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00:03 ♪♪♪ 00:14 ♪♪♪ 00:24 ♪♪♪ 00:38 Doug Batchelor: Good morning, friends. 00:39 We want to welcome everybody to the Study Hour here 00:42 for the Sabbath School lesson. 00:44 We're so glad that you've joined us. 00:46 Always to welcome those who are watching online, 00:48 or social network somewhere, are watching on AFTV, 00:54 and Hope Channel, 3ABN, and others, 00:57 and we're just so glad that you're tuning in. 00:59 We know we have a number of our members of 01:01 the Granite Bay Hilltop Church that are around the world. 01:05 And Karen and I recently returned from Ireland; 01:07 and time permitting, we'll give you a little report 01:09 on that later, but we have people there 01:12 every week that tune in and study with us. 01:15 They don't do it in the morning because the program airs 01:18 in the afternoon for them because of the time difference. 01:20 So, we're glad that you're here. 01:22 As always, we have a special offer, 01:25 and we have an offer today dealing with a very important 01:28 subject talking about the "Surrender of Self." 01:32 This is a book written by Joe Cruz. 01:33 And if there's only one you're going to read, 01:36 this is something we all deal with every day 01:38 is surrendering ourselves to Jesus. 01:40 If you'd like a free copy, you can simply call 01:43 866-788-3966. 01:46 That's 866-Study-More, and you can ask for Offer #182. 01:52 You can also get it in the US. 01:54 You can text SH087. 01:57 You text SH087 to 40544, and you can read this online. 02:05 And if you're outside North America, 02:07 just go to the website, and that's study.aftv.org, 02:11 and again then request the lesson or click 02:14 on the lesson, SH087. 02:17 We're continuing in our study 02:19 dealing with the book of Genesis. 02:21 And in just a moment, we're going to get to that, 02:23 going to be talking about Joseph, the master of dreams, 02:28 and fascinating, one of my favorite subjects 02:30 in the Bible. 02:32 But before we have our prayer, we're going to have some music 02:35 and then come back together. 02:38 ♪♪♪ 02:48 ♪♪♪ 02:59 ♪♪♪ 03:10 ♪♪♪ 03:20 ♪♪♪ 03:30 ♪♪♪ 03:40 ♪♪♪ 03:50 ♪♪♪ 04:00 ♪♪♪ 04:10 ♪♪♪ 04:21 ♪♪♪ 04:31 ♪♪♪ 04:42 ♪♪♪ 04:52 ♪♪♪ 05:02 ♪♪♪ 05:12 ♪♪♪ 05:22 ♪♪♪ 05:32 ♪♪♪ 05:42 ♪♪♪ 05:52 ♪♪♪ 06:02 Doug: Amen. 06:04 Thank you so much, young men. 06:06 "Be Still My Soul," a beautiful song. 06:08 But we're going to have prayer, 06:10 and then we'll go into our study for today. 06:13 Loving Lord, we are so thankful for your Word 06:16 and the lessons we learn about salvation and life. 06:19 We pray right now in a special way. 06:21 As we study this important subject, you'll be with us, 06:23 be with our presenter, and give him the Holy Spirit 06:26 that we might receive. 06:28 We thank You and ask this in Jesus' name, amen. 06:33 Very happy our teacher today is Pastor Shawn Brummund 06:35 on this subject from study of Genesis about Joseph. 06:40 Shawn Brummund: Well, thank you for that, Pastor Doug. 06:41 It is a honor to be able to come back and continue to look 06:45 at the life of one of the most important figures of history, 06:48 and that is a gentleman by the name of Jacob. 06:52 And so I'm just excited to be able to get back 06:54 re-immersed into the Bible and into the book of Genesis. 06:58 We're going to take our minds and our hearts back more than 07:02 a couple of thousand years, several thousand years, 07:05 and we're going to continue to look the way 07:07 that God was leading in the life of this individual. 07:11 And so, one of the two things that-- 07:14 and we're looking at four chapters again. 07:16 So, we just keep going along at a really fast clip, 07:18 because we're looking at chapters 32, 33, 34, and 35. 07:22 And so I hope that if you haven't read them ahead of time 07:24 that you will read them after our lesson here today, 07:27 because we're not going to be able to cover all four 07:30 in any kind of detail. 07:31 We're going to spend most of our time in chapter 32, 07:34 because that's really the centerpiece chapter 07:36 and centerpiece experience that Jacob had, 07:39 and it's very relevant, as we're going to look at it 07:41 prophetically and how it applies to our day and age 07:44 and our very soon future, as well. 07:47 There's two things that continue to cry out 07:49 in a very powerful way as we continue to make 07:51 our way through the life of Jacob, 07:53 and that is the potential-- 07:56 we are learning the potential long-standing, 07:59 long-lasting negative consequences 08:02 that sin can bring in our lives. 08:06 And we see that in living color in the life of Jacob. 08:09 The other thing that really stands out, though, 08:11 at the same time, that I hope 08:13 you're also picking up is the potential long lasting 08:16 positive consequences of seeking God's grace 08:20 in sincere repentance. 08:22 And we also see that very clearly in the life of Jacob, 08:25 as well. 08:27 And today, again, we're going to look at that 08:28 in the fullest living color of all. 08:31 And so going back to the time when Jacob was transitioning 08:35 from his 20-year exile up in Haran, 08:39 the Paddan Aram, which is also referred to 08:41 as that region in the city of Haran, 08:43 and making his way back to the Promised Land, 08:46 back to the land of which he was raised 08:48 from a little boy until-- and into his first decade 08:51 as an adult, and we find that it was during 08:55 those first several years that he spent in exile, 08:58 that he realized, you know, "Wait a minute. 09:01 This whole grand plan that my mother and I had kind 09:03 of schemed together is really just all turning to dust." 09:08 He hadn't heard from his-- word from his mother, 09:12 as they had planned. 09:13 Some of you recall that when his mother sent him up to find 09:15 a wife and to let his older brother Esau cool down 09:19 for the deception and the very sinful act 09:23 that Jacob had committed against his father 09:26 and against his brother, we find that his brother, 09:29 if you remember, his mother said, 09:31 "Now go up, and shortly after you leave, once your brother's, 09:34 you know, temper calms down and the temperature, 09:38 you know, lowers low enough, I'll send word for you, 09:41 and you can come back again." 09:43 Well, there were one year, two years, three years, 09:44 four years, ten years, fifteen years, 09:47 still no word from his mother. 09:50 And so he realized, as those years went by, 09:52 that his plan was really turning into dust. 09:54 One of the most fascinating text in this particular section 09:58 that we're looking at is actually in the last chapter 10:01 of this week's lesson study, 10:02 which is Genesis chapter 35 and verse 8. 10:06 In Genesis chapter 35, and verse 8, 10:08 we find that there is a woman by the name of Deborah. 10:11 Now, this is not the prophetess Deborah that most of us 10:13 are more familiar with, but this was the handmaid of Rebekah. 10:18 When Rebekah was sent down as the new wife 10:20 for her new husband to be, Isaac, 10:23 she was sent down with a handmaid, a nursemaid, 10:29 and her name was Deborah. 