Participants:
Series Code: PTL
Program Code: PTL000003A
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00:49 A hearty welcome to each and every one of you on
00:52 Three Angel's Broadcasting television network. 00:55 Whether you're watching by way of the television 00:57 or on your computer live stream, welcome to, Pathways to Life, 01:05 a special program that's been going on here 01:07 in Phoenix, Arizona. 01:09 My name is Jim Hakes. 01:10 I have the privilege of pastoring the Paradise Valley 01:13 Seventh-day Adventist Church 01:15 from which this, Pathways to Life, is taking place. 01:19 If you're here in Phoenix, Arizona, we'd love to 01:21 have you come and visit us live and in person. 01:24 But we're glad that each and every one of you are here. 01:27 Tonight... 01:31 This day we are actually in the third meeting 01:35 of fifteen meetings. 01:37 This is number three of fifteen. 01:39 And I hope you will plan on being here with us 01:43 each time, this same time, every day as we do this. 01:49 We're glad that you're here. 01:51 Today Pastor Lomacang is going to be speaking to us about, 01:55 The Book That Breathes. 02:00 And Pastor Lomacang has with him some friends. 02:04 The friends this time are the friends from 02:07 the ministry that is, Morning Dawn Ministry. 02:13 Stephanie Dawn and Dan are here with us, 02:16 and they will be leading us in the music. 02:18 After the song, Pastor Lomacang will be here. 02:21 But how about before Stephanie sings, 02:23 how about if we have a word of prayer, would we. 02:25 Gracious heavenly Father, we thank You 02:31 for the Book that breathes. 02:34 We thank You for those ancient words. 02:39 And it is our prayer that as we have come together, 02:45 that You will speak through Pastor Lomacang, 02:49 through the music of Stephanie Dawn, 02:52 and that we will be drawn closer to this wonderful Jesus 02:58 because of this wonderful Book. 03:00 And we thank You, for we ask it in Jesus' name, amen. 03:07 Stephanie, we look forward to your music. 03:16 Holy words long preserved for our walk in this world. 03:26 They resound with God's own heart; 03:30 Oh let the ancient words impart. 03:38 Words of life, words of hope give us strength, help us cope. 03:48 In this world where e'er we roam 03:52 ancient words will guide us home. 03:57 Ancient words ever true changing me and changing you. 04:07 We have come with open hearts; 04:12 Oh let the ancient words impart. 04:19 Holy words of our faith handed down to this age 04:29 came to us through sacrifice; 04:34 Oh heed the faithful words of Christ. 04:41 Holy words long preserved for our walk in this world. 04:51 They resound with God's own heart; 04:55 Oh, let the ancient words impart. 05:01 Ancient words ever true changing me and changing you. 05:10 We have come with open hearts; 05:15 Oh let the ancient words impart. 05:22 We have come with open hearts; 05:27 Oh let the ancient words impart. 05:44 - Can we say amen again? ~ Amen. 05:46 Thank you, Dan. Thank you, Stephanie. 05:48 Good evening, everyone. 05:51 - Good evening, everyone. ~ Good evening. 05:53 I know that you're here. 05:55 And now that you know I'm here, 05:57 we are going to ask the Lord to guide our 05:58 hearts and minds this evening. 06:01 The message is entitled, The Book That Breathes. 06:04 Are you ready to breathe with the book? 06:07 Thank you so much for being here. 06:08 We have quite a bit to cover tonight, so I'm going to 06:10 go to the Lord in prayer and ask for His guidance from above. 06:14 Loving Father in heaven, thank You for the ancient words 06:20 that are so true, changing all of us. 06:24 We pray tonight that Your ancient words would come alive 06:27 in our hearts and in our minds. 06:30 In Jesus' name I pray, amen. 06:35 Last night we were talking about sin. 06:37 I just want to make one quick correction 06:39 to save all the phone calls we may get at 3ABN. 06:43 I was so overwhelmed last night about sin, the topic, 06:46 that there was a particular quote I was 06:48 reading about children. 06:49 And I will quickly go ahead and insert that here. 06:52 It was a UNICEF statistical finding. 06:57 Here it was. 06:59 UNICEF determined that about 29,000 children 07:02 under age five, twenty-one children die every minute. 07:09 More than 70% of almost eleven million children 07:12 that die every year die from preventable diseases. 07:18 But what's the most preventable disease 07:20 that causes all these deaths? 07:21 Sin. 07:23 That was the point of the quotation. 07:25 Sin is the one that has caused all these deaths to occur. 07:30 Now tonight we go to the book that breathes. 07:32 You have your Bibles tonight? 07:34 That is the book that breathes. 07:35 Let's begin with a scripture in the Bible. 07:37 Acts 4:31 07:40 Speaking of the Word of God and the power that fell down 07:43 on the New Testament church, we read these words. 07:47 It's on the screen if you don't have your Bible. 07:49 The Bible says, "And when they prayed," 07:51 speaking about the apostles... 08:07 This is the day and the age that we need to get back to 08:12 proclaiming the Word of God with boldness. 08:14 What do you say? 08:16 The New Testament church found their power and strength 08:19 in proclaiming the Word of God with boldness. 08:22 And the main reason why: these men were imbued, 08:25 not only by intellect, but they were filled 08:27 by the Spirit of God. 08:29 And when you look at the New Testament Scriptures, 08:30 you find that twelve times in the book of Acts 08:33 the success of the early church is described. 08:35 And every time that success is described in all of 08:39 those references, each time it is linked 08:42 to the preaching of the Word. 08:44 In other words, effective disciples and effective growth 08:49 of the church always begins on the foundation of the 08:53 unmovable, unshakable, reliable Word of God. 08:58 Now the reason I say that is, today many churches 09:00 are founded on music. 