Participants:
Series Code: PME
Program Code: PME240518S
|
00:02 ♪
00:19 >> It's still morning. 00:20 Good morning. 00:21 [ Laughs ] 00:23 Welcome. 00:24 I'm really glad to see you here. 00:27 And for those of you 00:28 joining us via media, 00:30 we especially welcome you. 00:32 Those of you in the balcony 00:33 and all over the -- all 00:35 over the congregation. 00:37 It's a sight for sore eyes 00:38 to see you here. 00:40 What a blessing. 00:42 Anyhow, years ago, I was here 00:44 for a commencement address 00:46 by a fellow named 00:47 E.E. Cleveland. 00:49 And he said -- There was civil 00:52 unrest all over the country. 00:53 He said, "You look west, 00:54 it looks terrible. 00:56 You look east, 00:57 doesn't look any good. 00:59 You look south, terrible. 01:01 And look north, 01:02 it's not so hot either. 01:03 But if you look up, 01:05 it looks good." 01:07 Isn't that true still today? 01:09 If we look up, it looks so good. 01:12 There's a God up there 01:13 who loves us. 01:15 And He loves you personally. 01:18 In the bulletin is a call 01:20 to worship, and you'll 01:21 see it on the screens. 01:23 So I want to invite you 01:25 to stand with me as we recite 01:28 this antiphonally, alright? 02:04 Shall we pray? 02:05 Father, we ask 02:08 for your presence here today, 02:11 that your Holy Spirit 02:12 and the angels 02:14 would bring your presence here, 02:16 presence of Jesus, our Savior, 02:18 our Lord, our sacrifice. 02:22 So, Father, may what happens 02:25 here put a smile on your heart. 02:28 We thank you in Jesus' name. 02:31 Amen. 02:36 ♪ 05:12 >> Good morning. Happy Sabbath. 05:15 Do you know, 05:16 I remember some of you being in 05:18 my 4-year-old Sabbath school, 05:19 and you've grown up so fast. 05:22 I wish you would have been 05:23 at my house this week because 05:25 I love this time of year. 05:28 Besides having the flowers 05:30 growing outside and the leaves 05:32 all turning green, 05:33 do you know what I have 05:34 at my house? 05:36 I have a pair of robins 05:37 who have two baby birds, 05:40 and we've been able to watch 05:42 them feed them this week. 05:44 And the other thing that is 05:45 in my yard is a pair of bunnies. 05:47 And I have the cutest little 05:49 cottontail bunny 05:50 about that big that loves 05:51 to hop around my yard. 05:53 But, you know, 05:56 that I have to listen for, 05:58 and you have to be very quiet. 06:01 And usually I have to be 06:02 by my hummingbird feeder 06:04 or by flowers 06:05 in order to hear this. 06:08 And when I listen 06:09 really carefully, 06:10 do you know what I hear? 06:12 I hear something go, 06:13 "Bzzz-zzz-zzz-zzz." 06:15 What do you think it is? 06:16 >> A bee. 06:17 >> A bee! That's right. 06:18 And you know what? 06:19 This isn't just any normal bee. 06:21 This is a really, 06:22 really special bee. 06:24 Do you know what it is? 06:25 It's a honey bee. 06:28 Do you know what? 06:29 Honey bees aren't really this 06:30 big. 06:31 They're about that big. 06:31 They're pretty little. 06:33 And they have a very, 06:35 very important job 06:37 to do this time of year. 06:39 Do you know what they do? 06:41 They pollinate the flowers 06:43 and the trees that are around. 06:45 You know, "pollinating" 06:46 is a really big word, 06:47 but it means that they make it 06:49 so the fruit can grow 06:51 from the flowers. 06:53 You know, it's really, really 06:55 cool because a honey bee 06:57 has how many legs? 06:59 One, two, three, 07:00 four, five, six. 07:02 And how many wings does it have? 07:05 It has four. 07:06 It has two on each side. 07:08 And, you know, 07:11 these wings will hook together. 07:13 And as they wiggle, that's what 07:15 makes the buzzing sound. 07:17 And then, when they stop, 07:19 the wings will fold up, 07:20 and they'll go back down 07:21 on their back 07:23 and they'll walk around. 07:25 Do you know, this time of year, 07:26 the honey bees are so busy 07:29 because they have lots and lots 07:31 and lots of things to pollinate. 07:33 You know what? 07:35 I had blueberries for breakfast 07:36 this morning, 07:37 and for every three blueberries 07:40 I ate, two of them 07:43 were pollinated by the bees. 07:45 That means if there weren't 07:46 any bees around, 07:47 I would have only had one 07:49 blueberry for breakfast. 07:50 That's not very much, is it? 07:53 But the -- the honey bees are so 07:54 cool. 07:56 They live in a hive, 07:58 and they live in a colony 07:59 of up to 60,000 sisters. 08:03 Would you guys like to have 08:04 60,000 sisters? 08:05 >> No. 08:06 >> Well, I don't know. 08:07 I have one sister, 08:08 and I love her dearly, 08:10 but I don't think I could put up 08:11 with 60,000 of her. 08:13 But there are 60,000 bees 08:15 in a colony, 08:17 and they're all girls, 08:18 except for a few drones, 08:20 which are the boy bees. 08:21 And there's a queen bee 08:22 that lays eggs. 08:24 And this queen bee is really, 08:25 really busy. 08:26 Do you know she can lay up 08:27 to 2,000 eggs in one day? 08:30 And then, it is the worker 08:32 bees' job to take care 08:35 of all those baby bees. 08:37 Now, they also have another job. 08:39 They have to go out 08:40 and find pollen. 08:42 And the pollen is 08:43 what helps them make the honey. 08:47 Now, if you look at the screen 08:48 up here, 08:48 I have a picture of a bee. 08:51 Let's see. Can you see it? 08:54 Can you see the honey bee? 08:55 And look at its back legs. 08:57 Can you see that? 08:59 That is called a pollen basket. 09:02 And that is really cool 09:03 'cause when the bees go out 09:04 and they touch the flowers, 09:07 they get the pollen 09:08 from the flowers, 09:09 and they take it to another 09:11 flower and another flower 09:12 and another flower, 09:13 and that's how they pollinate. 09:15 Now, when a bee finds 09:17 a nice field of flowers, 09:20 or maybe a great big cherry tree 09:21 full of buds, 09:23 she is going to go back 09:25 to the hive, and she's going to 09:27 do something very special then. 09:29 She's going to go into her hive, 09:32 and she has to tell all of 09:34 the other bees where it is. 09:37 Now, can she just say, "Hey, 09:38 guys, right outside the door, 09:40 there's some flowers." 