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Jëan Ross: Good
morning, friends.
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Welcome again to "Sabbath School
Study Hour" here at the Granite
00:00:37.17\00:00:40.27
Bay Seventh-day Adventist Church
in Sacramento, California.
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We'd like to welcome those
who are joining us across the
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country and around the world and
a special warm welcome to our
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online church members that tune
in every week to participate
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in our Sabbath school.
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We'd also like to welcome
our regular church members here,
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as well as those who
might be visiting with us today.
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If you've been attending for
the couple last weeks or maybe
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if you're a first-time visitor,
we've been studying through our
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lesson quarterly dealing
with the two Old Testament books
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of Ezra and Nehemiah and
today we're going to continue
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our study in these
very important books.
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Today, we're on lesson
number 7 that's entitled,
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"Our Forgiving God."
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That's lesson number 7.
00:01:19.54\00:01:21.24
Now, for those of you who might
be watching, if you don't have a
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copy of today's lesson, you
can download lesson number 7
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and study along with
us at lesson.aftv.org.
00:01:27.55\00:01:32.49
Again, just lesson.aftv.org.
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Download lesson number 7 in
our study of Ezra and Nehemiah,
00:01:35.69\00:01:39.33
and you can study along with us.
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We also have a free offer that
we'd like to let you know about,
00:01:41.40\00:01:43.93
a book, one of my
favorites, entitled
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"Three Steps to Heaven," and
we'll be happy to send this out
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to anyone who calls and asks.
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The number is 866-788-3966,
and you want to ask
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for offer number 102.
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Again, that's 866-788-3966.
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Ask for offer number 102.
00:02:02.88\00:02:05.19
We'll be happy to send it to
you, or you can text the code
00:02:05.22\00:02:08.79
"SH068" to the number
40544, and you'll be able
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to get a digital
download of this book.
00:02:14.96\00:02:18.13
Again, just text the code,
and we'll be happy to send you
00:02:18.17\00:02:20.90
a link, and you'll be able
to download and read the book,
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"Three Steps to Heaven."
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Well, before we get to our study
this morning we'd like to begin
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by lifting our voices in song.
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I'd like to invite our
song leaders to come forward
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and now lead us
in our song today.
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¤¤¤
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¤ More about
Jesus I would know. ¤
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¤ More of His
grace to others show. ¤
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¤ More of His
saving fullness see. ¤
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¤ More of His
love who died for me. ¤
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¤ More, more about Jesus. ¤
00:02:57.94\00:03:02.11
¤ More, more about Jesus. ¤
00:03:02.14\00:03:06.61
¤ More of His
saving fullness see. ¤
00:03:06.65\00:03:11.09
¤ More of His
love who died for me. ¤
00:03:11.12\00:03:16.83
¤ More about
Jesus let me learn. ¤
00:03:16.86\00:03:20.63
¤ More of His
holy will discern. ¤
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¤ Spirit of God my teacher be. ¤
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¤ Showing the
things of Christ to me. ¤
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¤ More, more about Jesus. ¤
00:03:34.11\00:03:38.51
¤ More, more about Jesus. ¤
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¤ More of His
saving fullness see. ¤
00:03:43.12\00:03:47.56
¤ More of His
love who died for me. ¤
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¤ More about
Jesus in His Word, ¤
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¤ holding
communion with my Lord. ¤
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¤ Hearing His
voice in every line, ¤
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¤ making each
faithful saying mine. ¤
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¤ More, more about Jesus. ¤
00:04:10.88\00:04:15.38
¤ More, more about Jesus. ¤
00:04:15.42\00:04:19.85
¤ More of His
saving fullness see. ¤
00:04:19.89\00:04:24.29
¤ More of His
love who died for me. ¤
00:04:24.33\00:04:29.76
¤ More about
Jesus on His throne. ¤
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¤ Riches in glory all His own. ¤
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¤ More of His
kingdom's sure increase. ¤
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¤ More of His
coming, Prince of Peace. ¤
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¤ More, more about Jesus. ¤
00:04:47.68\00:04:52.19
¤ More, more about Jesus. ¤
00:04:52.22\00:04:56.73
¤ More of His
saving fullness see. ¤
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¤ More of His love
who died for me. ¤¤
00:05:01.30\00:05:07.57
Jëan: Dear Father in heaven,
we thank You once again for
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this wonderful day that You
have given us, an opportunity to
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gather together to worship You,
to open up Your Word and study.
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And once again, Lord, we
recognize the Bible is Your book
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and in order for us to correctly
understand it we need the
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leading of the Holy Spirit,
so we invite the Holy Spirit
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in a special way today as
we take a look at--a glimpse
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from Scripture
revealing the Father's love.
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So, thank you, Father for
your grace, your goodness,
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and bless our time together.
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We ask this in Jesus's name.
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Amen.
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Our lesson study today
is going to be brought to us
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by Pastor Doug.
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Doug Batchelor:
Thank you, Pastor Ross,
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and good morning everyone.
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Thank you to our singers,
Michelle and her singing group.
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How is everybody?
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Boy, we're having some
beautiful days in California.
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These are nice fall days, unless
you're some of the people up
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in the Hills that have
no electricity right now,
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because California has
become a third-world country.
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It's interesting as I travel.
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Sometimes I've been in some
countries where the power just
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goes on and off, but I never
expected that to be the case
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in California, so--but we're
praising the Lord for another
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opportunity to be able
to study His Word together
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and that we have
power right now, amen?
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And there's all kinds of
power available to God's people.
00:06:27.42\00:06:30.22
We're studying--continuing
in our study on the books
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of Ezra and Nehemiah.
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Very enriching period in Bible
history, and we're on lesson 7
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today which is
titled "Our Forgiving God,"
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and we have the memory
verse which comes to us
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from Proverbs 28:13.
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Some of you probably
already know this one by heart,
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but we're going
to say it together.
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Proverbs 28:13.
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It's here in the
New King James Version.
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Are you ready?
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"He who covers his sins will not
prosper, but whoever confesses
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and forsakes
them will have mercy."
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Part of his lesson is dealing
with the subject of repentance
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and prayer and
fasting and confession,
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and we're going to be
talking about those things.
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Now, just so you know
our mission today, as I say,
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our mission, if we
choose to accept it,
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our mission is to
study Nehemiah chapter 9.
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That's it.
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We got to just study,
and I'm going to try to read
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through the whole thing today.
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We'll stop as the lesson does,
and I think they break it up
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into about five
different segments,
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and we'll do our
best to expound it.
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First thing I want you to
know is to understand chapter 9
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you need to go back a
little bit in chapter 8.
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In chapter 9 they're having a
revival and there is repentance
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and confession, but
it's springing out of them
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rediscovering the
Feast of Tabernacles.
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They'd forgotten
a lot of the truths
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that they normally believed.
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For example, if you
look in Nehemiah chapter 8,
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verse 2 notice the
emphasis on the calendar here,
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"On the first day
of the seventh month."
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So, what month is this?
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What's our seventh month?
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Oh, but that's not
the Jewish calendar.
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The Jewish calendar was a
lunar calendar and their months
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were different than our months.
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This is what they would
call their month Tishrei,
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and it's September to
October, so it's different.
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Don't be
thinking of our calendar.
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The typical calendar
of the Western world comes
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from the Romans, and
it is all convoluted.
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Not only are we not under
the Julian calendar anymore,
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they changed it to what they
call the Gregorian calendar.
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The reason we have a month
named July, it's named after,
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who knows?
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Julius Caesar.
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And why do we have
a month named August?
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Augustus Caesar.
00:09:02.27\00:09:03.77
And why is February short?
00:09:03.81\00:09:06.57
Because Augustus Caesar
wanted as many days as July,
00:09:06.61\00:09:11.31
so he took days off of February.
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And what is the eighth
month in the--our calendar?
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August.
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Then why is October mean eight?
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How do you say
eight in Spanish? Ocho.
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An octagon has how many sides?
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And what is our ninth month?
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But why do we have a
month named November?
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Nueve.
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That means nine and deca should
be the 10th month, December,
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but it's the 12th month.
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The Romans messed with the
calendar, and we're stuck with
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it now, and so the Jews had
a totally different calendar.
00:09:50.22\00:09:54.16
And so, when you are studying in
the Bible and it talks about the
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seventh month, make sure you're
looking at--and most of you
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have--if you have even
elementary Bible studies,
00:10:01.83\00:10:04.07
somewhere in your Bible studies,
your additional concordance
00:10:04.10\00:10:07.04
you'll see they'll
have the Hebrew calendar,
00:10:07.07\00:10:09.54
and it will show you what
the names were of the months.
00:10:09.57\00:10:12.57
And they had one
month named Nissan.
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That's easy to remember, right?
00:10:14.14\00:10:15.98
Like the pickup truck,
00:10:16.01\00:10:17.31
and so they have
their different months.
00:10:17.35\00:10:21.12
So, on the first day of
the seventh month it tells us
00:10:21.15\00:10:23.75
in our reading--go
to Nehemiah 8, verse 13.
00:10:23.79\00:10:27.12
"Now on the second day the
heads of the fathers' house
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and all the people, with
the priests and the Levites,
00:10:30.49\00:10:32.63
were gathered to Ezra the
scribe, in order to understand
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the words of the law."
00:10:36.33\00:10:39.20
So, they're studying the words
of the law and in the process
00:10:39.23\00:10:41.67
of this study, with the heads
and the priests and people,
00:10:41.70\00:10:45.41
"They found written in the law,
00:10:45.44\00:10:47.04
which the Lord had
commanded to Moses,
00:10:47.08\00:10:48.54
that the children of Israel
should dwell in booths during
00:10:48.58\00:10:52.21
the feast of the seventh month."
00:10:52.25\00:10:53.55
That's commonly
called what feast?
00:10:53.58\00:10:56.32
Tabernacles.
They are tabernacling.
00:10:56.35\00:10:58.82
What was the Feast of
Tabernacles all about?
00:10:58.85\00:11:02.09
And we've got the 4th of July
to remember the independence
00:11:02.12\00:11:06.80
and our freedoms.
00:11:06.83\00:11:08.33
Well, they do the Feast of
Tabernacle to remember that for
00:11:08.36\00:11:11.77
40 years God sustained them
miraculously as they stayed in
00:11:11.80\00:11:16.04
tents in the wilderness, so they
would say in either booths where
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they'd have a cloth roof, or
they'd--primarily they'd go get
00:11:20.28\00:11:23.71
branches of palm trees, and
they'd make these little tents,
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and they'd stay in them.
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Sometimes they'd do it on their
roofs just so they could say,
00:11:29.82\00:11:32.45
"You know, we're going to
camp out during this feast."
