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00:03 ♪♪♪ 00:06 ♪♪♪ 00:16 ♪♪♪ 00:26 ♪♪♪ 00:36 Shawn Brummund: Hello, friends. 00:37 Welcome to another edition of the 00:39 "Sabbath School Study Hour." 00:40 It is good to be able to be here in the Granite Bay Seventh-day 00:43 Adventist Church here in the Greater Sacramento area, 00:47 and it is always a pleasure to be able to invite our local 00:50 church members, different visitors, 00:52 friends that have come to join us here in our sanctuary. 00:55 It is always good to be able to have those who are joining us 00:58 live as you--many are watching across the country, 01:01 different places of the world, and then, of course, for those 01:04 of you who are viewing this particular program on the 01:07 various television networks. 01:09 It is always a pleasure to be able to come together, 01:12 to be able to study God's Word, and to be able to understand the 01:15 truth that God would have us understand as we continue 01:18 to go through one of my favorite subjects, 01:20 our quarterly which is entitled "Rest in Christ." 01:25 And we're going to be studying lesson number nine. 01:27 As you saw on the screen and in the intro already, 01:29 this is "Rhythms of Rest." 01:32 And so we continue to look at that important subject, 01:34 "Rhythms of Rest." 01:37 Now, before we get into our study and we invite Pastor 01:39 Luccas and our singers up forward here today, 01:41 I want to invite you to take advantage of a free-gift offer 01:46 that we have for you. 01:47 In this case, it is entitled "Is Obedience Legalism?" 01:52 Is obedience legalism? 01:53 Now, you can see the toll-free number on your screen. 01:56 The free offer is number 706. 01:59 That's--and you just have to dial 1-866-788-3966. 02:04 That's 1-866-Study-More. 02:08 And that's available in North America 02:10 and the different US territories. 02:12 Now, we also have a digital version of this available 02:14 for free that you can download to your phone, 02:17 to your tablet, et cetera. 02:18 And in that case, you just need to text the code "SH041," 02:23 and you want to dial that to the number 40544. 02:29 And--so if you've never studied this lesson, 02:31 this is a great study guide. 02:33 I have studied through it myself. 02:35 I know many people that I've studied with it. 02:37 It is a very important question. 02:39 Is obedience legalism? 02:41 And so please take advantage of that free-gift offer. 02:44 We have some singers and musicians that are going to be 02:49 blessing us as we continue to praise the Lord in song. 02:53 ♪♪♪ 03:03 ♪♪♪ 03:13 ♪ Joy is the time I feel that I've been caught ♪ 03:21 ♪ in the mire of self. ♪ 03:26 ♪ Joy is the time I feel my mind's been bought ♪ 03:34 ♪ by worldly wealth. ♪ 03:39 ♪ That's when the breeze begins to blow. ♪ 03:45 ♪ I know the spirit's calm ♪ 03:52 ♪ and all my worldly wanderings just melt ♪ 03:59 ♪ into His love. ♪ 04:05 ♪ Oh, I want to know You more. ♪ 04:10 ♪ Deep within my soul I want to know You. ♪ 04:15 ♪ Oh, I want to know You. ♪ 04:18 ♪ To feel Your heart and know Your mind, ♪ 04:23 ♪ looking in Your eyes stirs up within me ♪ 04:28 ♪ cries that say, "I want to know You. ♪ 04:36 ♪ Oh, I want to know You more." ♪ 04:47 ♪ And when my daily deeds ♪ 04:53 ♪ ordinarily whose life and song, ♪ 05:01 ♪ my heart begins to bleed, ♪ 05:06 ♪ sensitivity to Him has gone. ♪ 05:14 ♪ I'd run the race, but set my own pace and face, ♪ 05:22 ♪ a shattered soul. ♪ 05:27 ♪ Now the gentle arms of Jesus ♪ 05:32 ♪ warm my hunger to be whole. ♪ 05:40 ♪ And oh, I want to know You more. ♪ 05:45 ♪ Deep within my soul I want to know You. ♪ 05:50 ♪ Oh, I want to know You. ♪ 05:54 ♪ To feel Your heart and know Your mind, ♪ 05:59 ♪ looking in Your eyes stirs within me ♪ 06:04 ♪ cries that say, "I want to know You. ♪ 06:11 ♪ Oh, I want to know You." ♪ 06:15 ♪ And I would give my final breath to know You ♪ 06:21 ♪ in Your death and resurrection. ♪ 06:25 ♪ Oh, I want to know You more. ♪ 06:33 ♪ Oh, I want to know You more. ♪ 06:48 ♪ Oh, I want to know You more. ♪♪ 07:11 Shawn: Is that the prayer of your heart, 07:13 to know the Lord more? 07:15 I hope it is as we continue to study. 07:17 Pastor Luccas is going to be our teacher here today, 07:20 and we are blessed to be able to study with him. 07:23 Before we invite him up, let's invite the Lord to be 07:25 with us in prayer. 07:27 Father in heaven, we are thankful for the opportunity to 07:31 be able to come together here this morning. 07:33 God, we thank You for this time in which we have come together 07:36 to invest into Your Word, into a knowledge of it; 07:42 that it might draw us closer to You, 07:44 that it might increase our faith, 07:46 that You might give us more understanding of the depths 07:49 of the mysteries of Christ, that You might help us to be able 07:53 to continue to experience that new life that is found in You. 07:58 We thank You so much for Your promise that You give to us when 08:02 we ask for Your Spirit in sincerity, 08:04 that You will give it to us and it will guide us and teach us 08:06 all things and lead us into all truth. 08:10 And so we claim that promise even right now. 08:13 We pray that You'll be with our teacher, 08:14 be with our minds. 08:15 In Jesus's name we pray, amen. 08:19 Luccas Rodor: It's good to see you all here on this blessed 08:21 and beautiful day. 08:23 I love being able to be here and just come to-- 08:27 coming to church is such a privilege. 08:28 I think that, you know, after the year that we've had-- 08:32 the year and a half that we've had, I wake up every Sabbath 08:36 just feeling so much joy in being able to go to church and 08:41 being able to, you know, see my brothers and sisters. 08:44 It's such a blessing. 08:47 The lesson for today is a really beautiful lesson. 08:49 It's a very important lesson. 08:51 I feel that, you know, God has given me this last year--a few 08:55 opportunities to talk exactly about this subject. 08:58 I don't know if you'll remember, but in the last quarter I got 09:00 this exact same subject, which was the Sabbath, right? 09:04 And the Sabbath is such an important thing for us to 09:10 analyze and study not only so we have this theoretical knowledge, 09:14 but so that we can have this day-to-day application of what 09:19 this "rest in Christ" means. 09:20 And today's lesson's title is "The Rhythms of Rest." 09:23 And so, really, we're going to dive into the Bible a little bit 09:25 and see the different rhythms of what resting means 09:29 from God to us. 09:31 So Pastor Shawn just prayed. 09:33 I'd like to invite you to pray again. 09:35 Bow your heads. Dear Lord, please lead out. 09:37 Please open this Word and guide us as we understand a little bit 09:40 more about You, Father, and a little bit more 09:42 about the Sabbath. 