Participants:
Series Code: HCAU
Program Code: HCAU200010S
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00:11 And this is the record
00:13 that God hath given to us eternal life, 00:16 and this life is in His Son. 00:20 Welcome to 3ABN Australia Homecoming. 00:31 Hello, and welcome to our program. 00:34 We're really glad that 00:35 we have people here in our audience 00:37 and thank you for coming. 00:38 This is number 10 00:42 of our 3ABN Australia Homecoming 2020, 00:46 preparing for eternity. 00:48 We're going through the book Steps to Christ 00:51 because that is our preparation for eternity. 00:54 Nothing else we do matters. 00:56 That is how we are ready. 00:58 So we're having different speakers, 01:00 13 speakers going through a chapter each 01:04 from Steps to Christ. 01:06 And it's a beautiful book. 01:07 And I'm sure everybody is enjoying what we're hearing. 01:10 Pastor Lyle Southwell 01:12 was our last speaker on Chapter nine. 01:15 And he spoke on the work and the life. 01:18 His summary is of his chapter. 01:21 Number one, who are you superior to? 01:24 The joy of working for those who do not have what we have. 01:29 Two, what is the focus of your life? 01:32 Ease or sacrifice? 01:35 Three, our highest honor 01:37 is the honor of doing a work 01:38 from which angels are restricted. 01:42 Four, a deeper experience gained 01:45 by service. 01:47 It brings unity and fellowship. 01:50 Five, everyone's calling is to do the work 01:54 that lies closest to them. 01:58 Six, there is unlimited joy in serving God 02:04 by helping others. 02:05 Isn't that true? 02:07 That is the absolute truth. 02:09 Well today, Pastor Adrian Raethal, 02:14 the president of the North New South Wales 02:15 Conference in Australia 02:17 will be speaking to us on Chapter 10, 02:19 on knowledge of God. 02:22 And for our music, we have Marty Thompson 02:26 who's pastor of the Kempsey New South Wales Church. 02:29 And he's gonna be singing a song called "Renewed." 02:33 Thank you, Marty. 02:58 Rays of sunlight beaming through 03:01 All creation reveals you 03:05 At Your word the heavens made 03:09 There your glory is explained 03:14 Take the time to see 03:19 The majesty of heaven 03:21 Take the time to be 03:26 In the presence of the King 03:29 Look around and see 03:33 The portrait painted just for you 03:36 Just stop and be renewed 03:54 On the cross my Savior died 03:57 By His blood Him justified 04:01 Jesus came to demonstrate 04:05 Love we now commemorate 04:10 Take the time to see 04:14 The beauty of redemption 04:17 Take the time to be 04:21 Sitting at Jesus feet 04:24 Turn around believe 04:28 That God gave His own Son for you 04:32 Just stop and be renewed 04:49 When the world keeps on flying by 04:53 God is always there 04:56 And no matter how way down you feel 05:00 Your burdens Christ will bear 05:03 For there is nothing in this tired old world 05:07 That can calm your soul 05:12 Like a heart that trusts in Jesus Christ 05:16 He will make you whole 05:21 So take the time to see 05:26 The beauty of redemption 05:29 Take the time to be 05:33 Sitting at Jesus feet 05:36 Turn around believe 05:40 That God gave His own Son for you 05:43 Just stop and be renewed 05:50 Turn around believe 05:54 That God gave His own Son for you 05:58 Just stop and be renewed 06:10 Thank you, Pastor Marty, for that beautiful song 06:13 that leads us into our study for today. 06:15 And it's great to be here 06:16 and to share this time with you. 06:18 Let's just bow our heads in a word of prayer. 06:21 Father, as we open Your words, 06:23 we pray that You would send Your Holy Spirit to be here. 06:26 Be our teacher, open up our hearts 06:28 to receive the message You have prepared for us. 06:31 We pray in Jesus' name, amen. 06:37 The dialogue between Job and his so-called friends 06:42 is interesting to read. 06:44 A lot of the time, they're not very helpful. 06:47 And they seem intent on reminding Job 06:51 what a bad person he is 06:54 because terrible things only happen 06:56 to wicked people, right? 06:59 Wrong. 07:01 But every now and then they speak a nugget of truth. 07:05 One example is Zophar 07:08 and a comment that 07:09 he makes as recorded in Job 11:7. 07:14 Job 11:7 And he says this, 07:19 "Can you search out the deep things of God? 07:23 Can you find out the limits of the Almighty? 07:26 They are higher than heaven, what can you do? 07:29 Deeper than Sheol, what can you know? 07:32 Their measure is longer than the earth 07:35 and broader than the sea." 07:38 This is a deep and important question. 