10:31 And so naturally, she would have been with Rebekah 10:33 when Jacob went north to find a wife and to be 10:39 in exile for his safety for a time, that Rebekah-- 10:43 I mean Deborah eventually found herself joining in 10:47 with the household of Jacob, even before Jacob had returned 10:50 to the Promised Land. 10:52 And so while they were making their travels 10:54 through the Promised Land. 10:56 As Jacob had returned, we find that Deborah is part 10:58 of their household, 11:00 and so the most likely surmising, 11:03 as we try to connect the dots, as the best we can is that, 11:06 you know, the housemaid or the nursemaid, 11:10 I should say, Deborah was joined together 11:12 with Jacob's household after Rebekah had died. 11:17 And so the most likely scenario is that after Rebekah had died, 11:21 Deborah had no more purpose or role to play 11:25 within the household and the camp of Isaac. 11:29 And so she also knew about, you know, 11:31 Rebekah's favorite child, Jacob, and his exile, 11:34 and so she most likely traveled north to Haran, 11:37 caught up with Jacob, caught up with his household, 11:40 and was willing to serve and be a part of the household there. 11:45 That also, of course, would have been heartbreaking 11:48 news for Jacob on two counts. 11:50 Number one, because he lost his mother. 11:52 He knew he would never see her in this life again. 11:54 And so, you know, again, the plan that they had surmised 11:59 backfired in a major way, because they thought 12:02 they would see each other in just a few months, 12:04 that indeed, sadly, they never saw each other again. 12:09 And second of all, this was also very heartbreaking 12:12 and distressing for him because his mother was 12:15 the key communique between Isaac's camp 12:18 and his family up in Haran. 12:21 And so that plan that they had surmised, 12:24 in which the mother would send word to him 12:26 once it was safe enough for him to return now also evaporated, 12:30 as well. 12:34 You see, Jacob would've left his crafty uncle long before, 12:36 if it wasn't for his fear of facing his brother Esau. 12:39 He endured much longer up in Haran 12:43 under his uncle's oppression because of that fear. 12:46 And so he was kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place. 12:49 You know, he knew that there was an intense danger waiting 12:52 for him down south with his brother, and he also knew 12:57 that the tensions were rising and becoming very serious 12:59 between himself and his uncle, as well as his uncle's sons, 13:03 which would be Jacob's cousins. 13:06 And there was a lot of animosity that was building 13:09 between the two, and so this began to tell Jacob that indeed, 13:16 you know, that even though he was fearful 13:19 returning home because of his brother Esau, 13:21 it was now becoming just as dangerous, 13:23 if not more dangerous for him to be up north under 13:26 the oppression of his uncle and his uncle's sons. 13:30 And so he knew it was time for him to leave. 13:33 And so God tells that to him in a dream. 13:36 He says, "Yes, you need to leave, 13:38 and you need to leave now." 13:39 And so chapter 21-- or 31 I should say-- 13:43 he successfully leaves and arrives near the border 13:45 of the Promised Land. 13:46 Now, this was no easy journey. 13:48 Even though he was free from his uncle's oppression, 13:50 he was not lighthearted and feeling free. 13:54 Why was that? 13:57 Well, because the thoughts on his heart and his mind 13:59 were still very much that of the sin 14:01 that was haunting him and his conscience 14:04 for the last 20 years. 14:07 He may be free from his uncle's oppression, 14:09 but his travels were much different. 14:11 In fact, there's a very deep quote that I found in a book, 14:14 one of my favorite books on this topic that commutates the Bible. 14:16 It's called, "Patriarchs and Prophets," 14:18 written by author Ellen White, and she writes in page 195 14:21 these words. 14:23 It says, "His sin and the deception of his father 14:25 was ever before him, and he knew that 14:28 his long exile was the direct result of that sin, 14:31 and he pondered over these things day and night, 14:35 the reproaches of an accusing conscience making his journey 14:39 very sad." 14:41 And so it was not a lighthearted journey, by any means. 14:44 The freedom that he normally would've felt 14:47 after he was relieved from the oppression 14:48 of his brother, he was just going 14:50 from the mouth of one lion into the mouth of another, 14:52 as far as he was concerned, but also even more importantly 14:55 and deeply than that, his conscious was torturing him 14:58 because of the sin that was continuing to haunt him. 15:01 Want to open your Bibles-- I invite you to open your Bibles 15:03 now, as we look at Genesis 32, as we set that stage now 15:07 for that first chapter of this week's study. 15:12 Again, this is no small chapter. 15:15 It's probably the largest chapter 15:16 in the chapters that describe the life of Jacob. 15:19 We're going to Genesis chapter 32, 15:22 and we're going to start with verse 1. 15:25 Genesis 32 and verse 1, it says, "And so Jacob went on his way, 15:29 and the angels of God met him." 15:32 And so we find here that as Jacob was leaving Laban, 15:36 as they had made their vow in which he would never 15:38 return back to the territory of Laban, 15:41 and Laban had agreed that he would never cross 15:44 that point where they made an oath and enter 15:46 into the southern territory of Jacob, we find that Jacob, 15:50 as he's now going towards what is for him 15:53 into the mouth of the lion, there is angels 15:56 that God mercifully brings visibly before 15:59 the presence of Jacob. 16:01 And so again, as we go to "Patriarchs and Prophets," 16:03 you know, there was two camps, and that's why I called it 16:06 the camp of two angels or a host of two camps. 16:09 And it's because there was angels in front of him, 16:12 and there was angels behind him, 16:13 representing God's protective love, 16:16 and that He was fulfilling His promise 16:18 that it would go well with Jacob, 16:20 when all is said and done. 16:22 Now, this is not a new encounter, 16:25 the first encounter that Jacob had with angels, is it? 16:28 The first encounter that Jacob had was 20 years earlier 16:32 when he was running for his life, 16:34 when he was going north, and that first night 16:36 that he spent alone in danger and in the desert 16:39 with everything kind of falling and apart in regards 16:43 to his life, and God sends a ladder, 16:46 a visionary ladder between heaven and earth. 16:49 And what are going up and down the ladders? 16:51 Well, angels. 16:52 And so this is the second visible encounter that Jacob 16:56 has of angels at the very beginning 16:59 of his exile and now at the very end of it, as well. 17:02 And they both are fulfilling a very similar purpose. 17:06 Verse 2, it goes on and says, "But when Jacob saw them, 17:10 he called this God's Camp, and he called the name 17:13 of the place Mahanaim, which means double camp." 17:17 In verse 3, it says, "And then Jacob sent messengers 17:19 before him to Esau his brother in the land of Seir, 17:23 the country of Edom." 17:25 And so Jacob is wise enough to send a message ahead 17:28 to his brother, to give his brother a heads up. 17:31 He doesn't want to surprise his brother by any means, 17:33 and so he sends a message ahead. 