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00:12 ♪♪♪ 00:22 ♪♪♪ 00:37 Carlos Muñoz: Maranatha. Happy Sabbath. 00:40 Welcome, everybody, to the Granite Bay Hilltop Seventh-day 00:42 Adventist Church. 00:43 Welcome to our "Sabbath School Study Hour." 00:46 It's my privilege to be here with you this morning as we are 00:49 continuing in our study on the book of Deuteronomy, 00:52 "Present Truth," amen? 00:54 And so, before we get started I want to share with 00:57 everybody here and those that are watching our special 01:00 gift that we have for today; it's called "Choosing Life: 01:05 A Christian Perspective on Suicide," 01:08 and you can obtain a free copy of this by calling 01:11 1-866-788-396 or 1-866-Study-More, and you can 01:17 ask for offer number 882. 01:19 Or if you are in the United States, you can text the 01:22 number--the letters "SH151" to number 40544, and you 01:30 will receive also a digital download of this, 01:33 "Choosing Life: A Christian Perspective on Suicide." 01:36 I have a question. 01:38 Is suicide a problem and an issue nowadays? 01:40 Oh, yes, it is, and we're going to talk a little bit about that 01:42 today with the topic that has to do with choose life. 01:47 Now, before we get into our study let's have 01:50 a word of prayer. 01:52 Heavenly Father, thank You again for the privilege and the honor 01:55 of being Your children, of being part of Your remnant church, of 01:58 being part of this end-time movement, Father, for being 02:02 co-laborers with You in this. 02:04 Father, we thank You for Your patience, for Your mercy, for 02:06 Your love, for Your grace, and we see how all of 02:08 these are perfectly represented and manifested 02:11 in Your son Jesus Christ. 02:13 And so, Father, as we come together now to open Your Word 02:16 we ask for a special blessing to study Your holy book on this 02:19 Your holy day and this Your holy place, because we want to 02:22 glorify and honor Your holy name. 02:24 We thank You, Father, again for this blessing. 02:26 I ask blessing for everybody that's here and everybody that's 02:28 watching online, on AFacts TV and any other media. 02:32 We ask a special blessing for them, Father, as we get into 02:35 such an important and amazing topic. 02:38 We thank You, Father, for this blessing, and we 02:40 ask this in Jesus's name, amen. 02:43 Everybody say "amen"? 02:45 Who's excited to be here this morning? 02:47 All right, I see somebody's excited over there. 02:49 Praise the Lord. 02:50 So, the topic for this study, for lesson number 8, 02:54 is "Choose Life." 02:56 Now, I have to admit that the topic or the title was, at first 03:02 when I looked at it, a little interesting, because, well, in 03:05 every single sermon or any-- every single gospel presentation 03:08 that you bring forth you're always choosing, right? 03:11 You're always presenting to the audience the choice, right? 03:14 You have to present the facts. 03:16 You have to present the foundation of the gospel. 03:18 And then, in every sermon, every presentation 03:19 there should be a choice, there should be an appeal 03:22 for somebody to make an informed, educated decision 03:25 on the choices that they have to make in regards to the gospel. 03:29 Now, I say this because that's obviously a component of every 03:32 presentation and every sermon I've given, but I've never fully 03:35 given a presentation on the topic of choosing, so that was a 03:39 little bit challenging for me because I never really 03:41 thought about it together. 03:43 And I was like, "Ooh," so I like it because I like when God puts 03:46 me in situations I haven't been before, amen? 03:49 Who likes those kind of situations, right? 03:51 Little uncomfortable situations. 03:52 Why? Because then you got to what? 03:54 You have to learn to depend on Him, right? 03:57 God is always, always pushing our faith, pushing that line 03:59 a little bit farther off so that we can never get 04:01 too comfortable, right? 04:03 And if you're in a position where you're too comfortable 04:05 in your Christian life, then you're in a bad 04:07 position, because this is about challenges. 04:13 This is about putting ourselves--this is 04:14 about taking the next step. 04:15 This is about what does God want to do. 04:17 And almost always what God wants us to do is 04:20 not what we want to do. 04:21 Very interesting, right? 04:23 And so, when we talk about choice, right, choice is a very 04:26 interesting situation, because do you know that there are 04:29 people that struggle with making decisions? 04:32 Maybe you're sitting here today. 04:33 Maybe you're watching here, and you have struggles 04:36 with making decisions. 04:37 I know people, they have anxiety, right? 04:40 There's actually a whole brand of psychology that has to do 04:44 behind the concept of decision making and 04:46 people that have anxiety. 04:48 They even can get depressed because of the decisions 04:51 that they have to make, and they're uncertain, 04:54 right, in regards to this. 04:55 And so, you ask yourselves, why do people get anxious 04:58 about making decisions? 05:00 Why do people get depressed to the extent right, 05:03 about making decisions? 05:04 And it's very simple, it could be because of insecurity, right? 05:07 It could be because of fear. 05:09 That's probably the--one of the most driving factors 05:11 in regards to why we have issues or why we struggle 05:14 making decisions in our lives. 05:16 There was a famous psychologist who said this. 05:20 He said, "There is no more miserable human being than 05:24 one in whom nothing is," what? 05:27 "Is habitual but," what? "Indecision," right? 05:30 Always, "Did I make the right decision?" 05:32 And I know people that are carrying around the burden, 05:35 still questioning and wondering if the decision they 05:37 make last year, five years ago, ten years ago--still carrying 05:41 the guilt of some of the decisions that they've 05:43 been making, whether they made the right 05:45 decision, did they make the wrong decision. 05:47 I have a question: Can you live a happy, fulfilling life 05:50 if you're always worried about what you're going--what--about 05:52 your decisions in the past or in the present? 05:56 Now, it's not wrong to be a little bit anxious about some 05:58 decision, because some decisions are big, right, right? 06:01 There are some decisions that it's good to take a step back 06:03 and say, "Wait a minute, let me think about this thoroughly." 06:06 Other decisions you can probably make fairly quick, but in this 06:09 context we're talking about choosing life. 06:13 Now, that was an interesting title, "Choosing Life." 06:15 So, if you're choosing life what would be inferred in the title, 06:19 choosing life or choosing death, right? 06:24 And this battle between choices that we have to make, choosing 06:28 life and choosing death. 06:29 Now, raise your hand if anybody here would choose death. 06:35 Nobody would choose death. 06:36 Raise your hand if you would choose life. 06:39 Amen, right? 06:41 That would be like maybe you've come across some type of a 06:43 Charismatic preaching, right, where they go to you and they 06:46 give you the rundown of what hell is going to be like and 06:49 what the torture and the pain and the suffering for all 06:51 eternity is going to be like in hell. 06:53 And then, they say, "And if you don't choose God 06:54 that's what you're going to get." 06:56 That's a pretty easy decision to make, right? 06:58 Nobody wants to be tortured in hell for eternity. 07:01 Of course, we know we're talking about that distorted concept of 07:03 hell, right, the place of eternal torment that actually 07:07 has to do a lot about what we're going to talk about today, of 07:09 how God's character has been distorted, right? 