Welcome again
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to our audience
here as well as to those
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who are
watching around the world
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wherever you may be, a
big warm welcome to you.
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And looking forward to
the second presentation
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in this series
"End-time Love and Loyalty,"
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and today's message is entitled,
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"Lest We Forget."
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A very important
message that continues on
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from where we were at
our previous time together
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when we looked at
God's awesome plan
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for our happiness and our peace.
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As I pointed out,
the message is entitled
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"Lest We Forget."
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And these are familiar words,
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these three
words are very familiar
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to those who are living
in Australia and New Zealand.
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Every year on April 25,
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we celebrate what we
refer to as Anzac Day
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here in
Australia and New Zealand.
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Australians and New Zealanders,
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they came
together during World War I
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and forged a partnership
in order to do battle,
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in order to
provide for the safety,
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the security and the freedoms
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that we have here in
Australia and New Zealand.
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And so wherever
you go in Australia,
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there are memorials
that are established.
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This memorial
here is at RSL Club
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or Returned and
Services League Club
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for past and present
armed force men and women.
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And we have...
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We have these
memorials with these words,
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"Lest We Forget."
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Lest We Forget,
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we pause every year on April 25,
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to remember those
that have gone before us.
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This year, I had the opportunity
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here is one,
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a memorial there in Mullumbimby,
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Northern New South Wales,
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"Lest We
Forget" on that memorial
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and as you can
see the sign there,
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"Sacred, War
Memorial, Please Keep Off."
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So everything
associated with April 25
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is very precious to Australians
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and New
Zealanders in particular,
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as well as to many others
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within the South Pacific Region,
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who joined the Australian
and New Zealand armed forces
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in the battle during
World War I in particular.
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This year, I had the opportunity
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of going to Anzac
Cove there in Turkey.
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Where the
soldiers on April 25, 1915,
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Australians and New
Zealanders and others
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came ashore and fought
for that piece of territory
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against the Turkey soldiers.
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And here is a memorial
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that I found
while I was over there,
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a commemorative memorial
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from the year 2000 April 25,
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when the Prime Minister,
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the then Prime
Minister of Australia,
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John Howard
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as well as the Prime Minister
of the time of New Zealand,
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Helen Clark came together,
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and along with
Turkish dignitaries
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that were there to pay
respect to the soldiers
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that had passed
away at that place.
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As I stood there on Anzac Cove,
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the place where
those soldiers came aboard,
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I thought of the many men
who came upon those shores.
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As you go through
and as you take a look
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at what is there in that place,
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you'll come
across these grave sites.
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You'll come
across some of the graves
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of some of the soldiers
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and I took a look at a few
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and here are just
a few to show you.
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This one in particular
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is of a young man, aged 18
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who lost his life
there on the battlefield,
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a Private
Burton, the words below,
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"Only a boy but died as a
man for liberty and freedom.
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His Mum and Dad."
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And here is another one
from a 16-year-old teenager
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who lost his life
there at Gallipoli,
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Private O'Donnell.
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And you may not be able
to see the words really well,
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but they simply read down below,
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"He sleeps where
Anzac heroes came
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to do and die."
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So as far as
Australians are concerned,
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Anzac Day and
Anzac Cove in Gallipoli
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is very much part and
parcel of our history,
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not that we're glorifying war.
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I would never do that,
not even for one moment,
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there is nothing...
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there is nothing more
horrendous in this world
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than war and conflict,
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and the resulting pain,
and suffering and death.
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But this is something
very significant to Australians
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when we pause and we have a day
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that we commemorate each year.
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These are some of the
barracks or the foxholes,
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as they were
also known back then,
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that I observed and
it was a very sober,
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a very surreal experience
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being there at
Gallipoli for me this year.
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This is a memorial
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that has been established there
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with the various
names of the soldiers
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engrained in stone.
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And the title on this memorial,
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"Their Name
Liveth For Evermore."
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I am proud to be an Australian,
very proud to be an Australian.
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I'm blessed to be in Australia,
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and my parents left
their homeland of Macedonia,
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and three months pregnant.
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My mother jumped on a boat
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and a month
later, an Italian boat,
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a month later along with my dad,
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they landed in Melbourne
and so I was born in Footscray
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there in the western
suburbs of Melbourne.
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And I have been blessed
for these past 48 years to live
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in this wonderful
country of Australia.
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And so I'm proud and
honored and thankful to God,
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that I grew up in
this wonderful country
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where we have such freedom,
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such liberties,
such opportunities
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to make so much of
our lives in comparison
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to where I would have
grown up in Macedonia,
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a far cry to the blessings
and the wonderful privileges
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that we have
here in this country.
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Anzac Day, a very special day
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for Australians
and New Zealanders
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where we are
reminded, "Lest We Forget"
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are the words that are repeated
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over and over again on April 25,
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lest we forget the sacrifice
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that was put in place so
that we may enjoy freedoms
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that we enjoy today.
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Well, when it comes to...
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when it comes to sacrifice,
when it comes to gifts,
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when it comes to love,
when it comes to loyalty,
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today we want to take a
look at two incredible gifts
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that God has
given the human race
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from the beginning
of time gifts of love
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to bless all of humanity,
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for all of human history,
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straight from
the Garden of Eden.
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We're going to begin with prayer
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before we unpack one
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and then especially the
other one of these gifts,
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and we're going to ask God
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to bless our time
together in His word.
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So before we open His word,
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let's pause and
let's pray one more time.
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Father in heaven,
we thank You so much
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that we can come before You
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and as we are about to
unpack Your Holy Word now
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and discover these
two wonderful gifts,
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in particular
this one wonderful gift
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that most of
humanity has forgotten.
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We ask and pray
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that You will
bless our time together
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in Your Word as
we open Your Word,
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open our hearts and our minds,
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that we may be receptive
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to what Your Holy Spirit
wants to share with us this day
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we pray in Jesus' name.
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Amen.
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Amen.
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Well, as I pointed out,
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God gave two precious
gifts to the human race
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at the beginning of time.
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The first gift
from the Garden of Eden
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was the gift of
marriage and family.
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What a wonderful gift that is?
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What a wonderful gift that is.
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Notice what we
read in Genesis 1:26-28.
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We read these words,
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"Then God said,
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'Let us make man in Our image,
according to Our likeness.'
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So God created
man in His own image,
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in the image of
God, He created him,
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male and
female, He created them.
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Then God blessed
them, and God said to them,
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"Be fruitful and multiply,
fill the earth and subdue it."
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So right at the
beginning of time,
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God created the gift
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and the institution of marriage.
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That's where
marriage comes from,
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it comes from
the Garden of Eden.
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And as we have just read,
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it was designed to be a blessing
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to humanity for all time,
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not just marriage,
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but God also created the
opportunity for you and I
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to procreate in His
image and to have children,
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and to have families and
to be blessed through that.
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I'll never forget the day
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when I got
married, many moons ago,
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almost 25 years
ago when I got married
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back on January 1, 1995.
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Now who gets married on
January 1, New Year's Day?
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You know who? Those
who have a bad memory.
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I have a bad memory.
Trust me on that one.
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I forgot my wife's birthday once
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and I learned a valuable lesson.
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And this is a valuable
lesson to whoever you...
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to whoever you may be,
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the best way to
remember your wife's birthday
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is to forget it once.
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You'll never forget it again.
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Well, it's not entirely my fault
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that I forgot my wife's birthday
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because she is
born on December 23,
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two days before Christmas,
what was she thinking?
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What was she thinking?
00:10:16.44\00:10:18.21
What hope do I have?
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Anyway, I forgot it once
and I haven't forgotten since.
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Anyway, this
was a wonderful day,
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January 1, 1995.
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We've known each
other for about 12 months
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and finally the day had arrived
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and here I am
staring down the aisle
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as you do and here she is,
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coming down the aisle,
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walking with her father,
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and here she is
handed over to me.
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And now she is in my possession
and I'm not letting her go.
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Amen.
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I'm not letting
her go anytime soon.
00:10:45.97\00:10:48.04
And here we are,
we're standing at the altar
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and here we are exchanging
vows and exchanging rings,
00:10:50.41\00:10:55.05
and it didn't
happen that quick...
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it didn't happen
that quick on the day.
00:10:56.45\00:10:58.65
And here we are with
our wedding certificate,
00:10:58.69\00:11:02.02
all smiles and ready to face
00:11:02.06\00:11:05.26
the challenges of marriage.
00:11:05.29\00:11:09.06
And how we face them?
00:11:09.10\00:11:10.47
By the grace of God, we
have for almost 25 years.
00:11:10.50\00:11:14.90
And it's wonderful.
00:11:14.94\00:11:16.27
And here we have is
another photo of us there
00:11:16.30\00:11:20.58
and it was such a
special and such a precious day.
00:11:20.61\00:11:24.05
And then a couple of years later
00:11:24.08\00:11:25.71
the Lord blessed us.
00:11:25.75\00:11:27.08
Well, He did say, "Be
fruitful and multiply,"
00:11:27.12\00:11:28.45
didn't He?
00:11:28.48\00:11:29.82
He told Adam and Eve
be fruitful and multiply.
00:11:29.85\00:11:31.59
So our fruitfulness
began two years later
00:11:31.62\00:11:35.49
when our
firstborn Jamiely was born
00:11:35.52\00:11:37.99
and she was such a blessing.
00:11:38.03\00:11:39.49
And here she is
sleeping in her little cot.
00:11:39.53\00:11:42.06
She used to love having her feet
00:11:42.10\00:11:43.53
outside the cot.
00:11:43.57\00:11:45.33
That was one of
her favorite pastimes.
00:11:45.37\00:11:47.37
And she was good
while she was asleep
00:11:47.40\00:11:49.27
and her feet were at the cot.
00:11:49.30\00:11:50.64
I didn't actually
mind where her feet were
00:11:50.67\00:11:53.27
as long as she was asleep.
00:11:53.31\00:11:55.01
Because on other occasions,
this is what it looked like.
00:11:55.04\00:11:58.31
Can you imagine
that? Can you imagine that?
00:11:58.35\00:12:01.75
A screaming baby 3:00 a.m.
