Participants: Carissa McSherry
Series Code: SSH
Program Code: SSH021733A
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00:00 (MUSIC)
00:35 >>WELCOME TO SABBATH SCHOOL STUDY HOUR. 00:37 WE'RE SO GLAD THAT YOU ARE TUNING IN WHEREVER YOU ARE FROM. 00:41 WE KNOW WE HAVE AN EXTENDED SABBATH SCHOOL FAMILY AROUND THE 00:43 WORLD AND EACH WEEK WE ARE SO EXCITED THAT WE GET TO SING AND 00:47 STUDY TOGETHER WITH YOU, WHETHER YOU ARE LISTENING ON THE RADIO, 00:50 WATCHING LIVE ON OUR WEBSITE, OR ON THE VARIOUS TELEVISION 00:53 NETWORKS. WE ARE JUST GLAD YOU'RE JOINING 00:55 WITH US AND WE HAVE ANOTHER STUDY WITH YOU TODAY. 00:58 AND, OF COURSE, BEFORE WE DO THAT, WE ALWAYS SING OURS - AND 01:01 YOUR - FAVORITE SONGS. AND SO, WE'RE GOING TO START 01:04 WITH #614 - SOUND THE BATTLE CRY - AND WE'RE GOING TO DO 01:09 ALL THREE STANZAS - #614. (PIANO MUSIC) 03:21 >>FATHER IN HEAVEN, WE ARE YOUR SOLDIERS TODAY, AND I PRAY THAT 03:26 YOU'LL GIVE US THAT ZEAL AND THAT FIRE THAT WE WILL TAKE THE 03:31 MESSAGE TO THE WORLD AND THAT, IN OUR DAILY LIVES, WE WILL BE 03:35 LIVING EXAMPLES TO THOSE AROUND US - THAT WE ARE TRULY YOURS. 03:41 AND I PRAY THAT YOU WILL JUST SPEAK TO US TODAY, THAT YOU WILL 03:45 BE WITH OUR EXTENDED FAMILY AROUND THE WORLD - EACH AND 03:48 EVERY ONE OF THEM - THERE ARE SO MANY. 03:50 THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY THAT WE HAVE TO STUDY TOGETHER, 03:53 AND FOR OUR SPEAKER. IN JESUS' NAME, AMEN. 03:58 OUR LESSON STUDY TODAY IS ENTITLED, FROM SLAVES TO HEIRS , 04:02 AND YOU FIND IT IN THE ADVENTIST QUARTERLY. 04:06 IF YOU DON'T HAVE ONE OF THESE, YOU CAN CONTACT YOUR LOCAL 04:08 ADVENTIST CHURCH AND GET ONE OF THEM. 04:12 IT'S THE GOSPEL IN GALATIANS AND WE'VE BEEN STUDYING THROUGH 04:14 THIS. AND, TODAY, IT'S LESSON #8 AND 04:17 IT'S GOING TO BE BROUGHT TO US BY CARISSA MCSHERRY, WHO IS THE 04:21 ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF AFCOE - THE AMAZING FACTS CENTER OF 04:27 EVANGELISM - SO CARISSA'S GOING TO BE BRINGING US OUR LESSON 04:30 STUDY, AND WE KNOW THAT YOU WILL BE BLESSED. 04:44 >>GOOD MORNING AND HAPPY SABBATH. 04:46 >>GOOD MORNING. >>IS IT A HAPPY SABBATH? 04:48 >>YES. >>AMEN. ABSOLUTELY. YOU KNOW, 04:51 JUST THIS MORNING, AS I WAS DRIVING TO CHURCH, I WAS 04:53 THINKING ABOUT HOW OFTEN I TAKE THIS SABBATH BLESSING FOR 04:57 GRANTED. IT'S WHAT WE DO EVERY SINGLE 05:00 WEEK, BUT WHAT AN INCREDIBLE BLESSING IT IS, EVERY SINGLE 05:04 WEEK, TO GATHER TOGETHER WITH LIKE BELIEVERS, TO STUDY THE 05:08 WORD OF GOD, AND TO GROW IN GRACE TOGETHER. 05:10 IT'S A BLESSING, AMEN? >>AMEN. 05:12 >>AMEN. THIS WEEK WE HAVE BEEN STUDYING THE TOPIC 05:16 FROM SLAVE TO HEIR - LOOKING AT THE LATTER PORTION OF 05:20 GALATIANS 3 AND THEN DIVING INTO GALATIANS CHAPTER 4, SO THAT IS 05:25 WHAT WE'RE GOING TO BE LOOKING AT TOGETHER THIS MORNING. 05:29 BUT FIRST, I JUST WANT TO REMIND YOU OF OUR FREE OFFER. 05:32 IT IS CALLED, AGAIN, THE HIGH COST OF THE CROSS - IT'S AN 05:35 EXCELLENT LITTLE BOOKLET AND I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO CHECK IT 05:38 OUT. YOU CAN RECEIVE IT BY CALLING 05:41 866-STUDY-MORE - 866-STUDY-MORE - AND JUST MENTION 05:46 THAT IT IS OFFER #156. IF YOU HAVE YOUR QUARTERLY THIS 05:51 MORNING, OUR MEMORY TEXT IS FOUND IN GALATIANS CHAPTER 4 AND 05:57 VERSE 7 - GALATIANS CHAPTER 4 AND VERSE 7. IF YOU WOULD JUST 06:01 READ THAT ALOUD WITH ME. THE BIBLE SAYS, "SO YOU ARE NO 06:08 LONGER A SLAVE, BUT A SON; AND IF A SON, THEN AN HEIR 06:14 THROUGH GOD." THOSE ARE BEAUTIFUL WORDS AND 06:18 TRULY, IN ESSENCE, IT EXPRESSES THE GOSPEL. 06:21 'YOU ARE NO LONGER A SLAVE, BUT A SON; AND IF A SON, THEN AN 06:25 HEIR THROUGH GOD.' YOU SEE, ADOPTION, AS WE'RE GOING TO BE 06:29 SPEAKING OF TODAY, WAS ACTUALLY A VERY COMMON PRACTICE IN ROME 06:34 DURING THE TIME THAT PAUL WAS WRITING THIS LETTER TO THE 06:37 GALATIANS. IT TYPICALLY OCCURRED UPON THE 06:40 MORE WEALTHY CLASS - THOSE THAT ARE MORE WELL OFF. 06:43 YOU SEE, IT WAS VERY MUCH A REQUIREMENT IN THOSE DAYS THAT 06:47 YOU HAD AN HEIR - A MALE HEIR. SO, FOR THOSE THAT DID NOT HAVE 06:52 CHILDREN OR, PERHAPS YOU HAD FAR TOO MANY CHILDREN AND CHILDREN 06:56 WERE EXPENSIVE TO HAVE - EXPENSIVE TO RAISE - AND SO, 07:00 TYPICALLY, THAT WAS FROWNED UPON. SO IF YOU HAD MANY 07:04 CHILDREN, SOMEONE WHO DID NOT HAVE A CHILD, OR MAYBE ONLY HAD 07:08 DAUGHTERS, WOULD ADOPT ONE OF YOUR CHILDREN. 07:13 NOW, THE CHILD THEY ADOPTED FROM YOU WAS NOT TYPICALLY THE LAST 07:17 BORN - THE OOPS - IT WAS NOT THE UNWANTED CHILD. 07:22 OFTEN THE ONE THAT WAS ADOPTED WAS THE ELDEST CHILD - THE ONE 07:26 THAT HAD PROVEN THEIR CHARACTER AND THEIR FAITHFULNESS. 07:30 THAT CHILD WOULD THEN BE ADOPTED BY SOMEONE IN THE UPPER CLASS. 07:35 THAT CHILD WOULD BE PAID FOR - THERE WOULD BE A SUM OF MONEY 07:39 THAT WAS EXCHANGED FOR THIS ADOPTION, AND THAT CHILD WOULD 07:43 THEN BECOME A FULL HEIR OF THAT NEW ADOPTED FAMILY. 07:48 HE WOULD TAKE ON THE NAME OF THAT FAMILY AS WELL. 07:53 NOW ADOPTION WAS NOT CONSIDERED TO BE A SHAMEFUL THING OR A 07:57 SECRETIVE THING. IT WAS VERY OPEN AND, IN FACT, 08:00 VERY MUCH ENCOURAGED IN SOME SITUATIONS. 08:04 YOU MAY BE FAMILIAR WITH SOME OF THE NAMES OF VERY FAMOUS 08:08 INDIVIDUALS WHO WERE, IN FACT, ADOPTED. MEN SUCH AS NERO, 08:14 TIBERIUS, AND AUGUSTUS. THEY WERE ALL ADOPTED. 08:20 SO, AS PAUL IS ADDRESSING THIS LETTER TO THE GALATIANS, HE'S, 08:23 AGAIN, LOOKING AT THIS CONTEXT OF WHAT ADOPTION MEANS AND 08:28 REMINDING US THAT THAT IS THE EXPERIENCE THAT GOD WANTS EVERY 08:31 SINGLE ONE OF US TO HAVE TODAY. WE ARE GOING TO BE CONSIDERING, 08:36 IN OUR LESSON, THREE QUESTIONS: HOW DO WE BECOME CLOTHED WITH 08:42 CHRIST AND HEIRS OF HIS KINGDOM? SECONDARILY, HOW MIGHT WE, WHO 08:49 HAVE BEEN GOD'S CHILDREN, SLIDE BACK INTO THE SLAVERY OF WORKS? 