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00:11 ♪♪♪ 00:21 ♪♪♪ 00:26 ♪♪♪ 00:36 Jean Ross: Good morning, friends. 00:38 We'd like to welcome all of you to Sabbath School Study Hour, 00:40 coming here from the Amazing Facts offices in Granite 00:43 Bay, California. 00:45 I'd like to welcome those joining us not only here in 00:47 Northern California but also across the country. 00:50 And I know we have folks joining us outside of North America, so 00:54 a very warm welcome to you. 00:56 We're studying our lesson quarter, the new lesson 00:58 quarterly, dealing with the subject of education. 01:01 That is the title of the lesson. 01:04 Today, we're in lesson number 3 and it's, "The Law as 01:06 a Teacher." 01:09 How does the law of God teach us? 01:11 But before we get to our study this morning, Pastor Doug, let's 01:14 start with a word of prayer. 01:16 Dear Father, we thank You that we're able to gather together 01:18 and open up Your Word and study a very important topic: the law 01:21 that is our teacher to lead us to Christ, to come to a clear 01:24 understanding of Your will for our lives. 01:27 And so we do ask the Holy Spirit to be with us here in the studio 01:30 and be with those who are watching wherever they are, for 01:32 we ask this in Jesus' name, amen. 01:35 Doug Batchelor: Amen. 01:38 Jean: Well, Pastor Doug, just before we get into our study for 01:40 today, which is lesson number 3, we've got an exciting upcoming 01:43 event that I think we want to tell folks about. 01:46 It starts October 23. 01:48 Doug: Yes, and at the time of this broadcast, it's only going 01:51 to be about a week away and it's a special evangelistic program, 01:54 international prophecy program, called "The Revelation Now." 01:58 And you simply go to the website, Revelation Now, you can 02:02 find out how you can participate in this soul-winning endeavor 02:05 that's going to be broadcast on AFTV, 3ABN, Amazing Facts 02:12 Facebook, the Doug Batchelor page, YouTube, Twitter, Birds in 02:18 the Sky, I don't know, we're going to use every viable method 02:23 we know of to get this program out there. 02:25 And you can do it in your church. 02:27 Invite people to your church or your home. 02:30 There's lessons online and it's all free. 02:32 Your church can sign up and be part of Revelation Now. 02:34 We're going to be doing a full 20-part evangelistic program to 02:37 bring people to Christ, and I can't think of a better time 02:41 with everything happening in the world than right now. 02:45 Jean: Absolutely, so just simply go to revelationnow.com. 02:48 You'll be able to sign up and get notifications as to when 02:52 we're going to be live and, as Pastor Doug mentioned, it starts 02:55 October 23 and this will be a full Bible prophecy seminar. 02:59 So I want to encourage you to encourage your friends to tune 03:03 in and, again, just go to the website. 03:06 We do have a free offer for our study this morning that goes 03:08 along with the topic and it's entitled "Obedience. 03:11 Is it Legalism?" 03:14 "Is Obedience Legalism?" 03:16 And if you'd like to receive a free copy of this Amazing Facts 03:18 Study Guide, the number to call is 866-788-3966. 03:22 That is 866-Study-More, and ask for Offer number 706. 03:28 You're also able to get a digital download of the study by 03:32 texting the code "SH041" to the number "40544," and you'll be 03:41 able to get a link as to how you can read this on your phone or 03:45 on your computer. 03:47 So "Is Obedience Legalism?" 03:49 It's part of our Amazing Facts Study Guide series and it's a 03:52 very important study there. 03:54 Well, Pastor Doug, our title for our lesson today is "The Law as 03:58 a Teacher," and we have a memory verse and our memory verse is 04:02 probably well known to a lot of our viewers: Deuteronomy chapter 04:06 6, verse 5, and this is what it says: "You shall love the Lord 04:10 your God with all of your heart, with all of your soul and with 04:14 all of your strength." 04:16 Now, of course, this verse we find in the Old Testament in 04:18 Deuteronomy chapter 6, but this is also a verse that Jesus 04:22 quotes when he was asked, "What is the greatest commandment in 04:24 the law?" 04:26 And Jesus said, "There are two. 04:29 The first is to love God with all your heart, soul, and mind. 04:31 The second, to love your neighbor as yourself." 04:33 Doug: Amen, we're going to be talking now in this lesson about 04:35 the themes of the law, grace, the requirements of the law, 04:38 some of the challenges of the law, and we'd also like to 04:41 invite those of you who are watching if you have any 04:44 questions, we're going to do our best to take some of your 04:46 live questions. 04:48 So those of you who might be watching our study right now on 04:50 Facebook or YouTube, then you can--I guess you can't do it on 04:54 YouTube, but you can text us on Facebook. 04:57 They'll call out what those questions are and we'll do our 05:00 best to answer some questions on the lesson live. 05:03 So think about that now and start sending them in. 05:05 Jean: You can just, as Pastor Doug mentioned, in you're on 05:07 Facebook, just type it in there in the comments section. 05:09 We have a team of folks here who are looking at the comments and 05:12 we'll try and answer as many of those as we can. 05:15 Well, let's get into it then, our study on Sabbath afternoon, 05:19 the title for which is "To Love and To Fear God." 05:22 Doug: A lot of people wonder, "What does that mean? 05:25 Is that the kind of fear or terror where you run from 05:27 somebody, that you dread a person, or what does it mean? 05:34 Is it just respect?" 05:36 Jean: Well, you know, I think if you're, well, all of us, when 05:39 you come to a knowledge of our sin, and we realize that we need 05:43 a Savior, there is a certain degree of fear or perhaps even 05:48 terror standing before God in judgment, clothed in your own 05:52 filthy garments and not the righteousness of Jesus. 05:55 There is a fear. 05:57 But as we learn to see God's love and grace, that fear moves 06:01 into a holy reverence and awe for God. 06:06 The Bible talks about angels that stand in the presence of 06:09 God and they have six wings. 06:11 With two, they cover their feet; with two, they cover their 06:13 faces; with two, they fly. 06:15 And they constant cry: "Holy, holy, holy." 06:18 So just being in the presence of God and witnessing His character 06:21 and His glory and His acts awakens an awe amongst 06:27 the angels. 06:29 How much more should God's glory awaken an awe and a reverence 06:31 amongst human beings? 06:34 Doug: You know, there's a verse, if you want to look at that. 06:36 It's in Job 1:1. 06:38 It tells us about a godly man and his attitude about this. 06:41 Do you want to read that? 06:43 Jean: Job chapter 1, verse 1, yes. 06:45 It says: "There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, 06:47 and this man was blameless and upright," and then almost 06:50 defines that for us. 06:52 It says: "One who feared God and shunned evil." 06:55 So it's interesting how you have blameless and upright connected 06:58 with fearing God and shunning evil. 07:00 Doug: And the Bible says: "The fear of the Lord is the 07:03 beginning of wisdom." 07:05 And, you know, talking about education. 07:07 Now, you know, for me, I think probably one of the best ways to 07:10 conceive this, Jesus said when we talk to God to say, "Our 07:13 Father," and yet we're also told to fear God and give glory 07:17 to Him. 07:19 I remember when--and I'm sure you had the same experience with 07:21 your boys or all three of your kids, actually. 07:23 But I cut firewood and I'd take the boys out cutting firewood 07:27 and I used a, somewhere between a 10- and a 16-pound maul 07:32 depending on what kind of wood it was and I remember the boys, 07:36 I used to give them a little Fisher-Price ax so they could 07:40 pretend they were helping me cut firewood. 07:42 I'm talking about, like, you know, four, three years 07:43 old, whatever. 