09:42 Can she do that? 09:43 No, she can't. 09:44 She has to have a special way 09:46 of doing that. 09:47 And God has given her 09:49 that special way. 09:51 She will do one of two kinds 09:52 of dances. 09:53 The first kind of dance 09:54 that she will do 09:55 is called a circle dance. 09:57 And when she does 09:58 the circle dance, 09:59 she's going to go straight, 10:01 and she's going to turn around, 10:03 and she's just going to 10:04 keep making circles, 10:06 and that's going to tell all 10:08 the other bees that the flowers 10:10 are really, really close. 10:12 But if she does a waggle dance, 10:16 the waggle dance, 10:17 she goes into her hive, 10:19 and she starts going like this 10:20 back and forth and back 10:21 and forth and back and forth, 10:23 and the faster she goes back 10:24 and forth 10:25 and the longer she goes, 10:27 tells the bees that the flowers 10:29 are farther away. 10:31 And then when she gets 10:32 to the end of her run, 10:33 she goes like this, 10:34 and she turns around, 10:35 and she comes right back 10:36 to the beginning, 10:37 and she does it again. 10:38 And she might do this 50 10:39 or 60 times while all 10:41 the other worker bees watch. 10:43 Except this time, when she gets 10:45 to the end of her run, 10:46 she's going to turn 10:47 and she's going to go left, 10:49 and she's going to go back 10:50 to the beginning part, 10:51 and she's going to go all over, 10:53 all back and forth 10:54 and back and forth. 10:55 Do you know what? 10:56 God made them so amazing. 10:59 Do you think the other bees 11:01 could find the flowers if they 11:04 didn't follow her directions? 11:06 No, they couldn't. They might. 11:09 What if they went outside 11:10 and they thought 11:11 that she did a circle dance 11:13 instead of a waggle dance, 11:15 and they looked right outside 11:16 their hive. 11:17 Could they find the flowers? 11:20 They couldn't. 11:21 Do you know, I know somebody 11:23 else that has given us 11:26 instructions to follow, too, 11:28 so we can make it 11:29 to our heavenly home. 11:30 Do you know who that is? 11:33 Jesus. That's right. 11:34 Jesus has given us 11:36 the special things 11:37 that we need to do 11:39 so we can go home 11:40 and live with him. 11:42 Do you think Jesus is waiting 11:44 patiently for us to come home? 11:46 Oh, I think he is. 11:47 He loves each one of us, 11:49 very special, and he has made 11:51 a special home for us. 11:53 But in order for us 11:54 to go to that home, 11:56 we have to follow the directions 11:58 that God has given us. 12:00 What about, like, obeying 12:01 our mom and dad? 12:02 Has he told us that we should 12:03 do that? 12:04 Yeah. 12:06 What about coming to church 12:07 on Sabbath? 12:08 Is that another direction 12:09 that Jesus has given us? 12:11 Yeah, he has. But you know what? 12:13 The bees are different. 12:14 The bees have to -- 12:16 they follow the wiggle dance 12:19 or the circle dance by instinct. 12:22 But we don't have that instinct. 12:24 We can pray and we can say, 12:26 "I want to ask Jesus 12:27 to be in my life." 12:29 But unless we trust him 12:32 and Jesus helps us, 12:33 we can never, ever make it 12:35 to heaven without his help. 12:37 Now, you know what the bees 12:38 like to eat? 12:41 What is this? 12:43 >> Honey. 12:44 >> It's honey. 12:46 And you know what? 12:47 This honey is so special 12:49 because this honey 12:52 took about 25 bees six months 12:56 to make that much honey. 12:58 That's not very much honey, 12:59 is it? 13:00 It takes them 13:01 their whole lifetime 13:03 just to make that much honey. 13:05 You know what? 13:06 They spend their whole life 13:08 serving their other bees, 13:10 just like 13:10 Jesus wants us to spend 13:12 our whole life serving him. 13:14 Now, I want you to look 13:15 at my screen one more time. 13:16 I have a picture 13:17 of a waggle dance. 13:19 Now, I want you to look, 13:20 and look for the bee 13:21 that has a yellow spot 13:23 on the back of her head. 13:24 Can you see it? 13:28 Can you see it right here? 13:31 I guess it's a red spot. 13:32 It looked more yellow earlier. 13:34 But can you see? Watch. 13:36 See? Here she's going back 13:37 and forth and back and forth. 13:39 And all the other bees 13:41 are watching, and they're going 13:42 to follow them, 13:44 just like we want to follow 13:45 Jesus, don't we? 13:46 Because we know Jesus is coming 13:48 so soon 13:49 and we want to go to heaven 13:50 with him 13:51 and live in that special house 13:52 that he's making for us. 13:54 I need somebody to help me have 13:55 our prayer this morning. 13:56 You want to come help? 14:00 Thank you. Okay. 14:03 Can you ask Jesus to be with us 14:04 and be like the bees? 14:05 Okay. 14:06 >> Dear Jesus, please help us 14:08 to be with you. 14:10 Please help the people 14:11 who don't know you. 14:12 Please help them to change 14:14 their ways and follow you. 14:15 Amen. 14:17 >> Amen. Thank you, sweetheart. 14:24 >> Our Scripture reading of 14:25 today is coming from 14:26 Isaiah 43: 16-19, 14:29 and I'll be reading from 14:29 the New International Version. 14:33 "This is what the Lord says -- 14:34 he who made a way through 14:35 the sea, a path through 14:36 the mighty waters, 14:37 who drew out the chariots 14:39 and horses, the army 14:40 and reinforcements together, 14:42 and they lay there never to rise 14:43 again, extinguished, 14:45 snuffed out like a wick. 14:46 Forget the former things. 14:48 Do not dwell on the past. 14:49 See, I am doing a new thing! 14:51 Now it springs up. 14:52 Do you not perceive it? 14:54 I am making a way 14:55 in the wilderness and streams 14:56 in the wastelands." 14:57 Amen. 15:01 ♪ 19:55 >> This week, we've been having 19:56 a great week at the Tent. 19:57 How many of you guys 19:57 have come out? 19:58 >> Yeah. 19:59 >> Amen. 20:01 For those of you who don't know, 20:02 the Tent is a -- is led out 20:04 by seventh and eighth graders 20:06 who -- including writing 20:08 and preaching their own sermons. 20:10 Our next song is a theme song 20:11 for the Tent. 20:12 Please stand and join us in 20:13 singing. 