Participants:
Series Code: GYC
Program Code: GYC190009S
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00:31 I have with me here my friends
00:33 who are going to share a little bit about their lives 00:36 and how God has called them into sacrificial service. 00:39 Jasmine, you are here from quite far away. 00:43 You are... 00:45 You were born in a refugee camp in Thailand. 00:48 Is that right? Yes. 00:50 Jasmine was born as a refugee of... 00:52 She's part of the Karen ethnic people group 00:55 who are originally from Myanmar 00:58 and she had a childhood that was scarred by war, 01:03 trapped between the rebels and the government forces. 01:06 She had to flee multiple times with her family for her life. 01:11 And in this situation, 01:12 it's hard to maintain your faith. 01:14 It's hard to understand why these things are happening. 01:17 So, Jasmine, what was it that kept you 01:20 in that rather difficult 01:21 and challenging time close to the Lord? 01:25 Happy Sabbath, everyone. 01:28 And most of all, 01:29 I think the Holy Spirit's basically are my parents 01:33 most of the time, 01:34 because my parents were lay missionary, 01:36 so I have to stay with my grandparents. 01:40 So the Holy Spirit basically, 01:42 you know, working in my heart 01:44 and, you know, following God's voice 01:47 and maintain my faith. 01:50 So God really adopted you in a way 01:53 in that challenging time 01:54 while your parents were working as missionaries. 01:56 Now, your family had an opportunity 01:58 to flee that situation. 02:00 When you were 16, you came to the United States. 02:03 And I know you struggled a little bit with English 02:05 at the time. 02:07 You went to school, 02:08 but you really learned English while canvassing, amen? 02:11 What a blessing. 02:13 Now, God gave you the opportunity 02:15 to go to college here in the United States. 02:17 And He very clearly spoke to you in that time. 02:21 What happened? Share about that? 02:22 So the first two weeks when I went to my college, 02:26 I have dreams about the persecution 02:29 and, you know, people try to kill me 02:32 because I was going back to Thailand 02:36 to the Karen people, 02:37 and they don't like me to do mission work there. 02:40 So they try to get rid of me. 02:44 So I dreamed the soldiers tried to kill me. 02:46 You know, we're going to get rid of Jasmine. 02:47 You know, I saw a lot of things just like that. 02:51 And then in 2015, 02:54 a group of the college students 02:56 and we went to the mission trip there 02:59 and starts since then, 03:02 you know, I pray to God 03:03 and God changed me through the mission trip. 03:06 And I became... 03:10 God told me to change my major to elementary education. 03:14 So I know that for sure, and I prayed. 03:17 So long story short, 03:18 He answered my prayer in the same week 03:20 through my team members, 03:22 so I know that He's calling for me 03:24 and then as soon as I came back to State, 03:28 I changed my major 03:29 and now I'm going to give my life to Jesus 03:34 to serve education. 03:36 You know, to serve my people through education, teaching. 03:40 Amen. 03:42 You know, it's wonderful to see 03:43 what happens when we are willing 03:45 to let God take control of our lives. 03:48 Jasmine felt a clear call from God 03:50 to serve the people back in Thailand, 03:53 her people as a teacher, 03:55 so she sacrificed her personal dreams 03:58 and changed her major and said 03:59 I will follow God's will for my life. 04:01 And God gave her these dreams. 04:03 And we don't know if that is something 04:04 that is going to happen or what is going on, 04:06 but we know that God has a clear call 04:08 in Jasmine's life 04:09 and she's willing to follow and we give Him all the glory. 04:12 So you are going there in March. 04:14 Is that correct? 04:15 March, yes. Yes. 04:17 And how long will you serve there? 04:19 It's going to be a long-term mission. 04:20 Long-term mission. Praise God. 04:22 Jasmine has felt a call from God 04:25 and is willing to sacrifice the comforts 04:27 and the convenience 04:29 of living here in the United States 04:30 to serve Jesus, 04:31 where He calls her to serve. 04:33 Hundred years ago, 04:35 the missionary Eric B. Hare went to the Karen people. 04:39 And through his work, 04:41 Jasmine's great grandparents were converted. 04:45 And now she is called to be a missionary to her own people 04:48 going back serving sacrificially, 04:50 to build up schools and churches for the Lord. 04:54 Next to Jasmine, our friend Ostap is here. 04:58 Ostap is also from another country, 05:01 you're from the Ukraine. 05:03 And you came to the United States 05:04 in the '90s, after the fall of communism, 05:07 and your family came over here, 05:09 and you had an opportunity to kind of get 05:12 on your individual American dream track. 05:15 And so you went to college, 05:16 and you got a really good job in corporate America 05:19 working for a national large company. 05:22 But something happened one day, tell us about this? 05:27 It seemed to me like 05:28 I had come to a point 05:30 where I had to ask myself, "Is this it? 05:32 Have I arrived? 05:33 And is this really everything that God wants me to do? 05:37 And will I be able to be a disciple for Him?" 05:41 And so, how do I continue to share my faith 05:45 in corporate America 05:46 where religion is not on the policy, 05:49 you cannot share your religion. 05:51 And how do you reach the people next door 05:53 when you're in your office all day long. 05:56 You're in your office 40, 50, 60 hours a week. 06:00 So you felt this, this emptiness 06:03 that you want to do something for God, 06:05 and you felt like this is, this cannot be everything. 06:08 What else can there be? 06:10 And so God gave you 06:11 through a couple of divine appointments 06:13 and interventions. 06:15 He made it very clear to you to start a ministry. 06:16 Share about that to us? 06:18 By God's grace, 06:19 Amazing Facts reached out to me and said, 06:21 "Listen, we have a school 06:23 that's really going to transform 06:24 your life. 06:25 It's going to give you the tools 06:27 that you need for evangelism." 06:28 And so I enrolled in AFCO. 06:30 And through that experience, 06:31 I had a chance to go to Thailand 06:32 to do mission work. 06:34 And there the Lord really showed me 06:36 what excitement and what joy it is 06:39 to really serve and to share the gospel. 06:42 I had come back to the States after Thailand. 06:46 Amazing Facts sent me an invitation 06:48 to go out to Clanton, Alabama to do mission work once again, 06:51 to do Bible work together with Wyatt Allen. 06:54 He was the speaker and evangelist for that time 06:58 and he together with I, we would visit church members, 07:01 we would visit the neighbors 07:03 and the host family there 07:05 that I was staying with Bob and Don Ernest. 07:08 They told me, "Listen, 07:09 you have got to listen to God's leading. 07:12 We believe that you need to start 07:14 your own ministry." 07:15 I had no idea how to start a ministry. 07:17 I didn't know what the first step would be. 07:20 But Bob says, "I'm impressed by the Lord 07:23 to tell you to study Isaiah 58, and God will do the rest." 07:27 And out of that grew that ministry, 07:30 build and restore, you're here, you've done, 07:32 you've been part of the outreach as well 07:33 this week, and we praise God for that. 07:35 So what is it? 07:37 You know, you could have success 07:39 in corporate America. 07:40 But what keeps you now on this faith journey 07:42 where you are living by faith 07:44 without the security of a salary, 07:46 just month by month trusting in the Lord. 07:48 Why are you willing to do that 07:50 instead of the comfortable corporate America job? 07:55 When we taste and see that the Lord is good, 07:57 we cannot hold back 07:59 but to go forward and to share with others. 08:01 Amen? 08:02 And there is no greater sense of accomplishment 08:05 and satisfaction 08:06 when you make an appeal 08:07 and you see that one individual stand 08:10 and come to the front 08:11 and commit their life to the Lord, 08:12 when they are ready to accept 08:14 the calling that God has for them. 08:16 My biggest fear was, 08:18 Lord, if I don't respond to the calling 08:21 that You have for me now, 08:22 will I have a second chance? 08:25 Well, praise God that you made that decision 08:27 to follow Lord's leading and He has a call, 08:29 God has a call 08:30 for each and every one of us 08:32 to do something for Him. 08:33 Let us be willing to give our lives to Him in service. 