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00:11 ♪♪♪ 00:21 ♪♪♪ 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 in Sacramento, California. 00:42 I'd like to welcome those who are joining us online. 00:45 I know we have a number of our online church members, part of 00:48 our Sabbath School, and we want to welcome you, as well as those 00:52 joining us across the country and around the world. 00:54 And as always, we'd like to welcome our regular church 00:57 members here for Sabbath School and those 00:58 who are visiting with us today. 01:00 We're just delighted that you're joining us. 01:02 Now, for those of you who have been attending over the past few 01:05 weeks, you know that we've started a new study dealing 01:08 with the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. 01:11 It's actually the title of our lesson quarterly, 01:12 Ezra and Nehemiah. 01:14 Today we find ourselves on lesson number six, entitled 01:18 "The Reading of the Word," so a very important study. 01:21 We do have a free offer, friends, that go along with our 01:24 study today, a book written by our own Pastor Doug Batchelor, 01:27 "The Ultimate Resource," and this is our free offer 01:30 for anyone who is watching. 01:32 If you'd like to receive it, all you have to do is give us 01:34 a call, and that number is...and ask for our offer, 01:42 offer number 728. 01:44 Or if you like, you'll be able to text the following code SH091 01:49 to the number 40544, and you'll be able to download 01:55 the book, "The Ultimate Resource." 01:57 We'll send it to you and you'll be able to read it online. 02:00 Now, for those of you who might not have a copy of our lesson 02:03 for today, you can download that by simply 02:06 going to lesson.aftv.org. 02:10 Again, that's lesson.aftv.org. 02:13 That's lesson number six, and it's entitled 02:15 "The Reading of the Word." 02:17 Well, before we get to our study, we have a special 02:20 musical item that's going to be brought to us by 02:22 the Granite Bay Church Choir. 02:26 ♪♪♪ 02:36 ♪♪♪ 02:47 ♪ There's a land that is fairer than day, ♪ 02:53 ♪ and by faith we can see it afar; ♪ 02:59 ♪ for the Father waits over the way ♪ 03:05 ♪ to prepare us a dwelling place there. ♪ 03:16 ♪ There's a land that is fairer than day, ♪ 03:21 ♪ and by faith we can see it afar; ♪ 03:27 ♪ for the Father waits over the way ♪ 03:32 ♪ to prepare us a dwelling place there. ♪ 03:38 ♪ In the sweet ♪ 03:41 ♪ by and by, ♪ 03:43 ♪ we shall meet on that beautiful shore. ♪ 03:49 ♪ In the sweet ♪ 03:52 ♪ by and by, ♪ 03:55 ♪ we shall meet on that beautiful shore. ♪ 04:03 ♪ We shall sing on that beautiful shore ♪ 04:09 ♪ the melodious songs of the blest, ♪ 04:14 ♪ and our spirits shall sorrow no more ♪ 04:20 ♪ not a sight for the blessing of rest. ♪ 04:26 ♪ In the sweet ♪ 04:29 ♪ by and by, ♪ 04:32 ♪ we shall meet on that beautiful shore. ♪ 04:38 ♪ In the sweet ♪ 04:41 ♪ by and by, ♪ 04:44 ♪ we shall meet on that beautiful shore. ♪ 04:53 ♪ To our bountiful Father above ♪ 04:59 ♪ we will offer our tribute of praise; ♪ 05:04 ♪ for the glorious gift of His love ♪ 05:10 ♪ and the blessings that hallow our days. ♪ 05:16 ♪ In the sweet ♪ 05:19 ♪ by and by, ♪ 05:22 ♪ we shall meet on that beautiful shore. ♪ 05:28 ♪ In the sweet ♪ 05:31 ♪ by and by, ♪ 05:35 ♪ we shall meet on that beautiful shore. ♪ 05:46 ♪ We shall meet ♪ 05:51 ♪ on that beautiful shore. ♪♪ 06:14 Jean: Dear Father, once again, we are grateful that we have 06:16 this opportunity to gather together and open up 06:18 Your Word and study together, studying about the Word. 06:21 So, we do pray Your blessing upon our time today. 06:24 In Jesus's name, amen. 06:27 Our lesson today is going to be brought to us by Pastor Doug. 06:31 Pastor Doug Batchelor: How is everybody? 06:35 It's good to be back home. 06:38 Seems like Mrs. Batchelor and I've been traveling a lot. 06:42 We had a good experience being with some of the 06:46 members from around the world. 06:48 This week we were at the annual council meeting where the 06:52 various members of the executive committee come together and they 06:55 talk about just the state of the church, the finances, different 06:59 policies and vote, maybe some changes to different things. 07:04 And it was good to see the way the work of God is progressing 07:08 around the world and some good things came out of that meeting. 07:11 So anyway, still adjusting to the time change. 07:15 But I trust that if I can stay awake, you can, amen. 07:20 Is that a deal, promise? 07:23 We are going through our lesson dealing with the 07:26 subject of Ezra and Nehemiah. 07:28 It's really a very good lesson today, and it's talking 07:31 about the reading of the Word, one of my favorite subjects, 07:35 the reading of the Word. 07:36 Everything springs from the Bible. 07:38 And we have a memory verse. 07:41 The memory verses from Nehemiah 8:8. 07:44 Are you with me? 07:45 We're going to say it together. Here we go. 07:47 Nehemiah 8:8, and this is the New King James Version. 07:49 You can just say it out loud from the lesson 07:51 quarterly if you'd like. 07:53 "So they read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God; and 07:59 they gave the sense, and helped them to understand the reading." 08:04 We're going to delve more about the importance 08:06 of understanding what you read a little later. 08:09 Now, the principal purpose of the study today when 08:12 we go through a quarterly, the goal of the writer is to take us 08:17 through the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. 08:19 And they'll do that in different sections and pieces 08:21 as it makes sense. 08:23 Today, our assignment is Nehemiah 8, verses 1 through 12. 08:26 So, if you have your Bible, to make sure we at least 08:29 get through the principal assignment, I'm going to do 08:31 my best to just read this. 08:34 And there's a lot of names in this passage, 08:38 a lot of Hebrew names. 08:39 So, you just, I hope that you'll extend grace as I do 08:42 my best to pronounce these. 08:44 If there's any Hebrew scholars out there, then preoccupy 08:48 yourself doing something else for a few minutes. 08:51 All right, let's look here at Nehemiah chapter 8. 08:55 "Now all the people gathered together as one man 08:58 in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate--" 09:02 This is a gate that would have led from the temple outside 09:05 of the city towards the Kidron Valley. 09:08 "And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law 09:11 of Moses, which the Lord had commanded Israel. 09:16 So Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly." 09:19 Now, when they say, "brought the law," 09:20 they're talking about the Torah. 09:22 It's probably the five books of Moses is what 09:24 we call the Pentateuch. 09:26 Penta means five, we've got the Pentagon in America, 09:29 one of the world's biggest buildings, not the biggest, 09:31 but one of them, and it's got five sides. 09:35 The Pentateuch was the five books of Moses. 