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Jean Ross: Good
morning, friends.
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Welcome again to "Sabbath School
Study Hour," coming to you here
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from the Amazing Facts offices
in Granite Bay, California.
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I'd like to welcome our regular
Sabbath School members that tune
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in every week.
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We know you tune in because we
do get your letters and emails.
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And we appreciate our faithful
Sabbath School members not only
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from our local Granite Bay
church, but also those who are
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joining us online as well as
friends who are watching us on
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the various television networks.
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We are so glad that you've taken
the time to spend some time in
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God's Word with us as we
study a very important lesson.
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Now, this entire quarter
we're focusing on the work
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of evangelism.
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Our lesson quarterly is entitled
"Making Friends for God," and
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today we're getting to
the very heart of evangelism.
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And that's lesson number seven
entitled "Sharing the Word."
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There is power
in the Word of God.
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So lesson number
seven, "Sharing the Word."
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Well, before we get to our
study, we'd like to tell you
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about a free offer that we
have, one of Amazing Facts'
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sharing books.
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It's entitled "Alone in the
Crowd," and we'll be happy to
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send this to
anyone in North America.
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If you'd like to receive this in
your mail, just give us a call.
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The number is 866-788-3966
and ask for the free offer
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number 714.
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That number
again is 866-788-3966.
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Ask for offer number 714 and
you'll receive that in the mail
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in a few days.
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If you'd like to receive this
free offer right now, you can
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text the code SH004 to
the number 40544 for a digital
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download of the book.
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Again, text the code
SH004 to the number 40544.
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And you'll get a link where
you'll be able to download and
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read the book,
"Alone in the Crowd."
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And I think you'll receive a
rich blessing as you see what
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the Bible says about us as
Christians needing to stand upon
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the Word of God irrespective of
what might be happening in our
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culture around us.
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But before we get to our study,
as we always do, let's begin
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with a word of prayer.
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Dear Father in heaven, we thank
You once again that we're able
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to gather together.
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I know that we are gathering
together in various homes and
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scattered across the country,
some by themselves to study
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the Word.
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And, Lord, we are grateful that
Your Holy Spirit is not limited
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by place or time, but You
are everywhere speaking to
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our hearts.
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We recognize that
the Bible is Your book.
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And so we ask the Holy Spirit
to guide us, show us how we can
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share the Word with our friends,
our neighbors, family members to
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draw them into a
closer relationship with You.
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So bless our time today.
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We ask this in Jesus' name.
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Amen.
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Our lesson this morning is
going to be brought to us by
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Pastor Doug.
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Doug Batchelor:
Thank you, Pastor Ross.
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I was sitting there thinking
that maybe somebody was going
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to--we're going to roll in
some special music or something.
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And since that didn't happen,
I'll just sing right now.
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I did that to scare the studio.
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Actually, I'm not going to sing.
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I'll leave you all in anxious
expectation for another day.
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But sometimes we roll in some
music, and we like to try and do
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that when we can.
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We're continuing with our lesson
that's dealing with the subject
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of making friends for God.
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And as Pastor Ross mentioned,
today we're talking about the
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lesson that deals
with sharing the Word.
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And we have a memory verse, and
the memory verse is from Isaiah
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55, verse 11; Isaiah 55, verse
11, which reads, "So shall My
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Word be that goes
forth from My mouth."
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Now, if you're watching, you're
supposed to be saying this along
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with me.
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So let's try it again.
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Isaiah 55, verse 11, "So shall
My Word be that goes forth from
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My mouth; it shall not return to
Me void, but it will accomplish
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that which I please and it will
prosper in the thing for which I
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sent it."
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I almost wish they'd also
included the first part of that
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verse because it's describing
that as the rains and the snow
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come down from heaven, it
always greens up the earth.
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It produces fruit.
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It makes the change, and that's
how it is with the Word of God.
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Whenever the Word of God is
spoken or proclaimed or shared
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or studied, there's
something that transforms.
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It's got power in it.
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And so we're going to be talking
about a number of different
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aspects of sharing the Word.
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First part of the lesson we're
sort of talking about some of
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the symbols and what it means to
share the Word, and then later
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on we'll talk a little
more specifically about sharing
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the Word.
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But in our first section, we're
looking at what are some of the
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symbols for the Word of God
in the Word of God, and there's
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quite a few of them.
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I don't even think we're
covering the whole list of them,
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but one that's very obvious.
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It tells us in
Psalm 119, verse 105.
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Now, do you know what that is
if I wasn't to share that verse
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with you?
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Light.
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You can read that there.
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Psalm 119, verse 105, "Your Word
is like a lamp to my feet and
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like a light to my path."
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You know, when you're in
darkness and you don't know
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where you're going, a little
bit of light can make a big
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difference, and we are
living in a dark world.
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You know, the Bible tells us
that--quite literally the world
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is darker now than it used to
be, but spiritually it's dark.
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The Bible tells us in Isaiah
gross darkness covers the land
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and covers the people, but in
the darkness a light has shone,
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speaking of even in Galilee,
and just a little light makes a
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big difference.
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I think I read in heaven--Isaiah
also says that the moon in
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heaven will be seven times
brighter than it is now, or the
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moon will be as bright as the
sun and the sun will be seven
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times brighter.
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So everything's going to
be brighter in that world.
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And when you hear the testimony
of those who have been caught
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off into vision and they come
back to this world, they say it
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seems so dark compared
to the glories of heaven.
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And so in this dark world,
the lamp is the Word of God that
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illuminates us.
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Now, you'll notice that when
we're talking about some of the
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different symbols or metaphors
that you use for the Bible, many
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of them are
synonymous with Jesus.
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The Bible is called the light,
Jesus is called the light.
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In a moment we'll talk about the
Bible is the Word or the bread;
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Jesus is the bread.
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The Bible is the Word, Jesus
is the Word that became flesh.
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And so a lot of these symbols
for the Word of God are also
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symbols for Christ because he
was the embodiment of the Word
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of God.
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I remember a few years ago--I've
actually done this twice, where
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I went into a cavern.
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And I remember on one occasion I
was doing a camp meeting back on
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the East Coast and they
had signs everywhere that said,
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"Endless
Caverns, Endless Caverns."
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And I thought--well,
the signs were everywhere.
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I just--it piqued my curiosity
and I thought, "Well, I'm going
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to see if I can go."
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But I happen to get there as the
last tourists were coming out
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and they said, "You
know, it closes in 20 minutes.
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There's really not
time for a full tour."
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And I seemed so disappointed.
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I said, "Look,
I'm from California."
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"Oh, come back tomorrow."
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I said, "I'm flying home."
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And they said, "Well, you can't
come all this way and not see
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Endless Caverns."
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So one of the students there who
was volunteering as a tour guide
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said, "I'll take
you on a quick tour."
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So she took me down into
the caverns and was showing me
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different things, and
it was very impressive.
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By the way, it's not
endless, but it sounds good
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for advertising.
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So she took me to this one big
chamber that was just gorgeous
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and she said, "You
want to do something fun?"
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I said, "Yeah."
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She said, "I'm going to
turn off all the lights.
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You got to stand still because
some people get freaked out and
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they start trying to run and
they trip and fall into one of
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the little pools or something."
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I said, "No problem."
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So she turned off lights,
and it is what you would call
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perfect darkness.
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You know, if you get deep enough
in space, they say they have
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absolute zero.
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Well, this was
absolute darkness.
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And, you know, you could not
tell when your eyes were opened
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or you closed your eyes.
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You just couldn't tell the
difference because it was all
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absolutely dark.
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And I remember Karen and I were
going through Hezekiah's Tunnel
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in Israel a few years ago with
couple of other friends and we
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turned off our lights, our
phones and, wow, that's what you
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call pitch black and--but
then I did a little experiment.
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I've got one of these.
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I always use Casio watches.
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I buy the cheap ones not because
I'm humbled, but because I'm
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rough and I'm
breaking them all the time.
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And so--but it's got a little
light in it, and I thought, "I
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wonder," And I turned on
the light from my little watch.
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It lit up the whole room.
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My eyes had become so accustomed
to the darkness that this little
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light of a watch was enough
to actually help you find your
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way out.
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A little light makes a big
difference in the darkness, and
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the Word of God is a lamp to our
feet and a light to our path.
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You know the story of Gideon.
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How did 300 soldiers with Gideon
overcome the Amalekites and the
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Midianites and the
people of the East?
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There were multiplied,
hundreds of thousands of them.
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Well, it says they had pitchers
and in the pitchers were lamps,
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and then they broke the pitchers
and the light shone out.
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And then they blew their
trumpets, another symbol for the
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Word of God, and they said the
sword of the Lord in Gideon--the
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sword is a number--another
symbol for the Word of God we'll
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get to in a moment.
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And through these broken
pitchers, the light was shining
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and it terrified the enemy,
thought they were surrounded,
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but--that little bit of light
of those 300 men, it sent the
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enemy running.
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"This little light of mine,
I'm going to let it shine."
00:10:19.95\00:10:22.52
The Bible is a
lamp, it's a light.
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You know, in the
Bible, it tells the story.
00:10:24.49\00:10:26.45
Jesus has the parable of a woman
that has ten pieces of silver
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and she loses one.
00:10:30.39\00:10:32.56
These are precious silver coins
that maybe she received as a
00:10:32.59\00:10:35.30
wedding dowry.
00:10:35.33\00:10:37.37
So they've also got
some emotional value.
00:10:37.40\00:10:39.80
And she gets a broom and
she lights a lamp and searches
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the house.
00:10:44.27\00:10:45.97
That lamp is the Word of God.
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Proverbs 6:23.
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I'm looking forward to when
we can be meeting again with our
00:10:50.61\00:10:52.28
class and I can be giving out
Scriptures that people can read
00:10:52.31\00:10:55.25
with us.
00:10:55.28\00:10:57.92
Proverbs 6:23, "The commandment
is a lamp, and the law is
00:10:57.95\00:11:01.86
a light."
00:11:01.89\00:11:04.53
And you can read in 2 Peter
1, verse 19, "And so we have the
00:11:04.56\00:11:07.96
prophetic Word confirmed, which
you do well to take heed to as a
00:11:07.96\00:11:12.33
light that shines in a dark
place until the day dawns and
00:11:12.37\00:11:17.01
the morning star
arises in your heart."
00:11:17.04\00:11:20.71
Many times in the Bible, the
Word of God is compared to light
00:11:20.74\00:11:24.38
so people can find their way to
heaven, and you are supposed to
00:11:24.41\00:11:28.62
be a light.
00:11:28.65\00:11:30.75
It's like I read about Gideon.
00:11:30.79\00:11:32.62
You know, we
are broken pitchers.
