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>>Eric Flickinger:
Welcome to "Sabbath School,"
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brought to you by It Is Written.
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We are looking this week
at "The Great Controversy"
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and looking at our
second installment,
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our second episode, this
one on "The Central Issue:
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Love or Selfishness?"--
a fascinating subject,
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and we're going to dive into
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some of the greatest questions
that people have about God
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and about Christianity
in this week's lesson.
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But before we begin,
let's start with prayer.
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Father, we thank You for being
with us again as we take a look
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at this significant subject
of the great controversy.
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And this week, as we take a
look at "Love or Selfishness?"--
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help us to understand better
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the character of
love that You have
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so that we can better
understand Your plans for us.
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And we thank You
in Jesus' name, amen.
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We are grateful once
again also to have back
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the author of this
quarter's study guide,
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and that is Pastor Mark Finley.
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He is an international
author, speaker, and evangelist
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and much-loved friend
here at It Is Written.
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Pastor Mark,
welcome back once again.
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>>Mark Finley:
Thank you, Pastor Eric,
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always enjoy working
with you to share God's Word.
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>>Eric: Absolutely, and that is
what we are doing this quarter,
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a significant subject.
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And this week in
lesson number two,
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"The Central Issue:
Love or Selfishness?"--
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now, you begin
this week's lesson
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by taking a look at the
destruction of Jerusalem
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and thousands of
people were slaughtered
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in the destruction of Jerusalem.
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It's kind of
a--it's an interesting way
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to start a week
that talks about love.
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Help us to understand
that a little bit more.
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>>Mark: Well, you know, a
lot of people ask the question,
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"If God is love, why is there
so much suffering in our world?"
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We talked a little bit
about that in lesson number one.
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But when you look
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at the destruction
of Jerusalem in 70 AD,
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God had borne
long with His people
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for millenniums,
sending prophets,
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sending messages of appeal,
sending messages of love.
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He sent His own
Son, Jesus Christ,
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who ultimately was crucified.
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So the destruction of
Jerusalem shows that God Himself
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is a loving God, making appeals
for generations and centuries.
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And then in addition to
that, the lesson on Monday for--
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Sunday, for example,
"A Brokenhearted Savior,"
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that lesson
reveals that Jesus weeps
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over the
destruction of Jerusalem.
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And there's a
wonderful Bible passage
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in Matthew,
chapter 23, verse 37 and 38
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that I think
comes to the very heart
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of the answer to your question.
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Matthew 23, verse 37, 38,
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you can almost hear the
pathos in Jesus' voice here.
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You almost can hear
the love in His tones,
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and you could almost see
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the tears rolling down
His cheeks when He says,
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Matthew 23:37-38, "O
Jerusalem, Jerusalem,
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"the one who kills the prophets
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"and stones those
[that] are sent to [you]!
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"How often I wanted to
gather your children together,
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"as a hen gathers her
chicks under her wings,
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"but you were not willing!
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"See! Your house is
left to you desolate;
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"for I say to you, [you'll]
see me no more till you say,
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'Blessed is He who comes
in the name of the Lord!'"
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You know, Jesus says,
"Jerusalem, Jerusalem,
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"my love for you
is endless, limitless.
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"I've sent messages of rebuke
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"and messages of
repentance to you.
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"I've reached out to
you. I revealed my Son to you.
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"You saw Him when He
touched the eyes of the blind
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"and the ears of the
deaf and you saw His miracles.
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But you would not."
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Here we find a God
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that has done everything
He could to save Jerusalem.
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And you know, actually
the destruction of Jerusalem
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is a symbol.
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It's a symbolic portrayal--
although it really happened,
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of course--but it's a symbol
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of destruction of
the world at end time.
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And this same God is
appealing to humanity today
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to accept His love
and grace and be saved
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from the
destruction that's to come.
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>>Eric: You know, this idea that
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God allows bad things to happen
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because He doesn't care is
popular outside of Christendom,
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and it's often used
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as an argument
against Christianity.
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But what we see
as we read the Bible
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is that that's not the case.
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It's not that God doesn't care;
it's not that He's heartless,
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that He's a tyrant.
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He does care about His children,
and He's doing what He can
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to help them make
the right decisions,
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to make the right choices,
and head in the right direction.
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And even though the destruction
of Jerusalem was terrible,
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was horrible, there
was a silver lining,
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if we can call it that,
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in that there
were some who escaped,
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some who did not
meet destruction.
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How did that come to pass?
