Hello, my name is Frank Fournier
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I want to invite you
to Heaven's Point of View.
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We're still studying
the Parable of Prodigal Son.
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Go get your
Bible come and join us,
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we are having a good time.
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Welcome again, take
hold of your Bible now
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we're about to
receive another blessing.
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Turn with me to Luke Chapter 15
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and now we are
going to go to verse 13.
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In the last two
studies we did together,
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we only got one
verse done for each sermon
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but now we're going to do
three of them in this next one.
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We're in verse 13 we're in
the Parable of the Prodigal Son.
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"And not many days
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after the younger son
gathered all together,
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took his journey
into a far country,
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and there wasted his
substance with riotous living."
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Wow.
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Jesus says that the young
man went into a far country.
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Do you know that we
don't have to go very far
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to go into a far country?
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As a matter of fact I
think we could accomplish
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that in a very comforts
of our own living rooms,
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all we would have to do
is turn our backs on God.
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That's why Jesus
said he was going too far.
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Jesus himself never
went that far it was too far.
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Friends, don't
turn your backs on God.
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Now, Jesus as you
know is our substitute,
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He went to the
cross on our behalf,
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He paid for our sins,
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He died our death
and He gives us His life.
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But do you know that
Jesus is not just our substitute
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that He is also our example.
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Turn with me to
Hebrews Chapter 4.
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We're going to go to
Hebrews Chapter 4 now
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and we are going to
see what Jesus experienced.
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We're in verse 15, "For
we have not an high priest
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which cannot be touched
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with the feeling
of our infirmities
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but was in all points
tempted like as we are."
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When Jesus came to this world
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He came to live life
as we have to live it.
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He set aside His divinity,
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He took up on himself
our humanity and apparently
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He was tempted in every respect
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like you and I are tempted
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and He met these temptations
with the same equipment
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that you and I have,
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yet He met these
temptations successfully.
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Isn't that amazing?
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Do you know why He
was able to do that?
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I will have you turn
with me to John Chapter 5.
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John Chapter 5, very
interesting verses there.
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We're gonna look at two
verses in John Chapter 5
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and we're going to see
that Jesus says something
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which is incredible to say.
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Actually we are
in John Chapter 5
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and we are looking at verse 19.
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Verse 19, John Chapter 5,
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"Then answered
Jesus and said to them,
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Verily, verily, I say unto you,
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The Son can do
nothing of himself."
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Really? How
could Jesus say that?
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He is God, He
came down from heaven,
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He came down to this world
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don't tell me He
can't do anything.
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But Jesus says He can't.
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Verse 30 He says the same thing.
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"I can of mine
own self do nothing."
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Do you know why Jesus said that?
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Because that's the
position you and I are in.
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In John Chapter 15,
excuse me, yeah John 15:5,
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Jesus said,
without Me you can do what?
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Well, you can do nothing.
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Well, friends, if
without God we can do nothing
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then Jesus had to
come down to this world,
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take the position we're in,
take the circumstances we're in,
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take the equipment that we have
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and He had to meet life
just like we have to do.
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He put Himself in the position
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where He could do
nothing of Himself.
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And this is to teach us
that we could live as He lived
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because He accomplished
great things by the way.
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Turn with me to John Chapter 14.
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John Chapter 14 and we
are looking at verse 10.
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Very interesting John 14:10,
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Believest thou
me Jesus speaking,
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"Believest thou not
that I am in the Father,
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and the Father is in me?
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The words that I speak
unto you I speak not of myself,
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but the Father
that dwelleth in me,
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he doeth the works."
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Now, did Jesus ever
perform great miracles?
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Why, no.
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He says so Himself,
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all the miracles
that were performed,
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were performed by
his Father through Him.
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Because Jesus came to this world
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to live life as
we have to live it.
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Do you think that it is possible
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that you and I could live
life that way as Jesus did?
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Why sure, this is what
the Bible is trying to teach.
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He came down set aside
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His divinity
took on our humanity
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that we might put
aside our divinity,
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put aside our carnal
natures, take up His divinity
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and walk as Jesus walked.
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It's a fantastic thought.
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You might wonder well,
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how is it that I can't
perform miracles like He did?