00:11:32.65\00:11:34.72
We come to Christ and we fall on
the rock, and we are broken and
00:11:34.76\00:11:37.06
the light shines
out at that point.
00:11:37.09\00:11:40.03
And then--and Jesus in the
temple, they had three pieces of
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furniture in the
first compartment.
00:11:45.93\00:11:48.80
They had the bread, the altar
of incense, and then they had
00:11:48.84\00:11:51.01
the light.
00:11:51.04\00:11:53.44
Not only is Jesus the light of
the world, but he says you are
00:11:53.48\00:11:55.31
the light of the world.
00:11:55.34\00:11:57.75
All right, another symbol for
the Word of God that we find,
00:11:57.78\00:11:59.61
another metaphor is fire.
00:11:59.65\00:12:02.35
You can read one verse that
bears this out here in Jeremiah
00:12:02.38\00:12:05.45
23, verse 29.
00:12:05.49\00:12:08.69
"'Is not My Word like fire,'
says the Lord, 'and like a
00:12:08.72\00:12:12.09
hammer that breaks
the rocks in pieces?'"
00:12:12.13\00:12:15.53
Well, maybe we'll get to the
hammer part later, but He says,
00:12:15.56\00:12:17.90
"My Word is like fire."
00:12:17.93\00:12:20.34
Why is the Word of God
sometimes compared to fire?
00:12:20.37\00:12:23.64
Well, fire is--for one thing,
fire is also light, you know.
00:12:23.67\00:12:26.81
Many times fire produces light,
and LED lights really made quite
00:12:26.84\00:12:32.11
a wave because almost
all light produces heat.
00:12:32.15\00:12:37.22
I guess all light does produce
heat, but some light produces
00:12:37.25\00:12:39.82
more heat than others.
00:12:39.85\00:12:41.82
LED light produces actually very
little heat and a lot of light,
00:12:41.86\00:12:44.43
and that's why it was
such an amazing invention.
00:12:44.46\00:12:47.30
But fire is also light, but fire
also has a purging influence.
00:12:47.30\00:12:52.23
If you want to refine
gold, it takes fire to do that.
00:12:52.27\00:12:56.37
Fire is something that is used
to purify, and farmers would
00:12:56.40\00:13:02.38
also use fire--often use it to
burn up the stubble, get their
00:13:02.41\00:13:06.95
fields ready for planting.
00:13:06.98\00:13:09.72
If you want to get rid of
garbage--one of the things Karen
00:13:09.75\00:13:12.02
and I do up in the hills
that we enjoy is we burn brush.
00:13:12.05\00:13:17.16
You get a big pile of slash or
brush and you want to clear your
00:13:17.19\00:13:19.69
land, boy, nothing
works quite like fire.
00:13:19.73\00:13:22.43
Now, we wait until the
wintertime and all the ground
00:13:22.46\00:13:24.50
around it is wet, but you
can clear up a lot of garbage by
00:13:24.53\00:13:28.34
starting a fire, and
it just seems to have a
00:13:28.37\00:13:30.51
purifying influence.
00:13:30.54\00:13:33.27
And so this is something
that the Word of God does in us.
00:13:33.31\00:13:35.64
It's a purging, a
purifying influence.
00:13:35.68\00:13:39.08
You can also read in Jeremiah
chapter 5, verse 14, "Therefore
00:13:39.11\00:13:43.25
thus says the Lord God of hosts,
'Because you speak this Word,
00:13:43.28\00:13:47.82
behold I will make My words in
your mouth fire and the people
00:13:47.86\00:13:52.76
the wood, and it
will devour them.'"
00:13:52.79\00:13:56.93
Well, fire is not only
something that's nice that
00:13:56.97\00:13:58.37
warms you.
00:13:58.40\00:14:01.24
We were just camping up in
Alaska and it was very cold
00:14:01.27\00:14:03.57
outside, and it was so
nice to get by a warm fire.
00:14:03.61\00:14:06.57
It was very soothing, but you
don't want to fall in the fire
00:14:06.61\00:14:09.58
'cause fire can burn.
00:14:09.61\00:14:12.05
And he says, "My Word in this
sense would be like a fire, fire
00:14:12.08\00:14:15.65
in My mouth, and the people
wood, and it will devour them."
00:14:15.68\00:14:20.82
Now, when the Lord comes, the
Bible says He'll send forth the
00:14:20.86\00:14:23.06
breath of His mouth.
00:14:23.09\00:14:25.19
It will consume the wicked; but
for the righteous, they're able
00:14:25.23\00:14:27.50
to endure that.
00:14:27.56\00:14:29.76
You read the story about how the
soldiers that threw Shadrach,
00:14:29.80\00:14:32.57
Meshach, and Abednego; Hananiah,
Mishael, and Azariah, threw them
00:14:32.60\00:14:37.14
in the fiery furnace.
00:14:37.17\00:14:40.08
It killed the soldiers,
but it did not hurt the three
00:14:40.11\00:14:42.81
Hebrew worthies.
00:14:42.84\00:14:45.21
And in the same way, when Jesus
comes, that fire that purges the
00:14:45.25\00:14:47.55
world, it's not going to hurt
the people of God or the city
00:14:47.58\00:14:50.12
of God.
00:14:50.15\00:14:52.82
But fire is a--when the Lord
brought the children of Israel
00:14:52.85\00:14:56.62
out of Egypt, He led
them with a pillar of fire.
00:14:56.66\00:15:02.20
And that fire was threatening
to the Egyptians that were
00:15:02.23\00:15:04.67
attacking them, but it was
illuminating for the Israelites.
00:15:04.70\00:15:08.87
God's Word is illumination.
00:15:08.90\00:15:12.14
It is also warmth and comfort.
00:15:12.17\00:15:13.94
It is like a fire.
00:15:13.98\00:15:15.74
It is also convicting.
00:15:15.78\00:15:18.65
The Bible tells us that on the
day of Pentecost the Word of God
00:15:18.68\00:15:20.68
came on the apostles in special
power as tongues of--what is it?
00:15:20.72\00:15:24.85
Fire.
00:15:24.89\00:15:27.46
And so you can also read in
Malachi chapter 3:3, "He will
00:15:27.49\00:15:32.53
sit as a refiner and a purifier
of silver, and He will purify
00:15:32.56\00:15:37.00
the sons of Levi and purge them
as gold and silver, that they
00:15:37.03\00:15:41.97
may offer to the Lord an
offering in righteousness."
00:15:42.00\00:15:46.21
And then Peter says, "Do not be
amazed at the fiery trials that
00:15:46.24\00:15:49.51
try you as though some strange
thing has happened to you, but
00:15:49.54\00:15:53.05
know that this trying of your
faith is more--makes it more
00:15:53.08\00:15:56.58
precious than gold."
00:15:56.62\00:15:58.89
So, friends, sometimes the Word
of God, you read something, it
00:15:58.92\00:16:01.16
convicts us.
00:16:01.19\00:16:03.19
It's like a fire that
will--we'll read it and we'll
00:16:03.22\00:16:05.09
go, "Ouch."
00:16:05.13\00:16:06.86
And it--but it has a
purging influence to it.
00:16:06.90\00:16:08.66
Some other symbols
for the Word of God.
00:16:08.70\00:16:10.67
I won't spend all my time on
this part, but it is my favorite
00:16:10.70\00:16:12.80
part 'cause I like looking
at some of the Bible analogies.
00:16:12.83\00:16:17.01
The Bible is
compared to seed and bread.
00:16:17.04\00:16:21.44
Luke 8--in the parable of the
man who is sowing the seed in
00:16:21.48\00:16:24.28
Luke 8, verse 11.
00:16:24.31\00:16:26.11
You also find it in Matthew.
00:16:26.15\00:16:28.18
"Now the parable is this:
The seed is the Word of God."
00:16:28.22\00:16:31.65
You know, all through the
time of the Bible, God has been
00:16:31.69\00:16:36.39
spreading the seeds of His Word,
and that goes all the way back
00:16:36.42\00:16:40.03
to Adam and Eve.
00:16:40.06\00:16:42.50
And God, He's been sowing
the seed and the seed has been
00:16:42.53\00:16:45.27
sprouting; not
all of it sprouts.
00:16:45.30\00:16:48.14
You know the
parable of the sower.
00:16:48.17\00:16:50.31
Sometimes a seed falls on bad
ground, sometimes it's on the
00:16:50.34\00:16:52.54
path and the ravens snatch it
away, sometimes it falls amongst
00:16:52.57\00:16:54.61
the thorns and they grow up and
they choke it, but sometimes the
00:16:54.64\00:16:58.58
seed falls on good ground and
it's the right nutrients and it
00:16:58.61\00:17:02.52
flourishes and
it's--produces a lot.
00:17:02.55\00:17:05.79
So why is the seed
also a symbol for the Word?
00:17:05.82\00:17:09.89
Well, that seed
grows and it feeds.
00:17:09.92\00:17:13.33
That's why you also have
it being a symbol for bread.
00:17:13.36\00:17:15.96
Now, bread could be made
from different kinds of seed.
00:17:16.00\00:17:19.00
You know, corn bread.
00:17:19.03\00:17:20.74
You can have wheat
bread, you could have rye bread.
00:17:20.77\00:17:22.70
Principally, in the Bible they
grew a type of primitive wheat.
00:17:22.74\00:17:26.34
Wheat's been highly processed,
even our corn today, from what
00:17:26.37\00:17:28.54
they had back then, and barley
was a bread that was sort of the
00:17:28.58\00:17:32.28
poor people's bread.
00:17:32.31\00:17:34.32
They often gave that to the
animals in their grain, but it
00:17:34.35\00:17:36.99
was life-sustaining.
00:17:37.02\00:17:40.09
Jesus said, "Man doesn't live by
bread alone, but by every Word."
00:17:40.12\00:17:43.66
So that bread is the
Word of God, and I think it's
00:17:43.69\00:17:46.96
interesting that
Jesus was the bread of life.
00:17:47.00\00:17:51.60
He said, "I am the bread
that came down from heaven."
00:17:51.63\00:17:54.24
We don't know what Jesus looked
like, but we know what he said.
00:17:54.27\00:17:56.84
It's his word
that is nourishing.
00:17:56.87\00:17:59.47
And in the same way that you
should eat food every day, you
00:17:59.51\00:18:02.61
eat the bread of life every day.
00:18:02.64\00:18:05.31
And I'm getting
ahead in my analogies here.
00:18:05.35\00:18:08.82
Also, Jesus was the bread of
life and he was born in what?
00:18:08.85\00:18:13.69
Bethlehem.
00:18:13.72\00:18:15.42
What does Bethlehem mean?
