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Shawn Brummund: Hello and
welcome, friends, to another
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edition of the
"Sabbath School Study Hour."
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It is always good to be able
to come together here in the
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Granite Bay Hilltop Seventh-day
Adventist Church, right in the
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greater area of the Sacramento,
California area of the U.S.
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It is always nice to have all of
you who are joining us online or
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in the local broadcast,
international broadcasts, and,
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of course, our local church
family here, as well, as we
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continue to study together and
as we continue to look at this
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very important theme and topic
of rest that can really only
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truly fully be found in Christ.
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And so, friends, I don't know
about you, but I've been blessed
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as we've been making our way
through this third quarter of
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2021 as we looked at this theme
of rest in Christ, and we're
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almost wrapping things up.
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We are in lesson number 12, "The
Restless Prophet," which is the
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second last study for
this particular quarterly.
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And so, again,
I've been blessed.
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I know that you've been blessed
if you've been joining us.
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If you're joining us for
the first time, I know that the
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time that you will be investing
over the next hour with us
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will be a blessing as we
continue to study these great
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themes of truth in Scripture.
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I also want to invite you to
take advantage of our free gift
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offer that we always like
to offer that you can continue
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your study in the Word of God.
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It is one that is directly
relevant to the subject that
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we're looking at here as
we study the prophet Jonah
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and a very unique
experience in ministry that he
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had during his lifetime.
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And so the free gift offer
is the little booklet written by
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our senior--or lead pastor, Doug
Batchelor, "The Sign of Jonah."
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And you can receive that simply
by dialing in to 1-866-788-3966,
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and, again, that's
1-866-Study-More, and get your
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free copy if you are in the
U.S., if you're in Canada or
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some of the
different U.S. territories.
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If you are interested in getting
a digital download, you can also
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get that in the Continental
U.S., and you just simply have
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to text the code "SH147," to the
number 40544, and we'd be happy
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to be able to get that to you.
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You could also see on the screen
a website address in which you
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can also find it on
the Amazing Facts website.
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Shall we pray?
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Father in heaven, as we close
our eyes, we want to thank You
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for the inspiration
that we have just received.
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Thank You for the reminder of
the greatest hope that we have
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as human beings, as a broken
and fallen race, that there is a
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Savior that is as eternal as the
Father that willingly came down
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and took upon human flesh,
died on a cross, rose to glory,
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and now is ministering
as our High Priest in a
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New Testament
heavenly sanctuary.
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Lord, we come to You
as the living Christ.
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We come to You, Jesus, we come
to You, Father, Holy Spirit,
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pray that You will guide
us and lead us as we make
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our way through this study.
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Want to pray, God, that You will
bring to life the experience of
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this man of ancient times, named
Jonah, God in heaven, that it
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might be able to be applied
to our lives, the different
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spiritual lessons and truths
that are found there as well.
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Build our faith, Lord.
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Teach us. In
Jesus's name we pray, amen.
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"Jonah and the Whale."
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You know, just saying that
can elicit some--a number of
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different images and thoughts
in the minds of many different
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people, not just us as
Seventh-day Adventists, not just
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as Christians, but as general
Americans, Canadians, Europeans,
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those who have a Christian
heritage of some sort that are
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exposed to if they
are not even churchgoers.
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Not even genuine believers
have elicited--there's different
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images that are elicited
in concern to that title,
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"Jonah and the Whale."
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Not only "Jonah and the Whale,"
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but "Balaam and
the Talking Donkey."
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Then we also have a man of
ancient times, named Noah, where
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there was a time where not only
did they build the biggest boat
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in all of history by that--at
least to that point, but every
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single species that was existing
at that time came and made their
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way and willfully walked and
found themselves--walked up the
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plank and found
themselves in the boat.
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These are different images.
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These are different stories that
have probably even been reduced
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to a storybook status in
the minds of most who now live
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in the U.S. today.
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This popular view reveals our
natural tendency to limit God
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and to limit His
abilities, to limit His power.
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We have a natural tendency to
limit things down to our level,
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down to our limitations,
our limitations both in power,
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capability, our
limitations in intellect.
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When we come to these stories,
there are--most people on the
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streets of America today, I
would say, would say, "Yes, it's
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a story I'm familiar with, these
three stories, but certainly
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these are the far-fetched
allegorical fable-like myths
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that you can find in
that book that some religious
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people call the Bible."
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And so it reveals that we must
be very careful on what we do
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with Bible stories like these,
Bible stories that we might be
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tempted to think
are "too far-fetched."
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"It's beyond our explanation.
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It's ridiculous.
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It's something that is
way beyond anything that can
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be explained with a
scientific method in any way,
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shape, or form."
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But as the famous American
evangelist by the name of Billy
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Graham, who, during his
lifetime, would be sometimes
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challenged in questions by the
media and different journalists,
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and they'd say, "Now, come
on, Reverend Graham, surely you
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don't believe that the story of
Jonah being swallowed by a whale
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and, three days later, thrown up
onto the beach somewhere was a
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literal reality, was a literal
story that took place with a
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literal historical figure?
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Surely you understand
that this is too far-fetched?"
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And Billy Graham's answer
was classic as he would say,
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"Listen, if the Bible
says it, I believe it.
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And not only that, but if the
Bible told me that it was Jonah
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who swallowed the
whale, I would believe it."
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You see, we have to be careful
that we don't reduce the truths
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and the stories and the history
that the Bible reveals to us,
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down to our own limitations.
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God is way
bigger than the whales.
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God is way bigger than Jonah.
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He's way bigger than you and I.
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He's way bigger
than the universe.
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He's the Eternal One.
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He is the
Alpha. He is the Omega.
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He is the all-knowing one.
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He is the all-present one.
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He is the all-powerful one.
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And God can do things that
are unexplainable to you and I.
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The scientific method and the
scientific world will never be
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able to explain fully how God
was able to prepare a fish that
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was there at the right time and
the right place for the right
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purpose and had the capabilities
to be able to preserve the life
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of a human being in its
belly for about three days.
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We can't explain it.
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We very likely will
never be able to fully
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explain it, but
that's not the point.
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The point is that
God is bigger than--
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"My thoughts are
greater than your thoughts,"
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does not the Bible says?
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Does God got to
remind us of that?
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So we have to be careful when we
come to places like the book of
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Noah and the story of Noah or
"Balaam and the Talking Donkey,"
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or Noah and the
animals that walk upon his ark.
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It's vital for us to understand
that we cannot limit it.
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In Mark chapter 10, in
verse 27, Jesus said this.
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He says, "With men it is
impossible, but not with God,
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for with God all
things are possible."
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Many of us know that
by memory and rightly so.
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We need fully be able--to
be able to write that verse and
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that statement of
Jesus upon our hearts.
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Now, Jesus was talking
about a different topic, but the
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principle, it pervades
to all things in all ways,
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and Jesus made that clear
in the statement when He said,
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"With men it is impossible,
but not with God, for with
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God all things are possible."
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And so the book of Jonah and the
story and the experience of this
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historical figure with
God is very much possible.
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And we may be able to understand
that is--being able to
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understand that is critical.
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Now, the truth is that the Bible
is loaded with all kinds of
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different times where God
is on record of manipulating
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nature to fulfill His purposes.
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I started to do a bit of an
exercise as I was preparing for
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our message and
study here today.
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Now, the Bible
refers to them as "signs."
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We call them
more often "miracles."
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What is a miracle?
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A miracle is a phenomena that we
observe that takes place within
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our reality, within
our observation, that is
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unexplainable through
the scientific method.
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It is beyond the
scientific method.
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It is beyond the laws of nature
as we observe them, but we have
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to remember that God is
the God of the laws of nature.
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God created those laws, and He
is not subject to those laws in
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the way that you and I are.
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God is higher and greater
than those laws, and, therefore,
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again, when we come to these
different examples, we find that
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God is on record of
doing this multiple times, not
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just in the life of Jonah.
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As a Christian, we can't just
throw out the book of Jonah and
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say, "Well, that's a
little bit too far-fetched.
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God is obviously
not--didn't literally do that.
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That must be allegorical.
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That must be something that
didn't historically take place."
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No, when we look
through the Bible,
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the Bible is riddled with it.
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Just look at ten examples
I'd just like to share with you.
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I just jotted these
down: Jesus curses a fig tree.
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Many of us are
familiar with that.
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Jesus, in His last days, just
before He's arrested, crucified,
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He's on His way into
Jerusalem. He's hungry.
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He goes up to a fig
tree, there's no figs on it,
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and so He says,
"Cursed be you, fig tree."
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Now, all through Scripture,
through the Old Testament, God
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had been using a tree, and many
times a fig tree, to represent
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and symbolize Israel.
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And this fig tree
was to represent Israel.
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It had all kinds of leaves of
pretension, religious pretension
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and religious
pretending, but it had no fruit.
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And so Jesus used that as
a symbol of Israel that was
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rejecting the Son of God,
the Messiah, the true Messiah.
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And so He says,
"Cursed be you, fig tree."
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While the next morning, as the
disciples of Jesus are walking
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by, sure enough, they see
the fig tree, and that thing is
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dried up from the roots down.
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Now, friends, I've been
blessed over the last few
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years of having a
beautifully landscaped yard.
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You know, the previous
owners, you know, did some
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wonderful work with it.
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We enjoy the different trees and
bushes, and so on, and I know
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one thing I've learned about
California is that, if your
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irrigation system starts
to go out of whack, things
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don't live long, you know?
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They need water.
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If you don't artificially
water our plants and our trees
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here in California, they
don't live long at all and so--
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but this was only 12 hours.
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Twelve hours, the thing was
dried up, withered up and dead.
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Even in California, it takes
longer than 24 hours to kill
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a tree if you don't water it.
00:12:06.52\00:12:08.76
God was manipulating nature to
be able to fulfill His purpose
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and make a message
with His disciples.