07:45 And they'd go and try and pick up my ax. 07:47 They couldn't even pick it up. 07:50 And so then they'd see me pick it up and split wood and it 07:52 would pop apart and they would be in awe and they'd think, "My 07:56 dad is the strongest man in the world," as small as I am. 08:00 But for them, there was, like, a fear, "Wow, look at that power. 08:04 I can't do that." 08:06 And--but they weren't afraid to, you know, tug on my sleeve and 08:09 climb in my lap. 08:12 And so, it wasn't a fear where they ran from me. 08:14 It was a love and an awe, and, yeah, of course, that's a small 08:17 example of the great majesty of God and how he is an 08:20 awesome God. 08:23 The Bible says it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of 08:25 the living God, meaning in judgment, but He's also a God 08:29 that we love and we can approach. 08:31 Jean: You know, we do have some questions that's coming in and 08:33 one of the questions, somewhat related to this. 08:37 The question is: "Where in the Bible would you find the place 08:41 where Satan is involved in healing someone?" 08:45 And I guess the question is in the last days the devil is going 08:48 to perform signs and wonders and even healing and do we know of 08:52 any example in the Bible where Satan would at least appear as 08:55 though he healed someone? 08:59 Doug: Well, you have a false prophet in the book of Acts and 09:01 it says he did many wonders. 09:04 I don't know that it specifically mentions that he 09:06 healed, but we know that people followed this person and, you 09:08 know, one of the most common counterfeit miracles that the 09:12 false prophets would perform is healing and so that was Simon 09:15 that I think you read about, is it Acts chapter 8, I believe. 09:21 And we know Satan does miracles. 09:24 You, of course, see that with the Pharaoh and when they turn 09:27 their rods into serpents but, specifically healing, that's the 09:30 only thing I can think of. 09:33 Well, you can read in Revelation it says: "This," or "Those 09:36 three unclean spirits go forth to deceive the kings of the 09:39 earth with their miracles." 09:41 Doesn't specifically say miracles of healing but-- 09:44 Jean: And of course, Jesus did say that there would be false 09:46 christs, false prophets, performing signs, and one of 09:49 those signs, you'd assume, would be miracles, trying to win over 09:52 the support of the masses on the earth. 09:54 Another question relating to the Ten Commandments, it says: "I've 09:57 been discussing with a friend," and this person believes that 10:00 the Ten--or the new covenant abolishes the Ten Commandments. 10:04 Why is it--and the question is, "Why is it that so many 10:09 Christians have a misunderstanding of the role of 10:13 the Ten Commandments as it relates to the new covenant?" 10:15 Doug: One word: Sabbath. 10:18 People have no problem with the Ten Commandments. 10:21 I mean, I could go to almost any evangelical, even 10:24 dispensational, churches in North America and I could preach 10:27 on honor your parents and they will say, "Amen." 10:30 And I could preach on do not worship idols, they'll say, 10:33 "Amen," unless, well, there's some orthodox Catholic churches, 10:36 they might not like that. 10:38 I could go and I could preach about don't commit adultery, 10:40 people would squirm but they'd know it's true and they'd 10:43 say, "Amen." 10:45 And they have no problem with the Commandments until you 10:47 say, "Remember--" 10:49 Actually, you could say, "Remember the Sabbath day," 10:51 they'll say, "Amen," but then you say, "The seventh day is the 10:53 Sabbath," they go, "We're not under the law. 10:55 We're under grace." 10:57 I mean, I've seen it time and time again. 10:59 I don't know, this one church, I went to a particular 11:01 Presbyterian church in a small town, and I visited them. 11:05 They had the Ten Commandments on the wall. 11:08 That same town, I did an evangelistic meeting, and after 11:10 preaching on the law and the Sabbath, the pastor took the Ten 11:14 Commandments down. 11:16 He says, "We're not under the law. 11:18 We're under grace," and everyone said, "Why'd you take 11:20 them down?" 11:21 Several of his members actually joined our church 'cause he 11:23 obviously didn't want the Ten Commandments because of 11:24 the Sabbath. 11:27 Jean: So, it really boils down to the Sabbath commandment which 11:30 is a commandment that says: "Remember," and it's a sign of 11:33 our allegiance and our connection with Christ. 11:35 And we might even get into that a little bit more of how the 11:37 Sabbath or the Ten Commandments in the whole teaches us that. 11:39 So on the subject of fearing God, Proverbs chapter 16, verse 11:43 6, says: "By the fear of the Lord, one departs from evil." 11:47 So there is this reverence, this awe, but there is a certain 11:51 degree of fear, especially for the evildoer, that we are going 11:53 to stand before God in judgment. 11:56 And that's Ecclesiastes chapter 8, verse 12, which says: "Though 11:59 a sinner does evil a hundred times and his days are 12:01 prolonged, yet surely I know that it will be well with those 12:05 who fear God who fear before Him." 12:09 Doug: And fearing God can also mean you love Him and you fear 12:11 to disappoint Him. 12:13 And so, you know, that would be--that would be the 12:15 right approach. 12:17 It's just when you think about the consequences of your sin in 12:19 disobedience, we should be afraid of hurting God. 12:25 I mean, you look at the cross and you think about we ought to 12:29 dread that, we ought to flee from that because we don't want 12:32 to hurt Him because we love Him. 12:34 Jean: And, of course, this message is relevant for us today 12:36 because we have the first angel's message which says: 12:39 "Fear God. 12:41 Give glory to Him. 12:42 The hour of His judgment has come." 12:44 And it's connected or it's--it has to do with the Ten 12:46 Commandments, of course, it's worship the Creator which 12:49 reminds us of the Sabbath. 12:51 So fearing God is not an "old-fashioned" idea; it's 12:53 really part of this last warning message that God wants us to 12:56 take to the world. 12:58 Doug: Yup. 13:00 Now, there's a section here, and you'll find this in your lesson. 13:02 If you look in Deuteronomy chapter 31, verse 12 and verse 13:04 13, Moses is told: "Gather the people together, men and women 13:08 and little ones, and the stranger who is within your 13:11 gates, that they may hear and that they may learn to fear the 13:14 Lord your God and carefully observe all the words of this 13:18 law that their children who have not known it might hear and 13:22 learn and fear." 13:24 Now, we're talking about education, we're talking about 13:26 the law. 13:29 Notice the connection between hearing it, learning it, 13:31 and fearing. 13:33 "And fear the Lord your God as long as you live in the land you 13:36 cross the Jordan to possess." 13:39 You know, if part of education is you teach your kids, "You do 13:41 not touch the stove when there's a fire in it," and you're 13:44 letting them hear, you're teaching them, and you want them 13:47 to fear because it'll hurt them. 13:50 And one of the things that, if you live in a city, you've got 13:52 to teach your kids, you don't step off the curb unless, you 13:56 know, you've trained them very carefully about the light and 13:58 looking both ways and you want to put the fear in them that it 14:01 hurts and it is unpleasant to be run over, and they learn. 14:09 So it's a learning, hearing, and a fearing that actually saves 14:13 their lives. 14:15 So it's not bad that they learn those things. 14:17 Jean: Then we find in Ecclesiastes 12, verse 13, it 14:20 says: "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter. 14:22 Fear God and keep His commandments for this is the 14:25 whole duty of man, for God shall bring every work into judgment 14:28 with every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it 14:32 be evil." 14:34 So, once again, we have fearing God connected with keeping His 14:36 commandments, and then the judgment. 