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00:15 ♪♪♪ 00:31 CC by Aberdeen Captioning 1-800-688-6621 www.abercap.com 00:37 Shawn Brummund: Hello, and welcome to another edition 00:39 of the "Sabbath School Study Hour" right here 00:41 in the Granite Bay Hilltop Seventh-day Adventist Church 00:43 in sunny California. 00:45 It's always good to be able to come together as we worship God 00:48 through the study of His Word. 00:50 Now, many of you have been joining us in the past, 00:54 have been enjoying the study of the book of Hebrews, 00:56 but we have wrapped that up. 00:58 We are moving to another book, in this case, 01:00 it's a book in the Old Testament. 01:02 And this one is the very first one that you can find in the 01:05 Bible, so it's an easy book to be able to find as far as where 01:08 is it located. 01:10 And the title of our new quarterly that we're starting 01:13 here today is entitled "The Book of Genesis," 01:16 or just simply "Genesis." 01:18 And so, we're looking at lesson one, 01:20 and it is entitled "Creation." 01:22 As many of you know, those first two chapters are instrumental 01:26 historically in revealing to us the actual origins of mankind, 01:30 life, all life forms on this planet, 01:33 as well as many other important information there as well. 01:36 So, please stick with us as we open that up. 01:38 We have a special teacher today, his name is Pastor Alden Ho, 01:44 and is with us from Amazing Facts. 01:47 And so, we're glad to have him teach here today. 01:49 And we also have a free gift offer that we want to invite you 01:53 to take advantage of. 01:55 And it's one of my favorites. 01:57 Of course, it's related to the subject that we're 01:58 looking at, Genesis. 02:01 And this is a great read. 02:02 Really if you don't have this, make sure you take advantage 02:04 of this free gift offer. 02:06 Call into the number 866-788-3966, 02:09 and you could ask for free offer Number 169. 02:12 And we'll send this book out to you if you're in North America 02:16 or any of the US territories. 02:18 It's entitled, "How Evolution Flunked The Science Test" 02:22 by Pastor Joe Crews. 02:23 And friends, this really is a good read if 02:26 you've never read it. 02:28 So, I'm also we have a digital version of this as well and so, 02:31 if you would like to download this to your tablet, 02:34 your phone, computer, and so on. 02:38 In this case with your phone, you want to text SH037, 02:40 and you want to dial that to 40544. 02:43 And that will get you to the link in which you can get a free 02:45 digital download if you are in the United States. 02:48 Now, if you are not in the United States and you'd still 02:51 like to get a digital copy of that, 02:53 there is a website address that's on the screen. 02:55 Just go ahead and find that website, 02:58 and there'll be a free digital copy you can download from the 03:00 internet anywhere in the world. 03:03 So again, friends, it's nice to have you. 03:04 We have some musicians that are going to lead us in worship 03:07 through song, and then we'll have our opening 03:08 prayer and our study. 03:12 ♪♪♪ 03:26 ♪♪♪ 06:37 Pastor Alden Ho: Our lesson this quarter is on Genesis, 06:40 and this is a very exciting topic. 06:44 And I was so excited to be able to bring in this new topic, 06:47 but the problem with bringing in a new lesson is, 06:50 for me, if you've seen me up here, 06:53 I always use my iPad, but it's not available in the 06:56 digital copy yet. 06:58 So, I had asked Clifford Jones, I said, 07:00 "Cliff, could you--" Clifford Goldstein. 07:03 I said, "Could you send me the digital?" 07:05 Well, they don't work on Fridays, 07:07 so the person who was supposed to send it did not send it. 07:11 So, I'm in the analog version today, 07:14 which I'm sure you are with as well. 07:16 So, let's go through this as I whet your appetite for 07:19 this coming quarter. 07:21 This quarter is all about creation--I mean, sorry. 07:26 It's all in Genesis. 07:27 Today it's about, on creation, and it's covering three main 07:31 areas, as the lesson points out here. 07:33 It's our beginnings as a human race. 07:37 It also is talking about the Sabbath, 07:40 but it's all enveloped in this word called grace. 07:44 So, as we begin, let me just pull up here and share a couple 07:48 things with you that hit me in the lesson 07:50 for Sabbath afternoon. 07:54 It's saying here in the Sabbath afternoon, 07:57 that there are two creation texts that stand out as 08:00 we study this week. 08:02 We are to understand better the profound meaning of the Sabbath, 08:06 and we will be covering that in one of the days coming up 08:09 here in the lesson. 08:11 But one of the texts that I wanted to bring to your 08:13 attention is in Psalms 100, Psalms 100, 08:17 verses 1, 2, and 3. 08:20 The Bible says here as David writes, 08:22 "Make a joyful shout to the Lord, 08:24 all you lands! 08:26 Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence 08:29 with singing. 08:30 Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, 08:36 and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep 08:40 of His pasture." 08:42 Everything that God is, is because God is. 08:48 When Moses met Him, He described Himself as I Am, 08:54 "I am the I Am." 08:56 And they said, "Well, who sent You?" 08:58 "I Am sent Me." 09:00 So, God here is--some things that we have to understand about 09:05 God is that God created, not only the heavens and the earth, 09:11 but you find that in this whole section for this one-week 09:16 period, all this happens before there was even human existence. 09:23 Humans don't come along the scenes Sunday, 09:26 Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, 09:28 and then all of a sudden on Friday, 09:31 then humans pop up and only two of them come up here. 09:36 We also find that in this particular lesson, 09:39 it is the concepts that we are being introduced to is 09:44 the concept of creation and redemption. 09:49 Now, as we move to Sunday's lesson, 09:51 we have to be careful that we don't reduce God 09:55 to a common level. 09:58 We find that a lot today that some of the teachings that 10:03 we find take God and brings God down to the same level 10:07 that we are. 10:10 Now, that's something that we have to always keep in mind. 10:12 God is not on the same level as we are. 10:15 We are the sheep of His pasture. 