And this is the record
00:00:11.27\00:00:13.27
that God hath
given to us eternal life,
00:00:13.31\00:00:16.68
and this life is in His Son.
00:00:16.71\00:00:20.45
Welcome to 3ABN
Australia Homecoming.
00:00:20.48\00:00:24.12
Hello, and
welcome to our program.
00:00:31.16\00:00:34.23
We're really glad that
00:00:34.26\00:00:35.60
we have people
here in our audience
00:00:35.63\00:00:37.20
and thank you for coming.
00:00:37.23\00:00:38.77
This is number 10
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of our 3ABN
Australia Homecoming 2020,
00:00:42.14\00:00:46.51
preparing for eternity.
00:00:46.54\00:00:48.51
We're going through
the book Steps to Christ
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because that is our
preparation for eternity.
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Nothing else we do matters.
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That is how we are ready.
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So we're having
different speakers,
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13 speakers going
through a chapter each
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from Steps to Christ.
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And it's a beautiful book.
00:01:06.13\00:01:07.46
And I'm sure everybody is
enjoying what we're hearing.
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Pastor Lyle Southwell
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was our last
speaker on Chapter nine.
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And he spoke on
the work and the life.
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His summary is of his chapter.
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Number one, who
are you superior to?
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The joy of working for those
who do not have what we have.
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Two, what is the
focus of your life?
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Ease or sacrifice?
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Three, our highest honor
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is the honor of doing a work
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from which
angels are restricted.
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Four, a deeper experience gained
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by service.
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It brings unity and fellowship.
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Five, everyone's
calling is to do the work
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that lies closest to them.
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Six, there is
unlimited joy in serving God
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by helping others.
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Isn't that true?
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That is the absolute truth.
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Well today,
Pastor Adrian Raethal,
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the president of the
North New South Wales
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Conference in Australia
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will be speaking
to us on Chapter 10,
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on knowledge of God.
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And for our music,
we have Marty Thompson
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who's pastor of the
Kempsey New South Wales Church.
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And he's gonna be
singing a song called "Renewed."
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Thank you, Marty.
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Rays of sunlight beaming through
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All creation reveals you
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At Your word the heavens made
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There your glory is explained
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Take the time to see
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The majesty of heaven
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Take the time to be
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In the presence of the King
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Look around and see
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The portrait
painted just for you
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Just stop and be renewed
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On the cross my Savior died
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By His blood Him justified
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Jesus came to demonstrate
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Love we now commemorate
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Take the time to see
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The beauty of redemption
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Take the time to be
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Sitting at Jesus feet
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Turn around believe
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That God gave
His own Son for you
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Just stop and be renewed
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When the world
keeps on flying by
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God is always there
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And no matter
how way down you feel
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Your burdens Christ will bear
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For there is nothing
in this tired old world
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That can calm your soul
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Like a heart that
trusts in Jesus Christ
00:05:12.51\00:05:16.88
He will make you whole
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So take the time to see
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The beauty of redemption
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Take the time to be
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Sitting at Jesus feet
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Turn around believe
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That God gave
His own Son for you
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Just stop and be renewed
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Turn around believe
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That God gave
His own Son for you
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Just stop and be renewed
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Thank you, Pastor
Marty, for that beautiful song
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that leads us into
our study for today.
00:06:13.34\00:06:15.27
And it's great to be here
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and to share this time with you.
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Let's just bow our
heads in a word of prayer.
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Father, as we open Your words,
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we pray that You would send
Your Holy Spirit to be here.
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Be our teacher,
open up our hearts
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to receive the message
You have prepared for us.
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We pray in Jesus' name, amen.
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The dialogue between Job
and his so-called friends
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is interesting to read.
00:06:42.20\00:06:44.67
A lot of the time,
they're not very helpful.
00:06:44.70\00:06:47.40
And they seem
intent on reminding Job
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what a bad person he is
00:06:51.14\00:06:54.04
because terrible
things only happen
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to wicked people, right?
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Wrong.
00:06:59.11\00:07:01.25
But every now and then
they speak a nugget of truth.
00:07:01.28\00:07:05.92
One example is Zophar
00:07:05.95\00:07:08.22
and a comment that
00:07:08.26\00:07:09.59
he makes as
recorded in Job 11:7.
00:07:09.62\00:07:14.46
Job 11:7 And he says this,
00:07:14.50\00:07:19.13
"Can you search out
the deep things of God?
00:07:19.17\00:07:23.44
Can you find out the
limits of the Almighty?
00:07:23.47\00:07:26.64
They are higher than
heaven, what can you do?
00:07:26.68\00:07:29.04
Deeper than
Sheol, what can you know?
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Their measure is
longer than the earth
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and broader than the sea."
00:07:35.12\00:07:38.95
This is a deep and
important question.
00:07:38.99\00:07:42.99
Can we know God?
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If so, how?
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And what is it that
we can know about Him?
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We certainly can't
get into a spaceship
00:07:53.67\00:07:56.24
and go and look for Him.
00:07:56.27\00:07:58.54
The best we can
do as human beings
00:07:58.57\00:08:00.21
with all of our technology
00:08:00.24\00:08:02.11
and our space travel
00:08:02.14\00:08:03.48
is to put a person on
the surface of the moon.
00:08:03.51\00:08:06.72
Now the moon is
384,000 kilometers away.
00:08:06.75\00:08:12.09
And that's about as far
as we've been able to go.
00:08:12.12\00:08:15.82
One astronaut is
reported as saying that
00:08:15.86\00:08:18.23
when he went out into space,
00:08:18.26\00:08:20.76
he didn't see God anywhere.
00:08:20.80\00:08:25.10
But we have barely
scratched the surface
00:08:25.13\00:08:29.14
in our exploration.
00:08:29.17\00:08:31.47
Let's think about the sun.
00:08:31.51\00:08:34.04
The sun is 170
million kilometers away.
00:08:34.08\00:08:38.98
That's a long
way, a very long way,
00:08:39.01\00:08:42.75
but it's only a small
part of our solar system,
00:08:42.78\00:08:47.56
which is like a court
or a street in the suburb
00:08:47.59\00:08:51.29
that we call the
Milky Way Galaxy.
00:08:51.33\00:08:55.90
How big is the Milky Way Galaxy?
00:08:55.93\00:08:58.60
Well, when we get into space,
00:08:58.63\00:09:00.67
we know that we
can't use the measurements
00:09:00.70\00:09:02.80
or the rulers
that we use down here.
00:09:02.84\00:09:06.21
Here on earth we use kilometers.
00:09:06.24\00:09:07.94
My wife's parents
live on the sunshine coast.
00:09:07.98\00:09:10.35
We go up to visit them.
00:09:10.38\00:09:11.71
It's about a thousand kilometers
00:09:11.75\00:09:13.58
to go and visit them as
we travel up the highway.
00:09:13.62\00:09:17.12
But a kilometer is
absolutely useless in space.
00:09:17.15\00:09:21.59
We use a ruler the size of what?
00:09:21.62\00:09:24.59
A light year.
00:09:24.63\00:09:26.59
That's the distance that
light travels in one year.
00:09:26.63\00:09:31.20
Now, light
travels a very long way.
00:09:31.23\00:09:34.64
It travels at about
300,000 kilometers per second.
00:09:34.67\00:09:41.18
Imagine if we get in a plane
00:09:41.21\00:09:42.71
and we go to the
center of the earth
00:09:42.74\00:09:44.91
or the middle of the
earth to the equator,
00:09:44.95\00:09:47.18
we get in that plane.
00:09:47.22\00:09:48.55
And we go around the
earth in one rotation.
00:09:48.58\00:09:51.75
That's about 40,000 kilometers.
00:09:51.79\00:09:54.69
So we have to do that
seven times in one second,
00:09:54.72\00:09:59.53
and that's the distance.
00:09:59.56\00:10:00.90
So that's the speed
at which light travels.
00:10:00.93\00:10:04.13
You have to multiply that by 60
00:10:04.17\00:10:05.93
because there's 60
seconds in a minute.
00:10:05.97\00:10:07.97
You multiply that by 60 again,
there's 60 seconds in an hour,
00:10:08.00\00:10:12.14
you multiply that by 24.
00:10:12.17\00:10:14.41
And then you
multiply that by 365.
00:10:14.44\00:10:17.75
And you get to...
00:10:17.78\00:10:20.15
I hope you're sitting down
00:10:20.18\00:10:22.05
9,460 trillion kilometers,
00:10:22.08\00:10:28.79
9,460 trillion kilometers.
00:10:28.82\00:10:34.70
That's just the ruler
that we use to measure space.
00:10:34.73\00:10:40.64
Now surely, the Milky Way Galaxy
00:10:40.67\00:10:43.44
is only one or two
light years across, right?
00:10:43.47\00:10:46.68
Wrong.
00:10:46.71\00:10:48.04
The Milky Way Galaxy,
00:10:48.08\00:10:49.41
just this one little suburb
00:10:49.44\00:10:51.28
if you like in the universe
00:10:51.31\00:10:53.58
is 100,000 light years across.