08:36 Now next to you, Ostap, is Puia. 08:39 Puia, you are a pastor. 08:42 You are part of the Chesapeake Conference, 08:45 but currently you're at Andrews. 08:46 Tell me about yourself and your experience there? 08:48 Yes. 08:49 So I was born in a beautiful country 08:51 called Myanmar, 08:52 formerly known as Burma. 08:54 And my family moved here in 2012. 08:56 And I worked as a youth pastor in the Chesapeake Conference 08:59 for a little over a year 09:00 and thanks to the sponsorship of the Chesapeake Conference. 09:02 Currently I'm studying Masters of Divinity 09:04 at the seminary in Andrews University. 09:06 Now in your program at the seminary, 09:08 you have a requirement 09:10 of doing some evangelistic activities, 09:12 and usually people take about a week or so 09:15 to fulfill those requirements. 09:17 But God made it very clear for you to do something else. 09:20 Share about what happened? That's right. 09:21 A part of the MDA program at the seminary 09:23 is a requirement to do a field evangelism practicum 09:26 where you could join a team of evangelists 09:29 or be a part of an evangelistic outreach 09:32 here in the United States or join a short term, 09:34 one-week mission trip. 09:36 But I felt impressed by God 09:38 to go back to my country Myanmar and do more. 09:41 And so I prayed to God and God opened door 09:44 and last school year, 09:46 I went back to my country Myanmar, 09:48 and I spent the whole semester, 09:52 four months doing public evangelisms 09:54 while taking online classes full time. 09:57 And we conducted three public evangelisms, 10:00 three weeks of prayers 10:02 and about three or four weekend revivals. 10:04 And as a result, we baptized over 20 people. 10:07 And if I may share an amazing story 10:09 that took place during my trip. 10:12 In one of the schools that I visited 10:13 was a Buddhist student 10:15 who had not accepted Jesus as his Savior. 10:18 And after listening to my presentations, 10:21 and my talk about how much God loves us, 10:23 and the fact that He exists. 10:25 See in the Buddhist faith, they don't believe in God, 10:27 and they don't believe in a Creator God. 10:28 And so he came to me afterwards and he said, 10:32 "Pastor, I want to get baptized." 10:33 Wow. 10:34 So I asked him what prompted the decision. 10:37 And he told me that two years earlier, 10:39 about two years earlier he had a dream. 10:42 And in his dream, God instructed him, 10:44 God told him that three people would come to him 10:46 to lead him to the truth. 10:48 And by this time when I visited the school, 10:51 he had already been studying the Bible, 10:53 and two key individuals had been influential 10:55 in his process of learning more about God. 10:59 And in the end, he came to me and he said, 11:01 "Pastor, you are the third person 11:03 that I saw in my dream three years, two years earlier 11:06 that God told me 11:08 that would bring me to the truth." 11:09 And so, it was just amazing to see 11:10 that God had already had the plan mapped out 11:13 for my whole journey. 11:15 And I guess it goes to show 11:16 that sometimes ministry may not be always easy, 11:19 you know, in the context 11:20 of studying full time online class 11:23 and doing full time evangelism, 11:25 as challenging as it was, as long as God is with us. 11:29 God has already gone before us to prepare the way. 11:32 So I think that's the lesson that I took away. 11:34 And the church says, amen. 11:37 When we make ourselves available to God 11:39 to be used by Him. 11:41 When we say, "Lord, this day is your day. 11:44 Lead me to the right person." 11:45 He will use you in special ways. 11:48 Sacrifice your education for God. 11:51 I don't say, give it up. 11:52 I'm saying, let God guide you in what to study. 11:55 Let God guide you in where to live. 11:57 Let God guide you in what you do. 12:00 And He will take you on a journey you could only, 12:02 you could never dream off. 12:04 And He will lead you to people who are seeking for a truth. 12:07 He will give you a fulfillment 12:08 that only can come from the Holy Spirit. 12:11 He will give you joy that will last eternally. 12:14 I want to encourage you, 12:15 make a decision 12:17 to take sacrificial initiative for Christ, 12:19 to surrender your plans to the Lord, 12:21 and live a life of service 12:23 fulfilled with the joy of Jesus. 12:25 God bless you. 12:27 Amen. 12:29 Hello, GYC, on behalf 12:30 of the General Conference Youth Department, 12:32 we want to wish all of you a wonderful and Happy New Year. 12:36 I love your theme this year, "By Many or By Few." 12:39 Those words were spoken by a young man named Jonathan 12:42 who lived dangerously for God. 12:44 You know, there's a lot of reasons 12:45 why I love that story. 12:47 I mean, I love it because you know, 12:48 if you think about it, 12:50 Jonathan was actually showing us 12:51 how to reach and retain our young people. 12:53 Because when Jonathan went to attack the Philistines, 12:56 the Bible says the young people 12:57 who were the young soldiers of Saul, 12:59 who were hiding in the caves 13:01 or who had joined the enemy side 13:02 actually joined Jonathan, 13:04 in being able to defeat the Philistines 13:07 and move forward as God had asked him to do. 13:09 Right there, I believe is the secret 13:11 to reaching this generation. 13:13 We need courageous leaders just like you GYC 13:16 to be willing to go forward with the three angels' message. 13:19 And when the younger generation sees this, 13:21 they get inspired, 13:22 and they want to be a part of what God is doing 13:24 to take the three angel's message 13:25 around the world. 13:27 People often ask me, what is the mission 13:29 of the General Conference Youth Department? 13:31 And it's very simply this. 13:32 We believe that every single young person 13:35 is a missionary sent by God 13:38 to either go across the sea, 13:40 or across the street with a three angels' message. 13:42 You are a missionary. 13:44 So young people on behalf 13:45 of the General Conference Youth Department, 13:47 we want to say Happy New Year again to you. 13:48 We want to encourage you to make sure 13:50 you go to the booths 13:51 and learn some of these incredible initiatives 13:53 that are out there, 13:55 so you can be a missionary for Jesus. 13:56 Also don't forget, 13:58 something very special is happening 13:59 at GC session this year. 14:01 At GC session, we are actually having 14:03 a Youth Congress 14:04 at the same time in Indianapolis. 14:07 You can actually go to this Youth Congress, 14:09 impact Indianapolis with the Gospel of Jesus, 14:11 get involved, 14:13 get connected with other young people 14:14 from around the world, 14:15 and then go back equipped and trained 14:17 to make an impact in your city. 14:19 So don't miss out on impact at the GC session 14:23 coming up very soon in 2020. 14:25 Also, 14:27 I'm very happy to tell you that after GC session, 14:30 we are actually going to be launching 14:32 one year in mission in Indianapolis 14:35 and some of the surrounding cities. 14:37 This means that after GC session, 14:39 you can get involved for one year 14:42 as a missionary full time for the Lord Jesus. 14:45 Make sure you follow up at campushope.com, 14:49 and also take a look right underneath here 14:51 at all the details for that. 14:53 So again, make sure you like us 14:54 at GC Youth Ministries on Facebook page. 14:57 We love you young people. 14:58 I wish I could be there with you in the flesh, 15:00 but I'm with you in spirit. 15:02 We love GYC. 15:03 God bless you young people. 15:05 And for those of you who don't know us, 15:06 we are the InVerse team. 15:08 We are privileged to be 15:09 part of the Hope channel family. 15:11 We have a TV show that talks about the Sabbath school. 15:14 And a lot of us are familiar with the GYC family. 15:16 And so it's kind of a weird intersection 15:18 between InVerse and GYC. 15:20 I want to ask for us to get warmed up 15:22 to look to the person next to you 15:24 and say Happy Sabbath. 15:25 Welcome to Sabbath School. 15:27 If you like them, shake their hands, 15:28 if you don't like them, shake your hands anyway. 15:41 I want to welcome my panelists, 15:43 really good friends of mine. 15:45 We are the InVerse team. 15:47 I chose friends 15:48 from different parts of the world. 