'D BE ANOTHER KING. 20:01 AND THAT SAME SPIRIT - AND SO, A DIABOLICAL SPIRIT OF JEALOUSY 20:05 BEGAN TO COME OVER SAUL AND HE BEGAN TO DRIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT 20:09 OUT OF HIS LIFE. SO, GOD IS PATIENT. 20:13 FROM THE TIME THAT GOD FIRST TOLD SAUL 'YOU'RE GOING TO LOSE 20:17 THE KINGDOM' - WHEN SAUL OFFERED SACRIFICE THAT ONLY THE PRIESTS 20:20 WERE SUPPOSED TO DO - SEVERAL YEARS WENT BY AND HE HAD THE 20:24 FAILURE WITH FULFILLING HIS WILL WITH THE AMALEKITES AND IT MAY 20:29 ACTUALLY BE THAT KING DAVID WAS BORN AROUND THE TIME GOD SAID, 20:33 'I'M SEEKING A MAN AFTER MY OWN HEART. BECAUSE, YOU SEE, SAUL 20:36 REIGNED FOR 40 YEARS. IT WAS ABOUT TEN OR TWELVE YEARS 20:41 INTO HIS REIGN HE BEGAN TO FAIL - HE BECAME PROUD. 20:44 SO, ULTIMATELY - NOW GO TO - MATTER OF FACT, I WANT YOU TO GO 20:48 TO CHAPTER 16 - I TOLD YOU THIS AWHILE AGO, SORRY - I NEVER WENT 20:51 THERE - GO TO CHAPTER - CHAPTER 15 OF 1 SAMUEL AND IT SAYS AFTER 21:01 THIS LAST ANNOUNCEMENT OF JUDGMENT THAT SAMUEL MADE ON 21:05 SAUL - IN VERSE 35 - "AND SAMUEL WENT NO MORE TO SEE SAUL UNTIL 21:11 THE DAY OF HIS DEATH. NEVERTHELESS SAMUEL MOURNED FOR 21:15 SAUL, AND THE LORD REGRETTED THAT HE HAD MADE SAUL 21:18 KING OVER ISRAEL. NOW, YOU KNOW WHERE ELSE 21:21 YOU FIND THOSE WORDS? WHERE IT SAYS 'THE 21:22 LORD REGRETTED'? YEAH, JUST BEFORE THE FLOOD GOD 21:26 SAID - GOD WAS SORRY THAT HE HAD MADE MAN. GOD CHOSE TO MAKE MAN 21:32 AND GOD CHOSE SAUL. HISTORY COULD HAVE BEEN COMPLETELY 21:35 DIFFERENT. SAUL HAD THE FREEDOM TO BE A 21:38 GOOD KING - AND GOD GAVE HIM THE BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT. 21:43 EVEN THOUGH GOD KNOWS ALL THINGS, GOD DOESN'T MAKE 21:45 EVERYTHING HAPPEN. GOD KNOWS EVERYTHING THAT WILL 21:47 HAPPEN, BUT HE'S NOT MAKING EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS. 21:49 YOU HAVE A FREE HEART AND A FREE WILL TO CHOOSE AND SAUL MADE 21:53 VERY BAD CHOICES - HE CHOSE TO BE PROUD, HE CHOSE TO BE 21:57 REBELLIOUS - AND GOD REGRETTED THAT HE MADE HIM KING. 22:02 SAMUEL CONTINUED TO MOURN FOR SAUL BECAUSE HE HAD SUCH GREAT 22:06 HOPES - AND HE SPENT A WHOLE NIGHT PRAYING FOR HIM. 22:10 NOW, YOU LOOK IN CHAPTER 16, VERSE 1. 22:13 HERE'S WHERE YOU SEE SAMUEL THE PROPHET, WHO'S BEEN A PROPHET - 22:17 FAITHFUL PROPHET - MANY YEARS, GOING ON HIS LAST MISSION. 22:22 "NOW THE LORD SAYS TO SAMUEL, 'HOW LONG WILL YOU MOURN FOR 22:26 SAUL, SEEING I HAVE REJECTED HIM FROM REIGNING OVER ISRAEL?'" 22:30 - MATTER OF FACT, IN THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER IT SAYS, AT ONE 22:33 POINT, SAMUEL SPENT THE WHOLE NIGHT IN PRAYER OVER SAUL. 22:37 NOW THAT MAY BOTHER YOU TO HEAR THIS, BUT IT IS TRUE THAT EVEN 22:43 THOUGH HE PRAYED ALL NIGHT FOR SOMEBODY, THE PRAYER WAS NOT 22:45 ANSWERED, BECAUSE IT MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE WHEN YOU PRAY FOR 22:48 PEOPLE. GOD'S SPIRIT CAN WORK IN 22:50 THEIR LIVES IN DRAMATIC WAYS. I BELIEVE JESUS PRAYED FOR 22:53 JUDAS, DON'T YOU THINK? >>AMEN. 22:56 >>I THINK THAT [JESUS] PRAYED FOR ADAM. 22:59 I MEAN, SOMETIMES PEOPLE HAVE A FREEDOM - AND ADAM PRAYED FOR 23:02 CAIN AND YOU - IT'S IMPORTANT - AND GOD DOES ANSWER PRAYER, 23:06 DON'T MISUNDERSTAND, BUT NOT EVERY TIME - AS LONG AS A PERSON 23:09 HAS A FREE WILL. AND SO, SAMUEL WAS MOURNING THAT 23:14 SAUL - HE WAS WORRIED ABOUT THE KINGDOM. 23:16 HE SAYS, 'WHAT AM I GOING TO DO NOW? 23:17 SAUL'S NOT KING. I'M TOO OLD TO DO THIS. 23:20 SAMUEL'S SONS HAD NOT BEEN FAITHFUL - THEY WERE TO BE 23:23 JUDGES AND THEY STARTED TAKING BRIBES. THAT'S WHEN THEY STARTED 23:26 ASKING FOR A KING. AND GOD SAID, "HOW LONG WILL YOU 23:30 MOURN FOR SAUL, SEEING I HAVE REJECTED HIM FROM 23:32 REIGNING OVER ISRAEL? FILL YOUR HORN WITH OIL." 23:36 IT'S INTERESTING THAT WHEN SAMUEL ANOINTS SAUL HE USES A 23:42 VIAL, BUT WHEN HE ANOINTS DAVID HE USES A HORN OF OIL, WHICH WAS 23:47 SOMETHING THAT THEY USED IN THE TEMPLE. 23:49 IT SAYS, "...GO; I AM SENDING YOU TO JESSE THE BETHLEHEMITE. 23:54 FOR I HAVE PROVIDED MYSELF A KING FROM AMONG HIS SONS." 23:59 AND SAMUEL IS THINKING, 'WELL, SAUL IS STILL ON THE THRONE.' HE 24:02 SAYS IN VERSE 2, "HOW CAN I GO? IF SAUL HEARS IT, HE WILL KILL 24:06 ME." - HE HAD ALREADY SEEN THAT SAUL WAS ACTING VINDICTIVE AND 24:09 JEALOUS AND THREATENED. WHAT DOES IT MEAN IF YOU'RE 24:14 ANOINTING ONE KING WHILE ANOTHER KING IS STILL ALIVE? 24:16 ISN'T THAT VIEWED AS TREASON? THAT'D BE TREACHEROUS. 24:20 SOME OF YOU, IF YOU REMEMBER YOUR BIBLES, YOU KNOW THAT 24:25 ELISHA THE PROPHET TOLD ONE OF THE SONS OF THE PROPHETS - HE 24:29 SAYS, 'I WANT YOU TO GO TO ISRAEL AND I WANT YOU TO ANOINT 24:31 A GENERAL THERE, NAMED JEHU, TO BE THE KING. 24:35 AND, AFTER YOU ANOINT HIM AND PROCLAIM THAT HE IS TO BE THE 24:37 KING, RUN FOR YOUR LIFE, BECAUSE IF WORD GETS BACK TO THE SITTING 24:43 KING, THAT SOMEONE ELSE HAS BEEN CHOSEN AS KING, YOU CAN BE SEEN 24:47 AS A TRAITOR. AND SO, YOU KNOW, SAMUEL'S 24:52 GOING, 'UH, SAUL MAY NOT LOOK - HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO DO THIS? 24:55 I'M GOING TO' - YOU KNOW, WHEN HE - WHEN SAUL WAS ANOINTED 24:58 THERE WAS GREAT FANFARE AND EVERYBODY WAS EXCITED ABOUT THIS 25:02 KING AND HE WAS ANNOUNCED AND - AND HE SAYS, 'I DON'T WANT TO DO 25:07 THAT. HOW CAN I DO IT, IF SAUL HEARS, 25:09 HE WILL KILL ME?' IT'S ALSO INTERESTING, HASN'T GOD TAKEN 25:13 CARE OF SAMUEL ALL ALONG THE WAY? 25:15 >>AMEN. >>THAT HE SHOULD BEGIN TO 25:17 QUESTION IF GOD COULD TAKE CARE OF HIM AT THIS POINT? 