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>> Hi, I'm Shane Anderson,
and I'm the new lead pastor here
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at Pioneer Memorial
Church. I'm delighted to take up
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the work left by
Pastor Dwight Nelson
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at this pulpit.
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He ended his tenure here this
past summer. Pastor Dwight had
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an incredible 40-year journey
here. His ministry touched the
lives of thousands around the
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globe, including my own. I can
remember as a young seminarian
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coming here to Pioneer and being
blessed by his spirit-filled
sermons. And it is an honor for
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me to now take up that mantle.
Though mine is a different face,
I can assure you that
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the same passion for sharing the
good news of Jesus Christ with
all who are willing to hear
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will continue at Pioneer.
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To make sure you stay connected
to the work we're doing here
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at Pioneer Media, please
visit pmchurch.org/media,
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and follow the links to
subscribe to our social media
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channels. Thank
you for your continued
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prayers and financial support.
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[ Piano music plays ]
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[ Violin music plays ]
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>> Our scripture
reading for today is found in
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Isaiah 30:19-21. "People of Zion
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who live in Jerusalem,
you will weep no more.
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How gracious he will
be when you cry for help.
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As soon as he
hears, he will answer you.
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Although the Lord gives you the
bread of adversity and the water
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of affliction, your teachers
will be hidden no more. With
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your own eyes, you will see
them. Whether you turn to the
right or to the left,
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your ears will hear a voice
behind you saying, 'This is the
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way. Walk in it.'" Please
join us in standing for our next
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song. [ Piano music plays ]
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>> Amen. Amen, hallelujah.
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>> Good morning, Pioneer.
>> All: Good morning. >> How is
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everyone doing this morning?
>> We're good. >> Great.
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>> That's the part where no one
ever really knows exactly.
Should they say truly
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what it is? I hope you're doing
well. I'm glad that you're here.
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I want to say a special welcome
to those of you that came
because I put a card
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on your door. I hope that you're
able to to be here if you --
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if you like what I'm about to
say in the next few minutes and
you would like to have
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an extra invitation card
for part two, which would be two
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weeks from now, two Sabbaths
from now, we have some extra
cards sitting here on the front
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pew. You're welcome to come and
get one and to pass it along to
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a friend. I also want to let
you know that in the last three
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Sabbaths of October, I'm
going to be doing a series
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called "How to Stay
Married Forever and Like it."
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[ Laughter ] So I
hope that you can be
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here for that. The
series is truly for
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a very broad spectrum of people.
Those that are looking at some
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point to get married,
you will benefit greatly
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from coming to
that, those three parts.
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If you are currently
married, you will benefit.
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And if you're not
married, but you need advice
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to tell people who are.
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[ Laughter ] You, too, can
be blessed by coming to this.
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That will be the last three
Sabbaths of October. We're going
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to have an invitation card that
we'll pass out to you as well.
And this is a series that --
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If you're a year round part
of our campus here, you may be
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wondering, are there special
times in the year when I can
invite my next-door neighbor
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who lives off campus or maybe in
another town or whatnot? By all
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means. This is a great series.
This is something that will be
accessible for everyone, truly,
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regardless of whether they have
a faith background or not. So I
just want to put that
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on your radar. Last three
Sabbaths of October. Hope that
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you will be able to join us at
that time. Now, today. Question
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for you. Show of hands. How
many of you would like to know
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God's will for your life? Okay,
those of you that are home,
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maybe we can't see our
congregation fully here. Almost
every hand went up to the
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surprise of absolutely no one.
We are, after all, sitting in
church having a worship service.
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One would suspect that this
would be a place where there
would be people that
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would want to know what God's
will is for their life. However,
it is my contention
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that even outside of these
four walls, there are many other
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people that would also like to
know God's will for their lives.
You know, I think even if you
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went to like any major city in
the United States, let's say
that you went down to Chicago
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on a sunny Sunday afternoon and
you asked a random crowd of
people at a street corner
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waiting for the light to change,
"Would you like to know God's
will for your life?"
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I'm going to guess that most of
their hands would go up if for
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no other reason than sheer
curiosity. Sure. What would he
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want for me? Okay. In
legislative assemblies in this
country, local city councils,
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even at the US Senate, the House
and the Senate, they have prayer
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prior to many of their sessions.
How come? Well, I think there's
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still a general consensus that
if there is a will of God for
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our country, even if the US
citizen isn't necessarily
wanting it for their life,
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they sure would like to have the
leaders of the country know so
they could do the right thing
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and multiply that. By a
multitude of, boy, the list is
long -- auto races,
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football games, civic events
of all kinds, Social protests,
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social gatherings, weddings,
funerals, you name it. We will
offer a word of prayer.
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How come? Because even in
our ever secularizing society,
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there are still large numbers of
people that wonder if there is a
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God and if there is a God, he
probably has a will. And it sure
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would be nice if there is a God
and he has a will if that will
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was in our favor. In fact, even
the devil himself wants to know
God's will. Not so that he can
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keep it, but so that he can
orchestrate effective plans
against it. It seems to me to be
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an indisputable fact. There are
so very many people that want to
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know God's will. So why is it
then that so many people seem to
have such great difficulties,
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not just in following God's
will, but in even finding it out
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in the first place? Let me
put an even finer point on this.
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I think -- And you're going to
have a hard time dissuading me
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from this opinion -- I
think that one of the greatest
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needs of the world today is to
know God's will and to have the
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courage and strength to carry
it out. >> Amen. >> Thank you,
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sister. We agree on this. It's
lonely, isn't it? Here. It's
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just -- It's just the two of us.
Right? I'm going to give you one
other opportunity. Okay.
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So this is your cue. One of
the greatest needs of the world
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today is to know God's will and
to have the courage and strength
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to carry it out. >> All: Amen.
>> Yes. Amen and amen. Every
problem that the world
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has could be solved if God's
will were done. There is no
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obstacle, there's no issue,
there's no contentious situation
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in the world, on the
battlefield, at the kitchen
table that cannot be made better
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by following the will of God.
So this morning and in this very
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brief series, my prayer is that
we will be able to pull back the
curtain on God's will.
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How it can be known, how it
can be found by anyone who is
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willing, listen carefully, to
fulfill some basic conditions.
You say, Wait a second.
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You mean -- you mean God's just
not going to, like, give it to
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me? You know, sometimes.
Sometimes he does. Sometimes God
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just kind of poof appears. And
a surprised, onlooking crowd is
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there, wide-eyed, and God
reveals his will. Do you know
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why that makes such a good
story? Is because it almost
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never happens. Because God knows
something about human nature. If
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he just pops up and tells us
things, very little actual life
change takes place.
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You look at the children of
Israel, look at the times when
those great -- these great
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miracles were taking place.
