Hello and welcome
to yet another edition
00:00:35.56\00:00:37.40
of the Sabbath
School Study Hour.
00:00:37.40\00:00:38.83
My name is
Pastor Shawn Brummund,
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and I'm just so happy that
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you have
decided to join us here,
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not only for those
of us who are local here
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in the Granite Bay Church
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as we come together to
study from Sabbath to Sabbath
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but, of course, always, we
will always want to welcome
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those who are watching
either live stream here today
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on Sabbath, the 7th of April
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or on various
television networks,
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it's always good
to be able to have
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each and every one
of you come and join us
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as we study where
Jesus is lifted up
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and the Word of God,
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the Holy Bible
is our key textbook.
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Today's key subject
is going to be entitled
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"Salvation and
the Time of the End".
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That is Salvation
and the Time of the End.
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That's lesson study number four,
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and that's
coming from a quarterly
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that we just began recently,
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and it's entitled
"Preparation for the End Time".
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Preparation for the End
Time, very relevant subject,
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very important
topic from prophecy
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and from the Bible
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as we continue to
study that even here today.
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Every time we come together,
we always like to give you
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a very special free
offer to continue your study
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and the Word of God
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in addition to what we
are going to be studying
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here today.
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And today's free
offer is entitled Assurance,
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Justification Made Simple.
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Again, that's "Assurance,
Justification Made Simple,
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very important topic in regards
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to the topic of
today's study as well.
00:02:01.95\00:02:05.22
Now you can get this in
a couple of different ways.
00:02:05.22\00:02:07.59
You can just simply
dial on your telephone
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1-866-788-3966,
00:02:09.79\00:02:14.50
that's 1-866-788-3966
00:02:14.50\00:02:18.80
and ask for free
offer number 727,
00:02:18.80\00:02:22.70
that's number 727.
00:02:22.70\00:02:24.81
Now if you're in North America,
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we're happy to
send that out to you,
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now if you're
not in North America
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and you still like a copy
00:02:29.08\00:02:30.51
of this
particular free gift offer,
00:02:30.51\00:02:32.38
you can find a
digital download copy of that
00:02:32.38\00:02:35.32
again on AmazingFacts.org.
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It's always good to have you,
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we're just so
excited being able to
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have our singers here together
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as they're going to be
leading us out in praise
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before we invite Pastor Doug
up for our lesson study today.
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We're going to be
singing number 189,
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"All that Thrills
My Soul is Jesus,"
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"All that Thrills
My Soul is Jesus,"
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it's such a thrilling
thing to worship Jesus
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and to sing to our
Creator and Savior, Jesus,
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let's sing together 189.
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Who can cheer
the heart like Jesus
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By His presence all divine?
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True and tender,
pure and precious
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O how blest to call Him mine
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All that
thrills my soul is Jesus
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He is more than life to me
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And the fairest of ten thousand
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In my blessed Lord I see
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Love of Christ so freely given
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Grace of God beyond degree
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Mercy higher than the heaven
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Deeper than the deepest sea
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All that
thrills my soul is Jesus
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He is more than life to me
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And the fairest of ten thousand
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In my blessed Lord I see
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Every need His hand's supplying
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Every good in Him I see
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On His strength divine relying
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He is all in all to me
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All that
thrills my soul is Jesus
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He is more than life to me
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And the fairest of ten thousand
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In my blessed Lord I see
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By the crystal flowing river
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With the ransomed I will sing
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And forever and forever
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Praise and glorify the King
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All that
thrills my soul is Jesus
00:05:31.93\00:05:36.60
He is more than life to me
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And the fairest of ten thousand
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In my blessed Lord I see
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All that
thrills my soul is Jesus
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He is more than life to me
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And the fairest of ten thousand
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In my blessed Lord I see
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Thank you for singing,
and we have a special number
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on this lovely Sabbath morning,
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we have the
Orange Veil girls' chorus
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which is going to do a
number for us at this time.
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Healing rain is coming down
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It's coming
closer to this old town
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Rich and poor, weak and strong
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It's bringing
mercy, it won't be long
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Healing rain is coming down
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It's coming nearer
to the lost and found
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Tears of joy and tears of shame
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Are washed
forever in Jesus' name
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Healing rain, it comes with fire
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So let it fall and take us high
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Healing rain, I'm not afraid
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To be washed in Heaven's rain
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To be washed
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In Heaven's rain
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Lift your heads let us return
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To the mercy
seat where time began.
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And in your
eyes, I see the pain.
00:08:21.60\00:08:27.84
Come soak this dry
heart with healing rain
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Healing rain, it comes with fire
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So let it fall and take us high
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Healing rain, I'm not afraid
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To be washed in Heaven's rain
00:08:51.83\00:08:58.73
God, as we come
together, we want to pray
00:09:04.81\00:09:06.31
that Your Holy Spirit
will be with us once again,
00:09:06.31\00:09:08.78
reclaim Him as our
teacher, even as we thank You
00:09:08.78\00:09:11.75
also for Pastor Doug in
the way that You've called him
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and the way that he
will serve again today.
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I want to pray
that You'll bless him
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and that You'll bless all
of us as we study together
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and we come closer to
the knowledge of Jesus
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and His holy
word, in Jesus' name,
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we pray these things, God, amen.
00:09:24.93\00:09:28.00
We're continuing on our study
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dealing with
Preparation for the End Times,
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today we are in
lesson number four,
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talking more specifically about
Salvation and the End time.
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It's going to
go with our message
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a little later today
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'cause we're talking
about Armageddon, part one,
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and we have a memory verse.
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And the memory
verse is from 1 John 4:10,
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that's 1 John 4:10
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if you'd like to say it with me,
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and you can read it
in your lesson here,
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it's out of the NIV version.
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You ready?
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"This is the love of
God, not that we love God
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but that He loved
us and sent His Son
00:10:02.10\00:10:05.27
as an atoning
sacrifice for our sins."
00:10:05.27\00:10:09.27
I think they chose the NIV here
00:10:09.27\00:10:11.14
because it uses the
word in the King James
00:10:11.14\00:10:13.11
"appropriation,"
00:10:13.11\00:10:14.81
and I remember when I
first read that I thought,
00:10:14.81\00:10:16.34
"What in the
world is appropriation?"
00:10:16.34\00:10:18.68
But it means in the "place of"
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as the atoning
sacrifice for our sins.
00:10:20.52\00:10:22.92
So we're going to
be talking about God
00:10:22.92\00:10:25.39
and the plan of
salvation in our study today.
00:10:25.39\00:10:28.26
And I don't always do this,
00:10:28.26\00:10:29.42
I assume that
you have your lesson
00:10:29.42\00:10:30.86
and you read your
lesson in the opening comments,
00:10:30.86\00:10:33.23
but just in case to
the some here that haven't,
00:10:33.23\00:10:36.26
I want to read
the opening comment
00:10:36.26\00:10:38.23
in the study guide.
00:10:38.23\00:10:39.47
It was really good for
our lesson number four.
00:10:39.47\00:10:43.20
"One fascinating
00:10:43.20\00:10:44.51
but critical
difference between Christianity
00:10:44.51\00:10:46.68
and non-Christian religions
is that while others emphasize
00:10:46.68\00:10:50.75
what their founders
have taught them..."
00:10:50.75\00:10:53.08
As in Buddha or Muhammad
or the Siddhartha or Krishna,
00:10:53.08\00:10:58.92
one of the others,
00:10:58.92\00:11:00.29
"They do not emphasize
00:11:00.29\00:11:01.46
what their
founders have done for them,
00:11:01.46\00:11:04.29
and that's because
whatever their founders
00:11:04.29\00:11:05.76
may have done for
them, it cannot save them.
00:11:05.76\00:11:08.10
All these leaders can do
is try to teach the people
00:11:08.10\00:11:10.57
how to save themselves."
00:11:10.57\00:11:12.23
Christianity is
very different in that,
00:11:12.23\00:11:14.17
we don't have a
founder that just said,
00:11:14.17\00:11:15.54
"Here are some teachings,
00:11:15.54\00:11:16.60
here are some good
proverbs for life."
00:11:16.60\00:11:20.08
Here, Christianity, God says,
"I'm doing something for you,
00:11:20.08\00:11:24.01
not only did I die for you,
00:11:24.01\00:11:25.51
I will give you power
on a day by day basis."
00:11:25.51\00:11:28.42
Christianity is very different
00:11:28.42\00:11:30.22
from the other
religions of the world.
00:11:30.22\00:11:33.32
Now under the first section,
00:11:33.32\00:11:34.69
we're going to be
talking about the Father,
00:11:34.69\00:11:36.09
we're going to be
talking about the Son,
00:11:36.09\00:11:37.36
we're going to be
talking about the Holy Spirit.
00:11:37.36\00:11:40.06
And this is a subject
that is often misunderstood
00:11:40.06\00:11:45.50
when we say Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit,
00:11:45.50\00:11:47.84
what do you typically think of?
00:11:47.84\00:11:50.37
We think of a doctrine or
teaching called the Trinity.
00:11:50.37\00:11:53.91
And that's been...
00:11:53.91\00:11:55.71
Have you heard... Is it just me?
00:11:55.71\00:11:57.08
Have you heard
people questioning
00:11:57.08\00:11:59.51
the Trinity doctrine lately?
00:11:59.51\00:12:02.22
Yeah, I've been running into it.
00:12:02.22\00:12:04.05
It seems like it comes in waves.
00:12:04.05\00:12:05.62
It comes in waves,
and then it's dull,
00:12:05.62\00:12:07.09
but then it fades away
00:12:07.09\00:12:08.69
as people are better instructed,
00:12:08.69\00:12:10.19
and it comes up again
00:12:10.19\00:12:11.33
and we're going
through a wave of that now.
00:12:11.33\00:12:13.40
I just completed a
book on the Trinity.
00:12:13.40\00:12:18.00
It's not quite
printed, they're just doing
00:12:18.00\00:12:19.57
the final edit on it now,
00:12:19.57\00:12:20.64
but I'm anxious to get it out
00:12:20.64\00:12:21.77
because I'm
meeting people everywhere
00:12:21.77\00:12:23.97
that
misunderstand that teaching,
00:12:23.97\00:12:26.11
they're reading too much into it
00:12:26.11\00:12:27.61
or they don't understand it
00:12:27.61\00:12:29.21
or they think that
Jesus is a creature
00:12:29.21\00:12:31.78
that He was created,
00:12:31.78\00:12:33.62
and they say, "Oh,
no, He wasn't created,
00:12:33.62\00:12:34.95
He was begat."
00:12:34.95\00:12:36.02
Well, that's the same thing.
00:12:36.02\00:12:37.35
If you go from
not being to being
00:12:37.35\00:12:40.52
and if God is the
one who initiated,
00:12:40.52\00:12:42.46
you go in from
not being to being,
00:12:42.46\00:12:44.36
you're a creature.
00:12:44.36\00:12:46.06
And so, there's no in
between, and so they say,
00:12:46.06\00:12:48.10
"Jesus had a beginning,
00:12:48.10\00:12:49.16
He's not from
everlasting and everlasting."
00:12:49.16\00:12:51.00
And it diminishes
00:12:51.00\00:12:53.94
what God does
for us for one thing,
00:12:53.94\00:12:56.44
it's almost like God
creates this creature
00:12:56.44\00:12:59.34
to be the fall guy for humanity.