00:11:32.49\00:11:34.62
It was a week, a Feast
of Tabernacles, and they'd
00:11:34.66\00:11:37.56
remember, they'd rejoice, they'd
have feasts, and they'd visit
00:11:37.59\00:11:40.20
each other, and it's
kinda like their camp meeting.
00:11:40.23\00:11:42.70
And matter of fact, Ellen White
says that the modern equivalent
00:11:42.73\00:11:46.60
that we have for the Feast
of Tabernacles is when we get
00:11:46.63\00:11:49.24
together at camp meetings.
00:11:49.27\00:11:50.94
I don't know if you ever
have been to a Christian camp
00:11:50.97\00:11:53.58
meeting, but I've been to a
lot of them around the country,
00:11:53.61\00:11:57.25
both visiting and speaking,
and so I've seen some beautiful
00:11:57.28\00:12:00.25
campsites all
around the country.
00:12:00.28\00:12:02.88
One of the best camp meetings
in North America that I've seen
00:12:02.92\00:12:06.92
is the one in
Northern California.
00:12:06.96\00:12:08.52
It's in the Redwoods,
and it's really very pretty,
00:12:08.56\00:12:12.33
but I've also seen
some other nice ones.
00:12:12.36\00:12:14.36
Anyway, so they're celebrating
their Feast of Tabernacles.
00:12:14.40\00:12:17.17
Now go to
Nehemiah 8 and verse 18.
00:12:17.20\00:12:22.87
"Also day by day, from the
first day," of the Feast of
00:12:22.90\00:12:26.01
Tabernacles, "until the
last day, he read from the book
00:12:26.04\00:12:29.11
of law--of the law.
00:12:29.14\00:12:30.78
And they kept the feast seven
days; and on the eighth day
00:12:30.81\00:12:34.15
there was a sacred
assembly, according
00:12:34.18\00:12:36.28
to the prescribed manner."
00:12:36.32\00:12:37.62
It says after the feast,
seven days, then the eighth day
00:12:37.65\00:12:39.72
they'd have
another special assembly.
00:12:39.75\00:12:41.96
Now we jump into Nehemiah
chapter 9, which is our study.
00:12:41.99\00:12:46.63
Start with verse 1.
00:12:46.66\00:12:48.53
"Now on the twenty-fourth
day of this month--" What month?
00:12:48.56\00:12:52.37
They're still in the
same month, so you're reading
00:12:52.40\00:12:54.54
Nehemiah chapter 8 and 9.
00:12:54.57\00:12:56.14
It's all talking about the month
of Tissan--or rather Tishrei,
00:12:56.17\00:13:01.11
and that's September, October,
where they're having this
00:13:01.14\00:13:03.95
revival and assembly
and returning to the Lord.
00:13:03.98\00:13:07.58
And it tells us that
"the children of Israel
00:13:07.62\00:13:11.25
were assembled with fasting, in
00:13:11.29\00:13:14.19
sackcloth, with
dust on their heads."
00:13:14.22\00:13:17.06
The Bible speaks in Isaiah
58 there is a time to fast,
00:13:17.09\00:13:22.36
verse 5, "A day for a
man to afflict his soul."
00:13:22.40\00:13:25.30
So, you'll notice we
studied earlier Nehemiah.
00:13:25.33\00:13:27.84
That there was a great reform
and revival and repentance.
00:13:27.87\00:13:31.71
They had started to intermarry
with the locals that did not
00:13:31.74\00:13:35.44
worship the Lord, and God
had told them, "Don't do that.
00:13:35.48\00:13:38.48
They'll draw your
heart away from you."
00:13:38.51\00:13:41.38
Can you think of examples in the
Bible where intermarriage drew
00:13:41.42\00:13:44.69
the hearts of the people away?
00:13:44.72\00:13:48.49
Solomon.
00:13:48.52\00:13:50.29
Matter of fact, right after the
pinnacle statement in the Hebrew
00:13:50.33\00:13:53.80
history where it talks
about the wealth and the wisdom
00:13:53.83\00:13:56.00
of Solomon and the
way God blessed--and
00:13:56.03\00:13:58.30
in 1 year 666
talents of gold came to him.
00:13:58.33\00:14:02.97
Says that.
00:14:03.00\00:14:04.31
Right after it says that it
says, "But Solomon loved many
00:14:04.34\00:14:08.44
wives," and they drew his
heart away when he was old.
00:14:08.48\00:14:11.58
First lesson, his
life was very faithful.
00:14:11.61\00:14:14.28
Who else?
00:14:14.32\00:14:15.92
Samson.
00:14:15.95\00:14:17.25
Yeah, he said to his parents,
"I found this Philistine girl."
00:14:17.29\00:14:20.49
And they said, "Isn't there
a Jewish girl you can marry?"
00:14:20.52\00:14:23.79
That's what my
grandparents said to me
00:14:23.83\00:14:25.19
when I told them I found Karen.
00:14:25.23\00:14:27.96
They said, "A goyim?
Isn't there a Jewish girl?"
00:14:28.00\00:14:32.17
I said, "Grandma, she's a
Sabbath keeper, and she doesn't
00:14:32.20\00:14:36.24
eat anything that isn't kosher,"
and they came to love Karen.
00:14:36.27\00:14:40.38
But they said to Samson,
"Can't you find a Jewish girl?"
00:14:40.41\00:14:43.28
He said, "Get her for me.
00:14:43.31\00:14:44.61
She pleaseth me well,"
and if you know the story
00:14:44.65\00:14:47.32
of that wedding it
really did not end well.
00:14:47.35\00:14:49.18
And then, he went to
see a Philistine harlot,
00:14:49.22\00:14:51.85
and then he started
hanging out with Delilah,
00:14:51.89\00:14:54.09
and it just did not
end well for Samson.
00:14:54.12\00:14:56.93
And you can see several
examples of this in the Bible,
00:14:56.96\00:15:00.53
where they were drawn
away to worship other gods
00:15:00.56\00:15:04.77
because of these intermarriages.
00:15:04.80\00:15:06.17
And it wasn't just the
men marrying the pagan women.
00:15:06.20\00:15:09.14
It was the pagan men
marrying the Jewish girls,
00:15:09.17\00:15:12.51
and so the Bible
says don't do that.
00:15:12.54\00:15:15.68
And how does
Paul talk about that?
00:15:15.71\00:15:19.35
Do not be
unequally yoked together,
00:15:19.38\00:15:22.12
believers with unbelievers.
00:15:22.15\00:15:23.72
For what exchange
has Christ with Belial?"
00:15:23.75\00:15:28.56
That's basically
saying the Lord with demons.
00:15:28.59\00:15:30.73
And those who are following
the Lord, why would you want to
00:15:30.76\00:15:34.10
marry someone where you're going
to go in the same direction with
00:15:34.10\00:15:37.07
someone who is
following the world in some way?
00:15:37.10\00:15:39.60
So, they were
repenting now because of this,
00:15:39.63\00:15:42.57
so they're having this
national day of repentance.
00:15:42.60\00:15:45.97
Let me read something to you
00:15:46.01\00:15:47.31
I think you
might find interesting.
00:15:47.34\00:15:48.64
Did you hear about the
president's proclamation
00:15:48.68\00:15:50.01
for fasting and prayer?
00:15:50.05\00:15:51.35
Listen to this.
00:15:51.38\00:15:54.18
"By the President of the
United States of America.
00:15:54.22\00:15:56.69
A Proclamation.
00:15:56.72\00:15:58.89
Whereas, the Senate of
the United States, devoutly
00:15:58.92\00:16:01.79
recognizing the supreme
authority and just government of
00:16:01.82\00:16:04.96
Almighty God, in all the affairs
of men and of nations, has,
00:16:04.99\00:16:10.00
by a resolution, requested
the President to designate
00:16:10.03\00:16:13.47
and set apart a day for
national prayer and humiliation.
00:16:13.50\00:16:17.81
And whereas is the duty of all
nations as well as men, to own
00:16:17.84\00:16:22.44
their dependence upon the
overruling power of God and to
00:16:22.48\00:16:26.78
confess their sins and
transgressions in humble sorrow,
00:16:26.82\00:16:30.65
yet with assured hope of genuine
repentance will lead to mercy
00:16:30.69\00:16:34.19
and pardon; and to recognize the
sublime truth, announced in the
00:16:34.22\00:16:38.43
Holy Scriptures and proven
by all of history, that those
00:16:38.46\00:16:42.00
nations only are
blessed whose God is the Lord."
00:16:42.03\00:16:45.00
Now, did you hear
about Trump's proclamation
00:16:45.03\00:16:49.30
on fasting and prayer?
00:16:49.34\00:16:51.54
Governments can't do
that anymore, can they?
00:16:51.57\00:16:54.61
But this is true.
00:16:54.64\00:16:56.41
This is March 30, 1863.
00:16:56.44\00:17:00.55
Who was president?
00:17:00.58\00:17:02.58
Lincoln.
00:17:02.62\00:17:04.32
"In as much as we know
that by His divine law nations,
00:17:04.35\00:17:08.89
like individuals, are subject
to punishments and chastisements
00:17:08.92\00:17:12.29
in this world, we may not justly
fear that awful calamity of
00:17:12.33\00:17:16.56
civil war, which now desolates
the land, may be a punishment
00:17:16.60\00:17:20.70
inflicted upon us for
our presumptuous sins, to the
00:17:20.74\00:17:24.97
needful end of our national
reformation as a people.
00:17:25.01\00:17:28.84
We have been recipients of
the choicest bounties of heaven.
00:17:28.88\00:17:32.28
We have been
preserved these many years
00:17:32.31\00:17:33.78
in peace and prosperity.
00:17:33.82\00:17:35.12
We have grown in numbers, wealth
and power, as no other nation
00:17:35.15\00:17:37.89
has ever grown, but
we have forgotten God.
00:17:37.92\00:17:41.99
We have forgotten the gracious
hand which preserved us in peace
00:17:42.02\00:17:45.19
and multiplied and enriched
and strengthened us; and we've
00:17:45.23\00:17:48.96
vainly imagined, in the
deceitfulness of our hearts,
00:17:49.00\00:17:52.07
that all these
blessings were produced
00:17:52.10\00:17:53.77
by some superior
wisdom and virtue of our own.
00:17:53.80\00:17:57.11
Intoxicated with unbroken
success, we've become too
00:17:57.14\00:18:00.38
self-sufficient to feel
the necessity of redeeming
00:18:00.41\00:18:03.41
and preserving grace
to pray--too proud to pray
00:18:03.45\00:18:07.65
to the God that made us."
00:18:07.68\00:18:08.98
Wow!
00:18:09.02\00:18:10.55
Almost sounds like
at one point we thought
00:18:10.59\00:18:12.95
that we were a
Judeo-Christian country.
00:18:12.99\00:18:17.06
Now this would be called
separation of church and state.
