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Series Code: AFNB
Program Code: AFNB002241S
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00:02 - [Narrator #1] This presentation is brought to you
00:03 by the Friends of the Amazing Facts Ministry. 00:07 (gentle instrumental music) 00:09 - Did you know, most baby mammals, 00:11 birds, and even some fish instinctively identify 00:15 and bond with their parents 00:16 in the very early stages of their lives? 00:19 But if the parents aren't available, 00:21 well, some strange things can happen. 00:23 In the 1930s, Austrian zoologist, 00:26 Konrad Lorenz, conducted some of the first experiments 00:30 on the imprinting of precocial birds, 00:33 those that leave the nest soon after hatching. 00:36 When he presented himself to a newly hatched group 00:39 of mallard ducklings and he quacked softly to them, 00:42 they recognized him as their mother, 00:45 and consequently followed him everywhere. 00:47 Cross species imprinting has been observed many times, 00:51 even among some species that are naturally enemies, 00:54 like cats and squirrels, or lions and antelope. 00:57 Did you know that in a spiritual sense, 00:59 we humans can also be imprinted? 01:02 We tend to become like what we look at, 01:05 and that's why it's so important 01:07 that we fix our eyes on Jesus. 01:09 So join me today as we explore the Bible facts 01:13 about how we can be imprinted by our Heavenly Father 01:16 and have a life-changing experience with Jesus. 01:20 (gentle instrumental music) 01:23 We've come to learn that prophecy in the Bible is more 01:26 than just the books of Zachariah, and Daniel, 01:29 and Revelation, or Ezekiel. 01:31 Prophecy encompasses the message of the prophets 01:36 and the message of the prophets can be found 01:38 all through the Bible, a number of books. 01:41 Our study tonight is dealing 01:42 with the subject of the king's ambassador. 01:46 And I really could say the king's ambassador 01:48 is because he's calling all of us to be ambassadors for him. 01:53 We're thinking more particularly of someone 01:56 who was called by Jesus the greatest of the prophets. 02:00 You know who that is? 02:01 John the Baptist. 02:03 He said, "Among those born among women 02:04 there is no prophet like John the Baptist." 02:08 You know if you look in Matthew, 02:11 you can read here in Matthew 3, 02:13 it tells us about John the Baptist. 02:15 I'm going to read the first few verses for you. 02:17 "In those days John the Baptist came preaching 02:20 in the wilderness of Judea, saying, 02:23 repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 02:27 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah 02:30 saying, the voice of one crying in the wilderness, 02:34 prepare the way of the Lord, make his path straight." 02:39 Now often when kings traveled in Bible times, 02:42 they had a team that would go before 'em. 02:47 A very powerful, wealthy king would have a big team. 02:50 And when the king was traveling they would inspect the road, 02:53 not only for spies and booby traps, 02:55 but they would prepare the road. 02:57 They would take the rocks out of the road. 02:58 If there were low spots and potholes, they'd fill them in. 03:01 If there were high spots, they'd cut them down, 03:04 and they'd smooth the path. 03:06 And the Bible tells us in Isaiah 03:07 that this was the work of this messenger. 03:10 He was going to cut down the high places 03:13 and fill in the low places. 03:15 And someone said, you know, 03:16 that's sort of the work of a pastor, 03:19 is that he is supposed to comfort those 03:21 who are humbling themselves, that are unhappy, 03:24 that are struggling, 03:26 and he's supposed to take those that are too comfortable 03:28 and make them uncomfortable. 03:30 And so John the Baptist went out 03:32 and he would prepare the way of the Lord. 03:34 Now John himself tells us that he lived 03:37 a very holy austere life. 03:40 "John himself was clothed in camel's hair 03:44 with a leather belt around his waist. 03:46 His food was locusts and wild honey." 03:47 And we're all hoping that was carob pod. 03:50 And "Then Jerusalem, and all Judea, 03:53 and all the region around Jordan, they went out to him." 03:57 Here's this man that some would probably ascribe 04:00 to be a maniac out there in the wilderness 04:02 by the Jordan River, he's preaching that 04:04 the Lord is coming, that they needed a repent 04:06 of their sins, they needed to turn back to God. 04:09 And the people were so moved by the Holy Spirit 04:11 that not one or two came, but it seems like everybody 04:14 came out to hear this man preaching 04:15 with eloquence and power. 