00:12:01.78\00:12:04.92
not much fun.
00:12:04.95\00:12:06.29
But we survived and
I'm here to tell the story.
00:12:06.32\00:12:09.12
Marriage and family,
it's such a blessing,
00:12:09.16\00:12:11.96
it's such a wonderful
blessing that God gave to us
00:12:11.99\00:12:14.90
from the Garden of Eden.
00:12:14.93\00:12:16.26
This is his first gift,
00:12:16.30\00:12:18.63
and by and
large, all of humanity,
00:12:18.67\00:12:22.74
for the last 6,000
years of human history,
00:12:22.77\00:12:26.27
have been blessed and partaken
00:12:26.31\00:12:29.68
of the gift of
marriage and the family.
00:12:29.71\00:12:32.08
Isn't that right?
00:12:32.11\00:12:33.45
Our entire world
society has been built
00:12:33.48\00:12:36.15
on marriage and the family
00:12:36.18\00:12:37.89
and so we thank God as
a human race collectively
00:12:37.92\00:12:41.52
for this wonderful gift.
00:12:41.56\00:12:43.69
However, however,
there is a second gift
00:12:43.73\00:12:49.00
from the Garden of Eden
00:12:49.03\00:12:51.00
that God gave to the human race
00:12:51.03\00:12:53.10
that sadly today
has been forgotten
00:12:53.13\00:12:57.14
by the vast majority
of earth's inhabitants.
00:12:57.17\00:13:02.41
Hence I've
entitled this message,
00:13:02.44\00:13:04.61
"Lest We Forget."
00:13:04.65\00:13:06.72
Lest we forget,
the second blessing
00:13:06.75\00:13:09.78
from the Garden of Eden.
00:13:09.82\00:13:11.65
So let's go back
to the Garden of Eden.
00:13:11.69\00:13:13.76
When God created Adam
and Eve, He created them
00:13:13.79\00:13:17.36
to live in perfect
harmony with one another,
00:13:17.39\00:13:19.96
to live in perfect harmony
with God as they created.
00:13:20.00\00:13:23.60
The one Who created
them in His own image,
00:13:23.63\00:13:26.10
to live in perfect
harmony with the animal kingdom
00:13:26.13\00:13:30.11
and with all of nature
00:13:30.14\00:13:31.47
and there was
just complete harmony
00:13:31.51\00:13:33.94
that they enjoyed.
00:13:33.98\00:13:35.54
And the Bible
describes what God said
00:13:35.58\00:13:38.25
at the end of the
six days of creation.
00:13:38.28\00:13:41.38
Notice what we
read in Genesis 1:31,
00:13:41.42\00:13:44.52
"Then God saw
everything that He had made,
00:13:44.55\00:13:47.26
and indeed it was," what?
00:13:47.29\00:13:48.96
"Very good."
00:13:48.99\00:13:50.33
Up until this point
in the story of creation,
00:13:50.36\00:13:53.50
after each day when
God finished His creating,
00:13:53.53\00:13:56.56
God says, "It is good."
00:13:56.60\00:13:58.53
It is good.
00:13:58.57\00:13:59.90
It is good. It is good.
00:13:59.93\00:14:01.64
Six times God repeats
that phrase, it is good.
00:14:01.67\00:14:06.04
And then at the
end of the sixth day,
00:14:06.07\00:14:08.28
after God had created Adam
and kept the best till last
00:14:08.31\00:14:13.01
by creating the woman Eve,
00:14:13.05\00:14:15.92
and all the men said, "Amen."
00:14:15.95\00:14:19.55
Then God said, "Behold,
00:14:19.59\00:14:21.72
it is very good,
very, very good."
00:14:21.76\00:14:25.73
So the evening and the
morning were the sixth day.
00:14:25.76\00:14:29.56
Now we know that we
don't have six days in a week,
00:14:29.60\00:14:34.10
isn't that right?
00:14:34.14\00:14:35.47
How many days are in a week?
00:14:35.50\00:14:37.24
There are seven days in a week.
00:14:37.27\00:14:39.54
So if God had created
everything in six days,
00:14:39.57\00:14:43.75
and He said it was very good,
00:14:43.78\00:14:45.91
well then what took
place on the seventh day?
00:14:45.95\00:14:48.48
Let's keep reading.
00:14:48.52\00:14:49.85
Genesis 2:1,
completes the end of creation.
00:14:49.88\00:14:54.79
Those six days with these words,
00:14:54.82\00:14:56.32
"Thus the heavens and the earth,
00:14:56.36\00:14:57.96
and all the host of
them, were finished."
00:14:57.99\00:15:02.76
What would God erect
as an eternal memorial
00:15:02.80\00:15:06.33
of His creative work?
00:15:06.37\00:15:08.00
Okay, God had
finished creating the world.
00:15:08.04\00:15:11.71
And as you and I know,
00:15:11.74\00:15:14.11
that when an artist finishes
creating his masterpiece,
00:15:14.14\00:15:19.81
what does he do?
00:15:19.85\00:15:21.18
What's the final act?
00:15:21.22\00:15:22.65
He signs off.
00:15:22.68\00:15:24.39
He signs off.
00:15:24.42\00:15:25.75
So we know who is the architect,
00:15:25.79\00:15:29.46
who is the master artist
00:15:29.49\00:15:32.29
behind this
magnificent piece of art.
00:15:32.33\00:15:34.90
They sign their
name at the bottom
00:15:34.93\00:15:38.40
of that piece of art,
00:15:38.43\00:15:40.47
to make it plain and obvious
to all who will come afterward,
00:15:40.50\00:15:44.34
who is the one,
00:15:44.37\00:15:45.97
who is the orchestrator
00:15:46.01\00:15:48.31
behind this
beautiful piece of art?
00:15:48.34\00:15:51.55
So how was God
going to sign off?
00:15:51.58\00:15:54.98
How is He going to
place His signature
00:15:55.02\00:15:57.72
on this world
00:15:57.75\00:15:59.09
that this world
didn't come from evolution
00:15:59.12\00:16:01.96
that this world
didn't come by chance,
00:16:01.99\00:16:05.16
that this world
came by divine plan
00:16:05.19\00:16:11.90
and divine creation by
a divine and loving God.
00:16:11.93\00:16:15.04
How would God do that?
00:16:15.07\00:16:17.11
Would He create a monument?
00:16:17.14\00:16:19.14
Would He create
another big tree?
00:16:19.17\00:16:22.98
What would God do?
00:16:23.01\00:16:24.91
Instead of creating something,
00:16:24.95\00:16:28.25
God decided to
create time and space.
00:16:28.28\00:16:32.25
Let's notice,
00:16:32.29\00:16:33.72
what we read in Genesis 2:2, 3.
00:16:33.76\00:16:37.16
"And on the seventh
day God ended His work
00:16:37.19\00:16:39.56
which He had done,
00:16:39.59\00:16:40.93
and He rested on the seventh day
00:16:40.96\00:16:42.70
from all His work
which He had done.
00:16:42.73\00:16:44.80
Then God blessed the seventh day
00:16:44.83\00:16:46.67
and sanctified it because in it,
00:16:46.70\00:16:48.80
He rested from all His work
which God had created and made.
00:16:48.84\00:16:53.44
Here we are told that
God blessed the seventh day,
00:16:53.48\00:16:58.38
just like God
blessed Adam and Eve
00:16:58.41\00:17:00.95
at the very beginning of time,
00:17:00.98\00:17:02.32
and He said to them,
"Be fruitful and multiply."
00:17:02.35\00:17:04.99
So too God
blessed the seventh day.
00:17:05.02\00:17:08.56
And the Bible says,
"God sanctified that day."
00:17:08.59\00:17:11.66
Now what does it
mean to be sanctified?
00:17:11.69\00:17:13.40
It means to be set
apart for holy use.
00:17:13.43\00:17:16.26
This is not a common day,
like any other day of the week,
00:17:16.30\00:17:20.04
the seventh day,
00:17:20.07\00:17:21.40
according to what we have read,
00:17:21.44\00:17:22.77
according to
what God Himself said,
00:17:22.80\00:17:24.77
was to be set
apart for holy use,
00:17:24.81\00:17:26.91
just like marriage is set apart
for holy use, isn't that right?
00:17:26.94\00:17:32.01
We refer to
marriage often as holy what?
00:17:32.05\00:17:35.58
Matrimony or the
sacred vows of marriage.
00:17:35.62\00:17:39.82
The scriptures, they are holy.
00:17:39.85\00:17:43.76
The Bible says that
our body temples are holy.
00:17:43.79\00:17:48.20
The Bible refers to
holiness as something
00:17:48.23\00:17:51.20
that has been set apart
00:17:51.23\00:17:53.74
by God for special use.
00:17:53.77\00:17:57.34
The Holy Place,
the Most Holy Place
00:17:57.37\00:18:00.04
of the sanctuary was special
00:18:00.08\00:18:01.98
because that is
where God resides
00:18:02.01\00:18:04.61
and so where God resides,
00:18:04.65\00:18:06.88
that that is
especially connected with God
00:18:06.92\00:18:09.52
and the work of God,
God says, that is holy,
00:18:09.55\00:18:12.49
that is special, that is sacred,
00:18:12.52\00:18:14.09
that has been set
apart as a special blessing.
00:18:14.12\00:18:16.96
Now the Bible
says that God rested.
00:18:16.99\00:18:19.56
God rested.
00:18:19.59\00:18:20.93
Now, does God need to rest?
00:18:20.96\00:18:23.33
What do you think?
00:18:23.37\00:18:24.70
Does God need to rest?
00:18:24.73\00:18:26.70
Does He rest because He's tired?
00:18:26.74\00:18:30.04
Was God tired
after six days of work
00:18:30.07\00:18:32.61
that He needed to rest?
00:18:32.64\00:18:34.11
That is what the Bible says?
00:18:34.14\00:18:36.71
Isaiah 40:28,
"Have you not known?
00:18:36.75\00:18:40.58
Have you not heard?
