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00:12 ♪♪♪ 00:36 Jean Ross: I'd like you to bow your heads as we have a word 00:38 of prayer. 00:39 Dear Father, we are indeed so grateful for the opportunity to 00:41 just take a break from the busyness of the week and gather 00:45 in Your presence on this special day that You have blessed. 00:49 Now Lord, we know there are folks scattered all over the 00:52 country that are part of our study time together. 00:55 And we can't be united in person at the moment, but Lord, we are 00:58 grateful that we can be united in Your Spirit. 01:01 And we're all sharing the same faith, we're looking at the same 01:04 Scriptures to build our faith. 01:07 And so, Father, we ask a special blessing upon our time today. 01:10 Be with those who are listening, and pray that You'd guide them. 01:12 Be with Pastor Doug as he opens up the Word and we launch into a 01:15 whole new series of studies on the book of Isaiah. 01:18 How exciting is this? 01:20 So, thank You, Lord, for being with us, and we commit this time 01:22 in Your keeping, in Jesus' name, amen. 01:26 Our study on the book of Isaiah begins today, and Pastor Doug 01:29 will be leading us in our first lesson. 01:34 Doug Batchelor: I want to welcome our friends that are 01:36 studying the Word of God with us today. 01:38 I'm very excited about the new study that we've got going today 01:41 because we're dealing with just one of the most magnificent 01:44 books in the Bible, the book of Isaiah. 01:47 And as was mentioned, for those who may have tuned in late, 01:50 we're just beginning a new quarter study. 01:54 Now, keep in mind that some of you are watching this 01:58 stream live. 02:00 That's because here at the Granite Bay Church, to provide 02:02 the "Sabbath School" program for the other satellite networks, we 02:05 record it three weeks in advance so that we can do the editing, 02:08 and put in the subtitles, and so forth. 02:11 And but it will play nationally the first week of January, but 02:17 we're getting to get into it here with our friends who are 02:20 watching online. 02:22 And I'm excited about Isaiah because it's just a 02:29 wonderful book. 02:31 It's basically like the gospel in the Old Testament. 02:34 Now, the lesson for today, lesson one is called "A Crisis 02:37 of Identity." 02:39 And we've got a memory verse, and the memory verse is from 02:42 Isaiah 1, verse 18. 02:45 And we've got a few families here with our support staff that 02:48 are helping us with this production. 02:50 They're welcome to say it with us, Isaiah 1:18. 02:53 And I bet some of us know this one by heart even before we were 02:56 told it was our memory verse. 03:00 "Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord. 03:04 Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white 03:07 as snow. 03:09 Though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool." 03:13 There you've got the gospel all summarized in that verse. 03:17 The Lord can take our sins, though they're just as red as 03:20 scarlet, He can make them white as snow. 03:23 That's a wonderful promise. 03:25 Now, the study today just so you don't get confused, you might be 03:27 wondering, how are we going to study 66 chapters of Isaiah in 03:33 13 weeks? 03:35 And the way I think that they're doing it, I haven't read the 03:38 whole quarterly yet, is they're--they'll be bouncing 03:40 around and doing some things based on content and sections. 03:44 So, our assignment today, we're going to be studying chapter 1 03:46 of Isaiah and part of chapter 5. 03:49 And then I believe in future lessons, they'll back up and 03:51 they'll get Isaiah 2, 3, 4, and so forth. 03:54 And so, it'll be covering certain themes. 03:57 Now, I thought it was appropriate today as we're 03:59 getting ready to enter this majestic book of Isaiah that we 04:04 have a little bit of introduction to help 04:06 understand it. 04:08 The word "Isaiah," the name, it means salvation is of the Lord. 04:14 And he is really a gospel prophet in the Old Testament. 04:18 And it says Isaiah is the son of Amoz. 04:21 And the word "Amoz" means strong, strength, to be firm. 04:26 And so, here you've got this person whose name is salvation 04:30 of the Lord, he is the son of strength. 04:33 And just even in the names, Bible names means something. 04:36 And you know, when they were naming their babies in the 04:38 Bible, they would pray the Holy Spirit would guide them, and 04:41 that name would somehow be the mission of their life or have 04:44 some prophetic significance. 04:46 And when Jacob went from Jacob, which means deceiver, and he 04:51 wrestled with God, he was renamed. 04:53 No longer the deceiver, now he's the prince Israel. 04:56 And so, they would even change their names sometimes when their 04:59 destinies changed. 05:01 So, Isaiah's named salvation is of the Lord. 05:05 And the time period of Isaiah when you read your Bibles, 05:09 Isaiah is both a historical book, it covers Bible history, 05:13 and it is also a prophetic book. 05:16 The time of his ministry is about 47 years of public 05:20 ministry, from about 760 to 713 BC. 05:25 Now, the Talmud, which is the Jewish tradition, it tells us 05:29 that he was ultimately killed by King Manasseh, and he was 05:32 executed supposedly because Isaiah said that he had visually 05:37 seen the Lord, and they said that was not possible. 05:40 You read in chapter 60, it says, "In the year that King Uzziah 05:42 died, I saw the Lord." 05:44 And that's at least the pretense that Manasseh used for 05:47 executing him. 05:49 I doubt that was the real reason. 05:51 But tradition says that he was sawn in two. 05:53 Now, that's very possible because you read in Hebrews 05:56 11:37 that some of those--that's in the great chapter of faith. 06:00 Some of those who died were sawn asunder. 06:04 And they believe that is a reference to how Isaiah died. 06:08 He started as a prophet early, his prophetic ministry covering 06:12 47 years, maybe 50 years. 06:15 But he was a contemporaneous prophet with Jonah. 06:19 That's right, Jonah was a real prophet in the northern kingdom. 06:23 Amos, Hosea, but he was a contemporary of Micah, who was 06:28 the prophet in the southern kingdom. 06:30 Now, you realize that when Isaiah was involved in ministry, 06:33 civil war had happened long ago, much earlier between the 06:36 northern ten tribes and the southern kingdom of Levi, 06:40 Benjamin, and Judah. 06:42 And Isaiah's ministry was almost exclusively the southern 06:45 kingdom, working in and around Jerusalem. 06:48 The northern kingdom was being plagued by the Assyrians at this 06:51 time, and they had their cadre of God's prophets up there. 06:57 Isaiah was a prophet. 06:59 Unlike Elijah, Isaiah was married. 07:02 How many of you know the name of his wife? 07:04 She was a prophetess, the Bible says. 07:07 I don't think her name's given, but do you know the name of one 07:11 of Isaiah's sons, Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz. 07:17 So, if any of you are expecting, you might pass that on. 07:22 But so, he was actually married evidently to a prophetess, but I 07:26 don't know that her name is given. 07:28 And if I'm wrong, you can correct me on that. 07:31 Isaiah is a fascinating book because it in many respects, it 07:36 is one of the oldest books that we have copies of. 07:40 A complete copy of the scroll of Isaiah was found among the first 07:44 Dead Sea Scrolls that were found. 