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00:35 Good morning, friends.
00:36 Welcome again to Sabbath School Study Hour 00:38 here at the Granite Bay Seventh-day Adventist Church. 00:40 I'd like to welcome our online members 00:42 and our friends joining us across the country 00:45 and around the world 00:46 for our new lesson study quarterly 00:48 dealing with the subject of the family. 00:50 And we'll get to that in just a few moments 00:52 telling you what lesson in particular 00:54 we'll be studying today. 00:55 I'd also like to welcome 00:56 our regular Sabbath School members 00:58 as well as those who are visiting with us today. 01:01 And as mentioned, 01:02 we've been into this new quarter 01:03 for about four weeks, 01:05 and we're going to be studying lesson number five 01:07 dealing with the subject of the family. 01:09 And today's lesson in particular is entitled, 01:12 "Wise Words for the Family." 01:14 And that'll be our study today. 01:16 For our friends who are joining us, 01:17 if you don't have a copy of the lesson quarterly, 01:20 you'll be able to download today's lesson 01:22 by simply going to lesson.aftv.org. 01:27 Again lesson.aftv.org, 01:30 and we're studying lesson number five 01:31 so you can click on that, download the study, 01:34 and you can study along with us. 01:36 We do have a free offer 01:37 we'd like to let you know about, a book entitled 01:39 "Is It Possible To Live Without Sinning?" 01:42 This is our free offer today, 01:43 for anyone in North America, 01:44 if you'd like to receive a copy of the book, 01:47 the number to call is 866-788-3966 01:51 and ask for offer number 187. 01:55 If you'd like to receive a digital copy of the book, 01:58 you need to text the code "SH040" 02:02 to the number 40544, 02:05 and you'll be able to download a copy of the book, 02:07 "Is It Possible To Live Without Sinning?" 02:11 Well, before we get to our lesson study today, 02:13 we have a wonderful treat. 02:14 We've got a group entitled One Accord, 02:16 and they're going to be bringing us a musical number 02:19 at this time, 02:20 a very appropriate song for today. 02:22 The song is entitled "The Sabbath." 02:45 From the beginning You loved us 02:49 And from Your heart You have expressed it 02:53 Through the eternal gift that You gave 03:01 In only six days You created 03:05 The world a masterpiece You painted 03:10 But the seventh was exceptional 03:15 Maker of the Universe 03:19 I praise You on the Sabbath Day 03:23 I thank You for this time That You have hallowed 03:28 A day that I can rest in You 03:32 Glorious and Holy 03:35 A day that You delight in 03:40 A gift for the world that You created 03:44 I worship on the day 03:47 That You have given me 03:54 As time passed by we grew so distant 03:59 And we forgot the gift You gave us 04:03 The gift that will remind us who You are 04:27 Maker of the Universe 04:31 I praise You on the Sabbath Day 04:35 I thank You for this time That You have hallowed 04:40 A day that I can rest in You 04:43 Glorious and Holy 04:47 A day that You delight in 04:51 A gift for the world that You created 04:56 I worship on the day 04:58 That You have given me 05:06 I'm the one who sanctifies it 05:14 You will find your joy in Me 05:22 And I will cause you to 05:25 Ride the heights of the land 05:29 The mouth of Jehovah says these 05:36 Maker of the Universe 05:40 I praise You on the Sabbath Day 05:44 I thank You for this time That You have hallowed 05:49 A day that I can rest in You 05:52 Glorious and Holy 05:56 A day that You delight in 06:00 A gift for the world That You created 06:05 I worship on the day 06:07 That You have given me 06:13 I worship on the day 06:16 That You have given me 06:26 I worship on the day 06:28 That You 06:32 Have given me 06:51 Amen. 06:57 Let us have prayer. 06:58 Dear Father in heaven, 06:59 we thank You for the opportunity 07:00 that we have to gather together on this Your Sabbath day 07:03 to open up Your Word and talk 07:05 about a very important subject to You, 07:07 an important subject to us and that is the family. 07:10 So we do pray that Your Spirit to guard our hearts, 07:12 our minds as we open up the scriptures, 07:14 for we ask this in Jesus' name, amen. 07:18 Our lesson today is going to be brought to us 07:19 by Pastor Doug. 07:22 Welcome, morning! 07:24 Want to welcome any visitors here to Granite Bay 07:26 if you're in the area visiting, 07:27 we're glad you're with us today 07:29 and want to welcome our friends who are joining us 07:31 for our Sabbath School Study Hour. 07:33 The majority of churches 07:34 in case you didn't know around the world 07:36 are less than 100 members. 07:39 And a lot of churches do not have a full time pastor. 07:43 And we're very thankful that here at Granite Bay, 07:46 we're able to help provide some study for people 07:49 who are shut-ins, they can't go to church, 07:51 and we just met someone else this week. 07:53 They said, "I'm so thankful, this is my Sabbath School class 07:56 because of my health I cannot go, " 07:58 or some people are isolated 08:00 and so there's thousands of people around the world 08:02 that study with us 08:03 or they're one of our online members, 08:05 and we want to welcome you. 08:07 And I want to remind you, 08:08 Pastor Ross mentioned a special gift offer 08:10 that goes with today's study. 08:11 We'll say more about it at the end as well. 08:14 It's called "Is it Possible To Live Without Sinning?" 08:16 Now, people read that title and they think, 08:18 "Oh, that's a scary title." 08:21 You ought to read this book. 08:22 It's really good. 08:23 I read it once when I was flying a plane, 08:25 I put the plane on autopilot. 08:27 And I read the book. 08:28 It was a long trip, 08:29 and it really encouraged me. 08:31 So if you've not read that, 08:33 I'd like to encourage you to do that. 08:34 We're in lesson number five today 08:37 going through our study dealing with family seasons. 08:40 And the lesson title is talking about words of wisdom 08:45 or wise words for families. 08:47 The title is because most of what you find in the lesson 08:50 is talking about Proverbs of Solomon 08:53 that deal with the family. 08:55 Some of the different proverbs that would address family life. 08:59 It's quite a few actually. 09:01 And we have a memory verse. 09:02 And the memory verse is from Proverbs 3:5-6. 09:06 I bet most of you have already memorized this. 09:09 But if not, this is a good time to start. 09:12 Why don't you say that with me, 09:13 Proverbs 3:5-6, 09:15 and here it's in the New King James Version. 09:16 You ready? 09:18 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, 09:21 and lean not on your own understanding, 09:25 in all your ways acknowledge Him, 09:27 and He will direct your paths." 09:30 That is a great promise for any young person, 09:33 any person 09:34 that is looking for guidance in their life, 09:37 trust the Lord with all of your heart. 09:39 And He will direct your paths if you do that. 09:42 Now, in our study, 09:43 it's broken up into several segments. 09:46 As I said, most of the scriptures 09:48 you're going to find in your lesson 09:49 come from Proverbs, 09:51 but I've taken the liberty 09:52 of getting some other related verses 09:54 from a few places around the Bible. 09:56 First section is love the right woman... 