Participants: John Dinzey
Series Code: ASHF
Program Code: ASHF000170A
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00:19 Welcome to a Sharper Focus.
00:21 This is a Bible study coming to you 00:25 live from the Thompsonville Seventh-day Adventist Church 00:27 and the 3ABN Worship Center. 00:30 We welcome every one of you. 00:32 We welcome every one of you that are here. 00:34 And we are glad that you have joined us to study 00:38 God's Word together, 00:39 we're glad that you are here. 00:41 And I see just about everybody has their Bible, 00:43 if not a literal Bible, a digital Bible. 00:47 So I praise the Lord for that. 00:49 We are going to study a topic 00:51 that I believe is in the minds of many people, 00:53 because many people are asking themselves 00:55 what is going on in this world. 00:59 But before we continue, 01:01 we like to go to the Lord in prayer 01:03 to ask for His blessing for all of us, 01:06 that as we study His word, He will guide us. 01:09 Let's go to the Lord in prayer. 01:12 Our loving, heavenly Father, we thank You so much 01:16 for Your goodness and mercy to us. 01:18 We pray that as we study Your Holy Spirit 01:21 will help us to understand the scriptures, 01:23 and understand this topic. 01:25 We pray, Lord, that Your name will be glorified. 01:28 I place myself in Your hands, 01:30 and I pray that every word 01:33 spoken will come from Your throne of grace. 01:36 Thank You, Lord, 01:38 for the promise of Your Holy Spirit, 01:39 and we ask for this blessing in Jesus name, amen. 01:44 Amen. 01:45 Perhaps, you have noticed, I'm sure you have 01:48 if you either face another person in this world, 01:51 or you listen to the news, read the news, 01:54 you know that there have been many calamities going on 01:59 during this year, and even last year. 02:02 Even last year, we heard in the winter of tornadoes 02:06 that were going through different parts 02:08 of the United States of America. 02:10 And I want to talk to you about some of the things 02:12 that are going on in the world. 02:13 Right now there is financial insecurity. 02:16 Perhaps, you may have financial insecurity, 02:18 I don't know, 02:19 but I know the nations have financial insecurity. 02:22 We've heard many times about the Europe 02:25 that it may collapse, that nations may pull out. 02:29 The US dollar goes up and down. 02:31 And there is financial insecurity 02:34 practically around the world. 02:37 And currencies are being devalued, 02:39 and currencies are going through great difficulties. 02:43 I know one country that has accused 02:46 the United States of America 02:48 because of all the poverty that is in their country, 02:51 because the gas prices have just plummeted, 02:54 as a result of the US producing their own gasoline. 02:59 So there is financial insecurity in this world. 03:02 So we ask ourselves, how long will this go? 03:05 How long will it last 03:06 until we have these things figured out? 03:09 I tell you, the politicians do not have the answers. 03:13 Nobody has the answers for the world's problems. 03:16 But we have hope in Jesus Christ. 03:18 Now I want to talk to you about war. 03:21 I was doing a little research, 03:22 and there are more than 15 active wars right now 03:27 in some part of the world. 03:28 You may be at peace, you may walk in peace 03:31 throughout your home, throughout your little town, 03:34 but there are people that cannot walk in peace 03:38 in their city, in their country. 03:40 And I tell you, let's go just over a few of them 03:43 because hundreds of thousands of people have been killed. 03:48 Let me mention to you. 03:49 Syria, since 2011, 03:52 nearly 1.5 million people have been killed in war. 03:58 Iraq, there is civil war, 04:00 thousands upon thousands of people 04:02 have died in civil war 04:05 and other conflicts that Iraq is involved in. 04:08 The continent of Africa, the Somali Civil War 04:12 that since 1991, people have been fighting 04:16 about a half million people have been killed. 04:20 I'll talk to you about Afghanistan 04:22 that perhaps rings a bell in the US, 04:24 because the US is involved in the Afghanistan war. 04:27 And it's been years 04:29 and they've talked about pulling the troops out, 04:31 but the Afghanistan war began since around 1978, 04:36 and they do not really know how many people have died. 04:39 It's between one and two million people. 04:42 There is war, and there is rumors of war. 04:45 Have you heard rumors of war? 04:46 Would you say that's true? 04:48 Yes, you have. 04:49 Perhaps, you have heard that there is this rumor of war 04:53 between the US and North Korea. 04:57 They're going back and forth, "Yes, we can bomb you. 05:00 No, we can bomb you better. 05:02 We will devastate you, we will destroy you." 05:04 Back and forth they go, 05:05 and we do not know where it will end. 05:08 We see that the people are becoming uneasy, 05:12 the people of North Korea are getting ready for war, 05:16 and the US is also appears to be getting ready for war. 05:20 So there are wars and rumors of war. 05:23 And I can talk to you about 05:25 a horrendous amount of crimes all over the world. 05:30 The news is filled with them. 05:32 You listen to the radio, you read the newspapers. 05:34 Go online, read news, 05:36 and you will hear of horrible, horrible crimes. 05:39 The US was recently shocked 05:41 when October the 1st, a man went into a hotel room 05:45 with many high powered automatic weapons, 05:50 and started shooting people 05:52 that were listening to a concert. 05:54 Shot about 50 people, I don't know the exact number. 05:58 Yes, 58 people dead, 489 injured. 06:02 They say it was over 500, but 489 people injured, 06:06 one man doing so much harm. 06:09 So you ask yourself, what is going on? 06:13 So there are wars and rumors of wars. 06:16 Tornadoes, have any of you heard of tornadoes? 06:20 Yes, actually, we live in an area 06:22 that they call Tornado Alley. 06:26 And, yes, tornadoes have been causing devastation 06:29 in the United States of America and in other countries as well. 06:33 As a matter of fact, they have 1,423 tornado reports 06:39 just in the year 2017 thus far. 06:44 So tornadoes have been causing devastation. 06:47 And they began, they say, 06:49 exceptionally early in the year 2017 06:52 having the second most active January, 06:55 since the year 1950, 06:57 when they began to keep records of tornadoes. 07:01 Now, let's talk about hurricane. 07:03 Recently, certain hurricanes have become 07:07 known in the minds of people. 