07:47 And it clearly dates to at least 100 years before Christ, 07:52 possibly 300 BC. 07:55 Actually, the historians say you're always supposed to say BC 07:57 first, BC 300. 08:00 And meaning that the prophecies that you find in Isaiah, such as 08:04 chapter 53, where he talks very clearly about the Messiah, were 08:08 written before the event. 08:10 And so, it is a fascinating book. 08:13 Not only that, because Isaiah lived about 760 to 713 BC, about 08:19 150 years before the king of Persia was born, he specifically 08:23 mentions the king of Persia by name and has a message for him 08:27 in his book. 08:29 That's pretty fascinating. 08:31 You know, I remember reading in the writings of Josephus, the 08:35 Jewish historian, that when Alexander the Great, after he 08:38 finished conquering Tyre, he came down to Jerusalem. 08:42 And the priests went out of the city, kind of waving the white 08:44 flag, and they--a procession of priests went to Alexander and 08:48 they said, "Do not attack us. 08:50 You are here. 08:52 Our God said that you would be the king that would destroy 08:54 the Persians. 08:57 You're going to succeed." 08:59 And they showed him, through translators of course, they 09:01 showed him the books of Daniel that talked about the Greek king 09:05 that would go forth and conquer. 09:08 And it says Alexander got on his knees and he worshipped at 09:10 that point. 09:12 So, this is not the first time that great conquering kings were 09:14 foretold before they lived. 09:17 But yeah, even Cyrus, he could have read about himself written 09:21 by name. 09:23 Alexander is not given by name, but Cyrus is mentioned in Isaiah 09:26 by name in chapter 45. 09:30 So, in the prophecies of Isaiah, it talks about prophecy--he 09:34 prophesied the fate of many kingdoms, and they all 09:37 came true. 09:39 Babylon, Assyria, the Philistines, Moab, Syria, 09:42 Ethiopia, Egypt, Edom, Arabia, Judah, and Tyre. 09:48 And so, it's a very thorough book. 09:52 Now, there are 66 chapters in Isaiah, but it's not the longest 09:57 of the prophetic books. 09:59 Do you know who the longest prophetic book is? 10:02 It's Jeremiah. 10:04 Don't--can't always go by chapters. 10:07 Jeremiah's got 52 chapters, but Jeremiah has 33,000 words. 10:10 I don't think that's including his book of Lamentations. 10:13 And Isaiah's only got 25,000. 10:16 So, sometimes the chapters are longer, or the--yeah, the 10:19 chapters are longer and there's more words in them. 10:22 And so, this is just a little background in the book of Isaiah 10:25 to tell us that--and of course, Isaiah has quite a few 10:28 prophecies that talk about the coming Messiah. 10:33 And let me see here, there were some other little facts. 10:40 Yeah, I think I covered--I covered the main point. 10:43 Oh, Isaiah is quoted more than 50 times in the New Testament. 10:47 Jesus frequently refers to the book of Isaiah. 10:51 So, if there's any question about if Isaiah was really a 10:53 prophet of God, Jesus said he was. 10:56 And so, with that, and I may share a little more as we get 10:58 into other weeks, let's get into the first section of our 11:02 study today. 11:04 And it says, "Hear, oh heavens." 11:06 Now, we're going to read the first two verses. 11:09 I'm looking forward to the day when we can move into normal 11:11 Sabbath School and worship service. 11:13 You know, there was a time we used to pass around microphones 11:16 and ask people to help us read the verses. 11:18 Had it a little more interactive, and I'm hoping that 11:20 that day will come again soon. 11:23 But I'll read this for you. 11:25 Isaiah chapter 1, verse 1 and 2, "The vision of Isaiah, the son 11:27 of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days 11:31 of Uzziah, Jotham, and Ahaz, and Hezekiah kings of Judah." 11:36 So, we know that his ministry spanned the reign of 11:38 several kings. 11:40 Who is the longest reigning king of Judah? 11:47 Manasseh. 11:50 Manasseh comes right after Hezekiah. 11:52 Who is the second longest reigning king of Judah? 11:55 Uzziah. 11:58 So, Isaiah's life is bookend by the two longest reigning kings. 12:04 Uzziah is when he starts. 12:06 Manasseh is when he ends. 12:09 So, that's just a little interesting piece of trivia. 12:11 He starts out then and he says in verse 2, "Hear, oh heavens. 12:15 Give ear, oh earth. 12:18 For the Lord has spoken, I have nourished and brought up 12:21 children, and they have rebelled against Me." 12:23 Now, he starts his message by saying, "Hear, oh heavens." 12:26 Is he asking the atmosphere to listen? 12:30 Is it the gases that he's speaking to? 12:32 And when he says, "Give ear, oh earth," was Isaiah a pantheist 12:39 and he's talking to the trees and the rocks? 12:42 What does that statement mean? 12:46 Well, you know, if you want to understand something in the 12:49 Bible, what's the key? 12:51 Compare Scripture with Scripture. 12:53 If you look in Deuteronomy 30, verse 19, Moses is 12:57 speaking here. 12:59 He said, "I call heaven and earth as a witness today against 13:02 you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing 13:05 and cursing. 13:07 Therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants 13:10 might live." 13:12 I call heaven and earth as a witness. 13:13 Go to Deuteronomy 31:28, "Gather to me all the elders of your 13:16 tribes and your officers, that I might speak these words in their 13:19 hearing, and call heaven and earth to witness against them." 13:24 So, why did these Bible writers appeal to the heavens and 13:28 the earth? 13:30 You know, I think it's interesting, at one point 13:33 Israel, I think it was the tribe of Manasseh, they built an 13:36 altar, and Joshua and the other tribes got upset. 13:39 And they said, "You're only supposed to sacrifice at this 13:42 one altar." 13:43 They said, "No, we just created this altar to be a witness." 13:46 The rocks are a witness? 13:48 And then when they crossed the Jordan River and the 13:51 river parted? 13:53 Joshua said, "Take 12 stones out of the base of the river," 13:56 before it closed up again, and stacked them up as a witness, 13:59 really a reminder. 14:02 And so, when they say, "Hear, oh heavens and earth," now let me 14:05 give you one more thing to think about. 14:08 Are there beings in the room today other than human beings? 14:15 I don't mean pinto beans. 14:19 I mean, if you read in Ephesians, it says we wrestle 14:21 not against flesh and blood, but against what? 14:27 Principalities and powers and rulers in heavenly places. 14:32 So, when you say, "Hear, oh heavens," for the believer in 14:35 Jehovah, is there a spiritual world? 14:39 Are they witnessing what's happening here on earth as well? 14:42 And so, when it says, "Give witness, heavens and earth," 14:46 it's really calling all the humans, angels, good and bad. 14:51 The angels above, the angels below. 14:53 It says we're giving witness of the Word of God. 14:56 There's a challenge. 14:58 So, Isaiah is making a declaration for all to hear the 15:00 beginning of his book. 15:02 You can also read in Micah 1, verse 2, "Hear, you peoples. 15:06 All you pay attention, oh earth and all that is in it. 15:10 Let the Lord God be a witness against you, the Lord from his 15:13 holy temple." 