10:04 as opposed to the wrong woman, 10:07 or if you have the right woman, 10:08 don't be loving any other woman 10:10 is what this is talking about. 10:12 Now, if you go to the Book of Proverbs Chapter 5, 10:16 there is, there in the beginning, 10:18 a statement, 10:21 and I guess it starts with verse 3 here. 10:25 "For the lips of an immoral woman drip honey, 10:28 and her mouth is smoother than oil, 10:30 but in the end 10:32 she is bitter as wormwood, 10:34 sharp as a two-edged sword. 10:35 Her feet go down to death, her steps lay hold of hell. 10:39 Lest you ponder her path of life, 10:41 and her ways are unstable, 10:43 you do not know them. 10:45 Therefore hear me now, my children, 10:46 and do not depart from the words of my mouth. 10:49 Remove your way far from her, 10:51 and do not go near the door of her house." 10:54 What's he talking about here? 10:56 It's really talking about adultery 10:58 and or fornication. 11:00 Adultery is for a person who is married, 11:02 if they violate the marriage vows, 11:04 but the seventh commandment also encompasses fornication, 11:08 sex outside of the marriage relationship. 11:11 And here, 11:13 Solomon is repeating words, 11:15 he no doubt heard from his father. 11:17 Now, how would David be an expert on this? 11:20 Would David know that that didn't end well 11:23 in his affair 11:24 and he would have thought he had enough wives, 11:26 he had like nine wives before Bathsheba. 11:29 And it also mentions concubines 11:33 and it led to all kinds of heartache, 11:36 ultimately the death of four of his sons. 11:39 And Solomon ended up 11:42 going down the same road. 11:44 Now, 11:45 what is the most important thing 11:46 a father and mother can do to teach their children, 11:50 marital fidelity? 11:53 Example, be faithful to your spouse. 11:57 Let them see you, 12:00 showing appropriate affection 12:02 for your spouse and faithfulness. 12:07 Don't ever let them see you getting too friendly 12:11 with the opposite sex. 12:14 There's a parable I heard years ago. 12:17 A queen that had a castle high up on a hill 12:20 with a long, windy trail and all these switchbacks 12:23 with sharp ravines and cliffs. 12:26 Her carriage driver died and she needed to interview 12:29 and hire a new carriage driver. 12:31 And they needed exceptional skill 12:33 in controlling the horses 12:35 because of the treacherous road. 12:37 So the first one interview, 12:39 she hopped in the back of her carriage, 12:40 she says, "Okay, I want you to take me 12:42 up to the palace." 12:44 Said, well I got to impress her 12:45 that I can really control these horses. 12:47 He said, "I'm going to go up the hill 12:50 and I can keep this carriage exactly one foot away 12:53 from the edge the whole time. 12:56 And he did. 12:57 The queen made no comments, she looked very carefully, 13:00 he got to the top, she said thank you very much, 13:02 she made a note. 13:04 Went back down to the bottom, 13:05 interviewed the next carriage driver. 13:07 He had seen what had happened. 13:08 He thought, I'm gonna have to do better 13:09 than this guy. 13:11 I can get that carriage within six inches of the lip 13:15 and maintain that the whole way up. 13:19 And so he took her up 13:22 and he was very skilled 13:23 and he kept the thing right there 13:24 six inches away from the lip, 13:26 the precipice of the edge. 13:28 And she took some notes 13:30 and went back down again 13:33 and interviewed the last one, the last one. 13:36 He hugged the inside of the road all the way up, 13:38 even scraping the carriage against the hillside, 13:41 a couple of places in the bushes. 13:43 She hired him. 13:46 She said, "I don't want a carriage driver 13:48 that sees how close to the edge he can get. 13:50 I want one that'll stay 13:52 as far away from the edge as possible." 13:55 How do you preserve 13:57 your vows in marriage? 14:01 By seeing how close to the edge you can get? 14:04 You stay as far away from that edge as you can. 14:07 You do not play with temptation. 14:11 I think it's a good practice 14:14 that if you're married, 14:15 if you're a woman, 14:16 that you have no male friends other than your husband. 14:21 If you're man that you have no female friends, I mean no. 14:24 If they are, you know, 50 years older, 14:26 then people will probably wink at that. 14:28 But if they're in the ballpark of potential temptation, 14:34 don't have any girlfriends if you're a man, 14:36 if you're married, your wife is your girlfriend. 14:40 I think you need to avoid getting close. 14:42 You know how often, you've heard this story. 14:44 Guy works with the secretary. 14:46 They get close, they spend a lot of time together 14:48 and then 14:49 one of them goes through an emotional crisis 14:51 and they start confiding in the other. 14:53 And the next thing you know what happens? 14:55 People never question my secretary 14:58 because it's my mother-in-law. 15:04 So I told you, I'm as safe, 15:06 I stay as far away from the edge 15:10 as you can be. 15:12 Not really, and if you know 15:13 that there's an area of temptation, 15:14 if you find somebody 15:15 that you see that you're attracted to, 15:17 don't flirt with them, 15:19 don't want to know if they also feel the same way. 15:23 Just realize in your heart that the human heart is evil, 15:26 desperately wicked, who can know it, 15:28 don't trust your own heart. 15:30 And you stay away from those, those areas. 15:34 So that's some of the Proverbs, quite a bit of this, 15:36 and I'm not going to read all of Chapter 5 for you. 15:39 Well, he does say in verse 15, 15:40 "Drink water from your own cistern, 15:42 and running water from your own well. 15:45 Should your fountains be dispersed abroad, 15:47 streams of water in the street? 15:49 Let them be only your own, and not for strangers with you. 15:52 Let your fountain be blessed, 15:53 and rejoice with the wife of your youth." 15:56 Now, that's using Hebrew poetry 15:58 and it's talking about that intimacy of marriage 16:01 should only be for your spouse. 16:04 It says, "Always be enraptured with her love." 16:07 That's verse 19. 16:09 Someone's going to read for me 1 Timothy 3:2. 16:12 Just a moment, Hoftis, I'll read Proverbs 31. 16:15 Now, we'll read more of Proverbs 31 later, 16:17 but notice here it says, 16:19 "Who can find..." Verse 10, 16:20 "Who can find a virtuous wife? 16:23 For her worth is far above rubies. 16:25 The heart of her husband safely trust in her, 16:28 so she will have no lack of gain." 16:30 So having trust in your spouse, 16:35 you want to have a relationship 16:37 where you're not jealous, you're not worried. 16:39 You don't want to do anything that makes the other person 16:41 jealous or worried. 16:43 And trust is such an important thing. 16:45 I never ever have to worry. 16:47 It never even crosses my mind. 16:49 When you've got that love, and that trust, 16:51 and that commitment in a marriage, 16:53 it just gives you a lot of peace 16:55 and harmony in the home. 16:57 I had a friend 16:59 and I don't know whether he earned it or not, 17:00 but his wife... 17:02 She used to watch a lot of soap operas, 17:04 she probably was part of the problem. 17:06 And on the soap operas, 17:07 people are always cheating and run around 17:10 behind each other's backs. 