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00:10 ♪♪♪ 00:20 ♪♪♪ 00:35 Carlos Munoz: Maranatha and happy Sabbath to everyone. 00:37 Welcome to our Granite Bay Hilltop Seventh-day Adventist 00:42 Church for our "Sabbath School Study Hour." 00:44 So today's an exciting Sabbath because it's going to be our 00:47 first Sabbath school from our new Amazing Facts and 00:52 Granite Bay sanctuary. 00:54 So I want to welcome everybody that's watching on Amazing Facts 00:56 Television, on our social media, and on all the different 00:59 networks and TV networks that are following us. 01:01 And as most of you know, we're here in the Granite Bay 01:05 Roseville, Sacramento area. 01:07 So if you're ever in town, we invite you to come join us once 01:10 the restrictions are over. 01:12 Amen? 01:14 So thank you for being here with us. 01:15 Today we're on lesson for education as we're going through 01:19 our Sabbath school quarterly. 01:21 We want to remind everybody that if you do not have your Sabbath 01:24 school lesson, you can go to amazingfacts.org or you can also 01:27 go to granitebaysda.org and you can download the lesson for free 01:31 so that you can join us when--during this lesson. 01:35 And so before we start, we want to have a word of prayer. 01:39 Heavenly Father, we thank You for this opportunity. 01:42 We thank You for the blessing and for the guidance and for 01:45 Your love and Your patience, and we thank You, 01:46 Father, for this opportunity also where we can come together 01:48 on Your holy day to celebrate and commemorate that You are our 01:52 God and study Your Word together. 01:55 So thank You, Father, for this opportunity. 01:57 I ask a special blessing for Pastor Doug, 01:58 and may Your Spirit speak in him and through him so that we can 02:03 have a good, joyful study of Your Word. 02:06 Thank You, Father, for this opportunity, 02:08 and we ask and beg these things in Jesus's name. 02:10 Amen. 02:13 Pastor Doug Batchelor: And good morning, friends. 02:15 I want to welcome those who are watching 02:16 on television right now. 02:18 You might be watching on Amazing Facts TV or you're watching on 02:22 Facebook or YouTube or one of our outlets. 02:25 This is sort of our inaugural class of Sabbath school here 02:30 in the sanctuary. 02:31 And, you know, because of the shutdowns in California--varying 02:35 degrees around the country, but at least here in California, 02:38 we just have a handful of people here because we're having 02:40 a baptism today. 02:42 But the majority of our folks are worshipping from home. 02:45 We want to send you greetings to all of our members online. 02:48 We're continuing with our study on the subject of education, 02:53 and today we're in lesson number 11 and the title is 02:57 "The Christian and Work." 03:00 And, you know, sometimes when--in the context of 03:03 Christianity when you talk about work, 03:06 people talk to you as though you are legalistic, 03:09 but work is a good thing for a Christian. 03:13 And to be a Christian with good works is actually a blessing, 03:18 as long as it's done from the right motive. 03:19 We have a memory verse, and the memory verse comes to us from 03:23 1 Corinthians 15, verse 58. 03:25 This is in the New King James Version. 03:29 "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, 03:32 immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, 03:37 knowing that your labor is not in vain." 03:40 Talking about the work of the Lord, 03:42 knowing that our labor is not in vain. 03:44 Well, we have a lot of information to cover on this 03:48 subject, and I'm hoping that I'm able to teach the lesson 03:56 objectively because I'll tell you I do have a bias here. 04:01 I think sometimes that there's such an emphasis on grace and 04:07 Christianity that work almost becomes a dirty word. 04:10 And so I could--I'm at risk of leaning or letting the pendulum 04:15 swing too far to the other side because I think work is such 04:18 a blessing and some people view it as a curse. 04:22 But first, it might be a good idea to start with a definition. 04:25 Work: the expenditure of effort to accomplish a task, 04:31 to perform or fulfill duties regularly for wages or salary, 04:34 to perform or carry through a task requiring sustained effort 04:40 or continuous repeated operations; 04:42 to exert oneself physically or mentally, 04:46 especially in a sustained effort for a purpose 04:48 or under compulsion or necessity. 04:51 So some of the definitions of what is work. 04:55 Now, you know, I found it interesting as I looked up 04:57 the definition of work. 04:59 They've got a definition of work in botany. 05:02 There's a definition of work in physics. 05:05 I mean--so work is talking about activity with hundreds 05:10 of different definitions. 05:11 You know, I was interested; the wisest man who ever lived, 05:15 Solomon, he says this in Ecclesiastes chapter 1, verse 5. 05:20 Basically, the whole universe is full of work. 05:22 Says, "The sun also rises and the sun goes down, 05:25 and it hastens to the place where it rose. 05:28 The wind goes towards the south, and it returns 05:31 towards the north. 05:32 The wind whirls about continually and comes again 05:34 on its circuit. 05:36 All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full. 05:39 To the place from which the rivers come, 05:41 there they return again." 05:43 Goes through evaporation. 05:44 "All things are full of labor. 05:47 Man cannot express it. 05:50 The eye is not satisfied with seeing, 05:52 nor is the ear filled with hearing." 05:55 In the world around us, everything from the neutrons and 05:59 electrons that are always spinning to the atomic level; 06:04 everything is constantly in motion. 06:06 And unless you get out in space and you can find a place where 06:11 you realize what they call absolute zero, 06:13 whenever there is heat, there's movement and there's life and 06:17 there's activity all through God's cosmos. 06:20 The planets are moving. 06:22 Everything is moving. 06:24 So under the first section in your lesson dealing with the 06:27 Christian work, it talks about the many sides of work. 06:31 Work was part of God's original plan for creation. 06:35 You have to admit that if God first made man and put him in 06:38 a paradise and the idea was he was to string a hammock between 06:41 two good trees and just swing back and forth in those trees, 06:46 life would get pretty boring pretty quick. 06:49 God is a creator. 06:52 God is a worker, and He made us in His image; 06:54 and we are designed to work, be productive, 06:57 and to create. 06:59 It says in Genesis 2, verse 15, "Then the Lord God took the man 07:04 and put him in the Garden of Eden to tend and to keep it." 07:08 God gave man work. 07:10 Now, the work in the Garden of Eden before sin and even before 07:12 the flood was probably very different from 07:14 what we think of now. 07:16 I heard a--I heard about up a prison warden. 07:21 I think it was San Quentin. 07:23 And he was asked, you know, "What kinds of different people 07:26 have you had in your prison?" 07:28 He said, "You know, I can tell you that we've had every kind 07:31 of occupation in our prison." 07:33 Said, "We've had doctors and dentists and lawyers and common 07:37 laborers and," he said, "businesspeople 07:38 and accountants." 07:40 And he said, "We've had just about everything." 