07:09 If I mention to you Hurricane Harvey 07:11 right away in the US, 07:13 you start thinking of Houston, flooding, homes destroyed, 07:20 people lost their lives, 07:22 and they estimate over $180 billion in damage. 07:27 And that's more than any other natural disaster 07:31 in the US history, 07:33 flooding and people desperate 07:36 because they lost their homes. 07:39 So if we continue talking, we can mention hurricane Irma. 07:45 We have also that caused widespread destruction 07:49 throughout the Caribbean. 07:51 And they say that Barbuda, a tiny island 07:54 over 90% of the homes and vehicles 07:58 were destroyed by this hurricane. 08:01 How many of you have seen pictures 08:02 of some of the destruction? 08:03 Some of you are shaking their heads 08:05 and raising your hands. 08:06 Yes, this is something that we have to ask ourselves. 08:10 What is going on? 08:13 And if we continue, Hurricane Irma 08:16 went through Saint Martin, Saint Barthelemy, 08:20 US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, 08:22 Dominican Republic, Cuba, and Florida. 08:25 And just when people were beginning to kind of pick up 08:28 their feet from Hurricane Irma, 08:31 along comes another hurricane by the name of Maria, 08:36 yes, Maria, practically the same trajectory. 08:39 But this time, it went straight 08:42 almost through the middle of Puerto Rico, 08:44 and Puerto Rico suffering the greater damage 08:47 than any other place, 08:48 however other damage was done in other places. 08:51 They say that in Puerto Rico, according to CNN 08:57 cost apocalyptic devastation flooding, 09:01 crippled communications, decimated buildings, 09:04 and knocked out electricity over 90% of the country. 09:08 And they say that even today, after almost three weeks 09:13 about 90% of the people do not have electricity. 09:16 So people are going, they're starving 09:19 because they don't have access to food. 09:21 All of the vegetation has been destroyed, 09:23 and so people are suffering. 09:25 Fresh water is an issue. 09:27 And I have heard of people dying 09:29 because of lack of electricity in hospitals. 09:31 We were in Colombia when the hurricane hit. 09:34 We heard of two people dying in a hospital 09:37 because they did not have enough fuel 09:39 to keep the generator going. 09:41 And so serious problems still underway, 09:44 people are still trying to pick themselves up on their feet. 09:47 But recently, we have also heard of firestorms. 09:51 Anybody hear about firestorm? 09:53 Yes, firestorms. 09:55 California has thousands of wildfires each year. 10:00 And they're often isolated 10:02 to sparsely populated area but not this time. 10:06 The firestorm that engulfed 10:08 large parts of Napa and Sonoma Counties 10:11 in California on Monday, this past Monday, 10:14 will go down in history as one of the worse 10:17 such events ever recorded in the Golden State. 10:20 And interestingly enough, 10:23 when you talk about a firestorm, 10:25 they call it a firestorm 10:26 because the winds increase to storm capacity 10:33 if you want to call it. 10:34 The storms, they measured 10:36 reached winds of 79 miles per hour. 10:41 In other words, the firemen were not able 10:44 to keep up with this fire 10:45 as they quickly spread destroying home, properties, 10:49 I've seen vehicles that you don't know 10:50 what color they were, 10:53 homes where there's just a fireplace left. 10:55 And home after home, and people have been crying, 10:59 devastated because they have lost everything, 11:03 and this is the world that we live in. 11:05 Again, interestingly enough, they call them Diablo winds. 11:10 Now recently somebody asked me, what's Diablo? 11:14 In Spanish, the word means devil. 11:17 They call these devil winds. 11:19 And I think they're rightly named 11:21 because the devil is causing destruction, 11:24 and people do not know 11:26 it's the devil causing destruction. 11:28 So I say to you, what is going on? 11:33 So about 100,000 acres have been destroyed 11:38 because of fires, 11:40 millions and millions of dollars in damage. 11:44 So what is going on? 11:46 Who's responsible? 11:47 Is God causing the earthquakes and tornadoes and hurricanes? 11:51 Is the devil causing them? 11:52 What does all this mean? 11:55 I would like to begin our Bible study 11:58 by going to Jeremiah 31:3. 12:01 We need to get acquainted with these things, 12:03 because the Bible tells us 12:06 that there is a great controversy 12:08 between good and evil. 12:10 On one side, you have Satan and his angels 12:13 that rebel from heaven. 12:14 And on the other side, you have God, 12:16 and his interest in saving humanity 12:20 from destruction, 12:22 and He wants to save each and every one of us. 12:25 We read in the Bible that God is not willing 12:26 that any should perish, 12:28 but that all come to repentance. 12:31 And so Jeremiah 31:3, the Bible says, 12:35 "The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying, 12:39 'Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love. 12:43 Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.'" 12:48 So I question, is this the God 12:51 that we would consider responsible 12:53 for the widespread damage and destruction? 12:57 I would say to you, no. 12:59 When you look at the Bible, 13:00 you see that God is consistent there. 13:03 When God takes into action to punish people, 13:07 He does it for a reason. 13:08 But God does not do indiscriminate destruction, 13:14 such as these devastations caused by hurricanes, 13:17 tornadoes, cyclones, typhoons 13:20 whatever you may want to call them. 13:22 In Jeremiah 29:11, 13:25 just a couple of chapters before. 13:27 Jeremiah 29:11, the Bible tells us, 13:30 "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, 13:33 says the Lord, 13:35 thoughts of peace and not of evil, 13:37 to give you a future and a hope." 13:40 To give you an expected end, 13:42 you read in the King James Version. 13:44 So this is God. 13:46 God has thoughts of peace, thoughts of love, 13:49 loves you with an everlasting love. 13:52 And I ask you, does the devil love you? 13:55 No. 13:56 The Bible tells us concerning the devil in 1 Peter 5:8, 14:01 1 Peter 5:8. 14:03 I don't know if you'll have a chance to find it 14:05 before I began reading it. 14:07 1 Peter 5:8, so I have it in my notes, I read. 14:11 It says, "Be sober, be vigilant, 14:14 because your adversary the devil walks 14:19 about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." 