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00:35 Hello and welcome to yet another edition
00:37 of the Sabbath School Study Hour. 00:38 My name is Pastor Shawn Brummund, 00:40 and I'm just so happy that 00:41 you have decided to join us here, 00:44 not only for those of us who are local here 00:46 in the Granite Bay Church 00:47 as we come together to study from Sabbath to Sabbath 00:50 but, of course, always, we will always want to welcome 00:52 those who are watching either live stream here today 00:55 on Sabbath, the 7th of April 00:58 or on various television networks, 01:01 it's always good to be able to have 01:02 each and every one of you come and join us 01:05 as we study where Jesus is lifted up 01:08 and the Word of God, 01:09 the Holy Bible is our key textbook. 01:11 Today's key subject is going to be entitled 01:15 "Salvation and the Time of the End". 01:18 That is Salvation and the Time of the End. 01:19 That's lesson study number four, 01:22 and that's coming from a quarterly 01:24 that we just began recently, 01:25 and it's entitled "Preparation for the End Time". 01:29 Preparation for the End Time, very relevant subject, 01:33 very important topic from prophecy 01:35 and from the Bible 01:36 as we continue to study that even here today. 01:40 Every time we come together, we always like to give you 01:43 a very special free offer to continue your study 01:45 and the Word of God 01:46 in addition to what we are going to be studying 01:48 here today. 01:50 And today's free offer is entitled Assurance, 01:53 Justification Made Simple. 01:56 Again, that's "Assurance, Justification Made Simple, 02:00 very important topic in regards 02:01 to the topic of today's study as well. 02:05 Now you can get this in a couple of different ways. 02:07 You can just simply dial on your telephone 02:09 1-866-788-3966, 02:14 that's 1-866-788-3966 02:18 and ask for free offer number 727, 02:22 that's number 727. 02:24 Now if you're in North America, 02:26 we're happy to send that out to you, 02:27 now if you're not in North America 02:29 and you still like a copy 02:30 of this particular free gift offer, 02:32 you can find a digital download copy of that 02:35 again on AmazingFacts.org. 02:39 It's always good to have you, 02:41 we're just so excited being able to 02:42 have our singers here together 02:44 as they're going to be leading us out in praise 02:46 before we invite Pastor Doug up for our lesson study today. 02:50 We're going to be singing number 189, 02:52 "All that Thrills My Soul is Jesus," 02:55 "All that Thrills My Soul is Jesus," 02:57 it's such a thrilling thing to worship Jesus 03:00 and to sing to our Creator and Savior, Jesus, 03:04 let's sing together 189. 03:16 Who can cheer the heart like Jesus 03:21 By His presence all divine? 03:26 True and tender, pure and precious 03:31 O how blest to call Him mine 03:36 All that thrills my soul is Jesus 03:40 He is more than life to me 03:46 And the fairest of ten thousand 03:51 In my blessed Lord I see 03:56 Love of Christ so freely given 04:01 Grace of God beyond degree 04:06 Mercy higher than the heaven 04:10 Deeper than the deepest sea 04:15 All that thrills my soul is Jesus 04:20 He is more than life to me 04:25 And the fairest of ten thousand 04:30 In my blessed Lord I see 04:35 Every need His hand's supplying 04:40 Every good in Him I see 04:44 On His strength divine relying 04:49 He is all in all to me 04:53 All that thrills my soul is Jesus 04:58 He is more than life to me 05:03 And the fairest of ten thousand 05:08 In my blessed Lord I see 05:13 By the crystal flowing river 05:18 With the ransomed I will sing 05:22 And forever and forever 05:27 Praise and glorify the King 05:31 All that thrills my soul is Jesus 05:36 He is more than life to me 05:41 And the fairest of ten thousand 05:46 In my blessed Lord I see 05:51 All that thrills my soul is Jesus 05:56 He is more than life to me 06:02 And the fairest of ten thousand 06:08 In my blessed Lord I see 06:16 Thank you for singing, and we have a special number 06:18 on this lovely Sabbath morning, 06:21 we have the Orange Veil girls' chorus 06:24 which is going to do a number for us at this time. 06:40 Healing rain is coming down 06:46 It's coming closer to this old town 06:52 Rich and poor, weak and strong 06:58 It's bringing mercy, it won't be long 07:09 Healing rain is coming down 07:15 It's coming nearer to the lost and found 07:22 Tears of joy and tears of shame 07:28 Are washed forever in Jesus' name 07:35 Healing rain, it comes with fire 07:40 So let it fall and take us high 07:47 Healing rain, I'm not afraid 07:53 To be washed in Heaven's rain 07:59 To be washed 08:02 In Heaven's rain 08:09 Lift your heads let us return 08:15 To the mercy seat where time began. 08:21 And in your eyes, I see the pain. 08:27 Come soak this dry heart with healing rain 08:34 Healing rain, it comes with fire 08:39 So let it fall and take us high 08:45 Healing rain, I'm not afraid 08:51 To be washed in Heaven's rain 09:04 God, as we come together, we want to pray 09:06 that Your Holy Spirit will be with us once again, 09:08 reclaim Him as our teacher, even as we thank You 09:11 also for Pastor Doug in the way that You've called him 09:14 and the way that he will serve again today. 09:16 I want to pray that You'll bless him 09:18 and that You'll bless all of us as we study together 09:20 and we come closer to the knowledge of Jesus 09:22 and His holy word, in Jesus' name, 09:24 we pray these things, God, amen. 09:28 We're continuing on our study 09:29 dealing with Preparation for the End Times, 09:32 today we are in lesson number four, 09:35 talking more specifically about Salvation and the End time. 09:39 It's going to go with our message 09:40 a little later today 09:41 'cause we're talking about Armageddon, part one, 09:44 and we have a memory verse. 09:46 And the memory verse is from 1 John 4:10, 09:50 that's 1 John 4:10 09:51 if you'd like to say it with me, 09:53 and you can read it in your lesson here, 09:54 it's out of the NIV version. 09:56 You ready? 09:58 "This is the love of God, not that we love God 10:02 but that He loved us and sent His Son 10:05 as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." 10:09 I think they chose the NIV here 10:11 because it uses the word in the King James 10:13 "appropriation," 10:14 and I remember when I first read that I thought, 10:16 "What in the world is appropriation?" 10:18 But it means in the "place of" 10:20 as the atoning sacrifice for our sins. 10:22 So we're going to be talking about God 10:25 and the plan of salvation in our study today. 10:28 And I don't always do this, 10:29 I assume that you have your lesson 10:30 and you read your lesson in the opening comments, 10:33 but just in case to the some here that haven't, 10:36 I want to read the opening comment 10:38 in the study guide. 