Good morning, friends.
00:00:35.26\00:00:36.26
Welcome once again to
Sabbath School Study Hour
00:00:36.30\00:00:38.93
here at the Granite Bay
Seventh-day Adventist Church
00:00:38.97\00:00:41.40
in Sacramento, California.
00:00:41.44\00:00:43.30
I'd like to
welcome our online members
00:00:43.34\00:00:45.17
and our friends
who are joining us
00:00:45.21\00:00:46.41
across the country
and around the world,
00:00:46.44\00:00:48.91
as well as our
regular church members,
00:00:48.94\00:00:50.95
our Sabbath School members,
00:00:50.98\00:00:52.21
and friends that are right
here in person in the sanctuary.
00:00:52.25\00:00:55.58
Again, thank you for joining us,
00:00:55.62\00:00:56.89
we're gonna be
studying a brand new lesson,
00:00:56.92\00:00:59.72
a new lesson quarterly dealing
with the subject of the family.
00:00:59.75\00:01:03.12
It's actually
entitled, "Family Seasons,"
00:01:03.16\00:01:05.46
and I think most of
you hear in the church,
00:01:05.49\00:01:07.66
you have your lesson quarterly,
so you're ready to study.
00:01:07.73\00:01:10.93
We're gonna be starting
with lesson number one today
00:01:10.97\00:01:13.23
entitled, "The Rhythms of Life."
00:01:13.27\00:01:15.64
But before we get to our study,
00:01:15.67\00:01:17.81
we do have a free offer
00:01:17.84\00:01:19.04
that we'd like
to let our friends
00:01:19.07\00:01:20.31
know about those
who are watching online
00:01:20.34\00:01:22.64
and later on in the
various television networks.
00:01:22.68\00:01:26.25
Our free offer today
is a magazine entitled,
00:01:26.28\00:01:28.85
"The Rest of Your Life."
00:01:28.88\00:01:30.49
And if you'd
like to receive this,
00:01:30.52\00:01:32.05
the number to
call is 866-788-3966.
00:01:32.09\00:01:36.39
And you can ask
for offer number 813.
00:01:36.42\00:01:39.29
And we'll be happy to
send that out to anyone
00:01:39.33\00:01:41.13
in North America.
00:01:41.16\00:01:42.63
If you would like to
receive a digital version
00:01:42.66\00:01:45.23
of this great magazine,
00:01:45.27\00:01:47.30
all you need to do
is text the code "SH086"
00:01:47.34\00:01:51.54
to the number 40544.
00:01:51.57\00:01:55.01
You'll then receive a
response that you click on that
00:01:55.04\00:01:58.51
and you'll be able to
download the magazine entitled,
00:01:58.55\00:02:01.15
"The Rest of Your Life."
00:02:01.18\00:02:03.39
Well, before we
get to our study,
00:02:03.42\00:02:04.82
we always want to
begin our time in prayer,
00:02:04.85\00:02:07.59
so let's bow our
heads for prayer.
00:02:07.62\00:02:09.59
Dear, Father, once
again we're grateful
00:02:09.62\00:02:11.13
that we're able
to gather together
00:02:11.16\00:02:12.29
and open up Your
Word and study a subject
00:02:12.33\00:02:14.36
that is important to each of us,
00:02:14.36\00:02:16.36
the subject of the family.
00:02:16.40\00:02:17.70
We know that the
family here on earth
00:02:17.73\00:02:19.87
is to be a reflection of
what it's like in heaven.
00:02:19.90\00:02:22.64
So we do pray, Lord,
00:02:22.67\00:02:23.61
that You would guide
our hearts, our minds,
00:02:23.64\00:02:25.84
lead us into a
clear understanding
00:02:25.87\00:02:27.41
of how we can be more effective
00:02:27.44\00:02:29.78
in ministering to our
family and those around us,
00:02:29.81\00:02:32.28
for we ask this in Jesus' name.
00:02:32.31\00:02:34.18
Amen.
00:02:34.22\00:02:35.92
So starting
this brand new lesson
00:02:35.95\00:02:37.29
quarterly on the family,
00:02:37.32\00:02:38.49
we thought it
would be appropriate
00:02:38.52\00:02:39.79
to have our Family Life pastor
here at the Granite Bay Church,
00:02:39.82\00:02:44.39
start our series on this topic.
00:02:44.43\00:02:47.10
So I'd like to
welcome Pastor Shawn Brummund,
00:02:47.13\00:02:49.26
and he'll be leading
us in our study today.
00:02:49.30\00:02:51.37
Well, good morning, every one.
00:02:53.77\00:02:56.00
It's good see you
here on this sunny
00:02:56.04\00:02:58.31
beautiful Sabbath morning.
00:02:58.34\00:02:59.77
It's always good to
be able to come together
00:02:59.81\00:03:01.44
with the Granite
Bay Church and study.
00:03:01.48\00:03:04.21
And continue to learn
one of my favorite topics.
00:03:04.25\00:03:07.42
It certainly better be if
I'm the Family Life pastor,
00:03:07.45\00:03:09.28
right?
00:03:09.32\00:03:10.35
And yes, family
is one of the most
00:03:10.39\00:03:12.42
beautiful gifts
that God has given to us.
00:03:12.45\00:03:14.59
And it's a
beautiful gift for everyone,
00:03:14.62\00:03:17.39
for many here in this room,
00:03:17.43\00:03:19.69
in the sanctuary as well as
many that are watching online
00:03:19.73\00:03:22.50
and on the television as well.
00:03:22.53\00:03:25.20
By the way, just looking
back at our free offer today,
00:03:25.23\00:03:27.20
The Rest of Your Life,
00:03:27.24\00:03:29.97
if you've never studied
and looked for a Bible answer
00:03:30.01\00:03:34.34
on the Sabbath question,
00:03:34.38\00:03:35.38
this is by far
one of the best offers
00:03:35.41\00:03:37.91
that I have and best reads,
that I've ever come across.
00:03:37.95\00:03:41.18
So I just wanna give
my plug for that as well.
00:03:41.22\00:03:44.65
I'd like to invite you to open
your Bibles to our first text
00:03:44.69\00:03:47.42
that reflects our memory text,
00:03:47.46\00:03:49.62
but I'd like to
look at the whole passage
00:03:49.66\00:03:51.09
in the Book of Ecclesiastes.
00:03:51.13\00:03:53.23
Now we don't turn to
Ecclesiastes very often.
00:03:53.26\00:03:55.83
It's a smaller book
in the Old Testament,
00:03:55.86\00:03:57.60
but it is one of
the most important ones
00:03:57.63\00:04:00.07
that we can find there.
00:04:00.10\00:04:01.94
And so as we come
to the third chapter,
00:04:01.97\00:04:04.01
Ecclesiastes Chapter 3.
00:04:04.04\00:04:07.48
And that's right
after the Book of...
00:04:07.51\00:04:10.95
Ecclesiastes, we
don't go very often,
00:04:10.98\00:04:12.68
it's right after the
Book of Proverbs, why?
00:04:12.71\00:04:14.55
Because as it turns out,
00:04:14.58\00:04:16.79
most of the Proverbs
were written by King Solomon
00:04:16.82\00:04:19.85
and Ecclesiastes is
also written by King Solomon.
00:04:19.89\00:04:25.86
And so we're going
to the third chapter
00:04:25.89\00:04:29.03
and we're going
to that key passage,
00:04:29.06\00:04:32.37
starting with verse 1.
00:04:32.40\00:04:35.67
Ecclesiastes 3:1, it says,
00:04:35.70\00:04:37.97
"To everything
there is a season,
00:04:38.01\00:04:40.44
a time for every
purpose under heaven:
00:04:40.48\00:04:43.75
A time to be
born, and a time to die,
00:04:43.78\00:04:47.55
a time to plant,
00:04:47.58\00:04:48.58
and a time to
pluck what is planted,
00:04:48.62\00:04:51.62
a time to kill,
and a time to heal,
00:04:51.65\00:04:53.92
a time to break down,
and a time to build up,
00:04:53.96\00:04:56.76
a time to weep,
and a time to laugh,
00:04:56.79\00:04:58.66
a time to mourn,
and a time to dance,
00:04:58.69\00:05:01.63
a time to cast away stones,
and a time to gather stones,
00:05:01.66\00:05:05.23
a time to embrace,
00:05:05.27\00:05:06.33
and a time to
refrain from embracing,
00:05:06.37\00:05:09.64
a time to gain,
and a time to lose,
00:05:09.67\00:05:12.91
a time to keep, and
a time to throw away,
00:05:12.94\00:05:16.11
a time to tear,
and a time to sew,
00:05:16.14\00:05:19.88
a time to keep
silence, and a time to speak,
00:05:19.91\00:05:24.35
a time to love,
and a time to hate,
00:05:24.39\00:05:27.29
a time of war,
and a time of peace."
00:05:27.32\00:05:32.66
And so here we have
this great poetic rendition
00:05:32.69\00:05:36.80
that God has inspired
the king to be able to write
00:05:36.83\00:05:39.10
in the Holy
Scriptures for you and I.
00:05:39.13\00:05:42.74
Now we're gonna play
a little bit of trivia,
00:05:42.77\00:05:44.27
I'm gonna give you the
easiest trivia question
00:05:44.31\00:05:46.51
that you've ever had.
00:05:46.54\00:05:47.98
And it comes with a
sound effects and everything,
00:05:48.01\00:05:49.61
I want you to
guess what I'm imitating.
00:05:49.64\00:05:51.48
Are you ready? Are you ready?
00:05:51.51\00:05:54.75
Okay, I hear some yeses. Okay.
00:05:54.78\00:05:56.85
Here it goes. Are you sure?
00:05:56.89\00:05:59.15
Okay.
00:05:59.19\00:06:00.39
Boom, boom, boom, boom,
00:06:00.42\00:06:04.06
boom, boom, boom, boom.
00:06:04.09\00:06:07.56
Okay, right
away, everybody got it.
00:06:07.60\00:06:08.93
You didn't take it,
00:06:08.96\00:06:10.00
how long did it take
you to be able to guess?
00:06:10.03\00:06:11.87
Probably, after the
first boom, boom, right?
00:06:11.90\00:06:14.04
I told you, it's
going to be easy.
00:06:14.07\00:06:16.10
Okay, what makes our
heart sound like that?
00:06:16.14\00:06:18.41
If you ever
picked up a stethoscope
00:06:18.44\00:06:20.31
or may be put your
head against the chest
00:06:20.34\00:06:22.84
of a loved one in your family
00:06:22.88\00:06:24.25
and you've kind of
listen to the heartbeat
00:06:24.28\00:06:25.75
and you hear that
boom, boom, boom, boom.
00:06:25.78\00:06:28.78
What makes a
heart beat like that?
00:06:28.82\00:06:32.49
Well, I don't know.
00:06:32.52\00:06:33.92
I'm a pastor,
00:06:33.96\00:06:34.99
I'm not a doctor,
I'm not a biologist.
00:06:35.02\00:06:36.76
I can't give you
the full answer to why,
00:06:36.79\00:06:38.73
why a heart beats like that.
00:06:38.76\00:06:40.40
Now I do a little bit.
00:06:40.43\00:06:41.63
Remember a little
bit in my biology class
00:06:41.66\00:06:44.30
in high school
and maybe in college
00:06:44.33\00:06:46.20
when I wasn't paying attention
00:06:46.23\00:06:47.54
as much as I
should have at that time.
00:06:47.57\00:06:49.50
But some of it saying,
00:06:49.54\00:06:50.94
again, it's a little bit blurry,
00:06:50.97\00:06:52.24
but it has something to
do with the four ventricles
00:06:52.27\00:06:54.38
or chambers that
are found in the heart
00:06:54.41\00:06:56.34
and they kind of, you know,
00:06:56.38\00:06:58.55
they're kind of
flexing at different times
00:06:58.58\00:07:00.92
and what makes those
flex while the muscles
00:07:00.95\00:07:02.85
and, you know, the neurons
and all those other things.
00:07:02.88\00:07:05.32
And I know that a
doctor and a biologist
00:07:05.35\00:07:06.86
could do a much better
job at describing exactly
00:07:06.89\00:07:10.19
why we hear that
distinct boom, boom,
00:07:10.23\00:07:12.89
and why it is so consistent.
00:07:12.93\00:07:14.56
And not only why
is it so consistent,
00:07:14.56\00:07:16.80
but why is it so important
00:07:16.83\00:07:19.17
that it's so
consistent in that matter.
00:07:19.20\00:07:21.24
In fact, as soon as a doctor
starts to pick up something,
00:07:21.27\00:07:23.30
and when I was about 12,
00:07:23.34\00:07:24.27
you know, he put the
stethoscope to my heart.
00:07:24.31\00:07:27.31
And then he kind
of had a conversation
00:07:27.34\00:07:28.88
with my parents
afterward and said,
00:07:28.91\00:07:30.35
you know, there's a little
bit of a glitch in his heartbeat
00:07:30.38\00:07:34.12
and there's what
they call a murmur.
00:07:34.15\00:07:35.78
I don't know if that's
what they call it today.
00:07:35.82\00:07:37.15
But back then they
called it a murmur.
00:07:37.19\00:07:39.05
And so I had to go
back to the doctor,
00:07:39.09\00:07:40.79
I don't know once a
year for all my growing years
00:07:40.82\00:07:43.32
until that murmur kind of
faded away by God's grace.
