Participants: Dick Stenbakken
Series Code: OTR
Program Code: OTR000964
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01:02 Well today we have an opportunity to meet
01:06 The Leper of Matthew 8. Dr. Dick Stenbakken 01:11 has a unique gift of presenting Bible characters 01:17 from a first person perspective and we're 01:20 blessed to have him with us today. 01:24 Dr. Stenbakken served as a local pastor in 01:28 Wyoming then spent the next 24 years on 01:32 active duty as an Army Chaplain, including a year 01:37 of combat duty in Vietnam, and four years 01:42 as the director of Family Life Ministries for the 01:46 Army Chief of Chaplain's Office. After retiring, 01:51 he directed Chaplaincy Ministries for the 01:54 general conference of Seventh-Day Adventist. 01:57 He is married to his wife Ardis of over 30 years. 02:01 He has two adult professional children who 02:04 are involved in the local churches. 02:10 Today, I know the beauty and reality of the 02:15 Bible will come alive through his presentation 02:20 in a way, I'm sure that will lead us to a closer 02:24 walk with Jesus. It would be my pleasure 02:29 to present to you today Dr. Dick Stenbakken. 02:38 I'm rejected, I'm infected, I'm alone believe 02:52 I'm living death. Can you imagine what 03:00 is like? People look at you and run away. 03:07 I have to carry this stupid bell and warn 03:10 people to stay away. Yeah belief, 03:17 belief is easy, when your skin is running 03:22 off your body. I wasn't always this way. 03:43 I had friends, I had a family, I had a farm, 03:52 I had a future. Now I got this stupid bell. 04:03 I grow up in a family, we kept the Sabbath, 04:09 we went to the feasts. I paid time most 04:16 of the time. I did all the right things, 04:23 but I guess my religion was only skin deep. 04:30 Now the irony is because of my skin, 04:34 I'm a total outcast. Like I said I grew up 04:46 in a believing family and when I got 04:50 older my father gave me a peace of land. 04:57 And I worked at the farm, I work hard, 04:59 my life was my work. And then, 05:08 then I met her, she was beautiful, 05:14 I mean I haven't paid much attention to 05:18 woman before. You see, I'm too busy 05:21 working I paid more attention to my mule 05:23 than I did to woman. That's a big mistake, 05:31 and then, then I met her and suddenly 05:38 there is new life and new interest. 05:44 And my father talked to her father and we 05:47 were married. And I was the happiest man, 05:51 I was the happiest man anywhere. 05:56 I loved her and she loved me. 05:58 And now I had a land and I build a little 06:02 house for us. It was back braking work, 06:04 carrying the stone and lying up the rocks, 06:06 putting the timbers, but it was the labor 06:09 of love and I remember one day I came 06:14 in from the fields to eat and I was sweaty 06:18 and I was, I've been working hard and 06:20 my hands hurt and my back hurt. 06:23 And she said to me I have a surprise for 06:26 you. Wow, I like surprises. Do you like 06:31 surprises? Do you like surprises? 06:33 Some surprises are good and some are 06:35 not good. You know when your wife says 06:42 she has a surprise for you. Well it was meal 06:46 time so the first thing I thought was she 06:48 fixed my favorite meal. I didn't smell it and 06:57 I said what is it. She said well its surprise 06:58 you have to guess. If I tell you, 07:01 it won't be a surprise; I said I can't guess 07:03 I don't know. I noticed that she was gaining 07:09 a little weight, but that's not something 07:11 you say to your wife when she says I 07:12 have a surprise for you. And so I couldn't 07:19 guess and she looked at me and she went 07:21 like this. And I thought yeah she has been, 07:26 but you know. And so I said I don't what she 07:31 said, you are going to be a father. 07:37 I was so happy because you see that's 07:41 the joy is to have family and now I worked 07:45 even harder and I added on to the house 07:48 and I worked in then the day came and 07:53 she said this is the time get the midwife, 07:56 I ran as fast as I could and I got the 07:58 midwife and she went back into the back 08:01 corner of the house into the special room 08:03 and I said what can I do? She said you have 08:05 already your part. Go boil some water. 