07:11 How the perception of the image of who God 07:13 is has been distorted. 07:15 And, sadly, this concept of eternal hell has breeded into 07:18 that, but the point is nobody wants to choose to be in this 07:23 hell supposedly for the rest of eternity. 07:27 Everybody would want to choose to be in heaven for the rest of 07:29 eternity, so this got me thinking, then, going deeper 07:33 into what we're studying, because what? 07:35 Because this topic of choosing life or choosing death is 07:39 probably not about this life. 07:43 It's probably not about now. 07:45 What do I mean by that? 07:47 How many of you chose to be alive? 07:49 Raise your hand. Nobody. 07:52 How many of you chose--can choose when to die? 07:56 Nobody; how many of you can choose whether 07:59 you want to continue living forever or living now? 08:02 And that's the question-- 08:03 that's where it gets a little bit more interesting, right? 08:05 So, the concept or the title of choosing life or choosing death 08:08 inferred cannot be talking about this life. 08:12 It must be talking about what? 08:14 Eternal life, or eternal death, right? 08:17 That must be the context, because, again, we can't choose 08:20 when we live or if we want to live, and we can't choose when 08:23 we're going to die. 08:26 And this is where it gets very interesting, and so the study of 08:29 this week starts off and goes directly into a very interesting 08:32 concept, which is what happened where? 08:34 What happened in the Garden of Eden, right? 08:38 What happened in the Garden of Eden? 08:40 And so, when you start to think about the situation, what 08:43 happened in the Garden of Eden, how many trees did 08:45 God present to Adam and Eve? 08:47 How many trees? How many trees? 08:52 Two trees--I know, all the trees, of course, right? 08:55 Go with me, please, to Genesis chapter 2. 08:57 Genesis chapter 2. 08:59 Let's talk about this for a second. 09:00 Genesis chapter 2. 09:02 Genesis chapter 2, verse number--Genesis chapter 2. 09:08 Let's go to verse number 8. 09:10 If you have your Bibles with you let's study this. 09:11 Genesis chapter 2, verse number 8. 09:13 When you're there say, "Amen." 09:15 It said, "The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and 09:19 there He put man whom He had formed. 09:20 And out of the ground the Lord made every tree grow that is 09:24 pleasant to the sight and good for food." 09:26 Who says amen to that? 09:28 Who likes the food off of the trees? 09:29 Who likes mangoes, avocados? Raise your hand. 09:32 Whoo, right? Thank You, Lord. 09:34 "And out of the ground the Lord God made every 09:37 tree grow that is pleasant," I just read that. 09:39 "The tree of life was also found in the midst of the garden, and 09:41 the tree of the knowledge of good and evil." 09:44 So, there were two very specific or special trees in the Garden 09:47 of Eden, which were what? 09:49 The tree of life, and the tree of knowledge of 09:52 good and evil, right? 09:54 And so, this would be--we can presume would be choice, right? 09:59 This is the choice presented to Adam and Eve. 10:02 My question is, is this the first choice? 10:07 Is this the first decision made, or was there 10:10 a choice made before this? 10:12 Did somebody before Adam and Eve had a choice? 10:16 Somebody else had to have made a choice also. 10:19 In other words, the choice that Adam and Eve made was not 10:23 in a vacuum, in an empty--oh, I'm sorry. 10:25 The options to choose which Adam and Eve received come from a 10:29 very interesting and sometimes overlooked perspective of 10:34 choice, because I ask myself who chose first? 10:40 You know what the answer to that is? 10:44 God chose first. 10:46 Go with me to Ephesians chapter 1. 10:47 God chose first. And what do I mean by that? 10:50 Ephesians chapter 1. Let's look at this. 10:53 To understand, I think that the backdrop--before we jump into 10:57 what happened in the Garden of Eden we have to understand or 11:00 see--I think we'll facilitate the understanding of the choice 11:05 that you and I have to make. 11:06 It's not just a choice again, that an uninformed, 11:09 uneducated choice. 11:10 The choice that we have to make is informed based on the choice 11:15 that God has already made and the choice that God presents, 11:19 and off of what God chooses then we will see how 11:23 easy it is for us to choose. 11:25 What do I mean by that? Let's go to Ephesians chapter 1. 11:27 When you're there say "Amen." 11:30 Ephesians chapter 1 says like this, "Blessed be the God and 11:34 Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who," what? 11:37 Who what? "Who has blessed us--" 11:42 in what verb tense is "blessed us"? 11:46 In the past. 11:47 So, were you around when this was written? 11:49 No. This is way before all of this. 11:52 God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing 11:54 in the heavenly places in who? 11:58 "In Christ," so, in other words, before you were even created, 12:02 before--I'm going to go even further than that. 12:04 Before Adam and Eve were created, God, it 12:08 says here, had what? 12:10 Had already decided to bless us with every 12:13 spiritual blessings in where? 12:16 In heavenly places. 12:17 So, where was this blessing, this choice to 12:20 bless before creation made? 12:22 In heaven. 12:24 To bless us in heavenly places in who? 12:28 In Christ, so notice this. 12:31 That before the creation of humanity God had already 12:35 determined or chosen to bless you and me in Christ. 12:39 Now, what does that mean? Let's continue to read. 12:41 "Just as He," what? "Chose us in," who? 12:47 "In Him." Are you catching that? 12:51 Humanity has been chosen in who? In Christ. 12:56 "Before the foundation of the world." 13:00 In other words, pay attention to this, before God created 13:04 humanity and foreseeing what was going to happen with the fall of 13:09 Lucifer, with the fall of Adam and Eve, with the fall of human 13:12 beings, God was already thinking about blessing you. 13:17 God, knowing that you were going to rebel, knowing that you were 13:21 going to be disobedient, knowing this stuff, God 13:25 already chose to bless you despite that. 13:29 It's like Jesus dealing with Judas. 13:32 Did Jesus know that Judas was going to betray Him? 13:35 Yes; did Jesus know that Judas was going to backstab Him? 13:38 Yes, He did, but He still chose him, why? 13:42 To be a blessing to him, so that he, then, when he makes his 13:45 decision whether he's going to be faithful, when he chooses 13:48 whether he's going to choose life and death in or not in 13:52 Christ, he has all of the information needed. 13:55 He knows Jesus Christ personally before he 13:58 makes his decision, so why? 14:00 So that now he knows Jesus. Now what? 14:02 Now when he makes his decision he can't say what? 14:05 "I didn't know." 14:07 God is saying in Ephesians chapter 1 that before the 14:10 creation, despite knowing what was going to happen to you and 14:13 me, He already chose you, to bless you, to love 14:17 you in Jesus Christ. 14:20 Notice this blessing does not come in us but in Jesus Christ. 14:23 And notice what it says. 14:25 What is the spiritual blessing that He wants to 14:26 give us in Christ? 14:28 That we should be what? 14:30 Holy and without blame before Him in love. 14:35 Again, what is God wanting? 14:37 God already chose you. God wanted you. 14:41 God chose you and invites you to say what? 14:44 "I want to give you a holy life. 14:47 I want to give you spiritual blessings. 