15:15 All right, so he's making an appeal, what he's about to say. 15:19 So, what does he say now when he says, "Hear, oh heavens"? 15:22 Look in verse 3. 15:25 Isaiah 1, verse 3, "The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its 15:28 master's crib," or stall we would say. 15:32 "But Israel does not know. 15:34 My people do not consider. 15:36 Alas, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a brood of 15:40 evildoers, children who are corrupters. 15:43 They have forsaken the Lord. 15:45 They have provoked to anger the holy one of Israel. 15:48 They've turned away backward. 15:50 Why should you be stricken again and you revolt more and more?" 15:54 I'll pause there before I get to the other section here in this 15:57 passage with verse 6, or with verse 5 rather. 16:03 He says, "The ox knows his master, the donkey his master's 16:07 crib, but My people don't know Me." 16:11 You know, if a horse bucks off his rider, you know where the 16:17 horse is going to go? 16:19 Back to the barn where the food is. 16:22 And if you've got a dog that takes off and runs, they will 16:25 almost always come home when they get hungry. 16:29 And if you've got a homing pigeon and you put it in a 16:31 crate, and you take it from St. Louis to New York and then 16:34 the crate breaks and it takes off, you know where it's going 16:36 to go? 16:38 It's going to fly back to St. Louis. 16:40 One of the longest pilgrimages, a homing pigeon was being 16:45 shipped, it was a very expensive homing pigeon from England to 16:49 some collector in South Africa. 16:51 And on unloading, that pigeon, it escaped. 16:56 About six weeks later, it showed up in England. 17:00 It knew how to find its way home, that's why they're so 17:02 famous as homing pigeons. 17:04 So, he's saying even the animals know where their owners are. 17:09 Says, "But my people forgot that I am your Father, I'm the one 17:12 who led you out of Egypt. 17:13 You're going after these other gods. 17:15 You're forgetting about Me." 17:18 And then he talks about what's at the heart of it all. 17:20 This is Isaiah 1, verse 5. 17:23 "Why should you be stricken again? 17:25 You will revolt more and more. 17:27 The whole head is sick, the whole heart faints. 17:32 From the sole of the foot to the head, there is no soundness," 17:36 that means no healthiness in it. 17:38 "But wounds and bruises and putrefying," that word 17:42 "putrefying" means stinking, decaying, corrupting sores. 17:50 It's not a very pretty picture. 17:54 "Putrefying sores. 17:56 They have not been closed or bound up." 17:58 It's like talking about gangrene. 18:01 "Or soothed with ointment. 18:04 Your country is desolate." 18:06 Before I get into that part, here he describes the condition 18:09 of sin. 18:10 Can you think of somebody in the Bible that was sick from the 18:12 crown of their head to the sole of their foot? 18:15 When Job was afflicted. 18:18 And by the way, keep in mind the afflictions of Job were a type 18:22 of the sufferings of Christ for our sins. 18:25 And it says that Job was afflicted with boils, 18:28 painful boils. 18:30 And he had to scrape himself, so these are open sores. 18:33 It's like what Isaiah is talking about. 18:35 I know it's not pretty, but this is what the Bible says. 18:37 From the crown of his head to the sole of his foot. 18:41 How does Paul describe sin? 18:45 It's like a physical sickness. 18:48 It's a disease or a dis-ease. 18:51 And this is what Isaiah is saying. 18:54 And he says, "I want to heal you." 18:55 Jesus is called the balm in Gilead. 18:58 Says, "These wounds have not been closed or bound up." 19:02 By the way, we're going to study later on Isaiah does a little 19:04 medical work, did you know that? 19:07 When King Hezekiah is sick, he's got some kind of a fever, and 19:12 Isaiah has to tell him he's going to die. 19:15 And there's a sign that comes to him, and it says, you know, the 19:20 sun actually stops and goes backwards ten degrees. 19:24 And then God tells Isaiah, "Tell Hezekiah that he will recover 19:28 and that he is to place a lump of figs on the boil." 19:32 So, evidently he had some kind of open infection, and Isaiah's 19:35 the one who gave him the prescription. 19:37 It's interesting that he didn't just do a healing like Jesus and 19:39 say, "Be healed," but he used a medicinal remedy. 19:44 So, they had some rudimentary idea about healing back then, 19:48 and nothing was being done. 19:50 He says, "You're sick and you're doing nothing about it." 19:53 "They've not been closed or bound up or soothed 19:56 with ointment. 19:57 Your country is desolate. 19:59 Your cities are burned with fire. 20:01 Strangers devour your land in your presence, and it is 20:04 desolate, as overthrown by strangers." 20:07 Now, so when Isaiah is writing, part of the time at least 20:11 historically when Isaiah is writing, the Assyrians are 20:14 rampaging through the northern kingdom. 20:17 In fact, at one point in Isaiah's writing, and this is 20:21 also mentioned in Chronicles and in Kings, that the king of 20:26 Assyria came right to the gates of Jerusalem. 20:29 In order for him to get to the gates of Jerusalem, they had to 20:32 conquer and burn through all the fortress cities of Judea. 20:36 And so, with all of this--these enemies at the gates, so to 20:39 speak, the people are not turning to God. 20:42 They're spiritually sick, they're threatened by their 20:44 enemies, they're economically devastated, and he said, "What's 20:47 with this? 20:48 You're not turning to Me. 20:50 You're not praying." 20:53 It says, "Your cities are burned with fire. 20:55 Strangers devour your land in your presence, and it's 20:57 desolate, as overthrown by strangers. 21:01 So the daughter of Zion," God's people, the church, "is left as 21:05 a booth in a vineyard." 21:08 Now, you know, you might--some people, if you're going to live 21:10 in a house for a long time, you might have a substantial house 21:12 with stone walls and a tile roof in Bible times. 21:15 But the farmers sometimes, when they were working and watching 21:18 their crops, they would have these little booths made out of 21:22 leaves that would be out there in the farm or the garden. 21:25 You know, they were living scarecrows back then, and they 21:28 had these little booths out there. 21:30 And he says, "Your cities, they're beginning to look like a 21:32 hut in a garden of cucumbers." 21:36 Pretty pathetic, "Like a booth in a vineyard or a hut in a 21:39 garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city. 21:42 Unless the Lord of hosts had left to us a very small remnant, 21:46 we would have become like Sodom, we would have been made 21:49 like Gomorrah." 21:51 Now, of course, Sodom and Gomorrah were obliterated, they 21:52 were annihilated, no survivors. 21:55 And God said, "Look, I'm giving you a remnant. 21:58 The ten tribes in the north are going to be carried off 22:00 by Assyria. 22:02 Your country has been invaded by the land because of your sins, 22:04 you've turned to other gods." 22:06 In Isaiah, he goes into the specifics of what those sins are 22:09 many times in his books. 22:11 But the southern kingdom was still going through the 22:15 sacrificial system. 22:17 They were still going through the rituals, and we'll get to 22:20 that in just a minute. 