00:10:53.62\00:10:59.95
Where would we
go to find out God?
00:10:59.99\00:11:02.62
If we could get in
our imaginary spaceship,
00:11:02.66\00:11:05.23
what part of the
galaxy would we go to?
00:11:05.26\00:11:09.20
Or even if we were to
go outside of this galaxy,
00:11:09.23\00:11:11.93
what other galaxy
would we go to to find God?
00:11:11.97\00:11:15.07
Where would we go?
00:11:15.10\00:11:18.87
If not this galaxy,
what part of the universe?
00:11:18.91\00:11:22.44
As we mentioned, the
best thing that we can do
00:11:22.48\00:11:24.88
is to put somebody on
the surface of the moon.
00:11:24.91\00:11:28.85
The reality is, that on our own,
00:11:28.88\00:11:31.99
in our own strength
00:11:32.02\00:11:33.86
with all of the
available technology
00:11:33.89\00:11:37.03
and the space
equipment that we have,
00:11:37.06\00:11:39.46
the rocket
technology and so forth,
00:11:39.49\00:11:41.66
there is no way that
00:11:41.70\00:11:43.57
we can find out
about God on our own,
00:11:43.60\00:11:47.10
unless He chooses
00:11:47.14\00:11:50.57
to reveal Himself to us.
00:11:50.61\00:11:53.98
Unless He chooses
to invite our space
00:11:54.01\00:11:56.91
and our time, He has
to take the initiative.
00:11:56.95\00:12:00.32
He has to reveal Himself to us
00:12:00.35\00:12:04.22
because we can't make
it to heaven on our own.
00:12:04.25\00:12:06.99
We have no idea where that is.
00:12:07.02\00:12:10.09
He has to come...
00:12:10.13\00:12:11.46
that He has come down to us
because we can't go up to Him.
00:12:11.49\00:12:15.73
Resolve this question.
00:12:15.76\00:12:17.30
Can you, can we
search out the deep things
00:12:17.33\00:12:21.44
of God on our own?
00:12:21.47\00:12:22.97
The answer is a resounding no.
00:12:23.00\00:12:26.34
But reading through
the Bible, it is clear that
00:12:26.37\00:12:28.64
God has come down to us
and it is possible to know Him.
00:12:28.68\00:12:33.11
So the next questions
that flow on from that is
00:12:33.15\00:12:35.98
how has He
revealed Himself to us?
00:12:36.02\00:12:39.65
And what is it that He
has revealed about Himself?
00:12:39.69\00:12:44.59
Ellen White, and we're looking
00:12:44.63\00:12:45.96
at the beautiful
devotional book that
00:12:45.99\00:12:47.76
she wrote Steps to Christ.
00:12:47.80\00:12:49.13
I believe arguably
the best devotional book
00:12:49.16\00:12:51.93
ever written has a
chapter in that book,
00:12:51.97\00:12:54.47
The Knowledge or
A Knowledge of God.
00:12:54.50\00:12:57.31
And the first point she makes
is that nature reveals God.
00:12:57.34\00:13:03.55
She writes that precious lessons
00:13:03.58\00:13:05.35
are bound up in
the things of nature.
00:13:05.38\00:13:09.18
Now, my wife and I
try to establish a garden
00:13:09.22\00:13:12.72
when we move from place to place
00:13:12.75\00:13:14.19
because being
involved in ministry,
00:13:14.22\00:13:15.82
we've moved quite a few times,
but we love to have a garden.
00:13:15.86\00:13:20.20
And when we lived in
Castle Hill in Sydney,
00:13:20.23\00:13:22.33
we had a few roses.
00:13:22.36\00:13:24.37
We had some flowers,
00:13:24.40\00:13:25.73
we had a few fruit
trees and we had some veggies.
00:13:25.77\00:13:28.90
I love a veggie
plot, a veggie garden.
00:13:28.94\00:13:32.54
There's nothing better
than getting your hands dirty
00:13:32.57\00:13:35.38
or being able to
pick fresh things
00:13:35.41\00:13:37.58
and eat them just a few minutes
00:13:37.61\00:13:40.05
after you've picked
them out of the garden.
00:13:40.08\00:13:42.28
And for dinner,
having a number of things
00:13:42.32\00:13:45.39
on your dinner
plate, knowing that
00:13:45.42\00:13:46.96
some of those things have come
00:13:46.99\00:13:48.59
from your own veggie garden.
00:13:48.62\00:13:51.96
It brings lots of
enjoyment and relaxation,
00:13:51.99\00:13:55.83
but there's also lots of lessons
00:13:55.86\00:13:57.83
that we can learn
from nature as well.
00:13:57.87\00:14:00.77
Now we know that
00:14:00.80\00:14:02.14
if a change in
the weather is coming,
00:14:02.17\00:14:04.41
what do you
notice about the ants?
00:14:04.44\00:14:06.98
They seem to
scurry around faster than
00:14:07.01\00:14:09.24
what they normally do,
whether it's to bring food
00:14:09.28\00:14:12.75
into the nest
before the rain comes,
00:14:12.78\00:14:14.52
whether it's to
raise the level of the nest
00:14:14.55\00:14:16.75
so that it doesn't flood,
00:14:16.79\00:14:18.55
but they just go
about their work,
00:14:18.59\00:14:21.49
much more quickly.
00:14:21.52\00:14:22.86
And it's interesting to
just observe the insects
00:14:22.89\00:14:26.56
that we have in our gardens,
00:14:26.59\00:14:29.33
but it is also
the beauty, the color,
00:14:29.36\00:14:33.17
the design, the engineering.
00:14:33.20\00:14:37.01
Now, we currently live
just on the edge of Newcastle
00:14:37.04\00:14:40.54
and we have a Willie
wagtail and some other birds.
00:14:40.58\00:14:43.88
We think that they swifts
darting around in our backyard.
00:14:43.91\00:14:50.19
It's amazing to see
the way that they move,
00:14:50.22\00:14:53.15
they go, they fly
left to right up and down,
00:14:53.19\00:14:55.69
changing direction very quickly,
00:14:55.72\00:14:57.99
coming to a stop in a
very short space of time.
00:14:58.03\00:15:01.26
Again, with all
of our technology,
00:15:01.30\00:15:03.33
we have no plane that can do
00:15:03.37\00:15:06.37
or fly the way
that these birds fly.
00:15:06.40\00:15:09.30
And also the insects,
we have some dragonflies
00:15:09.34\00:15:11.67
that come in around a
water source that we have,
00:15:11.71\00:15:15.14
and they can hover around.
00:15:15.18\00:15:17.21
They seem to go backwards.
00:15:17.25\00:15:18.58
They seem to just
stop and be stationary.
00:15:18.61\00:15:21.75
And then they fly up and
left and right and so forth.
00:15:21.78\00:15:25.22
Now it's true that people
have different views on nature
00:15:25.25\00:15:30.03
and how it came to be.
00:15:30.06\00:15:32.43
There are those
who believe that life,
00:15:32.46\00:15:34.60
as we know it evolved
over long periods of time,
00:15:34.63\00:15:38.57
from simple to more complex,
00:15:38.60\00:15:41.90
driven by natural
selection and random mutations.
00:15:41.94\00:15:46.88
David Attenborough is a person
who fits into this category.
00:15:46.91\00:15:51.38
Now I have a
tremendous amount of respect
00:15:51.41\00:15:53.82
for David Attenborough.
00:15:53.85\00:15:55.52
He and his team
have put together
00:15:55.55\00:15:57.69
some awesome documentaries,
incredible footage,
00:15:57.72\00:16:01.16
fantastic insights
into nature and animals.
00:16:01.19\00:16:05.73
His series Blue
Planet I and Blue Planet II
00:16:05.76\00:16:08.56
have some
incredible footage in them.
00:16:08.60\00:16:10.90
And he flies the
flag for conservation
00:16:10.93\00:16:13.34
for looking after the
earth that we all live on.
00:16:13.37\00:16:17.04
He has a list of awards
and honors as long as your arm.
00:16:17.07\00:16:22.04
A few examples, in 1974,
00:16:22.08\00:16:24.98
he was awarded the
Commander of the Order
00:16:25.01\00:16:28.35
of the British Empire.
00:16:28.38\00:16:30.59
In 1985, he was
given a knighthood.
00:16:30.62\00:16:35.72
In 2005, The Order of
Merit and the list goes on.
00:16:35.76\00:16:41.30
But having said that,
00:16:41.33\00:16:43.13
he makes some interesting
observations in his DVD series,
00:16:43.16\00:16:47.67
The Life of Mammals,
00:16:47.70\00:16:49.30
and some of you
may have seen it,
00:16:49.34\00:16:50.71
or even have it in your homes.
00:16:50.74\00:16:52.97
Again, some incredible footage.
00:16:53.01\00:16:54.91
But that series starts
right here in Australia.