14:50 I want you to be a special, special person on this earth so 14:56 that others can see my glory and my power through you. 14:59 I want to be a blessing to you so that you can 15:01 be a blessing to others." 15:04 Notice this. 15:05 "That we should be holy, without blame before Him," in? 15:08 "In love, having," verse 5, "predestined us to," what? 15:15 Predestined us to what? 15:17 "To adoption as sons," and daughters, "by Jesus Christ to 15:23 Himself," so let's break this down a little bit. 15:25 We are already blessed. 15:27 We have already been chosen by God, right? 15:30 Before the foundation of the world God chose us to be holy, 15:33 untouched, perfect in His presence, and these blessings 15:38 which we receive in Christ are guaranteed already. 15:42 They're fulfilled. And how do I know that? 15:43 It's very simple; look at what it says 15:45 in "Desire of Ages," page 773. 15:47 "Before the foundation of the earth were laid, the Father and 15:51 the Son had united in a covenant to redeem man," humanity, "if he 15:56 should be overcome by Satan. 15:58 They had clasped Their hands in a solemn pledge that Christ 16:01 should be the," what? 16:03 "The surety for the human race." 16:06 This is what we're talking about. 16:08 This is what Ephesians chapter 1 is talking about. 16:10 Before we even came, God knew what was going to happen. 16:13 And what did He do? 16:15 He already made a covenant, the everlasting covenant between the 16:18 Father and the Son to what? 16:20 To redeem humanity should humanity fall. 16:23 God already made a pledge, and He says, "Despite this I am 16:26 going to make a promise. 16:27 I am going to give them spiritual blessings so that they 16:29 can live holy lives in My presence. 16:33 They can be blameless before Me," amen? 16:36 And it says here that Christ to be what? 16:38 The surety. 16:41 Now, I--that word "surety," maybe we're unfamiliar with the 16:44 word "surety," so I went and I looked for a couple of 16:47 definitions so I can share with you what does this word 16:50 "the surety for the human race" mean. 16:53 Look at what I found here. 16:54 "A formal engagement (such as a pledge) given for the 16:57 fulfillment of an undertaking: a guarantee." 17:02 Ooh. Whoo-hoo! 17:03 "A person who takes," what? 17:07 "Responsibility for another's performance of an undertaking, 17:12 for example their appearing in court or the 17:14 payment of debt." 17:17 And I love this one: "One who has become legally liable 17:21 for the debt, default, or failure in duty of," what? 17:26 "In duty of another." Did you catch that? 17:29 Christ is our surety because Christ has done what? 17:32 Christ, before the creation, took--He made a covenant with 17:36 the Father to take what? 17:38 To take our responsibility for falling, to take our place, 17:42 to--He became legally liable for the debt. 17:45 He didn't have to, but He says, "You know what? 17:46 I am going to take this in Myself. 17:50 I am going to deal with this so that humanity can 17:52 have a second chance," amen? 17:54 And He chose us. He chose you. 17:57 He was looking at you when He--when this covenant was 18:00 made between the Father and the Son so that He would 18:02 take our place from the very beginning. 18:07 Whoo. Isn't that mind-blowing? 18:10 So, when we go back to first-- Ephesians chapter 1, 18:13 He has chosen us, verse 5, "Having been predestined 18:16 us to adoptions as son by Jesus Christ," who? 18:21 "To Himself," so it is in Christ that we have what? 18:25 That we have this choice and this option to become 18:28 sons and daughters of God. 18:30 Based on what? 18:31 Based on the understanding that God has already 18:33 presented--before we were ever created, before the fall of man, 18:37 God had already presented Jesus Christ as the guarantee and the 18:40 surety that if humans fall, there is one that 18:43 will take their place. 18:45 There is one that is going to be there for them and not permit 18:49 condemnation to fall on the human race. 18:52 There is one that was going to take it on Himself. 18:55 Now, in that context we talk about predestination, if we're 18:59 not going to talk about--we're not talking about the 19:00 Calvinistic predestination which is a distortion, which basically 19:04 assumes or presumes that there are dual predestinations, 19:08 where one is to be saved for all eternity or one 19:11 is to be lost, right? 19:12 That God has already predetermined that before the 19:15 cause of creation, because here it's saying the total opposite. 19:18 Here it's saying that God is choosing us to what? 19:22 So that we can see His love and that we can respond to that love 19:26 once we are conscious, once we are aware that God has already 19:30 provided an answer for this problem. 19:34 There's nothing predestined. There's a choice. 19:36 God made the choice so that we can also have a 19:39 choice, so that we can be what? 19:41 Predestined; now, let's talk about predestination for a 19:43 second, because there is a lot of confusion because of this 19:45 Calvinistic concept of predestination, that God had 19:48 already predetermined, right? 19:50 And that has a whole litany of theological implications and 19:54 problems that you come across when somebody has this idea that 19:58 you're already going to be saved no matter what you do, and 20:01 you're going to be lost no matter what you do, right? 20:03 That it's already predetermined, but when you look at 20:05 predestination here this is how I like to 20:07 explain predestination. 20:09 Let's say I'm going to fly to Los Angeles. 20:12 And what do I do? I buy a plane ticket. 20:16 What am I? 20:17 I am predestined to go to Los Angeles, right? 20:22 I am predestined to go to Los Angeles, let's say, on Monday. 20:26 I have my ticket in my hand. 20:28 I am ready, but what do I need to do? 20:32 What do I need to do? 20:33 Can I just sit on my sofa and say, "Oh, I'm predestined 20:36 to go to Los Angeles, so I'm just going to sit on my 20:38 sofa and wait for the plane to leave"? 20:42 No. What do I have to do? 20:44 I have to put myself in a position where I can get to the 20:48 place that I need to be for what? 20:50 For that plane to take me to the destination, because if I'm not 20:53 on that plane, no matter how much I paid, no matter how much 20:57 I complain, no matter how much I scream and pound my 21:00 feet on the ground, if I'm not on that plane, that plane 21:03 is leaving whether I'm there or not. 21:06 Are you catching me? 21:08 Another way of looking at it is--when I try to explain this, 21:10 especially to young people, it's like a check, huh, right? 21:14 Let's say right now I give each and every one of 21:16 you a check for $1 million. 21:19 Raise your hand if you would be happy. 21:21 Raise your hand if you would be happy, I just give you 21:22 a check for $1 million. 21:26 Wow. You're easy to fraud. 21:29 How many of you would not be happy if I gave 21:31 you a $1 million check? 21:32 Raise your hand. I see two people. 21:35 It's because they probably know me, right? 21:39 Why should you not be happy? Because it's just a check. 21:44 It's a what? It's a promise, right? 21:47 I can have that check all day, and I can jump up and down 21:49 and, "Ooh, look, somebody gave me a million-dollar check. 21:51 I'm so happy, whoo, I'm a millionaire," no, you're not. 21:54 What do I need to do to reap the benefits, 21:56 the blessings of that promise? 22:00 I need to deposit the check, right? 22:02 And then, once I deposit and then you see the money in 22:04 your bank account, then you could be like, oh, 22:07 now you're happy, right? 22:09 Ones that said that they wouldn't, maybe because they 22:11 know that Carlos doesn't have a million dollars, right? 