Good morning, friends.
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Welcome again to
Sabbath School Study Hour
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here at the Granite Bay
Seventh-day Adventist Church
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in Sacramento, California.
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We would like to
welcome our online members
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and also our friends
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who are joining
us across the country
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and around the world
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on the various
television networks.
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And as always,
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we'd like to welcome our regular
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Sabbath School
members right here in person.
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And I know we do
have some visitors
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who are joining us,
some from different states.
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And we even have some
visitors from other countries,
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and a very warm
welcome to all of you.
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We are delighted
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that you've chosen to join
us for our study time today.
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Now if you've been attending
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or you've been watching
over the last few weeks,
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you know that we started a
brand new series of studies
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dealing with the
subject of the family.
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It's our new lesson quarterly
entitled "Family Seasons."
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And today we're gonna be
looking at lesson number two,
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that's entitled
"The Choices We Make."
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Now for those of
you who are watching,
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if you don't have
a copy of the lesson,
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you can get one for free
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by just simply
going to lesson.aftv.org.
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That's lesson.aftv.org,
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and you can
download today's lesson,
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it's lesson number two,
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and you'll be able
to study along with us.
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We also have a free offer
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for those who
are joining us online
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or those who are watching
on the various networks.
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It's one of the Amazing
Facts study guide lessons,
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it's entitled "A
Love that Transforms."
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And we'll be happy to
send this to anybody for free
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who calls and asks.
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The number is 866-788-3966,
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and you can ask
for offer number 710.
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Or you can receive a
digital copy of our lesson
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by simply
texting the code "SH003"
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to the number 40544,
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and then you'll be informed
as to where you need to go
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to get a digital copy
of this great lesson called
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"A Love that Transforms."
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Well, before we get to
our study this morning,
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as we always do,
let's bow our heads
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for a word of prayer.
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Dear, Father, once
again, we are grateful
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that we're able to
gather together in Your house
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and open up Your Word and
study about relationships,
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and more importantly
the family relationship,
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how we can
interact with each other.
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We know that the
family was created by You,
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and it is a reflection
of the family of heaven.
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So we do pray
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that Your Spirit
would be with us,
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guide us in our study.
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We ask this in
Jesus' name, amen.
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To bring us our lesson
today is our family life pastor
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here at the Granite Bay Church,
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Pastor Shawn Brummund,
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and he'll be studying with us
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lesson number two
entitled "The Choices We Make".
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Thank you, Pastor Shawn.
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It's good to see
your smiling faces
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here again this morning
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as we come together
to study God's Word.
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And I always
look forward to study
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whether I'm up in front
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or whether I'm sitting
in the different chairs
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as we come together.
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The main thing is that
we're opening the Bible, amen?
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And this
morning is no exception.
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I wanna thank you
for that opening prayer
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and introduction, Pastor Jean,
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and thank you
also for all of those
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who are
viewing, either right now
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or later on television networks.
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It's always good to be
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able to have you
join us here together.
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We're looking at one
of my favorite subjects,
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it's Family Seasons,
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which is the quarterly
that we just began last week.
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As we move into a new quarter,
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we move into a new series.
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And I have the privilege
of teaching the first three,
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and we're in lesson number two
here for this particular study.
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And so we're moving to page 14
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which is entitled
"The Choices that We Make."
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And something that
ran through my mind,
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it has probably
ran through yours
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if you would study
this in any capacity
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throughout the week
before we came together here,
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and that is,
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where is the
family part in this?
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And, of course,
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I think it's
Wednesday or Thursday's lesson.
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It talks about
choosing a life partner
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and certainly
that is family related.
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So one day is
directly family related
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as far as the
topic of family goes.
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But I suspect
more than anything else
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that the
authors of the quarterly
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had a burden to be able to lay
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a very important
foundation for us
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to have a successful family.
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And so before we get into
a lot of the nitty-gritty,
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direct family issues,
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and what the Bible says
on those different issues,
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we wanna make sure
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that we know how
to make good choices
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that will help us
to have good families
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and good lives,
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and make a better
world because of it.
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And so we're looking at
the choices that we make.
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The memory text
on page 14 says this,
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and of course,
it's from Joshua 24:15.
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It says, "And if it seems
evil to you to serve the Lord,
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choose for yourselves
this day whom you'll serve."
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Now, the capacity or context
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of this particular
statement of Joshua
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is Joshua, the succeeder
or successor, I should say,
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of the Prophet Moses
standing up before Israel.
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And Joshua was no fool.
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Just like any other pastor,
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he realized that not
everybody in this flock
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is as committed
to Christ as he is.
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In fact, some within his
flock, some within Israel,
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you know, he recognized
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weren't sure if they
really even wanna follow God
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in any real capacity.
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And so he says,
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"If it seems evil to
you to serve the Lord,
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choose for yourselves
whom you will serve this day,
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whether the gods
from your fathers serve
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that were on the
other side of the river,"
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speaking of their
lives very previous in Egypt
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or just between Egypt and Canaan
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for many of that generation,
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they had found
themselves giving birth
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and growing up in the
desert, in the wilderness
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as they're wandering
between Egypt and Canaan,
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"or the gods of the Amorites
in whose land you dwell.
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But as for me and my house,
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we will serve the Lord."
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And many of us as Christians,
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you know, one of the most famous
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and popular sayings,
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you know, we even
have it on the court rack
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in our entry to our house.
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And it says home,
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and then it says,
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"As for me and my
house, we will serve the Lord."
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And so it's one of the
most famous quoted passages
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that we can find.
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Many of us as Christians
have it on different signs
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or different ways
posted in our homes
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declaring to all visitors
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that we had made a choice,
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and we're gonna come back
to that choice little bit later
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as we continue
through this particular study.
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And so the choices we
make is no small subject.
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In fact, this is
one of the most largest
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or biggest and
most important subjects,
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most practical
subjects as well as spiritual,
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of course, subjects
that we can look at.
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And so I'm glad
that we're looking at it.
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And again, it's
laying a foundation,
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it's laying a bedrock for us
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to have successful
marriages, successful families,
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and family life.
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There's an old saying,
and many of you heard it.
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In fact, probably most of,
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if not, all of you
have heard the same before.
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There's only two things
that are certain in this life.
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You know the rest of the answer,
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don't you, which is...
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Okay.
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I see some people in the front,
they're saying death and...
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Taxes. And taxes. All right.
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So the old saying says
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there's only two
things certain in life,
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death and taxes.
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Well, after reading this lesson,
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as well as I
kind of jumped ahead
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and looked at next
week's lesson as well,
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these two
lessons actually tell us
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that we need to add
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at least two
more points to that.
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And so we can
expand the old saying,
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there is at least four
things that are certain in life,
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death, taxes,
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choices, and change.
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Okay, choices and change.
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And so this week,
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we're gonna be
looking at choices.
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Are choices inevitable in life?
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Can you make it through the day
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without making a choice?
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You can't, can you? Okay.
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From the time
that we get out of bed
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to the time that we go to bed,
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I would suggest
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that we make at least
dozens of different choices
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throughout that day.
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Now I've never done a study.
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I never
actually sat down one day
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and took the time to
actually write it out.
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But I would say
that it might even be...
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It wouldn't even surprise
me if somebody did the research
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and starting to do a tally
that it's even in the 100s.
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Now you might
say, "Wait a minute.
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I don't remember
making 100 choices yesterday."
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Well, that's because
most of them are very small,
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unconscious
choices that we make.
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Am I going to brush
my teeth this morning
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or am I not?
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Now it's such a
routine for many of us
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if we have a
healthy habit of doing it
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that we make that
choice unconsciously.
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We just kind of
pick up the tooth brush
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in the morning
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and we kind of
look in the mirror
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and do our things
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as we're starting to
come to consciousness,
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or after breakfast,
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or whenever it is
that you have that routine.
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And so we make all
kinds of different choices
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throughout each and every day,
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from the time we get out of bed
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until the time
that we go to bed.
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Well, I couldn't
help but asking myself
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and I knew there's
gonna be somebody out there
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is gonna be asking this,
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and that is, "Well,
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what if I don't get out of bed?"
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Well, the fact is that
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you just made your
first choice, haven't you?
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Okay, and that choice is that
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you're choosing
not to get out of bed.
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And so even if you
don't get out of bed,
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you've already made a choice.
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And we can escape choice,
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choice is something
that God has given to us,
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it's a gift that
God has given to us
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because with choice as
we looked at Sunday's lesson
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also means that we
have free will, doesn't it?
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And free will,
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as we're gonna
talk a little bit later
00:10:08.44\00:10:09.80
is it's the very
foundation of true love.
00:10:09.84\00:10:12.01
And so we're gonna
answer to that question.
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Why is free will so important
in relationship to true love?
00:10:13.41\00:10:19.48
Anybody here ever
made a poor choice?
00:10:19.51\00:10:23.32
Anybody made a poor
choice, raise your hands.
00:10:23.35\00:10:26.22
All right. Okay, good.
00:10:26.25\00:10:27.69
Some of you that
didn't raise your hand,
00:10:27.72\00:10:28.96
you made another poor
choice, you decided to lie.
00:10:28.99\00:10:30.93
All right.
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I know, some of
you just are so tired
00:10:35.40\00:10:36.53
you didn't
wanna raise your hand.
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That's fine. You're
just enjoying being here.
00:10:37.73\00:10:39.37
And we're glad you're here.
00:10:39.40\00:10:40.77
But yeah,
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you know, we all make
poor choices at times.
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All of us look
back with regrets.
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Some of the
choices that we make,
00:10:47.38\00:10:48.98
we don't realize
until we've made that choice
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and then we realize later
00:10:50.88\00:10:53.05
and then we start to
experience regret, don't we?
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And we realize, "Wait a minute,
that was a really bad choice,
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that was a poor
choice that I made
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and things didn't turn
out too well," and such.
00:11:01.16\00:11:05.33
Fact of the
matter is that sometimes,
00:11:05.36\00:11:06.96
we're guilty of
making poor choices
00:11:07.00\00:11:08.96
and we know it
00:11:09.00\00:11:10.07
while we're
making that poor choice.
00:11:10.10\00:11:12.23
When it comes to
making ethical choices,
00:11:12.27\00:11:14.97
you know, it's not
untypical for us to know
00:11:15.00\00:11:16.84
in the back of our head,
00:11:16.87\00:11:17.91
the Holy Spirit saying, "Hey,
00:11:17.94\00:11:19.41
you know, you're making
a poor choice right now.
00:11:19.44\00:11:22.71
You know that's not
what I would choose,"
00:11:22.74\00:11:24.21
the Lord is saying as
He whispers in our ear.
00:11:24.25\00:11:27.55
You know, we're
just studying that
00:11:27.58\00:11:28.55
as we go through verse
by verse through Genesis,
00:11:28.58\00:11:30.85
and Abraham made a poor choice
00:11:30.89\00:11:32.69
when he decided to
tell a foreign king,
00:11:32.72\00:11:34.49
"Hey, this is not my wife.
00:11:34.52\00:11:35.96
She's actually just my sister."
00:11:35.99\00:11:38.96
That was a poor
choice, wasn't it?
00:11:38.99\00:11:41.00
Okay. Did things
go sour after that?
00:11:41.03\00:11:43.43
Sure, he did, didn't he? Okay.
00:11:43.47\00:11:44.93
Did Abraham live
with regret after that?
00:11:44.97\00:11:47.54
Sure, he did.
00:11:47.57\00:11:48.64
So sometimes you don't
realize until after the fact,
00:11:48.67\00:11:50.97
sometimes we even know
while we're making that choice.
00:11:51.01\00:11:54.01
And so that's why this
subject is so important for us
00:11:54.04\00:11:56.98
to understand and
study and pray over
00:11:57.01\00:11:58.65
because it is my prayer
and I know it's God's desire
00:11:58.68\00:12:01.62
that we're able to make
better choices more often
00:12:01.65\00:12:04.62
so that we can be
more successful in our life
00:12:04.65\00:12:07.56
and in representing
Christ in our life as well.
