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00:12 ♪♪♪ 00:17 CC by Aberdeen Captioning 1-800-688-6621 aberdeen.io 00:22 ♪♪♪ 00:32 ♪♪♪ 00:39 Luccas Rodor: Hi, friends, welcome to our Sabbath School 00:41 Study Hour here in the Greater Sacramento Area in California 00:45 here at the Granite Bay Hilltop Adventist Church. 00:47 It's so good that we're here with you. 00:49 Thank you so much for investing this time with us and allowing 00:52 yourself to be used by God to learn here with us. 00:55 We have a really interesting study in today's lesson. 00:58 We're going to be studying lesson number 11, which has a 01:01 title, "Joseph, Master of Dreams." 01:03 But before we dive into this study this week, I'd like to 01:06 invite you to take advantage of our free offer here today. 01:11 The title is "The Power of a Positive No," and it has a lot 01:13 to do with how to face temptation, how to 01:15 say no to the temptations around us. 01:19 If you would like to receive this free offer, 01:21 you can call 866-788-3966. 01:26 You could ask for the study number 159, 01:30 and we'll be able to send that to you. 01:32 If you're in the continental North America, then 01:34 you could text SH084 to the number 40544, 01:40 and you can have a digital download. 01:41 Also, if you're living outside continental North America, and 01:45 you would still like to take advantage of this free offer, 01:48 you can go to study.aftv.org/SH084, and you 01:54 could also acquire a digital download through there. 01:58 I would really invite you to take advantage of this. 02:00 It's going to do a lot of good for your spiritual life, for 02:05 your fight against temptation, your fight against the enemy. 02:10 Before we get started today and before we dive 02:12 deep into the lesson, I'd like to invite you 02:14 to say a word of prayer here with me. 02:17 "Dear Lord God, thank You so much for your love. 02:18 Thank You so much for Your grace. 02:20 Thank You so much for allowing us to 02:24 study and learn more about You. 02:26 Right now, as we learn about Joseph's life, I would like to 02:30 ask You, Lord, to open our minds, open our hearts. 02:33 Give us a deeper understanding of 02:35 Your character, of who You are. 02:37 I thank You for this privilege that we have, Lord, of coming 02:40 together around the world, opening the same 02:42 Bible and studying the same story, and 02:44 learning more about the same God. 02:46 Please be with us today. 02:47 Be with those that are watching from around the world, from 02:50 home, those who are here with us today. 02:52 I ask You these things in Jesus's name, amen." 02:56 As I said before, this week's lesson is extremely interesting. 02:59 This is one of my favorite Bible stories of all times. 03:03 As a little child, I remember learning about this story, 03:06 learning about the character here, and there's many beautiful 03:09 life lessons that you can learn coming from the story of Joseph. 03:13 Now, we've been studying the stories of different patriarchs, 03:17 different stories from the book of Genesis, and 03:19 when we arrive at the story of Joseph, this is 03:21 towards the end already of Genesis. 03:24 We really have not only the story itself, but the entire 03:29 details, all the nuances, the cultural innuendos, everything 03:34 that we've learned so far about the beginning of the world and 03:37 these first, you know, couple thousand years. 03:41 And when we arrive in Joseph's story, as we've seen before with 03:44 Abraham's story, with Isaac and Jacob's story, the author who 03:47 is--we believe to be Moses, that was writing furiously, he 03:51 really slows down, and he's very descriptive when it comes to the 03:55 stories of these first patriarchs. 03:58 Joseph's story includes an extraordinary amount of details 04:02 that reveal God's plan and reveal God's character. 04:05 It talks more about who God is than the actual 04:08 character that we're studying about. 04:10 Now, the very descriptive narrative that is found here in 04:12 chapter 37 through the chapter 50, that covers the stories and 04:17 the events that happen during the life of Joseph, begin 04:22 covering his dreams, begin covering the stories of how his 04:26 dreams affect his life with his family. 04:29 Now, what's interesting is that the coverage of Joseph's story 04:34 in these chapters, they're longer. 04:38 The narrative here is a bigger block than the narrative 04:41 of any other patriarch, of any other man or story 04:45 that we find here in the book of Genesis. 04:48 He appears among the rest of Jacob's sons, 04:51 but truly in Genesis he's portrayed as important 04:55 as Abraham, as Isaac, and as Jacob. 04:59 He's extremely important in the following in the story, because 05:03 the story of Jacob--sorry--the story of Joseph is 05:07 a crossroads in the story of Genesis. 05:10 Here we connect what happened to this family all the 05:13 way from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 05:15 It's connected to how this family truly becomes a nation. 05:19 And Abraham and Isaac and in Jacob we see a family that 05:22 wanders, a family that moves around. 05:24 But with Joseph, you start seeing what happens to them, the 05:28 progression of the story of redemption and what 05:30 happens to the children of Israel. 05:32 At this point, Jacob had been renamed Israel, we know that. 05:36 At this point, they already have a family structure, 05:39 but they're not yet really a nation. 05:41 That happens throughout the development of the story that 05:44 comes through Joseph when the family has to go up into Egypt. 05:48 Then we're going to be studying this not only today, 05:50 but in next week's lesson, as well. 05:53 Now, there are two theological lessons that are emphasized here 05:56 that are extremely important in understanding what's going on. 06:00 First of all is the truth that God, unlike 06:05 humans, He always fulfills His promises. 06:08 If you remember, with Abraham, we went through the whole story 06:11 where Abraham, he repeatedly attempted to--he repeatedly 06:17 attempted to fulfill God's promises for God. 06:20 He tried to help God help him. 06:23 You see that happening when he goes into Egypt, where he feels 06:27 that it's necessary for him to masquerade as Sarah's brother 06:31 and not her husband, the half-truth, right? 06:34 We see that happening with the whole story with Ishmael, right, 06:37 where not only Abraham, but his wife, they feel this 06:41 need to help God fulfill His promise. 06:44 So, that is the pattern not only with these people--because after 06:48 all, they're people, right, they're human beings that are 06:51 fallible, that are weak, and that sometimes 06:53 make mistakes, just like you and just like me. 06:56 But we see that also here, that this story emphasizes that God 07:01 is the one that fulfills His promises. 07:03 It's not really about humans. 07:04 It's not about people, even though here we find the stories 07:09 of good people, of righteous, faithful people that 07:13 find it important to obey God and to be 07:15 faithful to Him, but this story is about God. 07:18 The main character is the Lord God that fulfills His 07:21 promises to the human counterparts. 