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>>Mark: You know,
Jesus gave them warning,
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and that's another
aspect of His love.
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Jesus puts it this way
in Matthew 24, verse 15,
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when He says,
"Therefore when you see
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the 'abomination
of desolation'"--
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that's the
approach of the Roman armies
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to surround Jerusalem--"spoken
of by Daniel the prophet,
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"standing in the holy place
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"(whoever reads,
let him understand),...
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"let those who are in
Judea flee to the mountains.
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"Let him who is on the housetop
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"not [come] down
to take anything....
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Let him who is in the field
not go back to get his clothes."
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And then He says, "Pray
that your flight [be not]
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in [the] winter
or on the Sabbath."
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In other words,
Jesus pointed out
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that the Roman soldiers
would surround the city.
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But as they were
approaching, Jesus said,
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"When you see this,
it's a signal that the city
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is going to be
destroyed, so flee."
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Now, the interesting
thing about it is that Cestius,
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the Roman general in 69
AD, came to destroy the city,
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and as he came, for some reason,
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he pulled back
and didn't destroy it.
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The Christians knew
that that was a sign
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that the city
would be destroyed.
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They fled, and we are told
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that not one
Christian lost their life
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in the destruction of Jerusalem.
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So again, you see
two things on God's love.
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One, the repeated
warnings that He gave
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to Israel and the Jewish nation
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that the city would be destroyed
and the appeals in His love.
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But secondly, He said, when
you see the Roman armies come--
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so this was not something
exclusively for Christians only,
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but it was for
anybody who wanted to flee,
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who heard the Word of God,
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and Christians
did, and they fled.
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So in other words, you see
God's love trying to protect
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His people from the destruction.
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>>Eric: So God in
Old Testament times,
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as well as New Testament
times, has given warnings.
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He's given promises of
His watch care for people.
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What kind of promises are
there in the Old Testament
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that help us to understand
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that God's
presence is there with us,
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even when we are in
times of trial today?
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>>Mark: Oh, there's
some wonderful promises,
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and I think one of my favorite,
Eric, is Isaiah 41, verse 10.
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In Isaiah 41:10, it is a
very, very precious promise.
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It says, "Fear
not, for I am with you;
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be not
dismayed"-- in other words,
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don't be
confused-- "for I am your God.
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"I will strengthen
you, [yea], I will help you,
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I will uphold you with
my righteous right hand."
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You know, God says, "Don't
fear; don't be all confused."
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He says, "I'm
gonna strengthen you.
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I'm gonna help you.
I'm gonna uphold you."
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Then, of course, you
take a psalm like Psalm 46:
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"God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
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"Therefore [will not we] fear,
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"...though the earth be removed,
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and...the mountains...carried
into the midst of the sea."
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And so God is our
refuge and strength.
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So you have these
wonderful promises in the Bible.
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Psalm 91: "A thousand
[will] fall at your...side,
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"...ten thousand
at your right hand;
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"but it [will] not
come [nigh] you....
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"For [He'll] give His
angels charge over you,
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to keep you in all your ways."
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So you have these promises
that as we're faithful to God,
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He is there with
us in the trials,
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the difficulties,
the challenges of life.
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>>Eric: So He's there.
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Now, some people
misunderstand that to mean
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that if God is there with you,
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that He will
automatically preserve your life
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or keep you from getting
sick or miraculously heal you
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if you happen to become ill.
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But we read the
New Testament story
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of the New Testament church.
They went through trials,
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they went through persecution,
they experienced death,
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yet the church grew rapidly.
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How did that happen with
that kind of persecution?
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>>Mark: As Christians, we
are not playthings of the devil.
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So the devil doesn't
have free access to us
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to do whatever he wants to do.
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If God, because
of natural causes,
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allows
suffering, He can accomplish
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the purpose of
deeper faith, deeper trust,
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deeper dependence upon Him.
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And so it's not that a
Christian will never get sick;
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it's not a Christian
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that will never
have deformities.
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It's not that at all.
It's not that a Christian
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will never die
in a car accident.
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It is rather in the controversy
between good and evil,
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God allows natural
processes to work out,
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but He promises,
Matthew 28, verse 20,
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"Lo, I am with you always,
even to the end of the [earth]."
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Hebrews 13: "I will never
leave you [or] forsake you."
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So God is there with us
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in every challenge of
life to strengthen us.
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But those challenges, in
the context of suffering,
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being in a very real
world, those challenges
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deepen our faith, and
they can draw us closer to Him.