00:18:17.09\00:18:20.36
You realize that the founding
fathers never understood
00:18:20.40\00:18:23.37
separation of
church and state to be
00:18:23.40\00:18:25.07
what they've made it today.
00:18:25.10\00:18:27.10
They meant separation of church
and state to be you do not have
00:18:27.14\00:18:30.31
a particular denomination
that runs the country.
00:18:30.34\00:18:34.31
It didn't mean that we became an
irreligious country, because the
00:18:34.34\00:18:38.25
whole constitution is rooted in
a truth that we believe we are
00:18:38.28\00:18:41.52
endowed with
rights by a Creator.
00:18:41.55\00:18:44.72
And look at Lincoln's language,
and he was not the most
00:18:44.75\00:18:47.59
religious president, but
he talks about the law of God.
00:18:47.62\00:18:51.33
He talks about the Bible.
00:18:51.36\00:18:53.43
He talks about
punishments and obedience
00:18:53.46\00:18:55.73
and sin and repentance.
00:18:55.76\00:18:57.37
And, man, they
can't do that now.
00:18:57.40\00:19:00.54
That'd be considered insensitive
to the atheists among us.
00:19:00.57\00:19:03.30
Isn't that right?
00:19:03.34\00:19:05.01
Yeah, so this is what
they were doing back in Israel.
00:19:05.04\00:19:11.28
They used to have, occasionally,
national days of repentance
00:19:11.31\00:19:14.98
and prayer and
that's what's happening here
00:19:15.02\00:19:17.02
in Ezra and Nehemiah.
00:19:17.05\00:19:18.35
As they had spent all those days
during the Feast of Tabernacle
00:19:18.39\00:19:22.12
reading the Bible, you notice it
says here that they were reading
00:19:22.16\00:19:28.06
the Bible for a
quarter of the day.
00:19:28.10\00:19:31.50
Well, I haven't
gotten to that yet.
00:19:31.53\00:19:32.83
I'm jumping ahead of myself.
00:19:32.87\00:19:34.17
So, they spent time confessing.
00:19:34.20\00:19:36.67
You go to Nehemiah 9:2.
00:19:36.71\00:19:38.41
"Then those of Israel's lineage
separated themselves from all
00:19:38.44\00:19:42.18
the foreigners; and they stood,
and they confessed their sins
00:19:42.21\00:19:46.72
and the
iniquities of their fathers."
00:19:46.75\00:19:48.52
Notice they're not
just confessing their sins.
00:19:48.55\00:19:52.19
They're confessing
the sins of their fathers.
00:19:52.22\00:19:55.16
Now, the Bible says that
there is a time for confession.
00:19:55.19\00:19:59.53
How important is
repentance and confession
00:19:59.56\00:20:01.56
to conversion and forgiveness?
00:20:01.60\00:20:06.57
First word from John the Baptist
00:20:06.60\00:20:08.60
when he started
preaching: repent.
00:20:08.64\00:20:11.74
Now, confession is the
verbal part of repentance.
00:20:11.77\00:20:15.28
It's a package deal.
00:20:15.31\00:20:18.05
If I step on
your toe, I am sorry.
00:20:18.08\00:20:22.15
I repent that I stepped
on your toe, assuming it was
00:20:22.18\00:20:24.92
undeliberate, and then
I say, "Please forgive me.
00:20:24.95\00:20:27.89
Pardon me."
00:20:27.92\00:20:29.22
That's the verbal
part of the repentance,
00:20:29.26\00:20:31.49
and so for people to
say, "Well, I repented
00:20:31.53\00:20:33.09
but I didn't
confess," you haven't repented.
00:20:33.13\00:20:36.03
Confession is the
verbal side of repentance
00:20:36.06\00:20:39.17
and a lot of
Scriptures tell us that.
00:20:39.20\00:20:41.47
Let me give you
some--a memory verse.
00:20:41.50\00:20:45.67
"He who covers his sin will not
prosper, but whoever confesses
00:20:45.71\00:20:49.61
and forsakes--" So, it's not the
kind of confession where you're
00:20:49.64\00:20:53.18
a mafia boss, and you go to
your priest, and you confess,
00:20:53.21\00:20:55.75
"I shot three
people this week, Father."
00:20:55.78\00:20:57.89
And he says, "Six--say six
Hail Marys and two Our Fathers,"
00:20:57.92\00:21:01.06
and you do that you can go
shoot another three people.
00:21:01.09\00:21:03.96
That's how some
people view confession.
00:21:03.99\00:21:06.09
You just, you know,
confess it to the priest,
00:21:06.13\00:21:07.66
but you're not sorry.
00:21:07.73\00:21:09.00
You're not going to stop.
00:21:09.03\00:21:10.33
It says whoever
confesses and forsakes.
00:21:10.37\00:21:13.17
That means you repent.
00:21:13.20\00:21:14.50
It means a change of direction.
00:21:14.54\00:21:16.24
You want to turn from your sin.
00:21:16.27\00:21:18.64
In a moment I'm going to
have somebody read 1 John 1:9.
00:21:18.67\00:21:21.81
Who has that one?
00:21:21.84\00:21:23.14
All right, just you'll
be next up here and--but
00:21:23.18\00:21:25.51
here I'm going
to read Psalm 32:5.
00:21:25.55\00:21:28.32
"I acknowledged my sin to You,
00:21:28.35\00:21:30.29
and my iniquity
I have not hidden.
00:21:30.32\00:21:33.19
I said, 'I will confess my
transgression to the Lord,'
00:21:33.22\00:21:36.46
and You forgave the
iniquity of my sin."
00:21:36.49\00:21:39.36
It's a principle that if we
repent and confess our sins,
00:21:39.39\00:21:42.70
He is merciful.
00:21:42.73\00:21:44.33
Why don't you
read your verse for us?
00:21:44.37\00:21:46.07
female: 1 John 1:9,
"If we confess our sins,
00:21:46.10\00:21:50.37
He is faithful and
just to forgive us our sins
00:21:50.41\00:21:53.34
and to cleanse us
from all unrighteousness."
00:21:53.38\00:21:55.84
Doug: That's a beautiful truth.
00:21:55.88\00:21:57.78
We'll be talking about the
Beatitudes later today and one
00:21:57.81\00:22:00.22
of them says, "He that
hungers and thirsts after
00:22:00.25\00:22:02.68
righteousness--" Here it tells
us that if we confess our sins,
00:22:02.72\00:22:06.35
He cleanses us from
all unrighteousness, and
00:22:06.39\00:22:12.26
that's a verse I think that if
you're ever doing Bible studies
00:22:12.29\00:22:14.86
one you should remember.
00:22:14.93\00:22:16.20
If you're leading a person
to Christ, you need to explain
00:22:16.23\00:22:18.13
we got a problem.
00:22:18.17\00:22:19.53
Problem is sin, and the answer
is Jesus, but we must confess
00:22:19.57\00:22:24.54
and repent of our sins,
and when we do that He promises
00:22:24.57\00:22:27.18
to cleanse us from how much?
00:22:27.21\00:22:29.84
All unrighteousness.
00:22:29.88\00:22:31.21
So, if you are cleansed
from all unrighteousness,
00:22:31.25\00:22:33.98
how much unrighteousness
do you have left?
00:22:34.02\00:22:36.69
None.
00:22:36.72\00:22:38.05
So, how does God view you?
00:22:38.09\00:22:39.39
As pure and holy and
that means you are forgiven
00:22:39.42\00:22:42.46
and you are saved, so--but
it begins with confession.
00:22:42.49\00:22:47.93
And you can read here it
says, "We confess our sins."
00:22:47.96\00:22:53.50
It was corporate.
00:22:53.54\00:22:55.17
They stood and confessed
the sins and iniquities
00:22:55.20\00:22:57.24
of their fathers.
00:22:57.27\00:22:58.57
Now, how can I be responsible
for the sin of my father?
00:22:58.61\00:23:02.04
I thought it said in the Bible
that the father will not be
00:23:02.08\00:23:04.28
charged with the sins of the son
and the son will not be charged
00:23:04.31\00:23:06.82
with the sins of the father.
00:23:06.85\00:23:08.62
Well, that's true, but they had
an attitude in the Bible that
00:23:08.65\00:23:14.09
we're in this thing together,
and there is even repentance
00:23:14.12\00:23:17.83
of what's happened in the past.
00:23:17.86\00:23:20.53
You know, Americans
are very--we're, kind of,
00:23:20.56\00:23:22.70
independent people.
00:23:22.73\00:23:26.57
You know, we broke away from the
nations of Europe, and we're a
00:23:26.60\00:23:29.87
hodgepodge of a lot of
people that wanted to leave the
00:23:29.90\00:23:32.61
oppression of kings and popes in
Europe, and so the people who,
00:23:32.64\00:23:35.98
kind of, ended up coming
to America and Australia ended
00:23:36.01\00:23:39.21
up--they're a very
independent people.
00:23:39.25\00:23:42.22
We, kind of,
are self-sufficient.
00:23:42.25\00:23:44.25
It's not that way when you go
to other countries where people
00:23:44.29\00:23:48.42
have been for a
millennia on their land.
00:23:48.46\00:23:51.76
They see themselves
as generations of people,
00:23:51.79\00:23:54.63
especially if you go
to--in the Eastern cultures.
00:23:54.66\00:23:57.87
They actually
worship their ancestors.
00:23:57.90\00:24:01.80
And countries like China,
where you've got so many people
00:24:01.84\00:24:04.61
and big families.
00:24:04.64\00:24:05.94
They used to be big families.
00:24:05.97\00:24:07.44
They're a little smaller now,
but they see themselves more
00:24:07.48\00:24:08.88
with a community mind.
00:24:08.91\00:24:10.81
You can't build a wall 1,500
miles along unless you think
00:24:10.85\00:24:14.72
that way and notice in
the Bible when they confessed
00:24:14.75\00:24:18.49
they did it corporately.
00:24:18.52\00:24:20.72
Daniel 9, verse 21, "Now while
I was speaking and praying,
00:24:20.76\00:24:26.06
confessing my sin and the
sin of my people Israel--"
00:24:26.09\00:24:30.67
Can someone here tell
me what Daniel's sin was?
00:24:30.70\00:24:32.97
If I say, "What
was David's sin?"
00:24:33.00\00:24:35.04
you all know.
00:24:35.07\00:24:36.37
If I say, "What's
Solomon or Samson's sin?"
00:24:36.40\00:24:39.94
You know.
00:24:39.97\00:24:41.28
I say, "What is Daniel's sin?"
00:24:41.31\00:24:44.78
Well, everyone has
sinned, including Mary,
00:24:44.81\00:24:47.62
other than Jesus.
00:24:47.65\00:24:49.38
It says he is the only
one who is without sin,
00:24:49.42\00:24:51.65
so who knows what the sin was?