It was also some of the times of
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greatest apostasy in Israel's
history because those punctelia,
these -- these interruptions
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where God just "Poof!
Here it is." There's something
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about how we are wired. It just
doesn't tend to stick. So
instead of just telling us
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what his will for us is,
God says, "Come with me on a
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journey, take my hand, fulfill
these basic conditions, and I
will not only reveal
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my will for you, but you will
be transformed on the journey."
00:21:17.24\00:21:22.34
>> Amen. >> So with
that in mind. How can we know
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God's will for our lives?
The best way that I know of. The
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number one way that God uses
today to give us a knowledge of
his will can be found through a
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story. So when I was about 17
years old, it was summertime. I
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was in Oklahoma at Oklahoma
Conference Camp Meeting. It was
as it usually is during
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that time of year, it was quite
hot. I was milling about with
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my friends on a Friday
afternoon. Now we were out at
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the entrance to Wewoka Woods,
which is the conference
campground there, beautiful
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place. And on the on the little
highway, the country highway
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that runs past the entrance
there, in those days, there was
hardly any traffic.
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I mean, you could stand on the
road and, you know, 10, 15
minutes might go by
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before somebody else would
drive by. Just not much traffic.
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So we're standing there at the
road, at the entrance, and we
are standing around
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two motorcycles. One belonged to
my friend Jay, and the other one
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belonged to my friend Wyatt. Jay
had a Yamaha, Yamaha 550, if I
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remember right, and Wyatt had a
Suzuki 750. And Wyatt looks at
me and he says, "Hey, Shane.
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Would you like to take my
motorcycle for a ride?" Now
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freeze frame for just a moment.
This is the 1980s. I am dressed
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for success. I have on deck
shoes, no socks. I have short
shorts. I have a T-shirt
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that used to have sides to
it. But in those days we cut the
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sleeves out, and that's how we
wore them, right? Furthermore,
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Oklahoma had no helmet laws in
those days. Maybe they still
don't. I don't know.
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But you did have to have safety
glasses. And I was pre-equipped.
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[ Laughter ] I also had
extensive motorcycle experience.
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I had ridden a motorcycle two
times prior to this, a little
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Honda 50 and then a Hodaka
Pabatco 125 Enduro. And I don't
know what Hodaka or Pabatco
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means, but I think it means
"really slow but runs all day
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long." Okay. Very underpowered.
I had crashed both motorcycles.
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The Little Honda 50, I
ran into a tree. The 125,
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I ran into my
dad's car. Okay. So I was
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feeling pretty confident when
Wyatt says to me, "Hey, Shane,
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would you like to ride my
motorcycle?" I forgot something,
too. Wyatt's motorcycle had been
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set up for drag racing. And in
a testosterone-laden moment of
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insight into the proper thing
to do at that moment, I said,
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"Sure." [ Laughter ] I
walked over, I got on the bike,
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you know, got the kickstand up,
and then I sat there and... I
couldn't quite remember
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what to do next. So I said to
Wyatt, I said, "Hey, you know,
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it's been a little while. Could
you kind of refresh me? Just
going to show me around you
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a little bit?" " Yeah, sure.
Alright. So, like, you know,
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clutch here. It's, you know,
one down, five up." And I went,
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"Okay, got it, got it, got it."
So I start the motorcycle. And I
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put the clutch in, and I put it
in first. And give it a little
gas, let out the clutch smoothly
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pull away. And I mean, you
-- Those of you that have ridden
00:24:49.68\00:24:54.76
high-performance motorcycles,
you know very quickly. That
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there are some horses
down there. [ Laughter ] And I
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thought, "Okay, let's see what
it's got." [ Vocalizes engine
revving ] [ Vocalizes speed
00:25:03.03\00:25:14.18
accelerating ] Over the hills in
Oklahoma. Out there, there's
rolling hills in that highway.
00:25:14.18\00:25:18.01
Up through the gears -- 85, 90,
95, 100, 105, 110, at about 115
00:25:18.01\00:25:26.59
miles an hour -- 115, there was
still more left, right. Even
though it was geared short.
00:25:26.59\00:25:31.43
I thought to myself, "This
seems fast enough." [ Laughter ]
00:25:31.43\00:25:36.23
I have sufficiently mounted the
ladder of masculine success. I
can tell my friends.
00:25:36.23\00:25:42.14
"How fast did you go?" "115."
That sounded respectable to me.
So I decided my ride was done.
00:25:42.14\00:25:51.48
And I sat up. At 115 miles
an hour. And yeah, what you're
00:25:51.48\00:26:01.29
thinking of happened right away.
Instantly. Just like that. Like
00:26:01.29\00:26:06.06
this, right. I'm hanging on by
my fingers, alright? And I had
intended to slow down.
00:26:06.06\00:26:10.20
Well, what's over here? This is
the throttle. I am now leaning
00:26:10.20\00:26:14.50
back, trying to keep myself. And
we're going faster, right? "Oh!"
00:26:14.50\00:26:18.31
Okay. And I have no
clue what to do, right?
00:26:18.31\00:26:22.31
And I try to pull myself
forward in there. And I suddenly
00:26:22.31\00:26:28.08
realized I don't know where the
brakes are. Wyatt had not filled
me in on the location
00:26:28.08\00:26:34.69
of that particular control. Now,
I'd ridden a lot of bicycles,
00:26:34.69\00:26:37.56
and I knew that if you squeezed
on the handle up here, I was
00:26:37.56\00:26:40.20
pretty sure that was the front
brake. But even in my diluted
state, I realized that was
00:26:40.20\00:26:43.97
a poor choice at this point to
slam on the front brakes. Right.
00:26:43.97\00:26:46.90
So I didn't do that. Well, what
to do? Well, I am a passenger
00:26:46.90\00:26:50.21
as I'm trying to let
off the throttle. So my body
00:26:50.21\00:26:52.84
is kind of twisting like this.
And what had been a very good
00:26:52.84\00:26:56.14
motorcycle became a very bad
sailboat. Okay. So my body is
00:26:56.14\00:26:59.75
twisted, and it's starting to
blow me over to the side of the
road. And I'm getting closer and
00:26:59.75\00:27:04.49
closer and closer to the edge. I
can still see the side of that
road like it happened yesterday.
00:27:04.49\00:27:10.33
It is emblazoned in my brain.
The white line, you know, about
00:27:10.33\00:27:14.46
that wide. There's about 12
inches of asphalt on the other
00:27:14.46\00:27:17.23
side of that. And then it
dropped off 10 to 20 feet down.