04:17 He didn't talk like a madman, 04:19 he had great courage and great force to his speech. 04:22 "And they were baptizing them in Jordan, 04:25 confessing their sins." 04:27 And so there was this great revival that was caused 04:30 by the preaching of John, 04:31 and he was giving specific information 04:33 about how to repent and how to live holy lives to everybody. 04:36 Even the soldiers came to him 04:37 and they said, what shall we do? 04:40 And he said, do violence to no man. 04:43 And what he meant by that, 04:44 he didn't say you couldn't be a soldier, 04:45 he meant, sometimes they would rough people up 04:47 and take their property. 04:49 But he was telling everybody 04:51 what they needed to do to follow God. 04:53 Now I'm going to have you jump with me to Revelation. 04:55 This is a message that goes to the world 04:57 just before Jesus comes. 04:59 We talked about the 144,000. 05:01 This is a group that has the seal of God 05:05 and we know they're preparing others who receive that seal. 05:08 "Then I looked, and behold, 05:09 a lamb standing," Revelation 14:1, 05:12 "On Mount Zion, and with him 144,000, 05:16 having his Father's name written on their foreheads. 05:20 And I heard a voice like the voice of many waters 05:22 and the voice of a loud thunder. 05:24 And I heard the sound of harpists playing their harps, 05:27 and they sang as it was a new song before the throne 05:30 and before the four living creatures and the elders. 05:32 And no one could learn that song except the 144,000 05:35 who were redeemed from the earth." 05:37 But listen how it describes them. 05:39 "These are the ones who are not defiled with women, 05:42 for they are virgins." 05:44 What does that mean? 05:46 I've heard some people preach that and say in the last days, 05:48 all people saved need to practice virginity. 05:50 Now, you read in Revelation, 05:52 that's telling us that you get two women. 05:54 One of them is a mother of harlots, the other one is pure. 05:58 And it's saying they are not defiled with women, 06:01 talking about Babylon and her daughters, 06:03 they're not defiled with the false teachings 06:05 for they are pure. 06:07 That's what it's dealing with there. 06:09 It says, "They follow the lamb wherever he goes." 06:11 How many of you want to follow the lamb in heaven? 06:15 Do you know, if you want to follow him there then, 06:16 you need to follow him here now first. 06:19 "They follow the lamb wherever he goes. 06:22 These were redeemed from among men, 06:24 being the first fruits to God and the lamb." 06:27 They're not the only ones, 06:28 but it's a special group in the last days. 06:30 "And in their mouth was found no guile", 06:32 no deceit, "For they're without fault 06:35 before the throne of God." 06:36 So I think you're getting the message that John the Baptist, 06:39 who came in the spirit and power of Elijah, 06:41 the 144,000, and people that are preparing 06:44 for Christ's first coming or second coming, 06:46 he's calling them to lives of dedication and holiness. 06:51 You know, we're living in a day and an age 06:53 where it's really hard to tell Christians from apart 06:57 from everyone else in the world. 07:01 And I believe that people should know there's a difference 07:02 in the way that we conduct ourselves. 07:04 I was in a restaurant with a friend, 07:06 and the young lady that was serving our table, 07:09 as she walked away, I said to my friend, 07:11 she's a Christian. 07:13 He said, how do you know? I don't know, just her smile. 07:17 There's something about her appearance, 07:18 there's a simplicity, there's a peace. 07:21 She came back to the table, I said, 07:22 now, I don't want to embarrass you, 07:24 but are you a Christian? 07:25 And she blushed a little bit and she said, 07:27 well, yes I am, 07:28 I go to church, and she was clearly from her answer, 07:31 a practicing Christian. 07:33 And I don't know about you, 07:34 but I've been able to spot that before. 07:36 I think that you can sometimes see a difference. 07:38 People have this inner joy, they've got this competence, 07:41 they've got this peace. 07:42 And it's almost like, you know, once you are a Christian, 07:45 you've got this Holy Spirit radar 07:47 where you can spot each other. 07:49 But it shouldn't just be with Christians, 07:51 I think the world ought to see that there's a difference. 07:53 We're going to find out what the Bible says. 07:55 Was there something different about John the Baptist? 