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00:10 ♪♪♪ 00:20 ♪♪♪ 00:30 ♪♪♪ 00:35 Jëan Ross: Good morning, friends. 00:37 We'd like to welcome all of you to "Sabbath School Study Hour," 00:39 coming to you from the Granite Bay Seventh-day Adventist Church 00:41 in Sacramento, California. 00:43 I'd like to welcome our online members and our friends who 00:45 are joining us across the country and, 00:47 literally, around the world, part of our extended Sabbath 00:51 School Study Hour class, and so warm welcome to all of you. 00:55 We'd also like to remind you of 00:56 some of our free offers that we have. 00:59 In particular, we have a very special free offer. 01:01 It's entitled "The Day of the Lord." 01:03 This is not something that we can offer every week, 01:06 but this is, sort of, one of our premium gifts, 01:09 and we'd like to make this available to you. 01:11 If you'd like to receive this magazine, 01:13 just you can receive the free offer by calling the number 01:17 866-788-3966 and ask for offer number 825. 01:24 And we'll be able to get that in the mail and send it to you. 01:27 Or you can receive a digital download of this great gift. 01:31 And if you'd like to do that, text the code "SH108" to the 01:36 number 40544, and you'll be able to get a digital download of our 01:41 free offer entitled "The Day of the Lord." 01:44 Now, our lesson today is the final in our series dealing 01:47 with the subject of education, lesson number 13 entitled 01:52 "Heaven, Education, and Eternal Learning." 01:55 And we'll be getting to that in just a few moments, 01:58 but before we get to our lesson study I'd like to invite Kayla 02:02 and Sterling Cornwell. 02:03 They're going to be bringing us 02:05 a special musical item at this time. 02:07 ♪♪♪ 02:16 ♪ I wish I could have been there in the fields ♪ 02:22 ♪ with the shepherds. ♪ 02:24 ♪ Wish I sat upon the camels bringing gifts. ♪ 02:31 ♪ I wish I could have been there. ♪ 02:36 ♪ Wish we grew up together. ♪ 02:39 ♪ Wish our mamas talked and laughed as we would play. ♪ 02:47 ♪ I was born 2,000 years too late, ♪ 02:54 ♪ but the same child reigns today. ♪ 03:02 ♪ And like the wise men, I will follow. ♪ 03:06 ♪ Like the shepherds, I will go. ♪ 03:10 ♪ Like Mary, I will answer. ♪ 03:14 ♪ Like Joseph, I will know. ♪ 03:17 ♪ Like the baby in a manger, may my heart be ever pure. ♪ 03:25 ♪ Like the angels, may I spread the Word. ♪ 03:37 ♪ I wish I could have been there ♪ 03:42 ♪ on that road to Golgotha. ♪ 03:46 ♪ Wish I carried on the cross You couldn't bear. ♪ 03:53 ♪ I wish I could have been there, ♪ 03:57 ♪ but You carry the ages, ♪ 04:01 ♪ and Your grace and strength and peace are still the same. ♪ 04:09 ♪ I'm not there in that manger where You lay, ♪ 04:16 ♪ but my heart can be Your home today. ♪ 04:23 ♪ And like the wise men, I will follow. ♪ 04:28 ♪ Like the shepherds, I will go. ♪ 04:32 ♪ Like Mary, I will answer. ♪ 04:36 ♪ Like Joseph, I will know. ♪ 04:39 ♪ Like the baby in a manger, may my heart be ever pure. ♪ 04:47 ♪ Like the angels, may I spread the Word. ♪ 05:00 ♪ O hark, the herald angels sing. ♪ 05:04 ♪ There's joy to the world. ♪ 05:07 ♪ There is peace on Earth, goodwill to men. ♪ 05:14 ♪ I will stand up with the angels. ♪ 05:18 ♪ I will sing His praises loud. ♪ 05:22 ♪ I will share the news, share the good news. ♪ 05:31 ♪ Like the wise men, I will follow. ♪ 05:35 ♪ Like the shepherds, I will go. ♪ 05:39 ♪ Like Mary, I will answer. ♪ 05:43 ♪ Like Joseph, I will know. ♪ 05:46 ♪ Like the baby in a manger, may my heart be ever pure. ♪ 05:54 ♪ Like the angels, may I spread the Word. ♪ 06:05 ♪ I wish I could have been there, ♪ 06:09 ♪ but You carry the ages, ♪ 06:13 ♪ and Your grace and strength and peace are still the same. ♪♪ 06:26 Jëan: Let us bow our heads for prayer. 06:28 Dear Father in heaven, what a joy to be able to enter into 06:31 Your presence on this Your special day, 06:33 a day that You have set aside for true education, 06:36 coming to know You more as our personal Savior, 06:39 our Friend, our Creator. 06:41 And Lord, as we turn our attention to Your Word and 06:44 the important subject of learning that You want to 06:47 teach us, Father, we pray that Your Spirit would come and guide 06:49 us, lead us into clearer, full understanding of the lessons 06:53 that we find in the Bible. 06:55 Be with our teacher today, 06:56 for we ask this in Jesus's name, amen. 06:59 Our lesson this morning is going to be brought 07:01 to us by Pastor Carlos. 07:02 He is our--as many of you know, he's our AFCOE director here at 07:06 Amazing Facts, and he will be teaching this morning. 07:08 Thank you, Pastor Carlos. 07:11 Carlos Muñoz: Maranatha, Happy Sabbath, my loved ones. 07:15 How's everybody doing? 07:17 It's exciting to be here, amen? 07:20 It's an exciting times we're living in, 07:21 and so I'm excited to be here and sharing "Sabbath School" 07:23 with you, so let's have a word of prayer before we begin. 07:27 Heavenly Father, we thank You again for just this privilege 07:29 and the honor that You have given us to honor You, 07:33 to worship You, to give You praise and glory for being 07:35 our God, for creating us, redeeming us, 07:36 sanctifying us, and for preparing us to dwell in 07:40 Your presence again. 07:41 So, as we come together, Father, to share this last lesson in the 07:43 quarterly, we ask that Your Spirit guide us and impress 07:48 these wonderful truths in our hearts 07:50 so that we can live by them. 07:52 We ask and beg these things in Jesus's name, amen. 07:55 Amen. 07:56 So, today is the last lesson on this quarterly on education. 08:00 It's interesting because I did the intro, 08:02 the first lesson, and I'm closing the scene out, 08:05 but I'm also excited about the next one that's coming up on the 08:07 book of Isaiah, amen? 08:09 And so, we're on lesson number 13, 08:11 and the title is "Heaven, Education, 08:13 and Eternal Learning." 08:15 Now, that should get us excited, because the topic is about the 08:20 new heavens and the new earth, amen? 08:22 The topic is about what else are we going to be learning after 08:27 this is over with? 08:28 And so, our memory text is 1 Corinthians chapter 2, 08:32 verse 9, saying, "Eye has not seen, 08:34 nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man," 08:38 or woman, "the things which God had prepared 08:41 for those who love Him," amen? 08:44 That verse should pique our curiosity. 08:47 That verse should get us to think and wonder about what 08:50 does God have in store for us. 08:52 What is God holding back, right? 08:54 What is He ready to share with us? 08:57 And I say this because in the lesson it talks about the 09:01 concept and the understanding of everlasting, right? 09:03 What is going to happen, right? 09:05 And sometimes in life we don't think about that, 09:09 especially the world. 09:11 The world gets so caught up, so preoccupied, 09:13 and our priorities are so out of sync because we're worried about 09:19 the cares, right? 09:20 The daily cares, which don't get me wrong. 09:22 Those things are important, but sometimes the world doesn't stop 09:26 to focus and think about the most important things, 09:29 the things that really have to do 09:31 with the reason why we're here. 09:33 How did we get here, right? 09:34 What is the purpose for us to be here? 09:37 Morality, right? 09:38 What is right or wrong, and the afterlife. 09:41 But it's interesting because as we've gone-- 09:43 been going through this situation in this year, 09:46 COVID has really been a shaking for the world, right? 09:49 COVID has really put the world at its knees. 