08:56 AND, LASTLY, HOW DO WE DAILY CLOTHE OURSELVES IN THE DEATH 09:02 AND RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST? 09:06 BUT, BEFORE WE DIVE INTO THIS TOPIC MUCH DEEPER, WOULD YOU 09:09 JUST BOW YOUR HEADS WITH ME AS WE PRAY? HEAVENLY FATHER, GOD, 09:14 LORD, WE JUST THANK YOU FOR THIS BEAUTIFUL SABBATH DAY. 09:16 LORD, I JUST THANK YOU THAT WE CAN OPEN YOUR WORD AND THAT WE 09:19 CAN WORSHIP YOU AS OUR LORD AND AS OUR GOD. HEAVENLY FATHER, WE 09:24 PRAY FOR YOUR HOLY SPIRIT AND, LORD, TODAY, AS WE OPEN YOUR 09:27 WORD, MAY YOU OPEN OUR HEARTS. WE THANK YOU, FATHER AND WE 09:31 PRAY, TRUSTING IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST, YOUR SON, AMEN. 09:35 WE ARE GOING TO BEGIN OUR STUDY WITH SUNDAY'S LESSON ENTITLED 09:40 OUR CONDITION IN CHRIST . TURN, WITH ME, IN YOUR BIBLES TO 09:44 GALATIANS CHAPTER 3, VERSES 26 TO 27. 09:49 ACTUALLY, WE HAVE A VOLUNTEER WHO WILL BE READING THAT FOR US. 09:51 WE ARE IN GALATIANS CHAPTER 3, VERSES 26 AND 27. 09:57 >>"FOR YOU ARE ALL SONS OF GOD THROUGH FAITH IN CHRIST JESUS. 10:02 FOR AS MANY OF YOU AS WERE BAPTIZED INTO CHRIST HAVE PUT ON 10:06 CHRIST." >>OKAY. SO WE ARE ALL SONS 10:11 THROUGH WHAT? THROUGH - >>CHRIST. 10:15 >>THROUGH CHRIST, BUT WHAT THROUGH CHRIST? 10:18 >>SONS OF GOD. >>WE ARE ALL SONS OF GOD 10:21 THROUGH FAITH IN CHRIST. IS THAT CORRECT? WE MUST HAVE THAT 10:26 FAITH IN CHRIST IN ORDER TO BE THOSE SONS. "FOR AS MANY OF YOU 10:32 AS WERE BAPTIZED" HAVE PUT ON JESUS CHRIST. 10:36 SO WE ARE SEEING HERE THAT THERE IS A CONNECTION. 10:38 WHEN YOU ARE BAPTIZED, YOU ARE PUTTING ON JESUS CHRIST. 10:42 WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO PUT ON JESUS CHRIST? 10:48 TURN WITH ME IN YOUR BIBLES, AS WE FURTHER ILLUSTRATE THIS, TO 10:51 ROMANS - IN ROMANS CHAPTER 6 AND WE'LL BE LOOKING AT VERSES 3 10:58 THROUGH 6 - ROMANS CHAPTER 6 - AGAIN, THE SAME AUTHOR HERE, 11:03 PAUL, IS SPEAKING. WE ARE IN ROMANS CHAPTER 6, 11:07 VERSES 3 THROUGH 6. THE BIBLE TELLS US THIS MORNING, 11:15 "OR DO YOU NOT KNOW THAT AS MANY OF US AS WERE BAPTIZED INTO 11:19 CHRIST JESUS WERE BAPTIZED INTO HIS" - WHAT? 11:22 >>HIS DEATH. >>INTO HIS DEATH - "THEREFORE 11:25 WE WERE BURIED WITH HIM THROUGH BAPTISM INTO DEATH, THAT JUST 11:29 AS CHRIST WAS RAISED FROM THE DEAD BY THE GLORY OF THE FATHER, 11:32 EVEN SO WE ALSO SHOULD WALK IN NEWNESS OF LIFE." I'M GOING TO 11:38 PAUSE THERE FOR A JUST A MOMENT. NOTICE, DO WE DIE SO THAT WE MAY 11:42 REMAIN DEAD? NO, WHY DO WE DIE? 11:46 >>SO THAT WE CAN BE RAISED WITH HIM. 11:47 >>SO THAT WE CAN BE RAISED TO LIFE THROUGH JESUS CHRIST. 11:51 YOU SEE, AGAIN, THAT'S THE BEAUTY OF THE GOSPEL. 11:53 HE DOESN'T WANT YOU TO MERELY REMAIN DEAD. 11:55 HE IS SAYING YOU ARE DEAD. YOU HAVE BEEN CRUCIFIED. 11:58 WHY? SO THAT YOU CAN RISE AGAIN - SO 12:00 THAT YOU CAN EXPERIENCE THAT BEAUTIFUL, ABUNDANT LIFE. 12:06 CONTINUING IN VERSE 5, "FOR IF WE HAVE BEEN UNITED TOGETHER IN 12:11 THE LIKENESS OF HIS DEATH, CERTAINLY WE ALSO SHALL BE IN 12:15 THE LIKENESS OF HIS RESURRECTION," - NOTICE, IF WE 12:20 ARE NOT UNITED IN HIS DEATH, WE CANNOT BE UNITED IN HIS - 12:25 >>RESURRECTION. >>RESURRECTION. BEFORE WE CAN 12:28 EXPERIENCE THE RESURRECTION, WE MUST EXPERIENCE THE DEATH. 12:32 VERSE 6, "KNOWING THIS, THAT OUR OLD MAN WAS CRUCIFIED WITH HIM, 12:39 THAT THE BODY OF SIN MIGHT BE DONE AWAY WITH, THAT WE SHOULD 12:43 NO LONGER BE SLAVES OF SIN." THE BIBLE SAYS, HERE, THAT 12:49 SIN IS A SLAVE MASTER. SIN KEEPS US IN BONDAGE. 12:55 BUT HERE, JESUS IS SAYING, 'YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE IN BONDAGE, I 12:58 WANT YOU TO EXPERIENCE THE POWER OF THE RESURRECTION.' 13:03 IT SPEAKS OF OUR OLD MAN BEING WHAT? 13:07 >>DEAD. >>CRUCIFIED - BEING DEAD 13:10 AND BEING CRUCIFIED. NOW, WAS CRUCIFIXION 13:13 A BEAUTIFUL PROCESS? >>NO. 13:16 >>WAS THAT SOMETHING YOU WOULD DESIRE TO EXPERIENCE? NO. 13:20 CRUCIFIXIONS WERE PAINFUL, WERE THEY NOT? 13:22 AND, SOMETIMES IN THAT SURRENDER PROCESS, WE MIGHT FEEL AS THOUGH 13:26 WE WANT TO COME DOWN FROM THAT CROSS. 13:29 'LORD, THIS CRUCIFIXION, I DON'T KNOW ABOUT THAT.' BUT GOD IS 13:32 SAYING, 'NO, COME TO ME IN YOUR ENTIRETY. THE DEPTHS OF THAT 13:35 SURRENDER AND, AS YOU ARE CRUCIFIED WITH ME, AS YOU GIVE 13:38 ALL TO ME, THEN YOU WILL EXPERIENCE THE BEAUTY 13:42 OF THAT RESURRECTED LIFE.' FURTHER ILLUSTRATING THIS, WE 13:47 ARE GOING TO TURN TO COLOSSIANS CHAPTER 3, VERSES 9 THROUGH 13:52 10 - GALATIANS, EPHESIANS, PHILIPPIANS - COLOSSIANS CHAPTER 13:58 3, LOOKING AT VERSES 9 AND 10. THE BIBLE SAYS, "DO NOT LIE TO 14:09 ONE ANOTHER, SINCE YOU HAVE PUT OFF THE OLD MAN WITH HIS DEEDS, 14:16 AND HAVE PUT ON THE NEW MAN WHO IS RENEWED IN KNOWLEDGE 14:22 ACCORDING TO THE IMAGE OF HIM WHO CREATED HIM." 14:26 NOTICE, WHAT ARE WE PUTTING OFF? >>THE OLD MAN. 14:29 >>THE OLD MAN. AND IN ITS PLACE, 14:31 WHAT DO WE PUT ON? >>CHRIST. 14:33 >>THE NEW MAN, JESUS CHRIST, IN HIS IMAGE. 14:37 WE ARE RENEWED IN THE KNOWLEDGE OF JESUS CHRIST. 14:41 WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE RENEWED? NEW - RE-NEWED - RIGHT? 14:50 TO BE MADE NEW ONCE AGAIN. AND JESUS IS SAYING, THE WAY 14:56 THAT YOU CAN BE MADE NEW ONCE AGAIN - THE WAY THAT YOU CAN 14:59 EXPERIENCE THAT NEW BIRTH IS THROUGH WHAT? 15:03 >>THE HOLY SPIRIT. >>THE HOLY SPIRIT DOES THE WORK 15:05 - WE ARE RENEWED IN HIM THROUGH A - 15:09 >>KNOWLEDGE. >>KNOWLEDGE. THROUGH A KNOWLEDGE 15:12 OF WHAT? THE KNOWLEDGE OF JESUS CHRIST - 15:17 THE KNOWLEDGE OF HIS CRUCIFIXION - THE KNOWLEDGE OF HIS LIFE. 15:20 IT IS THROUGH THE CHARACTER OF JESUS CHRIST - IT IS THROUGH 15:23 LOOKING UNTO JESUS, THE AUTHOR AND THE FINISHER OF OUR FAITH, 15:27 THAT WE CAN COME TO THAT RENEWED EXPERIENCE. 15:32 YOU SEE, IF I JUST LOOK AT MYSELF ALL DAY LONG AND SAY, 15:35 'WOW, I'M SO SELFISH. WOW, I'M SO PROUD. 15:38 WOW, I'M SO THIS - I'M SO THAT.' I AM TURNING MY LOOKS AND I AM 15:42 BECOMING EVEN MORE SELFISH. AND I FIND NO VICTORY 15:46 LOOKING IN MYSELF. AND HERE WE ARE REMINDED, 15:50 LOOKING UNTO JESUS, RENEWED IN THE KNOWLEDGE OF HIM. 15:56 JOHN CHAPTER 17 AND VERSE 3 TELLS US, "AND THIS IS ETERNAL 16:00 LIFE, THAT THEY MAY" - WHAT? >>KNOW YOU. 16:03 >>"THAT THEY MAY KNOW YOU." ETERNAL LIFE IS ALL ABOUT 16:08 KNOWING JESUS - ABOUT HAVING THAT PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH 16:14 HIM. 2 CORINTHIANS 3:18 IS ANOTHER TEXT TO CONSIDER. 16:18 AS WE LOOK AT JESUS WE BECOME TRANSFORMED INTO HIS IMAGE. 16:24 BUT AS WE ARE CONSIDERING WHAT IT MEANS TO PUT OFF AND PUT ON, 16:29 I WANT TO CONSIDER VERSES 11 TO 13. 