09:39 And so, they said, "Bring the law with you," 09:42 which Moses commanded Israel. 09:44 "So Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly of men 09:47 and women and all who could hear with understanding 09:52 on the first day of the seventh month. 09:55 Then he read from it in the open square that was in front 09:59 of the Water Gate from morning until midday." 10:02 Now, some of you already said, 10:03 "How long is Pastor going to read?" 10:06 It's only been a few minutes, they read six hours. 10:10 So, how long would our church survive 10:13 if I preached five hours? 10:17 Not long. 10:20 So, they--and they stood while this is happening. 10:27 And so, "He read from the law in the open square 10:29 in front of the Water Gate and all those--from morning until 10:34 midday, before the men and the women, 10:37 all those who could understand." 10:38 So, there were children present. 10:43 "And the ears of all the people were attentive 10:45 to hear the Book of the Law. 10:48 So Ezra the scribe stood on a platform of wood which they 10:52 had made," they put them in an elevated place 10:54 so his voice will carry for the purpose. 10:57 "And beside him, at his right hand, was Mattithiah, Shema, 11:03 Anaiah, Urijah, Hilkiah, Maaseiah; and to the left 11:08 were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, 11:14 Hashbadana, Zechariah, Meshullam. 11:19 And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he 11:22 was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, 11:25 all the people stood up. 11:28 And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God. 11:31 Then all the people answered, 'Amen, Amen!' 11:34 while lifting their hands. 11:36 And they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord 11:39 with their faces to the ground. 11:41 Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, 11:49 Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita," all right, what is it? 11:55 "Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, 12:03 helped the people to understand the law." 12:05 So, they were surrounded with different Levites 12:07 and they're teaching it. 12:09 "And the people stood in their place. 12:11 So they read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God; and 12:15 they gave the sense, and helped them to understand the reading." 12:19 Okay, we're going to stop there. 12:20 In a little bit, we'll go from verses 9 through verse 12. 12:24 So, let's just talk about the lesson today 12:26 and what's happening here. 12:28 This is a time when, of course, the captives have come back. 12:30 They spent many years in Babylon. 12:34 The people who are coming back from captivity of Ezra and 12:37 Nehemiah, many of them had been there longer than 70 years. 12:43 Now, keep in mind, there's a message in the Bible 12:46 about coming out of Babylon. 12:49 Where do we find that? 12:52 In Revelation, you can read in chapter 17. 12:56 It talks about Babylon is fallen. 12:58 Chapter 18 talks about the fall of Babylon. 13:00 There's a message, "Babylon is fallen, 13:03 come out of her, my people." 13:05 To understand revelation, you really need to understand 13:09 what happened when the children of Israel 13:10 were carried off to Babylon. 13:12 He said, "You're going to be in Babylon because 13:14 of your sins for a limited period of time." 13:17 And when it talks about the 70 years in Babylon, 13:20 it's not saying that they were all there 70 years. 13:24 It's said the king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, would reign 13:28 over these various kingdoms 70 years. 13:30 And so, it's really 70 years of his subjugating these 13:33 kingdoms until Babylon fell. 13:35 Some of the Israelites weren't there the full 70 years. 13:39 So, the captivity when Jerusalem fell during the time of 13:42 Zedekiah until Babylon fell was not a full 70 years. 13:49 It was actually less than that. 13:51 Nebuchadnezzar conquering Israel and carrying them away captive 13:55 in these other kingdoms like Egypt, that was the 70 years, 13:59 the period of time. 14:00 Hope that made sense. 14:01 So, not only had they been there seven years, but after Cyrus 14:05 becomes king, he tells them they can go home. 14:09 There's about 50,000 Jews that decide to go back, but 14:13 there's a whole lot that decided to stay. 14:15 Now, if you went to live somewhere for 70 years, 14:20 how many generations go by? 14:24 I'm not 70 yet. I've got eight grandchildren. 14:29 You live somewhere that long, have you noticed that the first 14:32 generation of people that come from another country, 14:36 they struggle to learn the language? 14:38 The kids, they learn it very quickly. 14:42 I've got several families I've known, they come, 14:45 for instance, from Mexico. 14:47 The mother and father, their first language is Spanish. 14:52 They come into the United States. 14:54 They got three young children and in two years, the kids are 14:59 speaking fluently because they're in school every day. 15:02 They pick it up and very little accent. 15:06 Twenty years later the parents are struggling. 15:09 It's true. 15:10 Haven't you seen this? Yeah, to speak the language. 15:13 But then by the third generation, the children 15:18 of the Spanish couple, they have children, 15:22 their children stop understanding Spanish. 15:26 So, by the time this group comes out of Babylon, 15:29 it's not just 70 years. 15:31 Ezra is years after Zerubbabel, who's come. 15:36 They've been in Babylon a long time. 15:37 They've got comfortable, they got family, 15:39 they know the system. 15:40 They know the language, they make their way around. 15:42 They've got their friends and their neighbors. 15:44 And then God says, "Come to Jerusalem." 15:48 It's sort of a desert country, lots of rocks everywhere 15:52 that had been burned by the Babylonians. 15:54 It's been conquered. 15:55 They're struggling with unemployment. 15:57 "Come it's the country of God." And you go, "I'll pray for you." 16:03 And so, they become so comfortable in Babylon, 16:05 a lot of them didn't want to go out. 16:07 But then God says, "Look, this is My land. 16:09 I'm calling you out. 16:12 So, are you going to follow Me or not?" 16:15 This is the same issue with God's people in the last days. 16:19 He calls us out of where we may be comfortable to 16:23 be where he wants us to be. 16:25 It's the blessed land, right? 16:28 And so, but we get so comfortable, we get so used to 16:31 Babylon, and Babylonian way of thinking, the culture 16:35 of the world that's coming to a holy life is difficult. 16:40 Now, don't forget, God calls Abraham out of Babylon 16:43 to the Promised Land. 16:45 He brings Sarai, his wife later known as Sarah. 16:49 Then when Abraham wants to get a son for Isaac, he says, 16:52 "Don't marry one of the local girls. 16:54 Go get her from Mesopotamia." 16:56 So, it's like Babylon, across the Euphrates. 