17:36 Now, his brother is already fulfilling that prophecy 17:39 that God had given to his mother, Rebekah, 17:41 indeed that both brothers would form into two nations. 17:45 Now, the fascinating thing is that it's already referring to-- 17:48 Genesis already referring to the land where Esau 17:50 and his camp is growing, the country of Edom, 17:54 and indeed that the nation that Esau eventually became, 17:59 as his descendants multiplied, and he also, obviously, 18:02 had been adopting other people's and intermarrying with them, 18:04 even as he started to, as we looked 18:06 at the earlier Genesis record, including Ishmael. 18:11 And so, but Jacob's nation doesn't-- 18:15 is on hold for another 400 plus years, isn't it? 18:18 And so Jacob's nation doesn't take place quite nearly 18:20 as soon as Esau's but, of course, 18:23 Jacob's is part of God's most important plan. 18:26 In verse 4, it goes on, and he says, 18:28 "And he commanded them, saying, 'Speak thus to my lord Esau: 18:31 'Thus your servant Jacob says, 18:34 'I have dwelt with Laban and stayed there until now. 18:39 I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, and male and female servants, 18:42 and I have sent to tell my lord that I may find favor 18:47 in your sight.'" 18:49 And so, we find here a very strategically word message 18:53 that Jacob sends before him. 18:55 Now, the first thing that we want to pick up here is verse 4, 18:58 where he says, "Speak to my lord, 19:00 speak thus to my lord Esau: 19:01 'Thus your servant Jacob says--'" 19:03 And we have to remember that both of the brothers 19:05 were almost for certain very familiar with the prophecy 19:08 that God had given to their mother, Rebekah, 19:11 when the boys were kind of struggling, 19:13 wrestling within the womb. 19:14 And God had said that there would be two nations, 19:17 but he didn't stop there, did he? 19:18 Said not only will both boys form a nation, 19:21 but it also says that one will be stronger 19:24 than the other, and then it says the older, which is Esau, 19:27 would serve the younger. 19:30 And so for Esau in his earthly life, 19:33 this would be a threat for Jacob's return. 19:35 And so Jacob very strategically says, "That's your servant," 19:39 Jacob says. 19:41 And so Jacob is humbling himself before his brother 19:44 very strategically and needfully. 19:47 Now, in verse 5, when he points out all the wealth 19:49 and which he's acquired during the 20 years 19:51 that he was in exile, it's not because he's trying 19:53 to show off to his brother, which sometimes brothers 19:55 want to do, but in this case he's not showing off, 19:58 but instead he is sharing with his brother 20:01 that he has more than enough wealth to provide for himself 20:05 and for his family. 20:06 Why is that important? 20:08 Well, for the last 20 years, the only heir of the inheritance 20:13 of the wealth and estate of their dad, Isaac, 20:16 was that of Esau. 20:18 And so for 20 years now, Esau had become very acquainted 20:22 and very familiar, and had been thinking 20:26 that the entire estate of his dad is his, 20:29 that his brother was a permanent exile. 20:32 And so Jacob wants his brother to know, 20:35 "Listen, I'm not coming back to claim my inheritance." 20:37 Because legally Jacob had the right to the inheritance 20:39 of his dad, didn't he? 20:41 Okay, he had bought the birthright from Esau. 20:44 Esau had vowed that indeed he had the birthright. 20:47 Now, the birthright is that you would have the bulk 20:49 of the inheritance, and you would be 20:51 the first one in charge of the estate 20:53 of the father after he died. 20:55 So, Jacob had the legal birthright. 20:58 He also stole the blessing. 20:59 And so legally, he could've come and showed up and said, 21:02 "Listen, the inheritance is mine. 21:04 My dad's estate is mine first. 21:06 I'm in charge." 21:07 But Jacob wants him to know that, 21:09 "Listen, I'm not interested in the material wealth 21:11 and which our dad has, but I have enough for myself. 21:17 Verse 6, it goes on and says, "Then the messengers returned 21:19 to Jacob, saying, "We came to your brother, Esau, 21:23 and he's also coming to meet you." 21:26 Okay, that sounds good so far. 21:28 And, oh, by the way, he also has 400 men with him. 21:33 Now, the response tells us that Jacob would interpret 21:37 that very quickly and understood the gravity of the situation. 21:40 It says, "So Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed." 21:45 Why was Jacob afraid and distressed? 21:48 Well, because Esau's not coming alone. 21:49 Esau's a very capable strong man, you know, experienced man. 21:55 He could come up on a horse on his own, all, you know, 21:58 without a problem at all. 21:59 He doesn't need 400 men to protect him. 22:01 He may be bringing along a couple of friends 22:03 for bodyguards. 22:05 I'm not sure what his status was. 22:06 His status was that of a king and established in a kingdom, 22:11 the kingdom and country of Edom, 22:13 but certainly he doesn't need 400 people. 22:15 Now, Jacob knew he wasn't bringing 400 people 22:17 to protect Esau on the way. 22:18 He knew that he wasn't bringing those 400 men 22:20 so that they could-- that Esau was planning 22:23 a welcome parade for Esau. 22:26 No, these were 400 armed men, and so when you bring 22:32 400 armed men-- 22:34 Jacob also knew Esau didn't need 400 men to take out 22:36 the life of Jacob. 22:38 But if Esau was planning to take out the life 22:41 of the entire camp of Jacob, he would bring 400 men. 22:47 So, this, the gravity of the situation here 22:50 should not be underestimated. 22:52 This is a major, major crisis not only for Jacob, 22:56 but for the entire camp. 22:59 You know, it reminds me, Denise and I were backpacking 23:01 many years ago in beautiful British Columbia up in Canada. 23:04 We were backpacking along this river, and we had little Rachel. 23:07 Rachel was only about, I don't know, six years old, 23:10 and we were taking her on her first backpacking trip. 23:13 And so we were several miles from the parking lot 23:17 and from our van, and so on, and from safety, 23:20 and it was just the sun was just starting to set. 23:22 It was kind of almost half dark out at the time, 23:24 and we'd arrived at the campground, 23:26 and we're the only ones there. 23:28 And so at first we thought, "Well, this is kind of nice. 23:30 We've got complete peace, the nature, the river, 23:32 the mountains." 23:34 Denise started to fire up the gas and was boiling 23:37 the water to be able to start dinner and such, 23:39 and I was just starting to set up the tents. 23:41 And all of a sudden, this young couple ran into the camp and-- 23:43 [breathing heavy] 23:46 And we said, "What's wrong?" 23:47 And they had--their eyes were about this big. 23:49 And so their eyes were wide open. 23:51 We said, "Well, what's wrong, what's wrong?" 23:52 They said, "Well, there's a big 23:54 grizzly bear that's been following us 23:55 down the pathway, upriver, and it's coming this way, 23:59 and we're heading back to the car and getting 24:02 out of here as soon as we can." 24:04 And so they kind of looked around. 