14:38 And of course, this is Ecclesiastes but we also find 14:41 that same thing in Revelation: fearing God, give Him glory, the 14:44 hour of His judgment's come. 14:47 Doug: A little earlier in Ecclesiastes, Solomon says, and 14:49 this is chapter 8, verse 12: "Though a sinner does evil a 14:52 hundred times and his days are prolonged," you know, sometimes 14:56 it looks like, they're sinning and they seem to be having a 14:59 good time, he says--Solomon says, "Don't be deceived. 15:02 Though a sinner does evil a hundred times and his days are 15:05 prolonged, yet I surely know that it will be well with those 15:08 who fear God, who fear before Him," meaning those who do not 15:13 sin, who turn from disobedience. 15:16 Now, of course, everyone has sinned. 15:18 We've all broken the law, but living--it's talking about 15:20 living a life of disobedience and commandment breaking. 15:22 Jean: We do have a question, Pastor Doug, that's come in and 15:25 this question is reference to a New Testament verse. 15:29 Talks about a falling away that occurs and the question is: "Has 15:33 this falling away begun?" 15:35 And it's a falling away amongst those who are believers or in 15:38 the church. 15:40 "Has this falling away begun?" 15:42 Doug: And I think it's talking about 2 Thessalonians where it 15:45 tells us that that wicked one will sit. 15:47 It says that the Coming of the Lord will not happen until there 15:49 come a falling away first and the son of perdition is revealed 15:53 who sits in the temple of God showing himself that he is god. 15:56 Jean: That's 2 Thessalonians 2:3. 15:59 Doug: Thank you, yes. 16:01 And this falling away is something that Paul foretold 16:04 that the peer teachings that Jesus gave the apostles, Paul 16:08 said, "After my departure I know grievous wolves will come in, 16:11 not sparing the flock." 16:13 That's in Acts, I believe. 16:15 And that would come shortly after the death of the apostles. 16:19 And it wasn't very long after the death of the apostles and 16:22 the persecution during the age of the church of Smyrna that 16:25 great compromise came in, and the church fell from those peer 16:30 teachings of Christ. 16:32 So, yes, that falling away, it came. 16:34 It's not talking about a fall in the world; talking about a fall 16:36 in the church. 16:38 Jean: And, of course, it's interesting to note that a 16:40 falling away is often associated with a falling away from the 16:42 commandments of God. 16:44 During the Old Testament time when the children of Israel fell 16:46 away, they would often leave the commandments of God. 16:48 When there was revival in the camp of Israel, they would 16:51 return to obedience to God's commandments. 16:53 So you can't have a falling away without setting aside the 16:56 Ten Commandments. 16:58 Doug: They always go hand in hand. 16:59 Jean: And we see that even in the Christian world today, the 17:01 setting aside of the Ten Commandments. 17:03 Doug: It never says in the Bible: "They fell away and 17:04 became very obedient." 17:07 It doesn't--those two don't happen together. 17:09 And then we've got one more verse here and you can 17:11 read that. 17:13 Micah 6, verse 8. 17:14 Jean: Yes, it is Micah 6:8. 17:16 It says: "He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does 17:18 the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to 17:21 walk humbly with your God?" 17:24 Doug: Yeah, this is summarizing what it means to live a life of 17:27 obedience and justice. 17:30 And it sort of encompasses it that it's really out of love for 17:33 God and love for your neighbor, which is what Jesus taught. 17:36 Jean: Our next day's lesson is entitled, "A Witness Against 17:40 You," and we're talking about the law here and folks have 17:42 often wondered, "How does the law witness against us? 17:45 And how does that tie in with our new covenant experience and 17:49 relationship with God?" 17:51 Colossians chapter 2, verse 14, it says, speaking about the 17:55 death of Christ, "Having wiped out the handwriting of the 17:57 requirements that were against us, which was contrary to us, 18:01 and he has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to 18:04 the cross." 18:06 Now, sometimes, Pastor Doug, we hear people say when we do 18:08 evangelism, "Oh, you don't have to keep the Ten 18:10 Commandments anymore. 18:12 You don't have to keep the Sabbath. 18:14 It's nailed to the cross." 18:16 It's a favorite phrase. 18:17 Now, what exactly is Paul talking about here in 18:19 Colossians 2 when he's saying something's nailed to the cross 18:20 and it has to do with writing? 18:22 I think the big clue there is handwriting. 18:24 Doug: Right, yeah. 18:27 Well, first of all, all of the law in a sense is a witness 18:30 against us in the judgment. 18:32 You know, the Bible says we will be judged and I think this is 18:35 James 2:12: "So speak and do as those who will be judged by the 18:37 law of liberty." 18:40 And in the prior verses, he mentions two of the 18:42 Ten Commandments. 18:44 So, you know, we're going to be judged by the law of God, but 18:46 the law that was nailed to the cross that was a witness against 18:50 us, Paul was more specifically talking there about the law 18:53 contained in ordinances. 18:56 Now, you look in Deuteronomy 31, verse 26, and it tells us, 19:00 Pastor Ross, there's a distinction there between the 19:02 Ten Commandments that were in the ark and this other scroll 19:06 of handwriting. 19:08 You want to read that for us? 19:10 Jean: Yeah, Deuteronomy chapter 31, verse 26. 19:12 This is God speaking to--or Moses speaking the Word of God. 19:16 It says: "Take this book of the law and put it on the side of 19:19 the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God that it might be 19:22 there a witness against you." 19:25 So, Colossians 2:14 talks about the handwritten requirements 19:29 that was against us. 19:31 Deuteronomy 31:26 talks about the ceremonial law that was on 19:35 the side of the ark and it says, specifically, was against you. 19:38 Doug: Yeah, it's interesting that a very strong teaching in 19:41 the Hebrew law was that nobody was to be condemned or punished 19:45 except in the mouth of two or three witnesses. 19:47 And so within the ark of the covenant you've got two tables 19:50 of stone, and it says, "written on both sides," and there's that 19:55 dual nature there. 19:57 And now, you've also got in the pocket on the outside of the 19:59 ark, you've got the laws of the ordinances and some of the 20:02 ceremonial laws. 20:04 And when he, Moses, says, "This will be a witness against you," 20:07 it means that it is recorded that you knew the will of God, 20:11 you're to read it to the people and to teach them that it might 20:15 be a witness. 20:17 I think it says this here, Deuteronomy 31, verse 19: "Now 20:20 therefore, write down this song for yourselves and teach it to 20:24 the children of Israel. 20:26 Put it in their mouths that this song might be a witness for me 20:29 against the children of Israel." 20:31 Now, why would he say that? 20:33 It means that whenever they sang this Scripture song that dealt 20:36 with the commandments of God, it was a witness that they knew 20:38 what God wanted. 20:41 It was part of His will. 20:43 "When I brought them into the land flowing with milk and 20:45 honey, of which I swore to their fathers, that they've eaten and 20:48 they've filled themselves and they've grown fat, that they 20:51 will turn to other gods and serve them. 20:54 And they'll provoke Me and break My covenant. 20:56 Then it shall be when many evils and troubles have come upon 20:58 them, that this song will testify against them as 21:02 a witness." 21:04 They'll be singing the song, going, "Oh, yeah, Moses said 21:06 this would happen." 21:09 "For it will not be forgotten in their mouths and their 21:11 descendants for I know the inclination and behavior 21:13 even today." 21:15 So it was also supposed to be something of a protection for 21:17 them as they sang these things to say, "We don't want to 21:20 backslide and forget our God." 21:23 Jean: And it's probably a good time for us to ask a question 21:25 somebody texted in, one that we do hear from time to time: "As 21:28 Christians that keep the Sabbath, shouldn't we also keep 21:31 the sacred days of the Old Testament?" 