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00:10 ♪♪♪ 00:20 ♪♪♪ 00:30 ♪♪♪ 00:35 Shawn Brummund: Hello, and welcome to another edition 00:37 of the Sabbath School Study Hour. 00:39 Welcome to the Granite Bay Hilltop Seventh-day Adventist 00:41 Church, right here in the Roseville, Sacramento area of 00:45 California, and it's nice to be able to have each and every one 00:49 of you join us that are joining us online or those of you who 00:52 are watching on the various networks. 00:54 It's always good to be able to have our local church family 00:56 come together as we study the Word on this holy Sabbath day 01:00 and welcome, special welcome, to you as well. 01:04 My name is Pastor Shawn Brummund, and it is a privilege 01:07 to be able to host and be able to be a part of the 01:11 Sabbath School Study Hour this morning. 01:13 Before we invite our musicians to be able to lead us out in 01:17 song and worship, I just want to make this offer available to you 01:21 and so I want to encourage you to take advantage of this free 01:25 gift offer that we would like to give to you. 01:27 It is a magazine and it's entitled "Kingdoms in Time." 01:31 And if you've never read this, you want to get a hold of this, 01:34 and go ahead and dial 1-866-788-3966. 01:41 Again, that's 1-866-788-3966 01:46 and ask for free offer number 901. 01:50 And that's if you're in North America or the US Territories. 01:54 Now, if you'd like to get a digital copy of this, as many 01:56 people like to take advantage, go ahead and text the code 01:59 "SH153" and you want to text that to 40544 and we'd be happy 02:07 to be able to link you to a free digital copy. 02:10 For that, again, if you're in North America, 02:12 that is available to you. 02:14 So please take advantage of that free gift offer. 02:16 We're going to invite our musicians to be able to lead us 02:18 out in song as we continue to worship Him. 02:23 ♪♪♪ 02:32 ♪ How do you capture the wind on the water? ♪ 02:39 ♪ How do you count all the stars in the sky? ♪ 02:47 ♪ How do you measure the love of a mother ♪ 02:54 ♪ or how can you write down a baby's first cry? ♪ 03:02 ♪ Candlelight, angel light, firelight, and star-glow ♪ 03:10 ♪ shine on His cradle 'til breaking of dawn. ♪ 03:18 ♪ Gloria, gloria in excelsis deo. ♪ 03:26 ♪ Angels are singing: The Christ child is born. ♪ 03:34 ♪♪♪ 03:42 ♪ Shepherds and wise men will kneel and adore Him. ♪ 03:50 ♪ Seraphim round Him their vigil will keep. ♪ 03:58 ♪ Nations proclaim Him their Lord and their Savior. ♪ 04:06 ♪ But Mary will hold Him and sing Him to sleep. ♪ 04:14 ♪ Candlelight, angel light, firelight, and star-glow shine ♪ 04:23 ♪ on His cradle 'til breaking of dawn. ♪ 04:30 ♪ Gloria, gloria in excelsis deo ♪ 04:38 ♪ Angels are singing: The Christ child is born. ♪ 04:46 ♪♪♪ 04:50 ♪ Find Him at Bethlehem laid in a manger. ♪ 04:58 ♪ Christ our Redeemer asleep in the hay. ♪ 05:06 ♪ Godhead incarnate and hope of salvation, ♪ 05:14 ♪ a Child with His mother that first Christmas Day. ♪ 05:22 ♪ Candlelight, angel light, firelight, and star-glow shine ♪ 05:30 ♪ on His cradle 'til breaking of dawn. ♪ 05:37 ♪ Gloria, gloria in excelsis deo. ♪ 05:45 ♪ Angels are singing: ♪ 05:49 The Christ child is born. ♪♪ 06:01 Shawn: Today we're going to be looking at Lesson number 3 06:04 in our quarterly, which is entitled, 06:05 "These Last Days: The Message of Hebrews." 06:08 So Lesson number 3. Let's open with prayer. 06:10 Father in heaven, we want to thank You for the opportunity to 06:12 be able to worship You here this morning. 06:15 Thank You for all those who are able to join us, both here in 06:18 the sanctuary as well as those who are watching. 06:21 We want to pray that You'll bless all of us 06:22 and guide us with Your Holy Spirit. 06:24 We claim Your promise that Your Holy Spirit will come and lead 06:27 us into all truths as we come to You as students and pray that 06:32 You'll be with our pastor today, Pastor Alden, 06:34 as he shares with us the Word of God. 06:37 In Jesus's name we pray these things, God, amen. 06:41 Alden J. Ho: We have a, I guess for you it's a double blessing 06:44 today, because it is Christmas Day and the message 06:50 for our Sabbath School Lesson is 06:51 called "The Promised Son," is that right? 06:55 It's a triple blessing for me because not only 06:58 do we have those two, but the third one is I 07:01 get to present this lesson, isn't that marvelous? 07:06 For me, I guess I'll say "Amen." 07:09 We had the prayer so I'd like to take you 07:11 to our memory text for this lesson. 07:14 It's found in Hebrews chapter 1, verse 2 and 3. 07:17 In the Sabbath School quarterly, it quotes from the New 07:20 International Version, so that's what I'm going to read. 07:23 "But in these days He has spoken to us by His Son, 07:27 whom He appointed heir of all things, 07:30 and through whom also He made the universe. 07:34 The Son is the radiance of God's glory 07:38 and the exact representation of His being." 07:43 God has preserved in scripture at least one complete message. 07:50 One complete message in the scripture, 07:52 and this message we find is Paul's letter 07:55 to the Hebrews right here in Hebrews chapter 1. 07:59 It has been argued that Hebrews is the earliest complete sermon 08:04 but the Hebrews was addressed to believers who accepted 08:08 Jesus but then experienced difficulties. 08:13 Some were publicly shamed, some were persecuted, 08:17 some also faced financial hardship as well. 08:21 So the apostle in a stirring sermon, however, challenged them 08:26 and he's saying to them to preserve their faith in Jesus 08:30 and to fix their eyes on Jesus 08:33 who is now in the heavenly sanctuary. 