16:32 WE ARE IN COLOSSIANS 3, VERSES 11 TO 13. 16:39 THE BIBLE SAYS, "WHERE THERE IS NEITHER GREEK NOR JEW, 16:44 CIRCUMCISED NOR UNCIRCUMCISED, BARBARIAN, SCYTHIAN, SLAVE NOR 16:49 FREE, BUT CHRIST IS ALL AND IN ALL. 16:53 THEREFORE, AS THE ELECT OF GOD, HOLY AND BELOVED, PUT ON TENDER 16:57 MERCIES, KINDNESS, HUMILITY, MEEKNESS, LONGSUFFERING; BEARING 17:03 WITH ONE ANOTHER, AND FORGIVING ONE ANOTHER, IF ANYONE HAS A 17:08 COMPLAINT AGAINST ANOTHER; EVEN AS CHRIST FORGAVE YOU, SO YOU 17:13 ALSO MUST DO." >>AMEN. 17:16 >>NOW NOTICE, WHEN IT LOOKS AT THE DESCRIPTION OF WHAT A 17:18 CHRISTIAN SHOULD BE 'PUTTING ON', WHO DOES THAT REMIND YOU 17:22 OF? >>JESUS. 17:25 >>JESUS CHRIST, DOES IT NOT? YOU LOOK AT THAT BEAUTIFUL 17:28 EXAMPLE AND YOU LOOK AT YOUR OWN HEART - I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'RE 17:31 LIKE ME, I SAY, 'WOE IS ME FOR I AM UNDONE'. 17:34 BUT WHEN WE LOOK AT JESUS WE SEE THAT EXAMPLE PERFECTLY LIVED OUT 17:39 IN HIS LIFE AND WE KNOW, BY FAITH, THAT IF JESUS LIVED THAT 17:43 LIFE, HE, TOO, CAN LIVE IT THROUGH US TODAY. GOD IS CALLING 17:48 US TO PUT ON THESE THINGS TO THE POWER OF GOD. 17:52 NOW JUST AS A SMALL SIDE NOTE HERE, PLEASE DO PAY SPECIAL 17:56 ATTENTION TO VERSE 11, WHERE IT SPEAKS ABOUT THERE BEING NEITHER 18:00 GREEK NOR JEW, CIRCUMCISED NOR UNCIRCUMCISED. 18:04 WE ARE GOING TO FIND A SIMILAR VERSE IN GALATIANS 3, VERSE 28, 18:08 THAT HAS BEEN THE CENTER OF MUCH CONTROVERSY. 18:10 SO IT'S IMPORTANT TO KEEP THIS TEXT IN MIND IN ORDER SO THAT WE 18:13 CAN HAVE AN ACCURATE UNDERSTANDING. 18:16 NOTICE, AGAIN, IT SAYS, "...CHRIST IS ALL AND IN ALL." 18:20 SO THE CONTEXT THERE, AGAIN, IS NOT THIS GROUP, THAT GROUP, THIS 18:23 GROUP, THAT GROUP - IT DOESN'T MATTER YOUR BACKGROUND, IT 18:25 DOESN'T MATTER YOUR ETHNICITY, IT DOESN'T MATTER YOUR ECONOMIC 18:28 STATUS, CHRIST IS ALL IN ALL. >>AMEN. 18:34 >>WE ARE GOING TO CONTINUE WITH THIS THOUGHT IN ZECHARIAH 18:37 CHAPTER 3. I LOVE THIS STORY OF JOSHUA THE HIGH PRIEST. 18:44 I ENCOURAGE YOU TO READ IT LATER IN ZECHARIAH CHAPTER 3. 18:47 THE BIBLE TELLS THAT JOSHUA THE HIGH PRIEST WAS STANDING BEFORE 18:51 THE ANGEL OF THE LORD AND THE DEVIL CAME AND BEGAN TO ACCUSE 18:56 HIM. WE KNOW THAT THE DEVIL IS THE ACCUSER OF THE BRETHREN. 19:00 HE LOVES TO COME IN, FIND OUR FAULTS, AND CRITICIZE AND SAY, 19:04 'OH, YOU'LL NEVER BE GOOD ENOUGH. 19:06 LOOK AT YOUR FAULTS.' AND THERE, AS JOSHUA STOOD BEFORE THE LORD, 19:10 HIS GARMENTS, WERE THEY CLEAN? >>NO. 19:13 >>NO, THEY WERE FILTHY, FILTHY RAGS. 19:18 AND HE STANDS BEFORE HIM IN HIS IMPURITY AND THE DEVIL POINTS 19:21 OUT EVERY FLAW. AND THEN JESUS, THE LORD, LOOKS 19:27 UPON JOSHUA AND HE SAYS, 'REMOVE THOSE GARMENTS.' NOTICE, IT'S 19:32 NOT JOSHUA THAT DOES THE REMOVING. 19:34 GOD REMOVES THOSE FILTHY GARMENTS AND DOES HE LEAVE HIM 19:38 NAKED? >>NO. 19:39 >>NO, WHAT DOES HE THEN DO? HE CLOTHED HIM THEN WITH 19:44 THAT ROBE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. SO, ALSO, IN OUR EXPERIENCE, 19:49 WHO TOOK OFF THE ROBE? GOD DID, RIGHT? 19:53 IT WAS THE HOLY SPIRIT'S WORK FOR THAT ROBE TO BE REMOVED. 19:56 AND WHO PUT ON THE NEW ROBE? >>GOD. 19:58 >>GOD DID. YOU SEE, BOTH JUSTIFICATION AND 20:03 SANCTIFICATION ARE THE WORK OF GOD. 20:07 >>AMEN. >>SOMETIMES WE THINK THAT WE 20:09 BEGAN THIS GOOD WORK AND WE CAN COMPLETE IT. 20:13 OR MAYBE WE THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, 'I WAS CONVERTED, I GAVE 20:17 MY LIFE TO JESUS CHRIST, HE FORGAVE ME, I WAS BAPTIZED, I 20:20 WAS CLEANSED, NOW THE REST OF MY LIFE I'M GOING TO MAKE IT WORK. 20:24 THE REST OF MY LIFE I'M GOING TO HANDLE IT SO I CAN BE APPROVED 20:27 OF GOD.' IS THAT THE CASE? NO, THE SAME ONE WHO BEGAN THIS 20:33 GOOD WORK IN YOU IS THE SAME ONE WHO WILL BE FAITHFUL 20:36 TO COMPLETE IT. AND HE WILL, BY HIS GRACE, COMPLETE IT. 20:43 >>AMEN. >>PHILIPPIANS CHAPTER 2 AND 20:46 VERSE 12 TELLS US TO WORK OUT OUR OWN SALVATION WITH WHAT? 20:51 >>FEAR AND TREMBLING. >>FEAR AND TREMBLING. 20:55 YOU SEE, SOME PEOPLE LEAVE - THEY STOP AT THAT VERSE. 20:59 DOES THAT SOUND LIKE AN ENJOYABLE CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE? 21:02 >>NO. >>'WORK OUT YOUR OWN SALVATION. 21:06 IT IS UP TO YOU. YOU WORK YOUR WAY TO HEAVEN.' 21:10 HOWEVER, VERSE 13 PUTS IT IN ITS PROPER CONTEXT: "FOR IT IS GOD 21:16 WHO WORKS IN YOU BOTH TO WILL AND TO DO FOR HIS 21:21 GOOD PLEASURE." YOU SEE, THAT FEAR AND TREMBLING 21:26 IS MERELY US COMING TO GOD AND SURRENDERING OUR LIVES AND 21:30 SAYING, 'GOD, I HAVE THESE FILTHY RAGS. 21:32 PLEASE TAKE THEM OFF OF ME AND PUT ON YOUR ROBE. 21:37 GOD, I DON'T HAVE THE POWER TO EVEN TAKE THEM OFF, BUT I AM 21:40 SURRENDERING TO YOU BECAUSE I KNOW YOU HAVE THE POWER.' FEAR 21:45 AND TREMBLING IS COMING TO GOD AND SEEKING THAT SURRENDER WITH 21:48 ALL OF OUR HEART. AND IT IS GOD WHO NOT ONLY 21:53 CREATES THE DESIRE WITHIN US, BUT WHO IS ABLE TO COMPLETE IT. 22:01 THE SAME GOD THAT BEGAN THAT GOOD WORK IN US WILL BE FAITHFUL 22:05 TO COMPLETE IT TODAY. LET'S DIVE BACK TO GALATIANS - 22:11 BACK TO GALATIANS CHAPTER 3 AND WE ARE NOW GOING TO BE 22:16 CONSIDERING VERSES 28 AND 29 - GALATIANS CHAPTER 3:28 AND 29 - 22:25 IF YOU WOULD READ THAT FOR US, PLEASE. 22:26 THANK YOU. >>"THERE IS NEITHER JEW NOR 22:28 GREEK, THERE IS NEITHER SLAVE NOR FREE, THERE IS NEITHER MALE 22:32 NOR FEMALE; FOR YOU ARE ALL ONE IN CHRIST JESUS. 22:36 AND IF YOU ARE CHRIST'S, THEN YOU ARE ABRAHAM'S SEED, AND 22:39 HEIRS ACCORDING TO THE PROMISE." 22:41 >>THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THIS TEXT, AS I MENTIONED 22:45 EARLIER, HAS BEEN THE CENTER OF MUCH CONTROVERSY. 22:48 BUT IF WE LOOK AT IT IN THE CONTEXT IN WHICH PAUL IS 22:52 SPEAKING IT, I BELIEVE THAT THE CONTEXT MAKES IT QUITE CLEAR. 22:57 HE IS SAYING HERE, 'IT DOES NOT MATTER IF YOU ARE JEW OR IF YOU 23:01 ARE GREEK; IT DOESN'T MATTER IF YOU ARE AMERICAN OR IF YOU ARE 23:05 ANY OTHER NATIONALITY; IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT YOUR 23:08 BACKGROUND IS; IT DOESN'T MATTER IF YOU ARE A LAWYER, A DOCTOR, A 23:13 MECHANIC, A CONSTRUCTION WORKER, A TEACHER, OR A PASTOR; YOU ARE 23:20 OF EQUAL VALUE BEFORE JESUS CHRIST. 