Good evening everyone.
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Welcome. Ah, I should
have waited for you to say
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good evening. Welcome
to the Encounter Series.
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Our subject tonight:
Where Is Jesus When It Hurts?
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And I invite you to bow
your heads with me as we open
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with a word of prayer.
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Father in heaven, as we
take a look at what Your Word
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has to say tonight concerning
a question which all of us
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would love to know the answer to
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pray, Lord, that
You'll send Your Holy Spirit
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to speak to our hearts.
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In Jesus' name. Amen.
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Lee Strobel, a former atheist
turned Christian journalist,
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he writes of an encounter
he had with a man by the name
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of Charles Templeton.
And you can see him there
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on your screen.
Charles Templeton met
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Billy Graham in 1945.
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Together they struck
up a quick friendship
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and went many places together,
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often roommates
on preaching tours.
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Charles Templeton was a
very successful evangelist.
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He built a church, and very
quickly the membership of that
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church grew to over 1200 people.
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But like many
people in our world today
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doubts began
gnawing at Templeton's faith
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until soon -
decimated by doubts - Templeton
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left the ministry and he
moved with his family to Canada
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where he became a
commentator and novelist.
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It was there that Lee Strobel,
our atheist-turned-Christian
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journalist, he tracked
Templeton down for an interview.
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And when he found
Templeton he was an aged man
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suffering from Alzheimer's
disease, a death sentence
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above his head. And Strobel
looked Templeton in the eye
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in his home there in Canada
and he asked him this question.
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He said: "Was there
one thing in particular
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that caused you to
lose your faith in God...
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to stop believing in God? "
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And Templeton nodded.
He said: "Yes. " He said:
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"There was this
picture in LIFE Magazine.
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It was a picture of a
woman in northern Africa
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and she was holding the
little body of her dead baby
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and she was looking up to
the sky with the most forlorn
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expression and she was weeping.
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Her child could
have lived, " he said,
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if she only had rain. "
And he said: "When I saw that
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picture I thought to
myself and I knew in my heart
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that there couldn't be a God. "
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And then he shifted in his
chair and became more animated
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and he said: "I don't run the
rain; you don't run the rain.
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HE runs the rain. And so if God
was really who He claimed to be
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well then surely you'd
think He could turn it on
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for a woman like her. "
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Strobel sort of expected
this response from Templeton
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and so he asked another
question. He said: "Well,
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do you believe
that Jesus ever lived? "
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And Templeton nodded:
"Oh, yes, I believe He lived. "
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"Well do you
believe Jesus was God? "
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"Oh no... no, He's not God. "
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He said: "Well what is
your estimate of Jesus Christ? "
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Templeton's body
language relaxed.
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It was as though he was about
to talk about a loved friend
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and he said these
words. He said: "He was the
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greatest human
being who ever lived.
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He was a moral genius.
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His ethical sense was unique.
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He was intrinsically the wisest
man I have ever encountered
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in my life. His commitment was
total and led to His own death.
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What could one say about Him
except that this was a form of
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greatness. "
Strobel was shocked.
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He hadn't expected this
kind of response from a man
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who gave up on faith altogether.
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And he said: "Well you
sound like you really care
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about Jesus. " And
Templeton said: "Well yes I do.
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I know this might sound
strange to you, " he said,
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"but I... I... I adore Him.
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I think He's just the
most important human being
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who has ever
existed. " And then he paused
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and added these words:
"And if I might put it this way"
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his voice beginning to break,
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"I miss Him. "
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And with that,
Templeton began to weep.
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You can read the rest of
this incredible interview
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that transpires
between Strobel and Templeton
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in Strobel's book
called A Case For Faith.
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Friends, Templeton's
dilemma is one which all of us
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must face. We have to deal
with it because, let's face it,
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in our world
today everywhere we look
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every single
day of our existence
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there is evidence all
around us of a hurting planet.
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Heartbreak and human
suffering are our daily diet.
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Everyone has
encountered pain and suffering.
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Everywhere we look we
can see stories of people
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whose lives have been
wrecked by pain and suffering.
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Often when I go on the
Internet to check my e-mail
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I'll check the
headlines for the day.
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And I think... I've always
through that I've seen the worst
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headline I could possibly read.
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But then I'll hop on and
I'll read this headline that
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just seems to drip of
hurt and reek of pain...
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so much so that it
seems to outdo all the others.
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And so the question
arises: "Well where is Jesus
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in all of this hurt? "
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"Where is Jesus in
pain and suffering? "
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"Who is responsible for
all the tragedies that we see
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around us? "
And "If God is good,
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then what on earth went wrong? "
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Well friends, when Jesus came
to this earth many years ago
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He put His finger
on the guilty party.
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You see, He once told
the story about a sower
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who went out and he
sowed good seed in a field.
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But when the
plants began to grow
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there were
noxious weeds among them.
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And so the Bible tells us
in Matthew chapter 13 verse 27
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I was sitting in my
garden just the other day
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asking exactly
the same question.
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And notice the response
of Jesus when He interprets
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this parable.
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Wow! Who is this
enemy that we find here
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mentioned in the book of Matthew
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and where on
earth did he come from?
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Well friends, the
answer is absolutely shocking.
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It's about enough to
knock your socks off!
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And my sister when she listens
to me and she hears me say that
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she says: "Charissa, if you
want to make it more impactful
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you could say 'it's
about enough to knock your
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wet socks off. ' "
So ladies and gentlemen,
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tonight this is about enough
to knock your wet socks off.
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Come with me to
the book of Revelation.
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Revelation
chapter 12 verses 7 to 9.
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You can look it up in
your Bible or you can read it
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on the screen. Revelation
chapter 12 verses 7 thru to 9.
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And the Bible says:
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Friends, did you catch that?
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The Bible tells us that
there was war in heaven.
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Now I mean, sure, we have
plenty of wars on planet earth.
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The earth is filled with
peace monuments that are erected
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after every war, but
who would have thought
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that there could
have been war in heaven?
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War in paradise?
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The two words
are binary opposites.
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I recognize - I
really do - that human nature
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is such that when there
are earthquakes and wars
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in other countries
and calamities far away
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they seem less catastrophic
than the first scratch
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on your new car. But
friends, let's not miss this.
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The Bible tells us
there was war in heaven.
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Let's continue reading on
verses 3 and 4 of the same
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chapter. Notice what it says:
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Evidently this enemy of
God who appears here in heaven
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he is so effective in
his rebellion against God
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that he is able to convince
1/3 of the angels in heaven
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to follow him in his rebellion.
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But where did this devil
- this Satan - come from?
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Nothing comes from
nothing... nothing ever could...
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So did God create a devil?