08:36 This really is a message for us today, wouldn't you say? 08:40 I don't--I believe almost everybody 08:43 is going through some sort of hardship. 08:45 And if you're not, you will be very shortly. 08:48 And if it's not health, it's going to be financial, 08:51 it's going to be something or other. 08:54 You know, working at Amazing Facts, we get stacks and stacks 08:57 and stacks of prayer requests, and I can tell you over and over 09:02 that prayer requests are very, very similar: Pray for my 09:05 health, pray for my family, pray for my children who have left 09:09 the church, pray for somebody who has cancer, 09:12 pray for me to have a closer walk with Jesus. 09:15 Does that describe one of you out there? 09:19 That is the time period in which we're living, which is why this 09:23 lesson is so applicable to us today, being "The Promised Son." 09:29 Right after Adam and Eve sinned, God promised them a seed. 09:34 Now, Isaiah 55, verse 8 and 9 tells us that 09:38 "'My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are 09:40 your ways My ways,' says the Lord. 09:42 'But as the heavens are higher than the earth, 09:44 so are My thoughts higher than your thoughts 09:46 and My ways higher than your ways.'" 09:48 In other words, God has His own timing, amen? 09:55 That timing is not your timing. 09:57 So when He promised Adam and Eve a seed, 10:00 what do you think Adam and Eve thought? 10:02 "It's going to be one of our children." 10:05 But it wasn't directly one of their children. 10:09 The Son, Jesus, who would deliver them from the enemy, 10:14 recover the inheritance that had been lost, and fulfill 10:18 the purpose for which they had created. 10:21 When we look at Genesis chapter 3, verse 15, this is what this 10:25 verse alludes to when it says, "And I will put enmity between 10:31 you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. 10:35 He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel." 10:38 Now, the question is what exactly is enmity? 10:43 The mutual hostility--this is what I looked up. 10:46 The mutual hostility between the persecutor and the persecuted 10:52 for which the Christian following Christ's new 10:55 morality must substitute a new attitude 10:59 by which he loves and prays for his enemy. 11:05 It's kind of hard to do. 11:06 How many of you pray for your enemies? 11:09 Some people like to take revenge but we are told that this is 11:13 what Christ came to do, is to create this division here. 11:19 The Son, Jesus, would both represent and redeem them by 11:24 taking their place and ultimately 11:27 destroying the serpent, the devil. 11:30 Here's a quote from Mrs. White who writes in "Desire of Ages," 11:34 page 31, and she says, "When Adam and Eve heard--first heard 11:38 the promise, they looked for its speedy fulfillment. 11:42 They joyfully welcomed their firstborn son, 11:45 hoping that he might be the deliverer. 11:48 But the fulfillment of the promise tarried." 11:53 Can you imagine the dismay in their hearts? 11:56 First they were--they had to leave the Garden of Eden. 12:01 Now they were expecting that this would be the seed of the 12:04 promised Savior, but no, it wasn't the one. 12:09 The promise was later also confirmed to Abraham. 12:13 "God swore to him that he would have a seed, a son through whom 12:17 all nations of the earth would be blessed." 12:21 Did it come directly then? 12:23 No, it would come through generations later. 12:25 And then God promised the same thing through David as well. 12:29 He promised David that his descendants would be installed 12:31 by God as His own Son and would be established as a righteous 12:36 ruler over the kings of the earth. 12:40 What neither David nor Adam and Eve, or Abraham probably 12:45 never imagined was that the Redeemer 12:48 Son would actually be God Himself. 12:53 We look at Sunday's lesson. 12:55 It's called "In These Last Days." 12:58 In the first paragraph of Hebrews, Hebrews reveals that 13:01 Paul believed he was living in the last days. 13:04 How many of you really believe we're in the last days? 13:07 Can I see your hands? 13:09 If you didn't raise your hand, you really need to question 13:12 yourself: what more signs do you really need 13:15 to understand we're in the last days here? 13:20 So we find here that the prophet Paul used the 13:24 expression "last days" or "latter days" and 13:26 he was talking, really, about the future. 13:29 Compared to Paul, where are we now? 13:33 If Jesus was here, and then Paul 13:36 was here, we're kind of over here. 13:39 So would you say that we're in the latter days, the last days? 13:43 I would definitely say so. 13:45 We find in Deuteronomy chapter 4, verse 30, it says, "When you 13:50 are in distress and all these things come upon you in the 13:54 latter days, when you turn to the Lord your God and obey His 13:58 voice, for the Lord your God is a merciful God, He will not 14:03 forsake you nor destroy you nor forget the covenant of your 14:08 fathers, which He swore to them." 14:11 We also find here that Daniel used 14:13 this expression, "the time of the end." 14:16 He used it twice in his writings. 14:20 So we also find, jumping back to what Paul says, Paul says that 14:25 these promises were fulfilled in Jesus. 14:29 He defeated Satan and, through the proclamation of the gospel, 14:33 is attracting all the nations to Himself. 14:37 This is what it means now, but we know in Revelation that we're 14:42 told that all will wonder after the beast, right? 14:46 So it's interesting paradigm that we have, when the prophecy 14:50 says "all will wonder after the beast," yet another prophecy 14:54 says that they would be attracted to Jesus. 