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Series Code: SSH
Program Code: SSH021845A
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00:35 Hello and welcome to another edition
00:37 of the Sabbath School Study Hour. 00:38 It's always good to be able to have 00:39 all of you that are watching here today, 00:41 both online as well as those that are watching 00:44 on the various television networks 00:45 around the world. 00:47 We are always happy to be able to know 00:49 that people are watching from different countries 00:52 across the USA and continued to be blessed 00:55 by this particular program 00:57 as we continue to study the Word of God, 00:59 as we continue to grow 01:00 in the grace and the knowledge of Jesus Christ. 01:03 It is always good to be able to come together 01:06 and open up our quarterly. 01:07 And this morning we're gonna be coming back to our quarterly 01:10 that we've been looking at for some time 01:12 entitled Oneness in Christ. 01:15 Now one of the things that I have noticed about this 01:17 particular quarterly is that 01:18 when you look at the different topics, 01:20 the key word that comes up over, and over, 01:21 over half of the topic titles is, "Unity," 01:25 and today is no exception. 01:27 Today is lesson number six, 01:28 and it is entitled Images of Unity, 01:32 Images of Unity, and so I hope that you have your quarterly 01:35 that you might be able to follow along. 01:36 If you haven't already looked at it, 01:38 if you don't have a copy of this 01:40 and you are saying to yourself, 01:41 "Boy, I really like to have a copy of that on my hands," 01:44 make sure that you visit 01:45 your local Seventh-day Adventist church 01:47 and when you walk in, 01:49 look for a smiling face that will be greeting you, 01:51 and tell them that you are interested 01:53 in a copy of quarterly that we are studying 01:56 in your local Seventh-day Adventist church. 01:59 You can also download a digital copy of that as well, 02:03 and you just simply need to go to lesson.aftv.org. 02:09 I'll say that one more time 02:10 'cause I don't see it on the screen, 02:11 lesson, L-E-S-S-O-N, lesson.aftv.org 02:16 and you are welcome to download 02:18 a digital copy of the same quarterly 02:21 that we are studying from week to week. 02:25 Now before we go into our scene, 02:27 I want to always offer you our free offer of the day 02:31 and today's free offer of the day is not a booklet 02:33 like so often we give away, 02:35 but today we'd like to offer you a free DVD. 02:39 Now you just simply need to dial 1-866-788-3966. 02:45 Again that's 1-866-788-3966 02:49 and ask for offer number 861, 02:53 and that is entitled, "Divided or United?" 02:57 Divided or United 02:58 and that's presented by our Pastor Doug Batchelor. 03:01 So please take advantage of that. 03:02 We always like to be able to give you 03:03 an opportunity to study and grow outside of the program 03:06 here as well with an additional free offer. 03:09 And so please take advantage of that. 03:11 Now of course today, we have our phones 03:12 and we'd like to order through text 03:14 and so you can do that by simply texting the code, 03:17 "SH114." 03:19 Again, you just simply text the code, "SH114," 03:23 and you'll send that to 40544, and again, 03:28 you can also go on amazingfacts.org 03:32 and you can find a free digital copy 03:33 of that as well 03:35 and so please take advantage of that. 03:37 At this time, we'd like to invite our singers out 03:39 as we praise the Lord together. 05:22 That is the beautiful thing about being a family, 05:25 united in Christ, 05:27 that no matter where you are on this planet, 05:31 we are all joined together, 05:33 and it can be painful to be separated, 05:37 but we have that hope that one day, 05:39 no matter what our circumstances, 05:42 we will be joined together and hope to meet again, 05:46 it's not just a hope, it will be a reality. 05:48 Thank you so much for singing with us and at this time, 05:50 Pastor Brummund will have our opening prayer. 05:59 I invite you to join us as we pray together. 06:02 Father in heaven, today we are thankful 06:03 to be able to continue to study, 06:06 continue to worship You, 06:07 continue to ask for Your Holy Spirit 06:09 to be with us that we might be able to have an understanding 06:12 that we could never find in ourselves, 06:15 and so we ask for Your presence 06:16 in our hearts, in our minds, in a very real way. 06:19 Want to pray that You will be with our teacher, 06:20 Pastor Doug Batchelor today as well, 06:22 and guide his heart and mind as he has prepared 06:25 and spent time with you to be able to share with us 06:28 and give us better understanding consent 06:30 to Your Word. 06:31 And so Father, we thank You for listening, 06:33 in Jesus' name we pray. 06:35 Amen. 06:37 I like to introduce our teacher and also our senior pastor 06:39 of the Granite Bay Seventh-day Adventist Church, 06:41 Doug Batchelor. 06:42 God bless you. 06:44 Thank you, Pastor Shawn. 06:45 Thank you to our singers, Michelle, and Debbie, 06:47 and Sherry, appreciate that. 06:49 Morning. Good morning. 06:51 Glad you're here for Sabbath School. 06:53 Kind of an important study talking about unity, 06:56 and we are continuing in our series dealing 06:58 with Oneness in Christ. 06:59 Today is going to be lesson number six. 07:01 Want to welcome our friends who are watching on TV, 07:06 or satellite, or the internet from around the world. 07:10 Just last week, I was with Karen in Michigan 07:13 and Minneapolis and this next week 07:15 we'll be in Spain. 07:17 And it seems like everywhere we go, 07:19 we meet people who say, "We study with you." 07:22 Even lot of folks where English is a second language, 07:24 they take the studies and sometimes 07:26 they translate them then 07:28 and share them with their classes, 07:31 and want to welcome those 07:32 who are some of our online members 07:34 here at Granite Bay. 07:35 If you're in the category 07:37 where may be you have no local church, 07:38 you can attend, 07:40 sometimes people are scattered around the world, 07:42 they are up in the tundra of Alaska, 07:45 or in the outback of Australia, 07:47 and all they get is our study through Sabbath school. 07:50 Do you like to know how to be an online member? 07:52 You can simply go 07:53 to the granitebaysda.org website, 07:58 and we'd love to hear from you, 07:59 we'll see what we can do to try to connect you 08:01 with the church family. 08:03 Oneness in Christ. 08:04 Now we have a memory verse, 08:05 and the memory verse comes to us 08:07 from the Book of 1 Corinthians chapter 12, 08:10 and this is New King James Version. 08:12 I'd like you to say it with me 1 Corinthians 12:12. 08:16 1 Corinthians 12:12, 08:18 and talking about images of unity in our lesson. 08:21 Are you ready? 08:23 "For as the body is one and has many members, 08:28 but all the members of that one body, 08:31 being many, are one body, so also is Christ." 08:36 Now what we're going to study today 08:38 is a number of the metaphors that are used in the Bible 08:42 to teach us about what does it mean 08:44 to be one in the church. 08:49 You know, I just pulled out a dollar bill 08:51 before I came in here to study to make sure, 08:54 you know, there's a statement in Latin 08:58 that you'll find on the U.S. seal, 09:01 it always sounds a little bit 09:02 like you've gotten a bad diagnosis from the lab. 09:06 You've got e pluribus unum. 09:10 That would scare you if the doctor said, 09:12 "Did you know you've got e pluribus?" 