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00:11 ♪♪♪ 00:35 Jean Ross: Good morning, friends. 00:37 Welcome again to "Sabbath School Study Hour," coming here from 00:40 the Granite Bay Seventh-day Adventist Church and also the 00:44 Amazing Facts International Ministry. 00:46 We're actually in the Amazing Facts offices this morning and 00:49 we'd like to welcome all of those joining us live. 00:52 I know we have a number of friends across the country and 00:54 even in other places around the world. 00:57 You watch every week through social media or the Internet and 01:00 we'd like to welcome you. 01:02 Also those who will be viewing this program after the edit and 01:05 on the various television networks. 01:07 We're just delighted that you have chosen to come and study 01:09 the Bible with us this morning. 01:12 Now, our quarter we're--this quarter we're focusing on a 01:15 lesson and the title of the lesson is "Making Friends 01:18 for God." 01:20 It's talking about the joy of witnessing and sharing. 01:23 Today, we're on lesson number four and the lesson is entitled, 01:26 "Prayer Power: Interceding for Others." 01:29 Very important lesson. 01:31 Now, if you don't have a copy of the Sabbath School lesson and 01:33 you'd like to receive one and follow along with us, we 01:35 encourage you to contact your local Seventh-day Adventist 01:38 Church where your membership is and you can ask them for a 01:41 lesson quarterly. 01:43 Otherwise, you can visit the Amazing Facts website, just 01:45 amazingfacts.org. 01:47 Click on the "study hour" link and you'll be able to download a 01:50 copy of the lesson and study along with us. 01:54 So it's lesson number four dealing with prayer and, more 01:57 specifically, intercessory prayer. 02:00 Now we do have a free offer we'd like to tell you about. 02:02 This is just a great resource that we'd like to make available 02:04 to anyone who calls and asks. 02:06 The number to call is 866-788-3966 and you just need 02:11 to ask for offer number 1, or rather 717. 02:15 Again, that number is 866-788-3966, ask for offer 02:20 number 717, we'll be happy to send this to anyone in North 02:23 America that calls and asks. 02:26 If you'd like to get a digital download of the book, you want 02:29 to text the code "SH065" to the number "40544." 02:35 Again, that code is SH065 to the number 40544. 02:41 You'll be able to receive a free download of the book, "Teach Us 02:44 to Pray," and it goes along very well with our study today 02:47 talking about prayer and intercessory prayer. 02:50 Well, before we get to our study, let's begin with prayer. 02:53 Dear Father, we thank You that we're able to gather together 02:56 and open up Your Word and study and even though we are separated 02:58 by distance, we are still united in Your presence. 03:02 Your Spirit is not limited to a particular place but You can 03:05 speak to our hearts wherever we might be. 03:08 So, Father, we ask once again for Your blessing as we open up 03:11 Your Word and study together in Jesus' name, amen. 03:15 Now, our lesson, as we mentioned, is entitled, "Prayer 03:18 Power: Interceding for Others," and we do have a memory verse 03:23 and if you'd like to follow along with that memory verse, 03:25 it's James chapter 5 and verse 16. 03:28 I'll be reading from the New King James Version. 03:31 James chapter 5, verse 16 says: "Confess your trespasses to one 03:34 another, and pray for one another, that you may 03:39 be healed." 03:41 Then it says: "The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous 03:44 man avails much." 03:47 There are three things I'd like to highlight in this 03:49 memory verse. 03:51 It says, "Pray for one another." 03:53 So intercessory prayer and praying for one another is a 03:56 very important biblical truth. 03:58 Then it promises the fervent prayer of a righteous man 04:01 avails much." 04:03 Now, you might think, "Well, I'm not very righteous. 04:06 How can my prayers do anything?" 04:08 Remember, the righteousness that produces any result, especially 04:11 in answered prayer, is the righteousness of Jesus. 04:14 A righteous man is one who claims Christ's righteousness, 04:17 one who is surrendered to Christ, and in the name of Jesus 04:20 we can pray, trusting fervently that as we lift our petition 04:24 before the Lord, He will hear and answer it according to 04:27 His will. 04:29 So, yes, there is power in intercessory prayer. 04:33 Now, if we look at the example given to us in the Bible, 04:35 especially of the 1st century church, we find that the new 04:38 church--the New Testament church members, they felt the need 04:42 of prayer. 04:43 Not just any kind of prayer but fervent intercessory prayer. 04:46 In Acts chapter 4, verse 31, we read: "And when they prayed, the 04:52 place where they were assembled together was shaken and they 04:56 were filled with the Holy Spirit and they spoke the Word of God 05:01 with boldness." 05:03 Notice the three things highlighted here. 05:05 When they prayed, they were filled and then they spoke. 05:10 So in order for us to be effective witnesses, we need the 05:13 Holy Spirit. 05:14 In order to be filled with the Holy Spirit, we need to seek it 05:17 through prayer. 05:19 So you have prayer, the Holy Spirit, and then the sharing of 05:21 the Word. 05:23 They spoke the Word, it says, with boldness and you can read 05:26 on how that God added daily to the church those who were 05:29 being saved. 05:32 So intercessory prayer is a very important part of being 05:35 a Christian. 05:37 It's very important with reference to our witness. 05:39 In Acts, the book of Acts, called "Acts of the Apostles," 05:43 on page 37, we have the following quotation: "The 05:48 disciples did not ask for a blessing for themselves merely. 05:51 They were weighted with the burden of the salvation 05:55 of souls. 05:57 They realized that the gospel was to be carried to the world, 05:59 and they claimed the power that Christ had promised." 06:03 Now, the command ringing in the minds and the ears of the 06:07 disciples was that famous Great Commission that Jesus had given 06:10 to the disciples just before His Ascension. 06:13 He told them to go to all the world, make disciples of all 06:16 nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and 06:19 the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that He 06:22 had commanded them and the promise that He would be with 06:26 them always even unto the end of the age. 06:28 So here is just a handful of the disciples there, gathered with 06:32 Jesus, and they witnessed Christ ascending to heaven. 06:35 They hear the last words spoken by Jesus. 06:37 Jesus told them in essence to take the gospel to the world. 06:41 Well, how were they, a small band of believers, most of them 06:45 very poor, how were they to take the gospel to the world? 06:48 Well, as they gathered together there in the Upper Room, they 06:51 realized that on their own strength they couldn't do it. 06:54 They needed a special empowering of the Holy Spirit. 06:59 And as they gathered together, burdened with that desire to 07:02 take the gospel to others, that's when the Holy Spirit came 07:05 upon them as the result of prayer, and we read in the Bible 07:07 that in one generation they pretty much turned the world 07:11 upside down. 07:13 The gospel was, indeed, preached out to the furthest reaches of 07:16 the known world at that time. 07:19 Now, if we take that illustration and we apply it to 07:22 where we are today, do we as God's people living in the last 07:26 days, do we have a special work just as the disciples had a 07:29 special work, a message that has to be taken to every nation, 07:33 kindred, tongue, and people? 