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Series Code: SSH
Program Code: SSH021803A
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00:00 (MUSIC)
00:35 >>GOOD MORNING, FRIENDS, WELCOME TO SABBATH SCHOOL STUDY 00:38 HOUR HERE AT THE GRANITE BAY SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH. 00:41 I'D LIKE TO WELCOME OUR ONLINE MEMBERS AND ALSO THOSE WHO ARE 00:43 JOINING US ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND AROUND THE WORLD - OUR STUDY 00:46 GROUP - THANK YOU FOR TUNING IN TODAY. 00:49 ALSO I'D LIKE TO WELCOME THE MEMBERS AND THE VISITORS RIGHT 00:51 HERE AT THE GRANITE BAY CHURCH. IT'S ALWAYS GOOD TO SEE YOU 00:54 SABBATH MORNING COMING TO STUDY GOD'S WORD TOGETHER. 00:57 NOW IF YOU WERE HERE LAST WEEK YOU KNOW THAT WE STARTED A NEW 00:59 LESSON QUARTERLY DEALING WITH THE SUBJECT OF STEWARDSHIP. 01:03 IT'S ACTUALLY ENTITLED STEWARDSHIP: MOTIVES OF THE 01:06 HEART . AND FOR OUR FRIENDS WHO ARE JOINING US IF YOU DON'T HAVE 01:08 A COPY OF THIS LESSON YOU CAN GO TO THE AMAZING FACTS WEBSITE - 01:12 JUST AMAZINGFACTS.ORG - YOU CAN DOWNLOAD LESSON #3 IS OUR STUDY 01:17 FOR TODAY. IT'S ENTITLED GOD OR MAMMON? 01:21 AND BY THE END OF OUR STUDY YOU WILL UNDERSTAND WHAT MAMMON IS. 01:24 SOMETIMES PEOPLE ASK FOR WHAT EXACTLY IS THAT? 01:27 WELL HOPEFULLY WE WILL HAVE THAT EXPLAINED TO US DURING OUR TIME 01:30 OF STUDY. WE HAVE A FREE OFFER THAT GOES 01:32 ALONG WITH OUR STUDY TODAY ENTITLED THE FLESH 01:34 AND THE SPIRIT . THIS IS OUR FREE OFFER. 01:37 FOR THOSE IN NORTH AMERICA, JUST GIVE US A CALL ON OUR RESOURCE 01:40 PHONE ONLINE THAT'S 866-788-3966 AND YOU CAN ASK FOR OFFER #792. 01:48 AGAIN THAT NUMBER IS 866-788-3966. 01:52 ASK FOR OFFER #792 - A BOOK ENTITLED THE FLESH AND THE 01:56 SPIRIT . WE'LL BE HAPPY TO SEND THIS TO 01:58 ANYBODY IN NORTH AMERICA THAT CALLS AND ASKS. 02:01 IF YOU'RE OUTSIDE OF NORTH AMERICA, YOU CAN ALSO READ THE 02:03 BOOK BY JUST GOING TO THE AMAZING FACTS WEB SITE. 02:06 THAT WEB ADDRESS ONCE AGAIN IS AMAZINGFACTS.ORG . 02:11 WELL BEFORE WE GET TO OUR STUDY THIS MORNING WE USUALLY SET - 02:14 TAKE SOME TIME TO SING SOME SONGS TOGETHER BUT WE HAVE A 02:17 SPECIAL TREAT FOR YOU TODAY. 02:19 INSTEAD OF HAVING OUR GENERAL CONGREGATIONAL SINGING AT THIS 02:23 TIME WE GOT A SPECIAL QUARTET FROM SACRAMENTO CENTRAL WHO ARE 02:28 GOING TO BE BRINGING US A SPECIAL MUSICAL ITEM. 02:30 THE GROUP IS CALLED AFRICAN STYLE AND ALL OF THOSE SINGING 02:34 IN THE GROUP ARE ORIGINALLY FROM ANGOLA. 02:36 SO WE WANT TO WELCOME THEM HERE THIS MORNING. 02:40 >>SO WE'RE GONNA - THE SONG WE ARE ABOUT TO SING, IT IS - IT 02:45 TALKS ABOUT THE PLACE THAT JESUS IS PREPARING FOR US, AND HE SAY 02:52 VERY SOON I WILL COME AND I WILL TAKE YOU WITH ME. 02:56 AND HE SAID THAT PLACE IS VERY BEAUTIFUL AND WE'RE GOING TO BE 03:00 SINGING IN BUNDU, THAT'S ONE OF THE DIALECTS SPOKEN SOUTH OF 03:06 ANGOLA. AND THEY SAY 'IM BOLU APOSOKA 03:11 YULU' - THAT MEANS THE PLACE THAT JESUS IS PREPARED 03:15 FOR US IS VERY BEAUTIFUL. (A CAPELLA - IN BUNDU) 07:14 >>AMEN. AMEN. BEAUTIFUL. 07:17 I'D LIKE TO INVITE YOU TO BOW YOUR HEADS AS WE OPEN WITH A 07:19 WORD OF PRAYER DEAR FATHER IN HEAVEN, ONCE AGAIN, WE ARE 07:22 GRATEFUL THAT WE CAN GATHER TOGETHER AND OPEN UP YOUR WORD 07:24 AND STUDY THIS IMPORTANT THEME OF SETTING OUR PRIORITIES ON THE 07:28 THINGS OF HEAVEN, NOT ON THE THINGS OF EARTH. 07:31 PRAY LORD THAT YOU GOT OUR MINDS OUR HEARTS AS WE STUDY TOGETHER 07:34 TODAY FOR WE ASK THIS IN JESUS' NAME. AMEN. 07:38 OUR LESSON THIS MORNING IS GOING TO BE BROUGHT TO US BY OUR 07:41 FAMILY LIFE PASTOR HERE AT GRANITE BAY, PASTOR SHAWN 07:44 BRUMMOND. THANK YOU SHAWN. 07:48 >>GOOD MORNING EVERYONE. >>GOOD MORNING. 07:50 >>IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU ALL HERE THIS MORNING. 07:52 AND ALWAYS GOOD TO BE ABLE TO JOIN WITH THE SABBATH SCHOOL 07:54 STUDY HOUR IT'S ALWAYS A PRIVILEGE TO BE ABLE TO STAND UP 07:57 HERE AND BE ABLE TO SHARE WITH YOU SOME OF THE EXCITING AND 08:01 LIFE-CHANGING AND - SOMETIMES LIFE CHANGE - SAVING THINGS THAT 08:06 GOD HAS REVEALED IN HIS WORD THAT HE WANTS TO TEACH US. AND 08:09 SOME OF US SO STUDY THE LESSONS STUDY ALREADY OVER THE WEEK AND 08:12 SOME OF US ARE JUST PLAYING CATCH UP AS WE COME TOGETHER AND 08:15 AS WE LOOK AT THIS - PERHAPS, FOR YOU, FOR THE VERY 08:18 FIRST TIME ON THIS TOPIC. 08:20 I WANT TO ALSO THANK EVERYBODY THAT'S JOINING US ONLINE AND OUR 08:23 ONLINE CHURCH MEMBERS, AS WELL, AS THEY COME TO BE ABLE TO STUDY 08:27 WITH US HERE THIS MORNING SO WELCOME TO YOU AS WELL. 08:31 WELL YOU KNOW I BETTER START WITH YOU KNOW I WAS 08:34 SET UP BY OUR HOST PASTOR JËAN ROSS HERE THIS MORNING AND HE 08:39 SAID YOU KNOW HOPEFULLY TODAY STUDY WILL EXPLAIN A VERY 08:42 MYSTERIOUS WORD THAT AT LEAST WAS MYSTERIOUS FOR ME. 08:46 AND I KNOW IT'S MYSTERIOUS FOR MANY PEOPLE WHEN THEY FIRST READ 08:49 A STATEMENT AND WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT THAT STATEMENT THAT 08:51 JESUS HAD SHARED DURING THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 08:54 WHEN HE TALKED ABOUT GOD AND MAMMON. 08:58 AND, WHEN I FIRST READ THAT STATEMENT, I ALSO HAVE TO 09:02 CONFESS THAT I WENT STRAIGHT TO MY CLOSEST DICTIONARY AND I 09:05 PULLED THAT DICTIONARY OFF THE SHELF. 09:07 I QUICKLY LOOKED UNDER 'M' AND I LOOKED UP 'MAMMON' - WHAT IN THE 09:10 WORLD IS THAT WORD? BECAUSE WE JUST DON'T USE IT IN 09:12 OUR NORMAL EVERYDAY LANGUAGE - AT LEAST IN OUR 09:15 DAY AND AGE TODAY. SO MAMMON ITSELF JUST 09:18 SIMPLY MEANS RICHES. IT MEANS WEALTH, MONEY, 09:24 THAT TYPE OF THING. SO THE TITLE HOPEFULLY WILL MAKE 09:28 A LITTLE BIT MORE SENSE TO YOU AS WE LOOK AT LESSON #3. 09:32 LESSON #3 IS INDEED ENTITLED GOD OR MAMMON? 09:36 WITH A QUESTION MARK AND WE'RE GOING TO EXPAND AND UNPACK THAT. 09:38 WHAT DOES THAT MEAN AND WHY IS THE TITLE OF THIS WEEK'S STUDY 09:42 ENTITLED GOD OR MAMMON ? - QUESTION MARK - NOW I HAVE TO 09:46 CONFESS THAT WHEN I WENT THROUGH THIS PARTICULAR STUDY - LESSON 09:49 STUDY FOR THIS WEEK AND, AS I WAS LOOKING AT IT AND STUDIED IT 09:53 AND PREPARING FOR A STUDY HERE TODAY, I REALIZED THAT THIS IS 09:56 ONE OF THE BEST WEEKLY LESSON STUDIES I'VE STUDIED. 09:59 NOT ONLY THAT, BUT IT WAS PACKED FULL WITH ALL KINDS OF RICH AND 10:03 PRICELESS COUNSEL AND TRUTH THAT WE CAN FIND THERE. 10:06 AND ONE OF THE THINGS I ALSO QUICKLY DISCOVERED IS THAT WE 10:09 ARE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO COVER EVERYTHING THAT WE FIND IN 10:13 THIS PARTICULAR LESSON STUDY WITH THE TIME LIMIT THAT WE HAVE 10:16 HERE TODAY. AND SO ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS I 10:19 WANT TO DO IS RECOMMEND THAT IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THROUGH THE 10:21 LESSON STUDY YOURSELF BEFORE TODAY THAT YOU'LL 10:25 MAKE AN EFFORT. AND I JUST WANT TO HIGHLY 10:28 RECOMMEND THAT YOU TAKE THE LESSON STUDY AND YOU MAKE YOUR 10:31 WAY THROUGH IT AFTERWARDS. PERHAPS IF YOU'RE HERE ALIVE IN 10:35 PERSON ON SABBATH AFTERNOON YOU CAN MAKE THAT PART OF YOUR 10:38 SABBATH AFTERNOON ACTIVITIES AND JUST SPEND SOME EXTRA TIME 10:42 FILLING IN THE BLANKS IN DIFFERENT WAYS AND PLACES THAT 10:46 WE JUST DON'T HAVE TIME TO LOOK AT HERE TODAY. 