24:06 Their conscience didn't know what to do. 24:07 Should he abandon his family and keep running, 24:09 or what should we do? 24:10 Well, I looked, and I had a bear spray in my holster. 24:13 And so he looked at my bear spray, and he says, 24:15 "Oh, I see you have a bear spray. 24:16 Great. You're protected. 24:17 See you later." 24:19 And they disappeared. 24:21 So, I'm looking around, and I, you know-- 24:23 from that point forward, you know, your heartbeat, 24:26 you know, your heart rate goes a lot higher 24:28 at that point. 24:30 And your blood is rushing a lot bigger. 24:32 And, you know, the senses, all your senses are just keenly 24:36 all of a sudden awake in ways that they weren't just 24:39 a few minutes before. 24:40 And so we're scrambling to be able to get the food together 24:44 and so on. 24:46 Well, firstly, the bear did what all bears normally do 24:48 is that when he came into the camp, he saw us, and we saw him, 24:51 and then he diverted, went through the most uninviting 24:56 thick brush, breaking branches 24:58 and everything, just to avoid us 25:00 and go around us and keep going down the path and such. 25:05 But when you sense that danger, you know, 25:08 until you can image the heart rate 25:09 of the entire camp just immediately rising, 25:12 and all their senses rising, and they realize, 25:14 "Our lives are all in serious danger at this point 25:19 There are 400 armed men coming with a very angry, 25:22 vengeful, unbelieving, ungodly brother. 25:28 And so that's the gravity of this situation 25:32 that we find here. 25:36 Well, poor Jacob, you know, when he hears the news, 25:38 he knows that he can't go back because he just vowed 25:41 to his uncle that he would never cross Mount Gilead 25:43 and go back to the land of Haran. 25:45 So, he can't retreat. 25:47 And he certainly doesn't want to go forward 25:48 into the lion's mouth, and so he's just, 25:50 he's stuck between a rock and a hard place, and he is afraid. 25:54 He's deeply distressed, as we read in verse 7. 25:57 "And he divided the people that were with him, and the fox, 26:00 and the herds of the camels into two companies. 26:02 And he said, 'If Esau comes to the one company and attacks it, 26:05 then the other company which was left will escape.'" 26:07 And so he's being as strategic as he can. 26:10 He's saying, "Listen, we're going to split up 26:11 into two camps, so at least if one is attacked, 26:13 the other has a good chance of escaping, 26:15 and we'll at least spare half of our lives." 26:17 Verse 9, it says, "Then Jacob said, 26:19 'O God of my father Abraham--'" 26:21 So, Jacob finds himself on his knees very quickly. 26:25 This is a sincere man of God. 26:28 "O God of my father Abraham and the God of my father Isaac--" 26:32 Now, this brings up another point 26:34 that helps us explain a little bit of confusion 26:36 that sometimes comes in Daniel. 26:39 You know, because Belshazzar is referred to-- 26:42 Nebuchadnezzar is referred to as the father of Belshazzar, 26:48 and history tells us, as you look 26:50 at the history books, Belshazzar was actually 26:52 the grandson of King Nebuchadnezzar. 26:55 And yet, we find in Daniel he's referred to as 26:59 the son of Nebuchadnezzar, and Nebuchadnezzar 27:02 is referred to as his father. 27:05 Well, that's because in Bible times, 27:07 they didn't use the word grandfather like we do today. 27:11 You know, so my dad is the grandad, 27:14 as he likes to be called, of my daughters. 27:17 So, he's still their dad, isn't he? 27:19 He's a dad, but he is the grandad. 27:22 And then, you know, if my daughters have children 27:24 before my dad dies, then he'll be the great grandad, 27:27 won't he? 27:29 But you still-- you're still the dad. 27:31 And especially in ancient times, in some cultures, I believe, 27:33 even today, you know, the dad-- 27:35 as long as the oldest living father is living, 27:38 he's still the last word. 27:40 He's still in charge of all the other families, 27:42 even if he has a son that's fully grown. 27:44 They have full grown children, 27:46 and their children have children. 27:48 The oldest surviving grandfather is still the last word 27:52 and the final authority. 27:54 And this was no exception back in the days of Bible times, 27:58 as well. 28:00 And so that's why we find here that Jacob's referring 28:01 to his grandfather Abraham just simply as my father. 28:05 "O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, 28:08 the Lord who has said to me, 'Return to your country, 28:10 to your family, and I will deal well with you.'" 28:14 So, he's reviewing with God the promises, you know, 28:17 because they're very distressed. 28:19 "I'm not worthy of the least of all the mercies 28:21 and of all the truth, which You have shown 28:23 Your servant. 28:24 For I crossed over this Jordan with my staff, 28:26 and now I have become two companies. 28:30 Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother, 28:32 from the hand of Esau, for I fear him lest he come 28:35 and attack me and the mother with the children. 28:39 For you said, 28:40 'I will surely treat you well and make your descendants 28:43 as the sand of the sea which cannot be numbered, 28:45 for a multitude.'" 28:46 And so he's kind of reviewing this God and said, 28:48 "God, we, you know-- 28:49 You struck this covenant with us, 28:51 and this agreement, and now that agreement is in serious danger. 28:55 My life is in danger. 28:56 My wives' lives are in danger. 28:58 My children are in danger. 29:00 If we're all wiped out, which all evidence 29:02 on the surface appears to be so, 29:04 is going to happen in the next day or two, 29:06 you know, Your covenant and promises 29:10 are not going to be able to come true." 29:16 The verse that really stuck out to me in this particular prayer 29:18 is verse 10. 29:20 In verse 10, it says, 29:21 "I am not worthy of the least of the mercies, 29:23 of all the mercies and of all the truth 29:25 which You have shown Your servant." 29:26 Friend, are you there? 29:29 Are you at that point? You know, it reminds me again. 29:31 I had to stop and take stock of my own heart and say, 29:34 you know, "Am I in that spot, that same spot that Jacob is in? 29:38 Do I fully understand that I am not worthy 29:41 of the mercies that God extends to me?" 29:46 That God has extended mercies and truths 29:49 that are far beyond my worth. 29:52 As far as not because I'm not priceless 29:55 in the eyes of God, as a child and as a human being, 29:57 but rather I'm talking about worthy in meaning 30:00 in my character, in the Shawn that I am. 30:04 Am I worthy of all the blessings and the mercies that God 30:08 has extended to me, the truths that He has extended to me? 30:11 No, I'm not worthy. 30:13 But thank God that God doesn't say, 30:14 "Listen, until you count yourself worthy, 30:16 until you're good enough to receive My mercies 30:18 in your strength, 30:19 I don't want to have anything to do with you." 30:21 No, God is merciful to sinners that are truly repentant 30:26 and want to walk with Jesus by faith. 30:28 And so I take stock in that, but it also a good place-- 30:32 time for us to take stock of our own hearts and say, 30:34 "Am I in that same place?" 