17:12 Now, don't ask me how I know that 17:13 because I don't watch soap operas, 17:14 but I know just enough about it. 17:17 And whenever he come home, 17:19 she's like going up and sniffing his collar 17:21 and looking from perfume and looking for lipstick, 17:24 and she just never trusted him. 17:27 And I knew the guy. 17:28 Sometimes he was out with me doing a Bible study, 17:30 she says, "Where have you been?" 17:31 No. 17:32 And it just was, it was miserable 17:35 and when there's no trust. 17:37 So you want to have a relationship 17:39 with the wife and the husband can, 17:41 it says, "His heart trusts in her." 17:44 Please read for me, 1 Timothy. 17:47 1 Timothy 3:2, 17:49 "A bishop then must be blameless, 17:52 the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, 17:56 of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach." 18:00 Now the part here I wanted to emphasize is very simple, 18:02 husband of how many wives? 18:05 One. What is God's plan? 18:08 In the beginning He made Adam and Eve. 18:12 It was not Adam and Eve, 18:13 and Veronica, and Jane, and Betty. 18:16 It was just Adam and Eve. 18:18 And God's plan is for a man to have one wife 18:21 and a wife to have one man. 18:23 Every now and then you hear in the news 18:25 about one of these sorrow stories 18:27 about some guy that's actually had two or three wives 18:29 around the country 18:30 and they don't know about the other spouse. 18:32 They think he's just traveling for work, 18:35 kind of bouncing from family to family. 18:37 I don't know why a guy would want to do that. 18:39 That would seem to be really difficult 18:43 to not just maintain the lie 18:46 but support multiple families like that. 18:49 Anyway, 18:50 so that's the plan, 18:54 one man, one woman. 18:56 Now, some people think that... 19:00 You don't hear the word sex in church very often 19:02 because it's viewed as a dirty word. 19:05 And in the context of our culture, 19:07 it's always associated, often associated with things 19:10 that are unsavory. 19:12 But technically did the devil invent sex or God? 19:16 God. 19:17 And so in the Hebrew mind, 19:19 they saw that sex was a beautiful thing, 19:21 read Song of Solomon, within the marriage, 19:24 in the original plan, 19:26 and it's a blessing. 19:29 I'm not going to take a lot of time 19:30 to talk about this, 19:31 but we get the question every now and then 19:33 that because the Sabbath is holy, 19:37 is sex forbidden on the Sabbath? 19:40 And, because it says, 19:42 not doing thine own pleasure. 19:44 That's a misunderstanding in my opinion, 19:46 I say this by permission and not by commandment. 19:49 But how many of you 19:51 enjoy eating food on Sabbath? 19:54 Do you find it pleasant? 19:56 Anyone want to admit to that? 19:59 So that verse is not saying 20:00 that you can't enjoy any blessed pleasures. 20:05 What day of the week did God make Eve? 20:11 Adam and Eve, sixth day, you all with me? 20:14 Which would have been Friday? 20:15 What's the next day 20:17 that would have been the honeymoon? 20:19 Can you really imagine God saying, 20:22 he or she, yes, 20:23 I now pronounce you man and wife, 20:26 you can touch her on Monday. 20:29 So, you know, 20:30 I don't want to again build too much into that. 20:32 But I think the reason 20:33 that some people ask that question 20:35 is we come away with the idea 20:36 that there's something dirty or sinful 20:38 about sex within a marriage. 20:40 What's this next verse say? 20:41 Hebrews 13:4, 20:44 "Marriage is honorable 20:47 among all, and the bed undefiled..." 20:49 That word undefiled means pure. 20:52 "But for indicators and adulterers, 20:54 God will judge." 20:55 Now notice the contrast Paul's making here, 20:57 says, marriage is pure, marriage is honorable. 20:59 It's undefined in a marriage, 21:01 it's blessed. 21:03 It's supposed to be a wonderful thing. 21:06 But then he contrasts 21:07 that blessed relationship and covenant. 21:10 He says, but don't be mistaken 21:12 fornicators and adulterers. 21:14 Those are the ones breaking the seventh commandment, 21:16 God will judge. 21:17 And it's listed among the things 21:19 that those that practice these things 21:20 will not be in the kingdom of heaven. 21:22 And in case there's any ambiguity, 21:25 all we have to do is read Matthew 19:4, 21:30 "Have you not read 21:31 that He who made them at the beginning 21:33 'made them male and female,' 21:35 and said, 'For this reason 21:36 a man shall leave his father and mother 21:38 and be joined to his wife, 21:40 and the two become one flesh?'" 21:42 Now, that's the same phrase of God 21:44 saying the Father and I are one. 21:47 Jesus said to the apostles, 21:48 I pray that you may be one, meaning the church members, 21:52 it's to be a loving, pure united relationship. 21:55 "They two become one flesh, 21:57 so they are no longer two but one flesh. 22:00 Therefore what God has joined together, 22:02 let not man put asunder or separate." 22:05 Those are usually the words that I speak at a wedding 22:07 just before they get to kiss each other. 22:10 Karen says, that's her favorite part. 22:11 What God has joined together, 22:14 let not man separate. 22:17 And, now, 22:20 some other words of wisdom. 22:21 This isn't directly from Proverbs, 22:23 but one of the reasons 22:25 that sometimes marriages drift apart 22:27 is we don't accept and respect 22:31 that declaration that you are one flesh, 22:34 and that really you support each other, 22:36 you belong to each other in a sense. 22:39 Paul talks about that in 1 Corinthians 7:3, 22:43 "Let the husband render to his wife 22:45 the affection due her, 22:47 and likewise also the wife to her husband. 22:49 The wife does not have authority 22:51 on her own body, 22:52 but the husband does." 22:53 Now, that verse can be abused if it's read by itself. 22:56 "Likewise, the husband does not have authority 22:58 over his own body, but the wife does. 23:01 Do not deprive one another, 23:04 except with consent for time 23:06 that you might give yourselves to fasting and prayer." 23:08 Notice, he puts marital intimacy and food 23:10 in the same category. 23:12 So there may be a time 23:13 where you say we're going to fast 23:14 whether it's a Sabbath or any day of the week, 23:16 from food and intimacy, 23:19 and you agree mutually for that. 23:23 You can't be saying, 23:25 every time your spouse is interested, I'm fasting. 23:30 Because now I say this, this is important, not in jest, 23:33 because in marriage counseling, 23:36 you sometimes find that 23:38 when there are problems in a relationship, 23:40 they've been festering for a while, 23:41 there's also been no coming together 23:43 for a long time. 23:45 And people start looking outside for affection. 23:49 And that leads to all kinds of problems. 23:50 So, a multitude of marriages could be saved 23:54 if they would pay attention to this verse. 23:56 He said, 23:58 "If you're going to fast and pray, that's fine, 23:59 but then come together again that Satan does not tempt you 24:03 because of your lack of self control." 24:06 All right, enough about that. 24:08 Now it's under the section a call to fathers. 24:12 Fathers typically in the Bible are understood 24:14 to be good providers and protectors for the family. 24:19 They were also seen as the authority in the family. 24:23 And women often were there 24:24 to provide defense and protection 24:27 for the children. 24:28 The fathers also protect the family, 24:30 but they sometimes were looked upon 24:32 for the discipline. 