Hello and welcome once again
to 3ABN Sabbath School Panel.
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We are so excited that
you have joined us today
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in a wonderful study.
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We're going to be
on lesson number 2.
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We're going to encourage you
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how to get that
lesson in just a moment.
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We're going to be talking about
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"Crisis of Leadership."
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Leadership is so, so
very important to all of us.
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And this lesson brings
up some very good points,
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and I'm sure that you
won't want to miss it.
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Get your pencil and paper.
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Get your Bible and, you know,
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check what the panel is saying
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to make sure it lines
up with the Word of God.
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I think that's
wonderful if we do that.
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And If you don't
have those study guides,
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imperative that you get
them, at least in my opinion,
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that way you can
study right along with us.
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You can download
those at ABSG.Adventist.org.
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That's ABSG.Adventist.org.
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Get yourself a copy
and continue to study
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right along with us every week.
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We know it's
going to be a blessing
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because we
believe the Holy Spirit
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of the Living God is involved.
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Again, glad you join us.
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We're getting
ready to start right now.
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So get ready. We'll
see you in just a moment.
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Hello and welcome back.
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It sure looks like
you didn't go anyplace
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and I'm happy about that.
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Praise God.
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Again to study it's
just going to be excellent.
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I know it is but the material
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that we went over
crisis of leadership.
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Now think about
crisis of leadership
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and what that really means.
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I know, in my own personal life,
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I needed good leadership.
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I needed somebody
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that was willing
to stand out there,
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show the way, set the example,
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and when they didn't,
lot of times, I fell apart.
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So maybe this
lesson will help you
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as well as helping me.
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So anyway, we're
glad that you're,
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if you joined us.
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Introduce our panel, shall we?
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On my left,
Pastor John Lomacang.
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Always a treat and a pleasure.
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Good to be with
you, Pastor Kenny.
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Don't you?
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You love to study
the Word, don't you?
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Oh, yes, Isaiah is
particularly a blessed book.
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Yeah.
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I mean we did the
first lesson already.
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I'm just, I'm on
a spiritual high.
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Amen.
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And this is number two
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and I think it's going
to get better as we go.
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To your left,
Sister Jill Morikone.
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Blessing,
always good to have you
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and study with you.
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Privileged to be here
and to open up God's Word,
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I am excited about the study.
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Oh, absolutely.
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And then on your left,
that's Sister Shelley Quinn.
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Always a joy
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and the Lord just
brings something out of you
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at different times and
it just blesses our heart.
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Thank you. Praise the Lord.
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And He'll bring
some more out today.
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We're relying on Him. To
your left, Brother Ryan Day.
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Blessing, blessing, my Brother.
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I'm so glad to have you here.
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Me too. I'm good to be here.
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Yeah, you know, sometimes
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it's just nice
to know the panel,
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not that
everybody knows everything.
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We're all learning
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and we're in
the school of Christ
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and we'll be learning
through the ceaseless ages,
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but it seemed
like here on the panel
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and I get myself in a jam.
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I can just point to any of
you and say help me, help me
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and you can do it
by the grace of God.
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So you see, I mean, it's
good to have that concreteness,
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you know, together
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as we worship the Lord together.
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We want to pray.
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I'm a believer in prayer
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and I know you
are too, Pastor John.
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Would you pray for us please?
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Sure. Let's pray.
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Loving Father in heaven,
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thank You so
much for the privilege
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and opportunity
of opening Your Word.
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We know that as
we continue our trek
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through the Book of Isaiah,
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Lord help us to
put on spiritual boots,
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to be able to navigate a ground
that may be familiar to us,
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but is far deeper
than we can ever imagine.
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Give us wisdom and
understanding to glean
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from what you have written
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that we may not only
see the historical aspects,
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but how it may
apply to our lives
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and give us guidance,
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for this day we
ask in Jesus' name.
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Amen. Amen. Praise the Lord.
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Thank you.
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And then we go right naturally
right to our memory text
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which is, it's
like dynamite to me
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when you really look at it.
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And, Sister Jill, would
you read that for us please?
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Sure.
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Isaiah 6:1,
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"In the year
that King Uzziah died,
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I saw the Lord sitting on
a throne high and lifted up,
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and the train of his
robe filled the temple. "
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I'm going to use
it the lesson there,
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because there's
several good questions
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that are asking some answers
that are worth pondering.
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You know, I like questions
sometime that make me think,
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you know, and in this lesson
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I think it does it
in lesson number two.
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It said,
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"When asked by
one of his disciples
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about the ingredients
of a good government,
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Confucius answers, "
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not sure about Confucius.
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I'm just, okay. I'm reading it.
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Confucius answered, and he said
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"sufficient food,
right, sufficient weapons
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and confidence in
the common people."
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So he threw out three things.
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I think it's very interesting
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that we might look at
little bit closer as we go.
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But the ones who
are his followers ask,
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but what maybe,
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if you had to get rid of
one of those and get rid of,
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which one would you get,
you know get rid of first?
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And he said, "Oh, weapons."
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He said, "Oh, okay,
you get rid of weapons."
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And then, of course,
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he was pressed a
little bit farther.
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If you had to get
rid of another one,
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which one would you get rid of?
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There's only two left
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and he said, "The next
one, I'd get rid of food."
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They said, "Oh
my, get rid of food.
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Man, you know what?
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People need food
to go and to fight
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and to do whatever they do.
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We all need good food."
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And so then they asked
him again, talking about here,
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I thought it was interesting.
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Confucius, that he replied,
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"Food from of old, hunger
has been the lot of all men,
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but a people that
have no longer trusts
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its rulers is lost indeed."
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I thought that was interesting.
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If we've lost our
trust in our leaders,
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our rulers we're lost indeed.
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In the church,
we need good rulers,
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good leaders.
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That's right.
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You know in the government,
everything and then the home.
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You know, in your home,
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it needs to be
somebody or both mom and dad.
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Good leaders,
they're in the home
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because if we don't have that,
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everybody kind of
goes their own way.
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So people do, notice this,
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as a people do indeed want
strong, trustworthy leadership.
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When the soldier was signing up,
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notice this,
for his second term.
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I remember when I
was in there and they,
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"Are you going to
sign up for a second term?
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I was saying no
as I was running.
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Weren't about to.
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You know, but thank
God, lot of them are.
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But he was asked,
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"Are you going to
be able to sign up,
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you know second term?"
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And he said right here,
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"I tried the civilian life.
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I got out of the service.
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I tried civilian life,
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but you know
nobody's in charge out there."
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So there are a lot of people
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who love to be in
something that's organized,
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you like to have
someone that's in charge,
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someone that you
know that you can go to,
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someone that you can trust,
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someone that's
going to be there,
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someone that's just consistent
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and I think that's probably
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what we're looking at
in this week's lesson.
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We'll look at
Judah's crisis of leadership
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and the sad
results that followed.
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We go to Sunday's lesson.
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There's so much in here
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and we won't have
time to do it all.
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But Sunday's lesson is entitled,
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"The King is Dead."
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Long live the king.
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Not sure what all that means
but it sure as we dig into it,
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we'll find out.
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Notice, our memory text,
we read here talks about that,
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the death of King
Isaiah, notice this.
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To get a better
picture of the significance
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of the king's death,
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I think we turn
to 2 Chronicles 26.
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Now it wants to really
to do the whole chapter
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and really it takes too
long to read the whole chapter.
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I hate to say it that way
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but it takes a
long time to read it.
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So we're going to pick through
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I think some valuable verses
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that will help us to
understand what was going on.
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We'll look at this foundation,
we will look at this.
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I want to call it the
fact that this sets up.
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He reigned for a very...
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The king reigned for
a long time, didn't he?
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Now I wonder why he
reigned for a long time?
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Because he was
doing the right things,
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you know, and that's the way
it is in any aspect of our life.
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If we do the right thing,
God has promised to bless.
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He's promised to open things up.
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He's promised to
open the windows of heaven
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and pour out great blessings
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and not room enough to receive.
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But again, on
condition of obedience to doing
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what God would have us to do,
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but sometimes even in,
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I think he reigned
for 52 years, wasn't it?
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That's a long time for a king,
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but along the way
something happened.
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And sometimes it happens
in our Christian experience
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along our walk with
God, something happens.
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And in this
instance, he lost his power,
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he got out of control.
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Pride came in and so he lost it.
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And pride is very,
very dangerous we know that.
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Bible tells us that pride leads,
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you know, to destruction.
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Proverbs 16:18 says,
Pride cometh before what?
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Before haughty
spirit of destruction.
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So pride comes
there and then destruction
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and you see all
throughout Scripture,
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that's very consistent.
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God allows man to go.
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He doesn't come in
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and just change
things all at once.
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He gives us time
to get things right
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and to get back with Him.
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And I'm very
grateful and thankful for that
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and I'm sure you are too.
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He didn't cut me off,
He saved when I fall down.
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He's still there to reach
His hand down to pick us up
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if we're willing to do that.
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Proverbs 29:23 says,
00:09:06.84\00:09:09.41
"Man's pride
shall bring him low."
00:09:09.44\00:09:12.85
Didn't say it would elevate him.
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Man's pride would do what?
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Let him low.
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And we know the story
certainly of Nebuchadnezzar
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of what happened.
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You don't want to eat grass out
in the field for seven years.
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you know, till we
come to our senses.
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I look at pride and
I'll put equal presumption.
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Presumptuous
person, think about that.
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That means when
you're presumptuous,
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you overstep.
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And a lot of times we overstep
even in the cause of Christ.
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We overstepped more than
what God has called us to do.
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This may hurt
some people's feelings,
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not trying to do that.
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But sometimes we're
not even supposed to be,
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that God never called us,
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but we want to be there
and so we pushed to do that
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and this is certainly
what happened to the king
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as you well know,
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overstepping or
taking something for granted.
00:09:54.36\00:09:57.73
We never want to do
that in the cause of Christ.
00:09:57.76\00:09:59.69
So 2 Chronicles 26:1-5.
00:09:59.73\00:10:02.26
Just again, we're
not going to read that
00:10:02.30\00:10:03.63
but I want you to read it
there and just let's go over.
00:10:03.67\00:10:05.90
This again it's a...
00:10:05.93\00:10:07.84
Talked about the king
says he was 16 years old
00:10:07.87\00:10:10.37
when he began to reign.
00:10:10.41\00:10:11.74
Interesting about an early age.
00:10:11.77\00:10:13.11
I don't know if
16 year olds could do
00:10:13.14\00:10:15.44
maybe what they did then
or whatever but it's early,
00:10:15.48\00:10:18.15
it's very early and
very young to begin to reign.
00:10:18.18\00:10:20.95
Again 52 years and he did that
00:10:20.98\00:10:23.15
which was most of
the time went right
00:10:23.18\00:10:25.15
in the eyes of God.
00:10:25.19\00:10:26.52
Number three, he saw
God and as long as he did,
00:10:26.55\00:10:29.69
God prospered him.
00:10:29.72\00:10:31.33
And so I could just say
that if we get nothing else out,
00:10:31.36\00:10:33.46
if you do what is right,
00:10:33.50\00:10:34.86
I guarantee you
God will prosper you.
00:10:34.90\00:10:37.47
We all want to
prosper, don't we?
00:10:37.50\00:10:38.87
We will always say
we want to be in health,
00:10:38.90\00:10:40.30
but we have to
do the right things
00:10:40.34\00:10:41.67
by the grace of God
00:10:41.70\00:10:43.04
listed out in
certainly in His Word.
00:10:43.07\00:10:45.71
2 Chronicles 26,
00:10:45.74\00:10:47.28
just jot it down, 16 through 15.
00:10:47.31\00:10:49.58
It tells how the
king became strong.
00:10:49.61\00:10:53.35
It's like that would
be good for all of us
00:10:53.38\00:10:54.88
if we want to be
strong in the Lord,
00:10:54.92\00:10:56.45
not in the
world, but in the Lord.
