Hello, friends,
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would you like to
hear an amazing fact?
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Back in 1933
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when the Golden Gate
Bridge was being constructed,
00:00:09.54\00:00:12.34
the chief engineer Joseph Straus
00:00:12.37\00:00:14.74
wasn't satisfied with
the terrible loss of life
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in building other bridges
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and so he incorporated
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some of the most
stringent safety measures ever.
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For one thing he
gave the men goggles
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to protect their
eyes from the wind
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there above the bay,
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gave them cream for their faces.
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They had hard hats,
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one of the first
times back then in 1933,
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but probably the
most amazing measure
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he stretched a net
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all the way across
the bay under the bridge
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that was being constructed.
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During the time of construction,
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19 men fell from the bridge,
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but they were caught by the net.
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They got the nickname
The Half Way to Hell Club.
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You know the Bible tells us
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that the whole
human race has fallen,
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but Jesus has provided a
way to save us from the fall.
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Stay with us.
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We're going to talk about it
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in this
presentation of Revelation Now!
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Good evening, friends.
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Welcome again to Revelation Now!
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Everything is about to change
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and how true
those words seem to be.
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I'd like to welcome you again
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to this
International Bible Study
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where we are looking
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some of the most important
prophecies of the Bible.
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And if you'd like to
participate in this study,
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but Spanish is your
preferable language,
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you can actually
view this program
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in Spanish translated live
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by simply going
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to the Revelation
Now Spanish website
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or you can see it
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at Amazing Facts
Latino Facebook page
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and Amazing Facts
Latino YouTube channel.
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We also have sign
language for the deaf
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and that is available at
the Revelation Now website.
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Once again, we're gonna
remind you at the conclusion
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of the
presentation this evening,
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we're gonna take some
of your Bible questions.
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We wanna thank you for
the many Bible questions
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that have been sent in.
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And if you'd like
to ask a Bible question
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in the Facebook page,
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you can just type
your Bible question
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in the Comment section
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and we'll try to answer
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as many of these
questions as possible
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when we get to our Q&A time.
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We did get some
wonderful testimonies
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of folks who have been blessed
by these meetings so far,
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and if you've
received a rich blessing
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from these
meetings, tell us about it.
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Send us an email
and share the blessing
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that these meetings have been.
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We got Myrna
from the Philippines
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speaking of last
night's presentation, she said,
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"That was such a
faith enriching message.
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Thank you, Pastor Doug."
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Rebecca from Florida says,
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"Thank you for your
teaching. It is a blessing."
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She's a truck driver
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and she listens to the
Revelation Now programs
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while she's driving on the road.
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Also, if your group,
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you have a little group
maybe meeting in your home
00:03:03.04\00:03:05.21
and you'd like
to take a picture,
00:03:05.25\00:03:07.55
you can upload that picture
00:03:07.58\00:03:08.92
and we'll try and share that
00:03:08.95\00:03:10.72
just do so at the
Revelation Now website,
00:03:10.75\00:03:13.56
click on the link
that says Contact us,
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and there's a place
00:03:16.16\00:03:17.49
where you can upload
a picture of your site,
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of your group.
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Wanna remind you,
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we do have some
supplemental material
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that goes along with
each of the presentations.
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The lesson for
tonight is entitled
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"The Ultimate Sacrifice."
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And if you'd like to
get a copy of the lesson
00:03:31.11\00:03:33.24
just go to the
Revelation Now website
00:03:33.27\00:03:35.61
and you'll be able
to download it for free.
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Again, it is a
supplemental guide
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after the presentation.
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We wanna encourage
you to read through it.
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You can look up the
various Bible verses
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and fill it in
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and that will
be an encouragement
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in your study.
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We also have a book
00:03:48.36\00:03:49.69
we'd like to make
available to anyone
00:03:49.72\00:03:51.13
who would like to
text and ask for it.
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All you need to do
is text the word CHOICE
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to the number 40544
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that is if
you're in North America.
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If you're
outside of North America,
00:04:01.10\00:04:03.04
you can also download
the book and read it for free
00:04:03.07\00:04:05.64
at the
RevelationNow.com website.
00:04:05.67\00:04:09.58
Tonight's
presentation is entitled
00:04:09.61\00:04:12.41
"The Ultimate Sacrifice"
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and we're looking forward
00:04:14.42\00:04:15.75
to getting to
this important study.
00:04:15.78\00:04:17.42
And so at this time,
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I like to invite
Pastor Doug to come forward
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and we will prepare our hearts
for this very important study.
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Now, Pastor Doug,
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we've been doing
these evangelistic meetings
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together for a number of years,
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but you have been
doing evangelistic meetings
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or Bible prophecy
seminars for how many years?
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Probably about 35 years,
00:04:36.10\00:04:38.37
at least 35 years now with that.
00:04:38.41\00:04:39.74
Thirty-five years,
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I know I've been with
you in some other countries
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where we've done
meetings like this,
00:04:42.91\00:04:45.41
but out of the different places
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that you've done these
Bible prophecy seminars,
00:04:46.82\00:04:49.32
which one stands
out in your mind,
00:04:49.35\00:04:50.92
has been just a
tremendous experience?
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Oh, wow.
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Well, yeah, you
know, I sure enjoyed,
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we were together in India
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with Karen a couple of years ago
00:04:58.16\00:05:00.53
and had the opportunity to speak
00:05:00.56\00:05:02.26
in the largest
Christian church in the world.
00:05:02.30\00:05:04.13
That was pretty
neat. That's right.
00:05:04.17\00:05:05.50
Mrs. Batchelor
and I went to Russia
00:05:05.53\00:05:07.34
right after communism fell.
00:05:07.37\00:05:10.17
And to do a meeting there
00:05:10.21\00:05:11.54
when people had not been allowed
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to hear the word for 70 years,
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you can't forget that.
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New Guinea we had
over 100,000 people,
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that was exciting,
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but, you know, going to China
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and being able
to preach publicly
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and have it recorded.
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They don't allow it now
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and they didn't allow it before,
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but we were able
to have one window
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to do a public
evangelistic meeting,
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that was really pretty special.
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I think if I remember correctly,
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Pastor Doug,
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that was one of the first
public Bible prophecy seminars
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by a foreigner
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allowed in the country.
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Yeah.
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So that was a
very unique experience.
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Yeah, we just praise the Lord.
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And I hope that things
open up again for China.
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Yeah, absolutely.
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Well, before we get to our study
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as we always do,
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let's start with
the word of prayer.
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Dear Father, once
again we are so grateful
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that we have the freedoms here
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to open up Your Word and study
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and we thank You
for the many people
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who are joining us
all around the world.
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And, Lord, tonight we
have such an important subject,
00:06:04.06\00:06:06.39
so we wanna invite
the Holy Spirit to come,
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be with us here in the
studio, in our studio audience
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as well as those
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who are watching and
listening all over the country
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and around the world.
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Thank You, Lord, for Your Word.
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Thank You for the many blessings
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in Jesus' name.
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Amen. Amen.
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Thank you, Pastor Ross.
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And Pastor Ross will be back
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immediately following
this part of our presentation
00:06:24.28\00:06:26.92
where we're gonna be
doing your Bible questions,
00:06:26.95\00:06:29.68
and so we encourage you
00:06:29.72\00:06:31.05
to be writing down any
questions you have tonight
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for our subject
00:06:33.62\00:06:35.09
where we're gonna be talking
about The Ultimate Sacrifice.
00:06:35.12\00:06:39.73
And you'll be interested
in how this relates very much
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to the Book of Revelation.
00:06:42.73\00:06:44.33
But before we do that,
00:06:44.37\00:06:45.70
we always like to
kind of get some feedback
00:06:45.73\00:06:47.44
from what people out
there on the street are thinking
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about the subject of salvation.
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And so, we're gonna go to our
man on the street interviews.
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The word salvation to me means
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that He saved
me from my own sin.
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He paid the penalty on the cross
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and with the shed blood
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He made payment for our sins.
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The word
salvation to me means like
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that there's
something after death.
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It's always related to the idea
00:07:12.13\00:07:14.10
that maybe we don't
wanna be in this life
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and we want a salvation
toward something better.
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Well, I mean, I can't speak
with every individual needs,
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but for me salvation,
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hey, I'm a little better
now than I was yesterday.
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And I'll be
better for the future.
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Uh, no, I don't think
00:07:30.15\00:07:31.48
a person has to
believe in God to be saved.
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A person just has
to live a virtuous life
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by that person's own
standards to be saved.
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If you have heard about Him
and don't walk in the light,
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then I don't think that
you're gonna go to heaven.
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And the only way you
can come through heaven,
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get to heaven, or get to
God is through Jesus Christ.
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Very interesting.
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You know, I've
read some research that
00:08:00.98\00:08:02.94
there is a declining interest
00:08:02.98\00:08:04.55
and a declining
faith in the Bible
00:08:04.58\00:08:06.98
and in
Christianity in North America,
00:08:07.02\00:08:08.95
but in spite of
what you may be hearing
00:08:08.98\00:08:10.32
in the news,
00:08:10.35\00:08:11.69
it's still over 75% of
the people in North America
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that believe in God,
00:08:14.76\00:08:16.09
believe in Jesus
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and most of those also believe
00:08:17.49\00:08:18.83
the Bible is
inspired or the Word of God.
00:08:18.86\00:08:22.33
And so, you might be thinking,
00:08:22.36\00:08:24.47
Pastor Doug, I tuned in
00:08:24.50\00:08:25.83
because I was interested
in a Revelation seminar.
00:08:25.87\00:08:28.47
I think you're gonna see tonight
00:08:28.50\00:08:30.11
that you can't really
study the Book of Revelation
00:08:30.14\00:08:32.37
without talking about
00:08:32.41\00:08:33.74
what is referred to
in Revelation Chapter 14
00:08:33.78\00:08:36.75
as the everlasting gospel.
00:08:36.78\00:08:39.58
You know, you read in Revelation
00:08:39.61\00:08:41.68
where it talks about,
00:08:41.72\00:08:43.52
for instance in
Revelation 5:12 and 9.
00:08:43.55\00:08:47.26
I'm gonna do this out of order.
00:08:47.29\00:08:49.42
It describes a scene in heaven
00:08:49.46\00:08:52.16
where there is a
lamb, a very unusual lamb,
00:08:52.19\00:08:55.16
a lamb that's got
seven eyes and seven horns,
00:08:55.20\00:08:58.47
and it's slain
but it's still alive.
00:08:58.50\00:09:01.54
And the beings in heaven
00:09:01.57\00:09:04.11
surrounding the
scene are declaring,
00:09:04.14\00:09:06.31
"Worthy is the
Lamb who was slain.
00:09:06.34\00:09:09.04
For You were slain,
00:09:09.08\00:09:10.41
and you have redeemed
us to God by Your blood
00:09:10.45\00:09:13.01
out of every tribe and
tongue and people and nation."
00:09:13.05\00:09:16.92
So it's a very central theme.
00:09:16.95\00:09:18.49
Matter of fact, the
word lamb is found 29 times
00:09:18.52\00:09:22.66
in the Book of Revelation.
00:09:22.69\00:09:24.33
It's one of the
principle characters.
00:09:24.36\00:09:26.16
And so we need to understand
00:09:26.19\00:09:28.16
what is this
Lamb that was slain?
00:09:28.20\00:09:30.07
I think most of us already know,
00:09:30.10\00:09:32.43
but you really need to go back
in the Bible to get the story.
00:09:32.47\00:09:35.87
First of all, Adam
and Eve when they sinned,
00:09:35.90\00:09:38.71
and we touched
on this last night,
00:09:38.74\00:09:40.14
but I know that some people
don't catch every presentation.
00:09:40.18\00:09:43.41
It tells us that
00:09:43.45\00:09:44.78
when they sinned
00:09:44.81\00:09:46.15
they initially
felt the nakedness,
00:09:46.18\00:09:47.82
they tried to
cover their nakedness
00:09:47.85\00:09:49.78
with fig leaves.
00:09:49.82\00:09:51.62
And the Bible
tells us actually that
00:09:51.65\00:09:54.06
they made these aprons of leaf
00:09:54.09\00:09:57.13
and God says that's
not gonna be adequate
00:09:57.16\00:09:59.69
'cause it's not
only not enough material,
00:09:59.73\00:10:01.43
it's the wrong material.
00:10:01.46\00:10:02.96
And so God gave them
tunics or robes of skin.
00:10:03.00\00:10:06.60
Now in order for them to
have these robes of skin,
00:10:06.63\00:10:09.84
something had to die.
00:10:09.87\00:10:11.57
And so this would represent
00:10:11.61\00:10:12.94
the very first
death in the universe
00:10:12.97\00:10:15.78
besides Abel, first creature,
00:10:15.81\00:10:17.95
I mean, a very first death
'cause Abel died after that.
00:10:17.98\00:10:21.25
And so this is the
lamb that was slain
00:10:21.28\00:10:23.72
from the
foundation of the world.
00:10:23.75\00:10:25.09
God established
the sacrificial system.
00:10:25.12\00:10:27.99
And so they left
the Garden of Eden
00:10:28.02\00:10:29.72
understanding that
00:10:29.76\00:10:31.13
in the sacrificing of
these innocent animals,
00:10:31.16\00:10:34.53
it had to be a clean animal,
00:10:34.56\00:10:36.03
it could be a
lamb, it could be a goat,
00:10:36.06\00:10:37.93
it could be a calf,
00:10:37.97\00:10:39.30
but these animals were
to be a symbol for something
00:10:39.33\00:10:42.97
that God was gonna send His
Son as a lamb in the future.
00:10:43.00\00:10:47.44
We remember that
story in the Bible,
00:10:47.48\00:10:48.88
that's very touching
where in Genesis Chapter 22,
00:10:48.91\00:10:52.61
God speaks to
Abraham and He says,
00:10:52.65\00:10:55.12
"Take now your son,
00:10:55.15\00:10:56.48
your only son
Isaac, who you love,
00:10:56.52\00:10:59.29
and go to the land of Moriah,
00:10:59.32\00:11:01.09
and offer him there
as a burnt offering."
00:11:01.12\00:11:04.06
Can you imagine what
a test that would be?
00:11:04.09\00:11:05.93
But at this point
00:11:05.96\00:11:07.30
Abraham had
learned to trust God.
00:11:07.33\00:11:09.63
He'd gotten in
trouble several times before
00:11:09.66\00:11:12.03
trying to take
matters into his own hands.
00:11:12.07\00:11:14.90
And so with a broken heart,
00:11:14.94\00:11:16.81
he told Isaac we're
gonna go sacrifice to the Lord.
00:11:16.84\00:11:19.47
And that didn't surprise Isaac,
00:11:19.51\00:11:20.84
who is now like 18
to 20 years of age.
00:11:20.88\00:11:23.61
I don't think he
woke up and he told Sarah
00:11:23.65\00:11:26.15
took some servants
00:11:26.18\00:11:27.88
and they took the things
00:11:27.92\00:11:29.68
that were
necessary for the sacrifice,
00:11:29.72\00:11:31.55
at least most of them.
00:11:31.59\00:11:32.95
They went to the
mountains of Moriah
00:11:32.99\00:11:34.62
and when they got to
the foot of the mountains,
00:11:34.66\00:11:36.06
it says, they went
three days journey.
00:11:36.09\00:11:38.49
He left the
servants there, and he said,
00:11:38.53\00:11:39.93
"The lad and I
will return to you."
00:11:39.96\00:11:42.23
Then he put the
wood on Isaac's back.
00:11:42.26\00:11:44.63
Abraham had this
00:11:44.67\00:11:46.13
probably a bronze censer
with a burning coal in it.
00:11:46.17\00:11:49.24
They didn't have
matches back then for the fire,
00:11:49.27\00:11:51.87
they started up the mountain.
00:11:51.91\00:11:53.68
Now Isaac had gone to sacrifice
with his father many times.
00:11:53.71\00:11:56.98
Abraham was the high
priest for the family.
00:11:57.01\00:11:59.48
And he noticed something
very obvious was missing,
00:11:59.51\00:12:01.88
and pretty soon
00:12:01.92\00:12:03.25
he broke the silence
with that eternal question.
00:12:03.28\00:12:05.75
Father, we've got the
wood, it was on Isaac's back.
00:12:05.79\00:12:09.06
So we've got the
fire, but where is the lamb?
00:12:09.09\00:12:12.59
And Abraham said,
00:12:12.63\00:12:13.96
"My son, God will
provide Himself a lamb."
00:12:14.00\00:12:18.17
Now, that's
really a double answer.
00:12:18.20\00:12:21.27
God did provide a lamb
00:12:21.30\00:12:22.97
because up on the mountain
00:12:23.00\00:12:25.11
when Abraham was
about to sacrifice Isaac,
00:12:25.14\00:12:28.21
he explained to his son.
00:12:28.24\00:12:30.21
This is what
God's asked me to do
00:12:30.25\00:12:31.68
and Isaac was a
willing sacrifice.
00:12:31.71\00:12:34.25
Abraham didn't jump on his son
00:12:34.28\00:12:35.92
and lasso him like
a calf and tie him up.
00:12:35.95\00:12:38.62
Isaac could have
easily wrestled free.
00:12:38.65\00:12:40.62
Abraham is over
100 years of age now.
00:12:40.66\00:12:43.46
He told his son, says,
00:12:43.49\00:12:45.19
"This is what
God's asked me to do, "
00:12:45.23\00:12:46.56
and Isaac was a
willing sacrifice.
00:12:46.59\00:12:49.13
So Abraham bound him.
00:12:49.16\00:12:50.80
They had the stack of
rocks. They put the wood there.
00:12:50.83\00:12:53.97
He laid his son on the wood
00:12:54.00\00:12:55.94
and just before
the knife came down.
00:12:55.97\00:12:57.67
Abraham was willing to do it.
00:12:57.71\00:12:59.67
The Bible tells us
00:12:59.71\00:13:01.04
an angel
stopped him and he said,
00:13:01.08\00:13:02.41
"Abraham. Abraham.
00:13:02.44\00:13:03.78
Do no harm to the lad
00:13:03.81\00:13:05.15
because God has
now tested your faith.
00:13:05.18\00:13:08.35
And often the
distance they saw a ram
00:13:08.38\00:13:11.32
was caught by his
horns in a thicket.
00:13:11.35\00:13:13.96
And the word
thicket means a thorn bush.
00:13:13.99\00:13:17.13
So here you've got a
ram with a crown of thorns
00:13:17.16\00:13:20.16
that took the place of Isaac.
00:13:20.20\00:13:22.86
Now think about this, friends,
00:13:22.90\00:13:25.00
Abraham went
three and a half days
00:13:25.03\00:13:27.54
to the place of
sacrifice with the son.
00:13:27.57\00:13:30.81
Jesus ministered for
three and a half years.
00:13:30.84\00:13:33.64
The wood was
placed on Isaac's back.
00:13:33.68\00:13:36.95
The cross was
placed on Jesus' back.
00:13:36.98\00:13:40.05
The father and the son,
00:13:40.08\00:13:41.42
they went to the
place of sacrifice together
00:13:41.45\00:13:44.32
and just before
Abraham offered his son,
00:13:44.35\00:13:46.52
God stopped him.
00:13:46.55\00:13:48.36
And basically, I think
that Abraham understood
00:13:48.39\00:13:51.06
that God was gonna give his son.
00:13:51.09\00:13:53.70
This was really
just a test of faith
00:13:53.73\00:13:55.33
and a test of love,
00:13:55.36\00:13:56.90
and you can even read
00:13:56.93\00:13:58.27
where Jesus says
in John Chapter 8
00:13:58.30\00:13:59.83
to the religious leaders.
00:13:59.87\00:14:01.20
He said,
00:14:01.24\00:14:02.57
"Abraham rejoice to see my day
00:14:02.60\00:14:05.54
and he sought and he was glad."
00:14:05.57\00:14:07.48
And they're saying,
00:14:07.51\00:14:08.84
"How could you say
Abraham rejoice to see your day?
00:14:08.88\00:14:10.68
You're not even 50 years old.
00:14:10.71\00:14:12.05
And Abraham
lived 2,000 years ago."
00:14:12.08\00:14:14.35
Jesus means
00:14:14.38\00:14:15.72
up there on the
mountain with Isaac,
00:14:15.75\00:14:17.09
Abraham saw the
sacrifice of God's Son.
00:14:17.12\00:14:20.92
The whole plan of salvation
was represented in this,
00:14:20.96\00:14:23.69
and then, of course, finally,
00:14:23.73\00:14:25.49
it's acted out in
the New Testament.