00:27:17.23\00:27:21.54
It was shale. The roadbed had
been built on shale. Now, if you
00:27:21.54\00:27:24.84
don't know what shale is, shale,
it's relatively brittle. They
00:27:24.84\00:27:28.01
used to use it for fill quite a
bit. And when it -- when they
break it up to put it in fill,
00:27:28.01\00:27:32.11
the edges are quite sharp. If
you fall, if you just fall down
00:27:32.11\00:27:35.88
while you're walking on a shale,
you can cut yourself. And that's
00:27:35.88\00:27:39.75
what I saw. I mean, it's just,
this is 3D 4K right here in my
mind. And it went on.
00:27:39.75\00:27:44.89
as far as I could see at
that moment, this is where I was
00:27:44.89\00:27:49.20
about to go. Now I would love to
tell you That a a fit of riding
prowess came over me, and I
00:27:54.07\00:28:02.84
shifted my weight like an
expert. And I hunkered back down
and I pulled that thing to a
00:28:02.84\00:28:06.28
stop. That's not what happened.
What happened instead is that I
got closer and closer
00:28:06.28\00:28:09.72
to that line. I got
right up to the white line,
00:28:09.72\00:28:12.12
and then I think probably
an angel said, "Oh man, again,"
00:28:12.12\00:28:15.42
and pushed me back over the
other direction. [ Laughter ]
00:28:15.42\00:28:19.76
Because I didn't know what -- I
didn't know how to shut -- I
didn't know how to do anything
00:28:19.76\00:28:22.60
at this point. I'm just --
I'm just along for the ride
00:28:22.60\00:28:24.77
and the bike slowly begins to
move away from the edge.
Blessedly, I came to a hill
00:28:24.77\00:28:31.84
and it was long enough that I
rolled to a stop, at which point
00:28:31.84\00:28:36.95
I felt confident in putting the
front brake on. So I did. And as
my heart rate comes down,
00:28:36.95\00:28:40.48
I tippy toe the bike around
facing the other direction.
00:28:40.48\00:28:45.22
Right. Okay. And I very calmly
drive back looking, "Where is
00:28:45.22\00:28:49.59
that brake? Where is the brake
for the back wheel?" And I found
00:28:49.59\00:28:55.23
it. I found it. I come over the
last rise, I come there, I pull
up right to where my friends are
00:28:55.23\00:28:59.43
all standing around there. Turn
the bike off. Wyatt says to me,
00:28:59.43\00:29:03.81
"So how was it?" [
Laughter ] And I said,
00:29:03.81\00:29:10.21
"It was great! That was
fantastic. Thanks for letting me
00:29:10.21\00:29:15.12
ride your bike." I never told
Wyatt what happened that day
00:29:15.12\00:29:22.72
until about 25 years later. I
was at Oklahoma camp meeting as
00:29:22.72\00:29:29.40
a guest speaker, and I told that
story. His mother was sitting in
00:29:29.40\00:29:34.14
the congregation. She pulls out
her phone and she said, "What
00:29:34.14\00:29:36.74
did you do to this young man?
You almost got him killed."
Right? He calls me and he said,
00:29:36.74\00:29:39.71
"What did you do with my bike?"
So that was all. [ Laughter ]
00:29:39.71\00:29:44.61
Be sure that your motorcycle
sins will find you out. Right.
00:29:44.61\00:29:48.55
Now, I can laugh about this now.
We can laugh about this now. In
00:29:51.89\00:29:57.69
retrospect, that was a pretty
serious thing. >> Yes. That
could have ended very,
00:29:57.69\00:30:02.53
very poorly. And I
think to myself, you know,
00:30:02.53\00:30:07.70
what would have helped me, in
that little story, that little
00:30:07.70\00:30:14.31
scenario. Well, first off,
number one, parents, if you have
00:30:14.31\00:30:18.95
a child of 17 that has a
motorcycle, destroy the keys and
sell the bike immediately.
00:30:18.95\00:30:22.72
That's your first step. Okay.
The temptation is too strong.
Okay. So it's too young, right?
00:30:22.72\00:30:29.66
Secondly, I think what would
have helped me at 17 year old
rider was one of these.
00:30:29.66\00:30:42.44
You say? What's that? Well,
it's an owner's manual. You say,
00:30:42.44\00:30:49.11
"Wait a second. Owner's manual
for a motorcycle. That would
have helped you?" Yeah, I think
00:30:49.11\00:30:52.95
it probably would. And you might
be thinking, "But Pastor Shane,
motorcycle owner's manuals
00:30:52.95\00:30:55.62
aren't designed for wild-eyed
thrill seekers like you."
00:30:55.62\00:31:00.39
To which I would say, [
Chuckles ] "Are you kidding?
00:31:00.39\00:31:03.06
The only reason they make these
is because of wild-eyed thrill
00:31:03.06\00:31:08.36
seekers like me." Their
attorneys said, "You need to
make a book." Okay? And they do.
00:31:08.36\00:31:12.20
You see, if I had read this book
beforehand, I might have read
00:31:12.20\00:31:16.10
things like this -- Before
riding your motorcycle, Take the
time to familiarize
00:31:16.10\00:31:20.98
yourself with its controls.
Okay. I might have read things
00:31:20.98\00:31:25.28
like this -- Always wear
appropriate protective gear when
riding your motorcycle.
00:31:25.28\00:31:30.12
Never ride beyond your skills.
Adjust your speed to conditions.
And I might have read this,
00:31:30.12\00:31:35.96
as well. Don't ride this
motorcycle if you've only ridden
00:31:35.96\00:31:39.03
a motorcycle twice before and
crashed both times. [ Laughter ]
00:31:39.03\00:31:42.50
Okay. Alright. I made that last
one up. But the spirit of that
00:31:42.50\00:31:46.67
was certainly there. I think the
point is clear. If you want to
00:31:46.67\00:31:51.57
learn how to ride, read the
manufacturer's instructions.
00:31:51.57\00:31:57.21
>> Amen. >> Do I even
need to draw the parallel?
00:31:59.55\00:32:05.69
[ Chuckles ] If you want to
learn how to, "ride" in this
00:32:05.69\00:32:12.49
life, or just to put it in terms
of our discussion this morning,
if you want to learn how to live
00:32:12.49\00:32:18.43
this life, then read the
manufacturer's instructions. >>
00:32:18.43\00:32:25.94
Amen. >> This book, The Bible,
this is the owner's manual. This
00:32:25.94\00:32:32.21
is the manufacturer's
instructions. The one who made
you wrote this. The one who
00:32:32.21\00:32:39.02
knows how best life works is the
one who gave the material for
this to be written.
00:32:39.02\00:32:43.56
It's inspired by his spirit. The
manufacturer has not left you to
00:32:43.56\00:32:48.90
ride on your own. He has instead
compiled a very helpful manual,
if we will only read it.
00:32:48.90\00:32:53.70
Now, this is not just my claim.