07:25 If you remember--and I'd like to quote here Revelation chapter 3, 07:28 verse 7, the doors that God opens, no one can shut, and the 07:33 doors that God shuts, no one can open. 07:35 God is the God of multiple opportunities. 07:39 God is the God that has multiple ways of doing so 07:41 many things that we just can't even fathom. 07:44 You know, sometimes we get caught up in our own way of 07:46 seeing things and our own perspectives, 07:48 and we end up thinking that either God has 07:50 to work this way, or this way, or this way. 07:53 There are no other ways. 07:54 There's this, there's this, and there's this. 07:56 Friends, God is ambidextrous. 07:59 God can operate with both hands. 08:03 He's not limited to just a few different opportunities, 08:06 a few speckled ways of doing things. 08:08 God has a perspective that we can't even imagine, and that's 08:11 something that not only us, but we see here with these men--you 08:15 know, with Abraham, with Isaac, with Jacob, and with the women 08:17 involved in the stories--you know, with Rebekah, with Rachel, 08:20 with Sarah, with Tamar, that we're going to talk a little bit 08:22 about this week--this is something that these people 08:24 learned throughout their lives, as God dealt, and lived, and 08:27 dealed with them--or dealt with them--we see that they also, 08:31 over time, progressively learned that God is 08:35 the God that has uncountable, multiple 08:39 opportunities and multiple options. 08:42 So, that's the first thing that we 08:43 have to understand here in this story. 08:45 That's the first theological reality about God's 08:47 nature that we have to understand. 08:49 The second is that evil, adversity, the setbacks 08:53 of life and of history do not have the last word, 08:57 because many times we're tempted to believe that. 08:59 We're tempted to believe that everything is happening 09:03 around us, everything that is happening around us, 09:05 that is what has the final word in our life. 09:08 The events, the circumstances, the chaos, the setbacks that we 09:12 have in life, that there's no coming back from these things. 09:15 Friends, the God of the Bible, He is the God of the last word. 09:20 Doesn't the book of Revelation call Him the Alpha 09:22 and the Omega, the First and the Last? 09:24 Those are the first--Alpha is the first letter 09:27 of the Greek alphabet, Omega is the last. 09:29 What that means is that God--among other things--because 09:32 you know that the descriptions of God in the Bible, they also 09:35 can be understood in many ways, but one of the understandings, 09:40 one of the interpretations of what that means is that God has 09:42 the first word, and God has the last word, always. 09:45 He covers through and through. 09:48 There is no other way with God. 09:49 And so this reality is that I don't 09:52 have to become anxious or worried. 09:54 The Bible says that multiple times also. 09:56 Don't be anxious. 09:57 Don't be worried, because God is always in control. 10:01 In His eternal providences, the Lord of Hosts is capable of 10:05 transforming the absurd events of life, as we see in Joseph's 10:09 story, He is capable of transforming the craziest, most 10:12 absurd situations of life into building blocks of His purposes. 10:19 Now, Joseph enters the biblical narrative as Jacob's favorite 10:22 son, the object of his improper affections, and that, of course, 10:28 as any sibling that has to go through this understands, that, 10:33 of course, attracts the hostility, and the hatred, 10:36 and the jealousy of his brothers. 10:38 And this is what unleashes the plot of this entire story. 10:42 Joseph is ridiculed as the dreamer, which 10:45 is translated as the master of dreams. 10:48 That's literally what they called him, 10:49 the master of dreams, here comes the master of dreams. 10:52 That's what we see in the Sabbath School lesson--sorry, in 10:55 the Sabbath School memory verse, which is Genesis 37, verse 19, 10:59 where it says, "Then they said to one another, 'Look, this 11:02 dreamer is coming.'" 11:04 No, literally, what they're saying 11:05 is, "Look, the master dreamer is coming." 11:09 And, indeed, dreams play a big part of 11:11 Joseph's story, of Joseph's life. 11:14 Not only was he given the gift of interpreting these 11:17 dreams, but moreover, he fulfills the 11:20 great dream that God had for his life. 11:23 We see that dreams go through and through 11:25 Joseph's life and Joseph's story. 11:28 Now, on Sunday's lesson, to begin this week's 11:30 lesson, we have the title, "Family Troubles." 11:33 And what we find here, the point of the story that we come upon 11:37 is that we find Jacob, all right, the father of the story, 11:41 at this point, comfortably establishing the land, right? 11:45 After everything that had happened up to this point, you 11:47 know, running away from Esau and going to his 11:50 Uncle Laban, marrying Rachel, and the whole development of 11:56 the story, here we find that Jacob is finally 11:59 established, well established in Canaan. 12:03 And that's when his problems, at least in this regard, in our 12:06 context today, that's where the problems begin, 12:09 because they begin at home within his family. 12:11 The story here doesn't really describe 12:13 many difficulties surrounding Jacob. 12:17 The problems really come from within his own household. 12:20 And I think that that's something that 12:22 many of us can relate to. 12:23 You know, sometimes in life, everything is working great. 12:26 You know, everything is good at work, everything is good with 12:28 friends, you're successful, the doors are opening, but your 12:33 problems truly are at home, perhaps with a spouse, perhaps 12:36 with your children, with siblings, and this is what is 12:40 happening in the life of this family. 12:42 They're going through a period of crisis. 12:44 Joseph, which was the son of his old age, of Jacob's old age, 12:48 occupies a place of prominence within his father's heart. 12:52 And so his father unwisely gives him a cloak of many colors, a 12:57 beautiful cloak, the clothes of kings. 13:00 This cloak possibly even suggested that Jacob intended to 13:06 give Joseph the birthright to make him or to 13:11 give him the blessing of the firstborn. 13:13 Now, of course, the other brothers, as they 13:15 saw this favoritism, as they saw what was 13:18 happening here, they weren't happy. 13:20 And Jacob was doing this, of course, because of 13:22 his love for Rachel, for his great love for 13:26 the wife that he wanted to marry. 13:29 Now, the intentions of Jacob's favoritism become even more 13:32 evident to the rest of the sons, because we see their actions. 13:35 We see how they react to all of this. 13:37 They feel discriminated against. 13:39 They feel outcast. They feel wronged. 13:41 And I'll be honest with you, it makes sense that they would. 13:44 Who wouldn't feel this way when one 13:46 parent favors one child over the other? 13:50 Of course, they would feel this way. 13:51 And it was so blatant, it was so 13:52 explicit, it was made so obvious. 13:55 Friends, favoritism is a great sin that is displayed in 13:58 dysfunctional parents that never learned how to be 14:02 parents, and that dysfunctionality becomes evident 14:06 in the dynamic of family relationships. 