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>>Eric: Now, that's
a pretty deep subject
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and perhaps a subject
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that somebody might
want to dig more deeply into.
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We've touched it,
we've scratched the surface,
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as it were, but
it's an important one.
00:10:59.95\00:11:02.12
There is a companion book
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to this quarter's
"Sabbath School" lesson
00:11:03.89\00:11:05.96
that's called "The War
Between Good and Evil."
00:11:05.99\00:11:08.66
It's a supplement, a companion
00:11:08.70\00:11:10.87
to what we're studying
in this quarter's lesson.
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You've written this book.
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What is in this
book, and why might someone
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want to pick it up
and delve into its depths?
00:11:18.57\00:11:22.41
What would they get out of it
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if they picked up
this companion book?
00:11:23.78\00:11:25.68
>>Mark: Well, a
couple of things.
00:11:25.71\00:11:27.02
First, it will take the
themes that we've been studying
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in the "Sabbath School"
lesson and broaden them.
00:11:30.12\00:11:32.29
I'll add a lot more, a
lot more illustrations.
00:11:32.32\00:11:35.92
I will explain
Bible text more fully.
00:11:35.96\00:11:38.13
But on this
subject of if God is good,
00:11:38.16\00:11:40.33
why is the world so
bad, and human suffering
00:11:40.36\00:11:42.83
and the intensity of our faith,
00:11:42.86\00:11:45.07
we'll delve into
that in chapter 2,
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and we'll look at the
fact that God is there with us
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in human suffering.
00:11:53.31\00:11:54.61
So the companion
book really helps us
00:11:54.64\00:11:57.78
to round out these subjects,
deepens our understanding,
00:11:57.81\00:12:02.52
and is filled with
practical illustrations.
00:12:02.55\00:12:06.59
>>Eric: And if this is something
that you would like to pick up,
00:12:06.62\00:12:09.19
and I hope that you will
00:12:09.22\00:12:10.53
because you will get
a great deal out of it.
00:12:10.56\00:12:12.83
It's very easy to
find this companion book.
00:12:12.86\00:12:16.13
Just go to itiswritten.shop.
00:12:16.16\00:12:19.20
Again, that's itiswritten.shop.
00:12:19.23\00:12:21.64
And you're looking for the book
"The War Between Good and Evil"
00:12:21.67\00:12:25.47
by Pastor Mark Finley.
00:12:25.51\00:12:27.28
As you read that
book, as you dig into it,
00:12:27.31\00:12:30.08
as you study it,
00:12:30.11\00:12:31.48
you are going to get a
clearer picture of who God is,
00:12:31.51\00:12:35.12
a clearer
picture of His character,
00:12:35.15\00:12:37.19
and a much clearer
picture of His love for you.
00:12:37.22\00:12:41.06
Now, you may trust
God, you may believe in Him,
00:12:41.09\00:12:44.53
but you may know some people
00:12:44.56\00:12:46.96
who have a
difficult time trusting in God
00:12:47.00\00:12:49.40
or believing that He loves them
or that He cares about them.
00:12:49.43\00:12:54.10
This will be an important
book for you to pick up
00:12:54.14\00:12:56.24
so that you can
share these great themes
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with them in a way that is
winsome, that is compelling,
00:12:58.67\00:13:02.08
and that will draw
them closer to their Savior.
00:13:02.11\00:13:04.38
Again, you can find that
book at itiswritten.shop.
00:13:04.41\00:13:08.12
We're going to be
back in just a moment
00:13:08.15\00:13:09.55
as we continue looking
at "The Great Controversy,"
00:13:09.58\00:13:12.95
this difference
between love and selfishness.
00:13:12.99\00:13:17.66
We'll be right back.
00:13:17.69\00:13:18.99
¤¤¤
00:13:19.03\00:13:21.66
>>Announcer: If you'd like
to deepen your understanding
00:13:23.50\00:13:25.10
of the powerful themes
brought out in this program,
00:13:25.13\00:13:27.77
we invite you
to explore the book
00:13:27.80\00:13:29.27
"The Great Controversy."
00:13:29.30\00:13:30.71
For more information,
00:13:30.74\00:13:32.04
simply text the
code "GC24" to 71392.
00:13:32.07\00:13:36.18
This book delves into
critical end-time themes,
00:13:36.21\00:13:38.98
offering profound
insights into historical events,
00:13:39.01\00:13:41.95
Bible prophecy, and
spiritual preparation
00:13:41.98\00:13:44.35
essential for
today's unique challenges.
