Hello, friends,
I'm Jill Morikone.
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And we're so glad that you
have tuned in for this edition
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of 3ABN's Sabbath School Panel.
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We're in the
middle of our journey.
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This is lesson
number eight of our quarter,
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Present Truth In Deuteronomy.
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And this lesson is one of
my favorites, Choose Life.
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Want to encourage you if
you don't have your own copy
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of the quarterly, you can
go to the following website
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and download it and
study along with us.
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That website is
absg.adventist.org
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That stands for
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adultbiblestudy
guide.adventist.org
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Or we always encourage you,
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go to your local
Seventh-day Adventist Church,
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and they would
be happy to give you
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a quarterly to study along.
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So grab your
Bible, and your pen,
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and your notebook to
take notes for this edition
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of 3ABN's Sabbath School Panel.
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Hello, I'm Jill Morikone.
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And what an incredible
study it has been so far.
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As we journey through
the Book of Deuteronomy,
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I know my faith has been
encouraged and strengthened,
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and I've learned so
much from our panelists here.
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We're so glad
that you've tuned in,
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and I'm just so glad our
family's here around the table.
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I want to introduce
them to you right now,
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but they really don't
need any introduction.
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To my left, Pastor Ryan Day.
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So glad you're here, brother.
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Amen. I'm excited to be here.
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And today, we're
going to be talking about
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how there's no middle ground.
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Yay. Looking forward to it.
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My sister, Shelley
Quinn, the lady in purple today.
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Hi. Thank you.
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I am telling you
this is one of my...
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This lesson has a
personal application.
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Amen. It certainly does.
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To Shelley's left, my
pastor, Pastor John Lomacang.
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Thank you so
much for being here.
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Yes.
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And mine is
entitled, Not Too Hard for You.
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And I'm looking
forward to that because there
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is nothing too hard for God.
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Amen.
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Last but not least,
Pastor James Rafferty.
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Part of the family and team.
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I'm so glad you're
here. So good to be here.
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And we're going to be studying
and my lesson on Thursday,
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A Question of Worship.
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Ooh, very good.
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I'm looking forward
to this lesson already.
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But before we go any further,
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we want to go to
the Lord in prayer.
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Pastor Ryan,
would you pray for us?
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Yes, let's pray.
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Our Father in heaven,
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Lord, we just want to thank You
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so much for
another day of life, Lord.
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And we want to thank You
for this wonderful Sabbath
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School Panel, Lord.
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And we can all gather
together to study Your Word,
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to learn of You, to
learn Your will for our life.
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And, Father, as we dive
deep into this study, again,
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may You give each
and every one of us
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the Holy Spirit
to speak Your words,
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not our own
thoughts, but Your will.
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And, Father, as all
of those people around
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the world are
listening and tuning into this,
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may they all be drawn to You.
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May we all as brothers
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and sisters in Christ be drawn
to Jesus Christ, our Savior.
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Because of the study
of Your Word this hour,
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we ask in Jesus name, amen.
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Amen.
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This lesson, lesson
number eight, Choose life.
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I want to start
with a memory text.
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Sometimes I start by
talking about Sabbath,
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but we're going to talk
about Sabbath in just a moment.
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Let's start right
off with a memory text.
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This is Deuteronomy 30:19.
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So you can open up your Bibles.
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Our memory text
is Deuteronomy 30:19.
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"I call heaven and earth as
witnesses today against you,
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that I have set
before you life and death,
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blessing and cursing.
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Therefore, choose
life, that both you
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and your descendants may live."
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Now, of course, Moses right
now is near the end of his life,
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is he not?
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Deuteronomy 31,
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he calls Joshua
as his successor,
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actually, incidentally,
on his 120th birthday.
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And this is Deuteronomy 30.
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So we're very close to
the end of Moses' life.
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The end of the book, of
course, is just details about
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preparation for the end of his
life and his subsequent death.
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So you can say
this is almost Moses'
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final words to the
children of Israel,
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to those people that he loved.
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If you think about final words,
I've often thought about this.
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When a soldier goes off to war,
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what's the mom and dad
say to their son or daughter,
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knowing that these
might be the last words
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I ever give you?
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If you have a spouse
who's dying of cancer,
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what would be the very
last words that you would
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want to speak to them?
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I love John 13:17.
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And I think one of my
reasons for liking it so much,
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is this is Jesus'
final words to His disciples.
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John 13, of course,
is the foot washing.
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And then right after that,
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14, 15, 16, 17 is Jesus'
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final words to His disciples
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before He goes to the cross.
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In this case, this is
Moses approaching death
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or getting toward
the end of his life.
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And we see his final words,
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his appeal to the
people that he loved
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and that he had
led for 40 years.
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Set before you life and death,
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blessing and
cursing, choose life.
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The lesson had an
example of a woman.
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She was 22 years
old, a young woman,
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this was on Sabbath's lesson.
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And before she passed
away, she knew she was dying.
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And she wanted her head
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stored in a deep freeze vat
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of liquid nitrogen.
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Why?
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Because she was hoping
that when science advanced,
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she could live on somehow
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connected to a computer.
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Why do we want to do that?
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Because the will to live
is very strong, is it not?
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You read stories about hikers
maybe caught in an avalanche.
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And they could
have body parts missing,
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they could be in
tremendous physical trauma,
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but what happens?
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They do everything they
can to get help and to get out.
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Why?
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Because the will
to live is strong.
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This week, we look at
Moses' appeal to choose life.
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On Sunday, we look
at the tree of life.
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And let's talk about
this for just a moment,
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the tree of life.
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The lesson brought this out.
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I thought it was
really fascinating.
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So I'm going to ask
you all three questions.
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First would be
existence, second is life,
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and the third is free will.
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Okay?
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So for existence,
did you choose existence?
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Nope. No.
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None of us chose
existence, did we?
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Adam and Eve, they
didn't choose existence.
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The animals, they
didn't choose existence.
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Nobody who's alive
today chose existence.
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To be honest, the rocks
and the trees and the flowers,
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they didn't choose
existence either, did they?
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No. Did we choose life?
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No?
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Now you might say life and
existence is the same thing.
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The lesson
actually differentiated it,
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which was interesting.
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They said rocks have existence,
but an amoeba has life, right?
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But we didn't
choose life. Rocks didn't.
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Of course, they
just have existence.
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But we didn't choose life,
animals didn't choose life,
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people didn't choose life.
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Did we choose the
gift of free will?
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No?
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God gave us the
gift of free will.
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Now animals, of course, don't
have the gift of free will.
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They have instinct and
they operate by instinct.
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Only humanity,
human beings have the gift
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of free will but yet we
didn't even choose that gift.
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It was given to us.
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So the final question is,
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what choice do we
have even in the matter
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if we didn't choose existence,
we didn't choose life,
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we didn't even choose
the gift of free will?
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We have the choice
to remain in existence.
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In other words, we have
the choice to choose life.
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That is eternal life.
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We have choices
every day that we face.
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Am I going to follow God
or am I going to follow Satan?
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Am I going to follow
what He says in His Word,
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or do I follow the natural
inclinations of my heart?
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What choice am I going to make?
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That is really the only choice
that either one of us have.
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You and I, us here on the panel,
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that's the choice that we have
is the choice to choose life,
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meaning eternal life.
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So let's look at that free
will given to Adam and Eve.
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We're going to Genesis.
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Genesis Chapter 2,
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we pick up the
story with two trees
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mentioned in the Garden of Eden,
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and we see this free
will come forth here.
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Genesis 2, we'll be
picking it up in verse 8.
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"The Lord God planted a
garden eastward in Eden,
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and there He put the
man whom He had formed."
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Now that word garden
comes in Hebrew from a root
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meaning to be
enclosed, to be fenced off,
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to be protected.
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The garden marks off a
space where created order
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and harmony is visible.
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It's also a temple garden,
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which was later
represented by the tabernacle.
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So both the tabernacle
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and the garden that God
created in the beginning,
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the Garden of Eden was to serve
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as a meeting place
between God and humanity.
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So the Lord God
planted this garden in Eden.
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Then we read verse 9.
00:09:03.71\00:09:06.04
"Out of the ground, the
Lord God made every tree
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grow that is pleasant to
the sight and good for food.
00:09:08.54\00:09:11.81
The tree of life was also
in the midst of the garden,
00:09:11.85\00:09:15.02
and the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil."
00:09:15.05\00:09:17.55
And here we see choice presented
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right there at
the very beginning.
00:09:19.42\00:09:21.29
The tree of life is
also mentioned in Proverbs
00:09:21.32\00:09:23.19
and again in the
Book of Revelation.
00:09:23.22\00:09:24.56
But the tree of
knowledge of good and evil
00:09:24.59\00:09:26.33
is only
mentioned here in Genesis.
00:09:26.36\00:09:27.76
Genesis 2 and Genesis Chapter 3.
00:09:27.80\00:09:30.60
So let's jump down to verse 15.
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We're in Genesis 2:15.
00:09:32.27\00:09:34.70
We see the choice that's given,
00:09:34.74\00:09:36.84
free will to Adam and to Eve.
00:09:36.87\00:09:40.74
"The Lord God took the man
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and put him in the Garden
of Eden to tend and keep it.
00:09:42.14\00:09:46.18
And the Lord, God
commanded the man, saying,
00:09:46.21\00:09:47.85
'Of every tree of the
garden, you may freely eat.
00:09:47.88\00:09:50.62
But at the tree of
the knowledge of good
00:09:50.65\00:09:51.99
and evil, you shall not eat.
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For the day that you eat
of it, you shall surely die.'"
00:09:53.92\00:09:57.43
So God's very clear, is He not?
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No confusion.
00:09:59.36\00:10:00.70
No questioning of
what's right and what's wrong,
00:10:00.73\00:10:03.26
or what am I supposed to do?
00:10:03.30\00:10:04.63
There's no
ambiguity here, right?
00:10:04.67\00:10:08.30
I got that word,
finally. No ambiguity.
00:10:08.34\00:10:10.84
It's clear. The choice is clear.
00:10:10.87\00:10:12.41
So what choice
did Adam and Eve have?
00:10:12.44\00:10:13.98
Clearly, they had no
choice about being created
00:10:14.01\00:10:17.71
and they had no
choice even about being given
00:10:17.75\00:10:19.88
the gift of free will.
00:10:19.91\00:10:21.25
But the choice they had
was eat of the tree of life
00:10:21.28\00:10:23.99
and choose eternal life,
00:10:24.02\00:10:25.75
or eat of the tree of
knowledge of good and evil,
00:10:25.79\00:10:28.52
which God said do not
eat of it, and choose death.
00:10:28.56\00:10:33.60
Now they could
have made either choice.
00:10:33.63\00:10:36.63
We know the choice they made.
00:10:36.67\00:10:38.17
They partook of
the forbidden fruit
00:10:38.20\00:10:40.00
and ate of the tree of
knowledge of good and evil.
00:10:40.04\00:10:42.07
And let's look
at the consequences
00:10:42.10\00:10:43.44
of that choice.
00:10:43.47\00:10:44.81
We're in Genesis 3,
jump down to verse 22.
00:10:44.84\00:10:46.81
Of course, we
have the whole story
00:10:46.84\00:10:48.18
of the temptation and the fall.
00:10:48.21\00:10:49.54
But let's just jump
down to the consequences.
00:10:49.58\00:10:51.61
Genesis 3:22-24.
00:10:51.65\00:10:54.15
"The Lord God said, 'Behold,
00:10:54.18\00:10:55.52
the man has become like one
of Us, to know good and evil.
00:10:55.55\00:10:59.05
And now lest he put out his hand
00:10:59.09\00:11:01.72
and take also of
the tree of life,
00:11:01.76\00:11:04.03
and eat, and live forever.'
00:11:04.06\00:11:05.89
Therefore, the Lord God
sent him out of the Garden
00:11:05.93\00:11:08.93
of Eden to till the ground
from which he was taken.'"
00:11:08.96\00:11:12.33
So he drove out the man.
00:11:12.37\00:11:14.44
The word drove means to drive
out, to expel, to thrust out.
00:11:14.47\00:11:18.41
So God used force
literally to drive out the man
00:11:18.44\00:11:22.88
and woman from
the Garden of Eden.