14:25 So I ask, what is going on? 14:27 Is the Bible... 14:28 Is the God, 14:30 the Bible says is love that loves us 14:31 with an everlasting love doing destruction? 14:34 Or is the devil that the Bible says 14:35 is going around like a roaring lion, 14:38 seeking whom he may devour? 14:40 I would like to encourage you 14:41 to continue studying with us throughout this hour. 14:43 We only have about 43 minutes left, 14:45 and you will see that the Bible helps us to understand 14:49 who is causing destruction. 14:51 In John 10:10, 14:54 Jesus says concerning the devil. 14:57 John 10:10, he tells us the following. 15:02 "The thief," that is the devil 15:04 "does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. 15:12 I have come" Jesus says "that they may have life, 15:15 and that they may have it more abundantly." 15:19 So this is Jesus. 15:22 This is God that says He loves us. 15:25 And so let's go to a scripture that helps us understand 15:29 that the devil is involved in causing pain and suffering. 15:34 We're going to go now to the Book of Luke 13, 15:38 Luke 13, 15:41 and we're gonna begin reading in verse 10. 15:43 We're gonna read a lot of scriptures, 15:45 so that we can get a nice firm foundation about this topic. 15:51 Luke 13:10, "Now he was teaching 15:54 in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. 15:57 And behold, there was a woman 15:59 who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, 16:02 and was bent over 16:04 and could in no ways raise herself up. 16:07 But when Jesus saw her, 16:09 He called her to Him and said to her, 16:11 'Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.' 16:16 And He laid His hands on her, 16:18 and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God." 16:23 She was healed. 16:24 Jesus healed this woman. 16:27 And all should be praising the Lord. 16:30 However, some people were not happy. 16:31 It says in verse 14, 16:33 "But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, 16:37 because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath. 16:40 And he said to the crowd, 16:41 'There are six days on which men ought to work, 16:44 therefore come and be healed on them, 16:47 and not on the Sabbath day.'" 16:49 This man did not recognize the work of God 16:54 and blamed Jesus to doing work on the Sabbath. 16:59 And he says in verse 15, 17:00 "The Lord then answered him and said, 'Hypocrite! 17:05 Does not each one of you on the Sabbath 17:08 loose his ox or his donkey 17:10 from the stall, and lead it away to water? 17:13 So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, 17:16 whom Satan has bound..." 17:18 Who bound her? 17:19 "Satan has bound. 17:21 Think of it, for eighteen years, 17:24 be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath.' 17:28 And when He said these things, 17:29 all His adversaries were put to shame, 17:31 and all the multitude rejoice 17:33 for all the glorious things that were done by Him." 17:37 So here, Jesus reveals to us that this woman was sick, 17:42 bent over, couldn't straighten herself up, 17:45 because Satan had bound her. 17:48 Now mind you, I want to draw a difference 17:50 between Satan causing a disease, 17:54 and we causing ourselves a disease. 17:57 We know nowadays, especially nowadays, 18:00 there's some a lot of information out there 18:02 that tells you, if you eat this, 18:05 your veins are gonna get clogged 18:07 and you may have heart disease. 18:09 You eat a lot of this type of food 18:12 and you're gonna get high blood pressure. 18:15 You keep eating these other kinds of food, 18:17 and you may get diabetes. 18:20 You keep smoking, and you may get lung cancer 18:24 or any other type of cancer 18:26 because it causes many different kinds of cancers. 18:28 And so we today have better information than before. 18:33 So I'm drawing a difference between 18:35 those that cause themselves disease, 18:38 and the ones that the devil causes. 18:40 But the devil causes diseases 18:43 and inflicts pain and suffering on people. 18:48 In Acts 10, Acts 10:38, 18:52 the Bible once again tells us that the devil causes sickness. 18:59 The Bible says in Acts 10:38, 19:01 "How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth 19:05 with the Holy Spirit and with power, 19:08 who went about doing good 19:09 and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, 19:14 for God was with Him." 19:16 So the Bible teaches us that the devil causes diseases. 19:21 And we need to be aware of that 19:23 because the devil, it goes around doing evil 19:27 and nobody points the finger at him. 19:30 Nobody says it is him, 19:31 except the Christians 19:33 that understand this little better. 19:34 And so insurance companies, 19:36 they still have it in their records 19:39 that when a tornado or an earthquake 19:41 or some other thing happens not caused by man, 19:45 they say it's an act of God. 19:48 And many of these times, it is an act of the devil, 19:51 and they need to correct those insurance policies. 19:54 Now let's go into another scripture, 19:59 set of scriptures that helps us understand 20:01 how God deals with things. 20:03 In Genesis 18, Genesis 18, 20:07 we are going to read verses 20 through 32 rather quickly, 20:12 so please follow along. 20:14 Actually, we may skip a few just to save time, 20:18 but the context is very similar, 20:20 so you'll understand why I am 20:23 for the sake of time moving along in these. 20:26 Let's begin in verse 20. 20:27 "And the Lord said, 'Because the outcry against 20:30 Sodom and Gomorrah is great, 20:32 and because their sin is very grave.'" 20:34 Verse 21, "I will go down now 20:36 and see whether they have done altogether 20:38 according to the outcry against it 20:41 that has come to Me. 20:43 And if not, I will know." 20:45 In other words, God does an inspection 20:47 before He goes into action. 20:51 "Then the men turned away from there 20:53 and went toward Sodom, 20:54 but Abraham still stood before the Lord. 20:58 And Abraham came near and said, 21:00 'Would you also destroy the righteous 21:04 with the wicked?'" 21:05 That is a good question. 21:07 Abraham that knows God and knows about Him says, 21:12 "Are you also gonna destroy the righteous with the wicked?" 21:15 Now says verse 24, 21:17 "Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city, 21:21 would you also destroy the place 21:24 and not spare it 21:25 for the fifty righteous that were in it?" 21:28 Notice what he says then. 21:29 "Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, 21:34 to slay the righteous with the wicked, 21:36 so that the righteous should be as the wicked, 21:39 far be it from You! 21:41 Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" 21:46 Amen. 21:47 So Abraham knew something about God. 21:49 He knew that God will not slay the righteous with the wicked. 