09:15 But it's a statement that's on our seal. 09:17 You know what it means? 09:19 "Out of many, one." 09:22 Because when, it was actually 09:24 Benjamin Franklin, and John Adams, 09:26 and Thomas Jefferson around the time 09:28 of the framing of the Constitution, 09:30 they developed that as sort of a national model 09:33 because they were welding together 09:34 these different states, 09:36 and the different states all had different interests 09:38 and there are things they're concerned about 09:40 what they thought, 09:41 "We will not be able to have freedom from England 09:44 unless we work together. 09:46 We've got to unite." 09:48 And so that became very important, 09:50 e pluribus unum, "Out of many, one." 09:53 Now it is true with the church that here we are people 09:57 from all over the world, 09:58 we come from all different backgrounds, 10:00 you've got slave and free, 10:01 male and female, rich and poor, 10:04 all different races, but we are one people. 10:09 And so some of the metaphors 10:10 we're going to look at in the lesson today 10:14 is "We're one people," 10:16 talking about "One household or temple," talking about, 10:19 "The temple of the Holy Spirit, the body of Christ, 10:22 sheep and shepherd." 10:24 And I'll do my best to get to as many of these as we can. 10:27 All right, first scripture we want to look at 10:29 is take a look in your Bible, Deuteronomy 24. 10:32 We're going to look at just what God called His people, 10:35 and He said, "I'm making you a unique nation or people." 10:39 Now the word people in the Bible, when you find it, 10:41 it often meant like people of a country. 10:45 When Jesus gives a great commission, 10:46 "We're to go to every tongue and people, 10:48 every tribe and people," 10:50 it's talking about different nations. 10:52 Remember the Tower of Babel? 10:54 People were sort of divided up into groups 10:56 they could understand, 10:57 then they formed the different peoples 10:59 of the world that populated the planet. 11:02 Say that four times fast. 11:04 "Peoples that populated the planet." 11:07 And, but it meant a unique unit. 11:11 Deuteronomy 4:20, 11:13 "But the Lord has taken you and brought you 11:15 out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt," why? 11:18 "To be His people." 11:20 They weren't just the tribe of Jacob anymore, 11:22 they were gonna become a nation, 11:24 "As an inheritance, as you are this day." 11:27 You read Deuteronomy chapter 7:6-8. 11:31 This is a little longer but I want you 11:32 to notice something here. 11:35 Deuteronomy 7:6. 11:37 "For you are..." 11:38 I just love hearing your pages turn. 11:41 That just gives me goose pimples. 11:46 "But the Lord has taken you and brought you 11:48 out of the iron furnace of Egypt to be His people," 11:51 he called you to be a united people, 11:54 "an inheritance, as you are this day." 11:56 And then you go to verse 6 of chapter 7. 11:59 "For you are a holy people to the Lord," 12:01 not just any people, he's called you to be unique, 12:03 you are set aside, 12:05 you are to be a pure people. 12:08 "He has chosen you to be a people for Himself, 12:11 a special treasure above all the peoples 12:15 of the face of the earth. 12:17 The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you 12:19 because you were more in number than any other people," 12:21 it's not 'cause you were the most popular or populous, 12:24 "for you were the least of all peoples, 12:26 but because the Lord loves you, 12:28 and because He would keep the oath 12:30 which He swore to your fathers, 12:31 the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand, 12:34 and redeemed you from the house of bondage, 12:36 from the hand of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt." 12:38 I've taken you, you were slaves, 12:40 you were a small 70 when they came into Egypt, 12:42 and I'm drawing you out, 12:43 and I'm going to turn that 70 people 12:45 into a mighty nation that's gonna alter the world. 12:49 You know, how many nations are in the world today? 12:52 We were just at a World General Conference 12:56 counsel in Battle Creek and they gave some reports, 12:58 and I think it's like 198 to 220, 13:01 it depends on how you count nations in the world today. 13:05 And who would've thought 13:09 that when God called the Israelites out 13:11 that they would be among the most influential nations 13:14 in the world. 13:16 How did the Jews become the most 13:17 influential nation in the world? 13:21 Well, they grew, they multiplied, 13:25 they dispersed around the world, 13:27 very usually because of bad behavior, 13:28 He dispersed them, He blessed them. 13:30 But what was it that gave the Jewish nation the influence 13:34 to affect more nations than any other nation? 13:37 Most of you I hope have the answer in your lap. 13:41 "Unto Israel were committed the oracles of truth." 13:46 The Bible is the most influential book in history. 13:49 What's the number one religion in the world? 13:52 Christianity. Number two is Islam. 13:53 Both influenced by the Bible. 13:56 Islam, you know, believes most of the Old Testament. 13:59 But that book was given to the Jews. 14:02 Muslims didn't have a hold of any of the scriptures 14:05 until 700 years after Christ. 14:08 And so this nation that became the guardians of the Word 14:14 and through who the word incarnate came, 14:16 influenced every other nation in the world. 14:18 Can you see that? 14:20 I mean look at how the laws of Christianity that ended up, 14:23 you know, America is one of the first great democratic 14:26 countries of the world. 14:28 But now, democracy is most of the countries of the world. 14:31 That all came through Christianity, to our nation. 14:34 So God said, 14:35 "I'm gonna influence the world through this nation," 14:37 He wasn't kidding, 14:38 He just really did make the biggest difference. 14:42 And he said, "I make you a treasure." 14:44 Notice in 1 Peter 2:9, 14:47 "But you are a chosen generation, 14:49 a royal priesthood, a holy nation, 14:54 His own special people," why did He call you? 14:57 "That you may proclaim the praises of Him 14:59 who called you out of darkness." 15:01 You might proclaim the praises of God. 15:03 Later today, we're going to be doing a message on SALT, 15:06 and you know that verse there in Matthew chapter 5, 15:09 it says "You are the light, you are the salt, 15:11 you are the light. 15:13 So let your light shine before men 15:14 that they may see your good works 15:17 and glorify your Father." 15:20 God wanted us to be a nation 15:21 where other nations will look and bring glory to God. 15:24 And that's what was happening during the time of Solomon, 15:26 when other kings and queens were coming into Israel saying, 15:29 "Wow, what great laws, what a great nation, 15:32 what wisdom is in this country?" 15:35 He wanted them to be a light, 15:37 a place where He could parade His truth to the people. 15:42 Says, now you are a marvelous light, 15:45 He is the one who called you out of darkness 15:46 into His marvelous light, 15:48 who once were not a people 15:50 but now you are a people of God, 15:52 once you had not obtained mercy 15:53 but now you have obtained mercy." 15:55 Now Peter's talking especially here to Gentiles 15:57 who looked like they were outside the covenant, 15:59 but through Christ he says, "No, 16:01 you're included in the covenant. 16:03 You were once without mercy but through Jesus, 16:05 you who are far off are now made near." 16:08 So we all become one people. 16:10 And I especially like this next one in Exodus 19:5. 