00:11:22.91\00:11:25.18
Force is used to
separate us from a Holy God.
00:11:25.21\00:11:27.98
"And he placed
cherubim at the east
00:11:28.02\00:11:29.48
of the Garden of
Eden, and a flaming sword
00:11:29.52\00:11:31.45
which turned every way,
00:11:31.49\00:11:32.95
to guard the way
to the tree of life."
00:11:32.99\00:11:36.62
We see the
consequences of their choice.
00:11:36.66\00:11:38.39
They had a choice before them.
00:11:38.43\00:11:39.79
They can choose eternal life.
00:11:39.83\00:11:41.20
They can keep
eating of the tree of life,
00:11:41.23\00:11:42.96
or they can choose what
God had said not to step into.
00:11:43.00\00:11:46.53
And they made the
wrong choice, did they not?
00:11:46.57\00:11:48.27
And we see the
consequences of that choice.
00:11:48.30\00:11:52.11
We see this appeal to
choose life all through
00:11:52.14\00:11:56.54
the Word of God.
00:11:56.58\00:11:57.91
I think of Noah.
00:11:57.95\00:11:59.28
For 120 years,
what did he preach?
00:11:59.31\00:12:00.65
Get on the boat.
There is a flood coming.
00:12:00.68\00:12:03.28
There was a choice, free will.
00:12:03.32\00:12:04.89
And the people had free will.
00:12:04.92\00:12:06.69
Do you step on the boat
00:12:06.72\00:12:08.06
and accept life or
do you accept death?
00:12:08.09\00:12:10.49
I think of Moses.
00:12:10.53\00:12:11.86
We just read that memory text
in Deuteronomy, choose life.
00:12:11.89\00:12:14.83
The children of
Israel had a choice.
00:12:14.86\00:12:16.20
They were just on the
borders of the Promised Land,
00:12:16.23\00:12:18.43
just to stepping into that.
00:12:18.47\00:12:20.94
And they had a
choice to walk with God
00:12:20.97\00:12:22.44
or to step back into idolatry.
00:12:22.47\00:12:25.21
I think of
Elijah at Mount Carmel.
00:12:25.24\00:12:27.54
If the Lord be God, follow Him,
but if Baal, then follow him.
00:12:27.58\00:12:30.65
And the people
had a choice, again.
00:12:30.68\00:12:33.11
Who are we going to serve?
00:12:33.15\00:12:35.18
I think of Jesus, the Messiah.
00:12:35.22\00:12:37.12
I am the way, the
truth, and the life.
00:12:37.15\00:12:38.92
And even down to
today, we have a choice.
00:12:38.95\00:12:41.42
Are we going to
accept Jesus and His way,
00:12:41.46\00:12:43.46
His plan of
salvation, or are we not?
00:12:43.49\00:12:45.93
And all the way
down to Revelation 22:17.
00:12:45.96\00:12:48.86
"The Spirit and the
bride, they say, 'Come!'
00:12:48.90\00:12:50.77
And let him who hears come.
00:12:50.80\00:12:53.03
And let him who thirst come.
00:12:53.07\00:12:55.40
Whoever desires, let him
take the water of life freely.'"
00:12:55.44\00:12:59.51
So I just want to appeal to
you in my remaining moments,
00:12:59.54\00:13:02.94
make a choice for life.
00:13:02.98\00:13:04.95
Make a choice for Jesus.
00:13:04.98\00:13:06.75
Make a choice for eternal life.
00:13:06.78\00:13:09.32
And, you know, when we do that,
00:13:09.35\00:13:11.09
the first step is
really the convicting
00:13:11.12\00:13:12.85
power of the Holy Spirit.
00:13:12.89\00:13:14.22
Because Romans 2:4,
00:13:14.26\00:13:15.59
"It is the goodness of God
that leads us to repentance."
00:13:15.62\00:13:17.79
So we don't even desire God.
00:13:17.83\00:13:19.16
We don't even want to turn
back to Him without the drawing
00:13:19.19\00:13:21.93
power of the Holy Spirit.
00:13:21.96\00:13:23.63
John 16, Jesus says
that the Holy Spirit
00:13:23.67\00:13:26.43
comes to bring
conviction of sin,
00:13:26.47\00:13:29.00
righteousness, and judgment.
00:13:29.04\00:13:30.37
So the Holy
Spirit brings conviction.
00:13:30.41\00:13:32.91
When Peter preached
that apostolic Pentecostal
00:13:32.94\00:13:35.71
sermon in Acts Chapter 2,
what did they say in verse 37?
00:13:35.74\00:13:39.65
"They were cut to the heart.
00:13:39.68\00:13:41.65
And they said,
'What shall we do?'"
00:13:41.68\00:13:43.28
That is the convicting
power of the Holy Spirit.
00:13:43.32\00:13:45.89
And then once the Holy Spirit
draws us, we don't resist.
00:13:45.92\00:13:49.42
1 John 1:9, "If
we confess our sins,
00:13:49.46\00:13:51.76
He's faithful and
just to forgive us
00:13:51.79\00:13:53.40
and to cleanse us
from all unrighteousness."
00:13:53.43\00:13:56.60
That is confession.
That is justification.
00:13:56.63\00:13:59.93
We're brought back into
right standing with Him.
00:13:59.97\00:14:02.60
And then Acts 26:18.
00:14:02.64\00:14:04.31
We'll close with this.
00:14:04.34\00:14:05.67
This is sanctification.
00:14:05.71\00:14:07.04
"To open their eyes in
order to turn them from
00:14:07.08\00:14:08.64
darkness to light,
00:14:08.68\00:14:10.28
from the power of
Satan to the power of God,
00:14:10.31\00:14:12.61
that they may
receive forgiveness of sins
00:14:12.65\00:14:14.48
and an inheritance among those
00:14:14.52\00:14:16.69
who are
sanctified by faith in Me."
00:14:16.72\00:14:19.19
So choose life. Praise the Lord.
00:14:19.22\00:14:22.42
That sets us up
perfect for Monday's lesson.
00:14:22.46\00:14:24.86
My name is Ryan Day.
00:14:24.89\00:14:26.23
Monday's lesson is
entitled, No Middle Ground.
00:14:26.26\00:14:30.23
As I was going
through this lesson,
00:14:30.27\00:14:31.60
I realized that the
majority, the vast majority
00:14:31.63\00:14:34.30
of the entire
lesson was just showing
00:14:34.34\00:14:35.80
scriptural evidence for
the fact that you cannot
00:14:35.84\00:14:38.87
deny that there are
only two groups in the Bible.
00:14:38.91\00:14:41.41
You find yourself
in one or two camps.
00:14:41.44\00:14:43.98
And so, my friends, we're about
to ride on a roller coaster.
00:14:44.01\00:14:46.51
I hope you're in your seatbelts.
00:14:46.55\00:14:47.88
I hope you
fasten those seatbelts
00:14:47.92\00:14:49.25
because I'm about to
take us through one scripture
00:14:49.28\00:14:51.05
after another.
00:14:51.09\00:14:52.42
In fact, we might be
four or five minutes into this
00:14:52.45\00:14:53.79
and you might be screaming
at your television saying,
00:14:53.82\00:14:55.49
"Okay, Ryan, we get the point."
00:14:55.52\00:14:57.79
But, my friends, I
think it needs to be clear.
00:14:57.83\00:15:00.10
We need to see the evidence
in the scripture for ourself.
00:15:00.13\00:15:02.60
So here we go.
00:15:02.63\00:15:04.27
All through the
Bible, we are presented
00:15:04.30\00:15:05.83
with one or two choices,
00:15:05.87\00:15:07.90
two options presented
for us very, very clearly.
00:15:07.94\00:15:11.61
And I'm going to start with
probably the most quoted verse
00:15:11.64\00:15:14.61
of all time, the most popular
verse of all time, John 3:16.
00:15:14.64\00:15:19.85
"For God so loved the
world that He gave His only
00:15:19.88\00:15:22.08
begotten Son, that
whosoever believes in Him should
00:15:22.12\00:15:24.82
not perish but
have everlasting life."
00:15:24.85\00:15:28.02
My friends, two
groups presented here.
00:15:28.06\00:15:30.09
Either those who believe
and put their trust in God
00:15:30.13\00:15:32.93
and therefore have eternal life,
00:15:32.96\00:15:34.50
or those who do not believe
and who do not trust in God,
00:15:34.53\00:15:37.53
who will perish forever.
00:15:37.57\00:15:39.47
Two groups, my friends.
There is no middle ground.
00:15:39.50\00:15:42.60
Let's go on to Genesis 7:22-23.
00:15:42.64\00:15:46.68
We see very clearly
two groups presented
00:15:46.71\00:15:48.74
during the days of Noah.
00:15:48.78\00:15:50.38
We see there in
verse 22, it says,
00:15:50.41\00:15:51.88
"All in whose
nostrils was the breath
00:15:51.91\00:15:53.68
of the spirit of life, all that
who was on the dry land, died.
00:15:53.72\00:15:57.52
So he destroyed
all living things
00:15:57.55\00:15:58.89
which were on the
face of the ground:
00:15:58.92\00:16:00.26
both man and
cattle, creeping thing,
00:16:00.29\00:16:02.22
and bird of the air.
00:16:02.26\00:16:03.59
They were
destroyed from the earth.
00:16:03.63\00:16:05.09
Only Noah and those who were
00:16:05.13\00:16:07.23
with him in the
ark remained alive.
00:16:07.26\00:16:09.96
Even in Noah's
day, those who heard
00:16:10.00\00:16:11.60
and responded to
the gospel message,
00:16:11.63\00:16:13.44
that salvational
message to get in the ark,
00:16:13.47\00:16:16.00
those people were saved.
00:16:16.04\00:16:17.37
And those people
who were not in the ark,
00:16:17.41\00:16:19.37
they were not saved
because they had rejected
00:16:19.41\00:16:21.61
the truth of God.
00:16:21.64\00:16:22.98
In that sense, my
friends, there are two
00:16:23.01\00:16:24.35
groups presented here.
00:16:24.38\00:16:25.71
There is no middle ground.
00:16:25.75\00:16:27.08
Romans 6:23.
00:16:27.12\00:16:28.78
The Bible says, "For
the wages of sin is death,
00:16:28.82\00:16:31.69
and the gift of God is
eternal life in Christ Jesus,
00:16:31.72\00:16:34.99
our Lord."
00:16:35.02\00:16:36.36
Very clearly presented.
00:16:36.39\00:16:37.73
Either you have eternal
life in Christ because you have
00:16:37.76\00:16:40.56
received Him and
you want to live,
00:16:40.60\00:16:42.56
or you live and
are a slave to sin
00:16:42.60\00:16:44.77
and that slavery
to sin brings death.
00:16:44.80\00:16:47.34
Two groups
presented here, my friends.
00:16:47.37\00:16:49.07
There is no middle ground.
00:16:49.10\00:16:50.97
You're going to eventually
start saying that with me
00:16:51.01\00:16:52.47
as we go along.
00:16:52.51\00:16:53.84
Romans 8:6, for to be
carnally minded is what?
00:16:53.88\00:16:58.01
Is death.
00:16:58.05\00:16:59.38
But to be spiritually
minded is life and peace.
00:16:59.41\00:17:02.98
My friends, do you have
the spiritual mind of Christ?
00:17:03.02\00:17:06.42
Have you submitted
yourself to have the Spirit?
00:17:06.45\00:17:08.72
Are you full of the Spirit
or do you have a carnal mind?
00:17:08.76\00:17:12.56
Are you a slave
to the carnal world?
00:17:12.59\00:17:14.53
Two groups presented
here in Romans Chapter 8.
00:17:14.56\00:17:16.90
And obviously,
there is no middle ground.
00:17:16.93\00:17:20.54
1 John 5:12.
00:17:20.57\00:17:23.24
You're going to get
this, I promise you.
00:17:23.27\00:17:24.94
The Bible makes it very clear.
00:17:24.97\00:17:26.41
"He who has the Son has life.
00:17:26.44\00:17:29.01
He who does not have the
Son of God does not have life."