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Second example, the temple tax
found in the mouth of a fish.
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I don't know about you--you
know, I've done some fishing.
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I used to--you know, I gave up
fishing 'cause I got skunked way
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more often than I caught fish.
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And, you know, I used
to kid with my youngest--
00:12:27.21\00:12:29.34
oldest daughter; we'd go out
and we'd throw the cast out--
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or cast the rod out and
the line out, and I'd say,
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"Well, we never
came out to fish, honey.
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We just came out
to cast," you know.
00:12:38.85\00:12:43.32
But I've caught a
few fish over the years,
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and I've never found a coin in
the mouth of any of those fish.
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Have you?
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And Peter, the one who caught
it, I'm sure never had before
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and never had ever
since that happened.
00:12:52.97\00:12:55.84
But God had manipulated nature.
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He had made sure that the right
fish was there at the right time
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with a coin in mouth.
00:13:00.38\00:13:01.91
Now, Peter threw out a line.
00:13:01.94\00:13:03.75
He had some kind of rudimentary
hook that they used back in
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those days, some bait on it.
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Now, the fish
comes and gets the bait.
00:13:07.22\00:13:08.62
Now, whether he had the coin
in his mouth before he took the
00:13:08.65\00:13:10.85
bait, or not, I don't know
because his mouth was already
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busy with this foreign coin that
was in his mouth that fish don't
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normally deal with, so I'm
guessing that maybe God had put
00:13:17.29\00:13:20.70
that temple tax coin inside
the mouth's fish after the fish
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had grabbed the hook, and Peter
was starting to draw it in, and
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God puts a temple
tax coin inside the
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mouth of that fish, why?
00:13:31.24\00:13:32.57
Because He was making a point
to the temple--or the synagogue,
00:13:32.61\00:13:37.55
the leader of the synagogue
in the town of Capernaum--
00:13:37.58\00:13:41.18
Capernaum, I should say.
00:13:41.22\00:13:43.28
And so God manipulated nature
and put a coin in there that
00:13:43.32\00:13:47.09
shouldn't have been
there, that normally wouldn't be
00:13:47.12\00:13:48.89
there, to make a
supernatural point that Jesus
00:13:48.92\00:13:52.13
is the Alpha and the Omega.
00:13:52.16\00:13:53.50
He is the God of the fish.
00:13:53.53\00:13:56.26
Not only that, but then we find
that He's on a sea, that same
00:13:56.30\00:13:59.03
Sea of Galilee, and the sea is
going crazy, one of those crazy
00:13:59.07\00:14:03.81
storms in which the--even the
veterans, the veteran, seasoned
00:14:03.84\00:14:09.98
fishermen that were on
there--Peter, James, and John,
00:14:10.01\00:14:13.62
and so on--they were
scared for their life.
00:14:13.65\00:14:18.05
Jesus gets up
calmly, and what does He say?
00:14:18.09\00:14:21.02
"Peace, be still."
00:14:21.06\00:14:25.39
And the clouds didn't slowly
start to dissipate and the winds
00:14:25.43\00:14:28.76
start to calm down over
the next couple of hours.
00:14:28.80\00:14:30.90
No, it just--boom.
00:14:30.93\00:14:32.50
The wind had stopped
immediately, and it went from
00:14:32.53\00:14:35.60
life-threatening whitecaps
to absolute crystal clear, calm,
00:14:35.64\00:14:42.21
reflective water.
00:14:42.24\00:14:46.82
God, Jesus, was making
a point to His disciples.
00:14:46.85\00:14:50.12
He was impacting upon their
hearts again that Jesus was not
00:14:50.15\00:14:53.05
just a human
being, as human as He was.
00:14:53.09\00:14:58.86
Not only that, but Jesus is on
record of resurrecting the dead
00:14:58.89\00:15:01.50
more than once during His
ministry, and so God manipulates
00:15:01.53\00:15:05.57
nature to be able to
fulfill His purposes.
00:15:05.60\00:15:08.44
Then we come to Mount Carmel,
and we have the great prophet
00:15:08.47\00:15:10.71
Elijah with the great showdown
between the false god Baal that
00:15:10.74\00:15:14.18
most of Israel had given
their hearts and their lives and
00:15:14.21\00:15:16.58
devotion to, their religious
worship, and that of Yahweh, the
00:15:16.61\00:15:20.55
God of Israel, the Great
I Am, and so Elijah prays
00:15:20.58\00:15:24.09
and, sure enough, what happens?
00:15:24.12\00:15:25.49
Fire comes down
inexplicably, unexplainably
00:15:25.52\00:15:28.29
comes down out of nowhere,
and not only does it consume the
00:15:28.32\00:15:32.79
sacrifice that Elijah had put on
the altar, but it consumed the
00:15:32.83\00:15:35.63
entire rock altar, and it
consumed all the water that had
00:15:35.66\00:15:37.93
soaked that altar and that
sacrifice in just a heartbeat.
00:15:37.97\00:15:43.44
God was unexplainable,
supernaturally, miraculously
00:15:43.47\00:15:47.98
manipulating nature
to fulfill His purpose.
00:15:48.01\00:15:51.98
The burning bush at
Mount Sinai, we found Moses
00:15:52.01\00:15:55.98
coming up to this burning bush.
00:15:56.02\00:15:57.45
And the bush has been
burning who knows how long,
00:15:57.49\00:15:58.95
but it's still burning.
00:15:58.99\00:16:01.89
Bushes burn for a time, but
then they burn out pretty fast.
00:16:01.92\00:16:06.36
Not this one; this
one just kept on burning,
00:16:06.39\00:16:09.76
and then we find
there's a voice and an angel
00:16:09.80\00:16:11.77
inside of that bush.
00:16:11.80\00:16:15.07
God is manipulating nature.
00:16:15.10\00:16:16.81
He's living and demonstrating
that He lives above nature and
00:16:16.84\00:16:21.04
the laws of nature.
00:16:21.08\00:16:24.28
When the Israelites were called
out of Egypt and freed from
00:16:24.31\00:16:27.32
bondage, they came to a huge
obstacle, an obstacle that they
00:16:27.35\00:16:32.15
could never--it
was insurmountable.
00:16:32.19\00:16:34.66
They had this arm of the
Red Sea that was before them.
00:16:34.69\00:16:38.99
They had no boats.
00:16:39.03\00:16:40.33
They had no life jackets.
00:16:40.36\00:16:41.90
They had thousands or hundreds
of thousands of livestock, two
00:16:41.93\00:16:45.87
to three million people.
00:16:45.90\00:16:49.74
They have the
Egyptian army behind him.
00:16:49.77\00:16:51.64
God manipulates
nature, does He not?
00:16:51.67\00:16:54.14
And He takes that Red Sea,
and He brings wind with it,
00:16:54.18\00:16:56.88
but He brings
more than just a wind.
00:16:56.91\00:16:58.78
The wind came in, but I've never
seen a wind, you know, part a
00:16:58.81\00:17:01.72
lake or a sea before, but God
uses that wind, along with His
00:17:01.75\00:17:05.92
supernatural power, and
He separates the waters,
00:17:05.95\00:17:10.09
and He creates this
pathway of dry land with a wall
00:17:10.13\00:17:13.09
of water on both sides.
00:17:13.13\00:17:15.43
Science will never explain that.
00:17:15.46\00:17:18.63
You'll never be
able to explain that.
00:17:18.67\00:17:22.57
Plagues of Egypt that hit them,
that hit the Egyptians before
00:17:22.60\00:17:25.31
they even let the
Israelites get to the Red Sea.
00:17:25.34\00:17:27.94
Frogs, so many frogs
that they were going crazy.
00:17:27.98\00:17:31.71
There was frogs coming
in and out of their houses.
00:17:31.75\00:17:33.52
There were--it
was a plague of frogs.
00:17:33.55\00:17:35.48
They were inundated with
millions upon millions of
00:17:35.52\00:17:39.29
additional frogs
that suddenly came in.
00:17:39.32\00:17:41.32
Now, the Egyptians
worshipped the god of the frogs.
00:17:41.36\00:17:46.19
God says, "I have come to cast
judgment upon your false gods."
00:17:46.23\00:17:50.40
Said so, right in
the writings of Moses.
00:17:50.43\00:17:52.53
And so God says,
"You think that your
00:17:52.57\00:17:54.07
god is the god of the frogs?
00:17:54.10\00:17:55.44
He's not. I'm
the God of the frogs.
00:17:55.47\00:17:58.14
Not only am I the
God of the frogs,"
00:17:58.17\00:17:59.51
but after the frogs disappeared,
after God made the frogs
00:17:59.54\00:18:02.04
disappear supernaturally,
then He brought behind it a
00:18:02.08\00:18:05.01
whole millions and billions
of locusts, and then behind
00:18:05.05\00:18:08.75
that, He brought a
whole batch of millions and
00:18:08.78\00:18:11.69
billions of lice, and then
flies, and each of those times,
00:18:11.72\00:18:17.59
God is saying,
"Your god is a false god.
00:18:17.63\00:18:20.03
I'm the God of the flies.
00:18:20.06\00:18:21.76
I'm the God of the lice.
00:18:21.80\00:18:23.13
I'm the God of the locusts.
00:18:23.16\00:18:25.00
The locusts
answer to Me," God says.
00:18:25.03\00:18:30.97
Then we have that intriguing
story where the mother bears
00:18:31.01\00:18:34.68
come out of the woods.
00:18:34.71\00:18:36.11
You know the
story. It's a wild story.
00:18:36.14\00:18:39.15
We have Elisha. Elisha.
00:18:39.18\00:18:40.88
And he's just
picked up his ministry.
00:18:40.92\00:18:42.55
Elijah's been carried up into
heaven, and we have these young
00:18:42.58\00:18:46.89
men that they're
not just mocking.
