Participants: Pr. Chris Holland (Host)
Series Code: IIWC
Program Code: IIWC201629A
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00:00 IIW-2016-29 ---LOST SHEEP
00:05 IIW-2016-29 ---LOST SHEEP 00:10 IIW-2016-29 ---LOST SHEEP 00:14 IIW-2016-29 ---LOST SHEEP 00:18 IIW-2016-29 ---LOST SHEEP 00:22 IIW-2016-29 ---LOST SHEEP 00:27 IIW-2016-29 ---LOST SHEEP 00:31 IIW-2016-29 ---LOST SHEEP 00:35 IIW-2016-29 ---LOST SHEEP 00:40 IIW-2016-29 ---LOST SHEEP 00:44 IIW-2016-29 ---LOST SHEEP 01:31 >>Announcer: It has stood the test of time. 01:34 God's book, The Bible 01:38 Still relevant in today's complex world 01:44 It Is Written 01:46 Sharing messages of hope around the world! 01:58 His name was Thor. He was a Burnese mountain dog Australian shepherd dog mix. A gift to 02:06 Bronwyn Mengering,of Ft. St. John, BC, for Christmas 2013. Thor was the family's first pet. 02:16 And at 12 years old Bronwyn was thrilled to have her first dog. Thor loved Bronwyn and Bronwyn 02:24 just loved him. On October of 2014, Bronwyn let Thor outside but when she called for him to 02:34 return, he was no where to be found. The family searched for their beloved pet, even going 02:42 door to door, but no one had seen him. They did everything they could think of, passed out 02:48 flyers, put up posters, and posted on Facebook. However, all their efforts were futile.they 02:57 just couldn't find Thor. The family actually feared the worst that, somehow Thor had been 03:05 stolen away and was being used in a dog fighting ring there in Ft. St. John. After months of 03:13 searching, the family had finally to come to grips with the idea that their pet had been 03:22 lost forever. The family then had to move to Windsor, Nova Scotia. And you won't believe 03:29 this! Almost a year after moving to Nova Scotia and almost two years after Thor's 03:37 disappearance.the family received a phone call from their vet back in Ft. St. John. He 03:45 called with the incredible news that Thor had been found!Where did they find him? Thor was 03:54 found in a work camp in Northern Alberta and had been taken to an animal shelter in High River 04:01 Alberta, almost 1000 kilometers from their home in Ft. St. John. Incredibly, Thor was safe and 04:10 alive. As fast as all the arrangements could be made, Thor was loaded in a kennel, put on a 04:19 plane, and on August 10, 2016, Thor and Bronwyn were joyously reunited. Although Thor had been 04:30 lost, he was now found and reunited with his owner. 04:38 Lost.have you ever been lost before? Maybe as a child you were separated from your mother 04:44 or father in a crowded place, or possibly as an adult you've taken a wrong turn somewhere. I 04:50 don't know about you, but for me, my anxiety level increases dramatically when I know that I 04:56 am lost. Maybe thinking about being physically lost..has you thinking more about other 05:05 emotions that come with that..the overall uncertainty of what to do..or that you are kind 05:11 of wandering in the wilderness.unsettled. In thinking about this, I am drawn 05:19 to one particular chapter in the Bible. Luke, the 15th chapter. In that chapter, we find hope 05:26 for the wanderer. There is hope for the restless soul who is looking for something more. 05:37 There is assurance in a world of so much uncertainty. Over the next several weeks, we will look 05:46 at this chapter and see that we do not need to feel lost.we can be found and live a life of 05:55 assurance. Imagine living in Jerusalem and the surrounding area in the early part of the 06:03 first century. Hearing stories of the miracles and teachings of Jesus. The social outcasts were 06:13 condemned and scorned by the teachers of the day. But Jesus was different. As Luke 15 06:22 begins, it tells us that sinners were drawn to Jesus and He to them. When the religious leaders 06:31 confronted Him about this, He answered them by telling them a parable. It begins in Luke 15:4, 07:23 So, first let's talk about why Jesus told this parable. Luke 15:1 says the "tax collectors 07:31 and sinners drew near to him." Who were these people? Other versions of the Bible call the 07:40 tax collectors, publicans. They couldn't be trusted and were despised.The sinners were 07:55 another group of outsiders because they did not follow the traditions of the religious 08:03 leaders. And many of them did openly violate God's