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00:11 ♪♪♪ 00:21 ♪♪♪ 00:30 CC BY ABERDEEN CAPTIONING 1-800-688-6621 WWW.ABERCAP.COM 00:35 Shawn Brummund: Good morning, and welcome to another edition 00:37 of the Sabbath School Study Hour. 00:39 My name is Pastor Shawn Brummund, 00:40 and I have the privilege of welcoming and opening 00:43 our session here with prayer. 00:45 But before we open with prayer, we want to talk a little bit 00:48 about the Quarterly. 00:49 Today we're going to be looking at the Quarterly we've been 00:51 studying, which is "The Promise: God's Everlasting Covenant." 00:55 And we're looking at lesson number seven. 00:58 So, if you have a copy of the Quarterly, make sure that you 01:00 have it with you. 01:01 If you have your Bible--if you don't have your Bible with you, 01:03 make sure that you go and grab it. 01:05 This is going to be an in-depth Bible study, once again. 01:08 And I also want to invite you to take advantage of our free gift 01:13 offer that we have this morning, which is, "Written in Stone," 01:18 which is one of my favorite study guides, 01:20 "Written in Stone," 01:22 and you can just simply dial 1-866-788-3966. 01:27 Again, that's 1-866-788-3966. 01:32 And when you do get an answer, make sure that you ask 01:34 for Offer #111. 01:37 That's just a little bit easier today. 01:39 The number is 111. 01:41 Now, if you want a digital copy, and you are in the US, you can 01:44 also text the code SH098, and you want to be able 01:49 to dial that to 40544. 01:54 So, please take advantage of that, 01:56 if you've never studied this before. 01:57 I know that it'll be definitely worth your time 01:59 and investment in that. 02:02 So, before we invite our musician out, we want--actually, 02:05 we're going to invite our musician out first, 02:07 and then we're going to open with prayer. 02:09 Nice to have you. 02:11 ♪♪♪ 02:15 ♪ When I think I'm going under ♪ 02:20 ♪ part the waters, Lord ♪ 02:25 ♪ When I feel the waves around me ♪ 02:30 ♪ calm the sea ♪ 02:35 ♪ When I cry for help, oh, hear me, Lord ♪ 02:40 ♪ and hold out your hand ♪ 02:46 ♪ Touch my life ♪ 02:48 ♪ Still the raging storm in me ♪ 02:57 ♪♪♪ 03:02 ♪♪♪ 03:07 ♪ I need Thee every hour ♪ 03:15 ♪ most gracious Lord ♪ 03:24 ♪ No tender voice like Thine ♪ 03:32 ♪ can peace afford ♪ 03:39 ♪ I need Thee ♪ 03:43 ♪ Oh, I need Thee ♪ 03:48 ♪ Every hour I need Thee ♪ 03:56 ♪ Oh, bless me now, my Savior ♪ 04:04 ♪ I come to Thee ♪ 04:12 ♪ I need Thee every hour ♪ 04:20 ♪ in joy or pain ♪ 04:27 ♪ Come quickly and divine ♪ 04:35 ♪ or life is vain ♪ 04:42 ♪ I need Thee ♪ 04:45 ♪ Oh, I need Thee ♪ 04:51 ♪ Every hour I need Thee ♪ 04:59 ♪ Oh, bless me now, my Savior ♪ 05:06 ♪ I come to Thee ♪ 05:16 ♪ Oh, oh, oh ♪ 05:21 ♪ Oh, bless me now, my Savior ♪ 05:29 ♪ I come to Thee ♪ 05:39 ♪♪♪ 05:49 ♪♪♪ 05:53 ♪ When I think I'm going under ♪ 06:01 ♪ part the waters, Lord ♪♪ 06:06 ♪♪♪ 06:09 Shawn: I want to invite you to close your eyes, 06:11 as we ask the Lord to be with us. 06:13 Father in heaven, we come before You as the eternal God of the 06:18 universe, the One that gave us life and continues to sustain 06:22 our lives by Your grace. 06:24 As we come to You this morning, we want to pray that Your 06:26 Holy Spirit will be with us. 06:28 We claim the promise, Lord Jesus, that You gave to Your 06:30 first disciples and extended to us, that when we ask for it with 06:36 sincerity, that You will give us the Holy Spirit, that Your 06:39 presence will truly abide with us and dwell in our minds, 06:44 in our hearts, and that You will be our teacher, 06:49 that You will help us to be able to learn all things in concern 06:53 to what You want us to know. 06:55 Father, we thank You for your Bible. 06:57 And as we open it today, we want to pray, God, 06:59 that You will truly help us to be able to understand it better, 07:03 that we might be able to see You for all that You are. 07:06 Please bless our teacher, Pastor Doug Batchelor, today. 07:09 And Lord, we thank You for him and for his ministry, 07:13 and we count on being blessed once again. 07:15 We pray it all in Christ's name, amen. 07:21 Doug Batchelor: Happy Sabbath. 07:22 congregation: Happy Sabbath. 07:24 Doug: Good to see each of you. 07:25 Now, they reminded me in the studio, they said, you know, 07:27 a lot of times when this program airs on various satellite 07:30 networks, it is not on Sabbath, because a lot of teachers watch 07:32 it in advance, and so they might be watching it on Thursday. 07:36 And so I'm supposed to say, "Good morning." 07:38 And so whatever time it is you're watching it, 07:41 of course, it's Sabbath here during this time. 07:43 And wow, we're living in some fascinating times, and I'm just 07:50 so thankful that as much as the world changes, 07:52 the Word of God does not change. 07:55 Flowers fade, and the heavens and the earth might pass away 07:59 before the Word of God passes away. 08:01 We're going to be talking today, continuing in our study dealing 08:04 with the promise, talking about the covenants of salvation 08:08 that God made with His people. 08:09 And our lesson today is lesson number seven. 08:12 It's the "Covenant at Sinai." 08:15 And we have a memory verse, and the memory verse is 08:19 from Exodus 19, verse 4. 08:22 It says, "You have seen what I did to the Egyptians and how 08:26 I bore you on eagle's wings and brought you to myself. 08:31 You know, the story of the Exodus is the story of 08:33 salvation, and it is just a wonderful analogy. 08:38 It's a living metaphor of how God saves us, brings us from 08:43 that slavery to sin into the promised land. 08:46 We're going to talk a little bit about that later in the lesson. 08:49 I want to greet those who are worshiping with us online. 08:53 We know we have folks that are watching on a couple of 08:55 different Facebook channels, on YouTube, on satellite, 09:00 and we know you're here. 09:01 We also have some members, there's some members 09:03 that can't attend locally. 09:05 They're part of our online members. 09:07 And we have members in other countries that have no local 09:09 church that they can worship with, and so we want to welcome 09:13 you, as well, those of you who are part 09:15 of the Granite Bay online group. 09:17 In our first section dealing with the subject 09:20 of "On Eagles' Wings." 09:23 And this is based upon a couple of scriptures in the Bible. 09:27 Now, you realize the Ten Commandments--what chapter? 09:31 I'll repeat what you say. 09:32 Where do you find the Ten Commandments? 09:35 Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5, and Jesus gives a partial list 09:42 in Mark chapter 10, and there's other places 09:44 in the New Testament. 09:46 But you find your complete list there in Exodus 20. 09:49 So, in Exodus 19, the Lord is leading up to the giving 09:53 or delivery of the Ten Commandments, 09:55 and that's why we're studying this. 09:57 He's telling you, really, what the prerequisites are 10:00 for the covenant. 10:01 God reminds them how He took care of them as an eagle 10:05 protects its young. 