00:13:44.39\00:13:47.12
Discover how "The
Great Controversy"
00:13:47.16\00:13:48.82
can illuminate your path
in these uncertain times.
00:13:48.86\00:13:51.99
>>John Bradshaw: He was
the first person ever created,
00:13:53.33\00:13:56.30
the father of the human
family, and his life is marked
00:13:56.33\00:14:00.30
by the greatest fall in
the history of humankind.
00:14:00.34\00:14:04.21
He was present when God promised
redemption to the world,
00:14:04.24\00:14:08.34
and he witnessed the
devastating effects of sin
00:14:08.38\00:14:11.98
on his family and on his planet.
00:14:12.01\00:14:15.62
Don't miss the first episode
in the new It Is Written series
00:14:15.65\00:14:19.59
"Great Characters of the Bible"
as we look at the life of Adam,
00:14:19.62\00:14:25.29
a journey into
Scripture that takes us
00:14:25.33\00:14:27.50
to some of
humanity's deepest lows
00:14:27.50\00:14:30.57
and yet speaks of the promise
00:14:30.60\00:14:32.57
of the highest
points of human history.
00:14:32.60\00:14:35.84
"Great Characters of the
Bible," the story of Adam,
00:14:35.87\00:14:40.08
a story of tremendous
failure, of tremendous success,
00:14:40.11\00:14:44.25
and of the
grace of a loving God.
00:14:44.28\00:14:46.72
"Great Characters
of the Bible: Adam,"
00:14:46.75\00:14:49.45
brought to you
by It Is Written TV.
00:14:49.48\00:14:51.99
¤¤¤
00:14:53.32\00:14:57.46
>>Eric: Welcome
back to "Sabbath School,"
00:14:57.49\00:14:58.99
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:14:59.03\00:15:02.00
Pastor Mark, let's come
back to where we left off
00:15:02.03\00:15:04.47
just a moment ago
00:15:04.50\00:15:05.80
on persecution and trial
and tribulation and death.
00:15:05.83\00:15:09.57
These are things
that we experience today
00:15:09.60\00:15:12.07
that humanity has
suffered ever since the Fall
00:15:12.11\00:15:15.08
back in the garden of Eden.
00:15:15.11\00:15:17.08
But when we look at the
trials, the persecution,
00:15:17.11\00:15:20.18
the death that
Christians have gone through,
00:15:20.22\00:15:22.35
especially in ages past,
00:15:22.38\00:15:24.39
we see how this led to
a spread of the gospel.
00:15:24.42\00:15:28.12
How are those
two linked together?
00:15:28.16\00:15:30.73
>>Mark: You know,
it's amazing when you look,
00:15:30.76\00:15:32.13
for example, at
the book of Acts.
00:15:32.16\00:15:35.00
I was thinking of
one specific experience
00:15:35.03\00:15:37.97
in the book of Acts
00:15:38.00\00:15:39.30
when Paul and Silas
were thrown into prison.
00:15:39.33\00:15:43.37
And as they go into
prison here in Acts,
00:15:43.41\00:15:49.58
the scripture tells the
story of them in prison,
00:15:49.61\00:15:55.35
singing praises to God.
00:15:55.38\00:15:57.65
The prison walls fall
down in a great earthquake.
00:15:57.69\00:16:01.22
The Roman jailer is so astounded
00:16:01.26\00:16:05.96
he's about ready to fall on
the sword and commit suicide
00:16:05.99\00:16:09.13
because of the fact that
if the prisoners get away,
00:16:09.16\00:16:12.60
the Romans will take his life.
00:16:12.63\00:16:14.50
Paul says, "Don't do that."
00:16:14.54\00:16:16.47
And as this prison guard,
this keeper of the prison,
00:16:16.50\00:16:21.74
as he sees Paul and
Silas, his heart is open,
00:16:21.78\00:16:25.58
Paul preaches to him,
00:16:25.61\00:16:26.98
and he's converted
his entire household.
00:16:27.02\00:16:29.65
So here you have an instance
of Paul and Silas in chains,
00:16:29.68\00:16:33.42
beaten, bloody back,
bruised, black and blue,
00:16:33.46\00:16:37.39
singing praises to God.
00:16:37.43\00:16:39.06
And in the
context of that suffering,
00:16:39.09\00:16:41.46
the Roman
centurion-- or the Roman guard,
00:16:41.50\00:16:43.97
who never would
have come to Christ
00:16:44.00\00:16:45.33
if they weren't in
prison, most likely.