00:12:59.34\00:13:02.31
It's different
from God giving Himself.
00:13:02.31\00:13:05.21
And I better be
careful not to launch off
00:13:05.21\00:13:08.32
into my thesis on
the Trinity right now,
00:13:08.32\00:13:11.15
but we're going
to be talking about
00:13:11.15\00:13:13.05
the Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit in the lesson.
00:13:13.05\00:13:14.89
And it's a very
important subject to understand.
00:13:14.89\00:13:16.76
First of all,
one of the big points
00:13:16.76\00:13:19.83
is that people think
00:13:19.83\00:13:21.43
that God, the
Father and God, the Son
00:13:21.43\00:13:23.13
are somehow different Gods.
00:13:23.13\00:13:25.50
How many of you
were here last Friday
00:13:25.50\00:13:28.27
when we had the friendly debate?
00:13:28.27\00:13:30.97
That's quite a few hands.
00:13:30.97\00:13:32.94
Did you notice one
thing that kept coming up,
00:13:32.94\00:13:34.88
and if you're not
acquainted with that, friends,
00:13:34.88\00:13:36.28
we're having a
debate about the Sabbath
00:13:36.28\00:13:38.21
and the New Covenant
00:13:38.21\00:13:39.68
and should
Christians keep the Sabbath
00:13:39.68\00:13:41.45
and the friend I
was debating against
00:13:41.45\00:13:46.15
kept trying to differentiate
00:13:46.15\00:13:47.96
between Jesus' law and God's law
00:13:47.96\00:13:51.39
as though they were
two different things,
00:13:51.39\00:13:53.40
and it's the same God.
00:13:53.40\00:13:55.23
This is a common
mistake that is made.
00:13:55.23\00:13:57.17
People think that
God of the Old Testament
00:13:57.17\00:13:59.70
is different from the
God of the New Testament,
00:13:59.70\00:14:01.97
and they say, "God, the Father,
00:14:01.97\00:14:03.37
He is stern and He is severe
but God, the Son, He's loving."
00:14:03.37\00:14:07.91
And that is a very
common misconception.
00:14:07.91\00:14:10.95
Listen to what Jesus said
about the Father and the Son
00:14:10.95\00:14:13.82
if you look in John 14:8,
00:14:13.82\00:14:16.82
and I'll read through verse 11,
00:14:16.82\00:14:19.45
"Philip said to Him,
'Lord, show us the Father,
00:14:19.45\00:14:22.26
and it suffices us.'
00:14:22.26\00:14:24.23
And Jesus said to him,
00:14:24.23\00:14:25.83
'Have I been with you so long
00:14:25.83\00:14:27.36
and you've not known Me, Philip?
00:14:27.36\00:14:29.20
He that has seen
Me, has seen the Father,
00:14:29.20\00:14:32.30
so how can you say,
'Show us the Father?'
00:14:32.30\00:14:34.77
Do you not believe
that I am in the Father
00:14:34.77\00:14:36.77
and the Father is in Me?
00:14:36.77\00:14:38.14
That the words
that I speak to you,
00:14:38.14\00:14:42.01
I do not speak
on My own authority
00:14:42.01\00:14:44.01
but the Father who
dwells in Me does the works."
00:14:44.01\00:14:46.48
The Father doing
the works through me.
00:14:46.48\00:14:48.65
"Believe Me that
I am in the Father
00:14:48.65\00:14:50.42
and the Father is in
Me or else believe Me
00:14:50.42\00:14:52.32
for the sake of
the works themselves."
00:14:52.32\00:14:55.09
Now Jesus
couldn't say it any clearer
00:14:55.09\00:14:58.19
that He and the Father are one.
00:14:58.19\00:15:01.10
Matter of fact, in
John 17, that great prayer,
00:15:01.10\00:15:03.87
"I and the Father are one."
00:15:03.87\00:15:05.53
Back to the Trinity problem,
people say, "How can God say,
00:15:05.53\00:15:09.70
'Hero of Israel, the
Lord, our God is one.'"
00:15:09.70\00:15:12.67
And then you say,
"Well, God is Father, Son,
00:15:12.67\00:15:14.71
and Holy Spirit."
00:15:14.71\00:15:16.41
Well, in Hebrew,
when you say one,
00:15:16.41\00:15:19.55
does one always
mean a numerical quantity
00:15:19.55\00:15:22.82
or does one often mean unity?
00:15:22.82\00:15:26.69
When a man leaves
his father and mother
00:15:26.69\00:15:29.52
and cleaves to his wife
and God says they become what?
00:15:29.52\00:15:32.79
One flesh, and in John 17,
00:15:32.79\00:15:35.73
when Jesus is
praying for the 12 Apostles,
00:15:35.73\00:15:37.87
he prays Jesus,
"Father, let them be one,"
00:15:37.87\00:15:40.94
it's a dozen of
them, "that we may be one."
00:15:40.94\00:15:44.84
And so when you
say there is one God,
00:15:44.84\00:15:46.88
you're talking about
the unity, and keep in mind,
00:15:46.88\00:15:49.21
all of the other countries
and nations, not all of them,
00:15:49.21\00:15:52.18
most of them were polytheistic.
00:15:52.18\00:15:54.48
And they had all these
different Gods, you know,
00:15:54.48\00:15:56.48
the Greek gods are all
warring with each other,
00:15:56.48\00:15:58.39
and they're
involved in this intrigue
00:15:58.39\00:15:59.95
and it's like
some cosmic chess game
00:15:59.95\00:16:02.06
between the Gods
and the Egyptians
00:16:02.06\00:16:03.69
and the Gods and the bushes
and the frogs and the clouds
00:16:03.69\00:16:06.16
and the sun, and
they all had their domain,
00:16:06.16\00:16:08.80
and God says,
"No, no, I am one God."
00:16:08.80\00:16:12.93
It's the person of the
Father, Son, and Spirit,
00:16:12.93\00:16:14.97
but a united God.
00:16:14.97\00:16:17.31
They're not at
odds with each other,
00:16:17.31\00:16:18.87
they're perfectly in tune.
00:16:18.87\00:16:20.24
They're perfectly in harmony.
00:16:20.24\00:16:21.78
This is what Moses meant,
00:16:21.78\00:16:23.38
because even if you
go back there in genesis,
00:16:23.38\00:16:25.28
God says, "Let us
make men in our image."
00:16:25.28\00:16:28.68
It's perfectly plural
00:16:28.68\00:16:30.59
and again, you
see that in Genesis 11
00:16:30.59\00:16:32.52
when they're at
the Tower of Babel,
00:16:32.52\00:16:34.86
the man has become
like us and so forth.
00:16:34.86\00:16:39.73
So, yeah, God,
the Father and God,
00:16:39.73\00:16:42.13
the Son, they both love us.
00:16:42.13\00:16:44.57
And that brings us
to John 16:27, it says,
00:16:44.57\00:16:48.17
"For the Father
Himself loves you
00:16:48.17\00:16:51.01
because you have loved Me
00:16:51.01\00:16:52.81
and have believed
that I have come from God."
00:16:52.81\00:16:55.34
Now I don't know about
you, but the way Christianity
00:16:55.34\00:16:57.55
was first presented to me,
00:16:57.55\00:17:00.15
not always, but
many of the pictures
00:17:00.15\00:17:02.12
that I saw coming
from pastors and sermons
00:17:02.12\00:17:04.15
and different books
was almost like God,
00:17:04.15\00:17:06.72
the Father was
sitting on a throne,
00:17:06.72\00:17:08.06
how many of you, when
you picture the father,
00:17:08.06\00:17:09.42
He is sitting down?
00:17:09.42\00:17:11.03
Come on, fess up. Okay.
00:17:11.03\00:17:13.40
He's always sitting down,
00:17:13.40\00:17:14.46
but Jesus is a
little more mobile.
00:17:14.46\00:17:16.83
And we figure that, you know,
00:17:16.83\00:17:18.20
we think of the great
white throne that God,
00:17:18.20\00:17:19.90
the Father is sitting
there, how many of you...
00:17:19.90\00:17:21.24
He's got great white grey hair?
00:17:21.24\00:17:24.21
Jesus hair, He dyes
it, it's a little later?
00:17:24.21\00:17:28.48
We get these
pictures in our mind,
00:17:28.48\00:17:29.84
some of its artists' concepts
and God's sitting there,
00:17:29.84\00:17:32.61
and He's the Judge.
00:17:32.61\00:17:34.05
He's on His great white throne,
and he's looking at the books,
00:17:34.05\00:17:36.28
He's going, "They're in trouble.
00:17:36.28\00:17:38.82
Destroy them, in
the fire for you."
00:17:38.82\00:17:40.89
And Jesus, "Oh, wait, Father,
but My bloodstain hands."
00:17:40.89\00:17:43.32
He goes, "Ah, all right,
00:17:43.32\00:17:44.79
for Your sake,
I'll let them go."
00:17:44.79\00:17:47.93
And it's almost like the Father
is anxious to be the judge
00:17:47.93\00:17:51.20
and to punish us, I had
this picture in my mind,
00:17:51.20\00:17:54.44
and Jesus is the merciful one.
00:17:54.44\00:17:56.94
A lot of people have
that kind of picture,
00:17:56.94\00:17:59.44
but Jesus, He is merciful.
00:17:59.44\00:18:02.01
He says the
Father Himself loves you.
00:18:02.01\00:18:03.71
As a matter of fact,
00:18:03.71\00:18:04.85
who is it according to John 3:16
00:18:04.85\00:18:07.25
that initiates the
Son coming to save us?
00:18:07.25\00:18:12.39
For God, obviously, the Father,
00:18:12.39\00:18:14.89
so loved the
world, He gave His Son,
00:18:14.89\00:18:17.96
God the Son, you see that?
00:18:17.96\00:18:20.00
And so this idea that the
Son is down there trying to...
00:18:20.00\00:18:25.93
Ever seen two
men get into a fight
00:18:25.93\00:18:27.74
and then some other men
00:18:27.74\00:18:28.90
come along try
and break them up,
00:18:28.90\00:18:31.01
that's like Jesus is
trying to stop the Father
00:18:31.01\00:18:33.88
from thrashing us.
00:18:33.88\00:18:35.98
And so we run
to Jesus for mercy,
00:18:35.98\00:18:37.75
and we run from the Father.
00:18:37.75\00:18:40.12
That's not a biblical picture.
00:18:40.12\00:18:41.92
They both love us.
00:18:41.92\00:18:43.05
It's the law and
punishment of the law,
00:18:43.05\00:18:45.45
They're saving us
from, it's not from Them.
00:18:45.45\00:18:48.32
They both love
us, is that clear?
00:18:48.32\00:18:50.53
All right, in a
moment, someone's going to read
00:18:50.53\00:18:52.96
Psalm 147:1,
00:18:52.96\00:18:55.53
okay, I'm going to
read a couple other verses.
00:18:55.53\00:18:58.23
Go to 1 John 4:8,
00:18:58.23\00:19:01.50
"For he who does not
love, does not know God for..."
00:19:01.50\00:19:05.74
What? That famous verse.
00:19:05.74\00:19:08.81
"God is love."
00:19:08.81\00:19:12.15
Now if I were to say to
you, "John speaks French."
00:19:12.15\00:19:18.39
Well, that just means
that John has the ability,
00:19:18.39\00:19:20.59
it's an attribute
that he can speak French,
00:19:20.59\00:19:22.59
but if I said, "John is French."