00:18:15.46\00:18:17.09
House of bread.
00:18:17.13\00:18:19.03
And after Jesus, the bread of
life, was born in the house of
00:18:19.06\00:18:20.96
bread, Mary wrapped him up in
swaddling clothes and placed him
00:18:21.00\00:18:23.26
in a manger.
00:18:23.30\00:18:25.57
What's a manger?
00:18:25.60\00:18:27.34
Manger is a trough for bread.
00:18:27.37\00:18:28.77
So here you have the bread
of life, born in the house of
00:18:28.80\00:18:30.51
bread, placed in a bread trough
where they held the grain.
00:18:30.54\00:18:34.64
You read in Matthew chapter
24, it talks about signs of
00:18:34.68\00:18:37.88
Christ coming.
00:18:37.91\00:18:40.12
Says two women
grinding at the mill.
00:18:40.15\00:18:42.12
What are they grinding?
00:18:42.15\00:18:43.79
Well, they're grinding
out the seed and making bread.
00:18:43.82\00:18:45.99
And what does a woman represent?
00:18:46.02\00:18:47.72
A church.
00:18:47.76\00:18:49.89
You got two kinds of churches
in the world, the true and
00:18:49.92\00:18:51.49
the false.
00:18:51.53\00:18:52.83
That's all there is.
00:18:52.86\00:18:54.30
If it's not true, it's false.
00:18:54.36\00:18:55.70
But they're
working with the bread.
00:18:55.73\00:18:57.30
A lot of churches claim the
Bible, but they misapplied or
00:18:57.33\00:18:58.80
they twist it.
00:18:58.83\00:19:00.70
So bread of life is a
very important analogy.
00:19:00.74\00:19:04.01
And Bible says, "I have esteemed
the words of His mouth more than
00:19:04.04\00:19:08.14
my necessary food."
00:19:08.18\00:19:10.18
That's the book of Job.
00:19:10.21\00:19:12.25
I think Jeremiah says, "I found
His words and I did eat them."
00:19:12.28\00:19:15.12
And so we need to
eat the bread of life.
00:19:15.15\00:19:19.15
And then another analogy
for the Word of God is a sword.
00:19:19.19\00:19:26.43
Now, when you go through the
armor of God that you find in
00:19:26.46\00:19:28.46
Ephesians chapter 6,
you'll notice that most of the
00:19:28.50\00:19:32.27
implements of armor
are there for defense.
00:19:32.30\00:19:36.77
You've got the
breastplate of righteousness.
00:19:36.81\00:19:39.01
You don't really run up and hit
anybody with your breastplate.
00:19:39.04\00:19:41.38
It's to defend
your vital organs.
00:19:41.41\00:19:44.11
And you've got the gospel
shoes so you can have traction.
00:19:44.15\00:19:47.08
You've got the helmet of
salvation so you don't get
00:19:47.12\00:19:49.25
clunked on the head
with a sword or a rock.
00:19:49.28\00:19:52.42
It doesn't take you out.
00:19:52.45\00:19:54.49
And you've got
the shield of faith.
00:19:54.52\00:19:56.52
Again, largely it's a
defensive piece of armor.
00:19:56.56\00:19:59.23
But then it says you've got the
sword of God's Spirit, and you
00:19:59.26\00:20:02.26
read about this
in Ephesians 6:17.
00:20:02.30\00:20:05.13
"And the sword of the Spirit,
which is the Word of God."
00:20:05.17\00:20:08.47
Because the Word of
God is not just offensive.
00:20:08.50\00:20:11.17
You could use a sword to
defend, but the Word of God
00:20:11.21\00:20:13.01
is offensive.
00:20:13.04\00:20:15.84
We go forth
conquering and to conquer.
00:20:15.88\00:20:18.25
In Revelation chapter 1,
Jesus appears and he's got a
00:20:18.28\00:20:21.12
double-edged sword
coming from his mouth.
00:20:21.15\00:20:24.69
Do we really think that in
heaven Jesus is going to walk
00:20:24.72\00:20:26.55
around with a big metal
sword sticking out of his mouth?
00:20:26.59\00:20:30.16
I would think that'd be
difficult to speak like that.
00:20:30.19\00:20:32.99
Obviously, it's a symbol for the
Word of God was in his mouth.
00:20:33.03\00:20:36.46
You can read in Hebrews chapter
4, "The Word of God is quick
00:20:36.50\00:20:40.54
and powerful."
00:20:40.57\00:20:42.47
This is Hebrews 4, verse 12.
00:20:42.50\00:20:44.54
"It is living and
powerful and sharper than any
00:20:44.57\00:20:46.04
two-edged sword."
00:20:46.07\00:20:48.38
Why two edges?
00:20:48.41\00:20:50.48
Two in the Bible is a symbol
for the dual nature of the Word
00:20:50.51\00:20:52.45
of God.
00:20:52.48\00:20:54.38
Ten Commandments were
written on two tables of stone.
00:20:54.42\00:20:57.15
The Bible tells us last chapter
in the Old Testament, "Remember
00:20:57.19\00:21:01.32
the law of Moses my servant.
00:21:01.36\00:21:03.66
Behold, I send you
Elijah the prophet."
00:21:03.69\00:21:06.29
Sometimes it's a summary for the
law and the prophets is the Word
00:21:06.33\00:21:09.96
of God.
00:21:10.00\00:21:11.97
When Jesus rose from the dead,
he taught the disciples the law
00:21:12.00\00:21:13.94
and the prophets that
showed that he was the Messiah.
00:21:13.97\00:21:18.44
So Hebrews it tells us there
in 4:12, "Quick and powerful,
00:21:18.47\00:21:22.51
sharper than any
two-edged sword."
00:21:22.54\00:21:25.21
Two edges.
00:21:25.25\00:21:27.55
Old Testament, New Testament;
Ten Commandments, two stones;
00:21:27.58\00:21:31.59
the two witnesses of Revelation,
Moses and Elijah, the law and
00:21:31.62\00:21:35.22
the prophets.
00:21:35.26\00:21:37.66
It's the dual
nature of the Word of God.
00:21:37.69\00:21:40.20
And one reason you have two
edges is because you could use
00:21:40.23\00:21:42.83
the sword that way and--on the
backward and the forward thrust.
00:21:42.86\00:21:47.20
It was nice having a two-edged
sword because you didn't just
00:21:47.24\00:21:49.94
get to hack in one direction.
00:21:49.97\00:21:52.41
It worked both ways.
00:21:52.44\00:21:55.04
The Word of God both is
offensive and it is also
00:21:55.08\00:21:57.38
convicting when we
apply it to ourselves.
00:21:57.41\00:22:00.35
We may use it to defend us from
the temptations of the devil
00:22:00.38\00:22:03.45
just like Jesus
did in Revelation 19.
00:22:03.49\00:22:07.09
Not only in Revelation 1, in
Revelation 19, Jesus is coming.
00:22:07.12\00:22:10.69
On his thigh it says that the
Word of God, but in his mouth
00:22:10.73\00:22:14.23
again it is pictured a
sword coming out of his mouth.
00:22:14.30\00:22:18.10
So the Word of God is a sword.
00:22:18.13\00:22:21.17
And one of the most important
implements--if you are a soldier
00:22:21.20\00:22:23.57
and you had to lose all the
other parts of the armor, you'd
00:22:23.61\00:22:26.31
probably want to
hang on to your sword.
00:22:26.34\00:22:29.41
And so it's
crucial that we know this.
00:22:29.44\00:22:33.31
Now, not only many pastors but
many members, if they don't have
00:22:33.35\00:22:38.22
their swords, it's
hard to resist temptation.
00:22:38.25\00:22:41.66
So you need to
become well acquainted.
00:22:41.69\00:22:44.33
A sword really only does you
good if you are familiar with
00:22:44.36\00:22:46.93
it, if you understand what its
point of balance is, if your arm
00:22:46.96\00:22:50.17
is strong enough to swing it
because you practiced with it.
00:22:50.20\00:22:54.00
And so with any tool, it goes
a long way through practice.
00:22:54.04\00:22:57.74
You need to be familiar with it.
00:22:57.77\00:22:59.64
You need to keep it sharp.
00:22:59.67\00:23:02.21
Solomon says that if the
axe is sharpened, it requires
00:23:02.24\00:23:04.81
less labor.
00:23:04.85\00:23:07.62
I think that's Ecclesiastes and
I'm doing a paraphrase there,
00:23:07.65\00:23:10.69
but how do we keep it sharp?
00:23:10.72\00:23:13.62
Well, sharpened through
use, Paul says in Hebrews.
00:23:13.66\00:23:17.29
And so we continue to
use it and we stay sharp.
00:23:17.33\00:23:20.40
All right.
00:23:20.43\00:23:22.53
And then one more analogy,
and there's several more I could
00:23:22.56\00:23:24.20
give, but the Word of
God is compared to a rock.
00:23:24.23\00:23:26.27
In Matthew chapter--and I know
some of these are not in your
00:23:26.30\00:23:28.00
lesson, but I got carried away.
00:23:28.04\00:23:30.64
Matthew chapter 7, verse 24,
"Therefore whoever hears these
00:23:30.67\00:23:33.34
sayings of Mine and does them,
I liken him to a wise man who
00:23:33.38\00:23:37.11
builds his house on," what?
00:23:37.15\00:23:39.81
The rock, a solid rock.
00:23:39.85\00:23:42.88
You know, if you're building a
house and you're on sandy ground
00:23:42.92\00:23:44.52
but you know that there's good
bedrock down there, don't build
00:23:44.55\00:23:46.62
on the sand.
00:23:46.65\00:23:48.49
Go down until you hit the rock.
00:23:48.52\00:23:51.56
I remember when we were doing
the Net 99 program over 20 years
00:23:51.59\00:23:54.86
ago in New York City, that
right across the street from the
00:23:54.93\00:23:58.23
Manhattan Center the whole time
we did this series they were
00:23:58.27\00:24:01.54
doing construction across the
street and dynamite was going
00:24:01.57\00:24:04.74
off in downtown Manhattan.
00:24:04.77\00:24:07.28
You think they
wouldn't allow that.
00:24:07.31\00:24:09.31
But the only way that they could
get deep enough into the bedrock
00:24:09.34\00:24:12.48
of Manhattan to build this other
skyscraper, they had to go down
00:24:12.51\00:24:16.48
where it looked like they were
going eight stories down into
00:24:16.52\00:24:19.39
the ground.
00:24:19.42\00:24:21.29
They were
blasting with dynamite.