09:54 And despite sometimes we're off focus, 09:57 we're focusing on the things that are temporal, 09:59 we're focusing on the things that sometimes are not relevant 10:03 to our eternal life, those things have been put into 10:06 context during this time, right? 10:08 We talk about loss of life, whether it be because of the 10:12 COVID situation, whether it be 10:14 because of suicide, right? 10:15 We find about so many people committing suicide, 10:17 so many people depressed because they're isolated. 10:20 I mean, we're learning to appreciate fellowship, right? 10:24 We're learning to appreciate that time, 10:26 that quality time, that we spend with others. 10:28 We're talking about mental, emotional, 10:30 even physical health, right? 10:33 I know as I'm getting older I'm starting to-- 10:35 my body does not react in the same way it used to be, 10:38 and so I know you're going through the same thing, 10:40 because that's just part of the way of life. 10:42 And sometimes we like to just not pay attention to 10:45 those things, but this is-- 10:46 these are signs, right? 10:47 God is permitting these things to grab our attention. 10:50 Sometimes we focus so much on our work, 10:52 on our jobs, on our businesses. 10:54 Some of those things have been completely wiped out 10:57 with this situation. 10:58 People have lost everything. 11:00 They put their whole life, their whole effort, 11:02 their resources into building a business, 11:04 and they've lost it all. 11:06 Relationships are strained, or lack of relationships because 11:10 of all of these restrictions, right? 11:13 Our jobs, our 401(k)s, our investments, 11:15 our bank accounts, accounts, homes, titles, honors. 11:19 Al of these things, all of a sudden, 11:21 have mean nothing, and this is just a small glimpse, 11:23 a small taste of what is happening. 11:25 And the question is, why? 11:27 Why is God letting and permitting 11:28 these things to happen? 11:29 And my loved ones, it's because He's trying to 11:31 grab our attention. 11:32 He's trying to wake us up to pay attention. 11:35 Stop paying attention to the temporal, 11:37 limited things of this earth and pay attention to what He's 11:40 trying to get us to focus on, which is everlasting life, 11:44 the gift, the promise that we will dwell in His presence for 11:49 all eternity if we choose and give Him the chance. 11:52 Is everybody with me? 11:53 And so, interestingly, some are doing better than others with 11:57 the situation. 11:58 And you know why? 11:59 Throughout all this situation that we've been going through, 12:02 you see that there are people that still have peace, 12:04 and that's because they've learned to trust in the Lord. 12:07 Despite tribulations, despite trials, 12:10 despite the loss, people are learning to trust in the Lord. 12:13 People are learning to depend on God and say, 12:15 "You know what? 12:17 I cannot continue to depend on my degrees, or my job. 12:20 No, I have to learn to depend solely on God, 12:22 because all of it can be taken away in a matter of nothing," 12:26 from something we do not even see has shaken this world to 12:30 the core, and so this is God's message to us, 12:33 trying to get us to focus. 12:34 I know on my side, before this situation hit, 12:38 I was on the road seven years. 12:39 Seven years, six years in a row straight on the road, 12:42 preaching, traveling the world, and I'm, like-- 12:45 all of a sudden, it all stopped. 12:46 And I'm like, "God, what happened," right? 12:48 I felt weird, and it was God telling me, 12:51 "You need to take some time to rest, recuperate, 12:54 restore the energy again. 12:55 Go back to the core, the foundation, 12:57 because sometimes you're so--" 12:59 especially people that dedicate their lives to ministry, 13:01 we're so caught up sometimes we forget 13:02 about going back to the basics, 13:04 the fundamentals of what built that relationship. 13:07 And so, all of this, as we're going through these things, 13:10 we should be asking ourselves, "God, 13:11 what is this purpose, and what are You 13:13 expecting from me during this time? 13:14 What is the message You're trying to tell me? 13:16 How is it that You want me to be ready," amen? 13:20 And so, sometimes even as Christians we think we know 13:22 about the afterlife. 13:23 We think we know about what's coming. 13:25 I want to share with you-- 13:26 open your Bibles with me, please, 13:28 to John chapter 11. 13:29 I think this is a fascinating thing. 13:30 As I was studying through the lesson and I was reading, 13:34 this story came to me. 13:35 It's the story of Lazarus. John chapter 11. 13:37 We're talking about everlasting life, right? 13:40 We're talking about the immortal things. 13:43 John chapter 11, and go with me, please, 13:45 to verse number 21. 13:48 John chapter 11, verse number 21, 13:51 and look at what it says here in verse number 21. 13:54 It says, "Now Martha said to the Lord Jesus, 13:57 'Lord, if You have been here, my brother would not have died. 14:02 But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, 14:05 God will give You.'" 14:06 Do we have that same faith? 14:07 Do we know that God is going to answer our prayers? 14:10 Amen. Of course. 14:12 But then, it continues to say, "Jesus said to her, 14:14 'Your brother will rise again.' 14:16 And Martha said to Him, 'I know that he will rise again in the 14:20 Resurrection at the last day.'" 14:22 Did Martha know about the Resurrection? 14:24 Yes, she did. 14:25 Do you and I know about the Resurrection? 14:27 Yes. Do we preach it? 14:28 Do we teach it? 14:29 But do we understand it? 14:31 Because the next verse is the key. 14:33 "Jesus said to her, 'I am the Resurrection, the life. 14:37 And he who believes in Me, though they may die, 14:39 he shall live. 14:41 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. 14:43 Do you believe this,'" amen? 14:45 Notice, Martha had a good understanding on the doctrine 14:48 of the Resurrection, on the doctrine of everlasting life, 14:51 but she missed out on the fact that who is the one that gives 14:54 everlasting life? 14:56 It's Jesus Christ. 14:57 Who is the one that gives eternal immortality? 15:00 It's Jesus Christ. 15:02 And sometimes, again, we get so caught up with the doctrines and 15:05 the teachings that we forget that the doctrines and the 15:07 teachings are all founded on Christ, amen? 15:10 And that's what we should be sharing with the world. 15:13 That's what we should be focusing on. 15:15 They knew about the Resurrection, 15:16 but not that Jesus was the Resurrection, 15:19 that He was the life. 15:20 And there was a quote. 15:22 I'm going to quote from the quarterly lesson, 15:24 a sentence that really grabbed my attention in regards to this, 15:27 and it said, "Eternal life makes so much sense in the light of 15:31 the cross, and in the light of the cross nothing else makes 15:35 sense but eternal life." 15:38 When you hear this, it makes sense, right? 15:42 It makes sense to us. 15:44 What has drawn us into the gospel? 15:46 What has drawn us into the message? 15:48 I don't know about you, but I didn't believe in God. 15:50 I didn't care about God. 15:51 And when I heard about this message of eternal life, 15:54 it made sense. 15:56 Nobody wants to die. Why are we fighting? 15:58 Why are we striving so hard to avoid death, 16:01 right, on so many different levels? 16:03 It's because God has put in the human heart eternity. 16:06 And so, when we're confronted with infinite-- 16:09 with finite life, when we're confronted with 16:11 limited life, we think, "That doesn't make sense." 16:14 And that's why you have in the world people are struggling, 16:16 striving, trying to find a purpose, 16:18 a meaning in life, and they find it in all the wrong places and 16:22 doing all the wrong things with all the wrong people, 16:25 and not knowing that Jesus is the Resurrection. 