10:18 Therefore, we are little lambs. 10:23 We are sheep over there. 10:25 But God, God is portrayed here in two different ways. 10:28 One is that He's very close to us. 10:31 He comes near to us. 10:33 The other part of it is, is God is far away, 10:37 not far away as in distance, He's so far that He's out 10:39 of reality with us. 10:41 He's so far away in the fact that He is 10:44 the God of the universe. 10:49 In this particular chapter--or particular day that we find the 10:54 first creation account, it represents God as infinite, 11:00 far from humans, transcendent. 11:03 He came down. 11:05 He is above normal, but He came down to us. 11:09 And we find this word "Elohim," which speaks of His supremacy 11:14 as God. 11:16 The name Elohim denounced preeminence and strength. 11:18 God was, He is, and He will be. 11:24 So, where did He come from? 11:26 We don't know. 11:28 You know, I tried even looking up with Adam and Eve, 11:32 what language did they speak? 11:33 You know, we don't--nobody knows. 11:34 There's no clue in the spirit of prophecy. 11:37 There's no clue in the Bible. 11:38 We don't know what they spoke at all, 11:41 whether it was English, whether it was Hebrew, 11:44 whether it was something totally different. 11:46 But I'll tell you, the way things are going around this 11:50 world right now, it's not going to be far--not very long before 11:55 we'll be able to ask God directly or be able to talk 11:58 with Adam directly ourselves too. 12:00 In this second part of the Sunday lesson, 12:05 the second creation account presents God as close up 12:08 and personal to us, a very eminent God. 12:12 It denotes the closeness. 12:14 It denotes the relationship with God. 12:16 And we find that that was the relationship that Adam and Eve 12:19 had in the Garden with God. 12:21 They walked and talked with God. 12:24 And can you imagine being in that situation to be able to 12:28 just talk openly with God? 12:31 God didn't even have to hide His face as He did 12:33 in Moses's situation. 12:35 Adam was able to just talk face to face with God. 12:41 You know, a lot of the hymns come to my recollection, 12:45 face to face with my Redeemer, to be able to talk and converse 12:50 with God. 12:53 Could we do that today? 12:55 Not a chance. 12:56 Sin cannot stand in the presence of God. 12:58 We would be totally wiped out in that regards. 13:01 In the other verse that I'd like to bring to your attention 13:05 Psalms 139, verse 13, the Bible tells us here, 13:11 "For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in 13:16 my mother's womb. 13:17 I will praise You," why? 13:20 "Because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; 13:23 Marvelous are Your works, that my soul knows very well." 13:29 So, here we have this God, God who is very far, 13:35 but yet transcendent so that He is very near and very close 13:40 to us. 13:42 There's this image of God that appears, 13:44 and we also have one more verse that I'd like to bring 13:46 to your attention. 13:47 It's found in Revelation chapter 14, verse 7. 13:51 It says, "Fear God, give glory to Him, 13:54 for the hour of His judgment has come; 13:57 and worship Him who made heaven and earth, 14:00 and the sea and springs of water." 14:02 I was doing a Bible study this week and talking 14:05 with a gentleman. 14:07 He was not sure about this word "fear." 14:09 To him, fear was as if he dreaded, 14:12 he was scared of, that that's how we should view God. 14:16 But I want to bring you a different perspective of that. 14:18 To fear God is not to be scared of God, 14:23 far from it, totally the opposite. 14:26 To fear God is actually to respect Him, 14:30 to revere Him, to be in awe of Him. 14:33 All those words also are synonymous with the word 14:37 "fear God." 14:39 We think about the vast power of God because He holds the world 14:45 in His hand, and that's for each and every one of us today. 14:49 As we look into Monday's lesson, Monday's lesson the creation, 14:56 what do we find out about creation? 14:58 Well, creation is--this is an interesting point because we 15:04 find that God made, day one, He made. 15:08 And then it says, "And it was good." 15:11 It was good. 15:14 Did you ever have a meal sometimes where you sit down, 15:17 your wife made it and you sit down? 15:19 And you're done with it, and you're like, 15:22 "That was good"? 15:23 Wasn't it? 15:26 Now, you don't want to eat too much of it because you know 15:27 overeating is a sin, so you just don't want to have-- 15:30 it was very good. 15:32 That would be Thanksgiving time period. 15:36 But it was good. 15:37 God said it was good. 15:39 He didn't have those terms today. 15:40 Like if He had terms today, He would probably say, 15:42 "Wow, dude, that was awesome," right? 15:47 But that's not how God talks in that sense. 15:50 It was good. 15:52 It was just perfect in that sense. 15:56 This adjective that God's the work of creation was successful 16:02 and that God's observation, it was good. 16:05 The Hebrew word "tov" is also the same meaning as this. 16:10 The phrase, "it was good" in God's eyes means it was perfect. 16:19 It was perfect. 16:21 I mean, I don't know about you, but if you could only 16:24 see creation in review, I don't ever imagine God said, 16:31 "Well, not that way." 16:34 You ever move furniture for people? 16:36 "Oh, could you just move it a little further? 16:39 No, no, no, bring it back." 16:41 No, no, God's not like that. 16:43 He just spoke and there it was. 16:46 I mean, you think of the trees. 16:50 You think of the leaves. 16:51 You think about the infrastructure of the trees 16:54 and how it brings moisture up and how you get photosynthesis 16:57 through the leaves. 16:59 And you wonder, how did He do that? 17:04 I mean, how did He speak? 17:06 He didn't just sit there at the drafting table and figure out, 17:10 "Okay, let's do this with photosynthesis. 17:13 And then you have all these chemical reactions." 17:15 No, it was He just spoke and it was. 17:19 Isn't that cool? 17:23 The description of creation radically contradicts 17:26 the theory of evolution. 