07:35 And the answer to that is, of course, yes. 07:38 Where do we find that message? 07:40 Well, you'll find it in Revelation chapter 14 and if you 07:42 have your Bibles, you can turn to that. 07:44 I'd like to just highlight a few things about this Great 07:46 Commission, this end-time gospel warning message, that has to go 07:51 to the world before Jesus comes. 07:53 And you find the three angels' messages in Revelation chapter 07:56 14 beginning in verse 6. 07:59 And John writes: "Then I saw another angel flying in the 08:03 midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to 08:06 those that dwell upon the earth--to every nation, tribe, 08:09 tongue, and people--saying with a loud voice," the message needs 08:13 to go far and wide, "'Fear God, give glory to Him, for the hour 08:17 of His judgment has come; worship Him that made the 08:20 heavens, the earth, the sea, and the springs of water.'" 08:23 Now, that's the first angel's message. 08:25 And here we find in verse 6 and 7 that it is proclaimed with a 08:29 loud voice. 08:31 But the second angel, we find in verse 8: "And another angel 08:34 followed, saying, 'Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great 08:37 city, because she has made all nations drink the wine of the 08:40 wrath of her fornication.'" 08:42 So we understand that the first angel, the second, the third 08:45 angel, this is part of this everlasting gospel that is to 08:48 go to all the world. 08:50 Now, the third angel's message you find in verse 9: "Then a 08:53 third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, 'If 08:56 any man worships the beast or his image, or receives his mark 08:59 in the forehead and the hand, he himself shall also drink of the 09:02 wine of the wrath of God.'" 09:04 And you can read on. 09:07 You'll find the most fearful warning found anywhere in 09:09 Scripture, is a warning, "Don't worship the beast, don't worship 09:11 his image, don't receive his mark." 09:13 Now, you'll notice something here in the three 09:15 angels' messages. 09:17 The first angel's message is proclaimed with a loud voice. 09:19 The third angel's message is also proclaimed with a 09:22 loud voice. 09:24 But you find the second angel in verse 8 simply saying, "Babylon 09:27 is fallen, is fallen." 09:29 Now that's interesting to note. 09:31 Why does the first angel and the third angel have a loud voice, 09:34 but we find the second angel simply saying, "Babylon is 09:36 fallen, is fallen"? 09:40 Well, we find another angel which helps to answer that in 09:43 Revelation chapter 18 and the first few verses. 09:47 Notice this, Revelation 18, verse 1: "After these things I 09:51 saw another angel," this would be the fourth angel, "coming 09:54 down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was 09:57 illuminated with his glory." 10:01 Now, the angels of Revelation 14 and this angel in Revelation 18, 10:04 in a very real sense represents God's people in the last days, 10:07 empowered by the Spirit, taking a warning message to the world. 10:12 This fourth angel, it says "is illuminated with the glory of 10:15 God," a manifestation of God's character through His people in 10:18 the last days. 10:21 Verse 2 says: "And he cries mightily with a loud voice, 10:24 'Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen.'" 10:27 So we have a repeat of the second angel's message. 10:31 The difference between the fourth angel of Revelation 18 10:34 and the second angel, Revelation 14, is that the fourth angel is 10:38 said to say his message with a loud voice. 10:42 It says, "A mighty strong or loud voice." 10:46 Mighty voice, "Babylon is fallen." 10:49 You see, God is calling upon His people in these last days to 10:51 take a very special warning message to the world. 10:55 That message must be given with a loud voice and, going along 10:58 with that message, is a revelation of God's character. 11:03 The earth is filled with the glory of God. 11:06 How are we, as the church today, to fulfill this Great Commission 11:10 that God has given to us, this last warning message before the 11:13 Second Coming, how are we to do it? 11:15 Well, the disciples had a similar concern or a similar 11:19 problem in that they were to take this Great Commission given 11:22 to them by Jesus. 11:24 They didn't have the resources, they didn't have the manpower, 11:27 but when they earnestly sought the Holy Spirit to empower them 11:30 to take the gospel to the world, that's when the Holy Spirit came 11:33 with power. 11:35 We today, need to seek for the Holy Spirit the special 11:38 outpouring known as the latter rain so that we can do the work 11:41 that God has called us to do: that of taking the three angels' 11:44 messages to the world. 11:47 So intercessory prayer, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, 11:50 is very much connected to the fulfillment of the work Christ 11:54 is calling upon us to do. 11:57 Well, let's take a closer look then at some of the things that 11:59 are brought to view in this week's study. 12:01 On Sunday, the title of the study is, "A Cosmic Struggle." 12:05 The question is why is intercessory prayer needed? 12:10 Why is it so important? 12:12 Well, I think we all realize that if you read the Bible, you 12:14 understand that there is a great controversy taking place between 12:17 the forces of good and the forces of evil, between Christ 12:21 and Satan. 12:23 And in this great controversy, there seems to be certain, I'll 12:27 call it, rules of engagement. 12:29 There are certain things that God will not allow the devil 12:32 to do. 12:34 Now we can be very grateful for that because if the devil had 12:36 his way, he'd probably try and destroy all of those who 12:39 are Christians. 12:42 He'd probably try to possess every person on earth but God 12:45 will not allow the devil to possess or destroy. 12:48 Yes, he can tempt, he can harass, but God has put bounds 12:51 upon the devil. 12:53 Now, if somebody opens up the door and gives more authority to 12:56 the Bible to take possession of his mind or his heart, that's a 12:58 different story, but there are limitations that God has put on 13:01 the devil. 13:04 Now, God being a God of justice, and God being fair, He has also 13:07 limited what He does to influence a person for good. 13:11 Now, in this great controversy, when we intercede on behalf of 13:16 somebody else, when we are praying specifically for the 13:19 salvation of another person, it in one sense gives God the 13:23 ability or the right to do more to influence that person for 13:28 their salvation than if we didn't pray. 13:32 You see, when God is going to do more to influence that person 13:34 because we're praying, we're interceding for them, and the 13:37 devil says, "Unfair, unfair, You're not allowed to do that, 13:40 You're breaking these so-called rules of engagement," God can 13:43 say, "No, I have a legal right to do so because one of My 13:46 children are specifically interceding on behalf of 13:51 that person." 13:53 That's why intercessory prayer is so important when it comes to 13:57 witnessing, evangelism, and the salvation of others. 14:01 Intercessory prayer makes a difference. 14:04 It's not that God doesn't want to do more to influence someone, 14:07 but He limits what He does because of this 14:10 great controversy. 14:13 But when we pray, that enables God to do even more. 14:17 Now, we get a glimpse of this controversy that we read about 14:19 in the Bible, found in Revelation chapter 12. 14:23 Revelation chapter 12 is that famous passage talking about 14:27 this war in heaven. 