law. Another interesting insight is 08:10 that the strictest of the Pharisees, did not respect the common people who had not 08:16 received a rabbinical education and called them "sinners." considered the common people, 08:25 who had not received a rabbinical education, as people who were not respectable and 08:33 called them sinners. The Pharisees saw themselves as a special and superior 08:39 group.especially in the area of spirituality. Those tax collectors and sinners were 08:47 people who sensed their need and desired something more, while the scribes and Pharisees 08:53 thought that they had it all. They followed Jesus, not because they wanted to hear His 09:00 teachings, but to keep their eye on Him, and were astonished by Jesus' fellowship with this 09:07 group of undesirables. They couldn't fathom being in such close proximity to that which 09:15 was so common. They thought that maybe Jesus wasn't such a great teacher and He was just another 09:24 one of these sinners too. But Jesus Himself was really a rebuke to them and the 09:32 traditions that they held, because Jesus was love personified. He accepted all 09:40 people, and as we will see in this parable He told...He did far more than just accept 09:47 people. Jesus came to demonstrate that Godloves and cares for the people who are 09:54 despised and rejected in this world. 10:04 This first parable of the three that we will studyin Luke 15 compares the unrelenting love of 10:08 God to a shepherd. This story would have resonated with the people has shepherding was a 10:16 common occupation there at that time. Then Jesus paints the scenario of a shepherd with 100 10:24 sheep under his care.by all standards, a fairly large flock. However, one went missing. Now, 10:36 you might think that's not a big deal-one sheep. But sheep were used for trade, food, 10:45 sacrifices. Every one of them had a value-were worth something. And the shepherds of 10:51 Jesus day knew theirsheep personally and cared for them in the most meticulous manner. 10:59 Sheep in general, are fairly helpless and curious animals. It must have become distracted and 11:09 not able to find its way back. It was lost. When the shepherd realized the sheep was gone, he 11:17 didn't have to think about what he would do. There really was no other option. He left the 99 to 11:23 look for the one that was lost. The value of that one sheep was worth the risk. Because without 11:32 the intervention of the shepherd.the sheep would have remained lost. Full of relief, 11:40 the shepherd found the sheep, put it on his shoulders and carried it back to safety. He 11:49 did not scold or discipline the sheep, but joyfully carried it all the way home. My dear 11:58 friend, this parable illustrates with absolute clarity that God is committed to finding the 12:04 lost. In direct contrast to the sentiments of the religious leaders, Jesus demonstrated His 12:12 care for the lost. Thisiswhy the sinners and tax collectors were so drawn to Jesus and He to 12:22 them. The shepherd didn't grumble when he found the sheep but rejoiced and called other to 12:31 celebrate with him! This is a true picture,a real glimpse into the heart and character of God. 12:46 But, the sheep wasprobably filled with joy too,not only that it was found, but also 12:55 because the shepherd was a tender and merciful caregiver. The Bible says in Isaiah 40 13:04 verse 11: 13:17 Another translation says he "carries them close to his heart". My dear friend, this is 13:24 how God wants to care for you. Do you feel lost? Do you feel confused? Are you wandering? The 13:34 God Almighty of Heaven is looking for you. He wants to gather you and carry you close 13:42 to His heart.If you are currently in an active relationship with Jesus, God 13:47 calls you to demonstrate this tender love and care for the ones who may be outcasts in our 13:54 society today. This parable has meaning for everyone. God is interested in you, even if you 14:02 are not interested in Him. He, as the shepherd, is seeking you as if He were seeking out a 14:09 great treasure. In fact there is a treasure and it is you. You are valuable to Him. 14:25 In our fast paced, busy lives, it is helpful for us to be mindful that the ever-loving God 14:32 is seeking after us and, then we, in turn, have the opportunity to mirror what He 14:40 has done for us by how we engage and respond to people around us. There are many weary and lonely 14:48 people who, if you gave them just a bit of your time, would find something to hope in. The 14:58 promise of Ezekiel 34:11-16 is, 15:49 You know friend, we may not even know we are lost.maybe we just sense that something is missing. 