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No. The Bible tells us
here in Ezekiel chapter 28
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verses 12 to 14. The
Bible describes this same being
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and relates it
to the king of Tyre.
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The Bible says:
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He has a pretty good description
there, don't you think?
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Now I don't know about you, but
names absolutely fascinate me.
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When I was growing up,
I used to very much enjoy
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reading the baby names book
that my mum had in her library.
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And I used to enjoy reading
it because I could see what
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my friends names
meant and I could tell them
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"Ah, your name
means storm" or whatever.
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And then I could also
see what names were legal.
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So it was really
interesting to explore the names
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in the baby names book.
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And one day I approached
my parents and I said to them:
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"You know how you
called me Charissa? "
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Well are there any other
names that you considered
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when you were trying to
name me? And they said: "Oh yes.
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There were many
names. " My mum said:
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"We thought of
calling you Emily or Katherine
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or Sarah. Yes, we thought
of those names for girls. "
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And my dad said: "Yes, if
you were a boy we were going to
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call you David" -
because his name is David -
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"or Conan or
Tyrell or... " get this...
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"Tell - T-E-L-L. "
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Why would he
choose names like that?
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Because apparently they were
the hero in some cowboy book
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he was reading.
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Can you imagine that? If
my name was Tell he'd say:
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"Can you tell Tell to tell
them about the telster bill? "
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So I praise God I'm not a Tell.
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But friends, the
Bible is about to tell us
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that the name of this
fallen angel was Lucifer.
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We'll see that in just a moment.
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But that name...
it means Lightbearer.
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And I think that's
fascinating because often
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when we think of the
enemy - the devil or Satan -
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we picture him as
having, you know, red leotards
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with two horns and smoke
coming out of his ears...
00:12:10.61\00:12:13.21
green eyes and a
pitchfork and a tail.
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But according to the Bible
Lucifer was a perfectly-created
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angel. He was
absolutely beautiful.
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And in the text that we
just read the Bible calls him
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the cherub who covers.
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In other words, he was one
of the two angels who stood
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right next to the very
throne of God in heaven.
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But he wasn't
content to be next to God.
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Lucifer wanted to be God.
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And this is what God
said of Lucifer. He said:
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And again in
Ezekiel 28 verse 17:
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Friend, this
beautiful, exalted angel
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became self-centered.
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Satan started to have I trouble.
And I'm not talking about
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eye trouble... the
eyes that you see with.
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No, Satan had a
problem with himself.
00:13:22.99\00:13:25.52
I is the middle letter in sin;
00:13:25.73\00:13:28.91
it is the
middle letter in pride;
00:13:29.12\00:13:31.29
it is the middle
letter in Lucifer;
00:13:31.32\00:13:33.75
it is our most common pronoun;
00:13:33.96\00:13:35.96
and it is also our
most common problem.
00:13:36.16\00:13:39.12
He coveted all the honor
and glory that was due God
00:13:39.32\00:13:43.62
for himself and
he was power hungry.
00:13:43.83\00:13:47.38
He was a little
bit like this man here.
00:13:47.58\00:13:50.59
One day Frederick the
Great decided that he wanted to
00:13:52.48\00:13:55.37
declare war on a
neighboring country.
00:13:55.47\00:13:57.69
And so he instructed his
secretary: "Take down notes
00:13:57.89\00:14:00.98
and write a proclamation
to tell them - my kingdom -
00:14:01.08\00:14:03.72
that we're going to war. "
00:14:03.83\00:14:05.07
And so the secretary
began to dictate out loud.
00:14:05.27\00:14:08.19
"Whereas in the providence
of God... " and Frederick
00:14:08.40\00:14:11.15
snapped his fingers and
said: "Stop right there. "
00:14:11.35\00:14:13.46
He said: "Just stop
lying. Tell them quite simply
00:14:13.66\00:14:17.06
that Frederick
wants more land. "
00:14:17.26\00:14:19.33
There was no
hiding his motives there.
00:14:19.53\00:14:21.94
Frederick was
selfish and so was Satan.
00:14:22.14\00:14:25.30
And Satan... he had the boldness
to challenge the Creator
00:14:25.50\00:14:29.91
of the universe... in
fact, his very own Creator...
00:14:30.11\00:14:33.74
for the
rulership of His universe.
00:14:33.94\00:14:36.82
Isaiah 14 verses 12-14:
00:14:37.02\00:14:40.49
A big head is hard
to keep under your hat.
00:15:00.41\00:15:04.19
And friends, as these arrogant
words spilled forth from
00:15:04.39\00:15:07.69
Lucifer's lips, the
perfect harmony of heaven
00:15:07.89\00:15:11.35
was disrupted and shattered
into a million selfish pieces.
00:15:11.55\00:15:16.25
And it wasn't long before
Lucifer's spirit of discontent
00:15:16.45\00:15:20.35
began to spread
slowly to the other angels.
00:15:20.56\00:15:23.87
And in my mind's eye I
can see it all happening.
00:15:24.07\00:15:26.90
I imagine Lucifer
walking down the streets of gold
00:15:27.10\00:15:30.77
one day. And as he does
he sees a group of angels
00:15:30.98\00:15:34.56
sitting by the side of a lake...
of a river there in heaven.
00:15:34.77\00:15:38.10
And so he goes over to them
and he starts to talk to them.
00:15:38.30\00:15:41.58
This is what he says:
00:15:41.78\00:15:43.13
"Hey, God is a dictator. "
00:15:43.33\00:15:46.20
And the angels' faces change.
They've never heard this before.
00:15:46.41\00:15:50.39
And he continues... he said:
00:15:50.59\00:15:52.65
"He cares nothing about us.
00:15:52.85\00:15:54.84
He's only
concerned about Himself.
00:15:55.04\00:15:57.55
He's only
interested in His own power.
00:15:57.75\00:16:00.18
Come on. Let's join
forces. Let's go and face Him
00:16:00.38\00:16:03.56
and stop Him
from being this way. "
00:16:03.77\00:16:05.95
Now lies were foreign
to the angels in heaven.
00:16:06.15\00:16:09.99
They had never heard a
lie before in their lives.
00:16:10.19\00:16:13.60
And so as they hear these
lies they start - some of them -
00:16:13.80\00:16:17.37
start to believe them. And
like a rotten piece of fruit
00:16:17.57\00:16:21.31
in a box, rebellion
spreads to the other angels
00:16:21.51\00:16:25.17
there in heaven.
00:16:25.37\00:16:26.73
And perhaps at this
point you are wondering:
00:16:26.93\00:16:28.79
"Well couldn't God destroy
Satan and stop him right then?
00:16:28.99\00:16:32.91
I mean surely God knew
that there was rebellion
00:16:33.11\00:16:36.25
brewing there in heaven. "
00:16:36.45\00:16:38.08
And I believe He
knew that as well.