00:18:46.92\00:18:49.36
Yes, they are teasing and
mocking, but it's in a vicious,
00:18:49.39\00:18:51.63
violent, life-threatening
situation, and God knows that He
00:18:51.66\00:18:56.73
has a purpose still for Elisha,
and so He manipulates nature.
00:18:56.77\00:19:00.10
He speaks to these mother bears.
00:19:00.14\00:19:02.54
Now, He knew the situation ahead
of time and probably made sure
00:19:02.57\00:19:05.21
that those mother bears were
heading that way and that they
00:19:05.24\00:19:07.24
were just behind the woods there
to be able to protect and save
00:19:07.28\00:19:10.28
the life of Elisha.
00:19:10.31\00:19:12.05
And so God sends out these
mother bears, and they maul
00:19:12.08\00:19:14.42
these young men to death.
00:19:14.45\00:19:17.92
God was
manipulating the bears in nature
00:19:17.95\00:19:20.39
to fulfill His purposes.
00:19:20.42\00:19:24.19
It also tells us
that there were hornets.
00:19:24.23\00:19:26.33
God is the God of
the hornets, is He not?
00:19:26.36\00:19:27.76
He says, "Listen, when you
go into the land of Canaan," to
00:19:27.83\00:19:29.90
these same Israelites that
escaped from Egypt through all
00:19:29.93\00:19:32.00
these different manipulations
of nature that God had already
00:19:32.03\00:19:34.64
achieved, He says, "I'm going to
manipulate nature again, and I'm
00:19:34.67\00:19:37.47
going to send these hornets,
millions and billions of hornets
00:19:37.51\00:19:41.48
that are going to come in, and
they're going to overwhelm your
00:19:41.51\00:19:43.78
enemies in Canaan."
00:19:43.81\00:19:47.12
God did use that at times,
different places when He gave
00:19:47.15\00:19:51.02
the Promised Land
to the Israelites.
00:19:51.05\00:19:54.59
And then, finally, when we come
to the book of Jonah, not only
00:19:54.62\00:19:56.86
do you find that God is
manipulating a whale, a great
00:19:56.89\00:19:59.33
fish of some kind, but we
also find, later on, that He
00:19:59.36\00:20:02.00
manipulates a plant.
00:20:02.03\00:20:04.27
And then after He has
this plant that supernaturally
00:20:04.30\00:20:06.13
unexplainably is growing
up overnight, we find that
00:20:06.17\00:20:09.27
God then sends a worm.
00:20:09.30\00:20:12.87
And a worm is also
found in nature, and so God is
00:20:12.91\00:20:15.18
manipulating in a worm, and He's
using that worm to His purpose
00:20:15.21\00:20:18.48
is to be able to
destroy that plant.
00:20:18.51\00:20:22.85
For those of you who read and
did your homework this week, you
00:20:22.88\00:20:24.92
know exactly what I'm
talking about, don't you?
00:20:24.95\00:20:28.12
Yeah, and so
there's just ten examples.
00:20:28.16\00:20:30.33
Now, I'm sure that, if I open
the floor, that there's many of
00:20:30.36\00:20:32.73
you that know the Bible just
as well, if not better than me,
00:20:32.76\00:20:35.33
that can give me at
least another ten examples of
00:20:35.36\00:20:37.87
different ways in which God
is on record in the Bible of
00:20:37.90\00:20:40.80
manipulating nature
unexplainably, supernaturally to
00:20:40.84\00:20:46.64
be able to fulfill His purposes.
00:20:46.68\00:20:48.84
And so why am I
spending this time?
00:20:48.88\00:20:51.01
I think that God has put it upon
my heart and my mind because we
00:20:51.05\00:20:53.11
live in a culture now,
a post-modern culture, a
00:20:53.15\00:20:55.95
post-Christian culture
here in America, where we have
00:20:55.98\00:20:58.72
reduced--where there have been
voices that have been voicing
00:20:58.75\00:21:01.66
and now are by the thousands
across this nation that are
00:21:01.69\00:21:04.66
telling us the Genesis and
the Creation record onward,
00:21:04.69\00:21:09.50
including, of
course, the story of Jonah,
00:21:09.53\00:21:11.37
is nothing but allegory.
00:21:11.40\00:21:12.87
"It is nothing that
we can take seriously.
00:21:12.90\00:21:14.67
It's nothing that we can take
literally, but it is something
00:21:14.70\00:21:17.67
that we can perhaps bring some
religious and theological or
00:21:17.71\00:21:22.68
moral lessons that we
can draw from it at best."
00:21:22.71\00:21:27.95
But that was not the
take of the Bible writers.
00:21:27.98\00:21:29.72
No, not at all.
00:21:29.75\00:21:31.75
That was not the take of Jesus.
00:21:31.79\00:21:34.92
Jesus understood that Jonah was
a literal, historical figure,
00:21:34.96\00:21:37.93
did He not?
00:21:37.96\00:21:39.83
Sure He did; it's interesting
that Jesus didn't talk
00:21:39.86\00:21:42.43
about every biblical
figure that's recorded in the
00:21:42.46\00:21:45.63
Old Testament
during His public ministry,
00:21:45.67\00:21:47.34
but it's interesting
that He's on record of
00:21:47.37\00:21:50.04
more than once
referring to the story of the
00:21:50.07\00:21:52.47
literal historical
figure named Jonah.
00:21:52.51\00:21:59.28
Matthew chapter 12
is the classic one.
00:21:59.31\00:22:01.05
I want to read it for you
here this morning, if I could.
00:22:01.08\00:22:03.99
In Matthew chapter 12, in verse
39 through 41, it says, "But He
00:22:04.02\00:22:08.19
answered and said to them, 'An
evil and adulterous generation
00:22:08.22\00:22:11.79
seeks after a sign, and no sign
will be given to it, except the
00:22:11.83\00:22:15.90
sign of the prophet Jonah."
00:22:15.93\00:22:20.20
There he is,
friends, okay, "Except for the
00:22:20.24\00:22:23.17
sign of the prophet Jonah.
00:22:23.20\00:22:24.54
For as Jonah was three days and
three nights in the belly of a
00:22:24.57\00:22:27.44
great fish, so will the Son
of Man be three days and three
00:22:27.48\00:22:31.25
nights in the
heart of the earth."
00:22:31.28\00:22:34.62
Now, friends, as we reflect upon
that--and, of course, I don't
00:22:34.65\00:22:37.52
have any Scripture to verify
that one way or the other, so
00:22:37.55\00:22:40.52
I'm certainly not dogmatic about
it, but I wonder if it's--I
00:22:40.56\00:22:43.43
think it's certainly plausible
that, as Jesus is using this
00:22:43.46\00:22:47.40
literal historical experience
that Jonah had experienced so
00:22:47.40\00:22:50.33
long ago to represent and
symbolize as Jesus's death, His
00:22:50.37\00:22:54.54
burial in the tomb, in the
belly of the earth, and that His
00:22:54.57\00:22:57.57
Resurrection, when the earth
released Him again, and He came
00:22:57.61\00:23:01.18
back out from the belly of
the earth, that, when Jonah was
00:23:01.21\00:23:05.31
captured by that--when he was
swallowed by the whale, makes me
00:23:05.35\00:23:08.92
wonder if it was on a Friday
afternoon, and then, early
00:23:08.95\00:23:14.82
Sunday morning, even before the
sun started to rise, that whale
00:23:14.86\00:23:20.36
made its way to the
Mediterranean shore of what we
00:23:20.40\00:23:22.76
call Israel, maybe somewhere
near Tyre, the city of Tyre, a
00:23:22.80\00:23:27.04
little bit further north, and
vomited him up onto the shore.
00:23:27.07\00:23:35.28
"And so the Son of
Man will be three days and
00:23:35.31\00:23:37.71
three nights in the
heart of the earth."
00:23:37.75\00:23:39.08
Verse 41, it says, "And the men
of Nineveh will rise up in the
00:23:39.11\00:23:41.82
judgment with this generation
and condemn it, because they
00:23:41.85\00:23:44.79
repented of the preaching
of Jonah, and indeed a greater
00:23:44.82\00:23:48.79
than Jonah is here."
00:23:48.82\00:23:50.19
Jesus, who is a literal
historical figure, is referring
00:23:50.23\00:23:53.63
and referencing
Himself to another literal
00:23:53.66\00:23:55.96
historical figure.
00:23:56.00\00:23:58.13
He said, "Even as Jonah
literally was swallowed by a
00:23:58.17\00:24:00.77
fish, and then he was literally
released three days later, so
00:24:00.80\00:24:05.91
will the historical Son
of Man Himself die on a cross
00:24:05.94\00:24:09.34
and be buried into
the heart of the earth and
00:24:09.38\00:24:11.51
then be released
three days later."
00:24:11.55\00:24:15.58
And not only that, but then
He also confirms, Jesus also
00:24:15.62\00:24:17.85
confirmed that this historical
figure named Jonah went into a
00:24:17.89\00:24:22.46
historical, literal, ancient
city called Nineveh, and the
00:24:22.49\00:24:25.66
people of Nineveh heard
that message, and they repented.
00:24:25.69\00:24:30.97
They turned from their sins,
and they found themselves filled
00:24:31.00\00:24:33.13
with the Spirit
and converted in God.
00:24:33.17\00:24:34.87
We'll talk about more
of that as we continue.
00:24:34.90\00:24:39.17
When we come to the very
first verse of the book of
00:24:39.21\00:24:41.34
Jonah--let's open our Bibles.
00:24:41.38\00:24:43.41
Jonah chapter 1, in verse 1.
00:24:43.45\00:24:47.62
In the book of Jonah chapter
1, in verse 1, this is how it
00:24:47.65\00:24:51.59
introduces the actual book.
00:24:51.62\00:24:56.32
It says, "Now the word
of the Lord came to Jonah."