14:28 Revelation 12, beginning in verse 7, if you're following 14:31 along with your Bibles. 14:34 It says in there: "War broke out in heaven: Michael and his 14:37 angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his 14:40 angels fought." 14:42 So we find war taking place where? 14:44 Not on earth, but it says war broke out in heaven. 14:47 What a strange place for war to begin, but that's where 14:50 it happened. 14:52 The devil, here referred to as the dragon, he rebelled against 14:54 God, rebelled against God's authority. 14:56 As a result, there is this war, this conflict in heaven between 14:59 the devil and his angels, those angels that he was able to 15:03 deceive, and Michael and his angels. 15:06 Now, we're going to talk about Michael a little later on in 15:08 our study. 15:10 Verse 8 says: "But they did not prevail, nor was there a place 15:12 found for them any longer in heaven." 15:15 Verse 9: "So the great dragon was cast out." 15:19 Now, who's the dragon? 15:20 "That serpent of old, called the devil and Satan, who deceives 15:23 the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were 15:27 cast out with him." 15:30 Now, you'll read earlier in Revelation chapter 12 that this 15:32 great dragon was able to swoop a third of the stars of heaven. 15:37 According to Revelation chapter 1, stars in Bible prophecy can 15:40 represent angels. 15:43 So here we find the devil being able to deceive a third of the 15:46 angels of heaven to join his rebellion against God. 15:49 The good news is that God retained two thirds of the 15:52 angels of heaven. 15:54 But the devil loses this battle and he is finally cast out 15:56 of heaven. 15:58 Now, verse 10, still Revelation chapter 12: "Then I heard a loud 16:02 voice in heaven saying, 'Now salvation, and strength, and the 16:05 kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ has come, 16:08 for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God 16:12 day and night, has been cast down.'" 16:15 Now, there is something I want you to note. 16:17 There is a war in heaven and the devil and his angels are cast 16:20 out but in verse 10 of Revelation chapter 12, we read 16:24 about the devil being cast down. 16:27 Is there a difference between being cast out and being 16:31 cast down? 16:33 The reason I emphasize this is because if you look in verse 11 16:35 it says in there, "Overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by 16:38 the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives 16:40 until death." 16:42 It appears as though the casting down is connected with Christ's 16:45 sacrifice on Calvary at the cross. 16:49 So that's resulted in people asking, "Was this war in heaven, 16:51 did it only take place at the time of the Crucifixion?" 16:55 Well, no, this war in heaven took place even before the 16:57 creation of the earth. 16:59 The devil and his angels were cast out of heaven before the 17:02 earth was created because we read back in Genesis, Genesis 17:05 chapter 3 where the devil appears to Eve there in the 17:09 Garden of Eden, he is at that point the rebellious one, he is 17:12 the devil. 17:14 But it seems as though even after Adam and Eve sinned, that 17:17 the devil at least claimed to be the prince of this world or the 17:22 leader of this world. 17:24 You see, God had given the leadership of this earth to Adam 17:26 but when Adam sinned, he had in essence handed that leadership 17:30 or that kingship to the devil. 17:33 So the devil now claims the earth is his, claims this is 17:36 his kingdom. 17:38 You'll recall the story where there was this gathering. 17:41 You can read about it in the book of Job where the sons of 17:43 God appeared before God and the devil came and God said, "Where 17:46 did you come from?" 17:47 He says, "Oh, I've come from the earth, from walking up and down 17:49 in it." 17:51 You see, the devil claimed to be the representative of 17:52 this earth. 17:54 And to a certain degree, even Jesus acknowledged the devil as 17:56 having some right to the earth when He referred to the devil as 18:00 the prince of this earth, or the prince of this world. 18:03 Now, one of the temptations that the devil brought to Jesus was, 18:06 "If you bow down and worship me I will give You the kingdoms of 18:10 this earth." 18:12 Now, one might wonder why would that have been a temptation to 18:15 Jesus if there was no way that the devil could actually give 18:17 the kingdoms. 18:19 At least he appeared to be able to give the kingdoms to Christ. 18:22 But at the cross, when Jesus died on the cross, the devil was 18:27 cast down to this earth, meaning that he no longer was the 18:31 representative of the earth. 18:33 You see, Jesus now becomes the second Adam. 18:36 Jesus paid the price. 18:38 He redeemed the earth. 18:40 Jesus is now the representative. 18:42 The devil is sort of bound to this planet. 18:43 He knows he has but a short time. 18:45 That's why we read in verse 12: "Therefore rejoice, O heavens, 18:48 and you that dwell in them! 18:51 But woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! 18:53 For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because 18:55 he knows that he has a short time." 18:59 So the devil's cast out of heaven before Creation but he's 19:02 cast down at the cross. 19:04 He's bound to this earth. 19:06 He knows he's running out of time and, as a result, this 19:08 great conflict, this great controversy, is intensifying as 19:11 we near the end of time and, of course, we can witness that in 19:15 our world today, not only through natural disasters but 19:19 just these strange diseases. 19:21 We see stress amongst nations, amongst peoples. 19:25 These are all signs of this great controversy that is taking 19:28 place in the world. 19:31 Now, Paul says in Ephesians chapter 6, verse 12, "For we do 19:33 not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against 19:36 principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the 19:39 darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in 19:43 high places." 19:45 So Paul acknowledges this great controversy and he says, "We're 19:47 not fighting against a physical foe; it's a spiritual battle." 19:51 In verse 13: "Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you 19:55 might be able to withstand in the day of evil, having done 19:58 all, to stand." 20:01 So we get admonished to put on the armor of God, the helmet of 20:03 salvation, the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God, 20:06 the shield of faith, the breastplate of righteousness, 20:09 and the belt of truth, and so on. 20:11 So that we can stand. 20:13 We can stand against the wiles of the enemy, the devil, 20:15 his temptations. 20:17 2 Corinthians chapter 10, verse 4, says: "For the weapons of our 20:21 warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for the pulling 20:26 down of strongholds, casting down arguments and every high 20:29 thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing 20:33 every thought into the captivity of the obedience of Christ." 20:37 So a big part of this great controversy that we read about 20:41 in the Bible is a battle not only in the world but it is a 20:44 battle in the hearts and the minds of individuals. 20:47 As Christians, our work is to bring every thought into harmony 20:51 with the will of Christ. 20:54 That is a day by day experience. 20:57 It is the surrender of self, as the apostle Paul says, "I 20:59 die daily." 21:01 It is a moment by moment coming to Jesus, surrendering our 21:04 hearts, our minds, asking Him to do His work within us to 21:08 transform our hearts, our minds. 