30:37 Do I count myself not worthy of the least of the mercies 30:39 and all the truth which God has given to me? 30:41 Nevertheless, God, I claim Your promise that You forgive me 30:44 for my sins, for He is just and faithful to forgive us our sins 30:47 and cleanse us from all unrighteousness 30:49 when we confess and repent from our sins. 30:55 Well, the following verses tell us that, again, 30:57 Jacob is being very strategic. 31:00 Why? 31:01 Because now he sends presents ahead of him. 31:03 First, he sent the messenger. 31:04 The messenger comes back without any message response, 31:07 but just the news that he's got 400 armed men with him. 31:11 And now Jacob very strategically sends droves of herds. 31:17 And so he sends like 5-- or 200 sheep and several rams 31:22 with one of his servants, and the servant goes ahead, 31:25 and he says, "Now go ahead. 31:27 And when you run into Esau, and he runs into you, 31:28 and he says, 'What's all this about?' 31:30 you could say, 'This is a gift from your servant, 31:33 your brother, Jacob. 31:34 He wants you to have this.'" 31:36 And then, you know, Esau says, 31:37 "Oh, wow, this is quite a surprise." 31:39 And then he goes another hour or two down the trail, 31:43 and he comes to another small herd. 31:46 And again, it's a couple hundred, you know, 31:48 goats in this case and a number of rams. 31:52 And so, you know, with this, this is another gift 31:54 from your servant, and that happens five times. 31:57 And so he sends five droves of gifts, 32:01 of substantial livestock, ahead. 32:05 Now, friends, I don't know about you, 32:06 but gifts have a very effective way of softening the heart. 32:10 Have you noticed that? 32:11 You know, if you've wronged somebody, you know, 32:13 some of the best strategic ways that we can reconcile 32:16 with that person is not only to confess our sins or wrongs 32:18 and so on, but to give a gift. 32:21 And so here we find this strategic, 32:26 strategic actions that Jacob is taking. 32:29 Notice how he prays? 32:30 But he's also doing some very strategic actions 32:33 at the same time, isn't he? 32:36 And this is important for us to bring up. 32:39 In fact, I want to read a quote from that book called, 32:41 "Patriarchs and Prophets," again. 32:43 And because this is a point I just don't want to overlook. 32:46 I think it's important for us to be able to understand, 32:48 and it says this. 32:51 It says, "He did all in his power to atone 32:54 for the wrong to his brother and to avert the threatened danger. 32:58 And then in humiliation and repentance, 33:01 he pleaded for divine protection." 33:04 And so what is Ellen White pointing out here? 33:07 Well, the book here is pointing out that indeed Jacob 33:11 didn't just say-- he found himself on his knees, 33:14 to be sure. 33:16 But he also found himself on his feet and using some 33:19 very strategic, very important actions that he was using 33:24 in cooperation and in partnership with God. 33:28 And so this is revealing something that the Bible 33:30 has riddled all over it when you look 33:32 at the different Bible stories, you know. 33:34 And when David went out to fight Goliath, 33:36 he didn't go out with a little toy. 33:38 Sometimes the Sunday School lessons 33:40 or the Sabbath School lessons, you know, 33:42 will tell us that, you know, there is-- 33:44 you know, he had this little sling, 33:45 and he had a little pebble in there, you know, 33:47 and he used to play with that and try to hit 33:49 the squirrels or something. 33:50 No, he used to take out bears and lions with--you know, 33:52 Roman soldiers used this as a deadly weapon in warfare 33:56 to kill men. 33:58 And so when David went out with that sling, first of all, 34:01 he was extremely experienced with it, 34:03 and that's how he sold to King Saul 34:05 in even getting out there, because he said, 34:07 "Listen, I've taken on lions and bears already, you know, 34:09 and if I can--God helps me to take on lions and bears, 34:12 I can take out this Philistine, as well." 34:14 And so when David went out there, he meant business, 34:16 and he had a deadly weapon, and he knew 34:18 how to use that deadly weapon very well. 34:21 And so Jacob went out there with faith. 34:24 I mean, David went out there with faith in God, yes? 34:26 Did he pray before? Yes. 34:29 But did he do everything within his power to work 34:31 in cooperation with God? 34:34 Yes. 34:35 You see, God has called us to work in cooperation with Him. 34:39 You know, there's some Christians and 34:41 some Seventh Day Adventists as well, over the years, 34:43 have come to the misunderstanding 34:45 that because that old, old saying that so many of us 34:48 have heard is not found in the Bible, it's not true. 34:52 And that is God helps those who help themselves. 34:57 That is an absolute, undeniable Bible truth. 35:01 Now, is there a Bible verse that uses those words? 35:02 No. Is it a Bible truth? 35:04 Yes. 35:06 You can find it in the life of Jacob here. 35:08 Jacob was praying, but he's also doing everything 35:10 within his human power, using his hands and his actions 35:14 and his mind to be able to avert the situation, 35:17 to be able to alleviate it, to de-escalate the situation. 35:21 And David, same thing. 35:22 He went up there with faith in God, 35:24 and God had to intervene, in a way, 35:25 because the helmet that protected the forehead 35:30 of Goliath, you know, had to kind of ride up on his forehead, 35:38 so that the deadly weapon was able to meet its target, 35:42 and it told us that that rock--by the way, 35:44 the rock was about as big as your fist. 35:47 So, you have a rock that's as big as a small fist, 35:52 and it's going 100 plus miles an hour, and it hits your forehead, 35:57 the Bible rightly says that it sunk 35:59 into the forehead of Goliath. 36:03 It didn't just kind of ping and bounce off like some of the, 36:06 you know, some of the different illustrations in different 36:09 children's books show us. 36:12 No, it sunk in and stayed there. 36:15 And so then Goliath, of course, tumbled over. 36:19 So, we find this Bible truth illustrated over and over, 36:22 and Ellen White is pointing that out, 36:23 as she commentates this particular scene of Jacob. 36:26 Another scene that she also commentates and the sketches 36:29 of the life of Paul is found-- it's called--the book is called, 36:32 "Sketches from the Life of Paul," pages 267, 36:36 and it says this: "At these words, hope revived." 36:40 Now what words were that? 36:41 Well, Paul was on the ship, and he was on his way to see Caesar, 36:44 and they come into a sea storm, and the sea storm is so serious 36:47 that even the most experienced sailors 36:50 and the captain themselves knew that this was it. 36:53 It's all evidence showed them that they were going 36:55 to go under. 36:56 Most of them, if not all of them, 36:57 were going to perish. 36:59 Well, God gives the dream to Paul and says, 37:01 "Listen, I've decided that you need to stand before Caesar. 37:04 I'm going to spare your life, and you can tell the crew 37:06 that not one person will perish. 37:08 You'll lose the ship, but no one will perish." 