00:24:56.36\00:25:06.40
And so the book of
Jonah is not a fable.
00:25:08.34\00:25:10.34
It's not a myth.
00:25:10.37\00:25:11.67
It's introduced by its author
as "the word of the Lord."
00:25:11.71\00:25:16.78
"The word of the Lord came to
Jonah the son of Amittai, and he
00:25:16.81\00:25:21.22
began to say, 'Arise and go
to Nineveh,'" and such, and so,
00:25:21.25\00:25:23.99
when we come to the very first
verse, right off the start, we
00:25:24.02\00:25:27.72
find that the prophets,
as they're writing this book,
00:25:27.76\00:25:31.33
whether it was Jonah or some
other prophet during that day or
00:25:31.36\00:25:34.46
shortly after, that recorded the
experience and the words, some
00:25:34.46\00:25:38.27
of the words that Jonah himself
spoke, we find that Jonah is
00:25:38.30\00:25:41.54
referred to and introduced
as the son of Amittai.
00:25:41.57\00:25:48.71
Now, friends, I've never opened
up a storybook, a children's
00:25:48.74\00:25:52.68
storybook, adult
storybook-- I've never seen a
00:25:52.71\00:25:55.95
storybook that introduces
one of its main characters
00:25:55.98\00:25:57.92
with its family ties.
00:25:57.95\00:26:01.26
You know, "This is was
Cinderella, the son of Sarah--
00:26:01.29\00:26:04.13
or the daughter of Sarah."
00:26:04.16\00:26:06.26
No, it never
starts that way, why?
00:26:06.29\00:26:08.53
Because this is not a fable.
00:26:08.56\00:26:09.86
This is an historical record
that the prophets are recording,
00:26:09.90\00:26:12.73
concerning a historical literal
experience and person that lived
00:26:12.77\00:26:15.80
so many years ago, about
the early 8th century, 729 B.C.
00:26:15.84\00:26:23.91
or something to
that effect, 750 B.C.
00:26:23.95\00:26:29.25
And so the very first verse
introduces that in such way, in
00:26:29.28\00:26:33.92
such a manner that, right off
the start is introducing a--and
00:26:33.96\00:26:37.09
wanting us to understand that
this is a literal historical
00:26:37.13\00:26:41.03
figure, that he is a literal
prophet that was receiving
00:26:41.06\00:26:45.47
literal prophetic messages from
God and then relaying those, not
00:26:45.50\00:26:49.87
only to his kingdom, which was
the northern kingdom of Israel
00:26:49.90\00:26:52.51
and to the palace and the
king himself of his country, but
00:26:52.54\00:26:56.04
also, as we know the story, to
the Ninevites, a foreign city,
00:26:56.08\00:26:59.68
in a foreign land, in a
foreign empire called Assyria.
00:26:59.71\00:27:04.45
And so that's the introduction
into the book itself.
00:27:04.49\00:27:08.19
Now, before we go to verses
2 and 3, I want to invite you
00:27:08.22\00:27:10.06
to--just keep your thumb
in Jonah, and let's back up to
00:27:10.09\00:27:12.49
2 Kings chapter 14 now.
00:27:12.53\00:27:17.37
As we go to 2 Kings chapter 14,
we find there that the prophets
00:27:17.40\00:27:23.87
and the prophetic record here
is referring again to Jonah.
00:27:23.91\00:27:27.88
And so this is no small
verse because it gives us more
00:27:27.91\00:27:29.48
information and, again, it's
validating what the 1st verse of
00:27:29.51\00:27:32.31
the book of Jonah itself
is trying to validate is that,
00:27:32.35\00:27:34.85
indeed, Jonah was a
literal historical figure.
00:27:34.88\00:27:37.65
And so, in verse 25, it says,
"He restored the territory of
00:27:37.69\00:27:40.62
Israel from the entrance of
Hamath to the Sea of Arabah,
00:27:40.66\00:27:45.36
according to the word of the
Lord God of Israel, which He had
00:27:45.39\00:27:49.30
spoken through His servant Jonah
the son of Amittai, the prophet
00:27:49.33\00:27:58.34
who was from a town."
00:27:58.37\00:28:00.24
He lived in a literal ancient
town in his northern kingdom of
00:28:00.28\00:28:03.11
Israel, called Gath Hepher.
00:28:03.14\00:28:05.85
And so we find here that, again,
Jonah is referred to during the
00:28:05.88\00:28:08.98
reign of Jeroboam II.
00:28:09.02\00:28:11.15
At this time, during the life of
Jonah, Israel was split after a
00:28:11.19\00:28:15.19
previous civil war that kind of
split the country in half, and
00:28:15.22\00:28:18.63
so we have Benjamin and Judah,
which represent--and is referred
00:28:18.66\00:28:21.73
to simply as the kingdom of
Judah, the southern kingdom,
00:28:21.76\00:28:24.23
and then the northern
kingdom of Israel, which has
00:28:24.27\00:28:26.20
the other tribes included.
00:28:26.23\00:28:28.44
And so, friends, here we find
that Jonah is referred to in a
00:28:28.47\00:28:31.11
literal country with a literal
king, and he's a literal prophet
00:28:31.14\00:28:34.98
that is serving more than just
the Ninevites, but he's also
00:28:35.01\00:28:38.08
receiving messages from God
that He's relaying to a literal
00:28:38.11\00:28:40.28
historical king named Jeroboam.
00:28:40.32\00:28:43.02
And so, again, all the evidence
is crystal clear if we open our
00:28:43.05\00:28:46.62
minds and our hearts, and
we actually dig into this life,
00:28:46.65\00:28:50.43
this intriguing figure of
history by the name of Jonah.
00:28:50.46\00:28:55.06
And so we come back to
the book of Jonah, and we read
00:28:55.10\00:28:56.90
verses 2 and 3,
in the 1st chapter.
00:28:56.93\00:28:58.77
It says, "'Arise, and go
to Nineveh, that great city,
00:28:58.80\00:29:01.77
and cry out against
it, for their wickedness
00:29:01.80\00:29:03.30
has come up before Me.'
00:29:03.34\00:29:06.51
But Jonah arose to
flee to Tarshish from the
00:29:06.54\00:29:09.74
presence of the Lord.
00:29:09.78\00:29:11.15
And he went down to Joppa, and
found a ship going to Tarshish,
00:29:11.18\00:29:14.05
and so he paid the fare, went
down into it, to go with them to
00:29:14.08\00:29:17.29
Tarshish from the
presence of the Lord."
00:29:17.32\00:29:19.62
And so twice it says that, even
though God had called him to go
00:29:19.65\00:29:22.42
to Nineveh, Jonah
says, "You know what?
00:29:22.46\00:29:25.53
I'm not convinced that
I should be in Nineveh.
00:29:25.56\00:29:28.66
In fact, I'm so convinced that I
shouldn't be in Nineveh that I'm
00:29:28.70\00:29:30.93
going to go down to Joppa,"
which is one of the Israelite
00:29:30.97\00:29:35.17
seaports, "and I'm going to buy
the most expensive ticket to the
00:29:35.20\00:29:39.14
furthest location that they
sail to," which was Tarshish,
00:29:39.17\00:29:43.95
"in the opposite direction."
00:29:43.98\00:29:45.78
Nineveh was northeast
from the town of Jonah.
00:29:45.81\00:29:54.89
And Jonah's town actually
was just a little bit just
00:29:54.92\00:29:58.49
outside a ways inland
from the Sea of Galilee near
00:29:58.53\00:30:01.73
the city of Nazareth.
00:30:01.76\00:30:04.40
And so he goes the
opposite direction.
00:30:04.43\00:30:07.74
Nineveh, again, is northeast
about 500 to 800 miles,
00:30:07.77\00:30:10.94
depending on how you
travel and what route you take.
00:30:10.97\00:30:12.64
And Tarshish was 2,500
miles in the opposite direction.
00:30:12.67\00:30:18.61
And so we find here that Jonah
obviously is not in agreement
00:30:18.65\00:30:21.38
with his Lord at this point,
and so he makes the mistake of
00:30:21.42\00:30:26.76
deciding that his life would
be much better off in Tarshish.
00:30:26.79\00:30:30.99
Now, I'm guessing that
Jonah didn't have any personal
00:30:31.03\00:30:33.56
business that was
pressing in Tarshish.
00:30:33.60\00:30:36.93
I'm guessing that Jonah didn't
say, "Listen, Lord, I'd really
00:30:36.97\00:30:39.13
like to help you, but, you
know, I've got this appointment.
00:30:39.17\00:30:41.44
You know I had this scheduled
for a year now, and if I miss
00:30:41.47\00:30:43.57
it, I'm going to miss out on
important business, and so I've
00:30:43.61\00:30:47.31
got to go to Tarshish."
00:30:47.34\00:30:49.28
The evidence just
doesn't show that--no.
00:30:49.31\00:30:50.81
We find that, instead,
he's fleeing from the presence
00:30:50.85\00:30:53.88
of the Lord, twice, it
says in those verses that
00:30:53.92\00:30:57.99
that is the motivation.
00:30:58.02\00:30:59.32
That is why he's forking out
so much money and is willing to
00:30:59.35\00:31:02.02
risk his life going across the
Mediterranean for so many miles
00:31:02.06\00:31:05.16
that he might be able to escape
from the presence of the Lord.
00:31:05.19\00:31:08.56
He's in rebellion.
00:31:08.60\00:31:11.90
He's in
disagreement with his Lord.
00:31:11.93\00:31:14.50
And this whole story
tells us a whole lot, but one of
00:31:14.54\00:31:18.51
the things that we want to
be able to draw out and that the
00:31:18.54\00:31:20.38
quarterly draws out is
this is evidence that, prophets
00:31:20.41\00:31:23.11
themselves, they
have shortcomings.
00:31:23.14\00:31:25.08
They have character flaws.