00:10:56.48\00:10:58.22
2 Chronicles 26:16 starts
out, tells of his downfall.
00:10:58.25\00:11:03.06
So we can read that.
00:11:03.09\00:11:04.43
Pride took control.
00:11:04.46\00:11:05.86
He became... Whoo!
00:11:05.89\00:11:07.66
I like to say sometime
00:11:07.70\00:11:09.03
he became too
big for his britches.
00:11:09.06\00:11:11.03
His head got too
big for his crown.
00:11:11.07\00:11:13.67
We could use other things,
00:11:13.70\00:11:15.04
but you know that
happens sometimes.
00:11:15.07\00:11:17.11
It even happens in
the religious realm
00:11:17.14\00:11:18.77
and certainly it should not.
00:11:18.81\00:11:20.98
We don't want to get, to
try to get too big for God
00:11:21.01\00:11:23.45
because you know,
00:11:23.48\00:11:25.21
God's bigger than anything
that we think we can do.
00:11:25.25\00:11:27.82
Now, read this verse
in 2 Chronicles 26:16.
00:11:27.85\00:11:31.82
I just want to read this
00:11:31.85\00:11:33.19
because I've
referred to it here.
00:11:33.22\00:11:34.56
It said, "But
when he was strong, "
00:11:34.59\00:11:36.19
talking about the
king here, notice,
00:11:36.22\00:11:37.63
"his heart was lifted
up to his destruction,
00:11:37.66\00:11:41.30
for he transgressed
against the Lord," what?
00:11:41.33\00:11:44.17
"His God."
00:11:44.20\00:11:45.87
He went into
the temple of the...
00:11:45.90\00:11:47.57
Oh, notice what he
started doing here.
00:11:47.60\00:11:49.87
God never asked
him to go in there.
00:11:49.90\00:11:51.27
He may have been the king.
00:11:51.31\00:11:53.27
They had big britches.
00:11:53.31\00:11:54.81
They had a big crown.
00:11:54.84\00:11:56.24
God never asked
him to go in there,
00:11:56.28\00:11:58.71
but he's going to go
in there and you know,
00:11:58.75\00:12:01.08
because when he went in
there because he's going to burn
00:12:01.12\00:12:03.05
what was incense upon the altar.
00:12:03.08\00:12:05.65
And I think he had everything
00:12:05.69\00:12:08.36
which he needed
to burn the incense
00:12:08.39\00:12:09.76
so he meant business.
00:12:09.79\00:12:11.13
He went in there.
00:12:11.16\00:12:12.49
He started to go
in there to do it,
00:12:12.53\00:12:13.86
but what happened?
00:12:13.90\00:12:15.23
The priest.
00:12:15.26\00:12:16.60
The priest, praise God,
00:12:16.63\00:12:17.97
some of the priest
stopped him and said,
00:12:18.00\00:12:19.33
hey, you can't go in there.
00:12:19.37\00:12:20.70
You're not
authorized to go in there.
00:12:20.74\00:12:22.07
So that this makes us
think about certain things
00:12:22.10\00:12:23.44
that God has authorized
us to do and other things
00:12:23.47\00:12:25.97
He is not authorized us to do,
00:12:26.01\00:12:28.31
even in the
ministry in my opinion.
00:12:28.34\00:12:31.05
We have to be very
careful about that.
00:12:31.08\00:12:33.15
Now the king, he
became very angry
00:12:33.18\00:12:34.98
like you can't tell me
whether I can go in there
00:12:35.02\00:12:37.09
and you know do what
was it to, burn incense.
00:12:37.12\00:12:40.92
You can't tell me that.
00:12:40.96\00:12:42.49
Verse 19, the
king became very angry.
00:12:42.52\00:12:45.93
He'd already had the censer
in his hand and notice this,
00:12:45.96\00:12:48.30
when the king refused reproof.
00:12:48.33\00:12:50.07
Notice what happened?
00:12:50.10\00:12:51.50
What did God? God
does this sometime.
00:12:51.53\00:12:53.64
Sometime immediately,
00:12:53.67\00:12:55.50
God steps in and
stops the situation.
00:12:55.54\00:12:57.97
With the king,
immediately he turned leper.
00:12:58.01\00:13:00.71
Right, leper?
00:13:00.74\00:13:02.08
He was, oh my, he said leprosy.
00:13:02.11\00:13:04.85
How long did he
have the leprosy?
00:13:04.88\00:13:07.25
It's the rest of his life.
00:13:07.28\00:13:08.62
He thought he could go in
00:13:08.65\00:13:09.98
and do what God
has not asked him to do
00:13:10.02\00:13:11.35
and God said, no,
he's not going to.
00:13:11.39\00:13:12.95
It separated
him from the church,
00:13:12.99\00:13:15.62
it separated him from
the men, of his people.
00:13:15.66\00:13:18.06
He had to live as
it were by himself.
00:13:18.09\00:13:19.63
He was cut off
from the house of God
00:13:19.66\00:13:21.96
because he's tried to do that
00:13:22.00\00:13:24.03
which God did not ask him to do.
00:13:24.07\00:13:26.10
So I think we have to
be very careful about that.
00:13:26.13\00:13:27.94
Don't you?
00:13:27.97\00:13:29.30
We just do that
what God asks us to do.
00:13:29.34\00:13:30.67
I'm going to read this quickly
in last minute or so here.
00:13:30.71\00:13:32.51
I like this, Review and
Herald, August the 14th, 1900.
00:13:32.54\00:13:36.24
Notice what this says?
00:13:36.28\00:13:38.15
The case of the king
as it were that revealed,
00:13:38.18\00:13:40.38
how God will punish
the sin of presumption.
00:13:40.42\00:13:42.78
Notice.
00:13:42.82\00:13:44.15
The Lord has ordained men
00:13:44.19\00:13:45.59
to certain
positions in the church
00:13:45.62\00:13:48.42
and He would have,
00:13:48.46\00:13:49.79
not have them
step out of the place
00:13:49.82\00:13:52.49
to which He has appointed them.
00:13:52.53\00:13:54.53
When the Lord gives
them a measure of success,
00:13:54.56\00:13:57.23
somebody listen up.
00:13:57.27\00:13:58.63
They are not to become lifted up
00:13:58.67\00:14:01.30
and think themselves qualified
00:14:01.34\00:14:03.14
to do a work for
which they are not fitted
00:14:03.17\00:14:06.91
and to which God
has not call them.
00:14:06.94\00:14:10.55
Some of us, surely, we
wouldn't want to do that.
00:14:10.58\00:14:12.61
We don't want the frown,
00:14:12.65\00:14:13.98
right, of God
00:14:14.02\00:14:15.35
and to me and Isaiah
is given warnings here
00:14:15.38\00:14:17.19
that we need to fit,
00:14:17.22\00:14:18.72
and I encourage you to fit
where God wants you to fit,
00:14:18.75\00:14:22.16
where you know
where He's called you,
00:14:22.19\00:14:24.46
and don't go beyond that.
00:14:24.49\00:14:26.53
Just stay within that.
00:14:26.56\00:14:28.00
I'll tell you, sometime
men will try to hold you back.
00:14:28.03\00:14:30.50
If God has
ordained it the other way,
00:14:30.53\00:14:31.93
man cannot hold you back.
00:14:31.97\00:14:33.54
Don't worry about that.
00:14:33.57\00:14:34.90
God opens doors.
00:14:34.94\00:14:36.27
He sends you
through those doors.
00:14:36.30\00:14:37.64
He blesses you.
00:14:37.67\00:14:39.01
Allows you to do things
00:14:39.04\00:14:40.38
that maybe man
wouldn't allow you to do.
00:14:40.41\00:14:41.74
But you know what,
00:14:41.78\00:14:43.11
we cling to the arm,
right, of God, not of flesh.
00:14:43.14\00:14:45.51
So we need to look at
this, you know, the difference
00:14:45.55\00:14:47.32
and I wish we had time,
00:14:47.35\00:14:48.68
we don't to look at
the difference between
00:14:48.72\00:14:50.05
the, the contrast
between the king and Isaiah.
00:14:50.09\00:14:53.36
The king fully tried
to force his way in there,
00:14:53.39\00:14:55.76
but Isaiah he
set back and he said,
00:14:55.79\00:14:58.36
I'm going to wait on
God and He'll take care of.
00:14:58.39\00:15:00.33
Pastor John? Yes.
00:15:00.36\00:15:01.70
Wow, thank you, Pastor Kenny.
00:15:01.73\00:15:03.43
You went over one
of my favorite stories.
00:15:03.47\00:15:07.04
The story of Uzziah,
00:15:07.07\00:15:08.40
not favorite because
of how it turned out.
00:15:08.44\00:15:12.54
But favorite because
Uzziah is the only one
00:15:12.57\00:15:16.58
that was second in line
00:15:16.61\00:15:17.95
when it came to
wealth in the Bible.
00:15:17.98\00:15:20.12
When it based on Solomon's,
00:15:20.15\00:15:21.52
Uzziah was that one
00:15:21.55\00:15:23.28
and beginning to reign
when he was 16 years old.
00:15:23.32\00:15:26.62
Mercy.
00:15:26.65\00:15:27.99
Monday's lesson is
entitled "Holy, Holy, Holy."
00:15:28.02\00:15:32.56
Now, why is Isaiah
6:1-4 so vitally important
00:15:32.59\00:15:36.97
is because God
gave Isaiah this vision
00:15:37.00\00:15:40.50
to remind him of
who is in charge.
00:15:40.54\00:15:43.97
Yes.
00:15:44.01\00:15:45.34
You know, sometimes
when difficulty comes
00:15:45.37\00:15:47.58
and the nation is in disarray.
00:15:47.61\00:15:49.88
Wow. Okay. Let me
not even take that exit.
00:15:49.91\00:15:54.48
God has to remind us
that He is still in charge.
00:15:54.52\00:15:56.65
Amen.
00:15:56.69\00:15:58.02
I've often said to people
00:15:58.05\00:15:59.39
and you know as we
talk about this lesson,
00:15:59.42\00:16:02.12
it's amazing how 2020
was an amazing year for us,
00:16:02.16\00:16:06.16
but God is still in charge.
00:16:06.19\00:16:08.23
Want to make it
very, very clear.
00:16:08.26\00:16:09.80
Men come and go,
dynasties rise and fall,
00:16:09.83\00:16:12.77
kingdoms crumble
and kingdoms are built,
00:16:12.80\00:16:15.17
presidents come
and presidents go,
00:16:15.20\00:16:17.17
but Isaiah and
Uzziah are parlayed
00:16:17.21\00:16:21.44
for a particular reason
00:16:21.48\00:16:22.81
and as I studied this
00:16:22.84\00:16:24.18
how Pastor Kenny, I
discovered one of the reasons
00:16:24.21\00:16:26.85
why Isaiah 6:1
begins where it does
00:16:26.88\00:16:29.55
is because Isaiah says
00:16:29.58\00:16:31.05
in the year that
King Uzziah died,
00:16:31.09\00:16:33.12
Isaiah 6:1, I saw the Lord.
00:16:33.15\00:16:36.29
Now I came to discover
00:16:36.32\00:16:37.79
that the emphasis
is on I I saw the Lord,
00:16:37.83\00:16:41.43
sitting on the throne high
00:16:41.46\00:16:42.80
and lifted up and the train
of His robe filled the temple.
00:16:42.83\00:16:45.30
What I discovered in the story
00:16:45.33\00:16:47.04
becoming familiar
with Uzziah's life
00:16:47.07\00:16:48.60
all the way through,
00:16:48.64\00:16:50.11
is the vision that
God had for Uzziah,
00:16:50.14\00:16:52.97
he gave it to Isaiah instead.