00:16:54.94\00:16:58.78
Just to remind
ourselves, a mammal,
00:16:58.81\00:17:01.38
how would you define a mammal?
00:17:01.42\00:17:03.35
What are the
unique characteristics?
00:17:03.39\00:17:04.82
Well, you probably know
from your science classes
00:17:04.85\00:17:07.62
or from reading that a mammal
00:17:07.66\00:17:09.72
is a warm-blooded
animal and it has hair
00:17:09.76\00:17:14.30
and the young feed
off the mother's milk.
00:17:14.33\00:17:18.90
Attenborough makes the claim
that right here in Australia,
00:17:18.93\00:17:22.34
we have evidence of
the evolution of mammals.
00:17:22.37\00:17:26.81
The oldest mammals, it
is claimed are the echidnas
00:17:26.84\00:17:31.21
and the platypus,
00:17:31.25\00:17:33.08
unique here to this
country, amazing animals,
00:17:33.11\00:17:36.72
but what's different about them?
00:17:36.75\00:17:38.82
They are the only
mammals that lay eggs.
00:17:38.85\00:17:44.96
Then it is claimed
that mammals thrived,
00:17:44.99\00:17:47.60
diversified and
changed over millions of years
00:17:47.63\00:17:51.53
until we get to one
of our favorite animals
00:17:51.57\00:17:54.67
here in Australia, the kangaroo,
00:17:54.70\00:17:57.67
which don't lay eggs, but what?
00:17:57.71\00:18:00.84
They give birth to live young
00:18:00.88\00:18:04.48
and we know the baby Joey
00:18:04.51\00:18:06.28
lives in the mother's pouch
00:18:06.31\00:18:07.65
for quite a few
months after birth.
00:18:07.68\00:18:11.65
But mammals, it is
claimed changed again,
00:18:11.69\00:18:14.49
apparently until we get animals
00:18:14.52\00:18:16.69
where the young
are born in a placenta
00:18:16.73\00:18:19.79
connected to an umbilical cord,
00:18:19.83\00:18:22.00
such as cows, sheep,
00:18:22.03\00:18:25.03
and in other
countries, lions and bears.
00:18:25.07\00:18:28.80
Now I'm not a
scientist I don't claim to be,
00:18:28.84\00:18:33.31
but I do have a
number of questions
00:18:33.34\00:18:35.38
which we could ask for
00:18:35.41\00:18:37.51
which answers are
not readily forthcoming,
00:18:37.55\00:18:42.82
such as if mammals
evolved from egg laying
00:18:42.85\00:18:47.96
to those born with live young,
00:18:47.99\00:18:50.36
to those born in a placenta.
00:18:50.39\00:18:53.26
Why is it that we still
have egg laying mammals today?
00:18:53.29\00:18:58.13
If some changed, why
didn't they all change?
00:18:58.17\00:19:03.61
If mammals came
from egg laying reptiles,
00:19:03.64\00:19:06.61
as it is claimed this
concept of a common ancestor,
00:19:06.64\00:19:11.31
how do we go from
cold-blooded animals
00:19:11.35\00:19:15.75
to warm-blooded?
00:19:15.78\00:19:18.22
What was the process?
00:19:18.25\00:19:20.82
Where is the evidence?
00:19:20.86\00:19:23.36
How does a mammal
suddenly start producing milk?
00:19:23.39\00:19:27.96
What were the
intervening stages?
00:19:28.00\00:19:30.83
And perhaps the most
telling question why?
00:19:30.87\00:19:35.20
Why reptiles don't produce milk?
00:19:35.24\00:19:39.01
You might have a
lizard or a blue-tongued
00:19:39.04\00:19:41.54
or another reptile
living in your home
00:19:41.58\00:19:44.48
where you see
them in your garden
00:19:44.51\00:19:45.85
from time to time.
00:19:45.88\00:19:47.22
We know that when
the sun comes out,
00:19:47.25\00:19:48.65
they love to be
out in the warm sun
00:19:48.68\00:19:50.59
because they're cold-blooded,
but they don't produce milk.
00:19:50.62\00:19:54.66
They have no need of it.
00:19:54.69\00:19:56.76
They live very
comfortably without it.
00:19:56.79\00:20:00.83
So why start?
00:20:00.86\00:20:04.27
Here is another example
00:20:04.30\00:20:06.43
of something that
Attenborough talks about,
00:20:06.47\00:20:10.11
about how we get
from a shrew to a bat.
00:20:10.14\00:20:14.64
Now, I don't know
00:20:14.68\00:20:16.01
if any of you have
know what a shrew is.
00:20:16.04\00:20:18.78
It's like a mouse
type little animal
00:20:18.81\00:20:21.42
that scurries
around on the ground
00:20:21.45\00:20:24.22
and looks for
insects and things like that.
00:20:24.25\00:20:27.39
And you can see
on the screen here,
00:20:27.42\00:20:29.59
a picture of a shrew
00:20:29.62\00:20:32.09
and a picture
of a Daubenton bat,
00:20:32.13\00:20:34.66
and yes, there
are some similarities,
00:20:34.70\00:20:37.20
but here is what the commentary
00:20:37.23\00:20:39.30
of David Attenborough
says in the DVD series,
00:20:39.33\00:20:42.27
the Life of Mammals and I quote.
00:20:42.30\00:20:45.34
"Their little faces,
00:20:45.37\00:20:47.11
talking about the Daubenton bat,
00:20:47.14\00:20:49.41
are so like a shrew that
00:20:49.44\00:20:51.95
it's easy to imagine the shrew
like ancestors in the trees,
00:20:51.98\00:20:56.95
jumping from branch to
branch, chasing insects.
00:20:56.99\00:21:01.46
Ever larger flaps of skin
00:21:01.49\00:21:03.43
between their fingers
help to extend those jumps
00:21:03.46\00:21:07.06
until eventually they could fly.
00:21:07.10\00:21:11.27
The change from
a scurrying animal
00:21:11.30\00:21:14.27
like a shrew to a fluttering bat
00:21:14.30\00:21:18.01
is surely the most magical
00:21:18.04\00:21:20.28
in the whole history of animals.
00:21:20.31\00:21:23.98
Now that's a very
interesting quote.
00:21:24.01\00:21:27.85
Do you have a question for
Mr. Attenborough and his team,
00:21:27.88\00:21:30.85
his research team?
00:21:30.89\00:21:32.49
I certainly do.
00:21:32.52\00:21:34.62
Where is the evidence?
00:21:34.66\00:21:36.69
Notice the words that he
uses, it's easy to imagine.
00:21:36.73\00:21:41.33
We have to imagine
there is no evidence.
00:21:41.36\00:21:44.70
There's no
science behind this claim
00:21:44.73\00:21:47.80
that somehow
shrews turned into bats.
00:21:47.84\00:21:50.67
What were the
intervening stages?
00:21:54.84\00:21:57.25
The bone structure had
to change dramatically.
00:21:57.28\00:22:00.62
The muscle structure,
00:22:00.65\00:22:02.28
bats use high
intensity sound detection
00:22:02.32\00:22:05.09
to find their
prey, shrews don't.
00:22:05.12\00:22:07.92
You notice in the
picture that the shrew has
00:22:07.96\00:22:09.99
a lot of long
hairs around its nose,
00:22:10.03\00:22:12.69
and that's how
it finds the things
00:22:12.73\00:22:14.46
that it needs to eat.
00:22:14.50\00:22:16.53
How did that change came about?
00:22:16.56\00:22:19.47
Again, if some shrews changed,
00:22:19.50\00:22:23.00
why didn't they all change?
00:22:23.04\00:22:26.78
Why aren't they changing now?
00:22:26.81\00:22:30.65
An alternate view about nature
00:22:30.68\00:22:32.75
and its origin
comes from the Bible,
00:22:32.78\00:22:36.38
which says that God, what?
00:22:36.42\00:22:38.65
Created the
heavens and the earth
00:22:38.69\00:22:42.26
and everything that is in them,
00:22:42.29\00:22:44.23
the birds, the
animals, the flowers.
00:22:44.26\00:22:46.90
Yes, creation has
been impacted significantly
00:22:46.93\00:22:50.27
by the introduction of sin,
00:22:50.30\00:22:53.13
but there is
still clear evidence
00:22:53.17\00:22:55.50
of God's design in creation.
00:22:55.54\00:22:59.11
The platypus. Let's
go back to these animals.
00:22:59.14\00:23:01.94
The kangaroo, I mentioned that
00:23:01.98\00:23:04.05
the Joey stays in
the mother's pouch
00:23:04.08\00:23:06.15
for about nine
months after it's born.
00:23:06.18\00:23:08.75
Did you know
that the composition,
00:23:08.78\00:23:10.42
the chemical composition
of the mother kangaroo's milk
00:23:10.45\00:23:14.32
changes as that little
baby Joey grows in its pouch
00:23:14.36\00:23:18.53
to exactly
provide the requirements
00:23:18.56\00:23:21.23
that it needs for each
stage of its development
00:23:21.26\00:23:24.00
over those nine
months in the pouch.