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Look at verse 12 we're
still in John Chapter 14,
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we're looking at verse 12.
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"Verily, verily, I say to
you, He that believes on me,
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the works that I
do shall he do also
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and greater works than these
shall he do" Isn't that amazing?
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This is what Jesus is saying.
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If you believe in Him,
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when Jesus was
here down here below
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He lived life like
we have to live it,
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He lived it by faith.
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When He met
someone that had a need
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He would reach up to His father
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by faith and say,
Father, I have need of help,
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this lady needs this thing
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or this man needs
whatever he might need
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and I need your
help to perform this
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and God would give
Him the power to do it.
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And then He said,
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greater works
than these shall you do
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if you should
exercise your faith as I did.
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Isn't that amazing?
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This is what God expects from us
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and this is what we
want to do, of course.
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Let's go back to the
Parable of the Prodigal Son, now
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and we're going to go verse 14.
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This is Luke Chapter 15
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and now we're
looking at verse 14.
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"And when he had spent all,"
talking about the Prodigal Son,
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he received his
inheritance, he's gone out
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and he's dissipated
away his life and his money.
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At this point he
had spent it all,
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so what it says, "And
when he had spent all,
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there arose a
mighty famine in that land
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and he began to be in want."
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In other words, he
began to feel a need.
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Friends, from
the soul that feels
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his need nothing is withheld.
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The Prodigal Son had
been freely giving all things,
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all things that he had
been giving had meant to speak
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to his heart of
his Father's love,
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it had meant to turn
his heart toward home,
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it meant to lead
him to repentance.
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But did it do it?
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No, it didn't do it
because he was said,
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he was focused, he
knew what he wanted.
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He wanted his money
and he wanted to go in sin
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that's what he wanted to do.
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And so the gift didn't
speak to his heart that way.
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Now here is the question,
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if you were the
father of that boy
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what would you have done?
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I mean after all
you've given him everything
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you've got, is there
anything left to give?
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But friends, listen
God is never stumped.
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God always has
something more that He can do.
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As a matter of fact
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you and I could've something
more to do in that circumstance
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should we ever be
in that circumstance.
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And I want you to see something,
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I'm going to read a
little quotation here
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from Patriarchs
and Prophets page 470.
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Watch, watch, God speaks
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to His people in
blessings bestowed.
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We saw in our last
study that with His son
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He has freely
given us all things.
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Oh, He has bestowed upon
us blessing upon blessing
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all meant to turn
our heats toward Him.
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And it says God
speaks to us that way,
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now watch and when
these are not appreciated
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He speaks to them
in blessings removed.
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Oh, no not that.
That's not what we want.
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You know, even human beings
know how to operate that way.
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Supposing you are a
grandfather or grandmother
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you have only one
grandson he's three years old,
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you love him to death
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and what are you
naturally going to do?
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Well, you are
going to buy him a gift.
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Maybe you'll buy him a tricycle
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and he has such a blessing,
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such a good time
driving around on his tricycle
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and everything is wonderful
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but the little boy still has
a carnal nature you understand
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and one day he is
being disrespectful.
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So what are you going to
do, go out and buy him a gift?
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No, no that's not what
you are going to do this time.
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This time you're
going to take the tricycle
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hang it up in
the rafter somewhere
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and say to the
little boy, listen,
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you can have your tricycle
back if you're smarten up.
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See, this is how we operate.
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Well, friends, that's
how God operates also.
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Yeah, I had a friend in Canada.
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He was a principal of a school.
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I had the opportunity
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of preaching these very
sermons there at his school.
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It was an academy
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and after I had preached
the sermons similar to this,
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he came to me and he says
I have a story to tell you.
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He says, I was
born in Saskatchewan
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now that's a province
in Canada and its very big
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and the farms
there, the ranches there
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were 5,000, 7,000, 10,000 acres
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that's how it was and he
said he had a huge family
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many extended
family lots of boys
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but he was the strongest one.
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He had the biggest
arms that what he said.
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And he said also
that this was 1950.
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Do you know what
happened in 1950?
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In 1950 there
was a polio epidemic
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and it swept through the
land but it didn't take anyone
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from his family, not
from the extended family,
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it didn't take anyone
that he knows except him.
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And it didn't
take anything from him
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but his two arms.