00:19:22.59\00:19:25.23
That's something
that's ingrained in his DNA.
00:19:25.23\00:19:28.13
You see what I'm saying?
00:19:28.13\00:19:29.73
We're not saying that God loves,
00:19:29.73\00:19:32.17
that would be something God does
00:19:32.17\00:19:34.54
or saying God is love,
that's something God is.
00:19:34.54\00:19:38.87
He is the essence,
He is the ultimate,
00:19:38.87\00:19:44.08
supreme
definition of what love is.
00:19:44.08\00:19:47.65
In other words, you
don't say what is love,
00:19:47.65\00:19:49.12
and wonder if God is love.
00:19:49.12\00:19:50.29
You say what is God,
and that describes love
00:19:50.29\00:19:53.09
'cause He is love
00:19:53.09\00:19:54.39
and He's the author of all love.
00:19:54.39\00:19:56.12
Now one more thought...
00:19:56.12\00:19:58.13
By the way, I forgot to
mention at the beginning,
00:19:58.13\00:20:00.83
a lot of people, matter of fact,
00:20:00.83\00:20:02.46
more people are watching,
streaming on Facebook now
00:20:02.46\00:20:05.13
or some other Internet version
00:20:05.13\00:20:06.70
than actually
sitting in the room,
00:20:06.70\00:20:08.20
and we try to
take a few questions,
00:20:08.20\00:20:09.54
don't forget,
text your questions.
00:20:09.54\00:20:12.11
And we'll try and capture a few
before the end of the program.
00:20:12.11\00:20:14.78
They put them up
on the screen for me.
00:20:14.78\00:20:16.98
I don't know if some of
you saw the live program
00:20:16.98\00:20:18.88
Karen and I did at
the home last night.
00:20:18.88\00:20:21.42
Yeah, bless your heart.
You're faithful members.
00:20:21.42\00:20:25.02
So we kind of did
the Bible study online,
00:20:25.02\00:20:29.29
and Karen was
looking at the questions,
00:20:29.29\00:20:32.36
and they were coming in
so fast and scrolling by
00:20:32.36\00:20:35.33
that as soon as one came
up, another one bumped it down,
00:20:35.33\00:20:37.50
so she had to like
do a flash memory of it
00:20:37.50\00:20:39.40
and then write
it down real quick,
00:20:39.40\00:20:41.87
and so they do
that in the studio.
00:20:41.87\00:20:43.41
So if you have a question,
00:20:43.41\00:20:44.44
we'll try and take
a few minutes for that
00:20:44.44\00:20:45.74
before the end of the study.
00:20:45.74\00:20:48.78
So God is love.
00:20:48.78\00:20:52.18
Can you love when you're
the only person in existence?
00:20:52.18\00:20:57.62
Can there be love
without another being
00:20:57.62\00:21:00.79
to express love
00:21:00.79\00:21:02.22
or demonstrate or give love to?
00:21:02.22\00:21:05.19
If you only love yourself
and you live by yourself,
00:21:05.19\00:21:07.50
is that love?
00:21:07.50\00:21:11.43
That's like self-worship.
00:21:11.43\00:21:14.34
God is all about going out,
00:21:14.34\00:21:17.37
the devil is
about loving himself.
00:21:17.37\00:21:20.28
See the
difference? God is a giver.
00:21:20.28\00:21:21.78
He's always...
00:21:21.78\00:21:22.88
Love from God is
flowing away from Him.
00:21:22.88\00:21:26.41
As soon as love
cannot flow away from you,
00:21:26.41\00:21:29.08
it ceases to be God's love.
00:21:29.08\00:21:30.85
If your love is a vacuum or
you're always sucking it in,
00:21:30.85\00:21:33.89
that's the devil's love.
00:21:33.89\00:21:35.76
The devil's love
is reverse polarity,
00:21:35.76\00:21:37.86
it's broken.
00:21:37.86\00:21:39.39
It's all about me, I, take.
00:21:39.39\00:21:41.93
God's love is about give.
00:21:41.93\00:21:43.90
So the idea that God existed
00:21:43.90\00:21:47.10
zillions of years
ago without Jesus,
00:21:47.10\00:21:49.17
God the Father,
and God the Spirit,
00:21:49.17\00:21:51.67
they say is just the force,
00:21:51.67\00:21:52.97
I'm talking about
this false teaching.
00:21:52.97\00:21:54.88
How can God be loved with
no one to express love to?
00:21:54.88\00:22:00.28
God the Father, Son,
and Spirit had always exist
00:22:00.28\00:22:03.52
as three distinct
persons through eternity
00:22:03.52\00:22:06.45
or they could not be love
00:22:06.45\00:22:08.96
because it's always
about giving away love.
00:22:08.96\00:22:12.89
You see what I'm
saying? Does that make sense?
00:22:12.89\00:22:15.43
And so God is love.
00:22:15.43\00:22:17.07
I just want to
emphasize that again.
00:22:17.07\00:22:18.87
Psalm 143:8,
00:22:18.87\00:22:21.84
"Cause me to hear
Your loving kindness
00:22:21.84\00:22:23.84
in the morning,
for in You, I trust,
00:22:23.84\00:22:26.07
cause me to know the way
00:22:26.07\00:22:27.41
I should walk for I
lift up my soul to You."
00:22:27.41\00:22:30.48
It's not the idea of
God being a God of love
00:22:30.48\00:22:32.35
in the Old Testament.
00:22:32.35\00:22:33.42
It's consistent, it's true.
00:22:33.42\00:22:35.55
Read for me, please, Psalm 147.
00:22:35.55\00:22:38.19
Psalm 147:11,
00:22:38.19\00:22:41.12
"The Lord takes
pleasure in those who fear Him,
00:22:41.12\00:22:44.49
in those who hope in His mercy."
00:22:44.49\00:22:47.73
All right, now
maybe I should stop here.
00:22:47.73\00:22:49.90
Sometimes people say
that God in the Old Testament
00:22:49.90\00:22:51.80
is a God of wrath.
00:22:51.80\00:22:52.87
I mean after all you've got war,
00:22:52.87\00:22:54.60
and you've got plagues,
00:22:54.60\00:22:56.54
you've got judgment
in the Old Testament,
00:22:56.54\00:22:59.74
and in the New
Testament, Jesus is mercy
00:22:59.74\00:23:02.04
and love and grace
00:23:02.04\00:23:04.01
as though they're
two different Gods,
00:23:04.01\00:23:05.25
is that true?
00:23:05.25\00:23:07.25
Or are they both loving Gods?
00:23:07.25\00:23:12.02
Do you find judgment
in the Old Testament?
00:23:12.02\00:23:16.99
Do you find judgment
in the New Testament?
00:23:16.99\00:23:19.56
Do you find love
in the Old Testament?
00:23:19.56\00:23:22.43
Do you find love
in the New Testament?
00:23:22.43\00:23:24.67
Do you find plagues
in the Old Testament?
00:23:24.67\00:23:27.07
Do you find plagues
in the New Testament?
00:23:27.07\00:23:30.34
Is there war in
the Old Testament?
00:23:30.34\00:23:33.07
Is there war in
the New Testament?
00:23:33.07\00:23:35.71
There is in both
places. There is war.
00:23:35.71\00:23:38.21
You got the
Battle of Armageddon.
00:23:38.21\00:23:39.88
New Testament,
00:23:39.88\00:23:40.98
you got soldiers
in the New Testament.
00:23:40.98\00:23:43.08
And so this idea,
it's really a myth
00:23:43.08\00:23:45.82
that the God of
the Old Testament
00:23:45.82\00:23:47.66
is wrathful, severe, plagues,
00:23:47.66\00:23:50.86
love is in the New Testament.
00:23:50.86\00:23:53.09
In God, you find a
lot of love and mercy.
00:23:53.09\00:23:55.53
In the New Testament,
00:23:55.53\00:23:56.60
you find the
most severe judgments
00:23:56.60\00:23:58.83
in the Bible are
in the New Testament.
00:23:58.83\00:24:03.14
Look at one, it talks
about the seven last plagues
00:24:03.14\00:24:05.97
poured out without mercy.
00:24:05.97\00:24:07.14
At least, the Egyptians had
some mercy in their plagues.
00:24:07.14\00:24:09.94
Psalm 145:8,
00:24:09.94\00:24:12.28
"The Lord is gracious
and full of compassion,
00:24:12.28\00:24:15.48
slow to anger,
and great in mercy."
00:24:15.48\00:24:18.95
And I see that we got a question
00:24:18.95\00:24:20.96
popped up on the screen.
00:24:20.96\00:24:22.79
"Is the 144,000 a
literal number of believers?"
00:24:22.79\00:24:26.46
You're talking about
salvation in the last days.
00:24:26.46\00:24:29.83
Boy, I'm real tempted to...
00:24:29.83\00:24:32.03
I'm talking a
little bit about that
00:24:32.03\00:24:34.14
in our sermon later today,
00:24:34.14\00:24:35.57
but I think I can say something.
00:24:35.57\00:24:38.97
Yes and no.
00:24:38.97\00:24:41.48
When you give a
yes and no answer,
00:24:41.48\00:24:42.71
it means you're qualified
to run for public office.
00:24:42.71\00:24:48.32
The numbers in the Bible
all have a literal value.
00:24:48.32\00:24:52.52
When the Bible says
there are 12 kinds of fruit,
00:24:52.52\00:24:54.69
12 times a year
on the tree of life,
00:24:54.69\00:24:56.26
are there really
12 kinds of fruit?
00:24:56.26\00:24:58.29
When it says, there are
12 gates around the city,
00:24:58.29\00:25:00.06
are there really 12 gates?
00:25:00.06\00:25:02.26
When it talks about 42 months,
00:25:02.26\00:25:04.13
is that just a
spiritual nebulous number
00:25:04.13\00:25:06.20
or is it a literal number
00:25:06.20\00:25:08.07
that needs a
prophetic application?
00:25:08.07\00:25:10.94
The numbers in Revelation
have literal value in some way.
00:25:10.94\00:25:15.14
But it also has a
spiritual message, in that,
00:25:15.14\00:25:18.95
12 is a number for God's people,
00:25:18.95\00:25:22.28
in the leadership in particular,
00:25:22.28\00:25:24.35
12 apostles in
the Old Testament...
00:25:24.35\00:25:26.49
Sorry, New Testament, 12
tribes in the Old Testament,
00:25:26.49\00:25:29.99
there are 12 patriarchs,
12 princes of Israel,
00:25:29.99\00:25:32.79
12 judges.
00:25:32.79\00:25:34.46
Most people count 12 judges
including Samuel in the Bible.
00:25:34.46\00:25:38.83
And so it
represents God's leadership.
00:25:38.83\00:25:41.97
In the last days,
00:25:41.97\00:25:43.30
God is going to
have special leaders,
00:25:43.30\00:25:45.54
144,000, that
will do a special work.
00:25:45.54\00:25:48.14
Let me just tell
you in a nutshell.
00:25:48.14\00:25:50.18
Christ came the first time,
00:25:50.18\00:25:52.41
He filled with
His spirit and trained
00:25:52.41\00:25:54.28
12 that followed the
lamb wherever he went,
00:25:54.28\00:25:56.58
that's what it
says in Revelation
00:25:56.58\00:25:57.85
about the 144,000.