23:23 >>AMEN. >>DO YOU BELIEVE THAT, TODAY? 23:25 >>AMEN. >>REGARDLESS OF YOUR BACKGROUND, 23:28 REGARDLESS OF YOUR ECONOMIC STATUS, YOU ARE OF EQUAL 23:32 VALUE BEFORE JESUS CHRIST. YOUR ROLE IN THE BODY - YOUR 23:37 ROLE IN THE CHURCH - IS CRUCIAL. >>AMEN. 23:42 >>WE ARE ALL A PART OF THAT BODY OF CHRIST AND SOMETIMES WE THINK 23:45 THAT THE PASTOR IS THE ONE WHO IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF 23:49 THAT BODY. BUT THE BIBLE SAYS, 'NO, THAT'S NOT IT. 23:53 1 CORINTHIANS 12 - WE ARE ALL A PART OF THAT BODY OF CHRIST. 23:56 WE HAVE EQUAL IMPORTANCE BEFORE GOD. 23:59 >>AMEN. >>SECONDARILY, THE POINT THAT IS 24:01 BEING BROUGHT OUT HERE: THERE IS NO ADVANTAGE TO YOU BEING BORN A 24:06 JEW; NO ADVANTAGE TO YOU BEING BORN A SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST - 24:12 IF YOU THINK THAT THAT IS WHAT WILL GIVE YOU SALVATION. 24:18 THERE IS NO SALVATION IN YOU BEING A PASTOR; NO SALVATION IN 24:22 YOU BEING WHATEVER CHRISTIAN IT MAY BE. THE SALVATION IS FOUND 24:25 IN JESUS CHRIST. >>AMEN. 24:28 >>WE CANNOT WORK OUR WAY INTO HEAVEN. 24:31 NOW, AGAIN, GRANTED, AS WE COME CLOSER TO JESUS CHRIST, WE COME 24:34 CLOSER INTO A DESIRE TO BE IN HARMONY WITH HIS WORD. 24:38 BUT IT IS THROUGH THAT RELATIONSHIP THAT WE ARE SAVED. 24:42 IT IS THROUGH GRACE BY FAITH THAT WE EXPERIENCE SALVATION, 24:46 NOT BY WORKS LEST ANY MAN SHOULD BOAST. 24:50 IS THAT CLEAR FROM THE WRITINGS OF PAUL, TODAY? 24:52 >>YES. >>AMEN. 24:54 THAT IS A CRUCIAL, CRUCIAL POINT. 24:58 1 CORINTHIANS CHAPTER 12 AND VERSE 13 FURTHER ILLUSTRATES IT 25:03 - FURTHER REINFORCES THIS FACT, WHERE PAUL SAYS, "FOR BY ONE 25:07 SPIRIT WE WERE ALL BAPTIZED INTO ONE BODY-WHETHER JEWS OR GREEKS, 25:14 WETHER SLAVES OR FREE-AND HAVE ALL BEEN MADE TO DRINK INTO ONE 25:20 SPIRIT." YOU SEE, AGAIN, REGARDLESS OF 25:23 OUR BACKGROUND, WE ARE ONE IN JESUS CHRIST. 25:27 NOW, FOR US, AS WE'RE READING THIS, WE THINK, 'WELL, OF 25:30 COURSE.' FOR US IT MAY NOT BE THAT DIFFICULT TO SWALLOW BUT, 25:35 AGAIN, REMEMBER THE TIME PERIOD THAT PAUL WAS WRITING HERE. 25:40 REMEMBER, AGAIN, THAT THE JEWS, HISTORICALLY, DURING THIS TIME, 25:44 WOULD PASS THE OTHER WAY, RATHER THAN TO COME IN CONTACT WITH A 25:47 GENTILE. YOU DON'T WANT THEIR SHADOW TO COME UPON YOU BECAUSE 25:51 THEN YOU'RE GOING TO BE UNCLEAN. AND THE VIEW OF WOMEN, OF 25:55 COURSE, WAS ALSO PUT DOWN IN MANY INSTANCES. 25:59 SO HERE, AS PAUL IS WRITING THESE WORDS, FOR SOME PEOPLE 26:02 THEY WERE A LITTLE HARD TO SWALLOW. 26:04 AND HE IS SAYING, 'DON'T ALLOW THOSE PREJUDICES TO HOLD YOU 26:07 AWAY FROM JESUS CHRIST. WE ARE ONE AND WE ARE 26:11 ALL IN JESUS CHRIST. THERE IS NO DISTINCTION. 26:17 NOW WE ARE GOING TO MOVE INTO MONDAY'S LESSON. 26:20 THE CONCEPT IS, ENSLAVED TO ELEMENTARY PRINCIPLES . 26:26 WE'RE GOING TO DIVE INTO GALATIANS CHAPTER 4, VERSES 1 26:30 THROUGH 3 - GALATIANS CHAPTER 4, VERSES 1 TO 3. 26:35 >>"NOW I SAY THAT THE HEIR, AS LONG AS HE IS A CHILD, DOES NOT 26:39 DIFFER AT ALL FROM A SLAVE, THOUGH HE IS MASTER OF ALL, BUT 26:43 IS UNDER GUARDIANS AND STEWARDS UNTIL THE TIME APPOINTED BY THE 26:47 FATHER. EVEN SO WE, WHEN WE WERE CHILDREN, WERE IN BONDAGE UNDER 26:52 THE ELEMENTS OF THE WORLD." >>THANK YOU. 26:55 THANK YOU, VICKY, I APPRECIATE IT. I'M GOING TO NOW CONTINUE 26:58 WITH VERSE 9, JUST A COMPARISON TO WHAT WAS JUST READ. 27:05 "BUT NOW AFTER YOU HAVE KNOWN GOD OR RATHER ARE KNOWN BY 27:09 GOD, HOW IS IT THAT YOU TURN AGAIN TO THE WEAK AND BEGGARLY 27:14 ELEMENTS, TO WHICH YOU DESIRE AGAIN TO BE IN BONDAGE? 27:18 YOU OBSERVE DAYS AND MONTHS AND SEASONS AND YEARS. 27:21 I AM AFRAID FOR YOU, LEST I HAVE LABORED FOR YOU IN VAIN." 27:27 THE SABBATH SCHOOL QUARTERLY BROUGHT OUT A VERY INTERESTING 27:29 POINT ON PAGE 66 AND I WANT TO JUST READ IT TO YOU HERE 27:33 BRIEFLY. THEY MENTIONED "PAUL IS REFERRING, HERE, TO THE 27:38 RUDIMENTARY PRINCIPLES OF RELIGIOUS LIFE. 27:42 IF SO, PAUL IS SAYING THAT THE OLD TESTAMENT PERIOD, WITH ITS 27:46 LAWS AND ITS SACRIFICES, WAS MERELY A GOSPEL PRIMER THAT 27:51 OUTLINED THE BASICS OF SALVATION. THUS, AS IMPORTANT 27:55 AND INSTRUCTIONAL AS THE CEREMONIAL LAWS WERE TO ISRAEL, 27:59 THEY WERE ONLY SHADOWS OF WHAT WAS TO COME. 28:04 THEY NEVER WERE INTENDED TO TAKE THE PLACE OF CHRIST. 28:08 SO, FOR THE GALATIANS TO RETURN TO THOSE BASIC ELEMENTS AFTER 28:12 CHRIST HAD ALREADY COME WOULD BE LIKE THE ADULT SON, IN PAUL'S 28:16 ANALOGY, WANTING TO BE A MINOR AGAIN." 28:22 SO HERE THEY ARE CLINGING TO THE CEREMONIAL LAWS WHEN CHRIST WAS 28:26 THERE IN THE VERY PRESENCE. AS A WAY OF ILLUSTRATING THIS, 28:32 IMAGINE, WITH ME, THAT A SON GOES OFF TO WAR. 28:38 THE MOTHER IS WORRIED ABOUT HER SON. 28:40 SHE MISSES HER SON. SHE LONGS TO EMBRACE 28:43 HER SON AGAIN. SHE FEARS THE DANGERS 28:46 THAT HE WILL FACE. THERE ON THE MANTLE, THERE, SHE 28:49 HAS A BEAUTIFUL PICTURE OF HER SON. 28:54 AND, OCCASIONALLY, ESPECIALLY WHEN SHE'S FEELING LONELY, SHE 28:57 TAKES DOWN THAT PICTURE AND SHE SITS ON THE COUCH AND SHE JUST 29:00 LOOKS AT THAT PICTURE SO LOVINGLY. 29:04 AND SHE LOOKS INTO HIS EYES - THOSE EYES THAT SHE CAN'T WAIT 29:07 TO SEE AGAIN, AND SHE LOOKS AT THE PICTURE AND MAYBE CRIES A 29:10 TEAR OR TWO AND MAYBE KIND OF RUBS HER FINGER ALONG THE 29:14 PICTURE AS SHE'S SITTING THERE ADMIRING IT. 29:17 THE MONTHS PASS BY AND THE WAR IS OVER AND, ONE DAY, HER SON 29:23 COMES HOME, THROWS OPEN THE FRONT DOOR, AND SAYS, 'SURPRISE! 29:26 I'M HERE! I'M HOME!' AND HE HEARS SILENCE. 29:32 HE GOES INTO THE LIVING ROOM AND SEES HIS MOTHER SITTING THERE ON 29:34 THE COUCH LOOKING AT THIS PICTURE, ADORING IT, HOLDING IT 29:39 CLOSE TO HER. AND THE SON SAYS, 'MOM, I'M HOME!' 29:44 'MOM, I'M HERE!' 'MOM, I'M ALIVE!' 29:48 AND THE MOTHER IGNORES HIM AS SHE CONTINUES TO STARE AT THE 29:52 PICTURE. CAN YOU IMAGINE THIS 29:55 SCENE TAKING PLACE? HOPEFULLY NOT, RIGHT? 30:00 IT SOUNDS ABSURD, BECAUSE WHAT WOULD ANY MOTHER DO? 30:07 SHE'S GONNA THROW THAT PICTURE TO THE SIDE - DOESN'T CARE IF IT 30:10 BREAKS IN THE PROCESS - SHE IS JUMPING UP TO GRAB HER SON. 30:15 AND, YOU SEE, THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT, UNFORTUNATELY, DID NOT 30:18 HAPPEN TO THE JEWISH NATION AT LARGE. 