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00:36 Doug Batchelor: Hello, to our friends who are listening 00:39 and watching from around the world in all different parts of 00:43 the country. 00:45 We're very thankful that you've tuned in for our "Sabbath School 00:47 Study Hour" this morning, and we have a very important lesson. 00:50 It is the last lesson in this quarter study on the Scriptures 00:53 and--but before we get to that, we want to tell you that we do 00:57 have a free offer, and the free offer is--because today's lesson 01:02 is talking about walking in the Word and not just reading it, 01:06 but obeying it, we're going to talk about obedience. 01:09 We have a free offer, and you will really be blessed by this, 01:11 and not only should you read this, you may want to order this 01:14 because there's a lot of Christians out there that think 01:16 that obedience is legalism, and this will answer that question, 01:19 and that's the title: "Is Obedience Legalism?" 01:23 And it is a beautifully illustrated study guide. 01:26 It's got colored pages. 01:27 It's easy to read. 01:29 You want a free copy of this? 01:31 You can call the number, 866-788-3966, or that's 01:36 866-Study-More, and another way you can get it is you can 01:41 actually look at it online, and so, if you want to download it 01:44 and read it that way, then simply text 40544, and what you 01:49 text is "SH041." 01:52 And so text "SH041" to 40544, and then you can read it right 01:59 there online. 02:02 Of course, this is only for North America and U.S. 02:04 territories if you're calling, but we want you to take 02:07 advantage of that. 02:09 Something else I think I should mention is, because this is our 02:10 last study in our quarter on Scripture, that means we're 02:14 getting ready to go into a new study, and so I'm really looking 02:17 forward to this. 02:18 We're going to be talking about "Making Friends for God: The Joy 02:22 of Sharing in His Mission." 02:24 You know, these studies are incredible that we've been doing 02:28 this quarter. 02:30 There's three secrets to victory in the Christian life. 02:33 Prayer--we've been studying prayer in recent 02:37 quarterlies--reading the Bible, and sharing your faith. 02:41 You know, there are three pieces of furniture that were in the 02:45 holy place of the sanctuary. 02:47 There was the bread: That's the Bible. 02:49 There was the light: That is the witnessing, sharing your faith. 02:52 There's the altar of incense: That's a symbol for prayer. 02:56 Those are the secret weapons to living a vital, victorious 02:59 Christian life. 03:02 So take advantage of the free offer. 03:05 You'll want to talk to your local church and find out how 03:08 you can get the Sabbath School quarterly. 03:10 I know a lot of people right now are still not meeting in person. 03:13 A lot of churches are beginning to phase into in-person 03:16 meetings, and some of the cities, not quite yet. 03:19 And so you can get this online. 03:22 And so you can go to the Sabbath School website, and you can 03:26 study the lesson online. 03:28 So before we dive into our study for today, we should begin with 03:32 a word of prayer. 03:35 Father in heaven, we just are so thankful for the promise that, 03:37 if we turn to you and we pray for the Holy Spirit, that the 03:42 Holy Spirit will come and give us wisdom and understanding. 03:45 Right now, Lord, as we listen as I teach and speak, we pray the 03:49 Holy Spirit will take charge of this presentation in every 03:52 aspect so that the power of the Word might be seen and felt in 03:56 people's hearts and lives. 03:58 And we thank You. 04:00 We claim this promise and pray in Jesus' name, amen. 04:04 "Living by the Word of God." 04:06 We've been talking about all the different nuances of how to 04:09 study the Word of God, and now we're going to be talking about 04:11 "Living by the Word of God." 04:13 You know, the devil came to Jesus in the wilderness, and he 04:16 said, "If You're the Son of God, turn these stones into bread." 04:21 And Jesus said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread 04:25 alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth 04:29 of God.'" 04:31 The Lord does not want us just to be looking at the Word. 04:33 He wants us to be living by the Word. 04:36 The Word of God is for us to follow, for us to live by, and 04:41 that's what we're going to study today. 04:43 We spent the last 12 lessons talking about a lot of different 04:46 aspects and facets of how to study the Bible and the 04:50 hermeneutics of the Bible and understanding the Bible and 04:53 approaching the Scriptures, and the history of the Scriptures. 04:56 Now we're boiling it all down and talking about the most 04:59 important thing. 05:01 Everything else we've talked about in the past does not 05:03 matter if you don't live by the Word. 05:06 So if you understand how to dissect the Word but you're not 05:09 following the Word, it's all in vain. 05:11 That's why we have this memory verse, and it's from James 1:22, 05:16 "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving 05:21 your own selves." 05:23 So God wants us to be doers of the Word. 05:26 Now, I've got a lot of Scripture that we're going to be talking 05:29 about today, and so you may want to get some notes out, and I 05:33 want to remind our friends that, when the teachers are up here 05:37 teaching, we often have our own personal notes that we're adding 05:40 to the lesson notes. 05:42 We know that you've already got the study guide. 05:44 Some of you have the teacher's version of the study guide 05:46 and--but then the teachers of these recorded programs also 05:50 have our personal notes, and the folks say, "Where'd you get that 05:53 illustration or that verse? 05:55 I want that to help me with my lesson." 05:58 You can get those online. 06:00 So if you go to the Amazing Facts website under the section 06:01 where it talks about Sabbath School, you can go to 06:03 the bottom. 06:05 It'll say "notes." 06:07 And so we like to make those available as well. 06:09 So, first of all, if you look in 1 John 1, verse 7, it says, "But 06:12 if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship 06:17 one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses 06:21 us from all sin." 06:23 We read in earlier studies, "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and 06:27 a light unto my path." 06:30 That light is not for just looking at. 06:32 It is for walking in. 06:35 Another verse, John 12:35, "Then Jesus said to them, 'A little 06:39 while longer the light is with you. 06:42 Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. 06:47 He who walks in darkness does not know where he's going.'" 06:51 Again, Jesus said, "Walk while you have the light." 06:53 I remember C.D. Brooks used to tell a story, in his 06:56 evangelistic meetings, about two boys that were out playing 06:59 in a park one day, and they were having a great time, and pretty 07:02 soon they got tired, and they laid back on the grass on this 07:05 beautiful sunny day, and one of them started thinking about the 07:09 sun that was above him, how bright it was in his face, and 07:11 he knew it was hard to look into the sun. 07:14 And, you know, boys like--they like to be a little 07:16 competitive sometime. 07:18 So one boy said to his friend--they're both lying back 07:20 on the grass. 07:22 He said, "I'll bet you I can stare at the sun longer 07:24 than you." 07:26 It's like, sometimes kids say, "I think I can hold my breath 07:27 longer than you." 07:29 And his friend said, "I bet you can't." 07:31 And so they said, "All right, well, close your eyes, count to 07:35 three," and they're going to stare right into the middle of 07:37 the sun and see who can do it the longest. 