22:22 So he said, "If it wasn't for the mercy of the Lord, you 22:24 wouldn't even have a remnant. 22:27 I'm sparing a remnant." 22:30 Next section, rotten ritualism. 22:33 And Jesus spoke about this, and I'll be reading Isaiah 1:10-14. 22:38 "Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom." 22:41 Notice how he starts that next verse. 22:44 "Give ear to the law of your God, you people of Gomorrah. 22:48 'To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to 22:50 me?' says the Lord." 22:52 They still had the temple, they still had the services, they 22:54 still went through the rituals. 22:57 They went through the sham of going through all the sacraments 23:00 and--but he said, "What good is it if your life is wicked?" 23:04 And if you're going to talk about people who are really 23:06 wicked, there's only a couple places you can point that are 23:09 the epitome of wickedness, Sodom and Gomorrah, and the people in 23:12 the days of Noah. 23:14 By the way, Jesus said that's what the world will be like 23:16 before he returns. 23:18 And this is what Israel had become like before the 23:20 Babylonian captivity. 23:23 "'To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices' 23:27 says the Lord. 23:28 'I've had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of 23:31 fed cattle. 23:33 I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or lambs, or of goats.'" 23:36 Can the blood of goats and lambs and those animal 23:42 sacrifices, do they wash away sin? 23:45 No, they all pointed to the only one who can wash away sin, and 23:49 that's Jesus. 23:51 And so, if we're living high handed, sinful lives, but we 23:54 say, "Well, well, you know, we're giving a big offering," 23:56 does that cover our sin? 23:59 God is saying, "What good is that if you're living wickedly 24:02 and you're going through all the pretense of religious, you 24:04 know, ceremony?" 24:08 Says, "When you come to appear before Me, who has required this 24:11 of you from your hand, to trample my courts, to bring no 24:14 more futile sacrifices? 24:16 Incense is an abomination to Me. 24:19 The new moons, and the Sabbaths, the calling of your--" 24:22 Now, does that mean he did away with the Sabbath? 24:25 No, just meant you're not honoring Me when you come to 24:28 worship me on Sabbath, and you live like the devil the rest of 24:31 the week. 24:33 "The new moons, and the Sabbaths, the calling 24:35 of assemblies. 24:37 I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting. 24:40 Your new moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates. 24:44 They're trouble to Me, I am weary of bearing them." 24:47 Now, that's pretty strong language. 24:50 It's like when Jesus said to the religious leaders, "You rob 24:54 widow's houses, and for a pretense you make long prayers." 24:58 So, can you be excused from robbing widows if you just pray 25:03 a long time? 25:06 No. 25:08 Amos 5, verse 21, he says, "I hate, I despise your feasts. 25:13 I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. 25:16 Even though you offer to Me burnt offerings and grain 25:19 offerings, I will not accept them. 25:21 And the peace offerings of your fattened animals, I will not 25:24 look upon them." 25:26 What is the condition to having the Lord accept our sacrifices? 25:29 Repentance, humbling of our hearts, sincerity. 25:34 If we sincerely repent of our sins and come, He accepts our 25:37 worship, He accepts our sacrifices. 25:40 But if we're living in open rebellion and we're going 25:43 through just the, you know, the sham of religious ritual, that 25:48 doesn't please the Lord. 25:51 It's like you remember the parable that Jesus tells, two 25:54 men went up to the temple to pray. 25:56 One was a publican, one was a Pharisee. 25:59 Pharisees were very religious. 26:01 And the Pharisee stood and he prayed thus with himself, "Lord, 26:03 I thank You I'm not like other men. 26:05 I pay tithe of all that I have, and I fast, and I'm not like 26:08 this publican back here." 26:10 He's just trusting in his own self-righteousness. 26:13 But the publican would not so much as lift up his head unto 26:15 heaven, but he smote upon his breast, he's standing in the 26:18 back, he says, "Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner." 26:20 He's repenting. 26:23 This is what the Lord wants. 26:25 The Bible says a contrite heart God will not despise. 26:27 He wants us to have broken hearts, repentance for our sins. 26:32 Amos 5:24 explains what he's looking for, "But let justice 26:35 run down like waters, and righteousness like an ever 26:39 flowing stream." 26:42 And moving onto Isaiah chapter 1, verse 15, "When you spread 26:46 out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you." 26:49 Now, that's a scary thought that we might pray, talking about 26:52 when you spread out your hands and you pray. 26:55 "When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you. 26:58 Even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. 27:00 Your hands are full of blood. 27:03 Wash yourselves," here's that verse that we were memorizing. 27:06 "Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean. 27:08 Put away the evil of your doings before My eyes. 27:14 Cease to do evil. 27:16 Learn to do good. 27:18 Seek justice, rebuke the oppressor; defend the 27:21 fatherless, plead for the widow." 27:23 Then he says, "Though your sins be as scarlet, they'll be as 27:26 white as snow." 27:28 So, what does the Lord want from us? 27:30 Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean through the blood of the 27:32 Lamb, turning to Jesus, repentance. 27:35 "Put away the evil of your doings before My eyes. 27:40 Cease to do evil, learn to do good." 27:42 Now, that's a very important verse, learn to do good, you 27:45 know why? 27:47 If you decide you want to turn to the Lord and you repent, if 27:49 you can't change everything in one day, don't get discouraged. 27:52 There is a learning process. 27:54 When I first came to the Lord, it took awhile for me to learn 27:57 how to talk without cursing. 27:59 It was a learning process. 28:01 But through the Holy Spirit, God was able to put the brakes on. 28:04 And so, you know, if you've spent your whole life doing evil 28:07 and you decide, "All right, I repent of my sins, you may need 28:10 to take some time to learn to do good, right? 28:13 That make sense? 28:16 "Rebuke the oppressor, defend the fatherless, plead for 28:19 the widow." 28:21 Psalm 66:18, "If I regard iniquity in the heart--in my 28:25 heart, the Lord will not hear me." 28:27 That's why he said in Isaiah 1:15, "If you spread out your 28:30 hands, I'll hide My eyes." 28:33 So, if we're living in deliberate sin, and we're giving 28:36 God our Christmas shopping list and say, "Lord, do this and this 28:38 and this," God says, "Look, I want your heart. 28:42 I want you to be surrendered. 28:44 I want you to be turning from your sins and following Jesus." 28:47 And then we're really saying, "Lord, I want to be on 28:52 your team." 28:54 Matthew 23:14. 28:57 I already read that, actually, "Woe to you, scribes 28:59 and Pharisees. 29:01 You devour widows' houses, and for a pretense you make 29:03 long prayers. 29:05 Therefore, you will receive greater condemnation." 29:07 And even in Isaiah 58, he uses the same principle. 