Hello and welcome back
to Digging Up The Future,
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Bible Prophecy Exposed.
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We have been
studying God's word,
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we've been not only
looking at the prophecies
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and looking at archeology,
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we've been looking
for practical things
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that can help us on
our walk with Jesus.
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And I believe that you are
going to find tonight's topic
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just another, just real
feast and I'm looking forward to
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what the Lord wants to do
for us again here and now.
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Let's bow our
heads and pray together
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before we begin this seminar.
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Father in Heaven,
today we're indeed grateful
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that You've
given us another day,
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that You've given
us another opportunity
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to serve You and
today we just ask that
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Your Holy Spirit would come now
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around this set,
around this auditorium,
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that You would give our
speaker Your Holy Spirit,
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that You would just
connect with our hearts
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in what we need to hear today.
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And we thank You and
we come in Christ's name.
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Amen.
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Well, we've been delighted
to have some special numbers,
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again we have Chris
Albrecht with us with a trumpet,
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I know that if you're like
me, you've been enjoying this
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and Anthia, he will
accompany him on the piano.
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"If My People" is the
title of today's special number.
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Thank you so much again.
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If my people will come
to themselves and pray.
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In New York City,
Downtown Manhattan,
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there is a prison,
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that prison has a
name, it's called the Tombs.
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Now you may ask yourself
why do they call it the Tombs
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because it's
actually underground.
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And from the
prison to the courthouse,
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there's actually
an underground tunnel
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and as the prisoners are taken
from the prison, the cells,
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and ushered in
through to the courtroom,
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as they are about to
enter through the door,
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right above the doorway,
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there is a text,
biblical text inscribed
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and that text is found
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in the Book of
Proverbs Chapter 15.
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And here's what it says,
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"Good
understanding giveth favor,
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but the way of the
transgressor is hard."
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Let's pray together
as we study the subject.
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Our Father, thank You
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for the privilege to
study Your word again.
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We pray Your spirit to
help us, to draw near to thee.
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In Jesus' name we pray, amen.
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Now think of the text,
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the way of the
transgressor is hard.
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There are many people
who disagree with this text.
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There are people who think that
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it's not the way the
sinneth is difficult or hard
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but rather the way of
the Christian is hard.
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I've heard a lot of people say
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it's so easy not
to be a Christian.
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Ah, you don't have
anything to have to meet up to,
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no responsibilities,
no requirements,
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no rules, no regulations,
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you can just go with the
flow and do what you want,
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it's so easy not
to be a Christian.
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But it's so hard
to be a Christian.
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Yes, there are lot of
people, lot of Christians,
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lot of believers
who feel that way.
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But did God make a
mistake when He said,
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"The way of the
transgressor is hard"?
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I don't believe so.
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I don't believe that God
has made a mistake in that.
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But here's the question.
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I recall that when
I was in show business
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playing with the Comets,
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and I went home on a vacation,
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it was then
that I was confronted
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with the whole dynamics
of becoming a Christian.
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And I remember
one of the thoughts
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that came into my mind
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that was a
temptation to keep me from
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following the Lord was this.
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If I become a
Christian, I won't have any fun.
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And there are a lot of
people who think that way.
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If I become a
Christian, I won't have any fun.
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And so whether
they realize it or not,
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they're thinking it's
hard to be a Christian,
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and easy to be a sinner.
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But again, the Lord
speaks here quite eloquently
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as He spoke these
words when He said,
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"The way of the
transgressor is hard."
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Why did He say this?
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And what do we
find in the scriptures
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'cause we're talking
about digging up the future
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but in order to
understand the future,
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it is important to us
to understand the past.
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You recall that we talked about
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in the first two
chapters of the Bible,
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there's a perfect world,
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a perfect
relationship with God and man,
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the animal kingdom was at peace,
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there's eternal
life, the man does not die,
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a perfect home,
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and then the last two chapters
of the Bible you recall,
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again, the same thing.
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The relationship with
God, man is with God again,
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God is with man, a perfect home,
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the tree of life,
all is gorgeous again.
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But in order to
get to that new world,
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we need to understand
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what was the
problem and where we fell
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and how to get
from point A to point Z.
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So let's think
about what the Bible says
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concerning this.
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Think in your mind going
back to our first parents.
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It was a perfect world.
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Adam and Eve had
all that they wanted
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and all that they needed.
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The world was harmonious.
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I can imagine
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that it must have
been a gorgeous place.
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I have been to
many beautiful gardens,
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one of the most
beautiful gardens
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I've ever visited is
called Butchart Gardens.
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And I remember up there in
Victoria Island in Vancouver
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how gorgeous that garden was.
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But I think that what
God created far exceeded
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anything that we have today.
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Listen, perfect
world, perfect home,
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everything that
they could desire
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was before them,
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and God had warned
them that there was a test
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that they had to pass through.
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Now you may ask
the question why?
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I'll explain that when I
present the next subject,
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but right now just think of it.
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The Scripture says that Eve
wandered away from her husband
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and came to that beautiful
tree and saw the fruit.
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The most
beautiful woman ever created
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standing before the fruit.
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And I believe, friends,
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that this is an example
of the first drug seller
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recorded in the Bible.
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Let me explain what I'm saying.
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When I was a little
boy in New York City,
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growing up in the
ghettos of New York,
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I recall people
would come down on street
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and they would say
something like this,
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you don't know what
living is until you try this.
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Man, if you want
to have an experience
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that is out of this
world, you got to try this.
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And I believe that
that's what happened with Eve.
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You think you're
living a good life?
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You think that you
really have it good?
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Wait until you try
this and you'll understand
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that you've been missing out.
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Well, unfortunately
mother Eve fell into the trap,
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believed the enemy
rather than believing God.
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And the Scripture reveals then
that the couple fell into sin.
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Think of Adam and
Eve now in transgression.
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Think of this pair
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that had been in
bliss and in happiness,
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now with dread forebodings,
dreadful forebodings,
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now fearful of consequences.
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That which they had
never experienced before,
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now they're experiencing.
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I'm not sure what
went through their minds.
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What I think you
and I would understand
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how they felt.
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How many of you for example
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have not been
told by mom or dad,
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especially mom as she bakes
something or cooks something
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would say to you,
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don't touch it
until supper time.
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And how many of you
after mom was out of sight,
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yielded to the temptation
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and took that
cookie from the jar
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or swiped that cake behind
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so that mother
could not see behind
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but only see the
front of the cake.
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You know what I'm talking about.
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And how many of you
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as you heard
the footsteps of mom
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coming towards the
kitchen and there you were
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with the goods in hand
felt good about her coming?
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Many times we do things
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that we know we
shouldn't have done
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and after we do them
we fear the consequences.
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And Adam and Eve felt the
fear of those consequences.
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But fortunately, God is
a wonderful, merciful God.
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And God had other plans
than Adam and Eve supposed.
00:14:21.75\00:14:28.00
But listen, the Bible says
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that as the
result of what they did,
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Adam and Eve had to
leave their beautiful home.
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So the first experience of sin,
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they began to
feel the consequences,
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the result of their actions.
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They began to sense
that things are no longer
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the same as they used to be.
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There's in fact
alienation between Adam and Eve
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so that when God said
to Eve, what have you done,
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Eve then blamed Adam or
Adam blamed Eve, pardon me,
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and right there you see
them accusing one another.
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And finally, Eve blames God
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and said the serpent whom
You have made caused me to sin.
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It's so easy, isn't it for us
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to put the blame
on somebody else.
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You've even heard somebody
say that devil made me do it.
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It doesn't matter who you
blame or who you don't blame,
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the reality is this.
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If you are the perpetrator,
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if you are the one
that committed sin,
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you are the one
that feels the results
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and experiences the
consequences of what we do.
00:15:44.10\00:15:47.51
Now think of Adam and Eve,
think of that beautiful woman,
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as a result of
her transgression,
00:15:54.56\00:15:57.72
think of that moment when
Cain being upset with Abel,
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finally resorted
to kill his brother,
00:16:04.41\00:16:08.66
murdered him in cold blood.