37:11 And so Paul shared the good news, and it says that, 37:14 "At these words, hope revived among all those in the ship." 37:18 Passengers and crew roused from their apathy and put forth 37:22 all possible exertion to save their lives. 37:27 There was much yet to be done. 37:30 Every effort within their power must be put forth 37:33 to avert destruction, for God helps those who help themselves. 37:42 And I did a word search in Ellen White's writings, 37:44 and it turns out she uses that term several times 37:47 in her different writings and books. 37:48 Why? 37:50 Because she understood that 37:51 that is a rock solid Bible truth. 37:54 You know, another way that she put it, she said, 37:56 "When you get on your knees, pray your prayers like your life 37:59 depends upon it. 38:01 Whatever the issue is, pray like your life depends upon it. 38:03 But as soon as you get off your knees and on you're 38:05 on your feet, work at accomplishing 38:07 that prayer's request like your life depends upon it." 38:11 Why? 38:12 Because she understood that God helps those who help themselves. 38:16 We are in a partnership with God, aren't we? 38:19 "Come unto Me all you who labor and are heavy laden, 38:21 and I will give you rest. 38:22 Take My yoke upon you. 38:24 My yoke--" A yoke was the instrument 38:27 that connected two oxen together. 38:29 And so Jesus says, "Listen, we're walking together, 38:31 a yoke that is on both of our necks." 38:33 Now, fortunately, he's the much stronger ox. 38:36 But God is still telling us that we also need to pull the plow. 38:40 Jesus is telling us that we work in partnership with him, 38:43 and so God calls us to give our best. 38:47 You know, Jacob could've said, you know, 38:50 "Listen, I'm on my knees, I'm praying, 38:51 I'm putting all my faith in You. 38:52 You said You would protect me, and therefore I'm going to go 38:54 over and make lemonade, going to put my feet up, 38:56 and I know You're going to work it all out." 39:01 No, that's not what he does, does he? 39:02 No, he does everything within his power to use his brain 39:06 and his hands to be able to work in partnership with God 39:09 in alleviating the heart of Esau. 39:11 Now, God also did His part. 39:13 "Patriarchs and Prophets" also said in the same time that Jacob 39:15 was wrestling with God that night, 39:17 as he was pleading for God to forgive him for his sin, 39:21 pleaded for him to be able to have the assurance 39:23 that God completely accepts him and reconciles with him, 39:27 and that they will have a very close relationship 39:30 for the rest of their life, God sends a dream 39:33 to Esau that same night. 39:36 So, is God doing His part, as well? 39:38 Sure He is, but so is Jacob. 39:40 And so God sends a dream ahead to Esau, 39:43 and in that dream God shows Esau kind of a collage 39:47 of different events over the 20 years 39:48 in which Jacob was suffering, as an exile from his brother 39:51 and from his family, never to see his mother again. 39:54 He's seeing a scene, and God shows Esau 39:56 this scene of Jacob as he's grieving and weeping 39:59 over the news that his mother was dead, 40:01 and he would never see her in this earthly life again. 40:05 Was that softening the heart of Esau? 40:08 Sure it was. 40:09 Were the droves, the gifts that were, 40:11 were they softening the hearts of Esau? 40:12 All of it was working together for good for those who love Him 40:16 and are called according to His purpose. 40:18 And so that's not a lesson, theological lesson, 40:20 but I think that we need to stop and really 40:23 make sure that we understand, and perhaps today is the day 40:25 that God will help to clarify that for you. 40:29 Verse 22, we pick it up again. 40:30 In verse 22, it says, "And he arose that night 40:33 and took his two wives, his two female servants, 40:35 and his eleven sons, and crossed over the ford Jabbok. 40:38 And he took them and sent them over the brook, 40:41 and he sent over what he had." 40:42 And so he's tried to give as much safety buffer 40:44 as he can between Esau and his men and his family. 40:48 "And then Jacob was left alone; 40:52 and with Him until the breaking of day." 40:56 And the Bible tells us that that wrestling was started-- 41:01 again, as you go to "Patriarchs and Prophets," page 197, 41:03 it tells us that Jacob was left alone. 41:05 He was pleading with God on his knees. 41:07 And in that prayer of petition before God, 41:11 he feels the strong hand that is suddenly 41:13 on his shoulder from behind. 41:15 He never saw it coming, and immediately he thought 41:18 that it was an enemy. 41:19 Immediately, he thought it was a robber or a murderer 41:22 of some kind that was trying to take his life. 41:24 And so he immediately goes into combat mode 41:26 and begins to try to wrestle himself free. 41:29 And so he wrestles. 41:31 We don't know how long. 41:33 We're guessing that, you know, the evidence must be that 41:35 he prayed most of the night, because it says that 41:38 they wrestled until the breaking of dawn. 41:40 I don't know if you've been in a wrestling match, 41:42 but I don't think that any man could wrestle 41:45 with all his might for several hours, 8, 9 hours, 41:48 and so I'm guessing that it was just an hour 41:50 or two before dawn that the Lord Himself showed up, 41:53 as we're going to find out that that man was Jesus Himself, 41:56 and puts His hand on the shoulder. 41:57 And so during most of that wrestling match, 42:00 Jacob doesn't understand that this is the Lord Himself. 42:02 He thinks it's an assailant. 42:04 He thinks it's somebody that's attacking him. 42:06 But then when the Lord Himself takes His finger and touches 42:10 the hip of--one of the side hips of the hip joints of Jacob, 42:14 immediately, the muscle shrinks, and he's in intense pain. 42:21 He's immediately crippled from that point forward, 42:23 just by touching with His finger, 42:25 and Jacob immediately put two and two together and realized, 42:28 "Wait a minute. 42:29 No normal mortal man can do that. 42:31 That was a supernatural miracle. 42:32 I'm not wrestling with a man. 42:34 I'm wrestling with some kind of heavenly being." 42:37 And then as the time went by, he started to come to 42:39 the recognition, "Wait a minute, this is the Lord Himself." 42:44 And he realized that metaphorically, 42:46 this literal wrestling match that was taking place 42:49 was symbolizing the wrestling match in his heart 42:53 that had been taking place for 20 years 42:54 and now was culminating this evening. 42:57 At this juncture in his life, as he was wrestling with the Lord, 43:01 and so once he realized it was the Lord with weeping-- 43:03 Hosea chapter 12, verses 3 and 4, 43:06 as the lesson study points out, is a very helpful passage, 43:09 because it tells us that it was an Angel with a capital A. 43:12 And whatever the translators in the New King James Version, 43:14 at least, understood that the context compels us 43:17 to accept that this was not a heavenly angel 43:20 in the created angel sense, but it is the Archangel, 43:24 the one that's in charge of the angels, Jesus Himself, 43:29 and that it tells us also that Jacob wept. 43:33 So, Jesus--I mean Jacob was not confident. 