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00:10 ♪♪♪ 00:20 ♪♪♪ 00:35 Luccas Rodor: Hi friends, it's so good to be here with you 00:38 for another "Sabbath School Study Hour." 00:40 Today, we have a very great study prepared for you. 00:44 We're studying this quarter's lesson, 00:46 which is "Making Friends For God." 00:48 And today, we'll be setting lesson number nine, 00:51 which is "Developing a Winning Attitude." 00:53 This lesson promises to be very good, 00:55 it promises to bring a lot of insight into the best attitude 00:58 that we can have when we want to make friends for God. 01:01 But before we get there, we do have a free offer for you, 01:04 and the name of the free offer is "From Stress to Joy." 01:07 So, if you would like to receive this free offer that we have 01:10 to mail to you, then all you have to do is call 866-788-3966. 01:17 Or you could send a text to SH031, 01:22 and you'll send that to 40544 for a digital download. 01:28 And I'm sure that you will have a lot of enjoyment coming from 01:30 this free offer. 01:33 But before we begin the actual study of this lesson, 01:35 we have a special song for you. 01:37 It's a beautiful song, I'm sure that you'll enjoy it a lot. 01:40 Don't go anywhere because right after, 01:42 we have our lesson of this, we have the study of this lesson. 01:44 ♪♪♪ 01:51 ♪ Sometimes, the tempter tries to take my joy ♪ 02:00 ♪ And all my dreams in life he would destroy ♪ 02:08 ♪ But I've a friend in heaven who is listening to me, ♪ 02:16 ♪ ready to respond to my heart's plea ♪ 02:24 ♪ I believe in prayer, that the words of my mouth reach ♪ 02:31 ♪ the heart of God ♪ 02:33 ♪ Jesus is waiting there, the intercessor of my prayer ♪ 02:40 ♪ And He goes to His Father on His throne, ♪ 02:44 ♪ takes all my burdens, makes them His own ♪ 02:50 ♪ In a moment of despair, never forget the power of prayer ♪ 03:07 ♪ Morning, noon, and night, to Him I'll pray ♪ 03:16 ♪ a fervent prayer with faith in Jesus's name ♪ 03:24 ♪ And someday, I will see the path He chose for me was ♪ 03:32 ♪ made a little brighter when I prayed ♪ 03:40 ♪ I believe in prayer, that the words of my ♪ 03:46 ♪ mouth reach the heart of God ♪ 03:49 ♪ Jesus is waiting there, the intercessor of my prayer ♪ 03:56 ♪ And He goes to his Father on His throne, ♪ 04:00 ♪ takes all my burdens, makes them His own ♪ 04:06 ♪ In a moment of despair, never forget the power of prayer ♪ 04:19 ♪ Across the miles, beyond the sky, ♪ 04:26 ♪ through time and space, past heaven's gates, ♪ 04:34 ♪ Jesus cares and He hears my prayer ♪ 04:46 ♪ I believe in prayer, that the words of my mouth ♪ 04:53 ♪ reach the heart of God ♪ 04:56 ♪ Jesus is waiting there, the intercessor of my prayer ♪ 05:03 ♪ And He goes to his Father on His throne, ♪ 05:08 ♪ takes all my burdens, makes them His own ♪ 05:13 ♪ In a moment of despair, never forget the power of prayer ♪ 05:26 ♪ Never forget the ♪ 05:30 ♪ power of prayer ♪♪ 05:40 ♪♪♪ 05:49 Luccas: All right, what a beautiful song. 05:51 I hope you enjoyed that. 05:52 Before we begin, we will start with a word of prayer. 05:55 Dear Father God, thank You so much for Your blessings and for 05:57 bringing us here today. 05:59 Thank You so much for the Sabbath School lesson, 06:02 Lord, where we can learn important lessons about how to 06:04 live, not only the lessons that we extract from the Bible, 06:06 but how to apply those lessons in our day to day life. 06:09 Today, Lord, as we talk about developing a winning attitude, 06:14 we ask You to truly help us to withdraw and to extract from the 06:18 Bible the meaning and the lesson that You have for us today. 06:22 Please bless everyone at home, wherever they may be. 06:25 Please use them, Lord, throughout the 06:26 rest of this week. 06:28 And just guide us as we open Your Word and understand 06:30 Your truth for us right now. 06:32 I thank You and I ask You in the name of Jesus, amen. 06:36 All right, as I already mentioned before, 06:38 this week's lesson, lesson title is 06:41 "Developing a Winning Attitude." 06:44 You know, friends, a lot in life has to do with our attitude. 06:48 Someone once said that you can't really control everything or 06:51 really anything much that happens to you. 06:54 The only thing that you do have in your control is how you're 06:57 going to react to that, what your attitude is going to be 07:00 regarding that that happened. 07:02 Now, there are many examples, very good examples in the Bible 07:06 about people who had winning attitudes, 07:08 winning characters, people who did things, 07:11 who reacted the right way. 07:14 And on the other side, we do have some examples of people 07:16 that did not have winning attitudes that 07:17 we can learn from. 07:19 But if we really want to take the best example, 07:22 the best lesson, we have to begin at Jesus. 07:25 We have to begin with Jesus, who was our very best example. 07:28 He was the one that we can truly learn from, 07:30 and this week's lesson opens with that. 07:33 You know, even though 2,000 years have passed and 2,000 07:36 years have gone by, Jesus's life continues to intrigue us. 07:40 His leadership style remains amazing to this day, 07:45 relevant and intrinsic to the Christian walk. 07:48 And it may be applied to our day to day, 07:51 practical life, to our day to day, 07:54 practical interactions with people that we have and that 07:56 we meet at home, at school, at work. 07:59 You know, Christ's method of dealing with people, 08:03 of treating people, of interacting with them 08:05 continues to be the true model for the Christian-- 08:08 for Christian witnessing. 08:09 If we want to learn how to be good witnesses, 08:12 if we want to learn how to make friends for God, 08:15 truly we have to imitate Jesus's example in that, 08:18 because His example was truly the best. 08:21 The way that He dealt with people, 08:22 the way that He treated people was always the best. 08:25 He would approach them, He was kind, 08:28 He satisfied their necessities. 08:30 And then He extended His incomparable call, 08:33 which was "Follow Me, follow Me." 08:35 Jesus was relatable, He was compassionate. 08:38 He sincerely cared for people. 08:41 This is perhaps one of the most important lessons that we can 08:44 learn from His life. 08:46 He cared for people, He was compassionate about them, 08:49 He felt--He felt what they were feeling. 08:52 And we understand that when Jesus came to our world, 08:54 that's exactly what He came for. 08:56 He came to live our life, to suffer our hardships, 08:59 to shed our tears, to shed our blood, 09:02 and eventually to die our death. 09:04 So, Jesus was relatable, He could relate to what we go 09:07 through on the day to day. 09:09 He became part of the human family. 09:12 Have you ever thought about that? 09:14 Jesus became part of the human family. 09:17 Actually, one of His most well known titles, 09:19 Emmanuel, it means exactly that. 09:22 He became one with us, God with us. 09:24 He became part of the human family to guide people, 09:27 independent of their origin, independent of their social 09:30 status, independent of their religion. 