00:23:24.03\00:23:26.90
Birds in their flight,
00:23:26.94\00:23:28.60
we talked about the dragonflies.
00:23:28.64\00:23:30.71
You observe a
dragonfly and how it flies.
00:23:30.74\00:23:33.27
Just absolutely amazing.
00:23:33.31\00:23:36.61
Notice what Paul says
00:23:36.64\00:23:37.98
in Romans 1:18.
00:23:38.01\00:23:43.59
Romans 1:18,
00:23:43.62\00:23:47.09
"For the wrath of God
is revealed from heaven
00:23:47.12\00:23:50.26
against all ungodliness
00:23:50.29\00:23:52.19
and unrighteousness of men
00:23:52.23\00:23:54.03
who suppress the
truth in unrighteousness,
00:23:54.06\00:23:57.47
because what may be known of God
00:23:57.50\00:23:59.97
is manifest in them.
00:24:00.00\00:24:02.20
For God has shown it to them
00:24:02.24\00:24:05.17
for since the
creation of the world,
00:24:05.21\00:24:07.48
His invisible
attributes are clearly seen
00:24:07.51\00:24:11.31
being understood by
the things that are made,
00:24:11.35\00:24:14.02
even his eternal
power and Godhead
00:24:14.05\00:24:17.29
so that they
are without excuse."
00:24:17.32\00:24:20.12
God has revealed
Himself through nature,
00:24:20.16\00:24:23.32
through the
things that are made.
00:24:23.36\00:24:27.56
And the Psalmist
echoes this in Psalm 19.
00:24:27.60\00:24:31.03
And I'm sure you know
this passage very well.
00:24:31.07\00:24:33.90
Psalm 19:1, what does
the Psalmist write there?
00:24:33.94\00:24:38.37
The heavens what?
00:24:38.41\00:24:40.11
Declare the glory of God
00:24:40.14\00:24:43.31
and the firmament
shows his handiwork
00:24:43.35\00:24:46.05
day unto day utters speech
00:24:46.08\00:24:48.28
and night unto
night reveals knowledge."
00:24:48.32\00:24:54.09
So that begs the next question.
00:24:54.12\00:24:56.06
What is it that
nature tells us about God?
00:24:56.09\00:24:59.63
Imagine that you have a friend,
00:25:03.20\00:25:05.13
someone who is skilled
in some craft or handiwork.
00:25:05.17\00:25:08.40
Let's take
woodworking for example,
00:25:08.44\00:25:11.81
and this person makes
00:25:11.84\00:25:13.17
a beautiful piece
of furniture for you.
00:25:13.21\00:25:15.61
Intricate design,
00:25:15.64\00:25:16.98
beautiful carvings
on it, delicate work.
00:25:17.01\00:25:19.61
They spend months
and months working on it.
00:25:19.65\00:25:22.22
And then they give
it to you as a gift.
00:25:22.25\00:25:25.55
What does that say to you?
00:25:25.59\00:25:28.36
Firstly, it
says that this person
00:25:28.39\00:25:30.83
is a skilled craftsman,
00:25:30.86\00:25:32.26
that they're very talented.
00:25:32.29\00:25:33.63
They're very gifted
00:25:33.66\00:25:35.23
and they're using
their gifts to bless others.
00:25:35.26\00:25:38.73
But secondly,
hopefully it says to you,
00:25:38.77\00:25:42.34
you are very special.
00:25:42.37\00:25:43.91
You're a special friend of mine
00:25:43.94\00:25:46.31
and I've made this
gift for you to enjoy.
00:25:46.34\00:25:50.88
You're worth going
to that trouble for,
00:25:50.91\00:25:53.25
that person cares for you.
00:25:53.28\00:25:55.85
They value your friendship
and your relationship.
00:25:55.88\00:26:00.22
And that is the
message about God
00:26:00.26\00:26:02.62
that nature speaks to us.
00:26:02.66\00:26:05.43
He is powerful.
00:26:05.46\00:26:07.30
He is omnipotent, all powerful.
00:26:07.33\00:26:09.93
He is the lover
of the beautiful.
00:26:09.96\00:26:13.00
He cares for you.
00:26:13.03\00:26:15.97
He makes all of
these beautiful things
00:26:16.00\00:26:18.54
for you to enjoy.
00:26:18.57\00:26:21.14
Notice what Ellen
White writes in this chapter,
00:26:21.18\00:26:24.05
A Knowledge of God.
00:26:24.08\00:26:25.98
And I'm reading from page
57, if we will but listen,
00:26:26.01\00:26:30.49
she writes, God's created works
will teach us precious lessons
00:26:30.52\00:26:36.19
of obedience and trust,
00:26:36.22\00:26:39.09
from the stars that in
their trackless courses
00:26:39.13\00:26:42.10
through space follow from
00:26:42.13\00:26:44.07
age to age their appointed path
00:26:44.10\00:26:46.53
down to the minutest atom,
00:26:46.57\00:26:49.50
the things of nature
obey the Creator's will.
00:26:49.54\00:26:54.61
Nature teaches
us things about God
00:26:54.64\00:26:59.28
and what He is like,
00:26:59.31\00:27:02.92
and here is a
lesson that we can take
00:27:02.95\00:27:04.75
from these troubling times
00:27:04.79\00:27:06.12
that we are currently living in.
00:27:06.15\00:27:08.96
Don't worry.
00:27:08.99\00:27:10.96
That is so easy
to say, isn't it?
00:27:10.99\00:27:13.50
And it's so hard
to put into practice,
00:27:13.53\00:27:16.33
particularly when
things are going hard for us
00:27:16.36\00:27:19.60
or difficult for us,
00:27:19.63\00:27:21.80
but let's remind ourselves
of the message of Jesus
00:27:21.84\00:27:25.44
in the Sermon on the
Mount in Matthew Chapter 6,
00:27:25.47\00:27:29.71
reading Matthew 6:25.
00:27:29.74\00:27:34.55
Matthew 6:25,
"Therefore I say to you,
00:27:34.58\00:27:38.19
do not worry about your life,
00:27:38.22\00:27:40.66
what you will eat
or what you will drink,
00:27:40.69\00:27:42.52
or about your body,
what you will put on.
00:27:42.56\00:27:45.23
Is not life more than food
00:27:45.26\00:27:46.83
and the body
more than clothing?"
00:27:46.86\00:27:49.16
And then coming
down to verse 28,
00:27:49.20\00:27:51.50
"So why do you
worry about clothing?
00:27:51.53\00:27:53.67
Consider the
lilies of the field,
00:27:53.70\00:27:56.24
how they grow: they
neither toil nor spin,
00:27:56.27\00:27:59.51
and yet I say to you that
even Solomon in all his glory
00:27:59.54\00:28:03.85
was not arrayed
like one of these.
00:28:03.88\00:28:06.61
Now if God
00:28:06.65\00:28:07.98
so clothes the
grass of the field,
00:28:08.02\00:28:09.42
which today is,
00:28:09.45\00:28:10.85
and tomorrow is
thrown into the oven,
00:28:10.89\00:28:13.59
will He not
much more clothe you,
00:28:13.62\00:28:16.22
O you of little faith?"
00:28:16.26\00:28:19.79
I would encourage you
to have something living
00:28:19.83\00:28:25.27
close to you as
often as possible.
00:28:25.30\00:28:28.80
Whether you're in a
home, a unit, a hut,
00:28:28.84\00:28:31.11
wherever it may be,
00:28:31.14\00:28:33.14
I would encourage
you to have something
00:28:33.17\00:28:35.01
living close to you.
00:28:35.04\00:28:36.48
A plant, a garden, even
a little fish in a bowl.
00:28:36.51\00:28:42.78
The research is
clear about the importance
00:28:42.82\00:28:44.99
of having blue and
green in our lives.
00:28:45.02\00:28:49.66
It is no accident that God
put Adam and Eve in a what?
00:28:49.69\00:28:54.83
A garden, a garden surrounded
00:28:54.86\00:28:58.23
by living things
in our busy lives
00:28:58.27\00:29:02.44
with surrounded by
technology, we need to get away.
00:29:02.47\00:29:05.21
We need to find time to get away
00:29:05.24\00:29:06.74
from our computer screens.
00:29:06.78\00:29:09.01
Our phones, get out for a walk.
00:29:09.04\00:29:11.68
Watch the birds,
the waves at the beach,
00:29:11.71\00:29:14.45
the trees, the
mountains, the hills,
00:29:14.48\00:29:18.32
because God has come down
00:29:18.35\00:29:20.29
and He has
revealed Himself to us,
00:29:20.32\00:29:24.73
His character, His attributes,
00:29:24.76\00:29:28.16
and He has precious lessons that
00:29:28.20\00:29:30.50
He wants us to learn from things
00:29:30.53\00:29:33.47
that are living from nature.
00:29:33.50\00:29:37.17
So firstly, God has
revealed Himself through nature.
