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Jean Ross: Good
morning, friends.
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Welcome again to "Sabbath School
Study Hour," here at the Granite
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Bay Seventh Day
Adventist Church.
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I'd like to welcome those who
are joining us, literally across
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the country and around the
world, part of our extended
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Sabbath School class.
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And we want to
thank you for being a part
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of our study time today.
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We also want to
welcome our regular members,
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Sabbath School members, here
at church, and also those of you
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who might be
visiting with us today.
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We are glad that you are here.
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We've been studying over the
past few weeks our new lesson
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quarterly dealing with
the two Old Testament books,
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Ezra and Nehemiah.
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Today we find
ourselves on lesson number 5
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and it's entitled, "Violating
the Spirit of the Law."
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And Jesus had quite a
bit to say about that.
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That's lesson number 5.
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Now if you don't have a copy of
today's lesson, those of you who
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are viewing, if you'd like to
receive a copy, all you need to
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do is just go
to Lesson.aftv.org.
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Again, that's Lesson.aftv.org
and you'll be able to download
00:01:27.78\00:01:30.95
a copy of today's lesson.
00:01:30.99\00:01:33.09
It's lesson number 5 in
our study of Ezra and Nehemiah.
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We also have a free offer
we'd like to tell you about.
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It is a book
entitled "Tiny Troublemakers,"
00:01:39.33\00:01:42.73
and this is our free gift.
00:01:42.76\00:01:44.27
We'll send it to
anyone who calls and asks.
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The number is 866-788-3966 and
all you have to do is ask for
00:01:46.67\00:01:51.77
offer number 196 and we'll
be happy to send it to you.
00:01:51.81\00:01:56.08
You can also read it
online if you'd like.
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You can download a copy of the
book and to do so, you need to
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text the code
"SH133" to the number 40544.
00:02:02.38\00:02:08.99
You'll then get a link and
you'll be able to download the
00:02:09.02\00:02:11.13
book and read it on your phone
or tablet or whatever it is that
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you have.
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Well, at this time, before
we get to our study, we want to
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invite our song leaders to come
and they will lead us in our
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song this morning.
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¤¤¤
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female: Thank you, Pastor Ross.
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As always, before we
begin studying together,
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we love to sing together.
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So I invite you to go to hymn
number 312, "Near the Cross."
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And as we were practicing this
morning I was thinking of these
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words: "Jesus,
keep me near the cross.
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There a precious fountain free,"
free, "to all, a healing stream,
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flows from Calvary's mountain."
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That's where we need to be,
at Jesus's feet near the cross
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every day, every minute of every
day, until He comes again and we
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see Him face to face.
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I am looking forward to that day
and we are going to sing about
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it and I hope that you will sing
that within your heart every day
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this week.
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All four verses.
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¤ Jesus, keep me
near the cross. ¤
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¤ There a precious fountain, ¤
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¤ free to all, ¤
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¤ a healing stream, ¤
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¤ flows from
Calvary's mountain. ¤
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¤ In the cross, in the cross, ¤
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¤ be my glory ever, ¤
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¤ 'til my raptured ¤
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¤ soul shall find ¤
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¤ rest beyond the river. ¤
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¤ Near the cross, ¤
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¤ a trembling soul, ¤
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¤ love and mercy found me; ¤
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¤ there the
bright and morning star ¤
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¤ sheds its beams around me. ¤
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¤ In the cross, in the cross, ¤
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¤ be my glory ever, ¤
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¤ 'til my raptured ¤
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¤ soul shall find ¤
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¤ rest beyond the river. ¤
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¤ Near the cross! ¤
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¤ O Lamb of God, ¤
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¤ bring its scenes before me; ¤
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¤ help me walk
from day to day, ¤
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¤ with its shadows o'er me. ¤
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¤ In the cross, in the cross, ¤
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¤ be my glory ever, ¤
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¤ 'til my raptured ¤
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¤ soul shall find ¤
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¤ rest beyond the river. ¤
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¤ Near the cross
I'll watch and wait, ¤
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¤ hoping, trusting ever, ¤
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¤ 'til I reach
the golden strand, ¤
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¤ Just beyond the river. ¤
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¤ In the cross, in the cross, ¤
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¤ be my glory ever, ¤
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¤ 'til my raptured ¤
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¤ soul shall find ¤
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¤ rest beyond ¤
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¤ the river. ¤¤
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Jean: Dear Father in heaven,
we thank You once again that we
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have this opportunity to gather
together in Your house to open
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up Your Word and study.
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And Father, we recognize the
Bible is Your book and in order
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for us to have clear
understanding of the Word we
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need the Holy Spirit and
so we invite the Holy Spirit
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in a special way
to speak to our hearts
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and guard our minds, Lord.
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Lead us into clear understanding
of how we can worship You
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in Spirit and in truth.
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Thank You for your promise to be
with us in Jesus's name, amen.
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Our lesson this
morning is going to be brought
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to us by Pastor Luccas.
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Luccas Rodor: Happy Sabbath.
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It is so good to see you all and
it's so good to be here with you
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all, not only with our
local church but also with our
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extended church that is
watching from around the world.
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Happy Sabbath.
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I hope that you
appreciate this lesson
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as much as I did this week.
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There was a lot to learn this
week--in this week's lesson,
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especially by example.
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You know, we see one of the
biblical giants in the Bible.
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Honestly, this one,
he's more of a back,
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you know, background giant.
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You don't see him that
much. You don't hear about.
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At least, you know, I
never did an in-depth study
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about Nehemiah or Ezra.
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We read the books and Bible in
a year but I had never learned
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this much about these
two men and this week,
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'specially, about Nehemiah.
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What a man.
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What a leader.
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And what a Christian, right?
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So this week's lesson is
entitled, "Violating the Spirit
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of the Law," and, you know, this
is an old theme but it has never
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been so important, so modern, so
up to date, as in our last days.
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It's very easy for us to
violate the Spirit of the law,
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especially when, you know, we
keep to the letter of the law,
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forgetting the reason
of the letter of the law.
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So today's lesson
has to do with that.
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Lesson 5, "Violating
the Spirit of the Law."
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Our Sabbath--our memory verse
and I have a great appreciation
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for memory verses.
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When I was a child, my mom used
to make me memorize a memory
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verse every week, you know,
and it was a special moment.
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I feel very sad when I see
Sabbath School nowadays being
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something kind of
set aside, you know?
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We have around the world
this is a phenomenon that goes
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on around the world.
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You have people arriving
only for worship, you know?
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People only arriving for what
they call the main hour and a
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lot of people thinking
that Sabbath School is something
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that you can set aside.
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It's not.
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Sabbath School is the
foundation of who we are.
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That's where we learn.
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You know that if you watch a
Sabbath School, there's a study,
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I don't remember if it's seven
or nine years, but if you study
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your Sabbath School lesson
for seven or for nine years, a
00:10:06.40\00:10:09.77
period of time, it's
like going to seminary school.
00:10:09.80\00:10:12.91
It's like learning, you know,
a full class about the Bible,
00:10:12.94\00:10:15.98
full--a full
seminary about the Bible.
00:10:16.01\00:10:18.45
So please not only value this
moment but call people to go to
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your local church if you're
watching online and invite
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people here to
come and study with us.
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This is a very
important part about who we are.
00:10:31.26\00:10:33.60
This is--this is part
of the foundation, right?
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This is where we study.
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We open the Word, we study these
precepts, these doctrines, and
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we study these biblical figures.
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Please, please, consider
this as something vital in your
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experience with Christ.
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Our memory verse comes
from Nehemiah 5:11 and it says:
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"Restore now to them, even
this day, their lands, their
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vineyards, their olive
groves, and their houses, also a
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hundredth of the money and the
grain, the new wine and the oil,
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that you have charged them."
00:11:02.19\00:11:04.13
Now, we've been studying
this lesson now for, this is our
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fifth week, and we've heard
already about Ezra and Nehemiah,
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we've heard a little bit about
the dates, you know, involved,
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the context of where they're
coming from, about what's
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happening in that time.
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We've learned a little bit
about the challenges and the
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oppositions that they faced.
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Now, we're going to start
getting in depth in what they
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were facing, chapter to chapter.
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And the--I want you to remember
here, as we start, I need you to
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remember that the return from
exile, the return from Babylon,
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for these people, it
was not a walk in the park.
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When you read the books,
these two books, you notice that
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wherever you turn in their
return to Jerusalem, they're met
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with opposition, they
face obstacles, they have many
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enemies all around them.
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As they return, they find that
old-time enemies were now in
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possession of the land: enemies
such as the Moabites, the
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Ammonites, the Ashdodites, the
Arabians and, more recently, in
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their context, more recently,
imported from Syria, we find the
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Samaritans, all of which
bitterly and craftily, they
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oppose the reconstruction
of the walls of Jerusalem.
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We find that constantly.
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But here's the thing.
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You know that when it comes
to external enemies, external
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enemies, they have this
tendency to unite people, right?
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You know how they say that the
enemy of my enemy is my friend,
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you know?
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So external enemies, they
have this way of uniting people.
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Now, it's an entirely different
matter when we talk about
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internal enemies.
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The problems from within.
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You see, the devil, he
doesn't--when he doesn't succeed
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in external attacks, when he
isn't able to conquer someone or
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something externally,
he then starts from within.
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He starts from within.
00:12:55.30\00:12:58.01
External enemies, they divide
people--they unite people.
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But internal
enemies, what do they do?
00:13:02.04\00:13:04.41
They divide.
00:13:04.45\00:13:06.38
It was one of Napoleon's
strategies to divide and to
00:13:06.41\00:13:10.65
conquer, right?
00:13:10.69\00:13:12.65
And that's also one of
the enemy's strategies.
00:13:12.69\00:13:14.42
He divides to conquer.
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Being greedy--being greedy means
placing ourselves above others.
00:13:17.43\00:13:24.23
And that's the problem that
we're facing in this lesson.
00:13:24.27\00:13:26.97
It's--this is
the sin that we find.