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Can you imagine?
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Now really I don't
know how polio operates,
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some doctors tell me
that polio starts in the feet
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and begins to go up and
settles in the body somewhere.
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You know, I spent
10 years in Africa
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and I saw a lot of
people who'd had polio
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and when polio was
done with the people
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they were all
twisted and all deformed
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but this man was not twisted
nor was he deformed at all,
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he is very good
looking individual
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and but he had no
strength in his arms.
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All that he could
lift was a pen or a chalk
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and so he
became a school teacher
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because he could
lift at least that much.
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Do you know what
the man said to me,
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he wanted me to know
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that he was extremely
grateful for what God have done.
00:11:26.70\00:11:30.28
You see, he had
strength it was a gift from God,
00:11:30.31\00:11:33.97
it's wonderful to have strength.
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I wish I was stronger
but to save the man's soul
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God took away that in
which he was taking the glory.
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Instead of
giving the glory to God
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he was taking
the glory to himself.
00:11:47.97\00:11:54.09
Jonah said to, excuse
me, God said to Jonah,
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I want you to go Nineveh
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and I want you
to cry against it.
00:12:01.05\00:12:03.56
And Jonah said,
I don't think so.
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As a matter of fact, I've
got to take it to Tarshish.
00:12:06.80\00:12:09.82
I'm going to Tarshish.
00:12:09.85\00:12:11.83
And so on his
way God sent a storm.
00:12:11.86\00:12:17.82
Why did God send a storm?
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Was it to drown
the recalcitrant?
00:12:19.79\00:12:22.10
Oh, no, no the storm was
sent to save Jonah from himself.
00:12:22.13\00:12:28.39
And so in the Parable
of the Prodigal of Son,
00:12:28.42\00:12:30.40
God sends a feminine the land.
00:12:30.43\00:12:32.29
Is it to starve the
Prodigal of Son to death?
00:12:32.32\00:12:35.62
Why no?
00:12:35.65\00:12:36.86
No, this is what God is
going to use to save His soul.
00:12:36.89\00:12:42.04
Turn with me to
Psalms 119. Psalms 119.
00:12:42.07\00:12:48.61
We're going to start
with verse 67 in Psalms 119.
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"Before I was
afflicted I went astray."
00:12:57.27\00:13:01.76
Now what is it feel like
before you are afflicted?
00:13:01.79\00:13:05.82
Well, friends it feels great.
00:13:05.85\00:13:07.52
I hate to be afflicted
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but when I'm not
afflicted everything is well
00:13:09.30\00:13:12.15
but the
tendency is to go astray.
00:13:12.18\00:13:15.69
Doesn't the Bible say,
00:13:15.72\00:13:17.72
all we like
sheep have gone astray,
00:13:17.75\00:13:20.08
we've turned
everyone to our own way.
00:13:20.11\00:13:22.11
Do you know that having
our own way is very pleasant
00:13:22.14\00:13:25.29
but it tends to
have us go astray.
00:13:25.32\00:13:29.95
Verse 71, "It is good for me
that I have not been afflicted."
00:13:29.98\00:13:35.04
Really?
00:13:35.07\00:13:36.10
Its what he says,
this is the Psalms
00:13:36.13\00:13:37.90
and he says "that I
might learn thy statutes."
00:13:37.93\00:13:42.84
And look at verse 75
this is the punch line really,
00:13:42.87\00:13:46.45
"I know, O Lord, that
thy judgments are right,
00:13:46.48\00:13:49.19
and that thou in
faithfulness hast afflicted me."
00:13:49.22\00:13:53.19
Did you notice in the verse,
00:13:53.22\00:13:54.35
who it is that's
doing the afflicting here?
00:13:54.38\00:13:56.71
Why? It's God.
00:13:56.74\00:13:58.90
No, God wouldn't do that.
00:13:58.93\00:14:01.26
I mean are we not taught
that if we become Christians
00:14:01.29\00:14:03.97
everything will be
fine from here on now.
00:14:04.00\00:14:06.00
Well, friends, it isn't true.
I think its Job that's said.
00:14:06.03\00:14:09.44
Job 14:1, "Man
that is born of a woman
00:14:09.47\00:14:12.81
is a few days
and full of trouble."