00:18:40.62\00:18:41.95
The everlasting God, the Lord,
00:18:41.98\00:18:43.42
the Creator of the
ends of the earth,"
00:18:43.45\00:18:45.85
that's what
we've been looking at,
00:18:45.89\00:18:47.42
"neither fights, nor is" what?
00:18:47.46\00:18:49.92
"Neither nor is weary."
00:18:49.96\00:18:51.33
God didn't rest
because He was tired.
00:18:51.36\00:18:55.20
Maybe Adam and
Eve needed to rest,
00:18:55.23\00:18:56.73
maybe they were tired,
00:18:56.77\00:18:58.10
maybe they had had a hard week?
00:18:58.13\00:19:00.10
Hardly, what day
were they created?
00:19:00.14\00:19:02.90
They were
created on the sixth day?
00:19:02.94\00:19:06.31
They didn't need to rest either.
00:19:06.34\00:19:07.84
They hadn't done any work.
00:19:07.88\00:19:10.61
Why did God rest?
00:19:10.65\00:19:11.98
That word there
rest is the word Shabbat.
00:19:12.01\00:19:14.75
It's where we get the
word Sabbath from Shabbat,
00:19:14.78\00:19:17.39
which means to
stop, to cease or to rest.
00:19:17.42\00:19:21.02
It means to exile.
00:19:21.06\00:19:23.06
It's like when
you've been working hard
00:19:23.09\00:19:26.06
or you've been doing
some serious exercise,
00:19:26.09\00:19:29.46
and you stop and
you take a deep breath.
00:19:29.50\00:19:34.67
Have you ever done that?
00:19:34.70\00:19:36.07
Does it feel
good? Does it feel good?
00:19:36.10\00:19:38.57
Yeah, many times.
00:19:38.61\00:19:40.38
It feels good, doesn't it?
00:19:40.41\00:19:42.51
Just to stop and to...
00:19:42.54\00:19:43.95
And when God
stopped, and He said...
00:19:47.58\00:19:53.46
I can just imagine Him looking
at all of creation, saying,
00:19:53.49\00:19:56.86
"Wow, this is so very good.
00:19:56.89\00:20:00.56
So very good."
00:20:00.60\00:20:02.03
I want to bless the human race
00:20:02.06\00:20:05.13
to never forget
where they came from,
00:20:05.17\00:20:07.74
to never forget
that I am the God
00:20:07.77\00:20:10.07
that wants to bless
them in every sense.
00:20:10.11\00:20:12.64
And I am going
to give them a day,
00:20:12.67\00:20:15.71
a wonderful day,
00:20:15.74\00:20:17.25
when they can spend time with me
00:20:17.28\00:20:19.58
and celebrate me as
their loving Creator God.
00:20:19.61\00:20:24.32
You see, God knew that,
00:20:24.35\00:20:26.96
that which is most precious
00:20:26.99\00:20:28.89
in developing human
to human relationships,
00:20:28.92\00:20:33.40
and God to human relationships
00:20:33.43\00:20:35.86
is a word beginning
with T with four letters.
00:20:35.90\00:20:39.40
Can anyone guess?
00:20:39.43\00:20:41.24
Time, time.
00:20:41.27\00:20:45.97
Building healthy
relationships require time?
00:20:46.01\00:20:51.15
God didn't set
aside an hour every week,
00:20:51.18\00:20:53.92
He didn't set aside
two hours every week.
00:20:53.95\00:20:56.79
God gave the human race 24 hours
00:20:56.82\00:21:00.79
to spend with one another.
00:21:00.82\00:21:03.69
Twenty four
hours with one another,
00:21:03.73\00:21:05.93
as God's children,
00:21:05.96\00:21:07.30
24 hours with God
as our ultimate God.
00:21:07.33\00:21:12.20
What a blessing.
00:21:12.23\00:21:13.57
What a blessing.
00:21:13.60\00:21:14.94
In fact, that
word, there blessed.
00:21:14.97\00:21:17.17
When you read that
word blessed for the Hebrew,
00:21:17.21\00:21:20.94
when the Hebrew
hears the word blessed
00:21:20.98\00:21:24.78
and it's coming from God's lips,
00:21:24.81\00:21:27.42
the Hebrew mind,
00:21:27.45\00:21:28.78
the Hebrew thinking is
00:21:28.82\00:21:30.52
and he knows and she knows
00:21:30.55\00:21:32.42
that when God blesses,
He blesses holistically.
00:21:32.45\00:21:35.09
Now what do I
mean by holistically?
00:21:35.12\00:21:36.93
You and I are
created holistic beings
00:21:36.96\00:21:39.79
in the image of God.
00:21:39.83\00:21:41.16
We are created to
function optimally,
00:21:41.20\00:21:44.00
physically,
emotionally/mentally,
00:21:44.03\00:21:48.54
spiritually and socially,
00:21:48.57\00:21:50.74
those four dimensions.
00:21:50.77\00:21:53.04
And so when God blesses us,
00:21:53.07\00:21:55.04
He blesses us in all
four of those dimensions.
00:21:55.08\00:21:58.01
So when we take a
look at the Sabbath
00:21:58.05\00:22:00.38
and when God blessed this day,
00:22:00.42\00:22:03.12
and gave it as a gift
to the whole human race,
00:22:03.15\00:22:06.55
He wants us to enjoy
holistic health and well being
00:22:06.59\00:22:10.69
with one another, with God,
00:22:10.73\00:22:13.80
health wise physically
00:22:13.83\00:22:15.63
and also
mentally, and emotionally.
00:22:15.66\00:22:18.07
Does that make sense, yes or no?
00:22:18.10\00:22:20.00
That is the blessing associated
with this precious day.
00:22:20.04\00:22:22.74
I could spend a lot more time
00:22:22.77\00:22:24.11
unpacking the
holistic blessing that God has
00:22:24.14\00:22:27.28
and we're gonna do
that in an upcoming program,
00:22:27.31\00:22:31.21
where we're gonna talk
about health and well being,
00:22:31.25\00:22:33.68
so stay tuned for that.
00:22:33.72\00:22:35.88
As we continue, Jesus
says in Matthew 11:28,
00:22:35.92\00:22:41.32
"Come to Me, all you who labor
00:22:41.36\00:22:43.32
and are heavy laden,
and I will give you," what?
00:22:43.36\00:22:46.73
"I'll give you rest."
00:22:46.76\00:22:48.33
I'll give you rest.
00:22:48.36\00:22:49.90
If there is something
we desperately need today
00:22:49.93\00:22:53.57
in our world, and that is rest,
00:22:53.60\00:22:54.94
isn't that right?
00:22:54.97\00:22:56.30
We desperately need rest.
00:22:56.34\00:22:59.11
Families today are struggling,
00:22:59.14\00:23:02.38
marriages are struggling,
00:23:02.41\00:23:04.45
children are struggling
to connect with parents.
00:23:04.48\00:23:08.35
There are
struggles between friends,
00:23:08.38\00:23:10.15
there are struggles
to connect with God.
00:23:10.19\00:23:13.36
And God is saying, "I'm
giving you an opportunity
00:23:13.39\00:23:15.46
to come to me and to find rest,
00:23:15.49\00:23:19.16
to find that holistic rest
00:23:19.19\00:23:23.10
that we can only
find in Jesus Christ.
00:23:23.13\00:23:26.33
I find it interesting
00:23:26.37\00:23:27.70
when I take a look
at the Ten Commandments.
00:23:27.74\00:23:30.71
There are two commandments
in the very center of God's law
00:23:30.74\00:23:34.21
that stand out from
all the other commandments.
00:23:34.24\00:23:37.98
Have you noticed?
00:23:38.01\00:23:39.85
Eight of the ten commandments
begin with thou shalt not,
00:23:39.88\00:23:44.72
thou shalt not, thou
shalt not, eight of them.
00:23:44.75\00:23:49.06
But there are two
00:23:49.09\00:23:50.49
that don't begin
with thou shalt not.
00:23:50.53\00:23:53.19
The fourth commandment
begins with the word remember.
00:23:53.23\00:23:57.77
"Remember the
Sabbath day to keep it holy."
00:23:57.80\00:24:01.60
Why did God say remember?
00:24:01.64\00:24:03.87
Could it be lest we forget?
00:24:03.91\00:24:06.98
His blessing that He gave us
00:24:07.01\00:24:09.18
at the beginning
of time to bless us?
00:24:09.21\00:24:12.05
Could it be God said
remember back to your Creator?
00:24:12.08\00:24:16.65
Let's read the passage.
00:24:16.69\00:24:19.65
In Exodus 20:8-11,
00:24:19.69\00:24:21.62
"Remember the
Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
00:24:21.66\00:24:24.29
Six days you shall
labor and do all your work,
00:24:24.33\00:24:26.66
but the seventh
day is the Sabbath
00:24:26.70\00:24:28.13
of the Lord your God.
00:24:28.16\00:24:30.37
In it you shall do no work:
00:24:30.40\00:24:31.97
You, nor your
son, nor your daughter,
00:24:32.00\00:24:33.87
nor your male servant,
nor your female servant,
00:24:33.90\00:24:35.77
nor your cattle,
00:24:35.80\00:24:37.14
nor your stranger
who is within your gates.
00:24:37.17\00:24:39.14
For in six days,
00:24:39.17\00:24:40.51
the Lord made the
heavens and the earth, the sea,
00:24:40.54\00:24:43.01
and all that is in them,
00:24:43.04\00:24:44.38
and rested the seventh day.
00:24:44.41\00:24:46.31
Therefore the Lord blessed
the Sabbath day and," did what?
00:24:46.35\00:24:49.48
"And hallowed it."
Set it apart for holiest.
00:24:49.52\00:24:51.72
So here in the Ten Commandments,
00:24:51.75\00:24:53.92
God in the very
center of His law,
00:24:53.96\00:24:55.86
He placed that Sabbath blessing
00:24:55.89\00:24:59.49
that He gave to
the entire human race
00:24:59.53\00:25:02.36
at the very beginning of
time in the Garden of Eden.
00:25:02.40\00:25:04.77
God is saying, "Remember,
when I gave it to you,
00:25:04.80\00:25:06.97
at the very beginning of time,
when I created this world."
00:25:07.00\00:25:09.80
It's to continue to
be a blessing to you.