10:07 And these are the passages here. 10:08 Exodus 19, verse 4, "You've seen what I did to the Egyptians and 10:11 how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself." 10:18 Now, when you say eagle in America, 10:21 what's our national symbol? 10:24 But it's a bald eagle. 10:25 Now, the eagle that they had in Palestine 10:28 was not that same eagle. 10:30 Now, I think we've got an eagle we're going to put up 10:32 on the screen here, or two. 10:33 One says, "I bore you on eagles' wings." 10:35 There's a bald eagle, but it's not a baby eagle on his back. 10:38 Someone snapped this picture of a crow. 10:41 Looked like--it looks like he's hitchhiking 10:44 on the back of an eagle. 10:46 Now, you've probably seen before where crows and eagles kind of 10:49 harass each other in the air, mostly the crows 10:52 harassing the eagles. 10:53 It looks to me like they're not necessarily friends, but this 10:57 crow is just sort of like landing on the back of the eagle 11:00 to mock him a little bit. 11:02 The behavior of eagles bearing their young on their backs 11:08 is very rarely a witness, and there have been a few 11:13 ornithologists--Karen, and I had a next door neighbor across 11:18 the street for 20-something years who was 11:19 a world famous ornithologist. 11:21 And I used to take advantage of Ed Harper and ask him questions. 11:25 When I had Amazing Facts about birds, 11:27 he always knew everything about birds. 11:29 And there's really no journal or documentation of eagles bearing 11:32 their babies on their backs. 11:35 There is one report of an ornithologist traveling in 11:38 another country that saw an eagle dive under its young on 11:42 its first flight, when it realized it was not getting its 11:45 wings and caught it on its back and got it lifted up again, 11:50 and it fluttered down eventually and learned how to fly. 11:52 But that's very rare. 11:55 So, what does this mean? 11:57 He bore you on His back as eagles. 11:58 By the way, the eagles that you find in Israel 12:01 are not the American eagle. 12:03 It's the imperial eagle. 12:05 I think we have a picture of that. 12:06 There it is. 12:08 And you would also find those in Sinai. 12:10 It's also a majestic-looking bird. 12:12 When you think about the eagles in the Bible, keep in mind, 12:16 what was the ensign on the Roman standard? 12:21 An eagle. 12:23 That's interesting, because Moses told the children of 12:25 Israel that, "If you turn away from me, and you do not obey me, 12:30 and you worship other gods, and do not keep my commandments, 12:32 I'll send another nation from afar, whose language you do not 12:35 understand and they will swoop down on you like an eagle." 12:40 And when the Romans came and surrounded Jerusalem 12:42 with their standards, and they had eagles on them. 12:45 So, I thought that was interesting. 12:47 But let me read to you Deuteronomy chapter 32 before I 12:51 go too far with the eagles here. 12:53 Deuteronomy 32, verse 10 through 12. 12:57 "He found him in a desert land and in the wasteland a howling 13:01 wilderness; He encircled him, He instructed him," talking about 13:05 God with His people, "He kept him as the apple of His eye," 13:09 meaning the focus of your pupil. 13:13 "And as an eagle stirs up its nest, hovers over its young, 13:20 spreading out its wings, taking them up, 13:24 carrying them on its wings." 13:26 Here you have it again. 13:27 God's talking about an eagle carrying them on its wings. 13:32 And he says, "So the Lord led him, and there was 13:36 no foreign god with him." 13:39 You know, we have several pictures of the tenderness 13:42 of God in the Bible, and it uses birds. 13:45 You know, Jesus wept over Jerusalem. 13:48 And he says in Matthew 23:37, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the 13:52 one who kills the prophets and stones those 13:55 who are sent to her. 13:56 How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen 14:00 gathers her chicks under her wings, 14:03 but you were not willing." 14:04 Now, I've seen this many times. 14:06 I was walking through the woods one time, and I came upon a 14:10 quail, and its chicks had just hatched out there on the dirt 14:15 road, and they were off in the distance. 14:17 I was a little bit away, but I could see them. 14:20 And the little chicks were all scattered around. 14:22 They looked like insects, they were so small. 14:24 And they're pecking away, getting their first meals after 14:26 they hatched out, and the mother saw me, and she clucked, 14:31 and they all scurried under her wings, 14:33 and she spread her wings over them. 14:35 And then they got off into the grass, and then she came 14:39 towards me and started flapping around like she was wounded, 14:42 wanting me to chase her. 14:45 Have any of you ever seen this before? 14:47 Yeah, they will act like they're wounded to direct you away from 14:51 where the nest is or where the young are. 14:54 And so--I don't know why people call chickens, chickens. 14:56 They're sometimes very brave when it comes 15:00 to their babies, right? 15:01 That just isn't fair. 15:03 And so God uses this picture of taking us under His wings. 15:07 We sing that song, "Under His wings, I am safely abiding." 15:11 And so it's a picture of God's loving protection 15:14 and sacrificial protection for us. 15:17 It says, "As an eagle stirs up its nest." 15:20 You know, when an eagle first builds its nest, and it lays its 15:24 egg, it's got a lot of down and soft materials 15:28 that it's collected in the nest. 15:30 And as the little fledglings begin to grow and start getting 15:33 developed, and they're stretching their wings, 15:36 and eagles--I forget what-- 15:40 I think 20% of eagles do not survive their first flight. 15:44 I think that's what the percentage is. 15:46 After all that time in feeding and rearing them, they are not 15:49 like some birds that if they miss out on their first flight, 15:52 they'll just flop on the ground. 15:54 Do you know an owl, if it messes up on its first flight, 15:56 it climbs the tree with its talons. 15:58 It can climb right back up to the nest. 16:01 But eagles, they can't do that. 16:03 Sometimes they nest way up on these rocky crags. 16:05 And if they don't make it through the first flight and 16:07 figure out how to use their wings, they're in trouble. 16:09 So, what the mother does, she makes the nest uncomfortable, 16:13 while their wings are developing, and they get up, 16:15 and they just stretch their muscles, and they flap, 16:19 and they might catch a breeze and hover above the nest, 16:20 and they flop back down on it. 16:22 So, most of the time, they've sort of gotten the hang of 16:25 aerodynamics before they launch out, 16:27 because their first flight is pretty scary. 16:32 Any of you ever gone hang gliding before? 16:36 I have. 16:38 I still own two hang gliders. 16:40 I haven't used them in a long time. 16:41 But our boys used to-- we'd go hang gliding. 16:44 Now it's pretty dangerous with people. 16:46 Most people have given it up, but I remember 16:48 the first time I jumped off a hill. 16:50 I was with an instructor, and he said, "Trust your wings; 16:55 it'll hold you." 16:57 And boy, I was so scared because I knew as soon as I launched off 17:00 this hill, there was, you know, a thousand feet below me. 17:04 If anything failed, that was the end of Doug. 17:07 And one of the hardest things--but I had to do it 17:11 because my 13-year-old son was watching at the time. 17:14 And I thought, "He's going to think dad's a chicken." 