00:16:53.01\00:16:55.84
Because Uzziah forfeited
the blessing that God...
00:16:55.88\00:16:59.61
As I mentioned in
one of prior lessons,
00:16:59.65\00:17:01.38
God's blessings
are always conditional.
00:17:01.42\00:17:03.55
Uzziah went where
God never sent him,
00:17:03.59\00:17:05.92
wanted what God never gave him
00:17:05.95\00:17:08.39
and wanted to occupy a position
00:17:08.42\00:17:10.43
that God never
qualified him for.
00:17:10.46\00:17:12.16
And by the way,
00:17:12.19\00:17:13.53
80 priests came to the door
00:17:13.56\00:17:15.83
and chased
Uzziah out of the temple
00:17:15.86\00:17:19.43
and then God booted him
out and when leprosy broke out,
00:17:19.47\00:17:23.17
it broke out on
his Uzziah's forehead,
00:17:23.20\00:17:25.37
the very place
where the problem was.
00:17:25.41\00:17:27.51
It was not what
people thought about Uzziah,
00:17:27.54\00:17:30.61
but it was what
Uzziah thought about himself.
00:17:30.65\00:17:32.38
Yes.
00:17:32.41\00:17:33.75
He was feared when
he was an honorable man,
00:17:33.78\00:17:35.88
but he experienced
the fear of the Lord
00:17:35.92\00:17:38.75
when he lost his honor,
00:17:38.79\00:17:40.39
the honor that God
intended for him to have.
00:17:40.42\00:17:42.46
Let's go to Isaiah 6 now.
00:17:42.49\00:17:44.03
Let's begin to unpack
00:17:44.06\00:17:45.46
why this is so
vitally important.
00:17:45.49\00:17:47.23
Why is the
vision of understanding
00:17:47.26\00:17:49.36
who is in charge
00:17:49.40\00:17:51.03
vitally important for
the people of God today?
00:17:51.07\00:17:53.60
I'm going to read verses 1 to 4.
00:17:53.64\00:17:56.20
I just read verse 1,
00:17:56.24\00:17:58.07
but I'll go ahead
and look at the context,
00:17:58.11\00:18:00.24
the setting in which
this vision was given.
00:18:00.28\00:18:02.54
Verse 2 of Isaiah 6.
00:18:02.58\00:18:04.25
"Above it,"
00:18:04.28\00:18:05.61
that's above the throne,
00:18:05.65\00:18:06.98
"stood seraphim.
00:18:07.02\00:18:08.35
Each one had six wings,
with two he covered his face,
00:18:08.38\00:18:11.02
with two he covered his feet,
00:18:11.05\00:18:12.79
and with two he flew,
00:18:12.82\00:18:14.42
and one cried to
another and said,
00:18:14.46\00:18:16.42
notice, holy, holy,
holy is the Lord of hosts.
00:18:16.46\00:18:21.90
The whole earth
is full of His glory
00:18:21.93\00:18:25.07
and the posts of
the door were shaken
00:18:25.10\00:18:27.14
by the voice of
him who cried out,
00:18:27.17\00:18:30.57
and the house was
filled with smoke."
00:18:30.61\00:18:34.58
The vision that Isaiah
sees is the same vision
00:18:34.61\00:18:39.31
that was synonymous
00:18:39.35\00:18:40.75
with the people
of God in Israel.
00:18:40.78\00:18:42.58
Whenever God's
presence was in the temple,
00:18:42.62\00:18:44.59
smoke filled the temple
00:18:44.62\00:18:46.19
and it was important
for them to see in the smoke
00:18:46.22\00:18:49.99
through which they couldn't
see the holiness of God.
00:18:50.03\00:18:53.70
God's holiness.
00:18:53.73\00:18:55.06
Isaiah is given the
vision, after the deaths,
00:18:55.10\00:18:57.70
after the death of Uzziah,
00:18:57.73\00:18:59.87
but God gives him a vision
00:18:59.90\00:19:01.30
while the
nation is in turbulence
00:19:01.34\00:19:04.17
and political
turbulence at that.
00:19:04.21\00:19:06.37
But God reminds
Isaiah who is in charge,
00:19:06.41\00:19:09.01
while the
Assyrians are on the warpath.
00:19:09.04\00:19:11.78
And this is something
that's really important because,
00:19:11.81\00:19:14.08
now they were great
nations that opposed Israel.
00:19:14.12\00:19:16.89
Great nations
that opposed Judah,
00:19:16.92\00:19:19.32
and for time it looked like
00:19:19.35\00:19:20.79
the opposing nations
were about to wipe out
00:19:20.82\00:19:24.73
the existence of the nation
00:19:24.76\00:19:26.19
through which the blessings
of God were going to come.
00:19:26.23\00:19:29.40
But when they got to that brink,
00:19:29.43\00:19:31.87
where it could have
spelled the end of Judah
00:19:31.90\00:19:33.87
or the end of Israel,
00:19:33.90\00:19:35.27
God said, wait a
minute. All right.
00:19:35.30\00:19:37.01
I'm still on the throne.
00:19:37.04\00:19:38.37
I'm still the one
high and lift it up
00:19:38.41\00:19:40.88
in the midst of a crumbling
00:19:40.91\00:19:42.61
political world of Isaiah's day,
00:19:42.64\00:19:44.71
as well as in the midst
00:19:44.75\00:19:46.08
of a crumbling world in our day,
00:19:46.11\00:19:48.28
angels confirm that
God's glory is still intact.
00:19:48.32\00:19:53.62
But the question
was asked by the writer,
00:19:53.66\00:19:55.19
where is the glory of God?
00:19:55.22\00:19:56.83
While Isaiah has reminded that
00:19:56.86\00:19:58.23
God's glory is
where it always has been,
00:19:58.26\00:20:01.30
on the universe's, on
the throne of the universe.
00:20:01.33\00:20:05.00
Look at Isaiah Chapter 46.
00:20:05.03\00:20:08.14
It's a good lesson, this lesson
really calibrates our mind.
00:20:08.17\00:20:11.81
In a world that
we're facing now,
00:20:11.84\00:20:13.44
we are not secure
because of presidents, princes,
00:20:13.48\00:20:17.45
prime ministers or dictators.
00:20:17.48\00:20:19.41
We are secure because
00:20:19.45\00:20:20.78
God is still in
charge of the universe.
00:20:20.82\00:20:22.92
I was saying to
someone just the other day
00:20:22.95\00:20:25.65
and I say this to you,
00:20:25.69\00:20:27.02
the story is going to end
the way that God wrote it.
00:20:27.06\00:20:29.09
That's right. Amen.
00:20:29.12\00:20:30.46
It's not going to
end any other way.
00:20:30.49\00:20:31.83
That's right.
00:20:31.86\00:20:33.19
Isaiah 46:9-10,
00:20:33.23\00:20:34.56
"Remember the
former things of old,
00:20:34.60\00:20:36.90
for I am God and
there is no other."
00:20:36.93\00:20:39.53
Don't forget that.
00:20:39.57\00:20:40.90
I am God and
there is none like me.
00:20:40.94\00:20:44.01
Why should we keep trusting God
00:20:44.04\00:20:45.37
in the midst of
a crumbling world?
00:20:45.41\00:20:46.74
Yes.
00:20:46.78\00:20:48.11
Declaring the end
from the beginning
00:20:48.14\00:20:49.64
and from ancient times
things that are not yet done.
00:20:49.68\00:20:54.88
What is God saying?
00:20:54.92\00:20:56.25
My counsel shall stand
and I will do all my pleasure.
00:20:56.28\00:20:59.85
Matter of fact, go
with me to Revelation,
00:20:59.89\00:21:01.59
what just brought this to me,
00:21:01.62\00:21:03.32
you know, the
Revelation scenario
00:21:03.36\00:21:04.69
doesn't take into consideration
00:21:04.73\00:21:06.39
political party
or power or wealth
00:21:06.43\00:21:08.80
or anything of the nature.
00:21:08.83\00:21:10.67
Let's look at
Revelation Chapter 17,
00:21:10.70\00:21:13.17
and we'll look at a
couple of verses here.
00:21:13.20\00:21:15.30
Revelation Chapter 17.
00:21:15.34\00:21:17.87
This is not in my
notes. This is extra.
00:21:17.91\00:21:19.57
No charge. Okay.
00:21:19.61\00:21:21.64
Here it is.
00:21:21.68\00:21:23.04
Revelation Chapter 17
and it says in verse 13,
00:21:23.08\00:21:27.68
speaking about the
coalition of Babylon.
00:21:27.72\00:21:29.92
It says,
00:21:29.95\00:21:31.29
"These are of one mind
00:21:31.32\00:21:32.85
and they will give their power
and authority to the beast."
00:21:32.89\00:21:36.29
But verse 14
says, but don't forget.
00:21:36.32\00:21:39.29
These will make
war with the Lamb
00:21:39.33\00:21:41.53
and the Lamb will overcome them,
00:21:41.56\00:21:43.47
for He is Lord of
lords and King of kings,
00:21:43.50\00:21:46.20
and those who are with Him
are called chosen and faithful.
00:21:46.23\00:21:49.87
You might wonder what
00:21:49.90\00:21:51.24
with such a
threatening coalition,
00:21:51.27\00:21:53.38
how is it that the Lamb wins?
00:21:53.41\00:21:55.61
Well, look at verse 17.
00:21:55.64\00:21:57.28
Look at verse 17.
00:21:57.31\00:21:59.28
For God,
00:21:59.31\00:22:00.75
echoing the words
of Isaiah 46:9-10.
00:22:00.78\00:22:03.72
"For God has put
it into their hearts
00:22:03.75\00:22:08.02
to fulfill His purpose."
00:22:08.06\00:22:09.76
All right.
00:22:09.79\00:22:11.13
To be of one mind
00:22:11.16\00:22:12.49
and to give their
kingdom to the beast
00:22:12.53\00:22:15.46
until the words
of God are fulfilled.
00:22:15.50\00:22:18.43
Don't forget that.
00:22:18.47\00:22:19.80
He says, "I'll
do all My pleasure."
00:22:19.83\00:22:21.40
God says,
00:22:21.44\00:22:22.77
"Even if you go on
the wrong direction,
00:22:22.80\00:22:24.31
I'm going to put it in your mind
00:22:24.34\00:22:25.67
to fulfill My will."
00:22:25.71\00:22:27.04
That's powerful, we
have to remember that.
00:22:27.08\00:22:28.74
Because right now in this world,
00:22:28.78\00:22:30.68
that's being built
back better or being reset.
00:22:30.71\00:22:33.95
There you go.
00:22:33.98\00:22:36.38
God is saying,
"I'm still in charge."
00:22:36.42\00:22:37.82
Good news.
00:22:37.85\00:22:39.19
We are living in fearful
times for the people of God.
00:22:39.22\00:22:41.99
So why would the Lord
make an appearance to Isaiah
00:22:42.02\00:22:45.63
in the temple as
opposed to any place else?
00:22:45.66\00:22:49.06
Exodus 25:8 tells us why.
00:22:49.10\00:22:51.83
Why would God make
an appearance to Isaiah
00:22:51.87\00:22:53.94
in the temple
00:22:53.97\00:22:55.40
as opposed to any place else?
00:22:55.44\00:22:57.97
Exodus 25:8,
00:22:58.01\00:23:00.38
"And let them
make me a sanctuary
00:23:00.41\00:23:02.74
that I may dwell among them."
00:23:02.78\00:23:04.55
God appears where God knows
00:23:04.58\00:23:07.15
His appearance
makes a difference.
00:23:07.18\00:23:08.78
He wants to dwell among us.
00:23:08.82\00:23:10.59
So He appears in the very
place where one day, panel,
00:23:10.62\00:23:14.22
this is going to be beautiful.