22:13 Can barely stand on his own two feet. 22:16 So, this is what God has given us: He has predestined. 22:18 He has given us salvation in Jesus Christ. 22:21 He has already guaranteed on Jesus Christ that there is a 22:27 opportunity for humanity, for you and me, He has chosen for 22:31 you so that you can be in heaven with Him. 22:34 That you can be his son and his daughter so 22:36 that He can adopt you in. 22:38 And if you've never been adopted it's probably something--a 22:40 concept that may be difficult for you to understand, but those 22:43 that are in adoption centers, or those that are waiting to be 22:46 adopted, go talk with those children. 22:48 Go talk with adults that have been in adoption centers or been 22:51 jumping from adopted family to adopted family. 22:54 It is a difficult life. 22:57 There's no security. There's no foundation. 22:59 But when God says, "I'm going to adopt you," understand that He's 23:03 adopting you with all of the promises and the guarantees of 23:05 the covenant gospel, amen? 23:08 He's wanting to offer everything to you, and 23:10 He's guaranteeing it to you how? 23:11 On Jesus Christ. 23:13 He's guaranteeing that you will receive those promises, that you 23:16 will receive those blessings, that you will receive the 23:19 inheritance that He has said in His covenant, why? 23:22 Because you look at Jesus Christ, and you can say, "God 23:25 said it, He did it, and I can take it to the bank," amen? 23:29 That's a promise you can deposit. 23:31 That's a promise that you know that God is 23:33 going to be fulfilling; who says amen to that? 23:36 So now, in that context, in that understanding, when we go 23:39 then to the tree of life, when we go to the situation 23:41 in the Garden of Eden, what happens? 23:43 God says, basically, "Here are your two options," right? 23:47 Basically, if you want to look at the tree of life, look at the 23:49 tree of life as a voting booth. 23:52 What do I compare the tree of life to? 23:54 A voting booth. 23:56 In other words, what does that mean? 23:58 God--in the scheme of the great controversy, the devil had 24:02 already rebelled, right? 24:04 The whole universe is now in this political debate, the war, 24:08 the war in heaven, the polemos, the debate is God worthy? 24:12 Does God deserve honor and praise? 24:14 Should we trust in God? Is God as good as He says? 24:18 These are the dilemmas of the great controversy, right? 24:20 Satan putting God's character in doubt, in question, and so now 24:25 God says, "Ah, I'm going to bring forth this new creation 24:28 that has not been exposed to this debate. 24:31 They're neutral, and I'm going to bring them forth in this 24:33 great controversy so that they can choose." 24:36 And what happens? God gives them the option. 24:39 "If you choose to not eat of the tree of knowledge 24:42 and good and evil," what happens? 24:44 What government are they voting for? 24:49 If they choose not to eat of the tree of the good-- 24:51 of the knowledge of good and evil, what government 24:53 are Adam and Eve voting for? 24:55 The government of God, the government of life. 24:59 But if they choose to eat off of the tree, what happens? 25:02 What government are they voting for? 25:04 Satan. 25:06 So, when God creates Adam and Eve, He doesn't create these 25:08 machines, He creates them as free moral agents, right? 25:12 Because remember the essence of God is love, and 25:14 the essence of love is freedom, right? 25:17 The essence of love is choice, and so God says, "I am not going 25:21 to impose this on My children. 25:23 I want to give them and give them this informed decision." 25:26 Now, remember before this happens God had already given 25:28 them and shown them the world. 25:30 He had given them a tour of the world. 25:33 He had said, "All of this, this planet that I have created, 25:35 is My wedding gift to you." 25:38 How many of you received a microwave for 25:40 a wedding gift, or some plates? 25:44 Imagine receiving a whole planet as your wedding gift. 25:47 God gave Adam and Eve a planet as their wedding gift. 25:50 He says, "Here it is. This is My gift to you." 25:52 Even to Adam, right? He put it even for him. 25:55 "This is My gift to you, Adam." You think Adam wasn't happy? 25:58 "O Lord, You're so good." 26:00 He gives him this beautiful gift, and then He says, 26:06 "But remember there's still a choice to be made. 26:08 If you stay on My side, if you choose to be 26:10 loyal to Me, then," what? 26:12 "All of these blessings that I have given you, the 26:15 kingship of this earth, everything shall be yours. 26:19 It's yours." 26:20 Except for what? One tree. 26:24 Now, is that a difficult option? 26:26 Is that a difficult test, one tree? 26:29 Tell me, yes or no? 26:32 Some say yes. Some say no. 26:34 Why is it not a difficult option? 26:38 Because there are thousands and thousands and 26:40 millions of trees, right? 26:41 So, God, in the abundance of His blessings, in the abundance of 26:45 giving Adam and Eve everything that they need to live, He says, 26:48 "All of this is yours, except," what? 26:49 "Except this one tree." 26:51 This is the one test, a small test. 26:53 Now, if there are only two trees on earth and Adam and Eve are 26:57 eating off of the same tree all day, they're going to start to 26:59 be thinking, "I wonder what that tree tastes like," right? 27:01 Because that's how we are, we're always thinking about 27:03 what we don't have, but God gave them in abundance. 27:07 And they chose what? What did they choose? 27:09 Now, why? Here's the key. 27:12 Go with me, please, to Genesis chapter 2. 27:14 Genesis chapter 3. I'm sorry. 27:16 Watch this. Here's the key. 27:18 Genesis chapter 3. Genesis chapter 3. 27:21 When you're there say, "Amen." 27:23 Now, we know who shows up in the Garden of Eden, right? 27:26 And notice what it says in verse number 1. 27:30 "Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the 27:32 field which the Lord God had made. 27:33 And he said to the woman, 'Has God indeed said to you, 27:36 "You shall not eat of every tree of the garden"?'" 27:39 Now, we know that that's not what God says. 27:41 We know that--what does the devil like to do? 27:43 He likes to twist and turn. And why do I say this? 27:46 Because the topic of this lesson is "Choose Life." 27:48 And you're saying, "Well, who would choose death?" 27:51 Well, there are people that choose death, and we're going to 27:53 explain now in this context why people choose death. 27:57 Who would choose death? 27:58 Well, the devil doesn't present it as black and white 28:01 as we think sometimes. 28:02 The devil is a cunning, deceptive liar and manipulator, 28:07 and so he knows he's not going to present it 28:09 to you in black and white, he's going to do what? 28:11 He's going to try to distort and turn and manipulate truth with 28:16 error so that it looks that way. 28:19 Now, what does he do here? Look at what it says here. 28:21 Verse 2, "And the woman said to the serpent, 'We may eat the 28:24 tree of the--fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit 28:27 of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has 28:30 says, "You shall not eat of it, nor shall you-- 28:32 or shall you touch it, lest you die."'" 28:36 Again misquoting a bit. 28:37 Verse 4, "Then the serpent said to the woman," what? 28:43 "God is a liar. 28:46 God is a manipulator. 28:49 God is deceiving you." 28:50 That's what he's telling her. 28:52 "God told you you weren't going to die--you were going to die? 28:54 You will not surely die." 28:56 In other words, what is the devil doing? 28:58 He's lying. He's defaming. 