Participants: Dr. David DeRose
Series Code: SSH
Program Code: SSH021605A
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00:00 (MUSIC)
00:34 >>GOOD MORNING, FRIENDS. 00:35 WELCOME, AGAIN, TO SABBATH SCHOOL STUDY HOUR. 00:38 A VERY WARM WELCOME TO OUR FRIENDS JOINING US ACROSS THE 00:40 COUNTRY AND AROUND THE WORLD FOR THIS IN-DEPTH BIBLE STUDY. 00:45 ALSO, I'D LIKE TO WELCOME THOSE HERE IN THE GRANITE BAY CHURCH - 00:48 OUR REGULAR MEMBERS AS WELL AS THOSE WHO ARE VISITING WITH US 00:51 TODAY - A VERY WARM WELCOME TO ALL OF YOU. 00:53 WE'VE BEEN STUDYING THROUGH OUR LESSON QUARTERLY DEALING WITH 00:56 THE SUBJECT OF REBELLION AND REDEMPTION. 00:59 TODAY WE FIND OURSELVES ON LESSON #5 ENTITLED THE 01:02 CONTROVERSY CONTINUES . NOW, FOR THOSE WHO ARE WATCHING, 01:05 IF YOU DON'T HAVE A COPY OF TODAY'S LESSON, YOU CAN DOWNLOAD 01:08 IT AT THE AMAZING FACTS WEBSITE - JUST AMAZINGFACTS.ORG - LESSON 01:13 # 5 - AND YOU CAN STUDY ALONG WITH US. 01:16 WE ALSO HAVE A FREE OFFER THAT WE'D LIKE TO LET YOU KNOW - A 01:19 BOOK CALLED THE ARMOR OF GOD - AND WE'RE HAPPY TO SEND THIS 01:22 BOOK OUT TO ANYBODY IN NORTH AMERICA WHO GIVES US A CALL. 01:25 THE NUMBER IS 866-788-3966 AND YOU CAN ASK FOR OFFER #173. 01:33 AGAIN, THE PHONE NUMBER IS 866-788-3966. 01:38 ASK FOR OFFER #173 - THE BOOK ENTITLED THE ARMOR OF GOD - AND 01:42 WE'LL BE HAPPY TO SEND THAT TO ANYBODY, AS MENTIONED, IN NORTH 01:45 AMERICA. IF YOU'RE OUTSIDE OF NORTH 01:46 AMERICA, YOU CAN STILL READ THE BOOK FOR FREE ONLINE AT THE 01:50 AMAZING FACTS WEBSITE - JUST AMAZINGFACTS.ORG . 01:54 OUR LESSON TODAY WILL BE BROUGHT TO US BY DR. DAVID DEROSE. 02:00 >>WELL, IT'S GOOD TO BE WITH EACH ONE OF YOU THIS MORNING AND 02:04 GOOD TO HAVE ALL OUR FOLKS FROM AROUND THE WORLD JOINING US AS 02:07 WELL, AS WE CONTINUE OUR STUDY ON, REALLY, WHAT HAS BEEN CALLED 02:12 THE GREAT CONTROVERSY. WE'RE ON LESSON #5 AND LESSON 02:18 #5 IS ACTUALLY, APPROPRIATELY ENTITLED - TO GO ALONG WITH 02:23 THAT THEME - THE CONTROVERSY CONTINUES . 02:27 YOU KNOW, I COULDN'T HELP, AS I WAS READING THE VERY FIRST PART 02:31 OF THE LESSON, FOR SOMETHING TO CATCH MY EYE, BECAUSE IT'S 02:36 SPEAKING HERE ABOUT A NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS IN BIBLICAL HISTORY 02:43 THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE LOOKING AT. 02:44 LET ME JUST READ THE VERY FIRST FEW WORDS OF THE LESSON. 02:48 IT SAYS, 'WHEN WE COMPARE THE LIVES OF DAVID, ELIJAH, 02:53 HEZEKIAH, ESTHER AND NEHEMIAH, SIMILAR THEMES SURFACE. 03:00 GOD IS ABLE TO USE INSIGNIFICANT PEOPLE TO TURN BACK THE TIDE OF 03:07 EVIL. NOW I JUST HAD TO STOP RIGHT 03:10 THERE, AS I WAS READING, BECAUSE THAT ONE WORD CAUGHT MY EYE - 03:17 INSIGNIFICANT - AND I LOOKED AT THE LIST: DAVID, ELIJAH, 03:25 HEZEKIAH, ESTHER, NEHEMIAH - DO YOU REALIZE WHO 03:30 WE'RE TALKING ABOUT? I MEAN, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT 03:33 KINGS. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT QUEENS. 03:36 WE'RE TALKING ABOUT PEOPLE THAT WERE AT THE RIGHT HAND, AS IN 03:39 THE CASE OF NEHEMIAH, OF THE LEADING WORLD POWER LEADER. 03:47 HOW COULD THESE BE INSIGNIFICANT PEOPLE? 03:51 WELL, I THOUGHT ABOUT IT A LITTLE BIT MORE. 03:54 FROM THE STANDPOINT OF THE GREAT CONTROVERSY, WHEN WE LOOK AT THE 03:58 BATTLE, WHERE IT REALLY IS BEING WAGED, IT BEGAN, AS WE BEGAN 04:04 THIS QUARTER TOGETHER, IT BEGAN WHERE? 04:07 WHERE DID THE BATTLE BEGIN? THAT'S RIGHT, IT BEGAN IN 04:09 HEAVEN. AND SO WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A 04:13 HEAVENLY BATTLE AND, IN A VERY REAL SENSE, EVERY ONE OF US - AS 04:17 PEOPLE - AS FINITE MORTALS - ARE QUITE INSIGNIFICANT, AREN'T WE? 04:24 AT LEAST ON A CERTAIN LEVEL - BUT ON ANOTHER LEVEL, AS WE READ 04:28 THROUGH LESSONS LIKE THIS, WE SEE THAT EVERY PERSON - EVERY 04:32 SINGLE INDIVIDUAL HAS A ROLE TO PLAY IN THIS GREAT CONTROVERSY. 04:39 SO LET'S JUST FRAME THE CONTEXT BEFORE WE DIVE INTO SOME OF 04:41 THESE STORIES. WHAT IS THE CONTROVERSY OVER? 04:49 OKAY, YOU SAY, 'WELL, YOU KNOW, THE QUARTERLY IS NOT JUST ABOUT 04:53 THE GREAT CONTROVERSY, IT'S ABOUT REBELLION AND REDEMPTION.' 04:58 BUT THE REAL CONTROVERSY AND THE REAL BASIS OF THE REBELLION HAS 05:03 SOMETIMES BEEN SUMMARIZED IN A SIMPLE QUESTION, AND IT'S THIS: 05:10 CAN GOD BE TRUSTED? OR WE MIGHT SAY, 'IS GOD 05:16 TRUSTWORTHY?' AND REALLY, AS WE READ THROUGH 05:20 EACH OF THESE STORIES, THIS QUESTION COMES UP. 05:23 AND SO, LET'S LOOK AT SUNDAY'S LESSON TOGETHER, BECAUSE IN 05:27 SUNDAY'S LESSON, WE ARE INTRODUCED TO ONE OF THE LEADING 05:31 FIGURES OF THE BIBLE. WE'D SAY, FROM A BIBLICAL 05:34 STANDPOINT, OR FROM A HISTORICAL STANDPOINT, THERE IS NO QUESTION 05:38 OF THE SIGNIFICANCE OF DAVID. IN FACT, SOME OF YOU MAY REALIZE 05:43 THAT HISTORICALLY, THE VERY EXISTENCE OF DAVID HAD BEEN 05:47 QUESTIONED FOR MANY DECADES AND CENTURIES BY, WHAT YOU MIGHT 05:53 CALL, SECULAR SCHOLARS OF THE MIDDLE EAST. 05:58 BUT SOME YEARS AGO, AN INSCRIPTION WAS FOUND TALKING 06:03 ABOUT THE HOUSE OF DAVID AND THIS CAUSED EVERYONE TO HAVE TO 06:11 PAUSE, WHO DIDN'T BELIEVE IN THE BIBLICAL CHRONOLOGY, BECAUSE IT 06:14 WAS SOME TIME AFTER THE TIME OF DAVID - WAS BASICALLY NOT ONLY 06:17 SAYING DID DAVID EXIST, BUT DAVID WAS THE BEGINNING OF A 06:22 DYNASTY AND SO AN INSCRIPTION SPEAKING OF THE HOUSE OF DAVID 06:26 SPEAKS TO THE PROMINENCE OF THIS INDIVIDUAL, WHO WE ONLY HAVE 06:29 REAL - REALLY RELATIVELY LITTLE TIME TO LOOK AT SOME HIGH POINTS 06:34 OR LOW POINTS, DEPENDING ON YOUR PERSPECTIVE, IN HIS LIFE. 06:37 TURN WITH ME FIRST TO 1 SAMUEL CHAPTER 17 - 1 SAMUEL CHAPTER 17 06:42 - WE'RE GOING TO PICK UP THE CONTEXT AS WE LOOK AT THIS 06:46 STORY. IT'S, PERHAPS, ONE OF THE 06:47 BIBLE'S MOST FAMOUS STORIES. EVEN PEOPLE WHO HAVE NEVER 06:51 STUDIED THE BIBLE KNOW THE STORY OF DAVID AND - 06:55 >>GOLIATH. >>GOLIATH, THAT'S RIGHT. 06:57 1 SAMUEL CHAPTER 17 - THE CONTEXT IS THAT, AT THIS TIME IN 07:02 BIBLICAL HISTORY, GOD'S PEOPLE ARE ACTUALLY IN - 07:08 IN BATTLE, IN WAR, WITH THE PHILISTINES. 07:12 AND IT SAYS IN CHAPTER 17 OF 1 SAMUEL VERSE 1, "NOW THE 07:16 PHILISTINES GATHERED THEIR ARMIES TOGETHER TO BATTLE, AND 07:20 WERE GATHERED AT SOCHCOH, WHICH BELONGS TO JUDAH;" AND SO THESE 07:24 TWO ARMIES ARE FACING EACH OTHER, AND IT SAYS IN VERSE 4 07:30 "AND A CHAMPION WENT OUT FROM THE CAMP OF THE PHILISTINES, 07:33 NAMED GOLIATH FROM GATH WHOSE HEIGHT WAS SIX CUBITS AND A 07:38 SPAN." NOW I THINK IT WAS NOT LONG AGO THAT PASTOR DOUG WAS 07:44 GIVING US A LITTLE PERSPECTIVE ON BIBLICAL MEASUREMENT. 