00:07:43.36\00:07:45.73
I'm very thankful
that it never materialized
00:07:45.76\00:07:48.70
into something bigger.
00:07:48.73\00:07:51.73
But why am I
talking about a heart
00:07:51.77\00:07:53.30
during Sabbath School
Hour, during a Bible Study?
00:07:53.34\00:07:56.30
And well, the point
is that the lesson study
00:07:56.34\00:07:58.07
that we're
looking at that opens up
00:07:58.11\00:07:59.84
this great study on family.
00:07:59.87\00:08:02.54
It points out that our body
is containing essential rhythms
00:08:02.58\00:08:05.61
to function effectively.
00:08:05.65\00:08:07.42
And so if our heart started
to lose that essential rhythm,
00:08:07.45\00:08:11.35
why we would get
alarmed very quickly
00:08:11.39\00:08:13.39
because now our
life's on the line.
00:08:13.42\00:08:15.22
Now our health, our
strength's on the line.
00:08:15.26\00:08:18.06
And that's just one example.
00:08:18.09\00:08:19.73
Again, if you were to talk
to a biologist or a doctor,
00:08:19.76\00:08:21.93
I'm sure that they could spend
much more time than I could
00:08:21.96\00:08:24.07
talking about all
these essential rhythms,
00:08:24.10\00:08:26.90
these regular activities
00:08:26.94\00:08:28.57
that function with
very essential regularity.
00:08:28.60\00:08:32.11
And again, if we
lose that rhythm,
00:08:32.14\00:08:34.21
if we lose that regularity,
00:08:34.24\00:08:36.28
then we're in
trouble, aren't we?
00:08:36.31\00:08:37.61
Then we find
ourselves at the hospital
00:08:37.65\00:08:39.28
or the doctor's office and
they're trying to diagnose,
00:08:39.31\00:08:41.92
they're trying to look at
why is this essential rhythm
00:08:41.95\00:08:45.42
not working properly.
00:08:45.45\00:08:48.72
Well, the rhythms, or
cycles, or seasons of life
00:08:48.76\00:08:51.06
here on this planet
earth can be found everywhere.
00:08:51.09\00:08:53.60
It's not just in our bodies,
but scientists have discovered
00:08:53.63\00:08:56.73
that there's all
kinds of different rhythms,
00:08:56.77\00:08:58.53
or cycles, or seasons
that take place in nature,
00:08:58.57\00:09:02.20
and all of
creation, and the universe,
00:09:02.24\00:09:04.71
and the planets
that are around us,
00:09:04.74\00:09:06.68
the stars in the universe.
00:09:06.71\00:09:08.54
And so there's all
these essential rhythms
00:09:08.58\00:09:11.61
and cycles in
regularity that take place.
00:09:11.65\00:09:17.12
Ellen White had
made this comment
00:09:17.15\00:09:18.49
in page seven of our
actual quarterly study.
00:09:18.52\00:09:22.72
And so there's a short quote,
00:09:22.76\00:09:24.16
one of the shortest
quotes I've ever seen
00:09:24.19\00:09:25.83
from her writings,
but it is essential,
00:09:25.86\00:09:28.20
it speaks volumes, it says,
"Order is heaven's first love."
00:09:28.23\00:09:34.14
"Order is heaven's first law,"
I should say, did I say love?
00:09:34.17\00:09:39.57
I did, didn't I?
00:09:39.61\00:09:40.94
See, God is, by the
way that's also true.
00:09:40.98\00:09:45.11
God is love but order
is heaven's first law.
00:09:45.15\00:09:49.28
And so God is a God of order.
00:09:49.32\00:09:51.79
You know, when we
look at our bodies,
00:09:51.82\00:09:53.15
when we look at creation,
00:09:53.19\00:09:54.32
we look at the
creation story in Genesis,
00:09:54.36\00:09:57.46
we find there that
there is order found
00:09:57.49\00:09:59.63
right from the very beginning
00:09:59.66\00:10:01.40
of the conception
of life here on earth.
00:10:01.43\00:10:03.37
And so from the very get-go
when God began to bring life
00:10:03.40\00:10:06.84
and a life giving planet
00:10:06.87\00:10:08.57
to this particular
part of the universe
00:10:08.60\00:10:11.27
is very distinctly,
00:10:11.31\00:10:13.48
very importantly
found in some regular order,
00:10:13.51\00:10:17.61
rhythms, cycles, seasons.
00:10:17.65\00:10:22.78
Now I have to confess
that there is something
00:10:22.82\00:10:24.39
that I really don't
like about the passage
00:10:24.42\00:10:25.92
that we read in Ecclesiastes.
00:10:25.95\00:10:29.06
Anybody wanna guess
what I don't like about
00:10:29.09\00:10:30.89
the passage that we just read?
00:10:30.93\00:10:33.80
Pardon me. A time to
kill. A time to hate.
00:10:33.83\00:10:35.76
Okay, I hear a
number of different answers.
00:10:35.80\00:10:37.33
Somebody says, a time to die.
00:10:37.37\00:10:38.67
Over here, it
Says, a time to kill
00:10:38.70\00:10:40.37
and what was the other one?
00:10:40.40\00:10:42.47
A time to hate. Okay.
00:10:42.50\00:10:44.27
And those are just
the outstanding ones.
00:10:44.31\00:10:46.37
Yeah, there's a number of things
00:10:46.41\00:10:47.74
that I don't like about
this particular passage.
00:10:47.78\00:10:50.95
And I have a
feeling that God agrees,
00:10:50.98\00:10:52.38
I have a feeling
that He doesn't like
00:10:52.41\00:10:53.95
that as well.
00:10:53.98\00:10:55.12
In fact, there's many
verses that will sustain
00:10:55.15\00:10:57.82
that particular perspective
from the Lord Himself.
00:10:57.85\00:11:03.06
There's
positives in this passage
00:11:03.09\00:11:04.79
and there's also
negatives, isn't there?
00:11:04.83\00:11:08.86
Okay, at first, I
thought it was always,
00:11:08.90\00:11:10.23
you know, positive, time
to born and a time to die,
00:11:10.27\00:11:13.13
you know, a time to
this and a time for that.
00:11:13.17\00:11:15.24
And I thought it was always
00:11:15.27\00:11:16.27
positive,
negative, positive, negative,
00:11:16.30\00:11:17.67
but then I looked
at it more carefully,
00:11:17.71\00:11:19.11
I realized that's not true.
00:11:19.14\00:11:20.28
It's actually positive,
negative, positive, negative,
00:11:20.31\00:11:22.08
then it goes negative,
positive, negative, positive,
00:11:22.11\00:11:23.68
positive, negative.
00:11:23.71\00:11:24.78
And so there's not
a particular pattern,
00:11:24.81\00:11:26.48
maybe there's a rhythm
inside that that goes back
00:11:26.51\00:11:28.68
from positive,
negative to negative, positive.
00:11:28.72\00:11:30.99
But the point is that,
00:11:31.02\00:11:33.02
essentially every one of
those different statements,
00:11:33.05\00:11:35.39
we find a positive, and
we also find a negative.
00:11:35.42\00:11:39.89
And, of course,
that wasn't original,
00:11:39.93\00:11:41.90
originally found
in the plan, was it?
00:11:41.93\00:11:44.27
Was that God's part?
00:11:44.30\00:11:45.40
Was that part of
God's original plan?
00:11:45.43\00:11:47.00
Was it, the way that
God had always designed?
00:11:47.04\00:11:51.27
Now some of us as
Christians have been duped
00:11:51.31\00:11:53.58
into thinking that,
00:11:53.61\00:11:55.01
and we've started
to buy into the lie
00:11:55.04\00:11:57.95
of atheistic evolution, we
call it theistic evolution.
00:11:57.98\00:12:01.15
We kind of try
to put God in there
00:12:01.18\00:12:02.42
and so we say theistic,
00:12:02.45\00:12:04.35
coming from the Greek word
theo or theos, which means God.
00:12:04.39\00:12:08.29
And so we try to bring God
00:12:08.32\00:12:10.56
into the modern
Darwinism of evolution.
00:12:10.59\00:12:14.03
And so we say, well,
00:12:14.10\00:12:15.00
negative is always
been a part of God's plan
00:12:15.03\00:12:17.07
because survival of the
fittest is always been the way
00:12:17.10\00:12:19.33
that God has kind
of evolved creatures
00:12:19.37\00:12:21.07
into higher more
complex, more capable beings.
00:12:21.10\00:12:25.21
But, of course,
then we have to have
00:12:25.24\00:12:26.27
the negative right from
the beginning, don't we?
00:12:26.31\00:12:28.61
But that's not
what the Bible teaches.
00:12:28.64\00:12:29.91
The Bible teaches something
very radically different.
00:12:29.94\00:12:32.11
And so we need to be careful
if any of us here in this room
00:12:32.15\00:12:35.28
are watching
online or in television
00:12:35.32\00:12:37.49
that have fallen into that
trap that I invite you to think
00:12:37.52\00:12:40.32
that through as we
just reflect Genesis.
00:12:40.36\00:12:43.76
And the first
chapter, the second chapter
00:12:43.79\00:12:45.36
as we read the actual
biblical creation story
00:12:45.39\00:12:48.86
and ask ourselves, can we fit
00:12:48.90\00:12:52.97
the elements of Darwinism
and the survival of the fittest
00:12:53.00\00:12:56.17
that theory with what
the biblical record tells us.
00:12:56.20\00:12:59.84
And I think that
there's a resounding no,
00:12:59.87\00:13:02.54
there's a resounding no.
00:13:02.58\00:13:03.58
And so, it's important for us
00:13:03.61\00:13:05.41
to be able to
stay with the Word,
00:13:05.45\00:13:07.35
stay with what the Bible says,
00:13:07.38\00:13:08.68
because that's the only
safe place that we can be.
00:13:08.72\00:13:12.75
Now, when we read
Genesis Chapter 1,
00:13:12.79\00:13:14.69
we find it very orderly,
00:13:14.72\00:13:16.22
but not all along
moderately orderly,
00:13:16.26\00:13:18.13
but according to
the Bible lesson,
00:13:18.16\00:13:20.23
and this, of course,
is on Sunday's lesson
00:13:20.26\00:13:22.70
in the actual study guide,
that there is a very orderly,
00:13:22.73\00:13:26.77
scientifically logical
progression of creation
00:13:26.80\00:13:31.17
that is found.
00:13:31.21\00:13:32.47
And so that
00:13:32.51\00:13:34.14
which is established in science,
00:13:34.18\00:13:35.68
I'm not talking about theory,
00:13:35.71\00:13:36.85
because we have to remember
00:13:36.88\00:13:37.91
that evolution or
Darwin's evolution
00:13:37.95\00:13:40.85
is a theory of evolution.
00:13:40.88\00:13:43.05
It is not an observational,
reproducible, experimental,
00:13:43.08\00:13:48.66
established fact.
00:13:48.69\00:13:50.49
Even though
that's what the media
00:13:50.53\00:13:51.69
and the scientific community
is trying to convince us of.
00:13:51.73\00:13:54.73
It's just a theory, okay.
00:13:54.76\00:13:57.27
But when we look at
established science,
00:13:57.30\00:13:59.03
that which is observable,
that which is reproducible,
00:13:59.07\00:14:01.70
that which is recordable,
00:14:01.74\00:14:04.87
and then we
compare that to the way
00:14:04.91\00:14:06.68
that God had
brought different pieces
00:14:06.71\00:14:09.58
into the creation of the planet
which you and I now live in,
00:14:09.61\00:14:13.21
we find that there
is perfect harmony.
00:14:13.25\00:14:15.35
Amen?
00:14:15.38\00:14:16.85
And so it's very important
for us to be able to understand
00:14:16.89\00:14:19.35
that fact that the
Bible is not contrary
00:14:19.39\00:14:23.12
to established science,
00:14:23.16\00:14:26.09
scientific fact
that we have established,
00:14:26.13\00:14:28.63
but rather it is
in perfect harmony.
00:14:28.66\00:14:30.00
Let's just quickly review that.
00:14:30.03\00:14:32.27
Because it is in
our lesson study,
00:14:32.30\00:14:33.54
as we look at the
different cycles of life.
00:14:33.57\00:14:35.60
God is establishing creation,
on the first day He created...
00:14:35.64\00:14:41.11
First day He
created light, didn't He?
00:14:41.14\00:14:42.78
Okay, so does
that make sense? Sure.
00:14:42.81\00:14:46.11
If you're gonna
go into your workshop
00:14:46.15\00:14:47.28
and you're gonna
create something,
00:14:47.32\00:14:49.55
okay, what's the
first thing you do?
00:14:49.58\00:14:51.69
You look for the
light switch, don't you?
00:14:51.72\00:14:53.09
And so you turn on the lights.
00:14:53.12\00:14:54.92
And so God turned on the lights.
00:14:54.96\00:14:56.59
All right, so He
turns on the light
00:14:56.62\00:14:58.36
for His workshop and so,
00:14:58.39\00:14:59.79
so far we're in perfect harmony
with logic and with science.
00:14:59.83\00:15:03.77
Day two He created the...
00:15:03.80\00:15:06.47
The atmosphere as
well, we could call it,
00:15:06.50\00:15:08.07
the Bible usually
says the firmament.