00:29:37.21\00:29:43.75
Secondly, in this
chapter in Steps to Christ,
00:29:43.78\00:29:46.95
Ellen White writes
that God speaks to us
00:29:46.98\00:29:50.39
through His
providential workings
00:29:50.42\00:29:52.89
and through the influence
00:29:52.92\00:29:54.26
of the Holy Spirit on the heart.
00:29:54.29\00:29:58.13
Now, sometimes
it's tempting to think
00:29:58.16\00:30:00.46
that if we only
witnessed a real miracle,
00:30:00.50\00:30:03.73
if my
unbelieving family members,
00:30:03.77\00:30:05.80
my friends, my
neighbors saw a real miracle,
00:30:05.83\00:30:09.17
they would turn their
hearts and their lives to God.
00:30:09.20\00:30:12.97
You know,
somebody who's been bound
00:30:13.01\00:30:14.48
in a wheelchair
since they were born,
00:30:14.51\00:30:16.91
who could now walk,
00:30:16.95\00:30:19.31
someone who had
stage four cancer,
00:30:19.35\00:30:21.52
who is now cured.
00:30:21.55\00:30:24.42
But we need to remind ourselves
00:30:24.45\00:30:26.76
that when Jesus
was on the earth,
00:30:26.79\00:30:29.42
He performed many miracles,
00:30:29.46\00:30:32.69
but still there
were plenty of people
00:30:32.73\00:30:34.93
who didn't
believe Him or accept Him.
00:30:34.96\00:30:39.43
What we need to recognize
is that God is speaking to us
00:30:39.47\00:30:43.10
in the less spectacular things
00:30:43.14\00:30:45.37
that are happening in
our lives all of the time.
00:30:45.41\00:30:49.51
Again, Steps to Christ, page 58.
00:30:49.54\00:30:53.05
Notice what she writes.
00:30:53.08\00:30:54.72
God speaks to us through
His providential workings
00:30:54.75\00:30:58.69
and through the influence
of His Spirit on the heart,
00:30:58.72\00:31:02.69
in our
circumstances and surroundings
00:31:02.72\00:31:05.99
in the changes daily
taking place around us,
00:31:06.03\00:31:09.10
we may find precious lessons
00:31:09.13\00:31:11.33
if our hearts are
but open to discern them
00:31:11.37\00:31:15.40
in the things that
happen around us each day.
00:31:15.44\00:31:19.57
A changed life or heart,
a contact, a conversation
00:31:19.61\00:31:25.55
at just the exact
time when it is needed,
00:31:25.58\00:31:28.55
the provision of
goods or financial support
00:31:28.58\00:31:31.85
when resources are running low.
00:31:31.89\00:31:34.96
My wife and I
call them God moments.
00:31:34.99\00:31:39.26
And if you look for them
00:31:39.29\00:31:40.76
or maybe even keep a
record of them in a diary,
00:31:40.80\00:31:44.20
it is surprising
how often they occur.
00:31:44.23\00:31:48.07
I had the privilege
just recently visiting
00:31:48.10\00:31:50.71
one of our churches
here in this conference,
00:31:50.74\00:31:52.81
meeting a man by
the name of Greg,
00:31:52.84\00:31:55.04
who's had an
amazing journey with God.
00:31:55.08\00:31:58.65
Greg was involved
00:31:58.68\00:32:00.02
in all sorts of substance abuse,
00:32:00.05\00:32:02.02
disregard for the
law and authority,
00:32:02.05\00:32:05.35
unhealthy relationships,
00:32:05.39\00:32:07.46
and ended up in
being incarcerated.
00:32:07.49\00:32:11.09
But God touched his life.
00:32:11.13\00:32:13.19
God touched his heart
and turned it right around.
00:32:13.23\00:32:16.87
And now Greg is
sharing the message
00:32:16.90\00:32:19.03
of God's love with the friends
00:32:19.07\00:32:20.90
that he was
actually in prison with.
00:32:20.94\00:32:25.34
It might be something obvious
and significant such as that,
00:32:25.37\00:32:28.88
but it might be
something more subtle.
00:32:28.91\00:32:32.68
I can recall being
at difficult points
00:32:32.71\00:32:35.22
in my ministry,
00:32:35.25\00:32:36.79
dealing with lots of big issues,
00:32:36.82\00:32:39.12
feeling the pressure,
00:32:39.15\00:32:41.59
but someone would
share a thought, a text.
00:32:41.62\00:32:45.33
Somebody would lead
out in morning worship.
00:32:45.36\00:32:48.00
And you knew that that
message was made just for you.
00:32:48.03\00:32:53.03
And God was speaking to
you through that worship.
00:32:53.07\00:32:58.51
Just the word of
encouragement that you needed
00:32:58.54\00:33:01.18
at that particular time.
00:33:01.21\00:33:03.98
God speaks to us through
His providential workings
00:33:04.01\00:33:08.28
and through the influence
00:33:08.32\00:33:09.65
of the Holy
Spirit on our hearts,
00:33:09.68\00:33:12.29
but we need to be
open to hearing them.
00:33:12.32\00:33:17.39
Thirdly, God speaks to us
through His Word, the Bible.
00:33:17.43\00:33:23.77
And I'm sure we've all
had experiences with that.
00:33:23.80\00:33:27.64
Let me share again,
in a couple of sentences
00:33:27.67\00:33:29.70
from this chapter on knowledge
of God in Steps to Christ.
00:33:29.74\00:33:33.21
She writes, "God
speaks to us in His Word.
00:33:33.24\00:33:38.15
Here we have in clearer lines,
00:33:38.18\00:33:41.55
the revelation of His character,
00:33:41.58\00:33:43.99
of His dealings
with men and women,
00:33:44.02\00:33:46.22
I'll insert, and the
great work of redemption."
00:33:46.25\00:33:52.03
The Bible is a source
of teaching and doctrine.
00:33:52.06\00:33:55.46
We know that, but
first and foremost,
00:33:55.50\00:33:58.90
it is a book about God,
00:33:58.93\00:34:02.17
what He is like, His attributes,
00:34:02.20\00:34:06.31
His character, how He
deals with human beings.
00:34:06.34\00:34:11.38
This is clear
00:34:11.41\00:34:12.75
from the very
first chapter of Genesis.
00:34:12.78\00:34:16.15
In the beginning,
what's the next word?
00:34:16.18\00:34:18.59
God.
00:34:18.62\00:34:19.95
In the beginning, God created.
00:34:19.99\00:34:22.22
In verse 3, God said.
00:34:22.26\00:34:25.26
Verse 4, God saw, the
same verse, God divided.
00:34:25.29\00:34:30.87
Verse 5, God called.
00:34:30.90\00:34:33.23
And we can go on and on
00:34:33.27\00:34:35.67
in the very first
chapter of the Bible.
00:34:35.70\00:34:40.24
Just in this one chapter,
00:34:40.28\00:34:41.91
God is mentioned some 29 times.
00:34:41.94\00:34:46.72
Do you think Moses had
a reason for doing that?
00:34:46.75\00:34:51.52
The very first chapter of
the Bible emphasizes to us
00:34:51.55\00:34:55.32
that the Bible
is a book about God,
00:34:55.36\00:34:58.56
and what He is like.
00:34:58.59\00:35:00.80
And when we read a passage,
00:35:00.83\00:35:03.03
a story, a
parable, whatever it is.
00:35:03.06\00:35:06.94
One of the first questions
we need to ask ourselves is,
00:35:06.97\00:35:10.51
what does this
passage tell me about God?
00:35:10.54\00:35:14.61
And what He is like.
00:35:14.64\00:35:17.31
This is so
important because the devil
00:35:17.35\00:35:20.08
has been incredibly
successful in maligning
00:35:20.12\00:35:23.49
and misrepresenting
the character of God,
00:35:23.52\00:35:28.12
giving us a
false picture of Him.
00:35:28.16\00:35:31.13
So instead of
seeing God for who He is,
00:35:31.16\00:35:34.23
many people will
be afraid of Him.
00:35:34.26\00:35:36.73
They don't want
anything to do with Him.
00:35:36.77\00:35:38.70
Still worse, they
see God as irrelevant
00:35:38.73\00:35:41.67
or not even existing.
00:35:41.70\00:35:44.74
Notice the words
of Jesus in John 5:39.
00:35:44.77\00:35:50.91
John is speaking,
00:35:50.95\00:35:52.28
or Jesus is
speaking to the Pharisees
00:35:52.31\00:35:54.75
and is what he says, John 5:39,
00:35:54.78\00:35:59.09
"You search the Scriptures,
00:35:59.12\00:36:00.86
for in them you think
you have eternal life,
00:36:00.89\00:36:03.66
but these are they," what?
00:36:03.69\00:36:06.16
"That testify about Me."
00:36:06.19\00:36:09.33
And we're talking about
the Hebrew scriptures here,
00:36:09.36\00:36:11.30
the first part of the Bible,
what we call the Old Testament.