00:14:25.53\00:14:27.10
Let's with that
is an introduction,
00:14:27.13\00:14:29.10
get into question number one.
00:14:29.13\00:14:31.80
Whom did the animal
00:14:31.83\00:14:33.17
that was sacrificed in
Isaac's place represent?
00:14:33.20\00:14:37.11
When Jesus came to
the Jordan to be baptized,
00:14:37.14\00:14:39.94
John the Baptist looked at him,
00:14:39.97\00:14:41.84
the Holy Spirit said,
00:14:41.88\00:14:43.21
"This is the
one and he declared,
00:14:43.24\00:14:45.31
behold the Lamb of God
00:14:45.35\00:14:47.42
that takes away
the sin of the world."
00:14:47.45\00:14:50.79
You know that's a
wonderful statement, friends,
00:14:50.82\00:14:52.62
that if Jesus can take
away the sin of the world,
00:14:52.65\00:14:57.69
can He handle your sin?
00:14:57.73\00:14:59.79
I remember going out to
split firewood with my boys
00:14:59.83\00:15:02.86
when they were young
00:15:02.90\00:15:04.23
and one day in particular,
00:15:04.27\00:15:05.60
I was cutting wood with Mike
00:15:05.63\00:15:07.24
and we gave him a
little plastic hatchet.
00:15:07.27\00:15:11.01
And he, I give
him a piece of wood
00:15:11.04\00:15:13.21
and he's, you
know, like 5 years old
00:15:13.24\00:15:14.58
and he'd be
hacking away with the wood,
00:15:14.61\00:15:18.31
and I was using a
16-pound splitting maul.
00:15:18.35\00:15:21.78
I was little younger
and stronger back then
00:15:21.82\00:15:23.39
to split wood.
00:15:23.42\00:15:24.75
And he tried to pick it up
00:15:24.79\00:15:26.12
and he couldn't even pick it up.
00:15:26.15\00:15:27.69
And it would be very
odd for him to say to me
00:15:27.72\00:15:30.63
when I tried to
pick up his plastic axe,
00:15:30.66\00:15:33.23
"Oh, dad, you better
not trouble yourself.
00:15:33.26\00:15:34.93
It's gonna be
too heavy for you."
00:15:34.96\00:15:37.27
I mean, obviously,
00:15:37.30\00:15:38.63
if I can pick up
the 16-pound maul,
00:15:38.67\00:15:41.30
I can pick up his
plastic Fisher-Price axe.
00:15:41.34\00:15:44.24
Some people think,
00:15:44.27\00:15:45.61
"Yes, Jesus, You died for
the sin of the whole world,
00:15:45.64\00:15:47.21
but I don't know
if you can save me."
00:15:47.24\00:15:49.54
Really?
00:15:49.58\00:15:50.91
If He can die for the
sin of the whole world,
00:15:50.95\00:15:52.65
He can save you if you
are willing to be saved.
00:15:52.68\00:15:55.58
So don't ever doubt
00:15:55.62\00:15:56.95
the ability and
the power of God.
00:15:56.99\00:15:59.05
You know, I remember
hearing a story one time
00:15:59.09\00:16:00.66
about a
lighthouse keeper in Ireland
00:16:00.69\00:16:04.26
that he had, of course, a
lighthouse right on the coast
00:16:04.29\00:16:08.03
and one side he had the ocean,
00:16:08.06\00:16:09.60
on the other side
there were some meadows
00:16:09.63\00:16:10.97
where some sheep were grazing
00:16:11.00\00:16:13.13
and as his duties
normally required,
00:16:13.17\00:16:15.50
he went outside of the
lighthouse up at the top
00:16:15.54\00:16:18.67
to occasionally
clean the windows.
00:16:18.71\00:16:20.78
Lighthouses back then,
00:16:20.81\00:16:22.18
they were fired by
these kerosene lamps
00:16:22.21\00:16:24.78
and they used to get set.
00:16:24.81\00:16:26.15
So he was cleaning
the window on the inside,
00:16:26.18\00:16:27.88
and then he went to the outside
00:16:27.92\00:16:29.25
and there was a metal
railing to protect him
00:16:29.28\00:16:30.69
because it was, you
know, 55, 60 feet high
00:16:30.72\00:16:34.06
and he didn't realize that
hadn't been painted properly
00:16:34.09\00:16:37.16
and the railing had been rusting
00:16:37.19\00:16:38.69
in the salt air.
00:16:38.73\00:16:40.06
He leaned against
the railing and it broke
00:16:40.10\00:16:42.33
and he toppled off and he fell.
00:16:42.36\00:16:44.73
Next thing he
knew he was staring up
00:16:44.77\00:16:46.47
and he saw clouds and
blue sky and he thought,
00:16:46.50\00:16:49.00
"I must be in heaven."
00:16:49.04\00:16:50.91
'Cause on his way
down he thought I'm dead,
00:16:50.94\00:16:53.84
but then he thought,
00:16:53.88\00:16:55.21
"Well, if I'm in heaven,
00:16:55.24\00:16:56.58
then why does my
back hurt so much."
00:16:56.61\00:16:58.51
And he finally
got his wits about him
00:16:58.55\00:17:00.38
and he stood up and he realized
00:17:00.42\00:17:02.08
he had landed
on one of the sheep
00:17:02.12\00:17:04.85
that was grazing below
00:17:04.89\00:17:06.65
and it had died,
but it broke his fall.
00:17:06.69\00:17:10.36
You know, God sent
His Son into the world
00:17:10.39\00:17:12.46
to break our fall,
00:17:12.49\00:17:13.86
to save us from
the penalty of sin,
00:17:13.90\00:17:16.36
but it cost Him something.
00:17:16.40\00:17:18.30
Something had to die to save us.
00:17:18.33\00:17:21.50
And once we realize
00:17:21.54\00:17:22.87
that it did cost that
our sin cost something
00:17:22.90\00:17:25.87
then it makes us sorry about sin
00:17:25.91\00:17:27.71
and willing to turn from sin.
00:17:27.74\00:17:30.28
Next question.
00:17:30.31\00:17:31.65
Why was it
necessary for Jesus to die?
00:17:31.68\00:17:35.18
Well, first of all,
we've all got this problem.
00:17:35.22\00:17:38.42
Everybody in the
world has sinned.
00:17:38.45\00:17:40.69
You know, something went wrong
in the DNA of Adam and Eve.
00:17:40.72\00:17:43.69
Originally, God designed
man where he naturally loved.
00:17:43.73\00:17:47.50
The natural automatic response
of Adam and Eve was to love God
00:17:47.53\00:17:50.57
and to love their fellow man,
00:17:50.60\00:17:52.40
but with sin they were infected
00:17:52.43\00:17:54.57
with that selfish
disease of the devil
00:17:54.60\00:17:57.31
where all of a sudden
they put themselves first.
00:17:57.34\00:17:59.81
Even when God said to
Adam, "What have you done?"
00:17:59.84\00:18:02.08
He said, "The
woman made me do it."
00:18:02.11\00:18:05.01
And then He talked to the woman.
00:18:05.05\00:18:06.38
She said, "The
snake made me do it."
00:18:06.41\00:18:08.15
Everybody was
into self-preservation,
00:18:08.18\00:18:09.95
and then the snake
couldn't say anything
00:18:09.98\00:18:11.65
so he didn't have
a leg to stand on.
00:18:11.69\00:18:13.62
I think I've already
used that one before,
00:18:13.66\00:18:15.99
but everyone sinned.
00:18:16.02\00:18:17.36
We're all guilty.
00:18:17.39\00:18:18.73
There is nobody,
00:18:18.76\00:18:20.10
there's only one person
00:18:20.13\00:18:21.46
who's lived in
this world without sin.
00:18:21.50\00:18:23.10
Bible says Jesus did no sin.
00:18:23.13\00:18:25.70
He is the holy one of God.
00:18:25.73\00:18:27.77
Everyone else has sinned.
00:18:27.80\00:18:29.14
Now, why is that so bad?
00:18:29.17\00:18:31.07
You got to keep reading.
00:18:31.11\00:18:32.47
You're reading the
Bible in Romans 6:23,
00:18:32.51\00:18:34.38
"The wages or the
penalty for sin is death."
00:18:34.41\00:18:38.38
And so the Bible tells us
that it's a deadly disease.
00:18:38.41\00:18:43.05
If a person is
infected with sin,
00:18:43.08\00:18:45.49
they're gonna die.
00:18:45.52\00:18:46.86
Now just think for a moment,
00:18:46.89\00:18:48.62
imagine you live
on a Pacific Island.
00:18:48.66\00:18:53.90
That's beautiful.
00:18:53.93\00:18:55.36
And on that island,
you've got your family,
00:18:55.40\00:18:57.73
you've got 10 children,
but it's a very remote place,
00:18:57.77\00:18:59.87
but it's a virtual
paradise and you're very happy
00:18:59.90\00:19:02.60
and you're enjoying life,
00:19:02.64\00:19:03.97
and then some reason
one day it's unexplainable,
00:19:04.01\00:19:07.88
but one of the
children you discover
00:19:07.91\00:19:10.11
is come down with a
deadly contagious disease.
00:19:10.15\00:19:13.31
Now we're living in
a time in our culture
00:19:13.35\00:19:15.08
where we understand
what separation means,
00:19:15.12\00:19:18.09
what quarantine means.
00:19:18.12\00:19:19.89
This disease is so virulent
that you've got a choice.
00:19:19.92\00:19:23.59
You know that
00:19:23.63\00:19:24.96
if that child
stays on the island,
00:19:24.99\00:19:27.50
it's going to infect
all the other children,
00:19:27.53\00:19:29.66
but the problem
with this disease is
00:19:29.70\00:19:31.13
it causes a slow painful death.
00:19:31.17\00:19:35.04
And you got to make
a difficult decision.
00:19:35.07\00:19:37.17
you either allow
that child to stay
00:19:37.21\00:19:38.84
and infect all
the other children
00:19:38.87\00:19:40.28
that you love
00:19:40.31\00:19:41.64
and your wife and
you all end up dying
00:19:41.68\00:19:44.41
or you have to take that
child and push it off on a raft
00:19:44.45\00:19:47.25
where it's likely
gonna die from exposure.
00:19:47.28\00:19:49.52
What do you do?
00:19:49.55\00:19:51.49
It'd be a
terrible decision to make,
00:19:51.52\00:19:53.66
but God's got this planet
that has this deadly disease
00:19:53.69\00:19:57.89
and it's contagious and
it causes pain and misery.
00:19:57.93\00:20:01.10
Look at all the
suffering in the world.
00:20:01.13\00:20:03.13
And so we are somewhat insulated
00:20:03.16\00:20:05.03
from the holy beings
that God has in the cosmos,
00:20:05.07\00:20:08.80
but as a result of that,
00:20:08.84\00:20:11.04
God sent Jesus in
to create a bridge.
00:20:11.07\00:20:14.41
He took our disease and
He gives us His Holiness.
00:20:14.44\00:20:18.31
He died in our place,
so we don't have to die
00:20:18.35\00:20:20.52
'cause the
penalty for sin is death.
00:20:20.55\00:20:22.75
There are no exceptions.
00:20:22.78\00:20:24.12
The Bible says,
00:20:24.15\00:20:25.49
"Without the shedding of blood,
00:20:25.52\00:20:27.29
there is no remission for sin."
00:20:27.32\00:20:30.19
Something has to die.
00:20:30.23\00:20:31.56
And the Bible tells us
that the life is in the blood.
00:20:31.59\00:20:34.43
And, you know,
I remember seeing,
00:20:34.46\00:20:37.87
it's very sad, but it
left a vivid impression on me.
00:20:37.90\00:20:40.87
It was a snowy day in
Maine, I was in school in Maine.
00:20:40.90\00:20:44.97
And this, we're
driving down a country road
00:20:45.01\00:20:46.84
and there was a truck up
ahead of us, a friend and I.
00:20:46.88\00:20:50.41
And we saw this
beautiful white dog
00:20:50.45\00:20:54.02
ran out in front of the truck.
00:20:54.05\00:20:55.78
It's like a big husky
dog and he slid on the ice.
00:20:55.82\00:20:59.45
He normally probably would just
bark at the tires and get away,
00:20:59.49\00:21:01.69
but he slid on the ice
00:21:01.72\00:21:03.06
and he couldn't
get out of the way
00:21:03.09\00:21:04.43
and we saw the
truck go over him.
00:21:04.46\00:21:06.56
And the thing I can't
forget we stop, we got out
00:21:06.59\00:21:10.70
and the dog was still alive
00:21:10.73\00:21:12.07
and he looked up at us,
00:21:12.10\00:21:13.44
but he had been badly cut
and he was bleeding to death.
00:21:13.47\00:21:16.14
And we watched it,
00:21:16.17\00:21:17.74
brokenhearted and helpless
00:21:17.77\00:21:19.11
as the blood ran
out and the life ran out
00:21:19.14\00:21:23.28
and they're on the snow,
00:21:23.31\00:21:25.08
and I just could
never forget that scene
00:21:25.11\00:21:27.48
thinking about how
the life is in the blood.
00:21:27.52\00:21:30.12
And Jesus, when
He paid His blood,
00:21:30.15\00:21:32.95
it's really
saying He gave His life
00:21:32.99\00:21:35.49
that we might be forgiven.
00:21:35.52\00:21:36.86
These are the ones,
00:21:38.79\00:21:40.13
this is a Revelation seminar
00:21:40.16\00:21:41.50
the whole gospel
00:21:41.53\00:21:42.86
is they're woven into the warp
00:21:42.90\00:21:44.90
and the woof of
all of Revelation.
00:21:44.93\00:21:46.27
Tells us,
00:21:46.30\00:21:47.64
"These are the ones
00:21:47.67\00:21:49.00
who have come out
of great tribulation,
00:21:49.04\00:21:50.37
and washed their robes
00:21:50.41\00:21:51.74
and made them white in
the blood of the Lamb."
00:21:51.77\00:21:53.64
Now that sounds like a
contradiction, doesn't it?
00:21:53.68\00:21:55.74
How do you wash anything
and make it white in blood?
00:21:55.78\00:21:58.71
I cut myself shaving
just before I came over,
00:21:58.75\00:22:01.28
I had to do a lot of
dabbing before I came over
00:22:01.32\00:22:04.39
'cause, you
know, I thought well,
00:22:04.42\00:22:05.75
the last thing you want
is, you know, red blood on a.
00:22:05.79\00:22:08.22
white collar or
something like that
00:22:08.26\00:22:09.72
it stands out
00:22:09.76\00:22:11.09
how would you
make something white
00:22:11.13\00:22:12.46
by washing it in blood?
00:22:12.49\00:22:14.30
I don't know,
00:22:14.33\00:22:15.80
but the Bible says
there's something different
00:22:15.83\00:22:17.17
about the blood of Jesus.
00:22:17.20\00:22:19.03
And I remember that evangelist,
00:22:19.07\00:22:21.27
I think it was Billy
Sunday he used to say,
00:22:21.30\00:22:23.77
"I don't understand
00:22:23.81\00:22:25.31
how a black cow
can eat green grass
00:22:25.34\00:22:27.54
and make white
milk and yellow butter,
00:22:27.58\00:22:29.98
but I still enjoy it."
00:22:30.01\00:22:32.28
And so there...
00:22:32.31\00:22:33.65
It's a mystery,
00:22:33.68\00:22:35.02
but somehow the blood
of Jesus washes our sins.
00:22:35.05\00:22:38.39
The Bible says,
00:22:38.42\00:22:39.75
"Though your
sins are like scarlet,
00:22:39.79\00:22:41.82
they will be as white as snow,
00:22:41.86\00:22:43.22
though they're red like crimson
00:22:43.26\00:22:45.36
they will be like wool."
00:22:45.39\00:22:47.10
And this is the promise
00:22:47.13\00:22:48.46
in the power of
the blood of Jesus.
00:22:48.50\00:22:51.30
I remember an amazing
fact I heard a few years ago.
00:22:51.33\00:22:53.37
It's also very relevant
today about William Pooley,
00:22:53.40\00:22:56.81
who was a British
nurse in Sierra Leone
00:22:56.84\00:22:58.71
when the Ebola
pandemic broke out
00:22:58.74\00:23:01.84
and he,
00:23:01.88\00:23:03.21
you know, a lot of
people died from that disease
00:23:03.24\00:23:05.45
and they had a
very high mortality rate
00:23:05.48\00:23:07.75
and...
00:23:07.78\00:23:09.12
But he managed to recover,
00:23:09.15\00:23:11.15
meaning that his blood
had developed the antibodies
00:23:11.19\00:23:14.49
that would help
another person to recover
00:23:14.52\00:23:16.46
and he flew to the United States
00:23:16.49\00:23:18.49
to share his
blood with other people
00:23:18.53\00:23:20.40
that were in critical
condition and it saved them.
00:23:20.43\00:23:23.70
Another little
amazing fact I'll throw in is,
00:23:23.73\00:23:26.60
you've heard of yellow fever.
00:23:26.63\00:23:28.74
Well, yellow fever,
00:23:28.77\00:23:30.21
all the vaccine and
I've been to Africa.
00:23:30.24\00:23:32.31
I had to get the
yellow fever vaccine
00:23:32.34\00:23:34.11
before I went.
00:23:34.14\00:23:35.48
And all of the yellow
fever vaccine in the world
00:23:35.51\00:23:38.61
comes from one
native named Asibi
00:23:38.65\00:23:42.52
who had the yellow fever,
00:23:42.55\00:23:45.59
but he managed to survive it,
00:23:45.62\00:23:47.72
and they took some of his blood
00:23:47.76\00:23:49.09
and from the
antibodies in his blood,
00:23:49.12\00:23:51.13
they developed the vaccine
00:23:51.16\00:23:52.76
and they multiplied
it millions of times,
00:23:52.79\00:23:54.43
but all of the vaccine
came from that one man's blood,
00:23:54.46\00:23:58.23
and anybody who
will be in heaven
00:23:58.27\00:24:00.50
will only be in heaven.
00:24:00.54\00:24:02.50
There's people in
the Old Testament,
00:24:02.54\00:24:04.27
people in the New Testament,
00:24:04.31\00:24:05.64
but anyone saved is
saved by the blood of Jesus.
00:24:05.67\00:24:08.41
Bible tells us
in the Book of Acts,
00:24:08.44\00:24:10.28
"That there is no
other name given among men
00:24:10.31\00:24:13.15
whereby we must be saved."
00:24:13.18\00:24:14.72
God is good.
00:24:14.75\00:24:16.08
He loves people from
all different backgrounds,
00:24:16.12\00:24:17.59
but the only way
to heaven is Jesus.
00:24:17.62\00:24:20.02
And the Bible tells us that
00:24:20.06\00:24:23.43
it's through
His sacrifice for us
00:24:23.46\00:24:27.33
and faith in His blood.
00:24:27.36\00:24:29.16
That's where we find pardon.
00:24:29.20\00:24:31.03
People in the Old Testament
00:24:31.07\00:24:32.53
were saved by
looking forward to the cross.
00:24:32.57\00:24:34.77
We are saved by faith
looking back to the cross.
00:24:34.80\00:24:38.27
Everybody is saved
by faith in Christ,
00:24:38.31\00:24:40.28
and in the
sacrifice of the Lamb of God.
00:24:40.31\00:24:43.35
Bible tells us
Christ died for our sins.
00:24:43.38\00:24:46.75
He stepped into our place.
00:24:46.78\00:24:50.39
I remember I was
in the Philippines
00:24:50.42\00:24:51.99
a number of years ago
00:24:52.02\00:24:53.36
and I've been there
three different times,
00:24:53.39\00:24:55.29
but on this particular trip,
00:24:55.32\00:24:56.96
they took us to a large prison
they had about 10,000 inmates.
00:24:56.99\00:25:01.16
And I heard a story
00:25:01.20\00:25:03.57
that I don't know if
it was an urban legend
00:25:03.60\00:25:05.13
or if it was true,
00:25:05.17\00:25:06.50
but I'll share it with you that
00:25:06.53\00:25:08.40
there was one man
that was in the prison
00:25:08.44\00:25:11.81
and he had a twin
brother on the outside.
00:25:11.84\00:25:14.61
His twin
brother was a Christian,
00:25:14.64\00:25:18.11
the one who is in
prison, he was not a Christian.
00:25:18.15\00:25:20.85
And they were identical twins.
00:25:20.88\00:25:22.22
You would think they would
both accept Christ together,
00:25:22.25\00:25:23.72
but they didn't.
