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00:13 ♪♪♪ 00:23 ♪♪♪ 00:33 ♪♪♪ 00:35 Jean Ross: Good morning, friends. 00:36 Welcome again to "Sabbath School Study Hour," here at the Granite 00:39 Bay Seventh Day Adventist Church. 00:41 I'd like to welcome those who are joining us, literally across 00:44 the country and around the world, part of our extended 00:46 Sabbath School class. 00:48 And we want to thank you for being a part 00:50 of our study time today. 00:52 We also want to welcome our regular members, 00:54 Sabbath School members, here at church, and also those of you 00:57 who might be visiting with us today. 00:59 We are glad that you are here. 01:01 We've been studying over the past few weeks our new lesson 01:03 quarterly dealing with the two Old Testament books, 01:06 Ezra and Nehemiah. 01:08 Today we find ourselves on lesson number 5 01:11 and it's entitled, "Violating the Spirit of the Law." 01:15 And Jesus had quite a bit to say about that. 01:17 That's lesson number 5. 01:18 Now if you don't have a copy of today's lesson, those of you who 01:21 are viewing, if you'd like to receive a copy, all you need to 01:23 do is just go to Lesson.aftv.org. 01:27 Again, that's Lesson.aftv.org and you'll be able to download 01:30 a copy of today's lesson. 01:33 It's lesson number 5 in our study of Ezra and Nehemiah. 01:37 We also have a free offer we'd like to tell you about. 01:39 It is a book entitled "Tiny Troublemakers," 01:42 and this is our free gift. 01:44 We'll send it to anyone who calls and asks. 01:46 The number is 866-788-3966 and all you have to do is ask for 01:51 offer number 196 and we'll be happy to send it to you. 01:56 You can also read it online if you'd like. 01:58 You can download a copy of the book and to do so, you need to 02:02 text the code "SH133" to the number 40544. 02:09 You'll then get a link and you'll be able to download the 02:11 book and read it on your phone or tablet or whatever it is that 02:16 you have. 02:17 Well, at this time, before we get to our study, we want to 02:20 invite our song leaders to come and they will lead us in our 02:22 song this morning. 02:24 ♪♪♪ 02:29 female: Thank you, Pastor Ross. 02:31 As always, before we begin studying together, 02:33 we love to sing together. 02:35 So I invite you to go to hymn number 312, "Near the Cross." 02:40 And as we were practicing this morning I was thinking of these 02:44 words: "Jesus, keep me near the cross. 02:47 There a precious fountain free," free, "to all, a healing stream, 02:53 flows from Calvary's mountain." 02:55 That's where we need to be, at Jesus's feet near the cross 02:59 every day, every minute of every day, until He comes again and we 03:03 see Him face to face. 03:04 I am looking forward to that day and we are going to sing about 03:07 it and I hope that you will sing that within your heart every day 03:11 this week. 03:13 All four verses. 03:16 ♪ Jesus, keep me near the cross. ♪ 03:23 ♪ There a precious fountain, ♪ 03:31 ♪ free to all, ♪ 03:34 ♪ a healing stream, ♪ 03:38 ♪ flows from Calvary's mountain. ♪ 03:45 ♪ In the cross, in the cross, ♪ 03:53 ♪ be my glory ever, ♪ 04:00 ♪ 'til my raptured ♪ 04:04 ♪ soul shall find ♪ 04:08 ♪ rest beyond the river. ♪ 04:16 ♪ Near the cross, ♪ 04:20 ♪ a trembling soul, ♪ 04:24 ♪ love and mercy found me; ♪ 04:31 ♪ there the bright and morning star ♪ 04:38 ♪ sheds its beams around me. ♪ 04:45 ♪ In the cross, in the cross, ♪ 04:53 ♪ be my glory ever, ♪ 05:01 ♪ 'til my raptured ♪ 05:04 ♪ soul shall find ♪ 05:08 ♪ rest beyond the river. ♪ 05:16 ♪ Near the cross! ♪ 05:19 ♪ O Lamb of God, ♪ 05:24 ♪ bring its scenes before me; ♪ 05:31 ♪ help me walk from day to day, ♪ 05:38 ♪ with its shadows o'er me. ♪ 05:45 ♪ In the cross, in the cross, ♪ 05:53 ♪ be my glory ever, ♪ 06:01 ♪ 'til my raptured ♪ 06:05 ♪ soul shall find ♪ 06:09 ♪ rest beyond the river. ♪ 06:18 ♪ Near the cross I'll watch and wait, ♪ 06:25 ♪ hoping, trusting ever, ♪ 06:31 ♪ 'til I reach the golden strand, ♪ 06:39 ♪ Just beyond the river. ♪ 06:46 ♪ In the cross, in the cross, ♪ 06:53 ♪ be my glory ever, ♪ 07:00 ♪ 'til my raptured ♪ 07:04 ♪ soul shall find ♪ 07:08 ♪ rest beyond ♪ 07:12 ♪ the river. ♪♪ 07:22 Jean: Dear Father in heaven, we thank You once again that we 07:24 have this opportunity to gather together in Your house to open 07:26 up Your Word and study. 07:28 And Father, we recognize the Bible is Your book and in order 07:31 for us to have clear understanding of the Word we 07:34 need the Holy Spirit and so we invite the Holy Spirit 07:36 in a special way to speak to our hearts 07:39 and guard our minds, Lord. 07:40 Lead us into clear understanding of how we can worship You 07:43 in Spirit and in truth. 07:46 Thank You for your promise to be with us in Jesus's name, amen. 07:50 Our lesson this morning is going to be brought 07:51 to us by Pastor Luccas. 07:55 Luccas Rodor: Happy Sabbath. 07:57 It is so good to see you all and it's so good to be here with you 08:01 all, not only with our local church but also with our 08:06 extended church that is watching from around the world. 08:08 Happy Sabbath. 08:09 I hope that you appreciate this lesson 08:12 as much as I did this week. 08:14 There was a lot to learn this week--in this week's lesson, 08:17 especially by example. 08:20 You know, we see one of the biblical giants in the Bible. 08:25 Honestly, this one, he's more of a back, 08:27 you know, background giant. 08:28 You don't see him that much. You don't hear about. 08:31 At least, you know, I never did an in-depth study 08:33 about Nehemiah or Ezra. 08:35 We read the books and Bible in a year but I had never learned 08:39 this much about these two men and this week, 08:43 'specially, about Nehemiah. 08:45 What a man. 08:46 What a leader. 08:47 And what a Christian, right? 08:50 So this week's lesson is entitled, "Violating the Spirit 08:54 of the Law," and, you know, this is an old theme but it has never 08:59 been so important, so modern, so up to date, as in our last days. 09:09 It's very easy for us to violate the Spirit of the law, 09:12 especially when, you know, we keep to the letter of the law, 09:15 forgetting the reason of the letter of the law. 09:17 So today's lesson has to do with that. 09:19 Lesson 5, "Violating the Spirit of the Law." 09:22 Our Sabbath--our memory verse and I have a great appreciation 09:25 for memory verses. 09:27 When I was a child, my mom used to make me memorize a memory 09:29 verse every week, you know, and it was a special moment. 09:32 I feel very sad when I see Sabbath School nowadays being 09:38 something kind of set aside, you know? 09:40 We have around the world this is a phenomenon that goes 09:43 on around the world. 09:45 You have people arriving only for worship, you know? 09:48 People only arriving for what they call the main hour and a 09:52 lot of people thinking that Sabbath School is something 09:54 that you can set aside. 09:55 It's not. 09:57 Sabbath School is the foundation of who we are. 10:00 That's where we learn. 10:01 You know that if you watch a Sabbath School, there's a study, 10:03 I don't remember if it's seven or nine years, but if you study 10:06 your Sabbath School lesson for seven or for nine years, a 10:09 period of time, it's like going to seminary school. 