24:34 How many mothers have said, 24:35 wait until your father gets home? 24:39 You ever heard that line before? 24:43 All right. 24:44 Proverbs 13:22, 24:47 "A good man leaves an inheritance 24:49 to his children's children, 24:51 but the wealth of the sinner is stored up 24:53 for the righteous." 24:54 So what it's saying here 24:55 is that a father is not only earning 24:57 and providing for the family, 24:59 but he's even saving 25:00 so that he's thinking about their future. 25:04 Father's doing what? 25:06 He's thinking about their future. 25:09 Good fathers are concerned 25:11 with the eternal future of their children, 25:13 not only that they might have an inheritance. 25:15 What's the most important inheritance 25:17 that a father wants to leave his children? 25:20 An eternal one. 25:21 And how do you provide that inheritance? 25:25 By a good example. 25:28 There's some statements in Advent Home and other books 25:33 that basically the first concept 25:35 that a child gets of God is through its parents. 25:38 A child will see that love and that authority, 25:41 that guidance, 25:43 that sacrifice 25:46 in the life of the parents. 25:47 You want to reflect God as much as you can. 25:50 That's what a Christian is. 25:51 You're trying to model and reflect the life of Jesus 25:53 in your life, 25:54 and that will be seen to the children, 25:57 and it gives them their first concept of God. 26:00 God is the one who provides. 26:03 Doesn't Jesus use the example? 26:05 "If your child asks for a loaf of bread, 26:08 will you give him a stone? 26:10 If he asks for an egg, will you give him a serpent? 26:14 If he asks for an egg, will you give him a scorpion?" 26:17 There's one more, 26:18 and he says, "If you ask for fish, 26:19 will you give him a serpent?" 26:21 Right? 26:22 And says, 26:23 "If you then being evil 26:24 know how to give good gifts to your children, 26:26 how much more will your Father in heaven 26:29 give to those that need Him 26:31 and to those that ask? 26:33 So here Jesus is drawing that analogy, 26:35 you in giving and providing for your children 26:39 are giving your children 26:40 a picture of God providing for us. 26:42 God provides, 26:43 but you know what it says? 26:44 If the child asks for a loaf of bread, 26:47 for an egg, for fish, 26:50 what are we supposed to do with our Heavenly Father? 26:52 Ask. 26:54 It's okay to ask. 26:55 We need to pray, 26:56 and so God wants to teach us to provide. 26:59 Proverbs 27:23, 27:01 "Be diligent to know the state of your flocks, 27:04 and attend your herds." 27:06 Now, what flock and herd is it talking about? 27:09 Not just the flock outside in the ranch, 27:13 but fathers need to be careful 27:14 about the flock that's under the roof. 27:18 Be diligent to know the state of your thoughts. 27:20 How often do fathers and I've been guilty of this, 27:24 so I'm talking about myself. 27:29 You wake up, you go to work, 27:32 you come home, you're exhausted. 27:34 You, you know, 27:36 try and take care of your follow up work. 27:39 You got to say hi to the wife and kids, 27:41 spend a little time and then you go to bed. 27:42 You really don't have a lot of quality time with the family 27:45 and you don't know what's going on in their lives. 27:48 You don't know what's happening in the life of the flock. 27:50 And so many children when interviewed would say, 27:54 yeah, I grew up, some never had a father. 27:56 Some say I had a father, but it's like I never connected 27:58 because he was always working. 28:00 You don't want to be so busy with the providing of funds, 28:04 and resources, and things 28:07 that you're not providing of yourself. 28:10 And I think this is a big mistake 28:12 the father's make. 28:13 My dad was notorious for this. 28:14 I tried to talk to him in the morning, 28:15 he was workaholic. 28:17 He looked over the newspapers 28:18 as he was checking on the stocks, 28:19 he'd grunt, he'd come home late in the day, 28:22 sometimes 6 or 7 o'clock, 28:23 he already stopped, and eaten, and drank, 28:25 and he came home a little inebriated, 28:26 and then he fell asleep, woke up 28:27 and did it again the next day. 28:30 And it's like you have no relationship, 28:32 and I've to fight not being the same way. 28:36 We have a flock. 28:37 What's the most important flock you want to take care of? 28:40 Jeremiah 13:20, 28:42 "Lift up your eyes 28:43 and see those who come from the north. 28:45 Where is the flock that was given to you, 28:48 the beautiful sheep?" 28:50 Now someday God is going to ask every parent, 28:52 "Where's your flock?" 28:54 And He wants to know, 28:57 are you caring for their needs? 28:58 Do you know the state of your flock? 29:00 Is what Proverbs said. 29:01 You need to know what's going on in their lives. 29:04 How many parents have been shocked to discover, 29:07 "I had no idea that my child had a drinking problem. 29:12 I had no idea that my child was using drugs. 29:15 I had no idea that my child was out 29:18 shoplifting with the hoodlums." 29:20 They'd come home and act like little angels. 29:23 And you wonder sometimes where they're at, 29:27 but you know, you figured everything's okay. 29:29 And you got to start asking questions, 29:32 spend time with them. 29:34 Find out who they're with. 29:36 Get a satellite tracking device. 29:39 They have them now. 29:41 You can put an app on your kid's phone 29:43 and know where they are and who they're talking to. 29:46 And you need to know not only where they're going 29:49 when they're out of the house, 29:50 you need to know where they're going 29:51 when they're in the house and they're on the computer. 29:54 That's a big problem these days, 29:56 is kids are in the room 29:58 and we think, "Oh, they're at the home all the time." 30:00 We spend a lot of time at home with our kid, 30:01 but they're in the room online. 30:02 You don't know who they're talking to, 30:03 what they're doing, or they're on their phone. 30:05 And don't be afraid to tell them 30:07 as long as you're under my roof and I'm paying the bills, 30:09 I have a right to know, God gave me that permission. 30:12 And you ask them those questions. 30:15 Amen? Amen. 30:16 Know the state of your flocks. Okay. 30:19 Proverbs 1:8-10, 30:23 "My son, hear the instruction of your father, 30:25 and do not forsake the law of your mother." 30:29 So it's also now for children, 30:30 not just fathers, mothers, children, 30:31 listen, "Honor your father and mother," 30:33 fifth commandment, 30:35 listen to them, their commandments, 30:36 they made mistakes I don't want you to make, 30:38 trust them. 30:39 "It will be a graceful ornament on your head 30:42 and a chain about your neck. 30:44 My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent." 30:47 Listen to your parents. 30:48 Don't hang around with the wrong crowd. 30:51 And there's just a whole passage there 30:52 you can read in Proverbs 1 30:53 about the wisdom from a father. 30:55 Teach them to be God fearing. 30:59 The children are going to see your reverence 31:01 for God 31:02 and that will be replicated in their lives. 31:05 You know, I've often seen that... 31:10 It's even more important with the mother. 31:12 I don't know why, 31:13 but somehow the mother seems to have a bigger impact 31:15 on the heart of the child when it comes to reverence. 31:18 A lot of people I know 31:21 that have been very reverent people, 31:23 very committed people, 31:24 they learned this from their mothers 31:26 having devotions with them when they were young. 