07:43 Can we know God? 07:45 If so, how? 07:49 And what is it that we can know about Him? 07:53 We certainly can't get into a spaceship 07:56 and go and look for Him. 07:58 The best we can do as human beings 08:00 with all of our technology 08:02 and our space travel 08:03 is to put a person on the surface of the moon. 08:06 Now the moon is 384,000 kilometers away. 08:12 And that's about as far as we've been able to go. 08:15 One astronaut is reported as saying that 08:18 when he went out into space, 08:20 he didn't see God anywhere. 08:25 But we have barely scratched the surface 08:29 in our exploration. 08:31 Let's think about the sun. 08:34 The sun is 170 million kilometers away. 08:39 That's a long way, a very long way, 08:42 but it's only a small part of our solar system, 08:47 which is like a court or a street in the suburb 08:51 that we call the Milky Way Galaxy. 08:55 How big is the Milky Way Galaxy? 08:58 Well, when we get into space, 09:00 we know that we can't use the measurements 09:02 or the rulers that we use down here. 09:06 Here on earth we use kilometers. 09:07 My wife's parents live on the sunshine coast. 09:10 We go up to visit them. 09:11 It's about a thousand kilometers 09:13 to go and visit them as we travel up the highway. 09:17 But a kilometer is absolutely useless in space. 09:21 We use a ruler the size of what? 09:24 A light year. 09:26 That's the distance that light travels in one year. 09:31 Now, light travels a very long way. 09:34 It travels at about 300,000 kilometers per second. 09:41 Imagine if we get in a plane 09:42 and we go to the center of the earth 09:44 or the middle of the earth to the equator, 09:47 we get in that plane. 09:48 And we go around the earth in one rotation. 09:51 That's about 40,000 kilometers. 09:54 So we have to do that seven times in one second, 09:59 and that's the distance. 10:00 So that's the speed at which light travels. 10:04 You have to multiply that by 60 10:05 because there's 60 seconds in a minute. 10:08 You multiply that by 60 again, there's 60 seconds in an hour, 10:12 you multiply that by 24. 10:14 And then you multiply that by 365. 10:17 And you get to... 10:20 I hope you're sitting down 10:22 9,460 trillion kilometers, 10:28 9,460 trillion kilometers. 10:34 That's just the ruler that we use to measure space. 10:40 Now surely, the Milky Way Galaxy 10:43 is only one or two light years across, right? 10:46 Wrong. 10:48 The Milky Way Galaxy, 10:49 just this one little suburb 10:51 if you like in the universe 10:53 is 100,000 light years across. 10:59 Where would we go to find out God? 11:02 If we could get in our imaginary spaceship, 11:05 what part of the galaxy would we go to? 11:09 Or even if we were to go outside of this galaxy, 11:11 what other galaxy would we go to to find God? 11:15 Where would we go? 11:18 If not this galaxy, what part of the universe? 11:22 As we mentioned, the best thing that we can do 11:24 is to put somebody on the surface of the moon. 11:28 The reality is, that on our own, 11:32 in our own strength 11:33 with all of the available technology 11:37 and the space equipment that we have, 11:39 the rocket technology and so forth, 11:41 there is no way that 11:43 we can find out about God on our own, 11:47 unless He chooses 11:50 to reveal Himself to us. 11:54 Unless He chooses to invite our space 11:56 and our time, He has to take the initiative. 12:00 He has to reveal Himself to us 12:04 because we can't make it to heaven on our own. 12:07 We have no idea where that is. 12:10 He has to come... 12:11 that He has come down to us because we can't go up to Him. 12:15 Resolve this question. 12:17 Can you, can we search out the deep things 12:21 of God on our own? 12:23 The answer is a resounding no. 12:26 But reading through the Bible, it is clear that 12:28 God has come down to us and it is possible to know Him. 12:33 So the next questions that flow on from that is 12:36 how has He revealed Himself to us? 12:39 And what is it that He has revealed about Himself? 12:44 Ellen White, and we're looking 12:45 at the beautiful devotional book that 12:47 she wrote Steps to Christ. 12:49 I believe arguably the best devotional book 12:51 ever written has a chapter in that book, 12:54 The Knowledge or A Knowledge of God. 12:57 And the first point she makes is that nature reveals God. 13:03 She writes that precious lessons 13:05 are bound up in the things of nature. 13:09 Now, my wife and I try to establish a garden 13:12 when we move from place to place 13:14 because being involved in ministry, 13:15 we've moved quite a few times, but we love to have a garden. 13:20 And when we lived in Castle Hill in Sydney, 13:22 we had a few roses. 13:24 We had some flowers, 13:25 we had a few fruit trees and we had some veggies. 