00:24:51.69\00:24:53.52
It doesn't identify it.
00:24:53.56\00:24:54.89
I think you can read it in
the book "Prophets and Kings."
00:24:54.92\00:24:57.39
It said one of his sins
was he had been failing to pray
00:24:57.43\00:24:59.39
for God's people, and he saw
that as a sin, so Daniel says,
00:24:59.43\00:25:03.37
"I'm praying for my sin
and the sin of my people."
00:25:03.40\00:25:06.47
Listen to Isaiah
in his conversion.
00:25:06.50\00:25:08.67
Isaiah 6, verse 5,
"So I said: 'Woe is me.
00:25:08.70\00:25:12.04
I am undone!
00:25:12.07\00:25:13.31
Because I am a man of unclean
lips, and I dwell in the midst
00:25:13.34\00:25:16.88
of a people of unclean lips; for
mine eyes have seen the King.'"
00:25:16.91\00:25:20.05
Here he is.
00:25:20.08\00:25:21.38
Isaiah is repenting and
confessing for his sin and the
00:25:21.42\00:25:24.19
sin of his people, and you'll
find this all through the Bible.
00:25:24.22\00:25:27.56
Moses, he's asking
God to forgive his sin
00:25:27.59\00:25:31.29
and the sin of the people.
00:25:31.33\00:25:33.66
In the Lord's
Prayer--now, you might say,
00:25:33.70\00:25:36.87
"Well, these are Old Testament
examples, Pastor Doug."
00:25:36.90\00:25:38.77
Lord's Prayer is New Testament.
00:25:38.80\00:25:40.67
How many times in the Lord's
Prayer do you find the word
00:25:40.70\00:25:43.24
"I, me, my, mine, or myself"?
00:25:43.27\00:25:47.41
None.
00:25:47.44\00:25:48.74
You were going through it
in your mind, weren't you?
00:25:48.78\00:25:51.68
It's, "Our Father,
forgive us. Lead us."
00:25:51.71\00:25:55.25
But a lot of us, when we
pray the Lord's Prayer, we're
00:25:55.28\00:25:59.32
thinking of it as, "My father
who is in heaven, lead me.
00:25:59.35\00:26:04.03
Deliver me."
00:26:04.06\00:26:05.36
It's not how you're
supposed to pray the prayer,
00:26:05.39\00:26:06.70
because I should be
concerned as a believer not only
00:26:06.73\00:26:09.76
with my deliverance,
but with your deliverance.
00:26:09.80\00:26:12.17
I should not only be
concerned with my forgiveness,
00:26:12.20\00:26:14.10
but I should be
concerned with your forgiveness,
00:26:14.14\00:26:16.77
and until you are concerned
00:26:16.81\00:26:18.44
with the forgiveness of others
you're not really converted.
00:26:18.47\00:26:21.71
And so, we should be praying for
God to forgive us as a people,
00:26:21.74\00:26:26.31
as a family, as a
church denomination, a country,
00:26:26.35\00:26:32.59
and so this--it was
a corporate confession.
00:26:32.62\00:26:35.82
That's what you're having here.
00:26:35.86\00:26:38.19
Nehemiah chapter 9, verse 3.
00:26:38.23\00:26:39.83
I know you're thinking,
"Pastor Doug, you better hurry."
00:26:39.86\00:26:43.77
"And they stood up in their
place to read from the Book of
00:26:43.80\00:26:46.07
the Law their God for one-fourth
of the day; and another fourth
00:26:46.10\00:26:51.17
they confessed and
worshiped the Lord their God."
00:26:51.21\00:26:53.68
So, how many hours in a day?
00:26:53.71\00:26:57.85
Twenty-four in our day, but
in the Jewish day they thought
00:26:57.88\00:27:00.75
of the daylight, and Jesus said,
"Are there not twelve hours
00:27:00.78\00:27:05.29
in the day," right?
00:27:05.32\00:27:07.46
And so, what is
one-fourth of 12?
00:27:07.49\00:27:13.40
We got a lot of
math majors here.
00:27:13.43\00:27:14.73
Three hours, right?
00:27:14.73\00:27:17.87
Four times three is twelve.
00:27:17.90\00:27:19.37
Isn't that right?
00:27:19.40\00:27:20.70
I failed math, but I know that,
because if you, you know, you
00:27:20.74\00:27:23.14
work with a ruler and you do
construction you know that 12
00:27:23.17\00:27:25.94
is a great building number.
00:27:25.97\00:27:27.28
Anyway, so for three hours
they were reading the Word,
00:27:27.31\00:27:32.68
and then as a result of
reading the Word they said,
00:27:32.71\00:27:35.35
"You know, we've
got a lot to confess."
00:27:35.38\00:27:37.55
They were convicted, and
then they spent three hours
00:27:37.59\00:27:40.92
worshiping God,
confessing their sin.
00:27:40.96\00:27:43.46
Now, I've been to some
charismatic services before
00:27:43.49\00:27:46.49
where they play the music and
everyone stands, and they kinda
00:27:46.53\00:27:48.80
get into a frenzy, and then
they start speaking in tongues,
00:27:48.83\00:27:51.20
and then they say, "Let's
all worship the Lord together."
00:27:51.23\00:27:52.93
And I'm not trying to
be unkind or ridicule.
00:27:52.97\00:27:55.84
I'm just telling
you what they do.
00:27:55.87\00:27:58.11
I've seen it, been in it,
and they lift their hands,
00:27:58.14\00:28:01.71
and they start
to speak in tongues
00:28:01.74\00:28:04.45
and some start to prophesy
00:28:04.48\00:28:05.95
and others start to
interpret what the prophecy is,
00:28:05.98\00:28:08.52
and it sounds
chaotic, quite frankly.
00:28:08.55\00:28:11.39
Or you maybe will be in
a more evangelical church,
00:28:11.42\00:28:16.83
less Pentecostal with
the speaking in tongues.
00:28:16.86\00:28:18.86
They say, "Let's worship
the Lord," and they all start
00:28:18.89\00:28:20.53
to--they're singing.
00:28:20.56\00:28:21.96
They're raising their arms.
00:28:22.00\00:28:23.40
And so, when it said for
three hours they're worshiping
00:28:23.43\00:28:27.24
the Lord and confessing
their sins, do you think
00:28:27.27\00:28:29.24
that's what they were doing?
00:28:29.27\00:28:31.27
No, I don't think so.
00:28:31.31\00:28:32.77
I think they may have
actually had a platform where,
00:28:32.81\00:28:35.28
when it tells us they did,
where different ones came up,
00:28:35.31\00:28:38.25
and they prayed, and
they did testimonies,
00:28:38.28\00:28:41.38
and they did confession.
00:28:41.42\00:28:43.08
And then, there were episodes of
maybe singing some of the songs
00:28:43.12\00:28:45.82
that were songs of repentance,
like Psalm 32, Psalm 51,
00:28:45.85\00:28:49.86
and they were worshiping
God, repenting of their sins,
00:28:49.89\00:28:53.66
and they had a revival service
00:28:53.70\00:28:55.00
where they were
worshiping, confessing.
00:28:55.03\00:28:57.10
Do you know Ellen White
talks about how it would be good
00:28:57.13\00:28:59.93
if sometimes we
didn't even have a sermon
00:29:00.04\00:29:01.87
but we had a testimony service?
00:29:01.90\00:29:03.87
And she says it would be good
if the Holy Spirit would move on
00:29:03.91\00:29:06.68
some churches, and people would
stand and confess their faults
00:29:06.71\00:29:10.51
to each other,
humble themselves.
00:29:10.55\00:29:13.45
Now, private things
should be privately confessed.
00:29:13.48\00:29:15.72
Public things should
be publicly confessed,
00:29:15.75\00:29:17.59
and I think everyone feels
that would be a little awkward.
00:29:17.62\00:29:21.92
I'm not
suggesting we do this now.
00:29:21.96\00:29:23.36
I'm just saying that's
what I think they were doing
00:29:23.39\00:29:26.03
and there was
nothing wrong with that.
00:29:26.06\00:29:27.66
Our early
founders used to do that.
00:29:27.66\00:29:29.70
That used to happen in a lot of
Puritan churches, where they'd
00:29:29.73\00:29:32.17
have a testimony service, and
they would get up and confess,
00:29:32.20\00:29:39.54
and they prayed for each other,
00:29:39.57\00:29:41.51
so this is what
was going on here.
00:29:41.54\00:29:43.11
They stood in their place.
00:29:43.14\00:29:44.38
They read from the Book of the
Law for one-fourth of the day
00:29:44.41\00:29:47.02
and for another
fourth they confessed
00:29:47.05\00:29:49.02
and they worshiped
the Lord their God.
00:29:49.05\00:29:50.45
So, if you get
two-fourths of the day how long
00:29:50.49\00:29:52.92
was their worship service?
00:29:52.95\00:29:56.16
Two times three.
00:29:56.19\00:29:57.73
Six-hour worship service, so
shall we start a new precedent?
00:29:57.76\00:30:03.77
Got one taker.
00:30:03.80\00:30:05.57
All right, let's go
to Monday's section.
00:30:05.60\00:30:07.57
The beginning of the prayer.
00:30:07.60\00:30:08.90
The prayer really
starts in Nehemiah 4, verse 38,
00:30:08.94\00:30:14.21
and I want you to
notice that in this prayer
00:30:14.24\00:30:16.24
he's spending time
talking about the Creator.
00:30:16.28\00:30:22.25
I usually mark my Bible.
00:30:22.28\00:30:25.55
Nehemiah 4.
00:30:25.59\00:30:29.19
I'm sorry.
00:30:29.22\00:30:30.56
Nehemiah 9, verse 4, and it
names these individuals twice.
00:30:30.59\00:30:39.23
"Then Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel,
Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah,
00:30:39.27\00:30:46.34
Bani, and Chenani
stood on the stairs--"
00:30:46.37\00:30:49.74
So, do they have a platform?
00:30:49.78\00:30:51.95
"And the Levites
cried out with a loud voice
00:30:51.98\00:30:54.48
to the Lord their God.
00:30:54.52\00:30:56.32
And the Levites," and it lists
them again, except there's a
00:30:56.35\00:30:58.35
couple of names difference,
"Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani,
00:30:58.39\00:31:02.56
Hashabniah, Sherebiah, Hodijah,
00:31:02.59\00:31:06.06
Shebaniah, and
Pethahiah, said: 'Stand up--'"
00:31:06.09\00:31:10.73
Now, why would they say stand?
00:31:10.77\00:31:12.20
So, during this long confession
worship service were they
00:31:12.23\00:31:15.07
standing for three hours?
00:31:15.10\00:31:16.84
You don't ask someone to stand
if they're already standing,
00:31:16.87\00:31:19.17
so they had been
either seated on the ground.