07:42 He said, "I was struck one day that I can't remember us 07:44 ever having a horticulturist." 07:47 And it's interesting that God made man originally to be 07:50 a gardener. 07:52 And the leader of the San Quentin prison said, 07:54 "I don't think we've ever had a gardener in our prison." 07:57 So God gave man an original job to dress and to keep the garden. 08:03 And it says here He put them in there to tend it. 08:06 I think he was training vines. 08:08 Maybe he was creating hybrids from the different plants 08:10 and flowers. 08:12 And, you know, he must have had an infinite number of 08:14 opportunities of things to do. 08:17 A young person asked me a question during our 08:21 "Revelation Now" program. 08:22 "Were there bananas in the Garden of Eden?" 08:26 And I said, "Technically no." 08:28 Because the banana is a hybrid of two Asian fruits that by 08:32 themselves are not very tasty, but somehow when you cross them 08:36 and you create the banana. 08:38 You ever try and plant a banana seed? 08:40 Bananas have no seeds, and the way they plant them 08:45 is they take shoots. 08:47 But those two Asian fruits by themselves are not very good, 08:50 but together they created the superfood. 08:52 I also understand pineapples are a hybrid that is very unique. 08:58 And I think that God maybe wanted Adam to do some creating 09:01 through the horticulture and training the vines and making 09:07 houses out of living things. 09:10 It's just hard for us to comprehend what his work was, 09:12 but work was a delight. 09:14 Now, I don't know about you, but sometimes I get involved in 09:17 a project and I am so excited about it. 09:18 I like making and working and fixing and building. 09:20 And a little while ago, you can ask Karen, 09:23 I just--I replaced a shower door that was in our house. 09:26 It came with the house and it was not in very good shape, 09:29 and I got so excited and involved. 09:31 I actually woke up excited to work on it, 09:33 and I think at the Garden of Eden man was excited about his 09:36 work that he was to do. 09:39 Ecclesiastes 3, verse 12 and 13: "I know that nothing is better 09:45 for them than to rejoice and to do good in their lives, 09:49 and that also every man should eat and drink and enjoy the 09:51 good of all of his labor." 09:53 God designed us to enjoy the good of our labor. 09:57 This is what Solomon said: "All the days of their life." 10:02 But after sin, was work still part of God's plan? 10:08 Yes. 10:09 I'm asking our local handful here. 10:10 It was, but it did change. 10:14 Look in Genesis 3, verse 17. 10:17 "Cursed is the ground for your sake. 10:20 In toil of it, you shall eat all the days of your life. 10:24 Both thorns and thistles it will bring forth to you, 10:27 and you will eat the herb of the field. 10:30 In the sweat of your face, you shall eat bread till you return 10:34 to the ground." 10:36 Now, it is true that the earth was cursed because of sin and 10:39 work became more difficult. 10:42 But was work a curse or was work designed to still be a blessing? 10:46 The ideal of work was actually be a blessing to man and 10:50 keep him out of trouble. 10:53 You ever heard the expression "idleness is 10:56 the devil's workshop?" 10:58 Anyone know what verse that's in? 11:02 It's not in the Bible. 11:04 It's probably had been Benjamin Franklin, 11:05 but the principle is in the Bible. 11:08 It talks about the sin of Sodom. 11:10 Everyone thinks about the sins of the flesh when they think of 11:13 Sodom, but in Ezekiel, I think it's chapter 16, 11:15 it says, "This was the sin of your sister Sodom. 11:18 Idleness and fullness of bread." 11:22 Things were so abundant there in the Vale of Sodom before it was 11:24 cursed with fire and brimstone that they scarcely had to work. 11:29 It was back like the Garden of Eden, 11:31 the Bible says. 11:32 And because they had all that leisure and they had sinful 11:34 natures, they got into a lot of trouble. 11:36 But so many people would be saved from trouble, 11:40 especially the young people, if they were given tasks 11:43 and kept busy. 11:45 Work is a good thing in that respect. 11:48 And you look in John 17, ultimately a Christian is made 11:52 in the image of God. 11:53 Is God a worker? 11:55 What does Jesus say? 11:57 John 5, verse 17: "But Jesus answered them, 12:00 'My Father has been working until now, 12:03 and I have been working.'" 12:04 And then you look in Ecclesiastes 7, 12:07 verse 13, Solomon says, "Consider the work of God." 12:11 There's a lot of verses we could point to that make it pretty 12:14 clear God's a worker; and He is constantly involved in not only 12:20 supplying, but creating and sustaining the things 12:25 that He makes. 12:27 God is very busy. 12:29 Heaven is a busy place. 12:31 Let me give you a quote from the book "Maranatha" page 350. 12:34 A matter of fact, I've a few quotes from the same page. 12:37 "Maranatha" page 350 says, "God is a constant worker. 12:41 The angels are workers. 12:43 They are ministers to God for the children of men. 12:46 Those who look forward to heaven in inactivity will be 12:50 disappointed, for the economy of heaven provides no place for 12:53 the gratification of indolence. 12:56 But to the weary and heavy-laden, 12:58 rest is promised. 13:00 It is the faithful servant who is welcome from his labors to 13:04 the joy of the Lord." 13:05 God does not say, "Well done, good and lazy servant. 13:08 Enter into the joy of the Lord." 13:10 It's the diligent servant that will enjoy the rest, 13:15 but it's not constant rest. 13:17 You know, some of the ideas people have of heaven is that, 13:19 you know, folks are going to be floating on clouds with their 13:22 hands behind their head and just, 13:24 you know, enjoying eternal nothingness. 13:27 But no, heaven is going to be a busy place. 13:30 What does it say we're doing in heaven? 13:32 God makes a mansion for us, but you know that other verse. 13:36 I think it's in Isaiah 11. 13:38 They will build houses and inhabit them. 13:41 They will plant vineyards and eat the fruit of them. 13:44 My elect will long enjoy the works of their hands, 13:49 the labor of their hands. 13:50 So even in heaven--God created us to be busy. 13:52 So it's certainly part of his plan here. 13:55 Now, you know, like anyone else, I enjoy the times of rest, 13:58 but God wants us to be productive. 14:01 I told my kids when they were growing up, 14:03 and I suppose my father hammered this in me, 14:07 there's two kinds of people in life. 14:11 You've got producers and consumers. 14:15 Now, everybody consumes. 14:18 We can't live without consumption, 14:21 whether it's for food or energy or clothing or whatever. 14:24 We are always consuming the results of somebody's labor. 14:28 But the question is, at the end of your life, 14:31 have you done more consuming or have you produced 14:34 more than you consumed? 14:35 I believe one of the keys is you want to leave the world a better 14:38 place than you found it and be putting more in 14:41 than you're taking out. 14:43 And so I think God wants us to be producers. 14:45 And so I always told my kids, you know, 14:48 it's okay to enjoy a gift and enjoy the fruits of someone 14:51 else's labor, but make sure that you are producing in life, 14:55 that you are contributing to life. 14:57 And whatever your gifts are--everyone's got different 15:00 gifts and the way they--you know, 15:02 their occupations and their callings, 15:04 how they use those gifts in the work of God. 15:06 So God wants us to be producers. 