09:02 Many churches today are being founded on drama. 09:05 The Word of God is being pushed aside. 09:08 People are choosing churches based on what seems good. 09:12 They have great community programs, 09:14 wonderful outreach, great choirs, great children programs. 09:19 While all those things are good, the Word of God needs 09:23 to be the foundation that every church is established on 09:27 after it is established on Jesus. 09:30 - Can you say amen? ~ Amen. 09:31 Because the foundation is Christ. 09:33 Jesus is first and foremost. 09:35 But when Jesus establishes His church, 09:39 it is also established on the unchangeable Word of God. 09:44 But today it's quite different. 09:47 When we go back to the examples in the Scriptures, 09:49 we find that whenever the Word of God is preached, 09:51 notice what the book of Acts says. 09:53 Acts 12:24 10:00 And I believe today that if we would preach more of 10:04 God's Word and less philosophy, 10:09 that the Word of God would grow and multiply. 10:10 I was on a television program once, not on 3ABN, 10:13 but with another pastor. 10:15 And he asked me a question. 10:16 And I would always respond by saying, 10:18 "Well the Bible says..." "The Bible says..." 10:19 "The Bible says..." 10:20 And he told me, he said, "Would you stop saying, 10:23 'The Bible says,' and simply tell me what you believe?" 10:26 And I said to him, "What I believe doesn't matter. 10:29 What the Word of God says matters." 10:31 What do you say? 10:33 And I was at a television station that was not 10:35 owned by Adventists. 10:37 It was, matter of fact, owned by Pentecostals. 10:39 And they invited me to do the program. 10:42 And when they saw my responses, they said to me, 10:44 "You know, the reason why we believe what you said 10:47 was not just what you said from the Word of God, 10:49 but we saw the impact of God's Word in your life." 10:53 God's Word is not just something that changes you 10:56 with information and fills you with the Holy Spirit. 10:59 But the Word of God is able to transform our lives. 11:03 And so tonight, if the preaching of the Word of God 11:05 was needed at the inauguration of the church, 11:08 how much more is the preaching of the Word of God 11:10 needed during the coronation of the church? 11:13 If the Word of God was needed when the church began, 11:16 how much more is the preaching of God's Word 11:19 needed in the latter days of the church? 11:23 All through the Scriptures, "In the beginning was the..." 11:27 "In the beginning was the Word." 11:28 If the Word was needed in the beginning, 11:31 if the Word was used by Jesus to resist the temptations 11:35 of Satan, how much more does the church need to be 11:39 established on the Word of God? 11:43 It's the only book that breathes. 11:44 It's the only book that breathes. 11:46 Furthermore, when Jesus outlined the signs of 11:49 the last days, He inserted a description in the signs 11:53 of the last days that has become, to a large degree, 11:57 a pandemic that has gripped our world. 12:00 Notice the words of Jesus in Matthew 24:7-8. 12:04 He says... 12:10 Is that true? 12:12 That's true. But notice carefully. 12:23 Now most of those signs described in these verses 12:26 are catastrophic, epidemic, and also including deprivation. 12:31 But one of those signs has a spiritual application. 12:37 And here is the spiritual application found 12:39 in these verses in Matthew 24. 12:42 Notice the word that jumps out here. 12:43 The word, "famine." 12:44 Amos 8:11, the Bible says, "Behold, the days are coming..." 12:48 And let me paraphrase that. 12:49 "Behold, the days are here." 12:53 If Amos, thousands of years ago, said, "The days are coming," 12:58 I could say thousands of years later, "The days are here." 13:01 But notice what he said is coming. 13:19 And when you go to the very next verse, which I don't have, 13:22 he said they'll go from shore to shore, 13:24 from north to south, east to west, 13:27 seeking for the Word of God, and they will not find it. 13:29 Well the world already went through a period 13:32 called, the Dark Ages. 13:33 And the Dark Ages was an indication that the reason why 13:36 it was called, the Dark Ages, is because the Word of God 13:39 is the light. 13:42 And the Word of God was almost obliterated from the earth. 13:45 But if you look at the Word of God in its history, 13:47 the Word of God is like an anvil. 13:49 You know what an anvil is? 13:51 It's a blacksmith's tool. 13:52 He takes the horses hoof and he's banging it on an anvil. 13:56 The Word of God is the anvil that have worn out 14:00 the hammers of time. 14:03 Because many people have tried to stamp out God's Word, 14:06 but anything that God establishes will stand forever. 14:09 Can you say amen? 14:11 The Word of God is unchangeable. 14:13 The Word of God is permanent. 14:14 Because it is not linked to men, but it is linked to God. 14:20 But when you read the scripture, you ask yourself the question, 14:23 it seems like God is sending the famine. 14:27 So people might say, "Well, why is He sending the famine? 14:29 Why would God do something like that?" 14:30 Here's the point. 14:32 The illusion is that the famine is divinely orchestrated, 14:35 but the reality is this... 14:37 And I remember this when I was growing up. 14:39 Mama would cook dinner and would put it on the table. 14:43 If I didn't want it, I'd starve. 14:46 She said, "Well, that's what you're going to eat. 14:48 If you don't eat it, you're not getting 14:49 anything else for dinner." 14:51 Anybody else knows... 14:53 So was mama causing the famine, or was it my refusal to eat 14:56 what she put before me? 14:58 When the Word of God is rejected, the natural 15:01 result will be famine. 15:03 And our world today does not want God's Word. 15:06 So God is not sending the famine. 15:08 But if He gives you the best food and you want junk food, 15:12 then you're going to starve to death. 