07:47 THERE ARE SOME CHALLENGES BECAUSE THOSE BIBLICAL 07:50 MEASUREMENTS WERE OFTEN TIED TO THE ANATOMY OF THE RULING KING. 07:55 BUT A CUBIT WAS ROUGHLY ABOUT A FOOT AND A HALF. 08:00 SO GOLIATH IS STANDING OVER NINE FEET TALL - HE'S A TOWERING 08:04 GIANT. YOU KNOW THE STORY, AS HE DEFIES 08:09 THE ARMIES OF ISRAEL AND, BY EXTENSION, THE GOD OF ISRAEL. 08:16 WE COME DOWN TO VERSE 33 - DAVID HAS COME TO THE BATTLE LINES. 08:21 HE DIDN'T COME TO SEE A FIGHT. 08:23 HE CAME TO BRING A GIFT TO CARE FOR HIS BROTHERS - SOME OF HIS 08:28 OLDER BROTHERS WHO WERE THERE WITH THE ARMY. 08:32 AND DAVID STARTS INQUIRING, 'WHO IS THIS GENTILE? 08:37 WHO IS THIS HEATHEN WHO IS CASTING DISREPROACH ON THE GOD 08:43 OF HEAVEN?' DAVID IS SAYING, IN RESPONSE TO 08:45 OUR QUARTERLY, THAT GOD COULD BE TRUSTED. 08:48 GOD NEEDS TO BE TREATED WITH RESPECT. 08:50 HE IS A REAL GOD - HE'S A LIVING GOD. 08:52 AND SO THE WORD THAT DAVID IS CONCERNED ABOUT GOD'S NAME AND 08:58 GOD'S HONOR, COMES TO SAUL THE KING. 09:02 VERSE 31 - 1 SAMUEL 17, "NOW WHEN THE WORDS WHICH DAVID SPOKE 09:06 WERE HEARD, THEY REPORTED THEM TO SAUL; AND HE SENT FOR HIM. 09:11 THEN DAVID SAID TO SAUL, 'LET NO MAN'S HEART FAIL BECAUSE OF HIM; 09:15 YOUR SERVANT WILL GO AND FIGHT WITH THIS PHILISTINE.'" NOW WHY 09:20 DON'T YOU JUST STOP FOR A MINUTE? WE ALL KNOW THE STORY. 09:23 BUT IF YOU WERE THERE AT THE TIME, YOU SEE THIS YOUNG KID - 09:27 THIS LITTLE GUY, RELATIVELY SPEAKING, WHO IS WANTING TO GO 09:32 INTO BATTLE WITH THIS GIANT AND WHAT ARE YOU THINKING? 09:36 YEAH, YOU'RE THINKING THIS IS CRAZY. THERE IS NO WAY. 09:39 WHY IS DAVID WILLING TO GO? LET'S KEEP READING ON. 09:44 WE CATCH A PICTURE HERE - BECAUSE SAUL SAYS JUST WHAT 09:48 ANYONE WOULD SAY FROM A HUMAN PERSPECTIVE. 09:51 HE SAYS TO DAVID, "YOU ARE NOT ABLE TO GO AGAINST THIS 09:55 PHILISTINE TO FIGHT WITH HIM; FOR YOU ARE A YOUTH, AND HE A 09:59 MAN OF WAR FROM HIS YOUTH." 'YOU'VE GOT NO CHANCE, DAVID.' 10:05 NOW LET'S JUST STOP RIGHT HERE. SUPPOSEDLY THE FOCUS OF THIS 10:09 LESSON IS ON WHAT KIND OF PEOPLE? 10:12 >>INSIGNIFICANT PEOPLE. NOW I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU FEEL 10:17 TODAY - SOME OF YOU MAY FEEL SIGNIFICANT. 10:22 HOPEFULLY YOU DON'T FEEL TOO SIGNIFICANT. 10:26 YOU KNOW WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS, 'LET HIM OR HER WHO THINKS THAT 10:32 HE OR SHE STANDS, TAKE HEED LEST' - WHAT? 10:36 >>THEY FALL. >>YES, LEST THEY FALL. 10:38 SO WE DON'T WANT TO HAVE INFLATED IDEAS OF OURSELVES. 10:41 ON A CERTAIN LEVEL, ALL OF US ARE INSIGNIFICANT, AREN'T WE? 10:46 BUT WE'RE READING ABOUT SOMEONE WHO, IN THE CONTEXT OF THIS 10:49 STORY, DAVID NOT ONLY LOOKS INSIGNIFICANT FROM AN OBJECTIVE 10:55 STANDPOINT, BUT THE PEOPLE IN POWER SAY HE'S INSIGNIFICANT. 11:01 NOW I JUST HAVE TO STOP HERE BECAUSE THERE'S A GOOD CHANCE IN 11:05 THIS VERY CONGREGATION, THAT SOME OF YOU, AS YOU'VE BEEN 11:08 HEARING THE INVITATIONS TO SHARE YOUR TALENTS HERE AT GRANITE 11:11 BAY, YOU'RE SAYING, 'WELL, WHY SHOULD I SAY THAT I HAVE THIS 11:16 VISION TO HELP IN THIS WAY IN THIS CHURCH?' 11:19 AND, BY THE WAY, THOSE OF YOU JOINING US, WHETHER IT'S BY LIVE 11:21 STREAM OR BY DELAYED BROADCAST, YOU MAY BE THINKING THE SAME 11:27 THING - 'I'M JUST IN MY HOME WATCHING THIS BROADCAST. 11:30 WHAT DO I HAVE TO OFFER IN MY COMMUNITY?' 11:33 WELL, THE POINT IS, WE ALL HAVE THE SAME OPPORTUNITY THAT DAVID 11:36 HAD. IF WE SEE, IN OUR EXPERIENCE, 11:40 THAT GOD CAN BE TRUSTED - THAT GOD IS TRUSTWORTHY - THE WORLD 11:44 IS IN GREAT NEED OF PEOPLE WHO WILL DO JUST WHAT DAVID SAID. 11:49 EVEN THOUGH GOD'S NAME IS BEING CAST DOWN, I AM WILLING TO STAND 11:54 UP AND DO WHAT I CAN. >>AMEN. 11:59 >>SAUL SAYS TO DAVID, 'YOU CAN'T DO IT.' YOU MAY HAVE BEEN TOLD 12:03 THAT YOU CAN'T DO IT. YOU CAN'T PREACH. 12:06 YOU CAN'T STUDY THE BIBLE - I'LL TELL YOU, ONE OF THE FAVORITE 12:11 PEOPLE THAT I MET IN MY LIFE SOME YEARS AGO - I'VE BEEN A 12:14 MEMBER OF MANY CHURCHES OVER THE YEARS AND I REMEMBER ONE FELLOW, 12:19 WE'LL CALL HIM BILL - BILL, ACTUALLY - IF YOU WERE TO LOOK 12:24 AT BILL YOU'D SAY 'HE IS AN INSIGNIFICANT PERSON. 12:28 HE CAN'T DO ANYTHING FOR THE CAUSE OF GOD.' I MEAN, THE GUY, 12:31 HE HAD WHAT WE CALL AGORAPHOBIA - HE WAS AFRAID OF GROUPS OF 12:35 PEOPLE. SO HE ACTUALLY DID COME TO 12:38 CHURCH, BUT HE WOULD ONLY COME TO CHURCH AFTER THINGS 12:41 WERE WELL UNDER WAY. HE'D SLIP IN THE BACK. 12:44 AND THEN WHAT DO YOU THINK HE DID BEFORE THE SERVICE WAS OVER? 12:48 HE'D SLIP OUT. YOU'D SAY, 'HOW CAN THIS GUY DO ANYTHING?' 12:50 BUT BILL JUST HAD THIS BURDEN TO SHARE THE GOOD NEWS ABOUT JESUS. 12:56 AND ONE DAY, HE CALLED ME UP AND HE SAID, 'WOULD YOU COME WITH 12:59 ME AND HELP ME GIVE BIBLE STUDIES?' 13:02 BECAUSE HE WAS NOT REAL CONFIDENT OF HIS ABILITIES. 13:07 MAYBE HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN MORE CONFIDENT, BUT IT'S ACTUALLY 13:10 GOOD THAT WE'RE NOT VERY CONFIDENT OF OUR ABILITIES. 13:13 I DIDN'T TELL HIM, WELL, YES, I CAN DO EVERYTHING AND I'LL JUST 13:16 COME AND EVERYTHING'LL BE FINE BECAUSE I'LL BE THERE.' 13:19 NO, THAT WASN'T MY ATTITUDE AT ALL. 13:20 I WAS GOING THERE TO SUPPORT BILL AND HE STARTED TAKING ME TO 13:24 SEVERAL FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS AND WE WERE STUDYING THE BIBLE 13:29 TOGETHER. WHY? BECAUSE HE HAD A BURDEN 13:32 TO SHARE WHAT HE HAD. PEOPLE WOULD HAVE LOOKED AT 13:35 HIM AND SAID, 'YOU DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO SHARE. 13:38 BUT HE SAID, 'I AM GOING TO GO - NOT IN MY OWN POWER', BUT IN 13:42 WHOSE POWER? LET'S READ ON IN 1 SAMUEL 13:46 CHAPTER 17 BECAUSE WE WANT TO SEE HOW DAVID RESPONDED, BECAUSE 13:49 I THINK THERE'S A LESSON FOR EACH OF US IN DAVID'S RESPONSE. 13:54 THE WORD IS 'DAVID YOU'RE IMPOTENT. 13:56 DAVID, YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING.' AND HERE'S WHAT DAVID SAYS - 14:00 VERSE 34 OF 1 SAMUEL 17 - "BUT DAVID SAID TO SAUL, 'YOUR 14:05 SERVANT USED TO KEEP HIS FATHER'S SHEEP, AND WHEN A LION 14:10 OR A BEAR CAME AND TOOK A LAMB OUT OF THE FLOCK, I WENT OUT 14:15 AFTER IT AND STRUCK IT, AND DELIVERED THE LAMB FROM ITS 14:19 MOUTH; AND WHEN IT AROSE AGAINST ME, I CAUGHT IT BY ITS BEARD, 14:24 AND STRUCK AND KILLED IT. 14:26 YOUR SERVANT HAS KILLED BOTH LION AND BEAR; AND THIS 14:29 UNCIRCUMCISED PHILISTINE WILL BE LIKE ONE OF THEM, SEEING HE HAS 14:33 DEFIED THE ARMIES OF THE LIVING GOD.' MOREOVER DAVID SAID, 'THE 14:40 LORD, WHO DELIVERED ME FROM THE PAW OF THE LION AND FROM THE PAW 14:44 OF THE BEAR, HE WILL DELIVER ME FROM THE HAND OF THIS 14:47 PHILISTINE.'" WHO WAS WATCHING WHEN DAVID WENT TO BATTLE WITH 14:54 GOLIATH? WHO WAS WATCHING? YES, GOD WAS WATCHING, 15:00 BUT SO WAS EVERYONE ELSE. I MEAN, THE ENTIRE PHILISTINE 15:03 ARMY AND THE ENTIRE ISRAELITE ARMY WERE THERE LINED UP. 15:08 I MEAN, HE WAS ON PUBLIC DISPLAY. 