15:09 All right, let's talk a little bit about work and nurture. 15:15 Now, one of the things I think is interesting is when we talk 15:21 about the Sabbath commandment, what does the Sabbath 15:23 commandment say? 15:25 Says rest. 15:27 Is that all it says? 15:29 What's the first part of that? 15:32 Six days you shall-- 15:34 Do you notice that there is a command to labor as well 15:36 as a command to rest? 15:38 And how many of the 7 days are we to rest? 15:40 How many of the seven do we rest? 15:45 One. 15:46 How many of the seven do we work? 15:48 Six. 15:50 But the emphasis on the fourth commandment is always 15:53 on the one to rest. 15:54 That's because most people, you know, 15:56 probably have a struggle resting in the Lord the way we're 15:59 commanded, but really it's a command that also involves, 16:02 "I created you to be productive. 16:05 Six days you shall labor." 16:07 It doesn't say if you're in the mood. 16:09 God says six days you should labor. 16:12 Depends on what your work is. 16:13 You know, Jesus was a carpenter, and some people are shepherds 16:16 and fishermen and there's all different kinds of work. 16:18 And God gives people their respective gifts, 16:21 but God wants to be--us to be productive and He wants us 16:24 to be busy six days. 16:27 Deuteronomy 16:15: "Seven days you shall keep a sacred feast to 16:31 the Lord Your God in the place which the Lord chooses because 16:35 the Lord Your God will bless you in all your produce and in all 16:39 the work of your hands so that you shall surely rejoice." 16:44 Few weeks ago, Karen and I took a trip up into the hills and 16:48 this was, you know, following the fires, 16:50 and we had a long day and a lot to accomplish 16:56 in very little time. 16:58 You ever had a situation like that? 17:00 We had to travel a long way. 17:02 We had some tasks. 17:04 Going up to the ranch, we needed to set down this horse trough 17:09 and plumb some water to it to provide for the 17:12 animals up there. 17:13 And it was, you know, 4-hour drive from Sacramento to 17:17 get up there. 17:18 And a tree was in the road and we had to walk 4 miles to get 17:21 a chainsaw and walk 4 miles back to cut the tree out of there. 17:25 I think we rode back on our quad to cut the tree out of the road. 17:29 That's right. 17:30 But I kept thinking, "Oh, dear--" 17:33 I said, "This is what I'd like to see get accomplished today, 17:35 but it's going to really take the blessing of God 17:37 to get this all done." 17:38 The fires--trees were falling after the fire because the roots 17:42 were burnt out, and we had to cut a number of trees out 17:45 of the way. 17:47 And I said, "Lord--" We prayed. 17:49 We said, "Lord, we need You to bless our work today. 17:52 Because unless You bless, this whole trip's going to be a waste 17:55 and it won't get done." 17:57 And, you know, we had a few roadblocks, 17:59 but God blessed, and we were able to get everything done. 18:03 At the end of the day we're driving around saying, 18:04 "Well, praise the Lord. 18:05 We got our tasks done today. 18:07 God blessed our work." 18:08 You ever have a day like that? 18:10 You just say, "Wow, everything really went well today." 18:12 Now, how many of you had the other days also, 18:15 where you said, "I may as well go back to bed because nothing 18:19 is working out today." 18:22 So it's nice when we pray. 18:24 God says here, "And the Lord Your God will bless you and all 18:29 your produce and the work of your hands so that you will 18:32 surely rejoice." 18:34 There's a verse you want to underline and claim that 18:36 promise, say, "Lord, please bless my work today, 18:39 that I can be productive for Your honor and glory." 18:42 But yeah, we all know what it's like when our work is cursed. 18:45 We want our work to be blessed, and I guess one of the keys is 18:47 make sure you're doing His work and He'll bless it. 18:50 You know, I always enjoy reminding our evangelists in the 18:56 Amazing Facts team that we are doing what God told us to do 19:00 so we can count on His blessing. 19:02 You know, Jesus said, "Go into all the world 19:04 and preach the gospel." 19:05 And that's what we do as a pastor in evangelism. 19:08 And if you're doing what God commands you to do, 19:10 is He going to help you do it? 19:13 I say that again. 19:14 It's a simple truth, but I think profound. 19:15 If you're attempting to do what God has commanded you to do and 19:19 you ask for His help, why would He not help you do what 19:23 He's commanded you to do? 19:25 So one of the big challenges in life is make sure you're doing 19:28 what God called you to do. 19:31 Proverbs 21:25: "The desire of the lazy man kills him, 19:37 for his hand refuses to labor." 19:39 You know, it's actually downright convicting if you 19:43 go through Proverbs and read everything He says 19:45 about the lazy. 19:46 I'm not going to read them all, but He talks about the lazy 19:49 man who turns in his bed. 19:52 He says, "I can't work. 19:53 There's a lion in the street." 19:55 And he's got 100 reasons not to do anything. 19:57 But says those who are doing God's work, 20:00 He will bless them. 20:03 Ecclesiastes 5:12: "The sleep of the laboring man is sweet." 20:09 God said to Adam, you know, "You're going to work, 20:12 and you're going to work in the sweat of your brow. 20:15 And it might be uncomfortable, but there are rewards to that." 20:19 For one thing, you will really enjoy your breaks and your food 20:23 and you will really enjoy your sleep. 20:27 All right. 20:28 In Jeremiah 1:16 it says, "I'll utter My judgments against them 20:32 concerning all of their wickedness because 20:34 they've forsaken me. 20:36 They've burned incense to other gods and worshiped the works 20:38 of their own hands." 20:40 Now, we're to--whatever we do, whether we eat or drink or work, 20:45 we're to work for God's glory, but I think we all know 20:47 some people work for their own glory. 20:49 So that kind of work, God says He can't bless. 20:54 And some people worship the works of their hands. 20:57 They make an idol and they pray to it. 20:59 They're really worshiping the works of their hands. 21:01 What was the problem with Babel when they were building 21:04 the Tower of Babel? 21:06 Is God against building buildings? 21:09 No. 21:11 He--God told them to build the ark. 21:13 He told them to build the temple. 21:14 I mean, God's not against building. 21:16 They were building something to make a name for themselves. 21:20 They said, "Let us build a tower, 21:22 that we might make a name for ourselves." 21:24 They weren't interested in the glory of God, 21:25 they were interested in worshipping their own works; 21:27 and I think that's probably still true today, 21:30 that there are places in the world where men are building 21:33 massive monuments to themselves for their own glory. 21:36 God says He can't bless that. 21:39 They're worshiping the works of their own hands. 21:41 John 9:4. 21:44 Do you know we are saved by a work? 21:46 People think, "Pastor Doug, you just spoke heresy." 