09:32 And this is one of the major characteristics that He provided 09:36 within a context toward leadership. 09:38 The leadership in Jesus's day depended or demanded dominion 09:43 over people, dominion. 09:46 But Jesus opened another path. 09:48 He provided another way of leading, 09:51 of loving, and of guiding people. 09:53 Actually, guiding people was what Jesus did throughout 09:57 His whole life. 09:58 That was one of His major callings, 10:00 to guide people, leading their minds and their hearts, 10:03 awakening in them a hunger for what they could be in Him. 10:06 And this is something that we have kind of repeated throughout 10:10 the whole quarter is that Jesus, He didn't see people for what 10:14 they were, He saw them for what they could be, 10:17 transformed by His grace and by His love. 10:20 Jesus made no distinction between those who sought Him 10:23 for help or for advice, or even for those who simply 10:27 wanted to know Him. 10:28 And we have a few of these people in the Bible that just 10:31 approached Jesus because they wanted to know Him. 10:33 There was something different about Him. 10:35 You know, Jesus had a very magnetic personality. 10:39 Wherever He went, people wanted to meet Him, 10:41 they wanted to know Him. 10:43 His message always found a way into the hearts of those 10:46 who heard Him. 10:47 Contrary to the rabbis of His days, 10:49 contrary to the religious leaders of His days that thought 10:53 that sanctity, sanctity demanded distance from people and to 10:57 distance people from themselves. 11:00 Jesus, who was the only one that was God, 11:03 the only one that was truly holy, 11:05 Jesus manifested another attitude. 11:07 He was approachable, He came close to people. 11:10 And that kind of attitude, friends, 11:12 is what makes friends for God. 11:14 Jesus always used the best way to communicate 11:18 to each individual. 11:20 He treated crowds as though He were speaking to just one 11:23 individual, speaking to them, loving them through metaphors 11:27 and through parables that to this day remain powerful in 11:30 their effect upon the different types of people, 11:34 and help them comprehend themselves 11:36 and their hope of salvation. 11:38 And this provokes a desire of deep change. 11:40 These stories, this impact, this way that Jesus worked, 11:45 that's really what provoked in people and evoked in people this 11:49 desire for change, this desire to be someone else in God. 11:53 We have many examples. 11:55 For example, Nicodemus, the rabbi of midnight, 11:57 the midnight rabbi who came to Jesus and, 12:00 upon hearing that he needed to be born again, 12:03 he was memorized by who Jesus was, 12:06 by what Jesus was saying. 12:08 And this was something way beyond all the--all the 12:11 mechanical formulas of tradition that he was used to. 12:15 You know, Nicodemus was a rabbi, he was trained in the--in the 12:18 discourse, in the knowledge of the rabbis. 12:21 And yet, something was missing, something 12:24 that only Jesus could provide. 12:25 You know, friends, to Jesus, leadership had nothing to do 12:29 with declarations, but with actions, 12:32 capable of transforming. 12:33 Even foreigners, despised within the context of the first century 12:37 Israel, were received, they were accepted, 12:40 they were treated as creatures of God. 12:42 And what that truly teaches us is that no one is excluded 12:46 from the kingdom. 12:49 None are excluded, except those who decide 12:51 to exclude themselves. 12:53 Jesus sought out new paths and opportunities to reach people. 12:56 Jesus used anywhere, He could be anywhere, 12:59 a synagogue in Capernaum, on the countryside of Galilee, 13:02 on the margins of a lake, a small Samaritan village. 13:06 He would arrive with the breath of God, 13:09 healing paralytics, healing lepers, 13:12 healing the blind, and leaving behind the fingerprints of God. 13:16 I remember when He healed the son of the Roman official, 13:21 blind to the difference that that man had within His context, 13:24 the Gentiles, seeing them as creatures of God, 13:28 seeing them for their needs, coming to their aid, 13:30 treating them as royalty of heaven. 13:34 That's who Jesus was. 13:36 When it came to people, Jesus was an extraordinary optimist. 13:40 Those who everyone else saw as failures, 13:43 Jesus saw as opportunities for the glory of His Father. 13:46 No one else ever wagered so much on humans as Jesus. 13:52 You know, Christ forever led us to hate who we are, 13:57 to only then fall in love with who we can become in Him. 14:01 He demonstrated that forgiveness is the greatest transforming 14:06 force in the universe. 14:08 And in this way, He exercised an influence, 14:10 He exerted an influence that no one else ever had. 14:14 He saw the marks of God on humans. 14:17 His name, friends, still brings tears to people's eyes, 14:20 making us eternally unsatisfied with those things that diminish, 14:24 that dehumanize, that superficialize, 14:28 and that materialize us. 14:30 As our Father, He established a powerful connection between 14:34 creature and creator, connecting us and linking us into 14:38 that irresistible father-son relationship. 14:43 Jesus freed us from the farce of the persona to recreate in us 14:48 His original plan, to transform us into real people without 14:52 masks or disguises. 14:54 And to be just like Him, to be more compassionate, 14:57 to be more real, and to reflect His attitude. 15:00 And that's where this week's lesson comes in. 15:02 Because this week's lesson is all about reflecting Christ's 15:06 winning attitude and reflecting the attitude that He provoked in 15:10 people, the attitude that people who came into contact with 15:14 Christ had when they came into contact with Him. 15:17 So, the study, this study, this week's lesson studies--study 15:21 focuses on various moments of His ministry here on earth, 15:26 people that He interacted with. 15:27 And really one of the--or perhaps the first story that 15:30 this week covers is the story found in John chapter 4, 15:34 which is the study of the Samaritan woman. 15:36 You know, Jesus--and this is something incredible about the 15:40 character of who Jesus was, His attitude. 15:44 He spoke to the unspeakable. 15:46 He touched the untouchable. 15:49 He listened and He heard the unhearable. 15:52 And that is something already revealed through His genealogy. 15:55 When you look back at Jesus's history, 15:57 we find people such as Ruth, the Moabitess. 15:59 We find people such as Rahab, the prostitute from Jericho. 16:04 And this is just a small example of the people in 16:07 Jesus's pedigree in a society. 16:10 In a context where pedigree was everything, 16:13 the lineage was everything, the genealogy, 16:15 the blue blood was everything, Jesus allowed it to be tainted 16:19 with people such as this, showing us forever that He sees 16:23 people for who they truly are. 16:25 And that's what really matters to Him. 16:27 You know, in John chapter 4, verse 4, 16:30 we read that Jesus told His disciples that He needed to go 16:33 through Samaria. 