10:12 It's like learning, you know, a full class about the Bible, 10:16 full--a full seminary about the Bible. 10:18 So please not only value this moment but call people to go to 10:24 your local church if you're watching online and invite 10:28 people here to come and study with us. 10:31 This is a very important part about who we are. 10:33 This is--this is part of the foundation, right? 10:36 This is where we study. 10:37 We open the Word, we study these precepts, these doctrines, and 10:40 we study these biblical figures. 10:42 Please, please, consider this as something vital in your 10:45 experience with Christ. 10:47 Our memory verse comes from Nehemiah 5:11 and it says: 10:50 "Restore now to them, even this day, their lands, their 10:54 vineyards, their olive groves, and their houses, also a 10:58 hundredth of the money and the grain, the new wine and the oil, 11:02 that you have charged them." 11:04 Now, we've been studying this lesson now for, this is our 11:08 fifth week, and we've heard already about Ezra and Nehemiah, 11:11 we've heard a little bit about the dates, you know, involved, 11:13 the context of where they're coming from, about what's 11:16 happening in that time. 11:17 We've learned a little bit about the challenges and the 11:19 oppositions that they faced. 11:21 Now, we're going to start getting in depth in what they 11:23 were facing, chapter to chapter. 11:26 And the--I want you to remember here, as we start, I need you to 11:32 remember that the return from exile, the return from Babylon, 11:36 for these people, it was not a walk in the park. 11:40 When you read the books, these two books, you notice that 11:43 wherever you turn in their return to Jerusalem, they're met 11:46 with opposition, they face obstacles, they have many 11:51 enemies all around them. 11:52 As they return, they find that old-time enemies were now in 11:56 possession of the land: enemies such as the Moabites, the 11:59 Ammonites, the Ashdodites, the Arabians and, more recently, in 12:05 their context, more recently, imported from Syria, we find the 12:09 Samaritans, all of which bitterly and craftily, they 12:13 oppose the reconstruction of the walls of Jerusalem. 12:15 We find that constantly. 12:17 But here's the thing. 12:20 You know that when it comes to external enemies, external 12:24 enemies, they have this tendency to unite people, right? 12:27 You know how they say that the enemy of my enemy is my friend, 12:33 you know? 12:34 So external enemies, they have this way of uniting people. 12:37 Now, it's an entirely different matter when we talk about 12:39 internal enemies. 12:41 The problems from within. 12:43 You see, the devil, he doesn't--when he doesn't succeed 12:46 in external attacks, when he isn't able to conquer someone or 12:51 something externally, he then starts from within. 12:55 He starts from within. 12:58 External enemies, they divide people--they unite people. 13:02 But internal enemies, what do they do? 13:04 They divide. 13:06 It was one of Napoleon's strategies to divide and to 13:10 conquer, right? 13:12 And that's also one of the enemy's strategies. 13:14 He divides to conquer. 13:17 Being greedy--being greedy means placing ourselves above others. 13:24 And that's the problem that we're facing in this lesson. 13:27 It's--this is the sin that we find. 13:29 That's one of the enemy's most successful and most effective 13:32 weapons in spiritual warfare. 13:34 It's greed. 13:35 If he succeeds in making us think about us instead of 13:38 thinking about everyone, about the others, about our neighbors, 13:43 if he's successful in making us think about us, about what we 13:46 want and what we need, he's victorious before we even know 13:50 that he's been at work. 13:52 That's the kind of sin that greed is. 13:55 Greed has this power of making you delusioned 14:00 about the needs of others. 14:02 You only think about yourself. 14:03 We only think about what we want, what we need. 14:05 Being greedy means placing ourselves at the center of 14:08 everything and insisting in achieving, no matter the cost, 14:11 no matter what the cost might be to anyone else, on achieving 14:14 what we want. 14:16 It means exploiting others so that we can be happy. 14:20 It means using people so that we can achieve what we want. 14:25 It doesn't only mean--here's a funny thing about greed. 14:28 It doesn't only mean wanting things my way, but expecting 14:32 people to also want that. 14:35 Ever seen that in greed? 14:36 In greed, you find--you often find some very delusioned people 14:39 where they think--they sincerely think that what they want, what 14:44 they need for them is what everyone should want, what 14:47 everyone should need. 14:49 Why is it that greedy people are never happy? 14:52 Have you ever seen this play out in the life of someone? 14:54 Someone that's very greedy, people that are very greedy, 14:57 they're very selfish, that live for themselves, they usually are 15:00 not very happy people. 15:02 They're not very satisfied people in life. 15:05 They're always wanting more. 15:06 There's this author called Thomas Merton and he was right 15:10 when he said that "to consider persons and events and 15:14 situations only in the light of their effect upon myself is to 15:18 live on the doorstep of hell." 15:22 The lesson this week deals mainly with greed. 15:27 Greed not coming from enemies without but from enemies within. 15:32 Nehemiah is a very--Nehemiah 5, I'm sorry. 15:36 Nehemiah 5 is a very revealing chapter when it comes to the 15:40 depths of sin in the heart of humans and how each of us should 15:44 and need to learn how to serve one another. 15:47 And this chapter and this is what we're going to go through 15:49 today, this chapter can be divided in three parts. 15:52 Basically, three things happen in this chapter, three things. 15:55 First of all, we find in Nehemiah chapter 5, verse 1 15:58 through 5, we find a problem. 16:01 We find a grievance. 16:02 The people of Israel, they cry out. 16:05 And what's interesting is, is the mention of the word "great," 16:08 okay? 16:09 So first of all, in chapter 4, verse 19 we find that they're 16:11 doing a great work. 16:13 Do you remember that? 16:14 Nehemiah considers his work to be what? 16:16 Great. 16:17 It's a great work, it's a great work. 16:19 So in the midst of this great work, in the midst of this great 16:22 work, we hear a great outcry and this appears 16:26 in chapter 5, verse 1. 16:27 There is a great outcry. 16:29 In the midst of this great work--what was the great work? 16:32 The reconstruction of the walls of Jerusalem. 16:35 The reconstruction of Jerusalem. 16:36 This was the great work--we find a great outcry. 16:39 And this great outcry is directed towards whom? 16:42 The great God. 16:44 And we find that in chapter 1, verse 5. 16:47 There's a great work going on. 16:48 In the midst of this great work, there's a great outcry, and this 16:51 great outcry is directed towards the great God. 16:55 Now what is surprising here, what really surprises me, is 16:58 that these people in their great outcry, usually in the Bible 17:01 when you find people crying out for unjustice or something like 17:05 that, you find them crying out because of--because of enemies. 