16:27 Jesus is the one that is going to show us the pathway back into 16:31 the presence of the Father, amen? 16:34 And so, why prioritize in the finite when the infinite is so 16:39 much more appealing and being offered by Jesus Christ both as 16:43 our Lamb and as our high priest, amen? 16:46 Because when He was on the cross with those arms open, 16:49 you know what He was saying? 16:50 He says, "I want to live with you forever. 16:53 I want to be with you forever. 16:55 And when I become high priest, I'm going to do everything 16:58 divinely possible to help you to get there," amen? 17:02 That's what I want. 17:03 And so, despite this, despite this wonderful gospel that we 17:06 have, some people, even when they're presented with it, 17:09 say eternal life-- 17:11 and it mentioned that in the lesson, too. 17:12 "What? 17:14 That's a horrible thought," it says, right? 17:15 "Seventy to eighty years here are bad enough. 17:18 Who'd want to stretch this out forever?" 17:20 That would be what? 17:22 That would be hell. 17:24 And that's where you and I have in our hands the most powerful 17:28 resource to be able to share hope, 17:31 to be able to share with people what our message is. 17:34 What are we here for? 17:36 Join me, please, in Revelation chapter 21. 17:38 Revelation chapter 21, 17:40 because maybe somebody is watching right now. 17:43 Maybe somebody is thinking the same thing. 17:44 I know that through this time God has been using-- 17:47 the enemy has been trying to separate us, but at the same 17:49 time God has been using this time to reach out to others. 17:52 I feel that the gospel has spread out 17:54 like no other time before. 17:56 Revelation, now, millions of people saw that. 17:59 Who says amen? People are listening. 18:02 People are watching. They're looking for a reason. 18:04 They're trying to understand, and the world has no answers. 18:07 The experts, the governments, all of these-- 18:11 the PhDs, they still don't know, right? 18:15 There's still so much uncertainty, 18:16 and there's only one place that we can find certainty, 18:19 and it is in the what? 18:21 In the Word of God, amen? 18:22 And that's what we're here for. 18:24 That's what we're here to be beacons of hope, 18:26 beacons of light, just as Jesus Christ was to the world. 18:29 Revelation chapter 21. 18:30 I get so excited when I read this, 18:32 because these are my favorite verses in the Bible. 18:34 It says, "Now I saw," what? 18:37 "A new heavens and a new earth, for the first heaven and the 18:40 first earth had," what? 18:42 "Had passed away." 18:44 My loved ones, that should give us a sense-- 18:46 a new earth, doesn't that sound nice? 18:50 Doesn't that have a good ring to it? 18:51 There's going to be a what? A new earth. 18:53 I don't say new heaven or I didn't include it because, 18:55 you know, that's out there. 18:57 Just look at this earth. 18:58 There is something terribly wrong. 19:01 And to see here the term there's a new earth, 19:04 that means there's going to be 19:06 something better than what it is. 19:07 Who would want to continue to live on this earth 19:09 for the rest of eternity? 19:10 Well, nobody, right? 19:11 Pain and suffering and torture, and God has a promise to us in 19:15 the end, and He's saying, "I offer a new earth." 19:18 Ooh, that should get us excited, right? 19:20 Everybody likes new things, right? 19:23 "Ooh, I got a new car." 19:24 Or "I got a new home," or whatever it is. 19:26 Imagine a new earth where what? 19:28 Let's continue to read. 19:30 Let's jump to verse number 3. 19:31 "And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, 19:32 'Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, 19:35 and He," God, "will dwell with them," with us, 19:39 "and they shall be His people. 19:40 And God Himself will be with them and be their God,'" amen? 19:45 Dwelling in the presence of God, and then, verse number 4, 19:48 "And God will wipe away some tears--" 19:51 "All tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, 19:55 no more sorrow, no more crying," no more COVID, 19:58 no more cancer, no more suicide, no more rape, 20:02 no more murder, no more having to wake up 20:04 at 5 o'clock in the morning. 20:08 This is great news, my loved ones! 20:09 This is the gospel. 20:11 You will not find this anywhere else in the world! 20:16 The world is desperate to hear this, 20:17 and we have it right here, and this is what God is trying to 20:22 tell us, my loved ones. 20:24 And look at what it says in verse number 5. 20:26 "But then He who sat on the throne--" I'm sorry. 20:29 "There shall be no more pain, for the former things 20:31 have passed away." 20:32 Who says amen to that? 20:34 Verse 5, "Then He who sat on the throne said, 20:36 'Behold, I make all things new.'" 20:39 How many things? 20:40 How many things? 20:42 All things new. 20:43 "And He said to me, 'Write, for these words are,'" what? 20:46 "They're true and faithful." 20:47 They're true and faithful because they're founded on 20:49 Jesus, who is the true and faithful witness. 20:52 If Jesus says it, we can believe it. 20:55 If the Word of God says it, we know it's going to happen, 20:58 because every--almost 95% of all prophecies have been fulfilled, 21:03 just as God said. 21:04 And we know that what's left is always-- 21:06 also going to happen, amen? 21:08 And it says in verse number 6, "And He said to me, 21:11 'It is done!'" 21:13 Now He's putting a stamp of approval on this message. 21:15 "For I am the Alpha and the Omega, 21:16 the Beginning and the End. 21:18 And I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to 21:21 those who," what? 21:23 "To those who thirst." 21:24 Remember the woman at the well in John chapter 4? 21:27 She was thirsting, right? 21:29 She was thirsting not for physical water 21:31 but she was not even aware she was thirsting for spiritual 21:34 water, spiritual life that can only come 21:36 through the Holy Spirit. 21:37 And Jesus came to her, and He met her where she was, 21:40 and He told her, "I have something that will feed 21:44 you forever." 21:45 And this is the verse that He said, 21:46 "I have something that you will not find anywhere in the world," 21:49 and that's what you and I are supposed to be presenting 21:51 to the world. 21:53 It's a hope. It's a foundation. 21:56 It's a promise that they will not find anywhere, 21:59 and she was yearning for that. 22:00 And you know what Jesus did? He ministered to her needs. 22:03 She was yearning for what? 22:04 For compassion, for love, for respect, 22:07 for recognition, for somebody to treat her as a human being, 22:11 and that's how Jesus won her over. 22:13 And He says that same spirit that you-- 22:15 that is working in your heart, 22:16 that is going to give you eternal life. 22:18 That is going to prepare you. And what happened to her? 22:20 She was rejoiced with knowing the message of salvation, amen? 22:25 There were some very interesting, 22:27 thought-provoking questions at the end of that first lesson on 22:32 Monday, and I want to share it with you because I like them. 22:35 Sometimes we tend to jump over the questions. 22:37 I like to read through the questions in the "Sabbath 22:39 School" quarterly because they-- 22:41 sometimes they're very thought provoking, and this is what it 22:43 says: "What does it take to be part of this new existence? 22:46 How do we get there? 22:47 How can we be sure we're going to be part of it? 22:49 What things in our life, if any, could stand in the way of our 22:52 being part of what God has promised us through Jesus?" 