00:25:57.85\00:26:00.16
He used them
during His First Coming
00:26:00.16\00:26:01.96
to prepare people and Israel
00:26:01.96\00:26:03.89
to accept Him on
the day of Pentecost,
00:26:03.89\00:26:05.96
Judas had killed himself,
they only had 11 apostles.
00:26:05.96\00:26:09.20
They replaced Judas,
they got the number 12,
00:26:09.20\00:26:12.40
the Holy Spirit
falls in the next verse
00:26:12.40\00:26:15.44
on not just the 12
00:26:15.44\00:26:17.01
but 120 in the upper rooms.
00:26:17.01\00:26:19.07
So it's not just the
144,000 that are spirit-filled
00:26:19.07\00:26:22.51
and doing a special
work in the last days.
00:26:22.51\00:26:25.08
They represent
kind of leadership.
00:26:25.08\00:26:27.18
There'll be many more
beyond that that are saved.
00:26:27.18\00:26:30.09
I see another question.
00:26:30.09\00:26:31.72
"Do you believe in a
pre-tribulation rapture?"
00:26:31.72\00:26:36.32
I believe that
there will be a rapture,
00:26:36.32\00:26:38.26
and I believe that there'll
be a great time of trouble,
00:26:38.26\00:26:40.66
but the time of trouble
comes before the Second Coming.
00:26:40.66\00:26:44.27
Bible says at
that time, Daniel 12,
00:26:44.27\00:26:48.20
"Michael will stand up,
00:26:48.20\00:26:49.74
there'll be a time of trouble
such as there never has been
00:26:49.74\00:26:52.21
since the resonation,
even under the same time,
00:26:52.21\00:26:54.68
and at that time thy
people will be delivered."
00:26:54.68\00:26:56.88
Jesus said in Matthew 24,
00:26:56.88\00:26:58.38
"He that endures to
the end will be saved."
00:26:58.38\00:27:01.98
Their salvation,
00:27:01.98\00:27:03.25
being caught up
comes at the end,
00:27:03.25\00:27:04.95
and something to be endured.
00:27:04.95\00:27:06.86
So let me give you
another example of that.
00:27:06.86\00:27:10.86
You have the seven last
plagues of great tribulation,
00:27:10.86\00:27:17.63
it is the great
tribulation, seven last plagues.
00:27:17.63\00:27:19.73
They overlap.
00:27:19.73\00:27:21.40
Were God's people in
Egypt when the ten plagues fell?
00:27:21.40\00:27:25.24
They were.
00:27:25.24\00:27:26.27
Did God preserve
them through the plagues?
00:27:26.27\00:27:28.84
Yes.
00:27:28.84\00:27:31.15
He doesn't save
them from the plagues,
00:27:31.15\00:27:32.68
He saves them through.
00:27:32.68\00:27:34.62
Paul says, "It is
through much tribulation
00:27:34.62\00:27:37.19
that we enter
the Kingdom of God."
00:27:37.19\00:27:38.59
Not from.
00:27:38.59\00:27:40.16
It's a very popular
00:27:40.16\00:27:41.22
and it's a very
attractive belief to say,
00:27:41.22\00:27:43.53
"Oh, we're saved.
00:27:43.53\00:27:44.79
He loves us too
much to let us go through
00:27:44.79\00:27:46.80
trials and tribulations."
00:27:46.80\00:27:48.33
Friend, this is not biblical.
00:27:48.33\00:27:50.33
God typically saves
His people through trials.
00:27:50.33\00:27:53.44
He didn't save
Joseph from His trials.
00:27:53.44\00:27:56.14
He saved him through his trials,
00:27:56.14\00:27:57.57
Job is saved through His trials,
00:27:57.57\00:27:59.21
Noah is saved through the storm,
00:27:59.21\00:28:01.41
Daniel through the lion's den,
00:28:01.41\00:28:03.31
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
00:28:03.31\00:28:04.61
are saved through
the fiery furnace.
00:28:04.61\00:28:06.11
He saves them.
00:28:06.11\00:28:07.18
Doesn't He
deliver them through it?
00:28:07.18\00:28:08.85
But they're in it.
00:28:08.85\00:28:09.92
So this doctrine, the
secret rapture doctrine
00:28:09.92\00:28:12.19
that the rapture takes
place before the time of trouble
00:28:12.19\00:28:14.82
is comparatively a new teaching.
00:28:14.82\00:28:17.16
The church for
1,900 years believed
00:28:17.16\00:28:19.93
that at the culmination
of the time of trouble,
00:28:19.93\00:28:22.60
the Lord would come
to deliver His people.
00:28:22.60\00:28:24.87
That's 1 Thessalonians 4.
00:28:24.87\00:28:27.64
All right, let me do
another lit bit of lesson,
00:28:27.64\00:28:29.17
I'll get back. I see some
more questions are coming in.
00:28:29.17\00:28:32.07
All right, talking
still about the Father,
00:28:32.07\00:28:34.28
we need to get to the Son.
00:28:34.28\00:28:36.28
Let met just give
you a couple more things
00:28:36.28\00:28:37.68
about the love of the Father.
00:28:37.68\00:28:39.45
Jeremiah 29:11,
I love this verse,
00:28:39.45\00:28:42.32
"For I know the
thoughts I think towards you,"
00:28:42.32\00:28:44.15
says the Lord,
thoughts of peace, not of evil,
00:28:44.15\00:28:46.42
to give you a
future and a hope."
00:28:46.42\00:28:48.82
God is a loving
God, a merciful God.
00:28:48.82\00:28:51.49
Zephaniah 3:17,
00:28:51.49\00:28:53.90
"The Lord, your
God, is in your midst,
00:28:53.90\00:28:56.16
the Mighty One will save,
00:28:56.16\00:28:57.60
He will rejoice
over you with gladness,
00:28:57.60\00:29:00.30
He will quiet you with His love,
00:29:00.30\00:29:01.97
He will rejoice
over you with singing."
00:29:01.97\00:29:05.24
I mean, can you
imagine God singing over us?
00:29:05.24\00:29:08.21
And so here's a God
that creates, He loves,
00:29:08.21\00:29:11.15
He makes all things
good, He has mercy, He sings,
00:29:11.15\00:29:13.65
He's long
suffering, full of compassion,
00:29:13.65\00:29:16.89
you read the
descriptions of God the Father
00:29:16.89\00:29:19.32
in the Old Testament.
00:29:19.32\00:29:21.26
Of course, it often
describes God the Son too.
00:29:21.26\00:29:23.76
All right, now let's talk
about Jesus, the love of Christ.
00:29:23.76\00:29:28.83
John 1:1-5,
00:29:28.83\00:29:31.93
"In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God..."
00:29:31.93\00:29:34.87
There is that oneness
again with the Father.
00:29:34.87\00:29:36.84
"And the Word was God."
00:29:36.84\00:29:39.01
It says He was with the
Father and yet He is God.
00:29:39.01\00:29:41.94
"He was in the
beginning with God.
00:29:41.94\00:29:44.08
All things were
made through Him,
00:29:44.08\00:29:46.41
without Him was not
anything made that was made."
00:29:46.41\00:29:49.45
Now back to my
question about the Trinity,
00:29:49.45\00:29:52.25
if all things that
were made were made by Him,
00:29:52.25\00:29:56.49
then how could He
have made Himself?
00:29:56.49\00:29:59.49
That's like which came first,
the chicken or the egg, right?
00:29:59.49\00:30:03.00
To say, "Well,
all things were made
00:30:03.00\00:30:04.50
except the God the
Father made the sun,"
00:30:04.50\00:30:07.24
that verse doesn't work anymore,
00:30:07.24\00:30:08.40
it says all things
00:30:08.40\00:30:09.57
that were made were made by Him.
00:30:09.57\00:30:10.87
Without Him was
anything made that was made.
00:30:10.87\00:30:14.58
He is not the
creature, He is the Creator.
00:30:14.58\00:30:17.58
Amen? Amen.
00:30:17.58\00:30:19.01
And that's
speaking of God the Son.
00:30:19.01\00:30:20.95
That's right, when we had
our little debate last week
00:30:20.95\00:30:25.09
and they tried to make it sound
like Jesus' law is different
00:30:25.09\00:30:27.76
from the Ten Commandments.
00:30:27.76\00:30:28.82
Ten Commandments
came from the Father
00:30:28.82\00:30:30.43
but Jesus gave us a new law.
00:30:30.43\00:30:32.16
I said, "No, Jesus gave
us the Ten Commandments."
00:30:32.16\00:30:34.20
Right?
00:30:34.20\00:30:35.43
All things that were
made were made by Him.
00:30:35.43\00:30:37.80
So this is not in conflict.
00:30:37.80\00:30:40.37
Hebrews 13:8,
00:30:40.37\00:30:43.10
"Jesus Christ is
the same yesterday,
00:30:43.10\00:30:45.84
today, and forever."
00:30:45.84\00:30:47.84
Now we know that
Jesus is the same
00:30:47.84\00:30:49.91
but what does it say
about God the Father?
00:30:49.91\00:30:52.31
Malachi 3:6, "I am
the Lord," He says Yahweh.
00:30:52.31\00:30:56.95
"I do not change.
00:30:56.95\00:30:58.39
Therefore you're not
consumed oh, sons of Jacob."
00:30:58.39\00:31:01.39
God doesn't change,
Jesus doesn't change.
00:31:01.39\00:31:03.39
You know, when you study
with the Jehovah Witnesses...
00:31:03.39\00:31:08.20
Someone...
00:31:08.20\00:31:09.66
Karen had a question
about that last night.
00:31:09.66\00:31:13.00
They don't
believe Jesus is Jehovah,
00:31:13.00\00:31:15.04
they believe
Jesus is a lesser God,
00:31:15.04\00:31:16.74
a created God.
00:31:16.74\00:31:18.94
Oh, you know, the Bible
says you technically are God.
00:31:18.94\00:31:21.41
Jesus even says that,
"Know ye not that your Gods",
00:31:21.41\00:31:23.78
meaning God made us
kind of Gods of the world
00:31:23.78\00:31:26.31
compared to the
animals and we're not divine.
00:31:26.31\00:31:29.35
But they make Jesus how
to sort of be a created God,
00:31:29.35\00:31:32.29
it doesn't make them
very different from humans
00:31:32.29\00:31:34.82
by biblical definition.
00:31:34.82\00:31:37.13
But when you start looking
at the definitions of Jehovah
00:31:37.13\00:31:40.46
in the Old
Testament, they all fit Jesus.
00:31:40.46\00:31:44.53
The Bible says in the beginning,
00:31:44.53\00:31:45.90
"Jehovah created the
heavens and the earth."
00:31:45.90\00:31:48.90
Well, who created the
heavens and the earth?
00:31:48.90\00:31:50.77
Jesus.
00:31:50.77\00:31:51.97
The Bible says that,
00:31:51.97\00:31:53.21
"No one can
forgive sin but Jehovah."
00:31:53.21\00:31:55.61
But the Bible says
Jesus can forgive sin.
00:31:55.61\00:31:57.31
The Bible says, "There
is no savior but Jehovah."
00:31:57.31\00:31:59.75
Bible says, "Jesus is savior."
00:31:59.75\00:32:01.38
Bible says, "Only Jehovah knows
the thoughts of men's hearts."
00:32:01.38\00:32:04.15
Bible says, "Jesus knew
what was in their hearts."
00:32:04.15\00:32:06.05
You go through all the...