17:30 I remember several years ago I was in South Dakota, 17:32 and I came upon these archaeologists that were 17:36 digging up some dinosaur bones. 17:39 And, or maybe they weren't archaeologists, 17:43 but they were digging up stuff. 17:45 And I asked all for them. 17:46 I said, "Are you Christians?" 17:49 "Yeah, yeah, we're all Christians." 17:51 I said, "Really? 17:52 So, how old do you think some of these bones are?" 17:55 One said, "Maybe 50 million years." 17:59 The other said, "Oh, maybe 150 million years." 18:03 And I'm thinking really, and you're a Christian? 18:07 Well, obviously, there are different concepts of Christian 18:10 just like there are different concepts of the age 18:12 of the world. 18:14 But when we look at this, many scholars have taken 18:16 the impression that the world is in what we refer to 18:20 as long time periods. 18:23 We call this day age theory, that the day could have been 18:27 a thousand years. 18:29 I struggle with that because if God just spoke and it is, 18:34 why did He have to take a thousand years to be able 18:37 to do just that? 18:39 He could have easily spoke and it was written. 18:42 I want to read you something from the Seventh-day Adventist 18:45 Bible Commentary. 18:46 And it says here, "Many scholars have taken this expression 18:49 to mean long or indefinite period of time believing that 18:52 some of the divine activities of the following days, 18:56 as for instance, the creation of plants and animals could not 18:59 have been accomplished within literal, 19:02 a literal day." 19:04 They think that they find a justification in this for the 19:07 interpretation of 2 Peter chapter 3, verse 8, 19:12 which says, "One day is with the Lord as a thousand years." 19:16 You've heard that before? 19:19 But what they forget is the other part of that text. 19:21 You see, it says here that the text cannot be used to ascertain 19:24 the length of creation is obvious when one reads the rest 19:27 of the verse which says, "And a thousand years as one day." 19:35 See, these are the guys that say, 19:37 "Oh, you know, it's done away with. 19:38 You know, the Sabbath day, it was done away with. 19:41 It was nailed to the cross." 19:43 You can't pick and choose. 19:44 You can't slice and dice. 19:46 It is God's Word, and it's the whole, 19:49 not just parts thereof. 19:52 So, we find that the context in Peter's words makes it clear 19:55 that he wishes to stress the timelessness of God the Creator 19:59 can do in a day, the work of a thousand years. 20:03 And in a period of a thousand years, 20:05 a long time for those waiting for God's judgment to be 20:09 fulfilled, may be considered by Him as only one day. 20:15 In Genesis chapter 1, verse 31, the last verse of chapter 1, 20:19 it says, "Then God saw everything He had made, 20:23 and indeed it was very good." 20:27 Now, we get that extra word in there. 20:30 It wasn't just good. 20:31 No, day one, two, three, four, five, 20:33 it was good. 20:38 But day six, it was very good. 20:44 When I read and I study this, "very good," the creation of man 20:48 and his installation as ruler of the earth brought the creation 20:53 of all earthly things to a close. 20:57 According to the record, God had frequently reviewed His work and 21:01 pronounced it good. 21:04 The survey undertaken at the end of the six day embraced 21:09 all works completed during the previous days, 21:11 and behold, it was very good. 21:14 Everything was perfect in its kind. 21:20 Every creature met the goal appointed by the Creator and was 21:23 equipped to accomplish the purpose for which it 21:26 was created. 21:27 So, the application of the term "good" to everything God had 21:33 made and the repetition of the word with the emphasis "very" 21:37 at the close of it, with man as its crown and glory indicate 21:41 that nothing imperfect had come forth from God's hand. 21:47 That's why it was very good. 21:51 On the other hand, though, let me just say because some 21:55 would say, "Well, if everything was very good, 21:57 then how did sin come out of that, 22:00 that it was very good and it was perfect?" 22:04 Listen to what the commentary says. 22:05 It says, "This expression of admiration entirely excludes 22:09 the possibility that any imperfection in creation was 22:12 responsible for the weakness demonstrated by Adam and Eve 22:17 during their hour of temptation." 22:21 So, that brings to a close Monday. 22:24 We get to Tuesday's lesson, Tuesday's lesson is 22:27 on the Sabbath. 22:28 Now, you're very familiar with this, 22:30 so I want you to say it with me if you know it by heart. 22:33 "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy," 22:37 that's if you know it, right? 22:39 "Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 22:42 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. 22:45 In it, you shall do no work. 22:48 You, nor your sons, nor your daughters, 22:51 nor your manservant, nor your male servant, 22:53 nor your cattle, nor your stranger that is within 22:56 your gate. 22:58 For in seven days--no, six days, God created the heavens and 23:03 the earth, the sea, and all that is in them. 23:06 And He rested on the," first day of the week, right? 23:11 No. 23:13 "He rested on the seventh day of the week. 23:15 Therefore, God blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it." 23:20 You know, when I talk to people about the Sabbath day, 23:24 I'll say to them, "Do you remember when you were 23:26 growing up as a kid? 23:28 Did you ever have your parents say to you, 23:30 'Now, clean your room. 23:32 Remember, when you come back from school, 23:33 remember, clean your room.'" 23:36 How many of you remember saying that? 23:38 Hearing that? 23:40 How many of you said that to your own kids? 23:42 I did it. 23:43 I had it said to me many times 'cause my room was not 23:46 the cleanest room in the house. 23:48 And so, that word "remember" applies to us specifically today 23:53 because this is a time period where God knew we would forget 23:58 about the Sabbath day. 24:01 So, the Sabbath here is a very special day. 24:04 What I find very interesting is--and I have a good chuckle 24:08 when people say, "But the Sabbath is a Jewish institution. 24:11 It was created for the Jews." 24:13 Really? 