14:09 In the ways that parents act with their children, in the ways 14:11 that they treat them, that becomes evident, and that 14:13 creates a serious dysfunction in the family setting. 14:18 The hatred of Joseph's brothers for him, seen as the master 14:21 dreamer, is worsened by the reports that he 14:24 gives of his brothers to his father. 14:27 So, here we see that, you know, Joseph is one of those 14:30 characters in the Bible that you don't really see him making 14:32 a whole bunch of different mistakes, right? 14:35 You have two figures in the Old Testament 14:37 that are ante-types of Christ in this. 14:39 The Bible doesn't--of course, these were people 14:41 that did make mistakes, right, because they 14:44 still needed Jesus to die for them. 14:46 They needed a Savior, but the Bible doesn't 14:49 attribute to them a direct sin, right? 14:52 You have Joseph and you have Daniel, and the stories of these 14:55 two men are very similar in many ways. 14:58 We'll get to that. 14:59 But here we see that Joseph, at least in this way, or in this 15:03 moment, he displayed perhaps immaturity, you know, 15:06 perhaps a naivety, because here we see that 15:12 he used to tattle on his brothers. 15:14 Now, we don't know in what spirit this was done. 15:16 We don't know in what way it was done. 15:18 The Bible records the words, but we don't see the emotion, the 15:21 feelings behind that, because it's written word, and it's more 15:24 difficult to extract emotion, to extract feeling. 15:27 So, we don't know how Joseph did this, but again, to anyone that 15:31 has younger siblings, maybe even older siblings, you know, that 15:35 it doesn't feel good to be tattled on, right? 15:37 It's, no one likes a tattletale, so I know that personally. 15:41 I used to hate it when my little brother, when Michael 15:44 used to come along, and he used to tell my 15:45 parents the wrong things that I was doing. 15:47 And the funny thing about Michael 15:48 is that he would tell on himself. 15:50 So, you know, if we got something from the kitchen, we 15:53 got maybe a chocolate or a cookie or something from the 15:56 kitchen, and we--even when we shared it, right, and I would 15:59 say, "Michael, don't tell mom, don't tell dad," Michael, he 16:01 just couldn't, he would come and he would say--he would go up to 16:04 them, and he'd already say, "I'm sorry." 16:06 And, of course, they would say, "Well, 16:08 what do you mean you're sorry? 16:09 Sorry for what?" 16:10 And then he would spill out the whole story. 16:12 That--I'd get in trouble. 16:15 He wouldn't, right? Michael's more innocent. 16:17 My little brother had Down Syndrome, 16:18 and so he's a more innocent being. 16:22 But any sibling that knows what that's 16:25 like, knows that it's not nice. 16:26 Now, in Joseph's story, we have that. 16:29 That is just one of the different nuances of the story 16:32 that revealed to us that his brothers were--or why his 16:35 brothers had that problem with him. 16:38 He used to give reports on them to his father. 16:41 And in his favoritism, Jacob becomes guilty 16:44 of the bad relationship of his sons, 16:46 of course, because he's instigating it. 16:49 He's making it very obvious, while one is learning how to 16:52 read, how to write, one is learning how to, 16:54 you know, how to take over the family, 16:56 the other ones are outcasts in the field. 16:57 They're taking care of the flocks. 16:59 They're not really involved in the plans. 17:01 And so here we see that Jacob, he is instigating 17:04 this jealousy, this resentment among the sons. 17:10 But again, Joseph, he doesn't really appear as 17:13 the wisest and most prudent of the family. 17:16 He could've been more tactful, perhaps, with his siblings. 17:19 He could've, you know, maybe 17:20 given a different kind of report. 17:22 We don't know. 17:24 The truth is that we don't really know what 17:25 these reports were like or what was happening. 17:27 What we do know is that no one likes when someone tells on 17:30 them, and that's what Joseph was doing. 17:34 He was giving reports. 17:35 Another element to the story that certainly created some 17:39 resentment between them is the fact that to Joseph were given 17:42 these wonderful dreams, these incredible dreams, which he 17:47 reports to the rest of his family. 17:48 Now, again, perhaps a wiser, more mature person would know 17:53 that his brothers already had a hard time with him, and maybe he 17:56 would, you know, pepper down the dreams, or he would just, you 17:59 know--I don't know--if he would hide them or if he 18:01 would keep to himself, at least for that 18:03 moment, or what the option would be. 18:06 But what we see is that Joseph, he goes out, 18:09 and he just readily reports the dreams. 18:11 Of course, he was, you know, excited about them. 18:14 He was fascinated by these dreams. 18:17 But he goes out, and he reports it to his family, with the 18:19 implication that he, Joseph, in some way, considered himself to 18:25 be the object of a great mission from God, which was true. 18:29 There was nothing wrong with that, that was true. 18:31 But, of course, that would instigate further 18:34 jealousy and resentment from his brothers, and that truly 18:37 becomes a sore spot of hatred for them. 18:40 Even if it weren't Joseph's intentions by telling them this 18:43 dream, it was the result, the resentment, the hatred. 18:47 It was the result of it. 18:49 The twofold dream could only be interpreted as prophetic, and we 18:53 see that Jacob, while he does rebuke Joseph at one moment, 18:57 saying, you know, "Well, what, you think you're going to be 18:59 greater than myself and your mother?" 19:01 And I imagine that Jacob, who himself had witnessed a 19:05 dream--at least one that we know of--you know, with the ladder 19:09 event in Bethel--I'm sure that Jacob, he 19:12 understood that something was happening, 19:14 that these weren't just regular dreams. 19:19 What no one could know, what no one could ever imagine, 19:21 especially Jacob and even Joseph at this point, was the enormous 19:25 price that would be paid by all of them in order 19:28 to fulfill these dreams, what they were. 19:31 Here we transition to Monday's lesson, which is the moment of 19:34 the attack, the attack on Joseph. 19:37 Now, we all know that jealousy is a terrible counselor. 19:42 The hard thing is noticing how it affects us. 19:45 You know, sometimes when we're--not sometimes--usually, 19:48 when we're the ones going through whatever is happening, 19:52 it becomes difficult for us to have a broader 19:54 perspective of the unfolding of events. 19:57 Usually, you know, that's why we ask for counsel--people that 19:59 are around us, people that can perhaps be more unbiased than 20:03 us--it's easier to understand and to perceive what's going on. 20:06 But it's difficult many times for you to see that 20:08 you're being jealous, that you're going 20:10 through feelings of covetousness, right? 20:13 It affects all of us. 20:14 And the evils that are involved in how it manifests 20:17 itself, even the smallest intentions and 20:19 motivations, many times, does go unnoticed. 