16:15 This is of course just before 16:16 the Ten Commandments were given. 16:18 "Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice..." 16:22 Now when it says if, what does that mean? 16:25 It's about to make a promise but there's a condition. 16:28 All right, what's the promise? 16:29 "Now therefore, if you obey My voice, 16:32 and keep My covenant, 16:33 then you will be a special treasure to Me," 16:37 a treasure. 16:38 So does that just apply to the Jews back then 16:41 or does that apply to us today? 16:43 "If then you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, 16:47 then you will be a special treasure to Me, 16:49 above all people." 16:52 You know, the Bible says, "The eyes of the Lord 16:54 run to and fro through the whole earth 16:56 looking for someone through whom 16:57 He can show Himself mighty." 16:58 It's a quick paraphrase. 17:00 Have God's eyes stopped looking for people 17:03 that will trust and obey? 17:05 He says, "If you do, I will show Myself mighty through you, 17:07 you will be a treasure of My grace in the world." 17:12 Special people. 17:14 "You will be a treasure above all people, 17:16 for all the earth is Mine. 17:18 And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests, 17:21 a holy nation. 17:24 And these are the words you will speak 17:26 to the children of Israel." 17:27 You are to be a special nation, a holy people. 17:30 Now when it talks about kingdoms of priest, 17:32 I read it you there in the beginning of the Bible, 17:35 Deuteronomy, Exodus, 17:36 then I read it you in Peter in the New Testament. 17:39 Now you go to the last book of the Bible. 17:41 Someone's gonna read for me, Revelation, you'll be the next. 17:45 I'm going to read Revelation 1:5, 17:47 says "To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins 17:50 in His own blood, 17:51 and has made us kings and priests to His God 17:56 and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever." 18:02 A nation, it says, a kingdom of priests. 18:05 Now what was the job of a priest? 18:09 If I said, "If we're all a nation of kings and priests, 18:14 what was a priest's job?" 18:16 Offer sacrifice. 18:17 Why? 18:20 They're making atonement and intercession. 18:26 You know, what the word atonement means, 18:28 at, you break down the word, at one ment. 18:32 We got separated from God, 18:34 the priest was to be a mediator. 18:37 And you know, you've got those knobs on the old stove 18:39 where it said, low, medium, high, 18:41 and medium meant between the two. 18:44 Moses was a mediator between God and man 18:46 as he'd go up the mountain, 18:47 God talked to Moses, Moses talked to us. 18:49 He'd intercede for the people. 18:51 The priest was a mediator. 18:53 Christ is our great high priest. 18:56 We as Christians, we follow Jesus, 18:58 we're a nation of mediators for the lost world. 19:03 He wants us to go out and intercede 19:05 and work to bring, 19:07 to make atonement, 19:08 to bring those that are lost back to God. 19:11 What a wonderful calling that is? 19:13 So and not only are you a nation of priests, he says, 19:16 you're a nation of what else did they? 19:18 Kings. 19:19 "You are royal priesthood," the Bible said. 19:21 That's exciting to think about. 19:23 It says we will live and reign with Him. 19:26 And so when God looks down on the world, 19:28 He sees us as ambassadors for Him. 19:32 All right, please read for us the next verse. 19:34 It's similar. 19:35 Revelation 20:6. 19:38 "Blessed and holy is he 19:40 who has part in the first resurrection. 19:42 Over such the second death has no power, 19:45 but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, 19:48 and shall reign with Him a thousand years." 19:51 Now they don't only reign with Him for 1000 years, 19:53 they reign with Him uniquely for 1000 years 19:56 and then after the earth is made new, 19:57 they reign with Him on earth through eternity. 20:00 And the Bible talks about even the 12 apostles. 20:02 He says, "You will sit on 12 thrones 20:04 ruling the nations of Israel with Me." 20:07 And we, God's moving the capital of the universe 20:10 to our planet, isn't that right? 20:12 God Himself will dwell with us, so the New Jerusalem come down. 20:16 God Himself is in the city. 20:18 And then we live and reign with God 20:20 as ambassadors for the King to every other created 20:25 being in the cosmos forever and ever. 20:28 What a wonderful privilege that we've been called 20:30 to be a nation of kings and priests 20:32 when you think about that. 20:33 Wow. All right. 20:34 So this is one of the metaphors of the church. 20:36 This is where it begins. 20:38 When does a kingdom of heaven begin? 20:41 When Jesus comes or does it start 20:42 when Jesus came? 20:45 When Christ came, He said, 20:46 the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 20:47 So the spiritual kingdom is at hand now. 20:50 You become kings and priests spiritually now. 20:54 We'll experience it in a fuller sense and glory, 20:58 but it begins now. 20:59 That's exciting when you think about it. 21:01 Then another metaphor we're going to look at 21:02 is the household of God. 21:05 It's talking about a home, not the temple that's coming, 21:09 but a house. 21:11 Matthew 7:24, "Whoever hears these sayings of Mine, 21:14 and does them, I will liken him 21:15 to a wise man that" does what? 21:18 "Built his house." 21:20 Church is a place, 21:21 it's founded on the Word of God, 21:23 and the storm rages against the house, 21:25 but it does not fall because it's founded on 21:28 the rock of His Word, His truth. 21:32 Ephesians 2:19. 21:34 "Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers 21:37 and foreigners, 21:38 but you are fellow citizens with the saints and the members 21:42 of the household of God." 21:45 There's a lot in the news lately 21:46 and I got to be careful what I say 21:47 'cause it's very volatile subject 21:50 about immigration. 21:52 But the reason that it is an issue 21:55 is because do citizens of a country have rights 22:00 that non-citizens do not have? 22:04 Yeah, you enjoy great privileges. 22:07 And I'll tell you that it's really nice 22:11 when you travel overseas, 22:13 as I mentioned Karen and I are going to Spain, 22:15 do a short week of meetings there. 22:18 And she checked last night with Bonnie and said, 22:21 "Do we need a visa?" She said, "No." 22:23 America, Spain says come on in. 22:26 There's a lot of places around the world you can go 22:29 but some countries, 22:30 you got to have a visa everywhere you go 22:32 because they just got a dubious reputation. 22:36 But being, you know, American Express 22:39 used to have an ad for their cards and it says, 22:43 "Membership, " what's rest of that? 22:46 "Has its privileges." 22:47 Right. 22:48 Membership has its privileges. Citizenship has its privileges. 22:53 And when you are a citizen in God's kingdom, 22:57 when you are a citizen of His household, 22:59 there are privileges that come with that. 23:02 And that He promises you 23:04 the availability of the Holy Spirit, 23:06 it's one of those, He gives you at baptism. 23:09 So therefore you are no longer strangers and foreigners. 23:13 Now this meant a lot 23:14 because in the time of the apostles, 23:17 what nation was ruling the civilized world around 23:20 the Mediterranean? 23:21 Rome. 23:22 Did it mean something to have Roman citizenship? 23:26 I think someone said it could have been somewhere 23:29 between 50% and 60% 23:30 in the Roman Empire were slaves. 