00:14:12.84\00:14:15.88
Why is there trouble
in this in our lives?
00:14:15.91\00:14:18.91
Can I promise you anything?
00:14:18.94\00:14:20.53
Well, if I have
anything to promise
00:14:20.56\00:14:22.14
is that you will have trouble.
00:14:22.17\00:14:25.73
Oh, it's a terrible
promise but it is true.
00:14:25.76\00:14:28.01
Never mind we
have a God in heaven,
00:14:28.04\00:14:30.31
He knows what to do with it
00:14:30.34\00:14:31.65
and He doesn't
allow any trouble to go
00:14:31.68\00:14:33.59
one hare's breath beyond
it, where it needs to go.
00:14:33.62\00:14:37.20
It is good for me
00:14:37.23\00:14:39.62
that I have been
afflicted that I might learn.
00:14:39.65\00:14:45.35
Now the problem with that
is that we are all different.
00:14:45.38\00:14:50.29
Some people learn
their lessons gently, easily.
00:14:50.32\00:14:53.47
They read the Bible of God
00:14:53.50\00:14:54.65
and they say, oh,
is that what God wants?
00:14:54.68\00:14:56.88
Why? I'll give it to Him.
00:14:56.91\00:14:59.51
Really? Yes.
00:14:59.54\00:15:00.91
There are people like that.
00:15:00.94\00:15:01.97
I suppose there
are people like that.
00:15:02.00\00:15:03.25
Maybe we all take our Bibles
00:15:03.28\00:15:04.97
and just do that,
read from cover to cover
00:15:05.00\00:15:07.24
and say 'yes' to God,
'yes' to God, all the time
00:15:07.27\00:15:10.62
and when we come to
the end of the Bible
00:15:10.65\00:15:12.38
we will be like Jesus.
00:15:12.41\00:15:13.78
Well, it doesn't
work quiet that way.
00:15:13.81\00:15:15.71
I understand we
have a lot of struggles,
00:15:15.74\00:15:17.81
we have lot of temptations,
the devil is not dead,
00:15:17.84\00:15:19.97
we are in a world of sin
00:15:20.00\00:15:21.27
and so we have to
meet life as it is.
00:15:21.30\00:15:24.44
But friends,
wouldn't it be better
00:15:24.47\00:15:26.45
if we learn the easy way?
00:15:26.48\00:15:29.66
Why is it that
some people can't learn
00:15:29.69\00:15:32.59
but through the slow
discipline of suffering?
00:15:32.62\00:15:36.29
Do you hear God's voice
when He gives you a blessing?
00:15:40.15\00:15:45.31
Do you give Him
the proper response?
00:15:45.34\00:15:48.07
Or does God have
to go out of His way
00:15:48.10\00:15:50.78
to get your attention?
00:15:50.81\00:15:52.73
Do you know that God is serious?
00:15:52.76\00:15:55.66
He wants you.
He wants your soul.
00:15:55.69\00:15:59.94
He wants you in the kingdom
00:15:59.97\00:16:01.46
and He is going to
do whatever it takes
00:16:01.49\00:16:03.63
and if you are
going to be stubborn
00:16:03.66\00:16:05.55
then He'll know what to do also.
00:16:05.58\00:16:08.65
Let's go back now
to Luke Chapter 15
00:16:08.68\00:16:11.20
we are studying the
Parable of the Prodigal Son
00:16:11.23\00:16:13.93
and we're going
through it verse by verse.
00:16:13.96\00:16:16.73
We're in Luke Chapter 15.
00:16:16.76\00:16:20.42
And we are
looking at verse 15 also.
00:16:20.45\00:16:23.28
"And he went," this
is the Prodigal Son,
00:16:23.31\00:16:25.80
"he went and he joined himself
to a citizen of that country
00:16:25.83\00:16:29.36
and that citizen sent him
into the fields to feed swine."
00:16:29.39\00:16:35.65
Now you got to,
you got to admire
00:16:35.68\00:16:38.54
Jesus Christ sense of humor.
00:16:38.57\00:16:43.35
Jewish people and pigs
don't get along very well.