00:15:08.10\00:15:10.41
I had to go and look that up.
00:15:10.44\00:15:11.47
And so I think we can
safely say that synonymous
00:15:11.51\00:15:14.18
with the atmosphere.
00:15:14.21\00:15:16.58
And so if God
is gonna have life,
00:15:16.61\00:15:18.38
and of course before
He can create life forms,
00:15:18.41\00:15:21.65
He knows that He has
to create an environment
00:15:21.68\00:15:24.12
that will sustain
and help those life forms
00:15:24.15\00:15:26.96
to be able to continue to live
and to prosper and to flourish.
00:15:26.99\00:15:31.39
Now I don't know
about you and I, but...
00:15:31.43\00:15:33.46
Well, I do, I do
know about you and I,
00:15:33.50\00:15:35.76
both of us know that science
has very clearly established
00:15:35.80\00:15:38.60
that we can't
live long without air.
00:15:38.63\00:15:41.47
And not only us,
but also the plant life.
00:15:41.50\00:15:43.87
And so really,
00:15:43.91\00:15:45.21
it's pretty well
impossible to find living things
00:15:45.24\00:15:48.48
on the planet
that can't be sustained
00:15:48.51\00:15:50.41
without the
different elements of air.
00:15:50.45\00:15:52.61
And so it tells us
that God created air
00:15:52.65\00:15:55.48
after He turned on the lights,
00:15:55.52\00:15:56.52
and so day two He
created the atmosphere.
00:15:56.55\00:15:59.12
He created a
shell around the planet
00:15:59.15\00:16:04.09
and He created the sky
00:16:04.13\00:16:05.69
that separated from
the waters of the planet
00:16:05.73\00:16:08.46
and He put just the
right elements of oxygen,
00:16:08.50\00:16:12.00
and nitrogen, and
carbon, and so on.
00:16:12.03\00:16:15.60
And just the right elements
and the different molecules
00:16:15.64\00:16:18.31
to be able to sustain that life.
00:16:18.34\00:16:19.91
And so now we have
the right temperature,
00:16:19.94\00:16:21.51
we have the right
elements in the air,
00:16:21.54\00:16:23.95
what we call now the air.
00:16:23.98\00:16:26.31
And so now God can safely begin
00:16:26.35\00:16:28.65
to establish those
different living creatures.
00:16:28.68\00:16:31.75
So then we come to day
three and He creates dry land.
00:16:31.79\00:16:35.42
And not only did He separates,
begin to separate the waters
00:16:35.46\00:16:39.13
from the land
because before that,
00:16:39.16\00:16:40.63
the Bible tells us
that it was completely
00:16:40.66\00:16:42.20
covered with water.
00:16:42.23\00:16:43.87
So that does well
for the marine life
00:16:43.90\00:16:45.27
but it doesn't do well
for you and I, does it?
00:16:45.30\00:16:47.47
Doesn't do well with the cows,
and the deer, and the dogs,
00:16:47.50\00:16:50.47
and the cats,
and everything else
00:16:50.51\00:16:51.64
that we enjoy that God
later created upon the dry land
00:16:51.67\00:16:54.21
and so He knew, He
needed to be able to create
00:16:54.24\00:16:56.01
that before He
created the different animals
00:16:56.04\00:16:59.48
that we find on the planet.
00:16:59.51\00:17:01.12
And so very
wisely, and very logically,
00:17:01.15\00:17:03.22
and scientifically,
He separated the waters
00:17:03.25\00:17:05.12
and created dry land.
00:17:05.15\00:17:08.02
Well, the next
thing He tells us,
00:17:08.06\00:17:09.56
He begins to
create His first life form
00:17:09.59\00:17:11.73
on that third day as well.
00:17:11.76\00:17:12.86
What's that life form?
It's the plant life, isn't it?
00:17:12.89\00:17:17.37
So God created all the different
00:17:17.40\00:17:18.97
wonderful species of plant life,
00:17:19.00\00:17:20.57
and not only did He
covered the dry land,
00:17:20.60\00:17:22.97
but we also know
when we look under water,
00:17:23.00\00:17:24.61
in our local
freshwater lakes, the ocean,
00:17:24.64\00:17:26.37
and so on that we also find
00:17:26.41\00:17:28.28
plant life there
as well, don't we?
00:17:28.31\00:17:30.15
Okay.
00:17:30.18\00:17:31.18
Now God also knew
that the later life forms
00:17:31.21\00:17:35.05
that He was going to
create wouldn't last long
00:17:35.08\00:17:37.45
not only without air
but without plants, why?
00:17:37.49\00:17:40.16
Because what's the
number and number one
00:17:40.19\00:17:42.22
and only source of energy
00:17:42.26\00:17:44.36
that 99.99% of
all living creatures
00:17:44.39\00:17:47.40
upon the planet rely on?
00:17:47.46\00:17:50.77
Plants.
00:17:50.80\00:17:51.83
Okay, the only way that
you and I get to the day,
00:17:51.87\00:17:53.80
the only way that
we can receive calories
00:17:53.84\00:17:55.77
is through plants.
00:17:55.80\00:17:56.87
And some of you are
saying, well, I'm not a vegan,
00:17:56.91\00:17:58.37
I get some of my
energies from dairy products,
00:17:58.41\00:18:00.84
and from meat, and so on.
00:18:00.88\00:18:02.61
And so what, well,
let's back up a little bit.
00:18:02.64\00:18:04.48
Let's go back before,
00:18:04.51\00:18:06.11
you know, where did the
cow that gave you the milk
00:18:06.15\00:18:08.08
and gave you the meat?
00:18:08.12\00:18:09.12
Where did he
get his energy from?
00:18:09.15\00:18:11.42
They eat another cow.
00:18:11.45\00:18:14.02
No, he didn't get it from meat,
he got it from, from plants.
00:18:14.06\00:18:17.79
All right, so if
we back up far enough,
00:18:17.83\00:18:19.26
no matter what
we put in our mouth,
00:18:19.29\00:18:20.46
the only way that we get
energy from that is from plants.
00:18:20.50\00:18:24.03
And so God very
logically, very distinctly,
00:18:24.07\00:18:28.04
very intelligently put
plant life upon the planet.
00:18:28.07\00:18:31.04
Then we come to number
four, when we come to day four,
00:18:31.07\00:18:34.58
God knows that He
needs to be able to establish
00:18:34.61\00:18:36.78
something that will
turn on the lights every day.
00:18:36.81\00:18:39.91
And so He establishes the
sun in just the right place.
00:18:39.95\00:18:42.95
He establishes the
moon to reflect the sun
00:18:42.98\00:18:44.85
to give us some light
during the night as well.
00:18:44.89\00:18:47.96
And then He
established the stars
00:18:47.99\00:18:49.39
in this part of
the universe as well.
00:18:49.42\00:18:52.39
And so we have
this wonderful account
00:18:52.43\00:18:53.86
in which God now puts the sun.
00:18:53.90\00:18:55.63
Now, of course, if
He creates the plants,
00:18:55.66\00:18:57.40
He knows that the plants,
00:18:57.43\00:18:58.47
you know, if you put
your plant in the closet
00:18:58.50\00:19:00.04
and you close the door
without a light in there,
00:19:00.07\00:19:01.44
how long will they live?
00:19:01.47\00:19:03.41
They won't live
very long, will they?
00:19:03.44\00:19:04.47
Why?
00:19:04.51\00:19:05.54
Because science
established to us.
00:19:05.57\00:19:06.94
And again, you can do that
science experiment yourself.
00:19:06.98\00:19:09.68
This is primary,
established scientific fact.
00:19:09.71\00:19:13.35
You can do your experiment,
00:19:13.38\00:19:14.52
put it in, and
week later your plants
00:19:14.55\00:19:15.98
not going to be
doing very well, is it?
00:19:16.02\00:19:17.42
Why?
00:19:17.45\00:19:18.45
Because it
requires its energy source
00:19:18.49\00:19:21.96
to come from the sun,
00:19:21.99\00:19:23.93
from the UV rays
that come down upon it,
00:19:23.96\00:19:25.59
and through
photosynthesis, and so on.
00:19:25.63\00:19:27.00
It does this wonderful
thing where he transfers that,
00:19:27.03\00:19:29.36
that ultraviolet
radiation, and light, and energy
00:19:29.40\00:19:32.77
into its own
energy into calories
00:19:32.80\00:19:36.71
and it burns its
calories through that.
00:19:36.74\00:19:38.37
And then if we
pick it up and eat it,
00:19:38.41\00:19:40.24
we also can find our
calories from that as well.
00:19:40.28\00:19:44.21
And so He knew that the plants
weren't going to last very long
00:19:44.25\00:19:46.28
and so very
scientifically, very logically,
00:19:46.31\00:19:48.05
He creates the sun
and puts it in place
00:19:48.08\00:19:51.32
to keep the right
temperature upon the planet,
00:19:51.35\00:19:53.89
to be able to turn on the lights
00:19:53.92\00:19:55.32
and turn it off
every day and every night,
00:19:55.36\00:19:57.49
as well as to be able
to give us the energy,
00:19:57.53\00:19:59.36
the plant life as well
as all other animal forms,
00:19:59.39\00:20:02.13
and life forms the
energy that it needs as well.
00:20:02.16\00:20:07.04
Are you with me so far?
00:20:07.07\00:20:08.77
Okay, then we
come to number five.
00:20:08.80\00:20:10.87
Day five He creates,
He fills the air now.
00:20:10.91\00:20:13.71
And as He fills the air,
00:20:13.74\00:20:14.74
He fills it with the
different species of birds.
00:20:14.78\00:20:17.15
Now, we don't
know how many original
00:20:17.18\00:20:18.28
species of birds there were,
00:20:18.31\00:20:19.35
but we know there
was more than a couple.
00:20:19.38\00:20:21.28
And there was
more than a few million
00:20:21.32\00:20:22.98
that filled the air
as it began to flourish
00:20:23.02\00:20:25.79
and fill the air
and be able to enjoy
00:20:25.82\00:20:28.62
their different ways
of life on the planet,
00:20:28.66\00:20:31.46
and in the air, in the sky.
00:20:31.49\00:20:32.59
And then, of course, He
also created the marine life
00:20:32.63\00:20:34.56
and so He filled the
air and then He also filled
00:20:34.60\00:20:37.00
the water with
different creatures
00:20:37.03\00:20:38.83
and different life forms.
00:20:38.87\00:20:41.24
And then, of course,
we come to the sixth day,
00:20:41.27\00:20:43.41
He creates
animals on the dry land,
00:20:43.44\00:20:45.21
He creates every creeping thing,
00:20:45.24\00:20:47.24
which is the insect
life and then finally,
00:20:47.28\00:20:49.04
He creates us, doesn't He?
00:20:49.08\00:20:52.65
And we have the
privilege of knowing
00:20:52.68\00:20:53.95
that He originally
created us in His own image,
00:20:53.98\00:20:57.39
and not only
physically in His own image,
00:20:57.42\00:20:59.15
but much more importantly
00:20:59.19\00:21:00.29
He created us
in the image of God
00:21:00.32\00:21:02.82
in regards to our character,
00:21:02.86\00:21:04.29
and in regards to
having a relationship with God,
00:21:04.33\00:21:07.36
that no other living
creature on the planet can have.
00:21:07.40\00:21:09.66
There's not a single
other animal I've never,
00:21:09.70\00:21:11.30
you know, I've had dogs,
00:21:11.33\00:21:12.40
many years of my life
not once I've ever seen him
00:21:12.43\00:21:14.30
pray to God.
00:21:14.34\00:21:16.34
You know, there's
something special,
00:21:16.37\00:21:17.51
there's something
unique that God has given to us
00:21:17.54\00:21:19.61
in which we have a
personal, intelligent
00:21:19.64\00:21:21.94
and spiritual
relationship with God.
00:21:21.98\00:21:24.81
And so we're the
pinnacle of creation.
00:21:24.85\00:21:26.92
It didn't take millions of years
00:21:26.95\00:21:28.15
to evolve through all
kinds of negative aspects,
00:21:28.18\00:21:30.39
and killing, and
try to outdo each other,
00:21:30.42\00:21:34.42
and doing away with the week.
00:21:34.46\00:21:35.49
No, God had
created us all perfect.
00:21:35.52\00:21:38.19
And that's where we come
to our next scripture reading
00:21:38.23\00:21:42.33
and we have a volunteer
that's gonna read that for us,
00:21:42.36\00:21:44.43
which is Genesis 1:31,
00:21:44.47\00:21:48.00
and I believe
00:21:48.04\00:21:48.97
Doris is gonna bless
us with that reading.
00:21:49.00\00:21:51.41
Thank you.
00:21:51.44\00:21:52.94
Genesis 1:31,
00:21:52.97\00:21:57.65
"Then God saw
everything that He had made,
00:21:57.68\00:22:00.68
and indeed it was very good.
00:22:00.72\00:22:03.02
So the evening and the
morning were the sixth day."
00:22:03.05\00:22:07.69
Okay, thank you.
All right, so what...
00:22:07.72\00:22:10.23
How does God
conclude when He stands back
00:22:10.26\00:22:12.09
and He looks at
everything that He created?
00:22:12.13\00:22:14.50
He said, "Hmm,
that's pretty close."
00:22:14.56\00:22:17.80
Is that what He said? No.