09:43 Use us please, Father. I ask in Jesus's name, amen. 09:47 You know, friends, a very interesting thing about the 09:50 Bible is that the Bible doesn't really spend time or waste any 09:53 time trying to prove God's existence. 09:57 It doesn't really spend any time trying to prove that God is 09:59 real, that God exists; and it doesn't really give or try to 10:03 offer evidence or, again, empirical proof 10:06 that the creation happened. 10:09 It just assumes it. 10:11 The Bible just assumes it. 10:12 In the very first verse, we find what? 10:15 In the beginning God created. 10:19 In the beginning God created, and we find some answers 10:22 to the most foundational--some of the most basic questions 10:24 of life in this first verse. 10:27 For example, we find when. 10:28 When is this happening? 10:30 Well, in the beginning. 10:32 In the beginning, this is happening. 10:33 And you know what that suggests? 10:35 It suggests the universe and matter are not eternal. 10:39 The universe and matter and history are not cyclical as many 10:44 would like to believe. 10:45 So when. You also have the who. 10:48 Who? God. 10:51 Not chance, not chaos, not randomness as suggested by 10:56 diverse theories that are out there on the market. 10:59 No. It was God. 11:02 How? By creation. 11:06 Creation is the method that's used by the maker. 11:08 Not evolution, not a big bang somewhere; 11:11 although I do believe that there was a big bang. 11:12 I feel that when God said, "Let there be," and then so on, 11:16 that was a big bang. 11:18 When God said, "Let there be light," can you imagine anything 11:20 other than a big explosion of light? 11:22 I can't. That was a sort of a big bang. 11:26 Not what people traditionally believe, 11:27 but a big bang nonetheless. 11:31 God created from nothing. 11:33 The Latin phrase ex nihilo, it means 11:38 and it translates exactly that. 11:40 God pulled things into existence that were not there before. 11:43 You know, here in this world we have this principle that 11:46 energy--this is a principle of chemistry and physics. 11:50 Energy is never really created. It's transformed. 11:53 Things aren't created, but they're transformed. 11:56 And we, really--humans abide by that law. 11:58 We don't really create things from nothing. 12:01 Rather, we transform them. 12:03 But when it comes to God, God has this uncanny, mysterious 12:06 power of creating things from nothing. 12:09 He has that ability. 12:11 What did He create? 12:13 The text says the heavens and the earth. 12:17 Creation, as mentioned here in Genesis, 12:19 has to do with our system. 12:21 And I'm not talking about our solar system, okay? 12:23 I'm talking about our system of existence, 12:26 not the entire universe. 12:27 God didn't create the whole universe on that fourth day. 12:30 And what I mean is that-- 12:31 well, He already lived somewhere, right? 12:33 So did God create His place of habitation on that fourth day? 12:37 Did He create the angels' home on that fourth day? 12:40 No. God was creating things that pertain 12:42 to our sphere of existence. 12:44 Now, how far out that goes compared to us, 12:47 I have no idea. 12:48 That very--very well may be the entire known universe, 12:52 the billions and trillions of stars. 12:53 Who knows? 12:55 Maybe God just is that big and that all this enormous space 13:01 that scientists find more and more every year 13:04 is really just this big. 13:06 We'll find out when we get there. 13:08 But you know, there's something rather sinister in the fact 13:11 that it's precisely this book that provides so many answers, 13:16 that provides so much to us. 13:19 The one that is designated to provide so many answers to some 13:23 of humanity's most basic questions: 13:26 origin, purpose, destination, where we came from, 13:30 what we're doing here, where we're going is exactly the book 13:34 that has--had its credibility most ferociously attacked. 13:39 The thing is, friends, that without Genesis, 13:41 without that first book of the Bible, 13:43 the rest of the Bible makes absolutely no sense. 13:47 Makes no sense at all. 13:49 Well, we can't--now here's the thing. 13:51 We can't, of course, explain creation in scientific terms. 13:54 I'd like you to try. 13:55 Try to explain those 6 days of creation 13:58 in scientific empirical terms. 14:00 We can't. You know why? 14:01 Because the Bible isn't preoccupied with that. 14:04 The Bible, friends, does not reveal-- 14:05 it doesn't provide absolute revelation. 14:10 The Bible provides necessary revelation, 14:12 revelation that we need to be saved. 14:15 So the Bible isn't going to go into the deepest details 14:17 of physics, chemistry. 14:18 It assumes from the get-go that God is the one 14:21 that established these laws. 14:24 So at the same time, the theory such as evolution, 14:28 which remains a theory in spite of all its pretensions, 14:31 is not science. 14:32 What it really is is a scientific philosophy that 14:35 demands a lot of faith. 14:36 It does. 14:38 A car, for example, has approximately 23,000 parts and 14:41 pieces, and maybe someone here can correct me on that; 14:44 a mechanic, or a car engineer, or something like that. 14:46 But it's about 23,000 parts and pieces. 14:49 Not one sane person in this world would defend that even the 14:52 simplest model is a product of chance or an explosion. 14:55 No one would defend that idea. 14:57 Imagine then the whole world in its deep complexity, 15:00 its beauty, its splendor, its purpose, 15:02 its mysteries, its enigmas being up--being attributed to blind 15:07 luck, to random chance. 15:12 Friends, we find that Scripture reveals truths inaccessible to 15:17 human logic and reason and inaccessible to the-- 15:21 to humanity's methods of research. 15:23 It's not, and that doesn't mean that God is illogical. 15:26 You know what that means? 15:27 That means that God is super logical. 15:29 He is just beyond our capacity of logic and reason. 15:32 He is that big, and here's the thing. 15:36 We have a really hard time sometimes of understanding how 15:38 big God is and how small we are. 15:42 We're small. We're very, very, very small. 15:48 Creation just like the incarnation of Jesus, 15:50 his resurrection, his ascension, his Second Coming, 15:53 are objects of revelation. 15:55 And having withstood millennia of all sorts of the most intense 15:59 and dire attacks, the Bible continues to declare 16:02 its foundational message that in the beginning God created. 16:06 Now, here's the thing. 16:07 You might be asking, "Well, what is--what does this have to do 16:09 with this week's lesson, 'The Rhythms of Rest?'" 16:11 And you know what? 16:12 Sometimes we get emails where, you know, 16:14 we see that people are asking exactly that. 16:15 "Well, it seems like he's just preaching. 16:17 He's not teaching the lesson." 16:18 Friends, I will--I said this last time in last lesson 16:20 and I will say it again. 