Participants:
Series Code: SSH
Program Code: SSH022027S
|
00:00 ♪♪♪
00:10 ♪♪♪ 00:20 ♪♪♪ 00:30 ♪♪♪ 00:35 Doug Batchelor: Hello, friends, 00:36 welcome to our "Sabbath School Study Hour." 00:38 We're so thankful that you are tuning in and joining us through 00:40 one of the various different media outlets. 00:44 We're on AFTV, we're streaming on the internet, 00:48 Facebook, YouTube, Granite Bay website, 00:51 and we're trying to get these messages out as far 00:53 and wide as possible. 00:55 Want to welcome all of you who are part of our regular Sabbath 00:59 School study class around the world. 01:01 As Mrs. Batchelor and I travel, we meet so many people in all 01:04 the different continents that say, 01:07 "We study the Sabbath School lesson with you." 01:10 And it's a delight to be with you today. 01:12 And some of you who are a part of our online Granite Bay 01:16 membership, there's people scattered around the world who 01:19 are part of God's church that have no local congregation that 01:22 they can attend for some reason, and so we've adopted them, 01:25 they're part of our digital church family. 01:27 If you're in that category and you want to know, 01:30 "How can I become part of the Granite Bay online membership?" 01:33 you can simple go to the website, 01:35 and that is granitebaysda.org, and you'll find out 01:40 more about that. 01:42 Now, today's exciting because we are beginning a new quarter 01:46 study, talking about making friends for God. 01:49 And this is a very, very important study dealing with 01:52 the subject of witnessing. 01:55 This is one of the three principle disciplines in 01:57 the Christian life. 01:58 Maybe I'll pause and say something about that before 02:00 I get deeper into the lesson. 02:02 You know, there's three secret weapons to growing spiritually. 02:06 You need to pray, prayer's like breath. 02:09 You need to eat, that's the Word of God. 02:13 And you need to let your light shine, 02:16 you need to exercise your faith, witness for the Lord. 02:18 In the holy place of the sanctuary, 02:20 before you get to the Holy of Holies, 02:23 where you've got the Ten Commandments and the presence of 02:25 God, you go through the holy place. 02:27 Three pieces of furniture in there, 02:29 and those represent the three principle disciplines 02:32 of Christian success. 02:34 You've got the table of shewbread, 02:36 that's your Bible. 02:37 You've got the altar of incense, that's prayer. 02:41 And then you've got the light, that's letting your light shine, 02:44 that's the witnessing. 02:45 And so, that's this whole quarter, 02:47 we're going to be dealing with this. 02:49 And I should mention right now that if you do not have one of 02:52 these, you can often go to the website, 02:54 you can download the daily lesson. 02:56 You just type in the word "Sabbath School." 02:59 There are two or three websites that are kind enough to post 03:02 this lesson, might post the whole quarterly. 03:06 I know some do, may just post the lesson. 03:09 If you're near a Seventh Day Adventist Church, 03:11 they'd love to have you come and visit. 03:12 Say, "I'd like to study the lesson with you," and they'll 03:14 give you a quarterly. 03:15 And those of you who are members of the Granite Bay Church 03:18 family, of course we'll have them here at our meetings or 03:21 wherever we're gathering in our pilgrim wandering in the next 03:24 few weeks until they completely lift these restrictions 03:27 connected with the COVID-19. 03:29 Now today, we're in lesson number one that is in our new 03:32 quarterly, "Making Friends For God." 03:36 And it's asking the question, why witness? 03:39 And before we get to that, I want to remind you 03:41 we have a free offer. 03:43 And the offer is called "The Ultimate Deliverance," 03:47 talking about the Lord's coming. 03:50 And if you would like a free copy of this, 03:52 simply text SH090 to 40544. 03:59 You can download this right there. 04:02 And if you want to get a copy, if you're in North America, 04:04 we'll be happy to send you one. 04:06 Simply call 866-788-3966. 04:10 That's 866-STUDY-MORE. 04:13 One more time, 866-788-3966 for North America and 04:18 its territories, and we will mail you one of these. 04:20 So, before we dive into lesson number one, 04:23 let's begin with a Word of prayer. 04:24 Father in heaven, we're very thankful for the truth, 04:28 and we're thankful for this study now that we're going 04:31 to be talking about one of the priorities of the 04:33 Christian experience. 04:35 And after we come to You, going for You, 04:38 sharing You with others. 04:40 And I just pray that Your spirit will take charge of this 04:42 presentation, that hearts will be stirred, 04:45 and moved, and inspired, that we might all be better 04:48 witnesses for You. 04:50 We pray this in Jesus's name, amen. 04:53 All right, there's a memory verse in our lesson, 04:57 and it comes to us from 1 Timothy chapter 2, 05:00 verse 3 and 4. 05:01 And this is the New King James version. 05:03 "For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 05:07 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge 05:13 of the truth." 05:15 So, what we're talking about both in the lesson today and in 05:19 this entire quarter of studies, by the way written by my friend 05:21 Mark Finley, pastor evangelist Mark Finley, 05:24 is talking about the priorities of the Bible. 05:28 If you go to the beginning of the gospel, 05:30 it says that the angel told Mary, 05:33 "You will call His name Jesus, for He will save His people 05:36 from their sins." 05:38 This is why God sent His Son into the world, 05:40 to save us. 05:42 He so loved the world that He sent his Son, 05:44 that we might not perish. 05:46 And this is the priority of God, he wants to save people. 05:48 There's nothing that God is more interested in in this world 05:51 than redeeming people because if--it's a matter of 05:55 life and death. 05:57 If they're not saved, they're eternally lost. 05:59 But unfortunately, Christians are losing their passion for 06:03 reaching people, even though this was such 06:06 a priority with Jesus. 06:08 Last thing Christ says is, "Go ye, therefore, teach, baptize." 06:12 Teach what? About the gospel. 06:15 You go to Acts chapter 1, "I'll send you My Spirit." 06:18 Why? 06:19 "That you might be My witnesses." 06:21 And so, we're asking this question, 06:24 "Why witness?" 06:25 Well, I saw some interesting statistics from a couple 06:29 of Barna studies. 06:30 You know, George Barna had that famous Christian 06:32 Research Institute. 06:33 I had the privilege of eating with him one day, 06:36 just a delightful man. 06:37 And they've done some excellent studies on trends 06:39 in Christianity in North America and even other parts 06:42 of the world. 06:44 Barna study in 1993, it discovered a growing number of 06:49 Christians feel no personal responsibility for sharing 06:52 the good news. 06:54 In 1993, 10% of Christians agreed that converting people to 06:59 Christianity is the job of the local church. 07:02 They said, "Well, it's not my job, 07:04 it's the job of the local church." 07:05 That's 10% thought that. 07:07 But by the time you get to-- and that's opposed to 07:10 individual witnessing. 07:12 By the time you get to the present day, 07:13 now 25%--oh sorry, 29%, a threefold increase of Christians 07:21 think, "Witnessing is really the job of the church, 07:24 it's not my job." 07:25 And this is part of bad theology 'cause evidently people don't 07:29 realize they are the church. 07:31 The buildings don't do any witnessing, 07:33 it's the people in the buildings. 