23:33 But if, and then you had people that were not slaves 23:36 but they were not citizens. 23:38 But if you were a Roman citizen, 23:40 you got special treatment. 23:41 You know, you could not crucify a Roman citizen. 23:44 They were beheaded. 23:46 Jesus was crucified. Paul was beheaded. 23:48 Peter was crucified because he was not a citizen. 23:50 Paul had citizenship. 23:52 He talks about that several times. 23:54 They could not, they whipped Paul 23:56 once without giving him a fair trial 24:00 and you could never do that to a Roman. 24:01 There are lot of privileges of being a citizen of Rome. 24:05 A lot of protections. 24:07 And if you violated those protections, 24:08 you were in trouble. 24:10 And so when Paul says, "You're not stranger, 24:11 you're citizens now with the saints 24:14 and members of the household of God." 24:17 And it says, "This church is built 24:18 on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, 24:22 Jesus Himself being the chief cornerstone." 24:26 So are the teachings of Christ the cornerstone 24:28 for just the New Testament apostles? 24:31 Or are the teachings of Christ a cornerstone 24:33 for the Old Testament prophets? 24:36 What does he say here? 24:37 Both. 24:39 The foundation for the apostles and the prophets is Christ. 24:44 Everything that the apostle said 24:45 is built on the teachings of Christ. 24:48 Everything the prophets said, Old Testament, Moses, 24:51 built on the foundational teachings of Christ. 24:54 Christ is the Word, right? 24:56 Jesus is the cornerstone. 24:58 Now why is a cornerstone so important? 25:00 How many of you ever done masonry before? 25:05 And if you're doing just the wall, 25:07 even if it's a foundation, 25:08 even if it's just a footing for a building, 25:11 if you're doing a course of brick, 25:13 what's the most important brick you're going to put down? 25:17 It's the first one that's going to determine 25:21 everything else in the wall because if that first brick 25:25 is not square perfectly this way, 25:28 as the bricks follow on, 25:30 it's going to be too high out of level, 25:32 if it's not square with the angle like this, 25:35 it's going to start going further out 25:36 and it makes everything else go out. 25:38 That first one has to be perfectly laser square. 25:41 They use strings and stuff to do that. 25:43 And then you do a coarse of brick this way, 25:45 and a of coarse of brick this way, and it's all, 25:47 everything is governed by that first brick. 25:50 And so that's how it is with God's building. 25:53 Jesus is the cornerstone. 25:54 It sets everything else straight. 25:57 And because He is the perfect example, 26:00 we're safe using Him as that cornerstone. 26:03 You read also in 1 Corinthians chapter 3. 26:07 Oh, I didn't read the best part of Ephesians 2. 26:09 Go to verse 22. 26:12 It said, "Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, 26:14 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, 26:18 grows into a holy temple to the Lord, 26:21 in whom you are also being built together 26:24 for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit." 26:28 God through the Spirit dwells in His people. 26:33 Then you go to our 1 Corinthians 3:9. 26:37 "For we are God's workers, you are God's field, 26:40 you are God's building." 26:41 Look at the metaphors that are being used, 26:43 not only a building but a field. 26:45 "According to the grace 26:47 which God has given me as a wise master builder, 26:51 I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. 26:54 But let each one take heed how he builds, 26:56 for no other foundation can anyone lay 26:59 than that which is laid, Jesus Christ." 27:03 If everybody would turn back to the Word in our teachings 27:06 as people went from place to place 27:08 and raising up churches. 27:09 If we all went back to the same book, 27:12 we come to the same conclusions. 27:14 So when we start getting involved 27:15 in private interpretations, 27:17 that the building wall started to get out of plumb. 27:20 And so Paul is saying, "Look, I'm a master builder. 27:22 Others may build on it, but I built good 27:24 because I used the foundation of Jesus." 27:28 Let each one take heed how he builds on it. 27:31 No other foundation can be laid. 27:34 1 Peter 2:4, 5. 27:37 "Coming to Him as to a living stone, 27:40 rejected indeed of men, 27:42 but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, 27:47 are being built up a spiritual house, 27:50 a holy priesthood, 27:52 to offer up spiritual sacrifices to God 27:54 through Jesus Christ." 27:56 And so we are home. 27:58 Now the reason I'm emphasizing this, 28:00 in a moment, we're going to talk about 28:01 the metaphor of the churches, 28:04 a temple of the Holy Spirit. 28:06 We just talked about the church being a house. 28:09 Right now, we've gathered together as God's people 28:11 in the church, the temple. 28:14 But what happens when you go home? 28:17 Do you cease to be in a dwelling place of God? 28:20 You think Christ to be the foundation in your home 28:23 as well as in your church? 28:25 For everything and your families? 28:28 Now keep in mind, 28:30 families back in Bible times were a lot bigger 28:33 than they typically are today. 28:35 I remember once it said King Ahab had 70 sons. 28:41 Yeah. 28:42 And Solomon, I don't even know if it ever tells us 28:46 how many Solomon has 28:47 but Solomon had like a thousand wives 28:50 if you include wives and concubines. 28:53 And so, I mean, 28:55 boy, that must have been really confusing 28:57 as they got ready for school that day. 29:00 All the kids running around from Solomon's household. 29:04 So a family was by definition almost a church. 29:09 It's like, Abraham would offer sacrifice for his family. 29:11 Well, how many were in his family? 29:14 Never tells us. 29:15 It says he had a great household. 29:16 The closest we get to knowing how many were in his family 29:18 even before he had one son. 29:22 He said he had 300 trained soldiers 29:25 in his family. 29:27 So he's got a big household. 29:28 So Abraham was really acting like the priest for his family. 29:33 So families were a segment of the temple of God. 29:39 It's not just that when you're in church 29:41 that you're the body of Christ. 29:42 When you go home in your families, 29:44 you are the body of Christ. 29:46 Karen and I were running up the door. 29:48 I'll just make a little public confession 29:50 because I'm trying to do something 29:51 pastoral here right now. 29:54 Do you have worship in your homes? 29:57 You know, when we had the kids all at home, 29:58 you know, they are grown, 29:59 they're going off to college now, 30:00 they got Nathan's in the mission field, 30:02 and they've got their own families 30:04 in some cases. 30:05 But when they were all in the house, 30:07 you know, we were determined that you gather them together, 30:09 have worship, 30:10 it was especially important to us 30:12 for them to guide them, 30:13 but you know what happened is, 30:15 after the kids all left house, 30:17 Karen and I started kind of, 30:18 we have our own private worship, 30:19 but we weren't having worship together. 30:21 And I got convicted of that, 30:23 you know, this week, last night, 30:25 we went up and had worship 30:27 up on the hill overlooking the property 30:29 and this morning we are rushing around, 30:30 I'm doing my final touch up on the notes, 30:32 and Karen's having this worship, 30:33 and you know, there's a potluck, 30:34 and she's getting stuff ready for the potluck, 30:36 and I said, "I'll see you at church dear. 30:38 And I kissed her, good bye." 30:39 We take separate cars to protect our marriage. 