29:00 He's attacking the character of God. 29:02 "God lied to you, Eve. 29:04 You can't trust in God," so notice what the 29:08 devil does is he what? 29:10 He tries to--the devil, in order for us to make the wrong 29:13 decision--and, of course, we think, "Life or death? 29:16 That's pretty easy." 29:17 What the devil does is he distorts the character of God. 29:21 He distorts the image of God. 29:23 He distorts or perverts who God is so that you can make a 29:26 misinformed decision in regards to thinking you're choosing 29:30 life, when you're really choosing death. 29:33 I'll give an example for you. 29:34 I told you when I was raised, those of you that know, I was 29:36 raised and I was shown the concept of eternal 29:39 torment and burning in hell. 29:41 Now, who would want to choose and follow a God like that? 29:45 I'm like, "That doesn't sound like a loving God to me, that I 29:47 would live 80 years of my life and he would choose to torture 29:49 me for the rest of eternity." 29:52 That was a distorted or perverted image that was 29:54 presented to me of the character of God, and so what did I do? 29:57 What do you think I did? 29:58 They did it, of course, for me to behave. 30:00 "Carlitos, this way you can behave. 30:02 You can be a good boy." 30:03 And instead what that made me do is reject God completely. 30:06 What was my choice? 30:07 I rejected God based on the premise or the false premise, 30:11 the false concept, the false image that was given to me of 30:14 who God was, and so I made that decision. 30:18 Is everybody following me? 30:21 And that's what the devil does. 30:23 He makes us think that we're choosing correctly, because 30:27 anybody that would come to the conclusion that I could would 30:29 think I made the right decision. 30:30 Why would I want to serve a God like that? 30:33 And this is what he's doing with Eve. 30:35 "God is a liar. God is a manipulator. 30:38 God is a deceiver, and not only does God do that," 30:40 but look at when we continue to read it says in verse 4--5, 30:44 "For God knows that in the day that you eat of it your eyes 30:46 will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing," what? 30:50 "Good and evil." 30:51 Now, I struggle with this concept of 30:52 knowing good and evil. 30:54 So, the devil basically says this, "Not only is God lying to 30:57 you, Eve, but God is lying to you because He's selfish. 31:01 God is lying to you because He knows that if you eat of that 31:05 tree you will be like Him, and He's selfish. 31:08 He doesn't want you to be like Him," even though to a certain 31:12 degree Adam and Eve already had what? 31:14 They were like in the likeness of God, right? 31:16 But this is the manipulation. 31:18 This is the distortion that the devil brings upon us, and so, 31:21 "God is being selfish. 31:22 He does not want you to be like Him." 31:25 Now, what does it mean to be like God? 31:28 Who wanted to be like God, first of all? 31:29 Who wanted to be like God? Satan, right? 31:32 Was he able to obtain it? No. 31:34 So, what does he do? 31:36 He tricks us to thinking we can be like God, to trick us to 31:39 think that we can be like God. 31:41 And what does that mean? Knowing good or evil. 31:43 Now, I struggled with this concept of knowing good 31:44 and evil for a long time. 31:46 What does that mean, knowing good or evil? 31:47 Mmm. I struggle with that. 31:49 And here's where I did. 31:53 I went and I asked a couple of people, looked for some 31:55 commentaries, couldn't find an answer, so I go and I go inside, 31:58 and I look for a "Strong's Concordance," and I find the 32:01 word "for knowing" is the word "yada." 32:03 What's the word? Yada. 32:06 Now, the word "yada" does mean "to know." 32:08 It does, but there are other definitions to the word "yada." 32:12 And it also means not just to know, but to 32:13 declare or to determine. 32:16 So, in other words, when you read it in this context, it 32:18 says, "For you will be like God, declaring or determining 32:22 what is good and what is evil." 32:26 I have a question: Who is the one that determines or 32:28 declares what is good and evil? 32:29 God, it's not us, so what he's basically saying 32:33 to Adam and Eve is, "You know what? 32:35 You don't need God to tell you what's right or wrong. 32:38 You can determine and declare it on your own. 32:41 You don't need God for that." 32:43 I have a question. 32:45 Has anything changed from the Garden of Eden? 32:49 No, right? 32:50 Postmodern theology, what is it? 32:52 "Oh, you can be like God, you don't need--" right? 32:56 I'm saying "theology" in a facetious way, right? 32:58 The postmodern mindset is saying what? 33:00 "You don't need God, you don't need God to tell you 33:02 what's right or wrong. 33:04 You can determine and declare what's right or 33:05 wrong on your own." 33:08 Nothing has really changed. 33:09 The devil has the same deception, and it 33:11 has this theology, I call it postmodern theology. 33:14 Has this come inside of the church? 33:17 Yes. "Well, the Bible--" 33:18 No, just go by what you feel, right? 33:22 You don't need God to tell you what's right or wrong. 33:24 Just trust your feelings. 33:25 Trust your gut. 33:27 Trust your instincts. No, just go by that. 33:31 Do we have an issue in Christianity where people 33:33 following their feelings and their emotions and their gut 33:36 more than the Word of God? 33:38 Yes, and this is what this lesson is about. 33:41 It's not just about choosing right or wrong, right, in the 33:43 context of choosing the devil or choosing God. 33:47 Nobody would choose the devil. 33:48 The real lesson in this is, do we trust in God so much that we 33:52 follow and obey His Word and listen to His calling and His 33:56 direction more than my own? 33:58 That's what this is really about. 34:00 Or am I going to choose to follow in the Spirit and follow 34:04 the Word of God, or am I going to choose to follow my flesh, my 34:07 carnal desires, my carnal inclinations, my carnal impulses 34:11 over the Word of God? 34:13 "Well, I know God said this, but I want to do this." 34:17 And that's the problem, and that's the deception. 34:21 That's the foundation, basically, of this concept of 34:24 choice, because nobody would choose death. 34:27 Nobody would choose the devil, but every day you're going to 34:30 choose which camp you want to be in with what? 34:34 With whether you're going to choose to live your life 34:35 according to God's Word or according to your own will and 34:39 your own ways, your own desires. 34:42 And sometimes this is not as clear either, because sometimes 34:45 even inside the devil wants to bring deception, not clarity. 34:48 Go with me to Romans chapter 6. 34:50 Let's look at this in another context. 34:52 Romans chapter 6. 34:53 I like how Paul explains it in Romans chapter 6. 34:57 Now, after Adam and Eve chose that, the condemnation 35:01 was to fall on humanity. 35:03 I have a question: Did humanity suffer the condemnation of 35:07 eating off of the tree of the knowledge and good and evil 35:10 that God said, "The day you eat of it you shall surely die"? 35:14 They chose. 35:15 Did they choose or did they not choose to eat of it? 35:17 Yes or no? Yes. 35:19 Eve is considered to be-- have deceived by the devil. 35:23 Adam wasn't. 35:25 Adam chose, basically, Eve over God, right? 35:28 He made an idol of his wife. 35:31 Could be that you're making an idol of your wife. 35:34 You're making an idol of your children. 35:36 You're making an idol of your work. 35:38 You're making an idol of your theology. 35:41 You're making an idol of your impulses, of your desires. 35:45 This is not just some--we're not just talking about things. 