00:16:38.19\00:16:40.30
But friend, had God wiped
him out in a blinding flash
00:16:40.33\00:16:44.68
all the other angels would
not have worshiped God because
00:16:44.88\00:16:48.01
they truly loved Him.
They would have worshiped God
00:16:48.11\00:16:51.11
because they were afraid that
He might do the same to them
00:16:51.31\00:16:54.23
if they didn't worship Him.
00:16:54.43\00:16:56.24
Suppose I break it
down a little bit more
00:16:56.44\00:16:58.89
and make it a little
bit more understandable.
00:16:59.09\00:17:01.51
How many of you have
children here tonight?
00:17:01.71\00:17:04.33
Can you raise your hands?
Oh good, quite a few of you.
00:17:04.43\00:17:07.74
Now, how would you
like it if your child
00:17:07.94\00:17:11.81
was like a robot so they did
everything that you asked them
00:17:12.01\00:17:14.53
to do whenever you
wanted them to do it?
00:17:14.63\00:17:16.38
Yes I expected there would be a
few parents who would want that.
00:17:16.58\00:17:19.70
Well suppose you could
program them to wake up and say
00:17:19.90\00:17:23.20
"Good morning, mom. Yes
I will eat my breakfast. "
00:17:23.40\00:17:25.95
"Dad I will mow the lawn. "
00:17:26.15\00:17:27.49
"Yes dad, I will
put out the rubbish... "
00:17:27.69\00:17:29.15
and they actually did it.
00:17:29.36\00:17:30.74
You wouldn't have a
child... you would have a robot.
00:17:30.94\00:17:34.21
And I expect you actually want
children not robots, correct?
00:17:34.41\00:17:38.55
You're not sure.
00:17:38.85\00:17:40.40
OK. Well, I hope you
want children. And friends,
00:17:40.60\00:17:44.54
God... He wanted
children as well.
00:17:44.74\00:17:47.59
God created humanity with
the ability to be Mother Teresas
00:17:47.69\00:17:51.95
or Joseph Stalins.
To be Adolph Hitlers
00:17:52.15\00:17:54.75
or Winston Churchills.
00:17:54.95\00:17:56.22
How did He do that?
He gave to the human race
00:17:56.42\00:17:59.42
the freedom of choice.
00:17:59.62\00:18:02.06
And friends, freedom has
a quality of what we call
00:18:02.26\00:18:05.88
irrevocability. In
other words, if you give
00:18:05.98\00:18:09.11
someone the freedom of choice
00:18:09.21\00:18:10.66
and they take that freedom and
do something you don't want them
00:18:10.86\00:18:13.90
to do... you cannot take it back
00:18:14.00\00:18:16.60
and make it work
the way you want it to
00:18:16.80\00:18:19.48
because that's not freedom.
00:18:19.68\00:18:20.95
That's being a control freak.
00:18:21.15\00:18:22.94
And friends, God
isn't a control freak.
00:18:23.15\00:18:25.29
God is love. Can
you say "Amen? " Amen.
00:18:25.50\00:18:27.88
And friends, He is only happy
when you and I are in a love
00:18:28.02\00:18:31.26
relationship with Him.
00:18:31.37\00:18:33.00
A minister... he asked a
group of children one day...
00:18:33.20\00:18:36.27
He said: "Why do you love God? "
00:18:36.47\00:18:38.30
And there were many
responses that came back
00:18:38.50\00:18:40.83
but the one he
loved the most was this:
00:18:41.03\00:18:43.37
one little boy said: "I
think it runs in my family. "
00:18:43.57\00:18:46.06
Wouldn't it be wonderful
if the love of God could run
00:18:46.36\00:18:49.28
in the family.
But friends, true love
00:18:49.38\00:18:51.74
demands a choice. It
must allow you to say "yes"
00:18:51.94\00:18:55.35
and the right to say "no. "
00:18:55.56\00:18:57.83
And friends, Satan - when
he challenged God's rules there
00:18:58.03\00:19:01.27
in heaven - basically he
was challenging God's laws.
00:19:01.37\00:19:04.86
He made these laws
to protect His creatures
00:19:05.06\00:19:07.68
and to ensure their
perfect peace and happiness.
00:19:07.78\00:19:11.08
But Satan... he
tried to thwart that.
00:19:11.28\00:19:13.07
It was a bit like...
He was a little bit like
00:19:13.10\00:19:15.76
an admiral on a
U.S. Navy battleship.
00:19:15.96\00:19:19.99
And this battleship was
heading on a course one night
00:19:20.20\00:19:23.84
and they looked out and
the admiral said: "I want you
00:19:24.04\00:19:28.22
to make your course this
way. " And so they started
00:19:28.32\00:19:30.99
to direct the ship in
this certain direction.
00:19:31.09\00:19:33.12
And as they were going
in this certain direction
00:19:33.32\00:19:35.70
the navigation officer...
he looked out through his
00:19:35.90\00:19:38.82
binoculars and he saw
a light in the distance.
00:19:38.92\00:19:42.20
And so he sent
word back to the admiral
00:19:42.40\00:19:44.87
and he said: "Look,
we're going to have to...
00:19:45.07\00:19:46.69
There's a course... there's a
ship in our course ahead of us.
00:19:46.89\00:19:49.62
We might need to
tell them to move. "
00:19:49.82\00:19:51.71
And so they send
word to the radio center
00:19:51.91\00:19:54.29
and the radio center sent a
message to this on-coming ship.
00:19:54.50\00:19:58.24
And they said: "You
need to change your course
00:19:58.44\00:20:01.09
10 degrees to the south. "
00:20:01.29\00:20:03.20
And the word came
back: "You change your course
00:20:03.41\00:20:06.01
10 degrees to the south. "
00:20:06.21\00:20:07.80
They had two unsuccessful
exchanges until finally
00:20:08.00\00:20:11.99
the admiral, he was so annoyed
and upset, he made his way down
00:20:12.19\00:20:15.91
to the radio
control room himself.
00:20:16.11\00:20:18.05
He picked up the microphone and
he bellowed into the microphone
00:20:18.25\00:20:22.66
"Do you know that you
are talking to an admiral
00:20:22.86\00:20:25.66
in the United States Navy? "
00:20:25.86\00:20:27.57
And then after a
brief moment of silence
00:20:27.77\00:20:31.32
the even-tempered response
came: "Sir, do you know that you
00:20:31.52\00:20:35.89
are talking to the lighthouse? "
00:20:35.99\00:20:38.12
Yeah, it's a
good story, isn't it?
00:20:38.42\00:20:40.67
In the same way, God's
laws were there to protect us.