24:15 How is that possible when Adam and Eve were the first two 24:19 on the earth? 24:20 We don't even know if they were Hebrew, 24:22 and yet the Sabbath was instituted there. 24:25 It wasn't given for the Jews, it was given as a memorial 24:29 of creation's week. 24:32 To keep the Sabbath is to join with God in the recognition 24:37 of the value and the beauty of His creation. 24:41 This is why we rest. 24:44 This is why we cease from our labors. 24:46 We can rest from our work--works, 24:50 just as God had rested from His work. 24:53 And you've heard it say some people said, 24:54 "But, um, you know, I worship God on Friday, on Thursday. 24:59 I worship God every day of the week." 25:02 Yes, that's fine, so do I. 25:05 But there's a difference between stopping your labor--you don't 25:09 stop your labor on Monday, nor Tuesday, 25:13 nor Wednesday, nor Thursday or Friday. 25:17 Sabbath is the day that you cease from your labor as 25:20 a memorial for God's creation. 25:23 That is why the word "remember" comes up. 25:27 But yet this pagan concept keeps coming up over 25:31 and over and over. 25:33 The Sabbath is a sign at the end of our human week, 25:38 that the suffering and trials of this world will have ended also 25:43 as well. 25:45 This is why, the lesson says, Jesus chose the Sabbath 25:49 as the most appropriate day to heal the sick. 25:54 I find this was interesting as I studied this some more because 25:57 by the Sabbath healing, Jesus pointed people and us to 26:02 a time period when there will be no more pain, 26:05 no more suffering, no more death, 26:07 because it will all be over because this is the ultimate 26:12 conclusion to the Salvation process. 26:16 Hence, each Sabbath points us to the hope of redemption. 26:22 We find that by resting on the Sabbath, 26:24 how are we experiencing the rest and the salvation that we have 26:29 in Jesus now? 26:31 That brings us to Wednesday, the creation of humanity. 26:38 In Genesis 1:26 to 29, the Bible says, 26:44 "Then God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image.'" 26:48 Probably one of the most profound sentences 26:52 you can find in the Bible, "God made us in His image." 26:59 In His image, in His Son's image, 27:01 we were made according to our likeness, 27:04 is what God said. 27:06 "Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, 27:08 over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, 27:10 over all the earth and over every creeping thing that 27:13 creeps on the earth. 27:15 So God created man in His own image; 27:19 in the image of God He created him." 27:21 Notice it says it right there at the beginning, 27:23 and then it reiterates it again. 27:25 "He created him; male and female He created them." 27:31 I could bring up a lot of stuff right now in regards to today's 27:35 society in relationship to this. 27:40 But that's a whole other lesson, a whole other sermon. 27:44 But know this, there were only two types that God created, 27:49 amen, male and female. 27:52 And how were they created? 27:55 They were created in a template of God under--just like 28:01 His image. 28:02 John writes about Jesus. 28:05 Jesus answered and says, "If you've seen Me, 28:07 you've seen my Father." 28:09 So, the more we become more Christ-like, 28:13 the more people will see in us our Father. 28:21 Verse 29--or, sorry, verse 28. 28:25 "Then God blessed them, and God said to them, 28:28 'Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; 28:31 have dominion over the fish of the sea, 28:33 over the birds of the air, and over every living thing 28:35 that moves on the earth.' 28:37 And God said, 28:38 'See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is 28:41 on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit 28:43 yields seed; to you it shall be for food. 28:48 Also, to every beast of the earth, 28:51 to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the 28:55 earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb 28:59 for food; and it was so. 29:01 And when God saw everything that He had made, 29:03 indeed it was very good. 29:05 So the evening and the morning were the sixth day." 29:10 In the video review when we get to heaven, 29:14 I would love to be able to see God bending down and just 29:18 digging down into the dirt and forming man. 29:22 I mean, I don't know how we--He would have structured the veins, 29:26 the capillaries, and all that stuff just out of dirt. 29:29 That would be fascinating to watch. 29:31 And, you know, I came across this. 29:33 It said, "A group of scientists were fed up with the 29:35 literal interpretation of Genesis in the creation story, 29:39 so the scientists sent an emissary to talk with God 29:42 about the whole thing. 29:44 And they planned to entrap God. 29:48 And they figured, 'We'll make this into 29:50 a human-making contest.' 29:53 So, the scientists think that they have figured it 29:56 all out and that they can create humans faster 30:00 and better than God." 30:02 So, they came together. 30:04 God said to the scientists, 30:05 "Okay, you guys go first." 30:08 So, the scientists gathered together. 30:10 And one of them bends over, and he scoops up some dirt. 30:13 And God says, "No, you go get your own dirt." 30:23 We like to make ourselves and form ourselves into 30:27 other things, but we were made in the image of God. 30:34 And that is the same image that God is trying to bring us 30:37 to in these last days, into his image. 30:43 But the problem for us in these last days is that we have been 30:53 so demented by this world. 30:57 According to what we find, the tree of life was given to us. 31:04 There was a stipulation there, "You should not eat of it. 31:10 You can't touch it." 31:14 What was the purpose of that? 31:16 Did God purposely put that there just to ensnare us? 31:20 No, it was there for the healing of the nations. 31:25 We couldn't eat that. 31:28 That was the one thing that God had set up. 31:32 We find here in a review in Herald article, 31:36 it says here that Christ is the source of light, 31:39 the fountain of life. 31:41 He brings us to His Word and from the tree of life presents 31:44 to us the leaves for the healing of the nation. 