00:32:06.05\00:32:07.66
"Thou shall not
worship anyone but Jehovah."
00:32:07.66\00:32:09.99
Jesus rose and
He said, "All hail."
00:32:09.99\00:32:12.06
Hebrews says, "Even
the angels worship Him."
00:32:12.06\00:32:14.83
Look at all the
definitions of Jehovah,
00:32:14.83\00:32:16.70
you're going to find
Jesus fulfills those.
00:32:16.70\00:32:18.73
Amen.
00:32:18.73\00:32:19.97
And so, you know,
I've had that study
00:32:19.97\00:32:21.67
with Jehovah Witnesses before
00:32:21.67\00:32:23.07
and it kind of leaves
them a little bit anxious
00:32:23.07\00:32:26.24
because Jesus is Jehovah
and the Father's Jehovah.
00:32:26.24\00:32:30.78
It's a term for
both of them really.
00:32:30.78\00:32:33.25
Okay, we're talking here
still about the love of Christ.
00:32:33.25\00:32:37.75
Philippians 2:5-8,
00:32:37.75\00:32:41.36
it explains why Jesus
appears lower than the Father
00:32:41.36\00:32:44.79
'cause He humbled
himself when He became a man.
00:32:44.79\00:32:47.20
Philippians 2:5,
"Let this mind be in you
00:32:47.20\00:32:50.50
which was also in Christ Jesus."
00:32:50.50\00:32:52.30
We have to allow
it to humble ourselves
00:32:52.30\00:32:53.87
and allow the mind
of Christ to be on us,
00:32:53.87\00:32:56.87
"Who being in the form of God
00:32:56.87\00:32:59.11
did not consider it
robbery to be equal with God."
00:32:59.11\00:33:02.14
He said "It wasn't
being unfair to say
00:33:02.14\00:33:04.65
I have equality with God.
00:33:04.65\00:33:06.35
But He made
Himself of no reputation
00:33:06.35\00:33:09.55
taking the form
of a bond servant
00:33:09.55\00:33:11.55
and coming in
the lightness of men
00:33:11.55\00:33:14.19
and being found in
appearance as a man,
00:33:14.19\00:33:16.62
He humbled
Himself became obedient.
00:33:16.62\00:33:18.76
They are in the
God, not my will,
00:33:18.76\00:33:20.13
Thy will be done
obedient to the point of death
00:33:20.13\00:33:23.23
even the death of the cross."
00:33:23.23\00:33:25.17
So He chose to humble himself.
00:33:25.17\00:33:28.27
You know, there's a great quote
00:33:28.27\00:33:29.37
in the book
Desire of Ages page 22,
00:33:29.37\00:33:32.64
"The earth was dark
through misapprehension of God
00:33:32.64\00:33:36.34
that the gloomy
shadows might be lightened,
00:33:36.34\00:33:38.65
that the world might
be brought back to God,
00:33:38.65\00:33:40.65
Satan's deceptive
power was to be broken."
00:33:40.65\00:33:43.45
When God finally
came into the world
00:33:43.45\00:33:45.55
as a man in the time of Christ
00:33:45.55\00:33:47.79
is because there
was great darkness.
00:33:47.79\00:33:49.59
It's like Isaiah said,
"Darkness fills the land,
00:33:49.59\00:33:51.79
gross darkness covers the
land and covers the people.
00:33:51.79\00:33:56.00
But I'm sending light, My
light will arise upon you."
00:33:56.00\00:33:58.60
When Jesus came,
00:33:58.60\00:34:00.50
He brought light to
an age of great darkness.
00:34:00.50\00:34:03.14
Now when He comes again,
00:34:03.14\00:34:04.97
will there also be a time
of great darkness in the world?
00:34:04.97\00:34:08.54
Yeah, there is.
00:34:08.54\00:34:10.21
And so Christ came to
show the light of God,
00:34:10.21\00:34:12.75
to show us what
the Father is like.
00:34:12.75\00:34:14.58
I've got another
question on the screen here,
00:34:14.58\00:34:17.59
"Where in the Bible does it say
a woman represents a church?"
00:34:17.59\00:34:21.69
Well, there are several places.
00:34:21.69\00:34:23.09
Ephesians says,
"Husbands, love your wives
00:34:23.09\00:34:25.06
even as Christ loved the church
and gave Himself for her."
00:34:25.06\00:34:28.43
Jeremiah tells us,
00:34:28.43\00:34:29.63
"I have likened
the daughter of to Zion
00:34:29.63\00:34:31.37
to a delicate
and a comely woman."
00:34:31.37\00:34:33.64
And you can look at the
depiction of God's bride
00:34:33.64\00:34:35.90
in Revelation chapter 12,
00:34:35.90\00:34:37.87
"And she is likened unto a woman
00:34:37.87\00:34:40.44
clothed with the
sun, moon, and stars."
00:34:40.44\00:34:42.04
Light, God said to the church,
00:34:42.04\00:34:43.78
"You're the light of the world."
00:34:43.78\00:34:45.35
Hosea said, "The
church is like a bride
00:34:45.35\00:34:47.85
except she was an
unfaithful bride,"
00:34:47.85\00:34:50.89
a harlot that ran from the Lord.
00:34:50.89\00:34:53.52
So there's many, many
analogies in the Bible
00:34:53.52\00:34:56.02
to a woman being an
analogy of a church,
00:34:56.02\00:35:01.33
faithful or unfaithful.
00:35:01.33\00:35:02.83
Revelation 17, you've
got an unfaithful church.
00:35:02.83\00:35:05.60
Okay, a little more about Jesus
00:35:05.60\00:35:07.00
'cause we still got to
get to the Holy Spirit here.
00:35:07.00\00:35:10.94
If you look in
Romans chapter 3:23,
00:35:10.94\00:35:13.78
"For we have all sinned
00:35:13.78\00:35:15.74
and fallen short
of the glory of God."
00:35:15.74\00:35:17.28
God made us in His
image, but we fell from that,
00:35:17.28\00:35:20.08
it's like the fall of Adam.
00:35:20.08\00:35:22.08
And Jesus came to
restore us to reveal the Father.
00:35:22.08\00:35:25.82
Now someone's going to read
for me in a moment Romans 5:5.
00:35:25.82\00:35:29.36
And before we get there
I'm going to read Hebrews 1:3,
00:35:29.36\00:35:32.79
"Who being the
brightness of His glory,
00:35:32.79\00:35:35.30
and the express
image of His persons,
00:35:35.30\00:35:38.00
and upholding all things
by the word of His power."
00:35:38.00\00:35:40.60
All things are upheld
by the power of Christ,
00:35:40.60\00:35:42.54
He is the express
image of the person of God.
00:35:42.54\00:35:46.44
"When He by
Himself purged our sins,
00:35:46.44\00:35:48.51
He sat down at the right
hand of majesty on high."
00:35:48.51\00:35:52.58
Here He's enthroned
with God the Father.
00:35:52.58\00:35:56.12
So you look at some of
the descriptions of Christ,
00:35:56.12\00:35:58.49
you see His love.
00:35:58.49\00:35:59.89
For instance, Luke 2:16,
"He is a babe in a manger."
00:35:59.89\00:36:04.63
And it says, "He is
before all things and in Him,
00:36:04.63\00:36:07.03
all things consist."
00:36:07.03\00:36:08.76
Colossians 1:17, it says,
00:36:08.76\00:36:11.40
"He is the same human child
00:36:11.40\00:36:13.17
that increased in
wisdom and stature."
00:36:13.17\00:36:15.34
The incarnations of mystery,
how do you have Jesus learning?
00:36:15.34\00:36:18.94
If God knows everything,
then how can He learn anything?
00:36:18.94\00:36:21.68
Well, He laid
aside His knowledge
00:36:21.68\00:36:23.24
when He became a human.
00:36:23.24\00:36:25.28
Everything that Jesus said
supernaturally in His ministry
00:36:25.28\00:36:29.05
came through the revelation
of the spirit of the Father.
00:36:29.05\00:36:32.42
He took on Him
the form of a man.
00:36:32.42\00:36:36.52
And you can read
in John 3, it says,
00:36:36.52\00:36:38.89
"Everything that was
made was made by Him.
00:36:38.89\00:36:42.96
And He is the same
one who was murdered
00:36:42.96\00:36:45.13
by man hanging on
a tree", Acts 5:30.
00:36:45.13\00:36:48.17
All right, let's go ahead,
now you read Romans 5:5 now.
00:36:48.17\00:36:52.31
"Now hope does not disappoint
00:36:52.31\00:36:55.04
because the love of
God has been poured out
00:36:55.04\00:36:57.91
in our hearts by the Holy Spirit
00:36:57.91\00:37:00.05
who was given to us."
00:37:00.05\00:37:01.72
All right, so we've talked
about the love of the Father
00:37:01.72\00:37:04.29
and we talked about
the love of the Son.
00:37:04.29\00:37:07.06
No one ever questions
the love of Jesus, right?
00:37:07.06\00:37:10.36
But now it's talking
about the love of the Spirit.
00:37:10.36\00:37:14.13
And so here it says,
00:37:14.13\00:37:16.10
"The love of God
was given to us."
00:37:16.10\00:37:19.17
When we think
of the Holy Spirit,
00:37:19.17\00:37:21.04
He is love, God is love,
00:37:21.04\00:37:22.57
God the Father is
love, God the son is love,
00:37:22.57\00:37:24.57
God the Spirit is love.
00:37:24.57\00:37:26.21
Look at Galatians 5:22,
00:37:26.21\00:37:28.41
"The fruit of
the Holy Spirit is,"
00:37:28.41\00:37:31.65
what?
00:37:31.65\00:37:33.75
"It's love."
00:37:33.75\00:37:35.45
I went to a church one time...
00:37:35.45\00:37:39.55
Do I have time to
tell you that story?
00:37:39.55\00:37:42.99
Pastor John Lomacang and I
00:37:42.99\00:37:44.86
were doing evangelistic meetings
00:37:44.86\00:37:46.26
in Vallejo, California.
00:37:46.26\00:37:48.53
And John and Angie
met another couple,
00:37:48.53\00:37:52.07
and they invited
them to the meeting.
00:37:52.07\00:37:53.37
They said, "We'll
come to your meetings
00:37:53.37\00:37:54.84
if you come to
our church on Sunday."
00:37:54.84\00:37:56.84
John said, "Sure, if
you'll come to the meetings."
00:37:56.84\00:37:59.21
And so they came to
our meetings, they said,
00:37:59.21\00:38:01.68
"Now you got to
come to our church."
00:38:01.68\00:38:02.94
John said, "Doug, you
want to come with me?"
00:38:02.94\00:38:04.41
I said sure.
00:38:04.41\00:38:06.11
So John, and Angie, and
myself, and I brought...
00:38:06.11\00:38:07.95
I didn't know what I was into,
so I brought our son Daniel.
00:38:07.95\00:38:12.02
And he was very
young at that time,
00:38:12.02\00:38:13.42
and it was a storefront church
00:38:13.42\00:38:15.52
and it was a charismatic church.
00:38:15.52\00:38:17.69
And I mean I've never
been to a church that...
00:38:17.69\00:38:20.46
They had such a
hootenanny going on in there.
00:38:20.46\00:38:22.93
And it was the drums,
00:38:22.93\00:38:24.03
they were literally
dancing up and down the aisles.
00:38:24.03\00:38:26.47
They weren't dancing stationary.