00:25:09.84\00:25:12.87
I shared that there
are two commandments
00:25:12.91\00:25:14.24
that stand out from the rest.
00:25:14.28\00:25:17.15
This is the first one,
00:25:17.18\00:25:18.51
remember the
Sabbath day to keep it holy.
00:25:18.55\00:25:20.35
The second one is
commandment number five,
00:25:20.38\00:25:23.28
honor thy mother and thy father.
00:25:23.32\00:25:28.52
Two commandments that come to us
00:25:28.56\00:25:30.46
directly from
the Garden of Eden,
00:25:30.49\00:25:31.89
you think about it?
00:25:31.93\00:25:33.26
Where does marriage
and the family come from?
00:25:33.29\00:25:36.30
From the Garden of
Eden, isn't that right?
00:25:36.33\00:25:38.40
And what's the
fifth commandment?
00:25:38.43\00:25:40.47
The fifth
commandment is all about
00:25:40.50\00:25:42.54
honoring
marriage and the family.
00:25:42.57\00:25:44.64
Honor your
mother and your father.
00:25:44.67\00:25:48.04
The fourth commandment,
00:25:48.08\00:25:49.41
it comes to us
from the Garden of Eden,
00:25:49.44\00:25:51.18
"Remember, your Lord
00:25:51.21\00:25:54.78
and where you came
from each and every day."
00:25:54.82\00:25:57.22
And so marriage
and the Sabbath...
00:25:57.25\00:26:00.46
marriage, and the
family, and the Sabbath,
00:26:00.49\00:26:02.19
they work together,
they go hand in hand
00:26:02.22\00:26:05.16
like a hand in a glove.
00:26:05.19\00:26:08.63
That was right, yeah.
00:26:08.66\00:26:10.23
Like a hand in a glove.
00:26:10.27\00:26:12.17
And guess what the enemy
00:26:12.20\00:26:13.54
is seeking to destroy above all.
00:26:13.57\00:26:16.07
He's seeking to
destroy both these institutions
00:26:16.10\00:26:18.44
that God gave to the human race
00:26:18.47\00:26:20.41
from the Garden of
Eden, marriage and the family,
00:26:20.44\00:26:23.35
and I don't need to,
00:26:23.38\00:26:24.71
I don't need to
convince you of that.
00:26:24.75\00:26:27.15
And this one day in the week
00:26:27.18\00:26:28.88
that connects us
with one another,
00:26:28.92\00:26:30.89
and connects us with God
00:26:30.92\00:26:32.39
and enables us to recognize
00:26:32.42\00:26:35.66
who it is that we worship,
00:26:35.69\00:26:37.43
our Creator and loving God
00:26:37.46\00:26:39.59
who made us in His image.
00:26:39.63\00:26:41.30
Very, very powerful.
00:26:41.33\00:26:44.30
Let's continue.
00:26:44.33\00:26:46.67
We discover the
question before us,
00:26:46.70\00:26:51.37
"When does the Sabbath
begin and when does it end?
00:26:51.41\00:26:55.18
Notice what we
read in Scripture.
00:26:55.21\00:26:58.01
Leviticus 23:32,
00:26:58.05\00:27:01.65
"From evening to evening,
00:27:01.68\00:27:03.95
you shall
celebrate your Sabbath."
00:27:03.99\00:27:06.69
From evening to evening,
00:27:06.72\00:27:09.02
you shall
celebrate your Sabbath.
00:27:09.06\00:27:11.96
God has thought of everything.
00:27:11.99\00:27:14.73
They didn't have
watches back then.
00:27:14.76\00:27:16.77
Adam and Eve
didn't have a watch.
00:27:16.80\00:27:18.83
Children of Israel
didn't have a watch.
00:27:18.87\00:27:21.30
People haven't had a
watch for almost 6,000 years.
00:27:21.34\00:27:25.47
That's only a recent
phenomena, isn't that right?
00:27:25.51\00:27:28.41
They certainly didn't
have an iWatch, did they?
00:27:28.44\00:27:30.45
God said the Sabbath will begin
00:27:34.88\00:27:37.35
on Friday night
when the sun sets
00:27:37.39\00:27:42.29
and the Sabbath will
end on Saturday night
00:27:42.32\00:27:44.86
when the sun sets once again.
00:27:44.89\00:27:47.06
You don't need a watch to
know when the Sabbath begins.
00:27:47.10\00:27:50.50
You just need to
have your eyes open,
00:27:50.53\00:27:53.87
you need to be able to
see when the sun is setting,
00:27:53.90\00:27:58.61
that's when the
Sabbath is beginning.
00:27:58.64\00:28:00.81
And when the sun is
setting, that is when this...
00:28:00.84\00:28:04.08
and that is when
the Sabbath is ending.
00:28:04.11\00:28:07.88
Without God's creation week,
00:28:07.92\00:28:11.45
we would not
have a seven day week.
00:28:11.49\00:28:14.09
There's no reason
for a seven day week.
00:28:14.12\00:28:16.52
There's no planetary reason.
00:28:16.56\00:28:18.23
There's no reason
based on our solar system,
00:28:18.26\00:28:21.40
based on the laws
of the solar system.
00:28:21.43\00:28:25.43
There's a reason
why we have a month,
00:28:25.47\00:28:27.10
isn't that right?
00:28:27.14\00:28:28.94
Due to the moon
00:28:28.97\00:28:30.61
going around the earth
once every 28 and a bit days.
00:28:30.64\00:28:34.24
There's a reason
why we have a day
00:28:34.28\00:28:35.84
a 24-hour a day,
00:28:35.88\00:28:37.85
because the earth
rotates on its axis
00:28:37.88\00:28:39.78
once every 24 hours.
00:28:39.81\00:28:43.39
There's the reason
why we have a year,
00:28:43.42\00:28:46.49
because the earth
rotates around the sun
00:28:46.52\00:28:49.36
once every 365
and a quarter days.
00:28:49.39\00:28:54.06
But is there a reason
based on the planetary cycles
00:28:54.10\00:28:58.90
that we have a seven week?
00:28:58.93\00:29:01.00
No, there isn't.
00:29:01.04\00:29:03.00
The only reason
that we have for it
00:29:03.04\00:29:04.97
is that God gave it to us
00:29:05.01\00:29:07.41
so that each and
every Sabbath day
00:29:07.44\00:29:09.54
we would remember
Him as our Creator God.
00:29:09.58\00:29:12.31
That is the reason
00:29:12.35\00:29:13.68
why God has given us
this wonderful blessing.
00:29:13.72\00:29:16.42
And it comes to us
from the Garden of Eden.
00:29:16.45\00:29:19.55
A few years ago,
including this year,
00:29:19.59\00:29:21.89
it was my second trip to Israel.
00:29:21.92\00:29:23.96
I had the opportunity of
going to one of my favorite
00:29:23.99\00:29:26.29
if not my favorite city
in the world, Jerusalem.
00:29:26.33\00:29:29.00
I love the Old
City of Jerusalem.
00:29:29.03\00:29:32.57
And as I walked
into the Old City,
00:29:32.60\00:29:36.97
you walk in
through those old gates,
00:29:37.01\00:29:39.87
hundreds of years old,
00:29:39.91\00:29:41.24
the city's been
rebuilt a number of times.
00:29:41.28\00:29:44.31
I had the opportunity go
00:29:44.35\00:29:46.95
to what is referred
to as The Western Wall.
00:29:46.98\00:29:50.85
Some refer to it
as the Wailing Wall,
00:29:50.89\00:29:53.82
there in Jerusalem,
00:29:53.86\00:29:55.79
where Orthodox
Jews come and they pray
00:29:55.82\00:29:59.56
and they seek the Lord
00:29:59.59\00:30:00.93
and they come
and they fellowship.
00:30:00.96\00:30:02.53
And I had the
opportunity of being there
00:30:02.56\00:30:04.60
on a Friday evening
00:30:04.63\00:30:06.57
as the Sabbath was beginning.
00:30:06.60\00:30:09.30
And boy, oh, boy,
were there celebrations,
00:30:09.34\00:30:12.11
great celebration singing,
00:30:12.14\00:30:15.54
and dancing, and
sharing scripture
00:30:15.58\00:30:18.45
and just
welcoming the Sabbath day.
00:30:18.48\00:30:22.15
And here we have a photo
00:30:22.18\00:30:24.62
that I took of
these fancy dancy hats
00:30:24.65\00:30:28.29
that these Jewish men
wear, a very expensive hats.
00:30:28.32\00:30:33.53
Someone told me
that some of the hats
00:30:33.56\00:30:35.56
are like $2,000, very expensive.
00:30:35.60\00:30:37.93
And so they put on these
hats specifically for Sabbath,
00:30:37.97\00:30:41.04
Shabbat as the
Hebrews would say.
00:30:41.07\00:30:44.17
And they say to one another,
00:30:44.21\00:30:45.81
as they greet one
another in the streets.
00:30:45.84\00:30:48.14
And I had the opportunity
00:30:48.18\00:30:49.51
to greet a number of
them and they looked at me
00:30:49.54\00:30:51.01
because I didn't have
my little Hebrew skullcap.
00:30:51.05\00:30:54.92
I didn't have that on
00:30:54.95\00:30:56.32
and so they were really surprise
00:30:56.35\00:30:57.69
when I greeted them
with Shabbat shalom.
00:30:57.72\00:31:00.92
Shabbat shalom,
that's Sabbath peace,
00:31:00.96\00:31:04.89
Sabbath peace.
00:31:04.93\00:31:06.59
And the peace is once
again that holistic peace,
00:31:06.63\00:31:09.96
is that holistic blessing
00:31:10.00\00:31:11.93
that they are
wanting for one another,
00:31:11.97\00:31:14.77
Sabbath peace, Sabbath blessing,
00:31:14.80\00:31:16.94
and so that was a
wonderful blessing.
00:31:16.97\00:31:18.84
And there are many today sadly
00:31:18.87\00:31:21.91
that believe that the Sabbath
00:31:21.94\00:31:25.61
is only for the Jewish people.