00:36:11.33\00:36:14.00
Jesus said, "They talk about Me,
00:36:14.04\00:36:16.91
those scriptures
tell you what I'm like,
00:36:16.94\00:36:19.64
who I am, My
attributes, My characteristics."
00:36:19.67\00:36:25.48
And how did Moses describe God
00:36:25.51\00:36:28.48
when God passed by Moses
when he was up on the mountain?
00:36:28.52\00:36:32.69
We have that
recorded in Exodus Chapter 34.
00:36:32.72\00:36:38.43
And here is a passage
that tells us what God is like.
00:36:38.46\00:36:42.00
Exodus 34, and
we'll read from verse 5.
00:36:42.03\00:36:46.60
Exodus 34, reading from verse 5,
00:36:46.63\00:36:51.07
"Now the Lord
descended in the cloud
00:36:51.11\00:36:53.41
and stood with him there
00:36:53.44\00:36:55.98
and proclaimed
the name of the Lord."
00:36:56.01\00:36:58.61
Verse 6, "And the
Lord passed before him
00:36:58.65\00:37:01.42
and proclaimed the
Lord, the Lord, God merciful
00:37:01.45\00:37:05.42
and gracious, longsuffering,
abounding in goodness
00:37:05.45\00:37:10.36
and truth, keeping mercy
00:37:10.39\00:37:12.29
for thousands,
forgiving iniquity
00:37:12.33\00:37:14.56
and transgression and sin
00:37:14.60\00:37:16.46
by no means clearing the guilty,
00:37:16.50\00:37:18.90
visiting the iniquity
00:37:18.93\00:37:20.27
of the fathers upon the children
00:37:20.30\00:37:22.00
and the children's
children to the third
00:37:22.04\00:37:24.21
and the fourth generation."
00:37:24.24\00:37:26.71
The Bible tells
us what God is like,
00:37:26.74\00:37:29.98
first and foremost,
it tells us about Him.
00:37:30.01\00:37:34.18
So as we read a
passage, as we read a parable,
00:37:34.22\00:37:37.19
as we read a story,
00:37:37.22\00:37:38.55
let's ask
ourselves the question.
00:37:38.59\00:37:40.42
What does this passage tell me
about God and what He is like?
00:37:40.46\00:37:45.89
Nehemiah echoes
this picture of God
00:37:45.93\00:37:49.10
in his book in Nehemiah 9:17.
00:37:49.13\00:37:54.64
Nehemiah 9:17, the
second half of the verse reads,
00:37:54.67\00:37:59.67
"But you are
God ready to pardon,
00:37:59.71\00:38:02.64
gracious and
merciful, slow to anger,
00:38:02.68\00:38:06.01
abundant in kindness,
and did not forsake them,"
00:38:06.05\00:38:10.12
talking about the people.
00:38:10.15\00:38:13.39
The Bible is a book about God.
00:38:13.42\00:38:17.79
And it is so
important to read it
00:38:17.83\00:38:20.13
for ourselves to
find out what God is like.
00:38:20.16\00:38:24.83
Ellen White makes
some interesting comments
00:38:24.87\00:38:26.94
in regards to the
Bible in this chapter
00:38:26.97\00:38:29.04
in Steps to Christ.
00:38:29.07\00:38:33.84
And where she talks about us,
and I'm reading of Scripture.
00:38:33.88\00:38:38.21
She makes these three points.
00:38:38.25\00:38:39.58
Firstly, don't
take the testimony
00:38:39.61\00:38:43.05
of any other person
00:38:43.08\00:38:44.62
as to what the Bible teaches.
00:38:44.65\00:38:47.96
Let me translate
that for a moment.
00:38:47.99\00:38:51.89
Don't just listen to
sermons of other people.
00:38:51.93\00:38:55.96
And that's not saying
that listening to sermons
00:38:56.00\00:38:57.53
is not a good thing to do,
00:38:57.57\00:38:59.93
it is, but don't
just rely on that.
00:38:59.97\00:39:03.91
By thy web, on
the web podcasts, TV,
00:39:03.94\00:39:07.64
or even face-to-face.
00:39:07.68\00:39:10.55
This is the same as
trying to get nutrition
00:39:10.58\00:39:13.21
and your daily intake
of vitamins and minerals
00:39:13.25\00:39:16.52
by watching what
other people eat.
00:39:16.55\00:39:20.02
It's not going to work.
00:39:20.06\00:39:22.36
We have to read the
Bible for ourselves,
00:39:22.39\00:39:27.20
and it's important that
00:39:27.23\00:39:28.56
we get a translation
that we find easy to read,
00:39:28.60\00:39:31.80
have it readily available.
00:39:31.83\00:39:33.44
Set aside some time
to read it each day.
00:39:33.47\00:39:38.01
For new Christians or people
00:39:38.04\00:39:39.71
who are not used
to reading the Bible.
00:39:39.74\00:39:41.51
I encourage them to
start with the Gospel of Mark.
00:39:41.54\00:39:44.78
At the beginning of Matthew,
you've got those genealogies
00:39:44.81\00:39:47.28
and some people
start there and think,
00:39:47.32\00:39:48.78
oh, I'm struggling through this.
00:39:48.82\00:39:50.79
What is it all about?
00:39:50.82\00:39:52.39
But the Gospel of
Mark starts right in
00:39:52.42\00:39:54.49
with a story of Jesus.
00:39:54.52\00:39:56.09
And we can all
relate to the story.
00:39:56.12\00:40:01.16
If you're not in the habit
00:40:01.20\00:40:02.53
of reading the
Bible for yourself,
00:40:02.56\00:40:04.23
this is a good place to start.
00:40:04.27\00:40:07.50
Secondly, Ellen
White comments, don't rush.
00:40:07.54\00:40:13.07
It's not a race.
00:40:13.11\00:40:15.61
Take your time.
00:40:15.64\00:40:17.98
Don't feel that you have to read
00:40:18.01\00:40:19.61
a certain number
of chapters at a time.
00:40:19.65\00:40:22.88
Now I've talked to many people
in the course of my ministry
00:40:22.92\00:40:26.92
and who liked to read the Bible
00:40:26.96\00:40:28.39
through every year
from start to finish.
00:40:28.42\00:40:31.13
And that's fine.
00:40:31.16\00:40:32.69
But that means
that you have to read
00:40:32.73\00:40:34.30
a number of chapters
every day to get through.
00:40:34.33\00:40:38.73
I like to do
something different.
00:40:38.77\00:40:40.97
I do like to read
the Bible systematically
00:40:41.00\00:40:42.97
from the start to
the finish noticing
00:40:43.00\00:40:45.01
or keeping in mind that
00:40:45.04\00:40:46.61
the Bible is not
written sequentially,
00:40:46.64\00:40:49.04
but I do like
to read it through,
00:40:49.08\00:40:53.42
but you have to take your time.
00:40:53.45\00:40:55.82
You have to let
the passage sink in
00:40:55.85\00:40:58.42
and you have to ask
yourself some questions.
00:40:58.45\00:41:00.56
As we've already
mentioned, what is this passage?
00:41:00.59\00:41:03.63
What is this chapter?
00:41:03.66\00:41:04.99
What is this story
telling me about God?
00:41:05.03\00:41:09.46
I had the privilege of joining
00:41:09.50\00:41:11.07
a group of school children
visiting the gold mining area,
00:41:11.10\00:41:16.71
just around Bathurst.
00:41:16.74\00:41:18.07
Some of you may have been there.
00:41:18.11\00:41:19.74
And we went to
this area where this,
00:41:19.77\00:41:22.01
where you could do
some panning, gold panning.
00:41:22.04\00:41:24.91
There was an elderly gentleman
00:41:24.95\00:41:26.35
there who gave us
some instructions.
00:41:26.38\00:41:29.25
And it was interesting
to see the school children
00:41:29.28\00:41:31.75
as they raced off the bus.
00:41:31.79\00:41:33.39
And they picked up a
pan and they got the shovel
00:41:33.42\00:41:35.52
and they put
some clay or some dirt
00:41:35.56\00:41:37.86
from the little stream
00:41:37.89\00:41:39.23
that was flowing
down into the pan.
00:41:39.26\00:41:41.56
And they sloshed it
around a little bit.
00:41:41.60\00:41:43.20
And they said,
oh, this doesn't work.
00:41:43.23\00:41:44.90
I haven't found any gold.
00:41:44.93\00:41:46.53
You know you can understand
that the kids were expecting
00:41:46.57\00:41:49.60
to find huge nuggets in
00:41:49.64\00:41:50.97
just a very
short period of time.
00:41:51.01\00:41:53.51
But then I watched
this elderly gentleman
00:41:53.54\00:41:56.14
as he went about gold panning,
00:41:56.18\00:41:58.15
who obviously had been
doing it for quite some time.
00:41:58.18\00:42:01.05
Yes, he got a pan.
00:42:01.08\00:42:02.72
Yes, he got a shovel and
put some dirt into the pan.