00:24:21.32\00:24:23.12
They'd put all the dynamite
there and then they'd put this
00:24:23.16\00:24:25.13
metal grate over it so when
the dynamite went over--off, it
00:24:25.16\00:24:27.13
would not blow rocks out
onto the street and--but we'd be
00:24:27.20\00:24:30.93
working along and I would hear
kaboom and all the windows would
00:24:30.97\00:24:33.54
shake, but the only way
they could build in New York.
00:24:33.57\00:24:36.84
And the reason they're able to
build so high in New York City
00:24:36.87\00:24:39.27
is New York City is not
a swamp like New Orleans.
00:24:39.31\00:24:42.78
New York City is a rock.
00:24:42.81\00:24:45.45
And so they get down to the
bedrock and they can build up to
00:24:45.48\00:24:48.22
great heights there because
it's got that good foundation.
00:24:48.25\00:24:52.29
In Luke, Jesus said, "The
wise man not only builds on the
00:24:52.32\00:24:54.56
rock," it says, "He digs deep
and then he builds on the rock."
00:24:54.59\00:24:59.06
Well, the rock is God's Word.
00:24:59.09\00:25:01.80
It is the foundation
for all that we believe.
00:25:01.83\00:25:05.07
Ten Commandments are written
on stone because they are
00:25:05.10\00:25:08.27
unchanging in nature.
00:25:08.30\00:25:11.01
They are dependable.
00:25:11.04\00:25:13.21
When David brought down
Goliath, he used a rock.
00:25:13.24\00:25:16.21
It's interesting he actually
picked five stones because the
00:25:16.24\00:25:19.61
five books of the law,
the Torah, is often identified
00:25:19.65\00:25:23.99
as five.
00:25:24.02\00:25:27.32
And Peter says Jesus
is called the cornerstone.
00:25:27.36\00:25:30.53
And in 1 Peter chapter 2, verse
8 it says, "We are coming to a
00:25:30.56\00:25:33.50
stone of stumbling and a rock of
offense for the world, but for
00:25:33.53\00:25:40.10
us he is the cornerstone."
00:25:40.14\00:25:43.27
Matthew 21, verse 44, "Whoever
falls on this stone will be
00:25:43.30\00:25:46.44
broken, but on whomsoever
it falls it will grind him
00:25:46.47\00:25:49.18
to powder."
00:25:49.21\00:25:51.48
We read the Word and we're
convicted, we repent of our
00:25:51.51\00:25:53.78
sins, we are falling on
the rock of Jesus and we are
00:25:53.82\00:25:55.75
brokenhearted, we're converted.
00:25:55.78\00:25:58.82
But if we do not, in
the judgment it falls on us.
00:25:58.85\00:26:02.82
Says so do--and so keep as those
who will be judged by the law
00:26:02.86\00:26:07.60
of liberty.
00:26:07.66\00:26:09.56
And if we obey
it, it's salvation.
00:26:09.60\00:26:11.73
If we don't obey it, we
will be judged by every word.
00:26:11.77\00:26:15.00
And so the Word of
God is compared to a rock.
00:26:15.04\00:26:18.17
All right, well, I
spent plenty of time on that.
00:26:18.21\00:26:20.74
We're going to move on to the
next section, the creative power
00:26:20.78\00:26:24.08
of God's Word.
00:26:24.11\00:26:26.41
The Word of God
brings things into existence.
00:26:26.45\00:26:30.29
In the beginning, God
said, "Let there be light.
00:26:30.32\00:26:34.56
Let there be a firmament.
00:26:34.59\00:26:36.69
Let there be," God's said
it, and by His Word these things
00:26:36.73\00:26:40.20
came into existence.
00:26:40.23\00:26:42.20
"Let there be vegetation.
00:26:42.23\00:26:44.20
Let there be birds in
the air and fish in the sea.
00:26:44.23\00:26:46.43
Let there be
animals on the land."
00:26:46.47\00:26:48.64
And ultimately, He
made man in His own image.
00:26:48.67\00:26:50.94
Now, God didn't
speak man into existence.
00:26:50.97\00:26:53.91
God formed man, but He spoke
all the other things in the
00:26:53.94\00:26:57.35
environment and the
other animals into existence.
00:26:57.38\00:27:00.32
And, you know, there's
scientists that struggle
00:27:00.35\00:27:01.72
with that.
00:27:01.75\00:27:03.35
How can that happen?
00:27:03.39\00:27:05.39
How can you speak
something into existence?
00:27:05.42\00:27:07.52
Well, you know what some
of these same evolutionary
00:27:07.56\00:27:09.62
scientists are
coming up with now?
00:27:09.66\00:27:12.76
They believe in
something called string theory.
00:27:12.79\00:27:15.76
There may be some truth to this
string theory, is that basically
00:27:15.80\00:27:19.17
all matter in the universe
is actually made up of super
00:27:19.20\00:27:23.94
microscopic strings
of vibrating energy.
00:27:23.97\00:27:28.28
There--it is sound.
00:27:28.31\00:27:30.78
Now think about that.
00:27:30.81\00:27:32.88
All life comes from vibrating
matter-producing sound.
00:27:32.91\00:27:38.25
Well, God said and it was.
00:27:38.29\00:27:41.22
I mean, that's--they are ending
up back where the Bible starts.
00:27:41.26\00:27:45.03
String theory.
00:27:45.06\00:27:47.50
All life comes through sound.
00:27:47.50\00:27:50.47
And so you read in first--I'm
sorry, John chapter 1, verse 1
00:27:50.50\00:27:53.30
through 3, "In the beginning was
the Word, and the Word was with
00:27:53.34\00:27:58.24
God, and the Word was God.
00:27:58.27\00:28:02.34
He was in the
beginning with God.
00:28:02.38\00:28:04.65
All things were
made through Him."
00:28:04.68\00:28:06.68
All things were
made through the Word.
00:28:06.72\00:28:08.75
Now, the Word is Christ, but
Christ spoke and it was done.
00:28:08.78\00:28:12.72
"And without Him,
nothing that was made was made."
00:28:12.75\00:28:16.93
Now, I gotta pause right here
and say something to our friends
00:28:16.96\00:28:18.73
that struggle with the
idea that Jesus is eternal.
00:28:18.76\00:28:24.27
You know, some people deny
the Trinity and they deny the
00:28:24.30\00:28:26.27
eternal existence of the Son.
00:28:26.30\00:28:29.00
They think the son at some point
was brought into existence.
00:28:29.04\00:28:32.71
They say, "Well,
he was begotten."
00:28:32.74\00:28:34.71
Well, if he wasn't, then he was.
00:28:34.74\00:28:36.64
He was created.
00:28:36.68\00:28:38.91
But in order for all things
to be made by the Son, He had to
00:28:38.95\00:28:40.95
always exist.
00:28:40.98\00:28:43.15
If the Father created the
Son, then He didn't create
00:28:43.18\00:28:45.52
all things.
00:28:45.55\00:28:47.52
So Jesus is not a
creature; He is a Creator.
00:28:47.56\00:28:50.19
Big difference.
00:28:50.23\00:28:52.93
And so it says that
He spoke and it was done,
00:28:52.96\00:28:55.80
the creative
power of God's Word.
00:28:55.83\00:28:58.40
And by the way, God's
Word still creates today.
00:28:58.43\00:29:01.04
I love that story in the Bible
where it tells us that a leper
00:29:01.07\00:29:03.57
came to Christ, and the leper
said, he was full of leprosy,
00:29:03.61\00:29:08.31
"Lord, if you are
willing, you can make me clean."
00:29:08.34\00:29:11.05
And Jesus reached out and
touched him, and he said, "I am
00:29:11.08\00:29:13.25
willing, be clean."
00:29:13.28\00:29:16.82
And the very power when
God said, "Be clean," he
00:29:16.85\00:29:20.39
became clean.
00:29:20.42\00:29:22.82
It's like when that
widow--that woman reached out.
00:29:22.86\00:29:25.63
She had an issue
of blood for 12 years.
00:29:25.66\00:29:27.96
He said, "Be
cleansed of your infirmity."
00:29:28.00\00:29:30.97
God spoke it and it happened.
00:29:31.00\00:29:33.30
And so there's creative
power in the Word of God.
00:29:33.34\00:29:35.84
Hebrews 1, verse 1
through 3, "In the beginning was
00:29:35.87\00:29:39.11
the Word--"
00:29:39.14\00:29:41.54
No, I'm sorry.
00:29:41.58\00:29:43.51
"God who had various times,"
This is the Hebrew chapter 1,
00:29:43.55\00:29:45.38
verse 1.
00:29:45.41\00:29:47.42
"God who had various times
and in various ways spoken time
00:29:47.45\00:29:49.15
passed to the fathers by the
prophets, He has in these last
00:29:49.18\00:29:52.92
days spoken to us by His Son
whom He's appointed heir of all
00:29:52.95\00:29:57.36
things and," notice, "through
whom also He made the worlds."
00:29:57.39\00:30:03.06
That's also interesting because
He didn't just make the world,
00:30:03.10\00:30:05.73
He made worlds.
00:30:05.77\00:30:07.57
Plural.
00:30:07.60\00:30:09.67
The unfallen worlds.
00:30:09.70\00:30:11.77
"Who being the brightness of His
glory and the express image of
00:30:11.81\00:30:14.18
His person, a perfect reflection
of the Father, and upholding all
00:30:14.21\00:30:18.05
things by the word of His power.
00:30:18.08\00:30:22.02
When he had by himself purged
our sins, he sat down at the
00:30:22.05\00:30:24.89
right hand of
the majesty on high."
00:30:24.92\00:30:27.32
Again, it tells us He made the
worlds, that through His Word of
00:30:27.36\00:30:31.49
His power these things
were brought into existence.
00:30:31.53\00:30:35.33
You read in Psalm 33, verse 6,
"By the word of the heavens--by
00:30:35.36\00:30:41.20
the Word of the Lord, the
heavens were made, and all the
00:30:41.24\00:30:44.24
hosts of them by the
breath of His mouth."
00:30:44.27\00:30:47.88
So we were made by the breath.
00:30:47.91\00:30:50.35
God breathed into Adam the
breath of life, but He spoke the
00:30:50.38\00:30:52.51
other things into existence.
00:30:52.55\00:30:54.95
Go to Psalm 33, verse 9.
00:30:54.98\00:30:58.85
Same chapter.
00:30:58.89\00:31:01.49
"For He spoke and it was done.
00:31:01.52\00:31:03.79
He commanded and it stood fast."
00:31:03.83\00:31:05.96
God speaks and things happen.
00:31:05.99\00:31:08.10
Now, I want to pause before
I read any more on this subject
00:31:08.13\00:31:10.60
just to tell you how this is
applicable to our lives today.
00:31:10.63\00:31:14.04
Is there still creative
power in the Word of God?