10:39 It was really good for our lesson number four. 10:43 "One fascinating 10:44 but critical difference between Christianity 10:46 and non-Christian religions is that while others emphasize 10:50 what their founders have taught them..." 10:53 As in Buddha or Muhammad or the Siddhartha or Krishna, 10:58 one of the others, 11:00 "They do not emphasize 11:01 what their founders have done for them, 11:04 and that's because whatever their founders 11:05 may have done for them, it cannot save them. 11:08 All these leaders can do is try to teach the people 11:10 how to save themselves." 11:12 Christianity is very different in that, 11:14 we don't have a founder that just said, 11:15 "Here are some teachings, 11:16 here are some good proverbs for life." 11:20 Here, Christianity, God says, "I'm doing something for you, 11:24 not only did I die for you, 11:25 I will give you power on a day by day basis." 11:28 Christianity is very different 11:30 from the other religions of the world. 11:33 Now under the first section, 11:34 we're going to be talking about the Father, 11:36 we're going to be talking about the Son, 11:37 we're going to be talking about the Holy Spirit. 11:40 And this is a subject that is often misunderstood 11:45 when we say Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, 11:47 what do you typically think of? 11:50 We think of a doctrine or teaching called the Trinity. 11:53 And that's been... 11:55 Have you heard... Is it just me? 11:57 Have you heard people questioning 11:59 the Trinity doctrine lately? 12:02 Yeah, I've been running into it. 12:04 It seems like it comes in waves. 12:05 It comes in waves, and then it's dull, 12:07 but then it fades away 12:08 as people are better instructed, 12:10 and it comes up again 12:11 and we're going through a wave of that now. 12:13 I just completed a book on the Trinity. 12:18 It's not quite printed, they're just doing 12:19 the final edit on it now, 12:20 but I'm anxious to get it out 12:21 because I'm meeting people everywhere 12:23 that misunderstand that teaching, 12:26 they're reading too much into it 12:27 or they don't understand it 12:29 or they think that Jesus is a creature 12:31 that He was created, 12:33 and they say, "Oh, no, He wasn't created, 12:34 He was begat." 12:36 Well, that's the same thing. 12:37 If you go from not being to being 12:40 and if God is the one who initiated, 12:42 you go in from not being to being, 12:44 you're a creature. 12:46 And so, there's no in between, and so they say, 12:48 "Jesus had a beginning, 12:49 He's not from everlasting and everlasting." 12:51 And it diminishes 12:53 what God does for us for one thing, 12:56 it's almost like God creates this creature 12:59 to be the fall guy for humanity. 13:02 It's different from God giving Himself. 13:05 And I better be careful not to launch off 13:08 into my thesis on the Trinity right now, 13:11 but we're going to be talking about 13:13 the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the lesson. 13:14 And it's a very important subject to understand. 13:16 First of all, one of the big points 13:19 is that people think 13:21 that God, the Father and God, the Son 13:23 are somehow different Gods. 13:25 How many of you were here last Friday 13:28 when we had the friendly debate? 13:30 That's quite a few hands. 13:32 Did you notice one thing that kept coming up, 13:34 and if you're not acquainted with that, friends, 13:36 we're having a debate about the Sabbath 13:38 and the New Covenant 13:39 and should Christians keep the Sabbath 13:41 and the friend I was debating against 13:46 kept trying to differentiate 13:47 between Jesus' law and God's law 13:51 as though they were two different things, 13:53 and it's the same God. 13:55 This is a common mistake that is made. 13:57 People think that God of the Old Testament 13:59 is different from the God of the New Testament, 14:01 and they say, "God, the Father, 14:03 He is stern and He is severe but God, the Son, He's loving." 14:07 And that is a very common misconception. 14:10 Listen to what Jesus said about the Father and the Son 14:13 if you look in John 14:8, 14:16 and I'll read through verse 11, 14:19 "Philip said to Him, 'Lord, show us the Father, 14:22 and it suffices us.' 14:24 And Jesus said to him, 14:25 'Have I been with you so long 14:27 and you've not known Me, Philip? 14:29 He that has seen Me, has seen the Father, 14:32 so how can you say, 'Show us the Father?' 14:34 Do you not believe that I am in the Father 14:36 and the Father is in Me? 14:38 That the words that I speak to you, 14:42 I do not speak on My own authority 14:44 but the Father who dwells in Me does the works." 14:46 The Father doing the works through me. 14:48 "Believe Me that I am in the Father 14:50 and the Father is in Me or else believe Me 14:52 for the sake of the works themselves." 14:55 Now Jesus couldn't say it any clearer 14:58 that He and the Father are one. 15:01 Matter of fact, in John 17, that great prayer, 15:03 "I and the Father are one." 15:05 Back to the Trinity problem, people say, "How can God say, 15:09 'Hero of Israel, the Lord, our God is one.'" 15:12 And then you say, "Well, God is Father, Son, 15:14 and Holy Spirit." 15:16 Well, in Hebrew, when you say one, 15:19 does one always mean a numerical quantity 15:22 or does one often mean unity? 15:26 When a man leaves his father and mother 15:29 and cleaves to his wife and God says they become what? 15:32 One flesh, and in John 17, 15:35 when Jesus is praying for the 12 Apostles, 15:37 he prays Jesus, "Father, let them be one," 15:40 it's a dozen of them, "that we may be one." 15:44 And so when you say there is one God, 15:46 you're talking about the unity, and keep in mind, 15:49 all of the other countries and nations, not all of them, 15:52 most of them were polytheistic. 15:54 And they had all these different Gods, you know, 15:56 the Greek gods are all warring with each other, 15:58 and they're involved in this intrigue 15:59 and it's like some cosmic chess game 16:02 between the Gods and the Egyptians 16:03 and the Gods and the bushes and the frogs and the clouds 16:06 and the sun, and they all had their domain, 16:08 and God says, "No, no, I am one God." 16:12 It's the person of the Father, Son, and Spirit, 16:14 but a united God. 16:17 They're not at odds with each other, 16:18 they're perfectly in tune. 16:20 They're perfectly in harmony. 16:21 This is what Moses meant, 16:23 because even if you go back there in genesis, 16:25 God says, "Let us make men in our image." 16:28 It's perfectly plural 16:30 and again, you see that in Genesis 11 16:32 when they're at the Tower of Babel, 16:34 the man has become like us and so forth. 16:39 So, yeah, God, the Father and God, 16:42 the Son, they both love us. 16:44 And that brings us to John 16:27, it says, 16:48 "For the Father Himself loves you 16:51 because you have loved Me 16:52 and have believed that I have come from God." 16:55 Now I don't know about you, but the way Christianity 16:57 was first presented to me, 17:00 not always, but many of the pictures 17:02 that I saw coming from pastors and sermons 17:04 and different books was almost like God, 17:06 the Father was sitting on a throne, 17:08 how many of you, when you picture the father, 17:09 He is sitting down? 17:11 Come on, fess up. Okay. 17:13 He's always sitting down, 17:14 but Jesus is a little more mobile. 