16:58 That was that whole area. 17:01 And then when it comes time for--so Rachel is--I'm sorry, 17:04 Rebekah is brought from Babylon, you might say, to the 17:08 Promised Land, when it comes time for Jacob to get married. 17:11 These are the great patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, 17:14 where does he go? 17:15 He goes back again to Heron, crosses Euphrates, gets his 17:19 wife, brings her out of Babylon back to the Promised Land. 17:24 And then you have the high priest, Joshua, who helps lead 17:28 that first group out of Babylon into the Promised Land. 17:31 Now, do we have a Joshua that wants to lead his people 17:34 out of Babylon, his bride into the Promised Land? 17:38 So, you've got this pattern that keeps fulfilling 17:40 itself through bible history. 17:43 All right, let's go to first section here under Sunday, 17:47 the people gathered together. 17:48 And so, it says, "They gathered together at one," back 17:51 in Nehemiah 8, verse 1, "in the open square in front of the 17:54 Water Gate, and Ezra brings the Torah, the Book of the Law. 18:00 And he brings all the men and the women, and all could hear." 18:04 Now, there may have been little children that were just a little 18:06 too young to understand, but I think we might be surprised, 18:10 some of those kids may have been six, seven, eight years old, 18:14 but came old enough to hear and understand what was being read. 18:18 Sometimes I think we underestimate the youth and 18:22 their ability to comprehend the simple reading of the Word. 18:25 You know, we bring kids to a church program, and I know a lot 18:29 of churches, they have the adult church, but then they have a 18:32 separate church for the kids and they really dumb it down. 18:35 You know, they'll have a little puppet show or something. 18:37 Where I found that kids understand 18:41 the teaching of the Word. 18:43 And so, they could understand what was being read. 18:49 "And he read from it in the open square that was in front of the 18:52 Water Gate from morning until midday, before the men 18:56 and the women that those who could understand." 18:58 And notice this, "And the ears of all the people were attentive 19:02 to the Book of the Law." 19:03 What does that mean? 19:06 They're attentive. They're listening. 19:09 They're hungry. They're understanding. 19:12 They may not have heard the words of Moses, they probably 19:15 had snippets of it, little passages that were read, but 19:17 they hadn't heard the whole panorama of the Torah read 19:20 to them like this in their whole lives. 19:24 And they're going, "Wow, that's why we are who we are. 19:29 It's all coming together now. It's all making sense." 19:32 Sometimes you need to just take people through it. 19:36 And so, they're saying, "This is why we built a temple. 19:40 This is why we were carried away captive." 19:41 You realize in the book of Moses in Deuteronomy it said, "And if 19:46 you're unfaithful, your nations around you will come and 19:50 they'll conquer you, they will carry you away to their land." 19:55 So, everything that had happened to them is being read. 19:57 The prophecies of their whole history is being read to them. 20:01 And you might be thinking, how could you go 20:03 through all of that? 20:04 Well, there may have been places that he paused. 20:06 You can read the book of Deuteronomy, which is a whole 20:09 book, in Deuteronomy is one entire sermon of Moses did, 20:13 probably 90 minutes, depends on your reading speed, of course. 20:18 And so, you could read through the whole Torah in six hours. 20:23 And they may have left some spots out, I don't know, 20:28 but they're getting the whole panorama of Genesis, and 20:32 Exodus, and Leviticus, and Numbers, and Deuteronomy. 20:37 Maybe he skipped some of the Numbers, I don't know. 20:40 And so, they're reading through it and the people are hungry, 20:42 they're listening to understand. 20:45 You can read in Acts chapter 15, verse 21, this was a part of the 20:50 law of Moses said that you were to read to the people. 20:54 It said, "For Moses has had throughout many generations 20:57 those who preach him in every city, being read 21:01 in the synagogues every Sabbath." 21:04 So, what was the custom among the Jews? 21:05 What did they do when they came together on Sabbath? 21:09 They read from the Word. What did Jesus do? 21:13 It says, "As his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the 21:16 Sabbath day and he stood up and read from the Word." 21:22 Remember it says, "And they brought him the scroll of 21:23 Isaiah, and he read to them from Isaiah chapter 61." 21:28 So, the custom of the Jews, it says in every city, not just in 21:31 Jerusalem, but wherever the Jews were, they built a synagogue, 21:33 and what did they do on the Sabbath? 21:36 They came together to read the Word, not only did they read the 21:38 Word, they study the Word, which is what we do at Sabbath School. 21:41 It's a little more teaching. 21:43 Now, is there a difference between teaching and preaching? 21:46 Teaching is a little more talkative, and it's in the kind 21:52 of the Socratic method where you're asking questions. 21:56 And you notice what happened. 21:59 It says that they had these Levites that were 22:01 scattered throughout this. 22:03 They had a wide spot, a wide courtyard before the gate. 22:08 And we've been to Israel and they've got some of these 22:10 streets, and before you get to the gates, there's 22:12 big wide areas, even in the ancient city today. 22:16 And so, all the people were gathered, and Ezra was 22:18 on an elevated platform, and he's teaching. 22:21 But as he's reading from the Word, it says that they've got 22:23 these Levites scattered among the thousands of people who are 22:27 there, and they must have broken up into different groups, where 22:31 they're then asking questions and it says they're giving 22:33 the sense, and they're explaining the Scriptures. 22:37 So, it was a big preaching teaching fest that they had 22:41 as he was reading the Word to the people. 22:43 And you know what I also think is very important, I believe 22:48 that Ezra, as a scribe, knew how to read the Word. 22:54 Have you ever heard people read and it's just kind of 22:56 monotonous, and you're going... 23:00 [mumbling] 23:07 But then you've heard good readers, there's enunciation, 23:10 there's inflection, they don't have all these run-on sentences. 23:13 They understand how to use the punctuation to keep you engaged. 23:18 They got a lot of people that they are professional readers, 23:22 and they read books online, you know, these-- 23:25 all kinds of books now. 23:26 They got, you know, I forget what the different services 23:28 or audio book and some people download. 23:31 So, as they're driving, they listen to someone read a book. 23:33 They don't have time to sit and read it, but they'll 23:35 listen to someone read it. 23:36 Well, not anybody can read a book. 23:39 They get people who are good at it, and they put emotion 23:42 into it, and they put the right emphasis in it. 23:47 And it can make it much more interesting. 