00:16:08.69\00:16:10.93
And now look at mother Eve,
00:16:10.96\00:16:13.54
bowing over her
lifeless boy, weeping
00:16:13.57\00:16:19.72
and I can guarantee you
00:16:19.75\00:16:21.95
that mother Eve must
have said it a thousand times,
00:16:21.98\00:16:25.22
the way of the
transgressor is hard.
00:16:25.25\00:16:29.34
Think of Adam, poor Adam,
00:16:33.68\00:16:38.27
who lived for
years, for centuries,
00:16:38.30\00:16:45.26
every dying
leaf, every sickness,
00:16:45.29\00:16:50.72
every pain, every argument,
00:16:50.75\00:16:55.22
every sign of hatred, of
envy must have pierced his soul
00:16:55.25\00:17:02.30
in thinking that he
was responsible for it.
00:17:02.33\00:17:07.25
Friends, I don't
understand how it is
00:17:07.28\00:17:10.85
that Adam did not go insane.
00:17:10.88\00:17:16.38
I don't understand how it is
that the Bible does not record
00:17:16.41\00:17:20.22
and Adam could
not bear it any longer
00:17:20.25\00:17:23.84
and committed suicide.
00:17:23.87\00:17:27.97
And I could say about
Adam as I said about Eve,
00:17:28.00\00:17:30.89
I can guarantee you
00:17:30.92\00:17:32.10
that Adam must
have said many a times
00:17:32.13\00:17:34.07
and felt many a times the
way of the transgressor is what?
00:17:34.10\00:17:39.65
Is hard.
00:17:39.68\00:17:41.56
From Adam, we pass on to others.
00:17:48.67\00:17:52.34
Cain, for example,
who after he'd slaughtered
00:17:52.37\00:17:55.78
or slained his brother
00:17:55.81\00:17:59.78
said to God, it
is too much for me,
00:17:59.81\00:18:03.45
in other words,
00:18:03.48\00:18:05.99
I can't handle the
results of what I've done.
00:18:06.02\00:18:12.18
Then we come to
through the Bible history,
00:18:12.21\00:18:15.03
we find other examples
there of this particular issue.
00:18:15.06\00:18:19.75
When I was a lad
there in New York City,
00:18:19.78\00:18:22.45
I remember one day,
00:18:22.48\00:18:24.74
we had no place to play except
on the streets of New York,
00:18:24.77\00:18:27.41
I happened to
live on Strauss Street
00:18:27.44\00:18:29.49
in Brooklyn, New York,
between Southern Pitkin Avenue,
00:18:29.52\00:18:33.71
for those of you who may know
New York City or know Brooklyn.
00:18:33.74\00:18:36.83
And we played on
the street all the time.
00:18:36.86\00:18:39.38
Sometimes we played
punch ball and that was a game
00:18:39.41\00:18:42.86
when you take a
little rubber ball
00:18:42.89\00:18:44.22
and you play like a baseball,
00:18:44.25\00:18:46.64
you punch the
ball with your fist
00:18:46.67\00:18:49.19
or sometimes we played skully
00:18:49.22\00:18:51.31
and that was you made a
box and you make some squares
00:18:51.34\00:18:54.18
and then you took a bottle cap
and dug up some of the asphalt
00:18:54.21\00:18:58.19
so it'd put some weight on it
00:18:58.22\00:18:59.33
and then you
used it like a marble
00:18:59.36\00:19:01.06
going from box to
box to box to box.
00:19:01.09\00:19:03.17
All of this was on the street
00:19:03.20\00:19:04.61
and of course we always
had to be watching for the cars
00:19:04.64\00:19:07.00
which came sweeping by
00:19:07.03\00:19:08.50
as we were
playing in the streets.
00:19:08.53\00:19:10.65
But one particular
day, a truck came by,
00:19:10.68\00:19:14.90
and we looked at this thing,
00:19:14.93\00:19:17.63
And it looked like
something out of the movies,
00:19:17.66\00:19:20.06
because it had the
shape of a house in the back
00:19:20.09\00:19:24.24
and it had portals for windows
and we thought this is strange.
00:19:24.27\00:19:30.72
Well, the truck parked
and we were looking to see
00:19:30.75\00:19:34.11
who would come
out of this truck,
00:19:34.14\00:19:35.27
it was one of those old trucks,
00:19:35.30\00:19:37.19
I don't remember how many of you
00:19:37.22\00:19:38.65
remember the old trucks,
they didn't have transmission,
00:19:38.68\00:19:41.13
they actually had
a chain in the back.
00:19:41.16\00:19:43.15
So they had a motor and a chain
00:19:43.18\00:19:45.15
that moved the back wheels.
00:19:45.18\00:19:50.20
So out of the truck
stepped out an old man,
00:19:50.23\00:19:55.42
long white hair
and a white beard.
00:19:55.45\00:20:00.66
We began to think to ourselves,
00:20:00.69\00:20:04.90
teasing him would be
more fun than playing skully
00:20:04.93\00:20:09.35
and so we began to tease
the old man, unfortunately.
00:20:09.38\00:20:12.78
We shouldn't have
done that but we teased him
00:20:12.81\00:20:15.07
and the man got angry
00:20:15.10\00:20:17.39
and so ha-ha-ha,
you can't catch us
00:20:17.42\00:20:19.80
and we took off and
what do you suppose?
00:20:19.83\00:20:22.33
That man could run
just as fast as we could.
00:20:22.36\00:20:25.35
We were calling
him Moses and so forth,
00:20:25.38\00:20:28.23
well, he ran after us
and we were frightened then
00:20:28.26\00:20:33.11
'cause this old
man that we thought
00:20:33.14\00:20:34.72
could just barely walk
actually could keep with us,
00:20:34.75\00:20:37.78
finally he stopped
00:20:37.81\00:20:39.05
and went back to
his truck and said
00:20:39.08\00:20:40.47
come back over here,
boys, let me show you something.
00:20:40.50\00:20:43.44
So we cautiously approached him
00:20:43.47\00:20:46.01
and he then
pulled a handkerchief
00:20:46.04\00:20:49.05
out of his pocket,
then he took a spike,
00:20:49.08\00:20:52.25
I'm talking about
one of those nails
00:20:52.28\00:20:54.59
that you drive
into telephone poles,
00:20:54.62\00:20:56.48
those thick spikes.
00:20:56.51\00:20:58.59
And he wrapped the
handkerchief around the spike,
00:20:58.62\00:21:01.21
put it in his mouth and bent it.
00:21:01.24\00:21:07.08
And we were sure that this
man was playing a trick on us.
00:21:07.11\00:21:10.99
And so then he took the nail
00:21:11.02\00:21:15.04
and put the u-end
of it into his mouth
00:21:15.07\00:21:20.05
and bit it shut
like a bobby pin.
00:21:20.08\00:21:25.90
We were amazed.
00:21:25.93\00:21:29.41
Well, I'm still not sure
that this thing was not a trick.
00:21:29.44\00:21:33.66
We asked to see the thing
and we threw it on the ground
00:21:33.69\00:21:36.97
and it sounded
just like a spike.
00:21:37.00\00:21:38.81
We pulled and pulled and pulled
00:21:38.84\00:21:40.18
and we could not unbend
it, it was a real spike.
00:21:40.21\00:21:44.52
Then he said, let
me show you something,
00:21:44.55\00:21:47.08
so he opened up
the back of his truck
00:21:47.11\00:21:48.68
and pulled out a poster board
00:21:48.71\00:21:50.82
and there he was
pictured in the poster board
00:21:50.85\00:21:55.40
with a chain tied to his hair
00:21:55.43\00:22:00.16
and on the other hand
tied to the back of a plane
00:22:00.19\00:22:04.04
and he could hold back the plane
00:22:04.07\00:22:06.39
from taking off with his hair.
00:22:06.42\00:22:11.81
Then he took out another poster
00:22:11.84\00:22:13.84
and there he was with a
bar, a metal bar in his mouth,
00:22:13.87\00:22:18.82
he was holding a
metal bar with his mouth
00:22:18.85\00:22:20.90
and on both sides,
there were two women
00:22:20.93\00:22:24.51
sitting on swings
and rocking or swinging
00:22:24.54\00:22:28.35
as he held the
metal bar in his mouth.
00:22:28.38\00:22:31.85
We were just amazed and thankful
00:22:31.88\00:22:35.84
that he did not
catch up with us.