21:50 We are saved by work, a work. 21:55 You know what the work is? 21:56 Jesus tells us. 21:57 John 9:4: "I must work the works of Him who sent me 22:01 while it is day. 22:03 The night is coming when no man can work." 22:05 And then Christ says, "This is the work, 22:08 that you believe on the one whom the Father is sent." 22:11 So there's a work for us all to do in believing. 22:14 Amen? 22:16 Work and excellence. 22:18 Let's talk about this a little bit. 22:20 In Ecclesiastes 9:10, "Whatever your hand finds to do, 22:24 do it with your might for there is no work or device or 22:29 knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you're going." 22:33 Now, this is an extreme example, but in the Marines during basic 22:36 training, you'll hear the drill instructor shout out, 22:39 "Work now. 22:41 You'll get plenty of time to sleep when you're dead." 22:44 That's what they tell you in the Marines. 22:46 I know. 22:47 That's not good theology for us because you don't want 22:51 to work yourself to death. 22:52 There's a good place for rest. 22:54 But, you know, Solomon said, "Whatever your hand finds to do, 22:58 do it with your might for there's no knowledge or wisdom 23:00 or activity in the grave where you're going." 23:03 And it's a good practice in life that whatever you do, 23:08 do it as well as you can. 23:10 How many of you had fathers or mothers that said if you're 23:13 going to do a job, do it right? 23:15 You heard that before? 23:17 If you're going to do it, do it right. 23:20 And I remember some old timers I greatly respected. 23:22 One of them named Bill Rome, and he talked to me 23:27 about wood cutting. 23:28 He said, "If you're in the wood business, 23:30 you need to make every lick count." 23:32 What he meant by that is sharpen your axe, 23:35 sharpen your saw. 23:37 You don't want to keep swinging and swinging and swinging with 23:39 a dull axe or saw because you're wearing yourself down, 23:42 you're using your energy up. 23:44 He said, "Make every lick count. 23:46 Whatever you do, do it with all of your might," and I've always 23:50 tried to remember that. 23:52 If you read also in Colossians 3, 23:55 verse 23 and 24, we're talking about working with excellence. 23:58 "And whatever you do, do it heartily, 24:02 as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord 24:06 you'll receive the reward of inheritance; 24:09 for you serve the Lord Jesus Christ." 24:12 I had a friend. 24:14 I don't know how we ended up being friends. 24:15 I think I met him hitchhiking. 24:17 I can tell you his name because it was a nickname. 24:19 His name was Red Band John because he always wore a red 24:22 bandana, but he was one of the laziest people I ever knew. 24:28 And he was young and healthy. 24:31 Like me he was in his 20s, but he would go down and he'd 24:33 complain to the post office if his welfare check wasn't there 24:35 on time. 24:37 He just figured the world owed him everything. 24:39 And one day he was all out of welfare money, 24:41 and I'd found a job and they needed two people. 24:43 I said, "John, why don't you come with me?" 24:45 And we were working for the pastor's wife who is in her 80s 24:51 at this time, and she wanted us to shovel some gravel. 24:55 It was something real basic. 24:56 Cut some boards and shovel some gravel, 24:57 working on a garden fence. 24:59 And I was out there working best as I knew how. 25:05 John was eating a donut with one hand and sawing with the other 25:10 with a handsaw. 25:13 And she sat--Mrs. Phillips, she stood there in amazement. 25:18 She watched John for a little while, 25:21 and she put her hands on her hips. 25:23 She said, "I've never seen anybody so lazy 25:26 in my whole life." 25:29 She said, "I--when I was your age, 25:32 I could work five times as fast as you." 25:36 Now, that's not a reputation anybody wants. 25:38 What does that do for a Christian if that's the kind 25:41 of worker you are? 25:42 Is that a very good witness? 25:45 No. 25:47 You know what? 25:49 Jesus said if someone asks you to carry their armor a mile, 25:53 what do you do as a Christian? 25:55 Take it the second mile. 25:58 So what is the reputation of a Christian? 26:00 Do it with excellence. 26:03 If you're going to paint something--you know what? 26:06 Michelangelo was painting the Sistine Chapel. 26:08 He was way up on the scaffold. 26:10 And he was up there with a very fine brush and someone from down 26:14 below said, "What are you doing?" 26:16 He said, "I'm painting the little pollen dots 26:18 on the flower." 26:21 And he said, "You realize from down here nobody 26:22 will ever see that." 26:25 He said, "God sees it." 26:27 And so whatever you do--Christians, 26:31 we're not sweeping this under the--don't look both ways and 26:33 sweep it under the rug thinking, "Well, 26:35 no one will ever know, or at least not while I'm alive." 26:38 You always want to be doing it because angels are watching, 26:42 God is watching, right? 26:43 Whatever you do it, do it with all of your might. 26:46 Do it as unto the Lord. 26:49 So if you knew that you were doing a project for God, 26:51 how hard or how well will you want to do it? 26:54 Exodus 25, verse 40. 26:56 Now, it's talking here in this passage about 26:58 building the temple. 27:00 And, you know, I just want to remind our friends that are 27:03 watching, normally what we're going to be doing when we move 27:06 into the sanctuary when the pandemic is over; 27:09 we want our Sabbath School class to be a little more interactive, 27:12 but today it's a little more like preaching 27:14 because of circumstances. 27:17 So I just feel like I'm just kind of going through the lesson 27:19 and preaching, but I hope you're being edified. 27:21 In Exodus 25, He's talking about building the sanctuary. 27:25 At first, He gives them a design. 27:28 He says in verse 40, "And see that you make them according to 27:31 the pattern which was shown you on the mountain." 27:35 So one of the things you'll learn about a Christian is, 27:38 work with a plan and stick to the plan. 27:42 I know that--I've got a friend, and whenever he's putting 27:47 something together--you know, sometimes they'll 27:48 provide instructions. 27:49 It's like you get a swing set for your kids and they've got 27:52 these instructions. 27:54 And he says, "Whenever I get done, 27:56 there's all these spare parts." 27:58 I said, "Joe, those weren't spare parts. 28:01 Those are parts you just left out because you didn't look 28:03 at the plan." 28:04 He always--he hated instructions. 28:07 He called them destructions. 28:09 He says, "I don't want to look at the destructions." 28:11 He says, "Yeah, I always end up with some spare parts. 28:13 I wonder what they're for." 28:15 [laughing] 28:16 Well, when you're building for God, 28:18 you want to follow the plan. 28:20 Did God give a plan to Noah? 28:22 God gave a plan to Moses for the sanctuary. 28:25 God gave a plan to David for the temple, 28:28 and that he passed on then to Solomon. 28:31 And when--and then God empowers with wisdom. 28:35 Notice, reading here from Exodus 31, 28:37 verse 2 through 6: "See, I have called my name Bezalel the son 28:43 of Uri, and I filled him with the Spirit of God, 28:47 in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, 28:49 and all manner of workmanship, to design artistic works, 28:54 to work in gold, in silver, in bronze, 28:58 in cutting of jewels for setting, 29:01 in carving for wood, and to work in all manner of workmanship." 