15:57 The call of Jesus today is that any person willing to found, will be rescued by the great 16:05 shepherd, Jesus Christ. 16:08 The teachers in Jesus' day and some teachers of the Bible today teach that you have to be good 16:14 enough or do just this or that to be accepted by God. But the parable of the lost sheep tells 16:22 us that there are no conditions of being found. In fact, the Bible promises in 1 John 1:9, 16:37 If we are willing, He will accept us with the tender heart of a shepherd. 16:47 Are you feeling bruised and beaten? Just look up and, just as I am sure that sheep did, 16:58 call out.call out to God that you want to be found. In Bible times, the rabbis had a saying 17:08 that there was rejoicing in heaven when one who had sinned against God was destroyed; but 17:15 Jesus contradicted such evil teaching and taught that God's work is the working of seeking 17:23 and saving and rejoicing when you are found. The promise of this Book is that He is seeking 17:34 you right now. This parable while applying to us an individual, also applies to our 17:43 own planet earth. Cosmically, only this planet has fallen into the rebellion of sin. You know, 17:51 God could have quarantined our planet so that we would have never been heard from again. But 18:00 the testimony of God's word is that He came to bring hope to this sin-filled planet-- yet He 18:08 was rejected. Referring to Jesus coming to this planet, John 1 says, 18:29 The very world He created, the very world He came to save, did not receive Him. Not only was He 18:40 not received, but Isaiah 53 says, 18:58 He left the majesty of heaven to be despised and rejected. He left all that to come and be 19:10 despised and rejected for you. As 1 John 3:1 states, 19:29 Jesus has been seeking you.will you allow yourself to be found? Do you have a neighbor or 19:34 co-worker is in a world of hurt and need.will you help them be found? The religious leaders of 19:42 Jesus's day only had condemnation for people who weren't as "religious" as they 19:49 were. Jesus only had compassion on the world He came to seek and save. Jesus is seeking you 19:56 friend, look up above your circumstances and see Him coming for you. Don't run away. Allow 20:06 Him to carry you back into the safety of His fold. 20:15 Heavenly Father, for that individual that is out there today feeling lost, I pray that 20:21 today, they would find hope in being found. We pray in Jesus' name, amen. 20:51 BEV MILLER: Hi, everyone. Today, I'm going to be making a creamy alfredo sauce, but with a twist. 20:57 I'm going to make it with artichokes, and it's going to just kick the flavour up a 21:01 little bit and give it a little bit of texture, and make it really, really delicious. So, 21:07 the thing with this alfredo sauce is that we are not using any dairy whatsoever. It's 21:13 totally plant-based. And we're going to achieve that by using cashews as the base. That's 21:19 going to make it nice and creamy and very luscious. So starting off with the trusty Vitamix; I'm 21:26 going to put the cashews in here. And that's about a half a cup of cashews. And then I'm 21:33 going to put a cup of water in with that, and we're going to blend that up and just get it 21:40 nice and creamy before we add the other things. So here we go. We put the lid on here. It's 21:48 going to make a little bit of noise, hold on. 22:02 Okay, so that's nice and creamy. Now I'm going to add a little bit more water, well, another 22:08 cup of water, actually, and some seasonings. So here we go with the water. And we are adding 22:18 some corn starch in there to thicken things up once we get it on the boil, plus some onion 22:25 powder. So put that in. And then we're also going to add some mock chicken-type seasoning. 22:36 That's going to flavour it beautifully. Alright, let's put that. well, you know what? Let 22:45 me just add a little bit of salt. 22:51 Just to flavour that a little more. Okay, so let's blend that up, and then we're going to 22:56 transfer it to the burner. 