23:48 I think that as Ezra was reading it, 23:51 he was reading it with heart. 23:53 And I get aggravated sometimes even when I'm listening 23:58 to audiotapes of like the New Testament, and I hear people 24:03 reading the teachings of Jesus. 24:06 And I think, "No, He didn't say it like that. 24:10 Yes, you read the right words, but you read it 24:13 with the wrong emphasis." 24:15 It's like I'll hear them go they're reading the words 24:18 of Jesus He says, "Woe, to you scribes 24:21 and Pharisees, hypocrites." 24:23 And it's just like really mean, and I don't think 24:25 Jesus did it like that. 24:27 If you read in "Desire of Ages" it said, He did it 24:29 with tears in His voice. 24:31 That would be different, right? 24:33 And so, how something is read makes a world of difference. 24:38 And when you read the Word of God, you want to be able to do 24:41 it in the Spirit of God so you can read it the right way. 24:45 And then you continue on here in verse 4 Ezra--I'm sorry, 24:49 Nehemiah 8, verse 4. 24:52 "So Ezra, the scribe, stood on a platform of wood, 24:55 which they have made for this purpose." 24:57 You know what that tells us? 25:00 Make sure when you're going to read the Word to 25:01 someone they can hear you. 25:05 He got up in a position where they could hear. 25:07 Later in the message today we're talking about the Beatitudes, 25:10 but I know people watching now, maybe not hear that later. 25:13 And when Jesus went out to teach, he always made it 25:16 a point to get where people can hear Him. 25:19 He said, "Look, they're not going to hear Me teaching 25:22 crushed on the shore. 25:23 Peter, can I borrow your boat? 25:25 If I take the boat out and drop the anchor about, you know, 25:27 50 feet away, the water will carry the sound. 25:31 People will hear Me a lot better." 25:33 Because the hill carries up, it creates a natural amphitheater. 25:36 When Jesus delivers the Sermon on the Mount, He takes him up to 25:40 a mountain side where there's sort of a big amphitheater 25:45 in the hills, and Jesus sits on a prominent 25:47 knoll where they can hear Him. 25:50 I've gone to do evangelistic meetings before, and they bring 25:52 me out to the platform or I'm a guest speaker somewhere, and 25:55 as soon as I get up, I start to talk I realized 25:57 there's a PA problem. 26:00 There's a bad echo, or the mic's not adjusted right. 26:04 And people think, "What is Pastor Doug doing? 26:07 He's fooling with the microphone." 26:09 Or I'll stop while I'm speaking, I'll talk to the PA guy say, 26:12 "You need to move the monitor, turn the monitor down, 26:15 get rid of that echo." 26:16 Right at the beginning I say, "Look, there's something wrong 26:19 with the way they're hearing right now. 26:21 If I don't fix this, this whole hour is a waste," 26:24 assuming I preach an hour. 26:26 And so, one of the first things you want to do 26:27 if you're teaching, make sure they're going to hear you. 26:30 Does that make sense? 26:31 It's exasperating to me when I've seen public speakers who 26:35 are going on and on in a message where there's some kind 26:38 of technical problem that could easily be fixed, 26:40 and you can't hear them. 26:42 Their microphone is not working. 26:43 You ever noticed when I'm preaching, I'm going like this? 26:45 That makes a small little adjustment here, and I'm trying 26:49 to keep this thing just the right distance from 26:51 my mouth because I want you to hear. 26:54 And so, I just always think, fix the audio so they can hear 27:00 because what good is the Word if they don't hear? 27:04 So, He got up on a platform to make sure they could listen, 27:07 but He was too far away from some of the people so 27:09 He sent the Levites out in the crowd and He said, 27:12 "Aren't you guys here trained?" 27:13 Go out there, answer their questions so they can hear." 27:16 How many of you have been to a Sabbath School class in a church 27:19 before where they don't have enough classrooms, so 27:22 they put two, or three, or four classrooms in the sanctuary? 27:26 Let me see your hands. Have you done that, yeah. 27:29 And you'll be sitting here and there's a teacher here, 27:31 and then a little further back. 27:33 They try to move them around strategically, 27:34 but there'll be another teacher there. 27:35 And then they'll put another teacher over here, and teach 27:37 over here, and they got their little clusters of students, 27:39 and they're all teaching. 27:42 The problem is usually one of the teacher's whose got a 27:44 great booming voice, but he's here and you're over here, and 27:49 you're having a hard time paying attention to your teacher 27:51 because he just made a great point over here. 27:54 But then your teacher asks you a question. 27:56 You go, "Huh, I was listening to him." 27:59 You ever been to that church before? 28:01 And it's like it's a cacophony. It's like babbling. 28:05 And if you get older, you know, it's hard to hear in a room 28:08 where there's a lot of background noise. 28:11 Like me, if I'm in a crowd and I'm talking to a bunch 28:14 of people, I'm just going, "Yeah, I agree with you." 28:18 I don't know what they're saying. 28:20 Or you ever gone to a dinner in a busy restaurant and it's like, 28:22 you know, they take all the pastors out, and you 28:26 all sit there at this long table. 28:28 I can almost barely hear the person just right next to me. 28:32 You're not really getting the visit with anyone else. 28:35 And so, one of the keys is very practical in teaching 28:38 and preaching is make sure people can hear you 28:41 and arrange it that way. 28:44 All right, so that was just a pet peeve of mine about those 28:47 Babylonian Sabbath school classes where it-- 28:51 and you hear everybody all at once. 28:55 Now, if you're really good, you sit between two classes 28:59 and you take it all in. 29:00 You learn twice as much, so. 29:04 "So he stood on a platform of wood which 29:06 they had made for this purpose. 29:08 And beside him at his right hand stood--" 29:10 I read these fellas names again. 29:13 I'm not going to agonize through it again. 29:17 "And Ezra opened the book in the sight of the people, 29:19 for he was standing above all the people--" 29:21 Now, when he opened the book, he didn't have a book like this. 29:24 He had a scroll, but they use the same word. 29:27 He began to unroll the scroll so he could start reading. 29:29 And keep in mind the Jews, they unrolled it from the 29:32 other side because they read from right to left. 29:36 And so, "He opens it in the sight of all the people. 29:40 He was standing above all the people and when he opened it, 29:43 the people stood up." 29:44 Now have you noticed here at Granite Bay, and you've probably 29:46 seen in other churches, that when we have 29:48 our Scripture reading, what do we do? 29:51 We stand. Why do we stand? 29:53 You ever seen people do the Pledge of Allegiance 29:55 sitting down? 29:57 Assuming they're not handicapped, they stand. 