20:22 These are things that happen gradually, especially when it 20:24 comes to jealousy and to covetousness. 20:27 These are feelings that come on gradually, and they end up 20:30 affecting our actions, again, gradually, 20:33 in a way that sometimes we don't perceive. 20:36 That's why the best thing is always to ask God to open our 20:39 eyes and give us actually His eyes, so that we can see our 20:43 actions, see our words, how we're affecting other people, 20:46 how we might be hurting other people. 20:48 It's a constant prayer. "Lord, open my eyes. 20:51 Help me understand what I'm doing, what 20:52 I'm seeing, what I'm going through. 20:54 All me to act with Your will, not my will." 20:59 Friends, jealousy and covetousness 21:01 are the twin brothers of hatred. 21:04 The perfect storm was upon this family. 21:08 Sometimes it's very hard to speculate just how 21:10 far jealousy and hatred take their victims. 21:14 Here, Jacob's foolishness reveals itself. 21:18 He had certainly noticed, all right? 21:20 And look, friends, we're speaking--I know that we're 21:22 speaking of very dear characters of the Bible: Abraham, Isaac, 21:27 Jacob, people that we look up to, people that are mentioned in 21:30 the hall of faith in Hebrews chapter 11. 21:34 But the thing about the Bible is that the 21:36 Bible doesn't hold back its punches. 21:38 The Bible reveals the flaws of its characters. 21:41 We see that in the life of Abraham, yes, we do. 21:44 And we see that here in the life of Jacob multiple times. 21:47 Here is another moment--all you have 21:49 to do is think a little bit, all right? 21:51 Look at what the text is saying. 21:52 The text is telling us that Jacob sends Joseph 21:56 to give food, to provide food for his sons, 21:59 certainly wanting a report back from him. 22:02 What did he think was going to happen? 22:04 I mean, he knew that his sons 22:06 held this resentment against Joseph. 22:08 There's no way to hide that. 22:10 You know, friend, you can hide, you can hide for a long time. 22:18 You can hide something from everyone for a short time, or 22:22 you can hide something from a few people for a long time. 22:26 You can hide, but you can't hide forever. 22:30 So, in this case, it's impossible that Jacob's 22:33 sons hid their feelings or true feelings 22:36 for Joseph from their father forever. 22:38 Again, you can hide from a lot of people for a little bit of 22:42 time, or you can hide from a little bit of people for a long 22:45 time, but you can't hide from everyone all the time. 22:47 That's impossible. 22:49 And so it's certain that Jacob knew of the feelings 22:53 that his older sons had for Joseph. 22:55 So, what was he expecting was going to 22:57 happen by sending Joseph to them? 23:00 What did he have in mind? 23:02 What did he imagine? 23:04 Deep down the brothers were jealous of God's 23:06 divine favor towards their younger brother. 23:08 Of course, they were. 23:09 As a result of these horrible feelings, a very twisted, odious 23:15 plan is spawned in the imagination of these young men. 23:19 They create a plot to murder their brother. 23:24 You know, sometimes considering this story, 23:25 I keep thinking, "How was it possible? 23:28 How did this happen?" 23:30 These were young men that knew God. 23:34 They had witnessed their father being faithful to God. 23:37 They had noticed the protection of God to their family. 23:40 How did they become so callous? 23:43 How did they become so hard? 23:45 How could they come up with such a horrible crime against their 23:48 own flesh and blood who was even younger than they? 23:53 How could they not foresee this immense impact of their actions 23:56 on their father and on the rest of their family? 24:00 But the truth is that hatred is shortsighted. 24:04 Hatred doesn't consider the long, 24:06 far-reaching implications of its actions. 24:09 And here this is what we see that happens to this family. 24:13 The evil and the cruelty of human heart is shared with the 24:17 heart of the devil, and here we see that these young men, they 24:21 were in one way or another possessed. 24:24 They were being led by the spirit of the devil. 24:28 Certainly, they weren't being led by God. 24:32 But even then, in the midst of this chaotic storm that they 24:37 find themselves in, God's divine providence is already at work. 24:42 Remember what we said, that God always has the final word, and 24:46 that God always fulfills His promises? 24:48 In a mysterious way--because we know 24:50 that God, He allows free will. 24:52 God gives us space for free will. 24:55 But in a mysterious way, this incredible biblical God, He has 25:00 this way of working His wonders, His providence through the 25:06 different events that happen through the history 25:09 of the world and the history of people on 25:12 a personal and even individual level. 25:15 Ellen White, in the book, "Thoughts from the Mountain of 25:18 Blessings," page 10, "If received in faith, the trial 25:22 that seems so bitter and hard to bear, will prove a blessing." 25:26 And that's what we see happening here. 25:28 Ephesians chapter 1, verse 11, tells us, and it bears witness 25:31 that "In Him, also, we have obtained an inheritance, being 25:35 predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all 25:38 things according to the counsel of His will." 25:40 Friends, even when the path is dark, full of detours, bumps, 25:43 and potholes, God is never asleep or 25:46 indifferent to the circumstances that surround us. 25:49 His paths might seem more mysterious and devoid of reason 25:53 to us, but that doesn't mean that God is illogical. 25:55 What that means is that God is beyond our logic. 25:58 He is beyond our capability and our capacity 26:04 of reasoning and of understanding things. 26:07 Dark chapters that might even appear to have no answers, later 26:13 on understood through hindsight, makes sense in 26:19 the masterfully woven portrait of who God is. 26:27 Friends, God is always in absolute control of all things. 26:31 While the devil uses trials of life to discourage us, 26:34 God uses these same trials sometimes to 26:37 encourage us, to strengthen, and to mature us. 26:39 The God of the hilltops continues 26:41 to be God in the valleys. 26:43 The God of the bright and sunny days continues to 26:46 be God in the dark and threatening nights of life. 26:49 Joseph's story is one of the most eloquent biblical 26:53 testaments of divine providence, of how God acts and reacts to 26:59 the situations that his children go through here in this world. 27:02 Thrown in the pit by his brothers--most of us know this 27:05 story by heart--intended to murder him. 27:08 You'll find that in Genesis chapter 37. 27:11 He is then providentially saved by the 27:13 intervention of Reuben, his older brother. 27:16 At 17 years of age, he is sold to merchants that appear again 27:20 providentially at exactly the right moment. 27:25 And here in the company of complete 27:27 strangers, he is taken to Egypt. 27:33 The sad truth of the story is that he observes for the last 27:36 time the hills of his childhood life that begin to disappear 27:41 beyond the horizon, farther and farther away from everything 27:45 that he knew, farther away from home. 27:49 But friends, the story has not ended. 