17:17 But that first flight, that was pretty scary. 17:22 You feel like a pterodactyl has captured you. 17:24 You jump out and something's holding you up from behind. 17:27 But that's too much about eagles, sorry, all right? 17:33 Eagles are a symbol of God, because they're also strong. 17:36 Isaiah 40:31, "Those who wait upon the Lord 17:40 shall renew their strength. 17:42 They will mount up with wings like eagles. 17:44 They will run and not be weary. 17:46 They shall walk and not faint." 17:49 And then in Ezekiel 1, verse 10, it says "For as the likeness--" 17:53 Another place where God is compared--or one of the aspects 17:55 of His character is compared to an eagle. 17:57 You see both in Ezekiel and in Revelation, the four creatures 18:00 around the throne of God. 18:02 What are they? 18:04 You've got a man, got a calf, got a lion and an eagle. 18:10 You see this both in Ezekiel chapter 1 18:13 and in Revelation chapter 4. 18:15 The first living creature was like a lion. 18:17 The second was like a calf. 18:19 The third had the face of a man. 18:20 The fourth was like a flying eagle-- 18:22 not just an eagle. 18:23 What kind of eagle? 18:25 A flying eagle. 18:26 Why does God use an eagle as-- 18:29 those four creatures all are giving different aspects-- 18:31 you realize Revelation is full of symbols. 18:33 These are symbolic prophecies. 18:35 They're giving aspects of God's character. 18:38 And some have wondered if Matthew is the lion, the Gospel 18:42 of Matthew is the lion, and Luke is the man, 18:46 and John is the sacrifice. 18:48 He is the calf. 18:50 And Mark is the eagle. 18:52 Mark is that fast gospel. 18:55 Eagles are known for their speed. 18:57 They're known for their sight. 18:58 They can see things so far or so far away. 19:03 And when God said, "I bore you," speaking of Israel, "I bore you 19:06 like an eagle does his young," saving them from Egypt. 19:10 Something else about an eagle is they could fly so high and so 19:13 far that there's no mountain, there's no army, no river, 19:17 no ocean is an obstacle. 19:19 No mater what the obstacles were for the children of Israel, God 19:22 removed all obstacles and delivered them from slavery. 19:25 So, there's nothing that can keep God 19:27 from saving us from slavery. 19:30 And eagles have incredible vision as well. 19:33 So, he uses this analogy. 19:36 You can also look here in Deuteronomy 1:29. 19:41 It says in verse 29, "Then I said to you, 19:45 'Do not be terrified or afraid of them. 19:48 The Lord your God who goes before you, He will fight for 19:51 you, according to all that Ge did for you in Egypt before your 19:54 eyes in the wilderness, where ye saw how the Lord your God 19:58 carried you as a man carries his son, in all the way 20:04 that you went, until you came to this place." 20:07 You know, there's a real challenging age in the 20:11 development of a child, where they're not crawling anymore. 20:16 They just start to walk, but they're not walking fast enough 20:19 to keep up with the parents. 20:21 And you've either gotta, you know, hold your hand down, 20:22 unless they grab hold of your finger, 'cause they can't get 20:24 their hand around your whole hand. 20:26 And you've gotta walk slow, or you've gotta pick them up 20:29 and carry them. 20:31 And sometimes, you know, especially if you're going 20:34 across the street, they'll see a parent pick up their child 20:37 and carry them. 20:38 They said, "Look, I'm not taking any chances." 20:40 And when there's danger, 20:41 the parent picks up the child and carries them. 20:43 And this is what God is saying. 20:45 He's got this picture of parental love. 20:47 And so this is what is being highlighted there under Sunday. 20:51 Also, Psalm 103, verse 13, "As a father pities his children, 20:57 so the Lord pities those who fear Him, 21:00 for He knows our frame. 21:02 He remembers that we are dust." 21:04 God is so patient and so merciful. 21:06 Has He been patient with you? 21:08 Is He patient with me? 21:10 I just thank God for His patience. 21:13 So, under Monday, it says, "A Pattern for Salvation." 21:18 Exodus 6:6, "Therefore say to the children of Israel, 21:22 'I am the Lord. 21:24 I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. 21:27 I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you 21:31 with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. 21:34 And I will take you as my people. 21:36 I will be your God. 21:38 Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brings you 21:41 out from under the burdens of the Egyptians." 21:44 You know, this was all foretold. 21:46 God had told Abraham hundreds of years earlier-- 21:50 it's very interesting. 21:51 Abraham went down to Egypt because there was a famine. 21:56 And he brought his wife, and he was afraid to tell the Egyptians 22:02 his relationship with his wife, because Sarah was so beautiful 22:05 that he thought that maybe they'd kill him and take her 22:09 to be part of the harem of the Pharaoh. 22:12 And so what happened is God told Abraham, he said, 22:17 "Your descendants are going to be slaves in a strange land and 22:23 they will afflict them 400 years, and then I will 22:26 visit them with plagues. 22:28 And after that, they will come out with great abundance. 22:31 What happened to Abraham? 22:33 Plagues fell on the Pharaoh when he took Sarah into his house. 22:38 And no one ever touched her, but he did take Sarah 22:40 into his house. 22:42 Plagues fell on the house of Pharaoh, and then Pharaoh sent 22:44 Abraham away with great wealth. 22:46 He gave him possessions and treasures 'cause God spoke 22:48 to him, and he saw this was a prophet of God, 22:51 and he sent him away. 22:53 What happened to the Israelites? 22:55 Plagues fell on the Egyptians, and it says they spoiled 22:59 the Egyptians. 23:00 God sent them away with great wealth. 23:02 So, did you catch that? 23:03 What happened to Abraham in his personal experience happened 23:07 to his descendants later. 23:10 Now, this is also going to come up in our lesson, because in the 23:12 same way that God called Israel out of Egypt--it says, 23:18 "Out of Egypt I've called my son." 23:20 Did Jesus go down to Egypt when He was a young baby? 23:25 And was He called out of Egypt back into the promised land 23:28 when Herod died? 23:30 He was. 23:31 So, the Bible refers to that as sort of an allegory of what had 23:34 happened to the people. 23:35 "I've called my son out of Egypt." 23:37 All right, going to Monday and looking at Exodus 6, it says, 23:42 "Therefore say to the children of Israel, 'I am the Lord. 23:45 I'll bring you out from the burdens of the Egyptians. 23:48 I'll rescue you." 23:49 This is talking about, again, the salvation from the bondage. 23:53 What happened there is a pattern of how God saves us. 23:57 Look at Romans 15, verse 4. 24:00 "For whatever things were written before are written for 24:03 our learning, that we through the patience and the comfort 24:06 of the scriptures might have hope." 24:09 Everything that's written in the Bible is written 24:11 for our understanding. 