The Bible actually makes some
very clear claims about this,
00:32:53.70\00:32:57.61
and I'd like you to read some
things with me here. I'm gonna
put it on the screen.
00:32:57.61\00:33:00.61
This is Psalm 119, verse 105.
Let's read it together. "Your
word is a lamp unto my
00:33:00.61\00:33:06.75
feet and a light unto my path."
You know, so much of life is
00:33:06.75\00:33:12.42
dark, is it not? We can often
feel like you're walking in a
dark hallway with no light at
00:33:12.42\00:33:16.16
the end. God's word is a strobe
light. It's a spotlight that
lights up the night.
00:33:16.16\00:33:20.96
It tells us how life works best.
Psalm 119:111. Let's read this
00:33:20.96\00:33:26.20
together. "I have hidden Your
word in my heart, that I might
not sin against You."
00:33:26.20\00:33:32.41
At the risk of stating the
obvious, sin is the world's top
00:33:32.41\00:33:37.41
problem. Separation from God.
Sin, that's what this sin is.
We've been separated from God.
00:33:37.41\00:33:41.82
If we will study the owner's
manual, we can find out how to
00:33:41.82\00:33:46.82
fix that. We can be reunited
with God. Psalm 119, verse 89.
Let's read this together.
00:33:46.82\00:33:52.43
"Your word, O Lord, is eternal.
It stands firm in the heavens."
Now, isn't it interesting?
00:33:52.43\00:33:58.63
He puts it in the heavens. You
know, these days, even the best
00:33:58.63\00:34:02.80
of human laws can be changed.
God's word is not that way. And
so the psalmist here
00:34:02.80\00:34:09.58
pictures it as being in heaven
out of the reach of humanity.
You can do whatever you want
00:34:09.58\00:34:15.22
to do, but you cannot change
God's Word. His will stands
00:34:15.22\00:34:19.15
eternal, something you can count
on. How about this? Jesus said
00:34:19.15\00:34:23.12
this, Matthew 4:4, let's read
this together. "Jesus answered,
00:34:23.12\00:34:26.80
'It is written -- Man
does not live on bread alone,
00:34:26.80\00:34:31.20
but on every word that comes
from the mouth of God.'" You
know, most of us eat
00:34:31.20\00:34:36.10
three meals a day. Some more,
but that's another sermon. Okay?
00:34:36.10\00:34:39.87
[ Laughter ] We would
not miss those things.
00:34:40.08\00:34:42.81
And if we miss eating
for too long, what happens?
00:34:42.81\00:34:47.25
Yeah, I mean, just to cut
to the chase, we will die.
00:34:47.25\00:34:50.19
That's how important
physical food is to us.
00:34:50.19\00:34:53.69
Why is it that we make an
exception for spiritual food?
00:34:53.69\00:34:56.99
Jesus here opens
up, makes the truth
00:34:56.99\00:34:59.46
very, very clear.
Jesus says, just as we eat
00:34:59.46\00:35:02.20
regular food, this is your food
on a table, bread, etcetera,
00:35:02.20\00:35:05.00
We need to be
eating the owner's manual.
00:35:05.00\00:35:08.77
The Word of God, The Bible.
Because this is how we live.
00:35:08.77\00:35:12.41
Spiritual life cannot exist
unless we are spending time in
00:35:12.61\00:35:18.21
this book. People who don't
spend time in this book but
claim to be followers of Jesus
00:35:18.21\00:35:22.98
Christ are dangerous. They are
dangerous. Because without the
00:35:22.98\00:35:31.23
anchor, they're left to every
whim that humans are subject to.
And let me read something
00:35:31.23\00:35:37.10
for you here. Famous text, 2
Timothy 3:14, Paul says, "But as
00:35:37.10\00:35:44.94
for you, continue in what
you have learned and have become
00:35:44.94\00:35:47.94
convinced of, because you know
those from whom you learned it,
and how from infancy, you have
00:35:47.94\00:35:52.98
known the Holy Scriptures, which
are able to make you wise for
salvation through faith
00:35:52.98\00:35:57.89
in Jesus Christ." So the
word not only makes us generally
00:35:57.89\00:36:01.32
wise, it certainly does that. It
not only teaches us how to be --
00:36:01.32\00:36:05.13
to be ethical, to be kind, to be
just, to be merciful, to be
loving. It can actually give us
00:36:05.13\00:36:08.86
the understanding necessary
to know Jesus Christ, to have
00:36:08.86\00:36:13.30
eternal life. If there's a
greater need than that, I don't
00:36:13.30\00:36:16.24
know about it. This book can
make us that kind of a person,
someone who is not lost
00:36:16.24\00:36:20.11
but is saved. It continues,
Verse 16 -- "All Scripture
00:36:20.11\00:36:23.35
is God breathed and is
useful for teaching, rebuking,
00:36:23.35\00:36:27.28
correcting, and training in
righteousness so that the
servant of God may be thoroughly
00:36:27.28\00:36:31.79
equipped for every good work."
Are you stuck in a rut? Are
00:36:31.79\00:36:36.83
there good things that you wish
you could do but for some reason
it's just not working out?
00:36:36.83\00:36:39.76
Are there sins that are holding
you back? Are there habits
00:36:39.76\00:36:42.10
that you would love to break but
haven't been able to? This book
00:36:42.10\00:36:46.17
can make you wise unto
salvation. God can use this to
unlock the secrets to overcoming
00:36:46.17\00:36:51.51
temptation and becoming the
person God has always dreamed
you could be. You can be
00:36:51.51\00:36:58.48
thoroughly equipped. Not because
I say so, but because God says
00:36:58.48\00:37:03.15
so. >> Amen. Now,
having said all of that.
00:37:05.99\00:37:08.39
I also know that some of you are
a step or two ahead. And some of
00:37:11.59\00:37:20.70
you may be feeling like, "I have
a question. Pastor Shane, you've
just talked about the Bible
00:37:20.70\00:37:26.64
and how important it is and the
claims that it makes for itself.
But aren't there other
00:37:26.64\00:37:32.98
claims about other books. They
say that those books are also
00:37:32.98\00:37:42.12
holy books, that they are also
of divine origin. That they also
00:37:42.12\00:37:46.90
ought to be the guide for a
person's life. What makes you
think, Pastor Shane, that this
00:37:46.90\00:37:51.67
book somehow is better than
those?" I think that's an
excellent question.
00:37:51.67\00:37:59.74
And I think too often Christians
kind of brush that off. Like,
00:37:59.74\00:38:03.45
you know, "Aren't we past that?
We're already into this." Praise
00:38:03.45\00:38:06.38
the Lord if you're "past those
things." But the fact of the
matter is, is that there are
00:38:06.38\00:38:09.62
a lot of skeptics in the world
and they have some very good
00:38:09.62\00:38:12.95
questions. This is one of them.