17:08 So for example, the chosen of Israel in bondage in Egypt. 17:11 Who was the enemy? 17:14 Egypt. 17:16 The children of God, they might cry out in Babylon against the 17:18 Babylonians and you find one of the most beautiful psalms, the 17:22 Mosaic psalm or actually it's one of the psalms written as a 17:27 collective lament, crying out against the woes of exile. 17:32 Who was the enemy? 17:33 The Babylonians. 17:35 But here, you don't find them crying out against 17:37 an external enemy. 17:39 The enemy here isn't--is not someone from without, 17:42 it's from far away. 17:44 It's not an external enemy. 17:46 The enemy here is from within. 17:50 The enemy here are the Israelites themselves, 17:55 their own compatriots. 17:57 Here we find that Israelites were exploiting their own 18:01 countrymen through the economic situation of the land. 18:04 Things were so bad, and this is how we know that it was so bad, 18:07 that even the wives--the wives, the women, they were crying out. 18:11 Usually, women, they wouldn't participate in protests or in 18:14 these kinds of outcries. 18:16 And this time, in this patriarchal society, the women, 18:18 they wouldn't participate of these protests. 18:22 But here in this book we find that everyone is involved 18:25 because things were so bad and the enemy was from within. 18:30 In the middle of this crisis we find, basically, 18:32 four groups of people, okay? 18:34 And I always like in these situations in the Bible when you 18:36 find crisis, you find outcries and you find a dramatic 18:40 situation, it's always interesting--try to do this in 18:42 the future. 18:43 It's always interesting for you to see who are the groups of 18:46 people involved? 18:47 In this case, you have, basically, four groups. 18:49 First of all, you have a group of people 18:52 that were not landowners. 18:54 They owned no land. 18:56 But they were going hungry. 18:57 You see, the population was growing, food was scarce, and 19:02 people were going hungry. 19:04 They needed something to eat. 19:08 And so they turned their cry to Nehemiah, the leader. 19:11 The second group were those who did own land, they did own land, 19:16 but they had to mortgage their property to buy food. 19:19 And this appears in chapter 5, verse 3. 19:21 Apparently, high inflation made the price of everything spike. 19:26 Inflation and debt, they're capable. 19:28 And you guys, you know, we know this. 19:30 Looking around the world today in situations such as Venezuela, 19:33 we see that inflation has a very high capacity of deflating, of 19:38 decapitalizing, a nation, anyone, very quickly. 19:42 So the second group were landowners who had to mortgage 19:45 their land to do what? 19:47 To buy food, right? 19:48 That's in the beginning of chapter 5. 19:50 Third, there were those who complained about the high taxes 19:54 and they were obligated to borrow money to pay them. 19:57 So this appears in verse 4 of chapter 5. 19:59 So to obtain these loans, they needed to forfeit some kind of 20:03 collateral. 20:04 They needed to give a pledge, all right? 20:06 Which means that sooner or later, they ended up losing some 20:09 of their assets. 20:12 Every year the king of Persia, he would charge heavy tribute, 20:16 every taxes, and very little of that money would actually go 20:20 back to the province. 20:21 So here, we're really talking about taxation without what? 20:24 Representation. 20:26 Usually, these things, they would come, they would take 20:28 their tributes, their taxes, but not much or anything would go 20:31 back to the provinces in any shape or form. 20:35 So here we're having the people paying this very high tax and 20:38 nothing was coming back to them. 20:41 Does that sound familiar? 20:43 We find that around the world also, taxes going up, people 20:46 having a harder time of paying for their taxes. 20:50 The fourth group was made up by Jews who exploited their own 20:55 brothers and sisters, offering them loans and taking their 20:58 lands and their children as collateral. 21:02 You know, when you talk about--usually, when we study 21:05 the Bible, I don't know about you. 21:07 This happens to me. 21:09 This has happened to me very often. 21:10 When studying the Bible, I sometimes tend to think of it 21:13 only as something very ancient, forgetting that many of the 21:16 problems faced by these people, these were still people. 21:19 These were still people and something that I have learned 21:21 and I'm sure that you can, if you've traveled a little bit, 21:25 you'll notice this: people anywhere in the world, 21:27 people are people. 21:29 People are people. 21:30 You have different cultures, you have different kinds of 21:32 practices and traditions, but in the end, humans are humans. 21:36 And we suffer the same main problems everywhere 21:39 in every period of time. 21:40 The problems may change their face, but they stay the same. 21:45 You see, the devil, he's not very original in what he does. 21:48 He's good at camouflaging his tactics, but usually he sticks 21:51 to the same. 21:53 Why would he change? His tactics work. 21:56 So sometimes I forget or I used to forget that these were real 22:00 people living in real times with real problems. 22:03 And these problems, they're very relatable. 22:06 That's something that I find very clear in this--in the study 22:08 of this lesson. 22:10 These problems, they're very relatable for us living today. 22:13 This fourth group of people, they were people who exploited 22:15 their own brothers and sisters. 22:17 They exploited their own brothers and sisters. 22:21 In Leviticus chapter 25, verse 39 and 40, we read: "And if one 22:27 of your brothers who dwells by you becomes poor, and sells 22:32 himself to you, you shall not compel him to serve as a slave. 22:37 As a hired servant and a sojourner he shall be with you, 22:40 and he shall serve you until the Year of Jubilee." 22:44 Was this text here being followed? 22:47 No, this text was not being followed. 22:50 The law was not being followed in this case. 22:53 We find in this situation, we find children having to choose, 22:58 needing to choose, between service or hunger. 23:02 And the Bible, the Spirit of the law, the Spirit by which God 23:06 revealed His law, it was contrary to this. 23:08 We find this additionally in Deuteronomy, in many texts, but 23:11 I'm going to mention a few. 23:12 We just read Leviticus. 23:14 Look at what Deuteronomy 23:19-20 says: "You shall not 23:17 charge interest to your brother--interest on money or 23:20 food or anything that is lent out at interest. 23:24 To a foreigner you may charge interest, but to your brother 23:27 you shall not charge interest, that the Lord your God may bless 23:30 you in all which you set your hand in the land which you are 23:34 entering to possess." 23:36 They were instructed to treat each other with respect, with 23:39 love, even when they received some kind of collateral. 23:43 This we find in Deuteronomy 24:10 through 13, where it says: 23:46 "When you lend your brother anything, you shall not go into 23:50 his house to get his pledge. 