16:34 The text says, "He needed to go through Samaria." 16:36 Now friends, that need, it wasn't a geographical one. 16:40 There were other, better ways to arrive where He was going. 16:43 No Israelite would go through that route, 16:45 right through Samaria. 16:47 But the text tells us that Jesus needed to go through there. 16:51 You see, to Jesus, there were hearts that needed 16:55 to be reached. 16:56 The disciples had deep--had deep set prejudices that they needed 17:00 to overcome, preparing them to proclaim the gospel. 17:03 You know, the Jews and the Samaritans were extremely 17:06 religious people, and that demonstrates and teaches us that 17:10 there are often very deep prejudices between religious 17:15 people, or at least supposedly religious people. 17:19 In general, you know friends, and this is something that has 17:23 to do with us, this is something that happens to us today just 17:25 as it happened to them in those days. 17:28 We often like to talk about other people's prejudices, 17:31 other people's fanaticisms, or other people's problems. 17:34 How different would the world be if people could actually just 17:37 recognize their own problems, their own prejudices, 17:41 their own fanaticisms, and work on that instead of extending 17:44 that and placing the blame on someone else? 17:47 All of us have these problems. 17:49 I remember this one time, it's really a story 17:52 that my father tells me. 17:54 When he was a young pastor in Brazil and he was 17:56 studying--actually, he was teaching in a school, 17:59 he was the chaplain of a school. 18:01 And when he went there, he saw this young boy who was 18:03 extremely--it was a mixture of sadness and of anger. 18:06 And he asked the boy, you know, he taught that boy in high 18:09 school and he knew--he knew him, and so he said, 18:12 "Well, you know, what's the matter? 18:14 What's going on, why are you so angry?" 18:15 And the boy said, "Well, the school told me that if I don't 18:17 cut my hair, they're going to kick me out." 18:20 You see, this is a boarding school in South America, 18:22 and it had very strict rules. 18:24 You know, much like many military schools, 18:26 they had very strict rules. 18:28 And one of the rules was that the boys needed to cut their 18:30 hair very short. 18:31 And this boy had long hair, and he was very angry that they were 18:34 demanding him to cut his hair. 18:36 And he said, "This school's full of fanatics and this school 18:39 is--they're all full of prejudice against me." 18:42 And my father said something, and later telling the story 18:45 to me, I'll never forget it. 18:46 He said, "Look, there are the fanatics of long hair just as 18:49 there are the fanatics of the short hair." 18:51 And in that way, friends, there are all different kinds of 18:54 fanatics, there are all different kinds of people with 18:56 prejudice, the prejudice of this kind of food or that kind of 19:00 food, the prejudice of this kind of clothes or that kind 19:02 of clothes, of this place of the world 19:04 or that place of the world. 19:05 And truly what we have to try to do is understand what is our 19:08 problem, what is our prejudice, how do I work on that? 19:12 I can't change someone else, but I can change myself. 19:15 That has to do with my attitude regarding these things. 19:19 Now, in this story, part of the context, 19:22 part of the--part of understanding Jesus's winning 19:25 attitude here is understanding who the Samaritans were. 19:27 You know, today when we speak about Samaritans, 19:30 there is this other word that automatically almost pops up. 19:33 I mean, when you think about the Samaritan, 19:36 what word comes before the Samaritan? 19:38 It's the word "good." 19:40 When we think about Samaritan, we automatically think about 19:43 the good Samaritan. 19:45 But in those days, in Jesus's days, 19:47 that was an oxymoron. 19:49 That was a--these were two words that would never go together. 19:52 Good and Samaritan, they were conflicting terms. 19:56 No one would say--there were no good Samaritans, 19:58 not to the Israelites. 20:00 There were no good Samaritans. 20:02 They were considered to be a kind of hybrid race 20:06 since the times of the Assyrian invasion in 722 BC, 20:09 so there was millennial hostility. 20:12 They were considered to be hybrid Jews, 20:14 they were seen as enemies. 20:16 You know, the Samaritans were not accepted as proselytes. 20:19 Their food was more unclean than eating pig's flesh or pork flesh 20:24 to the Jews. 20:25 Sitting beside them was seen as being so impure that it was 20:28 thought that you could contract or you could get lethal diseases 20:31 just by sitting beside a Samaritan. 20:34 Their witness had no impact, it was worthless in the Jewish-- 20:38 in the Israelite legal system. 20:39 A Samaritan could not adopt a Jewish orphan. 20:43 Samaritan women were seen as unclean or impure vermin. 20:49 That's how--that's how difficult this battle, 20:55 this fight between the Samaritans and 20:56 the Israelite was. 20:58 A Jewish man would never speak to a Samaritan woman considered 21:02 to be unclean and a vermin. 21:05 So, by asking for water, which was seen as an almost religious 21:10 duty among the ancient Middle Easterners, 21:14 Jesus reveals an extraordinary sense of closeness. 21:17 This was a very politically incorrect meeting that Jesus 21:21 was having here. 21:22 He asks for a small favor, but one that spoke volumes amidst 21:26 the hostility, the hatred, the prejudice of their people. 21:32 By asking this woman for water, Jesus was breaking millennia 21:35 of hostility, of hatred, of prejudice. 21:39 When denied because the woman denied His request, 21:41 Jesus rises above that denial, creating an opportunity to make 21:46 the greatest--the greatest offer possible. 21:50 You know, in the beginning of their encounter, 21:52 it was Jesus who was thirsty, and it was the woman who 21:56 had the water. 21:58 But by the end, the tables turned. 22:00 And at the end, it was the woman who had the thirst, 22:02 and it was Jesus who had the water. 22:04 This Samaritan woman, my friends, 22:07 she's not only an example of a typical Samaritan, 22:09 but she's an example of a typical human. 22:12 She had sought out satisfaction in superficial, 22:16 empty relationships, cheap sex, five husbands, 22:21 five wounds, five deceptions, 22:24 five princes that had become frogs. 22:27 It's not surprising that she comes to that well at noon, 22:31 alone, precisely at the hottest hour. 22:34 It was the custom of the women to go together for protection, 22:37 and to go either in the beginning of the day or more 22:39 towards the end of the day, when the day wasn't as hot. 22:43 But this woman comes alone at noon because she wanted 22:46 to avoid exposure. 22:47 She knew that people would talk about her, 22:49 people would gossip about her, they would point at her, 22:51 they would accuse her and judge her, 22:53 and so she didn't want to deal with that, 22:55 and she comes precisely at the hottest hour of the day. 22:57 But here, Jesus offers her something above and beyond 23:02 any of her previous searches, anything, 23:04 above anything that she could have hoped for. 23:07 What she really wanted was something that 23:09 only Jesus could offer. 