31:29 But have regular devotions, teach them to fear God. 31:33 I think it's both, it's important for both parents 31:35 but I've just observed, 31:36 you know, I'll ask my friends 31:37 who I notice are very reverent people, 31:39 I'll say, "Where do you learn that?" 31:41 They say, "Oh, my mother, when I was very young 31:43 taught me to fear God." 31:45 Now, there's some proverbs here 31:47 still under the category of anger. 31:49 Someone's going to read for me in a moment, 31:51 Proverbs 16:32? 31:55 Because fathers might be involved in discipline, 31:59 it doesn't mean that, that you ever lose control, 32:02 you should never lose your temper. 32:06 If a parent loses their temper 32:08 and punishes their children in anger, 32:10 I think the Spirit of Prophecy says, 32:12 "You will beat more devils into your children than out 32:17 by disciplining them in anger." 32:19 I thought that kind of shook me one time. 32:21 You will beat more devils into your children than out 32:24 if you punish them in anger. 32:26 Proverbs 15:1, 32:28 "A soft answer turns away wrath, 32:30 but harsh words stir up anger." 32:33 And I found that you ever, when the kids are little, 32:36 you know and you're trying to get their attention 32:37 and you're in the public store or something like that. 32:40 And you say, you know, hey, Daniel, come over here. 32:43 Daniel come over here, you ever noticed, 32:44 parents keep raising their voices 32:46 and sometimes they're yelling at their kids. 32:49 With my kids, we taught them 32:50 that you might, you know, once they just don't hear you, 32:53 you check the second time, 32:54 maybe they just didn't hear 32:55 because there's outside noise interference 32:57 actually don't hear you. 32:58 Second time I raise my voice a little bit 32:59 and then I thought, no, they heard me. 33:01 Now it's question if they're not listening, 33:03 then what I do is I would say, Daniel, get over here. 33:07 When I gave them the soft voice, 33:09 they knew that was the last warning. 33:12 I didn't keep raising it. 33:14 I knew they heard me and I'd lower my voice. 33:16 And then they go, oh-oh, 33:18 and that was like, 33:19 you know, then you got to listen. 33:21 So you want your children... 33:25 We kind of had a rule 33:26 and you know, we made a lot of mistakes. 33:28 But the kids were pretty good about listening when we said, 33:31 we're not counting to three. 33:33 After you, after I know you heard me. 33:36 If you don't, if you want your kids 33:38 to obey you after you warned them three times, 33:40 they'll always wait until the third time. 33:42 If you want your kids to obey you the first time, 33:45 then once you know they've heard you, 33:46 that's the time. 33:49 Now, you know, sometimes you might extend grace. 33:52 But when they're young, 33:53 if you want them to be kids 33:55 that listen the first time they hear you, 33:57 then you discipline them 33:58 after the first time if they ignore you, 34:00 you get their attention, they'll start paying attention 34:02 to your voice 34:04 if they've heard you. 34:06 And sometimes we're in public, you know, 34:08 I never used to like 34:09 kids yelling across the store, 34:11 their children and their parents 34:14 threatening their children and kids having, 34:17 ever seen kids having the fit. 34:18 Parents are dragging them through the store 34:20 and they're having a meltdown. 34:21 They're rolling back and forth in the aisles 34:22 because they're not getting the thing they wanted, 34:25 till the parents finally give in 34:26 and you got two problems. 34:28 One, you let them roll around in the aisle, 34:30 the other one you gave them what they want it. 34:32 Anyone else with me out there? 34:36 So, there is a time for discipline, 34:40 but it should never be done in anger. 34:42 Proverbs 15:18, 34:43 "A wrathful man stirs up strife, 34:47 but he who is slow to anger 34:49 allays or smoothes contention." 34:52 If you're wrathful, it stirs it up in your family 34:54 as well as other places. 34:56 I've noticed that 34:58 children that lose their tempers 35:00 become angry and are yelling 35:03 in school or public, 35:05 they often hear that at home. 35:07 That's the way their parents communicate. 35:09 That's how they've learned to do it. 35:12 Go ahead and please read for me, 35:14 Proverbs 16:32? 35:17 Proverbs 16:32, 35:19 "He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, 35:22 and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city." 35:27 When you lose your temper, who finds it? 35:31 It's like you've lost control of something. 35:33 Who has control when you lose it? 35:36 People when they lose their temper 35:38 are at least temporarily demon possessed. 35:42 We probably all seen it. 35:43 And then afterward they say, "I'm sorry, I lost my temper. 35:45 I wasn't myself." Well, who were you? 35:48 Wasn't spirit lead or was spirit lead, 35:50 but which spirit? 35:52 Right? 35:54 And so, you know, 35:57 you count to 10, do what it takes but you don't, 36:00 people usually say things that they regret. 36:03 They do things they regret when they lose their temper. 36:06 It says, "He who controls his spirit 36:08 is stronger than a mighty man who conquers a city." 36:11 Because if you can conquer 36:13 your offended pride and your temper, 36:15 and that's what it often is, 36:17 that you're not getting your way 36:19 or someone has not appreciated you 36:21 and people get angry. 36:22 But some people yell when they're angry. 36:24 Other people do different things. 36:26 Some people get angry, they start breaking things. 36:29 I knew this one family that one spouse would get angry 36:31 and they started throwing things, 36:33 many expensive things would get broken 36:34 whenever there was a fight. 36:36 But well, then that's the wasteful. 36:38 Others do the silent treatment. 36:40 They've lost their temper, but now they don't say anything 36:43 and they stew. 36:44 It's like a pressure cooker, waiting for it to go. 36:48 And they still lost their temper 36:51 because they're raging inside. 36:54 And that's not a lot better. 36:56 So God wants us to have that control 36:57 because otherwise 36:58 what are you teaching your children? 37:03 God is so merciful, He's so patient, 37:04 we should have that patience. 37:05 Now is there a time for response? 37:08 There's a time to respond, but don't do it in anger. 37:11 Proverbs 15:27, 37:12 "He who is greedy for gain troubles his own house, 37:16 but he who hates bribes will live." 37:18 Let your children and your family see integrity. 37:23 God is going to arrange opportunities 37:25 in your life for your kids to see you tempted 37:29 to compromise integrity, it will go so far. 37:36 You get paid too much at the market. 37:37 Let your kids see you. 37:39 It's a teachable moment. 37:41 Let them see you say, "Oh, they gave me too much. 37:44 We need to go back to the store." 37:46 They will never forget that. 37:48 And they will also never forget 37:49 if you say hey, lucky me, they paid me too much. 37:52 They'll think it's okay then to take ill-gotten gain. 37:56 I never forgot. 37:57 I was with my mother at Bloomingdale's, 38:00 and she showed me how to shoplift something. 38:02 What do think happened? 38:03 I end up becoming their shoplifter 38:05 when I was a teenager. 38:08 Your kids, that makes a big impression. 