07:40 And they said, "One, two, three," and they opened their 07:42 eyes, and they stared right into the sun, deliberately, not 07:46 realizing that all that radiation was doing damage to 07:49 their iris, and pretty soon they said they can't handle 07:56 it anymore. 07:57 Well, they didn't realize it--what was going on. 08:00 Then later that day, their eyes got red and swollen. 08:03 They woke up the next morning. 08:05 They were just aching, and they had headaches, and their eyes 08:07 were just about swollen shut. 08:09 Parents took the boys to the doctor, and the doctor looked at 08:12 them, and they told the doctor what they had done. 08:14 He put some ointment on their eyes, and he wrapped them up and 08:17 said, "Keep the bandages on for a few days." 08:20 And by a miracle of God's grace, after a few days, he took off 08:23 the bandages. 08:25 The swelling had gone down. 08:27 The redness had gone away, and they could still see. 08:29 They were young enough where they were healing. 08:31 And then the doctor sat them down. 08:33 He told him a very important lesson. 08:34 He said, "Boys never forget: The light is not for looking at. 08:36 It is for walking in." 08:39 A lot of people come to church, and they like to hear the 08:42 sermon, and they like to look at the light, and they like to 08:45 dissect and argue about theology, but they don't ever 08:49 walk in the light. 08:51 All of the light in the world, if you understand, you know, 08:55 everything in the Bible, if you've got a library full of 08:57 Bibles, if you've got all kinds of theological books, but sin is 09:01 still controlling your life, it's of no avail. 09:04 God doesn't want us to look at the light. 09:06 He wants us to walk in the light. 09:08 And the Bible says, if you walk in the light as He is in the 09:12 light, the blood of His Son cleanses us from all sin. 09:17 And so--and that's the first one we read. 09:20 The blood of Jesus Christ, 1 John 1:7, "His Son cleanses us 09:24 from all sin." 09:26 Also, 2 Peter 1, verse 19, "And so we have this prophetic word 09:31 confirmed, which you do well to heed--" 09:35 "Heed" means "to follow," "to listen to," "as a light that 09:39 shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning 09:43 star rises in your heart." 09:46 You know, one of the other things about light is, if you 09:48 are walking in the light, God increases the light. 09:53 You know, just this last week, I was hiking with my son, up in 10:00 the mountains, and we were actually hiking at night, and it 10:04 was really nice when the moon came up. 10:08 You know, as the sun was going down, things just kept getting 10:11 darker and darker, but we weren't at our destination yet, 10:14 so we kept hiking, but, fortunately, after the sun went 10:18 down, soon the moon rose--and it was almost a full moon-over the 10:21 ridge, and as it got higher, it got brighter and brighter, and 10:25 it was so nice that your eyes tend to adjust. 10:29 And pretty soon, we could see even in the dark. 10:32 Never had to actually pull out our flashlights, walking in 10:34 the moonlight. 10:36 Well, when you walk in the light that God gives you, it 10:38 gets brighter. 10:40 Now, some people, they've had light revealed to them, and they 10:43 never step out in faith to walk in the light, and then the light 10:47 goes out. 10:49 If we are not walking in the light that God gives us, pretty 10:53 soon we might not believe the light. 10:55 We may not see the light or understand the light anymore. 10:58 The best time to do God's will is when He reveals His will 11:02 to you. 11:03 I've seen this happen. 11:05 Let me explain it a little more clearly. 11:07 I've seen this happen in so many evangelistic meetings: A person 11:09 is coming. 11:11 They're hearing the Bible truths for the first time, and they're 11:13 thinking, "Wow, I never understood this before. 11:15 This is amazing." 11:17 And their lives are being changed, and they're feeling 11:20 great joy of knowing the truth, but then there's some conviction 11:22 about the sin in their life, and they realize that they need to 11:25 make some changes, and they keep coming, and finally, you 11:28 know--and often they're making changes, but then sometimes a 11:31 certain truth is presented, and they'll say, "Whoa, I'm not 11:35 doing that. 11:38 That's some pet sin in my life. 11:39 That's precious to me. 11:41 No way in the world am I ever changing that." 11:43 And the enthusiasm and the joy and the excitement they had 11:47 about learning the truth, you watch the lights start to fade 11:50 from their eyes. 11:52 And I've gone to visit people before, and they say, "You know, 11:55 Pastor, like, I don't understand. 11:57 When I first came to these meetings, I was so excited, and 11:59 I heard God's voice, and He was leading me and speaking to me, 12:01 and all these changes, and now it seems like it stopped." 12:04 And I'd say, well, brother, sister, did something come up 12:07 that you stopped listening to? 12:10 Was there some point of truth that you just said, "I'm not 12:12 going to accept that"? 12:14 Said, "Well, yeah, you know, when the evangelist talked about 12:16 this or that, I said, 'No, I could never do that.'" 12:19 I said, "Well, when you stop walking in the light, then the 12:23 light starts to get dim." 12:25 You've got to keep doing what the Bible says, which is a very 12:28 important point we're going to get to now, dealing with the 12:32 subject of living the Word of God in the Holy Spirit. 12:37 What does it mean to live out the Word of God in the 12:39 Holy Spirit? 12:41 John 14:26, "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father 12:45 will send in My name, He will teach you all things and bring 12:49 to your remembrance all things that I have said to you." 12:53 Ho, I've got so much I could say about this. 12:55 You know, I used to go to a charismatic church before I was 12:59 a Seventh-Day Adventist Christian. 13:03 A lot of dear Christian people, lovely people, but they made a 13:06 big issue of speaking in tongues, and they would tell me, 13:12 "Doug, you've got to learn how to speak in tongues, and if you 13:14 don't speak in tongues, you don't have the Holy Spirit." 13:16 Of course, you know, I didn't know everything I know now, but 13:18 I, just, I didn't think that was right. 13:20 I said, "I don't see what you're talking about in the Bible." 13:23 And--but at the same time, I was learning the Sabbath truth, and 13:27 so I'd go to my charismatic pastor and say, "What about the 13:30 Ten Commandments?" 13:32 And they'd say, "Well, we're not under the law now. 13:34 We're under grace." 13:36 I'd say, "Well, but it says here," this and this and this, 13:39 and I'd show them all the Scriptures that say, you know, 13:42 "God's law doesn't pass away. 13:44 It's for eternal," and they'd say, "Well, I know that that's 13:46 what the Bible says, but that's the letter. 13:48 We're not being led by the letter of the law. 13:51 We're being led by the Spirit." 