07:35 So, what has happened? 07:36 What cultural trend or what bad teaching or theology has led 07:40 such a large number of Christians to miss that one 07:45 of the primary purposes that we are Christians is 07:47 to share our faith? 07:49 We are saved to bring glory to God. 07:52 And one of the ways we do this is by witnessing and by 07:55 sharing our faith. 07:57 But wait, there's more. 07:59 It says that in 1993, nine out of ten Christians who had shared 08:04 their faith agreed--well, let me say that again. 08:09 Yet the most dramatic divergence over time is on this statement, 08:14 and here's the statement, "Every Christian has a responsibility 08:17 to share their faith." 08:18 In 1993, nine out of 10 Christians believed that every 08:21 Christian had some responsibility. 08:23 Today--and that was 89% back then. 08:26 Today, only 64% believe every Christian has a responsibility 08:31 to share their faith. 08:32 Wow, 25% drop. 08:35 And it's especially severe among the young, 08:38 the millennials. 08:40 And it says almost half of the millennials, 08:42 47% agree that it is actually wrong to share your personal 08:46 belief with someone of a different faith, 08:49 hoping that they will one day share your faith. 08:51 That somehow it's immoral for you to try to convert somebody 08:56 to your beliefs. 08:57 What has happened to the Christian mission? 09:00 Well, we're going to be talking about that a little bit in our 09:02 lesson today and in the quarter ahead. 09:05 This is--like I said, this is part and parcel of what it means 09:08 to be a Christian is you come to Lord and then you 09:13 go for the Lord. 09:14 And every Christian every day should be praying about and 09:17 looking for opportunities to share their faith with somebody. 09:20 Just yesterday, I was visiting with a gentleman, 09:24 had an opportunity to give him a DVD. 09:28 Actually gave him the little statue of our kingdom's prophecy 09:32 or DVD documentary. 09:34 I gave him some lessons, gave him a testimony book, 09:37 shared a little bit of my personal testimony. 09:39 And every day, we have opportunities in 09:44 varying degrees. 09:46 You know, you can't grab everybody by the collar and hold 09:49 them down and preach to them, but we have opportunities every 09:51 day to share our faith in some way even if it's, 09:54 you know, in a casual way. 09:57 You don't--we don't do all of the farming. 09:59 Every individual doesn't plant the seed, 10:01 and cultivate the seed, and water the seed, 10:03 and harvest the seed all by ourselves. 10:05 But have some part in people's conversion, 10:07 have some part in that farming process of reaching 10:11 the lost every day. 10:13 And you'll find that if you pray--because this is the thing 10:17 that is the most important to Jesus. 10:19 If you pray and say, "Lord, I'm willing to be used of You today 10:21 to tell others about You," stand back and watch what happens. 10:25 God is going to work miracles for you, 10:27 He's going to bring people into your path, 10:29 He's going to arrange things providentially. 10:31 The Holy Spirit will then nudge you, 10:33 usually through God's angels, and say, 10:34 "This is that opportunity you prayed about. 10:36 This is that person." 10:38 And you're going to go, "Wow, I'm working in partnership 10:40 with God." 10:42 And so, you'll see battles going on. 10:44 You'll see events and providence being arranged behind the scenes 10:48 because God is wanting you to share your faith. 10:52 There's nothing the Lord wants more than for us 10:56 to share our faith. 10:58 I remember praying one time, and some of you know my story 11:00 that I was living up in the mountains in a cave, 11:04 accepted Jesus through reading the Bible. 11:06 Was not a Seventh Day Adventist Christian yet, 11:08 I hadn't even heard of Seventh Day Adventist. 11:10 But I felt impressed. 11:12 You know, after you come to the Lord, 11:14 you're happy, and you want to tell other people 11:16 about your faith. 11:17 And I felt impressed, I said, "Lord, 11:19 I feel like You want me to tell other people, 11:22 but I don't know how that's going to happen because I live 11:24 up here in a cave right now, and I almost never see anybody." 11:27 And after I prayed that prayer and said, 11:31 "Lord, you know, I think You want me to share my faith, 11:33 but You're going to have to show me if that's what You want 11:35 me to do." 11:37 I went to town and I called my mother. 11:38 I used to call her once a week or so just to check in, 11:41 tell her I was okay. 11:42 And she said, "Doug, you'll never believe what happened. 11:45 I was having lunch with somebody in NBC News and telling him 11:51 that, yeah, my son lives in a cave above Palm Springs, 11:54 and his father's a millionaire." 11:56 And he thought, "Well, that would be a great human 11:57 interest story." 11:58 And the short version is that within a week or so of praying 12:02 that prayer, a helicopter flew to my cave, 12:05 made two trips with a film crew. 12:07 You can't get up there any other way. 12:09 And they videotaped me sharing my testimony, 12:13 and I was on national television three times sharing my faith. 12:18 So, talk about God giving opportunities. 12:20 You go from being a hermit and thinking you're not going to see 12:24 anybody, to having God send a film crew to your cave. 12:26 So, if you're willing to be used of the Lord, 12:30 you watch what He does. 12:32 He will work miracles for you. 12:33 Some of you know the story of William Miller. 12:35 He just was learning so many things, 12:37 he said, "Lord, if You want me to share this, 12:39 I don't want to, but if You want me to, 12:40 You show me." 12:42 And then he got a knock on the door out of nowhere. 12:44 He was a farmer. 12:46 Someone says, "You know, they've asked if you would come preach 12:48 about the things you're studying." 12:50 God will open doors. 12:52 God is a hundred times more eager for you to share your 12:56 faith than most people are to share their faith. 12:58 And if you say, "Lord, I'm willing to be used," you stand 13:00 back, he's going to open opportunities, 13:02 you'll see that. 13:04 You know, in the beginning of the lesson, 13:06 there's a good quote, "Mission, Christian witnessing, 13:09 is primarily the work of God. 13:11 He is employing all of the resources of heaven 13:14 to save our planet. 13:16 Our work is to cooperate joyfully with Him in His work." 13:20 So, you don't have to act or worry like the whole business 13:23 of witnessing is on your shoulders. 13:25 God is just asking you, are you willing to work alongside Him, 13:28 to participate in His work of saving people? 13:31 Romans chapter 5, verse 8, "But God demonstrates His own love 13:37 towards us in that while we were sinners, 13:40 Christ died for us." 13:42 It's through the love of God that we do this. 13:45 He's demonstrated His love and He wants us to-- 13:49 it's why we're sinners too. 13:50 You don't have to wait until you feel like you're perfect, 13:52 you don't have to wait until you feel like other 13:55 people are ready. 13:56 God is taking the message from sinners to sinners. 14:00 Now, this is an important point I don't want to rush past. 14:02 A lot of people never witness 'cause they feel like 14:05 they're not qualified. 14:07 I had an old friend that he told me, 14:10 he was an old mountain man, and he said, 14:13 "The number one step to teaching a donkey something, 14:17 you need to know something the donkey doesn't know. 14:20 That then qualifies you to teach him." 14:23 And I remember the first few Bible studies that I gave 14:27 to other people after accepting Jesus, 14:29 I was up in my cave and I was a flower child back then, 14:33 and I didn't even have any clothes on. 14:35 But the people I was studying with didn't have 14:38 any clothes on either. 