31:48 It is His purpose that human beings, 31:51 purified and sanctified, shall be His helping hand. 31:54 He leads us to the throne of God and gives us a prayer 31:59 to offer Him. 32:01 When we live this prayer, we are brought into close contact 32:06 with Christ. 32:08 At every step, we touch His living power. 32:12 In our behalf, He sets in operation the all-powerful 32:16 agencies of heaven. 32:20 In this lesson on Thursday, The Duty of Humanity, 32:27 we find here that the duty of man, 32:31 the first is for the natural environment. 32:36 We are to tend it and to keep it. 32:39 That means we got to be careful with the garbage. 32:46 Now, I'm not saying everybody has to go green, 32:48 make sure you recycle everything. 32:51 But we should do our part. 32:54 I remember a number of years ago when I was in Haiti, 32:56 I was helping out with the earthquake efforts that 32:59 happened over there. 33:00 We came to a canal area, and you couldn't see the water. 33:05 It was probably 2, 3 feet deep with trash, 33:09 garbage, plastic, all sorts of junk was thrown in there. 33:13 And I'm asking them, well, why is that there? 33:17 They said, "Oh, don't worry. 33:18 When it rains, it cleans it out." 33:21 Well, how does it clean it out? 33:23 Because it just wipes it and pushes it right into the ocean. 33:27 I'm thinking, you know, that's for us to take care of. 33:33 The second duty that was given to man was concerning food. 33:37 God didn't create the trees or the food for them. 33:43 Sorry, humans didn't create that, 33:44 God created that for us. 33:46 And that was a gift of grace. 33:49 It was God's gracious gift that He said every tree had fruit. 33:55 Now, I don't know about some of you, 33:57 but if you've ever tried the king of fruit before, 34:01 do you know what the king of fruit is? 34:03 It's durian. 34:05 It doesn't grow over here. 34:07 It's probably the most dangerous fruit in the world too because 34:10 you literally almost have to wear gloves to touch it. 34:13 How many of you have ever smelled durian before? 34:17 There's a few of you. 34:18 The rest of you, I'll just warn you, 34:21 you probably don't. 34:23 Just give it to me instead, okay? 34:26 It is a wonderful fruit. 34:28 The third duty that God gave to man concerns a woman. 34:34 He took out of Him his rib, the bonds of marriage. 34:39 That first day, Friday, can you imagine that time period? 34:41 That must have been so amazing for Adam to be able to 34:45 look around, and you can imagine his loneliness. 34:49 He sees all these animals in pairs. 34:53 He sees the giraffes. 34:56 We don't even know for sure what animals, 34:59 but we do know this for sure, only the animals that God made 35:03 were in the ark, right? 35:05 You ever been to the Ark Encounter over there? 35:09 If you've ever been in there, they've got some interesting-- 35:12 I mean, it's very cool. 35:14 But when you walk into that ark and you see some of those 35:16 animals, it's like, I don't think so. 35:20 That's not the animal that God created. 35:23 Only the animals God created were there. 35:25 And Adam's looking around. 35:26 He's thinking, "Wow, this is wonderful. 35:28 There's two of them, there's two of them, 35:29 there's two of them. 35:30 But God, why is there only one of me?" 35:34 I wonder if that was an afterthought. 35:38 Did God really plan to have just one, 35:41 or was he just building up to the suspense to be able to say, 35:44 ♪ "Dant dant da da, ♪ 35:45 there it is. 35:46 For you, just for you, made from you." 35:51 That would have been really amazing. 35:56 So, we find the bond of marriage was a gift of God. 36:03 And the pinnacle of that gift was the intimacy that they have. 36:08 You see, when you look at that, it's kind of like--I wish I had 36:13 brought something with me in this regards. 36:15 But it's like a pyramid. 36:17 You build this foundational relationship and then as you're 36:20 dating, you're going through your engagement, 36:24 you're building up to the very top of that pyramid, 36:28 which is the ultimate intimacy. 36:31 But you see what happens is, in that triangle part, 36:34 the world flips it upside down. 36:37 Everything is about this one-night-stand relationship. 36:41 And so, you invert it upside down and all of a sudden, 36:43 what's supposed to be up on top is all the way on the bottom, 36:48 which is why marriages don't last. 36:50 There's no foundation to stand on. 36:52 And what I do for when I'm dealing with young people is 36:54 I have this glass pyramid. 36:56 And I'll say, "Okay, I want you to make it stand on its tip." 37:00 And you'll see them up there trying. 37:02 It's like, there's no hope of it. 37:04 Then you explain to them God's plan was it to be this way, 37:10 never this way... 37:16 God's ways are always the right ways, are they not? 37:22 So, the bond of marriage entails human responsibility, 37:25 once the gift had been received, the responsibility that rests 37:29 with both man and woman to be fulfilled in faithfulness. 37:34 You also find that it says a man shall leave his 37:38 mother and father. 37:41 This is why it's important for young people not to go 37:46 from the home right into marriage. 37:48 They got to live for a little while on their own. 37:51 I know all of you that are here, mostly--most of you are adults. 37:56 The young people are in their classes, 37:59 which are your children. 38:01 So, encourage them that they when they go out there, 38:03 live on your own so that, you know, 38:05 mom's not doing all the cooking for you. 38:08 Mom's not doing all the laundry. 38:10 You got to figure out those things. 38:11 You got to figure out why your whites are turning like colored 38:15 because you're not supposed to throw everything in the wash 38:18 on hot, same colors and all that. 38:20 They need to figure that out. 38:22 This is why they need to be on their own for a while. 38:26 We get to the last lesson, April 1. 38:32 There's really nothing, no topic that's mentioned for that, 38:36 but it just says this. 38:39 It says about Mrs. White writing and it says, 38:43 "Since the book of nature and the book of Revelation bear the 38:46 impress of the same mastermind, they cannot but speak 38:50 in harmony. 38:53 Science is ever discovering new wonders because she brings 38:56 from her research nothing that rightly understood conflicts 39:02 with divine revelation." 