43:36 Jacob was not arrogant in any way when he said, 43:39 "I will not let You go unless You bless me." 43:43 Because Jesus said, you know, "Listen, let go of Me. 43:45 The dawn is breaking, and I need to go." 43:48 And he said, "No, Lord, I will not let go unless You bless me." 43:52 Tears are running down his face at the same time, 43:56 because he's been tortured for 20 years, 43:58 and he's begging for God to give him the full assurance 44:02 that indeed he has been forgiven. 44:05 Was he repentant before this? 44:07 Yes. 44:10 But even sometimes when we're repentant, the shameful things 44:12 that we have chosen in our past sometimes haunts us 44:15 for more than a couple of years, doesn't it? 44:18 I know that many of you have experienced that. 44:20 Some people find themselves 20 years down the road 44:22 just like Jacob, and you're still trying to find 44:25 that full assurance from the Lord. 44:27 You're still, there's a little part of you that still wonders, 44:29 "Can God really forgive such a shameful sin 44:32 as that which I've done in the past?" 44:35 But the good news is that Jacob comes out fully reconciled. 44:37 He is just and righteous to forgive us our sins 44:41 and forgive us from all unrighteousness. 44:53 Verse 25, it talks about the socket of his hip being shrunk, 44:56 and then verse 26 we pick it up. 44:57 "And he said to me, 'I will not let You go unless You bless me.' 45:00 And so He said, 'What is your name?' 45:01 And he said, 'Jacob.' 45:02 And so the Lord Himself said, 45:04 'Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel.'" 45:09 When my wife and I were baptized in 1992, 45:11 we began to read the Bible. 45:12 We just devoured this book in 1992 45:15 in that first year and a half after we're baptized. 45:17 And so we would read four to five chapters 45:18 of the Old Testament every single morning before work. 45:21 And then before night, before we went to sleep, 45:23 we'd read four to five chapters of the New Testament, 45:25 starting with Matthew, 45:26 and make our way all the way through each evening. 45:29 And within a year and a half, we had read through 45:30 the New Testament as a whole four times, 45:32 and we had read through the Old Testament once. 45:36 Friends, if you have never done that, 45:37 I want to strongly recommend that you have-- 45:39 There is no better way to find yourself firmly established 45:43 in the Word of God than to find yourself consuming 45:46 the Word of God as a whole. 45:49 And not only once, but several times. 45:51 And the first time we came to this, we were just so excited. 45:55 We're looking at this and saying, "Wow, this is amazing! 45:57 I've never heard this before. 45:59 This is where the name Israel and the country Israel 46:01 gets its name. 46:02 It's named after Jacob, whose name was changed from Jacob, 46:05 which means supplanter or deceiver, 46:07 and it was changed to Israel which means prince with God. 46:14 Is this a positive change for Israel? 46:16 I mean, for Jacob? 46:17 Yes. 46:19 What a beautiful name change. 46:20 Was that representative of the reconciliation 46:22 and the full peace that Jacob found that night? 46:25 A level of faith and peace and joy that Jacob 46:29 had not experienced for over 20 years? 46:32 Yes. 46:35 God changes Jacob's name from supplanter to Israel, 46:38 prince of God, for you have struggled with God 46:40 and with men, and have prevailed. 46:44 "And then Jacob said, 'Tell me Your name, I pray.' 46:46 And He said, 'Why is it that you ask my name?' 46:48 And He blessed him there. 46:49 So, Jacob called the name of the place Peniel. 46:52 'For I have seen God face to face, 46:54 and my life is preserved.'" 46:56 Did Jacob fully understand that He was not a created 46:59 angelic angel, but it was the Archangel, 47:02 the one that was in charge of all the angels of heaven, 47:05 the Creator of the angels, Jesus Himself. 47:10 Sometimes we get nervous when we see Jesus 47:11 referred to as an Angel. 47:12 I said, well, wait a minute, you know. 47:14 We're not--we're Trinitarians. 47:15 We believe in the Bible truth that God is the Father, the Son, 47:18 and the Holy Spirit, and that He is the Creator of angels. 47:21 He's not an angel. Well, yes. 47:23 Angel in Greek, angelos, literally means a messenger. 47:27 In fact, John the Baptist is called an angelos. 47:31 He's also called an angel. Why? 47:34 Because he was a messenger of God, 47:35 one of the greatest prophets of God. 47:38 So, anybody that's bringing a message from heaven is an angel. 47:41 Does that mean that Christ can be an Angel? 47:43 Yes. 47:44 A created angel? No. 47:46 But a heavenly messenger? Yes. 47:48 And that's why the Bible writers were so comfortable in referring 47:51 to Jesus as an Angel, capital A, Archangel, the one in charge 47:54 of the angels, the Creator of the angels, 47:55 but nevertheless still an Angel. 47:59 And clearly in verse 30, Jacob reveals that indeed 48:03 he was not wrestling with a normal angel or a man, 48:06 but with God Himself. 48:08 And just as he crossed over Peniel, the sun rose on him, 48:11 and he limped on his hip. 48:14 And so we need to close. 48:16 I was hoping to be able to spend some time looking 48:18 at the three applications of this time of trouble that 48:22 Jacob had, because as the lesson study points out 48:25 in Jeremiah chapter 30, and verses 5 through 7, 48:28 Jeremiah talks about the Babylonian captivity 48:31 of Israel being another time of Jacob's trouble 48:34 or Jacob's time of trouble. 48:36 And then that is applied prophetically to the time 48:39 in our future when probation ends for all mankind, 48:43 and everybody's fate is sealed. 48:45 God, Jesus Himself, leaves the heavenly sanctuary. 48:47 He is no longer intercessor, and everybody's fate is sealed 48:51 for all of eternity. 48:53 The first plagues start to fall on the lost all around us, 48:57 and God's people go through a time of trouble 48:59 in which this world has never seen, and Jesus Himself says, 49:04 "If it were not for God shortening that day, 49:07 even the elect would not survive." 49:11 It will be the most intense, most difficult chapter 49:13 for God's people to go through at that point. 49:17 Well, because there's real physical danger for our lives? 49:19 Yes. 49:21 The lost are out to take our lives. 49:22 Was Esau out to take Jacob's life? 49:24 Yes. 49:26 The greatest torture that Jacob went through 49:27 was not his physical danger. 49:29 It was going on in here, wasn't it? 49:32 It was in here, his heart. 49:35 He wasn't fully convinced that he was fully accepted 49:38 and reconciled with his Lord, 49:39 and that's what we'll go through, as well. 49:41 We'll be in danger and distressed 49:43 over the physical dangers, yes, but that will be overcome 49:45 by a much more intense internal danger. 49:49 Did I confess every sin that I know 49:52 that I had in weakness in my life? 49:55 Have I made myself right and repented of everything 49:58 that I know in my life God has told me that I need to abandon? 