00:25:23.75\00:25:25.09
The Christian got married
00:25:25.12\00:25:26.45
and once he got married
00:25:26.49\00:25:27.82
his other brother
didn't find a wife
00:25:27.86\00:25:29.19
and he got discouraged.
00:25:29.22\00:25:30.56
He started drinking.
He was a jeepney driver.
00:25:30.59\00:25:32.09
That's the local taxi.
00:25:32.13\00:25:34.00
And he hit and
killed some people
00:25:34.03\00:25:35.63
while he was intoxicated
00:25:35.66\00:25:37.53
and he was put in
prison for several years.
00:25:37.57\00:25:39.83
Well, the prison
there in the Philippines
00:25:39.87\00:25:41.20
this we saw with our own eyes.
00:25:41.24\00:25:42.57
It wasn't like prison
00:25:42.60\00:25:43.94
where everyone
had their own cell.
00:25:43.97\00:25:45.31
It was almost like a village
00:25:45.34\00:25:47.08
where people they
kind of went in and out
00:25:47.11\00:25:48.78
of each other's huts
00:25:48.81\00:25:50.15
and they would
cook for themselves
00:25:50.18\00:25:51.88
and kind of had a
little city in there,
00:25:51.91\00:25:54.58
and there were 10,000
men in this one prison.
00:25:54.62\00:25:58.19
And this one man
who is a Christian,
00:25:58.22\00:26:03.69
he knew that his
brother didn't know Jesus
00:26:03.73\00:26:05.86
and that he needed to be free
00:26:05.89\00:26:08.73
and he was becoming discouraged.
00:26:08.76\00:26:10.57
And so he went
to visit his brother
00:26:10.60\00:26:12.97
and he changed the visitor badge
00:26:13.00\00:26:15.64
with his brother
00:26:15.67\00:26:17.01
and changed clothes
with his brother, he said,
00:26:17.04\00:26:18.37
"I will serve your time,
00:26:18.41\00:26:20.48
you go free to show
him the love of God."
00:26:20.51\00:26:22.98
Well, this is what, I
know that sounds radical,
00:26:23.01\00:26:24.78
but this is what Jesus did.
00:26:24.81\00:26:26.15
He said,
00:26:26.18\00:26:27.52
"Look, I'm gonna
take your badness
00:26:27.55\00:26:29.15
and I'll give you My goodness.
00:26:29.18\00:26:30.52
I'm gonna take your sin.
00:26:30.55\00:26:32.69
I'm gonna give you My holiness.
00:26:32.72\00:26:34.42
I will take your suffering
so you don't have to suffer.
00:26:34.46\00:26:37.53
I'll take your weakness,
I'll give you My strength."
00:26:37.56\00:26:40.60
He made a total exchange with us
00:26:40.63\00:26:43.16
because of His love for us.
00:26:43.20\00:26:45.60
"For Christ also hath
once suffered for sins,
00:26:45.63\00:26:48.90
the just for the unjust."
00:26:48.94\00:26:50.51
He didn't deserve it
00:26:50.54\00:26:51.87
and that's why He
could pay for our sins
00:26:51.91\00:26:53.48
'cause He was innocent.
00:26:53.51\00:26:55.01
He was that pure
innocent Lamb of God.
00:26:55.04\00:26:58.75
So what is this
great plan of salvation
00:26:58.78\00:27:00.78
called in the Bible?
00:27:00.82\00:27:02.38
You find it here in the
Book of Revelation 14:6,
00:27:02.42\00:27:05.95
"Having the everlasting gospel
00:27:05.99\00:27:08.92
to preach to them
that dwell on the earth."
00:27:08.96\00:27:11.09
You know, the
gospel did not just begin
00:27:11.13\00:27:13.26
in the New Testament.
00:27:13.29\00:27:14.76
The gospel actually begins
even in the Old Testament.
00:27:14.80\00:27:17.80
The Bible tells us that Adam,
00:27:17.83\00:27:19.90
he was saved by
faith in the lamb
00:27:19.93\00:27:22.04
as was Abraham, as
was all of the patriarchs
00:27:22.07\00:27:25.51
when they offered the sacrifice
00:27:25.54\00:27:27.24
they were saved by
faith in God's mercy.
00:27:27.28\00:27:30.55
That's the only
thing that saves anyone.
00:27:30.58\00:27:33.28
So why did God make
00:27:33.31\00:27:34.75
such a fantastic
sacrifice for us?
00:27:34.78\00:27:37.82
Why would He do that?
00:27:37.85\00:27:39.19
I think most of
you know this verse,
00:27:39.22\00:27:40.92
"For God..."
00:27:40.96\00:27:42.29
You hear you can
say this with me,
00:27:42.32\00:27:43.79
"For God so loved the world,
00:27:43.83\00:27:46.53
that He gave His
only begotten Son,
00:27:46.56\00:27:49.80
that whosoever believes
in Him might not perish,
00:27:49.83\00:27:53.50
but have everlasting life."
00:27:53.54\00:27:55.14
We all know that.
00:27:55.17\00:27:56.91
You know, I've read
that verse many times
00:27:56.94\00:27:59.44
and the power of it
00:27:59.47\00:28:01.68
never really
stood out in my mind
00:28:01.71\00:28:05.08
as much as it did
when I heard a story.
00:28:05.11\00:28:08.12
There was a minister
00:28:08.15\00:28:09.62
and he was reading
the paper one morning
00:28:09.65\00:28:12.55
and looking at the notices.
00:28:12.59\00:28:14.22
He's called his wife
over, he said, look at this.
00:28:14.26\00:28:16.32
This is just
absolutely heartbreaking.
00:28:16.36\00:28:18.86
A family in their community
00:28:18.89\00:28:21.00
had bought their
four-year-old boy,
00:28:21.03\00:28:23.43
a little red Radio
Flyer wagon for his birthday
00:28:23.47\00:28:26.80
and the day of his birthday.
00:28:26.84\00:28:28.17
When they got him the wagon,
00:28:28.20\00:28:29.54
he was so excited to try it out,
00:28:29.57\00:28:31.14
he hadn't learned
about how to steer it
00:28:31.17\00:28:33.17
got on there driveway,
00:28:33.21\00:28:34.74
which slope towards the street,
00:28:34.78\00:28:36.81
ran it down the street
00:28:36.85\00:28:38.21
and the first time he
went out into the street
00:28:38.25\00:28:40.32
and it was hit
and killed by a car.
00:28:40.35\00:28:43.52
And pastor saw that
and he just broke his heart
00:28:43.55\00:28:46.19
and not long after
00:28:46.22\00:28:47.56
he showed this to his
wife their phone rang.
00:28:47.59\00:28:50.73
And then I heard the
pastor tell the story.
00:28:50.76\00:28:53.13
And he said,
00:28:53.16\00:28:54.96
it was the family
he had just read about
00:28:55.00\00:28:57.27
and they said,
00:28:57.30\00:28:58.63
"Pastor, we wanted to know
00:28:58.67\00:29:00.00
if you would be willing to have
00:29:00.04\00:29:01.67
the funeral
service for our family."
00:29:01.70\00:29:04.71
And he said, of course,
00:29:04.74\00:29:06.61
and then, he said
at the funeral service,
00:29:06.64\00:29:08.28
they had one child.
00:29:08.31\00:29:09.64
This was their only child
00:29:09.68\00:29:11.58
and there was the
white casket upfront
00:29:11.61\00:29:14.12
and the hardest thing for Pastor
00:29:14.15\00:29:15.58
I've done a few funerals
00:29:15.62\00:29:17.42
where you've got
the little white casket
00:29:17.45\00:29:19.59
of a baby who dies
00:29:19.62\00:29:21.32
from sudden
infant death syndrome,
00:29:21.36\00:29:23.66
or what we call
crib death back then,
00:29:23.69\00:29:26.53
it's just heartbreaking.
00:29:26.56\00:29:28.56
And all of the,
after the service,
00:29:28.60\00:29:30.80
you know, the mourners go by
00:29:30.83\00:29:32.23
and they comfort the family
00:29:32.27\00:29:33.60
and the last ones to go
by the casket is the family
00:29:33.64\00:29:37.14
and the mother got
a hold of the casket
00:29:37.17\00:29:38.71
and she wouldn't let go
00:29:38.74\00:29:40.08
and they couldn't
pry her fingers off
00:29:40.11\00:29:41.61
and she kept
wailing over and over
00:29:41.64\00:29:43.31
and saying we loved
you so, we loved you so.
00:29:43.35\00:29:48.65
And the pastor said,
00:29:48.68\00:29:50.02
"I could never read
John 3:16 the same way."
00:29:50.05\00:29:52.42
It's just a two-letter word,
00:29:52.45\00:29:54.12
but it says so much
00:29:54.16\00:29:55.49
when you look
at the broken heart
00:29:55.52\00:29:56.86
that's behind it.
00:29:56.89\00:29:58.23
God says, "I love you so."
00:29:58.26\00:30:00.73
And to think that we would say
00:30:00.76\00:30:02.26
we're gonna turn from a
God that loves us that much
00:30:02.30\00:30:04.70
that He would
give His Son to save us
00:30:04.73\00:30:07.37
and go back to a world of sin.
00:30:07.40\00:30:09.50
It's incomprehensible,
00:30:09.54\00:30:11.54
but this is what
Jesus did for us.
00:30:11.57\00:30:13.98
So what must I do
00:30:14.01\00:30:15.64
to benefit from
Jesus' sacrificial death?
00:30:15.68\00:30:18.61
Is there some part that I play?
00:30:18.65\00:30:20.95
Obviously, some are
saved, some are lost.
00:30:20.98\00:30:24.19
The Bible says,
00:30:24.22\00:30:25.55
"Whosoever will
come, they can be saved."
00:30:25.59\00:30:29.22
We need to come to
Him. We must believe.
00:30:29.26\00:30:32.49
The Bible tells
us in Acts 16:31,
00:30:32.53\00:30:35.36
"Believe in the
Lord Jesus Christ,
00:30:35.40\00:30:38.10
and you will be saved."
00:30:38.13\00:30:40.04
You know, sometimes it sounds
almost too good to be true,
00:30:40.07\00:30:44.01
but believing isn't
something you do just one time,
00:30:44.04\00:30:46.07
but it starts with that
one act of faith of saying,
00:30:46.11\00:30:48.44
"Lord, I'm gonna
choose to believe."
00:30:48.48\00:30:50.58
And when you
take that first step.
00:30:50.61\00:30:51.95
And you say, "I'm
gonna come to Jesus."
00:30:51.98\00:30:54.25
I remember when did it
00:30:54.28\00:30:56.08
and I felt strange
00:30:56.12\00:30:57.45
and I've got all kinds of doubts
00:30:57.49\00:30:58.82
and the devil's
gonna try and frighten you,
00:30:58.85\00:31:00.36
but you say look,
00:31:00.39\00:31:01.82
"I've tried everything else.
00:31:01.86\00:31:03.26
We're talking
about life and death.
00:31:03.29\00:31:04.63
We're talking about
eternal life and eternal death.
00:31:04.66\00:31:07.86
Then why would you
wanna gamble with eternity?"
00:31:07.90\00:31:10.00
I said,
00:31:10.03\00:31:11.37
"All right, Lord,
I'm gonna come to you.
00:31:11.40\00:31:12.90
I believe a little bit.
00:31:12.93\00:31:15.07
You're gonna have to
help me with the areas, right?
00:31:15.10\00:31:16.74
I'm struggling, but you start
with that first step of faith."
00:31:16.77\00:31:19.61
And you come to Him,
00:31:19.64\00:31:21.04
and then He begins to
strengthen your faith.
00:31:21.08\00:31:24.18
And He transforms you.
00:31:24.21\00:31:26.95
And don't ever underestimate
the power of faith.
00:31:26.98\00:31:30.22
He says, "You shall be saved."
00:31:30.25\00:31:32.75
Salvation comes through faith.
00:31:32.79\00:31:35.82
Jesus said to Nicodemus.
00:31:35.86\00:31:37.93
We talked about this last night,
00:31:37.96\00:31:39.69
"As Moses lifted up the
serpent in the wilderness,
00:31:39.73\00:31:42.70
even so the so the Son
of Man must be lifted up,
00:31:42.73\00:31:45.43
that whosoever believes
in Him should not perish,
00:31:45.47\00:31:49.04
but have everlasting life."
00:31:49.07\00:31:50.71
And it was also amazing,
00:31:50.74\00:31:52.07
most simple thing
00:31:52.11\00:31:53.68
that happened there
in the Book of Numbers,
00:31:53.71\00:31:55.84
they were all dying
from the snake bite,
00:31:55.88\00:31:57.75
talked about this last night.
00:31:57.78\00:31:59.91
And Moses is told to
make a bronze serpent,
00:31:59.95\00:32:04.29
put it on a pole,
probably something
00:32:04.32\00:32:05.95
that resembled
those fiery serpents
00:32:05.99\00:32:07.76
that were biting them.
00:32:07.79\00:32:09.52
And they were instructed,
00:32:09.56\00:32:10.99
whoever looks will be healed
00:32:11.03\00:32:13.56
from the venom
that was killing them.
00:32:13.60\00:32:15.70
And those who
looked were healed.
00:32:15.73\00:32:17.67
And some said that's ridiculous
00:32:17.70\00:32:19.03
and they didn't
look and they died.
00:32:19.07\00:32:21.20
And there's so
many in this world,
00:32:21.24\00:32:22.57
the majority in the world,
00:32:22.60\00:32:23.94
scoff at the plan of salvation.
00:32:23.97\00:32:26.41
And they're gonna
die in their sins.
00:32:26.44\00:32:28.64
Bible tells us and
there's only two groups.
00:32:28.68\00:32:31.51
Unfortunately,
00:32:31.55\00:32:32.88
straight is the gate
and narrow is the way
00:32:32.91\00:32:34.48
that leads to
life and few take it.
00:32:34.52\00:32:37.19
Broad is the gate
and wide is the way
00:32:37.22\00:32:39.32
that leads to
destruction and many.
00:32:39.35\00:32:41.06
The majority go down that road.
00:32:41.09\00:32:42.76
What's the difference
between the few and the many?
00:32:42.79\00:32:45.03
That look of faith,
that look of believing.
00:32:45.06\00:32:48.33
Jesus said, "Look in faith."
00:32:48.36\00:32:50.57
He says, "I will be lifted up."
00:32:50.60\00:32:52.60
And on the cross, Christ said,
00:32:52.63\00:32:53.97
"Look to me. I love you so much.
00:32:54.00\00:32:55.74
I've died for you.
00:32:55.77\00:32:57.11
I've given you an
example of how to live.
00:32:57.14\00:32:58.71
I've shown you what God
is like and what His will is.
00:32:58.74\00:33:01.68
Trust Me. Follow
Me. Believe in Me.
00:33:01.71\00:33:04.18
And you'll be saved."
00:33:04.21\00:33:05.55
And I should pause right here.
What is the word believe mean?
00:33:05.58\00:33:09.62
It means, what it says. Be live.
00:33:09.65\00:33:12.82
Believe doesn't mean
00:33:12.85\00:33:14.19
just to think that there's a God
00:33:14.22\00:33:16.83
'cause James tells us
00:33:16.86\00:33:18.29
even the devils
believe and tremble.
00:33:18.33\00:33:20.43
It means believe in
Jesus is to be live in Jesus.
00:33:20.46\00:33:24.97
All through the New
Testament, Paul says in Christ,
00:33:25.00\00:33:27.74
he talks about
letting the Lord in your heart
00:33:27.77\00:33:29.90
and He lives out His life in you
00:33:29.94\00:33:31.44
and you're in Him.
00:33:31.47\00:33:33.04
So you become one
in spirit with God
00:33:33.07\00:33:36.38
and you become a new creature,
00:33:36.41\00:33:38.05
a new creation
takes place in your life.
00:33:38.08\00:33:41.22
"As many as received Him,
00:33:41.25\00:33:42.88
to them He gave power
to become the sons of God."
00:33:42.92\00:33:46.72
You know, when
we come to the Lord,
00:33:46.76\00:33:48.29
He'll transform us
00:33:48.32\00:33:49.96
and He gives us new
power to be new creatures.
00:33:49.99\00:33:53.93
So how, then, am I
forgiven and cleansed?
00:33:53.96\00:33:56.70
How does this
actually transpire?
00:33:56.73\00:33:58.87
Answer: Acts 3:19,
00:33:58.90\00:34:01.54
"Repent,
therefore, and be converted,
00:34:01.57\00:34:04.41
that your sins
may be blotted out."
00:34:04.44\00:34:06.17
Now isn't that a
wonderful promise?
00:34:06.21\00:34:08.14
If we repent, our
sins can be blotted out.
00:34:08.18\00:34:10.05
Doesn't matter how
terrible your sins were,
00:34:10.08\00:34:13.35
you can read in the Bible
00:34:13.38\00:34:14.72
about David
being guilty of murder,
00:34:14.75\00:34:16.52
so is Moses
actually and adultery.
00:34:16.55\00:34:19.49
David not Moses.
00:34:19.52\00:34:20.96
And then you got King Manasseh,
00:34:20.99\00:34:23.86
he was guilty of a whole
gamut of terrible things,
00:34:23.89\00:34:26.06
including killing prophets,
00:34:26.09\00:34:27.96
sacrificing his own children.
00:34:28.00\00:34:30.00
He repented.
00:34:30.03\00:34:31.37
I still am
amazed when I read it,
00:34:31.40\00:34:33.77
he repented, he turned to God,
he prayed, and God forgave him,
00:34:33.80\00:34:36.91
and brought him
back to the kingdom.
00:34:36.94\00:34:38.64
A wicked king like
Manasseh, God could forgive.
00:34:38.67\00:34:42.61
You're not a better
sinner then God is a Savior.
00:34:42.64\00:34:45.51
The Bible says,
00:34:45.55\00:34:46.88
"The arm of the
Lord is not shortened
00:34:46.92\00:34:48.65
so that He cannot save."
00:34:48.68\00:34:50.02
God can reach you.
00:34:50.05\00:34:51.39
He's got a very long
arm, if you'll turn to Him,
00:34:51.42\00:34:54.32
but you must repent.
00:34:54.36\00:34:55.69
Now, you don't hear a
lot of sermons on this,
00:34:55.72\00:34:57.29
but let me take a moment
and talk about repentance.
00:34:57.33\00:35:02.63
First thing that Jesus
said when He started preaching,
00:35:02.66\00:35:04.83
He said,
00:35:04.87\00:35:06.20
"Repent, for the
kingdom of heaven is at hand."
00:35:06.23\00:35:07.80
John the Baptist
exact same words,
00:35:07.84\00:35:09.90
"Repent, for the
kingdom of God is at hand."
00:35:09.94\00:35:12.27
Peter in Acts Chapter 2
00:35:12.31\00:35:14.51
and he started
preaching, they said,
00:35:14.54\00:35:15.88
"What shall we do?"
00:35:15.91\00:35:17.25
He said,
00:35:17.28\00:35:18.61
"Repent and be
baptized every one of you."
00:35:18.65\00:35:20.55
What is repentance?
00:35:20.58\00:35:22.25
Repentance is a sorrow for sin
00:35:22.28\00:35:24.72
and a
willingness to turn from sin.
00:35:24.75\00:35:27.42
That doesn't mean
00:35:27.46\00:35:28.79
that you'll be able to change
everything instantaneously,
00:35:28.82\00:35:31.79
but you ought to be
willing to do His will
00:35:31.83\00:35:34.03
and if you're not,
00:35:34.06\00:35:35.40
pray to be willing
to be made willing,
00:35:35.43\00:35:37.50
but just come with
whatever you've got, said,
00:35:37.53\00:35:39.00
"Lord, here I
am. I've got doubts.
00:35:39.03\00:35:40.44
I've got struggles.
00:35:40.47\00:35:41.80
I don't really want to change,
but I know I need to change.
00:35:41.84\00:35:44.77
Please change my
heart so I do wanna change."
00:35:44.81\00:35:47.48
But you just come like you are.
00:35:47.51\00:35:49.21
And He begins to transform you.
00:35:49.24\00:35:52.68
The Bible tells us that
00:35:52.71\00:35:54.05
repentance means
not only being sorry,
00:35:54.08\00:35:55.85
but being willing to change
00:35:55.88\00:35:58.65
and part of
repentance is confession.
00:35:58.69\00:36:02.42
Now to the same
degree you offend
00:36:02.46\00:36:07.30
to that degree you apologize,
00:36:07.33\00:36:10.20
so like with our
studio audience here tonight.