20:16 ♪ 24:35 >> Thank you. 24:38 ♪ 24:51 >> A few weeks ago, we completed 24:54 a sermon series entitled 24:56 "Why We Are Here." 24:59 If you missed that, 25:00 you can find it at pmchurch.org. 25:02 We have links there to our 25:03 sermon archives, 25:04 and I would strongly encourage 25:06 you to see them, 25:07 not for the sake of 25:08 my homiletical skills, 25:10 but for the sake of the message 25:11 that's there. 25:12 We asked and answered 25:14 the question, "Why are we here?" 25:16 Why is there a Seventh-Day 25:17 Adventist Church? 25:18 There's all kinds of churches 25:19 out there. 25:22 And we answered that question 25:23 by looking at, essentially, 25:24 two things -- briefly, 25:25 the Great Commission of 25:26 Matthew 28:18-20, very much a 25:28 part of who we are 25:29 and why we're here. 25:30 And secondly, 25:31 we spent most of our time in the 25:32 three angels' messages 25:33 of Revelation 14:6-12. 25:36 Those messages are the core 25:39 reason why God 25:41 went through the difficulty 25:42 of creating 25:43 a new movement, the Seventh-Day 25:45 Adventist movement. 25:47 Now, the reason 25:48 I mentioned that, why I bring 25:49 that back to your memory, 25:51 is because we are sitting 25:52 on an institutional campus. 25:55 We are an institutional church. 25:57 We are on the campus 25:59 of a community that follows 26:01 an academic calendar, 26:02 and what that means is that 26:04 summer is here. 26:08 The sun is out. 26:09 The birds are singing. 26:10 The grass is green. 26:12 The ice has melted -- mostly. 26:15 And it's a beautiful time 26:16 of year. 26:18 when we dial things 26:19 back a little bit. 26:20 Now, if you are a professor 26:22 or a student that is going 26:23 to school full-time 26:25 through this summer, 26:26 you have our utmost sympathies. 26:29 We'll be praying for you 26:30 that you will endure 26:30 because you, too, need a break. 26:32 Summertime is a time when 26:34 we dial things back, 26:36 we spend time with family 26:37 and with friends. 26:38 We head out to the water, 26:39 to the beach, or to the park, 26:40 and picnics are there. 26:41 It's a great time 26:42 to slow down a bit, 26:44 to get our breath back, 26:45 to regroup, so that we can 26:47 be ready to hit things hard 26:49 when we come back in the fall. 26:51 Summer is a great time. 26:57 And it's my personal experience 27:01 that it can -- doesn't have to 27:02 be -- but it can also be 27:04 a time of drift. 27:09 We just finished talking about 27:10 the three angels' messages 27:11 and the importance, 27:12 the core of who we are. 27:14 This is why God called us 27:15 into being. 27:17 And they are too important 27:18 to let fade away. 27:20 We must take a summer's rest. 27:22 Absolutely. 27:23 But we also must not forget. 27:27 And so, consequently, 27:28 I want to invite you to join me 27:30 in doing at least three things 27:31 this summer. 27:32 Number one, stay close to Jesus. 27:36 Stay close to Jesus. 27:37 You know, whatever your 27:39 devotional routine is, 27:40 or if you don't have 27:41 a devotional routine, start now. 27:42 Now is your time. 27:43 Starting pistol just went off. 27:45 Start having a devotional time. 27:46 Spend time in the word. 27:47 Spend time in prayer 27:48 every day with Jesus. 27:50 Spend time 27:50 with fellow believers. 27:52 Go to church. 27:52 Go to Sabbath school. 27:53 If you're outdoors, 27:55 have church with other people. 27:55 Spend time with 27:57 like-minded believers. 27:58 Iron will sharpen iron. 28:00 Stay strong in Jesus 28:02 in the summer season. 28:04 Secondly, 28:06 reread those three angels. 28:08 Revelation 14: 6-12. 28:10 You know, my prayer is that, 28:11 at the very least, 28:13 during that four-part series, 28:14 that we gained 28:15 a fresh appreciation 28:16 for the messages of Christ 28:17 that are found in those 28:18 three angels' messages, 28:20 and perhaps we even learned 28:21 some new things from them. 28:22 Regardless, 28:24 we just scratched the surface. 28:27 There is so much more 28:28 in those three angels' messages, 28:30 and you need to know it. 28:31 You need to know what those 28:32 things are because 28:33 it's a message of Christ. 28:34 It's the gospel. 28:36 You know, if you think about it, 28:36 the three angels' messages are 28:38 the culmination of 6,000 years 28:40 of salvation history. 28:42 So no wonder we just touched the 28:44 tips of the mountaintops here. 28:46 There's so much more. 28:47 Read them again and again. 28:48 Study them. 28:49 Get your concordance out. 28:50 Look up the words 28:51 that are there. 28:52 Find the Old Testament roots 28:53 and some of 28:54 the New Testament references 28:55 that are there. 28:56 Make these three angels' 28:57 messages your own 28:58 because they are. 29:01 God has given it to us, 29:03 and we have a job to do. 29:06 And number three, 29:08 I would invite you this summer 29:09 to join me 29:10 in actively praying for 29:13 and keeping your eyes open 29:16 for God to do... 29:22 Well, let me tell you a story. 29:25 Many years ago, when I was 29:27 a young pastor, 29:29 when I had free time, 29:31 I would go and test-drive 29:33 sports cars for fun. 29:35 Now, I'm not recommending 29:36 that you do this. 29:37 There is something disingenuous 29:38 about going to a dealership 29:39 from which you have no intention 29:41 of purchasing a vehicle 29:42 and asking to test drive a car. 29:44 Okay. You don't need to do that. 29:46 But this is different times. 29:47 I've grown a bit since then. 29:48 It was a Sunday afternoon, 29:50 and I knew exactly which 29:52 dealership I wanted to go to. 29:53 This is in the Seattle area 29:55 there in Lynnwood, 29:57 there's Auto Row. 29:59 Now, this was quite a while ago. 30:00 Maybe they've all gone bankrupt 30:01 and it's a golf course now. 30:02 I have no idea. 30:03 But there are dozens 30:04 of dealerships on Auto Row. 30:06 And there was one -- 30:07 it was a Chevy dealership, 30:09 and I had driven past it earlier 30:10 in the week, 30:12 and there was a 1996 30:14 yellow Corvette that was there. 