29:05 And jumping down verse 6, it says, 29:08 "And indeed I have also appointed with him Aholiab of 29:11 the tribe of Dan, and I put in him wisdom in the hearts of all 29:15 the gifted artisans, that they may make all that 29:19 I have commanded you." 29:20 God gifts different people differently 29:24 and gives them abilities. 29:26 Now here's a question. 29:27 Does God sometimes give people gifts for work and then they use 29:32 that gift selfishly? 29:35 Can God give a person a gift of music? 29:37 They can sing for the Lord. 29:39 They can sing for money and Hollywood or 29:43 the record industry, right? 29:45 God can give a person building skill and they can build things 29:48 for the glory of men. 29:50 They can build a casino. 29:51 They can build a church. 29:52 And so God gives the--different people different gifts. 29:55 The question is, are you using your gifts to the glory of God 29:58 in the best way you can? 30:00 So He gifted these people and He gave them the different gifts, 30:05 and they were following the plan. 30:09 All right. 30:11 And, you know, there was something I was going to read 30:12 here, yeah, about work being a blessing. 30:15 Let me read this to you. 30:17 "To the dwellers in Eden--" 30:18 This is from the book "Patriarchs and Prophets" 30:20 page 50. 30:21 Work is meant to be a blessing. 30:23 "To the dwellers in Eden was committed the care of 30:25 the garden, to dress it and to keep it. 30:28 Their occupation was not wearisome, 30:30 but pleasant and invigorating. 30:33 God appointed labor as blessing to man; 30:35 to occupy his mind and strengthen his body, 30:38 to develop his faculties. 30:39 In mental and physical activity, Adam found one of his highest 30:43 pleasures of his holy existence. 30:46 And when, as a result of disobedience, 30:49 he was driven from his beautiful home and forced to struggle with 30:52 the stubborn soil to gain its daily bread, 30:55 that very labor, although widely different from its pleasant 30:58 occupation in the garden, was a safeguard against temptation and 31:02 a source of happiness. 31:05 Those who view work as a curse, attend it though it be with 31:09 weariness and pain, are cherishing an error. 31:12 The true joy of life is found only by working men and women. 31:16 The angels are diligent workers. 31:19 They are ministers of God to the children of men. 31:21 The creator has prepared no place for the stagnant practice 31:25 of indolence." 31:27 So good reminder that work is to be a blessing. 31:31 And then John talking again about excellence, 31:34 John 20, verse 6 and 8. 31:37 This is at the Resurrection. 31:39 I always thought this was amazing. 31:41 So, you know, Mary comes to the tomb, 31:42 and then she goes tells Peter and John the tomb is empty, 31:45 and she saw an angel there. 31:47 Then John and Peter run to the tomb. 31:49 "Simon Peter came following him and went into the tomb and saw 31:52 the linen cloths lying there, and the handkerchief that had 31:57 been around his head not lying with the linen cloths, 32:01 but folded together in a place by itself. 32:04 Then the other disciple, who came from the tomb first, 32:08 went in also and he saw and believed." 32:11 Now, what was it that he saw that made him believe that 32:15 Jesus's body wasn't stolen, but that he actually 32:18 rose from the dead? 32:20 A folded handkerchief. 32:22 If someone is stealing the body and they unwrap it, 32:26 are they going to take the time to fold the handkerchief? 32:30 But they knew Jesus; and they knew that Jesus, 32:35 that was his temperament. 32:37 And so Karen and I get up--depends on who's 32:41 the last to leave the bed. 32:43 We always make the bed. 32:44 Sometimes we make it together. 32:45 Depends on timing. 32:47 But if you go to our household, we make the bed. 32:48 I learned this in military school. 32:50 I'm sure Karen learned it growing up. 32:52 And my grandmother used to always say, 32:55 "You make your bed, you sleep in it." 32:56 You ever heard that one before? 32:57 Anybody ever heard that one before? 33:00 Okay, good. 33:01 I wanted to make sure my grandmother wasn't that 33:03 different from yours. 33:05 And so Jesus, he taught faithfulness and order in 33:08 even simple things like that, and that always struck me 33:12 as amazing. 33:14 He folded the handkerchief. 33:17 All right. Work and spirituality. 33:21 I'm going to begin with a verse in Matthew 5:16. 33:23 "Let your light so shine before men, 33:26 that they may see your good works and glorify your 33:30 Father in heaven." 33:31 Now, when we talk about good works as a Christian, 33:33 what comes to your mind? 33:35 You know, so often we're thinking about, 33:36 you know, doing Christian things. 33:39 You know, feeding the poor, visiting the sick, 33:40 going to the prisons, doing Christian works. 33:44 But I think that when it says when they see your good works, 33:47 I think that it means also that when a person looks at 33:51 the Christian--if you are an employee and you're a Christian 33:55 and your non-Christian boss is going to look at you and say, 33:58 "They do good work." 34:02 And by that you are glorifying your Father in heaven. 34:05 And the Bible says even to the slaves. 34:10 In Bible times Paul said, "Do whatever you do heartily 34:13 as to the Lord." 34:15 And you would think, "Well, man, you know, 34:17 if--why would I want to make things easier 34:19 for my slave master?" 34:21 You've read the story of Joseph. 34:24 Joseph was a slave. 34:25 He decided, "Look, I've been sold by my brothers. 34:28 If I'm going to be a slave, I'm going to make it as difficult 34:30 for whoever buys me as possible." 34:33 Is that what he did? 34:35 Joseph said, "Lord, if I'm going to be a slave, 34:37 I'm going to be a faithful slave." 34:39 And he worked hard. 34:41 And what did Potiphar do? 34:43 "Boy, the Lord is blessing everything this guy does." 34:45 And he exalted him. 34:47 He promoted him, and God blessed him. 34:49 Even in prison, Joseph said, 34:51 "Well, I'll do the menial duties in prison faithfully." 34:55 And the leader of the prison said, 34:57 "This guy's faithful. 34:58 He's a good worker." 35:00 His light was shining even in the prison. 35:01 He said, "I'm going to promote him." 35:03 Until pretty soon he was in charge of everything 35:04 in the prison. 35:05 So whatever Joseph did, because he was faithful in doing 35:09 the little things well with excellence, 35:11 he kept moving up. 35:14 Until what happened in the end of the story? 35:16 Joseph is the ruler. 35:18 He's the prime minister of Egypt. 35:20 You know, it started with faithfulness in little things. 35:23 What does Jesus say? 35:25 "He that is faithful in that which is least is 35:27 also faithful in much." 35:29 So whatever you do, do it as unto the Lord. 35:32 Not only Joseph. 35:33 You know, I think about the servant of Namaan's wife. 35:39 We don't know her name. 35:41 Certain maid. 35:42 Kidnapped out of the land of Israel, 35:45 forced to serve in the house of Namaan. 35:47 She said, "Well, if I'm going to be a servant, 35:49 I will be a good servant." 35:50 And she was interested in the welfare of her master. 35:52 Because of her faithfulness, Namaan gets the word. 35:55 He ends up getting healed, and hopefully she got 35:57 a raise or set free. 35:58 I don't know. 36:00 Trusting her life was better after that because she decided 36:01 not to be hateful and drag her feet and kick around and pout 36:04 and say, you know, "You stole me from the land. 36:08 I'm going to be--make your life difficult." 