13:54 And they almost made it sound like that, if they felt in their 13:56 heart the Holy Spirit was telling them something different 13:58 than the Bible said, that that was the--that this feeling of 14:02 the Spirit in their heart was to trump, the very plain reading of 14:06 the Word. 14:08 And Jesus said, "No, no, the Holy Spirit is going to bring to 14:11 your remembrance what I have said." 14:14 And so the purpose of the Holy Spirit is not to ever say 14:16 something different from what Jesus said. 14:19 The Holy Spirit is going to accentuate and highlight and 14:21 help you remember what Jesus said. 14:25 And in the same way, there's been so many times that I'm 14:28 either preaching a sermon, or we were answering questions on the 14:32 radio--you know, when we do the "Bible Answers Live" program, we 14:35 don't know ahead of time what questions are coming in. 14:38 I mean, people, they take the--we have volunteers that 14:41 take the calls, and they'll put a little note in there and say, 14:43 "There's a question on baptism," or the Trinity, so we only know 14:46 a moment or two ahead this is what this person is going 14:48 to ask. 14:50 We haven't had time to look it up, so right when we take their 14:52 call, we're saying, "Lord, help us remember where these 14:55 Scriptures are." 14:57 And some of them are pretty tough questions, and we pray, 14:59 "Lord bring to our remembrance what we've studied." 15:03 And so many times the Lord answers that prayer. 15:07 Most of the time he answers that prayer. 15:09 Now, what God does not do, the Holy Spirit does not bring to 15:13 your remembrance what you've never read, and so, if you want 15:17 to have the Holy Spirit bring to your remembrance the Word of 15:19 Jesus, you need to first read the Word of Jesus. 15:23 So it's a good idea, every Christian ought to, over the 15:26 course of every year, every two years, read through the Bible 15:30 all the way through, even the parts where you say, "Well, 15:33 it's just--" 15:34 going through the measurements of the sanctuary, or they're 15:36 going through a genealogy, let your eyes at least scan over it. 15:39 It's going to get easier. 15:40 You'll understand more, and you make it possible then for God to 15:43 honor that promise to bring it to your remembrance. 15:45 So the Holy Spirit will help you in your understanding of the 15:49 Word and in remembering the Word. 15:52 John 16:13, "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, 15:57 He will guide you into all truth, for He will not speak on 16:00 His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak, and He 16:04 will tell you of things to come." 16:06 There's another verse that tells us the Holy Spirit is not going 16:09 to tell you something separate from the Word. 16:11 He doesn't speak on His own authority. 16:13 Holy Spirit is going to honor Christ, who is the living Word. 16:16 There's a great quote, and it's in your lesson in Selected 16:20 Messages, Book 1, page 411, "No one is able to explain the 16:25 Scriptures without the aid of the Holy Spirit. 16:28 But when you take up the Word of God with a humble, teachable 16:31 heart, the angels of God will be by your side to impress you with 16:35 evidences of the truth." 16:38 Sometimes the way the Holy Spirit works is through angels 16:41 actually speaking to us. 16:44 John 7:17, one of the most important criteria to walk in 16:48 the Word and to understand the Word is be willing to do what 16:52 the Word says. 16:55 "If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning 16:58 the doctrine--" 17:00 that means the teaching-- "whether it is from God or 17:03 whether I speak on My own authority." 17:06 Single most important thing to understand some Bible truth is 17:08 make up your mind and say, "Whatever it says, I'm willing 17:11 to do it. 17:13 I'm willing to do what God is saying in His Word." 17:15 And then God becomes responsible. 17:17 I mean, we need to search, then God's responsible to show us. 17:20 But we do need to, you know, make an effort to search. 17:24 Hosea says, "My people are destroyed for lack of 17:28 knowledge," then he goes on to say, "because you have 17:31 rejected knowledge." 17:34 Some people are destroyed, not because they don't understand, 17:37 but they never made an effort to know. 17:39 And so you've got to actually seek, Jesus said, and then 17:43 you'll find. 17:44 He doesn't force everything on you. 17:46 He doesn't force the truth on us. 17:48 If we're hungry for the truth, "He that hunger and thirsts 17:50 after righteousness, he will be filled." 17:53 Notice, not just hungering for the truth, but "righteousness" 17:56 means "walking in the truth," being a doer of the Word. 18:01 Charles Wesley said, "All of my requests are lost in one, 18:07 Father, Thy will be done." 18:09 Charles, of course, is that great hymn writer, brother of 18:12 John Wesley. 18:14 "All of my requests are lost in one central request, Father, Thy 18:17 will be done." 18:19 He means, "Thy will be done in my life." 18:22 Greatest most important prayer of Jesus was "Not My will. 18:25 Thy will be done." 18:27 In the Lord's Prayer, "Our Father, which in heaven, 18:29 hallowed be Thy name. 18:30 Thy will be done." 18:32 Thy will be--what? 18:34 Be done. 18:36 Now, that's what I'm going to talk about for the next 18:37 few minutes. 18:39 God wants us to not be hearers of the Word only, deceiving our 18:41 own selves, but he wants us to be doers of the Word. 18:45 It's a very small word, "do," D-O. 18:49 It's a very powerful word, and that word separates the saved 18:52 from the lost. 18:54 Now, people say, "Pastor Doug, what you do has nothing to do 18:59 with your salvation." 19:01 I hear that all the time. 19:03 That is categorically not true. 19:05 They say, "Well, you only need to believe." 19:07 Believing is doing something. 19:09 Yeah, you got to believe. 19:10 Jesus said, "This is the work, that they believe." 19:12 There is a work. 19:13 We need to believe. 19:15 So what separates the lost from the saved is something you do. 19:18 You got to do something about Jesus, and it starts there, and 19:21 then you need to be doing something about His Word. 19:24 It's a lie, it's a misconception that you don't have to 19:27 do anything. 19:29 You do need to do something. 19:30 Jesus says, "Come unto Me." 19:32 That means you need to get up and come. 19:34 There's an action involved in being a Christian. 19:36 So let's talk about this and find out if that's just Pastor 19:38 Doug's idea or is this what Jesus taught. 19:41 Look here, for instance, in Luke 6:46. 19:45 "Why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not the things 19:49 which I say?" 19:51 God wants us to do what He says. 19:53 If we're saying, 'Lord, Lord,' you know, we're very religious, 19:56 we're using His name, we're praying in His name, but we're 19:58 not doing what He says, he said, "Why do you do that?" 20:04 Matthew 7, Jesus makes it even more clear here. 20:07 Matthew 7, verse 21, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, 20:11 Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he that does the 20:14 will of My Father in heaven. 20:18 Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not 20:22 prophesied in Your name? 20:24 We've cast out devils in Your name. 20:25 We've done many wonders in Your name.' 20:28 And I will declare to them, 'I never knew you. 20:30 Depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness." 20:33 They were living lawless lives, but they were very religious. 20:36 Don't forget, the people who crucified Jesus were very 20:39 religious, and they even--they wanted to hasten His death so 20:43 they could run home after killing the Messiah to keep 20:46 the Sabbath. 20:48 Now, I'm a Sabbath keeper, and I believe in a lot of the things 20:50 that the religious leaders believed in. 20:53 They believed in prayer, they believed in tithing. 20:55 They believed in fasting, that's all good. 20:57 Those things won't save you. 20:59 It's like that proud Pharisee who prayed. 21:02 He said, "Oh, this praying is good." 21:05 He says, "I fast, and I pay tithe," and he went to 21:07 the temple. 21:09 He did all those things, but he did not go home justified. 21:11 So there needs to be a life where you put Christianity 21:16 into action. 