00:13:27.00\00:13:29.14
That's one of the enemy's most
successful and most effective
00:13:29.17\00:13:32.47
weapons in spiritual warfare.
00:13:32.51\00:13:34.44
It's greed.
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If he succeeds in making
us think about us instead of
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thinking about everyone, about
the others, about our neighbors,
00:13:38.95\00:13:43.02
if he's successful in making
us think about us, about what we
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want and what we need, he's
victorious before we even know
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that he's been at work.
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That's the kind
of sin that greed is.
00:13:52.63\00:13:55.46
Greed has this power
of making you delusioned
00:13:55.50\00:14:00.47
about the needs of others.
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You only think about yourself.
00:14:02.34\00:14:03.87
We only think about
what we want, what we need.
00:14:03.91\00:14:05.21
Being greedy means placing
ourselves at the center of
00:14:05.24\00:14:08.18
everything and insisting in
achieving, no matter the cost,
00:14:08.21\00:14:11.35
no matter what the cost might
be to anyone else, on achieving
00:14:11.38\00:14:14.52
what we want.
00:14:14.55\00:14:16.12
It means exploiting
others so that we can be happy.
00:14:16.15\00:14:20.86
It means using people so that
we can achieve what we want.
00:14:20.89\00:14:25.59
It doesn't only mean--here's
a funny thing about greed.
00:14:25.63\00:14:28.26
It doesn't only mean wanting
things my way, but expecting
00:14:28.30\00:14:32.83
people to also want that.
00:14:32.87\00:14:35.14
Ever seen that in greed?
00:14:35.17\00:14:36.77
In greed, you find--you often
find some very delusioned people
00:14:36.81\00:14:39.77
where they think--they sincerely
think that what they want, what
00:14:39.81\00:14:44.05
they need for them is
what everyone should want, what
00:14:44.08\00:14:47.08
everyone should need.
00:14:47.12\00:14:49.08
Why is it that greedy
people are never happy?
00:14:49.12\00:14:52.02
Have you ever seen this
play out in the life of someone?
00:14:52.05\00:14:54.92
Someone that's very greedy,
people that are very greedy,
00:14:54.96\00:14:57.56
they're very selfish, that live
for themselves, they usually are
00:14:57.59\00:15:00.73
not very happy people.
00:15:00.76\00:15:02.93
They're not very
satisfied people in life.
00:15:02.96\00:15:04.97
They're always wanting more.
00:15:05.00\00:15:06.63
There's this author called
Thomas Merton and he was right
00:15:06.67\00:15:10.37
when he said that "to
consider persons and events and
00:15:10.41\00:15:14.68
situations only in the light of
their effect upon myself is to
00:15:14.71\00:15:18.95
live on the doorstep of hell."
00:15:18.98\00:15:22.72
The lesson this week
deals mainly with greed.
00:15:22.75\00:15:27.32
Greed not coming from enemies
without but from enemies within.
00:15:27.36\00:15:32.53
Nehemiah is a
very--Nehemiah 5, I'm sorry.
00:15:32.56\00:15:36.67
Nehemiah 5 is a very revealing
chapter when it comes to the
00:15:36.70\00:15:40.27
depths of sin in the heart of
humans and how each of us should
00:15:40.30\00:15:44.61
and need to learn
how to serve one another.
00:15:44.64\00:15:47.41
And this chapter and this is
what we're going to go through
00:15:47.44\00:15:49.61
today, this chapter can
be divided in three parts.
00:15:49.64\00:15:52.25
Basically, three things happen
in this chapter, three things.
00:15:52.28\00:15:55.75
First of all, we find in
Nehemiah chapter 5, verse 1
00:15:55.78\00:15:58.72
through 5, we find a problem.
00:15:58.75\00:16:01.12
We find a grievance.
00:16:01.16\00:16:02.66
The people of
Israel, they cry out.
00:16:02.69\00:16:05.63
And what's interesting is, is
the mention of the word "great,"
00:16:05.66\00:16:08.36
okay?
00:16:08.40\00:16:09.63
So first of all, in chapter
4, verse 19 we find that they're
00:16:09.66\00:16:11.87
doing a great work.
00:16:11.90\00:16:13.20
Do you remember that?
00:16:13.23\00:16:14.54
Nehemiah considers
his work to be what?
00:16:14.57\00:16:16.60
Great.
00:16:16.64\00:16:17.94
It's a great
work, it's a great work.
00:16:17.97\00:16:19.54
So in the midst of this great
work, in the midst of this great
00:16:19.57\00:16:22.81
work, we hear a great
outcry and this appears
00:16:22.84\00:16:26.25
in chapter 5, verse 1.
00:16:26.28\00:16:27.85
There is a great outcry.
00:16:27.88\00:16:29.38
In the midst of this great
work--what was the great work?
00:16:29.42\00:16:32.95
The reconstruction of
the walls of Jerusalem.
00:16:32.99\00:16:35.26
The reconstruction of Jerusalem.
00:16:35.29\00:16:36.62
This was the great
work--we find a great outcry.
00:16:36.66\00:16:39.43
And this great outcry
is directed towards whom?
00:16:39.46\00:16:42.90
The great God.
00:16:42.93\00:16:44.40
And we find that
in chapter 1, verse 5.
00:16:44.43\00:16:47.24
There's a great work going on.
00:16:47.27\00:16:48.74
In the midst of this great work,
there's a great outcry, and this
00:16:48.77\00:16:51.21
great outcry is
directed towards the great God.
00:16:51.24\00:16:55.61
Now what is surprising here,
what really surprises me, is
00:16:55.64\00:16:58.58
that these people in their great
outcry, usually in the Bible
00:16:58.61\00:17:01.68
when you find people crying out
for unjustice or something like
00:17:01.72\00:17:05.12
that, you find them crying out
because of--because of enemies.
00:17:05.15\00:17:08.86
So for example, the chosen
of Israel in bondage in Egypt.
00:17:08.89\00:17:11.43
Who was the enemy?
00:17:11.46\00:17:14.50
Egypt.
00:17:14.56\00:17:15.96
The children of God, they might
cry out in Babylon against the
00:17:16.00\00:17:18.90
Babylonians and you find one of
the most beautiful psalms, the
00:17:18.93\00:17:22.94
Mosaic psalm or actually it's
one of the psalms written as a
00:17:22.97\00:17:27.54
collective lament, crying
out against the woes of exile.
00:17:27.58\00:17:32.55
Who was the enemy?
00:17:32.58\00:17:33.92
The Babylonians.
00:17:33.95\00:17:35.58
But here, you don't
find them crying out against
00:17:35.62\00:17:37.39
an external enemy.
00:17:37.42\00:17:39.49
The enemy here isn't--is
not someone from without,
00:17:39.52\00:17:42.79
it's from far away.
00:17:42.82\00:17:44.86
It's not an external enemy.
00:17:44.89\00:17:46.29
The enemy here is from within.
00:17:46.33\00:17:50.90
The enemy here are
the Israelites themselves,
00:17:50.93\00:17:55.90
their own compatriots.
00:17:55.94\00:17:57.81
Here we find that Israelites
were exploiting their own
00:17:57.84\00:18:01.21
countrymen through the
economic situation of the land.
00:18:01.24\00:18:04.01
Things were so bad, and this is
how we know that it was so bad,
00:18:04.05\00:18:07.85
that even the wives--the wives,
the women, they were crying out.
00:18:07.88\00:18:11.89
Usually, women, they wouldn't
participate in protests or in
00:18:11.92\00:18:14.39
these kinds of outcries.
00:18:14.42\00:18:16.06
And this time, in this
patriarchal society, the women,
00:18:16.09\00:18:18.63
they wouldn't
participate of these protests.
00:18:18.66\00:18:22.40
But here in this book we
find that everyone is involved
00:18:22.43\00:18:25.03
because things were so bad
and the enemy was from within.
00:18:25.07\00:18:30.11
In the middle of this
crisis we find, basically,
00:18:30.14\00:18:32.24
four groups of people, okay?
00:18:32.27\00:18:34.01
And I always like in these
situations in the Bible when you
00:18:34.04\00:18:36.44
find crisis, you find
outcries and you find a dramatic
00:18:36.48\00:18:39.98
situation, it's always
interesting--try to do this in
00:18:40.02\00:18:42.48
the future.
00:18:42.52\00:18:43.82
It's always interesting for
you to see who are the groups of
00:18:43.85\00:18:46.19
people involved?
00:18:46.22\00:18:47.66
In this case, you
have, basically, four groups.
00:18:47.69\00:18:49.96
First of all, you
have a group of people
00:18:49.99\00:18:51.99
that were not landowners.
00:18:52.03\00:18:54.30
They owned no land.
00:18:54.30\00:18:56.13
But they were going hungry.
00:18:56.16\00:18:57.60
You see, the population was
growing, food was scarce, and
00:18:57.63\00:19:02.57
people were going hungry.
00:19:02.60\00:19:04.81
They needed something to eat.
00:19:04.84\00:19:08.21
And so they turned their
cry to Nehemiah, the leader.
00:19:08.24\00:19:11.91
The second group were those who
did own land, they did own land,
00:19:11.95\00:19:16.25
but they had to mortgage
their property to buy food.
00:19:16.28\00:19:19.49
And this appears
in chapter 5, verse 3.
00:19:19.52\00:19:21.76
Apparently, high inflation made
the price of everything spike.
00:19:21.79\00:19:26.43
Inflation and
debt, they're capable.
00:19:26.46\00:19:28.50
And you guys, you
know, we know this.
00:19:28.53\00:19:30.33
Looking around the world today
in situations such as Venezuela,
00:19:30.37\00:19:33.64
we see that inflation has a very
high capacity of deflating, of
00:19:33.67\00:19:38.34
decapitalizing, a
nation, anyone, very quickly.
00:19:38.37\00:19:42.14
So the second group were
landowners who had to mortgage
00:19:42.18\00:19:45.01
their land to do what?
00:19:45.05\00:19:47.05
To buy food, right?