30:16 And as I drove by, 30:17 it caught my eye. 30:18 that one this weekend." 30:20 So, sure enough, Sunday 30:21 afternoon, I got dressed 30:23 a little bit better 30:25 than I might have otherwise 30:26 gotten dressed 30:27 on a Sunday afternoon. 30:29 I mean, you have to look 30:29 the part, right? 30:30 The salesman has to believe 30:32 that at least there's some 30:33 possibility 30:35 that you have the ability 30:36 to purchase this vehicle 30:37 if you're ever going to get 30:38 a chance to test-drive it. 30:39 So I dressed up a little bit, 30:41 and I went to the dealership 30:42 and kind of meandered 30:43 around a little bit. 30:44 Sure enough, the yellow Corvette 30:45 still there. 30:46 Head salesman comes out. 30:48 "Can I help you, sir?" 30:50 "Oh, well, yes. 30:51 I was wondering, would it be 30:52 possible for me to test-drive 30:54 that car, the Corvette?" 30:56 And he said, "Well, certainly. 30:59 Let me see if I can find 31:00 somebody here to help you," 31:01 and calls back and do 31:03 whatever they do at dealerships. 31:04 And the next salesman came out, 31:06 and he comes to me, 31:08 and he says, "Well, sir, 31:09 which car are you looking at?" 31:10 We went outside, we're looking 31:11 there at the Corvette. 31:12 for a test-drive?" 31:14 He said, "Well, I'm sure we can 31:15 make that work. 31:16 If I could just 31:17 have your driver's license 31:18 so I can get a photocopy 31:19 of that, 31:21 So I get him my driver's 31:22 license, and he goes in, and I 31:23 don't know what the problem was, 31:24 but for whatever reason, 31:26 they couldn't photocopy 31:27 my driver's license. 31:30 Now, the skeptic in me 31:31 says they didn't think I was 31:33 going to be buying the car. 31:34 So they went to plan B and 31:36 they -- he said to me, he said, 31:37 "Well, we we can't make a copy 31:38 of your license right now, 31:40 but if you don't mind, 31:41 I can ride with you." 31:43 Oh. 31:44 [ Laughter ] 31:47 Well, how much fun is that 31:48 when you've got the guy 31:49 sitting right here next to you 31:50 in the passenger seat, right? 31:51 So, "Uh..." 31:52 But what are you going to say? 31:53 Right? 31:54 So I said, "Okay, sure. 31:55 N-No problem." 31:56 And so he gets his stuff 31:57 together, 31:59 and we look around the car 32:00 and open the hood and inside, 32:01 and then we get inside 32:02 and getting ready 32:03 to take a test drive. 32:05 And he says, "So, Mr. Anderson, 32:08 what do you do for a living?" 32:10 [ Laughter ] 32:12 [ Sighs ] 32:13 Now, for those of you that are 32:14 not pastors, if you want to 32:15 knock the hole in any party 32:17 boat, you just tell people what 32:18 you do for a living, all right? 32:20 People do all kinds of stuff. 32:21 Usually they say, "Oh, I'm 32:22 sorry. 32:23 Did I swear?" 32:24 I don't know what it is with 32:25 pastors. 32:26 We just make people feel guilty 32:26 for swearing. 32:27 They'll swear all the other time 32:29 when they're not with us. 32:30 But if they're with us -- 32:30 Anyway... 32:32 So, I think to myself, 32:33 "Oh, boy, here we go." 32:34 And I say, "Well, 32:37 I'm a pastor." 32:40 And you can just see the color 32:41 drain out of his face. 32:43 Like, "Oh, no." 32:46 Because pastors don't buy, 32:48 you know, 2- or 3-year-old 32:49 yellow Corvettes, right? 32:52 And so he's depressed. 32:53 And then he kind of rallies 32:54 a little bit, and he says, 32:56 "So -- So what church do you 32:57 pastor?" 33:00 And I don't know for sure, 33:01 but I'm guessing he was kind of 33:02 thinking to himself, 33:03 "Maybe if it's a megachurch, 33:04 he's got money, right?" 33:08 And I said, "Well, I'm the 33:09 pastor of the Forest Park 33:11 Seventh-Day Adventist Church in 33:12 Everett." 33:13 And he went right back 33:15 to where he was before. 33:16 [ Sighs ] 33:17 Now, I don't know that 33:18 it's because 33:19 he'd ever heard of the church, 33:19 but probably because 33:20 he hadn't heard of the church. 33:22 And if he hadn't heard of it, 33:23 it must not be very big. 33:24 "And I've got now this 33:25 poor pastor about 33:26 to go on a test drive for a car 33:28 that he's not going to buy." 33:29 So he's depressed, right? 33:30 But I've got the keys. 33:31 And so I start the car, 33:33 and we back out there, 33:34 we buckle up, 33:35 and we come up to the street. 33:37 We're about to turn out 33:39 and to go for this test drive. 33:41 And you got 33:42 Off to the right was -- it was 33:44 kind of going up a hill here. 33:45 And so you could see any traffic 33:47 that was coming down there. 33:48 It was easy to spot it. 33:49 On the left, yeah, not so much. 33:51 It was, you know, a couple 33:53 hundred feet, something like 33:54 that down this direction. 33:55 And then there was a corner 33:56 turning to the right. 33:57 And it was kind of hard 33:58 to see traffic was coming. 33:59 And for whatever reason, 34:01 at that time on Sunday, 34:02 traffic was heavy. 34:04 So I'm sitting there, 34:04 I'm waiting, 34:05 looking right and left. 34:06 "Let's get going here. 34:07 I want to drive this thing," 34:08 right? 34:09 And finally, it's clear 34:10 on the right, nobody coming, 34:12 and I look on the left 34:13 and it sure looks clear to me. 34:16 And I pull out into 34:17 the intersection. 34:19 Now, somehow, I had missed a car 34:22 coming very swiftly 34:24 from this direction. 34:26 And this takes a little while 34:27 to tell, but obviously this is 34:28 happening fairly quickly. 34:30 This guy in this car 34:32 is coming very fast here. 34:33 I pull out, I turn, 34:35 I see him right there, right? 34:37 And I can still see him. 34:38 He's making gestures of 34:39 friendship and fellowship and... 34:40 [ Laughter ] 34:42 ...inviting me to -- 34:43 Yeah, making wishes for my 34:45 family and lineage, et cetera. 34:46 And so I need to do something. 34:50 So I mashed the gas pedal. 34:53 And I'm turning to the left 34:54 because I'm going to go 34:55 this direction, right? 34:56 And I mash the gas pedal, 34:57 and the wheels light up. 34:58 I mean, it wasn't 34:59 a super car in those days. 35:00 I mean, Corvettes, 35:01 300 horsepower, 35:03 330 foot pounds of torque, 35:04 something like that. 35:05 But that's enough. 