35:48 We're talking about thoughts and mindsets. 35:52 This is the real struggle and the real battle that is 35:53 happening in choosing. 35:55 Are we going to want to follow what is comfortable for us, what 35:58 we like, or are we going to follow what God has chosen for 36:01 us, what God is asking for us? 36:03 Is everybody with me? 36:04 And so, we see that in the Garden of Eden. 36:06 God chose for Adam and Eve. 36:09 God chose for humanity what? 36:10 A second chance. A predisposition. 36:14 He chose to give them that second chance, why? 36:17 He chose--God chose us, or I look at it this way: God chose 36:21 you first so that you can then choose Him, amen? 36:27 God chose us first. 36:29 He says, "Despite what was going to happen, I 36:31 still chose you first. 36:33 And I chose you how? 36:35 Through My son, in My son Jesus Christ giving it all." 36:38 And that informed decision, my loved ones, is where it start. 36:42 Now let's go to Romans chapter 6. 36:43 Look at here, let's go back-- let's go deeper into this 36:45 concept of decision making, right? 36:48 Choosing life, or choosing death. 36:50 I think this is the best place that it's explained. 36:53 Romans chapter 6. 36:54 Let's start on verse number 15. 36:56 When you're there say, "Amen." 36:59 "What then? 37:00 Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? 37:04 Certainly not! 37:05 Do you not know that to whom you present 37:07 yourselves slaves to," what? 37:09 "Slaves to obey, you are the one slaves whom you obey, whether of 37:13 sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to," what? 37:16 "Righteousness." 37:18 So, basically, what we're saying here is that we 37:20 are all born slaves. 37:26 The question is, slaves to what? 37:30 Slaves to what? 37:32 We're all slaves here. 37:33 Every single one of us that is standing here right now in this 37:36 moment is all a slave. 37:38 The question is, to what or to who? 37:41 Because through your life, through your giving, through 37:43 your life, through your choices and the decisions you make you 37:46 are choosing who you want to be a slave to, whether slave to the 37:50 flesh or a slave to the Spirit. 37:54 Look at what he says. 37:55 "But God be thanked," but God be thanked, "that though you were 38:02 slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of 38:04 doctrine to which you were delivered. 38:06 And having been set free from sin, you 38:08 became slaves of," what? 38:10 A slave is somebody that has given their will over, that has 38:14 given everything that they are, some by choice, but 38:17 most obviously not by choice. 38:18 But in this context the word "slave," even though it might 38:20 carry a negative connotation in our society, right, because of 38:24 the slave trade and the implications of slave, in the 38:27 quest or in the concept of theology and the quest and the 38:30 concept of the gospel I want to be a slave to God. 38:33 I want to freely--I choose to give and decide to give my life, 38:38 my mind, my thoughts, my preconceived ideas, my 38:41 presuppositions, my family, my relationship, 38:47 my resources, whatever I have. 38:49 I can choose to put it and put it under the bondage 38:52 of the righteousness of God, or I can choose to 38:57 continue to live as what? 38:59 As a slave to the flesh, as a slave to self, as a slave to my 39:03 own desires and my own inclinations, so as 39:06 Christians--because that's the concept of the--the context of 39:09 the word of the--of this lesson on choosing. 39:13 He's talking to His people. 39:15 In Deuteronomy chapter 30, God is talking to His people. 39:18 He's talking to you and me, and He's saying, "Choose." 39:20 Choose what? 39:23 You can choose to be a mediocre, stagnant, complacent, 39:27 lukewarm Christian if you want. 39:29 You can choose that, and if you're choosing that you're 39:31 choosing death, but you can also choose to live a vibrant, 39:37 joyful, powerful life in Christ. 39:41 You can choose to have a life full of hope, full of blessing 39:46 to others to where God can reveal His power, 39:49 His glory, His holiness. 39:51 You can choose that, too. 39:55 And how do we know what we're choosing? 39:57 How do we know what choice are we choosing? 39:59 Are we choosing the side of God, the side of living in the 40:02 Spirit, or are we choosing on the side of the flesh, on the 40:05 side of me, of selfishness? 40:08 The Bible says, "You shall know them by their fruits," and I'm 40:12 asking this not because I'm pointing the finger. 40:14 Remember I've said this before. 40:17 Any time I come to present the Word of God in any type of 40:19 environment, whether it be a Bible study, one-on-one Bible 40:22 study, a group, sermon, whatever, I'm always 40:24 looking at myself. 40:26 I'm analyzing and studying this in view of me. 40:30 Am I a lukewarm, carnal Christian? 40:33 Am I deceiving myself by thinking that because I work at 40:38 Amazing Facts, because I stand here, because I do this, because 40:41 I do that and I do this, can I be deceiving myself to 40:45 thinking that I am living the life that God wants when 40:48 I'm really living my own life? 40:49 I have a question: Can I be deceiving myself, yes or no? 40:52 Yes; now I'll throw the question back at you. 40:56 Can you be deceiving yourself? 40:59 Ooh. Think. 41:04 Choose life or death. 41:06 It's not that white and black in this context, because the 41:10 choosing that you make is who are you choosing 41:12 to be a slave to? 41:14 Who are you choosing to obey? 41:16 Who are you choosing to surrender? 41:18 And again, God presents all of this in the context of what? 41:22 Of this covenant. 41:24 Now, when we were born or when--after the fall of 41:26 Adam and Eve, we were stripped. 41:29 Humanity was stripped of willpower. 41:31 That means you cannot fight against your fallen carnal 41:36 impulses and desires. 41:37 You just can't, but in the new covenant, in the everlasting 41:42 covenant, God promised the Holy Spirit. 41:48 Notice, because some people will ask me, "Well, in that quote it 41:50 doesn't say that the Holy Spirit was involved in the covenant. 41:54 It says that the Father and the Son made that covenant to redeem 41:57 man, with Jesus Christ as the guarantee before. 42:01 Where was the Holy Spirit?" You know why? 42:02 Because the Holy Spirit is the promise of the covenant. 42:06 It's through the Holy Spirit that this 42:08 covenant was going to be what? 42:10 In Christ, guaranteed to you and to me. 42:13 And so, when we receive the Holy Spirit, as Doug talked about 42:15 last night, when we accept Jesus Christ, when we say, "Lord, 42:19 I want to begin a new life. 42:20 I want to ask for forgiveness," we receive that Holy Spirit. 42:23 Even before, but especially in that moment. 42:25 The Spirit comes into us. What does the Spirit do? 42:27 I'll give it to you in a very simple way. 42:29 The Spirit basically gives us back willpower. 42:34 He doesn't make the decision for us. 42:36 The Spirit doesn't make that choice for me or for you, but 42:39 the Spirit does give us back what? 42:41 Willpower so we can what? 42:44 So we can choose, choose righteousness or 42:49 unrighteousness, choose to walk in the Spirit or walk 42:53 in the flesh, choose to walk a holy life or 42:56 choose to walk a carnal life. 42:58 That decision is given to us. 43:01 That willpower is given back to us, and now we, as co-laborers 43:07 with God, we as partakers, we then now have to decide if we 43:12 are going to choose to follow in that same path. 43:15 Is everybody with me? Amen. 43:18 And so, when God presents before His people in Deuteronomy 43:22 chapter 30, the context is the covenant. 43:25 Go with me, please, to Deuteronomy chapter 30. 