30:41 You know, it just doesn't cost that much. 30:44 It's worth every penny of the extra gas. 30:47 And so I'm on my way out the door, 30:50 and I'm in the garage, 30:52 and I thought, "We haven't even prayed together." 30:54 We always did it. 30:55 It was like have it with the kids. 30:57 And so I came back and said, "Karen, 30:58 we haven't even prayed together." 31:00 So we knelt at the bed, we prayed together and I said, 31:02 "I feel much better now." 31:04 So you're not just at church when you're in church. 31:05 It's kind of, yeah, I'm at church, we pray. 31:07 You got to do it in your family. 31:09 You need to have Jesus 31:10 being a cornerstone in your family 31:13 where you're praying together and your family 31:15 is a little sanctuary for the Lord. 31:17 Not only do we want the Lord 31:18 to be in our church with the Holy Spirit, 31:21 you want Him to dwell in your home, 31:23 you want things that are said and done in your home, 31:25 to be a place where the angels want to dwell. 31:28 And so that's why I think the lesson breaks out. 31:31 You are the household in your homes 31:33 and with the temple which is our next part here 31:35 that we're going to 31:37 for the metaphors of oneness here. 31:42 Temple of the Holy Spirit. 31:43 Now someone's going to read 1 Corinthians 3:16, 31:46 just a moment, you'll have that Ben, 31:48 And I'm going to read 31:49 1 Corinthians... 31:51 No, I'm reading 2 Chronicles 7:1, 2. 31:57 "When Solomon had finished praying 32:01 fire came down from heaven..." 32:02 Now, what's he praying over? 32:04 This is the dedication of the temple built by Solomon 32:08 which was the first permanent temple. 32:11 The other one through the wilderness 32:12 was a portable temple. 32:14 "When Solomon had finished praying, 32:15 fire came down from heaven 32:17 and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, 32:20 and the glory of the Lord filled the temple." 32:23 Now just a little footnote. 32:25 You'll hear about when Solomon had his prayer in, 32:28 I think it's 1 Kings, yes, 1 Kings and in 2 Chronicles. 32:33 1 Kings does not mention the part about the Holy Spirit 32:36 coming down and fire coming down. 32:38 So I think you should just note that 32:40 because this to me is very important. 32:42 Notice this. 32:43 "He prayed, he dedicated the house to the Lord. 32:46 The Spirit of God, 32:47 the fire of God came down consumed the burnt offering 32:50 and the sacrifices, 32:51 and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. 32:56 And the priests could not enter the house of the Lord, 32:59 because the glory of the Lord 33:00 had so filled the Lord's house." 33:04 The priests are going, 33:05 at first, they are trying to put on their sunglasses, 33:07 and that doesn't work, and they are going, 33:09 "We're trying to go in and do our job, 33:10 but there's so much glory, 33:11 we got to wait for to dissipate." 33:14 Wouldn't you like to have that problem in your home? 33:16 So much of the spirit that your cup runs over. 33:19 It's like Moses came down the mountain 33:21 after talking to God and he's glowing. 33:22 They said, "Don't talk to us. 33:23 It's too much glory." 33:25 Wouldn't you like to have that problem? 33:28 Just to be so filled 33:29 and baptized with the Holy Spirit 33:30 in the last days 33:32 that people know that God is with you. 33:35 So I thought that was a great verse, story. 33:39 That filled the Lord's house. Please read for us your verse. 33:43 1 Corinthians 3:16, 17. 33:46 "No ye not that you are the temple of God 33:49 and that the Spirit of God dwell within you? 33:51 If any man defiles the temple of God, 33:54 him shall God destroy. 33:55 For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are." 33:59 Now, this is a little different from where Paul says later, 34:03 don't you know your body 34:04 is the temple of the Holy Spirit. 34:06 Here he is saying, "Don't you know that ye," 34:08 plural, it's kind of like we say in the South, y'all, 34:14 y'all is what he's really saying. 34:16 "Don't you know that y'all are the temple 34:18 of the Holy Spirit?" 34:20 That collectively we are living stones, 34:23 that we form a temple, 34:24 that God dwells in you, if anyone defiles this temple. 34:29 I know I probably aggravate 34:31 some of our leaders and our workers, 34:33 we really appreciate everyone that volunteers 34:35 but you know, 34:37 because we use this building for a number of things, 34:40 we have classes and we have seminars, 34:42 and I think it's great that, you know, 34:44 we get up just before we enter our worship service, 34:46 we greet each other, that's important. 34:48 But then you've got to do something, 34:50 when we enter into the worship service, 34:51 we need to maintain sanctity. 34:54 And I think sometimes 34:55 it's important to teach our kids 34:59 because this place 35:01 is a place that's set aside for the worship 35:03 of the Holiest of Holies God 35:07 that there should be a reverence. 35:10 And so sometimes the kids, 35:11 I see them running up the hall, 35:13 says, "Guys, please don't run." 35:14 You don't want to be, you know, sour to the kids, 35:19 you know, but you are trying nicely, 35:20 says, "Look, this is a church. 35:22 Don't run." 35:24 All right, I mean, here people are talking loud, 35:26 I say, "Come on, let's keep it down. 35:28 Little more reverence." 35:30 Ace, don't you agree? 35:31 Yes. Good. Help me with that. 35:34 So there should be a sanctity 35:37 where it's filled with the Holy Spirit. 35:39 And I think it invites angels 35:40 and when we show that reverence, 35:42 it invites the Holy Spirit. 35:45 Romans 8:9. 35:46 "But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, 35:49 if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. 35:51 Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, 35:54 he is not His." 35:56 What's the seal that we belong to Christ? 35:59 Holy Spirit. 36:01 1 Corinthians 6:19. 36:03 "Or do you not know that your body..." 36:04 Now here's a verse on the body. 36:06 "Do you not know that your body 36:07 is the temple of the Holy Spirit." 36:09 This really goes with our next section, 36:11 the body of Christ. 36:15 "Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit 36:17 who is in you, whom you have from God, 36:19 and you are not your own? 36:21 For you were bought with a price, 36:23 therefore glorify God in your body 36:25 and in your spirit, 36:26 which are God's." 36:28 You'll read in Revelation about this group. 36:31 They're called the synagogue of Satan. 36:33 You got the Nicolaitans 36:34 who have the teaching that God hates. 36:37 You know what their teaching was? 36:40 They said, "Well, you know, 36:41 you worship God with your spirit, 36:42 but your body is carnal, it gets old, it dies, 36:44 it's got desires and unholy passions 36:46 and you can't control the body. 36:47 So just do whatever you want with the body, 36:50 but you worship God with the spirit." 36:52 That was sort of a Greek mysticism. 36:56 And it began to influence, 36:57 contaminate Christians and the church, 36:59 and God said, "I hate that." 37:00 That is not true. 37:02 The Jewish mindset was, 37:03 "Your body and your spirit are interwoven. 37:06 You want to take care of your spirit, 37:07 take care of your body." 37:09 One of the things that makes the 37:10 Seventh-day Adventists unique 37:11 is we realize there is this unalterable connection 37:15 between your body and your spirit. 