14:58 But I guess there's two "alls." 15:00 There are the wicked all and then 15:02 there's the righteous all as well. 15:05 So in a sense, these last days have begun because 15:08 Jesus has fulfilled God's promise or promises. 15:13 Our spiritual leaders, our 15:15 spiritual fathers, they died in the faith. 15:17 They saw and they greeted the promises from afar. 15:21 But they did not receive them all. 15:25 We, on the other hand, we have seen their fulfillment in Jesus. 15:30 Jesus--think for a moment here, for-- 15:34 about the promises of Jesus. 15:36 I want to lay some out before you. 15:38 The Father, God the Father, promised 15:41 that He would resurrect His children. 15:45 We find this, if you've ever been to a funeral, this is one 15:48 of the main verses that's always read and it's found in 1 15:52 Thessalonians chapter 4, verse 15 and 16 that says, "For this 15:56 we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and 16:00 remain until the coming of the Lord will by 16:02 no means precede those who are asleep. 16:05 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a 16:08 shout, with the voice of the archangel, 16:10 and with the trumpet of God. 16:13 And the dead will arise," what? "First," so that is the promise. 16:21 So this wonderful news is that Jesus initiated the resurrection 16:26 of His children because He Himself was resurrected. 16:30 So He fulfilled that promise part. 16:33 We also have another one that tells us in 1 Corinthians 16:36 chapter 15, verse 20, "But now Christ is risen 16:40 from the dead, and has become the firstfruits 16:43 of those who have fallen asleep." 16:46 So there, in itself, not only did He do it, but we also have 16:50 later in scripture that Paul writes 16:52 that Jesus is the fulfillment of that. 16:54 Here's another promise. 16:56 God the Father also promised a new creation. 17:00 Isaiah chapter 65, verse 17 tells us, "For behold, 17:04 I create new heavens and new earth; and the former 17:09 shall not be remembered or come to mind." 17:13 So the promise there has been fulfilled because He has begun 17:18 to fulfill that promise by creating in us 17:21 a new spiritual life within our own hearts. 17:25 In 2 Corinthians chapter 5, verse 17, Paul writes and he 17:29 says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; 17:35 old things have passed away; behold, 17:38 all things have become new." 17:41 If you are truly a new creation and you've come out from the 17:46 world and you've come to know of Jesus, your life should change. 17:51 Your life should be constantly in change. 17:56 You cannot be the same as you were maybe 17:59 30 years ago when you accept Christ. 18:02 We cannot, as Christians, be spinning 18:04 in the mud, sitting there. 18:05 We have to make progress. 18:08 I like to explain to young people that when Jesus says, 18:11 "Follow Me," He tries to turn us around and He says, "Follow Me." 18:17 Now if Jesus walks this way and you simply 18:20 just stand here, is that following Jesus? 18:24 No, that's not. 18:25 Following Jesus means that you have 18:27 to daily make decided steps towards Him. 18:31 And that's what we need to be doing on a daily basis. 18:33 And this is part of what Jesus is trying to do to us to create 18:39 in us not only a new heart, but a new life, 18:42 a new spiritual longing for Him. 18:45 Here's another promise. 18:47 He promised us that He would establish His final kingdom. 18:51 In Daniel chapter 2, verse 44, Daniel writes and he says, "And 18:56 in the days of these kings, the God of heaven will set up a 19:00 kingdom which shall never be destroyed, and the kingdom shall 19:04 not be left to another--to other people. 19:07 It shall break in pieces and consume 19:10 all the kingdoms and it shall stand forever." 19:15 And the promise was inaugurated that the kingdom was delivered 19:23 to us from Satan because Jesus has become our ruler. 19:29 This is fulfilled in Luke chapter 10, verse 18 to 20, "And 19:34 He said to them, 'I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19:39 Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and 19:43 scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, 19:45 and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 19:49 Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are 19:54 subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are 19:59 written in heaven.'" 20:02 This is the only-- this is only the 20:07 beginning, because the final promise I want to share with you 20:10 is this: What God began to do in Jesus's First Coming, 20:17 He will complete in the Second Coming. 20:21 And we know that that is going to be very, very soon. 20:25 We jump to Monday's lesson. 20:27 Monday's lessons is titled "God Has Spoken to Us by His Son." 20:32 We're going to look at the first 20:34 four verses here of Hebrews chapter 1. 20:37 This is the central idea that 20:40 we're trying to obtain from this. 20:42 Hebrews 1:1, "God, who at various times and in various 20:47 ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets." 20:51 Now, remember, this is the opening to Paul's sermon that is 20:55 the complete sermon that's recorded. 20:57 Verse 2, "Has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He 21:02 has appointed heirs of all things, through whom also He has 21:07 made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the 21:12 express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word 21:18 of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat 21:23 down at the right hand of the Majesty on heaven, having become 21:28 so much more better than the angels, as He has by inheritance 21:34 obtained a more excellent name than they." 21:39 Four verses. You know what's interesting? 21:42 That's actually supposed to be one complete sentence. 