14:39 We were just kind of natural hippies up then, 14:41 but I was so excited about the gospel, 14:42 here I am up there. 14:44 I obviously have not studied dress reform, 14:46 but I was sharing what I had learned. 14:48 Now you think, "Pastor Doug, that's taking it a little far." 14:52 You know, Jesus sent out the apostles witnessing before they 14:55 were fully converted. 14:56 He sent out Peter, James, John, and the others teaching, 14:59 preaching, casting out devils. 15:01 And the Bible says that then Jesus turns to Peter and He 15:04 says, "Peter, when you are converted, 15:07 strengthen the brethren." 15:08 "What do you mean when I'm converted? 15:10 Lord, I've been following You three years. 15:12 I've been out teaching, preaching, 15:13 casting out devils, healing, doing miracles." 15:15 Jesus said, "You're not fully converted yet." 15:18 And of course, he was preparing to deny the Lord. 15:21 And even Paul years later had to kind of rebuke Peter on some 15:24 inconsistencies in his life. 15:27 And so, God uses us where we're at. 15:30 Don't wait until you feel like you're perfect. 15:34 Now, your witness is going to be a lot better when you're fully 15:36 consecrated, but don't wait until you feel like you know 15:39 everything before you share what you do know. 15:42 And if someone asks you something you don't know, 15:44 say, "Well, I'll go study that. 15:46 That's a good question." 15:47 And you'll be blessed in the process. 15:50 All right, so why witness? 15:51 We've all got a responsibility. 15:53 First section here under Monday, providing opportunities 15:57 for salvation. 15:59 Actually, God is using us to bring these opportunities 16:03 of salvation to others. 16:04 Luke 19, verse 10, and we're going to read this verse a lot 16:09 in this quarter I'm quite sure, "For the Son of Man has come to 16:13 seek and to save that which is lost." 16:16 From the beginning of the Bible to the end, 16:18 this is the message of God. 16:21 The whole purpose is that man has been separated from God. 16:23 Adam ran from God in the garden. 16:26 God came, He said, "Where are you?" 16:28 Adam ran. 16:30 And you know, the first question that's asked in 16:32 the New Testament is the wise men looking for Jesus. 16:35 They're saying, "Where is He?" 16:36 And so, you've got God saying, "Where are you?" 16:39 And you've got man saying, "Where is He?" 16:42 And man, through sin, has been separated from God. 16:46 The purpose of the plan of salvation is to show people who 16:49 are lost how to get back to the garden and how to get back 16:53 to their creator. 16:54 And so, Jesus came to seek and to save that which is lost. 16:58 You know, I remember a lot of people, 17:02 when they're converted, they say, 17:03 "I found the Lord." 17:05 And someone reminded me, they said, 17:07 "No, Doug, you didn't really find the Lord, 17:09 He found you. 17:11 He was not lost, you were." 17:13 And so, Jesus came to seek those who are lost. 17:16 James chapter 5, verse 19: "Brethren, if anyone 17:20 among you wanders from the truth and someone turns him 17:24 back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error 17:27 of his way will save a soul from death and cover 17:33 a multitude of sins." 17:35 Well, it's good to cover a multitude of sins, 17:37 but He says you'll save a soul of death. 17:40 You know, if you ever had any doubts, 17:42 friends, the Bible is really clear, 17:43 you've heard people say, "Urgent, 17:46 matter of life and death." 17:48 Sometimes, people will send me an email and 17:51 they flag it urgent. 17:52 So, I go to that email 'cause it says urgent, 17:54 you've got a flag by it. 17:56 And I read the email and I thought, 17:57 "Well, that's not that urgent." 17:59 But sometimes, the 911 operators get a call, 18:03 and they say, "What is your emergency?" 18:06 And they say, "I can't figure out how to program 18:08 my microwave." 18:10 And they say, "That is not an emergency." 18:12 So, there's a lot of things in life that we fret over that 18:15 really are not important, but when it comes to salvation, 18:18 you are really dealing with a matter of life and death. 18:21 And I think sometimes we forget that through neglect of sharing 18:26 our faith, some people are going to miss out on eternity. 18:30 And it's not that God can't save the lost without humans. 18:34 He could use angels, God can speak to people directly if He 18:38 wants to, like He did to the Apostle Paul. 18:40 But we have been given the privilege and the responsibility 18:44 to share the gospel with other people. 18:47 And you know, if we only knew how horrific it's going to be 18:52 when the lost discover that probation is closed, 18:56 or they rise in the wrong resurrection and they hear the 18:59 words, "The harvest has passed, the summer has ended, 19:01 and we are not saved." 19:03 And it's forever too late for them to be saved. 19:05 And we see that there are people that are out there, 19:08 and we think, "You know, if I had cared a little more, 19:10 I could've reached some of those people and they'd be here." 19:13 I think that it's going to be a very sobering time for 19:16 Christians to see that we have the stains of blood on our 19:23 garment from people that we could've warned, 19:25 we just were too lazy or indifferent to care about. 19:27 Now, don't get me wrong, all of us are in that category. 19:31 And we're thanking God for His mercy that sometimes we haven't 19:34 been caring, we haven't been good witnesses, 19:36 we've neglected. 19:38 But let's not leave it there, let's realize what's at stake. 19:40 We're talking the life and death issues here. 19:44 So, really and the lesson is talking about now making 19:48 friends for God. 19:49 And one of the most important things you can do is witnessing 19:53 to people and making friends with them. 19:54 You know, I remember when I was little that kids just kind of 20:00 have a habit if you see another kid at a park and you don't know 20:03 them, we just boldly walk up to them and say, 20:05 "You want to be friends?" 20:07 I didn't even know their name yet. 20:08 "You want to be friends?" 20:10 They look like they're about my--" 20:11 Well, how old are you?" 20:13 "Well, I'm five, how old are you?" 20:14 "I'm five. 20:15 Wow, look, we got so much in common." 20:17 It didn't take much. 20:18 And you've seen it before, just little kids, they just run up. 20:19 I've seen kids, my kids did it. 20:21 We got one kid that's really huggy. 20:22 And when he was little, he'd see total strangers in China, 20:25 we're in Tiananmen Square, little Nathan, 20:28 he's running up, he's hugging these Chinese kids, 20:29 and they're going, "Who is this kid?" 20:31 And they're uninhibited. 20:33 They just want to make friends. 20:35 They want to play with someone. 20:36 Friends are so important in life. 20:38 Somebody said one time that friends divide your sorrows 20:42 and multiply your joy. 20:44 And so, you know, God designed us to be social creatures. 20:47 It is not good that man should be alone. 20:49 And it's really important that we show people that we care. 20:53 And then--and you share with them. 20:56 So, we want to make friends, we want to be witnesses for him. 21:04 Jesus, when he began his ministry, 21:07 he was filled with the Holy Spirit. 21:09 You know, Christ said, "Pray for the filling of the Spirit." 21:12 And as soon as Jesus was filled with the Spirit, 21:14 then He began witnessing. 