15:14 Because, you know, you can eat a lot of junk food 15:16 and get absolutely no nutrition. 15:18 Might I also say that much of what is being proclaimed today 15:22 from pulpits all over the world is junk food. 15:26 We've got to get back to the bread of life. 15:28 Can you say amen? 15:29 The bread of life. 15:31 Because the world is socially motivated. 15:33 But the Lord wants the church to be scripturally motivated, 15:36 not socially motivated. 15:37 Many churches are becoming like clubs. 15:40 And furthermore, people today are deriving many of their 15:45 beliefs from movies. 15:50 I mean, think about it. 15:51 Somebody... I met... I did not see it. 15:53 Somebody told me about the movie, Noah. 15:58 And somebody saw it, they said, "It made it look like God and 16:02 Noah was having an argument." 16:05 And people have, the movie years ago, The Ten Commandments, 16:08 with Charlton Heston, people say, 16:11 "Oh, that's what the Bible teaches." 16:13 Moses wasn't having an affair with the Egyptian princess. 16:19 But many people today would rather get their beliefs 16:21 from a movie or from a pastor rather than from God's Word. 16:26 We've got to get back to the Word of God. 16:28 What do you say? 16:29 Let's talk about the Bible. 16:31 The Bible contains 66 books. 16:33 How many books did I say? 16:34 Sixty-six. Forty-four authors. 16:37 But the real author of the Bible is God. 16:41 Notice the words that Paul wrote to his protege, Timothy. 16:44 2 Timothy 3:16-17, the Bible says... 16:57 When you go to, and I want to say this kindly, 17:00 there are churches today that call themselves, 17:02 non-denominational, and they say, "We don't teach doctrines." 17:07 There is no such thing as non-denominational. 17:11 Every church links to some set of beliefs. 17:15 It's like going to a bank and saying, 17:17 "I'd like change for $100." 17:19 They say, "In what denomination?" 17:21 And you say, "No denomination. Just give me change." 17:28 It's got to be in some... 17:30 So the teller will say, "No denomination? 17:32 Here's you $100 back. 17:34 Because we can't change $100 and give you no denomination." 17:37 And so many churches nowadays are sucking you in by saying, 17:40 "We are non-denominational. 17:41 We just teach about the love of God. 17:43 We just teach from the Bible." 17:45 Anything from the Bible is a doctrine 17:48 when it talks about Jesus. 17:52 "...for reproof..." 17:53 It's showing you where you're wrong. 17:55 "...for correction..." 17:56 Not only showing you you're error, 17:58 but leading you in the right direction. 17:59 "...for instruction that is in the ways of righteousness..." 18:03 How does a righteous person live? 18:04 Read the Bible. 18:14 The only way that you can be thoroughly equipped 18:18 as a person who is working for God 18:20 is you've got to read God's manual. 18:24 Right? 18:26 Everything today comes with a manual. 18:30 The Christian has a manual, and it is the Word of God. 18:33 The Old Testament has 39 books. 18:37 The New Testament has 27 books. 18:40 The Old Testament is the New Testament concealed. 18:44 The New Testament is the Old Testament revealed. 18:49 The Old Testament is the New Testament concealed. 18:53 The New Testament is the Old Testament revealed. 18:57 There are churches today that say, 18:58 "We're New Testament believers." 19:00 What does that mean? 19:01 What that means in most cases is, 19:03 "We only read the New Testament." 19:05 Well you know, I say to those people, 19:07 they need to rent a movie and watch just the last 5 minutes. 19:14 Don't worry about the beginning. It doesn't matter. 19:17 The majority of the Bible... 19:19 And when Jesus said these words, notice these words... 19:22 Matter of fact, when Paul wrote, "All Scripture is given by 19:24 inspiration of God," there was no New Testament. 19:28 It was just the Old Testament. 19:30 He was no referring... 19:31 Somebody once said, "If the New Testament was good enough 19:33 for Paul, it's good enough for me." 19:36 There was no New Testament. 19:38 The Old Testament and the New Testament work in concert. 19:43 And many of the scriptures you find in the New Testament 19:45 you find first in the Old Testament. 19:47 Here is an example. 19:49 Look at Hebrews. Hebrews 8:10 19:54 Many people cite this as, "Well, this is the reason why 19:56 we should not keep the commandments of God." 19:58 But look at this. 20:14 That's the New Testament, "They will be My people." 20:16 But that's not the first time this scripture appeared. 20:19 Jeremiah 31:3 is where this comes from. 20:24 Old Testament. 20:39 Almost word for word. Amen, somebody. 20:42 So when the Bible says, "All Scripture is given by 20:44 inspiration of God," the inspiration is derived 20:47 not only from the words of the apostles, 20:50 but also from the words of the prophets. 20:54 The first five books of the Bible are not our enemy. 20:59 And neither is the last book of the Bible 21:01 intended to be kept as a concealed book. 21:05 So many churches today say, 21:06 "Well Revelation cannot be understood." 21:09 One of the main reasons why Revelation cannot be understood 21:11 is because God does not reveal His secrets to those 21:14 who refuse to honor His commandments. 21:17 Here's the evidence of it. 21:19 Isaiah 8:20, "To the law and to the testimony: 21:22 if they speak not according to this word, it is because 21:24 there is no light in them." 21:26 1 John 2:3-4, "And hereby we do know that we know Him, 21:30 if we keep His commandments. 21:32 He who says, 'I know Him,' and does not keep His commandments 21:35 is a liar, and the truth is not in him." 21:38 John 14:15, "If you love Me, keep My commandments; 21:41 and I will pray the Father and He will 21:43 send you another Comforter." 21:45 What would that Comforter do? 21:47 John 16:13, "However, when He the Spirit of truth has come, 21:52 He will lead you and guide you into all truth." 