00:31:25.65\00:31:28.08
They understand the Jews worship
00:31:28.12\00:31:29.92
each and every
Sabbath, they keep the Sabbath
00:31:29.95\00:31:31.79
and they keep it
very stringently,
00:31:31.82\00:31:33.59
many of them.
00:31:33.62\00:31:35.36
And they asked the question,
00:31:35.39\00:31:36.73
well, "Isn't the
Sabbath day only for Jews?"
00:31:36.76\00:31:40.76
Only for Jews?
00:31:40.80\00:31:42.56
Well, we have
discovered that well
00:31:42.60\00:31:45.57
and truly before there
was a Jew on planet earth
00:31:45.60\00:31:47.77
and Abraham is the
Father of the Jewish Nation.
00:31:47.80\00:31:50.57
Well, before Abraham,
00:31:50.61\00:31:53.51
who was around 4,000 years ago,
00:31:53.54\00:31:57.15
the Sabbath existed some
2,000 years prior to that
00:31:57.18\00:32:00.72
in the Garden of Eden.
00:32:00.75\00:32:03.22
They were no Jews
in the Garden of Eden,
00:32:03.25\00:32:04.92
the last time I checked,
00:32:04.95\00:32:06.72
and Jesus made that
absolutely plain and obvious.
00:32:06.76\00:32:10.29
Notice these words from Jesus.
00:32:10.33\00:32:12.49
In Matthew Chapter...
00:32:12.53\00:32:13.86
Sorry, in Mark 2:27, 28.
00:32:13.90\00:32:17.13
Jesus says, "The
Sabbath was made for who?
00:32:17.17\00:32:20.57
"Made for man and
not man for the Sabbath.
00:32:20.60\00:32:23.27
Therefore the Son of Man
is also Lord of the Sabbath."
00:32:23.30\00:32:26.14
That word the man, I
looked at word man up,
00:32:26.17\00:32:29.38
and the original
word for men in the Greek,
00:32:29.41\00:32:33.85
the language of
the New Testament
00:32:33.88\00:32:35.82
is anthropos, anthropos.
00:32:35.85\00:32:39.09
What word in English
do we get from anthropos?
00:32:39.12\00:32:42.59
Anthropology.
00:32:42.62\00:32:44.16
And what's
anthropology defined as?
00:32:44.19\00:32:46.93
The study of human
beings or the study of humanity,
00:32:46.96\00:32:50.60
that's anthropology.
00:32:50.63\00:32:52.80
And so Jesus is saying
00:32:52.83\00:32:54.47
that the Sabbath
was made for humanity,
00:32:54.50\00:32:59.57
not just the Jewish people.
00:32:59.61\00:33:01.88
Why would God want to bless
00:33:01.91\00:33:03.81
only one group of
people on the planet?
00:33:03.85\00:33:06.35
Does that sound like
the God that you know?
00:33:06.38\00:33:08.85
Certainly doesn't sound
like the God that I know?
00:33:08.88\00:33:10.99
The God that I know
wants to bless all of humanity.
00:33:11.02\00:33:16.39
In fact, if the
Sabbath is only for Jews,
00:33:16.42\00:33:22.50
and that comes to us
from the Garden of Eden,
00:33:22.53\00:33:25.40
then we could logically conclude
00:33:25.43\00:33:27.67
that marriage and the
family is only for Jews,
00:33:27.70\00:33:31.87
because that too comes
from the Garden of Eden.
00:33:31.91\00:33:36.11
I don't know about you,
00:33:36.14\00:33:37.75
but I want to hang on
to marriage and the family.
00:33:37.78\00:33:40.75
I'm enjoying
marriage and the family,
00:33:40.78\00:33:42.58
thank you very much.
00:33:42.62\00:33:43.95
I'm not giving
that up anytime soon.
00:33:43.99\00:33:47.02
These two institutions
as we have discovered,
00:33:47.06\00:33:50.49
go hand in hand,
00:33:50.53\00:33:52.56
marriage and the
family, and the Sabbath.
00:33:52.59\00:33:55.10
And God's aim is that through
these two blessed institutions,
00:33:55.13\00:33:59.63
we will not only draw
closer to one another,
00:33:59.67\00:34:04.04
but we'll draw closer to God.
00:34:04.07\00:34:06.68
And it's
fascinating when you take a look
00:34:06.71\00:34:08.64
at the Ten Commandments,
00:34:08.68\00:34:10.58
we discovered that
there are two commandments
00:34:10.61\00:34:13.31
that are
different from the others,
00:34:13.35\00:34:14.75
isn't that right?
00:34:14.78\00:34:16.12
Commandment number what?
00:34:16.15\00:34:17.49
Four, "Remember the
Sabbath day to keep it holy."
00:34:17.52\00:34:20.19
And commandment number five,
00:34:20.22\00:34:21.86
"Honor thy
mother and thy father."
00:34:21.89\00:34:25.16
We are dealing
with love and loyalty
00:34:25.19\00:34:28.20
in this series,
isn't that right?
00:34:28.23\00:34:30.40
Love and loyalty,
00:34:30.43\00:34:31.83
they come together in
these two precious commandments.
00:34:31.87\00:34:34.54
In fact, I need to
give credit to a person
00:34:34.57\00:34:38.11
that works at
3ABN called Rosemary
00:34:38.14\00:34:40.14
for this little insight.
00:34:40.18\00:34:41.51
She shared with
me once upon a time
00:34:41.54\00:34:43.35
that the words
Lord thy God appear
00:34:43.38\00:34:47.52
in the first four commandments
00:34:47.55\00:34:48.98
and of the six they only appear
in commandment number five,
00:34:49.02\00:34:53.05
Lord thy God.
00:34:53.09\00:34:54.42
It's as if, God is connecting
marriage and the family
00:34:54.46\00:34:58.76
with the other four commandments
00:34:58.79\00:35:00.50
that specifically speak of him,
00:35:00.53\00:35:02.83
because God
knows that the only way
00:35:02.86\00:35:05.13
marriage and family will prosper
00:35:05.17\00:35:07.74
in that holistic sense is
00:35:07.77\00:35:09.50
if we include the Lord
thy God in the family unit.
00:35:09.54\00:35:16.11
And the main reason,
00:35:16.14\00:35:18.65
and I make no
apologies for saying this,
00:35:18.68\00:35:20.65
the main reason why
families are fragmented today,
00:35:20.68\00:35:24.55
why society is
falling apart today?
00:35:24.59\00:35:27.52
Is because society and families,
00:35:27.56\00:35:30.09
mothers and fathers
have sadly turned their backs
00:35:30.13\00:35:35.26
on the Lord their God,
00:35:35.30\00:35:36.97
who wants to bless them,
00:35:37.00\00:35:39.13
who wants to prosper them,
00:35:39.17\00:35:41.64
and we are
suffering the consequences.
00:35:41.67\00:35:45.61
If only we took the time to read
00:35:45.64\00:35:50.05
and to follow the instructions
00:35:50.08\00:35:52.01
that God has
given us in this book.
00:35:52.05\00:35:56.99
If only things
would be very different,
00:35:57.02\00:36:00.46
very, very different
in our homes, in society
00:36:00.49\00:36:06.03
and in the world at large.
00:36:06.06\00:36:09.30
Jesus was asked on one occasion
00:36:09.33\00:36:13.57
regarding His
Sabbath keeping practices.
00:36:13.60\00:36:16.47
Well, He was
more than just asked.
00:36:16.50\00:36:18.91
He was accused of
being a Sabbath breaker.
00:36:18.94\00:36:21.61
And in Matthew
12:12, Jesus said,
00:36:21.64\00:36:23.85
"It is lawful to do," what?
00:36:23.88\00:36:26.31
"To do good on the Sabbath."
00:36:26.35\00:36:28.38
In the New Testament, we
discover on seven occasions
00:36:28.42\00:36:31.72
Jesus healed
individuals on the Sabbath.
00:36:31.75\00:36:35.86
There are seven
Sabbath miracles,
00:36:35.89\00:36:38.76
where Jesus healed Sabbath...
00:36:38.79\00:36:40.80
Sorry, seven is
God's perfect number.
00:36:40.83\00:36:43.90
It's the number of completeness,
00:36:43.93\00:36:45.27
seven days in a week,
00:36:45.30\00:36:46.63
its wholeness,
completeness, fullness.
00:36:46.67\00:36:49.27
What Jesus was trying to tell us
00:36:49.30\00:36:51.37
was that the Sabbath is a
day to continually do good,
00:36:51.41\00:36:55.04
help people in need,
00:36:55.08\00:36:56.41
go and visit someone who is sick
00:36:56.44\00:36:57.85
and we have the time.
00:36:57.88\00:36:59.21
We have the time.
We don't need to work.
00:36:59.25\00:37:01.52
We don't need to work,
00:37:01.55\00:37:02.88
we don't need
to be out shopping.
00:37:02.92\00:37:04.75
We can be out visiting the sick,
00:37:04.79\00:37:06.52
we can be praying for people,
we can be encouraging people,
00:37:06.55\00:37:08.89
we can be worshiping
God, our Lord and our Savior.
00:37:08.92\00:37:15.30
I want to share
with you six points
00:37:15.33\00:37:18.13
of what the
Sabbath reminds me of.
00:37:18.17\00:37:21.50
Firstly, the Sabbath reminds
me that God is my Creator.
00:37:21.54\00:37:26.14
I came into existence
from a loving Creator God,
00:37:26.17\00:37:30.98
I have meaning, I have purpose.
00:37:31.01\00:37:33.68
The second reason,
00:37:33.72\00:37:36.75
for the Sabbath for me
00:37:36.79\00:37:38.62
is that God wants to have
00:37:38.65\00:37:39.99
an intimate
relationship with me.
00:37:40.02\00:37:41.99
God loves me that much
that He set aside time,
00:37:42.02\00:37:45.93
every week, every week,
00:37:45.96\00:37:47.86
not once a year,
like my anniversary,
00:37:47.90\00:37:50.03
not once a year
like my birthday,
00:37:50.07\00:37:51.73
not once a year like Anzac Day,
00:37:51.77\00:37:54.94
but every week,
He loves me so much,
00:37:54.97\00:37:57.04
He wants to spend a
whole day with me every week
00:37:57.07\00:38:00.38
and bless me in
a very special way.
