Participants: Gerald & Chantal Klingbeil
Series Code: SSH
Program Code: SSH021616A
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00:06 (MUSIC)
00:41 >>WELCOME TO SABBATH SCHOOL STUDY HOUR, COMING TO YOU FROM 00:44 THE GRANITE BAY SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH LOCATED IN 00:47 ROCKLIN, CALIFORNIA ON THE WEST COAST OF THE UNITED STATES OF 00:50 AMERICA. WE HAVE AN INTERNATIONAL FAMILY 00:52 THAT JOIN US EVERY WEEK FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND AROUND 00:55 THE WORLD AND WE ARE GLAD THAT YOU ARE TUNING IN AND JOINING US 00:59 AGAIN LIKE YOU DO EVERY WEEK. AND WE JUST WANT TO GIVE YOU 01:03 A SPECIAL WARM WELCOME FROM SACRAMENTO AND LET YOU KNOW, IF 01:07 YOU'RE EVER IN THIS AREA, WE WOULD LOVE FOR YOU TO COME AND 01:10 JOIN US AND WORSHIP WITH US HERE AT THE GRANITE BAY 01:13 SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH. TODAY PASTOR DOUG AND PASTOR 01:17 ROSS ARE STILL IN NORTH CAROLINA DOING THEIR SPECIAL SERIES ON 01:20 THE SABBATH AND SO WE'RE HOLDING DOWN THE FORT HERE AND WE'RE 01:25 GOING TO SING YOUR FAVORITE SONGS LIKE WE DO EVERY WEEK. 01:27 AND SO, THE FIRST ONE - PULL OUT YOUR HYMNALS AND JOIN US - IT'S 01:31 A NEW ONE SO, HOPEFULLY, THOSE OF YOU AROUND THE WORLD ARE 01:35 FAMILIAR WITH THIS ONE, BECAUSE WE'RE LEARNING IT HERE AND WE 01:37 LOVE LEARNING NEW SONGS. AND I KNOW THAT MANY OF YOU DO 01:40 AS WELL - ESPECIALLY THE SECOND VERSE - IT'S #233 TITLED CHRIST, 01:47 WHOSE GLORY FILLS THE SKIES - #233 - "DARK AND CHEERLESS IS 01:51 THE MORN UNACCOMPANIED BY THEE, JOYLESS IS THE DAY'S RETURN 01:57 TILL THY MERCY'S BEAMS I SEE. TILL THEY INWARD LIGHT IMPART, 02:02 CHEER MY EYES AND WARM MY HEART." 02:05 NO WORDS ARE MORE TRUE THAN THAT. WITHOUT THE RAYS OF GOD'S 02:10 LOVE AND LIGHT SHINING INTO US, OUR LIVES AND OUR HEARTS ARE SO 02:14 DARK - DARK AND CHEERLESS IS THE MORN - AND IT'S NOT JUST THE 02:19 MORN, IT'S THE ENTIRE DAY - IT'S YOUR ENTIRE LIFE. 02:23 SO I HOPE THAT YOU WILL PAY ATTENTION TO THE WORDS OF THIS 02:25 LOVELY SONG AS WE SING #233. JOIN WITH US. (MUSIC) 02:41 >>CHRIST, WHOSE GLORY FILLS THE SKIES, CHRIST, THE 02:47 TRUE, THE ONLY LIGHT, SUN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, ARISE, TRIUMPH 02:58 O'ER THE SHADES OF NIGHT; DAYSPRING FROM ON HIGH, 03:05 BE NEAR; DAYSTAR, IN MY HEART APPEAR. 03:13 DARK AND CHEERLESS IS THE MORN UNACCOMPANIED BY THEE; JOYLESS 03:25 IS THE DAY'S RETURN TILL THY MERCY'S BEAMS I SEE; TILL THEY 03:36 INWARD LIGHT IMPART, CHEER MY EYES AND WARM MY HEART. 03:48 VISIT, THEN, THIS SOUL OF MINE; PIERCE THE GLOOM OF SIN AND 03:57 GRIEF; FILL ME, RADIANCY DIVINE; SCATTER ALL MY UNBELIEF; MORE 04:11 AND MORE THYSELF DISPLAY, SHINING TO THE PERFECT DAY. 04:27 >>BEFORE WE HAVE OUR LESSON STUDY, I WANT TO TELL YOU ABOUT 04:30 OUR SPECIAL OFFER FOR TODAY. EVERY WEEK WE HAVE A SPECIAL 04:33 BOOK THAT WE OFFER YOU AND IF YOU ARE IN NORTH AMERICA WE 04:37 ENCOURAGE YOU TO CALL US AND REQUEST OFFER #715 - 04:42 866-788-3966, WHICH IS EASY TO REMEMBER - 866-STUDY-MORE - AND 04:50 THIS LITTLE BOOK DOES GOD'S GRACE BLOT OUT THE LAW? 04:54 GREAT QUESTION AND IT'S A WONDERFUL BOOK FILLED WITH 04:57 INFORMATION THAT WILL ANSWER THAT QUESTION. 05:01 IT IS A QUESTION THAT A LOT OF CHRISTIANS - AND NON-CHRISTIANS 05:04 - HAVE. BUT DOES GOD'S GRACE BLOT OUT THE LAW? 05:07 SO I ENCOURAGE YOU TO CALL IN AND REQUEST THAT BOOK. 05:10 AND IF YOU ARE NOT IN NORTH AMERICA, DON'T WORRY, WE HAVEN'T 05:13 FORGOTTEN ABOUT YOU. YOU CAN GO TO THE AMAZING FACTS 05:15 WEBSITE - AMAZINGFACTS.ORG - AND YOU CAN DOWNLOAD IT AND READ IT 05:20 RIGHT THERE ON THE AMAZING FACTS WEBSITE. 05:23 BEFORE WE HAVE OUR LESSON STUDY, LET'S BOW OUR HEADS FOR PRAYER. 05:28 FATHER IN HEAVEN, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BRINGING US HERE 05:32 TOGETHER TODAY TO OPEN UP YOUR WORD - TO STUDY TOGETHER. 05:37 AND I JUST PRAY THAT YOU WILL BE WITH EACH PERSON HERE AND OUR 05:41 EXTENDED FAMILY AROUND THE WORLD. 05:43 THERE'S SO MANY THAT WE KNOW JOIN US EVERY WEEK. 05:46 WE'VE NEVER MET THEM BUT, ONE DAY, I KNOW THAT ON THE SEA OF 05:50 GLASS WE WILL ALL COME TOGETHER FOR A BIG SABBATH SCHOOL STUDY 05:54 HOUR REUNION WHERE WE CAN WORSHIP TOGETHER. 05:57 WE CAN WORSHIP YOU AND SING SONGS OF PRAISE TO YOU - AND 06:01 OCEANS AND SEAS AND MILES WON'T SEPARATE US FROM EACH OTHER AND 06:05 FROM YOUR LOVE. FATHER, WE THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR 06:08 BLESSING US, FOR GIVING US THE HOPE THAT WE HAVE AS CHRISTIANS, 06:13 THAT YOU LIGHT UP OUR LIVES AND YOU CHANGE OUR HEARTS. 06:19 AND FATHER, IF SOMEONE WHO IS HERE OR IS WATCHING FEELS LIKE 06:24 THEY'RE IN A REALLY DARK PLACE RIGHT NOW, I PRAY THAT THEY WILL 06:26 REMEMBER THE WORDS TO THE SONG THAT WE JUST SANG - THAT YOU CAN 06:30 CHANGE EVERYTHING AND YOU CAN CHANGE THE COLDEST, DARKEST 06:34 HEART. I THANK YOU FOR THAT, 06:36 IN JESUS' NAME, AMEN. WE HAVE A SPECIAL LESSON 06:41 STUDY FOR YOU TODAY. IT'S A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT. 06:43 WE LIKE VARIETY HERE AT GRANITE BAY AND SO GERALD AND CHANTAL 06:47 KLINGBAUM ARE PRESENTING OUR LESSON STUDY. 06:50 CHANTAL IS THE SISTER OF OUR ASSOCIATE PASTOR, PASTOR JËAN 06:54 ROSS, FROM SOUTH AFRICA AND GERALD AND CHANTAL LIVE IN 06:59 MARYLAND - THEY'RE VISITING US - AND GERALD IS THE ASSOCIATE 07:03 EDITOR OF THE ADVENTIST REVIEW AND CHANTAL IS THE ASSOCIATE 07:08 DIRECTOR OF THE WHITE ESTATE. SO I MET THEM TODAY AND I'M 07:12 VERY EXCITED THAT THEY'RE HERE TO PRESENT US OUR LESSON STUDY. 07:15 SO AT THIS TIME WE'LL INVITE THEM FORWARD. 07:18 >>IT'S WONDERFUL TO BE HERE. WE BEGAN OUR YEAR ON A REAL 07:22 MOUNTAINTOP EXPERIENCE - QUITE LITERALLY. 07:26 WE WERE IN NEW ZEALAND - SOUTH ISLAND - AND WE CLIMBED A 07:30 MOUNTAIN - MOUNT FYFFE. NOW THAT WAS A VERY BIG DEAL FOR 07:34 ME BECAUSE IT'S BEEN YEARS AND YEARS AND YEARS SINCE I'VE 07:37 CLIMBED A MOUNTAIN - AND I ACTUALLY MADE IT TO THE TOP. 07:41 HOW HIGH WAS IT GERALD? >>WELL, IT WAS 5,000 FEET. 07:44 FOR THOSE WHO WORK IN METERS, WHERE I COME FROM, THAT'S ABOUT 07:48 1,600 METERS. ELEVATION THAT WE WORKED - 07:53 WALKED - IN ONE DAY - 8 HOURS - IT TOOK A LONG TIME. 07:56 >>IT WAS A MOUNTAINTOP EXPERIENCE AND OUR LESSON TODAY 08:00 IS ABOUT ANOTHER MOUNTAINTOP EXPERIENCE, THE SERMON ON THE 08:06 MOUNT. IT BEGINS ON A MOUNTAIN. WHY ON A MOUNTAIN, GERALD? 