00:22:35.87\00:22:40.75
It turned out
that he was the brother
00:22:40.78\00:22:42.57
of our barber Harry.
00:22:42.60\00:22:45.58
Harry was Jewish and he
happened to be our barber
00:22:45.61\00:22:49.00
and this
particular man was his brother
00:22:49.03\00:22:53.45
who came to visit with him.
00:22:53.48\00:22:55.64
Well, this is his
picture here, you can see him
00:22:55.67\00:23:00.07
and he was
called The Mighty Atom.
00:23:00.10\00:23:03.03
A-t-o-m.
00:23:03.06\00:23:05.23
Real name was Joseph Greenfield
00:23:05.26\00:23:08.01
and Joseph was considered to be
00:23:08.04\00:23:13.02
the strongest man of his time.
00:23:13.05\00:23:16.56
In Madison Square Gardens,
he actually took horseshoes
00:23:16.59\00:23:21.81
and would put them in
his mouth and bend them.
00:23:21.84\00:23:27.99
They would tie a
chain around his chest
00:23:28.02\00:23:30.76
and he could actually
just burst the chains asunder.
00:23:30.79\00:23:35.23
He was an amazing
man and by the way,
00:23:35.26\00:23:37.23
you know how old he was
when he chased up after us?
00:23:37.26\00:23:41.18
He was 80 years old.
00:23:41.21\00:23:44.71
He was an amazing
man, the Mighty Atom.
00:23:44.74\00:23:50.10
Why am I sharing this with you?
00:23:50.13\00:23:52.68
Because in the Scriptures,
we're told about another man,
00:23:52.71\00:23:56.75
that man was Samson.
00:23:56.78\00:24:00.90
Samson was the
strongest man in human history.
00:24:00.93\00:24:08.83
I have in show
business encountered
00:24:08.86\00:24:11.96
many a strong people.
00:24:11.99\00:24:13.92
I remember when I was
performing in New York--
00:24:13.95\00:24:17.79
New Jersey, pardon me,
there was a fellow named--
00:24:17.82\00:24:21.39
well, I won't tell his name
but anyway he was Mr. America
00:24:21.42\00:24:24.76
and with him was another fellow,
00:24:24.79\00:24:26.41
his associate, he was
a very huge individual,
00:24:26.44\00:24:30.01
a weightlifter,
very strong individuals.
00:24:30.04\00:24:35.17
But nothing
compared with Samson.
00:24:35.20\00:24:38.91
The Scripture reveals
that the Spirit of God
00:24:38.94\00:24:41.75
was the one who
gave Samson the strength.
00:24:41.78\00:24:45.28
The Bible says that
Samson had been born
00:24:45.31\00:24:48.75
for a specific purpose
00:24:48.78\00:24:50.15
and that was to be a
deliverer of the people,
00:24:50.18\00:24:53.44
a type of deliverer
that Christ would be.
00:24:53.47\00:24:58.84
But the Scripture also reveals
00:24:58.87\00:25:01.36
that strength is not
sufficient to deliver.
00:25:01.39\00:25:07.70
You can be a mighty man,
00:25:07.73\00:25:09.99
you can have
great strength and power
00:25:10.02\00:25:13.71
But, my friends,
unless God is with you,
00:25:13.74\00:25:19.53
unless you're
connected with the Savior,
00:25:19.56\00:25:22.07
your strength is not
sufficient to deal with sin.
00:25:22.10\00:25:25.99
Adam failed,
perhaps the individual
00:25:26.02\00:25:32.32
who had the
keenness and sharpest
00:25:32.35\00:25:34.01
intellect of any man
who have been created.
00:25:34.04\00:25:37.03
Eve, the most
beautiful woman, failed.
00:25:37.06\00:25:41.32
Samson, the strongest man
that ever lived as well failed.
00:25:41.35\00:25:46.24
The Bible says that Samson
00:25:46.27\00:25:48.63
though he knew what
he was supposed to do,
00:25:48.66\00:25:50.95
began to allow himself
to be enticed with women.
00:25:50.98\00:25:55.82
And the Scripture says
then that Samson got together
00:25:55.85\00:26:00.56
with that young
woman called Delilah.
00:26:00.59\00:26:04.09
Many of you know the story.
00:26:04.12\00:26:06.47
And perhaps you've seen the film
00:26:06.50\00:26:08.69
how Samson finally
gave the secret to Delilah,
00:26:08.72\00:26:12.23
betrayed the sacred
trust that God had given to him
00:26:12.26\00:26:15.67
and finally ended up
with his eyes plucked out
00:26:15.70\00:26:19.95
and doing work
like a beast of labor.
00:26:19.98\00:26:26.66
There he found himself
00:26:26.69\00:26:29.14
surrounded by the Philistines
mocking and deriding him
00:26:29.17\00:26:33.26
and ridiculing him,
00:26:33.29\00:26:34.95
blind and
walking around in circles
00:26:34.98\00:26:40.06
grinding wheat
for the Philistines.
00:26:40.09\00:26:43.68
Think of it.
00:26:43.71\00:26:45.05
From such a high
calling, betraying sacred trust,
00:26:45.08\00:26:50.54
Samson believed somehow that
because he had his strength,
00:26:50.57\00:26:55.64
he could escape any
consequences of sin.
00:26:55.67\00:27:00.45
But, friends, remember
what the scripture says.
00:27:00.48\00:27:03.29
Be sure your sins
will find you out.
00:27:03.32\00:27:06.48
And so the Bible says then
00:27:06.51\00:27:08.46
that Samson found
himself in this condition.
00:27:08.49\00:27:14.36
And can you imagine Samson
as he is pushing that wheel
00:27:14.39\00:27:19.25
round and round and round.
00:27:19.28\00:27:22.32
I can imagine that
Samson must have said
00:27:22.35\00:27:24.58
a thousand times,
00:27:24.61\00:27:26.33
the way of the
transgressor is what?
00:27:26.36\00:27:29.86
Is hard.
00:27:29.89\00:27:31.63
There he was with
troubled conscience,
00:27:31.66\00:27:37.99
but he repented.
00:27:38.02\00:27:39.22
The Scripture says
and in his repentance,
00:27:39.25\00:27:43.46
he committed
himself back to God,
00:27:43.49\00:27:46.36
and it was the last
act that he ever did.
00:27:46.39\00:27:49.47
Samson, the
strongest man that ever lived,
00:27:49.50\00:27:53.96
experienced the
consequences of transgression
00:27:53.99\00:27:57.47
and I can guarantee you
that if he were here today,
00:27:57.50\00:28:01.22
he would counsel us to avoid sin
00:28:01.25\00:28:04.67
because the way of
the transgression is what?
00:28:04.70\00:28:07.24
Hard.
00:28:07.27\00:28:08.69
Listen, there are other
people in the Scriptures,
00:28:08.72\00:28:11.94
we find King Saul.
00:28:11.97\00:28:13.60
King Saul became the
first king of Israel.
00:28:13.63\00:28:17.15
God was directing
the children of Israel,
00:28:17.18\00:28:21.97
but finally they
came to the place
00:28:22.00\00:28:23.76
where they did not want to
be as peculiar as they were.
00:28:23.79\00:28:29.03
And, friends, let me
say this to you, sometimes.
00:28:29.06\00:28:31.64
Sometimes young people as
they grow up as Christians
00:28:31.67\00:28:35.38
begin to feel
like they're peculiar,
00:28:35.41\00:28:38.34
they think themselves odd
00:28:38.37\00:28:40.11
because they don't do
what the other young people do.
00:28:40.14\00:28:43.35
And the tendency is to
become like the John says,
00:28:43.38\00:28:47.46
to emulate others.
00:28:47.49\00:28:50.18
My friends, remember this.
00:28:50.21\00:28:52.39
There's nothing
wrong in being peculiar
00:28:52.42\00:28:54.76
if the peculiarity
that you're experiencing
00:28:54.79\00:28:57.10
is because you're
walking in the life
00:28:57.13\00:28:59.83
and teachings of Christ.
00:28:59.86\00:29:01.69
Listen, King Saul
then as the people wanted
00:29:01.72\00:29:06.09
a different leader,
King Saul was chosen.