21:35 Doug: Well, that goes along what we were just reading. 21:37 It says: "Having wiped out the handwriting or ordinances that 21:41 was against us, nailing it to the cross." 21:43 There's a big distinction between the Sabbath of the Ten 21:47 Commandments and these other laws. 21:50 The Sabbath of the Ten Commandment was perfect and part 21:52 of God's plan before sin. 21:55 You have it right there in Genesis chapter 2. 21:57 All of the other ceremonial Sabbaths, they came after sin 22:00 and they were connected with a sanctuary and services and the 22:03 Bible tells us that when the veil was rent in the temple, the 22:09 type met the anti-type. 22:12 We don't need to sacrifice lambs anymore. 22:14 We don't need to keep the Passover anymore. 22:17 Christ is now our Passover which is sacrificed for us. 22:20 And so these ceremonial Sabbaths, we can still learn 22:22 from them but it would be really silly to keep the shadow when we 22:27 now have the actual substance. 22:29 Jean: It's also interesting to note that the Ten Commandments 22:32 Sabbath, you know, the fourth Commandment, that was 22:34 established way back in Eden. 22:36 These other ceremonial Sabbaths were added at later times in 22:39 Israel's history, depending on some lesson that God wanted to 22:42 teach them. 22:44 Of course, the sacrificial system was added after sin. 22:47 It was not originally in the Garden of Eden, but the Ten 22:49 Commandments we find right in the very beginning. 22:51 So the Ten Commandments is on a separate plain, a different 22:54 level, than the rest of the ceremonial Sabbaths and even the 22:57 sacrificial system that came as a result of sin. 23:00 It's secondary. 23:02 The Ten Commandments was there first. 23:04 Doug: That's right. 23:06 Jean: So, there is a clear distinction between the two. 23:08 Then the next section that we coming to here, talking about a 23:11 witness against you. 23:13 It kind of leads us into a judgment scene and we find in 23:15 Daniel chapter 7, verse 10, a very significant passage talking 23:18 about judgment. 23:20 It says: "A fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him. 23:22 A thousand thousands ministered to Him; ten thousand times ten 23:26 thousand stood before Him. 23:28 The court was seated, and the books were opened." 23:30 So, here we appear, or at least appears to be some kind of a 23:33 heavenly judgment scene that's taking place. 23:36 God the Father is seated. 23:38 The books of record are open, and people are wondering, "Well, 23:40 who's judged in this judgment and when does this judgment 23:43 occur and how does the law play into this?" 23:45 Doug: Yeah, well, when it talks about that it may be a witness 23:49 against you, you know, Jesus says in Matthew 12, and this is 23:53 verse 36: "But I say to you that for every idle word that men 23:57 will speak, they will give an account thereof in the day of 24:00 judgment, for by your words you'll be justified and by your 24:03 words you'll be condemned." 24:05 Now, we know that God knows everything but it seems like 24:07 this judgment, and it says 10,000 times 10,000 are 24:10 around Him. 24:12 The Bible talks about the holy angels and I'm sure there's 24:14 unfallen worlds, there's a record that is kept and, of 24:20 course, God has a photographic memory so He knows everything, 24:22 but I think beyond that, it talks about the books 24:24 were opened. 24:26 I don't know if they're books that are, you know, written 24:28 on sheepskin. 24:30 I doubt it. 24:33 But some kind of book is kept in heaven. 24:35 I mean, look at how we store things now. 24:37 We got servers that store, oh, it's bigger than terabytes 24:39 and gigabytes. 24:43 They're, ha, they're ooglebites, I don't know what they are, but 24:45 there's so much information that Amazon and Google and these 24:47 different companies have stored, they got warehouses out there in 24:49 the desert that are just filled with ultra clean rooms that 24:55 store information. 24:57 Well, God has every thought that was thought, every word that was 25:00 spoken, and they will rise up in the judgment against us unless 25:04 they are covered by the blood of the Lamb. 25:08 And so, it's giving us a picture of this in Daniel chapter 7. 25:12 Jean: Now, this judgment that we find in Daniel 7, this rising up 25:15 as you say, against us or contrary to us, this occurs even 25:20 before Jesus comes. 25:23 This is sort--we call it the pre-advent judgment and I think 25:26 you're going to be preaching on that a little later today but a 25:29 special type of judgment that occurs before the Second Coming 25:31 and then, of course, we have a judgment that takes place during 25:34 the 1000 years, a judgment for the wicked. 25:37 But this is to kind of see those who are professing faith in God, 25:40 are they genuine in their commitment. 25:43 Are they loyal? 25:45 Doug: If--when the Lord comes, we know it says that he is 25:47 dispensing rewards when He comes. 25:50 It should stand to reason that some investigation must take 25:53 place before He comes 'cause when He comes one group goes up 25:56 and one is destroyed by the brightness of His Coming. 25:59 So does He do all that rewarding and then say, "All right, let's 26:04 open the books"? 26:06 Or there must be some books being opened before He comes. 26:08 And I think that's what you're talking about. 26:12 Jean: And then our next verse on here, Revelation chapter 20, 26:15 verse 12, talks about a judgment that occurs at the end of the 26:18 1000 years and this is what it says, Revelation 20:12: "And I 26:20 saw the dead, small and great, standing before God and the 26:23 books were opened. 26:25 Another book was opened which is the book of life, and the dead 26:27 were judged according to their works by the things that were 26:30 written in the books." 26:32 So we have one judgment in Daniel chapter 7, the judgment 26:34 of those whose names are written in the book of life. 26:36 And then we have a judgment at the end of Revelation chapter 20 26:39 of those whose names were not found written in the book 26:41 of life. 26:43 So two different judgments that we find here in the 26:45 New Testament. 26:47 Doug: And you notice that it's really talking about 26:49 different books. 26:51 It says, "The book of life," which is singular, and then it 26:53 says, "they were judged out of those things that were written 26:55 in the books," which is plural. 26:57 And so, evidently, there's a few books that are being used. 27:01 You get the book of life. 27:03 The Bible talks about a book of remembrance. 27:05 Is that Malachi? 27:07 Jean: Mm-hm. 27:09 Doug: And so, yeah, everything is written down. 27:12 Somehow, God's got it all recorded. 27:14 Jean: You know, we have a question that's come in, Pastor 27:16 Doug, and it's an important question. 27:18 It says: "How do you give practically your heart fully 27:20 to God?" 27:23 Doug: Well, I think that you can make a conscious decision. 27:27 You know, there's a great statement in that book, "Steps 27:30 to Christ," and it talks about we sometimes don't appreciate 27:33 the power of the will that God has given to people, and that we 27:37 can make a choice. 27:39 Even if we're weak, we can say, "All right, Lord, I may not feel 27:41 like it, I might be afraid, there might be part of me that 27:45 doesn't want to, but by Your grace I am choosing to be Yours. 27:49 Will You take my heart?" 27:51 And you actually give the Holy Spirit permission to move into 27:54 your mind and then begin to change your affections when you 27:56 surrender your will to God by saying, "Lord, I am choosing to 27:59 believe in You. 28:01 I want to give You my heart." 28:03 It's not--it's not an emotional feeling of ecstasy. 28:06 Now, conversion, some people have emotional feelings. 28:09 That may not be wrong but choosing to give God your heart, 28:12 I think, is a conscious, rational decision. 28:15 That's where Jesus said, "What profit is it if you gain the 28:17 whole world and lose your soul?" 28:20 You know, you're an accountant, you don't make 28:22 emotional decisions. 28:24 You look at the profit and you want to make the profit. 