21:16 The apostles did the same thing after Pentecost. 21:18 He said, "Wait for the Holy Spirit." 21:20 They were filled with the Holy Spirit and they 21:22 began witnessing. 21:23 When you're baptized, Peter said, 21:25 "Repent and be baptized, and God will give you the promise 21:27 of the Holy Spirit." 21:28 Why does He give it? 21:30 So you can live the life and you can be a witness. 21:32 Jesus is not in the world today. 21:35 When Jesus was in the world, He went around, 21:37 He went teaching, healing, preaching. 21:39 Now, we are the body of Christ. 21:43 You and I are His feet, we are His hands, 21:46 we are His eyes. 21:48 It is through us that He now goes through the world and 21:50 ministered to the needs of the world. 21:52 He does the healing, He does the miracles, 21:55 but He did all of that in the context of preaching and 21:58 teaching about salvation, seeking and saving the lost. 22:03 Under the next section here, it talks about making Jesus glad. 22:09 One of the greatest motivations I think for us to witness and 22:14 make friends for the Lord is this is what brings joy to God 22:18 is when we are telling other people about Christ, 22:21 it just thrills the heart of God. 22:24 Nothing made Jesus happier than to see other people come to Him. 22:29 The Bible tells us that when someone is saved, 22:32 the angels rejoice. 22:34 And we've got several verses that talk about this. 22:36 Luke chapter 15, matter of fact, you've got three examples here 22:38 in Luke 15 we're going to look at where it talks about this 22:42 principle, this priority. 22:44 Luke 15, verse 6, "And when he had come home." 22:48 Now, this is the parable of the shepherd. 22:50 He has 99 sheep, he's lost one of his sheep. 22:56 And when he searches over hill and dale, 22:58 he finally finds that sheep. 23:01 Doesn't tell us that sheep was a prize sheep worth more than the 23:04 other sheep, it was just a sheep, 23:05 but he loved them all. 23:07 And he went over hill and dale, he finds that sheep, 23:10 and he is so excited. 23:12 He comes back into town, he tell all his friends, 23:15 he says, "Rejoice with me, for I've found my missing sheep 23:19 which was lost." 23:21 And his friends that share in his joy and sorrows, 23:23 they rejoice with him. 23:25 And then God goes on to add, Jesus says in this parable, 23:29 "I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven 23:35 over one sinner who repents than over 99 just persons that 23:41 need no repentance." 23:42 Now, Jesus said, "It's not the sick that need a physician." 23:46 I'm sorry, "It's not the well that need the physician, 23:48 it's the sick." 23:50 And most parents, when they wake their kids up for school in the 23:55 morning or they see them first in the morning, 23:58 they say, "Hi, did you sleep good? 23:59 Good to see you. Glad everything's well." 24:02 But if that kid had been struggling with a terminal 24:06 disease for six months, and they were just in pain, 24:11 and they were in a potentially terminal condition, 24:16 and then through all of the right treatments and the doctor 24:19 gives them the medication, finally the doctor says after 24:23 the final checkup, "You know, the cancer is gone, 24:27 they're completely healed, they've got great health." 24:31 When that parent wakes up the child in the morning and says, 24:34 "How do you feel?" 24:35 and they say, "I feel great," it means so much more to them 24:38 because they were at death's door and now they're well. 24:41 And so, this is what Jesus is saying. 24:43 When the human race is fallen, we are perishing, 24:48 we're under a death sentence. 24:50 And the Lord is not willing that any should perish. 24:53 There's nothing that can separate us from 24:54 the love of God. 24:56 He longs to see us saved. 24:57 Think about this, the Lord longs to see us saved infinitely more 25:02 than any earthly parent wants to see their child saved 25:05 from a terminal disease. 25:07 So, how happy does it make the Lord when someone turns from 25:11 darkness to light and they're saved? 25:13 And you and I get to bring joy to heaven in sharing our faith. 25:18 And it's not just God, it's Jesus, 25:20 it's God the Father, it's the angels, 25:22 it's the unfallen worlds. 25:24 They're all beholding this theater to the universe, 25:27 what's happening down here. 25:29 It's like the story of Job. 25:30 You got this meeting in heaven, where the sons of God are 25:34 meeting before the Lord. 25:36 And Satan comes, and God says in the presence of all these 25:40 heavenly beings, angels, and unfallen leaders of worlds, 25:42 "Have you considered My servant Job, 25:46 that there's none like him in the world? 25:49 A man who hates evil and he loves what's good." 25:52 And here God is in heaven bragging about Job. 25:56 He's intensely interested in what's happening on earth, 25:59 and the righteousness and the godliness and 26:01 the salvation of one man. 26:03 All of heaven seems to know about Job. 26:05 It's like Jesus said, "If you confess Me on earth before this 26:10 wicked and adulterous generation, 26:12 I will confess your name before My Father and 26:14 His angels in heaven." 26:15 Heaven is interested in what is happening here on earth. 26:18 Angels are watching what we do. 26:20 And they rejoice when even the little things we do to try to 26:24 plant seeds of salvation in someone's life, 26:27 or to speak a Word for Christ, or offer to pray with someone 26:30 that's discouraged. 26:32 And it doesn't mean that you've got to be responsible, 26:35 like I said, for the whole shooting match, 26:36 but doing something every day to try to bring people closer 26:39 to salvation. 26:41 Heaven rejoices in that 'cause that's the mission of God, 26:44 and He wants us to do that. 26:46 Now there's--you got the next parable. 26:49 By the way, Jesus shares that first parable and He talks about 26:53 a shepherd's love for His sheep. 26:56 And I can't help but wonder if Jesus is not thinking back about 26:59 those stories of David. 27:01 Now, Jesse had probably a lot of sheep. 27:04 He didn't have one lamb, he had a lot of sheep. 27:07 But when a bear came and took one sheep, 27:10 David loved that one sheep so much that he put his life on 27:12 the line to save that one sheep, and he killed the bear. 27:18 And then a lion comes and he takes a sheep, 27:22 and David goes out to save that one bleating sheep, 27:26 and puts his life on the line to save that sheep. 27:30 Now, I've got a confession to make. 27:32 Years ago up in the hills in Covelo, 27:34 where we lived, we had milk goats. 27:37 And I remember having two goats and a baby kid. 27:42 And one day, for some reason, one of the goats disappeared. 27:47 We don't know, we thought--'cause we let them free 27:49 range, but they always stayed around to get milked, 27:51 and I didn't know what happened. 27:52 It's up in this wild country, and I thought that this goat 27:56 just wandered off. 27:58 And then I woke up one morning, I heard this terrible bang and 28:03 the whole house shook. 28:06 And then it's still dark out, it's like five in the morning. 28:09 And then we heard our goat Libby crying, 28:12 "Baa, baa." 28:14 It was a terrible distress call, and it was getting more distant. 28:18 And I looked out the window, and in the dark I could see there 28:23 was some shadow dragging Libby up the hill. 28:25 Now, Libby was like, you know, a 70-pound goat, 28:27 80-pound goat. 28:29 And my gun was out in the truck. 28:32 And I'll admit I did not want to go out in the dark. 28:37 I knew there was either a mountain lion or a bear out 28:40 there, and I was afraid. 