00:36:10.23\00:36:12.33
If after the
program I'm on my way out,
00:36:12.37\00:36:15.04
in my haste I step on your toe.
00:36:15.07\00:36:17.74
I'll probably say, "Excuse me."
00:36:17.77\00:36:19.11
And you'll say,
"No problem." Right?
00:36:19.14\00:36:22.44
But if on my way out,
00:36:22.48\00:36:24.41
I run by you and I
knock you down the stairs
00:36:24.45\00:36:28.12
and you got two broken bones.
00:36:28.15\00:36:29.88
And from the top of the stairs,
00:36:29.92\00:36:31.25
I say, excuse me and I take off.
00:36:31.29\00:36:33.36
That's not appropriate.
00:36:33.39\00:36:35.59
The offense is much more severe.
00:36:35.62\00:36:37.43
The apology should
be much more severe,
00:36:37.46\00:36:40.10
and much more
intense, much more heartfelt.
00:36:40.13\00:36:42.06
You see what I'm saying.
00:36:42.10\00:36:43.43
And so when
someone comes to the Lord,
00:36:43.47\00:36:45.03
I've seen that in
many churches that,
00:36:45.07\00:36:46.40
you know, I realize
that God is merciful
00:36:46.43\00:36:48.70
He'll accept us coming
00:36:48.74\00:36:51.07
even though sometimes
00:36:51.11\00:36:52.44
we don't understand the
depth of what we're doing.
00:36:52.47\00:36:54.78
The pastor will say,
00:36:54.81\00:36:56.14
"Come forward,
accept Jesus, say,
00:36:56.18\00:36:57.51
Lord I'm sorry for my sins."
00:36:57.55\00:36:58.91
And they say,
00:36:58.95\00:37:00.28
"Okay, you've repented."
00:37:00.32\00:37:01.88
That's not...
00:37:01.92\00:37:03.25
I don't think that's what
repentance and confession is.
00:37:03.28\00:37:04.95
It's a little
more sincere than that,
00:37:04.99\00:37:07.79
little deeper than that.
00:37:07.82\00:37:09.16
I mean, our sins have
cost the life of God's Son.
00:37:09.19\00:37:14.00
How big a price is that?
00:37:14.03\00:37:15.36
Think about
00:37:15.40\00:37:16.73
what's the most
valuable thing in the universe.
00:37:16.77\00:37:19.47
You can't name a
planet more valuable
00:37:19.50\00:37:21.30
than the one
who made the planet,
00:37:21.34\00:37:23.51
so that would be God.
00:37:23.54\00:37:24.87
And what would be the
most valuable thing to God,
00:37:24.91\00:37:26.47
His life or the life of His Son?
00:37:26.51\00:37:29.28
Which would hurt you more?
00:37:29.31\00:37:30.65
Your life or the
life of your child?
00:37:30.68\00:37:32.58
So God gave the
most valuable gift
00:37:32.61\00:37:34.55
that can be given to
save you from your sins.
00:37:34.58\00:37:38.05
So for you to say,
00:37:38.09\00:37:39.42
"Oops. Sorry, God,
thanks for eternal life."
00:37:39.45\00:37:41.62
That's a little shallow,
00:37:41.66\00:37:43.39
to the same
depth that you repent
00:37:43.43\00:37:46.33
to that degree He can fill you.
00:37:46.36\00:37:49.26
So here's what I recommend.
00:37:49.30\00:37:51.40
When you get off by yourself,
00:37:51.43\00:37:52.77
you can come to
Jesus with a prayer.
00:37:52.80\00:37:54.20
We'll be inviting you
00:37:54.24\00:37:55.57
at the end of this presentation,
00:37:55.60\00:37:57.87
but then when you get
home, get by yourself,
00:37:57.91\00:38:00.04
repentance and confession.
00:38:00.08\00:38:03.14
Get a list piece of paper
00:38:03.18\00:38:05.95
and you can do it on
your computer, I suppose,
00:38:05.98\00:38:09.48
that way you can
press the delete button
00:38:09.52\00:38:10.89
so nobody sees your list.
00:38:10.92\00:38:13.25
And go through
The Ten Commandments.
00:38:13.29\00:38:14.76
You can't remember every
sin you've ever committed,
00:38:14.79\00:38:16.86
but if you start with
the categories like lying,
00:38:16.89\00:38:20.40
you can put down, yeah, lying.
00:38:20.43\00:38:23.70
Murder? I've never murdered.
00:38:23.73\00:38:25.27
Have you been
angry with your brother
00:38:25.30\00:38:26.70
without a cause?
00:38:26.74\00:38:28.07
Oh, murder.
00:38:28.10\00:38:30.91
Adultery? I've never done that.
00:38:30.94\00:38:32.67
Have you ever
thought impure thoughts?
00:38:32.71\00:38:34.84
Jesus said,
00:38:34.88\00:38:36.21
"It begins with an
attitude in the mind."
00:38:36.24\00:38:38.55
You might write that down.
00:38:38.58\00:38:39.91
Gossip, everybody can
write that down, right?
00:38:39.95\00:38:42.38
Write down your sins.
00:38:42.42\00:38:44.09
And the Holy
Spirit, he'll remind you.
00:38:44.12\00:38:46.86
Pray that prayer with
David, Lord, search me, try me,
00:38:46.89\00:38:49.39
see if there be
any wicked way in me
00:38:49.42\00:38:51.69
and lead me in
the way everlasting.
00:38:51.73\00:38:53.70
He'll answer your prayer.
00:38:53.73\00:38:55.13
So after you've made your list,
show that to the Lord and say,
00:38:55.16\00:38:58.60
"Lord, I'm repenting of my sins.
00:38:58.63\00:39:01.60
These are my sins.
00:39:01.64\00:39:02.97
You died for my
wicked behavior and my sins.
00:39:03.00\00:39:06.47
There's a lot of things
that aren't on the list, Lord.
00:39:06.51\00:39:08.98
And, but I'm
confessing, I'm a sinner.
00:39:09.01\00:39:12.58
But I believe that
if I confess my sins,
00:39:12.61\00:39:15.05
Your word is true
00:39:15.08\00:39:16.42
that You are faithful and
just to forgive me my sins
00:39:16.45\00:39:20.02
and to cleanse me
from all unrighteousness.
00:39:20.06\00:39:22.69
Thank you."
00:39:22.72\00:39:24.06
Pray and thank Him for doing it.
00:39:24.09\00:39:25.83
Then press the Delete
button or burn that list,
00:39:25.86\00:39:29.30
but you will find
a relief in your soul
00:39:29.33\00:39:31.77
'cause you've really
meant business with God.
00:39:31.80\00:39:33.64
And, you know,
what else happens?
00:39:33.67\00:39:35.10
When you specifically
write down your sins,
00:39:35.14\00:39:36.47
you're saying,
00:39:36.50\00:39:37.84
"Oh, yeah, that is
wrong. I got to stop."
00:39:37.87\00:39:39.77
And if you say,
00:39:39.81\00:39:41.14
"Lord, please forgive me
00:39:41.18\00:39:42.51
for borrowing my
neighbor's chainsaw.
00:39:42.54\00:39:43.98
I'm not taking it back."
00:39:44.01\00:39:45.81
And God's gonna
see I will forgive you,
00:39:45.85\00:39:47.25
but you still
have to take it back.
00:39:47.28\00:39:49.28
So some people think I've
just got to say I'm sorry.
00:39:49.32\00:39:51.55
There might be some
people you need to apologize to.
00:39:51.59\00:39:55.02
There might be some
letters you need to write.
00:39:55.06\00:39:57.56
You stole from an employer,
00:39:57.59\00:39:59.29
you might need to
talk to your employer,
00:39:59.33\00:40:01.56
or make that right.
00:40:01.60\00:40:02.93
I know that starts
sounding pretty heavy.
00:40:02.96\00:40:04.60
That doesn't mean
you can go back in time
00:40:04.63\00:40:06.47
and undo every
wrong thing you've done,
00:40:06.50\00:40:08.54
but you'd be surprised,
00:40:08.57\00:40:09.90
the Holy Spirit might lay
some things on your heart.
00:40:09.94\00:40:11.84
This is what it means to
repent and confess your sins.
00:40:11.87\00:40:14.91
The world is hearing
such a shallow concept
00:40:14.94\00:40:17.81
of what it's all about.
00:40:17.85\00:40:20.72
And then we come to the Lord
and He promises if we do that,
00:40:20.75\00:40:23.89
"He is faithful and just
to cleanse us from our sins,
00:40:23.92\00:40:27.12
to forgive us and
to cleanse us from, "
00:40:27.16\00:40:29.19
how much unrighteousness?
00:40:29.22\00:40:30.73
"All."
00:40:30.76\00:40:32.09
If you're cleansed
from all unrighteousness,
00:40:32.13\00:40:34.23
then you have no
more unrighteousness.
00:40:34.26\00:40:37.10
You're righteous in His eyes.
00:40:37.13\00:40:39.67
What is this wonderful
conversion experience called?
00:40:39.70\00:40:43.17
The Bible says you
must be born again.
00:40:43.20\00:40:45.94
And, you know, a few
things are more delightful than
00:40:45.97\00:40:48.51
and it's amazing that
people love them so much
00:40:48.54\00:40:50.18
because they're little
messy, but babies are wonderful.
00:40:50.21\00:40:54.02
Their eyes are so
innocent, and they're sparkling.
00:40:54.05\00:40:56.55
I heard someone describe a baby
00:40:56.58\00:40:57.92
once with a loud noise
00:40:57.95\00:40:59.29
at one end and no
responsibility at the other,
00:40:59.32\00:41:01.79
but people love them so much.
00:41:01.82\00:41:03.22
And mothers will
lay down their lives
00:41:03.26\00:41:04.73
to save them.
00:41:04.76\00:41:06.09
A part of the
thing that attracts us
00:41:06.13\00:41:08.10
is their innocence
00:41:08.13\00:41:10.73
that they're hungry,
00:41:10.77\00:41:12.10
they're trusting
in their parents.
00:41:12.13\00:41:13.90
Jesus said,
00:41:13.94\00:41:15.27
"Unless you're converted
00:41:15.30\00:41:16.64
and you become
as a little child,
00:41:16.67\00:41:18.01
you cannot enter
the kingdom of heaven."
00:41:18.04\00:41:19.54
He wants us to have
that simple child like faith
00:41:19.57\00:41:22.14
that He will provide
everything that we need.
00:41:22.18\00:41:25.38
Who enters the heart of
each born-again Christian?
00:41:25.41\00:41:29.78
Answer:
00:41:29.82\00:41:31.15
Even the spirit of
truth, you know him,
00:41:31.19\00:41:34.26
for he dwells with
you, and he will be in you."
00:41:34.29\00:41:37.79
And Jesus was
speaking these words.
00:41:37.83\00:41:39.16
Jesus said,
00:41:39.19\00:41:40.53
"It's important that I go away.
00:41:40.56\00:41:41.90
If I go, I will come again,
00:41:41.93\00:41:43.67
but if I go, I'll
also send the Holy Spirit."
00:41:43.70\00:41:46.74
The Holy Spirit
is the third person
00:41:46.77\00:41:48.60
of the Godhead.
00:41:48.64\00:41:50.07
And it's not an it.
00:41:50.11\00:41:51.44
It's a he.
00:41:51.47\00:41:52.81
Christ tells us that He is in us
00:41:52.84\00:41:54.64
through the
person of the Holy Spirit
00:41:54.68\00:41:56.88
and so we'll sense His presence.
00:41:56.91\00:41:58.25
He said, "I'll never
leave you or forsake you."
00:41:58.28\00:42:01.42
When Jesus lives in my heart
00:42:01.45\00:42:03.35
through the Holy
Spirit, what will I do?
00:42:03.39\00:42:05.82
How will things be different?
00:42:05.85\00:42:08.29
Well, there's several
things, first of all, it says,
00:42:08.32\00:42:10.36
"Both to will and to
do of his good pleasure."
00:42:10.39\00:42:14.63
We'll be willing to do His will.
00:42:14.66\00:42:17.00
What is the will of God?
00:42:17.03\00:42:19.00
You can read in Psalms 40:8.
00:42:19.03\00:42:21.34
"Ye, Lord, I
love to do your will.
00:42:21.37\00:42:23.10
Your law is in my heart."
00:42:23.14\00:42:25.21
And this is what the
new covenant is all about.
00:42:25.24\00:42:27.48
God takes His law
and writes in our heart
00:42:27.51\00:42:31.45
and the Holy
Spirit will guide us
00:42:31.48\00:42:32.98
and will be
willing to do His will.
00:42:33.01\00:42:34.65
It doesn't mean
00:42:34.68\00:42:36.02
there's never
going to be a struggle.
00:42:36.05\00:42:37.99
The Bible tells us
00:42:38.02\00:42:39.35
Jesus went
through a real struggle
00:42:39.39\00:42:40.72
in the Garden of Gethsemane.
00:42:40.76\00:42:42.72
Why should I be confident
00:42:42.76\00:42:44.53
that my new-birth
experience will be successful?
00:42:44.56\00:42:48.36
The Bible promises,
00:42:48.40\00:42:49.73
"He that has
begun a good work in you
00:42:49.76\00:42:51.90
will perform it until
the day of Jesus Christ."
00:42:51.93\00:42:55.14
The Bible tells us
00:42:55.17\00:42:56.50
He is the author and
the finisher of our faith.
00:42:56.54\00:42:58.77
Now a lot of people at
this point get discouraged.
00:42:58.81\00:43:02.41
They say,
00:43:02.44\00:43:03.78
"I started out as a Christian,
00:43:03.81\00:43:05.15
but after a few years,
00:43:05.18\00:43:06.85
you know, I had those
sins that bothered me.
00:43:06.88\00:43:09.72
Now I still have the
sins, but they don't bother me.
00:43:09.75\00:43:12.25
And I'm beginning to wonder
where that first love went."
00:43:12.29\00:43:15.16
And they start
thinking, "Will I ever make it?"
00:43:15.19\00:43:17.63
Well, you don't wanna
ever in your Christian life
00:43:17.66\00:43:20.10
get to the point
00:43:20.13\00:43:21.46
where you're
comfortable with sin.
00:43:21.50\00:43:24.23
That's when you start
00:43:24.27\00:43:25.60
your heart gets a callous on it,
00:43:25.63\00:43:26.97
it's like the person
that lives by the train track
00:43:27.00\00:43:30.01
that don't even
hear the train anymore.
00:43:30.04\00:43:32.07
I've got some friends that,
00:43:32.11\00:43:33.94
they live at the runway
00:43:33.98\00:43:36.24
and to the
approach path of an airport
00:43:36.28\00:43:38.48
and you'll be talking to them.
00:43:38.51\00:43:39.85
The whole house will shaking,
and the jet roar is over.
00:43:39.88\00:43:42.65
And I say, "How do
you live with that?"
00:43:42.68\00:43:44.02
And they go, "Live with what?"
00:43:44.05\00:43:46.19
And it's sad you see some people
00:43:46.22\00:43:48.72
they've been
Christians for years
00:43:48.76\00:43:50.09
and they never got
past the baby stage.
00:43:50.13\00:43:51.59
Now when you're a baby
babies crawl, babies fall,
00:43:51.63\00:43:57.47
they don't always get
the food in their mouth.
00:43:57.50\00:43:59.33
They have some
problems, but you know what?
00:43:59.37\00:44:01.34
What does the baby do to grow?
00:44:01.37\00:44:03.67
It eats, it breathes, it rests,
00:44:03.71\00:44:07.98
and it needs a
regular cleansing.
00:44:08.01\00:44:10.81
And if you come to the
Lord, if you're a new born baby,
00:44:10.85\00:44:13.65
don't be discouraged,
00:44:13.68\00:44:15.35
just keep feeding your
soul on the Word of God,
00:44:15.38\00:44:18.35
breathing prayer,
this is the Holy Spirit.
00:44:18.39\00:44:21.29
You got to
exercise your little limbs.
00:44:21.32\00:44:23.39
You see a little
babies that you don't pace
00:44:23.43\00:44:24.93
and they're crawling around.
00:44:24.96\00:44:26.29
They got to combat
crawl and they're up,
00:44:26.33\00:44:27.66
and then they're up on two feet
00:44:27.70\00:44:29.03
and it's fun to watch them grow,
00:44:29.06\00:44:31.17
but it's really sad
00:44:31.20\00:44:32.53
when someone's been in
the church for 20, 30 years
00:44:32.57\00:44:36.04
and they're still crawling.
00:44:36.07\00:44:37.64
And there's it's all milk.
00:44:37.67\00:44:39.47
God wants Christians
to mature and to grow.
00:44:39.51\00:44:42.48
If you worry
about your progress,
00:44:42.51\00:44:44.28
don't be discouraged,
00:44:44.31\00:44:45.65
continue to come to the Lord,
00:44:45.68\00:44:47.02
repent and trust that as long
as you continue to come to Him.
00:44:47.05\00:44:51.25
Sometimes it's two steps forward
00:44:51.29\00:44:52.95
and it's one step back.
00:44:52.99\00:44:54.89
And even in my own life,
00:44:54.92\00:44:56.26
I do not count
myself to have apprehended,
00:44:56.29\00:44:58.46
but I press on
forgetting those things
00:44:58.49\00:45:00.93
that are behind.
00:45:00.96\00:45:02.30
It's like someone said once.
00:45:02.33\00:45:04.47
"I'm not what I ought to be,
00:45:04.50\00:45:06.57
but I praise God I'm
not what I used to be."
00:45:06.60\00:45:09.20
And so you just trust that
He's gonna finish that work
00:45:09.24\00:45:11.77
as you continue
walking with Him.
00:45:11.81\00:45:13.91
"He that has
begun a good work in you
00:45:13.94\00:45:16.14
will perform it until
the day of Jesus Christ."
00:45:16.18\00:45:18.75
You know, I remember,
00:45:18.78\00:45:20.98
if people think about well,
Pastor Doug works, you know,
00:45:21.02\00:45:24.39
doing the Christian
works is so difficult
00:45:24.42\00:45:26.96
and I remember
hearing this lady years ago.
00:45:26.99\00:45:30.23
She married a gentleman.
00:45:30.26\00:45:31.59
She was too young.
00:45:31.63\00:45:32.96
He was a little
bit older than her,
00:45:32.99\00:45:34.33
but he was a military man
00:45:34.36\00:45:35.70
and he looks so sharp
and dashing in his uniform
00:45:35.73\00:45:39.87
that she just got sworn.
00:45:39.90\00:45:42.10
After she married him,
00:45:42.14\00:45:43.47
she realized he'd
make a terrible mistake
00:45:43.51\00:45:45.17
because he was a
really cruel husband,
00:45:45.21\00:45:49.78
not that he
beat her or anything,
00:45:49.81\00:45:51.38
but he just ran the home like
it was a military installation.
00:45:51.41\00:45:55.02
He even gave her a list everyday
00:45:55.05\00:45:56.79
of what her chores were.
00:45:56.82\00:45:58.72
And he'd hand her list
00:45:58.75\00:46:02.26
and it would say for
day-to-day stuff like them,
00:46:02.29\00:46:04.56
wake up 5:30, build the fire,
00:46:04.59\00:46:07.56
pack my lunch,
cook me breakfast,
00:46:07.60\00:46:09.70
clean this, clean that,
pack that, arrange this,
00:46:09.73\00:46:11.73
and had her day all mapped out.
00:46:11.77\00:46:14.24
And she was faithful to
the commitment of marriage
00:46:14.27\00:46:18.07
and after several years he died.
00:46:18.11\00:46:21.41
And she wasn't all that sorry.
00:46:21.44\00:46:25.71
Couple of years later,
00:46:25.75\00:46:27.08
she met another
gentleman, married him.
00:46:27.12\00:46:28.68
Very different.
00:46:28.72\00:46:30.05
Loving, considerate, loved
her, she knew he loved her,
00:46:30.09\00:46:33.96
and after several
years of happy marriage,
00:46:33.99\00:46:36.89
she was cleaning
out the attic one day
00:46:36.93\00:46:38.69
and she found one of
her first husband's lists
00:46:38.73\00:46:41.96
and as soon as she saw it,
00:46:42.00\00:46:43.37
the hair stood up on
the back of her neck,
00:46:43.40\00:46:44.90
she saw the audacity of that man
00:46:44.93\00:46:46.70
telling me wake up 5:30 and,
00:46:46.74\00:46:49.24
say well, I still wake up 5:30,
00:46:49.27\00:46:51.21
build the fire, and
I still build the fire.