00:31:25.11\00:31:26.65
They have times when they're not
sure if God is as wise as they
00:31:26.68\00:31:30.69
claim that He believes He is.
00:31:30.72\00:31:33.56
And we're all guilty of
that at times too, aren't we?
00:31:33.59\00:31:39.53
Every time that we decide,
"Lord, I know that you're
00:31:39.56\00:31:41.10
telling me that this
is the ideal and best way,
00:31:41.13\00:31:44.07
you know, I'm more
convinced that this direction
00:31:44.10\00:31:45.90
is a little bit better."
00:31:45.93\00:31:48.54
We do that more often than maybe
we're aware of or that we want
00:31:48.57\00:31:52.51
to confess, but we'd be
able to learn from that.
00:31:52.54\00:31:55.78
And even as we look at Jonah,
thank God that when, you know,
00:31:55.81\00:31:58.51
when we look at the story of
Jonah, it tells us that, when
00:31:58.55\00:32:03.12
we're--when our hearts are
sincere after God, when your
00:32:03.15\00:32:07.19
faith is real and authentic
and you not only believe in the
00:32:07.22\00:32:11.53
existence of God, but you
believe in God, you believe that
00:32:11.56\00:32:16.06
He loves you, that He cares
for you, that He has your best
00:32:16.10\00:32:18.33
interest in mind, and you want
Him to be your Lord, when you're
00:32:18.37\00:32:21.04
in that space, even
when you have these different
00:32:21.07\00:32:23.41
shortcomings and disagreements
with the Lord, God is patient
00:32:23.44\00:32:26.84
with us, is He not?
00:32:26.88\00:32:28.68
Thank God for that.
00:32:28.71\00:32:30.98
I'm sure Jonah thanked God for
that for the rest of his life as
00:32:31.01\00:32:33.42
he looked back with shame
at times and regret during this
00:32:33.45\00:32:36.75
experience that he had and
the bitter experiences that he
00:32:36.79\00:32:39.25
didn't have to go through but he
went through anyway and that God
00:32:39.29\00:32:41.79
brought into his life to be
able to bring him back onto the
00:32:41.82\00:32:44.96
tracks and help him to
be able to continue in that
00:32:44.99\00:32:48.90
faith walk with Jesus.
00:32:48.93\00:32:51.10
And so that's an important
lesson for us to be able to
00:32:51.13\00:32:54.50
learn from this as well.
00:32:54.54\00:33:01.34
God sometimes asks us
to do things that we're
00:33:01.38\00:33:02.81
not excited about.
00:33:02.84\00:33:06.35
Sometimes He asks us,
and He says, "You know what?
00:33:06.38\00:33:08.72
I want you to go to an
underdeveloped country, and I
00:33:08.75\00:33:10.72
want you to spend the next 10,
20, 30 years laboring for the
00:33:10.75\00:33:16.66
people in that foreign land."
00:33:16.69\00:33:18.59
Now, you don't
know their language.
00:33:18.63\00:33:19.96
You're totally out of context
when it comes to their culture.
00:33:20.00\00:33:24.87
The food, it's going to take you
a while to get used to that food
00:33:24.90\00:33:28.40
because it is not American food.
00:33:28.44\00:33:30.34
It's foreign.
00:33:30.37\00:33:32.17
It's foreign to your taste buds.
00:33:32.21\00:33:33.78
It's foreign to your liking.
00:33:33.81\00:33:36.58
You know, my hat goes
off to missionaries, amen?
00:33:36.61\00:33:39.81
You know, I did some
short missionary trips.
00:33:39.85\00:33:42.18
I've been to some countries that
aren't nearly as developed and
00:33:42.22\00:33:45.12
clean and sanitary as we
are here in the United States.
00:33:45.15\00:33:49.49
And, you know, when I
came back, I kissed the ground.
00:33:49.52\00:33:54.00
You know, when you are
accustomed to the standard of
00:33:54.03\00:33:57.40
living here in this part of
the world, it's a sacrifice.
00:33:57.43\00:34:02.64
It's a sacrifice on a personal
level, on a comfort level,
00:34:02.67\00:34:06.84
to be able to live in
a lot of these different
00:34:06.88\00:34:08.31
countries as a missionary.
00:34:08.34\00:34:10.88
So sometimes God calls us to
go to places that we're not all
00:34:10.91\00:34:13.72
that excited about going
to, you know, because we're not
00:34:13.75\00:34:17.92
going to stay at the resort.
00:34:17.95\00:34:20.59
You know, we're going there
to mingle and live amongst the
00:34:20.62\00:34:23.02
people and experience their
standard of living that we might
00:34:23.06\00:34:27.03
be able to bring them the good
news and the story of Jesus and
00:34:27.10\00:34:30.17
the hope and the
Gospel that comes in Christ.
00:34:30.20\00:34:34.60
So sometimes God asks us
to do that we're not excited
00:34:34.64\00:34:36.47
about, just like Jonah.
00:34:36.50\00:34:38.47
Sometimes God asks us
to address sins of those
00:34:38.51\00:34:40.38
in authority over us.
00:34:40.41\00:34:42.91
That's not a
exciting thing to do.
00:34:42.94\00:34:44.31
I've never got up in the morning
and go "Oh, boy, I'm so excited
00:34:44.35\00:34:46.65
to get to address the sins of my
superiors," the ones that are my
00:34:46.68\00:34:50.69
bosses or my parents
or, you know, whatever
00:34:50.72\00:34:53.19
authorities are in my life.
00:34:53.22\00:34:54.76
That's not a easy thing to do,
but God sometimes calls us to do
00:34:54.79\00:34:58.16
things that we're
not excited about.
00:34:58.19\00:35:01.33
God once called myself
and my family in the ministry
00:35:01.36\00:35:03.50
to go to the far north.
00:35:03.53\00:35:05.43
Now, when I say, "the
far north," we're talking
00:35:05.47\00:35:06.97
Alaska-like-type stuff,
and I wasn't excited about it,
00:35:07.00\00:35:14.94
but as we looked at the
circumstances and the providence
00:35:14.98\00:35:17.18
of God in our lives, we
understood that, hey, that's--
00:35:17.21\00:35:20.65
God has a work for
us up there right now.
00:35:20.68\00:35:23.35
And so God sometimes calls us
to faraway places that we're not
00:35:23.39\00:35:27.06
all that thrilled about,
but God still has a purpose.
00:35:27.09\00:35:31.36
God still has a work for
us in that place, and that's
00:35:31.39\00:35:34.13
where we find our peace.
00:35:34.20\00:35:36.70
Taking a pay cut to fulfill
a calling in ministry, by some.
00:35:36.73\00:35:41.07
You know, I've heard from more
than one person over the years,
00:35:41.10\00:35:43.64
more than one pastor, you
know, that during the--you know,
00:35:43.67\00:35:46.41
they went into dental school.
00:35:46.44\00:35:47.78
The Lord had told them
when they were in college years,
00:35:47.81\00:35:49.78
"I want you to be a pastor,
I want you to be a pastor.
00:35:49.81\00:35:51.98
I've called you to be a pastor."
00:35:52.01\00:35:53.31
And they say, "I want to be a
dentist, I want to be a dentist,
00:35:53.35\00:35:55.38
I want to be a dentist."
00:35:55.42\00:35:56.72
So they go into dentistry or
to real estate, and there's all
00:35:56.75\00:35:58.85
kinds of different examples of
different men that I've talked
00:35:58.89\00:36:01.02
to over the years, you know, and
for sometimes 10, 20, 30 years,
00:36:01.06\00:36:05.29
they've been fighting that
peace, that rest that God has
00:36:05.33\00:36:07.66
been calling to find in ministry
and the talents that God had
00:36:07.73\00:36:10.80
called them to, until finally
they gave in, and they said,
00:36:10.83\00:36:13.37
"Oh, Shawn, I tell
you--" or the crowd that they're
00:36:13.40\00:36:15.80
talking to, the
pastors will say,
00:36:15.84\00:36:17.21
"Once I gave in, I found
this peace in my life because,
00:36:17.24\00:36:22.18
just like Jonah, I was
running from the presence
00:36:22.21\00:36:24.21
of the Lord, the calling
that He had given to me."
00:36:24.25\00:36:30.15
And so, just like Jonah,
we sometimes might, at first,
00:36:30.19\00:36:32.72
believe that we can enjoy God's
rest and peace while fleeing or
00:36:32.75\00:36:35.12
ignoring His call, but
experience and the Scriptures
00:36:35.16\00:36:39.13
are telling us that we can't.
00:36:39.16\00:36:41.96
The same could apply to those
who are trying to avoid God's
00:36:42.00\00:36:44.77
call to surrender
to Him, to follow him.
00:36:44.80\00:36:47.74
You know, as an evangelist and
as a pastor over the years, I've
00:36:47.77\00:36:50.04
been in the homes and my office
with more than one person that
00:36:50.07\00:36:53.04
is wrestling inside, and they're
wrestling with decisions.
00:36:53.07\00:36:56.21
They've been coming to
an evangelistic series.
00:36:56.24\00:36:58.08
They've been going through Bible
studies in person, in their
00:36:58.11\00:37:00.85
home, and in my office, and they
know what the Lord has called
00:37:00.88\00:37:04.15
them to do, but they know,
if they follow the Lord, if they
00:37:04.19\00:37:07.09
surrender to Him completely,
if they give Him his full
00:37:07.12\00:37:10.09
obedience, they know
that it's going to be--
00:37:10.13\00:37:12.49
bring a storm in their life.
00:37:12.53\00:37:15.66
They know that, in order to
be able to achieve that peace on
00:37:15.70\00:37:18.03
the inside, they're going
to have to give up that peace
00:37:18.07\00:37:20.84
that's on the outside.