21:53 In other words, God does not cause random destruction. 21:58 If somebody is doing evil, then God goes into action, 22:02 does an inspection, but interestingly enough, 22:04 we know that God warns people about coming destruction. 22:09 How many of you remember Noah's Ark? 22:13 Before the flood came, 22:16 was Noah sent to warn the people? 22:19 Yes or no? 22:20 Yes, Noah was sent to warn the people. 22:22 And we understand for 120 years, 22:25 he preached to the people. 22:27 And we also see in another discussion, 22:31 Abraham with God, that God says to Abraham, 22:35 know for a surety that your children 22:39 will go into captivity in such and such a land. 22:42 And after 430 years, 22:47 yes, they will be delivered from their bondage. 22:52 And he says, 22:53 because the iniquity of the Amorites 22:55 is not yet full, the Bible says. 22:58 In other words, God has a measuring, 23:02 a measure of sin, 23:03 when they reach this level of sin, 23:05 then God has to move into action, 23:07 and it was 430 years later for the Amorites. 23:11 Is God merciful? 23:12 Would you say, yes? 23:14 God is merciful. 23:15 If He is merciful, has been merciful to you, 23:17 would you say amen? 23:18 Amen. 23:20 The Lord has been merciful to you and I, 23:22 and we're gonna see that in a moment. 23:24 Notice what the Lord says. 23:25 Verse 26, "So the Lord said, 23:27 'If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, 23:33 then I will spare all the place for their sakes.'" 23:38 Would you say amen to that? 23:39 God was willing to be merciful to thousands of people, 23:44 if only 50 righteous, 23:47 50 good people were found in the city. 23:50 That's wonderful. 23:51 But Abraham has learned 23:54 to love his neighbor as himself. 23:56 Abraham does not know all the inhabitants 23:59 of Sodom and Gomorrah, 24:01 but he's concerned, 24:02 he's concerned about the good people. 24:05 And so he continues asking, he goes down 5 to 45, 24:09 he goes down to 40, and let's go to verse 30, 24:13 because Abraham that started at 50, 24:16 now he's asking the Lord about 30. 24:19 "Then he said, 'Let not the Lord be angry, 24:21 and I will speak, suppose thirty should be found there?' 24:25 So he said, 'I will not do it if I find thirty there.'" 24:32 Isn't that wonderful? 24:33 Thirty. 24:34 If 30 people, good people 24:36 are found in Sodom and Gomorrah, 24:38 the whole, the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah 24:41 would not be destroyed, 24:43 thousands of people will be spared 24:44 because of the 30 good people. 24:47 Did Abraham stop there? 24:49 No. 24:50 According to the Bible, in verse 32, let's go there. 24:56 I skipped a few, 24:57 because, you know, the trajectory 24:58 he kept going down, 25:00 first by five, and then by ten. 25:01 Verse 32, "Then he said, 'Let not the Lord be angry, 25:04 and I will speak but once more, 25:06 suppose ten should be found there?' 25:09 And he said, 'I will not destroy it 25:12 for the sake of the ten.' 25:14 So the Lord went His way 25:16 as soon as He had finished speaking with Abraham, 25:18 and Abraham returned to his place." 25:21 Was Abraham encouraged? 25:23 Yes, he was. 25:24 He was encouraged 25:26 because he knew that the Lord was gonna go and check. 25:29 And if ten good people were found in Sodom and Gomorrah, 25:33 they would be spared. 25:35 Unfortunately, the Bible reveals 25:37 that there were not even ten good people 25:39 in Sodom and Gomorrah. 25:41 But what did the Lord do? 25:43 The Lord went, sent the angels to find the good people 25:49 to ask them to leave Sodom and Gomorrah, 25:52 so that they would not be destroyed with the wicked. 25:55 Is the Lord good? 25:56 Yes. The Lord is good. 25:59 So we see that the Lord before He takes action 26:03 to punish the wicked, there is a warning. 26:05 And after warning after warning after warning, 26:09 He does a study to see, 26:13 is it as evil as I have come to know 26:16 as I have heard from the angels? 26:18 And He checks and then He takes action. 26:20 Do you remember Jonah? 26:22 Jonah went to warn the people of Nineveh. 26:26 Yes, he went to warn the people 26:28 and they repented, and they were spared. 26:32 And so we see that God takes action 26:34 only after warning after warning. 26:38 But the devil is different. 26:39 In the Bible, we read that the devil 26:41 goes about seeking whom he may devour, 26:44 and who can get devoured by the devil. 26:48 The Bible tells us that he's trying to destroy 26:51 whomever he can. 26:52 The best thing we can do 26:53 is to place ourselves in the Lord's hand, 26:56 so that we can have His protection. 26:59 Let's go to Job 1. 27:01 In Job 1, 27:05 we're gonna start reading in verse 6, 27:07 and we're gonna try to go to verse 22. 27:11 And some of you are familiar with this story, 27:13 but it reveals to us, 27:14 it's like the curtain is pulled aside, 27:17 so that we can see how the devil is so wicked. 27:21 If there's anybody bad, it's the devil, right? 27:24 Job 1:6, "Now there was a day 27:27 when the sons of God came 27:28 to present themselves before the Lord, 27:30 and Satan came also among them. 27:34 And the Lord said to Satan, 'From where do you come?' 27:37 From whence comest thou? 27:39 So Satan answered the Lord and said, 27:41 'From going to and fro on the earth, 27:43 and from walking up and back and forth on it.' 27:46 Then the Lord said to Satan, 27:47 'Have you considered My servant Job, 27:50 that there is none like him on the earth, 27:52 a blameless and upright man, 27:54 one who fears God and shuns evil?'" 27:59 Question, did the devil know about Job? 28:04 Oh, yes, Notice, "So Satan answered..." 28:06 Verse 9, "And said does Job fear God for nothing?" 28:11 Have you not made a hedge 28:13 around about him, around his household, 28:17 and around all that he has on every side? 28:21 You have blessed the work of his hands, 28:23 and his possessions have increased in the land. 28:27 Wow, what a tremendous testimony. 28:30 But we also understand that the devil had tried, 28:34 had tried to get into Job. 28:35 You have protected him on every side. 28:37 It's like he tried this side, that side, this side, 28:39 that side, this side and he couldn't get in, 28:41 he couldn't cause harm and damage to Job. 28:44 And Job was still faithful, faithful. 