24:13 I remember reading in Luke chapter 24, when Jesus is 24:18 talking to the disciples on the road to Emmaus, 24:22 and they don't know it's Jesus. 24:24 He visits them after the resurrection, and they're 24:26 walking along, and they're talking about how terrible 24:29 the weekend had been. 24:30 Messiah had been executed, and the body is missing, 24:34 and Jesus listens to them complain. 24:38 And He finally says, "Oh, fools and slow of heart to believe, 24:42 all the prophets have spoken, 'Ought not the Christ to have 24:45 suffered these things and entered into glory?' 24:48 And then beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded 24:52 unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning Himself." 24:56 All the scriptures the things concerning Jesus. 25:00 How much Bible was written when Christ was alive? 25:05 Just the Old Testament, right? 25:07 So, when Jesus is talking about Himself in all of 25:11 the scriptures, what scriptures is He using? 25:14 Genesis to Malachi. 25:16 Can you find Jesus in the Old Testament? 25:20 Is the gospel only in the New Testament, 25:22 or do you find the gospel in the Old Testament? 25:25 Were they saved by works in the Old Testament, but were saved 25:28 by faith in the New Testament? 25:30 No, nobody is saved by works. 25:33 Everybody--Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him 25:36 for righteousness. 25:37 Abraham was righteous not by works but by faith. 25:40 Everybody is saved by faith. 25:41 Read Hebrews. 25:43 When Paul writes the book of Hebrews, and he's got this 25:45 chronicle of how the great patriarchs were saved by faith, 25:49 does he mention any New Testament characters? 25:52 He's highlighting all these Old Testament characters. 25:54 They were all saved by faith. 25:55 Everybody is saved by Jesus. 25:57 They were saved back then looking forward in faith 26:00 to the cross. 26:02 We are saved by faith, looking back to the cross. 26:04 Everybody is saved by the cross. 26:06 So, the story of the Exodus is an allegory of how God saves us. 26:12 1 Corinthians chapter 10, verse 1. 26:15 If you have your Bibles, you might want to turn to this one. 26:17 Sometimes I read you a real quick scripture, and by the time 26:19 I'm done, then you find it, but you'll have time 26:21 to find this one. 26:23 "Moreover," 1 Corinthians 10, start with the first verse. 26:28 "Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be aware that our 26:31 fathers," Paul is writing to the Jews, "were under the cloud, 26:36 and they all passed through the sea." 26:38 Now, Paul is talking about the cloud of glory that shaded them 26:41 during the day. 26:43 It was a pillar of fire at night. 26:45 And they went through the sea, the Red Sea. 26:47 All were baptized into Moses. 26:50 Anyone ever say, "Come follow Jesus 26:52 and be baptized into Moses?" 26:54 Who was ever baptized into Moses? 26:56 He's saying when they went through the Red Sea, it was 26:58 a symbol of being baptized into Moses, into his teachings, 27:01 into following him, the way we are baptized into Christ, 27:04 into His teachings, into following Him. 27:07 See the analogies that Paul was making here? 27:10 "They were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea." 27:13 Cloud and sea. 27:15 There's a pillar of fire at night, and they went 27:17 through the sea. 27:19 We must be born of the water. 27:20 We must be born of the Spirit. 27:23 The pillar of fire is born of the fire. 27:27 The Red Sea is a symbol of being baptized in the water. 27:29 We need both baptisms, or you cannot enter 27:31 the kingdom of heaven. 27:34 "And they passed through the sea." 27:37 All were baptized into Moses, and the cloud, and the sea. 27:39 They all ate the spiritual food, and they drank 27:42 that same spiritual drink. 27:43 "For they drank of that spiritual rock that followed 27:45 them, and that rock was Christ." 27:48 Now, was Jesus masquerading as a rock in the Old Testament? 27:51 Or is Paul simply saying that rock is a symbol of Christ? 27:57 The bread that came down from heaven, we don't have to guess. 28:00 Jesus said, "Moses didn't give you that bread. 28:02 I gave you that bread. 28:04 I am the bread that came down from heaven. 28:06 They ate manna, and they're dead now. 28:07 But if you want to eat a bread that will last forever, you must 28:10 eat my flesh and drink my blood, or you have no life in you." 28:13 So, Jesus gave us so many examples of how He 28:16 is the bread of life. 28:18 Can you say amen? 28:20 "Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word," 28:22 and Christ is the Word that proceeds from the mouth of God. 28:25 And so here Paul is showing us how to read the story 28:28 of the Exodus, that it's really an allegory of salvation. 28:32 I'm not done. 28:34 Go to verse 4. 28:36 "And they all drank the same--" 1 Corinthians 10, verse 4-- 28:38 "they drank the same spiritual drink, for they drank 28:40 of that spiritual rock that followed them. 28:43 That rock was Christ. 28:44 But with most of them, God was not well-pleased." 28:49 Now, there are a lot of them that were saved from Egypt, 28:51 but they didn't make it to the promised land, 28:53 because they lost faith along the way. 28:57 "With most of them, God was not pleased." 28:59 Is everybody that says they're a Christian really a Christian? 29:03 Do you think it is the majority, or the minority of people who 29:07 claim to be Christians that are real Christians? 29:11 Show of hands, how many of you think it is the minority 29:13 of people who claim to be Christians? 29:17 You're right. 29:18 I hope that doesn't make you lose faith that you can make it. 29:21 You can't, but Jesus is pretty clear many go in the wide gate, 29:27 few go in the straight gate, and because people 29:31 are not searching for it. 29:33 All these things-- look at verse 6. 29:36 I want to read back to verse 5. 29:38 "Most of them God was not well pleased. 29:40 Their bodies were scattered in the wilderness, 29:41 meaning they died along the way. 29:43 Now, these things became our examples to the intent that we 29:47 should not lust after evil things, as they lusted, 29:50 that we do not become idolators, as were some of them. 29:54 As it is written, the people sat down to eat and drink, 29:56 and they rose up to play. 29:58 Nor let us commit sexual immorality 30:00 as some of them did." 30:01 They had problems with other gods, they had problems with 30:03 evil, they had problems with sexual immorality. 30:06 Those things would never appear in the church today, right? 30:10 And it says, "In that day, 23,000 fell. 30:14 Nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them were also tempted, 30:17 and were destroyed by serpents." 30:19 Talking about the book of Numbers. 30:21 "Nor complain, as some of them murmured and complained, 30:23 and they were destroyed by the destroyer. 30:26 Now, all of these things happened to them as examples, 30:31 and they are written for our admonition upon whom the ends 30:34 of the ages have come." 30:36 And if that was true then, how much more have the ends 30:38 of the age has come now? 30:39 So, can we look at the Exodus experience and find out some 30:43 lessons to keep us out of trouble today? 