27:53 From a human perspective, that was the end of Joseph. 27:56 That was it, to be sent to one of the most brutal 28:01 countries of the world, one of the most brutal nations 28:02 of the world, especially for slaves. 28:06 The life expectancy wasn't long. 28:08 This, to all purposes, to all effects, humanly speaking, 28:13 was the last of Joseph, the end of Joseph. 28:16 But we know that that's not true. 28:18 We know that this is just the beginning of the story, because 28:20 any story that has God in its core and its center, 28:24 that story is a story that will end well. 28:27 All stories that have God at the core will end well, if not on 28:32 this side of eternity, on the other. 28:36 Tuesday's lesson, it's a very interesting lesson, because it's 28:39 a small interlude in the broader story of Joseph. 28:43 Here we have a little pause. 28:44 Now, while it's chronologically accurate, the story of Tamar 28:48 that's found in Genesis chapter 38, it appears out of place in 28:52 the narrative of Joseph, almost like a non sequitur. 28:54 In the place where it's found, it doesn't make much sense why. 28:57 Here you have this whole story of Joseph happening, 29:00 and then this short little description of what 29:02 happens here with Judah and with Tamar. 29:06 But even so, here we find the same theme of a malignant act 29:12 that--a malignant act of injustice that develops into a 29:16 positive event, connected to the lineage of salvation. 29:20 The details of this story are peppered with cultural nuances. 29:24 So, the story basically goes to secure her genealogy, Tamar, 29:29 she poses as a prostitute, because she had 29:31 been married to Judah's firstborn son. 29:34 He died, then she was married to the second son to preserve the 29:39 lineage, and then he passed away. 29:41 And at this point, Judah doesn't want to give his 29:44 third son to Tamar, which was her right. 29:49 And so here because he's denying the right that should 29:52 be hers to preserve the lineage of 29:54 her family, she poses as a prostitute. 29:58 Finally, she confronts Judah, and the 29:59 story here, friends, it's incredible. 30:01 Go back to the biblical narrative in Genesis chapter 38. 30:04 Go read the story, and you'll see how incredible, 30:06 how smart, how savvy this woman was. 30:11 When she confronts Judah, who had already played a quite 30:14 sordid role in Joseph's story, he was a key part of that, here 30:19 we see that the fundamental element of the narrative of 30:22 Tamar versus Judah, it finds itself in the child that she 30:27 bears, Perez, one of King David's ancestors 30:32 and ultimately one of the ancestors of 30:34 the Messiah, of Jesus Christ himself. 30:37 Tamar appears as one of the most improbable 30:39 women mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus. 30:43 And the lesson here seems clear. 30:45 Just as God has the ability of transforming the somber details 30:49 of life, of in this case Tamar's life and her story into a 30:53 blessing by including her in the lineage of the Savior of the 30:57 world, the lives converge with Joseph's story, 31:01 who, by miraculous providence, brings 31:03 salvation to Jacob and to his lineage. 31:06 Friends, the whole story of the Bible is the story of how God 31:11 changes and transforms and uses the most absurd 31:14 events and even the most unqualified, 31:18 apparently unqualified people in his divine providence. 31:23 God is that powerful. 31:25 I really believe that sometimes the devil, in one situation 31:28 or another, he thinks that he's ahead, he 31:30 thinks that he's winning, he thinks that 31:32 he's won the skirmish, that little battle over there. 31:36 But in one crazy way, in one way that surprises even the enemy, 31:41 God is able to transform that moment of weakness, that 31:46 failure, that apparent failure, God has the power of 31:48 transforming that into a victory, into a blessing. 31:52 And we see that countless times through scripture. 31:54 We see that here in the story of Tamar, and we see that in the 31:56 story of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, and 31:59 here in the story of Joseph, as well. 32:02 Wednesday's lesson finds Joseph as a slave in Egypt. 32:06 Here, the narrative shifts back to Joseph, 32:09 and he's portrayed as this slave. 32:12 The future could not seem darker, more uncertain. 32:16 He found himself in a distant land with no hopes, no options, 32:20 no alternatives, no foreseeable possibility of escape, but 32:24 Joseph is providentially sold to a man called Potiphar--and 32:28 you'll find that in Genesis 39, verse 1--who is, again 32:31 providentially a ranking official of Pharaoh. 32:34 He is immediately seen as a man of excellence. 32:38 Everything that he touches succeeds, turns out. 32:43 He's seen as a man in whom the Spirit of God dwelt, so much so 32:48 that his master entrusted to Joseph his entire household. 32:53 But let's not lose sight that Joseph's success was 32:57 a result of the action of God in his life. 33:00 Look at what Genesis 39, verse 2 says. 33:02 It says, "The Lord was with Joseph." 33:04 Friends, do not forget the story is not about these people. 33:08 The story, the main character here, it's not Joseph. 33:11 The main character is God. 33:13 Don't lose sight of that, because sometimes it's easy for 33:17 us to go reading these stories of the Bible and saying, 33:19 well, you know, here you have Abraham, here we have Jacob, 33:21 here we have Daniel, here we have David. 33:23 And then, you know, all these stories. 33:25 Yes, the story describes the events 33:27 of these people's lives, of their lives. 33:29 But let me tell you something. 33:30 With God removed from their stories, these 33:32 would be just regular, random people. 33:36 God is the catalyst that makes-- the Lord of Israel, the God of 33:40 Israel is the catalyst that makes Israel relevant, 33:43 otherwise, do you remember all the fathers 33:46 of nations from four, five thousand years ago? 33:51 This story is about God. 33:54 The Bible couldn't make it clearer. 33:56 The Lord was with Joseph, and so because the Lord was with 33:59 Joseph, verse 4 tells us, "So Joseph found favor in his sight 34:03 and served him," speaking of Potiphar. 34:06 "Then he made him overseer of his house, and all 34:09 that he had he put under his authority." 34:12 But although things were going well for him, Joseph was not 34:16 corrupted by his new circumstances. 34:19 Friends, our fidelity to God is tested in two ways, two 34:22 different ways, and I mentioned this in a previous lesson. 34:25 First, the test of adversity; 34:28 and secondly, the test of success. 34:31 Most people fall short. 34:33 Most people fall short on one or the other of 34:35 these lessons, one or the other of these tests. 34:38 Adversity or success ends up failing most humans. 34:44 To many, when they find themselves in a successful 34:47 situation, where they are seen as successful, they're seen as 34:50 blessed, they're seen as, you know, nothing could go wrong, as 34:54 intelligent, as smart, as rich--sometimes they think this 34:59 is coming from themselves, from their effort. 