00:29:06.12\00:29:09.25
God chose Saul and
God permitted this.
00:29:09.28\00:29:14.30
When the
Prophet Samuel was upset
00:29:14.33\00:29:18.21
that they had
chosen somebody else,
00:29:18.24\00:29:21.42
Samuel thought that
they had bypassed him
00:29:21.45\00:29:23.63
and no longer wanted him
00:29:23.66\00:29:24.69
and God said they have
not rejected you, Samuel,
00:29:24.72\00:29:27.56
they have rejected me.
00:29:27.59\00:29:31.34
Think of the
outcome of what took place.
00:29:31.37\00:29:34.00
Saul then was given a new heart.
00:29:34.03\00:29:36.24
You can read that in
the Book of 1 Samuel,
00:29:36.27\00:29:38.47
and God then
gave him the spirit,
00:29:38.50\00:29:40.70
Saul then became
the leader of Israel,
00:29:40.73\00:29:42.87
first leader.
00:29:42.90\00:29:44.02
And unfortunately
the Bible says that
00:29:44.05\00:29:46.61
Saul was not
careful to follow God
00:29:46.64\00:29:50.90
as God had dictated.
00:29:50.93\00:29:52.27
He always had the
knack of doing half
00:29:52.30\00:29:55.64
of what God had asked,.
00:29:55.67\00:29:57.23
Half obedience,
00:29:57.26\00:29:58.48
it's not half
obedience but disobedience.
00:29:58.51\00:30:01.53
Saul always found a
way to justify what he did.
00:30:01.56\00:30:05.78
And if he could not justify,
00:30:05.81\00:30:07.36
He would always
have somebody to blame.
00:30:07.39\00:30:09.51
It was always
somebody else, when he did
00:30:09.54\00:30:11.63
what he knew he shouldn't do
00:30:11.66\00:30:13.85
and the prophets
asked, why did you do that?
00:30:13.88\00:30:16.04
He would say, well,
the people made me do it
00:30:16.07\00:30:18.33
or I couldn't help it or
I had no other alternative.
00:30:18.36\00:30:22.21
My friends, have you found
yourself in that predicament,
00:30:22.24\00:30:24.78
when you know that what's right,
00:30:24.81\00:30:26.52
you know what you should do
00:30:26.55\00:30:27.88
and for some reason,
you are not able to do
00:30:27.91\00:30:30.66
all that you ought to do
00:30:30.69\00:30:32.06
and there's always
somebody else to blame,
00:30:32.09\00:30:34.83
always somebody else that
you can point out and say--
00:30:34.86\00:30:38.28
you know, I
couldn't help myself.
00:30:38.31\00:30:40.57
Or even to the
extent that you may say,
00:30:40.60\00:30:43.65
well, my dad did it and
that's the way my dad is
00:30:43.68\00:30:47.54
and that's the way mom is
and so I can't help myself.
00:30:47.57\00:30:49.95
My friends,
listen, Saul did that.
00:30:49.98\00:30:57.38
And from the high position
that God had granted to Saul,
00:30:57.41\00:31:01.75
the Scripture says
that it came to the place
00:31:01.78\00:31:05.45
when God could no
longer direct him.
00:31:05.48\00:31:09.53
And finally, the Bible says
00:31:09.56\00:31:12.48
that the Spirit of God
was withdrawn from Saul.
00:31:12.51\00:31:16.43
Friends, listen,
00:31:16.46\00:31:18.35
there is nothing more
terrible on this earth
00:31:18.38\00:31:21.64
than to discover
that the Spirit of God
00:31:21.67\00:31:24.82
is no longer able
to reach your heart.
00:31:24.85\00:31:30.23
Saul, in his fear,
00:31:30.26\00:31:35.85
since God would no
longer communicate with him,
00:31:35.88\00:31:38.97
decided to turn to find
counsel from the enemy of God
00:31:39.00\00:31:44.94
and to seek
counsel from a witch.
00:31:44.97\00:31:50.26
And the Scripture says then that
00:31:50.29\00:31:52.68
the witch revealed
to Saul his outcome
00:31:52.71\00:31:59.45
and the Bible says
that he was so fearful
00:31:59.48\00:32:01.78
that he couldn't eat.
00:32:01.81\00:32:03.31
He trembled and shook.
00:32:03.34\00:32:05.47
And finally in the last battle,
00:32:05.50\00:32:08.03
when he would
recognize that his end had come,
00:32:08.06\00:32:12.63
the Bible says
that he could not think
00:32:12.66\00:32:16.07
of allowing others to
capture him and torture him
00:32:16.10\00:32:19.89
and so he took his own life.
00:32:19.92\00:32:22.65
Saul went from
the highest position
00:32:22.68\00:32:26.00
of honor in Israel
00:32:26.03\00:32:27.90
down to a dark, empty grave.
00:32:27.93\00:32:33.49
And I can guarantee you
00:32:33.52\00:32:35.70
that he must have thought often,
00:32:35.73\00:32:38.00
the way of the
transgressor is what?
00:32:38.03\00:32:41.56
Is hard.
00:32:41.59\00:32:42.95
Friends, listen,
00:32:42.98\00:32:44.92
if you've been tempted
to go through a medium,
00:32:44.95\00:32:47.32
if you've been tempted to
go and seek counsel of those
00:32:47.35\00:32:50.59
whom God has said
you ought not to go.
00:32:50.62\00:32:53.88
My friends, my advice
to you is do not do it.
00:32:53.91\00:32:57.10
Let me give you an experience.
00:32:57.13\00:32:58.35
My mother though
she was a Catholic,
00:32:58.38\00:33:01.33
she was also
involved with spiritism,
00:33:01.36\00:33:04.20
and she always had all
sorts of things in the house.
00:33:04.23\00:33:07.79
She would boil some
herbs, and some things,
00:33:07.82\00:33:13.19
plants, et cetera
00:33:13.22\00:33:14.43
and then she'd
go around the house
00:33:14.46\00:33:15.52
sprinkling the house
with all of this water
00:33:15.55\00:33:18.28
that she had taken
from the boiled leaves.
00:33:18.31\00:33:22.63
And we didn't believe in it,
00:33:22.66\00:33:24.42
we thought mother was
practicing hocus pocus.
00:33:24.45\00:33:27.43
So finally my
brother, one of my brothers
00:33:27.46\00:33:31.07
committed a crime
00:33:31.10\00:33:32.37
and he was going to be
taken to court to trial.
00:33:32.40\00:33:35.69
My mother was fearful that
he was gonna be sent to jail,
00:33:35.72\00:33:39.25
so you know what she did,
she took me along with her
00:33:39.28\00:33:42.26
to go and see a
spiritist medium.
00:33:42.29\00:33:45.42
When we arrived, I remember
that the man stood there,
00:33:45.45\00:33:49.85
as he opened the door,
he was all dressed in black,
00:33:49.88\00:33:52.10
he was a black gentleman,
stood all dressed in black
00:33:52.13\00:33:54.72
and he stood there
with a large sword.
00:33:54.75\00:33:57.21
And that kind of
scared me a little bit.
00:33:57.24\00:34:01.68
And so then he asked us
to come in, we went inside
00:34:01.71\00:34:05.49
and then my mother
said, go and sit over there
00:34:05.52\00:34:07.73
and I'll go with him.
00:34:07.76\00:34:09.16
And as we passed, by the
way, where my mother was to go,
00:34:09.19\00:34:12.38
it was a black room
with all sorts of statues
00:34:12.41\00:34:15.18
and incense, etcetera.
00:34:15.21\00:34:16.99
And I began to get pretty
upset of what was going on,
00:34:17.02\00:34:20.45
Especially, when
the man closed the door
00:34:20.48\00:34:22.30
with my mother inside with
him alone, do you understand?
00:34:22.33\00:34:25.21
And so I was fuming, I remember,
00:34:25.24\00:34:28.82
and finally when the
man came out with my mother,
00:34:28.85\00:34:31.47
I said to the man,
mother, I said, he is a fake,
00:34:31.50\00:34:35.53
he can't do anything for you.