25:20 AND GOD SAYS, 'LOOK, HERE'S WHAT YOU DO. 25:23 TAKE A HEIFER WITH YOU AND SAY, 'I'VE COME TO SACRIFICE TO THE 25:27 LORD.'' NOW GOD'S NOT TELLING SAMUEL TO LIE. 25:30 HE DID THAT VERY THING. THEY DID COME TO BETHLEHEM 25:31 TO OFFER SACRIFICE. IT WAS ABSOLUTELY TRUE. 25:34 'THEN INVITE JESSE TO THE SACRIFICE AND I'LL SHOW YOU WHAT 25:37 YOU SHALL DO AND YOU SHALL ANOINT FOR ME THE ONE THAT I 25:40 NAME TO YOU.' SO, IT WASN'T THAT UNUSUAL. 25:45 SAMUEL STARTED THE SCHOOL OF THE PROPHETS. 25:47 HE WOULD GO - HE WENT ON A CIRCUIT AROUND ISRAEL - RAMAH, 25:52 WHICH WAS HIS HOMETOWN, WAS ABOUT ELEVEN MILES NORTH OF 25:55 BETHLEHEM. YOU'VE GOT JERUSALEM - ABOUT 25:58 FOUR MILES AWAY FROM JERUSALEM YOU'VE GOT BETHLEHEM. AND THEN, 26:01 YOU GO ELEVEN MILES NORTH FROM THERE, YOU'VE GOT RAMAH. 26:04 FROM THAT CENTRAL LOCATION SAMUEL USED TO GO ON A CIRCUIT 26:08 THROUGH ISRAEL, LIKE A GOOD PRIEST AND A TEACHER AND A JUDGE 26:12 - AND HE WOULD JUDGE THE PEOPLE. HE'D OFFER SACRIFICE. 26:14 HE'D INTERCEDE FOR THE DIFFERENT DISTRICTS AND THE TRIBES. 26:17 AND SO, IT WASN'T GOING TO BE THAT UNUSUAL THAT HE WOULD GO TO 26:20 THIS TRIBE OF JUDAH, OFFER SACRIFICE IN BETHLEHEM - BUT HE 26:24 WAS THEN GOING CALL JESSE INTO AN INNER ROOM - INTO THE HOUSE 26:28 WITH THE FAMILY AND HE WAS GOING TO DO THIS ANOINTING SERVICE. 26:31 OSTENSIBLY, THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED. 26:34 AND SO, SAMUEL DID WHAT THE LORD SAID. 26:38 CAN YOU SAY, 'AMEN'? >>AMEN. 26:40 >>DO YOU DO WHAT THE LORD SAYS WHEN YOU KNOW WHAT HE SAYS? 26:43 YOU MIGHT ASK QUESTIONS BUT WHEN YOU KNOW WHAT GOD SAYS, YOU NEED 26:45 TO DO IT. HE SAYS, 'DON'T BE A HEARER BUT A DOER'. 26:48 "SO SAMUEL DID WHAT THE LORD SAID, AND WENT TO BETHLEHEM. 26:52 AND THE ELDERS OF THE TOWN TREMBLED" - THEY SAW HIM COMING, 26:54 MAYBE WITH A SERVANT OR TWO AND ONE OF THEM'S PULLING A HEIFER 26:57 FOR SACRIFICE -"AND SAID, 'DO YOU COME PEACEABLY?'" 27:00 - THEY'RE TREMBLING WHEN SAMUEL COMES. WHY? 27:03 WELL, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU REMEMBER THAT WHEN THEY PRAYED 27:07 FOR A KING, GOD GAVE THEM A KING. 27:10 AND, AFTER SAMUEL INTRODUCED THE KING AND SAID, 'THIS IS THE WAY 27:12 OF THE KINGDOM', THEN SAMUEL SAYS, 'NOW, YOU'VE SINNED A BIG 27:17 SIN IN ASKING FOR A KING. YOU'VE REJECTED GOD 27:20 IN ASKING FOR A KING. IT'S WHEAT HARVEST NOW AND 27:24 YOU'RE GETTING READY TO HARVEST, BUT I'M GOING TO PRAY AND GOD'S 27:26 GOING TO SEND THUNDER AND RAIN AND DESTROY YOUR CROPS.' SO 27:29 SAMUEL PRAYS AND THUNDER AND RAIN DESTROYS THEIR CROPS. 27:33 THIS IS A FELLOW WHO PRAYED AND THINGS HAPPENED. 27:35 SO WHEN HE CAME TO YOUR TOWN YOU WENT, 'UH OH.' THEY ALL HAD 27:39 GUILTY CONSCIENCES AND THEY THOUGHT, 'NOW WHAT'S UP? 27:41 WHAT DID WE DO? HAS HE FOUND OUT?' 27:43 SO THEY'RE WORRIED ABOUT WHAT HIS PRESENCE MEANS. 27:46 IS HE COMING TO BLESS OR IS HE COMING TO CURSE? 27:48 'DID WE DO SOMETHING WRONG?' "AND THE ELDERS OF THE TOWN 27:51 TREMBLED AT HIS COMING." THIS IS NOT YOUR REGULAR 27:54 APPOINTMENT - "'DO YOU COME PEACEABLY?' 27:57 AND HE SAID, 'PEACEABLY;" - SHALOM - "I HAVE COME TO 28:02 SACRIFICE TO THE LORD. SANCTIFY YOURSELVES" - 28:05 CLEAN UP AND COME TOGETHER. WE'RE GOING TO OFFER SACRIFICE 28:08 - "AND COME WITH ME TO THE SACRIFICE." AND THEN HE MET 28:11 JESSE - AND THE BIBLE SAYS JESSE WAS AN ANCIENT MAN AT THIS 28:15 POINT, MEANING HE WAS ONE OF THE ELDERS IN BETHLEHEM AND HE WOULD 28:19 BE HOSTED BY ONE OF THE FAMILIES - AND SAID, 'JESSE, I AM TO BE 28:21 HOSTED WITH YOU.' "THEN HE CONSECRATED JESSE AND HIS SONS, 28:26 AND INVITED THEM TO THE SACRIFICE." AND SO, WHEN THEY 28:29 CAME, THEY OFFERED THE SACRIFICE AND THEN, EVIDENTLY, HE GOES 28:32 INTO THIS - BECAUSE YOU DON'T WAN THIS BEING TOO PUBLIC - HE 28:35 MAYBE GOES INTO JESSE'S HOUSE AND HE MEETS WITH THEM. 28:37 BEFORE THEY SIT DOWN TO THE FEAST - SEE, THEY WOULD OFFER 28:39 THE SACRIFICE AND THEN THEY WOULD BEGIN TO BUTCHER THE 28:42 SACRIFICE FOR THE FAMILY AND THEY WOULD EAT OF IT. AND 28:46 MAYBE HE WENT IN THE HOUSE - JESSE HAD A HOME - PROBABLY A 28:49 LARGE HOME, HE'S AN ELDER IN THE LAND - AND SAYS, 'LOOK, I'M HERE 28:53 ON A SPECIAL MISSION.' HE HAD TO TELL JESSE WHAT WAS UP. 28:56 HE SAID, 'I'M TO CHOOSE AND ANOINT ONE OF YOUR SONS.' IT 29:00 SAYS HE COMES INTO THE HOUSE, THAT HE, SAMUEL, LOOKS AT ELIAB 29:04 AND HE SAID, "SURELY THE LORD'S ANOINTED IS BEFORE HIM!" 29:09 NOW ELIAB WAS - HE WAS AS CLOSE TO SAUL AS ANY OF THE SONS OF 29:12 JESSE - HE IS TALL, DARK, AND HANDSOME. 29:15 HE LOOKS LIKE A PRINCE. HE LOOKS STRONG. HE'S THE FIRSTBORN. 29:19 YOU KNOW, THE FIRSTBORN ARE USUALLY THE MOST RESPONSIBLE 29:21 ONES BECAUSE THEY'VE GOT TO MANAGE ALL THE OTHER SIBLINGS. 