29:10 He says, "What good is your fasting if you fast for strife 29:13 and debate, and to strike with the fists of wickedness? 29:17 You'll not fast as you do this day to make--will you not fast 29:20 as you do this day to make your voice heard on high?" 29:23 Jesus in his ministry said, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees," 29:28 Matthew 23:23. 29:31 "You pay tithe," and paying tithe is good, but he says, "You 29:35 pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, and you've neglected the 29:38 weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and faith. 29:43 These you ought to have done without leaving the 29:46 other undone." 29:48 Don't neglect paying tithe, and even in the small things, but he 29:50 said we cannot cloak our unrighteousness by, you know, 29:54 giving an extra offering. 29:57 And you know, we've all seen it, not just me, in the church. 30:02 You've got some people that major in minors. 30:06 They're extremely religious and exacting in certain areas. 30:09 You know, I'm a vegan. 30:13 And that's--you know, not trying to make you feel bad if you're 30:16 not, just saying that I believe in healthful living. 30:19 But I've met some people that are vegans, they're vegetarians, 30:22 they're very fastidious about the way they eat, and they are 30:25 as mean as snakes. 30:27 So, you're not saved by veganism, are you? 30:30 You know what I'm talking about? 30:33 And so, what God wants is righteousness in us. 30:36 It's not just a few legalistic, outward forms of worship. 30:41 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees. 30:44 You cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside 30:47 they're full of extortion and self-indulgence. 30:50 Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup." 30:53 So, what does Jesus want cleansed first? 30:56 You want the outside to be clean, you really have got to 30:58 clean the inside. 31:00 All right, and next section we're going to is the argument 31:02 of forgiveness. 31:04 And this is Isaiah chapter 1, verse 18. 31:07 "'Come now, let us reason together,' says the Lord. 31:10 'Though your sins are like scarlet, they'll be as white 31:13 as snow. 31:15 Though they are red like crimson, they will be as wool.'" 31:18 So, here you've got this incredible contrast. 31:21 And you know, whenever I read this verse, a couple of stories 31:24 come into mind. 31:26 One is when I lived in New York City growing up, New York City 31:29 is better now as far as it's--they're having a hard time 31:32 under the current times, but they are better than back when I 31:37 was a kid. 31:39 You know, now when people walk their dogs, they kind of clean 31:41 up after the dogs? 31:43 They didn't do that in New York City, and they had a lot 31:45 of dogs. 31:48 And that just to give you one example. 31:50 And the buses did not have catalytic converters. 31:53 There was a lot of smog in the city. 31:55 And you know, in our buildings in New York City, we did not 31:58 take the trash out. 32:00 We went to the landing and there was an incinerator. 32:02 We threw our garbage into a big burner that was in the basement. 32:06 You can--from the 15th floor, you could throw your garbage in 32:08 this chute, and you could hear it go pop, pop, pop, pop, pop as 32:11 it fell down, poosh into the incinerator. 32:13 You can open up the door and you can feel the heat coming up from 32:16 the incinerator. 32:18 On top of all the apartment buildings in New York, they 32:20 had incinerators. 32:22 And there was ashes in the city on the street, it was a dirty 32:25 city back in the '60s when I was living there. 32:29 I woke up one morning and I thought, "Something weird 32:32 going on." 32:34 I couldn't hear anything. 32:36 Usually outside my window in New York City, you always heard the 32:38 buses stopping and starting, and the taxis honking, and the 32:43 people yelling, and just always noise. 32:46 It was dead quiet. 32:49 I thought, "What happened?" 32:51 I went to the window, I looked out, about a foot of snow had 32:54 fallen during the night. 32:56 And it paralyzed all the traffic. 32:58 It may have been more than a foot of snow, but there was no 33:00 vehicles were moving, there were no snow plows out yet. 33:03 And it made everything so quiet, it insulates noise. 33:06 And everything suddenly went from dirty to pure. 33:09 And it was the most amazing transformation, I'll never 33:12 forget that. 33:14 But then I had another experience when I read 33:16 this verse. 33:18 I was in Maine, I was going to school in Maine, and it 33:20 was wintertime. 33:22 And they were driving on the snow in Maine, they knew how to 33:24 do that. 33:26 And I was going down the road in a truck with one of 33:28 the teachers. 33:30 And we were on some school errand to go to the store. 33:32 And we were driving by this farm, and this beautiful gray 33:35 and white dog ran out as dogs sometimes do to bark at trucks 33:38 that go by. 33:40 And it slid on the ice, and it slid under the truck. 33:44 It normally probably would've been fine. 33:47 And we hit it. 33:49 But we didn't kill it right away. 33:50 And we felt terrible. 33:52 We hit it, and it went and tumbled out from underneath 33:54 the truck. 33:56 And we pulled over and went out, and the dog was on the snow, and 33:58 it was looking up to us, and it was badly wounded, and it 34:00 was bleeding. 34:02 And the red blood on the white snow, I'll never forget 34:04 that picture. 34:07 And we watched it, it died there in front of us. 34:09 And I just think about the contrast of the steaming red 34:13 blood on the white snow, and how different it was. 34:17 Whenever I think about Jesus and it says scarlet, "Though your 34:20 sins be as scarlet," the white as snow. 34:22 I think because of the scarlet blood of Jesus, our sins are 34:26 made white as snow. 34:28 And the contrast can't be any greater between those two. 34:32 So, this is what he does for us. 34:35 And he says it will be like wool. 34:37 And of course, they would--they knew how to dye even white wool 34:41 to make it very white back then. 34:44 And so, God is saying doesn't matter what your sins are, 34:47 though they are like scarlet. 34:49 It's interesting that Isaiah wrote this and then one of the 34:53 most wicked kings in the world, Manasseh, whose sins were very 34:56 much like scarlet, he repented and God forgave him. 35:00 And then when he says, "Come now, let us reason together," 35:04 what does that mean? 35:06 Let's argue this out. 35:08 It's like Jesus said, "What profit is there?" 35:11 He wants us to take into account and think, use our noodle as 35:13 they used to say. 35:15 "Think about it. 35:17 I'm willing to forgive you." 35:20 In Revelation 3:18, "I counsel you to buy of Me gold in the 35:22 fire that you might be rich, and white garments that you might be 35:27 clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed." 35:32 And so, this white represents the purity of 35:34 Christ's righteousness. 35:37 And then Isaiah 44, a similar teaching, he says, "I have 35:40 blotted out like a thick cloud your transgressions." 35:46 And you think not a cloud of--you can always tell when you 35:48 see a fire on the horizon. 