21:47 Not only is this one sentence, it is argued that this is 21:52 probably the most beautiful in all of the New Testament from 21:58 the point of view of a rhetorical artist. 22:02 The lesson points out something very interesting here 22:05 that I want to bring to your attention. 22:06 It says, "For the Jews in the 1st century AD, the Word of God 22:11 had not been heard for a long time. 22:15 The last revelation to be expressed in the written Word of 22:17 God had come through the prophet Malachi and the ministries of 22:21 Ezra and Nehemiah, four centuries before that time 22:25 period, but now, through Jesus, God is speaking to them again. 22:31 Would that kind of spur you on to, 22:33 like, "Wow, He's speaking to us now. 22:37 Let's listen." But Jesus is not with us now. 22:41 Not directly. We can't touch Him. 22:44 We can't see Him. 22:45 But we can certainly hear Him through His words because the 22:48 Bible tells us the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. 22:54 Also, we find that God--that the 22:56 Old Testament was the Word of God. 22:59 The same God who spoke in times past 23:02 is speaking in time present. 23:05 The Old Testament communicated a truer knowledge of God's will. 23:11 But then we find Jesus brought so much of the 23:15 Old Testament to light, once again showing us 23:20 that He truly was the promised Son. 23:23 In Luke 24:44, we find these words, "These are the words 23:28 which I spoke to you while I was still with you and all things 23:34 must be fulfilled which were written in the law of Moses and 23:38 the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me." 23:42 So Jesus came to be our representative. 23:46 He came to be our Savior. 23:49 He would take our place in the fight 23:51 and the defeat of the serpent. 23:56 We find many things that are interesting here. 24:00 And if you think through what it means that Jesus, God, came to 24:08 this earth, why should this truth bring us much hope? 24:15 Because everything that He did, 24:18 He did not for Himself but He did for us. 24:24 Tuesday's lessons, "He Is the Radiance of the Glory of God." 24:30 In this section, Tuesday, we focus on the portion that says, 24:34 "He is the radiance of the glory of God 24:38 and the exact imprint of His nature." 24:42 Now, I'm a musician, I've been playing piano 24:45 for a long time, studied music education. 24:48 Johann Sebastian Bach said, "All music should have no other end 24:54 and aim than the glory of God, and the soul's refreshment. 25:00 Where this is not remembered, there is no real music, 25:05 but only devilish hubbub," think about that. 25:11 He headed his compositions with the letters "J.J.," 25:17 Jesus juva, which means "Jesus help me." 25:21 He ended all his compositions with three letters, "S.D.G.," 25:27 soli deo gloria, meaning "To God alone the praise." 25:34 That's why Bach's music is always church music, 25:39 because of how he wrote it. 25:43 In the Old Testament, the glory of God refers 25:45 to His visible presence among His people. 25:49 Reading from a Bible commentary, it says, "The contrast between 25:52 the covering cloud that embraced Moses in 25:56 the blessed fellowship and communion with his maker 25:59 and the devouring fire is significant." 26:03 Remember, we're talking about radiance here. 26:05 Those who, like Moses, walk in God's ways, will be assured of 26:10 protection and security in the secret place, 26:14 under the shadow of the Almighty." 26:18 Do you wonder why sometimes when we pray it seems 26:22 that our prayer bounces off the ceilings? 26:25 Anybody feel like that? 26:28 It's because sometimes the way we live our lives, it is not 26:33 really in harmony with God's way. 26:36 And that's why we feel that our spiritual life is very limited. 26:41 In this sense, this is what it's saying. 26:44 Those who turn from the paths of righteousness will find not 26:48 comfort and assurance, but retributive justice for God will 26:54 appear to them as a consuming fire. 26:58 So God is really wanting us to draw close to Him. 27:06 But the closer we get to Him, remember the brighter it 27:09 becomes, the more radiant, the more holy it becomes. 27:14 But we, in our carnal nature, we can't stand that. 27:18 Remember what happens to the wicked when Jesus comes. 27:21 Revelation 6 tells us, "They will run to the mountains and 27:25 the caves and they will cry out," what? 27:28 "Fall on us. 27:29 Hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne, 27:32 and from the wrath of the Lamb." 27:36 Reading from this wonderful book, "Patriarchs and Prophets," 27:40 page 329, it says, "During that long spent-- 27:44 long time spent in communion with God, the face of Moses 27:49 had reflected the glory of the divine presence. 27:51 Unknown to himself, his face shone with a dazzling light 27:56 when he descended from the mountain. 27:58 Aaron, as well as the people, shrank away from Moses 28:03 and they were afraid to come near him. 28:05 Moses had had to communicate with them and compassionating 28:12 their fears, he put a veil upon his face, and continued 28:15 to do so thereafter whenever he returned 28:19 to the camp from communion with God." 28:22 Tell me, Moses's life was incredibly close to God. 28:30 Nobody has come that close to seeing 28:32 the radiance of God and live. 28:38 How close are we walking with God these days? 28:41 I mean, if God were to come right now, 28:46 I would be scared to say how many of us would actually 28:49 be looking up versus running away. 28:55 What we find is this: Moses was the visible mediator. 29:01 He was a representative of the true intercessor. 29:09 As I was reading through this Sabbath School lesson, 29:11 this particular portion that was written 29:13 by the editor caught my attention. 