28:41 This is when I first moved the hills, 28:43 I was a teenager who rode subways in New York City. 28:45 The idea that there was a bear out there that was trying to eat 28:48 my goat, I wasn't ready to put my life on the line for my goat. 28:53 And I'm ashamed to tell you that today. 28:55 Today, I would've gone outside, I know a little more about bears 28:57 and mountain lions. 28:59 But back then, I was still just a 19 year old out of New York, 29:04 scared to death. 29:05 And I feel some--I feel some comfort in knowing that 29:09 a good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. 29:11 It never says they do it for the goats because, 29:12 you know, the sheep are saved, the goats are lost anyway. 29:15 But David, when I read that story in the Bible, 29:18 it's very real to me because I think I was--I didn't even 29:21 have--David didn't even have a gun. 29:23 And he went and he put his life on the line to get into almost 29:27 hand to hand combat with a bear to save a sheep. 29:29 So, when Jesus says this shepherd goes in search of this 29:32 sheep and he's going out at night, 29:35 he's got 99 left. 29:36 Why doesn't he just say, "I'm happy with 99"? 29:38 But he goes and he finds that one missing sheep, 29:40 and he rejoices over that. 29:43 You know, God could say, "You know, 29:45 I've got billions of unfallen worlds. 29:47 Isn't that enough?" 29:49 But this world is special. 29:51 Man is made in the image of God, we are His children. 29:53 Adam is called the son of God, that means we're all 29:57 grandchildren of God. 29:58 And God, His love is perfect. 30:01 He loves us more than earthly parents or grandparents 30:04 love their children. 30:05 So, when you cooperate with God to save the lost, 30:08 it brings joy to God. 30:10 There's nothing that God is more intensely interested in. 30:13 Proof, He sent Jesus, gave His Son to save His other children. 30:19 And so, this is very important. 30:21 All right, I'm going to carry on. 30:22 The other parable, and we're still in Matthew 15--I'm sorry, 30:24 Luke 15, verse 8. 30:26 "What woman, having ten silver coins, 30:29 if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house 30:33 and search carefully until she finds it? 30:37 And then she calls her friends and her neighbors together." 30:40 I don't know if I'd ever go to some lady's party 'cause she 30:42 found a missing coin, but evidently maybe this was 30:46 part of her dowry. 30:47 They used to give coins out, and it had some special meaning. 30:51 She says, "Rejoice with me. 30:53 I found my piece that I had lost. 30:56 Likewise, I say to you there is joy in the presence of the 31:00 angels over one sinner who repents." 31:04 You know, when you do an evangelistic, 31:09 first he says joy in heaven, now he says joy in the presence 31:12 of the angels. 31:13 Angels, they love what God loves, 31:15 and God loves to see people saved. 31:17 They are rejoicing. 31:18 Angels have feelings, you know? 31:20 And they're rejoicing over one sinner who repents. 31:23 Luke 15, verse 22. 31:26 You know the story of the prodigal and that father, 31:30 wandered from home. 31:32 Now, it starts to get a little home--a little closer to home. 31:35 You got the shepherd with his sheep. 31:37 You know, I mean, I love animals. 31:40 Karen and I, we've got three dogs up in the hills, 31:43 and we like our dogs. 31:45 We got to be careful when we go up there, 31:47 we can't pet them a lot certain times a year because they run 31:49 through the poison oak, and we get poison oak when we pet them. 31:51 Karen puts on rubber gloves 'cause she wants to pet them 31:54 so much, she'll even put on gloves so she can pet them. 31:56 And you know, Americans spend more money on their pets than 32:01 some countries spend on their people. 32:05 People love their pets. 32:07 And it's amazing the care and the pampering that people go 32:12 through for their pets. 32:14 I just saw a relative that spent $10,000 on medical treatment 32:18 for a dog. 32:20 Now, we love our dogs, and I'll probably get letters from you, 32:23 but I don't think I'd spend that much on a dog. 32:28 To me, it just doesn't seem right. 32:30 I think you got to keep things in perspective. 32:33 I know I'm going to get letters now. 32:35 I'll be getting letters from those of you who ask for the 32:37 book, "Will My Pets Be in Heaven?" 32:39 This man's rejoicing over his sheep. 32:42 You see how much people love their dogs, 32:45 there are people that love their pets more than 32:47 they love lost souls. 32:49 But the priority for Jesus is people. 32:52 You know, nowhere in the Bible does it say Jesus died 32:55 to save our parakeets. 32:56 It doesn't say that He died to save our cats, 33:01 especially cats. 33:02 No, I like cats too. 33:04 But people love their pets so much, 33:07 and they think that there's some people that are more interested 33:09 in, "Will my pet be saved?" 33:11 than, "Will my relatives be saved?" 33:14 This man, his friends rejoiced over his found sheep. 33:17 These neighbors rejoiced over the found coin, 33:21 inanimate coin, and they're rejoicing. 33:23 Finally, now Jesus brings it home and He says, 33:26 "What about people?" 33:28 A man had two sons. 33:30 And one son said, "Father, I don't want you, 33:34 but I want all of your resources." 33:36 And he went into a far country, took his father's inheritance, 33:39 and he squandered it living recklessly. 33:41 He just frittered it away, finally ends up in the pig pen, 33:45 longing for the food the pigs eat. 33:48 And then he remembers his father's love and his 33:49 father's abundance. 33:51 He said, "Even the servants in my father's house eat better 33:53 than I eat, I'm eating pigs' food." 33:55 And he goes home to his father. 33:58 Of course, you know the story. 33:59 Father runs out to meet him, he embraces him, 34:01 covers him with his best robe, adopts him back into the family. 34:06 Brother comes out and he says, "What's this? 34:11 You're having a party for this son of yours that went out and 34:15 he squandered your inheritance and he, 34:18 you know, lived a reckless, evil life, 34:21 and here you're having a big celebration 'cause 34:23 he's come home. 34:24 He ought to come home with his tail between his legs, 34:27 and he should be whipped for what he's done." 34:29 Father says, "No, my son was dead and now he's alive. 34:32 He was lost and now he's found. 34:34 It is right that we should rejoice and make merry." 34:36 And so, here Jesus is illustrating that heaven 34:40 celebrates when the lost are saved. 34:45 And this should be the central purpose of the church. 34:48 The church is a lifeboat that is launched out into the waters 34:52 where people are drowning. 34:54 And one by one, we are pulling them into the boat and we're 34:57 saving them from certain death. 34:59 And it reminds me of the story of the Titanic, 35:04 which I studied at length, read a lot of history about it. 35:08 And when that ship went down, several of the lifeboats, 35:12 the early lifeboats that were launched from the Titanic, 35:14 nobody wanted to get into the lifeboats, 35:16 but they had to launch them. 35:18 And so, some of them were launched less than half full, 35:20 even though there were not enough lifeboats for the people 35:24 that were on the boat. 35:25 I think 1,500 perished because they didn't have 35:28 enough lifeboats. 35:30 And after the boat sank, the lifeboats, 35:33 it was not even windy, it was very calm, 35:35 they could hear the people off in the distance shouting for 35:40 help, calling for salvation. 