00:46:51.24\00:46:54.51
Cook breakfast,
I'm doing pack lunch,
00:46:54.54\00:46:56.61
laundry the clothes.
00:46:56.64\00:46:57.98
Yeah, I did.
00:46:58.01\00:46:59.35
She went through
the list, she said.
00:46:59.38\00:47:00.72
"Well, look at that.
00:47:00.75\00:47:02.08
I'm doing everything
on my first husband's list
00:47:02.12\00:47:03.45
and it doesn't
bother me at all."
00:47:03.49\00:47:05.45
Because she loved the
one she was doing it for.
00:47:05.49\00:47:08.52
Some people
00:47:08.56\00:47:09.89
they see the
Bible and the law of God
00:47:09.92\00:47:11.59
as a list of rules,
00:47:11.63\00:47:12.96
but when you love the person
that it's actually a delight
00:47:12.99\00:47:17.33
and you don't have to
be concerned about that.
00:47:17.37\00:47:20.97
Number 11.
00:47:21.00\00:47:22.34
Why do some people fail in
their Christian experience?
00:47:22.37\00:47:25.47
"We have turned
everyone to his own way."
00:47:25.51\00:47:28.44
And this is where
the biggest struggle is
00:47:28.48\00:47:29.94
in living the Christian life.
00:47:29.98\00:47:31.65
Bible tells us that
00:47:31.68\00:47:33.01
Jesus in the
Garden of Gethsemane,
00:47:33.05\00:47:34.88
He prayed that
prayer, we all need to pray,
00:47:34.92\00:47:37.15
"Not My will, but
Your will be done."
00:47:37.19\00:47:41.32
Everyday we need
to pray that prayer
00:47:41.36\00:47:43.16
and it's often a struggle.
00:47:43.19\00:47:45.59
As long as you're in
this life in your body,
00:47:45.63\00:47:48.23
you're gonna feel a battle.
00:47:48.26\00:47:49.60
The Bible tells us Paul says,
00:47:49.63\00:47:51.60
there's a struggle between
the spirit and the flesh.
00:47:51.63\00:47:55.04
Peter and James says,
00:47:55.07\00:47:56.40
"They're at war
with each other."
00:47:56.44\00:47:57.97
We've got our
selfish carnal natures,
00:47:58.01\00:47:59.81
and then you get
the spiritual nature
00:47:59.84\00:48:01.98
that is led by God and His will,
00:48:02.01\00:48:04.25
and it's a constant
effort in the Christian life
00:48:04.28\00:48:06.85
to subdue that.
00:48:06.88\00:48:08.28
It does require
effort to be a Christian.
00:48:08.32\00:48:11.12
It cost
something, but I tell you,
00:48:11.15\00:48:12.62
it pays a lot more than it cost.
00:48:12.65\00:48:15.02
It's a lot better than
the guilt and the shame
00:48:15.06\00:48:17.29
of being a slave to the devil.
00:48:17.33\00:48:19.73
There are
struggles in the wilderness
00:48:19.76\00:48:21.66
on the way to the Promised Land,
00:48:21.70\00:48:23.16
but you've got a
hope, you've got purpose
00:48:23.20\00:48:24.70
and God is with you.
00:48:24.73\00:48:26.10
It's a lot better than
being a slave for the pharaoh
00:48:26.13\00:48:28.60
back there in Egypt.
00:48:28.64\00:48:30.47
"Be mindful of
the commandments of us
00:48:30.51\00:48:33.27
the apostles of
the Lord and Savior."
00:48:33.31\00:48:35.81
So it's being
willing to read the Word
00:48:35.84\00:48:37.68
on a regular basis
00:48:37.71\00:48:39.38
and to be mindful of it.
00:48:39.41\00:48:40.75
That means be willing to
follow His Word and His will.
00:48:40.78\00:48:44.95
So how can I know
that Jesus accepts me
00:48:44.99\00:48:47.86
and that I'm His child?
00:48:47.89\00:48:49.99
Well, a very simple thing here.
00:48:50.03\00:48:51.36
It says that God's
promised and God can't lie.
00:48:51.39\00:48:55.06
You've heard that
expression, God said it.
00:48:55.10\00:48:57.60
I believe it.
00:48:57.63\00:48:59.03
That settles it.
00:48:59.07\00:49:00.47
God is never going
to tell you something
00:49:00.50\00:49:02.50
and go back on His word.
00:49:02.54\00:49:04.34
Jesus said,
00:49:04.37\00:49:05.71
"Heaven and
earth will pass away,
00:49:05.74\00:49:07.18
but My Word will not pass away."
00:49:07.21\00:49:09.21
He's made us a promise.
00:49:09.24\00:49:11.31
He is more
interested in saving you
00:49:11.35\00:49:13.38
than you probably
are in being safe.
00:49:13.42\00:49:15.92
He wants you to be
saved and He's not gonna lie.
00:49:15.95\00:49:18.52
The Bible says, ask and
it will be given to you.
00:49:18.55\00:49:21.62
Don't be afraid to
pray and pray big prayers.
00:49:21.66\00:49:25.33
I can think of so
many times in my life.
00:49:25.36\00:49:27.16
I prayed some just
extraordinary prayers.
00:49:27.20\00:49:29.36
I remember once I
was driving cross-country
00:49:29.40\00:49:34.97
and I picked up...
00:49:35.00\00:49:36.40
I was falling asleep.
00:49:36.44\00:49:38.11
And I said,
00:49:38.14\00:49:39.47
"Oh, Lord, if I had
someone to just talk to,
00:49:39.51\00:49:40.91
I'd stay awake and I
need you to keep going."
00:49:40.94\00:49:42.74
And right after I prayed,
00:49:42.78\00:49:44.25
I'm out in the
middle of the desert
00:49:44.28\00:49:46.05
and I thought,
00:49:46.08\00:49:47.42
"I'm gonna pull
off at this off ramp
00:49:47.45\00:49:48.78
so I can rest."
00:49:48.82\00:49:50.15
I mean it was the
middle of the desert
00:49:50.19\00:49:51.52
between Phoenix and
Los Angeles, California,
00:49:51.55\00:49:53.66
and there was
nothing but an overpass.
00:49:53.69\00:49:55.02
And I thought,
00:49:55.06\00:49:56.39
"Well, if I've
got to talk to someone
00:49:56.42\00:49:58.29
I got to take a nap."
00:49:58.33\00:49:59.66
So I pulled over
to find some shade
00:49:59.69\00:50:01.40
under the overpass
00:50:01.43\00:50:02.76
and as I pulled off,
00:50:02.80\00:50:04.13
there was a guy
standing there hitch-hiking
00:50:04.17\00:50:06.37
out in the middle of the desert.
00:50:06.40\00:50:07.74
He couldn't go on the
freeway 'cause that was illegal.
00:50:07.77\00:50:10.84
As I watch a
miracle I even pulled over,
00:50:10.87\00:50:12.51
so I pulled up to see
if he needed rides help.
00:50:12.54\00:50:14.44
Praise the Lord, he said,
00:50:14.48\00:50:15.81
"A farmer left me off here
00:50:15.84\00:50:17.18
and I thought I was
gonna die out here."
00:50:17.21\00:50:19.08
So he got in my
car and we drove along
00:50:19.11\00:50:21.18
and he saw the
Bible up in the dashboard,
00:50:21.22\00:50:22.88
he said, "You're a Christian?"
00:50:22.92\00:50:24.72
I said, "Yeah, I'm a Christian."
00:50:24.75\00:50:26.09
Matter of fact, I just prayed,
00:50:26.12\00:50:27.46
I could have
somebody to talk to.
00:50:27.49\00:50:29.02
And he said,
"Oh, I was just in..."
00:50:29.06\00:50:30.83
He said, "I got out of jail."
00:50:30.86\00:50:32.19
And he said,
00:50:32.23\00:50:33.56
"While I was in jail, I
was reading this book called
00:50:33.60\00:50:34.93
Bible Readings for the Home
00:50:34.96\00:50:36.50
and I got so many
questions about the Bible.
00:50:36.53\00:50:38.17
I said, "Really?"
00:50:38.20\00:50:39.60
I said, "Well." And
boy, I woke right up.
00:50:39.63\00:50:41.30
I stayed awake
until LA talking to him.
00:50:41.34\00:50:44.07
He told me the
most amazing story.
00:50:44.11\00:50:45.44
He said,
00:50:45.47\00:50:46.81
"I was standing on the road
00:50:46.84\00:50:48.18
not long before
you picked me up."
00:50:48.21\00:50:49.54
He says,
00:50:49.58\00:50:50.91
"I know there must be a God
00:50:50.95\00:50:52.28
'cause I said
God, if you're there."
00:50:52.31\00:50:53.65
He said, "I'm hungry.
I need something to eat."
00:50:53.68\00:50:55.02
And I said,
00:50:55.05\00:50:56.38
"I prayed that
prayer, I'm out in the desert
00:50:56.42\00:50:57.75
in the middle of nowhere."
00:50:57.79\00:50:59.12
He said,
00:50:59.15\00:51:00.49
"A truck went
by carrying oranges
00:51:00.52\00:51:01.86
from Southern California.
00:51:01.89\00:51:03.22
It hit a bump three
oranges bounce out."
00:51:03.26\00:51:06.26
And he said, "I
know there's God."
00:51:06.29\00:51:07.63
And friends, I've heard
so many prayers like that
00:51:07.66\00:51:09.50
being answered,
00:51:09.53\00:51:10.87
he will answer
your prayers, ask.
00:51:10.90\00:51:13.54
Number 13.
00:51:13.57\00:51:15.14
How will true
conversion change a life?
00:51:15.17\00:51:17.94
Now we've got
several examples here.
00:51:17.97\00:51:19.41
We're gonna go
through some of these.
00:51:19.44\00:51:21.01
First of all, says,
00:51:21.04\00:51:22.38
"By this shall all men
know that you're My disciples,
00:51:22.41\00:51:25.98
if you have love
for one another."
00:51:26.01\00:51:27.98
You know there'll be
genuine love in our heart.
00:51:28.02\00:51:30.29
God starts
changing our attitudes
00:51:30.32\00:51:32.62
towards others.
00:51:32.65\00:51:34.12
The Holy Spirit
brings love into families.
00:51:34.16\00:51:36.56
It'll bring love
into a workplace.
00:51:36.59\00:51:39.49
And you should see
that kind of love also
00:51:39.53\00:51:43.13
even in a church family
00:51:43.16\00:51:45.27
if you have
love for one another,
00:51:45.30\00:51:47.20
"If any man is in
Christ, he's a new creature."
00:51:47.24\00:51:50.14
There's a
metamorphosis that takes place
00:51:50.17\00:51:52.17
just like the
worm developing wings.
00:51:52.21\00:51:55.14
It's a miracle
00:51:55.18\00:51:56.51
that the
evolutionist cannot explain,
00:51:56.54\00:51:59.18
but to how this
crawling fat little creature
00:51:59.21\00:52:02.72
can all of a sudden become
a delicate winged creature
00:52:02.75\00:52:05.89
is what He does for us?
00:52:05.92\00:52:07.26
He makes us a new creature.
00:52:07.29\00:52:08.62
Old things are passed away,
all things have become new.
00:52:08.66\00:52:11.93
There should be a change.
00:52:11.96\00:52:13.73
Some people used to
have bumper stickers
00:52:13.76\00:52:15.36
and it said
00:52:15.40\00:52:16.73
Christians aren't
perfect, just forgiven.
00:52:16.77\00:52:19.73
And while I agree that
Christians may not be perfect,
00:52:19.77\00:52:22.90
they are more
than just forgiven.
00:52:22.94\00:52:24.41
I think that
00:52:24.44\00:52:25.77
when the Holy
Spirit comes into our lives
00:52:25.81\00:52:27.54
that there's gonna
be a transformation,
00:52:27.58\00:52:29.74
you become a new creature,
00:52:29.78\00:52:31.15
your desires
change, your goals change.
00:52:31.18\00:52:34.35
C, it says,
00:52:34.38\00:52:35.72
"We keep His commandments,
00:52:35.75\00:52:37.09
and do those things
00:52:37.12\00:52:38.45
that are pleasing in His sight."
00:52:38.49\00:52:39.99
We wanna know
what pleases the Lord
00:52:40.02\00:52:42.26
and we seek to obey Him.
00:52:42.29\00:52:44.46
D,
00:52:44.49\00:52:45.83
"Be not conformed to this world,
00:52:45.86\00:52:47.20
but be transformed by
the renewing of your mind."
00:52:47.23\00:52:51.13
And I should take a
moment and talk about that.
00:52:51.17\00:52:53.50
You are who you are
because of what you eat
00:52:53.54\00:52:56.40
mentally and physically,
physically and mentally.
00:52:56.44\00:53:00.68
You'll be shaped
by what you read,
00:53:00.71\00:53:03.18
what you listen
to, what you watch,
00:53:03.21\00:53:06.41
and it's so
important as a Christian,
00:53:06.45\00:53:08.08
you become like who you look at,
00:53:08.12\00:53:10.15
your soul is like
a photographic plate
00:53:10.19\00:53:12.05
and if you keep looking
at the things of the world,
00:53:12.09\00:53:13.96
you're gonna act worldly.
00:53:13.99\00:53:15.42
You keep looking at sin,
00:53:15.46\00:53:16.79
that's what's
gonna be in your mind,
00:53:16.83\00:53:18.36
but if you fix
your eyes on Jesus,
00:53:18.39\00:53:20.50
the Bible says,
00:53:20.53\00:53:21.86
"We are
transformed by beholding Him."
00:53:21.90\00:53:24.60
2 Corinthians.
00:53:24.63\00:53:25.97
So as we're looking at the
Lord something changes inside,
00:53:26.00\00:53:29.67
and we're gonna find
we want to do His will.
00:53:29.70\00:53:34.21
It says,
00:53:34.24\00:53:35.58
"That we might
prove what is that good,
00:53:35.61\00:53:37.21
and acceptable, and
perfect, will of God."
00:53:37.25\00:53:40.65
And then he says,
"Will be his witnesses."
00:53:40.68\00:53:42.88
We're gonna wanna live a life
00:53:42.92\00:53:44.25
that's gonna
let that light shine
00:53:44.29\00:53:46.49
so that people will be attracted
00:53:46.52\00:53:47.99
to Christianity.
00:53:48.02\00:53:49.42
I remember hearing a story
00:53:49.46\00:53:50.79
once that up in the Black Hills,
00:53:50.83\00:53:54.03
they had discovered some gold.
00:53:54.06\00:53:56.16
And these three gold
miners when they found the gold,
00:53:56.20\00:53:58.73
they said,
00:53:58.77\00:54:00.10
"Look, we got to go get supplies
00:54:00.14\00:54:01.47
so we can build a real mine."
00:54:01.50\00:54:03.81
And let's just vow before God
00:54:03.84\00:54:07.44
when we go to town,
00:54:07.48\00:54:08.81
we're gonna
quietly get our supplies,
00:54:08.84\00:54:10.48
we'll meet up outside of town,
we'll head back to the claim.
00:54:10.51\00:54:13.42
Don't tell anybody
00:54:13.45\00:54:14.78
'cause there were people
00:54:14.82\00:54:16.15
that were combing the hills
back then looking for gold,
00:54:16.18\00:54:17.69
they had discovered
gold back at that time,
00:54:17.72\00:54:19.85
so they all went.
00:54:19.89\00:54:21.22
They got the supplies
and they tried to hide it,
00:54:21.26\00:54:23.49
be as secretive and
careful as they could
00:54:23.53\00:54:26.33
and they gathered together
outside of town and started,
00:54:26.36\00:54:29.16
they noticed
00:54:29.20\00:54:30.53
there was a gang of
people following them.
00:54:30.57\00:54:31.90
They said, "What are you doing?"
00:54:31.93\00:54:33.27
They said,
"We're following you."
00:54:33.30\00:54:34.64
"Why are you following us?"
00:54:34.67\00:54:36.00
"You guys found gold."
00:54:36.04\00:54:37.37
"Did you say anything?"
"I didn't say anything."
00:54:37.41\00:54:38.74
"You say anything?"
00:54:38.77\00:54:40.11
"What makes you
think we found gold?"
00:54:40.14\00:54:41.48
They said, "It's
all over your face."
00:54:41.51\00:54:43.95
They were shining.
They couldn't hide the joy.
00:54:43.98\00:54:47.48
And if you're a Christian,
00:54:47.52\00:54:48.85
you ought to
have that light inside
00:54:48.88\00:54:50.35
so that we're witnesses for Him.
00:54:50.39\00:54:52.65
F,
00:54:52.69\00:54:54.02
"Praying always with all prayer
00:54:54.06\00:54:56.22
and supplication in the Spirit."
00:54:56.26\00:54:58.19
Not only do we
have regular times
00:54:58.23\00:54:59.79
when we should be
kneeling in prayer
00:54:59.83\00:55:01.56
and devotions for God
00:55:01.60\00:55:03.70
and talking to Him
00:55:03.73\00:55:05.07
and maybe in more formal way.
00:55:05.10\00:55:06.70
Every morning when I
get up, I go to my office,
00:55:06.74\00:55:08.70
I kneel and I talk to the Lord
00:55:08.74\00:55:10.07
and sometimes
several times a day,
00:55:10.11\00:55:11.67
but I do it without ceasing
00:55:11.71\00:55:13.38
meaning I try to maintain
00:55:13.41\00:55:15.54
an ongoing conversation
with God through the day,
00:55:15.58\00:55:17.98
in my car,
whenever I'm by myself,
00:55:18.01\00:55:20.02
sometimes even when I'm
talking to other people,
00:55:20.05\00:55:22.18
I'm talking to God
praying about what to say.
00:55:22.22\00:55:25.25
And so you just walk
in the spirit with God.
00:55:25.29\00:55:29.52
Number 14.
00:55:29.56\00:55:30.89
What wonderful promises
come with the Christian life?
00:55:30.93\00:55:34.10
There's some
beautiful things here
00:55:34.13\00:55:35.73
that will outline.
00:55:35.76\00:55:37.10
A, I can do all
things through Christ
00:55:37.13\00:55:40.00
who strengthens me.
00:55:40.04\00:55:41.37
Please keep in mind, friends.
00:55:41.40\00:55:42.74
God is never gonna
ask you to do something
00:55:42.77\00:55:45.07
without giving you
the power to do it.
00:55:45.11\00:55:47.48
The Bible tells us
that in every command of God
00:55:47.51\00:55:50.85
inherently is the power to
do what He wants you to do.
00:55:50.88\00:55:54.02
If God says, I want you
to walk across that ocean,
00:55:54.05\00:55:56.42
He will either
help you walk on water
00:55:56.45\00:55:58.09
or He will part the sea
or He will move mountains.
00:55:58.12\00:56:01.29
Don't say, Lord, I can't.
00:56:01.32\00:56:03.16
The Word of God is enabling.
00:56:03.19\00:56:05.19
When God commands
us to do something,
00:56:05.23\00:56:07.33
He will help you do it.
00:56:07.36\00:56:08.73
You take those
first steps of faith
00:56:08.76\00:56:10.53
and you will see miracles happen
00:56:10.57\00:56:12.23
all through your life.
00:56:12.27\00:56:14.17
God will supply
all of your needs,
00:56:14.20\00:56:17.31
you know, Jesus
send out the apostles
00:56:17.34\00:56:18.67
preaching and teaching,
00:56:18.71\00:56:20.04
He said, "I want
to teach you faith."
00:56:20.08\00:56:21.44
When you go, don't
take your credit cards.
00:56:21.48\00:56:23.08
I'm paraphrasing.
00:56:23.11\00:56:24.45
He said,
00:56:24.48\00:56:25.81
"Don't take a
money purse with you.
00:56:25.85\00:56:27.18
So don't take a walking stick.
00:56:27.22\00:56:28.55
Don't take extra garments."
00:56:28.58\00:56:29.92
He said.
00:56:29.95\00:56:31.29
"Watch and see
00:56:31.32\00:56:32.65
if I don't supply
all of your needs."
00:56:32.69\00:56:34.02
I remember one
time I was traveling,
00:56:34.06\00:56:35.42
travel a lot
00:56:35.46\00:56:36.79
and when I got to the hotel,
00:56:36.83\00:56:39.93
I discovered I
forgot my phone charger.