21:55 The apostle says that we are His witnesses, and so also are they 22:01 that obey God. 22:04 When we are disobedient, God will not reveal His secrets. 22:09 Amos 3:7, "Surely the Lord God will do nothing except 22:13 He reveals His secrets to His servants the prophets." 22:16 When you are a servant of God, 22:18 He can trust you with His secrets. 22:20 Amen? 22:21 Would you trust somebody that don't believe... 22:24 You know what I mean. 22:26 If you can't get along with somebody, 22:28 would you tell them your secrets? 22:32 If you knew somebody was going to double-cross you, 22:34 and they didn't believe what you said 22:36 and they didn't even support you and your own beliefs, 22:38 would you tell them your secrets? 22:40 God will not give His secrets to people that do not 22:43 honor the directions of His Word. 22:47 A lot of times people say, "Well the Bible was written by men." 22:50 Notice what the Bible says. 22:53 2 Peter 1:20-21 23:17 In other words, the entire Bible was written by holy men. 23:22 Say that with me. 23:23 Holy men. 23:25 Not men. 23:26 They make is sound like people in a bar were writing the Bible. 23:30 Or somebody just driving home 23:31 inebriated was writing the Bible. 23:32 They make it seem like the Bible is a common book 23:35 written by men that didn't have any sense. 23:37 The evidence that the Bible is so united 23:41 is, the Spirit of God was moving from Moses 23:45 all the way down to John the revelator. 23:47 Amen, somebody. 23:49 The same Holy Spirit was moving all through the lives. 23:53 When one man died, the Holy Spirit continued His work 23:56 through the next prophet, and the next prophet, 23:58 and the next apostle, and the next apostle, and the disciples. 24:01 The Lord continued. 24:03 The Holy Spirit was the active agent, 24:05 and is still the active agent today 24:08 for the promulgation and the proclamation of God's Word. 24:11 Furthermore, when you read in the Bible, 24:14 "God spoke," and, "God said," whatever follows that is a 24:17 direct quote from the mouth of God. 24:21 Look at the examples. 24:23 Look at some of the examples. 24:24 Genesis 1:3, "Then God said..." 24:27 Now when you read that, do you doubt that God said that? 24:32 "Then God said..." Come on, together. 24:36 When God said, "Let there be," there will be. 24:40 Another example we find in Exodus 20:1. 24:48 And then the Ten Commandments come after that. 24:50 What is so amazing to me is, if you tell somebody... 24:56 Because there are many, remembers, in the Bible, 24:58 but there are three very important, remembers. 25:01 One of the first ones is Ecclesiastes 12:1 25:04 where the Bible says, "Remember now the Creator 25:06 in the days of your youth..." 25:07 Would anybody argue that young people need to know Jesus? 25:12 Every church could preach that. 25:14 And then Dr. Luke writes three very short and potent words: 25:18 "Remember Lot's wife." 25:20 What does that mean? 25:21 Don't look back when God says go forward. 25:23 Would anybody deny that? 25:26 So many preachers say, "Listen to Solomon. 25:30 Listen to Dr. Luke." 25:31 But then you find the words of God. 25:34 "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy." 25:36 And they say, "Don't do that." 25:40 And then we go and say... 25:42 And I'll be very respectful, but I'm going to be straight. 25:43 Can I be straight? 25:45 I'm going to be very respectful. 25:46 When a man of God says that we should ignore what God says, 25:52 then he is not a man of God. 25:58 No "amens" required. 26:00 I stand on the evidence of God's Word. 26:03 If a man of God reads the Word of God that says, 26:06 "Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy," 26:08 and a man who says he's a man of God 26:11 says, "Don't do it," he's not a man of God. 26:17 The Scripture says it. 26:18 "He who says, 'I know Him,' and does not keep His 26:22 commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him." 26:26 Stop tiptoeing through the tulips. 26:28 This is not about the denomination. 26:30 This is about salvation. 26:32 - Amen? ~ Amen. 26:34 Let's get back to the reality of why God has called us. 26:37 Another component that is repeatedly confirming 26:39 the authenticity of the Bible is prophecy. 26:42 Prophecy is history concealed, 26:45 and history is prophecy revealed. 26:49 I'll say that again. 26:50 Prophecy is history concealed, 26:54 and history is prophecy revealed. 26:58 The Bible confirms this. 27:01 In the faithful words of Isaiah the prophet... 27:28 There's nobody that can prevent God from doing what God says. 27:33 You know, archaeologists have been searching for 27:37 numbers of years to try to find out the 27:39 authenticity of the Word of God. 27:41 Tonight, we're going to walk through some of those 27:43 discoveries that verify... 27:45 My wife and I not too long ago came back from the Bible lands. 27:49 I don't call them the holy lands because when you kick Jesus out 27:52 it can't be that holy. 27:55 It's the Bible lands. 27:57 The holy land is the New Jerusalem. 28:00 But the Bible lands. 28:01 We enjoyed all the things about history and archaeology. 28:04 Went to see where Moses stood and looked over 28:07 to the Promised Land, Mount Nebo. 28:08 And we stood up on Masada, and we went to all the 28:11 historical sites. 28:12 I even asked our Jewish tour guide, as he was talking about 28:16 the confirmation of Scripture and all these things that 28:18 Jesus said that was happening exactly as Jesus said it, 28:22 I said to our tour guide, "I must ask you the question, 28:26 if all these things you've told us thus far 28:29 are happening exactly as you said that Jesus said they would, 28:33 how is it that you don't accept Jesus?" 28:37 And his response, and I quote, "That's a very sensitive topic." 28:44 Is that an understatement or what? 28:46 Look at some of the evidences. 