35:51 If the smoke is white, it's usually a grass fire. 35:54 If the smoke is black, it could be a car or a house because 35:56 there's toxins and things in there that produce black smoke. 36:00 And so, when it's talking about your sins are like a cloud, it's 36:05 talking about a black cloud of sin. 36:08 Says God can make us pure. 36:11 Says, "Like a cloud, your sins return to me, for I have 36:14 redeemed you." 36:16 All right, and then we're going onto the section to eat or 36:19 be eaten. 36:21 This is Isaiah 1, verse 19. 36:24 "If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good 36:26 of the land." 36:28 So, when we come to the Lord, what does He want from us? 36:30 A willingness. 36:32 Now, some of you might say, "You know, I'm not sure I'm prepared 36:34 to make a Christian commitment. 36:36 I've got so many changes I need to make. 36:39 I don't know if I'm even willing." 36:41 You know what you can do? 36:42 You can pray that God will make you willing to be willing. 36:45 I mean, everybody, you can be willing to be made willing. 36:48 So, really everybody's without excuse. 36:50 Say, "Lord, I--make me willing to do Your will." 36:53 Says, "You will eat the good of the land. 36:56 But if you refuse and rebel," sin is really rebellion, "you 36:58 will be devoured by the sword. 37:01 For the mouth of the Lord has spoken." 37:03 And you know, they did refuse and rebel, and the sword of the 37:06 Babylonians did ultimately come. 37:08 "How has the faithful city has become a harlot. 37:11 It was full of justice." 37:13 Now, does Revelation talk about a harlot city? 37:16 Revelation 17 and Revelation 18, it does. 37:20 Jerusalem was to be God's bride, calls her Zion, and now it says, 37:24 "You've become like a harlot." 37:27 "Your silver has become dross, your wine mixed with water. 37:30 Your princes are rebellious and companions of thieves. 37:33 Everyone loves bribes and follows after rewards. 37:37 They do not defend the fatherless, nor does the cause 37:40 of the widow come before them. 37:43 Therefore the Lord says, the Lord of hosts, the mighty one of 37:45 Israel, 'Ah, I will rid Myself of My adversaries, and I will 37:50 take vengeance on My enemies. 37:52 I will turn my hand against you, and thoroughly purge away your 37:55 dross, and take away your alloy. 37:57 I will restore your judges as the first, and your counselors 38:00 as at the beginning. 38:02 Afterward, you will be called the city of righteousness and 38:05 the faithful city. 38:07 Zion shall be redeemed with justice, and her penitents 38:10 with righteousness. 38:12 The destruction and transgression of sinners shall 38:14 be together. 38:16 And those who forsake the Lord will be consumed. 38:19 For they will be ashamed as the terebinth trees which you 38:21 have desired.'" 38:23 They were worshiping under these trees. 38:26 "And you will be embarrassed because of the gardens," where 38:28 they have their idols, "which you have chosen. 38:31 For you will be as a terebinth whose leaf fades, and as a 38:33 garden that has no water. 38:35 The strong shall be as tinder, and the work of it as a spark." 38:40 It's talking about judgment coming, like the tinder and 38:41 the spark. 38:43 "Both will burn together, and no one will quench them." 38:46 Isaiah and Jeremiah talked about them struggling because of 38:50 judgment, and that they would be burned with unquenchable fire. 38:54 Now, did this prophecy of Isaiah come true? 38:57 Because they did not turn. 38:59 They temporarily repented during the reign of Hezekiah and they 39:02 found some deliverance then. 39:04 And even during the reign of Josiah. 39:09 But then ultimately, the Babylonians came and destroyed 39:12 the city. 39:14 And the last section here, we've just got a couple minutes, 39:17 Isaiah chapter 5. 39:19 Now, we're jumping from Isaiah 1 to chapter 5 'cause we're doing 39:21 these things in segments. 39:24 And verse 1 through 7, "Now let me sing to my well beloved a 39:27 song of my beloved." 39:30 By the way, Isaiah writes many of his prophecies in poetry. 39:34 And you know, something is lost when you go from Hebrew 39:37 to English. 39:39 You know, if I tell you a poem in English, roses are red, 39:43 violets are blue, whatever, there'll usually be some rhyme 39:46 to it. 39:49 But when you take the poetry from one language to another, 39:52 sometimes you lose some of the rhyme of it. 39:55 But this was written often in poetry. 39:59 And it's a lot more beautiful, I understand, in the Hebrew. 40:03 "Let me sing to my well beloved a song of my beloved regarding 40:06 his vineyard. 40:09 My well beloved has a vineyard." 40:11 Now, where do you find something about my well beloved in 40:13 a vineyard? 40:15 Isn't that also in what they call Canticles, the Song 40:17 of Solomon? 40:20 "On a very fruitful hill. 40:22 And he dug it up and he cleared out its stones, and he planted 40:24 it with the choicest vine. 40:26 He built a tower in its midst, and he also made a winepress in 40:28 it, so he expected it to bring forth good grapes. 40:32 But it brought forth wild grapes. 40:35 And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, 40:38 judge please between me and my vineyard. 40:41 What more could have been done to my vineyard that I have not 40:44 done in it? 40:46 Why then, when I expected it to bring forth good grapes, did it 40:48 bring forth wild grapes?" 40:50 Can you think of a parable in Luke chapter 13, where Jesus 40:53 talks about a man that had a fig tree planted in his vineyard? 40:59 And it didn't bring forth any fruit. 41:01 And the owner said, "Just cut it down, it's taking up ground. 41:04 These are fruitless trees." 41:06 And he said, "Oh, give it one more year." 41:08 The gardener said, "Let me dig around it, let me fertilize it, 41:11 I'll irrigate it, and then hopefully it'll bring 41:13 forth fruit. 41:15 I'll do everything that can possibly be done, let's 41:17 be patient." 41:19 And so, God is so patient with his people back then. 41:21 And is he patient with his people now? 41:23 I'm not sure, but it could be true that the worldliness that 41:28 existed in the church in the days of Isaiah might be existing 41:31 in the church today, what do you think? 41:35 Was there warnings that came they had to repent or there'd 41:38 be judgment? 41:41 Yeah, "What more could be done to my vineyard? 41:44 And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, I'll tell you. 41:47 Why then, when I expected it to bring forth good grapes, it 41:51 brought forth wild grapes? 41:53 Please let me tell you what I will do to my vineyard. 41:56 I will take away its hedge." 41:58 The walls of Jerusalem were broken down. 42:00 "And it shall be burned. 42:02 And I'll break down its wall, and it will be trampled down. 42:04 I will lay it waste. 42:07 It will not be pruned or dug, and there will come up briers 42:09 and thorns. 42:11 And I'll also command the clouds that they do not rain upon it, 42:14 for the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, 42:17 and the men of Judah are its pleasant plant. 42:20 He looked for justice, but behold, oppression. 42:22 And he looked for righteousness, but behold, a cry." 42:26 He said that there'd be judgment because the vineyard did 42:29 not turn. 42:31 Now, this happened twice. 42:33 God's people were judged, the very prophecy that Isaiah made 42:35 came true in the days of the Babylonians, Jeremiah, when the 42:41 city was destroyed, the wall was destroyed, everything was burnt. 