00:22:17.83\00:22:19.67
He said, "It was
very good." Okay.
00:22:19.70\00:22:22.67
So we have an
adjective, we have the very,
00:22:22.70\00:22:24.77
He said not only was it good
but it was, it was very good.
00:22:24.81\00:22:28.68
It was a wonderful thing
that God looked down upon.
00:22:28.71\00:22:31.45
And everything was in
all of its perfection.
00:22:31.48\00:22:34.72
You see, the
original, the point is
00:22:34.75\00:22:36.18
that the
scriptures and the lessons
00:22:36.22\00:22:38.05
that He's trying to point us
to is that the original rhythms,
00:22:38.09\00:22:40.32
the regularity of everything
that existed, the seasons,
00:22:40.36\00:22:46.06
the rhythms, the
cycles, and so on,
00:22:46.09\00:22:47.83
only included the positive.
00:22:47.86\00:22:50.17
In other words, the
passage that we originally read
00:22:50.20\00:22:52.40
in Ecclesiastes Chapter 3
00:22:52.43\00:22:53.74
wouldn't fit in
the original plan.
00:22:53.77\00:22:56.14
It wouldn't fit
in the original world
00:22:56.17\00:22:57.84
in existence
that God had created
00:22:57.87\00:22:59.34
with all of its
wonderful life on the planet
00:22:59.37\00:23:01.64
including you and I.
00:23:01.68\00:23:03.48
And so we would have
to take out the hate,
00:23:03.51\00:23:05.81
we'd have to
take out the killing,
00:23:05.85\00:23:08.18
we'd have to take out
the dying, wouldn't we?
00:23:08.22\00:23:11.39
In fact, I did a little bit
of an exercise and if you'll...
00:23:11.42\00:23:15.19
If you'll permit me, I'd
like to share a little bit
00:23:15.22\00:23:17.36
about what I believe
Ecclesiastes might have
00:23:17.39\00:23:19.76
had to be written about
or might have sounded like,
00:23:19.79\00:23:23.57
if sin had never
entered the planet.
00:23:23.60\00:23:25.93
And so if sin had
never cursed the world,
00:23:25.97\00:23:28.64
I believe it goes
something like this,
00:23:28.67\00:23:30.71
"A time to be born and
a time to live forever,
00:23:30.74\00:23:36.04
a time to plant
00:23:36.08\00:23:37.35
and a time to
enjoy that plant forever,
00:23:37.38\00:23:41.92
a time to enjoy life
00:23:41.95\00:23:44.12
and never a
time to need healing,
00:23:44.15\00:23:47.16
a time to only
build up never to weep
00:23:47.19\00:23:50.69
but always lots of
opportunity to laugh,
00:23:50.73\00:23:54.66
never to mourn
00:23:54.73\00:23:55.90
but always many
reasons to dance,
00:23:55.93\00:23:58.93
a time to
continually gather stones,
00:23:58.97\00:24:02.37
always a good time to embrace,
00:24:02.40\00:24:05.01
always a time to
gain, but never lose,
00:24:05.04\00:24:09.31
always to keep, but
never to throw away,
00:24:09.34\00:24:13.65
never to tear and therefore
never a time to need to sew,
00:24:13.68\00:24:18.49
a time to love and never hate,
00:24:18.52\00:24:21.62
always peace and never war."
00:24:21.66\00:24:26.16
Wouldn't that be a
much better passage?
00:24:26.19\00:24:28.56
This is the
passage that would fit
00:24:28.60\00:24:30.33
with the original
plan, wouldn't it?
00:24:30.37\00:24:31.60
Why?
00:24:31.63\00:24:32.63
Because the original
plan, the original world,
00:24:32.67\00:24:34.74
before sin had cursed the
world was only full of joy,
00:24:34.77\00:24:37.11
wasn't it?
00:24:37.14\00:24:38.47
When all creation
got up in the morning,
00:24:38.51\00:24:40.24
when the lights went on
at sunrise in every morning,
00:24:40.28\00:24:42.51
when they would get
up and they'd have joy
00:24:42.54\00:24:44.08
in their hearts.
00:24:44.11\00:24:46.11
Have you ever woken
up sometimes in this life
00:24:46.15\00:24:47.95
and you didn't have that joy?
00:24:47.98\00:24:50.15
Now, I'm not talking
about the joy of the Lord,
00:24:50.19\00:24:51.42
where even during the hardest
times you have that inner joy,
00:24:51.45\00:24:53.69
but I'm talking about more
of the happiness part of joy.
00:24:53.72\00:24:56.79
Have you ever
woken up in the morning
00:24:56.83\00:24:57.86
where you're not happy?
00:24:57.89\00:24:59.43
Sure, you have.
00:24:59.46\00:25:00.56
You don't have to
live very long to be able
00:25:00.60\00:25:01.90
to experience that.
00:25:01.93\00:25:02.96
But every creature
was originally blessed,
00:25:03.00\00:25:05.47
and originally created to enjoy
and to be happy from the moment
00:25:05.50\00:25:09.27
that they opened
their eyes every morning,
00:25:09.30\00:25:11.41
when the lights
turned on all the way through
00:25:11.44\00:25:13.07
until they closed their
eyes for rest again that night.
00:25:13.11\00:25:16.18
Isn't it a beautiful picture?
00:25:16.21\00:25:18.28
You long for that
day when we can go back
00:25:18.31\00:25:19.95
to that original cycle,
00:25:19.98\00:25:21.28
that original rhythm
that God had given to us?
00:25:21.32\00:25:24.12
That's the great hope
of the gospel, isn't it?
00:25:24.15\00:25:26.55
That's the great hope
that God has given to us.
00:25:26.59\00:25:28.26
Not only is it a
hope, but it's a promise.
00:25:28.29\00:25:30.29
God has promised us
that He will take us,
00:25:30.33\00:25:33.06
and He will
recreate this planet,
00:25:33.09\00:25:34.46
and He will recreate our bodies,
00:25:34.50\00:25:35.76
He will recreate
our hearts, our mind,
00:25:35.80\00:25:37.50
and it will all be just
like it was in the beginning.
00:25:37.53\00:25:40.27
He will reverse the
curse of sin completely
00:25:40.30\00:25:43.64
after Jesus comes again.
00:25:43.67\00:25:45.21
And that's why I thank God
00:25:45.24\00:25:46.27
that I'm a
Seventh-day Adventist.
00:25:46.31\00:25:48.41
And I thank God that I have
Seventh-day Adventist believer,
00:25:48.44\00:25:50.81
brothers and
sisters in this church
00:25:50.85\00:25:52.41
and around the world
that also cling to that hope
00:25:52.45\00:25:54.58
and believe that Jesus is
going to reverse the curse.
00:25:54.62\00:26:00.22
But for now in a
sinful and selfish world,
00:26:00.26\00:26:05.46
many if not
most of the negatives
00:26:05.49\00:26:07.23
that we find in the passage
00:26:07.30\00:26:08.33
of Ecclesiastes
must apply to our lives.
00:26:08.36\00:26:11.33
Now, that's not
really good news, is it?
00:26:11.37\00:26:14.07
It's part of reality.
It's part of our life.
00:26:14.10\00:26:15.80
But the good news is this.
00:26:15.84\00:26:17.54
And this is
what the lesson study
00:26:17.57\00:26:18.91
also points out for you and I.
00:26:18.94\00:26:20.08
What the
scriptures give to you and I,
00:26:20.11\00:26:21.58
and that is that it tells us of
the good news is that we don't,
00:26:21.61\00:26:25.01
but that we aren't
call to go it alone.
00:26:25.05\00:26:27.82
That we aren't call
to go through the day
00:26:27.85\00:26:29.52
and through our
struggles and the challenges
00:26:29.55\00:26:31.19
that come with a curse of sin,
00:26:31.22\00:26:32.89
a fallen world but He tells us
that He wants us to have help,
00:26:32.92\00:26:35.89
that He wants us to
have important relationships,
00:26:35.92\00:26:39.09
so that we don't
have to go it alone.
00:26:39.13\00:26:41.50
Now, the first relationship,
of course, is God Himself,
00:26:41.53\00:26:43.93
offering Himself to you and me.
00:26:43.97\00:26:46.63
God tells us that we are
not to go through the day alone,
00:26:46.67\00:26:49.04
but we are to invite Him
into our hearts every day.
00:26:49.07\00:26:52.31
Jesus tells us He stands
at the door and He knocks
00:26:52.34\00:26:56.04
and if anyone, how many?
00:26:56.08\00:26:58.25
And if anyone,
00:26:58.28\00:26:59.28
that's every single human being,
00:26:59.31\00:27:01.08
if anyone opens
the door, Jesus says,
00:27:01.12\00:27:04.05
He will come in and dine with us
00:27:04.09\00:27:05.92
and us with Him.
00:27:05.95\00:27:09.49
And, of course,
that's representing
00:27:09.52\00:27:11.16
an intimate relationship
00:27:11.19\00:27:12.53
when you have a
lunch with somebody,
00:27:12.56\00:27:14.23
when you have
shared a meal with,
00:27:14.30\00:27:16.36
with someone,
there's something special
00:27:16.40\00:27:18.60
about eating together,
00:27:18.63\00:27:19.90
and Jesus'
culture was no different.
00:27:19.93\00:27:21.80
In fact, even more so than ours,
00:27:21.84\00:27:23.81
that was recognized
as an act of friendship,
00:27:23.84\00:27:25.84
an act of a
relationship, one with another.
00:27:25.87\00:27:30.25
And so Jesus knocks on the door
of our hearts on a daily basis
00:27:30.28\00:27:33.78
and the wisest of
us will open our hearts
00:27:33.82\00:27:35.52
and will say,
Lord, please come in.
00:27:35.55\00:27:37.82
I want to dine
with you again today.
00:27:37.85\00:27:39.12
Help me through the day,
00:27:39.15\00:27:40.19
help me to be able
to have the wisdom,
00:27:40.22\00:27:41.52
and the courage, and the peace,
00:27:41.56\00:27:42.66
and the compassion,
and the forgiveness,
00:27:42.69\00:27:44.59
and all the other attributes
00:27:44.63\00:27:45.76
I need to be able to get
through the different negatives
00:27:45.79\00:27:48.86
that this life also brings
as well as enjoy the positives
00:27:48.90\00:27:51.83
and to praise You
for helping the negatives
00:27:51.87\00:27:55.44
and also
forgiving the positives.
00:27:55.47\00:27:58.77
Well, the good news is
that we're not to go alone,
00:27:58.81\00:28:00.34
not only because we
can have God at our side
00:28:00.38\00:28:03.38
and in us to be
able to work in us
00:28:03.41\00:28:05.25
and with us through the day,
00:28:05.28\00:28:06.48
but it also tells us that
God gives us each other as well.
00:28:06.51\00:28:10.95
God had never
intended both before the fall
00:28:10.99\00:28:13.29
as well as since the fall
for us to live in isolation.
00:28:13.32\00:28:16.59
You know, one of
the biggest deceptions
00:28:16.62\00:28:18.26
that the devil brought
into Christian traditions
00:28:18.29\00:28:20.46
is that the
greatest and most joy filled
00:28:20.50\00:28:22.63
and holiest life
that you can live is to go
00:28:22.66\00:28:24.47
and isolate yourself
somewhere from other people,
00:28:24.50\00:28:27.14
kind of build walls around
the monastery or different,
00:28:27.17\00:28:30.17
you know,
institutions and buildings.
00:28:30.21\00:28:32.07
And, you know,
there's one individual
00:28:32.11\00:28:33.71
I forget his name now
00:28:33.74\00:28:34.81
and, you know, and he
kind of put himself up
00:28:34.84\00:28:37.65
on the top of the pillar.
00:28:37.68\00:28:39.28
And he just lived up
on top of this pillar,
00:28:39.31\00:28:41.62
you know, I
don't know, 50 feet up
00:28:41.65\00:28:43.15
or something and
people throw food
00:28:43.18\00:28:44.75
up to him and water.
00:28:44.79\00:28:46.12
And he would live
for years that way.
00:28:46.15\00:28:47.62
And he became one
of the most famous
00:28:47.66\00:28:49.56
individuals in Christianity,
00:28:49.59\00:28:50.86
but he had been duped
because God didn't call us
00:28:50.89\00:28:54.20
to be able to isolate
ourselves from each other.
00:28:54.20\00:28:56.16
He's called us to be
able to, to look to each other
00:28:56.20\00:28:59.43
and that's why we
have dozens of verses,
00:28:59.47\00:29:01.24
one of my favorites
in Hebrews Chapter 10.
00:29:01.27\00:29:03.41
I think it's verse 25.
00:29:03.44\00:29:05.14
It said, "Do not forsake
the assembling of yourselves
00:29:05.17\00:29:07.71
but rather come together,
come together, gather together,
00:29:07.74\00:29:13.52
to encourage each other
in good works and in love."
00:29:13.55\00:29:17.19
God has called us to
encourage each other.
00:29:17.22\00:29:19.65
And so I think
that's an important point
00:29:24.29\00:29:25.73
for us to be able to
understand that good news.
00:29:25.76\00:29:27.83
Now, of course, who is
most, often the most consistent
00:29:27.86\00:29:33.23
and closest people
00:29:33.27\00:29:34.37
that we find
outside of ourselves?