16:22 The objective of a Sabbath-school teacher, 16:24 it's not to repeat the same thing that you studied 16:26 throughout the week. 16:27 It's to bring new information, right? 16:29 That's the objective here. 16:30 I'm going from the presumption that you studied the lesson 16:33 at home and that, here, you're ready for new information 16:36 about that same subject. 16:38 So keep that in mind as you hear what is being said. 16:43 But back to the topic, and here you'll see where I'm going with 16:46 this, all right, in the sense of rhythms of creation; 16:49 well, we find that when the Bible says that in the beginning 16:52 God created, it paints this extraordinary masterpiece 16:55 of this incredible paradise that now has been lost to sin. 17:00 Scripture illuminates the path that the planet took and what 17:03 was the cost of this detour. 17:07 However--and here I'd like to invite you maybe this afternoon, 17:10 maybe tomorrow to sit down and read Psalm chapter 19. 17:15 I'm going to read a portion of it right here, 17:17 but I'd like to invite you to--at home during the hours 17:20 of the Sabbath or throughout the week read Psalm chapter 19 and 17:24 marvel at the glory of creation even after the fall. 17:28 Verse 1 through 4 says, "The heavens declare the glory of the 17:31 Lord, and the firmament shows His handiwork. 17:34 Day unto day utters speech, 17:35 and night unto night reveals knowledge. 17:37 There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. 17:40 Their line has gone out throughout all the earth, 17:43 and their words to the very end of the world." 17:46 Friends, after all was created, all this beauty, 17:50 all the splendor, all this magnificence--after God had 17:55 created all of this, on the sixth day He reviewed His work. 17:58 What is Genesis 1:31 say? 18:00 It says, "Then God saw that everything that He had made, 18:03 and indeed it was very good." 18:06 So the evening and the morning were the sixth day. 18:11 But then after all His creating, all--of all His work creating, 18:15 God turned His attention to something else. 18:17 God simply made what on the seventh day? 18:21 He made a day. He created another day. 18:24 He included another day on that cycle, the seventh day. 18:29 Was that day just like every other the-- 18:32 of the previous six days? 18:35 He made it special. He made it different. 18:38 He made it unique. He made it singular. 18:42 Even before humanity dashed off into their self-imposed 18:46 stressful lives, God set a marker as a living memory aid. 18:51 He wanted this day to be a time for us to stop, 18:56 stop and deliberately enjoy life; 19:03 the real enjoyment. 19:06 Sabbath was made for men, not the other way around. 19:09 It's a day for us to be and not to do. 19:11 Do you see the difference? 19:13 It was a day for you to be, for you to exist before your 19:16 creator, not for you to do as a product of consumerism. 19:22 It's a day for us to celebrate the gift of grass, 19:25 of air, of wildlife, of water, of people, 19:28 and most importantly the creator of every good gift. 19:32 And friends, this invitation would continue to be in effect 19:35 even after the first couple was exiled from Eden. 19:39 God wanted to make sure that this invitation could stand the 19:42 test of time and so right from the beginning He knit it into 19:47 the very fabric of time. 19:50 That's where the lesson starts, when it begins on Sunday 19:52 with a prelude of rest. 19:54 We learn here, friends, that creation moves 19:56 from space to time. 19:58 What did God create first, life or the environment for life? 20:04 The environment. He creates light. 20:06 He separates the land from the water. 20:09 He creates an atmosphere, 20:11 a sky, the heavens, the firmament. 20:13 God created space first and then life. 20:16 Creation moves from space to life. 20:20 What He created is initially seen as good, 20:23 an expression that appears five times in Genesis chapter 1. 20:27 And God saw that it was good; the separation of land 20:30 and water, everything that I've already mentioned, 20:32 the heavenly bodies. 20:33 However, on the sixth day after the creation of man, 20:37 this expression, it's changed. 20:39 It changes and it gives way to a more intense description and it 20:44 involves the entirety of creation. 20:46 Because here God says in chapter 1, 20:48 verse 31, he says, "Then God saw everything that He had made, 20:52 and indeed it was," what? 20:53 It was good? 20:55 It was very good, very good. 21:00 In the same way that creation moves from space to life, 21:04 time flows from ordinary time to special time, 21:09 ordinary time to special time. 21:13 You know, the Sabbath appears inseparably connected 21:15 to the act of creation. 21:17 In three--you're going to find this 21:18 in three main biblical verses. 21:20 You'll find it in many places, but in mainly three verses, 21:22 three texts you'll find this reality that the Sabbath appears 21:26 inseparably linked--inseparably linked to the act of creation. 21:30 It's going to be Genesis chapter 2, verse 1 through 3, 21:33 Exodus 20:8 through 11, 21:35 and then Exodus 31:12 through 17. 21:37 These texts provide the origin of the Sabbath and the purpose 21:41 of the divine commandment for its observance. 21:46 Both of these--all right? 21:47 Both of these, the origin of the Sabbath and the commandment 21:50 of rest, are deeply rooted in the consequence 21:53 of God's creative activity. 21:55 The commandment to rest and the origin of the Sabbath. 21:58 So, for example, Genesis 2:1 through 3, 22:00 as the very text here concludes the narrative 22:03 of creation--that's what we find here. 22:06 God is concluding the whole story of creation. 22:09 It forms this compact of artistic unity. 22:13 There are basically four different points of emphasis 22:16 here regarding the Sabbath; four that I'd like you to-- 22:19 I'd like to call your attention to. 22:20 First of all, on the seventh day God 22:22 concluded His creative activity. 22:24 Isn't that what we find? 22:25 That's when God ends His creative activity. 22:28 The idea behind the verb--the structure here, 22:31 having finished all of His creation; 22:35 the idea behind this verbal construct, 22:37 it's not one simply declaring that God--that His work was 22:41 done, that He took it to the end. 22:43 The verb here, it explicit-- it expresses the idea of 22:46 completion, of reaching a desired goal. 22:49 God did what He set out to do. It wasn't interrupted. 22:53 It wasn't half done. It wasn't incomplete. 