00:31:14.07\00:31:17.17
So if you are sharing the Word
with others, friends, I can't
00:31:17.21\00:31:20.78
explain how it happens.
00:31:20.81\00:31:23.58
But as you're preaching and
proclaiming and reading the Word
00:31:23.61\00:31:26.38
of God and listening to the Word
of God with others, creative
00:31:26.41\00:31:31.09
things happen.
00:31:31.12\00:31:33.19
Just like when the rain comes
down, it does not return void.
00:31:33.22\00:31:36.42
Things are brought into
existence by the Word of God.
00:31:36.46\00:31:39.63
And one of the few things that I
enjoy--there are a few things I
00:31:39.66\00:31:42.46
enjoy more than giving a Bible
study to somebody and watching
00:31:42.50\00:31:45.43
the light come on for the first
time and you see that glint of
00:31:45.47\00:31:49.20
inspiration,
they're going, "Aha, wow."
00:31:49.24\00:31:53.04
And you just see the Word
is creating new life in them.
00:31:53.07\00:31:56.61
So the Word has that
creative power, and don't
00:31:56.64\00:32:00.35
ever underestimate.
00:32:00.38\00:32:02.95
You know, I sometimes
get a little exasperated.
00:32:02.98\00:32:05.22
I listen to different preachers
all the time sometimes on radio
00:32:05.25\00:32:08.82
or television and sometimes in
our church and other churches,
00:32:08.86\00:32:16.53
and I'll hear a pastor and
he'll share one little verse.
00:32:16.56\00:32:20.44
Now, there's creative power in
one verse, but then he kind of
00:32:20.47\00:32:23.04
dedicates the rest of his
time in the pulpit to sort of
00:32:23.07\00:32:27.74
personal pontification on what's
happening with politics or his
00:32:27.78\00:32:32.55
own, you know, anecdotes and
stories and--you know, you start
00:32:32.58\00:32:36.25
getting away from the power.
00:32:36.28\00:32:38.62
I think we'd be better off if
preachers would get up and read
00:32:38.65\00:32:40.42
a chapter of the Bible
and sit down than just read an
00:32:40.46\00:32:43.29
itty-bitty verse--not that
there's no power in that verse,
00:32:43.32\00:32:46.76
but then just to ramble on.
00:32:46.80\00:32:49.76
Now, I don't mind if
you've got a Spurgeon preacher.
00:32:49.80\00:32:52.83
He'll read a verse and then
he'll do expository preaching on
00:32:52.87\00:32:55.67
that verse.
00:32:55.70\00:32:57.51
He'll take that verse and he'll
break it down, but he's all in
00:32:57.54\00:32:59.57
the Word at that point.
00:32:59.61\00:33:01.48
He's not sharing his opinions.
00:33:01.51\00:33:03.61
But really all preaching
and Bible study needs to be
00:33:03.65\00:33:05.51
Word-centered 'cause
that's where the creative power
00:33:05.55\00:33:07.32
happens, people come to
life by listening to the Word.
00:33:07.35\00:33:12.15
I like
listening to Family Radio.
00:33:12.19\00:33:15.76
I don't always like all of
the preaching and the music, but
00:33:15.79\00:33:19.96
they have part of the program
every day where they just read
00:33:20.00\00:33:22.63
the Bible.
00:33:22.66\00:33:25.27
And I get a blessing just
by listening to the Word of God
00:33:25.30\00:33:28.04
being read, and
the Lord speaks to me.
00:33:28.07\00:33:30.97
And sometimes it's comforting
and sometimes it's convicting.
00:33:31.01\00:33:34.71
Sometimes it's a light,
sometimes it's a hammer.
00:33:34.74\00:33:37.41
Sometimes it's a fire, but
there's--it's creative power.
00:33:37.45\00:33:41.32
Things change through
the proclamation of the Word.
00:33:41.35\00:33:45.69
Often you'll see the Holy Spirit
fell while Peter was preaching.
00:33:45.72\00:33:50.53
The Holy Spirit works together
with the Word in that way.
00:33:50.56\00:33:54.20
We talked about that
during an earlier lesson.
00:33:54.20\00:33:56.63
Okay, Hebrews 11:3.
00:33:56.67\00:33:58.83
I already read
Hebrews 1, look at Hebrews 11.
00:33:58.87\00:34:00.30
"By faith we understand that the
worlds were framed by the Word
00:34:00.34\00:34:03.30
of God.
00:34:03.34\00:34:05.67
So the things that are seen
are not made from things that
00:34:05.71\00:34:08.48
are visible."
00:34:08.51\00:34:10.45
God speaks and He
brings into existence.
00:34:10.48\00:34:13.55
From nothing He can create.
00:34:13.58\00:34:16.22
I think it was Martin Luther
that said that before God can
00:34:16.25\00:34:19.32
remake you, you
must become nothing.
00:34:19.35\00:34:21.79
God makes from nothing.
00:34:21.82\00:34:23.69
So until you become nothing,
He can do nothing with you.
00:34:23.73\00:34:26.46
2 Peter chapter 3, verse 5,
"For of this they are willfully
00:34:26.49\00:34:30.40
ignorant or they forget that by
the Word of God the heavens were
00:34:30.43\00:34:35.57
of old and the earth standing
out of water and in the water."
00:34:35.60\00:34:41.08
The Word of God brings life, and
the Word of God brings new life.
00:34:41.11\00:34:46.41
That's where the
new birth comes from.
00:34:46.45\00:34:49.12
It's when Jesus, the Word of
God, was preaching the Word of
00:34:49.15\00:34:50.92
God to Nicodemus, he began
to experience that new birth.
00:34:50.95\00:34:54.59
And unless you're born of the
water and the Spirit, you cannot
00:34:54.62\00:34:56.79
enter the kingdom of heaven.
00:34:56.83\00:34:58.66
That birth happens in the
crucible of the proclamation of
00:34:58.69\00:35:02.13
the Word of God.
00:35:02.16\00:35:04.60
All right, I got a quote here.
00:35:04.63\00:35:06.43
It's in your lesson
from the book, "Education."
00:35:06.47\00:35:08.60
This is written by E.G. White.
00:35:08.64\00:35:10.84
Page 126, "The creative energy
that called the worlds into
00:35:10.87\00:35:13.88
existence is in the Word of God.
00:35:13.91\00:35:17.51
This Word imparts power.
00:35:17.55\00:35:19.91
It begets life.
00:35:19.95\00:35:22.32
Every command is a
promise accepted by the will and
00:35:22.35\00:35:24.05
received into the soul.
00:35:24.09\00:35:25.82
It brings with it the
life of the infinite one.
00:35:25.85\00:35:29.66
It transforms the nature.
00:35:29.69\00:35:31.79
It recreates the
soul in the image of God."
00:35:31.83\00:35:34.36
Wow.
00:35:34.40\00:35:36.60
The Word of God as you're
listening is vitality and power
00:35:36.63\00:35:39.03
to it, it's creative.
00:35:39.07\00:35:41.54
All right, some of the other
benefits of studying the Word of
00:35:41.57\00:35:43.41
God, let's go into that
department for a moment.
00:35:43.44\00:35:46.74
Romans chapter 10, verse 17.
00:35:46.78\00:35:49.08
Now, let me just set
the table for this verse.
00:35:49.11\00:35:53.25
Without faith it is
impossible to please God.
00:35:53.28\00:35:55.62
You cannot be
saved without faith.
00:35:55.65\00:35:58.69
How do you get faith?
00:35:58.72\00:36:01.22
Romans 10:17, "So faith comes by
hearing, and hearing by the Word
00:36:01.26\00:36:05.06
of God."
00:36:05.09\00:36:07.86
You know, one of the first
things a good evangelist might
00:36:07.93\00:36:09.93
do is when you do an
evangelistic meeting you preach
00:36:09.96\00:36:13.00
on prophecy.
00:36:13.03\00:36:15.80
Why do evangelists
preach on prophecy?
00:36:15.84\00:36:19.04
Because when people hear Daniel
2, for example, how God foretold
00:36:19.07\00:36:23.28
thousands of years in advance
the history of the kingdoms of
00:36:23.31\00:36:27.42
the world and
everything happened right on
00:36:27.45\00:36:30.35
schedule--while you're hearing
that, something transforms.
00:36:30.39\00:36:34.86
Your faith grows.
00:36:34.89\00:36:37.43
Faith comes by hearing.
00:36:37.46\00:36:40.06
And the more that we see that
the Word of God is true, the
00:36:40.10\00:36:42.50
more our faith in the Word
grows, more that our faith in
00:36:42.53\00:36:44.33
God grows.
00:36:44.37\00:36:46.43
And so as you listen to
the Word, you get more faith.
00:36:46.47\00:36:49.20
People say, "I need more faith.
00:36:49.24\00:36:50.81
I just don't have any faith."
00:36:50.84\00:36:52.64
Well, go to the Bible.
00:36:52.67\00:36:54.74
Read the Bible, and
faith comes from that.
00:36:54.78\00:36:57.35
1 Peter chapter 1, verse 22,
"Since you have purified your
00:36:57.38\00:37:00.75
souls in obeying the truth
through the Spirit in sincere
00:37:00.78\00:37:04.69
love of the brethren, love one
another fervently with a pure
00:37:04.72\00:37:08.12
heart; having been born again
not of corruptible seed, but
00:37:08.16\00:37:12.66
incorruptible
through the Word of God."
00:37:12.69\00:37:15.26
How are you born again?
00:37:15.30\00:37:17.50
Through the Word of God.
00:37:17.53\00:37:19.30
So what's one of the benefits
of reading the Word, sharing
00:37:19.33\00:37:20.80
the Word?
00:37:20.84\00:37:22.80
People experience the new birth.
00:37:22.84\00:37:24.57
I've seen it
happen so many times.
00:37:24.61\00:37:26.24
Somewhere--you never know
when it's going to happen, but
00:37:26.27\00:37:28.08
somewhere along the way in
studying the Word with people, a
00:37:28.11\00:37:30.05
transformation
begins to take place.
00:37:30.08\00:37:32.88
And like the birth of a baby,
it may not happen in a moment.
00:37:32.91\00:37:35.28
It might take 9 months,
but they're being reformed.
00:37:35.32\00:37:40.59
Peter says that they're, "Having
been born again through the Word
00:37:40.62\00:37:45.29
of God that lives
and abides forever."
00:37:45.33\00:37:48.36
It is a living Word inside them.
00:37:48.40\00:37:51.43
Now go to 2 Peter 1, verse 4.