17:16 And we figure that, you know, 17:18 we think of the great white throne that God, 17:19 the Father is sitting there, how many of you... 17:21 He's got great white grey hair? 17:24 Jesus hair, He dyes it, it's a little later? 17:28 We get these pictures in our mind, 17:29 some of its artists' concepts and God's sitting there, 17:32 and He's the Judge. 17:34 He's on His great white throne, and he's looking at the books, 17:36 He's going, "They're in trouble. 17:38 Destroy them, in the fire for you." 17:40 And Jesus, "Oh, wait, Father, but My bloodstain hands." 17:43 He goes, "Ah, all right, 17:44 for Your sake, I'll let them go." 17:47 And it's almost like the Father is anxious to be the judge 17:51 and to punish us, I had this picture in my mind, 17:54 and Jesus is the merciful one. 17:56 A lot of people have that kind of picture, 17:59 but Jesus, He is merciful. 18:02 He says the Father Himself loves you. 18:03 As a matter of fact, 18:04 who is it according to John 3:16 18:07 that initiates the Son coming to save us? 18:12 For God, obviously, the Father, 18:14 so loved the world, He gave His Son, 18:17 God the Son, you see that? 18:20 And so this idea that the Son is down there trying to... 18:25 Ever seen two men get into a fight 18:27 and then some other men 18:28 come along try and break them up, 18:31 that's like Jesus is trying to stop the Father 18:33 from thrashing us. 18:35 And so we run to Jesus for mercy, 18:37 and we run from the Father. 18:40 That's not a biblical picture. 18:41 They both love us. 18:43 It's the law and punishment of the law, 18:45 They're saving us from, it's not from Them. 18:48 They both love us, is that clear? 18:50 All right, in a moment, someone's going to read 18:52 Psalm 147:1, 18:55 okay, I'm going to read a couple other verses. 18:58 Go to 1 John 4:8, 19:01 "For he who does not love, does not know God for..." 19:05 What? That famous verse. 19:08 "God is love." 19:12 Now if I were to say to you, "John speaks French." 19:18 Well, that just means that John has the ability, 19:20 it's an attribute that he can speak French, 19:22 but if I said, "John is French." 19:25 That's something that's ingrained in his DNA. 19:28 You see what I'm saying? 19:29 We're not saying that God loves, 19:32 that would be something God does 19:34 or saying God is love, that's something God is. 19:38 He is the essence, He is the ultimate, 19:44 supreme definition of what love is. 19:47 In other words, you don't say what is love, 19:49 and wonder if God is love. 19:50 You say what is God, and that describes love 19:53 'cause He is love 19:54 and He's the author of all love. 19:56 Now one more thought... 19:58 By the way, I forgot to mention at the beginning, 20:00 a lot of people, matter of fact, 20:02 more people are watching, streaming on Facebook now 20:05 or some other Internet version 20:06 than actually sitting in the room, 20:08 and we try to take a few questions, 20:09 don't forget, text your questions. 20:12 And we'll try and capture a few before the end of the program. 20:14 They put them up on the screen for me. 20:16 I don't know if some of you saw the live program 20:18 Karen and I did at the home last night. 20:21 Yeah, bless your heart. You're faithful members. 20:25 So we kind of did the Bible study online, 20:29 and Karen was looking at the questions, 20:32 and they were coming in so fast and scrolling by 20:35 that as soon as one came up, another one bumped it down, 20:37 so she had to like do a flash memory of it 20:39 and then write it down real quick, 20:41 and so they do that in the studio. 20:43 So if you have a question, 20:44 we'll try and take a few minutes for that 20:45 before the end of the study. 20:48 So God is love. 20:52 Can you love when you're the only person in existence? 20:57 Can there be love without another being 21:00 to express love 21:02 or demonstrate or give love to? 21:05 If you only love yourself and you live by yourself, 21:07 is that love? 21:11 That's like self-worship. 21:14 God is all about going out, 21:17 the devil is about loving himself. 21:20 See the difference? God is a giver. 21:21 He's always... 21:22 Love from God is flowing away from Him. 21:26 As soon as love cannot flow away from you, 21:29 it ceases to be God's love. 21:30 If your love is a vacuum or you're always sucking it in, 21:33 that's the devil's love. 21:35 The devil's love is reverse polarity, 21:37 it's broken. 21:39 It's all about me, I, take. 21:41 God's love is about give. 21:43 So the idea that God existed 21:47 zillions of years ago without Jesus, 21:49 God the Father, and God the Spirit, 21:51 they say is just the force, 21:52 I'm talking about this false teaching. 21:54 How can God be loved with no one to express love to? 22:00 God the Father, Son, and Spirit had always exist 22:03 as three distinct persons through eternity 22:06 or they could not be love 22:08 because it's always about giving away love. 22:12 You see what I'm saying? Does that make sense? 22:15 And so God is love. 22:17 I just want to emphasize that again. 22:18 Psalm 143:8, 22:21 "Cause me to hear Your loving kindness 22:23 in the morning, for in You, I trust, 22:26 cause me to know the way 22:27 I should walk for I lift up my soul to You." 22:30 It's not the idea of God being a God of love 22:32 in the Old Testament. 22:33 It's consistent, it's true. 22:35 Read for me, please, Psalm 147. 22:38 Psalm 147:11, 22:41 "The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him, 22:44 in those who hope in His mercy." 22:47 All right, now maybe I should stop here. 22:49 Sometimes people say that God in the Old Testament 22:51 is a God of wrath. 22:52 I mean after all you've got war, 22:54 and you've got plagues, 22:56 you've got judgment in the Old Testament, 22:59 and in the New Testament, Jesus is mercy 23:02 and love and grace 23:04 as though they're two different Gods, 23:05 is that true? 23:07 Or are they both loving Gods? 23:12 Do you find judgment in the Old Testament? 23:16 Do you find judgment in the New Testament? 23:19 Do you find love in the Old Testament? 23:22 Do you find love in the New Testament? 23:24 Do you find plagues in the Old Testament? 23:27 Do you find plagues in the New Testament? 23:30 Is there war in the Old Testament? 23:33 Is there war in the New Testament? 23:35 There is in both places. There is war. 23:38 You got the Battle of Armageddon. 23:39 New Testament, 23:40 you got soldiers in the New Testament. 23:43 And so this idea, it's really a myth 23:45 that the God of the Old Testament 23:47 is wrathful, severe, plagues, 23:50 love is in the New Testament. 23:53 In God, you find a lot of love and mercy. 23:55 In the New Testament, 23:56 you find the most severe judgments 23:58 in the Bible are in the New Testament. 24:03 Look at one, it talks about the seven last plagues 24:05 poured out without mercy. 24:07 At least, the Egyptians had some mercy in their plagues. 24:09 Psalm 145:8, 24:12 "The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, 24:15 slow to anger, and great in mercy." 