50:02 And if we haven't, then it's too late, isn't it? 50:05 And because we know it's too late, if we haven't, 50:07 we go through this anguish, this wrestling with God, 50:10 this Jacob's time of trouble internally until we come 50:13 to a full joy of knowing that His mercies are greater 50:17 than our sins. 50:19 And we can lift up our eyes and say, "This is our God. 50:22 He will save us. 50:24 This is our God. 50:25 We have waited for Him." 50:26 And we can know that we will join Him 50:28 with the angels in heaven. 50:29 Amen? 50:31 If you missed the free offer that we had at the beginning 50:34 of our lesson study, I want to invite you 50:36 to take advantage of it even here today. 50:38 It's entitled, "The Surrender of Self," written by Joe Crews, 50:41 the Founder of Amazing Facts Ministries, 50:43 and so please take advantage of this. 50:45 Even if you saw the free offer before, 50:47 you haven't written down the phone number 50:48 or the free offer number, go ahead and do that now. 50:51 It's a great read. 50:52 It's entitled--1-866-788-3966, and ask for number, 50:58 offer number 182. 51:01 Again, that's 1-866-788-3966, and we'll be happy to send 51:06 that to you. 51:07 If you're in North America or the US Territories, 51:09 if you're in the US, and you'd like to text that 51:11 and get a digital download on your phone, 51:13 go ahead and use the code SH087, 51:17 and you want to dial that to 40544. 51:21 You're saying, "I'm not in the United States. 51:23 I want a digital copy." 51:24 Then you just simply get on the Internet and go to the website, 51:27 which is study.aftv.org/SH087. 51:38 Until we come together next week, 51:39 God bless you, and we look forward to seeing you. 51:44 announcer: Don't forget to request today's life-changing 51:46 free resource. 51:48 Not only can you receive this free gift in the mail, 51:50 you can download a digital copy straight to your computer 51:52 or mobile device. 51:54 To get your digital copy of today's free gift, 51:56 simply text the key word on your screen to 40544 52:00 or visit the web address shown on your screen. 52:03 And be sure to select the digital download option 52:06 on the request page. 52:07 It's now easier than ever for you to study God's Word 52:10 with Amazing Facts wherever and whenever you want. 52:13 And most important to share it with others. 52:18 Reuben: You know, we grew up in a neighborhood up 52:20 in the Midwest that was a pretty bad neighborhood. 52:23 And when I became a teenager, I started using drugs. 52:27 I was--I started using meth when I was like I think 16, 15, 52:31 something like that. 52:33 I was having some problems in my life I really didn't know 52:35 how to deal with. 52:38 The only thing I really knew was violence. 52:41 So, this night here I was going to inflict violence on myself. 52:45 I was really high, really depressed, so I took-- 52:49 you know, I had this 40 caliber. 52:50 So, I remember I put one in the chamber, 52:52 and I started to the side of my head like this. 52:56 And the gun had a hair trigger, you know, 53:00 and I remember I was tapping it. 53:03 And a part of me said, "No, I don't want to do this," 53:07 but there was something very evil present there saying, 53:10 "Do it." 53:11 I just said to myself, I said, "God, if You're real, 53:17 show Yourself to me." 53:19 My mother took me to church when I was little kid, 53:23 and we used to sing, "Jesus Loves Me." 53:25 And I remember that song. 53:27 It started playing in my mind, and I almost had like 53:31 a vision of me as a little kid. 53:36 You know, and in Sabbath School, we used to bang those sticks 53:41 together and sing, "Jesus Loves Me," 53:47 and I heard that in my mind. 53:50 So, I said, "Wow." 53:56 So, I just kind of like put the gun down, 53:58 and I kind of fell on my bedside there, 54:00 and I said, "Lord." 54:03 I just basically just prayed this crazy prayer. 54:05 I says, you know, I told Him everything that was wrong 54:08 with me, and I remember one day I was driving around. 54:10 I kind of felt lost, and I drove by this church, 54:13 and I seen Tom out there. 54:15 Tom was just out there watering the flowers, you know. 54:18 Tom: So, I caught a vision out of the side of my eye of 54:21 this big husky guy with tattoos walking up and saying hello. 54:29 So, I asked him if I could help him, 54:33 and he told me that he drives by the church on occasion, 54:38 and every time he goes by, he's thinking 54:40 that he should stop in. 54:42 Reuben: After he showed me around the church, you know, 54:47 I was like, "Okay, man, it's nice meeting you," 54:49 and this and that. 54:51 So, I jumped in my car, and I started heading down 54:54 the driveway, and the next thing you know, 54:57 in like my peripheral vision, I see him coming 54:59 around the corner like Jerry Rice running a football. 55:04 No, not that fast, but he was taking off after me, 55:09 and he says, "Hey, hey, hey, hold on, hold on." 55:12 Tom: I asked him if he would like to have some Bible studies, 55:14 and he said, "Yeah." 55:16 Reuben: He would come by the house. 55:17 We'd all start, we'd start hiding the beer cans, 55:20 and trying to air out the weed smell, and there was a presence 55:24 that came with Tom that was comforting. 55:28 You know what I mean? 55:30 Even though I wasn't taking the Bible studies as serious 55:32 as I should've, looking back, there was just a presence 55:36 about him being there in the house that was comforting. 55:41 I told Tom, I said, 55:42 "Tom, you know, you can't win everybody." 55:44 Tom: I looked at him and I know I said to him, 55:47 "Believe it or not, I never get anybody." 55:50 I says, "The Holy Spirit can do that." 55:53 And I kind of in my heart knew that the Holy Spirit 55:58 was going to work on Reuben. 56:00 Reuben: So then Tom kind of left the picture for a while. 56:03 And then I think one day at my mother's house, 56:05 they were watching 56:07 "The Final Events of Bible Prophecy." 56:08 So, I watched that, and I remember the scene 56:15 where they had the hellfire and stuff. 56:18 You know, they're outside the city, 56:20 and it showed the hellfire coming down 56:24 and burning people and stuff, and I remember saying to myself, 56:29 "That's where I would be right there." 56:31 After the hellfire scene, I saw the saints and the city 56:38 and the New Jerusalem, and Jesus recreating the earth. 56:42 And I said, "I want that to be me and my family." 56:50 There was something about the way Doug preached 56:52 and things that I felt that touched me, 56:55 because he's kind of like myself. 56:58 You know, he didn't grow up like that. 57:02 You know, he done drugs and things. 57:05 So, I kind of found these common grounds that I had with him, and 57:09 I liked how he just kind of like kept it real with his preaching. 57:12 And then Pastor Ridley came to the church, 57:16 and I got to know him very well, 57:19 and we started doing some finishing studies. 57:22 He wanted to make sure I understand 57:23 what I was doing and things and baptized me, my wife, 57:27 my brother. 57:30 No matter what you've done, where you come from, 57:35 where you've been, no matter how bad of a sinner 57:37 you think you are, 57:39 the Lord Jesus loves you no matter what you've done. 57:44 Doug: Friends, it's because of God's blessing 57:46 and your support, thousand of others, just like Reuben, 57:50 have found Jesus and eternal life. 57:52 ♪♪♪ 58:03 ♪♪♪ |
Revised 2022-06-01