22:56 God concluded what He had set out to complete, 23:01 and right here we encounter this established order for humanity 23:05 in which time is separated by ordinary time and special time. 23:10 I've mentioned this: ordinary time and special time. 23:14 Now, what's more is that ordinary time finds its purpose 23:18 where, in what time? 23:21 In special time. 23:23 The ordinary time of our life, the six days of work, 23:26 they find their meaning, they find their purpose 23:29 in special time. 23:31 Wasn't it like that with God? 23:32 God created throughout the six days, 23:35 but on the special day everything made sense. 23:39 One flows into the other. And you know what that means? 23:42 That means in our life--since God is our supreme example, 23:46 in our life if your ordinary time does not flow into the 23:50 special time, if your ordinary time is a means in itself 23:55 there's something wrong with your ordinary time. 23:59 Ordinary time was meant to flow in to special time. 24:04 God ends His work as a creator, and from then on the Bible 24:07 reveals work as a means to an end. 24:10 The end is not the humanization of man nor its self-creation. 24:13 God didn't work for Himself, did He? 24:16 Who did God work for? Others. 24:20 The meaning, friends, or the purpose of work is outside of 24:23 the one who is doing the work. 24:26 You understand what I'm saying here? 24:27 Even the very purpose of work, and here you have to rethink 24:30 your understanding of work. 24:33 Is work just this--is the nature of work just financial, 24:36 just social-economic, or should it flow into another purpose? 24:44 Its finality is not to introduce the product of the work into 24:48 the personality of the one who is executing it, 24:50 but to extend His personality to those for whom the work 24:54 is being executed for. 24:57 Did you understand that? 24:59 Your work needs to reflect the character of God. 25:02 So you have to ask yourself, What are you working for? 25:05 Who are you working for? 25:09 To me this is a very extraordinary lesson that needs 25:11 to be learned by all the workaholics in the world that 25:17 simply work for themselves to accumulate, to retain. 25:21 God rested on the seventh day. That's the second lesson here. 25:24 This appears in Genesis 2:1 through 3; 25:26 Exodus 20, verse 11; and Exodus 31, verse 17. 25:29 And God's rest serves as an example and a motivation 25:32 for the sabbatical rest. 25:34 For humans that were created on the sixth day, 25:36 the Sabbath was their first day of existence. 25:38 It wasn't their seventh day, it was their first day. 25:43 They hadn't worked yet. 25:45 They weren't tired yet. 25:46 Have you ever stopped to think about that? 25:49 On the seventh day of creation, the Sabbath day of rest, 25:52 what day--it was humanity's first day. 25:54 Were they tired? 25:56 Had they gone through a week of work? 25:58 No. 26:01 Friends, we don't rest because of the week that has passed. 26:04 We're resting in preparation for the week that is ahead. 26:09 They rested because God rested. 26:12 They rested in order to commune with their creator, 26:14 to enjoy His creation. 26:16 The Sabbath is the seventh day of said creation, 26:19 but it's humanity's first day. 26:21 It's its first call to meet its God and to establish 26:24 what the priorities are. 26:26 Before humans ran off into their schedule, 26:29 they were called by God to establish their priorities, 26:32 what's important in life. 26:36 Friends, we still need that today; 26:38 to have our values, our priorities, 26:40 our spirit, our vision adjusted by God. 26:44 That's one of the purposes of Sabbath: 26:47 to establish priorities. 26:50 The third idea that's present in these texts and--especially 26:53 Genesis 2:1 through 3, it has to do with God's blessing. 26:56 God blesses the seventh day just as He bless the animals and the 27:00 humans one day before. 27:01 You'll find that in verse 22 and 28. 27:03 The blessing of the Sabbath referred to in the fourth 27:06 commandment connects the Sabbath of creation 27:09 to the weekly Sabbath. 27:10 This is the connection. 27:11 To bless means that human beings are then imbued with this power 27:16 of enrichment and of prosperity to find contentment in life, 27:21 joy in life, peace in life. 27:23 So in other words, the seventh day is a gift from God imbued 27:26 with a blessing that no other day possesses; 27:30 and this effectively destroys the idea that what matters isn't 27:33 the day that you rest, it's whatever day. 27:35 If you choose a Sunday, a Monday, 27:37 a Friday, a Wednesday, it doesn't matter the day. 27:40 Friends, show me where else in the Bible in the week of 27:43 creation where God confers a blessing to a specific date, 27:47 He makes that day a blessing. 27:49 How could I say, how--who am I as a human? 27:52 Who is anyone to remove that blessing 27:56 and say it's anywhere? 27:58 it's just a trivial matter. 27:59 It doesn't matter. You can't do that. 28:01 You're playing God. That's blasphemy. 28:05 God imbued this day with a blessing 28:08 and only He could remove it. 28:09 But we know that God doesn't change, so, 28:11 you know, how are you going to do that? 28:14 The blessing that God communicates to this day of rest 28:17 grants power, and this power makes the Sabbath fruitful 28:21 and vital to our lives. 28:24 Friends, the Sabbath is a source, 28:26 an uncomparable fountain of enrichment in the weekly cycle. 28:31 And the fourth lesson that you learn here in these verses that 28:34 the lesson mentions on Monday is the holiness, 28:38 the sanctity of the Sabbath. 28:39 The biblical text affirms that God hallowed the seventh day. 28:43 He made it holy. He sanctified it. 28:45 What does that mean? 28:46 The basic idea of sanctification, 28:49 or of making holy, is the idea of what? 28:51 What is God doing? Starts with an S. 28:53 He's setting apart. He's separating it. 28:59 The Sabbath was separated by God to be a day of weekly rest. 29:04 And it's important to make clear here, 29:05 friends, and I can't stress this enough, 29:07 it was God who separated it, not humans. 29:12 It wasn't Abraham. It wasn't Moses. 29:15 It wasn't the Israelites. 29:16 No. It was God. 29:18 God separated it. God made it holy. 29:20 God set it apart. No one else. 29:25 The sanctification of the Sabbath is an act of God. 29:29 Friends, the Sabbath is holy time, 29:31 not a holy place. 29:34 It invites us to set aside the common, everyday work 29:37 and to devote our minds and bodies and hearts 29:40 to the holy things. 29:41 So while you might go to places or be excluded from places, 29:48 you can't bring the Sabbath and you can neither be excluded 29:54 from the Sabbath. 29:55 Everyone has this day. 29:58 Everyone has access to this special time. 30:01 It comes to everyone, and in that way Sabbath 30:04 is a temple in time. 30:07 At the beginning of creation we find the separation between 30:09 light and darkness, and at the end of creation we find another 30:12 separation again between ordinary time and holy time. 30:16 The weekly day of rest or the weekly rest of the Sabbath 30:19 brings us hope. 30:20 It brings us the certainty that our origin and destination 30:23 are in God. 30:24 It gives us a sense of continuity from the past 30:27 and a hope for the future. 