24:18 And I see that we got a question 24:20 popped up on the screen. 24:22 "Is the 144,000 a literal number of believers?" 24:26 You're talking about salvation in the last days. 24:29 Boy, I'm real tempted to... 24:32 I'm talking a little bit about that 24:34 in our sermon later today, 24:35 but I think I can say something. 24:38 Yes and no. 24:41 When you give a yes and no answer, 24:42 it means you're qualified to run for public office. 24:48 The numbers in the Bible all have a literal value. 24:52 When the Bible says there are 12 kinds of fruit, 24:54 12 times a year on the tree of life, 24:56 are there really 12 kinds of fruit? 24:58 When it says, there are 12 gates around the city, 25:00 are there really 12 gates? 25:02 When it talks about 42 months, 25:04 is that just a spiritual nebulous number 25:06 or is it a literal number 25:08 that needs a prophetic application? 25:10 The numbers in Revelation have literal value in some way. 25:15 But it also has a spiritual message, in that, 25:18 12 is a number for God's people, 25:22 in the leadership in particular, 25:24 12 apostles in the Old Testament... 25:26 Sorry, New Testament, 12 tribes in the Old Testament, 25:29 there are 12 patriarchs, 12 princes of Israel, 25:32 12 judges. 25:34 Most people count 12 judges including Samuel in the Bible. 25:38 And so it represents God's leadership. 25:41 In the last days, 25:43 God is going to have special leaders, 25:45 144,000, that will do a special work. 25:48 Let me just tell you in a nutshell. 25:50 Christ came the first time, 25:52 He filled with His spirit and trained 25:54 12 that followed the lamb wherever he went, 25:56 that's what it says in Revelation 25:57 about the 144,000. 26:00 He used them during His First Coming 26:01 to prepare people and Israel 26:03 to accept Him on the day of Pentecost, 26:05 Judas had killed himself, they only had 11 apostles. 26:09 They replaced Judas, they got the number 12, 26:12 the Holy Spirit falls in the next verse 26:15 on not just the 12 26:17 but 120 in the upper rooms. 26:19 So it's not just the 144,000 that are spirit-filled 26:22 and doing a special work in the last days. 26:25 They represent kind of leadership. 26:27 There'll be many more beyond that that are saved. 26:30 I see another question. 26:31 "Do you believe in a pre-tribulation rapture?" 26:36 I believe that there will be a rapture, 26:38 and I believe that there'll be a great time of trouble, 26:40 but the time of trouble comes before the Second Coming. 26:44 Bible says at that time, Daniel 12, 26:48 "Michael will stand up, 26:49 there'll be a time of trouble such as there never has been 26:52 since the resonation, even under the same time, 26:54 and at that time thy people will be delivered." 26:56 Jesus said in Matthew 24, 26:58 "He that endures to the end will be saved." 27:01 Their salvation, 27:03 being caught up comes at the end, 27:04 and something to be endured. 27:06 So let me give you another example of that. 27:10 You have the seven last plagues of great tribulation, 27:17 it is the great tribulation, seven last plagues. 27:19 They overlap. 27:21 Were God's people in Egypt when the ten plagues fell? 27:25 They were. 27:26 Did God preserve them through the plagues? 27:28 Yes. 27:31 He doesn't save them from the plagues, 27:32 He saves them through. 27:34 Paul says, "It is through much tribulation 27:37 that we enter the Kingdom of God." 27:38 Not from. 27:40 It's a very popular 27:41 and it's a very attractive belief to say, 27:43 "Oh, we're saved. 27:44 He loves us too much to let us go through 27:46 trials and tribulations." 27:48 Friend, this is not biblical. 27:50 God typically saves His people through trials. 27:53 He didn't save Joseph from His trials. 27:56 He saved him through his trials, 27:57 Job is saved through His trials, 27:59 Noah is saved through the storm, 28:01 Daniel through the lion's den, 28:03 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego 28:04 are saved through the fiery furnace. 28:06 He saves them. 28:07 Doesn't He deliver them through it? 28:08 But they're in it. 28:09 So this doctrine, the secret rapture doctrine 28:12 that the rapture takes place before the time of trouble 28:14 is comparatively a new teaching. 28:17 The church for 1,900 years believed 28:19 that at the culmination of the time of trouble, 28:22 the Lord would come to deliver His people. 28:24 That's 1 Thessalonians 4. 28:27 All right, let me do another lit bit of lesson, 28:29 I'll get back. I see some more questions are coming in. 28:32 All right, talking still about the Father, 28:34 we need to get to the Son. 28:36 Let met just give you a couple more things 28:37 about the love of the Father. 28:39 Jeremiah 29:11, I love this verse, 28:42 "For I know the thoughts I think towards you," 28:44 says the Lord, thoughts of peace, not of evil, 28:46 to give you a future and a hope." 28:48 God is a loving God, a merciful God. 28:51 Zephaniah 3:17, 28:53 "The Lord, your God, is in your midst, 28:56 the Mighty One will save, 28:57 He will rejoice over you with gladness, 29:00 He will quiet you with His love, 29:01 He will rejoice over you with singing." 29:05 I mean, can you imagine God singing over us? 29:08 And so here's a God that creates, He loves, 29:11 He makes all things good, He has mercy, He sings, 29:13 He's long suffering, full of compassion, 29:16 you read the descriptions of God the Father 29:19 in the Old Testament. 29:21 Of course, it often describes God the Son too. 29:23 All right, now let's talk about Jesus, the love of Christ. 29:28 John 1:1-5, 29:31 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God..." 29:34 There is that oneness again with the Father. 29:36 "And the Word was God." 29:39 It says He was with the Father and yet He is God. 29:41 "He was in the beginning with God. 29:44 All things were made through Him, 29:46 without Him was not anything made that was made." 29:49 Now back to my question about the Trinity, 29:52 if all things that were made were made by Him, 29:56 then how could He have made Himself? 29:59 That's like which came first, the chicken or the egg, right? 30:03 To say, "Well, all things were made 30:04 except the God the Father made the sun," 30:07 that verse doesn't work anymore, 30:08 it says all things 30:09 that were made were made by Him. 30:10 Without Him was anything made that was made. 30:14 He is not the creature, He is the Creator. 30:17 Amen? Amen. 30:19 And that's speaking of God the Son. 30:20 That's right, when we had our little debate last week 30:25 and they tried to make it sound like Jesus' law is different 30:27 from the Ten Commandments. 30:28 Ten Commandments came from the Father 30:30 but Jesus gave us a new law. 30:32 I said, "No, Jesus gave us the Ten Commandments." 30:34 Right? 30:35 All things that were made were made by Him. 30:37 So this is not in conflict. 30:40 Hebrews 13:8, 30:43 "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, 30:45 today, and forever." 30:47 Now we know that Jesus is the same 30:49 but what does it say about God the Father? 