00:37:20.87\00:37:24.34
You see, the only way that
we can find that peace on the
00:37:24.37\00:37:27.14
inside, that full rest in
Christ, is to understand that
00:37:27.18\00:37:31.15
there's going to be storms
that are going to be caused
00:37:31.18\00:37:32.71
by that on the outside.
00:37:32.75\00:37:34.28
But some of us make the mistake.
00:37:34.32\00:37:35.68
Some of us are convinced by the
devil that we need to be able
00:37:35.72\00:37:38.89
to--that avoiding the peace of
God on the inside is worth it in
00:37:38.92\00:37:43.02
order to keep the
peace on the outside.
00:37:43.06\00:37:46.66
"My children will abandon me.
00:37:46.70\00:37:48.73
They will disown me if
I stand for the Lord and
00:37:48.76\00:37:50.83
obey Him in all ways."
00:37:50.87\00:37:53.64
"My parents will
never talk to me again."
00:37:53.67\00:37:57.11
"I'll lose my job.
00:37:57.14\00:37:58.44
My employer will never
look at me the same, and
00:37:58.47\00:38:00.74
they'll never put up with it."
00:38:00.78\00:38:03.45
Whatever it is, friends,
there are storms that come by
00:38:03.48\00:38:05.75
accepting the
peace on the inside.
00:38:05.78\00:38:08.18
You know, there's
two statements that seem
00:38:08.22\00:38:09.52
contradictory that Jesus made.
00:38:09.55\00:38:10.95
He says, "My
peace I give to you.
00:38:10.99\00:38:13.59
My peace I leave to you.
00:38:13.62\00:38:15.52
Not as the world
gives do I give to you."
00:38:15.56\00:38:17.93
Jesus offers us peace and
rest in the heart, does He not?
00:38:17.96\00:38:20.96
But that same Savior, that same
Christ also said during His same
00:38:21.00\00:38:25.17
ministry, He said, "Do
not think that I have come
00:38:25.20\00:38:27.50
to bring peace, but a sword.
00:38:27.54\00:38:31.47
For I have come to set a
mother against her daughter.
00:38:31.51\00:38:35.61
I have come to set a son
against his mother-in-law.
00:38:35.64\00:38:38.28
I have come to
set family members one
00:38:38.31\00:38:40.12
against another," why?
00:38:40.15\00:38:42.08
Because He knew that there was
a peace that He offered on the
00:38:42.12\00:38:44.62
inside, but the price of
accepting that peace, which is
00:38:44.65\00:38:47.52
full surrender and obedience
to Jesus Christ, would bring a
00:38:47.56\00:38:50.53
storm on the outside.
00:38:50.56\00:38:56.23
And so, just like Jonah, we
can find ourselves struggling
00:38:56.26\00:39:01.24
between those two worlds.
00:39:01.27\00:39:04.14
God says, "Choose Me."
00:39:04.17\00:39:07.24
"For God so loved the world that
He gave His only begotten Son,
00:39:07.28\00:39:10.78
that whoever believes in
Him should not perish but
00:39:10.81\00:39:12.51
have everlasting life.
00:39:12.55\00:39:14.68
For God did not send His Son
into the world to condemn the
00:39:14.72\00:39:17.25
world but that the world
might be saved through Him."
00:39:17.29\00:39:19.59
Accept Christ in your heart.
00:39:19.62\00:39:21.79
Make that decision for Him, and
there will be a peace that will
00:39:21.82\00:39:26.86
flood into your heart that far
exceeds the peace that you're
00:39:26.90\00:39:30.43
trying to
maintain on the outside.
00:39:30.47\00:39:35.30
So Jesus was not contradicting
Himself, but rather, instead, we
00:39:35.34\00:39:39.24
find that Jesus is telling us
that there's two peaces that we
00:39:39.27\00:39:42.48
have to choose from: the peace
that we find in the world in
00:39:42.51\00:39:46.85
which we compromise our faith
and obedience to Christ, or the
00:39:46.88\00:39:49.32
peace that we find in our heart,
which is Jesus in the heart, at
00:39:49.35\00:39:52.92
the price of a
storm on the outside.
00:39:52.95\00:39:56.86
Now, fortunately, God rarely has
to resort to having us nearly
00:39:56.89\00:39:59.59
drowned and then be saved
by a swallowing whale and then
00:39:59.63\00:40:02.80
vomited up on the seashore
before we can find that peace.
00:40:02.83\00:40:09.04
Some of us have
different versions of that.
00:40:09.07\00:40:11.61
God certainly had to cut me
off at the knees before I'd ever
00:40:11.64\00:40:13.58
considered
accepting Him into my heart.
00:40:13.61\00:40:17.05
And so, in my own way, in my own
experience, I was almost drowned
00:40:17.08\00:40:19.95
and swallowed by a whale
but in different circumstances.
00:40:19.98\00:40:23.99
Many of us have
that story as well.
00:40:24.02\00:40:26.99
Well, the rest of
chapter 1, goes on, and then
00:40:27.02\00:40:28.46
we read the last verse.
00:40:28.49\00:40:29.79
In verse 17, it says,
"Now the Lord had prepared
00:40:29.82\00:40:32.63
a great fish to swallow Jonah.
00:40:32.66\00:40:34.36
And Jonah was in the
belly of the fish three
00:40:34.40\00:40:36.43
days and three nights."
00:40:36.46\00:40:38.83
And so, of course, many of
us are familiar with the story.
00:40:38.87\00:40:41.90
We've read the
chapter of the quarterly.
00:40:41.94\00:40:43.61
Jonah finds himself
on the ship to Tarshish.
00:40:43.64\00:40:46.14
God quickly brews up
the storm, and the storm is
00:40:46.17\00:40:49.61
life-threatening, and
the crew on board discover
00:40:49.64\00:40:53.38
that it's Jonah's fault.
00:40:53.42\00:40:54.85
Jonah confesses it's his fault.
00:40:54.88\00:40:56.52
He says, "Throw
me into the sea."
00:40:56.55\00:40:58.09
Eventually, they thrown him into
the sea, and the storm calms.
00:40:58.12\00:41:02.66
Again, God manipulating nature,
so He's not just manipulating
00:41:02.69\00:41:06.26
nature through the
whale in this story.
00:41:06.29\00:41:08.50
He's manipulating through
the storm, through wind, rain,
00:41:08.53\00:41:13.13
clouds, lightning and,
again, plants later on, a worm.
00:41:13.17\00:41:20.01
Yeah, God is the God of nature.
00:41:20.04\00:41:23.28
He lives above nature.
00:41:23.31\00:41:26.95
Now, Jonah had some pretty good
reasons for not wanting to go to
00:41:26.98\00:41:29.12
preach to the Ninevites and
possibly get them off the hook
00:41:29.15\00:41:31.39
in regards to Judgment Day.
00:41:31.42\00:41:33.62
He probably knew some Israelites
that were perhaps flayed alive,
00:41:33.66\00:41:37.29
as the Assyrians
were famous for doing.
00:41:37.33\00:41:40.60
You know, they would come in,
and they would take some of its
00:41:40.63\00:41:42.56
different captives
of war, and so on, and
00:41:42.60\00:41:45.23
they would skin you alive.
00:41:45.27\00:41:49.84
That procedure is
extremely cruel and wicked.
00:41:49.87\00:41:54.71
Makes
crucifixion look not too bad.
00:41:54.74\00:41:58.68
To be flayed alive,
just like you fillet a fish.
00:41:58.71\00:42:01.05
You know, you pull the skin.
00:42:01.08\00:42:02.52
Just pull the skin back
and expose all the muscles.
00:42:02.55\00:42:04.62
Now, you can't
live without your skin.
00:42:04.65\00:42:06.29
Bacteria move in.
Extremely painful.
00:42:06.32\00:42:09.09
All the nerve
endings are exposed.
00:42:09.12\00:42:10.83
It's hard to think of a
different work, more torturous,
00:42:10.86\00:42:14.56
cruel way to bring somebody
to the end of their life.
00:42:14.60\00:42:18.10
And so I'm sure that Jonah had
a mixture of fear as well as the
00:42:18.13\00:42:23.47
fact that he was looking forward
to them--revenge, you know, when
00:42:23.51\00:42:27.11
God would finally bring on
their heads the things that they
00:42:27.14\00:42:30.05
deserve, and he knew that, if he
went up and preached--and many
00:42:30.08\00:42:33.82
of us have read the book.
00:42:33.85\00:42:35.15
Later, you know, at the end,
he got mad at God, and he said,
00:42:35.18\00:42:37.25
"I knew this
was going to happen.
00:42:37.29\00:42:38.69
I was going to go in there, and
this is why I went to Tarshish
00:42:38.72\00:42:40.86
in the first place is because I
know I was going to go in there.
00:42:40.89\00:42:43.22
I was going to
preach repentance,
00:42:43.26\00:42:44.56
I was going to
preach judgment upon them.
00:42:44.59\00:42:45.99
And if they decide to repent,
I knew Your character, that You
00:42:46.03\00:42:49.16
are gracious and merciful
and slow to anger and full of
00:42:49.20\00:42:52.73
lovingkindness and that You
would relent from doing harm and
00:42:52.77\00:42:55.54
that You wouldn't bring upon
their heads the thing that I
00:42:55.57\00:42:57.81
think that they should get.
00:42:57.84\00:43:01.81
Therefore, I didn't want
to go in the first place."
00:43:01.84\00:43:05.05
And sure enough,
Jonah goes in there.
00:43:05.08\00:43:08.18
He's been swallowed by
a whale for three days.
00:43:08.22\00:43:10.49
You can read the prayer, his
powerful prayer in chapter 2,
00:43:10.52\00:43:13.66
and in verse 10, it says,
"So the Lord spoke to the fish.
00:43:13.69\00:43:15.92
It vomited Jonah
out onto dry land."
00:43:15.96\00:43:19.36
Now, it's interesting.