00:31:19.21\00:31:21.34
Sometimes they had carpets, or
they may have had--I don't think
00:31:21.38\00:31:23.35
they had chair, regular chairs.
00:31:23.38\00:31:26.05
"Stand and bless the Lord
your God forever and ever!
00:31:26.08\00:31:30.15
Blessed be Your glorious name,
00:31:30.19\00:31:32.49
which is exalted above
all blessing and praise.
00:31:32.52\00:31:36.46
You alone are the Lord; You
have made heaven, the heaven of
00:31:36.49\00:31:39.83
heavens, with all their hosts,
the earth and everything in it,
00:31:39.86\00:31:43.97
the seas and all that is
in them, and You preserve.
00:31:44.00\00:31:46.94
The host of
heaven worships You."
00:31:46.97\00:31:49.04
All right, now
he--this is a section.
00:31:49.07\00:31:51.87
We're going to stop here.
00:31:51.91\00:31:53.21
This first section
they're establishing
00:31:53.24\00:31:55.71
why He is a God
worthy of worship.
00:31:55.74\00:31:57.68
And what is the answer?
What are we reading here?
00:31:57.71\00:32:00.72
It says, "You
created everything."
00:32:00.75\00:32:03.45
Now, what's part of
the three angels' message
00:32:03.49\00:32:05.62
that we're to give to the world?
00:32:05.65\00:32:07.82
"Fear God and give glory to Him.
00:32:07.86\00:32:11.89
He's created everything,
the springs of water."
00:32:11.93\00:32:15.06
And so, what right does God
have to ask us to worship Him?
00:32:15.10\00:32:20.44
He made us, and
He has remade us.
00:32:20.47\00:32:24.17
He is our Creator, and He's
our--so, you'll notice it talks
00:32:24.21\00:32:27.81
here in the section, for
the rest of this chapter--and
00:32:27.84\00:32:30.21
I'm just going to mention
it. It says He is the Creator.
00:32:30.25\00:32:33.38
The section part,
He is the Preserver.
00:32:33.42\00:32:36.42
Third part, He is
the Promise Keeper.
00:32:36.45\00:32:38.42
I said for these
three sections really there.
00:32:38.45\00:32:40.59
He says, "You along, Lord,
have made the heaven of heavens,
00:32:40.62\00:32:44.86
with all their hosts,
the stars and the earth
00:32:44.89\00:32:47.30
and everything on it,
00:32:47.36\00:32:48.63
the seas and all
that are in them.
00:32:48.66\00:32:50.80
And You preserve them.
00:32:50.83\00:32:52.80
The host of
heaven worships You."
00:32:52.83\00:32:55.34
And there sometimes it
talked about the host of heaven,
00:32:55.37\00:32:59.21
meaning the angels.
00:32:59.24\00:33:03.41
You can read in
Colossians 1, verse 16 and 17.
00:33:03.45\00:33:06.75
"For by Him all things that
were created that are in heaven
00:33:06.78\00:33:10.25
and on the earth,
visible and invisible,
00:33:10.29\00:33:13.42
whether thrones or
dominions or principalities
00:33:13.46\00:33:16.32
or powers, all
things were created
00:33:16.36\00:33:18.59
through Him and for Him.
00:33:18.63\00:33:20.53
And He is before all things,
and in Him all things consist."
00:33:20.56\00:33:24.17
He not only made everything,
He sustains everything,
00:33:24.20\00:33:27.20
and in Him everything consist.
00:33:27.24\00:33:29.74
Now, you know, once a
week I've been trying to do--I
00:33:29.77\00:33:32.47
don't get it every week,
but I've been trying to do
00:33:32.51\00:33:35.58
these new short excerpts.
00:33:35.61\00:33:36.91
People like watching short,
quick, pithy Bible answers on
00:33:36.95\00:33:39.61
YouTube, so I've been doing the
Friday evening Bible question of
00:33:39.65\00:33:42.78
the week and didn't get to one
this week because it's just been
00:33:42.82\00:33:45.82
really busy, but I
want to do one next week.
00:33:45.85\00:33:47.46
And it's a question
a lot of people have.
00:33:47.49\00:33:51.26
"If God is all-powerful,
if He made everything,
00:33:51.29\00:33:53.73
then how can He be a loving God
if there is so much suffering?
00:33:53.76\00:33:56.50
Why do innocent people suffer?"
00:33:56.53\00:33:57.90
How many of you
have heard that question?
00:33:57.93\00:33:59.93
If God is good, if He's love, if
He's all-powerful then why did
00:34:00.04\00:34:02.67
he make a devil and
why do the innocent suffer?
00:34:02.70\00:34:06.17
And if He's all-powerful
why doesn't he stop it?
00:34:06.21\00:34:09.34
And people don't understand the
great controversy and why God
00:34:09.38\00:34:13.68
will not violate His own law,
and there is cause and result,
00:34:13.72\00:34:16.99
but the Bible is pretty
clear that God made everything,
00:34:17.02\00:34:20.19
and it's even the power
of God that gives the wicked
00:34:20.22\00:34:27.10
the strength to curse Him.
00:34:27.13\00:34:29.56
If God did not keep
their hearts beating,
00:34:29.60\00:34:32.17
they would not have
the breath to curse Him.
00:34:32.20\00:34:35.14
He's the one gives them a mind
to choose to disbelieve in Him.
00:34:35.17\00:34:39.14
He's a God that gives great
freedom, and so He allows these
00:34:39.17\00:34:43.68
things to play out, and He
is a creator of all things.
00:34:43.71\00:34:46.85
Okay, next.
00:34:46.88\00:34:48.35
On Tuesday it's a call of God's
people and their deliverance,
00:34:48.38\00:34:53.99
and so a confession along with
repentance is central to our own
00:34:54.02\00:34:57.79
acknowledgement that we must
be justified by Christ alone.
00:34:57.83\00:35:03.97
And here we can
look in--let me see.
00:35:04.00\00:35:07.10
I'm going to read--I want to
read here about the deliverance,
00:35:07.14\00:35:12.24
so you go to verse 7.
00:35:12.27\00:35:13.58
I'm in Nehemiah 9, verse 7.
00:35:13.61\00:35:15.24
"You are the Lord God, who chose
Abram, and brought him out of Ur
00:35:15.28\00:35:20.18
of the Chaldeans, and
gave him the name Abraham."
00:35:20.22\00:35:23.55
Started out Abram.
00:35:23.59\00:35:24.89
Became Abraham, because he
said, "I'm making a covenant.
00:35:24.92\00:35:26.52
You're going to be
the father of a nation,"
00:35:26.55\00:35:27.86
and that's what that means.
00:35:27.89\00:35:29.56
"You found his heart faithful
before You, and be--and made a
00:35:29.59\00:35:33.66
covenant with him to give
him the land of the Canaanites,
00:35:33.70\00:35:37.43
the Hittites, the Amorites,
the Perizzites, the Jebusites,
00:35:37.47\00:35:40.20
the Girgashites--to
give it to his descendants.
00:35:40.24\00:35:43.34
And You have performed Your
words, for You are righteous."
00:35:43.37\00:35:47.28
And so, it talks about the call
of Abraham, and then ultimately
00:35:47.31\00:35:52.38
they end up down
in the land of Egypt.
00:35:52.41\00:35:55.52
"You saw the affliction
of our fathers in Egypt.
00:35:55.55\00:35:58.82
You heard their
cry by the Red Sea.
00:35:58.85\00:36:01.06
You showed signs and wonders
against Pharaoh and against all
00:36:01.09\00:36:04.59
his servants and against
all the people of his land.
00:36:04.63\00:36:07.56
For You knew that they
acted proudly against them.
00:36:07.60\00:36:10.53
So You made a name for
Yourself, as it is this day."
00:36:10.57\00:36:14.47
Now, when was it that
God made a name for Himself?
00:36:14.50\00:36:18.24
In the plagues
that fell on Egypt.
00:36:18.27\00:36:20.11
It says there was nothing like
it before it or any that came
00:36:20.14\00:36:23.38
after it, and it
talks about the dark day.
00:36:23.41\00:36:25.65
It talks about the blood.
00:36:25.68\00:36:27.08
It talks about the locusts.
00:36:27.12\00:36:28.42
It says there was no plague of
locusts that had ever been like
00:36:28.45\00:36:31.19
that plague and there has never
been one since, and it was such
00:36:31.22\00:36:34.69
a momentous event that the other
nations around knew about it.
00:36:34.72\00:36:39.59
When the spies are
being hidden by Rahab,
00:36:39.63\00:36:41.86
you know what Rahab says?
00:36:41.90\00:36:43.67
"We heard about the Lord who led
you out of Egypt and the signs
00:36:43.70\00:36:47.94
He did and how you crossed
the seas," and the miracles and
00:36:47.97\00:36:51.77
things that
happened to the Egyptians.
00:36:51.81\00:36:53.34
This is 40 years later, and it's
still monumental among all those
00:36:53.38\00:36:57.18
nations what had happened.
00:36:57.21\00:36:58.51
It was a great point in history.
00:36:58.55\00:37:00.65
In fact, many Egyptologists
believe that there was a
00:37:00.68\00:37:07.12
powerful effort from some of the
pharaohs to expunge the history
00:37:07.16\00:37:16.56
of the plagues from the
hieroglyphics and the writings
00:37:16.60\00:37:20.14
in Egypt.
00:37:20.17\00:37:21.47
They were so
embarrassed by what happened.
00:37:21.50\00:37:24.27
There is a lot of plaques.
00:37:24.31\00:37:26.01
There is a lot of walls, a lot
of plasters that--on the walls
00:37:26.04\00:37:30.68
of Egypt they find in these
ancient ruins where someone took
00:37:30.71\00:37:33.48
a chisel and chiseled off
all the writing, and they're
00:37:33.52\00:37:36.89
wondering was this an
account of what had happened?
00:37:36.92\00:37:40.59
Did they try to expunge the
whole story of the Israelites?
00:37:40.62\00:37:43.02
Because they
struggle sometimes to find it.
00:37:43.06\00:37:44.73
They have found it, but they
didn't want everyone to know.
00:37:44.76\00:37:48.30
It was such a--it was a national
embarrassment, of how the whole
00:37:48.33\00:37:52.07
nation had been humiliated by
the God of the slaves, what it
00:37:52.10\00:37:56.47
did to their gods, and so you
can understand why they wouldn't
00:37:56.50\00:37:59.94
want to codify that.
00:38:00.04\00:38:03.38
But the other nations knew,
as mentioned by Rahab and others
00:38:03.41\00:38:06.51
you find in the Bible.