23:11 Chapter 4, verse 14 tells us that the--Jesus told her that, 23:14 "The water I shall give him will become in him a fountain 23:18 of water springing up into everlasting life." 23:22 And that's what she wanted. 23:23 She wanted water that would never end. 23:25 Jesus then asked her to bring her husband. 23:29 And hearing that, she said, "I can't, 23:31 I don't have a husband." 23:33 And hearing her answer, Jesus in verses 17 and 18, 23:36 He says, "You have said well, 'I have no husband,' for you have 23:40 had five husbands, and the only--and the one whom you 23:43 now have is not your husband." 23:46 Jesus already knew. 23:48 He knew that she couldn't carry out what He asked, 23:50 so the question is, why did He ask her? 23:52 Why did Jesus ask this woman to do this thing if He already 23:56 knew the answer to it? 23:58 Well, it's because He wanted to give her the 24:00 opportunity to confess. 24:02 Or alternatively, He wanted to give her the opportunity to run 24:06 away from that encounter. 24:08 It would be very easy for her to say, 24:10 "Okay, I'll go get him," and then she would go 24:11 and not come back. 24:13 She could have run away. 24:14 She could have not exposed herself. 24:16 But I imagine this woman there before God and, 24:18 you know, Jesus, this is one of the only encounters where Jesus 24:22 point blank says that He was the Messiah. 24:25 To this lonely woman in Samaria, Jesus made one of the greatest 24:28 declarations of His ministry. 24:31 So, He gave her the opportunity either to confess her sin, 24:34 or to run away and avoid that confrontation with her reality. 24:40 The effect that Jesus had upon this woman was astounding. 24:44 Leaving her jar behind, she ran back to her village, 24:47 forgetting the exposure, forgetting the embarrassment, 24:51 and she went back telling everyone, 24:53 "Come, see a man who told me everything that I have done. 24:55 Could this be the Messiah?" 24:57 This is how people react and how they behave when they drink 25:02 from the living water. 25:03 This is the attitude that we have when we become 25:06 sources of living water. 25:08 The eyes of the disciples then in this encounter, 25:11 they were open to the great harvest, 25:13 to the great field that Jesus had for them. 25:15 His impact was incalculable. 25:18 And friends, so can ours be when we reflect His attitudes 25:22 and His actions. 25:24 You know, they say that our attitudes are more important 25:28 than any other human emotions. 25:30 Martin Luther, the great Protestant reformer, 25:32 he used to say that our attitude determines 25:34 of what spirit we are. 25:36 And it will also determine the limits of our influence 25:39 upon other people. 25:41 The lesson puts it this way, and this is in Monday's lesson. 25:43 Our attitudes often determine our ability to influence others. 25:48 A harsh, critical, and unfriendly attitude is going 25:52 to drive people away from you. 25:54 And even if you are able to witness, 25:56 your words, no matter how truthful, 25:59 are much less likely to be received. 26:02 In contrast, a positive attitude and a belief in 26:04 others draws them to us. 26:07 It creates a bond of friendship. 26:09 Jesus stated that--Jesus stated this principle beautifully 26:11 when He said, "No longer do I call you servants, 26:14 for a servant does not know what his master is doing. 26:17 But I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard 26:21 from My Father, I have made--I have made known to you." 26:24 That's in John 15:15. 26:26 Friends accept one another in spite of their weaknesses and 26:30 mistakes, and freely share their joys and their sorrows. 26:33 So, we find this reality portrayed in the life of the 26:36 Samaritan woman, and also portrayed in the next few 26:39 stories that the lesson brings to teach us about 26:41 Jesus's winning attitude and how He would win people 26:44 over for the kingdom. 26:46 The next story that we find in this week's lesson is about the 26:48 Canaanite woman found in Matthew chapter 15. 26:51 She is to all appearances treated very harshly by Jesus. 26:55 I'll admit that studying the story when I was younger, 26:58 I tried to relate or to conciliate the Jesus that I knew 27:01 from the rest of the gospels to this story. 27:04 Why did Jesus act this way? 27:06 Why did he talk to this woman, why did he speak 27:09 to her so harshly? 27:11 What was going on? 27:12 Who is this Jesus? 27:14 Later on, I understood what was happening here in this story. 27:17 Her request to Him, the request that this woman made to Jesus, 27:20 was for the healing of her daughter possessed 27:22 by an evil spirit. 27:25 According to Mark, this woman is a Syro-Phoenician woman. 27:28 And according to Matthew, she was a Canaanite. 27:31 They are both--they're both synonyms. 27:35 Syro-Phoenicia was the land--was a land in Canaan. 27:39 Jesus's words in the story, they seem hard, 27:42 they seem harsh. 27:44 But to the woman, they didn't seem that way, 27:46 at least not enough to dissuade her of her mission. 27:49 The words that Jesus speaks to her, 27:52 they don't--they don't offend her, 27:53 they don't make her give up asking for that blessing. 27:57 You know, to the modern reader, it might seem inconsistent 28:01 with His character. 28:02 When we analyze Jesus's ministry, 28:05 his ministry of healing was mostly confined in Palestine 28:08 to the Israelite nation. 28:10 The question that arises here in this story is, 28:13 why didn't this woman feel offended by what Jesus said? 28:17 Because what Jesus says to her request is, 28:20 "It's unfair to take, you know, the bread of the children and 28:23 throw it to the little dogs." 28:25 Who wouldn't be offended by something like that? 28:27 Was Jesus calling her a little dog? 28:28 What kind of comparison is that? 28:30 Why did Jesus act this way? 28:32 But we know that this woman, despite what Jesus said, 28:36 she did not give up, and she was determined to claim the blessing 28:40 that she was seeking. 28:42 Now, while we don't truly know the attitude of Jesus's words 28:46 here, I mean, he could've said these words with a wink in his 28:50 eye, encouraging her to persist, not to give up. 28:54 And this is something that we have to remember about 28:57 the whole Bible, friends. 28:58 The written word preserves the spoken word, 29:01 but it can't communicate the tone of the words, 29:06 the inflection, the subtleties. 29:08 Perhaps his tone encouraged her to persevere. 29:11 He said it in a way that sounded that He wasn't really telling 29:14 her to go away as the disciples wanted, 29:17 but He was encouraging her to exercise her faith. 