15:49 We're all kind of from America except for Jonathan, 15:51 but we adopt him as an American. 15:53 And we all represent different parts of the world. 15:55 And so, I represent all of Asia. 15:58 So all you Asian friends out there, 16:00 I am your representative, 16:02 the largest continent in the world. 16:03 And so, to my far left here or far right 16:06 is Sebastian Braxton. 16:07 Say hi. 16:09 Aloha. 16:10 And share a little bit about who you are 16:11 for about five seconds. 16:13 Five seconds, who are you? 16:15 Oh, Sebastian Braxton, 16:17 CEO for the New Life Challenge and live in North Carolina. 16:21 Husband to Candace, father of four. 16:24 Okay, he's got a background from the Caribbean, 16:26 so he represents all of Inter-America 16:28 to his innocence. 16:30 Okay to his right, to his right. 16:33 Hi everyone, I'm Israel Ramos, 16:35 and I am the Public Campus Ministry Director 16:37 for Michigan, 16:39 and happy to be here with you. 16:42 Okay, from representing all of the, 16:44 the Latino world... 16:46 And Inter-America. And Inter-America. 16:49 Okay, to his right. 16:51 Hi, everyone, I'm Sikhu Daco 16:53 and I'm Senior Editorial Assistant 16:55 for InVerse 16:56 which is the young adult Bible study guide 16:58 being produced by the General Conference. 17:00 And she represents the whole continent of Africa. 17:03 Africa is not a country. 17:04 It is a continent. Amen, everyone? 17:06 Amen. Amen. 17:07 Amen. 17:09 Oh, that got some emotions from the floor. 17:11 There are people here from Africa. 17:13 Okay. Amen. 17:14 Amen. 17:16 To my left, to my left. 17:17 I'm Jonathan, I'm a pastor, 17:18 I work 17:20 for the General Conference Ministerial Association 17:21 and GYC missions. 17:22 And my wife Amanda is amazing. 17:25 And I miss her. 17:26 Hi love, if she's watching, 17:28 and it's great to be here with you, Justin. 17:30 Great to have you with us. 17:32 Jonathan is originally from Austria. 17:34 And so he represents all of... 17:36 Europe. Europe. 17:37 All of Europe. 17:38 We also have another panelist Kelly Williams, 17:40 and she is currently in Africa. 17:41 She just got married, so want to shout out to Kelly, 17:44 congratulations. 17:45 Bura Chara, got new name. 17:46 Bura Chara, that is her new name. 17:48 So good morning, everyone. 17:49 I want to ask if you have your Bibles 17:51 not if you have your Bibles, you should have your Bibles. 17:52 Please turn your Bibles to Daniel Chapter 1. 17:56 Daniel Chapter 1. 17:58 We are entering into a new quarter 18:00 of this Sabbath. 18:02 And we want to introduce to you 18:03 also the new Bible study guide 18:07 produced by the General Conference, 18:08 our office for young adults for Sabbath School, 18:11 Bible study guide called InVerse. 18:12 You should have received one 18:14 coming here into this GYC auditorium. 18:17 If you have one, can you just raise it up 18:19 and show us that you have a copy? 18:21 Okay, now this one that you have in your hands 18:23 is on the Book of Nehemiah. 18:25 We just covered these, 18:27 the topic of Ezra and Nehemiah in the adults. 18:30 For the young adults, 18:31 we looked at the topic of the Book of Nehemiah, 18:34 from an angle of leadership. 18:36 How to change your local church, 18:38 how to change the world, 18:39 how to change the institutions around you 18:41 using the principles of leadership 18:43 from the Book of Nehemiah. 18:44 There are no dates there. 18:45 So even though it is a past topic, 18:48 it is not an expired topic, if you will, 18:51 and you can use that in your personal Bible study 18:53 or whatnot. 18:54 More instructions 18:55 regarding the new young adult Bible study guide 18:57 will be shown in the video after the end of this session. 18:59 But for this quarter 19:01 we are looking at the Book of Daniel. 19:02 In the InVerse curriculum of the four quarters out there, 19:05 two of them follow the adult Bible study guide, 19:08 while two diverged and go into young adult topics. 19:12 For quarter one of 2020, 19:13 we will be studying the Book of Daniel. 19:15 So by now you should have turned 19:17 to the Book of Daniel, 19:18 I think my panelists are all set. 19:19 We'll have a word of prayer, 19:21 we'll ask the Lord for His blessing 19:22 upon the reading. 19:23 I want to ask Sikhu, can you pray for us? 19:26 Loving Father, I would like to thank You 19:27 for the opportunity that it is 19:29 to come in Your presence and to open the Holy Bible. 19:33 Lord, we pray that the Holy Spirit 19:34 would be our teacher now. 19:36 Help us to glean lessons from Your Word 19:38 that would prepare us 19:40 for the times that we're living in. 19:42 We pray these things in Your name, amen. 19:44 Amen. Amen. 19:45 Daniel Chapter 1, Braxton, if you don't mind 19:47 verse 1 reading there for us. 19:49 Why don't you just read one verse down the line. 19:51 And if you don't want to read just say skip 19:52 and we'll skip over you, Israel. 19:54 Okay. All right. 19:55 Thank you. Okay, Sebastian. 19:56 Daniel Chapter 1, beginning in verse 1, 19:58 "In the third year 20:00 of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, 20:03 Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem 20:06 and besieged it. 20:07 And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, 20:11 with some of the articles of the house of God, 20:13 which he carried into the land of Shinar 20:15 to the house of his god, 20:17 and he brought the articles 20:19 into the treasure house of his god. 20:21 Then the king instructed Ashpenaz, 20:23 the master of his eunuchs, 20:25 to bring some of the children of Israel 20:27 and some of the king's descendants 20:29 and some of the nobles, 20:31 young men in whom there was no blemish, 20:34 but good-looking, gifted in all wisdom, 20:37 possessing knowledge and quick to understand, 20:40 who had ability to serve in the king's palace, 20:43 and whom they might teach the language and literature 20:46 of the Chaldeans." 20:47 Very good. 20:48 Verse 5, Israel, one verse each, thank you. 20:51 All right. 20:54 "And the king appointed them 20:55 a daily provision of the king's meat 20:57 and of the wine which he drank, 20:59 so nourishing them three years 21:01 that at the end thereof 21:03 they might stand before the king." 21:05 "Now among these were of the children of Judah, 21:07 Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah." 21:11 "And the chief of the eunuchs gave them names: 21:13 Daniel he called Belteshazzar, Hananiah, he called Shadrach, 21:17 Mishael, he called Meshach, 21:18 and Azariah he called Abednego." 21:19 Verse 8, 21:21 "But Daniel purposed in his heart 21:22 that he would not defile himself 21:24 with the portion of the king's delicacies, 21:26 nor with the wine which he drank, 21:28 therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs 21:31 that he might not defile himself." 21:33 Verse 9, Sebastian. 21:35 "Now God had brought Daniel into the favor 21:38 and goodwill of the chief of the eunuchs." 21:42 "And the prince of the eunuchs said unto Daniel, 21:44 'I fear my lord the king, 21:46 who had appointed your meat and your drink. 21:49 For why should he see your faces 21:50 worse liking than the children which are your sorts? 21:54 Then shall you make me endanger my head to the king." 21:57 "Then said Daniel to Melzar, 21:59 whom the prince of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, 22:02 Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah." 22:04 "Test your servants for ten days, 22:06 let us be given vegetables to eat 22:07 and water to drink." 22:08 Verse 13. 22:10 You still with us out there, verse 13? 22:12 Yes, verse 13, 22:13 "Then let our appearance be examined before you, 22:16 and the appearance of the young men 22:17 who eat the portion of the king's delicacies, 22:19 and as you see fit, 22:21 so deal with your servants." 22:24 "So he consented with them in this matter, 22:26 and tested them ten days." 22:29 "And at the end of ten days 22:30 their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh 22:34 than all the children 22:35 which did eat the portion of the king's meat." 22:38 "Thus Melzar took away the portion of their meat, 22:40 and the wine which they should drink, 22:41 and gave them pulse." 