35:03 Again, friend, never forget, two tests, adversity and success. 35:13 As these tests go, not only when people face success, but when 35:19 the adversities come, when the trials come, when the fires of 35:22 life come, it's easy to grow discouraged, to fall away, to 35:26 think that either have been abandoned or forsaken. 35:31 Joseph is an exception here, because initially and later on 35:35 during his prison time, he's an example of 35:38 faithfulness in success and in adversity. 35:41 In this moment of brief success, he bears 35:43 witness to the stuff that he was made of. 35:46 Because when Potiphar's wife attempts to seduce him, Joseph 35:50 reveals that his relationship with God, the God 35:52 of heaven, is greater than anything else. 35:55 Genesis 39, verse 9 says, "How then can I do 35:58 this great wickedness and sin against God?" 36:01 You see that what he's worried 36:03 about is his relationship with God. 36:05 Of course, he's worried about the immediate consequences. 36:08 He's worried about his master, what he would think. 36:10 He knows that this is wrong, that this is immoral, but 36:13 ultimately what is going on in his mind is "How could I hurt my 36:17 God this way, that has taken such good care of me? 36:20 How could I violate this relationship in such a way?" 36:24 And here we see that the reaction, and here we see that 36:28 sometimes faithfulness and fidelity, they don't always 36:34 provoke the best of reactions or the best of results. 36:39 In this situation, Potiphar's wife, humiliated and enraged by 36:45 the rejection of a slave, didn't hesitate to accuse him 36:49 and to turn him over to her husband. 36:51 And once again, the colors of the horizon that at this point 36:54 had been glowing for Joseph--he was being recognized, 36:57 he was successful, he was doing well in Potiphar's house. 37:00 But here, the horizon, the colors of the sky become gray. 37:04 Once again, Joseph sees his world crumble around him. 37:08 And at this point, as could have happened with so many other 37:11 people, with so many of us, he could've easily been 37:15 tempted to blaspheme against God. 37:18 His new miseries are a direct result 37:20 of his fidelity, of his faithfulness. 37:23 Where is God? 37:25 That would be the natural question. 37:27 "Why me? I'm doing my best. 37:29 I'm trying hard to be faithful in these hard circumstances. 37:32 I'm already a slave. I've already lost my family. 37:34 I'm already in a far away land. 37:37 Why is this happening?" 37:39 I imagine the feel--I could imagine the feeling of 37:43 abandonment, of loneliness, being almost insurmountable, but 37:49 that's not the case that we find here in this story. 37:52 We discover that even in prison, the Lord continued 37:55 to bless him, and he prospered even there. 37:58 Look at what Genesis 39:23 says. 38:00 It says, "But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and 38:03 He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison, and 38:07 the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph--to 38:10 Joseph's hand, all the prisoners who were in the prison." 38:13 Whatever they did there, it was His doing. 38:15 The keeper of the prison did not look into anything that was 38:18 under Joseph's authority, because the Lord was with him. 38:21 And whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper. 38:25 The Lord made it prosper so much so that his witness, Joseph's 38:30 witness in that prison was a witness, was a testimony of 38:34 faithfulness in adversity, as a servant of the Most High. 38:38 And that deeply impressed those who shared 38:40 the same lot as he in the prison. 38:43 You see this constantly. 38:45 Joseph, in Potiphar's house, was faithful, in the trial of 38:51 Potiphar's wife, was faithful, and even in prison, 38:54 apparently abandoned by God and the world, 38:57 in that pit, once again, is faithful. 39:02 Friends, we can't control the things that happen to 39:04 us in our life, but we can control how we'll 39:06 react, and that's a hard lesson for all of us. 39:10 It's a hard lesson. 39:12 Here we see Joseph, despite the situation, he chooses an 39:17 attitude of gratitude, an attitude of praise, and that's 39:21 the differentiating factor here in this young man's life. 39:26 Now, Thursday's lesson, which has the title, 39:30 "The Dreams of Pharaoh," revolves around 39:32 the events found in Genesis chapter 40 and 41. 39:35 Here we see that God's providence continues to be a 39:39 major element in this story, because, otherwise, 39:42 this story would just be incredible. 39:44 It would be literally incredible, 39:46 unable to be believed. 39:48 All right, this is such an incredible 39:49 turn of events that happens here. 39:52 We see that God's providence is still in 39:54 control, imperceptible to human senses. 39:58 Silently, gradually, Joseph is led to the 40:02 realization of his calling, of his vocation. 40:06 God gave him an ability of interpreting dreams. 40:10 And here we see that he uses that ability to interpret the 40:14 dreams of the cupbearer and the baker in this story, 40:19 these two prisoners that served Pharaoh. 40:22 To all effects, this event, humanly 40:24 speaking, it just didn't make much sense. 40:25 Why is this happening? 40:27 Why does God care so much to give Joseph 40:31 the ability to reveal the dreams to these 40:33 two just men lost in history, otherwise? 40:39 But this is where we see this perspective of God. 40:43 We read in the Bible that the Lord God Himself 40:46 says, "My thoughts are way above yours. 40:49 You can't think on the same level 40:52 as I can," says the Lord, basically. 40:57 And here we see that God, He has that broader vision, that 40:59 perspective that we just don't have. 41:02 Here He sees the importance of this moment, of this event. 41:05 When we analyze the interpreted dream in the 41:07 broader context of God's plans, lines that seem to be just 41:11 loose ends begin to make sense, and a radical change 41:16 in the course of things takes place. 41:18 Because two years later--yeah, two years-- 41:20 it didn't happen overnight. 41:22 It wasn't a week later, or a month later, 41:23 or even a year later. 41:25 Two years later in Genesis chapter 41, verse 1, 41:27 Pharaoh, the most powerful monarch of 41:30 the time, had a dream that alarmed him. 41:34 And we know the story of those dreams--the fat cows and the 41:37 skinny cows, the plump and the blighted wheat--and in a series 41:42 of incredible events, and here we have to jump over a big 41:45 portion of the story, a lot of the details--and I invite you to 41:48 go back to Genesis 39, 40, 41, and read the events here, paying 41:53 attention to the smallest details, because those 41:56 are the ones that make the difference. 41:58 In a series of incredible events, Joseph is brought to the 42:01 presence of this powerful monarch, of this powerful king, 42:05 to give him the meaning of his dreams, and that only happens 42:08 because the cupbearer remembers that 2 years before in prison, 42:13 someone had been able to interpret his dream. 42:17 Interestingly, Joseph, Joseph is incredible here, because Joseph 42:24 could've seen this as an opportunity of escape. 