00:19:47.08\00:19:48.82
That's in the
beginning of chapter 5.
00:19:48.85\00:19:50.49
Third, there were those who
complained about the high taxes
00:19:50.52\00:19:54.32
and they were obligated
to borrow money to pay them.
00:19:54.36\00:19:57.13
So this appears in
verse 4 of chapter 5.
00:19:57.16\00:19:59.83
So to obtain these loans, they
needed to forfeit some kind of
00:19:59.86\00:20:03.50
collateral.
00:20:03.53\00:20:04.83
They needed to give
a pledge, all right?
00:20:04.87\00:20:06.77
Which means that sooner or
later, they ended up losing some
00:20:06.80\00:20:09.80
of their assets.
00:20:09.84\00:20:12.47
Every year the king of Persia,
he would charge heavy tribute,
00:20:12.51\00:20:16.75
every taxes, and very little
of that money would actually go
00:20:16.78\00:20:20.02
back to the province.
00:20:20.05\00:20:21.55
So here, we're really talking
about taxation without what?
00:20:21.58\00:20:24.92
Representation.
00:20:24.95\00:20:26.29
Usually, these things,
they would come, they would take
00:20:26.32\00:20:28.16
their tributes, their taxes, but
not much or anything would go
00:20:28.19\00:20:31.76
back to the
provinces in any shape or form.
00:20:31.79\00:20:35.63
So here we're having the people
paying this very high tax and
00:20:35.66\00:20:38.33
nothing was coming back to them.
00:20:38.37\00:20:41.10
Does that sound familiar?
00:20:41.14\00:20:43.61
We find that around the world
also, taxes going up, people
00:20:43.64\00:20:46.54
having a harder time
of paying for their taxes.
00:20:46.57\00:20:50.51
The fourth group was made up
by Jews who exploited their own
00:20:50.55\00:20:55.05
brothers and sisters, offering
them loans and taking their
00:20:55.08\00:20:58.42
lands and their
children as collateral.
00:20:58.45\00:21:02.59
You know, when you talk
about--usually, when we study
00:21:02.62\00:21:05.93
the Bible, I
don't know about you.
00:21:05.96\00:21:07.73
This happens to me.
00:21:07.76\00:21:09.06
This has
happened to me very often.
00:21:09.10\00:21:10.83
When studying the Bible, I
sometimes tend to think of it
00:21:10.87\00:21:13.03
only as something very ancient,
forgetting that many of the
00:21:13.07\00:21:16.47
problems faced by these
people, these were still people.
00:21:16.50\00:21:19.34
These were still people and
something that I have learned
00:21:19.37\00:21:21.41
and I'm sure that you can,
if you've traveled a little bit,
00:21:21.44\00:21:25.05
you'll notice this:
people anywhere in the world,
00:21:25.08\00:21:27.28
people are people.
00:21:27.32\00:21:29.05
People are people.
00:21:29.08\00:21:30.49
You have different cultures,
you have different kinds of
00:21:30.52\00:21:32.15
practices and traditions, but
in the end, humans are humans.
00:21:32.19\00:21:36.49
And we suffer the same
main problems everywhere
00:21:36.52\00:21:39.16
in every period of time.
00:21:39.19\00:21:40.93
The problems may change their
face, but they stay the same.
00:21:40.96\00:21:45.17
You see, the devil, he's not
very original in what he does.
00:21:45.20\00:21:48.37
He's good at camouflaging his
tactics, but usually he sticks
00:21:48.40\00:21:51.77
to the same.
00:21:51.81\00:21:53.11
Why would he
change? His tactics work.
00:21:53.14\00:21:56.51
So sometimes I forget or I used
to forget that these were real
00:21:56.54\00:22:00.88
people living in real
times with real problems.
00:22:00.92\00:22:03.62
And these problems,
they're very relatable.
00:22:03.65\00:22:06.49
That's something that I find
very clear in this--in the study
00:22:06.52\00:22:08.86
of this lesson.
00:22:08.89\00:22:10.26
These problems, they're very
relatable for us living today.
00:22:10.29\00:22:13.06
This fourth group of people,
they were people who exploited
00:22:13.09\00:22:15.70
their own brothers and sisters.
00:22:15.73\00:22:17.93
They exploited their
own brothers and sisters.
00:22:17.97\00:22:20.97
In Leviticus chapter 25, verse
39 and 40, we read: "And if one
00:22:21.00\00:22:27.61
of your brothers who dwells
by you becomes poor, and sells
00:22:27.64\00:22:32.45
himself to you, you shall not
compel him to serve as a slave.
00:22:32.48\00:22:37.19
As a hired servant and a
sojourner he shall be with you,
00:22:37.22\00:22:40.76
and he shall serve you
until the Year of Jubilee."
00:22:40.79\00:22:44.66
Was this text
here being followed?
00:22:44.69\00:22:47.23
No, this text was
not being followed.
00:22:47.30\00:22:50.67
The law was not being
followed in this case.
00:22:50.70\00:22:53.74
We find in this situation, we
find children having to choose,
00:22:53.77\00:22:58.11
needing to choose,
between service or hunger.
00:22:58.14\00:23:02.14
And the Bible, the Spirit of
the law, the Spirit by which God
00:23:02.18\00:23:06.08
revealed His law, it
was contrary to this.
00:23:06.11\00:23:08.82
We find this additionally in
Deuteronomy, in many texts, but
00:23:08.85\00:23:11.19
I'm going to mention a few.
00:23:11.22\00:23:12.92
We just read Leviticus.
00:23:12.95\00:23:14.26
Look at what Deuteronomy
23:19-20 says: "You shall not
00:23:14.29\00:23:17.16
charge interest to your
brother--interest on money or
00:23:17.19\00:23:20.23
food or anything that
is lent out at interest.
00:23:20.26\00:23:24.50
To a foreigner you may charge
interest, but to your brother
00:23:24.53\00:23:27.70
you shall not charge interest,
that the Lord your God may bless
00:23:27.74\00:23:30.71
you in all which you set your
hand in the land which you are
00:23:30.74\00:23:34.51
entering to possess."
00:23:34.54\00:23:36.38
They were instructed to treat
each other with respect, with
00:23:36.41\00:23:39.85
love, even when they received
some kind of collateral.
00:23:39.88\00:23:43.25
This we find in Deuteronomy
24:10 through 13, where it says:
00:23:43.28\00:23:46.59
"When you lend your brother
anything, you shall not go into
00:23:46.62\00:23:50.09
his house to get his pledge.
00:23:50.13\00:23:52.29
You shall stand outside, and the
man to whom you lend shall bring
00:23:52.33\00:23:56.30
the pledge out to you.
00:23:56.33\00:23:58.10
And if the man is poor,
you shall not keep his pledge
00:23:58.13\00:24:00.87
overnight.
00:24:00.90\00:24:02.54
You shall in any case return the
pledge to him again when the sun
00:24:02.57\00:24:06.61
goes down, that he may sleep in
his own garment and bless you;
00:24:06.64\00:24:10.45
and it shall be righteousness to
you before the Lord your God."
00:24:10.48\00:24:13.88
Additionally, Exodus 22:25-27
says: "If you lend money to any
00:24:13.92\00:24:18.45
of My people who are poor among
you, you shall not be like a
00:24:18.49\00:24:21.82
moneylender to him; you
shall not charge him interest.
00:24:21.86\00:24:25.03
If you ever take your brother's
garment as a pledge, you shall
00:24:25.06\00:24:28.56
return it to him
before the sun goes down.
00:24:28.60\00:24:30.63
For that is his only covering,
it is his garment for his skin.
00:24:30.67\00:24:34.80
What will he sleep in?
00:24:34.84\00:24:36.34
And it will be that when he
cries to Me, I will hear, for I
00:24:36.37\00:24:41.08
am gracious."
00:24:41.11\00:24:43.85
And even when taking a fellow
Israelite as a slave, the Bible
00:24:43.88\00:24:48.15
had instructions: "If one
of your brethren," this is in
00:24:48.18\00:24:51.02
Leviticus 25:35 through 38.
00:24:51.05\00:24:53.49
"If one of your brethren becomes
poor, and falls into poverty
00:24:53.52\00:24:56.73
among you, then you shall
help him, like a stranger or a
00:24:56.76\00:24:59.66
sojourner, that
he may live with you.
00:24:59.69\00:25:03.57
Take no usury of him or interest
of him; but fear your God, that
00:25:03.60\00:25:07.90
your brother may live with you.
00:25:07.94\00:25:09.90
You shall not lend your money
for usury, nor lend him your
00:25:09.94\00:25:12.97
food at a profit.
00:25:13.01\00:25:14.68
I am the Lord your God, who
brought you out of the land of
00:25:14.71\00:25:17.01
Egypt, to give you
the land of Canaan."
00:25:17.05\00:25:21.68
Have you ever heard someone
say that the God of the Old
00:25:21.72\00:25:23.39
Testament was a cruel God?
00:25:23.42\00:25:25.82
Was a God of vengeance,
a hard God, a dictatorial.
00:25:25.85\00:25:29.49
Obviously, they've never read
texts like this, because what I
00:25:29.52\00:25:33.46
see in these texts is a God who
is doing everything that He can
00:25:33.50\00:25:37.87
to curb the natural culture
of a people towards love.
00:25:37.90\00:25:44.54
Do you see that in these texts?
00:25:44.57\00:25:46.04
God is saying, "Look, if you go
to someone's house and he has to
00:25:46.07\00:25:49.64
give you a pledge, don't go
barging in, demanding and taking
00:25:49.68\00:25:53.55
whatever you want.
00:25:53.58\00:25:54.88
Do not do that, because I am the
Lord your God and if he cries
00:25:54.92\00:25:57.75
out, I will hear."
00:25:57.79\00:25:59.95
What God says is,
"Wait patiently outside.
00:26:00.06\00:26:02.26
If you do take that pledge,
return it to him by the end of
00:26:02.29\00:26:04.89
the day, no matter what.