43:27 The lesson goes straight into the chapter, but you have 43:31 to--when you study the context of what's going on, right, 43:35 they're about to reenter--not to reenter. 43:37 They're about to enter the Promised Land. 43:39 And already their parents were not faithful to God, and so God 43:42 is already trying to explain to them, show them through these 40 43:46 years in the desert that there's a better decision to make, 43:50 because they made the wrong decisions. 43:51 Why? Why was the decision wrong? 43:53 They loved it when God liberated them. 43:55 They loved it when God opened the Red Sea. 43:57 They loved it when God gave them victory over the 44:01 Egyptian enemies, but they did not love it when 44:03 they were eating manna all day. 44:06 They did not love it when they were thirsty. 44:10 They did not love it having to be in the desert. 44:12 They did not love it, and so despite the blessings and the 44:16 glory of God they started to murmur. 44:19 And so, God is trying to tell them, "Listen, learn from the 44:21 mistakes of the past." 44:23 That's what circumcision is. 44:24 Learn from the mistakes of others and 44:26 don't fall into the same trap. 44:28 And so, when God is presenting in Deuteronomy chapter 30, I 44:31 love this part of Deuteronomy chapter 30 because what it 44:34 presents to us is very, very clear and simple. 44:37 If you read it in a--with a certain lens, a 44:41 certain legalistic lens, all you'll see is, 44:43 "Obey, obey, obey, obey, obey." 44:47 But if you look at it from the context of the loving God and 44:50 what He wants to do, look at what it says in Deuteronomy 44:52 chapter 30, verse number 2. 44:54 "Return the Lord--to the Lord your God and obey His voice, 44:58 according to all I command you today, and your children, with 45:02 all your heart and with all your soul." 45:04 Verse 6, "And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and 45:07 the heart of your descendants." 45:08 That's the new covenant. 45:10 That's the everlasting covenant, God giving us a new heart. 45:13 "To love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your 45:15 soul, that you may live." 45:17 Look at what it says in verse number 14. 45:20 "But the Word is very near to you, in your mouth and in your 45:23 heart, that you may do it." 45:25 Verse 17, "But if your heart turns away so that you do not 45:28 hear, and are drawn away--" 45:31 You have to give your heart to the Lord first so that He 45:34 can give you the power to obey. 45:37 Verse number 20, "That you may love the Lord your God, 45:39 that you may," what? 45:41 "Obey His voice." 45:42 How is it possible to obey God's voice? 45:45 It's only if we love Him. 45:46 It's only through love, and that's the option, that God 45:51 chose us from the beginning, to present to us His love and His 45:54 mercy, and so we choose based on that. 45:57 "To choose that you may love the Lord your God, that you 45:59 may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, 46:02 for He is your life." 46:05 Ooh, that just sounds so beautiful, clinging to the Lord. 46:09 That's what the Lord wants, but it's based off of what? 46:11 You have to be able to have a relationship with God. 46:14 You have to know God, because if you don't 46:16 know Him you won't love Him. 46:17 And if you don't love Him, you won't serve Him. 46:20 And if you don't serve God, if you don't choose to be a slave 46:22 to God, if you don't choose to surrender completely, totally 46:25 everything that you are, you will be a slave to self. 46:29 Psalms 48 says, "I delight to do Your will, O my God, and Your 46:33 law is written," where? 46:36 "Within my heart," amen? 46:38 That's the choice, my loved ones, is to 46:40 surrender your heart or not. 46:41 God is not asking us for obedience on the top, why? 46:45 Because He knows we're incapable of obeying 46:47 because of our fallen nature. 46:49 God is saying, "Love Me, accept Me, and let Me 46:52 give you a new heart. 46:54 Let Me give you a new mind, and I will put the love and 46:57 surrender to My will in your heart, and I will give you the 47:01 power to obey," amen? 47:03 "I will give you that strength and that power." 47:06 In other words, and this is very important, obedience is not the 47:09 condition or obligation of God for us 47:12 in the Everlasting Covenant. 47:13 We have to change that mindset. 47:15 "Oh, I have to obey, I have to comply, and that's 47:18 what I have to do in the covenant." 47:19 No, obedience is not the condition or obligation of God 47:22 for us in the Everlasting Covenant. 47:24 Obedience is the promise and the blessing of God for us in the 47:27 Everlasting Covenant, amen? 47:30 God wants to--He tells us, "Give Me your heart, and I will give 47:33 you the power to obey. 47:35 I will give you the strength. 47:36 I will give you what I want you to do." 47:39 Look at what it says in the book, "Patriarchs and Prophets." 47:41 "The covenant of grace was first made with man in Eden, when 47:44 after the Fall there was given a divine promise that the seed of 47:47 the woman should bruise the serpent's head. 47:49 To all men," and women, "this covenant offered pardon," 47:53 forgiveness of sin, "and assisting grace 47:57 of God for," what? 47:59 "For future obedience through faith in Jesus Christ." 48:03 I have a question: What comes first, 48:04 the covenant or obedience? 48:10 What comes first, the covenant or obedience? 48:13 The covenant comes first. That's what it says there. 48:15 God presents the covenant of grace, and through that man, 48:19 the responsive man, is to give their lives, and then God gives 48:21 us the power, the assisting grace for future 48:24 obedience through faith in Jesus Christ. 48:27 Go with me to Hebrews chapter 13. 48:29 Ooh, see, this is crucial to understand, because if not, 48:34 we're going to go around trying to think, "Oh, I'm going to be-- 48:37 I'm going to obey God and--" no, you can't obey God. 48:42 That's the whole point of it. 48:43 We are unrighteous. We cannot produce righteousness. 48:46 The point of it is surrender your heart to God, and He will 48:48 give you the power to obey. 48:51 He will give you the strength so that you can live 48:54 according to His will. 48:55 Hebrews chapter 30, verse 20. 48:58 "Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from 49:01 the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of 49:04 the everlasting covenant," through the what? 49:06 The blood of the everlasting covenant. 49:08 What does it say then? Watch this. 49:11 What does the blood of the everlasting covenant do? 49:13 "Make you complete in every good work to do His will, 49:17 working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, 49:20 through Jesus Christ," amen? 49:22 I have a question: What came first, 49:24 the covenant or obedience? 49:26 The covenant. 49:27 The promise came first, and then our response to that promise, to 49:31 the covenant that Christ has done with the Father. 49:33 Then we are given that response. Who says amen to that? 49:36 And so, I'm going to finish looking at it this way. 49:39 This is you and me in our lives. 49:40 We are wandering children in this world. 49:42 We are wandering around not knowing where to go. 49:48 This is how we come to the life, right? 49:50 Even when we have parents that are God-fearing, that present a 49:53 household for us where we can--but at the end of the day 49:55 we're all wandering and struggling. 49:57 I can't tell you how many kids growing up or raised in the 49:59 Seventh-day Adventist Church have become--have 50:02 left the church because what? 50:03 Because they were not presented a solid perception and 50:06 image of who God really is. 50:08 They presented this legalistic mindset. 