00:17:29.04\00:17:32.25
I believe that
could all be summed up
00:17:32.28\00:17:33.62
right there just
in that one text.
00:17:33.65\00:17:34.98
Everything that
we're about to say
00:17:35.02\00:17:36.82
can be summed up in 1 John 5:12.
00:17:36.85\00:17:39.42
You either have
Jesus Christ in your life.
00:17:39.45\00:17:42.02
You have either made Him Lord
of your life or you have not.
00:17:42.06\00:17:45.16
And therefore, if you
have the Son, you have life.
00:17:45.19\00:17:47.56
But if you do not
have the Son of God,
00:17:47.60\00:17:49.16
you do not have eternal life.
00:17:49.20\00:17:51.20
Two groups
presented here. That's right.
00:17:51.23\00:17:52.67
There is no middle ground.
00:17:52.70\00:17:55.04
Even Jesus presents two
groups in Matthew Chapter 7.
00:17:55.07\00:17:58.34
Actually, in a couple of
passages of Matthew Chapter 7,
00:17:58.37\00:18:00.88
we see here in
verse 21 of Matthew 7.
00:18:00.91\00:18:03.21
He says, "Not everyone
who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,'
00:18:03.24\00:18:05.51
shall enter the
kingdom of heaven,
00:18:05.55\00:18:06.95
but he who does the
will of My Father in heaven.
00:18:06.98\00:18:09.52
Many will say to Me
in that day, 'Lord, Lord,
00:18:09.55\00:18:11.49
have we not
prophesied in Your name,
00:18:11.52\00:18:13.69
and cast out
demons in Your name,
00:18:13.72\00:18:15.66
and done many
wonders in Your name?'
00:18:15.69\00:18:17.99
And then I would declare
to them, 'I never knew you.
00:18:18.03\00:18:20.73
Depart from Me, you
who practice lawlessness.'"
00:18:20.76\00:18:24.23
Two groups presented here.
00:18:24.27\00:18:25.70
Either you do the
will of the Father
00:18:25.73\00:18:27.67
and obey Him in
keeping His commandments
00:18:27.70\00:18:30.61
because you are
saved, or you are deceiving
00:18:30.64\00:18:33.54
yourself into believing you
have a relationship with Him
00:18:33.58\00:18:35.84
when you do not know Him.
00:18:35.88\00:18:37.71
You know Him, or
you don't know Him.
00:18:37.75\00:18:39.31
Two groups presented here.
00:18:39.35\00:18:40.78
There is no middle ground.
00:18:40.82\00:18:42.95
Right behind that, my
friends, Matthew 7:24-27,
00:18:42.98\00:18:45.89
even more powerful.
00:18:45.92\00:18:47.26
Jesus says, "Therefore,
whoever hears these sayings
00:18:47.29\00:18:49.02
of mine and does them,
00:18:49.06\00:18:50.83
well, I will
liken him to a wise man
00:18:50.86\00:18:52.69
who built his house on the rock.
00:18:52.73\00:18:54.20
And the rain
descended, and the floods came,
00:18:54.23\00:18:55.83
and the winds blew
and beat up on the house.
00:18:55.86\00:18:57.77
And it did not fall, for
it was founded on the rock.
00:18:57.80\00:19:01.80
But everyone who
hears these sayings of mine
00:19:01.84\00:19:03.61
and does not do them will
be likened unto a foolish man
00:19:03.64\00:19:06.71
who built his house on the sand.
00:19:06.74\00:19:08.74
And the rains
descended, the floods came,
00:19:08.78\00:19:10.28
and the winds blew
and beat up on the house,
00:19:10.31\00:19:11.81
and it fell and
great was its fall."
00:19:11.85\00:19:14.42
My friends, are you
grounding your faith
00:19:14.45\00:19:16.18
and your life on the
rock of Jesus Christ?
00:19:16.22\00:19:18.55
Are you in that camp?
00:19:18.59\00:19:19.92
Are you grounding
your faith on the sands
00:19:19.95\00:19:22.22
of this carnal fallen world?
00:19:22.26\00:19:24.23
Two groups presented here.
00:19:24.26\00:19:25.96
There is no middle ground.
00:19:25.99\00:19:28.30
Matthew 13:37-38.
00:19:28.33\00:19:31.23
Jesus says here,
00:19:31.27\00:19:32.60
"And he answered
and said to them,
00:19:32.63\00:19:33.97
'He who sows the good
seed is the Son of Man.'"
00:19:34.00\00:19:36.10
The field is the world,
00:19:36.14\00:19:37.47
the good seed are
the sons of the kingdom,
00:19:37.51\00:19:39.97
but the tares are the
sons of the wicked one.
00:19:40.01\00:19:42.84
We see here Jesus
giving the parable
00:19:42.88\00:19:44.71
of the wheat and the tares.
00:19:44.75\00:19:46.28
And it's very clear.
00:19:46.31\00:19:47.65
You're in one camp or the other.
00:19:47.68\00:19:49.02
You are either a part of
God's whole wheat church,
00:19:49.05\00:19:51.42
or you are a part of those tares
00:19:51.45\00:19:52.95
who will be gathered and
burned at the end of the world.
00:19:52.99\00:19:55.59
My friends, two
groups presented right
00:19:55.62\00:19:57.39
here in Matthew 13:37-38.
00:19:57.43\00:20:01.30
Which group are you in?
00:20:01.33\00:20:02.70
You got to choose one
or the other because there
00:20:02.73\00:20:04.27
is no middle ground.
00:20:04.30\00:20:06.60
Let's go on to Luke 9:23-25.
00:20:06.63\00:20:09.37
"Jesus says to them all,
00:20:09.40\00:20:10.91
'If anyone
desires to come after me,
00:20:10.94\00:20:12.37
let him deny himself
00:20:12.41\00:20:14.01
and take up his
cross daily and follow Me.
00:20:14.04\00:20:16.91
For whosever desires to
save his life will lose it,
00:20:16.95\00:20:19.48
but whoever loses his
life for My sake will save it.
00:20:19.51\00:20:22.55
For what profiteth a man
if he gains the whole world
00:20:22.58\00:20:25.05
and is himself
destroyed or lost?'"
00:20:25.09\00:20:27.22
My friends, either you
are going to die to self,
00:20:27.26\00:20:30.73
take up that cross
and follow Jesus Christ,
00:20:30.76\00:20:33.60
or you'll find yourself
in the second camp of people
00:20:33.63\00:20:35.93
who will gain the world,
yes, have temporary gain,
00:20:35.96\00:20:38.73
but they will lose
their life in the end.
00:20:38.77\00:20:40.47
Two different groups
of people mentioned here.
00:20:40.50\00:20:42.50
There is no middle ground.
00:20:42.54\00:20:44.91
Make a point of
that. Make a note.
00:20:44.94\00:20:47.01
Matthew Chapter 25
very clearly presented here,
00:20:47.04\00:20:50.45
"The kingdom of God is
likened unto 10 virgins
00:20:50.48\00:20:53.11
who took their lamps and
went out to meet the bridegroom.
00:20:53.15\00:20:55.18
Now five of them were
wise and five were foolish."
00:20:55.22\00:20:58.62
My friends, you have
two groups presented here.
00:20:58.65\00:21:00.99
But notice in verse 3, it says,
00:21:01.02\00:21:02.36
"Those who were
foolish took their lamps
00:21:02.39\00:21:03.73
and took no oil with them.
00:21:03.76\00:21:05.46
But the wise took oil in
their vessels with their lamps."
00:21:05.49\00:21:08.43
We know oil is
likened unto the Holy Spirit.
00:21:08.46\00:21:10.73
It's a representation
of the Holy Spirit.
00:21:10.77\00:21:12.67
Two groups presented here
in Matthew 25:1-13, very clear.
00:21:12.70\00:21:16.74
You either have the Holy Spirit,
00:21:16.77\00:21:18.37
you're led by the Holy Spirit,
00:21:18.41\00:21:19.87
you're living
according to the Holy Spirit,
00:21:19.91\00:21:21.68
or you reject the
Holy Spirit in your life.
00:21:21.71\00:21:23.75
Two groups of
people, my friends.
00:21:23.78\00:21:25.41
You can't deny
it. And guess what?
00:21:25.45\00:21:27.35
There is no middle ground.
00:21:27.38\00:21:29.45
Even in that same
passage, Matthew Chapter 25,
00:21:29.48\00:21:31.95
very clear, verse 32.
00:21:31.99\00:21:34.29
It says, "All the
nations will gather before him,
00:21:34.32\00:21:36.46
and he will
separate one from the other
00:21:36.49\00:21:38.56
as a shepherd divides
his sheep from the goats.
00:21:38.59\00:21:40.96
And he will set a
sheep on his right hand
00:21:41.00\00:21:42.93
and the goats on the left.
00:21:42.96\00:21:44.30
And the king will say
to those on his right hand,
00:21:44.33\00:21:46.43
'Come unto me
blessed of the father.
00:21:46.47\00:21:48.00
Inherit the kingdom prepared
for you for the foundation
00:21:48.04\00:21:51.34
or from the
foundation of the world.'"
00:21:51.37\00:21:52.71
But notice verse
41 of Matthew 25.
00:21:52.74\00:21:55.24
It says, "Then he will also
say to those on the left hand,
00:21:55.28\00:21:58.18
'Depart from me, you
cursed into everlasting fire
00:21:58.21\00:22:01.28
prepared for the
devil and his angels.'"
00:22:01.32\00:22:03.18
Are there two groups here? Yeah.
00:22:03.22\00:22:04.55
There's two groups. Guess what?
00:22:04.59\00:22:05.92
There is no middle ground.
00:22:05.95\00:22:07.89
You're either a
sheep or you're a goat.
00:22:07.92\00:22:09.72
I'd rather be a sheep.
00:22:09.76\00:22:11.49
I'd rather be a sheep.
00:22:11.53\00:22:12.86
In this case, Luke Chapter
17, we see two groups here,
00:22:12.89\00:22:15.86
verse 34 through 36.
00:22:15.90\00:22:17.80
Jesus says, "I tell you, in
that night there will be two
00:22:17.83\00:22:19.73
men in one bed.
00:22:19.77\00:22:21.10
The one will be
taken and the other left.
00:22:21.14\00:22:22.47
The two women will
be grinding together.
00:22:22.50\00:22:23.84
The one will be
taken and the other left.
00:22:23.87\00:22:25.47
The two men
will be in the field.
00:22:25.51\00:22:26.98
The one will be
taken and the other left."
00:22:27.01\00:22:28.51
My friends, two
groups of people here,
00:22:28.54\00:22:30.15
two camps of people at
the second coming of Jesus.
00:22:30.18\00:22:32.61
Either you're going to
be standing left there,
00:22:32.65\00:22:35.12
standing at the presence
of the Lord when He returns,
00:22:35.15\00:22:38.72
or you're going to be taken.
00:22:38.75\00:22:40.16
Your life will be
taken and scattered abroad
00:22:40.19\00:22:42.36
and you will become
immediate bird feed.
00:22:42.39\00:22:44.49
You have two groups
that you have to choose from.
00:22:44.53\00:22:46.93
Either you're
going to be left alive
00:22:46.96\00:22:48.40
standing at the
presence of Jesus,
00:22:48.43\00:22:50.30
or you're going to be
taken, your life taken,
00:22:50.33\00:22:52.53
and you're going to
lose your life eternally.
00:22:52.57\00:22:53.97
My friends, there
is no middle ground.
00:22:54.00\00:22:56.94
The Bible makes that very clear.
00:22:56.97\00:22:58.81
There are several other
texts I'm working through here.
00:22:58.84\00:23:01.04
I wanna get into Revelation.
00:23:01.08\00:23:02.41
Let's get into
Revelation. My goodness.
00:23:02.44\00:23:04.01
Is there groups
here in Revelation?
00:23:04.05\00:23:05.71
Two different
groups here in Revelation.
00:23:05.75\00:23:07.78
We hear over and
over in the beginning
00:23:07.82\00:23:09.15
chapters of Revelation,
00:23:09.18\00:23:10.52
"He who has an ear, let him hear
00:23:10.55\00:23:12.39
what the Spirit
says to the church."