00:38:26.47\00:38:27.80
It was like a parade,
up and down the aisles.
00:38:27.80\00:38:29.90
And they were shouting
and we got to the door.
00:38:29.90\00:38:32.01
And we were going to turn around
00:38:32.01\00:38:33.07
but the couple that
invited John spotted us.
00:38:33.07\00:38:35.54
They said, "Oh, come on in."
00:38:35.54\00:38:36.61
And furthermore they
said, "You're pastor,
00:38:36.61\00:38:38.11
you sit on the platform."
00:38:38.11\00:38:40.75
They sat us up on the
platform, but they don't think
00:38:40.75\00:38:43.49
women should
sit on the platform.
00:38:43.49\00:38:44.75
So Angie sat with Daniel.
00:38:44.75\00:38:47.06
I'm glad she could sit with him.
00:38:47.06\00:38:48.76
And John and I
are sitting up there
00:38:48.76\00:38:50.63
and they broke out
00:38:50.63\00:38:51.69
and they started
speaking in tongues.
00:38:51.69\00:38:53.19
And they were...
00:38:53.19\00:38:55.23
And then they
saw us just sitting
00:38:55.23\00:38:56.26
and reading through our Bibles.
00:38:56.26\00:38:57.50
We are just listening, we are
just trying to be nice and...
00:38:57.50\00:38:59.90
And they noticed that we
weren't speaking in tongues.
00:38:59.90\00:39:04.24
And then they started saying,
00:39:04.24\00:39:05.31
"You think because
you've got the Bible,
00:39:05.31\00:39:06.81
you've got the Holy Spirit..."
00:39:06.81\00:39:07.91
They started to testify,
00:39:07.91\00:39:09.21
they wanted to do
their testimony service.
00:39:09.21\00:39:11.05
They started
testifying against us,
00:39:11.05\00:39:12.61
first time we had been there,
00:39:12.61\00:39:13.88
we didn't ask
to get sat upfront.
00:39:13.88\00:39:15.95
They sat upfront, they
started testifying against us.
00:39:15.95\00:39:18.35
And finally, they said,
"You don't have the Holy Spirit
00:39:18.35\00:39:21.56
'cause you don't
speak in tongues and..."
00:39:21.56\00:39:23.59
And a number of other things
00:39:23.59\00:39:25.06
and we're just
trying to sit there,
00:39:25.06\00:39:26.13
read our Bibles, we
don't know what to do,
00:39:26.13\00:39:27.56
we've never been here before.
00:39:27.56\00:39:29.60
And finally, I spoke up.
00:39:29.60\00:39:31.93
And I said, "The
Bible does not say
00:39:31.93\00:39:34.14
the fruit of the
Spirit is tongues,
00:39:34.14\00:39:35.60
the Bible says the
fruit of the spirit is love."
00:39:35.60\00:39:37.77
And the pastor
jumps in and says,
00:39:37.77\00:39:38.97
"Good, let's have a debate."
00:39:38.97\00:39:40.84
I don't go looking for
debates, sometimes they find me.
00:39:40.84\00:39:45.98
And so we, John and I,
00:39:45.98\00:39:47.75
actually there was
another pastor there,
00:39:47.75\00:39:49.12
I think Melvin Janey.
00:39:49.12\00:39:50.19
John and I and
Melvin got into a debate
00:39:50.19\00:39:52.95
with this whole congregation,
and they are elders,
00:39:52.95\00:39:54.89
all speaking in tongues.
00:39:54.89\00:39:56.99
And we said, "No, the fruit
of the Spirit never does it
00:39:56.99\00:39:59.49
say the fruit of
the Spirit is tongue.
00:39:59.49\00:40:00.83
The fruit of
the Spirit is love."
00:40:00.83\00:40:02.16
And if you speak in
tongues and you don't have love,
00:40:02.16\00:40:03.70
what does Paul
say? "You are nothing."
00:40:03.70\00:40:06.63
So the evidence of the
Spirit is not that you babble,
00:40:06.63\00:40:10.41
the evidence of the Spirit
is do you love your neighbor,
00:40:10.41\00:40:14.24
do you love your spouse
00:40:14.24\00:40:16.78
or do you have
00:40:16.78\00:40:18.25
the 1
Corinthians 13 in your life?
00:40:18.25\00:40:21.65
All right, let me
give you some more
00:40:21.65\00:40:22.92
on the Holy
Spirit here, Galatians...
00:40:22.92\00:40:25.05
I'm sorry, Colossians 1:8,
00:40:25.05\00:40:27.56
"Who also declared to you, us,
00:40:27.56\00:40:30.16
your love in the Spirit."
00:40:30.16\00:40:33.06
Romans 15:30, "Now
I beg of you brethren
00:40:33.06\00:40:36.46
through the Lord Jesus Christ
00:40:36.46\00:40:38.07
and through the
love of the Holy Spirit."
00:40:38.07\00:40:41.24
Notice, he
specifies, he singles out Jesus,
00:40:41.24\00:40:44.04
"And the love of the Spirit
00:40:44.04\00:40:45.77
that you strive together with me
00:40:45.77\00:40:47.44
in prayers to God."
00:40:47.44\00:40:48.64
Now notice that one
verse, Spirit, Jesus, God.
00:40:48.64\00:40:53.98
You see it all
over in the Bible.
00:40:53.98\00:40:55.95
But he specially says
the love of the Spirit,
00:40:55.95\00:40:58.59
how much do we need the Spirit?
00:40:58.59\00:41:00.36
The food of the Spirit is love.
00:41:00.36\00:41:02.96
Amen? Amen.
00:41:02.96\00:41:04.69
Go to Luke 12:12,
00:41:04.69\00:41:07.20
"For the Holy
Spirit will teach you
00:41:07.20\00:41:09.20
that very hour
what you ought to say."
00:41:09.20\00:41:11.93
One of the things
that Holy Spirit does is
00:41:11.93\00:41:13.37
he teaches, he instructs.
00:41:13.37\00:41:15.34
You look in John 14:26,
00:41:15.34\00:41:17.81
"But the helper,
the Holy Spirit,"
00:41:17.81\00:41:19.41
the Holy Spirit is
called the comforter.
00:41:19.41\00:41:21.34
And some places, it's
translated the paraclete.
00:41:21.34\00:41:24.05
And that is something like
00:41:24.05\00:41:25.65
He is a family defense attorney,
00:41:25.65\00:41:27.75
He intercedes in your behalf.
00:41:27.75\00:41:29.98
That might be what Paul
is referring to in Romans 8,
00:41:29.98\00:41:33.22
where he said,
"Likewise the Spirit
00:41:33.22\00:41:35.02
also helps us in our weakness,
00:41:35.02\00:41:36.83
for we don't even know
what we should pray for
00:41:36.83\00:41:38.89
as we ought but
he spirit himself
00:41:38.89\00:41:40.86
makes intersession for us
00:41:40.86\00:41:42.46
with groanings
that cannot be uttered."
00:41:42.46\00:41:45.40
Sometimes you don't
even know what to pray,
00:41:45.40\00:41:47.80
and God through the Spirit,
00:41:47.80\00:41:49.67
He translates our
prayers into words
00:41:49.67\00:41:52.94
that are eloquent before God.
00:41:52.94\00:41:55.41
Not only does Jesus
intercede for the Father,
00:41:55.41\00:41:57.45
the Holy Spirit
intercedes before the Father.
00:41:57.45\00:42:01.78
Holy Spirit brings
things to remembrance.
00:42:01.78\00:42:04.75
You don't know I slip
into the office sometimes
00:42:04.75\00:42:06.82
when I get to church by myself,
00:42:06.82\00:42:08.09
I kneel down, I pray
among the things I pray.
00:42:08.09\00:42:11.09
And I pray this
prayer more often now
00:42:11.09\00:42:13.33
is that the Holy
Spirit will bring back
00:42:13.33\00:42:14.73
to my remembrance, my memory.
00:42:14.73\00:42:17.30
I used to just have
almost a photographic memory,
00:42:17.30\00:42:19.23
never had film
00:42:19.23\00:42:20.30
but I had a photographic memory.
00:42:20.30\00:42:22.34
But I pray that the Lord
will help me remember the things
00:42:22.34\00:42:25.71
that I've read before
00:42:25.71\00:42:27.38
'cause sometimes I
feel like Nebuchadnezzar,
00:42:27.38\00:42:29.18
when the wise man
said, "Tell us the dream,
00:42:29.18\00:42:30.85
and we'll tell you
the interpretation."
00:42:30.85\00:42:32.25
I say, "The
thing is gone from me."
00:42:32.25\00:42:34.62
And so I pray.
00:42:34.62\00:42:36.69
But that's one of the promises,
00:42:36.69\00:42:37.85
John 16:4,
00:42:37.85\00:42:40.22
"But these things I've told
you that when the time comes,
00:42:40.22\00:42:42.82
you may remember."
00:42:42.82\00:42:44.66
Amen.
00:42:44.66\00:42:45.86
And you read in
John 14, it says,
00:42:45.86\00:42:47.23
"He will teach you all things
00:42:47.23\00:42:48.53
and He will bring
to your remembrance,"
00:42:48.53\00:42:50.37
that's John 14:26,
00:42:50.37\00:42:51.93
"All things that I've said,"
00:42:51.93\00:42:53.74
now that means you need
to read everything Jesus said
00:42:53.74\00:42:56.07
for the Holy Spirit
to help you remember it.
00:42:56.07\00:42:58.64
Holy Spirit doesn't
promise to help you remember
00:42:58.64\00:43:00.68
something you never read, amen?
00:43:00.68\00:43:02.74
Amen.
00:43:02.74\00:43:04.48
I know students years
ago, they got this crazy notion
00:43:04.48\00:43:07.95
that if they
would listen to tapes
00:43:07.95\00:43:09.95
playing the history
book when they slept,
00:43:09.95\00:43:12.69
somehow they would
remember the history lesson.
00:43:12.69\00:43:16.49
It only took a
couple of generations
00:43:16.49\00:43:18.09
before they found
out that doesn't work,
00:43:18.09\00:43:20.03
you won't wake up
remembering anything.
00:43:20.03\00:43:23.13
All right,
assurance of salvation,
00:43:23.13\00:43:24.93
and this is our free
offers dealing with assurance.
00:43:24.93\00:43:28.50
Joel 3:31, someone's going
to read for me in a moment,
00:43:28.50\00:43:31.67
John 6:37.
00:43:31.67\00:43:33.84
Joel 3:31, it says,
00:43:33.84\00:43:35.88
"The sun will be
turned into darkness
00:43:35.88\00:43:37.71
and the moon into blood
before the coming of the great
00:43:37.71\00:43:40.25
and awesome day of the Lord.
00:43:40.25\00:43:42.15
And it will come to
pass at whoever calls
00:43:42.15\00:43:44.35
on the name of the
Lord shall be saved."
00:43:44.35\00:43:46.35
Isn't that a wonderful promise?
00:43:46.35\00:43:48.59
"Whoever calls on the name
of the Lord shall be saved,
00:43:48.59\00:43:51.29
for on Mount
Zion and in Jerusalem
00:43:51.29\00:43:53.16
there will be deliverance
as the Lord God has said
00:43:53.16\00:43:55.06
among the remnant
whom the Lord calls."
00:43:55.06\00:43:57.53
Now what does it mean
00:43:57.53\00:43:58.97
whoever calls on
the Lord will be saved?