29:21 You know, I remember growing up watching many of the--of the 29:23 portrayals of Jesus and His ministry, 29:25 movies about Jesus, and they're--one thing that's 29:29 interesting about these kinds of movies, 29:31 you know, the word for word movies, 29:33 not the ones that kind of create stories and drama, 29:37 the romanticized or the novel stories about Jesus's life, 29:40 but the word to--the verse by verse sorts of movies about 29:45 Jesus's life is that in many of these versions of these movies 29:49 with different actors and different people playing the 29:52 different parts, they kind of bring to life something that 29:54 I had only read before. 29:56 And I'll admit that I quite enjoy watching some of these 30:00 movies because it brings to life the tone, 30:03 the inflection, the tears in Jesus's eyes, 30:06 for example, in Matthew chapter 23, 30:08 when he's calling out the Pharisees, 30:10 "Woe to you, Pharisees, you hypocrites." 30:11 You know, sometimes you read those words and they sound one 30:14 way, but when spoken out loud and in an environment like that, 30:18 and you can see the tears in Jesus's eyes as He said that, 30:21 or you know, in other moments, the smile on his face when 30:24 dealing with people, that brings to life certain emotions that 30:27 the written Word can't portray. 30:30 And so--and so, that is something that we don't 30:34 have here in this story. 30:35 We have what Jesus said, but we don't have the tone, 30:38 we don't have the subtlety of the inflection of His voice. 30:40 Because this woman was not dissuaded of claiming that gift. 30:43 You know, when we analyze what Jesus says here, 30:47 the Greek word for dogs--and this is very harsh. 30:50 When we read it in English, it sounds very harsh, 30:52 He's calling her a dog. 30:55 That's horrible, you don't do something like that. 30:57 That's offensive, that's horrible. 30:59 In the Greek, the word that appears here, 31:02 it appears in the diminutive, in a diminutive term of-- 31:05 or term of endearment. 31:07 It's like a little pet, a beloved family member almost. 31:11 And that softens the blow of his statement here. 31:14 So, what we see here in this story is another moment where 31:18 Jesus teaches, He educates his disciples by saying something 31:21 to this Gentilic woman that no other rabbi at 31:24 that time would say. 31:26 What Jesus tells this woman, what He talks about or how He 31:30 describes her is something that no rabbi at that time would say 31:33 about this woman or about someone like her. 31:35 Because in Matthew chapter 15, verse 28, 31:38 Jesus says, "Oh woman, great is your faith." 31:42 No Israelite rabbi would say that about a Gentile, 31:47 but Jesus says it to her. 31:49 And here again, He teaches His disciples that all are called, 31:51 all are chosen for the kingdom. 31:55 Her faith in Him provided an immediate cure for her daughter. 31:59 And as in other instances where we find a faith found in the 32:03 synoptic gospels, or Matthew, Mark, 32:06 and Luke, the synoptic gospels, as for example the centurion in 32:10 Capernaum, this healing happens without a direct contact, 32:13 over distance because their faith in Him was so great. 32:17 The contrasting story on the same day of the lesson, 32:21 the contrasting story to this woman from Syro-Phoenicia is 32:24 the story of the woman that anoints Jesus's feet. 32:27 So, differently from the woman, from the Syro-Phoenician woman, 32:31 from the Canaanite woman, this woman was Israelite, 32:34 she was Jewish. 32:35 And this story is also full of context. 32:38 Jesus had been invited to eat at the house of a 32:40 Pharisee named Simon. 32:42 The hospitality of those days, and think about this, all right? 32:45 This is something big. 32:47 Maybe this isn't something that would be considered so important 32:49 in our day, but in those times, in that culture, 32:52 the terms or the rules of hospitality demanded a kiss of 32:55 welcome, water to wash the feet, and oil to anoint the head. 33:01 And none of these small details had been offered to Jesus when 33:06 he is invited to the house of this Pharisee. 33:09 Did this perhaps reveal the contempt that this host had 33:12 for Jesus, had for Christ? 33:14 Did this perhaps reveal where his heart was really at? 33:16 We don't know. 33:18 But we know that the woman in the story, 33:21 she comes into scene, and she comes into scene as a woman 33:24 of ill repute. 33:27 At the feet of that enigmatic rabbi, 33:29 she weeps uncontrollably. 33:32 She anoints Him with an expensive perfume, 33:35 but what's more, she anoints His feet with her tears. 33:39 And I imagine that there in that room, 33:42 you know, and as we read this, we have to--we have to forget 33:44 what we see sometimes in movies and things like that. 33:47 Jesus, He wasn't sitting down on the chair. 33:49 The way that it would happen in those days was they had a low 33:52 table, and people would sit down on one arm 33:54 with their feet backward. 33:58 And so, this woman, she came out unannounced. 34:00 She's all the way in the back. 34:01 Jesus's feet is to the back, and she begins to wash 34:04 His feet and to cry. 34:06 Jesus had probably healed this woman, 34:07 freed her from evil, from illnesses, 34:12 and she was so thankful that this was the only way that she 34:14 could think of repaying him and of thanking him. 34:17 And so, she is there weeping, I imagine confused. 34:21 She tries to dry His feet then with her hair, 34:25 which was the most glorious part of the body according 34:29 to 1 Corinthians 11. 34:30 And she dries His feet, which is the most--or the least dignified 34:35 part of the body. 34:37 And what is simply astounding in the story is Jesus's reaction, 34:41 his attitude. 34:43 He rises above any sort of political incorrectness, 34:46 above any sort of taboo or religious prejudice. 34:49 His freedom here is incredible. 34:51 Jesus was absolutely free here in this situation. 34:55 His acceptance of this embarrassing offer is 34:57 of an intense beauty. 35:00 His question to the Pharisee, who is judging Him--because 35:03 that's what's happening here. 35:05 This woman is there, you know, washing Jesus's feet, 35:07 crying over Him. 35:09 That Pharisee is judging Jesus, saying, 35:11 "Well, how is this man a rabbi? 35:13 How does He not know that this is horrible? 35:15 This can't be happening. 35:17 I can't believe this is happening." 35:18 And Jesus's answer to him transcends the sublime, friends. 35:21 In Luke chapter 7, verse 44 that also records the story, 35:26 Jesus asks the Pharisee, "Do you see this woman?" 35:30 And truly, the answer is no. 35:34 He didn't see the woman, 35:36 not the real woman, not the real person in need of acceptance, 35:39 in need of grace, in need of forgiveness. 35:41 Enclosed within his religious formalism, 35:45 Simon the Pharisee truly could not see her. 35:48 He couldn't see the real woman. 35:50 But Jesus transcended the Pharisaic religion, 35:54 not allowing the idolatry of forms to destroy His opportunity 35:58 of revealing the character of God in His infinite grace. 