00:38:00.41\00:38:02.78
Thirdly, Sabbath reminds
me that God is my Savior.
00:38:02.81\00:38:07.95
Notice these words
from Exodus 20:1, 2,
00:38:07.98\00:38:13.46
"And God spoke all
these words, saying:
00:38:13.49\00:38:15.46
'I'm the Lord your God,
00:38:15.49\00:38:16.96
who brought you out
of the land of Egypt,
00:38:16.99\00:38:18.93
out of the house of bondage.'"
00:38:18.96\00:38:22.73
Before God gives His Ten
Commandments to His people,
00:38:22.76\00:38:25.83
the first thing He says,
00:38:25.87\00:38:27.20
"I've brought
you out of bondage,
00:38:27.24\00:38:28.57
I've brought
you out of slavery."
00:38:28.60\00:38:29.94
The Sabbath reminds me
00:38:29.97\00:38:31.47
that through
Christ, I've been forgiven.
00:38:31.51\00:38:34.34
Through Christ,
I've been set free
00:38:34.38\00:38:36.28
from the burden of sin.
00:38:36.31\00:38:37.81
Through Christ,
I'm no longer a slave
00:38:37.85\00:38:40.75
to guilt, and sin, and Satan.
00:38:40.78\00:38:44.55
I have been set
free from the bondage
00:38:44.59\00:38:47.39
that I have been under,
00:38:47.42\00:38:49.69
by grace through
faith as a gift from God.
00:38:49.72\00:38:54.23
Notice these words,
in Deuteronomy Chapter 5,
00:38:54.26\00:38:56.73
where Moses here
gives a different context
00:38:56.77\00:39:01.07
for the Sabbath.
00:39:01.10\00:39:02.44
Powerful words from
Deuteronomy 5:12, 15.
00:39:02.47\00:39:05.84
"Observe the Sabbath
day, to keep it holy,
00:39:05.87\00:39:08.18
as the Lord your
God commanded you..."
00:39:08.21\00:39:09.81
He was speaking directly
to the children of Israel.
00:39:09.84\00:39:12.75
"And remember
that you were a slave
00:39:12.78\00:39:14.52
in the land of Egypt,
00:39:14.55\00:39:15.88
and the Lord your God
brought you out from there
00:39:15.92\00:39:18.12
by a mighty hand and
by an outstretched arm,
00:39:18.15\00:39:21.29
therefore the Lord your God
00:39:21.32\00:39:22.66
commanded you to
keep the Sabbath day."
00:39:22.69\00:39:24.99
So not only is
the Sabbath a reminder
00:39:25.03\00:39:27.76
that we have been
created by a loving God,
00:39:27.80\00:39:30.37
but it's a reminder
00:39:30.40\00:39:31.73
that we have been
saved by a loving God.
00:39:31.77\00:39:36.20
The Sabbath fulfills both
of these precious blessings
00:39:36.24\00:39:41.08
that come directly from God,
00:39:41.11\00:39:42.44
He's our Creator
as well as our Savior.
00:39:42.48\00:39:48.28
Fourthly, the Sabbath reminds me
00:39:48.32\00:39:50.25
that I belong to God.
00:39:50.29\00:39:54.92
In the Western world, in
particular in many cultures,
00:39:54.96\00:39:58.99
when two people at the altar
00:39:59.03\00:40:01.76
choose to live with one another
00:40:01.80\00:40:05.57
for the rest of their lives,
00:40:05.60\00:40:07.64
through sickness and in health,
and good times and in bad,
00:40:07.67\00:40:10.31
for richer and for
poorer, until what?
00:40:10.34\00:40:14.11
Until death do us part,
they give one another what?
00:40:14.14\00:40:17.68
They give one another
wedding rings, don't they?
00:40:17.71\00:40:20.28
It's an outward
sign, an outward sign
00:40:20.32\00:40:22.95
that they belong to one another
00:40:22.98\00:40:25.59
for everyone to see.
00:40:25.62\00:40:28.22
My wife wears her
wedding ring, I lost mine.
00:40:28.26\00:40:31.16
That's another
story for another day.
00:40:31.19\00:40:34.76
My wife wears a wedding
ring as a reminder to everyone
00:40:34.80\00:40:38.40
that she is off limits.
00:40:38.43\00:40:39.83
She doesn't...
00:40:39.87\00:40:41.20
she belongs to someone.
00:40:41.24\00:40:42.74
She's already taking...
00:40:42.77\00:40:44.21
she's already
been taken care of.
00:40:44.24\00:40:47.18
It's fascinating that God says,
00:40:47.21\00:40:50.01
"My Sabbath will be a
reminder that you belong to Me."
00:40:50.05\00:40:52.18
Notice these
words, Ezekiel 20:12,
00:40:52.21\00:40:55.68
"Moreover I also gave
them My Sabbath, to be a" what?
00:40:55.72\00:40:59.19
"A sign between them
and Me, that they might know
00:40:59.22\00:41:02.12
that I am the Lord
who sanctifies them."
00:41:02.16\00:41:04.93
The Sabbath is an outward
sign between God and His people,
00:41:04.96\00:41:08.66
that He sets them apart
as holy as belonging to Him.
00:41:08.70\00:41:13.87
Number five, the
Sabbath reminds me
00:41:13.90\00:41:16.34
that my allegiance is to God.
00:41:16.37\00:41:19.24
Let's notice these words again
00:41:19.27\00:41:21.41
from Genesis 2:3
where the Bible says,
00:41:21.44\00:41:23.85
"Then God
blessed the seventh day
00:41:23.88\00:41:25.35
and sanctified it,
00:41:25.38\00:41:26.72
because in it He
rested from all His work
00:41:26.75\00:41:28.68
which God had created and made."
00:41:28.72\00:41:30.59
There are three
things that God did
00:41:30.62\00:41:32.35
on the Sabbath day
00:41:32.39\00:41:34.39
that He did not do on any
one of the other six days.
00:41:34.42\00:41:38.63
God blessed this day unlike
any of the other six days.
00:41:38.66\00:41:42.90
God sanctified it,
as we've discovered,
00:41:42.93\00:41:44.80
set it apart for holy use.
00:41:44.83\00:41:46.33
It's not an ordinary day,
it's holy, it belongs to God.
00:41:46.37\00:41:49.60
And He gives it to us as a gift,
00:41:49.64\00:41:51.27
as a holy gift.
00:41:51.31\00:41:53.11
And He rested
from all of His work.
00:41:53.14\00:41:56.64
Let me illustrate how
this is so significant.
00:41:56.68\00:42:01.42
Let me illustrate.
00:42:01.45\00:42:03.99
Imagine with me,
00:42:04.02\00:42:06.05
and I'll come and just
take some materials with me.
00:42:06.09\00:42:09.32
Imagine with me,
I was a mechanic,
00:42:09.36\00:42:13.80
a motor mechanic,
a backyard mechanic,
00:42:13.83\00:42:16.06
and I was working on my car.
00:42:16.10\00:42:17.73
And one day, I'm
working on my car
00:42:17.77\00:42:20.77
and I'm using this white rag,
00:42:20.80\00:42:23.44
finished working
with until it's all oily
00:42:23.47\00:42:27.64
and just dirty,
and I'm done with it.
00:42:27.68\00:42:30.25
So I put that in
my box of old rags.
00:42:30.28\00:42:33.68
And I pick up another
one and I keep working,
00:42:33.72\00:42:35.98
I pick up this blue rag,
00:42:36.02\00:42:38.99
and I'm working away using it
00:42:39.02\00:42:41.42
until it's no
longer any use to me,
00:42:41.46\00:42:44.53
there's just oil everywhere.
00:42:44.56\00:42:45.99
And it's, it's no good.
00:42:46.03\00:42:48.16
And then I'll put
that in my box of old rags.
00:42:48.20\00:42:51.17
I pull out another
rag, a red one this time.
00:42:51.20\00:42:55.04
And I used that
until it comes to the point
00:42:55.07\00:42:58.84
where it's
passed its use by date.
00:42:58.87\00:43:01.74
Then I take these three rags
00:43:01.78\00:43:04.91
and I decide I'm
gonna have a big fire,
00:43:04.95\00:43:09.12
burn a whole bunch of rubbish.
00:43:09.15\00:43:10.72
And I take these three old rags
00:43:10.75\00:43:12.89
and I throw them in
the fire and I burn them.
00:43:12.92\00:43:15.86
Would you have a
problem with that?
00:43:15.89\00:43:18.13
No, I wouldn't
have a problem with it.
00:43:18.16\00:43:19.49
They're just
three old oily rags.
00:43:19.53\00:43:22.26
Who cares?
00:43:22.30\00:43:24.10
Who cares?
00:43:24.13\00:43:25.67
Imagine with me now.
00:43:25.70\00:43:27.90
I have these three
different bits of material,
00:43:27.94\00:43:34.64
call them rags,
call them material.
00:43:34.68\00:43:36.95
And I decide now to take
these three bits of material,
00:43:36.98\00:43:42.98
red, white and blue,
00:43:43.02\00:43:44.72
and I decide to make this.
00:43:44.75\00:43:51.56
I decide to make this
00:43:51.59\00:43:54.80
out of those three
different materials,
00:43:54.83\00:43:58.73
an Australian flag.
00:43:58.77\00:44:00.60
Now imagine with me,
00:44:00.64\00:44:03.04
I took this and
I also burnt this
00:44:03.07\00:44:05.67
with the rest of my
rubbish in the backyard,
00:44:05.71\00:44:08.74
would you have a
problem with that?
00:44:08.78\00:44:11.08
I would.
00:44:11.11\00:44:12.45
I would have a
huge problem with that,
00:44:12.48\00:44:13.95
not only is it
illegal and you can be fined,
00:44:13.98\00:44:17.55
and rightly so.
00:44:17.59\00:44:18.92
But what you are doing is,
00:44:18.95\00:44:20.46
you are desecrating a
symbol, an outward symbol
00:44:20.49\00:44:23.86
that represents the
nation that you belong to,
00:44:23.89\00:44:28.23
the land that you are
privileged to live in.