00:23:12.42\00:23:13.76
There's those who hear, right?
00:23:13.79\00:23:15.56
They hear and
listen to the Spirit.
00:23:15.59\00:23:17.29
They hear Jesus knocking
on the door of their heart
00:23:17.33\00:23:19.69
and they let Him in.
00:23:19.73\00:23:21.06
And then there's those
who don't hear the Spirit.
00:23:21.10\00:23:22.80
They reject the leading
guiding power of the Spirit.
00:23:22.83\00:23:24.87
And therefore, they do not
invite Jesus into their heart.
00:23:24.90\00:23:27.70
Two groups of
people, my friends.
00:23:27.74\00:23:29.27
No middle ground.
00:23:29.30\00:23:31.61
You get into
Revelation Chapter 13 and 14.
00:23:31.64\00:23:33.81
You have the
beast and the creator.
00:23:33.84\00:23:35.91
And the issue is worship.
00:23:35.94\00:23:37.28
Either you worship the beast,
or you worship the creator,
00:23:37.31\00:23:39.81
the Lord your God.
00:23:39.85\00:23:41.18
Two groups of people.
00:23:41.22\00:23:42.55
No middle ground.
00:23:42.58\00:23:43.92
Revelation 15 and
16, two groups of people.
00:23:43.95\00:23:46.25
Those who receive the
plagues and the wrath of God,
00:23:46.29\00:23:49.02
those who do not.
00:23:49.06\00:23:50.46
No middle ground.
00:23:50.49\00:23:51.83
When you get into
Revelation Chapter 17 and 18,
00:23:51.86\00:23:54.10
God is talking about this harlot
00:23:54.13\00:23:55.73
who has deceived the
world and made the world drunk
00:23:55.76\00:23:58.10
with the wine of the
wrath of her fornication.
00:23:58.13\00:24:00.04
Either you're drunk and confused
00:24:00.07\00:24:01.87
and you're stuck left in Babylon
00:24:01.90\00:24:03.71
because you're confused,
or according to Revelation 18,
00:24:03.74\00:24:06.07
you come out of
Babylon because you
00:24:06.11\00:24:07.94
listen to the Spirit
and you will not receive
00:24:07.98\00:24:10.38
of her plagues.
00:24:10.41\00:24:11.75
No middle ground.
00:24:11.78\00:24:13.11
Revelation Chapter 20 and 21,
00:24:13.15\00:24:14.48
you're either inside the
city of God that comes down,
00:24:14.52\00:24:17.35
or you're
outside the city of God.
00:24:17.39\00:24:19.62
Two camps of people.
00:24:19.65\00:24:20.99
Either you are
burned in the lake of fire,
00:24:21.02\00:24:23.29
or you are preserved
and saved from the lake
00:24:23.32\00:24:25.86
of fire because you are His.
00:24:25.89\00:24:27.43
And when we get to Revelation
22, last chapter of the Bible.
00:24:27.46\00:24:30.10
Oh, either you are
found in the kingdom of God,
00:24:30.13\00:24:34.80
eating from the tree
of life because you have
00:24:34.84\00:24:37.71
done His commandments,
00:24:37.74\00:24:40.31
or you are not found
in the kingdom of God.
00:24:40.34\00:24:43.01
You are cast out
and you are left alone.
00:24:43.04\00:24:46.11
My friends, choose Jesus today.
00:24:46.15\00:24:48.22
Choose the right camp,
because at the end of the day,
00:24:48.25\00:24:51.15
there is no middle ground.
00:24:51.19\00:24:54.52
Amen. Ooh, that was powerful.
00:24:54.56\00:24:56.39
Praise the Lord.
There is no middle ground.
00:24:56.42\00:24:58.23
Thank you, Pastor Ryan.
00:24:58.26\00:24:59.76
We're going to take a break.
00:24:59.79\00:25:01.13
We'll be right back. Amen.
00:25:01.16\00:25:02.50
Ever wish you could watch
00:25:08.50\00:25:09.84
a 3ABN Sabbath
School Panel again,
00:25:09.87\00:25:12.01
or share it on
Facebook, Instagram or Twitter?
00:25:12.04\00:25:15.01
Well, you can by visiting
3abnsabbathschoolpanel.com
00:25:15.04\00:25:20.08
A clean design
makes it easy to find
00:25:20.12\00:25:22.92
the program you're looking for.
00:25:22.95\00:25:24.65
There are also links to
the Adult Bible Study Guide
00:25:24.69\00:25:28.16
so you can follow along.
00:25:28.19\00:25:29.96
Sharing is easy.
00:25:29.99\00:25:31.33
Just click share and choose
your favorite social media.
00:25:31.36\00:25:34.53
Share a link, save
a life for eternity.
00:25:34.56\00:25:39.23
Welcome back to our
study on Choose Life.
00:25:39.27\00:25:41.97
And we're going to
kick it over to Shelley.
00:25:42.00\00:25:43.44
She has Tuesday's lesson.
00:25:43.47\00:25:45.04
Oh, thank you so much.
00:25:45.07\00:25:46.57
Tuesday's lesson is Life
and Good, Death and Evil,
00:25:46.61\00:25:51.01
Blessings and Cursing.
00:25:51.05\00:25:53.01
And there's no middle ground.
00:25:53.05\00:25:55.35
Moses had delivered
three sermons to the generation
00:25:55.38\00:26:00.12
that's getting ready to
go into the Promised Land.
00:26:00.16\00:26:02.52
And he's
re-ratifying their covenant
00:26:02.56\00:26:06.49
commitment if you will.
00:26:06.53\00:26:07.86
But after his long discourse
on the curses for disobedience
00:26:07.90\00:26:13.23
and violation of the covenant,
00:26:13.27\00:26:15.17
he sums it up
00:26:15.20\00:26:16.54
like this in Deuteronomy 30:14.
00:26:16.57\00:26:21.48
He sums up after this long
00:26:21.51\00:26:24.91
discussion on the curses.
00:26:24.95\00:26:28.15
I love this verse.
00:26:28.18\00:26:29.52
Deuteronomy 30:14,
00:26:29.55\00:26:31.39
"But the word is very near you.
00:26:31.42\00:26:37.13
It is in your
mouth and in your heart."
00:26:37.16\00:26:42.46
Wow.
00:26:42.50\00:26:43.83
The word is in your
mouth and in your heart.
00:26:43.87\00:26:45.47
It's got to be in your
heart to be in your mouth,
00:26:45.50\00:26:48.04
but why that you may do it.
00:26:48.07\00:26:51.54
Anytime you see that, for that,
00:26:51.57\00:26:53.31
it's a purpose statement.
00:26:53.34\00:26:54.91
So he's saying God
has revealed His mind
00:26:54.94\00:26:58.38
and His purposes
through Moses' instructions.
00:26:58.41\00:27:01.12
And if the people would implant
this word in their heart,
00:27:01.15\00:27:06.52
it has the power unto salvation.
00:27:06.55\00:27:10.06
Just like James says,
00:27:10.09\00:27:12.06
"The implanted word has
the power into salvation."
00:27:12.09\00:27:16.33
So they were to
put it in their heart,
00:27:16.36\00:27:19.60
speak it over their life.
00:27:19.63\00:27:21.74
And God's Word had such
a clear message of His love
00:27:21.77\00:27:27.21
and His salvation.
00:27:27.24\00:27:28.84
They had all the choice.
00:27:28.88\00:27:30.68
I mean, all the truth necessary
to make the right choice,
00:27:30.71\00:27:35.52
didn't they?
00:27:35.55\00:27:36.89
A decision whether they
were going to live in God's love
00:27:36.92\00:27:41.19
or live under His curse.
00:27:41.22\00:27:43.29
So it was
necessary that they made
00:27:43.32\00:27:47.30
this decision
by a decision to do
00:27:47.33\00:27:53.03
His Word and walk in
His covenant blessings.
00:27:53.07\00:27:56.30
Now let's look at
Deuteronomy 30:15-16.
00:27:56.34\00:28:01.34
What Moses is doing here,
00:28:01.38\00:28:03.45
he's warning them
about God rejecting.
00:28:03.48\00:28:08.45
If they rejected His way,
that their evil disobedience
00:28:08.48\00:28:12.32
is going to bring
some consequences.
00:28:12.35\00:28:14.79
Deuteronomy 30:15-16.
00:28:14.82\00:28:17.03
He says, "See, I
have set before you today
00:28:17.06\00:28:21.70
life and good."
00:28:21.73\00:28:23.33
Oh, life and good.
00:28:23.37\00:28:24.70
I like that.
00:28:24.73\00:28:26.50
"Death and evil."
00:28:26.53\00:28:28.00
Oh boy, no middle ground.
00:28:28.04\00:28:31.11
"In that I command you
today to love the Lord your God,
00:28:31.14\00:28:34.88
to walk in his ways
00:28:34.91\00:28:37.85
and to keep his
commandments, and statutes,
00:28:37.88\00:28:40.18
and his judgments, that
you may live and multiply.
00:28:40.22\00:28:43.75
And the Lord your God
will bless you in the land
00:28:43.79\00:28:45.92
which you go to possess."
00:28:45.95\00:28:47.66
So he has summed up
what Moses is doing here.
00:28:47.69\00:28:52.43
All the law of God
that is written in the Book
00:28:52.46\00:28:55.76
of the Law, the
Book of Deuteronomy.
00:28:55.80\00:28:58.10
He's summing it up.
00:28:58.13\00:28:59.73
There's two
choices, life and death,
00:28:59.77\00:29:02.90
blessing and evil.
00:29:02.94\00:29:04.27
I mean, death and
evil, life and blessing,
00:29:04.31\00:29:09.21
or death and evil.
00:29:09.24\00:29:10.58
No middle ground.
00:29:10.61\00:29:12.25
So what I wanted to point out,
00:29:12.28\00:29:18.02
the reason there is death
00:29:18.05\00:29:24.03
and evil.
00:29:24.06\00:29:25.39
When you disobey God,
you no longer have God's
00:29:25.43\00:29:28.36
protection over you.
00:29:28.40\00:29:30.43
Deuteronomy 30:17.
00:29:30.47\00:29:33.94
Moses says, "If
your heart turns away
00:29:37.31\00:29:39.17
so that you do not hear,
00:29:39.21\00:29:40.98
if you refuse this
word that can save you,
00:29:41.01\00:29:44.91
if you are drawn away
and worship other gods
00:29:44.95\00:29:47.18
and serve them, I
announced to you this day,
00:29:47.22\00:29:49.68
you shall surely perish.
00:29:49.72\00:29:51.85
You shall not
prolong your days in the land
00:29:51.89\00:29:54.46
which you cross over the
Jordan to go and possess.
00:29:54.49\00:29:57.43
Now listen, I
call heaven and earth
00:29:57.46\00:30:00.16
as witnesses today against you,
that I have set before you life
00:30:00.20\00:30:05.80
and death."
00:30:05.83\00:30:07.34
No middle ground. That's right.
00:30:07.37\00:30:08.87
"Blessing and cursing."
00:30:08.90\00:30:11.17
No middle ground,
but it's your choice.
00:30:11.21\00:30:14.81
And then he says,
"Therefore, choose life,
00:30:14.84\00:30:18.11
that both you and
your descendants may live."
00:30:18.15\00:30:20.55
I said this has a
personal application.
00:30:20.58\00:30:23.08
If you've ever watched Exalting
His Word or read the book,
00:30:23.12\00:30:26.15
Exalting His Word,
I've shared this testimony.
00:30:26.19\00:30:29.02
But I went through a period
00:30:29.06\00:30:33.16
of a year of 24/7 vertigo.
00:30:33.19\00:30:34.96
This was many, many years ago.
00:30:35.00\00:30:37.73
And I got to the point
00:30:37.77\00:30:40.14
with many other things
that happened that I don't have
00:30:40.17\00:30:42.34
time to explain,
but I got to the point
00:30:42.37\00:30:44.77
one night that I had an
emotional identification
00:30:44.81\00:30:50.05
with the why of my
00:30:50.08\00:30:53.25
mother's suicide attempts.
00:30:53.28\00:30:57.12
I wasn't thinking of suicide,
but I finally understood why.