00:12:07.59\00:12:10.73
Well, this is where we
can thank God for His grace,
00:12:14.20\00:12:16.77
and His mercy, and His
help as well, isn't it?
00:12:16.80\00:12:19.33
Sometimes when
we make bad choices,
00:12:19.37\00:12:22.34
we need His forgiveness.
00:12:22.37\00:12:23.94
We need to come to God and say,
00:12:23.97\00:12:25.47
"Lord, in the name of Christ,
00:12:25.51\00:12:26.54
will You forgive me,
I've made a bad choice.
00:12:26.57\00:12:28.88
I blew it in such
and such a way today."
00:12:28.91\00:12:32.41
More often than not,
when we make bad choices,
00:12:32.45\00:12:35.22
we hurt other people, don't we?
00:12:35.25\00:12:37.75
And so because of that,
00:12:37.79\00:12:39.29
we also know
00:12:39.32\00:12:40.36
that not only are
we responsible now
00:12:40.39\00:12:42.06
to ask God for forgiveness,
00:12:42.09\00:12:43.79
but we also need to approach
00:12:43.83\00:12:45.79
one or more other person as well
00:12:45.83\00:12:48.13
and ask them for
forgiveness as well.
00:12:48.16\00:12:51.73
And so mercy, grace,
00:12:51.77\00:12:55.30
in God's case,
help from Him to be able
00:12:55.34\00:12:57.27
to not only
experience that forgiveness,
00:12:57.31\00:12:59.44
but then ask God
to give us the power
00:12:59.47\00:13:01.71
and the ability to
make a better choice
00:13:01.74\00:13:04.28
when those particular
circumstances come up again.
00:13:04.31\00:13:08.65
And so these are
all important aspects
00:13:08.68\00:13:10.65
of choices in life.
00:13:10.69\00:13:13.86
Now, sometimes we can pile
00:13:13.89\00:13:15.82
bad choices upon
bad choices, can't we?
00:13:15.86\00:13:18.86
Because we can find
ourselves making a bad choice.
00:13:18.89\00:13:22.56
And again, I just can't help
00:13:22.60\00:13:23.70
but my mind is
fresh in studying,
00:13:23.73\00:13:25.77
you know, Genesis
Chapter 12 is the first time
00:13:25.80\00:13:29.94
and then the second time,
I think, it was Chapter 20
00:13:29.97\00:13:31.91
we are studying in Genesis,
00:13:31.94\00:13:33.74
where Abraham made
that poor choice twice.
00:13:33.78\00:13:36.78
There's 25 years in between,
00:13:36.81\00:13:38.35
but he made the
choice, bad choice.
00:13:38.38\00:13:40.12
Now the second time,
00:13:40.15\00:13:41.42
he's on record of
making a bad choice
00:13:41.45\00:13:44.69
in response to
being held accountable
00:13:44.72\00:13:46.92
for that bad choice.
00:13:46.96\00:13:48.96
Adam and Eve made the
same mistake, didn't they?
00:13:48.99\00:13:51.33
When God called Adam
00:13:51.36\00:13:52.39
and He says, "Listen,
I'm holding you accountable
00:13:52.43\00:13:54.00
for your bad choice."
00:13:54.03\00:13:55.16
How did Adam respond?
00:13:55.20\00:13:57.80
He said, "Well, it's your fault.
00:13:57.83\00:13:59.50
You gave me that
woman over there.
00:13:59.53\00:14:01.80
And she made me do it."
00:14:01.84\00:14:03.47
Okay. Was that
another bad choice?
00:14:03.51\00:14:06.37
Sure, it was, wasn't it?
00:14:06.41\00:14:07.84
When Abraham was called,
00:14:07.88\00:14:09.21
you know, when
Abimelech, the foreign king
00:14:09.24\00:14:11.55
that reprimanded
Abraham for making a bad choice
00:14:11.58\00:14:14.38
and not being
totally honest with him.
00:14:14.42\00:14:16.95
Abraham made another bad choice
00:14:16.99\00:14:18.72
and he started to
try to justify it.
00:14:18.75\00:14:20.22
He said, "Well, actually,
she is my sister as well,
00:14:20.26\00:14:22.69
you know, by the way,
00:14:22.72\00:14:23.76
you know, we
share the same mother
00:14:23.79\00:14:25.66
but not the same
father and so on."
00:14:25.69\00:14:28.26
And so his first choice was
00:14:28.30\00:14:31.77
to add a bad choice
00:14:31.80\00:14:33.34
to another bad to
the original bad choice.
00:14:33.37\00:14:38.31
Now, certainly we know
that the Bible record tells us
00:14:38.34\00:14:40.68
that Abraham came around
00:14:40.71\00:14:41.74
and he repented for
both those bad choices,
00:14:41.78\00:14:44.35
because the rest of his life
00:14:44.38\00:14:45.41
and the testimony
of God tells us so.
00:14:45.45\00:14:49.38
But so often, we can find
ourselves making a bad choice
00:14:49.42\00:14:52.62
to try to cover up
a previous bad choice.
00:14:52.65\00:14:55.39
Sometimes we'll blame Satan,
00:14:55.42\00:14:56.93
say, "Well, if
Satan wasn't there,
00:14:56.96\00:14:58.69
and he wasn't tempting me,
00:14:58.73\00:14:59.89
then I wouldn't
be in this condition.
00:14:59.93\00:15:01.30
I wouldn't have
made that bad choice."
00:15:01.33\00:15:02.90
Well, is that a good...
00:15:02.93\00:15:05.73
That's maybe one
bad choice upon another.
00:15:05.77\00:15:07.87
We want to blame
our sinful nature.
00:15:07.90\00:15:09.20
"Well, that's just the way I am.
00:15:09.24\00:15:10.57
This is the way I'm made."
00:15:10.61\00:15:12.71
This is another bad choice
00:15:12.74\00:15:14.44
that we can make in response
to a previous bad choice.
00:15:14.48\00:15:19.58
We can sometimes
blame our circumstances
00:15:19.61\00:15:21.62
and say, "Well,
the circumstances
00:15:21.65\00:15:23.15
kind of
compelled me or forced me
00:15:23.18\00:15:25.82
to make that bad choice."
00:15:25.85\00:15:27.36
And so there's a
number of different negative,
00:15:27.39\00:15:30.89
or bad choices, or responses
00:15:30.93\00:15:33.36
that we can make to
the original bad choice
00:15:33.40\00:15:36.56
that we can sometimes
be making before that.
00:15:36.60\00:15:39.60
We want to blame something,
00:15:39.63\00:15:43.20
we want to blame someone else.
00:15:43.24\00:15:46.34
Can I share example with you?
00:15:46.37\00:15:48.38
As a pastor, I've heard this,
00:15:48.41\00:15:49.61
and it just hurts my
ears every time I hear
00:15:49.64\00:15:54.12
these kind of words,
00:15:54.15\00:15:55.15
but over the years,
I've heard different people
00:15:55.18\00:15:57.89
and they'll say,
00:15:57.92\00:15:58.89
"Well, you know, I
wasn't in church last Sabbath
00:15:58.92\00:16:01.46
and reason was that
my boss sat me down.
00:16:01.49\00:16:04.96
And he or she told me that
00:16:04.99\00:16:07.36
if I didn't start
working on Saturdays
00:16:07.40\00:16:10.33
on the Sabbath,
00:16:10.37\00:16:11.60
then I would lose my job."
00:16:11.63\00:16:14.30
And or perhaps she
might say, "Well, you know,
00:16:14.34\00:16:17.44
you know, my boss sat me down
00:16:17.47\00:16:18.81
and my boss told me that
if I don't say a certain lie,
00:16:18.84\00:16:22.91
a certain dishonesty
00:16:22.94\00:16:24.61
in concern to my business sales,
00:16:24.65\00:16:26.92
in order to increase my sales,
00:16:26.95\00:16:29.08
I wouldn't be
able to keep my job.
00:16:29.12\00:16:31.02
And so my boss
left me no choice.
00:16:31.05\00:16:34.29
I had to work on the Sabbath."
00:16:34.32\00:16:37.03
Okay, do you see
where this is going?
00:16:37.06\00:16:39.26
Okay, I've heard this
more than once over the years,
00:16:39.29\00:16:41.60
and particular, in
response to Sabbath.
00:16:41.63\00:16:43.63
'Cause Sabbath is
one of those things
00:16:43.67\00:16:44.83
where it's harder to
hide when we're not at church
00:16:44.87\00:16:46.50
and say, "Where were you?
00:16:46.53\00:16:47.54
We missed you the
last couple of weeks."
00:16:47.57\00:16:49.84
And so the subject comes up.
00:16:49.87\00:16:53.61
Is that response true?
00:16:53.64\00:16:54.98
Did the boss leave
00:16:55.01\00:16:56.04
that particular
Christian no choice?
00:16:56.08\00:17:00.65
Some of you are
kind of quiet out there.
00:17:00.68\00:17:02.55
Some of you are nodding, okay.
00:17:02.58\00:17:05.99
The fact is that
that's not true at all, is it?
00:17:06.02\00:17:09.52
Did the boss leave that employee
00:17:09.56\00:17:11.36
or Christian a choice?
00:17:11.39\00:17:13.63
Sure, they did.
00:17:13.66\00:17:14.66
In fact, it's the
actual the opposite.
00:17:14.73\00:17:16.63
And so when a Christian comes up
00:17:16.67\00:17:17.77
and says, "Well, the reason
I'm working on Sabbath now
00:17:17.80\00:17:19.93
or every second Sabbath
00:17:19.97\00:17:21.17
or every
Sabbath once every month
00:17:21.20\00:17:23.14
is because my
boss left me no choice.
00:17:23.17\00:17:25.27
It was either
that or lose my job."
00:17:25.31\00:17:27.68
And so the opposite
is actually the truth,
00:17:27.71\00:17:30.55
is it not?
00:17:30.58\00:17:31.85
The opposite is
really the truth.
00:17:31.88\00:17:34.68
What the boss said was
that, "I'm giving you a choice,
00:17:34.72\00:17:38.19
and you have
two or more options.
00:17:38.22\00:17:39.75
The first option is
00:17:39.79\00:17:41.92
that you start
to work on Sabbath,"
00:17:41.96\00:17:43.59
whatever Sabbaths
that he wants you to,
00:17:43.63\00:17:46.09
"or you go and
find another job."
00:17:46.13\00:17:50.67
Okay, so there's at least
two choices there, isn't there?
00:17:50.70\00:17:53.40
Now, as it turns
out, as I've canceled
00:17:53.44\00:17:54.90
many of these
different individuals as well
00:17:54.94\00:17:56.94
and some of them have found
and made victorious choices,
00:17:56.97\00:17:59.94
successful choices, good choices
00:18:00.04\00:18:03.08
even after they are
able to be able to see
00:18:03.11\00:18:05.48
through their self justification
00:18:05.51\00:18:07.12
and that there is choices,
00:18:07.15\00:18:08.75
and they'll make
the third choice.
00:18:08.78\00:18:10.32
And they'll say, "You know what?
00:18:10.35\00:18:11.35
I'm gonna pursue this
00:18:11.39\00:18:12.42
and I'm gonna
approach my local conference,
00:18:12.45\00:18:14.12
I'm gonna approach different
religious liberty resources,
00:18:14.16\00:18:17.63
and I'm going to
approach my employer
00:18:17.66\00:18:21.33
and let them know that
there are legal rights,
00:18:21.36\00:18:24.03
religious liberty rights
that protect my employment
00:18:24.07\00:18:26.74
and protect my right
00:18:26.77\00:18:28.20
to follow my religious
convictions and practices
00:18:28.24\00:18:32.31
according to the law of the land
00:18:32.34\00:18:33.98
and according to my conscience."