08:11 >>WELL, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU NOTICED THIS. 08:14 THERE ARE SOME KEY MOMENTS IN THE HISTORY OF GOD'S PEOPLE THAT 08:18 SEEM TO BEGIN ON A MOUNTAIN. JUST THOUGHT QUICKLY ABOUT 08:23 IT AND I REMEMBERED - DO YOU REMEMBER THE STORY OF ELIJAH? 08:28 WHERE WAS THAT GREAT SHOWDOWN BETWEEN THE LORD AND THE 08:33 PROPHETS OF BAAL? IT WAS ON MOUNT CARMEL, RIGHT? 08:38 AND IT WAS A MOMENT THAT WAS CRUCIALLY DECISIVE FOR ISRAEL. 08:43 THEY HAD TO MAKE A DECISION. 08:44 SO MOUNTAINS CAN MEAN WE HAVE TO MAKE A DECISION. 08:47 AND THERE - THERE'S THIS OTHER MOUNTAIN. 08:49 DO YOU REMEMBER THE MOUNT SINAI, WHEN GOD SAYS TO MOSES, 'I WANT 08:56 YOU TO COME UP.' AND NOT JUST HIM - HE CAME UP WITH ELDERS. 09:02 'AND I WANT YOU TO RECEIVE FROM ME WHAT IS THE BLUEPRINT FOR 09:07 YOU, THE LAW.' SO MOUNTAIN EXPERIENCES ARE VERY IMPORTANT. 09:13 >>NOW THIS MOUNTAINTOP EXPERIENCE IS REALLY A SERMON. 09:18 IT'S A FANTASTIC SERMON. OUR LESSON STUDY SAYS IT'S 09:22 THE MOST POWERFUL SERMON EVER PREACHED. 09:25 SO I THOUGHT, PERHAPS WE'LL ASK YOU, BECAUSE YOU'VE WRITTEN A 09:28 LOT OF SERMONS - YOU'VE PREACHED A LOT OF SERMONS - 09:30 >>I DO, YES. >>AND YOU'VE BEEN INVOLVED WITH 09:33 STUDENTS AND YOU'VE TAUGHT THEM TO PREACH. 09:35 >>I'VE TRAINED PASTORS FOR FIFTEEN YEARS. THAT'S RIGHT. 09:38 >>OKAY, WHAT MAKES THIS A GOOD SERMON. 09:40 >>WELL, FOR ME, WHEN I SIT AND LISTEN TO A SERMON, IT NEEDS TO 09:43 BE BASED ON SCRIPTURE, OBVIOUSLY. 09:46 >>MM HMM. >>BASED ON GOD'S WORD. 09:49 AND IF YOU LOOK AT THE BEATITUDES AND THE NEXT CHAPTERS 09:53 IN MATTHEW, THEY ARE FULL OF REFERENCES TO THE OLD TESTAMENT. 09:57 NEXT ONE, THAT I REALLY THINK IS VERY IMPORTANT, THEY NEED TO BE 10:02 EASY TO REMEMBER. YOU KNOW, THEY CAN'T 10:04 BE TOO DIFFICULT. THEY NEED TO BE PRACTICAL. 10:08 AND IF YOU THINK ABOUT PRACTICALITY, REMEMBER WHEN 10:14 JESUS SPEAKS ABOUT HOW WE SHOULD PRAY, IS THAT PRACTICAL? 10:19 >>THAT'S REAL HANDS-ON STUFF. >>THAT'S EVERY DAY STUFF, RIGHT? 10:21 >>MM HMM. >>EVERY MINUTE STUFF. 10:23 HOW DO WE APPROACH GOD? HOW DO WE TALK TO 10:25 GOD AS OUR FATHER? AND THERE'S SOMETHING THAT I 10:29 THINK IS VERY CRUCIAL: THEY SHOULD TELL A STORY. 10:33 >>WE ALL LIKE A GOOD STORY. >>WE ALL LIKE - AND 10:35 JESUS KNEW THAT. JESUS WAS THE 10:37 MASTER STORYTELLER. SO THERE'S SOME SHORT LITTLE 10:40 STORY SNIPPETS ALSO IN THAT SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 10:44 AND, FINALLY, SOMEHOW I FEEL - I FEEL ESPECIALLY BLESSED WHEN I 10:49 AM SUDDENLY SURPRISED WITH SOMETHING NEW FROM GOD THAT HE 10:54 TALKS INTO MY HEART AND TO MY LIFE. HAVE YOU FELT THAT WAY AS 10:58 YOU LISTEN TO A SERMON - AS YOU READ SOMETHING IN SCRIPTURE THAT 11:02 SUDDENLY IT'S AS - 'MAN, I'VE READ THIS SO OFTEN AND 11:06 YET, IT NEVER CLICKED.' >>CAN I ADD TWO MORE POINTS? 11:11 >>PLEASE, GO AHEAD. YOU ARE A GOOD PREACHER TOO. 11:15 >>WHAT I REALLY, REALLY LIKE ABOUT THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT, 11:19 WHAT REAL, GREAT PREACHING TIP COMES OUT FOR ME IS REALLY THIS 11:24 FACT THAT WE GET TO KNOW GOD FROM A DIFFERENT ANGLE. 11:28 PERHAPS GET A LITTLE GLIMPSE OF GOD THAT WE'VE NEVER HAD BEFORE. 11:33 AS A PARENT, IT JUST RESONATES WITH ME, THE SECTION WHERE JESUS 11:37 SAYS, 'IF YOUR CHILD ASKS FOR BREAD, ARE YOU GOING TO GIVE 11:41 HIM' - WHAT? 'A STONE? OR A SCORPION? OR A SERPENT?' 11:49 NEVER. NEVER. THIS GOD, AS OUR LOVING FATHER, 11:54 THAT COMES OUT IS REALLY BEAUTIFUL. 11:56 >>IT'S TRUE. THAT IS VERY TRUE. 11:59 >>AND YOU KNOW WHAT ELSE A REALLY GOOD SERMON IS? 12:01 AND YOU DO IT A BIT - UNFORTUNATELY, THIS IS NOT A 12:04 TALENT OF MINE - BUT A GOOD SERMON SHOULD INSPIRE MUSIC, 12:08 DON'T YOU THINK? CAN YOU THINK OF A STORY OR A 12:12 SONG THAT COMES FROM ONE OF THE PARTS OF THE SERMON 12:16 ON THE MOUNT? OKAY, WHERE'S OUR CHILDREN? 12:20 CHILDREN HERE - 'THE WISE MAN BUILT HIS HOUSE UPON' - 12:25 >>THE ROCK. >>THE ROCK. IT INSPIRES GOOD 12:27 MUSIC TOO. >>THAT'S TRUE. 12:28 >>THAT YOU CAN REMEMBER. >>THAT IS VERY TRUE. WELL, SHALL 12:32 WE - SHALL WE RIGHT - JUMP IN THERE? 12:34 >>LET'S DO IT. >>LET'S GO. IF YOU HAVE YOUR 12:38 BIBLES OPEN, WE'RE GOING TO NEED THEM TODAY. AND WHAT'S SO NICE, 12:43 WE'RE GOING TO STICK AROUND A FAIRLY SHORT RANGE OF TEXTS. 12:46 WE'RE GOING TO STICK IN MATTHEW CHAPTER 5 AND WE'LL TRY - WE 12:51 CAN'T DO EVERYTHING - AS I LOOK - 12:53 >>IT'S REALLY INTENSE. >>AT THE LESSON FOR THIS WEEK I 12:55 SAID, 'WOW, THERE IS SO MUCH. I CAN PREACH A WHOLE WEEK JUST 12:59 ON THE BEATITUDES OR ON THE LORD'S PRAYER THERE'S 13:03 SO MUCH IN THERE. BUT WE'LL TRY TO GIVE YOU THE - 13:06 YOU KNOW, THE MOUNTAINTOP VIEW WHERE YOU CAN SEE AND GET THE 13:10 BIG PICTURE SO THAT YOU, WHEN YOU GO HOME, YOU CAN GET, ALSO, 13:15 PERSONAL - DIG DEEP INTO THAT. SO CHANTAL - 13:20 >>HMM? >>PRINCIPLES AND STANDARDS - 13:22 THAT'S AN INTERESTING QUESTION. >>MM HMM. 13:26 >>WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PRINCIPLES AND STANDARDS? 13:31 >>OKAY, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT GIVING 13:34 PRINCIPLES AND STANDARDS, PERHAPS? 13:36 >>THAT'S RIGHT. >>OKAY. WELL, WHAT COMES TO MY 13:39 MIND - PERHAPS YOU HAVE A DIFFERENT IDEA BUT, YOU KNOW, 13:42 THEY'RE KIND OF SYNONYMS? PRINCIPLES/STANDARDS? 13:45 BUT IF YOU THINK A LITTLE LONGER, I'D SAY THAT PRINCIPLES 13:51 CAN'T BE MEASURED AND STANDARDS CAN. 13:54 SO STANDARDS, I GUESS, I COULD GET OUT A TAPE MEASURER OR, AT 13:57 LEAST, OBSERVE SOMETHING AND MEASURE IT. 14:00 BUT PRINCIPLES, THAT'S - THAT'S A LITTLE DEEPER. 14:04 >>WHAT IS JESUS REALLY MAJORING IN THIS SERMON? 14:08 IS HE MAJORING IN PRINCIPLES OR IS HE MAJORING IN STANDARDS? 14:14 >>THAT'S AN EXCELLENT QUESTION. WHAT DO YOU THINK? 14:17 IS HE MAJORING IN PRINCIPLES OR IS HE MAJORING IN STANDARDS? 14:23 >>WELL, I HEAR - >>I HEARD SOME STANDARDS. 14:24 >>I HEARD PRINCIPLES. >>ALRIGHT. 14:29 'HOW ABOUT BOTH?' SOMEONE SAYS. THAT'S INTERESTING. 14:32 >>OKAY, THAT'S THE DIPLOMATIC VERSION. 14:36 >>A LITTLE BIT OF BOTH. I'M REMINDED OF A STORY. 