28:26 You don't want the loss. 28:28 And so you make the reasonable decision. 28:30 Jesus is saying, "Choose. 28:32 Use your will to say, 'Lord, I don't want to lose everything. 28:34 I want eternal life.'" 28:37 And so, once you make that decision, and you give yourself 28:41 to Him, it's a prayer you can pray. 28:44 Say, "Lord, I'm choosing right now." 28:46 Don't say, "Well, how do I feel?" 28:48 You make the decision and then feelings may follow as the Holy 28:51 Spirit comes but you make a conscious choice. 28:55 Jean: And I think this choice of surrendering ourselves to God is 28:57 not just a once-in-a-lifetime experience. 29:00 There might be a specific point we can point back at and say, 29:02 "That's when I surrendered my life to Christ," but the apostle 29:05 Paul tells us it's the day-by-day experience. 29:08 He says, "I die daily." 29:10 Doug: Several times a day. 29:11 Jean: So, we shouldn't get discouraged, right. 29:12 The devil comes and tempts us and then we think, "I didn't 29:14 give my life to Christ. 29:15 Why am I being tempted?" 29:17 No, just surrender right then and there. 29:19 It's a day-by-day surrendering to Christ. 29:20 Doug: And every time you are tempted, you're reminding 29:22 yourself, "No, I can't do that. 29:23 I made a choice." 29:25 Jean: That's right. 29:26 Well, moving on with our lesson then, the next section that we 29:28 have deals with "That You May Prosper," and, well, there's a 29:32 number of lessons that we can learn here from the 29:35 Old Testament. 29:37 Deuteronomy chapter 5, verse 29, that says: "Oh, that they had 29:39 such a heart in them that they would fear Me and always keep 29:42 all My commandments, that it might be well for them and with 29:46 their children forever!" 29:48 Now, there's an interesting story that leads into 29:50 this verse. 29:52 God had just given the Ten Commandments to the children 29:55 of Israel. 29:56 The children of Israel had responded and said, "Everything 29:58 that You have said, we will do." 30:00 And then God speaking to Moses says, "Oh, that there was a 30:02 heart within them that they'd love Me." 30:05 So, the children of Israel, their initial response is, "Oh, 30:08 Ten Commandments, no problem, we can do that." 30:11 But they didn't realize that true obedience comes from the 30:13 heart, and God was saying, "Oh, I wish there was a heart within 30:16 them that they would love Me and fear Me and keep My 30:18 commandments, that it might be good for them." 30:20 God wants to bless us, and in blessing us, he wants us to keep 30:24 His commandments. 30:27 Doug: Yeah, and that's also a good segue from that last 30:29 question: we can choose consciously but then the motive 30:33 needs to ultimately be love. 30:35 When you first come to the Lord, you may not feel love, but as 30:39 you look at the cross and you see what Jesus did for you, the 30:43 Bible says the goodness of God leads us to repentance, so we 30:47 look at his goodness and it evokes repentance. 30:50 And then the promise in the Bible is we love Him, why? 30:54 Because He first loved us. 30:56 So we look at the love of God and, you know, Jesus said, "If 31:00 you love Me, keep My commandments." 31:03 And so we learn what pleases the Lord. 31:05 When we love Him, we don't want to hurt Him. 31:08 Jean: Mm-hm, Pastor Doug, we have a question that's come in 31:11 and it's a little different than this particular day's lesson but 31:14 it is an interesting question. 31:16 The question comes from Revelation chapter 19, verse 16, 31:20 and it's--here's the verse. 31:22 It says: "And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: 31:25 King of kings and Lord of lords." 31:27 Now, somebody says, "I'm trying to explain this verse for 31:30 a while. 31:32 Some have even said this is a type of tattoo. 31:34 How do we understand this that on His robe and on His thigh a 31:37 name is written: 'King of kings and Lord of lords,'" speaking 31:40 of Jesus? 31:42 Doug: Right, well, first, it's a good idea to remember that 31:44 there's a lot of symbols in this passage. 31:46 Jesus, of course, is seen with a sword coming out of His mouth. 31:48 Let's hope that's just a symbol and that we're not going to see 31:51 Him walking around with a sword coming out of His head 31:54 in heaven. 31:56 And riding on a white horse was a symbol in the Bible of purity, 32:01 conquering, victory. 32:04 Having the Word of God written on His thigh, a thigh which is 32:06 considered the strongest muscle, in the Bible, and the strength 32:10 of the gospel is the Word of God. 32:12 So it's--there's a lot of Bible symbolism there. 32:15 Jean: And I think the biggest muscle for, you know, even 32:18 today, but of course, with the Old Testament, the strongest 32:21 muscle was the thigh. 32:23 And often was connected with royalty or rulership, 32:25 symbolizing strength and power. 32:28 So here in Revelation chapter 19, Jesus is pictured as coming 32:31 as a King coming to rule with strength and power and thus the 32:36 name, King of kings and Lord of lords. 32:38 So it's a symbol of strength and power, which is important. 32:41 Doug: Interesting, there's a story in the Bible when Abraham 32:43 sends Eliezer to pick a wife for Isaac, he tells Eliezer, his 32:48 servant, "Put your hand under my thigh," and so it was a symbol 32:52 of the strength and it's connected with a covenant, yeah. 32:56 Jean: Absolutely, all right, then moving on with the subject 32:59 of "That You Might Prosper," we're talking about the Ten 33:01 Commandments and the law of God. 33:04 Psalm 1:1-3 is a well-known passage, beautiful psalm, and it 33:08 says: "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the 33:11 ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat 33:15 of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and 33:20 in His law he meditates day and night. 33:22 He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that 33:25 bring forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall 33:29 not wither; and whatsoever does he shall prosper." 33:33 So there's a promise: those who are faithful in obedience to 33:35 God, that says they're going to prosper. 33:38 Now, some might look at that and think, "Well, if I keep God's 33:41 commandments now, it doesn't seem as though I'm going 33:43 to prosper. 33:45 Maybe I'm going to lose my job if I choose to keep 33:47 the Sabbath." 33:49 So how do we explain that verse with the experience that people 33:51 are facing now? 33:53 Doug: Yeah, that's a good question. 33:55 Actually, I think the next section talks about the toils 33:56 of law-keepers. 33:58 Sometimes they do struggle and--but it's really saying in 34:00 the big picture they will be blessed. 34:02 Now, if you stand back, you look at the life of Abraham, it says: 34:05 "Abraham kept My laws, My statutes, My commandments." 34:09 I think that's Genesis 25. 34:11 And Abraham had struggles. 34:13 There were times of famine. 34:15 He had some problems in the household. 34:17 But if you look back at the panorama of his life, it was one 34:19 of great prosperity and blessing. 34:22 And you can see that with Job. 34:25 Job is doubly blessed after his trials, but he still struggled. 34:27 But, you know, God promises to bless His people and that's why, 34:30 you know, Solomon said, "I know even though you might seem like 34:35 a sinner is prospering, I know in the long run it is not well 34:40 with the wicked but it will be well with the righteous." 34:43 And if you look in, let me see here, 2 Chronicles 31 and this 34:48 is verse 20: "Thus Hezekiah did throughout all of Judah, and he 34:54 did what was good and right and true before the Lord his God. 34:58 And in every work that he began in the service of the house of 35:01 God, in the law and in the commandment, to seek his God, he 35:05 did it with all his might. 35:07 So he prospered." 35:10 And so God, so often when you read about the kings, it says 35:12 "He did not walk in the ways of the Lord," and he had wars and 35:15 there was problems and the kingdom diminished. 35:18 But whenever they had a king that obeyed, the kingdom ended 35:21 up expanding and God blessed and strengthened them. 35:25 Whenever they worshiped idols, they turned away and they 35:27 struggled and it went backwards. 