29:24 ANY OF YOU FIRSTBORN? AND THE ONES WHO ARE THE HARDEST 29:27 TO LIVE WITH ARE THE BABIES BECAUSE THEY GET SPOILED AND 29:30 THEY HAVE EVERYONE ELSE PICKING UP AFTER THEM AND THEY GET ALL 29:32 - THEY'RE GOOEY AND LOVEY - AND ATTENTION. 29:34 MOM AND DAD WANT TO BE GOOD PARENTS FOR THE FIRSTBORN - BY 29:36 THE TIME THE LAST ONE COMES THEY SAY, 'OH, WHO CARES?' 29:38 YOU KNOW? (LAUGHTER) NOW SAMUEL IS A PROPHET, BUT BECAUSE YOU'RE 29:44 A PROPHET DOES NOT MEAN YOU'RE A PERSON. PROPHETS DO NOT WALK 29:47 AROUND - EVERYTHING THEY SAY IS A PROPHECY - 'THUS SAITH THE 29:51 LORD, I WANT A SANDWICH.' 'THUS SAITH THE LORD, PLEASE PASS THE 29:54 SALT.' 'THUS SAITH THE LORD' - NOT EVERYTHING IS A 'THUS SAITH 29:57 THE LORD' - PROPHETS ARE JUST PEOPLE. 29:59 THAT'S IMPORTANT BECAUSE SOME PEOPLE THINK THAT. 30:02 SO SAMUEL IS THINKING LIKE ANY HUMAN, 'WOW, THAT'S A STRIKING 30:06 YOUNG MAN. HE LOOKS LIKE A FINE KING. HE LOOKS LIKE HE MIGHT 30:10 EVEN BE BETTER THAN SAUL. MAYBE NOT AS TALL, BUT' - AND HE'S 30:15 LOOKING ON THE OUTSIDE. AND EVEN PROPHETS SOMETIMES FORGOT TO 30:21 LOOK ON THE INSIDE. AND GOD SAID TO HIM - I'M IN VERSE 7 - VERY 30:29 IMPORTANT VERSE - 1 SAMUEL 16:7, "BUT THE LORD SAID TO SAMUEL, 30:33 'DO NOT LOOK AT HIS APPEARANCE OR AT HIS PHYSICAL STATURE, 30:37 BECAUSE I HAVE REFUSED HIM. FOR THE LORD DOES NOT SEE AS 30:42 MAN SEES; FOR MAN LOOKS AT THE OUTWARD APPEARANCE, BUT THE 30:47 LORD LOOKS AT THE HEART." >>AMEN. 30:50 >>"SO JESSE CALLED AMINIDAB, AND MADE HIM PASS BEFORE SAMUEL. 30:55 AND HE SAID, 'NEITHER HAS THE LORD CHOSEN THIS ONE.' 30:57 THEN JESSE MADE SHAMMAH PASS BY. 31:00 AND HE SAID, 'NEITHER HAS THE LORD CHOSEN THIS ONE.' THUS 31:03 JESSE MADE SEVEN OF HIS SONS PASS BEFORE SAMUEL. 31:06 AND SAMUEL SAID TO JESSE, 'THE LORD HAS NOT CHOSEN THESE.'" - 31:11 AND SAMUEL'S BEGINNING TO THINK, 'OH MAN, DID I MISUNDERSTAND?' 31:14 AND HE'S SCRATCHING HIS HEAD AND HE'S THINKING, 'I'M ALMOST SURE 31:17 GOD SAID - HE TOLD ME ONE OF THE SONS OF JESSE - MAYBE' - AND 31:20 WHILE HE'S WONDERING HE THINKS, 'ARE THESE ALL OF YOUR SONS?' 31:25 AND JESSE SAYS, SORT OF DISMISSIVELY, 'WELL, THERE'S THE 31:29 YOUNGEST'. AND HE SAID, 'ARE THESE ALL YOUR SONS?' 31:34 HE SAID, "THERE REMAINS YET THE YOUNGEST, AND THERE HE IS,'" - 31:37 AND THE WAY IT'S WORDED IN THE HEBREW - 'THERE HE IS' - IT'S 31:40 ALMOST LIKE, 'BEHOLD' OR 'LOOK OVER THE VALLEY THERE ON THE 31:44 HILL WITH THE SHEEP - THAT'S HIM. YOU SEE THE GUY - HE'S KIND 31:47 OF SLINGING STONES AND GOOFING OFF. YEAH, THERE'S DAVID.' 31:53 (LAUGHTER) 'HE'S VERY PASSIONATE AND HE'S JUST SINGING AND 31:58 WHISTLING ALL THE TIME. YOU DON'T MEAN HIM?' 32:02 AND SAMUEL SAYS TO JESSE, 'ARE THEY ALL HERE?' 32:05 HE SAYS, 'WELL, THERE'S DAVID.' HE SAID, 'SEND HIM AND BRING HIM 32:08 FOR WE WILL NOT SIT DOWN' - THEY'D SACRIFICED BUT THEY 32:11 HADN'T HAD THE FEAST YET - "'FOR WE WILL NOT SIT DOWN TILL HE 32:13 COMES HERE.' SO HE SENT AND BROUGHT HIM IN. 32:18 NOW HE WAS RUDDY," - AND THE WORD 'RUDDY' MEANS REDDISH AND 32:23 WE'RE NOT SURE HOW TO APPLY THAT. 32:25 I DID A LITTLE STUDY ON IT AND SCHOLARS SAY IT COULD MEAN HE 32:30 HAD RED HAIR, WHICH IS NOT UNHEARD OF. 32:32 MY MOTHER WAS JEWISH. MY BROTHER HAD FLAMING RED HAIR. 32:36 YOU HAVE NEVER MET ANYONE WITH REDDER HAIR THAN MY BROTHER. 32:40 IT'S AS RED AS - IT WAS ORANGE. SO YOU CAN HAVE 32:44 JEWS WITH RED HAIR. AND I - MY MOTHER AND FATHER HAD 32:49 BROWN EYES - I HAVE BLUE EYES. YOU CAN HAVE JEWS 32:51 WITH BLUE EYES. THEY'RE NOT SURE WHAT IT MEANS. 32:54 RUDDY COULD HAVE MEANT RED HAIR OR IT COULD HAVE MEANT THAT HE 32:56 HAD RUDDY CHEEKS - THAT HE WAS FAIR COMPLECTED AND HE CAME 33:00 RUNNING IN AND HIS CHEEKS WERE RED AND - THE WAY THAT WORD 33:04 TRANSLATES THERE - THERE WAS SOMETHING BRIGHT ABOUT HIS FACE. 33:07 IT CAN SOMETIMES TRANSLATE BRIGHT EYES - THEY DON'T KNOW IF 33:10 THAT MEANS THAT HE HAD RED HAIR AND BLUE EYES. 33:13 THEY DON'T KNOW IF IT MEANT THAT HE JUST HAD BEAUTIFUL EYES, BUT 33:17 THERE'S SOMETHING STRIKING AND ATTRACTIVE ABOUT HIS APPEARANCE 33:21 - IT'S VERY CLEAR. AND IT'S INTERESTING THAT, YOU 33:23 KNOW, IT SAYS THAT, SOMETIMES, ABOUT THESE TYPES OF CHRIST 33:28 - THAT THEY WERE BEAUTIFUL. YOU KNOW, MOSES, REMEMBER THEY 33:32 WERE THROWING ALL THE BABIES TO THE CROCODILES AND AMRAM AND 33:35 JOCHEBED, THEN THEY HAD MOSES AFTER THE KING'S EDICT. 33:39 PRESUMABLY AARON AND MIRIAM WERE BORN BEFORE THE KING MADE THE 33:43 EDICT THAT SAID THROW ALL THE BABY BOYS IN THE RIVER. 33:45 IT WOULDN'T HAVE MATTERED FOR MIRIAM BUT IT WOULD HAVE 33:47 MATTERED FOR AARON. BUT THEN IT SAYS THEY HAD MOSES AND IT'S 33:51 ALMOST LIKE THEY WERE THINKING, 'OH, SHOULD WE KEEP HIM OR NOT?' 33:54 AND THEY SAID, 'HE'S A GOOD-LOOKING BABY'. 33:56 THE BIBLE SAYS HE WAS A BEAUTIFUL BABY. 33:58 IT'S ALMOST LIKE IF HE WASN'T, 'OH, WELL, UH'. 33:59 BUT SO THEY SAID, 'LET'S KEEP HIM'. 34:02 BUT WHAT MOTHER DOESN'T THINK HER BABY'S BEAUTIFUL? 34:06 IT SAYS JOSEPH WAS BEAUTIFUL. DAVID WAS BEAUTIFUL. 34:10 MOSES WAS BEAUTIFUL. THEY'RE ALL TYPES OF CHRIST. 34:14 AND YOU EVER SING THAT SONG, ISN'T HE BEAUTIFUL? 