07:58 Clearly there was. 08:00 What was one secret 08:01 to John the Baptist's Spirit filled life? 08:05 If you look in Luke 3:16, "John answered and said, 08:09 I baptize you with water, but one mightier than I is coming 08:14 who's sandal strap I am not worthy to lose." 08:17 And of course here he's talking about Jesus. 08:19 One secret of his life 08:21 was you notice that he's self defacing, 08:22 there is a humility there in his life. 08:26 One of the keys for Christian 08:27 is there's going to be humility. 08:31 I think it was a C.S. Lewis that wrote in his book, 08:33 "Mere Christianity", a chapter called the great sin. 08:36 And he talks about the devil, the great sin of Lucifer 08:40 was putting himself in the position of God. 08:43 And pride is the mother of all sins. 08:45 Pride is a handle that fits every other sin. 08:49 And John the Baptist had humility, 08:51 even though he was brave, and he was bold, 08:52 and audacious for God. 08:54 He also said in John 3:30, he said, 08:57 "He", speaking of Jesus, 08:59 "He must increase, but I must decrease." 09:02 As John introduced Jesus and he said, 09:05 this is the Lamb of God. 09:06 People began to follow Jesus 09:08 and soon Jesus had more disciples than John. 09:10 And John's disciples began to resent that, 09:13 you know, there's a spirit of competition. 09:14 Hey, you know, 09:16 he's getting more disciples than you, and what's with that? 09:17 You know, you're the great prophet. 09:18 And John said, well, 09:20 this is the way it's supposed to be. 09:21 He must increase, but I must decrease. 09:25 You know, that's something that all of us 09:26 should really be saying in our hearts every day. 09:30 When it comes to who is on the throne in your life, 09:32 he must increase, but I must decrease. 09:37 Would you like to say that with me? 09:39 - [Together] He must increase, but I must decrease. 09:43 - And every day that you walk with Jesus, 09:45 you're going to find out that it's more and more about him, 09:48 and that's where your joy comes from. 09:49 Christ said, he that seeks to save his life will lose it, 09:52 but he's willing to lose his life for my sake, 09:55 he will find it. 09:58 We take up our cross, we lose our lives, 09:59 that's when we really find our lives, 10:00 when we give it all to him. 10:03 Number two, did John the Baptist read the scriptures? 10:04 This is another example in the life of John that I think 10:07 that every believer should emulate, did he? 10:12 How do we know? 10:13 When they said, John, who are you? 10:14 This is Gospel John 1:23. 10:18 "He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, 10:22 make straight the way of the Lord, 10:23 as the prophet Isaiah said." 10:25 Does it become clear that John read 10:27 what the prophet Isaiah said? 10:29 So just because he's living out there in the wilderness 10:31 in the desert doesn't mean he did not read the scriptures. 10:34 In fact, if you go visit Israel, 10:37 you'll find that there was a whole group 10:38 of very dedicated Jews called Essenes 10:41 that lived in the Dead Sea area, 10:43 and their whole job was writing out 10:45 and copying the scriptures. 10:47 Later when the Romans were coming to invade, 10:49 they hid a lot of them in caves. 10:51 They were discovered then as the Dead Sea Scrolls. 10:53 So there was a whole community of people that were dedicated 10:55 to the scriptures, 10:57 living just down the river from John the Baptist. 10:59 He knew his Bible, he read his Bible, 11:01 he prayed. 11:03 There are three disciplines in the Christian life 11:06 that are the keys to your success. 11:08 Now, what I'm about to say is so simple, 11:11 but it is so true. 11:13 You do these things and you will not backslide. 11:18 Read your Bible every day, 11:21 and even if you read your Bible just 15 minutes, 11:23 read your Bible 15 minutes, pray for 15 minutes, 11:28 and it might be seven minutes in the morning 11:31 and seven minutes at night, 11:32 and spend 15 minutes talking to someone else about God. 11:38 Read the Bible, talk to the Lord, 11:41 share your faith. 11:43 Number three, was John the Baptist willing 11:46 to witness for Jesus? 11:49 When he saw Jesus come to the water, he boldly said, 11:53 "Next day", John 1:29, 11:55 "Behold, the Lamb of God, 11:58 that takes away the sin of the world." 12:00 He pointed people to Christ. 12:02 If you believe in Christ, do not be ashamed of your faith. 12:05 Be bold in your faith. 