00:20:41.27\00:20:46.01
Like that light of the
lighthouse, it was there
00:20:46.11\00:20:48.45
to protect the ship. God's
laws are like traffic lights
00:20:48.56\00:20:51.91
and signs. They're there
to make your life and my life
00:20:52.02\00:20:55.10
so much more
wonderful and easier.
00:20:55.20\00:20:57.45
But friends, this most
honored angel in heaven
00:20:57.65\00:21:00.76
he thought that he
could run God's universe
00:21:00.96\00:21:04.04
better than God Himself.
00:21:04.24\00:21:05.96
And so God... well, the devil...
he made a devil out of himself.
00:21:06.17\00:21:10.85
And friends, God
is a God of love.
00:21:11.05\00:21:13.17
And He allowed Satan to
demonstrate to the universe
00:21:13.37\00:21:17.06
how he would run that
universe if he was in control.
00:21:17.26\00:21:21.30
I don't personally understand
why the devil wanted to run
00:21:21.50\00:21:25.44
the universe when God was
already so loving and so good,
00:21:25.55\00:21:29.31
but he did... and
that's what the Bible tells us.
00:21:29.45\00:21:32.63
History tells us of a
statue that was erected
00:21:32.93\00:21:36.37
in honor of the victims of
the Grecian games back there
00:21:36.57\00:21:40.00
in Greece. And one of the losers
of the Olympic games there
00:21:40.10\00:21:44.30
they were so jealous of
this person who had a statue
00:21:44.50\00:21:48.42
erected in their honor
that one night they snuck out.
00:21:48.62\00:21:52.05
They made their way to the
statue and they began to attempt
00:21:52.29\00:21:55.56
to push it over
because they were so jealous.
00:21:55.66\00:21:58.79
But the statue was so
heavy it didn't move very easily
00:21:58.99\00:22:02.72
at first. And so they threw
their weight onto the statue
00:22:02.76\00:22:06.46
and it suddenly began to topple.
00:22:06.66\00:22:08.18
He was very happy with
that and he kept pushing
00:22:08.38\00:22:10.81
and eventually
the statue fell...
00:22:11.01\00:22:13.40
but it toppled on
him and it crushed him.
00:22:13.60\00:22:16.31
And in exactly the same way
the devil went out to try and
00:22:16.51\00:22:19.82
overthrow God's
kingdom... overthrow His rule.
00:22:20.02\00:22:23.04
But it backfired and Satan lost.
00:22:23.24\00:22:26.22
And I'll tell you
why in just a moment.
00:22:26.42\00:22:28.02
Friends, Satan's war
was not a war on drugs.
00:22:28.22\00:22:31.65
Wasn't a war on terrorism...
it was a war on people.
00:22:31.85\00:22:35.79
And when that war began in
heaven it shifted territory
00:22:35.93\00:22:39.38
and it moved
down to planet earth.
00:22:39.58\00:22:41.97
Because Jesus and the Godhead
they had just finished creating
00:22:42.17\00:22:45.90
this planet. It was
beautiful. Spectacular.
00:22:46.10\00:22:48.93
A wonderful showplace
of creative brilliance
00:22:49.13\00:22:52.16
just fresh from God's hand.
00:22:52.36\00:22:54.60
And evidently when
Satan saw our planet
00:22:54.80\00:22:57.59
he thought to himself: "Um-hmm.
This will make a wonderful
00:22:57.79\00:23:01.35
place for me to
establish my headquarters.
00:23:01.46\00:23:04.61
And so he planned to
seize this newborn world.
00:23:04.81\00:23:08.63
And although Adam and
Eve were created perfect
00:23:08.84\00:23:12.40
and they were living
in a perfect environment
00:23:12.60\00:23:14.75
God gave to them
that freedom of choice
00:23:14.95\00:23:17.91
which meant that they
could also sin and choose
00:23:18.11\00:23:21.08
to turn their backs against God.
00:23:21.18\00:23:23.53
And of course God warned them
00:23:23.73\00:23:25.40
back there in
the Garden of Eden.
00:23:25.50\00:23:27.29
Genesis 2 verses 16 and 17:
00:23:27.43\00:23:31.41
Now that must have seemed
like a very reasonable request.
00:23:44.85\00:23:48.71
After all, they had fruit
trees and wonderful things
00:23:48.92\00:23:52.05
all around them. And if God
said "just don't touch that one"
00:23:52.25\00:23:55.18
well they would have
thought to themselves: "Yes,
00:23:55.38\00:23:57.06
we can handle that. "
00:23:57.26\00:23:58.54
And often when we are in
a place where we feel secure
00:23:58.74\00:24:01.94
and we feel very comfortable
we are also very vulnerable.
00:24:02.14\00:24:06.14
And that is exactly
what happened to Eve
00:24:06.34\00:24:08.81
because you see Satan
came down into that garden.
00:24:09.01\00:24:12.10
And when she least expected it
00:24:12.30\00:24:15.35
he appeared in
the form of a serpent
00:24:15.56\00:24:18.13
and he began to speak to her.
00:24:18.23\00:24:20.71
And as she was walking
and she hears this voice
00:24:20.91\00:24:23.93
coming from this tree
that God said: "Don't touch"
00:24:24.13\00:24:27.54
she was greatly... she
had a lot of curiosity.
00:24:27.74\00:24:30.95
And so she
walked over to that tree
00:24:31.15\00:24:33.54
and she sees
this talking serpent.
00:24:33.65\00:24:36.01
And this is what
the serpent says:
00:24:36.21\00:24:38.35
And Eve replied very quickly:
00:24:45.60\00:24:47.55
And as Eve
listened to the serpent
00:25:09.27\00:25:11.81
she must have known
that this didn't ring true
00:25:12.01\00:25:15.41
with what God had
told her and Adam.
00:25:15.51\00:25:18.52
And so perhaps as she was
considering this in her mind
00:25:18.72\00:25:21.95
her facial expression started
to look slightly concerned.
00:25:22.15\00:25:25.80
And so the serpent
quickly adds another lie
00:25:25.83\00:25:29.17
into his argument, and he said:
00:25:29.27\00:25:31.26
The devil was suggesting
to Eve that God was unfair.
00:25:43.21\00:25:47.68
He was holding back something
that they would really like.
00:25:47.89\00:25:52.00
And remember too? He had
wanted to be like God in heaven.
00:25:52.20\00:25:55.78
Now he presents the same idea
to Eve and she falls for it.
00:25:55.98\00:26:01.03
In an impetuous
moment Eve sold out.
00:26:01.24\00:26:05.06
The Bible says in
Genesis 3 and verse 6:
00:26:05.26\00:26:07.53
Ah, in that one small act
00:26:20.18\00:26:23.25
the ramifications we are still
continuing to experience today.