29:16 And it says here, it's very, very profound. 29:18 It says, "Just as the sun cannot be perceived except by the 29:22 radiance of its light, God is known through Jesus. 29:27 From our perspective, the two are one. 29:32 Because God's glory is light itself, there is 29:34 no difference in actual being and character. 29:38 Between God and Jesus there is no difference 29:42 between light and its radiance." 29:48 Is that me only that found that profound? 29:54 Let's move to Wednesday's lesson here, 29:57 "Through Whom He Made the Universe." 30:00 Some think that Jesus was merely an instrument 30:03 through whom God created. 30:06 You know, because we get hung up on a word here 30:09 and I'll cover that in just a moment. 30:11 This is not possible, first, because Paul says, 30:15 "Jesus is the Lord who created the worlds." 30:17 He was not a helper, by any means. 30:19 He was there, active. 30:22 Hebrews 1:10 says that "Jesus is the Lord 30:25 who created the earth and the heavens." 30:28 Paul also applies to Him that in Psalms 102:25-27 says that the 30:36 Lord Yahweh was also the creator. 30:40 So here's some logic to think about. 30:43 There is a perfect agreement between 30:45 the Father and the Son in purpose and activity. 30:51 This is the part of the mystery of the Godhead. 30:53 Jesus created, God created. 30:57 But there is only one creator: God, 31:00 which implies that Jesus is God. 31:10 Hebrews 1:3, "Upholding all things 31:13 by the word of His power." 31:17 Each of us here are sustained by God, by Jesus. 31:25 Do you thank Him in the morning when you wake up 31:27 that you have life and you have breath? 31:30 We take those very simplistic things for granted sometimes, 31:35 and we just assume that we're going to get it. 31:39 But how many people did not make it through the night last night? 31:46 In Acts chapter 17:28, "For in Him we live 31:50 and move and have our being." 31:54 Everything is to the glory of God. 31:58 I want to tell you a little story here, "After the Sunday 32:04 evening hymns, the church pastor slowly walked up to the podium 32:09 and, before he gave his sermon that evening, he briefly 32:12 introduced a special guest minister 32:15 who was in the service that evening. 32:17 In the introduction, the pastor told the congregation that this 32:20 guest minister was one of his dearest childhood friends and 32:24 that he wanted to have him speak, just for a few moments to 32:27 greet the church and to share whatever was on his heart. 32:32 The elderly man stepped up to the podium and he began to 32:34 speak, and he said, 'A father, his son, and a friend of his 32:39 son, were sailing off the Pacific coast 32:43 when a fast-approaching storm blocked 32:45 any attempt to get back to shore. 32:47 The waves were so high that even though the father was an 32:51 experienced sailor, he could not keep the boat upright, and the 32:56 three were swept into the ocean and the boat capsized.' 33:01 The old man hesitated for a moment, making eye contact with 33:04 two teenagers that were sitting near the front, and he began 33:08 to tell that they were at least somewhat awake and listening. 33:14 The aged minister continued his story and he says, 'Grabbing the 33:17 rescue line, the father had to make a very excruciating 33:21 decision of his life: to which boy 33:25 to throw the other end of the lifeline? 33:29 He only had seconds to make a decision and the father 33:31 knew that his son was a Christian. 33:33 He knew that his son had accepted Christ and was walking 33:37 in His ways, but he knew that his son's friend was not. 33:42 The agony of the decision. 33:45 The father yelled out to his son, "I love you, son," 33:49 and he threw the lifeline to his son's friend. 33:53 By the time the father had pulled the friend back to the 33:55 capsized boat, his son had disappeared beneath the raging 33:59 swells and he never saw him again.' 34:04 By this time, the two teenagers were 34:07 sitting upright on the end of their seat. 34:10 'The father,' the old man continued, 'knew his son would 34:15 eventually step into eternity at Jesus's resurrection and he knew 34:19 that he could not bear the thought of his friend's-- 34:22 his son's friend not doing the same. 34:26 Therefore, he sacrificed his son to save his son's friend. 34:31 How great is the love of God 34:34 that He would do the same for us. 34:36 Our heavenly Father sacrificing His only 34:38 begotten Son that we could be saved.' 34:46 He makes the appeal. Jesus threw out the lifeline. 34:53 The pastor again walked slowly to the pulpit 34:56 after the old minister got done. 34:58 He made a small sermonette out of this, and then he made an 35:02 appeal that anybody would like to accept Jesus 35:05 to come down, but nobody moved. 35:08 When the service ended, the old minister 35:11 was standing in the back. 35:13 The two teenage boys ran up to him. 35:16 'That was a nice story,' said one of the boys politely, 'but I 35:19 don't think it's very realistic that a father would give up his 35:23 own son in hopes for the other boy to become a Christian.' 35:28 'Well, you got a point there,' said the old minister. 35:30 Glancing down at his well-worn Bible, 35:33 a big broad smile came across his narrow face. 35:36 He once again looked up at the boys and he said, 35:39 'It sure isn't very realistic, is it? 35:43 But I'm standing here today to tell you that this story gives 35:47 me a glimpse of what it must have been like 35:49 for God to give up His Son for me.' 35:53 He said, 'You see, I was that father and 35:57 your pastor was my son's friend.'" 