21:10 In the book, "The Great Controversy," page 525, we read 21:16 the following: "It is a part of God's plan to grant in answer to 21:21 the prayer, to our prayers, which He would not bestow did we 21:25 not thus ask." 21:28 That's a very important statement. 21:30 God is willing to answer in response to our prayers that 21:35 which He would not bestow had we not asked. 21:38 So when it comes to intercessory prayer, there is a power and 21:41 that power is asking, coming before the Lord, interceding on 21:45 behalf of somebody else. 21:47 We might not see results immediately. 21:49 We might be praying for someone for quite a period of time, 21:52 sometimes many years for some, perhaps even a lifetime. 21:56 And we might not see the results but God takes note of those 22:00 prayers and He will answer them as we put our faith and trust 22:04 in Him. 22:06 There is power in prayer. 22:08 I remember hearing a story a friend shared with me. 22:10 She was a missionary in South America and she was on a small 22:16 plane flying from Bolivia to one of the other--Peru, I think, in 22:21 that area. 22:23 And they were flying up over the mountains and they found 22:25 themselves in the midst of a very violent storm with much 22:29 turbulence and the plane was leaning to the left and the 22:32 right and going up and down and people were afraid in the plane 22:36 and some were crying out. 22:38 You could hear some people praying and, of course, she 22:40 wasn't very comfortable either and she closed her eyes and 22:43 began to pray and said, "Lord, just keep us safe. 22:45 Take care of us." 22:48 And after she had finished praying, she looked over to the 22:50 person sitting beside her and this lady also had her eyes 22:53 closed and her head bowed and my friend thought, "Oh, at least 22:57 there's another Christian here and it's comforting to know that 23:00 this person's also praying." 23:02 So after the person finished praying, sitting next to her, my 23:05 friend said to her, "I'm so glad, it's comforting to know 23:08 that there is another Christian praying for the safety of 23:10 this flight." 23:12 Well, she was very surprised by the response that this 23:14 person gave. 23:16 She said, "I'm not a Christian." 23:18 She said, "Actually, I'm praying," and she was 23:20 dead serious. 23:21 She said, "I'm praying to Lucifer." 23:23 She says, "I am a follower of Lucifer and I'm praying that his 23:25 will, will be done as a result of this flight." 23:30 Well, needless to say, my friend began to pray like never before. 23:33 You see, there's power in intercessory prayer and I think 23:36 it works both ways. 23:38 When God's people pray and they intercede on behalf of others, 23:42 there is power behind that but we need to recognize we have an 23:45 adversary, the devil, and his followers, they're doing 23:49 everything they can to try and increase the devil's ability to 23:53 influence somebody else or to bring chaos, suffering, 23:57 and despair. 24:00 So this is a very real struggle, this great controversy theme. 24:04 Prayer is to be one of our most powerful weapons in 24:07 this warfare. 24:09 Well, then that brings us to Monday's lesson and Monday's 24:13 lesson is entitled "Jesus: The Mighty Intercessor." 24:16 And if you look at the example of Jesus, you can clearly see 24:19 that Jesus believed in the power of intercessory prayer. 24:23 In Luke chapter 22, beginning in verse 31, Jesus is speaking to 24:27 Simon Peter: "And the Lord said, 'Simon, Simon! 24:30 Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he might sift you as wheat. 24:36 But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and 24:40 when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.'" 24:44 Now, this is an interesting verse. 24:47 Jesus says that Satan has asked for you, or asked for Peter. 24:50 Why do you suppose Satan had asked for Peter? 24:53 Well, did Peter deny Jesus? 24:56 Yes, he did. 24:58 And the devil said, "No, he's mine. 25:00 Look at him. 25:02 He's going to deny You. 25:04 He's going to turn against You." 25:05 And Jesus says, "No, I've prayed for him, that his faith will 25:07 not fail." 25:09 So here we find Jesus interceding for His disciples. 25:12 And of course, even now in heaven, Jesus, our high priest, 25:15 is interceding for us. 25:17 Our prayers are ascending up to Christ and He intercedes on 25:19 our behalf. 25:22 We can also find this principle in the book of Jude. 25:24 Jude just has one chapter so it's Jude verse 9 and it says: 25:26 "Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when 25:32 he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against 25:35 him a reviling accusation, but said, 'The Lord rebuke thee!'" 25:40 So here we find again Michael and we're going to talk about 25:43 who Michael is. 25:44 That's Christ in just a few moments. 25:47 But he's contending with the devil about the body of Moses. 25:49 Now, we know, according to the books of the Old Testament that 25:51 Moses died and he went up onto a mountain where he died. 25:54 God, it says, buried him, but it seems as though, based on Jude 25:59 here, that shortly after his death, God came to resurrect 26:03 Moses and the devil was there to protest and say, "No, You can't 26:07 resurrect him because he had sinned in striking the rock. 26:11 No, he's mine." 26:13 And yet it says the Lord didn't get into an argument. 26:15 He just said, "The Lord rebuke thee." 26:17 So here we find Jesus interceding on behalf of His 26:19 people and Christ is interceding and contending with the devil 26:23 for the salvation of souls. 26:26 Now, of course, that lesson is important for us today when it 26:28 comes to witnessing and evangelism, recognizing that 26:31 Jesus is interceding on behalf of our loved ones, those that we 26:36 are praying for. 26:38 And Jesus hears our prayers. 26:40 Hebrews chapter 7, verse 25: "Therefore He also is able to 26:43 save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since 26:46 He always lives to make intercession for them." 26:49 And again, that's a powerful verse talking about Jesus, our 26:52 high priest, interceding for us and He does so in heaven. 26:55 So throughout the Bible, we find that effective soul winners were 26:58 men and women of prayer. 27:01 They recognized the power of prayer, intercessory prayer, and 27:05 God works as a result of our prayers for the salvation 27:08 of others. 27:10 But when it comes to soul winning and witnessing, one of 27:13 the things that we like to share with our AFCOE students is first 27:15 of all, you need to recognize that when you're giving someone 27:18 a Bible study, that you are cooperating with the Holy Spirit 27:20 in bringing that person to a point of conviction, ultimately 27:24 by God's grace to conversion. 27:27 You can't do it on your own. 27:29 It requires the moving of the Holy Spirit. 27:31 So we need to be working with the Holy Spirit. 27:33 We need to be aware of what the Holy Spirit is doing in the 27:36 heart and in the life of the person that we are studying 27:39 with, and that's why intercessory prayer 27:41 is important. 27:43 Usually, our students will go out to do Bible studies two by 27:45 two, and the work of the one person in the group is simply to 27:49 pray, to intercede. 27:51 Now, it's not an official sort of visible prayer where they 27:54 close their eyes and they pray there in the Bible study. 27:57 And there is the lead person doing the Bible study. 28:00 The other person is there to offer up those silent 28:03 intercessory prayers, especially as they begin to see conviction 28:07 come into the heart of the person that they're 28:09 studying with. 28:10 And maybe they're experiencing a bit of a struggle. 