00:56:39.96\00:56:42.03
And I was gonna
be away from town
00:56:42.06\00:56:43.40
for two or three
days at this hotel
00:56:43.43\00:56:44.77
and I thought, oh,
no phone's gonna die.
00:56:44.80\00:56:49.04
Don't even know how to use
a regular telephone anymore.
00:56:49.07\00:56:51.81
All my numbers are in my
phone, my schedules in my phone.
00:56:51.84\00:56:54.41
I did everything on my phone.
00:56:54.44\00:56:55.78
I said, "Oh, Lord."
00:56:55.81\00:56:57.15
I said, "Well, I
don't know what to do.
00:56:57.18\00:56:58.51
I'm gonna pray."
00:56:58.55\00:56:59.88
It's late at night at
the hotel and have no charger
00:56:59.91\00:57:01.58
and my phone was a unique model,
00:57:01.62\00:57:03.35
back then every phone seem
to have a different charger.
00:57:03.39\00:57:06.62
I knelt down and
I prayed and said,
00:57:06.65\00:57:07.99
Lord, don't know what
I'm gonna do about this,
00:57:08.02\00:57:09.36
battery is almost
dead after my flight
00:57:09.39\00:57:11.03
and I said I need a
charger and I said amen.
00:57:11.06\00:57:14.90
I felt that He heard
my pray. I opened my eyes.
00:57:14.93\00:57:17.63
And there by the
bed in the outlet
00:57:17.67\00:57:19.93
was a phone charger.
00:57:19.97\00:57:22.80
And I said, "No, it
can't be, is it a Motorola?"
00:57:22.84\00:57:26.88
And I pulled it out
00:57:26.91\00:57:28.24
and it was the
very phone charger
00:57:28.28\00:57:30.55
I needed,
00:57:30.58\00:57:31.91
which I borrowed
from whoever left it there
00:57:31.95\00:57:33.92
until I checked out and
I gave to the front desk
00:57:33.95\00:57:37.19
and I was able
to charge my phone,
00:57:37.22\00:57:38.95
but He supplies our needs.
00:57:38.99\00:57:40.52
I've had many miracles like this
00:57:40.56\00:57:42.69
and He will do that for you.
00:57:42.72\00:57:44.66
"With God all
things are possible."
00:57:44.69\00:57:47.36
Don't ever doubt
thee the power of God.
00:57:47.40\00:57:51.30
And He wants our joy to be full.
00:57:51.33\00:57:53.74
Christianity should
be a happy religion.
00:57:53.77\00:57:56.67
The gospel is good news.
00:57:56.71\00:57:58.87
The Bible tells us that
we're on our way to a feast,
00:57:58.91\00:58:04.01
not to a funeral.
00:58:04.05\00:58:05.38
So many people look like
00:58:05.41\00:58:06.75
they're
baptized in pickle juice.
00:58:06.78\00:58:08.65
Christianity should be happy.
00:58:08.68\00:58:10.62
It should be joyful.
00:58:10.65\00:58:12.29
And someone said once
00:58:12.32\00:58:14.52
that, you know, if
Christ is in your heart,
00:58:14.56\00:58:16.42
then you need to have
your heart notify your face
00:58:16.46\00:58:19.26
because it's good news.
00:58:19.29\00:58:20.76
There should be
joy in our lives.
00:58:20.80\00:58:24.10
"That they might have life
and have life more abundantly."
00:58:24.13\00:58:27.67
The Lord wants you to
have an abundant full life now,
00:58:27.70\00:58:30.81
but it's also eternal
life in the world to come.
00:58:30.84\00:58:34.48
And if we are good
witnesses for the Lord
00:58:34.51\00:58:36.31
and if we've got that joy,
00:58:36.34\00:58:38.78
we'll be sharing
that with others,
00:58:38.81\00:58:40.15
we won't be able to
keep it to ourselves.
00:58:40.18\00:58:42.32
Jesus has promised,
00:58:42.35\00:58:43.69
"I will never leave
thee, and forsake thee."
00:58:43.72\00:58:45.92
It's so wonderful to know that
00:58:45.95\00:58:47.29
God is with us everywhere we go.
00:58:47.32\00:58:49.46
And He says, "Do not fear
what man might do to you."
00:58:49.49\00:58:53.40
You know, Jesus said
00:58:53.43\00:58:55.03
there are people
that will make fun of you
00:58:55.06\00:58:56.93
and you might be persecuted,
00:58:56.97\00:58:58.30
He said,
00:58:58.33\00:58:59.67
"Rejoice and be
exceedingly glad,
00:58:59.70\00:59:01.10
you have nothing to fear."
00:59:01.14\00:59:02.47
Because if God is with you,
He'll take care of everything.
00:59:02.50\00:59:06.17
And finally, He promises,
"My peace I give unto you."
00:59:06.21\00:59:08.94
Not like the world,
00:59:08.98\00:59:10.31
but He gives us a peace
that passes all understanding.
00:59:10.35\00:59:14.22
And He paid such
an incredible price
00:59:14.25\00:59:16.18
that we might enjoy that peace.
00:59:16.22\00:59:18.35
Why would God pay so much
for you to have a new heart,
00:59:18.39\00:59:22.59
a new life, and
live with Him forever
00:59:22.62\00:59:24.39
if it wasn't possible for
you to have that experience?
00:59:24.43\00:59:27.30
Friends, He wants you
to have that experience.
00:59:27.33\00:59:30.47
Now years ago in 1937,
00:59:30.50\00:59:32.90
there's a man
named John Griffin,
00:59:32.93\00:59:36.04
who was given that
00:59:36.07\00:59:37.47
he lost his money
in the stock market
00:59:37.51\00:59:38.84
in Oklahoma,
00:59:38.87\00:59:40.21
and then he
moved to Mississippi,
00:59:40.24\00:59:41.58
and he ended up getting a
job as a keeper on a bridge.
00:59:41.61\00:59:46.45
And this is one
of those trestles.
00:59:46.48\00:59:48.85
It was a rail road bridge
00:59:48.88\00:59:50.22
that went across the Mississippi
00:59:50.25\00:59:51.59
where a section of
the bridge would rise
00:59:51.62\00:59:53.82
when the ships came through,
00:59:53.86\00:59:55.49
and then it would lower again.
00:59:55.52\00:59:57.19
And one day he
brought his son Greg
00:59:57.23\00:59:59.83
eight years old
to work with him.
00:59:59.86\01:00:01.20
He wanted to see
where dad worked.
01:00:01.23\01:00:02.56
Does the father's job
was sometimes very boring.
01:00:02.60\01:00:04.50
He'd sit there
and wait for hours
01:00:04.53\01:00:05.93
until a boat came
he'd raise up the trestle,
01:00:05.97\01:00:08.87
and then he'd put it
down again right away
01:00:08.90\01:00:10.77
because they had trains
01:00:10.81\01:00:12.14
that would go
speeding across the track
01:00:12.17\01:00:14.58
and every now and then
he'd get a signal in his booth
01:00:14.61\01:00:17.58
and they'd say
that a train is coming,
01:00:17.61\01:00:19.51
is the bridge gonna be down.
01:00:19.55\01:00:21.15
And he would signal
01:00:21.18\01:00:22.52
and they'd go by the signal
01:00:22.55\01:00:23.89
the green light
full speed ahead.
01:00:23.92\01:00:25.59
Well, one day
when his son was there
01:00:25.62\01:00:27.86
watching how dad worked
01:00:27.89\01:00:29.26
and his son was very
antsy and running around
01:00:29.29\01:00:31.33
and getting into everything.
01:00:31.36\01:00:33.06
He saw that a
boat was coming down
01:00:33.09\01:00:35.36
and so he raised up the trestle
01:00:35.40\01:00:37.30
and he waited
01:00:37.33\01:00:38.67
and he saw the ship
was on its way down,
01:00:38.70\01:00:41.10
and then he heard
the meant to special
01:00:41.14\01:00:44.27
gave the signal
that it was on its way
01:00:44.31\01:00:45.81
and they wanted to know
will the bridge to be down.
01:00:45.84\01:00:47.78
He said, "Yeah, no problem."
01:00:47.81\01:00:49.28
And he started
the bridge going down,
01:00:49.31\01:00:51.11
he gave the signal for the train
01:00:51.15\01:00:52.51
to go full speed ahead
01:00:52.55\01:00:54.22
and as the gears began
to go and lower the machine
01:00:54.25\01:00:57.49
he looked and
horror down his son
01:00:57.52\01:00:59.35
had wandered out
into the machinery
01:00:59.39\01:01:01.99
and a piece of
cable with a fray on it
01:01:02.02\01:01:04.39
had caught his clothing
01:01:04.43\01:01:05.99
and was pulling
him up into the gears
01:01:06.03\01:01:09.06
and the father
only had an instant
01:01:09.10\01:01:10.87
to make a very
difficult decision
01:01:10.90\01:01:13.44
if he stopped the bridge,
01:01:13.47\01:01:15.67
it was too late
to stop the train
01:01:15.70\01:01:17.31
that had
hundreds of people on it.
01:01:17.34\01:01:18.97
It would smash into the trestle
01:01:19.01\01:01:21.41
and cars and people would
go spilling off into the river
01:01:21.44\01:01:24.05
and no doubt many would die.
01:01:24.08\01:01:27.15
If he didn't stop
it, his son would die
01:01:27.18\01:01:30.95
and it didn't take him long.
01:01:30.99\01:01:32.62
He realized that
01:01:32.65\01:01:34.16
he needed to save
the people on the train
01:01:34.19\01:01:37.56
and so with his heartbreaking,
01:01:37.59\01:01:40.00
he shouted to his son, he said.
01:01:40.03\01:01:41.36
I love you Greg,
01:01:41.40\01:01:42.73
but he knew he couldn't stop
01:01:42.76\01:01:44.10
and he was pulled into
the machinery and killed.
01:01:44.13\01:01:47.20
And the bridge went down
01:01:47.24\01:01:49.47
and the meant to
special went speeding by
01:01:49.50\01:01:51.61
and they saw the man
01:01:51.64\01:01:52.97
that was there in the
glass booth by the tower
01:01:53.01\01:01:55.24
and they waved at John.
01:01:55.28\01:01:57.65
And didn't realize
01:01:57.68\01:01:59.01
what he had paid
01:01:59.05\01:02:00.55
just then so
that they could live.
01:02:00.58\01:02:02.95
And, you know,
you wonder sometimes
01:02:02.98\01:02:04.92
all these people in the world
01:02:04.95\01:02:06.29
are sort of
speeding on their way
01:02:06.32\01:02:08.42
and we don't know
how much Jesus has paid
01:02:08.46\01:02:10.86
that we might live.
01:02:10.89\01:02:12.23
The question is,
01:02:12.26\01:02:13.60
are you willing
to accept that gift?
01:02:13.63\01:02:15.13
He loved you so
much He gave His Son,
01:02:15.16\01:02:17.23
but you need to make a decision.
01:02:17.27\01:02:19.03
You know, some of you
are part of host groups
01:02:19.07\01:02:21.77
and we're gonna invite
you to respond tonight.
01:02:21.80\01:02:24.44
I'd like to walk you
through some simple questions
01:02:24.47\01:02:27.08
here in our studio audience.
01:02:27.11\01:02:28.44
We've got these cards as well.
01:02:28.48\01:02:31.05
You know, the best
time to listen to God's will
01:02:31.08\01:02:33.31
is when you're hearing it,
01:02:33.35\01:02:34.72
the best time to
listen to His voice
01:02:34.75\01:02:36.69
is when He's speaking to you.
01:02:36.72\01:02:39.29
I'd like to invite you
to make a decision right now
01:02:39.32\01:02:41.79
that first step of
faith can begin now.
01:02:41.82\01:02:44.23
The devil will
want you to postpone it.
01:02:44.26\01:02:46.36
Make it now
01:02:46.39\01:02:47.73
and God can
give you a new heart.
01:02:47.76\01:02:49.10
First of all, I'm gonna ask
you a series of five questions.
01:02:49.13\01:02:53.00
I believe that
salvation comes only by grace
01:02:53.03\01:02:55.64
through faith in Jesus.
01:02:55.67\01:02:57.97
You can check yes.
01:02:58.01\01:02:59.71
Now some of you,
01:02:59.74\01:03:01.08
you may not have your
cards in front of you.
01:03:01.11\01:03:02.44
You will find the
card at the Revelation.com.
01:03:02.48\01:03:06.65
RevelationNow.com website.
01:03:06.68\01:03:08.28
Don't go there yet
01:03:08.32\01:03:09.65
'cause in order to do that,
01:03:09.68\01:03:11.02
you might have to
sign off the screen
01:03:11.05\01:03:12.39
if you're streaming,
01:03:12.42\01:03:13.76
but you can do
that during our break,
01:03:13.79\01:03:15.16
you'll find these cards there.
01:03:15.19\01:03:16.89
Question number two.
01:03:16.93\01:03:18.73
I want to repent of my sins
and surrender my life to Jesus.
01:03:18.76\01:03:23.10
Make that decision now.
01:03:23.13\01:03:24.70
Mark that
01:03:24.73\01:03:26.07
and we'd like to
know how to pray for you
01:03:26.10\01:03:27.44
and with you
01:03:27.47\01:03:28.80
and you see these questions
up on your screen as well.
01:03:28.84\01:03:31.97
Question three.
01:03:32.01\01:03:33.34
And I expect they're
many in this category.
01:03:33.38\01:03:36.21
I once followed Jesus
but I've drifted away,
01:03:36.24\01:03:39.81
and now I want to
recommit my life to Him.
01:03:39.85\01:03:42.85
You can get a new beginning
and experience that new birth.
01:03:42.88\01:03:45.65
Find your first love, friends.
01:03:45.69\01:03:48.49
You can do that now by asking.
01:03:48.52\01:03:50.83
Maybe you'd like special prayer
01:03:50.86\01:03:52.59
as you make this commitment
or pray about the commitment,
01:03:52.63\01:03:55.06
check that box.
01:03:55.10\01:03:56.43
We have a group that
will be praying for you.
01:03:56.46\01:03:58.70
And we're
offering more information.
01:03:58.73\01:04:00.80
You know, once the
baby's born they need to feed.
01:04:00.84\01:04:03.17
And we would like
to provide material
01:04:03.20\01:04:04.91
to help you
learn more about Jesus.
01:04:04.94\01:04:06.94
If you're in a group or church,
01:04:06.98\01:04:08.44
we know over a thousand churches
01:04:08.48\01:04:09.88
have registered.
01:04:09.91\01:04:11.25
Please fill out
your name on your card,
01:04:11.28\01:04:12.61
give it to your group leaders,
01:04:12.65\01:04:14.28
and those of you who
are gonna do this online.
01:04:14.32\01:04:16.52
We encourage you
01:04:16.55\01:04:17.89
if you don't
have a card with you,
01:04:17.92\01:04:19.25
go to the
website during the break,
01:04:19.29\01:04:20.76
fill out your card
01:04:20.79\01:04:22.12
and that will
communicate with us,
01:04:22.16\01:04:23.86
so we can rejoice with you
01:04:23.89\01:04:25.39
and tell you how to
begin your new life with Jesus.
01:04:25.43\01:04:27.86
Let me pray with you
01:04:27.90\01:04:29.23
before we go to
our Bible questions.
01:04:29.26\01:04:31.43
Let's bow our heads.
01:04:31.47\01:04:33.84
Father in heaven,
01:04:33.87\01:04:35.40
I believe we've
heard the gospel tonight
01:04:35.44\01:04:38.44
and I think that
there's some people out there
01:04:38.47\01:04:40.04
that feel the Holy
Spirit speaking to their hearts
01:04:40.08\01:04:42.08
and they wanna
make that decision.
01:04:42.11\01:04:44.35
Lord, encourage them right now
01:04:44.38\01:04:45.71
to have the
courage and the faith
01:04:45.75\01:04:47.78
to respond to Your love
01:04:47.82\01:04:49.92
that You're
desperate to save them
01:04:49.95\01:04:51.92
by coming to Jesus,
01:04:51.95\01:04:53.39
by praying in their
hearts and accepting Him
01:04:53.42\01:04:55.72
as their Savior
01:04:55.76\01:04:57.09
by taking those first steps
01:04:57.13\01:04:58.83
where they begin a
new life in Christ.
01:04:58.86\01:05:01.20
Bless each one,
01:05:01.23\01:05:02.56
pour out Your
Spirit on this series.
01:05:02.60\01:05:04.57
We thank You and
ask in Christ's name.
01:05:04.60\01:05:06.97
Amen.
01:05:07.00\01:05:08.67
Now we'll be back in two minutes
01:05:08.70\01:05:10.04
with some Bible questions.
01:05:10.07\01:05:11.51
You can still send them in.
01:05:11.54\01:05:12.87
You may wanna go
to RevelationNow.com
01:05:12.91\01:05:15.58
Fill out your card
and send it to Pastor Doug
01:05:15.61\01:05:17.75
or your group leaders
01:05:17.78\01:05:19.11
so we can know
how to pray for you.
01:05:19.15\01:05:20.48
Be right back.
01:05:20.52\01:05:21.85
I was addicted
01:05:26.86\01:05:28.19
to all
different types of things.
01:05:28.22\01:05:29.56
I was drinking
so much on the road
01:05:29.59\01:05:32.03
that when I got home,
01:05:32.06\01:05:33.66
I would be just
yelling at the top of my lungs.
01:05:33.70\01:05:36.83
I had a problem with authority,
01:05:36.87\01:05:38.40
started smoking at the age of 14
01:05:38.43\01:05:40.24
and drinking by the age of 15.
01:05:40.27\01:05:41.90
And I had money, I had women,
I had a car every 2 years.
01:05:41.94\01:05:46.31
The life wasn't
really that fulfilling.
01:05:46.34\01:05:48.78
I mean, I was having a
great time on the outside,
01:05:48.81\01:05:51.61
but inside I knew
something was dying,
01:05:51.65\01:05:54.32
something was wrong.
01:05:54.35\01:05:55.68
I got down on my knees.
01:05:55.72\01:05:57.05
And I pray to God and I said,
01:05:57.09\01:05:58.69
"God, if You're there,
wherever You lead me in life,
01:05:58.72\01:06:01.46
whatever You want
me to do, I am yours."
01:06:01.49\01:06:04.89
I'd started studying the Bible
01:06:04.93\01:06:06.86
and found Amazing Facts online
01:06:06.90\01:06:08.90
and I was watching
hours of sermons each day.
01:06:08.93\01:06:11.97
My life has changed so much
01:06:12.00\01:06:13.44
since I started
following God's path for me.
01:06:13.47\01:06:17.04
I wanna thank you.
01:06:17.07\01:06:18.41
Thank you. Thank you.
01:06:18.44\01:06:19.77
From the bottom of my heart.
01:06:19.81\01:06:21.14
I just really started
getting involved with crime,
01:06:27.65\01:06:29.85
break and enter,
selling drugs, stealing cars.
01:06:29.88\01:06:32.55
All of us were high,
drugs all over the car,
01:06:32.59\01:06:34.59
paraphernalia pipes.
01:06:34.62\01:06:35.96
I was suicidal.
01:06:35.99\01:06:37.33
I was developing
an eating disorder
01:06:37.36\01:06:39.16
so like all these things
were just coming into play.
01:06:39.19\01:06:42.23
One night I was flicking
through my channels in my dorm,
01:06:42.26\01:06:45.63
there was this
guy, this preacher.
01:06:45.67\01:06:47.00
By the end of the program,
01:06:47.04\01:06:48.64
I had a complete understanding
of what's God plan actually is.
01:06:48.67\01:06:54.18
I started going through
01:06:54.21\01:06:55.54
these Amazing
Facts Study Guides.
01:06:55.58\01:06:57.45
And I finish those
and I was so hungry,
01:06:57.48\01:07:00.08
I couldn't put them down.
01:07:00.12\01:07:01.52
This series help me to
see how reasonable God is.
01:07:01.55\01:07:05.85
So after doing the
studies and learning the truths
01:07:05.89\01:07:09.09
that I had been learning,
01:07:09.12\01:07:10.46
I decided to
take that next step.
01:07:10.49\01:07:12.66
I thank God for ministries
01:07:12.69\01:07:14.20
like Amazing
Facts to a great extent,
01:07:14.23\01:07:16.60
the reason why I am
in the church today.
01:07:16.63\01:07:19.67
Thank you. Thank you.
01:07:19.70\01:07:21.04
Thank you for changing my life.
01:07:21.07\01:07:22.40
We'd like to welcome everybody
back to Revelation Now!