00:42:02.75\00:42:07.16
And some of you
may have done this,
00:42:07.19\00:42:08.52
had the privilege of doing
it, but then he puts some water.
00:42:08.56\00:42:11.43
You just dip the edge of the pan
00:42:11.46\00:42:13.96
in the water
00:42:14.00\00:42:15.33
that was flowing in the stream
00:42:15.36\00:42:16.90
and he sloshed
it around carefully.
00:42:16.93\00:42:19.07
And then with
the back of his hand,
00:42:19.10\00:42:21.40
he just took off
a couple of layers
00:42:21.44\00:42:23.87
of fine layers of dirt
off the top of his pan.
00:42:23.91\00:42:28.31
And then he
repeated the process.
00:42:28.34\00:42:30.05
He went and got some more water
00:42:30.08\00:42:31.68
and he sloshed it around.
00:42:31.71\00:42:33.21
And the back of his hand,
00:42:33.25\00:42:34.58
he just took off
another couple of layers,
00:42:34.62\00:42:36.38
find layers of dirt.
00:42:36.42\00:42:37.92
He repeated this
over and over again,
00:42:37.95\00:42:40.66
until finally he
just had a little section
00:42:40.69\00:42:44.23
of gravel in the
bottom of his pan.
00:42:44.26\00:42:46.90
And there you could see
a few little specs of gold.
00:42:46.93\00:42:51.63
I discovered that day that
00:42:51.67\00:42:53.00
it takes time and patience
00:42:53.03\00:42:56.17
to find things
that are precious.
00:42:56.20\00:42:59.11
And the same is
true with Scripture.
00:42:59.14\00:43:01.64
Don't rush, Ellen
White says, allow the words,
00:43:01.68\00:43:04.85
allow the pictures
that the Bible writers
00:43:04.88\00:43:08.22
are saying to
sink into our lives,
00:43:08.25\00:43:10.65
to sink into our
minds, into our hearts.
00:43:10.69\00:43:13.56
Don't rush.
00:43:13.59\00:43:16.36
And then Ellen White also says,
00:43:16.39\00:43:19.39
always pray before
you read the Bible.
00:43:19.43\00:43:23.10
Father guide me, speak to me,
00:43:23.13\00:43:26.30
teach me what
You want me to hear.
00:43:26.33\00:43:29.94
The Bible is
God's inspired word,
00:43:29.97\00:43:32.14
and only He can help us
to understand and apply,
00:43:32.17\00:43:35.81
understand its message,
00:43:35.84\00:43:37.48
and apply it to our life.
00:43:37.51\00:43:39.71
The Bible is a book about God.
00:43:42.98\00:43:46.99
And when we read a
passage, when we read a section,
00:43:47.02\00:43:50.06
a chapter, even a few verses,
00:43:50.09\00:43:52.56
whatever it is, one
of the first questions
00:43:52.59\00:43:55.23
we have to ask ourselves
is what does this passage
00:43:55.26\00:43:59.00
tell me about God,
00:43:59.03\00:44:01.07
His character, His attributes,
00:44:01.10\00:44:04.44
because the Bible
reveals God to us.
00:44:04.47\00:44:09.24
So let's summarize for a moment.
00:44:09.28\00:44:12.41
By our own efforts,
00:44:12.45\00:44:14.22
it is impossible
for us to know God,
00:44:14.25\00:44:18.15
even if we had a fancy spaceship
00:44:18.19\00:44:21.19
and we're able to
go up into the universe
00:44:21.22\00:44:24.59
or into the solar system,
where would we go to find God?
00:44:24.63\00:44:28.50
Where is He?
00:44:28.53\00:44:29.86
Is He in the Milky Way Galaxy?
00:44:29.90\00:44:31.37
Is He in another galaxy?
00:44:31.40\00:44:33.23
We can't find
out God on our own.
00:44:33.27\00:44:36.50
God has to reveal Himself to us.
00:44:36.54\00:44:39.47
He has to take the
initiative and come down to us.
00:44:39.51\00:44:43.21
And then we ask the questions.
00:44:43.24\00:44:46.45
How has He
revealed Himself to us?
00:44:46.48\00:44:49.02
And what is it
that He has revealed?
00:44:49.05\00:44:52.75
And then we noted three ways
00:44:52.79\00:44:54.12
that Ellen
White in this chapter,
00:44:54.16\00:44:56.32
A Knowledge of God
in Steps to Christ,
00:44:56.36\00:44:59.33
the three ways
00:44:59.36\00:45:00.80
that God reveals Himself to us.
00:45:00.83\00:45:02.53
Firstly, in nature, secondly,
00:45:02.56\00:45:06.30
through His
providential workings
00:45:06.33\00:45:08.27
and the influence
of the Holy Spirit
00:45:08.30\00:45:10.21
on our hearts and
thirdly through His Word.
00:45:10.24\00:45:16.14
Now, let me ask
you this question.
00:45:16.18\00:45:19.05
Where does your
picture of God come from?
00:45:19.08\00:45:23.39
You may have been
brought up as a Christian,
00:45:23.42\00:45:26.02
as an Adventist Christian.
00:45:26.05\00:45:28.16
And you may read
the Bible regularly
00:45:28.19\00:45:30.09
and that's, I trust that you do,
00:45:30.13\00:45:33.90
but think about it for a moment.
00:45:33.93\00:45:36.36
Where does your
picture of God come from?
00:45:36.40\00:45:39.50
Does it come from your parents?
00:45:39.53\00:45:41.14
If you perhaps a
little bit younger, your dad.
00:45:41.17\00:45:45.04
Some have good dads,
00:45:45.07\00:45:47.01
some have not so
good dads, your family,
00:45:47.04\00:45:50.45
your friends,
your school teachers.
00:45:50.48\00:45:52.81
Where does your
picture of God come from?
00:45:52.85\00:45:57.49
Both of my
parents have passed away
00:45:57.52\00:46:00.12
and I am very grateful to them
00:46:00.16\00:46:02.46
for what they did for
me as I was growing up.
00:46:02.49\00:46:05.96
They provided for me
as best as they could,
00:46:05.99\00:46:08.70
sometimes in very
difficult circumstances
00:46:08.73\00:46:11.47
with very few resources,
00:46:11.50\00:46:14.30
but compared to the Bible
00:46:14.34\00:46:16.27
and the picture
of God in the Bible,
00:46:16.30\00:46:18.67
I grew up with a hazy
or a fuzzy picture of God.
00:46:18.71\00:46:23.45
I grew up with the understanding
00:46:23.48\00:46:24.95
that first and foremost, I
needed to be a good person.
00:46:24.98\00:46:28.98
I needed to do the right things.
00:46:29.02\00:46:30.85
And the more I did right things,
00:46:30.89\00:46:32.99
the more that God would love me.
00:46:33.02\00:46:37.59
And the more likely it
was that I would go to heaven.
00:46:37.63\00:46:41.96
For many years, I
had that understanding
00:46:42.00\00:46:45.53
until I got hold of the
Bible that was in my room.
00:46:45.57\00:46:49.60
And I started to
read it for myself.
00:46:49.64\00:46:52.77
Not because we had
a memory text to learn
00:46:52.81\00:46:55.51
or because I had an
assignment for school
00:46:55.54\00:46:57.65
and had the privilege of going
00:46:57.68\00:46:59.01
to an Adventist high
school in Adelaide growing up,
00:46:59.05\00:47:02.05
but to read the Bible for myself
00:47:02.08\00:47:05.32
and to find out for
myself what God is like.
00:47:05.35\00:47:10.99
We mentioned before that
00:47:11.03\00:47:12.36
the devil has been
incredibly successful
00:47:12.39\00:47:15.40
in misrepresenting
the character of God,
00:47:15.43\00:47:19.70
giving people a false
picture, an inaccurate concept.
00:47:19.73\00:47:25.77
So many so that
people would be scared of God
00:47:25.81\00:47:28.98
or think that
He's angry with them,
00:47:29.01\00:47:30.85
that He wants to hit us
with a big stick across the...
00:47:30.88\00:47:34.58
wherever as soon as
we step out of line.
00:47:34.62\00:47:38.75
But that is not
what God is like.
00:47:38.79\00:47:42.79
God reveals Himself.
00:47:42.82\00:47:45.03
God reveals His true character
00:47:45.06\00:47:47.60
in the Garden of Eden
00:47:47.63\00:47:49.23
after Adam and Eve sinned.
00:47:49.26\00:47:54.27
You will remember
that God knew exactly
00:47:54.30\00:47:57.01
the consequences of that action,
00:47:57.04\00:47:59.94
the pain and the suffering
00:47:59.97\00:48:02.44
that it was going to bring.
00:48:02.48\00:48:04.41
What it was gonna
mean for God, the Son
00:48:04.45\00:48:07.62
that He was gonna
have to leave heaven
00:48:07.65\00:48:09.55
and come down to this earth
00:48:09.58\00:48:11.25
and be treated
like a common criminal.