36:12 I heard once about a farmer that was--oh, wait. 36:15 Let me read this to you first. 36:17 Acts 20, verse 33 to 35. 36:19 Paul says, "I have coveted no one's silver or gold or apparel. 36:24 Yes, you yourselves know that these hands have provided for 36:28 my necessities and for those who are with me. 36:30 I have shown you in every way by laboring like this that you 36:35 must support the weak. 36:36 And remember the words of Jesus. 36:38 He said, 'It is more blessed to give than receive.'" 36:41 Paul was not a prosperity preacher. 36:45 You know what I mean by that? 36:48 Paul did not say, "Send money to my ministry 36:51 as I fly my Learjet." 36:53 Paul went out and he worked with his own hands. 36:56 He underworked. 36:58 He underpaid or supported his own ministry. 37:02 You know, when I first got involved in ministry, 37:06 I was self-supporting. 37:08 I was doing not only firewood, doing carpentry and auto 37:11 mechanics, and that was really good experience, 37:13 and I was paying to do evangelism. 37:16 When I later found out that there was a conference that 37:19 was going to pay me to do mission work, 37:22 I said, "You're going to pay me to do what I'm doing for free?" 37:25 I said, "Thank you very much." 37:28 But, you know, I think really every believer should be 37:30 something of a self-supporting missionary, right? 37:34 If you love the Lord, whatever your work is, 37:35 it's to subsidize your mission work. 37:37 That ought to be the priority. 37:39 Can I get an amen out there? 37:41 Big old hollow building need some help. 37:43 Okay. 37:44 I was going to tell you a story about a farmer. 37:46 He was a little irritated. 37:47 He had an apple orchard, and there was a carload of teenagers 37:51 every day that would stop and they'd hop over the fence and 37:54 they'd eat his apples on the way home. 37:57 And he walked up to the fence as they were there one day 37:59 all picking through the trees, and he looked at them and one 38:03 looked back sheepishly and said, "Oh sorry, sir. 38:06 We hope you don't mind that we took a few of your apples." 38:08 He said, "Not at all." 38:09 He said, "I hope you don't mind. 38:11 I let some air out of your tires." 38:14 Some people are willing to just take, 38:16 but they don't give. 38:18 Galatians 5:22. 38:20 Now God gives everybody different gifts. 38:23 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, 38:26 joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, 38:30 goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, 38:32 self-control. 38:34 Against such there is no law. 38:35 And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with 38:38 its passions and desires. 38:39 If we live in the Spirit, let us walk in the Spirit." 38:43 So we should be using our different spiritual gifts, 38:46 showing the fruits of the Spirit in whatever our work 38:49 happens to be. 38:51 There is a great quote in the book "Our High Calling" 38:55 page 222. 38:56 This is not in your lesson, just one of my own study on this. 39:02 "However humble the occupation might be, 39:05 if only honorable, if the humble duties are done faithfully, 39:09 he will not lose his reward. 39:12 Industry is essential to health. 39:14 If habits of industry were encouraged, 39:16 a door would be closed against 1,000 temptations. 39:20 Those who lounge away their days, 39:23 having no aim or object in life, are troubled with dejection and 39:27 tempted to seek an amusement in forbidden indulgences, 39:30 which innervate the system and tax the physical powers 39:34 ten times more than the most taxing labor. 39:37 Indolence destroys more than hard labor. 39:40 Many die because they have not the ability or inclination 39:44 to set themselves to work." 39:46 [whistling] 39:47 You know, there's a whole generation now. 39:49 If this was true back then, what about today when most people now 39:53 because of industrial mechanized farming we have so much food, 39:55 not as many people need to work, and a lot of people sit at desks 40:00 or they fiddle around with their computers and their phones, 40:04 or they watch television and sometimes the only exercise 40:07 a person gets is the index finger on the remote control 40:11 or texting? 40:13 And a lot of people are depressed, 40:15 and I think a lot of depression--they say one of 40:18 the keys to depression is activity, exercise. 40:22 Have a purpose in life. 40:23 I couldn't believe it. 40:25 "Many die because they have not the ability or inclination 40:28 to set themselves to work." 40:31 You know, I've got a theory. 40:32 An old pastor told me this. 40:34 People have a tendency to live as long as they're needed. 40:39 I remember talking to a friend. 40:42 He was in his 80s. 40:44 I think his name was Stanley. 40:46 He worked for my dad in a hotel. 40:48 He was the custodian of the hotel. 40:49 And I asked him one day, I said, "You're plenty old enough 40:52 to retire, Stanley. 40:54 Why do you keep working?" 40:55 He said, "If I retire, I'll die." 40:58 That was the first time someone explained to me that people live 41:02 about as long as they feel like they got a purpose in life. 41:06 You want to stay busy and useful. 41:07 Amen? 41:09 Work and stewardship. 41:10 2 Thessalonians 3, verse 7 to 13. 41:14 "But they worked with labor and toil night and day, 41:17 that we might not be a burden." 41:19 Paul said we work so we would not be a burden to the church. 41:22 And Proverbs 31, verse 10 says, "Who can find a virtuous wife? 41:28 For her worth is far above rubies." 41:31 If you want to talk about is it okay for a woman to work, 41:34 how many of you have read Proverbs 31? 41:36 I'm not going to read the whole chapter to you. 41:39 Boy, I tell you that is superwoman. 41:41 It talks about her waking up early and going to the market 41:44 and buying and weaving and harvesting, 41:47 and she's just--this woman is just very busy. 41:51 I think she's sort of a--an allegory of the church. 41:56 And Karen, of course. 41:57 Yeah. 41:59 [laughing] 42:01 In 1 Corinthians 3, verse 9 to 13, 42:07 "For we are called God's fellow workers. 42:10 You are God's field. 42:11 You are God's building. 42:12 According to the grace of God which was given to me as a wise 42:15 master builder, I've laid the foundation and 42:18 another builds on it. 42:20 But let each one take heed how he builds on it. 42:23 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that 42:25 which is laid, which is Christ Jesus. 42:28 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, 42:31 silver, precious stones, wood, hay, 42:34 or straw, each one's work will become clear; 42:37 for the day will declare it, because it will be revealed by 42:41 fire and the fire will test everyone's work 42:44 of what sort it is." 42:46 Now, this is an important lesson right here; 42:48 is that everybody's building, whether you like it or not. 42:51 You're building a life, and your life is going to be measured. 42:56 At some point there'll be a judgement day. 42:57 What kind of building did you build with your life? 43:01 Were you using hay, stubble, straw? 43:04 You know, years ago when we built the first cabin up in 43:09 the mountains, and I was in my 20s, and--we needed 43:13 some foundation piers. 