22:43 "As for these four youth, 22:44 God gave them learning and skill 22:45 in all literature and wisdom, 22:47 and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams." 22:50 Verse 18, "Now at the end of the days, 22:52 when the king had said that they should be brought in, 22:54 the chief of the eunuchs 22:55 brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar." 22:57 "Then the king interviewed them, 22:58 and among them all none was found 23:00 like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, 23:04 therefore they served before the king." 23:07 "And in all matters of wisdom 23:09 and understanding the king enquired of them, 23:12 he found them ten times better 23:14 than all the magicians and astrologers 23:17 that were in all the realm." 23:19 "And Daniel continued 23:20 even unto the first year of king Cyrus." 23:22 Okay, this is Daniel Chapter 1. Thank you for reading. 23:25 And for some of you this is your first time, 23:26 maybe for the majority of us. 23:27 We have read Daniel Chapter 1 a bazillion times, 23:31 and this is an Adventist convention. 23:34 We've probably talked about Daniel a million times, 23:36 some of you out there are like, 23:37 "Ah, I'm tired of Daniel 1. 23:39 I know we got to be vegetarian, " 23:40 and skip over and want to get to Daniel 2, 7, 8, 9, 11. 23:43 That's what I want to get into. 23:45 But Daniel 1 is what sets it up. 23:47 So I'm gonna ask the panel this morning 23:49 from what you have studied this week on Daniel 1, 23:52 what have you mined out? 23:53 What are some things you'd like to share 23:55 from Chapter 1? 23:57 If I may just give a little bit of the backdrop here. 23:59 So we are in the year 605 BC around there, 24:03 and the King Nebuchadnezzar has been besieging Jerusalem, 24:08 taking people captive. 24:09 And we have to understand 24:11 that the context in which Daniel grew up 24:12 was the wicked one. 24:14 We had, you know, in 2 Chronicles 36 24:16 gives us insight here, 24:17 you have Jehoiakim who reigned for 11 years, 24:19 did what was evil and his kids did what was evil. 24:22 It was not a very faithful time in Israel. 24:24 It was like the last moments in Judah 24:26 before the exile happened. 24:28 And so in this situation, 24:30 Daniel and his friends, teenagers 24:32 are taken captive because of their background 24:34 and their education 24:36 taken to Babylon on a long journey 24:39 through the desert a couple months, 24:40 not a very pleasant experience. 24:42 And so, this is the situation they're brought into, 24:44 and they're brought into, you know, into Babylon to, 24:48 to be used by the king's pleasure 24:50 in a different way. 24:51 Yes. Yes, Sikhu. 24:53 Can I, can I go one, 24:54 like go a little bit further back than Jehoiakim, 24:57 his background in Chapter 35 of 2 Chronicles. 25:00 Chapter 35 of? 25:01 2 Chronicles. 2 Chronicles. 25:03 You have Josiah. 25:06 And there was this revival that took place 25:08 where Josiah, you know, reinstituted the Passover 25:11 and people worshiping God. 25:12 And it says, 25:14 actually, in verse 18 of Chapter 35 in 2 Chronicles, 25:17 "That there was no Passover like to that 25:19 kept in Israel 25:20 from the days of Samuel the Prophet." 25:22 So this was like a crazy revival 25:24 that happened. 25:25 And going by the timeline, 25:28 Daniel and his three friends' parents 25:30 would have been alive when this was happening. 25:33 So they were part of this great revival that happened. 25:36 And it seems from the story 25:37 that the revival that happened in their lives 25:39 at that time, 25:40 even though they went through this, 25:42 this horrible king, 25:43 and you know, they're now being punished 25:44 for their sin as a nation, 25:46 that Daniel's parents gleaned something 25:48 from that revival experience 25:50 that they passed on to their children 25:52 so that their children were then able to be faithful 25:54 in the future. 25:55 So Daniel's parents went to GYC for many years 25:57 and they're lying. 25:58 So these are, this is a next generation 26:00 after GYC. 26:01 Yes, okay, great, great. 26:03 Okay, Israel? 26:04 Something, one of the principles 26:06 that strikes me from the very beginning 26:08 in terms of what Jonathan and Sikhu are saying 26:10 is the fact that here we have the principle 26:13 that excellence is not developed in a moment. 26:16 But it's the process 26:17 of what takes place in the home. 26:18 Excellence is not developed in the moment 26:20 but developed in the... 26:21 It's a process that takes place in the home. 26:23 Process that takes place in the home. 26:24 And you know, in the home. 26:25 And what happens most of the time 26:27 is that we think that Christianity 26:30 is best revealed when it's revealed in public, 26:33 and we admire people who die for their faith 26:35 and who suffer for their faith. 26:37 But there's a lot to be said about the fact 26:40 that Daniel and his three friends 26:42 developed the characters that they had, 26:44 this character of excellence, 26:46 they developed that long before crisis even took place. 26:50 And so, it's important I think 26:52 the lesson that that comes out here 26:53 is the fact 26:55 that unless we are Christians in the home, 26:57 we're not Christians at all. 26:59 Because our tests are only that, 27:02 they're only tests, 27:04 a reflection or a revelation, sorry, 27:06 of something that has already taken place 27:08 deep inside for a long period of time. 27:10 Yes, it's totally piggybacks on Sikhu, 27:12 your message this morning in a sense. 27:14 Sebastian, let me ask you, 27:15 in what area of excellence is manifested in Chapter 1? 27:20 Well, I think what we see in Daniel Chapter 1 27:22 is this issue of self-control, or what we call temperance, 27:26 and the fact that Daniel, 27:27 his integrity drives him to be faithful 27:30 even in this very small area 27:32 of things that God has asked them 27:34 to dispense away 27:36 with in terms of eating and drinking. 27:38 So when we see this, 27:40 it's a very odd way to start a prophetic book 27:42 in relation to diet choices. 27:44 You guys all catch that? 27:45 He said, it's a very odd way 27:47 to start a book of prophecy to talk about diet. 27:50 Yes. 27:51 Why? Why? Why? Why is it? Why? 27:53 Keep on. 27:54 Well, I think for many of us, 27:55 we would not put the two together. 27:57 We would see no relationship 27:58 with the prophetic gift that Daniel has 28:00 and what's manifested in the book with, 28:03 I'm not going to eat this 28:04 and I'm not going to drink this. 28:05 But in actuality it shows us 28:07 that temperance is the foundational virtue 28:11 in terms of character building, 28:13 that this here starts at Chapter 1. 28:15 It says self-control underlies the development 28:17 of all other virtues 28:19 that Daniel is going to show us 28:20 throughout the rest of this book. 28:22 So let's hash that out a little bit. 28:23 What in the world is temperance? 28:24 Like some people read Chapter 10 or Chapter 1, 28:26 and they're like, I'm a vegetarian. 28:28 I'm a vegan. I'm a fruitarian. 28:30 I'm an oxygenarian. I'm a waterterian, whatever. 28:33 And then like look, 28:34 I only drink like gluten free water. 28:36 So I understand prophecy better. 28:40 Is that what Daniel Chapter 1 is saying facetiously? 28:42 No. Right? 28:43 So and then you get in Adventism, 28:45 we hashed diet so much, 28:49 that there's all this reaction against diet 28:51 and so people are pro anyway. 28:54 So let's hash out a temperance, Sikhu? 28:58 I think one of the things that, 28:59 that stands out to me talking about that excellence 29:01 that they showed 29:02 in terms of their temperance in verse 4. 29:05 The reason why these young people 29:08 are among the group that was selected. 29:10 It says, children in whom was no blemish, 29:11 well favored, skillful in wisdom, 29:14 cunning in knowledge, 29:15 understanding science, 29:17 they had ability to stand in the king's palace 29:19 that they might, 29:20 so they could teach them and train them. 29:22 So these young people that was selected, 29:25 they actually, they had already demonstrated 29:28 commitment level to their studies, right? 29:31 And they were, so their temperance 29:33 wasn't just in what they ate and drank. 29:36 But they apply themselves to their studies, 29:39 they apply themselves to, to what they were, 29:42 their exercise 29:43 because of their ability to stand in the king's place. 29:45 So I think underlying all of the other areas 29:49 where temperance manifests itself 29:50 is what you eat and drink. 