35:06 And I mashed the gas pedal, 35:08 and the wheels spin, 35:09 and I'm turning to the left, 35:10 and the rear end kicks out. 35:11 Okay? 35:13 Now, you need to know, 35:14 by this time in my life, 35:15 I've been doing amateur 35:16 motorsport for about 10 years, 35:18 and this is fun. 35:20 This is great fun. 35:21 Okay? 35:22 I'm not concerned in the least. 35:23 And the Corvette is a good 35:24 handling car even in those days. 35:26 And so it ends out there. 35:27 I thought, "Well, this is cool. 35:28 Let's keep going." 35:30 So I kept my foot in it. Right? 35:32 And so we're -- mrr! -- we're 35:33 powersliding down this side of 35:34 the road there. 35:35 Not for a huge -- maybe 60 -- 35:36 I don't know -- 80 feet, 35:37 something like that. 35:38 And going side like that. 35:40 And you let off the gas 35:41 a little bit, 35:42 rear end tucks in, grab second 35:43 gear, mash the pedal -- mrr! -- 35:45 you know, down there, 35:46 make the right-hand turn, 35:47 drop it into third, 35:48 and begin to coast down, 35:49 because, I mean, 35:50 you know, it's not my car. 35:51 I don't want to hurt anything. 35:52 Right? 35:52 [ Laughter ] 35:54 And about this time, 35:55 I look over at the salesman 35:57 in the passenger seat. 35:58 [ Laughter ] 36:01 He looks very different than he 36:02 did just a few moments ago. 36:04 He looks something like this. 36:06 [ Laughter ] 36:08 He's grabbing the door 36:09 handle with this one. 36:09 The blood is drained out 36:11 of his hands, right, like this. 36:12 And I'm smiling 36:14 over in my seat like this. 36:15 "This is good, right?" 36:18 I give him 36:18 a moment to calm down, 36:19 and we're gently going through 36:20 the gears through town. 36:23 And without looking at me, 36:25 he finally says something. 36:26 And here's what he said. 36:29 "What church did you say 36:30 that you pastored?" 36:31 [ Laughter ] 36:40 That salesman 36:41 just could not believe 36:44 that someone from my line 36:45 of work could drive in that way. 36:47 Okay? 36:50 Isn't it interesting -- 36:52 Isn't it interesting 36:54 how difficult it is to discern 36:56 someone's capabilities 36:59 based on their title 37:00 or where they're from? 37:03 Hmm. 37:06 If you have a Bible, 37:07 turn please to John 1:43. 37:10 John 1:43. 37:14 It's page 714 -- 7-1-4 -- 37:17 in your red pew Bible. 37:18 It should be around there 37:19 somewhere where you're sitting. 37:21 Page 714, John 1, 37:24 beginning with verse 43. 37:28 Now, being John chapter 1, 37:29 we are obviously starting early 37:31 here in the ministry of Jesus. 37:33 In fact, at this point, 37:34 Jesus only has a few members 37:37 of what would become his inner 37:38 circle of disciples. 37:40 Peter and Andrew, they are 37:42 part of the group there, 37:44 and Jesus is looking to build 37:46 upon this inner circle, 37:47 and that's where we join 37:48 the story. 37:51 "The next day, Jesus 37:52 decided to leave for Galilee, 37:54 finding Philip" -- so disciple 37:56 number three here -- 37:56 "finding Philip, he said to him, 37:59 'Follow me.' 38:01 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, 38:03 was from the town of Bethsaida. 38:05 Philip found Nathaniel --" 38:07 okay, number four here -- 38:08 "found Nathaniel and told him, 38:11 'We have found the one Moses 38:14 wrote about in the Law, 38:15 and about whom the prophets 38:17 also wrote." 38:19 Pause right there. 38:24 Now, there's no pictures 38:25 in Scripture, 38:26 no video recordings. 38:28 But here's my guess. 38:31 In this short sentence, 38:33 I think Nathaniel's hopes 38:35 are beginning to skyrocket 38:37 because he's got Philip 38:39 standing there in front of him, 38:40 and maybe 38:41 the other two gentlemen are also 38:42 standing there, as well. 38:43 And the looks on their face, 38:45 they are dead serious. 38:46 They are dead serious. 38:48 "The Messiah is here." 38:53 I mean, that's what he's 38:54 hearing. 38:54 That's what's coming to his ears 38:55 right now. He knows all of this. 38:57 You know, even though this is 38:58 one of the darkest times 39:00 in Israel's history. 39:01 Ellen White talks about this 39:02 in "Desire of Ages." 39:02 The 1st century A.D., 39:04 spiritualism was at an all-time 39:06 high amongst God's people. 39:07 Spiritualism was at an all-time 39:08 high. 39:09 Things were not looking good 39:10 for the home team. 39:11 And it's into that brew 39:13 that Jesus comes. 39:15 But at this point, Nathaniel 39:16 doesn't know that. 39:17 He's getting the commercial, 39:19 though, and it's coming through 39:20 pretty clear. 39:21 Here are these gentleman's 39:22 faces, they're all lit up. 39:24 "The one that Moses talked 39:24 about." 39:25 From the time a Jewish person, 39:27 you know, was this big or 39:29 younger, they would have been 39:30 told stories about the Messiah. 39:31 They would have been quoted 39:33 "The Messiah 39:34 is going to come someday. 39:35 He will set us free. 39:36 He'll take care of us 39:37 politically and socially 39:38 and spiritually," 39:39 all of these great things. 39:41 And now some of his friends 39:45 are standing before him 39:46 and saying, "It's happened. 39:49 He has come." 39:54 And my guess is, Nathaniel's 39:55 heart is just -- 39:56 I mean, just rising. 39:58 "Really? Really?" 40:02 And all that fervor 40:04 comes crashing down in the space 40:06 of a mere seven words. 40:09 Look at it again here. 40:10 Verse 45. 40:12 "Philip found Nathaniel and told 40:13 him, 'We have found the one 40:15 Moses wrote about in the Law, 40:16 and about whom the prophets 40:17 also wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, 40:20 the son of Joseph.' 40:25 'Nazareth! 40:27 Can anything good come from 40:29 there?' Nathaniel asked." 40:33 [ Chuckles ] 40:37 The Nazareth factor has struck. 40:42 You know, in those days, 40:42 Nazareth was not considered 40:44 to be a very good place 40:46 by many of the Jews. 40:48 We're not told 40:48 exactly why that was, 40:50 so we're left to surmise 40:51 as best we can. 40:52 I think 40:54 why Nazareth did not rank high 40:55 on many people's list 40:56 in those days. 40:57 First of all, Nazareth harbored 40:59 questionable characters. 