00:23:14.26\00:23:15.59
We often talk about this
00:23:15.62\00:23:16.96
but we know that there's no
earthly sanctuary services now,
00:23:16.99\00:23:19.29
but one day
00:23:19.33\00:23:20.66
we are going to
see the face of God
00:23:20.70\00:23:22.13
and the glory of God.
00:23:22.16\00:23:23.50
We're going to finally realize
00:23:23.53\00:23:25.37
what Moses saw
00:23:25.40\00:23:26.74
when God gave him the
pattern to build the temple.
00:23:26.77\00:23:29.27
What Isaiah saw when
Uzziah lost his reign,
00:23:29.30\00:23:32.71
and what we're
going to see one day.
00:23:32.74\00:23:34.94
Let's go to
another text in the Bible,
00:23:34.98\00:23:36.54
Exodus Chapter 14.
00:23:36.58\00:23:38.41
God shows Isaiah
that through the vision,
00:23:38.45\00:23:41.08
this is a time of pause.
00:23:41.12\00:23:43.75
Sometimes God has to
cause us to pause to allow us
00:23:43.79\00:23:48.29
to recalibrate our
vision of His glory."
00:23:48.32\00:23:49.89
Yes.
00:23:49.92\00:23:51.26
Exodus 40:34-38,
00:23:51.29\00:23:54.20
"Then the cloud covered
00:23:54.23\00:23:55.56
the tabernacle of the meeting
00:23:55.60\00:23:57.33
and the glory of the
Lord filled the tabernacle.
00:23:57.37\00:23:59.83
And Moses was not able to
enter the tabernacle of meeting
00:23:59.87\00:24:03.41
because the
cloud rested above it
00:24:03.44\00:24:05.57
and the glory of the
Lord filled the tabernacle.
00:24:05.61\00:24:08.74
Whenever the cloud was taken
up from above the tabernacle,
00:24:08.78\00:24:12.41
the children of Israel would
go onward in all their journeys.
00:24:12.45\00:24:17.25
But if the cloud
was not taken up,
00:24:17.29\00:24:20.66
then they did not
journey till the day
00:24:20.69\00:24:23.49
that it was taken up.
00:24:23.53\00:24:25.29
For the cloud of the Lord
was above the tabernacle by day
00:24:25.33\00:24:29.46
and fire was over it by night
00:24:29.50\00:24:32.03
in the sight of
all the house of Israel
00:24:32.07\00:24:35.50
throughout all their journeys."
00:24:35.54\00:24:38.37
Now, what was that cloud saying?
00:24:38.41\00:24:40.14
I'll transition on this passage.
00:24:40.18\00:24:42.14
Zachariah 2:13.
00:24:42.18\00:24:45.18
You know, it's difficult
to look into the future
00:24:45.21\00:24:48.02
when a world is turbulent.
00:24:48.05\00:24:49.68
But God says to Isaiah,
00:24:49.72\00:24:51.75
He said it to
Moses and He says to us,
00:24:51.79\00:24:53.86
and my transitional
text is Zachariah 2:13,
00:24:53.89\00:24:57.29
these words of encouragement.
00:24:57.33\00:24:58.99
Be silent all
flesh before the Lord,
00:24:59.03\00:25:02.90
for He is aroused
from His holy habitation.
00:25:02.93\00:25:06.53
God is still on
the throne. Amen.
00:25:06.57\00:25:08.64
Praise the Lord.
00:25:08.67\00:25:10.01
That's exciting. Isn't it?
00:25:10.04\00:25:11.41
Now, you don't want to go away
00:25:11.44\00:25:12.77
because we're going to be
right back in just a second.
00:25:12.81\00:25:14.98
Ever wish you could watch
00:25:20.62\00:25:21.95
a 3ABN Sabbath
School Panel again,
00:25:21.98\00:25:24.12
or share it on
Facebook, Instagram or Twitter?
00:25:24.15\00:25:27.19
Well, you can by visiting
3abnsabbathschoolpanel.com.
00:25:27.22\00:25:32.23
A clean design makes it easy
00:25:32.26\00:25:34.76
to find the
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00:25:34.80\00:25:36.80
There are also links to
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00:25:36.83\00:25:40.27
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00:25:40.30\00:25:42.04
Sharing is easy.
00:25:42.07\00:25:43.41
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00:25:46.71\00:25:51.08
I see you didn't go
anywhere. Praise God for that.
00:25:51.11\00:25:53.11
We're going to get
right into Tuesday's lesson
00:25:53.15\00:25:55.18
with Sister Jill Morikone,
00:25:55.22\00:25:56.69
"A New Personality."
00:25:56.72\00:25:58.35
"New Personality." Absolutely.
00:25:58.39\00:26:00.46
I love that, the
transforming grace of God.
00:26:00.49\00:26:04.49
We're in Isaiah 6.
00:26:04.53\00:26:05.86
We're going to look
at verses 5 through 7.
00:26:05.89\00:26:07.73
Thank you both so much
for that foundation laid,
00:26:07.76\00:26:11.03
because it's pivotal
for what takes place here.
00:26:11.07\00:26:13.90
We know that
Isaiah is in this vision.
00:26:13.94\00:26:17.31
He's in the sanctuary,
in the temple as it were.
00:26:17.34\00:26:20.24
We know that this is
right after King Uzziah died.
00:26:20.28\00:26:23.88
And it's a time of
great national apostasy.
00:26:23.91\00:26:27.58
the people at that time.
00:26:27.62\00:26:29.72
And Isaiah says,
let's just jump in verse 5.
00:26:29.75\00:26:31.92
He says,
00:26:31.95\00:26:33.29
"Woe is me, for I am undone
00:26:33.32\00:26:36.59
because I am a
man of unclean lips
00:26:36.62\00:26:38.43
and I dwell in the midst
of a people of unclean lips.
00:26:38.46\00:26:41.73
For my eyes have seen
the king, the Lord of hosts."
00:26:41.76\00:26:46.03
So when I read that
verse, my question is,
00:26:46.07\00:26:48.94
why did Isaiah
react the way that he did?
00:26:48.97\00:26:52.61
Now if your eye
had seen seraphims
00:26:52.64\00:26:54.94
and had seen
celestial beings crying holy.
00:26:54.98\00:26:58.11
Holy, holy.
00:26:58.15\00:26:59.48
If we had seen this vision
of the sanctuary or the temple,
00:26:59.51\00:27:02.85
we would have been overcome.
00:27:02.88\00:27:04.22
Oh, yeah, That's right.
00:27:04.25\00:27:05.59
But to
understand the significance
00:27:05.62\00:27:06.99
in Isaiah's mind,
00:27:07.02\00:27:08.76
we have to look just a
bit at Israel's history,
00:27:08.79\00:27:11.09
at the sanctuary service
00:27:11.13\00:27:12.66
and specifically as
the lesson brought out
00:27:12.69\00:27:14.90
the Day of Atonement.
00:27:14.93\00:27:16.40
So we're gonna look
at four quick things
00:27:16.43\00:27:19.23
before we really jump
00:27:19.27\00:27:21.00
into the
takeaways of this passage.
00:27:21.04\00:27:23.37
Number one, there
was an appointed time
00:27:23.41\00:27:25.34
to enter the Holy of Holies.
00:27:25.37\00:27:27.58
Turn with me to Leviticus 16.
00:27:27.61\00:27:29.38
Of course Leviticus 16
specifically talks about
00:27:29.41\00:27:32.55
the Day of Atonement.
00:27:32.58\00:27:35.08
Leviticus 16:2,
00:27:35.12\00:27:37.12
"And the Lord said to Moses,
00:27:37.15\00:27:38.49
'Tell Aaron your brother,
00:27:38.52\00:27:39.85
not to come at just any time
00:27:39.89\00:27:41.72
into the Holy
Place inside the veil,
00:27:41.76\00:27:43.79
before the mercy
seat which is on the ark,
00:27:43.83\00:27:46.16
lest he die,
00:27:46.19\00:27:47.63
for I will appear in the
cloud above the mercy seat."
00:27:47.66\00:27:50.73
Of course, we know
00:27:50.77\00:27:52.10
the Day of Atonement
happened once a year,
00:27:52.13\00:27:54.37
but there was an appointed time.
00:27:54.40\00:27:56.00
They couldn't just wander
in any time they felt like it.
00:27:56.04\00:27:58.44
There was an appointed time
to enter the Holy of Holies.
00:27:58.47\00:28:02.08
Number two,
00:28:02.11\00:28:03.45
only the high priest
could enter the Holy of Holies.
00:28:03.48\00:28:07.75
Hebrews, keep your
finger in Leviticus,
00:28:07.78\00:28:10.19
we're coming right back there.
00:28:10.22\00:28:11.59
But Hebrews 9:6-7 says,
00:28:11.62\00:28:14.99
"Now when these things
have been thus prepared,
00:28:15.02\00:28:17.63
the priests always went
00:28:17.66\00:28:18.99
into the first
part of the tabernacle
00:28:19.03\00:28:20.53
performing the services.
00:28:20.56\00:28:22.26
But into the second part,
00:28:22.30\00:28:24.23
the high priest went alone
once a year not without blood,
00:28:24.27\00:28:29.00
which he offered for himself
00:28:29.04\00:28:30.37
and for the people's
sins committed in ignorance."
00:28:30.41\00:28:32.47
So you notice, not
anybody was allowed in,
00:28:32.51\00:28:35.41
just the high priest.
00:28:35.44\00:28:37.65
Point number three,
00:28:37.68\00:28:39.01
a cloud of glory
was required even then
00:28:39.05\00:28:43.25
or the high
priest would have died.
00:28:43.28\00:28:44.95
They needed that
protective smokescreen
00:28:44.99\00:28:47.39
as it were of incense.
00:28:47.42\00:28:50.83
Back to Leviticus.
00:28:50.86\00:28:52.19
Leviticus 16:12 and 13.
00:28:52.23\00:28:54.30
"Then he, Aaron,
00:28:54.33\00:28:55.66
the high priest would take
00:28:55.70\00:28:57.03
a censer full of
burning coals of fire
00:28:57.07\00:28:59.60
from the altar before the Lord
00:28:59.63\00:29:01.37
with his hands full of
sweet incense beaten fine
00:29:01.40\00:29:05.44
and bring it inside the veil.
00:29:05.47\00:29:08.44
And he shall put
the incense on the fire
00:29:08.48\00:29:10.45
before the Lord
00:29:10.48\00:29:11.81
that the cloud of incense
may cover the mercy seat, "
00:29:11.85\00:29:15.12
that is on the
testimony lest he die.
00:29:15.15\00:29:19.32
And why was that important?
00:29:19.35\00:29:20.69
Because point number four,
00:29:20.72\00:29:22.06
sin cannot exist in
the presence of a holy God.
00:29:22.09\00:29:27.03
Genesis Chapter 3,
remember Adam and Eve,
00:29:27.06\00:29:29.46
when they sinned in the garden.
00:29:29.50\00:29:30.83
And Genesis 3:8.
00:29:30.87\00:29:32.87
What does the word of God say?
00:29:32.90\00:29:34.24
Adam and his wife hid themselves
00:29:34.27\00:29:36.97
from the
presence of the Lord God
00:29:37.01\00:29:38.41
among the trees of the garden.
00:29:38.44\00:29:39.77
Why is that?
00:29:39.81\00:29:41.14
Because sin cannot exist
in the presence of a holy God.
00:29:41.18\00:29:44.81
We get all the way down
to the last book of the Bible
00:29:44.85\00:29:47.15
in Revelation 6
00:29:47.18\00:29:50.22
and we see this imagery of
the second coming of Christ.
00:29:50.25\00:29:53.22
And the wicked,
00:29:53.25\00:29:54.59
what are they
doing in Revelation 6:16.
00:29:54.62\00:29:56.46
They cry out, fall
on us to the rocks.
00:29:56.49\00:29:59.39
They want to hide.