28:47 Tempt the Job and Job was faithful. 28:51 And so what happens... 28:53 How did he know? 28:55 Because he had tried. 28:56 Let's go to, for a moment, keep your finger in Job 1, 28:59 and we'll go to Psalm 34, 29:03 we'll read two verses in Psalm 34:7 and 8, 29:06 Psalm 34:7 and 8. 29:09 The Bible says, 29:10 "The angel of the Lord encamps all around 29:14 those who fear Him, and delivers them." 29:17 I know this in the King James Version, 29:18 I'm reading from the New King James. 29:20 "The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear him, 29:23 and delivers them." 29:24 Verse 8. 29:26 "Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good, 29:30 blessed is the man who trusts in Him." 29:33 So what does the Bible say? That the Lord is good. 29:38 And He sends his angel 29:39 to encamp around all the saints of the Lord, 29:44 and protects them. 29:45 They may suffer damage to property, 29:47 but the Lord protects their life. 29:50 Let's go, let's continue in Job 1:13. 29:58 I think I skipped a few verses. 30:01 Yes, we continue with verse 13, we read last verse... 30:07 I think I skipped somewhere since here. 30:09 Let's go to Job, we were at verse what? 30:14 Verse 9, so it's Job 1. 30:18 And Job 1, we've read through verse 9, 30:20 so now we're gonna read verse 10. 30:23 No, we read 10. 30:25 And so the devil says, 30:26 "But put forth your hand now and touch all that he has, 30:32 and he will curse you to your face." 30:35 Job, I mean, the devil is now challenging God. 30:40 He says, "Put forth your hand now, 30:42 and touch all that he has, 30:43 and he will curse you to your face." 30:45 And the Lord said onto Satan, 30:49 "Behold, all that he has 30:51 is in your power only upon himself, 30:56 put not forth your hand." 30:58 So Satan went forth from the presence of Lord. 31:02 Satan went forth from the presence of Lord. 31:05 So Satan now could reach Job, 31:10 but he had orders, what were the orders? 31:12 Do not touch? Do not touch him. 31:18 Also in other words, do not kill him. 31:21 Now verse 13, 31:22 "Now there was a day 31:24 when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine 31:26 in their oldest brother's house. 31:28 And a messenger came to Job, and said, 31:30 'The oxen were plowing, 31:32 and the donkeys feeding beside them. 31:34 When the Sabeans raided them, and took them away. 31:37 Indeed, they have killed the servants 31:40 with the edge of the sword, 31:41 and I alone have escaped to tell you.'" 31:45 Is that bad news? That's bad news. 31:49 But I don't know 31:51 if you've ever had an experience like this 31:53 that sometimes something happens to you, 31:55 and then sometimes later, something else happens to you, 31:57 perhaps in the same day, and you go, another thing. 32:02 It's going from bad to worse. 32:03 But in this scripture, 32:06 we find that while this man was still speaking, 32:10 according to verse 16, 32:11 while he was still speaking, another also came, 32:13 and he said, 32:14 "The fire of God fell from heaven, 32:17 and burned up the sheep, 32:19 and the servants, and consumed them, 32:21 and I alone have escaped to tell you." 32:24 Now notice this for a moment. 32:27 His oxen and his donkeys were taken away, 32:32 and they killed the servants, so now he... 32:36 His possessions are being effected, 32:38 and his sheep and his servants were consumed. 32:43 Now he says, fire from where? 32:47 The servant reported that it was fire from God. 32:50 Was it lightning? 32:52 The Bible doesn't tell us what it was. 32:53 But it appeared to him that it came from the sky, 32:56 so he's saying it was from God. 32:58 Who do we know caused this destruction? 33:01 The devil. 33:03 The devil caused this destruction, 33:06 and so that's the curtain being pushed aside 33:09 so that we understand who is doing the destroying. 33:12 Verse 17, 33:13 "While he was still speaking, another also came and said, 33:17 'The Chaldeans formed three bands, 33:20 raided the camels and took them away, 33:22 yes, and killed the servants with the edge of the sword, 33:26 and I alone have escaped to tell you.' 33:29 While he was still speaking, another also came and said, 33:32 'Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine 33:35 in their oldest brother's house, 33:37 and suddenly a great wind came from across the wilderness, 33:40 and struck the four corners of the house, 33:42 and it fell on the young man, and they are dead, 33:46 and I alone have escaped to tell you.'" 33:50 Horrible, horrible news. 33:53 One after another in quick successions, 33:56 while one is speaking, 33:58 another one comes with bad news. 34:00 And it says... 34:02 What kind? 34:03 A wind came from the wilderness. 34:06 Some natural disaster occurred. 34:08 And so I say these things to you 34:11 so that you understand, 34:13 so that we understand 34:14 that the devil is allowed from time to time control 34:20 over the natural elements of the earth. 34:22 In this case, we heard a fire coming down from the sky, 34:26 it may have been lighting, 34:28 and the Lord allowed him 34:30 to have control over these elements. 34:32 The Lord also allowed him 34:33 to have control over the wind at that time, 34:36 and it caused the house to fall on Job's children 34:40 and killed them. 34:42 So today, when you think about natural disasters, 34:46 please understand 34:48 that just because I say natural disaster 34:51 that you would blame God for this. 34:53 We have to understand 34:54 that the devil is allowed sometimes 34:57 to cause natural catastrophes. 35:01 And there is an understanding 35:04 that we need to have before this hour is over, 35:06 and you need to stand by so that we understand this. 35:09 "Then Job arose," verse 20, "tore his robe, 35:12 and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground, 35:15 and worshiped. 35:16 And he said, Naked I came from my mother's womb, 35:19 and naked shall I return there." 35:24 So we see that 35:26 the devil caused great suffering, 35:29 lost his possessions, 35:31 lost including his home, including his children, 35:35 and all the flock of sheep that he had, etcetera. 35:40 If you continue reading in Job, 35:42 you will also know 35:43 that eventually the Lord gave him, 35:45 allowed him to touch Job with physical ailment, 35:50 and the description is horrendous. 