14:41 APPARENTLY, THERE WAS, AT A VERY NICE CASTLE, IN THE - USED TO BE 14:49 SOVIET UNION, SO I GUESS IT'S SOMEWHERE IN THAT AREA - A 14:53 BEAUTIFUL CASTLE AND IT'S OPEN TO TOURISTS AND THEY GET TO GO 14:57 AND HAVE A LOOK AROUND AND A GROUP OF TOURISTS NOTICED THAT 15:01 IN THE COURTYARD THERE WAS A NICELY DRESSED SOLDIER IN, YOU 15:08 KNOW, DRESS UNIFORM - VERY IMPRESSIVE TO LOOK AT - AND THIS 15:13 SOLDIER WOULD MARCH OUT INTO THE MIDDLE OF THIS GRASSY COURTYARD 15:19 AND HE WOULD MAKE A SQUARE - A SMALL SQUARE - MARCHING IT 15:24 AROUND - AND THEN HE WOULD STAND. 15:27 AND HE WOULD DO THIS FOR A LONG TIME AND THEN ANOTHER SOLDIER 15:31 WOULD COME OUT AND RELIEVE HIM AND HE WOULD MARCH AROUND THAT 15:34 LITTLE SQUARE AND THEN STAND ON SENTRY DUTY. 15:38 >>YOU MEAN THEY DID THAT FOR 24 HOURS EVERY DAY? 15:41 >>IT SEEMED THAT THERE WAS ALWAYS SOMEONE ON DUTY OUT 15:44 THERE. >>WOW. 15:45 >>SO THE TOURISTS ACTUALLY ASKED, 'WHAT ARE YOU DOING? 15:49 WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?' AND ONE OF THE SOLDIERS THAT HAD 15:54 JUST COME OFF DUTY, HE SAID, 'YOU KNOW, I HAVE NO IDEA. 15:57 MAYBE YOU SHOULD ASK THE COMMANDING OFFICER.' SO THEY 16:01 ASKED THE COMMANDING OFFICER AND HE SAID, 'WELL, IT'S A VERY OLD 16:04 TRADITION, BUT I'M NOT QUITE SURE WHY. 16:07 WE NEED TO CHECK THE ARCHIVES. THEY WENT BACK, THEY CHECKED THE 16:11 ARCHIVES AND THEY DISCOVERED THAT GENERATIONS AGO THE QUEEN 16:16 HAD PLANTED AN IMPORTED ROSE BUSH AND SHE WAS SCARED THAT 16:21 THE RABBITS WOULD GET AT IT. AND SO, SHE APPOINTED THIS 16:26 SENTRY TO BE ON DUTY ALL THE TIME TO GUARD HER ROSE BUSH. 16:30 IT HAD LONG-SINCE DIED, BUT THEY WERE STILL MARCHING ROUND AND 16:34 ROUND AND PROTECTING THIS PATCH OF GRASS. 16:37 >>WOW, SO THEY REALLY HAD FORGOTTEN WHY THEY WERE DOING 16:40 WHAT THEY WERE DOING. >>MAYBE THEY'D FORGOTTEN THE 16:43 PRINCIPLE AND STILL HAD SOME OR ANOTHER STANDARD GOING. 16:46 >>LET'S JUST GO BACK - JUST QUICKLY IN HISTORY. 16:50 IN THE TIME OF THE EXILE - AFTER THE TIME OF THE EXILE WHEN 16:55 ISRAEL CAME BACK OUT OF BABYLON, THEY SAID, 'WE NEED TO DO IT 17:00 DIFFERENTLY BECAUSE OUR DISREGARD FOR GOD'S LAW BROUGHT 17:05 US TO EXILE.' AND SO THEY BEGAN TO CHANGE AND 17:11 THEY BEGAN TO BUILD WALLS AROUND GOD'S LAW. 17:16 >>IN OTHER WORDS, THEY STARTED TAKING GOD'S LAW SERIOUSLY. 17:19 >>THEY TOOK - THEY STARTED TO TAKE IT SERIOUSLY. 17:21 >>OKAY. >>IT WASN'T ALWAYS EASY. 17:23 IF YOU READ SOME OF THE STORIES IN EZRA AND NEHEMIAH FOLLOWING 17:26 THE EXILE, THEY STRUGGLED - SABBATH, YOU KNOW, FAITHFULNESS, 17:33 FIRST THINGS FIRST - TITHE, AND SO ON. 17:36 AND YET, THEY WERE COMMITTED TO THAT. 17:40 HOWEVER, YEAR AFTER YEAR IT SEEMED AS IF THEY WOULD BECOME 17:46 LIKE THAT SOLDIER - MARCHING AROUND AND FORGETTING WHY WE ARE 17:54 MARCHING AROUND. STANDARDS AND PRINCIPLES : THE 18:00 PHARISEES - IN THE TIME OF JESUS - THE PHARISEES AND SCRIBES 18:04 SEEMED TO BE ONE OF THOSE WHO WERE VERY COMMITTED TO THAT. 18:09 IN FACT, PHARISEES HAVE VERY BAD PRESS IN THE NEW TESTAMENT. 18:16 IF YOU READ ABOUT THE PHARISEES IN THE NEW TESTAMENT YOU WOULD 18:19 SAY, 'WHOA, WHAT KIND OF PEOPLE WERE THEY?' 18:24 YET, WHEN YOU READ ABOUT THEM OUTSIDE THE NEW TESTAMENT, THEY 18:27 WERE VERY COMMITTED. THEY WERE VERY SINCERE. 18:31 THEY WERE VERY CONSERVATIVE. >>OKAY, SO NOW WE'RE IN 18:38 THE NEW TESTAMENT TIME. JESUS IS UP ON THE MOUNTAIN - 18:41 SIMILAR TO MOUNT SINAI - JESUS IS UP ON THIS MOUNTAIN AND HE'S 18:46 GIVING THIS FANTASTIC SERMON - THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT - AND 18:50 HE'S LAYING OUT HIS PRINCIPLES FOR A NEW KINGDOM - 18:54 FOR THIS NEW KINGDOM. COULD WE SAY - COULD WE SAY THAT 18:59 THIS - THIS SERMON REPLACES THE TEN COMMANDMENTS? 19:06 THE OLD TESTAMENT BASIS THAT WE WERE SPEAKING OF? 19:10 >>LET ME READ A QUOTE FROM ELLEN WHITE ABOUT THIS. 19:13 >>OKAY. >>I THINK THAT WOULD BE A 19:14 GOOD INTRODUCTION TO THAT. SHE WRITES, IN THE DESIRE OF 19:19 AGES PAGE 299, "IN THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT JESUS SOUGHT TO UNDO 19:28 THE WORK THAT HAD BEEN WROUGHT BY FALSE EDUCATION AND TO GIVE 19:34 HIS HEARERS A RIGHT CONCEPTION OF HIS KINGDOM AND 19:40 OF HIS OWN CHARACTER. THE TRUTHS HE TAUGHT ARE NO LESS 19:46 IMPORTANT TO US THAN TO THE MULTITUDE THAT FOLLOWED HIM." 19:51 - AND, YOU KNOW, LET ME JUST INSERT HERE, PHARISEES WERE 19:54 SITTING AMONGST - AND SCRIBES - WERE SITTING AMONGST THIS 19:58 MULTITUDE. SHE CONTINUES - "WE, NO LESS 20:01 THAN THEY, NEED TO LEARN THE FOUNDATION PRINCIPLES 20:06 OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD." SO WHAT WE'RE STUDYING THIS 20:10 MORNING IS SO FOUNDATIONAL - SO SIGNIFICANT - IT DETERMINES 20:15 THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE HOUSE. WE NEED A GOOD SOLID FOUNDATION. 20:19 THAT'S WHY JESUS BEGINS HIS MINISTRY - IT'S RIGHT AT THE 20:22 BEGINNING OF HIS MINISTRY - HE BEGINS IT WITH PREACHING A 20:26 SERMON THAT NO ONE CAN JUST LISTEN TO, BECAUSE IT'S A SERMON 20:33 THAT STEPS ON TOES. IT'S A SERMON THAT PROVOKES. 20:40 AND IT'S A SERMON THAT CONNECTS BOTH TESTAMENTS. 20:45 >>AH, SO I WAS GOING TO TRY HIM ON A TRICK QUESTION. 20:50 IT'S ALWAYS GOOD WHEN I'VE GOT HIM HERE - I CAN ASK A TRICK 20:52 QUESTION. I WAS GOING TO ASK YOU 20:54 ABOUT THE KINGDOM OF GRACE. >>HMM. 20:57 >>YOU KNOW, THE OLD TESTAMENT BEING THE KINGDOM OF LAW AND NOW 21:01 WE'RE LIVING IN THE NEW TESTAMENT, THE KINGDOM OF GRACE. 21:04 >>HMM. >>WHAT WOULD YOU SAY? 21:05 WOULD YOU SAY THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT SUPPORTS THIS IDEA? 21:08 >>WELL, CHANTAL, YOU SPEAK TO THE WRONG PERSON. 21:11 I'M A PROFESSOR OF OLD TESTAMENT, SO I AM IN LOVE WITH 21:15 THE OLD TESTAMENT - AND SO WAS JESUS, WASN'T HE? 21:20 LET'S READ THAT. IF YOU HAVE YOUR BIBLES, LET'S 21:23 GO TO MATTHEW CHAPTER 5. LET'S READ VERSES 17 TO 19 THERE 21:30 BECAUSE I THINK, WHEN JESUS STARTED SPEAKING, AS A SPEAKER - 21:35 AT LEAST HE DIDN'T HAVE SO MANY LIGHTS THAT WE HAVE THIS MORNING 21:40 - AS A SPEAKER YOU CAN SEE IN THE FACE OF YOUR AUDIENCE - IN 21:44 THE EYES - IF THEY GOT IT OR IF THEY DIDN'T GET IT. 21:48 HAVE YOU EVER NOTICE THIS? THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE 21:50 TEACHERS, YOU KNOW THAT. I REMEMBER - YOU KNOW, IN MY 21:53 CLASSROOMS - IT DOESN'T MATTER - GRADUATE OR UNDERGRADUATE LEVEL 21:57 - YOU CAN SEE IF A STUDENT GOT IT OR IF HE DIDN'T. 22:02 SO LISTEN TO THIS HERE, "DO NOT THINK" - SOMEBODY MUST HAVE 22:06 THOUGHT THAT BECAUSE HE - HE - >>ADDRESSES IT DIRECTLY. 