00:26:23.45\00:26:27.59
I like it... it's very
similar to this adage right here
00:26:27.79\00:26:31.20
about the horseshoe
nail. The adage goes like this:
00:26:31.30\00:26:34.21
For the want of a
nail the shoe was lost.
00:26:34.41\00:26:37.60
For the want of the
shoe the horse was lost.
00:26:37.80\00:26:39.92
For the want of the
horse the rider was lost.
00:26:40.12\00:26:42.19
For the want of the
rider the battle was lost.
00:26:42.39\00:26:44.70
For the want of a
battle the kingdom was lost.
00:26:44.90\00:26:47.20
And all for the
want of a horseshoe nail.
00:26:47.41\00:26:50.30
Little things... little things
can have huge consequences.
00:26:50.50\00:26:55.22
And friends, the source
of evil is not God's power...
00:26:55.42\00:27:00.65
it is mankind's freedom.
00:27:00.85\00:27:02.89
Eve then gave that fruit
to Adam and then Adam and Eve
00:27:03.09\00:27:06.69
when they both ate of it
00:27:06.89\00:27:08.25
they had failed in
their test of loyalty to God.
00:27:08.45\00:27:11.73
And it wasn't long
before they started to realize
00:27:11.93\00:27:15.45
that their planet had
changed, it had been hijacked.
00:27:15.66\00:27:19.90
They started to see
things they'd never seen before.
00:27:20.10\00:27:22.73
Thorns on rose bushes
00:27:22.93\00:27:25.42
and leaves falling
off the tree and dying
00:27:25.62\00:27:28.86
and flowers dying. They
had never seen this before.
00:27:28.96\00:27:32.25
And so Adam and Eve...
they started to feel guilty.
00:27:32.45\00:27:36.54
And that evening when God came
00:27:36.74\00:27:38.88
to walk in the cool of
the garden in the evening
00:27:38.98\00:27:41.80
like He always did
00:27:42.00\00:27:43.50
He called out for Adam and Eve.
00:27:43.70\00:27:45.29
"Adam... Adam, where are you? "
00:27:45.49\00:27:47.56
And usually they came running.
They loved this time of the day.
00:27:47.76\00:27:51.67
They loved to talk with God.
00:27:51.87\00:27:53.97
But not on this
day... they went and hid.
00:27:54.17\00:27:56.40
And God went looking for
them in the garden until finally
00:27:56.50\00:27:59.59
He heard and voice.
And Adam said... he said:
00:27:59.89\00:28:03.03
Adam had never been afraid
of God before in his life.
00:28:10.63\00:28:14.26
But friends,
that's what sin does.
00:28:14.46\00:28:16.65
It separates us from God. It
makes you feel afraid of God.
00:28:16.86\00:28:21.51
In verse 11 God said:
00:28:21.61\00:28:23.13
And he said:
00:28:27.15\00:28:28.83
Very quick to
pass the blame, hey?
00:28:34.57\00:28:36.59
And a few hours before
Adam... he loved Eve so much
00:28:36.79\00:28:40.06
he would have been
willing to die with her.
00:28:40.16\00:28:42.47
But sin had wrecked
their perfect relationship.
00:28:42.67\00:28:46.38
Sin wrecks relationships.
00:28:46.58\00:28:49.06
And so Eve... she was not
really any better, was she?
00:28:49.09\00:28:52.40
When God asked Eve she said:
00:28:52.60\00:28:54.22
In other words, she was blaming
God for making the serpent
00:28:57.93\00:29:01.09
who deceived her. And
so, of course, God had asked
00:29:01.29\00:29:04.64
Adam and then he had
blamed Eve. And so God asked Eve
00:29:04.74\00:29:08.16
and she had blamed the serpent.
00:29:08.36\00:29:09.73
When God got to the serpent, he
didn't have a leg to stand on.
00:29:09.83\00:29:13.46
The cost of obedience is
nil compared to the cost of
00:29:13.96\00:29:18.37
disobedience. It
costs very greatly
00:29:18.57\00:29:21.69
when we disobey
God. And that very day
00:29:21.80\00:29:25.29
when they sinned
they were doomed to die.
00:29:25.49\00:29:29.09
And so to keep Adam and Eve
from eating of the Tree of Life
00:29:29.30\00:29:33.01
which may have meant that
they lived on and on and on
00:29:33.21\00:29:35.59
and sin would never be
stopped God evicted them from
00:29:35.79\00:29:38.58
the Garden of
Eden. But the Bible says:
00:29:38.68\00:29:41.33
During World War I, in
his intense studies of the
00:29:48.63\00:29:53.01
strategies and
movements of Adolph Hitler
00:29:53.11\00:29:55.78
Winston Churchill, the
British prime minister,
00:29:55.98\00:29:58.63
he operated on one
primary assumption:
00:29:58.83\00:30:01.92
that any foreign policy
statement given by Hitler
00:30:02.12\00:30:06.15
was the exact
opposite of the truth.
00:30:06.35\00:30:10.13
And friend, I wish Adam and Eve
had worked that same thing out
00:30:10.33\00:30:14.48
about Satan back
there in the Garden of Eden.
00:30:14.58\00:30:17.06
Could have saved us
a whole lot of trouble.
00:30:17.26\00:30:19.15
But friends, they discovered
too late that Satan is:
00:30:19.35\00:30:23.01
And friends, it is easy
to blame God for the world...
00:30:26.18\00:30:29.65
for the heartbreak and
devastation that we see
00:30:29.79\00:30:31.99
around us. But
friends, Satan is really the one
00:30:32.09\00:30:35.39
who is
responsible for all the havoc.
00:30:35.59\00:30:38.25
He is the one who
brought trouble to this planet
00:30:38.45\00:30:41.27
causing sin and
suffering ever since.
00:30:41.47\00:30:43.90
And Jesus, when He
came down to this planet,
00:30:44.10\00:30:46.59
He made sure He
unmasked this truth.
00:30:46.79\00:30:49.96
One Sabbath the Bible tells
us He went and He was preaching
00:30:50.16\00:30:53.46
in the synagogue. And
when He was in that synagogue
00:30:53.66\00:30:56.71
he encountered a suffering
woman who had been suffering
00:30:56.92\00:31:00.69
with a crippling deformity.
00:31:00.89\00:31:03.09
And Jesus was greatly
touched by her condition
00:31:03.29\00:31:06.41
and He felt very much
for her, so He healed her.
00:31:06.61\00:31:10.06
And then the Bible says that
Jesus says concerning this woman
00:31:10.26\00:31:14.42
in Luke 13 verse 16... He said:
00:31:14.62\00:31:17.82
Friends, Jesus said that
Satan had bound this woman
00:31:31.03\00:31:35.22
for 18 years.
Satan was the guilty one.