30:29 It invites us to rest while we live in this chaotic 30:32 and convoluted environment in this world. 30:34 We live in a sort of a detour, friends, 30:37 generated by sin and all the while we await the rest-- 30:40 the final rest and the peace of God for which He created-- 30:44 for which we were created. 30:45 You'll find this in the book of Hebrews chapter 4. 30:47 So, friends, this is the message of the Sabbath that reminds 30:50 us weekly of our origins, of our purpose, 30:53 and our final destination. 30:56 If your experience on Sabbath has been different, 30:58 it needs to change, it needs to change. 31:04 Tuesday, new circumstances. 31:05 This is an interesting study. 31:07 And this study here of this day, it talks about the provision of 31:10 manna and how the provision of manna is a very strong argument 31:15 for the reality of the Sabbath. 31:18 The provision of the manna was for Israel in occasion to renew 31:21 their commitment to the Sabbath, the greater gift. 31:24 And you might say, "Well, you know, manna, how is that the-- 31:27 how is the Sabbath the greater gift?" 31:29 I mean, they needed the manna to survive. 31:31 They needed to live. They needed food. 31:34 Sabbath is the greater gift because Sabbath celebrates 31:36 the provider of the manna. 31:39 Would there be manna without a provider? 31:42 God is the provider. 31:44 The substantive Shabbat, Sabbath, 31:47 appears for the first time in the Bible in Exodus 16:25. 31:51 That's where the word appears in that way, 31:53 as a substantive, inside the narrative 31:56 of the miracle of the manna. 31:58 Notice that it appears before the Sinai, 32:01 before the law is given to Moses, 32:03 and this destroys the theory that the Sabbath is introduced 32:06 by the Mosaic Law. 32:08 It destroys the idea that the Sabbath is a Jewish, 32:10 an Israelite, institution. 32:12 The implication that I'm giving you here is that the Sabbath 32:15 rest was observed before being formally required by the law. 32:21 That's very important. 32:22 The whole narrative of the manna is full of sabbatical 32:25 terminology, and the most important notions concerning the 32:28 Sabbath in the book of Exodus 16-- 32:30 or in the chapter 16 of Exodus can be summarized 32:33 in a few different points, all right? 32:34 I'm going to give you a rundown on what this means and the 32:36 implications of this. 32:38 First of all, the sixth day, it's mentioned here in-- 32:41 three times in chapter 16, verse 5, 22, 32:44 and 29, is a day of preparation for the Sabbath. 32:49 You know the day of preparation. You've heard of it, right? 32:52 Adventists have the day of preparation. 32:54 When I was a child, my mom made me do my chores on Friday. 32:57 That's when I'd clean the room. 32:58 I didn't really have a problem with cleaning the room, 33:00 but then I have to go pick up after the dog in the backyard. 33:02 That's where things started getting bad. 33:05 And then I had to clean the bathroom. 33:06 I did not like that chore. That was a horrible chore. 33:09 So day of preparation. 33:11 You know, I couldn't wait until the Sabbath started 33:14 for many reasons. 33:16 But on this day, the sixth day of preparation, 33:20 a double portion of manna was provided, 33:23 and it was collected. 33:24 There was no need to go out and work on the Sabbath. 33:28 The second thing here in the rundown is that the Sabbath 33:30 obviously was the following day, the seventh day, 33:33 after the day of preparation. 33:35 It is the seventh day of the week, 33:37 not the first or the fifth or the fourth. 33:39 It's the seventh day of the week, 33:41 and this, again, effectively debunks the idea 33:43 of any rest in seven days. 33:46 Whatever day is okay. 33:48 Friends, the rest that is indicated here by God is by 33:51 necessity on the seventh day. 33:53 That followed what day? The day of preparation. 33:57 It's very intuitive. There's no mystery here. 33:59 No one's trying to, you know, sneak in some weird details 34:03 into this whole narrative. 34:04 It's very obvious, very intuitive. 34:07 Thirdly, it's a divine commandment that is mentioned 34:09 here in relation to the observance of Sabbath. 34:12 It's a commandment that God gives again before 34:15 the Ten Commandments. 34:17 Fourth, the Sabbath is holy. 34:19 The Hebrew terminology here is very, 34:25 very technical, very precise. 34:27 It's Shabbat Kodesh. It's a holy day. 34:31 It's a day that's set apart. You can't confuse this. 34:36 It's holy. 34:37 Also, fifth, the Sabbath is a day of rest. 34:41 Rest in part has to do with the abstinence of work. 34:44 In this case, it means to abstain from the collection of 34:47 food, of engaging in the work of survival. 34:50 Do you see that? 34:51 Here they were stopped-- 34:53 they would stop trying to survive in recognition of what? 34:59 That God is the provider. 35:02 God was the provider. 35:04 When we stop today, when we close down everything, 35:08 we're recognizing that God is the provider. 35:11 It's an act of faith. 35:13 Six, the Sabbath is a day of celebration. 35:15 Sabbaton is the Greek word, used multiple times in the New 35:20 Testament as a day of-- 35:22 it's not a day of taboo, of lamentation. 35:25 It's not a day of fasting either, friends. 35:27 I'm not saying that you can't fast on Sabbath, 35:29 but Sabbath is not intended or meant for fasting. 35:31 You know why? 35:32 Because they collected a double portion of food. 35:35 If God wanted them to fast, what would He have done? 35:39 "Don't go out, and don't eat." 35:41 The Sabbath is a party. 35:44 God is a God of parties. 35:46 Look at the God of the Old Testament. 35:47 Look at the amount of parties that the children of Israel had. 35:50 Look at the percentage of how much time that consumed. 35:54 What do you think we're going to be doing in heaven? 35:56 It's going to be one big party for the rest of eternity; 36:00 the right kind of party, the good party, 36:02 partying and celebrating God and our relationship with him. 36:06 The people had to eat, for verse 24 and chapter 16 says, 36:09 "Today is the Sabbath of the Lord." 36:11 It was a special day with purpose-- 36:14 with the purpose of bringing joy, happiness, 36:16 satisfaction to those observing it. 36:19 And finally, the Sabbath is a test of fidelity for men to God. 36:24 You know, some people in their unbelief and in their curiosity, 36:29 they went out and they tried to find food, didn't they? 36:33 And God's disapproval was made very clear when that happened. 36:37 Exodus 16:28 says, "How long will you refuse to keep My 36:40 commandments and My laws? 36:42 How long will you be rebellious?" 