10:49 IT'S GOOD TO BE ABLE TO LOOK AT THIS SUBJECT AND I WANT TO START 10:53 BY INVITING EVERYONE TO OPEN THEIR BIBLES OR OPEN THEIR APPS 10:57 ON THEIR PHONES IF THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE GETTING YOUR SCRIPTURE 10:59 FROM. AND WE'RE GOING TO GO TO THE 11:01 BOOK OF MATTHEW, THE 19TH CHAPTER SO, AGAIN, THAT'S THE 11:06 BOOK OF MATTHEW, THE 19TH CHAPTER. 11:14 AND WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT A MEETING THAT TOOK PLACE THAT WAS 11:17 A SPONTANEOUS MEANING. IT WAS A MEETING THAT WE MIGHT 11:22 BE TEMPTED TO THINK JESUS DIDN'T KNOW WAS COMING BECAUSE THERE 11:26 WAS NO APPOINTMENT THAT WAS MADE WITH HIM BUT, OF COURSE, WE'RE 11:29 TALKING ABOUT JESUS AREN'T WE? AND SO EVEN THOUGH THERE WAS AN 11:33 APPOINTMENT MADE THERE WAS NO EARLY CONTACT AT LEAST AS FAR AS 11:37 THE BIBLE RECORD GOES IN CONCERN TO JESUS' MEETING WITH THIS 11:41 PARTICULAR INDIVIDUAL. JESUS KNOWS THE BEGINNING FROM 11:44 THE END AND SO THE MEETING WAS NO SURPRISE FOR HIM. 11:47 WHEN HE GOT UP IN THE MORNING, HE KNEW THAT THAT WAS GOING TO 11:49 BE PART OF HIS DAY BECAUSE, AGAIN, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT JESUS 11:53 HERE, AREN'T WE? SO WE'RE PICKING IT UP WITH 11:57 VERSE 16 AND WE'RE JUST GOING TO LOOK AT A VERY INTERESTING AND 12:01 INTRIGUING BUT ALSO A VERY REVEALING MEETING THAT TOOK 12:05 PLACE BETWEEN JESUS AND A YOUNG MAN HE WAS A VERY WEALTHY MAN 12:10 AS WE WILL SOON DISCOVER THE SCRIPTURES REVEAL. 12:13 THE BIBLE EVIDENCE ALSO SEEMS TO REVEAL THAT HE WAS A YOUNG MAN 12:20 AND THAT HE WAS ALSO A LEADER IN ISRAEL AND SO HE WAS NO SMALL 12:27 INDIVIDUAL IN THE PICTURE OF ISRAEL DURING THE TIME OF JESUS. 12:33 IN VERSE 16 IT SAYS, "NOW BEHOLD ONE CAME AND SAID TO HIM 'GOOD 12:36 TEACHER WHAT GOOD THING SHALL I DO THAT I MAY INHERIT'" - 12:41 OR HAVE - "'ETERNAL LIFE?'" NOW THAT'S AN IMPORTANT QUESTION 12:46 ISN'T IT? YOU KNOW WHAT IS IT THAT I NEED TO LOOK AT? 12:49 WHAT IS INVOLVED WHEN IT COMES TO MY ETERNAL LIFE? 12:53 NOW ONE OF THE INTERESTING THINGS ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR 12:56 MEETING IS THAT GOD NOT ONLY INSPIRED THE [APOSTLE] MATTHEW 13:00 TO RECORD THIS PARTICULAR MEETING BUT HE ALSO HAD INSPIRED 13:03 MARK TO RECORD IT AS WELL IN HIS GOSPEL RECORD. 13:06 AND WHEN WE GO TO HIS GOSPEL RECORD IN CHAPTER 10 IN VERSE 17 13:10 THERE IT RECORDS THE SAME WORDS THAT WE READ IN VERSE 16, EXCEPT 13:13 THAT HE ADDS THAT THE YOUNG MAN HAD APPROACHED JESUS HERE ON THE 13:18 ROADSIDE AND AS JESUS AND HIS DISCIPLES WERE JOURNEYING FROM 13:22 TOWN TO TOWN AND THE YOUNG MAN KNELT DOWN BEFORE JESUS. 13:28 NOW THE REASON THAT I'M POINTING THAT OUT IS BECAUSE I THINK 13:31 THAT ADDS A VERY IMPORTANT ELEMENT FOR US IN UNDERSTANDING 13:34 WHERE THIS YOUNG MAN WAS AT. 13:36 IT REVEALS THAT THIS YOUNG MAN WAS NOT YOUR TYPICAL ISRAELITE 13:41 THAT WE READ SO OFTEN IN THE OTHER PARTS OF THE GOSPELS. 13:45 IN SOME OF THE OTHER PARTS OF THE GOSPELS WE FIND THERE THAT 13:48 MOST OF THE TIME WHEN AN ISRAELITE, A SCRIBE, A PRIEST, A 13:53 LEVITE AND SO ON, IS IN THE CROWD AND - OR IF THEY MEET WITH 13:58 JESUS, TYPICALLY WHEN THEY'RE ASKING JESUS A QUESTION 14:01 THEY'RE TRYING TO TRIP JESUS UP, THEY'RE TRYING TO DISCREDIT HIM, 14:04 THEY'RE TRYING TO EMBARRASS HIM. THEIR MOTIVES ARE ULTERIOR. 14:09 BUT WITH THIS PARTICULAR YOUNG MAN THE VERY FACT THAT HE CAME 14:12 UP TO JESUS AND HE KNELT DOWN BEFORE HIM, REVEALS THAT HE WAS 14:16 UNDER SOME VERY DEEP CONVICTION AND IT REVEALS TO US HIS MOTIVES 14:22 WERE VERY PURE WHEN HE CAME TO JESUS. 14:26 SO HERE WE HAVE THIS RICH YOUNG RULER - A LEADER IN ISRAEL - HE 14:30 KNEELS DOWN BEFORE JESUS. NOW THE RESPONSE THAT JESUS 14:32 GIVES TO THE YOUNG MAN'S QUESTION REVEALS THAT HE DIDN'T 14:36 FULLY COME TO COMPREHEND EVERYTHING THAT JESUS WAS. 14:39 JESUS KNEW WHO HE WAS. WE KNOW WHO JESUS IS. 14:43 THE BIBLE MAKES IT VERY CLEAR THAT CHRIST WAS THE ALMIGHTY 14:47 ONE; HE WAS EQUAL WITH THE FATHER; HE IS GOD HIMSELF - 14:50 THE SON OF GOD ON EARTH. BUT THIS MAN DIDN'T QUITE 14:53 UNDERSTAND THAT BUT, YET, IT'S INTERESTING THAT WHEN HE 14:56 APPROACHED JESUS, HE APPROACHED HIM WITH AN ATTITUDE OF - 15:00 >>SUBMISSION >>OF WORSHIP OR SUBMISSION AS 15:03 SOMEBODY HAD ALSO POINTED OUT HERE. YES, THANK YOU JULIANA. 15:07 SO HERE WE HAVE THIS YOUNG MAN. HE KNEELS DOWN BEFORE JESUS IN 15:11 SUBMISSION IN A - IN AN ATTITUDE OF WORSHIP. 15:14 NOW, OF COURSE, IN OTHER PARTS OF THE SCRIPTURES WHERE EVEN AN 15:17 ANGEL FINDS HIMSELF - WITH JOHN THE REVELATOR FALLING DOWN 15:21 BEFORE THE ANGEL - THE ANGEL QUICKLY, YOU KNOW, BRINGS HIM 15:25 BACK TO HIS FEET AND SAYS 'NO, NO NO, NO, NO, YOU DON'T WANT TO 15:27 DO THAT. WORSHIP GOD ALONE.' OF COURSE, 15:30 JESUS IS GOD AND SO JESUS DOESN'T TELL HIM NOT TO. 15:34 AND SO THE MAN IS VERY CLOSE - IS VERY CLOSE TO FULLY 15:39 COMPREHENDING EVERYTHING THAT JESUS IS. 15:42 HE'S UNDER DEEP CONVICTION AND HE UNDERSTANDS THAT THIS MAN 15:45 REALLY HAS THE KEYS OF THE KINGDOM. 15:48 THIS IS THE MAN THAT REALLY HAS THE ANSWERS IN REGARDS TO 15:52 ETERNAL LIFE. AND SO WHEN HE APPROACHES HIM ON 15:54 HIS KNEES HE SAYS 'GOOD TEACHER WHAT GOOD THING SHALL I DO 15:59 THAT I CAN HAVE ETERNAL LIFE?' THEN WE GO TO VERSE 17. 16:06 IN VERSE 17 IT GOES ON AND SAYS, "SO HE SAID TO HIM, 'WHY DO YOU 16:09 CALL ME GOOD? NO ONE IS GOOD BUT ONE, THAT IS GOD. 16:15 BUT IF YOU WANT TO ENTER INTO LIFE KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS.'" 16:19 AND SO HERE WE HAVE JESUS AND HE KIND OF REFERENCES THE YOUNG 16:22 MAN'S REFERENCE TO JESUS CALLING HIM GOOD TEACHER. 16:25 NOW HE SAYS THERE ONLY ONE WHO GOOD AND THAT'S GOD. 16:27 NOW WAS JESUS GOD? YES. DID THE YOUNG MAN 16:31 FULLY UNDERSTAND THAT? WELL, APPARENTLY NOT, BECAUSE 16:34 JESUS IS PLAIN ON THAT. HE UNDERSTANDS THAT THE MAN 16:37 DOESN'T FULLY UNDERSTAND THAT JESUS IS GOD AT THIS POINT AND 16:41 SO HE SAYS 'WHY DO YOU CALL ME GOOD? THERE IS NO ONE GOOD BUT 16:45 GOD.' BUT THEN HE GOES ON AND HE SAYS 'IF YOU WANT TO HAVE 16:47 ETERNAL LIFE, DON'T FORGET TO KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS.' ALRIGHT? 16:51 NOW, OF COURSE, KEEPING THE COMMANDMENTS IS AND OF 16:53 THEMSELVES DOESN'T SAVE US, DOES IT? 16:56 WE JUST SPENT A WHOLE QUARTER LOOKING AT THE GOSPEL BOOK OF 16:59 ROMANS THAT MADE THAT VERY CLEAR FOR US. 17:01 THAT IT IS THROUGH CHRIST AND OUR FAITH IN HIM - 17:03 JUSTIFIED BY FAITH ALONE - THAT WE HAVE OUR ETERNAL LIFE. 17:08 BUT IN THE SAME LIGHT WE ALSO STATED VERY CLEARLY THAT JESUS 17:11 AND THE APOSTLE PAUL TAUGHT THAT IF WE ARE NOT WILLING TO GIVE 17:15 OUR FULL SURRENDER AND OUR FULL WILLING OBEDIENCE TO JESUS, THEN 17:21 WE DON'T MEET THE CONDITION THAT IS NECESSARY TO RECEIVE THAT 17:24 GIFT THAT JESUS GIVES TO US. 17:27 SO JESUS IS TALKING ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF GIVING A WILLING 17:31 OBEDIENCE TO THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD. 17:35 VERSE 18 HE GOES ON AND HE SAID TO HIM, 'WHICH ONES?' 17:38 AND THIS IS, OF COURSE, THE RESPONSE OF THE YOUNG MAN: 17:40 'WHICH ONES?' JESUS SAYS 'YOU SHALL NOT MURDER. 17:45 YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY. YOU SHALL NOT STEAL. 17:47 YOU SHALL NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS. 17:49 HONOR YOUR FATHER AND YOUR MOTHER.' NOW IS THIS A WHOLE 17:54 EXHAUSTIVE LIST OF ALL THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD? 17:56 NO IT ISN'T, IS IT? THIS IS A SAMPLING THAT JESUS 18:00 IS OBVIOUSLY GIVING HERE. NOW HE LISTS FIVE OF THE 18:04 ORIGINAL TEN COMMANDMENTS THAT GOD HAD ACTUALLY CARVED WITH HIS 18:08 OWN FINGER IN THE TABLETS OF STONE THAT HE'D GIVEN TO MOSES. 