29:58 Why do we stand? 30:00 When someone important comes into the room, and sometimes 30:04 just a gentleman when you're at a table and they bring 30:06 someone in to introduce you, you stand up. 30:08 It's just a sign of respect. 30:11 And I remember when I was a young teenager, I'd, you know, 30:16 be slouching in the chair and my dad would bring in some guests, 30:19 and he'd kind of kick me in the shins say, "Get up." 30:23 And you're teaching your kids respect. 30:26 So, when we're getting ready to hear from the Lord and someone's 30:32 ready to read the Scripture, that would usually be the 30:34 foundation for the proclamation of the Word as a sign of respect 30:38 because of this verse here in Ezra. 30:41 It's sort of Exhibit A, we stand, and that's what they did. 30:47 And it says that, "He opened the book in the sight of the people. 30:50 He was standing above the people and when he opened it, 30:53 the people stood up." 30:55 And Ezra, "Bless the Lord, the great God." 30:58 And the they had an invocation, you might say. 31:02 "And all the people answered, 'Amen, Amen!' 31:06 while lifting their hands. 31:08 And they bowed their heads--" 31:09 So, another quick point I just want to drop in here, 31:13 do you always have to kneel when you pray? 31:16 I think it's important to kneel at some point during 31:18 the service, and we do that but it's okay to stand 31:21 for an invocation or for a benediction. 31:24 You have examples when Solomon did the prayer for the temple, 31:28 he knelt for the prayer with his hands lifted to God. 31:32 At the end of the prayer, he stood and blessed, 31:34 that means a benediction is a blessing. 31:37 We have that at the conclusion of the service, we often stand. 31:40 So, I have some friends that argue you're always supposed 31:43 to kneel in any kind of prayer. 31:45 That's not biblical. 31:47 The examples in the Bible, there is a lot of kneeling in prayer, 31:50 but they also stood at different points for benedictions 31:53 or for invocations, and they prayed. 31:57 Notice they bowed their heads, why did they bow their heads? 32:02 You bow--when you are looking up, shoulders back, 32:08 it's kind of a position of confidence. 32:13 When you're humbling yourself, you put your head down. 32:17 And when you're in the presence of one greater, you know, 32:20 it's fun as you travel through the Orient to watch 32:23 how they greet each other. 32:24 There' always a little inflection, a bow, 32:27 it's a sign of respect. 32:29 So, they bow their heads if they're standing, 32:32 and they lifted their hands. 32:34 Now, I'm not going to launch into a 32:36 Pentecostal sermon right here. 32:37 But biblically speaking, there's nothing wrong with raising 32:41 your hands at some points in prayer. 32:44 I always am a little conscious of that. 32:48 For one thing, I don't want to do anything that's 32:49 going to distract anyone around me. 32:52 And the other reason is, the Bible says, "Lift up 32:55 holy hands unto the Lord." 32:57 So, if you're going to lift them up, you're want 32:59 to lift up holy hands. 33:01 But there is really nothing wrong biblically 33:03 with raising your hands. 33:04 I, you know, I think you got to be careful about, like I said, 33:07 don't do anything that you find is going to distract. 33:10 And there are different customs in different countries. 33:12 You become all things to all men that you might 33:14 reach some for Christ. 33:16 You don't want to go into a service with your shoes on 33:18 when it's their custom to take the shoes off, right? 33:20 And so, you just have respect. 33:23 Paul says, custom to whom custom is due. 33:26 So, they lifted their hands. 33:29 They bowed their heads, they worshiped the Lord 33:31 with their faces to the ground. 33:34 And then you can also read in Deuteronomy 1--I'm sorry, 33:37 Deuteronomy 4, verse 1 and 2. 33:39 "Now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the judgments which 33:43 I teach you to observe, that you may live, and go in and possess 33:48 the land that the Lord God of your fathers is giving you. 33:51 You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take 33:54 away from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord 33:57 your God which I command you." 33:59 Several times through the writings of Moses, he says, 34:02 "These words I'm giving you, they're not my words, 34:04 these are words from God. 34:05 I've been on the mountain with God, and I've got 34:08 the Spirit of God." 34:09 And even when Aaron and Miriam tried to undermine the work 34:12 of Moses, God had to rebuke Aaron and Miriam and say, 34:15 "You are not, even though your prophets, 34:17 you're not like my servant Moses. 34:19 He is more than a prophet. I speak to him face to face." 34:22 That's what God said. 34:24 Even though Moses did not directly look into the face 34:26 of God, he meant that they had this imminent relationship. 34:32 Now, someone's going to read for me, in a moment, Revelation 1:3. 34:36 Who's got--? Do you have that? 34:39 And under the section it says, "Reading and hearing the law." 34:44 Notice also what Moses said in Deuteronomy 6, verse 1 and 2. 34:48 "Now this is the commandment, and these are the statutes and 34:51 the judgments which the Lord your God has commanded you to 34:54 teach, that you might observe them in the land that you're 34:57 crossing over to possess, that you might fear the Lord your 35:00 God, to keep all of His statutes and His commandments which 35:04 I command you and your son and your grandson, all the days 35:07 of your life, that your days may be prolonged." 35:11 Now, listening to and obeying the Word of God has what? 35:15 Long life. 35:17 I believe in the health message, but if you follow the health 35:19 message and you live wickedly, 35:21 you will still shorten your life. 35:24 And so, one of the best things you can do to prolong your 35:26 lifespan is to have a blessed life because you obey 35:30 the commandments of God. 35:32 Go ahead, please read Revelation 1:3. 35:35 female: "Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the 35:38 words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are 35:42 written in it; for the time is near." 35:46 What does God promise for reading His Word? 35:51 Blessing, but is it just reading it? 35:54 You notice it says read and hear. 35:56 Why did He say hear? Can everybody read? 36:00 No, but you can find someone to read to you. 36:03 "Blessed are those who read and hear 36:05 the words of this prophecy." 36:06 Is it just reading and hearing? 36:08 We spend our time forever reading and hearing, 36:09 or what's the other part of that? 36:11 Keeping, so read is one thing. 36:16 Now, you can do all three. You can read it. 36:19 Hearing means Jesus said, "He who has ears, let him hear," 36:21 that means listening with your heart. 36:25 Keeping means doing the things that you read. 36:29 So, there is a blessing pronounced on those who read, 36:32 hear, and keep--you know, I always like to use that verse. 