12:06 John was so bold and he was so courageous 12:10 that he would not only rebuke the Pharisees for their sins, 12:14 he talked to the Roman soldiers, 12:15 he told king Herod that you shouldn't be living 12:18 with your brother's wife. 12:21 I mean, he called sin out wherever he saw it, 12:24 and he was not very popular, 12:25 it ultimately cost him his life. 12:29 Now the reason we're talking 12:30 about this message of the king's ambassadors. 12:32 The Bible tells us, last prophecy in the Old Testament, 12:35 Malachi 4, "Behold", 12:37 well first he says, this is Malachi 4:4, 12:40 "Remember the law of Moses, my servant, 12:42 which I gave unto him for all Israel 12:44 with its statutes and judgements. 12:46 Behold I send you Elijah the prophet 12:48 before the great and terrible day of the Lord." 12:50 Now the great and terrible day of the Lord 12:52 was not Jesus first coming. 12:53 That's the day of the Lord when he comes the second time. 12:56 "I will send you Elijah the prophet 12:58 before the great and terrible day of the Lord. 13:00 And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, 13:01 and the hearts of the children to the fathers, 13:04 lest I come and smite the earth with a curse." 13:06 Now this is not just talking 13:07 about there being family reconciliation. 13:10 The fathers is talking about the teachings of the fathers. 13:13 A lot of the young generation have rejected 13:16 the teachings of the fathers, but before Christ comes back, 13:19 there's going to be people turning back 13:21 to the sensible teachings of the fathers, 13:23 and the fathers will begin to make sense to the children, 13:27 and there's going to be a revival as a result of that. 13:29 (gentle instrumental music) 13:31 Don't go anywhere, friends. 13:32 In just a moment, 13:33 we'll continue with the rest of today's presentation. 13:37 Have you ever thought that life sometimes seems 13:39 to be a relentless battle just to stay ahead? 13:43 You wash the car, and then it rains, 13:45 you have to wash it again. 13:47 You weed the garden, and two weeks later 13:49 there's a whole new crop of weeds. 13:52 Well, it's the same way in a Christian's life. 13:55 Sometimes it seems like when you successfully resist 13:58 one temptation, then another one surprises you 14:01 from left field. 14:02 So you might be wondering, 14:04 how do you stay ahead in the battle with temptation? 14:08 Does God really expect us to experience consistent victory? 14:12 Absolutely, yes. 14:13 The Lord wants you to experience 14:15 a life of joyful victory and triumph. 14:18 Amazing Facts would like to send you a special book 14:21 that's called "The Surrender of Self". 14:23 This short but encouraging book will reveal how to overcome 14:27 your biggest enemy and experience 14:29 a consistent life of victory. 14:32 You'll be amazed by the real changes in your life. 14:35 To get your free copy, 14:36 call the number on your screen and ask for offer number 153, 14:40 or visit the web address. 14:42 And after you read this incredible resource, 14:45 make sure and share it with a friend. 14:47 Well now, let's get back to the rest of today's presentation 14:50 and learn some more amazing facts from the Word of God. 14:53 (gentle instrumental music) 14:55 So how did Elijah come? 14:58 Well, when they came to John the Baptist and they said, 15:01 are you Elijah who is to come? 15:03 John the Baptist said, no. 15:05 Why did John say, no, I'm not Elijah. 15:07 And Jesus said, yes, he is. 15:09 When the Jews were asking John, are you Elijah, 15:12 they were wondering, are you Elijah reincarnated? 15:14 God does not teach reincarnation. 15:15 He said no. 15:17 They were asking a different question, 15:18 you see what I'm saying? 15:19 Jesus said, is he coming in the spirit and power of Elijah? 15:23 Yes, he did come in the spirit and power of Elijah. 15:26 That's what the angel told his father, 15:27 that he would come in the spirit and the power of Elijah, 15:30 just like Elisha got the spirit and the power of Elijah. 15:34 But Jesus said, if you can bear it, 15:37 Elijah has come. 15:38 This is after John was put in prison and beheaded, 15:41 and they did unto him whatever they wanted, 15:43 and Elijah will come. 15:46 Christ was looking down to the end of time 15:48 when there's going to be a great revival movement 15:51 and people are going to return to the word of God 15:53 the way that John the Baptist brought a revival movement. 15:56 There are going to be some last day Elijahs 15:58 before Jesus comes back 16:00 that are going to be sharing this message of holiness 16:03 and living godly lives. 16:05 Number four, was the straight preaching 16:08 of John popular among the political and religious leaders? 