08:11 She never used it I guess to just keep 08:13 me busy I don't know. And I'm waiting 08:17 and suddenly I hear, I hear this little cry. 08:24 And then midwife came out and she 08:27 handed me this little bundle. 08:31 The tiniest little child, she says this is 08:34 your daughter. I took that child I didn't 08:41 know what to do with the child. 08:47 But, I held the child closely that littler 08:49 daughter of ours that little tiny hand 08:53 reached up and wrapped around my finger. 08:57 And when that happen she wrapped 09:00 herself around my heart. And now I 09:04 worked even harder, I had a family to 09:07 support, I remember in the planting season 09:18 in spring I was working in the fields and 09:29 my hands felt tingling. Now there is one 09:35 thing that we men are good at and that's 09:37 called denial. You know, I was like, 09:44 that was only indigestion. So, I didn't 09:52 think anything of it and I just brushed it 09:54 off and I'm a man I can handle it. 10:02 My hands got more and more numb, 10:06 my feet, my ankles. One day at harvest 10:11 time, I came in for lunch and I was washing 10:15 my hands and washing my face and when 10:18 I put my hand under the water I looked 10:19 in the water was stained with blood. 10:23 My wife saw it; she said there is blood all 10:26 over your robe too. Somehow when I 10:29 was sharpening the saw I cut my hand 10:31 and I had lost enough sensation that I 10:34 didn't even feel it and I was bleeding. 10:39 She said you got to go see the priest. 10:46 Now I was afraid, but I have to go, 10:53 and he looked at my hands and he looked 10:54 at my arms and he said, you have to go 10:56 into isolation for a week. A week without 11:00 my family that's unthinkable. But, I had 11:06 to do it. At the end of the week, 11:14 I came back out, he examined me again 11:19 and he said one more week. My daughter 11:24 is two years old, I love her with my life, 11:28 to be without my child and my wife for a 11:31 second week; the longest week of my life. 11:39 At the end of that week I came again 11:41 to be examined and he said you are a leper. 11:56 And with one word I lost it all you see 11:59 I had friends, I had a farm, I had a family, 12:01 I had a future and with one word it was all 12:04 gone. My wife went out of scream, 12:13 my daughter ran to hug me. But, they 12:16 stopped her. And the priest said you are 12:22 banished and he gave me this bell to warn 12:28 people. You know where the bell comes 12:32 from? It's an old bell that used to be on 12:38 the robe of the high priest that he would 12:41 wear on the day of atonement to prepare 12:44 the country and the people for cleansing 12:46 and now it's a reminder that's I'm filthy. 12:51 And that I'm rejected not accepted then 12:54 I'm judged. My wife couldn't even give me 13:05 clothing to wear; she couldn't give me food 13:07 to eat. You see if you wanted to give me 13:09 something, you wanted to be good to me 13:11 you couldn't do that because you are hating 13:14 sin. Did you see the irony of it? 13:19 My religion is only skin deep and now 13:20 because of my skin people judge me that's 13:24 called prejudice and it's wrong. 13:29 Absolutely wrong it doesn't matter what 13:31 the shape of your skin is, whether you are 13:33 a man or woman. It doesn't matter whether 13:34 your skin is light or dark. It doesn't matter 13:37 that's prejudice to judge somebody because 13:38 of their skin. I'm also called an invalid. 13:50 How do you spell invalid? Spell it with me. 13:54 IN what? Invalid, you don't count, 14:01 you are nothing, you are nobody. 14:06 You see when you have leprosy first, 14:08 first you loose your sensitivity. 14:10 I guess that's why they say it's like sin 14:12 you lose your sensitivity. Then the skin 14:16 breaks then you lose your integrity. 14:20 First you lose your sensitivity, then you 14:22 lose your integrity and then you begin 14:26 to decay and die. Only people I could have 14:33 anything to do with were other leprous. 