21:18 Mark 3, verse 32 through 35, "And the multitude were sitting 21:23 around Jesus, and they said to Him, 'Look, Your mother and Your 21:26 brothers are outside, and they're looking for You.' 21:29 But He answered, and He said to them, 'Who is My mother? 21:32 Who are My brothers?' 21:34 And He looked around the circle of those who sat about Him, and 21:36 He said, 'Here are My mother and My brothers. 21:40 For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and 21:45 My mother.'" 21:48 How important was doing the will of God to Jesus? 21:51 Matthew 7, verse 24, "Therefore whoever hears these words of 21:54 Mine, and--you know the next word? 21:58 "--does them, they are likened to a wise man who builds his 22:01 house on the rock, and the rain descends, and the flood comes 22:05 down, and the wind blows, and it beats on the house, but it does 22:08 not fall, because it's founded on the rock. 22:11 But whoever hears these sayings of Mine," talking 22:14 about the Bible, putting it into practice, "and does not 22:16 do them, he's like the foolish man who built his house on 22:20 the sand--" 22:22 And you know the rest of the story. 22:24 The wind blows, and the flood comes, and the rain descends, 22:25 and that house implodes and collapses and blows away because 22:28 it was founded on the sand. 22:30 The difference between the wise man and the fool is not 22:33 the Word. 22:35 They both hear the Word. 22:36 The difference between the wise man and the fool is one does it. 22:39 One does not do it. 22:41 And so God wants us to not just hear the word. 22:45 He wants us to finally put it into practice. 22:47 You know, there's a lot of people that come to church, and 22:50 they are impressed by the truth, and they make a decision, and 22:52 they get baptized, and they start following the Lord, but 22:56 they've got that sin in their life that bothers them, and 22:59 that's good that it bothers them. 23:02 The dangerous thing is sometimes those people are still in the 23:04 church 20 years later, and they're going through all the 23:07 motions of religion. 23:08 They sometimes hold religious office in the church, and 23:10 they've got that same sin, but it just doesn't bother them 23:13 anymore, and that's the most dangerous thing. 23:17 They've made up their mind that somehow God didn't really mean 23:19 what He said in His Word, that we don't really have to do what 23:22 the Word says. 23:24 And Jesus said that's fatal. 23:28 "Many will come to Me in that day--" 23:30 He's talking about the great judgment day, "and they'll say, 23:32 'Lord, Lord.' 23:34 He says, 'I don't know you. 23:35 You didn't do what I said.'" 23:37 They know His name, they're religious, they've probably read 23:39 the Bible, but they didn't do His Word. 23:41 You know--where is it? 23:44 In 1 John, chapter 2, "Love not the world," verse 15, "neither 23:49 the things that are in the world, for if any man loves the 23:52 world, the love of the Father is not in him. 23:54 For all that's in the world, the lust of the flesh, lust of the 23:57 eyes, and the pride of life, is of the world and not of 24:00 the Father. 24:02 And the world is passing away, and the lust thereof," 24:04 notice this, "but he that does the will of God will 24:09 abide forever." 24:11 God is looking for people that will hear His Word and do it. 24:15 You know, one of the great appeals that Moses makes in 24:17 Deuteronomy, he says, "Oh, that My people would fear Me and keep 24:23 all of My commandments always, that it might be well with them 24:27 and their children forever." 24:29 He wants us to be keepers. 24:31 He wants us to be doers of His Word. 24:33 That's what it means when it says, "Living by the Word of 24:36 God," putting it into practice. 24:38 Now, don't be discouraged as I talk, friends, because probably 24:40 anyone who's listening right now is thinking, "Well, Pastor Doug, 24:43 you know, I'm not following everything I know." 24:46 Well, it's a growing process. 24:49 Are you making progress in following, in doing? 24:54 You need to be growing and saying, "I'm doing this now, and 24:57 I'm doing this now," and some things, it takes a while to 24:59 learn how to do it, but becoming comfortable being a non-doer 25:05 is fatal. 25:08 That's the thing, I guess, I'm trying to say. 25:10 All right, a few more verses, Matthew--no, let me see here. 25:15 I'm going to go with Romans 2:13, "For not the hearers of 25:18 the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law 25:23 will be justified." 25:25 No, wait a second. 25:27 But doesn't Paul say that we're not under the law--we're 25:29 under grace? 25:30 Yeah, and Paul said that too. 25:32 Paul's the one who said, Romans 13, "Not the hearers of the law 25:34 are just, but the doers." 25:36 When Paul says that you're not under the law, when you accept 25:38 the sacrifice of Christ, you're no longer under the penalty of 25:41 the law, but he says, "Do we continue in sin, law-breaking, 25:44 that grace may abound? 25:46 God forbid." 25:48 Those of us who love the Lord, we are more obligated now to be 25:50 doers of the word. 25:53 Vance Havner, the famous Baptist evangelist, he said, "The vision 25:57 must be followed by the venture. 26:00 It's not enough to stare up the steps. 26:03 We must step up the stairs." 26:06 A lot of people spend their Christian life staring at the 26:09 steps, and they study the steps, and they evaluate the steps, and 26:12 they argue about the steps. 26:14 They don't ever go up the steps. 26:16 And this is what we're talking about today. 26:19 In Matthew chapter 21, verse 28, "But what do you think?" 26:23 Jesus said. 26:25 This is one of his parables. 26:27 "A certain man had two sons, and he came and he said to the first 26:29 one, 'Son, go work today in my vineyard.' 26:32 And he said, 'I will not,' but afterward, he regretted it, and 26:37 he went. 26:39 Then he came to the second son. 26:41 He said likewise. 26:43 He answered and said, 'I go, sir,' but he did not go." 26:44 And then Jesus asks this, just, very simple question: "Which of 26:48 the two sons did the will of his Father?" 26:53 They said, "The first one." 26:55 The first, he said, "I'm not going to," but he repented 26:57 later, and he did. 26:59 He finally did it. 27:02 They said, "The first one." 27:04 And Jesus said, "Assuredly I say to you, the tax collectors and 27:06 the harlots will enter the kingdom of God before you, for 27:08 John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not 27:11 believe him. 27:13 But the tax collectors and the harlots believed him. 27:15 They repented of their sins. 27:17 And you sought, and afterward, you did not relent and 27:19 believe him." 27:21 Even after you saw the great revival among the publicans and 27:23 the tax collectors and the sinners, they didn't repent. 27:27 Oswald Chambers said, "God doesn't want our success. 27:32 He wants us. 27:34 He doesn't demand our achievements. 27:36 He demands our obedience. 27:38 It's only by obedience that we understand the teachings 27:41 of God." 27:43 Someone else said, "There are times when I've deceived myself 27:45 into thinking, talking about the will of God is a substitute for 27:48 doing it." 27:51 That reminds me of the story in the Bible where Samuel the 27:53 prophet says to king Saul, "I want you to go fight against the 27:57 Amalekites, that enemy nation, and I want you to annihilate 28:00 them and their cattle, and everything they've got, their 28:04 donkeys their sheep--everything. 28:06 And so Saul goes, and he fights against them, and he's 28:11 victorious in the battle, but he thinks, "Well, you know, that 28:14 might be a little extreme to annihilate all these 28:17 really--boy, they've got some really quality camels and 28:19 donkeys and sheep and goats and don't the people deserve the 28:24 spoils of war? 28:26 So they come back from the battle, and King Saul sees 28:30 Samuel the prophet, and he said, "How're you doing?" 