36:03 In Thursday's lesson, we come to the title, 36:07 "Today I Have Begotten You." 36:10 Now, this has been a little bit of a vocabulary contention, 36:17 I guess you could say, because it says-- 36:19 it reports in Hebrews chapter 1:5, "You are My Son. 36:23 Today I have begotten You." 36:26 Some think that just because the word "begotten" is there that 36:30 this is the birth of Jesus, but that's not exactly right. 36:37 This is what I found out when I was studying this. 36:39 It says, "The term 'only begotten' was actually 36:42 introduced in the Latin version to indicate 36:46 that Christ was not a created being. 36:49 From there, it passed on to other 36:52 modern languages, including English." 36:56 And you know in translation things can always get messed up. 37:01 Jesus was begotten in the sense that He was installed, He was 37:06 adopted by God as the promised ruler, the Son of David. 37:11 The concept of the divine adoption of the ruler was common 37:15 in the Greco-Roman world, and in the East, and it gave the ruler 37:21 legitimacy and power over the land. 37:24 This is why that terminology was used at that time. 37:30 You see, we find that the symbol of Rome, Caesar, was not the 37:37 legitimate son of God, the ruler of the nation. 37:41 Instead, Jesus Christ was. 37:43 The begetting of Jesus refers to the beginning of Jesus's rule 37:48 over the nations and not the beginning of His existence 37:50 because Jesus had always existed. 37:55 And there was never a time that Jesus 37:57 did not exist because Jesus is God. 38:03 And I want to share something that I think 38:06 you will find of interest here. 38:09 Because when we look at--have you ever tried-- 38:12 well, I used to tell people when they asked me, 38:16 "Where should I start reading the Bible?" 38:18 I used to tell them, "Start in the New Testament," 38:21 until I really realized that Matthew chapter 1 38:25 is a very, very tough chapter. 38:28 You can go to sleep reading all those begats, you know that? 38:32 And you wonder, "Why in the world are those begats there?" 38:38 I mean, so-and-so begat so-and-so begat so-and-so. 38:40 I mean, this is not a bedtime story 38:43 you want to read your kids. 38:45 So why are all those begats there? 38:47 Here's what I find that is so intriguing. 38:52 You see, Matthew was a Jew, and Matthew was writing to who? 39:00 I'll give you a hint, it would be somebody like him, 39:03 so who do you think that would be? 39:06 He was writing to a Jew. 39:08 So that's why Matthew chapter 1 starts off with the 39:11 book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, 39:14 the Son of David, the Son of Abraham. 39:17 You see where this is going? 39:20 It's going that way for a reason, because here we find no 39:25 Jew would read about the Son who's claiming to be God without 39:30 showing ancestry and, believe me, 39:33 the Jews were very, very anal about things. 39:35 They kept record all the way back. 39:38 They want to show pedigree. 39:39 Nobody could be a priest unless they could show pedigree 39:43 back to the Aaron line--Aaron's lineage. 39:49 But then that's why Matthew starts off 39:53 in chapter 1 with all these begats. 39:56 Because he's got to show that the claim is real. 40:00 But did you know that there is another genealogy 40:02 found in the Bible as well? 40:04 It's found in the Gospels. 40:05 It's found in Luke, but Luke is not writing 40:10 in chapter 1 with the same thing. 40:11 No, it's not as important to Luke. 40:14 He starts off with it in Luke chapter 3, 40:18 and it's not even the beginning of chapter 3. 40:20 Now, what I find that's very interesting here, 40:24 and don't miss this, Matthew's primary emphasis 40:28 is Jesus as the promised Messiah, Savior to the Jews. 40:34 That's why he's writing that. 40:36 Where, on the other hand, Luke's primary focus is Jesus 40:41 as the Savior of all the peoples of the world. 40:46 Do you see a difference? You with me? 40:50 These lights are really tough because I can't tell you. 40:53 You're all silent. 40:54 I think you've got Christmas comatose or something. 41:00 The other thing that's interesting is Matthew traces 41:04 Joseph's ancestry 'cause it's, you know, 41:07 if you're a Jew, it's all about being a man. 41:11 But Luke, on the other hand, he traces Mary's lineage. 41:16 Now, you have to understand the Jewish mindset. 41:20 These Jews would be--they would pray in the morning 41:23 and they would thank the Lord that they 41:25 weren't born like a dog or a woman. 41:28 They just despised women. 41:29 Women were so lowly that they didn't, 41:32 you know, you're just kind of nothing. 41:34 You're down there. You're below men. 41:39 But if you read Matthew's genealogy, it's very, very 41:43 intriguing because in the genealogy of tracing the 41:47 father's side, he tosses in three named women 41:53 and one more that doesn't have a name. 41:56 Did you know that? 41:58 And if you look at these names, this is what's very, very 42:02 intriguing here, because the first name you come to is Tamar. 42:07 What do you know about Tamar? 42:10 All Judah's boys were all killed off, not because of her, but she 42:17 plays the prostitute in order to hook her father-in-law, 42:23 something that you don't find, hopefully, today. 42:26 But was that good? 42:28 No, I'd say that wasn't a good thing. 42:30 Then you get to another name here. 42:32 You come to Rahab. What do you know of Rahab? 42:37 She didn't play the prostitute, she was the prostitute, right? 42:41 She lied and she's still in Jesus's genealogy. 42:48 Then you have a third female that's mentioned. 42:50 Her name's Ruth. 42:52 Now, Ruth is a--she's a good woman but just 42:55 because of her lineage, she's from what? 42:59 She's a Moabitess. 