14:39 And so a bunch of this banned together. 14:45 Well you haven't smelled anything until 14:47 you smell a bunch lepers. We have to 14:56 forage for garbage to eat. Garbage, 15:00 oh one day we found some good garbage. 15:02 There is a difference between good garbage 15:04 and bad garbage. Bad garbage has been 15:09 garbage too long. And its really bad, 15:15 good garbage hasn't been in the trash that 15:16 long; its still is somewhat edible. And we 15:22 found some good garbage and that night 15:24 we decided to cook some. We had a clay 15:27 pot it was broken, but we were able to 15:29 use it and we were cooking our good garbage 15:35 and after the meal, I smelled the most 15:37 terrible smell that I have ever smelled. 15:39 Like I say when you are with the bunch 15:40 of lepers that's pretty bad. And one of 15:45 our member had fallen asleep after eating 15:47 his good garbage dinner. And his foot had 15:50 slid into the fire. And he didn't even feel 15:54 it, that's what leprosy does. And his foot 15:58 was burning, and the stench was the 16:02 cooking of his flesh. I brooked away from 16:13 the group. One day I saw a group of people 16:22 they were listening to somebody teach. 16:27 Now see whenever I'm around the crowd 16:29 I have to warn them leper. But, sometimes 16:35 just because they rejected me I play a 16:38 trick, I hold the bell, and I sneak up on them. 16:47 And then I would say leper. And they 16:52 scattered like pigeons. You reject me and 17:02 I'll scary to death. But, this group of 17:07 people was listening and I decided not the 17:09 scar them I still back at a distance and 17:12 there was a young rabbi his name was 17:14 Jesus. And he said things like this he said 17:20 the Father loves you. He loves you like his 17:24 own child, he wants you to come to him. 17:29 Oh yeah sure if I'm. The Father loves me, 17:34 I'm glad you are not mad at me. 17:41 And I watch this Jesus from time to time 17:44 and people flock to him. And you know 17:47 what I noticed? Jesus never turned 17:55 anyone away, amen. Jesus never turned 17:59 anyone away, amen. I wandered from 18:18 place to place it had been five years since 18:23 I had been declared a leper. 18:26 For five years, no human being had ever 18:29 touched me. I would be delighted to have 18:32 somebody just bump into me and say, 18:34 oh excuse me sir no human touch for five 18:38 years. Then one day I was wandering near 18:51 my home, you know I was leaning against 18:57 a rock. Then I heard the most pleasant 19:04 sound in the world you know what that 19:06 is. The sound of children laughing. 19:11 I want to have the skin of a child, 19:14 to be carefree like a child and as I watched 19:19 the children playing tag and running and 19:20 laughing. I noticed one little girl, 19:23 she was about seven. She would be 19:24 at the age of my, my daughter. Then I 19:31 realized I wandered near my old home. 19:37 And as I watched the children, the more 19:39 I looked to her the more I knew she was 19:41 my daughter. And then the children saw 19:43 me and they scattered leper, one little boy 19:45 said, and they all ran except that one 19:48 little girl. And she turned and she waved 19:58 at me it was my daughter. Then she 20:03 blew me a kiss. Oh God how much I want 20:11 to be with my family? I heard Jesus again 20:19 he was on a mountain top and he said 20:21 things like this you heard it, blessed are 20:24 the poor what? For they inherit the 20:28 kingdom of God. Poor you can't get 20:29 much more poorer then me. 20:31 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst 20:33 for what? They will be filled; I haven't 20:36 had a good meal in years. Blessed are 20:41 the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 20:42 I'm not pure, I'm putrid. When he got 20:51 through teaching and preaching the crowd 20:53 started to come down the mountain. 20:58 And I did something I'm not supposed to do, 21:01 I drop my bell because you see I said 21:06 I'm gonna take a choice, a chance. 