00:29:34.40\00:29:37.04
And so, if you were to
think of the most consistent
00:29:37.07\00:29:39.21
and the most closest people
00:29:39.24\00:29:40.51
outside of
ourselves in relationships,
00:29:40.54\00:29:43.38
who would those people be?
00:29:43.41\00:29:45.58
Family, okay. There's
another easy question.
00:29:45.61\00:29:47.92
Okay, I'm not challenging
you too much here this morning.
00:29:47.95\00:29:50.52
And so I'm
giving easy questions,
00:29:50.55\00:29:51.92
it's family, isn't it?
00:29:51.95\00:29:53.82
All right, there is no more
relationships for most of us.
00:29:53.86\00:29:56.79
Now we live in a fallen world
and I know there's more than
00:29:56.83\00:29:58.73
one person here in
this room and is watching
00:29:58.76\00:30:01.76
this particular program
and your family experience
00:30:01.80\00:30:04.97
hasn't been all that positive.
00:30:05.00\00:30:06.30
In fact, may be,
00:30:06.33\00:30:08.34
you are estranged from
your family completely,
00:30:08.37\00:30:11.77
you know, we will
talk a little about that
00:30:11.81\00:30:13.51
if we have time, if
not in future weeks.
00:30:13.54\00:30:16.68
We talk about that as well.
00:30:16.71\00:30:18.65
But for the most
part, for most of us,
00:30:18.68\00:30:21.72
the most
consistent, longstanding,
00:30:21.75\00:30:24.52
most loyal relationships
that we can find in life
00:30:24.55\00:30:28.96
is in the family unit.
00:30:28.99\00:30:31.43
And so here is
another easy question.
00:30:31.46\00:30:32.83
Does that make the
family unit important?
00:30:32.86\00:30:35.26
Yeah. It does, doesn't it?
00:30:35.30\00:30:37.73
All right.
00:30:37.77\00:30:39.03
Now it's
important before the fall,
00:30:39.07\00:30:41.20
his family was invented by God
00:30:41.24\00:30:42.34
even before sin
cursed the world,
00:30:42.37\00:30:44.57
but now it's even more important
00:30:44.61\00:30:47.71
than it was before
sin came into the picture.
00:30:47.74\00:30:50.75
Why?
00:30:50.78\00:30:51.85
Because it's hard to get
through life now, isn't it?
00:30:51.88\00:30:54.15
It's more difficult
to get through the day
00:30:54.18\00:30:55.68
a lot of the times.
00:30:55.72\00:30:58.02
And so that's why
God has given us family,
00:30:58.05\00:31:01.59
and I believe that's also
why the devil is attacking
00:31:01.62\00:31:03.93
that particular
unit more than ever.
00:31:03.96\00:31:07.00
Now we have to remember that,
00:31:07.03\00:31:08.53
attack on the
family is a quarterly point
00:31:08.56\00:31:10.07
so, it's not new,
00:31:10.10\00:31:12.50
you know, yes, it's
part of our society today,
00:31:12.53\00:31:15.47
it's part of the
challenge that we have,
00:31:15.50\00:31:17.47
the devil's on
rage with the remnant,
00:31:17.51\00:31:19.11
he's in rage with
everything that reflects Christ,
00:31:19.14\00:31:21.11
but he is always
been against Christ
00:31:21.14\00:31:23.55
and everything that
Christ has gifted us,
00:31:23.58\00:31:24.91
including the family unit.
00:31:24.95\00:31:26.78
And so the family unit
has always been under attack,
00:31:26.82\00:31:29.32
perhaps just a
little bit more intense
00:31:29.35\00:31:31.62
now than it has been in the past
00:31:31.65\00:31:35.39
and so, there's a good
reason why God gives us
00:31:35.42\00:31:38.73
hundreds of verses on
how to do family well.
00:31:38.76\00:31:42.90
Why?
00:31:42.93\00:31:44.17
Because He wants us to be able
to know how to do family well.
00:31:44.20\00:31:46.60
He wants us to have
a successful family,
00:31:46.63\00:31:48.67
He wants us to have a
positive family experience.
00:31:48.70\00:31:54.14
You know, I'm just so
thankful for the many parents.
00:31:54.18\00:31:56.34
We've about 20
something, 21, 22, 23
00:31:56.38\00:31:59.08
different homes
that have represented
00:31:59.11\00:32:00.48
in this parenting
seminar that we are conducting
00:32:00.52\00:32:03.95
every Wednesday
evening for 17 nights.
00:32:03.99\00:32:06.65
And at first, it
sounded daunting, 17 nights,
00:32:06.69\00:32:09.36
but as I kind of helped
to get on that perspective,
00:32:09.39\00:32:12.13
and we have
these different parents
00:32:12.16\00:32:13.43
and they are coming
night by night, we know,
00:32:13.46\00:32:14.93
I think we have
finished night seven now.
00:32:14.96\00:32:17.17
And I asked
them, how is it going,
00:32:17.20\00:32:19.33
is this routine working for you?
00:32:19.37\00:32:20.74
And they are, yeah,
they are going gung ho there.
00:32:20.77\00:32:22.37
They're eating it up, why?
00:32:22.40\00:32:23.47
Because they are
committed to the family.
00:32:23.51\00:32:26.51
Every time they show
up on Wednesday evening,
00:32:26.54\00:32:28.84
they are coming
there and vesting
00:32:28.88\00:32:30.81
in the most
important social unit
00:32:30.85\00:32:32.25
of their life, in the world,
00:32:32.28\00:32:35.18
and so I'm very
thankful for that.
00:32:35.22\00:32:39.49
And so because of that,
00:32:39.52\00:32:40.56
we find that is
not by coincidence,
00:32:40.59\00:32:42.12
I believe that
family is one of the most
00:32:42.16\00:32:44.06
prominent themes that we
find throughout the Bible.
00:32:44.09\00:32:49.00
And then I started to
do a bit of a cursory study
00:32:49.03\00:32:51.83
as I started to kind of
walk through the Bible quickly
00:32:51.87\00:32:55.24
in preparing for this lesson.
00:32:55.27\00:32:56.64
And as I started to
walk through the Bible,
00:32:56.67\00:32:58.21
I started recognizing,
00:32:58.24\00:32:59.54
right from the
beginning to the end,
00:32:59.57\00:33:01.18
there is family theme,
00:33:01.21\00:33:03.51
that theme is very, very strong,
00:33:03.55\00:33:05.45
stronger than perhaps
00:33:05.48\00:33:06.55
I've ever
thought about it before.
00:33:06.58\00:33:08.32
What is the first family?
00:33:08.35\00:33:09.85
I keep challenging you in
such an easy way, don't I?
00:33:09.88\00:33:11.59
All right.
00:33:11.62\00:33:12.75
Many of you that read the
Bible, that's a no-brainer.
00:33:12.79\00:33:14.39
What is the very
first family in history?
00:33:14.42\00:33:18.06
Okay, Adam and
Eve, isn't it? Okay.
00:33:18.09\00:33:19.89
But Adam and Eve,
they're nice like themselves,
00:33:19.93\00:33:21.60
God didn't say,
"Okay now go and enjoy
00:33:21.63\00:33:22.90
the world to yourselves."
00:33:22.93\00:33:24.00
No, He said, "Go and be fruitful
00:33:24.03\00:33:25.33
and multiply,"
He says, doesn't He?
00:33:25.37\00:33:28.14
He says, start your family.
00:33:28.17\00:33:29.84
And so that's what they did,
00:33:29.87\00:33:30.94
and so they had
their first child
00:33:30.97\00:33:32.41
and from the Bible record
everything seems to indicate
00:33:32.44\00:33:34.98
that the very
first born was Cain.
00:33:35.01\00:33:38.51
Now we kind of
hesitate to say that
00:33:38.55\00:33:39.91
because he didn't
turn out too well, did he?
00:33:39.95\00:33:43.55
But then they had another
boy and his name was Abel,
00:33:43.59\00:33:46.59
and he made good choices.
00:33:46.62\00:33:48.19
As far as the Bible record goes,
00:33:48.22\00:33:49.26
he made good choices all the way
00:33:49.29\00:33:50.63
through to the end
of his premature life
00:33:50.66\00:33:52.49
because we also find
00:33:52.53\00:33:53.56
the first
family feud very sadly,
00:33:53.60\00:33:55.93
and so sins
started to take its course,
00:33:55.96\00:33:58.67
and started to
reveal its ugly head
00:33:58.70\00:34:00.57
in a very evil way
00:34:00.60\00:34:01.67
and that family feud started to,
00:34:01.70\00:34:03.84
that actually led
to murder, didn't it?
00:34:03.87\00:34:06.14
And so Cain eventually murdered
his younger brother, Abel.
00:34:06.17\00:34:11.41
And, of course,
00:34:11.45\00:34:12.78
then Adam and Eve continued on
00:34:12.81\00:34:14.18
and they had another
son, and his name was Seth,
00:34:14.22\00:34:18.49
and was that the end of
the family for Adam and Eve?
00:34:18.52\00:34:22.22
No, that's a
common Bible question,
00:34:22.26\00:34:23.73
you can find in
Genesis Chapter 4 or 5,
00:34:23.76\00:34:26.13
I should say in verse 4,
00:34:26.16\00:34:27.76
that the Bible record tells
us in that particular verse,
00:34:27.76\00:34:30.80
again Genesis 5:4,
00:34:30.83\00:34:32.10
it says that "There were
many other sons and daughters
00:34:32.13\00:34:34.07
that Adam and Eve had."
00:34:34.10\00:34:35.67
And just before that, it gave
the whole life span of Adam.
00:34:35.70\00:34:38.41
You know, he lived
800 and something years
00:34:38.44\00:34:40.24
after Seth was born.
00:34:40.28\00:34:42.71
And so the best
indication that we find
00:34:42.74\00:34:45.51
from the biblical
record is that Adam and Eve
00:34:45.55\00:34:47.05
had children for
hundreds of years after
00:34:47.08\00:34:49.48
he had Cain, and Abel, and Seth.
00:34:49.52\00:34:51.52
And so they probably had dozens,
00:34:51.55\00:34:53.46
maybe even hundreds
of sons and daughters
00:34:53.49\00:34:56.62
through those centuries
as they continue to multiply.
00:34:56.66\00:34:59.73
And so we don't know exactly
how large that family began,
00:34:59.76\00:35:02.46
but it was the first family,
00:35:02.50\00:35:04.17
and it was the first
example that we have.
00:35:04.20\00:35:06.67
It was an example through
the parents of how a parent,
00:35:06.70\00:35:09.57
a mom or a dad can blow it
in a very serious moral way
00:35:09.60\00:35:13.04
and what got us all in
trouble in the first place.
00:35:13.07\00:35:15.54
But it also can
reflect how that parent
00:35:15.58\00:35:17.85
can show the grace of
God and repent from that sin
00:35:17.88\00:35:21.18
and make their relationship
right with God again.
00:35:21.22\00:35:23.75
And we also have that on record,
00:35:23.79\00:35:24.99
and that's the good
news about the first family,
00:35:25.02\00:35:26.59
isn't it?
00:35:26.62\00:35:27.69
Is that all records of
all the evidence indicates
00:35:27.72\00:35:30.23
that Adam and Eve
repented from their sin,
00:35:30.26\00:35:33.29
and they gave their
hearts and devotion to God
00:35:33.33\00:35:35.16
for the rest of their lives.
00:35:35.20\00:35:36.90
And so that's a great example
00:35:36.93\00:35:39.27
of restoration
for us as families.
00:35:39.30\00:35:43.30
And then we come to
those sections in the Bible,
00:35:43.34\00:35:45.94
you know, that we
find in the first chapters
00:35:45.97\00:35:47.31
of Genesis and
then you come to Numbers
00:35:47.34\00:35:49.18
and people get
bogged down, they think,
00:35:49.21\00:35:50.61
"Oh my goodness,
how many genealogies
00:35:50.65\00:35:53.92
do I have to read."
00:35:53.95\00:35:55.92
You know, these
are the boring passages
00:35:55.95\00:35:57.75
and sometimes, you know,
it can get you bogged down
00:35:57.79\00:35:59.92
and so, I recommend
that you kind of, I do,
00:35:59.95\00:36:02.19
you know, I start speed reading,
00:36:02.22\00:36:03.29
you know.
00:36:03.32\00:36:04.36
And so I'll read that genealogy
00:36:04.39\00:36:05.63
in that chapter about 30 seconds
00:36:05.66\00:36:07.86
and just keep going
because I don't want
00:36:07.86\00:36:09.80
to get
discouraged and bogged down
00:36:09.83\00:36:10.93
but genealogy is
really is recording what?
00:36:10.97\00:36:14.90
It's recording
families, isn't it?
00:36:14.94\00:36:16.91
And so here is
the family of Levi,
00:36:16.94\00:36:19.64
one of the brothers
of, and sons of Jacob,
00:36:19.67\00:36:22.24
I should say, you know,
00:36:22.28\00:36:23.61
the sons of
Judah, and his family,
00:36:23.65\00:36:26.92
and their family's family
00:36:26.95\00:36:28.08
and then his
great grandchildren.
00:36:28.12\00:36:29.18
Oh, and here's
Judah's great, great, great,
00:36:29.22\00:36:30.62
great, great children.
00:36:30.65\00:36:31.85
Oh, and then he also has
some great, great, great, great,
00:36:31.89\00:36:33.25
great grandchildren
and that's their names.