30:46 First of all, Moses comes, and he says to Pharaoh, 30:50 "Let my people go." 30:52 Who does Moses represent? 30:54 That's easy. 30:55 They were baptized into Moses. 30:57 He's a type of Christ. 30:58 The Pharaoh. 31:00 Do you have to think very long? 31:02 Who does he represent? 31:03 He's the devil. 31:05 We all still together? 31:06 I know it's early, okay? 31:09 Does the Pharaoh want to let go of them? 31:12 No. 31:14 Does the devil want to let go of you? 31:15 No. 31:17 Does Moses tell the children of Israel, 31:19 "I'll make a covenant with you. 31:20 Keep the Ten Commandments, and I will save you out of Egypt"? 31:26 What happens first? 31:27 The Ten Commandments, or the lamb? 31:30 Is it the Law or the lamb? 31:33 He says, "First sacrifice this lamb. 31:35 Then we'll begin a journey to Mount Sinai." 31:38 Were they saved from Egypt because they were obedient? 31:43 Or were they saved from Egypt because of the blood 31:44 of the lamb? 31:46 Some people think you're saved because you keep 31:48 the Ten Commandments. 31:49 No, you keep the Ten Commandments 31:51 because He saved you first. 31:52 That is so important to get that right. 31:55 Because if you're waiting until you keep the Ten Commandments, 31:57 before you accept Jesus, you're never going to get there. 32:02 That's like telling a person to clean up before 32:04 they take a bath. 32:06 That doesn't make any sense. 32:08 First, they were--they took the Passover lamb. 32:12 They applied the blood of the lamb. 32:14 God said, "Now pack up. 32:15 We're beginning a journey." 32:17 The journey begins with the sacrifice of the lamb. 32:20 After they left Egypt, they went through the Red Sea. 32:23 He brings them to Israel, the promised land? 32:25 No, they head south. 32:28 They go to Mount Sinai. 32:29 And there's some debate about where that is. 32:31 I'm personally more inclined to think it's a mountain more in 32:34 Saudi Arabia than it was right there in the Sinai Peninsula, 32:38 because the New Testament says in Arabia. 32:41 And when it says that Elijah went 40 days and 40 nights to 32:44 get to Mount Sinai, it would not have taken him that long to get 32:46 to the popular Sinai location, but it would've taken him much 32:53 longer to get to the one in Saudi Arabia. 32:55 Anyway, we won't go there, but we'll love you either way, 32:59 whatever you believe on that one. 33:01 Either way, He took them to Mount Sinai, right? 33:04 And it was not north. 33:07 And He says, "If you love me--" 33:09 How do the Ten Commandments begin? 33:10 What's the first commandment? 33:15 People always start with the actual commandment. 33:18 They don't include the preamble. 33:19 The preamble is something that God wrote. 33:21 It says, "God spake all these words, saying--" 33:24 Now you begin to write. 33:25 This is where the writing begins. 33:27 This is where the commandment begins. 33:28 "I am the Lord your God that brought you out of the land 33:31 of Egypt, out of the house of bondage." 33:34 What is God saying there? 33:36 "I am the God who saved you." 33:39 Then He's implying, "If you love me, here are my commandments." 33:43 You see Jesus on the cross dying for your sins. 33:45 You see how much He saves you. 33:46 He gives you bread from heaven. 33:48 He provides your needs, water from a rock, defeats you 33:50 from your enemies. 33:51 He did all those things for them before they ever made it 33:53 to Mount Sinai. 33:55 Then He brings them to Mount Sinai, and He says, "I've shown 33:57 you, I've born you on eagles' wings, I've shown you my love. 34:00 I want to make a covenant. 34:01 I will be your God if you'll be my people. 34:03 Do you trust me? 34:04 Do you know I love you? 34:06 Will you love me and obey me?" 34:07 The phrase, "Love God and keep his commandments," 34:10 do you realize that is in the Ten Commandments? 34:14 In the commandment about idolatry, showing mercy unto 34:17 thousands of them that love Him and keep His commandments. 34:20 So, it tells you right there that is the key to keeping the 34:22 Ten Commandments, amen? 34:25 So, everything that happened to them are an allegory. 34:29 Now, were they saved by keeping the Law? 34:35 No. 34:37 Did they go into the promised land breaking it? 34:40 No. 34:42 While they were not saved from Egypt by keeping the Law, they 34:44 did not go into the promised land if they persisted 34:47 in breaking it. 34:50 So, people say, "Well, are you saying that I must obey 34:52 the law to be saved?" 34:54 You're saved because of the grace of Jesus. 34:57 But if you are saved by the grace of Jesus, you will obey. 34:59 If you persist in disobedience after God gives you your 35:02 wilderness time to learn to obey, He cannot bring you into 35:07 heaven deliberately sinning. 35:09 If the devil was kicked out for sinning, he is not going 35:11 to bring you in sinning. 35:13 That's what the Bible says. 35:15 You sinned and you were cast out. 35:17 So, the purpose of the plan of salvation, 35:20 "You will call His name Jesus," for He will what? 35:24 Save His people from-- in their sins? 35:27 From their sins. 35:29 Do you want to be saved in your sin? 35:31 Or don't you want to be saved from your sin? 35:32 My sin is a problem. 35:34 I want to saved from my sin, not in my sin. 35:37 But a lot of churches are teaching it 35:38 that He just kind of saves us. 35:40 We just bundle our sins with who we are. 35:42 We thank Him for His grace, and we're going to heaven that way. 35:45 Now I think there needs to be a transformation in the life, 35:48 but it must happen because of the blood of the Lamb, 35:51 because of love for the Lord. 35:53 See how the story helps us understand the theology 35:57 of how that works. 35:59 Timothy 2, verse 6, "God, who gave Himself a ransom for all, 36:05 to be testified in due time." 36:07 In Mark 10:44 and 45, "And whoever of you desires to be 36:11 first shall be slave of all. 36:14 For even the Son of Man did not come to serve, but to serve 36:17 and to give His life a ransom for many." 36:19 So, it's a question of who we want to serve. 36:22 Do we want to serve the Lord? 36:24 Or do we want to serve the devil? 36:26 Now, think about it. 36:28 When a person says, "It's tough being a Christian, I think I'd 36:30 like to give up," did the children of Israel ever say, 36:33 "We want to go back to Egypt"? 36:36 You and I looking back on that right now, we think, "Why in the 36:40 world would you want to go back and worship the Pharaoh's gods 36:43 and serve the pharaoh and make his bricks, buildings and work 36:49 in the clay pits of Egypt? 36:51 Why would you want that?" 36:52 It's amazing that here they are on their way 36:54 to the promised land. 36:56 God's feeding them with miracle bread every day. 36:58 They got water out of a rock. 37:00 His very presence is in their midst. 37:02 And they said, "We want to go back to Egypt." 37:04 And yet we know people who say, "I'm tired of following Jesus. 37:07 The Christian life is hard." 37:09 Well, I'll tell you, friends, it is hard. 37:10 Life is hard. 37:11 It is a lot harder to be lost than to be saved. 