00:44:28.26\00:44:30.63
And trust me,
00:44:30.67\00:44:32.00
I've been to many
parts of the world.
00:44:32.03\00:44:33.60
Australia is a blessed nation,
00:44:33.64\00:44:35.77
New Zealand is a close
second, a very close second.
00:44:35.80\00:44:39.37
I've lived there
for six years also.
00:44:39.41\00:44:43.85
The Sabbath is different
00:44:43.88\00:44:46.95
from all the
other days of the week,
00:44:46.98\00:44:48.82
because on that day,
God invested His blessing,
00:44:48.85\00:44:53.32
He invested His divine rest
00:44:53.36\00:44:56.32
and He invested His
Holiness into that day.
00:44:56.36\00:45:00.60
Can you see
that it is different?
00:45:00.63\00:45:04.00
It is very different.
00:45:04.03\00:45:07.04
The Sabbath reminds me
00:45:07.07\00:45:11.51
that I have been set apart
00:45:11.54\00:45:15.78
by God for holy use.
00:45:15.81\00:45:18.45
And finally, the
Sabbath reminds me
00:45:18.48\00:45:22.78
that God will take care of me.
00:45:22.82\00:45:26.22
If you go home and
you read the story there
00:45:26.25\00:45:28.66
in Exodus Chapter 16,
00:45:28.69\00:45:30.53
you'll discover that God
fed the children of Israel
00:45:30.56\00:45:34.53
as He took them out of Egypt,
00:45:34.56\00:45:36.97
and they were in the wilderness.
00:45:37.00\00:45:39.27
They were fed
by God for 40 years
00:45:39.30\00:45:43.10
with manna from heaven.
00:45:43.14\00:45:45.47
And the manna
fell every six days,
00:45:45.51\00:45:48.84
it fell for six days
straight and guess what?
00:45:48.88\00:45:51.65
It didn't fall on Sabbath.
00:45:51.68\00:45:53.58
On Sabbath, there
was no manna from heaven.
00:45:53.62\00:45:56.08
So what were they
going to eat on Sabbath?
00:45:56.12\00:45:58.62
They were going to collect twice
00:45:58.65\00:45:59.99
as much on Friday.
00:46:00.02\00:46:02.02
Every other day,
00:46:02.06\00:46:03.49
if they kept the manna,
00:46:03.53\00:46:05.59
for the next
day, it would go off.
00:46:05.63\00:46:08.76
There'd be worms,
00:46:08.80\00:46:10.27
it would not be fit
for human consumption.
00:46:10.30\00:46:12.30
But on Sabbath that
manna tasted just as sweet
00:46:12.33\00:46:17.01
and I like to
think even sweeter.
00:46:17.04\00:46:20.08
Even sweeter than
it tasted on Friday,
00:46:20.11\00:46:22.04
when they first ate it.
00:46:22.08\00:46:23.88
For 40 years,
00:46:23.91\00:46:25.25
God reminded the
children of Israel
00:46:25.28\00:46:26.61
that I will take care of you.
00:46:26.65\00:46:28.58
Now there may be some here,
00:46:28.62\00:46:29.95
there may be
some who are watching,
00:46:29.98\00:46:31.32
who are wondering,
00:46:31.35\00:46:32.69
how on earth can
I keep the Sabbath
00:46:32.72\00:46:35.22
only to let go of my job?
00:46:35.26\00:46:37.33
I mean, I'll get the sack,
00:46:37.36\00:46:38.96
my boss will just sack me
00:46:38.99\00:46:40.33
and say, "Too bad so sad,
00:46:40.36\00:46:42.83
plenty more out
there that I can hire
00:46:42.86\00:46:44.70
if you don't want to work
on the seventh day Sabbath
00:46:44.73\00:46:48.60
in order to honor your God,
00:46:48.64\00:46:51.54
you'll have to find
somewhere else to work
00:46:51.57\00:46:53.07
and there may not be much work?
00:46:53.11\00:46:55.01
My friend, wherever you are,
00:46:55.04\00:46:56.38
I want to encourage you,
God will take care of you.
00:46:56.41\00:46:58.91
God will take care of
you, He will not let you go.
00:46:58.95\00:47:00.88
If you put your
faith and trust in Him,
00:47:00.92\00:47:02.68
He will take care of
you. He will take care of you.
00:47:02.72\00:47:05.69
What did Jesus do?
00:47:09.22\00:47:10.83
Let's ask the
question. What did Jesus do?
00:47:10.86\00:47:12.59
You notice what the
Bible says in Luke 4:16,
00:47:12.63\00:47:15.86
"So He came to Nazareth,
where He had been brought up.
00:47:15.90\00:47:19.10
And as His custom was,
00:47:19.13\00:47:21.10
He went into the
synagogue on the Sabbath day,
00:47:21.14\00:47:24.11
and stood up to read."
00:47:24.14\00:47:25.47
Jesus went to church on Sabbath.
00:47:25.51\00:47:27.18
He went to church.
00:47:27.21\00:47:28.54
It wasn't just Jesus,
if we continue to read
00:47:28.58\00:47:31.75
the Apostle Paul, he
describes his custom,
00:47:31.78\00:47:34.85
"Then Paul, as his custom was,
00:47:34.88\00:47:36.89
went in to them,
and for three Sabbaths
00:47:36.92\00:47:39.35
reasoned with them
from the Scriptures."
00:47:39.39\00:47:41.42
All the way
through the New Testament,
00:47:41.46\00:47:43.76
God's holy
Sabbath day is observed
00:47:43.79\00:47:47.63
by His faithful
commandment keeping people,
00:47:47.66\00:47:52.70
all through the New Testament,
all through the New Testament.
00:47:52.73\00:47:56.64
I'd be thinking, well,
why do most people worship
00:47:56.67\00:47:58.87
on the first day of the week?
00:47:58.91\00:48:00.38
Well, you'll have to come
back for our next presentation,
00:48:00.41\00:48:02.18
and we're gonna
deal with that then.
00:48:02.21\00:48:04.25
But I want to take a look
at this incredible promise
00:48:04.28\00:48:06.41
in Hebrews Chapter 4.
00:48:06.45\00:48:07.78
Notice what we
read in Hebrews 4:4, 9.
00:48:07.82\00:48:10.99
This is in the New Testament.
00:48:11.02\00:48:14.09
And I believe this
is the Apostle Paul,
00:48:14.12\00:48:15.92
who wrote these words
and many others do too.
00:48:15.96\00:48:19.09
"For He," speaking of God,
00:48:19.13\00:48:21.53
"has spoken in a certain place
00:48:21.56\00:48:23.53
of the seventh day in this way:
00:48:23.57\00:48:26.53
'And God rested
on the seventh day
00:48:26.57\00:48:28.84
from all his works.'
00:48:28.87\00:48:30.67
There remains therefore a rest,"
00:48:30.71\00:48:33.94
for the people of who?
00:48:33.98\00:48:36.01
"For the people of God.'"
00:48:36.04\00:48:37.85
This is New Testament,
00:48:37.88\00:48:39.75
and I looked up
that word remains
00:48:39.78\00:48:42.65
and in the
original that word remains
00:48:42.68\00:48:44.75
is in the continuous tense.
00:48:44.79\00:48:47.26
Do you know what the
word continuous tense means?
00:48:47.29\00:48:49.32
It means that it's continuous.
00:48:49.36\00:48:52.79
It's forever.
00:48:52.83\00:48:54.23
It remains forever and
ever, and ever and ever.
00:48:54.26\00:48:59.37
The Sabbath is God's
rest to the human race
00:48:59.40\00:49:03.30
for all of eternity
00:49:03.34\00:49:04.67
and we'll discover
what the Bible has to say
00:49:04.71\00:49:07.31
about that in just a moment.
00:49:07.34\00:49:09.21
Let's notice what we read
in the Book of Revelation.
00:49:09.24\00:49:12.21
By the way,
Revelation, Revelation
00:49:12.25\00:49:16.18
was a book that God
gave to John the Revelator.
00:49:16.22\00:49:20.46
He says, on the Lord's Day.
00:49:20.49\00:49:23.32
On what day?
00:49:23.36\00:49:24.69
On the Lord's Day,
and according to Jesus,
00:49:24.73\00:49:27.46
the Son of Man is
Lord of the Sabbath.
00:49:27.50\00:49:31.33
So John received
the Book of Revelation,
00:49:31.37\00:49:34.17
which is a book
focused on worship,
00:49:34.20\00:49:38.87
on the day of worship,
00:49:38.91\00:49:40.61
the seventh day Sabbath,
00:49:40.64\00:49:41.98
that's just a powerful thought.
00:49:42.01\00:49:43.91
But notice what
we find once again
00:49:43.95\00:49:45.58
in the three angels'
messages, Revelation 14:7.
00:49:45.61\00:49:49.35
We've been there
before, we'll go there again,
00:49:49.38\00:49:51.79
saying with a loud
voice, that megaphone voice,
00:49:51.82\00:49:54.69
"Fear God and give glory to Him,
00:49:54.72\00:49:57.03
for the hour of
His judgment has come,"
00:49:57.06\00:49:59.43
and notice these words now,
00:49:59.46\00:50:00.80
"and worship Him who
made heaven and earth,
00:50:00.83\00:50:02.70
the sea and the
springs of water."
00:50:02.73\00:50:04.80
There's a call to
the entire human race,
00:50:04.83\00:50:07.30
this message is not to be shared
00:50:07.34\00:50:10.37
in a section over here
or in a corner over there,
00:50:10.41\00:50:12.91
this message is to
go to the whole world.
00:50:12.94\00:50:14.74
We discovered that in
our previous presentation,
00:50:14.78\00:50:16.54
Revelation 14:6,
it says very clearly,
00:50:16.58\00:50:19.31
"This is the everlasting gospel
00:50:19.35\00:50:20.68
that needs to
go to every nation,
00:50:20.72\00:50:22.05
kindred, tongue and people."
00:50:22.08\00:50:23.89
And the message is, worship Him.