00:29:59.43\00:30:00.90
Hide us from the face of Him,
00:30:00.93\00:30:02.63
who sits on the throne and
from the wrath of the Lamb,
00:30:02.66\00:30:05.40
for the great day
of His wrath is come
00:30:05.43\00:30:06.84
and who is able to stand?
00:30:06.87\00:30:09.30
So the four things that
Isaiah would have remembered
00:30:09.34\00:30:12.51
from his context,
00:30:12.54\00:30:13.88
from what he knew was that
00:30:13.91\00:30:16.21
there was an appointed time
to enter the Holy of Holies.
00:30:16.24\00:30:18.75
Only the high priest
could enter the Holy of Holies.
00:30:18.78\00:30:21.85
That a cloud of
glory was required
00:30:21.88\00:30:24.19
even then or the
high priest would die
00:30:24.22\00:30:26.52
and that sin cannot
exist in the presence of God.
00:30:26.55\00:30:30.06
And I can't see inside his mind,
00:30:30.09\00:30:31.73
so this is Jill's supposition.
00:30:31.76\00:30:33.86
But if I were
there, I would think,
00:30:33.90\00:30:35.70
it's not the Day of Atonement.
00:30:35.73\00:30:37.10
I'm not the high priest.
00:30:37.13\00:30:38.93
There's clearly a cloud here,
00:30:38.97\00:30:41.00
but I am a sinner in
the presence of a Holy God.
00:30:41.04\00:30:46.34
I am unclean.
00:30:46.37\00:30:48.58
I am unworthy.
00:30:48.61\00:30:51.91
God, clean me.
00:30:51.95\00:30:53.75
God cleanse me.
00:30:53.78\00:30:55.98
God sanctify me.
00:30:56.02\00:30:58.45
That's why he said that,
00:30:58.49\00:30:59.82
I am undone, I
have unclean lips,
00:30:59.85\00:31:02.19
my people are sinners, God plea.
00:31:02.22\00:31:05.39
And so we see in
verse 6, what does God do.
00:31:05.43\00:31:08.43
"Then one of the
seraphim flew to me,
00:31:08.46\00:31:10.43
having in his hand a live coal
00:31:10.47\00:31:12.50
which he had taken from
the tongs from the altar.
00:31:12.53\00:31:15.70
And he touched my mouth with it,
00:31:15.74\00:31:18.04
and he said: 'Behold,
00:31:18.07\00:31:19.41
this has touched your lips,
your iniquity is taken away,
00:31:19.44\00:31:23.45
and your sin purged.'"
00:31:23.48\00:31:26.55
So what are the
lessons that we see
00:31:26.58\00:31:28.38
from this passage?
00:31:28.42\00:31:30.12
I see four lessons.
00:31:30.15\00:31:31.49
Lesson number one,
00:31:31.52\00:31:33.05
recognition of God precedes
00:31:33.09\00:31:36.59
recognition of
my own sinfulness.
00:31:36.62\00:31:40.90
Recognition of God of who He is,
00:31:40.93\00:31:43.70
of His mightiness,
00:31:43.73\00:31:45.47
and glory of His
purity and holiness
00:31:45.50\00:31:48.84
that always precedes recognition
00:31:48.87\00:31:51.27
of my own sinfulness.
00:31:51.31\00:31:53.44
Isaiah said, what
did he say? I am undone.
00:31:53.48\00:31:56.11
I dwell in the midst of a people
00:31:56.14\00:31:57.68
of unclean lips.
00:31:57.71\00:31:59.05
Why?
00:31:59.08\00:32:00.42
Because my eyes have
seen the glory of God,
00:32:00.45\00:32:02.92
because he had gotten
00:32:02.95\00:32:04.29
just a tiny
glimpse of God's holiness,
00:32:04.32\00:32:08.22
of God's character.
00:32:08.26\00:32:10.36
That led him to that recognition
00:32:10.39\00:32:13.66
of his own
sinfulness by contrast.
00:32:13.70\00:32:16.30
Romans 2, what
does it say? Romans 2:4.
00:32:16.33\00:32:18.80
The goodness of God
leads us to repentance.
00:32:18.83\00:32:23.67
Lesson number two,
repentance precedes cleansing.
00:32:23.71\00:32:28.71
Always repentance
comes before cleansing.
00:32:28.74\00:32:32.41
The seraphim came with a
coal from the altar after
00:32:32.45\00:32:35.82
Isaiah said, woe is me, I
am undone and I am unclean.
00:32:35.85\00:32:41.52
1 John 1:9,
00:32:41.56\00:32:42.89
"If we confess our sins,
00:32:42.92\00:32:44.39
He is faithful and
just to forgive us our sins
00:32:44.43\00:32:47.23
and to cleanse us
from all unrighteousness."
00:32:47.26\00:32:51.10
Confession and repentance
00:32:51.13\00:32:53.03
precede
forgiveness and cleansing.
00:32:53.07\00:32:56.30
That's right.
00:32:56.34\00:32:57.67
Lesson number three,
fire precedes purification.
00:32:57.71\00:33:01.81
That's right.
00:33:01.84\00:33:03.18
Number 31:23.
00:33:03.21\00:33:05.81
Everything that can endure fire,
00:33:05.85\00:33:08.35
you shall put through the
fire and it shall be clean.
00:33:08.38\00:33:12.49
So why is it put
through the fire?
00:33:12.52\00:33:14.29
That purification
process in the fire
00:33:14.32\00:33:17.89
makes something clean,
00:33:17.93\00:33:20.06
it makes us pure.
00:33:20.10\00:33:21.90
Zachariah 13:9.
00:33:21.93\00:33:23.57
This is in the New
Living Translation.
00:33:23.60\00:33:25.57
"I will bring that
group through the fire
00:33:25.60\00:33:27.50
and make them pure.
00:33:27.54\00:33:29.34
I will refine them like silver
and purify them like gold".
00:33:29.37\00:33:34.34
That the coal from the altar
00:33:34.38\00:33:36.54
was symbolic of
that purification process
00:33:36.58\00:33:40.42
that God wants to do
in your life and in mine.
00:33:40.45\00:33:44.69
1 Peter 1:7,
Peter puts it this way,
00:33:44.72\00:33:46.76
the genuineness of your faith
00:33:46.79\00:33:48.92
being much more precious
than gold that perishes.
00:33:48.96\00:33:52.26
Though it is tested by fire,
00:33:52.29\00:33:54.73
may be found to
praise honor and glory
00:33:54.76\00:33:56.67
at the
revelation of Jesus Christ.
00:33:56.70\00:33:59.07
So the coal from the altar
00:33:59.10\00:34:01.17
that the seraphim
took purified Isaiah,
00:34:01.20\00:34:03.61
prepared him for his mission.
00:34:03.64\00:34:07.04
Now, this is
kind of a side note,
00:34:07.08\00:34:08.44
but this is very
fascinating to me with Uzziah.
00:34:08.48\00:34:10.85
Remember Uzziah, the
king received leprosy. Why?
00:34:10.88\00:34:14.22
Because he took the
coals from the altar
00:34:14.25\00:34:16.32
and he tried to
offer them as incense.
00:34:16.35\00:34:19.65
Isaiah received purification
00:34:19.69\00:34:23.06
because the seraphim used
the coal from the same altar
00:34:23.09\00:34:27.53
and they made
Isaiah himself the incense.
00:34:27.56\00:34:32.43
So Uzziah
wanted to offer incense
00:34:32.47\00:34:35.20
but Isaiah, he
became the incense.
00:34:35.24\00:34:38.01
Lesson number
four, final lesson.
00:34:38.04\00:34:40.18
Holiness precedes
any sending forth.
00:34:40.21\00:34:45.71
You know, we're not
called, Isaiah was not called.
00:34:45.75\00:34:47.88
We call Isaiah
6:1, the call of Isaiah.
00:34:47.92\00:34:51.42
He was not called
00:34:51.45\00:34:53.02
because he was talented
or special or extraordinary.
00:34:53.05\00:34:56.96
You and I are not
called to serve Jesus.
00:34:56.99\00:35:00.83
We are not called to
evangelize or to witness
00:35:00.86\00:35:03.50
because we are talented
or special or extraordinary.
00:35:03.53\00:35:07.00
True. That's right.
00:35:07.04\00:35:08.37
We are called
because God has touched us
00:35:08.40\00:35:11.64
and purified us for service.
00:35:11.67\00:35:14.91
God doesn't call the qualified,
00:35:14.94\00:35:16.64
but He qualifies
those whom He calls.
00:35:16.68\00:35:19.65
That's true.
00:35:19.68\00:35:21.02
And this is what we see
00:35:21.05\00:35:22.38
before the call
went forth to Isaiah.
00:35:22.42\00:35:24.99
We see this purification,
00:35:25.02\00:35:26.65
this cleansing process
that had to take place.
00:35:26.69\00:35:29.79
So recognition of God
His character and holiness
00:35:29.82\00:35:32.83
precedes recognition
of my own sinfulness.
00:35:32.86\00:35:35.86
Repentance precedes cleansing.
00:35:35.90\00:35:39.13
Fire precedes purification
00:35:39.17\00:35:41.64
and holiness
precedes any sending forth.
00:35:41.67\00:35:45.37
And, Shelley, you have
the call for sending forth.
00:35:45.41\00:35:48.01
Amen. Praise the Lord.
00:35:48.04\00:35:49.38
Thank you for setting that up.
00:35:49.41\00:35:50.98
So we're going to look
00:35:51.01\00:35:52.78
at Wednesday's lesson
is the "Royal Commission,"
00:35:52.81\00:35:56.18
and we will look at Isaiah 6:8.
00:35:56.22\00:36:00.26
So he says also
00:36:00.29\00:36:03.43
I heard the voice
of the Lord saying,
00:36:03.46\00:36:06.46
whom shall I send
and who will go for us?
00:36:06.49\00:36:11.60
And then he said, then
said I, here I am, send me.
00:36:11.63\00:36:17.01
You know to me it's
a remarkable contrast
00:36:17.04\00:36:19.47
that it goes from the
personal singular pronoun,
00:36:19.51\00:36:23.11
who shall I sent,
00:36:23.14\00:36:24.98
to the plural pronoun us
00:36:25.01\00:36:26.95
and that doesn't
prove the Triune God,
00:36:26.98\00:36:31.19
but I think it
implies it pretty strongly.
00:36:31.22\00:36:34.26
So Isaiah has this
unforgettable vision of God
00:36:34.29\00:36:39.19
in the holy sanctuary
00:36:39.23\00:36:41.33
and the closer you get
to God the more you know God
00:36:41.36\00:36:44.70
the more you will
recognize your own sin.
00:36:44.73\00:36:47.30
And you know what,
recognizing our sins painful,
00:36:47.34\00:36:50.87
but the repentance is so joyful.
00:36:50.91\00:36:55.04
I've got a teaching
00:36:55.08\00:36:56.41
that I called the
joy of repentance.
00:36:56.44\00:36:59.35
People always say
what, the joy of repentance?
00:36:59.38\00:37:03.35
Repentance is joyful.
00:37:03.39\00:37:05.39
So here his tongue is
touched with this burning coal,
00:37:05.42\00:37:11.09
which was symbolic of cleansing
and you know what happens,
00:37:11.13\00:37:14.26
once Isaiah has seen
this perfectly sinless
00:37:14.30\00:37:17.40
pure holy God,
00:37:17.43\00:37:19.73
he is ready to consecrate
his life to God's service.
00:37:19.77\00:37:25.77
He and this holy
boldness comes on him
00:37:25.81\00:37:29.21
and he takes God's statement,
00:37:29.24\00:37:33.35
who shall I send
and who will go for us?
00:37:33.38\00:37:35.98
He takes that as a
personal invitation,
00:37:36.02\00:37:38.52
you know, we should too.