22:55 Some of these questions are questions that people ask, 22:58 that we should be ready to answer, 23:00 but some of these questions we can't even answer ourselves. 23:04 And this is what Paul says: examine yourself. 23:06 Test yourself every day. 23:08 "Lord, am I living according to Your will? 23:10 Lord, am I really following, or am I a lukewarm Christian? 23:16 Am I truly fulfilling the purpose that You have for me, 23:20 or am I thinking I am and I'm horribly deceived? 23:25 I'm deceiving myself, Lord." 23:26 These are things that we should be constantly asking, 23:29 and so what is the evidence 23:31 that we are preparing for these things? 23:32 Because that's the question it says there. 23:35 What, if any, could stand in the way of our part of being part of 23:37 what God has promised us through Jesus Christ? 23:40 And I say that a great evidence that we are preparing for the 23:43 new heavens and the new earth--because sometimes 23:44 we focus so much about getting there, 23:46 we forget how to prepare to get there, right? 23:49 Doesn't that happen with you sometimes? 23:50 It happens with me every once in a while. 23:52 I'm so excited about something. 23:53 When I realize it's time to start, 23:55 I forget I didn't get ready. 23:57 And I would say that the perfect evidence that we are preparing 24:01 is that we're witnessing and there's a burden in our hearts 24:03 to share these wonderful truths with others. 24:06 Is there a burden in your heart? 24:09 Does this drive you when you meet people across-- 24:10 when you come across people to share these wonderful truths, 24:13 knowing how the world is? 24:15 If it's not, my loved ones, 24:17 then we need to come to the cross, amen? 24:20 We need to go back to the foundations. 24:22 We need to go back on our knees, and that's why the memory text 24:25 is so amazing, because that's what we should be offering. 24:28 "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, 24:30 nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God had 24:33 prepared for those," that what? 24:36 That verse should entice. 24:38 It elicit somebody wanting to study the Bible with us, 24:40 wanting to know more, right? 24:42 And so, it's an interesting because it says in the study-- 24:47 2 Corinthians chapter 4, verse 17 and 18. 24:49 I'll read this quote, because this is a beautiful response to 24:52 what we're looking at. 24:53 It says, "For this momentary affliction 24:56 is preparing us for," what? 24:57 "For an eternal weight of glory 24:59 beyond all comparisons," amen? 25:03 This should be our response to the world. 25:05 This should be our response to what the world is searching for. 25:09 "While we look not at the things which are seen, 25:12 but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are 25:15 seen are," what? 25:16 "Are temporal; but the things which are 25:19 not seen are eternal." 25:22 So, it's through the temporal, finite things that we can see 25:25 the eternal. 25:27 Like what, what are you talking about? 25:28 I'll give you an example. 25:30 We've been here for almost 6,000 years, 25:33 and we think so highly of what we have accomplished 25:35 and what we are, right? 25:38 But really think about this. 25:40 The last time a human being landed on the moon-- 25:42 the first time a human being landed on the moon was 1969. 25:46 It's over 50 years ago, and we still haven't passed the moon. 25:49 With all the technological advances, 25:51 with all the PhDs, with all the--we still have not crossed 25:55 the barrier of the moon. 25:57 We thought, when we saw that in-- 25:58 I wasn't around, but when you saw that in 1969, 26:01 "Whoo!" We hit the moon in 19-- 26:02 that was 50 years ago. "Oh, we're going to be in Venus 26:06 by the time the 2000s hit." 26:07 We think we're going to be like the Jetsons flying 26:08 around in flying cars, right? 26:10 And here we are, why? 26:13 God's restraining power for us to stop contemplating that which 26:17 we don't understand and start to understand why we are here 26:22 and what the existence and purpose we have for. 26:24 Brain function, we're oblivious, science, to the comprehension 26:29 of how the brain functions. 26:30 Despite all the technological advances, 26:32 we still have no idea. 26:34 And I remember when I was little I thought my-- 26:36 I thought I used to be in charge, and I would be told, 26:40 "You think you're in charge of your life? 26:41 You think you're a big macho man? 26:43 Go ahead, try stop your nails from growing. 26:46 Try stop your hair from growing. 26:48 You're so in charge." 26:50 We are nothing. 26:52 We are in charge of nothing. 26:54 We think we are, why? 26:56 Because we're focusing on the temporal things. 26:59 We're focusing on what's around us, 27:00 and we lose track of what? 27:02 On the eternal blessings, on the message that God is trying to 27:06 show us and share us through the things that we cannot see, 27:09 the unknown. 27:11 It should marvel us, right? 27:13 Our own planet, you know, that every day 27:15 still today scientists discover new life, 27:18 whether it be plant life, insects, like the deep sea. 27:20 We really don't know what's at the deep sea. 27:22 I was recently watching a documentary, 27:24 "Natural Geographic," and they-- 27:25 for the first time they had gone down with a light, 27:27 and they started-- they were, "Ooh." 27:29 They were blown away with the things that they were seeing. 27:31 We have no idea. 27:33 We are powerless--if you notice this also, 27:35 we are powerless to control and sustain the natural 27:39 world from collapsing. 27:42 Despite all we know, we still-- 27:43 we still are not ready for what the earth is bringing, 27:47 and we know it's going to get worse and worse and worse. 27:49 And that's just not even talking about the unknown universe, 27:53 the unseen universe, right? 27:56 You know, it's interesting because we live on one planet, 28:00 one planet in one solar system, with one sun, 28:03 or star, in one galaxy, in which our one galaxy there 28:08 are billions and billions and billions and billions of stars, 28:10 or suns, and planets, and solar systems. 28:15 And we live in one constellation of galaxies, 28:17 which are billions and billions and billions and billions and 28:19 billions of galaxies in a constellation of galaxies, 28:21 and there are billion and billion and billion and billion, 28:23 infinite, of galaxy constellations. 28:26 Try to put that in your head, 28:29 and we're looking-- focused on this. 28:32 Are you catching what I'm trying to say? 28:34 Astronomy says that the universe is growing. 28:38 And pay attention to this. 28:39 The universe is growing, and God ceased to create. 28:44 Imagine when He starts creating again. 28:47 This is amazing. 28:49 It should blow our minds, the infinite knowledge, 28:51 the infinite marvels of the universe of God. 28:55 And so, imagine God creating forever. 28:59 And then, you go into the creation-science-evolution 29:01 debate, right? 29:03 And as I mentioned, I've shared with you before I 29:06 did not believe in God, and what made me to believe in God-- 29:08 you know what it was? 29:09 It was science. 29:11 It was science, because I saw these things that I'm sharing 29:13 with you, and I marveled at them. 29:15 "This cannot happen some--" 29:17 I was not even a believer in God, 29:18 and I did not even believe in evolution, 29:20 because it didn't make sense. 29:22 "This is all some random thing with no purpose." 29:24 That's not even how it works here. 29:26 Ecosystems, our body, everything is intertwined. 29:29 It's holistic in all nature. 29:31 How is it possible? 