30:52 Malachi 3:6, "I am the Lord," He says Yahweh. 30:56 "I do not change. 30:58 Therefore you're not consumed oh, sons of Jacob." 31:01 God doesn't change, Jesus doesn't change. 31:03 You know, when you study with the Jehovah Witnesses... 31:08 Someone... 31:09 Karen had a question about that last night. 31:13 They don't believe Jesus is Jehovah, 31:15 they believe Jesus is a lesser God, 31:16 a created God. 31:18 Oh, you know, the Bible says you technically are God. 31:21 Jesus even says that, "Know ye not that your Gods", 31:23 meaning God made us kind of Gods of the world 31:26 compared to the animals and we're not divine. 31:29 But they make Jesus how to sort of be a created God, 31:32 it doesn't make them very different from humans 31:34 by biblical definition. 31:37 But when you start looking at the definitions of Jehovah 31:40 in the Old Testament, they all fit Jesus. 31:44 The Bible says in the beginning, 31:45 "Jehovah created the heavens and the earth." 31:48 Well, who created the heavens and the earth? 31:50 Jesus. 31:51 The Bible says that, 31:53 "No one can forgive sin but Jehovah." 31:55 But the Bible says Jesus can forgive sin. 31:57 The Bible says, "There is no savior but Jehovah." 31:59 Bible says, "Jesus is savior." 32:01 Bible says, "Only Jehovah knows the thoughts of men's hearts." 32:04 Bible says, "Jesus knew what was in their hearts." 32:06 You go through all the... 32:07 "Thou shall not worship anyone but Jehovah." 32:09 Jesus rose and He said, "All hail." 32:12 Hebrews says, "Even the angels worship Him." 32:14 Look at all the definitions of Jehovah, 32:16 you're going to find Jesus fulfills those. 32:18 Amen. 32:19 And so, you know, I've had that study 32:21 with Jehovah Witnesses before 32:23 and it kind of leaves them a little bit anxious 32:26 because Jesus is Jehovah and the Father's Jehovah. 32:30 It's a term for both of them really. 32:33 Okay, we're talking here still about the love of Christ. 32:37 Philippians 2:5-8, 32:41 it explains why Jesus appears lower than the Father 32:44 'cause He humbled himself when He became a man. 32:47 Philippians 2:5, "Let this mind be in you 32:50 which was also in Christ Jesus." 32:52 We have to allow it to humble ourselves 32:53 and allow the mind of Christ to be on us, 32:56 "Who being in the form of God 32:59 did not consider it robbery to be equal with God." 33:02 He said "It wasn't being unfair to say 33:04 I have equality with God. 33:06 But He made Himself of no reputation 33:09 taking the form of a bond servant 33:11 and coming in the lightness of men 33:14 and being found in appearance as a man, 33:16 He humbled Himself became obedient. 33:18 They are in the God, not my will, 33:20 Thy will be done obedient to the point of death 33:23 even the death of the cross." 33:25 So He chose to humble himself. 33:28 You know, there's a great quote 33:29 in the book Desire of Ages page 22, 33:32 "The earth was dark through misapprehension of God 33:36 that the gloomy shadows might be lightened, 33:38 that the world might be brought back to God, 33:40 Satan's deceptive power was to be broken." 33:43 When God finally came into the world 33:45 as a man in the time of Christ 33:47 is because there was great darkness. 33:49 It's like Isaiah said, "Darkness fills the land, 33:51 gross darkness covers the land and covers the people. 33:56 But I'm sending light, My light will arise upon you." 33:58 When Jesus came, 34:00 He brought light to an age of great darkness. 34:03 Now when He comes again, 34:04 will there also be a time of great darkness in the world? 34:08 Yeah, there is. 34:10 And so Christ came to show the light of God, 34:12 to show us what the Father is like. 34:14 I've got another question on the screen here, 34:17 "Where in the Bible does it say a woman represents a church?" 34:21 Well, there are several places. 34:23 Ephesians says, "Husbands, love your wives 34:25 even as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her." 34:28 Jeremiah tells us, 34:29 "I have likened the daughter of to Zion 34:31 to a delicate and a comely woman." 34:33 And you can look at the depiction of God's bride 34:35 in Revelation chapter 12, 34:37 "And she is likened unto a woman 34:40 clothed with the sun, moon, and stars." 34:42 Light, God said to the church, 34:43 "You're the light of the world." 34:45 Hosea said, "The church is like a bride 34:47 except she was an unfaithful bride," 34:50 a harlot that ran from the Lord. 34:53 So there's many, many analogies in the Bible 34:56 to a woman being an analogy of a church, 35:01 faithful or unfaithful. 35:02 Revelation 17, you've got an unfaithful church. 35:05 Okay, a little more about Jesus 35:07 'cause we still got to get to the Holy Spirit here. 35:10 If you look in Romans chapter 3:23, 35:13 "For we have all sinned 35:15 and fallen short of the glory of God." 35:17 God made us in His image, but we fell from that, 35:20 it's like the fall of Adam. 35:22 And Jesus came to restore us to reveal the Father. 35:25 Now someone's going to read for me in a moment Romans 5:5. 35:29 And before we get there I'm going to read Hebrews 1:3, 35:32 "Who being the brightness of His glory, 35:35 and the express image of His persons, 35:38 and upholding all things by the word of His power." 35:40 All things are upheld by the power of Christ, 35:42 He is the express image of the person of God. 35:46 "When He by Himself purged our sins, 35:48 He sat down at the right hand of majesty on high." 35:52 Here He's enthroned with God the Father. 35:56 So you look at some of the descriptions of Christ, 35:58 you see His love. 35:59 For instance, Luke 2:16, "He is a babe in a manger." 36:04 And it says, "He is before all things and in Him, 36:07 all things consist." 36:08 Colossians 1:17, it says, 36:11 "He is the same human child 36:13 that increased in wisdom and stature." 36:15 The incarnations of mystery, how do you have Jesus learning? 36:18 If God knows everything, then how can He learn anything? 36:21 Well, He laid aside His knowledge 36:23 when He became a human. 36:25 Everything that Jesus said supernaturally in His ministry 36:29 came through the revelation of the spirit of the Father. 36:32 He took on Him the form of a man. 36:36 And you can read in John 3, it says, 36:38 "Everything that was made was made by Him. 36:42 And He is the same one who was murdered 36:45 by man hanging on a tree", Acts 5:30. 36:48 All right, let's go ahead, now you read Romans 5:5 now. 36:52 "Now hope does not disappoint 36:55 because the love of God has been poured out 36:57 in our hearts by the Holy Spirit 37:00 who was given to us." 37:01 All right, so we've talked about the love of the Father 37:04 and we talked about the love of the Son. 37:07 No one ever questions the love of Jesus, right? 37:10 But now it's talking about the love of the Spirit. 37:14 And so here it says, 37:16 "The love of God was given to us." 37:19 When we think of the Holy Spirit, 37:21 He is love, God is love, 37:22 God the Father is love, God the son is love, 37:24 God the Spirit is love. 37:26 Look at Galatians 5:22, 37:28 "The fruit of the Holy Spirit is," 37:31 what? 37:33 "It's love." 37:35 I went to a church one time... 37:39 Do I have time to tell you that story? 