00:34:35.56\00:34:37.08
See, what mother was
doing was paying him $200
00:34:37.11\00:34:41.11
to somehow put a
spell on the judge
00:34:41.14\00:34:43.05
so that the judge
would give my brother
00:34:43.08\00:34:45.11
freedom and liberty, you see.
00:34:45.14\00:34:47.29
That's what she was hoping.
00:34:47.32\00:34:48.66
I said, mother, he
can't do a single thing.
00:34:48.69\00:34:50.47
Well, the man said, you
better watch it, little boy
00:34:50.50\00:34:53.21
or I'll make you go crazy.
00:34:53.24\00:34:54.43
Well, I took a
handkerchief out of my pocket,
00:34:54.46\00:34:56.07
gave it to him, I
said go ahead, I dare you,
00:34:56.10\00:34:57.71
you can't do a single thing.
00:34:57.74\00:34:59.78
He said I'm telling you
that I'm gonna make you crazy.
00:34:59.81\00:35:01.96
My mother was so upset with me,
00:35:01.99\00:35:03.38
she slapped me
and said, come on!
00:35:03.41\00:35:05.28
And I said, mother, he's
only stealing your money,
00:35:05.31\00:35:07.48
he can't do a thing!
00:35:07.51\00:35:08.54
Well, what I said was true.
00:35:08.57\00:35:14.30
The court case
came, the trial arrived
00:35:14.33\00:35:19.68
and rather than
giving my brother two years,
00:35:19.71\00:35:21.62
they gave him
five years in prison.
00:35:21.65\00:35:24.77
So my friends, listen,
don't go the way of Saul.
00:35:24.80\00:35:30.66
The Bible says the way
of the transgressor is what?
00:35:30.69\00:35:33.40
Hard.
00:35:33.43\00:35:35.49
If you want to know the future,
00:35:35.52\00:35:38.01
study the
Scriptures, what do you say?
00:35:38.04\00:35:40.47
If you want to
know what's ahead,
00:35:40.50\00:35:42.46
I should tell you this,
00:35:42.49\00:35:43.67
God says that the things
that I reveal are for us,
00:35:43.70\00:35:47.80
but the things that are
not revealed are not for us.
00:35:47.83\00:35:49.94
There are things, friends,
00:35:49.97\00:35:51.27
that we will
not be able to know.
00:35:51.30\00:35:53.42
There are things that for
our own good, God keeps secret.
00:35:53.45\00:35:56.75
But listen, there are things
00:35:56.78\00:35:58.71
that for our own
good, God unveils.
00:35:58.74\00:36:01.22
And He unveils them
in this wonderful book
00:36:01.25\00:36:03.44
called the
Bible, what do you say?
00:36:03.47\00:36:05.35
My friends, there is
nothing better on this planet
00:36:05.38\00:36:08.48
than this book to help you
to understand what lies ahead
00:36:08.51\00:36:12.64
and that's why we've
been studying prophecy.
00:36:12.67\00:36:15.44
Don't go to seances,
00:36:15.47\00:36:18.44
don't go to people who
can really not help you.
00:36:18.47\00:36:21.77
Let me tell you another story.
00:36:21.80\00:36:24.05
I was in Romania
00:36:24.08\00:36:26.03
and I was called by some
gypsies to come to their home.
00:36:26.06\00:36:29.94
I arrived at home
00:36:29.97\00:36:31.36
and discovered why
they wanted me there.
00:36:31.39\00:36:33.63
Their daughter
was desperately ill
00:36:33.66\00:36:36.29
and they asked me
to pray for the girl
00:36:36.32\00:36:40.39
because her father said
00:36:40.42\00:36:41.79
somebody had put a spell on her.
00:36:41.82\00:36:43.88
When I went by the bedside,
I saw and looked at the girl,
00:36:43.91\00:36:47.95
I'm a health educator, I
also was a medic in the military
00:36:47.98\00:36:51.49
and I'm not a doctor
00:36:51.52\00:36:53.28
but I could figure out those
basic things if something--
00:36:53.31\00:36:58.08
When somebody is being
affected by some normal illness.
00:36:58.11\00:37:02.27
And as I looked at the girl,
00:37:02.30\00:37:03.90
I thought this girl
has some biological,
00:37:03.93\00:37:07.01
something is affecting her,
00:37:07.04\00:37:09.02
this had nothing to
do with spiritual things,
00:37:09.05\00:37:11.19
there's something to do
with something physical.
00:37:11.22\00:37:13.03
So I said to the parents,
look, I think this girl is sick,
00:37:13.06\00:37:15.85
you need to take
her to the hospital.
00:37:15.88\00:37:17.52
Oh, no, no, no, they
said, she has a spell
00:37:17.55\00:37:20.53
and if you pray, the
spell will be removed.
00:37:20.56\00:37:23.26
I said, well, look,
I'll pray for the girl anyway
00:37:23.29\00:37:25.61
'cause I believe that God
can hear and answer prayers
00:37:25.64\00:37:28.40
but I don't think there
is a problem that's a spell,
00:37:28.43\00:37:31.87
I think this girl is sick,
00:37:31.90\00:37:33.12
you need to take
her to the hospital
00:37:33.15\00:37:34.31
and his wife said,
I'm gonna pray for her
00:37:34.34\00:37:36.12
and if she doesn't get well,
00:37:36.15\00:37:37.50
get her to the
hospital as quicker as you can.
00:37:37.53\00:37:39.51
Oh, no, no, you pray for her,
00:37:39.54\00:37:41.11
the spell will be removed.
00:37:41.14\00:37:42.19
Well, I left
and here's a sequel,
00:37:42.22\00:37:49.24
the girl got up
after I left I was told
00:37:49.27\00:37:51.66
and got up went
around and kissed people
00:37:51.69\00:37:53.34
and went back to
bed and got worse.
00:37:53.37\00:37:57.02
The dad believing that somehow
00:37:57.05\00:37:59.84
my prayer was
not powerful enough,
00:37:59.87\00:38:02.85
left immediately,
went to one of the priests
00:38:02.88\00:38:06.40
there, an orthodox
priest there in Romania
00:38:06.43\00:38:09.09
and this priest declared that
00:38:09.12\00:38:12.78
he could remove
spells and put spells.
00:38:12.81\00:38:14.74
So the man went
and paid him $200
00:38:14.77\00:38:17.00
so that the spell could
be removed from his daughter.
00:38:17.03\00:38:21.59
Meanwhile while
he was doing that,
00:38:21.62\00:38:23.38
they take the girl to
the hospital, too late,
00:38:23.41\00:38:26.93
it turned out, my friends,
00:38:26.96\00:38:28.22
that that girl
had spinal meningitis,
00:38:28.25\00:38:32.43
and she died.
00:38:32.46\00:38:34.38
She was a young wife
and they had two children.
00:38:34.41\00:38:39.08
The father after paying
the man to remove the spell
00:38:39.11\00:38:42.99
on the way back
got into a car accident
00:38:43.02\00:38:45.30
and had a broken leg.
00:38:45.33\00:38:49.49
My friends, let
me say this to you.
00:38:49.52\00:38:51.56
When I visited that man,
00:38:51.59\00:38:53.88
I asked him, why
didn't you listen to me?
00:38:53.91\00:38:59.19
He bowed his head.
00:38:59.22\00:39:01.45
I said, I'm sorry
that you've lost your girl.
00:39:01.48\00:39:05.50
Friends, I could tell you
00:39:05.53\00:39:07.18
that man was repenting of
what he did, what do you say?
00:39:07.21\00:39:10.73
And I could tell you this
00:39:10.76\00:39:12.29
that he felt that the way
of the transgressor is what?
00:39:12.32\00:39:14.93
Is hard. What a price to pay.
00:39:14.96\00:39:18.72
Friends, listen,
00:39:18.75\00:39:22.81
the Scripture is very
clear concerning these things.
00:39:22.84\00:39:27.76
Think of another man, David,
00:39:27.79\00:39:33.50
King David, you remember him.
00:39:33.53\00:39:37.93
He saw Bathsheba
00:39:37.96\00:39:41.95
and it's interesting in English
that her name is Bath-she-ba.
00:39:41.98\00:39:47.01
And that's what
he should've done.
00:39:47.04\00:39:49.09
He should've said
ba to Bath-she-ba.