50:10 "You have to comply. You have to obey." 50:12 Instead of, "You have to surrender." 50:14 The word "obey" is implicit, the word, the power to obey. 50:18 God is trying to give us this power, 50:20 but we have to first what? 50:21 Surrender our hearts, it's a heart problem that we have, 50:24 and then God gives us the power. 50:26 So, we're wandering around in the rain, in fear, the winds and 50:30 the enemy attacking and bombarding us, giving us these 50:33 false impressions, this false concept of who God, and we're 50:36 struggling to know who God is. 50:38 And then, God brings what? 50:39 God brings and comes a cross, amen? 50:42 This is one--a very famous picture in 2015 that became 50:45 viral, of this father with the umbrella over his son, and the 50:49 son holding on to the umbrella, and the father is taking his son 50:53 through the rain, amen? 50:55 He's walking us through, and this is--I think this is the 50:57 perfect picture of what justification is. 51:00 We were lost. We were in the rain. 51:03 We were abandoned. 51:04 We--but God says, "No, you are not. 51:07 Here I am, son. You have an option. 51:09 You can choose Me. 51:10 You can walk with Me, and I will take the burdens." 51:14 Doesn't mean we're not going to get sprinkled because of the 51:16 consequences of sin, but God is walking with us as 51:19 he's walked--this father is walking with his child, 51:21 taking this on Himself. 51:23 But where does choice come, life or death? 51:25 Where does it happen? 51:27 You can choose to walk away. 51:30 You can choose to not continue to walk under the grace of God. 51:34 You can choose to not want to continue to walk with God, and 51:36 God says, "If that's your choice, I'm going to let you." 51:38 But God has given us already everything that we 51:40 need to know so what? 51:42 So that we can live in His glory, amen? 51:44 It's your choice. You choose. 51:47 And the question or the thing I want you to think about today 51:49 is, am I truly living a life of faith in the Spirit? 51:55 Am I truly living and growing in faith or am I stagnant, 51:59 am I unjoyful, am I not seeing the power of God 52:02 manifested in my life? 52:03 Am I not growing in faith? 52:05 If this is the case, then we need to reanalyze. 52:09 We need to refocus. 52:11 We need to change the things that we're doing so that we can 52:13 begin to see the glory of God and we can choose life, amen? 52:16 Because the ways of the flesh, the ways of ourselves are not 52:19 going to lead us anywhere but to death. 52:21 It's only when we choose to be slaves to God and to surrender 52:24 completely and totally will we then see the glory and 52:27 the power of God in our lives. 52:29 That's the choice that we make every day. 52:31 Am I going to follow me, what I want, what I like, what I 52:34 desire, or am I going to surrender completely, totally to 52:37 the will of God through His Word? 52:39 How many of you choose life? Amen. 52:43 Let's pray. Father, we thank You. 52:46 We thank You, Father, because before creation of humanity 52:49 everything was presented, the plan of salvation. 52:52 The everlasting covenant was there for us to 52:54 accept, for us to receive. 52:56 The choice is whether we're going to be grateful and receive 52:59 it or if whether we're going to choose to live in our own ways 53:01 and follow our own path. 53:03 Help us, Father, to make the right choice. 53:05 Help us, Father, to make the informed choice. 53:07 Help us to show others who You really are so that they can make 53:10 the correct choices and follow Your Word and live 53:13 in accordance to it, Father. 53:15 Help us so that we can see the blessings and the promises of 53:18 Your covenant, and we can then, through Your power, 53:20 live and obey in them. 53:22 We thank You, Father, for this blessing, and we 53:23 ask this in Jesus's name, amen. 53:28 male announcer: Don't forget to request today's 53:29 life-changing free resource. 53:31 Not only can you receive this free gift in the mail, you can 53:33 download a digital copy straight to your computer 53:36 or mobile device. 53:37 To get your digital copy of today's free gift, simply text 53:40 the keyword on your screen to 40544 or visit the web address 53:45 shown on your screen. 53:47 And be sure to select a digital download option 53:49 on the request page. 53:50 It's now easier than ever for you to study God's Word with 53:54 "Amazing Facts," wherever and whenever you want. 53:57 And most important, to share it with others. 54:05 announcer: "Amazing Facts" change lives. 54:13 female: Well, my conversion story is when I was in the 54:17 Philippines, I just graduated as a nurse and afterwards I did not 54:23 have any religion and one time I found myself inside a small 54:29 church, Catholic church, in Manila, and before a big cross. 54:36 And I was kneeling before and I could hear Jesus telling me to 54:42 enter the convent, save myself and also my family. 54:46 And I said, "Lord, I would like to follow You all the way." 54:49 At that point, I seemed to be happy externally, but because 54:54 inside the convent we don't read the Bible, we don't study about 54:58 the Word of God. 55:00 We prayed the rosaries, we also at the same time studied the 55:04 lives of the saints and also our founders, and the encyclicals of 55:09 the Pope and the Virgin Mary. 55:13 And so I do not know the truth and I had this torture of 55:16 conscience, the guilty feelings that cannot be resolved. 55:21 So I would confess to the priest in the confessional box, saying, 55:24 "Father, forgive me, since my last confession was last week. 55:29 Since then I have committed the following 55:31 sin," including the root cause. 55:34 Why am I falling and falling in that same 55:37 sin over and over again? 55:40 And still for 21 long years, I struggle and I 55:44 struggle and I struggle. 55:46 I realized that I was totally empty, I was totally 55:51 helpless and hopeless. 55:53 And so depressed and so desperate that I would like 55:57 already to end my life. 56:00 I was working for five years as dean of the University of San 56:04 Agustin College of Nursing in Iloilo City, one of the islands 56:09 in the Philippines. 56:10 After five years I received a commission from my parents to 56:16 help my sister who is being a battered woman. 56:20 This is one of the reasons why I came over to United States. 56:25 It is because my sister needs my help. 56:29 As I was working in the hospital in New York, my boss-- 56:33 he was so gracious enough to give me an invitation 56:37 to the Millennium Prophecy. 56:39 As I was listening to Pastor Doug Batchelor's presentation, 56:44 my heart really was beating so fast, and my mind, I'm able to 56:49 grasp the truth, that this is the truth that I've been longing 56:54 to hear all my life, that I have been seeking for so long. 57:00 My personal relationship with Jesus, I can see Jesus 57:05 as my personal Savior. 57:07 He is not only the Savior of the whole world but He is my 57:11 personal Savior. 57:13 He was the one who delivered me mightily from the depths of sin, 57:19 from the miry clay. 57:21 Pastor Doug Batchelor has been used by the Lord 57:24 in my conversion. 57:26 The Amazing Facts, I owe to them. 57:29 The Lord really blessed this ministry and I'm so proud I was 57:34 able to attend this Millennium Prophecy. 57:38 My life has never been the same. 57:41 It has given me the peace, the joy, that never--I have never 57:47 tasted in my life, and now I am set free to be able 57:52 to work for Him and to follow Him. 58:03 ♪♪♪ 58:13 ♪♪♪ 58:19 ♪♪♪ |
Revised 2021-11-17