00:37:51.47\00:37:54.47
He says, "By which have been
given to us exceeding great and
00:37:54.50\00:37:56.87
precious promises that through
these you might become partakers
00:37:56.91\00:38:00.74
of--having become partakers
of the divine nature, having
00:38:00.78\00:38:06.98
escaped the corruption that
is in the world through lust."
00:38:07.02\00:38:10.22
Through the promises of God,
he gives us power that we might
00:38:10.25\00:38:12.99
escape the corruption that
is in the world through lust.
00:38:13.02\00:38:16.56
Through the Word of God, that
Jesus resisted every temptation.
00:38:16.59\00:38:21.30
I'm talking about
that in my sermon following
00:38:21.33\00:38:23.63
this presentation.
00:38:23.67\00:38:26.33
You look in Ephesians chapter
5, verse 26, "That He might
00:38:26.37\00:38:30.21
sanctify and cleanse her,"
speaking of His people, His
00:38:30.24\00:38:33.34
church, "with the
washing of water by the Word."
00:38:33.38\00:38:38.15
There is a sanctifying
cleansing influence of the Word.
00:38:38.18\00:38:41.48
As you read the Word, it
transforms, it cleanses us, it
00:38:41.52\00:38:44.59
convicts us, which
has a cleansing influence.
00:38:44.62\00:38:47.92
It can have us turn away.
00:38:47.96\00:38:50.69
We're just guided
by the Word of God.
00:38:50.73\00:38:53.16
"That He might present to
Himself a church that is holy
00:38:53.19\00:38:55.13
and without blemish."
00:38:55.16\00:38:57.87
James 1:21, "There
aside--therefore, lay aside all
00:38:57.90\00:39:01.17
filthiness and overflow of
wickedness and receive with
00:39:01.20\00:39:04.31
meekness the implanted
Word which is able to save
00:39:04.34\00:39:09.38
your souls."
00:39:09.41\00:39:10.88
So, you know, friends, I
think if people understood how
00:39:10.91\00:39:13.01
important the Word of God was
in the life of a Christian, the
00:39:13.05\00:39:15.62
Word of God can save your soul.
00:39:15.65\00:39:18.59
It is through--Jesus spoke
to the thief dying on the cross.
00:39:18.62\00:39:21.86
He believed the
promise of Christ.
00:39:21.89\00:39:23.53
It saved his soul.
00:39:23.56\00:39:25.46
It was through the Word
of Christ his soul was saved.
00:39:25.49\00:39:28.00
We need to be reading and
studying the Word of Christ; and
00:39:28.03\00:39:31.90
not only 'cause we want to be
saved, but we want God to save
00:39:31.93\00:39:34.44
others through us and
that happens through the Word.
00:39:34.47\00:39:39.07
2 Corinthians 3:18, "But we all
with unveiled face beholding as
00:39:39.11\00:39:43.68
in a mirror the glory of
the Lord are being transformed,"
00:39:43.71\00:39:47.42
notice, "into the same image
from glory to glory just as by
00:39:47.45\00:39:51.85
the Spirit of the Lord."
00:39:51.89\00:39:54.39
As we're looking at the face
of Christ reflected through His
00:39:54.42\00:39:57.16
Word, it has a transformational
influence on us.
00:39:57.19\00:40:01.26
By beholding, we become changed.
00:40:01.30\00:40:03.43
So if I said, do you want
to be like Jesus, behold Jesus,
00:40:03.47\00:40:05.83
which direction do
you look to behold Jesus?
00:40:05.87\00:40:08.64
Well, you could see him somewhat
in the things of nature, you
00:40:08.67\00:40:12.14
might see him reflected in the
life of another believer, but
00:40:12.17\00:40:14.98
the best place you're going
to see is in the Word of God.
00:40:15.01\00:40:18.58
The Word is called a mirror, but
here is a mirror where we look
00:40:18.61\00:40:21.05
in and we see a reflection
of Christ in His Word.
00:40:21.08\00:40:25.55
It's kind of like taking a
mirror and aiming it up at the
00:40:25.59\00:40:27.42
heavens and you see Jesus
reflected in His Word, and you
00:40:27.46\00:40:32.79
are transformed by beholding
him into the same image.
00:40:32.83\00:40:36.60
Acts 20, verse 32, "So
now, brethren, I commend you--I
00:40:36.63\00:40:41.90
commend you to God into the word
of His grace that is able to
00:40:41.94\00:40:46.37
build you up and give you
an inheritance among those who
00:40:46.41\00:40:49.61
are sanctified."
00:40:49.64\00:40:51.78
I love this one.
00:40:51.81\00:40:53.68
The word sanctifies, the
word edifies--that's what build
00:40:53.72\00:40:55.58
up means.
00:40:55.62\00:40:58.09
An edifice is a building
because it's something built up.
00:40:58.12\00:41:00.69
If you say it in
Spanish, it's edificio.
00:41:00.72\00:41:03.02
It means the Word of God
builds us up, and it gives you
00:41:03.06\00:41:04.86
an inheritance.
00:41:04.89\00:41:06.63
So it saves, it
builds up, it sanctifies.
00:41:06.66\00:41:09.23
All comes through the Word of
His grace, meaning the Word of
00:41:09.26\00:41:13.07
God and the
gospel that you read.
00:41:13.10\00:41:16.20
Look in John 17:14.
00:41:16.24\00:41:18.44
This is a great verse
from the Lord Himself.
00:41:18.47\00:41:20.78
John 17:14, and I'll
read through verse 19.
00:41:20.81\00:41:24.91
"I've given them your Word, and
as--in the world has hated them
00:41:24.95\00:41:28.88
because they're not of the world
just as I'm not of the world.
00:41:28.92\00:41:31.72
I do not pray that you should
take them out of the world, but
00:41:31.75\00:41:34.72
that you should keep
them from the evil one."
00:41:34.76\00:41:37.73
How does that happen?
00:41:37.76\00:41:39.56
"They are not of the world
just as I am not of the world.
00:41:39.59\00:41:41.93
Sanctify them by your truth.
00:41:41.96\00:41:45.10
Your Word is truth."
00:41:45.13\00:41:48.27
You ever wondered
if the Bible is true?
00:41:48.30\00:41:50.74
Well, you got to
decide, do you believe in Jesus?
00:41:50.77\00:41:53.11
Jesus says the Bible is true,
and we can believe that it is
00:41:53.14\00:41:57.01
all true because Christ said so.
00:41:57.05\00:42:00.42
"Your Word is truth, and it
also has a sanctifying influence
00:42:00.45\00:42:03.82
on us.
00:42:03.85\00:42:05.95
As you sent me into the
world, I've also sent them into
00:42:05.99\00:42:07.59
the world.
00:42:07.62\00:42:09.62
For their sakes I sanctify
myself, that they may also be
00:42:09.66\00:42:12.39
sanctified by the truth."
00:42:12.43\00:42:16.53
Continuing to read and
walk in the Word of God, we are
00:42:16.56\00:42:20.14
transformed, we are purified.
00:42:20.17\00:42:22.27
That's how you become a
saint, through the Word.
00:42:22.30\00:42:25.37
The Bible speaks of
the redeemed as saints.
00:42:25.41\00:42:27.78
Well, believe in the promises of
God, we accept them by faith, we
00:42:27.81\00:42:30.41
are sanctified.
00:42:30.45\00:42:32.75
2 Timothy 3:15, "And
that from childhood--"
00:42:32.78\00:42:37.15
You all know this verse.
00:42:37.19\00:42:39.22
"And from childhood you have
known the holy Scriptures that
00:42:39.25\00:42:41.59
are able to make you wise for
salvation through faith, which
00:42:41.62\00:42:45.09
is in Christ Jesus.
00:42:45.13\00:42:47.66
All Scripture is given
by inspiration of God and is
00:42:47.66\00:42:50.30
profitable for doctrine,
for reproof, for correction, for
00:42:50.33\00:42:54.17
instruction in righteousness,
that the man of God might be
00:42:54.20\00:42:57.44
complete and thoroughly
equipped for every good work."
00:42:57.47\00:43:01.68
Wow, there's a lot there.
00:43:01.71\00:43:03.31
We're talking about what some
of the benefits of the Word of
00:43:03.35\00:43:04.95
God are.
00:43:04.98\00:43:06.28
Well, it says it's there
to benefit us and corrects us.
00:43:06.31\00:43:09.08
It instructs us.
00:43:09.12\00:43:11.59
It inspires us.
00:43:11.62\00:43:13.82
It is profitable for doctrine.
00:43:13.86\00:43:16.12
It makes us wise for salvation.
00:43:16.16\00:43:18.33
I can stop right here and
do a whole sermon just on this
00:43:18.36\00:43:20.10
one verse.
00:43:20.13\00:43:22.40
And so look at how
much we're missing.
00:43:22.43\00:43:23.93
Makes me want to read my
Bible more even as I read
00:43:23.97\00:43:25.57
these things.
00:43:25.60\00:43:26.94
All right, last section
here--oh, I got two more
00:43:26.97\00:43:28.70
sections, and I
got 6 more minutes.
00:43:28.74\00:43:31.41
Applying the Word of God.
00:43:31.44\00:43:33.91
Romans 8, verse 32, "He who
did not spare His own Son but
00:43:33.94\00:43:36.88
delivered him up for us all,
how shall He not with him also
00:43:36.91\00:43:40.38
freely give us all things?"
00:43:40.42\00:43:43.49
Through the promises that are
in the Word of God, we know that
00:43:43.52\00:43:45.95
God is going to give us
everything that we need to
00:43:45.99\00:43:48.02
be saved.
00:43:48.06\00:43:50.33
The Bible promises, why would
God go through all that He went
00:43:50.36\00:43:51.96
through to send His son
if He wasn't going to give us
00:43:51.99\00:43:55.23
everything we need to be saved?
00:43:55.26\00:43:57.70
The whole desire of the
plan of salvation is to save us.
00:43:57.73\00:44:01.40
So God has supplied everything
we need for salvation.
00:44:01.44\00:44:04.21
Most of that comes through
the message which you find in
00:44:04.24\00:44:06.14
the Bible.
00:44:06.17\00:44:08.54
Matthew 13:58, and it says
in this passage, "He did not--"
00:44:08.58\00:44:14.02
Jesus, "Did not many works
there," this is in Nazareth,
00:44:14.05\00:44:17.19
"because of their unbelief."
00:44:17.22\00:44:19.79
And so we must not only read the
Bible, but it doesn't come alive
00:44:19.82\00:44:23.09
unless we believe the promises.
00:44:23.12\00:44:25.43
You need to stand
on those promises.
00:44:25.46\00:44:27.56
Ephesians 3, verse 20,
"Now to Him who is able to do
00:44:27.60\00:44:30.37
exceedingly abundantly above all
that we ask or think according
00:44:30.40\00:44:35.04
to the power that works in us,
to Him be glory in the church by
00:44:35.07\00:44:39.11
Jesus Christ to all
generations forever and ever."