00:39:49.12\00:39:53.94
Bathsheba was taking her
bath, she was taking her bath,
00:39:53.97\00:39:57.81
you see, David saw
her and lingered and what?
00:39:57.84\00:40:02.93
And lingered there.
00:40:02.96\00:40:04.97
My friends, the Bible says
if you put a coal in your bosom
00:40:05.00\00:40:08.35
you will burn and David yielded
to the temptation of lust
00:40:08.38\00:40:13.10
and the Scripture says then
that David committed adultery
00:40:13.13\00:40:16.39
and then he committed murder
00:40:16.42\00:40:18.11
and then he decided that
he would hide all this thing
00:40:18.14\00:40:21.19
and he thought
that he did a good job.
00:40:21.22\00:40:23.39
But, friends, let
me say this to you,
00:40:23.42\00:40:25.23
you can hide things from man
00:40:25.26\00:40:26.96
but you cannot
hide them from God.
00:40:26.99\00:40:29.63
It doesn't matter
00:40:29.66\00:40:31.16
what you think you
can do to cover things up.
00:40:31.19\00:40:33.85
Ultimately, God
knows what you've done.
00:40:33.88\00:40:36.37
And the Lord sent
a prophet to David
00:40:36.40\00:40:39.73
and revealed that God knew
precisely what he had done.
00:40:39.76\00:40:43.14
Fortunately, David
repented, But, my friends,
00:40:43.17\00:40:45.82
David was not
delivered from the consequences
00:40:45.85\00:40:49.05
and the result of his sins.
00:40:49.08\00:40:50.99
He lost his son.
00:40:51.02\00:40:52.82
He lost that boy that
was born of Bathsheba.
00:40:52.85\00:40:56.42
He lost Absalom, his own boy.
00:40:56.45\00:40:58.58
His kingdom was divided
00:40:58.61\00:41:00.63
and his own daughter was
raped by another son of David.
00:41:00.66\00:41:04.01
My friends, the
result of David's sin
00:41:04.04\00:41:07.36
brought a
baleful of woe to David.
00:41:07.39\00:41:10.85
And I could tell you this,
00:41:10.88\00:41:12.19
David, I'm sure must have said
00:41:12.22\00:41:14.17
the way of the
transgressor is hard.
00:41:14.20\00:41:17.37
Listen, listen
to this commentary.
00:41:17.40\00:41:23.22
"Those who, by the pointing
to the example of David,
00:41:23.25\00:41:26.92
try to lessen the
guilt of their own sins,
00:41:26.95\00:41:31.54
should learn from the
Bible record that--" What?
00:41:31.57\00:41:35.82
"That the way of the
transgressor--" Is what?
00:41:35.85\00:41:38.81
"Is hard."
00:41:38.84\00:41:40.01
Can you see that?
00:41:40.04\00:41:42.30
The Scripture
further reminds us of this.
00:41:42.33\00:41:45.93
Listen to the next
part of this statement.
00:41:45.96\00:41:48.58
Notice it says,
00:41:48.61\00:41:52.73
"Though like David they should
turn from their evil course,
00:41:52.76\00:41:57.33
the results of
sin, even in this life,
00:41:57.36\00:42:01.36
will be found--" What?
00:42:01.39\00:42:03.43
"Bitter and hard to bear."
00:42:03.46\00:42:06.92
Friends, there's no question
00:42:06.95\00:42:09.65
that the way of
transgressor is hard.
00:42:09.68\00:42:11.33
Look at Judas,
Judas has somehow believed
00:42:11.36\00:42:15.60
that he would help the
Master with his ministry.
00:42:15.63\00:42:19.73
Judas thought that he
was smarter than the Lord.
00:42:19.76\00:42:23.09
And you know, it's interesting,
00:42:23.12\00:42:24.58
I believe that Judas by
betraying Christ thought
00:42:24.61\00:42:28.49
that he could do a
double win, you see.
00:42:28.52\00:42:32.56
Christ would not
declare Himself as the Messiah
00:42:32.59\00:42:36.04
and Christ was
not taken to throne
00:42:36.07\00:42:38.58
as Judas thought he should.
00:42:38.61\00:42:40.09
And so perhaps he thought
that by betraying him that
00:42:40.12\00:42:44.37
that would
force Jesus to finally
00:42:44.40\00:42:46.85
demonstrate His glory
and defeat the Roman Empire
00:42:46.88\00:42:51.64
and then Judas
not only did he get
00:42:51.67\00:42:53.50
the 30 pieces of silver
but could say to the Lord,
00:42:53.53\00:42:55.74
you see, Lord, if I
hadn't put you in that position,
00:42:55.77\00:42:58.59
You would have
never come to the place
00:42:58.62\00:43:00.00
where you took the
throne and reigned.
00:43:00.03\00:43:02.35
So I should sit next to you.
00:43:02.38\00:43:06.47
Sometimes, we do that.
00:43:06.50\00:43:09.29
But, friends, the Scripture says
00:43:09.32\00:43:14.04
that Judas ended
up with a hoarse voice
00:43:14.07\00:43:19.20
as he ran into the temple
00:43:19.23\00:43:22.03
and realized that Jesus
would not deliver himself.
00:43:22.06\00:43:26.13
He said I betrayed
in the son of blood
00:43:26.16\00:43:29.67
and the priest
said, "What is that to us,
00:43:29.70\00:43:34.12
see thou do it."
00:43:34.15\00:43:36.52
Friends, they had
encouraged him to betray Christ,
00:43:36.55\00:43:42.43
but they took no responsibility,
00:43:42.46\00:43:45.04
only left the whole
burden on poor Judas
00:43:45.07\00:43:48.54
and the Scripture says that
Judas ran out into the light
00:43:48.57\00:43:52.41
and could not bear the thought
00:43:52.44\00:43:54.73
of facing the Lord in
judgment and hung himself.
00:43:54.76\00:43:59.48
Friends, you can see why it says
00:43:59.51\00:44:01.98
the way of the
transgressor is what?
00:44:02.01\00:44:05.12
Is hard.
00:44:05.15\00:44:07.48
In Los Angeles,
there was a famous cemetery
00:44:07.51\00:44:10.87
called the Forest Lawn.
00:44:10.90\00:44:13.24
And the man who put
this together was Mr. Eaton.
00:44:13.27\00:44:17.31
He brought trees
from all over the world
00:44:17.34\00:44:19.70
and made this cemetery,
the most gorgeous place.
00:44:19.73\00:44:23.75
In fact, many tourists
like to visit this cemetery
00:44:23.78\00:44:27.67
because it's so beautiful.
00:44:27.70\00:44:29.99
Besides bringing trees
from all over the world,
00:44:30.02\00:44:31.86
I remember one
tree that he brought,
00:44:31.89\00:44:33.78
it cost him $25,000
to get it transported
00:44:33.81\00:44:37.13
and placed where he wanted it.
00:44:37.16\00:44:39.71
Mr. Eaton then decided that
00:44:39.74\00:44:42.26
he wanted also on
one of the mausoleums
00:44:42.29\00:44:44.52
to put in the famous painting
00:44:44.55\00:44:48.06
of Leonardo da
Vinci's, The Last Supper.
00:44:48.09\00:44:51.14
And so he
wanted to find somebody
00:44:51.17\00:44:56.98
who could do the stained
glass of this last supper.
00:44:57.01\00:45:02.20
And he looked and looked
and looked until he found
00:45:02.23\00:45:04.64
a descendant of
Leonardo Da Vinci
00:45:04.67\00:45:07.37
who could actually do this thing
00:45:07.40\00:45:09.93
at last in the original way.
00:45:09.96\00:45:12.53
And so she was
hired then to do the work
00:45:12.56\00:45:18.00
and history tells us
that when they tried to
00:45:18.03\00:45:25.34
finally make the image of Judas,
00:45:25.37\00:45:29.28
we're told that it
actually broke six times
00:45:29.31\00:45:33.75
before it took.
00:45:33.78\00:45:38.20
There's an interesting
story about this painting
00:45:38.23\00:45:40.61
and it's about
how Leonardo da Vinci
00:45:40.64\00:45:44.80
went about to find people
00:45:44.83\00:45:46.45
that could sit for
his different portrayals
00:45:46.48\00:45:49.57
of the different
apostles and finally Christ.