37:42 Pastor John Lomacang and I 37:44 were doing evangelistic meetings 37:46 in Vallejo, California. 37:48 And John and Angie met another couple, 37:52 and they invited them to the meeting. 37:53 They said, "We'll come to your meetings 37:54 if you come to our church on Sunday." 37:56 John said, "Sure, if you'll come to the meetings." 37:59 And so they came to our meetings, they said, 38:01 "Now you got to come to our church." 38:02 John said, "Doug, you want to come with me?" 38:04 I said sure. 38:06 So John, and Angie, and myself, and I brought... 38:07 I didn't know what I was into, so I brought our son Daniel. 38:12 And he was very young at that time, 38:13 and it was a storefront church 38:15 and it was a charismatic church. 38:17 And I mean I've never been to a church that... 38:20 They had such a hootenanny going on in there. 38:22 And it was the drums, 38:24 they were literally dancing up and down the aisles. 38:26 They weren't dancing stationary. 38:27 It was like a parade, up and down the aisles. 38:29 And they were shouting and we got to the door. 38:32 And we were going to turn around 38:33 but the couple that invited John spotted us. 38:35 They said, "Oh, come on in." 38:36 And furthermore they said, "You're pastor, 38:38 you sit on the platform." 38:40 They sat us up on the platform, but they don't think 38:43 women should sit on the platform. 38:44 So Angie sat with Daniel. 38:47 I'm glad she could sit with him. 38:48 And John and I are sitting up there 38:50 and they broke out 38:51 and they started speaking in tongues. 38:53 And they were... 38:55 And then they saw us just sitting 38:56 and reading through our Bibles. 38:57 We are just listening, we are just trying to be nice and... 38:59 And they noticed that we weren't speaking in tongues. 39:04 And then they started saying, 39:05 "You think because you've got the Bible, 39:06 you've got the Holy Spirit..." 39:07 They started to testify, 39:09 they wanted to do their testimony service. 39:11 They started testifying against us, 39:12 first time we had been there, 39:13 we didn't ask to get sat upfront. 39:15 They sat upfront, they started testifying against us. 39:18 And finally, they said, "You don't have the Holy Spirit 39:21 'cause you don't speak in tongues and..." 39:23 And a number of other things 39:25 and we're just trying to sit there, 39:26 read our Bibles, we don't know what to do, 39:27 we've never been here before. 39:29 And finally, I spoke up. 39:31 And I said, "The Bible does not say 39:34 the fruit of the Spirit is tongues, 39:35 the Bible says the fruit of the spirit is love." 39:37 And the pastor jumps in and says, 39:38 "Good, let's have a debate." 39:40 I don't go looking for debates, sometimes they find me. 39:45 And so we, John and I, 39:47 actually there was another pastor there, 39:49 I think Melvin Janey. 39:50 John and I and Melvin got into a debate 39:52 with this whole congregation, and they are elders, 39:54 all speaking in tongues. 39:56 And we said, "No, the fruit of the Spirit never does it 39:59 say the fruit of the Spirit is tongue. 40:00 The fruit of the Spirit is love." 40:02 And if you speak in tongues and you don't have love, 40:03 what does Paul say? "You are nothing." 40:06 So the evidence of the Spirit is not that you babble, 40:10 the evidence of the Spirit is do you love your neighbor, 40:14 do you love your spouse 40:16 or do you have 40:18 the 1 Corinthians 13 in your life? 40:21 All right, let me give you some more 40:22 on the Holy Spirit here, Galatians... 40:25 I'm sorry, Colossians 1:8, 40:27 "Who also declared to you, us, 40:30 your love in the Spirit." 40:33 Romans 15:30, "Now I beg of you brethren 40:36 through the Lord Jesus Christ 40:38 and through the love of the Holy Spirit." 40:41 Notice, he specifies, he singles out Jesus, 40:44 "And the love of the Spirit 40:45 that you strive together with me 40:47 in prayers to God." 40:48 Now notice that one verse, Spirit, Jesus, God. 40:53 You see it all over in the Bible. 40:55 But he specially says the love of the Spirit, 40:58 how much do we need the Spirit? 41:00 The food of the Spirit is love. 41:02 Amen? Amen. 41:04 Go to Luke 12:12, 41:07 "For the Holy Spirit will teach you 41:09 that very hour what you ought to say." 41:11 One of the things that Holy Spirit does is 41:13 he teaches, he instructs. 41:15 You look in John 14:26, 41:17 "But the helper, the Holy Spirit," 41:19 the Holy Spirit is called the comforter. 41:21 And some places, it's translated the paraclete. 41:24 And that is something like 41:25 He is a family defense attorney, 41:27 He intercedes in your behalf. 41:29 That might be what Paul is referring to in Romans 8, 41:33 where he said, "Likewise the Spirit 41:35 also helps us in our weakness, 41:36 for we don't even know what we should pray for 41:38 as we ought but he spirit himself 41:40 makes intersession for us 41:42 with groanings that cannot be uttered." 41:45 Sometimes you don't even know what to pray, 41:47 and God through the Spirit, 41:49 He translates our prayers into words 41:52 that are eloquent before God. 41:55 Not only does Jesus intercede for the Father, 41:57 the Holy Spirit intercedes before the Father. 42:01 Holy Spirit brings things to remembrance. 42:04 You don't know I slip into the office sometimes 42:06 when I get to church by myself, 42:08 I kneel down, I pray among the things I pray. 42:11 And I pray this prayer more often now 42:13 is that the Holy Spirit will bring back 42:14 to my remembrance, my memory. 42:17 I used to just have almost a photographic memory, 42:19 never had film 42:20 but I had a photographic memory. 42:22 But I pray that the Lord will help me remember the things 42:25 that I've read before 42:27 'cause sometimes I feel like Nebuchadnezzar, 42:29 when the wise man said, "Tell us the dream, 42:30 and we'll tell you the interpretation." 42:32 I say, "The thing is gone from me." 42:34 And so I pray. 42:36 But that's one of the promises, 42:37 John 16:4, 42:40 "But these things I've told you that when the time comes, 42:42 you may remember." 42:44 Amen. 42:45 And you read in John 14, it says, 42:47 "He will teach you all things 42:48 and He will bring to your remembrance," 42:50 that's John 14:26, 42:51 "All things that I've said," 42:53 now that means you need to read everything Jesus said 42:56 for the Holy Spirit to help you remember it. 42:58 Holy Spirit doesn't promise to help you remember 43:00 something you never read, amen? 43:02 Amen. 43:04 I know students years ago, they got this crazy notion 43:07 that if they would listen to tapes 43:09 playing the history book when they slept, 43:12 somehow they would remember the history lesson. 43:16 It only took a couple of generations 43:18 before they found out that doesn't work, 43:20 you won't wake up remembering anything. 43:23 All right, assurance of salvation, 43:24 and this is our free offers dealing with assurance. 