35:30 So, as a--it doesn't mean they didn't have good days and 35:32 bad days. 35:34 And that's the way it is with the righteous, too. 35:36 You're going to have good days and bad days but, in the long 35:38 run, you'll obey if you prosper. 35:40 Sin brings problems. 35:41 Jean: Mm-hm, yeah, absolutely. 35:43 Pastor Doug, here's a question that somebody has. 35:45 They just sent it in. 35:47 It's a good question. 35:49 They say, "According to 2 Kings 2:3-9, Elijah was taken to 35:51 heaven but then Jesus in John chapter 3, verse 13, seems to 35:52 indicate that no one was taken to heaven. 35:56 Can you explain these two verses?" 35:58 John 3:13. 36:00 Doug: Yeah, that's where Christ said, "No man has ascended 36:02 to heaven." 36:04 He's talking not just about ascending. 36:06 He's talking about no man has gone up and come back down again 36:08 to give us information. 36:10 Elijah did ascend. 36:12 He appeared to Christ but Elijah did not go to heaven, then come 36:13 back down and start talking to us. 36:16 The one who has brought heaven to earth is Christ. 36:18 Jean: Right, and he came to reveal truth. 36:19 Doug: Right, he's the only one. 36:21 Jean: No one else has been sent from heaven to do so. 36:23 Doug: Came from the presence of the Father to do that. 36:25 Jean: Another question that somebody has while we're on that 36:27 same subject. 36:29 The question is: "After Jesus rose from the dead, did He go to 36:31 heaven after meeting with Mary and then come back down and meet 36:34 with the disciples when He told Thomas to touch Him and see that 36:38 it's Him?" 36:40 Doug: Yeah, we believe that when Mary saw Jesus at the tomb, of 36:42 course, Christ Himself, He says, "Do not touch Me or cling to 36:45 Me," is the actual--she fell at His feet to grab Him. 36:48 He said, "Don't cling to Me." 36:50 I think King James says: "Don't touch Me." 36:52 That makes it sound like "You're dirty," but didn't mean that. 36:54 He meant, "Don't detain Me because I've not yet ascended to 36:58 My Father." 37:00 So, she found Jesus right after the Resurrection, before He'd 37:02 even ascended to the Father. 37:04 "But go to My brethren and say, 'I ascend to My Father and 37:08 Your Father.'" 37:10 So after Mary saw Him, He then ascended. 37:12 His sacrifice--He went right before the Father. 37:15 His sacrifice was declared accepted. 37:19 He sat down at the right hand of God enthroned, received the 37:22 kingdom, so to speak, and he kind of ransomed this world. 37:25 And then He came back down again and--that Sunday night. 37:29 Then He says, "All hail," and they held Him by the feet and 37:33 worshiped Him. 37:35 So for Mary, He says, "I'm not ascended. 37:37 Don't cling to Me." 37:38 After He comes back again, He says, "All hail, you can worship 37:40 Me," which, by the way, is another good evidence that Jesus 37:42 is God 'cause we're only supposed to worship God. 37:44 Jean: Right, it's kind of interesting that Jesus wasn't 37:47 encouraging worship until He got the word from His Father that 37:52 His sacrifice was enough. 37:54 I mean, He had by faith believed His sacrifice would be enough, 37:56 but he hadn't yet officially received the word from His 37:59 Father and that was always very important to Christ: the 38:02 salvation of mankind. 38:05 Pastor Doug, before we move on to the next section that we 38:07 have, "Toils and Struggles of Keeping the Law," just one other 38:10 thought here and that is the law as a teacher leading us to 38:14 Christ, Psalm 19, verse 7 says: "The law of the Lord is perfect, 38:19 converting the soul and the testimony of the Lord is sure, 38:23 making wise the simple." 38:25 So, in the New Testament the law is referred to as a teacher or a 38:27 tutor to lead us to Christ. 38:30 So when we see ourselves reflected in the law of God, we 38:33 realize our need of a Savior because we see our Sin, that is 38:36 to guide us or point us to Jesus. 38:39 The law in and of itself can't save, but the law teaches us or 38:42 leads us to Jesus who can save. 38:44 Doug: Yeah, and at the end of that verse there, it says in 38:47 verse 11: "And in keeping of them, there's also warning and 38:51 great reward. 38:54 It talks about the prosperity and so, it's instructing, it's 38:57 warning, and there's great reward and prosperity, so to 39:02 speak, in keeping them. 39:04 Jean: The next section that we have is the toils and the 39:06 struggles of law-keepers and we touched on this a 39:09 little earlier. 39:11 1 John chapter 5, verse 3 says: "For this is the love of God 39:13 that we keep His commandments and that His commandments are 39:16 not burdensome." 39:18 Now, being a commandment-keeping Christian in a world that is 39:20 filled with sin, it's going against the flow. 39:23 It's swimming upstream, so to speak. 39:25 And there are going to be oppositions. 39:27 There were oppositions to Daniel, to Shadrach, Meshach, 39:30 and Abednego who wanted to keep God's law, keep 39:32 the commandments. 39:34 They ended up going into the fiery furnace. 39:36 Daniel ended up in the lion's den and yet God delivered them 39:38 out of those trials. 39:40 So, even if we do face oppositions and trials, it's a 39:43 lot better to face those trials with Christ than to face trials 39:48 and difficulties as those who are setting aside God's law. 39:51 Doug: Yeah, and there are toils for law-keepers in keeping 39:55 the law. 39:57 You know, we--Paul describes that condition where he said, 40:00 "I'm struggling to do what God wants me to do, but my flesh 40:06 really wants to do something else. 40:08 And who will deliver me from this?" 40:10 And it says, of course, in chapter 8 of Romans, he says, 40:13 "And thank God through Christ that we're delivered from that 40:16 miserable condition where you're not thoroughly converted and 40:20 you're trying to be saved by your law-keeping." 40:22 And I think in the book, "Steps to Christ," it says: "Anyone who 40:26 is trying to secure their salvation by obedience in the 40:30 law is attempting--it's a drudgery. 40:32 Jean: Yeah, impossibility. 40:34 Doug: Attempting an impossibility and it's drudgery, 40:36 that's right. 40:38 So, we--there's toils in trying to find salvation through 40:40 keeping the law because you're going about it wrong. 40:43 Now, if we're trying to keep the law for the wrong reason, should 40:47 we still try and keep the law? 40:49 Jean: I think it's better to keep the law than not keep 40:51 the law. 40:53 Doug: Yeah. 40:54 Jean: A child might not fully understand why his parent says, 40:56 you know, "Don't chase your ball into the road. 40:58 You've got to stop at the sidewalk." 41:00 They might not understand all the details but the parent does 41:02 and it's better for the child if they do. 41:04 "Don't touch that hot stove." 41:06 They might not understand how burning works but in obedience 41:10 to their parents, they save themselves a lot of pain. 41:12 Doug: Yeah, exactly. 41:14 And you look at the blessings that God promises for those that 41:17 obey Him. 41:19 If you look, for instance, in John chapter 14, verse 15, Jesus 41:22 said--now, we know this part, "If you love Me, keep 41:25 My commandments." 41:26 Now read verse 16: "And I will pray the Father and He will give 41:30 you another helper that He may abide with you forever, the 41:33 spirit of truth." 41:35 And so it almost makes it sound like that one of the 41:38 prerequisites to being Spirit-filled, it's a power of 41:42 God, is to be surrendered to obey. 41:45 That's why, I think, Peter says in Acts 5:32: "And we are His 41:49 witnesses to these things. 41:51 So also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those that 41:56 obey Him." 41:58 And so, you know, to be Spirit-filled, I think we need 42:02 to be surrendered and willing to obey. 42:04 Jean: And that becomes very significant as we look in 42:06 end-time events in Revelation. 42:09 God has a group of people that are described as keeping His 42:12 commandments and having the testimony of Jesus: Revelation 42:15 chapter 12, verse 17. 