42:28 He could've played the narrative, even if he hadn't 42:32 been given this gift, this opportunity had 42:35 been given, he could've used this to, in one way 42:38 or another, see this as his chance of escape. 42:41 But here that's not even, that's not on Joseph's mind. 42:44 That's not even on the same wavelength of what 42:47 he's thinking of, because the story tells us that 42:50 he points away from himself, and he points to 42:52 God, who is the true source of wisdom. 42:57 Any one of us would be dreaming of freedom 43:00 and the possibilities that an interview with 43:03 the king could provide, but Joseph points away. 43:09 He points to He who is the true interpreter of dreams. 43:16 Just like Daniel centuries later, who also, in the presence 43:20 of the monarch, under similar circumstances, in Daniel chapter 43:24 2, verse 28 said there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets. 43:30 Now Joseph, in the presence of Pharaoh, 43:32 answers with a similar-- in a similar way. 43:35 Genesis 41:16 says, "It is not in me. 43:39 God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace." 43:43 You know, friends, Ellen White observes that the 43:45 spirit of self is the spirit of the devil. 43:49 Here we see that Joseph casts the attention off himself, 43:52 onto the true main character of the story. 43:56 The world is full of the spirit of megalomania, of arrogance. 44:01 But what is truly astounding and saddening is when we see that in 44:04 the church, in the body of Christ, where we wouldn't 44:08 believe that it would happen, or we wouldn't want it to happen. 44:11 The saddest thing is when we see this truly happening among those 44:14 who profess following Christ, poor creatures that pathetically 44:19 attempt to take the place of the Most High and to 44:23 take the glory that belongs only to Him. 44:26 Not so with Joseph. 44:28 He points away from himself. 44:30 The true source of revelation is another. 44:34 And it also becomes clear that Pharaoh understood the message, 44:37 because when he decides to choose Joseph to be the new 44:40 Prime Minister of Egypt, his reason is--and this is in 44:43 Genesis 41:39-41--he says, "In as much as God has shown you all 44:49 this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you. 44:52 You shall be over my house, and all my people 44:54 shall be ruled according to your word. 44:56 Only in regard to the throne will I be greater than you." 45:01 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "See, I have 45:04 set you over all the land of Egypt." 45:07 The ascension of Joseph is surprising. 45:10 He goes beyond even Potiphar's household. 45:13 He goes--he's taken above the station of his old 45:16 master to govern the whole of Egypt. 45:19 And here's another incredible detail. 45:21 Because anyone that was wronged, like Joseph was, 45:25 probably would've sought vengeance. 45:28 But the Bible doesn't describe any such feeling, trying to seek 45:32 vengeance on Potiphar or on his wife. 45:36 This was a man that had given himself, that had turned himself 45:39 over to God, to his God, and he allowed Him to be his vengeance. 45:44 What a powerful story of how even surrounded by disasters and 45:49 by chaos, the divine providence of God always prevails, and His 45:55 purposes are never frustrated, are never twisted, 46:00 even by jealousy, by hatred, by malice, by 46:04 the ruthlessness of human maliciousness. 46:08 The last word is always His, 46:10 because His decrees are trustworthy. 46:12 He is infallible. 46:14 Nothing, no one, anywhere, at any time, is capable of 46:18 frustrating the designs of the God of heaven. 46:22 My dear friend, again, you know, we go through these lessons, and 46:27 while we do look at the stories from a biblical perspective, 46:30 seeing what's happening in the stories of these people, it's 46:33 important to apply these lessons in our life. 46:36 I'll tell you, we live in hard times, in times where the chaos, 46:40 the storms of life continue raging. 46:46 This is something that isn't unique to 46:48 a certain period of time in history. 46:50 It's always been hard. 46:51 There have always been hardships and difficulties in chaos. 46:54 Sometimes we're tempted to think that we have 46:56 it worse than other people in other moments. 46:58 Friends, the truth of the matter is that wherever 47:01 there is sin, there is difficulty. 47:03 Wherever there is sin, there is chaos. 47:05 Wherever sin is, there is a storm. 47:08 Our small planet has been submerged into this storm, but 47:12 the reality continues to be that the God of Abraham, of Isaac, 47:18 and of Jacob continues to be the God of truth, the God of 47:23 strength, the God of power, the Alpha and the Omega. 47:27 God is never taken by surprise. 47:29 He has the hands that never shake, which is why just as 47:33 these men here in the Bible, we have to learn to put our lives 47:36 in His hands, because that's the best place to be, always. 47:41 The best place to be is always within God's will. 47:45 That's my invitation for you here today. 47:48 Please accept that prayer for you, that we, 47:53 all of us must put our lives in God's hands. 47:56 I would like to invite you, one last time, to take advantage of 47:59 our free offer, "The Power of a Positive No." 48:03 Here you'll see, just as Joseph was capable of saying no in a 48:08 moment of temptation, no in a moment of trial, 48:11 we see that that is an important lesson, 48:13 an important virtue for all of us to learn. 48:15 So, don't forget to take advantage of that free offer. 48:18 You could call the number 866-788-3966 48:23 and ask for offer number 159. 48:25 If you're in continental North America, 48:27 you can text SH084 to the number 40544. 48:32 If you're outside of continental North America, 48:34 you can go to the website study.aftv.org/SH084, 48:40 and you could get a digital download. 48:42 I invite you to take advantage of this, and I invite you, more 48:45 than anything else, to invite Christ into your heart. 48:48 Allow Him to be your tether in a moment 48:51 of storm, your rock, your anchor. 48:53 And I'm sure that just like Joseph, you'll be able to 48:57 prosper not only through the trials of adversity, 49:00 but also in the trials of success. 49:02 May God bless you. 49:04 I'd like to finish with a word of prayer. 49:06 Please bow your head. 49:07 "Dear Lord, thank You so much for the stories of the Bible 49:09 that teach us so many important and incredible lessons. 49:12 Lord, here we see a young man that was just 49:15 cast into this terrible storm of chaos. 49:19 And Lord, we want to live a life similar to Joseph, similar to 49:22 these Bible heroes: Joseph, Daniel, so many 49:25 others that in moments of crisis were able 49:27 to maintain their hopes and their faith in You. 49:32 Lord, at the same time, we are small. 49:34 We're extremely fallible beings, and we mess up and make 49:39 mistakes, which is why, Lord, I claim the promise 49:41 of Micah 7, verse 8, where the prophet, 49:45 he tells the enemy, 'Do not laugh over me. 49:48 Do not laugh over me, O my enemy, because 49:51 even when I fall, the Lord will lift me up. 49:54 When my dwelling is in the darkness, 49:56 the Lord will be my light.'" 