34:17 AND JESUS IS BEAUTIFUL AND SO IT'S JUST TELLING US THAT 34:20 THERE'S THIS INNER BEAUTY THAT THE OUTWARD BEAUTY IS REFLECTIVE 34:22 OF. IT'S ALMOST STRANGE BECAUSE FIRST IT SAYS, 'DON'T LOOK ON 34:25 THE OUTSIDE'. FINALLY, WHEN HE DOES LOOK AT 34:28 HIM HE SAYS, 'OKAY, I'M GOING TO LOOK ON THE HEART'. 34:30 IT SAYS HE'S BEAUTIFUL BOTH WAYS. 34:32 NOW THAT'S ANOTHER REASON THAT MAKES DAVID UNUSUAL. 34:35 NOT ONLY DOES HE HAVE ALL THESE - HE'S A GENERAL, HE'S A 34:37 SHEPHERD, HE'S A WARRIOR, HE'S A SONGWRITER, HE'S A POET, HE'S AN 34:41 ADMINISTRATOR, HE'S A BUILDER - AND HE WAS GOOD LOOKING ON TOP 34:46 OF ALL OF THAT. AND SAMUEL THEN "TOOK THE HORN 34:49 OF OIL AND HE ANOINTED HIM IN THE MIDST OF HIS BROTHERS; AND 34:53 THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD CAME UPON DAVID FROM THAT DAY FORWARD." 34:58 NOW WHY DID GOD PICK DAVID? BECAUSE HE WAS GOOD-LOOKING? 35:04 OR HE SAID, 'I HAVE FOUND A MAN AFTER MY HEART'? 35:07 PROBABLY THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS YOU COULD SAY 35:10 ABOUT DAVID. IT'S SAID ABOUT DAVID IN A WAY 35:12 IT'S NOT SAID ABOUT ANYONE ELSE IN THE BIBLE. 35:15 THERE WAS SOMETHING ABOUT HIS HEART. 35:17 THE LORD HAS SOUGHT HIMSELF A MAN AFTER HIS OWN HEART. 35:20 IF YOU COULD PRAY - I WROTE A SONG YEARS AGO I WILL NOT SING 35:24 FOR YOU - IT SAYS, 'LORD, LET ME SEE WITH YOUR EYES, LET ME HEAR 35:28 WITH YOUR EARS, LORD, LET ME SPEAK WITH YOUR LIPS' AND THEN 35:31 IT SAID, 'LORD, LET ME LOVE WITH YOUR HEART' - GIVE ME A HEART 35:33 LIKE YOUR OWN. I'LL GIVE YOU THE WHOLE WORDS SOMEDAY. 35:37 BUT I THOUGHT THAT'S THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU CAN PRAY FOR 35:41 IS THAT YOU COULD HAVE A HEART LIKE GOD'S HEART. 35:43 IF I COULD LOVE THE LOST THE WAY JESUS LOVES THE LOST, I'D BE A 35:45 LOT BETTER PASTOR AND EVANGELIST. 35:48 PROBLEM IS, WE DON'T LOVE LIKE THE LORD LOVES. 35:50 WE COULD SEE THINGS THE WAY THE LORD SEES - BUT DAVID HAD AN 35:54 OUTLOOK ON LIFE, HE HAD A PASSION FOR OTHERS LIKE THE 35:58 LORD. HE HAD A LOVE FOR THE FATHER AND 36:01 FOR GOD AND FOR OBEDIENCE LIKE THE LORD. 36:05 AND - BUT OFTEN WE LOOK AT THINGS LIKE SAMUEL DID - WE LOOK 36:08 ON THE OUTSIDE. AND I REMEMBER, YEARS AGO, I 36:14 TOOK MY - OUR SON MICAH OUT LOOKING FOR A CAR AND IT WAS 36:20 TIME FOR HIM TO GET HIS FIRST CAR AND I MADE THE MISTAKE OF 36:23 STOPPING AT A CHEVY DEALER AND HE LOOKED AT A RED CAMARO. 36:27 AND HE SAID, 'SURELY THE LORD'S ANOINTED IS BEFORE ME.' (RAUCOUS 36:31 LAUGHTER) I SAID, 'OH, MICAH, YOU'VE GOT TO LOOK AT THE 36:34 HEART.' (LAUGHTER) I SAID, 'IT'S A GAS GUZZLER AND IT'S GOING TO 36:38 BE A PIECE OF JUNK IN ABOUT FIVE YEARS. 36:40 DON'T - YOU'VE GOT TO LOOK ON THE INSIDE - DON'T LOOK AT THE 36:42 RED ON THE OUTSIDE. THE POLICE WILL LOOK AT THE RED 36:44 ON THE OUTSIDE AND YOU'LL GET A TICKET.' A LADY GOES TO MACY'S 36:48 AND SHE LOOKS ACROSS THE FLOOR AND SHE SEES A BEAUTIFUL DRESS. 36:51 'SURELY THE LORD'S ANOINTED IS BEFORE ME.' DOESN'T KNOW THAT 36:55 IT'S MADE FROM RECYCLED PLASTIC BOTTLES IN CHINA AND HASN'T 36:59 LOOKED AT THE PRICE TAG YET. WE ALWAYS LOOK ON THE OUTSIDE. 37:03 YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE MAIN THINGS THAT JESUS WAS TEACHING WHEN HE 37:06 BEGAN HIS MINISTRY? WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO JESUS IS 37:10 INNER VALUE. HE TALKED ABOUT THE RELIGIOUS 37:13 LEADERS WHO PRAYED TO BE SEEN OF MEN - ON THE OUTSIDE. 37:17 THEY DID THEIR FASTING TO BE SEEN OF MEN. 37:20 THEY DID THEIR GIVING TO BE SEEN OF MEN. 37:21 ALL OF IT WAS TO BE SEEN. AND GOD SAID, 'IT'S GOOD TO 37:24 PRAY, IT'S GOOD TO FAST, IT'S GOOD TO GIVE, BUT YOU DO IT AND 37:27 YOUR FATHER WHO SEES IN SECRET WILL REWARD YOU OPENLY. 37:31 GOD IS REALLY INTERESTED IN WHAT YOU ARE ON THE INSIDE, BECAUSE 37:35 IF YOU'RE RIGHT ON THE INSIDE, THE OUTSIDE WILL CHANGE. 37:39 >>AMEN. >>ISN'T THAT TRUE? 37:40 >>YES. >>YOU KNOW WHAT INTEGRITY IS? 37:43 INTEGRITY MEANS YOU'RE THE SAME PERSON WHEN NO ONE'S LOOKING AS 37:47 YOU ARE WHEN THEY ARE LOOKING. >>AMEN. 37:49 >>AND GOD WANTS US TO BE RENEWED AND TRANSFORMED ON THE INSIDE. 37:55 THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING. 37:58 WHAT ARE YOU IN THE HEART? 37:59 ACTS 13:22 - YOU NOTICE IT SAYS - AND THIS WAS IN OUR SCRIPTURE 38:03 READING - "AND WHEN HE HAD REMOVED [SAUL], HE RAISED UP FOR 38:08 THEM DAVID AS KING, TO WHOM ALSO HE GAVE TESTIMONY AND SAID, 'I 38:12 HAVE FOUND DAVID THE SON OF JESSE, A MAN AFTER MY OWN HEART, 38:17 WHO WILL DO ALL MY WILL.'" SO OFTEN WHEN PEOPLE MAKE THE MOST 38:21 IMPORTANT DECISIONS IN LIFE - A GIRL LOOKS AT A MAN AND SAYS, 38:28 'SURELY THE LORD'S ANOINTED IS BEFORE ME'. 38:32 AND GOD SAYS, 'DO NOT LOOK ON THEIR OUTWARD APPEARANCE, LOOK 38:37 ON THE HEART. YOU WANT TO SEE WHO ARE 38:39 THEY REALLY ON THE INSIDE. MEN DO THE SAME THING. 38:43 THEY SEE A BEAUTIFUL GIRL - 'I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR MY WIFE - 38:46 SURELY THE LORD'S ANOINTED' - GOD SAYS, 'NO, YOU CAN'T AFFORD 38:50 THAT ONE.' (LAUGHTER) YOU'VE GOT TO LOOK ON THE HEART. 