28:34 "Blessed of the Lord. 28:36 I've followed the commandment of the Lord. 28:38 I defeated the Amalekites." 28:40 And he didn't even kill the king. 28:41 He's bringing the king back as a captive to show off. 28:43 And Samuel says, "If you've obeyed the commandment of the 28:46 Lord, then what is the bleating of the sheep and the lowing of 28:49 the oxen that I hear in my ears?" 28:52 "Oh, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, all the cattle? 28:54 Oh, yeah, we didn't kill them." 28:56 The people wanted to sacrifice them to the Lord. 28:58 Basically, they didn't want to continue sacrificing their own 29:01 cattle, so to save themselves, they stole the ones that they 29:05 were supposed to annihilate, and that's when Samuel said, "To 29:09 obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat 29:15 of rams. 29:17 For rebellion is the sin of witchcraft." 29:20 And so, when people say, "Well, God didn't really--He's not real 29:23 specific about doing some of these little things--" 29:27 God means what He says. 29:29 His words, especially, you know, the commandments of God, they're 29:32 not suggestions. 29:34 It's kind of like--even for those who are religious, you 29:36 think of Uzzah the priest--and they were given very clear 29:40 instructions on how to transport the ark, and the priests were 29:43 not supposed to lay hands on it, but because they did not obey 29:47 instructions and they were moving the ark on an ox cart 29:50 instead of the priests carrying it, and the oxen stumbled and 29:53 the wagon wiggled, and Uzzah put out his hand to steady the ark 29:57 and he put his hand on the holy ark of God, he died, and people 30:00 think God is very severe. 30:03 God told them what to do and what not to do, and they just 30:06 disobeyed, and they thought God is not particular in 30:08 little things. 30:11 God means what He says, and in the great judgment day, if our 30:13 sins are not forgiven, we will give an account for everything 30:15 that we've done. 30:18 And that's why He'll forgive our past sins our bad doing, but 30:20 then, when we repent, He wants us to now be doers of the Word. 30:24 "Man shall live by every word that proceeds from the mouth 30:28 of God." 30:30 I'm enjoying this lesson because I think it's a subject that's 30:32 really neglected. 30:34 All right, moving along here, Philippians 2, verse 12, and it 30:42 says here, "Therefore, my beloved, as you have always 30:46 obeyed, not in my presence always, but much more in my 30:49 absence, work out your own salvation with fear 30:52 and trembling. 30:54 For it is God who works in you." 30:56 You don't have to worry about obeying in your own strength. 30:58 God will give you the power and the ability to obey. 31:00 "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 31:02 For it is God who works in you both to will and to do His 31:06 good pleasure." 31:08 Now, I want to pause there just for a moment. 31:12 I think it's a wonderful thing that, when you read the Word of 31:15 God and as you follow the Holy Spirit, there's power that 31:20 changes you. 31:22 You're transformed. 31:24 There's a new heart that's given you. 31:26 Your will is changed by the will of God. 31:30 And so he says, "It's God who works in you both to will and to 31:34 do His good pleasure. 31:36 Do all things without complaining and disputing, that 31:39 you might become blameless and harmless children of God, 31:42 without fault, in the midst of a crooked and a perverse 31:45 generation, among whom as you shine as lights in the world--" 31:49 Christians ought to be different in the world, be advertising for 31:52 Jesus, "holding fast the word--" 31:56 here's where the Word comes in-- "holding fast the word of life, 31:59 so that I might rejoice in the day of Christ, that I've not run 32:03 in vain, or labored in vain." 32:05 Paul means in teaching you the Word. 32:07 Deuteronomy 4, verse 4--notice what did Paul said. 32:10 Paul had said, "Holding fast the word of life." 32:13 If you look in Deuteronomy 4, verse 4, it says, "But you who 32:18 held fast to the Lord your God are alive today." 32:23 You know, Moses talks about cleaving unto the truth, 32:26 holding fast. 32:28 I think the word there for "cleave" is "to be glued" to 32:31 the Lord. 32:33 They used to make this glue out of the hooves of the goats or 32:35 the horses back then, and it's using this ancient term that "We 32:39 are glued to the Lord." 32:42 We go where Jesus goes. 32:43 We cleave to Him. 32:45 We hold fast to His word. 32:47 And God uses every kind of term and analogy He can to try to 32:51 illustrate how closely we are to cleave to Him that we might be 32:56 able to obey. 32:58 So then we're into the section, "Learning from Jesus." 33:01 Very important point: Do not wait until you understand 33:06 everything before you obey what you do understand. 33:10 Some people, they just say, "You know, one of these days, some 33:16 things are still not clear," and so they don't make their 33:19 commitment to Christ. 33:21 If you wait until you understand everything before you obey, you 33:24 never will obey. 33:26 If there are some things that you do understand, follow the 33:29 things you do understand. 33:31 By the way, I think it's a principle of truth in life, 33:35 every element of truth you obey, you will receive a corresponding 33:39 blessing for that truth that you obey. 33:42 I know a people who--they pay tithe. 33:45 There are other areas in their life, they are not Christians, 33:48 but they are convicted about tithe. 33:50 They get the blessings and the promises that God gives to those 33:52 who pay tithe because they obey that commandment. 33:56 I know people--they may have other areas in their life where 33:59 they're disobedient, but they honor their father and mother. 34:03 There's a promise that goes with that, "that your days may be 34:05 long upon the land which the Lord your God gives you." 34:08 I do think that God, in some respects, there are certain 34:11 promises that He will never detach from obeying, and you 34:15 will receive those promises because it's just cause 34:18 and effect. 34:20 And so follow whatever truth you do know--you'll be blessed. 34:23 That'll increase your faith and say, "Maybe I ought to follow 34:25 everything, and I'll have all the blessings that God wants me 34:28 to have." 34:31 As a Christian, you're a follower of Jesus. 34:33 How thoroughly did Jesus obey? 34:35 Christ obeyed in every area of His life. 34:38 Now, look at the example of Christ, how I used the Word, 34:41 Luke 4, this is the great temptation of Christ. 34:44 Luke 4:13--I'm sorry, Luke 4:3-13, "And the devil comes to 34:49 Him in the wilderness, and he says, If you're the Son of God, 34:52 command this stone to become bread.'" 34:54 And we read this already. 34:56 "Jesus said, 'It is written, "Man shall not live by bread 34:59 alone, but by every word of God."' 35:01 Then the devil, taking them up on a high mountain, said to Him, 35:05 'All authority is given me, and I'll give it to You and the 35:08 glory of it.' 35:10 He said, 'It's been delivered to me, and I give it to whoever 35:13 I wish. 35:15 Therefore if You will worship me, all will be Yours. 35:17 You don't need to die for the sins of the world, I'll give You 35:19 the world.' 35:21 Jesus answered and said, 'Get behind Me, Satan. 35:23 It is written, "You shall worship the Lord your God and 35:25 Him only shall you serve."' 