00:38:06.55\00:38:07.78
All right--and so, he's talking
about all that he did and let me
00:38:07.82\00:38:13.66
read a statement to you from the
book "Selected Messages," page
00:38:13.69\00:38:17.03
3, 191.
00:38:17.06\00:38:20.16
"When through repentance and
faith we accept Christ as our
00:38:20.20\00:38:23.03
Savior, the Lord pardons
our sins and remits the penalty
00:38:23.06\00:38:27.24
prescribed for the
transgression of the law.
00:38:27.27\00:38:29.87
The sinner then stands before
God just as a person--just--God
00:38:29.90\00:38:33.44
as a just person; he is taken
into favor with heaven, and
00:38:33.48\00:38:38.55
through the Spirit has
fellowship with the Father and
00:38:38.58\00:38:41.62
with the Son."
00:38:41.65\00:38:42.95
And so, it's saying that, you
know, God saved Abraham because
00:38:42.98\00:38:45.79
He had faith in him.
00:38:45.82\00:38:47.06
He looked upon him as righteous
and when the people went down to
00:38:47.09\00:38:50.99
Egypt because of Joseph, they
started forgetting about God and
00:38:51.03\00:38:56.80
adopting the
habits of the Egyptians.
00:38:56.83\00:38:59.13
God in His mercy, He stepped in
to save them, and it says here,
00:38:59.17\00:39:05.54
"You saw the affliction
of our fathers in Egypt.
00:39:05.57\00:39:07.61
You heard their
cry by the Red Sea.
00:39:07.64\00:39:09.88
You showed signs and wonders
against Pharaoh and his servants
00:39:09.91\00:39:13.08
and against all
the people of the land.
00:39:13.11\00:39:15.18
For You knew they
acted proudly against them.
00:39:15.22\00:39:17.62
So You made a name for
Yourself, as it is this day.
00:39:17.65\00:39:20.46
You divided the sea before them,
and they went through the midst
00:39:20.49\00:39:24.46
of the sea and the dry land; and
their persecutors You threw into
00:39:24.49\00:39:28.76
the deep, as a stone
into the mighty waters.
00:39:28.80\00:39:32.07
Moreover You led them by
day with a cloudy pillar, and by
00:39:32.10\00:39:35.97
night with a pillar of fire,
to give them light on the road
00:39:36.00\00:39:39.24
which they should travel."
00:39:39.27\00:39:40.68
So, this is a wonderful story.
00:39:40.71\00:39:42.01
It's telling us
how God led them out,
00:39:42.04\00:39:44.25
and it says they
went through the sea.
00:39:44.28\00:39:47.18
What is the sea a type of,
according to Paul, 1 Corinthians
00:39:47.22\00:39:50.69
chapter 10?
00:39:50.72\00:39:52.79
"You baptized them in the sea,"
it says, "and You led them by
00:39:52.82\00:39:56.89
this pillar of fire."
00:39:56.93\00:39:59.73
They were baptized
in the Spirit, the sea.
00:39:59.76\00:40:04.73
When you go into the
sanctuary there are two things.
00:40:04.77\00:40:08.37
You had fire, and you had water.
00:40:08.40\00:40:10.07
In the altar you had the laver.
00:40:10.11\00:40:12.94
Laver had water, altar had fire,
then you went into the presence
00:40:12.97\00:40:16.24
of God.
00:40:16.28\00:40:17.65
Children of
Israel came out of Egypt.
00:40:17.68\00:40:19.18
They went through the water,
and then they were baptized in a
00:40:19.21\00:40:22.35
pillar of fire that protected
them from the Egyptians,
00:40:22.38\00:40:24.95
remember?
00:40:24.99\00:40:26.29
Gave them light, but it
was darkness for the Egyptians.
00:40:26.32\00:40:29.06
And then, it says they
had--you go into the holy place
00:40:29.09\00:40:32.93
you got bread.
00:40:32.96\00:40:34.23
Did God give them
bread from heaven?
00:40:34.30\00:40:36.46
And there was an
altar of incense,
00:40:36.50\00:40:38.30
and then you
had the candlestick.
00:40:38.33\00:40:42.07
There is three things in there
and that represents the three
00:40:42.10\00:40:44.04
disciplines of the Christian
life and how we sustain them.
00:40:44.07\00:40:47.41
Bread of life, the Word of
God, altar of incense, prayer,
00:40:47.44\00:40:50.28
communion with God,
and the light is being
00:40:50.31\00:40:53.05
a witness for God.
00:40:53.08\00:40:54.38
You are the light of the world.
00:40:54.42\00:40:55.78
Let your light shine, so the
whole wilderness experience is,
00:40:55.82\00:40:59.62
sort of, an
analogy of salvation.
00:40:59.65\00:41:02.99
Then it tells us they cried out
to God and someone is going to
00:41:03.02\00:41:06.09
read for me Judges 6:6.
00:41:06.13\00:41:08.83
You'll have that
in just a moment.
00:41:08.86\00:41:10.57
I'm going to read
Psalm 106, verse 44 and 45.
00:41:10.60\00:41:13.60
"Nevertheless He regarded their
affliction, He heard their cry;
00:41:13.64\00:41:18.01
and for their sakes He
remembered His covenant, and He
00:41:18.04\00:41:20.78
relented according to the
multitude of His mercies."
00:41:20.81\00:41:24.25
You know, you and I
read the history of Israel.
00:41:24.28\00:41:26.15
I don't know what you
think, but there are sometimes I
00:41:26.18\00:41:27.62
think--"Forget about it.
00:41:27.65\00:41:30.05
You know, I
save them from Egypt.
00:41:30.09\00:41:32.09
They turn back to foreign gods.
00:41:32.12\00:41:33.62
They say they want to go back
to Egypt, and I save them again.
00:41:33.66\00:41:35.96
I save them again.
00:41:35.99\00:41:37.29
I bring them into
the Promised Land.
00:41:37.33\00:41:38.63
They intermarry with the
pagans. They forget about Me.
00:41:38.66\00:41:40.70
They worship pagan gods.
I say just forget about it."
00:41:40.73\00:41:43.13
But in their affliction they
turn back to God, and they say,
00:41:43.16\00:41:46.23
"Okay, I'll forgive you again."
00:41:46.27\00:41:47.70
Then they forget about God,
and they turn back to the devil.
00:41:47.74\00:41:49.87
They have a hard time.
00:41:49.90\00:41:52.61
God forgives them, says,
"Okay, I'll forgive you again."
00:41:52.64\00:41:56.68
They backslide.
"I'll forgive you again."
00:41:56.71\00:41:58.68
They backslide.
"I'll forgive you again."
00:41:58.71\00:42:01.32
You know that verse that says
He is longsuffering to us-ward.
00:42:01.35\00:42:05.62
Aren't you glad when you
read the history of Israel?
00:42:05.65\00:42:07.59
Look at the 2,000 years of
patience He had with Israel.
00:42:07.62\00:42:13.56
From the Exodus, or you could
say the call of Abraham, to
00:42:13.60\00:42:18.77
Christ there's 2,000 years of
almost continual backsliding and
00:42:18.80\00:42:23.37
forgiveness, backsliding and
forgiveness, but don't use that
00:42:23.41\00:42:28.51
as an excuse to
forever be backsliding.
00:42:28.54\00:42:30.45
God is merciful, but there is an
end to--if there's not an end to
00:42:30.48\00:42:33.78
His mercy, there's an end
to your life eventually, so you
00:42:33.82\00:42:36.52
can't be presumptuous
with His mercy, right?
00:42:36.55\00:42:39.89
Read for us, please, Judges 6:6.
00:42:39.92\00:42:41.92
male: Judges 6:6, "So Israel
was greatly impoverished because
00:42:41.96\00:42:48.83
of the Midianites,
and the children of Israel
00:42:48.86\00:42:51.53
cried out to the Lord."
00:42:51.57\00:42:53.44
Doug: So, God sometimes
allows us to go through
00:42:53.47\00:42:55.67
impoverishment or affliction so
we'll recognize our need of Him
00:42:55.70\00:43:01.01
and then we cry out for help.
00:43:01.04\00:43:02.71
Does He help?
00:43:02.74\00:43:04.81
He sent Gideon and look at
all the judges that He sent,
00:43:04.85\00:43:07.32
and it was usually
they got a low point.
00:43:07.35\00:43:09.28
Moses is out there.
00:43:09.32\00:43:10.62
God says, "I've heard
the cry of my people."
00:43:10.65\00:43:13.46
Now, did they cry for one or two
days or sometimes did they cry
00:43:13.49\00:43:16.09
for years?
00:43:16.12\00:43:18.86
A day with the Lord is like
a thousand years, so you think,
00:43:18.89\00:43:20.70
"O Lord, I'm crying
out for three hours now.
00:43:20.73\00:43:22.53
How come I
don't have an answer?"
00:43:22.56\00:43:25.03
You might have to
cry out more than a day.
00:43:25.07\00:43:27.90
I know people that have been
praying for their loved ones for
00:43:27.94\00:43:31.31
years, and then He answers their
prayers, and so you need to be
00:43:31.34\00:43:33.24
persistent.
00:43:33.27\00:43:34.58
All right, then you go to
Nehemiah chapter 9, and I'm
00:43:34.61\00:43:39.05
going to read down to verse 13.
00:43:39.08\00:43:42.05
"You came down on Mount Sinai,
and You spoke with them from
00:43:42.08\00:43:45.39
heaven, and You gave them just
ordinances and true laws, good
00:43:45.42\00:43:50.59
statutes and commandments.
00:43:50.63\00:43:51.93
You made them know
Your holy Sabbath."
00:43:51.96\00:43:54.00
Stop. Wait.
00:43:54.00\00:43:56.06
Did they get the Sabbath the
first time there on Mount Sinai?
00:43:56.10\00:44:00.40
No, because He had already been
giving them bread from heaven
00:44:00.44\00:44:03.44
six days a week before they ever
got to Mount Sinai, Exodus 16.
00:44:03.47\00:44:07.01
So, did God first help them know
about the Sabbath in Exodus 16,
00:44:07.04\00:44:12.41
or did Abraham
know about the Sabbath?
00:44:12.45\00:44:15.75
God is saying,
"You reminded them.
00:44:15.78\00:44:17.19
You brought it back to
them," because they were a whole
00:44:17.22\00:44:19.79
generation that had forgotten
the statutes of the Lord, but
00:44:19.82\00:44:22.56
you read about Abraham.
00:44:22.59\00:44:23.89
"Abraham kept My commandments,
My laws, My statutes,
00:44:23.93\00:44:27.03
My judgements," and that's
back in Genesis, and so, yes,
00:44:27.03\00:44:31.17
God had the Sabbath before
they ever got to Mount Sinai.
00:44:31.20\00:44:34.07
Some people have read that and
said this is when He first gave
00:44:34.10\00:44:36.17
it to them.