37:14 "The way of the transgressor is hard," the Bible says. 37:18 There is no rest for the wicked. 37:21 It is much harder to be lost. 37:23 Trust me. I've tried both. 37:25 It's harder to be lost, to have no peace. 37:29 It is so much better--life is tough. 37:30 It doesn't matter whether you're a Christian or an unbeliever. 37:32 There's going to be challenges, but it's a lot better 37:34 being a Christian. 37:36 Don't go back to Egypt. 37:37 So, all those things they went through, 37:39 they're lessons for us. 37:40 In Tuesday's lesson, it talks about the Sinai covenant. 37:44 Look at it. 37:46 It gives like an outline of eight things that happened there 37:48 in Exodus chapter 19 and on through 24. 37:52 It says, first they arrived at the encampment at Mount Sinai. 37:55 They had been delivered by the Lord, 37:57 and that's Exodus 19:1 and 2. 37:59 God proposes a covenant with Israel. 38:01 This is after they've been saved. 38:03 He's given them water. 38:04 He's given them bread. 38:06 He delivered them from the Amalekites who attacked them. 38:07 So, He's shown His love for them. 38:09 He's given them leadership. 38:12 Israel's response and acceptance of the covenant, 38:15 they're willing to listen. 38:17 Preparations for formally receiving the covenant-- 38:20 you know, God said, "I'm going to speak to you. 38:22 Wash yourselves. Wash your clothes. 38:25 Husbands and wives, you need to fast from intimacy." 38:29 You know, that was part of it. 38:31 And this is a special occasion. 38:33 By the way, Paul refers to that. 38:34 He said husbands and wives should not deny each other 38:37 unless they agree mutually. 38:40 And further, it should be limited, lest they're tempted. 38:44 But there was a time when God says, 38:46 "You're about to hear God speak. 38:49 You must present yourselves pure before the Lord 38:54 and not be distracted." 38:56 And then it says--so, there's a preparation for receiving 38:58 the Ten Commandments. 39:00 The proclamation of the Ten Commandments, 39:01 before God gives him the written transcript, he speaks it. 39:04 First they get the audio version. 39:06 Then they get the written version. 39:08 That's how covenants usually work. 39:10 You and I are going to make a covenant. 39:11 I'm going to buy your car. 39:13 So, you come to my house. 39:14 I advertised it on Craig's List. 39:16 I say I want 6,000. 39:17 You say, "Well, Doug, there's a couple of scratches 39:19 in the bumper," and so forth. 39:21 And you say, "I'll probably give you 5,500." 39:23 And I say, "No, I'll take 57." 39:28 And you act like that's too much. 39:30 You're really actually very happy, but you don't want to pay 39:32 more than you have to. 39:33 And so finally you kick the ground and say, "Okay." 39:36 I say, "All right, let me write it up." 39:39 So first you have the verbal agreement. 39:41 No sense making a contract if you haven't got 39:43 anything verbal, right? 39:45 Anyone in the law knows that. 39:46 First get a verbal agreement, or you'll be writing all the time. 39:48 Then you write it up. 39:49 So, God announces it verbally. 39:51 Then the Ten Commandments is the covenant that they have 39:54 agreed to at this point. 39:56 So, they get a written copy of what they've agreed to 39:59 in the covenant. 40:01 So then you've got the covenants. 40:03 The principals are spelled out in Exodus 20, and the 40:06 ratification of the covenant is Exodus 24, 1 through 18. 40:13 Matter of fact, let me look at the clock here. 40:15 Ah, I don't have time to read all that. 40:17 In Deuteronomy 29:10, "All of you stand today before the Lord 40:22 your God, your leaders, and your tribes, and all your elders, 40:25 and all your officers, and all the men of Israel, 40:27 your little ones, and your wives, also, 40:29 and the stranger who is in your camp." 40:30 So, He includes everybody. 40:32 "From the one who cuts your wood to the one 40:34 who draws your water." 40:36 The wood was for fire. 40:38 The water--notice that. 40:39 Baptism in the fire, baptism in the water. 40:42 "That you might enter into covenant with the Lord God, into 40:44 His oath, which the Lord your God makes with you this day, 40:48 that He may establish you today as a people for himself, that He 40:52 might be God to you, just as He has spoken to you and just as He 40:56 has sworn to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." 41:00 Does God still today have a covenant with Israel? 41:06 Well, it says they broke the covenant. 41:09 But didn't God renew the covenant? 41:11 Well, that's a covenant with Gentiles. 41:13 Show me that. 41:15 It says, "A new covenant I will make after those days 41:17 with the house of Israel." 41:19 So, we're all still living under the new covenant, right? 41:22 It's still based on the Ten Commandments. 41:24 Says, "My law I will put in their hearts." 41:27 And it says it's based upon better promises. 41:29 We'll get to that in just a minute. 41:30 So, looking under Wednesday, "God and Israel," you read in 41:34 Exodus 19:5 and 6, "Now therefore if you will indeed 41:38 obey my voice and keep my covenant, you will be a special 41:42 treasure to me above all people. 41:46 For all the earth is mine, and you will be to me a kingdom of 41:49 priests and a holy nation." 41:52 These are the words that you will speak 41:53 to the children of Israel." 41:55 Now, what good would we be if we were a church full of pastors, 41:59 if every one of you was a pastor? 42:02 And we all got together, and we talked about how good it is 42:04 to pastor? 42:05 What would we know about pastoring if we were all 42:07 pastors, and we just kind of pastored each other? 42:12 The idea of being a pastor is that you then go pastor sheep. 42:16 If all the shepherds get together and talk about how 42:18 wonderful it is to be shepherds, and you have no sheep-- 42:21 so when He calls them a nation of kings and priests, 42:23 what's the implication? 42:26 Israel was to be a light to the world. 42:29 They were to be priests like in the days of Solomon, 42:32 when all nations came to Israel to learn about their God. 42:36 And all the people that--see, God strategically located Israel 42:39 at a land bridge between Asia and Africa and Europe, 42:45 and all the traffic went through the land of Israel. 42:48 That's why some of the kings became very, very wealthy 42:51 from the tolls and tariffs that went through there. 42:54 That's why the Romans wanted Israel. 42:56 You think, "Why would they want that place? 42:57 Everyone is fighting over it." 42:58 It was the land bridge, and it was very important 43:00 territory--not to mention, back then it was a land flowing 43:03 with milk and honey. 43:04 So, the idea was as the nations of the world were on their 43:08 trade, and they'd come through Israel, every Israelite was 43:11 to be a priest, to tell the others about God. 43:15 And Moses said, "The other nations will see you, and 43:17 they'll say, 'What nation is there that has such just laws, 43:20 that has God in their midst?'" 43:22 They were to be witnesses. 43:24 That's why He said, "You're to be a nation of priests." 43:26 Now, was that just for Israel, or is that for us today?" 