00:31:35.42\00:31:38.74
He was the sinister force behind
all the pain and suffering
00:31:38.94\00:31:42.58
she was experiencing.
00:31:42.78\00:31:44.94
Though perhaps nowhere in
the Bible do we see his strategy
00:31:45.14\00:31:49.67
and his sinister
scheming more clearly
00:31:49.87\00:31:52.50
than we do in the book of Job.
00:31:52.70\00:31:57.11
Job was one of the most
richest men who ever lived.
00:31:57.31\00:32:00.90
That's probably bad English.
He was the wealthiest man
00:32:01.10\00:32:04.40
who ever lived back
then in the very beginning.
00:32:04.50\00:32:06.93
And the Bible
tells us that one day
00:32:07.13\00:32:08.92
God had a meeting in heaven
where He called all the sons
00:32:08.95\00:32:12.80
of God to come. And
would you believe it?
00:32:12.90\00:32:15.95
But Satan gatecrashed
that meeting and this is what
00:32:16.15\00:32:19.81
happened here. Notice
what the Bible says in Job 1:7.
00:32:19.91\00:32:24.79
In other words, "Who on earth
invited you and what gives you
00:32:29.23\00:32:33.13
the right to be here? "
00:32:33.33\00:32:35.12
And so Satan answered the
Lord. He said: "I come... "
00:32:35.32\00:32:38.16
Satan here claims to have taken
the dominion of planet earth.
00:32:44.42\00:32:48.99
That dominion
God had given to Adam
00:32:49.19\00:32:52.21
but now Satan
said: "It's mine. "
00:32:52.41\00:32:54.27
At any rate, he has
a challenge for God.
00:32:54.47\00:32:56.80
And so God... He
hears him say this.
00:32:56.90\00:32:58.66
And this is what God says
in Job 1 verses 8, 9, and 11.
00:32:58.86\00:33:04.09
He says:
00:33:04.19\00:33:05.57
What a challenge to give to God!
00:33:31.11\00:33:36.18
Satan claimed that the
only reason why Job was loyal
00:33:37.17\00:33:40.75
to Him was because God was
giving him so many good gifts,
00:33:40.95\00:33:44.87
good things. And
so God said to him:
00:33:45.07\00:33:48.03
And he was very eager to get
his hands on Job's possessions.
00:33:57.92\00:34:02.40
And the Bible tells
us these things happened
00:34:02.53\00:34:04.46
in quick succession.
00:34:04.56\00:34:05.77
First, the Sabeans
stole all his cattle
00:34:05.90\00:34:08.94
and murdered all his
servants and shepherds.
00:34:09.14\00:34:12.05
Then second, lighting struck
his sheep and killed his sheep
00:34:12.25\00:34:16.71
and shepherds.
Third, the Chaldeans came
00:34:16.91\00:34:19.70
and they plundered Job's camels.
00:34:19.90\00:34:21.93
And fourth and perhaps
the most heartbreaking of all
00:34:22.13\00:34:26.03
all of Job's sons...
all of his children...
00:34:26.23\00:34:29.43
they were there in the eldest
son's house having a party.
00:34:29.63\00:34:33.22
And while they
were having that party
00:34:33.42\00:34:35.57
a tornado comes out of
nowhere and wipes them all out.
00:34:35.77\00:34:39.23
Poor Job! Poor Job!
00:34:39.53\00:34:42.65
He thought that the Lord had
taken everything away from him.
00:34:42.86\00:34:46.37
He didn't realize that
Satan was the one responsible.
00:34:46.58\00:34:49.92
And yet did Job change his
loyalty to God in the midst
00:34:50.12\00:34:54.74
of this?
Incredibly the Bible tells us
00:34:54.84\00:34:58.56
Job 1 and verse 21:
00:34:58.76\00:35:00.70
He couldn't understand why
all these tragedies had happened
00:35:08.95\00:35:12.36
but he trusted
in God's goodness.
00:35:12.56\00:35:14.76
And Satan was
mad! It didn't work.
00:35:14.86\00:35:18.13
So he came back
to God and he said:
00:35:18.33\00:35:20.42
And so the test was on.
Would Job remain faithful
00:35:41.98\00:35:47.21
to God in the
midst of all of this?
00:35:47.41\00:35:50.06
The Bible tells us that:
00:35:50.26\00:35:51.49
I have never had a
boil before in my life,
00:36:02.02\00:36:05.19
but if you have had a
boil you will know exactly
00:36:05.39\00:36:08.18
how Job would have
felt. Can you imagine
00:36:08.28\00:36:10.44
being covered with these sores
from your head to your toes?
00:36:10.64\00:36:15.20
And not only that, but your
wife starts leaving you as well.
00:36:15.40\00:36:18.61
Everything was
going wrong for poor Job
00:36:18.81\00:36:21.20
because he chose to
remain faithful to God.
00:36:21.40\00:36:24.64
But friend, I think
he's absolutely amazing.
00:36:24.84\00:36:27.66
Notice what the Bible says.
00:36:27.76\00:36:29.23
In the midst of all of
Job's pain and suffering
00:36:29.43\00:36:32.53
the Bible says:
00:36:32.63\00:36:33.98
Who hurt Job? Satan.
00:36:44.50\00:36:47.73
Who played Job? It was Satan.
00:36:47.93\00:36:51.16
Who was the one
who killed his servants
00:36:51.36\00:36:53.45
and all of his livestock? Satan.
00:36:53.65\00:36:55.77
Who was the one responsible
for the deaths of his children?
00:36:55.97\00:36:59.08
Satan. Satan was the one behind
all the pain and suffering
00:36:59.28\00:37:03.49
that he endured. And friend,
the Lord may allow difficulties
00:37:03.59\00:37:07.09
to come into your
life and mine to test us.
00:37:07.29\00:37:10.44
To test our
loyalty and love to Him.
00:37:10.64\00:37:13.30
But it is Satan who is the
guilty party responsible for
00:37:13.50\00:37:17.96
all the pain and
suffering on planet earth.
00:37:18.06\00:37:20.93
And you and I are caught in
the middle of this bewildering
00:37:21.13\00:37:26.51
cosmic conflict
between Christ and Satan.
00:37:26.71\00:37:30.64
We are not
spectators to this great battle.
00:37:30.85\00:37:34.25
No. We are involved
whether we want to be or not.
00:37:34.45\00:37:38.24
The Bible tells us in Revelation
chapter 12 and verse 12:
00:37:38.44\00:37:41.96
For this very reason the
Bible writes in I Peter 5:8
00:37:57.73\00:38:02.71
That arch enemy of God
continues to be present today.
00:38:13.92\00:38:18.75
But friends, when you and I
think that Satan does his work
00:38:18.99\00:38:22.44
let's never forget that
God has sent Jesus to save us.