42:45 It was thorns came up on the land of Judah and Jerusalem. 42:49 He restored them, gave them another chance. 42:54 And after the teaching of Christ, Jesus' message was very 42:57 much like that of Isaiah. 42:59 He said, "This generation will not pass away until there won't 43:02 be left one stone upon another." 43:04 The same thing happened again. 43:06 Now, has God changed? 43:08 He's calling again for His church to repent. 43:11 And I think that message is going out. 43:13 What did Jesus say to the--you read in Matthew chapter 20 and 43:16 chapter 22, he tells these parables about the vineyard 43:19 workers, who abuse the owner of the vineyard, and they did not 43:24 give him the fruit. 43:27 And he gives two or three parables about the vineyard. 43:29 And I think he's pointing back to that passage there in Isaiah 43:32 chapter 5. 43:33 The vineyard represents the house of God. 43:35 Well, I hope you got something out of our introduction 43:37 to Isaiah. 43:38 And I want to remind you if you tuned in a little late, we have 43:41 a free offer that's available to everybody, and it's called 43:45 "The Point of No Return." 43:47 This is a great book, it talks about how do you--how do you get 43:50 the point of no return like in the unpardonable sin? 43:52 And what is the unpardonable sin? 43:55 You'll really enjoy this book by Joe Crews. 43:57 And if you like a free copy, you can download it by texting SH051 44:02 to 40544. 44:05 And that--ask for offer number 177 if you call. 44:09 The number is 866-788-3966. 44:13 That's 866-STUDY-MORE. 44:16 God bless you, friends. 44:18 Lord willing, we will study the next lesson in Isaiah next week. 44:23 male announcer: Don't forget to request today's life-changing 44:25 free resource. 44:27 Not only can you receive this free gift in the mail, you can 44:29 download a digital copy straight to your computer or 44:31 mobile device. 44:33 To get your digital copy of today's free gift, simply text 44:36 the key word on your screen to 40544, or visit the web address 44:41 shown on your screen. 44:43 And be sure to select the digital download option on the 44:45 request page. 44:46 It's now easier than ever for you to study God's Word with 44:49 "Amazing Facts" wherever and whenever you want, and most 44:53 important to share it with others. 44:59 announcer: Amazing Facts, changed lives. 45:08 male: It was--it was ongoing with me. 45:10 I would get up and drink. 45:12 I would go to work and drink. 45:13 I would come home and drink. 45:15 And that was--that was my way of life. 45:18 I had an older sister, and in 2008, we received a phone call 45:23 from her husband saying that she was involved in a very serious 45:26 home accident. 45:28 She had fallen outside on her patio. 45:31 It was a concrete patio, and she hit her head because she was in 45:36 a drunken stupor. 45:37 And she needed emergency brain surgery because of the trauma 45:41 that she had suffered. 45:43 And so, they were able to stop the bleeding in her brain, but 45:46 her organs started shutting down one by one. 45:50 So here I was, you know, hadn't had a drink, being a full blown 45:53 alcoholic myself, hadn't had a drink in probably a full day, 45:58 which was, you know, a lifetime for me. 46:01 And during the time we were watching there and they said 46:03 that she wasn't going to make it, and we had made the decision 46:06 as a group, you know, with her children present and her husband 46:08 that they were just going to go ahead and pull the plug. 46:11 During that time, watching her fade away, God forgive me, but I 46:15 sat there asking her to die fast so I could go get a drink. 46:22 And you know, I didn't even see it then, I didn't see how bad I 46:25 was at that time. 46:27 But you know, I look back at it now and it just tears me up. 46:33 Alcohol, that's what it does to you. 46:36 I was walking out to go to work one morning with my breakfast, 46:39 which was a six pack of beer. 46:42 And as I was climbing into my truck, it just hit me that it 46:46 was enough. 46:49 So I turned around, I took the six pack of beer, and I threw it 46:52 in the trash can, and I went and told my wife I needed help. 46:55 And there's two things I never do, ask for help and throw 46:58 away beer. 47:01 And you know, thank God I was able to do both. 47:04 Well, when I finally got to the hospital, and they came and got 47:08 me and took me in. 47:10 And when they did a blood alcohol on me, they had to do it 47:13 twice because they weren't quite sure it was right, but it 47:16 was 0.38. 47:18 They were all amazed I was even able to walk in there, let 47:21 alone, you know, being conscious. 47:24 It was about two months after I'd got out of treatment and 47:26 starting my fresh life. 47:28 I had left home, left my wife, and I was going to start my new 47:31 life of sobriety, and she wasn't going to be a part of it. 47:34 So I moved out and I was on my way to the store one morning 47:37 when I was T-boned, broadsided by an oncoming SUV on the 47:43 driver's side door of my truck. 47:46 And this driver was doing an estimated 65 to 70 miles 47:49 an hour. 47:51 And he smacked on my side of the door. 47:53 I woke up in the passenger seat of the truck. 47:56 And I remember coming to and hearing people standing outside, 47:59 "Look, he's still alive." 48:02 There was hairline fractures in my pelvis and there was a 48:04 compression fracture in my spine. 48:07 And so, on all intents and purposes, I walked away from an 48:10 accident I had no business living. 48:12 Well, with a broken back, I wasn't allowed to be vertical 48:15 for but very short periods of time. 48:18 And I wasn't very mobile with a fractured pelvis, so I was 48:22 forced to move back home. 48:25 And you know, thank God I've got a stubborn wife who was willing 48:29 to take me back and put up with all this. 48:33 During my recovery, the only thing I could really do was 48:35 watch television. 48:37 And so, as I was thumbing through the channels, I noticed 48:39 a gentleman. 48:42 And I happened to stop because he was proclaiming that you 48:45 can't prove biblically that the Sabbath was changed from 48:47 Saturday to Sunday and that it's not biblical. 48:51 I thought, "Well, you know what, I think I can do this." 48:55 You know, so I took up my Bible and I did something strange to 48:58 me, which was actually study. 49:01 You know, and over the course of several months of watching this 49:04 man, who I would later discover was Pastor Doug Batchelor, I 49:08 started trying to disprove everything he was saying. 49:13 And the more I read and the more I studied, the more I found out 49:17 that not only could I not disprove it, I was believing it. 49:23 I realized it was the truth. 49:25 Then I started soaking up everything that "Amazing Facts" 49:28 had--I was at their website, you know, doing all the reading, 49:30 I was looking at the Sabbath truths. 49:32 I was, you know, downloading, streaming everything they had, 49:35 and I was really, really getting it, and it helped me so much. 49:39 Over a process of about three months while studying, you know, 49:44 with Doug Batchelor and the "Amazing Facts" team and then, 49:46 you know, of course my Bible. 