28:47 Let's begin with the Moabite Stone. 28:52 My wife and I were in Jordan. 28:54 A beautiful country. 29:04 And not until 1868. 29:06 Now, up until 1868 you had to believe that by faith. 29:11 But the Lord allowed the Moabite Stone to be uncovered 29:14 to show that it's not just by faith, but by fact. 29:19 - Amen? ~ Amen. 29:20 Let's look at another one. 29:22 The Lachish Letters. This is one of the letters. 29:27 There are a number of letters. 29:31 When we were driving in the holy lands we saw a sign 29:33 that said, "Beersheba, that way." 29:36 It felt so good to see these Bible words in the Middle East. 29:44 But not until 1932 to 1938 were these words in Scripture 29:49 confirmed by archaeological discoveries. 29:52 Up until that time we had to accept it by faith. 29:56 Now we accept it by fact. 29:59 Continuing. 30:00 The Cyrus Cylinder. 30:09 Powerful records that continue to confirm 30:12 the authenticity of the Word of God. 30:14 Another one that we've heard about in various ways 30:16 was the Rosetta Stone. 30:19 Now that's huge. 30:20 If I could stand a person next to it, they'd be about 30:22 half the height of that. 30:34 Amen, somebody. 30:36 God is allowing His Word to be confirmed a little at a time 30:40 so that when we come to the end, as Romans 1:20 says, 30:46 they will be without excuse. 30:50 Going on further. 30:52 The Dead Sea Scrolls. 31:06 Which is confirmed in other archaeological discoveries. 31:09 Can the church say amen? 31:11 So if you want facts... 31:12 Somebody once said, "Well, you know, 31:14 I still don't believe in God." 31:16 Well, the problem is not the evidence is missing. 31:19 The problem is, you just don't want to believe. 31:22 And here's the point. 31:23 Because you don't believe it doesn't make it not true. 31:27 And because you believe it doesn't make it true. 31:31 In any court they say, "Can you give me some evidence?" 31:36 Now there are certain things in Scripture that we 31:38 accept by faith because we were not there. 31:40 And the Bible says that we must... 31:42 "Without faith it is impossible to please Him." 31:45 We have to have faith on certain things. 31:47 But when you see the consistency of God's Word 31:49 and you begin to look at the cities, the character, 31:52 and follow the archaeological family line, 31:56 when you look at the book of 1 Chronicles and 2 Chronicles, 31:58 then you begin in Matthew, and you talk about 42 generations, 32:02 and you can trace the lineage of Jesus back 42 generations, 32:06 and then you look through history, and these names 32:08 are confirmed in the archaeological records 32:11 of history, you've got to say, "This is either the most 32:15 divinely perfect hoax that existed for 6000 years 32:20 or somebody, somewhere is God. 32:27 Even is you planned it, you could not be that perfect 32:31 in your planning to connect the dots for 6000 years 32:35 through family lines. 32:37 And the evidence of the Bible, another thing is, 32:39 the Bible gives very little accolades to humanity. 32:44 The Bible says very few good things about us. 32:47 It calls us sinners. 32:49 Amen, sinners. 32:51 We all are in need of a Savior. 32:53 Now books that are put together by men 32:56 will say nice things about men. 32:59 But the evidence of the Bible, it reveals our character 33:02 whether we want it to be revealed or not. 33:05 But let's look at a couple of other facts. 33:07 Let's look at chronology. 33:08 Everything about our world from the very beginning 33:10 to the the very end has only two points of reference. 33:13 BC or AD. 33:15 BC means, before Christ. 33:17 AD is the Latin phrase, Anno Domini, meaning, 33:20 in the year of our Lord. 33:21 The fact of the matter is, the entire world, 33:25 the entire world, from atheist to agnostic, 33:31 to whatever stick you want to be, the entire world, 33:36 today, this is 2018, for the entire world... 33:45 I know you're so stunned you can't find, "amen." 33:47 But that's alright. I understand. 33:49 The entire world cannot deny the existence of Jesus. 33:55 You can deny it, but when you write a check 33:57 and you put the date wrong, they'll say, "Wait, it's 2018." 34:00 Anno Domini. 34:02 In the year of our Lord. 34:04 In the year of our Lord. 34:05 There could not be a BC or an AD except 34:08 Jesus is in the center of it. 34:11 That's what the Bible says. 34:12 He's the dividing line between the past and the present. 34:15 Galatians 4:4, "But when the fullness of time 34:19 had come, God sent forth His Son, 34:21 born of a woman, born under the law..." 34:26 Jesus, the dividing line between the past and the future. 34:31 Praise God for that. 34:32 But let's look at some other facts. 34:34 Astronomical time. 34:36 When you look up in the heavens, 34:38 the day to day sunrise to sunrise 34:41 is particularly a 24 hour period. 34:44 Do we all agree on that? 34:46 And matter of fact, it's so accurate that we can... 34:48 My watch tells me right now the sunrise 34:50 is going to be a 7:01 am. 34:52 Digital device. 34:54 Men are able to predict the sunrise because they know 34:56 the cycles when the sun rises and sets. 34:59 Pretty much the orbit of the earth around the sun. 35:02 That can be confirmed astronomically. 35:05 We have evidence for that. 35:07 And then we have the various phases of the moon. 35:10 It goes from quart to half, to three-quarter, to full, 35:14 then goes back in that particular cycle. 35:17 And it takes about 27.3 days to orbit the earth, 35:20 but the lunar phase cycle from new moon to new moon 35:23 is 29.5 days, or 30 days. 35:28 That's a cycle that is confirmed every month. 35:32 We have an astronomical point of reference for that. 35:35 But now let's look at the year. 35:37 365 days we go through the cycle, 35:40 say it with me, winter, spring, summer, fall. 35:43 One more time. Winter, spring, summer, fall. 35:46 We're in Arizona in the winter. 35:49 Arizona in the winter. 