35:42 They're freezing in the water, saying, 35:43 "Help me, help me, save us." 35:45 Parents were looking for their children, 35:47 and husbands are calling for their wives. 35:49 It was just a--it was a horrendous sound. 35:52 The ship went down, all these people sprang to the surface, 35:54 especially those wearing life jackets. 35:56 And many of the lifeboats did not go and venture over to try 36:01 to save those who were perishing 'cause they were afraid. 36:04 They were afraid that, well, maybe too many of them will swim 36:08 on our boat and they'll swamp the boat. 36:11 It'll be overcrowded and we will all drown as a result. 36:14 Only a handful of the lifeboats went back and picked up 36:18 a couple of people. 36:19 It's such a tragedy that they would stand by and 36:22 watch them all drown. 36:23 But you know what? 36:25 This is what a lot of churches doing. 36:26 That's right. 36:28 There's a lot of churches that sort of exists for 36:29 our own comfort. 36:31 And we're not aggressively working to make friends for God 36:34 and to reach out and save the lost. 36:36 The purpose for the church, we are supposed to be a lifeboat. 36:40 We're supposed to be launching out and taking risks to reach 36:43 the lost, that's our mission. 36:45 It's not about our entertainment or our comfort, 36:49 but--and we'll find our greatest joy in doing that. 36:51 And that's what'll make a church grow is to have the priority 36:55 of evangelism. 36:56 And something else I've noticed, a lot of churches are all--they 36:58 say, "We're not ready for evangelism 'cause we're too 37:00 embroiled with internal problems. 37:02 Our members aren't converted enough for evangelism." 37:05 I've actually had pastors tell me that. 37:06 "Yeah, I can't do evangelism here 'cause our people, 37:09 just they're not spiritual enough or whatever." 37:10 One of the ways to get your church converted and spiritual 37:13 is get them involved in what they're supposed to be doing. 37:16 Get them involved in soul winning, 37:18 and that brings about a big change. 37:19 This is what makes Jesus glad. 37:23 In Matthew chapter 25, you know that story where it says that 37:33 in the judgment, He separates the sheep from the goats? 37:35 I alluded to that a moment ago. 37:37 And He tells the sheep, "Well done, 37:39 good and faithful servant. 37:40 Enter into the joy of the Lord. 37:42 I was hungry, you fed me. 37:43 I was thirsty, you gave me drink. 37:45 I was sick and you came to me. 37:46 I was a prisoner and you visited me. 37:48 I was a stranger and you took me in." 37:51 And they said, "Lord, when did we see you hungry, 37:53 or thirsty, or sick, or in prison, 37:55 or stranger, or naked?" 37:58 And He says, "In as much as you did it to the least of these, 38:01 you did it to Me." 38:03 Anything we do to relieve the suffering of other people, 38:05 Jesus feels that joy. 38:08 And Jesus, because He knows all things, 38:11 He knows how people feel. 38:12 And when people find salvation, there's such a relief, 38:14 He senses that. 38:16 It brings joy to his heart. 38:18 Isaiah 62, verse 5: "For as a young man marries a virgin, 38:22 so your sons marry you. 38:25 And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, 38:28 so shall your God rejoice over you." 38:32 You know, that ought to be one of the happiest days in 38:34 the world is when a couple get married. 38:36 I tell the groom and the bride, I say, 38:38 "Look, if you're not happy today, 38:40 you ought to call it off because this should be the happiest day. 38:43 There should be an excitement and a joy." 38:47 And sometimes, you see arranged marriages in other countries. 38:52 And the groom and the bride, they had no pride in the choice, 38:55 and they don't look very happy. 38:57 But normally, it should be a happy day. 39:01 Zephaniah 3:17, "The Lord your God is in the midst of you. 39:05 The mighty one will save. 39:08 He will rejoice over you with gladness. 39:10 He will quiet you with his love. 39:12 He will rejoice over you with singing." 39:15 One of the only verses in the Bible talks about God singing is 39:17 in connection with the lost being saved. 39:20 This is what brings great joy to the heart of God. 39:23 All right, let's go to the section growing by giving. 39:26 John 7, verse 37 and 38: "On that last great day of the 39:32 feast, Jesus stood and He cried out, 39:34 saying, 'If anyone thirsts, let them come to Me and drink. 39:38 He that believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, 39:41 out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'" 39:45 You know, when you're a Christian, you need to realize 39:48 that maintaining your Christianity is dependent 39:52 on God sharing through you. 39:56 If you receive from God His goodness, 39:59 His blessings, His truth, and you don't pass it on, 40:00 you'll lose it, it's like a muscle. 40:02 If you don't use it, you lose it. 40:04 In the Christian life, the only way you get to keep the gospel 40:08 is by giving it away. 40:11 It's a principle in life. 40:13 If you withhold your grain, you'll get to eat some, 40:17 you'll be full. 40:19 But if you don't scatter some, if you don't cast it out, 40:21 you're not going to have another crop. 40:22 If you want to tend to increase, you need to scatter. 40:25 That's what the Proverbs tells us. 40:27 In the Christian life, if you want to grow in your faith, 40:30 give studies to other people. 40:32 You want to grow in your understanding, 40:33 share the Bible with other people. 40:36 Be involved in some capacity, share literature. 40:38 Not everyone can preach or give a Bible study, 40:40 but everybody can do something. 40:41 And you will be blessed in doing this. 40:43 You know, there are two principle bodies of water 40:47 in the Promised Land. 40:48 You've got the Sea of Galilee, sometimes called the Sea of 40:51 Gennesaret or the Sea of Tiberias, 40:53 it's all the Sea of Galilee. 40:54 And the Jordan River runs into the north. 40:57 And then you've got the Dead Sea. 40:59 Interesting thing about those two seas, 41:00 the Jordan River runs into the Dead Sea and the Jordan River 41:04 runs into the Sea of Galilee. 41:06 But the Sea of Galilee is full of life, 41:10 there's still fish in it today after thousands of years. 41:13 And the Dead Sea has nothing alive in it, why? 41:17 Because the Dead Sea only takes. 41:19 Same river runs into both, but the Dead Sea's dead, 41:22 Sea of Galilee is alive. 41:25 The Dead Sea only takes, it only receives. 41:27 Because it's so low and because the evaporation 41:30 exceeds the input, it's dead. 41:34 It becomes stagnant, it's full of salts and minerals, 41:36 and nothing can live in it. 41:37 We were swimming in the Dead Sea, 41:39 oh, a couple years ago. 41:40 It really is quite a sensation because you can't hardly swim. 41:44 I turned on my belly and tried to swim and it floated me 41:47 so much, I couldn't kick with my feet, 41:48 my feet were out of the water. 41:50 And you can actually stand straight up, 41:52 it's like this much of you is out of the water when you're 41:55 standing up because it's just so full of--thick with minerals. 41:58 Nothing lives in it because it constantly takes, 42:01 but it doesn't give. 42:03 But the Sea of Galilee, the Jordan River runs in from the 42:06 north and the Jordan River flows out. 42:09 It stays clean because it's being constantly refreshed. 42:13 It's a channel of blessing. 42:15 Every Christian should be a channel of blessing. 42:17 We're receiving God's blessings with one hand, 42:19 we share them with the other. 