"Why should I take the Bible
more seriously than
00:38:12.95\00:38:16.52
any of the host of other
supposedly divine books out
00:38:16.52\00:38:20.20
there?" Let me do the best that
I can in the short amount of
time that I have left
00:38:20.20\00:38:24.80
to give you some good answers.
Actually, let me give you seven
good pieces of evidence,
00:38:24.80\00:38:29.57
good reasons, I think, as to why
the Bible is different from the
00:38:29.57\00:38:35.94
rest. Take a look here.
The Bible is different, reason
00:38:35.94\00:38:41.28
number one -- The manuscript
evidence. And the manuscript
evidence, you say, "What's that
00:38:41.28\00:38:45.09
about?" Well, you know, back in
the day when Paul was writing
the New Testament, sadly,
00:38:45.09\00:38:49.69
there were no Apple products
available to him. This is one of
00:38:49.69\00:38:54.13
the great hamperings of the
early -- of the early world.
Right? So instead, they would
00:38:54.13\00:38:58.10
use, you know, stereotypical
picture quill pens, some sort of
00:38:58.10\00:39:01.47
stylus, right? That they would
dip in ink and they would put it
on a manuscript of some sort,
00:39:01.47\00:39:04.94
papyrus, etcetera. They would
write that down. Here's the
00:39:04.94\00:39:10.68
thing. We don't have any of the
originals for the New Testament
00:39:10.68\00:39:14.12
or the old, for that matter. And
some people have said, "Well,
00:39:14.12\00:39:18.35
what do you mean? you don't have
any of the original documents
00:39:18.35\00:39:21.66
from the Bible? Well, how do you
know then that what it says now
is what they actually wrote back
00:39:21.66\00:39:26.16
then?" Ah, very good question.
And the reason is that -- The
reason why we know that
00:39:26.16\00:39:29.86
this is still what they wrote
is because of the manuscript
00:39:29.86\00:39:32.87
evidence. Follow me carefully
here. You're familiar with
Homer. Not Simpson.
00:39:32.87\00:39:39.44
[ Laughter ] Okay. This is Homer
who wrote "The Iliad," among
00:39:39.44\00:39:43.18
other things. Okay. You maybe
studied that in your literature
00:39:43.18\00:39:46.18
classes, etcetera. Homer wrote
"The Iliad" in about 800 BC. We
have, as usual, no original
00:39:46.18\00:39:51.39
manuscript from that time, but
we do have about 1,800 -- How
00:39:51.39\00:39:58.43
many did I say? >> All: 1,800.
>> Okay, we want to make sure
we're clear on that.
00:39:58.43\00:40:01.00
1,800 full or partial
manuscripts, copies of the
00:40:01.00\00:40:07.10
original, okay, that are
available to us today, about
1,800 of those. This is the most
00:40:07.10\00:40:12.61
manuscripts by far available for
almost any ancient document. And
00:40:12.61\00:40:17.55
I say almost any ancient
document. You'll see why. At
00:40:17.55\00:40:21.55
1,800 there, most ancient
manuscripts, even some titles
that you and I would readily
00:40:21.55\00:40:25.52
recognize, they have less than
20. None of them are originals.
They're just copies.
00:40:25.52\00:40:28.79
And we've got fragments or full
manuscripts. They're about 20
00:40:28.79\00:40:32.43
copies or so. And get this, the
earliest manuscript of Homer's
"Iliad" that we have today,
00:40:32.43\00:40:36.80
the earliest copy, is from 400
BC. That means there's 400 years
00:40:36.80\00:40:42.54
between when Homer wrote it
and the copy. The oldest copy
00:40:42.54\00:40:47.58
that we have today, 400 years.
That's a lot of time. And, yet,
no one doubts today
00:40:47.58\00:40:54.02
that what we have now in "The
Iliad" was what was written by
00:40:54.02\00:40:58.15
Homer in about 800 BC, and that
what we have today is,
essentially, what Homer intended
00:40:58.15\00:41:02.96
for us to read. 1,800
manuscripts. Compare that
00:41:02.96\00:41:10.40
to just the New Testament. The
New Testament. It was written
00:41:10.40\00:41:16.24
between 50 ad or so and about
90, 9-0 or 92 AD That's when
Revelation we think was written.
00:41:16.24\00:41:21.18
So about the span of 40
years or so. Again, we have none
00:41:21.18\00:41:24.31
of the originals. There are
no originals in existence today.
00:41:24.31\00:41:26.98
However, there are more
than, get this, 24,000 --
00:41:26.98\00:41:31.99
What number did I say? >> All:
24,000. >> Homer's got 1,800.
00:41:31.99\00:41:37.09
The New Testament
alone has 24,000. And that's
00:41:37.09\00:41:39.66
a conservative estimate.
Depending on how you count, Some
scholars will double that.
00:41:39.66\00:41:43.23
24,000, conservative number,
full or partial manuscripts
available to us today.
00:41:43.23\00:41:48.14
The earliest copy that we have
is from about AD 130, 1-3-0. It
is only a matter of decades
00:41:48.14\00:41:55.24
from when the originals were
written. And here's the thing.
00:41:55.24\00:41:59.68
Some people say, "Well, all
those manuscripts, 24,000 plus.
00:41:59.68\00:42:02.48
Ah, who cares? They're
all different. They all say
00:42:02.48\00:42:08.62
different things." You know,
there are some differences in
the manuscripts. In fact,
00:42:08.62\00:42:12.29
if you have a Bible like mine,
if you look at the apparatus,
00:42:12.29\00:42:15.30
the footnotes that are down
there at the bottom of most
pages, it will tell you
00:42:15.30\00:42:17.93
if there's a variation or
something like that. Generally
00:42:17.93\00:42:21.17
speaking, the variations are
minor ones. Sometimes they're
just purely grammar.
00:42:21.17\00:42:24.61
It has nothing to do with the
substance of the text. How much
of it agrees, though?
00:42:24.61\00:42:29.21
How much of the substance
is in agreement? Well, it's
00:42:29.21\00:42:32.48
interesting. How do you rate
agreement amongst manuscripts? A
few years back, two scholars,
00:42:32.48\00:42:37.05
Geisler and Nix, decided that
they would look at those 24,000
00:42:37.05\00:42:41.92
plus manuscripts, and they came
back that they estimate the
level of agreement amongst those
00:42:41.92\00:42:46.26
manuscripts to be 99.5%.
99.5. Ladies and gentlemen,
00:42:46.26\00:42:57.47
there is literally no comparison
between the New Testament and
any other ancient document,
00:42:57.47\00:43:01.74
period. There is no comparison.