38:57 DEUTERONOMY 6 - 'THOU SHALT LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD' - WHAT'S THE 39:00 GREAT COMMAND? ALL OF YOUR HEART, ALL OF YOUR 39:04 SOUL, ALL OF YOUR STRENGTH. DAVID LOVED THE LORD LIKE THAT. 39:09 IT SAYS IN PSALMS 78, "HE ALSO CHOSE DAVID HIS SERVANT, AND 39:13 TOOK HIM FROM THE SHEEPFOLDS...TO SHEPHERD JACOB 39:16 HIS PEOPLE, AND ISRAEL HIS INHERITANCE. 39:19 SO HE SHEPHERDED THEM ACCORDING TO THE INTEGRITY OF HIS HEART," 39:24 - WHAT WAS DIFFERENT ABOUT DAVID? HE HAD AN HONEST HEART. 39:27 IF YOU COULD SHOW DAVID HE WAS WRONG, HE WOULD LISTEN TO YOU. 39:30 THERE ARE SEVERAL STORIES THAT WE'LL BE LOOKING AT LATER WHERE 39:32 DAVID, HE WOULD LISTEN TO ANYBODY AND HE WAS WILLING TO 39:36 ACCEPT REBUKE, WHERE SOME KINGS WERE TOO PROUD FOR THAT. 39:41 HE WAS REASONABLE. HE WANTED TO DO WHAT - TRUTH 39:44 AND JUSTICE - WERE THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS TO DAVID. 39:46 YOU READ SOME OF THE PSALMS AND YOU CAN TELL WHAT'S IN HIS 39:49 HEART. THE BIBLE SAYS, IN 2 CHRONICLES 39:52 (16:9)- ONE OF MY FAVORITE VERSES - "FOR THE EYES OF THE 39:55 LORD RUN TO AND FRO THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EARTH," - GOD IS 39:58 SCANNING THE WORLD - "TO SHOW HIMSELF STRONG ON BEHALF OF 40:02 THOSE WHOSE HEART IS LOYAL TO HIM." 40:05 THAT MEANS GOD IS LOOKING DOWN FROM HEAVEN; HE WANTS TO DO 40:07 WONDERFUL THINGS. HE WANTS TO SHOW HIMSELF STRONG. 40:09 HE WANTS TO DO MIRACLES FOR YOU, IF YOUR HEART IS LOYAL. 40:13 IF WE ARE FULLY SURRENDERED TO GOD AND OUR HEARTS ARE LOYAL, 40:15 AND OUR PASSION IN LIFE IS TO KNOW HIM AND TO DO HIS WILL, 40:18 HE WANTS TO REVEAL HIMSELF TO YOU. 1 KINGS 8:39, "THEN HEAR IN 40:26 HEAVEN" - SOLOMON IS PRAYING - "YOUR DWELLING PLACE, AND 40:28 FORGIVE, AND ACT, AND GIVE TO EVERYONE ACCORDING TO ALL HIS 40:31 WAYS, WHOSE HEART YOU KNOW" - NOTICE WHAT SOLOMON SAYS - "(FOR 40:35 YOU ALONE KNOW THE HEARTS OF ALL THE SONS OF MEN)," - GOD CAN 40:41 LOOK ON - THE DEVIL MIGHT LOOK ON THE OUTSIDE AND KNOW WHAT 40:44 YOU'RE THINKING, BUT HE CAN'T READ YOUR HEART. 40:48 YOU CAN PRAY IN YOUR HEART AND ONLY GOD KNOWS WHAT YOU'RE 40:50 PRAYING. THAT'S OKAY. YOU CAN READ IN THE BIBLE WHERE 40:53 NEHEMIAH PRAYED IN HIS HEART WHEN HE WAS BEFORE THE KING, HE 40:56 SAID, 'OH LORD, GIVE ME FAVOR IN THE SIGHT - HE DIDN'T SAY IT OUT 40:58 LOUD, BUT GOD HEARD THAT PRAYER. SO GOD KNOWS WHAT 41:02 YOU'RE THINKING. THE BIBLE SAYS, OFTEN, JESUS 41:06 KNEW WHAT THEY WERE THINKING AND HE WOULD ANSWER THEIR THOUGHTS. 41:10 AT THE FEAST WITH SIMON, WHEN MARY MAGDALENE WAS THERE, JESUS 41:13 KNEW WHAT SIMON WAS THINKING: 'OH, IF THIS MAN WAS A PROPHET 41:15 HE'D KNOW WHAT MANNER OF WOMAN THIS IS THAT TOUCHES HIM.' 41:18 JESUS ANSWERED WHAT HE WAS THINKING. 41:20 AND WHEN JESUS TOLD THE SINNER - THE PARALYTIC - 'YOUR SON'S' - 41:24 'YOUR SINS ARE FORGIVEN', THE SCRIBES AND THE PHARISEES 41:27 THOUGHT, 'WHO IS THIS THAT FORGIVES SINS?' 41:30 JESUS, KNOWING THEIR THOUGHTS, ANSWERED. 41:33 SO WHEN YOU PRAY IN YOUR HEART, JESUS HEARS YOUR PRAYER BECAUSE 41:35 JESUS KNOWS YOUR HEART. >>AMEN. 41:37 >>NOW DAVID GOES ON AND HE BECOMES ONE OF THE GREATEST 41:42 KINGS - FOLLOWING THIS ANOINTING - THE OIL IS POURED ON HIM - A 41:46 SYMBOL OF THE SPIRIT GOING IN - BUT I DON'T WANT TO RUSH PAST 41:50 THE WAY THAT GOD PREPARED HIM FOR THIS GREAT LIFE WORK WAS 41:54 THROUGH SPENDING TIME OUT IN COUNTRY IN SOLITUDE. 41:59 YOU KNOW, IT'S OFTEN TRUE THAT THROUGH COMMUNION WITH GOD - YOU 42:04 CAN'T GET IT THROUGH THE BUSYNESS OF LIFE. 42:07 SOME OF US, WE SAY WE'RE TOO BUSY TO HAVE TIME FOR COMMUNION, 42:10 BUT YOU'VE GOT TO HAVE COMMUNION WITH GOD. 42:13 DAVID, OUT THERE FOLLOWING THE SHEEP, HE HAD A LOT OF TIME OUT 42:17 IN NATURE TO PRAY AND TO THINK. AND IT WASN'T JUST DAVID. 42:22 HOW DID MOSES GET PREPARED? MOSES THOUGHT, 'I'M GOING TO 42:25 SAVE ISRAEL AND GOD SAID, 'NO, YOU NEED SOME TIME 42:28 FOLLOWING SHEEP'. AND HE SENT HIM OUT THERE TO 42:30 TAKE CARE OF JETHRO'S SHEEP FOR 40 YEARS. 42:33 HOW DID JOSEPH PREPARE FOR HIS GREAT LIFE WORK? 42:36 HE SPENT TIME TAKING CARE OF SHEEP. 42:38 HE SPENT SOME TIME OUT IN THE WILDERNESS. 42:41 AND THE NATION OF ISRAEL, BEFORE THEY COULD ENTER THE PROMISED 42:43 LAND, HE STERILIZED THEM - HE TAUGHT THEM ABOUT WHO HE WAS - 42:47 IN THE WILDERNESS. THEY WERE PURIFIED. 42:51 YOU KNOW, I READ SOMETHING LAST NIGHT IN THE BOOK PATRIARCHS AND 42:54 PROPHETS ABOUT DAVID. WHILE HE WAS OUT THERE TAKING 42:58 CARE OF THE SHEEP, IT SAYS, "DAILY REVELATIONS OF THE 43:01 CHARACTER AND MAJESTY OF HIS CREATOR FILLED THE YOUNG POET'S 43:05 HEART WITH ADORATION AND REJOICING. 43:08 IN CONTEMPLATION OF GOD AND HIS WORKS, THE FACULTIES OF DAVID'S 43:13 MIND AND HIS HEART WERE DEVELOPING AND STRENGTHENING FOR 43:16 THE WORK OF HIS AFTERLIFE. HE WAS DAILY COMING INTO A MORE 43:20 INFINITE COMMUNION WITH GOD. HIS MIND WAS CONSTANTLY 43:24 PENETRATING INTO NEW DEPTHS FOR FRESH THEMES TO INSPIRE HIS SONG 43:29 AND TO WAKE THE MUSIC OF HIS HARP." 43:31 IT'S INTERESTING, WE HAVE A HARP HERE TODAY WHILE WE'RE TALKING 43:33 ABOUT THAT. THAT'S QUITE BY CHANCE. NEXT WEEK WE'RE GOING TO 43:36 HAVE ONE ON PURPOSE. IT'S GOING TO BE AN OLDER HARP - 43:40 "WHO CAN MEASURE THE RESULTS OF THOSE YEARS OF TOIL AND 43:43 WANDERING AMONG THE LONELY HILLS? 