00:43:58.97\00:44:03.00
Won't the wicked
be calling on God
00:44:03.00\00:44:05.17
when the judgments fall?
00:44:05.17\00:44:07.11
That's just...
00:44:07.11\00:44:08.18
They are
blaspheming God actually.
00:44:08.18\00:44:10.38
When it says all
who call on the Lord,
00:44:10.38\00:44:12.51
it means all who have
a life of calling on God.
00:44:12.51\00:44:17.15
You have a practice
00:44:17.15\00:44:18.79
of calling on God will be saved.
00:44:18.79\00:44:21.49
And so you can't say,
00:44:21.49\00:44:22.52
"I'm going to wait
till the last minute,
00:44:22.52\00:44:23.79
and I'm going to
email or text the Lord
00:44:23.79\00:44:25.49
and He will save me."
00:44:25.49\00:44:27.03
No, it means
that you're a person,
00:44:27.03\00:44:29.53
who is one of those
people that calls on God,
00:44:29.53\00:44:32.40
they will be saved.
00:44:32.40\00:44:33.84
So it means that
this is a practice,
00:44:33.84\00:44:36.14
but that's a
wonderful promise too.
00:44:36.14\00:44:37.81
Go ahead, please
read for us John 6:37.
00:44:37.81\00:44:40.84
"All that the Father
gives Me will come to Me
00:44:40.84\00:44:43.75
and the one who comes to Me,
I will by no means cast out."
00:44:43.75\00:44:47.85
What a wonderful
promise of assurance.
00:44:47.85\00:44:50.15
Jesus said,
"All that come to Me,
00:44:50.15\00:44:52.99
I will never cast out."
00:44:52.99\00:44:55.56
And that's what He
says, "Whosoever will,"
00:44:55.56\00:44:58.19
we don't believe in
this predestination idea
00:44:58.19\00:45:00.76
that God's arbitrarily decided
00:45:00.76\00:45:02.50
some are going to be lost
00:45:02.50\00:45:03.47
and you don't whether
you're one those or not.
00:45:03.47\00:45:06.47
If you hear Him speak
for you, many are called,
00:45:06.47\00:45:09.87
few choose to
respond to that call.
00:45:09.87\00:45:12.87
But if you hear Him calling,
you come, will He cast you out?
00:45:12.87\00:45:16.48
No. That's a wonderful promise.
00:45:16.48\00:45:18.18
He is longing to save you.
00:45:18.18\00:45:20.35
God's more willing
to answer your prayers
00:45:20.35\00:45:21.98
and you are to pray.
00:45:21.98\00:45:23.15
He is more
willing to forgive you
00:45:23.15\00:45:24.25
than you're to
ask for forgiveness.
00:45:24.25\00:45:27.19
John 10:28,
00:45:27.19\00:45:28.52
"And I give them eternal life,
00:45:28.52\00:45:30.63
and they will never perish
00:45:30.63\00:45:32.03
neither will anyone
snatch them out of my hand."
00:45:32.03\00:45:35.20
What wonderful
promises of assurance.
00:45:35.20\00:45:38.27
And, you know, it's
got that wonderful parable
00:45:38.27\00:45:41.77
that you find of the
Pharisee and the tax collector.
00:45:41.77\00:45:46.24
They both go to
the temple to pray.
00:45:46.24\00:45:49.78
Pharisee says,
"Lord, I thank You,
00:45:49.78\00:45:51.18
I'm not like other men.
00:45:51.18\00:45:52.21
I fast twice a week."
00:45:52.21\00:45:56.48
He says, "I am
not an extortioner,
00:45:56.48\00:45:58.69
I'm just adulterer, even as
this tax collector back here.
00:45:58.69\00:46:02.16
I fast twice a week,
00:46:02.16\00:46:03.22
I give tithes of
all of that I possess,"
00:46:03.22\00:46:05.39
but the tax collector,
00:46:05.39\00:46:06.70
the sinner who knows he is lost,
00:46:06.70\00:46:08.53
standing the far off
00:46:08.53\00:46:10.20
with not so much as
raise his eyes to heaven
00:46:10.20\00:46:12.70
but he beat on
his breast and says,
00:46:12.70\00:46:14.67
"God be merciful
to me as sinner."
00:46:14.67\00:46:17.41
That's a short
prayer you can all remember.
00:46:17.41\00:46:19.97
You got to pray in
the same spirit, though.
00:46:19.97\00:46:22.11
I tell you this man went
down to his house justified,
00:46:22.11\00:46:24.61
meaning forgiven.
00:46:24.61\00:46:25.95
He came, He humbled Himself,
He confessed, He prayed,
00:46:25.95\00:46:29.15
and He was received.
00:46:29.15\00:46:30.52
Isn't that wonderful?
00:46:30.52\00:46:31.89
It's like Zacchaeus, God says,
"This is the son of Abraham."
00:46:31.89\00:46:35.76
Last section is on
the everlasting Gospel,
00:46:35.76\00:46:37.73
which you of course can
read in Revelation 14:6-7,
00:46:37.73\00:46:42.33
you read in Micah 5:2,
00:46:42.33\00:46:44.13
"But you of Bethlehem, Ephratah,
00:46:44.13\00:46:45.90
though you're little
among the thousands of Judah
00:46:45.90\00:46:48.54
yet out of you
shall he come forth to me,
00:46:48.54\00:46:51.14
the one who is to
be the ruler of Israel
00:46:51.14\00:46:53.68
whose goings forth are
from old even from everlasting."
00:46:53.68\00:46:57.58
So how long ago did God know
about the plan of salvation?
00:46:57.58\00:47:01.82
It's called the
everlasting Gospel.
00:47:01.82\00:47:03.18
It's the lamb that was slaying
00:47:03.18\00:47:04.55
from the
foundation of the world.
00:47:04.55\00:47:06.45
Nothing is snuck up on God.
00:47:06.45\00:47:08.29
He always knew that
there would come a time
00:47:08.29\00:47:10.59
when His love
would be challenged,
00:47:10.59\00:47:11.96
and it would cause
a terrible rebellion.
00:47:11.96\00:47:14.00
I want to remind
those who might have missed
00:47:14.00\00:47:15.56
the opening announcement
00:47:15.56\00:47:16.73
that we do have a book
that tells you more about
00:47:16.73\00:47:18.83
this assurance.
00:47:18.83\00:47:19.93
We hope that
you'll make most of it.
00:47:19.93\00:47:21.67
I meet people all the
time, they just struggle,
00:47:21.67\00:47:24.61
and I believe in obedience.
00:47:24.61\00:47:26.84
But I also think
that there are some people
00:47:26.84\00:47:28.68
who are
preoccupied with obedience
00:47:28.68\00:47:30.88
that they don't know
what it means to live a life
00:47:30.88\00:47:32.75
of peace and assurance.
00:47:32.75\00:47:34.55
So I wrote this
book to try and give them
00:47:34.55\00:47:36.69
the promises that you can have
00:47:36.69\00:47:39.09
that kind of peace in your life.
00:47:39.09\00:47:40.82
And simply ask for it.
00:47:40.82\00:47:42.49
It's called Assurance,
Justification Made Simple.
00:47:42.49\00:47:45.43
It's offer number 727
00:47:45.43\00:47:46.96
but you got to
call 866-788-3966,
00:47:46.96\00:47:51.37
that's
866-Study-More, ask for this.
00:47:51.37\00:47:54.57
If you're out of the country,
you can find this online,
00:47:54.57\00:47:57.01
and download it.
00:47:57.01\00:47:58.14
And if you do order it, read it
00:47:58.14\00:47:59.91
and please share
it with a friend.
00:47:59.91\00:48:01.24
God bless you friends,
00:48:01.24\00:48:02.51
we look forward
to studying His Word
00:48:02.51\00:48:03.78
together again next week.
00:48:03.78\00:48:07.05
Did you know
that Noah was present
00:48:07.05\00:48:08.78
at the birth of Abraham?
00:48:08.78\00:48:10.42
Okay, maybe he
wasn't in the room.
00:48:10.42\00:48:12.92
But he was alive and
probably telling stories
00:48:12.92\00:48:15.56
about his floating zoo.
00:48:15.56\00:48:17.66
From the creation of the world
00:48:17.66\00:48:19.23
to the last day
events of revelation,
00:48:19.23\00:48:21.46
BibleHistory.com
is a free resource
00:48:21.46\00:48:24.17
where you can explore
00:48:24.17\00:48:25.23
major Bible
events and characters.
00:48:25.23\00:48:27.60
Enhance your
knowledge of the Bible
00:48:27.60\00:48:29.60
and draw closer to God's Word.
00:48:29.60\00:48:31.91
Go deeper,
00:48:31.91\00:48:33.31
visit the amazing Bible timeline
00:48:33.31\00:48:35.31
at BibleHistory.com.
00:48:35.31\00:48:37.25
You've probably heard
the expression before,
00:48:46.35\00:48:48.26
"If you don't like
the weather in Texas,
00:48:48.26\00:48:50.23
just wait, it will change."
00:48:50.23\00:48:52.26
And you've also heard
everything is bigger in Texas,
00:48:52.26\00:48:54.83
the ranches, the belt
buckles, the cowboy hats.
00:48:54.83\00:48:58.43
But the most
famous slogan about Texas
00:48:58.43\00:49:01.27
is "Remember the Alamo."
00:49:01.27\00:49:03.30
The violent battles and
bravery of iconic heroes
00:49:06.71\00:49:09.74
have been the stuff of legends
00:49:09.74\00:49:11.08
throughout which entire culture
00:49:11.08\00:49:12.88
often drawn
their identity in pride
00:49:12.88\00:49:14.78
even long after
centuries have passed.
00:49:14.78\00:49:17.29
And in Texas, the
story of the Alamo
00:49:17.29\00:49:19.49
has been a rally in cry
00:49:19.49\00:49:20.72
of Texas
Independence for 200 years.
00:49:20.72\00:49:24.06
One reason that
Texans love to brag
00:49:24.06\00:49:25.89
that everything
is bigger in Texas
00:49:25.89\00:49:28.00
is of course
because Texas is the largest
00:49:28.00\00:49:30.23
of the lower 48 US states.
00:49:30.23\00:49:32.73
It's hard to believe
that this massive state
00:49:32.73\00:49:35.14
got its beginning
00:49:35.14\00:49:36.47
in a very small
Christian mission
00:49:36.47\00:49:38.51
during the Battle of the Alamo.
00:49:38.51\00:49:40.94
Every year, this
famous mission museum
00:49:40.94\00:49:43.24
receives over
2.5 million visitors
00:49:43.24\00:49:45.78
from all parts of the planet
00:49:45.78\00:49:47.22
that are eager
to get a good look
00:49:47.22\00:49:49.02
at this legendary site.
00:49:49.02\00:49:50.69
The Alamo played a critical role
00:49:50.69\00:49:52.95
in the Texas Revolution.
00:49:52.95\00:49:54.89
In December 1835,
Texans and Tejanos volunteers
00:49:54.89\00:49:58.96
battle Mexican
troops quartered in the city
00:49:58.96\00:50:01.33
forcing General Martin
Perfecto de Cos to surrender.
00:50:01.33\00:50:04.43
The victorious volunteers
then occupied the Alamo
00:50:04.43\00:50:07.47
and strengthened its defenses.