23:07 Not long at all. This is a really simple recipe, and it's so delicious. Everyone in my 23:14 family loves it. So we have our trusty burner here, everything's on high. I'm going to pour this 23:20 in. 23:26 And remember, it's got the corn starch in there, so it's going to start to thicken up, so I'm 23:30 going to be stirring it constantly to make sure that it doesn't start clumping. But 23:35 here's what else I'm going to do. I'm going to be adding some basil, some dried basil. Now, 23:40 when I'm adding basil to anything, I like to do this, because that's going to release 23:46 the aromas, the fragrance. I can smell it even more than I did before. So you want to just kind 23:53 of squish it between your fingers, and you'll see it really makes a difference. Okay, 24:01 so we've got that in there. Let me start stirring this. And then we're going to add artichoke, 24:11 the magic ingredient in this recipe. And it just gives it a really wonderful texture. There 24:18 we go. We've got about three to four tablespoons of artichoke that's been cut up. This is a 24:23 marinated artichoke that was in a bottled variety. Wonderful. And then towards the end, when 24:34 it's thickening up beautifully, we're going to add some minced garlic. And we want to add the 24:39 garlic towards the end because it's going to flavour it, just give it a really brilliant 24:43 flavour. If you cook the garlic too long, it's going to dissipate that flavour, but if 24:48 you add it towards the end, it's still fresh and very pungent, just the way we love our garlic. 24:55 Okay, so I'm going to just let that start to boil for a little bit. 25:04 And constantly stirring; make sure it doesn't start sticking on the bottom. Already, it's 25:18 starting to thicken up. 25:26 The really nice thing about doing a pasta sauce this way is that people who, for example, 25:31 suffer from allergies to dairy, they can have a wonderfully luscious alfredo sauce, and 25:39 that's me and a lot of other people that I know, so this is a really nice thing. Then, when 25:44 we're finished, we also have a nice parmesan to add on top of that, and the parmesan is also 25:50 dairy-free, made with nuts and seeds and spices. So, perfectly plant-based. 26:03 Okay, so this is thickening up beautifully. I'm going to add the garlic now, 'cause it's 26:09 towards the end. Again, we don't want the garlic cooking too, too much. But it's going to flavour 26:15 it so nicely. I hope you're a garlic lover like I am. Fresh garlic in everything. Okay, so 26:23 it's really thickening up. 26:29 Alright. So, the sauce is nicely thickened. It's looking beautiful. I am going to just 26:37 pour it into these bowls. You can see how luscious it is. Look at that, nice and thick and 26:48 creamy, with that nice texture, with the artichokes. So what I'm going to do now is clear some of 26:58 this away so you can see how it's going to look on my pasta. Okay, here we go. I've got some 27:07 pasta already made. Look how it just drizzles so beautifully. It's creamy. It looks just like 27:19 alfredo, doesn't it? But a much healthier version. So good. There we go. And now, you can 27:34 use some of this parmesan that I made previously. This is just a whole bunch of nuts and seeds - 27:41 just sprinkle that on top and you are good to go with a totally delicious meal that is 27:50 non-dairy based, totally healthy for you and tastes so good. If you'd like this recipe and many 27:57 others, just visit our ItIsWrittenCanada.ca website. Enjoy this recipe, and I'll see 28:03 you next time. 28:12 My dear friends, isn't it an amazing thing that Jesus Christ, the One Who formed this earth, 28:18 the One Who created you, He came to save you, and like the shepherd, is seeking to find 28:24 you? Today, I want to offer you the book Steps to Christ. This book will give you opportunity 28:31 to develop in that relationship with Jesus and feel close to Him. Here's the information you 28:37 need to receive today's offer. 29:30 My dear friend, the faithful Shepherd is seeking you. Are you willing to be found? Jesus wants 29:37 to take you in His arms and carry you, carry you all the way to your heavenly home. I hope 29:44 you've found hope in today's program. I invite you to join us again next week. Until then, 29:48 remember, it is written: "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds 29:56 from the mouth of God." |
Revised 2017-05-16