18:11 AND THE REASON I'M STOPPING HERE AND ADDRESSING THIS LITTLE BIT 18:15 IS BECAUSE THERE ARE SOME THAT ARE LOOKING FOR ANY KIND OF 18:20 LOOPHOLE THEY CAN POSSIBLY FIND TO BE ABLE TO AVOID THE FACT 18:25 THAT JESUS CALLS US, WHEN WE COME TO PUT OUR FAITH IN HIM, TO 18:29 GIVE OUR FULL WILLING OBEDIENCE TO HIM. 18:31 AND SO WE'RE LOOKING FOR ANY KIND OF LOOPHOLE THAT MIGHT BE 18:34 ABLE TO RELEASE US FROM AS MUCH OBEDIENCE AS WE POSSIBLY CAN 18:37 FIND. NOW THIS KIND OF ATTITUDE IS 18:41 VERY QUESTIONABLE AND WE NEED TO ASK OUR HEARTS, 'DO 18:43 WE REALLY LOVE JESUS?' BECAUSE IF WE LOVE HIM WE WILL 18:46 KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS, JESUS SAYS, AND SO IT'S REALLY 18:49 AN ACID TEST FOR OUR LOVE. VERY OBVIOUSLY JESUS HERE IS NOT 18:54 TALKING ABOUT THESE ARE THE ONLY COMMANDMENTS THAT ARE 18:56 APPLICABLE NOW FOR THE CHRISTIAN AND FOR A BELIEVER. 18:59 HE LEFT OUT SOME VERY KEY ONES THAT WE - YOU AND I - I DON'T 19:03 THINK I HAVE TO THINK VERY FAR OR VERY LONG TO UNDERSTAND THAT 19:06 HE STILL WANTS TO KEEP THEM. THE ONES THAT ARE MISSING ARE? 19:10 WHAT'S THE TENTH ONE. >>COVET. 19:13 >>YOU SHALL NOT COVET. ALRIGHT, COVETOUSNESS IS A 19:15 BIG PART OF THE SUBJECT WE'RE LOOKING AT HERE 19:17 IN THIS QUARTERLY. LAST WEEK, WE LOOKED AT 19:19 COVETOUSNESS IN SOME GREAT AND IMPORTANT DETAIL. 19:22 DOES GOD SAY IT'S OKAY TO COVET NOW, JUST COVET AWAY? 19:25 NO, THAT'S NOT WHAT JESUS WAS IMPLICATING. 19:27 WHAT ABOUT THE FIRST COMMANDMENT, 'YOU SHALL HAVE NO 19:30 OTHER GODS BEFORE YOU'? NOW IS GOD SAYING- IS JESUS 19:33 SAYING, 'HEY, LISTEN, JUST WORSHIP A WHOLE 19:35 PLETHORA OF GODS. YOU KNOW IT'S ALL OPEN SEASON 19:38 NOW'? NO, OF COURSE NOT. DOES HE SAY - DOES HE MEAN THAT 19:41 YOU SHOULDN'T USE HIS NAME IN VAIN NOW - OR YOU CAN 19:44 USE HIS NAME IN VAIN? WELL, OF COURSE NOT. 19:46 AND SO THIS IS NOT AN EXHAUSTIVE LIST BUT JESUS IS VERY OBVIOUSLY 19:49 HERE GIVING A SAMPLING OF SOME OF THE KEY COMMANDMENTS THAT WE 19:53 ARE TO LIVE BY WHEN WE PUT OUR FAITH AND HEART IN JESUS. 19:58 AND IT'S NO COINCIDENCE, I BELIEVE, THAT HE ALSO FOLLOWS UP 20:00 WITH THE LAST COMMANDMENT IN VERSE 19 WHICH, HE, BY THE WAY, 20:04 IN ANOTHER PART OF THE SCRIPTURES, TELL US IS THE 20:06 SECOND MOST IMPORTANT AND GREATEST COMMANDMENT IN ALL OF 20:10 THE SCRIPTURES, AND THAT IS YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS 20:15 YOURSELF. AND SO JESUS, HERE, IS GIVING 20:18 THIS SECOND GREAT COMMANDMENT. WHICH, BY THE WAY, HAPPENS TO BE 20:21 A VERY FITTING SUMMARY FOR THE PREVIOUS FOUR THAT HE HAD JUST 20:25 SHARED OR THE PREVIOUS FIVE FROM THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 20:28 ALL OF THE FIVE THAT HE HAD CHOSEN THAT PARTICULAR DAY IS IN 20:31 REGARDS TO OUR LOVE AND OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH ONE ANOTHER AS 20:34 HUMAN BEINGS. AND SO HE SAYS 'YOU SHALL LOVE 20:38 YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' ALRIGHT THEN WE GO TO VERSE 20. 20:44 IT SAYS "THE YOUNG MAN SAID TO HIM, 'ALL THESE THINGS I HAVE 20:47 KEPT FROM MY YOUTH. WHAT DO I STILL LACK?'" 20:51 NOW THIS IS REVEALING TWO THINGS TO US THAT ARE KEY IN 20:55 UNDERSTANDING THIS MEETING BETWEEN JESUS AND THIS YOUNG 20:58 MAN. AND THAT HE IS THAT THIS YOUNG 21:01 MAN REVEALS HIMSELF TO BE AN HONEST MAN. 21:05 JUST BEFORE HE MADE THAT STATEMENT, 'I'VE KEPT ALL THESE 21:07 SINCE MY YOUTH.' JESUS SAYS, 'YOU SHALL NOT BEAR FALSE 21:10 WITNESS.' AND SO WE FIND THAT THIS YOUNG MAN WAS AN HONEST 21:14 BUSINESS MAN. WAS HE SUCCESSFUL? 21:17 YES HE WAS. DID HE DO VERY WELL? 21:19 YES HE DID. DID HE DO IT WITH DISHONEST GAIN? 21:23 WELL, APPARENTLY, THE EVIDENCE TELLS US THAT NO, HE WAS ONE 21:26 THAT VALUED THE MORAL OF BEING HONEST IN HIS BUSINESS DEALINGS. 21:33 AND SO WHEN A CUSTOMER WAS DEALING WITH THIS PARTICULAR 21:35 ISRAELITE, THEY KNEW THAT THEY WERE GETTING A GOOD DEAL; 21:38 THEY WEREN'T GETTING A RAW DEAL. 21:40 AS SOMETIMES WE DO WITH OTHERS THAT AREN'T SO HONEST IN THEIR 21:42 BUSINESS DEALINGS WITH US NOR IN THE TIME OF ISRAEL AND JESUS' 21:46 DAY. SO HERE WE HAVE A VERY HONEST BUSINESS MAN. 21:50 THIS WAS A BUSINESS MAN THAT DIDN'T STEAL FROM HIS CUSTOMERS 21:54 OR FROM HIS BUSINESS PARTNERS AND SO IF SOMEBODY WAS TO GO 21:57 INTO PARTNERSHIP WITH THIS PARTICULAR YOUNG MAN IN ISRAEL, 22:00 WHY THEY KNEW THAT THEY COULD TRUST HIM - HE WAS HONEST - BUT 22:03 THAT HE ALSO WOULDN'T TRY TO SWINDLE, YOU KNOW, A LITTLE BIT 22:07 EXTRA FOR HIS POCKET AT THE EXPENSE OF HIS BUSINESS 22:10 PARTNER'S EFFORTS. AND SO HERE WE FIND THAT HE WAS 22:16 AN HONEST MAN AND HE VALUED THE PROPERTY OF OTHERS 22:20 THAT BELONGED TO THEM. AND SO HE WAS A FAITHFUL 22:23 GOOD BUSINESSMAN TO GO INTO PARTNERSHIP WITH. 22:27 BUT IN SPITE OF ALL OF THESE MORALS THAT JESUS HAD LAID 22:30 BEFORE HIM AND - PERHAPS THAT'S WHY JESUS HAD CHOSEN THOSE 22:34 PARTICULAR COMMANDMENTS BECAUSE, OF COURSE, WHEN JESUS MET WITH 22:37 THIS MAN NOT ONLY DID HE KNOW THE APPOINTMENT BEFORE IT CAME 22:39 TO PASS EVEN THOUGH IT WAS SPONTANEOUS FOR THE YOUNG MAN AS 22:42 HE HEARD THAT THE RABBI JESUS WAS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND HE 22:45 WENT OUT TO FOLLOW HIM AND FIND HIM AND BE ABLE TO PLEAD WITH 22:50 HIM AND ASK THESE IMPORTANT QUESTIONS, WE FIND HERE THAT 22:53 JESUS IS IN CONVERSATION WITH HIM. 22:59 AND YET JESUS KNOWS HIS HEART, DOESN'T HE? 23:03 YOU SEE, ONE OF THE THINGS - AND THE THINGS THAT ALWAYS 23:06 FASCINATES ME ABOUT EVERY ENCOUNTER THAT WE READ IN THE 23:09 SCRIPTURES CONCERNING JESUS, IS THAT WHEN JESUS WENT INTO A 23:14 CONVERSATION WITH YOU NOT ONLY COULD HE SEE WHAT YOU LOOK LIKE 23:17 ON THE OUTSIDE. BUT HE COULD LOOK RIGHT 23:20 THROUGH YOU COULDN'T HE? >>AMEN. 23:22 >>AND SO YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO TELL HIM WHERE YOU WERE BORN. 23:25 YOU DON'T HAVE TO TELL HIM ABOUT YOUR LIFE AND HOW SCHOOL WENT AS 23:28 YOU WERE GROWING UP. YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO TELL HIM 23:30 ABOUT YOUR MARRIAGE, AND SO ON -LIKE THE WOMAN AT THE WELL - 23:34 YOU KNOW, HE SAYS 'YES, YOU'RE RIGHT. YOU DON'T HAVE A HUSBAND. 23:37 IN FACT, YOU'VE BEEN MARRIED SEVERAL TIMES AND THE ONE THAT 23:42 YOU'RE LIVING WITH NOW ISN'T EVEN MARRIED TO YOU.' AND THEN 23:45 SHE BEGAN TO - MOST LIKELY SHE BEGAN TO TREMBLE BECAUSE, ALL OF 23:49 A SUDDEN, SHE REALIZED 'THIS MAN CAN LOOK RIGHT THROUGH ME. 23:52 HE KNOWS EVERYTHING ABOUT ME.' WELL, LATER ON SHE WAS EXCITED 23:55 ABOUT IT, WASN'T SHE? SHE SAID, 'THIS MAN TOLD ME 23:57 EVERYTHING THAT I EVER DID.' - ONCE SHE REALIZED THAT HE WASN'T 24:01 GOING TO REJECT HER OVER THAT BUT RATHER HE WANTED TO SAVE HER 24:04 FROM IT AND TO GIVE HER A BETTER VICTORIOUS LIFE. 24:08 WELL, THE SAME THING WITH THIS RICH YOUNG RULER: HERE WE HAVE 24:11 THIS RICH YOUNG RULER THAT, WHEN JESUS THREW OUT THOSE PARTICULAR 24:14 COMMANDMENTS HE PROBABLY KNEW - WELL, HE DID KNOW, BUT THE 24:17 REASON THAT HE CHOSE THOSE WAS BECAUSE HE KNEW THIS YOUNG MAN 24:21 WAS FAITHFUL IN THESE AREAS. AND THEN HE GAVE THE YOUNG MAN 24:26 AN OPPORTUNITY TO REALLY DIG INTO JESUS AND ASK HIM WHY HE 24:30 REALLY HAD APPROACHED HIM. IT REVEALS TO US THAT THE YOUNG 24:35 MAN UNDERSTOOD THAT EVEN THOUGH HE WAS FAITHFUL IN THE 24:37 COMMANDMENTS THAT JESUS HAD SHARED, THERE WAS STILL A 24:41 VERY SERIOUS BREACH IN HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS. 24:46 WHAT WAS THE VERY HEART AND THE ROOT OF THE BREACH OF HIS 24:51 RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS? NOW HE REVEALED IT - THE YOUNG 24:54 MAN REVEALED THAT HE UNDERSTOOD IT BECAUSE HE SAID 'WHAT GOOD 24:56 THING DO I STILL - >>LACK. 24:59 >>LACK?' NOW, HE WOULDN'T ASK THAT UNLESS 25:02 HE UNDERSTOOD THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING SERIOUSLY WRONG WITH 25:06 HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH HIS GOD. NOW JESUS, WHEN HE LOOKED AT 25:09 HIM, OF COURSE, UNDERSTOOD VERY CLEARLY WHAT HAD HAPPENED. 