36:34 I do a lot of prophecy seminars. 36:37 It's amazing how often I'll meet someone that will come 36:39 to a revelation or a prophecy seminar. 36:42 And they'll say, "I heard there's a curse pronounced 36:46 on anybody who reads the book of Revelation. 36:48 Our pastor says that book is full of cursing, don't read it." 36:51 Really I've met people like that. 36:52 I said, "No, it's not, it's blessing." 36:55 "It's about the beast." 36:56 "No, it's a revelation of Jesus Christ." 36:59 People misunderstand the book of Revelation. 37:01 It's about Jesus, and it's a book that if you read it, 37:04 there's some tough stuff in there. 37:05 But if you read it, there's a blessing that comes on 37:07 those who read, hear, and keep that. 37:10 Now, jump to Deuteronomy 31. I still got a lot to cover. 37:15 Deuteronomy 31, and we're on Monday now, verse 11 and 12. 37:20 This is a command. What's the last book of Moses? 37:26 Deuteronomy means a repeating of the law. 37:29 He kind of covers everything. He repeats it before he dies. 37:32 It's the last continual sermon, the whole book is a sermon. 37:36 What's the first book of Moses? Probably Job. 37:41 Most people think Job--Moses wrote the book of Job as maybe 37:45 one of the first books, and then Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus. 37:48 That was a trick question, sorry. 37:50 But when he gets to the end of his last book, 37:53 notice the emphasis he has. 37:55 Deuteronomy 31:11, "When all Israel comes to appear before 37:59 the Lord your God in one place which He chooses." 38:03 Now later, what was the place that he chose? 38:07 Jerusalem, that happened when David numbered Israel and 38:10 the angel of the Lord appeared above Mount Zion--Mount Mariah 38:15 later where they built the temple. 38:17 And God chose that place ultimately, put the temple. 38:20 David built an altar there, and they were interceding there. 38:23 But they would also come together for the feasts. 38:25 So, whenever they came together, he said, "Gather the people 38:29 together, men, women, little ones, and the stranger," 38:34 they don't have to be church members, "who is within 38:36 your gates, that they may hear, that they may learn," 38:41 read the Word to them, "to fear the Lord your God and carefully 38:44 observe all the words of this law." 38:47 So, when they came together for these feasts, one of the most 38:50 important things they would do during that feast is they'd come 38:53 together, they'd hear, they bring the families. 38:56 Now, do we do something like the ancient feast today? 39:01 Yeah, when you have a camp meeting. 39:03 We try to get together with special convocations. 39:05 We're hoping at the new facility to have regular convocations on 39:08 different subjects, made big space where people can come 39:11 together, hear the proclamation of the Word, bring in guest 39:14 speakers that have special emphasis. 39:18 Notice in Joshua 8, did they do that when they 39:21 finally enter the Promised Land? 39:23 Look at Joshua 8, verse 34, "And afterward he read all the words 39:28 of the law, the blessing and the cursings, according 39:31 to all that is written in the Book of the Law. 39:34 There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded which 39:39 Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel, 39:44 with the women, the little ones, the strangers who 39:47 were living among them." 39:48 Did Joshua do exactly what he was commanded? 39:51 He did. 39:52 Men, women, children, foreigners all came together. 39:55 And did he read a little or does it say 39:57 he didn't leave out a Word? 40:00 They had another convocation and may not have done it in six 40:03 hours like Ezra, but they went through the entire Law of Moses. 40:07 And the people, what is the effect of assuming 40:10 you're awake and you feel good? 40:13 Karen and I spent six hours on an airplane 40:15 this week and more than that, yeah. 40:20 And that was one plane. 40:23 And I was just thinking, in the time that it takes to do that, 40:29 you can go through the entire book of Moses, you know, 40:32 books of Moses, the Torah. 40:34 And wouldn't that be inspiring? 40:36 They say to read the entire Bible, if you get Alexander 40:39 Scourby, you know, he's one of the famous ones. 40:42 He was actually an actor, but he had great diction 40:45 and pronunciation. 40:46 He knew how to read those Hebrew words. 40:50 It takes 60 hours to go through the Old and the New Testament 40:54 reading at that speed, which is a comfortable speed. 40:57 So, you could go through the entire books of Moses in 41:00 that time, and they did that in a day. 41:06 So, he obeyed that. 41:09 Now, is it enough just to hear it or do we 41:11 need to understand it? 41:13 Look with me in Acts 8:26. 41:16 Some of you know this is the story of Philip 41:18 in the Ethiopian. 41:20 "Now the angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, 41:22 'Arise and go towards the south along the road 41:24 that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.'" 41:28 He was heading down towards the ocean, 41:30 the country of the Philistines. 41:31 "This is desert. So he arose and went. 41:35 And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority 41:38 under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge 41:41 over all her treasury, and had come to Jerusalem 41:44 to worship, was returning." 41:46 So, here's a believer in Jehovah. 41:48 He's from Ethiopia. He's on his way home. 41:50 He's sitting in his chariot, and he's reading Isaiah the prophet. 41:54 "Then the Spirit said to Philip, 41:57 'Go near and overtake the chariot.'" 41:59 Now, sounds like the chariots moving so 42:01 Philip's got to kind of overtake it. 42:04 "So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, 42:09 and he said, 'Do you understand what you are reading?' 42:12 He said, 'How can I, unless someone guides me?' 42:17 And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him 42:19 in--sit with him." 42:22 Then it tells him he's reading from Isaiah, chapter 53. 42:26 So he says, "How can I understand unless 42:27 someone guides me?" 42:29 We often need good people to guide us in our understanding. 42:35 I was talking with another pastor this week and he wanted 42:38 to know, "Where do you get your information for your sermons?" 42:43 I said, "I read other preachers. 42:46 I read Wesley, I did last night in preparation. 42:50 I read Luther, I read Calvin. 42:52 I listen to some other good contemporary pastors. 42:55 Sometimes you have to eat the melon and you spit out 42:57 the seeds but, you know, there is men of god 43:00 out there that have some great points. 43:04 And read the spirit of prophecy." 43:08 I am not walking around with a direct line of the Holy Spirit 43:11 where God is giving me the words to speak. 43:13 I've got to study. 