00:26:04.93\00:26:07.10
Even if he still owes you,
return it to him, so that he can
00:26:07.13\00:26:09.90
sleep well, so
that he may bless you."
00:26:09.93\00:26:14.50
You know, I'm a very anxious
person and if, you know, if I
00:26:14.54\00:26:19.01
were living in that situation as
a very, very, very poor person
00:26:19.04\00:26:22.74
and someone came and took one,
you know, something of mine, a
00:26:22.78\00:26:25.58
coat, a garment, and it's
the only one I have, I would not
00:26:25.61\00:26:29.22
sleep well at night because of
the cold and because I'm anxious
00:26:29.25\00:26:32.29
because I lost one of
the only things that I have.
00:26:32.32\00:26:34.69
Do you see how God, He cares for
even the smallest feelings of
00:26:34.72\00:26:38.36
His people?
00:26:38.39\00:26:40.16
This is a loving God.
00:26:40.20\00:26:42.53
Now, one thing that is very
important for us to maintain in
00:26:42.56\00:26:45.97
our mind is the
concept of slavery.
00:26:46.00\00:26:48.64
You see, when we think about
slavery today, we think about,
00:26:48.67\00:26:51.81
well, something terrible which
slavery is, but in biblical
00:26:51.84\00:26:56.34
times slavery
was a bit different.
00:26:56.38\00:26:59.28
We kind of have to forget the
concept of slavery that we have
00:26:59.31\00:27:02.05
where people own people, and in
ancient Israel slavery was more
00:27:02.08\00:27:07.06
of an economic resource.
00:27:07.09\00:27:09.06
So let's say
that I am very poor.
00:27:09.09\00:27:11.86
I'm a very poor person and let's
say that Pastor Jean, he's a
00:27:11.89\00:27:17.53
very well-to-do, you
know, merchant in the city.
00:27:17.57\00:27:21.17
And, in the course of time, I
have to take a loan from him and
00:27:21.20\00:27:25.61
I am unable to
pay back that loan.
00:27:25.64\00:27:28.11
What can I do?
00:27:28.14\00:27:29.64
I will become his servant.
00:27:29.68\00:27:31.88
I will become his
servant to pay off my loan.
00:27:31.91\00:27:34.78
Now, that's what slavery
meant in Israel at least in this
00:27:34.82\00:27:38.29
period of time.
00:27:38.32\00:27:39.75
It's more of an economic
resource than anything else.
00:27:39.79\00:27:43.26
So that's what we find here.
00:27:43.29\00:27:44.59
But even that can be exploited
and we find God severely
00:27:44.63\00:27:48.33
regulating that.
00:27:48.36\00:27:49.60
If you read Exodus chapter 21,
you'll find the Lord severely
00:27:49.63\00:27:54.17
regulating even
slavery and servitude.
00:27:54.20\00:27:56.50
You see, God, He works in time.
00:27:56.54\00:27:59.07
God is an atemporal God in the
sense where He is not affected
00:27:59.11\00:28:01.94
by time, He Himself.
00:28:01.98\00:28:03.51
But He is affected by time
because He loves us and we are
00:28:03.55\00:28:07.05
temporal creatures.
00:28:07.08\00:28:08.55
So He comes into
time and He has to deal
00:28:08.58\00:28:10.72
with culture and traditions.
00:28:10.75\00:28:12.42
You see that in many instances
of the Bible God, He has to wink
00:28:12.45\00:28:16.96
at certain things.
00:28:16.99\00:28:18.43
For example, we find in the
Bible that some of the kings and
00:28:18.46\00:28:20.70
some of the Bible characters,
how many wives did they have?
00:28:20.73\00:28:23.37
Many.
00:28:23.40\00:28:24.83
You read about Solomon
and David, they had hundreds.
00:28:24.87\00:28:27.84
I can't keep up with one.
00:28:27.87\00:28:29.80
Imagine having hundreds.
00:28:29.84\00:28:32.07
Do you think that's ideal?
00:28:32.11\00:28:33.78
Of course not.
00:28:33.81\00:28:35.34
That is not
what God has in mind.
00:28:35.38\00:28:37.05
When we read the Creation, God
created one man, one woman, in a
00:28:37.08\00:28:40.05
marriage, in a--as a couple.
00:28:40.08\00:28:42.82
But the Lord
had to wink at that.
00:28:42.85\00:28:44.49
That was part of their culture.
00:28:44.52\00:28:46.19
He taught what was correct.
00:28:46.22\00:28:47.92
He taught what was right, and
the true followers, they would
00:28:47.96\00:28:51.03
do what was right.
00:28:51.06\00:28:52.36
But you find certain people
deferring from what is ideal
00:28:52.39\00:28:56.20
because of sin.
00:28:56.23\00:28:58.03
And here's something else.
00:28:58.07\00:28:59.53
Servitude, slavery.
00:28:59.57\00:29:01.34
That's something that existed in
their culture and God, He had to
00:29:01.37\00:29:03.64
work through a
process to reduce that
00:29:03.67\00:29:06.04
and ultimately eliminate that.
00:29:06.07\00:29:08.28
As you see history progress, you
find that God's people, their
00:29:08.31\00:29:11.41
notions on morality, their
notions on what is right and
00:29:11.45\00:29:14.42
what is wrong, they change.
00:29:14.45\00:29:16.45
You know, sometimes we're very
impatient with God, when God is
00:29:16.48\00:29:19.85
so patient with us.
00:29:19.89\00:29:24.36
The best way I can think of, of
explaining this is, for example,
00:29:24.39\00:29:27.60
how many here are parents?
00:29:27.66\00:29:31.47
I'm not raising my
hand 'cause I'm a parent.
00:29:31.50\00:29:33.20
I'm not, okay?
00:29:33.23\00:29:34.77
I'm--but there are
many of you here who are.
00:29:34.80\00:29:37.17
So when you have a son or a
daughter and they're two years
00:29:37.21\00:29:39.67
old and they do something wrong,
something bad, you discipline
00:29:39.71\00:29:42.54
them in a way that a
two-year-old will understand
00:29:42.58\00:29:45.78
that they did
something wrong, right?
00:29:45.81\00:29:47.95
Correct, that's--you won't
discipline them as an adult or
00:29:47.98\00:29:50.55
as an older child.
00:29:50.59\00:29:52.02
But as that child grows, he
becomes 5 or 7 or 10 years old,
00:29:52.05\00:29:55.79
and 12 and 15, you change your
way of teaching them, don't you?
00:29:55.82\00:29:59.86
Of course you do, you have to.
00:29:59.89\00:30:01.20
You can't discipline a
15-year-old as you would a
00:30:01.23\00:30:02.73
2-year-old.
00:30:02.76\00:30:04.17
Unfortunately, there are many
people that do that and we have
00:30:04.20\00:30:06.30
a whole generation of children
who are unfit to be adults.
00:30:06.33\00:30:11.54
So, that's right.
00:30:11.57\00:30:13.91
That is right.
00:30:13.94\00:30:15.38
So it's the same thing with God.
00:30:15.41\00:30:17.45
Dealing with humankind, dealing
with the Israelites, God started
00:30:17.48\00:30:20.72
as a parent teaching that child
in the infancy and as these
00:30:20.75\00:30:24.12
children grow older, you find
God changing the way that He
00:30:24.15\00:30:27.02
disciplines and He teaches them.
00:30:27.06\00:30:28.99
You find that.
00:30:29.02\00:30:30.39
That's progressive,
that's called present truth.
00:30:30.43\00:30:32.26
That's what we
call present truth.
00:30:32.29\00:30:33.76
The Lord educates us.
00:30:33.80\00:30:35.23
And here we find Him in
that process of history,
00:30:35.26\00:30:37.57
educating His people, so here He
severely regulates--He severely
00:30:37.60\00:30:41.77
regulates slavery.
00:30:41.80\00:30:43.81
You see, both the people and the
land, they belong to the Lord
00:30:43.84\00:30:46.47
and He would not allow them to
be exploited by themselves for
00:30:46.51\00:30:49.68
personal gain.
00:30:49.71\00:30:51.08
That was one of the main
benefits of the Year of Jubilee.
00:30:51.11\00:30:54.75
The Year of Jubilee which was
meant to balance the economic
00:30:54.78\00:30:57.49
system of Israel so that the
rich wouldn't become richer at
00:30:57.52\00:31:00.76
the expense of the
poor becoming even poorer.
00:31:00.79\00:31:03.12
Every 50 years all debts were
erased, all lands were restored
00:31:03.16\00:31:06.96
to their original
owners, and all the servants
00:31:07.00\00:31:09.23
were to be freed.
00:31:09.26\00:31:11.30
Now, this fourth group,
the group of richer merchants,
00:31:11.33\00:31:14.80
they had been enlarging
their wealth at the expense
00:31:14.84\00:31:18.21
of the poor class.
00:31:18.24\00:31:19.77
They used their
power to steal from some,
00:31:19.81\00:31:22.38
to enslave some others.
00:31:22.41\00:31:24.05
Now we have to remember that
greed was one of the main sins
00:31:24.08\00:31:27.35
condemned by the
pre-exile prophets.
00:31:27.38\00:31:31.02
When you read the condemnation
given against Israel, before
00:31:31.05\00:31:34.09
they went to Babylon in exile,
one of the main sins that they
00:31:34.12\00:31:38.63
were transgressing,
that they were committing,
00:31:38.66\00:31:40.50
was the sin of greed.
00:31:40.53\00:31:42.03
You find this in the book
of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos.
00:31:42.06\00:31:45.53
They're condemning greed.
00:31:45.57\00:31:47.24
And now, after the exile,
after coming back and having an
00:31:47.27\00:31:50.41
opportunity to start fresh,
human nature is showing up again
00:31:50.44\00:31:54.68
and they're going right
back to where they were.
00:31:54.71\00:31:56.61
You see, God cares for the poor.
00:31:56.64\00:31:58.61
God cares for those who
are incapable of defending
00:31:58.65\00:32:01.22
themselves and their cause.