38:11 They ever see you tell a little lie, 38:13 and they, you know... 38:14 My mother used to say, 38:16 I would come, she'd take us to the theater. 38:18 It say if you're under 12 it's one price, 38:20 if you're over 12 it's another price. 38:22 I'm 13. 38:23 She said, "Doug say you're 11, you look young." 38:26 I thought, well, that's lying. 38:27 So what was she teaching me? 38:30 Bending the truth. 38:32 And so these little things are so important. 38:36 Greed for gain, you trouble your own soul. 38:38 Let them see that you're generous. 38:40 If your kids... 38:41 Nathan and I were driving down the street one day, 38:43 and we saw a guy who was pulling, 38:45 the homeless man was pulling a little chariot, 38:48 a little trailer behind his bicycle, 38:50 and the wheel had come off and he was trying to fix it. 38:54 And I said to Nathan, 38:57 you know, we're around the corner. 38:58 So why don't we go grab the toolbox, 39:00 see if we can help this guy. 39:02 And so we turned back to the house. 39:03 We went around the corner and we came back 39:06 and he was very helpful. 39:07 We were able to, you know, 39:08 I had some inner tube and stuff that you can take strips, 39:11 and we patched up his tire, it was in bad shape 39:13 and got him going down the road again. 39:15 Gave him a few dollars for something to eat and... 39:19 Now, Nathan can't drive by a homeless person 39:21 without trying to stop and help them. 39:24 He almost takes it too far. 39:26 But they'll never forget those things. 39:29 And so let them see that generosity. 39:32 Proverbs 29:17, 39:34 "Correct your son and he will give you rest. 39:37 Yes, he will give your soul delight." 39:39 There's a time for correction. 39:40 And this is under the section correction with love. 39:43 Someone's going to read for me Proverbs 3:12 in just a moment. 39:47 I'll read another one first. 39:49 Proverbs 10:17, 39:51 "He who keeps instruction is in the way of life, 39:54 but he who refuses correction goes astray." 39:58 Ever know somebody you can't tell them anything 39:59 'cause they think they know everything and they will, 40:01 they're too proud. 40:03 I had a friend that he got in a pickup truck, 40:05 he had never driven a standard before 40:07 you know where you shift. 40:09 He didn't want to admit that he didn't know how. 40:12 And so he's going down the road grinding the gears all up. 40:16 And I said let me help you. No, no. 40:19 I know how to do it. 40:21 And he said something like, 40:22 you know, theory, the conventional wisdom is, 40:25 these days the truck actually runs better 40:27 if you never get out of second gear. 40:29 He was too proud to admit 40:30 he didn't know how to get into third gear 40:32 and he made up this big story. 40:36 He just, I never met somebody who was so stubborn 40:38 to admit that he didn't know something. 40:41 And so what's the result? 40:42 He's grinding the gears in all the cars 40:44 because he wouldn't admit 40:45 and he wouldn't ask for instruction, 40:47 how do you shift and press the clutch in? 40:49 All right, go ahead. You can read for me. 40:52 "For whom the Lord loves He corrects, 40:54 just as a father the son in whom he delights." 40:57 Thank you very much. 40:58 Yeah, that's Proverbs 3:12, whoever the Lord loves, 41:00 He correct. 41:02 So don't be thinking 41:04 there's something wrong with correction. 41:06 Now Proverbs got some pretty strong pictures of correction. 41:11 You know, it talks about, look at Proverbs 23:13, 41:14 "Do not withhold correction from a child, 41:16 for if you beat him with a rod, he will not die. 41:19 You will beat him with a rod, 41:20 and deliver his soul from hell." 41:22 Now that verse has been misapplied. 41:26 But there is a place 41:27 for what we would call corporal punishment. 41:31 Matter of fact, I believe the Lord has prepared a place 41:34 for that. 41:36 Now, I know that in our culture today, 41:37 if you say that, it's almost like 41:39 you start looking around for Child Protective Services, 41:43 because some people have been abusive 41:44 with their children, everybody is so afraid, 41:46 and they think that there's no proper place 41:48 for getting a child's attention. 41:52 They think all you can do is send them 41:53 to the corner for quiet time. 41:55 It doesn't always work. 41:58 You know, 42:00 when our kids were little, 42:01 and we live by a busy, notorious street. 42:06 Out on the mission, there is a busy highway, 42:08 a lot of drinking on the highway. 42:10 And we told them, 42:11 you're never to cross over the irrigation ditch 42:13 and get out in the road. 42:14 And one day I caught one of our kids out there, 42:16 had gotten a new little bike, 42:18 he learned to ride without training wheels 42:20 and took off. 42:22 I looked out there 42:23 and he's right in the middle of a four lane road riding around. 42:26 He's only like four or five years old. 42:29 And I was, 42:30 my heart stopped in my chest 42:31 because he was just kind of figuring, 42:33 it was morning, there weren't that many cars. 42:34 And he thought, "Well, I'll see him coming, 42:36 I'll get out of the way." 42:37 He didn't know I was watching. 42:40 I ran out there and got him, got his bike. 42:42 I threw his bike as far as I could. 42:44 And he was scared. 42:45 And I went back in the house and knelt down and said, 42:48 Daniel, let's thank the Lord together 42:50 that you're alive where I can spank you. 42:55 He never did it again. 42:58 There is a time for that. 43:00 Now when it says a rod, 43:01 it's not talking about a baseball bat. 43:04 They had a switch, 43:05 that word doesn't translate very well. 43:08 In America, 43:09 it was very common for kids to go pick a willow switch 43:13 for their parents. 43:14 And any of you ever read the story of HMS Richard Sr., 43:20 where he tells about, he was being very difficult. 43:25 And his dad was out and his mother 43:26 had the responsibility of discipline. 43:29 And she had spanked him with a switch before 43:31 and it wasn't better. 43:32 So she told him to go pick out a switch. 43:35 And he said... 43:37 He went got one, she says, it's s not big enough. 43:40 So I went out, it was a little, little thing, 43:41 she said, "Get a bigger one, get a bigger one." 43:43 He went two or three times and came with a big one. 43:44 And she bent her back for him. 43:47 She said I want you to beat me, 43:48 because I have failed as your mother to teach you. 43:51 I can't do that mother. 43:52 She says, "No, I insist you beat me." 43:54 And he just broke down, he never did. 43:56 But he changed, he said, 43:58 that he never disobeyed his mother, 44:00 got the idea of how it hurt her for him to disobey. 44:06 We need to teach the children that it hurts Jesus 44:09 when we disobey. 44:11 Then when they see Him on the cross, it's our sins. 44:14 And if they love the Lord, 44:15 they're not going to want to grieve Him. 44:16 So that's part of good parenting to get that through. 44:20 The rod was not an instrument to be dreaded. 44:24 How many know Psalm 23? 44:26 "Yea, though I walk through the valley 44:28 of the shadow of death, 44:29 I will fear no evil, for You are with me, 44:30 Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me." 44:33 And the rod was there also to protect the sheep, 44:36 as well as the occasional discipline. 