30:22 GRANTED, THERE WERE INDIVIDUALS WITHIN THE NATION THAT DID 30:25 ACCEPT CHRIST BUT, AT LARGE, THE JEWISH NATION HELD ONTO THAT 30:29 PICTURE AND THEY CONTINUED TO LOVE IT AND TO ADORE IT AND TO 30:33 BECOME SO FOCUSED ON THE CEREMONIAL LAWS, THAT THEY 30:37 MISSED THE VERY ONE WHO WAS SYMBOLIZED BY THOSE LAWS - THE 30:43 VERY ONE WHOSE PRESENCE WAS THERE WITH THEM. 30:47 THEY WERE SO FOCUSED ON SACRIFICING THE LAMB THAT THEY 30:49 DIDN'T REALIZE THAT MESSIAH, THE LAMB - JESUS CHRIST - WAS BEFORE 30:52 THEM. IS THERE A RISK THAT WE CAN 30:57 DO THE SAME THING TODAY? >>YES. 31:01 >>NO, WE DO NOT KEEP THE CEREMONIAL LAWS. 31:03 WE BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST - IN HIS REALITY TODAY - BUT COULD IT 31:09 BE THAT SOMETIMES WE GET CAUGHT UP IN THE FORMS - IN THE 31:13 CEREMONIES? MAYBE IN THE DUTIES? 31:17 THEY MAY EVEN BE RIGHT. DO YOU SEE THE CEREMONIAL LAWS 31:20 WERE ESTABLISHED FOR A PURPOSE? JESUS, IN FACT, IS 31:23 THE ONE WHO GAVE THEM. THEY WERE THERE TO POINT TO HIM. 31:28 BUT, SOMETIMES EVEN IN OUR CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE, EVEN THE 31:31 THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN GIVEN TO US TO POINT TO JESUS, WE CAN 31:35 MAKE AN IDOL IN AND OF THEMSELVES. 31:40 FOR INSTANCE, DO WE SOMETIMES BECOME SO FOCUSED ON ALL THE 31:44 WORK WE NEED TO DO AT CHURCH OR A SABBATH SCHOOL PROGRAM? 31:49 OR 'GOT TO BE AT CHURCH 9:30 ON SABBATH MORNING BECAUSE THAT'S 31:53 WHAT I DO'? 'THAT'S MY CUSTOM.' AND WE BECOME SO FOCUSED ON THE 31:59 CEREMONIES THAT WE FORGET THE MEANING BEHIND THEM. 32:04 DO YOU SEE THIS? >>AMEN. 32:07 >>NOW IS IT IMPORTANT TO GATHER TOGETHER IN CHURCH ON SABBATHS? 32:09 >>YES. >>YES, 'NOT FORSAKING THE 32:11 ASSEMBLING OF OURSELVES TOGETHER' THAT IS CRUCIAL. 32:14 BUT WHAT I'M TRYING TO ILLUSTRATE IS, IF I AM DOING 32:17 THESE THINGS BECAUSE I'M TRYING TO WORK MY WAY INTO FAVOR WITH 32:20 GOD, IF I AM DOING THESE THINGS AS A WAY TO EARN MY SALVATION, 32:24 I'VE MISSED THE MARK. JESUS IS SAYING, 'NO, THE 32:28 SABBATH IS ABOUT A RELATIONSHIP WITH ME - COMING CLOSER TO ME. 32:34 THAT IS WHAT I WANT YOU TO EXPERIENCE. 32:37 THAT IS THE BLESSING OF THE SABBATH.' 32:40 >>AMEN. >>IS THAT CLEAR THIS MORNING? 32:42 >>AMEN. >>ARE WE EXPERIENCING THE FULL 32:44 BLESSING THAT GOD DESIRES TO GIVE TO US, OR ARE WE, 32:47 SOMETIMES, HOLDING ON TO THE CEREMONIES? 32:52 ANOTHER IMPORTANT POINT THAT PAUL IS BRINGING OUT. 32:55 HE ASKS, 'WHY ARE YOU DESIRING TO BE IN BONDAGE YET AGAIN? 33:02 GOD HAS MADE YOU FREE SO WHY, THEN, ARE YOU DESIRING TO RETURN 33:06 TO BONDAGE?' YOU SEE THE GALATIANS, MANY OF 33:10 THEM HAD BEEN WORSHIPERS OF IDOLS. 33:13 THESE PAGAN PRACTICES - PRACTICES WHERE YOU HAVE TO WORK 33:17 YOUR WAY INTO FAVOR WITH THE GODS - SACRIFICING UNDER THEM TO 33:22 APPEASE THEIR WRATH. AND THEY, THEN, TOOK THIS 33:26 MENTALITY INTO THEIR CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE. 33:29 THEY ARE NOW EMBRACING THE CEREMONIES, YET AGAIN - THE 33:33 JEWISH CUSTOMS - AS A WAY OF, AGAIN, WORKING THEMSELVES INTO 33:37 FAVOR WITH GOD. AND PAUL IS SAYING, 33:40 'WHY ARE YOU DOING THAT? YOU'VE ALREADY BEEN SET 33:44 FREE FROM THE BONDAGE. DON'T ENTER INTO IT YET AGAIN. 33:49 YOU CANNOT WORK YOUR WAY INTO FAVOR WITH GOD. 33:53 IT IS A FREE GIFT THAT I AM OFFERING TO YOU TODAY.' AMEN. 34:00 TURN WITH ME IN YOUR BIBLES TO JOHN CHAPTER 8. 34:05 HOW DO WE EXPERIENCE THE FREEDOM FROM BONDAGE TODAY? 34:12 WE ARE IN JOHN CHAPTER 8 AND WE ARE GOING TO BEGIN IN VERSE 31. 34:19 THE BIBLE SAYS, IN JOHN CHAPTER 8 AND VERSE 31, "THEN JESUS SAID 34:24 TO THOSE JEWS WHO BELIEVED HIM, 'IF YOU ABIDE IN MY WORD, YOU 34:28 ARE MY DISCIPLES INDEED. AND YOU SHALL KNOW THE TRUTH AND 34:33 THE TRUTH SHALL'" - DO WHAT? 34:35 >>MAKE YOU FREE. >>"MAKE YOU FREE." 34:37 NOTICE, THE TRUTH SHALL MAKE YOU FREE. 34:41 VERSE 33, "THEY ANSWERED HIM, 'WE ARE ABRAHAM'S DESCENDANTS,'" 34:45 - IN OTHER WORDS, 'WHO ARE YOU TALKING TO? 34:48 DON'T YOU KNOW THAT JUST BY OUR HERITAGE WE ARE SAVED? 34:53 WE HAVE NEVER BEEN IN BONDAGE TO ANYONE.' - "HOW CAN YOU SAY, 34:57 'YOU WILL BE MADE FREE'? JESUS ANSWERED THEM, 'MOST 35:01 ASSUREDLY, I SAY TO YOU, WHOEVER COMMITS SIN IS A SLAVE OF SIN.'" 35:08 HAVE YOU FELT THAT SLAVERY FROM SIN BEFORE? 35:11 SIN IS A CRUEL TASKMASTER. VERSE 35, "AND A SLAVE DOES NOT 35:17 ABIDE IN THE HOUSE FOREVER, BUT A SON ABIDES FOREVER. 35:23 THEREFORE IF THE SON MAKES YOU FREE, YOU SHALL BE FREE INDEED." 35:30 HOW DO WE EXPERIENCE FREEDOM TODAY? 35:32 >>THROUGH CHRIST. >>IT'S THROUGH CHRIST. 35:35 IF THE SON SHALL MAKE YOU FREE, YOU SHALL BE PARTLY FREE? 35:39 YOU SHALL BE MOSTLY FREE? YOU WILL BE FREE INDEED. 35:44 THERE IS NO EXCEPTION HERE. IF THE SON IS THE ONE WHO MAKES 35:48 YOU FREE, YOU SHALL BE FREE COMPLETELY INDEED. 35:53 I FOUND IT INTERESTING, AS I'M LOOKING AT THIS CONTRAST, 35:57 NOTICE, AGAIN, IN VERSE 32, IT SAYS, "AND YOU SHALL KNOW THE 36:01 TRUTH, AND THE TRUTH SHALL MAKE YOU FREE." 36:05 AND THEN IN VERSE 36 IT SAYS THAT "...THE SON MAKES YOU FREE, 36:09 YOU SHALL BE FREE INDEED." SO WHAT ARE THE TWO 36:13 THINGS HERE THAT BRING FREEDOM? >>CHRIST AND THE TRUTH. 36:17 >>AH - ARE THEY TWO THINGS OR ARE THEY ONE? 36:21 YOU MENTIONED JESUS IS THE TRUTH. 36:23 THAT IS CORRECT. THE TRUTH MAKES YOU FREE 36:26 - JESUS MAKES YOU FREE. HAVE YOU EVER HEARD SOMEONE SAY 36:30 BEFORE, 'YOU KNOW, I BELIEVE IN JESUS. 36:32 I LOVE JESUS, BUT FORGET TALKING ABOUT DOCTRINE'? 36:36 YOU'VE HEARD THIS, RIGHT? 'JUST FOCUS ON JESUS.' BUT 36:40 DOCTRINE IS MERELY TEACHING. IT IS AN ILLUSTRATION. 36:45 IT IS THE REVEALING OF THE CHARACTER OF GOD. 36:49 AND SO, HERE, HE'S SAYING, 'JESUS AND HIS TRUTH, THEY BOTH 36:52 SET YOU FREE BECAUSE THEY ARE ONE AND THE SAME.' IT IS MERELY 36:56 THE CHARACTER OF CHRIST REVEALED. 37:00 THEREFORE, IF I WANT TO EXPERIENCE FREEDOM, WHAT DO I 37:04 NEED TO DO? >>COME CLOSER TO GOD. 37:06 >>COME CLOSER TO JESUS CHRIST. HOW DO I COME CLOSER TO HIM? 37:10 >>HIS TRUTH. >>THROUGH HIS TRUTH. 37:12 'THY WORD IS TRUTH.' SO IF I AM PRAYING TODAY AND I'M SAYING, 37:17 'LORD, I WANT A CLOSER EXPERIENCE WITH YOU. 37:20 I WANT TO BE RENEWED IN THE KNOWLEDGE OF JESUS CHRIST. 