43:16 I went to the woods with my chainsaw and I cut some oak 43:18 because I knew that oak would last 15 years. 43:21 I said, "Jesus will come. 43:23 We don't need concrete." 43:26 And so I put these oak piers underneath the house. 43:29 And then after 10 or 15 years with the rain and everything, 43:32 didn't even treat them, they started to rot. 43:35 Well, the house had other problems, too. 43:37 It was built from kind of recycled materials and 43:39 an old bridge that fell down and parts here and there. 43:44 Well, at that point--we finally burnt that down. 43:48 We're paying taxes on it. 43:50 It just wasn't even worth it. 43:52 It was--it had kind of just started to fall in on itself 43:54 while I was working in another state. 43:57 Built the other house. 43:59 I said, "I'm not making that mistake again." 44:01 Now, Jesus may still come in ten years. 44:02 I didn't know, but I said, "When Jesus comes, 44:05 I want him to say, 'Doug, before I burn up your house, 44:07 it was a good job.'" 44:09 Right? 44:10 Here we just finished building this church. 44:13 People have said, "You build such a nice church. 44:15 Don't you think Jesus is coming?" 44:16 Yes, I want him to be impressed when he comes. 44:19 Actually, when Noah built the ark, 44:23 how good a job did he do? 44:26 How much life on earth was saved through Noah? 44:28 You can raise your hand. 44:30 You wouldn't be here if it wasn't for the job that Noah 44:32 did building the ark. 44:33 How long was the ark in operation? 44:36 About one year, right? 44:39 Yeah, it rained 40 days and 40 nights, 44:41 but it was floating for about 1 year. 44:43 But aren't you glad he did a good job building it? 44:46 So whatever you do, do it as unto the Lord, right? 44:49 Because every man's work is going to be tested. 44:51 I remember hearing a story about a carpenter. 44:54 He worked for years for this man that was very wealthy. 44:57 And he was a very skilled carpenter, 44:59 and he did good work. 45:01 And the millionaire, he paid him fairly, 45:05 but the carpenter began to bother him. 45:08 He said, you know, "This millionaire is always 45:10 building this and that. 45:11 He built guest cabins for his friends." 45:13 And he said, "He doesn't--you know, 45:15 he could have given me a Christmas bonus or something. 45:17 He's got so much money." 45:19 And he started resenting that he wasn't getting more. 45:22 And sure enough one day the millionaire said, 45:26 he said, you know, "Fred, I know you're going to be retiring." 45:29 He said, "I bought this piece of property. 45:30 There's one more building I want to build. 45:33 It's got a lake by it." 45:34 And he said, "I want to build this guest home." 45:36 And Fred, he said, "Okay, last house." 45:40 And so he started building. 45:42 Fred was the chief carpenter and contractor, 45:46 but he did something he had never done before. 45:47 He said, "You know, I've worked for him. 45:50 He's gotten richer and richer." 45:51 He says, "I don't have very much for retirement." 45:54 He said, "This time I'm going to save a little 45:57 of this for myself." 45:59 And he started skimming from the expenses for this house 46:02 he was building for himself. 46:04 When the order called for a certain quality of wood, 46:06 he bought cheap, twisted lumber. 46:09 And he put the money in his bank, 46:11 but he charged the millionaire for the expensive lumber. 46:13 When he had to buy rock for the fireplace, 46:16 he bought the cheapest brick and rock. 46:18 And just all of the work, the glass in the building--all the 46:21 work he said, "I'm not--I'm going to save this." 46:25 He put in the bill for the most expensive material, 46:27 but he bought the cheapest and he put it in his bank. 46:30 He was skimming. 46:32 He was embezzling. 46:33 Finally, he got done with the building, 46:35 and he walked up to the millionaire. 46:37 He said, "Okay, we're all done. 46:39 Your house is here." 46:40 He said, you know, "Here's your keys." 46:42 He said, "I want my check." 46:45 And the millionaire handed him a check and he said, 46:48 "And I'm giving you back the keys." 46:51 He says, "That house is for you." 46:55 He said, "I wanted to do this for you as a gift 46:58 before you retired." 47:00 And Fred thought, "Oh, I could have used the very best 47:05 materials and built the very best house, 47:08 but because I thought it was for someone else 47:11 and I wanted to keep it--" 47:12 He says, "Now I'm ending up having to live in and live 47:14 with my own extortion." 47:18 All of us are going to have to meet up with the materials 47:22 that we send on to heaven. 47:25 You heard about the butler. 47:30 He gets to heaven, and the angels bring him to his mansion. 47:34 And the wealthy Duchess the butler worked for, 47:38 she makes it to heaven. 47:39 She's a good woman, but she's got a very small hut. 47:42 And she says to her angel, "I don't understand. 47:44 How come Oscar my butler, he's got this mansion up 47:46 on the hill and I've got this hut?" 47:50 And the angel said, "Well, just a minute. 47:51 We'll check the records." 47:53 And he looked in the records, he says, 47:55 "Oh, evidently he sent a lot more materials 47:57 ahead than you did. 48:00 He was in church every week, and he was giving 50% of his income. 48:03 You were giving 1% of your income." 48:06 "But I gave more than him." 48:08 He said, "Well, you may have given more, 48:09 but you gave a smaller percentage." 48:11 Like that widow that gave her last two mites. 48:13 You know what I'm talking about? 48:15 So we'll be surprised how we're rewarded in the future based on 48:19 our faithfulness to do God's work in this life. 48:23 But we need to do it because we love the Lord, right? 48:25 We don't do it to be saved. 48:26 Well, thank you very much for studying with us today, friends. 48:29 And don't forget, we have a free offer. 48:31 I'm hoping in the studio they'll put that on the screen 48:33 'cause I forget what it is. 48:34 There it is. 48:36 It's the book called "The Ultimate Resource." 48:38 And if you want, ask for offer number 728. 48:41 When you call, call 866-788-3966. 48:45 You can type in 866-Study-More. 48:49 That's available in North America. 48:51 You can also get that book for free if you go to the 48:54 Amazing Facts website, and you can download 48:57 "The Ultimate Resource." 48:58 Tells you about just the importance of the Bible 49:01 and being acquainted, especially as we're going 49:03 into the new year. 49:04 We want to have good rooting in the Word of God. 49:07 Amen? 49:08 Well, God bless you, friends. 49:09 We're so thankful that you could join us today. 49:11 We look forward to getting together again next week 49:13 and studying the Word of God with you. 49:18 announcer: Don't forget to request today's life-changing 49:20 free resource. 49:22 Not only can you receive this free gift in the mail, 49:24 you can download a digital copy straight to your computer 49:26 or mobile device. 49:28 To get your digital copy of today's free gift, 49:30 simply text the keyword on your screen to 40544 or visit the web 49:35 address shown on your screen, and be sure to select a 49:39 digital download option on the request page. 49:41 It's now easier than ever for you to study God's Word with 49:44 Amazing Facts wherever and whenever you want and, 49:48 most important, to share it with others. 49:54 announcer: Amazing Facts-- changed lives. 