29:52 It's like the basic, 29:53 but then it pervades everything else, 29:54 you know, if you're, 29:56 if you can be disciplined in the way that you eat, 29:58 when you eat, what you eat, 30:00 then that discipline can transcend 30:03 to all the other areas of your life, 30:04 your studies, your relationships, etc. 30:06 Jonathan? 30:08 I think we have to recognize 30:09 that temperance is self-control. 30:10 Okay. And that is a gift from God. 30:13 It's not, well, you know, 30:14 we uplift Daniel and his friends a lot 30:16 because they're so amazing 30:17 and they're so faithful and they are. 30:19 But we have to also recognize 30:20 that faithfulness is only something 30:22 that is possible when Christ lives in you. 30:24 It comes through surrender, 30:26 it is God who gives you the gifts 30:27 and the ability to be faithful and to have self-control. 30:30 Now, when it comes to temperance 30:32 in this situation, 30:33 and in any situation in our lives, 30:35 self-control is only necessary because we are out of control. 30:38 Sin has made us out of control. 30:40 And we know that a gift to the spirit is self-control. 30:42 So as we give our lives to God, 30:44 He helps us to be balanced in our life, 30:46 to not exaggerate, to not go to extreme left, 30:49 to extreme right in anything that we do, 30:51 but to go according to His will, 30:53 and according with the laws of nature, 30:55 according with the principles 30:57 that God has given us in His Word. 30:58 So it is a gift from God, and He's helping us to be... 31:03 He is taking control of our lives really 31:05 in this situation. 31:07 You know, I think that, 31:08 you know, and I agree with Jonathan. 31:10 But I think to get even more practical hands 31:12 on with temperance, 31:14 you're looking at doing away with things 31:16 that you know are not harmful. 31:18 But temperance demands a definite aim. 31:20 And so based on that aim of what your goal is, you say, 31:23 "Well, this is harmful to my goal. 31:25 So I'm going to get rid of that altogether, 31:27 but the things that are helpful to my goal, 31:28 I'm going to use judiciously with wisdom. 31:32 So that a person may say, 31:33 well, Bible study is helpful for my goal 31:35 to living a Christ like life. 31:37 But that doesn't mean 31:38 Bible study 16 hours a day, right? 31:40 So that's your heavenly minded and no earthly good. 31:43 That's not helping you reach your goal 31:44 because Jesus was very useful in the world. 31:47 And so I think 31:48 that's where temperance practically meets the road. 31:51 It's like, well, is this really helping me, 31:53 but I think you have to define the aim. 31:55 And for Daniel, that aim was to represent God 31:59 as the people that they were called to be. 32:01 And so, God says 32:02 do away with these things completely. 32:04 And yet use wisely 32:06 the things that are available to you. 32:08 Let me ask you guys and we're all friends here. 32:09 Yeah. 32:11 Sound like you're on international TV, 32:12 can find thousands of people right here. 32:15 What are areas that that you all, 32:17 you four have maybe struggled in temperance? 32:22 Why don't you go first? 32:23 I'll go first. 32:26 Amen, Sebastian. 32:28 I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding. 32:30 I think... 32:31 Sebastian, you put me on the spot, man. 32:32 I got to... 32:34 I think, I think for me, um, 32:38 you know, one of the areas I definitely struggle with, 32:40 I argue with my wife all the time 32:42 that she has the sweet tooth. 32:44 But definitely, sweets are a struggle, 32:47 you know, just because, 32:48 you know, I've been a vegan on a plant-based diet 32:51 for like 16 years, 32:52 but you can be an unhealthy vegan. 32:54 Yes. 32:55 So you're going here like, oh, man, 32:57 this apple pie... 32:58 Say that one more time. Say that one more time. 33:00 You can be a what? 33:01 And people are like, "Look, 33:03 man this is a new veggie fried chicken, 33:05 but it's vegan." 33:07 It's like, it's like, so I think for me, 33:10 you know, when I got married, 33:11 my wife was just becoming vegan, 33:13 you know, I had somehow convinced her, 33:15 but she actually ate vegetables, right? 33:18 And she's looking at the stuff I'm eating like, 33:20 oh yeah Tofutti ice cream and Tofurkey sandwiches 33:23 like so where's the vegetables if you're a vegetarian? 33:28 And so I think for me, 33:30 you know, learning to control the fact 33:31 that just because it's vegan people come Oreos are vegan. 33:35 You know, this, yeah, that's vegan but... 33:37 Dude, Oreos are vegan? 33:38 Yeah. 33:41 You can join us up, room number 740. 33:47 But the main focus 33:49 I see in my life is learning that. 33:52 Again, temperance has that aim and my goal is to be healthy. 33:56 That's why I made that choice to be vegan and vegetarian 33:58 but yet, I'm making even vegan choices 34:01 that are intemperate, that are unhealthy. 34:03 And so for me that's been a big struggle of mine 34:06 is really getting off of the sweets, 34:08 I love desserts, 34:10 especially vegan pastries and things like that. 34:12 So I avoided certain people's booths here 34:14 who were giving out muffins in order to help my struggle. 34:17 Appreciate your vulnerability this morning, 34:21 your transparency. 34:23 I think in Daniel Chapter 1, we often look this, 34:25 look at this as a dietary chapter. 34:27 And in Adventism, we all, 34:29 you know, judge each other and try not to judge each other 34:31 by our diet. 34:32 But I would say, Sebastian, because you asked the question. 34:35 One area, well, which I believe our generation 34:39 really struggles with 34:40 and I personally also do on a daily basis 34:43 is the consumption of media. 34:46 And this is the greatest challenge 34:47 I believe. 34:48 This is what youth ministers are saying all over 34:50 on what is judicious, 34:52 how do you know what is judicious? 34:53 How not just what content 34:55 but how much when it is 34:57 and that self-control as Jonathan brought out. 35:00 It's not just about what you eat 35:02 and what you watch, 35:03 but it's also how much you watch 35:05 and when you watch it, 35:06 and the self-control demarcation 35:08 and those principles 35:10 have still yet to be ironed out fully in my life. 35:14 And I think that's something 35:15 that we all have to really dialogue about, 35:17 and especially for our generation, 35:19 especially with these dumb phones. 35:20 I mean, they're smart phones, but they're dumb phones 35:23 and social media and whatnot. 35:24 Israel, your confession time. 35:25 Something I'm not going to confess. 35:27 You're not going to confess? No. 35:28 But, you know, we've talked about the fact 35:30 that temperance is essentially self-control. 35:34 Yes. 35:35 And self-control takes place 35:38 even, I mean, there's a foundation 35:41 of what the Bible says 35:42 in terms of what we ought to eat. 35:44 And then there's self-control beyond that. 35:45 You know, you could be a waterterian 35:47 and still not have self-control with that. 35:49 Sure. 35:51 The more distilling, 35:52 I guess what I'm trying to say is 35:53 distilling the limitations of what we, 35:56 what is good and what is harmful 35:58 is just actually the beginning. 36:00 I think the idea or the concepts of self-control 36:04 just transcends everything. 36:05 You know, we experience this all the time, 36:07 with our words, 36:08 with our actions, with our habits. 36:10 Yes. 36:11 All of this is an exercise in temperance. 36:13 What I love about the Book of Daniel, 36:14 especially in this beginning chapters 36:16 is the fact that it gives us the why. 36:19 Right? It gives us a why. 36:21 In other words, when we think about temperance, 36:23 we think it's easy for us 36:24 to think that the purpose of temperance is health, 36:27 the purpose of self-control is longevity. 36:30 And so people, oftentimes, even myself, we think, 36:34 well, look at that person, 36:35 they're vegetarian, they died early, 36:37 you know, 36:38 so your whole argument goes into the trash. 36:40 And then our response is typically, 36:42 well, they would have died sooner, 36:44 you know, that's kind of what we, 36:46 you know, those extra, you know, they died young, 36:48 but they would have died as babies if they were not, 36:50 you know, so. 36:52 So the purpose of the purpose, Daniel answers for us, 36:55 what is the purpose of self-control 36:58 or really not just self-control, 37:00 but faithfulness 37:02 because even above self-control is faithfulness, right? 