00:16:45.37\00:16:47.04
Now, God could have had
some other way, I don't know,
00:16:47.07\00:16:49.27
but God used suffering
to bring them to Jesus.
00:16:49.30\00:16:53.11
And I think of the
fact of--take Paul;
00:16:53.14\00:16:55.98
he's on a boat going
to Rome, he's shipwrecked,
00:16:56.01\00:16:59.45
and the entire crew hears
about the goodness of God.
00:16:59.48\00:17:03.39
Or you think about Paul
when he's imprisoned in Rome,
00:17:03.42\00:17:06.32
and he says even some
of Caesar's household--
00:17:06.35\00:17:09.46
some of Caesar's
household-- accepts the gospel.
00:17:09.49\00:17:12.39
So you can see very,
very clearly in Scripture
00:17:12.43\00:17:17.73
that suffering does
not destroy witness.
00:17:17.77\00:17:22.74
It really enhances it.
00:17:22.77\00:17:24.31
In fact, you
remember Tertullian,
00:17:24.34\00:17:28.24
one of the early
church leaders, said this:
00:17:28.28\00:17:30.61
"The blood of the martyrs
is the seed of the gospel.
00:17:30.65\00:17:35.08
The more they try to
kill us, the more we grow."
00:17:35.12\00:17:38.52
>>Eric: And there was
no shortage of persecution
00:17:38.55\00:17:40.79
and no shortage of
the spread of the gospel.
00:17:40.82\00:17:43.06
So we see that
evidenced out in history.
00:17:43.09\00:17:47.50
One of the great
commands that Jesus gave
00:17:47.50\00:17:49.96
to His followers, to His church,
00:17:50.00\00:17:51.80
to Christianity, is
to love one another.
00:17:51.83\00:17:55.04
Now, what did the
New Testament church
00:17:55.07\00:17:57.67
practically do to demonstrate
00:17:57.71\00:18:01.38
what it meant to
love one another?
00:18:01.41\00:18:03.81
>>Mark: There's a
couple of things that I think
00:18:03.85\00:18:05.75
are interesting in the text,
and I want to add something,
00:18:05.78\00:18:08.48
a historical narrative
00:18:08.52\00:18:09.85
that I've read
recently by the author
00:18:09.88\00:18:12.19
by the name of Rodney Starkey,
just marvelous material.
00:18:12.22\00:18:15.72
But first, you look
at the book of Acts.
00:18:15.76\00:18:17.69
In Acts, chapter 2, they
ate together with a common meal,
00:18:17.73\00:18:21.86
they fellowshipped
and prayed together,
00:18:21.90\00:18:24.17
they shared their
wealth and resources together,
00:18:24.20\00:18:27.17
very practical. You
come to Acts, chapter 6,
00:18:27.20\00:18:31.74
where you have widows
that are short of food,
00:18:31.77\00:18:36.71
and they--New Testament church
provides that food for them.
00:18:36.75\00:18:42.32
When in Jerusalem
there is a famine,
00:18:42.35\00:18:45.52
Paul takes up a
famine relief offering
00:18:45.55\00:18:47.92
to help the church at Jerusalem
00:18:47.96\00:18:50.33
to have adequate
nourishment and adequate food.
00:18:50.36\00:18:53.93
You look at some of the miracles
that were worked of healing.
00:18:53.96\00:18:57.50
So the New Testament church
had a broad-based ministry:
00:18:57.53\00:19:01.87
physical, mental,
spiritual healing.
00:19:01.90\00:19:06.34
Rodney Starkey looked
00:19:06.37\00:19:08.31
at the second and third
century of Christian growth,
00:19:08.34\00:19:12.95
which would be about 100
to 200 AD, the second century;
00:19:12.98\00:19:16.95
and 200 to 300
AD, the third century.
00:19:16.99\00:19:19.95
And he looked at--there
were two times that the church
00:19:19.99\00:19:23.69
just catapulted ahead in growth.
00:19:23.73\00:19:26.39
One was when there was a great
pandemic or plague in 160 AD,
00:19:26.43\00:19:30.37
and the other was in 260 AD.
00:19:30.40\00:19:32.40
But at that time, the pagans,
00:19:32.43\00:19:35.07
because the disease
was spreading so rapidly,
00:19:35.10\00:19:37.47
there were
city--there were whole villages
00:19:37.51\00:19:39.57
where 90% of the
population or thereabouts died,
00:19:39.61\00:19:43.08
people were looting the bodies
in the streets in the cities,
00:19:43.11\00:19:46.85
and the pagans would
simply take their father,
00:19:46.88\00:19:50.15
their mother, their
child, who got these diseases,
00:19:50.19\00:19:52.62
throw them out in the
street, and let them die.