22:10 >>ADDRESSES IT DIRECTLY - "DO NOT THINK THAT I CAME TO DESTROY 22:14 THE LAW OR THE PROPHETS. I DID NOT COME TO DESTROY 22:18 BUT TO" - WHAT DOES IT SAY? - "FULFILL." NOW, THE GREEK WORD 22:25 HERE THAT IS USED HERE MEANS TO MAKE IT FULL - TO MAKE IT REALLY 22:30 COMPLETE - "FOR ASSUREDLY, I SAY TO YOU, TILL HEAVEN AND EARTH 22:35 PASS AWAY, ONE JOT OR ONE TITLE" - "TITTLE" - SORRY - 22:40 "WILL BY NO MEANS PASS FROM THE LAW TILL ALL IS FULFILLED." 22:45 - VERSE 19 - "WHOEVER THEREFORE BREAKS ONE OF THE LEAST OF THESE 22:48 COMMANDMENTS, AND TEACHES MEN SO, SHALL BE CALLED LEAST IN THE 22:54 KINGDOM OF HEAVEN; BUT WHOEVER DOES AND TEACHES THEM," - THAT'S 22:58 THE LAW - "HE SHALL BE CALLED GREAT IN THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN." 23:05 >>I GUESS THAT ANSWERS THAT. >>THERE'S NO REPLACEMENT HERE. 23:11 JESUS COMES TO FULFILL. JESUS COMES TO MAKE IT REAL. 23:17 JESUS COMES TO FILL IT OUT SO THAT WE - WE CAN REALLY 23:21 UNDERSTAND. >>ABSOLUTELY. 23:25 SO WE HAVE THIS WONDERFUL CONNECTION BETWEEN THE OLD AND 23:30 THE NEW. WE HAVE, I DON'T KNOW, WE SEEM 23:33 TO HAVE AN AMPLIFICATION, IN A CERTAIN SENSE? 23:37 WHAT DOES THE NEXT VERSE SAY - THAT YOU WERE JUST READING? 23:42 >>WELL, I LEFT IT OUT ON PURPOSE. 23:43 >>YOU DID? >>I DID. 23:45 BECAUSE THAT VERSE SETS US UP RIGHT FOR OUR NEXT SECTION. 23:51 LET - THAT SOUNDS - IF YOU - IF WE READ THAT - WE'RE GOING TO 23:54 READ THAT VERSE RIGHT NOW, BUT IT SOUNDS REALLY WILD. 23:58 >>AND IT MUST HAVE SOUNDED SO TO THE FIRST - TO THE FIRST 24:02 HEARERS, ALTHOUGH PROBABLY - WELL, LET'S READ IT FIRST. 24:06 >>LET'S READ IT. JESUS BEGINS, "FOR I SAY TO 24:09 YOU," - NOW, WHEN JESUS SAYS THAT IN THE GOSPEL, IT'S 24:12 LIKE AN EXCLAMATION MARK. IT'S LIKE A RED FLAG THAT HE 24:16 WAVES IN FRONT OF OUR NOSES AND SAYS, 'NOW PAY ATTENTION. 24:21 SO - "FOR I SAY TO YOU, THAT UNLESS YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS 24:26 EXCCEEDS THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE SCRIBES AND PHARISEES, YOU 24:32 WILL BY NO MEANS ENTER THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN." 24:37 AND I CAN SEE IN THE CROWD A HUSH - WAHHH - AS THEY WERE 24:45 LISTENING ON THAT MOUNTAIN. >>NOW I GUESS WE ARE ALSO GOING 24:49 'WAHHH' - BUT MAYBE WE HAVE A BIT OF A DIFFERENT REACTION 24:52 BECAUSE, AS GERALD SAID EARLIER, WHEN WE HEAR SCRIBES AND 24:56 PHARISEES, WE DON'T GET A WARM FUZZY FEELING, DO WE? 25:00 >>NO. >>SCRIBES AND PHARISEES, AT 25:03 LEAST IN OUR MIND, ARE THE BAD GUYS. 25:05 YOU KNOW, IF YOU WANT TO REALLY SAY SOMETHING MEAN TO SOMEONE 25:08 YOU SAY, 'OH, YOU'RE BEING A PHARISEE.' AND IT'S PRETTY 25:12 INSULTIVE. BUT IT WASN'T SO TO THE AUDIENCE 25:15 THAT JESUS WAS SPEAKING TO. AND JESUS SAID, 'YOUR 25:19 RIGHTEOUSNESS MUST EXCEED THAT OF THE SCRIBES AND THE 25:22 PHARISEES.' THEY WENT, 'NO.' BECAUSE WHAT OTHER GROUP OF 25:29 PEOPLE WERE AS DEDICATED AS THEY WERE? 25:33 I MEAN, EVERYTHING ABOUT THEM - WHEN THEY BATHED, HOW THEY 25:37 BATHED - THEY SAT IN THEIR KITCHENS COUNTING OUT AND 25:41 DIVIDING UP CAREFULLY THEIR HERBS TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY 25:46 HAVE A TENTH TO GIVE. I MEAN, THAT KIND OF ATTENTION 25:50 TO DETAIL IN EVERY ASPECT OF THEIR LIVES - THE COMMON PEOPLE 25:53 SAID, 'NEVER, WE CAN'T EVEN GET TO THEIR STANDARD AND WE'VE 25:58 GOT TO GET BETTER THAN THEM. THERE'S JUST NO WAY.' 26:02 >>SO IS JESUS SETTING THEM UP TO BE DISAPPOINTED? 26:06 UNLESS YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS - MY RIGHTEOUSNESS - SURPASSES THAT 26:11 OR EXCEEDS THAT OF THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE PHARISEES - 26:14 NOW THEY ARE THE PROTOTYPE OF COMMANDMENT KEEPING. 26:19 YOU WILL BY NO MEANS ENTER THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN - WHAT IS HE 26:23 DOING HERE? WHAT IS HE DOING HERE? 26:26 >>HE SURE IS SETTING UP - NOT JUST FOR HIS AUDIENCE, BUT FOR 26:29 US AS WELL. WHEN WE READ THE TEN 26:33 COMMANDMENTS - WHEN WE READ 'THOU SHALL NOT KILL' - IS 26:37 THAT A REAL TOUGH COMMANDMENT? DO YOU THINK? 26:41 DO YOU THINK OFTEN ABOUT KILLING PEOPLE AND IT'S A REAL STRUGGLE 26:46 IN YOUR MIND TO SAY, 'OKAY, I'M NOT KILLING ANYONE TODAY.' 26:49 IT'S NOT SO BIG A DEAL. >>I WOULD GET A LITTLE WORRIED 26:53 IF SOMEONE WOULD STAND UP AND SAY, 'YES, I DO.' 26:57 >>IT'S NOT SUCH A BIG DEAL. AND, I GUESS, FOR SOME PEOPLE 27:01 BACK THEN THEY THOUGHT, 'WELL, THAT'S AN EASY COMMAND. 27:03 YOU CAN TICK THAT ONE OFF, IT'S NO PROBLEM.' BUT JESUS GOES ON 27:07 AND HE MAGNIFIES THAT COMMAND. HE SAYS THAT IF YOU ARE RIDING 27:13 ON THE BELTWAY - >>THAT'S IN WASHINGTON. 27:16 >>IN WASHINGTON - THAT'S THE ONLY ONE I CAN SPEAK OF. 27:20 I DON'T KNOW - WHAT'S A REALLY BUSY FREEWAY AROUND HERE. 27:25 >>80 - I-80. >>80? 27:26 OKAY, SO IF YOU'RE RIDING ALONG THAT AND SOME CRAZY DRIVER PULLS 27:31 IN FRONT OF YOU AND CUTS YOU OFF AND YOU WANT TO PUT YOUR HAND ON 27:36 THE HORN AND YOU WANT TO SAY, 'YOU STUPID IDIOT!' 27:41 >>YOU WOULD SAY THAT, CHANTAL? >>NO, NO, NEVER. 27:45 >>OH. I'M SO GLAD. >>BUT THAT SURE WOULD 27:48 BE A TEMPTATION. THAT SURE WOULD BE A TEMPTATION. 27:52 AND JESUS PULLS OUT THAT COMMAND AND HE SAYS, 'IF YOU THINK THAT 27:57 - IF YOU SAY THAT, YOU ARE BEING JUDGED BY 28:02 'THOU SHALL NOT KILL.' >>WOW. 28:05 >>THAT SURE MAKES THE STANDARD HIGH. 28:07 >>THAT SEEMS TO MAKE THE STANDARD IMPOSSIBLE. 28:11 NOW HE TALKS ABOUT ADULTERY - AS A MAN - AS A WOMAN - IF YOU LOOK 28:17 AT ANOTHER WOMAN OR MAN - >>MM HMM. 28:21 >>AND YOU JUST THINK, YOU HAVE COMMITTED ADULTERY - ACCORDING 28:27 TO JESUS - ACCORDING TO WHAT HE'S TEACHING ON THAT SERMON ON 28:31 THE MOUNT. >>THAT IS INCREDIBLY HIGH. 28:34 THAT IS INCREDIBLY HIGH - AND WE COULD GO THROUGH EACH ONE OF 28:38 THOSE TEN COMMANDMENTS AND, WITH EACH ONE, YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE 28:43 TO UNCHECK - WHERE YOU WANT TO CHECK, WE HAVE TO THINK AND WE 28:49 HAVE TO SAY, 'NO WAY, I CAN'T CHECK THAT OFF.' 28:52 >>CHANTAL, THAT REMINDS ME - I THINK I GET IT. 28:56 I THINK JESUS WANTS TO DISCOURAGE US TO MAKE SURE THAT 29:01 WE KNOW WHERE TO RUN TO, RIGHT? DID YOU GET THAT? 29:05 HE WANTS TO DISCOURAGE US. 29:07 WE CAN'T RELY ON OUR OWN COMMANDMENT KEEPING. 