37:05 Surrender to God, as Jonathan was saying. 37:07 And the Book of Daniel opens up to us, 37:09 the reason for why temperance is necessary. 37:13 And we catch that in the very first few verses, 37:15 the Bible says that something is going on, 37:18 that Nebuchadnezzar has overthrown Jehoiakim. 37:21 And it is in this context, 37:23 that the life or the narrative of Daniel 37:25 is exposed. 37:27 What that tells me is this, 37:29 that whether we're dealing in a moment of crisis 37:32 or normal times 37:34 what we would consider normal times, 37:36 there is a story that is taking place. 37:39 The war between Nebuchadnezzar and Jehoiakim is not a war 37:41 between two individuals, 37:43 but it is a war between good and evil. 37:45 Notice how the Bible says 37:47 that it is God who gave Jehoiakim 37:49 to Nebuchadnezzar. 37:50 And so what happens is that every single day of our lives, 37:54 we are experiencing, 37:55 we are participating in the Great Controversy 37:58 and the decisions that we make 38:00 regarding how we relate to others, 38:01 and regarding the treasures that God gives to us, 38:04 the gifts how we manage those gifts 38:07 is a reflection of whether or not 38:09 God is truly in control of our lives. 38:11 And so the actions are a manifestation 38:14 or a test regarding my loyalty, 38:17 my proclaimed loyalty to God. 38:18 And I think it's important for us 38:20 to notice that, 38:22 that temperance or any Christian virtue 38:26 is really a test 38:28 that allows me to examine myself 38:30 to know whether or not 38:32 I am living up to that proclamation 38:34 of what it means to be a Christian. 38:35 Let me ask of all the Christian virtues, 38:36 why is it temperance in the beginning? 38:39 What is the connection? 38:40 What is the actual connection 38:42 between self-control and spiritual understanding? 38:45 What's the connection? 38:47 I would say there's a connection 38:48 between self-control and power. 38:49 I think there's, in this narrative, 38:51 there's an exercise of power. 38:53 And, you know, think about what Daniel's... 38:56 And we're getting ahead of ourselves, 38:58 but think about 38:59 what Daniel's gonna do in his life. 39:00 He's going to go through Babylon. 39:02 He's going to go through the next king. 39:03 He's going to surpass, 39:04 he's going to transcend kingdoms, 39:06 and in reality, 39:08 even though these kings are in charge of the world 39:11 at that time, 39:12 the greatest empires of the world at that time. 39:15 The power that Daniel has as a leader, 39:18 and on top of that, as a slave is incredible. 39:21 Yeah. 39:22 And so God is saying, look, Daniel, as a slave, 39:24 you're going to have more power than kings. 39:26 And I need to make sure that you are a person 39:28 that has the ability to control yourself. 39:31 Yeah, Jonathan? 39:32 I mean, I'm spot-on what Israel is saying, 39:33 I believe in temperance has such a huge impact 39:37 on our character development, 39:38 because it has to do with the way we make decisions. 39:42 Every decision has to do with temperance. 39:44 What decision I make in each situation 39:47 is defined by what my, 39:49 where my values lie 39:51 and who is in control in my heart. 39:53 And so, as I surrender my life to God 39:55 and ask Him to give me 39:56 the ability to be faithful to Him, 39:59 He will guide me every step. 40:01 We see that with Daniel in Chapter 1 40:02 and the chapters beyond as well and his friends as well. 40:05 He was taken, 40:07 you know, away from his situation 40:08 into this trial. 40:10 He was tested, 40:11 but by God's grace, he was triumphant. 40:13 And he had the ability given by God 40:16 to remain faithful 40:18 and make that conscious decision 40:21 with the small and the large things 40:23 to stay faithful and balanced, 40:26 but this is, I guess, again, I'm stressing this point. 40:29 It is something that God gave, 40:30 you mentioned God gave Jehoiakim 40:32 the king of Judah into his hand. 40:33 But when we look down to verse 9, 40:35 who is it that gives Daniel favor? 40:37 It is God gave Daniel fear and compassion. 40:40 And then in verse 17, 40:42 it is God who gives him learning and skill, 40:43 not the vegetables. 40:45 Now this is not to say 40:46 that healthy living doesn't affect the brain. 40:47 It absolutely does. 40:49 But ultimately, it is God who does this, 40:51 so it's beautiful to see that our decision making 40:54 when we are connected with God, 40:56 we'll be on the straight and narrow 40:58 and it's just a beautiful promise as well 41:00 as we see in the life of Daniel. 41:02 Just to, I know, we brought 41:03 into the temperance conversation 41:05 more than what you eat and drink, 41:06 but just to bring it back down to what you eat and drink. 41:10 What you eat and drink does affect your ability 41:12 to make good decisions, your clarity of thought, 41:15 and starting Chapter 1 with Daniel, 41:19 making right decisions in diet, specifically. 41:23 And then you go on through the rest of the book, 41:25 and God is able to use him to reveal truths 41:28 that to this day, 41:29 we're still gleaning from 41:32 that Daniel had the clarity of mind for God 41:34 to be able to speak to him 41:35 and for him to comprehend what God was saying. 41:37 And so, maybe sometimes God is trying to talk to me, 41:39 but I'm on a sugar high and I'm just like, "Ah, " 41:41 and I can't understand what God is trying to say. 41:43 Sure, sure. Let me ask you. 41:45 I mean, sometimes we look at temperance and self-control, 41:48 we automatically think, I mean, temperance is like, 41:51 I've had this image of a very straight laced, 41:53 kind of weird, awkward, 41:55 you know, person, you know, and just like, 41:58 "Oh, it's 4 o'clock, I need to drink my water." 42:00 You know, what that's like. 42:01 That's kind of the weird image I have. 42:04 Why is it that pop culture 42:06 makes fun of temperance and self-control? 42:09 What is, why is that the norm and we have to what, 42:12 what are we fighting against? 42:15 Sebastian? 42:16 I think when you, 42:19 when you look at the way 42:20 that temperance is oftentimes portrayed 42:23 some reason it's typically associated 42:26 with these fringe kind of ideas, right, 42:28 these fringe kinds of ways of living. 42:30 And I think a lot of people feel like 42:32 that is presenting an ideal 42:34 that just doesn't seem attainable, 42:35 it doesn't seem adaptable. 42:37 So it's like the first time I was exposed to, 42:40 you know, healthful living. 42:42 They're like, "Oh, you need this Champion juicer, 42:43 and you need this and this." 42:45 And you're thinking, "Dude, like, 42:46 unless I can come up with 800 bucks, 42:47 like, I'm never going to be able to be healthy." 42:50 And to me, it reminds me of a story 42:53 that Charles Spurgeon told about how this lady 42:56 had come to the church 42:57 and was saying that she needed financial help. 43:01 And when she left the church, 43:06 the pastor had collected an offering 43:08 and was going to her house to give her the money. 43:10 And so when he knocked on her door, 43:11 no one answered. 43:12 And then at noon prayer, 43:14 she showed up back at the church. 43:15 And the pastor said, "Well, I came to your house, 43:17 I remember that you had a need, 43:19 and we collected an offering for you. 43:20 Were you home?" 43:22 And she said, "What time was it?" 43:23 "It was about 12 o'clock, you know, 11 o'clock? 43:24 Said, "Well, yeah, I was home." 43:26 "Well, you didn't hear the knocking?" 43:27 "I did, but I thought you were the person 43:29 coming for the rent. 43:31 So I didn't answer the door because she couldn't pay." 43:33 So in her, in her mind, 43:35 Spurgeon makes the point that many times 43:38 when we are presenting the gospel 43:39 and we're presenting the truth, 43:40 people feel like 43:42 I don't have enough to pay those demands. 43:44 I don't have enough to take to live up 43:45 to that standard 43:46 of what they're presenting as temperance, 43:48 therefore, they don't answer, they're not responding, 43:51 because it seems like you're bringing more demands 43:53 rather than more grace to reach it, 43:55 more ways to accomplish it. 43:57 And so because I think pop culture looks at 43:59 and it says, that's not realistic. 44:01 You're not really like, 44:02 are you really living that way in your house? 44:04 And if you are, 44:05 that's just weird and right 44:07 and a lot of people aren't interested 44:08 in being weird. 