00:18:34.01\00:18:36.54
And so there's at
least three choices
00:18:36.58\00:18:39.65
as I've had these conversations
with different church members.
00:18:39.68\00:18:42.98
Do you see the
difference, friends?
00:18:43.02\00:18:44.59
And so sometimes, we
want to declare that,
00:18:44.62\00:18:48.06
"I was left without a choice,"
00:18:48.09\00:18:49.39
when really there's at least two
00:18:49.42\00:18:51.09
and sometimes quite often
00:18:51.13\00:18:52.73
there's three or
four different options
00:18:52.76\00:18:55.33
or choices that we can
make in response to that.
00:18:55.36\00:18:59.80
So I hope that helps
00:18:59.83\00:19:00.90
as we continue on in
this very important subject.
00:19:00.94\00:19:03.67
Really what we're saying
00:19:03.71\00:19:05.41
when we're in
this kind of situation
00:19:05.44\00:19:06.91
is that we wish
that it were true
00:19:06.94\00:19:09.18
that we had no choice.
00:19:09.21\00:19:11.95
And the reason that we say that,
00:19:11.98\00:19:13.48
and I speak for myself as well.
00:19:13.52\00:19:15.25
I'm just as human as you are,
00:19:15.28\00:19:16.69
I'm in the same condition
and struggle as you are.
00:19:16.72\00:19:19.52
And that is really what
we're saying to ourselves
00:19:19.55\00:19:21.69
is that the right
choice is so difficult
00:19:21.72\00:19:25.59
that I want to pretend
00:19:25.63\00:19:26.83
and have
everybody else confirm to me
00:19:26.86\00:19:28.53
that I really had no choice.
00:19:28.56\00:19:30.50
Because it's much
easier to make the wrong choice
00:19:30.53\00:19:33.90
than it is to
make the easy choice.
00:19:33.94\00:19:35.17
You know, where I'm
coming from here, don't you?
00:19:35.20\00:19:37.51
Why? Because we're
both the same, aren't we?
00:19:37.54\00:19:41.64
And so yes, I understand.
I sympathize with you.
00:19:41.68\00:19:45.41
I believe that the
Lord sympathizes with you
00:19:45.45\00:19:47.65
that when we are in
circumstances like this,
00:19:47.68\00:19:49.68
and we want to declare
that we have no choice,
00:19:49.72\00:19:52.15
because the right
choice was so hard.
00:19:52.19\00:19:54.82
God can help you
make that right choice.
00:19:54.86\00:19:58.06
He can help you
make that right choice.
00:19:58.09\00:19:59.36
Will it be easy?
00:19:59.39\00:20:01.30
No, it won't be easy
00:20:01.33\00:20:02.43
I know by personal experience,
I've had to make choices,
00:20:02.46\00:20:04.83
the right choice that
is very, very difficult.
00:20:04.87\00:20:08.04
And sometimes,
00:20:08.07\00:20:09.97
you know, shaking a little bit,
00:20:10.01\00:20:11.81
you know, when I'm
doing the right thing,
00:20:11.84\00:20:14.18
because I'm so
overwhelmed or nervous by it.
00:20:14.21\00:20:16.51
But, friends, you
could make the right choice.
00:20:16.54\00:20:18.41
God gives you the
ability, and the strength,
00:20:18.45\00:20:22.18
and the power to
make the right choice,
00:20:22.22\00:20:24.75
even sometimes when
that choice is difficult.
00:20:24.79\00:20:28.66
When Jesus was in
the garden of Gethsemane,
00:20:28.69\00:20:34.60
and He had to
make the hardest choice
00:20:34.63\00:20:36.77
in His existence,
00:20:36.80\00:20:39.17
and the Bible tells
us that it was so hard
00:20:39.20\00:20:41.40
that three times He
fell before His Father
00:20:41.44\00:20:45.14
in that garden in the night.
00:20:45.17\00:20:47.21
And it tells us that He...
00:20:47.24\00:20:48.54
The choice that He
had to make was so hard,
00:20:48.58\00:20:51.21
and it was so overwhelming,
00:20:51.25\00:20:53.42
and it was so difficult
00:20:53.45\00:20:55.88
that the anxiety that was
accompanying His experience
00:20:55.92\00:20:59.32
caused the
little blood corpuscles
00:20:59.35\00:21:01.22
under His skins to
burst, and the sweat
00:21:01.26\00:21:04.53
that it was already
running down His face
00:21:04.56\00:21:08.20
was added to by the blood
00:21:08.23\00:21:09.36
that's starting to come
out of those same pores.
00:21:09.40\00:21:12.93
Was that a difficult choice?
00:21:12.97\00:21:15.70
Yes, it was.
00:21:15.74\00:21:17.07
But when Jesus got
up back on His feet
00:21:17.11\00:21:19.11
and He wiped the
blood and the sweat away
00:21:19.14\00:21:20.81
from His brow, what did He say?
00:21:20.84\00:21:25.35
He said, "Not My will
but Your will be done."
00:21:25.38\00:21:30.85
He made the right
choice, didn't He?
00:21:30.89\00:21:33.02
Thank God, He made that choice.
00:21:33.05\00:21:35.22
It was a hard
choice, the hardest choice
00:21:35.26\00:21:37.09
any human being
has ever had to make.
00:21:37.13\00:21:38.83
There's no choice
that God puts you in,
00:21:38.86\00:21:40.46
no
circumstances that we can face
00:21:40.50\00:21:42.70
that is more
difficult than the choice
00:21:42.73\00:21:44.10
that Jesus had to make.
00:21:44.13\00:21:45.67
So there's our
ultimate example, isn't it?
00:21:45.70\00:21:47.67
There's our ultimate example.
00:21:47.70\00:21:48.90
Jesus tells us that no matter...
00:21:48.94\00:21:51.27
There is
nothing that we can face
00:21:51.31\00:21:53.51
that is that hard, and
Jesus tells us we can make it.
00:21:53.54\00:21:55.78
He modeled that for us.
00:21:55.81\00:21:58.95
Now sometimes we
develop bad habits.
00:21:58.98\00:22:01.62
Or those bad habits
could even develop into
00:22:01.65\00:22:03.62
what we call
clinical addictions.
00:22:03.65\00:22:06.19
Some of us might be facing
00:22:06.22\00:22:07.56
and dealing with an
addiction right now.
00:22:07.59\00:22:10.66
Okay, I know
that between everybody
00:22:10.69\00:22:12.19
that's in here and
everybody that's watching
00:22:12.23\00:22:14.76
that there's more than one of us
00:22:14.83\00:22:16.36
that is dealing with
an addiction right now.
00:22:16.40\00:22:18.60
We have a bad habit
00:22:18.63\00:22:19.73
that the Lord is
speaking to us on,
00:22:19.77\00:22:21.94
and such, so either a bad habit
or outright clinical addiction.
00:22:21.97\00:22:27.24
You know,
sometimes when we're found
00:22:27.28\00:22:28.44
in a very ingrained
bad habit or an addiction,
00:22:28.48\00:22:32.51
it can seem to leave us
without a choice in the matter.
00:22:32.55\00:22:35.95
It controls us, our
mind is telling us one thing
00:22:35.98\00:22:39.32
and our hands are doing
another thing, aren't they?
00:22:39.35\00:22:43.19
Okay?
00:22:43.22\00:22:45.06
And so addictions
can be so compelling,
00:22:45.09\00:22:48.43
so powerful, that it can seem
00:22:48.46\00:22:51.60
and it can even convince us
that it is beyond our power,
00:22:51.63\00:22:55.90
that we have no
choice in the matter
00:22:55.94\00:22:57.97
but to continue to practice
that particular addiction.
00:22:58.01\00:23:01.48
Drug addictions, all
kinds of other addictions,
00:23:01.51\00:23:04.55
of course, that
are existing today.
00:23:04.58\00:23:08.52
Is that true?
00:23:08.55\00:23:09.85
Is it true that it's,
00:23:13.05\00:23:14.19
they have no
choice in the matter?
00:23:14.22\00:23:17.46
No, of course, I also know
that there's some in this room
00:23:17.49\00:23:20.10
or some that are watching here
that are previous alcoholics,
00:23:20.13\00:23:24.07
they are ex-alcoholics,
they are ex-drug addicts.
00:23:24.10\00:23:28.94
There's all kinds of
people that are victorious
00:23:28.97\00:23:31.31
and haven't been involved
in their particular addiction
00:23:31.34\00:23:33.61
of the past for years.
00:23:33.64\00:23:35.84
And so we know
that it's not true.
00:23:35.88\00:23:37.45
We know that an addiction
00:23:37.48\00:23:38.75
is not something
that cannot be overcome.
00:23:38.78\00:23:40.85
We know that it is not something
00:23:40.88\00:23:42.08
that is out of our control.
00:23:42.12\00:23:45.05
There are too many
people existing today
00:23:45.09\00:23:47.79
that can tell us otherwise.
00:23:47.82\00:23:50.53
And so not ultimately,
it's not beyond our choice.
00:23:50.56\00:23:53.73
All of us are given
two very important powers.
00:23:53.76\00:23:56.50
Number one, we have the power
00:23:56.53\00:23:57.50
to surrender our hearts
and our lives to Christ.
00:23:57.53\00:24:01.07
We have that power.
00:24:01.10\00:24:02.40
It's not by coincidence
that the success of Alcoholics
00:24:02.44\00:24:05.27
Anonymous has one
of those key elements,
00:24:05.31\00:24:07.88
which is that you need to
be able to surrender yourself
00:24:07.91\00:24:10.28
to the higher power called God.
00:24:10.31\00:24:12.18
You need to be able to look
beyond yourself to something
00:24:12.21\00:24:14.85
that's bigger and
more powerful than you.
00:24:14.88\00:24:17.92
Okay, so this is critical.
00:24:17.95\00:24:19.85
We have that choice to be able
to surrender ourselves to God.
00:24:19.89\00:24:23.96
And then we also are called
00:24:23.99\00:24:25.33
to seek upon God-given resources
00:24:25.36\00:24:27.23
that God gives to us.
00:24:27.23\00:24:28.90
In America, we are blessed
00:24:28.93\00:24:30.17
with hundreds and
hundreds of detox centers
00:24:30.20\00:24:32.80
that are across America.
00:24:32.83\00:24:34.44
And those detox centers...
00:24:34.47\00:24:36.67
There's some of us here watching
00:24:36.71\00:24:39.14
that have looked to
those and experience those
00:24:39.17\00:24:41.21
as a critical key
00:24:41.24\00:24:43.11
in overcoming that particular
addiction in our life.
00:24:43.14\00:24:45.58
And so detox centers
are God given therapists,
00:24:45.61\00:24:48.68
help and support groups
00:24:48.72\00:24:49.95
that are organized by
different organizations,
00:24:49.98\00:24:52.02
and many of them
are led by ex-addicts
00:24:52.05\00:24:55.86
that are addicted
to the very same thing
00:24:55.89\00:24:57.93
that you may be
addicted to today.
00:24:57.96\00:25:01.43
Intercessory
prayer by believers,
00:25:01.46\00:25:04.40
requesting other
believers, "Please pray for me.
00:25:04.43\00:25:07.67
I need to overcome
this particular bad habit
00:25:07.70\00:25:09.94
or addiction in my life."
00:25:09.97\00:25:11.77
These are God given resources,
accountability partners,
00:25:11.81\00:25:14.81
12 step programs
like Alcoholics Anonymous,
00:25:14.84\00:25:17.91
Narcotics Anonymous,
00:25:17.95\00:25:19.25
and there's all
kinds of plethora
00:25:19.28\00:25:20.92
of different
organizations that are out there
00:25:20.95\00:25:22.75
that we could use that
are God given resources
00:25:22.78\00:25:24.79
to work in
cooperation with a heart
00:25:24.82\00:25:26.45
that is surrendered to God.