00:30:57.15\00:31:02.82
And it was
because there was no hope.
00:31:02.86\00:31:06.06
And so the next morning, God...
00:31:06.09\00:31:09.03
I was looking
out over the fields
00:31:09.06\00:31:11.73
and the Lord
said to me so clearly.
00:31:11.77\00:31:15.20
I mean, it
wasn't an audible voice,
00:31:15.24\00:31:19.84
but it may as well have been.
00:31:19.87\00:31:21.54
What I heard was, "I set
before you life and death.
00:31:21.58\00:31:25.11
Choose life."
00:31:25.15\00:31:26.48
And I said, "Lord,
I have chosen life.
00:31:26.51\00:31:30.12
Jesus Christ is my Savior.
00:31:30.15\00:31:31.95
If you mean
anything more than that,
00:31:31.99\00:31:33.69
you're going to
have to explain it to me
00:31:33.72\00:31:35.66
'cause I'm in no
condition to figure this out."
00:31:35.69\00:31:39.13
And that's when He
said, "My words are not idle.
00:31:39.16\00:31:43.26
They are life to you.
00:31:43.30\00:31:46.00
Choose My words."
00:31:46.03\00:31:48.27
And you know what?
00:31:48.30\00:31:49.64
I got in the Bible and I had...
00:31:49.67\00:31:51.84
I couldn't even
read after so many months
00:31:51.87\00:31:54.91
of this condition,
00:31:54.94\00:31:57.68
but I was in my Bible like
this looking up scriptures.
00:31:57.71\00:32:01.55
I didn't even have a Strong's,
didn't have any Bible software.
00:32:01.58\00:32:05.29
But I found those
scriptures on healing
00:32:05.32\00:32:07.52
and I began to confess them.
00:32:07.56\00:32:09.02
And when I did, two weeks
into it, it was kind of like,
00:32:09.06\00:32:13.56
nothing's changed yet.
00:32:13.60\00:32:15.96
Lord, am I not
doing this in faith?
00:32:16.00\00:32:18.07
Did You not
directly tell me to do this?
00:32:18.10\00:32:20.64
And then the Lord spoke
00:32:20.67\00:32:22.10
three scriptures to me
that were life changing.
00:32:22.14\00:32:25.11
Isaiah 55:11 where He says,
00:32:25.14\00:32:28.11
"My word will not
return to Me void.
00:32:28.14\00:32:32.01
It will accomplish every
purpose for which I sent it."
00:32:32.05\00:32:34.88
Amen.
00:32:34.92\00:32:36.25
And Jeremiah 1:12, he said,
00:32:36.28\00:32:37.72
"I am watching over
My word to perform it."
00:32:37.75\00:32:40.56
And then Romans 4:17
00:32:40.59\00:32:42.69
where he said, "God is the God
00:32:42.72\00:32:46.93
who gives life to the dead
00:32:46.96\00:32:48.30
and calls things that
are not as though they were."
00:32:48.33\00:32:50.93
So there was a
choice for these people.
00:32:50.97\00:32:53.64
They could choose life.
00:32:53.67\00:32:55.57
They could choose that word
that was to be in their heart
00:32:55.60\00:32:59.41
and in their mouth, that
they could do God's will,
00:32:59.44\00:33:03.88
that they could respond
to His love and His covenant.
00:33:03.91\00:33:07.82
That's right.
00:33:07.85\00:33:09.18
Blessings with
a reciprocal love.
00:33:09.22\00:33:10.55
That's what it's all about.
00:33:10.59\00:33:11.99
Or they...
00:33:12.02\00:33:13.76
It was their choice to
suffer His consequences.
00:33:13.79\00:33:17.19
You know, that's what
happens right now today.
00:33:17.23\00:33:20.96
People say,
"Why did God do this?
00:33:21.00\00:33:22.90
Well, it's
because it's your choice.
00:33:22.93\00:33:25.60
Now as creatures of
free will just as Adam
00:33:25.63\00:33:30.07
and Eve at the tree
of good and knowledge,
00:33:30.11\00:33:33.64
the same choice
is given to Israel.
00:33:33.68\00:33:35.98
Let's... And you
know, you point it out.
00:33:36.01\00:33:38.48
I'm going to read this again.
00:33:38.51\00:33:40.45
No, I don't have
time to read it all.
00:33:40.48\00:33:41.82
where Jesus said either
00:33:44.35\00:33:48.32
the Son of God has
been given for eternal life
00:33:48.36\00:33:52.56
or that you would perish.
00:33:52.59\00:33:55.50
And that's complete destruction.
00:33:55.53\00:33:57.67
But he goes on in verse 18.
00:33:57.70\00:34:00.94
He says, "He
who believes in Him,
00:34:00.97\00:34:04.07
in Jesus, is not condemned.
00:34:04.11\00:34:06.14
But he who does not believe
00:34:06.17\00:34:08.24
is condemned
already because he has
00:34:08.28\00:34:09.74
not believed in
the name of the only
00:34:09.78\00:34:11.11
begotten Son of God."
00:34:11.15\00:34:12.48
And this is the
condemnation, that light
00:34:12.51\00:34:14.45
has come into the world.
00:34:14.48\00:34:15.82
And men love
darkness more than light
00:34:15.85\00:34:17.69
because their deeds were evil.
00:34:17.72\00:34:19.69
For everyone
practicing evil hates the light.
00:34:19.72\00:34:24.73
Wow.
00:34:24.76\00:34:26.09
But he who comes to
the light that his deeds
00:34:26.13\00:34:28.36
may be clearly seen,
00:34:28.40\00:34:30.77
they are those that
have been done in God.
00:34:30.80\00:34:33.77
So Deuteronomy
00:34:33.80\00:34:36.10
30:20 says,
00:34:36.14\00:34:41.08
"That you may
love the Lord your God,
00:34:41.11\00:34:44.28
that you may obey his voice,
00:34:44.31\00:34:47.95
and you may cling to
him, for he is your life
00:34:47.98\00:34:53.96
and the length of your days."
00:34:53.99\00:34:56.83
See, Moses sets
00:34:56.86\00:34:59.03
before them the
greatest commandment,
00:34:59.06\00:35:02.13
which is to love
the Lord your God.
00:35:02.16\00:35:04.60
And that love
00:35:04.63\00:35:07.90
when he says love
with all your heart, soul,
00:35:07.94\00:35:09.94
mind, and strength,
00:35:09.97\00:35:11.31
I can't do it
in my own strength.
00:35:11.34\00:35:12.67
But Romans 5:5 says,
00:35:12.71\00:35:14.04
"He pours his love
into our hearts by the power
00:35:14.08\00:35:16.95
of the Holy Spirit."
00:35:16.98\00:35:18.51
We even love by grace.
00:35:18.55\00:35:20.15
Isn't that amazing? Of course.
00:35:20.18\00:35:22.32
But there is a link
between love for God
00:35:22.35\00:35:27.29
and obedience to God.
00:35:27.32\00:35:29.86
'Cause Jesus
said, "If you love Me,
00:35:29.89\00:35:31.96
keep My commandments."
00:35:31.99\00:35:33.63
Amen. Thank you, Shelley.
00:35:33.66\00:35:35.83
Thank you, Shelly.
00:35:35.86\00:35:37.30
It's good to be on Wednesday
00:35:37.33\00:35:39.17
because I get an
opportunity to glean
00:35:39.20\00:35:41.80
a little bit along the way.
00:35:41.84\00:35:43.30
I'm so glad I'm
two seats from Ryan.
00:35:43.34\00:35:45.37
I would've been consumed
by the heat because there
00:35:45.41\00:35:49.04
is no middle ground.
00:35:49.08\00:35:50.41
Praise the Lord for all that
has been presented thus far.
00:35:50.45\00:35:52.81
And mine is exciting
because it's entitled,
00:35:52.85\00:35:54.82
Not Too Hard for You.
00:35:54.85\00:35:57.59
I want to dive in.
00:35:57.62\00:35:58.95
I have seven
points I want to make,
00:35:58.99\00:36:00.32
but I want to
start with Jeremiah 32.
00:36:00.36\00:36:01.92
Now as we look at the
history of the Israelites,
00:36:01.96\00:36:05.66
we should be filled
with confidence that if God
00:36:05.69\00:36:08.66
could bring a people through,
00:36:08.70\00:36:10.73
as we pointed out on
one of our prior lessons,
00:36:10.77\00:36:13.44
who didn't have
character to be brought through,
00:36:13.47\00:36:16.17
they had no good on their own.
00:36:16.20\00:36:17.87
They couldn't even do good.
00:36:17.91\00:36:19.24
The Lord said, "I'm
not giving you this land
00:36:19.27\00:36:20.78
because you're good or you're
righteous in your own sight.
00:36:20.81\00:36:23.65
I'm doing this
because the people around
00:36:23.68\00:36:25.01
you are more evil than you are."
00:36:25.05\00:36:27.15
So that's a terrible way
to feel like you're getting
00:36:27.18\00:36:29.98
a Christmas gift
because you've been good
00:36:30.02\00:36:31.35
all year long.
00:36:31.39\00:36:32.72
If I put all your
behavior all year long,
00:36:32.75\00:36:34.42
you wouldn't get any gifts.
00:36:34.46\00:36:36.02
God looks at us and His grace
00:36:36.06\00:36:38.06
and His mercy are so
compassionate towards us.
00:36:38.09\00:36:41.16
That's right. We
are, as Shelley said...
00:36:41.20\00:36:42.53
And I want to go actually
in one of our prior lessons,
00:36:42.56\00:36:45.47
what is God's grace giving
us something we do not deserve.
00:36:45.50\00:36:50.01
Amen.
00:36:50.04\00:36:51.37
And I like this lesson because
it's asking the question,
00:36:51.41\00:36:54.88
or answering the question.
00:36:54.91\00:36:56.51
There's nothing too hard
for God, not too hard for you.
00:36:56.54\00:37:00.32
Jeremiah 32:27.
00:37:00.35\00:37:02.88
And the reason I chose
Jeremiah 32 before my points
00:37:02.92\00:37:06.09
of takeaway is because I am...
00:37:06.12\00:37:09.86
I wouldn't say a student
of, but I really appreciate
00:37:09.89\00:37:12.79
the Book of Job.
00:37:12.83\00:37:15.33
Now we think of
the sufferings of Job.
00:37:15.36\00:37:17.47
But in the Book of Job,
00:37:17.50\00:37:18.83
the God that is
unrestrained is revealed.
00:37:18.87\00:37:23.64
Yeah. And what
do I mean by that?
00:37:23.67\00:37:25.17
When you think that
there's something hard for God,
00:37:25.21\00:37:27.84
just dare to
read Job Chapter 38.
00:37:27.88\00:37:31.78
I dare you to read it.
00:37:31.81\00:37:33.75
That's a double
dare. That's right.
00:37:33.78\00:37:35.45
Because if you think that
there's something hard for God,
00:37:35.48\00:37:38.09
let's just sit in Job's seat
00:37:38.12\00:37:40.39
and take the heat that came
from his divine understanding
00:37:40.42\00:37:45.39
when Job had no choice.
00:37:45.43\00:37:47.06
He couldn't even run away.
00:37:47.10\00:37:48.53
God said, "Wait a
minute." And I love this.
00:37:48.56\00:37:51.37
When Job thought that God was...
00:37:51.40\00:37:53.23
He didn't even blame God, but
he was kind of bordering on it.
00:37:53.27\00:37:56.67
Why am I going through this?
00:37:56.71\00:37:58.57
And then after his friend,
00:37:58.61\00:38:00.34
Eli, who remind him of God's
greatness, we find in Job 38.
00:38:00.38\00:38:04.51
And I'll read
Jeremiah 32 in just a moment.
00:38:04.55\00:38:07.38
But I like the questions
that God started asking Job.
00:38:07.42\00:38:10.69
"Who is this who
darkens counsel by words
00:38:10.72\00:38:14.72
without knowledge?
00:38:14.76\00:38:16.12
Where were you when I laid
the foundations of the earth?
00:38:16.16\00:38:19.59
Tell Me, if you
have understanding.