00:45:49.60\00:45:52.57
Well, he finally, he
decided to begin looking first
00:45:52.60\00:45:55.94
of course for the first one,
00:45:55.97\00:45:57.76
who should be the first one
in our lives and who's that?
00:45:57.79\00:46:00.67
He looked for Jesus.
00:46:00.70\00:46:02.26
But the question is,
where do you find a Jesus?
00:46:02.29\00:46:05.92
And so one day he was in church,
00:46:05.95\00:46:08.21
and he noticed in
the choir a young man
00:46:08.24\00:46:12.23
who had a very
innocent looking face
00:46:12.26\00:46:16.86
and decided that
that could be his Jesus.
00:46:16.89\00:46:21.04
And so after the
service he went to the young man
00:46:21.07\00:46:23.56
and invited him to sit for Jesus
00:46:23.59\00:46:25.60
and pay him a sum of
money so that he could paint him
00:46:25.63\00:46:28.77
and so it happened.
00:46:28.80\00:46:30.45
The young man came and
Leonardo did his artwork
00:46:30.48\00:46:34.79
until finally he was
finished with the young man,
00:46:34.82\00:46:37.04
it took several sittings
00:46:37.07\00:46:38.36
and then he went
about looking for his Peter
00:46:38.39\00:46:40.83
and looking for his James
and looking for his Matthew
00:46:40.86\00:46:43.77
and looking for all
of different people.
00:46:43.80\00:46:45.71
And who do you think
he left for last? Judas.
00:46:45.74\00:46:49.39
So finally when he
came to look for Judas,
00:46:49.42\00:46:52.81
where do you find Judas?
00:46:52.84\00:46:54.94
Where do you
find somebody who has
00:46:54.97\00:46:56.80
a conniving looking face?
00:46:56.83\00:47:00.46
And so he decided to go
to the worst part of town
00:47:00.49\00:47:04.19
to dive for a
kind of a slum area
00:47:04.22\00:47:07.79
and found a derelict.
00:47:07.82\00:47:12.76
He offered the derelict
money if the man would come
00:47:12.79\00:47:16.37
and sit as his Judas.
00:47:16.40\00:47:19.01
He thought his face looks
very conniving, very evil,
00:47:19.04\00:47:22.83
and I'll pay him
and make him my Judas.
00:47:22.86\00:47:26.04
Well, the man came
and sat and sat and sat,
00:47:26.07\00:47:31.24
finally when Leonardo
finished with the man,
00:47:31.27\00:47:34.42
Leonardo then paid him off
00:47:34.45\00:47:36.25
and the man said
this to Leonardo,
00:47:36.28\00:47:38.44
you act as if you don't know me
00:47:38.47\00:47:41.63
and Leonardo is
recorded to have said,
00:47:41.66\00:47:44.83
I've never seen you before.
00:47:44.86\00:47:46.25
Go on, beggar, I
already paid you,
00:47:46.28\00:47:48.44
go on your way.
00:47:48.47\00:47:49.91
Well, the man
said, but you do know me.
00:47:49.94\00:47:52.52
And Leonardo said, I've
never seen you before, go on.
00:47:52.55\00:47:55.94
We're done.
00:47:55.97\00:47:57.43
And the man said,
but you do know me.
00:47:57.46\00:48:00.42
I am Pietro Bandinelli,
00:48:00.45\00:48:03.96
I am the one who
sat for your Jesus.
00:48:03.99\00:48:10.08
But look at what sin
00:48:10.11\00:48:13.44
and drink and
cruelty has done to me.
00:48:13.47\00:48:18.51
Friends, listen,
there's no question
00:48:18.54\00:48:21.73
that the way of the
transgressor is what?
00:48:21.76\00:48:24.29
Hard.
00:48:24.32\00:48:25.65
I became a new pastor in a town,
00:48:25.68\00:48:28.17
Wilmington, Delaware, and
met a very wonderful couple.
00:48:28.20\00:48:32.83
They were wealthy,
they had a nursing home
00:48:32.86\00:48:34.94
and they had two children
00:48:34.97\00:48:36.85
but when the parents
told me about their children,
00:48:36.88\00:48:41.26
I was saddened.
00:48:41.29\00:48:44.32
The father said, we
had a boy and a girl
00:48:44.35\00:48:49.13
and we just loved our
boy, he was a very handsome,
00:48:49.16\00:48:52.33
striking looking young
man, 6'2" and very athletic.
00:48:52.36\00:48:58.09
We just loved him when
we sent him off to school,
00:48:58.12\00:49:00.74
we sent him off
to study theology
00:49:00.77\00:49:03.55
and there we were hoping that
00:49:03.58\00:49:06.11
he would become a
minister and serve God.
00:49:06.14\00:49:10.10
He would come
home with his friends
00:49:10.13\00:49:11.80
and we had a boat,
we had a motor home,
00:49:11.83\00:49:13.52
anything he
wanted we would give,
00:49:13.55\00:49:15.04
we just loved our boy.
00:49:15.07\00:49:16.67
We were so proud of him.
00:49:16.70\00:49:19.91
And all of a sudden,
one day, he disappeared.
00:49:19.94\00:49:23.81
And the school
officials told us that
00:49:23.84\00:49:26.23
somehow he was gone.
00:49:26.26\00:49:30.49
We looked for him,
we couldn't find him.
00:49:30.52\00:49:33.27
The police looked for
him, they couldn't locate him
00:49:33.30\00:49:35.16
and so we assumed that
somebody had murdered him
00:49:35.19\00:49:37.31
and got rid of
him, we were devastated.
00:49:37.34\00:49:41.24
Our boy that we thought would
become a minister was gone.
00:49:41.27\00:49:47.75
Two years later, we
got a telephone call,
00:49:47.78\00:49:51.63
we were shocked
and amazed to discover
00:49:51.66\00:49:53.74
that our boy was not
dead after all, he was alive.
00:49:53.77\00:49:58.03
He had fled to California
and was living a riotous life.
00:49:58.06\00:50:06.00
He called us simply to tell us
00:50:06.03\00:50:07.62
that he was enjoying
his drink and his alcohol
00:50:07.65\00:50:10.35
and his drugs and his
sex and that he was free
00:50:10.38\00:50:14.50
and then he began to curse at us
00:50:14.53\00:50:16.17
and swear at us
00:50:16.20\00:50:17.28
and telling us that he hated us
00:50:17.31\00:50:19.24
for shoving
religion down his throat.
00:50:19.27\00:50:22.38
We were just devastated.
00:50:22.41\00:50:25.00
Well, he hung up the phone.
00:50:25.03\00:50:31.44
And now we knew
that he was alive
00:50:31.47\00:50:36.05
and we were pained.
00:50:36.08\00:50:38.73
Then they discover I
was going to California
00:50:38.76\00:50:40.49
and said, Pastor,
would you visit our boy?
00:50:40.52\00:50:42.51
They found out the address
and so after my business,
00:50:42.54\00:50:46.51
I went to San Francisco
00:50:46.54\00:50:48.16
and I found the
place where he was living
00:50:48.19\00:50:50.86
and there was an iron
rod gate, couldn't get in,
00:50:50.89\00:50:54.18
and so I was trying to see
if the name was in the mailbox,
00:50:54.21\00:50:57.05
well, it wasn't there,
pardon me, I could see it
00:50:57.08\00:50:59.90
because it was on the wall there
00:50:59.93\00:51:01.51
and the taxi drove up
00:51:01.54\00:51:03.21
and out came from one
side the black young lady
00:51:03.24\00:51:06.39
and on the
other side an old man,
00:51:06.42\00:51:08.86
and he had an extended stomach
00:51:08.89\00:51:11.03
and he could only
just shuffle his feet,
00:51:11.06\00:51:13.44
he was gaunt and looking
very skinny like a skeleton,
00:51:13.47\00:51:17.93
had white hair
and as he came close,
00:51:17.96\00:51:21.19
I said, Mister, would
you let me inside to see
00:51:21.22\00:51:24.23
if I could see the name of a
person I'm looking for there?
00:51:24.26\00:51:27.07
Get out of here, he said.
And I said, Mister, please.
00:51:27.10\00:51:30.20
He said, get lost!