43:45 THE COMMUNION WITH NATURE AND WITH GOD, THE CARE OF HIS 43:48 FLOCKS, THE PERILS AND DELIVERANCE, THE GRIEFS AND THE 43:51 JOYS OF HIS LOWLY LOT WERE NOT ONLY TO MOLD THE CHARACTER OF 43:55 DAVID AND TO INFLUENCE HIS FUTURE LIFE, BUT THROUGH THE 43:58 PSALMS OF ISRAEL'S SWEET SINGER, THEY WERE IN ALL COMING AGES TO 44:02 KINDLE LOVE AND FAITH IN THE HEARTS OF GOD'S PEOPLE, BRINGING 44:06 THEM NEAR TO THE EVER-LOVING HEART OF HIM IN WHOM ALL 44:10 CREATURES LIVE." YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU READ THE 23RD 44:14 PSALM - THAT BEAUTIFUL PSALM - YOU WOULDN'T HAVE THE 23RD PSALM 44:17 IF DAVID HADN'T BEEN OUT THERE FOLLOWING SHEEP. 44:19 BUT HE HAD INCREDIBLE ABILITY - HE WAS VERY BRIGHT - I'M 44:24 CONVINCED THAT DAVID WAS EXTREMELY INTELLIGENT. 44:28 I THINK THERE'S PRACTICAL REASONS FOR THINKING HE WAS 44:31 EXTREMELY INTELLIGENT. IF YOU HAD GIVEN HIM A TEST, HE 44:33 WOULD HAVE SCORED VERY HIGH. ONE REASON IS HE FATHERED 44:37 SOLOMON, WHO WAS THE WISEST PERSON THAT EVER LIVED, 44:40 NEXT TO JESUS, RIGHT? YOU LOOK AT THE SCOPE OF 44:43 UNDERSTANDING HE HAD - DAVID, IN HIS TIME IN THE HILLS, IT WAS 44:48 PREPARING HIM TO BE A MILITARY LEADER. 44:50 YOU KNOW, TO BE A GOOD MILITARY LEADER - I DOWNLOADED A FREE 44:54 BOOK ONE TIME THAT TALKED ABOUT THIS ANCIENT GENERAL - THE 45:00 WRITINGS OF THIS ANCIENT GENERAL - HIS ADVICE ON HOW YOU WORK IN 45:04 MILITARY. HE SAID, 'YOU NEED TO KNOW GEOGRAPHY. YOU NEED TO 45:07 UNDERSTAND THE LAND AND HOW THE LAND WILL WORK FOR OR AGAINST 45:10 YOU IN A BATTLE.' AND I JUST READ - I WAS ON A PLANE AND I 45:14 GOT BORED AND I READ THIS THING ABOUT HOW IMPORTANT TOPOGRAPHY 45:17 AND THE COUNTRY AND KNOWING THE COUNTRY IS IN A BATTLE. 45:21 BOY, DID THAT EVER COME IN HANDY IN DAVID'S LIFE. 45:24 HE KNEW ALL THE NOOKS AND CRANNIES - HE ENDED UP - YOU 45:26 KNOW, DAVID, AMONG BEING A POET AND BEING A MILITARY GENIUS, AND 45:32 BEING AN ADMINISTRATOR AND A JUDGE, HE WAS A SPELUNKER - YOU 45:37 KNOW WHAT A SPELUNKER IS? THEY EXPLORE CAVES. 45:40 THAT'S ONE REASON I LIKE DAVID. DAVID SPENT TIME IN CAVES. 45:44 WELL, HOW DO YOU THINK HE FOUND THOSE CAVES? 45:45 WHEN HE WAS ROAMING THE TERRITORY OF JUDAH - THAT'S 45:48 WHERE YOU'VE GOT THE DEAD SEA AREA AND SOME OF THOSE CAVES. 45:50 HE WOULD HIDE FROM SAUL - AND SO HIS TIME OUT THERE IN THE 45:55 WILDERNESS, IT REALLY CAME IN HANDY LATER IN LIFE. 45:57 AND YOU MIGHT BE THINKING, 'LORD, WHY DO YOU HAVE ME OUT 46:00 HERE FOLLOWING SHEEP ALL THESE YEARS?' 46:03 SOMETIMES YOUR TIME OUT THERE - YOU MIGHT HAVE A DIFFERENT 46:08 WILDERNESS THAN I HAVE AND - I QUITE LITERALLY DID HAVE A 46:12 WILDERNESS FOR A WHILE, BUT THE LORD IS PREPARING YOU IN THAT 46:16 EXPERIENCE. HE'S TEACHING YOU. 46:18 YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW WHY DOING AUTO MECHANIC WORK FOR YEARS IS 46:22 PREPARING YOU FOR MINISTRY, BUT YOU'D BE SURPRISED. 46:26 THERE'S A LOT YOU CAN LEARN ABOUT PEOPLE FROM A CAR. 46:30 YOU DIDN'T THINK I WAS GOING TO SAY THAT. 46:34 SOMEDAY I'LL PREACH MY SERMON ON THAT. 46:36 AND FINALLY, NOT ONLY WAS HE PREPARED IN SOLITUDE, DAVID WAS 46:41 SPIRIT FILLED. IT SAYS THERE IN 1 SAMUEL 16:13, 46:46 "THEN SAMUEL TOOK THE HORN OF OIL AND ANOINTED HIM IN THE 46:48 MIDST OF HIS BROTHERS; AND THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD CAME UPON 46:51 DAVID FROM THAT DAY FORWARD. SO SAMUEL AROSE 46:55 AND WENT TO RAMAH." SAMUEL DID WHAT HE WAS SUPPOSED 46:57 TO DO AND HE WENT BACK TO HIS HOME. 46:59 THAT WAS THE LAST MISSION OF SAMUEL. 47:01 BUT THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD CAME ON DAVID AND IT BEGAN TO MOVE IN 47:05 HIM. AND YOU THINK, ONCE THE SPIRIT 47:06 CAME OVER HIM HE'D NOW GO TO THE PALACE AND SAY, 47:08 'HEY, SAUL, I'M KING. I JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW. 47:10 CAN YOU MOVE OVER?' YOU KNOW, HE HAD PATIENCE. 47:13 HE WENT FROM THIS EXPERIENCE - HIS BROTHERS WATCHING HIM GET 47:16 ANOINTED WITH OIL - THEY HAD TO KEEP THIS TOP SECRET - AND THEN 47:20 HE GOES BACK TO TAKE CARE OF SHEEP. 47:22 AND THEN HE SAID, 'LOOK, IF GOD'S THE ONE WHO CHOSE WHAT TO 47:26 DO, GOD'S THE ONE WHO CHOOSES WHEN TO DO IT, AND I'M NOT GOING 47:29 TO RUSH.' NOW YOU MAY NOT KNOW THAT THIS WAS NOT THE ONLY TIME 47:33 DAVID WAS ANOINTED. DAVID WAS ANOINTED THREE TIMES. 47:36 HE WAS ANOINTED HERE BY SAMUEL, AND THEN YOU LOOK IN 2 SAMUEL 2, 47:43 WHEN HE FINALLY WAS ACCEPTED TO BE KING IN JUDAH, HE WAS 47:47 ANOINTED IN HEBRON - THAT WAS HIS FIRST CAPITAL. 47:51 AND THEN, FINALLY, AFTER A PROTRACTED BATTLE FOR THREE AND 47:54 A HALF YEARS WITH ISHBOSHETH, THE SON OF SAUL, HE WAS ANOINTED 47:59 KING OVER ALL ISRAEL IN JERUSALEM THREE AND A HALF YEARS 48:03 LATER. NOW ISN'T THAT INTERESTING? 48:05 ONCE AS A CHILD, THEN ONCE AT THE BEGINNING OF HIS BEING KING 48:12 WHEN HE WAS THIRTY YEARS OLD, AND ONCE THREE AND A HALF YEARS 48:14 LATER. DOES THAT SOUND AT ALL FAMILIAR TO YOU? 48:17 JESUS SPEAKS IN THE TEMPLE AS A CHILD, THEN WHEN HE'S THIRTY 48:21 YEARS OLD JESUS IS ANOINTED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT, AND THEN BEFORE 48:24 HE IS CRUCIFIED HE'S ANOINTED BY MARY MAGDALENE. 