00:38:19.63\00:38:21.73
Who determined its measurements?
00:38:21.76\00:38:23.77
Surely, you know!" That's right.
00:38:23.80\00:38:25.93
And he says, "Have you commanded
00:38:25.97\00:38:27.80
the morning
since your days began?
00:38:27.84\00:38:30.11
Have you entered
the springs of the sea?
00:38:30.14\00:38:32.87
Have the gates of
death been revealed to you?
00:38:32.91\00:38:35.48
Or have you seen the
doors of the shadow of death?
00:38:35.51\00:38:37.88
Have you comprehended
the breadth of the earth?
00:38:37.91\00:38:40.02
Tell Me, if you know all this."
00:38:40.05\00:38:42.28
And that was just the beginning.
00:38:42.32\00:38:43.65
And I could say...
00:38:43.69\00:38:45.02
I could hear Job
saying, "Okay, enough, enough."
00:38:45.05\00:38:46.39
And he said, "No,
no, I'm not done yet.
00:38:46.42\00:38:47.76
Where is the way of the
dwelling of light and darkness?
00:38:47.79\00:38:49.66
Where is its place?
00:38:49.69\00:38:51.69
Do you know it
because you were born then?
00:38:51.73\00:38:54.66
Have you entered the treasury
of snow, or have you seen
00:38:54.70\00:38:57.27
the treasury of hail,
00:38:57.30\00:38:58.63
which I've reserved for the time
00:38:58.67\00:39:00.04
of trouble for the
day of the battle and war?
00:39:00.07\00:39:02.37
Who has divided the channel
for the overflowing waters?
00:39:02.40\00:39:06.71
Can you bind the
cluster of the Pleiades or lose
00:39:06.74\00:39:10.05
the belt of Orion?"
00:39:10.08\00:39:11.61
You're so smart,
tell me how to do that.
00:39:11.65\00:39:13.52
God dressed him down.
00:39:13.55\00:39:14.88
"Can you lift up your voice
to the clouds that an abundance
00:39:14.92\00:39:18.95
of water may cover you?
00:39:18.99\00:39:20.32
Can you send out lightning
that they may know where to go?
00:39:20.36\00:39:23.73
Who has put wisdom in the mind?
00:39:23.76\00:39:25.79
And who has given
understanding to the heart?
00:39:25.83\00:39:28.10
Can you number
the clouds by wisdom?
00:39:28.13\00:39:30.00
Or can you pour out the bottles
of water that it contain?"
00:39:30.03\00:39:33.57
God is saying,
"You're really smart, Job.
00:39:33.60\00:39:36.04
Just stop complaining.
00:39:36.07\00:39:38.07
This is not
going to be permanent.
00:39:38.11\00:39:39.97
You know, God's knowledge...
00:39:40.01\00:39:42.34
But God's mercy was what God
00:39:42.38\00:39:44.75
was trying to show to
the children of Israel.
00:39:44.78\00:39:46.95
So my...
00:39:46.98\00:39:48.32
Jill, my seven
points of takeaway.
00:39:48.35\00:39:50.45
I'm going to let you read
Deuteronomy 30:1-10 yourself.
00:39:50.49\00:39:53.62
You need to do some
homework, but here's
00:39:53.66\00:39:55.42
what I took away from that.
00:39:55.46\00:39:57.16
The first thing, God
will extend His compassion
00:39:57.19\00:40:00.56
and mercy.
00:40:00.60\00:40:01.93
Praise God for that.
00:40:01.96\00:40:03.30
If He hadn't, would
any of us be here? No.
00:40:03.33\00:40:04.67
We wouldn't be here.
00:40:04.70\00:40:06.03
Here's the response to that.
00:40:06.07\00:40:07.40
Psalm 86:15.
00:40:07.44\00:40:08.77
God will extend His
compassion and mercy.
00:40:08.80\00:40:10.74
Psalm 86:15,
00:40:10.77\00:40:12.54
"But You, O Lord, are
a God full of compassion,
00:40:12.57\00:40:16.78
and gracious, longsuffering,
00:40:16.81\00:40:19.21
and abundant in
mercy and truth."
00:40:19.25\00:40:22.08
Praise the name of God for that.
00:40:22.12\00:40:24.92
Amen.
00:40:24.95\00:40:26.29
Compassionate,
gracious, longsuffering,
00:40:26.32\00:40:28.59
and abundant in mercy and truth.
00:40:28.62\00:40:30.86
And yet in all of
that, His law isn't changing,
00:40:30.89\00:40:34.20
as He isn't changing.
00:40:34.23\00:40:35.56
The second point,
God will bring His people
00:40:35.60\00:40:38.73
back from captivity.
00:40:38.77\00:40:40.77
I remember being on one of
these Sabbath School lessons
00:40:40.80\00:40:42.87
when Jill talked about
how God brought the children
00:40:42.90\00:40:45.64
of Israel out of Egypt,
00:40:45.67\00:40:47.01
and how beautiful it
was when you unfolded that.
00:40:47.04\00:40:49.54
That He didn't bring them
out because there was some
00:40:49.58\00:40:51.25
good people that
needed to be delivered
00:40:51.28\00:40:52.88
from bad people.
00:40:52.91\00:40:54.25
He brought them out
because He wanted to make them
00:40:54.28\00:40:56.99
a treasure in the earth.
00:40:57.02\00:40:58.35
Amen. Deuteronomy 30:3.
00:40:58.39\00:41:00.62
God brings His people back.
00:41:00.66\00:41:02.02
He says, "That the
Lord your God will bring you
00:41:02.06\00:41:05.29
back from captivity."
00:41:05.33\00:41:06.66
And every one of us
in one degree or another
00:41:06.70\00:41:09.66
has been brought back
from the captivity of sin,
00:41:09.70\00:41:12.93
the captivity of bad habits,
00:41:12.97\00:41:14.64
the captivity
of our own desires.
00:41:14.67\00:41:17.01
Every one of us have
been delivered, Jill,
00:41:17.04\00:41:20.58
from our Egypt.
00:41:20.61\00:41:21.94
That's right. Praise God.
00:41:21.98\00:41:23.31
He's able to deliver.
00:41:23.35\00:41:24.68
And it says, "That the
Lord God will bring you
00:41:24.71\00:41:27.32
back from captivity,
and have compassion on you,
00:41:27.35\00:41:30.72
and gather you
again from all the nations
00:41:30.75\00:41:33.99
where the Lord your
God has scattered you."
00:41:34.02\00:41:36.69
Now the gathering
00:41:36.73\00:41:38.23
is because He
did the scattering.
00:41:38.26\00:41:40.30
God sometimes
scatter because sometimes
00:41:40.33\00:41:43.03
we're not good when we all
live in the same community.
00:41:43.06\00:41:45.63
That's why
sometimes it's not good.
00:41:45.67\00:41:47.00
And I want to say this
in context of Adventism.
00:41:47.04\00:41:49.04
It's not good to be
in Adventist ghetto,
00:41:49.07\00:41:51.21
because it
sometimes kills our witness.
00:41:51.24\00:41:53.58
We don't have people to talk
to God about because we feel
00:41:53.61\00:41:56.31
we all know Him.
00:41:56.34\00:41:57.88
God had to scatter
them that He may reveal
00:41:57.91\00:42:00.48
Himself to them.
00:42:00.52\00:42:01.85
Amen.
00:42:01.88\00:42:03.22
The third
point, God will prosper
00:42:03.25\00:42:04.59
and multiply your prosperity
more than He multiplied
00:42:04.62\00:42:09.49
the prosperity
of their ancestors.
00:42:09.52\00:42:11.46
Deuteronomy 30:5,
00:42:11.49\00:42:13.40
"Then the Lord your God
will bring you to the land
00:42:13.43\00:42:15.66
which your fathers possessed,
and you shall possess it.
00:42:15.70\00:42:19.23
He will prosper you
00:42:19.27\00:42:21.07
and multiply you
more than your fathers."
00:42:21.10\00:42:24.31
So if you want to
know how God is saying,
00:42:24.34\00:42:26.17
I could do for you
better than what I did for them.
00:42:26.21\00:42:28.81
And you might say,
"Man, my dad had it good,
00:42:28.84\00:42:30.55
my mom had it good, but
look at how good I have it."
00:42:30.58\00:42:33.92
Now I say that in context of,
00:42:33.95\00:42:36.35
I don't want to go
back to the technology
00:42:36.38\00:42:37.85
of my father or the
technology of my grandfather,
00:42:37.89\00:42:40.96
do you, James?
00:42:40.99\00:42:42.32
Not right now. Not right now.
00:42:42.36\00:42:44.33
Not today.
00:42:44.36\00:42:45.69
They had some advantages.
00:42:45.73\00:42:47.80
Now we look back at maybe
even 20 years ago and we say,
00:42:47.83\00:42:50.47
"How did we get
around without a GPS?
00:42:50.50\00:42:53.20
How did we find our way?"
00:42:53.23\00:42:54.70
Knowledge is increasing.
00:42:54.74\00:42:56.30
But what's more beautiful
than technological knowledge
00:42:56.34\00:42:59.21
is the knowledge that
God can do exceedingly,
00:42:59.24\00:43:03.04
abundantly above all
that we can ask or think
00:43:03.08\00:43:07.02
according to the power
00:43:07.05\00:43:08.75
that is at work in
His children's lives.
00:43:08.78\00:43:11.59
Point number four, God
will bless those that bless you
00:43:11.62\00:43:15.96
and curse those that curse you.
00:43:15.99\00:43:19.16
How do we get blessings?
00:43:19.19\00:43:21.00
Proverbs 28:13.
00:43:21.03\00:43:22.90
Let's talk about
the blessing part.
00:43:22.93\00:43:24.87
Not going to spend
time on the cursing.
00:43:24.90\00:43:26.53
God will take care of
that. But look at the blessing.
00:43:26.57\00:43:29.47
"He who covers his
sin will not prosper,
00:43:29.50\00:43:33.11
but whoever confesses
00:43:33.14\00:43:34.48
and forsakes
them will have mercy."
00:43:34.51\00:43:36.88
When you confess your
sin, God will have mercy on you
00:43:36.91\00:43:40.88
and God will bless you.
00:43:40.92\00:43:42.45
Don't seek to be in sin
and to receive God's blessings.
00:43:42.48\00:43:45.85
The two don't mesh because
there is no middle ground.
00:43:45.89\00:43:50.03
Number five, God will make
your work expand and abound.
00:43:50.06\00:43:53.90
2 Corinthians 9:8.
00:43:53.93\00:43:55.66
Only God can do that.
00:43:55.70\00:43:57.40
The Bible says in 2 Corinthians
9:8 about God expanding
00:43:57.43\00:44:00.44
and abounding our work.
00:44:00.47\00:44:01.80
"And God is able to make
all grace abound towards you,
00:44:01.84\00:44:05.17
that you always having all
sufficiency and all things,
00:44:05.21\00:44:09.48
may have an
abundance for every good work."
00:44:09.51\00:44:13.55
That's the story of 3ABN.
00:44:13.58\00:44:14.92
Why are we still
here 35 years later?
00:44:14.95\00:44:16.95
Because God knows
how to increase abundance
00:44:16.99\00:44:19.22
and prosper the work
that is for His glory.
00:44:19.25\00:44:21.79
Point number six, God
will increase your livestock
00:44:21.82\00:44:24.39
and the fruit of your vineyard.
00:44:24.43\00:44:25.76
Malachi 3:11, "A
blessing to those
00:44:25.79\00:44:27.90
who are honest in
tithe and offering.
00:44:27.93\00:44:29.73
And I will rebuke the
devourer for your sakes
00:44:29.76\00:44:32.47
so that he will not destroy
the fruit of your ground,
00:44:32.50\00:44:36.20
nor shall the vine fail to
bear fruit for you in the field,
00:44:36.24\00:44:40.08
says the Lord of hosts."
00:44:40.11\00:44:42.04
That's right.
00:44:42.08\00:44:43.41
God can prosper you
financially, socially,
00:44:43.45\00:44:45.28
spiritually,
physically and every other way
00:44:45.31\00:44:47.15
if you are simply obedient
to God's plan for prosperity.