00:25:26.49\00:25:28.59
And when you put those two
different ingredients together,
00:25:28.62\00:25:31.53
you too can count
yourself an ex-addict.
00:25:31.56\00:25:34.00
Do you believe that, friends?
00:25:34.00\00:25:35.80
Everybody's pretty
quiet out there this morning?
00:25:35.83\00:25:38.87
This is golden stuff, is it not?
00:25:38.90\00:25:40.60
This is golden truth
that God has given to us
00:25:40.64\00:25:43.20
that we might understand
that there is no reason,
00:25:43.24\00:25:46.51
there is nothing in this
world, there is no circumstance,
00:25:46.54\00:25:50.51
there is no devil,
there is no sinful nature
00:25:50.55\00:25:54.08
that cannot be overcome
with those two resources.
00:25:54.12\00:25:58.39
God-given
resources here on earth,
00:25:58.42\00:26:00.89
and support,
00:26:00.92\00:26:02.92
and a heart
that surrender to God
00:26:02.96\00:26:04.26
and looking to Him for strength.
00:26:04.29\00:26:07.23
I heard a couple
of amens out there,
00:26:07.30\00:26:08.60
I'm glad that I'm not
alone here this morning.
00:26:08.63\00:26:13.34
And so that brings us
back to our memory text.
00:26:13.37\00:26:15.67
The only way that we
can find ultimate success
00:26:15.70\00:26:18.07
in making good choices
00:26:18.11\00:26:19.14
is by making the
most important choice
00:26:19.17\00:26:20.91
that anybody can possibly make.
00:26:20.94\00:26:24.15
Choose whom you
will serve this day.
00:26:24.18\00:26:28.65
And so there we
have this key verse,
00:26:28.68\00:26:30.69
and the key
word which is choose.
00:26:30.72\00:26:34.09
And then that choice must
be repeated on a daily basis.
00:26:34.12\00:26:37.26
As we join hands with
Joshua and with Joshua's family,
00:26:37.29\00:26:40.76
because he says, "As
for me and my house,"
00:26:40.80\00:26:43.70
now house in Bible
terms, in Bible writers' minds,
00:26:43.73\00:26:46.74
in this context,
00:26:46.77\00:26:47.77
and over and over
throughout the Bible,
00:26:47.80\00:26:48.84
always represents your family.
00:26:48.87\00:26:50.57
He's not talking about
the physical structure,
00:26:50.61\00:26:52.31
whether it's a four
bedroom house or three,
00:26:52.34\00:26:54.64
he's not talking about that,
he's talking about his family,
00:26:54.68\00:26:57.28
he's talking about
the people in the house.
00:26:57.31\00:27:00.08
And so Joshua was saying,
00:27:00.12\00:27:01.25
"As for me and my family,
00:27:01.28\00:27:03.89
we will serve the Lord."
00:27:03.92\00:27:06.76
And the most successful
loving families on the planet
00:27:06.79\00:27:10.93
have made that critical choice.
00:27:10.96\00:27:13.86
Has your family
made that choice?
00:27:13.90\00:27:16.53
Have you, as the
head of that family,
00:27:16.56\00:27:19.30
made that choice?
00:27:19.33\00:27:21.10
These are important
questions for us to ask
00:27:21.14\00:27:22.97
because this is
the key and the bedrock
00:27:23.00\00:27:25.24
of having a
successful and loving family.
00:27:25.27\00:27:30.48
And it has to be
repeated on a daily basis.
00:27:30.51\00:27:32.21
It's not a onetime choice.
00:27:32.25\00:27:33.42
Sometimes, we as Christians,
00:27:33.45\00:27:34.75
have made the
mistake of believing
00:27:34.78\00:27:35.95
that if we come to
an altar call one day,
00:27:35.98\00:27:38.35
when the Lord is
speaking to us in a genuine way,
00:27:38.39\00:27:40.62
and we genuinely give
our hearts to the Lord,
00:27:40.66\00:27:42.46
and then we just
kind of go on with life
00:27:42.49\00:27:44.86
after the days that followed.
00:27:44.89\00:27:46.19
No, that altar
call and that surrender
00:27:46.23\00:27:48.26
and that time that
you're found on your knees,
00:27:48.30\00:27:49.90
giving your heart to the Lord
00:27:49.93\00:27:50.97
means to repeat
it on a daily basis.
00:27:51.00\00:27:54.17
Every single morning,
00:27:54.20\00:27:56.17
you need to repeat
that altar call experience.
00:27:56.20\00:27:59.21
Every single morning,
00:27:59.24\00:28:00.34
you have to kneel down
before the Lord and say,
00:28:00.38\00:28:02.04
"Jesus, I accept You
as my Lord and my Savior.
00:28:02.08\00:28:05.78
Today I die to myself
and I want you on the throne,
00:28:05.81\00:28:09.32
the throne of my
heart, the throne of my life."
00:28:09.35\00:28:13.56
Now I'm not making this up,
of course, the Apostle Paul,
00:28:13.59\00:28:15.72
for many of us have read these
00:28:15.76\00:28:16.79
different verses,
1 Corinthians 15:31.
00:28:16.83\00:28:20.46
Paul gives these
three powerful words,
00:28:20.50\00:28:22.76
he says, "I die daily,"
00:28:22.80\00:28:25.70
as many of you know
that scripture already.
00:28:25.73\00:28:28.27
It's a daily
experience and a daily choice.
00:28:28.30\00:28:30.74
In other words, Paul is
saying, "Every day that begins,
00:28:30.77\00:28:34.01
I begin with
the decision to die,
00:28:34.04\00:28:36.98
to die to myself."
00:28:37.01\00:28:39.15
Yeah, it unpacks
out a little bit further
00:28:39.18\00:28:40.38
in Galatians 2:20,
00:28:40.42\00:28:42.55
when he declared, "I have
been crucified with Christ,
00:28:42.58\00:28:46.09
it is no longer I who live
00:28:46.12\00:28:47.42
but it is
Christ who lives in me.
00:28:47.46\00:28:50.93
And the life that I
now live, I live by faith
00:28:50.96\00:28:53.50
and the life that I
now live in the flesh,
00:28:53.53\00:28:55.16
I live by faith
in the Son of God
00:28:55.20\00:28:57.27
who loved me
00:28:57.30\00:28:58.93
and gave Himself for me."
00:28:58.97\00:29:02.27
That's a longer version of,
00:29:02.30\00:29:04.17
"I die daily."
00:29:04.21\00:29:08.11
Well, I'm thankful to
know that the Bible teaches
00:29:08.14\00:29:10.51
that there is not a
single person or family
00:29:10.55\00:29:12.65
who can't make
that saving choice.
00:29:12.68\00:29:14.08
Do you believe that, friends?
00:29:14.12\00:29:15.85
Now unfortunately,
00:29:15.88\00:29:16.92
there are some very large
00:29:16.95\00:29:18.92
Christian circles and traditions
00:29:18.95\00:29:20.56
that have tried to convince us
00:29:20.59\00:29:22.79
that God determines
even before we're born,
00:29:22.82\00:29:24.83
whether we're saved or lost,
00:29:24.86\00:29:26.70
that He predestines
us outside of our choice,
00:29:26.73\00:29:29.26
outside of our free will.
00:29:29.30\00:29:30.77
And no matter what we do,
no matter how much we desire,
00:29:30.80\00:29:33.17
my desire to
make a saving choice,
00:29:33.20\00:29:35.60
we will be lost when
it's all said and done.
00:29:35.64\00:29:38.64
But, friends,
00:29:38.67\00:29:39.64
I categorically reject
that particular teaching.
00:29:39.67\00:29:43.21
Why?
00:29:43.24\00:29:44.28
Because I find
that the Bible says
00:29:44.31\00:29:45.81
different over and
over and over again
00:29:45.85\00:29:48.62
throughout the Bible.
00:29:48.65\00:29:51.75
Now we have some volunteers
00:29:51.79\00:29:53.19
that are going to
be reading for us here
00:29:53.22\00:29:56.62
and Hoftis is going to
read the first scripture
00:29:56.66\00:29:58.66
it looks like this morning
00:29:58.69\00:29:59.76
and that is 1 John 2:2.
00:29:59.79\00:30:03.30
Thank you.
00:30:03.33\00:30:04.33
"And He Himself is a
propitiation for our sins.
00:30:04.37\00:30:08.90
And not for ours only,
00:30:08.94\00:30:10.81
but also for the whole world."
00:30:10.84\00:30:14.18
Okay, now I have to confess,
00:30:14.21\00:30:15.78
the first time
I read that verse,
00:30:15.81\00:30:16.95
I had to go straight to
my dictionary on my shelf
00:30:16.98\00:30:20.28
and look up that
word propitiation.
00:30:20.32\00:30:22.02
And maybe you're
one of those as well
00:30:22.05\00:30:23.39
and you're saying, you
know, "What in the world?
00:30:23.42\00:30:24.82
I've never used
that word in my life."
00:30:24.85\00:30:26.79
And typically, we don't use that
00:30:26.82\00:30:28.39
in our day to day conversation.
00:30:28.42\00:30:29.82
So when I looked it up,
00:30:29.86\00:30:31.03
it basically said in a nutshell,
00:30:31.06\00:30:33.09
you know, winning
the forgiveness of,
00:30:33.13\00:30:35.70
or winning the covering of.
00:30:35.73\00:30:37.80
And so, of course, here we
find that the Bible is declaring
00:30:37.83\00:30:42.04
that Jesus is the
winner of the forgiveness
00:30:42.07\00:30:44.34
not only of us.
00:30:44.37\00:30:45.61
Now, of course, he's
speaking to the Christian church
00:30:45.64\00:30:47.48
when he's writing that letter.
00:30:47.51\00:30:48.91
So the us is you and
me, the Christian church,
00:30:48.94\00:30:51.91
but not only for us only
00:30:51.95\00:30:53.35
but also for the whole
world, it says, doesn't it?
00:30:53.38\00:30:58.32
Okay, so how many
did Jesus die for?
00:30:58.35\00:31:01.56
Everybody,
00:31:01.59\00:31:04.13
Jesus wants everybody in heaven.
00:31:04.16\00:31:06.76
He has predestined
00:31:06.80\00:31:08.33
every single human
being for eternity,
00:31:08.36\00:31:11.07
for heaven.
00:31:11.10\00:31:13.37
But then He
leaves us free choice
00:31:13.40\00:31:14.80
of whether we want to
accept that predestination.
00:31:14.84\00:31:19.67
And so this is really
what the Bible teaches.
00:31:19.71\00:31:22.28
And so the ultimate
key is not the false belief
00:31:22.31\00:31:24.71
of whether you
have been predestined
00:31:24.75\00:31:25.98
by God to be saved
00:31:26.01\00:31:27.05
or lost regardless
of your good choices
00:31:27.08\00:31:29.15
that you desire to make,
00:31:29.18\00:31:30.29
but whether or not
you're going to respond
00:31:30.32\00:31:32.79
to His knocking on your heart,
00:31:32.82\00:31:34.99
because not only
does the Bible tell us
00:31:35.02\00:31:36.42
that Jesus died for you,
for your sins on the cross,
00:31:36.46\00:31:40.30
but then in addition to that,
00:31:40.33\00:31:42.26
ever since He is
resurrected to the glory,
00:31:42.30\00:31:44.60
the Bible says
00:31:44.63\00:31:45.67
that He's
knocking at our hearts,
00:31:45.70\00:31:48.60
He's knocking at our hearts.
00:31:48.64\00:31:50.27
One of my favorite
verses, Revelation 3:20,
00:31:50.31\00:31:52.91
"Behold, 'Jesus says.'"
00:31:52.94\00:31:54.01
This is in red letters.