28:12 Then it is that that person needs to pray and say, "Lord, 28:15 please move upon this person's heart. 28:17 Help them to realize the issues at stake, and so on." 28:20 So intercessory prayer is very much involved in the work of 28:23 soul winning. 28:25 And that's what's being emphasized here. 28:27 There is power in prayer. 28:29 There's a statement that we find in the book, "Ministry of 28:31 Healings," page 143. 28:33 It's a statement that we've already seen in our study of 28:36 this quarter and it's probably a statement that we will hear 28:39 several more times. 28:41 It's a very important statement. 28:43 "Ministry of Healing," page 143, and this is what it says: 28:46 "Christ's method alone will give true success in reaching 28:51 the people. 28:53 The Savior mingled with men as one who desired their good. 28:56 He showed his sympathy for them, He ministered to their needs, He 29:00 won their confidence. 29:02 Then He bade them, 'Follow Me.'" 29:05 So what was the example that Christ gave? 29:07 Notice, "Christ's method alone will give true success." 29:11 There is one method that works when it comes to soul winning 29:13 and that's Christ's method. 29:15 What did Jesus do? 29:17 He mingled with people. 29:19 He sympathized with them, He ministered to their needs, He 29:23 won their confidence. 29:25 Then He said, "Follow me." 29:27 Now, in our work of soul winning and evangelism, we follow the 29:30 same example. 29:32 We want to mingle with people. 29:34 We want to sympathize with them. 29:36 We want to minister to their needs where we can. 29:39 But we ultimately want to win their confidence so that we can 29:41 share with them spiritual things. 29:44 For many people, that ends up being a real challenge. 29:46 How do we win someone's confidence? 29:48 We might have a friend. 29:50 Maybe it's someone we work with, maybe a neighbor, maybe even a 29:52 family member, and we have a good relationship with them. 29:55 They will share with us what their genuine concerns or needs 29:59 might be, but when we try to share spiritual things with 30:02 them, we notice that they're not interested. 30:05 It's as if they build a wall right there. 30:07 They don't want to hear what we have to say about 30:09 spiritual things. 30:11 How do we win their confidence so that they will hear what we 30:13 have to say about Jesus? 30:15 One of the ways that we can win people's confidence is through 30:19 intercessory prayer. 30:22 And this is usually how it works. 30:24 I'll give you an illustration of how this works. 30:26 We moved to a new house here in Sacramento a number of years ago 30:29 and just down the street from us, our neighbor, a very 30:32 friendly family, we got to know them. 30:35 He was a secular-minded man. 30:37 He was doing very well financially. 30:39 His business was doing well. 30:41 And even though we became good friends, he was not interested 30:44 in anything spiritual. 30:46 Whenever I tried to bring up something spiritual, he'd say, 30:48 "No, I'm not interested, don't have time." 30:52 And so I began to pray and say, "Lord, how can I somehow reach," 30:54 his name was Nick. 30:56 "How can I reach Nick so that I can share with him 30:57 spiritual things?" 30:59 During that time, we were studying something very 31:01 important in AFCOE: when it comes to sharing our faith you 31:04 want to build a relationship with someone so that they're 31:08 willing to share a genuine concern that they have and then 31:10 you respond and say, "Well, I understand the way you feel. 31:13 I'd probably feel the same way if I was in your situation but 31:15 I've found that God answers prayer. 31:19 I'm going to pray about that." 31:21 So this was one of the things we were learning there in our AFCOE 31:22 class, and so I thought, "I'm going to try this with Nick." 31:25 One day I was visiting with him and I said, "How are 31:27 things going?" 31:28 He said, "Ah, it's not going so well." 31:30 I said, "What's the problem?" 31:32 He says, "Well, our daughter," she had just graduated from 31:33 high school. 31:35 He said, "Our daughter has decided to move to Las Vegas 31:37 with a friend." 31:38 Now, he was a secular-minded man but he knew Vegas was not the 31:42 place for an 18-year-old, and he said, "We're very concerned 31:45 about her." 31:47 So I responded and said, "Well, I can understand the way 31:49 you feel. 31:50 I'd probably feel the same way if my daughter was 18 and she 31:52 wanted to go to Las Vegas, but I have found that God 31:54 answers prayer. 31:57 I'm going to pray for her." 31:59 Now, of course, the moment I said anything about God and 32:00 prayer, he kind of rolled his eyes. 32:03 I could see he wasn't interested. 32:04 But I went home and I told my family and my kids were little 32:06 at the time. 32:07 I said, "Hey, we have a special prayer request. 32:10 We're going to pray for Mr. Nick, and we're going to ask 32:12 that somehow the Lord will reveal Himself to Nick through 32:15 this situation." 32:17 Every morning worship, evening worship, at prayer meeting, we 32:19 would have a prayer request. 32:22 That would be for Nick. 32:23 So we prayed for him, we prayed for him. 32:25 Couple of weeks went by and I went over to visit with him and 32:27 in the conversation I asked, I said, "Hey, Nick, I've been 32:30 praying about that situation with your daughter. 32:32 Has God done anything yet?" 32:35 Ha, he had a little smile that came over his face. 32:38 He said, "You've been praying about it, huh?" 32:41 I said, "Yes, I've been praying about it." 32:44 He said, "Funny you should say that. 32:46 Just today, she called. 32:47 She said things were not working out in Las Vegas. 32:50 She had decided to come back home." 32:52 I said, "Praise the Lord." 32:55 He said, "Do you think God answered your prayer?" 32:57 I said, "I know God answered my prayer." 32:59 He says, "Does God always answer your prayer?" 33:03 I said, "God always answers. 33:04 One way or another, He will answer." 33:07 He says, "Does God only answer your prayer or will He answer 33:09 anybody's prayer?" 33:11 Suddenly, Nick began to have questions about prayer. 33:16 I was able to actually share with him how that God wants us 33:19 to pray and that God is not a respecter of persons, that He 33:22 likes and wants everyone to come and bring their petitions 33:26 before Him. 33:27 And he was actually open to learning more about prayer, how 33:29 he could actually try and pray to see if God would move. 33:33 So when it comes to this work of intercessory prayer, we want to 33:37 be specific. 33:38 We are praying for an individual. 33:40 We need to get to know them, find out what their need is, 33:42 what their concern is, and then purposely pray for them, asking 33:45 that God would somehow reveal Himself to the person through 33:49 the situation. 33:51 And then we need to follow up. 33:53 Often we neglect to follow up with the person and so we don't 33:56 get to see what God is doing to reveal Himself. 33:59 So intercessory prayer is just so important when it comes to 34:03 soul winning. 34:05 And, of course, we see the example of that throughout 34:07 the Bible. 34:08 One of the greatest evangelists of New Testament times was the 34:10 apostle Paul and we have many examples of Paul lifting up 34:13 intercessory prayer for people. 34:16 Paul believed that something would happen as a result 34:19 of prayer. 34:21 For example, Ephesians chapter 1, verse 15. 34:24 This is Paul writing to the Ephesian believers in the town 34:28 of Ephesus and he says, "Therefore I also, after I heard 34:31 of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the 34:35 saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention 34:38 of you in my prayers." 