39:05 I remember when I was in the seminary, 39:07 one of the things that I really enjoyed studying was about 39:13 archeology, about creation. 39:19 And you find the different things that pop up in 39:22 the geologic column. 39:24 How many of you know what the geologic column is? 39:26 Anybody out there? 39:28 Yeah, some of you've studied this. 39:30 The geologic column is kind of interesting because, 39:32 you see, at the very bottom--hang with me because it 39:35 may be boring for some of you, but there's a reason for that. 39:38 At the very, very bottom of time, 39:40 you have what is referred to as the Precambrian level. 39:44 Then you get to the Cambrian, then from the Cambrian, 39:47 you get to the Paleozoic. 39:49 And then from the Paleozoic, you get to the Cenozoic. 39:52 And then from Cenozoic, you get to the Mesozoic. 39:54 So, what do you have at the very bottom? 39:56 You have these little trilobites, 39:57 these little, tiny organisms. 39:59 And then when you get into the Paleozoic time period, 40:03 you get these crustaceans, shellfish and different 40:07 things like that. 40:08 And into the Mesozoic, you get the next level and then you 40:14 get to the Cenozoic. 40:16 And then all of a sudden, you are at the 40:18 bigger mammals, mammals. 40:20 And then on top of all that, then you get to man. 40:24 Do you understand what I'm talking about? 40:26 It sounds good. 40:28 But you see, this is--this whole geologic column is messed up. 40:34 It is really, really messed up because, 40:36 here's the reason it's messed up. 40:38 You have all these different levels and at the very top of 40:41 the level above the Cenozoic, you have man, 40:47 and then man dies. 40:50 Are you getting it? 40:54 Man cannot be at the top. 40:57 You cannot have death and dying before the fall of man. 41:03 Are you with me? 41:05 If man is at the top, how did death and dying occur all 41:08 the way very down for millions and millions of so-called years? 41:11 Not possible. 41:14 Because God did not orchestrate it that way. 41:19 Things get messed up. 41:21 Everything got rumbled up when you had the flood. 41:24 All the different levels did not come out the way it is, 41:28 and this is why Satan's been having a wonderful time messing 41:31 with people's minds because this is not how it was. 41:39 This was never God's plan for all this. 41:43 We read the article that is in Friday's lesson and it says, 41:49 "Interferences erroneously draw from facts observed in nature 41:55 have, however, led to supposed conflict between science 41:58 and revelation. 42:01 And in the effort to restore harmony, 42:03 interpretations of Scriptures have been adopted that undermine 42:07 and destroy the force of the Word of God. 42:10 Geology has been thought to contradict the literal 42:13 interpretation of the mosaic record of the creation. 42:17 Millions of years, it is claimed, 42:19 were required for evolution of the earth from chaos 42:24 and into that, you have order." 42:27 Do you understand the complexities of evolution? 42:32 That would be like taking a very fine Swiss watch, 42:35 taking it all apart, all the different pieces that you have, 42:38 and then you throw it into your washing machine. 42:42 And you set your washing machine on 570 million years, 42:45 and you come back at the end of 570 million years. 42:48 You open the washer, and behold, you get a $50,000 Swiss watch 42:53 perfectly put together. 42:56 That's the chances of evolution working. 43:00 But there's another reason that you have to understand that 43:02 Satan is so involved with this and that evolution--you realize 43:06 that people didn't understand evolution prior to 1844? 43:12 Because it was in 1844 in September that Charles Darwin 43:16 released to longhand of his original writings called 43:20 "The Origin of Species." 43:22 Longhand wasn't--that was just the original form, 43:24 September of 1844. 43:28 How did that happen all of a sudden like that? 43:32 Well, it's pretty easy to understand because Daniel 8:14 43:35 tells us that unto 2300 days, the sanctuary shall be cleansed. 43:39 And the devil knew that his timeframe was almost up. 43:43 He had just till October 22 till Christ moved from the holy to 43:48 the Most Holy Place. 43:49 He had to get something going. 43:51 So, he inspires Charles Darwin, "Write this, 43:54 that you came from a monkey." 43:57 Now, I don't know about you but for me, 44:01 when I go to the zoo, it's not a family reunion. 44:06 For Charles Darwin, perhaps it was. 44:10 But you see, Satan knew his time period was nearly coming to 44:17 an end, and he had to come up with an alter--alternative 44:22 because that alternative had to be able to take people's eyes 44:27 off of the fact that God is the Creator of heaven and earth. 44:32 He is the Creator who created the earth in six literal days. 44:38 He had to take their eyes off the fact that God is not only 44:40 the Creator of heaven and earth in six literal days, 44:45 but He is also their Redeemer. 44:52 Satan had only so much time and in that time period, 44:56 he has to deceive as many people as possible that 45:00 "there is no Creator. 45:03 You came out of a monkey. 45:06 You came out of these forms." 45:08 And this is exactly what the Bible is trying to say to us. 45:13 Mrs. White concludes this in Education page 128. 45:19 It says, "Such a conclusion is wholly uncalled for. 45:23 The Bible record is in harmony with itself and 45:27 with the teaching of nature." 45:30 Throughout the Bible, you will find it says this, 45:34 it says this. 45:35 You will find science saying these other things, 45:40 but I refer you back to Isaiah chapter 8, 45:44 verse 20, to the law and to the testimony. 45:47 If they speak not according to this Word, 45:50 how much light is in them? 45:52 Zero. 45:53 There is no light in them because what we are called for, 45:56 the Genesis account is not just about creation. 46:01 It is also about grace. 46:04 It is about the beginning of the human race. 46:08 It is about God coming up away to redeem man 46:14 from the bowels of sin. 46:16 All throughout this week's lesson, 46:21 we find many things that point us to a loving Creator who is 46:26 trying to bring us back to His original image, 46:31 the image of Christ. 