35:56 I didn't say anything. 35:57 I don't know what you're thinking. 35:59 But the fact of the matter is, these are cycles that can be 36:02 confirmed by repetitive patterns that are 36:05 astronomically confirmable. 36:08 Am I right? 36:09 And why is that the case? 36:11 Look at the Bible. 36:12 Genesis 1:14 36:25 So we've got the day, the month, and the year. 36:28 But hold onto your hat. 36:30 Or hold onto whatever. Anything. 36:33 But look at this. 36:35 Seven day week. 36:36 Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, 36:38 Friday, Saturday. 36:39 There is no astronomical point of reference. 36:42 You can't point to the rising or the setting of the sun. 36:46 You cannot point to the rising or the changing of the moon. 36:49 You cannot point to the changing of the seasons. 36:51 There's no place that the seven day week is found 36:54 other than the Bible. 36:59 That ought to be a hallelujah. 37:02 The Bible is the only place. 37:05 The book that breathes. 37:07 Whether they want to make the first day Monday, 37:10 or Wednesday, you cannot deny the seven day week. 37:16 Undeniable. 37:19 The seven day week, where is it found? 37:21 Only in the Bible. 37:24 The first day God separated the light from the dark. 37:28 The second day He created the firmaments, 37:30 or the expanses of the heaven. 37:32 The third day He created grass, plants, fruits, and trees. 37:35 The fourth day He created the sun, the moon, 37:37 the stars, and seasons. 37:38 The fifth day, all sea creatures and all birds. 37:40 The sixth day, land creatures, invertebrates, and humans. 37:44 And what did He do on the seventh day? 37:46 The Bible tells us in Genesis 2:1-3. 38:05 The only place in the Bible where any kind of record 38:08 can be found of a seven day week is in the Word of God. 38:12 Can we trust the Word of God. 38:14 You know what amazes me? 38:15 People sometimes say, "Well I don't know what day is the 38:17 first day of the week." 38:18 I want to tell you this. 38:19 If I say to you, "Come and get your check on the 38:21 third day of the week," you'll find out what day it is. 38:24 Am I right? 38:26 You'll be there as soon as it dawns. 38:27 "You told me to come the third day. 38:30 I'm here for my check." 38:32 But we play ignorance when it come to our... 38:35 When it comes to trusting God, when it comes to believing 38:38 God's Word, we act ignorant. 38:40 But willing ignorance will get you in trouble. 38:46 Tonight I'm so glad to know that without the Bible 38:49 the existence of the world that surrounds us makes no sense. 38:54 You can deny the day, the month, the week, the year, 38:59 but the only way you'll deny that is, you will deny that 39:01 the God that made all these things does not exist. 39:05 I had a chance to talk to an atheist. 39:08 And what was amazing about having a conversation with 39:09 an atheist is, I said to him, he said, "I'm an atheist," 39:12 I said, "Well, you know, that's kind of an oxymoron, 39:14 because you say you don't believe in God, 39:16 but then why would you be an atheist? 39:17 Because atheism means that you are standing up 39:20 and you have an organization that has been established 39:24 against a belief that God exists. 39:26 Why would you have an organization against the belief 39:28 of someone that does not exist?" 39:32 Why spend all those billions and millions of dollars 39:35 through the years to write documents about somebody 39:37 who does not exist? 39:39 And then they say, "Well, the evidence that God 39:40 exists does not exist." 39:42 And I said, "Now what evidence is missing?" 39:44 If you said that you were robbed, follow me carefully, 39:46 if you said that you were robbed, and I said, 39:48 "What did they take from your wallet?" 39:50 "Well, I don't know." 39:51 "Well, check it out." 39:53 "Well, I don't know what they took." 39:54 "Well, how do you know you were robbed?" 39:56 "My wallet was here. I don't know what they took." 39:57 If you tell a woman who says to you that she was robbed, 40:00 "What did they take from your purse?" 40:02 "I don't know?" 40:03 "Well, how do you know you were robbed?" 40:04 "Well, I think I was robbed." 40:08 "So what evidence do you have? What's missing?" 40:10 "I don't know." 40:12 You see, atheists, and this is the question, 40:14 when you ask them, "What is missing? 40:16 What evidence of the existence of God is missing?" 40:19 they cannot produce the evidence. 40:21 Because to produce the evidence means God does exist. 40:28 If you saw mouse droppings by your toaster, 40:33 follow me carefully, you don't want to find them there, 40:35 but if you did, if you saw three black dots by your toaster 40:40 when you went home on the counter... 40:41 Don't look; I know many of you are going to go look. 40:44 But if you found three black dots by your toaster 40:46 when you went home, you might say, 40:48 "Honey, there's a mouse in the house." 40:52 And you'll begin the arduous task of looking for that mouse. 40:56 He'll see you, but you won't see him. 40:59 And he'll say, "I feel so bad for those humans, 41:01 they just can't find me." 41:04 But the fact that he exists is he left some evidence. 41:07 It doesn't take the entire counter filled with 41:09 mouse droppings to prove his existence. 41:11 All you need is three little black dots. 41:14 Am I right? 41:16 No matter how much square footage you have in your house, 41:18 if you find those three, now follow me, 41:20 there's a point here, if you find those three black dots, 41:23 you can say, "Honey, we may not be able to find the mouse, 41:28 but we've got evidence he exists." 41:31 Now here's my point. 41:32 Look at the world around you. 41:36 You may not be able to find the Designer, 41:38 but the complexity of the design around us 41:41 tells us that God does exist. 41:46 Let me give you some more evidence. 41:48 Let's start... I didn't finish the text. 41:56 Amen. Now the next evidence. 