34:41 So there he is, he's specifically mentioning 34:43 individuals in his prayer, and what is he asking God to do 34:46 for them? 34:47 Verse 17 says that "God--that the God of our Lord Jesus 34:51 Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the spirit of wisdom 34:55 and revelation in the knowledge of Him." 34:59 So he's specific. 35:01 He's praying for people but he's praying that they would have a 35:03 clearer understanding or knowledge of God. 35:06 Verse 18: "The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; 35:10 that you might know what is the hope of His calling, what are 35:15 the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints." 35:19 And verse 19, "and what is the exceeding greatness of the power 35:24 towards us who believe, according to the working of His 35:28 mighty power." 35:30 So the things that Paul is asking for, he's interceding on 35:33 these believers, for these believers, and he's saying, 35:36 "Lord, please help them to understand more of who You are, 35:40 to understand more about Your glory, to have a better 35:42 knowledge of You." 35:44 But he's also praying and saying, "Lord, please allow Your 35:47 power to work within them, that mighty power that transforms the 35:51 heart and the life. 35:53 Allow that power to work in that person's life." 35:56 And of course, that needs to be our prayer when we're 35:59 interceding for others. 36:01 And then one of my favorite passages of Scripture is 36:02 Ephesians chapter 3. 36:04 This is the apostle Paul's prayer request and what a prayer 36:08 request it is. 36:10 Ephesians chapter 3 and verse 14. 36:13 This is what it says: "For this reason I bow my knees to the 36:16 Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." 36:18 So Paul's going to pray about something. 36:21 Verse 15: "For whom the whole family in heaven and earth 36:23 is named." 36:25 Verse 16: "That He would grant you," so Paul is interceding for 36:30 the believers. 36:32 I believe this prayer request is not only for the believers there 36:34 in Ephesus but I think it's true for any believer. 36:37 Paul is praying that "God would grant you according to the 36:40 riches of the glory--of His glory, to be strengthened with 36:44 might through His Spirit in the inner man." 36:49 So his prayer request is, "Lord, please send Your Spirit to 36:52 strengthen these individuals in their inner man, in 36:56 their hearts." 36:58 Verse 17: "That Christ might dwell in your hearts through 37:01 faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be 37:04 able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and the 37:08 length and the depth and the height--to know the love of 37:12 Christ which passes knowledge; that you might be filled with 37:16 all the fullness of God." 37:19 What a prayer request that is. 37:22 Lord, please fill these individuals with the fullness 37:25 of Yourself. 37:27 And verse 20 says: "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly 37:31 abundantly above all that we think or ask, according to the 37:35 power that works in us," that is the Holy Spirit, "to Him be 37:38 glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, 37:41 forever and ever, amen." 37:45 So what is Paul praying for? 37:47 He's praying for a knowledge of the truth and he's praying for 37:52 an indwelling of the Spirit, that Christ might dwell in 37:56 the heart. 37:58 I was reminded of what Jesus said to the woman at the well 38:00 when I read Paul's prayer request. 38:02 In John chapter 4, verse 23, Jesus said, "The time is coming 38:05 when those who worship God, the true worshipers, will worship 38:08 Him in Spirit and in truth." 38:11 So the two things that Jesus says are necessary for true 38:14 worship is being Spirit-filled and following the truth of 38:18 His Word. 38:20 Those are the two things that we should be praying for when it 38:22 comes to interceding on behalf of others. 38:25 All right, well, then that brings us, I need to move right 38:27 along, to Wednesday's lesson and the title there is, "Unseen 38:31 Powers at Work." 38:33 This is just a really great study in Daniel chapter 10. 38:36 Daniel chapter 10 is probably one of the clearest 38:39 demonstrations of this great controversy and the importance 38:42 of intercessory prayer. 38:44 Now, a little bit of the background to the story. 38:46 Daniel at this time is a captive. 38:49 He is still in Babylon. 38:51 This is nearing the end of the 70 years of 38:53 Babylonian captivity. 38:55 Daniel has been studying the writings of the other prophets 38:57 and, in that study, he has read Jeremiah chapter 29, verse 10, 39:01 which speaks about that captivity being 70 years. 39:05 Now, based upon 6 or 5 BC when the Babylonians conquered 39:10 Jerusalem, Daniel is doing the math. 39:13 He realizes we're coming up to that seventy-year time period. 39:15 We're very close to that seventy-year time period. 39:18 And so Daniel begins to intercede and pray on behalf of 39:21 his people. 39:23 And we pick up the story here in Daniel chapter 10, verse 1 39:25 and 2. 39:27 It says: "In the third year of the reign of Cyrus king of 39:29 Persia a message was revealed to Daniel, whose name was 39:32 called Belteshazzar. 39:34 The message was true, but the appointed time was long; and he 39:38 understood the message, and had an understanding of the vision." 39:42 Verse 2 says: "In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three 39:45 full weeks." 39:47 So as a result of his study, realizing that that time period 39:50 was coming to an end, that the Jews were to go back, and yet he 39:53 realized that the heart of the Jewish people, they were not set 39:57 upon leaving, they were not committed to God to be obedient 40:01 to him, and so Daniel begins to intercede on behalf of 40:05 his people. 40:07 And he's praying earnestly for three full weeks. 40:09 Well, an answer comes as a result of his prayer and you'll 40:12 find in verse 12, the angel comes and speaks to Daniel. 40:16 "Then he said to me, 'Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first 40:21 day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble 40:24 yourself before God, your words were heard; and I've come 40:28 because of your words.'" 40:30 So the angel is saying, "Daniel, your prayer was heard. 40:32 The day you began to pray, I came." 40:35 "But," verse 13. 40:37 "But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me 21 days;" 40:41 and remember, earlier, it says that Daniel had prayed for three 40:44 full weeks. 40:46 Well, that's 21 days. 40:48 So when Daniel began to pray, the angel was sent to work with 40:50 the king of Persia but the adversary, the devil, was 40:54 hindering the work of the angel. 40:57 Verse 13: "But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me 40:59 21 days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came 41:04 to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings 41:08 of Persia." 41:10 So for 21 days, the angel works on the heart of the king of 41:14 Persia but the devil is there to withstand him. 41:16 Finally, in response to Daniel's prayer, Michael comes to assist 41:21 in this work of convincing the king that the Jews are to go 41:25 back and rebuild Jerusalem. 41:28 Now, this is an incredible thought that in response to 41:31 Daniel's prayer, Michael comes. 41:34 Now, you might be wondering, "Well, who is Michael?" 41:38 Well, Michael is the prophetic name for Jesus. 41:44 And I'll give you some verses on that. 41:46 The word "Michael" literally means "who is like God." 41:50 And in Daniel chapter 12, verse 1, we read: "Michael the great 41:53 prince that stands watch for the children of thy people." 