00:16:43.38\00:16:46.90
And this is who He is talking to
00:16:46.93\00:16:48.43
and He's giving them the parable
00:16:48.46\00:16:49.97
and before it's all
over they are in the pig pen.
00:16:50.00\00:16:52.22
I can't imagine how they
were relating to this thing
00:16:52.25\00:16:55.78
when He was giving it to them.
00:16:55.81\00:16:57.96
I just don't know
00:16:57.99\00:16:59.09
but in any case the
Prodigal runs out of money,
00:16:59.12\00:17:01.77
he runs out of hope
00:17:01.80\00:17:03.91
I suppose we could
say that, he needed help,
00:17:03.94\00:17:05.98
he tried the help
himself that didn't work,
00:17:06.01\00:17:08.18
he went through a
man of the far country
00:17:08.21\00:17:10.23
that didn't work,
instead of turning to his father
00:17:10.26\00:17:13.80
he turned to
that, to human beings.
00:17:13.83\00:17:16.73
Curse it is the
man that trusts a man,
00:17:16.76\00:17:19.84
that's what the Bible says.
00:17:19.87\00:17:21.12
Now friends, why do we do that?
00:17:21.15\00:17:23.43
I mean, isn't that
something we always do.
00:17:23.46\00:17:26.32
Do you know, when I was young
the first car I bought cost $50.
00:17:26.35\00:17:31.77
How far do you go
on with a $50 car?
00:17:31.80\00:17:35.78
Well, you know I don't know
00:17:35.81\00:17:38.08
today you wouldn't
get down the block I guess
00:17:38.11\00:17:40.51
but six months
after I bought that car
00:17:40.54\00:17:42.76
sold it for $150 it
wasn't so was a bad deal really
00:17:42.79\00:17:46.24
but being that it was an old car
00:17:46.27\00:17:47.87
you can imagine I
remember driving down the road
00:17:47.90\00:17:50.21
and all of a sudden
my car begins to stutter
00:17:50.24\00:17:52.41
and sputter and to spit
and of course it would stop.
00:17:52.44\00:17:55.82
Now what do you think
it's the first thing I did
00:17:55.85\00:17:57.93
when my car would
sputter and spit and stop?
00:17:57.96\00:18:00.24
Why?
00:18:00.27\00:18:01.30
I would open the hood of course.
00:18:01.33\00:18:02.86
Now I want you to know
00:18:02.89\00:18:04.19
I don't know anything
about mechanizing a car.
00:18:04.22\00:18:06.71
I don't know what to do,
00:18:06.74\00:18:08.18
I don't know what I'm looking
at but it just bigger than I am,
00:18:08.21\00:18:12.32
when I have a problem
00:18:12.35\00:18:13.75
I have to exhaust all
my resources before I turn
00:18:13.78\00:18:17.32
for help outside of
myself you understand.
00:18:17.35\00:18:19.85
So I would lift the
hood, I would jiggle some wires
00:18:19.88\00:18:22.49
I would knock on the
block or on the starter
00:18:22.52\00:18:24.47
or whatever it might be
00:18:24.50\00:18:25.88
and I would try too
get the, the car started.
00:18:25.91\00:18:30.28
It doesn't work.
00:18:30.31\00:18:31.93
In 1997, when I
was leaving Africa
00:18:31.96\00:18:36.40
I had one more assignment
00:18:36.43\00:18:37.71
I was asked to go up to the
top of the mountain somewhere
00:18:37.74\00:18:40.63
and share a series of
meetings with a group of people.
00:18:40.66\00:18:43.88
I don't remember who they were,
00:18:43.91\00:18:44.94
I don't even
remember where it is,
00:18:44.97\00:18:46.40
all I remember is that
this road was terrible.
00:18:46.43\00:18:49.59
It was a terrible road.
00:18:49.62\00:18:51.03
I did make it in with my
four wheel drive to this village
00:18:51.06\00:18:53.96
and I did accomplish
what I was sent to accomplish.
00:18:53.99\00:18:57.30
On my way out I ran into a bog,
00:18:57.33\00:19:01.49
I don't know
the road disappeared
00:19:01.52\00:19:03.23
and I was up to my eye
bruising mud as it were.
00:19:03.26\00:19:06.01
Well, anyway, what
do you think I did?