43:15 And we learn from each other, don't we? 43:19 You know, part of the key of being a good teacher is you need 43:20 to listen to lots of things and assemble it in a way, get the 43:24 best stuff, and assemble it in a way where it's going to do good. 43:26 It's like a cook. 43:29 You know, you have a nice stew or something like that. 43:32 There's lots of different ingredients. 43:34 A good cook knows how to mix the ingredients. 43:35 There can be all the same ingredients, not in 43:38 the right order, can be inedible. 43:40 You've had those sermons, haven't you? 43:44 So, it's the right combination. 43:47 And but we all need people to help us understand, 43:51 and there's nothing wrong with that. 43:52 So he said, "Help me. You're a Jew from Ethiopia." 43:55 What does he--what is Isaiah talking about here? 43:58 And he comes to accept Jesus because of that 44:00 teaching that he had. 44:02 So, we all need that. 44:04 Nehemiah, it says here that then these characters, "Jeshua, Bani, 44:10 Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, 44:15 Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, 44:20 helped the people to understand the Law." 44:23 There's some people have the gift of teaching. 44:25 You look at the gifts of the Spirit that Paul mentions, 44:27 teaching is one of those gifts. 44:29 "So, they read distinctly from the book, they didn't mumble it, 44:35 "in the law of God; and they gave the sense, and they helped 44:38 them to understand the reading." 44:41 Jesus says in Matthew 28, "Go therefore, make disciples of all 44:44 nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, 44:47 and Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe 44:51 all things I've commanded you." 44:52 So, there's constant teaching that goes on even 44:54 after baptism so we can grow. 44:57 When Jesus rose from the dead, now someone's going to read for 45:00 me Luke 24:45 in just a moment, but I want to read Luke 24:27. 45:07 Jesus rose, he spoke to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. 45:10 "And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded 45:15 unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself." 45:18 Was Jesus a Bible teacher? Jesus gave us an example. 45:23 He read from the Word and He explained it to them. 45:26 Please go ahead and read your verse. 45:29 male: Luke 24:45, "And He opened their understanding, 45:33 that they might comprehend the Scriptures." 45:36 Doug: What good are the Scriptures 45:37 if you don't comprehend? 45:41 The Bible is a blessed book. 45:43 I think you should treat it carefully, but you realize it 45:44 is nothing but a book unless the words come alive. 45:49 He says, "The words I speak to you are spirit and life, but 45:51 if it stays black ink on white paper, does you know good." 45:55 You need to read it with understanding and 45:57 as you understand the Holy Spirit, does something 45:59 in your heart with those truths. 46:02 That's what makes it so important. 46:04 Deuteronomy 6, of course, this is the part that leads 46:08 to the great Shema. 46:10 "These words that I command you will be in your heart." 46:13 How do you get them there? 46:14 Got to read them, they need to be taught. 46:16 He says, "Teach them diligently to your children. 46:19 Talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk 46:21 by the way, when you lay down, when you rise up. 46:24 You will bind them as a sign on your hand. 46:27 They will be as frontlets between your eyes. 46:29 You will write them on the doorpost of 46:31 your house and your gates." 46:33 Be surrounded with the Word of God. 46:35 Paul told Timothy, "Preach the Word, be ready in 46:39 season and out of season." 46:41 Regular schedules and spontaneous occasions. 46:43 "Convince rebuke, exhort," that's teaching, "with 46:46 all longsuffering and teaching, for the time will come when they 46:50 will not endure sound doctrine," So, you better teach the good 46:53 stuff as long as you could. 46:55 So, when they read it, what happens? 46:58 It says Nehemiah 8, verse 9, "And Nehemiah, who was the 47:02 governor, as were the priests, the scribe, and the Levites 47:05 who taught the people said to all the people, 47:07 'This day is holy to the Lord your God. 47:10 Do not mourn or weep,' for all the people wept 47:13 when they heard the words of the law." 47:15 Now, why did they weep? 47:18 Because in the stuff they read, you've got Deuteronomy 28 it 47:21 says, "And if you disobey, all these curses will follow you. 47:26 Cursed you'll be when you go out, cursed you'll be 47:27 when you come in, cursed will be your field, 47:30 cursed will be your family." 47:31 I mean, just and they realized, "That's what happened to us. 47:35 We disobeyed. We were carried off to Babylon. 47:37 We were oppressed during the times of Judges 47:39 because of our disobedience." 47:41 And it's not uncommon for them to have that reaction. 47:45 When King Josiah found the law of Moses, as they were cleaning 47:49 the temple, I should say, the priests found it. 47:51 "Then Shaphan the scribe showed the king, saying, 47:54 'Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.' 47:57 And Shaphan read before the king." 47:59 And it happened, "When the king heard the words of the Book 48:01 of the Law, that he tore his clothes," and he wept. 48:05 Please read for me, I think you've got, just a moment 48:09 I'm going to have you read James 4, verse 8. 48:12 But before you read that, I'll read this. 48:14 Go a little further down in 2 Kings 22:18, 48:18 Prophet Huldah sends a message to the king of Judah. 48:22 It says, "Thus you shall say to the Lord God concerning 48:24 the words that you've heard." 48:26 When they read the law to Josiah, he wept. 48:29 "Because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before 48:32 the Lord, when you heard what I spoke against this place, 48:35 and all the inhabitants that the desolation that would come 48:38 and the curse, and you tore your clothes and you went before Me. 48:42 I have heard you," says the Lord. 48:44 God said, "You're going to come to your grave in peace." 48:47 He said, "I'm going to bless you because you did weep." 48:50 But God does not want us to stay in an attitude of weeping. 48:53 Please go ahead and read for us your verse. 48:57 female: "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. 49:01 Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, 49:06 you double-minded. 49:07 Lament and mourn and weep! 49:10 Let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom. 49:15 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, 49:17 and He will lift you up." 49:19 Doug: Amen, of course, that's James 4, verse 8 through 10. 49:22 The important thing is he talks about there is a time to mourn 49:25 and humble yourself and weep when we think about our sins. 49:28 But then he says, "Don't stay that way. 49:30 Humble yourself," and God will do what? 49:32 He'll lift you up. 49:34 So, after the people humbled themselves and they wept, 49:37 then Ezra and Nehemiah they said, "Don't weep anymore." 49:41 Notice Ezra 8:10, and I'll close with these verses. 