00:37:38.55\00:37:40.56
Jesus has the Great Commission.
00:37:40.59\00:37:42.46
He has sent us out,
00:37:42.49\00:37:44.26
but he was eager to go
00:37:44.29\00:37:47.10
wherever God wanted to send him.
00:37:47.13\00:37:49.86
And he was humbled by
the experience to do that.
00:37:49.90\00:37:55.00
Multiple places in the Scripture
00:37:55.04\00:37:57.47
give us evidence
00:37:57.51\00:37:59.64
that God's sanctuary is
a place of encouragement.
00:37:59.67\00:38:05.21
Psalm 73,
00:38:05.25\00:38:06.82
if you want to turn
there, let me set this up.
00:38:06.85\00:38:09.95
What's going on in Psalm 73?
00:38:09.98\00:38:12.62
The psalmist is
wallowing in self-pity.
00:38:12.65\00:38:16.19
Have you ever done that?
00:38:16.22\00:38:18.13
But the reason he's wallowing
in self-pity is because
00:38:18.16\00:38:22.03
it seems like the
wicked are prospering,
00:38:22.06\00:38:24.57
while the righteous are those
who are living a righteous life
00:38:24.60\00:38:29.54
are having difficulties.
00:38:29.57\00:38:30.91
Then look at verse 17.
00:38:30.94\00:38:32.81
Psalm 73:17.
00:38:32.84\00:38:34.71
He said, he's
struggling with this
00:38:34.74\00:38:38.05
until I went into the sanctuary
00:38:38.08\00:38:43.92
and then I understood their end.
00:38:43.95\00:38:48.19
So his attitude
completely changes
00:38:48.22\00:38:51.93
because once
he's in the sanctuary,
00:38:51.96\00:38:54.46
he's realizing that
00:38:54.50\00:38:56.77
the whole world is
under God's sovereign control
00:38:56.80\00:38:59.70
and he recognizes,
00:38:59.73\00:39:01.14
hey, I'm on the
right side of things.
00:39:01.17\00:39:04.01
So he gained
victory over temptation
00:39:04.04\00:39:09.98
when he
recognized God's purpose.
00:39:10.01\00:39:12.28
Now let's look
at Hebrews 4:14-16.
00:39:12.31\00:39:16.15
Probably one of my favorite
passages in the New Testament,
00:39:16.18\00:39:20.22
Hebrews 4:14.
00:39:20.26\00:39:22.96
This gives us another vision
of the heavenly sanctuary.
00:39:22.99\00:39:26.86
It says,
00:39:26.90\00:39:28.23
"Seek then that we
have a great high priest,
00:39:28.26\00:39:32.40
speaking of Jesus,
00:39:32.43\00:39:33.97
who has passed
through the heavens,
00:39:34.00\00:39:36.20
Jesus the son of God,
00:39:36.24\00:39:38.54
let us hold fast our confession.
00:39:38.57\00:39:41.74
For we do not have a high priest
00:39:41.78\00:39:44.45
who cannot
sympathize with our weaknesses,
00:39:44.48\00:39:48.98
but was in all points tempted
00:39:49.02\00:39:52.32
as we are yet without sin."
00:39:52.35\00:39:57.13
When you envision Jesus,
00:39:57.16\00:40:02.86
God became a man.
00:40:02.90\00:40:05.17
He became the Son of man.
00:40:05.20\00:40:06.87
He became this Son of
God, the covenant Son of God.
00:40:06.90\00:40:10.91
Do you realize
00:40:10.94\00:40:12.47
the reason that we can
come boldly before the throne?
00:40:12.51\00:40:17.01
It's because we have Christ,
00:40:17.05\00:40:19.61
our high priest
00:40:19.65\00:40:21.58
sitting at the
right hand of the throne
00:40:21.62\00:40:25.09
and He knows,
00:40:25.12\00:40:26.45
He understands you
when you're feeling weak,
00:40:26.49\00:40:29.79
when you're feeling tempted.
00:40:29.82\00:40:31.36
He was tempted in
all ways as we are,
00:40:31.39\00:40:33.90
yet He was without sin,
00:40:33.93\00:40:36.36
but He's got that heart for us.
00:40:36.40\00:40:38.93
He understands
00:40:38.97\00:40:40.54
and He knows how
to certainly intercede
00:40:40.57\00:40:45.14
and mediate on our behalf.
00:40:45.17\00:40:47.74
So then it says
in verse 16, because,
00:40:47.78\00:40:53.35
because you've
got this high priest,
00:40:53.38\00:40:55.85
let us therefore come
boldly to the throne of grace
00:40:55.88\00:41:00.66
that we may obtain mercy
00:41:00.69\00:41:04.39
and find grace to
help us in time of need.
00:41:04.43\00:41:09.60
You know, God
invites you as His child
00:41:09.63\00:41:14.14
to come before
Him with boldness.
00:41:14.17\00:41:16.71
That means with
security in your heart,
00:41:16.74\00:41:20.51
with assurance
that He's on your side,
00:41:20.54\00:41:23.08
He has your
eternal benefit at mind.
00:41:23.11\00:41:25.41
Now, we should
come with reverence.
00:41:25.45\00:41:28.68
We don't take God for granted,
but come with reverence,
00:41:28.72\00:41:33.12
but don't
hesitate, come before Him.
00:41:33.15\00:41:36.09
So Hebrews 10,
00:41:36.12\00:41:37.83
let's look at
that while we're there.
00:41:37.86\00:41:40.13
Hebrews 10:19-23 says,
00:41:40.16\00:41:44.60
"Therefore
brethren having boldness
00:41:44.63\00:41:47.30
to enter the holiest
by the blood of Jesus."
00:41:47.34\00:41:50.71
Here the high priest
could only go in once a year,
00:41:50.74\00:41:54.64
but now we've got
this, this privilege.
00:41:54.68\00:41:58.58
Why?
00:41:58.61\00:41:59.95
Verse 20, we've got,
00:41:59.98\00:42:01.75
we can enter with boldness
by a new and living way,
00:42:01.78\00:42:05.99
which was consecrated
for us through the veil,
00:42:06.02\00:42:09.06
that is through the
flesh of Jesus Christ.
00:42:09.09\00:42:12.59
And then he says,
"Let us hold fast"
00:42:12.63\00:42:16.77
in verse 23,
00:42:16.80\00:42:18.20
"the confession of
our hope without wavering,
00:42:18.23\00:42:21.84
for he who
promised is faithful."
00:42:21.87\00:42:25.37
It is through the
sacrifice of Jesus Christ
00:42:25.41\00:42:29.18
that the veil was ripped
open into the Holy of Holies.
00:42:29.21\00:42:33.28
That gives us permission
to go in with confidence,
00:42:33.31\00:42:37.85
with boldness.
00:42:37.89\00:42:39.22
As a child of God,
00:42:39.25\00:42:40.99
we come and sit
right at His feet
00:42:41.02\00:42:45.09
and we can have utter
confidence in His promises.
00:42:45.13\00:42:49.53
So here's one
more, very quickly.
00:42:49.56\00:42:52.20
We've got a few
minutes, couple of minutes left.
00:42:52.23\00:42:55.20
Here's a...
00:42:55.24\00:42:57.74
Turn to Revelation Chapter 5.
00:42:57.77\00:43:00.44
This is a throne room scene
of the heavenly throne room.
00:43:00.48\00:43:06.92
What's happening is,
John sees the scroll,
00:43:06.95\00:43:09.75
this book
that's got these sealed
00:43:09.78\00:43:12.45
with seven seals.
00:43:12.49\00:43:13.82
And in this book,
00:43:13.86\00:43:15.19
this regards God's plans
to solve this sin problem,
00:43:15.22\00:43:20.30
to save fallen humanity.
00:43:20.33\00:43:23.53
This is, it
contains the full mystery
00:43:23.57\00:43:26.07
of what's going to occur
at Christ's second coming,
00:43:26.10\00:43:30.11
but he's looking around
and he's going, who's worthy?
00:43:30.14\00:43:35.71
There's no man
in heaven or earth
00:43:35.74\00:43:37.95
who's worthy to open this
00:43:37.98\00:43:41.58
except one,
00:43:41.62\00:43:43.22
the Son of man, the Son
of God, the lion of Judah,
00:43:43.25\00:43:47.49
the root, the root of David.
00:43:47.52\00:43:50.16
He had
prevailed. He had conquered.
00:43:50.19\00:43:52.79
So verse 6, this
is Revelation 5:6.
00:43:52.83\00:43:57.17
John says,
00:43:57.20\00:43:58.53
"I looked and behold and
in the midst of the throne
00:43:58.57\00:44:01.34
and the four living creatures
in the midst of the elders,
00:44:01.37\00:44:04.84
stood in lamb,
00:44:04.87\00:44:06.21
as though it had been slain
00:44:06.24\00:44:07.61
having seven horns, seven eyes,
00:44:07.64\00:44:10.28
which are the seven
spirits of God sent out.
00:44:10.31\00:44:14.72
And then he says,
00:44:14.75\00:44:16.42
the seven horns
that's perfect authority.
00:44:16.45\00:44:19.15
Seven's the
number of perfection.
00:44:19.19\00:44:21.12
Perfect wisdom.
00:44:21.16\00:44:22.89
This is worthy is the lamb.
00:44:22.92\00:44:26.23
And then verse 9,
00:44:26.26\00:44:27.66
once they recognize that
this sinless lamb is worthy,
00:44:27.70\00:44:32.90
He's gained victory for
us by carrying His lamb.
00:44:32.93\00:44:35.90
Verse 9.
00:44:35.94\00:44:37.27
It says, "Oh,
they sang a new song.
00:44:37.31\00:44:38.97
You're worthy
to take the scroll,
00:44:39.01\00:44:41.41
to open it seals
for you were slain.
00:44:41.44\00:44:44.71
And then every
creature is worshiping.
00:44:44.75\00:44:48.22
Now here's what
00:44:48.25\00:44:50.05
our author of the
quarterly had to say.
00:44:50.09\00:44:55.19
Not only does
God's sanctuary throb
00:44:55.22\00:44:57.73
with awesome power,
00:44:57.76\00:44:59.73
it's a place where
weak and faulty people,
00:44:59.76\00:45:03.77
such as we can find refuge,
00:45:03.80\00:45:05.93
we can be reassured
00:45:05.97\00:45:07.77
by knowing that God is working
to rescue us through Christ,
00:45:07.80\00:45:11.74
our high priest.
00:45:11.77\00:45:13.11
And he says,
00:45:13.14\00:45:14.48
John saw Christ representatives
00:45:14.51\00:45:16.34
as sacrificial lamb
that had been slaughtered,
00:45:16.38\00:45:20.78
not a pretty sight,
00:45:20.82\00:45:22.72
but the
description makes the point
00:45:22.75\00:45:24.42
that although Christ
was raised from the dead,
00:45:24.45\00:45:26.79
ascended to heaven,
00:45:26.82\00:45:28.16
He continually carries
the cross event with Him.
00:45:28.19\00:45:33.23
He is still lifted up
00:45:33.26\00:45:35.53
in order to draw all
people to Himself at His altar.
00:45:35.56\00:45:40.30
Amen. Praise the Lord now.
00:45:40.34\00:45:42.64
My goodness. Yeah, well.
00:45:42.67\00:45:44.11
I love that. I love this story.
00:45:44.14\00:45:46.11
It just seems like yesterday
00:45:46.14\00:45:47.48
I was, I was in
the, my class in AFCOE,
00:45:47.51\00:45:51.88
we were at AFCOE a few years ago
00:45:51.91\00:45:53.25
when I was going through
00:45:53.28\00:45:54.62
the Amazing Facts
Center of Evangelism
00:45:54.65\00:45:56.38
and our class got to sit in
on one of Pastor Doug series
00:45:56.42\00:45:59.69
that he entitled
Formula for Faith.