00:32:01.25\00:32:02.55
He will not leave
unpunished those who take
00:32:02.58\00:32:06.49
advantage of their weakness.
00:32:06.52\00:32:07.82
In these circumstances,
God becomes the power
00:32:07.86\00:32:11.33
of the powerless.
00:32:11.36\00:32:14.46
The second part of this lesson,
we shift then to what happened
00:32:14.50\00:32:19.20
because of the outcry.
00:32:19.23\00:32:20.64
We hear this great outcry in
the midst of this great work,
00:32:20.67\00:32:23.64
directed towards a
great God, and what happens?
00:32:23.67\00:32:26.24
A great assembly is called for.
00:32:26.27\00:32:29.34
This people's outcry, they
reached God because these rich
00:32:29.38\00:32:33.01
merchants, they were
violating the spirit of the law.
00:32:33.05\00:32:35.75
You see, some of what the rich
were doing against the poor,
00:32:35.78\00:32:38.45
it was even legal.
00:32:38.49\00:32:39.95
It was legal.
00:32:39.99\00:32:41.29
For example, a father and
mother, they could become a
00:32:41.32\00:32:43.26
servant or they
could sell their children.
00:32:43.29\00:32:45.16
It was legal.
00:32:45.19\00:32:46.73
By the letter of
the law, that was legal.
00:32:46.76\00:32:48.90
But seeing how God's purpose
is the purpose of freedom, of
00:32:48.93\00:32:52.70
liberating people, of delivering
people and redeeming people,
00:32:52.73\00:32:56.60
He regulated that
practice in Israel.
00:32:56.64\00:32:58.71
Loans were permitted by law.
00:32:58.74\00:33:00.51
Loans were permitted.
00:33:00.54\00:33:02.24
But the interest rates that were
charged by the Jewish--that were
00:33:02.28\00:33:05.88
charged by the Israelites, they
were about 12% which was small
00:33:05.91\00:33:12.02
comparatively when you compare
it to the nations around them.
00:33:12.05\00:33:14.46
Some of these
nations, they charged 50%,
00:33:14.49\00:33:16.59
up to 100%, of interest.
00:33:16.62\00:33:18.96
Can you imagine that?
00:33:18.99\00:33:20.36
Can you imagine someone charging
100% of interest from you?
00:33:20.40\00:33:24.27
So these Israelites, they would
charge about 12% but even that
00:33:24.30\00:33:28.14
was forbidden.
00:33:28.17\00:33:29.47
They could not do that.
00:33:29.50\00:33:30.81
That did not
correspond with God's will.
00:33:30.84\00:33:33.68
Nehemiah, when he hears
this, he becomes outraged.
00:33:33.71\00:33:36.91
He becomes angry, indignant with
what's happening, even though it
00:33:36.95\00:33:39.91
could be considered legal.
00:33:39.95\00:33:42.65
He acted immediately.
00:33:42.68\00:33:44.19
You see, the spirit of the law
had been violated so Nehemiah,
00:33:44.22\00:33:47.46
being the man
that he was, he acts.
00:33:47.49\00:33:51.66
It was a duty of his, as a
governor, but as a Christian,
00:33:51.69\00:33:55.33
to act, to defend God's people.
00:33:55.36\00:33:59.07
God places Himself beside those
that are oppressed and helpless.
00:33:59.10\00:34:01.74
He was the one who commissioned
this prophet to become outraged
00:34:01.77\00:34:05.37
at the injustice
committed against the poor.
00:34:05.41\00:34:08.44
You know, the ability to become
outraged, to become indignant
00:34:08.48\00:34:12.81
with unjustice, that
is a very biblical trait.
00:34:12.85\00:34:15.65
You find that in many
biblical characters, many.
00:34:15.68\00:34:18.52
For example, in James 4:17
we read: "Therefore to him who
00:34:18.55\00:34:22.12
knows to do good and does
not do it, to him it is sin."
00:34:22.16\00:34:27.03
You see, the concept of sin
in the Bible, my friends, it's a
00:34:27.10\00:34:29.30
very deep concept.
00:34:29.33\00:34:30.90
And, unfortunately, one
of the enemy's tactics is to
00:34:30.93\00:34:33.50
superficialize sin.
00:34:33.54\00:34:38.57
You see, there are at
least 11 words in the Bible
00:34:38.61\00:34:42.58
that define sin.
00:34:42.61\00:34:43.91
At least 11.
00:34:43.95\00:34:45.18
And what's interesting is that
not one of them are synonyms.
00:34:45.21\00:34:48.18
They're not synonyms.
00:34:48.22\00:34:49.85
Sin, if you ask a good
Adventist, what is sin,
00:34:49.88\00:34:51.95
what will he tell you?
00:34:51.99\00:34:53.29
Sin is transgression of the law.
00:34:53.32\00:34:55.89
That's right, that's
correct, it's in the Bible.
00:34:55.92\00:34:59.36
But that is not all.
00:34:59.39\00:35:01.56
There is more.
00:35:01.60\00:35:02.90
Sin is not only transgression of
the law but as we read here in
00:35:02.93\00:35:05.43
James, we read, "To him who
knows to do good and does not do
00:35:05.47\00:35:10.14
it, that is also sin."
00:35:10.17\00:35:11.67
This is what we
call the sin of omission.
00:35:11.71\00:35:14.88
Sin is not only what you
do, it's what you don't do.
00:35:14.91\00:35:17.88
But there's even more.
00:35:17.91\00:35:19.28
In Romans 14:23 we read: "For
whatever is not from faith is,"
00:35:19.31\00:35:23.05
what?
00:35:23.08\00:35:24.42
"Is sin."
00:35:24.45\00:35:25.82
So not only is sin what you do,
sin can also be what you don't
00:35:25.85\00:35:28.36
do and sin can
also be why you do it.
00:35:28.39\00:35:32.16
Not only what you do,
not only what you don't do,
00:35:32.19\00:35:34.36
but why you do it.
00:35:34.40\00:35:35.76
Here, the apostle, he dives into
the depths of human nature to
00:35:35.80\00:35:39.23
the level of motivation.
00:35:39.27\00:35:43.27
And these are only
three concepts of sin.
00:35:43.30\00:35:45.37
In the Bible you
find at least 11.
00:35:45.41\00:35:48.98
Sin is not so
simple, my friends.
00:35:49.01\00:35:50.61
It's not only
shutting off your outward sins
00:35:50.65\00:35:53.95
that you become a saint.
00:35:53.98\00:35:55.88
That's not how it happens.
00:35:55.92\00:35:57.32
It's a process.
00:35:57.35\00:35:58.92
So here, we find that--Martin
Luther King, he once said that
00:35:58.95\00:36:03.22
"cowardice asks the
question, 'Is it safe?'
00:36:03.26\00:36:06.29
Expediency asks the
question, 'Is it polite?'
00:36:06.33\00:36:10.00
Vanity asks the
question, 'Is it popular?'
00:36:10.03\00:36:13.00
But conscience asks the
question, 'Is it right?'
00:36:13.03\00:36:17.51
And there comes a point where
one must take a position that
00:36:17.54\00:36:20.58
is neither safe nor polite
nor popular but one must take it
00:36:20.61\00:36:25.35
because his conscience
tells him that it is right."
00:36:25.38\00:36:28.52
Nehemiah, he did
not shirk from his duty.
00:36:28.55\00:36:30.35
He ultimately
bore the best example
00:36:30.39\00:36:34.16
but we're going to get to that.
00:36:34.19\00:36:35.72
We'll get to that.
00:36:35.76\00:36:37.16
First of all, he called
for a huge assembly and this is
00:36:37.19\00:36:39.23
chapter 5, verse 5 through 13.
00:36:39.26\00:36:41.36
Now, it's one thing for
you to confront your enemies.
00:36:41.40\00:36:46.23
It's another thing for you
to confront one of your own,
00:36:46.27\00:36:48.24
isn't it?
00:36:48.27\00:36:49.57
Who were the people
here in this assembly?
00:36:49.60\00:36:51.17
You have some
very powerful people,
00:36:51.21\00:36:52.51
some very influential people.
00:36:52.54\00:36:53.91
Some people that Nehemiah
might need to govern Israel.
00:36:53.94\00:36:58.08
And here in Nehemiah, he's
endangered of losing some very
00:36:58.11\00:37:02.65
powerful and important friends.
00:37:02.68\00:37:04.69
But that's not what
he's thinking about.
00:37:06.72\00:37:08.66
Justice, the spirit of
the law, was above all other
00:37:08.69\00:37:13.60
considerations.
00:37:13.63\00:37:15.33
The justice not of the letter of
the law but of the spirit of the
00:37:15.36\00:37:18.67
law.
00:37:18.70\00:37:20.17
Nehemiah's outrage--and this
is what we find interesting in
00:37:20.20\00:37:22.87
Nehemiah, he was a
very controlled person, very
00:37:22.90\00:37:24.91
self-possessed.
00:37:24.94\00:37:26.24
We don't find his outrage
in this excess of fury, but an
00:37:26.27\00:37:29.41
expression of holy zeal against
how the merchants and the rich
00:37:29.44\00:37:33.01
were oppressing their brethren.
00:37:33.05\00:37:34.28
You see, Nehemiah, he was not
a politician to ask, "Is this
00:37:34.32\00:37:36.95
going to be popular?
00:37:36.99\00:37:38.32
Is this going to
be a safe decision?"
00:37:38.35\00:37:40.29
No, Nehemiah, he
asked, "Is this right?"
00:37:40.32\00:37:43.39
And that's how true leaders act.
00:37:43.43\00:37:45.59
Is this right?
00:37:45.63\00:37:47.30
Now, I need you to remember that
this problem, it wasn't created
00:37:47.30\00:37:50.60
because of the
reconstruction of the walls.
00:37:50.63\00:37:53.70
The situation was not
the reason for this crisis.
00:37:53.74\00:37:56.91
It only revealed it.
00:37:56.94\00:37:58.27
And that's sometimes
what happens at church.