44:39 And Hebrews 12:9, "Furthermore, 44:43 we have had human fathers who corrected us, 44:45 and we paid them respect. 44:47 Shall we not much more readily be in subjection 44:49 to the Father of spirits and live? 44:51 For they are earthly fathers, indeed, 44:53 for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, 44:56 but He, our Heavenly Father, for our profit, 44:59 that we might be partakers of His Holiness." 45:01 God chastens us. 45:03 We go through trials and discipline, 45:04 because He loves us. 45:06 He's trying to save us for eternity. 45:07 So someone once said, 45:10 draw near the one who holds the rod 45:13 and it will lessen the blow. 45:16 You know that. 45:17 I remember, a preacher was saying 45:19 that his mother would get upset and she get a switch, 45:22 and she'd start to swat him. 45:23 He said, I found if I got in close and hugged her, 45:25 it didn't hurt me as much. 45:27 It says you get out further away, 45:28 the centrifugal force, it hurts a lot more, 45:31 so get in close. 45:34 Draw near the one 45:35 who holds the rod and it will lessen the blow. 45:38 Amen? 45:41 And what's one of the most important things for fathers? 45:44 Teach the Word in your family. 45:47 Deuteronomy 11:18, 45:49 "Therefore bind up these words of mine 45:51 in your heart and in your soul, 45:53 bind them as a sign on your hand, 45:55 they will be as frontlets between your eyes. 45:57 You shall teach them to your children 45:59 speaking of them, 46:00 when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, 46:04 when you lie down, when you rise up," 46:05 look for opportunities in everyday life, 46:08 to be talking about the Word of God 46:10 and bring it and apply it, bring it into application. 46:14 "You'll write it on the doorpost of your house 46:16 and on your gates, 46:18 that your days and the days of your children 46:21 may be multiplied in the land 46:23 which the Lord swore to your fathers to give them, 46:25 like the days of the heavens above the earth." 46:28 He's talking about eternal life 46:30 comes from teaching the Word of God 46:32 to your family. 46:34 Now, I know I don't have much time left 46:36 but this is probably a good thing 46:37 because now he talks about life is better on a rooftop. 46:40 You know what these verses are about? 46:43 Dwelling with a contentious spouse. 46:46 Proverbs 21:9, 46:48 "Better to dwell in a corner of a housetop, 46:50 than in a house with a contentious woman." 46:54 Solomon saying in tongue-in-cheek, 46:55 you're better off living in an attic 46:58 by yourself. 47:00 I think in other places, yeah, he does, 47:01 Proverbs 27:15, 47:03 "A continual dripping on a very rainy day 47:05 and a contentious woman are alike, 47:08 whoever restrains her restrains the wind, 47:11 and grasps the oil with his right hand." 47:18 We had a little inside joke. 47:20 In one of the churches I pastored, 47:23 not this one, don't worry. 47:25 We had one member that would corner us every day, 47:28 and talk to us 47:30 and would tell us about the problems. 47:32 We try to solve our problems and it never got any better. 47:34 This went on for years. 47:36 And we said it's like shoveling air. 47:40 You just don't get anywhere. 47:42 You don't know what's happening. 47:46 Now, that can be a spouse, 47:47 it could be man, it could be a woman. 47:50 But Proverbs, Solomon had how many wives? 47:55 Too many? That's all you need to know. 47:57 I think it was 300 concubines and 700 wives. 48:02 And he said, "Better to dwell in the wilderness 48:04 than with a contentious and an angry woman. 48:07 Better to be a hermit." 48:10 Now, can you find examples in the Bible of someone 48:12 that experienced that? 48:15 How about Samson? 48:17 How was it that his wife got the riddle from him? 48:20 Judges 14:17, 48:22 "Now she wept on the seven days..." 48:24 It's supposed to be a wedding feast. 48:25 "She wept on him the seven days while their feast lasted. 48:28 And it happened on the seventh day he told her, 48:30 because she pressed him so much." 48:33 And then she betrayed his secret. 48:36 How did Delilah get the secret from Samson? 48:39 "And it came to pass he pestered him 48:41 daily with her words and pressed him 48:44 so that his soul was vexed to death." 48:51 Now again, some of you may be married to a man 48:54 that nags, 48:56 and Bible tells us it can happen with a woman. 49:02 Don't harangue and nag your spouse. 49:06 Once they know what it is, if they made a mistake, 49:09 don't continually remind them. 49:11 Can I hear an amen? 49:15 Now then it goes into, 49:16 it closes out with the ideal wife. 49:20 And this is always intimidating for women 49:22 to hear Solomon talk about the perfect wife. 49:26 It's Proverbs 31:10, 49:27 "Who can find a virtuous wife? 49:29 For her worth is far above rubies. 49:31 The heart of her husband does safely trusts in her, 49:34 he will have lack no gain. 49:35 She does him good 49:36 and not evil all the days of her life. 49:39 She seeks wool and flax, 49:41 and willingly works with her hands. 49:43 She is like the merchant ships, she brings her food from afar. 49:46 She rises while it's yet night..." 49:50 Karen says, "Don't quote that to me." 49:51 "She rises while it's yet night 49:53 and provides food for her household, 49:55 and a portion for her maidservants. 49:57 She considers a field and she buys it..." 49:59 She is a businesswoman. 50:01 "From her profits she gains and plants a vineyard. 50:04 She girds herself with strength, 50:06 and strengthens her arms. 50:07 She perceives that her merchandise is good, 50:10 and her lamp does not go out by night. 50:12 She stretches out her hand to the distaff 50:14 and her hand to the spindle, 50:15 she weaves the clothing for children, 50:17 the clothes, the scarlet, it goes on and on. 50:19 You read the rest of the chapter, 50:20 it talks about the perfect wife. 50:22 First and foremost, 50:23 Proverbs 31 is talking about the bride of Christ. 50:26 You look at the analogies and the metaphors 50:29 that are being used are metaphors for salvation. 50:33 And so, but that doesn't mean 50:36 this is not something that you would strive for. 50:38 Just I'll close with this, just this. 50:41 A little more than a week ago, 50:42 I went and met a cousin that I knew about 50:46 but I'd never met we met online, 50:48 he's, we call him Uncle Bill. 50:49 But he's actually a cousin, for he is my father's cousin. 50:54 And 90 years old, 50:56 lives in Southern California, went to see him 50:58 and I told Karen, I said, "You know, 51:00 I get email from every now and then, 51:02 he's still very lucid 51:04 and sends me funny things in the email 51:07 and, interesting guy, 51:09 he is the world's foremost expert on flashlights. 51:13 He wrote an encyclopedia of flashlights, 51:16 who would have thunk, right? 51:18 And he's got an incredible collection of flashlights, 51:20 all very neat all around the house. 51:22 But his wife has passed away. 51:24 She died a couple of years ago. 51:26 And he says, 51:28 "I was married to an absolute angel." 51:30 I told Karen, he says, "His wife was an angel. 51:32 She was the most perfect human who ever lived." 51:34 He told me that. 51:35 I thought, wow, 51:36 he married the Proverbs 31 woman. 51:40 And she thought I was kidding. 51:41 But then we went to visit and he just, 51:43 he had her music playing in the background 51:45 that she had composed, 51:47 had her pictures everywhere 51:49 and had pictures 51:51 and she played organ, he doesn't play anything. 