29:11 WE NEED TO RUN TO HIM - INTO HIS ARMS - AND SAY, 'LORD, I NEED 29:15 YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.' DO YOU NEED THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF JESUS? 29:20 OR DO YOU FEEL THAT YOU'RE PRETTY GOOD. 29:23 YOU KNOW, YOU BRING 98% TO THE TABLE? I DON'T. I DON'T. 29:28 I THINK - IN FACT, I BRING NOTHING TO THE TABLE. 29:34 PAUL - PAUL, I THINK - BY THE WAY, ANYBODY REMEMBER THAT PAUL 29:39 WAS A PHARISEE? HE WAS REALLY COMMITTED TO GOD'S LAW. 29:44 HE WAS COMMITTED TO GOD'S STANDARDS. 29:47 HE WAS VERY COMMITTED TO GOD'S PEOPLE. 29:52 >>BEFORE YOU READ THAT VERSE, I'VE JUST THOUGHT - AND IT TIES 29:55 IN SO WELL - PAUL WAS A PHARISEE. 29:58 HE WAS TOTALLY COMMITTED. HE WAS SO COMMITTED TO GOD - SO 30:02 COMMITTED TO GOD'S LAW - THAT HE WAS DOING WHAT? 30:07 KILLING CHRISTIANS - THAT HE WAS OUT THERE TO GET CHRISTIANS. 30:11 AND YOU THINK TO YOURSELF, HOW CAN YOU BEGIN WITH SUCH GOOD 30:16 INTENTIONS AND EVENTUALLY, AS JESUS SAYS TO PAUL, 'SAUL, SAUL, 30:22 WHY ARE YOU PERSECUTING ME?' HOW CAN IT HAPPEN THAT WE BEGIN 30:28 TRYING TO KEEP THIS LAW - TRYING TO DO WHAT GOD WANTS US TO DO 30:33 - AND END UP IN EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE PLACE? 30:37 AND I'M GUESSING THAT THIS IS WHAT JESUS IS TOUCHING ON IN THE 30:40 SERMON ON THE MOUNT. AS YOU SAID, HE WANTS TO BRING 30:43 US TO THE PLACE WHERE WE REALIZE THAT WE ARE TOTALLY AND 30:47 UTTERLY DEPENDENT ON HIM. WE'RE DEPENDENT ON HIM. 30:51 WHEN WE TRY TO DO IT ON OUR OWN, WE NOT ONLY MAKE A MESS OF IT, 30:55 BUT WE COULD END UP DOING EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE AT THE END. 31:00 >>WELL, LET ME READ THAT TEXT - 31:02 >>MM HMM. >>BECAUSE PAUL, THE EXPERIENCED 31:05 PHARISEE, WHO HAD SEEN JESUS ON THE WAY TO DAMASCUS AND WHO HAD 31:09 BEEN CHANGED BY THAT ENCOUNTER, HE WRITES ABOUT THE ROLE THAT 31:14 THE LAW - THAT, YOU KNOW, WHAT JESUS IS ALL SPEAKING ABOUT - 31:18 THE ROLE OF THE LAW THAT HE PLAYS. 31:21 AND IN GALATIANS CHAPTER 3, VERSE 24 - GALATIANS CHAPTER 3, 31:28 VERSE 24 - WE'RE JUMPING A LITTLE BIT OUT OF MATTHEW THIS 31:30 MORNING, FOR A MOMENT, BUT WE'LL BE BACK - IN SOUTH AFRICA THEY 31:36 SAY, 'IN A JIFFY' - VERY QUICKLY. 31:39 "THEREFORE" - PAUL WRITES - "THE LAW WAS OUR TUTOR TO BRING US TO 31:45 CHRIST, THAT WE MIGHT BE JUSTIFIED BY FAITH. 31:52 NOW, HE WAS OUR TUTOR - A TUTOR IS A TEACHER. 31:55 A TUTOR IS SOMEBODY WHO HAD A LITTLE CHILD AND WHO WOULD SPEND 31:58 24/7 WITH THAT CHILD. IN ROMAN AND GREEK CULTURE 32:02 HE WOULD TRAIN THE CHILD. HE WOULD TEACH IT. 32:06 HE WOULD MAKE THE CHILD MEMORIZE, PLAY. 32:12 BUT THIS TUTOR, THE LAW, BRINGS US INTO THE ARMS OF JESUS. 32:17 >>THAT'S VERY NICE IMAGERY. YOU HAVE A - SPEAKING OF THE LAW 32:22 AS A TUTOR, YOU HAVE A VERY NICE OTHER VERSE, I THINK - IS IT 32:27 MICAH THAT SPEAKS? >>THAT'S RIGHT. THAT'S RIGHT. 32:30 WELL, ACTUALLY, THE AUTHOR, ANDY NASH, OF THIS - OF THIS 32:34 LESSON STUDY, HE BROUGHT THAT TEXT INTO THE MIX AND HE SAYS, 32:38 'WE REALLY NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT JESUS IS DEEPLY ROOTED IN 32:43 SCRIPTURE.' WHAT HE SPEAKS ABOUT IS BASED ON 32:47 PRIOR REVELATION. MICAH 6 - YOU REMEMBER THAT TEXT - 32:53 6, VERSES 6 TO 8. >>THAT'S ONE OF MY FAVORITES. 32:56 >>I LOVE THAT - AND IT'S ALSO A SONG, BY THE WAY - SO IT WAS A 33:00 GOOD SERMON. >>IT WAS A GOOD SERMON. 33:02 >>"WITH WHAT SHALL I COME BEFORE THE LORD, AND BOW MYSELF BEFORE 33:06 THE HIGH GOD?" - WRITES THE PROPHET - "SHALL I COME BEFORE 33:10 HIM WITH BURNT OFFERINGS, WITH CALVES A YEAR OLD? 33:14 WILL THE LORD BE PLEASED WITH THOUSANDS OF RAMS, TEN THOUSAND 33:18 RIVERS OF OIL? SHALL I GIVE MY FIRSTBORN FOR MY 33:22 TRANSGRESSION, THE FRUIT OF MY BODY FOR THE SIN OF MY SOUL?" 33:27 - EVEN CHILD SACRIFICE - WOULD THAT BE - WOULD THAT BE 33:30 SOMETHING THAT GOD REQUIRES OF ME? THAT HE NEEDS SATISFY HIM? 33:35 AND THEN HE SAYS - "HE HAS SHOWN YOU, O MAN, WHAT IS GOOD; AND 33:43 WHAT DOES THE LORD REQUIRE OF YOU" - HERE COMES THE SUMMARY - 33:47 THREE PRINCIPLES - "BUT TO DO JUSTLY" - WHAT DOES IT SAY? 33:52 YOU KNOW THAT - "TO LOVE MERCY," - AND THE THIRD ONE? 33:57 "AND TO WALK HUMBLY WITH YOUR GOD?" 34:01 THAT'S ALL THE ELEMENTS AND WE FIND THEM MUCH BETTER EXPLAINED 34:06 IN A MORE DETAILED VERSION IN THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 34:11 >>THESE PRINCIPLES IN MICAH ARE REALLY REFLECTING GOD'S 34:15 CHARACTER AND WHO GOD IS. GOD LOVES MERCY AND GOD IS JUST. 34:24 AND HAVE WE EVER FELT - ANYONE - AS HUMBLE AS OUR SAVIOR? 34:31 WILLING TO LEAVE HEAVEN FOR US? 34:35 WILLING TO EMBRACE A SERVANT'S LIFE? 34:39 THAT IS HUMILITY. THAT IS HUMILITY. 34:43 GERALD, DO YOU WANT TO READ FOR US MATTHEW CHAPTER 5 - MATTHEW 34:48 CHAPTER 5 - THIS RADICAL TEACHING OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD 34:53 REALLY ENCAPSULATING THESE GREAT PRINCIPLES OF WHO GOD IS AND 35:00 WHAT HE WANTS FROM US. MATTHEW CHAPTER 5:43. 35:05 >>HAPPY TO DO THAT. 35:07 "YOU HAVE HEARD THAT IT WAS SAID, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR 35:12 NEIGHBOR AND HATE YOUR ENEMY.'" - HE'S QUOTING FROM SCRIPTURE - 35:17 "BUT I SAY TO YOU, LOVE YOUR ENEMIES, BLESS THOSE WHO CURSE 35:23 YOU, DO GOOD TO THOSE WHO HATE YOU, AND PRAY FOR THOSE WHO 35:27 SPITEFULLY USE YOU AND PERSECUTE YOU, THAT YOU MAY BE SONS OF 35:32 YOUR FATHER IN HEAVEN; FOR HE MAKES HIS SUN RISE ON THE EVIL 35:37 AND ON THE GOOD, AND SENDS RAIN ON THE JUST AND ON THE UNJUST." 35:42 - VERSE 46 - "FOR IF YOU LOVE THOSE WHO LOVE YOU, WHAT REWARD 35:47 HAVE YOU? DO NOT EVEN THE TAX 35:50 COLLECTORS DO THE SAME? AND IF YOU GREET YOUR BRETHREN 35:54 ONLY, WHAT DO YOU DO MORE THAN OTHERS?" 35:58 >>THOSE ARE RADICAL TEACHINGS - RADICAL TEACHINGS. 36:05 HOW MANY OF YOU FIND IT EASY TO LOVE YOUR ENEMIES. 36:11 OKAY, FORGET YOUR ENEMIES. 36:12 MAYBE YOU DON'T HAVE ANY ENEMIES, RIGHT? 36:15 MAYBE YOU'RE FRIENDS WITH EVERYONE. 36:18 BUT IS IT EASY TO FORGIVE YOUR SPOUSE? 36:23 IS IT EASY TO FORGIVE YOUR CHILDREN? 36:27 IS IT EASY TO FORGIVE YOUR WORK COLLEAGUE? 