00:38:22.65\00:38:26.92
Amen? Amen. And He
has conquered Satan.
00:38:27.12\00:38:29.91
Satan worked to
try and destroy Jesus.
00:38:30.11\00:38:32.36
When He was a baby he
worked through king Herod
00:38:32.46\00:38:34.97
to try and wipe Him out.
00:38:35.11\00:38:36.30
When Jesus was in the
wilderness he appeared to Jesus
00:38:36.50\00:38:40.44
and he tempted Him
to give up everything
00:38:40.54\00:38:42.82
and to give up his
true loyalty to God.
00:38:43.02\00:38:45.35
But Jesus... He was
faithful and He remained true
00:38:45.55\00:38:48.74
and He did not give in to
the temptations of the devil.
00:38:48.84\00:38:52.00
And then Satan...
right to the very end
00:38:52.30\00:38:55.21
he worked through a
crowd and he tried to get them
00:38:55.42\00:38:58.45
and he motivated them to crucify
the King of the universe.
00:38:58.65\00:39:03.11
And so they
nailed Him to a cross,
00:39:03.31\00:39:05.92
but he did not destroy Jesus.
00:39:06.12\00:39:08.44
When Jesus was on that cross,
the victory and Satan's defeat
00:39:08.64\00:39:13.12
were sealed forever.
00:39:13.32\00:39:15.21
Because, friends,
although there was a cross
00:39:15.41\00:39:17.59
there was a
resurrection. Amen? Amen.
00:39:17.79\00:39:20.56
Jesus rose from the dead, and
by His death He earned the right
00:39:20.59\00:39:25.23
to destroy evil and
suffering forever and for good.
00:39:25.43\00:39:30.06
Yeah, i's exciting
news. Paul wrote in Hebrews:
00:39:31.48\00:39:34.06
And friends, he demonstrated...
Satan demonstrated how he
00:39:50.30\00:39:54.01
would run the universe.
00:39:54.11\00:39:55.44
Today we continue to see how
he intends to run this planet:
00:39:55.64\00:39:59.10
through disasters,
through crime, through violence,
00:39:59.30\00:40:02.08
through pain and suffering
that he inflicts all around us.
00:40:02.28\00:40:05.83
But friends, these
are not acts of God
00:40:06.03\00:40:08.90
as many people think they are...
they are acts of the devil,
00:40:09.10\00:40:13.25
the arch enemy of Jesus Christ.
00:40:13.45\00:40:15.99
But in the midst
of pain and suffering
00:40:16.19\00:40:18.93
no matter how much we may
know the big picture and the big
00:40:19.13\00:40:21.73
story, like Templeton
you and I may cry out:
00:40:21.83\00:40:25.80
"Where is God in my hurt?
Where is God in my suffering? "
00:40:26.00\00:40:30.34
I like to think of it as the
story told of Irene and Jerry
00:40:30.54\00:40:35.25
who had been
married for 25 years.
00:40:35.45\00:40:37.76
And on their 25th anniversary
00:40:37.96\00:40:40.15
Irene woke up and she expected
Jerry to do something special.
00:40:40.35\00:40:44.32
She expected him
to say something nice;
00:40:44.52\00:40:47.10
to do something nice.
But he didn't seem to notice.
00:40:47.30\00:40:51.37
There were no flowers, no
card, no breakfast in bed.
00:40:51.57\00:40:55.16
Nothing! And she was greatly
depressed thinking he had
00:40:55.36\00:40:58.57
forgotten all about her.
00:40:58.77\00:41:00.73
And so she hopped in her
car and she began to drive out
00:41:00.93\00:41:04.40
of the garage. And as she
was backing out the garage
00:41:04.51\00:41:07.33
she got the garage door
control, she hit the button,
00:41:07.53\00:41:10.53
and down came the garage door.
00:41:10.73\00:41:12.75
And there on the door
were these big red words:
00:41:12.95\00:41:16.62
Happy 25th, Irene.
00:41:16.82\00:41:18.99
He hadn't forgotten.
00:41:19.19\00:41:20.55
And friends, in the same
way, when you and I think
00:41:20.75\00:41:22.80
that God's forgotten us,
there are signs all around us
00:41:23.00\00:41:26.13
to remind us He hasn't.
00:41:26.33\00:41:28.23
He still
remembers... He still cares.
00:41:28.43\00:41:30.77
Satan exists... yes he
does. But God is there.
00:41:30.97\00:41:34.04
He is a very present
help in time of trouble.
00:41:34.24\00:41:37.37
He is there for you in the
midst of pain and suffering.
00:41:37.57\00:41:40.94
When your heart is
breaking God is there.
00:41:41.14\00:41:43.82
The Bible tells us
that His name is Immanuel.
00:41:44.03\00:41:47.00
That's translated God with us
00:41:47.20\00:41:51.01
and I think that's beautiful
because He understands.
00:41:51.21\00:41:54.84
Everything that you go
through He understands.
00:41:55.04\00:41:58.04
And so friends the good news
tonight is not that this planet
00:41:58.24\00:42:01.53
has been hijacked. The
good news is that Jesus
00:42:01.73\00:42:04.37
is coming back to take
us from this hijacked planet
00:42:04.58\00:42:07.25
to a better place.
Amen? He's coming soon.
00:42:07.45\00:42:10.68
And this is why in Ezekiel
He says concerning that devil
00:42:10.89\00:42:14.74
and Satan... He says:
00:42:14.94\00:42:16.33
Friends, one day soon God will
beat pain and suffering forever
00:42:25.44\00:42:29.89
because Jesus will come back.
00:42:30.09\00:42:32.13
And He's not coming back
as a baby born in Bethlehem.
00:42:32.33\00:42:35.58
He's not coming back to walk
on the streets of Palestine.
00:42:35.78\00:42:39.22
He will come back as the King
of Kings and the Lord of Lords.
00:42:39.25\00:42:43.60
And He will take us to
live with Him in His home.
00:42:43.80\00:42:46.90
And friends, tonight God
wants to know will you choose
00:42:47.10\00:42:50.83
to accept Jesus as
the Lord of your life?
00:42:51.03\00:42:53.69
Will you take His side
in the midst of the fiercest
00:42:53.90\00:42:57.19
controversy in
all of human history?
00:42:57.29\00:42:59.38
There are only two sides:
God's side or Satan's side.
00:42:59.58\00:43:04.79
And the whole world is being
polarized into these two camps.
00:43:04.99\00:43:09.91
That is the question tonight:
00:43:10.11\00:43:11.91
will we choose to follow
Jesus and to take His side
00:43:12.11\00:43:15.85
and be loyal to Him in
spite of what may come our way?
00:43:15.95\00:43:20.48
In longing to leave her
poor Brazilian neighborhood
00:43:21.69\00:43:25.22
Christina wanted
to see the world.