25:13 HE UNDERSTOOD THAT IT WAS MOST LIKELY THAT THIS YOUNG MAN GREW 25:16 UP IN THE SYNAGOGUE, HE HAD SOME, PERHAPS, SOME FAITHFUL 25:18 PARENTS AND WOULD PRAY WITH HIM IN THE MORNING AND PRAY WITH HIM 25:22 IN THE EVENING AND THAT LITTLE BOY'S HEART, AS MOST BOY'S 25:27 HEARTS DO, OPEN UP WIDE TO GOD AND WANT TO PRAY AND PRAY 25:32 SINCERELY AND INNOCENTLY AS JESUS HAD EVEN SAID, 'YOU KNOW 25:35 UNLESS YOU COME TO GOD AND INTO THE KINGDOM AS A LITTLE CHILD.' 25:40 AND SO HERE WE HAVE THIS YOUNG MAN THAT MOST LIKELY HAD A VERY 25:43 SINCERE RELATIONSHIP IN HIS BOYHOOD. THEN, WHEN HE REACHED 25:46 MANHOOD, HE BEGAN TO REALIZE, AS HE STARTED TO DELVE INTO THE 25:50 BUSINESS WORLD, THAT HE HAD A REAL GOOD KNACK FOR IT. 25:52 HE WAS GOOD AT IT. AND NOT ONLY THAT, HE BECAME 25:56 PROBABLY SUCCESSFUL VERY QUICKLY. 25:58 AND IF HE DIDN'T, HE WAS VERY PERSISTENT AND VERY DETERMINED 26:00 AND SO HE LEARNED SOME HARD LESSONS. 26:02 PERHAPS HE DIDN'T HAVE A KNACK AT IT, BUT WHATEVER THE PATHWAY 26:05 WAS THE BIBLE TELLS US THAT HE EVENTUALLY FOUND SUCCESS. 26:10 BUT WHAT HAPPENED WAS HE HAD ALLOWED THIS MOUNTAIN TO GROW IN 26:14 HIS LIFE. THAT TOTALLY ECLIPSED HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD THAT 26:19 HE KNEW - PROBABLY KNEW - IN HIS CHILDHOOD. 26:22 AND HE KNEW THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING SERIOUSLY WRONG. 26:27 THERE WAS THIS MOUNTAIN THAT HAD EMERGED THAT TOTALLY ECLIPSED OR 26:30 BLOCKED HIS CONNECTION WITH THE GOD OF HIS CHILDHOOD. 26:36 NOW THE CHANCES ARE, AS WE LOOK AT THE CONTEXT HERE, THAT THIS 26:40 PARTICULAR YOUNG RULER UNDERSTOOD WHAT HE LACKED. 26:43 PERHAPS HE WAS COMING TO JESUS THAT JESUS MIGHT CONFIRM THAT TO 26:47 HIM AND HELP HIM TO BE ABLE TO MAKE THAT DECISION. 26:50 PERHAPS IT WAS THAT HE WAS HOPEFUL THAT THIS - THAT THIS 26:53 PARTICULAR MAN, KNOWING THAT HE WAS MUCH MORE THAN THE AVERAGE 26:56 RABBI - MUCH MORE THAN THE AVERAGE PROPHET, EVEN, AND SUCH 27:01 THAT HE MIGHT BE ABLE TO SHOW HIM A PATHWAY THAT WOULD ALLOW 27:05 HIM TO KEEP THE MOUNTAIN STILL, BUT THAT HE WOULD STILL BE ABLE 27:10 TO HAVE ETERNAL LIFE, SOMEHOW, AS WELL. 27:13 PERHAPS IF YOU COULD JUST FIND A ROUTE THAT JESUS COULD TEACH 27:16 HIM WHERE HE COULD KIND OF GO AROUND THE MOUNTAIN BUT STILL 27:18 KEEP THE MOUNTAIN. NOW WHAT WAS THE MOUNTAIN? 27:22 >>MONEY. >>OKAY, MONEY, WEALTH, 27:25 POSSESSIONS - YES. OKAY, THIS YOUNG MAN - NOW LAST 27:29 WEEK - PASTOR DOUG - WE HAD TALKED MORE EXTENSIVELY 27:32 ABOUT 'IS IT WRONG TO BE RICH? OKAY. IS IT WRONG TO BE WEALTHY? 27:37 OKAY IT'S NOT IMMORAL OR AGAINST THE PRINCIPLES OF GOD TO HAVE 27:42 WEALTH OR TO ACCUMULATE WEALTH, AS LONG AS WE'RE IN THE RIGHT 27:46 MINDSET, OF COURSE. ALRIGHT, SO HOW YOU LOOK AT 27:50 THAT WEALTH, HOW YOU DEAL WITH THAT WEALTH, IS WHAT MAKES 27:53 THE WORLD OF DIFFERENCE. WITH THIS PARTICULAR YOUNG MAN, 27:57 HE HAD MADE THE MISTAKE OF STARTING TO INVEST HIS 27:59 HEART INTO THE WEALTH. AND ONCE WE START TO INVEST 28:04 OUR HEART AND OUR AFFECTIONS INTO THE WEALTH, THAT'S WHEN 28:08 WE FIND OURSELVES GETTING IN TROUBLE, DON'T WE? OKAY? 28:11 THERE'S ONLY ONE WAY - ONLY ONE PLACE THAT WE CAN PUT OUR 28:14 AFFECTIONS AND OUR FIRST AFFECTIONS AND THE FIRST PLACE 28:18 THAT WE ARE TO SET OUR HEART, WHICH IS IN GOD. 28:20 AND SO, BECAUSE THIS MAN MADE THE MISTAKE OF INVESTING HIS 28:22 HEART INTO BUILDING A PERSONAL KINGDOM HERE ON EARTH, THROUGH 28:27 HIS RICHES, WEALTH, AND HE'S ALSO A RULER, SO THAT WEALTH 28:30 THEN LED TO HAVING POSITIONS OF INFLUENCE AND POWER WHICH ALMOST 28:36 ALWAYS COMES HAND IN HAND WITH GREAT WEALTH. 28:39 WE FIND HERE THAT HE'S ALSO A RULER - A LEADER IN ISRAEL. 28:44 NOW THAT CAN BE A VERY FUN PLACE TO BE. 28:48 I HAVEN'T TALKED TO ANYBODY YET OR HEARD AN INTERVIEW WITH 28:51 ANYBODY YET THAT IS EXTREMELY WEALTHY THAT HAS FOUND THIS REAL 28:55 POWER AND INFLUENCE THAT COMES WITH IT AND SAY 'I JUST HATE 28:58 IT.' NO, MOST OF THE TIME PEOPLE SAY 'WOW' - YOU KNOW, IN FACT, 29:02 I'VE HEARD SOME VERY WEALTHY BILLIONAIRES TELL ME THAT YOU 29:04 KNOW THE MONEY IS NOTHING. ONCE YOU GET THE POWER AND THE 29:07 INFLUENCE THAT'S WAY BETTER THAN THE MONEY. 29:10 AND SO, MOST LIKELY, THIS MAN WAS STARTING TO ENJOY THE 29:15 INFLUENCE AND THE POWER THAT CAME WITH THE WEALTH IN THE 29:19 KINGDOM THAT HE HAD MADE THE MISTAKE OF GIVING HIS HEART TO 29:23 FIRST. JESUS KNEW THAT HE HAD FALLEN 29:32 INTO A TRAP OF BUILDING HIS KINGDOM HERE AND WAS INVESTING 29:36 IN THIS WORLD FIRST. AND SO, JESUS MAKES AN INVITATION 29:40 - I DON'T THINK WE READ IT YET, HAVE WE? VERSE 21. 29:44 IN VERSE 21 IT SAYS "JESUS SAID TO HIM, 'IF YOU WANT TO BE 29:47 PERFECT GO AND SELL WHAT YOU HAVE AND GIVE TO THE POOR AND 29:51 YOU WILL HAVE TREASURE IN HEAVEN AND COME FOLLOW ME." 29:58 NOW, I JUST WANT TO RECAP A LITTLE BIT FROM LAST WEEK AND 30:00 THAT IS IN REGARDS TO - AND THAT IN REGARDS TO THE COUNCIL THAT 30:07 JESUS GAVE BECAUSE, REALLY, THERE'S TWO THINGS THAT JESUS 30:10 HAD BROUGHT BEFORE THE YOUNG MAN IN RESPONSE TO HIS QUESTION, 30:13 'WHAT DO I STILL LACK?' - AND THAT IS #1, HE SAID, 30:15 'LISTEN, GO AND SELL ALL THAT YOU HAVE.' NOW NOTICE THAT - YOU 30:18 KNOW, THIS IS ONE THING I LIKE ABOUT JESUS AND THE 30:20 CONVERSATIONS THAT HE HAD, HE JUST GETS RIGHT TO THE POINT. 30:23 HAVE YOU EVER NOTICED THAT? YOU KNOW, NICODEMUS COMES IN THE 30:26 NIGHT AND HE SAYS, 'YOU KNOW, LISTEN, I KNOW WHO YOU ARE. 30:29 WE KNOW WHO YOU ARE' - AND HE SAYS, 'LISTEN, YOU NEED TO BE 30:31 BORN AGAIN.' YOU KNOW, NICODEMUS IS LOOKING AROUND AND SAYING, 30:34 'WHERE DID THAT COME FROM? YOU KNOW, I HAVE TO BE BORN 30:36 AGAIN.' YOU KNOW, JESUS JUST LOOKED RIGHT THROUGH NICODEMUS; 30:39 HE KNEW EXACTLY WHAT HE WAS LACKING, AND HE SAID 'THIS IS 30:41 WHAT YOU NEED.' AND SO HE JUST GETS RIGHT TO THE POINT AND WE 30:45 SEE THAT - WE SEE THAT - WE FIND THAT WITH JESUS AS WELL. 30:48 JESUS DOESN'T GIVE THIS KIND OF BIG DISCOURSE ON, YOU KNOW, GOD 30:51 AND MAMMON AND SO ON, HE SAYS 'LISTEN THIS IS WHAT YOU NEED 30:53 TO GO AND SO EVERYTHING.' HE'S LIKE, 'WHAT?' 30:56 'GO AND SELL EVERYTHING JUST GET RID OF THE WHOLE MOUNTAIN.' AND 30:59 HE SAYS WHAT? NO, NO, NO! 31:00 I WAS HOPIN' I COULD GET SOME KIND OF, YOU KNOW, ROUTE AROUND 31:02 THE MOUNTAIN.' HE GOES, 'NO, YOU'VE GOT TO JUST CHOP THE 31:04 MOUNTAIN RIGHT DOWN - RIGHT AT THE VERY FOUNDATION. 31:06 GO AND GET RID OF IT ALL AND GIVE IT ALL TO THE POOR AND THEN 31:09 HIT THE ROAD WITH ME AND MY DISCIPLES.' NOW THAT'S PRETTY 31:12 RADICAL, ISN'T IT? >>RADICAL. 