36:32 I GUESS, I THINK, THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT - THIS PARTICULAR 36:36 ASPECT MUST BE ONE OF THE MOST DIFFICULT TO GRAPPLE WITH. 36:40 >>AND YET, IT IS VERY PRACTICAL BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT WE FACE DAY 36:44 TO DAY. JESUS IS NOT JUST TALKING 36:47 SOME, YOU KNOW, THEORETICAL INTERESTING PIECES OF 36:51 INFORMATION - SHARING THEM - HE KNOWS WHERE WE HURT. 36:56 HE KNOWS WHERE WE FEEL - WHERE WE STRUGGLE AND THIS IS ONE 37:01 PARTICULAR ONE. HOW CAN WE - YOU KNOW HOW THIS SECTION ENDS? 37:05 I DIDN'T READ THAT LAST VERSE EITHER. 37:08 >>ARE YOU GOING TO READ IT FOR US? 37:09 >>VERSE 48 - THAT'S A - YOU KNOW, THAT'S A RIGHT - THE FINAL 37:14 CONCLUSION, WHICH, AGAIN, BLOWS US OUT OF THE WATER. 37:18 WE - WE JUST CAN'T UNDERSTAND IT. 37:20 WHY IS JESUS TALKING SO RADICAL? 37:23 IT SAYS, "THEREFORE" - AFTER YOU'VE DONE THIS - WHEN YOU LOVE 37:26 YOUR ENEMY - WHEN YOU FORGIVE YOUR ENEMIES - WHEN YOU - WELL, 37:31 THAT COMES EARLIER - WHEN YOU GO THE SECOND MILE. 37:34 "THEREFORE YOU SHALL BE PERFECT, JUST AS YOUR FATHER IN HEAVEN 37:40 IS PERFECT." NOW - 37:43 >>AH, THAT'S A PERFECTLY TALL ORDER. 37:48 >>IT IS. >>WHAT DO YOU THINK JESUS MEANS 37:51 BY SAYING, 'BE PERFECT AS OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN IS PERFECT'? 37:56 WE CAN'T EVEN GET UP TO THE SCRIBE AND PHARISEES' LEVELS OF 38:00 RIGHTEOUSNESS. >>AND JESUS SAYS THEY WEREN'T 38:03 PERFECT AT ALL. THEY WERE ACTUALLY - IN FACT, 38:05 THEY WERE SO PERFECT THAT IN THEIR HOLINESS THEY BEGAN 38:10 PLOTTING THE DEATH OF THE MESSIAH - 38:13 THE DEATH OF THE SON OF GOD ON A SABBATH. 38:18 >>AND JUSTIFIED IT THAT THEY WERE SERVING GOD. 38:20 >>AND JUSTIFIED IT THAT THEY WERE SERVING GOD. 38:22 WHAT DOES IT MEAN WHEN JESUS SAYS, 'YOU SHALL BE PERFECT JUST 38:27 AS YOUR FATHER IN HEAVEN IS PERFECT'? 38:30 NOW PERFECT, IN THE OLD TESTAMENT, APPEARS QUITE OFTEN. 38:37 NOAH IS DESCRIBED AS A MAN WHO WAS - 38:40 >>PERFECT. >>PERFECT. 38:41 JOB - A MAN WHO WAS PERFECT. NOW WE DO KNOW SOME DETAILS 38:45 ABOUT NOAH THAT WE WOULD SAY, 'WELL,' - 38:49 >>A LITTLE LESS THAN PERFECT, HUH? 38:51 >>HE WOULDN'T HAVE PASSED THW DRUG TEST. 38:56 WE KNOW SOME DETAILS ABOUT JOB, DON'T WE? 39:01 THE ONE WHO WALKS INTO GOD'S PRESENCE - THE AUDACITY - AND 39:06 SAYS, 'BUT WHY LORD? WHY ME?' >>'WHAT DID I DO?' 39:11 >>'I'M INNOCENT.' WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE PERFECT? 39:16 ISRAELITES HAD TO OFFER A PERFECT LAMB OR ANIMAL - IT WAS 39:21 NOT ALWAYS A LAMB, IT COULD BE A GOAT AS WELL. 39:23 IT HAD TO BE PERFECT. WHAT DOES IT MEAN? WERE THEY PERFECT? 39:30 >>I GUESS, AT LEAST IN MY MIND, WHEN I THINK OF THE WORD 39:33 'PERFECT' I THINK OF A STATIC STATE, SOMEHOW. 39:37 YOU KNOW, WHEN SOMETHING'S FINISHED AND IT'S COMPLETE - 39:40 MAYBE A PICTURE - AND YOU'VE PAINTED IT. 39:44 I DON'T KNOW, DO WE HAVE ANY ARTISTS HERE? 39:47 NO ARTISTS - OR MAYBE UNDERCOVER ARTISTS - YOU WOULDN'T WANT TO 39:50 ADMIT IN CASE WE ASK TO SEE A PICTURE, RIGHT? 39:53 >>THERE GOES A HAND. >>ALRIGHT, WE'VE 39:54 GOT AN ARTIST THERE. YOU WORK AT SOMETHING, YOU WORK 39:56 AT SOMETHING UNTIL YOU GET TO THE POINT WHERE YOU 39:59 SAY, 'THAT'S IT. THIS IS JUST EXACTLY 40:04 AS IT SHOULD BE. THIS IS PERFECT.' 40:07 >>HMM. >>AND YOU SIGN AT THE 40:09 BOTTOM. AND THEN, IF ANYBODY MORE MESSES ON IT OR DOES 40:13 ANYTHING TO IT, IT WILL BE MESSING BECAUSE THIS IS 40:16 PERFECTION. SO SOMEHOW, IN MY MIND, I THINK OF A STATIC STATE 40:20 TO REACH. DO YOU THINK THIS WAS A HEBREW CONCEPT AS WELL? 40:24 >>WELL, LET ME TELL YOU. YOU ASKED WHO'S AN ARTIST. 40:28 YOU KNOW, I'M NOT AN ARTIST BUT I'M A MUSICIAN AND I WRITE 40:32 MUSIC. I USED TO RECORD MUSIC QUITE A 40:34 BIT WHILE STILL GROWING UP IN GERMANY. 40:37 WE HAD A MUSIC GROUP AND TOURED AND RECORDED. 40:40 WHEN I LISTEN TO THE MUSIC NOW, TWENTY-FIVE YEARS LATER - 40:46 >>IT WAS PERFECT THEN, RIGHT? >>IT WAS PERFECT THEN, BUT IT 40:50 DOESN'T FEEL PERFECT OR SOUND PERFECT NOW. 40:54 HAVE YOU EVER GONE BACK TO SOMETHING THAT YOU THOUGT, 'THIS 40:58 IS - THIS IS THE BEST I EVER PRODUCED.' AND YOU COME BACK A 41:01 COUPLE YEARS LATER - TEN YEARS LATER - AND YOU LOOK AT IT AND, 41:06 YOU KNOW, I'M VERY GRATEFUL THAT MY CHILDREN LOVE THE MUSIC, BUT 41:09 I THINK THEY JUST LOVE IT BECAUSE THEIR FATHER SANG IT. 41:13 IT'S - PERFECTION HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH - AT THE RIGHT LEVEL 41:20 AT THE RIGHT SPACE AT THE RIGHT TIME, RIGHT NOW. 41:23 IT'S NOT AN ABSOLUTE STATE, IT'S A RELATIVE STATE. 41:26 >>A GROWTH STATE. >>A GROWTH STATE. 41:29 >>AND, I GUESS IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT GROWTH, AND THIS IS WHAT 41:32 JESUS IS PARTICULARLY SPEAKING OF, AND WE FLIP BACK TO OUR 41:36 VERSE IN MICAH WHERE IT'S WALKING HUMBLY. 41:41 THIS - THIS STRESSING OVER AND OVER - IF YOU WANT TO BE PERFECT 41:47 LIKE YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO 41:49 PERFECTLY 'WALK WITH ME.' IN OTHER WORDS, 'YOU'RE GOING TO 41:52 HAVE TO STICK CLOSE TO ME ONE HUNDRED PERCENT. 41:57 IT MUST BE THE PERFECT GRIP. HANG ON FOR EVERYTHING 42:01 YOU'RE WORTH.' >>THE PERFECT CONNECTION. THAT'S 42:03 WHAT WE'RE AFTER, RIGHT? >>MM HMM. 42:05 >>THAT'S WHAT GOD LONGS FOR. HE WANTS TO BE SO PART OF MY 42:11 LIFE - OF OUR LIVES - THAT WE ARE PERFECTLY CONNECTED EVERY 42:15 MOMENT, EVERY DAY, ALL THE TIME. NOW IS THAT REALITY? 42:24 DO YOU FEEL ALWAYS PERFECTLY CONNECTED TO YOUR HEAVENLY 42:28 FATHER? >>WELL, I GUESS THERE'S ALSO A 42:33 LINE WHERE WE HAVE TO TALK ABOUT HOW WE FEEL AND WHAT WE CHOOSE. 42:39 WE'RE HUMAN BEINGS AND IF WE ARE LOOKING FOR A CERTAIN FEELING 42:44 ALL THE TIME, THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT INFLUENCE OUR 42:47 FEELINGS: HOW MUCH I SLEPT LAST NIGHT, WHAT I ATE LAST NIGHT 42:52 WILL INFLUENCE HOW I FEEL THIS MORNING - WHETHER I HAVE A 42:56 STOMACH ACHE OR NOT; WHETHER I'M GROUCHY OR NOT. 43:00 THESE WILL BE FEELINGS AND SOME OF THEM I CAN MANIPULATE AND 43:04 CONTROL AND THAT'S WHAT WE SHOULD DO, RIGHT? 43:07 WE SHOULD LOOK FOR A LIFESTYLE THAT HELPS US BE AS POSITIVE - 43:12 AS HAPPY AS - YEAH - AS JOYFUL AS WE COULD BE. 43:17 BUT THERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS THAT ARE TOTALLY OUT OF OUR 43:19 CONTROL THAT INFLUENCE THE WAY WE FEEL. 43:22 AND THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT BECAUSE I DON'T FEEL CLOSE TO 43:25 GOD RIGHT NOW THAT I AM NECESSARILY FAR AWAY FROM HIM. 43:30 >>WELL, I THINK JESUS KNEW ABOUT THAT. 43:34 JESUS KNEW THAT WE DON'T ALWAYS FEEL RIGHT. 