49:57 ♪♪♪ 50:05 Justin: Growing up as a kid, my mother was on drugs 50:09 and alcohol. 50:11 Lots of fighting in the home. 50:13 My mom would be abused mentally, verbally, physically. 50:17 Went from California to Oregon. 50:21 Spent some time in Oregon and it was just the same cycle of 50:24 drugs, alcohol, violence. 50:27 My mom's boyfriend would go to jail at times. 50:30 She would wait until he would, you know, 50:33 get out of jail and it was back to square one. 50:36 The drugs and the alcohol escalated to a lot harder drugs: 50:40 crystal meth, cocaine, and lots and lots of alcohol. 50:46 So I started using the alcohol to--as a medication. 50:50 It was like to--the misery and the fear that I had, 50:54 I wanted to drown all that misery. 50:56 At times I would just grab, you know, 50:59 a bottle of beer and go out into the desert and just drink until 51:04 sometimes I just pass out in the desert somewhere and wake up 51:08 the next morning and, you know-- and I just couldn't find rest. 51:12 My stepdad had got me a motorcycle. 51:16 And so I started riding motorcycles. 51:18 I'd drink a lot of beer, get on the motorcycle, 51:21 ride into the desert. 51:23 Do donuts and just throughout--you know, 51:25 just ride on private property. 51:27 People would chase me off. 51:29 And I was just causing--stirring up dust and rocks and 51:33 just causing chaos. 51:35 And the adrenaline rush that I had was so exciting, 51:39 and the feeling of it was so intense that I loved it and 51:44 it--I forgot about all my problems, 51:46 you know, at the moment, and I thought that material things 51:50 would make me feel so good, you know. 51:54 And so I started working, started making money, 51:56 had a responsibility. 51:59 But as time went by, I had more money. 52:03 So I would, you know, use my money that I made to buy drugs 52:08 and alcohol. 52:10 Got pulled over drinking and driving, 52:12 ended up going to jail for a couple of days. 52:16 I lost my job because I missed work for a few days. 52:20 Lost my girlfriend, lost all the money that I had. 52:25 So once again I was empty. 52:28 No money, no drugs, no alcohol, and that was 52:31 a turning point in my life. 52:33 At this time I was living with my grandfather, 52:35 and as I was flipping through the channels on the satellite 52:40 system I found Amazing Facts. 52:43 Pastor Doug Batchelor was telling his--sharing his 52:46 testimony about how he was living in a cave, 52:50 and he was--he struggled the same struggles of 52:52 alcohol and drugs. 52:54 And I continued to read the book, 52:56 "The Richest Caveman," and it really impacted my life and 53:00 really related to the things he was struggling with and 53:04 all the events that took place in his life. 53:06 And when I started reading the Bible, 53:08 Philippians 4:13 says, "I can do all things through Christ 53:11 who strengthens me." 53:13 I recognized that I had no strength. 53:15 I was weak and I was wretched, and I needed help. 53:19 So I just asked the Lord. 53:21 I said, "Just help me, Lord." 53:23 And the Holy Spirit convicted me, 53:25 and I decided to be baptized and to give my life to Jesus Christ. 53:32 Few years after the Lord took the temptation of drinking and 53:36 doing drugs, He gave me a beautiful wife I met at church. 53:40 Now I have a beautiful baby boy, 2-year-old baby boy. 53:44 Just exciting to see, you know, what God is doing in my life 53:49 and in my family. 53:51 I met with some friends from my local church that I was 53:55 attending, and they had told me about Amazing Facts Center of 54:00 Evangelism training seminar. 54:02 The AFCOE to go program really inspired me and motivated me 54:07 to tell young people about, you know, 54:12 the same struggles that I was struggling with, 54:14 to help these kids give their life to Jesus Christ, 54:17 and there's nothing else that you could ask for. 54:20 I'm Justin, and God used you to change my life. 54:24 ♪♪♪ 54:34 ♪♪♪ 54:44 Doug: What can be more irresistible than a kitten? 54:47 These guys might look cute now, but some of their ancestors 54:50 have grown into man eaters. 54:52 [roaring] 54:56 We're here in a lion park in South Africa now where 54:58 we can view these creatures in relative safety, 55:01 but there's a reason they're known as the king of beasts. 55:04 So, what is it that people find 55:06 so enchanting and frightening about lions? 55:08 Is it their speed, their claws, their sharp teeth, 55:11 or all of the above? 55:13 Might also be some of the stories about man-eating lions. 55:16 Like in 1898, right here in Africa, 55:19 they were building a bridge over the Tsavo River in Kenya, 55:23 and two brother lions terrorized 55:25 the construction process, eating 135 workers. 55:30 Did you know lions are mentioned in the Bible over 100 times, 55:34 and you can find them all the way 55:36 from Genesis to Revelation? 55:38 It's usually in reference to their ferocity 55:40 and how dangerous they are. 55:41 Of course, Samson killed a lion with his bare hands. 55:44 David killed a lion. 55:46 There are man-eating lions in the Bible. 55:48 The way that they punished criminals was by throwing 55:50 them in the lions' den, and early Christians were even 55:53 fed to lions, but, amazingly, as the Bible mentions, 55:57 not all lions are to be feared. 55:59 There have been a few friendly lions in history. 56:02 For example, in the 1950s, a couple, 56:05 George and Margaret Westbeau, who lived up at a ranch near 56:09 Seattle, Washington, adopted an abandoned lion cub. 56:13 They named it Little Tyke because they felt sorry for it, 56:16 but they discovered as they tried to feed her 56:18 she refused to eat any meat at all. 56:22 They were concerned, thinking there was no hope 56:23 for this little lioness to survive, and everybody told them 56:26 the same, because we know in the wild lions survive 56:29 on almost an entirely meat diet. 56:32 Then someone showed the Westbeaus that verse 56:34 in the Bible that talks about in heaven the animals 56:37 are vegetarians, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. 56:42 That encouraged them, and so they began to feed 56:44 Little Tyke a purely vegetarian diet. 56:48 Not only did she survive, she thrived, 56:50 growing into a lion that was over 352 pounds 56:54 and over 10 feet long. 56:56 In fact, zoologists that examined Little Tyke when 56:59 she was full-grown said they have never seen such 57:01 a perfect specimen of a lioness in their life, 57:05 a pure vegetarian. 57:07 You know, when we hear incredible stories about that, 57:09 of Little Tyke, it reminds us that God's original plan 57:13 was to make a world of total peace. 57:15 He describes it here in the Bible 57:17 in Isaiah chapter 11, verse 6. 57:19 "The wolf also will dwell with the lamb, 57:22 the leopard will lie down with the young goat, 57:24 the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; 57:27 and a little child will lead them." 57:29 Nothing is going to hurt and destroy in the new heavens 57:32 and the new earth that God is going to create. 57:34 Wouldn't you like to live in a kingdom where there's perfect 57:36 peace, where there's no more death or killing or pain? 57:40 God says that He wants you in that kingdom. 57:42 The Lamb of God made it possible for you to have 57:46 an encounter with the Lion of the tribe of Judah. 57:49 Wouldn't you like to meet Him today? 57:51 ♪♪♪ 57:58 ♪♪♪ 58:08 ♪♪♪ |
Revised 2020-12-03