00:44:36.20\00:44:37.51
No, He's reminding them of it.
00:44:37.54\00:44:40.28
"And You commanded them
precepts, statutes, and laws, by
00:44:40.31\00:44:42.91
the hand of Moses Your servant."
00:44:42.94\00:44:44.88
For instance, one of those
laws says don't commit adultery.
00:44:44.91\00:44:47.58
Was that the first time they had
heard not to commit adultery?
00:44:47.62\00:44:50.69
Who lived
first, Moses or Joseph?
00:44:50.72\00:44:54.49
Joseph.
00:44:54.52\00:44:55.86
And did God tell
Joseph, "It's wrong for you
00:44:55.89\00:44:58.89
to have Potiphar's
wife. That's adultery"?
00:44:58.93\00:45:01.53
One of the Ten Commandments
God gave them was don't murder.
00:45:01.56\00:45:05.17
Who lived first, Moses or Cain?
00:45:05.20\00:45:08.94
Cain. Did God tell
Cain murder was a sin?
00:45:08.97\00:45:11.71
Yeah, so they knew about murder,
they knew about adultery, and
00:45:11.74\00:45:14.18
they knew about the Sabbath all
the way back at the beginning,
00:45:14.21\00:45:16.21
but they'd forgotten it,
so he wrote it down for them.
00:45:16.24\00:45:21.18
"You gave them bread
from heaven," I'm in verse 15,
00:45:21.22\00:45:23.55
"for their hunger.
00:45:23.59\00:45:25.05
You brought them water out
of the rock for their thirst,
00:45:25.09\00:45:27.72
and told them to
go to possess the land
00:45:27.76\00:45:30.23
which You swore to give them.
00:45:30.26\00:45:32.73
But they and our
fathers acted proudly.
00:45:32.76\00:45:35.16
They hardened their necks.
00:45:35.20\00:45:36.50
They did not heed
Your commandments.
00:45:36.53\00:45:37.87
They refused to obey.
00:45:37.90\00:45:39.67
They were not mindful of Your
wonders that You did among them.
00:45:39.70\00:45:42.77
But they hardened their
necks in their rebellion."
00:45:42.80\00:45:45.11
It's like a horse that's
stiffening his neck so you can't
00:45:45.14\00:45:47.78
turn him.
00:45:47.81\00:45:49.31
"They appointed a leader
to return to their bondage."
00:45:49.34\00:45:52.08
That means Egypt.
00:45:52.11\00:45:53.82
"But You are God, ready to
pardon, gracious and merciful,
00:45:53.85\00:45:57.25
slow to anger, abundant
in kindness, and You did not
00:45:57.29\00:46:00.49
forsake them."
00:46:00.52\00:46:01.82
How many times did God
say to Moses, "Out of My way.
00:46:01.86\00:46:05.33
I'm going to wipe them out.
I'll make a nation out of you"?
00:46:05.36\00:46:08.06
And Moses said, "Oh,
no, Lord. Be patient.
00:46:08.10\00:46:10.30
They're Your people. What
will happen to Your name?"
00:46:10.33\00:46:12.73
God didn't really
want to wipe them out.
00:46:12.77\00:46:14.07
He wanted Moses
just to intercede.
00:46:14.10\00:46:17.67
"Abundant in kindness,
and You did not forsake them."
00:46:17.71\00:46:20.18
I'm in verse 18.
00:46:20.21\00:46:21.44
"Even when they made a molded
calf for themselves, and said,
00:46:21.48\00:46:24.38
'This is your god that brought
you up out of Egypt,' and they
00:46:24.41\00:46:28.78
worked great provocations," they
provoked the Lord, "yet in Your
00:46:28.82\00:46:31.92
manifold mercies You did not
forsake them in the wilderness.
00:46:31.95\00:46:35.89
The pillar of cloud did not
depart from them by day, to lead
00:46:35.92\00:46:38.89
them on the road; nor the pillar
of fire by night, to show them
00:46:38.93\00:46:41.60
light, that they should
know the way they should go.
00:46:41.63\00:46:44.57
You gave them Your good
Spirit to instruct them."
00:46:44.60\00:46:46.90
Notice right after the pillar
it talks about the Spirit.
00:46:46.94\00:46:50.27
"And You did not withhold Your
manna from their mouth," that
00:46:50.31\00:46:53.14
bread of life, the Word.
00:46:53.17\00:46:54.51
"You gave them
water for their thirst.
00:46:54.54\00:46:56.61
Forty years You sustained them
in the wilderness; they lacked
00:46:56.64\00:46:59.25
nothing; their
clothes did not wear out.
00:46:59.28\00:47:01.58
Their feet did not swell.
00:47:01.62\00:47:03.35
Moreover You gave them kingdoms
and nations, and divided them
00:47:03.39\00:47:06.99
into districts.
00:47:07.02\00:47:08.26
So they took possession of the
land of Sihon, the land of Og,
00:47:08.29\00:47:12.13
the king of Heshbon, and
the land of Og of Bashan.
00:47:12.16\00:47:15.80
You multiplied their children
like the stars of heaven, and
00:47:15.83\00:47:19.13
brought them into the land which
You had told their fathers to go
00:47:19.17\00:47:21.77
in and possess.
00:47:21.80\00:47:23.10
So the people went in and
possessed the land; and You
00:47:23.14\00:47:25.77
subdued them before the
inhabitants of the land, the
00:47:25.81\00:47:28.38
Canaanites, and gave them into
their hands, with their kings
00:47:28.41\00:47:31.98
and the people of the land, that
they might do with them as they
00:47:32.01\00:47:35.15
wished.
00:47:35.18\00:47:36.82
And they took," they conquered,
"strong cities and a rich land,
00:47:36.85\00:47:40.29
and possessed houses full of
goods and cisterns already dug,
00:47:40.32\00:47:43.63
and vineyards and olive groves
and fruit trees in abundance.
00:47:43.66\00:47:46.80
So they ate and they were full
and grew fat, and they delighted
00:47:46.83\00:47:50.40
themselves in
Your great goodness."
00:47:50.43\00:47:52.00
And what tends to
happen when we do that?
00:47:52.03\00:47:56.64
Is there a danger that
we can forget the Lord?
00:47:56.67\00:48:00.21
Let me read something to you
real quick, and someone's going
00:48:00.24\00:48:02.31
to read for me 2 Peter 3:9.
00:48:02.34\00:48:07.52
Deuteronomy 6:10, "So it will
be, that when the Lord your God
00:48:07.55\00:48:10.99
brings you into the land which
we swore your fathers, Abraham,
00:48:11.02\00:48:14.42
Isaac, and Jacob, to give you
large and beautiful cities which
00:48:14.46\00:48:17.29
you did not build, houses full
of all good things, which you
00:48:17.33\00:48:20.46
did not fill, hewn-out wells
that you did not dig, vineyards
00:48:20.50\00:48:24.07
and olive trees you did not
plant--that when you have eaten
00:48:24.10\00:48:27.27
and are full--beware,
lest you forget the Lord."
00:48:27.30\00:48:32.17
That's why it's hard for a rich
person to get into the kingdom.
00:48:32.21\00:48:35.41
They got all their blessings.
00:48:35.44\00:48:36.75
They stopped thinking about
praying and their need for God.
00:48:36.78\00:48:38.65
Out of sight, out of mind.
00:48:38.68\00:48:40.52
"Lest you forget the Lord who
brought you out of the land of
00:48:40.55\00:48:42.88
Egypt, out of the house of
bondage," the God who saved you.
00:48:42.92\00:48:46.82
He is so patient, even
though they did forget.
00:48:46.86\00:48:48.79
Lloyd, you could read
for us, please, 2 Peter 3:9.
00:48:48.82\00:48:53.29
Lloyd: 2 Peter 3:9.
00:48:53.33\00:48:54.86
This is the New
King James Version.
00:48:54.93\00:48:56.73
"The Lord is not slack
concerning His promise, as some
00:48:56.77\00:48:59.73
count slackness, but is
longsuffering towards us,
00:48:59.77\00:49:03.00
not willing that any
should perish but that all
00:49:03.04\00:49:05.47
should come to repentance."
00:49:05.51\00:49:07.31
Doug: Thank you.
00:49:07.34\00:49:08.64
Now, what we'll learn as we're
reading through--rehearsing this
00:49:08.68\00:49:10.98
history here in Nehemiah, he's
saying, "Look how God has been
00:49:11.01\00:49:15.08
so patient."
00:49:15.12\00:49:16.35
Now, keep in mind in Nehemiah
they're already coming out of
00:49:16.38\00:49:17.99
Babylonian captivity.
00:49:18.02\00:49:19.52
They're on the tailender.
00:49:19.55\00:49:21.26
This is just
before Christ comes back.
00:49:21.29\00:49:22.82
They never get dispossessed
again until Jesus comes back
00:49:22.86\00:49:26.06
later, by the
Romans, so they really have
00:49:26.09\00:49:29.06
a great revival that lasts.
00:49:29.10\00:49:31.37
Matter of fact,
their revival goes so far.
00:49:31.40\00:49:33.67
They even develop a sect called
Pharisees that make sure they're
00:49:33.70\00:49:36.27
never worshiping idols again.
00:49:36.30\00:49:38.41
From the time of Ezra to the
time of Jesus, they never turn
00:49:38.44\00:49:41.11
back to idolatry.
00:49:41.14\00:49:42.61
Pharisees saw to that
and, matter of fact, they had a
00:49:42.64\00:49:45.71
couple of riots with the Romans
when the Romans would march into
00:49:45.75\00:49:48.02
the city with a eagle on
their flag pole, and they'd say,
00:49:48.05\00:49:51.05
"That's an idol," so they never
wanted to go back to idolatry.
00:49:51.09\00:49:54.39
So, this revival, it did have a
lasting effect, but you can read
00:49:54.42\00:49:57.89
on, and He reviews here--we're
out of time to read the whole
00:49:57.93\00:50:00.40
chapter, but He reviews here how
He sent prophets to them and He
00:50:00.43\00:50:05.53
was so patient with them.
00:50:05.57\00:50:06.87
"Yet for many years You
had patience with them."
00:50:06.90\00:50:09.64
I'm in verse 30.
00:50:09.67\00:50:12.54
"And You testified against them
by Your Spirit in Your prophets.
00:50:12.57\00:50:15.41
Yet they would not listen;
therefore You gave them into the
00:50:15.44\00:50:18.31
hand of the peoples of the
lands," whether it be Assyria or
00:50:18.35\00:50:21.32
Babylon.
00:50:21.35\00:50:23.59
"Nevertheless in Your
great mercy You did not utterly
00:50:23.62\00:50:26.45
consume them or forsake them;
for You are a gracious and a
00:50:26.49\00:50:29.49
merciful God.