00:19:06.04\00:19:08.69
Well, of course, the
thing is to do jack up
00:19:08.72\00:19:11.00
the pickup put logs and put logs
00:19:11.03\00:19:13.42
and put
whatever you can under it
00:19:13.45\00:19:15.07
and when you've got the
pickup standing out of the water
00:19:15.10\00:19:17.96
then you crank it up
and you drive out right?
00:19:17.99\00:19:20.47
Well, we did this
over and over again
00:19:20.50\00:19:22.42
because every
time we cranked it,
00:19:22.45\00:19:24.07
it went about six
inches fell off the logs
00:19:24.10\00:19:26.05
and we were in the mud again.
00:19:26.08\00:19:28.44
Finally a young man
came to me and he says,
00:19:28.47\00:19:30.57
don't you think
we ought to pray?
00:19:30.60\00:19:32.76
Oh, I said as it come to that.
00:19:32.79\00:19:35.29
Well, I was kidding of course.
00:19:35.32\00:19:37.25
Why didn't we start with that?
00:19:37.28\00:19:38.81
Isn't that the way to go?
00:19:38.84\00:19:40.10
And so of course,
we gathered the people
00:19:40.13\00:19:41.82
that were there, we
had a word of prayer.
00:19:41.85\00:19:43.92
I jumped into the
pickup, turn the key
00:19:43.95\00:19:46.35
and drove right out of the mud.
00:19:46.38\00:19:48.25
Isn't that amazing?
00:19:48.28\00:19:50.16
There is a God in
heaven who hears our prayer.
00:19:50.19\00:19:52.75
It's amazing that
we are so secular,
00:19:52.78\00:19:55.76
we are so scientific,
00:19:55.79\00:19:57.85
we understand
cause to the effect
00:19:57.88\00:19:59.89
and if there's any
effect there must be a cause
00:19:59.92\00:20:01.90
and so we try to solve
problems with what we know.
00:20:01.93\00:20:05.01
But friends, the
problems are bigger than we are
00:20:05.04\00:20:08.61
because the devil
exists, you understand.
00:20:08.64\00:20:10.83
Do you remember Moses?
00:20:10.86\00:20:12.70
Now Moses was an
admirable character of course,
00:20:12.73\00:20:16.47
and what's amazing to
me in studying his life
00:20:16.50\00:20:19.45
is that, every time
Moses had a problem,
00:20:19.48\00:20:24.32
he would go to the sanctuary
00:20:24.35\00:20:25.99
to the temple
there in the wilderness
00:20:26.02\00:20:27.75
and he would throw
himself on his face.
00:20:27.78\00:20:32.04
Now, if I was God I think
00:20:32.07\00:20:34.38
how to hit him by
the side of the head.
00:20:34.41\00:20:35.82
Moses lived to be 120 years old
00:20:35.85\00:20:38.06
at 110 if he
would have a problem he,
00:20:38.09\00:20:40.87
God could say,
now wait a minute.
00:20:40.90\00:20:42.36
Didn't you face a problem
00:20:42.39\00:20:43.43
similar to this
some time in the past?
00:20:43.46\00:20:45.37
Hey, do what you can.
00:20:45.40\00:20:46.78
But you know
Moses never did that.
00:20:46.81\00:20:48.38
Do you know why
he never did that?
00:20:48.41\00:20:50.98
Its because he knew
that the devil, Satan
00:20:51.01\00:20:54.59
is far more
intelligent than he is
00:20:54.62\00:20:56.79
and even if it's a
problem he's had before
00:20:56.82\00:20:59.82
nothing is exactly the same
00:20:59.85\00:21:01.96
and the devil
would've put a twist in it
00:21:01.99\00:21:04.00
and Moses did not waste
his time trying this or that
00:21:04.03\00:21:08.61
to solve a problem.
00:21:08.64\00:21:09.73
He went straight to God
threw himself on his face
00:21:09.76\00:21:12.29
and he said, Lord,
I need your wisdom,
00:21:12.32\00:21:14.72
I need your help.
00:21:14.75\00:21:15.99
And Moses is known to be
00:21:16.02\00:21:17.89
the greatest human
leader this world has ever known
00:21:17.92\00:21:21.29
and I believe that's the reason.