31:14 >>OKAY. JESUS CALLS US SOMETIMES TO MAKE 31:16 RADICAL CHANGES IN OUR LIFE IF HE KNOWS THAT IT HAS BEEN A 31:21 SERIOUS BREACH OR A THREAT TO OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS. 31:26 AND SO HE GETS RIGHT TO THE POINT. 31:28 AND THEN HE REPLACES IT AND HE SAYS 'NOW LISTEN' - AND HE 31:31 DOESN'T SAY THIS BUT HE SAYS IT BY HIS PRESCRIPTION - ISN'T IT? 31:34 BASICALLY, HE DOESN'T SAY 'THIS IS WHAT YOU LACK,' HE JUST SAYS 31:36 'THIS IS A PRESCRIPTION FOR THE PROBLEM.' HE SAYS, 'GO, GET RID 31:39 OF THE MOUNTAIN JUST LOP IT OFF. 31:40 GET RID OF IT ALL' - HE SAYS - 'AND THEN START TO INVEST YOUR 31:44 HEART INTO THE TREASURE IN HEAVEN. 31:48 AND SO HE DIDN'T CHOOSE THE WORD TREASURE BY MISTAKE OR JUST 31:52 COINCIDENTALLY, HE OFFERS HIM THE TREASURES IN HEAVEN BECAUSE 31:55 JESUS KNEW THAT HE HAD PUT HIS HEART INTO THE TREASURES OF 31:59 EARTH BY MISTAKE. THAT WAS HIS BIG MISTAKE WASN'T IT? 32:04 AND SO JESUS SAYS 'GET RID OF THE MISTAKE AND REPLACE IT WITH 32:06 TREASURES IN HEAVEN. COME AND FOLLOW ME AND YOU CAN 32:09 JOIN MY ENTOURAGE OF OTHER DISCIPLES THAT ARE TRAVELING 32:12 FROM VILLAGE TO VILLAGE AND MINISTERING THE GOSPEL. 32:14 AND YOU CAN HAVE THE PEACE AND THE POWER AND THE GIFT THAT IS 32:19 FOUND IN THE GOSPEL THAT I AM PREACHING AND BRINGING TO YOU 32:22 AND TO ISRAEL.' SO AGAIN RECAPPING ON LAST WEEK; DOES 32:28 THAT MEAN THE JESUS HERE IS PRESCRIBING THAT EVERYONE THAT 32:30 COMES TO CHRIST AND FOLLOWS HIM SHOULD SELL EVERYTHING AND 32:33 FOLLOW HIM AND HIT THE ROAD? >>NO. 32:35 >>NO, OF COURSE NOT. OKAY? SO WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO TAKE 32:38 THIS IN CONTEXT IN RELATIONSHIP TO THE REST OF THE BIBLE. 32:41 AND AS WE RECAP AGAIN - THIS IS A RECAP FROM LAST WEEK, BUT LAST 32:45 WEEK WE TALKED ABOUT THE FACT THAT THE BIBLE HAS A WHOLE LONG 32:47 LIST OF SOME OF THE MOST FAITHFUL MEN IN THE WORLD THAT 32:51 WERE VERY WEALTHY. WE HAVE ABRAHAM, WE HAVE 32:53 JOB, WE HAVE NICODEMUS. THERE IS A NUMBER OF VERY FAITH 32:57 - SOME OF THE MOST FAITHFUL MEN IN ALL OF HISTORY, GOD HAD ALSO 33:01 BLESSED WITH GREAT PROSPERITY. NOT ALL OF THEM. 33:04 YOU KNOW, THE APOSTLES WERE NOT ONE OF THOSE AND OF COURSE WE 33:07 HAVE OTHERS AS WELL, IN THE BIBLE, THAT WEREN'T WEALTHY. 33:11 AND SO, WEALTH ISN'T EQUIVALENT TO BEING FAITHFUL TO GOD, BUT 33:14 YOU CAN BE WEALTHY AND FAITHFUL TO GOD AT THE SAME TIME, AS LONG 33:19 AS YOU ARE SEING AND ABLE TO HANDLE THAT WEALTH IN A HEALTHY 33:25 WAY. I ONCE HAD A FRIEND, YEARS AGO, 33:27 AND HE SAID, 'YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE REASONS I THINK THAT I'VE 33:29 NEVER REALLY SUCCEEDED IN BEING SUPER PROSPEROUS IN THIS WORLD 33:32 IS BECAUSE I PROBABLY CAN'T HANDLE IT.' AND YOU KNOW THERE'S 33:36 A GOOD CHANCE THAT HE MAY BE RIGHT. 33:38 YOU KNOW, NOT ALL OF US CAN HANDLE WEALTH IN A HEALTHY WAY 33:41 AND GOD DOESN'T WANT US TO END UP IN THE SAME PLACE AS THE RICH 33:43 YOUNG RULER. SO JESUS GIVES HIM A PRESCRIPTION AND HE SAYS THIS 33:48 IS WHAT YOU NEED TO DO. YOU NEED TO JUST DIG DEEP YOU 33:50 NEED TO JUST CUT IT OUT OF YOUR LIFE ALTOGETHER. 33:53 REMINDS ME OF JOHN THE BAPTIST ONCE, WHEN IN - YOU KNOW, SOME 33:55 OF THE APOSTLES - NOT THE APOSTLES, I SHOULD SAY, BUT SOME 33:57 OF THE PHARISEES AND SCRIBES AND SO ON, THEY CAME TO JESUS AS HE 34:02 WAS BAPTIZING AND SO - NO, JOHN THE BAPTIST AS HE'S BAPTIZING, 34:06 AND JOHN THE BAPTIST SAYS, 'YOU NEED TO - YOU NEED TO CHOP - 34:09 CHOP - YOU KNOW, I'VE COME IN WITH JESUS IN THE SPIRIT TO BE 34:13 ABLE TO CHOP THINGS RIGHT DOWN AT THE ROOT.' AND SO WE NEED TO 34:18 BE ABLE TO DO THAT IN OUR LIVES SOMETIMES AS WELL JUST LIKE THIS 34:21 RICH YOUNG RULER. ANOTHER PLACE IN WHICH JESUS WAS 34:24 SPEAKING AND HE WAS SHARING SOME COUNSEL THAT'S IN DIRECT 34:29 RELATION TO THE PRESCRIPTION HERE, AND THAT IS WHEN HE USED 34:32 SOME VERY EXAGGERATED LANGUAGE THAT ENGLISH GRAMMAR TEACHERS 34:36 TELL ME IS CALLED HYPERBOLE ANYONE KNOW WHAT HYPERBOLE IS? 34:41 OKAY. IT'S HYPER - OKAY? 34:44 IT STARTS WITH THE WORD 'HYPER' BECAUSE IT MEANS - IT'S 34:46 EXAGGERATED. IT'S HYPED UP, AS WE MIGHT SAY. 34:51 AND SO JESUS USED SOME HYPERBOLE TO BE ABLE TO GET ACROSS, AS 34:55 STRONG AS HE POSSIBLY COULD, A VERY NEEDFUL COUNSEL THAT 35:00 SOMETIMES WE NEED. HE SAYS, 'IF YOUR RIGHT EYE 35:02 CAUSES YOU TO SIN' - WHAT SHOULD YOU DO WITH IT? 35:05 - 'PLUCK IT OUT.' SOME OF YOU KNOW THE COUNCIL. 35:08 HE SAYS, 'IF YOUR RIGHT HAND IS CAUSING YOU TO SIN' - WHAT 35:10 SHOULD YOU DO? - >>CUT IT OFF. 35:11 >>OKAY, LOP IT OFF. NOW, IS JESUS TELLING US, WHEN 35:15 HE USED THAT LANGUAGE THAT HE WAS ENCOURAGING SELF-MUTILATION 35:18 AND AMPUTATION? >>NO. 35:20 >>NO, OF COURSE NOT. 35:21 EVEN THE FACT THAT HE SAID JUST CHOOSE YOUR RIGHT EYE TELLS US 35:25 THAT HE WANTED US TO KNOW, 'LISTEN, I'M NOT TALKING IN 35:27 LITERAL SENSE, HERE, I'M USING HYPERBOLE. 35:30 AND I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT BECAUSE I DON'T WANT YOU 35:32 ACTUALLY LITERALLY PLUCKING OUT ANY EYES.' YOU KNOW, IF YOUR 35:36 RIGHT EYE IS CAUSING YOU TO SIN AND YOU'RE LOOKING AT AND GAZING 35:39 UPON THINGS THAT YOU KNOW YOU SHOULDN'T, AND - SO YOU PLUCK 35:42 YOUR RIGHT EYE OUT, YOUR LEFT EYE CAN DO A REALLY GOOD JOB OF 35:45 MAKING UP FOR YOUR RIGHT EYE. 35:48 AND SO, IT'S REALLY NOT GOING TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM FULLY IS IT? 35:51 IN FACT, IT'S NOT GOING TO SOLVE IT AT ALL, IT JUST MEANS THAT 35:53 YOUR LEFT HAS TO WORK A LITTLE BIT HARDER, THAT'S ALL. 35:57 AND SO, JESUS - AND SAME WITH THE HANDS. 35:59 SO JESUS, I THINK, WANTED TO MAKE IT CLEAR TO US THAT HE 36:02 ISN'T LITERALLY TALKING ABOUT SELF-AMPUTATION. 36:06 BUT HE'S USING THE MOST EXAGGERATED LANGUAGE THAT HE 36:08 POSSIBLY COULD TO BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE TO US THAT SOMETIMES 36:12 THERE ARE THINGS IN OUR LIFE THAT ARE SO SERIOUSLY EITHER 36:17 JEOPARDIZING, OR ALREADY HAVE BREACHED OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH 36:20 GOD, THAT THE ONLY PRESCRIPTION OR SOLUTION THAT HE HAS FOR US 36:24 IS TO CHOP IT OFF. I WAS VISITING WITH A YOUNG MAN 36:28 YEARS AGO AND WE ARE DOING AN EVANGELISM OR PROPHECY SERIES. 36:32 THIS YOUNG MAN WAS UNDER DEEP CONVICTION THAT GOD WAS CALLING 36:36 HIM TO BE ABLE TO REPENT OF SOME SINS IN HIS LIFE. 36:39 SOME VERY SERIOUS ONES AND ONE OF THEM WAS HE GOT WRAPPED UP IN 36:42 DRUGS - NARCOTICS - AND SO HE SAID, 'LISTEN, YOU KNOW, I WAS 36:47 BAPTIZED SEVERAL YEARS AGO AND - IN THIS CITY - MY HOME CITY - 36:51 AND I WAS VERY SINCERE - I WANTED TO FOLLOW THE LORD. 36:54 I GAVE MY HEART TO HIM AND SO ON. BUT, YOU KNOW, THE PROBLEM 36:57 IS THAT MY FRIENDS THAT I WAS HANGING OUT WITH KEPT DRAWING ME 37:01 BACK TO THE NARCOTICS AND THEN I'D GET HOOKED AGAIN. 37:04 AND HERE I AM BACK IN ANOTHER PROPHECY SERIES AND I WANT TO 37:07 LEAVE THIS BEHIND ME BUT I HAVE FAILED ONCE ALREADY AND I'M 37:11 AFRAID THAT IF I GET BAPTIZED, I'M GOING TO FAIL AGAIN.' 37:16 WELL, THE VERY FIRST COUNSEL THAT CAME TO MY MIND WAS THE 37:19 HYPERBOLE THAT JESUS HAD SHARED DURING HIS PUBLIC MINISTRY, IN 37:23 WHICH HE SAYS SOMETIMES THERE'S THINGS IN YOUR LIFE THAT YOU 37:25 JUST NEED TO CUT OFF COMPLETELY. AND SO, FOR THIS YOUNG MAN THE 37:30 VERY BEST THING THAT HE COULD DO, AT MINIMUM, IS CUT OFF 37:33 THOSE RELATIONSHIPS WITH THOSE PARTICULAR FRIENDS. 