43:01 And what did the Israelites think of the Moabites? 43:04 No, no, not at all. Then there's a fourth name. 43:09 That fourth name is so wretched that they couldn't 43:12 even mention her name: Bathsheba. 43:16 What do you know about Bathsheba? 43:19 Well, she got--did she get seduced by David, King David? 43:23 You know, I used to think when you listen to the story that 43:25 David came out, he couldn't sleep, and he--you hear about 43:29 the Kidron Valley, I remember I was standing right there at the 43:33 archeology area where David's palace would be, and you look at 43:39 the Kidron Valley and you're thinking it's far away. 43:41 No, it's just the slope that's right down here. 43:44 It's right there and when you come back 43:45 up, right on the other side. 43:47 And you could see the houses over there so clearly. 43:50 It would almost be like from here to the 43:52 first set of cars in the parking lot. 43:55 At midnight, I don't know why Bathsheba was up there at night, 44:00 probably on a full moon, taking a bath 44:03 or a shower or whatever it may be. 44:05 But it was clear enough that David, you know, [yawning]... 44:12 and he calls his servant, "Look, go get her." 44:16 He doesn't know who it is, but, "Go get her." 44:21 David had his own Watergate scandal going on. 44:26 But when you look at all these names, 44:29 we realize Jesus is the promised Son. 44:39 Why then did Matthew, who was writing to the Jews, 44:42 deliberately put these women in his genealogy? 44:47 It's very clear. 44:48 Because Matthew writes about Mary, saying, "She will give 44:53 birth to a Son, and you will give Him the name Jesus, because 44:58 He will save His people from their sins." 45:03 What kind of people can God save through the One born of Mary? 45:08 And the answer flashes through the genealogy: Jesus can save 45:12 people like Tamar, people like Rahab, 45:15 people like Ruth, people like Bathsheba. 45:18 He can save Gentiles, He can save prostitutes, 45:21 He can save adulterers. 45:22 He can save deceivers, He can save murderers. 45:25 He can save anyone because the Bible tells us, "For God did not 45:32 send His Son into the world to condemn the world, 45:36 but that the world through Him might be saved." 45:41 But listen to the succeeding verses, "He who believes in Him 45:46 is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned 45:50 already, because he has not believed 45:53 in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 45:58 And this is the condemnation, that light has come 46:01 into the world, and men love darkness rather 46:05 than light, because their deeds were evil. 46:09 For anyone practicing evil hates the light and doesn't come to 46:13 the light, lest his deeds be exposed. 46:20 But he who does the truth comes to the light, 46:25 that his deeds may be clearly seen, that he-- 46:30 that they have done--been done in God." 46:37 We find that Jesus conquers sin on three levels. 46:43 He conquers us--for us, the penalty of sin. 46:48 Do you know what we call that? Justification. 46:54 Christ was treated as we deserve, 46:56 that we might be treated as He deserves. 47:00 He was condemned for our sins in which He had no share 47:03 that we might be justified by His righteousness 47:06 in which we had no share. 47:09 He suffered the death which was ours, 47:12 that we might receive the life which was His. 47:15 And with His stripes we are healed: 47:19 "Desire of Ages," page 25. 47:21 So not only does He--He removes the penalty of sin, 47:30 but He also removes the power of sin. 47:32 What do we call that? Sanctification. 47:36 And eventually, hopefully sooner than later, He'll remove the 47:41 presence of sin, we call that glorification. 47:48 Time is ticking away for us, not only 47:51 in this lesson, but also in this life. 47:54 The promised Son is a gift to each and every one of us, 47:59 especially for those that are watching, all around this world. 48:06 For us, when we have everything, it's very difficult to need God. 48:13 But when you all of a sudden have lost something 48:16 in a typhoon or a hurricane or a tornado, 48:20 it's easy for us to cling to Jesus. 48:24 I would encourage you, walk closely with the Lord. 48:30 Time is counting down very quickly on this earth. 48:34 Let us be ready. Let's pray. 48:37 Our Father in heaven, as we come to You, we ask that Your Holy 48:41 Spirit would come into our lives, that You would send the 48:44 promised One, Jesus, the Son of God, into our lives to make the 48:50 changes, to prepare us for Your soon Coming. 48:54 Continue to help us each and every day, Lord, that in all 49:00 that we do, in all that we say, we might glorify Your name and 49:05 that we might be true examples for You. 49:08 This is our prayer, in Jesus's name, amen. 49:15 male announcer: Don't forget to request today's 49:16 life-changing free resource. 49:18 Not only can you receive this free gift in the mail, 49:21 you can download a digital copy straight 49:22 to your computer or mobile device. 49:24 To get your digital copy of today's free gift, simply text 49:28 the keyword on your screen to 40544 or visit the web address 49:33 shown on your screen and be sure to select 49:35 the digital download option on the request page. 49:38 It's now easier than ever for you to study God's Word with 49:41 Amazing Facts wherever and whenever you want. 49:44 And most important, to share it with others. 49:52 announcer: "Amazing Facts" Changed Lives. 49:56 ♪♪♪ 50:01 Connie: Nobody was there to defend me. 50:03 Nobody was there to protect me. 50:06 My question was why did that happen to me, God? 50:09 Why didn't You intervene? 50:13 Once I hit my teenage years, 50:15 everything just started coming out. 50:17 I felt embarrassed of what had happened 50:21 because for so long I felt it was my fault. 