37:17 Obviously, if a person is drunk and on drugs, 37:20 they don't hear the Holy Spirit very well, right? 37:23 And so the Lord wants us to have our minds clear. 37:27 He wants our bodies to be well 37:29 because He communicates to us through our mind 37:31 which is, you know, the Holy Holies in that body. 37:35 And so it's sort of a holistic view 37:39 that we are part of that body. 37:41 In the New Testament, 37:42 the church is often described as a body. 37:45 And yet for some reason, 37:46 it's more common for Christians 37:48 to amputate themselves from the body of Christ. 37:51 Have you ever heard people say, 37:52 "Does it really matter if I go to church? 37:54 I can survive spiritually without the church. 37:57 I love the Lord. 37:58 I'm a Christian but I don't go to church." 38:00 How many of you have heard that before? 38:04 How long does a body part survive 38:06 when it's separated from the rest of the body? 38:10 I don't want to embarrass David 38:12 but he told me a story one time that when you were at school, 38:15 you were running a band saw, and something happened. 38:19 David has got a testimony right there. 38:20 He is missing the end of his finger. 38:22 They rushed him to the clinic or somewhere and they said, 38:24 "Where is the finger?" 38:26 And they said, "Well, they left it 38:27 back at the shop." 38:28 They said, "Oh, we could have attached it." 38:31 But if you go too long, 38:33 where a piece of the body is separated, 38:35 it doesn't last. 38:36 Now if I tell you to look at the person next to you 38:40 and say, "Well, I really like your nose." 38:42 Will probably makes them feel awkward. 38:46 But if I say, "Look on the floor, a nose." 38:49 How many of you would be a little uncomfortable with that? 38:52 If I said, "I think I see a human nose on the floor." 38:55 See, that's not where it's supposed to be, 38:56 it's supposed to be on the face. 38:58 It doesn't last very long on the floor, right? 39:01 And so when people say, "I'm part of the body 39:03 but I am disconnected," you won't survive. 39:09 It's like a lamb 39:10 without the flock and the shepherd, 39:12 they'll be taken by the wolves. 39:14 You might, for a little while, feel spiritual and everything, 39:16 and the devil will give some people 39:18 the illusion that they're Christians 39:19 and they're not part of a church. 39:21 But, I mean, yeah, some people are shut ins 39:23 and they can't make it to church 39:24 or they're isolated by their job or circumstances 39:27 and there's no Christians around. 39:28 That's different, everyone understand? 39:31 But when a Christian, you can't go to church, 39:34 doesn't go to church, and they say, 39:35 "Oh, yeah, I'm a Christian." 39:36 It's usually a sign of bad health. 39:39 Usually they don't get along with somebody. 39:44 And they say, "I want to be a Christian." 39:46 It always reminds me of a guy that's dating a girl who says, 39:50 "I love you and I want to marry you 39:52 but I really don't want to live with you." 39:55 And when you become a Christian, 39:58 you are baptized into the body of Christ. 40:01 That's what the Bible says, we are in Christ. 40:03 What's the church called? The body of Christ. 40:06 So for you to say, 40:07 "I'm the Christian 40:08 and I only go to church once a month," 40:10 you're probably not a very healthy Christian. 40:14 If you had a car that started one time out of four, 40:18 would you get it worked on? 40:21 Yeah, there's no consistency there. 40:23 And so you want to be a consistent Christian. 40:24 Be involved. 40:26 Not just going to church but being a functional member. 40:29 And it goes into that here in the lesson. 40:31 Not just being part of the body. 40:32 Someone's gonna read for me, Ephesians, 40:36 you just read that one, huh? 40:37 No, no. 40:38 I read that one. I take it all back. 40:40 I was going to give that one away 40:42 but I changed my mind. 40:44 Ephesians 1:22, 40:46 "And He put all things under His feet, 40:48 and gave Him, Jesus, 40:49 to be head over all things to the church, 40:51 which is the body, 40:53 the fullness of Him who fills all in all." 40:56 Bible says, "There's one body, one spirit." 41:00 1 Corinthians 10:17, 41:02 "For we, though many, are one bread and one body, 41:06 we partake of that one bread." 41:08 Whenever we have communion, we are acknowledging, 41:10 we are part of one body, the Bible says. 41:13 For the equipping, 41:14 it gives different gifts of the spirit, why? 41:15 For the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, 41:19 for the edifying," what is an edificio? 41:24 It's a building. 41:26 To build up. 41:27 So it's not just being in the body, 41:28 using your gifts then somehow to build up the body. 41:34 Got to church early this morning and I said, 41:36 "Where are our greeters?" 41:39 I heard they were little late or something. 41:41 I said, "That's part of the body, 41:42 that's so important. 41:43 When people come through the door, 41:44 they see people smiling and welcoming." 41:46 And so that's one of the many ministries 41:48 that we've got. 41:49 And we have people who are on the camera. 41:51 They are helping broadcast. 41:52 We got people who are deacons, we got elders. 41:54 And we've got the children's divisions, 41:56 but if you're in the body 41:58 and you're just kind of coming and going, 42:00 you ought to be in the prayer ministry, 42:01 be in the book ministry, 42:03 everybody ought to be integrated, 42:05 a part of the body, 42:06 there are no appendixes in the temple of God. 42:10 No, I guess appendix even has a function, doesn't it? 42:14 You know, they took away my tonsils 42:16 and I have no idea what I'm missing. 42:17 But I guess that was there for a reason, 42:19 when I was young. 42:21 I mean everything's got a function, right? 42:24 But I'm hoping that you're not all tonsils 42:25 and appendix in the body 42:26 that you get involved in using your gifts. 42:30 Amen? Amen. 42:32 I mean let's read Romans 12:4. 42:35 "For as we have many members in one body, 42:37 but all the members don't have the same function, 42:40 so we, being many, are one body in Christ, 42:42 and individual members of one another. 42:45 Having in them a differing, 42:47 according to the grace that is given to us, 42:49 let us use them, if prophecy, 42:51 let them interview, teaching, 42:52 let us prophesy in proportion to our faith, 42:54 or ministry, let us use it in our ministering, 42:56 he who teaches, in teaching 42:58 he who exhorts, in exhortation, 43:00 he who gives, with liberality," some got the gift of giving, 43:03 they are successful and they are generous, 43:05 "he who leads, with diligence, 43:07 he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness." 43:10 Similar verse. 43:11 This was such a foundational teaching 43:13 in the New Testament. 43:15 1 Corinthians 12:12. 43:17 "For as the body is one and has many members, 43:21 but all the members of that body, 43:22 being one or many, so also is Christ. 43:25 For by one spirit we're baptized into one body, 43:28 where they're Jews or Greeks, where they're slaves or free 43:31 and have all been made to drink into one spirit. 43:35 For in fact the body is not one but many members. 43:38 But the foot should not say, 43:40 'Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body.' 43:43 Someone should say, "Well, if I am not a pastor, 43:45 I don't want to go. 43:47 Or if I am not an elder. 43:49 Or if I don't get this job or that job, then." 43:53 You know what the most dangerous time 43:54 is in a church? 