15:10 THIS WAS NATIONAL NEWS. THIS WAS WORLD NEWS. 15:14 THIS WAS LIVE COVERAGE BY EVERY MAJOR NETWORK, IF WE WANT TO PUT 15:18 IT IN THE VERNACULAR. IT WAS NOT HAPPENING 15:21 IN SOME QUIET CORNER. BUT LET'S PAUSE. 15:26 WHERE WAS IT THAT DAVID KILLED THE LION AND THE BEAR? 15:29 WHO WAS WATCHING? ONLY GOD AND A BUNCH 15:33 OF SHEEP, REALLY. YOU REMEMBER WHEN SAMUEL 15:38 CAME, HE WAS ON A MISSION. YOU REMEMBER THIS? 15:41 HE'S COMING TO ANOINT THE NEXT KING OF ISRAEL, HE COMES TO 15:45 JESSE'S FAMILY - REMEMBER, JESSE IS DAVID'S FATHER - AND WHERE DO 15:50 JESSE AND THE BROTHERS HAVE DAVID? 15:53 HE'S NOT EVEN AT THE FEAST. HE'S NOT EVEN INVITED. 15:57 HE'S OUT THERE WITH THE SHEEP. HE'S IN AN INSIGNIFICANT PLACE. 16:03 BUT WHAT DOES DAVID DO IN HIS INSIGNIFICANT PLACE? 16:10 HE IS FAITHFUL TO GOD IN THE PLACE THAT GOD HAS PLACED HIM. 16:17 AND HIS FAITHFULNESS IN THAT INSIGNIFICANT PLACE, PREPARES 16:21 HIM TO DO WHAT? TO BE GOD'S CHAMPION WHEN 16:26 THE SPOTLIGHT IS ON HIM. AND I THINK THE MESSAGE IS SO 16:31 POWERFUL FOR US TODAY BECAUSE WE LOOK AT MANY OF THESE LIVES IN 16:35 THIS LESSON - WE'RE GOING TO LOOK NEXT AT ELIJAH - WHERE WAS 16:39 ELIJAH BEFORE GOD CALLED HIM TO GO BEFORE THE KING OF THAT DAY? 16:46 BEFORE HE'S - BEFORE KING AHAB PRONOUNCED JUDGMENT - WHERE WAS 16:51 HE? HE WAS A MAN WEARING COMMON CLOTHES. 16:58 YOU WOULDN'T EVEN CALL THEM COMMON CLOTHES, PERHAPS. 17:02 RURAL SETTING - TOTALLY OUT OF THE SPOTLIGHT - WE DON'T KNOW 17:08 WHAT GOD IS PREPARING US TO DO AND SO DAVID, HERE, IS FAITHFUL 17:13 IN THE LITTLE THINGS. YOU SAY, 'OH, THAT SOUNDS PRETTY 17:15 BIG TO ME.' YOU KNOW, A LION, A BEAR? 17:18 BUT IT WAS LITTLE IN THE EYES OF THE WORLD. 17:22 AND HE TRUSTS GOD AND HE'S SEEN WHAT GOD HAS DONE. 17:25 AND SO, YOU KNOW THE STORY: DAVID GOES IN FAITH AND THE KEY 17:30 STATEMENT HERE THAT THE LESSON HIGHLIGHTS, IS THAT DAVID IS 17:35 ACTUALLY TRUSTING IN THE LORD. IT HIGHLIGHTS VERSE 47 - 1 17:42 SAMUEL CHAPTER 17, VERSE 47 - AS DAVID IS SPEAKING OF HIS 17:47 CONFIDENCE, "THEN ALL THIS ASSEMBLY SHALL KNOW THAT THE 17:51 LORD DOES NOT SAVE WITH SWORD AND SPEAR, FOR THE BATTLE IS THE 17:56 LORD'S, AND HE WILL GIVE YOU INTO OUR HANDS." 18:01 SO DAVID GOES FORTH CONFIDENT IN THE GOD WHOSE AUTHORITY HAS BEEN 18:06 QUESTIONED THROUGHOUT HISTORY. SATAN BEGAN THOSE QUESTIONS IN 18:09 HEAVEN SAYING, 'YOU KNOW, GOD REALLY ISN'T INTERESTED IN YOU.' 18:13 HE BROUGHT IT TO ADAM AND EVE, RIGHT? 18:16 'GOD IS KEEPING SOMETHING FROM YOU. 18:18 IF YOU JUST EAT THIS FRUIT, YOU'LL KNOW GOOD AND EVIL. 18:21 JUST TRUST YOUR OWN JUDGMENT A LITTLE BIT MORE THAN GOD'S 18:25 WORD.' DO YOU SEE THE PROBLEM? HOW ABOUT US TODAY? 18:30 ARE WE SUSCEPTIBLE TO THE SAME PROBLEM? 18:33 IS GOD CALLING YOU TO DO SOMETHING AND YOU'RE SAYING, 18:36 'BUT I CAN'T DO THAT.' BY THE WAY, IF GOD ONLY CALLED YOU TO 18:42 DO THINGS THAT YOU WERE CONFIDENT YOU COULD DO, WHO 18:45 WOULD BE IN DANGER OF GETTING THE GLORY? 18:47 >>YOU. >>YOU, RIGHT? 18:50 WHEN DOES GOD CALL US TO DO THE MOST AMAZING THINGS? 18:54 IT'S WHEN WE REALIZE OUR INSIGNIFICANCE, RIGHT? 18:59 WHEN WE REALIZE OUR GREAT NEED FOR GOD'S HAND TO BE ON OUR 19:03 SHOULDER. SO IF, RIGHT NOW, YOU'RE STRUGGLING - 19:06 YOU'RE SAYING, 'DOES GOD REALLY WANT ME TO DO THIS?' 19:08 IF GOD'S PUTTING A BURDEN ON YOUR HEART, WHAT WOULD DAVID'S 19:11 EXAMPLE SAY TO YOU? >>DO IT. 19:13 >>DO IT. GO FORWARD. 19:15 MAKE THIS YEAR A YEAR WHERE YOU'RE GOING TO DO BOLD THINGS 19:17 FOR GOD - NOT JUST BECAUSE IT'S YOUR IDEA, BUT BECAUSE GOD IS 19:21 IMPRESSING YOU THAT YOU NEED TO STEP OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE. 19:26 WE'VE HEARD THAT BEFORE, HAVEN'T WE? 19:28 BUT IT'S SO TRUE - SO TRUE. WELL, YOU'D SAY, 'WHAT A GREAT 19:32 STORY' - DAVID TRUSTING IN THE LORD - BUT THEY DON'T WANT US TO 19:35 STOP LOOKING AT DAVID'S LIFE IN THIS LESSON WITH THAT VIGNETTE. 19:40 THEY WANT US TO TURN TO ANOTHER CHAPTER IN DAVID'S HISTORY. 19:43 NOW THEY WANT US TO GO TO 2 SAMUEL CHAPTER 11 - 2 SAMUEL 19:48 CHAPTER 11 - SO MANY YEARS HAVE PASSED. 19:51 DAVID, FROM A YOUTH, WAGING WAR ON GOLIATH, IS NOW THE KING. 19:57 HE IS A KING WHO HAS BEEN VICTORIOUS MULTIPLE TIMES. 20:01 THE KINGDOM OF ISRAEL HAS EXTENDED AND IN 2 SAMUEL CHAPTER 20:07 11, THE STORY OPENS THIS WAY - 2 SAMUEL 11, VERSE 1, "IT HAPPENED 20:13 IN THE SPRING OF THE YEAR, AT THE TIME WHEN KINGS GO OUT TO 20:17 BATTLE, THAT DAVID SENT JOAB (HIS GENERAL) AND HIS SERVANTS 20:21 WITH HIM, AND ALL ISRAEL; AND THEY DESTROYED THE PEOPLE OF 20:24 AMMON AND BESIEGED RABBAH. BUT DAVID REMAINED AT JERUSALEM. 20:30 THEN IT HAPPENED ONE EVENING THAT DAVID AROSE FROM HIS BED 20:33 AND WALKED ON THE ROOF OF THE KING'S HOUSE. 20:36 AND FROM THE ROOF HE SAW A WOMAN BATHING, AND THE WOMAN WAS VERY 20:40 BEAUTIFUL TO BEHOLD. SO DAVID SENT AND INQUIRED ABOUT 20:44 THE WOMAN. AND SOMEONE SAID, 'IS THIS NOT 20:46 BATHSHEBA, THE DAUGHTER OF ELIAM, THE WIFE OF 20:49 URIAH THE HITTITE?' THEN DAVID SENT MESSENGERS, AND 20:53 TOOK HER; AND SHE CAME TO HIM, AND HE LAY WITH HER, FOR SHE WAS 20:58 CLEANSED FROM HER IMPURITY; AND SHE RETURNED TO HER HOUSE." 21:08 DID YOU CATCH SOME OF THE DYNAMICS OF THIS STORY? 21:12 IT'S A STORY THAT'S OFTEN BEEN TOLD, BUT THERE'S A PHRASE IN 21:17 THIS ACCOUNT THAT IS OFTEN MISSED. IT'S RIGHT HERE. 21:22 IT SAYS, 'BATHSHEBA WAS CLEANSED FROM HER IMPURITY.' DO YOU 21:29 UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT'S TALKING ABOUT? 21:31 I INVITE YOU TO TURN IN YOUR BIBLES TO THE BOOK OF LEVITICUS 21:34 CHAPTER 15 - LEVITICUS 15 - SO MOSES' FIVE BOOKS, OFTEN 21:40 REFERRED TO AS THE PENTATEUCH - LEVITICUS IS RIGHT IN THE HEART 21:44 OF THOSE BOOKS - LEVITICUS CHAPTER 15 - LEVITICUS 15 GIVES 21:51 AN INTERESTING CEREMONIAL DESCRIPTION. 21:56 LEVITICUS VERSE - CHAPTER 15, VERSE 19 - IT SAYS THIS: "IF A 22:01 WOMAN HAS A DISCHARGE, AND THE DISCHARGE FROM HER BODY IS 22:06 BLOOD, SHE SHALL BE SET APART SEVEN DAYS; AND WHOEVER TOUCHES 22:12 HER SHALL BE UNCLEAN UNTIL EVENING. 