00:44:47.18\00:44:50.19
And the last
point, point number seven,
00:44:50.22\00:44:52.02
God will rejoice over
those that are obedient to him.
00:44:52.05\00:44:55.69
Zephaniah 3:17.
00:44:55.72\00:44:57.36
Find that quickly.
00:44:57.39\00:44:58.76
He says, "The Lord
your God in your midst,
00:44:58.79\00:45:02.26
the Mighty One will save you.
00:45:02.30\00:45:04.10
He will rejoice
over you with gladness.
00:45:04.13\00:45:07.04
He will quiet you with His love.
00:45:07.07\00:45:09.00
He will rejoice
over you with singing."
00:45:09.04\00:45:12.14
That moved my heart to
think that God loves me so much,
00:45:12.17\00:45:15.04
that He'll rejoice over me
00:45:15.08\00:45:16.41
and just sing
because of His love for me.
00:45:16.44\00:45:19.88
Praise His holy name.
00:45:19.91\00:45:21.28
You know why He can do that?
00:45:21.32\00:45:22.65
Because there's
nothing too hard for God.
00:45:22.68\00:45:25.15
Amen. Amen.
00:45:25.19\00:45:26.52
Thank you, John.
00:45:26.55\00:45:28.02
Thank you,
Shelley, and Ryan, and Jill,
00:45:28.06\00:45:29.76
what a blessing this
lesson is, Choose Life.
00:45:29.79\00:45:32.46
I have Thursday's lesson.
00:45:32.49\00:45:33.83
My name is
Pastor James Rafferty.
00:45:33.86\00:45:35.20
And the question for
Thursday's lesson is,
00:45:35.23\00:45:37.77
A Question of Worship.
00:45:37.80\00:45:39.40
And Cliff knocked it out again.
00:45:39.43\00:45:40.77
So we're just going
to read the introduction
00:45:40.80\00:45:42.14
here to our lessons.
00:45:42.17\00:45:43.61
Central to the
covenant relationship between
00:45:43.64\00:45:46.81
the Lord and Israel was worship.
00:45:46.84\00:45:49.68
What made them
different from all the world
00:45:49.71\00:45:51.95
around them was that
they alone as a nation
00:45:51.98\00:45:54.78
were worshiping the true God,
00:45:54.82\00:45:57.12
as opposed to the
false gods and the goddesses
00:45:57.15\00:45:59.55
of the pagan world,
00:45:59.59\00:46:00.92
which were
really no gods at all.
00:46:00.96\00:46:03.09
Deuteronomy 32:30,
00:46:03.12\00:46:04.53
"Now see that I even I am he
00:46:04.56\00:46:07.76
and there is no God besides me."
00:46:07.80\00:46:11.57
So the author,
Cliff Goldstein...
00:46:11.60\00:46:13.37
I call him Cliff,
'cause he's a friend of mine.
00:46:13.40\00:46:15.37
He gives us a
number of verses here
00:46:15.40\00:46:17.04
and I'm not
going to read them all.
00:46:17.07\00:46:18.41
We're not going
to read them all.
00:46:18.44\00:46:19.77
But Deuteronomy
4:19, Deuteronomy 8:19,
00:46:19.81\00:46:21.71
Deuteronomy
11:16, Deuteronomy 30:17.
00:46:21.74\00:46:25.25
And then he asked
this question and he says,
00:46:25.28\00:46:27.02
"What is the common
warning in all of these verses?
00:46:27.05\00:46:31.35
And why is this warning
00:46:31.39\00:46:32.75
so essential to
the nation of Israel?"
00:46:32.79\00:46:34.62
Well, the common
warning in all of these verses
00:46:34.66\00:46:36.52
is don't worship other gods.
00:46:36.56\00:46:38.39
That's right.
00:46:38.43\00:46:39.76
Don't worship other gods,
00:46:39.79\00:46:41.26
don't worship
the heavens as God,
00:46:41.30\00:46:42.80
don't worship
anything as God but me.
00:46:42.83\00:46:45.13
That's the common
warning in all of these verses.
00:46:45.17\00:46:48.10
Why is this warning essential
to the nation of Israel?
00:46:48.14\00:46:50.87
Because 40 days out of
Sinai, they were worshiping
00:46:50.91\00:46:53.71
the golden calf.
00:46:53.74\00:46:55.08
Because not long after
that, they were worshiping
00:46:55.11\00:46:57.15
the brazen
serpent that they were
00:46:57.18\00:46:58.58
supposed to look to to
live, which was a representation
00:46:58.61\00:47:01.38
of this plan of
salvation, Christ on the cross.
00:47:01.42\00:47:03.72
They were
worshiping that as an idol.
00:47:03.75\00:47:06.05
The reason why these
verses are so important
00:47:06.09\00:47:08.82
is because our natural tendency
is to worship ourselves.
00:47:08.86\00:47:13.73
The idols that
we form are really
00:47:13.76\00:47:15.56
a form of worship of ourselves.
00:47:15.60\00:47:17.03
That's right. That's true.
00:47:17.07\00:47:18.40
American Idol is
a form of worship.
00:47:18.43\00:47:20.14
You know, we have
idols today that we worship.
00:47:20.17\00:47:21.74
We worship sport stars,
and we worship movie stars,
00:47:21.77\00:47:25.27
and we worship music stars,
and we worship 3ABN stars.
00:47:25.31\00:47:30.18
Ooh. It's true.
00:47:30.21\00:47:32.01
1 Corinthians 3,
00:47:32.05\00:47:33.38
Paul is talking to the
church in Corinth and he says,
00:47:33.42\00:47:35.95
"Why are you following
after and focusing on men?
00:47:35.98\00:47:39.65
Why are you focusing on Cephas?
00:47:39.69\00:47:41.02
And why are you
focusing on Apollo?
00:47:41.06\00:47:42.39
So why are you focusing on Paul?
00:47:42.42\00:47:43.76
What is all of this man
focus, this man worship?
00:47:43.79\00:47:46.76
You're carnally minded
when you think that way.
00:47:46.80\00:47:48.86
It's our natural
tendency to worship
00:47:48.90\00:47:52.00
others because really
we're worshiping ourselves.
00:47:52.03\00:47:55.37
It's our natural
tendency to worship
00:47:55.40\00:47:56.74
idols because really, excuse me,
00:47:56.77\00:47:58.64
we're worshiping ourselves.
00:47:58.67\00:48:00.71
God has directed us to
who we really should worship,
00:48:00.74\00:48:04.28
and that is Jesus Christ.
00:48:04.31\00:48:05.65
In fact, in Daniel Chapter 12,
00:48:05.68\00:48:07.02
we're told that we're
not to be movie stars,
00:48:07.05\00:48:08.98
we're not to be rock stars,
00:48:09.02\00:48:10.35
we're not to be political stars.
00:48:10.39\00:48:14.36
We are to be stars
that shine as the brightness
00:48:14.39\00:48:17.36
of the firmament
forever that point
00:48:17.39\00:48:19.69
people to Jesus
Christ, to our righteousness,
00:48:19.73\00:48:23.47
to the
righteousness of Jesus Christ.
00:48:23.50\00:48:25.43
We are to reflect that
light of His righteousness.
00:48:25.47\00:48:28.74
So it's so important.
00:48:28.77\00:48:30.21
It's so vital for us
00:48:30.24\00:48:32.21
to understand this
question of worship.
00:48:32.24\00:48:34.31
And so we go on into this lesson
00:48:34.34\00:48:37.08
and we find out
that one of the reasons
00:48:37.11\00:48:38.75
why God doesn't want
us to worship other gods
00:48:38.78\00:48:41.52
is because we're
told in Deuteronomy 5:9.
00:48:41.55\00:48:45.22
And in the Ten
Commandments, that Deuteronomy 5
00:48:45.25\00:48:48.12
is a repeat of the
Ten Commandments, correct?
00:48:48.16\00:48:49.99
So Deuteronomy 5 tells us
that our God is a jealous God.
00:48:50.03\00:48:55.50
He's a jealous God.
00:48:55.53\00:48:56.87
So, you know, in relationships,
there's this jealousy factor.
00:48:56.90\00:49:00.14
And, of course, in
human relationships,
00:49:00.17\00:49:02.40
the jealousy
factor is all about me.
00:49:02.44\00:49:05.27
I am jealous
because you are doing
00:49:05.31\00:49:07.61
something that affects me,
that makes me feel insecure.
00:49:07.64\00:49:10.18
That is...
00:49:10.21\00:49:11.55
It pull it away from
your attention to me.
00:49:11.58\00:49:12.95
But with God,
the jealousy factor's
00:49:12.98\00:49:15.85
a little bit different.
00:49:15.88\00:49:17.22
You know, Paul says in
2 Corinthians Chapter 11,
00:49:17.25\00:49:19.72
that I'm jealous over
you with godly jealousy.
00:49:19.75\00:49:23.16
God is other centered.
00:49:23.19\00:49:24.83
God is selfless.
00:49:24.86\00:49:26.29
And so God's
jealousy is about us.
00:49:26.33\00:49:29.36
He's jealous for
us because He doesn't
00:49:29.40\00:49:31.30
want us to be harmed.
00:49:31.33\00:49:33.13
He doesn't want us to be hurt.
00:49:33.17\00:49:34.50
He doesn't want us to
come outside of that boundary
00:49:34.54\00:49:38.11
of His law because He
knows there's evil out there.
00:49:38.14\00:49:41.28
He knows there's pain out there.
00:49:41.31\00:49:42.64
He knows there's
sorrow out there.
00:49:42.68\00:49:44.15
So when God says,
"I'm a jealous of God,"
00:49:44.18\00:49:45.71
He's saying, "I don't
want you to worship other gods
00:49:45.75\00:49:47.58
because I know what
that's going to do to you."
00:49:47.62\00:49:49.15
Look what it does to
the idols we worship.
00:49:49.18\00:49:51.12
Look what it does to
the stars we worship.
00:49:51.15\00:49:53.19
Think about people
whose lives have been
00:49:53.22\00:49:54.96
devastated
because we worship them,
00:49:54.99\00:49:57.23
and we are responsible for that.
00:49:57.26\00:49:58.89
The more that you get in
line to worship that idol,
00:49:58.93\00:50:02.43
that person, that
star, the more responsible
00:50:02.46\00:50:05.43
you're going to be
for the detrimental
00:50:05.47\00:50:06.97
effects it has upon them.
00:50:07.00\00:50:08.34
Amen. God didn't
make us to be worshiped.
00:50:08.37\00:50:10.61
That's right. None of us.
00:50:10.64\00:50:11.97
God is the only one
to be worshiped because
00:50:12.01\00:50:14.44
He's the only one
that is the Creator God.
00:50:14.48\00:50:17.65
And so God is jealous for
us because God cares about us.
00:50:17.68\00:50:21.28
He cares about
what's going to happen to us
00:50:21.32\00:50:23.35
outside of His
boundary, outside of His love.
00:50:23.39\00:50:26.22
And this issue of worship comes
all the way down to the very
00:50:26.25\00:50:30.39
last book of the Bible.
00:50:30.43\00:50:32.39
Ryan pointed out so powerfully,
00:50:32.43\00:50:34.56
I think, that
there's no middle ground.
00:50:34.60\00:50:37.83
And that's what
we see in Revelation
00:50:37.87\00:50:39.20
Chapters 13 and 14.
00:50:39.23\00:50:40.57
So Cliff asked us to
read Revelation 13:1-15
00:50:40.60\00:50:43.81
and focus on the
question of how worship
00:50:43.84\00:50:45.44
is being presented there.
00:50:45.47\00:50:46.81
And then contrast those
verses with Revelation 14:6-12.
00:50:46.84\00:50:50.98
What is happening here
in Revelation that reflects
00:50:51.01\00:50:53.52
the warning given in Deuteronomy
00:50:53.55\00:50:55.55
and all through the
scriptures about false worship?
00:50:55.58\00:50:58.49
Well, what is happening here
00:50:58.52\00:50:59.85
and how does that tie
into God being a jealous
00:50:59.89\00:51:02.72
God being concerned about us
00:51:02.76\00:51:04.39
more than He is
even about Himself?