00:50:07.47\00:50:10.37
Famous Americans like
Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie,
00:50:10.37\00:50:12.91
and Colonel William
Travis made this location,
00:50:12.91\00:50:15.48
this ancient
mission, the beachhead,
00:50:15.48\00:50:17.85
the last stand in an epic battle
00:50:17.85\00:50:20.38
to win independence
of Texas from Mexico.
00:50:20.38\00:50:23.69
On February 23, 1836,
00:50:23.69\00:50:27.06
the arrival of General
Antonio López de Santa Anna
00:50:27.06\00:50:30.16
nearly caught them by surprise.
00:50:30.16\00:50:32.16
Undaunted, the
Texans and Tejanos
00:50:32.16\00:50:34.40
prepared to defend the Alamo.
00:50:34.40\00:50:36.26
For this small
ragtag group of rebels,
00:50:36.26\00:50:38.70
the youngest of who was
about 16 and the oldest 75
00:50:38.70\00:50:42.00
was against the well-trained
and organized Mexican army
00:50:42.00\00:50:45.04
of 6,000-plus soldiers.
00:50:45.04\00:50:47.24
It was a fierce
and lopsided battle,
00:50:47.24\00:50:49.54
yet the small force of rebels
00:50:49.54\00:50:51.25
was able to repel
the troops for 13 days.
00:50:51.25\00:50:55.62
Legend holds that
with a possibility
00:50:55.62\00:50:57.72
of additional help fading,
00:50:57.72\00:50:59.45
Colonel Travis drew a line
in the ground with the sword
00:50:59.45\00:51:02.32
and asked, "Any man
willing to stay and fight
00:51:02.32\00:51:05.26
can step over the line."
00:51:05.26\00:51:07.03
All except one crossed over.
00:51:07.03\00:51:09.66
The final assault
came before day break
00:51:09.66\00:51:11.97
on the morning of March 6, 1836.
00:51:11.97\00:51:14.74
The 13th day of the siege
00:51:14.74\00:51:17.01
cannon and small arms
fire from inside the Alamo
00:51:17.01\00:51:20.08
beat back
several Mexican attacks.
00:51:20.08\00:51:22.38
Regrouping,
Santa Anna's soldiers
00:51:22.38\00:51:24.88
scaled the walls and
rushed into the compound.
00:51:24.88\00:51:27.92
The desperate struggle continued
00:51:27.92\00:51:29.72
until the
defenders were overwhelmed.
00:51:29.72\00:51:31.95
By sunrise, the battle had ended
00:51:31.95\00:51:34.29
and the garrison was slain.
00:51:34.29\00:51:36.19
You know, historians may
debate some of the details
00:51:36.19\00:51:38.63
regarding the
battle of the Alamo
00:51:38.63\00:51:40.50
but none of them questioned
00:51:40.50\00:51:41.60
the incredible
sacrifice that was made
00:51:41.60\00:51:43.43
and courage that was displayed
during that intense conflict.
00:51:43.43\00:51:46.97
They made the
ultimate sacrifice,
00:51:46.97\00:51:49.27
giving their lives.
00:51:49.27\00:51:50.51
And this is why
the story of the Alamo
00:51:50.51\00:51:52.17
is so inspiring
and so encouraging.
00:51:52.17\00:51:55.04
You know, and
that's why the Bible
00:51:55.04\00:51:56.14
is so inspiring, friends,
00:51:56.14\00:51:57.65
because someone was willing
to make the ultimate sacrifice
00:51:57.65\00:52:00.28
and give His life
00:52:00.28\00:52:01.58
so that you can have
freedom and eternal life.
00:52:01.58\00:52:04.35
Don't you think you could trust
your life to a friend like that
00:52:04.35\00:52:07.16
that would give everything?
00:52:07.16\00:52:08.72
The story of the Gospel is
a story of courage and hope.
00:52:08.72\00:52:11.66
It's a story of a God
who will never leave you
00:52:11.66\00:52:13.80
without defense and support.
00:52:13.80\00:52:15.73
Jesus is the good news,
00:52:15.73\00:52:17.57
and the Gospel is the
story worth remembering.
00:52:17.57\00:52:20.07
Let's face it.
00:52:31.01\00:52:32.21
It's not always
easy to understand
00:52:32.21\00:52:34.12
everything you
read in the Bible.
00:52:34.12\00:52:35.95
With over 700,000
words contained in 66 books,
00:52:35.95\00:52:39.72
the Bible can
generate a lot of questions.
00:52:39.72\00:52:42.36
To get biblical
straightforward answers,
00:52:42.36\00:52:44.63
call into Bible Answers Live,
00:52:44.63\00:52:46.53
a live nationwide
call-in radio program
00:52:46.53\00:52:49.16
where you can talk to
Pastor Doug Batchelor,
00:52:49.16\00:52:51.47
and ask him your most
difficult Bible questions.
00:52:51.47\00:52:54.04
For times and
stations in your area
00:52:54.04\00:52:56.24
or to listen to answers online
00:52:56.24\00:52:58.11
visit, Bal.AmazingFacts.org.
00:52:58.11\00:53:01.64
Amazing facts, changed lives.
00:53:10.22\00:53:13.19
My greatest wish is
that my children will see me
00:53:18.99\00:53:24.33
the way I see my own father.
00:53:24.33\00:53:29.60
He is a very devoted man.
00:53:29.60\00:53:32.37
And that kind of
framed my childhood
00:53:32.37\00:53:34.64
going forward from there
00:53:34.64\00:53:35.98
where I was
involved in church work
00:53:35.98\00:53:40.05
and I had a very rich experience
00:53:40.05\00:53:42.72
with the Lord at a young age
00:53:42.72\00:53:46.65
all the way up through college.
00:53:46.65\00:53:48.32
Then after I got married,
00:53:48.32\00:53:50.33
I got into a
company called Comcast.
00:53:50.33\00:53:53.46
And I spent the past
roughly eight and half years,
00:53:53.46\00:53:57.53
nine years at Comcast.
00:53:57.53\00:53:59.83
And I was actually
watching television with my son
00:53:59.83\00:54:04.01
and a Comcast
commercial came on the air.
00:54:04.01\00:54:08.11
And he said, "Oh,
Daddy, that's Comcast.
00:54:08.11\00:54:11.55
That's where you work, Daddy."
00:54:11.55\00:54:14.38
And most fathers would be
proud of something like that,
00:54:14.38\00:54:17.85
but it really struck me that,
00:54:17.85\00:54:20.69
you know, my
son's getting older.
00:54:20.69\00:54:22.36
And he does not see me
as a servant of the Lord,
00:54:22.36\00:54:24.96
he sees me as a
servant of my company.
00:54:24.96\00:54:28.56
And I knew that I would
have to make some changes
00:54:28.56\00:54:32.90
because I wanted him to
know me as a man of God.
00:54:32.90\00:54:38.01
I'd never thought
I would be a preacher
00:54:38.01\00:54:39.84
or anything like that.
00:54:39.84\00:54:41.78
But I knew that there
was room in the work for me
00:54:41.78\00:54:45.81
and for my talents.
00:54:45.81\00:54:49.45
And I wanted my son to
see me operating in the work.
00:54:49.45\00:54:55.76
That's when I
knew that my time there
00:54:55.76\00:54:58.16
was coming to an end.
00:54:58.16\00:55:00.06
I was sitting in
my office one day
00:55:00.06\00:55:02.20
and I was kneeling in prayer,
00:55:02.20\00:55:04.03
I said, "God, show me
what You want me to do
00:55:04.03\00:55:07.20
because, you know, it
seems like a big move here
00:55:07.20\00:55:12.21
and, you know,
00:55:12.21\00:55:15.51
everyone's thinking I am crazy."
00:55:15.51\00:55:18.05
And I don't know exactly how,
00:55:18.05\00:55:22.72
you know,
things are going to go,
00:55:22.72\00:55:24.32
if they don't go well...
00:55:24.32\00:55:26.99
You know, the crazy thought
when you're thinking about God.
00:55:26.99\00:55:30.89
And I lifted my
head up in prayer
00:55:30.89\00:55:35.03
and just like a flock of,
00:55:35.03\00:55:38.57
you know, maybe 300
birds that were just flying.
00:55:38.57\00:55:42.80
And they were just swooping down
00:55:42.80\00:55:44.67
over the water and
they would fly back up
00:55:44.67\00:55:47.48
and then they would
chase each other around.
00:55:47.48\00:55:50.45
And, you know,
I was just looking
00:55:50.45\00:55:51.61
at the pattern
of the giant flock,
00:55:51.61\00:55:53.88
and the promise of the Lord
came to me where He says that,
00:55:53.88\00:55:58.72
you know, He takes
care of the sparrows.
00:55:58.72\00:56:02.06
And you don't see
them worrying about
00:56:02.06\00:56:04.96
how they are going to be
taking care of from day-to-day,
00:56:04.96\00:56:08.50
you know, they don't, you know,
00:56:08.50\00:56:10.47
wring their hands
wondering, you know,
00:56:10.47\00:56:12.57
will there be any
worms to eat tomorrow.
00:56:12.57\00:56:15.20
And that promise
really stood out to me,
00:56:15.20\00:56:19.04
you know, He said, "How
much more do I love you?
00:56:19.04\00:56:22.48
You know, I'm
not going to send you
00:56:22.48\00:56:24.25
on a mission to do My work
00:56:24.25\00:56:27.15
and leave you high and dry
00:56:27.15\00:56:29.05
because you
claim to be My child,
00:56:29.05\00:56:31.02
you claim to be My son."
00:56:31.02\00:56:32.79
And everyone knows that.
00:56:32.79\00:56:36.16
That assurance
allows me to know that
00:56:36.16\00:56:38.69
whatever happens here,
00:56:38.69\00:56:41.46
whatever happens after here,
00:56:41.46\00:56:44.23
we are sons of God,
00:56:44.23\00:56:46.03
and there are certain things
that we shouldn't worry about.
00:56:46.03\00:56:50.47
From that day,
we arrived at AFCOE,
00:56:50.47\00:56:54.31
it's been obvious
that God has blessed
00:56:54.31\00:56:57.51
the Amazing Facts
Ministry, the AFCOE program.
00:56:57.51\00:57:01.28
And I will be
using my AFCOE experience
00:57:01.28\00:57:05.82
no matter where I
go to reach people
00:57:05.82\00:57:08.66
because the personal touch
of face-to-face evangelism,
00:57:08.66\00:57:14.50
speaking and
sharing the Word of God
00:57:14.50\00:57:17.07
out of your own mouth.
00:57:17.07\00:57:18.70
There's no replacement for that.
00:57:18.70\00:57:20.84
And Amazing Facts has
been very instrumental
00:57:20.84\00:57:23.67
in helping me
00:57:23.67\00:57:25.07
find the area of the work of God
00:57:25.07\00:57:30.61
and showing me how
large and how broad it is.
00:57:30.61\00:57:34.15
It's been a tremendous
blessing to be in a place
00:57:34.15\00:57:37.72
where we are around
people seeking to do God's will
00:57:37.72\00:57:42.06
and listening for
His voice in their life.
00:57:42.06\00:57:44.86
And that's very,
very important today.
00:57:44.86\00:57:47.23
Together, we
have spread the Gospel
00:57:54.77\00:57:57.14
much farther than ever before.
00:57:57.14\00:57:59.91
Thank you for your support.
00:57:59.91\00:58:02.04