16:13 No, and Bible tells us the Pharisees 16:16 and lawyers rejected the will of God for themselves, 16:21 not having been baptized by him. 16:24 It kinda makes you shudder to think, you know, 16:26 here God was calling them to repent of their sins. 16:28 They could keep their jobs, 16:29 but they needed to repent and be washed, 16:31 and baptism was part of that. 16:33 When they were rejected that, 16:34 they were rejecting the counsel 16:37 and the will of God for themselves. 16:39 And there are some of you who are listening 16:40 to the sound of my voice, you could be here, 16:42 you could be listening through 16:44 some electronic media right now, and maybe he's calling you, 16:48 if you've not given your heart to Jesus, 16:50 to repent of your sins, to be baptized and to follow him. 16:54 Listen, today if you hear his voice, 16:56 do not harden your heart, you want to follow that. 16:58 And repent of your sins, he'll give you a revival. 17:01 And then you read on the Luke 3:19, 17:04 "But Herod the tetrarch, being rebuked by him", 17:07 by John the Baptist, 17:09 "For all of his evils that Herod had done, 17:11 he shut up John in prison." 17:13 Later, because of the the intrigue of his illicit wife, 17:19 Herodias, John the Baptist was beheaded. 17:22 And Jesus said, here he is the greatest of the prophets, 17:24 but he did not go to heaven in a fiery chariot. 17:27 You know, Jesus said, 17:29 if you're persecuted for Christ's sake, 17:30 you should rejoice. 17:32 John actually had the privilege of dying 17:34 for the sake of Christ and for the sake of the truth, 17:37 and he's going to be greatly exalted in the kingdom. 17:39 Do you believe that? 17:41 Was there a connection between John's spiritual life 17:44 and his simple diet? 17:46 You can read in Luke 1:15, "For he", 17:52 John the Baptist, "Shall drink neither wine 17:54 nor strong drink, but he will be filled 17:57 with the Holy Spirit." 17:59 You see there's a distinction between being filled with wine 18:03 and being filled with the Holy Spirit. 18:05 You've probably driven down the street 18:07 and you've seen these stores, 18:08 it says liquor, beer, and spirits. 18:13 What do they mean, spirits? 18:14 What kind of spirits? 18:16 If you drink the liquor, and the beer, 18:18 and the wine, you get spirits that come with it. 18:22 Have you noticed that before? 18:24 Yeah, and you know I'm speaking from firsthand experience, 18:27 friends, I used to drink, 18:29 I know what happens. 18:30 Says, you'll say things that you regret, 18:33 your eyes will behold strange women. 18:36 I don't know how many people have said, you know,, 18:38 I was at a party, and I had one too many, 18:40 I'm so sorry, I violated our marriage, 18:42 I wasn't thinking, 18:44 it wasn't me, it was the alcohol. 18:45 Well, you chose to drink the alcohol. 18:49 And people do, and utter, 18:51 and behave in ways that, you know, 18:53 it just takes you away from being spirit led. 18:57 John the Baptist would not drink wine or strong drink, why? 19:01 Because he wanted to be filled with a Holy Spirit. 19:03 So which spirit do you want to be filled with? 19:05 You want to be filled with the spirit of vodka, 19:07 and whiskey, and gin, wine and beer, 19:11 or do you want to be filled with the spirit of Jesus? 19:15 Why is God concerned about what we eat and what we drink? 19:19 Judges 13:7, so the angel meets with Manoah and his wife, 19:23 and he gives clear instructions on this child 19:26 they're going to have 19:28 that's going to be filled with the spirit of God. 19:30 Why would it matter what a mother 19:31 before the child is born eats and drinks? 19:36 Well you know, now they know that the mother's care 19:39 for her body while she's pregnant, 19:41 does have an impact on the child. 19:44 "Behold, you shall conceive and bear a son." 19:47 "Now drink no wine or similar," in the word there, 19:50 strong drink, "Or eat anything unclean 19:54 for the child shall be a Nazarite to God from his womb 19:57 to the day of his death." 19:59 Through his whole life he was to be dedicated to God. 20:01 Now, as we near the last days, 20:03 if we're wanting our minds to be clear, 20:05 especially when Satan has come down with great wrath 20:07 and the world is just filled 20:09 with his proliferation of deceptions, 20:12 why would we want our brains to be fuzzy 20:14 so that we can't distinguish between what's right and wrong? 