49:45 "He said to them, 'Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet.'" 49:49 Now, when he says, eat the fat, and eat the fat of the lands, 49:52 he's talking about to celebrate the feast. 49:55 "Send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared," 49:57 care for the poor. 49:59 "This day is holy, do not sorrow. 50:02 The joy of the Lord is your strength." 50:05 So, does God want Christians to spend most of the time 50:09 going around weeping and mourning our shortcomings? 50:12 So, you do that, you humble yourself, God forgives you, 50:14 and then the gospel is good news. 50:15 You go around with joy. 50:18 I think it was Oliver Wendell Holmes said, "I might have been 50:20 a preacher if it wasn't that most of the clergyman 50:23 I knew looked like undertakers." 50:27 Says we ought to be more happy. 50:30 Robert Louis Stevenson, he wrote in his diary one day, 50:33 "I've experienced an extraordinary phenomenon. 50:37 I went to church today, but I'm not depressed." 50:43 And Billy Sunday used to say, "If you have no joy in your 50:46 religion, there's a leak in your Christianity somewhere." 50:51 So, he didn't want them to stay that way. 50:54 It says, "The people rejoiced greatly because," and this is 50:58 the last verses here in Nehemiah 8:11. 51:01 "They rejoiced greatly because they understood the words 51:05 that were declared to them." 51:07 That's the way it ought to be, friends, amen? 51:09 The Word of the Lord should be our joy. 51:11 Read Psalm 119 if you doubt that. 51:13 We're out of time, but I want to remind those who missed the 51:15 opening announcement, we have a free offer and it is about 51:18 the Bible, and what a blessed book it is. 51:20 It's offer number 728. 51:22 It's called "The Ultimate Resource." 51:24 We will send this to you for free if you simply call us 51:27 on the number... 51:31 That really is 866-Study-More, or you can even download it. 51:35 If you want to download this resource right now, 51:37 just text SH091, text that to 40544. 51:45 You can read it right now and be encouraged. 51:46 God bless. 51:48 We'll continue studying His Word together again next week. 51:52 male announcer: Don't forget to request 51:53 today's life-changing free resource. 51:56 Not only can you receive this free gift in the mail, 51:58 you can download a digital copy 51:59 straight to your computer or mobile device. 52:01 To get your digital copy of today's free gift, simply text 52:05 the keyword on your screen to 40544 or visit the web address 52:10 shown on your screen and be sure to select 52:12 the digital download option on the request page. 52:15 It's now easier than ever for you to study God's Word 52:18 with Amazing Facts wherever and whenever you want. 52:21 And most important, to share it with others. 52:26 announcer: Amazing Facts, changed lives. 52:33 female: I always wanted to be a daddy's girl. 52:36 From the time I was very small, I saw other girls that had 52:42 fathers around, and I always felt different. 52:46 My natural father left when, I believe, I was four months old, 52:51 and I did not have a relationship with him. 52:55 And deep down honestly I always felt like, what did I do? 53:02 Why didn't he love me? 53:06 And that's soul shattering for a child. 53:10 My stepfather came into the picture when I was two years 53:14 old, and he was sexually abusing me, physically abusing me, 53:22 and psychologically abusing me for many, many years. 53:27 The biggest thought that I can remember back then is having my 53:32 first thought of suicide when I was ten years old and being 53:38 so afraid all the time, that it was causing stomach pains, 53:43 that I would literally be doubled over. 53:45 I just kept thinking, why doesn't anyone know 53:48 what's going on in this house? 53:51 Can't they hear him screaming at me? 53:54 You know, don't they notice that something is wrong? 53:57 Don't I seem different? I'm not right. 54:00 I'm ten, and I feel like I'm dying. 54:04 Can you not see me? 54:06 And out of self-preservation, I finally just walked out 54:10 of my head for many years, and just didn't remember anymore. 54:16 It was very, very lonely. 54:21 I did start drinking when I was 14 years old. 54:24 What had happened was I had a flashback 54:27 of being molested, and it shattered me. 54:32 And I did not know how to cope with it, so I started mixing 54:36 all different kinds of hard alcohol together, 54:40 and smoking weed, and being sexually promiscuous. 54:46 And that was just the beginning of many years of hell. 54:56 It wasn't until several years later, I realized that I needed 55:00 to get help in order to stop using the drugs because 55:07 I had been separated from God at that point. 55:11 And I knew that if I didn't get help, that there was 55:15 not going to be God for me anymore, that I was going 55:20 to completely take myself away from him. 55:23 And something just clicked inside me. 55:28 All my life, I felt like God wasn't there for me 55:34 and what I realized was that he was. 55:39 I'll never forget the time that I was sitting there in church 55:42 and there was a silk lithograph of Jesus Christ up on the altar, 55:47 and I could not even look at it because in my soul, I knew 55:53 that what I was doing was wrong, and I couldn't stop. 56:00 Not even talking about what it was doing to me physically, 56:04 but that brand-new friend that I had found in God, 56:09 I was pulling myself away from Him. 56:13 During that time, off and on, I'd turn on the TV, 56:17 and Pastor Doug would be there. 56:19 And one thing that he always said that caught my eye 56:23 is he always said, "Don't take my word for it, 56:26 go check your Bible." 56:27 "Amazing Facts" helped save my life. 56:31 It took me years, but I finally found, I finally found God. 56:36 I finally healed. 56:38 That little girl that was so shattered, that had 56:41 no self-esteem, that all her innocence had been taken, 56:45 God gave back everything and then some. 56:49 And I go through trials. 56:51 I'm a single parent. I'm a recovering addict. 56:57 I have MS and I have fibromyalgia. 57:00 And I am blessed. 57:03 I am blessed because I am so mighty with the Lord. 57:09 Everything that was ever stolen from me, God gave back. 57:13 And on top of that, he gave me forgiveness 57:17 and that's what I want everyone to know. 57:20 He took a broken, broken woman and turned her into a warrior. 57:34 announcer: Would you preferably consider 57:35 partnering with us today? 57:38 Thank you. 57:43 announcer: Can't get enough "Amazing Facts Bible Study"? 57:45 You don't have to wait until next week 57:47 to enjoy more truth-filled programming. 57:50 Watch "Amazing Facts Television" by visiting aftv.org. 57:56 At aftv.org, you can view "Amazing Facts" programming 58:01 24 hours a day, seven days a week 58:03 right from your computer or mobile device. 58:06 Why wait a week? 58:07 Visit aftv.org. It's that easy. 58:12 ♪♪♪ 58:22 ♪♪♪ |
Revised 2019-11-04