00:31:54.04\00:31:55.08
If you're in Revelation 3:20,
00:31:55.11\00:31:57.48
"Behold, 'He says,'
00:31:57.51\00:31:59.18
I stand at the door and I knock.
00:31:59.21\00:32:03.12
And if anyone opens
the door and invites Me,
00:32:03.15\00:32:07.12
and I will come
in and dine with him
00:32:07.16\00:32:08.66
and he with Me.'"
00:32:08.69\00:32:11.09
Isn't that a beautiful text?
00:32:11.13\00:32:13.93
And so the
knocking takes place on
00:32:13.96\00:32:16.00
every single person's heart.
00:32:16.03\00:32:19.00
But Jesus never
reaches down to the doorknob.
00:32:19.03\00:32:21.47
That's why we have some of these
00:32:21.50\00:32:22.54
beautiful artistic renditions,
00:32:22.57\00:32:24.07
you know, where we
have pictures of Jesus,
00:32:24.11\00:32:26.07
and He'll be pictured
there knocking on the door.
00:32:26.11\00:32:30.05
But quite often,
if not all the time,
00:32:30.08\00:32:31.48
you'll see that the artists
00:32:31.51\00:32:33.45
have the insight to understand
00:32:33.48\00:32:35.42
that Jesus will
never open the door
00:32:35.45\00:32:36.99
and so it's a one doorknob door.
00:32:37.02\00:32:41.19
In other words,
the outside of the door
00:32:41.22\00:32:42.39
where Jesus is knocking on,
00:32:42.42\00:32:43.73
if you look carefully,
00:32:43.76\00:32:44.86
almost I think
everyone I've ever seen
00:32:44.89\00:32:46.73
doesn't have a doorknob there.
00:32:46.76\00:32:49.20
The only doorknob on
that door is on the inside.
00:32:49.23\00:32:52.03
That's where
you are, aren't you?
00:32:52.07\00:32:53.87
And so if we reach
down and turn the doorknob
00:32:53.90\00:32:56.57
and open the door,
then He'll come in.
00:32:56.60\00:32:58.81
So Jesus never opens the door.
00:32:58.84\00:33:00.24
He never kicks the door open.
00:33:00.28\00:33:02.64
As Christian traditions
00:33:02.68\00:33:04.01
and history is
full of Christians
00:33:04.05\00:33:05.51
that believe that we
need to kick the door down,
00:33:05.55\00:33:08.82
and we need to be
able to force people,
00:33:08.85\00:33:10.55
compel them to follow
Jesus, is that possible?
00:33:10.59\00:33:15.46
No, on the outside,
you might get some success
00:33:15.49\00:33:17.36
but not on the inside.
00:33:17.39\00:33:18.39
And so, no, I
don't recommend it,
00:33:18.43\00:33:21.00
neither does Jesus.
00:33:21.03\00:33:22.53
And so making
that ultimate choice
00:33:22.56\00:33:25.53
is how we will respond
to the knocking of Jesus
00:33:25.57\00:33:28.87
on the door of our hearts.
00:33:28.90\00:33:32.91
Well, let's turn
to our next scripture.
00:33:32.94\00:33:34.61
And we have another volunteer
00:33:34.64\00:33:35.81
that is going to be reading
00:33:35.84\00:33:36.88
Matthew 22:37.
00:33:36.91\00:33:42.05
Thank you, Dave.
00:33:42.08\00:33:43.08
Matthew 22:37,
"Jesus said to him,
00:33:43.12\00:33:46.62
'You shall love
the Lord your God
00:33:46.65\00:33:48.56
with all your
heart, with all your soul,
00:33:48.59\00:33:51.16
and with all your mind.'"
00:33:51.19\00:33:53.66
Okay, thank you.
00:33:53.70\00:33:55.03
This is the greatest commandment
00:33:55.06\00:33:56.46
of all the Bible
Jesus tells us, by the way,
00:33:56.50\00:33:59.10
to love the Lord your
God with all your strength,
00:33:59.13\00:34:00.80
your heart, and
your soul, and your mind.
00:34:00.84\00:34:02.30
In different times,
00:34:02.34\00:34:03.64
there's different aspects
of our being that it includes.
00:34:03.67\00:34:06.94
But the point is that we
love Jesus with everything.
00:34:06.98\00:34:11.05
Now the only way
00:34:11.08\00:34:12.11
that we can truly
leave out the command
00:34:12.15\00:34:15.28
is to have the free
will to choose not to love.
00:34:15.32\00:34:18.39
Ever thought about that?
00:34:18.42\00:34:20.29
The only way that we
could leave out that command
00:34:20.32\00:34:21.99
is have the free
will and the choice,
00:34:22.02\00:34:24.76
therefore, to not love.
00:34:24.79\00:34:28.03
In other words, if I
don't have the free will
00:34:28.06\00:34:29.60
and choice to not
love, I cannot truly love.
00:34:29.63\00:34:32.63
Why, because love
requires free will.
00:34:32.67\00:34:35.74
And that's why free
will is most valuable to God
00:34:35.77\00:34:38.07
above all things.
00:34:38.11\00:34:39.94
He creates us with free will,
00:34:39.97\00:34:41.78
and He will never take
that free will away from us.
00:34:41.81\00:34:44.31
And by the way,
00:34:44.35\00:34:45.35
that's why so much
horrible things happen
00:34:45.38\00:34:47.02
in this life,
00:34:47.05\00:34:48.05
because that's part of
the cost of keeping that
00:34:48.08\00:34:49.75
until judgment day comes,
00:34:49.78\00:34:52.09
is that free will.
00:34:52.12\00:34:53.62
If I don't have
the choice not to love,
00:34:53.66\00:34:55.09
I can't truly love.
00:34:55.12\00:34:56.16
Why?
00:34:56.19\00:34:57.19
Because then
otherwise we're just robots.
00:34:57.23\00:34:59.16
Okay, can you create a robot
00:34:59.19\00:35:00.50
that tells you
they love you every day?
00:35:00.53\00:35:03.33
Okay, I think you can get robot
00:35:03.37\00:35:05.53
that will vacuum your room
00:35:05.57\00:35:08.60
and make your breakfast
in the morning, maybe if...
00:35:08.64\00:35:10.64
You know, we're
approaching that,
00:35:10.67\00:35:11.84
aren't we?
00:35:11.87\00:35:13.17
And these are all loving
things that they can do for us,
00:35:13.21\00:35:15.88
but do they truly love us?
00:35:15.91\00:35:18.18
No, because they don't
have the choice not to love us.
00:35:18.21\00:35:20.95
They're programmed
only to say I love you.
00:35:20.98\00:35:23.49
They never have the
choice to say I don't love you.
00:35:23.52\00:35:26.12
And so in order for
us to be above robots,
00:35:26.15\00:35:28.69
God has to give us free
will, the choice not to love.
00:35:28.72\00:35:33.29
All right.
00:35:33.33\00:35:34.36
Let's move to Monday
00:35:34.36\00:35:35.36
because we're
running out of time quickly.
00:35:35.40\00:35:36.80
What does the Bible say
00:35:36.83\00:35:37.87
and how we can
make the right choices?
00:35:37.90\00:35:39.67
Well, number
one, we need to pray.
00:35:39.70\00:35:41.97
How often should we pray?
00:35:42.00\00:35:44.97
We need to pray without ceasing
00:35:45.01\00:35:46.54
as the scripture is
quoted in the quarterly study.
00:35:46.57\00:35:50.18
1 Thessalonians 5:17
says, "Pray without ceasing."
00:35:50.21\00:35:53.75
And so we need to
have a prayerful life.
00:35:53.78\00:35:56.69
We need to pray
in a regular basis.
00:35:56.72\00:35:58.75
We need to be able
to stay close to God,
00:35:58.79\00:36:00.96
keep talking to
God about the life
00:36:00.99\00:36:02.69
and the
circumstances in which we live.
00:36:02.72\00:36:04.86
We need to remember
to ask God for wisdom.
00:36:04.89\00:36:08.43
God gives us there certain
amount of inherent wisdom
00:36:08.46\00:36:11.80
and such, but if
we ask for wisdom,
00:36:11.83\00:36:14.34
we can receive so much more.
00:36:14.37\00:36:16.50
James 1:5 says, "If
any of you lacks wisdom,
00:36:16.54\00:36:19.51
let him ask of God
00:36:19.54\00:36:20.54
who gives to all
liberally and without reproach,
00:36:20.58\00:36:22.91
and it will be given him."
00:36:22.94\00:36:25.65
Does God counsel us
to ask Him for wisdom?
00:36:25.68\00:36:28.58
Sure, He does.
00:36:28.62\00:36:29.65
Do we need wisdom
to make good choices?
00:36:29.68\00:36:31.89
Sure, we do. Okay,
so we need to pray.
00:36:31.92\00:36:33.96
And in the midst of that prayer,
00:36:33.99\00:36:35.59
and part of that
prayer, we need to ask God,
00:36:35.62\00:36:38.53
"Please give me the wisdom
00:36:38.56\00:36:39.56
that I need for
today's choices and decisions."
00:36:39.59\00:36:43.93
Well, how else can
we make good choices?
00:36:43.97\00:36:45.90
Well, we have a volunteer
00:36:45.93\00:36:46.97
that's going to
read 2 Timothy 3:16
00:36:47.00\00:36:50.44
for us this morning.
00:36:50.47\00:36:52.61
2 Timothy 3:16,
00:36:52.64\00:36:54.98
"All scripture is
given by inspiration of God
00:36:55.01\00:36:57.61
and is profitable for doctrine,
00:36:57.65\00:36:59.45
for reproof, for correction,
00:36:59.48\00:37:02.12
for instruction
in righteousness."
00:37:02.15\00:37:05.05
Okay, thank you.
00:37:05.09\00:37:06.32
So this is a powerful summary
00:37:06.35\00:37:07.99
of what the Bible
actually tells us about itself.
00:37:08.02\00:37:10.89
And we need to look to the Bible
00:37:10.93\00:37:12.79
to make choices
that are in harmony
00:37:12.83\00:37:14.50
with its teachings,
00:37:14.56\00:37:15.56
with the
principles that it reveals.
00:37:15.60\00:37:17.50
Sometimes it corrects us
00:37:17.53\00:37:19.63
and helps us to
make better choices,
00:37:19.67\00:37:22.20
and it also
instructs us in righteousness,
00:37:22.24\00:37:25.51
and tells us what
those good choices are.
00:37:25.54\00:37:27.68
And so are the
choices that I'm making,
00:37:27.71\00:37:29.68
are the decisions that
are before me in harmony
00:37:29.71\00:37:32.51
with the teachings,
with the principles,
00:37:32.55\00:37:34.28
with the law of God?
00:37:34.32\00:37:35.62
This is important
question for us to ask
00:37:35.65\00:37:37.45
to make good choices.
00:37:37.49\00:37:39.19
Then Proverbs 3:5 and 6.
00:37:39.22\00:37:43.06
It says, "Trust in the
Lord with all your heart
00:37:43.09\00:37:46.23
and lean not on
your own understanding.
00:37:46.26\00:37:48.53
In all your
ways, acknowledge Him
00:37:48.56\00:37:49.93
and He shall direct your paths."
00:37:49.96\00:37:53.37
And so God here is telling us
00:37:53.40\00:37:54.64
that we need to
continually keep God in it,
00:37:54.67\00:37:57.74
always have God involved,
always have God involved.
00:37:57.77\00:38:01.28
Invite God to every decision,
00:38:01.31\00:38:03.48
every choice that you're
making throughout the day.
00:38:03.51\00:38:05.81
"Lean not on your
own understanding."
00:38:05.85\00:38:09.68
Then in Proverbs 24:6, it
says, "For by wise counsel,
00:38:09.72\00:38:13.56
you will wage your own war.