35:28 Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, and set Him on the 35:30 pinnacle of the temple and said, 'If You are the Son of God, 35:33 throw Yourself down from here. 35:35 For it is written, "He'll give His angels charge over You to 35:37 keep You, and in their hands, they'll bear You up lest You 35:40 dash Your foot against the stone."' 35:43 And Jesus answered and said, 'It is written, you shall not tempt 35:46 the Lord your God.'" 35:48 Now, notice, all three temptations, 35:50 Jesus said, "It is written, it is written, it is written." 35:52 By the way, which one of the apostles, Matthew, Mark, Luke, 35:56 John, was a witness to the temptations of Christ? 36:01 None of them. 36:03 It says, "He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness." 36:06 Christ was alone. 36:08 So how did the apostles learn about Jesus' battle with 36:10 the devil? 36:12 He must've told them about it--was probably not too long 36:15 after He called the apostles. 36:17 He said, you know, "Here's what I've experienced," and they 36:20 recorded this. 36:21 How did Jesus meet every temptation? 36:23 He told the disciples, "I fought every temptation with the Word 36:26 of God." 36:28 It is written, it is written, it is written. 36:30 Matthew 11, verse 10, "For this is he of whom it is written, 36:34 'Behold, I sent My messenger before Your face, who will 36:38 prepare Your way before You.'" 36:41 When He identified John the Baptist, He said, "He's the one 36:43 because it is written." 36:45 John 5:39, "You search the Scriptures, for in them you 36:48 think you have eternal life. 36:50 These are they that testify of Me." 36:53 The whole essence of the Bible is about Jesus. 36:55 And this is one of my favorite subjects. 36:57 I could use another three hours right now to teach this. 37:00 I wrote a book called "Shadows of Light: Seeing Christ in All 37:04 the Bible," and when you read through the Bible and you look 37:07 at the stories of the Bible, I mean, there's very plain 37:11 Scriptures like this where Jesus said, "Search the Scriptures. 37:13 These are they that testify of Me." 37:16 "In the volume of the book, it is written of Me." 37:19 Moses and the prophets--He went from Moses and the prophets in 37:24 Luke chapter 24, and showed them from the Scriptures that He was 37:28 the Messiah. 37:30 But I see that--Jesus, in the story of Joseph. 37:34 I see Jesus in the story of Adam. 37:37 Even Paul makes an analogy of Jesus being the second Adam. 37:42 I think it's interesting. 37:44 Adam goes to sleep on the sixth day. 37:47 God opens his side, takes out a rib and gives him a wife. 37:51 On the sixth day of the week, Jesus goes to sleep. 37:53 His side is opened with the spear. 37:55 Through that stream of blood and water, the church is born, 37:57 His bride. 37:59 There's just so many analogies between--Noah and Christ. 38:02 Noah found grace. 38:05 It's through Noah all the world is saved. 38:07 Through--I mentioned Joseph. 38:09 You know, Joseph is betrayed for the price of a slave by his own 38:12 brothers, and he forgives them, and he feeds the whole world 38:16 bread, which is a symbol for the Word of God, and 38:19 forgives everybody. 38:21 I see Jesus in the story of David. 38:23 Matter of fact, the three most outstanding Old Testament 38:25 characters that are types of Christ--Joseph, David, Moses, 38:31 but there are many others. 38:33 I mean, Moses, you know, he's a great savior. 38:36 He's a great type of Christ. 38:38 And Moses was a great law-giver. 38:41 Christ is the great law-giver, and there's so many analogies. 38:44 And so, when you read through the Scriptures, the New and the 38:48 Old Testament, you're finding the story of Jesus. 38:51 Even examples in the New Testament. 38:53 In the life of John the Baptist, you see parallels to Christ. 38:55 In the life of Stephen--Stephen is unjustly tried by 38:59 the Sanhedrin. 39:01 He prays for the forgiveness of those who are executing him. 39:04 He's taken out of the city like Jesus. 39:07 The Bible talks about the clothes were laid down at the 39:09 feet of Paul. 39:11 There were clothes laid down. 39:13 They argued over clothes when they crucified Jesus, and you 39:16 start looking, and you see Stephen went through the same 39:19 experience of Christ, three and a half years after Jesus, which 39:23 is how long Jesus also taught. 39:25 And so even in the New Testament, you can see types and 39:28 shadows and analogies of Jesus. 39:31 And so we learn from Christ and His example here. 39:35 Deuteronomy, 9, verse 23, believing and obedience goes 39:41 hand in hand. 39:44 "Likewise, when the Lord sent you from Kadish Barnea, saying, 39:46 'Go up and possess the land that I've given you,' then you 39:49 rebelled against the commandment of the Lord, and you did not 39:52 believe Him nor obey His voice." 39:55 When they don't obey the Word, it's because they don't believe, 39:58 and you can read in Hebrews 13--I'm sorry, Hebrews 3, verse 40:02 18 and 19, "And to whom did He swear that they would not enter 40:07 His rest, but those who did not obey? 40:11 So we see they could not enter because of unbelief." 40:14 Disobedience is really unbelief, and without belief, you cannot 40:17 be saved. 40:19 Faith is one of the most misunderstood and mis-taught 40:21 subjects in Christianity today. 40:24 People think that you can have the faith of devils and go to 40:27 heaven, that all you have to do is say you believe that Jesus 40:29 died for you on the cross and that you believe that He died 40:32 for sin--and the devil knows all of that. 40:35 Christian saving-faith is a faith where you believe and you 40:38 act upon that faith. 40:41 If I tell you that a tornado is going to come--you're sitting 40:44 here in the room--a tornado is going to come in five minutes 40:48 and totally demolish this building, do you say, "Amen, 40:51 Pastor, like, we believe you," and you don't get up and move? 40:54 You don't believe me. 40:56 So, Jesus, when He talks about it, "Whosoever believeth in Him 40:58 will not perish but have everlasting life," yes, it does 41:02 start with a simple calling out to Jesus, believing He can save 41:07 you, but then that belief goes on by believing He can save you 41:11 from sin, not just the past penalty, but He can save you 41:15 from the power, the present power of sin, and ultimately the 41:18 presence of sin in heaven. 41:21 And so this is the kind of faith, a faith that Jesus can 41:24 really save you from your sins, not in your sins. 41:27 You can come to Him in your sins and ask for mercy and 41:31 justification, and then He saves you from your sins 41:34 through sanctification. 41:36 So there needs to be a following, a living of the Word 41:39 that happens in the life. 41:43 All right, moving on here, who is it? 41:45 Dwight L. Moody said, "Never think that Jesus' commands are a 41:49 trifle, nor dare to trifle with anything He has commanded." 41:53 "Obedience is the key that unlocks the door to every 41:57 profound spiritual experience." 42:01 "Obedience," and this is Samuel Dickey Gordon said, "Obedience 42:03 is the eye of the Spirit. 42:06 Failure to obey dims and dulls the spiritual understanding." 42:11 When we know what God wants, and we neglect to obey, our 42:14 spiritual understanding can get dull. 42:16 If you want your spiritual insights to be sharpened and 42:19 clarified, walk in the light that you have. 42:23 Remember, the light is not for looking at. 42:25 It's for walking in. 42:27 1 John 2:17, "The world is passing away, and the lust, but 42:30 everyone who does the will of God will abide forever." 42:33 Oswald Chambers said--I know I'm going fast. 42:36 It's because I got so much to share with you, friends. 42:40 Oswald Chambers says, "Obedience to God will mean that some other 42:44 time--that at some time or other you enter into desolation." 