This is why, when skeptics
00:43:01.74\00:43:05.41
seek to come at the Bible from
a manuscript perspective, they
00:43:05.41\00:43:09.12
quickly bail out of the endeavor
because it just doesn't hold
00:43:09.12\00:43:13.36
scholarly weight. Too many
people have -- There's too many
manuscripts, and they've seen
00:43:13.36\00:43:16.83
the level of unanimity that is
here and the incredible
mountain, the number of them,
00:43:16.83\00:43:20.43
the sheer size of the number of
manuscripts, it is breathtaking.
The conclusion is inescapable.
00:43:20.43\00:43:26.23
What we have today was written
by the Bible authors who claim
to have written them
00:43:26.23\00:43:31.24
when they claim to have wrote it
and says today what they wrote
00:43:31.24\00:43:35.98
originally. Would you say? Amen,
sister. >> Amen. >> Because
00:43:39.11\00:43:42.42
nobody else did. Alright. So.
Yes, Yes. Thank you. I
appreciate that. It is a
00:43:42.42\00:43:47.96
monumental mountain of evidence
in favor. What was written then
is what we have now.
00:43:47.96\00:43:52.86
Nothing else even comes close.
Second line of evidence --
00:43:52.86\00:43:57.40
Archeology. I wish I had more
time to unpack this one. Every
year, archeologists,
00:43:57.40\00:44:01.17
these are people that are
digging around in the sand in
00:44:01.17\00:44:03.97
various places and coming up
with all kinds of incredible
artifacts. Every year, more and
00:44:03.97\00:44:07.51
more discoveries from Palestine,
North Africa, and the Middle
00:44:07.51\00:44:10.38
East. They continue to be
brought to light to validate the
00:44:10.38\00:44:14.28
stories and events depicted in
Scripture. You know, anyone who
claims that the Bible
00:44:14.28\00:44:17.79
is nothing more than mythology
would benefit from visiting a
biblical history museum.
00:44:17.79\00:44:24.06
We have one just within a few
hundred yards of right where
we're sitting right now.
00:44:24.06\00:44:27.00
There's the Siegfried H. Horn
Museum, and it has artifacts
00:44:27.00\00:44:30.77
that help to validate that
the Bible is true. When I was in
00:44:30.77\00:44:34.44
Israel back in 2017, I spent
ten days there, and it was a
00:44:34.44\00:44:37.87
privilege for me to be able to
go to the Israel Museum as well
as other archeological sites.
00:44:37.87\00:44:41.78
It is astonishing. People who
say this stuff is just made up,
00:44:41.78\00:44:46.38
frankly, they don't know of what
they speak because the evidence
00:44:46.38\00:44:51.55
is there solid. You can see it,
right, standing there in front
of you. Number three --
00:44:51.55\00:44:57.09
eyewitness accounts. You know,
the Bible is written largely by
00:44:57.09\00:45:01.80
eyewitnesses, not entirely, but
where it is not written by an
eyewitness, it is generally
00:45:01.80\00:45:06.84
written by an author who talked
to eyewitnesses. You know, if --
00:45:06.84\00:45:11.61
Let's say that you were speeding
through Berrien Springs, I'm
sure this would never happen.
00:45:11.61\00:45:14.38
Okay. So this is purely
hypothetical. Let's say that
00:45:14.38\00:45:16.98
you're speeding through Berrien
Springs. You get pulled over,
00:45:16.98\00:45:19.41
you get a ticket. You don't
think you should have to pay
that much money for simply
00:45:19.41\00:45:22.28
speeding. And so you go to court
and the judge says, "Do you have
00:45:22.28\00:45:26.59
any witnesses to corroborate
your side of the case?" And you
say, "Well, yes, I do."
00:45:26.59\00:45:29.62
And you call your friend and
the friend goes up there and the
00:45:29.62\00:45:31.93
judge says, "Well, tell me, what
did you see?" And the friend
00:45:31.93\00:45:34.83
says, "Well, actually, I wasn't
there. I didn't see anything.
But you see, my aunt works
00:45:34.83\00:45:39.27
at the library just down the
road there in Niles. And she
heard it from a friend
00:45:39.27\00:45:44.47
of hers who read something in
the paper. And her cousin told
00:45:44.47\00:45:48.18
my friend who told me." [
Laughter ] And the judge says,
00:45:48.18\00:45:53.38
"Guilty." And you pay twice
a fine for contempt of court.
00:45:53.38\00:45:56.62
Alright. Because that kind of
testimony doesn't hold any
water. But if you bring somebody
00:45:56.62\00:46:04.36
in, say, who is sitting next
to you in the car. And they tell
00:46:04.36\00:46:08.50
the judge, "You know what,
Judge? I was sitting there and
actually they were doing
00:46:08.50\00:46:12.70
under the speed limit. I looked
over when the lights came on,
00:46:12.70\00:46:15.00
and they were doing under. They
were doing 44 instead of 54 in
00:46:15.00\00:46:19.51
that." "Oh, really?" Now, I
don't know what the judges are
00:46:19.51\00:46:22.88
like around here, but I can
guarantee you they're going to
take that kind of witness much
00:46:22.88\00:46:27.12
more seriously because they
were there. They saw it. God's
00:46:27.12\00:46:34.82
owner's manual for the human
race had people that saw
firsthand what God was doing.
00:46:34.82\00:46:40.20
This is not rumor. This is
not gossip. This is not the
00:46:40.20\00:46:43.33
telephone game where by the time
you get to the end, you have no
00:46:43.33\00:46:45.27
semblance of what was started
with. These people saw what God
00:46:45.27\00:46:50.84
did. >> Amen. >> That's powerful
testimony. Number four --
straightforward writing style.
00:46:50.84\00:46:56.71
Very briefly on this. If you've
ever read ancient mythology,
00:46:56.71\00:47:00.08
you know that they can get
pretty flowery and ornate and
pretty bizarre pretty quickly.
00:47:00.08\00:47:04.15
Extravagant claims of
what people did or did not do.
00:47:04.15\00:47:08.12
There's something called
the apocrypha. That's a group of
00:47:08.12\00:47:11.43
books that in some small corners
of Christianity, they're allowed
in the Bible. Most of
00:47:11.43\00:47:15.13
Christianity does not have them.
And the reason for that is
because in some of those,
00:47:15.13\00:47:18.40
for instance, Jesus as a
boy is basically doing parlor
00:47:18.40\00:47:21.70
tricks for his buds, turning
things into animals and whatnot.
00:47:21.70\00:47:25.77
That's not how things happened.
And instead of choosing this
kind of super hero,
00:47:25.77\00:47:31.21
extravagant language, the Bible
just tells the story, warts and
00:47:31.21\00:47:36.75
all. You notice the stories
about the disciples? They're
hardly superheroes.