44:09 They want to be able to be themselves 44:11 and be temperate at the same time. 44:12 Many ways pop culture glorifies intemperance, 44:16 the passionate, the extreme, the wildness, 44:20 that because it accentuates 44:22 the sensual parts of the carnal nature. 44:24 I think, it's just a, is a way for our culture 44:28 and sinful nature to, 44:30 in a way deal with the fact that... 44:33 This is who we are. 44:34 This is who we are, we can't change. 44:35 We can't change, it's not possible. 44:37 Right. 44:38 But the beauty of the gospel 44:39 is that there is a God who gives you the power 44:42 to overcome and have victories. 44:43 I mean, it is He who works in you to work 44:45 and will of His good pleasure. 44:47 So it's just a beautiful thing. That's the gospel. 44:50 I mean, this is what the world needs and desires, 44:53 but at the same time makes fun of 44:55 because they think it's unachievable. 44:56 Sure. 44:58 Because they look at themselves as a source of power. 44:59 Sikhu? 45:00 And this might be beating a dead horse 45:02 but in verse 10 of Chapter 1... 45:03 Verse 10? 45:05 After they had made the petition 45:06 the prince of the eunuchs said to Daniel, 45:07 "I fear my lord the king, 45:09 who hath appointed your meat and your drink: 45:10 for why should he see your faces 45:12 worse liking than the other children 45:13 which are of your sort?" 45:14 That there was a prevalent understanding 45:18 of what it took to be healthy, 45:20 or what it took to, you know, be, 45:22 you know, look juicy or whatever, 45:24 you know, and... 45:26 Juicy. 45:31 And looking juicy one's desirable. 45:33 Okay. 45:34 So there was this understanding right 45:36 and, to go against, 45:38 it's hard to go against the grain, right? 45:40 To be a pioneer, 45:43 obeying what God has asked you to do. 45:45 But here's the crazy thing right 45:46 is after Daniel and his friends 45:49 are faithful to what God has called them to, 45:51 it becomes evident 45:52 that the diet that they have chosen 45:54 is actually most beneficial 45:56 for, you know, 45:57 enhancing your intellectual capabilities 45:59 with the blessing of God on top of it, 46:01 you know makes it 10 times even greater, right? 46:04 But being the first one to take that step 46:06 can be hard 46:08 when everybody else around you is doing something different 46:10 and when everybody else around you 46:12 when science says differently, right? 46:15 When all education and learning says differently, 46:18 and being the one to stand 46:20 on the truth of the Word of God, 46:22 in spite of what the world is saying 46:24 can be hard. 46:26 But that's what Daniel and his friends do, 46:28 they stand for what the Word of God says 46:32 in spite of everything else around them 46:34 saying that it's not so. 46:36 Israel? 46:37 You know, it's, the question that you're asking, 46:40 why is it that sometimes 46:42 people are so against temperance? 46:45 It's not because temperance is weird 46:47 as not necessarily because temperance is weird. 46:51 I mean, if you look at society today 46:52 people embrace weird. 46:54 How many weird people do you see every day, right? 46:58 And people want to be, 46:59 they see if something looks cool on TV... 47:01 How many weird people do I see every day? 47:02 Yeah. You see a lot of people, right? 47:05 Probably not. 47:06 Probably not where you work, I'm sure not where you work, 47:08 but when you go to the grocery store, etc. 47:12 We, you know, we come across people 47:14 all the time who want to be weird. 47:17 So weirdness is actually the new cool. 47:19 I mean, it's all, weirdness has always been cool. 47:21 Let me express myself 47:22 the way I want to express myself 47:24 even if I look like an idiot. 47:25 I mean, this is, you know, 47:26 this is the way we live in society today. 47:28 I think the reason 47:30 why people are so against temperance 47:33 at the end of the day, 47:35 is because our culture has one goal, 47:38 and that is to make sin normal. 47:42 If you think about it, that's the goal, 47:43 I mean, we want because of our lustful natures, 47:47 we want to make it okay that it's fine, 47:49 it's normal, it's cool. 47:51 It's all right to have multiple partners and to, 47:54 you know, have intimacy before marriage, 47:57 because we can't control ourselves. 47:59 That's why we make up those norms and those rules. 48:01 That's right. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. 48:02 And so the bottom line is that the reason 48:04 why people are so anti temperance 48:07 is because the human heart is naturally anti 48:11 things that cut against our heart. 48:13 And I think that's really foundationally 48:15 the bottom-line reason why we're against it. 48:17 You know, after hearing you guys talk, 48:18 I mean, there's this desire 48:20 that I need more self-control in my life, 48:24 because you all feel that in some capacity, 48:26 in some area of your life, that we need more temperance, 48:29 we need more self-control, 48:30 and the one temptation 48:32 is I just got to hunker down and try harder 48:35 and try to be vegan again in 2020 48:37 for like the millionth and tenth time 48:39 and then resolve again, 48:41 and then break it tomorrow. 48:42 So what are some principles? 48:44 What can you do 48:45 to get more self-control in your life, 48:48 more temperance in your life? 48:50 I guess the basic one. 48:52 Jonathan said right from the beginning 48:54 that this temperance is a fruit of the Spirit 48:58 like self-control 48:59 and coming to God and asking 49:01 that God would give us this gift, 49:04 you know that comes with us through the Holy Spirit 49:06 and it would help us to have self-control, 49:08 and recognizing that God is able to do it. 49:11 So now it's not trust, not, I'm trying to do it, 49:15 but I'm trusting that God can do it in me. 49:17 Yes. 49:19 You know, God works through the natural laws 49:21 that He has created. 49:22 And so, 49:23 while He occasionally does miracles in lives, 49:25 I know people who have given up smoking, 49:27 you know, overnight and those kinds of things, 49:29 but in general when it comes to temperance, 49:32 God wants to develop our characters 49:33 and that's why He works through the process. 49:36 We got to embrace the process, but it is a process. 49:39 I cannot climb Mount Everest tomorrow. 49:42 If I want to do that, I need to, 49:44 you know, climb the hill in my backyard first 49:46 and climb maybe, you know, in Maryland 49:48 there are not that many mountains 49:49 but you know, I got to step by step 49:52 with the Lord experience growth. 49:55 So, you know, in 2020, if you're struggling with diet, 49:58 say I want to replace one item in my diet this month 50:01 and just grow from that, in that direction 50:04 or when it comes to your problem 50:05 with social media or with phones, 50:08 only your problem then, 50:11 you know, maybe it's time to say, 50:14 kid, from this time to this time, 50:15 these two hours, I won't touch my phone, 50:17 you know, make that a thing. 50:19 And so, it's a step by step process 50:21 and myself as well. 50:23 Amen. 50:24 So, you know, I believe that God works the process 50:27 and we got to embrace that process 50:29 and not expect, 50:30 okay, I'm going to do everything overnight. 50:33 That's overwhelming. We can't handle it. 50:35 But God works in the process. 50:36 And He's very gracious and helpful as we trust Him. 50:39 Sebastian? 50:40 I was just going to say 50:42 one of my favorite quotes is that, 50:43 that which at first is difficult 50:45 when done repeatedly becomes easy. 50:47 You know, a lot of times we are committed 50:49 to this perfectionistic mindset 50:51 that I have to get it right the first time. 50:54 But we realize that the journey to success 50:56 is always met with failure along the way. 50:58 And I think if we can be okay with not making it right away, 51:02 then that principle is something 51:04 that we can practically live about 51:05 to develop temperance to say, 51:07 look, it's going to be difficult at first. 51:10 But if I just keep showing up repeatedly trying to do this, 51:14 following that, um, 51:16 you know, Proverbs 24:16 of just keep getting up, 51:19 eventually is going to become easy. 51:22 And so to me, that's a very simple step, 51:24 you know, practical way to get there. 51:26 I love that Proverbs, Sebastian, 51:28 I'm going to ask that we turn to Romans Chapter 12. 