49:49 But over that three months, I had fallen in love with Christ 49:53 like I had never had before. 49:55 And not only was my back and my pelvis healed, but my soul 49:58 was healed. 50:00 And I experienced an emotional and a mental healing that, you 50:06 know, I had been longing for, for years. 50:10 I've got to do something. 50:13 What do I do next? 50:14 So, I looked up in the phone book and I found the number for 50:16 the local pastor. 50:18 I called him and I said, "Hi, my name is Brian, I've just 50:20 been converted. 50:21 Where do I go?" 50:23 And the poor guy was like, "Brian, it's nice to meet you. 50:25 Converted from what and go where?" 50:28 I said, "That's what I want to know." 50:31 But we had a little laugh over that and he thought it 50:33 was funny. 50:34 And before we knew it, I was, you know, heart and soul into 50:37 this little church. 50:39 And I was studying with the pastor and decided, you know, I 50:43 want to be baptized, I want to be rebaptized. 50:46 And we thought, "Great." 50:47 So, I did some study, and we agreed that I was going to be 50:53 baptized on this date. 50:55 Well, the next morning, my wife asked me and said, "You realize 50:57 what day this is?" 50:59 I said, "Well, it's Sabbath." 51:00 And you know, Sabbath was amazing in itself, but she said, 51:04 "Look at the calendar." 51:05 And when I looked at the calendar, on that day was my one 51:08 year anniversary of my sobriety. 51:11 I was being baptized one year after being sober. 51:14 And I just thought, you know, there's no such thing 51:16 as coincidence. 51:18 That was just amazing God would work that for me. 51:20 God has done amazing things with my life, and I have to give Him, 51:23 you know, all the credit because short of just responding, you 51:30 know, I've done nothing. 51:32 And it's been Him, and it's just pleasure, absolute pleasure be 51:35 called a child of God. 51:38 I am really thankful that God used "Amazing Facts" television 51:41 program and Pastor Doug Batchelor to make a change in 51:45 my life. 51:50 announcer: Together, we have spread the gospel much farther 51:53 than ever before. 51:55 Thank you for your support. 52:05 announcer: Amazing Facts, changed lives. 52:14 Ruben: You know, we grew up in a neighborhood up in the Midwest 52:17 that was a pretty bad neighborhood. 52:20 And when I became a teenager, I started using drugs. 52:24 I was on--I started using meth when I was, like, I think 16, 52:27 15, something like that. 52:29 I was having some problems in my life I really didn't know how to 52:32 deal with. 52:35 The only thing I really knew was violence. 52:37 So, this night here, I was going to inflict violence on myself. 52:41 I was really high and really depressed, so I took--you know, 52:45 I had this .40 caliber. 52:48 So, I remember I put one in the chamber, and I stuck it to the 52:50 side of my head like this. 52:53 And that gun had a hair-trigger, you know? 52:56 And I remember I was tapping it because a part of me said, "No, 53:01 I don't want to do this," but there was something very evil 53:05 present there saying, "Do it." 53:07 I just said to myself, I said, "God, if You're real, show 53:11 yourself to me." 53:15 My mother took me into church when I was a little kid, and we 53:19 used to sing "Jesus Loves Me." 53:22 And I remembered that song. 53:24 I started playing it in my mind, and almost had like a vision of 53:28 me as a little kid. 53:32 You know, in Sabbath school, we used to bang those sticks 53:37 together and sing "Jesus Loves Me." 53:43 And I heard that in my mind. 53:47 So, I just said, "Wow." 53:52 So, I just kind of, like, put the gun down, and I kind of fell 53:55 on my bedside there, and I said, "Lord." 53:59 I just basically just prayed this crazy prayer. 54:01 I said--you know, I told Him everything that was wrong 54:04 with me. 54:06 And I remember one day, I was driving around, I kind of 54:07 felt lost. 54:10 And I drove by this church, and I'd seen Tom out there, Tom was 54:12 just out there watering the flowers, you know? 54:14 Tom: So, I caught a vision out of the side of my eye of this 54:19 big, husky guy with the tattoos walking up. 54:22 And he's saying hello, and I said--so, I asked him if I could 54:27 help him. 54:30 And he told me that he drives by the church on occasion, and 54:34 every time he goes by, he's thinking that he should stop in. 54:38 Ruben: After he showed me around the church, you know, I was 54:43 like, "Okay, man, it's nice meeting you," and this and that. 54:47 So, I jumped in my car and I started heading down 54:50 the driveway. 54:52 And the next thing you know, in like my peripheral vision, I see 54:55 him coming around the corner, like Jerry Rice running 54:59 a football. 55:01 No, not that fast, but you know, he was taking off after me. 55:05 And he says, "Hey, hey, hey, hold on, hold on." 55:08 Tom: I asked him if he would like to have some Bible studies, 55:10 and he said yeah. 55:13 Ruben: He would come by the house, and we'd all start--we'd 55:15 start hiding the beer cans and trying to air out the 55:18 weed smell. 55:20 And there was a presence that came with Tom that 55:22 was comforting. 55:25 You know what I mean? 55:27 Even though I wasn't taking the Bible studies as serious as I 55:29 should have looking back, there was just a presence about him 55:33 being there in the house that was comforting. 55:37 I told Tom, I said, "Tom, you know, you can't win everybody." 55:40 Tom: I looked at him and I knew. 55:42 I said to him, "Ruben, I never get anybody." 55:47 I said, "It's the Holy Spirit who will do that." 55:51 And I kind of in my heart knew that the Holy Spirit was going 55:54 to work on Ruben. 55:56 Ruben: So, then Tom kind of left the picture for a while. 56:00 And then I think one day at my mother's house, they were 56:02 watching "The Final Events of Bible Prophecy." 56:05 So, I watched that, and I remember the scene where they 56:11 had the hellfire and stuff. 56:15 You know, they're outside the city, and it showed the hellfire 56:19 coming down and burning people and stuff. 56:23 And I remember saying to myself, "That's where I would be 56:26 right there." 56:28 After the hellfire scene, I saw the saints, and the city, and 56:33 the New Jerusalem, and Jesus recreating the earth. 56:39 And I said, "I want that to be me and my family." 56:46 There was something about the way Doug preached and things 56:48 that I felt that touched me. 56:51 Because he's kind of like myself, you know, he's--he 56:56 didn't--he didn't grow up like that. 57:00 You know, he'd done drugs and things, so I kind of found these 57:03 common grounds that I had with him. 57:05 And I liked how he just kind of, like, kept it real with 57:07 his preaching. 57:09 And then Pastor Rodney came to the church, and I got to know 57:13 him very well, and we started doing some finishing studies. 57:18 He wanted to make sure I understand what I was doing and 57:21 things, and baptized me, my wife, my brother. 57:25 No matter what you've done, where you come from, where 57:30 you've been, no matter how bad of a sinner you think you are, 57:35 the Lord Jesus loves you no matter what you've done. 57:40 Doug: Friends, it's because of God's blessing and your support 57:43 thousands of others, just like Ruben, have found Jesus and 57:46 eternal life. 57:50 ♪♪♪ |
Revised 2020-12-24