43:28 Joel 3:31, someone's going to read for me in a moment, 43:31 John 6:37. 43:33 Joel 3:31, it says, 43:35 "The sun will be turned into darkness 43:37 and the moon into blood before the coming of the great 43:40 and awesome day of the Lord. 43:42 And it will come to pass at whoever calls 43:44 on the name of the Lord shall be saved." 43:46 Isn't that a wonderful promise? 43:48 "Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved, 43:51 for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem 43:53 there will be deliverance as the Lord God has said 43:55 among the remnant whom the Lord calls." 43:57 Now what does it mean 43:58 whoever calls on the Lord will be saved? 44:03 Won't the wicked be calling on God 44:05 when the judgments fall? 44:07 That's just... 44:08 They are blaspheming God actually. 44:10 When it says all who call on the Lord, 44:12 it means all who have a life of calling on God. 44:17 You have a practice 44:18 of calling on God will be saved. 44:21 And so you can't say, 44:22 "I'm going to wait till the last minute, 44:23 and I'm going to email or text the Lord 44:25 and He will save me." 44:27 No, it means that you're a person, 44:29 who is one of those people that calls on God, 44:32 they will be saved. 44:33 So it means that this is a practice, 44:36 but that's a wonderful promise too. 44:37 Go ahead, please read for us John 6:37. 44:40 "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me 44:43 and the one who comes to Me, I will by no means cast out." 44:47 What a wonderful promise of assurance. 44:50 Jesus said, "All that come to Me, 44:52 I will never cast out." 44:55 And that's what He says, "Whosoever will," 44:58 we don't believe in this predestination idea 45:00 that God's arbitrarily decided 45:02 some are going to be lost 45:03 and you don't whether you're one those or not. 45:06 If you hear Him speak for you, many are called, 45:09 few choose to respond to that call. 45:12 But if you hear Him calling, you come, will He cast you out? 45:16 No. That's a wonderful promise. 45:18 He is longing to save you. 45:20 God's more willing to answer your prayers 45:21 and you are to pray. 45:23 He is more willing to forgive you 45:24 than you're to ask for forgiveness. 45:27 John 10:28, 45:28 "And I give them eternal life, 45:30 and they will never perish 45:32 neither will anyone snatch them out of my hand." 45:35 What wonderful promises of assurance. 45:38 And, you know, it's got that wonderful parable 45:41 that you find of the Pharisee and the tax collector. 45:46 They both go to the temple to pray. 45:49 Pharisee says, "Lord, I thank You, 45:51 I'm not like other men. 45:52 I fast twice a week." 45:56 He says, "I am not an extortioner, 45:58 I'm just adulterer, even as this tax collector back here. 46:02 I fast twice a week, 46:03 I give tithes of all of that I possess," 46:05 but the tax collector, 46:06 the sinner who knows he is lost, 46:08 standing the far off 46:10 with not so much as raise his eyes to heaven 46:12 but he beat on his breast and says, 46:14 "God be merciful to me as sinner." 46:17 That's a short prayer you can all remember. 46:19 You got to pray in the same spirit, though. 46:22 I tell you this man went down to his house justified, 46:24 meaning forgiven. 46:25 He came, He humbled Himself, He confessed, He prayed, 46:29 and He was received. 46:30 Isn't that wonderful? 46:31 It's like Zacchaeus, God says, "This is the son of Abraham." 46:35 Last section is on the everlasting Gospel, 46:37 which you of course can read in Revelation 14:6-7, 46:42 you read in Micah 5:2, 46:44 "But you of Bethlehem, Ephratah, 46:45 though you're little among the thousands of Judah 46:48 yet out of you shall he come forth to me, 46:51 the one who is to be the ruler of Israel 46:53 whose goings forth are from old even from everlasting." 46:57 So how long ago did God know about the plan of salvation? 47:01 It's called the everlasting Gospel. 47:03 It's the lamb that was slaying 47:04 from the foundation of the world. 47:06 Nothing is snuck up on God. 47:08 He always knew that there would come a time 47:10 when His love would be challenged, 47:11 and it would cause a terrible rebellion. 47:14 I want to remind those who might have missed 47:15 the opening announcement 47:16 that we do have a book that tells you more about 47:18 this assurance. 47:19 We hope that you'll make most of it. 47:21 I meet people all the time, they just struggle, 47:24 and I believe in obedience. 47:26 But I also think that there are some people 47:28 who are preoccupied with obedience 47:30 that they don't know what it means to live a life 47:32 of peace and assurance. 47:34 So I wrote this book to try and give them 47:36 the promises that you can have 47:39 that kind of peace in your life. 47:40 And simply ask for it. 47:42 It's called Assurance, Justification Made Simple. 47:45 It's offer number 727 47:46 but you got to call 866-788-3966, 47:51 that's 866-Study-More, ask for this. 47:54 If you're out of the country, you can find this online, 47:57 and download it. 47:58 And if you do order it, read it 47:59 and please share it with a friend. 48:01 God bless you friends, 48:02 we look forward to studying His Word 48:03 together again next week. 48:07 Did you know that Noah was present 48:08 at the birth of Abraham? 48:10 Okay, maybe he wasn't in the room. 48:12 But he was alive and probably telling stories 48:15 about his floating zoo. 48:17 From the creation of the world 48:19 to the last day events of revelation, 48:21 BibleHistory.com is a free resource 48:24 where you can explore 48:25 major Bible events and characters. 48:27 Enhance your knowledge of the Bible 48:29 and draw closer to God's Word. 48:31 Go deeper, 48:33 visit the amazing Bible timeline 48:35 at BibleHistory.com. 48:46 You've probably heard the expression before, 48:48 "If you don't like the weather in Texas, 48:50 just wait, it will change." 48:52 And you've also heard everything is bigger in Texas, 48:54 the ranches, the belt buckles, the cowboy hats. 48:58 But the most famous slogan about Texas 49:01 is "Remember the Alamo." 49:06 The violent battles and bravery of iconic heroes 49:09 have been the stuff of legends 49:11 throughout which entire culture 49:12 often drawn their identity in pride 49:14 even long after centuries have passed. 49:17 And in Texas, the story of the Alamo 49:19 has been a rally in cry 49:20 of Texas Independence for 200 years. 49:24 One reason that Texans love to brag 49:25 that everything is bigger in Texas 49:28 is of course because Texas is the largest 49:30 of the lower 48 US states. 49:32 It's hard to believe that this massive state 49:35 got its beginning 49:36 in a very small Christian mission 49:38 during the Battle of the Alamo. 49:40 Every year, this famous mission museum 49:43 receives over 2.5 million visitors 49:45 from all parts of the planet 49:47 that are eager to get a good look 49:49 at this legendary site. 49:50 The Alamo played a critical role 49:52 in the Texas Revolution. 