37:24 I WANT TO EXPERIENCE THAT FREEDOM FROM THE BONDAGE OF SIN 37:28 AND THAT CRUEL TASKMASTER OVER ME', THE WAY THAT I EXPERIENCE 37:33 THIS FREEDOM AND SALVATION TODAY IS BY KNOWING HIM. 37:37 >>AMEN. >>IT'S BY SPENDING THAT TIME 37:40 IN HIS WORD AND ALLOWING THAT CREATIVE WORD TO RECREATE 37:45 OUR HEARTS TODAY. AND THAT IS THE EXPERIENCE THAT 37:49 GOD IS NOT ONLY CALLING US TO, BUT GOD IS ALSO MAKING 37:53 PROVISION FOR TODAY. WHOEVER COMMITS SIN, HE WAS 38:00 ILLUSTRATING AGAIN, IS A SLAVE OF SIN. 38:03 BUT WE DON'T HAVE TO BE SLAVES OF SIN AS WE CONTINUE TO LOOK AT 38:06 JESUS AND EXPERIENCE THE FREEDOM THAT HE HAS OFFERED TO US. 38:12 IMAGINE, WITH ME, THAT THERE IS A CHILD BORN - THE MOTHER WAS A 38:17 DRUG ADDICT - THE CHILD WAS BORN ADDICTED TO DRUGS. 38:22 MAYBE YOU'VE HEARD OF THESE SCENARIOS BEFORE WHERE THE CHILD 38:24 LITERALLY GOES THROUGH WITHDRAWALS IN THE HOSPITAL AS 38:28 THEY ARE COMING OFF THIS ADDICTION TO THESE DRUGS. 38:32 IMAGINE A FAMILY COMES IN AND ADOPTS THAT CHILD AND THEY 38:36 NURTURE THAT CHILD AND THEY CARE FOR THAT CHILD, THEY PROVIDE FOR 38:40 THAT CHILD - THAT CHILD IS THEIRS. THEY LOVE HIM. 38:44 AND WHEN HE BECOMES A TEENAGER THE PARENTS SIT HIM DOWN AND 38:47 THEY SAY, 'YOU KNOW, WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH THAT WE WANT TO OFFER 38:51 YOU FREEDOM - FULL FREEDOM - SO IF YOU WANT TO USE DRUGS - WE 38:56 KNOW YOU HAVE AN INCLINATION TOWARDS IT ANYWAYS, BECAUSE OF 38:59 YOUR MOTHER'S HISTORY, AND SO, IF YOU WANT TO USE DRUGS, JUST 39:03 KNOW THAT WE LOVE YOU ENOUGH THAT YOU'RE FREE TO DO THAT.' 39:08 IS THAT WHAT THE ADOPTED FAMILY WOULD SAY? 39:10 >>NO. >>NO. 39:12 'WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH THAT WE DON'T WANT YOU TO DO THAT. 39:16 WE SEE HOW DESTRUCTIVE IT IS AND WE ARE GOING TO DO EVERYTHING WE 39:21 CAN TO KEEP YOU FROM THAT LIFESTYLE - MAKE EVERY PROVISION 39:27 POSSIBLE FOR YOU.' YOU SEE, SOMETIMES PEOPLE MISUNDERSTAND 39:31 THE FREEDOM THAT GOD IS OFFERING AND THEY SAY, 'WELL, NOW THAT 39:35 I'M FREE IN CHRIST. I CAN DO WHATEVER I WANT. 39:39 IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT I DO, I AM FREE IN JESUS CHRIST.' BUT, 39:44 HERE, WE ARE TOLD THAT THAT FREEDOM MEANS I DON'T HAVE TO GO 39:48 BACK INTO THAT BONDAGE. THAT FREEDOM MEANS THAT I CAN 39:52 HAVE VICTORY IN MY LIFE AND THAT THAT VICTORY IS 39:55 ASSURED TO US TODAY. >>AMEN. 39:59 >>1 JOHN CHAPTER 1 AND VERSE 9. A FAMILIAR TEXT TO US ALL, IT 40:04 SAYS THAT "IF WE CONFESS OUR SINS, HE IS FAITHFUL AND 40:08 JUST TO" - >>FORGIVE. 40:10 >>FORGIVE US OUR SINS AND TO" - 40:14 >>CLEANSE. >>"CLEANSE US FROM 40:15 ALL UNRIGHTEOUSNESS." YOU SEE, OFTENTIMES I SEE THIS 40:20 FROM MANY CHRISTIANS - OR I HEAR THIS - THE FIRST PART OF THAT 40:25 PASSAGE IS FULLY ACCEPTED. YOU CONFESS YOUR SINS, 40:29 JESUS WILL FORGIVE YOU. BUT THEY FORGET OR THEY FAIL TO 40:34 INCLUDE THAT SECOND PORTION. IF WE CONFESS, HE WILL 40:38 FORGIVE AND CLEANSE US. YOU SEE, IF I LEAVE OFF THE 40:45 CLEANSING, I AM NOT TRULY REVEALING THE GOSPEL. 40:49 THE GOSPEL HAS THE POWER, NOT ONLY TO FORGIVE, BUT ALSO TO DO 40:52 WHAT? >>TO CLEANSE. 40:54 >>TO CLEANSE. NOT ONLY TO FORGIVE BUT TO EMPOWER US. 40:59 NOT ONLY TO GIVE US THE FREEDOM THAT IS BEING PROMISED HERE IN 41:03 GALATIANS 4, BUT ALSO TO EMPOWER US TO CONTINUE TO MAINTAIN THAT 41:09 FREEDOM - TO NOT ENTER BACK INTO THAT BONDAGE OF SIN, BUT TO 41:14 CONTINUE TO EXPERIENCE THAT FREEDOM IN JESUS CHRIST. 41:20 TURN WITH ME TO GALATIANS CHAPTER 4 - GALATIANS CHAPTER 4 41:26 AND WE ARE IN VERSE 16 NOW. A COUNSEL FROM PAUL THAT WE CAN 41:32 POSSIBLY CONNECT WITH TODAY - GALATIANS CHAPTER 41:37 4 AND VERSE 16. PAUL IS SAYING, "HAVE I 41:40 THEREFORE BECOME YOUR ENEMY BECAUSE I TELL YOU THE TRUTH?" 41:47 HERE THE GALATIANS LOVED PAUL - THEY WERE WILLING TO GIVE THEIR 41:51 LIVES FOR PAUL - AND NOW PAUL IS GIVING THEM A BIT OF A HEFTY 41:55 REBUKE. AND HE SAYS, 'AM I NOW YOUR 41:59 ENEMY BECAUSE I HAVE REVEALED THE TRUTH TO YOU?' 42:05 YOU KNOW THE OLD ADAGE 'DON'T SHOOT THE MESSENGER'? 42:09 DON'T SHOOT THE MESSENGER IF THAT'S THE MESSAGE THAT GOD HAS 42:12 SENT. PROVERBS CHAPTER 27 AND VERSE 42:14 6 TELLS US, "FAITHFUL ARE THE WOUNDS OF A FRIEND, BUT 42:20 THE KISSES OF AN ENEMY ARE DECEITFUL." 42:24 FAITHFUL ARE THE WOUNDS OF A FRIEND, BUT THE KISSES OF AN 42:27 ENEMY ARE DECEITFUL. ARE THERE TIMES WHERE WE 42:31 NEED TO SPEAK THE WORD? SEASONED WITH 42:35 GRACE - ABSOLUTELY. BUT PAUL LOVED THIS GROUP OF 42:39 PEOPLE SO MUCH THAT HE DESIRED THEM TO BE SET FREE. 42:43 AND HE WAS WILLING TO PUT HIMSELF ON THE LINE, EVEN IF IT 42:46 MADE SOME DIFFICULTIES IN THEIR RELATIONSHIPS, BECAUSE HE 42:51 GENUINELY CARED ABUT THEM. SPEAK THE TRUTH IN LOVE. 42:59 DID PAUL, IN GALATIANS, CALL OUT ANOTHER BELIEVER - IN FACT, 43:04 PUBLICLY? WHO WAS THAT INDIVIDUAL? 43:07 >>PETER. >>PETER. 43:09 IN GALATIANS CHAPTER 2, PAUL PUBLICLY CALLS OUT PETER BECAUSE 43:15 HE WOULD NO LONGER KEEP COMPANY WITH THE GENTILES WHEN THE JEWS 43:18 WERE AROUND. HE WAS BEING A HYPOCRITE. 43:22 HE WAS LIVING A DOUBLE LIFE. AND, BECAUSE IT WAS A PUBLIC 43:25 SIN, PAUL CALLED IT OUT PUBLICLY. BUT YOU KNOW WHAT I 43:29 APPRECIATE SO MUCH? IS THE RESPONSE THAT PETER GAVE. 43:35 IT'S NOT RECORDED IN THAT PASSAGE, PER SE, BUT WHEN YOU 43:38 READ ACTS OF THE APOSTLES AND OTHER COMMENTARY, YOU SEE THAT 43:41 PETER, THEN, AFTER HE RECEIVED THIS REBUKE - AND HELP ME OUT 43:46 HERE, HOW MANY OF US WANT TO BE PUBLICLY REBUKED? 43:49 (LAUGHTER) DOES THAT SOUND ENJOYABLE? 43:51 >>NO. >>ABSOLUTELY NOT. 43:54 BUT PETER, AFTER RECEIVING THIS PUBLIC REBUKE, HE COULD HAVE 43:57 BEEN ANGRY. HE COULD HAVE BEEN MAD. 43:59 HE COULD HAVE CALLED PAUL ALL SORTS OF THINGS, BUT INSTEAD, HE 44:02 TOOK IT HUMBLY. HE ACCEPTED THE REBUKE. 44:06 'YOU KNOW, YOU'RE RIGHT.' AND WE READ IN ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 44:09 THAT HE WENT TO THE OTHERS AND AS FAR AS WAS WITHIN HIS POWER, 44:14 HE SOUGHT TO CORRECT THIS MISTAKE THAT HAD BEEN MADE. 44:18 HE SOUGHT TO MAKE THAT CHANGE IN HIS LIFE. 44:22 HOW DO WE RESPOND WHEN WE'RE CORRECTED? 