36:45 Refusing to keep the Sabbath equals refusing 36:47 to obey God's will. 36:52 Faith walks hand in hand with obedience. 36:56 This is going to be a good study for those 36:58 that accept it, okay? 37:01 "Is Obedience Legalism?" 37:03 The Bible teaches that no, obedience is love. 37:06 Obedience is love. 37:09 Exodus 16 contains the central notion regarding the origin 37:12 of the Sabbath as it comes from before the Sinai. 37:15 That means that the Sabbath is an institution that was already 37:19 in effect from the creation of the world and will be in effect 37:22 throughout the endless times of eternity. 37:26 Another reason for rest, Wednesday's lesson, 37:30 Moses was the great leader of the Israelites; 37:32 and when he knew that he was about to die and they were about 37:35 to go into the Promised Land, he reminded them 37:37 of some very important ideals. 37:40 That's what the whole book of Deuteronomy is about. 37:41 The whole book of Deuteronomy is Moses coming back--you know, 37:44 when you're--you know, I lived in Germany for a year and a half 37:51 when I was in college, and my dad took me. 37:53 He went with me the first week to take me and leave me there, 37:56 and before he left he gave me this long letter full of 38:00 instructions, full of advice. 38:03 Deuteronomy is that. 38:05 It's dad, Moses, leaving the children of Israel that he knew 38:10 were rebellious and stiff-necked people, 38:13 giving them advice, reminding them of some points. 38:17 You know, life seems to impose two great tests 38:20 that are contradictory. 38:22 They're apparently cognitive dissonances. 38:24 The first, the test that is forged by the difficulties, 38:27 the poverty, the trials, the perplexities, 38:29 the misfortunes of life. 38:31 And in an attempt of making sense of the evils that knock 38:34 at our door, we easily become frustrated and lose our faith 38:38 and are led down the path of cynicism and of unbelief. 38:41 That's one of these trials, one of these tests. 38:44 But on the other hand, people are many times met 38:46 with the test of abundance, of success, of ease, 38:50 of riches, and all the evils of life seem to be just distant, 38:55 far-off imaginations. 38:57 And the danger of this test, of this case, is forgetfulness, 39:01 ingratitude, presumption, and the risk of attributing 39:04 the blessings of God to chance and to coincidence. 39:08 Israel was at that moment running that risk. 39:12 Entering the Promised Land provided the risk of taking for 39:15 granted what could only be understood as blessings 39:19 from the true leader that had led them to-- 39:21 through that journey so far. 39:24 And so Moses calls the people's attention to the things that 39:26 they had been through: the years in the desert, 39:29 the things that they were about to experience beyond the Jordan. 39:32 The fourth commandment in the Decalogue, the-- 39:35 Exodus 20:8 through 11, it consists of 55 Hebrew words 39:40 and it's the longest of the 10. 39:44 In Exodus, it begins with the word "remember", 39:47 the Hebrew word zakar. 39:49 It involves two main aspects. 39:50 It's a very rich word. 39:51 It involves two main aspects. 39:53 First of all, a retrospective aspect where remembering 39:58 emphasizes the past. 40:00 This indicates that the Sabbath is not something new. 40:03 It's not something that was introduced at Mount Sinai. 40:05 The commandment possesses a very clear link between 40:08 the Sabbath and creation. 40:10 Why are they remembering? 40:12 Because in six days God created the heavens, 40:13 earth, and sea and the--all that's in them; 40:15 and He rested on the seventh day. 40:16 Do you see the link, the connection? 40:19 The second aspect of this very rich word, 40:21 "remember," here, it has also a prospective aspect that relates 40:26 to the future. 40:28 The immediate purpose here is--of remembering--is directed 40:31 towards this definite action to abstain from work on this day, 40:35 to hallow, and to observe it. 40:37 And so this way, the remembrance of the past brings to mind the 40:40 correct action in the present and in the future. 40:44 Do you see? One thing flows into the other. 40:47 It had as a retrospective aspect and a prospective aspect. 40:50 The past leads into the future. 40:52 The imperative "remember" zeroes in into the special separation 40:56 of the Sabbath from the other days of common work. 40:59 That's what Moses is telling the people here--God through Moses. 41:04 "Remember" in biblical Hebrew doesn't imply in a mere action 41:08 of memory, but in the involvement of life. 41:12 Remember the transition from the slavery of Egypt to the 41:17 condition of freedom. 41:19 Israel went from oppression and slavery imposed by the Egyptian 41:24 taskmasters to freedom and to liberty. 41:26 You know, friends, freedom isn't primarily-- 41:28 it's not primarily defined by a lot of work or imposed work. 41:32 Slavery is primarily defined as work without significance, 41:37 work without meaning. 41:40 That's slavery. 41:42 And it's sad to say that millions fall under that 41:45 category today: work without significance, without meaning. 41:53 Slavery in this case had all but destroyed in them the human 41:56 dimension of spiritual freedom--the abuse, 41:59 the harassment, the violence-- but the Sabbath was set as a 42:02 gate to life, a different dimension of time itself, 42:07 no more slaves, no more instruments-- 42:09 mere instruments of work serving the dreams of other, 42:12 mere units of profit margins to other people. 42:18 The true purpose of Israel was not a mere geographic location. 42:22 That's why Exodus 19, verse 4, says, 42:24 "I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself." 42:29 That's God saying, "I brought you to myself." 42:33 Up to this day, the Sabbath frees us, 42:35 friends, from the idolatry of our dreams of granger, 42:39 of our pettiness and empty materialistic service. 42:43 Correctly understood--and I've said this here before in another 42:46 lesson regarding the Sabbath. 42:47 Correctly understood, it is not us who keeps the Sabbath. 42:52 It's not really you who keeps the Sabbath. 42:55 It's the Sabbath that keeps you. 42:58 It's the Sabbath that protects you, 43:00 that envelops you in meaning, in purpose, in truth. 43:07 The commandment of the Sabbath is a symbol of dependence. 43:10 It's a symbol of freedom from the yoke of work, 43:12 of exploitation. 43:13 It's a symbol of our own personal exodus. 43:16 Every single human being on this planet has gone through his own 43:20 or her own exodus from one point to another. 43:25 Friends, the goodness, the justice of God overflows from 43:29 such an ideal of freedom. 43:33 In Deuteronomy 5 where we find the repetition-- 43:35 you know you find the Ten Commandments twice in the Bible 43:38 in the Old Testament: in Exodus chapter 20 43:40 and in Deuteronomy chapter 5. 