42:21 If you have morning devotions, you'd be surprised how often 42:24 during the day God will give you an opportunity to share with 42:27 others what you read that very day. 42:29 And so, God wants us to be a channel of blessing. 42:32 He flows through you. 42:34 "Desire of Ages" page 142, "God could've reached His object in 42:39 saving sinners without our aid. 42:41 But in order for us to develop character like Christ, 42:44 we must share in His work in order to enter into His joy, 42:49 the joy of seeing souls redeemed by His sacrifice. 42:53 We must participate in His labors for their redemption." 42:56 It's part of Christianity 101. 42:59 You remember the Barna study I read at the beginning 43:03 of our study today? 43:05 A growing number of Christians do not recognize their personal 43:09 responsibility and privilege of doing something 43:13 to share their faith. 43:14 And it's just so unhealthy. 43:16 From the "Book of Education," page 207, 43:18 another good quote. 43:20 "Those who would be overcomers must be drawn out of themselves. 43:24 And the only thing that will accomplish this great work is 43:27 to become intensely interested in the salvation of others." 43:31 It's so easy for us to become eccentric and self-centered, 43:34 think that it's all about me. 43:36 And being involved in reaching others, 43:39 you know, I've seen it so many times, 43:41 "Amazing Facts" will take a group on a mission trip or 43:44 they'll go on a church building project, 43:46 and there's something that is transformational about you going 43:50 to a poor mission field, doing an evangelistic meeting, 43:54 doing some health ministry, being involved in building up 43:58 a mission or a church. 44:00 It helps you realize, you know, it's a big world out there, 44:02 and I'm just one little person out of 7.8 billion people. 44:07 Jesus loves them all, and your greatest joy's going to come 44:10 in telling other people about Christ. 44:13 The other thing that's amazing, you go to some of these 44:16 countries and, you know, we've had the privilege of going 44:19 I can't even count how many different countries, 44:21 and you go and you see very poor people in India, 44:24 in Africa, in Asia. 44:27 And they're so happy that you've come to their house, 44:30 they're so happy that you've come to share with them. 44:33 They're smiling, they have almost nothing, 44:35 but they're just so happy when they hear the good news that you 44:38 realize maybe in our materialism in North America, 44:42 we sometimes forget that it's not all about this stuff, 44:47 it's about souls, that's what really matters. 44:51 So, we need to be involved in this unselfish work. 44:53 And in doing this, you save yourself. 44:55 I like what Paul said to Timothy. 44:57 1 Timothy 4:16: "Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. 45:02 Continue in them, for in doing this you will save yourself 45:06 and those who hear you." 45:07 In sharing with others, you're helping to save yourself. 45:10 In the book "Steps to Christ," page 79, 45:13 it's got some more on that principle. 45:15 "Unselfish work for others helps make our characters like Christ. 45:19 It brings peace and happiness. 45:22 It gives us strong desire to be more helpful. 45:25 There will be no room in our lives for laziness 45:28 and selfishness. 45:29 If we exercise our faith and other Christian graces, 45:32 we will become strong in our work for God. 45:35 We will see the truth clearly. 45:37 Our faith will keep growing, and we will pray with greater power. 45:41 God's Spirit will move in our hearts, 45:44 helping us develop characters that will honor Him. 45:46 If we give ourselves in unselfish service for others, 45:49 we are surely working out our own salvation." 45:53 One of the ways for us to break the dead spirit many struggle 45:57 with, get out of yourself, get involved in serving others. 46:00 Even if you don't feel like it at first, 46:02 something will happen to you in the process of doing it. 46:05 Faithfulness to Christ's command. 46:08 Acts 26, verse 17, he says, "I will deliver you from the Jewish 46:15 people as well as from the Gentiles." 46:17 Jesus is speaking to Paul in vision, 46:19 "To whom I now send you, to open their eyes and order to turn 46:24 them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, 46:28 that they might receive forgiveness of sins and 46:31 an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith for Me. 46:35 Open their eyes, turn them from darkness to light, 46:38 from the power of the devil to God." 46:40 This is what we're doing. 46:42 We're taking people and their lives are so completely and 46:44 utterly transformed, from the devil to God, 46:47 from darkness to light. 46:49 And that they might be saved from slavery to freedom. 46:52 It's such a dramatic change. 46:55 God wants everybody to be saved. 46:58 You know, some dispensationalists think, 47:00 "Well, you know, Jesus only saved--He died for the elect, 47:03 not for everybody." 47:05 God doesn't want anyone to be lost. 47:07 The Bible says He is not willing that any should perish. 47:10 And that's in 2 Peter chapter 3, verse 9, 47:13 "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise as some 47:16 men counts slackness, but He's long-suffering to us, 47:19 not willing that any should perish." 47:21 And in 1 Timothy, he says in verse 3 and 4 of chapter 2, 47:27 "This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 47:30 who desires all men to be saved." 47:33 It breaks the heart of God that one should be lost, 47:35 which is a good transition into the last section. 47:39 What's the motive for our sharing our faith? 47:42 Love. 47:43 Isaiah 48--41, verse 8: "But you, 47:47 Israel, are my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, 47:50 the descendants of Abraham my friend." 47:53 God loves us more than a friend. 47:56 2 Corinthians 5:14: "For the love of Christ compels us 48:01 because we judge thus. 48:03 And if one died for all, then all--then all died." 48:08 He says it's for the love of God, it compels us. 48:11 We're constrained when we see Jesus on the cross not just for 48:14 us, but for every soul. 48:16 Sometimes in people that we would dismiss as worthless, 48:20 Jesus loves them and He died for them. 48:22 And He wants us to have tender sympathy for every soul. 48:27 You need to see in every soul not what they are, 48:30 but what they can be through the gospel. 48:32 It makes it easier to love. 48:34 2 Corinthians 5, verse 18: "Now all things are of God, 48:39 who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, 48:43 and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 48:46 that is that God was in Christ reconciling the world 48:49 to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them. 48:52 And He's committed to us the Word of reconciliation." 48:55 He's given us His job, He's sharing with us his job. 48:59 "Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ as through God we're 49:03 pleading through us. 49:05 We implore you on Christ's behalf, 49:07 be reconciled to God, for He made Him who knew no sin to be 49:11 sin for us, that we might become the righteousness 49:15 of God in Him." 49:16 This is a wonderful message, friends. 49:19 "The love of Christ must dwell in the heart. 49:22 And through that love, we will have an unselfish interest 49:26 in the salvation of others." 49:28 Well, friends, I hope you've been blessed by our study today. 49:30 In closing, I want to remind you 49:34 we have our free offer, 49:36 "The Ultimate Deliverance." 49:37 All you've got to do is call 866-788-3966, 49:42 we'll send you a free copy of this. 49:43 That's 866-STUDY-MORE. 49:46 And you can also get it through 49:47 texting the number on your screen. 