44:24 ARE WE WILLING TO HUMBLE OURSELVES AND SAY, 'YOU KNOW 44:27 WHAT? YOU'RE RIGHT. YOU KNOW WHAT? 44:30 I SHOULD NOT HAVE DONE THAT. WILL YOU FORGIVE ME?' 44:35 ARE WE HUMBLE IN THE SIGHT OF GOD AND WILLING TO MAKE THAT 44:38 RESTITUTION WHERE NEEDED? WE'RE GOING TO LOOK, NOW, AT 44:43 TUESDAY'S LESSON, GOD SENDING FORTH HIS SON . 44:47 GALATIANS CHAPTER 4, VERSES 4 THROUGH 7. 44:52 THANK YOU. >>"BUT WHEN THE FULLNESS OF THE 44:55 TIME HAD COME, GOD SENT FORTH HIS SON, BORN OF A WOMAN, BORN 45:01 UNDER THE LAW, TO REDEEM THOSE WHO WERE UNDER THE LAW, THAT WE 45:07 MIGHT RECEIVE THE ADOPTION AS SONS. 45:12 AND BECAUSE YOU ARE SONS, GOD HAS SENT FORTH THE SPIRIT OF HIS 45:17 SON INTO YOUR HEARTS, CRYING OUT, 'ABBA, FATHER!' 45:23 THEREFORE YOU ARE NO LONGER A SLAVE BUT A SON, AND IF A SON, 45:29 THEN AN HEIR OF GOD THROUGH CHRIST." 45:34 >>AMEN. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I LOVE THE PERSONAL 45:38 CONNECTION THERE. NOTICE, 'YOU ARE AN HEIR' - YOU 45:42 ARE A CHILD OF GOD AND, BECAUSE YOU ARE SUCH, YOU CRY 45:45 OUT 'ABBA, FATHER'. NOTICE THAT'S A VERY 45:49 AFFECTIONATE PHRASE. IT WOULD BE LIKE 45:51 SAYING, 'DADDY'. YOU ARE NOT A FOSTER CHILD. 45:55 'YOU ARE NOT IN A GROUP HOME WHERE YOU SAY, 'MR. 45:58 AND MRS. JOHNSON', YOU ARE MY ADOPTED CHILD. 46:01 YOU ARE A CO-HEIR. YOU ARE A CHILD OF THE KING.' 46:07 ABBA FATHER - THAT PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP THAT CHRIST 46:10 WANTS TO HAVE WITH US. NOTICE, IT STATES THAT CHRIST 46:14 CAME IN THE FULLNESS OF TIME. CHRIST CAME EXACTLY ON TIME. 46:21 WE SEE, IN DANIEL CHAPTER 9, THAT IT WAS PREDICTED - WHAT 46:25 YEAR JESUS WOULD BE BORN - ABOUT 500 YEARS EARLIER THAN THE 46:28 BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST. SO YES, HE CAME ON TIME, PROPHETICALLY 46:33 SPEAKING, BUT ALSO CULTURALLY AND POLITICALLY SPEAKING AS 46:37 WELL. OF COURSE, WE SEE THAT MOST OF THE COUNTRIES, THEY WERE 46:41 UNDER THAT GOVERNMENT - GOVERNMENT RULING POWER - OF 46:45 ROME. GREEK WAS A COMMON LANGUAGE AT THAT TIME AND, IN 46:50 FACT, THE SCRIPTURES HAD BEEN WRITTEN IN GREEK FOR ABOUT THE 46:53 LAST 200 YEARS - OR AT LEAST BEEN AVAILABLE IN GREEK - FOR 46:56 ABOUT 200 YEARS BEFORE THE COMING OF CHRIST. 46:59 SO THERE WAS AN INCREASED INTEREST IN RELIGION. 47:03 NOTICE THAT THE PROPHECY OF A MESSIAH COMING WAS FIRST GIVEN 47:08 ABOUT 4,000 YEARS BEFORE JESUS ACTUALLY CAME. 47:13 CAN YOU IMAGINE WAITING 4,000 YEARS FOR A PROMISE TO BE 47:16 FULFILLED? THE JEWISH NATION, YOU COULD 47:19 IMAGINE, MIGHT HAVE THOUGHT THAT THIS WOULD NOT BE FULFILLED 47:22 AFTER SO MANY YEARS OF WAITING. HAVE YOU EVER WAITED A LONG TIME 47:26 FOR GOD TO FULFILL A PROMISE FOR YOU? 47:30 AND YOU HOPED IT WOULD HAPPEN LIKE YESTERDAY, RIGHT? 47:34 AND, INSTEAD, YOU KEEP WAITING AND WAITING AND WONDERING, 'WHEN 47:37 WILL THAT FULFILLMENT COME?' DESIRE OF AGES, P. 32 47:42 TELLS US THIS: "LIKE THE STARS IN THE VAST CIRCUIT OF 47:47 THEIR APPOINTED PATH, GOD'S PURPOSES KNOW NO HASTE AND NO 47:52 DELAY." LIKE THE STARS IN THEIR 47:56 APPOINTED PATH, GOD'S PURPOSES KNOW NO HASTE AND NO DELAY. 48:03 JUST AS JESUS CAME RIGHT ON TIME, SO, ALSO, YOU CAN BE 48:07 ASSURED TODAY THAT THE PROMISES HE HAS ASSURED YOU OF WILL BE 48:11 FULFILLED. HE KNOWS THE BEST TIME. HE KNOWS WHEN. 48:16 BUT BELIEVE THAT CHRIST WILL DO IT AGAIN TODAY. 48:22 TURN WITH ME AGAIN TO MATTHEW CHAPTER 20 AS WE BEGIN TO WIND 48:25 THIS UP. WE ARE IN MATTHEW CHAPTER 20 AND VERSE 28. 48:32 MATTHEW CHAPTER 20 AND VERSE 28. THE BIBLE SAYS, IN MATTHEW 20, 48:44 VERSE 28, "JUST AS THE SON OF MAN DID NOT COME TO BE SERVED, 48:49 BUT TO SERVE, AND TO GIVE HIS LIFE A RANSOM FOR MANY." 48:56 THE SON CAME TO BE WHAT? >>SIN. 48:59 >>A RANSOM. HE CAME TO PAY THAT PRICE. 49:03 IN FACT, ISAIAH 52, VERSE 3 SAYS, "YOU HAVE SOLD YOURSELVES 49:07 FOR NOTHING," - WHEN WE GIVE OURSELVES TO THE WORLD, WE TRULY 49:12 HAVE SOLD OURSELVES FOR NOTHING - "YOU HAVE SOLD YOURSELVES FOR 49:16 NOTHING, AND YOU SHALL BE REDEEMED WITHOUT MONEY." 49:20 WE, TOO, WERE REDEEMED WITHOUT MONEY. 49:23 WE WERE REDEEMED BY THE VERY LIFE - THE VERY BLOOD OF JESUS 49:27 CHRIST. YOU SEE, HERE, AGAIN WE ARE TOLD 49:30 THAT WE ARE CO-HEIRS WITH JESUS CHRIST. 49:33 WE ARE RECEIVING THAT INHERITANCE FROM GOD. 49:36 WHAT MUST OCCUR BEFORE AN INHERITANCE IS GIVEN? 49:39 >>A DEATH. >>A DEATH. 49:42 AND JESUS DIED SO THAT WE COULD BE RANSOMED. 49:45 JESUS DIED SO THAT WE COULD RECEIVE THAT INHERITANCE. 49:50 THE STORY IS TOLD OF A PASTOR WHO WAS ONCE TALKING WITH A 49:53 NON-BELIEVING FRIEND OF HIS AND HE TOLD HIM OF A BOY WHO HAD 49:58 BEEN IN VENEZUELA AND WAS KIDNAPPED - AND THE FATHER PAID 50:03 ONE MILLION DOLLARS TO RECEIVE THAT CHILD AGAIN - TO RANSOM HIS 50:08 CHILD BACK. AND HE ASKED HIS NON-BELIEVING 50:11 FRIEND, 'YOU KNOW, WAS THAT WORTH IT? A MILLION DOLLARS? 50:15 I'M SURE YOU COULD FIND A BOY FOR CHEAPER THAN THAT. 50:17 WAS IT WORTH A MILLION DOLLARS?' 50:19 AND THE FRIEND SAID, 'WELL, TO THE FATHER, IT WAS.' AND SO, 50:25 ALSO, IN OUR LIFE TODAY, IF YOU EVER QUESTION YOUR VALUE - IF 50:28 YOU EVER QUESTION YOUR WORTH, REMEMBER THAT YOUR LIFE WAS 50:32 WORTH THE SON OF GOD - THAT YOU WERE WORTH THAT RANSOM OF JESUS 50:37 CHRIST THAT WAS PAID SO THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO BE UNDER THAT 50:41 BONDAGE AND CONTINUE TO GO BACK INTO THAT WORKS-ORIENTED 50:45 RELIGION, BUT, INSTEAD, WE CAN EXPERIENCE THE FREEDOM THAT IS 50:49 FOUND IN JESUS CHRIST - THE FREEDOM THAT EMPOWERS US - THE 50:53 FREEDOM THAT GIVES US THAT NEW LIFE TODAY. 50:58 THERE'S SO MUCH MORE IN THIS LESSON THAT I DESIRE TO COVER, 51:01 BUT, OF COURSE, TIME GOES TOO FAST. 51:03 BUT, IN ESSENCE, I WANT TO LEAVE US WITH THIS THOUGHT AS I CLOSE 51:06 WITH A STORY. WHAT IS THE PRIMARY DIFFERENCE 51:11 BETWEEN A SLAVE AND AN HEIR? YOU SEE, WHEN YOU ARE A SLAVE, 51:18 WHAT YOU DO PLEASES THE MASTER. BUT WHEN YOU ARE AN HEIR, WHO 51:24 YOU ARE PLEASES THE MASTER. SO TODAY, WHO YOU ARE - THE 51:31 PERSON JESUS CREATED YOU TO BE - YOU PLEASE THE MASTER. 51:37 THE TRUE STORY IS TOLD OF A HUSBAND AND WIFE - THEY HAD COME 51:42 OUT WEST IN THE LATE 1800S, SETTLING IN THE COUNTRYSIDE. 