29:33 But sadly, the evolution-- and not just the theory of 29:36 evolution, but also the philosophical implications 29:38 of evolution, the psychological implications of evolution. 29:42 Survival of the fittest, 29:43 this attitude, right, that was permeated, and we see it. 29:46 Oh, my loved ones, 29:48 this to me is a no-brainer, and I'm just sharing with you 29:50 little tickles of the glimpses of the glory of God, amen? 29:55 And so, the question is why are we still so reluctant to give 29:58 total surrender and consecration to the infinite one that created 30:01 all these things? 30:03 Who do we still focus, prioritize, 30:05 and hold on to that which is and will perish, 30:09 when God has and is giving us a taste of eternity? 30:15 Are we going to miss out on eternity for a few, 30:17 quick passing moments of pleasure, 30:19 of pride, and intellectual arrogance? 30:23 I say it's ludicrous, and I'll share with you. 30:26 To me, it's absurd, is the word. 30:28 It's absurd that I would put in jeopardy my eternal life with 30:34 God in the New Jerusalem, in the new heavens and the new earth, 30:37 for some temporal pleasures here on Earth. 30:39 It makes no sense. 30:42 Just the weight, the magnitude of it should make us think, 30:44 "Why even play with it," right? 30:47 Why? 30:49 But God lets these things happen. 30:51 He lets us hit rock bottom 30:52 so that we know that we can look up. 30:54 It's not that God wants us to hit rock bottom, 30:56 but He lets us. 30:58 And I'm glad He let it happen to me, 30:59 because, if not, I might not have been-- 31:00 I might not be standing here today. 31:02 He lets it happen so that I can focus and see there's no answers 31:06 on this earth. 31:07 I've looked. 31:09 I found it--under every rock, and there's nothing 31:11 that supports it, and that's when we start to look at the 31:14 promise of redemption, the plan of salvation, 31:17 the everlasting gospel, my loved ones. 31:19 What is that? 31:21 Three pillars: God promised He was going to forgive us, 31:24 God promised He was going to make us holy, 31:26 and God promised He was going to give us a new earth, 31:28 where there was going to be no more pain and suffering, 31:30 and eliminate sin, amen? 31:32 Forgiveness of sins, give us victory over sin, 31:34 and eliminate sin for the rest of eternity. 31:38 That's the gospel, my loved ones. 31:39 That's the full everlasting gospel that God is. 31:42 Is there a greater hope than that, than the gospel? 31:46 You see, but people don't see the side of the gospel. 31:48 They don't see this last part of the gospel that we're talking 31:50 about, and you know why? 31:52 Because the first impression they get of Christianity 31:54 isn't a good one. 31:56 They don't get to read the end of the story because the cover 31:59 is ineffective, and you and I are the cover of that book. 32:05 They don't get to know about this blessing, because why? 32:08 Because we have been ineffective, 32:10 because we're more religious than we are disciples, 32:14 and God is waiting for us to reveal His glory. 32:17 You and I were not created here to be condemned. 32:20 You and I were created-- 32:22 God permitted you and my existence so that we can give 32:25 Him glory, so that the rest of the world can see the God that 32:29 we serve, and we can reveal these wonderful truths to them, 32:33 and they can be blown away just like we're blown away, amen? 32:37 So, how and why would they want to know the end of the story if 32:41 the cover of the book is flawed, self-centered, 32:43 and distorted itself? 32:45 And sometimes not even our own family members want to listen 32:47 to our story. 32:49 They can't get back-- 32:50 they can't get past the first chapter 32:52 because they don't like what they're seeing. 32:54 If it hurts, don't worry. 32:56 It doesn't bother me that it hurts a little bit, 32:58 because that's what the purpose is. 33:00 That's the Laodicean message. 33:01 Get over yourself, right? 33:04 Look at Christ. Surrender to Christ. 33:05 Stop trying to find your own righteousness and lift up your 33:08 own righteousness, and only live and surrender to the God of the 33:12 universe, and let His righteousness completely 33:15 cover us, amen? 33:17 And that leads us, then, to the ending of this lesson, 33:20 which focuses on that great teacher, 33:23 who should still have a student-- 33:25 we should still have a student mindset, 33:27 because that will be our experience forever. 33:31 We will be students forever. 33:34 You know, some people think that I love to talk, 33:37 and I really don't. 33:38 I know I talk a lot, but you know what I really like to do? 33:42 I really like to listen. 33:43 I really like to learn. 33:45 I remember when I was starting off in the church. 33:47 I would love to sit down and listen to sermons, 33:50 and I would listen to sermons on YouTube, 33:51 and I would write down everything. 33:53 And then, when God started to put me to preach, 33:55 I'm like, "I don't want to preach, God. 33:56 I want to sit down. I want to listen." 33:58 But He says, "No, now it's your time to teach. 34:00 Now I want you to share these things that you're learning." 34:03 And I still rejoice it's-- now, especially with COVID, 34:06 but before that I was preaching six, 34:08 seven days a week, Sabbath three and four times. 34:11 I was not being able to spend that time where I would sit down 34:14 and just soak it in, and God has given me this time of rest, 34:17 amen, to ooh and listen again and reenergize, why? 34:22 Because I believe we're seeing the end of times, 34:25 my loved ones, in this life. 34:26 God is giving us glimpses of what's coming, 34:28 and He's giving us as a warning so that we can prepare. 34:32 Nobody can--has any excuse. 34:33 "Oh, I didn't know." 34:35 Did you not see COVID? 34:38 Do I need to have a bigger event to wake you up? 34:41 And yet worse things are coming. This is nothing. 34:45 And if our faith is shaking now, if our faith is not solid now, 34:50 imagine what happens when bigger things come. 34:52 This is God telling us, "Surrender." 34:56 I'm going to tell you what the biggest struggle 34:57 is for a Christian. 34:59 Our biggest struggle is learning to completely surrender, 35:03 learning to completely consecrate our life. 35:05 That's our biggest struggle. We like to give some. 35:08 We like to give in some. "O God, I gave You this. 35:11 I gave You my time on the Sabbath. 35:12 I gave You my tithes and offerings. 35:14 Oh, I gave You this. 35:15 I read my 'Sabbath School' lesson." 35:17 No, God wants it all. 35:19 If I would have told my wife, "Honey, 35:22 I'm going to be your husband Monday, 35:24 Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, but Saturday and Sunday, 35:27 ooh, I'm off," you think she would have said, 35:30 "Oh, I like that deal"? 35:32 No, she's like, "I want it all, or I don't want anything." 35:35 And that's what Christ wants. 35:36 He's waiting, not for Him. 35:38 It's for our own good, and he's waiting, 35:41 my loved ones, and that's why in the lesson it has Zechariah 35:44 chapter 13, verse 6. 35:45 "And one shall say unto him, 35:47 What are these wounds in thy hands? 35:50 Then he shall answer, Those with 35:52 which I was wounded in the house of my--" 35:55 See, there are going to be people in heaven that never 35:57 heard about Jesus Christ, but they responded to the call of 36:01 the Holy Spirit, people that maybe 36:03 the gospel never reached them. 36:05 But they will be there because the Spirit touched them, 36:07 and they responded to that call, amen? 36:10 And when they get to heaven, they're going to know and 36:12 recognize that the reason they're there 36:14 is because of Jesus. 