00:45:59.72\00:46:01.46
And he used this conversion
experience of Isaiah, powerful.
00:46:01.49\00:46:05.89
And as I'm hearing
you guys go through this,
00:46:05.93\00:46:08.43
it's setting us up
for Thursday's lesson,
00:46:08.46\00:46:11.87
which is entitled
"Appalling Appeal."
00:46:11.90\00:46:15.14
And it is quite an
interesting appeal.
00:46:15.17\00:46:18.31
And you could just
imagine, I can imagine you know,
00:46:18.34\00:46:21.61
the reader,
anybody reading this,
00:46:21.64\00:46:23.45
or maybe even perhaps
the humanity of Isaiah
00:46:23.48\00:46:27.32
as he's hearing all of the,
00:46:27.35\00:46:28.92
experiencing all
these wonderful things.
00:46:28.95\00:46:30.32
You know, he sees God,
00:46:30.35\00:46:31.69
he sees God's righteousness
00:46:31.72\00:46:33.05
and it causes him to
see his unrighteousness
00:46:33.09\00:46:35.09
as filthy rags.
00:46:35.12\00:46:36.46
And what's his
response, woe is me.
00:46:36.49\00:46:37.99
So he has this
repentance experience,
00:46:38.03\00:46:40.20
this confession,
00:46:40.23\00:46:41.60
which he pours
his heart out to God.
00:46:41.63\00:46:43.10
I'm a man of unclean lips.
00:46:43.13\00:46:45.17
And then God
says, but who are we?
00:46:45.20\00:46:46.74
Who am I going to send out?
Who's going to represent me?
00:46:46.77\00:46:49.37
And Isaiah says,
00:46:49.40\00:46:50.74
"Pick me, my Lord.
00:46:50.77\00:46:52.17
Me, I'll go. I'll go."
00:46:52.21\00:46:53.98
And what is his first message?
00:46:54.01\00:46:57.15
What is his first message
that God sends him to declare?
00:46:57.18\00:47:01.45
Here it is. Isaiah 6:9-10.
00:47:01.48\00:47:04.99
Notice what the Bible says.
00:47:05.02\00:47:07.09
It says, "And he said,
go and tell this people.
00:47:07.12\00:47:10.83
Keep on hearing,
but do not understand.
00:47:10.86\00:47:14.50
Keep on seeing,
but do not perceive.
00:47:14.53\00:47:17.73
Make the heart of this
people dull and their ears heavy
00:47:17.77\00:47:21.44
and shut their eyes,
00:47:21.47\00:47:22.80
lest they see with their
eyes and hear with their ears
00:47:22.84\00:47:25.57
and understand with their heart
00:47:25.61\00:47:29.21
and return to be healed.
00:47:29.24\00:47:32.15
I can imagine, you
know, again, the humanity,
00:47:32.18\00:47:36.02
did I hear that correct, Lord,
00:47:36.05\00:47:37.65
You want the very first message
00:47:37.69\00:47:39.52
you want me to
go tell these people
00:47:39.55\00:47:41.32
is that they have
eyes they can't see,
00:47:41.36\00:47:44.13
ears they can't hear.
00:47:44.16\00:47:45.79
Their hearts are dull,
00:47:45.83\00:47:47.16
their mind and
hearts can't perceive.
00:47:47.20\00:47:49.20
What?
00:47:49.23\00:47:50.57
This is the message
you want me to deliver.
00:47:50.60\00:47:51.93
And just in case
you might think that,
00:47:51.97\00:47:53.74
you know, maybe,
00:47:53.77\00:47:55.10
maybe it's not
really what he's saying.
00:47:55.14\00:47:56.81
Jesus reiterates
this in the gospel.
00:47:56.84\00:47:59.57
In fact, let's
go there right now,
00:47:59.61\00:48:00.94
Matthew Chapter 13,
00:48:00.98\00:48:02.58
we're going to read
verses 13 through 15.
00:48:02.61\00:48:05.05
It's interesting because
Jesus makes mention of this
00:48:05.08\00:48:09.22
after He's just delivered
the Parable of the Sower
00:48:09.25\00:48:11.75
and He's giving
them this parable
00:48:11.79\00:48:13.12
and the disciples of Jesus,
00:48:13.15\00:48:14.49
why in the world
00:48:14.52\00:48:15.86
You're speaking to
these people in parables,
00:48:15.89\00:48:17.43
that doesn't make any sense.
00:48:17.46\00:48:18.79
Notice what, how Jesus responds.
00:48:18.83\00:48:20.23
Matthew 13:13-15.
00:48:20.26\00:48:23.83
It says, therefore,
this is Jesus speaking.
00:48:23.87\00:48:25.20
He says,
00:48:25.23\00:48:26.57
"Therefore, I speak to
them in parables because,"
00:48:26.60\00:48:29.00
now tell me if these
words sound familiar,
00:48:29.04\00:48:30.84
"because seeing they do not see
and hearing they do not hear."
00:48:30.87\00:48:36.64
It goes on to say,
"Nor do they understand."
00:48:36.68\00:48:40.42
And in them,
00:48:40.45\00:48:41.78
the prophecy of
Isaiah is fulfilled,
00:48:41.82\00:48:45.19
which says, and then
he quotes that prophecy.
00:48:45.22\00:48:48.79
Hearing you will hear
and shall not understand.
00:48:48.82\00:48:51.46
And seeing you will
see and not perceive.
00:48:51.49\00:48:55.30
And you say, why, why is that?
00:48:55.33\00:48:56.87
Why, why is God declaring this
00:48:56.90\00:48:59.03
somewhat of a
judgment upon them?
00:48:59.07\00:49:01.10
Because again, they
have ears that can't hear,
00:49:01.14\00:49:03.27
they have eyes that can't see.
00:49:03.30\00:49:05.24
Why is this?
00:49:05.27\00:49:06.61
I think Christ
explains it right here.
00:49:06.64\00:49:07.98
Verse 15, notice.
00:49:08.01\00:49:09.34
It says, "For the hearts of
this people have grown dull.
00:49:09.38\00:49:13.48
Their ears are hard of hearing
00:49:13.52\00:49:14.85
and their eyes,
they have closed."
00:49:14.88\00:49:16.95
Okay.
00:49:16.99\00:49:18.32
So there's a choice on
the part of the people,
00:49:18.35\00:49:20.16
lest they should
see with their eyes
00:49:20.19\00:49:21.82
and hear with their ears,
00:49:21.86\00:49:23.19
lest they should understand
with their hearts and turn
00:49:23.22\00:49:25.59
so that I should heal them.
00:49:25.63\00:49:29.36
So what we're reading here
00:49:29.40\00:49:31.30
is the condition of the
people in Isaiah's time.
00:49:31.33\00:49:34.74
And then there's
another application of this
00:49:34.77\00:49:36.87
as Jesus now applies
this upon the Pharisees,
00:49:36.91\00:49:40.04
the people that he's
trying to witness to in His day,
00:49:40.08\00:49:42.84
they're not listening either.
00:49:42.88\00:49:44.21
So Jesus says,
00:49:44.25\00:49:45.58
"Man, well is,
00:49:45.61\00:49:46.95
the prophecy of Isaiah
fulfilled right here, right now
00:49:46.98\00:49:48.88
because you have
ears that can't hear,
00:49:48.92\00:49:50.75
you have eyes that can't see.
00:49:50.79\00:49:52.62
And until those are
open so that you can see
00:49:52.65\00:49:54.96
and that you're soften
00:49:54.99\00:49:56.32
your hardened heart,
00:49:56.36\00:49:57.69
you're not going to be
able to perceive the thing
00:49:57.73\00:49:59.06
which I want to speak to you.
00:49:59.09\00:50:02.03
This reminds me of Pharaoh.
00:50:02.06\00:50:04.43
Remember Pharaoh.
00:50:04.47\00:50:05.80
The Bible says, I
think it's around nine times,
00:50:05.83\00:50:07.40
nine or ten times.
00:50:07.44\00:50:08.77
It says that God
hardened Pharaoh's heart.
00:50:08.80\00:50:10.97
And when you read that
kind of on the surface,
00:50:11.01\00:50:12.97
it makes me, it
kind of sound like,
00:50:13.01\00:50:14.34
man, God, that's tough.
00:50:14.38\00:50:15.71
You're tough on people, Lord,
00:50:15.74\00:50:17.08
You hardened
that person's heart.
00:50:17.11\00:50:18.45
But the truth of the matter is,
00:50:18.48\00:50:20.02
God allowed
Pharaoh's heart to be hardened
00:50:20.05\00:50:23.02
because of Pharaoh's choices,
00:50:23.05\00:50:24.89
same thing in Isaiah
that we're reading here,
00:50:24.92\00:50:26.72
same thing here
00:50:26.76\00:50:28.09
that Jesus is declaring
to the people in His day.
00:50:28.12\00:50:29.96
He will allow a person's
heart to become hardened
00:50:29.99\00:50:32.89
if they are not allowing
00:50:32.93\00:50:34.80
their ears and their
eyes to see and to hear
00:50:34.83\00:50:37.33
and to comprehend the way
of the Lord for their life.
00:50:37.37\00:50:41.04
What I see happening here,
00:50:41.07\00:50:42.74
what God is
essentially spelling out
00:50:42.77\00:50:45.24
is probably the
most scary condition
00:50:45.27\00:50:47.04
that one person
could ever experience.
00:50:47.08\00:50:49.74
And Jesus speaks of
this in Matthew 12:31-32,
00:50:49.78\00:50:53.35
you might have heard it
00:50:53.38\00:50:54.72
something like
blasphemy of the Holy Spirit
00:50:54.75\00:50:57.32
in which you reach a point
00:50:57.35\00:50:58.69
in which your
heart is so hardened,
00:50:58.72\00:51:00.36
you have created
00:51:00.39\00:51:01.72
a spiritual
callous upon your ear,
00:51:01.76\00:51:03.32
that you are no longer
allowing the Holy Spirit
00:51:03.36\00:51:06.19
to speak to you.
00:51:06.23\00:51:07.56
I want to talk about
this for just a moment,
00:51:07.60\00:51:09.10
because what we see here
00:51:09.13\00:51:10.73
being addressed in this passage
00:51:10.77\00:51:12.53
is something that a
lot of people it's kind of,
00:51:12.57\00:51:15.54
it's somewhat of a creeping
compromise of a situation.
00:51:15.57\00:51:18.87
It's a subtle creeping effect
00:51:18.91\00:51:20.91
that happens on
the heart of a person
00:51:20.94\00:51:22.44
because they constantly
over a period of time,
00:51:22.48\00:51:26.11
begin to turn away
their heart from the Lord.
00:51:26.15\00:51:28.42
They begin to create, as I said,
00:51:28.45\00:51:30.05
that spiritual
callous on their ears.
00:51:30.09\00:51:31.49
They're no longer,
they hear the Holy spirit,
00:51:31.52\00:51:33.66
but then they
turn that counsel away.
00:51:33.69\00:51:35.72
They read the Word of God,
00:51:35.76\00:51:37.19
and then they
ignore that counsel
00:51:37.23\00:51:39.26
or they ignore the commandments
00:51:39.29\00:51:40.63
and they ignore
the Word of the Lord.
00:51:40.66\00:51:42.03
And over a period of time,
00:51:42.06\00:51:43.67
their heart becomes
spiritually hardened,
00:51:43.70\00:51:46.53
where the Lord cannot
penetrate that heart anymore.
00:51:46.57\00:51:50.61
I'm thinking of John 16:13.
00:51:50.64\00:51:53.04
And we're talking
about how this happens.
00:51:53.07\00:51:55.04
How does this occur?
00:51:55.08\00:51:56.41
Why is Jesus
speaking the way He did
00:51:56.44\00:51:58.18
to the Pharisees?