41:58 Look at the world, for example. 42:01 The earth continually studied by scientists. 42:04 And I love astronomy. 42:06 Not astrology. Don't get it mixed up. 42:09 But I was amazed by some of the evidence I found. 42:11 Look at this about the earth. 42:12 The reference is right there. 42:13 It's entitled from the book called, 42:15 What's Missing Inside of You, page 19. 42:17 And Paul Schlieker is the writer of the book. 42:20 Under the title of the chapter, Uniqueness of the Earth. 42:41 Coincidental? No. 42:43 When you go on further to read, it says the earth is also 42:46 the perfect size to maintain oxygen. 42:49 If it were any larger, there would be more nitrogen 42:53 than oxygen which we could not breathe. 42:55 If it was any smaller there would be too little nitrogen, 42:59 and we still could not breathe. 43:01 Not only is the earth the perfect distance, 43:03 and the perfect size, but it spins at the perfect rate 43:06 to maintain the occurrence of the seasons 43:09 on the chronology of 365 days a year, 43:12 twelve months a year. 43:15 365 days, you put it all together. 43:18 You got the point. 43:20 Everything that God put in place is not coincidental, 43:23 but it's by a master Designer. 43:26 Let's go to the next point of evidence. 43:27 It's just so beautiful to me. I'm amazed by this. 43:30 Let's talk about the human brain. 43:32 This thing that we ought to pay really a lot of attention 43:35 to what we put in it. 43:38 The human brain. 43:40 Paul points out further... 43:48 Do you know that there are certain things that 43:51 are in your brain that a certain scent can unlock it? 43:58 A few years ago I smelt a perfume that my first grade 44:02 teacher had, and I saw her in front of my eyes, 44:06 in my memory. 44:08 But the brain stored that. 44:21 And it does that based on your preferences, 44:23 which, based on your habits and your likes and dislikes, 44:26 have put a catalog together based on the 44:29 things that interest you. 44:31 In other words, when I see an airplane, 44:35 my brain is going to remember that. 44:36 When I see a fast computer, my brain is going to remember that. 44:39 When I see lipstick and eyeshadow, I could care less. 44:43 Because that's not my interest. 44:45 When I put the catalog together in my brain, 44:46 my brain goes out and pulls all the things of my interests in 44:50 and records it for posterity. 44:52 And as long as I live, it's in there. 44:56 That's a powerful instrument. 44:57 And by the way, nobody could create any kind of computer 45:01 that can do the same thing. 45:03 Coincidental? No, design. 45:06 Let's go to another one. This is amazing to me. 45:09 Big brother is watching you. 45:12 The human eye. 45:13 I was fascinated by this. 45:17 And I just put some small quotes. 45:19 The story, when you want to read about the eye, 45:21 just read it for yourself; it'll fascinate you. 45:37 Have you ever ran past something, and you saw it, 45:39 and you did not remember it until like maybe hours later? 45:42 And you say, "Where did I see that?" 45:44 And you remember that while you were a passenger 45:45 in some vehicle, you glanced the sign. 45:48 I've done that. My wife said to me... 45:50 We were in the store in Walmart a few days ago. 45:53 And my wife was on one end of Walmart, I was on the other. 45:55 And she called me because of some strange experience she had, 45:58 and she talked about two people that had approached her. 46:01 And I said, "I know exactly who that is." 46:04 And I described them to the tee. 46:05 She said, "How did you see them?" 46:07 I said, "I saw them when they entered the store 46:08 about 15 minutes ago." 46:09 She said, "You remember those people 46:11 from all those people in Walmart?" 46:13 I sure did. I described them to the tee. 46:15 And then we saw them again at another Walmart just yesterday. 46:21 What's today? Sunday? 46:22 Yesterday evening. 46:25 We saw them again. I won't tell you who they are. 46:27 But the fact of the matter is, I just glanced 46:30 them as we entered Walmart. 46:31 My eye... 46:33 She said, "You described them to the tee. 46:35 Jacket and all." 46:37 That's where the eye has the ability... 46:39 1.5 million messages simultaneously. 46:42 Coincidence? No. 46:44 God does that. 46:47 Look at this: Astrophysicists, Robert Jastrow, wrote this. 47:00 Unlike evolution that says it came over a period of time. 47:03 He said it couldn't possibly be. 47:18 They call it, the Big Bang. 47:20 But what he was in essence saying, he said it all happened 47:22 so quickly it could not have evolved over millions of years. 47:35 Well let's go back to God's Word and find out. 47:38 Psalm 33:6, "By the word of the Lord the heavens were made..." 47:53 That is the God that we serve. 47:56 - Amen. ~ Amen. 47:58 I get excited about that kind of God. 48:00 Because there's nobody like Him. 48:02 Richard Feynman, Nobel prize winner, he said... 48:19 These are men that don't believe in God. 48:21 They're trying to figure this thing out. 48:23 If you believe in God, it makes it a lot easier. 48:24 What do you say? 48:26 I am not the result of a monkey that evolved. 48:28 How could that be? Because there are still monkeys. 48:30 Think about that. 48:33 And let's look at the DNA code, for example. 48:36 Are they going to evolve into your future relatives? 48:38 Please. No, that's not going to happen. 48:40 The DNA Code: Programs Cell Behavior. 49:07 And somebody once said, if you line up DNA from end to end, 49:12 if you line it up from end to end, 49:15 I forgot how tall, but I think they said about as tall as 49:17 the Empire State Building. 49:20 DNA 49:22 Deoxynucleic acid. 49:24 I think that's how they say it. 49:26 Don't quote me on that. I'm not a scientist. 49:28 I'm a novice. 49:30 But I want to tell you tonight, none of this would be possible, 49:32 none of these inventions would be possible, 49:34 none of these factual things confirmed archaeologically, 49:38 scientifically, and medically, none of these things 49:40 could be possible unless there was a Designer. 