22:15 EVERYTHING THAT SHE LIES ON DURING HER IMPURITY SHALL BE 22:18 UNCLEAN; ALSO EVERYTHING THAT SHE SITS ON WILL BE UNCLEAN." 22:21 AND IT GOES ON AND EXPLAINS ABOUT THIS CEREMONIAL 22:24 UNCLEANNESS AND IT SPEAKS ABOUT, THEN, THE NEED FOR PURIFICATION. 22:29 SO THE CONTEXT - IN THE CONTEXT OF THE STORY IN 2 SAMUEL CHAPTER 22:35 11 - DAVID SEES THIS BEAUTIFUL WOMAN AND WHEN HE CALLS HER TO 22:39 THE PALACE, HE FINDS OUT THAT SHE IS WHAT? 22:45 SHE HAS BEEN CLEANSED FROM HER MONTHLY IMPURITY. 22:51 AND HE SAYS WHAT? THE IMPLICATION OF THE STORY IS 22:55 THAT DAVID SAYS, 'LOOKIT, GOD HAS PREPARED THE WAY THAT I CAN 22:59 ENGAGE IN A RELATIONSHIP WITH THIS WOMAN WITHOUT 23:03 BEING DEFILED. NO REALLY, THAT'S THE ONLY 23:07 REASON THAT IT'S MENTIONED IN THE CONTEXT. 23:11 NOW YOU MIGHT THINK THIS SOUNDS CRAZY, BUT I'VE BEEN THERE 23:13 BEFORE - NOT PERSONALLY, BUT WITH OTHER PEOPLE. 23:17 AS A PASTOR AND AS A PHYSICIAN, I'VE TALKED WITH MANY PEOPLE 23:19 OVER THE YEARS. I REMEMBER ONE WOMAN TELLING 23:22 ME SHE WAS IN AN EXTRAMARITAL AFFAIR AND SHE WAS TELLING ME 23:26 AND MY WIFE - WE WERE COUNSELING WITH HER - SHE WAS SAYING, 'WELL 23:29 THIS IS - GOD JUST SHOWED ME THAT THIS WAS MY SOULMATE.' 23:33 LISTEN, YOU'RE MARRIED TO SOMEONE ELSE. 23:36 'NO, BUT GOD REVEALED THIS.' AND SHE WAS GOING THROUGH ALL THESE 23:39 PROVIDENCES THAT SHOWED HER THAT SHE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE IN THIS 23:43 INCESTUOUS, YOU'D SAY, OR ADULTEROUS, MORE PRECISELY, 23:49 RELATIONSHIP. YOU WOULD SAY, 'WELL 23:52 HOW COULD THAT HAPPEN? I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS, BUT 24:01 WE'RE STUDYING THE GREAT CONTROVERSY AND THERE'S 24:05 SOMETHING IN ALL OF US THAT WANTS TO MAKE EVERYTHING 24:08 BLACK AND WHITE. HAVE YOU NOTICED THAT? 24:12 SO DAVID: WAS HE GOOD OR WAS HE BAD? 24:14 >>YES. >>YES, OKAY. 24:19 HOW MANY OF US ALWAYS MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICES? 24:24 NONE OF US, RIGHT? BLACK AND WHITE IT'S OFTEN NOT. 24:30 BUT DAVID, NOW, THINK ABOUT IT - LET'S MAKE IT VERY CONTEMPORARY. 24:36 SOME - THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE IN OUR MIDST - AND I'M NOT 24:39 SPEAKING, NECESSARILY, OF ANYONE HERE IN THIS CONGREGATION, BUT 24:42 I'M SPEAKING OF CHRISTIANITY AS A WHOLE TODAY. 24:45 THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO WANT TO DIVIDE THE CHURCH INTO THE 24:48 LIBERALS AND THE CONSERVATIVES. NOW, I DON'T KNOW THAT THOSE 24:52 DESIGNATIONS ARE PARTICULARLY USEFUL, BUT LET'S JUST PAUSE 24:56 HERE. DAVID IS ENGAGING IN AN 24:59 EXTRAMARITAL AFFAIR. WOULD YOU SAY HE IS DIS - 25:02 MANIFESTING WHAT PEOPLE TODAY WOULD SAY IS A TYPICAL 25:06 CHARACTERISTIC OF CONSERVATIVES OR OF LIBERALS? 25:10 NOW NO ONE WANTS TO SPEAK BECAUSE, DEPENDING ON WHAT PARTY 25:13 YOU'RE IN, YOU'LL POINT FINGERS AT THE OTHER SIDE. 25:16 HERE'S THE POINT I'M MAKING: DAVID SEEMS, IN 2 SAMUEL 11, TO 25:22 BE VERY PREOCCUPIED WITH THE LAW. YOU SEE, HE WANTS TO MAKE 25:27 SURE THAT BATHSHEBA IS NOT UNCLEAN CEREMONIALLY. 25:35 THAT'S REALLY THE IMPLICATION - YOU MAY DISAGREE, BUT I WOULD 25:38 SUGGEST TO YOU THAT THERE IS NO REASON WHY THAT IS MENTIONED IN 25:41 THE TEXT, OTHER THAN THAT, THROUGH DAVID'S MIND, HE WAS 25:44 SAYING, 'THIS IS GOD'S HAND BLESSING THIS RELATIONSHIP.' ON 25:49 A CERTAIN LEVEL, AT THE SAME TIME, HE'S DOING WHAT? 25:54 HE IS BREAKING GOD'S TEN COMMANDMENT LAW. 25:58 HOW CAN WE DO THAT? MANY OF US MAY BE ASKING, 'WHAT 26:07 IS GOD'S WILL FOR MY LIFE? ARE YOU THERE RIGHT NOW? 26:11 YOU'RE PRAYING ABOUT SOMETHING. MAYBE IT'S A JOB SITUATION. 26:16 MAYBE IT IS IN THE AREA OF RELATIONSHIPS. 26:18 MAYBE IT RELATES TO YOUR FINANCES. 26:20 YOU'RE PRAYING ABOUT 'WHAT IS GOD'S WILL FOR MY LIFE?' 26:24 LET ME TELL YOU, FROM MY OWN PERSONAL EXPERIENCE AND FROM 26:28 BIBLICAL HISTORY, GOD'S WILL IS OFTEN CLARIFIED WHEN WE FOLLOW 26:32 KNOWN LIGHT - WHEN WE FOLLOW GOD'S REVEALED WILL. 26:37 BUT MANY OF US, IN CERTAIN AREAS OF OUR LIFE, ARE NOT FOLLOWING 26:41 ALL THAT LIGHT AND WE START ASKING FOR SIGNS AND WE START 26:46 LOOKING FOR, SOMEHOW, GOD'S SIGN OF BLESSING. 26:49 I REMEMBER A STORY - MAYBE SOME OF YOU HAVE HEARD DR. NEDLEY 26:51 TELL IT. HE TELLS ABOUT A YOUNG MAN WHO 26:54 WAS WONDERING IF HE SHOULD MARRY A CERTAIN YOUNG LADY AND, I 26:58 GUESS, PEOPLE HAD BEEN TELLING BOTH HIM AND THE YOUNG LADY 27:01 THIS DID NOT LOOK LIKE A GOOD RELATIONSHIP. SO ONE DAY HE'S 27:04 DRIVING HIS CAR AND A TRAIN IS APPROACHING A CROSSING. 27:09 HE'S SOME DISTANCE AWAY AND HE SAYS, 'WELL, I NEED A SIGN. 27:12 LORD, IF IT'S YOU'RE WILL THAT I MARRY THIS GIRL, HELP ME BEAT 27:16 THE TRAIN.' AND SO HE SPEEDS UP AND HE GETS THERE JUST AHEAD OF 27:21 THE TRAIN AND CROSSES THE TRACKS. 27:24 SO WHAT WOULD YOU CALL THAT? >>CRAZY. 27:26 >>YEAH, SOME OF YOU CALL IT CRAZY, OTHERS OF YOU CALL IT 27:29 LUCKY. HE CALLED IT A SIGN FROM THE 27:32 LORD THAT HE SHOULD MARRY THIS GIRL. 27:35 I MEAN, IS THIS CRAZY OR IS THIS CRAZY? 27:38 NOW FOR SOME REASON, THE BIBLE SPEAKS THAT SOMETIMES WE'VE GOT 27:41 THESE BEAMS IN OUR OWN EYES AND WE'RE TRYING TO PULL WHAT? 27:45 LITTLE SPECS OUT OF OTHER PEOPLE'S EYES. 27:47 SO WE CAN SEE IT WHEN OTHER PEOPLE ARE DOING IT, BUT GOD IS 27:51 CALLING US, IN THESE STORIES, TO BE FAITHFUL TO HIM. 27:54 SO YOU SAY, 'WELL, HEY, I KNOW HOW THIS STORY ENDED. 27:56 DAVID WAS FORGIVEN BY GOD. 27:59 DAVID REPENTED SINCERELY.' BY THE WAY, HE WAS NOT A MAN AFTER 28:03 GOD'S OWN HEART WHEN HE WAS ENGAGED IN ADULTERY WITH 28:06 BATHSHEBA. YOU ALL REALIZE THAT, RIGHT? 28:08 BUT WHEN HE REPENTS AND GOD FORGIVES HIM, HE AGAIN IS 28:14 DISPLAYING THE CHARACTER OF GOD. PAUL WROTE ABOUT IT. 28:17 HE SAID, 'OKAY, WHAT DO YOU THINK? 28:20 IF GOD CAN WORK THROUGH MY SIN, LET'S ALL SIN MORE SO THAT GOD 28:25 WILL BE GLORIFIED MORE.' I'M PARAPHRASING FROM THE BOOK OF 28:27 ROMANS. YOU REMEMBER THAT? 28:29 WHAT DOES PAUL SAY? >>GOD FORBID. 28:32 >>YEAH, THE KING JAMES TRANSLATES THAT GOD FORBID - 28:34 SOME WOULD SAY THAT'S NOT A REAL GOOD TRANSLATION THERE BECAUSE 28:37 THAT SOUNDS LIKE YOU'RE TAKING THE LORD'S NAME IN VAIN. 28:40 OTHER PEOPLE SAY, 'NO, THAT'S NOT IN VAIN. 28:42 YOU'RE SAYING, YOU KNOW, 'GOD FORBID THAT'. 