00:43:19.39\00:43:21.26
You know, you can--and we need
to close here now, but a sperm
00:43:21.30\00:43:24.47
whale has four chambers in it.
00:43:24.50\00:43:28.70
Now, it doesn't saw whether
it's a whale or not, but a sperm
00:43:28.74\00:43:30.57
whale is probably the
most likely fish that exists--
00:43:30.61\00:43:32.74
species that can do that.
00:43:32.77\00:43:34.48
They swallow giant squid that
is much larger than man, and the
00:43:34.51\00:43:39.31
first chamber doesn't have
any gastric juices, no digestive
00:43:39.35\00:43:42.58
enzymes, but it's just there for
the muscles to crush its prey,
00:43:42.62\00:43:46.29
so that's where they
kill it and crush it.
00:43:46.32\00:43:48.39
Now, the second and the third
and the fourth chamber have the
00:43:48.42\00:43:51.23
gastric juices, and so most
likely it was a sperm whale,
00:43:51.26\00:43:55.40
biologically speaking, because
God could've had him in there.
00:43:55.43\00:43:59.10
There's no gastric juices to
be able to threaten his life and
00:43:59.13\00:44:02.07
start to decompose him or break
him down, and then, on top of
00:44:02.10\00:44:05.34
that, we also find that,
you know, God could've obviously
00:44:05.37\00:44:09.61
held back the muscles from
crushing him and made sure that
00:44:09.64\00:44:13.21
a supply of oxygen
was being supplied to him.
00:44:13.25\00:44:16.32
And now he's back on the shore.
00:44:16.35\00:44:18.45
He goes in, and he preaches, and
he's successful, and there's a
00:44:18.49\00:44:22.86
conversion that takes
place in the Ninevites.
00:44:22.89\00:44:24.73
They're born again, and
God fulfills His purposes.
00:44:24.76\00:44:30.53
We don't have time to go into
the further lessons that Jonah
00:44:30.57\00:44:36.84
learned as he was upset
with God, as I just mentioned a
00:44:36.87\00:44:39.67
moment ago, because he needed
to grow in his theology, in his
00:44:39.71\00:44:46.21
love, his compassion, not only
for the neighbors that he liked,
00:44:46.25\00:44:48.85
you know, like Jesus said.
00:44:48.88\00:44:50.32
It's like, it's easy to invite
people over that you love and
00:44:50.35\00:44:52.59
know and appreciate and enjoy.
00:44:52.62\00:44:54.72
He says it's when you invite
the people that aren't desirable
00:44:54.76\00:44:57.26
into your home for a
meal--that's what makes a
00:44:57.29\00:44:59.69
Christian, He says.
00:44:59.73\00:45:01.43
That's the difference between
a Christian and an unbeliever.
00:45:01.46\00:45:04.50
And Nineveh--or not Nineveh, but
Jonah needed to learn that and
00:45:04.53\00:45:08.07
consider the Ninevites.
00:45:08.10\00:45:09.57
You know, he
didn't like the Ninevites.
00:45:09.60\00:45:12.04
He probably hated the Ninevites.
00:45:12.07\00:45:13.71
Couldn't wait till Judgement Day
for the Ninevites, but God says,
00:45:13.74\00:45:17.58
"Listen, I love the Ninevites
just as much as I love you, and
00:45:17.61\00:45:21.12
they're My children too,
and, yes, they're misbehaving.
00:45:21.15\00:45:23.52
They don't know their
right hand from their left.
00:45:23.55\00:45:25.62
They don't have the Scriptures
and the oracles and the Ten
00:45:25.65\00:45:27.66
Commandments like you do, but I
want you to bring it to them and
00:45:27.69\00:45:31.83
give them a chance."
00:45:31.86\00:45:33.29
And they took advantage of
that chance, and it delayed the
00:45:33.33\00:45:36.73
judgment that God sadly
had to eventually bring on the
00:45:36.77\00:45:38.93
Assyrians just like they did on
Jonah's nation and other nations
00:45:38.97\00:45:41.70
as God sadly
continues to have to do.
00:45:41.74\00:45:44.87
Well, that's our study for
today; thank you for joining us.
00:45:44.91\00:45:47.18
Please don't forget to take
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00:45:47.21\00:45:50.01
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00:45:50.05\00:45:52.85
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¤¤¤
00:47:00.52\00:47:06.25
Nick: I was very
hyperactive, ADHD.
00:47:06.29\00:47:09.09
My mom had to medicate me just
to get through the day because I
00:47:09.12\00:47:12.06
was just super-aggressive and
just nuts and got into a lot of
00:47:12.09\00:47:17.13
trouble, was an alcoholic
from at least 12 years old on,
00:47:17.17\00:47:22.97
just a problem child,
constantly in trouble in school.
00:47:23.00\00:47:27.08
I got into high school, I
got into a lot of fights, and my
00:47:27.11\00:47:29.64
parents and I both decided
that joining the Air Force
00:47:29.68\00:47:32.95
would be my best choice
to keep me out of trouble.
00:47:32.98\00:47:35.85
I actually had to go through
basic training twice 'cause I
00:47:35.88\00:47:38.39
was--I needed a
attitude adjustment.
00:47:38.42\00:47:41.42
After I finally got out
there in Texas, went to another
00:47:41.46\00:47:44.03
place in Texas for my training.
00:47:44.06\00:47:46.06
After there, I got my first duty
station which was Germany, and
00:47:46.09\00:47:49.33
when I got there, I got in with
the worst of the worst crowd.
00:47:49.36\00:47:52.80
So I thought my high
school friends were bad?
00:47:52.83\00:47:54.57
Well, these guys
were really, really bad.
00:47:54.60\00:47:56.47
Took me under their
wing, and I was their protégé,
00:47:56.50\00:47:59.77
if you could say.
00:47:59.81\00:48:01.21
We drank, and we
partied really hard over there.
00:48:01.24\00:48:05.35
After about a year and a half
of being in Germany and just
00:48:05.38\00:48:07.88
partying like a rock star, life
wasn't really that fulfilling.
00:48:07.92\00:48:11.75
I mean, I was having a great
time on the outside, but inside,
00:48:11.79\00:48:15.69
I knew something was dying.
00:48:15.72\00:48:17.36
Something was wrong.
00:48:17.39\00:48:18.73
One night, I was flicking
through my channels in my dorm,
00:48:18.76\00:48:22.03
and I got to this channel.
00:48:22.06\00:48:23.37
I still remember
it, it was Channel 82,
00:48:23.40\00:48:25.20
and it was just
crystal clear, and I didn't
00:48:25.23\00:48:27.10
have any channels
that were crystal clear.
00:48:27.14\00:48:28.90
I'd never seen it before.
00:48:28.94\00:48:30.31
There was this guy, this
preacher, and I was just about
00:48:30.34\00:48:33.07
to change it 'cause I didn't
really want to hear anything
00:48:33.11\00:48:35.01
about religion, and he
said the word "Antichrist."
00:48:35.04\00:48:38.35
He was taking his Bible,
and he was comparing things with
00:48:38.38\00:48:40.65
history, and I thought that was
really interesting, and I never
00:48:40.68\00:48:44.49
actually
studied my Bible before.
00:48:44.52\00:48:46.89
I was embarrassed of
Christianity back then.
00:48:46.92\00:48:48.86
So I would sneak
back to work after hours.
00:48:48.89\00:48:51.63
I'd ride my bike back to work
where they had a computer, and I
00:48:51.66\00:48:54.13
would get online, and without
anybody being able to see, you
00:48:54.20\00:48:57.40
know, I would get online and
start doing this Bible research
00:48:57.43\00:48:59.37
on this Amazing Facts site,
and I went through their online
00:48:59.40\00:49:02.70
Bible school, and I
learned so much, and I came to a
00:49:02.74\00:49:06.51
point of a crisis, I guess.
00:49:06.54\00:49:09.51
I'm learning these awesome
biblical truths right now, yet
00:49:09.54\00:49:13.45
they contradict what
I was taught growing up.
00:49:13.48\00:49:17.62
And there was one thing
that I heard through all these
00:49:17.65\00:49:20.22
prophecies series that I was
watching that just kind of stuck
00:49:20.26\00:49:23.09
with me, and that was Rome
is the city of seven hills, and
00:49:23.12\00:49:26.46
that's where the beast sits.
00:49:26.49\00:49:27.76
So I said, "Well, I'm
going to go test this one out."
00:49:27.83\00:49:31.10
So I ditched my drinking
buddies for a long weekend.
00:49:31.13\00:49:34.77
We had a four-day weekend coming
up, and I flew down to Rome, and
00:49:34.80\00:49:37.34
I was specifically looking
for the city of seven hills.
00:49:37.37\00:49:41.18
And I thought there
would be seven great
00:49:41.21\00:49:42.78
big mountains, you know?
00:49:42.81\00:49:44.15
So I'm coming into Rome, and
I'm looking out the window, and,
00:49:44.18\00:49:48.08
like, Rome is as
flat as a pancake.
00:49:48.12\00:49:50.29
So I'm like, "These
guys are liars, dude.
00:49:50.32\00:49:51.95
I've been duped."
00:49:51.99\00:49:53.39
And I finally--I get on a
double-decker tour bus as soon
00:49:53.42\00:49:56.52
as I get in there, and I put the
headphones in, hit the English
00:49:56.56\00:49:59.03
button, and it says, oh,
"Welcome to Rome, the city of
00:49:59.06\00:50:02.13
seven hills," and I'm
like, "What in the world?
00:50:02.16\00:50:03.47
Okay, so that's
true. Wow, it's awesome."
00:50:03.50\00:50:05.63
They've never lied to me.
00:50:05.67\00:50:07.20
Everything they've said was
true, straight from the Bible.
00:50:07.24\00:50:09.27
So I was like, "Hey,
I want to get baptized."