23:52 You shall stand outside, and the man to whom you lend shall bring 23:56 the pledge out to you. 23:58 And if the man is poor, you shall not keep his pledge 24:00 overnight. 24:02 You shall in any case return the pledge to him again when the sun 24:06 goes down, that he may sleep in his own garment and bless you; 24:10 and it shall be righteousness to you before the Lord your God." 24:13 Additionally, Exodus 22:25-27 says: "If you lend money to any 24:18 of My people who are poor among you, you shall not be like a 24:21 moneylender to him; you shall not charge him interest. 24:25 If you ever take your brother's garment as a pledge, you shall 24:28 return it to him before the sun goes down. 24:30 For that is his only covering, it is his garment for his skin. 24:34 What will he sleep in? 24:36 And it will be that when he cries to Me, I will hear, for I 24:41 am gracious." 24:43 And even when taking a fellow Israelite as a slave, the Bible 24:48 had instructions: "If one of your brethren," this is in 24:51 Leviticus 25:35 through 38. 24:53 "If one of your brethren becomes poor, and falls into poverty 24:56 among you, then you shall help him, like a stranger or a 24:59 sojourner, that he may live with you. 25:03 Take no usury of him or interest of him; but fear your God, that 25:07 your brother may live with you. 25:09 You shall not lend your money for usury, nor lend him your 25:13 food at a profit. 25:14 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of 25:17 Egypt, to give you the land of Canaan." 25:21 Have you ever heard someone say that the God of the Old 25:23 Testament was a cruel God? 25:25 Was a God of vengeance, a hard God, a dictatorial. 25:29 Obviously, they've never read texts like this, because what I 25:33 see in these texts is a God who is doing everything that He can 25:37 to curb the natural culture of a people towards love. 25:44 Do you see that in these texts? 25:46 God is saying, "Look, if you go to someone's house and he has to 25:49 give you a pledge, don't go barging in, demanding and taking 25:53 whatever you want. 25:54 Do not do that, because I am the Lord your God and if he cries 25:57 out, I will hear." 26:00 What God says is, "Wait patiently outside. 26:02 If you do take that pledge, return it to him by the end of 26:04 the day, no matter what. 26:07 Even if he still owes you, return it to him, so that he can 26:09 sleep well, so that he may bless you." 26:14 You know, I'm a very anxious person and if, you know, if I 26:19 were living in that situation as a very, very, very poor person 26:22 and someone came and took one, you know, something of mine, a 26:25 coat, a garment, and it's the only one I have, I would not 26:29 sleep well at night because of the cold and because I'm anxious 26:32 because I lost one of the only things that I have. 26:34 Do you see how God, He cares for even the smallest feelings of 26:38 His people? 26:40 This is a loving God. 26:42 Now, one thing that is very important for us to maintain in 26:46 our mind is the concept of slavery. 26:48 You see, when we think about slavery today, we think about, 26:51 well, something terrible which slavery is, but in biblical 26:56 times slavery was a bit different. 26:59 We kind of have to forget the concept of slavery that we have 27:02 where people own people, and in ancient Israel slavery was more 27:07 of an economic resource. 27:09 So let's say that I am very poor. 27:11 I'm a very poor person and let's say that Pastor Jean, he's a 27:17 very well-to-do, you know, merchant in the city. 27:21 And, in the course of time, I have to take a loan from him and 27:25 I am unable to pay back that loan. 27:28 What can I do? 27:29 I will become his servant. 27:31 I will become his servant to pay off my loan. 27:34 Now, that's what slavery meant in Israel at least in this 27:38 period of time. 27:39 It's more of an economic resource than anything else. 27:43 So that's what we find here. 27:44 But even that can be exploited and we find God severely 27:48 regulating that. 27:49 If you read Exodus chapter 21, you'll find the Lord severely 27:54 regulating even slavery and servitude. 27:56 You see, God, He works in time. 27:59 God is an atemporal God in the sense where He is not affected 28:01 by time, He Himself. 28:03 But He is affected by time because He loves us and we are 28:07 temporal creatures. 28:08 So He comes into time and He has to deal 28:10 with culture and traditions. 28:12 You see that in many instances of the Bible God, He has to wink 28:16 at certain things. 28:18 For example, we find in the Bible that some of the kings and 28:20 some of the Bible characters, how many wives did they have? 28:23 Many. 28:24 You read about Solomon and David, they had hundreds. 28:27 I can't keep up with one. 28:29 Imagine having hundreds. 28:32 Do you think that's ideal? 28:33 Of course not. 28:35 That is not what God has in mind. 28:37 When we read the Creation, God created one man, one woman, in a 28:40 marriage, in a--as a couple. 28:42 But the Lord had to wink at that. 28:44 That was part of their culture. 28:46 He taught what was correct. 28:47 He taught what was right, and the true followers, they would 28:51 do what was right. 28:52 But you find certain people deferring from what is ideal 28:56 because of sin. 28:58 And here's something else. 28:59 Servitude, slavery. 29:01 That's something that existed in their culture and God, He had to 29:03 work through a process to reduce that 29:06 and ultimately eliminate that. 29:08 As you see history progress, you find that God's people, their 29:11 notions on morality, their notions on what is right and 29:14 what is wrong, they change. 29:16 You know, sometimes we're very impatient with God, when God is 29:19 so patient with us. 29:24 The best way I can think of, of explaining this is, for example, 29:27 how many here are parents? 29:31 I'm not raising my hand 'cause I'm a parent. 29:33 I'm not, okay? 29:34 I'm--but there are many of you here who are. 29:37 So when you have a son or a daughter and they're two years 29:39 old and they do something wrong, something bad, you discipline 29:42 them in a way that a two-year-old will understand 29:45 that they did something wrong, right? 29:47 Correct, that's--you won't discipline them as an adult or 29:50 as an older child. 29:52 But as that child grows, he becomes 5 or 7 or 10 years old, 29:55 and 12 and 15, you change your way of teaching them, don't you? 29:59 Of course you do, you have to. 30:01 You can't discipline a 15-year-old as you would a 30:02 2-year-old. 30:04 Unfortunately, there are many people that do that and we have 30:06 a whole generation of children who are unfit to be adults. 30:11 So, that's right. 30:13 That is right. 30:15 So it's the same thing with God. 30:17 Dealing with humankind, dealing with the Israelites, God started 30:20 as a parent teaching that child in the infancy and as these 30:24 children grow older, you find God changing the way that He 30:27 disciplines and He teaches them. 30:29 You find that. 30:30 That's progressive, that's called present truth. 30:32 That's what we call present truth. 30:33 The Lord educates us. 30:35 And here we find Him in that process of history, 30:37 educating His people, so here He severely regulates--He severely 30:41 regulates slavery. 