00:38:13.59\00:38:15.99
And in a
multitude of counselors,
00:38:16.02\00:38:18.36
there is safety."
00:38:18.39\00:38:21.40
And so this is
one that I believe
00:38:21.43\00:38:23.10
that has been undervalued
by many of us too often.
00:38:23.13\00:38:25.87
And, of course, we
always have to remember
00:38:29.20\00:38:32.41
that when we do
choose to seek counsel
00:38:32.44\00:38:34.68
from other human beings,
00:38:34.71\00:38:36.44
we have to consider the source.
00:38:36.48\00:38:37.78
This is very important.
00:38:37.81\00:38:39.15
So not only it's
important to follow the council
00:38:39.18\00:38:41.28
and remember that there's wisdom
00:38:41.32\00:38:42.62
in the multitude of counselors,
00:38:42.65\00:38:44.12
one of the God-given
resources God gives to us
00:38:44.15\00:38:47.59
is other human beings
00:38:47.62\00:38:48.99
to help us make good
choices to find that wisdom.
00:38:49.02\00:38:53.06
But we need to ask ourselves,
00:38:53.09\00:38:54.20
"Is the person
that we're talking to
00:38:54.23\00:38:56.10
connected with the Lord himself
00:38:56.13\00:38:57.37
or herself?
00:38:57.40\00:38:58.87
Is that important?
Sure, it is, isn't it?
00:38:58.90\00:39:01.27
Okay, so we have to make sure
00:39:01.30\00:39:02.94
that the
counselors that we're choosing
00:39:02.97\00:39:05.87
are connected to the Lord.
00:39:05.91\00:39:06.94
Do they serve and worship God?
00:39:06.98\00:39:08.74
Have they demonstrated
wisdom in their own lives?
00:39:08.78\00:39:11.11
If you ask a fool for counsel,
is that gonna help much?
00:39:11.15\00:39:14.75
It's not going
to help much, is it?
00:39:14.78\00:39:15.95
In fact, it would
probably make things worse.
00:39:15.98\00:39:17.92
So you want to make sure
00:39:17.95\00:39:18.99
that you're observing
that person is saying,
00:39:19.02\00:39:20.39
"Okay, this person
seems to give evidence
00:39:20.42\00:39:23.43
that they're
connected to the Lord.
00:39:23.46\00:39:24.76
And they've demonstrated
00:39:24.79\00:39:26.36
that they have wisdom
in their own life as well."
00:39:26.39\00:39:28.33
Particularly if
you're making a big decision
00:39:28.36\00:39:30.07
in a particular area,
00:39:30.10\00:39:32.57
it's much more helpful
if you choose counselors
00:39:32.60\00:39:34.37
that have already
demonstrated success
00:39:34.40\00:39:36.07
in that area.
00:39:36.10\00:39:37.84
So if you're
looking for a good education
00:39:37.87\00:39:39.41
and you're wondering
00:39:39.44\00:39:40.61
what decision should I make
in concerned to my education,
00:39:40.64\00:39:43.58
it's probably a good
idea to talk to somebody
00:39:43.61\00:39:45.28
that's already succeeded
in in the educational world
00:39:45.31\00:39:48.45
and in their life experience.
00:39:48.48\00:39:50.29
And so I think that's helpful.
00:39:50.32\00:39:53.22
And so seek counsels,
counselors here on earth.
00:39:53.25\00:39:57.63
Well, Tuesday then goes on
00:39:57.66\00:39:58.86
and says, "Well, how do we apply
00:39:58.89\00:40:01.13
the principles in the Bible
00:40:01.16\00:40:02.33
in order to make good friends?"
00:40:02.36\00:40:05.97
Is choosing our
friends important?
00:40:06.00\00:40:07.40
Or should we just
kind of make friends
00:40:11.64\00:40:12.84
with anybody that's friendly?
00:40:12.87\00:40:18.95
Too often, I believe, I fear
00:40:18.98\00:40:21.02
that we underestimate
the power of friends
00:40:21.05\00:40:23.35
to influence us
for good or for evil.
00:40:23.39\00:40:27.69
God has told us
00:40:27.72\00:40:28.92
that we shouldn't make friends
with anybody that's friendly.
00:40:28.96\00:40:32.69
Okay, being friendly
is important, isn't it?
00:40:32.73\00:40:34.23
Okay.
00:40:34.30\00:40:35.30
It's no fun being
friends with somebody
00:40:35.33\00:40:36.46
that's not friendly.
00:40:36.50\00:40:39.33
There's an old
saying, and it says this,
00:40:39.37\00:40:41.44
"Show me your friends and
I'll tell you who you are."
00:40:41.47\00:40:44.84
Some of you heard that saying,
00:40:44.87\00:40:46.64
"Show me your friends and
I'll tell you who you are."
00:40:46.68\00:40:49.31
Now that reflects a very
real solid Bible teaching.
00:40:49.34\00:40:53.85
It's probably a Christian
that came up with that.
00:40:53.88\00:40:55.88
1 Corinthians 15:33,
00:40:55.92\00:40:59.22
the Apostle Paul was
inspired to write this,
00:40:59.25\00:41:01.02
he says, "Do not be deceived.
00:41:01.06\00:41:02.29
Evil company
corrupts good habits."
00:41:02.32\00:41:05.93
And so the friends
that we rub shoulders with
00:41:05.96\00:41:09.20
makes a real difference
00:41:09.23\00:41:10.60
in concern to our
spiritual success,
00:41:10.63\00:41:13.34
our moral success.
00:41:13.37\00:41:15.74
It can be in regards to
our work success, careers,
00:41:15.77\00:41:19.64
all kinds of different areas.
00:41:19.67\00:41:21.94
And so it's not by coincidence
that the Bible tells us
00:41:21.98\00:41:24.08
to choose our
friends very carefully.
00:41:24.11\00:41:27.38
And so again,
we have a volunteer
00:41:27.42\00:41:28.65
that's going to read
for us Proverbs 12:26.
00:41:28.68\00:41:33.19
Proverbs 12:26,
00:41:33.22\00:41:35.36
"The righteous should
choose his friends carefully,
00:41:35.39\00:41:39.89
for the way of the
wicked leads them astray."
00:41:39.93\00:41:43.73
All right, so the second half,
00:41:43.77\00:41:44.97
of course, reflects
00:41:45.00\00:41:46.30
what we just read from
Paul in 1 Corinthians 15.
00:41:46.33\00:41:48.67
And then in response to
that very real law of life,
00:41:48.70\00:41:52.81
it tells us that we should
choose our friends carefully.
00:41:52.84\00:41:57.11
And so again, just
because somebody is friendly,
00:41:57.15\00:42:01.08
doesn't mean
that they're destined
00:42:01.12\00:42:03.75
or it's wise to be their friend.
00:42:03.79\00:42:06.92
And sometimes we
can find ourselves
00:42:06.96\00:42:08.19
slipping into friendships
00:42:08.22\00:42:09.26
that we begin to
realize are not good.
00:42:09.29\00:42:11.96
And I can tell you
by personal experience,
00:42:11.99\00:42:13.73
it's hard to get out of
those friendships later on,
00:42:13.76\00:42:16.20
it's much harder.
00:42:16.23\00:42:17.77
And I made that mistake.
Denise and I made that mistake.
00:42:17.80\00:42:20.10
We are going through
some of our college years,
00:42:20.14\00:42:21.90
and we kind of got connected
up with a friendly group
00:42:21.94\00:42:24.27
that we connected
with in a very real way.
00:42:24.31\00:42:26.91
They had a good sense of
humor in the same way we did,
00:42:26.94\00:42:28.88
and we enjoyed
each other's company.
00:42:28.91\00:42:30.15
We had a lot of good times.
00:42:30.18\00:42:32.75
But it didn't take long
00:42:32.78\00:42:33.82
as we continued
down that road with them
00:42:33.85\00:42:35.55
that we realized
00:42:35.58\00:42:36.55
that even though they
were professed Christians,
00:42:36.58\00:42:39.45
they weren't all that
committed to following Christ.
00:42:39.49\00:42:42.26
And some of the attitudes
that they started to reveal
00:42:42.29\00:42:45.33
weren't really in line
with the principles of Christ.
00:42:45.36\00:42:49.93
And some of those attitudes
were a little bit scornful
00:42:49.96\00:42:52.47
or mockful even
of being committed
00:42:52.50\00:42:55.57
to leading a biblical life.
00:42:55.60\00:42:58.67
And so this was already
00:42:58.71\00:43:02.01
couple of years down the road.
00:43:02.04\00:43:04.75
And so Denise and I,
00:43:04.78\00:43:05.98
in one of the
most difficult things
00:43:06.01\00:43:07.25
we ever did in our lives,
00:43:07.28\00:43:09.08
was that one day, we woke up
00:43:09.12\00:43:10.32
and the Lord had
convicted us so hard.
00:43:10.35\00:43:11.82
We said, "We need to
get out of this circle.
00:43:11.85\00:43:14.52
We have to get
out of the circle."
00:43:14.56\00:43:16.66
And so we did.
00:43:16.69\00:43:18.63
And it was difficult, we
had to go for long walks,
00:43:18.66\00:43:21.10
just to debrief and
kind of keep confirming
00:43:21.13\00:43:22.83
that the decision
we're making is right.
00:43:22.86\00:43:25.17
And I know in my heart of hearts
00:43:25.20\00:43:27.50
that I made the right decision
00:43:27.54\00:43:29.90
that I made that right decision.
00:43:29.94\00:43:32.04
And the fruits
later in a couple of...
00:43:32.07\00:43:34.54
At least, a couple
of those people's lives
00:43:34.58\00:43:36.08
started to reveal themselves
00:43:36.11\00:43:37.45
and they're not in
the church anymore.
00:43:37.48\00:43:40.02
They're not following Christ
according to the Bible anymore.
00:43:40.05\00:43:43.89
And so I'm thankful
that we made that decision,
00:43:43.92\00:43:46.55
even though it was little late.
00:43:46.59\00:43:47.86
You know,
there's another saying.
00:43:47.89\00:43:48.89
"It's best to stop the train
00:43:48.92\00:43:49.92
before it gets
out of the station."
00:43:49.96\00:43:52.76
And it's a lot harder
once that train starts to gain
00:43:52.79\00:43:54.93
its momentum to be
able to turn things around.
00:43:54.93\00:43:57.93
So let's follow the Bible,
00:43:57.97\00:43:59.60
that's why I'm glad
I can share with you
00:43:59.63\00:44:01.44
here from the Bible
00:44:01.47\00:44:02.67
and also that you might not be
able to make that same mistake
00:44:02.70\00:44:05.47
and have to go through
that difficult experience.
00:44:05.51\00:44:09.34
Now all this being said,
00:44:09.38\00:44:10.45
we also must not look for
perfection in our friends.
00:44:10.48\00:44:13.05
If you're looking
for a perfect friend,
00:44:13.08\00:44:14.28
you're going to be
looking for a long time.
00:44:14.32\00:44:17.95
Okay, there's a
saying that I like.
00:44:17.99\00:44:19.62
I saw it on a little, I
don't know, a bumper sticker
00:44:19.65\00:44:21.86
or somebody had on
their mirror in their bathroom
00:44:21.89\00:44:23.79
I visited or something,
and it says a friend is someone
00:44:23.83\00:44:26.70
who knows all about
you but likes you anyway.
00:44:26.73\00:44:29.83
Is that the truth? Okay.
00:44:32.87\00:44:35.77
Anybody here
have a perfect friend?
00:44:35.80\00:44:38.01
Anybody here perfect?
00:44:38.04\00:44:41.24
Okay, let's go
to the lesson study,
00:44:41.28\00:44:43.85
Wednesday.
00:44:43.88\00:44:46.88
No, sorry,
Tuesday, Tuesday, page 17.
00:44:46.92\00:44:50.09
I want to share with
you a really powerful quote.