36:02 And to this woman, to this unnamed woman here in this 36:06 story, He gave the utmost gift when He said, 36:10 and this is in Mark 14:9, He said, 36:13 "Wherever this gospel is preached in the world, 36:16 what this woman had done will also be told as 36:19 a memorial to her." 36:21 This is the only person that Jesus actively, 36:24 that He really said something like this. 36:27 Wherever the gospel's preached, her story will be told. 36:29 What an amazing gift, this is spectacular. 36:32 This is the attitude of Jesus. 36:35 His optimism in seeing people, in seeing the best of people, 36:38 that's who Jesus was. 36:40 He saw the best in people. 36:42 He didn't see them for who they were, 36:44 He saw them for who they could be in Him, 36:46 transformed by Him. 36:49 You know, friends, friendship is truly a powerful force. 36:53 But in any friendship, all right, 36:57 and this is also something that comes--that comes as an example 36:59 from Jesus's--from Jesus's teachings and His way of life, 37:03 His attitude. 37:05 Friendship is a powerful force, but if there is no missionary 37:07 focus, if that friendship has no intent, 37:11 if it's--if there is no missionary focus in that 37:17 friendship, it leads nowhere. 37:19 It's really worthless. 37:22 Actually, without intentionality, 37:25 not a lot can be achieved. 37:27 And this involves two crucial elements: 37:29 prayer and planning. 37:31 To be a friend or then to have friends, 37:33 it may very well mean nothing. 37:36 If you're just a friend to people, 37:39 just a friend, but there is no intention, 37:41 if there is no desire to tell them or to talk to them about 37:43 the greatest thing in your life, which is your relationship with 37:46 Jesus, well, then what is that friendship about? 37:49 What is it for? 37:50 Where will it go? 37:52 And what will you say when that person in the end perhaps comes 37:54 and says, "Well, why didn't you tell me? 37:57 Why didn't you tell me about this better way to live, 37:59 this better life to be had that you knew about, 38:01 but you never told me?" 38:05 Many people are ashamed, or simply afraid, 38:07 or simply uninterested, and they don't share anything 38:10 with their friends. 38:12 They act as if they were secret spies, 38:15 camouflaged Christians, good at hiding their faith. 38:18 Someone once said that the Christians living in this 38:22 generation, in this period of time are the most well 38:25 camouflaged group of pilgrims ever to be seen 38:30 in the history of the world. 38:32 And unfortunately, it's true. 38:34 Many of us act as though we're camouflaged in society 38:36 and in the world. 38:37 You know, the basic element, as we've already discussed in 38:40 a previous lesson a few weeks ago, is the authenticity of 38:42 sharing what Jesus has done for us in the past, 38:46 what He represents to us today in the present, 38:49 and the hope that He provides for our future. 38:52 So, doing this involves an attitude of tolerance, 38:55 of patience with our friends. 38:58 Many people think that when we become Christians, 39:01 we need to cut all ties with previous relationships. 39:03 Friends, this is wrong, it's completely wrong. 39:06 That's the wrong ideology. 39:07 We need to understand first--and for you to understand what 39:11 I'm trying to convey here, please don't take me wrong, 39:14 what I'm trying to convey is, first of all, 39:17 accepting a person does not mean that we accept what they do. 39:21 Do you see the difference? 39:23 God loves the sinner, but he does not love the sin. 39:26 So, in the same way, I can accept a person without 39:29 accepting what they do. 39:31 You see the difference? 39:33 And secondly, we need to take into account that the real heart 39:35 of the matter is not if our relationship with an unbeliever, 39:39 with someone that doesn't believe or live as we believe 39:42 that you should live, we have to understand that the heart of the 39:47 matter is not if that relationship is right or wrong. 39:50 But in that relationship, who is influencing who? 39:54 And that's what Jesus did because Jesus walked 39:58 with all sorts of people. 40:00 He walked with prostitutes, he walked with the tax collectors, 40:02 with the sinners of His days, but Jesus was 40:04 not influenced by them. 40:07 It was the other way around, He was the one 40:08 that influenced them. 40:10 And so, in the same way today, I have to realize any given 40:13 relationship, who is influencing who? 40:16 Am I being influenced, or am I exerting 40:20 a position of influence? 40:21 Am I influencing for good? 40:23 These are things that cannot be forgotten. 40:24 Being intentional with our friendships means to value 40:29 the strong points in them, to help them see themselves 40:32 under positive light. 40:34 We know that Jesus was the master in this, 40:36 seeing the best in people, and helping them to see themselves. 40:39 This is something that we find in the other biblical heroes. 40:42 For example, with the Apostle Paul, 40:45 he did this constantly. 40:47 2 Thessalonians chapter 1, verse 3 and 4 says, 40:49 "We are bound to thank God for you always, 40:52 brethren, as is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly. 40:56 And the love of every one of you all abounds towards each other, 41:01 so that we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God 41:04 for your patience and faith in all your persecutions 41:07 and tribulations that you endure." 41:10 The lesson, it observes that Paul encouraged his church, 41:13 reminding them of their positive qualities. 41:16 And of course, this doesn't mean that he ignored the things 41:19 that needed to be corrected, their mistakes, 41:22 but he didn't allow that to be the only thing that define them. 41:26 In the words of Ellen White in "Testimonies for the Church," 41:29 volume 9, page 189: "If we would humble ourselves before God, 41:34 and be kind and courteous and tender-hearted and pitiful or 41:39 full of pity, there would be 100 conversions to the truth, 41:43 where now there is only one." 41:45 Isn't it ironic, friends, that many times we want to win people 41:49 over to transform people, when what would really be more 41:53 effective is to allow ourselves to be transformed by Christ? 41:58 What would this mean on a practical level? 42:00 In our church, to be kind and courteous, 42:03 tenderhearted, and full of pity. 42:05 Wasn't this precisely Jesus's method? 42:08 You know, Ellen White, she observes in the following 42:12 passage, she observes that kindness and sympathy were 42:14 always imprinted on Jesus's face. 42:17 Why is it that in some circumstances and in some 42:19 situations, not all, all right, hopefully not where you are at 42:24 or where I am at, but sometimes the Christian church is 42:27 identified as judgmental, as inflexible, 42:30 as grouchy, as bad humored, as incapable of relating to people. 42:35 The church has sometimes been seen, 42:38 and in some, again, in some circumstances, 42:40 in some places, as the only institution that kicks those 42:44 who are already on the ground. 42:45 Why does it seem that way? 42:47 And look, friends, this has nothing to do with 42:49 an institution, this has to do with people. 42:51 You and I are the church. 