30:43 You see, both the people and the land, they belong to the Lord 30:46 and He would not allow them to be exploited by themselves for 30:49 personal gain. 30:51 That was one of the main benefits of the Year of Jubilee. 30:54 The Year of Jubilee which was meant to balance the economic 30:57 system of Israel so that the rich wouldn't become richer at 31:00 the expense of the poor becoming even poorer. 31:03 Every 50 years all debts were erased, all lands were restored 31:07 to their original owners, and all the servants 31:09 were to be freed. 31:11 Now, this fourth group, the group of richer merchants, 31:14 they had been enlarging their wealth at the expense 31:18 of the poor class. 31:19 They used their power to steal from some, 31:22 to enslave some others. 31:24 Now we have to remember that greed was one of the main sins 31:27 condemned by the pre-exile prophets. 31:31 When you read the condemnation given against Israel, before 31:34 they went to Babylon in exile, one of the main sins that they 31:38 were transgressing, that they were committing, 31:40 was the sin of greed. 31:42 You find this in the book of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos. 31:45 They're condemning greed. 31:47 And now, after the exile, after coming back and having an 31:50 opportunity to start fresh, human nature is showing up again 31:54 and they're going right back to where they were. 31:56 You see, God cares for the poor. 31:58 God cares for those who are incapable of defending 32:01 themselves and their cause. 32:02 He will not leave unpunished those who take 32:06 advantage of their weakness. 32:07 In these circumstances, God becomes the power 32:11 of the powerless. 32:14 The second part of this lesson, we shift then to what happened 32:19 because of the outcry. 32:20 We hear this great outcry in the midst of this great work, 32:23 directed towards a great God, and what happens? 32:26 A great assembly is called for. 32:29 This people's outcry, they reached God because these rich 32:33 merchants, they were violating the spirit of the law. 32:35 You see, some of what the rich were doing against the poor, 32:38 it was even legal. 32:39 It was legal. 32:41 For example, a father and mother, they could become a 32:43 servant or they could sell their children. 32:45 It was legal. 32:46 By the letter of the law, that was legal. 32:48 But seeing how God's purpose is the purpose of freedom, of 32:52 liberating people, of delivering people and redeeming people, 32:56 He regulated that practice in Israel. 32:58 Loans were permitted by law. 33:00 Loans were permitted. 33:02 But the interest rates that were charged by the Jewish--that were 33:05 charged by the Israelites, they were about 12% which was small 33:12 comparatively when you compare it to the nations around them. 33:14 Some of these nations, they charged 50%, 33:16 up to 100%, of interest. 33:18 Can you imagine that? 33:20 Can you imagine someone charging 100% of interest from you? 33:24 So these Israelites, they would charge about 12% but even that 33:28 was forbidden. 33:29 They could not do that. 33:30 That did not correspond with God's will. 33:33 Nehemiah, when he hears this, he becomes outraged. 33:36 He becomes angry, indignant with what's happening, even though it 33:39 could be considered legal. 33:42 He acted immediately. 33:44 You see, the spirit of the law had been violated so Nehemiah, 33:47 being the man that he was, he acts. 33:51 It was a duty of his, as a governor, but as a Christian, 33:55 to act, to defend God's people. 33:59 God places Himself beside those that are oppressed and helpless. 34:01 He was the one who commissioned this prophet to become outraged 34:05 at the injustice committed against the poor. 34:08 You know, the ability to become outraged, to become indignant 34:12 with unjustice, that is a very biblical trait. 34:15 You find that in many biblical characters, many. 34:18 For example, in James 4:17 we read: "Therefore to him who 34:22 knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin." 34:27 You see, the concept of sin in the Bible, my friends, it's a 34:29 very deep concept. 34:30 And, unfortunately, one of the enemy's tactics is to 34:33 superficialize sin. 34:38 You see, there are at least 11 words in the Bible 34:42 that define sin. 34:43 At least 11. 34:45 And what's interesting is that not one of them are synonyms. 34:48 They're not synonyms. 34:49 Sin, if you ask a good Adventist, what is sin, 34:51 what will he tell you? 34:53 Sin is transgression of the law. 34:55 That's right, that's correct, it's in the Bible. 34:59 But that is not all. 35:01 There is more. 35:02 Sin is not only transgression of the law but as we read here in 35:05 James, we read, "To him who knows to do good and does not do 35:10 it, that is also sin." 35:11 This is what we call the sin of omission. 35:14 Sin is not only what you do, it's what you don't do. 35:17 But there's even more. 35:19 In Romans 14:23 we read: "For whatever is not from faith is," 35:23 what? 35:24 "Is sin." 35:25 So not only is sin what you do, sin can also be what you don't 35:28 do and sin can also be why you do it. 35:32 Not only what you do, not only what you don't do, 35:34 but why you do it. 35:35 Here, the apostle, he dives into the depths of human nature to 35:39 the level of motivation. 35:43 And these are only three concepts of sin. 35:45 In the Bible you find at least 11. 35:49 Sin is not so simple, my friends. 35:50 It's not only shutting off your outward sins 35:53 that you become a saint. 35:55 That's not how it happens. 35:57 It's a process. 35:58 So here, we find that--Martin Luther King, he once said that 36:03 "cowardice asks the question, 'Is it safe?' 36:06 Expediency asks the question, 'Is it polite?' 36:10 Vanity asks the question, 'Is it popular?' 36:13 But conscience asks the question, 'Is it right?' 36:17 And there comes a point where one must take a position that 36:20 is neither safe nor polite nor popular but one must take it 36:25 because his conscience tells him that it is right." 36:28 Nehemiah, he did not shirk from his duty. 36:30 He ultimately bore the best example 36:34 but we're going to get to that. 36:35 We'll get to that. 36:37 First of all, he called for a huge assembly and this is 36:39 chapter 5, verse 5 through 13. 36:41 Now, it's one thing for you to confront your enemies. 36:46 It's another thing for you to confront one of your own, 36:48 isn't it? 36:49 Who were the people here in this assembly? 36:51 You have some very powerful people, 36:52 some very influential people. 36:53 Some people that Nehemiah might need to govern Israel. 36:58 And here in Nehemiah, he's endangered of losing some very 37:02 powerful and important friends. 37:06 But that's not what he's thinking about. 37:08 Justice, the spirit of the law, was above all other 37:13 considerations. 37:15 The justice not of the letter of the law but of the spirit of the 37:18 law. 37:20 Nehemiah's outrage--and this is what we find interesting in 37:22 Nehemiah, he was a very controlled person, very 37:24 self-possessed. 37:26 We don't find his outrage in this excess of fury, but an 37:29 expression of holy zeal against how the merchants and the rich 37:33 were oppressing their brethren. 