42:48 Yes, there are challenges when you obey. 42:51 Jesus went into the wilderness, and He was tempted, but He came 42:53 out victorious. 42:57 What about Jesus versus Scripture? 43:00 Are the words of Jesus more important than maybe some of the 43:03 other parts of the Bible in the Old Testament? 43:06 I mean, why do Bibles have red letter? 43:08 If it's all the Word of God, why isn't it all red? 43:10 I know they got a new Bible now. 43:13 It's got the words of God in the Old Testament are in blue, and, 43:16 of course, the words of Jesus in the New Testament are red. 43:20 And I think it sometimes helps us identify who's speaking. 43:22 Notice what Jesus says, John 5:45, "Do not think that I 43:27 accuse you before the Father. 43:30 There is one who accuses you--Moses, in whom you trust. 43:33 For if you believe Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote 43:37 about Me." 43:39 There is no conflict between the words of Jesus and Moses. 43:42 Some people say, "Well, that's the Old Covenant, and now we've 43:44 got the New Covenant." 43:46 The Bible tells us that it's all the Word of God. 43:48 The New Covenant is the same law of Moses, written in our 43:51 hearts--same principles. 43:54 Moses 5:20--Matthew 5:21, "You've heard that it was said 43:59 by those of old, 'You shall not murder, and whoever murderers 44:03 will be in danger of the judgment.' 44:04 But I say to you--" 44:06 Now, is Moses saying that his--or is Jesus saying 44:08 His words trump Moses, that it eclipses Moses? 44:11 "But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother 44:15 without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. 44:18 And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca,' shall be in danger of 44:21 the council. 44:23 But whoever says, 'You fool,' shall be in danger of hellfire." 44:25 So is Christ saying that his word is less--or more important 44:30 than the Old Testament? 44:33 Matthew 5:27, "You have heard it said by those of old, 'You shall 44:36 not commit adultery.'" 44:37 That's one of the Ten Commandments. 44:40 Jesus said, "But I say to you--" 44:41 now, is Christ going to say it's okay to commit adultery? 44:44 No, he said, "I say to you whoever looks on a woman to lust 44:46 after her has already committed adultery in his heart." 44:49 Jesus is not taking and nullifying the words of Moses. 44:52 Jesus is magnifying the words of Moses. 44:56 So when he said, "But I say to you," he's making it bold. 45:00 He's underscoring, he's highlighting. 45:03 Proof for that, the prophecy about the coming Messiah said, 45:08 Isaiah 42:21, "The Lord is well pleased for His 45:10 righteousness' sake. 45:13 He will exalt the law and make it honorable." 45:15 I think one version says, "He will magnify the law and make 45:19 it honorable." 45:21 So Jesus did not come to do away with. 45:23 He said, "Do not think I've come to destroy the law or 45:25 the prophets. 45:27 I didn't come to destroy, but fulfill." 45:29 Now, quiet times with God--got a couple of minutes to talk 45:31 about that. 45:33 One of the ways that we're going to have the power and the 45:35 strength of the spirit is you must spend time with God. 45:37 You will become like Jesus. 45:39 You will love Jesus as you commune with Jesus. 45:42 To know God is to love Him. 45:44 You cannot obey Him if you do not know Him. 45:45 You will not know Him if you don't take time to know Him. 45:50 You need to spend time with Him every day in prayer, in reading 45:53 His Word, even the days you don't feel like it. 45:56 Even the days you feel you're too busy, you must be religious 45:58 about it, that's right. 46:00 It needs to be a priority with you. 46:03 Psalm 119, verse 147, "I rise before the dawning of the 46:09 morning, and I cry for help. 46:11 I hope in your word." 46:12 Look into the Word early in the day. 46:14 This is when the children of Israel ate the manna. 46:16 Psalm 119, verse 148, "My eyes are awake through night watches, 46:21 that I might meditate on Your word." 46:24 Meditating on the Word even in the night, rising in 46:27 the morning. 46:29 When you lay down, when you rise up, surround yourself with the 46:31 Word of God. 46:33 Psalm 46, verse 10, "Be still and know that I am God." 46:37 There's a time to be quiet and enjoy our time with God. 46:40 Psalm 62, verse 1 and 2, and verse 5, "Truly my soul silently 46:46 waits for God." 46:48 You've heard of quiet time with God. 46:50 "From Him comes my salvation. 46:52 He only is my rock and my salvation. 46:54 He is my defense, I'll not be moved." 46:56 My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is 47:01 come from Him." 47:03 Even Jesus told the apostles, "Come aside by yourself to a 47:06 deserted place and rest a while." 47:09 Spend time in nature, communing with God. 47:11 It's one of my favorite things to do is just--is to get out and 47:14 get as far away from civilization as I can and just 47:18 spend some time quietly with God. 47:21 And, for me, "quietly with God" might mean sitting on the top of 47:25 a 450-horsepower quad, but I get out in nature, and that's how 47:30 I'm spending my quiet time with God. 47:32 No, but, really, you get out there, and you're surrounded 47:35 with the things of God, and you can stop, and you can pray, and 47:38 it is quiet, and you can see God in nature, and it's--there's 47:41 something majestic, something awesome about that, but we need 47:45 that quiet time. 47:47 And then, the last point--I only have a moment to talk about 47:52 this: Memory in song. 47:54 Commit the Word to memory. 47:57 That's how God's Holy Spirit will bring it back. 47:59 Psalm 119, verse 11, "Your word I've hid in my heart that I 48:01 might not sin." 48:03 And one way we do this is by singing the words of God. 48:06 "Now therefore, I write down this song," 48:10 Moses says in Deuteronomy 31:19, "write down this song 48:14 for yourselves, and teach it to the children of Israel. 48:17 Put it in their mouths." 48:19 They were to teach the Word of God in song to their children. 48:22 Numbers 21, verse 16, "From there they went to Beer, which 48:26 is a well, and the Lord said to Moses, 'Gather the people 48:30 together, and I will give them water.' 48:34 Then Israel sang this song: 'Spring up, O well. 48:38 All of you sing to it.'" 48:40 So they were to sing a song and remember 48:42 how God supplied water for them. 48:44 It's like that song, "Spring Up, O Well," and "Like the woman at 48:49 the well, I was seeking." 48:51 And so we write these songs to help us remember the Word 48:53 of God. 48:55 A lot of good hymns--one of the ways you know a good hymn, it 48:57 helps you remember the Word of God. 49:00 Ephesians 5:19, "Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns, and 49:03 spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart for 49:08 the Lord." 49:10 And then Colossians 3:16, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you 49:13 richly in all wisdom, teaching in admonishing one another in 49:17 psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in 49:23 your heart to the Lord." 49:25 These things help us remember the Word of God. 49:27 Wow, well, that's been a great quarter studying Scripture. 49:29 Next week, we're going to be talking about making friends 49:31 for God. 49:33 I want to just prepare you for that. 49:35 Don't forget our free offer, "Is Obedience Legalism?" 49:38 We talked about being doers of the Word today. 49:40 Once again, if you didn't catch this at the beginning, call 49:42 866-788-3966. 49:46 You can get your free copy, or text "SH041" to 40544. 49:53 God bless you. 49:55 By His grace, we'll study His Word together again next week. 49:57 male announcer: Don't forget to request today's 50:01 life-changing free resource. 