42:17 We find the same thing or a similar thing in Revelation 42:19 14:12 that says: "Here are they who keep the commandments of God 42:22 and have the patience or the faith of Jesus." 42:25 So two characteristics or three characteristics of God's people 42:29 in the last days: they keep his commandments, they have the 42:31 testimony of Jesus which is the spirit of prophecy, and they 42:34 have the faith of Jesus. 42:36 Keeping God's commandments and having the faith of Jesus goes 42:38 hand in hand. 42:40 You can't have one without the other. 42:42 Those who are trying to keep the commandments without faith in 42:44 Jesus, you'd refer to that as legalism. 42:47 So, in order for us to keep God's commandments, we do need 42:51 to have the Spirit of Christ working in our hearts and lives. 42:53 And that comes through the surrender of self. 42:56 Doug: Absolutely, so even though God promises blessings on those 43:01 who obey, sometimes there are trials that come to even 43:05 the obedient. 43:07 You know, Jesus said, "In the world you'll have tribulation 43:09 but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." 43:12 And then Paul kind of outlines some of his trials, and Paul was 43:15 surrendered to the Lord. 43:17 In 2 Corinthians 11:23: "Are they ministers of Christ? 43:21 I speak as a fool--I am more: in labors more abundant, in 43:24 stripes," that means being whipped, "above measure, in 43:28 prisons more frequently, in deaths often," facing death. 43:32 "From the Jews five times I received 40 stripes minus 1," 43:36 that's hard to comprehend. 43:38 "Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three 43:42 times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in 43:46 the deep." 43:47 You don't want to cruise with Paul, do you? 43:50 Three times shipwrecked. 43:52 "In journeys often, in perils of water, in perils of robbers, in 43:54 perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in 43:57 perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the 44:01 sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, 44:05 in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings 44:08 often, in cold and nakedness," wow. 44:13 You read that and you say, "Would you like to be 44:15 a Christian? 44:17 No, that's not that way for every Christian but 44:19 some Christians. 44:20 You know, Paul, out preaching the gospel, he was a real target 44:22 for the devil. 44:24 He had an obedient life but he also had toils. 44:27 Jean: And Paul goes on to say: "And we are more than conquerors 44:30 in Him that loved us." 44:32 So, yeah, despite the challenges that he had, he recognized that 44:34 the reward is far greater. 44:37 Doug: And he said, "Rejoice in the Lord always and, again I 44:40 say, rejoice. 44:41 And I've learned in whatever state I'm in, to be content," 44:44 and Paul had a peace and he had a joy in spite of the trials. 44:50 Jean: Yeah, we do have a question. 44:52 Someone's asking us about Isaiah 66:23 that says: "In the earth 44:56 made new, the believers or the saved will go and worship from 45:00 one Sabbath to another and from one moon to another." 45:04 They're wondering about this new moon to another. 45:07 What is that all about? 45:10 Doug: Well, first of all, they separated their months by 45:12 the moon. 45:14 And the Bible tells us that, of course, the new moon was 45:17 a Sabbath. 45:19 Now, we don't learn about the new moon Sabbaths being kept 45:22 until after sin. 45:25 You know, it's not part of the original Ten Commandments. 45:30 It doesn't say anything about the new moon Sabbaths. 45:32 You don't hear anything about the apostles keeping the new 45:35 moon Sabbaths. 45:37 And I've got a theory and I can't prove this, but I believe 45:41 that in heaven when things are restored, you know, right now, 45:44 the earth since the flood or something happened where our 45:46 atmosphere changed, there's very cold, uninhabitable parts of the 45:51 climate--world now that are freezing, others are burning 45:53 hot, that we've got wild swings in the seasons. 45:57 I think that when things are restored in the new heaven and 46:00 the new earth, that you're going to find that there's a new moon 46:03 every 28 days, instead of it being slightly off that now. 46:07 And that every new moon will also be a seventh day of the 46:12 week 'cause you've got 7 times 4 is 28. 46:15 So it'll all line up then, so every new moon that you're 46:18 keeping in heaven is also the seventh-day Sabbath. 46:21 Jean: Right, somebody else mentioned--I like the idea that 46:23 there's 12 different types of fruit on the tree of life and 46:27 perhaps from one month to another you go to the New 46:30 Jerusalem to try out the new fruit for that month. 46:33 So there's a big gathering, a big harvest, that occurs once a 46:35 month where people go and eat the new fruit from the tree of 46:39 life, so interesting thought there. 46:41 In our last little bit here, we always want to finish up with 46:45 Jesus, our example when it comes to obedience to the law. 46:48 John 13:15, it says: "For I have given you an example," the words 46:53 of Christ, "that you should do as I have done." 46:56 Of course, we know that Jesus kept His Father's commandments. 46:59 Doug: Yeah, and that's so important. 47:01 It seems like such a simple basic truth but I meet people 47:02 all the time and they say, "Well, Christ came and lived a 47:05 holy life, so we don't have to." 47:07 And I go, "Whoa, that's not Christianity. 47:09 Christianity means you follow Christ. 47:11 He said, 'I came to give you an example.'" 47:13 He not only came to live a perfect life, to cover our sins, 47:16 but then through the Holy Spirit and sanctification, it's not 47:20 just justification, after we're justified, we then want to walk 47:24 in a newness of life, and, by the way, that's--you look at 47:28 1 John 2:6: "He who says he abides in Him ought himself also 47:34 to walk just as He walked." 47:36 I mean, that's as plain as it can be. 47:38 He wants us to follow the example of Christ. 47:41 And then also you find one like that, if you want to read it, in 47:44 1 Peter 2, verse 21. 47:46 Jean: It says this: "For to you, you were called, because Christ 47:49 also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should 47:53 follow in His steps: 'Who committed no sin, nor was deceit 47:57 found in His mouth.'" 47:59 So that's pretty clear, Pastor Doug. 48:00 It says: "Christ has left us an example. 48:02 We should follow in His steps. 48:04 He committed no sin. 48:06 There was no deceit in His mouth." 48:07 It's clear as to what God's goal and what our purpose is, that is 48:10 to follow the example of Jesus. 48:12 Doug: Yeah, that we walk in His steps. 48:14 A Christian is a follower of Christ. 48:16 And hopefully, friends, you're learning, you know, what an 48:18 important lesson we have in the law of God and, to me, I think 48:23 this is one of the most important truths: the law of God 48:26 is an expression of the character of God. 48:28 So when you look at the law of God, it is not at odds 48:30 with Jesus. 48:32 It was written by Jesus. 48:34 Keep in mind, all things that were made, were made by Him. 48:36 I believe that Christ was there, just as He was writing in the 48:39 dust of the temple floor, He was writing on those stones that He 48:42 gave to Israel. 48:44 It's His will and it says: "I love to do Thy will; Thy law is 48:48 within my heart." 48:50 And that's what real conversion is about: having the law of God 48:52 in your heart. 48:54 Jean: Like to remind our friends who are watching that we do have 48:56 our free offer. 48:58 It's entitled, "Is Obedience Legalism?" 49:00 And we'll be happy to send this out to anyone who calls 49:01 and asks. 49:03 The number is 866-788-3966 and you want to ask for offer 49:06 number 706. 49:08 You can also text the code "SH041" to the number "40544," 49:15 and you'll be able to get a digital copy of our lesson, 49:18 talking about "Is Obedience Legalism?" 49:22 Well, Pastor Doug, before we finish up our program, just want 49:24 to remind our friends about our upcoming evangelistic online 49:27 series entitled "Revelation Now." 49:32 Doug: Go to the website, friends. 