00:36:33.29\00:36:35.32
And so we find family trees,
00:36:35.36\00:36:36.83
genealogies really are
family trees, aren't they?
00:36:36.86\00:36:39.83
Sure they are, and so
again it speaks family, family.
00:36:39.86\00:36:44.47
God is telling us that
the family unit is important,
00:36:44.50\00:36:48.20
even when we come
to the genealogies,
00:36:48.24\00:36:49.97
and so God doesn't
just stop at Adam and Eve,
00:36:50.01\00:36:51.64
or Cain, and Abel, and Seth,
00:36:51.67\00:36:52.67
but we find that
Cain had children,
00:36:52.71\00:36:54.38
recorded his
children's children,
00:36:54.41\00:36:56.34
Seth's children, and
his children's children,
00:36:56.38\00:36:59.08
that their family
tree is all recorded,
00:36:59.11\00:37:00.82
they all had families.
00:37:00.85\00:37:02.22
Then we come to Noah.
00:37:02.25\00:37:03.82
Was Noah mentioned in isolation?
00:37:03.85\00:37:06.99
No, not at all.
00:37:07.02\00:37:08.36
It not only talks about Noah
but it talks about Mrs. Noah,
00:37:08.39\00:37:11.83
doesn't it?
00:37:11.86\00:37:12.86
Okay.
00:37:12.89\00:37:14.00
All right, so we have
Noah, and then we have his wife,
00:37:14.03\00:37:15.86
and it also says
that he had three sons
00:37:15.90\00:37:17.77
and not only did
he have three sons,
00:37:17.80\00:37:19.37
but he had three
daughters-in-law,
00:37:19.40\00:37:21.67
and after the flood, it
says that they had children,
00:37:21.70\00:37:23.61
and then it
records their children,
00:37:23.64\00:37:24.87
and their great,
great grandchildren,
00:37:24.91\00:37:26.01
their great,
great grandchildren,
00:37:26.04\00:37:27.08
and so we have the
family life of Noah
00:37:27.11\00:37:30.05
that is recorded.
00:37:30.08\00:37:31.11
Not only for
family life, the family,
00:37:31.15\00:37:33.05
but we also have
different incidence
00:37:33.08\00:37:34.95
that take place
within that family life
00:37:34.98\00:37:37.12
that are recorded.
00:37:37.15\00:37:38.32
Now, with Noah, it's a
little bit more limited,
00:37:38.35\00:37:40.02
but it is there
00:37:40.06\00:37:41.29
and we find it even
more so when we come
00:37:41.32\00:37:43.39
to Abraham and Sarah,
we find a lot of incidents
00:37:43.43\00:37:46.80
and recorded in
their family life,
00:37:46.83\00:37:50.73
and not only do we have
it in Abraham but also Isaac.
00:37:50.77\00:37:55.50
And then, the most, of course,
we find in the great grand
00:37:55.54\00:37:59.81
or the grandchild of
Abraham, which is Jacob.
00:37:59.84\00:38:04.55
And then, of course, we
have many, many chapters,
00:38:04.58\00:38:06.68
the most chapters that we record
00:38:06.72\00:38:09.15
and many of those chapters
00:38:09.18\00:38:10.59
is recording the
family life of Jacob.
00:38:10.62\00:38:16.22
Did everything go well
with the Jacob's family?
00:38:16.26\00:38:18.99
Did Jacob always
make good decisions?
00:38:19.03\00:38:21.63
No, he didn't, did he? Yeah.
00:38:21.66\00:38:23.77
It records the bad
and it records the good,
00:38:23.80\00:38:26.10
the bad, and the
ugly, doesn't it?
00:38:26.13\00:38:27.84
And that's why
the Bible is so real,
00:38:27.87\00:38:30.77
you know, it's from God,
00:38:30.81\00:38:31.81
God wants us to
see the whole story,
00:38:31.84\00:38:33.58
not just part and so,
00:38:33.61\00:38:35.24
it's important for us to
see that I believe as well.
00:38:35.28\00:38:40.15
And then 400 plus years later,
the Bible picks it up again
00:38:40.18\00:38:42.58
with a man named Moses.
00:38:42.62\00:38:45.19
And is Moses
mentioned in isolation?
00:38:45.22\00:38:48.16
No, in fact, it
starts by introducing
00:38:48.19\00:38:50.63
his family, doesn't it?
00:38:50.66\00:38:52.73
In case, it
talks about his mother,
00:38:52.76\00:38:54.30
and he has a father
00:38:54.36\00:38:55.96
and in the Book
of Numbers 26:59,
00:38:56.00\00:38:58.93
he names them, Jochebed and...
00:38:58.97\00:39:00.50
Now here's a...
00:39:00.54\00:39:01.57
Oh, I shouldn't
have gave you that.
00:39:01.60\00:39:02.60
Now I want to
challenge you a little bit more,
00:39:02.64\00:39:03.81
I have been so easy
on you. Trivia question.
00:39:03.84\00:39:06.11
What's the name
of Moses's mother?
00:39:06.14\00:39:09.94
Jochebed, you're
right, you're right.
00:39:09.98\00:39:11.31
Jochebed, okay.
00:39:11.35\00:39:12.68
And then, what's
the name of Moses's dad?
00:39:12.71\00:39:17.45
Pardon me.
00:39:17.49\00:39:19.15
Amram, that I think
I heard of somewhere,
00:39:19.19\00:39:20.62
that's good.
00:39:20.66\00:39:21.69
That's a harder one, isn't it?
00:39:21.72\00:39:23.39
Okay, we have
Amram and Jochebed,
00:39:23.43\00:39:25.16
and they have
more than just Moses,
00:39:25.19\00:39:27.30
but it mentions Moses's brother,
00:39:27.30\00:39:29.03
his elder brother Aaron,
00:39:29.06\00:39:30.30
and it also mentions his sister,
00:39:30.33\00:39:32.80
who's named Miriam, who
also became a prophetess
00:39:32.83\00:39:35.20
and a key player in the
plan of salvation for God
00:39:35.24\00:39:38.27
and the Israelite people.
00:39:38.31\00:39:39.77
And so the whole
family is mentioned there,
00:39:39.81\00:39:42.44
and then we have some beautiful
family life pictures in windows
00:39:42.48\00:39:46.65
that we can see through.
00:39:46.68\00:39:47.78
You know, we find that
Moses, his life is on the line,
00:39:47.82\00:39:49.95
they hide him for three months
and then finally they come up
00:39:49.98\00:39:52.69
with this plan to be able
to put him in this basket,
00:39:52.72\00:39:55.42
this waterproof basket.
00:39:55.46\00:39:56.49
They kind of
strategically placed it
00:39:56.52\00:39:59.06
within the reeds,
00:39:59.09\00:40:00.03
you know, nearby
where one of the princesses
00:40:00.06\00:40:01.90
of the Pharaoh
would come down and bathe
00:40:01.93\00:40:04.53
or at least, you know,
some scholars are also saying
00:40:04.57\00:40:06.50
that she came now
not so much to bathe
00:40:06.53\00:40:09.04
as they had baths
within the palaces and so on,
00:40:09.07\00:40:11.17
but to give her oblations,
00:40:11.21\00:40:13.01
her worship to the
river god or gods of the Nile.
00:40:13.04\00:40:17.21
And so, while
she was down there,
00:40:17.25\00:40:18.68
she spotted this,
00:40:18.71\00:40:20.32
you know, this floating basket.
00:40:20.35\00:40:23.22
Many of us know the story.
00:40:23.25\00:40:24.92
And we find there
that Moses wasn't alone
00:40:24.95\00:40:27.16
but his sister Miriam
was there, wasn't she?
00:40:27.19\00:40:29.92
And so she is hiding
behind the bushes or something
00:40:29.96\00:40:32.16
and watching the whole scene
00:40:32.19\00:40:33.33
and saying her
prayers, I'm sure.
00:40:33.36\00:40:34.93
And then once
the princess kind of
00:40:34.93\00:40:37.40
picked up the baby,
00:40:37.43\00:40:38.57
and the baby
kind of won her heart.
00:40:38.60\00:40:40.57
She risks her life on a real way
00:40:40.60\00:40:43.34
and she comes
out from the bushes
00:40:43.37\00:40:44.57
and she comes out
and speaks up to royalty.
00:40:44.61\00:40:47.38
Now this is a slave,
you have to remember.
00:40:47.41\00:40:49.91
Miriam is not an
Egyptian citizen,
00:40:49.94\00:40:52.78
and so when she step
forward from the bushes,
00:40:52.81\00:40:54.48
she was risking her life.
00:40:54.52\00:40:55.75
She knew she could die,
00:40:55.78\00:40:57.92
because she was
approaching royalty
00:40:57.95\00:40:59.32
without being invited
00:40:59.35\00:41:01.29
and so she risks her life.
00:41:01.32\00:41:03.56
Why?
00:41:03.59\00:41:04.63
Because there is a
loyalty within the family unit
00:41:04.66\00:41:07.46
that is stronger
than any other loyalty...
00:41:07.50\00:41:09.73
I'm talking
about a healthy family.
00:41:09.76\00:41:11.77
Within a healthy family,
00:41:11.80\00:41:13.40
there is loyalty
within the family unit
00:41:13.44\00:41:15.30
that is stronger
than any other unit,
00:41:15.34\00:41:16.84
isn't that true?
00:41:16.87\00:41:18.57
Sure, it is.
00:41:18.61\00:41:19.81
Now you can talk
about my neighbor
00:41:19.84\00:41:21.04
and you can tell me
some of their faults,
00:41:21.08\00:41:22.51
you start talking
about my daughters like that,
00:41:22.54\00:41:24.11
oh boy.
00:41:24.15\00:41:26.58
The temperature
rises fast, doesn't it?
00:41:26.61\00:41:28.65
You start talking
about my wife that way,
00:41:28.68\00:41:30.92
you know, so there's
a loyalty, isn't there?
00:41:30.95\00:41:33.86
There's a special
protective loyalty
00:41:33.89\00:41:36.42
that God gives to us.
00:41:36.46\00:41:37.86
And we'll even risk
our lives for each other
00:41:37.89\00:41:39.76
more than we
would for other people
00:41:39.79\00:41:40.93
and Miriam is one of
those prime examples.
00:41:40.96\00:41:44.53
Then we have Samson,
00:41:44.57\00:41:46.23
he is not
mentioned in isolation,
00:41:46.27\00:41:47.37
we have his family mentioned,
family life incidents,
00:41:47.40\00:41:49.87
Ruth and Boaz, what
a beautiful picture.
00:41:49.90\00:41:52.94
That's all surrounded
under this beautiful family,
00:41:52.97\00:41:55.48
some of the hardships
00:41:55.51\00:41:56.51
and the losses they went through
00:41:56.54\00:41:57.98
and how the loyalty
00:41:58.01\00:41:59.38
is within that family
unit got them through.
00:41:59.41\00:42:02.02
Elkanah and Hannah,
00:42:02.05\00:42:04.25
now this is an
interesting story.
00:42:04.29\00:42:06.22
They gave up the
firstborn for adoption,
00:42:06.25\00:42:08.29
his name was
Samuel, and Samuel became
00:42:08.32\00:42:11.23
one of the most key
players in the history
00:42:11.26\00:42:13.50
of God's plan of
salvation in Israel.
00:42:13.53\00:42:16.40
And so Samuel
found himself adopted
00:42:16.43\00:42:19.77
in a very unique and special way
00:42:19.80\00:42:21.54
and still in connection
with his parents, of course.
00:42:21.57\00:42:23.57
And then we have
Eli who had adopted him,
00:42:23.61\00:42:26.47
and did Eli have a
very successful family life?
00:42:26.51\00:42:29.91
Not at all, did he?
00:42:29.94\00:42:31.55
In fact, we find that his
children turned out to be,
00:42:31.58\00:42:34.65
you know, super bad
apples in the sanctuary
00:42:34.68\00:42:38.75
and in the temple
services and so on.
00:42:38.79\00:42:40.79
And so it didn't
turn out very pretty
00:42:40.82\00:42:42.86
and so, God didn't
choose one of his sons,
00:42:42.89\00:42:44.83
but He says, "Listen, I've
got a plan for another boy,
00:42:44.86\00:42:47.00
his name is Samuel."
00:42:47.03\00:42:49.26
And so, Eli now is
set up to adopt somebody,
00:42:49.30\00:42:53.67
another son that is to
be able to take that place.
00:42:53.70\00:42:57.31
And so we have a
beautiful picture
00:42:57.34\00:42:58.71
of Samuel coming through
00:42:58.74\00:43:00.38
and these two
families kind of blending
00:43:00.41\00:43:02.04
because you think
Eli and his family
00:43:02.08\00:43:03.65
as well as Elkanah and Hannah
00:43:03.68\00:43:05.05
kind of had a
special relationship?
00:43:05.08\00:43:07.38
Sure, they did. Okay.
00:43:07.42\00:43:08.72
Because this was not your
typical adoption scenario,
00:43:08.75\00:43:12.12
and so there was a
continual lifetime relationship.
00:43:12.15\00:43:14.49
King Saul,
00:43:14.52\00:43:15.96
we have all kinds
of family life windows
00:43:15.99\00:43:17.93
into his life, don't we?
00:43:17.96\00:43:19.39
And again, some of them
didn't turn out very pretty.