28:44 'MAY IT NEVER BE', PAUL IS SAYING. WHATEVER LANGUAGE YOU 28:49 LIKE - HERE'S THE POINT: OUR SIN NEVER INCREASES GOD'S GLORY - 28:55 NEVER INCREASES GOD'S GLORY. IT'S ALWAYS BEST FOR US TO 28:59 FOLLOW GOD'S LAW FAITHFULLY. LET'S ADD ONE MORE BIT TO THE 29:03 STORY HERE, THAT I THINK IS PARTICULARLY FASCINATING. 29:07 TURN, IN YOUR BIBLES, WITH ME TO 1 CHRONICLES CHAPTER 3 - 1 29:14 CHRONICLES CHAPTER 3 BECAUSE LEST WE THINK THAT EVERYTHING 29:17 TURNED OUT HAPPILY EVER AFTER - YOU'VE READ THE BIBLE ENOUGH, 29:20 MOST ALL OF YOU, THAT YOU REALIZE ALL KINDS OF PROBLEMS 29:23 CAME INTO DAVID'S LIFE AS A RESULT OF THIS. 29:31 DAVID HAD A MULTITUDE OF WIVES AND ONE OF THEM IS MENTIONED 29:37 HERE IN 1 CHRONICLES CHAPTER 3. IN VERSE 2 WE'RE 29:45 INTRODUCED TO GUESS WHO? ABSALOM, IN VERSE 2. 29:50 IN VERSE 5 OF 1 CHRONICLES 3, SOLOMON IS MENTIONED. 29:57 BY THE WAY, WHOSE CHILD WAS SOLOMON? 30:00 >>BATHSHEBA. 30:01 >>YES, BATHSHEBA OR BATHSHUA - IT'S THE SAME PERSON. 30:05 SO YOU MIGHT SAY, 'WELL, WAIT A MINUTE.' NOW SOLOMON WAS, AGAIN, 30:10 IN THE LINE OF JESUS. HE WAS A MAN OF PEACE. 30:14 AND WHO WAS HIS MOTHER? BATHSHEBA. 30:19 YOU KNOW, I'LL BE HONEST WITH YOU. 30:24 WE'VE GOT FOUR OTHER BIBLE CHARACTERS TO LOOK AT AND I'M 30:27 GETTING CONCERNED. BUT LET ME JUST PULL BACK THE 30:29 CURTAIN A LITTLE BIT FOR A MINUTE. 30:32 DO YOU REALIZE WHO BATHSHEBA WAS? 30:37 DO YOU REALIZE WHO HER FATHER WAS? 30:40 AND WHO HER FATHER-IN-LAW WAS? AND WHO WAS THE GRANDFATHER, 30:48 IF YOU WILL, IN THAT LINEAGE. DO YOU KNOW? 30:53 SOME OF THESE RELATIONSHIPS? YES, AHITHOPHEL, DAVID'S WISE 30:59 COUNSELOR, IT WAS HIS BOY THAT MARRIED BATHSHEBA. 31:07 DID YOU KNOW THAT? YOU CAN STUDY IT OUT. 31:09 WE WON'T GO THROUGH ALL THE TEXTS HERE TODAY, BUT 31:14 AHITHOPHEL, THE WISE COUNSELOR OF DAVID, WHOSE COUNSEL WAS, AS 31:20 IT WERE, THE COUNSEL OF GOD. TURN WITH ME - WE JUST GOT - I 31:25 COULD SEE SOME OF YOU ARE REALLY QUESTIONING WHAT I'M 31:28 TRYING TO TELL YOU HERE. 2 SAMUEL CHAPTER 23 - JUST GO 31:31 WITH THEIR - GO THERE WITH ME FOR A MINUTE. 31:33 2 CHRONICLES - EXCUSE ME, 2 SAMUEL CHAPTER 23. 31:41 WHY I WANT YOU TO LOOK AT THIS IS BECAUSE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT 31:46 TAKING SIDES AND WE'LL LOOK AT SOME OF THESE OTHER BIBLE 31:49 CHARACTERS IN JUST A MINUTE, BUT WE WANT TO ALIGN OURSELVES WITH 31:54 THOSE WHO WE THINK ARE EXEMPLARY, BUT WE FIND THAT 31:57 EVERYONE HAS SKELETONS IN THEIR CLOSETS. 32:01 2 SAMUEL CHAPTER 23 IS A RENDITION OF DAVID'S MIGHTY MEN, 32:07 BEGINNING WITH VERSE 8. AND IF YOU READ THROUGH THIS 32:09 LIST OF DAVID'S MIGHTY MEN, YOU'LL FIND THAT THERE ARE A 32:12 NUMBER OF INTERESTING FIGURES IN THIS LIST. 32:16 ONE OF THEM IS NONE OTHER THAN GUESS WHO? 32:21 ELIAM, OKAY, WHO WAS THE - WAS THE FATHER OF BATHSHEBA - AND 32:29 THEN WE HAVE URIAH THE HITTITE THAT'S - URIAH IS VERSE 39 IN 2 32:34 SAMUEL 23 AND ELIAM IS THERE IN VERSE 34. AND YOU SEE WHO ELIAM 32:40 IS, HE'S THE SON OF AHITHOPHEL THE GILONITE. 32:45 SO, FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DON'T REMEMBER THE STORY OF DAVID, 32:48 WHAT HAPPENS IS THAT DAVID, AS A RESULT OF THIS ADULTEROUS 32:52 RELATIONSHIP, HE LOSES HIS OWN MORAL POWER IN HIS OWN FAMILY. 32:57 ABSALOM ENDS UP REBELLING AGAINST DAVID AND AHITHOPHEL, 33:02 WHOSE COUNSEL IS LIKE THE COUNSEL OF GOD - THAT'S WHAT THE 33:06 BIBLE SAYS - HIS WORD IS JUST LIKE GOLD. 33:09 WHATEVER HE SAYS SEEMS TO HAPPEN, ACTUALLY JOINS UP WITH 33:12 ABSALOM. AND BASICALLY, WHAT'S HAPPENING, 33:15 IF YOU LOOK AT THE STORY OBJECTIVELY, DAVID 33:19 IS GUILTY OF MURDER. HE'S GUILTY OF ADULTERY, AND 33:23 AHITHOPHEL IS SAYING, 'GOD IS FINALLY AT WORK. 33:27 DAVID IS FINALLY GETTING HIS JUST REWARD AND I'M GOING TO 33:30 JOIN UP WITH ABSALOM SO THAT DAVID GETS WHAT'S DESERVED OF 33:34 HIM. HE RUINED MY FAMILY.' 33:39 A MAN WHOSE COUNSEL WAS LIKE THE WISDOM OF GOD. 33:44 BUT WHO DID AHITHOPHEL ACTUALLY END UP REBELLING AGAINST? 33:49 HE WAS REBELLING AGAINST GOD HIMSELF. 33:51 WHY I TAKE TIME WITH THE STORY IS BECAUSE THERE ARE PEOPLE IN 33:56 YOUR LIFE WHO HAVE WRONGED YOU. ARE YOU AWARE OF THAT? 34:00 I DON'T NEED TO REMIND YOU. THERE MAY BE PEOPLE IN THE 34:04 CHURCH WHO'VE WRONGED YOU. THERE MAY BE PEOPLE JOINING US, 34:08 BY WAY OF THE INTERNET, WHO ARE NOT IN CHURCH TODAY BECAUSE 34:12 PEOPLE HAVE WRONGED THEM IN THEIR HOME CHURCH. 34:16 HERE'S THE MESSAGE IN THIS STORY: IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW 34:19 PEOPLE HAVE WRONGED YOU; GOD DOES CALL US TO FORGIVE. 34:23 BUT BEYOND THAT, GOD SAYS, 'JUDGMENT IS MINE. 34:27 I WILL REPAY.' WE CAN TRUST GOD WITH THE LIVES OF OTHER PEOPLE, 34:34 JUST LIKE WE CAN TRUST GOD WITH OUR OWN LIVES. 34:38 WITH THAT BACKGROUND, WE NEED TO MOVE ON BECAUSE WE'VE STILL GOT 34:42 A NUMBER OF OTHER BIBLE CHARACTERS TO LOOK AT. 34:44 WE MOVE TO ELIJAH NEXT, IN MONDAY'S LESSON. 34:49 ELIJAH THE TISHBITE, AGAIN, A SEEMINGLY INSIGNIFICANT MAN 34:53 UNTIL HE'S BURDENED WITH THE INIQUITY - THE INIQUITY OF 34:57 ISRAEL. AT THIS TIME NOW, THE UNITED 35:00 MONARCHY UNDER DAVID AND SOLOMON HAS BEEN DIVIDED. 35:03 AHAB IS THE KING OF THE NORTHERN TRIBES. 35:06 THERE WAS NEVER A GOOD KING OF THE NORTHERN TRIBES. 35:08 THEY WERE ALL WICKED. 35:09 AND SO ELIJAH BEARS THIS TESTIMONY, BUT THE LESSON WANTS 35:13 US TO FOCUS ON, NOT HIS TESTIMONY ABOUT THE COMING 35:17 DROUGHT - THE FAMINE THAT WILL COME - BUT RATHER ON THE 35:23 CONCLUSION TO THOSE THREE AND A HALF YEARS OF DROUGHT AND FAMINE 35:29 IN ISRAEL, BECAUSE IT BRINGS US TO THE STORY, IN 1 KINGS 18, AND 35:34 I INVITE YOU TO TURN THERE WITH ME. 35:36 IN 1 KINGS 18 WE'RE READING ABOUT ANOTHER AMAZING STORY IN 35:41 THE HISTORY OF THE GREAT CONTROVERSY, AND IT EXPOSES US 35:44 TO THE QUESTION, REALLY, THAT WE BEGAN WITH. 35:48 IT'S THE QUESTION AT THE FOUNDATION OF THIS ENTIRE 35:51 QUARTER. IN 1 KINGS 18, BEGINNING WITH 35:54 VERSE 21, GOD HAS CALLED FOR A RENDEZVOUS THROUGH ELIJAH, OF 36:02 THE TWO OPPOSING FACTIONS - JUST LIKE IT WAS IN DAVID'S DAY. 36:06 THE ARMY IS REBELLING AGAINST GOD AND HIS WILL. 36:10 THE PHILISTINES WERE ON ONE SIDE, THE ISRAELITES WERE ON THE 36:14 OTHER. NOW, ON MOUNT CARMEL, THERE IS 36:17 ANOTHER SHOWDOWN, IF YOU WILL. AND ON MOUNT CARMEL WE FIND, ON 36:23 ONE SIDE, ELIJAH AND, IT SEEMS LIKE, EVERYONE 36:27 ELSE ON THE OTHER. LOOK WHAT ELIJAH SAYS IN VERSE 36:30 21 OF 1 KINGS 18, "AND ELIJAH CAME TO ALL THE PEOPLE AND SAID, 36:36 'HOW LONG WILL YOU FALTER (OR LIMP) BETWEEN TWO OPINIONS? 