35:53 Sores all over his body, 35:55 he couldn't even sit comfortably, 35:57 suffered greatly that even friends, 35:59 when they came to see Job, 36:01 they were so shocked at his appearance 36:04 that they couldn't say a word for several days. 36:08 That's how bad it was. 36:10 And Job remained faithful to the Lord. 36:12 And so in verse 21, it ends with, 36:15 "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. 36:18 Blessed be the name of the Lord." 36:20 Verse 22, 36:21 "In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong." 36:26 Praise the Lord. 36:28 And so when you think of tornadoes and destruction, 36:33 please understand that the devil is involved. 36:38 I'd like to invite you to Luke 13. 36:43 Luke 13. 36:46 In Luke 13, 36:49 we have another scripture 36:51 that helps us to understand 36:54 the wickedness of the devil and the damage he causes. 36:59 And we understand 37:02 that he uses people, he uses people. 37:07 This man that we mentioned about Las Vegas, 37:09 I have asked myself, 37:11 if this man was demon possessed, 37:13 they have found no reason, no notes, nothing 37:16 about him that they can say, oh, he was not well, 37:19 he was mentally deranged or something. 37:22 But as I consider the killings and police shooting people, 37:27 people shooting police. 37:29 In Chicago, every week is a tale of murders, 37:35 it's horrendous. 37:37 Chicago is one of the highest crime rate in the world. 37:42 And according to what I heard, 37:45 they have one of the strictest gun control 37:47 and yet 37:49 there is a lot of shootings and people being killed. 37:52 Luke 13, notice, beginning verse 1, 37:57 "There were present at that season some 38:00 who told him," 38:01 that is Jesus, "about the Galileans, 38:03 whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 38:07 And Jesus answered and said to them, 38:09 "Do you suppose that these Galileans 38:12 were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, 38:16 because they suffered such things? 38:18 I tell you, no. 38:22 But unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. 38:27 Or those eighteen, 38:28 on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, 38:31 do you think they were worse sinners 38:33 than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem?" 38:36 I tell you what, no, 38:38 they were not worse sinners 38:39 than the people that dwell in Jerusalem, 38:41 Jesus is telling them. 38:42 "But unless you repent, you will all likewise perish." 38:47 So what is Jesus trying to say? 38:49 Jesus is trying to say that just because 38:52 you hear about calamity, 38:54 let's say Houston, 38:55 let's say Puerto Rico, Dominica, Barbuda, 39:00 and all these other places where there is destruction. 39:04 It does not mean that 39:05 they were worse sinners than we are, 39:08 worse sinners than in Thompsonville, 39:10 West Frankfurt, Benton, Chicago 39:13 because if we analyze these things 39:16 the way they should be. 39:17 The Bible says in Romans 3:23, what does it say? 39:22 "For all have sinned, 39:24 and come short of the glory of God." 39:26 If all have sinned, 39:28 and come short of the glory of God, 39:30 the whole world deserves to be punished. 39:32 Is that true? Yes or no? 39:34 The whole world deserves to be punished. 39:36 But yet God is merciful, God is kind, 39:40 and does not want any to perish, 39:43 but that all should come to repentance. 39:46 But we ask ourselves, what do these things mean? 39:50 I would like to bring to your attention, 39:53 the people of Israel. 39:54 God told the people of Israel, 39:56 you can read in beginning at Exodus, 39:58 Numbers, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, 40:00 and you read how God promised and did great things. 40:04 You will plant, 40:05 and they will reap a great harvest. 40:09 Your wives will bear children, 40:11 there will be no diseases among you, 40:13 many wonderful blessings. 40:15 And the Lord warned them. 40:16 If you walk away and start doing wickedness, 40:21 then you will begin to face trouble. 40:24 And you will be taken captives, you will become slaves. 40:28 And you can read the story of Israel, 40:30 and when you get to the Book of Judges, 40:33 you already began to see 40:35 that God sent one judge after another 40:39 and then you read about kings, 40:41 and the different kings that come in, 40:43 and it's almost like every king 40:45 that came in was worse than the other. 40:47 And he did more evil than all the kings before him 40:50 and provoked God's anger. 40:52 And so now I bring you to the Book of Ezekiel 39, 40:56 in the Book of Ezekiel 39, 40:58 God reveals something to us that we need to understand. 41:02 In Ezekiel 39:23 and verse 23 says, 41:08 "And the nations shall know 41:11 that the house of Israel 41:13 was exiled for their iniquity because they sinned against Me, 41:19 therefore I hid My face from them, 41:21 and gave them into the hand of their enemies, 41:24 so they all fell by the sword." 41:27 Notice verse 24, 41:29 "According to their uncleanness 41:30 and according to their sins, I have done to them, 41:35 and have hidden My face from them." 41:38 So what is going on here with the people of Israel? 41:41 Please understand that prior to the Lord allowing them 41:46 to be taken captive, the Lord sent prophet, judges, 41:51 people to warn them return to the Lord. 41:54 You read of Jeremiah, 41:55 return to the Lord, return to the Lord. 41:58 Do the right thing, 41:59 put away the evil from before my face, 42:02 put away the evil from before me 42:04 and lock in righteousness 42:07 and they continued to do evil, continued to do evil. 42:10 So the time comes when God says, this is enough. 42:14 Now I'm going to allow you 42:16 to reap what you have sown. 42:21 And so here we have revealed to us 42:24 that the Lord allowed 42:25 the people of Israel to be taken away 42:27 to exile and to suffer. 42:29 Why? 42:31 Because basically, according to their sins, 42:34 that's the way the Lord did unto them. 42:36 In other words, God stepped back, 42:40 removed the hedge of protection, 42:42 and then they were suffering because of their iniquity. 42:48 And so what does God do? 42:50 God warns before He takes action. 42:53 And so when you look at these fires 42:55 that suddenly came upon people, 42:57 hurricanes that suddenly came upon people, 43:00 earthquakes that suddenly came upon people. 43:02 We then even mentioned Mexico 43:05 that over 200 people died in an earthquake, 43:11 and practically buried alive many in a building. 43:14 We have to ask ourselves, did God do this? 43:18 Or did the devil do this? 43:21 I have some things to share with you 43:24 that we need to understand. 