00:47:36.75\00:47:40.69
All of the difficulties and
challenges and mistakes. It's
all there on display
00:47:40.69\00:47:44.76
because God wants us simply to
know what happened.
Straightforward writing style.
00:47:44.76\00:47:49.23
To me, it's a powerful piece of
evidence that the Bible is true.
00:47:49.23\00:47:54.44
>> Yes. >> Number five --
Incredible unity. And we're
00:47:54.44\00:47:58.57
starting to leave Planet Earth
here. I don't know if you're
00:47:58.57\00:48:00.61
noticing this now. We're getting
into the heavenly regions here.
This is powerful stuff,
00:48:00.61\00:48:04.15
incredible unity. You know,
the Bible has actually 66 books,
00:48:04.15\00:48:07.72
right? I mean, if you look at
the table of contents, it's got
66 different sections,
00:48:07.72\00:48:10.95
66 books written over a period
of 1,500 years. That's a long
00:48:10.95\00:48:15.72
time. It's written by more than
40 authors who had occupations
00:48:15.72\00:48:19.23
that ranged from doctors and
kings and statesmen to shepherds
and tent makers and fishermen.
00:48:19.23\00:48:23.47
Yes, there were clergy as well.
And yet, despite this impressive
diversity of time and place
00:48:23.47\00:48:29.40
and career, etcetera, the
message of the Bible is
incredibly unified.
00:48:29.40\00:48:34.44
It's almost like it was inspired
by an Author, Capital "A", that
lived through all 1,500
00:48:34.44\00:48:41.28
years of its production. No
other so-called holy book comes
00:48:41.28\00:48:48.46
even close. Because from
beginning to end The Bible tells
the story of a savior.
00:48:48.46\00:48:51.63
>> Yes. >> His coming. >> Yes.
00:48:51.63\00:48:53.66
>> His arrival. >>
Yes. >> And his soon return.
00:48:53.66\00:48:55.90
>> Yes, Amen. >> The
thread of unity is remarkable.
00:48:55.90\00:48:58.37
No one can do that. No human
being can do that. But God can.
00:48:58.37\00:49:05.17
Number six -- Fulfilled
prophecy. No document comes
00:49:05.17\00:49:11.08
even remotely close to the Bible
in this category. Have you ever
00:49:11.08\00:49:14.52
gone through the grocery line
and you know, these the gossip
rags that are there,
00:49:14.52\00:49:18.42
your "National Enquirer,"
etcetera? Sometimes they
00:49:18.42\00:49:20.72
will feature prophecies. Have
you ever seen that, you know,
00:49:20.72\00:49:24.36
asteroid will hit earth and such
and such a time. Right. Okay.
You know, Nostradamus
00:49:24.36\00:49:27.96
says thus and so. you
know, if -- if I got a dollar
00:49:27.96\00:49:31.93
for every time those predictions
in those tabloids were wrong, I
would take you all out
00:49:31.93\00:49:36.77
to choose your restaurant.
We can all go and get croissants
00:49:36.77\00:49:40.88
somewhere. Okay. They
are wrong so much. >> Yes.
00:49:40.88\00:49:46.75
>> But not the Bible. The Bible
bats a thousand. There is not a
00:49:46.75\00:49:53.66
single unconditional prophecy
that the Bible has made that
00:49:53.66\00:49:56.66
should have been fulfilled by
now that has not been fulfilled.
Every last one of them
00:49:56.66\00:50:00.93
has like clockwork. You
know, let me just give you two
00:50:00.93\00:50:05.13
examples. Isaiah 44-45, it talks
about a guy by the name of
Cyrus. said that Cyrus
00:50:05.13\00:50:09.57
is going to come. He's kind of
this messianic type figure, is
00:50:09.57\00:50:12.21
going to save his people, talked
about where this would take
place, even give some details
00:50:12.21\00:50:16.21
about gates and whatnot like
this. All of this 150 years
before it actually happened.
00:50:16.21\00:50:23.69
150 years, names him by name.
Daniel Chapter 9 -- 70 Weeks
00:50:23.69\00:50:31.66
prophecy goes into this great
detail of what the coming
Messiah, the Anointed one,
00:50:31.66\00:50:34.46
was going to do. The region that
he would do it, the people that
00:50:34.46\00:50:37.77
he would do it with, confirming
this covenant, with many, then
being cut off, etcetera.
00:50:37.77\00:50:40.97
There's an immense amount of
detail. The odds of all of those
00:50:40.97\00:50:44.97
details being fulfilled in one
human being are just, they're
00:50:44.97\00:50:48.71
off the charts. They're
astronomical. And, yet, 400
years later, it all came to
00:50:48.71\00:50:55.62
pass, just as the prophecy had
said. 400 hundred years. I can't
tell you what's going
00:50:55.62\00:50:59.52
to happen four minutes from now.
But God can see into the future
00:50:59.52\00:51:04.73
limitlessly. >> Yes. >> And He
puts it in His word. None of the
00:51:04.73\00:51:09.13
Bible's prophecies have ever
failed. Not one. There is no
00:51:09.13\00:51:12.53
other book that comes even
close to that record. And number
00:51:12.53\00:51:17.74
seven, the final piece of
evidence -- changed lives. You
know, if there were only
00:51:17.74\00:51:23.24
the preceding six lines
of evidence, that would be
00:51:23.24\00:51:27.58
impressive enough. But this
seventh one to me is the icing
on the cake. This is the
00:51:27.58\00:51:31.92
clincher, because the fact of
the matter is, is that not just
a few dozen or a few hundred
00:51:31.92\00:51:36.36
or a few thousand people,
millions of people have had
their lives transformed
00:51:36.36\00:51:41.86
by God working through the words
of this book. The alcoholic
00:51:41.86\00:51:48.44
stops drinking. The person who
beats his wife and children
stops doing that. The person who
00:51:48.44\00:51:53.11
was selfish becomes generous.
The unfaithful husband becomes a
00:51:53.11\00:51:57.35
faithful husband. The person who
was lost becomes found because
of God Working through the words
00:51:57.35\00:52:03.69
of this book. Ladies and
gentlemen, there is nothing like
00:52:03.69\00:52:10.33
the Bible. There is no other
supposedly divine book that even
comes remotely close.
00:52:10.33\00:52:16.73
Because that's the way God
intended it to be. It's his
00:52:16.73\00:52:20.74
word. He wrote it down. He gives
it to us as his gift. And to me,
00:52:20.74\00:52:26.54
the conclusion for a reasonable
person, after seeing this type
of evidence and studying
00:52:26.54\00:52:30.38
things out for themselves, a
reasonable person cannot help
00:52:30.38\00:52:34.68
but conclude -- this is indeed
the Word of God. It can be
00:52:34.68\00:52:42.26
trusted. You know, it is
true that the Bible does not
00:52:47.96\00:52:49.76
specifically
address every single facet
00:52:49.76\00:52:52.80
in minute detail of our lives.