37:34 You see, Nehemiah, he was not a politician to ask, "Is this 37:36 going to be popular? 37:38 Is this going to be a safe decision?" 37:40 No, Nehemiah, he asked, "Is this right?" 37:43 And that's how true leaders act. 37:45 Is this right? 37:47 Now, I need you to remember that this problem, it wasn't created 37:50 because of the reconstruction of the walls. 37:53 The situation was not the reason for this crisis. 37:56 It only revealed it. 37:58 And that's sometimes what happens at church. 38:00 You see, the circumstances that we go through oftentimes will 38:03 tell you of what spirit we are. 38:05 Have you ever seen that? 38:07 A person that in normal circumstances appears to be very 38:10 good, very holy, but then in a situation of crisis--you know, 38:13 crisis, it doesn't usually create character. 38:16 It reveals character. 38:18 Character doesn't usually create--crisis usually doesn't 38:22 create character. 38:23 It reveals your character. 38:26 Nehemiah acts. 38:27 Verse 7 tells us that he--verse 7 tells us his thought process. 38:32 It tells us that after serious thought, which literally means 38:36 "My heart considered inside of me," he sought God's guidance. 38:39 He controlled his feelings and thought in order to offer his 38:44 people constructive leadership. 38:45 It's not by chance that Nehemiah's seen as a model of 38:50 such effective leadership in the Bible. 38:53 He then decided to call this great assembly, this great 38:56 meeting. 38:58 And Nehemiah's reprimand to those exploiting the people was 39:02 made up of five different appeals. 39:05 That's what you find in his speech. 39:07 In Nehemiah's speech, you find five different kinds of appeals. 39:10 If one doesn't work, the second one will work. 39:12 If the second one doesn't work, the third one will work. 39:14 The first appeal is an appeal for love, reminding these people 39:18 that they were exploiting their own brothers. 39:20 The word for brothers here appears four times in this 39:23 speech. 39:24 The law of Moses forbade the Jews of charging interest. 39:28 Isn't it fascinating what the Bible has to say when it comes 39:30 to money? 39:32 The Bible has a lot to say about money. 39:34 On the lips of Christ, the only subject that passes--that 39:39 surpasses the subject of money is when Jesus talks about the 39:42 kingdom of heaven. 39:43 Other than the kingdom of heaven, what Jesus most talks 39:46 about is money because Jesus knew that money changes the way 39:50 that we see people and the way that we treat people. 39:54 It's fascinating what the Bible has to say about money. 39:57 Unfortunately, we find--we find in religion today something 40:01 called the theology of prosperity where apparently 40:04 people aren't reading their Bible. 40:07 The Bible has a lot to say when it comes to money. 40:10 The second appeal we find in verse 8. 40:12 He reminded them of God's redemptive purpose for Israel. 40:16 In the past, God had freed them all from Egypt. 40:19 He had just redeemed them from Babylon and what's ironic is 40:22 that the Jewish rich lenders here, through greed, once again 40:26 they were enslaving the people. 40:28 They had left Egypt, they had left Babylon, but now in their 40:31 own home they were becoming slaves. 40:34 Verse 9, the third appeal, the governor, Nehemiah, he presents 40:38 before these guilty lenders, the witness of Israel as a nation to 40:43 the neighboring countries. 40:45 You see, God, He had called Israel to be a light to the 40:48 Gentiles, even in Old Testament times. 40:51 This is found in Isaiah 49, verse 6. 40:53 They were called to be a light to the nations around them. 40:57 The irony here is that while they rebuilt the walls of 41:00 Jerusalem to try to get back or to try to create their own 41:04 identity, the identity as a nation, they were transgressing 41:09 the reason for Israel's existence. 41:12 As they tried to rebuild the walls, as they tried to regain 41:17 their identity, they were transgressing that very identity 41:22 in doing what they were doing. 41:23 To sum up, it's a lot better to lose money but to retain the 41:28 privilege of serving God. 41:29 That's what Nehemiah says. 41:32 The fourth appeal which we find in verse 10 through 11 is 41:35 Nehemiah's personal appeal. 41:37 He appeals to his personal witness, his testimony. 41:40 He lent money to those in need without charging interest, nor 41:44 depriving them of what they had left as collateral. 41:47 Nehemiah did this. 41:48 He lent them money but he charged no interest. 41:52 In other words, Nehemiah, he wasn't the type, "Do as I say 41:55 but don't do as I do." 41:56 The famous person who walks the walk but doesn't talk--talks the 42:00 talk but doesn't walk the walk. 42:01 Have you ever seen any of those? 42:04 People that might even talk the talk but they're not available 42:08 to walk the walk. 42:10 Nehemiah led by example. 42:13 What a powerful characteristic of leadership. 42:16 He led by example. 42:19 The fifth appeal we find in verses 12 through 13. 42:21 If nothing else would work, he reminded them about the judgment 42:26 of the Lord. 42:27 How do you flee from that? 42:30 Psalm 139 says: "Where will I go? 42:32 I go to the North, I can go to the South, I go to the East and 42:35 there you are." 42:37 You can't run from that. 42:39 Praise the Lord you can't run from that. 42:41 The third portion of this lesson, this last portion of the 42:44 lesson, we find first we had the great outcry. 42:47 Then we find this great assembly coming together and discussing 42:50 this whole Nehemiah and his speech, and then you find the 42:53 oath that was made. 42:54 Nehemiah made them swear an oath before the priests and the other 42:58 officials of the city. 42:59 He then gathers up his clothing in an example, in a symbol, of 43:03 God's condemnation against the leaders that did not carry out 43:07 their vow. 43:08 This done, the congregation answered with a collective 43:10 "Amen" they agreed to that. 43:12 They were willing to that, which is something that you find--you 43:15 know, I find interesting. 43:16 These leaders, they--apparently, it struck home. 43:20 Nehemiah's speech struck and they praised the Lord. 43:24 That's what the text says. It says they praised the Lord. 43:26 You know, I always find it interesting when after some kind 43:29 of either reprimand or bad situation people in the Bible 43:32 praised the Lord. 43:33 You find Job doing that. 43:34 After all that had happened, Job, he rent his clothes and all 43:37 that and he said, "Naked I came into this world 43:40 and naked I will go out. 43:42 Praise be the name of God." 43:43 And then he worshiped God. 43:45 How do you understand that? 43:46 And you have Paul, the apostles in the prison, they praised God 43:49 as they're bound. 43:51 And here you find these people in this time of distress, they 43:56 then praise God. 43:57 In this case, I can understand the praise. 43:59 God raised up a great leader to help them go through this time 44:03 of crisis. 44:04 You know, many times, many times, effective leadership is 44:10 the solution to many problems. 44:12 And the contrary is also true. 44:15 Bad leaders are the cause of many problems. 