41:02 How do we know? 41:03 Because Mary, Joseph, and Jesus 41:05 lived there. 41:08 Yeah, some people believed Mary 41:09 when she told the story of how 41:11 she came to be pregnant. 41:12 A lot, undoubtedly, didn't. 41:14 And it's quite possible 41:15 that one of the reasons 41:16 why God sent Mary, 41:17 Joseph, and Jesus to Nazareth 41:19 is because they would have 41:20 less opposition there. 41:22 There were other people that had 41:23 questionable stories 41:24 and backgrounds in Nazareth, 41:26 and it had a bit 41:27 of a reputation, apparently, 41:28 as being that kind of a place, 41:31 not where you would normally 41:33 expect the Messiah to come from. 41:38 But, secondly, 41:39 and probably more importantly, 41:40 at least in the objections here, 41:42 is that Nazareth, when it 41:43 came to the political scene, 41:45 when it came to how power 41:46 flowed in Palestine, 41:49 Nazareth was a big zero. 41:52 Nothing. 41:54 No senators came from Nazareth. 41:57 Where should the Messiah 41:59 have been expected from 42:00 in the popular mind-set? 42:00 What city? 42:02 Yeah, Jerusalem. Exactly. 42:03 That's where the Sanhedrin was. 42:04 That was -- you know, 42:05 the temple was there. 42:06 Of course, all of these things. 42:08 Of course the Messiah 42:09 would come from there, 42:10 and the Messiah definitely 42:11 wouldn't come from a political 42:13 backwater like Nazareth. 42:14 No influence, 42:16 no pull with the masses, 42:18 no cash, no credit here 42:19 for anybody that was going to 42:20 take the revolution 42:22 that the Messiah would 42:23 undoubtedly bring seriously. 42:26 No, no, no, no, no, no. 42:26 If the Messiah 42:28 was going to come, 42:29 it sure wouldn't be from there. 42:35 And, of course, Nathaniel, being 42:37 from Cana, which is right 42:39 next door to Nazareth, 42:40 he knew all of this 42:42 all too well. 42:46 So, Philip, the messenger, 42:49 sensing that he was not going 42:50 to convince Nathaniel 42:51 with mere words, 42:52 gave probably the only reply 42:54 that made any sense. 42:56 Lookit there at verse 46 again, 42:58 John 1. 43:00 Nathaniel says, "'Nazareth! 43:02 Can anything good come from 43:03 there?' 43:05 'Come and see,' said Philip." 43:11 "Come and see." 43:13 Verse 47 -- "When Jesus 43:16 saw Nathaniel approaching, 43:17 he said of him, 'Here is a true 43:19 Israelite 43:21 in whom there is nothing false.' 43:24 'How do you know me?' 43:26 Nathaniel asked. 43:28 Jesus answered, 43:31 'I saw you while you were 43:33 still sitting under the fig tree 43:36 before Philip called you.'" 43:41 Now, we do not know exactly 43:42 what Philip was doing -- 43:44 or, excuse me -- what Nathaniel 43:45 was doing under that fig tree, 43:48 but it must have been something 43:49 of great importance in his life. 43:52 Yeah, maybe he was -- he was 43:53 going through messianic 43:54 prophecies. 43:55 Maybe he was 43:56 thinking about his role. 43:57 Maybe like so many in Israel 43:59 at that time, he was in despair 44:00 that the Messiah was ever 44:01 going to come. 44:03 Whatever it was, 44:04 for Nathaniel, 44:05 this was a huge deal. 44:06 There was something 44:08 that was deeply personal 44:10 and known to no one else, 44:13 except God, that took place 44:15 under that fig tree. 44:19 And at that moment, 44:20 at least for Nathaniel, 44:21 to use Ellen White's phrase, 44:22 "Divinity flashes 44:23 through humanity," 44:26 and Nathaniel realizes 44:29 that the only other one 44:31 who could have known what 44:32 happened under that fig tree 44:34 is now sitting here, 44:36 right in front of him. 44:40 And my guess is, for a few 44:41 moments, he was speechless, 44:43 and the conviction flooded his 44:44 soul. 44:46 And finally he expresses it. 44:49 "Then Nathaniel declared," 44:50 verse 49, 44:52 "'Rabbi, you are the Son of God. 44:56 You are the King of Israel.' 45:00 Jesus said, 'You believe 45:03 because I told you I saw you 45:05 under the fig tree. 45:07 You shall see greater things 45:10 than that.'" 45:15 Nathaniel has met the Messiah. 45:20 And it never would have happened 45:22 if he had not answered 45:24 the invitation to 45:26 "come and see." 45:31 You know, we need to study 45:33 our Bibles. Absolutely. 45:35 You will never hear me say 45:36 otherwise. 45:36 This is God's word. 45:37 We need to know it. 45:38 We need to study it. 45:39 It needs to be part of our life. 45:40 It has to be something that 45:41 we spend sufficient time in, 45:43 that we know who God is and what 45:45 he is asking for our day. 45:46 Absolutely. 45:47 And there comes a time 45:50 when you've got to do it. 45:53 You can't just read it. 45:54 You have to live it. 45:57 You've got to go and actually 45:58 see for yourself who Jesus is, 46:00 what he can do, what his plans 46:02 are for your life. 46:03 You've got to come and see. 46:07 All of which brings up 46:10 two important things. 46:12 Number one. 46:14 Don't let the Nazareth Factor 46:16 keep you from seeing 46:18 God work in a new way. 46:21 Don't let the Nazareth Factor 46:22 keep you from seeing 46:23 God work in a new way. 46:26 Now, at the risk of gross 46:28 understatement, 46:29 Jesus was a new thing, okay? 46:33 And Jesus had a hand 46:34 in Earth's affairs. 46:35 Of course he had. 46:36 Yes. All things were made 46:38 through him at creation. 46:39 All -- We understand that. 46:40 But as far 46:41 as the physical presence, 46:42 the incarnation of Christ, 46:44 the embodiment of God 46:45 on Earth here, 46:46 that was a new thing. 46:49 This had not happened before, 46:51 right? It was a new thing. 46:54 So often we think we know 46:57 exactly how God will act 46:59 and what God will do. 47:02 We've got it all figured out. 47:03 There's this little box 47:04 that we keep God in. 47:04 "This is how he functions." 47:06 Now, it is true -- it is true 47:08 that there are some things about 47:09 God that are completely 47:10 predictable. 47:11 They are always -- they 47:12 are constant. 