00:50:09.30\00:50:11.57
So then, July of 2005, right
after I turned 21--and I was
00:50:11.61\00:50:15.61
always excited about turning
21 because I could finally go to
00:50:15.64\00:50:18.51
the bars, but by that time,
I was done with it, you know?
00:50:18.55\00:50:21.38
I had stopped, and I said,
"I'm going to get baptized."
00:50:21.42\00:50:23.95
So July 2005, I got baptized.
00:50:23.99\00:50:28.39
My name is Nick.
00:50:28.42\00:50:29.72
I want to thank you
for changing my life.
00:50:29.76\00:50:32.79
¤¤¤
00:50:32.83\00:50:39.70
Raúl: So I was born in a
small Christian family, grew up
00:50:45.87\00:50:49.28
in Puerto Rico, in
San Juan, Puerto Rico.
00:50:49.31\00:50:51.78
My dad was a pastor
of our churches there.
00:50:51.81\00:50:54.88
After I graduated from
high school, I was so excited.
00:50:54.92\00:50:58.89
You know, I just wanted
to leave the house and see
00:50:58.92\00:51:00.82
the world, if you will.
00:51:00.86\00:51:02.99
Came up to the States.
00:51:03.02\00:51:04.39
Went to school in Texas and went
to a Christian College there.
00:51:04.43\00:51:08.93
I rebelled against the Christian
concept that I became an
00:51:08.96\00:51:13.47
agnostic, 16, 17 years
after I had left the church.
00:51:13.50\00:51:18.51
I had three roommates, and we
were living the life, you know,
00:51:18.54\00:51:22.58
back then, you know, doing deals
with drugs and selling drugs and
00:51:22.61\00:51:26.18
all that kind of stuff.
00:51:26.21\00:51:28.98
The police came over, and
they raided the apartment.
00:51:29.02\00:51:33.62
They took my
three friends to jail.
00:51:33.66\00:51:36.76
When I found out, it shook me.
00:51:36.79\00:51:39.96
I should have been there too.
00:51:40.00\00:51:41.90
¤¤¤
00:51:41.93\00:51:46.60
Raúl: I reached out to God,
and I said, "Lord, if You exist,
00:51:46.63\00:51:50.61
get me out of this situation,
and I'll go back to Your ways."
00:51:50.64\00:51:56.04
Right around that time, I
met this awesome young lady.
00:51:56.08\00:52:00.85
She was a Christian.
00:52:00.88\00:52:02.48
After dating for about a year
and a half, someone came to our
00:52:02.52\00:52:06.42
church to give a
series of prophecy seminars.
00:52:06.45\00:52:10.49
I decided to re-baptize, make
it a fact that I was coming back
00:52:10.53\00:52:15.40
to church, that I was
giving my life back to God.
00:52:15.43\00:52:19.00
Amazing Facts became an
important part of my life:
00:52:19.03\00:52:21.94
sermons, Sabbath School lessons,
DVDs, videos, magazines, and
00:52:21.97\00:52:28.31
especially after looking and
watching Pastor Doug Batchelor,
00:52:28.34\00:52:33.21
listening to his experience, has
really made a difference in my
00:52:33.25\00:52:37.25
life to the point
where I am right now a
00:52:37.29\00:52:40.26
totally different individual.
00:52:40.29\00:52:43.43
It's something that I am so
grateful to have experienced.
00:52:43.46\00:52:48.73
I would recommend anyone that
wants to give God a chance in
00:52:48.76\00:52:54.27
their life, you'll
never be sorry that you did.
00:52:54.30\00:52:58.24
He loves you.
00:52:58.27\00:52:59.81
He understands you.
00:52:59.84\00:53:01.84
He wants you to be happy.
00:53:01.88\00:53:04.15
My name is Raúl, and
thank you for changing my life.
00:53:04.18\00:53:08.42
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00:53:08.45\00:53:13.59
announcer: "Amazing
Facts Changed Lives."
00:53:21.10\00:53:25.93
male: I'd have to say that
I had a wonderful childhood
00:53:30.11\00:53:31.97
growing up.
00:53:32.01\00:53:33.71
I went to a private school
up until the seventh grade, till
00:53:33.74\00:53:36.48
junior high.
00:53:36.51\00:53:38.05
I believe it was at that point
in junior high that my life
00:53:38.08\00:53:41.82
began to change.
00:53:41.85\00:53:43.92
Going from a Christian education
into a public school was a
00:53:43.95\00:53:46.79
big difference.
00:53:46.82\00:53:48.76
There was a lot of secular
influence, peer pressure.
00:53:48.79\00:53:54.20
And for me it was the music.
00:53:54.23\00:53:56.26
I started listening
to heavy metal music.
00:53:56.30\00:53:58.70
Every concert that would
come to town, I was there.
00:53:58.73\00:54:01.40
That had a
profound effect on me.
00:54:01.44\00:54:03.74
I started using marijuana,
probably at the age of 14.
00:54:03.77\00:54:09.34
I started drinking, using a
lot of cocaine, and that led to
00:54:09.38\00:54:13.38
methamphetamine, and that
completely changed my life.
00:54:13.42\00:54:16.58
I dropped out of high school my
sophomore year and went to work.
00:54:16.62\00:54:22.46
I would get off of work,
and we'd go into the bar until
00:54:22.49\00:54:25.99
two o'clock in the morning.
00:54:26.03\00:54:27.76
I'd get back up at five and I'd
go back through it again six,
00:54:27.83\00:54:30.23
seven days a week.
00:54:30.27\00:54:34.30
At the age of 20, I lost
my dad to a heart attack.
00:54:34.34\00:54:40.08
I didn't know how to handle the
loss, so I tried to mask my pain
00:54:40.11\00:54:43.55
with alcohol and drugs.
00:54:43.58\00:54:46.28
I got three DUI's in one year.
00:54:46.31\00:54:48.58
I was arrested, and they gave
me a year in the county jail.
00:54:48.62\00:54:52.85
And the moment I got out, I went
back to doing the same thing,
00:54:52.89\00:54:56.93
hanging with the same
people, the same crowd.
00:54:56.96\00:54:59.66
I was involved in a hit-and-run
motorcycle accident, and I was
00:54:59.69\00:55:02.86
charged with a felony DUI.
00:55:02.90\00:55:05.27
Even though at the time of the
accident, I was not under the
00:55:05.30\00:55:07.54
influence, I still had
methamphetamine in my system.
00:55:07.57\00:55:10.84
At my sentencing date, I left
the courtroom, and I didn't come
00:55:10.87\00:55:14.88
back, and that left
me with a felony warrant.
00:55:14.91\00:55:18.15
And I'd fallen asleep at a park,
and I woke up to a park ranger
00:55:18.18\00:55:23.82
knocking on my window.
00:55:23.85\00:55:26.32
I knew I was wanted, and I knew
that I was not going to just
00:55:26.35\00:55:29.62
turn myself in.
00:55:29.66\00:55:32.09
I turned to him and I'd made
the comment, "Not today," and I
00:55:32.13\00:55:34.56
took off.
00:55:34.60\00:55:36.87
I led five different agencies on
about a 35-minute chase, and I
00:55:36.90\00:55:40.97
realized at that point that
I wasn't going to get away and
00:55:41.00\00:55:44.21
that this was going to end
up either me killing somebody
00:55:44.24\00:55:46.71
or myself.
00:55:46.74\00:55:49.94
And so, I made a
decision to pull over.
00:55:49.98\00:55:52.01
At that point,
everything that I had, I lost.
00:55:52.05\00:55:55.22
I was sentenced to two years
in state prison and it was there
00:55:55.25\00:55:59.52
that God got a hold of me
and it was through Amazing
00:55:59.55\00:56:05.46
Facts Ministries.
00:56:05.49\00:56:08.00
I remember listening on my
radio Pastor Doug Batchelor.
00:56:08.03\00:56:11.97
I wanted to get
to know the Bible.
00:56:12.00\00:56:13.87
I wanted to know God.
00:56:13.90\00:56:15.87
And so, my Aunt Marilyn sent me
the Amazing Fact study guides,
00:56:15.90\00:56:21.14
and it was there that my
relationship with Christ began.
00:56:21.18\00:56:27.58
I had called home and I knew my
mother wasn't doing well, but I
00:56:27.62\00:56:33.36
didn't realize
that she had cancer.
00:56:33.39\00:56:37.46
She had about a 30% chance of
making it through her surgery.
00:56:37.49\00:56:44.13
She had told the doctors that
she was not going to have chemo,
00:56:44.17\00:56:46.97
and she was not going to have
radiation, that if her God was
00:56:47.00\00:56:49.04
going to save her,
then He would save her.
00:56:49.07\00:56:52.11
I remember hanging up the phone
to what I thought was my last
00:56:52.14\00:56:55.41
conversation with my mom.
00:56:55.44\00:56:59.71
I turned around, I got down on
my knees, and I prayed to God.
00:56:59.75\00:57:04.89
I said, "God, if you're there,
please save my mother, and
00:57:04.92\00:57:08.69
wherever You lead me in life,
whatever You want me to do, I
00:57:08.72\00:57:12.49
am Yours."
00:57:12.53\00:57:14.46
And I had a feeling of such
peace that I knew that my mother
00:57:14.46\00:57:19.37
was going to be okay and that
my life was going to change.
00:57:19.40\00:57:24.17
There are no words that I can
adequately express to Amazing
00:57:24.21\00:57:28.14
Facts and to Pastor
Doug to say thank you.
00:57:28.18\00:57:31.31
To all those people who support
the ministry, I am a product of
00:57:31.35\00:57:34.28
your support.
00:57:34.32\00:57:36.45
My life has changed
because of this ministry, and I
00:57:36.48\00:57:40.16
thank you from the
bottom of my heart.
00:57:40.19\00:57:43.53
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