43:25 First, all have sinned 43:27 and fall short of the glory of God. 43:29 So we all deserve to be punished. 43:33 How many of you think you deserve to be punished, 43:35 would you raise your hand? 43:36 Wow! 43:38 Just about everyone raised their hand over here, 43:39 and perhaps, at home, you may also agree. 43:41 I would say to you 43:42 that God has been kind to each and every one of us. 43:45 I would like to ask you to join me in Lamentations 3. 43:51 In the Book of Lamentations 3, 43:53 we have some scriptures that open to us 43:57 an understanding of God's wonderful mercy. 44:01 Lamentations 3:22 and 23. 44:04 If you found then say amen. 44:06 Amen, we read. 44:08 It says that, 44:09 ''It is through the Lord's mercy 44:11 that we are not consumed 44:14 because His compassions fail not. 44:17 They are new every morning, great is your faithfulness." 44:23 Great is thy faithfulness, says in the King James. 44:26 So the Bible says that is 44:28 because of God's great mercy that we are not consumed. 44:34 God has been merciful to each and every one of us. 44:38 And then if you look at these natural disasters, 44:41 we have to ask ourselves what is going on? 44:43 And I would like to read to you 44:46 something that I've found that helps us understand 44:50 what is going on. 44:51 It says in Testimonies for the Church. 44:55 This is written by Ellen G. White, 44:57 volume 6, 408. 45:00 The condition... 45:02 Let me backup before I read this. 45:04 The condition of this world, 45:08 Jesus warned us 45:09 that it would become as the days of Noah. 45:14 Perhaps, we should read this in Matthew 24. 45:18 Let's go ahead and read this in Matthew 24. 45:21 And so we can paint the picture, 45:26 the true picture of what things are. 45:28 Basically, if you were able to bring video 45:32 or have video of what was going on 45:35 during the time of Noah, 45:37 and then if you compare it to what is going on now, 45:42 we are practically in the same condition, 45:45 practically in the same condition. 45:47 And even if you were to be able to pile up the sins 45:50 that were going on in those days, 45:52 the Bible says that the sins... 45:54 The thoughts of man's hearts were, what? 45:56 Evil, continually. 45:59 And in today's society, we are reaching, 46:02 practically reaching that level of sin. 46:06 And so there in Luke, 46:12 I mean, Matthew 24, Matthew 24, 46:17 beginning in verse 37. 46:19 Matthew 24:37, 46:22 "But as the days of Noah were, 46:27 so shall also at the coming of the Son of man be. 46:31 For as in the days that were before the flood 46:34 they were eating and drinking, 46:36 marrying and giving in marriage, 46:38 until the day 46:39 that Noah entered into the ark." 46:41 We'll stop there for a moment. 46:43 So question, is it wrong to eat? 46:48 No, it's okay to eat. 46:49 It's okay to eat, 46:51 but they were doing it to excess. 46:53 Is it wrong to drink? 46:54 Well, in this case, we have to ask ourselves, 46:57 Christians should not drink 46:58 wine or liquor or any such thing. 47:00 The Bible says that wine is a mocker, 47:03 strong drink is raging. 47:04 And fool is the man, 47:06 fool is the man that is deceived thereby. 47:08 This is talking about drinking things 47:11 to excess to begin with. 47:13 So they were going to excess in the things 47:15 that they were doing. 47:16 Is it wrong to marry? 47:19 No. 47:20 The Bible says, 47:22 that a man shall leave his mother and father, 47:23 should be joined onto his wife, 47:24 and the two shall become one flesh, 47:26 but they were doing this to excess. 47:28 In today's time, 47:29 people are doing this to excess again. 47:31 "And giving in marriage 47:33 until the day that Noah entered into the ark, 47:34 and knew not until the flood came 47:36 and took them all away, 47:38 so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." 47:41 And so we have a warning 47:44 that the conditions of the world 47:46 would reach such a level of sin, 47:49 just like the days of Noah. 47:52 Are you seeing widespread wickedness? 47:55 You read the newspapers and you hear of horrible crimes 47:58 being done by people. 48:00 We have not even mentioned which I will mention now 48:02 that people appear to be out of control. 48:06 Almost every year, 48:07 you hear of two, three, or more young man or person 48:12 that goes into school 48:14 and begins to shoot different people 48:17 with practically no explanation, 48:19 and sometimes kill themselves. 48:22 And we heard of people going into churches, 48:24 killing other people, and horrible, horrible crimes. 48:29 Fathers against children, mothers against children, 48:32 children against their fathers, 48:33 the world is mounting up 48:36 the amount of wickedness they are doing. 48:38 And so having this, 48:41 this as a foundation, 48:44 let's read Testimonies for the Church, 6, 408, 48:50 it says, 48:52 "The restraining Spirit of God 48:56 is even now being withdrawn from the world. 49:00 Hurricanes, storms, tempests, fire and flood, 49:06 disasters by sea and land, 49:08 follow each other in quick succession." 49:12 Has this been happening? Yes. 49:14 Science seeks to explain all these. 49:18 The signs thickening around us, 49:20 tell us of the near approach of the Son of God, 49:24 are attributed to any other than the true cause. 49:29 Men cannot discern 49:31 the sentinel angels restraining the four winds 49:34 that they shall not blow 49:36 until the servants of God are sealed, 49:39 but when God shall bid his angels loose the winds, 49:43 there shall be 49:44 such a scene of strife as no pen can picture. 49:49 So we see here that I submit to you 49:52 that we're living in a time 49:55 because of the increase of sin in the world 49:58 that God is beginning to step back, 50:02 and the devil is being allowed 50:04 to do more and more destruction. 50:07 God steps back and the devil is allowed to do destruction. 50:13 Question, does it mean... 50:15 Like I said before that the places 50:18 where destruction is taking place 50:19 that they're more sinners than this little town? 50:22 No. 50:24 These things are happening as a warning to us, 50:29 to let us know that Jesus is coming soon, 50:31 to let us know that it is high-time 50:34 to awake out of sleep, 50:36 repent and seek the Lord with all of your heart. 50:40 If you believe that, would you say amen? 50:42 Amen. Amen. 50:43 I would like to read to you, again, from the book, 50:45 Great Controversy, 50:47 well, first time from the Great Controversy, 50:48 the other one's from Testimonies to the Church, 50:51 volume 6, page 408. 