36:42 IF THE LORD IS GOD, FOLLOW HIM; BUT IF BAAL, FOLLOW HIM.'" AND 36:47 IT'S OFTEN BEEN POINTED OUT THAT WHAT WAS HAPPENING HERE WAS NOT 36:51 A REBELLION AGAINST GOD - EVEN THOUGH IT WAS. 36:56 YOU SAY, 'WAIT A MINUTE. HOW CAN YOU SAY IT WAS NOT A 37:00 REBELLION AGAINST GOD AND IT WAS? 37:02 IT'S GOT TO BE ONE OR THE OTHER. IT WAS A REBELLION AGAINST GOD, 37:05 BUT THE PEOPLE DIDN'T THINK THEY WERE REBELLING AGAINST GOD. 37:09 YOU SEE, ELIJAH DIDN'T SAY, 'STOP FOLLOWING BAAL AND START 37:13 FOLLOWING JEHOVAH.' WHAT DID HE SAY? 37:17 'HOW LONG ARE YOU GOING TO WAVER BETWEEN TWO SIDES? 37:22 YOU SEE, THE WORD THAT'S BEEN USED IN THEOLOGICAL CIRCLES, FOR 37:27 WHAT WAS HAPPENING, WAS SOMETHING CALLED SYNCRETISM. 37:31 WHAT WAS HAPPENING WAS GOD'S PEOPLE WERE SAYING, 'YES, WE'RE 37:36 FOLLOWING JEHOVAH, BUT WE DON'T WANT TO JUST FOLLOW JEHOVAH, WE 37:40 WANT TO HEDGE OUR BETS AND WE WANT TO ALSO FOLLOW BAAL. 37:43 AFTER ALL, THEY SAY HE BRINGS THE RAIN AND EVERYTHING. 37:46 WE'LL SERVE BAAL AND WE'LL ALSO SERVE JEHOVAH. 37:50 BY THE WAY, DO YOU KNOW THIS IS THE POPULAR RELIGION OF TODAY? 37:55 THIS IS THE POST-MODERN WORLD: 'OH YES, CHRISTIANITY'S GOOD. 38:00 SO IS ISLAM AND BUDDHA, BUDDHISM AND TAOISM AND YES, YOU KNOW, 38:07 THE SECULAR HUMANISTS ARE RIGHT TOO. YOU KNOW, EVERYONE'S RIGHT. 38:10 WE ALL HAVE OUR OWN TRUTH AND WE CAN GROW.' LISTEN, I'M NOT 38:13 SAYING THERE AREN'T THINGS WE CAN LEARN FROM PEOPLE OF EVERY 38:15 CULTURE. DON'T MISUNDERSTAND ME. 38:18 BUT WHAT I AM SAYING IS AT THE HEART OF THE GREAT CONTROVERSY 38:21 IS THAT GOD'S WORD CAN BE TRUSTED. GOD'S WORD IS TRUE. 38:26 AND YES, SOMEONE - AN ADHERENT OF ISLAM - IF THEY'RE FOLLOWING 38:30 BIBLICAL PRINCIPLES, THEY CAN BE FOLLOWING TRUTH. 38:35 SOMEONE LIVING IN A REMOTE PLACE, WHO'S NEVER HEARD THE 38:37 NAME OF GOD, THE HOLY SPIRIT CAN BE SPEAKING TO THEIR HEART AND 38:40 THEY CAN BE FOLLOWING GOD'S TRUTH WITHOUT THE REVELATION OF 38:43 THE BIBLE, BUT IT IS SO MUCH CLEARER RIGHT HERE. 38:46 AND SO ELIJAH CALLS ON MOUNT CARMEL TO DO WHAT? 38:51 FOR US, BY EXTENSION, TO STOP HALTING BETWEEN TWO OPINIONS. 38:59 BY THE WAY, WHAT IS REALLY, IN ESSENCE, THE RELIGION OF BAAL? 39:04 IT'S THE RELIGION OF OUR OWN CREATION, YOU SEE? 39:10 ARE WE REALLY FOLLOWING GOD WHOLEHEARTEDLY? 39:13 AM I FOLLOWING GOD WHOLEHEARTEDLY? 39:15 WHAT IS GOD CALLING ME TO DO TODAY? 39:18 YOU SAY, 'BUT, YOU KNOW, DR. DEROSE, IF I WERE FOLLOWING 39:21 ALL THAT GOD WANTED ME TO DO, I MEAN, I'D LOSE MY JOB.' 39:28 WHAT WAS ON THE LINE FOR ELIJAH ON MOUNT CARMEL? 39:31 WAS HE GOING TO LOSE HIS JOB? 39:34 I MEAN, HIS LIFE WAS ON THE LINE. 39:37 I MEAN, YOU REALIZE SOME OF THESE STORIES - THESE PEOPLE 39:39 THAT WE'RE READING ABOUT - THESE SO-CALLED INSIGNIFICANT PEOPLE 39:42 THAT CHANGED THE COURSE OF HISTORY - THEY'RE DOING WHAT? 39:46 THEY'RE DOING THINGS THAT LOOK UNREASONABLE FROM A HUMAN 39:49 STANDPOINT BECAUSE GOD HAS CALLED THEM TO DO IT. 39:53 AND THIS IS WHAT SPEAKS TO ME TODAY. 39:55 LET'S GO ON TO TUESDAY'S LESSON, WORDS OF DEFIANCE - WORDS OF 40:02 DEFIANCE. WE'RE, AGAIN, READING 40:04 ABOUT ANOTHER KING. THIS TIME A KING OF THE SOUTHERN 40:07 TRIBES, A GOOD KING, KING HEZEKIAH. 40:11 AND THINGS ARE ESPECIALLY CHALLENGING. 40:17 TURN YOUR BIBLES NOW TO 2 KINGS 18 - 2 KINGS 18 - HEZEKIAH IS 40:27 THE RULER OF GOD'S PEOPLE - THE EARTHLY RULER - DURING THE TIME 40:31 OF THE GREAT GOSPEL PROPHET ISAIAH. 40:35 AND 2 KINGS TELLS US ABOUT THIS REIGN OF HEZEKIAH AND HOW 40:40 HEZEKIAH WAS ZEALOUS TO DO WHAT WAS RIGHT IN THE LORD'S SIGHT. 40:44 LOOK AT 2 KINGS 18, VERSE 3. IT SAYS "HE" - REFERRING TO 40:47 HEZEKIAH - "DID WHAT WAS RIGHT IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD, 40:51 ACCORDING TO ALL THAT HIS FATHER DAVID HAD DONE." 40:56 AND IT SPEAKS ABOUT HOW HE, IN VERSE 4, TORE DOWN THOSE IDOL 41:01 WORSHIP CENTERS IN THE SOUTHERN KINGDOM THAT HE WAS RULING OVER. 41:06 AND IN VERSE 5 IT SAYS, "HE TRUSTED IN THE LORD GOD OF 41:09 ISRAEL." SO, BASICALLY, HEZEKIAH IS 41:12 LIVING A LIFE WHERE HE'S SAYING 'GOD IS TRUSTWORTHY. 41:16 I CAN PUT MY TRUST IN HIM AND GOD WILL BLESS. 41:18 BUT YOU SAY, 'WELL, IF THAT'S THE - THE BASIC PREMISE OF THESE 41:23 LESSONS, FOLLOW GOD - TRUST HIM - FOLLOW HIS WORD AND EVERYTHING 41:26 WILL BE BLESSED, THAT IS NOT WHAT HAPPENS IN THE STORY. 41:30 BECAUSE AS THE STORY PLAYS OUT, AS YOU COME TO VERSE 17, 41:35 WE FIND THAT HEZEKIAH IS UNDER SIEGE. 41:40 THE CITY OF JERUSALEM IS SURROUNDED AND THE EMISSARIES 41:46 FROM THE WORLD POWER OF THE DAY - THAT'S ASSYRIA, OKAY? 41:51 HEADQUARTERED IN NINEVEH, ASSYRIA IS THREATENING TO 41:58 CONQUER JERUSALEM AND THEY ARE SPEAKING BLASPHEMY AGAINST THE 42:04 LORD. LET'S LOOK AT ONE OF THE HIGH 42:05 POINTS OF THE SPEECH OF THE SPOKESPEOPLE FOR SENNACHERIB, 42:10 THE KING OF ASSYRIA. JERUSALEM, REMEMBER, UNDER SIEGE 42:13 - SURROUNDED - LOOKING HOPELESS AND HERE'S THE WORD THAT COMES 42:17 - I'M IN 2 KINGS CHAPTER 18, BEGINNING WITH VERSE 28. 42:25 I'M KIND OF JUMPING INTO THE MIDDLE OF THAT VERSE, "HEAR THE 42:29 WORD OF THE GREAT KING, THE KING OF ASSYRIA!" 42:33 - THAT'S SENNACHERIB - "THUS SAYS THE KING: 42:35 'DO NOT LET HEZEKIAH DECEIVE YOU, FOR HE SHALL NOT 42:38 BE ABLE TO DELIVER YOU FROM HIS HAND; NOR LET HEZEKIAH MAKE YOU 42:44 TRUST IN THE LORD, SAYING, 'THE LORD WILL SURELY DELIVER US; 42:48 THIS CITY SHALL NOT BE GIVEN INTO THE HAND OF THE KING OF 42:50 ASSYRIA.'' DO NOT LISTEN TO HEZEKIAH; FOR THUS SAYS THE KING 42:54 OF ASSYRIA: 'MAKE PEACE WITH ME'" - ETCETERA, ETCETERA. 42:59 BASICALLY, AS YOU READ THROUGH THIS SPEECH, GOD IS BEING 43:03 DISPLAYED AS IMPOTENT IN THE FACE OF SENNACHERIB - THE ONE 43:09 WHO, IF YOU READ SENNACHERIB'S WRITINGS, HE'S BLESSED BY 43:13 ASHER, THIS HEATHEN GOD, AND HE IS THE ALL-POWERFUL ONE. 43:18 THAT'S HOW HE STYLES HIMSELF. 43:19 YOU SAY, WELL, HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT? 43:21 THERE'S AN AMAZING ARCHAEOLOGICAL DISCOVERY THAT 43:24 DATES BACK TO THE 1800S - THERE ARE ACTUALLY SEVERAL COPIES OF A 43:28 PRISM WITH SENNACHERIB'S INSCRIPTIONS. 43:33 ONE OF THEM IS KNOWN AS THE TAYLOR PRISM, FOUND BY COLONEL 43:37 TAYLOR IN THE 1800S, IN NINEVEH. THE TAYLOR PRISM ACTUALLY IS 43:42 DESCRIBING THIS VERY CONQUEST OF SENNACHERIB. 