00:37:58.31\00:38:00.24
You see, the circumstances that
we go through oftentimes will
00:38:00.28\00:38:03.41
tell you of what spirit we are.
00:38:03.45\00:38:05.75
Have you ever seen that?
00:38:05.78\00:38:07.68
A person that in normal
circumstances appears to be very
00:38:07.72\00:38:10.49
good, very holy, but then in
a situation of crisis--you know,
00:38:10.52\00:38:13.86
crisis, it doesn't
usually create character.
00:38:13.89\00:38:16.22
It reveals character.
00:38:16.26\00:38:18.76
Character doesn't usually
create--crisis usually doesn't
00:38:18.79\00:38:22.10
create character.
00:38:22.13\00:38:23.57
It reveals your character.
00:38:23.60\00:38:26.57
Nehemiah acts.
00:38:26.60\00:38:27.84
Verse 7 tells us that he--verse
7 tells us his thought process.
00:38:27.87\00:38:32.27
It tells us that after serious
thought, which literally means
00:38:32.31\00:38:36.21
"My heart considered inside of
me," he sought God's guidance.
00:38:36.24\00:38:39.11
He controlled his feelings and
thought in order to offer his
00:38:39.15\00:38:44.29
people constructive leadership.
00:38:44.32\00:38:45.69
It's not by chance that
Nehemiah's seen as a model of
00:38:45.72\00:38:50.29
such effective
leadership in the Bible.
00:38:50.33\00:38:53.66
He then decided to call
this great assembly, this great
00:38:53.70\00:38:56.16
meeting.
00:38:56.20\00:38:57.97
And Nehemiah's reprimand to
those exploiting the people was
00:38:58.00\00:39:02.50
made up of five
different appeals.
00:39:02.54\00:39:05.71
That's what you
find in his speech.
00:39:05.74\00:39:07.28
In Nehemiah's speech, you find
five different kinds of appeals.
00:39:07.31\00:39:10.78
If one doesn't work,
the second one will work.
00:39:10.81\00:39:12.28
If the second one doesn't
work, the third one will work.
00:39:12.31\00:39:14.48
The first appeal is an appeal
for love, reminding these people
00:39:14.52\00:39:18.19
that they were
exploiting their own brothers.
00:39:18.22\00:39:20.66
The word for brothers
here appears four times in this
00:39:20.69\00:39:23.22
speech.
00:39:23.26\00:39:24.86
The law of Moses forbade
the Jews of charging interest.
00:39:24.89\00:39:28.33
Isn't it fascinating what the
Bible has to say when it comes
00:39:28.36\00:39:30.63
to money?
00:39:30.67\00:39:32.23
The Bible has a
lot to say about money.
00:39:32.27\00:39:34.64
On the lips of Christ, the
only subject that passes--that
00:39:34.67\00:39:39.31
surpasses the subject of money
is when Jesus talks about the
00:39:39.34\00:39:42.51
kingdom of heaven.
00:39:42.54\00:39:43.85
Other than the kingdom of
heaven, what Jesus most talks
00:39:43.88\00:39:46.88
about is money because Jesus
knew that money changes the way
00:39:46.92\00:39:50.95
that we see people and
the way that we treat people.
00:39:50.99\00:39:53.99
It's fascinating what the
Bible has to say about money.
00:39:54.02\00:39:57.63
Unfortunately, we find--we
find in religion today something
00:39:57.66\00:40:01.90
called the theology of
prosperity where apparently
00:40:01.93\00:40:04.27
people aren't
reading their Bible.
00:40:04.30\00:40:07.37
The Bible has a lot to
say when it comes to money.
00:40:07.40\00:40:10.64
The second appeal
we find in verse 8.
00:40:10.67\00:40:12.41
He reminded them of God's
redemptive purpose for Israel.
00:40:12.44\00:40:16.08
In the past, God had
freed them all from Egypt.
00:40:16.11\00:40:18.98
He had just redeemed them from
Babylon and what's ironic is
00:40:19.01\00:40:22.25
that the Jewish rich lenders
here, through greed, once again
00:40:22.28\00:40:26.29
they were enslaving the people.
00:40:26.32\00:40:28.32
They had left Egypt, they had
left Babylon, but now in their
00:40:28.36\00:40:31.13
own home they
were becoming slaves.
00:40:31.16\00:40:34.30
Verse 9, the third appeal, the
governor, Nehemiah, he presents
00:40:34.30\00:40:38.40
before these guilty lenders, the
witness of Israel as a nation to
00:40:38.43\00:40:43.27
the neighboring countries.
00:40:43.30\00:40:45.24
You see, God, He had called
Israel to be a light to the
00:40:45.27\00:40:48.58
Gentiles, even in
Old Testament times.
00:40:48.61\00:40:51.01
This is found in
Isaiah 49, verse 6.
00:40:51.05\00:40:53.38
They were called to be a light
to the nations around them.
00:40:53.42\00:40:57.15
The irony here is that
while they rebuilt the walls of
00:40:57.19\00:41:00.39
Jerusalem to try to get back
or to try to create their own
00:41:00.42\00:41:04.79
identity, the identity as a
nation, they were transgressing
00:41:04.83\00:41:09.76
the reason for
Israel's existence.
00:41:09.80\00:41:12.70
As they tried to rebuild the
walls, as they tried to regain
00:41:12.73\00:41:17.24
their identity, they were
transgressing that very identity
00:41:17.27\00:41:22.28
in doing what they were doing.
00:41:22.31\00:41:23.61
To sum up, it's a lot better
to lose money but to retain the
00:41:23.65\00:41:27.98
privilege of serving God.
00:41:28.02\00:41:29.88
That's what Nehemiah says.
00:41:29.92\00:41:32.85
The fourth appeal which we
find in verse 10 through 11 is
00:41:32.89\00:41:35.96
Nehemiah's personal appeal.
00:41:35.99\00:41:37.73
He appeals to his
personal witness, his testimony.
00:41:37.76\00:41:40.33
He lent money to those in need
without charging interest, nor
00:41:40.36\00:41:44.17
depriving them of what
they had left as collateral.
00:41:44.20\00:41:47.17
Nehemiah did this.
00:41:47.20\00:41:48.50
He lent them money but
he charged no interest.
00:41:48.54\00:41:52.01
In other words, Nehemiah, he
wasn't the type, "Do as I say
00:41:52.04\00:41:55.04
but don't do as I do."
00:41:55.08\00:41:56.31
The famous person who walks the
walk but doesn't talk--talks the
00:41:56.34\00:42:00.38
talk but doesn't walk the walk.
00:42:00.42\00:42:01.92
Have you ever seen any of those?
00:42:01.95\00:42:04.12
People that might even talk the
talk but they're not available
00:42:04.15\00:42:08.66
to walk the walk.
00:42:08.69\00:42:09.99
Nehemiah led by example.
00:42:10.03\00:42:13.63
What a powerful
characteristic of leadership.
00:42:13.66\00:42:15.96
He led by example.
00:42:16.00\00:42:18.00
The fifth appeal we
find in verses 12 through 13.
00:42:19.20\00:42:21.77
If nothing else would work, he
reminded them about the judgment
00:42:21.80\00:42:26.47
of the Lord.
00:42:26.51\00:42:27.81
How do you flee from that?
00:42:27.84\00:42:30.48
Psalm 139 says:
"Where will I go?
00:42:30.51\00:42:32.81
I go to the North, I can go to
the South, I go to the East and
00:42:32.85\00:42:35.68
there you are."
00:42:35.72\00:42:37.95
You can't run from that.
00:42:37.99\00:42:39.29
Praise the Lord you
can't run from that.
00:42:39.32\00:42:41.96
The third portion of this
lesson, this last portion of the
00:42:41.99\00:42:44.39
lesson, we find first
we had the great outcry.
00:42:44.43\00:42:47.36
Then we find this great assembly
coming together and discussing
00:42:47.40\00:42:50.57
this whole Nehemiah and his
speech, and then you find the
00:42:50.60\00:42:53.03
oath that was made.
00:42:53.07\00:42:54.30
Nehemiah made them swear an oath
before the priests and the other
00:42:54.34\00:42:58.11
officials of the city.
00:42:58.14\00:42:59.44
He then gathers up his clothing
in an example, in a symbol, of
00:42:59.47\00:43:03.78
God's condemnation against the
leaders that did not carry out
00:43:03.81\00:43:07.15
their vow.
00:43:07.18\00:43:08.48
This done, the congregation
answered with a collective
00:43:08.52\00:43:10.89
"Amen" they agreed to that.
00:43:10.92\00:43:12.62
They were willing to that, which
is something that you find--you
00:43:12.65\00:43:15.29
know, I find interesting.
00:43:15.32\00:43:16.62
These leaders, they--apparently,
it struck home.
00:43:16.66\00:43:20.76
Nehemiah's speech struck
and they praised the Lord.
00:43:20.80\00:43:24.70
That's what the text says.
It says they praised the Lord.
00:43:24.73\00:43:26.70
You know, I always find it
interesting when after some kind
00:43:26.74\00:43:29.27
of either reprimand or bad
situation people in the Bible
00:43:29.30\00:43:32.27
praised the Lord.
00:43:32.31\00:43:33.61
You find Job doing that.
00:43:33.64\00:43:34.94
After all that had happened,
Job, he rent his clothes and all
00:43:34.98\00:43:37.68
that and he said,
"Naked I came into this world
00:43:37.71\00:43:40.52
and naked I will go out.
00:43:40.55\00:43:41.98
Praise be the name of God."
00:43:42.02\00:43:43.82
And then he worshiped God.
00:43:43.85\00:43:45.29
How do you understand that?
00:43:45.32\00:43:46.72
And you have Paul, the apostles
in the prison, they praised God
00:43:46.76\00:43:49.69
as they're bound.
00:43:49.72\00:43:51.29
And here you find these people
in this time of distress, they
00:43:51.33\00:43:56.00
then praise God.
00:43:56.03\00:43:57.47
In this case, I can
understand the praise.