50:03 Not only can you receive this free gift in the mail, you can 50:05 download a digital copy straight to your computer or 50:08 mobile device. 50:09 To get your digital copy of today's free gift, simply text 50:12 the keyword on your screen to 40544, or visit the web address 50:17 shown on your screen, and be sure to select the digital 50:20 download option on the request page. 50:22 It's now easier than ever for you to study God's Word with 50:25 Amazing Facts wherever and whenever you want, and most 50:29 important, to share it with others. 50:32 female announcer: Did you know Amazing Facts has a free Bible 50:34 school that you can do from the comfort of your own home? 50:37 It includes 27 study lessons to aid in your study of God's Word. 50:41 Sign up today by calling 1-844-215-7000. 50:46 That's 1-844-215-7000. 50:51 male announcer: Can't get enough Amazing Facts 50:53 Bible Study? 50:55 You don't have to wait until next week to enjoy more 50:57 truth-filled programming. 50:59 Visit the Amazing Facts media library at AFTV.org. 51:04 At AFTV.org, you can enjoy video and audio presentations, as well 51:09 as printed material, all free of charge, 24 hours a day, 7 days a 51:14 week, right from your computer or mobile device. 51:17 Visit AFTV.org. 51:25 announcer: Amazing Facts, Changed Lives. 51:33 male: I grew up here in New York City, I guess, 51:36 dealing with all the temptations that you would have in a big 51:39 city, everything that you could imagine that you could run into. 51:42 Drugs, crime was always here. 51:47 When I was at a young age, I actually got into trouble with 51:50 the law, and my only out was to join the military at the time in 51:54 order to not do time. 51:57 So I left New York and traveled the world a little bit while I 52:01 was in the military. 52:04 Eventually, I came back. 52:06 Having grown up as a hip-hop kid, I eventually found myself 52:09 working in the music business, actually. 52:12 I worked at a couple major radio stations, hip-hop, reggae. 52:15 I was at all the big reggae shows, working them. 52:17 No matter what I did to try and satisfy myself, nothing 52:21 really worked. 52:24 I remember I used to play at this one club in Manhattan. 52:27 We used to play there every Friday night. 52:29 So I came home one Saturday morning after leaving the club, 52:33 and I turned on the video channel like I usually do. 52:36 So there was this guy on the video channel, talking, and he 52:39 was definitely out of place, but the things that he was saying 52:43 just totally amazed me. 52:46 I never heard anyone speak about the Bible like this before, so I 52:49 started coming home early on Saturday mornings just to catch 52:53 this show. 52:55 I found the things that he was saying, absolutely amazing to 52:57 the point where it literally made me stop and start to think 53:02 about how I was living my life. 53:05 So I found that all of these things that I have been doing to 53:08 try and find happiness were actually not making me happy at 53:12 all but were really just leaving me empty inside. 53:15 When I started reading the Bible and it started to make sense, I 53:19 started to make changes. 53:21 I even tried to keep the Sabbath, which I failed 53:24 at miserably. 53:26 So I was actually invited by Amazing Facts to go to see a 53:29 live series at one of the local churches, but after going the 53:33 first night, I ended up going another night and another night. 53:37 I stayed for the entire series. 53:39 That was the day I made a decision that changed the rest 53:42 of my life forever. 53:44 I gave my life to Christ, and everything was different 53:46 after that. 53:48 I made a decision to give up the music business, stop hanging out 53:50 at all of the clubs. 53:52 I made a decision that was eternal for me and for 53:54 my family. 53:56 I started going to church. 53:59 I got a position in church where I was actually in charge of the 54:02 personal ministries department, and the same Amazing Facts 54:06 studies that changed my life, I actually got to share them with 54:10 people and sit down with them and tell them about Jesus. 54:16 ♪♪♪ 54:32 Doug: Have you ever heard a mouse howl like a wolf? 54:36 Well, what would you expect would happen when a creature 54:38 changes its destiny from the hapless prey to mighty predator? 54:42 From the outside, they look very much like just an oversized 54:45 field mouse, cute brown fur, white on the underbelly, nice 54:50 little beady eyes, but that's where the similarities stop. 54:53 Grasshopper mice are very unusual, making them the objects 54:57 of great interest for animal researchers. 55:02 These furry little creatures are found in the harsh deserts of 55:05 North America. 55:07 They're very territorial in nature, and they will monopolize 55:08 and fend off 25 acres. 55:11 They don't build their own homes but sort of confiscate the 55:13 burrows and the homes of other creatures. 55:17 They're not called grasshopper mice because they hop around, 55:20 but it's because they eat a lot of grasshoppers. 55:22 In fact, scientists have discovered grasshopper mice are 55:24 the only mice that are purely carnivorous. 55:28 They hunt much like cats or weasels, stalking their prey in 55:32 a predatory fashion, and when they pounce, they are ferocious, 55:36 sometimes even taking on snakes and scorpions and centipedes. 55:40 When a grasshopper mouse gets into a fierce battle with a 55:44 snake or a scorpion or centipede, they may be bit or 55:48 stung several times, but what is amazing to researchers is 55:53 they've noticed, when they are bitten, they somehow shake it 55:55 off because they convert the toxin and the venom 55:58 to painkiller. 56:01 I think you can understand why this information would be of 56:03 special interest to scientists that are trying to discover new 56:06 ways for people to deal with chronic pain. 56:10 One of the most intriguing characteristics of these little 56:14 creatures is, when they're defending their territory or 56:19 celebrating a victory over some adversary, they'll throw back 56:21 their head and let out this earthshaking howl. 56:25 It's a mousy howl, check it out. 56:27 [howling] 56:33 Doug: The grasshopper mouse is not the only member 56:35 of creation that can survive encounters with 56:38 venomous predators. 56:41 In Luke 10:19, it says, "Behold, I will give you authority to 56:44 trample on serpents and scorpions and over all the power 56:47 of the enemy. 56:49 Nothing will by any means hurt you." 56:52 We don't have to be the biggest and the strongest to defeat our 56:54 enemy and let out that victory roar. 56:57 When God called David to be king, no human would've guessed 57:00 that he had it in him. 57:01 He was young and insignificant. 57:03 From the outside, he looked like there was no greatness in him, 57:07 but when God looked at his heart, he saw courage, humility, 57:10 compassion, and love. 57:12 David wasn't perfect, and he made mistakes, but through God's 57:15 power, he was able to conquer giants. 57:18 Friend, God does not intend that you live out the rest of your 57:21 life cowering and trembling like a little field mouse. 57:25 If God can take the grasshopper mouse and give him courage so 57:28 that he fights snakes and scorpions and centipedes, if God 57:32 can put in the heart of David the courage to fight giants like 57:35 Goliath, then he can give you that same courage. 57:39 The Scriptures say, "God has not given you the spirit of fear, 57:42 but of power, love, and a sound mind." 57:46 And you could have that peace in your heart when you invite the 57:48 Prince of Peace in your heart. 57:50 Why don't you do that right now? 57:53 ♪♪♪ 58:02 ♪♪♪ |
Revised 2020-06-20