00:44:39.14\00:44:42.98
I love this promise.
00:44:43.01\00:44:45.08
He's able to do exceedingly
abundantly above all, but we
00:44:45.11\00:44:48.25
must ask.
00:44:48.28\00:44:50.72
He's able to do that for us.
00:44:50.75\00:44:52.79
What a wonderful promise.
00:44:52.82\00:44:55.02
1 John 1, verse 7, "But if
we walk in the light as He is in
00:44:55.06\00:44:58.16
the light," so it's not
just the light of God's Word.
00:44:58.19\00:45:00.70
You need to read it
and then walk in it.
00:45:00.73\00:45:03.16
A lot of people look at
the light; they don't walk in
00:45:03.20\00:45:04.90
the light.
00:45:04.93\00:45:07.37
"We have fellowship one with
another, and the blood of Jesus
00:45:07.40\00:45:09.80
Christ His Son
cleanses us from all sin.
00:45:09.84\00:45:13.78
If we say we have no sin, we
deceive ourselves and the truth
00:45:13.81\00:45:16.61
is not in us.
00:45:16.64\00:45:18.85
If we confess our sins, He is
faithful and just to forgive us
00:45:18.88\00:45:21.75
our sins and cleanse us
from all unrighteousness."
00:45:21.78\00:45:25.19
So one of the things we
learn from this is how to
00:45:25.22\00:45:27.56
apply the Word.
00:45:27.59\00:45:29.72
Don't just read it, walk in it.
00:45:29.76\00:45:31.89
You know, if you just look at
the sun, you'll burn your eyes.
00:45:31.93\00:45:33.90
The sun is not for looking
at, the light of the sun is for
00:45:33.93\00:45:35.73
walking in.
00:45:35.76\00:45:37.67
It's great if you're
walking in the light.
00:45:37.70\00:45:39.23
Just staring at the
light doesn't do you any good.
00:45:39.27\00:45:41.04
It'll actually hurt you.
00:45:41.07\00:45:43.04
And then the last
section is sharing the Word.
00:45:43.07\00:45:45.64
Acts 4, verse 20, "For we cannot
but speak the things that we
00:45:45.67\00:45:51.15
have seen and heard."
00:45:51.18\00:45:53.62
I remember reading in the Book
of Job, and I should have looked
00:45:53.65\00:45:55.55
this up.
00:45:55.58\00:45:57.62
It just came to me now, and
I don't remember the reference.
00:45:57.65\00:45:59.52
But after the three friends of
Job get done talking, all of a
00:45:59.55\00:46:01.69
sudden a fourth
character appears.
00:46:01.72\00:46:03.83
He had evidently kind of crept
up and been listening to the
00:46:03.86\00:46:05.53
discourse between Job and his
three friends, and I think his
00:46:05.56\00:46:08.26
name is Eliphaz.
00:46:08.30\00:46:11.30
And he finally says,
"Look, I've listened.
00:46:11.33\00:46:14.07
You're older than me and so
I held my peace, but I'm like
00:46:14.10\00:46:17.01
carbonated wine that's
ready to burst the skins.
00:46:17.04\00:46:19.71
I've just got to speak.
00:46:19.74\00:46:21.74
How can I keep it inside?
00:46:21.78\00:46:23.68
I just can't keep the truth."
00:46:23.71\00:46:25.51
It's like Paul said, "Woe
to me if I preach not Christ."
00:46:25.55\00:46:27.48
They could never bottle him up.
00:46:27.52\00:46:29.72
Paul just--he was constantly
ready to erupt with truth.
00:46:29.75\00:46:32.92
And if you've been saved and
you've got the good news in your
00:46:32.95\00:46:34.92
heart, you can't
keep it to yourself.
00:46:34.96\00:46:37.79
You just always desiring and
burning and you feel bursting
00:46:37.83\00:46:41.80
with the desire
to share with others.
00:46:41.83\00:46:46.30
He says, "We cannot but
speak the things that we've seen
00:46:46.33\00:46:48.07
and heard.
00:46:48.10\00:46:50.27
Out of the abundance of
the heart the mouth speaks."
00:46:50.31\00:46:52.44
And if you've got the gospel in
your heart, the mouth is going
00:46:52.47\00:46:54.64
to speak it.
00:46:54.68\00:46:56.95
If you're always talking about
football, then you got football
00:46:56.98\00:46:58.68
in your heart.
00:46:58.71\00:47:00.62
If you spend all your
time talking about airplanes or
00:47:00.65\00:47:02.35
automobiles, you've got
cars and planes in your heart.
00:47:02.38\00:47:04.99
But if you can't help yourself
but from talking about the
00:47:05.02\00:47:07.52
gospel, you've got
Jesus in your heart.
00:47:07.56\00:47:10.89
In Romans 1, verse 14, Paul
says, "I am a debtor both to the
00:47:10.93\00:47:14.96
Greeks and the barbarians,
the wise and the unwise.
00:47:15.00\00:47:18.20
So as much as in me, I am ready
to preach the gospel to you who
00:47:18.23\00:47:21.57
are in Rome also, for
I'm not ashamed to preach the
00:47:21.60\00:47:24.74
gospel--I'm not ashamed of the
gospel of Christ, for it is the
00:47:24.77\00:47:28.24
power of God to salvation."
00:47:28.28\00:47:31.68
In preaching the Word of
God, power happens, things
00:47:31.71\00:47:35.62
are transformed.
00:47:35.65\00:47:37.99
"It's the power of God to
salvation for everyone who
00:47:38.02\00:47:40.46
believes, for the Jew
first and also for the Greek."
00:47:40.49\00:47:43.73
Because the Jews had all that
historic background, they would
00:47:43.76\00:47:46.19
be the first to comprehend it.
00:47:46.23\00:47:49.00
And then of course
the Great Commission.
00:47:49.03\00:47:51.27
It tells us Jesus says, "Go
therefore and make disciples of
00:47:51.30\00:47:55.10
all nations, teaching them in
the name of the Father and the
00:47:55.14\00:47:58.81
Son and the Holy
Spirit--baptizing them," I
00:47:58.84\00:48:01.68
should say, "in the name of the
Father, the Son, and the Holy
00:48:01.71\00:48:04.15
Spirit, teaching
them," teaching them what?
00:48:04.18\00:48:06.95
"To do all the
things I've commanded you."
00:48:06.98\00:48:08.35
Teaching the commands of God
you're going to find in the Word
00:48:08.38\00:48:10.35
of God.
00:48:10.39\00:48:12.55
So we'd be sharing it.
00:48:12.59\00:48:14.46
This is the
parting message of Jesus.
00:48:14.49\00:48:16.06
"Go teach the
Word of God, baptize."
00:48:16.09\00:48:20.46
Isaiah 50, verse 4, "The Lord
God has given me the tongue of
00:48:20.50\00:48:23.37
the learned, that I should know
how to speak a Word in season to
00:48:23.40\00:48:26.43
him who is weary.
00:48:26.47\00:48:29.24
He awakens me in the morning by
morning, he awakens me to hear
00:48:29.27\00:48:32.24
as the ear of the learned."
00:48:32.27\00:48:34.84
God is--wants us to speak to
those who are willing to listen.
00:48:34.88\00:48:38.08
So it's not just to have the
Word and to study the Word, we
00:48:38.11\00:48:40.28
need to be sharing the Word by
our example, but don't be afraid
00:48:40.32\00:48:43.25
to do it physically
or to verbally do it.
00:48:43.28\00:48:46.82
You know, and in closing,
I'd like to read to you from--a
00:48:46.86\00:48:50.99
quote from--and this is
page 259 by "The Life of Jesus."
00:48:51.03\00:48:58.70
"Tell it to others the blessed
choose of His Word, and obeying
00:48:58.73\00:49:04.01
the words of Christ
continue in His love.
00:49:04.04\00:49:06.51
Tell them how he urges us
by love to bear to him to keep
00:49:06.54\00:49:11.35
His commandments.
00:49:11.38\00:49:13.48
He does this not to urge us
to do impossible things, but
00:49:13.52\00:49:15.95
because he knows
what it means to keep his
00:49:15.98\00:49:17.85
Father's commandments.
00:49:17.89\00:49:19.79
He wants every soul that hears
his invitation to say the same
00:49:19.82\00:49:22.76
to others, to receive his
richest gifts for he knows that
00:49:22.79\00:49:26.63
in keeping the commandments
of God we are not brought into
00:49:26.66\00:49:29.60
servile bondage, but we are
made free through the blood of
00:49:29.63\00:49:32.50
Jesus Christ."
00:49:32.53\00:49:34.64
We don't share the gospel to
make life difficult for others;
00:49:34.67\00:49:37.04
we do it because we want
to share the life that God has
00:49:37.07\00:49:39.94
given with us.
00:49:39.97\00:49:41.84
Want to remind you in closing,
friends, we've got a special
00:49:41.88\00:49:44.21
offer that's free.
00:49:44.25\00:49:46.31
It's called "Alone in the
Crowd," an encouraging book by
00:49:46.35\00:49:48.58
Joe Crews.
00:49:48.62\00:49:50.19
Talks about also
the power of God's Word.
00:49:50.22\00:49:52.32
If you'd like a copy of this,
you can call, if you're in North
00:49:52.35\00:49:54.52
America, 866-788-3966.
00:49:54.56\00:49:58.96
That's
866-STUDY-MORE, or you can text.
00:49:58.99\00:50:02.06
You can download it right now.
00:50:02.10\00:50:03.97
Text "SH004" to 40544.
00:50:04.00\00:50:10.07
And I think you can even
download this right now from the
00:50:10.11\00:50:12.07
Amazing Facts' website
under our free library.
00:50:12.11\00:50:14.94
God bless you, friends.
00:50:14.98\00:50:16.88
We've got more exciting studies
in this quarter's study guide.
00:50:16.91\00:50:20.35
Look forward to sharing
that with you again next week.
00:50:20.38\00:50:23.49
male announcer: Don't forget
to request today's life-changing
00:50:25.79\00:50:27.72
free resource.
00:50:27.76\00:50:29.69
Not only can you receive this
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To get your digital copy of
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00:50:42.90\00:50:46.68
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It's now easier than ever
for you to study God's Word with
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Amazing Facts wherever and
whenever you want and, most
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important, to
share it with others.
00:50:55.22\00:50:58.49
announcer: Amazing
Facts, Changed Lives.
00:51:03.83\00:51:07.30
Kip Johnston: I was
raised very spoiled, very lucky,
00:51:12.33\00:51:14.47
very blessed.