00:19:52.65\00:19:54.86
Christians came, and the
Christian nurses, for example,
00:19:54.89\00:19:58.53
would come and try to nurse
those people back to health,
00:19:58.56\00:20:01.76
and many of the Christian
nurses died themselves.
00:20:01.80\00:20:04.20
And Rodney Starkey says it
was the love of these Christians
00:20:04.23\00:20:10.47
and the
demonstration of that love
00:20:10.51\00:20:12.34
that won so many
hearts and led people back
00:20:12.37\00:20:16.81
and led many of
the pagans to Jesus.
00:20:16.85\00:20:19.08
>>Eric: You know,
that's a powerful story.
00:20:19.11\00:20:21.28
And in fact, you reference
it, I think, on page 19
00:20:21.32\00:20:24.39
on Thursday's
lesson of this particular--
00:20:24.42\00:20:28.56
of this week. I wanna
read that in its entirety.
00:20:28.59\00:20:31.76
I think it's powerful.
00:20:31.79\00:20:33.19
It says, "Most of
our brother Christians
00:20:33.23\00:20:34.93
"showed
unbounded love and loyalty,
00:20:34.96\00:20:36.93
"never sparing themselves
00:20:36.97\00:20:38.53
"and thinking
only of one another.
00:20:38.57\00:20:40.34
"Heedless of danger,
they took charge of the sick,
00:20:40.37\00:20:43.17
"attending to their every need
00:20:43.20\00:20:45.01
"and ministering
to them in Christ,
00:20:45.04\00:20:47.08
"and with them departed
this life serenely happy;
00:20:47.11\00:20:50.38
"for they were infected
by others with the disease,
00:20:50.41\00:20:53.11
"drawing on themselves the
sickness of their neighbors
00:20:53.15\00:20:56.42
and cheerfully
accepting their pains."
00:20:56.45\00:21:00.29
You know, as you look at
the New Testament church,
00:21:00.32\00:21:02.56
what's a characteristic,
a word, a thought
00:21:02.59\00:21:07.50
that you think
really encapsulates
00:21:07.56\00:21:09.53
what helped the Christian church
00:21:09.56\00:21:11.47
in these days and
these years to grow?
00:21:11.50\00:21:14.30
>>Mark: Well, you know,
that's an interesting statement,
00:21:14.34\00:21:16.60
the one you just read,
00:21:16.64\00:21:17.94
and I'll come
right to your question.
00:21:17.97\00:21:19.27
That was written by Dionysus,
who wrote a lengthy tribute
00:21:19.31\00:21:23.88
to the heroic nursing
efforts of the local Christians.
00:21:23.91\00:21:27.12
You know, he was one of the
very early Christian writers.
00:21:27.15\00:21:29.82
And so this was
something written by himself.
00:21:29.85\00:21:32.15
You know, I think, Eric,
one of the things that helped
00:21:32.19\00:21:34.52
the early
Christian church to grow
00:21:34.56\00:21:36.62
was this sense of compassion,
00:21:36.66\00:21:39.29
that God had created
every human being in His image.
00:21:39.33\00:21:43.16
And when these early
Christians came to Christ
00:21:43.20\00:21:46.23
and they accepted the
love that flows from Calvary
00:21:46.27\00:21:49.97
and they saw this
multifaceted ministry of Jesus--
00:21:50.01\00:21:53.51
Jesus had a
multifaceted ministry;
00:21:53.54\00:21:56.01
it says He "went
about" in Matthew, chapter 4.
00:21:56.04\00:21:59.71
See, what made the church
grow was these early Christians
00:21:59.75\00:22:02.85
were imitating the
ministry of Christ,
00:22:02.88\00:22:06.89
and if you look, for
example, at Matthew, chapter 4,
00:22:06.92\00:22:11.33
it talks about, in verse 23,
"Jesus went about all Galilee,
00:22:11.36\00:22:15.66
"teaching in their synagogues,
00:22:15.70\00:22:17.57
"preaching the
gospel of the kingdom,
00:22:17.60\00:22:19.73
"and healing all
[the] kinds of sickness
00:22:19.77\00:22:22.10
and all kinds of
disease among the people."