43:41 We find the repetition, but it's slightly changed. 43:44 Have you ever noticed that? 43:45 It's changed. It's different. 43:47 The structure remains the same as Exodus 20. 43:50 We have the same motivation for the observance of the Sabbath. 43:53 However, in the repetition here, 43:55 the commandment gains this new aspect. 43:57 It's--in theology, this is called 43:59 the soteriological aspect. 44:01 Soteriological, or soteriology, is a fancy word for salvation. 44:07 It gains a new salvational dimension that's introduced. 44:11 In Exodus 20, the Sabbath is linked to what? 44:13 To creation. 44:15 But in Deuteronomy chapter 5, verse 15, 44:18 the clause "remember" unites the Sabbath 44:20 to the redemption of Egypt. 44:22 "For remember that you were slaves in the land of Egypt 44:24 and the Lord your God freed you, 44:26 redeemed you with a powerful hand." 44:30 On every Sabbath, Israel was called to remember that their 44:33 God was their redeemer. 44:35 This is the theme of the redemption that constitutes 44:38 an additional to the theme of creation given 44:40 in Exodus chapter 20. 44:42 And here they are called vividly to remember the gift that they 44:45 received from God, His work of deliverance. 44:48 Remembering the Lord as a creator means to recognize Him 44:51 as the foundation of our existence. 44:53 He created us, and He freed us. 44:56 He made us, and He redeemed us. 45:02 In a way, the redemption from the bondage of Egypt is a story 45:08 that is included in the life of every single human being. 45:12 All of us have our Egypts where we live in bondage. 45:18 The last day, Thursday, keeping the Sabbath. 45:21 Each one of the Ten Commandments of God's law 45:24 can be summed up in one word. 45:25 Did you know this? 45:26 Because these laws reflect His character, 45:29 each one of them can be summed up in an attribute of who He is. 45:33 The first commandment, "Have no other gods before Me," 45:35 it has to do with fidelity. 45:37 The second that has to do with the craven images has to do 45:39 with worship, the nature of worship. 45:41 The third, "Don't say the Lord's name in vain," 45:43 has to do with reverence. 45:45 The fourth, the commandment of Sabbath, 45:46 has to do with dependence, with obedience. 45:48 The fifth about the parents has to do with honor. 45:51 The sixth, "Do not kill," has to do with respect of life. 45:54 The seventh, "Don't commit adultery," has to do with 45:57 purity, faithfulness. 45:58 The eighth, "Don't steal," has to do with honesty--sorry. 46:04 Honesty. Integrity. 46:05 The ninth that has to do with lies 46:08 has to do with truth--truthfulness. 46:10 And the tenth, "Don't covet," has to do with contentment. 46:14 But the commandment of the Sabbath, 46:16 it appears in the midst of the moral commandments. 46:19 It has to do with our dependence on God. 46:22 When the sun sets on Friday, I interrupt my ordinary 46:25 activities, I close my business, I shut off the computer, 46:27 I close the books. 46:29 And in doing so, I'm declaring that my life does not depend on 46:33 my business, on my studies, on my work, 46:35 on my bank account, on secular success, 46:37 on anything else that I can buy or consume. 46:42 By resting in the presence of the creator, 46:44 I am essentially affirming that my life depends totally on God. 46:52 Resting from the preoccupations and the worries that usually 46:55 crush and consume me, that raise my heartbeat, 46:58 that intensify my blood pressure is a sign of rest in Jesus, 47:02 of trust because we can only truly rest when we feel safe 47:06 enough to disconnect. 47:10 The biblical Sabbath, friends, can only begin when I shut 47:12 everything else down. 47:14 In Scripture, as a symbol of both redemption, the-- 47:17 and creation, the Sabbath is a weekly reminder 47:20 that God is the creator and that ultimately 47:23 He is responsible for His creation. 47:25 We are not astray. We are not in uncharted waters. 47:28 We are not victims of blind fake. 47:30 We are the sons and daughters 47:31 of a God that has everything under control. 47:35 The Sabbath tells us that we are creatures of God, 47:37 singular beings of infinite worth; 47:40 and this way the Sabbath restores in us the identity 47:43 that has been marred by the consumerist mentality 47:45 of this planet. 47:48 It reminds us who we are. 47:50 The disposition of stopping for this weekly rest, 47:53 this pause, is a solemn recognition that we are 47:56 creatures of God, not creatures of things. 48:01 Our identity isn't based upon the things that we have, 48:04 the things that we can buy, the car that we drive, 48:06 the house that we live in. 48:07 Our identity is based solely on God's perspective of us, 48:13 the value that He attributes to human beings. 48:18 Our true sense of worth and identity is only, 48:21 friends, achieved in the presence of He who invites 48:23 us to rest and to celebrate with Him the true purpose of life. 48:29 I'd like to finish with a very beautiful text. 48:31 It comes from the book called "Christ's Object Lessons," 48:34 and you'll find this in page 25 and 26. 48:36 It says, "God gave to men the memorial of His creative power, 48:40 that they might discern Him in the works of His hand. 48:43 The Sabbath bids us, 'Behold, in His created works 48:46 the glory of the creator.' 48:48 On the holy rest day, above all other days, 48:51 we should study the messages that God has written 48:53 for us in nature. 48:54 As we come close to the heart of nature, 48:57 Christ makes His presence real to us and speaks to our hearts 49:01 of His peace and love." 49:03 My friends, I invite you to take advantage of the day of rest. 49:07 Rest on this day, allow peace to inundate your heart, 49:13 and understand who you truly are through the eyes of Him 49:16 who sees you for what you truly are. 49:19 May God bless you. 49:20 I'd like to invite you again to take advantage 49:22 of this free offer. 49:24 It'll help you a lot on this comprehension of obedience, 49:27 and faith, and legalism. 49:30 So if you would like this, please call 866-788-3966, 49:35 ask for the offer 706. 49:38 If you're in the US or Northern America-- 49:40 North America, you can text "SH041" to the number 40544. 49:45 And if you're outside of North America, 49:46 you can go to study.aftv.org/SH041. 49:51 I'm sure that this will help you to understand a little bit more 49:54 even of this subject. 49:55 May God bless you, and may be-- 49:56 may He be with you, amen. 50:01 male announcer: Don't forget to request today's 50:03 life-changing, free resource. 50:05 Not only can you receive this free gift in the mail, 50:07 you can download a digital copy straight to your computer 50:09 or mobile device. 