37:36 I SAID, 'LISTEN, YOU KNOW, 'DO NOT BE DECEIVED. BAD COMPANY 37:39 CORRUPTS GOOD HABITS' THE APOSTLE PAUL SAID, DIDN'T HE?' 37:42 SO HE SAID THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU NEED TO JUST CUT THAT OFF. 37:44 IF YOU NEED TO MOVE TO ANOTHER CITY AND THAT'S THE ONLY WAY 37:47 THAT YOU CAN ESCAPE THESE - THESE FRIENDS' - BECAUSE THEY 37:49 WOULD FOLLOW HIM AND HOUND HIM AND SHOW UP AT HIS DOOR AND 37:51 SUCH, AS WELL - 'IS MOVE TO ANOTHER CITY.' DOES THAT SOUND 37:56 RADICAL? >>YES. 37:58 >>SURE, IT IS PRETTY RADICAL. I SAID, 'PICK UP - UPROOT 38:00 YOURSELF FROM YOUR HOME CITY AND MOVE TO ANOTHER CITY. 38:03 MOVE TO ANOTHER CITY - MAYBE ANOTHER STATE - WHATEVER IT 38:05 TAKES TO BE ABLE TO SEPARATE YOURSELF FROM THAT SO THAT YOU 38:08 CAN FIND YOURSELF ABLE TO FIND YOURSELF IN AN ENVIRONMENT THAT 38:12 WILL ALLOW YOU TO HAVE A SUCCESSFUL RELATIONSHIP WITH 38:16 JESUS CHRIST. AND THAT'S WHAT WE FIND HERE AS 38:20 JESUS IS TALKING TO THE RICH YOUNG RULER. 38:26 ALL RIGHT, SO THEN VERSE 22 - WE FINISH UP THE MEETING, IT SAYS, 38:30 "BUT WHEN THE YOUNG MAN HEARD THAT SAYING, HE WENT AWAY 38:32 SORROWFUL FOR HE HAD GREAT POSSESSIONS." 38:38 DID HE DECIDE TO FOLLOW JESUS? >>NO. 38:40 >>NO. WHAT DID HE DO INSTEAD? HE WALKED, DIDN'T HE? 38:48 OKAY? HE WALKED AWAY. 38:50 NOW THE BIBLE SAYS THAT HE WALKED AWAY SAD. 38:54 THE BIBLE SAYS THAT HE WALKED AWAY SAD. 39:00 THE YOUNG MAN WAS BROUGHT FACE TO FACE WITH THE CHOICE AND OF 39:04 COURSE THAT CHOICE WAS A CRITICAL CHOICE THAT HE MADE 39:06 THAT DAY BECAUSE THIS WAS A CHOICE THAT WAS GOING TO 39:09 DETERMINE HIS ETERNAL DESTINY. AND JESUS, HERE, WAS WORKING AS 39:14 HARD AS HE POSSIBLY COULD TO BE ABLE TO REACH THIS YOUNG MAN 39:17 AND HELP HIM TO MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICE. NOW THE CHOICE THAT HE 39:22 MADE THAT DAY REVEALED THAT HIS HEART WAS SO SOLD ON THE 39:25 TREASURES OF THIS WORLD THAT IT WAS NEXT TO IMPOSSIBLE TO BREAK 39:29 FREE. IN FACT, WHEN I CAME TO THE END 39:31 OF THIS I THOUGHT TO MYSELF, 'WOW, YOU KNOW, HERE'S A YOUNG 39:34 MAN AND, IN THE END, YOU KNOW, HE HAD EVERYTHING AS FAR AS 39:40 WHAT THIS WORLD COULD OFFER. BUT HE WAS MISSING THE MOST 39:43 IMPORTANT THING AND MAYBE HIS HEART WAS SO SOLD, BY THAT 39:47 POINT, ON THE WEALTH AND THE RICHES AND THE POWER AND THE 39:52 INFLUENCE THAT CAME WITH THAT, THAT HE WAS BEYOND REACHING. 39:55 MAYBE HE WAS UNREACHABLE BY THE TIME JESUS WAS TALKING WITH 39:58 HIM.' BUT THEN I THOUGHT TO MYSELF, 'NOW, WAIT A MINUTE. 40:00 IF THAT'S TRUE THEN WHY DID JESUS SPEND SO MUCH TIME WITH 40:04 HIM ON THE ROAD LABORING WITH HIM WORKING WITH HIM, INVITING 40:08 HIM TO BE ABLE TO COME INTO A SAVING RELATIONSHIP?' 40:12 IF JESUS KNOWS THE HEART HE WOULD KNOW HE'S ALREADY TOO FAR 40:14 GONE, HE'S COMMITTED THE UNPARDONABLE SIN - HIS 40:16 CONSCIENCE IS SO SEARED AND HE'S SO SOLD IN THE RICHES OF THIS 40:20 WORLD THAT THERE'S NO HOPE FOR HIM. 40:22 BUT JESUS SAW THAT THERE WAS HOPE - THERE WAS STILL ROOM FOR 40:25 A CHOICE. IN FACT, THE FOLLOWING VERSES 40:28 EXPLAIN THAT FOR US AND ANSWERED MY QUESTION. 40:31 HAVE YOU EVER FOUND THAT SO OFTEN WHEN YOU'RE GOING ALONG IN 40:33 THE BIBLE AND THEN YOU HAVE A COUPLE OF BIG QUESTION MARKS 40:36 THAT COME UP, YOU KNOW, AND YOU'RE THINKING 'WHAT DOES THAT 40:38 MEAN? WHAT'S ALL THAT ABOUT?' 40:40 YOU KNOW, AND THEN YOU'RE SAYING 'I WONDER IF THERE'S A BIBLE 40:42 ANSWER.' 90 PERCENT OF THE TIME I FIND THAT IF I JUST READ THE 40:46 NEXT ONE, TWO, THREE OR FOUR OR FIVE VERSES, THAT THE ANSWER IS 40:52 RIGHT THERE IN THE BIBLE AND THE BIBLE WILL ANSWER OUR QUESTIONS 40:55 FOR US. IN VERSE 23 IT SAYS, "THEN JESUS 40:59 SAID TO HIS DISCIPLES, 'ASSUREDLY I SAY TO YOU THAT IT 41:02 IS HARD FOR A RICH MAN TO ENTER THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. 41:06 AND AGAIN I SAY TO YOU IT IS EASIER FOR A CAMEL TO GO THROUGH 41:08 THE EYE OF A NEEDLE FOR - THAN FOR A RICH MAN TO ENTER THE 41:11 KINGDOM OF GOD.'" AND, OF COURSE, THAT VERSE IN THAT 41:14 STATEMENT HAS OPENED UP VARIOUS INTERPRETATION. 41:17 AS PASTOR DOUG SHARED IT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S THIS - YOU KNOW, 41:20 THEY CALLED THE EYE OF THE NEEDLE PERHAPS WHERE THE SHEEP 41:25 WERE KIND OF FUNNELED ONE BY ONE INTO THE PEN AS THE 41:28 SHEPHERDS WERE COUNTING THEIR SHEEP, AND PERHAPS THAT IS - 41:31 THAT A CAMEL CAN GO THROUGH IT BUT HAS TO GO ON ITS KNEES. 41:34 AND THAT'S VERY WELL POSSIBLE. THE OTHER POSSIBILITY IS THAT 41:39 THIS WAS A HYPERBOLE AGAIN. JUST LIKE WHEN HE SAID, YOU 41:43 KNOW, IF YOUR RIGHT HAND IS SINNING, YOU KNOW, CHOP IT OFF. 41:46 PERHAPS JESUS IS SAYING HERE, 'LISTEN, YOU KNOW, IT'S NEXT TO 41:51 IMPOSSIBLE FOR A RICH MAN TO ENTER INTO THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN 41:55 EVEN AS IT LITERALLY - WELL, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN TRY ALL DAY BUT 41:58 YOU'LL NEVER GET A CAMEL THROUGH THE EYE OF A - OF A SEWING 42:01 NEEDLE, WILL YOU? "WHEN HIS DISCIPLES HEARD IT 42:04 THEY WERE GREATLY ASTONISHED AND THEN SAID, 'WELL, WHO 42:06 CAN BE SAVED THEN?'" AND THEN JESUS GIVES THAT 42:10 VERY IMPORTANT HOPEFUL ANSWER. HE LOOKED AT THEM AND SAID, 42:13 "WITH MEN THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE BUT WITH GOD" - 42:16 >>ALL. >>"ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE." 42:19 SO WAS THERE A POSSIBILITY WITH THE RICH YOUNG RULER? 42:22 >>YES. >>SURE THERE WAS. 42:23 THAT'S WHY JESUS HAD LABORED SO PASSIONATELY FOR THIS YOUNG MAN, 42:28 BECAUSE HE KNEW THAT THERE WAS STILL HOPE. 42:30 HE KNEW THAT IF HE HAD JUST OPENED THE DOOR TO HIS HEART AND 42:33 ALLOWED JESUS IN, THAT JESUS WOULD HAVE GIVEN THEM THE 42:37 COURAGE AND THE TRUST TO BE ABLE TO KNOW THAT, 'HEY, AS MUCH AS 42:40 YOU ARE ENJOYING AND LEANING UPON THESE RICHES IN YOUR LIFE, 42:43 IF YOU JUST CUT IT OUT OF YOUR LIFE AND GET RID OF IT ALL, AND 42:47 REPLACE IT WITH ME, YOU'RE GOING TO BE MUCH BETTER OFF.' AND IT'S 42:51 POSSIBLE FOR YOU TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT. 42:53 THAT WAS THE BEST PRESCRIPTION FOR THIS PARTICULAR YOUNG MAN. 43:00 AND SO IT'S POSSIBLE. SO THAT'S THE GOOD NEWS. 43:04 JESUS CAN ACHIEVE THE IMPOSSIBLE. 43:09 NOW, COMING BACK TO THE MAN WALKING AWAY SAD, HE WASN'T SAD 43:13 BECAUSE HE WAS LOSING HIS POSSESSIONS. WAS HE? OKAY. 43:17 IN FACT THE CHOICE THAT HE MADE THAT DAY DETERMINED THAT HE 43:19 WOULD KEEP HIS POSSESSIONS SO WE KNOW HE'S NOT SAD BECAUSE HE WAS 43:22 LOSING ALL OF HIS POSSESSIONS AND HIS WEALTH. NO. 43:26 BUT MOST LIKELY THE REASON THAT HE WAS SAD AND HE WALKED AWAY 43:30 SORROWFUL, WAS BECAUSE JESUS CONFIRMED SOMETHING THAT HE 43:34 PROBABLY KIND OF KNEW IN THE BOTTOM OF HIS HEART - IN HIS 43:37 HEART OF HEARTS - THAT IF HE CONTINUES TO PUT HIS AFFECTIONS 43:41 AND CONTINUES DOWN THE ROAD OF BUILDING HIS PERSONAL KINGDOM 43:45 HERE ON EARTH, HE'S GOING TO LOSE OUT IN THE KINGDOM OF 43:47 HEAVEN. HE WAS SAD BECAUSE HE REALIZED 43:51 THAT YOU CAN'T SERVE GOD AND SERVE RICHES AT THE SAME TIME. 43:57 AND HE WAS HOPING SOMEHOW THAT JESUS WAS BEING ABLE TO GIVE HIM 44:00 A SOLUTION THAT WOULD ALLOW HIM TO HAVE BOTH. 44:06 NOW, BECAUSE OF THE MEETING WITH JESUS TOOK PLACE IN MATTHEW 44:10 CHAPTER 19, AND BECAUSE JESUS TALKS ABOUT GOD AND MAMMON IN 44:13 MATTHEW CHAPTER 6, WHICH IS QUITE A BIT FURTHER BEFORE JESUS 44:18 IS HAVING THIS MEETING, YOU KNOW