36:15 The reason every single human being is going to be in heaven 36:18 is because of Jesus, and for the rest of eternity that's 36:21 what we're going to be learning about, amen? 36:24 We're going to be standing there. 36:25 And some people say, "But what is the guarantee that affliction 36:28 will not rise up again? 36:29 How can we be so sure?" 36:32 And when we look at the scars on the hands, 36:36 on the feet, on the side, on the forehead of Jesus from what He 36:40 paid, there would be no doubt what the cost of sin is. 36:46 And another reason is our own experience. 36:48 I don't know about you, 36:50 but I can't wait to get out of here, right? 36:53 At the same time, we have to be careful with that mindset, 36:56 because we might be so focused on the end result we forget on 36:59 the, on the way. 37:01 Sometimes we focus on the end, and we forget about the means 37:04 to the end. 37:05 Which is what? 37:06 Which is living a righteous life through Jesus Christ, amen? 37:11 And so, our own experience-- 37:14 we are going to be-- that's why there's not-- 37:15 did you notice in Revelation chapter 22, if you've read it? 37:18 The tree of life is going to be there, 37:19 but not the tree of knowledge of good and evil. 37:21 You know why? Because we know. 37:24 Now we know what it means to disobey God. 37:27 Now we know what are the results of saying, 37:29 "You know what, God? I got this." 37:31 That's what Adam and Eve said, right? 37:33 "You know what, God? Thank you for creating me. 37:35 Thank you for giving us this beautiful planet, God. 37:37 Thank you for giving me this beautiful woman." 37:39 "Thank you for giving me this beautiful macho man," 37:42 right, Eve. 37:43 "But you know what? 37:44 From this moment on, 37:46 we don't need You sitting on the throne anymore. 37:47 We got it from here." 37:49 My loved ones, and that's where we are today. 37:51 Really, nothing has changed. 37:53 "We don't need You, God, to tell us and to declare 37:56 what is right or wrong. 37:57 We can do it on our own." 37:59 That's postmodern thought in Genesis chapter 3. 38:02 Nothing has changed, and even among us, 38:05 sadly, because some of us say, "Amen, 38:07 hallelujah, praise the Lord." 38:08 But when the Bible says, "Don't do this, 38:10 or do this," you're like, "Uh, I don't know about that. 38:12 I'm not too comfortable with that. 38:13 I'll leave that for other people." 38:16 This is not broken down in sections for some people and 38:18 for other people. 38:20 That's why there's not a youth gospel. 38:21 You ever notice that? 38:23 Because there's one gospel. It's for everybody. 38:25 The key is living the gospel. That's the key. 38:29 And when we live the gospel, 38:30 everything else will fall in line. 38:32 Doesn't mean it's going to be perfect, 38:33 but it will be in line, amen? 38:35 And so, for the rest of eternity, my loved ones, 38:37 we are going to be-- 38:39 now, get excited about this. 38:40 We're going to be reconciled 38:42 and back with our loved ones, right? 38:44 Those that we have lost. 38:46 We're going to be back with them again, 38:47 and this time there's going to be no separation like, 38:48 "No, I can't go visit my grandma. 38:50 I can't go visit my mom and dad because of traveling 38:53 restrictions, and I don't want to get them sick." 38:55 None of that anymore. 38:56 We're going to be exploring the infinite universe. 39:00 For six days of the week, we're going to be exploring. 39:02 That's what we're going to do for the rest of eternity, 39:04 travel and explore the universe. 39:07 That should get you excited. 39:10 And every seventh day we shall return to worship 39:12 and give glory, says Isaiah 66, 39:14 to Him who has given everything to us, amen? 39:18 But the most important thing, my loved one, 39:21 is that we're going to be sitting at the feet of Jesus. 39:25 Remember the story of Martha and Mary in Luke chapter 10? 39:29 What was wrong? 39:30 Martha just said--we just read. 39:32 Oh, she knew about the Resurrection. 39:33 Was Martha a good Christian? 39:36 Yeah, she was. She knew her Bible. 39:38 She knew her 27 fundamental doctrines. 39:40 Twenty-eight, I'm sorry. 39:41 She knew them, right? 39:42 She knew her prophecy. 39:45 She knew the 2,300-day prophecy. 39:47 She knew those things, but what was the difference? 39:50 She was so worried in service and so preoccupied that she 39:54 forgot that the most important thing was to be at the feet of 39:56 Jesus, where her sister was. 39:59 And she was scolding her. 40:02 We need to be like Mary. 40:04 It's not wrong to want to work for the Lord, 40:06 praise the Lord. 40:07 But the foundation, the principle that should lead 40:09 everything is that we're having that daily intimate relationship 40:12 with Christ at His feet. 40:14 And He will prepare us for the work that we have to do during 40:17 the day or the rest of the way, amen? 40:20 Can you imagine having Bible study 40:22 with Jesus for the rest of eternity? 40:23 That's just the tipping point. 40:25 I can imagine sitting there, and Jesus says, 40:27 "Hey, you remember the story about the leper?" 40:30 "Yeah." 40:31 "I'm going to show you something," 40:33 and He's just going through the story. 40:34 And we're like, "Whoa. 40:36 We didn't--how did we not catch that?" 40:37 Six thousand years here, and we didn't catch that. 40:39 It's going to be amazing as He opens up 40:42 the wonderful marvels of Scripture. 40:44 And as I said, that's just the beginning. 40:46 He's going to show us all the rest of eternity. 40:50 My loved ones, I've been reading the Bible every day for 12 years 40:52 since I became a Christian, and it still doesn't get old. 40:56 So, when you think, "What am I going to be 40:57 doing for the rest of eternity?" 40:59 don't worry about it. 41:00 It's going to be what eyes have never seen, 41:01 what ears have never heard, and what mind has never conceived is 41:04 what God has for all of us, amen? 41:07 That means it's going to be a hundred million times better 41:10 than what Adam and Eve saw before sin. 41:16 Should get excited about that! 41:18 This is what God has, and we're so worried on, 41:20 "Oh, my car, oh, my little home, oh." 41:23 Don't get me wrong. 41:25 Those things, those temporal things, 41:26 are important, but that should not be-- 41:28 what drives us is to what? 41:31 Is to know that not only we'll be in the presence of God, 41:34 but know that we have an opportunity here on Earth 41:37 to prepare and to help prepare others for that great moment. 41:40 That should be what drives us and pushes us, amen? 41:44 To know deeper and deeper 41:46 as we go through eternity, we will be going deeper and deeper 41:49 into the character of God, the love of God, 41:53 the mercy of God, the grace of God 41:55 for us and all of the universe, amen? 41:57 Traveling and knowing the infinite mind of God will 42:01 be our eternal classroom, and I get excited about that because, 42:04 as I said, I just love to learn. 42:07 But this should be our experience now. 42:10 This should be what we should be striving for now. 42:13 If we're not now at the feet of Jesus, 42:15 if we're not now striving to want to understand and know His 42:18 will better now, then heaven is not going to be any fun for us. 42:22 This is what should be what drives us every morning when 42:26 we wake up. 42:27 And you probably say "I don't have that." 42:29 I know. I didn't either. 42:31 But Jesus says, "Ask, and you shall receive. 42:34 Seek, and you shall find. 42:36 Knock, and the door shall be opened." 42:37 There's no excuse. 42:39 He says, "Just come, and I will show you great and wonderful 42:41 things that you did not know about." 