00:43:57.50\00:43:59.50
God raised up a great leader to
help them go through this time
00:43:59.53\00:44:03.51
of crisis.
00:44:03.54\00:44:04.84
You know, many times, many
times, effective leadership is
00:44:04.87\00:44:10.48
the solution to many problems.
00:44:10.51\00:44:12.88
And the contrary is also true.
00:44:12.91\00:44:15.48
Bad leaders are the
cause of many problems.
00:44:15.52\00:44:18.72
Does that sound familiar to you?
00:44:18.75\00:44:20.76
Around the world
you'll find this.
00:44:22.52\00:44:24.39
Okay, I'm not
talking only about home.
00:44:24.43\00:44:26.33
Wherever you find bad leadership
you'll find a country in crisis.
00:44:26.36\00:44:30.17
In this case, the people praised
God because they had a great
00:44:30.20\00:44:32.60
leader.
00:44:32.63\00:44:33.94
You know, Dwight Moody once said
that "a holy life will produce
00:44:33.97\00:44:37.71
the deepest impression.
00:44:37.74\00:44:39.44
Lighthouses blow no
horns; they only shine."
00:44:39.47\00:44:42.94
Nehemiah was a lighthouse.
00:44:42.98\00:44:44.61
You know, Nehemiah, he never had
the chance to read Philippians
00:44:44.65\00:44:48.52
2, verse 1 through 3, that
beautiful text where we read
00:44:48.55\00:44:52.25
about that beautiful exhortation
for fraternal love and the
00:44:52.29\00:44:55.12
example that Jesus
gave of subservient love.
00:44:55.16\00:44:58.23
But even though Nehemiah never
read that text, never read that
00:44:58.26\00:45:01.60
poem, Nehemiah practiced the
spirit of that passage in his
00:45:01.63\00:45:05.90
life.
00:45:05.93\00:45:07.47
During the 12 long years of his
first term as governor and then
00:45:07.50\00:45:11.34
Nehemiah, he
served in two terms.
00:45:11.37\00:45:13.01
You find the second term
in Nehemiah 13:6 through 7.
00:45:13.04\00:45:16.24
In both terms as leader, he used
his influence to help people,
00:45:16.28\00:45:20.78
not to build himself of kingdom.
00:45:20.82\00:45:22.28
In those days and in our days,
most people have become these
00:45:22.32\00:45:25.52
leaders, they use their
influence, they use their
00:45:25.55\00:45:27.59
authority and their power to
build up their own agenda, their
00:45:27.62\00:45:30.86
own appearance,
their own kingdom.
00:45:30.89\00:45:33.56
You don't find that in Nehemiah.
00:45:33.60\00:45:34.86
He was a steward.
00:45:34.93\00:45:36.53
As children of God--as children
of God, our example, our supreme
00:45:36.56\00:45:41.57
example, is Jesus Christ.
00:45:43.97\00:45:45.21
Unfortunately, my dear friends,
there are many people today who
00:45:45.24\00:45:48.98
take others as their example.
00:45:49.01\00:45:50.98
Some people see a senator or
a mayor or a president or a king
00:45:51.01\00:45:55.78
or a prime minister
as their great example.
00:45:55.82\00:46:00.12
For Christians, we have
but one example: Jesus Christ.
00:46:00.16\00:46:04.46
Christians follow Christ.
00:46:06.59\00:46:08.93
That's what it
means to be a Christian.
00:46:08.96\00:46:11.97
On the path of true
Christian leadership.
00:46:12.00\00:46:14.67
Actually, on the path of true
leadership, there is always a
00:46:14.70\00:46:19.44
cross upon which the Christian
leader must consent to be
00:46:19.47\00:46:23.21
nailed.
00:46:23.24\00:46:25.71
Upon the path of leadership
there is always a cross upon
00:46:25.75\00:46:30.09
which any and every Christian
leader must consent to be
00:46:30.12\00:46:34.19
nailed.
00:46:34.22\00:46:36.62
The question that we leave this
lesson with is, well, how can I
00:46:36.66\00:46:40.93
apply this to my life?
00:46:40.96\00:46:42.23
I'm not a governor. I'm
not this kind of leader.
00:46:42.26\00:46:44.93
We can just think about it.
00:46:44.97\00:46:46.27
First of all, Nehemiah, he
didn't use his official funds to
00:46:46.30\00:46:48.97
cover his own expenses.
00:46:49.00\00:46:50.51
How can you apply
that to your life?
00:46:50.54\00:46:51.97
There are many ways.
00:46:52.01\00:46:54.28
Nehemiah didn't use the people,
he didn't exploit people, to
00:46:54.31\00:46:57.41
achieve his personal interests.
00:46:57.45\00:46:59.21
He paid for his own
expensive--expenses, taking care
00:46:59.25\00:47:01.78
not to exploit anybody.
00:47:01.82\00:47:03.45
You find this in many texts such
as Nehemiah 5:15, contrary to
00:47:03.49\00:47:08.46
what we see all
around us every day.
00:47:08.49\00:47:10.36
Nehemiah, he walked in the
fear of the Lord, upholding his
00:47:10.39\00:47:13.90
integrity, his character.
00:47:13.93\00:47:16.13
If there was something that was
valuable to Nehemiah, it was his
00:47:16.16\00:47:18.87
integrity, it was his character.
00:47:18.90\00:47:21.77
Another thing that I learned
personally from this man is that
00:47:21.80\00:47:24.67
he led by example.
00:47:24.71\00:47:26.41
Nehemiah was right there putting
on the brakes, you know, holding
00:47:26.44\00:47:30.28
the sword in his
hand, defending the city.
00:47:30.31\00:47:32.05
Nehemiah wasn't a kind of
counselor who just appeared a
00:47:32.08\00:47:34.18
few times, you
know, to tell people.
00:47:34.22\00:47:35.75
Have you ever
seen someone like that?
00:47:35.78\00:47:37.55
That loves to give you
ideas about what you should do.
00:47:37.59\00:47:41.46
I know a few people like that.
00:47:41.49\00:47:42.79
"You know, you should do
this. You should do that.
00:47:42.82\00:47:44.13
I have a tip for
you. I have this for you."
00:47:44.16\00:47:45.93
It's all good and fun to counsel
people but you have to be
00:47:45.96\00:47:48.20
willing to also do what
you're counseling people to do.
00:47:48.23\00:47:52.17
You need to lead by example.
00:47:52.20\00:47:53.50
If you want someone to do
something that you yourself are
00:47:53.54\00:47:56.17
not willing to do, my friend,
there's something wrong with
00:47:56.20\00:47:58.61
your counsel.
00:47:58.64\00:47:59.94
You have to be willing to
submit to your own counsel.
00:48:00.04\00:48:02.28
We see that in Nehemiah.
00:48:02.31\00:48:03.75
Nehemiah was an
example in yet another manner.
00:48:03.78\00:48:06.58
He did not only pay for his own
food but he shared what he had
00:48:06.61\00:48:10.55
with others.
00:48:10.59\00:48:11.89
He used to feed
more than 150 guests.
00:48:11.92\00:48:15.72
Chapter 5:19 indicates what
is probably my favorite and most
00:48:15.76\00:48:20.46
relevant characteristic of
the service that we find in
00:48:20.50\00:48:24.37
Nehemiah.
00:48:24.40\00:48:25.70
Nehemiah acted the way
he did only to please whom?
00:48:25.73\00:48:29.17
God.
00:48:29.20\00:48:30.51
Nehemiah didn't act the
way he did for flattery.
00:48:30.54\00:48:32.14
He didn't want to be patronized.
00:48:32.17\00:48:33.51
He didn't want to be recognized.
00:48:33.54\00:48:35.58
He didn't do what he did
for compliments or for rewards.
00:48:35.61\00:48:38.35
Nehemiah wanted to serve God.
00:48:38.38\00:48:41.05
That was his interest.
00:48:41.08\00:48:42.98
That's what he wanted.
00:48:43.02\00:48:44.35
So for those of you, for those
of all of us, who are called for
00:48:44.39\00:48:47.62
spiritual leadership and, my
friends, all of us are called
00:48:47.66\00:48:50.19
for spiritual leadership,
this isn't something optional.
00:48:50.23\00:48:53.76
At home or at work or at
school, every person who has a
00:48:53.80\00:48:57.53
relationship with Jesus Christ
is called to bear witness of
00:48:57.57\00:49:01.37
that relationship.
00:49:01.40\00:49:02.70
You know what that
"bearing witness" means?
00:49:02.74\00:49:04.24
It means spiritual leadership.
00:49:04.27\00:49:05.87
That's what it means.
00:49:05.91\00:49:07.38
There's no escaping this.
00:49:07.41\00:49:09.54
So be who you may be, you were
called to be a spiritual leader
00:49:09.58\00:49:13.21
of God.
00:49:13.25\00:49:14.88
That's what the Bible tells us.
00:49:14.92\00:49:16.15
So for those of all of us who
are in positions of spiritual
00:49:16.18\00:49:19.42
leadership, this chapter
provides some very important
00:49:19.45\00:49:22.06
lessons.
00:49:22.09\00:49:23.79
First, and I'm going
to speed through this.
00:49:23.83\00:49:25.29
First, you can expect problems
when you're dealing with people.
00:49:25.33\00:49:29.10
Where there are people,
there are problems, okay?
00:49:29.13\00:49:31.43
Where there are
people, there are problems.
00:49:31.47\00:49:33.00
Don't be surprised if when
you're, you know, teaching or
00:49:33.03\00:49:36.47
when you're leading,
people, they have conflicts.
00:49:36.50\00:49:39.84
You see, wherever the gospel
prospers, the enemy will do
00:49:39.87\00:49:42.64
everything he
can to bring chaos.
00:49:42.68\00:49:46.11
Where there are
people, there are problems.
00:49:46.15\00:49:47.88
Second of all, face
your problems boldly.
00:49:47.92\00:49:51.62
There are some people who like
to bury their problems and the
00:49:51.65\00:49:54.66
only result of that is that
these problems, they grow deeper
00:49:54.69\00:49:57.59
roots and more bitter fruits.