49:54 In December 1835, Texans and Tejanos volunteers 49:58 battle Mexican troops quartered in the city 50:01 forcing General Martin Perfecto de Cos to surrender. 50:04 The victorious volunteers then occupied the Alamo 50:07 and strengthened its defenses. 50:10 Famous Americans like Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie, 50:12 and Colonel William Travis made this location, 50:15 this ancient mission, the beachhead, 50:17 the last stand in an epic battle 50:20 to win independence of Texas from Mexico. 50:23 On February 23, 1836, 50:27 the arrival of General Antonio López de Santa Anna 50:30 nearly caught them by surprise. 50:32 Undaunted, the Texans and Tejanos 50:34 prepared to defend the Alamo. 50:36 For this small ragtag group of rebels, 50:38 the youngest of who was about 16 and the oldest 75 50:42 was against the well-trained and organized Mexican army 50:45 of 6,000-plus soldiers. 50:47 It was a fierce and lopsided battle, 50:49 yet the small force of rebels 50:51 was able to repel the troops for 13 days. 50:55 Legend holds that with a possibility 50:57 of additional help fading, 50:59 Colonel Travis drew a line in the ground with the sword 51:02 and asked, "Any man willing to stay and fight 51:05 can step over the line." 51:07 All except one crossed over. 51:09 The final assault came before day break 51:11 on the morning of March 6, 1836. 51:14 The 13th day of the siege 51:17 cannon and small arms fire from inside the Alamo 51:20 beat back several Mexican attacks. 51:22 Regrouping, Santa Anna's soldiers 51:24 scaled the walls and rushed into the compound. 51:27 The desperate struggle continued 51:29 until the defenders were overwhelmed. 51:31 By sunrise, the battle had ended 51:34 and the garrison was slain. 51:36 You know, historians may debate some of the details 51:38 regarding the battle of the Alamo 51:40 but none of them questioned 51:41 the incredible sacrifice that was made 51:43 and courage that was displayed during that intense conflict. 51:46 They made the ultimate sacrifice, 51:49 giving their lives. 51:50 And this is why the story of the Alamo 51:52 is so inspiring and so encouraging. 51:55 You know, and that's why the Bible 51:56 is so inspiring, friends, 51:57 because someone was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice 52:00 and give His life 52:01 so that you can have freedom and eternal life. 52:04 Don't you think you could trust your life to a friend like that 52:07 that would give everything? 52:08 The story of the Gospel is a story of courage and hope. 52:11 It's a story of a God who will never leave you 52:13 without defense and support. 52:15 Jesus is the good news, 52:17 and the Gospel is the story worth remembering. 52:31 Let's face it. 52:32 It's not always easy to understand 52:34 everything you read in the Bible. 52:35 With over 700,000 words contained in 66 books, 52:39 the Bible can generate a lot of questions. 52:42 To get biblical straightforward answers, 52:44 call into Bible Answers Live, 52:46 a live nationwide call-in radio program 52:49 where you can talk to Pastor Doug Batchelor, 52:51 and ask him your most difficult Bible questions. 52:54 For times and stations in your area 52:56 or to listen to answers online 52:58 visit, Bal.AmazingFacts.org. 53:10 Amazing facts, changed lives. 53:18 My greatest wish is that my children will see me 53:24 the way I see my own father. 53:29 He is a very devoted man. 53:32 And that kind of framed my childhood 53:34 going forward from there 53:35 where I was involved in church work 53:40 and I had a very rich experience 53:42 with the Lord at a young age 53:46 all the way up through college. 53:48 Then after I got married, 53:50 I got into a company called Comcast. 53:53 And I spent the past roughly eight and half years, 53:57 nine years at Comcast. 53:59 And I was actually watching television with my son 54:04 and a Comcast commercial came on the air. 54:08 And he said, "Oh, Daddy, that's Comcast. 54:11 That's where you work, Daddy." 54:14 And most fathers would be proud of something like that, 54:17 but it really struck me that, 54:20 you know, my son's getting older. 54:22 And he does not see me as a servant of the Lord, 54:24 he sees me as a servant of my company. 54:28 And I knew that I would have to make some changes 54:32 because I wanted him to know me as a man of God. 54:38 I'd never thought I would be a preacher 54:39 or anything like that. 54:41 But I knew that there was room in the work for me 54:45 and for my talents. 54:49 And I wanted my son to see me operating in the work. 54:55 That's when I knew that my time there 54:58 was coming to an end. 55:00 I was sitting in my office one day 55:02 and I was kneeling in prayer, 55:04 I said, "God, show me what You want me to do 55:07 because, you know, it seems like a big move here 55:12 and, you know, 55:15 everyone's thinking I am crazy." 55:18 And I don't know exactly how, 55:22 you know, things are going to go, 55:24 if they don't go well... 55:26 You know, the crazy thought when you're thinking about God. 55:30 And I lifted my head up in prayer 55:35 and just like a flock of, 55:38 you know, maybe 300 birds that were just flying. 55:42 And they were just swooping down 55:44 over the water and they would fly back up 55:47 and then they would chase each other around. 55:50 And, you know, I was just looking 55:51 at the pattern of the giant flock, 55:53 and the promise of the Lord came to me where He says that, 55:58 you know, He takes care of the sparrows. 56:02 And you don't see them worrying about 56:04 how they are going to be taking care of from day-to-day, 56:08 you know, they don't, you know, 56:10 wring their hands wondering, you know, 56:12 will there be any worms to eat tomorrow. 56:15 And that promise really stood out to me, 56:19 you know, He said, "How much more do I love you? 56:22 You know, I'm not going to send you 56:24 on a mission to do My work 56:27 and leave you high and dry 56:29 because you claim to be My child, 56:31 you claim to be My son." 56:32 And everyone knows that. 56:36 That assurance allows me to know that 56:38 whatever happens here, 56:41 whatever happens after here, 56:44 we are sons of God, 56:46 and there are certain things that we shouldn't worry about. 56:50 From that day, we arrived at AFCOE, 56:54 it's been obvious that God has blessed 56:57 the Amazing Facts Ministry, the AFCOE program. 57:01 And I will be using my AFCOE experience 57:05 no matter where I go to reach people 57:08 because the personal touch of face-to-face evangelism, 57:14 speaking and sharing the Word of God 57:17 out of your own mouth. 57:18 There's no replacement for that. 57:20 And Amazing Facts has been very instrumental 57:23 in helping me 57:25 find the area of the work of God 57:30 and showing me how large and how broad it is. 57:34 It's been a tremendous blessing to be in a place 57:37 where we are around people seeking to do God's will 57:42 and listening for His voice in their life. 57:44 And that's very, very important today. 57:54 Together, we have spread the Gospel 57:57 much farther than ever before. 57:59 Thank you for your support. |
Revised 2018-04-25