49:34 You'll be blessed. 49:35 Sign up, revelationnow.com. 49:38 male announcer: Don't forget to request today's life-changing 49:41 free resource. 49:43 Not only can you receive this free gift in the mail, you can 49:45 download a digital copy straight to your computer or 49:48 mobile device. 49:50 To get your digital copy of today's free gift, simply text 49:52 the keyword on your screen to 40544 or visit the web address 49:57 shown on your screen and be sure to select the digital download 50:00 option on the request page. 50:02 It's now easier than ever for you to study God's Word with 50:05 Amazing Facts wherever and whenever you want. 50:08 And most important, to share it with others. 50:14 announcer: The statistics are grim. 50:16 Millions have been infected by coronavirus, thousands 50:18 have died. 50:20 Race riots have broken out on streets, political tensions are 50:22 at an all-time high. 50:25 Does the Bible have anything to say about the times in which we 50:28 are living? 50:30 Doug: Hi, friends, this is Pastor Doug Batchelor. 50:32 Many people are wondering if the world's about to implode. 50:35 Some are fearful that global events point to a coming crisis 50:38 unlike anything we've ever witnessed. 50:41 Did you know the Bible book of Revelation actually speaks about 50:45 the days in which we're living now? 50:47 And it contains a message of hope, if we would only listen. 50:51 That's why I'd like to invite you to "Revelation Now! 50:55 Decoding the Bible's Greatest Prophecies." 50:58 In this multi-part series, I'll be sharing relevant truths for 51:02 our time from the last book in the Bible. 51:04 announcer: Coming October 23. 51:07 To learn more, visit revelationnow.com. 51:11 ♪♪♪ 51:17 announcer: Amazing Facts Changed Lives. 51:28 Steve Johnson: I was heading south on Interstate 5. 51:30 This commercial come on KFBK radio about a Revelation seminar 51:35 by Amazing Facts. 51:37 I began--my chest began to tighten up. 51:39 I began sweating profusely. 51:42 I had difficulty in breathing. 51:44 There were this big rest area here and at this time I pulled 51:47 into there. 51:49 I thought, "Well, maybe I'm having a heart attack." 51:51 I got out of my truck, walked into the men's restroom there 51:54 and put cold water on my face. 51:57 And then finally, things subsided. 51:59 A week later, again, I heard this Amazing Facts commercial 52:02 come on the radio. 52:04 In fact, the meetings were going to start that very night. 52:06 This--and again, immediately, I had these same symptoms. 52:09 I thought, "You know, this isn't my heart. 52:12 I have to go to that meeting." 52:14 And as I was going down to Sacramento, I decided to park 52:16 and go inside. 52:18 Well, I got in and walked into the furthermost rear seat they 52:23 had in the pew there. 52:26 And this particular evangelist, his name was Kim Karen, it was 52:32 like taking one layer off at a time of an onion. 52:36 He laid it out so perfectly that we could all understand it. 52:39 And I was really motivated. 52:41 I couldn't believe it. 52:43 Well, I finished. 52:44 I didn't miss a meeting. 52:46 In fact, on the fifth night, they had an altar call and my 52:48 knees stood right up and I walked forward and I gave my 52:51 heart to Jesus Christ. 52:53 I've learned throughout this whole thing that when you leave 52:58 the devil's territory he gets pretty active in causing a lot 53:01 of problems. 53:04 Well, I had the evangelists come out and they had prayer with me 53:07 about my business. 53:09 I would find a sick business and make it well and then market it. 53:13 I finally ended up with a business that I really enjoyed. 53:17 It was one that was building equestrian centers and they said 53:21 to me, "Steve," he said, "you know, if you're going to really 53:24 keep the Sabbath, you've got to shut your doors on the Sabbath." 53:27 Well, I did and so I sold the business to my brother. 53:31 Took me 22 years to build that business and he lost it in 53:35 33 months. 53:37 My son who was my business partner, I'd been giving him 10% 53:40 of the business every year. 53:43 He thought I'd just fallen off the bridge. 53:46 My son didn't talk to me for 5 1/2 years. 53:50 And then a few other things happened so I had an ex-employee 53:53 living in my guest house. 53:55 He kind of watched after our place and he said, "Steve," he 53:59 said, "there's an Allied moving van backed up to your front door 54:02 in your home." 54:04 I said, "You're kidding." 54:06 I said, "What do you mean?" 54:08 He said, "They're moving everything out of your house 54:09 into this truck and your wife is out there supervising them." 54:13 And when I went home and opened the front door, my voice echoed 54:16 in that house. 54:18 There wasn't any furniture left anywhere. 54:19 There was one bed left in the house. 54:22 I knew my wife was upset because of my coming to this church, but 54:25 I had no idea that she would move out like this. 54:30 That was a total shock to me. 54:32 It was some time that I locked myself in the bedroom and I 54:34 began reading the Bible. 54:37 It's been about a half a year, just every night, getting home 54:40 and I would study. 54:43 It allowed me to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. 54:46 Well, to make a long story short, I met Crystal and she 54:50 was a godly woman. 54:52 That was the Lord's doing, not mine. 54:55 And He was just there to let me know that "I'm with you all 54:57 the way. 54:59 Even though you're going to have some trials and you're going to 55:01 have some hardships, I want you to know that I'll be with you." 55:04 Because, no matter what I do now, He is my leader. 55:09 He's the leader of my marriage, He's the leader of everything in 55:12 my life today. 55:14 That one meeting with the Amazing Facts seminar changed my 55:16 entire life and, to this day, I'm still on fire for God. 55:21 I'm still witnessing to my neighbors. 55:23 My name is Steve Johnson and it's because of you that Amazing 55:26 Facts has changed my life. 55:30 ♪♪♪ 55:53 Doug: Have you ever heard the expression before, "They eat 55:55 like a bird," talking about somebody that has a 55:57 minuscule appetite. 55:59 Well, you might want to think twice next time you use 56:01 that expression. 56:03 For example, take the hummingbird. 56:05 In order for it to maintain its incredible metabolism, it has to 56:09 eat about 50% of its bodyweight every day. 56:13 To put that in perspective, if a 100-pound woman was to eat like 56:16 a hummingbird, she would have to eat 50 pounds of sugar a day 56:20 just to maintain her bodyweight. 56:23 Imagine that. 56:25 Maybe you don't want to imagine that. 56:27 Or perhaps you want to consider this another way. 56:29 The hummingbird typically consumes between 4 to 7 calories 56:32 a day. 56:33 On the other hand, a human, about 3500 calories a day. 56:36 But if you were to eat like a bird, a hummingbird, you'd have 56:39 to eat over 150,000 calories a day. 56:44 That's like a man, 170 pounds, that would be eating 3000 56:48 Oreo cookies. 56:51 Under normal conditions, a hummingbird needs to eat every 56:54 five or ten minutes, but there's actually one time during the 56:57 year the hummingbird will eat its entire bodyweight every day. 57:01 You see, once a year, they make this migration of 500 miles 57:05 across the Gulf of Mexico from Texas to the Yucatan Peninsula. 57:10 In order to do that, the hummingbird feasts on nectar and 57:14 gorges themselves on this nectar for about a week, doubling 57:18 their bodyweight. 57:20 That's the only way they can store enough calories to help 57:22 them with their 70 wing beats per second, or roughly 4 million 57:26 wing beats on that journey. 57:29 You know, in the same way, friends, as we near the end of 57:32 time, we need to be feasting and gorging ourselves on the nectar 57:34 of God's Word. 57:37 We've got to be able to have that strength to get us through 57:39 the times of trouble that are ahead. 57:41 So when it comes to the Bible and your personal devotions, 57:43 if you're going to eat like a bird, eat like a hummingbird. 57:47 ♪♪♪ |
Revised 2020-10-07