00:22:22.14\00:22:24.27
So Jesus taught them
00:22:24.31\00:22:25.91
the principles of
the kingdom of God
00:22:25.94\00:22:27.91
that gave them a better life.
00:22:27.94\00:22:29.71
Jesus preached to them
00:22:29.74\00:22:31.25
the message of
salvation that transformed them.
00:22:31.28\00:22:33.95
And Jesus was a healer.
00:22:33.98\00:22:35.52
He was concerned
about their bodies.
00:22:35.55\00:22:37.62
He was concerned
about their health.
00:22:37.65\00:22:40.02
He was concerned about
their physical life as well.
00:22:40.06\00:22:43.36
So when you look at
this entire panorama,
00:22:43.39\00:22:47.50
this story of the
growth of Christianity,
00:22:47.50\00:22:50.63
it's because the
New Testament church
00:22:50.67\00:22:53.03
was so moved by
the love of Christ,
00:22:53.07\00:22:56.17
so inspired by His example,
00:22:56.20\00:22:58.14
that they went out
to meet the physical,
00:22:58.17\00:23:00.18
mental, emotional, and
spiritual needs of people.
00:23:00.21\00:23:05.15
>>Eric: So it really
was a wholistic ministry--
00:23:05.18\00:23:09.55
W-H-O-L.
00:23:09.58\00:23:11.35
He ministered, as you said,
00:23:11.39\00:23:13.89
preaching and
teaching and healing.
00:23:13.92\00:23:16.16
That's what the early
Christian church was like.
00:23:16.19\00:23:18.79
And I don't think it's
much of a stretch to say
00:23:18.83\00:23:21.70
that
Christianity would probably be
00:23:21.73\00:23:23.40
a whole lot more popular
today if we took a wholistic--
00:23:23.43\00:23:28.10
W-H-O-L--wholistic approach
00:23:28.14\00:23:30.37
to ministering
to others as well.
00:23:30.41\00:23:33.11
Let me come back to what we're
talking about in this week.
00:23:33.14\00:23:36.44
One of the areas we're
talking about is persecution.
00:23:36.48\00:23:39.95
There's, of course, just
the evil that comes upon us
00:23:39.98\00:23:44.62
living in a
sin-cursed, fallen world.
00:23:44.65\00:23:47.02
But there's also persecution.
00:23:47.06\00:23:48.82
What function,
what positive function,
00:23:48.86\00:23:52.73
does persecution
serve? When we look at,
00:23:52.76\00:23:56.36
you know, why are
good people persecuted?
00:23:56.40\00:23:58.67
Why are helpful people attacked?
00:23:58.70\00:24:02.67
What role does
persecution serve?
00:24:02.70\00:24:06.68
>>Mark: Well, first, we
don't desire persecution
00:24:06.71\00:24:08.68
as Christians; we don't
get on our knees and say,
00:24:08.71\00:24:11.11
"Oh Lord, send the
persecution," you know? (laughs)
00:24:11.15\00:24:13.21
So that's not
something that we are desiring,
00:24:13.25\00:24:15.88
saying, "Hallelujah,
let me sing the doxology;
00:24:15.92\00:24:18.45
I just got persecuted,"
you know, not at all. (laughs)
00:24:18.49\00:24:21.26
But persecution is the result
00:24:21.29\00:24:26.06
of men and women
who stand for Christ,
00:24:26.09\00:24:28.56
men and women who
are faithful to Christ
00:24:28.60\00:24:32.00
in an evil, sinful world.
00:24:32.03\00:24:34.10
What value does persecution have
or what function does it have?
00:24:34.14\00:24:37.97
First, persecution enables
00:24:38.01\00:24:40.68
the individual being persecuted
00:24:40.71\00:24:42.28
to deepen their faith.
00:24:42.31\00:24:43.98
You look at Hus and
Jerome, and Hus, particularly,
00:24:44.01\00:24:47.18
in a filthy
prison for weeks, months,
00:24:47.22\00:24:49.78
and he said that
when he was in there,
00:24:49.82\00:24:51.82
it was a precious
experience with Jesus.
00:24:51.85\00:24:54.32
You look at Dietrich Bonhoeffer,
00:24:54.36\00:24:56.06
who was imprisoned
during the Second World War
00:24:56.09\00:24:58.63
by the Nazi regime,
00:24:58.66\00:25:00.23
who said that the Psalms became
the precious guide of his life.
00:25:00.26\00:25:04.93
So when you look at
persecution, first thing it does
00:25:04.97\00:25:08.44
is it deepens the
faith of the one persecuted.