50:24 There were times that I prayed, but it was prayers of resentment 50:28 and anger and just yelling at God. 50:32 I was so confused, so depressed, 50:35 and I could not bear any more of the pain. 50:38 You know, what's the point of living? 50:40 It's might as well just die. 50:45 I started cutting myself but I heard a small still voice, 50:50 and it said, "Stop, give Me a second chance." 50:56 And right there, I just felt something completely different. 51:01 I felt a presence there, and I put everything down and I went 51:06 to my room and I just started crying. 51:09 I realized that me and God connected so well and I no 51:13 longer saw Him as just a God that no longer cared, 51:16 but I actually saw Him as a Father. 51:19 And I continued praying. One day I was sleeping. 51:24 My mom came to the bed, and she said, "Connie, he's here. 51:28 He's in town, and the Lord impressed me 51:32 that you need to face the situation. 51:34 It's time for you to forgive." 51:37 When something so drastic and so painful has happened, 51:43 forgiveness is very hard because you're vulnerable. 51:48 You let go of that ego, that pride 51:50 that has taken over you for so many years. 51:54 I prayed and when we confronted the situation, 51:58 it was the most amazing moment where we could pray, 52:02 we could cry, and we could forgive. 52:04 And because of that, I'm able to help others and tell others that 52:08 there is hope and there's someone that does care. 52:12 ♪♪♪ 52:20 announcer: Together, we have spread the gospel 52:22 much farther than ever before. 52:25 Thank you for your support. 52:34 announcer: "Amazing Facts" Changed Lives. 52:37 ♪♪♪ 52:42 Nita: I'm Tlingit Indian from Sitka, Alaska. 52:46 My Tlingit name is [speaking foreign language]. 52:49 It was a very depressing time for the people of Alaska. 52:53 A lot of alcohol abuse was taking place and, unfortunately, 53:00 my mother got caught up in the alcohol. 53:04 It made myself and my siblings grow up 53:10 in a pretty horrible environment. 53:16 It was really hard to understand God. 53:21 It was really hard to understand what love was. 53:25 I ended up having a child in my 12th grade 53:33 and leaving home when I was 15 years old. 53:36 But somehow, some way, we made it 53:40 and I became a loner, I became a hermit. 53:42 So I went up to the biggest marijuana county, 53:47 to Humboldt County, and started my new career. 53:52 Things weren't right, though. 53:54 No matter how nice I kept thinking life was, living up on 53:58 top of the mountain, not having to worry about wearing clothing, 54:05 just waking up and watching the plants grow, 54:08 searching still for more and more. 54:12 I went to the post office and I was standing there by myself. 54:18 I looked down and here was this, what is called a handbill, 54:23 a postcard, and the letters on it grabbed 54:27 my attention and it said, "Revelations." 54:30 I'd never heard Revelation taught before and I thought, 54:33 "Gosh, that would have been so good." 54:37 I looked at the time and the date 54:38 and I said, "Wow, that's today." 54:44 And for six weeks, I sat there in the front seat of that 54:50 building and could not believe the things that I heard. 54:56 And I found this hunger that I had 55:00 in my heart for decades being filled. 55:03 I was actually like a starving child, you know, wanting to get 55:08 in to learn more about Revelations. 55:11 And I chose to be baptized on April 3. 55:17 Even though I chose to serve God, I kept falling. 55:22 I was going to Bible studies, oh, four times a week. 55:25 And just so hungry to learn as much as possible. 55:32 God just, overnight, had me studying the Word of God 55:36 through AFCOE and the miracles that 55:40 happened through AFCOE is so incredible. 55:43 The only preacher I was listening to was Pastor Doug 55:46 Batchelor, who I didn't even call by his name. 55:50 I called him the caveman. 55:52 And then here, all of a sudden, I'm sitting in front of him in 55:57 his classroom, learning from him. 56:02 On October 11, I sat there, though, in my room saying, 56:07 "Lord, here I am, studying Your Word, but what am I doing here? 56:15 What do I need to do? What is it You want me to do?" 56:19 And that night, about 1 in the morning, God spoke to me and He 56:23 said, "I want you to write a note 56:26 to Pastor Doug and tell him what you do." 56:29 I sat there and I says, "No, I'm not going to write a note. 56:31 I'm not going to write a note." And I said, "Okay." 56:33 So I ripped off a piece of paper and I wrote on the note, 56:37 and I said, "I'm an experienced fashion designer. 56:40 I can sew anything, I can make any patterns. 56:43 If there's any way that I can be of any service to you, 56:48 God told me to be bold and tell you." 56:51 And I walked up and I handed him the note and he didn't know 56:54 what it was but he said, "Thank you," and four hours later 56:56 I got a phone call from "Amazing Facts." 57:00 Pastor Doug told me that I was an answer to their prayers. 57:04 They had been looking for a wardrobe stylist 57:07 for their new film that they're producing. 57:10 female: Action! male: Two, three. 57:14 Nita: "Amazing Facts" has changed my life 57:17 in the direction that God wants me to go. 57:21 And now, out of all the knowledge that was taught to me, 57:26 I'm able to go out into this world and share the gospel and 57:31 finish the work for Jesus Christ. 57:35 Doug Batchelor: Friends, it's because of God's blessing and 57:38 your support that thousands of others, like Nita, 57:41 have found Jesus and everlasting life. 57:45 ♪♪♪ 57:54 ♪♪♪ 58:04 ♪♪♪ 58:14 ♪♪♪ 58:24 ♪♪♪ |
Revised 2022-01-07