00:50:23.92\00:50:27.42
I find it fascinating,
that in light of the words,
00:50:27.46\00:50:30.76
worship Him who
made heaven and earth,
00:50:30.79\00:50:33.03
at the very end of time,
00:50:33.06\00:50:34.66
we have the Genesis,
00:50:34.70\00:50:37.87
the beginnings of
the modern day atheistic,
00:50:37.90\00:50:42.40
the modern day
evolutionary philosophy,
00:50:42.44\00:50:48.51
and way of
thinking and way of teaching
00:50:48.54\00:50:51.68
through Charles
Darwin, the pioneer, the father
00:50:51.71\00:50:57.02
of the
evolutionary model of creation
00:50:57.05\00:51:00.86
and how we came to be.
00:51:00.89\00:51:02.92
It's fascinating to me,
00:51:02.96\00:51:04.63
that we are
living in a day and age
00:51:04.66\00:51:07.30
when evolution seems to
be the flavor of the month,
00:51:07.33\00:51:11.20
certainly in our
higher education institutions
00:51:11.23\00:51:14.77
and God is calling us.
00:51:14.80\00:51:16.94
God is calling the world
to worship the Creator God
00:51:16.97\00:51:20.54
that we came about
through divine creation,
00:51:20.58\00:51:24.38
we came about from a
loving God Who loved us,
00:51:24.41\00:51:27.62
Who created us in His image.
00:51:27.65\00:51:30.95
Darwinism, evolution
is the complete opposite
00:51:30.99\00:51:36.32
that you came to be by chance,
00:51:36.36\00:51:38.73
that you don't have a purpose.
00:51:38.76\00:51:42.03
You certainly
don't have any future
00:51:42.06\00:51:43.87
because there is no future.
00:51:43.90\00:51:46.40
You're here for a moment
and you're gone the next,
00:51:46.43\00:51:49.14
make the most of it,
00:51:49.17\00:51:50.51
you have only one
life, live life now
00:51:50.54\00:51:53.61
because you don't have any more,
00:51:53.64\00:51:55.18
there is no God.
00:51:55.21\00:51:56.75
There is no
Creator, there is no future.
00:51:56.78\00:52:01.48
And at a time
in earth's history,
00:52:01.52\00:52:03.28
when we desperately needed
to go back to our Creator,
00:52:03.32\00:52:07.46
God gave a message,
00:52:07.49\00:52:08.82
"Worship Him who
made heaven and earth,
00:52:08.86\00:52:10.29
the sea and springs of water."
00:52:10.33\00:52:11.66
Notice these scriptures,
where John is quoting from
00:52:11.69\00:52:15.16
in Revelation 14:7.
00:52:15.20\00:52:16.53
He's quoting from Revelation...
00:52:16.56\00:52:17.97
Sorry, Exodus 20:8, 11.
00:52:18.00\00:52:20.50
"Remember the
Sabbath day to keep it holy.
00:52:20.54\00:52:22.54
For in six days, the Lord made
00:52:22.57\00:52:23.91
the heavens and
the earth, the sea,
00:52:23.94\00:52:25.54
and all that is in them."
00:52:25.57\00:52:28.21
So here we have, once again,
the call back to creation,
00:52:28.24\00:52:32.15
the call to honor God
and remember the Sabbath day
00:52:32.18\00:52:36.85
straight out of
the fourth commandment.
00:52:36.89\00:52:39.65
Well, I want to
share with you once again,
00:52:39.69\00:52:43.09
God's end time
people in Revelation 14:12,
00:52:43.12\00:52:45.79
"Here is the
patience of the saints,
00:52:45.83\00:52:47.36
here are those who
keep the commandments of God
00:52:47.40\00:52:50.33
and the faith of Jesus."
00:52:50.37\00:52:52.50
I wanna share with you
00:52:52.53\00:52:53.87
this interesting
outline of the Sabbath,
00:52:53.90\00:52:57.41
the Bible and the Sabbath.
00:52:57.44\00:52:59.27
Notice, in the
beginning God created the day.
00:52:59.31\00:53:02.54
He gave it to the
human race at Mount Sinai.
00:53:02.58\00:53:05.31
God commanded it by saying,
00:53:05.35\00:53:07.32
"Remember the
Sabbath day to keep it holy."
00:53:07.35\00:53:08.98
In His life
Jesus worshiped on it.
00:53:09.02\00:53:11.65
In His death Jesus observed it.
Now we haven't looked at that.
00:53:11.69\00:53:14.42
Let me just touch on
that just for a moment.
00:53:14.46\00:53:17.66
On what day did Jesus die?
00:53:17.69\00:53:20.23
Friday, it was Friday afternoon,
00:53:20.26\00:53:22.66
the Bible says at 3 pm
00:53:22.70\00:53:25.03
that Jesus breathed
His last and He died.
00:53:25.07\00:53:28.47
What were the final
words of Jesus before He died?
00:53:28.50\00:53:31.81
He cried out, "It is finished."
00:53:31.84\00:53:36.21
And He died.
00:53:36.24\00:53:37.81
And He rested in the
grave during the Sabbath.
00:53:37.85\00:53:40.88
And when did He rise again?
00:53:40.92\00:53:42.55
On the first day of the week
00:53:42.58\00:53:45.52
to continue His
work of redemption,
00:53:45.55\00:53:47.39
to continue His work
of reconciling us to God.
00:53:47.42\00:53:52.76
What did Jesus say?
00:53:52.79\00:53:54.13
What did the Creator say?
00:53:54.16\00:53:55.50
And God created
through His Son Jesus Christ,
00:53:55.53\00:53:58.00
according to John 1,
and according to Hebrews 1,
00:53:58.03\00:54:00.10
and according to Colossians 1.
00:54:00.14\00:54:02.80
What did the Creator say
00:54:02.84\00:54:04.24
at the end of the creation week?
00:54:04.27\00:54:08.34
Finished, it is finished.
00:54:08.38\00:54:11.71
And it was all very, very good.
00:54:11.75\00:54:14.15
Isn't that powerful?
00:54:14.18\00:54:16.25
Jesus rested after creation.
00:54:16.28\00:54:18.55
He rested after
He bought us back.
00:54:18.59\00:54:23.16
The New Testament
Church continue to observe it.
00:54:23.19\00:54:26.39
God's last day
people will keep it,
00:54:26.43\00:54:28.33
according to the
Book of Revelation
00:54:28.36\00:54:29.70
and the Sabbath will
remain forever and ever.
00:54:29.73\00:54:32.83
How do we know that?
00:54:32.87\00:54:34.20
Notice what we read
00:54:34.24\00:54:35.57
in Isaiah, 66:22, 23.
00:54:35.60\00:54:40.91
"For as the new
heavens and the new earth
00:54:40.94\00:54:42.58
which I will make
shall remain before Me,"
00:54:42.61\00:54:44.35
says the Lord,
00:54:44.38\00:54:45.71
"so shall your descendants
and your name remain.
00:54:45.75\00:54:48.88
And it shall come to pass that
from one New Moon to another,
00:54:48.92\00:54:51.55
and from one Sabbath to another,
00:54:51.59\00:54:52.92
all flesh shall come
to worship before Me,"
00:54:52.95\00:54:55.16
says the Lord.
00:54:55.19\00:54:56.52
Isn't that a powerful promise?
Isn't that a powerful promise?
00:54:56.56\00:55:00.36
We will continue to worship
our Creator and our Savior,
00:55:00.40\00:55:04.80
every seventh day Sabbath,
00:55:04.83\00:55:07.30
all flesh, that's
what the Bible says,
00:55:07.34\00:55:09.87
"All flesh will come before God
00:55:09.90\00:55:12.81
and worship Him from
one Sabbath to another,"
00:55:12.84\00:55:15.74
recognizing that
we are only there,
00:55:15.78\00:55:18.85
because of His creative
power and His redemptive power.
00:55:18.88\00:55:23.42
And every
Sabbath, we are reminded
00:55:23.45\00:55:25.95
that we belong to
a God who created us
00:55:25.99\00:55:28.62
and a God who redeemed us.
00:55:28.66\00:55:33.40
So Jesus says, in John 14:15,
00:55:33.43\00:55:39.07
"If you love Me,
keep My commandments."
00:55:39.10\00:55:42.77
If you love Me,
keep My commandments.
00:55:42.80\00:55:44.67
Once again, it boils
down to love and loyalty.
00:55:44.71\00:55:49.51
Love and loyalty.
00:55:49.54\00:55:50.88
And why wouldn't you want
to enter into the blessing
00:55:50.91\00:55:54.25
that God has in store for you?
00:55:54.28\00:55:56.62
If God says,
"I'm gonna bless you,"
00:55:56.65\00:55:58.29
guess where I'm
gonna be in the queue?
00:55:58.32\00:55:59.75
I'm gonna be right at
the front of the queue.
00:55:59.79\00:56:02.09
I want to
receive God's blessings
00:56:02.12\00:56:04.23
and He wants to bless me
and He wants to bless you.
00:56:04.26\00:56:06.70
I want to encourage you
00:56:06.73\00:56:08.06
to enter into the
rest that Jesus offers
00:56:08.10\00:56:10.00
to enter into the
Sabbath rest and be blessed.
00:56:10.03\00:56:12.23
Let us pray together.
00:56:12.27\00:56:13.60
Father in heaven,
00:56:13.64\00:56:14.97
we thank You so
much for Your blessings,
00:56:15.00\00:56:16.34
we ask and pray
00:56:16.37\00:56:17.87
that You will continually
pour out Your blessing,
00:56:17.91\00:56:21.18
Your Sabbath blessing upon us.
00:56:21.21\00:56:22.71
Thank you for
marriage and the family.
00:56:22.74\00:56:24.58
Thank you for the Sabbath.
00:56:24.61\00:56:25.95
Thank you for how these
00:56:25.98\00:56:27.32
two divine
institutions work together,
00:56:27.35\00:56:29.15
in order to bless us
this day and forevermore,
00:56:29.18\00:56:32.72
and we thank you
for that in Jesus' name.
00:56:32.75\00:56:35.02
Amen.
00:56:35.06\00:56:36.79