41:56 We know that Christ intercedes on behalf of His people. 42:00 Jude 9 talks about Michael being the archangel or the ruler of 42:05 the angels. 42:07 We're not saying Michael is an angel. 42:09 The word, the "archangel" means ruler of or the one above, like 42:12 an arch, which is above the door, archangel, the ruler of 42:15 the angels, or the commander of the heavenly host. 42:19 Here He's called Michael. 42:21 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, verse 16 tells us: "For the Lord," 42:25 that's Christ. 42:27 "The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with 42:30 the voice of the archangel." 42:33 Did you notice that the Lord Himself coming from heaven has 42:36 the voice of the archangel? 42:39 And it says: "The dead in Christ shall rise first." 42:41 So Jesus is the one who has the voice of the archangel and it's 42:45 that voice that raises the dead. 42:48 Now, one more verse: John chapter 5, verse 28 says, 42:51 speaking of Jesus, "All those who are in their graves shall 42:55 hear His voice," that's the voice of Christ, "and shall 42:57 come forth." 43:01 So the voice that raises the dead is the voice of Christ. 43:03 Michael is said to be the archangel and the voice that 43:08 raises the dead is the voice of the archangel, therefore Michael 43:10 is Jesus. 43:11 So Michael is the prophetic name of Jesus. 43:14 And here we find Jesus actually coming as a result of Daniel's 43:17 prayer of intercession. 43:20 Jesus comes to push back, to hold back, the forces of evil in 43:25 order for the king of Persia to make that decision to allow the 43:29 Jews to come, to go back and rebuild. 43:32 Now, the reason for that is because, as a whole, the Jewish 43:34 people, they weren't fully committed upon returning. 43:37 Seventy years had gone by. 43:39 They had become comfortable in their new home, Babylon. 43:42 They were doing quite well and to actually now go back to 43:45 Jerusalem to a broken-down city and to start rebuilding, that 43:50 required effort, there was a commitment, there was sacrifice, 43:53 and Daniel knew this and so he's praying, saying, "Please, Lord." 43:57 And the devil's saying, "No, they're mine. 43:59 Look, they're not interested in going. 44:01 They want to stay in Babylon." 44:02 And so this controversy is taking place. 44:04 Jesus is even present to answer the prayer of the 44:06 prophet Daniel. 44:08 Just incredible passage. 44:10 Well, then that brings us to Thursday's lesson and Thursday 44:13 is "Prayer Focus." 44:16 So when it comes to intercessory prayer, we want to be focused. 44:19 We want to pray specifically. 44:21 We can see the example of Jesus. 44:23 Jesus prayed specifically for His disciples, even mentioning 44:26 them by name. 44:28 Paul prayed specifically for the believers and he also mentions 44:31 specific individuals by name. 44:33 When we want to share our faith and we begin to witness, we need 44:37 to pray specifically for the people that we are working with. 44:40 Praying that somehow, God would arrange circumstances where He 44:43 could reveal Himself to that person where they'd be open to 44:47 hearing more spiritual truth. 44:50 So we need to be specific in our prayer. 44:52 You have the prophet Samuel in 1 Samuel chapter 12, verse 23. 44:56 This is at the coronation of King Saul. 44:59 And notice what Samuel says. 45:02 This is verse 23 of 1 Samuel 12: "Moreover, as for me, far be it 45:06 from me that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to 45:08 pray for you." 45:11 So Samuel felt that this was his calling and if he did not pray 45:15 for God's people, for the Israelites, he would be sinning 45:18 against the Lord. 45:20 That's how serious Saul took this work of 45:22 intercessory prayer. 45:24 And in Job chapter 16, verse 21, we read: "Oh, that one might 45:29 plead for a man with God, as a man pleads for his neighbor!" 45:33 So here is a call that we, as Christians, as believers, should 45:36 intercede, should plead, for the salvation of others. 45:41 That's what Jesus did, that's what the apostles did, that's 45:43 what the believers of the Old Testament time period did. 45:46 That's what God wants us to do. 45:48 After all, conversion, the moving of the Holy Spirit on the 45:51 heart of individuals and you've got to pray. 45:55 You've got to allow the Holy Spirit to do a work that only He 45:57 can do. 45:59 This is an encouraging statement that you find in "Testimonies to 46:02 the Church, Volume I," page 346. 46:07 Notice this. 46:09 It said, "Satan cannot endure to have his powerful rival appealed 46:14 to, for he fears and trembles before His strength and majesty. 46:20 At the sound of fervent prayer, Satan's whole host trembles." 46:26 So at the sound of fervent prayer, when we intercede for 46:29 others, it says Satan's whole host trembles. 46:33 So our lesson this week has been emphasizing the importance of 46:38 intercessory prayer. 46:40 Now, some of you might be wondering, "Well, where do I 46:43 really start with this intercessory prayer? 46:46 I'm not even quite sure how to pray. 46:47 It seems that when I pray, I end up, you know, wandering off 46:51 topic and, you know, I need some structure in prayer. 46:54 How do I get that?" 46:57 Let me share with you just a simple little tool that I've 46:59 been using that's proven to be very helpful in helping to keep 47:02 my prayers focused and it might be a blessing for you. 47:06 I think of the word "pray," P-R-A-Y, and I think of each of 47:10 those letters as representing something. 47:13 The word "P" can stand for Praise. 47:16 So when you begin your prayer, think specifically of things 47:20 that you can praise God for. 47:23 You want to thank God for the blessings that He's given you, 47:25 answered prayers. 47:26 You want to thank Him for providing for your physical 47:28 literal needs but also for your spiritual needs and spend some 47:32 time being specific, thinking of things that you can praise 47:35 God for. 47:36 That's the "P." 47:38 The "R" stands for Repent. 47:40 And that's where we need to say, "Lord, please forgive me for 47:43 what I said here or, Lord, help me. 47:45 Give me the strength to overcome that temptation. 47:48 Give me victory." 47:50 We want to repent. 47:51 Repent of our sins, allow the Holy Spirit to convict us of 47:53 those areas in our lives that we have not fully surrendered 47:56 to Christ. 47:58 The "A," of course, stands for Ask, and that's where we bring 48:02 all of our requests before God and I think that in particular 48:05 is a time for us to intercede on behalf of others. 48:07 Not only asking for our needs but we're also asking that the 48:11 Lord would guide and bless and move on the hearts of those that 48:14 we love or our friends, those that we are sharing our faith 48:17 with, that God would intercede on their behalf. 48:20 And then finally, the "Y" stands for Yield, and that, in essence, 48:25 is surrendering. 48:27 Surrendering all to Jesus. 48:29 And that is surrendering ourselves, surrendering our 48:31 families, and in particular, surrendering those that we are 48:33 witnessing to, trusting that we can place them in God's hands, 48:37 we can place them in God's protection. 48:40 God knows what's best. 48:42 We're interceding on their behalf and we're giving them, so 48:44 to speak, into the hands of God, saying, "Lord, please do 48:47 whatever You have to do to try and reveal Yourself to this 48:51 person, to bring them to a point of repentance and a genuine 48:55 change of heart." 48:57 So intercessory prayer is so important when it comes 49:00 to witnessing. 49:02 So quick summary. 