01:07:33.55\01:07:36.85
And thank you for sending in
01:07:36.89\01:07:38.22
all of your
great Bible questions.
01:07:38.25\01:07:39.92
And we're gonna take
the next 20 minutes or so
01:07:39.95\01:07:42.06
trying to answer
01:07:42.09\01:07:43.43
as many of these Bible questions
01:07:43.46\01:07:44.79
as possible.
01:07:44.83\01:07:46.16
So, Pastor Doug, are you ready?
01:07:46.19\01:07:48.00
We'll see. Okay.
01:07:48.03\01:07:50.27
We have our first
question that we'll take.
01:07:50.30\01:07:51.70
It says,
01:07:51.73\01:07:53.07
"If I accept
Christ and His forgiveness
01:07:53.10\01:07:56.44
but then fall again,
01:07:56.47\01:07:57.84
will He forgive me again?"
01:07:57.87\01:08:00.18
Well, you see
several examples in the Bible
01:08:00.21\01:08:02.28
where people like
Peter and Mary Magdalene.
01:08:02.31\01:08:05.91
The Bible tells us that
01:08:05.95\01:08:07.28
Mary Magdalene out of
whom Jesus cast seven devils
01:08:07.32\01:08:10.79
and the way that's rendered
it's really not at one time,
01:08:10.82\01:08:15.52
but she continued to
fall into her old habits
01:08:15.56\01:08:18.89
and Peter more than once
he denied Jesus three times,
01:08:18.93\01:08:21.40
but more than
once Peter backslide.
01:08:21.43\01:08:24.77
He was also kind
of rebuked by Paul
01:08:24.80\01:08:27.60
later with in his
letter to the Galatians.
01:08:27.64\01:08:30.01
So God's very merciful.
01:08:30.04\01:08:32.87
You can see in David's life.
01:08:32.91\01:08:34.24
There was not only
that incident with Bathsheba
01:08:34.28\01:08:37.05
there were times
01:08:37.08\01:08:38.41
where had David
was being deceptive.
01:08:38.45\01:08:41.42
When he numbered
Israel because of pride
01:08:41.45\01:08:43.08
and, you know,
if we make mistakes
01:08:43.12\01:08:44.85
once we come to
Christ, He adopts you,
01:08:44.89\01:08:47.16
you become His child.
01:08:47.19\01:08:48.56
God does not unadopt you.
01:08:48.59\01:08:50.73
If you repent of your
sins and you turn back to Him,
01:08:50.76\01:08:53.96
He's merciful.
01:08:54.00\01:08:55.36
1 John 1:9 says,
01:08:55.40\01:08:58.27
"If we confess our sins,
01:08:58.30\01:09:00.20
He's faithful and
just to forgive us
01:09:00.24\01:09:01.57
and to cleanse us
and claim that promise."
01:09:01.60\01:09:04.11
Our next
question that we have is,
01:09:04.14\01:09:06.07
"Is there anything I
can do to help God save me?"
01:09:06.11\01:09:09.74
Well, that's what
01:09:09.78\01:09:11.11
you could call
a loaded question.
01:09:11.15\01:09:13.28
You wanna be
careful not to communicate
01:09:13.31\01:09:14.95
that we are helping God out
01:09:14.98\01:09:18.22
'cause God's provided
everything we need to be saved
01:09:18.25\01:09:22.06
in the sacrifice of Jesus,
01:09:22.09\01:09:23.43
but is there something
we must do to cooperate.
01:09:23.46\01:09:25.93
The answer is yes.
01:09:25.96\01:09:27.46
First of all, you
come to the Lord in faith.
01:09:27.50\01:09:30.77
He saves you right
away, but we must cooperate,
01:09:30.80\01:09:34.37
being willing to believe.
01:09:34.40\01:09:35.74
Jesus says this is the
work that you believe on the one
01:09:35.77\01:09:38.44
whom God has sent,
but in addition, then,
01:09:38.47\01:09:40.91
if we're gonna
grow in our faith.
01:09:40.94\01:09:42.74
So being saved is an
event of justification,
01:09:42.78\01:09:46.18
that means it can
happen in a moment
01:09:46.21\01:09:47.55
when you come to Christ.
01:09:47.58\01:09:48.92
We hope some of you
01:09:48.95\01:09:50.29
are experiencing that right now.
01:09:50.32\01:09:51.65
You made a decision,
01:09:51.69\01:09:53.02
you've prayed
01:09:53.05\01:09:54.39
and turn your
life over to the Lord
01:09:54.42\01:09:55.76
that can be the turning point,
01:09:55.79\01:09:57.13
but now there's growth
01:09:57.16\01:09:58.49
that happens
through reading the Word.
01:09:58.53\01:10:00.10
We need to feed our souls,
01:10:00.13\01:10:02.23
we need to spend time in prayer,
01:10:02.26\01:10:04.10
and then tell other people,
01:10:04.13\01:10:05.63
you know, exercise our faith,
01:10:05.67\01:10:08.50
and then we'll continue to grow.
01:10:08.54\01:10:10.61
Okay.
01:10:10.64\01:10:11.97
We have another question
01:10:12.01\01:10:13.34
that we'll put up on the screen.
01:10:13.38\01:10:14.71
"How can I even approach
God in my sinful condition?"
01:10:14.74\01:10:18.55
You know, that's
the wonderful thing
01:10:18.58\01:10:20.42
about the plan of salvation
01:10:20.45\01:10:21.88
is you see story
after story in the Bible,
01:10:21.92\01:10:24.69
even Peter, he fell
down at Jesus' feet.
01:10:24.72\01:10:26.89
I think this is Luke Chapter 5
01:10:26.92\01:10:28.92
and Peter was amazed
01:10:28.96\01:10:31.66
because Jesus had
filled his nets to bursting.
01:10:31.69\01:10:34.33
And he realized
01:10:34.36\01:10:35.70
this was a supernatural miracle.
01:10:35.73\01:10:37.37
He lived on the sea all his life
01:10:37.40\01:10:38.80
and never saw a catch like this
01:10:38.83\01:10:40.64
and he suddenly had
01:10:40.67\01:10:42.00
a sense of the
holiness of Christ.
01:10:42.04\01:10:43.97
And Peter fell at
Jesus' feet and said,
01:10:44.01\01:10:45.74
"Lord depart for
me, I am a sinful man."
01:10:45.77\01:10:48.34
Jesus said, "Don't be afraid."
01:10:48.38\01:10:50.41
And he says, "From
now on you'll catch men."
01:10:50.45\01:10:53.15
And one time a
leper came to Jesus.
01:10:53.18\01:10:55.32
And the Bible says
he was full of leprosy.
01:10:55.35\01:10:58.09
And this is like a
person who's full of sin.
01:10:58.12\01:11:00.92
You know, I love hearing
the stories from Salvation Army
01:11:00.96\01:11:05.96
and I used to listen
to these radio testimonies
01:11:05.99\01:11:07.80
from Pacific Garden Mission
01:11:07.83\01:11:09.76
about people who
their lives were just,
01:11:09.80\01:11:12.13
you know,
totally out in the world,
01:11:12.17\01:11:15.50
you know, in the gutter, drugs,
01:11:15.54\01:11:17.21
you know, alcoholism
01:11:17.24\01:11:18.57
just they seem like
01:11:18.61\01:11:19.94
they're totally
captive of the enemy,
01:11:19.97\01:11:21.41
radical change
01:11:21.44\01:11:23.04
and, you know,
even in Amazing Facts,
01:11:23.08\01:11:24.81
we got a few people
that were behind bars
01:11:24.85\01:11:28.18
now that are
serving the Lord, you know.
01:11:28.22\01:11:30.22
Preaching and teaching
here. Yeah. Absolutely.
01:11:30.25\01:11:32.55
All right, Pastor Doug,
01:11:32.59\01:11:33.92
we've got a
question or two coming.
01:11:33.96\01:11:35.52
And again, thank
you for your questions.
01:11:35.56\01:11:37.89
Here's one that I like, it says,
01:11:37.93\01:11:39.43
why does the Bible describe
God and Satan both as a lion?
01:11:39.46\01:11:45.43
Yeah, well, I think
that's the characteristic,
01:11:45.47\01:11:48.74
you know, the
Lord is often described
01:11:48.77\01:11:50.87
in a number of ways,
01:11:50.91\01:11:52.24
you know, one time God
is described as an eagle.
01:11:52.27\01:11:53.94
Well, an eagle's an unclean bird
01:11:53.98\01:11:56.34
and so, you know,
01:11:56.38\01:11:57.71
you can eat a quail and a dove.
01:11:57.75\01:11:59.28
Why would you describe
Jesus as a dove and an eagle?
01:11:59.31\01:12:02.15
And an eagle eats a dove.
01:12:02.18\01:12:03.52
What's the saying
01:12:03.55\01:12:04.89
that God has that
perspective of the eagle's,
01:12:04.92\01:12:07.16
the strength and the power.
01:12:07.19\01:12:08.62
And he says, I bore you
on my wings like eagles,
01:12:08.66\01:12:11.96
but then the
characteristics of a lion
01:12:11.99\01:12:14.93
says your adversary like a lion.
01:12:14.96\01:12:17.53
It's lion like the way,
01:12:17.57\01:12:18.90
Satan roars and stalks his prey,
01:12:18.93\01:12:22.70
but the lion is also a
powerful majestic beast.
01:12:22.74\01:12:25.97
And so that's why
01:12:26.01\01:12:27.34
Jesus is called the
Lion of the Tribe of Judah.
01:12:27.38\01:12:29.94
And so it's talking
about the majesty of Christ.
01:12:29.98\01:12:32.25
You know, Pastor Doug,
when I read that question
01:12:32.28\01:12:33.78
I thought of another
sort of parallel symbol,
01:12:33.82\01:12:37.25
Jesus says,
speaking of the devil,
01:12:37.29\01:12:38.72
I saw him for like
lightning from heaven,
01:12:38.75\01:12:41.49
and then Jesus when
talking about the second coming,
01:12:41.52\01:12:43.66
He says His lightning that shine
01:12:43.69\01:12:45.06
from the east to the west
01:12:45.09\01:12:46.59
so also shall the
coming of the Son of man be.
01:12:46.63\01:12:49.40
So you've got a
lion representing Christ
01:12:49.43\01:12:51.60
and Lion symbol for Satan.
01:12:51.63\01:12:53.03
You got lightning
01:12:53.07\01:12:54.40
can describe
Christ, can describe Satan.
01:12:54.44\01:12:56.97
The serpent is a
symbol of the devil,
01:12:57.01\01:12:58.77
a symbol of sin,
01:12:58.81\01:13:00.38
but the Bible tells us
Christ became sin for us
01:13:00.41\01:13:02.64
who knew no sin
01:13:02.68\01:13:04.01
that we might be
made the righteous
01:13:04.05\01:13:05.38
so some interesting parallels
01:13:05.41\01:13:06.85
that you see
throughout the Bible.
01:13:06.88\01:13:08.22
Yeah, you see attributes
of those symbols or creatures
01:13:08.25\01:13:09.58
that you might
find some similarities
01:13:09.62\01:13:10.95
in both characters.
01:13:10.99\01:13:12.32
Absolutely.
01:13:12.35\01:13:13.69
All right, we
got a question that
01:13:13.72\01:13:15.06
I assume came from a
child and the question is,"
01:13:15.09\01:13:16.99
I would like to know,
01:13:17.03\01:13:18.36
is it possible for a child
01:13:18.39\01:13:19.83
to commit the unpardonable sin?"
01:13:19.86\01:13:22.56
Well, if the child is living
01:13:22.60\01:13:24.77
before the age
of accountability,
01:13:24.80\01:13:26.30
I'd say no it's impossible
01:13:26.33\01:13:27.94
because you're before that age.
01:13:27.97\01:13:30.44
Now someone may
send in a question
01:13:30.47\01:13:32.27
and say what is that age?
01:13:32.31\01:13:34.01
I'll preempt that now
by trying to explain that
01:13:34.04\01:13:37.55
there's no specific
age given in the Bible,
01:13:37.58\01:13:40.82
probably the
closest you can come
01:13:40.85\01:13:42.52
is to say that,
01:13:42.55\01:13:43.89
you know, when
Jesus was 12 years old,
01:13:43.92\01:13:45.95
that's when it
was customary for Jews
01:13:45.99\01:13:47.69
to bring their
boys to the temple,
01:13:47.72\01:13:50.36
they saw that they
were transitioning,
01:13:50.39\01:13:52.49
you know, and even biologically,
01:13:52.53\01:13:54.20
there's a transition
01:13:54.23\01:13:55.56
that happens from child to adult
01:13:55.60\01:13:59.03
and they start to understanding
01:13:59.07\01:14:01.00
the consequences
of sin and salvation
01:14:01.04\01:14:03.61
and when a child's old enough
to comprehend those things
01:14:03.64\01:14:05.84
and different children
mature at different ages,
01:14:05.87\01:14:07.88
and even girls may sometimes
mature spiritually before boys.
01:14:07.91\01:14:13.01
I think, I've seen that.
01:14:13.05\01:14:16.08
That's when that time
01:14:16.12\01:14:17.82
where they start
becoming accountable
01:14:17.85\01:14:19.29
for those decisions.
01:14:19.32\01:14:20.66
I don't think you're
gonna see too many teenagers
01:14:20.69\01:14:22.62
that have grieved
away the Holy Spirit
01:14:22.66\01:14:24.46
because God is so patient,
01:14:24.49\01:14:25.83
it usually takes years
01:14:25.86\01:14:27.20
for a person to
get to that point
01:14:27.23\01:14:28.56
and harden their
hearts like that.
01:14:28.60\01:14:30.27
If somebody's
wondering about that
01:14:30.30\01:14:31.63
that's probably evidence
01:14:31.67\01:14:33.00
that the Holy Spirit
01:14:33.03\01:14:34.37
is still
speaking to their heart.
01:14:34.40\01:14:35.74
And we think
we've got a free book
01:14:35.77\01:14:37.11
they can read on that.
01:14:37.14\01:14:38.47
Yes. What's the
unpardonable sin?
01:14:38.51\01:14:39.84
Right.
01:14:39.87\01:14:41.21
And that's
available at the website,
01:14:41.24\01:14:42.58
the Amazing Facts website.
01:14:42.61\01:14:43.95
Another
question that we have is,
01:14:43.98\01:14:45.75
is belief and
faith the same thing?
01:14:45.78\01:14:49.58
You said that the devil believes
01:14:49.62\01:14:51.12
and he's not saved.
01:14:51.15\01:14:52.95
Well, belief and
faith, belief and saving faith
01:14:52.99\01:14:56.09
are not the same thing,
01:14:56.12\01:14:57.99
you know, you can have
a faith where you say it,
01:14:58.03\01:15:03.37
I acknowledge I
assent that Jesus is real.
01:15:03.40\01:15:07.44
The devil knows that
01:15:07.47\01:15:08.80
and the devil will even
admit that God loves us,
01:15:08.84\01:15:11.47
but it's not a belief
01:15:11.51\01:15:12.84
where he's be
living what is said.
01:15:12.87\01:15:15.14
He's not responding to it.
01:15:15.18\01:15:16.91
If I say, you know,
01:15:16.95\01:15:18.31
tornado's about to hit
our studio here in 30 seconds
01:15:18.35\01:15:21.95
and everyone says, yes,
we believe you, Pastor Doug,
01:15:21.98\01:15:23.55
and you sit there.
01:15:23.59\01:15:24.92
You don't believe me.
01:15:24.95\01:15:26.32
So that there's a belief in
01:15:26.35\01:15:28.29
that says you respond
01:15:28.32\01:15:31.23
and so that's the
nuance of difference
01:15:31.26\01:15:33.70
I would see in the two.
01:15:33.73\01:15:35.23
Okay, another question.
01:15:35.26\01:15:36.60
It says,
01:15:36.63\01:15:37.97
"Why don't we see the miracles
01:15:38.00\01:15:39.37
that we read about
back in the Bible?"
01:15:39.40\01:15:41.87
You know, when I
hear this question,
01:15:41.90\01:15:43.24
I think about
the story of Gideon
01:15:43.27\01:15:45.51
and in Judges Chapter 6,
01:15:45.54\01:15:48.21
the Bible tell and keep in mind,
01:15:48.24\01:15:49.61
Judges dates back
long before Elijah,
01:15:49.64\01:15:52.95
long before the days of Jesus,
01:15:52.98\01:15:54.85
an angel appears to Gideon,
01:15:54.88\01:15:56.65
and Gideon says,
01:15:56.69\01:15:58.09
whatever happened
to all the miracles
01:15:58.12\01:15:59.95
we used to hear about.
01:15:59.99\01:16:01.32
We haven't seen any
of those miracles like
01:16:01.36\01:16:02.82
when the children of
Israel came out of Egypt
01:16:02.86\01:16:05.09
or when they crossed the Jordan,
01:16:05.13\01:16:06.96
whatever happened to
the days of miracles?
01:16:07.00\01:16:08.60
Are they all gone?
01:16:08.63\01:16:09.96
And you laugh
looking back now thinking
01:16:10.00\01:16:11.33
wow,
01:16:11.37\01:16:12.70
Gideon saw some pretty
big miracles in his life,
01:16:12.73\01:16:14.97
and then, of course,
you hadn't even seen Elijah
01:16:15.00\01:16:17.11
the fire coming down from heaven
01:16:17.14\01:16:18.47
or all the miracles of Elisha,
01:16:18.51\01:16:20.11
and then all the
miracles of Jesus.
01:16:20.14\01:16:22.24
Miracles seem to come
in waves in the Bible.
01:16:22.28\01:16:25.51
And they did
during the time of Christ
01:16:25.55\01:16:26.98
and the apostles.
01:16:27.02\01:16:28.35
I believe we're gonna
see waves of miracles...
01:16:28.38\01:16:30.65
And I believe
miracles are happening
01:16:30.69\01:16:32.02
in the world today.
01:16:32.05\01:16:33.39
I've seen things
that I would describe
01:16:33.42\01:16:34.76
people might argue,
01:16:34.79\01:16:36.12
but I'd
describe them as miracles
01:16:36.16\01:16:37.93
and sitting in the
studio is a miracle right now.
01:16:37.96\01:16:42.10
We know.
01:16:42.13\01:16:43.70
But we don't have
time for that story though,
01:16:43.73\01:16:45.63
but so I think that
we're gonna see more miracles
01:16:45.67\01:16:49.70
especially when
persecution increases,
01:16:49.74\01:16:52.14
when the
proclamation of the gospel
01:16:52.17\01:16:54.41
becomes more challenged,
01:16:54.44\01:16:55.78
God begins to act more
01:16:55.81\01:16:57.41
as God's people start to
live out real Christianity
01:16:57.45\01:17:01.25
you see more real miracles.
01:17:01.28\01:17:02.82
Okay.
01:17:02.85\01:17:04.19
Another question's
coming from Ginger.
01:17:04.22\01:17:05.62
She asks,
01:17:05.65\01:17:06.99
"You mentioned yesterday
that Moses was resurrected
01:17:07.02\01:17:09.32
after three days.
01:17:09.36\01:17:10.79
Is that in the Bible?"
01:17:10.83\01:17:12.83
Well, the three days
part is not in the Bible.
01:17:12.86\01:17:15.06
It does tell you
that Moses was resurrected
01:17:15.10\01:17:17.47
because if you
look in Mark Chapter 9,
01:17:17.50\01:17:20.07
it tells you
01:17:20.10\01:17:21.44
and also as well
in Luke and Matthew.
01:17:21.47\01:17:23.30
It tells you that
Moses appeared to Jesus
01:17:23.34\01:17:27.54
on what we call the
Mount of Transfiguration.
01:17:27.58\01:17:29.58
Jesus hiked up this mountain
01:17:29.61\01:17:30.95
with Peter, James,
and John, and Elijah,
01:17:30.98\01:17:33.08
and Moses appeared to him.
01:17:33.11\01:17:34.62
There is a Jewish tradition.
01:17:34.65\01:17:36.62
It's not part of the Bible,
01:17:36.65\01:17:37.99
but it's called
the assumption of Moses
01:17:38.02\01:17:39.92
and it says that three
days after Moses death,
01:17:39.95\01:17:42.32
he was raised.
01:17:42.36\01:17:43.69
And we believe that
they have no reason to doubt
01:17:43.73\01:17:45.19
that it was three days,
01:17:45.23\01:17:46.70
but no specifically
that's not in the Bible,
01:17:46.73\01:17:48.80
but it does seem Moses...