00:21:21.32\00:21:23.20
I do and I think
that is the reason.
00:21:23.23\00:21:26.66
Turn with me to Jonah,
00:21:26.69\00:21:28.74
the Book of Jonah
is not easy to find.
00:21:28.77\00:21:30.51
It's in the Minor Prophets.
00:21:30.54\00:21:31.89
We're gonna go to the
Book of Jonah Chapter 1.
00:21:31.92\00:21:36.43
In Jonah Chapter 1,
00:21:36.46\00:21:38.44
we've already, we've already
said if I can find Jonah,
00:21:38.47\00:21:43.59
there he is,
00:21:43.62\00:21:44.79
that God asked Jonah to
go and cry against Ninevites.
00:21:44.82\00:21:48.29
Jonah refused and then
there came a storm at sea
00:21:48.32\00:21:51.74
so unnatural, supernatural storm
00:21:51.77\00:21:56.48
that even the mariners
knew something was different.
00:21:56.51\00:21:59.27
And so the captain went
from mariner, sailor to sailor
00:21:59.30\00:22:02.73
and he said to them, do
you know why the storm is here.
00:22:02.76\00:22:06.51
I mean, have you
offended your God or what?
00:22:06.54\00:22:09.23
And everyone could just shrug
and say, well, I don't know.
00:22:09.26\00:22:12.66
And he couldn't find anyone
00:22:12.69\00:22:14.26
who could explain why
the storm was so ravaging.
00:22:14.29\00:22:18.00
So finally the captain goes
down to the bottom of the ship
00:22:18.03\00:22:21.26
and there he finds Jonah
and he calls him the sleeper.
00:22:21.29\00:22:25.18
Can you imagine the
whole world is convulsing
00:22:25.21\00:22:28.67
and the symbol of
Christianity here,
00:22:28.70\00:22:31.52
Jonah himself a prophet
00:22:31.55\00:22:33.21
is in the bottom
of the ship sleeping?
00:22:33.24\00:22:36.99
Isn't that what
Christianity is like?
00:22:37.02\00:22:39.68
The whole world is convulsing.
00:22:39.71\00:22:41.95
All the kinds of
storms, all kinds of crimes,
00:22:41.98\00:22:44.70
all kinds of disease,
all kinds of whatever,
00:22:44.73\00:22:48.03
and what are Christians doing?
00:22:48.06\00:22:49.81
Oh, friends, we are asleep.
00:22:49.84\00:22:54.15
We think we are increase
with good in need of nothing.
00:22:54.18\00:22:56.94
We don't know the
situation that we are in.
00:22:56.97\00:23:00.94
And so the captain
takes Jonah up on deck
00:23:00.97\00:23:05.03
and he says to
Jonah, do you have any idea
00:23:05.06\00:23:08.63
why this storm is so fierce?
00:23:08.66\00:23:10.76
And Jonah said, why
sure, I do have an idea.
00:23:10.79\00:23:13.52
As a matter of
fact it's on my account.
00:23:13.55\00:23:15.74
Now listen, I'm a prophet.
00:23:15.77\00:23:18.06
God speaks through
me, now you do what I say
00:23:18.09\00:23:21.31
because God is telling you
00:23:21.34\00:23:22.63
what to do and
everything will be all right.
00:23:22.66\00:23:26.72
Now, if these men
had done what Jesus said,
00:23:26.75\00:23:29.30
what Jonah said to do
they would've been all right
00:23:29.33\00:23:31.99
but I wanted you to
notice what they did.
00:23:32.02\00:23:33.96
We're looking at verse
12 this is Jonah Chapter 1.
00:23:33.99\00:23:37.57
"And he said
unto them, Take me up,
00:23:37.60\00:23:40.70
and cast me forth into the sea
00:23:40.73\00:23:42.80
so the shall be calm unto you,
00:23:42.83\00:23:44.90
for I know that for my sake
00:23:44.93\00:23:46.52
this great
tempest is come upon you."
00:23:46.55\00:23:48.60
Now, did they do it?
00:23:48.63\00:23:50.88
Why no, verse 13,
00:23:50.91\00:23:53.04
"Nevertheless the men rowed
hard to bring it to the land
00:23:53.07\00:23:56.06
but they could not
for the sea was wrought,
00:23:56.09\00:23:59.11
and was
tempestuous against them."