48:29 DO YOU KNOW SHE ANOINTS HIM WITH OIL BEFORE HE DIES? 48:33 SO THERE'S ALMOST LIKE THREE ANOINTINGS THERE AS WELL. 48:36 WELL, IN CONCLUSION - THIS WAS REALLY AN INTRODUCTION TO DAVID 48:39 THIS MORNING, BUT THE MAIN THING I WANT YOU TO REALIZE IS IT 48:44 TELLS US THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD CAME ON DAVID, BUT THE SPIRIT OF 48:48 THE LORD DEPARTED FROM SAUL AND A DISTRESSING SPIRIT FROM THE 48:52 LORD TROUBLED HIM. YOU MIGHT WONDER WHY WOULD A 48:54 DISTRESSING SPIRIT TROUBLE HIM? I'LL TALK ABOUT THAT 48:57 A LITTLE NEXT WEEK. THE MOST IMPORTANT THING 48:59 IS DAVID HAD SURRENDERED. SAUL HAD NOT. 49:04 THE LORD WANTS TO REVEAL HIMSELF TO YOU. 49:07 HE WANTS TO LEAD YOU. HE'S GOT SOME PLANS FOR YOUR 49:09 LIFE AND THE ONLY LIMITATION ON WHAT GOD CAN DO IN YOUR LIFE IS 49:14 HOW YOU HAVE SURRENDERED YOUR HEART. 49:16 IN MARK 8:35 JESUS SAID, "FOR WHOEVER DESIRES TO SAVE HIS LIFE 49:20 WILL LOSE IT, BUT WHOEVER LOSES HIS LIFE FOR MY SAKE AND THE 49:24 GOSPEL'S WILL SAVE IT." SAUL REFUSED TO HUMBLE HIMSELF 49:28 AND GIVE HIS HEART TO GOD. HE LOST THE KINGDOM. 49:31 DAVID HAD A HEART LIKE GOD'S OWN HEART. 49:34 HE SURRENDERED HIS HEART TO THE LORD. 49:35 HE GAINED THE KINGDOM. NOW, I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU, 49:38 FRIENDS, BUT I WANT TO LIVE AND REIGN WITH CHRIST. 49:41 I WANT TO BE IN THAT KINGDOM. AND WHAT GOD WANTS 49:44 IS YOUR HEART. >>AMEN. 49:45 >>PEOPLE LOOK ON THE OUTSIDE. OUR WORLD IS PREOCCUPIED WITH 49:48 EXTERNAL THINGS. WE ALL WANT TO MAKE A GOOD SHOWING. 49:51 BUT WITH GOD, HE WANTS TO KNOW WHAT'S ON THE INSIDE. 49:55 I HEARD A PASTOR SAY ONE TIME, 'IN THE WORLD, EVERYONE JUDGES 49:57 THE FAMILY BY WHAT KIND OF HOUSE THEY LIVE IN. 50:01 GOD WANTS TO KNOW WHAT KIND OF FAMILY LIVES IN THE HOUSE.' 50:03 >>AMEN. >>IN THE WORLD THEY'LL HAVE SOME 50:06 HOLLYWOOD EVENT AND EVERYONE LOOKS AT THE DRESS THE WOMAN 50:09 WEARS. GOD COULD CARE LESS ABOUT THE DRESS THE WOMAN WEARS. 50:12 GOD WANTS TO KNOW WHAT KIND OF WOMAN WEARS THE DRESS. 50:14 >>AMEN. >>MEN ALWAYS WANT A 50:16 HIGH-POWERED CAR - 'LOOK AT ME. LOOK AT THIS CAR.' PEOPLE LOOK 50:20 AT THE CAR YOU DRIVE - GOD WANTS TO KNOW WHAT KIND OF MAN DRIVES 50:22 THE CAR. GOD IS WANTING TO KNOW 'WHO ARE YOU REALLY? 50:28 DO I HAVE YOUR HEART? DO YOU BELONG TO ME? 50:30 ARE YOU WILLING TO BE MADE NEW - BE A NEW CREATURE - BE 50:33 SPIRIT-FILLED?' DAVID, NOTHING WAS MORE IMPORTANT TO HIM. 50:36 HE DID SOME - HE DID SOME CALCULATING OUT THERE WHEN HE 50:39 WAS COUNTING SHEEP AND DAVID SAID, 'WHAT PROFIT IS IT IF YOU 50:42 GAIN THE WHOLE WORLD AND LOSE YOUR SOUL?' 50:45 AND SOMEWHERE OUT THERE IN THE HILLS HE MADE HIS DECISION THAT 50:47 NOTHING COULD BE MORE IMPORTANT THAN GOD - KNOWING GOD, SERVING 50:51 GOD, LOVING GOD. HIS FAMILY WOULD COME TOGETHER 50:53 AND HE WOULD LISTEN TO HISTORY. I DON'T THINK I MENTIONED TO 50:55 YOU, JESSE, HIS FATHER, WAS BORN BEFORE SAMSON. 51:01 JESSE LIVED ALL THROUGH THE TIME OF SAMSON. 51:04 JESSE, NO DOUBT - THOSE NIGHTS, YOU KNOW, NO TELEVISION OR 51:07 COMPUTER, THEY'D TELL STORIES AND JESSE WOULD TELL HIS BOYS 51:11 ABOUT THIS SPIRIT-FILLED JUDGE OF ISRAEL - HIS UPS AND HIS 51:15 DOWNS - AND DAVID WOULD LISTEN TO THESE THINGS. 51:19 AND THE BOYS WOULD LISTEN. AND DAVID WAS INSPIRED - THEY'D 51:21 HEAR THE STORIES OF MOSES. DAVID KNEW THE SCRIPTURES. 51:24 JESSE'S FAMILY READ THE SCRIPTURES TO THE FAMILY AND HE 51:27 MADE UP HIS MIND. HE SAID, 'I WANT TO FOLLOW GOD. 51:31 I WANT GOD TO HAVE MY HEART.' AND IT GAVE HIM SUCH JOY THAT HE 51:35 JUST COULD NOT CONTAIN HIMSELF AND HE FILLED THE HILLS WITH 51:38 SONGS THERE, BECAUSE NOTHING WAS MORE IMPORTANT TO DAVID THAN 51:40 GOD. DO YOU WANT TO HAVE A HEART 51:42 CLOSE TO THE HEART OF GOD? >>YES. 51:45 >>LET'S FACE IT, IT'S NOT ALWAYS EASY TO UNDERSTAND EVERYTHING 51:47 YOU READ IN THE BIBLE. WITH OVER 700,000 WORDS 51:51 CONTAINED IN 66 BOOKS, THE BIBLE CAN GENERATE A LOT OF QUESTIONS. 51:55 TO GET BIBLICAL STRAIGHTFORWARD ANSWERS CALL IN TO BIBLE ANSWERS 51:59 LIVE - A LIVE NATIONWIDE CALL-IN RADIO PROGRAM WHERE YOU CAN TALK 52:03 TO PASTOR DOUG BATCHELOR AND ASK HIM YOUR MOST DIFFICULT BIBLE 52:06 QUESTIONS. FOR TIMES AND STATIONS IN YOUR 52:09 AREA, OR TO LISTEN TO ANSWERS ONLINE, VISIT 52:12 BAL.AMAZINGFACTS.ORG . >>AMAZING FACTS, CHANGED LIVES. 52:33 >>I WAS HEADING SOUTH ON INTERSTATE 5. 52:37 THIS COMMERCIAL COME ON KFBK RADIO ABOUT A REVELATION SEMINAR 52:42 BY AMAZING FACTS. I BEGAN - MY CHEST BEGAN TO TIGHTEN UP. 52:46 I BEGAN SWEATING PROFUSELY. I HAD DIFFICULTY IN BREATHING. 52:50 THERE WAS THIS BIG REST AREA AND, AT THIS TIME, I PULLED INTO 52:54 THERE. I THOUGHT MAYBE I WAS HAVING A HEART ATTACK. 52:57 I GOT OUT OF MY TRUCK, WALKED INTO THE MEN'S RESTROOM THERE, 53:01 AND PUT COLD WATER ON MY FACE, AND THEN FINALLY THINGS 53:04 SUBSIDED. A WEEK LATER, AGAIN, I HEARD 53:07 THIS AMAZING FACTS COMMERCIAL COME ON THE RADIO. 53:10 IN FACT, THE MEETINGS WERE GOING TO START THAT VERY NIGHT - THIS 53:12 - AND, AGAIN, IMMEDIATELY I HAD THESE SAME SYMPTOMS. 