00:44:50.12\00:44:52.55
Now this is golden.
00:44:52.59\00:44:53.62
So please listen carefully.
00:44:53.66\00:44:54.96
If you been distracted here
and wandering off in your mind,
00:44:54.99\00:44:58.26
this is from Ellen White
00:44:58.29\00:45:00.56
and it's from a powerful book
00:45:00.60\00:45:02.60
entitled Pastoral
Ministry, page 95.
00:45:02.63\00:45:04.97
It says this,
00:45:05.00\00:45:06.13
"Even the best of us
have these unlovely traits.
00:45:06.17\00:45:10.04
And in selecting
friends, we should choose those
00:45:10.07\00:45:12.57
who will not be
driven away from us
00:45:12.61\00:45:14.38
when they learned
that we are not perfect.
00:45:14.41\00:45:18.35
Mutual
forbearance is called for."
00:45:18.38\00:45:20.45
What is mutual forbearance mean?
00:45:20.48\00:45:22.98
Mutual forbearance,
mutual means both ways, okay.
00:45:23.02\00:45:27.99
Forbearance
means long-suffering,
00:45:28.02\00:45:30.66
you know, able to
forebear different unlovely
00:45:30.69\00:45:34.30
or not likable trades, okay,
00:45:34.30\00:45:36.73
faults in your character.
00:45:36.77\00:45:38.70
Okay.
00:45:38.73\00:45:39.77
"Mutual
forbearance is called for.
00:45:39.80\00:45:42.67
We should love and
respect one another
00:45:42.70\00:45:44.91
not with standing the faults
00:45:44.94\00:45:46.91
and imperfections
that we cannot help seen.
00:45:46.94\00:45:51.28
For this is the
Spirit of Christ,
00:45:51.31\00:45:53.52
humility and self
destruct should be cultivated
00:45:53.55\00:45:56.85
and a patient tenderness
with the faults of others.
00:45:56.89\00:46:00.69
This will kill out
all narrowing selfishness
00:46:00.72\00:46:04.36
and make us
large-hearted and generous."
00:46:04.39\00:46:07.40
I don't know about you,
00:46:07.40\00:46:08.40
but I want to be
large-hearted and generous,
00:46:08.43\00:46:09.83
don't you?
00:46:09.86\00:46:11.63
So this is golden counsel.
00:46:11.67\00:46:13.70
I'm going to put
this on my wall somewhere
00:46:13.74\00:46:15.34
maybe, in my office.
00:46:15.37\00:46:17.07
You know, this summarizes,
00:46:17.11\00:46:18.61
you know, a friend is somebody
who knows all about you,
00:46:18.64\00:46:21.51
but likes you anyway.
00:46:21.54\00:46:22.81
And so the Bible
points us to a text,
00:46:22.84\00:46:24.95
and I don't have
it printed out here.
00:46:24.98\00:46:27.42
Let's go to it
quickly. It's Proverbs 17:17.
00:46:27.45\00:46:30.82
Proverbs 17:17 summarizes
00:46:30.85\00:46:33.12
what we just
read from Ellen White
00:46:33.15\00:46:35.96
and that old saying as well.
00:46:35.99\00:46:38.03
Proverbs 17:17.
00:46:38.06\00:46:42.80
Okay, verse 17, it says,
00:46:51.64\00:46:53.14
"A friend loves at all times
00:46:53.17\00:46:56.44
and a brother is
born for adversity."
00:46:56.48\00:46:58.55
And so basically
what that saying is,
00:46:58.58\00:47:00.88
"A true friend is not
a fair-weather friend.
00:47:00.92\00:47:03.28
Okay.
00:47:03.32\00:47:04.35
Fair-weather friend means
00:47:04.39\00:47:05.42
that they're
only friends with you
00:47:05.45\00:47:06.45
when the weather is fair.
00:47:06.49\00:47:08.19
But as soon as the
storms of life come along,
00:47:08.22\00:47:09.82
"Well, you know,
I've got an appointment,
00:47:09.86\00:47:11.36
I'm busy,
00:47:11.39\00:47:12.43
I'm not going to be
able to be around," okay?
00:47:12.46\00:47:14.93
And so God calls us
00:47:14.93\00:47:16.77
not to choose
fair-weather friends,
00:47:16.80\00:47:18.17
and He also calls us not
to be fair-weather friends.
00:47:18.20\00:47:20.70
And that kind of also reflects
00:47:20.74\00:47:21.97
what we just read in the council
00:47:22.00\00:47:23.87
of pastoral ministry as well.
00:47:23.91\00:47:29.38
Well, let's talk a
little bit before we close here,
00:47:29.41\00:47:31.25
last few minutes that we have.
00:47:31.28\00:47:32.41
I want to look at
Wednesday's lesson.
00:47:32.45\00:47:33.55
And this, of course, is
an extension in large way
00:47:33.58\00:47:36.22
of what we read
00:47:36.25\00:47:37.89
and learned on
how to make choices
00:47:37.92\00:47:39.62
as well as how
to choose friends.
00:47:39.65\00:47:42.36
And so when we go to Wednesday,
00:47:42.39\00:47:43.56
I just want to
read the first sentence
00:47:43.59\00:47:45.43
to start off.
00:47:45.46\00:47:47.40
Wednesday's lesson study,
00:47:47.46\00:47:48.56
it says, "If we're supposed
to choose friends carefully,
00:47:48.60\00:47:51.57
you must even be more careful
00:47:51.60\00:47:53.50
when it comes to
choosing your future spouse."
00:47:53.54\00:47:56.40
Do you believe that?
00:47:56.44\00:47:57.67
I hope you do.
00:47:57.71\00:47:58.94
And if you don't, I hope that
you do by the end of this study
00:47:58.97\00:48:01.01
because this is
really, really important.
00:48:01.04\00:48:05.08
Yeah, one of the
most important questions
00:48:05.11\00:48:06.72
that a couple can ask themselves
00:48:06.75\00:48:08.32
when they're
considering marriage is this.
00:48:08.35\00:48:09.85
And I'm starting
to integrate this
00:48:09.88\00:48:11.09
for the first time
00:48:11.12\00:48:12.12
in my pre marriage
counseling sessions.
00:48:12.15\00:48:15.36
Do you count your
boyfriend your best friend?
00:48:15.39\00:48:19.06
Do you count your
girlfriend your best friend?
00:48:19.09\00:48:22.03
And as you're considering
00:48:22.06\00:48:23.06
marriage with your
girlfriend or your boyfriend,
00:48:23.10\00:48:25.47
are you seeing yourselves
00:48:25.50\00:48:27.47
of having the
potential and the commitment
00:48:27.50\00:48:29.30
to be best friends
00:48:29.34\00:48:31.34
for the rest of your life?
00:48:31.37\00:48:34.21
Because that's really
what it means to be together,
00:48:34.24\00:48:36.64
to be one for life
until death do you part.
00:48:36.68\00:48:40.62
God has called your husband,
00:48:40.65\00:48:43.15
ladies, to be your best friend.
00:48:43.18\00:48:46.59
Now some of you are going,
"He's not a perfect friend.
00:48:46.62\00:48:49.32
I can tell you that."
00:48:49.36\00:48:52.06
Okay.
00:48:52.09\00:48:53.19
And husbands,
00:48:53.23\00:48:54.23
God has called
you to call your wife
00:48:54.30\00:48:56.56
and see your wife
as your best friend.
00:48:56.60\00:48:58.70
God has called, you
know, the most beautiful,
00:48:58.73\00:49:00.60
most successful marriages
00:49:00.64\00:49:01.80
is when a man and a
woman looks at each other
00:49:01.84\00:49:03.64
as lifetime companions,
00:49:03.67\00:49:07.44
companions.
00:49:07.48\00:49:08.68
"She's got her close friends,
00:49:11.81\00:49:13.72
she's got her social
life, and I've got mine."
00:49:13.75\00:49:17.09
Now we don't want any of
this in our marriages, do we?
00:49:17.12\00:49:20.22
Okay, we don't want
to have this kind of...
00:49:20.26\00:49:21.92
And too many couples
have made this mistake.
00:49:21.96\00:49:23.76
"I've got my close
friends and my social life.
00:49:23.79\00:49:25.73
He's got his close friends,
he's got his football buddies.
00:49:25.76\00:49:28.10
I've got my coffee club buddies.
00:49:28.13\00:49:31.30
And we have our
own social life."
00:49:31.33\00:49:32.77
Now I'm not saying you
shouldn't have friends,
00:49:32.80\00:49:34.50
guys, you know,
husbands can have guy friends,
00:49:34.54\00:49:36.67
you know, and hang out with them
00:49:36.71\00:49:38.24
more than, you know...
00:49:38.27\00:49:40.11
But that shouldn't be the rule,
00:49:40.14\00:49:41.88
that shouldn't be
the main practice.
00:49:41.91\00:49:44.78
The main practice
then the most time
00:49:44.81\00:49:46.41
that you should be spending
with is your best friend,
00:49:46.45\00:49:50.05
which is your husband.
00:49:50.09\00:49:51.12
And if your husband
is not your best friend,
00:49:51.15\00:49:52.69
then you have a choice to make.
00:49:52.72\00:49:55.09
You can choose
to make your husband
00:49:55.12\00:49:56.66
your best friend
from this day forward.
00:49:56.69\00:49:58.39
Do you believe that?
00:49:58.43\00:50:00.20
It's true.
00:50:00.23\00:50:01.86
And same with the husbands.
00:50:01.90\00:50:02.93
If your wife is
not your best friend,
00:50:02.96\00:50:04.33
you can choose
00:50:04.37\00:50:05.40
to make your
wife your best friend
00:50:05.43\00:50:06.63
from this day forward.
00:50:06.67\00:50:07.70
You can choose that,
God gives you that power.
00:50:07.74\00:50:09.64
God is calling you to do that
00:50:09.67\00:50:11.74
if you're not doing it today.
00:50:11.77\00:50:13.61
God has not called
you just to kind of have
00:50:13.64\00:50:15.08
romantic moments with
my wife or my husband,
00:50:15.11\00:50:18.08
and then otherwise I
have my social circle
00:50:18.11\00:50:19.65
over here separate.
00:50:19.68\00:50:20.68
No!
00:50:20.72\00:50:21.82
If you're going to go out,
then let me talk to my wife
00:50:21.85\00:50:23.79
and I'll see if she's interested
00:50:23.82\00:50:25.42
if you invite me out.
00:50:25.45\00:50:26.49
Why?
00:50:26.52\00:50:27.52
Because we come as a
unit, we come together,
00:50:27.56\00:50:30.03
we're a team, we're companions.
00:50:30.06\00:50:33.03
We're each other's best friend.
00:50:33.06\00:50:35.50
And so I think it's
important for us to understand
00:50:35.53\00:50:37.40
that principle.
00:50:37.43\00:50:38.77
Well, that being said,
00:50:42.17\00:50:43.64
all the steps as I said earlier,
00:50:43.67\00:50:45.84
the counsel that we learned
on how to make good choices,
00:50:45.87\00:50:48.18
how to find good friends
00:50:48.21\00:50:49.24
is definitely
applied to choosing a spouse.
00:50:49.28\00:50:51.08
I want to share
with you another quote,
00:50:51.11\00:50:52.71
and this comes from a
book called Adventist Home
00:50:52.75\00:50:56.35
and it's page 71.
00:50:56.38\00:51:00.06
It says this, "If men and women
00:51:00.09\00:51:01.49
are in the habit
of praying twice a day
00:51:01.52\00:51:03.73
before they
contemplate marriage,
00:51:03.76\00:51:06.39
they should
pray four times a day
00:51:06.43\00:51:08.10
when such a
step as anticipated."
00:51:08.13\00:51:09.96
Now what's four divided by two?
00:51:12.97\00:51:15.27
It's two, isn't it?