43:56 We're getting ready to go into this year in our church. 43:59 Nominating committee. 44:01 You know why? 44:02 It's very important 44:03 because you are trying to get more people integrated. 44:05 But there is always a possibility 44:08 that the committee 44:09 will recommend that someone else is given a chance 44:11 to learn a new office which means the person 44:13 who's had that office for a while 44:15 might get another office or be asked to take a break, 44:18 and they become mad, they take it as rejection, 44:21 and they say, "That's my job. 44:22 How dare they're getting my job away? 44:24 I'll never gonna come back." 44:27 It's true. 44:29 "How come I wasn't on the decorating committee? 44:31 They don't think I have any decorating skills?" 44:35 And you know what causes those problems, almost always? 44:38 Pride. 44:40 Nominating committee is a great opportunity for us 44:42 to embrace humility as a church, right? 44:46 And say, "Lord, wherever You want me, 44:48 use Your process. 44:49 Put me where You want me." 44:51 But he says just because a person is not a foot 44:54 or not a hand, don't say I'm a foot, 44:56 I don't want to be foot, I want to be a hand, 44:58 you are still part of the body. 45:01 "Should the foot say, 'Because I am not a hand, 45:03 I am not part of the body,' 45:05 is it therefore not of the body? 45:06 And if the ear should say, 'Because I am not an eye, 45:08 I am not of the body,' 45:09 is it therefore not of the body? 45:11 If the whole body was an eye, where would be the hearing?" 45:14 I like Paul's humor here. 45:16 "If the whole was hearing, where would be the smelling?" 45:20 I remember hearing an illustration one time 45:22 where a man woke up 45:26 and he reached on the dresser to put on his glasses 45:29 and his nose protested. 45:31 And his nose said, "Not again. 45:34 No more. I've had enough." 45:36 And the man say, "Listen, you are the nose. 45:37 What's the problem?" 45:38 He says, "You always got those glasses on me. 45:39 They go on up and down. 45:40 They slide up and down all day long. 45:42 They leave a little red spots. 45:43 I can't breathe. No more glasses." 45:47 So the man set the glasses back down, 45:49 he went on to the bathroom, and he bumped his nose 45:51 because he couldn't see where he was going. 45:55 All the parts of the body need each other. 45:58 Amen? Amen. 45:59 Well, I got three minutes here. 46:00 I want to jump down, you see, 46:02 you can read the rest of that verse, 46:03 it talks about the different body parts. 46:05 Sheep and shepherd. 46:07 Another metaphor used for unity. 46:09 A flock with a head shepherd, 46:12 and there might be under shepherds. 46:14 Jesus talked about shepherds that loved the sheep 46:16 and then those higher lands are just doing it for a job, 46:19 and if the wolf comes, 46:20 they run and they leave the sheep to be eaten. 46:23 But those that love the sheep, they all lay down their lives. 46:27 The Old Testament talks about shepherds 46:29 that don't care, they sleep, 46:31 and there's dumb dogs that don't bark 46:32 and they don't care about the sheep 46:34 and the sheep are scattered and destroyed. 46:36 Bible talks about faithful shepherds like Jacob. 46:38 You ever listened to Jacob's description to Laban? 46:41 Talk about the years of shepherding sheep. 46:43 Says, "I was out in the cold in the night. 46:46 In the heat during the day, my sleep went from me. 46:50 Says, I fought off the wolves." 46:52 He describes the life of a shepherd. 46:54 Isn't it interesting that when God called His nation, 46:57 it was a nation of shepherds? 47:00 Abraham was a shepherd. 47:02 Isaac was a shepherd and a farmer. 47:05 Jacob was a shepherd. 47:08 Joseph was a shepherd. 47:11 Moses, how did God prepare Moses for leading the people? 47:14 Forty years taking care of sheep. 47:17 How did God prepare David to be a good leader? 47:20 Taking care of sheep. 47:22 I enjoyed my time 47:23 when I lived on the Navajo Reservation 47:25 because they were largely shepherds back then. 47:27 Now they lived in their hogans and they'd take care of sheep, 47:30 and I would go out with my cousin on motorcycles. 47:35 The Navajos, 47:38 they didn't even have horses, a lot of them, 47:39 they would herd their sheep on foot, 47:40 they just chase them with their dogs, 47:43 and I tried to help them with my motorcycle 47:44 but I think I did more to scatter 47:46 and scare the sheep. 47:49 And, but it's a very committed life, 47:51 they're out there in the sun and in the cold, 47:52 and there is very little shelter 47:53 and they are just taking them 47:55 from one gracing spot to the other 47:57 so they could eat their mutton. 48:00 David says, "The Lord is my shepherd." 48:02 Someone's gonna read for me a verse in a second. 48:05 You get ready, you are next. 48:07 David says, "The Lord is my shepherd. 48:08 I shall not want. 48:10 He makes me to lie down in green pastures. 48:13 He leads me beside the still waters. 48:15 He restores my soul. 48:18 He leads me in the paths of righteousness." 48:20 So where does the shepherd lead us? 48:22 Paths of righteousness. 48:25 Go ahead. Read your verse for us please. 48:28 Isaiah 40:11. 48:31 "He will feed His flock like a shepherd. 48:34 He will gather the lambs with His arm, 48:36 and carry them in His bosom, 48:38 and gently lead those who are with young." 48:41 It's wonderful when you look at the metaphor 48:43 God gives for His one people as a flock 48:46 because He is the shepherd. 48:47 You got a beautiful passage there 48:49 in John chapter 10, 48:51 where Jesus says, verse 1, "Most assuredly, I say to you, 48:54 he that doesn't enter the sheepfold by the door, 48:56 but climbs in some other way, 48:58 the same is a thief and a robber. 49:00 But he who enters the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 49:04 And the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, 49:07 and he calls his own sheep by name 49:09 and he leads them out. 49:11 And he brings out his own sheep, 49:13 and he goes before them, 49:14 and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice." 49:17 I've not seen it but I understand. 49:19 Well, Karen and I were in the Middle East this year 49:21 and we saw the shepherds and the sheep, 49:22 but I've seen, 49:23 I've read that when the shepherds 49:25 all would come together 49:27 from their different flocks and they'd visit a little bit 49:28 and all the sheep are trying to gather at this watering hole, 49:31 and then finally when it came time for them 49:32 to take their sheep off to different respective folds 49:36 and pastures that the shepherds would give a little call 49:38 and all the sheep knew their shepherd's voice 49:41 and as that shepherd begin to walk off 49:43 and he'd give off his little whistle or his call, 49:46 the sheep lift up and they all would separate 49:49 even though they'd all been mixed up, 49:51 to follow their shepherd. 49:52 He said, "My sheep hear my voice." 49:55 Now where do we hear His voice? 49:57 In the Word, through the Holy Spirit 49:59 that will always be in harmony with the word. 50:01 Last thing. 50:02 Jesus said, 50:03 "I am the good shepherd. 50:06 The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep." 50:09 And that's the best reason for us to be one. 50:11 Amen? Amen. 50:12 I want to remind you on closing. 50:13 We do have a free offer 50:15 and especially now this is very relevant, 50:17 I hope that you will take advantage of it. 50:19 It's a CD message I did on unity. 50:22 It's called Divided or United. 