43:39 BUT THERE'S SOMETHING MORE THAN HOW WE FEEL. 43:42 THERE'S AN OBJECTIVE TRUTH THERE. 43:44 AND YOU SAID, 'WHAT YOU WANT TO KNOW IS THAT YOU CAN SPEAK TO 43:48 YOUR FATHER AT ANY MOMENT. AND THAT'S - THIS IS 43:52 HOW YOU SHOULD SPEAK. >>YES. 43:53 >>I LOVE TO READ THAT - THAT PRAYER - THAT MODELED PRAYER 43:57 THAT I THINK IS SO PRACTICAL - THAT'S PART OF THAT SERMON ON 44:01 THE MOUNT. REMEMBER, WE'RE STILL ON THAT MOUNTAIN. 44:04 THEY'RE STILL SITTING ALL AROUND HIM. 44:07 HE'S TALKING. MOST LIKELY, NOT EVERYBODY'S 44:09 ABLE TO LISTEN TO HIM AT THE SAME TIME. 44:12 PEOPLE PASS ON WHAT THEY'VE HEARD. 44:15 'WHAT DID HE SAY?' 'REALLY, HE DID SAY THAT?' 44:17 'I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT.' 'WOW, THAT'S AMAZING.' MATTHEW CHAPTER 44:24 6, VERSES 5 AND FORWARDS - MATTHEW CHAPTER 6 - "AND WHEN 44:31 YOU PRAY," - JESUS SAYS - "YOU SHALL NOT BE LIKE THE 44:34 HYPOCRITES. FOR THEY LOVE TO PRAY STANDING 44:38 IN THE SYNAGOGUES AND ON THE CORNERS OF THE STREETS, THAT 44:43 THEY MAY BE SEEN BY MEN." >>MM HMM. 44:45 >>THESE WERE PUBLIC PRAYERS - "ASSUREDLY, I SAY TO YOU, THEY 44:49 HAVE THEIR REWARD. BUT YOU, WHEN YOU PRAY, GO INTO 44:56 YOUR ROOM, AND WHEN YOU HAVE SHUT YOUR DOOR, PRAY TO YOUR 45:01 FATHER" - WHAT'S THE PRINCIPLE BEHIND HERE? DO WE HAVE TO - IF 45:05 WE CAN'T HAVE A ROOM THAT WE CAN SHUT, WE CAN'T PRAY? 45:09 >>NO, IT'S THE PRIVACY - NOT MAKING A SHOW OF IT. 45:13 THIS IS JUST BETWEEN MYSELF AND MY GOD. 45:17 >>SO IT GOES ON HERE - "AND WHEN YOU PRAY, DO NOT USE VAIN 45:24 REPETITIONS AS THE HEATHEN DO." YOU REMEMBER THE STORY OF 45:30 ELIJAH ON MOUNT CARMEL? BAAL, BAAL, HEAR US O BAAL, 45:35 BAAL, BAAL, HEAR US O BAAL, BAAL, BAAL, HEAR US O BAAL - YOU 45:40 KNOW, AFTER AWHILE IT BECOMES VERY REPETITIVE. 45:43 IT DOES SOMETHING WHEN YOU REPEAT LIKE THIS. 45:46 JESUS SAYS, 'NO, DON'T DO THAT.' "FOR THEY THINK THAT THEY WILL 45:51 BE HEARD FOR THEIR MANY WORDS." - VERSE 8 - "THEREFORE DO NOT BE 45:56 LIKE THEM FOR YOUR FATHER KNOWS THE THINGS YOU HAVE NEED 46:01 OF BEFORE YOU ASK HIM. >>HMM. 46:04 >>HE'S THE FATHER. HE KNOWS WHAT I NEED. HE KNOWS WHAT YOU NEED. 46:09 HE KNOWS WHAT YOU NEED THIS MORNING. 46:12 HE KNOWS WHAT YOUR HEART IS YEARNING FOR. 46:19 "IN THIS MANNER, THEREFORE, PRAY: OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN," - 46:26 HE'S THE FATHER, HE'S NOT JUST 'DEAR GOD' - "OUR FATHER" - AND 46:31 THE WORD THAT'S USED HERE IS DADDY - OUR DADDY WHO IS IN 46:35 HEAVEN, "HALLOWED BE YOUR NAME. YOUR KINGDOM COME. 46:38 YOUR WILL BE DONE ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN. 46:43 GIVE US" - YOU KNOW, LORD - "GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY 46:48 BREAD. AND FORGIVE US OUR DEBTS, 46:52 AS WE FORGIVE OUR DEBTORS. AND DO NOT LEAD US INTO 46:56 TEMPTATION, BUT DELIVER US FROM THE EVIL ONE. 46:59 FOR YOURS IS THE KINGDOM AND THE POWER AND THE GLORY FOREVER. 47:06 AMEN." >>JESUS GOES ON. 47:12 JESUS GOES ON, "FOR IF YOU FORGIVE MEN THEIR TRESPASSES, 47:17 YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER WILL ALSO FORGIVE YOU. 47:19 BUT IF YOU DO NOT FORGIVE MEN THEIR TRESPASSES, NEITHER WILL 47:25 YOUR FATHER FORGIVE YOUR TRESPASSES." 47:27 >>WHOA. >>WHOA. 47:29 >>THAT'S - THAT'S SIGNIFICANT. FORGIVENESS MEANS IF I WANT TO 47:35 ACCEPT GOD'S FORGIVENESS IN MY LIFE, IT MEANS THAT I NEED 47:39 TO BE ABLE TO FORGIVE YOU. YOU, YOU'VE REALLY HURT ME. 47:45 SOMEBODY WHO REALLY BETRAYED ME - BUT I NEED TO FORGIVE. 47:50 IT'S NOT EASY. >>IT'S NOT EASY. 47:53 I READ OF, PERHAPS, THE BEST ILLUSTRATION. AND IF I PUT 47:57 MYSELF IN HER SHOES, I REALLY DON'T KNOW HOW SHE DID IT. 48:02 CORRIE TEN BOOM AND HER SISTER BETSIE WERE SENT OFF TO 48:08 CONCENTRATION CAMP - THE SECOND WORLD WAR - THEY WERE CHRISTIANS 48:13 - DEVOUT CHRISTIAN FAMILY - TOGETHER WITH THEIR AGED FATHER 48:17 - THE FATHER ACTUALLY DIED BEFORE THEY COULD BE - BEFORE HE 48:21 COULD BE TRANSFERRED TO THE PRISON CAMP, BUT BETSIE AND 48:26 CORRIE WERE TRANSFERRED THERE. THEIR CRIME? 48:31 THEY HAD BEEN HIDING AND HELPING JEWS AND THAT WAS THEIR CRIME. 48:38 THAT IS WHY THEY WERE SENT TO THIS ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE PLACE - 48:42 AND IT WAS A TERRIBLE PLACE. IT BEGAN RIGHT IN THE 48:44 - RIGHT AS YOU ARRIVED. YOU KNEW YOU WERE ARRIVING AT A 48:48 PLACE THAT YOU WERE NOT SUPPOSED TO EVER LEAVE. 48:52 THE WAY THESE LADIES WERE TREATED, JUST AS THEY CAME IN, 48:57 WAS JUST SO DEHUMANIZING. THEY MADE EVERYONE STRIP 49:03 COMPLETELY NAKED AND THEY HAD TO WALK QUITE A DISTANCE TO HAVE 49:10 A MEDICAL CHECK - SUPPOSEDLY - BEFORE THEY WERE ISSUED WITH 49:14 SOME OLD RAGS, WHICH WOULD BE THEIR PRISON CLOTHES. 49:20 AND THEY HAD TO WALK PAST JEERING MALE GUARDS WHO WOULD 49:25 PASS COMMENTS AND - JUST THE ABSOLUTE SHAME. 49:29 AND CORRIE RECALLED, AS SHE WALKED BEHIND HER SISTER BETSIE 49:33 - BETSIE HAD NEVER BEEN WELL. SHE WAS A SICKLY GIRL 49:37 AND A SICKLY WOMAN. AND HERE WAS HER THIN, FRAIL 49:40 SISTER WALKING AHEAD OF HER AND INTO THIS TERRIBLE 49:44 CONCENTRATION CAMP. IN IT, THEY ENDURED HARDSHIPS. 49:49 THEY WATCHED PEOPLE DIE AROUND THEM LIKE FLIES AND, PERHAPS 49:54 MORE TERRIBLE THAN EVER - OR THAN ANYTHING ELSE - THEY SAW 49:57 THE BRUTALITY OF THESE PRISON GUARDS. 50:02 HER SISTER DIED IN THAT - 50:06 >>RAVENSBRÜCK. >>IN THAT CAMP. 50:09 SHE HELD HER SISTER'S HAND AND WATCHED HER SISTER BREATHE OUT 50:13 HER LAST BREATH, WITHOUT EVEN ANY MEDICAL CARE. 50:17 IT BROKE HER HEART. MIRACULOUSLY, 50:21 CORRIE WAS RELEASED. IT WAS ACTUALLY A CLERICAL ERROR 50:26 - HER NAME GOT ONTO THE WRONG LIST AND SHE WAS RELEASED. 50:30 AFTER THE WAR SHE SAID, 'I'M GOING TO GO AROUND AND I'M GOING 50:35 TO PREACH. AND SHE DID. 50:38 SHE PREACHED ABOUT HER EXPERIENCES. 50:39 SHE PREACHED ABOUT GOD'S LOVE, AND, IN ONE PARTICULAR PLACE, 50:43 SHE DELIVERED HER SERMON AND AFTERWARDS A MAN WALKED UP TO 50:48 THE FRONT. AND WHEN SHE SAW THIS MAN - 50:51 HE WAS DRESSED, YOU KNOW, IN CIVILIAN CLOTHES, BUT WHEN SHE 50:54 SAW HIM, SHE SAW HIM IN HIS UNIFORM. 