21:10 He will either care me or he will kill me. 21:17 And I started toward him and the crowd 21:19 parted like Moses at the Red Sea. 21:24 And I thought he will either curse me or 21:25 he will run. I don't know what he will do, 21:26 but as I step forward I said Lord, 21:31 you can cleanse me if you will. 21:35 Lord you can cleanse if you will. 21:58 Shackled by a heavy burden 22:07 neath a load of guilt and shame 22:15 then the hand of Jesus touched me 22:23 and now I am no longer the same 22:33 He touched me, yes He touched me 22:41 and oh the joy that floods my soul 22:50 something happened and now I know 22:59 He touched me and made me whole 23:10 Since I met this blessed savior 23:19 since he cleansed and made me whole 23:27 I will never cease to praise him 23:35 I'll shout it while eternity rolls 23:44 Yes He touched me oh He touched me 23:54 and oh the joy that floods my soul 24:03 something happened and now I know 24:12 He touched me and made me whole 24:50 And when Jesus touched me I felt power 24:55 go through my body, and I looked at my 25:00 skin and it was clean and it was clear 25:03 I couldn't believe it. You see I have been 25:08 happy for Jesus just to speak to me. 25:12 But, Jesus didn't run away, he didn't 25:14 back away, he moved toward me and 25:16 he reached out and he touched me 25:18 physically. The first touch in five years. 25:24 Remember what I said? Jesus never turns 25:29 anyone away, amen. And I could see in his 25:33 eyes that he hated leprosy even more 25:35 then I did. He hated sin even more then 25:39 I did. And he was right the Father loved 25:43 me enough to heal me. You see when I 25:44 said Lord you can cleanse me. I didn't just 25:49 say Lord you can heal me, I didn't ask 25:51 for healing, I asked for cleansing that's 25:53 deeper. I asked for him not to therapure from 26:00 which we get therapy to heal me. 26:04 I said Katharizo, which is a Greek word that 26:07 means healing from the inside out. 26:10 And Jesus did that and then he sent me 26:13 back to the priest, the one who said that 26:15 I was unclean to verify the miracle, 26:20 to offer the sacrifices and then I ran, 26:24 I ran to home to be with my family. 26:33 But, I learned something. Those hands 26:37 that heal me that touch, those hands that 26:40 touched and healed me were nailed to 26:42 a cross. And you see I realize that Jesus 26:48 cleansed me not only so I could go home 26:51 and be with my family. But, so I can go 26:58 home with him as part of his family. 27:05 You know we are all lepers. There is no 27:11 do it yourself leper cure. Just like there 27:16 is no do it yourself cure for sin. 27:19 It takes the touch of Jesus and sometimes 27:24 our leprosy, yes our leprosy because 27:26 I say we are all lepers. Sometimes our 27:28 leprosy is inside, where the only way and 27:31 God can see it. But, when you say Lord 27:36 you can heal me, see when I said that 27:37 I said not only Lord you can believing you 27:40 have the power, the strength, and the 27:42 authority but I gave him permission 27:45 do you get that. Lord you can heal me, 27:48 I'll let you work in my life. Will you let 27:55 him work in your life? Will you reach out 27:59 and touch somebody else that's the 28:01 theme of this whole special Sabbath. 28:06 We use it be his hands, his heart to reach 28:09 out to some who people feel invalid. 28:14 To somebody who feels the sting of 28:15 prejudice and being pushed away. 28:20 Because when you do and when I do we 28:22 are the hands of Jesus to touch people 28:24 in there deepest need. Praise God, 28:32 praise God he touched me and he made me 28:38 holy and he will do the same for you and 28:44 for those you touch praise God, praise God, amen. 29:04 Amen, amen, praise the Lord, praise the 29:07 Lord. There are some questions if you 29:10 notice in your program to help us reflect 29:15 on this presentation it's important for 29:19 us to think about these important stories 29:23 and deep thoughts that you have heard 29:25 today. It's important that we own these and 29:30 that will let the touch of Jesus minister 29:33 to each one of us today. These questions 29:36 are here to assist us and I'm thinking just 29:40 we will look at may be two, number one 29:42 says what does touch mean to you today? 