THERE'S A REAL CHANCE THAT JESUS 44:23 ACTUALLY - WE'RE GOING TO GO TO MATTHEW 6 IF YOU WANT TO GET 44:25 AHEAD AND MOVE THERE - MATTHEW 6:24 - THERE'S A GOOD CHANCE 44:30 THAT THIS PARTICULAR RICH YOUNG RULER JUST HAPPENED TO BE IN 44:33 THAT CROWD. PERHAPS GOD HAD PROVIDENTIALLY 44:36 MADE SURE THAT HE WAS IN THE AREA WHEN JESUS WAS NEAR THE SEA 44:40 OF GALILEE WHERE THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT - AND OF COURSE THE 44:43 MOUNT WHEN YOU GET TO ISRAEL, REALLY IS NOT A MOUNTAIN IN 44:45 REGARDS TO WHAT WE THINK OF HERE IN AMERICA AND SO ON BUT - BUT 44:48 A MOUNT - MOUNTAIN BACK THEN IS WHAT WE CALL HILL, BY THE WAY. 44:52 BUT A MOUNTAIN - THE MOUNT THAT HE WAS ON WAS ACTUALLY JUST 44:57 WHERE THE PLANE OF JEZREEL OF - IN GALILEE KIND OF DROPPED DOWN 45:03 SEVERAL HUNDRED FEET TO THE SEA OF GALILEE - TO THE SHORE OF 45:05 GALILEE. AND SO, WHEN HE WAS ON THE TOP 45:09 OF THE MOUNT, OF COURSE, THEN IT WAS KIND OF LIKE AN AMPHITHEATER 45:11 BUT, IN REVERSE, WE FIND THAT ALL THE AUDIENCE WAS 45:14 KIND OF DOWN THE HILL. SO THEY ALL HAD A VIEW AS THEY 45:18 LOOKED UP AT THE - AT THE MESSIAH, JESUS. 45:24 AND, SO THIS YOUNG MAN MAY HAVE HEARD THAT COUNSEL AND HAD THIS 45:27 SEED GERMINATING IN HIS MIND, FOR THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS OR 45:30 EVEN A COUPLE OF YEARS, SINCE HE HEARD THAT SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 45:33 AND THAT'S WHY HE WAS UNDER SUCH DEEP CONVICTION. 45:38 MATTHEW 6 VERSE 24 JESUS SAYS, "NO ONE CAN SERVE TWO MASTERS 45:43 FOR EITHER HE WILL HATE THE ONE AND LOVE THE OTHER OR ELSE HE 45:46 WILL BE LOYAL TO THE ONE AND DESPISE THE OTHER. 45:49 YOU CANNOT SERVE GOD AND MAMMON." 45:53 YOU CANNOT SERVE GOD AND MAMMON. 45:56 AND, OF COURSE, WE'VE ALREADY DEFINED WHAT MAMMON IS. 45:59 AND SO YOU CAN ONLY SERVE GOD OR THE RICHES AND BUILD YOUR 46:02 KINGDOM HERE ON THIS EARTH. YOU CANNOT GIVE YOUR 46:04 AFFECTIONS OUT TO BOTH. THERE IS NO FENCE SITTING AND 46:07 THERE IS NO HOLDING HANDS WITH BOTH. 46:09 THERE IS ONLY ONE OR THE OTHER AND JESUS WANTED TO MAKE THAT 46:12 CRYSTAL CLEAR FOR THEM AS WELL AS FOR US, OF COURSE, AS WELL. 46:18 YOU KNOW MANY YEARS AGO I WAS CONTEMPLATING THIS PARTICULAR 46:20 TRUTH IN REGARDS TO WHERE MY HEART WAS AND WHEN MY MEMORY 46:24 GOES BACK TO THE TIME WHEN IT'S MOST LIKELY THAT GOD GAVE ME 46:28 THIS KIND OF SELF-TEST - THIS KIND OF A WAY OF KEEPING MY 46:34 HEART IN CHECK - WAS DURING MY COLLEGE YEARS WHEN I WAS 46:38 STUDYING FOR THE MINISTRY. AND WHEN I WAS AT COLLEGE, YOU 46:42 KNOW, I DIDN'T OWN A WHOLE LOT AND MY WIFE AND I WERE LIVING 46:46 ON A SHOESTRING BUDGET, BUT NEVERTHELESS, REGARDLESS OF ALL 46:50 THE MONEY THAT WE'RE POURING INTO TUITION THAT IT COST TO GO 46:52 TO A PRIVATE CHRISTIAN COLLEGE AND SO ON, YOU KNOW, GOD STILL 46:57 GAVE US ENOUGH AND PROSPERED US ENOUGH THAT WE WERE ABLE TO 47:00 STILL ACCUMULATE SOME THINGS THAT WE HAD NEVER OWNED BEFORE. 47:03 YOU KNOW, A HOME STEREO OR SOME FURNITURE AND SO ON. 47:07 SO WHEN YOU'RE JUST 20, 22, 23 YEARS OR LIKE WE WERE AT THAT 47:12 TIME, THOSE ARE BIG THINGS YOU KNOW YOU'VE NEVER OWNED THOSE 47:15 FOR THE FIRST TIME IN YOUR LIFE. SO I STARTED THINKING, YOU KNOW, 47:19 'AM I STARTING TO GET ATTACHED TO ALL THESE, YOU KNOW, THESE 47:23 POSSESSIONS THAT I'VE NEVER OWNED BEFORE?' 47:26 AND IT'S LIKE THE HOLY SPIRIT SAID, 'SHAWN, YOU KNOW, IF SOME 47:32 GOVERNMENT AUTHORITIES CAME' - YOU KNOW, IT WAS AT NIGHT WHEN I 47:34 WAS GOING THROUGH THESE EXPERIENCES - AND HE SAID, YOU 47:36 KNOW, 'SHAWN, IF SOME GOVERNMENT AUTHORITIES CAME IN AND THEY HAD 47:40 THE FIRE POWER AND THE AUTHORITY TO BE ABLE TO COME IN' - 47:47 OBVIOUSLY IN A DIFFERENT CONTEXT AND TIME THAT WE LIVE IN - AND 47:50 THEY CAME IN UNANNOUNCED, UNEXPECTED AND THEY SAID 'SHAWN, 47:55 TONIGHT YOU NEED TO MAKE A CHOICE. 47:58 EITHER RENOUNCE YOUR FAITH IN CHRIST - YOU'LL LEAVE BEHIND 48:02 YOUR COMMITMENT TO CHRIST - OR WE JUST TAKE EVERYTHING.' 48:06 EVERYTHING. 'WHAT WOULD YOUR CHOICE BE?' AND IT REALLY FORCED 48:11 ME AND HELPED ME TO DO SOME SOUL SEARCHING AND SAY 'WOULD I BE 48:15 WILLING TO LET EVERYTHING GO TONIGHT IF I HAD THAT CHOICE - 48:20 IF I WAS FORCED AND COMPELLED INTO THAT CHOICE. 48:23 AND SO, EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE I COME BACK TO THAT CHOICE AND SAY 48:28 'SHAWN, YOU KNOW, IF THAT SCENARIO WERE TO HAPPEN TODAY - 48:31 UNANNOUNCED - AT ANY TIME WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO LET IT GO?' 48:35 AND I FIND THAT VERY HELPFUL AS A KIND OF A WAY TO KEEP MY HEART 48:39 IN CHECK AND MAKE SURE THAT, EVEN THOUGH GOD HAS BLESSED ME 48:42 TO BE ABLE TO ACCUMULATE DIFFERENT ADDITIONAL POSSESSIONS 48:46 OVER THE YEARS, THAT MY HEART'S IN THE RIGHT PLACE - THAT MY 48:50 AFFECTIONS ARE NOT IN THOSE THINGS AND THAT I CAN LET THEM 48:52 GO TOMORROW IF I NEED TO. I CAME INTO THIS WORLD WITH 48:58 NOTHING AND I LEAVE THIS WORLD WITH NOTHING AND I NEED TO MAKE 49:04 SURE THAT MY HEART IS BEING SET INTO THE TREASURES OF HEAVEN. 49:11 WELL THIS WEEK'S LESSON SUGGESTS THAT THE BEST WAY TO ENSURE THAT 49:14 WE KEEP CHOOSING JESUS BEFORE MONEY AND RICHES IS FOCUS ON WHO 49:17 GOD IS AND WHAT HE HAS DONE FOR US. 49:19 NOW THAT PARTICULAR TOPIC, OF COURSE, COULD TAKE UP THE WHOLE 49:23 QUARTERLY, COULDN'T IT? WE COULD EASILY FILL A WHOLE 49:25 THREE-MONTH'S STUDY JUST ON THAT TOPIC ALONE. 49:28 WHO IS GOD AND WHAT HAS HE DONE FOR US THAT WE MIGHT MAKE GOOD 49:31 CHOICES FOR HIM INCLUDING CHOOSING HIM OVER RICHES? 49:35 BUT SUNDAY LOOKS AT JESUS AS CREATOR. 49:37 SO LET'S LOOK AT THAT QUICKLY AND SEE IF I CAN JUST LOOK AT 49:41 SOMETHING INTERESTING THERE. LET'S GO TO GENESIS 49:44 QUICKLY - CHAPTER 1. WE'RE GOING TO THE FIRST FOUR 49:47 VERSES OF THE BIBLE AND WE'LL LOOK AT THE FIRST FOUR VERSES. 49:52 GENESIS 1 VERSE 1 SAYS, "IN THE BEGINNING GOD CREATED THE 49:55 HEAVENS AND THE EARTH." NOW THAT'S NO 49:57 SMALL VERSE, IS IT? THAT'S A VERY IMPORTANT VERSE. 50:01 WE LIVE IN A DAY AND AGE WHEN IT'S MORE IMPORTANT AND NEEDFUL 50:03 THAN EVER - "THE EARTH WAS WITHOUT FORM AND VOID AND 50:05 DARKNESS WAS OVER THE FACE OF THE DEEP AND THE SPIRIT OF GOD 50:08 WAS HOVERING OVER THE FACE OF THE WATERS AND THEN GOD SAID 50:10 'LET THERE BE LIGHT AND THERE WAS - THERE WAS LIGHT." 50:14 AND THEN GOD SOMETHING - DID SOMETHING WITH THE LIGHT AND THE 50:17 DARKNESS -"GOD SAW THE LIGHT THAT IT WAS GOOD. 50:18 HE DIVIDED THE LIGHT FROM THE DARKNESS." 50:24 JESUS SAID SOMETHING INTERESTING WHEN HE WAS ON THE EARTH. 50:27 HE SAYS, 'I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD.' COME WITH ME NOW TO JOHN 50:32 CHAPTER 1 - THE GOSPEL OF JOHN. 50:35 THE GOSPEL OF JOHN CHAPTER 1 AND STARTING WITH VERSE 1. 50:42 AND LO AND BEHOLD WE FIND THAT GOD HAD INSPIRED JOHN IN A VERY 50:46 POWERFUL, VERY POETIC WAY TO BE ABLE TO REFLECT THAT WHICH WE 50:50 HAVE JUST READ IN THE FIRST VERSES OF THE BIBLE. 50:54 LO AND BEHOLD IT STARTS WITH "IN THE" - 50:56 >>BEGINNING. >>"IN THE BEGINNING." WHAT DOES 50:58 THE BIBLE START WITH? IN THE - "IN THE BEGINNING GOD CREATED 51:02 THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH" - "IN THE BEGINNING WAS THE WORD AND 51:04 THE WORD WAS WITH GOD AND THE WORD WAS GOD." HE WAS IN THE 51:08 BEGINNING WITH GOD. NOW THE WORD THERE IN MOST 51:11 TRANSLATIONS STARTS WITH A CAPITAL W AND THAT'S BECAUSE THE 51:14 TRANSLATORS KNEW THAT VERSE 14 REVEALED, IN THE SAME CHAPTER, 51:18 VERY CLEARLY THAT JOHN WAS TALKING ABOUT JESUS AND HE WAS 51:22 USING 'WORD' AS A TITLE FOR JESUS. 