49:04 What did we learn? 49:06 We looked at the example of Jesus. 49:09 We found that He interceded on behalf of others. 49:11 We looked at the example of Paul and some of the examples of the 49:13 Old Testament Bible characters. 49:15 We realized that there is a very real battle between good 49:17 and evil. 49:19 Intercessory prayer is the key in gaining the victory so that 49:23 souls can be won for the kingdom. 49:25 We'd like to again remind you of our free offer for today. 49:28 It is a book entitled, "Teach Us to Pray," and we'll be happy to 49:31 send this to anyone in North America. 49:34 Just ask for the free offer. 49:35 It's 717 and the number is 866-788-3966. 49:40 Again, that number is 866-788-3966. 49:44 Ask for offer number 717. 49:46 Or you can request a digital copy of the book by texting the 49:50 code, "SH065" to the number "40544." 49:57 Again, we want to thank you so much for joining us here for our 50:00 Sabbath School Study Hour and until we study again, may 50:03 God bless. 50:08 male announcer: Don't forget to request today's life-changing 50:10 free resource. 50:12 Not only can you receive this free gift in the mail, you can 50:14 download a digital copy straight to your computer or 50:16 mobile device. 50:18 To get your digital copy of today's free gift, simply text 50:21 the keyword on your screen to 40544 or visit the web address 50:26 shown on your screen and be sure to select the digital download 50:29 option on the request page. 50:31 It's now easier than ever for you to study God's Word with 50:34 Amazing Facts wherever and whenever you want. 50:38 And most important, to share it with others. 50:45 ♪♪♪ 50:47 announcer: "Amazing Facts," Changed Lives. 50:55 male: I had a lot of pressure as a pastor's kid to perform. 50:59 They're not allowed to make the same mistakes as everyone else. 51:03 Not only are people looking at you, but they're judging your 51:08 father according to what they see in you. 51:12 After a while, you get tired of carrying that load as a child. 51:15 By the time it got time for me to leave home, I was pretty much 51:20 finished with all that. 51:22 I just--I wasn't good enough and I didn't belong in there. 51:25 So when I left home, I went to the world, at a dead run. 51:33 You know, I partied and went to work and, you know, was living 51:36 my life as the way I wanted to. 51:39 And I just wanted to be left alone. 51:42 One day, I was driving my motorcycle with some buddies 51:45 of mine. 51:46 All of a sudden, I had oil running everywhere, all up and 51:48 down my arm and across my legs, and rippling down the tank in 51:52 the wind. 51:54 And we loaded it up on a trailer and sent it to the shop to have 51:57 it fixed. 51:59 So I went to pick it up and the mechanic came out. 52:01 He said, "You know," he said, "we got your front end rebuilt." 52:03 He said, "That wasn't the bad part." 52:06 He said, "The bad part was the only thing holding the front 52:08 tire on was the weight of the motorcycle." 52:11 So all I would have had to have done was accelerate quickly and 52:14 front tire would have came off. 52:17 And it got my attention, it got me to thinking, you know, you 52:20 hear a lot of people talking about, you know, the 52:23 relationship that they have with Jesus and all that, and I didn't 52:26 even know what that was supposed to look like. 52:29 It began to work on my mind. 52:31 I think God was beginning to speak to me. 52:33 I believe that you can say I may be a poster child for the 52:37 shepherd lost sheep story because I wasn't looking 52:41 for God. 52:43 I didn't really care. 52:46 But He cared about me. 52:49 And He came and got me. 52:53 ♪♪♪ 53:00 announcer: Together, we have spread the gospel much farther 53:03 than ever before. 53:05 Thank you for your support. 53:13 ♪♪♪ 53:23 Doug Batchelor: On Christmas Eve, 1971, 17-year-old Juliane 53:26 Koepcke boarded LANSA flight 508 with her mother in Lima, Peru. 53:31 They intended to join her father for Christmas at his research 53:35 station in the Amazon rainforest. 53:38 After crossing the Andes at about 21,000 feet, their 53:41 aircraft was enveloped by large dark thunderclouds and it 53:45 encountered severe turbulence. 53:47 Lightning was flashing everywhere and the plane was 53:50 shaking violently, which naturally terrified 53:52 the passengers. 53:54 Then a bolt of lightning struck the plane's engine and tore off 53:58 a wing. 54:00 As the doomed airliner hurtled towards the earth, the cabin 54:02 came apart and the next thing she knew, Juliane found herself 54:06 strapped alone to a row of seats, falling and spinning 54:09 silently from over 10,000 feet above the rainforest. 54:14 She plummeted through the jungle canopy and slammed to the 54:17 forest floor. 54:19 When she awoke the next day, Juliane was amazed to realize 54:21 she had survived the 2-mile fall with just a broken collarbone 54:25 and a bad gash in her arm. 54:28 After failing to find any other survivors, Juliane relied on 54:31 what her father had taught her, that walking downstream will 54:34 always lead to civilization. 54:38 So with a bag of candy that had fallen from the plane and one 54:41 sandal, she started walking. 54:43 For ten days, Juliane hobbled, swam, or floated downstream. 54:47 Her wounds became infected and she was plagued by maggots while 54:50 having to dodge crocodiles, piranhas, and 54:54 relentless insects. 54:56 Eventually, she came to a shack where she slept and she was soon 55:00 discovered by Peruvian loggers. 55:02 Eventually, Juliane was united with her amazed father. 55:06 It's hard to imagine a 17-year-old girl surviving such 55:10 a fall and then hiking alone out of the world's 55:13 largest rainforest. 55:16 You know, the Bible talks about some who survived an 55:18 even greater fall than Juliane. 55:20 In fact, according to the Scriptures, when Adam and Eve 55:22 fell in the Garden of Eden, it brought the whole human 55:25 race down. 55:27 But Jesus came to redeem the world from sin. 55:29 Perhaps you're thinking to yourself, "Well, that's okay for 55:32 the world but I've fallen too far." 55:35 Well, if the Lord can save Juliane, God can save you. 55:38 You've not gone farther than Moses who was guilty of murder 55:41 or David who was guilty of adultery or Peter who denied 55:45 Jesus, and all of them were saved and restored from 55:47 their fall. 55:50 Or maybe you're thinking, "I've fallen too many times." 55:52 Be of good courage. 55:54 It says in Proverbs chapter 24, verse 16: "A righteous man falls 55:58 seven times and rises again." 56:00 And Jesus cast seven devils out of Mary Magdalene. 56:03 So don't get discouraged, friend. 56:05 If you've fallen, get back up again. 56:07 The same way that He could save Juliane, lead her from that lost 56:11 condition in the rainforest, and restore her to her father, Jesus 56:14 can lead you from your lost condition and restore you to 56:17 your heavenly Father. 56:19 ♪♪♪ 56:28 announcer: In six days God created the heavens and 56:31 the earth. 56:33 For thousands of years man has worshiped God on the seventh day 56:36 of the week. 56:38 Now, each week, millions of people worship on the first day. 56:40 What happened? 56:42 Why did God create a day of rest? 56:45 Does it really matter what day we worship? 56:48 Who was behind this great shift? 56:50 Discover the truth behind God's law and how it was changed. 56:53 Visit SabbathTruth.com. 57:03 ♪♪♪ 57:21 male: "I was a stranger and you took Me in." 57:27 ♪♪♪ 57:40 male: "Assuredly, I say to you inasmuch as you did it to one of 57:43 the least of these, My brethren, you did it to Me." 57:59 ♪♪♪ 58:10 ♪♪♪ 58:19 ♪♪♪ |
Revised 2020-07-16