20:17 Why would we want to weaken our perceptions 20:20 so that we are not able to discern 20:22 what is good and what is evil? 20:23 The real prayer of Solomon, when God said, 20:25 what do you want from me? 20:27 He said, I want wisdom, 20:28 that I might have an understanding heart 20:30 to know the difference between good and evil. 20:33 What does the Bible say about worldly behavior? 20:36 James 4:4, "Whoever therefore wants 20:39 to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." 20:43 Now, Pastor Doug, 20:45 I thought the Bible said God so loved the world. 20:47 Here it says you're supposed to love the world, 20:48 and then the Bible says, friendship with the world 20:51 is enmity with God. 20:52 Which is it, love the world or hate the world? 20:53 Well, God loves the people in the world, 20:55 and we should love the people in the world, 20:57 but worldliness is what he's saying that we should shun. 21:01 And I think we all know what that means. 21:03 Just all the distractions with the here and now. 21:06 If you're a Christian, you're thinking about eternity, 21:08 you're thinking about another world, 21:09 you're passing through this world. 21:11 Someone once said that a Christian 21:13 is something like a ship in the water. 21:17 A Christian has to learn how to be in the world 21:19 without the world being in us. 21:22 A ship belongs in the water, 21:24 but as soon as the water gets in the ship, 21:25 you've got serious problems, right? 21:28 "Come out from among them", the Bible says, 21:31 2 Corinthians 6:17, "Be separate, 21:33 says the Lord, do not touch what is unclean." 21:36 This is the New Testament, 21:37 it's not some Old Testament Levitical law. 21:39 He says, "Do not touch what is unclean 21:41 and I will receive you." 21:43 Come out, be separate, 21:44 we're to be different from the world? 21:45 We're calling people to a high 21:47 and a holy standard of following Jesus. 21:49 How can we tell them to do that 21:50 when we're living like everybody else 21:51 and nobody can tell the difference. 21:55 If anyone loves the world, Bible says, 21:57 1 John 2, "Love not the world, 22:00 neither the things that are in the world, 22:01 for if any man loves the world, 22:02 the love of the Father is not in him. 22:05 For all that's in the world, the lust of the flesh, 22:07 and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life 22:09 is not of the Father, but the world. 22:11 And the world is passing away with the lust thereof. 22:14 But he that does the will of God will abide forever." 22:17 Can you say amen? 22:19 If you love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 22:22 "Do not be conformed to this world, 22:25 but rather be transformed by the renewing of your mind, 22:29 that you might prove what is that good, and acceptable, 22:32 and perfect will of God." 22:34 Don't become like the world, don't let the world shape you. 22:37 Be shaped by the word, not the world. 22:40 The word ought to be shaping our lives. 22:42 And the renewing of your mind. 22:45 Now with that in mind, 22:47 what should a Christian choose to think about? 22:49 "Whatever things are true", 22:51 these are the things to think about. 22:52 "Whatever things are noble, 22:54 whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, 22:58 whatever things are lovely, 23:00 whatever things are of good report, 23:02 if there's any virtue and if there's anything praiseworthy, 23:05 meditate on these things." 23:08 Think about those things that are good. 23:11 Bible tells us in Psalm 101:3, 23:14 "I will set nothing wicked before my eyes." 23:17 Now, based on that standard, 23:19 what should a Christian watch? 23:23 If we believe murder is a sin, 23:27 why would we be entertained watching other people murder? 23:31 If we believe adultery is a sin, 23:34 why would we be entertained 23:36 watching other people commit adultery? 23:39 It's almost like we're enjoying the sin vicariously. 23:40 You say, no, I'd never kill, 23:42 I'd never lie, but I like this program where they lie. 23:45 I'm going to watch this, you know, "Daytime As My Stomach 23:48 Turns", whatever it's called, you know, 23:50 and they got all this intrigue, all this line, 23:53 and all this adultery, and this espionage, 23:55 and this murder, and I'm going, 23:57 wow, I wonder what's going to happen next. 23:58 I'd never do that, 'cause I'm a Christian, 24:00 but I sure enjoy watching them do it. 24:04 And it's like we're sinning vicariously. 24:06 You know, the Bible tells us, 24:08 let me see, I think I've got that, 24:09 maybe in the lesson, I just don't remember. 24:11 Romans 1:32, "Who, 24:14 knowing the judgment of God, 24:16 that they that commit such things are worthy of death", 24:18 the penalty for sin is death. 