51:00 HE WAS ONE OF THE GUARDS AT THIS CONCENTRATION CAMP AND HERE HE 51:05 WAS WALKING TOWARDS HER. AND SHE'D JUST BEEN PREACHING 51:08 ABOUT GOD'S LOVE AND ABOUT GOD'S FORGIVENESS, BUT HER HEART JUST 51:11 TURNED TO STONE WHEN SHE SAW HIM COME FORWARD. 51:14 AND HE CAME UP TO HER - HE, OBVIOUSLY, DIDN'T RECOGNIZE HER 51:17 - AND HE SAID, 'YOU MENTIONED THE CONCENTRATION CAMP I USED TO 51:22 BE A GUARD THERE. THAT WAS BEFORE I MET JESUS 51:25 AND GAVE MY HEART TO HIM. I'M SO GLAD TO KNOW THAT JESUS 51:28 FORGIVES ME FOR THE TERRIBLE THINGS I DID THERE, BUT I WOULD 51:31 LIKE TO HEAR IT FROM YOU AS WELL. DO YOU FORGIVE ME?' 51:36 AND CORRIE SAID SHE LOOKED AT THIS MAN AND SHE SAID, 'HERE HE 51:39 IS, HE JUST WANTS ME TO FORGIVE HIM, JUST LIKE THAT. 51:43 AFTER HE DESTROYED MY SISTER'S LIFE.' AND, AT THAT MOMENT, THIS 51:47 WAS AN EXTREME STRUGGLE FOR CORRIE. 51:52 APPLYING JESUS' SERMON ON THE MOUNT, APPLYING THESE PRINCIPLES 51:58 - AND IT CAME BACK TO HER - THESE VERSES WE'VE READ - 'IF I 52:01 DON'T FORGIVE, I CANNOT BE FORGIVEN. 52:06 I AM DEPENDENT ON GOD'S GRACE. 52:08 BUT HOW ON EARTH DO I EXTEND GOD'S FORGIVENESS TO THIS MAN 52:12 THAT I HATE WITH EVERY FIBER OF MY BEING?' 52:17 AT THAT MOMENT CORRIE LATCHED ONTO SOMETHING ELSE THAT WE 52:24 STUDIED ABOUT THIS MORNING. SHE SAID, 'I CAN'T. 52:28 I NEED TO ASK GOD.' AND SO SHE OFFERED UP A SILENT PRAYER AND 52:32 SHE SAID, 'GOD, YOU KNOW, I CAN'T DO ANYTHING. 52:36 PLEASE, YOU SUPPLY THE REST.' AND SHE ACTED ON PRINCIPLE. 52:41 SHE PUT OUT HER HAND AND SHOOK THAT MAN'S HAND. 52:45 AND, AT THAT MOMENT, THE GRACE CAME AND SHE COULD FORGIVE HIM. 52:52 >>WELL, THIS - THIS MORNING, AS WE THINK ABOUT THE GREATEST 52:56 SERMON EVER PREACHED - ON A MOUNTAIN - TO GIVE US THE 53:03 OVERVIEW OF WHAT REALLY COUNTS IN OUR WALK AND LIFE WITH JESUS, 53:08 LET'S FOCUS ON BEING, NOT ON DOING. 53:12 LET'S FOCUS ON BEING, NOT ON DOING AND, ABOVE ALL, LET GOD 53:17 RESTORE HIS IMAGE IN YOU. LET HIM RESTORE 53:25 HIS IMAGE IN YOU. I'D LIKE TO END WITH 53:29 A WORD OF PRAYER. HEAVENLY FATHER, WE REALIZE, 53:35 ONCE AGAIN, THAT WE CAN'T UNDERSTAND YOU. 53:41 WE CAN'T LIVE UP TO THE HIGH EXPECTATIONS THAT YOU HAVE FOR 53:46 YOUR CREATED BEINGS. AND YET, THIS MORNING, AGAIN, 53:51 WE WANT TO RUN INTO YOUR ARMS. WE WANT TO EMBRACE YOU. 53:54 WE WANT TO TELL YOU THAT WE LOVE YOU AND THAT WE NEED YOUR GRACE. 53:59 HELP US TO LIVE IN THIS COMING WEEK - AS LIGHT - AS SALT - 54:08 SHOWING YOUR GRACE TO THE PEOPLE AROUND US. 54:10 IN JESUS' NAME WE PRAY, AMEN. >>THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. 54:15 BE SURE TO TUNE IN NEXT WEEK AS WELL. 54:19 IT'S BEEN GREAT BEING WITH YOU. (MUSIC) 54:32 >>SO WHAT IS THE BRIGHTEST LIGHT IN THE WORLD? 54:34 WELL, NATURALLY, YOU'D SAY THE SUN, BUT WEE'RE TALKING ABOUT 54:37 THE BRIGHTEST MAN-MADE LIGHT IN THE WORLD. 54:39 IT'S THE LIGHT THAT SHINES OUT OF THE ROOF OF THAT 54:41 PYRAMID-SHAPED HOTEL IN LAS VEGAS CALLED THE LUXOR. 54:46 THERE, IN THE CAP OF THAT HOTEL, THERE'S A ROOM THAT CONTAINS 39 54:50 WASHING-MACHINE SIZED XENON BULBS; AND EACH OF THOSE BULBS 54:54 REQUIRES ABOUT 7,000 WATTS. ALTOGETHER, THEY PRODUCE ABOUT 54:58 40 BILLION CANDLE POWER OF LIGHT. 55:02 CAN YOU IMAGINE GETTING THAT ELECTRIC BILL AT THE LUXOR HOTEL 55:04 EVERY MONTH? THAT LIGHT IS SO BRIGHT THAT 55:07 PLANES CAN SEE IT 250 MILES AWAY. 55:11 THEY'RE SHOOTING LIGHT TEN MILES UP INTO SPACE, MEANING, IF YOU 55:15 HAPPEN TO BE FLOATING BY, YOU COULD READ A NEWSPAPER UP THERE. 55:18 AND, AS YOU MIGHT HAVE GUESSED, THAT BRIGHT LIGHT HAS BECOME THE 55:22 WORLD'S BEST BUG ATTRACTOR, BRINGING IN MOTHS, BATS, AND 55:25 OWLS - CREATING IT'S OWN ECOSYSTEM THERE AT NIGHT, ABOVE 55:28 THE HOTEL. BUT THE SAD THING ABOUT THE 55:30 BRIGHTEST LIGHT IN THE WORLD IS ESPECIALLY WHEN THE NIGHT AIR IS 55:34 CLEAR - WITHOUT ANY PARTICLES - THE LIGHT DOESN'T HIT 55:37 ANYTHING AND IT'S INVISIBLE. IT SHOOTS UP INTO EMPTY SPACE. 55:42 THE BRIGHTEST LIGHT IN THE WORLD ILLUMINATES NOTHING. 55:46 YOU KNOW, THE BIBLE TELLS US THAT THERE'S ANOTHER GREAT 55:48 WASTED LIGHT, AND THAT'S THE LIGHT OF GOD'S WORD. 55:52 IT SAYS IN PSALM 119, VERSE 105, "THY WORD IS A LAMP UNTO MY FEET 55:56 AND A LIGHT UNTO MY PATH.' AND YET, SO MANY PEOPLE ARE WALKING 56:00 IN DARKNESS. FURTHERMORE, JESUS SAID, IF YOU 56:03 DO HAVE THAT LIGHT, MAKE SURE YOU DON'T PUT IT UNDER A BUSHEL, 56:06 BUT YOU LET IT SHINE AND ILLUMINATE THE LIVES OF OTHERS. 56:09 JESUS SAID, IN MATTHEW CHAPTER 5, 'SET YOUR LIGHT UP ON A HLL, 56:13 LIKE A CITY, SO THAT ALL MIGHT SEE IT.' LIGHT ONLY BENEFITS 56:17 OTHERS WHEN IT REFLECTS OFF OF SOMETHING. 56:20 GOD WANTS OUR LIGHTS TO ILLUMINATE THE LIVES OF OTHERS. 56:24 SO, ARE YOU GLOWING FOR GOD? REMEMBER, JESUS SAID, 'LET THERE 56:27 BE LIGHT.' (MUSIC) 56:37 >>IN SIX DAYS GOD CREATED THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH. 56:41 FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS MAN HAS WORSHIPED GOD ON THE SEVENTH DAY 56:45 OF THE WEEK. NOW, EACH WEEK, MILLIONS OF 56:48 PEOPLE WORSHIP ON THE FIRST DAY. WHAT HAPPENED? 56:52 WHY DID GOD CREATE A DAY OF REST? 56:54 DOES IT REALLY MATTER WHAT DAY WE WORSHIP? 56:57 WHO WAS BEHIND THIS GREAT SHIFT? DISCOVER THE TRUTH BEHIND GOD'S 57:01 LAW AND HOW IT WAS CHANGED. VISIT SABBATHTRUTH.COM. 57:08 >>DID YOU KNOW THAT NOAH WAS PRESENT AT THE BIRTH OF ABRAHAM? 57:11 OKAY, MAYBE HE WASN'T IN THE ROOM, BUT HE WAS ALIVE AND 57:15 PROBABLY TELLING STORIES ABOUT HIS FLOATING ZOO. 57:19 FROM THE CREATION OF THE WORLD TO THE LAST-DAY EVENTS OF 57:22 REVELATION, 'BIBLEHISTORY.COM' IS A FREE RESOURCE WHERE YOU CAN 57:26 EXPLORE MAJOR BIBLE EVENTS AND CHARACTERS. 57:29 ENHANCE YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE AND DRAW CLOSER TO GOD'S 57:32 WORD. GO DEEPER. VISIT THE AMAZING BIBLE TIME 57:36 LINE AT 'BIBLEHISTORY.COM'. >>CAN'T GET ENOUGH 57:41 AMAZING FACTS BIBLE STUDY? YOU DON'T HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL 57:44 NEXT WEEK TO ENJOY MORE TRUTH-FILLED PROGRAMMING, VISIT 57:48 THE AMAZING FACTS MEDIA LIBRARY AT 'AFTV.ORG'. 57:53 AT 'AFTV.ORG' YOU CAN ENJOY VIDEO AND AUDIO PRESENTATIONS AS 57:57 WELL AS PRINTED MATERIAL ALL FREE OF CHARGE, 24 HOURS A DAY 7 58:02 DAYS A WEEK, RIGHT FROM YOUR COMPUTER OR MOBILE DEVICE. 58:06 VISIT 'AFTV.ORG'. (MUSIC) |
Revised 2016-04-14