49:43 And the Word of God has continually, over and over, 49:47 pointed us to who He is. 49:49 His name is God. 49:51 He is God. Yahweh, Jehovah. 49:53 The Almighty, the everlasting self-existent One. 49:57 His Son's name is Jesus. 50:00 The Word of God accomplishes exactly what God intends 50:03 for it to accomplish. 50:05 For example, Isaiah 55:11. 50:24 The Word of God. 50:26 So tonight, let's talk about the most powerful weapon on earth. 50:30 It can outlast any slaughter and transform any life. 50:34 It can humble the exalted and educate the simple; 50:37 the Word of God. 50:38 It is a light in darkness and a pathway to the lost. 50:40 It can encourage the weak and comfort the weary. 50:43 If you are hungry, it will feed you; 50:44 if you are thirsty, it will soothe you. 50:47 I speak of nothing other than the Holy Bible. 50:49 This book reveals the mind of God, the state of man, 50:52 the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, 50:54 and the happiness of believers. 50:55 Its precepts are binding, its history is true, 50:58 and its decisions are immutable. 51:01 Read it to be wise, believe it to be saved, 51:03 and practice it to be holy. 51:05 It contains light to direct you, food to support you, 51:08 and comfort to cheer you. 51:11 It is the traveler's map and the Christian charter. 51:13 It cannot lie, but it can detect one. 51:16 What do you say? 51:17 It has no pulse, and yet it lives. 51:21 In it, paradise is restored, heaven opened, 51:23 and the gates of hell closed. 51:25 Christ is its grand subject, our good its design, 51:29 and the glory of God its end. 51:32 Read it slowly, frequently, and prayerfully. 51:36 It is a mind of wealth, a paradise of glory, 51:39 a river of life. 51:41 It will reward the greatest laborer and condemn all who 51:43 trifle with its sacred contents. 51:45 Paul turned the world upside down with it, 51:48 Elijah called down fire through it, 51:50 and God created the world by it. 51:53 It cannot be stopped, prevented, denied, or destroyed. 51:56 It will outlive any novel and outlast any show. 51:59 It is divine, dynamic, didactic, and delightful 52:03 all at the same time. 52:05 It is a conundrum to the proud and a solution to the humble. 52:08 It can open and close your eyes at the same time. 52:12 It can confuse the scoffer and enlighten the seeker. 52:14 The Book, the Book of books, the Book of Life, 52:16 the Book of God, the Bible, the revelation of God to man. 52:20 But it comes with a warning. 52:22 This book will keep you from sin 52:24 or sin will keep you from this book. 52:27 Reading and confessing the Bible will terrify the devil, 52:31 stupefy the rebellious, mystify the world, 52:34 pacify the critics, ratify the covenant, 52:36 edify the church, magnify the Word, 52:39 and glorify God. 52:40 And it is still the number one bestselling book of all time. 52:46 The Word of God. 52:48 In times like these we need the Bible. 52:53 What do you say? 52:55 In Times Like These. 52:58 As Stephanie sings this song tonight, I want you to ponder 53:02 how important the Word of God is in your life. 53:06 No other book can bring us solace and meaning 53:09 in our past, present, and future like the Word of God. 53:12 In Times Like These. Dan. 53:26 In times like these you need the Bible; 53:36 in times like these, O be not idle. 53:46 Be very sure, be very sure, 53:56 your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock. 54:05 The Rock is Jesus, yes He's the One; 54:13 The Rock is Jesus, the only One. 54:22 Be very sure, be very sure, 54:31 your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock. 54:40 Isn't that true, friends? 54:43 We've got to be sure that our anchor holds. 54:45 The Anchor, His name is Jesus. 54:49 We build on His foundation... 54:52 ...the Word of God, the unchangeable. 54:58 The only book that still breathes in this 55:00 generation is God's Word. 55:02 Tonight as you think about how God's Word can make a difference 55:05 in your life, I want to pray, and then I'm going to ask 55:08 Stephanie to sing the next verse of that song. 55:10 Loving Father, tonight we have come to You knowing that 55:14 without the Word of God our lives are meaningless, empty. 55:18 We pray that if we have a Bible, we can reconnect 55:21 with it when we get home. 55:22 We can find our hope and comfort there, 55:25 we can find meaning there, 55:27 knowing that without it our lives are aimlessly wandering 55:34 in directions without reward. 55:36 So fill us, Lord, with the knowledge of Your Word, 55:39 and give us a love for this chartering map 55:43 that will guide us, strengthen us, 55:46 and encourage us as we get ready for Your soon return. 55:51 In Jesus' name I pray, amen. 55:54 I'd like us to sing this song with Stephanie. 55:56 In times like these you need a Savior, 56:04 in times like these you need an anchor. 56:12 Be very sure, be very sure, 56:20 your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock. 56:28 The Rock is Jesus, yes He's the One; 56:35 The Rock is Jesus, the only One. 56:42 Be very sure, be very sure, 56:50 your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock. 57:02 Tonight, as you leave, remember the Lord is calling on a church 57:07 to rise up again, to embrace the Word of God. 57:10 Dan, keep playing for me. 57:12 To rise up again, to embrace the Word of God. 57:14 If there's someone here tonight, by standing, that says, 57:17 "You know, I want that kind of relationship. 57:19 I'm going to go back and get into this road map. 57:22 I'm going to go back and find that love 57:24 that I may have lost in God's Word." 57:26 Is there someone here tonight? 57:28 Is there someone here, just raise your hand if that's the 57:30 book that you want in your life. 57:31 Praise the Lord. |
Revised 2018-06-26