00:48:11.29\00:48:14.06
And you think of all of the pain
00:48:14.09\00:48:15.86
and hurt and suffering
00:48:15.89\00:48:17.23
that has happened
throughout history.
00:48:17.26\00:48:19.56
God knew exactly
what was going to happen
00:48:19.59\00:48:22.70
with the introduction of sin.
00:48:22.73\00:48:24.47
How does God respond
when Adam and Eve sinned?
00:48:24.50\00:48:27.64
Are you silly people,
look what you've done.
00:48:27.67\00:48:29.97
You've messed up everything.
00:48:30.01\00:48:31.61
I made this beautiful
world for you to enjoy.
00:48:31.64\00:48:34.31
And now look what's happened.
00:48:34.34\00:48:36.31
Is that the way
that God responded?
00:48:36.34\00:48:38.65
No.
00:48:38.68\00:48:40.12
The Bible says in
Genesis 3, that God came down
00:48:40.15\00:48:43.62
seeking and
searching for Adam and Eve,
00:48:43.65\00:48:47.36
looking for them,
knowing that they were hiding,
00:48:47.39\00:48:50.69
but wanting to
restore that relationship,
00:48:50.73\00:48:53.46
wanting to give
them the assurance that
00:48:53.50\00:48:55.50
He hadn't rejected them.
00:48:55.53\00:48:57.87
Yes, sin had entered the world
00:48:57.90\00:49:00.27
and the
consequences were enormous,
00:49:00.30\00:49:03.00
but God's love for Adam
and Eve had not changed.
00:49:03.04\00:49:07.28
There was nothing they
could do to add to that love,
00:49:07.31\00:49:09.68
nothing they could do
to subtract from that love.
00:49:09.71\00:49:13.88
God reveals His true
character in His relationship
00:49:13.92\00:49:17.55
with the children of Israel,
00:49:17.59\00:49:20.02
who for hundreds of
years turned their back on God,
00:49:20.06\00:49:25.46
disobeyed him,
00:49:25.49\00:49:27.56
adopted the practices
of the nations around them.
00:49:27.60\00:49:31.03
Even to the point of following
00:49:31.07\00:49:32.53
some of the worship practices
of the Canaanite religion,
00:49:32.57\00:49:35.54
which were
absolutely horrendous.
00:49:35.57\00:49:38.51
But what did God do?
00:49:38.54\00:49:39.87
Say, okay, that's it, I'm done.
00:49:39.91\00:49:42.71
Let start over again.
00:49:42.74\00:49:44.41
No, God sent
prophet after prophet.
00:49:44.45\00:49:47.62
God sent message after message
00:49:47.65\00:49:49.85
wanting to draw
the people back to Him.
00:49:49.88\00:49:52.49
That's the kind
of God that He is.
00:49:52.52\00:49:55.09
And that's what the
Bible says about God.
00:49:55.12\00:49:59.56
God reveals His true
character through Jesus.
00:49:59.59\00:50:03.57
In the story of the woman
00:50:03.60\00:50:04.93
caught in adultery as
recorded in John Chapter 8,
00:50:04.97\00:50:08.64
a powerful story.
00:50:08.67\00:50:11.84
You know this, you
know, the story well.
00:50:11.87\00:50:14.74
This woman who's
dragged before Jesus
00:50:14.78\00:50:17.41
who knows where
her male partner was,
00:50:17.45\00:50:20.82
but terrible scene,
was the woman guilty?
00:50:20.85\00:50:25.45
Yes. Had she
done the wrong thing?
00:50:25.49\00:50:28.52
Yes.
00:50:28.56\00:50:30.29
So had a male partner,
00:50:30.33\00:50:32.13
but what is the
reaction of Jesus?
00:50:32.16\00:50:37.23
What does Jesus say to her?
00:50:37.27\00:50:40.04
You know, the story,
"Where are your accusers?
00:50:40.07\00:50:45.67
Has no one condemned you?
00:50:45.71\00:50:48.11
Neither do I condemn you,
00:50:48.14\00:50:51.41
neither do I condemn you."
00:50:51.45\00:50:53.58
And then He said,
"Go and sin no more."
00:50:53.62\00:50:59.05
What a beautiful picture of God.
00:50:59.09\00:51:01.56
And that's why
it's so important for us
00:51:01.59\00:51:03.73
to read these passages
00:51:03.76\00:51:05.09
for ourselves and
ask that question.
00:51:05.13\00:51:07.66
What is this passage telling me
about God and what God is like?
00:51:07.70\00:51:12.37
His
characteristics, His attributes,
00:51:12.40\00:51:16.47
because as we do that,
00:51:16.50\00:51:19.31
we build up this
beautiful picture,
00:51:19.34\00:51:21.04
the correct picture,
00:51:21.08\00:51:22.41
the right picture
of what God is like
00:51:22.44\00:51:24.75
rather than an
incorrect picture.
00:51:24.78\00:51:28.55
Where does your
picture of God come from?
00:51:28.58\00:51:32.52
Is that correct?
00:51:32.55\00:51:34.76
Is that the right picture?
00:51:34.79\00:51:37.86
Let God speak to
you through nature,
00:51:37.89\00:51:42.20
through the beautiful
things that He has made.
00:51:42.23\00:51:45.63
Let's take the time to
get out and be in nature
00:51:45.67\00:51:49.34
and allow the
lessons of God to be part
00:51:49.37\00:51:52.64
or to speak to our
hearts and to speak to our minds
00:51:52.67\00:51:56.58
that surround us
ourselves with living things,
00:51:56.61\00:52:00.55
things that are blue and green,
00:52:00.58\00:52:04.45
that is so important for us.
00:52:04.49\00:52:07.69
Let God speak to
you through nature.
00:52:07.72\00:52:10.23
Secondly, let Him
speak to you through
00:52:10.26\00:52:12.16
His providential workings
00:52:12.19\00:52:14.13
and the influence
of the Holy Spirit.
00:52:14.16\00:52:17.47
The things, the
little things often
00:52:17.50\00:52:20.04
that happened in your
lives, the God moments,
00:52:20.07\00:52:23.44
the chance
meeting with that friend,
00:52:23.47\00:52:26.17
the conversation,
the worship that speaks
00:52:26.21\00:52:29.04
right into your heart,
00:52:29.08\00:52:30.41
that God has that message
00:52:30.45\00:52:31.78
just for you for
that particular time,
00:52:31.81\00:52:34.82
little God moments.
00:52:34.85\00:52:36.79
And then lastly, thirdly,
00:52:36.82\00:52:39.72
let God speak to
you through His Word,
00:52:39.75\00:52:43.02
through the Bible.
00:52:43.06\00:52:44.56
As we take it each day
and read it for ourselves
00:52:44.59\00:52:48.60
and allow that
correct picture of God
00:52:48.63\00:52:51.90
to be built up in our lives,
in our hearts, in our minds.
00:52:51.93\00:52:56.74
Where does your
picture of God come from?
00:52:56.77\00:52:59.87
Is it a right picture?
00:52:59.91\00:53:01.94
Is that a correct picture?
00:53:01.98\00:53:04.71
Let's bow our heads
as we close with prayer.
00:53:04.75\00:53:09.08
Father in heaven, thank
You for this opportunity
00:53:09.12\00:53:12.15
we have had to open Your Word.
00:53:12.19\00:53:16.26
Thank You for the beautiful
00:53:16.29\00:53:17.99
devotional book Steps to Christ.
00:53:18.03\00:53:19.53
Thank You for the messages
that are contained in it.
00:53:19.56\00:53:22.93
And, Father, we thank You that
00:53:22.96\00:53:24.30
You have
revealed yourself to us.
00:53:24.33\00:53:26.53
You have taken the initiative
and revealed Yourself to us
00:53:26.57\00:53:31.21
to tell us what You are like,
00:53:31.24\00:53:34.28
Your attributes, Your character.
00:53:34.31\00:53:37.75
And, Father, as we
go about our lives.
00:53:37.78\00:53:40.45
And often they're very busy.
00:53:40.48\00:53:41.85
Often there's so
many we need to do.
00:53:41.88\00:53:44.85
Father, we pray that
we will take the time
00:53:44.89\00:53:49.36
to build up that correct picture
00:53:49.39\00:53:51.09
of who You are,
00:53:51.13\00:53:53.03
to look at the things around us,
00:53:53.06\00:53:55.36
to learn those lessons, to
see You working in our lives
00:53:55.40\00:53:59.03
each day in the
little things that take place
00:53:59.07\00:54:03.81
and to see Your work
and to see a correct picture
00:54:03.84\00:54:06.47
of who You are through
Your Word, through the Bible.
00:54:06.51\00:54:10.55
Father, thank
You for who You are.
00:54:10.58\00:54:11.98
Thank You for Your love,
Your mercy, Your grace to us.
00:54:12.01\00:54:15.78
Thank You for Your Word.
00:54:15.82\00:54:17.39
We pray these
things in Jesus' name.
00:54:17.42\00:54:19.95
Amen
00:54:19.99\00:54:21.32