43:46 NOW, I DON'T READ CUNEIFORM, WHICH THIS PRISM IS WRITTEN IN, 43:52 BUT THERE ARE SOME VERY GOOD TRANSLATIONS OF THIS - A NUMBER 43:55 OF THEM - AND AS YOU READ THROUGH THE TRANSLATIONS OF THE 43:58 TAYLOR PRISM AND THESE OTHER PRISMS THAT SPEAK ABOUT 44:02 SENNACHERIB'S CONQUESTS, YOU READ ABOUT HIM COMING TO THIS 44:05 COUNTRY AND THEY DIDN'T SURRENDER AND I TOOK THE KING 44:07 AND I BANISHED HIM AND ALL HIS FAMILY DIED AND I OBLITERATED 44:12 THIS TOWN AND I OBLITERATED THIS AND I TOOK THIS OTHER KING AND I 44:15 BROUGHT HIM BACK TO NINEVEH AS A, YOU KNOW, AS A SERVANT.' 44:19 BUT WHAT HAPPENS WHEN HE COMES TO JERUSALEM? 44:24 WELL, THE BIBLICAL ACCOUNT SAYS - LET'S LOOK AT IT, ACTUALLY - 2 44:30 KINGS CHAPTER 19, THE BIBLICAL ACCOUNT SAYS THAT WHEN JERUSALEM 44:34 IS UNDER SIEGE, HEZEKIAH DOES SOMETHING REMARKABLE. 44:41 2 KINGS 19 - HEZEKIAH IS GETTING THESE MESSAGES, SPOKEN IN HEBREW 44:49 BEFORE THE WALL, TO DISPIRIT THE PEOPLE. 44:52 THEN IN WRITING - "THEN HEZEKIAH" - VERSE 15 OF 2 KINGS 44:55 19 - HE DOES WHAT? HE PRAYS TO THE LORD. NOW, BY THE WAY, 45:03 DAVID'S SITUATION WAS HOPELESS FROM A HUMAN PERSPECTIVE. 45:06 ELIJAH'S SITUATION LOOKED HOPELESS, I MEAN, HE'S ARRAIGNED 45:09 AGAINST THE WHOLE KINGDOM OF ISRAEL AND HE'S SPEAKING FOR GOD 45:15 WHEN NOBODY'S SEEMS TO BE ON HIS SIDE. 45:17 HOW HOPEFUL DOES IT LOOK FOR HEZEKIAH WHEN THIS IS THE 45:20 WORLD'S LEADER - SENNACHERIB - AN ARMY OF 185,000 OR MORE 45:25 CAMPED AROUND THE CITY? WHAT IS HAPPENING? 45:29 PEOPLE ARE SAYING, 'IT'S OVER. JUST SURRENDER. 45:32 IT'S OBVIOUS.' HEZEKIAH DOES WHAT? HE PRAYS. 45:36 LISTEN TO HIS PRAYER - 2 KINGS CHAPTER 19, VERSE 15 - HEZEKIAH 45:41 PRAYS BEFORE THE LORD AND HE SAYS THIS: "O LORD GOD OF 45:45 ISRAEL, THE ONE WHO DWELLS BETWEEN THE CHERUBIM, YOU ARE 45:50 GOD, YOU ALONE, OF ALL THE KINGDOMS OF THE EARTH. 45:54 YOU HAVE MADE HEAVEN AND EARTH." SO WHO'S HE PRAYING TO? 45:57 HE IS PRAYING TO THE CREATOR AND TO THE GOD OF THE SANCTUARY. 46:02 VERY INTERESTING, ISN'T IT? HE'S PRAYING TO THE GOD WHO IS 46:05 ENTHRONED IN THE SANCTUARY. THIS HEAVENLY SANCTUARY IS REAL 46:09 IS WHAT HEZEKIAH IS SAYING. GOD IS THE CREATOR. 46:13 WE DIDN'T JUST OCCUR BY CHANCE. GOD IS THE CREATOR. 46:17 VERY INTERESTING STATEMENTS IN LIGHT OF EARTH'S HISTORY. 46:21 VERSE 16, "INCLINE YOUR EAR, O LORD, AND HEAR; OPEN YOUR EYES, 46:26 OR LORD, AND SEE; AND HEAR THE WORDS OF SENNACHERIB, WHICH HE 46:28 HAS SENT TO REPROACH THE LIVING GOD. 46:31 TRULY, LORD, THE KINGS OF ASSYRIA HAVE LAID WASTE THE 46:34 NATIONS AND THEIR LANDS, AND HAVE CAST THEIR GODS INTO THE 46:38 FIRE;" - SO HE'S SAYING, 'LISTEN, I KNOW HOW POWERFUL 46:42 THIS ARMY IS.' - IT'S TRUE. EVERYTHING HE'S SAYING. 46:44 HE'S WIPED OUT EVERYBODY ELSE. HEZEKIAH DOESN'T SURRENDER. 46:51 WHY? BECAUSE HE HAS CONFIDENCE THAT 46:54 GOD IS TRUSTWORTHY - THAT GOD IS POWERFUL - 46:57 THAT WE CAN TRUST HIM. AND SO HE DOES THAT. 47:00 HE POURS OUT THIS PRAYER AND THE RESULT OF HIS PRAYER IS THAT GOD 47:06 FROM HEAVEN STRIKES THE ARMY OF SENNACHERIB. 47:13 THEY'RE DESTROYED, MIRACULOUSLY. 47:16 AND SO WE COME BACK TO THE TAYLOR PRISM. 47:19 WE DON'T READ, WHEN IT COMES TO HEZEKIAH, THAT HIS CITY WAS 47:23 OBLITERATED, LIKE THESE - SOME OF THE OTHER CITIES THAT 47:26 SENNACHERIB WROTE ABOUT - NUMEROUS CITIES HE SPOKE OF 47:28 OBLITERATING. WE DON'T READ ABOUT HEZEKIAH 47:32 BEING TAKEN AS A PRISONER BACK TO NINEVEH. 47:34 WHY? WELL, BECAUSE HE WASN'T. 47:36 EVERYONE WOULD KNOW IF THAT WAS ON THE PRISM - THEY'D SAY IT WAS 47:38 JUST A BUNCH OF LIES. WHAT DOES HE SAY ABOUT HEZEKIAH? 47:43 HE SAYS "HEZEKIAH HAVE I CAGED UP LIKE A BIRD." 47:51 LOOK AT IT HERE. "AS TO HEZEKIAH" - MENTIONED 47:54 EXPLICITLY IN THIS TAYLOR PRISM - "AS TO HEZEKIAH THE JEW, HE 47:58 DID NOT SUBMIT TO MY YOKE. I LAID SIEGE TO FORTY-SIX 48:04 OF HIS STRONG CITIES. HIMSELF, I MADE A PRISONER IN 48:08 JERUSALEM, HIS ROYAL RESIDENCE, LIKE A BIRD IN A CAGE." 48:15 SO WHAT COULD SENNACHERIB BOAST ABOUT WHEN IT CAME TO HEZEKIAH 48:20 AND JERUSALEM? ALL HE COULD SAY IS 'I PUT 48:23 THE CITY UNDER SIEGE.' BUT HE DOESN'T SAY THE REST OF THE 48:26 STORY THAT THE BIBLE REVEALS. BUT DO YOU SEE? 48:30 HERE'S AN ARCHAEOLOGIC RECORD THAT IS TELLING US THE SAME 48:33 THING THE BIBLE IS TELLING US: THE BIBLE CAN BE TRUSTED. 48:37 WHEN IT COMES TO THE TOPIC OF THE LESSON, DO YOU WANT TO TRUST 48:41 IN THE GOD WHO REDEEMS, THE GOD WHO CREATES, THE GOD WHO'S IN 48:45 THE SANCTUARY? OR DO YOU WANT TO REBEL AND 48:47 REBELLION OFTEN LOOKS VERY PIOUS. DAVID WAS REBELLING WHEN 48:52 HE WAS FOLLOWING THE LEVITICAL LAWS IN MAKING SURE HE DIDN'T 48:56 HAVE AN ADULTEROUS RELATIONSHIP WITH A MENSTROUS WOMAN. 49:05 LET'S GO ON - A FEW MORE STORIES HERE TO BRIEFLY TOUCH ON. 49:10 WE NOW COME, IN WEDNESDAY'S LESSON, TO ANOTHER PERSON WHO, 49:15 BY SOME ACCOUNTS, MIGHT BE INSIGNIFICANT, THIS IS ESTHER. 49:19 BUT ESTHER IS ACTUALLY RELATED TO A CLOSE RELATIVE, MORDECAI, 49:25 FATHER FIGURE TO HER THERE. MORDECAI IN THE KING'S PRESENCE. 49:31 BY THE WAY, WHEN DOES THE STORY OF ESTHER TAKE PLACE? 49:34 ANY IDEA? SOMEWHERE IN THE LATE 400S BC. 49:43 WHEN DID THE CAPTIVITY OF JERUSALEM, OR GOD'S PEOPLE, END 49:48 IN BABYLON? YEAH, AROUND 536 - 537 BC. 49:56 SO WE'RE TALKING DECADES AFTER THAT. 50:00 BY THE WAY, OUR LAST STORY, NEHEMIAH, THAT WE'LL JUST 50:02 BRIEFLY TOUCH ON, THAT STORY TOOK PLACE ANOTHER GENERATION 50:08 AFTER ESTHER, OKAY? SO SOMEWHERE AROUND 444 BC. 50:14 WHY ARE THOSE DATES SO SIGNIFICANT? 50:17 YOU CAN READ EZRA CHAPTER 1 OF THAT DECREE THAT CYRUS GAVE 50:21 AROUND 537 BC. AND WHAT WAS HIS DECREE? 50:26 ALL GOD'S PEOPLE GO BACK TO JERUSALEM. 50:30 GO BACK. REBUILD YOUR TEMPLE. 50:32 I'M SANCTIONING IT.' YOU READ THE BOOK OF ZECHARIAH, SOME 50:36 TWENTY YEARS LATER, SAYING 'GO BACK. 50:39 DON'T STAY IN BABYLON.' GOD WAS GIVING MESSAGE AFTER MESSAGE, 50:43 TELLING HIS PEOPLE TO LEAVE THE HOME OF THEIR CAPTIVITY AND GO 50:48 BACK TO JERUSALEM. BUT WHAT DID MOST PEOPLE DO? 50:52 THEY STAYED WHERE THEY WERE AT. WHY? I MEAN, FROM A HUMAN 50:56 PERSPECTIVE, IT WAS STUPID TO GO BACK TO JERUSALEM. 50:59 BY THE WAY, READ ZECHARIAH 2 IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS. 51:02 GOD PROMISES THEM - THERE'S NO WALL UP. 51:04 REMEMBER, NEHEMIAH WAS THE ONE THAT BUILT THE WALL. 51:07 HE WAS THE IMPETUS - THE MAN THAT GOD USED TO REBUILD THE 51:10 WALL OF JERUSALEM. BUT LONG BEFORE THAT, GOD SAID, 51:12 'I WILL BE A WALL OF FIRE TO YOU. JUST TRUST ME. 51:15 GO BACK TO JERUSALEM.' SO NOW WE'RE READING ABOUT ESTHER AND 51:19 NEHEMIAH. HERE'S THE QUESTION, THE LINEAGE 51:22 OF ESTHER AND NEHEMIAH, WHERE WERE THESE TWO INDIVIDUALS? 