00:25:08.47\00:25:11.67
The second thing
that persecution does
00:25:11.71\00:25:14.61
is that it, when others
see that faith deepened,
00:25:14.64\00:25:20.35
it inspires them;
it encourages them.
00:25:20.38\00:25:25.09
Not long ago, I had
an anointing service
00:25:25.12\00:25:27.99
of a dear
friend of mine, a lady.
00:25:28.02\00:25:30.76
I've known she and her
husband for many years.
00:25:30.79\00:25:34.10
And she was diagnosed
00:25:34.10\00:25:35.63
with a very,
very serious cancer.
00:25:35.66\00:25:39.30
She's doing well
now, incidentally,
00:25:39.33\00:25:41.44
and we anointed her.
00:25:41.47\00:25:43.10
But I will tell you, her
faith, her positive attitude,
00:25:43.14\00:25:48.84
her courage, her
never-blaming God
00:25:48.88\00:25:51.95
inspired both me and my
wife, Teenie, immeasurably.
00:25:51.98\00:25:56.35
So I think persecution
can deepen one's faith.
00:25:56.38\00:26:01.59
It can inspire
others looking by.
00:26:01.62\00:26:03.76
And I think when
one hangs on to Christ
00:26:03.79\00:26:07.03
in the midst of persecution,
00:26:07.03\00:26:09.16
it impresses as
well those unbelievers,
00:26:09.20\00:26:12.87
and they then can
respond to the grace of God
00:26:12.90\00:26:16.87
because they
see grace in action.
00:26:16.91\00:26:19.64
>>Eric: So persecution gives
God an opportunity to shine
00:26:19.67\00:26:24.48
in a person's life, not
something that we desire,
00:26:24.51\00:26:26.95
not something we want
or look for or ask for,
00:26:26.98\00:26:29.38
but it presents an opportunity
00:26:29.42\00:26:30.85
for people to
get a better picture
00:26:30.89\00:26:32.59
of who God is
and His love for us.
00:26:32.62\00:26:34.96
One quick question as we're kind
of tying things together here:
00:26:34.99\00:26:38.29
How can a local church become
00:26:38.33\00:26:40.30
a more loving, caring
entity in the community?
00:26:40.33\00:26:44.83
>>Mark: I think that as churches
are on their knees seeking God,
00:26:44.87\00:26:51.64
asking God for a vision
00:26:51.67\00:26:53.94
of what He wants that
church to be in the community--
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I think this is
a matter of prayer.
00:26:56.78\00:26:59.05
It's a matter of seeking God.
00:26:59.08\00:27:00.88
Secondly, it's a
matter of assessing
00:27:00.92\00:27:02.72
the needs of the community
00:27:02.75\00:27:04.85
and having the
church meet those needs.
00:27:04.89\00:27:08.19
The church is
the body of Christ,
00:27:08.22\00:27:11.36
redeemed by
grace, filled with love,
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meeting needs everywhere.
00:27:14.36\00:27:16.46
>>Eric: So, Pastor Mark,
this week we've taken a look
00:27:16.50\00:27:18.47
at the central issue
being love or selfishness.
00:27:18.50\00:27:21.34
Jesus is depicted.
00:27:21.37\00:27:22.97
If you could
depict Jesus in one word,
00:27:23.00\00:27:24.57
it would be love.
00:27:24.61\00:27:25.91
If you were to depict
the Father in one word,
00:27:25.94\00:27:27.88
it would be love.
00:27:27.91\00:27:29.44
And if we hoped that
people in our community
00:27:29.48\00:27:32.31
could depict us in one word,
00:27:32.35\00:27:34.55
it would
probably be love as well.
00:27:34.58\00:27:36.55
And as we become less
selfish and more like Christ
00:27:36.58\00:27:39.69
by the grace of God,
that's what's going to happen.
00:27:39.72\00:27:41.96
Pastor Mark,
thank you once again
00:27:41.99\00:27:43.32
for being with us this week,
00:27:43.36\00:27:45.63
and thank you once
again for joining us as well.
00:27:45.66\00:27:48.30
We'll be back again next week
00:27:48.33\00:27:49.63
as we continue our journey
through "The Great Controversy."
00:27:49.66\00:27:52.57
We look forward
to seeing you then.
00:27:52.60\00:27:54.27
This has been "Sabbath School,"
00:27:54.30\00:27:55.60
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:27:55.64\00:27:57.61
¤¤¤
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¤¤¤
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