46:33 As you meet with people and as you talk with them, 46:38 bring up these points to them to jar their thinking, 46:43 to make them think for a moment, especially with evolutionists. 46:47 Now, I will just say this, don't argue. 46:50 It's never worth arguing. 46:52 Arguing never wins anything. 46:55 And if you want to know for sure if it's, 46:57 perhaps, a family member, pray about it and ask the Lord to 47:00 make them ask you the questions about God. 47:04 Because in so doing, you know that God has already primed 47:08 their heart, God has softened their heart, 47:12 and God is making them question because they're ready. 47:15 And in asking those questions, he's saying to you, 47:20 "Go easy. 47:22 They're just starting off." 47:24 So, don't hit them with a whole bunch of stuff, 47:26 but bring them slowly by listening to what 47:30 the Holy Spirit prompts you to say on this topic. 47:35 Because all in all today, 2022, the challenges of today is that 47:41 Satan is trying to deface the image of God. 47:46 He's trying to deface creation. 47:49 He's trying to deface the fact that Jesus is coming again. 47:54 Let's pray. 47:57 Our Father in heaven, we thank You for this particular lesson 48:00 You gave us this week. 48:02 We thank You for creating us in Your image. 48:04 We ask that we would act like we were created in Your image. 48:09 Help us to remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. 48:12 We thank You. 48:13 In Jesus's name, amen. 48:16 God bless you all. 48:18 male announcer: Don't forget to request today's life-changing 48:21 free resource. 48:22 Not only can you receive this free gift in the mail, 48:24 you can download a digital copy straight to your computer 48:27 or mobile device. 48:28 To get your digital copy of today's free gift, 48:31 simply text the keyword on your screen to 40544 or visit the web 48:36 address shown on your screen. 48:38 And be sure to select the digital download option on 48:40 the request page. 48:42 It's now easier than ever for you to study God's Word with 48:45 Amazing Facts wherever and whenever you want, 48:47 and most important, to share it with others. 48:57 announcer: Amazing Facts, Changed Lives. 49:05 male: I actually grew up in a loving home, 49:08 had no religious background. 49:11 My parents were completely secular. 49:14 I had questions in my life like most young people do. 49:16 What does my future hold for me? 49:18 And what is my purpose of even being here? 49:20 They were questions that my parents couldn't answer. 49:22 Because of moving around a lot, I found it 49:25 kind of hard to adjust at times. 49:27 By the time I made it into high school, 49:30 my grades were really terrible, and I had a problem 49:33 with authority. 49:34 I started smoking at the age of 14 and drinking by 49:36 the age of 15. 49:38 I really started getting involved with crime, 49:40 break and enter, selling drugs, stealing cars. 49:45 At one point, I had overdosed on ecstasy, 49:47 and I was doing anything I could just to find some 49:49 sort of excitement or something that reflected some version 49:52 of happiness in my life. 49:55 I didn't want to be alone, and I was looking for some 49:58 sort of relationship. 50:01 I had found myself in Australia, and I met a girl down there 50:03 who was a Christian girl. 50:05 And we really started to hit it off. 50:07 We ended up in a long, fairly long, relationship. 50:10 We were together for about seven years. 50:12 Neither one of us were having a relationship with God. 50:13 We kind of excluded Him out of what we were doing, 50:16 and we were just trying to do everything on our own. 50:20 When we came out of that relationship, 50:22 I ended up in a really deep depression. 50:24 I was so depressed that I was coming home. 50:27 And as soon as the door closed behind me, 50:29 I would drop down to my knees and just start crying. 50:32 I couldn't see the light at the end of the tunnel. 50:34 I tried to take my life at one point with pills, 50:36 and it wasn't because I wanted to die. 50:38 I just I didn't want to feel this way anymore. 50:40 It hurt so bad and I'd never felt so lonely. 50:45 I would end up in my bedroom, and I was praying for hours 50:48 each day, and that was kind of my life. 50:51 I was alone and unhappy. 50:53 And I really needed answers. 50:56 I'd started studying the Bible and found Amazing Facts online 51:02 and was watching hours of sermons each day, 51:04 spending more time with Pastor Doug Batchelor and really 51:08 getting a lot of the answers to the questions that I was 51:11 seeking out. 51:13 I felt that there was hope that was coming through that and that 51:16 was kind of pulling me out of, gradually pulling me out of 51:19 the darkness that I was in. 51:23 So eventually, I decided I was going to go to church. 51:25 I would drive to the church, and I would sit in the parking lot 51:28 for about half an hour, and then I would drive home. 51:32 Eventually I found myself inside the church. 51:35 They were all quite amazed that I kind of found my own 51:38 way there. 51:39 I started building relationships with people there, 51:41 and my life really started changing. 51:43 Eventually, I was baptized. 51:45 I still, I couldn't get enough. 51:47 I wanted to read more, I wanted to study more, 51:48 and all these new things that I was learning were, 51:50 it all made sense to me. 51:52 I prayed to God specifically for two things at this point. 51:56 I prayed for a new job, and I prayed for an opportunity 51:59 in my life, some direction. 52:01 And within one week, He had answered the prayer. 52:04 I got a new job, and I was going to be starting right away. 52:08 But He also answered the other prayer. 52:09 Two ladies in my church came up to me and offered to send me 52:12 to go to AFCOE. 52:14 My life has changed so much since I started following 52:18 God's path for me. 52:20 I'm just so much happier in my life, 52:22 and I realize that there's so much more in this world that 52:25 I can do to help others. 52:26 And I look forward to a life of service to God. 52:30 ♪♪♪ 52:45 announcer: Amazing Facts, Change Lives. 52:53 Gary: Early 1980, all the baby boomers were turning 21, 52:56 and the nightclub scenes were exploding, 52:58 and I started a entertainment lighting company. 