00:23:59.14\00:24:03.20
Isn't that amazing?
00:24:03.23\00:24:04.84
But somebody will says
but how unreasonable is it,
00:24:04.87\00:24:07.42
I mean this command from God
00:24:07.45\00:24:09.40
that they throw man overboard
is just not reasonable.
00:24:09.43\00:24:13.21
Well, friends, is
it less reasonable
00:24:13.24\00:24:15.86
then for God to ask Abraham
to sacrifice his own son?
00:24:15.89\00:24:19.68
How unreasonable is that?
00:24:19.71\00:24:22.59
And what about for a
man to give his inheritance
00:24:22.62\00:24:25.26
to a boy that's too immature
00:24:25.29\00:24:27.28
or what about Elijah
going to widow in Sarepta
00:24:27.31\00:24:29.98
and saying give me
your last piece of breath
00:24:30.01\00:24:31.97
that I may eat
00:24:32.00\00:24:33.08
and the widow is about to
die of starvation with her son.
00:24:33.11\00:24:37.63
How unreasonable is that?
00:24:37.66\00:24:39.76
But friends, when the
command comes from God
00:24:39.79\00:24:43.12
it is no longer unreasonable.
00:24:43.15\00:24:47.89
It really is and so
the Prodigal went to a man
00:24:47.92\00:24:52.87
of a far country
looking, hoping to find help.
00:24:52.90\00:24:57.22
Do you think he
found it? No, no.
00:24:57.25\00:25:01.09
Do you think he got any fatter?
00:25:01.12\00:25:03.76
No.
00:25:03.79\00:25:04.82
Did he get any richer? No, no.
00:25:04.85\00:25:08.15
Cursed is the man
that trusts a man.
00:25:08.18\00:25:14.78
I remember going
swimming with my father.
00:25:14.81\00:25:18.68
I was, this was the first
00:25:18.71\00:25:21.40
my first
recollection of going swimming.
00:25:21.43\00:25:23.80
I was probably four years old.
00:25:23.83\00:25:25.92
We are at a beach, I
assume we are in Canada,
00:25:25.95\00:25:27.95
I don't think my
father ever left Canada.
00:25:27.98\00:25:30.66
You can imagine
there are beaches in Canada
00:25:30.69\00:25:32.31
but anyway there are
00:25:32.34\00:25:33.87
and we were
walking into the water
00:25:33.90\00:25:36.16
hand in hand with my father
00:25:36.19\00:25:37.88
and when we hit the
water I said to my father,
00:25:37.91\00:25:40.46
dad, let me go I
can do it myself.
00:25:40.49\00:25:44.73
I assume I don't remember this
00:25:44.76\00:25:46.65
but I assume he said
to me, no, no, no, no
00:25:46.68\00:25:49.16
you've never done
this before, you don't know
00:25:49.19\00:25:50.63
what you are facing come with me
00:25:50.66\00:25:52.27
and so when we had
water up to our waist,
00:25:52.30\00:25:54.19
my waist not his, I
said, dad let me go,
00:25:54.22\00:25:57.54
I can do it myself.
00:25:57.57\00:25:59.91
And we kept on going
until I had water to my chin
00:25:59.94\00:26:03.37
and I said dad, let me go.
00:26:03.40\00:26:05.75
I can do this myself.
00:26:05.78\00:26:07.48
And do you know what he did,
00:26:07.51\00:26:09.12
why, he let me go.
00:26:09.15\00:26:11.26
Do you know what I learned?
00:26:11.29\00:26:13.00
I learned that my head
was heavier than my feet.
00:26:13.03\00:26:16.71
As soon as he let me go my,
00:26:16.74\00:26:18.57
I remember my feet leaving
the ground and my head going in
00:26:18.60\00:26:23.00
and my dad pick me up spitting
and sputtering and coughing
00:26:23.03\00:26:26.88
and I learned something.
00:26:26.91\00:26:28.53
I still needed my dad.
00:26:28.56\00:26:32.59
For a month or two I
don't know how long yet
00:26:32.62\00:26:34.96
but I needed him that day.
00:26:34.99\00:26:37.25