00:43:19.43\00:43:22.00
We find that one of
his first sons-in-laws,
00:43:22.03\00:43:24.30
may be was his first son-in-law
was named, King David,
00:43:24.33\00:43:27.87
okay, so he eventually
gave his daughter Michal
00:43:27.90\00:43:31.84
to David,
00:43:31.87\00:43:33.24
and so David
married the princess
00:43:33.27\00:43:35.48
who's the daughter of Saul.
00:43:35.51\00:43:37.11
And now David is in
the family of Saul now.
00:43:37.15\00:43:40.15
He is married into the family.
00:43:40.18\00:43:41.42
That's why we say
during marriage counseling
00:43:41.45\00:43:44.65
and so on
pre-marriage counseling is that,
00:43:44.69\00:43:46.35
you know, we always
point out to the couple.
00:43:46.39\00:43:47.79
You have to remember
that when you marry somebody,
00:43:47.82\00:43:50.06
you are not just
married into your spouse,
00:43:50.09\00:43:53.09
you and your husband or wife,
00:43:53.13\00:43:54.20
but you're also marrying
into a new family, aren't you?
00:43:54.23\00:43:58.77
Okay, that took
place with David and Saul.
00:43:58.80\00:44:01.10
Did things go well, did
David have a good relationship
00:44:01.14\00:44:03.34
with his new family,
00:44:03.37\00:44:06.31
with his second family
00:44:06.34\00:44:07.34
we could say, his in-law family?
00:44:07.38\00:44:10.31
Well, he did with
his brother-in-law,
00:44:10.35\00:44:11.65
didn't he?
00:44:11.68\00:44:12.81
He had a wonderful relationship
with his brother-in-law,
00:44:12.85\00:44:14.78
his name was Jonathan,
00:44:14.82\00:44:17.05
and so they loved
each other like brothers.
00:44:17.09\00:44:19.55
And so they had a
wonderful relationship
00:44:19.59\00:44:21.49
that brought them
through some very real hardships
00:44:21.52\00:44:24.26
because we feel
sorry for David so often
00:44:24.29\00:44:26.56
but we have to remember,
00:44:26.59\00:44:27.56
we have to feel
sorry for Jonathan as well.
00:44:27.60\00:44:29.43
Did he have a good
relationship with his dad?
00:44:29.46\00:44:32.83
It would be impossible.
00:44:32.87\00:44:34.24
In fact, we find
all kinds of evidence
00:44:34.27\00:44:35.94
that he had a
very, very difficult
00:44:35.97\00:44:38.61
and estranged
relationship with his dad.
00:44:38.64\00:44:41.51
When you have a dad that wants
to murder your best friend,
00:44:41.54\00:44:44.28
is that a good relationship?
00:44:44.31\00:44:46.08
No.
00:44:46.11\00:44:47.18
So we have all kinds of
windows within this family
00:44:47.22\00:44:49.25
and of course that
dynasty then carries on,
00:44:49.28\00:44:51.02
because David makes
some very serious mistakes
00:44:51.05\00:44:53.42
that affects their family
in negative ways for decades
00:44:53.46\00:44:56.66
that follow after
right up until David's death.
00:44:56.69\00:44:59.59
And even after his death
00:44:59.63\00:45:01.76
there was
different repercussions
00:45:01.80\00:45:03.26
because of his
serious and sinful mistakes.
00:45:03.30\00:45:07.30
So that's all
painted out for us.
00:45:07.34\00:45:08.80
We find the good,
the bad, and the ugly
00:45:08.84\00:45:10.44
as we look in the windows
of these different families.
00:45:10.47\00:45:12.47
But it's so
pervasive throughout the Bible.
00:45:12.51\00:45:14.74
All the way
through, we have Abigail,
00:45:14.78\00:45:16.38
of course, one of
the other wives of David
00:45:16.41\00:45:21.22
and again it's
giving us that life lesson
00:45:21.25\00:45:23.12
that picking more than
one wife is not a good plan.
00:45:23.15\00:45:28.29
And so David is no exception
and so we'll find out as well.
00:45:28.32\00:45:32.83
Polygamy is pointed out
00:45:32.86\00:45:34.66
and painted out
as a negative thing.
00:45:34.73\00:45:36.26
Bathsheba,
00:45:36.30\00:45:38.40
okay, finding your wife
outside of your marriage
00:45:38.43\00:45:41.47
and having a child
before you get married,
00:45:41.50\00:45:43.54
is that a good idea?
00:45:43.57\00:45:45.54
No. It didn't
turn out well, did it?
00:45:45.57\00:45:47.28
Okay.
00:45:47.31\00:45:48.31
And so we have Bathsheba
00:45:48.34\00:45:49.34
eventually
became the wife of David
00:45:49.38\00:45:50.95
but in a very painful
00:45:50.98\00:45:53.15
and with some very
negative consequences.
00:45:53.18\00:45:56.38
And one of those consequences
was one of his sons,
00:45:56.42\00:45:58.79
David's son Absalom.
00:45:58.82\00:46:00.69
And when we look at Absalom,
00:46:00.72\00:46:02.02
of course, we have all
kinds of strange really,
00:46:02.06\00:46:04.53
you know,
evidence that there was
00:46:04.56\00:46:06.09
a very strained relationship
00:46:06.13\00:46:07.66
between Absalom and his dad.
00:46:07.73\00:46:10.57
You know, David was hesitant
00:46:10.60\00:46:12.67
to be able to
discipline his sons
00:46:12.70\00:46:15.10
and to guide him in
the way of righteousness
00:46:15.14\00:46:16.77
even though he
had sincerely repented
00:46:16.81\00:46:19.74
because, of course, he
carried that shame with him
00:46:19.77\00:46:21.58
through the rest of his life.
00:46:21.61\00:46:24.11
And so because of that,
00:46:24.15\00:46:25.51
Absalom rebelled
against his own dad
00:46:25.55\00:46:28.45
and tried to take the
throne from his dad by force.
00:46:28.48\00:46:31.65
Was that a good
thing? No, not at all.
00:46:31.69\00:46:35.42
He failed, didn't he?
00:46:35.46\00:46:36.83
He eventually failed,
00:46:36.86\00:46:37.86
you know, we got
the classic story,
00:46:37.89\00:46:39.13
his long hair got
caught in one of the,
00:46:39.16\00:46:41.43
you know, one of the
branches over top of him
00:46:41.46\00:46:44.40
as he was riding the
horses through the warfare
00:46:44.43\00:46:46.77
that was taking place
between him and his army
00:46:46.80\00:46:48.54
and David and his armies
00:46:48.57\00:46:50.77
and then, of
course there's, you know,
00:46:50.81\00:46:53.44
the general and
his soldiers came up
00:46:53.48\00:46:55.28
and pierced him
through that he might die
00:46:55.31\00:46:58.85
because, you know, when
you rebel against the king
00:46:58.88\00:47:01.98
and try to overtake the throne
that was standard procedure.
00:47:02.02\00:47:05.52
Was David happy about that?
00:47:05.55\00:47:06.62
Did he say, oh, good,
finally I got my throne back
00:47:06.65\00:47:08.69
and everything
is going to be good,
00:47:08.72\00:47:09.96
that the kingdom is in peace?
00:47:09.99\00:47:11.89
No, here we have a man
that, that lied to David.
00:47:11.93\00:47:16.70
He systematically won
the hearts of the population
00:47:16.73\00:47:20.84
of Jerusalem, the
capital of his kingdom
00:47:20.87\00:47:23.47
and of the Israelites
00:47:23.51\00:47:24.57
so that he might be
able to win the throne
00:47:24.61\00:47:26.64
and forcefully take
it from his own dad.
00:47:26.68\00:47:29.41
And then he goes
through with the plan
00:47:29.44\00:47:31.65
and is willing to do
anything he needs to.
00:47:31.68\00:47:34.72
In fact, I'm sure even
take his own dad's life
00:47:34.75\00:47:37.12
if it was need be.
00:47:37.15\00:47:38.69
And yet here we
find the dad's loyalty,
00:47:38.72\00:47:40.49
his heart is still for
his son Absalom, isn't it?
00:47:40.52\00:47:43.56
And he has the
struggle in his heart,
00:47:43.59\00:47:45.13
do I grieve over
this or do I not,
00:47:45.16\00:47:48.80
and his general eventually
had to kind of straighten him
00:47:48.83\00:47:50.77
out a little bit
on that, didn't he?
00:47:50.80\00:47:53.64
So we have all these
families again as we go through,
00:47:53.67\00:47:56.07
as we walk
through the scriptures
00:47:56.10\00:47:57.84
and then there's Solomon.
00:47:57.87\00:47:59.21
Now Solomon is the
ultimate major example
00:47:59.24\00:48:01.28
of how not to do family.
00:48:01.31\00:48:04.41
Solomon kind of
took all the negatives,
00:48:04.45\00:48:06.21
and the bad, the worst decisions
00:48:06.25\00:48:07.85
that you could possibly make
00:48:07.88\00:48:08.88
and he just took
it to the nth degree,
00:48:08.92\00:48:10.95
just as far as he
could possibly take it.
00:48:10.99\00:48:13.05
You know, if polygamy is bad
with three, or four, or five,
00:48:13.09\00:48:16.36
what's it gonna be like
if I have a few thousand.
00:48:16.39\00:48:19.43
You know, and so, you know,
00:48:19.46\00:48:21.50
he just took it
to the worst extreme.
00:48:21.53\00:48:24.00
And so that's
the ultimate example
00:48:24.03\00:48:25.27
of when we look
at his family life
00:48:25.30\00:48:26.70
on how not to do family.
00:48:26.74\00:48:29.40
Then we have Job,
again not in isolation,
00:48:29.44\00:48:31.24
he has a wife, he has 10 kids,
00:48:31.27\00:48:34.18
church grown children
00:48:34.21\00:48:36.38
and, of course, we find
00:48:36.41\00:48:37.48
that there's some
relational strains
00:48:37.51\00:48:39.01
between him and his wife
00:48:39.05\00:48:40.08
as they go through
a very difficult time.
00:48:40.12\00:48:43.08
And then we have Isaiah,
00:48:43.12\00:48:44.85
we have the kids that are named
with different prophetic names,
00:48:44.89\00:48:48.49
concerning God's
promises for Israel
00:48:48.52\00:48:50.49
as he was speaking
through the Prophet Isaiah.
00:48:50.53\00:48:53.19
Hosea.
00:48:53.23\00:48:55.16
What about Hosea?
00:48:55.20\00:48:57.27
Okay, anybody ever
recommend to their son
00:48:57.30\00:48:58.93
as they get to married age,
00:48:58.97\00:48:59.90
you said, you know, I
think it's a good idea
00:48:59.93\00:49:01.30
if you go down to
the red light district,
00:49:01.34\00:49:03.97
and pick yourself
out a nice young bride.
00:49:04.01\00:49:08.24
Can anybody ever do that
00:49:08.28\00:49:09.34
with their
daughter or their sons?
00:49:09.38\00:49:11.21
No, I don't recommend it.
00:49:11.25\00:49:12.31
And I don't
think God does either.
00:49:12.35\00:49:13.72
This is a very
unique exception, isn't it?
00:49:13.75\00:49:16.28
But here we have God
telling the prophet Hosea,
00:49:16.32\00:49:18.22
He say, go down to
the red light district
00:49:18.25\00:49:19.92
and pick yourself out
00:49:19.95\00:49:21.02
one of the active
prostitutes there as your bride.
00:49:21.06\00:49:23.93
And, of course, his
whole life and his family life
00:49:23.96\00:49:26.16
then became a
living message to Israel
00:49:26.19\00:49:29.83
of how God feels
and how God is going
00:49:29.86\00:49:32.30
through his
marriage relationship
00:49:32.33\00:49:34.10
and his relationship
with Israel as a nation
00:49:34.14\00:49:37.31
and how
unfaithful Israel was to Him.
00:49:37.34\00:49:42.01
And then, of course, we
come to the New Testament
00:49:42.04\00:49:43.61
and the most important family
we could probably think of
00:49:43.65\00:49:47.58
in all history is Jesus' family.
00:49:47.62\00:49:50.45
Okay, and so here we
have a faithful young woman
00:49:50.49\00:49:52.35
by the name of Mary we have her,
00:49:52.39\00:49:54.52
her husband to be Joseph.
00:49:54.56\00:49:56.83
They come together in wedlock
00:49:56.86\00:49:59.26
and then we find
that as they go forward,
00:49:59.29\00:50:01.36
she has the little baby Jesus.
00:50:01.40\00:50:04.47
Was Jesus alone when He grew up?
00:50:04.50\00:50:07.24
No, the Bible tells
us that He had brothers.
00:50:07.27\00:50:09.80
And some have speculated
and we don't know for certain
00:50:09.84\00:50:12.94
but you know the
Bible evidence isn't clear,
00:50:12.97\00:50:15.04
crystal clear in that.
00:50:15.08\00:50:16.14
But, because Joseph was
already out of the picture
00:50:16.18\00:50:18.41
by the time Jesus died
33 years after His birth,
00:50:18.45\00:50:22.25
the evidence is that
there's a good chance
00:50:22.28\00:50:25.02
that Joseph was
quite a bit older
00:50:25.05\00:50:26.19
and he already had
children from another
00:50:26.22\00:50:27.69
and he was a widower
00:50:27.72\00:50:29.19
and so, these would
be Jesus' step brothers.