01:17:48.83\01:17:50.57
And you do have in Jude verse 9
01:17:50.60\01:17:52.73
where it says that
01:17:52.77\01:17:54.10
when Michael came
01:17:54.14\01:17:55.57
he didn't dispute with the devil
01:17:55.60\01:17:57.54
regarding the body of Moses,
01:17:57.57\01:17:58.91
but said the Lord rebuke thee.
01:17:58.94\01:18:00.51
So also you get that
verse in Jude verse 9,
01:18:00.54\01:18:03.18
talks about the
resurrection of Moses.
01:18:03.21\01:18:05.45
We got a question from Karen.
01:18:05.48\01:18:06.82
She's asking,
01:18:06.85\01:18:08.18
"Is a picture of Jesus
considered a graven image
01:18:08.22\01:18:13.42
and forbidden in
the commandments?"
01:18:13.46\01:18:15.82
It could be.
01:18:15.86\01:18:17.19
Now this is something
that people need to be careful
01:18:17.23\01:18:20.10
not to confuse.
01:18:20.13\01:18:21.46
God does not say in
The Ten Commandments
01:18:21.50\01:18:23.77
do not make any graven image
01:18:23.80\01:18:26.13
and stop, you
got to keep reading.
01:18:26.17\01:18:28.30
It says do not
make graven images
01:18:28.34\01:18:30.31
in the likeness of
anything in the heaven above,
01:18:30.34\01:18:32.21
the water beneath the earth.
01:18:32.24\01:18:34.78
Do not bow down yourself to them
01:18:34.81\01:18:36.48
or serve them.
01:18:36.51\01:18:37.85
There was no
inherent sin in the people
01:18:37.88\01:18:41.15
making some
facsimile of a flower.
01:18:41.18\01:18:44.22
Matter of fact,
01:18:44.25\01:18:45.59
when they were
building the temple,
01:18:45.62\01:18:47.46
God told Moses
to carve two angels
01:18:47.49\01:18:50.19
and put them on the
Ark of the Covenant.
01:18:50.23\01:18:52.13
They weren't to pray to them.
01:18:52.16\01:18:54.06
And God told Moses to
make a bronze serpent.
01:18:54.10\01:18:56.97
And the people
to look into live,
01:18:57.00\01:18:58.77
but later when they
started praying to that serpent,
01:18:58.80\01:19:01.20
Hezekiah said,
no, that's idolatry.
01:19:01.24\01:19:03.07
He crushed it.
01:19:03.10\01:19:04.71
And in the temple of Solomon,
01:19:04.74\01:19:07.68
they had calves
01:19:07.71\01:19:09.04
that were built
underneath the laver
01:19:09.08\01:19:10.41
to hold it in place
01:19:10.45\01:19:11.78
and they made additional angels
01:19:11.81\01:19:13.15
and they made
images of pomegranates
01:19:13.18\01:19:15.38
and different things.
01:19:15.42\01:19:16.75
So making some
artistic work was not a sin,
01:19:16.79\01:19:20.46
but I have seen
people pray to pictures
01:19:20.49\01:19:22.99
and I have seen
people pray to statues
01:19:23.02\01:19:24.86
and that's when it
turns into idolatry.
01:19:24.89\01:19:26.66
Okay.
01:19:26.70\01:19:28.03
Well, here we have
an interesting question.
01:19:28.06\01:19:29.40
It says,
01:19:29.43\01:19:30.77
"If the devil knows the Bible,
01:19:30.80\01:19:32.13
why would he stick to the plan
that's revealed in Revelation?"
01:19:32.17\01:19:35.50
And some people
worship their cars too.
01:19:35.54\01:19:37.67
You can make an
idol out of your car.
01:19:37.71\01:19:39.04
I'm still thinking
about that last question.
01:19:39.07\01:19:40.71
Sorry, you know, what
was that question again?
01:19:40.74\01:19:42.91
Sorry. All
right, here we go again.
01:19:42.94\01:19:44.51
It says, "If the
devil knows the Bible,
01:19:44.55\01:19:46.85
why would he stick to the
plan revealed in Revelation?"
01:19:46.88\01:19:50.79
You know, it says that he
knows he has a short time.
01:19:50.82\01:19:53.09
So yes, I think
the devil he knows...
01:19:53.12\01:19:57.73
You know, hope springs eternal.
01:19:57.76\01:19:59.09
I guess even with the devil,
01:19:59.13\01:20:00.46
he's got this delusional idea
01:20:00.50\01:20:02.16
that maybe if he
fights the bitter
01:20:02.20\01:20:03.83
and something will change.
01:20:03.87\01:20:05.63
And if nothing else
he's trying to keep that
01:20:05.67\01:20:07.67
that belief
alive among his demons
01:20:07.70\01:20:10.57
and even in the very last battle
01:20:10.61\01:20:12.31
when he launches
his final assault
01:20:12.34\01:20:13.81
on the people of God,
01:20:13.84\01:20:15.18
you think isn't it crazy
01:20:15.21\01:20:17.48
to think you can
fight against God?
01:20:17.51\01:20:19.98
But he had deceived
himself into thinking
01:20:20.02\01:20:22.65
that he had a fighting chance.
01:20:22.68\01:20:25.12
Another place though, and
I think it's Revelation 12,
01:20:25.15\01:20:27.19
he says he's come
down with great wrath
01:20:27.22\01:20:29.26
'cause he knows
his time is short.
01:20:29.29\01:20:31.56
I think the devil knows
that his days are numbered.
01:20:31.59\01:20:33.60
Okay. Very good.
01:20:33.63\01:20:35.76
How can I tell
01:20:35.80\01:20:37.13
whether or not my
prayers are actually answered?
01:20:37.17\01:20:41.27
Well, if you say, Lord,
01:20:41.30\01:20:44.11
you know, I'm hungry
and blessed me with food
01:20:44.14\01:20:47.14
and He
miraculously provides food.
01:20:47.18\01:20:49.14
That's an answer to prayer.
01:20:49.18\01:20:50.51
So I don't know if I'm...
01:20:50.55\01:20:51.88
I think usually
there's evidence.
01:20:51.91\01:20:53.38
Okay.
01:20:53.42\01:20:54.75
So sometimes prayers,
01:20:54.78\01:20:56.12
let's just say you're
praying for the salvation
01:20:56.15\01:20:57.49
of someone you love.
01:20:57.52\01:20:58.85
How do you know that
prayer is gonna be answered?
01:20:58.89\01:21:00.22
I think you have faith
and you continue to pray
01:21:00.26\01:21:02.22
and you store and compound
those prayers in heaven.
01:21:02.26\01:21:06.76
You know, many times we
pray for people's healing.
01:21:06.80\01:21:08.90
You and I've done
anointings for people
01:21:08.93\01:21:10.90
and we have seen
miraculous traumatic healings.
01:21:10.93\01:21:13.57
People that had cancer
and the tumors went away
01:21:13.60\01:21:16.67
and just wonderful things.
01:21:16.71\01:21:18.81
Sometimes when
you pray for healing,
01:21:18.84\01:21:20.48
you know that prayer is gonna
be answered in the resurrection
01:21:20.51\01:21:22.61
when they get a glorified body.
01:21:22.64\01:21:24.85
So, you know, we have to trust
that God answers our prayers
01:21:24.88\01:21:29.28
the way He sees best
01:21:29.32\01:21:30.65
and those that may
vary from time to time.
01:21:30.69\01:21:33.36
Okay, somebody's asking,
01:21:33.39\01:21:34.92
how do you stop thinking
about the guilt of your past?
01:21:34.96\01:21:38.19
You've prayed, you've
asked God to forgive you,
01:21:38.23\01:21:40.23
but it seems like
01:21:40.26\01:21:41.60
these things keep
coming back into your mind.
01:21:41.63\01:21:43.30
Very good, very
important question,
01:21:43.33\01:21:45.67
and I struggle with
that like everyone else,
01:21:45.70\01:21:47.50
you know, you've
got these brain cells
01:21:47.54\01:21:48.90
that still have the memories
01:21:48.94\01:21:50.27
of the terrible things
you did and your regrets,
01:21:50.31\01:21:53.11
and even after
I've asked the Lord
01:21:53.14\01:21:54.81
to forgive me a
thousand times for something,
01:21:54.84\01:21:57.21
it'll pop back into my mind.
01:21:57.25\01:21:58.65
I think, "Oh, Doug,
what were you thinking?"
01:21:58.68\01:22:00.45
And then I'll say,
01:22:00.48\01:22:01.82
Lord, that's the devil
trying to make me feel bad.
01:22:01.85\01:22:03.92
You forgave me for
that long time ago.
01:22:03.95\01:22:06.39
And I just
remind myself of that.
01:22:06.42\01:22:08.96
I think Martin Luther
put it this way, he said,
01:22:08.99\01:22:11.13
"You cannot prevent the birds
from flying over your head,
01:22:11.16\01:22:14.80
but you can prevent them
01:22:14.83\01:22:16.16
from making a
nest in your hair."
01:22:16.20\01:22:17.53
I always feel
funny, quoting that
01:22:17.57\01:22:18.90
'cause the birds can't
make a nest in my hair,
01:22:18.93\01:22:20.90
but anyway,
01:22:20.94\01:22:22.40
it means basically that
those thoughts will come
01:22:22.44\01:22:25.77
and I think the
more we train ourselves
01:22:25.81\01:22:28.14
when the devil brings it
back to make us feel guilty,
01:22:28.18\01:22:31.11
say thank you,
Lord, for forgiving me.
01:22:31.15\01:22:32.71
And you know what?
01:22:32.75\01:22:34.08
Those memories that
pain it gets more dull,
01:22:34.12\01:22:37.59
it doesn't hurt as much.
01:22:37.62\01:22:39.05
He heals it.
01:22:39.09\01:22:40.42
Okay.
01:22:40.46\01:22:41.79
Here's a good question, it says,
01:22:41.82\01:22:43.16
"Pastor Doug, do
you have some tips
01:22:43.19\01:22:44.76
that will help me in my prayer?"
01:22:44.79\01:22:48.83
Yeah.
01:22:48.86\01:22:50.67
Well, the Bible
tells us pray in faith
01:22:50.70\01:22:53.34
so believe that God hears you.
01:22:53.37\01:22:55.74
Some people
struggle keeping focused
01:22:55.77\01:22:57.74
when they're praying.
01:22:57.77\01:22:59.27
And that actually
01:22:59.31\01:23:01.51
is just a
discipline it takes time.
01:23:01.54\01:23:03.48
I remember reading how
David Livingston, he said,
01:23:03.51\01:23:07.22
"Learn to read his Bible
01:23:07.25\01:23:08.58
and pray when he was manning
01:23:08.62\01:23:10.09
a cotton gin there in Scotland."
01:23:10.12\01:23:12.55
And it was very loud
and very distracting,
01:23:12.59\01:23:14.26
but he learned to focus
and he had to train himself.
01:23:14.29\01:23:16.73
So later that came
in very handy in Africa,
01:23:16.76\01:23:21.23
where he said sometimes
01:23:21.26\01:23:23.20
the drums would
go all night long
01:23:23.23\01:23:25.07
and he could continue to pray,
01:23:25.10\01:23:26.57
he could continue to
read his Bible and focus,
01:23:26.60\01:23:29.67
and so when your mind
wanders bring it back.
01:23:29.70\01:23:32.07
If it wonders say, Lord
forgive me, bring it back.
01:23:32.11\01:23:36.44
And start, you know,
your prayers may not be,
01:23:36.48\01:23:39.55
we sing that song
sweet hour of prayer.
01:23:39.58\01:23:41.08
They may not be an
hour to start with,
01:23:41.12\01:23:43.15
start praying little prayers,
01:23:43.18\01:23:44.52
and then you'll
mature in your prayer
01:23:44.55\01:23:46.55
and tell God
what's on your heart.
01:23:46.59\01:23:49.06
Don't worry about
a certain formula,
01:23:49.09\01:23:51.23
nothing wrong with
reading out of a prayer book,
01:23:51.26\01:23:52.89
but you really want real prayers
01:23:52.93\01:23:54.66
the cry of your heart to God.
01:23:54.70\01:23:57.73
The Bible promises
01:23:57.77\01:23:59.10
the Holy Spirit
will take our prayers
01:23:59.13\01:24:00.47
and make them eloquent to God.
01:24:00.50\01:24:03.81
Another question
that we have here is,
01:24:03.84\01:24:06.47
"Is rebaptism necessary?"
01:24:06.51\01:24:11.45
Well, a good question.
01:24:11.48\01:24:12.98
There are probably
three Bible reasons
01:24:13.01\01:24:14.68
where it might be
necessary to be rebaptized.
01:24:14.72\01:24:16.79
One, if you were
not baptized biblically,
01:24:16.82\01:24:19.85
meaning, the biblical message
for baptism is immersion.
01:24:19.89\01:24:25.53
And that's where a
person is, you know,
01:24:25.56\01:24:27.30
immersed and
brought up like Jesus was.
01:24:27.33\01:24:29.66
You might wanna be
baptized biblically,
01:24:29.70\01:24:31.77
so that's one reason
01:24:31.80\01:24:33.13
or you might
call that a rebaptism.
01:24:33.17\01:24:35.07
Second reason would be is
01:24:35.10\01:24:37.61
if you've
backslidden in a major way
01:24:37.64\01:24:40.18
and divorce
yourself from the Lord,
01:24:40.21\01:24:41.54
you stop going to church.
01:24:41.58\01:24:42.91
Now if you sin,
01:24:42.94\01:24:44.48
well, God's arranged where
01:24:44.51\01:24:46.18
you're doing the
communion service,
01:24:46.21\01:24:47.55
you can get a new beginning,
01:24:47.58\01:24:49.18
but sort of like a mini
baptism with foot washing,
01:24:49.22\01:24:53.05
but if you stop going to church,
01:24:53.09\01:24:54.99
you kind of turn
your back on the Lord
01:24:55.02\01:24:56.62
and when you return,
you may consider rebaptism.
01:24:56.66\01:25:00.33
And I'm not talking about
you miss a few weeks of church.
01:25:00.36\01:25:02.83
This is something serious.
01:25:02.86\01:25:04.20
It's like marriage.
01:25:04.23\01:25:05.57
If you're legally divorced,
01:25:05.60\01:25:06.94
you need to get
legally remarried.
01:25:06.97\01:25:08.30
Right.
01:25:08.34\01:25:09.90
And then third
reason is in an Acts 19,
01:25:09.94\01:25:12.11
it describes some people
who they heard Paul preaching,
01:25:12.14\01:25:15.98
there were 12 Ephesian believers
01:25:16.01\01:25:18.38
and they had not
heard about Jesus.
01:25:18.41\01:25:21.35
They had been
baptized biblically
01:25:21.38\01:25:22.85
by John the Baptist,
01:25:22.88\01:25:24.82
but they hadn't heard
01:25:24.85\01:25:26.19
about the
outpouring of the Holy Spirit
01:25:26.22\01:25:27.56
and the Ministry of Christ.
01:25:27.59\01:25:28.92
They left before
all that happened.
01:25:28.96\01:25:30.29
Paul preached all
these things to him
01:25:30.33\01:25:31.96
and rebaptize him
01:25:31.99\01:25:33.33
'cause there
were so much new truth
01:25:33.36\01:25:34.83
that they really thought,
01:25:34.86\01:25:36.20
"Boy, I need the
whole new beginning."
01:25:36.23\01:25:37.57
I just, there's so
much I didn't know.
01:25:37.60\01:25:39.33
And some may even
think about rebaptism
01:25:39.37\01:25:41.10
after the seminar
01:25:41.14\01:25:42.47
because you're
gonna learn a lot of stuff
01:25:42.50\01:25:43.97
in the 16 more
nights that we have to go.
01:25:44.01\01:25:47.24
Very good.
01:25:47.28\01:25:48.61
I'm bringing
that up, Pastor Doug.
01:25:48.64\01:25:49.98
We just need to remind
folks who are joining us
01:25:50.01\01:25:51.35
if this is the first
time that you join us.
01:25:51.38\01:25:52.98
This is part of a
series of presentations
01:25:53.01\01:25:55.65
dealing with
different Bible prophecies.
01:25:55.68\01:25:57.62
We will
continue tomorrow evening
01:25:57.65\01:25:59.45
and the topic tomorrow
evening is the Unchangeable Law.
01:25:59.49\01:26:01.89
Yes.
01:26:01.92\01:26:03.26
So, you know, we
talk about laws changing
01:26:03.29\01:26:04.93
it seems every day
01:26:04.96\01:26:06.29
different
places, different states,
01:26:06.33\01:26:08.30
but there is a law
that doesn't change.
01:26:08.33\01:26:09.93
And, of course, that's
gonna be the subject tomorrow.
01:26:09.96\01:26:11.77
And we've got to
know that in Revelation
01:26:11.80\01:26:13.54
because the beast has got a law
01:26:13.57\01:26:16.40
and God has a law
01:26:16.44\01:26:18.11
and you'll see that mentioned
several times in Revelation,
01:26:18.14\01:26:20.64
so you don't
wanna miss that study.
01:26:20.68\01:26:22.18
Yes.
01:26:22.21\01:26:23.55
So that's tomorrow evening
and, of course, it'll be live.
01:26:23.58\01:26:26.31
We wanna remind you of
our free gift for today.
01:26:26.35\01:26:28.38
It is a book entitled
01:26:28.42\01:26:29.75
"Is It Easier to Be
Saved or to be Lost? "
01:26:29.78\01:26:32.32
And we'll be happy to send this
to anyone who would like it.
01:26:32.35\01:26:35.49
All you have to do is
01:26:35.52\01:26:36.89
text the word
CHOICE to the number 40544.
01:26:36.93\01:26:41.73
And you'll be able to receive
a digital copy of this book.
01:26:41.76\01:26:44.03
It's a great read,
01:26:44.07\01:26:45.53
especially
dealing with the subject
01:26:45.57\01:26:46.90
that we spoke about.
01:26:46.94\01:26:48.27
If you're
outside of North America,
01:26:48.30\01:26:49.64
you can go to the
Revelation Now website
01:26:49.67\01:26:51.91
and click on the free offers
01:26:51.94\01:26:53.81
and you can download the book
01:26:53.84\01:26:55.34
Is It Easier to Be
Saved or to be Lost?
01:26:55.38\01:26:58.38
And I think
you'll be richly blessed
01:26:58.41\01:26:59.75
by reading that book.
01:26:59.78\01:27:01.65
And again if you participate
in the program this evening
01:27:01.68\01:27:04.55
at the end of the
presentation Pastor Doug gave
01:27:04.59\01:27:07.66
those who are here in the studio
01:27:07.69\01:27:09.02
and those who
are watching online
01:27:09.06\01:27:10.49
an opportunity to respond.
01:27:10.53\01:27:12.19
And we wanna encourage you
01:27:12.23\01:27:13.56
even if you're
watching this at home
01:27:13.60\01:27:14.93
or wherever you might be
01:27:14.96\01:27:16.67
go to the
Revelation Now website.
01:27:16.70\01:27:18.53
And you can click
on the decision card,
01:27:18.57\01:27:20.84
just read through
the different questions
01:27:20.87\01:27:22.57
and prayerfully
mark your response.
01:27:22.60\01:27:26.47
Send it to us.
01:27:26.51\01:27:27.84
We've got some
additional resources
01:27:27.88\01:27:29.21
we'd like to provide
01:27:29.24\01:27:30.58
to help you in
your walk with Christ.
01:27:30.61\01:27:32.15
So take advantage of that,
01:27:32.18\01:27:33.58
go to RevelationNow.com
filling that response card.
01:27:33.62\01:27:37.62
Amen.
01:27:37.65\01:27:38.99
And yeah, please make sure
and tune in tomorrow night.
01:27:39.02\01:27:41.12
You're gonna find this to be
a very encouraging presentation
01:27:41.16\01:27:44.26
with all that's going
on in the world right now.
01:27:44.29\01:27:45.86
I think we need
it now more than ever
01:27:45.89\01:27:47.90
and it's not too late
to invite your friends.
01:27:47.93\01:27:50.47
If you have no
friends, invite your enemies
01:27:50.50\01:27:52.80
because Jesus is coming soon
01:27:52.83\01:27:54.84
and we wanna be
ready for that event.
01:27:54.87\01:27:56.40
Thank you so much, friends.
01:27:56.44\01:27:57.77
God bless you
01:27:57.81\01:27:59.14
and we'll see you again
in our study tomorrow night.
01:27:59.17\01:28:00.51