51:47 THEY WERE NEWLYWEDS, DIDN'T HAVE ANY CHILDREN OF THEIR OWN, JUST 51:50 A LITTLE PLOT OF LAND - NOT TOO MUCH TO THEIR NAME. 51:54 BUT THEY HAD A DESIRE TO BUILD UP THEIR LAND AND THEIR PROFITS 51:58 AND SO ONE DAY THE HUSBAND GOES TO THE WIFE AND SAYS, 'ELLA, I 52:01 NEED TO BUY A HORSE.' AND ELLA LOOKS AT HIM, 52:04 ADORINGLY, AND SAYS, 'WELL, SURE, HONEY, BUT 52:06 WHILE YOU'RE IN TOWN, I NEED FLOUR AND SUGAR AND COTTON AND' 52:10 - YOU GUYS KNOW THE HONEY-DO LIST, RIGHT? 52:14 AND SO HE SAID, 'WELL, YES, DEAR.' AND THE NEXT MORNING HE 52:17 SET OFF IN HIS LITTLE BUGGY AND HE WENT TO TOWN. 52:20 HE GOES TO THE GENERAL STORE AND HE TELLS THE MANAGER, 52:22 'HEY, I'M LOOKING TO BUY A HORSE. 52:24 I NEED A NICE, BIG, STRONG HORSE TO WORK IN MY FIELDS.' AND THE 52:28 MANAGER SAYS, 'WELL, I HAVE JUST THE HORSE YOU'RE TALKING OF.' 52:31 HE LET HIM OUT BACK TO PASTURE THERE AND HE LOOKED AT THE HORSE 52:36 THAT, INDEED, WAS THE HORSE OF HIS DREAMS. 52:39 AND HE BEGAN TO BARTER BACK AND FORTH, FINALLY ARRIVING AT A 52:42 PRICE. HE SAID, 'I'LL TAKE IT! SOLD!' BUT THE MAN REPLIED, 'NOT 52:48 SO FAST. IF YOU WANT THIS HORSE, YOU GET 52:53 THE BOY.' IF YOU WANT THE HORSE, YOU GET THE BOY. 53:00 HE POINTED OVER TO A BAIL OF HAY AND A LITTLE BOY, THREE OR FOUR 53:03 YEARS OLD SITTING LOOKING FAR TOO ALONE IN THIS BIG OLD WORLD. 53:09 IF YOU WANT THE HORSE, YOU GET THE BOY. 53:14 OF COURSE, WHAT WAS THIS MAN GOING TO DO? 53:16 YOU SEE, THIS BOY'S FAMILY HAD COME ACROSS ON A WAGON TRAIN. 53:19 SOMETHING HAD HAPPENED TO THE FAMILY - IT WAS LOST IN HISTORY 53:22 - BUT ALL THAT WAS LEFT WAS THE BOY AND THE HORSE. 53:27 IF YOU WANT THE HORSE, YOU GET THE BOY. 53:31 HE CONTINUED HIS SHOPPING WITH A HEAVY HEART - THEY DIDN'T EVEN 53:33 HAVE ANY CHILDREN OF THEIR OWN, HOW COULD HE COME HOME THAT DAY 53:36 WITH A HORSE AND FLOUR AND COTTON AND A SON? 53:40 TELL ME, GENTLEMEN, HOW DO YOU SPRING THAT ON YOUR WIFE? 53:45 AND, AS HE SET OFF FOR HOME IN HIS BUGGY, HE FINALLY GOT THE 53:50 COURAGE TO LOOK BEHIND HIM AT THE HORSE TIED TO THE BACK OF 53:53 HIS BUGGY AND THE LITTLE BOY SITTING NEXT TO HIM. 53:58 OF COURSE, HE COULDN'T LEAVE THAT LITTLE BOY BEHIND. 'BOY, 54:01 WHAT'S YOUR NAME?' 'HARRY.' 'WHAT'S YOUR LAST NAME?' 54:05 'HARRY.' YOU SEE, THE LITTLE BOY DIDN'T EVEN KNOW HIS LAST NAME. 54:09 NOW, NATHAN REALIZED THAT HE NEEDED A PLAN AND HE NEEDED A 54:12 PLAN FAST. 'HARRY, WHEN WE GET HOME, I WANT YOU TO RUN UP TO 54:18 ELLA AND TELL HER, 'MOMMY, I'M HOME!' THEY BEGAN TO PRACTICE 54:24 BACK AND FORTH - 'MOMMY, I'M HOME!' AND IT WASN'T LONG BEFORE 54:29 THEY, INDEED, WERE PULLING UP THAT DRIVEWAY FOR HOME. 54:34 YOU CAN IMAGINE THE NERVES THAT NATHAN WAS FEELING AS HE SEES 54:36 ELLA STANDING THERE ON HIS PORCH LOOKING OUT. 54:39 THEY PULL UP AND STOP IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE, BUT BOTH NATHAN 54:43 AND HARRY ARE FROZEN TO THE SEAT. WITH A LITTLE NUDGE FROM 54:47 NATHAN, HARRY CLIMBS DOWN, RUNS UP THOSE STAIRS, GRABS ELLA 54:54 AROUND THE WAIST AND SAYS, 'MOMMY, I'M HOME!' 54:58 (LAUGHTER) WITHOUT A SECOND THOUGHT, ELLA REACHED DOWN, 55:05 PICKED HIM UP, HUGGED HIM TIGHT AND SAID, 'YES, MY SON, YOU ARE 55:12 HOME.' YOU SEE, THIS STORY IS PRECIOUS TO ME BECAUSE ELLA AND 55:17 NATHAN WERE THE FIRST SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS IN MY 55:19 FAMILY. THEY WENT ON TO ADOPT MANY MORE 55:23 CHILDREN AND TO HAVE MANY MORE CHILDREN AND THIS STORY HAS 55:26 BEEN PASSED ALONG THROUGH THE GENERATIONS. 55:29 BUT I LOVE THE BEAUTIFUL SPIRITUAL PICTURE THAT IT GIVES 55:32 US AS WELL. OF THE DAY WHEN, BY THE GRACE OF 55:35 GOD, WE WILL BE IN HEAVEN BEFORE JESUS CHRIST - OF JESUS 55:39 BRINGING US BEFORE THE FATHER. IMAGINE, ON THAT DAY, LOOKING 55:43 INTO THE FATHER'S FACE AND SAYING, 'FATHER, I'M HOME!' 55:47 >>AMEN. >>AND HEARING GOD TELL YOU, 55:50 'YES, MY SON - YES, MY DAUGHTER, YOU ARE HOME.' 55:58 >>AMEN. >>DO YOU LOOK FORWARD TO THAT 55:59 DAY, TODAY? >>AMEN. 56:01 >>AMEN. I LOOK FORWARD TO THE DAY WHEN WE WILL FINALLY BE 56:05 HOME. I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU, AGAIN, TO CALL FOR THIS FREE 56:09 OFFER. I KNOW THAT YOU WILL ENJOY IT AND IT WILL BE A 56:11 BLESSING AS WE CONTINUE OUR JOURNEY WITH JESUS CHRIST. 56:14 FREE OFFER #156 - CALL 866-STUDY-MORE. MAY GOD BLESS AND 56:21 KEEP YOU UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN NEXT WEEK. (MUSIC) 56:36 >>FRIENDS, ONE OF THE AMAZING THINGS THAT YOU'LL OFTEN FIND IN 56:38 THE SOUTH PACIFIC ISLANDS, LIKE HERE ON FIJI, IS THE VAIVAI 56:41 PLANT. NOW, IN NORTH AMERICA, IF YOU 56:43 WANT TO BUILD A FENCE YOU'VE GOT TO GET FENCE POSTS AND THEN YOU 56:45 PUT THE WOODEN FENCE POSTS IN THE GROUND AND THEN AFTER A FEW 56:49 YEARS THEY'RE GOING TO ROT AND BREAK OFF, UNLESS THEY'RE 56:51 SPECIALLY TREATED. BUT HERE, THEY'VE GOT THESE 56:53 TREES - THE VAIVAI TREE - THEY CAN CUT THEM RIGHT OUT OF THE 56:56 WOODS, THEY'LL TAKE A STICK, THEY STICK IT IN THE GROUND, AND 57:00 BECAUSE THEY HAVE SO MUCH RAIN AND PRECIPITATION, IT BEGINS TO 57:03 SPROUT AND TURNS INTO A LIVING FENCE POST. 57:06 IT MAKES UP ITS MIND THAT IT'S GOING TO FLOURISH WHEREVER YOU 57:08 STICK IT, WHICH IS A GOOD LESSON FOR YOU AND ME. 57:11 SO YOU MIGHT WONDER SOMETIMES IF YOU'VE GOT A PURPOSE IN LIFE. 57:14 YOU MIGHT FEEL LIKE YOU'RE GROWING SORT OF SPORADICALLY IN 57:16 EVERY DIRECTION, AND THEN ALONG COMES THIS PERSON WHO CUTS YOU 57:20 DOWN AND CARRIES YOU OFF, HE STICKS YOU IN THE GROUND BUT YOU 57:24 LOOK BACK AND SAY, 'THERE WAS A PLAN. 57:26 THERE WAS A PURPOSE.' GOD KNOWS HOW TO TEACH US HOW TO PROSPER 57:30 WHERE HE PLANTS US. YOU MIGHT WONDER WHY THE LORD 57:33 HAS PUT YOU WHERE HE HAS IN LIFE, BUT YOU CAN PUT DOWN ROOTS 57:36 AND YOU CAN GROW AND YOU CAN SERVE A GREAT PURPOSE FOR GOD. 57:39 YOU KNOW, IT'S LIKE GOD SAYS IN JEREMIAH CHAPTER 29, 'I KNOW THE 57:43 PLANS THAT I'VE GOT FOR YOU TO GIVE YOU A FUTURE.' GOD HAS A 57:46 PURPOSE FOR YOUR LIFE, FRIENDS, AND HE CAN HELP YOU TO PROSPER 57:48 AND GROW WHEREVER YOU'RE PLANTED. (MUSIC) 57:58 >>FOR LIFE-CHANGING CHRISTIAN RESOURCES, VISIT 58:01 AFBOOKSTORE.COM OR CALL 1-800-538-7275. 58:07 (MUSIC) |
Revised 2017-08-14