00:50:29.52\00:50:30.83
Now therefore, our God, the
great and the mighty, awesome
00:50:30.86\00:50:33.29
God, Who keeps covenant
and mercy: do not let all the
00:50:33.33\00:50:36.56
trouble seem small to You that
has come upon us, our kings, our
00:50:36.60\00:50:40.64
princes, our priests, our
prophets, our fathers and all
00:50:40.67\00:50:43.57
Your people, from the day of the
kings of Assyria," that's when
00:50:43.61\00:50:46.68
the ten tribes were first
carried off, "until this day."
00:50:46.71\00:50:49.88
They had been
carried off by Babylon.
00:50:49.91\00:50:51.51
"However You are just in all
that has befallen us; for You
00:50:51.55\00:50:56.32
have dealt faithfully,
but we have done wickedly."
00:50:56.35\00:50:59.62
And they finish out, and they
talk about, "We're getting what
00:50:59.65\00:51:02.39
we deserve."
00:51:02.42\00:51:03.73
Now they end up
saying, "Show mercy to us.
00:51:03.76\00:51:06.59
Make a covenant with us that
we will not worship other gods,"
00:51:06.63\00:51:11.03
and they never did go
back to other gods again.
00:51:11.07\00:51:13.57
Like I said, to this day,
the Orthodox Jews, they don't
00:51:13.60\00:51:17.47
worship other gods.
00:51:17.51\00:51:18.81
They may not be faithful in some
aspects, but that you're not
00:51:18.84\00:51:22.04
going to hear them naming the
other gods, and so this was a
00:51:22.08\00:51:25.55
great revival.
00:51:25.58\00:51:26.88
They seal it with a covenant
with their leaders, and it was
00:51:26.92\00:51:29.75
the result of a whole
month of revival in the Feast of
00:51:29.78\00:51:33.52
Tabernacles.
00:51:33.56\00:51:34.86
Hope we learned
something edifying today.
00:51:34.89\00:51:36.29
We want to remind our friends
as we're signing off that we do
00:51:36.32\00:51:38.66
have a special gift book.
00:51:38.69\00:51:40.16
We recommend you
read this, if you've not.
00:51:40.20\00:51:42.40
It will encourage you.
00:51:42.43\00:51:43.77
It's called
"Three Steps to Heaven."
00:51:43.80\00:51:45.27
Talks about how to take those
steps and if you want a free
00:51:45.30\00:51:48.37
copy call 866-788-3966.
00:51:48.40\00:51:52.94
That's 866-STUDY-MORE.
00:51:52.97\00:51:55.01
Ask for offer number 102.
00:51:55.04\00:51:57.51
You can also download it right
now if you want to read it.
00:51:57.55\00:51:59.41
Just text "SH068."
00:51:59.45\00:52:03.18
Text "SH068"--I think you see it
on your screen there--to 40544,
00:52:03.22\00:52:08.79
and you can download this
and pass it on, email, post, and
00:52:08.82\00:52:12.79
send it to all of
your friends and enemies.
00:52:12.83\00:52:15.43
We're out of time.
00:52:15.46\00:52:16.83
God bless until we study his
Word together again next week.
00:52:16.87\00:52:21.04
male announcer: Don't forget
to request today's life-changing
00:52:21.07\00:52:23.24
free resource.
00:52:23.27\00:52:24.71
Not only can you receive
this free gift in the mail,
00:52:24.74\00:52:26.74
you can download a digital
copy straight to your computer
00:52:26.78\00:52:29.08
or mobile device.
00:52:29.11\00:52:30.65
To get your digital copy of
today's free gift, simply text
00:52:30.68\00:52:34.02
the key word on your screen to
40544 or visit the web address
00:52:34.05\00:52:38.79
shown on your screen and be sure
to select the digital download
00:52:38.82\00:52:42.22
option on the request page.
00:52:42.26\00:52:43.86
It's now easier than ever
for you to study God's Word with
00:52:43.89\00:52:47.20
Amazing Facts wherever and
whenever you want and, most
00:52:47.23\00:52:50.87
important, to
share it with others.
00:52:50.90\00:52:52.90
announcer: Can't get enough
Amazing Facts Bible study?
00:52:52.93\00:52:57.57
You don't have to wait
until next week to enjoy more
00:52:57.61\00:53:00.44
truth-filled programming.
00:53:00.48\00:53:02.18
Watch Amazing Facts
Television by visiting aftv.org.
00:53:02.21\00:53:07.92
At aftv.org you can view Amazing
Facts programming 24 hours a
00:53:07.95\00:53:13.69
day, 7 days a week right from
your computer or mobile device.
00:53:13.72\00:53:17.76
Why wait a week?
00:53:17.79\00:53:19.26
Visit aftv.org.
00:53:19.29\00:53:21.76
It's that easy.
00:53:21.80\00:53:25.07
¤¤¤
00:53:25.10\00:53:27.64
announcer: Amazing
facts. Changed lives.
00:53:27.67\00:53:30.51
male: I'd have to say that
I had a wonderful childhood
00:53:36.24\00:53:38.61
growing up.
00:53:38.65\00:53:40.12
I went to a private school
up until the seventh grade,
00:53:40.15\00:53:42.92
till junior high.
00:53:42.95\00:53:44.39
I believe it was at that point
in junior high that my life
00:53:44.42\00:53:48.56
began to change.
00:53:48.59\00:53:50.63
Going from a Christian
education to a public school
00:53:50.66\00:53:52.83
was a big difference.
00:53:52.86\00:53:54.86
There was a lot of secular
influence, peer pressure, and
00:53:54.93\00:54:00.97
for me it was the music.
00:54:01.00\00:54:03.10
I started listening
to heavy metal music.
00:54:03.14\00:54:05.04
Every concert that would
come to town, I was there.
00:54:05.07\00:54:07.64
It had a profound effect on me.
00:54:07.68\00:54:10.11
I started using marijuana
probably at the age of 14.
00:54:10.15\00:54:15.88
I started drinking, using a
lot of cocaine, and that led to
00:54:15.92\00:54:19.12
methamphetamine, and that
completely changed my life.
00:54:19.15\00:54:22.76
I dropped out of high school my
sophomore year and went to work.
00:54:22.79\00:54:28.90
I would get off of work and we'd
go into the bar until 2 o'clock
00:54:28.93\00:54:31.93
in the morning.
00:54:31.97\00:54:33.27
I'd get back up at 5, and
I'd go back and begin, six,
00:54:33.30\00:54:36.14
seven days a week.
00:54:36.17\00:54:41.14
At the age of 20, I lost
my dad to a heart attack.
00:54:41.18\00:54:45.85
I didn't know how to handle the
loss, so I tried to mask my pain
00:54:45.88\00:54:49.62
with alcohol and drugs.
00:54:49.65\00:54:51.15
I got three DUIs in
one year, was arrested.
00:54:51.19\00:54:55.76
They gave me a year in the
county jail and the moment I got
00:54:55.79\00:54:59.93
out I went back to doing
the same thing, hanging with the
00:54:59.96\00:55:02.96
same people, the same crowd.
00:55:03.00\00:55:05.27
I was involved in a hit-and-run
motorcycle accident, and I was
00:55:05.30\00:55:08.30
charged with a felony DUI.
00:55:08.34\00:55:10.44
Even though at the time of
the accident I was not under the
00:55:10.47\00:55:12.74
influence, I still had
methamphetamine in my system.
00:55:12.77\00:55:16.21
At my sentencing date I left
the courtroom, and I didn't come
00:55:16.24\00:55:20.95
back, and that left
me with a felony warrant.
00:55:20.98\00:55:24.62
And I'd fallen asleep in a park,
and I woke up to a park ranger
00:55:24.65\00:55:29.49
knocking on my window.
00:55:29.52\00:55:31.59
I knew I was wanted, and I knew
that I was not going to just
00:55:31.63\00:55:35.83
turn myself in.
00:55:35.86\00:55:37.33
I turned to him, and I
made the comment, "Not today,"
00:55:37.37\00:55:40.57
and I took off.
00:55:40.60\00:55:42.44
I led 5 different agencies on
about a 35-minute chase, and I
00:55:42.47\00:55:45.57
realized at that point that
I wasn't going to get away and
00:55:45.61\00:55:50.08
that this was going to end
up either me killing somebody or
00:55:50.11\00:55:54.58
myself, and so I made
a decision to pull over.
00:55:54.62\00:55:56.69
At that point
everything that I had I lost.
00:55:56.72\00:56:01.02
I was sentenced to two years in
state prison, and it was there
00:56:01.06\00:56:06.43
that God got ahold of me,
and it was through Amazing Facts
00:56:06.46\00:56:11.43
Ministries.
00:56:11.47\00:56:13.13
I remember listening on my
radio to Pastor Doug Batchelor.
00:56:13.17\00:56:17.14
I wanted to get to know the
Bible, I wanted to know God, and
00:56:17.17\00:56:20.78
so my aunt Marilyn sent me the
Amazing Facts study guides, and
00:56:20.81\00:56:26.98
it was there that my
relationship with Christ began.
00:56:27.02\00:56:31.75
I had called home, and I knew
my mother wasn't doing well,
00:56:31.79\00:56:41.06
but I didn't
realize that she had cancer.
00:56:41.10\00:56:45.07
She had about a 30% chance of
making it through her surgery.
00:56:45.10\00:56:49.34
She had told the doctors that
she was not going to have chemo,
00:56:49.37\00:56:51.74
and she was not
going to have radiation.
00:56:51.77\00:56:53.34
That if her God
was going to save her,
00:56:53.38\00:56:54.81
then He would save her.
00:56:54.84\00:56:57.81
I remember hanging up the phone
to what I thought was my last
00:56:57.85\00:57:01.15
conversation with my mom.
00:57:01.18\00:57:05.29
I turned around, I got down on
my knees, and I prayed to God,
00:57:05.32\00:57:09.79
and I said, "God, if you're
there please save my mother.
00:57:09.82\00:57:14.30
Wherever You lead me in life,
whatever You want me to do, I am
00:57:14.30\00:57:18.40
Yours," and I had a feeling of
such peace that I knew that my
00:57:18.43\00:57:24.44
mother was going to be okay
and that my life was going to
00:57:24.47\00:57:28.14
change.
00:57:28.18\00:57:29.98
There are no words that I can
adequately express to Amazing
00:57:30.01\00:57:33.42
Facts and to Pastor
Doug to say thank you.
00:57:33.45\00:57:36.42
To all those people who support
the ministry, I am a product of
00:57:36.45\00:57:39.82
your support.
00:57:39.85\00:57:41.49
My life has changed because of
this ministry, and I thank you
00:57:41.52\00:57:47.40
from the bottom of my heart.
00:57:47.40\00:57:49.56
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