00:51:14.50\00:51:16.64
I was raised in
the church, actually.
00:51:16.67\00:51:18.97
As a child, God was presented to
me as vindictive, so it didn't
00:51:19.01\00:51:22.71
interest me very much.
00:51:22.74\00:51:25.08
When I got much older, I was
told by a friend of mine that I
00:51:25.11\00:51:27.72
wasn't even a Christian.
00:51:27.75\00:51:29.98
I said, "I'm a good person,
I don't steal, I don't cheat,
00:51:30.02\00:51:31.99
I don't kill."
00:51:32.02\00:51:34.12
And it was told to me that, "No.
00:51:34.16\00:51:36.36
In order to be a Christian,
you must be born again."
00:51:36.39\00:51:38.89
The next day I went
and appropriated a Bible.
00:51:38.93\00:51:41.20
I read the New Testament.
00:51:41.23\00:51:43.43
I just set the Bible down and
said, "God, if you're real, deal
00:51:43.47\00:51:45.63
me in."
00:51:45.67\00:51:48.04
I went to a Christian college
to study theology and about God.
00:51:48.07\00:51:51.64
But when I left college, I
took a job selling Christian
00:51:51.67\00:51:54.58
literature and Bibles door
to door and I went flat broke.
00:51:54.61\00:51:59.08
I stopped in to play
poker in a place in LA.
00:51:59.11\00:52:02.45
I was an instant success.
00:52:02.48\00:52:04.99
My life became poker, and I got
books and I read poker books.
00:52:05.02\00:52:07.76
I had my Bible in one hand
and poker book on the other.
00:52:07.79\00:52:10.16
I was a Christian poker player.
00:52:10.19\00:52:11.93
I thought the
Lord was blessing me.
00:52:11.96\00:52:13.96
The amount of money that I
made playing poker was so big it
00:52:14.00\00:52:16.50
would scare you.
00:52:16.53\00:52:18.47
I was very self-indulgent.
00:52:18.50\00:52:20.40
I did not deny myself anything
that I thought would make me
00:52:20.44\00:52:22.04
happy, but I was still empty.
00:52:22.07\00:52:25.01
I'd went to all the Christian
churches, give them all a fair
00:52:25.04\00:52:27.68
shot, some of them 3
months, some of them 2 years.
00:52:27.71\00:52:31.51
Unimpressed, Saturday morning
I happened to be traveling from
00:52:31.55\00:52:34.88
one poker place to another.
00:52:34.92\00:52:37.29
I just happened to have a
little TV in my truck, and Doug
00:52:37.32\00:52:41.06
Batchelor came up on
there and I was like, "This guy
00:52:41.09\00:52:43.12
makes sense."
00:52:43.16\00:52:44.99
I knew Doug
Batchelor was in Sacramento.
00:52:45.03\00:52:46.90
So I came to meet him.
00:52:46.93\00:52:49.23
I told him, I said, "I am a
Christian doing God's work, and
00:52:49.26\00:52:52.27
I make a living playing
poker and I am giving away great
00:52:52.30\00:52:55.37
controversies to players.
00:52:55.40\00:52:57.71
I go to church and help the
community, and don't tell me I'm
00:52:57.74\00:52:59.64
not doing much right."
00:52:59.67\00:53:01.91
And he said, "No, you got to
get out of that casino, period."
00:53:01.94\00:53:06.01
I said, "I'm making good money."
00:53:06.05\00:53:08.35
And he says, "I know that
you know what I'm telling you is
00:53:08.38\00:53:10.22
right," and I did.
00:53:10.25\00:53:13.25
I recognized through
it all I wasn't happy.
00:53:13.29\00:53:18.09
I said, "Lord, my
life is a disaster.
00:53:18.13\00:53:20.43
I'm selfish, I'm empty.
00:53:20.46\00:53:23.43
I've tried to do what You wanted
me to do so many times and I've
00:53:23.47\00:53:26.80
always failed.
00:53:26.84\00:53:29.37
Why do I always fail?
00:53:29.40\00:53:31.31
Why do I always lose my way?"
00:53:31.34\00:53:36.31
And the Lord spoke to me,
says, "You got to be involved.
00:53:36.34\00:53:42.38
You got to be
involved in My work."
00:53:42.42\00:53:45.49
And that's when I said I need
to dedicate my life fully to
00:53:45.52\00:53:47.99
God's work.
00:53:48.02\00:53:50.39
I, by the grace of God,
and my wife, we went to India.
00:53:50.43\00:53:55.40
Until the Lord tells me
otherwise, we're going to build
00:53:55.43\00:53:57.63
orphanages in India so that
children can grow up and hear
00:53:57.67\00:54:01.14
about Jesus and they can go
tell the 1.3 billion people in
00:54:01.17\00:54:04.71
their country.
00:54:04.74\00:54:07.34
God had a plan for me, and now I
just want to be fully dedicated
00:54:07.38\00:54:11.75
to the Lord's cause.
00:54:11.78\00:54:15.02
I am Kip Johnston, and God used
Amazing Facts to change my life.
00:54:15.05\00:54:19.89
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00:54:23.16\00:54:28.43
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00:54:30.33\00:54:39.24
Doug: Friends, are
you afraid of heights?
00:54:41.48\00:54:43.14
If so, you might want
to look away right now.
00:54:43.18\00:54:45.78
One of the most famous
attractions in the San Francisco
00:54:45.81\00:54:47.78
Bay Area is the
iconic Golden Gate Bridge.
00:54:47.82\00:54:51.92
While this world-famous bridge
was named as one of the seven
00:54:51.95\00:54:54.42
wonders of the modern world,
few people know the story of the
00:54:54.46\00:54:57.49
brave men who were involved in
its construction and also known
00:54:57.53\00:55:01.10
as the Half Way to Hell Club.
00:55:01.13\00:55:04.47
Designed by a group of visionary
engineers at 4,200 feet from end
00:55:04.50\00:55:08.37
to end, the Golden Gate Bridge
was at one time the longest
00:55:08.40\00:55:11.54
suspension bridge in the world.
00:55:11.57\00:55:14.28
During its construction from
1933 to 1937, the Golden Gate
00:55:14.31\00:55:18.18
Bridge had one of the best
safety construction records of
00:55:18.21\00:55:21.28
any project during that time.
00:55:21.32\00:55:23.89
Keep in mind, they would factor
in and calculate that one man
00:55:23.92\00:55:26.82
would die for every
million dollars that was spent.
00:55:26.86\00:55:30.06
So with a budget of $35 million,
they knew that loss of life
00:55:30.09\00:55:33.53
would be unacceptable.
00:55:33.56\00:55:36.10
This is why the chief
engineer, Joseph B. Strauss,
00:55:36.13\00:55:38.83
was absolutely adamant
about using the most rigorous
00:55:38.87\00:55:41.67
safety precautions that had ever
been used in bridge building.
00:55:41.70\00:55:44.57
He had a local manufacturer of
safety equipment design special
00:55:44.61\00:55:47.88
headgear that he
insisted be worn on every job.
00:55:47.91\00:55:51.18
This became the prototype for
the modern hard hat worn for the
00:55:51.21\00:55:54.02
first time ever, but the safety
precautions went even farther.
00:55:54.05\00:55:58.25
Strauss provided a special hand
and face cream to protect the
00:55:58.29\00:56:01.42
skin from the cold, biting
wind and glare-free goggles to
00:56:01.46\00:56:05.03
protect their eyes.
00:56:05.06\00:56:07.50
In addition, they also ate a
special diet to help ward off
00:56:07.56\00:56:09.90
dizziness when they were working
at those epic heights, but the
00:56:09.93\00:56:13.17
most conspicuous safety
precaution was a gigantic net
00:56:13.20\00:56:16.84
that was suspended from
end to end under the entire
00:56:16.87\00:56:19.71
construction area of
the Golden Gate Bridge.
00:56:19.74\00:56:23.35
In fact, during construction,
this net saved the lives of 19
00:56:23.38\00:56:27.22
men who later became known
as the Half Way to Hell Club.
00:56:27.25\00:56:32.62
Now, you need to keep in
mind these were some of the most
00:56:32.65\00:56:34.49
dangerous construction
conditions you can imagine.
00:56:34.52\00:56:37.86
The wind was constantly blowing.
00:56:37.89\00:56:40.53
They were walking around on iron
that sometimes had ice from the
00:56:40.56\00:56:43.43
freezing fog.
00:56:43.47\00:56:45.90
In places, they were over
700 feet above the icy waters.
00:56:45.93\00:56:50.07
Yet the men coming from all
walks of life were willing to
00:56:50.11\00:56:52.71
take these risks because it was
during the Great Depression and
00:56:52.74\00:56:56.34
they would get paid up to
$11 a day, which was a fortune
00:56:56.38\00:56:59.48
back then.
00:56:59.51\00:57:01.88
One of the other benefits of the
net was they discovered that the
00:57:01.92\00:57:04.89
men were much more courageous
even though they're walking high
00:57:04.92\00:57:07.66
on those slippery surfaces
because they knew there was a
00:57:07.69\00:57:10.76
mechanism to protect
them if they should fall.
00:57:10.79\00:57:13.93
This gave them the confidence
and the courage to press on and
00:57:13.96\00:57:16.40
get the bridge
built in record time.
00:57:16.43\00:57:19.20
You know, friends, as
Christians, we have a great work
00:57:19.23\00:57:21.44
to do.
00:57:21.47\00:57:23.20
The Bible tells us that we
get to participate with Jesus in
00:57:23.24\00:57:25.21
building a bridge that connects
heaven and earth, and there are
00:57:25.24\00:57:28.94
dangers along the way.
00:57:28.98\00:57:31.01
The devil would like to paralyze
us with fear that we might fall
00:57:31.05\00:57:33.52
or make a mistake, but we know
that Jesus has provided a safety
00:57:33.55\00:57:37.09
net for us and we
don't have to be afraid.
00:57:37.12\00:57:39.95
We can press on with confidence
because it promises in the Book
00:57:39.99\00:57:42.79
of Jude, verse 24 he is
able to keep us from falling.
00:57:42.82\00:57:46.76
But sometimes we make mistakes.
00:57:46.80\00:57:48.90
Still, don't be
discouraged, friends.
00:57:48.93\00:57:50.70
If you read in 1 John chapter
2, verse 1, the Bible says if we
00:57:50.73\00:57:54.17
fall, if we sin, we have
an advocate with the Father,
00:57:54.20\00:57:58.04
Jesus Christ.
00:57:58.07\00:57:59.67
So let's press on together and
build that bridge with Christ.
00:57:59.71\00:58:03.14
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