47:13 God is love. 47:15 God loves you. 47:17 That's a constant. 47:18 God is just. 47:19 God is merciful. 47:20 God is kind. 47:21 All of those things are true. 47:22 His character is true. 47:23 His law can be trusted, right? 47:24 It doesn't change. 47:25 All of that is true. 47:28 But how He expresses 47:29 His character, 47:32 there's a bit of creativity 47:34 that goes along with that. 47:35 Someone say Amen. 47:37 There's some novelty there. 47:39 God is unpredictable in his 47:41 expressions at times in history. 47:43 He is not a tame God. 47:46 Think about some of the novel 47:47 ways that God has moved 47:49 throughout salvation history. 47:50 For instance, a son is born 47:52 to Abraham and Sarah, 47:53 even though their childbearing 47:54 years were far, far behind them. 47:57 No one expected that. 47:58 No one would have imagined a 47:59 plan -- "Hey, I've got a good 48:00 idea. 48:01 Let's take two people 48:02 that have been trying for nine 48:03 decades to get pregnant, 48:04 and let's give a baby shower 48:05 for them, shall we? 48:06 This will be a great thing." 48:07 Nobody thought that because 48:09 God was doing a new thing. 48:12 How about this? 48:13 God uses a prison inmate 48:16 to interpret Pharaoh's dreams, 48:17 leading that inmate, Joseph, 48:19 to ultimately become second 48:20 in command of all of Egypt. 48:22 No one was expecting this. 48:23 No one would have dared 48:24 to imagine such a thing. 48:25 I've got it. 48:27 To to take care of God's people, 48:28 we're going to have somebody 48:29 who's hated by his brothers, 48:30 his murder is faked, 48:32 he's sold into slavery, 48:33 he's accused falsely, 48:34 he gets thrown into jail. 48:35 This is perfect. 48:37 This is exactly how we would 48:37 do it. 48:38 No, this is a new thing 48:41 that God is doing. 48:43 And how about this? 48:44 In the midst of great sin 48:45 and apostasy, 48:47 God sends the underdog 48:48 Samson to become a master 48:51 riddler, to slay Philistines 48:53 with a donkey's jawbone, 48:54 to tear off city gates 48:55 with his bare hands, 48:56 becoming finally the most 48:57 effective and successful blind 48:59 soldier to have ever lived, 49:00 giving his life in the fight for 49:02 the deliverance of God's people. 49:03 No one was expecting this. 49:05 No one would have imagined 49:05 to plan on this. 49:07 God was doing a new thing. 49:10 And in our day -- oh, 49:11 it makes me wonder. 49:13 In our day, 49:16 what new thing might Christ be 49:18 about to unleash for his people? 49:21 Now, follow me carefully here 49:22 because this is really 49:22 important, okay? 49:26 By definition -- 49:27 By definition, if there 49:29 is to be widespread revival 49:31 and reformation in the church -- 49:33 Would you like to see 49:34 that happen, by the way? 49:36 Yeah, amen. Absolutely. 49:37 Amen. Not just here. 49:38 We'd like to see it all over. 49:39 That would -- praise the Lord. 49:40 That would be marvelous. 49:42 But by definition, if there is 49:44 to be widespread revival 49:46 and reformation in the church, 49:47 then something new 49:48 has to happen. 49:50 It cannot just be same old, 49:52 same old, because same old, 49:53 same old is not revival 49:54 and reformation. 49:56 I mean, you've heard it before. 49:57 The definition of insanity 49:58 is doing the same thing 50:00 over and over 50:01 and expecting different results. 50:03 Exactly. 50:05 Some people have said, 50:06 "You Adventists are crazy." 50:07 Maybe they're right. 50:11 In other words, 50:14 the final outpouring of 50:15 the Spirit of God in the former 50:16 and the latter reigns -- 50:17 we talked about this a number of 50:18 months ago. 50:19 This is the only blessing 50:20 that can enable us to finish 50:21 the work of sharing Christ 50:22 and the three angels' messages. 50:24 By definition, this means that 50:26 something new has to happen. 50:28 We must do things differently, 50:30 and God will do things 50:32 differently. 50:35 Now, to be clear -- to be 50:37 clear -- God, in his newness, 50:41 is not asking us to take 50:42 that which is sinful 50:44 and try to use it for His glory. 50:46 We should not say, "Well, 50:47 because God is going to do a new 50:48 thing, that means that we're 50:49 going to partner with beer 50:51 companies and brothels and use 50:52 worldly methods to reach the 50:53 masses for Christ." 50:54 No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. 50:55 The Bible's crystal clear about 50:56 that. 50:57 Romans 3:8 -- 50:58 "The condemnation that will 50:59 attend all of those who say, 51:01 'Let us do evil 51:02 that good may result.'" 51:03 That's not what we're talking 51:04 about here. 51:07 But what we are talking 51:08 about here is this. 51:10 Within the bounds of His 51:12 goodness and His righteousness, 51:13 God is going to do a new thing 51:17 in His people. 51:19 It's going to happen. 51:21 And if history 51:22 is any indication, 51:23 it may, indeed, surprise us 51:25 when it comes. 51:27 And if that surprise, 51:29 indeed, comes our way, 51:30 we must be careful to not 51:32 immediately say, "Can anything 51:34 good come from Nazareth?" 51:38 For as long as it aligns 51:40 with Scripture -- 51:42 hear it well -- 51:44 simply because something is not 51:45 normal is not sufficient reason 51:47 to condemn it. 51:49 And if that 51:50 not normal/something new 51:52 kind of thing comes our way in 51:53 the months and years ahead, 51:54 instead of embracing 51:55 the Nazareth Factor, let's 51:56 instead say, "Come and see. 51:59 Come and see. 52:01 Let's see if the Lord is doing 52:02 a new thing here." 52:06 Which leads us to a second thing 52:08 that the story of Jesus 52:10 and Nathaniel tells us. 52:12 Don't let your own 52:15 Nazareth Factor keep you 52:17 from joining the new thing 52:19 that God will do. 52:22 Your own Nazareth Factor. 52:26 You say, "Pastor Shane, what do 52:27 you mean by that?" 52:29 Truth be told, 52:31 we are all in some way 52:33 from "Nazareth," aren't we? 52:36 Every last one of us. 52:39 We've all got things in our 52:40 lives that are apparent 52:41 weaknesses. 