49:58 Lord, I claim that promise not only for myself, but 50:00 for everyone that is listening, that is watching right now. 50:03 And Father, we sometimes, we do fall, and we abide in the 50:08 darkness in moments of life, but You are our light. 50:12 Lord, we know that victory is only in You. 50:14 This story is only about You. 50:16 You are the God that fulfills the promises, Lord. 50:18 We're, again, we're fallible. 50:20 We break promises, many times. 50:23 But, Lord, that's why I ask for forgiveness. 50:25 I ask for transformation. I ask to be more like Christ. 50:28 And I ask that not only for myself, but for all who are 50:30 watching and listening right now. 50:32 I ask You these things, and I praise Your name. 50:34 I bless Your name, Lord, for these beautiful truths that 50:37 we've learned today, and I ask these things 50:40 in the name of Jesus Christ, amen, amen. 50:47 male announcer: Don't forget to request 50:48 today's life-changing free resource. 50:50 Not only can you receive this free gift in the mail, 50:52 you can download a digital copy straight 50:54 to your computer or mobile device. 50:56 To get your digital copy of today's free gift, simply text 51:00 the keyword on your screen to 40544 or visit the web address 51:05 shown on your screen, and be sure to select the digital 51:07 download option on the request page. 51:10 It's now easier than ever for you to study God's Word with 51:13 Amazing Facts, wherever and whenever you want, and 51:16 most important, to share it with others. 51:24 announcer: "Amazing Facts, Changed Lives." 51:27 ♪♪♪ 51:32 Darius Ziegler: My name is Darius Ziegler. 51:34 I was born and raised in Elmore, Alabama. 51:38 I grew up and I was raised Christian. 51:41 We had to do exactly what my parents wanted, as far as 51:45 Christian living, whether it be our friends, what we watched on 51:49 television, even down to the things that we ate. 51:52 male: You know, I used to wonder and sometimes question my 51:54 mom about certain things, but, you know, she explained why, you 51:58 know, like it's better for us, you know, it's the reasons, the 52:01 way that God actually wants us to live and He-- 52:04 Darius: And I'm starting to think in my mind, 52:05 you know, this can't be right, this isn't fair. 52:08 So, when college came after high school, and I was on my own, and 52:14 I had no rules, I busted it wide open. 52:21 After I had my--well, at least what I thought--my fill of 52:25 partying, I started to realize that it wasn't 52:30 all that it was cracked up to be. 52:33 As time was going on, I was finishing up my freshman year of 52:37 college, I still, I was very miserable. 52:40 I wasn't happy with anything, 52:43 and I still wanted to just get away. 52:45 And I was looking through the phone book, you know, I was 52:47 looking in the back, you know, in the Yellow Pages, and I seen, 52:51 like, the recruiting advertisement for the Air Force. 52:55 So, I did exactly like the number said. 52:59 I called them. 53:02 I'm off to the military. 53:04 I get there, and I made friends. Everybody loved me. 53:08 At this time, I was just like, "Yeah, 53:10 this is what I've been missing." 53:12 And all these guys doing all this together, 53:16 it was awesome, or so I thought. 53:21 They tell us that we're getting deployed. 53:23 And of all places we're going to the Middle East, and I'm going 53:27 to a place where they don't want us there. 53:30 Basically, every day your life 53:32 was on the line, and I'm terrified. 53:36 But thankfully, after the months go by and we do our tour in the 53:41 desert, they send us back home, and I'm excited. 53:44 I get to go back and be with my friends. 53:46 And I get back there, I get back to my dorm thinking 53:49 everything is fine, everything is going to be cool. 53:52 Something's changed. 53:55 I'm the only person that's alone. 53:58 All my friends, they have girlfriends, 53:59 or they're married, and I'm the odd man out. 54:04 So, I tried to follow suit, and I went out, and I met a young 54:10 lady, and as time went on, we ended up getting married. 54:14 Everything at first was great, at first. 54:18 male: Well, I didn't know 100% of what they were going 54:21 through, but it did seem like I got an impression that, you 54:25 know, she was kind of trying to isolate him. 54:29 Darius: My wife doesn't want me having any 54:32 type of contact with my family or friends. 54:36 You know, the same thing that I was 54:37 running from, now I'm living with. 54:41 And I remember one night we ended 54:43 up getting into a huge argument. 54:45 And the next thing I know, the cops are there, and now I'm in 54:50 jail, and my mind is just running 1,000 miles an hour. 54:55 You know, I'm scared, I'm frantic, 54:56 I don't know what to do. 54:59 After I was released from jail, I remember one day my sister 55:04 invited us over for dinner, and they put on this movie. 55:08 It was called, "The Final Events of 55:12 Bible Prophecy," by Amazing Facts. 55:15 And I remember it got to the end of the film, and it 55:18 was showing the part where the New Jerusalem 55:21 comes down, and the Lord descended out of heaven. 55:25 It had all the lost standing around the city, as numerous as 55:28 the sands of the sea when judgment was given, and fire 55:32 rained down from God in heaven, and it destroyed them all. 55:36 And at that moment, I heard a voice as clear as day. 55:42 I'll never forget it. 55:43 It said, "Everything that you saw on this video is true. 55:48 And if you do not change from the things that you have been 55:53 doing, the lake of fire will be your end." 56:01 I was more scared at that point than at any time in my life. 56:15 After that happened, I said, "Lord, 56:19 I'm tired of breaking your laws. 56:21 I want to go get rebaptized and rededicate my life to God." 56:27 I said I realize now that everything that I had been 56:30 doing, all the running that I had been doing, 56:34 God was doing nothing but chasing me. 56:37 Now I'm back home. 56:39 It's just funny, when I think about it. 56:41 The entire time, all I did was run in a circle. 56:43 It actually took running in that full circle to make me realize 56:49 that this was where I needed to be. 56:51 You know, I ended up getting remarried. 56:53 Mrs. Ziegler: Being married to Darius is amazing. 56:57 I cannot have asked for a much better husband. 57:00 male: It's like we're kids all over again, 57:02 you know, growing up together. 57:04 And, you know, it makes, you know, an inspiration 57:07 in my life, you know, to keep my head up and 57:09 things, doing right and everything, too. 57:12 Darius: I look at this story in the Bible of the prodigal 57:15 son, and that's a story that I could relate to, because I feel 57:20 like I was actually the living prodigal, that the entire time 57:24 God was blessing me, but I couldn't see it because I 57:28 thought that what the world had to offer was ten times greater. 57:34 And when I came back, and he welcomed me back 57:36 in with open arms, and my life is 100 times 57:41 better than I could've possibly even imagined. 57:46 ♪♪♪ 57:56 ♪♪♪ 58:00 ♪♪♪ 58:10 ♪♪♪ 58:20 ♪♪♪ |
Revised 2022-06-09