If you're looking for the right
00:52:52.80\00:52:56.44
person to marry, you probably
will not open the pages and say,
00:52:56.44\00:52:59.61
"Please ask
Nellie out on a date."
00:52:59.61\00:53:01.78
Okay. It's probably not
going to say that. Right?
00:53:01.78\00:53:04.81
And two weeks from now,
in part two of this series,
00:53:04.81\00:53:08.12
we are going to explore in depth
how to find God's will in those
00:53:08.12\00:53:11.62
kinds of
situations where the specifics
00:53:11.62\00:53:14.26
are not directly addressed.
00:53:14.26\00:53:16.12
How do you still find out God's
will for those situations? We're
going to talk about that.
00:53:16.32\00:53:20.00
Come back in two weeks, and
we'll look at that in part two.
00:53:20.00\00:53:22.30
But suffice it for now to
say that the Bible does give
00:53:22.30\00:53:29.14
principles for dealing quite
literally with every situation
facing humanity on the planet
00:53:29.14\00:53:35.51
today. No exceptions. There are
principles there for everything.
00:53:35.51\00:53:38.85
Economic uncertainty, issues of
sexuality, war and oppression,
00:53:38.85\00:53:42.45
health issues, politics, racism,
and whatever difficulties
00:53:42.45\00:53:45.95
a person may have in their life,
The Bible has principles that
00:53:45.95\00:53:50.89
address them. God has not left
himself without a witness on
this planet. And I hope.
00:53:50.89\00:53:57.70
I hope. I hope that by
now some of you are saying
00:53:57.70\00:54:02.40
something like this -- "Okay.
Okay. Pastor Shane. I get it. I
00:54:02.40\00:54:06.64
get it. The Bible is a good
book. I need to get into it
here. How Pastor Shane can I do
00:54:06.64\00:54:12.68
it? How do I find the answers
that I'm looking for in the
Bible? What technique can I use?
00:54:12.68\00:54:17.19
How do I do it?" This is an
excellent question. And after
00:54:17.19\00:54:24.09
nearly 30 years of doing
ministry with people with
varying desires to get into the
00:54:24.09\00:54:28.53
book, I have the absolute best
answer to that question -- How
do I find the answers that
00:54:28.53\00:54:35.24
I'm looking for in the
Bible? The answer is...
00:54:35.24\00:54:38.81
[ Laughter ] [
Applause ] Read it.
00:54:42.41\00:54:46.61
Read the book. You say,
"W-W-W-Wait a second. What do
00:54:46.61\00:54:50.09
you mean?" Well, okay, let
me put a finer point on it.
00:54:50.09\00:54:52.55
>> [ Congregants murmur ] >>
Read it at least as much as you
consume other media.
00:54:57.16\00:55:02.93
You say, "Well, preacher, you've
gone from preaching to meddling.
Now, I'm not sure about that."
00:55:02.93\00:55:06.43
Okay, ladies and gentlemen.
Biblical illiteracy is a huge
problem in the church today.
00:55:06.43\00:55:14.94
It's a real problem. We have
gotten so used to getting our
00:55:14.94\00:55:20.32
information through 30-second
sound bites or impossibly
compressed news stories.
00:55:20.32\00:55:24.59
We've gotten so used to this
that the idea of actually
sitting down on a regular basis
00:55:24.59\00:55:28.26
with an actual book and studying
it no longer appeals to us.
00:55:28.26\00:55:32.63
We are like wild-eyed,
thrill-seeking motorcyclists
hurtling down the highway
00:55:32.63\00:55:37.00
with little to no knowledge of
what God would actually have us
00:55:37.00\00:55:40.37
do, not realizing just how
close to spiritual disaster we
00:55:40.37\00:55:45.97
actually are. So I plead with
you. Read the manufacturer's
00:55:45.97\00:55:52.88
instructions. You know, there's
entire classes in books that you
can read about for techniques,
00:55:52.88\00:55:56.05
about how to study the Bible.
And please read those things. By
00:55:56.05\00:55:59.62
all means, take those classes.
They're very valuable. We need
00:55:59.62\00:56:02.56
those things.
And... And... The Bible
00:56:02.56\00:56:05.73
is written in such a way that
there are portions of it a child
00:56:05.73\00:56:09.36
can understand. There's
something in here for everybody.
00:56:09.36\00:56:12.50
It's a big book. Read it. Be
brutal with your schedule. Make
00:56:12.50\00:56:17.57
time. God is longing to
speak with you. He longs for the
00:56:17.57\00:56:21.81
transformation that he sees. But
maybe you're not yet there. He
longs for you to read.
00:56:21.81\00:56:25.58
Read the owner's manual. Read
this book. The greatest story
00:56:25.58\00:56:32.75
ever told lies within its pages.
And the greatest life you could
00:56:32.75\00:56:38.23
ever live is
found there as well.
00:56:38.23\00:56:40.66
>> Amen. Amen. [ Applause ]
00:56:42.20\00:56:47.07
>> I'm Shane
Anderson, the lead pastor here
00:56:52.44\00:56:55.04
at Pioneer Memorial Church.
At Pioneer Media, we have been
00:56:55.04\00:56:58.98
blessed by the financial support
that comes from our viewers
00:56:58.98\00:57:02.22
like you that enable us
to continue this ministry.
00:57:02.22\00:57:06.29
We've made a conscious decision
not to continually appeal to you
00:57:06.29\00:57:09.39
for that support.
However, keeping this ministry
00:57:09.39\00:57:12.16
going takes money to support
our staff and technology needs.
00:57:12.16\00:57:16.70
If God has blessed you
and you would like to further
00:57:16.70\00:57:19.13
the work of this ministry,
we invite you to partner
00:57:19.13\00:57:22.07
with us. You can
donate on our website --
00:57:22.07\00:57:25.04
pmchurch.org. Then
click "giving" at the top,
00:57:25.04\00:57:29.48
then select "media ministry."
Or call the number 877-HIS-WILL.
00:57:29.48\00:57:36.32
Again, that number is 877
-- the two words, "HIS WILL."
00:57:36.32\00:57:41.36
My prayer is that the
God who has blessed you will
00:57:41.36\00:57:44.66
continue to pour into
your life the gifts of his joy
00:57:44.66\00:57:47.66
and his hope. Thank you.
00:57:47.66\00:57:50.33
And I'm looking forward
to seeing you right here
00:57:50.33\00:57:52.23
again next time.
00:57:52.23\00:57:53.77
い い
00:58:00.51\00:58:18.09
い
00:58:18.09\00:58:26.70