42:54 So, why does this happen sometimes? 42:56 Shouldn't we be the contrary? 42:58 Shouldn't we be lifting people up, 43:00 encouraging to get back up? 43:02 You know, friends, the real problem in life isn't truly--and 43:06 this is something that we find again and again in the Bible. 43:09 The problem or the main problem, it's not falling. 43:12 The problem is when we start liking the floor. 43:15 It's when people start liking the floor and they don't want 43:18 to get up anymore. 43:19 So, we have to encourage people not to like the floor, 43:23 to stand back up. 43:24 That's what we should be doing. 43:26 Dwight Moody tells the story of this little boy, 43:28 a street urchin that lived on the streets. 43:31 And one day, this very kind, tenderhearted man comes to him 43:34 and treats him with kindness, gives him some food, 43:36 you know, talks to him. 43:38 And before leaving that meeting, before leaving that encounter, 43:40 the little boy, he turns back and he says, 43:43 "Mister, are you Jesus?" 43:46 And the man with a smile on his face, 43:48 he answered him, "I'm not Jesus, but I am one 43:51 of his good friends." 43:53 Oh, my friends, how I wish that we could say, 43:56 we could all say that, that we are His good friends, 43:59 that we're Jesus's friends, one of His friends. 44:02 So, as such, how should we represent Him among 44:05 our other friends? 44:07 How do we represent Jesus as one of His friends to our friends? 44:11 Now, an important thing to remember is that when we accept 44:15 Jesus, we don't stop being us, okay? 44:18 When we accept Jesus, we don't stop being us. 44:21 We do not stop being either educated or uneducated, 44:24 or poor or rich, or tall or short. 44:26 We don't stop being Brazilian, or American, 44:29 or Japanese, or Nigerian. 44:31 We don't become an alien. 44:35 We don't become someone who we weren't before. 44:37 That's not what happens. 44:38 No, the change is on a deeper level. 44:41 We receive a new identity that makes us all absolutely alike 44:45 and equal in what is essential and fundamental. 44:49 We become citizens of the kingdom of God, 44:52 sons and daughters of God. 44:55 And in that way, we become brothers and sisters 44:58 in Jesus Christ. 44:59 That's why we are brethren, that's why we call each other 45:01 brother and sister, it's for this reason. 45:04 And this new identity in Christ, this new identity in God as the 45:08 citizen of the kingdom, that identity goes beyond 45:12 and transcends all other smaller identities seen by the external 45:17 and superficial differences. 45:19 Oh, my friends, how better would the world be if people could 45:23 understand that what defines them is not where they're from, 45:26 it's not the color of their skin, 45:28 it's not their social status, it's not their academic status, 45:32 what defines them is that they are children of 45:34 the Most High God. 45:36 When we understand that this identity is what truly defines 45:39 us, what truly identifies us, all the rest will stop 45:43 being an issue. 45:45 It will stop being the problem because we understand that 45:49 the identity goes and is defined by--on a much deeper level. 45:57 And here now, what I'm going to tell you now is 45:59 something very serious. 46:01 If you have not yet understood this, 46:05 if you haven't understood this reality yet, 46:08 then you haven't understood anything about what it becomes 46:11 to be--what it means to become a disciple of Jesus. 46:14 If we don't understand that our identity is provided by our 46:17 kinship to heaven, then we haven't understood anything else 46:21 about what it means to be a disciple of Christ. 46:25 You know, the term "one another" appears none--not less than 46:29 54 times in the New Testament, 54 times, always with 46:33 an emphasis on fraternal relationships. 46:36 If we could put into practice at least half of them, 46:39 we would witness an extraordinary 46:41 transforming--transformation among us. 46:44 Notice some of these occurrences here in the New Testament. 46:46 For example, "Do not judge one another," that's Romans 14. 46:49 "Do not lie to one another," Colossians 3:9. 46:52 "Do not speak evil with one another," James 4:11. 46:55 "Do not grumble against one another," James 5:9. 46:58 "Love one another, receive one another, 47:01 serve one another, care for one another, 47:03 bear one another's burdens." 47:06 Friends, fraternal, fraternal relationships, 47:09 fraternal love reveals who we are as Christians. 47:12 John chapter 13:35 says, "By this all will know that you are 47:17 my disciples, if you have love for one another." 47:20 True disciples are not known for their great ideas, 47:23 for their brilliant sermons or discourses. 47:25 No, true disciples, they're known for their love. 47:29 That's what this text is saying. 47:31 And on the other hand, if on one hand, 47:33 if on one hand, our fraternal love reveals who we are, 47:37 it also reveals where we are. 47:39 For John 3:14 says, "We know that we have passed from death 47:43 to life because we love the brethren." 47:46 Have we passed from death to life? 47:48 Where are we on our spiritual journey? 47:49 Or do we remain in the kingdom of darkness and of death? 47:54 And also, what is the basis of the acceptance of one another? 47:58 What's the basis? 48:00 Why do we accept one another? 48:01 How do we--how do we understand that or reason that inside 48:04 the rationale of being a disciple and of 48:06 having a winning attitude? 48:08 Well, the foundation is that Jesus has forgiven 48:10 and accepted us. 48:11 Those who are conscious of this, of the fact that Jesus 48:16 has forgiven them of so much, they cannot live any other way. 48:20 Now again, please remember that accepting someone does not mean 48:24 accepting everything that they do. 48:27 And this is a very common misconception, 48:29 and it's the basis for a lot of Christian indifference. 48:32 So, the lesson puts it this way. 48:34 Jesus's attitude was not, "Do whatever you please, 48:37 it's all right, I still accept you." 48:39 That was not Jesus's attitude. 48:41 His attitude was rather, "No matter what you have done, 48:44 I am still willing to forgive you and provide you 48:46 with power to change." 48:49 Biblical truth presented humbly in Christ's Spirit with a loving 48:52 attitude when--these attitudes win hearts and change lives. 48:57 Friends, the salvation that Jesus offers is salvation 49:01 from sin, not salvation in sin. 49:07 We've run out of time. 49:08 Perhaps the last thing that I would like to tell you in the 49:11 study of this week's lesson, it comes from "The Desire of Ages." 49:14 And this--these words, they're beautiful and they sum up very 49:16 well the winning attitude that we should have. 49:19 This is where we read, "In Christ is the tenderness of the 49:21 shepherd, the affection of the parent, 49:23 and the matchless grace of the compassionate Savior. 49:26 His blessings He presents in the most alluring terms. 