53:01 female: I was the president, and there were six divisions, 53:03 doing the raves in the '80s and '90s, you know, in some 53:06 warehouse where you're setting up lighting and fog and, 53:09 you know, who knows what's going on in there, 53:11 and nightclub installations. 53:15 I loved it, and it was who I was. 53:18 Gary: Bought a new house out of town, and we moved 53:20 about two or three times, but we were always going 53:23 into different churches. 53:24 We were in a Lutheran Church, and then we were 53:25 in a Methodist Church. 53:27 I think we were in three different Baptist churches. 53:29 My wife was raised Catholic. 53:31 I was raised Methodist. 53:32 Currently, I've been up, reading all the Hal Lindsey books 53:34 and watching all the, "Left Behind" movies, 53:37 and so I really wanted to understand 53:38 what the book of Revelation was all about, 53:40 but nothing really ever made sense to me. 53:42 female: One day, Pastor Lloyd Logan came knocking, 53:45 and he had that Net '99 flyer. 53:48 Lloyd Logan: We were preparing for an evangelistic series, 53:52 and different people were going different directions 53:55 with handbills to invite people to the meetings. 53:59 female: I saw that coming at me, you know, all the colors, 54:02 and I thought, "Oh, no, this is some kind of cult thing." 54:05 Lloyd: And she said, "Thank you very much, 54:06 but I'm not much interested myself, 54:08 but my husband likes that kind of thing." 54:11 female: And Lloyd said, "Would you give it to him, 54:13 please?" 54:14 And I said, "Okay, I will." 54:17 So I took the pamphlet, and I put it on the calendar. 54:19 Gary came home, and he walked by it. 54:22 Gary: Ran to the kitchen to quickly eat and take a shower 54:24 and go back out and work a show. 54:27 female: Two, three days went by like this, and I had moved 54:29 that brochure from the calendar, put it on the dining room table, 54:33 put it back on the counter, and I actually threw it 54:37 in the garbage. 54:38 As I threw it in that garbage can, I could hear him 54:41 and see his face saying, "Would you give it to him, please?" 54:45 And I actually took the garbage out. 54:47 And that night, lying in bed, I kept seeing his face 54:49 and hearing his voice, and thinking, 54:51 "Oh, boy, I got to get that brochure out of the garbage." 54:55 And I took that, and I put it right underneath 54:58 the remote control. 55:00 Bright colors. He'll see it. 55:02 Gary: I finally sat down in my living room, 55:04 and I picked up the remote, and I saw that angel 55:06 holding out that scroll. 55:07 female: "Whoa, cool. What is this?" 55:10 And I was in the kitchen cooking, and I thought, 55:12 "Oh, no." 55:13 Gary: And I looked at it, and I turned it over, 55:15 and then I saw a little building, 55:17 a little church building, and it wasn't too far away. 55:19 It was about six houses down, and it said, "Friday night." 55:23 female: And I certainly wasn't going. 55:25 I mean, it wasn't my intention to go. 55:27 Gary: I didn't have any shows going on that night, 55:29 and so I thought it was a one-night deal. 55:31 I went, and as I heard about the millennium man, 55:34 I was just blown away. 55:36 I didn't want it to end. 55:38 I knew what I was hearing was all from the Scripture, 55:40 and it wasn't based on Hollywood movies or other books 55:42 that were written. 55:44 They said, "Come again tomorrow night," and I thought, 55:46 "Wow, great, two nights." 55:48 So I tried to tell my wife about it, 55:49 and she still wasn't interested, and then she decided to come. 55:53 female: I started to hear the truth, you know, 55:55 and I started to get fed. 55:57 Gary: Every night, after the seminar, 55:58 they would hand us an Amazing Facts study guide. 56:01 I couldn't do those fast enough. 56:03 female: The business kept us going seven days a week, 56:06 and it was night and day. 56:07 Gary: Crews working all around the clock, and so, 56:10 when we finally heard the Sabbath message, you know, 56:13 so far, everything's been true, right from the Bible. 56:15 female: Church on Saturday, no work. 56:17 Anyway, it all clicked. 56:19 Gary: Both our heads turned at each other. 56:21 Our jaws dropped open. 56:22 female: I said, "We can't do that." 56:25 Gary: And the first thing that came out of my mouth was, 56:27 "We have to." 56:29 female: I knew that it would be a sacrifice, 56:31 and I was in fear about it. 56:34 Gary: We didn't know how we were going to do it, 56:36 but we talked to the pastor about it, and the pastor said, 56:39 "Well, just pray about it, and God will open doors." 56:42 female: I didn't want to give up all the connections 56:44 I had made, all the networking, all the money, 56:46 all the investment. 56:48 Gary: We went to the board and ask them if they would 56:50 consider closing on Saturday, and they agreed to, 56:53 so we closed the storefront on Saturday, 56:55 but we were still doing productions, 56:57 and that kind of bothered us, so a couple months later, 57:01 God opened the door for my wife. 57:03 She exited the company. 57:04 I prayed about it, and God opened the door for me too. 57:06 female: Gary, shortly after, was offered a job being paid 57:10 more money than he made as an owner of the company. 57:14 Gary: He said, "I'll give you a thousand-dollar raise, 57:17 and you will never work another weekend. 57:20 female: And we were able to keep the Sabbath and enjoy 57:23 the wonderful blessings that God had for us on the Sabbath day. 57:27 Gary: My kids never again had to say, 57:29 "Quit talking about work." 57:31 After the seminar was over, my wife and I, and my children 57:33 were all baptized into the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 57:36 Even if I gave up everything, I knew that God 57:38 would have something better. 57:40 female: I have much more understanding, 57:43 and there's much more depth in my Christian walk with the Lord. 57:47 Gary: We started an Amazing Facts Bible School at a church 57:50 that allows anybody to understand the Scriptures, 57:53 understand the end times. 57:54 Church changed my life dramatically, 57:56 and I'm very happy and excited to be a part of it. 57:59 ♪♪♪ 58:05 ♪♪♪ |
Revised 2022-03-24