42:44 It's all there. 42:45 It's not rocket science, but let's not forget, 42:48 as we close, the focus, the goal of this quarterly on education, 42:53 and I'll read it from the book "Education," chapter number 1, 42:56 page 15, verse--paragraph 2. 42:59 What is the purpose of education? 43:01 "To restore in man the image of his Maker. 43:05 To bring him back to the perfection 43:07 in which he was created. 43:09 To promote the development of body, 43:11 mind, and soul, that the divine purpose 43:14 in his creation might be realized. 43:18 This was to be the work of redemption, 43:20 and this," my loved ones, "is the object of education and the 43:25 great object of life," amen? 43:28 Let's close with Revelation chapter 22. 43:30 Revelation chapter 22. 43:33 What is education if the focus of education is not to teach 43:38 others, to teach our children, to teach our students, 43:41 to teach our church, to teach the people that we're giving 43:44 Bible studies to, to teach those that are around us 43:48 that God has a plan for them? 43:51 And the plan is that we can 43:53 dwell in the presence of God again. 43:56 That is the plan of salvation. 43:57 What's impeding that? Sin. 43:58 And where is the problem of sin solved? 44:00 In the sanctuary. 44:02 The sanctuary breaks down the steps that God is going through 44:05 so that He can restore us back into His presence. 44:07 And what is the condition? 44:09 There's only one condition, one very explicit, 44:12 clear condition to be able to dwell 44:15 back in the presence of God. 44:16 And you know what that is? 44:17 To have the mind of Christ, the character of Christ, 44:22 because when Christ comes-- 44:23 it says in 1 Corinthians chapter 15, verse 51 forward that this 44:29 corruptible will become incorruptible. 44:31 Nobody said amen. You should get excited! 44:34 I can't wait to get rid of this! 44:35 It's not like it used to be, this corruptible! 44:38 Notice, He's not coming to change our character 44:40 or our mind. 44:41 That has to be transformed now, and He's giving us a chance and 44:44 opportunity because that is the one explicit requirement 44:48 to dwell in the presence of God again. 44:51 Do we have everything we need to obtain that and achieve it? 44:54 Oh, yes, we do. We have the Word. 44:56 We have the Spirit, amen? 45:00 Look at what it says in Revelation chapter 22. 45:03 "And He showed me a pure river of water of life, 45:06 clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God 45:08 and of the Lamb. 45:10 And in the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, 45:12 was the tree of life, which bore,'' how many fruits? 45:15 "Twelve fruits, each tree yielding 45:17 its fruit every month." 45:20 That's why it says in Isaiah chapter 66, 45:22 verse 22, 23, it says that from new moon to new moon, 45:28 or from Sabbath to Sabbath, all flesh shall come to worship on 45:33 the Sabbath day, amen? 45:35 Why every month or every new moon? 45:37 Because every month we will be eating of the tree of life. 45:42 I get excited for you. 45:44 A new fruit every month for the rest of eternity, 45:47 and you thought mangoes were great. 45:49 They're my favorites and kiwis-- 45:51 imagine this: God is going to be sharing His immortality through 45:56 the tree of life, sharing it with us, and that is the great 46:00 gift that will be given to those that love and honor Him, amen? 46:04 And it says in verse number 3, 46:07 "And there shall be no more curse," amen? 46:09 The earth is also yearning from the curse of sin. 46:12 The earth is also yearning. 46:14 It says that the earth is also wanting to be restored. 46:17 Imagine that the earth is wanting to be restored, 46:20 and we're not--sometimes. 46:23 "But the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, 46:25 and His servants shall serve Him." 46:28 And then, look what it says in verse 4. 46:30 "And they shall see His face," and pay attention to this, 46:32 "and His name shall be on their foreheads." 46:38 In other words, the name on their foreheads is that those 46:41 that will be there are those that have the mind of Christ, 46:45 those that have the faith of Christ, 46:46 those that have learned on this Earth to completely and totally 46:50 depend on God and surrender completely and let God finish 46:56 the work that He wants to do in me and the work that He wants 46:59 to do through me. 47:01 I'll repeat it again. 47:03 God has not brought you forth and me forth-- 47:06 He has not let us to come to existence to condemn us. 47:12 God is doing this because He wants us to give Him glory. 47:17 He wants to show that His promises are faithful He 47:20 wants to show that He has a purpose and a meaning for you. 47:23 And this--I don't know if there's a greater message in the 47:27 gospel than this part right here of God wanting to dwell again in 47:32 our presence and be with us face to face. 47:35 That's the God that I serve, a God that is yearning and 47:38 desiring to be with all of us together. 47:42 And He's yearning and desiring that you also have that same 47:45 burning desire so that you can go out and say, 47:47 "God, I want to be a witness to you. 47:50 I want to show the world the God that I serve." 47:52 I want to show the world that what we have on this earth is 47:54 nothing, because what eyes have never seen, 47:57 what ears have never heard, and what mind has never conceived is 48:00 what God has prepared for those that love him, amen? 48:05 And so, as we finish, my loved ones, I hope-- 48:09 it is my desire that you have learned through this lesson 48:14 that we are all teachers and students also. 48:17 God says, "Go out and teach them 48:20 the things that I have taught you. 48:21 Teach them. Share with them." 48:23 You and me are the instruments of God to get this gospel out 48:28 to a dying, suffering, desperate world 48:33 that has no hope and no meaning. 48:35 You and I are the ones. 48:37 We're the cover of the book. 48:39 The book is Jesus, but they don't see Jesus yet. 48:43 They see us first most of the times. 48:47 Do they want to read the end of the book? 48:50 It all depends if they like the cover of the book, right? 48:53 But once they start opening the book and they start reading it, 48:56 they're not going to want to let go, 48:57 because there's no other place 48:59 where you find these promises, these blessings. 49:02 It's amazing, my loved ones, 49:03 and that's what God has called you and me to do, amen? 49:06 And so, I hope you've enjoyed this quarterly lesson. 49:09 I think it's been a fascinating study, 49:12 brought us back to the earth, of knowing the importance, 49:15 the responsibility that we have to share these wonderful truths. 49:19 And so, before we close, before I have a word of prayer, 49:22 I want to remind you we have our free offer. 49:25 It's "The Day of the Lord." 49:27 For those that are watching, our free offer, 49:28 "The Day of the Lord," and you can text to SH1008. 49:33 To that number you can text "40544." 49:37 You can see it on the screen now: 49:39 Free offer number 825. 49:41 You can call 186-788-3966, or 1-866-STUDY-MORE. 49:51 There it is, and remember this is only in the U.S. 49:54 for mailing, but you can receive a digital copy also if you text 49:57 the code "SH108" to the number 40544, amen? 50:03 Let's have a word of prayer to close. 50:06 Father, we thank You again because You are amazing. 50:10 You're wonderful. 50:12 Your love, Your patience, Your mercy, 50:13 and all of this is perfectly reflected 50:15 through Your Son, Jesus Christ. 50:16 We ask, Father, that these lessons that we have learned 50:19 do not stay forgotten as time goes on, 50:22 but that they can be sealed in our hearts and in our minds to 50:25 show that You are our great teacher. 