53:16 I THOUGHT, YOU KNOW, THIS ISN'T MY HEART. I HAVE TO GO TO THAT 53:19 MEETING. AND, AS I WAS GOING DOWN TO SACRAMENTO, I DECIDED TO 53:23 PARK AND GO INSIDE. WELL, I GOT IN AND WALKED INTO 53:28 THE FURTHERMOST REAR SEAT THEY HAD IN THE PEW THERE. 53:32 AND THIS PARTICULAR EVANGELIST, HIS NAME WAS KIM KJAER. 53:39 IT WAS LIKE TAKING ONE LAYER OFF AT A TIME OF AN ONION. 53:43 HE LAID IT OUT SO PERFECTLY THAT WE COULD ALL UNDERSTAND IT. 53:46 AND I WAS REALLY MOTIVATED. I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT. 53:49 WELL, I FINISHED - I DIDN'T MISS A MEETING. IN FACT, ON THE FIFTH 53:52 NIGHT THEY HAD AN ALTAR CALL AND MY KNEES STOOD RIGHT UP AND 53:57 I WALKED FORWARD AND I GAVE MY HEART TO JESUS CHRIST. I'VE 54:01 LEARNED, THROUGHOUT THIS WHOLE THING, THAT WHEN YOU - WHEN YOU 54:04 LEAVE THE DEVIL'S TERRITORY, HE GETS PRETTY ACTIVE IN CAUSING A 54:08 LOT OF PROBLEMS. WELL, I HAD THE EVANGELIST COME OUT AND THEY HAD 54:14 PRAYER WITH ME ABOUT MY BUSINESS. 54:16 I WOULD FIND A SICK BUSINESS AND MAKE IT WELL AND THEN MARKET IT. 54:21 I FINALLY ENDED UP WITH A BUSINESS THAT I REALLY ENJOYED 54:24 THAT WAS ONE THAT WAS BUILDING EQUESTRIAN CENTERS. 54:27 AND THEY SAID TO ME, 'STEVE,' HE SAID, 'YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE GOING 54:30 TO REALLY KEEP THE SABBATH YOU'VE GOT TO SHUT YOUR DOORS ON 54:33 THE SABBATH.' WELL, I DID AND SO I SOLD THE BUSINESS TO MY 54:37 BROTHER. IT TOOK ME 22 YEARS TO BUILD 54:39 THAT BUSINESS AND HE LOST IT IN 33 MONTHS. 54:44 MY SON, WHO WAS MY BUSINESS PARTNER, I'D BEEN GIVING HIM TEN 54:47 PERCENT OF THE BUSINESS EVERY YEAR. 54:49 HE THOUGHT I'D JUST FALLEN OFF THE BRIDGE. 54:53 MY SON DIDN'T TALK TO ME FOR FIVE AND A HALF YEARS. 54:57 AND THEN A FEW OTHER THINGS HAPPENED. 54:59 I HAD AN EX-EMPLOYEE LIVING IN MY GUEST HOUSE - HE KIND OF 55:02 WATCHED AFTER OUR PLACE - AND HE SAID, 'STEVE,' HE SAID, 'THERE'S 55:06 AN ALLIED MOVING VAN BACKED UP TO YOUR FRONT DOOR IN YOUR 55:10 HOME.' I SAID, 'YOU'RE KIDDING!' I SAID, 'WHAT DO YOU MEAN?' 55:14 HE SAID, 'THEY'RE MOVING EVERYTHING OUT OF YOUR HOUSE 55:16 INTO THIS TRUCK AND YOUR WIFE IS OUT THERE SUPERVISING THEM.' AND 55:20 WHEN I WENT HOME AND OPENED THE FRONT DOOR, MY VOICE ECHOED IN 55:23 THAT HOUSE. THERE WASN'T ANY FURNITURE LEFT ANYWHERE. 55:26 THERE WAS ONE BED LEFT IN THE HOUSE. 55:29 I KNEW MY WIFE WAS UPSET BECAUSE OF MY COMING TO THIS CHURCH, BUT 55:33 I HAD NO IDEA THAT SHE WOULD MOVE OUT LIKE THIS - THAT WAS A 55:36 TOTAL SHOCK TO ME. IT WAS SOME TIME THERE - I 55:39 LOCKED MYSELF IN THE BEDROOM AND I BEGAN READING THE BIBLE. 55:43 I SPENT ABOUT A HALF A YEAR JUST EVERY NIGHT, GETTING HOME AND I 55:47 WOULD STUDY. IT ALLOWED ME TO HAVE A PERSONAL 55:51 RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS CHRIST. WELL, TO MAKE A LONG STORY 55:54 SHORT, I MET CRYSTAL, AND SHE WAS A GODLY WOMAN. 55:59 THAT WAS THE LORD'S DOING, NOT MINE, AND HE WAS JUST THERE TO 56:03 LET ME KNOW, 'I'M WITH YOU ALL THE WAY. 56:05 EVEN THOUGH YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE SOME TRIALS AND YOU'RE GOING TO 56:07 HAVE SOME HARDSHIPS, I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT I'LL BE WITH YOU.' 56:11 BECAUSE, NO MATTER WHAT I DO NOW, HE IS MY LEADER. 56:16 HE'S THE LEADER OF MY MARRIAGE. 56:17 HE'S THE LEADER OF EVERYTHING IN MY LIFE TODAY. 56:20 THAT ONE MEETING WITH THE AMAZING FACTS SEMINAR CHANGED MY 56:23 ENTIRE LIFE AND, TO THIS DAY, I'M STILL ON FIRE FOR GOD - I'M 56:28 STILL WITNESSING TO MY NEIGHBORS. 56:30 MY NAME IS STEVE JOHNSON AND IT'S BECAUSE OF YOU THAT AMAZING 56:34 FACTS HAS CHANGED MY LIFE. (MUSIC) 56:44 >>CAN'T GET ENOUGH AMAZING FACTS BIBLE STUDY? 56:47 YOU DON'T HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL NEXT WEEK TO ENJOY MORE 56:49 TRUTH-FILLED PROGRAMMING, VISIT THE AMAZING FACTS MEDIA LIBRARY 56:53 AT 'AFTV.ORG'. AT 'AFTV.ORG' YOU CAN ENJOY 56:59 VIDEO AND AUDIO PRESENTATIONS AS WELL AS PRINTED MATERIAL ALL 57:03 FREE OF CHARGE, 24 HOURS A DAY 7 DAYS A WEEK, RIGHT FROM YOUR 57:08 COMPUTER OR MOBILE DEVICE. VISIT 'AFTV.ORG'. 57:14 >>IN SIX DAYS GOD CREATED THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH. 57:18 FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS MAN HAS WORSHIPED GOD ON THE SEVENTH DAY 57:22 OF THE WEEK. NOW, EACH WEEK, MILLIONS OF 57:25 PEOPLE WORSHIP ON THE FIRST DAY. WHAT HAPPENED? 57:29 WHY DID GOD CREATE A DAY OF REST? 57:31 DOES IT REALLY MATTER WHAT DAY WE WORSHIP? 57:34 WHO WAS BEHIND THIS GREAT SHIFT? DISCOVER THE TRUTH BEHIND GOD'S 57:37 LAW AND HOW IT WAS CHANGED. VISIT SABBATHTRUTH.COM. 57:45 >>DID YOU KNOW THAT NOAH WAS PRESENT AT THE BIRTH OF ABRAHAM? 57:48 OKAY, MAYBE HE WASN'T IN THE ROOM, BUT HE WAS ALIVE AND 57:52 PROBABLY TELLING STORIES ABOUT HIS FLOATING ZOO. 57:55 FROM THE CREATION OF THE WORLD TO THE LAST-DAY EVENTS OF 57:58 REVELATION, 'BIBLEHISTORY.COM' IS A FREE RESOURCE WHERE YOU CAN 58:03 EXPLORE MAJOR BIBLE EVENTS AND CHARACTERS. 58:06 ENHANCE YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE AND DRAW CLOSER TO GOD'S 58:09 WORD. GO DEEPER. VISIT 'BIBLEHISTORY.COM'. 58:17 (DRAMATIC MUSIC) |
Revised 2017-06-29