00:49:57.63\00:49:59.69
Deal with your problems.
00:49:59.73\00:50:02.50
Face them.
00:50:02.53\00:50:04.33
In Portuguese we have a saying
that says, "Take the bull by its
00:50:04.37\00:50:07.14
horns, look it dead
in the eye, and face it."
00:50:07.17\00:50:11.67
That's what
Christians are called to do.
00:50:11.71\00:50:13.01
We're not called to be,
you know, shying away from our
00:50:13.04\00:50:15.78
problems.
00:50:15.81\00:50:17.15
No, we have to
face our problems.
00:50:17.18\00:50:18.51
As a good leader,
face your problems.
00:50:18.55\00:50:20.25
Deal with them
as fast as you can.
00:50:20.28\00:50:23.08
Third, certify yourself
that your own integrity remains
00:50:23.12\00:50:26.86
intact.
00:50:26.89\00:50:28.26
A guilty conscience destroys the
spiritual authority needed for
00:50:28.29\00:50:31.26
effective leadership.
00:50:31.29\00:50:32.93
A guilty conscience will destroy
the spiritual authority that you
00:50:32.96\00:50:35.83
might have for your
spiritual leadership.
00:50:35.86\00:50:37.83
So don't have a
guilty conscience.
00:50:37.87\00:50:40.50
Keep your integrity intact.
00:50:40.54\00:50:42.34
Finally, understand that each
problem that you may face, every
00:50:42.37\00:50:45.84
problem that you might face, is
an opportunity for God to act.
00:50:45.87\00:50:51.51
Every problem, every challenge,
every obstacle, is a great
00:50:51.55\00:50:55.82
opportunity for God
to act in your life.
00:50:55.85\00:50:58.89
So even so, we can praise God
for our problems because He will
00:50:58.92\00:51:02.09
then act, He will
then work, in our life.
00:51:02.12\00:51:05.73
You see, my friends, solving
problems in God's service is not
00:51:05.76\00:51:08.26
primarily an
intellectual exercise.
00:51:08.30\00:51:10.73
It's a spiritual experience.
00:51:10.77\00:51:12.83
It's a spiritual experience.
00:51:15.00\00:51:17.34
If we depend on the wisdom from
the world, we will only obtain
00:51:17.37\00:51:20.24
what the world has
and that is very little.
00:51:20.28\00:51:23.51
If we depend on the wisdom from
above, then we will have what
00:51:23.55\00:51:26.35
heaven has to offer
and that is everything.
00:51:26.38\00:51:29.48
So true Christian leaders are
ordinary people that have that
00:51:29.52\00:51:32.72
extraordinary desire to serve
God, to be the spiritual leaders
00:51:32.75\00:51:36.59
that they can, to be true
leaders, lead by example, lead
00:51:36.62\00:51:39.73
by love.
00:51:39.76\00:51:41.03
So apply these principles in
your life and I'm sure that you
00:51:41.06\00:51:44.17
will be the very
effective leader that God
00:51:44.20\00:51:46.43
has called you to be.
00:51:46.47\00:51:47.94
I thank you for being
here for our Bible study hour
00:51:47.97\00:51:50.21
this Sabbath.
00:51:50.24\00:51:51.54
I am very excited for you to
participate with us next week.
00:51:51.57\00:51:54.51
Don't forget our "Tiny
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00:52:19.23\00:52:21.27
Have a very good day.
00:52:21.30\00:52:23.47
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important, to
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00:52:54.00\00:52:57.87
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00:52:57.91\00:53:06.95
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00:53:06.98\00:53:09.28
Doug Batchelor: Port
Royal here in Jamaica was once
00:53:09.32\00:53:11.45
considered the most
wicked city in the world.
00:53:11.49\00:53:13.96
They had more bars and brothels
per square foot than any other
00:53:13.99\00:53:18.03
place on the planet.
00:53:18.06\00:53:19.59
It was said to be just full
of cutthroats and pirates but
00:53:19.63\00:53:21.56
during this time the king of
France, Louis XIV, he began to
00:53:21.60\00:53:26.00
persecute the Protestants
and the Huguenots in the kingdom
00:53:26.03\00:53:28.50
and many fled.
00:53:28.54\00:53:30.21
That's when Lewis Galdy
and his brother Laurent came
00:53:30.24\00:53:32.97
to Port Royal.
00:53:33.01\00:53:36.34
When Lewis Galdy arrived, he was
absolutely dumbfounded at the
00:53:36.38\00:53:39.45
unrestrained immorality,
violence, and extravagance that
00:53:39.48\00:53:42.55
filled Port Royal.
00:53:42.58\00:53:44.45
That's why nobody was
surprised when the judgment
00:53:44.49\00:53:46.72
of God finally happened.
00:53:46.76\00:53:48.82
Just before noon on June
7, 1692, there was a massive
00:53:48.86\00:53:52.36
earthquake that
affected the whole island,
00:53:52.39\00:53:54.30
Port Royal in particular.
00:53:54.36\00:53:56.67
Two-thirds of it
slid into the sea.
00:53:56.70\00:53:59.03
Then came a tsunami.
00:53:59.07\00:54:00.47
Thousands perished.
00:54:00.50\00:54:02.14
Unfortunately, even
Lewis Galdy was swallowed up
00:54:02.17\00:54:04.97
in the earthquake.
00:54:05.01\00:54:09.81
You know, much of Jamaica is
rock but Port Royal was built on
00:54:09.84\00:54:12.95
the sand and so when the
earthquake struck, the sand
00:54:12.98\00:54:16.55
virtually liquefied,
swallowing much of the city
00:54:16.58\00:54:18.79
and thousands of people.
00:54:18.82\00:54:20.66
Lewis Galdy was buried alive,
but while underground he was
00:54:20.69\00:54:24.53
still conscious and he prayed.
00:54:24.56\00:54:26.86
He resigned himself to his fate,
prayed to the Lord, and then
00:54:26.90\00:54:30.23
another miracle happened.
00:54:30.27\00:54:31.97
There was an aftershock with
volcanic activity that exploded,
00:54:32.00\00:54:35.50
blowing Lewis Galdy out of the
earth, hundreds of yards, off
00:54:35.54\00:54:39.04
into the sea, where he had a
pretty hard landing but he was
00:54:39.07\00:54:42.28
able to swim
until he was rescued.
00:54:42.31\00:54:44.68
Lewis Galdy dedicated the
remaining 47 years of his life
00:54:44.71\00:54:47.82
to serving Jesus in this
island and he's even buried here
00:54:47.85\00:54:51.29
still today.
00:54:51.32\00:54:52.62
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00:54:52.65\00:54:56.96
Doug: You know, the Bible
tells us just before Jesus comes
00:54:56.99\00:54:58.76
back conditions in the world
will be very much like they were
00:54:58.79\00:55:01.83
in Sodom and Port Royal.
00:55:01.86\00:55:04.23
There's going to be a tremendous
earthquake and even islands will
00:55:04.27\00:55:06.90
be swallowed up.
00:55:06.94\00:55:08.27
But God's people
don't need to be afraid.
00:55:08.30\00:55:10.21
The same way that the Lord took
care of Lewis Galdy, He will
00:55:10.24\00:55:12.77
take care of you.
00:55:12.81\00:55:14.11
It says in Psalm 91 that you
might see 1000 fall at your side
00:55:14.14\00:55:17.61
or 10,000 at your right hand,
but only with your eyes will you
00:55:17.65\00:55:20.78
see and behold the
destruction of the wicked.
00:55:20.82\00:55:22.75
He can protect
you and resurrect you.
00:55:22.78\00:55:25.22
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Doug: Friends, one of the
amazing things that you'll often
00:56:46.77\00:56:48.50
find in the South Pacific
Islands, like here on Fiji, is
00:56:48.54\00:56:51.97
the vivi plant.
00:56:52.01\00:56:53.58
Now, in North America if you
want to build a fence, you've
00:56:53.61\00:56:55.88
got to get fence posts and then
you put the wooden fence posts
00:56:55.91\00:56:58.58
in the ground and then after
a few years they're going to rot
00:56:58.61\00:57:01.15
and break off unless
they're specially treated.
00:57:01.18\00:57:03.49
But here, they've got these
trees, the vivi tree, they can
00:57:03.52\00:57:06.96
cut them right out of the woods.
00:57:06.99\00:57:08.72
They'll take a stick,
they stick it in the ground.
00:57:08.76\00:57:11.09
And because they have so
much rain and precipitation, it
00:57:11.13\00:57:14.13
begins to sprout and
turns into a living fence post.
00:57:14.20\00:57:17.43
It makes up its mind that it's
going to flourish wherever you
00:57:17.47\00:57:19.47
stick it, which is a
good lesson for you and me.
00:57:19.50\00:57:22.34
So you might wonder sometimes
if you've got a purpose in life.
00:57:22.37\00:57:25.61
You might feel like you're
growing sort of sporadically in
00:57:25.64\00:57:28.08
every direction and then along
comes this person who cuts you
00:57:28.11\00:57:30.98
down and carries you off.
00:57:31.01\00:57:33.11
He sticks you in the ground
but you look back and you say,
00:57:33.15\00:57:36.48
"There was a plan.
00:57:36.52\00:57:37.82
There was a purpose."
00:57:37.85\00:57:39.09
God knows how to teach us how
to prosper where He plants us.
00:57:39.12\00:57:43.53
You might wonder why the Lord
has put you where He has in life
00:57:43.56\00:57:45.43
but you can put down roots and
you can grow and you can serve a
00:57:45.46\00:57:49.03
great purpose for God.
00:57:49.06\00:57:51.00
You know, it's like God says in
Jeremiah chapter 29: "I know the
00:57:51.03\00:57:54.04
plans that I've got for
you to give you a future."
00:57:54.07\00:57:56.81
God has a purpose for your life,
friends, and He can help you to
00:57:56.84\00:57:59.51
prosper and grow
wherever you're planted.
00:57:59.54\00:58:01.81
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