50:27 That we should every day be at Your feet learning, 50:31 but, then, we go out, and we go share others. 50:34 There's only one way that this gospel is going to be preached, 50:37 and it's when the perfect character 50:39 of Christ is reproduced in us. 50:40 Then we shall be true and faithful witnesses. 50:43 Thank You, Father, for all the warnings and all the things that 50:45 are happening in this world that tell us that the end is near and 50:48 help us to prioritize and to focus on the most important 50:51 thing, which is total surrender and consecration and to give You 50:55 glory and honor to this world, so that we are prepared, 50:59 and so that we can help prepare others. 51:01 Thank You for this opportunity, Father, 51:03 and we ask this in the precious 51:04 name of Jesus Christ, amen. 51:07 Happy Sabbath, everyone, and God bless. 51:12 male announcer: Don't forget to request today's 51:13 life-changing free resource. 51:15 Not only can you receive this free gift in the mail, 51:18 you can download a digital copy straight to your computer 51:20 or mobile device. 51:21 To get your digital copy of today's free gift, 51:24 simply text the key word on your screen to 40544, 51:28 or visit the web address shown on your screen, 51:31 and be sure to select the digital download option 51:33 on the request page. 51:35 It's now easier than ever for you to study God's Word with 51:38 Amazing Facts wherever and whenever you want 51:41 and, most important, to share it with others. 51:48 male announcer: Amazing facts, changed lives. 51:57 Charlie Green: I had a lot of pressure 51:58 as a pastor's kid to perform. 52:02 They're not allowed to make the same mistakes as everyone else. 52:06 Not only are people looking at you 52:09 but they're judging your father 52:11 according to what they see in you. 52:14 After a while, you get tired of carrying that load as a child. 52:17 By the time it got time for me to leave home, 52:22 I was pretty much finished with all that. 52:24 I wasn't good enough, and I didn't belong in there, 52:29 so when I left home I went to the world at a dead run. 52:35 You know, I partied and went to work and, 52:38 you know, was living my life as the way I wanted to, 52:41 and I just wanted to be left alone. 52:43 One day, I was driving my motorcycle 52:46 with some buddies of mine. 52:47 All of a sudden, I had oil running everywhere, 52:49 all up and down my arm and across my legs and rippling 52:53 down the tank in the wind, and loaded it up on a trailer and 52:57 sent it to the shop to have it fixed. 53:00 So, I went to pick it up, and the mechanic came out, 53:02 and he said, "You know," he said, 53:04 "we got your front end rebuilt." 53:05 He said, "That wasn't the bad part." 53:08 He said, "The bad part was the only thing holding the front 53:10 tire on was the weight of the motorcycle," so all I would 53:13 have had to have done was accelerate quickly and front 53:17 tire would have came off. 53:19 And it got my attention and got me to thinking. 53:21 You know, you hear a lot of people talking about, 53:25 you know, the relationship that they have with Jesus and all 53:28 that, and I didn't even know 53:29 what that was supposed to look like. 53:31 It began to work on my mind. 53:33 I think God was beginning to speak to me. 53:36 I believe that you can say I may be a poster child for the 53:40 shepherd-lost sheep story, because I wasn't looking for 53:43 God, and I didn't really care. 53:47 But He cared about me, and He came and got me. 54:02 male announcer: Together, we have spread the gospel much 54:04 farther than ever before. 54:07 Thank you for your support. 54:13 ♪♪♪ 54:23 ♪♪♪ 54:25 Doug Batchelor: Friends, are you afraid of heights? 54:26 If so, you might want to look away right now. 54:29 One of the most famous attractions in the San 54:32 Francisco Bay Area is the iconic Golden Gate Bridge. 54:36 While this world-famous bridge was named as one of the seven 54:38 wonders of the modern world, few people know the story of 54:41 the brave men who were involved in its construction and also 54:45 known as the Halfway to Hell Club. 54:48 Designed by a group of visionary engineers, 54:50 at 4,200 feet from end to end, the Golden Gate Bridge was at 54:54 one time the longest suspension bridge in the world. 54:58 During its construction from 1933 to 1937, 55:02 the Golden Gate Bridge had one of the best safety construction 55:05 records of any project during that time. 55:07 Keep in mind they would factor in and calculate that one man 55:11 would die for every million dollars that was spent, 55:14 so with a budget of $35 million they knew that loss of life 55:18 would be unacceptable. 55:19 This is why the chief engineer, 55:21 Joseph B. Strauss, was absolutely adamant about 55:23 using the most rigorous safety precautions that had ever been 55:27 used in bridge building. 55:29 He had a local manufacturer of safety equipment design special 55:32 headgear that he insisted be worn on every job. 55:35 This became the prototype for the modern hardhat, 55:38 worn for the first time ever, but the safety precautions 55:41 went even further. 55:42 Strauss provided a special hand and face cream to protect their 55:45 skin from the cold, biting wind and glare-free goggles 55:49 to protect their eyes. 55:50 In addition, they also ate a special diet to help ward off 55:53 dizziness when they were working at those epic heights, 55:57 but the most conspicuous safety precaution was a gigantic net 56:01 that was suspended from end to end under the entire 56:04 construction area of the Golden Gate Bridge. 56:07 In fact, during construction this net saved the lives of 56:11 19 men, who later became known as the Halfway to Hell Club. 56:16 Now, you need to keep in mind these were some of the most 56:18 dangerous construction conditions you can imagine. 56:21 The wind was constantly blowing. 56:24 They were walking around on iron 56:26 that sometimes had ice from the freezing fog. 56:29 In places, they were over 700 feet above the icy waters, 56:34 yet the men, coming from all walks of life, 56:36 were willing to take these risks because it was during the Great 56:39 Depression, and they would get paid up to $11 a day, 56:43 which was a fortune back then. 56:45 One of the other benefits of the net was they discovered that the 56:49 men were much more courageous even though they were walking 56:52 high on those slippery surfaces, 56:54 because they knew there was a mechanism to protect them 56:56 if they should fall. 56:58 This gave them the confidence and the courage to press on 57:01 and get the bridge built in record time. 57:03 You know, friends, as Christians we have a great work to do. 57:06 The Bible tells us that we get to participate with Jesus in 57:09 building a bridge that connects heaven and earth, 57:12 and there are dangers along the way. 57:14 The devil would like to paralyze us with fear that we might fall 57:18 or make a mistake, but we know that Jesus has provided a safety 57:21 net for us, and we don't have to be afraid. 57:24 We can press on with confidence because of promises in the book 57:27 of Jude verse 24: 57:28 He is able to keep us from falling, 57:31 but sometimes we make mistakes. 57:33 Still don't be discouraged, friends. 57:34 If you read in 1 John chapter 2, verse 1, 57:37 the Bible says if we fall, if we sin, we have an advocate with 57:41 the Father: Jesus Christ, so let's press on together and 57:44 build that bridge with Christ. 57:46 ♪♪♪ 57:56 ♪♪♪ 58:06 ♪♪♪ 58:16 ♪♪♪ 58:19 CC by Aberdeen Captioning 1-800-688-6621 abercap.com |
Revised 2020-12-17