44:18 Does that sound familiar to you? 44:22 Around the world you'll find this. 44:24 Okay, I'm not talking only about home. 44:26 Wherever you find bad leadership you'll find a country in crisis. 44:30 In this case, the people praised God because they had a great 44:32 leader. 44:33 You know, Dwight Moody once said that "a holy life will produce 44:37 the deepest impression. 44:39 Lighthouses blow no horns; they only shine." 44:42 Nehemiah was a lighthouse. 44:44 You know, Nehemiah, he never had the chance to read Philippians 44:48 2, verse 1 through 3, that beautiful text where we read 44:52 about that beautiful exhortation for fraternal love and the 44:55 example that Jesus gave of subservient love. 44:58 But even though Nehemiah never read that text, never read that 45:01 poem, Nehemiah practiced the spirit of that passage in his 45:05 life. 45:07 During the 12 long years of his first term as governor and then 45:11 Nehemiah, he served in two terms. 45:13 You find the second term in Nehemiah 13:6 through 7. 45:16 In both terms as leader, he used his influence to help people, 45:20 not to build himself of kingdom. 45:22 In those days and in our days, most people have become these 45:25 leaders, they use their influence, they use their 45:27 authority and their power to build up their own agenda, their 45:30 own appearance, their own kingdom. 45:33 You don't find that in Nehemiah. 45:34 He was a steward. 45:36 As children of God--as children of God, our example, our supreme 45:43 example, is Jesus Christ. 45:45 Unfortunately, my dear friends, there are many people today who 45:49 take others as their example. 45:51 Some people see a senator or a mayor or a president or a king 45:55 or a prime minister as their great example. 46:00 For Christians, we have but one example: Jesus Christ. 46:06 Christians follow Christ. 46:08 That's what it means to be a Christian. 46:12 On the path of true Christian leadership. 46:14 Actually, on the path of true leadership, there is always a 46:19 cross upon which the Christian leader must consent to be 46:23 nailed. 46:25 Upon the path of leadership there is always a cross upon 46:30 which any and every Christian leader must consent to be 46:34 nailed. 46:36 The question that we leave this lesson with is, well, how can I 46:40 apply this to my life? 46:42 I'm not a governor. I'm not this kind of leader. 46:44 We can just think about it. 46:46 First of all, Nehemiah, he didn't use his official funds to 46:49 cover his own expenses. 46:50 How can you apply that to your life? 46:52 There are many ways. 46:54 Nehemiah didn't use the people, he didn't exploit people, to 46:57 achieve his personal interests. 46:59 He paid for his own expensive--expenses, taking care 47:01 not to exploit anybody. 47:03 You find this in many texts such as Nehemiah 5:15, contrary to 47:08 what we see all around us every day. 47:10 Nehemiah, he walked in the fear of the Lord, upholding his 47:13 integrity, his character. 47:16 If there was something that was valuable to Nehemiah, it was his 47:18 integrity, it was his character. 47:21 Another thing that I learned personally from this man is that 47:24 he led by example. 47:26 Nehemiah was right there putting on the brakes, you know, holding 47:30 the sword in his hand, defending the city. 47:32 Nehemiah wasn't a kind of counselor who just appeared a 47:34 few times, you know, to tell people. 47:35 Have you ever seen someone like that? 47:37 That loves to give you ideas about what you should do. 47:41 I know a few people like that. 47:42 "You know, you should do this. You should do that. 47:44 I have a tip for you. I have this for you." 47:45 It's all good and fun to counsel people but you have to be 47:48 willing to also do what you're counseling people to do. 47:52 You need to lead by example. 47:53 If you want someone to do something that you yourself are 47:56 not willing to do, my friend, there's something wrong with 47:58 your counsel. 48:00 You have to be willing to submit to your own counsel. 48:02 We see that in Nehemiah. 48:03 Nehemiah was an example in yet another manner. 48:06 He did not only pay for his own food but he shared what he had 48:10 with others. 48:11 He used to feed more than 150 guests. 48:15 Chapter 5:19 indicates what is probably my favorite and most 48:20 relevant characteristic of the service that we find in 48:24 Nehemiah. 48:25 Nehemiah acted the way he did only to please whom? 48:29 God. 48:30 Nehemiah didn't act the way he did for flattery. 48:32 He didn't want to be patronized. 48:33 He didn't want to be recognized. 48:35 He didn't do what he did for compliments or for rewards. 48:38 Nehemiah wanted to serve God. 48:41 That was his interest. 48:43 That's what he wanted. 48:44 So for those of you, for those of all of us, who are called for 48:47 spiritual leadership and, my friends, all of us are called 48:50 for spiritual leadership, this isn't something optional. 48:53 At home or at work or at school, every person who has a 48:57 relationship with Jesus Christ is called to bear witness of 49:01 that relationship. 49:02 You know what that "bearing witness" means? 49:04 It means spiritual leadership. 49:05 That's what it means. 49:07 There's no escaping this. 49:09 So be who you may be, you were called to be a spiritual leader 49:13 of God. 49:14 That's what the Bible tells us. 49:16 So for those of all of us who are in positions of spiritual 49:19 leadership, this chapter provides some very important 49:22 lessons. 49:23 First, and I'm going to speed through this. 49:25 First, you can expect problems when you're dealing with people. 49:29 Where there are people, there are problems, okay? 49:31 Where there are people, there are problems. 49:33 Don't be surprised if when you're, you know, teaching or 49:36 when you're leading, people, they have conflicts. 49:39 You see, wherever the gospel prospers, the enemy will do 49:42 everything he can to bring chaos. 49:46 Where there are people, there are problems. 49:47 Second of all, face your problems boldly. 49:51 There are some people who like to bury their problems and the 49:54 only result of that is that these problems, they grow deeper 49:57 roots and more bitter fruits. 49:59 Deal with your problems. 50:02 Face them. 50:04 In Portuguese we have a saying that says, "Take the bull by its 50:07 horns, look it dead in the eye, and face it." 50:11 That's what Christians are called to do. 50:13 We're not called to be, you know, shying away from our 50:15 problems. 50:17 No, we have to face our problems. 50:18 As a good leader, face your problems. 50:20 Deal with them as fast as you can. 50:23 Third, certify yourself that your own integrity remains 50:26 intact. 50:28 A guilty conscience destroys the spiritual authority needed for 50:31 effective leadership. 50:32 A guilty conscience will destroy the spiritual authority that you 50:35 might have for your spiritual leadership. 50:37 So don't have a guilty conscience. 50:40 Keep your integrity intact. 50:42 Finally, understand that each problem that you may face, every 50:45 problem that you might face, is an opportunity for God to act. 50:51 Every problem, every challenge, every obstacle, is a great 50:55 opportunity for God to act in your life. 50:58 So even so, we can praise God for our problems because He will 51:02 then act, He will then work, in our life. 51:05 You see, my friends, solving problems in God's service is not 51:08 primarily an intellectual exercise. 