50:54 And for those of you that want to write that down. 50:56 Talking about the devil, 50:58 it says the following, in Great Controversy, 589, 51:02 paragraph 3, 51:04 "Even now he's at work," talking about the devil. 51:07 "In accidents, 51:09 in calamities by sea and by land, 51:13 in great conflagrations," 51:18 what's a conflagration? 51:20 It's a fire, intense fire that destroys. 51:23 So let me start again, "Even now he's at work. 51:25 In accidents, calamities by sea and by land, 51:28 in great conflagrations, 51:30 in fierce tornadoes and terrific hailstorms, 51:34 in tempests, floods, cyclones, 51:38 tidal waves, and earthquakes, 51:40 in every place in a thousand forms, 51:44 Satan is exercising his power." 51:47 When? Even now. 51:50 "He sweeps away the ripening harvests, 51:53 and famine and distress follow. 51:55 He imparts to the air a deadly taint, 51:59 and thousands perish by the pestilence. 52:02 These visitations are to become 52:05 more and more frequent and disastrous. 52:08 Destruction will be upon man and beast." 52:12 Great Controversy, 589, paragraph 3. 52:16 And so I say to you that the devil has... 52:23 is allowed to control the elements. 52:26 And so be not surprised that he can cause a cyclone, 52:30 a hurricane, and earthquake. 52:34 And so I say to you, it is time to awake from sleep, 52:40 it is time to repent and seek the Lord while he can be found. 52:45 I would like to read to you from John 16:33, 52:50 John 16:33. 52:53 It is time for God's people 52:54 to preach the good news of salvation 52:56 that God is loved 52:58 and he's offering to a world 52:59 the opportunity to be saved 53:01 and find salvation in Jesus Christ. 53:04 But when all these things happen, 53:05 what are we to do? 53:07 What if we are found in an area where there is flooding, 53:10 where there is an earthquake, 53:11 where you see people that need water, need food? 53:14 What are we to do? 53:16 Are we to say, 53:18 you deserve what you're getting, 53:19 or should we try to relieve suffering? 53:22 What would Jesus do? 53:24 Let's look John 16:33, 53:28 because we need to also understand 53:30 that we will face difficult times. 53:32 "These things I have spoken to you 53:35 that in Me you may have peace. 53:38 In the world you will have tribulation, 53:41 but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." 53:45 Praise the Lord. 53:46 And because Jesus has overcome the world, 53:49 we can take hope and courage in that He that said, 53:55 "I will come again, 53:56 and receive you unto myself 53:59 that where I am there you may be also." 54:02 We can take courage and accept His peace. 54:08 He says that he speaks these things unto you, 54:10 shares these things with us that we may have peace. 54:13 Notice, there in Romans 8:28, 54:16 if you encounter any type of suffering 54:20 than take courage in knowing that God may allow this, 54:24 just like He allowed things to happen to Job. 54:28 If you look at Joseph, was it a, 54:31 what you call a walk in the park for Joseph? 54:35 Or did he go through difficult times? 54:38 And if the Lord allows trials and problems 54:41 to come to you, 54:42 is because He sees 54:44 that something needs 54:46 to be developed in our character, 54:47 He sees that 54:49 there is work for us to understand 54:51 that we must change certain things. 54:54 If you face a trial, 54:56 it is but an opportunity 54:58 to grow in grace and in faith. 55:02 So Romans 8:28, 55:04 this scripture has given me a lot of hope and it says, 55:07 "And we know 55:08 that all things work together for good to those 55:12 who love God, 55:13 to those who are the called according to His purpose." 55:17 Amen. 55:18 So I've been through difficult things 55:20 in my life 55:21 and this scripture has given me courage. 55:23 And sometimes, I don't know what good is being worked out, 55:27 but if I trust in the Lord, 55:29 I know that He will work it to my good, 55:32 even if I don't understand it in this world. 55:34 Matthew 5:16, 55:36 we talked about 55:37 what should you do if you're in... 55:40 See somebody going through some suffering? 55:42 Matthew 5:16 helps us to understand 55:46 that what we need to do. 55:49 "Let your light so shine before men, 55:52 that they may see your good work 55:54 and glorify your Father in heaven." 55:57 So I say to you, 55:58 when you see somebody in need is but an opportunity 56:02 to share the love of Jesus with them 56:06 and to lead them to Jesus, 56:07 to let them know 56:08 that God is not willing that any should perish, 56:11 but that all come to repentance. 56:12 And that they can have peace and salvation in Jesus Christ. 56:16 We have time to read one more scripture, 56:18 and that is found in Matthew 11:28 through 30. 56:22 And some of you may know either all of it or part of it, 56:25 and I read to you Matthew 11:28 through 30. 56:29 Jesus said, "Come to Me, 56:31 all you who labor and are heavy laden, 56:35 and I will give you rest. 56:37 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, 56:40 for I am gentle and lowly in heart, 56:43 and you will find rest for your souls. 56:46 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." 56:50 I praise the Lord that this invitation of Jesus 56:54 is still available for us today. 56:57 He says to me, He says to you, 57:00 come unto me 57:01 if you're weary and heavy laden. 57:03 If you don't have peace, 57:04 Jesus invites you to come to Him, 57:06 and He will give you rest. 57:09 And when you have rest in Jesus, 57:11 you have true rest. 57:14 So I invite you all to accept the invitation of Jesus. 57:18 How many are willing to accept the invitation of Jesus, 57:20 accept His rest, 57:22 accept for Him to take your burdens, 57:24 accept for Him to take your sorrows, 57:27 your sufferings, your needs, 57:29 and so that He can give you rest? 57:31 God promises to be with us, 57:34 God promises to help us 57:36 in whatever conflict we may face. 57:38 And again, I say to you, 57:40 the calamities and the crime 57:41 that we face in this world are telling us the signs 57:46 that the Lord Jesus Christ is coming soon. 57:49 So I hope that as you consider these things, 57:51 by no means, this is a complete study. 57:53 I encourage you to continue studying this topic 57:55 so that you may understand that God is good. 57:59 Or taste and see that the Lord is good. |
Revised 2017-12-07