51:31 This quarter on Daniel, the adult Bible study guide, 51:35 which was written by someone else, 51:36 but the young adult InVerse Bible study guide 51:38 was written by Pastor David Shin of Alaska. 51:41 And he makes this connection in Romans 12:1. 51:45 When asked the question, 51:47 how can you practically develop more temperance, 51:49 more self-control? 51:51 He goes to Romans 12:1. 51:54 And, Israel, if you don't mind, 51:55 can you read that for us? 51:57 "I beseech you therefore, brethren, 51:58 by the mercies of God, 52:00 that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, 52:03 holy, acceptable to God, 52:06 which is your reasonable service." 52:08 And he makes this connection and connection in verse 1, 52:10 that it says in verse 1, 52:12 therefore by the mercies of God, 52:14 meaning from Chapters 1 through 11, 52:16 Paul has talked 52:18 about this process of salvation, 52:20 the dynamics of salvation, and therefore, 52:22 and he connects it because of these mercies 52:24 because of the salvation process, 52:26 now, present yourself, 52:28 present your body as a living sacrifice. 52:31 Meaning, now for all that God has done for me, 52:34 just open yourself up 52:36 to how God will just move through your body, 52:39 move through your mind, 52:40 move through the habits of your life. 52:42 And then understanding opening yourself to the grace 52:44 and mercy of God 52:46 allows you to be an open conduit. 52:48 And so rather than hunkering down 52:51 and trying harder and gratifying, 52:54 that's a word. 52:57 Was a lot of animals look like. 52:58 We just got to embrace Chapters 1 through 11 53:02 and present ourselves a living sacrifice 53:05 which Paul says is your what? 53:07 Reasonable service? 53:10 What are other virtues 53:12 that we see in the Book of Daniel? 53:14 We looked at Daniel Chapter 1, 53:15 and this entire quarter 53:16 we're going to look at different chapters 53:18 and we're out of time, 53:19 we don't have to look at each chapter. 53:20 What are other virtues 53:22 that the Book of Daniel manifests? 53:23 Jonathan? 53:25 On the Chapter 2, 53:26 we see the clash of pathetic versus prophetic. 53:29 Yes. 53:30 You see that, 53:31 how human wisdom and really satanic religion 53:35 comes to clash with the mighty Word of God. 53:41 As Daniel is, you know, 53:43 showing what this dream that Nebuchadnezzar had means 53:45 in the future. 53:46 It just reveals how useless our ideas 53:50 and our religions of this world 53:52 are compared to the Word of God. 53:54 It's about prayer life in Daniel Chapter 2. 53:56 Any other verses that we see? 53:58 Like in Chapter 3, your faithfulness. 53:59 Faithfulness, Daniel 3. 54:01 I think in Daniel Chapter 9, 54:03 you see intercessory prayer 54:04 for the church is very critical. 54:06 Loves the church 54:07 and he's praying for the church. 54:08 This is the whole premise of Daniel. 54:10 Yes, they're are the prophecies, 54:11 but they're also the character that we need for the last days 54:14 to endure through the prophecies. 54:16 That's the premise of the Book of Daniel. 54:18 At this time I'm going to look at, 54:19 we're going to look at a video which actually looks 54:21 at the whole InVerse Bible study process. 54:23 Thanks so much for joining us this morning. 54:25 How many of you want to say, 54:26 Lord, give me more self-control? 54:30 Amen. 54:31 God bless you guys. 54:40 There are lot of people 54:41 wondering how to study the Bible. 54:44 This is where InVerse comes in. 54:46 This is the best of the Bible, 54:47 best of the Bible within the text, 54:49 the best of the Bible into the text 54:51 from different Bible verses, 54:52 the best of the Spirit of Prophecy, 54:54 the best of your observations done through prayer 54:57 and devotional life, 54:58 the best of the Bible through discussions 55:00 on Sabbath School, 55:02 and the best of the Bible 55:03 through your experience with Jesus. 55:05 We're using the best of the digital 55:07 and best of the analog 55:08 and seeing how they come together 55:10 for a personal experience. 55:16 Like have you ever been in a Bible study 55:18 where people are all saying like Sunday 55:20 and who's going to read Monday, is Joe around for... 55:22 Oh, Joe's late for Sabbath school, 55:24 we just skip on to Wednesday, we've taken out the dates. 55:27 It's not about the dates. 55:28 It's about the stages of Bible study. 55:31 Different props for different aspects 55:33 of the Bible study experience. 55:37 So the first stage of Bible study 55:39 is the introduction. 55:40 We're actually reading the Bible verse, 55:41 it's uploading the Bible text into your own mind. 55:49 The second stage is the inScribe. 55:51 We're actually writing it out with your own hand. 55:54 You're using those handwriting skills 55:56 that you learn in first grade 55:57 and applying it spiritually for yourself. 56:00 As I'm demonstrating, writing this Bible text now. 56:05 I mean, even though 56:06 this was just the demonstration, 56:09 I'm seeing things here that I've never seen before. 56:12 And that's really attests to the power of Scripture. 56:18 The third stage is now you look at back at the text 56:21 that you wrote with your hand. 56:22 And now you're looking at observations, 56:24 circling repetition, 56:25 underlining things 56:27 that you just feel are so important, 56:28 or you just know God is speaking to you 56:31 in this particular context right now. 56:35 So now we're actually circling all those elements of like, 56:39 here I see men and women and all who can understand, 56:42 men and women and all, I see that's repetition there. 56:45 Then there's these really important parts 56:47 that they read distinctly from the law of God. 56:51 They gave the sense 56:52 and they understand their reading. 56:53 So it just shows you there's different principles 56:55 that emerge here. 56:56 We need to actually read it out loud, distinctly. 57:00 There is the, understand the sense of it. 57:04 And then there's the actual principle 57:06 of understanding itself. 57:08 Those three things emerging from verse 8. 57:13 The next stage is inTerpret, 57:14 where now you're applying these Bible principles 57:16 that you've distilled from the text 57:18 and applying them to your personal life. 57:21 The inSpect stage 57:22 looks at how scripture interpret scripture 57:24 and looking at different parts of the Bible 57:26 and how they interact with each other. 57:30 The inVite section is the most important. 57:32 It's looking at where is Jesus in this entire passage, 57:36 and centering the Lord Jesus 57:38 as the Lord of your life personally, 57:40 and also in the Bible texts. 57:42 At the inSight stage, 57:44 we look at the writings of Spirit of Prophecy 57:46 from Ellen White, 57:47 what she has to say about this topic. 57:52 The last stage is the inQuire stage 57:54 where there are discussion questions 57:56 that allow you to share with your friends, 57:59 your observations, 58:00 and different reflection questions 58:01 on the topic. 58:03 It's definitely more intense. 58:04 But this is Bible study on your own terms 58:07 at your own pace. 58:09 Obviously, he trusts on you. 58:10 We're very excited to have different resources 58:12 that complement the Bible study of InVerse. 58:15 We have a TV show produced by Hope channel 58:17 that has young adults 58:18 and I actually host a show with different friends of mine, 58:20 representing from different parts of the world 58:22 where we actually go 58:23 through the Bible study with you. 58:25 We also have a podcast 58:26 that you can listen to the audio version 58:28 of the talk show 58:29 so that while you're running outside 58:30 or working out or cleaning the house, 58:32 you can join our conversation 58:34 through the Bible text as well. 58:40 The amazing part about this Bible study 58:41 is that it takes Bible study from all different angles. 58:44 You're reading the Bible texts, 58:46 you're studying the Bible texts, 58:47 you're writing the Bible text out, 58:49 you're looking at where is Jesus 58:50 in the Bible text, 58:52 what the Spirit of Prophecy has to say 58:53 about the Bible text, 58:54 and then discussing it in a group of friends. 58:57 But the most important thing 58:58 is applying the Bible texts for your own personal life. 59:04 Dive deeper into the verse. 59:06 That's why we are calling it InVerse. |
Revised 2020-09-04