51:10 It's a spiritual experience. 51:15 It's a spiritual experience. 51:17 If we depend on the wisdom from the world, we will only obtain 51:20 what the world has and that is very little. 51:23 If we depend on the wisdom from above, then we will have what 51:26 heaven has to offer and that is everything. 51:29 So true Christian leaders are ordinary people that have that 51:32 extraordinary desire to serve God, to be the spiritual leaders 51:36 that they can, to be true leaders, lead by example, lead 51:39 by love. 51:41 So apply these principles in your life and I'm sure that you 51:44 will be the very effective leader that God 51:46 has called you to be. 51:47 I thank you for being here for our Bible study hour 51:50 this Sabbath. 51:51 I am very excited for you to participate with us next week. 51:54 Don't forget our "Tiny Troublemaker," our free offer 51:58 that appears if--you can obtain this if you text the letters and 52:02 the numbers "SH133" to the number 40544 and you'll be able 52:07 to have a digital copy of this free offer or you can call 52:13 866-788-3966 and you will be able to get 52:17 a free copy of this at your home. 52:19 May God bless you. May God be with you. 52:21 Have a very good day. 52:23 male announcer: Don't forget to request today's life-changing 52:26 free resource. 52:27 Not only can you receive this free gift in the mail, you can 52:30 download a digital copy straight to your computer 52:32 or mobile device. 52:33 To get your digital copy of today's free gift, simply text 52:37 the key word on your screen to 40544 or visit the web address 52:41 shown on your screen, and be sure to select the digital 52:44 download option on the request page. 52:47 It's now easier than ever for you to study God's Word with 52:50 "Amazing Facts," wherever and whenever you want and most 52:54 important, to share it with others. 52:57 ♪♪♪ 53:06 ♪♪♪ 53:09 Doug Batchelor: Port Royal here in Jamaica was once 53:11 considered the most wicked city in the world. 53:13 They had more bars and brothels per square foot than any other 53:18 place on the planet. 53:19 It was said to be just full of cutthroats and pirates but 53:21 during this time the king of France, Louis XIV, he began to 53:26 persecute the Protestants and the Huguenots in the kingdom 53:28 and many fled. 53:30 That's when Lewis Galdy and his brother Laurent came 53:33 to Port Royal. 53:36 When Lewis Galdy arrived, he was absolutely dumbfounded at the 53:39 unrestrained immorality, violence, and extravagance that 53:42 filled Port Royal. 53:44 That's why nobody was surprised when the judgment 53:46 of God finally happened. 53:48 Just before noon on June 7, 1692, there was a massive 53:52 earthquake that affected the whole island, 53:54 Port Royal in particular. 53:56 Two-thirds of it slid into the sea. 53:59 Then came a tsunami. 54:00 Thousands perished. 54:02 Unfortunately, even Lewis Galdy was swallowed up 54:05 in the earthquake. 54:09 You know, much of Jamaica is rock but Port Royal was built on 54:12 the sand and so when the earthquake struck, the sand 54:16 virtually liquefied, swallowing much of the city 54:18 and thousands of people. 54:20 Lewis Galdy was buried alive, but while underground he was 54:24 still conscious and he prayed. 54:26 He resigned himself to his fate, prayed to the Lord, and then 54:30 another miracle happened. 54:32 There was an aftershock with volcanic activity that exploded, 54:35 blowing Lewis Galdy out of the earth, hundreds of yards, off 54:39 into the sea, where he had a pretty hard landing but he was 54:42 able to swim until he was rescued. 54:44 Lewis Galdy dedicated the remaining 47 years of his life 54:47 to serving Jesus in this island and he's even buried here 54:51 still today. 54:52 ♪♪♪ 54:56 Doug: You know, the Bible tells us just before Jesus comes 54:58 back conditions in the world will be very much like they were 55:01 in Sodom and Port Royal. 55:04 There's going to be a tremendous earthquake and even islands will 55:06 be swallowed up. 55:08 But God's people don't need to be afraid. 55:10 The same way that the Lord took care of Lewis Galdy, He will 55:12 take care of you. 55:14 It says in Psalm 91 that you might see 1000 fall at your side 55:17 or 10,000 at your right hand, but only with your eyes will you 55:20 see and behold the destruction of the wicked. 55:22 He can protect you and resurrect you. 55:25 ♪♪♪ 55:36 announcer: In six days God created the heavens and the 55:39 earth. 55:40 For thousands of years man has worshiped God on the seventh day 55:44 of the week. 55:45 Now, each week, millions of people worship on the first day. 55:49 What happened? 55:51 Why did God create a day of rest? 55:53 Does it really matter what day we worship? 55:56 Who was behind this great shift? 55:58 Discover the truth behind God's law and how it was changed. 56:01 Visit SabbathTruth.com. 56:06 announcer: You can become a Bible expert with the "Amazing 56:09 Facts Storacles of Prophecy" Bible study experience now 56:13 available in 18 languages. 56:15 These 24 easy-to-read lessons will give you confidence about 56:18 what the Bible really says about last-day prophecy, the 56:22 afterlife, and so much more. 56:24 Even better, it's absolutely free at storacles.com. 56:28 Don't miss out. 56:29 Get the answers you need for a happier, healthier life today 56:32 at storacles.com. 56:36 ♪♪♪ 56:46 Doug: Friends, one of the amazing things that you'll often 56:48 find in the South Pacific Islands, like here on Fiji, is 56:52 the vivi plant. 56:53 Now, in North America if you want to build a fence, you've 56:55 got to get fence posts and then you put the wooden fence posts 56:58 in the ground and then after a few years they're going to rot 57:01 and break off unless they're specially treated. 57:03 But here, they've got these trees, the vivi tree, they can 57:06 cut them right out of the woods. 57:08 They'll take a stick, they stick it in the ground. 57:11 And because they have so much rain and precipitation, it 57:14 begins to sprout and turns into a living fence post. 57:17 It makes up its mind that it's going to flourish wherever you 57:19 stick it, which is a good lesson for you and me. 57:22 So you might wonder sometimes if you've got a purpose in life. 57:25 You might feel like you're growing sort of sporadically in 57:28 every direction and then along comes this person who cuts you 57:31 down and carries you off. 57:33 He sticks you in the ground but you look back and you say, 57:36 "There was a plan. 57:37 There was a purpose." 57:39 God knows how to teach us how to prosper where He plants us. 57:43 You might wonder why the Lord has put you where He has in life 57:45 but you can put down roots and you can grow and you can serve a 57:49 great purpose for God. 57:51 You know, it's like God says in Jeremiah chapter 29: "I know the 57:54 plans that I've got for you to give you a future." 57:56 God has a purpose for your life, friends, and He can help you to 57:59 prosper and grow wherever you're planted. 58:02 ♪♪♪ 58:10 ♪♪♪ 58:21 ♪♪♪ |
Revised 2019-10-28