00:51:15.30\00:51:16.34
In other words, she's saying,
00:51:16.37\00:51:17.37
"You should be
praying twice as often
00:51:17.41\00:51:19.27
and twice as much
00:51:19.31\00:51:20.71
if you're anticipating
marriage than before,
00:51:20.74\00:51:23.81
than the prayer life you have."
00:51:23.85\00:51:25.21
"Pray without ceasing.
00:51:25.25\00:51:26.25
If you're going to
make a good decision
00:51:26.28\00:51:27.35
concerning your friends,
00:51:27.38\00:51:28.42
you need to
pray without ceasing.
00:51:28.45\00:51:30.55
And so you need to
pray four times a day.
00:51:30.59\00:51:32.65
Marriage is
something," she goes on,
00:51:32.69\00:51:33.96
"Marriage is something
00:51:33.99\00:51:35.02
that will influence
and affect your life
00:51:35.06\00:51:36.79
both in this world
and in the world to come."
00:51:36.83\00:51:40.56
And this brings
us to another mistake
00:51:40.60\00:51:42.16
that hurts the heart of myself
00:51:42.20\00:51:43.53
and so many
pastors across this land.
00:51:43.57\00:51:46.07
And that is, there's
too many Christians today
00:51:46.10\00:51:48.10
that are making
and choosing spouses
00:51:48.14\00:51:50.21
that are not fully
committed to Christ
00:51:50.24\00:51:52.11
as their Lord and Savior.
00:51:52.14\00:51:54.54
And I am here
representing the Lord, friends,
00:51:54.58\00:51:57.15
and He is telling you
that that is an absolute large,
00:51:57.18\00:52:00.42
one of the worst stupid mistakes
00:52:00.45\00:52:02.32
that you can make in your life.
00:52:02.35\00:52:04.65
Don't do it.
00:52:04.69\00:52:05.79
The biggest mistake you can make
00:52:10.23\00:52:12.73
is to choose somebody
00:52:12.76\00:52:13.80
that is not fully
committed to Christ.
00:52:13.83\00:52:16.87
Period.
00:52:16.90\00:52:17.97
The spiritual
fatality rate of believers
00:52:18.00\00:52:20.67
who make this
mistake is super high.
00:52:20.70\00:52:25.97
It's way higher
than the success rate
00:52:26.01\00:52:27.74
of those who
remain faithful to Christ.
00:52:27.78\00:52:30.05
And so, friends,
00:52:30.08\00:52:31.01
one of the most
dangerous things you can do
00:52:31.05\00:52:33.98
is to marry somebody
00:52:34.02\00:52:35.02
that's not fully
committed to Christ.
00:52:35.05\00:52:37.35
Now, I'm not just
making this up on my own.
00:52:37.39\00:52:38.99
Some of you know the
scriptures, don't you?
00:52:39.02\00:52:41.52
1 Corinthians
6:14, what does it say?
00:52:41.56\00:52:46.06
1 Corinthians 6:14,
00:52:46.09\00:52:48.36
it says, "Do not be
unequally yoked together
00:52:48.40\00:52:51.60
with unbelievers.
00:52:51.63\00:52:53.94
For what
fellowship has righteousness
00:52:53.97\00:52:56.17
with lawlessness?
00:52:56.20\00:52:57.41
And what communion
00:52:57.44\00:52:59.41
has light with darkness?"
00:52:59.44\00:53:02.01
Do you believe that, friends?
00:53:02.04\00:53:04.25
I'm speaking the
truth here this morning.
00:53:04.28\00:53:06.65
Friends, God is speaking to you.
00:53:06.68\00:53:08.48
If you haven't
chosen the spouse yet,
00:53:08.52\00:53:10.62
or you're seriously
considered choosing a spouse
00:53:10.65\00:53:13.25
that is not fully
committed to Christ,
00:53:13.29\00:53:15.32
Jesus is telling
you, "Don't do it.
00:53:15.36\00:53:18.29
Don't make that choice."
00:53:18.33\00:53:19.73
I fear that when
we make this mistake,
00:53:22.90\00:53:24.37
in fact, I don't
just fear, I'm convinced
00:53:24.40\00:53:26.77
that when we make this mistake,
00:53:26.80\00:53:28.34
we not only endanger
our faith and our salvation,
00:53:28.37\00:53:31.01
but we reveal that
we don't fully trust
00:53:31.04\00:53:33.24
that God has the right
person for us in our future.
00:53:33.27\00:53:37.28
We're saying,
"Lord, I have no choice."
00:53:37.31\00:53:38.85
Here we go back to it again.
00:53:38.88\00:53:40.22
"I have no choice.
00:53:40.25\00:53:41.25
If I don't choose this one,
00:53:41.28\00:53:42.32
I'm going to be left
alone for the rest of my life."
00:53:42.35\00:53:45.12
Friends, that is not true.
00:53:45.15\00:53:48.12
God's Word has
just told you that
00:53:48.16\00:53:49.76
that person is
not the one for you.
00:53:49.79\00:53:52.33
And if that person
is not the one for you,
00:53:52.36\00:53:53.96
you need to trust Him.
00:53:54.00\00:53:56.93
You need to understand
that as hard as it might be
00:53:56.97\00:53:59.10
to separate your
heart from somebody
00:53:59.13\00:54:00.44
that you become
affectionate with
00:54:00.47\00:54:02.44
that God has
somebody that is right for you
00:54:02.47\00:54:05.14
that loves the
Lord as much as you do,
00:54:05.17\00:54:07.88
that will pray
with you every morning,
00:54:07.91\00:54:09.54
that will pray
with you every night,
00:54:09.58\00:54:11.08
that will involve themselves
00:54:11.11\00:54:13.05
and want to be
involved in your family worship,
00:54:13.08\00:54:17.79
that will lead
your family out the door
00:54:17.82\00:54:19.79
every Sabbath
morning to go to church
00:54:19.82\00:54:22.89
rather than stay home
00:54:22.92\00:54:23.96
and watch the
football game and say,
00:54:23.99\00:54:25.23
"Honey, why are you
going to church again?"
00:54:25.26\00:54:28.86
God has called us to
equally yoke ourselves
00:54:28.90\00:54:31.33
with believers only.
00:54:31.37\00:54:34.84
Well, I'm out of time,
00:54:34.87\00:54:35.97
and I started preaching
there a little bit, didn't I?
00:54:36.00\00:54:38.47
I forgot it was Sabbath School.
00:54:38.51\00:54:40.91
You don't have to forgive me.
00:54:40.94\00:54:43.41
Well, our
closing note, of course,
00:54:43.45\00:54:44.88
and the quarterly
points this out very wisely.
00:54:44.91\00:54:47.98
It says, "Not only
do we have to make sure
00:54:48.02\00:54:49.42
we choose the right
person for marriage,
00:54:49.45\00:54:51.15
but we be the right
person for marriage as well."
00:54:51.19\00:54:54.72
Jesus says, "Why are you trying
00:54:54.76\00:54:56.02
to take that spec
out of your brother's eye
00:54:56.06\00:54:57.83
while you have this big plank
sticking out of your own eye."
00:54:57.86\00:55:00.86
Make sure that
you have the plank
00:55:00.90\00:55:01.93
taken of your own eye
00:55:01.96\00:55:03.03
before you get too choosy
in choosing the right spice.
00:55:03.06\00:55:05.43
Well, we're out
of time here today.
00:55:05.47\00:55:06.80
I'm thankful that you
have endured my preaching,
00:55:06.84\00:55:10.21
and I pray that
God has spoken to you
00:55:10.24\00:55:12.67
in any way that you
may need here this morning,
00:55:12.71\00:55:15.28
and we look forward
to having you join us
00:55:15.31\00:55:16.78
again next week as
we continue to study
00:55:16.81\00:55:18.75
into this very
important subject of family.
00:55:18.78\00:55:21.92
God bless you, and we
will see you next week.
00:55:21.95\00:55:26.42
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00:55:42.87\00:55:45.61
And be sure to select
the digital download option
00:55:45.64\00:55:47.98
on the request page.
00:55:48.01\00:55:49.31
It's more easier than ever
for you to study God's Word
00:55:49.34\00:55:52.51
with Amazing Facts,
00:55:52.55\00:55:53.78
wherever and whenever you want.
00:55:53.82\00:55:55.78
And most important,
to share it with others.
00:55:55.82\00:55:58.32
Hi, friends,
00:56:10.37\00:56:11.73
you know, the
modern flags that we see
00:56:11.77\00:56:13.54
flying from the top
of capitol buildings
00:56:13.57\00:56:15.57
right in front
of patriotic homes
00:56:15.60\00:56:17.37
really stemmed back
from the times of battles
00:56:17.41\00:56:19.81
being fought
between warring nations.
00:56:19.84\00:56:22.61
These beautifully designed
and intricately-colored banners
00:56:22.64\00:56:25.81
were flown high
above the battlefield.
00:56:25.85\00:56:27.48
So the warring
forces were able to identify
00:56:27.52\00:56:29.82
amid the chaos and the
smoke and the fog of war,
00:56:29.85\00:56:32.72
where their forces were rallied,
00:56:32.75\00:56:34.46
and where they were
fighting the battle.
00:56:34.49\00:56:36.06
And if you could
capture your enemy's flag,
00:56:36.09\00:56:38.43
it was considered
the highest honor.
00:56:38.46\00:56:40.73
Wonder if that's
where we got the game,
00:56:40.76\00:56:42.33
capture the flag.
00:56:42.36\00:56:44.67
With the changes in war,
00:56:44.70\00:56:46.20
now these flags also represent
a little more of a demarcation
00:56:46.23\00:56:49.77
and identification of
different nationalities.
00:56:49.80\00:56:52.34
Today, the flags that represent
00:56:52.37\00:56:53.88
the different
nations of the world
00:56:53.91\00:56:55.24
are very colorful and diverse.
00:56:55.28\00:56:56.88
And all of the
colors and the shapes
00:56:56.91\00:56:58.51
have a specific meaning.
00:56:58.55\00:57:00.18
They're easy to distinguish
and recognize from one another.
00:57:00.22\00:57:03.15
But perhaps one of the most
interesting flags in the world
00:57:03.18\00:57:06.19
is the flag of the Philippines.
00:57:06.22\00:57:08.22
This is unique
00:57:08.26\00:57:09.26
because it is flown
differently in times of peace
00:57:09.29\00:57:12.13
than it is in times of war.
00:57:12.16\00:57:13.96
During times of
peace, the Filipino flag
00:57:14.00\00:57:16.20
that's composed of
red, white, blue, and yellow
00:57:16.23\00:57:18.80
is flown with the blue side up.
00:57:18.83\00:57:20.90
But in times of
war, they flip it around,
00:57:20.94\00:57:23.54
and the red side is up
00:57:23.57\00:57:24.94
because there they're
willing to make sacrifices
00:57:24.97\00:57:27.14
of their blood
00:57:27.18\00:57:28.18
to defend the
freedom of the country.
00:57:28.21\00:57:31.11
In the same way that an embassy
00:57:31.15\00:57:32.91
that is situated
in a foreign country
00:57:32.95\00:57:35.22
flies their flag
00:57:35.25\00:57:36.62
while still
surrounded by another nation,
00:57:36.65\00:57:38.89
Christians are supposed to
have the flag of God's love
00:57:38.92\00:57:41.59
flying in this fallen world.
00:57:41.62\00:57:43.76
You can read in the
book Song of Solomon 2:4,
00:57:43.79\00:57:47.13
"His banner over me is love."
00:57:47.13\00:57:49.50
Love is the flag
that identifies Christians
00:57:49.53\00:57:51.87
as a unique kingdom,
even here in the world.
00:57:51.90\00:57:55.00
So, friend, the big question is,
00:57:55.04\00:57:56.94
how are you flying your flag?
00:57:56.97\00:57:58.44