00:50:29.22\00:50:32.53
But we don't know for certain,
it doesn't tell us that,
00:50:32.56\00:50:34.76
because we do know
that Mary and Joseph.
00:50:34.83\00:50:36.83
Joseph did not know Mary
after she gave birth to Jesus.
00:50:36.87\00:50:40.77
And so they had an
active intimate life
00:50:40.80\00:50:42.47
and so there's a
really good chance
00:50:42.50\00:50:43.74
that they also had
children together as well.
00:50:43.77\00:50:46.61
And so we have
this great relationship
00:50:46.64\00:50:50.85
or this great family
00:50:50.88\00:50:52.05
and, of course, Jesus
is the only perfect child
00:50:52.08\00:50:53.82
that ever lived.
00:50:53.85\00:50:55.28
And, of course, as He grew up,
00:50:55.32\00:50:57.52
He influenced His
family in a good way,
00:50:57.55\00:51:00.26
but was that the end of it?
00:51:00.29\00:51:02.72
Well, no, it didn't turn
out good at first, did it?
00:51:02.76\00:51:04.53
In fact, we find
on the Bible record
00:51:04.56\00:51:05.76
that Jesus found His
brothers frustrated with Him
00:51:05.79\00:51:07.96
and they were quite
worldly in their thinking.
00:51:07.96\00:51:10.07
They were frustrated with Jesus,
00:51:10.10\00:51:11.03
go out there and
make a name for yourself.
00:51:11.07\00:51:12.37
You got all
this power and stuff,
00:51:12.40\00:51:13.94
you got to capitalize on it.
00:51:13.97\00:51:15.44
You've got to be
able to get out there.
00:51:15.47\00:51:16.57
Think of the power, and
the prestige, and the fame,
00:51:16.60\00:51:18.61
and the
popularity that You can have.
00:51:18.64\00:51:20.18
And Jesus says,
00:51:20.21\00:51:21.21
"You're thinking
in a worldly way.
00:51:21.24\00:51:23.41
I'm not interested in all that,
00:51:23.45\00:51:24.85
I'm interested in saving souls.
00:51:24.88\00:51:27.52
I'm interested in
being able to bless the world
00:51:27.55\00:51:29.58
and not try to
only receive from it."
00:51:29.62\00:51:32.09
And, but the good news is
that the Bible tells us that
00:51:32.12\00:51:35.69
eventually He,
00:51:35.72\00:51:37.79
eventually He did
win His brothers through
00:51:37.83\00:51:40.96
and so we can
find evidence later.
00:51:40.96\00:51:42.53
And Acts 1:14, we're going
to ask a volunteer in there.
00:51:42.56\00:51:46.27
I see that we're out of time,
00:51:46.30\00:51:47.44
and so we're gonna
have to close, thank you.
00:51:47.47\00:51:49.20
Acts Chapter 1?
00:51:53.41\00:51:55.31
Acts 1:14. Thank you, Michael.
00:51:55.34\00:51:57.91
Acts 1:14,
00:51:57.95\00:52:01.28
"These all
continued with one accord
00:52:01.32\00:52:03.65
in prayer and supplication,
00:52:03.69\00:52:06.82
with the women and
Mary the mother of Jesus,
00:52:06.86\00:52:11.09
and with his brothers."
00:52:11.13\00:52:13.09
Okay, good, thank you.
00:52:13.13\00:52:16.20
All right, so there
we have Jesus' brothers.
00:52:16.23\00:52:18.50
Our families may not be perfect,
00:52:18.53\00:52:20.20
but there is hope
for growth and success.
00:52:20.24\00:52:22.07
And so that's the hope
I want to leave with you
00:52:22.10\00:52:23.54
as we close here today
00:52:23.57\00:52:25.31
is that growth and
success is where we have it.
00:52:25.34\00:52:28.28
How do we find that?
00:52:28.31\00:52:29.34
Faith in Jesus.
00:52:29.38\00:52:30.55
We find that in
Wednesday's lesson study,
00:52:30.58\00:52:32.85
Philippians 1:16,
00:52:32.88\00:52:34.82
okay, tells us that "He
who has begun a good work in us
00:52:34.85\00:52:37.12
will also complete it."
00:52:37.15\00:52:39.49
And so that's
important for us as well.
00:52:39.52\00:52:41.46
And then we have
some other scriptures
00:52:41.49\00:52:42.76
to look there as well.
00:52:42.79\00:52:43.96
So I'm just so glad
00:52:43.99\00:52:45.03
that you have joined us
here for our Bible study
00:52:45.06\00:52:47.50
as we look at this very
important subject on family.
00:52:47.50\00:52:50.20
And again, don't
forget to take advantage
00:52:50.23\00:52:52.33
of our free gift
offer, The Rest of Your Life.
00:52:52.37\00:52:56.37
Everything you need to
know about the Sabbath.
00:52:56.40\00:52:58.14
And so, please if
you've never studied
00:52:58.17\00:52:59.51
or if you've studied through
this particular free gift,
00:52:59.54\00:53:01.64
take advantage of that.
00:53:01.68\00:53:03.01
Phone the number
that is on the screen
00:53:03.04\00:53:04.58
and or text it and
you can get it yourself
00:53:04.61\00:53:06.72
a free copy to study.
00:53:06.75\00:53:09.32
God bless you,
and we look forward
00:53:09.35\00:53:10.59
to seeing you next week.
00:53:10.62\00:53:12.69
Don't forget to request
00:53:12.72\00:53:13.86
today's life
changing free resource.
00:53:13.89\00:53:16.29
Not only can you receive
this free gift in the mail,
00:53:16.32\00:53:18.46
you can download a digital
copy straight to your computer
00:53:18.49\00:53:21.00
or mobile device.
00:53:21.03\00:53:22.26
To get your digital
copy of today's free gift,
00:53:22.30\00:53:25.17
simply text the
keyword on your screen to 40544
00:53:25.20\00:53:29.10
or visit the web
address shown on your screen
00:53:29.14\00:53:31.87
and be sure to select
a digital download option
00:53:31.91\00:53:34.38
on the request page.
00:53:34.41\00:53:35.64
It's now easier
than ever for you
00:53:35.68\00:53:37.51
to study God's
Word with Amazing Facts
00:53:37.55\00:53:40.08
wherever and whenever you want
00:53:40.12\00:53:41.98
and most important,
to share it with others.
00:53:42.02\00:53:44.85
For over 60 years
00:53:59.90\00:54:01.10
Jeepneys have been the
virtual king of the road
00:54:01.14\00:54:03.41
here in the Philippians.
00:54:03.44\00:54:04.81
These unique vehicles
00:54:04.84\00:54:06.17
that are festered
with colorful stickers,
00:54:06.21\00:54:08.31
lights and chrome,
00:54:08.34\00:54:09.71
go into their chief
source of transportation
00:54:09.74\00:54:11.91
in the country.
00:54:11.95\00:54:12.95
Let's go.
00:54:12.98\00:54:14.02
These iconic four-wheel
drive military vehicles
00:54:18.59\00:54:21.42
made by the Willys Company
00:54:21.46\00:54:23.16
or known as Jeeps
00:54:23.19\00:54:24.39
because it's stood
for general purpose,
00:54:24.43\00:54:27.10
but it also
came from a character
00:54:27.13\00:54:29.36
in a Popeye cartoon
00:54:29.40\00:54:31.17
that was known
as Eugene the Jeep.
00:54:31.20\00:54:33.57
He was an imaginary dog
00:54:33.60\00:54:34.97
that can crawl
across the ceilings
00:54:35.00\00:54:36.37
and the walls,
00:54:36.40\00:54:37.41
and these jeeps
could go anywhere.
00:54:37.44\00:54:39.27
When the Americans
left the Philippines
00:54:39.31\00:54:41.04
following World War II,
00:54:41.08\00:54:42.81
it was just cheaper for them
00:54:42.84\00:54:44.01
to leave these thousands
of military vehicles behind
00:54:44.05\00:54:46.61
rather than to transport
them back to the States.
00:54:46.65\00:54:49.28
The creative Filipino people
00:54:49.32\00:54:51.05
modified these military vehicles
00:54:51.09\00:54:52.99
by extending the
frame about six feet.
00:54:53.02\00:54:55.56
They added a
couple of cozy inventions
00:54:55.59\00:54:57.53
that are designed to
carry about 18 people.
00:54:57.56\00:55:00.73
They put a cab over
00:55:00.76\00:55:01.73
to prevent the
water from coming in,
00:55:01.76\00:55:04.33
but I've seen that
looks like 20 to 25 people
00:55:04.37\00:55:07.27
hanging on every possible
edge and ledge of a Jeepney.
00:55:07.30\00:55:10.51
They're jumping
off, they're jumping on
00:55:10.54\00:55:12.47
as it goes through
00:55:12.51\00:55:13.54
in just in the
middle of traffic.
00:55:13.58\00:55:15.01
Every Jeepney is
little bit different.
00:55:16.64\00:55:19.28
Some are just held together
with patches of daily wire
00:55:19.31\00:55:22.15
and bubblegum, a
little bit of duck tape.
00:55:22.18\00:55:24.52
Some are little
more ornate and modern,
00:55:24.55\00:55:26.32
they've got chrome
and stainless steel.
00:55:26.35\00:55:28.72
And there's good reason
that the ceilings are padded.
00:55:28.76\00:55:31.03
When one of the local Filipinos
wants to ride on a Jeepney,
00:55:34.20\00:55:37.03
they just flag
them down, they shout,
00:55:37.07\00:55:38.87
they tap on the hood,
then they jump on board.
00:55:38.90\00:55:41.50
They may not even
slowdown when they do this.
00:55:41.54\00:55:43.97
Then they pay about 8 pesos
00:55:44.01\00:55:46.01
which is
equivalent of 16 cents for us.
00:55:46.04\00:55:48.61
It's by far the
most economical way
00:55:48.64\00:55:50.68
to get around in the country.
00:55:50.71\00:55:51.81
Some Jeepneys are even equipped
with an old emergency privy.
00:55:56.99\00:56:02.76
One little
downside to the Jeepneys
00:56:02.79\00:56:04.76
is because the
cabs are open like this,
00:56:04.79\00:56:06.96
they're not air-conditioned,
00:56:07.00\00:56:08.30
it gets very hot in summertime
00:56:08.33\00:56:10.10
and all the fumes
from the street coming in
00:56:10.13\00:56:12.47
which can make it an
exhausting experience.
00:56:12.50\00:56:16.17
One of the
downside of the Jeepney
00:56:16.20\00:56:17.47
is they don't have all of
the modern safety features,
00:56:17.51\00:56:20.14
no seatbelts.
00:56:20.18\00:56:21.48
You have to take
advantage of the padding
00:56:21.51\00:56:23.18
if you hit a hard bump.
00:56:23.21\00:56:24.58
And if you're in
a serious accident,
00:56:24.61\00:56:26.58
there is no airbags
other than the friends
00:56:26.61\00:56:28.78
that might be
sitting around you.
00:56:28.82\00:56:30.42
And that's the
upside of the Jeepney
00:56:30.45\00:56:32.29
because you're up close
and personal with everybody,
00:56:32.32\00:56:34.72
you make some new friends.
00:56:34.76\00:56:36.66
Riding on a
Jeepney requires teamwork.
00:56:36.69\00:56:39.13
If you buy something
from one of the vendors,
00:56:39.16\00:56:41.00
you all sort of pass
it back to each other.
00:56:41.03\00:56:43.03
And when
passengers get on board,
00:56:43.06\00:56:45.00
you just pass
your money upfront.
00:56:45.03\00:56:46.77
Thanks a lot.
00:56:52.47\00:56:53.51
Friends, it's safe to
say there are no two Jeepneys
00:56:57.55\00:57:00.32
that are exactly the same.
00:57:00.35\00:57:02.12
They're all unique and
distinct and so are you.
00:57:02.15\00:57:05.59
Have you ever felt
00:57:05.62\00:57:06.65
that you get lost
in a massive humanity
00:57:06.69\00:57:08.92
and God doesn't notice you?
00:57:08.96\00:57:10.83
Bible tells us
that He knows your name,
00:57:10.86\00:57:12.79
the very hairs of
your head are numbered
00:57:12.83\00:57:14.60
and He hears your prayers.
00:57:14.63\00:57:16.13
More than that,
00:57:16.16\00:57:17.20
the Lord wants to
take you to His kingdom,
00:57:17.23\00:57:19.33
you just have to get on board.
00:57:19.37\00:57:21.10
Can't get enough
Amazing Facts Bible Study?
00:57:34.52\00:57:37.32
You don't have to
wait until next week
00:57:37.35\00:57:39.22
to enjoy more
truth-filled programming.
00:57:39.25\00:57:41.82
Visit the Amazing Facts
media library at aftv.org.
00:57:41.86\00:57:46.83
At aftv.org,
00:57:46.86\00:57:49.10
you can enjoy video
and audio presentations
00:57:49.13\00:57:51.87
as well as printed
material all free of charge,
00:57:51.90\00:57:54.94
24 hours a day, 7 days a week
00:57:54.97\00:57:57.54
right from your
computer or mobile device.
00:57:57.57\00:57:59.91
Visit aftv.org.
00:57:59.94\00:58:02.54