29:50 Physically, emotionally, spiritually. 30:01 Do you need the touch of Jesus today? 30:07 As I was sitting there listening to the 30:10 presentation a one point I felt unclean, 30:19 unclean the leprosy of sin has caught us 30:24 all. And then as he went into the 30:29 presentation and as he met Jesus. 30:34 I joined in that asking, if you're willing 30:40 you can cleanse me too. And that's what 30:44 we want to happen today not just a 30:46 wonderful presentation and we walk away 30:49 thinking that was great. We want us all 30:52 to let the spirit of God minister to our 30:55 hearts and to let his cleanse in grace, 31:00 touch your lives today, wash all sins away, 31:05 are you willing, have you been touched? 31:12 Do you need to be touched by Jesus? 31:17 He will help you, he is willing, Jesus will 31:21 do it for you today. And this is the time, 31:25 this is the moment. Let us reflect on our 31:30 lives individually and ask the power of the 31:33 Holy Spirit to come into our hearts and 31:36 since that touch today, don't leave this 31:40 convocation without been touched by 31:42 Jesus. And then dropping down to number 31:48 five, I think this is a very important question. 31:54 Who in our society, church, community, 32:00 school is considered untouchable, unpopular, 32:06 avoided alone, who? In your way of 32:12 influence is considered untouchable. 32:24 And the last question is how can you 32:26 minister to their needs? We need each 32:36 other, I know Jesus is the only one who 32:41 can do the cleansing and the cleaning that 32:44 we all need but you and I can help each 32:49 other find Jesus. You and I can help each 32:56 other on the stand a bit more the love 33:01 of Jesus. The love of Jesus at times is 33:05 expressed through us and I'm thinking of 33:09 the great as Chicago land area. I'm thinking 33:12 of the thousands and thousands of people, 33:16 the thousands and thousands of homes that 33:19 you and I call to reach and to minister too. 33:23 I'm thinking of those individuals in Avery 33:25 Churches, in Avery schools, in Avery families 33:28 who feel to be alone and feel that they 33:31 outcast, how can you reach and touch 33:34 those individuals. You know what you can 33:38 introduce him to the marvelous Jesus that 33:41 you and I know but before you can do 33:44 that in a real mean and full way. You and 33:47 I need to know Jesus, we need to know 33:50 the touch of Jesus then you can testify 33:54 about his touch. Can you imagine what 33:58 happened in that village after the leper was 34:01 cleansed and heal? Can you imagine the 34:04 marvelous powerful witness that took 34:07 place in that city? You and I need the touch 34:12 then we can touch others. I invite you and 34:19 encourage you to take this page with 34:20 you maybe later today you may have some 34:23 free time and in the days ahead please 34:27 reflect on the story Matthew 8 is the 34:31 first few verses in Matthew 8. And get 34:36 into the story in a deeper way, 34:40 let the Lord Minister to your soul, 34:42 not just today, but in the days ahead. 34:47 Let us pray, oh wonderful Lord you've 34:56 blessed us in the Sabbath school through 35:00 music, spoken word and through the powerful 35:07 presentation of the leper. I thank you for 35:14 Sabbath school, I thank you for this time 35:15 that we can study together, we can praise 35:18 your name and we can think of the world 35:20 around us in the mission field. Bless us 35:25 now as we enter into the worship service, 35:28 prepare our hearts, may your spirit direct 35:31 and lead each one of us and maybe we truly 35:35 be touched by your loving hands in the 35:39 wonderful name of Jesus we pray amen. 35:42 can praise 35:43 your name and we can think of the world 35:44 around us in the mission field. Bless us 35:45 now as we enter into the worship service, |
Revised 2014-12-17