51:26 AND SO WE CAN SAY 'IN THE BEGINNING WAS JESUS AND JESUS 51:31 WAS WITH GOD AND JESUS WAS GOD.' THEN IN VERSE 3 HE GOES ON. 51:37 "ALL THINGS WERE MADE THROUGH HIM AND WITHOUT HIM NOTHING THAT 51:40 WAS MADE WAS MADE." AND SO HERE WE HAVE JOHN 51:44 REFLECTING AGAIN AND LIFTING UP JESUS AS THE CREATOR AND HE'S 51:48 PLUGGING JESUS INTO THE FIRST VERSES OF THE BIBLE, ISN'T HE? 51:52 AND HE'S DOING THAT ON PURPOSE IN A VERY POWERFUL WAY. 51:55 THEN A VERSE 4 HE GOES, "IN HIM WAS LIFE AND THE LIFE WAS THE 51:58 LIGHT OF MEN AND THE LIGHT SHINES IN THE DARKNESS AND THE 52:01 DARKNESS DID NOT COMPREHEND IT.' AND SO HERE WE HAVE GOD THE 52:08 CREATOR, JESUS. WE HAVE ALL THINGS MADE THROUGH 52:11 HIM - HEAVENS AND EARTH - AND WE HAVE JESUS AS THE SOURCE OF ALL 52:14 LIFE - IN HIM WAS LIFE - AND THEN WE FIND THAT JESUS COMES 52:18 AND HE SHINES AND SEPARATES THE LIGHT FROM THE FROM THE - 52:21 >>DARKNESS. >>FROM THE DARKNESS. ISN'T THAT 52:24 A POWERFUL, BEAUTIFUL PARALLEL BETWEEN THE FIRST VERSES OF THE 52:27 BIBLE AND THE FIRST VERSES OF THE GOSPEL OF JOHN? AND THEN, OF 52:31 COURSE, THE REST OF THE GOSPEL OF JOHN IS UNPACKING THOSE 52:34 VERSES BECAUSE JOHN, IN A VERY POWERFUL, POETIC WAY, INTRODUCES 52:37 JESUS THIS WAY VERY CLEARLY, FOR THE JEWISH MIND WOULD HAVE 52:40 IMMEDIATELY BROUGHT THEIR MIND BACK TO THE FIRST VERSES OF 52:42 GENESIS. AND THEN HE SAYS AND THIS IS THE EVIDENCE AND THEN HE 52:45 UNPACKS THE REST OF THE GOSPEL AND THE MAIN THRUST AND PURPOSE 52:48 OF THE GOSPEL OF JOHN - THE GODHEAD INSPIRED JOHN TO WRITE - 52:51 WAS TO BE ABLE TO DEMONSTRATE THAT JESUS WAS GOD, HIMSELF - 52:56 THE SAME JESUS THAT CREATED THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH IN THE 52:58 BEGINNING. AND SO VERY CLEARLY THE BIBLE - AND, NOT ONLY HERE, 53:02 BUT IN MANY OTHER POINTS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT AND 53:04 THE OLD TESTAMENT, REVEALED JESUS IS ONE WITH THE FATHER. 53:08 HE IS THE ONE THAT IS JUST AS RESPONSIBLE FOR CREATING THE 53:11 HEAVENS AND THE EARTH AS THE FATHER AND THE HOLY SPIRIT WERE, 53:15 AND THAT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND. 53:20 I WANT TO COME BACK TO VERSE 4 AS WE CLOSE UP TODAY IN OUR LAST 53:23 FEW MINUTES AND THAT IS THE FIRST FOUR WORDS IN VERSE 4 - 53:27 AND THE FIRST FOUR WORDS OF VERSE 4, IT SAYS, "IN HIM WAS - 53:29 >>LIFE. >>LIFE. NOW THOSE ARE NO SMALL 53:33 WORDS. THAT'S A POWERFUL, NEEDFUL 53:35 STATEMENT BECAUSE IT REVEALS TO US THAT JESUS IS THE 53:38 ULTIMATE SOURCE OF ALL LIFE. JESUS IS THE SOURCE OF LIFE, 53:43 UNBORROWED AND UNDERIVED - THE ONLY SOURCE OF LIFE. 53:50 NOW, THIS FLIES STRAIGHT INTO THE FACE OF A PRIMARY PREMISE OF 53:55 THE THEORY OF EVOLUTION WHICH IS CALLED SPONTANEOUS GENERATION. 54:00 NOW THE IRONY OF THIS PARTICULAR PREMISE IN ACCEPTING AND 54:04 BELIEVING IN OUR ORIGINS THROUGH DARWIN'S THEORY OF EVOLUTION 54:09 THAT REQUIRES YOU TO ACCEPT THE PREMISE THAT SPONTANEOUS 54:14 GENERATION IS TRUE. NOW THE IRONY OF THIS WHOLE THING IS 54:19 THAT THERE WAS A FAMOUS FRENCH SCIENTIST BY THE NAME OF 54:21 LOUIS PASTEUR. 54:23 AND LOUIS PASTEUR WAS A FRENCH SCIENTIST THAT IS FAMOUS FOR A 54:28 NUMBER OF DIFFERENT THINGS, BUT HIS MOST FAMOUS THING THAT HE 54:30 DID WAS HE WAS THE ONE THAT CAME UP WITH THE EXPERIMENTS THAT 54:34 DEBUNKED THE COMMON BELIEF AMONG SCIENTISTS IN HIS DAY THAT THERE 54:39 IS SUCH THING AS SPONTANEOUS GENERATION OF LIFE - THAT LIFE 54:42 CAN GENERATE IN A MICROSCOPIC LEVEL SPONTANEOUSLY AND 54:46 MYSTERIOUSLY ON ITS OWN WITHOUT PARENTS. 54:49 AND WE FIND HERE THAT, OF COURSE, HE DISPROVED THAT 54:54 THROUGH HIS SCIENTISTS - THROUGH HIS SCIENTIFIC EXPERIMENTS. 54:59 JUST WANT TO CLOSE WITH THE STATEMENT HE MADE. 55:01 HE SAID, NEVER WILL THE DOCTRINE OF SPONTANEOUS GENERATION 55:03 RECOVER FROM THE MORTAL BLOW OF THIS SIMPLE EXPERIMENT. 55:07 THERE IS NO KNOWN CIRCUMSTANCE IN WHICH IT CAN BE CONFIRMED 55:11 THAT MICROSCOPIC BEINGS CAME INTO THE WORLD WITHOUT GERMS AND 55:14 WITHOUT PARENTS SIMILAR TO THEMSELVES." 55:18 AND SO HERE WE STAND 150 YEARS LATER, DOZENS OF SCIENTISTS, 55:21 HUNDREDS OF EXPERIMENTS AND ATTEMPTS TO BE ABLE TO REPLICATE 55:24 SPONTANEOUS GENERATION IN A LABORATORY AND MR. PASTEUR'S 55:28 STATEMENT STILL HOLDS TRUE. >>AMEN. 55:31 >>WHY? BECAUSE THE BIBLE TELLS US, AMONG OTHER PLACES, 55:34 IN VERSE 4, "IN HIM WAS LIFE." IN HIM WAS LIFE. 55:41 WELL, I HOPE THAT HELPS OUT AND I HOPE THAT BRINGS YOU CLOSER TO 55:44 JESUS AS THE CREATOR. NOT ONLY THAT BUT ALSO AS THE 55:46 LOVING CREATOR AS WE SEE HIM IN ALL OF CREATION. 55:50 NOT ONLY SHOULD WE SEE HIM AS THE CREATOR BUT, JUST AS 55:52 IMPORTANTLY, TO SEE HIS LOVE IN ALL CREATION AND YOU CAN FIND 55:55 SOME GREAT QUOTES IN THE QUARTERLY AS WELL. 55:58 AND AGAIN I WISH WE HAD TWO HOURS BECAUSE THERE IS A GOOD 56:01 TWO HOURS' WORTH OF MATERIAL HERE. 56:02 SO DON'T ROB YOURSELF; MAKE SURE YOU GO THROUGH THE QUARTERLY 56:04 STUDY IN ITS FULLNESS, IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY. 56:07 I WANT TO JUST REMIND ALL THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN WATCHING THE 56:10 PROGRAM ALL THE WAY THROUGH, IF YOU HAVEN'T TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF 56:13 THE FREE OFFER THAT WE HAVE FOR YOU TO BE ABLE TO MAKE SURE THAT 56:16 YOU CALL IN OR GO ON LINE AND GET YOUR DIGITAL COPY. 56:19 WE WANT TO GIVE THIS TO YOU - IT'S ENTITLED, THE FLESH AND 56:21 THE SPIRIT: UNDERSTANDING ROMANS CHAPTER 7 AND YOU JUST 56:26 DIAL 1-866-788-3966 THAT'S 1-866-788-3966 AND ASK FOR OFFER 56:34 #792 AND WE'LL BE HAPPY TO SEND THAT OUT TO YOU. 56:37 AND IF YOU'RE LIVING OUTSIDE OF THE UNITED STATES OR ITS 56:40 TERRITORIES YOU CAN GO ON TO AMAZINGFACTS. ORG AND FIND A 56:43 DIGITAL COPY THERE. GOD BLESS YOU. 56:45 WE LOOK FORWARD TO STUDYING WITH YOU AGAIN NEXT WEEK. 56:48 >>GOD IS REALLY DOING THIS. >>THE LIFE THAT HE'S GIVEN ME. 56:50 >>THIS MESSAGE WAS SO POWERFUL. >>I'LL FOLLOW CHRIST 56:52 WHEREVER HE GOES. >>AMAZING FACTS. 56:56 MORE THAN 45 YEARS OF PROCLAIMING GOD'S MESSAGE AROUND 57:00 THE WORLD >>AND THEN THE LOGO POPS ACROSS 57:03 - AMAZING FACTS PRESENTS - I'VE LISTENED TO A 57:06 LOT OF DIFFERENT MINISTERS BUT HERE - THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME 57:09 THAT HE'S ACTUALLY SAYING SOMETHING THAT I HAD TO GRAB MY 57:12 BIBLE - ACTUALLY PICK IT UP AND I'VE NEVER HEARD THIS BEFORE. 57:16 LET ME LOOK THROUGH AND FIND THIS. 57:18 THEN I JUST COULDN'T GET ENOUGH. >>SO I STARTED 57:19 DOING BIBLE STUDIES. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THESE GUYS 57:23 STARTED BEING CHANGED, INCLUDING MYSELF. 57:25 >>MY QUESTION WAS 'WHY DID THAT HAPPEN TO ME, GOD?' 57:29 THE LORD WAS ABLE TO REACH OUT AND I ACTUALLY SAW HIM AS A 57:33 FATHER. >>I LOST EVERYTHING AND THAT WAS 57:36 WHEN I REALIZED THAT IT WAS GOD MISSING IN MY LIFE. 57:39 >>I WENT TO A PROPHECY SEMINAR WHICH KNOCKED ME OUT. 57:43 THIS MESSAGE WAS SO POWERFUL AND SO IRREFUTABLE. 57:47 I JUST WENT THIS IS REAL. THIS IS - THIS IS AMAZING. 57:54 >>TOGETHER WE HAVE SPREAD THE GOSPEL MUCH FARTHER THAN EVER 57:57 BEFORE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT. 58:06 (MUSIC) |
Revised 2018-01-16