49:49 God bless you, you can join us for our worship 49:51 service afterward. 49:55 male announcer: Don't forget to request today's life-changing 49:57 free resource. 49:59 Not only can you receive this free gift in the mail, 50:01 you can download a digital copy straight to your computer 50:03 or mobile device. 50:05 To get your digital copy of today's free gift, 50:07 simply text the key word on your screen to 40544, 50:11 or visit the web address shown on your screen. 50:14 And be sure to select the digital download option on 50:17 the request page. 50:18 It's now easier than ever for you to study God's Word with 50:21 "Amazing Facts" wherever and whenever you want, 50:24 and most important to share it with others. 50:33 announcer: Amazing Facts: changed lives. 50:37 ♪♪♪ 50:44 Justin: Growing up as a kid, my mother was on drugs 50:49 and alcohol, lots of fighting in the home. 50:52 My mom would be abused mentally, verbally, physically. 50:56 Went from California to Oregon, spent some time in Oregon, 51:01 and it was just the same cycle of drugs, 51:04 alcohol, violence. 51:07 My mom's boyfriend would go to jail at times. 51:09 She would wait until he would, you know, 51:12 get out of jail and it was back to square one. 51:14 The drugs and the alcohol escalated to a lot harder drugs, 51:20 crystal meth, cocaine, and lots and lots of alcohol. 51:24 So, I started using the alcohol too as a medication. 51:29 It was like it took the misery and the fear that I had, 51:32 I wanted to drown all that misery. 51:34 Times I would just grab, you know, 51:39 a bottle of beer and go out into the desert and just drink until 51:43 sometimes I'd just pass out in the desert somewhere and 51:47 wake up the next morning. 51:49 And you know, and I just couldn't find rest. 51:51 My stepdad had got me a motorcycle, 51:54 and so I started riding motorcycles. 51:57 I'd drink a lot of beer, get on the motorcycle, 52:00 ride into the desert, do donuts and just--you know, 52:03 just ride on private property. 52:05 People would chase me off and I was just causing, 52:09 stirring up dust and rocks and just causing chaos. 52:14 And the adrenaline rush that I had was so exciting and the 52:19 feeling of it was so intense that I loved it, 52:22 and I forgot about all my problems, 52:25 you know, at the moment. 52:28 And I thought that material things would make me feel 52:30 so good, you know? 52:33 And so, I started working, started making money, 52:35 had a responsibility. 52:37 But as time went by, I had more money, 52:42 so I would use my money that I made to buy drugs and alcohol. 52:48 Got pulled over, drinking and driving, 52:51 ended up going to jail for a couple days. 52:55 I lost my job because I missed work for a few days. 52:59 Lost my girlfriend, lost all the money that I had. 53:04 So, once again I was empty, no money, 53:08 no drugs, no alcohol, and that was a turning point in my life. 53:12 At this time, I was living with my grandfather. 53:14 And as I was flipping through the channels on the satellite 53:19 system, I found "Amazing Facts." 53:22 Pastor Doug Batchelor was telling his--sharing his 53:26 testimony about how he was living in a cave. 53:28 And he was--he struggled the same struggles of alcohol and 53:32 drugs, and I continued to read the book "The Richest Caveman," 53:36 and it really impacted my life, and really related to the things 53:40 he was struggling with and all the events that took 53:45 place in his life. 53:46 And when I started reading the Bible, 53:48 Philippians 4:13 says, "I can do all things through Christ 53:51 who strengthens me." 53:52 And I recognized that I had no strength. 53:54 I was weak, and I was wretched, and I needed help. 53:58 So, I just asked the Lord, I said, 54:01 "Just help me, Lord." 54:02 And the Holy Spirit convicted me, 54:05 and I decided to be baptized and to give my life to Jesus Christ. 54:11 A few years after the Lord took the temptation of drinking and 54:15 doing drugs, he gave me a beautiful wife I met at church. 54:19 Now, I have a beautiful baby boy, 54:22 two year old baby boy. 54:23 It's just exciting to see, you know, 54:26 what God is doing in my life and my family. 54:30 I met with some friends from my local church that I was 54:34 attending and they had told me about Amazing Facts Center of 54:39 Evangelism Training Seminar. 54:41 The AFCOE to Go program really inspired me and motivated me 54:46 to tell young people about, you know, 54:50 the same struggles that I was struggling with, 54:53 to help these kids give their life to Jesus Christ. 54:56 And there's nothing else that you could ask for. 54:59 I'm Justin, and God used you to change my life. 55:04 ♪♪♪ 55:14 ♪♪♪ 55:21 Doug: Hello, friends. 55:23 We all know a marathon is one of the longest and hardest races 55:25 a person can run, but did you hear about the ultramarathon 55:28 they used to have in Australia? 55:31 It was 544 miles from Melbourne to Sydney. 55:35 It attracted as many as 150 world class athletes, 55:39 but then something happened that no one would ever forget. 55:41 In 1983, a 61 year old potato farmer named Cliff Young decided 55:47 to enter the race. 55:48 People were very amused because he had on rubber galoshes 55:51 over his boots. 55:53 And when the race began and all the runners took off, 55:55 sure enough old Cliff was left behind shuffling along very 55:59 slowly, but he was shuffling very persistently. 56:02 Normally during this seven-day race, 56:04 the runners would go about 18 hours running, 56:07 and then they'd sleep for six hours. 56:09 But nobody ever told Cliff that. 56:11 When the other runners stopped to rest during the night, 56:14 Cliff just kept on running. 56:16 Some people were afraid old Cliff was going to have a heart 56:19 attack, and they were asking the race organizers to show mercy 56:21 and stop the crazy old man, but he would have none of it. 56:25 Each day, he was gaining on the pack because when they were 56:28 sleeping, he was plodding along. 56:30 During the last night of the race, 56:33 Cliff passed all of these world class athletes. 56:36 Not only was Cliff able to run that 544-mile race without 56:40 dying, he won, beating all the other racers by nine hours, 56:45 breaking the record and becoming a national hero in the process. 56:48 What's really amazing is when they told him that he had won 56:51 the $10,000 prize, he looked confused and said he didn't know 56:54 there was a prize, and he decided to share it 56:57 with the other runners. 56:58 When asked how he was able to run all night long, 57:01 Cliff responded that he grew up on a farm where they had about 57:04 2,000 head of cattle. 57:05 And because they couldn't afford horses, 57:07 he used to have to round them up on foot, 57:09 sometimes running two and three days nonstop. 57:11 So, throughout the race, he just imagined he was chasing after 57:14 the cows and trying to outrun a storm. 57:16 Old Cliff's secret was to keep on running while others 57:20 were sleeping. 57:22 You know, the Bible tells us that the race is not necessarily 57:25 to the swift. 57:26 Something like Aesop's parable of the Tortoise and the Hare, 57:29 the tortoise just kept on plotting along. 57:32 That's why Jesus tells us in Matthew 24:13, 57:35 "He that endures unto the end, the same will be saved." 57:38 Now, you might slip and fall during the race. 57:41 You might even get off to a bad start. 57:43 But in the Christian race that we run, 57:45 the main thing is you want to finish well. 57:47 Keep on running, friends, and don't give up. 57:50 ♪♪♪ 58:00 ♪♪♪ 58:10 ♪♪♪ 58:20 ♪♪♪ |
Revised 2020-06-29