51:27 THEIR FATHERS, IF YOU WILL - THEIR GRANDFATHERS HAD NOT LEFT 51:34 THE LAND OF CAPTIVITY. ESTHER AND NEHEMIAH WERE 51:40 CHILDREN OF THOSE WHO HAD REFUSED TO FOLLOW GOD'S WORD. 51:46 SO IF YOU'RE WANTING TO LABEL PEOPLE, THEY WERE THE ONES WHO 51:50 WERE NOT FOLLOWING GOD AND WHAT DOES GOD DO THROUGH THEM? 51:54 HE USES THEM. ARE YOU CATCHING SOMETHING HERE? 51:58 YOUR HISTORY, YOUR PAST, YOUR FAMILY'S HISTORY, YOUR GENETICS 52:05 DO NOT EXCLUDE YOU FROM BEING ONE OF THE PEOPLE GOD USES. 52:11 THE KEY WORDS THROUGH NEHEMIAH THAT WERE THE MEMORY TEXT FOR 52:15 THIS LESSON, THE KEY WORDS: 'LET US RISE UP AND' - DO WHAT? 52:22 - 'BUILD.' FOR DECADES THE WALL HAS LAIN IN RUINS. 52:27 GOD PUTS A BURDEN ON A MAN WITH A BAD BACKGROUND. 52:31 JUST LIKE SOLOMON, THE CHILD OF AN ADULTEROUS RELATIONSHIP. 52:37 I MEAN, YOU THINK YOU'VE GOT AN EXCUSE FOR NOT DOING SOMETHING 52:39 FOR THE LORD? CAN I MAKE EXCUSES FOR NOT DOING 52:43 WHAT GOD IS CALLING ME TO DO? WHAT THIS LESSON TELLS US IS 52:47 THAT GOD USES PEOPLE WHO ARE INSIGNIFICANT, BUT EVERY ONE 52:51 OF US IS REALLY SIGNIFICANT. WE CANNOT - WE CANNOT EXCLUDE 52:57 OURSELVES FROM GOD'S CALLING. YOU KNOW WHAT? 53:00 IT MAY JUST START WITH YOU REACHING OUT TO A PERSON NEXT TO 53:03 YOU THAT YOU DON'T KNOW. MAYBE IT'S A NEIGHBOR. 53:05 I DON'T KNOW WHAT GOD'S CALLING YOU TO DO, BUT GOD IS CALLING 53:08 YOU TO CHANGE THE WORLD - NOT BECAUSE YOU'RE SO GREAT, BUT 53:12 BECAUSE HE WANTS TO WORK THROUGH INSIGNIFICANT PEOPLE. 53:16 WELL, WE HAVE A FREE OFFER. I JUST WANT TO REMIND YOU, OUR 53:19 OWN PASTOR DOUG HAS WRITTEN THIS BOOK THE ARMOR OF GOD. 53:24 IF YOU'RE IN NORTH AMERICA, YOU CAN CALL 866-STUDY-MORE - 53:29 866-788-3966. ASK FOR FREE OFFER #173. 53:36 IF YOU'RE ONE OF OUR VIEWERS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD, NOT IN 53:39 NORTH AMERICA, YOU CAN GET THIS FREE ONLINE AT AMAZINGFACTS.ORG 53:47 >>CAN'T GET ENOUGH AMAZING FACTS BIBLE STUDY? 53:50 YOU DON'T HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL NEXT WEEK TO ENJOY MORE 53:52 TRUTH-FILLED PROGRAMMING, VISIT THE AMAZING FACTS MEDIA LIBRARY 53:57 AT 'AFTV.ORG'. AT 'AFTV.ORG' YOU CAN ENJOY 54:02 VIDEO AND AUDIO PRESENTATIONS AS WELL AS PRINTED MATERIAL ALL 54:06 FREE OF CHARGE, 24 HOURS A DAY 7 DAYS A WEEK, RIGHT FROM YOUR 54:11 COMPUTER OR MOBILE DEVICE. VISIT 'AFTV.ORG'. (MUSIC) 54:27 >>FRIENDS, HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF THE BOWHEAD WHALE? 54:29 THIS ENORMOUS LEVIATHAN IS THE SECOND-LARGEST CREATURE IN THE 54:33 WORLD. DARK AND STOCKY, IT ROAMS THE 54:36 FERTILE ARCTIC NORTHERN WATERS. THESE MASSIVE CREATURES CAN 54:40 BE MORE THAN 65-FEET LONG AND WEIGHT MORE THAN 75 TONS. 54:44 THAT'S HEAVIER THAN THE SPACE SHUTTLE. 54:47 YET, IN SPITE OF THEIR TITANIC SIZE, THEY'RE ABLE TO LEAP 54:50 ENTIRELY OUT OF THE WATER. CAN YOU SAY 'BELLY FLOP'? 54:55 THE BOWHEAD WHALE GETS ITS NAME FROM ITS BOW-SHAPED SKULL - AND 55:00 THEY'VE GOT ONE GINORMOUS NOGGIN. 55:02 MATTER OF FACT, THEIR HEADS ARE ABOUT 40 PERCENT OF THEIR BODY 55:05 SIZE, WHICH COMES IN HANDY WHEN YOU FIND OUT HOW THEY USE THEIR 55:08 HEADS. THEY'VE GOT VERY THICK SKULLS. 55:11 SOMETIMES THEY GET TRAPPED UNDER THE SURFACE AND THEY USE THEIR 55:14 HEADS TO RAM THE ICE. THEY CAN BREAK A BREATHING HOLE 55:17 IN THE ICE THAT IS A FOOT AND A HALF THICK. 55:21 FRIENDS, YOU HAVE TO JUST IMAGINE WHAT IT WOULD BE LIKE TO 55:23 BE WALKING AROUND ON THE ARCTIC ICE AND ALL OF A SUDDEN HAVE THE 55:26 GROUND BENEATH YOU CRACK AND SPLIT AND RISE AS ONE OF THESE 55:31 SEA MONSTERS PUSHES ITS HEAD UP TO BREATH FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 55:34 90 MINUTES. BECAUSE BOWHEADS MAKE THEIR 55:37 HOME IN THE COLDEST PART OF OUR WORLD, THEY HAVE THE THICKEST 55:40 BLUBBER OF ANY WHALE. BUT THIS, PLUS THEIR FRIENDLY 55:43 AND CURIOUS NATURE, MADE THEM PRIME TARGETS WHEN THE EUROPEAN 55:47 WHALERS DISCOVERED THE BOWHEADS. THEY HUNTED THEM 55:50 NEARLY TO EXTINCTION. FORTUNATELY, BECAUSE OF 55:54 CONSERVATION EFFORTS, WE'VE SLOWLY SEEN THEIR NUMBERS BEGIN 55:57 TO INCREASE SINCE THE 60S. ONE OF THE MOST AMAZING FACTS 56:01 ABOUT THE BOWHEAD WHALE IS ITS LONGEVITY. 56:04 SCIENTISTS HAVE DISCOVERED, BY EVALUATING HARPOON TIPS FOUND IN 56:08 THEIR SKULL, AND EXAMINING THEIR EYE TISSUE, THERE ARE BOWHEAD 56:12 WHALES OUT THERE THAT ARE PROBABLY OVER 200 YEARS OLD. 56:16 YOU REALIZE THAT MEANS THERE ARE BOWHEAD WHALES SWIMMING THE 56:19 OCEANS RIGHT NOW THAT WERE ALIVE BEFORE ABRAHAM LINCOLN WAS 56:23 ELECTED PRESIDENT. CAN YOU IMAGINE THAT? 56:27 AMONG THE OTHER AMAZING MEGA-FACTS ABOUT THE BOWHEAD 56:30 WHALE, IS ITS MEGA-MOUTH. 56:32 THEY HAVE THE LARGEST MOUTH OF ANY IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 56:36 AND WHEN THEY OPEN THEIR PIE HOLE FULL EXTENDED, IT'S LARGE 56:39 ENOUGH TO PARK A MEDIUM-SIZED SUV INSIDE. 56:42 YET, IN SPITE OF THE FACT THAT THEY'VE GOT SUCH BIG MOUTHS, 56:45 THEY SURVIVE BY EATING THE VERY SMALLEST CREATURES IN THE OCEAN 56:49 - PLANKTON, KRILL, AND OTHER MICROSCOPIC ANIMALS. 56:52 FRIENDS, I'M ALWAYS AMAZED BY THE CREATURES GOD HAS MADE. 56:56 THIS BOWHEAD WHALE IS ABLE TO DIVE TO THE DEEPEST OCEANS. 56:59 THEY CAN BREAK THROUGH THE ICE AND MOVE MOUNTAINS WITH THEIR 57:02 HEAD AND COMPLETELY LEAVE THE WATER AND FLY THROUGH THE AIR. 57:05 AND YET, THEY DO ALL THAT BY GAINING STRENGTH FROM ALMOST 57:09 MICROSCOPIC ORGANISMS. IT HELPS US REMEMBER THAT WE 57:12 SURVIVE THROUGH THE LITTLE PROMISES IN GOD'S WORD. 57:15 JESUS, WHEN TEMPTED BY THE DEVIL, HE QUOTED JUST A FEW 57:18 LITTLE VERSES AND HE SENT THE ENEMY RUNNING. 57:21 YOU CAN ALSO HAVE THAT SAME DURABILITY AND LONG LIFE AS THE 57:24 BOWHEAD WHALE, BY TRUSTING IN GOD'S WORD AND HIS PROMISES. 57:28 (MUSIC) >>FOR LIFE-CHANGING 57:38 CHRISTIAN RESOURCES, VISIT AFBOOKSTORE.COM . 57:44 >>DID YOU KNOW THAT NOAH WAS PRESENT AT THE BIRTH OF ABRAHAM? 57:47 OKAY, MAYBE HE WASN'T IN THE ROOM, BUT HE WAS ALIVE AND 57:51 PROBABLY TELLING STORIES ABOUT HIS FLOATING ZOO. 57:54 FROM THE CREATION OF THE WORLD TO THE LAST-DAY EVENTS OF 57:57 REVELATION, 'BIBLEHISTORY.COM' IS A FREE RESOURCE WHERE YOU CAN 58:01 EXPLORE MAJOR BIBLE EVENTS AND CHARACTERS. 58:05 ENHANCE YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE AND DRAW CLOSER TO GOD'S 58:07 WORD. GO DEEPER. 58:10 VISIT THE AMAZING BIBLE TIME LINE AT 'BIBLEHISTORY.COM'. 58:15 (MUSIC) |
Revised 2016-01-26