51:54 He still got her three organs and a piano in the house, 51:57 two organs and a piano. 51:58 And he just, he said, I'm not sad, 52:00 people think I'm sad. 52:01 He said, "I'm the luckiest man in the world. 52:02 I was married to the most perfect human being 52:04 that ever lived. 52:05 She was an angel." 52:07 I thought wow, 52:09 I doubt she was perfect, but he looked at her that way. 52:11 Wouldn't it be great 52:12 if every buddy could tell others 52:16 about their spouse like that 52:18 instead of throwing them under the bus? 52:21 Wouldn't that be wonderful? 52:22 Some good lessons in Proverbs. We are out of time. 52:24 I want to remind you, don't cut me off yet 52:27 until I get to remind you about our gift book. 52:29 If you've not read this you really should, 52:31 it's a classic, 52:32 "Is It Possible To Live Without Sinning" by Joe Crews. 52:34 It's a good book. 52:35 It has a good biblical, 52:37 scripturally supported base for that principle. 52:41 And you'll be encouraged by what you read. 52:43 If you want to text it, so you can download it, 52:46 text SH040 to this number 52:51 you can call, 52:52 get it for free in North America, 52:54 866-788-3966. 52:57 Make sure and ask for offer number 187, 53:00 and we'll send it to you. 53:01 Thank you, friends, for joining us, 53:02 God willing, we will do this again next week. 53:06 Don't forget to request today's life changing free resource. 53:10 Not only can you receive this free gift in the mail, 53:12 you can download a digital copy straight to your computer 53:14 or mobile device. 53:16 To get your digital copy of today's free gift, 53:19 simply text the keyword on your screen to 40544 53:23 or visit the web address shown on your screen. 53:25 And be sure to select a digital download option 53:28 on the request page. 53:29 It's now easier than ever for you to study God's Word 53:32 with Amazing Facts 53:34 wherever and whenever you want 53:36 and most important, to share it with others. 53:40 Can't get enough Amazing Facts Bible Study? 53:43 You don't have to wait until next week 53:45 to enjoy more truth-filled programming. 53:47 Visit the Amazing Facts media library at AFTV.org. 53:52 At AFTV.org, 53:55 you can enjoy video and audio presentations 53:57 as well as printed material all free of charge, 54:01 24 hours a day, 7 days a week 54:03 right from your computer or mobile device. 54:06 Visit AFTV.org. 54:15 My parents got divorced when I was three or four, 54:17 and then, I was basically unchurched most of my life. 54:21 I had a girlfriend in high school 54:22 telling me that she had to break up with me 54:23 because I wasn't a Christian. 54:25 I thought that's weird, I believe in God, 54:26 why would she say that? 54:27 Not realizing I was living a horrible life 54:29 with foul language, was mean, and other stuff. 54:32 And that kind of challenged me initially, and then my dad, 54:36 9/11 woke him up. 54:37 He wasn't ready to meet his Lord 54:39 though he was a man that I valued 54:41 and knew he loved me, didn't doubt that. 54:43 But he just knew he needed more. 54:44 So he started watching TV ministries first. 54:47 Baptist preachers, and others, 54:49 and he was kind of intrigued by what he was learning, 54:53 and so when he turned me on to this television station, 54:55 first thing that I got access to 54:58 was Doug Batchelor's Most Amazing Prophecies series 55:00 that he did in Berrien Springs, Michigan. 55:03 And I remember when I first watched this, 55:04 my background was Baptistish of sorts, 55:08 but I remember when I first watched the series, 55:11 I remember thinking I've never heard that before 55:12 about the State of the Dead, or about the Sabbath, 55:15 or the Commandments, or the Rapture, other things. 55:18 I remember thinking to myself, I've never heard that before, 55:20 but that's what the text says, and that kept happening, 55:23 and I had this experience of just wondering like, 55:26 "Well, what else have I believed that isn't 55:28 as it is, you know?" 55:29 And the more I watched, the more helpful it became. 55:32 But again, 55:33 he kind of took a different perspective on the messages. 55:35 It was fresh to me, but I just... 55:37 These things I had never heard before, 55:39 and I just realized like, 55:42 "There's so much stuff in the Bible 55:43 that no one's talking about and that people need to know." 55:47 And so I ended up in this awkward situation 55:49 that some of my friends who didn't believe 55:51 what I was coming to believe, 55:53 I didn't know how to communicate with them, 55:55 and so one of the things that helped me initially 55:57 was the SabbathTruth.com website, 56:00 the truth about Hell.com, and the truth about death. 56:03 And some of those resource websites 56:05 that Amazing Facts had put together, 56:07 they were just full of resources. 56:09 If I needed an answer to something 56:11 that someone brought up, 56:12 there would be a 95% chance 56:15 that Amazing Facts would have something that I could use. 56:17 It makes witnessing even easier in that sense. 56:20 The Amazing Facts Prophecy Study Bible 56:22 was my first real Bible that I had 56:25 of a more trusted translation. 56:27 The Bible study guides were on the back of it 56:29 and lot of other resources that were helpful. 56:31 If you can hand a book to somebody 56:33 and you can pick up a phone and call Amazing Facts, 56:35 you have everything you need. 56:36 And so I was just printing off stuff and handing it to people, 56:38 you know, like, here's what I'm coming to realize, 56:40 this is true, it's in the Bible. 56:42 And it was a huge blessing to me, 56:45 and a real help just to kind of help me 56:47 to better understand what the message was, 56:50 and understand it for myself, 56:51 and have resources 56:52 to put in the hands of the other people, 56:53 it was invaluable. 56:54 Some time went by, I eventually went to school of evangelism, 56:57 and was baptized. 56:58 And then I had this amazing opportunity 57:00 that after being in the ministry 57:02 for about 5 or 6 years, 57:04 Doug Batchelor was going to be the main speaker 57:05 at youth events, 57:07 and I was actually going to be doing a similar 57:08 at this youth event. 57:10 And it was just this amazing kind of full circle experience 57:12 that the first person that I came in contact 57:14 within Adventism, 57:16 to hear the message to have it make sense, 57:17 to be able to do ministry together with him 57:20 in whatever role possible just meant the world to me, 57:23 and to be able to tell him my story 57:24 and tell him thank you was invaluable. 57:26 And so God just gave me a precious gift 57:30 and afforded an opportunity and I'll never forget that. 57:32 My name is Dee. 57:34 Thank you for changing my life. 57:42 Let's face it, 57:43 it's not always easy 57:44 to understand everything you read in the Bible. 57:47 With over 700,000 words contained in 66 books, 57:50 the Bible can generate a lot of questions. 57:53 To get biblical straightforward answers, 57:55 call into Bible Answers Live, 57:57 a live nationwide call-in radio program 58:00 where you can talk to Pastor Doug Batchelor 58:02 and ask him your most difficult Bible questions. 58:05 For times and stations in your area 58:07 or to listen to answers online, visit bal.amazingfacts.org. |
Revised 2019-05-01