43:30 Well, you are Israel today, if you're a Christian. 43:33 I mean, I think God still has a special plan for the Jewish 43:35 people and Israel, but I think you are Israel. 43:39 If you are Christ's, you are Abraham's seed. 43:41 He is not a Jew which is one outwardly. 43:44 He is a Jew who is one inwardly. 43:46 And it is not circumcision in the flesh. 43:48 It is circumcision in the heart. 43:49 This is what the scripture teaches, right? 43:51 We are grafted in. 43:53 Paul says you and I are grafted into the stalk of Israel. 43:56 We're grafted into that tree. 43:58 The book we read is a book written by Jewish authors. 44:01 There are a couple of very minor exceptions. 44:04 And so the covenant that they made, 44:06 we get the benefit from that. 44:09 And so we are to be a nation of kings and priests. 44:12 And look at how Peter says it. 44:14 1 Peter 2:9, "But you are a chosen generation, a royal 44:17 priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people." 44:21 Is Peter talking to Jews or to Christians? 44:24 Christians. 44:26 We are a nation of priests. 44:27 It's the same thing God said to Moses. 44:29 This is His plan, that His church, we become priests 44:33 to the world. 44:35 I say priests, I don't mean in the sense 44:37 that you're carrying on rituals. 44:38 I mean in that you're advocates, you're teachers, you're like the 44:40 ancient Levites in that you're sharing the Word of God. 44:45 It says we are a holy nation. 44:49 You read in Revelation 1:5 and 6, 44:52 "And from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, 44:54 the firstborn from the dead, and ruler over the kings 44:57 of the earth, to Him who loved us and washed us from 44:59 our sins in His own blood and has made us kings and priests 45:05 to His God and Father. 45:07 To Him be glory and dominion forever and ever." 45:09 Is that clear? 45:12 Does that just happen when we get to heaven, or are we to be a 45:14 nation of priests now? 45:16 Romans 3, verse 19, "We know that whatever the law says, it 45:20 says to those who are under the law, that every mouth might be 45:23 stopped, and all the world might become guilty before God. 45:26 Therefore by the deeds of the law, no flesh is justified 45:29 in His sight. 45:31 For by the law is the knowledge of sin, but now the 45:34 righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being 45:38 witnessed by the law and the prophets, even the righteousness 45:41 of God through faith in Jesus Christ and on all who believe. 45:46 For there is no difference. 45:48 For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." 45:50 It doesn't matter whether you are a Jew or a Gentile. 45:53 We're all saved now by that promise, that covenant. 45:56 That's our last section, under Thursday, "Promises, Promises." 46:02 So, Moses gives the Ten Commandments. 46:04 Now first let's go to Exodus 19, verse 7. 46:08 "So Moses came, and he called the elders of the people, and he 46:11 laid before them all the words the Lord commanded him. 46:15 Then all the people answered and said, 'All the Lord has spoken, 46:19 we will do.'" 46:20 All right, so they are making a promise. 46:23 Did they keep their promise? 46:25 One of those promises says, "Do not make graven images." 46:28 While Moses is getting the Ten Commandments, 46:30 did they make a graven image? 46:32 And it said, you know, don't commit adultery, but it says 46:34 that Aaron--the people were naked. 46:37 And they had a--it says they worshiped, 46:39 and then they rose up to play. 46:42 And you leave it to your mind what happened there, 46:44 but it wasn't a traditional worship service. 46:50 Yeah, I won't say anymore. 46:54 So, the people promised, "All the Lord has said, we will do." 46:57 Now go to Exodus 24. 47:00 "Now he said to Moses, 'Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron, 47:02 Nadab, and Abihu, and the 70 elders of Israel 47:05 and worship from afar." 47:07 They weren't to come as close. 47:09 "And Moses alone shall come up near the Lord." 47:11 Moses was a mediator. 47:13 What is Jesus? 47:15 He's our mediator. 47:17 Some of you remember the old gas stoves that had three settings. 47:21 Low, high, and what? 47:24 Medium. 47:25 In the middle. 47:27 That's where you get the word medium. 47:28 It's in the middle. 47:30 And Moses is in the middle between God and the people. 47:32 Jesus is the mediator. 47:34 I love that story where Christ is transfigured. 47:36 And one day he goes from talking with the disciples 47:38 to talking to God. 47:40 Moses and Elijah and back again. 47:42 It's like Jesus is the ladder that goes between heaven 47:44 and earth, which of course, is what Jacob dreamed about. 47:48 And so he says, "Come up to the Lord. 47:51 Moses alone will come near me, but you shall not come near nor 47:55 shall the people go up with him. 47:57 So, Moses came and told the people all the words of the 48:00 Lord, and all the judgments, and all the people answered 48:03 with one voice--" 48:05 Here's the promise of the people. 48:07 They're saying, "We agree to the covenant. 48:09 All the words the Lord has said, we will do." 48:12 When I do a wedding, and the bride is there, and the groom is 48:15 there, and at some point I will look at them, 48:17 and everything gets real quiet, and they'll say, "I do." 48:21 Why? 48:23 Because there's a covenant. 48:24 And I'll look at the man, and he'll say, "I do." 48:27 And usually, hopefully they're real excited to 48:28 say, "I do," right? 48:30 If they're not happy about it, 48:32 then I ought to tell them to pause. 48:34 So, that's a covenant. 48:36 God has given the Ten Commandments, making a covenant 48:39 with the people, but the people's promises broke down. 48:44 Now we're under the same law, but better promises, 48:48 God's promise. 48:50 He says, "I will write my law in their hearts. 48:52 Same law, but instead of the people saying, "I will," 48:55 God says, "I will do it." 48:57 It's based on His promise. 48:59 Can you say amen? 49:00 All right, I have more I could say, 49:02 but the clock is disagreeing with me. 49:05 And so I want to remind you to request the free offer. 49:09 Hopefully that will appear on your screen once again. 49:11 And I want to thank you all again for studying with us today 49:15 and say God bless you to our viewing audience. 49:17 We'll continue to study God's Word again next week. 49:23 male announcer: Don't forget to request today's life-changing 49:25 free resource. 49:27 Not only can you receive this free gift in the mail, 49:29 you can download a digital copy straight to your computer 49:32 or mobile device. 49:33 To get your digital copy of today's free gift, simply text 49:36 the keyword on your screen to 40544 or visit the web address 49:41 shown on your screen, and be sure to select the digital 49:44 download option on the request page. 49:46 It's now easier than ever for you to study God's Word 49:49 with Amazing Facts, wherever and whenever you want, 49:53 and most important to share it with others. 49:57 ♪♪♪ 50:00 announcer: Amazing Facts, Changed Lives. 50:07 male: When I was 15, I bought my first bag of marijuana 50:10 out of curiosity. 