50:24 And when you call in 866-788-3966, 50:28 ask for offer number 861. 50:30 You see that on your screen. 50:32 That's 866-Study-More. 50:33 We will send it to you for free. 50:34 Listen to it and share it with a friend 50:37 and hope you will receive a blessing. 50:39 God bless you, friends. 50:40 We are out of time for today's study. 50:41 God willing, we'll do it again next Sabbath. 50:55 On Christmas Eve, 1971, 50:58 17-year-old Juliane Koepcke 51:00 boarded LANSA flight 508 with her mother in Lima, Peru. 51:05 They intended to join her father for Christmas 51:07 at his research station in the Amazon rainforest. 51:11 After crossing the Andes at about 21,000 feet, 51:14 their aircraft was enveloped by large, dark thunderclouds, 51:18 and it encountered severe turbulence. 51:20 Lightning was flashing everywhere 51:22 and the plane was shaken violently 51:24 which naturally terrified the passengers. 51:27 Then a bolt of lightning struck the planes engine 51:30 and tore off a wing. 51:32 As the doomed airliner hurdled towards the earth, 51:35 the cabin came apart and the next thing she knew, 51:38 Juliane found herself strapped alone to a row of seats 51:41 falling and spinning silently 51:43 from over 10,000 feet above the rainforest. 51:47 She plummeted through the jungle canopy 51:49 and slammed into forest floor. 51:51 When she awoke the next day, 51:53 Juliane was amazed to realize 51:55 she had survived the 2 mile fall 51:57 with just a broken collar bone and a bad gash in her arm. 52:01 After failing to find any other survivors, 52:03 Juliane relied on what her father 52:05 had taught her that walking downstream 52:08 will always lead to civilization. 52:10 So with the bag of candy that had fallen from the plane 52:13 and one sandal, she started walking. 52:16 For 10 days, Juliane hobbled, swam or floated downstream. 52:21 The wounds became infected 52:22 and she was plaguing by maggots, 52:24 while having to dodge crocodiles, 52:26 piranhas and relentless insects. 52:29 Eventually, she came to a shack, 52:31 where she slept and she was soon discovered 52:33 by Peruvian loggers. 52:35 Eventually, Juliane was united with her amazed father. 52:39 It's hard to imagine a 17-year-old girl 52:42 surviving such a fall and then hiking alone 52:45 out of the world's largest rainforest. 52:48 You know, the Bible talks about some 52:50 who survived an even greater fall than Juliane. 52:53 In fact, according to the scriptures, 52:55 when Adam and Eve fell in the Garden of Eden, 52:57 it brought the whole human race down. 52:59 But Jesus came to redeemed the world from sin. 53:03 Perhaps you're thinking to yourself, 53:04 well, that's okay for the world, 53:06 but I've fallen too far. 53:08 Well, if the Lord can save Juliane, 53:10 God can save you. 53:12 You've not gone farther than Moses, 53:13 who was guilty of murder, 53:15 or David, who was guilty of adultery, 53:17 or Peter who denied Jesus, 53:19 and all of them were saved and restored from their fall. 53:23 Or maybe you're thinking, I've fallen too many times. 53:26 Be of good courage, it says in Proverbs 24:16, 53:30 "A righteous man falls seven times and rises again." 53:33 And Jesus cast seven devils out of Mary Magdalene. 53:36 So don't get discouraged, friend, if you've fallen, 53:39 get back up again. 53:40 The same way that He could save Juliane, 53:42 lead her from that lost condition 53:44 in the rainforest and restore her to her father, 53:47 Jesus can lead you from your lost condition 53:50 and restore you to your heavenly father. 54:01 Let's face it. 54:02 It's not always easy to understand everything 54:05 you read in the Bible. 54:06 With over 700,000 words contained in 66 books, 54:10 the Bible can generate a lot of questions. 54:12 To get biblical straightforward answers, 54:15 call into Bible Answers Live, 54:17 a live nationwide call in radio program 54:19 where you can talk to Pastor Doug Batchelor, 54:22 and ask him your most difficult Bible questions. 54:24 For times and stations in your area, 54:26 or to listen to answers online, visit bal.amazingfacts.org. 54:43 Among the people living in the tropics, 54:45 for thousands of years 54:47 the coconut has been a virtual tree of life. 54:50 The people use it for food, for clothing, for water, 54:53 for tools, for soap, it does just about everything. 54:58 The coconut has also saved a lot of lives. 55:02 During World War II, 55:03 pilots that were shot down 55:05 or sailors that were stranded on Pacific Islands, 55:07 they lived for many months 55:08 on nothing other than the coconut trees 55:11 that were on their islands. 55:12 Yes, sir, the coconut is a tree of life. 55:16 One of the amazing things about coconut 55:18 is they're designed 55:19 so they're actually able to float across oceans. 55:22 Coconuts can go thousands of miles 55:24 after many months be washed up on some deserted sandy beach, 55:28 then they take root, sprout, come to life 55:32 and they'll develop a whole new ecosystem, 55:35 holding islands in place through a hurricane. 55:37 When the ancient Polynesian travelers 55:39 crossing oceans saw an island with coconut trees, 55:42 they knew there was hope. 55:44 It's amazing how in virtually no time at all, 55:47 those living on Pacific Islands know how to make baskets 55:50 and all kinds of tools 55:52 from the leaves of the coconut tree. 55:56 The coconuts even serve different purposes 55:58 at different times in their development. 56:01 The younger green coconut, they're full of water, 56:03 that'll keep you alive. 56:07 You can even make utensils from the coconut. 56:09 My spoon is part of the green shell and here, 56:14 this is a coconut jelly, makes good for breakfast. 56:19 The more mature coconuts, that's where you get the meat, 56:22 but you want to make sure that they're not bad, 56:24 the way you test this 56:25 is you can hear the water inside. 56:27 You bring that mike over here. 56:29 Can you hear it? 56:30 That's a good one. How about we take a bite? 56:33 Now that makes meal that will really fill you up 56:35 and it cleanse your teeth at the same time. 56:40 Throughout the Bible, 56:41 Jesus uses a number of metaphors 56:43 to remind us that everything 56:45 we need to survive comes from Him. 56:47 He says that He's the living water. 56:49 Jesus tells us He is the bread of life. 56:51 His robe covers us with righteousness. 56:54 He is our good shepherd that protects us. 56:57 Jesus is the living vine 56:58 through which we get our life and our nourishment. 57:01 You might say Jesus is like the coconut tree, 57:04 a tree of life. 57:06 You know, the first few verses in the Bible tell that 57:08 God provided a tree of life for man 57:10 so he could live forever, 57:12 but because of sin man was separated from that tree 57:14 and from the garden. 57:16 But through trusting in Jesus 57:17 and trusting in His sacrifice on the cross, 57:20 we once again will have access to the tree of life 57:23 and have eternal life with Him in the kingdom. 57:25 But this is all made possible because we trust in Jesus, 57:28 who is the real tree of life. 57:30 Jesus said, "Unless you eat My flesh 57:32 and drink My blood, you have no life in you." 57:34 But when we accept Christ as our sacrifice 57:37 and we allow Him to cleanse us and fill us with His Spirit, 57:39 we become new creatures, and we can be with Him 57:42 in sharing the gift 57:43 of everlasting life with others. 57:45 Matter of fact, we could do that right now 57:47 by tossing a coconut out 57:48 and praying that it lands on a deserted beach. |
Revised 2018-11-01