49:30 He is not content merely to announce these blessings, 49:33 He presents them in the most attractive way to excite 49:36 a desire to possess them. 49:38 So His servants are to present the riches of the glory 49:41 of the unspeakable gift. 49:43 The wonderful love of Christ will melt and subdue hearts 49:47 when the mere reiteration of doctrines would 49:49 accomplish nothing." 49:52 Friend, my deep desire for you is that you may have this 49:55 winning attitude that Jesus had, that you may reflect it. 49:59 And that while dealing with others and loving them, 50:03 you can reflect the person of Jesus and be called 50:05 a friend of His. 50:07 I loved having you here with me today for this 50:09 "Sabbath School Study Hour." 50:11 Please do not forget our free offer, 50:14 "From Stress to Joy." 50:15 If you would like to receive this, 50:17 a physical copy, again call 866-788-3966. 50:22 Or if you want the digital download sent to you, 50:25 you can send--you can text SH031 to 40544. 50:31 May God bless you, and I hope to see you again here for another 50:33 "Sabbath School Study Hour." 50:38 male announcer: Don't forget to request today's life-changing 50:40 free resource. 50:41 Not only can you receive this free gift in the mail, 50:44 you can download a digital copy straight to your computer 50:46 or mobile device. 50:48 To get your digital copy of today's free gift, 50:51 simply text the key word on your screen to 40544, 50:54 or visit the web address shown on your screen. 50:57 And be sure to select the digital download option 50:59 on the request page. 51:01 It's now easier than ever for you to study God's Word with 51:04 "Amazing Facts" wherever and whenever you want, 51:07 and most important to share it with others. 51:16 male announcer: Amazing Facts: Changed lives. 51:24 female: It wasn't my choice to be a Catholic. 51:26 It was my parents' choice. 51:28 My mom, she's very, very religious. 51:32 My father, he was made the presidential troubleshooter 51:38 during the martial law. 51:40 I guess having seven kids would not be able to make my mother to 51:46 be--you know, be there for each and every one of us. 51:49 But what is really very hard for me was I was always told to be 51:53 the ugliest, to be the darkest. 51:56 You know, here in the Philippines, 51:58 you're beautiful if you're white. 52:00 But if you're brown or a little bit darker, 52:04 which I was, you're ugly. 52:07 All of us had about seven maids, one for each child. 52:12 The maids would say, "My baby," or the one she's taking care of, 52:16 "is a lot better than yours," referring to me. 52:20 I believed because I was ugly, I believed I was stupid. 52:24 I believed I was good for nothing, 52:27 so I attracted all the bad things in my life. 52:30 I had to believe that God is fair, 52:34 so I said maybe that's because I was bad in my previous lives. 52:41 So, I believe in, of course, reincarnation. 52:45 And when I was young, my mom told me that I could 52:48 really see ghosts. 52:50 I went into a lot of seance. 52:55 And there was even a time when we did a ouija board. 52:59 And then in front of me really--it really happened for 53:03 the four of us, the glass, which is a wine glass, 53:06 it just--you know, it just went up. 53:11 So, because this is my life, I do believe that I was attracted 53:15 to the wrong man. 53:18 There's anything that really happened very good was to have 53:21 my two adorable children, but I was really abused in all areas: 53:26 physically, emotionally, of course spiritually. 53:32 And you will think, "Where is God?" 53:37 ♪♪♪ 53:40 I began to search, and unfortunately my church doesn't 53:44 have a Bible study. 53:46 So, I was able to go to a Baptist Bible study, 53:49 and there I had a classmate, her name is Lu. 53:54 She gave me the DVDs, and that is where I learned about 54:00 Pastor Doug and "Amazing Facts." 54:04 That Baptist church saw my eagerness, 54:07 so when I started asking for the Sabbath worship on a Saturday, 54:15 they took me out. 54:18 They even got a meeting and they said that I was a stumbling 54:21 block, me and Lu, and that is how we left. 54:26 Our friends are all from the Baptists, 54:28 and we love them dearly, but the truth cannot be compromised. 54:37 So, that is when we started having a Bible study, 54:41 every 4 o'clock at Club Filipino, 54:45 and I invite all my friends. 54:49 It pains me to think that I was really lost. 54:52 Why is it that I'd find teaching through a foreigner, 54:58 from Pastor Doug? 55:01 What if nobody gave me the message? 55:03 Because my growth happened because of the DVDs that I watch 55:11 every night, every morning. 55:15 And even my friends, who happened to have master's 55:19 degree, they say, "Why are you so much better? 55:23 Maybe your teachers are good." 55:26 Yes, my teachers are from the Amazing Facts. 55:29 I owe my salvation really to all the teachings that I've learned 55:34 from your DVDs and from your books. 55:37 ♪♪♪ 55:50 ♪♪♪ 55:58 Doug Batchelor: So, what is the brightest light 56:00 in the world? 56:02 Well, naturally you'd say the sun, 56:03 but we're talking about the brightest manmade 56:05 light in the world. 56:07 It's the light that shines out of the roof of that 56:09 pyramid-shaped hotel in Las Vegas called the Luxor. 56:13 There in the cap of that hotel, there's a room that contains 56:17 39 washing machine-sized xenon bulbs. 56:20 And each of those bulbs requires about 7,000 watts. 56:23 All together, they produce about 40 billion candle 56:27 power of light. 56:29 Can you imagine getting that electric bill at the Luxor Hotel 56:32 every month? 56:33 That light is so bright that planes can see it 56:35 250 miles away. 56:38 They are shooting light ten miles up into space, 56:41 meaning if you happen to be floating by, 56:43 you could read a newspaper up there. 56:46 And as you might have guessed, that bright light has become the 56:49 world's best bug attractor, bringing in moths and bats and 56:53 owls, creating its own ecosystem there at night above the hotel. 56:57 But the sad thing about the brightest light in the world is, 56:59 especially when the night air is clear, 57:02 without any particles, the light doesn't hit anything 57:05 and it's invisible. 57:07 It shoots up into empty space. 57:09 The brightest light in the world illuminates nothing. 57:13 You know, the Bible tells us that there's another great 57:15 wasted light, and that's the light of God's Word. 57:18 It says in Psalm 119, verse 105, "Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet 57:24 and a light unto my path." 57:26 And yet, so many people are walking in darkness. 57:28 "Furthermore," Jesus said, "if you do have that light, 57:31 make sure you don't put it under a bushel, 57:33 but you let it shine and illuminate the lives of others." 57:36 Jesus said, Matthew chapter 5, "Set your light up on a hill 57:40 like a city so that all might see it." 57:42 Light only benefits others when it reflects off of something. 57:46 God wants our lights to illuminate the lives of others, 57:51 so are you glowing for God? 57:53 Remember, Jesus said, "Let there be light." 57:56 ♪♪♪ 58:06 ♪♪♪ 58:16 ♪♪♪ |
Revised 2020-08-21