50:12 And from the age of 15 on to 23 was a constant experimentation 50:18 with different substances. 50:20 By the time I was 23, there was not a drug I had not tried. 50:25 I had worn myself out searching for happiness. 50:28 And one day I came home tired as usual, 50:31 and I started drinking. 50:34 And as usual, after I started drinking, I started looking 50:38 for a higher buzz. 50:41 Someone came by with some Xanax. 50:45 Someone also came by with something else that I liked, 50:48 and that was cocaine. 50:50 This time, not thinking, I took the whole thing. 50:53 So, I went to bed about 5 in the afternoon. 50:57 My roommate went off to work that night. 50:59 When he came back from work the next day, though, he noticed 51:03 something was wrong 'cause I was still in bed 51:05 in the same position. 51:07 He tried to wake me up, and he couldn't wake me up. 51:12 When my parents found me, they found me curled up in the fetal 51:16 position in my hospital room, unconscious still, and I stayed 51:22 unconscious in this coma-like state for the next week. 51:27 I stayed the next month in the hospital, slowly getting better, 51:33 to where I could sit up in bed, and I had to learn 51:35 to walk again. 51:37 But my parents found this one facility out in the hills 51:40 of Tennessee. 51:42 I had to admit that I liked the place, but they were Christian. 51:47 And even worse than that, I said yes when they asked me 51:50 if I wanted to go to church that week. 51:53 Before the pastor said the benediction, I was so excited 51:55 because I was planning my escape. 51:58 And so after everybody was all in bed that night, I made sure 52:02 that they were snoring and that they were asleep. 52:05 I went into the kitchen and stole a few bananas, 52:08 got my backpack ready. 52:10 I figured I could get sober on my own. 52:13 My favorite song was, "I Did It My Way." 52:16 Of course, my definition of sober was a nice supply 52:22 of marijuana each day and alcohol on the weekends. 52:26 And of course, if I had a bad hangover, I might need some 52:29 of those relaxing pills to take. 52:31 But other than that, that would be it. 52:35 So, here I am, stranded on the street in the big city 52:38 of Houston, my bag of clothes is gone. 52:41 My cell phone was gone. 52:43 My wallet, my bus ticket's gone. 52:45 I don't have anything but the shirt on my back. 52:47 It's at that point that this man comes up to me, 52:50 this mysterious man. 52:52 He's actually very short and appears to be homeless. 52:55 And he led me to some food and even a place to stay that night. 52:59 Looking back, it is my firm conclusion that 53:03 that was an angel. 53:05 So my dad was able to come down to Houston and pick me up 53:08 and take me back up to the health retreat at Wildwood 53:11 in Tennessee. 53:13 They had a satellite. 53:16 On this channel there was a man named Doug Batchelor. 53:19 I liked what I heard. 53:21 I liked the way he explained the Bible. 53:23 It was so simple, and he also had an experience 53:25 similar to mine. 53:28 And I talked to Lou about him, and they happened to have 53:30 a whole set of cassette tapes. 53:33 I would wake up at 4 in the morning sometimes, and I would 53:36 get up, and I would watch two of those videos before breakfast. 53:40 I would sit this close to the TV watching what Doug Batchelor 53:44 was saying, just eating up every word of it. 53:46 I was so tired of hearing lies and even believing my own lies, 53:50 that it was so wonderful to find something that was solid 53:55 and that I could rely on. 53:57 And so when I got home from rehab, in my local church, 54:02 Eric Flickinger from Amazing Facts was holding 54:04 an evangelistic series. 54:06 They solidified my conviction, and it was then I made 54:11 the absolute decision to follow Jesus. 54:14 I praise the Lord Jesus Christ for Amazing Facts. 54:18 I praise God for Amazing Facts because they're so Bible based. 54:23 They send out evangelists who are willing to teach 54:26 the truth to people. 54:28 I'm thankful that they're preaching right now all over 54:31 the world, changing lives, just as they changed mine. 54:38 announcer: Together, we have spread the gospel 54:40 much farther than ever before. 54:43 Thank you for your support. 54:46 ♪♪♪ 54:50 ♪♪♪ 54:55 Casey: I would go out and go drinking, 54:57 and I just wanted to have fun. 55:00 I was working a lot at the time, going to school and just 55:04 wasn't really interested in really following God. 55:07 I would have people tell me, "Why don't you just have faith?" 55:10 if I was going through some type of trial during my life. 55:13 I didn't understand what that meant. 55:15 I would pray, but I didn't feel any less stressed about 55:21 or worried about a situation. 55:23 I didn't understand God's Word. 55:25 It seemed like it contradicted itself, 55:28 and so I struggled with that a lot. 55:31 My ex-husband and I, we had began dating. 55:35 And within seven months, we got married, which was really fast. 55:40 After we got married, he was very disrespectful, 55:43 and he was cheating a lot. 55:49 Found out he was cheating when I was pregnant with my first son. 55:52 I tried to get him help, and he checked himself 55:55 out of rehab a week later. 55:57 Living homeless in our hometown, he was saying and doing things 56:02 that he shouldn't be doing. 56:04 He was committing crimes. 56:06 It always started with alcohol and then pot or marijuana, 56:09 and then he would go to the meth. 56:12 So, it was just a really ugly chain of things, and that's why 56:16 I moved in with my sister. 56:19 We were staying with her, and her husband and I started doing 56:26 studies with my sister. 56:27 She was studying with some people, 56:29 and I joined the studies. 56:31 And I learned a lot of different things that I had never known 56:35 about the Bible, and it started opening up to me 56:38 and making sense. 56:40 So, my sister had installed the satellite, 56:44 and I found Amazing Facts. 56:46 The one thing I love about Doug Batchelor is he uses his own 56:50 life situations, and he uses really good stories to connect, 56:56 stories from the Bible or teachings. 57:00 I didn't understand why he was always bringing up the Sabbath 57:03 and why it was so important. 57:04 And I was asking my sister, "Why does he keep talking 57:06 about the Sabbath?" 57:09 And later on I found out, through studying more, and 57:13 listening to his teachings about it, the truth about the Sabbath. 57:18 I know that I started changing as a person. 57:20 I wanted to follow the truth. 57:22 I wanted to have a closer relationship with Christ 57:27 and be closer to God. 57:28 So, after doing the studies and learning the truths that I had 57:32 been learning, I decided to take that next step and give my life 57:36 to Christ through baptism. 57:39 Besides learning these messages, these truths about the Bible 57:43 through Amazing Facts, all of these wonderful people from 57:48 Amazing Facts, the way they've reached out to me, they really 57:51 showed me that they have caring hearts, that they're 57:54 Christ-like, because that's what a Christian is. 57:58 My name is Casey. 58:00 Thank you for changing my life. 58:03 ♪♪♪ 58:13 ♪♪♪ |
Revised 2021-05-11