00:51:58.21\00:51:59.55
Why does God send Isaiah
out to deliver this message
00:51:59.58\00:52:02.35
to the people there?
00:52:02.38\00:52:04.02
This process has occurred.
00:52:04.05\00:52:05.39
And I want to spell that
out in the remaining minutes
00:52:05.42\00:52:07.09
that I have here.
00:52:07.12\00:52:08.46
Notice what Jesus says
here in John Chapter 16,
00:52:08.49\00:52:10.36
we've read it many times.
00:52:10.39\00:52:11.73
Verse 13.
00:52:11.76\00:52:13.09
Jesus says, however,
when he, the spirit of,
00:52:13.13\00:52:16.06
the spirit of truth
has come, what is his job?
00:52:16.10\00:52:20.17
Why has he come?
00:52:20.20\00:52:21.54
He has come to guide
you into how much truth?
00:52:21.57\00:52:24.24
All truth,
00:52:24.27\00:52:25.61
or he will not speak
on his own authority,
00:52:25.64\00:52:27.48
but whatever he
hears he will speak.
00:52:27.51\00:52:29.24
And he will tell
you things to come.
00:52:29.28\00:52:32.01
So why does God
send the Holy Spirit?
00:52:32.05\00:52:34.58
To lead us, to guide us,
00:52:34.62\00:52:36.62
to shape and mould
00:52:36.65\00:52:37.99
our thinking, our
minds, our hearts,
00:52:38.02\00:52:39.62
to be more like
that of Jesus Christ.
00:52:39.65\00:52:41.89
But if we are,
00:52:41.92\00:52:43.32
as Paul writes
in Ephesians 4: 30,
00:52:43.36\00:52:47.30
when we are grieving
the Holy Spirit, okay?
00:52:47.33\00:52:49.96
And I'm just
going to reference that
00:52:50.00\00:52:51.33
Ephesians 4:30,
00:52:51.37\00:52:52.70
where Paul says
00:52:52.73\00:52:54.07
and do not grieve
the Holy Spirit of God,
00:52:54.10\00:52:55.97
for by whom you are
sealed to the day of redemption.
00:52:56.00\00:52:58.27
When you grieve the Holy Spirit,
00:52:58.31\00:52:59.64
what are you doing?
00:52:59.67\00:53:01.01
You're pushing away
the life source of truth.
00:53:01.04\00:53:03.95
You're pushing away
the Spirit of the Lord.
00:53:03.98\00:53:06.45
Even Paul, again,
00:53:06.48\00:53:07.82
echoes this in 1
Thessalonians 5:19,
00:53:07.85\00:53:10.02
one of the shortest,
00:53:10.05\00:53:11.39
but most powerful
texts in all of scripture,
00:53:11.42\00:53:13.32
it sends a powerful message.
00:53:13.36\00:53:14.69
Paul just says,
00:53:14.72\00:53:16.06
"Do not quench the spirit.
00:53:16.09\00:53:17.79
Do not quench the spirit."
00:53:17.83\00:53:19.19
In other words, is it possible?
00:53:19.23\00:53:20.83
The fact that he's
saying do not do this.
00:53:20.86\00:53:22.36
It must be possible
00:53:22.40\00:53:23.93
that you can indeed
quench the spirit of the Lord.
00:53:23.97\00:53:27.30
And then the sad thing is
00:53:27.34\00:53:28.67
that's exactly
what was happening
00:53:28.70\00:53:30.04
in the days of Isaiah
00:53:30.07\00:53:31.41
when all of this
apostasy had come in,
00:53:31.44\00:53:33.01
they had completely
forsaken the way of the Lord.
00:53:33.04\00:53:35.44
They had completely forsaken
the covenant of the Lord.
00:53:35.48\00:53:37.78
And so God says, you know,
00:53:37.81\00:53:39.15
he has this wonderful
conversion experience, Isaiah,
00:53:39.18\00:53:41.92
in the presence of the Lord.
00:53:41.95\00:53:43.28
And he says, look, if
you're going to go out
00:53:43.32\00:53:44.65
and you're
going to speak for me,
00:53:44.69\00:53:46.02
yes, Lord, I'll speak for you.
00:53:46.05\00:53:47.39
Send me, this is the
message I want you to tell them.
00:53:47.42\00:53:50.43
And here it is,
their hearts are hardened.
00:53:50.46\00:53:53.16
They've turned away their ear.
00:53:53.19\00:53:54.53
They have ears,
but they can't hear,
00:53:54.56\00:53:56.53
they have eyes,
but they can't see
00:53:56.56\00:53:58.40
because they have
hardened their hearts.
00:53:58.43\00:54:01.00
Also think of you talking about
00:54:01.04\00:54:02.57
God hardening
the heart of Pharaoh.
00:54:02.60\00:54:03.94
Again, it's not that the Lord
is bestowing this upon someone
00:54:03.97\00:54:06.81
because it's His
plan or it's His choice,
00:54:06.84\00:54:08.64
it's because of our choice.
00:54:08.68\00:54:10.35
And we see this as Paul
also talks on this point
00:54:10.38\00:54:13.98
in 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12,
00:54:14.02\00:54:17.95
it says, and with
all unrighteous deception
00:54:17.99\00:54:20.89
among those who perish
00:54:20.92\00:54:23.02
and why are they perishing?
00:54:23.06\00:54:25.39
Because they did not
receive the love of the truth
00:54:25.43\00:54:30.40
that they might be saved.
00:54:30.43\00:54:32.77
And for this
reason God, here it is,
00:54:32.80\00:54:34.80
same thing He did to Pharaoh.
00:54:34.84\00:54:36.60
God will send
them strong delusion
00:54:36.64\00:54:38.47
that they should believe a lie,
00:54:38.51\00:54:40.14
that they may all be condemned,
00:54:40.18\00:54:41.88
who did not believe the truth,
00:54:41.91\00:54:43.95
but had pleasure
in unrighteousness.
00:54:43.98\00:54:46.21
Why did they not
believe the truth?
00:54:46.25\00:54:47.58
Because they
quenched the spirit of truth,
00:54:47.62\00:54:49.98
because they pushed
away the spirit of truth,
00:54:50.02\00:54:52.15
because they neglected
the counsel and the leadership
00:54:52.19\00:54:54.72
and the guidance
of the Holy Spirit
00:54:54.76\00:54:56.16
that God had sent them.
00:54:56.19\00:54:58.53
Also think of 1 Timothy 4:1-2.
00:54:58.56\00:55:01.46
Again, Paul had a
lot to say on this.
00:55:01.50\00:55:04.30
Notice what he says here.
00:55:04.33\00:55:05.67
Now the spirit expresses,
expressly says in latter times,
00:55:05.70\00:55:09.24
some will depart from the faith
00:55:09.27\00:55:11.47
giving heed to
deceiving or seducing spirits
00:55:11.51\00:55:14.11
and doctrines of demons.
00:55:14.14\00:55:15.64
But notice what he says here.
00:55:15.68\00:55:17.01
Speaking lies in hypocrisy,
00:55:17.05\00:55:18.61
having their own conscience
seared with a hot iron.
00:55:18.65\00:55:22.48
What is happening here?
00:55:22.52\00:55:23.85
It's that spiritual callous
that hardening of the heart.
00:55:23.89\00:55:26.22
It's almost like the
searing of a hot iron,
00:55:26.25\00:55:28.26
kind of like
cauterizing a wound.
00:55:28.29\00:55:30.03
When you're on the battlefield
00:55:30.06\00:55:31.39
or you see
somebody in the movies
00:55:31.43\00:55:32.76
or you hear of
them cauterizing wound,
00:55:32.79\00:55:34.13
what are they doing?
00:55:34.16\00:55:35.50
That wound is not healed,
00:55:35.53\00:55:36.87
they're sealing up that wound
00:55:36.90\00:55:38.23
that we are sealing up
our hearing, our vision,
00:55:38.27\00:55:40.64
our understanding
00:55:40.67\00:55:42.00
when we are not
listening and obeying the Lord.
00:55:42.04\00:55:45.07
So make sure your eyes are open.
00:55:45.11\00:55:46.44
Make sure your ears can hear
00:55:46.47\00:55:48.71
and listen to the
Holy Spirit today,
00:55:48.74\00:55:50.45
lest we fall
into this same trap.
00:55:50.48\00:55:53.08
Amen.
00:55:53.11\00:55:54.45
Praise the Lord.
00:55:54.48\00:55:55.82
We need another hour.
00:55:55.85\00:55:57.49
Yeah.
00:55:57.52\00:55:58.95
I'll tell you this
study in Isaiah's good.
00:55:58.99\00:56:00.76
We pray it's been
a blessing to you.
00:56:00.79\00:56:02.12
We're going to, we've
got a couple of minutes.
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We want to go by
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and I'm sure the Holy
Spirit is given each one
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just another little tidbit
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that might help
us along the way.
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Brother John?
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While all of us have been
in discouraging situations
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at one point or another,
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that's just the
way the Bible is.
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It looks at man. It reads man.
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I said, don't let,
don't just read your Bible,
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let your Bible read you.
00:56:20.34\00:56:21.68
And in discouraging
days in which we live,
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I like as Isaiah,
Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel,
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but Lamentations a
book that spells lament
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brings us encouraging
words in discouraging times.
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Lamentations 3:21-24.
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He says,
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"This I recall to
mind, therefore I have hope.
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Through the Lord's
mercies we are not consumed
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because His
compassions fail not.
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They are new every morning.
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Great is your faithfulness.
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The Lord is my
portion says my soul,
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therefore I have hope in Him."
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In discouraging times like this,
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get a vision of
the Lord as Isaiah did.
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And you'll still have hope.
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Amen.
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My verse is in
Ezekiel, Ezekiel Chapter 11,
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God says that
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"He does not have any pleasure
in the death of the wicked."
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And then it says,
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"Turn, turn from your evil
ways for why should you die,
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O house of Israel."
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And I think that's God's
appeal to each one of us to,
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when we see
that holiness of God,
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when we see His
purity to just come and say,
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would you cleanse me?
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Would you bring a
coal from your altar
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and touch me and
transform my life?
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Amen.
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And I believe
that God is still today
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looking down and saying,
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whom shall I send,
who will go for us?
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And I think Jesus
answered the question
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who is supposed to be
sent in Matthew 28:19.
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He says, and
He's speaking to you,
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He's speaking to me,
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He's speaking to all Christians.
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Therefore go and
make, this is Matthew 28:19,
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"Go and make
disciples of all nations,
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baptizing them in
the name of the Father,
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the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
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and teaching them to observe
all that I've commanded."
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Amen. Amen.
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I'm just going to
echo the words of Paul
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in 1 Thessalonians 5:19,
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"Do not quench the spirit."
00:58:22.10\00:58:24.67
We cannot begin to adopt
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the spiritual
eyesight of the Lord,
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the spiritual hearing of God,
00:58:28.10\00:58:30.07
the spiritual mind of Christ
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if we are not led
by the Holy Spirit.
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Don't harden your hearts,
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but open it up to the
leading guiding power of God.
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Amen. Praise the Lord.
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It's encouraging.
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I pray that the lesson has been
encouraging to each one of you.
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You've been
inspired to get into the Word
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and dig a little bit deeper.
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Isaiah has so much to offer
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as the Holy Spirit spoke to him,
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and these things
were written down
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for each one of us.
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So we pray, it's just
been a big blessing for you.
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Now, listen, you
won't want to miss
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next week's lesson.
00:58:56.83\00:58:58.17
We're going to be talking about
00:58:58.20\00:58:59.53
when your world
is falling apart.
00:58:59.57\00:59:02.20
You don't want to miss
it. Be sure to join us.
00:59:02.24\00:59:03.77
Thank you for joining us
at 3ABN Sabbath School Panel.
00:59:03.81\00:59:05.61
See you next time.
00:59:05.64\00:59:06.98