50:11 To get your digital copy of today's free gift, 50:13 simply text the keyword on your screen to 40544 or visit the web 50:18 address shown on your screen and be sure to select the digital 50:22 download option on the request page. 50:24 It's now easier than ever for you to study God's Word with 50:27 Amazing Facts wherever and whenever you want, 50:30 and most important, to share it with others. 50:38 ♪♪♪ 50:46 Ashley: I grew up in northern New Jersey, 50:48 just about 35 minutes out of New York City, 50:52 and I grew up in a famous family. 50:54 And so my father played for the New York Giants for nine years. 50:59 That's how we ended up where we were. 51:01 He also played for the San Francisco 49ers, 51:04 and he was in the Pro Bowl. 51:06 He won two Super Bowls. 51:09 And I also had an older brother 51:11 who played professional baseball. 51:14 So I had a lot to live up to. 51:16 Everything we did was based around sports. 51:19 That was my life and I loved it, but inside I was--I struggled 51:23 daily with insecurity, lacking confidence. 51:27 You know, I would look at myself in the mirror and not-- 51:31 and would not see good things about myself. 51:33 I started to put all my energy into soccer and I decided 51:41 that I was going to go far with that. 51:44 So I ended up getting a scholarship to play 51:49 in the University of Miami. 51:50 I was being pulled in these, like, 51:52 two directions of, you know, wanting to live this party 51:55 lifestyle with my teammates and I was so engulfed in soccer and 52:02 school, but I also had this, like, 52:05 strong yearning, desire, to serve God. 52:09 And I was just struggling to figure out the balance 52:11 in how to do that. 52:12 I was in sin city in Miami and I couldn't--I felt like I could-- 52:17 I was swimming upstream 52:19 and I just felt like I couldn't breathe. 52:21 I had everything everyone would have wanted. 52:23 I had everything. 52:24 I had a scholarship to pay for school. 52:26 I was playing a sport. I was the captain of my team. 52:29 I was in Miami. 52:31 I was--I had a great family, I had a lot of friends, 52:37 but where was God? 52:38 There was--all of that is meaningless unless I had Him. 52:43 And the lifeline that He gave me was this soft whisper 52:48 in my ear saying, "Go." 52:51 I just remember, "Go." 52:52 So I decided to go, and I spent two months in Kenya and 52:56 two months in Uganda and God was saving me by sending me there. 53:01 It was God's prescription for my life, 53:03 for my existence. 53:04 When I returned from Africa, I went back to school. 53:08 I finished school, finished soccer. 53:12 I went to the University of Tennessee to get my masters when 53:17 I met my husband. 53:18 Our motto in life was we wanted to live in reckless abandon for 53:21 our creator and-- whatever that was, 53:25 whatever that looked like. 53:26 And you know, we've traveled and we've done mission work, 53:30 but we've mostly been in Tennessee. 53:32 And when we were--we spent the summer apart a year after that 53:37 we were married, and it was the summer of 2015. 53:41 When we came back together, he's like, 53:44 "I have some things I want to share with you. 53:47 I want you to listen to this." 53:49 And we were on a 14-hour car ride and he just started playing 53:54 this prophecy code all the way back from 2005, 53:57 and it was so clear and I just was comprehending it so well. 54:03 You know, after a couple, like, three or four, I was like, 54:05 "I need a break. 54:06 My mind is going to, like, explode from all this, 54:09 like, information overload." 54:10 And everything that I thought I had known about the Bible and 54:15 about Scripture is just completely different. 54:20 I was in shock. 54:22 Everything that I was hearing it was, like, Scripture is 54:24 proving Scripture is proving Scripture. 54:27 My heart was, like, changing in that car ride because I was 54:31 learning more about God than I ever have before. 54:34 After that car ride and after listening to the whole prophecy 54:37 code, my life was completely changed. 54:41 He's become more real to us than He ever has been before, 54:44 and that has pushed us to disciple and to minister to 54:49 others and share with them what we know. 54:53 My name is Ashley, and I want to thank you for changing my life. 54:58 ♪♪♪ 55:10 announcer: Amazing facts change lives. 55:18 male: I come from a Hindu background. 55:20 My mom is a preacher for Shiva, who's a Hindu god. 55:23 My father is agnostic kind. 55:25 So me myself I grew, like, as an atheist. 55:29 In the year 2007 I had an experience of being in South 55:33 India, and that was the first time I experienced Christian 55:36 people, you know? 55:38 The majorities were Christians there. 55:40 There were some Adventist youth who invited me to be a part of 55:45 one of their mid-week service. 55:47 They were presenting a video of Pastor Doug Batchelor, 55:52 "The Richest Caveman." 55:54 I was moved, you know? 55:55 I do understand good and bad, and I pictured myself into the 55:59 bad category than the good one. 56:02 I started experiencing several dreams and-- 56:06 which started troubling me. 56:07 And you know, I kept the website in my mind. 56:10 I went to the internet cafe and started browsing the website of 56:15 Amazing Facts, and then I saw the Bible study guide there. 56:19 Every day I started taking one of the lesson, 56:22 and I was baptized 2007. 56:25 After my conversion, I strictly came to Spicer to do my studies. 56:30 During the summer vacation, I decided to go back home 56:32 and give my mom and my father the visit. 56:35 By that time, they knew that I have converted to Christianity. 56:38 I was thrown out of the house. 56:40 We are not in good terms even today, 56:42 but sad part for them, not for me. 56:47 During 2015, I was diagnosed with leukemia. 56:52 I had only one professor and one friend who was coming along with 56:56 me to the hospital every day. 56:59 When I asked this assistant doctor, 57:02 "What do you think is the lifespan of a person like me?" 57:05 Then she said, "You'll be losing weight and you'll get sick 57:08 slowly, slowly if you don't go for a treatment." 57:10 So a year plus, one night I decided--it was January 2015. 57:17 I said, "I am not going for any treatment anymore." 57:20 I said, "Lord, You gave me one year. 57:22 So what I'll do is I'll just do Your ministry, 57:26 and that's okay." 57:28 And I never went for any treatment after that. 57:31 I just left everything right away there. 57:33 I didn't take even one tablet, one medicine. 57:37 I'm standing in front of you strong in 2018. 57:41 Nothing happened. I don't know what happened. 57:43 I don't know if still there in my body or what. 57:45 I don't know. 57:47 I'm not dead yet. 57:50 I want to serve in India. 57:53 Amazing Facts team, especially Pastor Doug, 57:56 has really played a very important element 57:58 in my life to give me an identity. 58:02 ♪♪♪ 58:05 CC by Aberdeen Captioning 1-800-688-6621 aberdeen.io |
Revised 2021-08-22