24:19 "They not only do the same, 24:21 but they have pleasure in them that do them." 24:24 Do we have pleasure in watching other things? 24:27 Watching other people's sin? 24:29 Being entertained by the world? 24:30 That makes you who you are, it shapes your thinking. 24:34 The Lord wants us to think pure thoughts, 24:35 but it's hard to think pure thoughts 24:37 if we're filling our minds with typical American media. 24:41 I mean, I know there are occasionally 24:44 good things that are on television, 24:46 there may even be the occasional movie 24:49 that has something historic or edifying. 24:51 It is a very rare exception, 24:53 most of these things are rated R, 24:55 they use God's name in vain, they're full of violence. 24:57 You've got all these warnings before it comes on, 25:00 drugs, violence, sexual content, 25:04 profanity, nudity, 25:06 and you get all this and you're thinking, 25:07 okay, Lord, hope you can bless all this, 25:09 I'm going to watch this now for the next two hours, 25:11 but I'm going to worship you 10 minutes later. 25:13 It affects you. 25:16 What type of music will a true Christian enjoy? 25:20 Oh, this is a difficult one. 25:22 Well, let's look at what the Bible says. 25:24 Psalm 40:3, "He's put a new song in my heart, 25:28 praised to our God." 25:29 The music ought to be music that praises God. 25:32 You know the story in the Bible where king Saul, 25:34 he had evil spirits that would trouble him, 25:37 and David came in, of course, 25:38 David was a great musician and a songwriter, 25:40 wrote about 70 of the Psalms, 25:43 150 Psalms that are in the Bible. 25:45 "And it was so, whenever the spirit from God was upon Saul, 25:49 that day would take a heart and play with his hand. 25:52 And then Saul would be refreshed and well, 25:55 and the distressing spirit," 25:56 there would be an evil spirit was tormenting Saul, 25:58 "Would depart from him." 26:01 So if good music can drive an evil spirit away, 26:04 would it make a sense the devil's got music 26:06 that would invite the evil spirits in? 26:09 Now everyone, we all agree to this point. 26:11 I mean, how many of you will raise your hands now and say, 26:14 we agree that there's some music 26:15 that is inappropriate for Christians? 26:17 And we all agree. 26:20 How many of you agree that your music is good? 26:24 See, everyone said, yeah, God hates bad music, 26:27 but I like only the good stuff. 26:28 Everyone draws the line though in a little different place. 26:31 There are Bible principles 26:32 that need to guide us in these things. 26:35 What should be the aim of God's people today? 26:38 Very simple friends, 26:39 "We keep his commandments and do those things 26:43 that are pleasing in his sight. 26:45 For this is the love of God, 26:46 that we keep his commandments." 26:48 And notice, "His commandments are not burdensome." 26:52 When you love somebody, you are happy to serve them. 26:54 You're happy to make changes to please them, 26:57 because you love them. 26:58 (gentle instrumental music) 27:02 - [Narrator #1] Don't forget to request 27:03 today's life-changing free resource. 27:06 Not only can you receive this free gift in the mail, 27:08 you can download a digital copy straight to your computer 27:11 or mobile device. 27:12 To get your digital copy of today's free gift, 27:15 simply text the keyword on your screen to 40544 27:19 or visit the web address shown on your screen 27:22 and be sure to select the digital download option 27:24 on the request page. 27:25 It's now easier than ever for you to study God's word 27:28 with Amazing Facts, wherever and whenever you want, 27:32 and most important, to share it with others. 27:36 Doug: Is there anywhere you can turn these days to find hope 27:39 for a brighter future? 27:40 Yes; please join me, Doug Batchelor, on September 20 27:44 for the start of Amazing Facts's "Prophecy Odyssey," 27:48 a Bible study extravaganza. 27:51 These dynamic multimedia presentations will transform 27:54 what we know about the world and your purpose in it. 27:57 Bible prophecy is fast fulfilling, are you ready? 28:01 announcer: For more information and to register, 28:03 visit prophecyodyssey.com. 28:06 (gentle instrumental music) 28:11 - [Narrator #1] Don't forget to request today's free offer. 28:13 It's sure to be a blessing. 28:15 And thank you for your continued support 28:17 as we take the gospel of Jesus Christ 28:19 to the world. 28:22 (gentle instrumental music) 28:24 This presentation was brought to you 28:25 by the friends of the Amazing Facts Ministry. |
Revised 2024-07-17