52:43 Maybe it's where we've grown up. 52:45 You know, my early years 52:46 were certainly nothing that you 52:47 would shout about. 52:48 We were dirt poor. 52:49 A single-mom home. 52:51 You would not have 52:52 looked at me -- 52:53 If you had looked at me in those 52:54 days, you would have said, 52:55 "You know what? The odds are 52:56 pretty slim that the Lord could 52:57 do anything with this guy." 52:59 It's the Nazareth Factor. 53:01 Maybe it's sins that we've 53:02 committed in the past. 53:02 Errors and mistakes 53:03 that we have made, 53:04 et cetera, et cetera. 53:05 And in looking at these things, 53:06 all too often, we make 53:08 the huge mistake of saying, 53:09 "Well, because of thus and 53:11 such --" fill in the blank -- 53:13 "I can't be of much use to God." 53:18 And I think this is 53:19 particularly true when we talk 53:20 about the end of time. 53:22 You know, my prayer 53:24 is that when we talked about 53:25 the three angels' messages 53:26 that we made it crystal clear 53:27 that God 53:27 is more than able to carry us 53:29 through in those things. 53:31 There'll be difficult times, 53:31 challenging times, 53:32 testing times, absolutely. 53:34 But the Lord is able. 53:35 He will finish that which he 53:36 started. 53:38 There's no one that will be left 53:39 behind that wishes to truly be 53:40 with Jesus Christ. 53:41 Jesus is going to take all those 53:42 that truly wish to be with him. 53:43 He will take them. 53:45 We will be safe through those 53:45 times. 53:47 But that is a different thing, 53:49 I have found over the years 53:49 of ministry, 53:51 then believing that you could 53:52 also have a pivotal role to play 53:55 in helping to bring about 53:57 God's final will on this planet. 53:59 So often we think, "Okay, 54:01 I'm going to survive, 54:02 but I don't know 54:02 that I can participate." 54:04 And I just want to tell you 54:05 that both things can be true. 54:08 Not only will God preserve you, 54:09 but he wants to preserve you 54:10 that you will have the privilege 54:12 of carrying out key parts 54:13 in his final plan for the Earth, 54:15 for the world, to carrying out 54:16 the gospel and the 54:17 three angels' messages. 54:18 You -- even you. 54:21 For people who say to 54:22 themselves, "No, I can't 54:24 possibly be of use to God in 54:25 this particular last movement 54:26 here," I think Christ says to 54:28 them, "My child, think again." 54:30 For what is impossible with men 54:32 is possible with God. 54:34 In fact, let's put it this way. 54:36 Could it be -- could it be 54:37 the one of the many reasons 54:38 that God planned for Jesus 54:40 to live so many years 54:41 in Nazareth is so that people 54:43 forever after would see 54:45 that it's not where you're from, 54:46 it's where you're going. 54:48 It's not what your address is, 54:50 but who your Lord and Savior is. 54:53 It's not who's in your family 54:54 tree but who has set you free. 54:56 That's what matters. 54:59 You see, the days just ahead 55:01 of us will be far more impactful 55:03 than test-driving some sports 55:05 car with a skeptical salesman 55:06 riding shotgun. 55:09 This is no test drive. 55:10 This is the real thing. 55:11 And the skeptics who don't 55:13 believe in us or our God 55:14 are far more numerous 55:15 than just one. 55:17 But if I read my Bible 55:19 correctly, those skeptics 55:21 will be proven wrong. 55:23 For the word of God 55:24 promises that the final push 55:26 of the gospel is on its way. 55:29 The outpouring 55:29 of the Holy Spirit, 55:30 the final one, really is coming. 55:33 The good news of Christ 55:34 in the three angels' messages, 55:35 it really will go global 55:37 as a witness to all the nations, 55:39 and then the end will come. 55:40 Praise the Lord. 55:42 And in the midst of all of that, 55:43 please, I plead with you, 55:45 do not underestimate 55:46 what God can do in 55:48 and through your life. 55:49 Do not be held back 55:51 by your past, your history, 55:52 your home life growing up, 55:53 your address, or your station 55:55 in life, any of that, for Jesus 55:57 specializes in not 55:58 just doing a new thing 56:00 but in making a new you. 56:04 And like Nathaniel 56:05 under that fig tree years ago, 56:07 Jesus sees you, he sees me today 56:09 just as we are, and he loves us, 56:11 and he calls us to work 56:13 with him in the new thing 56:14 he is about to do. 56:16 Don't let his Nazareth Factor 56:18 keep you from seeing 56:19 that new thing. 56:21 And don't let your own Nazareth 56:23 Factor keep you from joining it. 56:26 Come and see what Jesus can do. 56:38 >> Before you go, let me take 56:40 just a moment to share with you 56:41 an opportunity to get into 56:42 the Bible in a fresh, new way. 56:45 All across the world, 56:46 more and more people are hearing 56:47 the call to examine 56:48 the Scriptures for themselves. 56:50 If you felt drawn to learn 56:51 more about God's word, 56:53 but you don't know where 56:54 to start, or you're just looking 56:55 for a more in-depth examination 56:57 of Bible truths, 56:59 then I have something right here 57:00 that I believe 57:01 you're going to enjoy. 57:02 I would like to send you 57:04 a series of Bible study guides. 57:06 Each of these study guides asks 57:07 and answers very important 57:09 questions, such as these 57:10 examples right here. 57:12 Why does God allow suffering? 57:14 Can God be trusted? 57:16 Each of the initial five guides 57:18 begins with a story 57:19 to introduce the subject. 57:21 Then, through a series 57:22 of focused questions, 57:23 you'll soon be learning portions 57:24 of the Bible 57:26 you may never have known before. 57:28 And when you're through, 57:29 you'll be able to share 57:30 with others these inspiring 57:31 truths from God's word. 57:34 Just call our toll-free number. 57:35 It's on your screen now. 57:37 877, the two words "HIS WILL." 57:41 Friendly operators are standing 57:42 by to send you these guides. 57:44 Once again, that's 877-HIS-WILL. 57:47 Call that number. 57:48 And don't forget to join me 57:50 next week right here 57:51 at this same time. 58:00 ♪ 58:10 ♪ 58:20 ♪ |
Revised 2024-05-28