00:51:30.23\00:51:31.90
I'm not gonna let you do that.
00:51:31.93\00:51:34.42
I went back to the
car and told my wife,
00:51:34.45\00:51:35.83
she said, honey, don't let
him turn you away that easy.
00:51:35.86\00:51:38.57
Well, it's easy for her
to say that, you understand?
00:51:38.60\00:51:41.66
I went back again and
then I plead with the man.
00:51:41.69\00:51:43.60
He said, who are you anyway?
00:51:43.63\00:51:45.50
I told him who I
was, Pastor Torres
00:51:45.53\00:51:48.20
and I said who sent me.
00:51:48.23\00:51:52.53
He said, I am he. I
couldn't believe it.
00:51:52.56\00:51:57.60
A 30 year old
man-- 32 year old man
00:51:57.63\00:52:00.97
looked like he was
over 80, could barely walk.
00:52:01.00\00:52:06.52
He looked like a ghost.
00:52:06.55\00:52:09.96
I went upstairs with him,
he sat up, put up his feet,
00:52:09.99\00:52:15.10
burn out a marijuana
00:52:15.13\00:52:16.60
and began to puff
the smoke in my face.
00:52:16.63\00:52:20.16
And then he began
to address me as Mister
00:52:20.19\00:52:23.16
and being derogatory and cursing
00:52:23.19\00:52:25.10
and swearing and telling me
how terrible his parents were.
00:52:25.13\00:52:29.44
They were lovely people
00:52:29.47\00:52:31.13
but he thought
they were terrible.
00:52:31.16\00:52:33.70
Finally, I said look,
00:52:33.73\00:52:35.95
if you need me
someday, here's my card.
00:52:35.98\00:52:37.52
He took my card and
threw it on the floor, he said,
00:52:37.55\00:52:39.00
get out of my
house, I'll never need you,
00:52:39.03\00:52:41.07
you have to be stupid
to believe in God, he said.
00:52:41.10\00:52:46.17
And I said, well,
someday if you need me, call me.
00:52:46.20\00:52:49.13
I left.
00:52:49.16\00:52:50.53
My friends, it was difficult
for me to tell those parents
00:52:50.56\00:52:53.34
what I discovered.
00:52:53.37\00:52:55.50
But I told them, they
wept and the mother said,
00:52:55.53\00:52:57.24
oh, if only God
could bring him back home.
00:52:57.27\00:53:00.06
I said, well, let's pray.
00:53:00.09\00:53:01.48
God can still perform
miracles, so we prayed together.
00:53:01.51\00:53:04.76
And the next day, I
got a telephone call,
00:53:04.79\00:53:06.69
the wife said, pastor,
you'll never believe it.
00:53:06.72\00:53:09.38
God answered our prayer,
my boy called me up and said,
00:53:09.41\00:53:12.54
I'm coming home.
00:53:12.57\00:53:14.58
Well, the father when
I finally talked to him
00:53:14.61\00:53:19.30
said I went to pick them up
at the airport, pastor, I wept
00:53:19.33\00:53:23.04
because I could
not recognize my boy.
00:53:23.07\00:53:28.22
Well, that boy came home
00:53:28.25\00:53:32.27
to make the life
miserable for the parents.
00:53:32.30\00:53:35.31
The girl had kicked him out
00:53:35.34\00:53:37.63
and he decided
that he would come
00:53:37.66\00:53:39.82
and do all he could
to trouble the family.
00:53:39.85\00:53:43.24
He wanted the
parents to buy his drugs.
00:53:43.27\00:53:45.58
He's smoking there
00:53:45.61\00:53:46.65
and throw smoke in their face.
00:53:46.68\00:53:49.24
The guy was
troubled, the father,
00:53:49.27\00:53:51.58
finally, finally one night
00:53:51.61\00:53:54.73
I was called,
four in the morning,
00:53:54.76\00:53:56.92
come, pastor,
quickly to the hospital.
00:53:56.95\00:54:00.06
I got there and the
father said last night,
00:54:00.09\00:54:03.17
I heard the voice, dad, dad!
00:54:03.20\00:54:06.13
I got up to follow the voice
00:54:06.16\00:54:07.42
and there was my
son in a pool of blood,
00:54:07.45\00:54:10.20
he was throwing up blood.
00:54:10.23\00:54:12.33
We took him to the
hospital emergency.
00:54:12.36\00:54:14.64
It looked like there was
no chance for him to live,
00:54:14.67\00:54:16.87
his blood
pressure went down to zero.
00:54:16.90\00:54:18.69
We began to pray and
I'm gonna ask the God
00:54:18.72\00:54:20.89
to give him a chance to live.
00:54:20.92\00:54:22.82
And then we began to
administer some remedies
00:54:22.85\00:54:26.84
that the father and mother
00:54:26.87\00:54:28.47
who was a physical therapist
and the mother a nurse,
00:54:28.50\00:54:31.35
they allowed us to do that
00:54:31.38\00:54:33.23
and the boy's health
began to turn around.
00:54:33.26\00:54:38.28
And one morning as I
went to visit the young man,
00:54:38.31\00:54:41.94
I heard his voice
say, Brother Torres.
00:54:41.97\00:54:46.52
I was surprised
00:54:46.55\00:54:47.95
because he never called me
brother before, it was mister.
00:54:47.98\00:54:53.52
I went to him
and he said, pastor,
00:54:53.55\00:54:58.04
last night I
gave my heart to Jesus
00:54:58.07\00:55:02.89
and he said, oh,
pastor, I'd been a fool,
00:55:02.92\00:55:08.11
pray that God would
give me health again.
00:55:08.14\00:55:12.06
I want to live so I can
demonstrate to my parents
00:55:12.09\00:55:16.27
how much I love them.
00:55:16.30\00:55:18.12
Oh, the way of the
transgressor is what?
00:55:18.15\00:55:21.90
Is hard.
00:55:21.93\00:55:24.22
My friends, we
wrestled with that boy
00:55:24.25\00:55:27.51
and finally he stabilized,
they put him in a private room.
00:55:27.54\00:55:31.85
One morning I went to see him
00:55:31.88\00:55:34.19
and on his chest
he had the Bible,
00:55:34.22\00:55:38.07
the book that he despised.
00:55:38.10\00:55:41.01
And as I touched
him, he was dead.
00:55:41.04\00:55:47.62
My friends, the way of
the transgressor is what?
00:55:47.65\00:55:51.30
Hard.
00:55:51.33\00:55:53.86
But Lord invites
us to turn to Him,
00:55:53.89\00:55:57.98
to give our hearts to
Him, to accept His ways.
00:55:58.01\00:56:03.73
Maybe you've been
tempted in thinking
00:56:03.76\00:56:07.39
that it is easy to
take the easy track,
00:56:07.42\00:56:12.53
but friends,
you'll pierce yourself
00:56:12.56\00:56:14.96
through with many a sorrow.
00:56:14.99\00:56:17.02
Turn to God, will you tonight?
00:56:17.05\00:56:19.33
How many of you
will turn to God tonight
00:56:19.36\00:56:21.52
and say, oh, I want
to avoid that hard way
00:56:21.55\00:56:25.16
and turn to Jesus.
00:56:25.19\00:56:26.95
Let us pray, shall we?
00:56:26.98\00:56:29.70
Our Father, there are so
many, many, many illustrations
00:56:29.73\00:56:36.18
and stories in the scriptures
written by the prophets of old
00:56:36.21\00:56:40.87
to help us in
our day to understand
00:56:40.90\00:56:43.88
that the way of the
transgressor is hard.
00:56:43.91\00:56:46.43
Oh, Father,
you've seen our hands,
00:56:46.46\00:56:50.54
help us to turn
from our wicked ways
00:56:50.57\00:56:54.00
and find peace with You.
00:56:54.03\00:56:57.58
Give us strength, and Lord,
return unto us as David prayed
00:56:57.61\00:57:02.66
the joy of thy salvation
00:57:02.69\00:57:05.41
and then shall
sinners be converted unto you.
00:57:05.44\00:57:09.44
Bless as we pray
00:57:09.47\00:57:11.80
and help us, we ask,
in Jesus' name, amen.
00:57:11.83\00:57:16.85