00:51:04.43\00:51:05.96
Well, in Revelation 13:10
00:51:05.99\00:51:08.56
and 12, we're told that
the worship of this world
00:51:08.60\00:51:12.90
as it consummates in
this beast power that makes
00:51:12.93\00:51:16.57
an image to this
other beast power.
00:51:16.60\00:51:18.11
And beast in Revelation
and prophecy represent
00:51:18.14\00:51:20.28
earthly powers or kingdoms.
00:51:20.31\00:51:21.94
The issue here in
these two verses is force.
00:51:21.98\00:51:26.05
There is a force
that is being leveled
00:51:26.08\00:51:30.99
against people in
Revelation 13:10 and 12.
00:51:31.02\00:51:34.26
And force is the
exact opposite of freedom.
00:51:34.29\00:51:37.69
Coercion is the
exact opposite of freedom.
00:51:37.73\00:51:40.83
God made us in His image.
00:51:40.86\00:51:42.70
God is love.
00:51:42.73\00:51:44.07
And that love involves freedom,
00:51:44.10\00:51:45.97
freedom to love or not to love
because love cannot be forced.
00:51:46.00\00:51:49.47
And so the very essence
of God's being is this love,
00:51:49.50\00:51:52.67
is this liberty.
00:51:52.71\00:51:54.04
That's why we're told
in 2 Corinthians 3:17,
00:51:54.08\00:51:55.74
"Where the Spirit of the
Lord is there is liberty."
00:51:55.78\00:51:58.71
There's freedom.
00:51:58.75\00:52:00.15
That's an
indication that God is there,
00:52:00.18\00:52:01.82
that God is present there.
00:52:01.85\00:52:03.18
And so there is
no God in this beast.
00:52:03.22\00:52:04.95
There's no God in this
image worship in the end
00:52:04.99\00:52:07.39
of time because it
is a power of force.
00:52:07.42\00:52:10.69
That's right.
00:52:10.73\00:52:12.06
And then it says in verses
13 and 14, there is deception.
00:52:12.09\00:52:16.00
These are the very
issues we're dealing with today.
00:52:16.03\00:52:18.13
I mean, this is so timely.
00:52:18.17\00:52:19.50
This quarterly
is so timely for us.
00:52:19.53\00:52:21.10
This subject is so timely
to us because we're dealing
00:52:21.14\00:52:23.61
today with force and coercion.
00:52:23.64\00:52:24.97
We're dealing
today with deception.
00:52:25.01\00:52:26.78
And in verse 15, we're
dealing today with bodily harm,
00:52:26.81\00:52:30.58
that we're dealing today
with this economic pressure.
00:52:30.61\00:52:33.48
Verses 16 and 17, its
economic pressure that says
00:52:33.52\00:52:36.18
you can't buy or
sell that's forcing us,
00:52:36.22\00:52:38.79
that's taking away our
choice, taking away our liberty,
00:52:38.82\00:52:41.12
taking away our freedom.
00:52:41.16\00:52:42.49
And taking away liberty, you're
taking away the Spirit of God.
00:52:42.52\00:52:45.26
In contrast to that, we
have Revelation Chapter 14.
00:52:45.29\00:52:48.10
And what does it say?
00:52:48.13\00:52:49.46
Worship God because
the everlasting gospel
00:52:49.50\00:52:52.73
motivates you to do that.
00:52:52.77\00:52:54.50
See the
everlasting gospel comes before
00:52:54.54\00:52:56.14
the call to worship.
00:52:56.17\00:52:57.51
The everlasting gospel
comes before the call to fear.
00:52:57.54\00:52:59.44
The everlasting gospel comes
before the call to judgment.
00:52:59.47\00:53:01.94
The everlasting
gospel comes before
00:53:01.98\00:53:03.88
the call to give glory to God
because the everlasting gospel
00:53:03.91\00:53:06.21
is the
motivation for all of that.
00:53:06.25\00:53:08.22
And to summarize
the everlasting gospel,
00:53:08.25\00:53:10.12
we can simply say
Christ hanging on the cross.
00:53:10.15\00:53:14.12
That is the gospel.
00:53:14.16\00:53:15.66
That's our message, that's
our hope, that's our warning.
00:53:15.69\00:53:18.19
It's good.
00:53:18.23\00:53:19.56
That's our encouragement,
00:53:19.59\00:53:20.93
Christ hanging
on upon the cross.
00:53:20.96\00:53:22.30
And so we have this
contrast, these two groups,
00:53:22.33\00:53:24.73
and they're separated by
the principles of coercion,
00:53:24.77\00:53:27.37
and force, economic pressure.
00:53:27.40\00:53:29.34
You can't buy or sell
in contrast to liberty,
00:53:29.37\00:53:33.51
love, the everlasting
gospel, the call of Christ.
00:53:33.54\00:53:36.98
If I be lifted up, I
will draw all men unto Me.
00:53:37.01\00:53:41.42
So Cliff closes
out here in our lesson.
00:53:41.45\00:53:43.22
He says, "However
different the context,
00:53:43.25\00:53:46.02
the issue is the same.
00:53:46.05\00:53:48.09
Will people worship
the true God and have life,
00:53:48.12\00:53:50.86
or will they
succumb to the pressures?
00:53:50.89\00:53:53.66
Either covert...
00:53:53.70\00:53:55.06
I mean, overt,
or subtle, or both,
00:53:55.10\00:53:57.40
to turn their allegiance
away from Him and face death?"
00:53:57.43\00:54:01.10
He continues,
"Ultimately, the answer lies
00:54:01.14\00:54:04.11
within each individual heart."
00:54:04.14\00:54:07.61
God did not force
ancient Israel to follow Him
00:54:07.64\00:54:10.75
and He won't force us.
00:54:10.78\00:54:12.25
And as we see it in Revelation
13, force is what the beast
00:54:12.28\00:54:15.85
and his image will employ.
00:54:15.88\00:54:17.89
God in contrast works by love.
00:54:17.92\00:54:22.22
There's one verse that
I want to close this out
00:54:22.26\00:54:23.73
with now because I think
it's so important, perhaps,
00:54:23.76\00:54:26.29
maybe overlooked.
00:54:26.33\00:54:27.66
We're going to
look at 1 Timothy 6:10.
00:54:27.70\00:54:31.73
1 Timothy 6:10, because this
is going to help to guide us.
00:54:31.77\00:54:36.91
I think God's Word can guide
us in these difficult times.
00:54:36.94\00:54:39.67
This verse in 1 Timothy 6:10
00:54:39.71\00:54:42.54
is going to help to guide us
in the time in which we live.
00:54:42.58\00:54:46.92
It says here,
"For the love of money
00:54:46.95\00:54:48.92
is the root of all evil,
00:54:48.95\00:54:52.59
which while some
have coveted after,
00:54:52.62\00:54:54.12
they have erred from
the faith and pierced
00:54:54.16\00:54:57.46
themselves through
with many sorrows."
00:54:57.49\00:54:59.36
God doesn't want us
to err from the faith.
00:54:59.39\00:55:01.20
God doesn't want us
to be pierced through
00:55:01.23\00:55:02.56
with many sorrows.
00:55:02.60\00:55:03.93
God doesn't want
us to love money.
00:55:03.97\00:55:05.30
God doesn't want us to
be so dependent on money
00:55:05.33\00:55:07.34
that when the
economic pressure comes,
00:55:07.37\00:55:09.50
we're going to succumb.
00:55:09.54\00:55:10.87
Where we're going to lose,
00:55:10.91\00:55:12.24
we're going to
give up our freedom,
00:55:12.27\00:55:13.61
our liberty, we're
going to give up our freedom
00:55:13.64\00:55:14.98
of choice and we're going
to choose to go along with
00:55:15.01\00:55:16.34
the beast and receive his mark.
00:55:16.38\00:55:17.81
God wants us to
free us from all of that.
00:55:17.85\00:55:19.81
And the only way
we can be free indeed
00:55:19.85\00:55:22.68
is through Jesus
Christ, our Savior.
00:55:22.72\00:55:24.85
He has come to set us free.
00:55:24.89\00:55:26.65
And when the Son sets us
free, we will be free indeed.
00:55:26.69\00:55:29.42
Choose Jesus and you
will have the freedom
00:55:29.46\00:55:31.33
and the liberty to
stand in this crisis ahead.
00:55:31.36\00:55:33.96
Amen. Thank you all so much.
00:55:34.00\00:55:36.10
What an incredible
lesson. Praise the Lord.
00:55:36.13\00:55:38.00
Want to give each one
of you a moment to share
00:55:38.03\00:55:39.73
about your day
or something else.
00:55:39.77\00:55:41.10
Amen.
00:55:41.14\00:55:42.47
Romans 6:16, "Do you not
know that to whom you present
00:55:42.50\00:55:44.97
yourselves slaves to obey,
00:55:45.01\00:55:47.51
you are that one's
slave whom you obey,
00:55:47.54\00:55:49.41
whether of leading to sin
00:55:49.44\00:55:51.41
or of obedience
leading to righteous...
00:55:51.45\00:55:54.75
Or sin leading to death,
00:55:54.78\00:55:56.12
or obedience
leading to righteousness?"
00:55:56.15\00:55:58.09
There's two
groups, no middle ground.
00:55:58.12\00:56:00.89
I just wanted to make a quick
correction on the scripture
00:56:00.92\00:56:03.63
reference, for God
watches over His word.
00:56:03.66\00:56:07.20
That's Jeremiah 1:12.
00:56:07.23\00:56:09.60
I want to leave
you with this thought.
00:56:09.63\00:56:11.60
Deuteronomy 30:14,
00:56:11.63\00:56:13.80
"The word is near
you, it's in your mouth,
00:56:13.84\00:56:17.01
it's in your heart,
that you may do it."
00:56:17.04\00:56:19.67
And I'm going to make a little
00:56:19.71\00:56:21.04
turn here because
when I think about,
00:56:21.08\00:56:22.94
is there
anything too hard for God?
00:56:22.98\00:56:24.85
This brings me comfort.
00:56:24.88\00:56:26.21
Then Psalm 27:1,
00:56:26.25\00:56:28.22
"The Lord is my
light and my salvation.
00:56:28.25\00:56:30.49
Whom shall I fear?
00:56:30.52\00:56:31.95
If there's
nothing difficult for Him,
00:56:31.99\00:56:33.56
I fear no one but God."
00:56:33.59\00:56:34.99
Amen. Just along
those same lines.
00:56:35.02\00:56:37.96
We're told that
God's love cast out fear.
00:56:37.99\00:56:40.73
Perfect love cast out all fear.
00:56:40.76\00:56:42.50
When we bring God into our
hearts, the fear is diminished.
00:56:42.53\00:56:44.97
The fear goes out.
00:56:45.00\00:56:46.33
Amen.
00:56:46.37\00:56:47.70
Thank you so much Pastor
James, Pastor John, Shelley,
00:56:47.74\00:56:50.57
and Pastor Ryan.
00:56:50.61\00:56:51.94
Thank you for your knowledge
of the Word and for sharing it.
00:56:51.97\00:56:54.01
And we thank for
joining us at home.
00:56:54.04\00:56:56.08
I want to leave you with
00:56:56.11\00:56:57.48
a scripture that
I quoted earlier.
00:56:57.51\00:56:59.31
This is Revelation 22,
last book of the Bible,
00:56:59.35\00:57:02.42
last chapter, verse 17.
00:57:02.45\00:57:04.22
"The Spirit and
the bride say, 'Come!'
00:57:04.25\00:57:06.79
Let him who hears come.
00:57:06.82\00:57:09.12
Let him who is of thirst come.
00:57:09.16\00:57:12.46
Whoever desires,
00:57:12.49\00:57:13.83
take of the
water of life freely."
00:57:13.86\00:57:15.20
So we want to encourage
you today to choose life.
00:57:15.23\00:57:19.73
We also want to
encourage you to join us
00:57:19.77\00:57:21.67
next week for 3ABN's
Sabbath School Panel,
00:57:21.70\00:57:24.47
where we will be
studying lesson number nine,
00:57:24.51\00:57:27.11
Turn Their Hearts.
00:57:27.14\00:57:28.94