00:43:25.43\00:43:28.83
But as she looked around
herself, in her home there
00:43:29.03\00:43:32.78
all she could see
was, you know, poverty
00:43:32.98\00:43:36.86
and lack of
things that she wanted.
00:43:37.06\00:43:39.75
And so one night, Christina...
she slipped out of the house,
00:43:39.95\00:43:43.26
unbeknownst to her
mom, and she caught a bus
00:43:43.47\00:43:46.98
and she set her way
to Rio de Janeiro...
00:43:47.18\00:43:49.98
to the big city. Well, when
her mom woke up the next day
00:43:50.29\00:43:54.28
and discovered
Christina was gone
00:43:54.48\00:43:56.30
she was greatly upset.
But she wasted no time.
00:43:56.50\00:44:00.11
She knew that Christina had no
means of earning a livelihood.
00:44:00.31\00:44:05.20
She was only young, and
she knew what that might mean
00:44:05.40\00:44:08.83
and that when you're in the
city and you need to have money
00:44:09.03\00:44:11.83
and food you will be
pushed to do things that you may
00:44:11.93\00:44:14.59
never have
thought of doing before.
00:44:14.70\00:44:16.98
And so her mother,
Maria... she caught a bus
00:44:17.18\00:44:20.57
and she set course for the big
city as well to find Christina.
00:44:20.77\00:44:24.90
And when she got there
she went to a pharmacy.
00:44:25.10\00:44:28.48
She went into the pharmacy
and she sat in a photo booth
00:44:28.68\00:44:31.67
and she used all the
money that she had on her
00:44:31.88\00:44:34.39
to buy pictures of herself.
She took pictures of herself,
00:44:34.60\00:44:38.02
as many as she could afford,
00:44:38.23\00:44:39.90
and then she went looking for
her daughter in the big city.
00:44:40.10\00:44:43.50
And because of what she
expected Christina might do
00:44:43.80\00:44:47.29
she went to all the places
where Christina might have been
00:44:47.49\00:44:50.96
able to find work.
00:44:51.06\00:44:52.57
She went to the hotels.
00:44:52.77\00:44:54.17
To the pubs, to the
bars, to the brothels,
00:44:54.37\00:44:56.56
to the prostitute places...
everywhere she could think of
00:44:56.76\00:45:00.40
that Christina might be.
00:45:00.60\00:45:02.38
And when she
went to these places
00:45:02.58\00:45:05.25
she'd take a picture of
herself and she'd tape it to a
00:45:05.45\00:45:08.70
bathroom window or
she'd put it on a phone booth
00:45:08.80\00:45:12.31
or she'd leave it in the lobby.
And on the back of each picture
00:45:12.41\00:45:15.71
she wrote a little
note to her daughter.
00:45:15.91\00:45:18.73
Well finally her money
and her time and her photos...
00:45:18.93\00:45:23.71
they had run out and
she had to go back home.
00:45:23.81\00:45:25.92
And so very upset she boarded
a bus to go back to her home
00:45:26.12\00:45:30.06
in her little village.
00:45:30.26\00:45:31.64
Well, a few weeks
later a young Christina
00:45:31.67\00:45:35.16
descended the steps of a
hotel there in Rio de Janeiro.
00:45:35.36\00:45:39.00
Her young face was tired;
00:45:39.20\00:45:41.79
her vitality was gone.
00:45:41.99\00:45:44.04
Her youthfulness was replaced
by a sense of pain and hurt.
00:45:44.24\00:45:49.57
But as she came down the
steps there in that hotel
00:45:49.78\00:45:52.57
she looked up in the
lobby and there on a mirror
00:45:52.78\00:45:56.43
in the lobby she
saw a familiar face.
00:45:56.53\00:45:59.18
It was the face of her mother.
00:45:59.38\00:46:01.66
Her throat began to tighten
00:46:01.96\00:46:04.99
and she felt tears
coming to her eyes.
00:46:05.19\00:46:08.06
And slowly she moved to that
picture and she picked it off
00:46:08.26\00:46:11.89
the mirror and she looked at it.
00:46:12.09\00:46:13.79
And then she turned it
over, and there on the back of
00:46:13.99\00:46:16.94
that photo was
this beautiful message:
00:46:17.04\00:46:19.26
"Whatever you have done,
whatever you have become,
00:46:19.46\00:46:23.21
it doesn't
matter... just come home.
00:46:23.41\00:46:26.46
Come back and
I'll take you in. "
00:46:26.66\00:46:28.64
And friends, God says
that to you and I tonight.
00:46:28.84\00:46:32.17
Whatever you have suffered,
whatever your hurt m may be,
00:46:32.37\00:46:36.45
Jesus says to you and I tonight
"Come back; come to Me. "
00:46:36.66\00:46:40.35
The Bible says in
Matthew chapter 11 verse 28:
00:46:40.55\00:46:43.62
And again He says:
00:46:49.06\00:46:50.52
And then not only that. He
doesn't just say "Come to me"
00:46:55.87\00:46:58.80
He says "I'll take
you to a better place. "
00:46:59.00\00:47:00.89
He promises a land
where there is no more pain.
00:47:13.00\00:47:15.66
And friend, tonight, Jesus
wants to know your decision.
00:47:15.77\00:47:20.24
Will you come to Jesus tonight?
00:47:20.44\00:47:22.21
Will you come to
Him and take His side?
00:47:22.41\00:47:25.03
Will you choose to
remain loyal to Jesus Christ
00:47:25.23\00:47:27.77
no matter what may come?
00:47:27.98\00:47:29.57
If that is your desire tonight,
would you raise your hand
00:47:29.77\00:47:31.83
with me? Say: "Lord, I choose
to be loyal to you tonight. "
00:47:32.03\00:47:35.42
God bless you. I'll
just close with prayer.
00:47:35.62\00:47:37.77
Father in heaven, We
thank you, Lord, that
00:47:37.97\00:47:40.68
You are there for us in the
midst of pain and suffering.
00:47:40.78\00:47:43.82
And tonight as we have
seen that there is an enemy
00:47:44.02\00:47:47.39
who works to destroy
us, to destroy this planet,
00:47:47.59\00:47:51.07
we pray, Lord, that You will
help us to be faithful to Jesus.
00:47:51.27\00:47:54.35
Faithful till You come.
00:47:54.55\00:47:57.16
We look forward to that better
land which You have promised
00:47:57.36\00:48:00.12
and we ask you,
Lord, to look after us now.
00:48:00.33\00:48:02.61
And help us to trust You
in everything that happens
00:48:02.81\00:48:05.61
to us in our lives.
In Jesus' name, Amen.
00:48:05.81\00:48:09.31