13:28 I love a veggie plot, a veggie garden. 13:32 There's nothing better than getting your hands dirty 13:35 or being able to pick fresh things 13:37 and eat them just a few minutes 13:40 after you've picked them out of the garden. 13:42 And for dinner, having a number of things 13:45 on your dinner plate, knowing that 13:46 some of those things have come 13:48 from your own veggie garden. 13:51 It brings lots of enjoyment and relaxation, 13:55 but there's also lots of lessons 13:57 that we can learn from nature as well. 14:00 Now we know that 14:02 if a change in the weather is coming, 14:04 what do you notice about the ants? 14:07 They seem to scurry around faster than 14:09 what they normally do, whether it's to bring food 14:12 into the nest before the rain comes, 14:14 whether it's to raise the level of the nest 14:16 so that it doesn't flood, 14:18 but they just go about their work, 14:21 much more quickly. 14:22 And it's interesting to just observe the insects 14:26 that we have in our gardens, 14:29 but it is also the beauty, the color, 14:33 the design, the engineering. 14:37 Now, we currently live just on the edge of Newcastle 14:40 and we have a Willie wagtail and some other birds. 14:43 We think that they swifts darting around in our backyard. 14:50 It's amazing to see the way that they move, 14:53 they go, they fly left to right up and down, 14:55 changing direction very quickly, 14:58 coming to a stop in a very short space of time. 15:01 Again, with all of our technology, 15:03 we have no plane that can do 15:06 or fly the way that these birds fly. 15:09 And also the insects, we have some dragonflies 15:11 that come in around a water source that we have, 15:15 and they can hover around. 15:17 They seem to go backwards. 15:18 They seem to just stop and be stationary. 15:21 And then they fly up and left and right and so forth. 15:25 Now it's true that people have different views on nature 15:30 and how it came to be. 15:32 There are those who believe that life, 15:34 as we know it evolved over long periods of time, 15:38 from simple to more complex, 15:41 driven by natural selection and random mutations. 15:46 David Attenborough is a person who fits into this category. 15:51 Now I have a tremendous amount of respect 15:53 for David Attenborough. 15:55 He and his team have put together 15:57 some awesome documentaries, incredible footage, 16:01 fantastic insights into nature and animals. 16:05 His series Blue Planet I and Blue Planet II 16:08 have some incredible footage in them. 16:10 And he flies the flag for conservation 16:13 for looking after the earth that we all live on. 16:17 He has a list of awards and honors as long as your arm. 16:22 A few examples, in 1974, 16:25 he was awarded the Commander of the Order 16:28 of the British Empire. 16:30 In 1985, he was given a knighthood. 16:35 In 2005, The Order of Merit and the list goes on. 16:41 But having said that, 16:43 he makes some interesting observations in his DVD series, 16:47 The Life of Mammals, 16:49 and some of you may have seen it, 16:50 or even have it in your homes. 16:53 Again, some incredible footage. 16:54 But that series starts right here in Australia. 16:58 Just to remind ourselves, a mammal, 17:01 how would you define a mammal? 17:03 What are the unique characteristics? 17:04 Well, you probably know from your science classes 17:07 or from reading that a mammal 17:09 is a warm-blooded animal and it has hair 17:14 and the young feed off the mother's milk. 17:18 Attenborough makes the claim that right here in Australia, 17:22 we have evidence of the evolution of mammals. 17:26 The oldest mammals, it is claimed are the echidnas 17:31 and the platypus, 17:33 unique here to this country, amazing animals, 17:36 but what's different about them? 17:38 They are the only mammals that lay eggs. 17:44 Then it is claimed that mammals thrived, 17:47 diversified and changed over millions of years 17:51 until we get to one of our favorite animals 17:54 here in Australia, the kangaroo, 17:57 which don't lay eggs, but what? 18:00 They give birth to live young 18:04 and we know the baby Joey 18:06 lives in the mother's pouch 18:07 for quite a few months after birth. 18:11 But mammals, it is claimed changed again, 18:14 apparently until we get animals 18:16 where the young are born in a placenta 18:19 connected to an umbilical cord, 18:22 such as cows, sheep, 18:25 and in other countries, lions and bears. 18:28 Now I'm not a scientist I don't claim to be, 18:33 but I do have a number of questions 18:35 which we could ask for 18:37 which answers are not readily forthcoming, 18:42 such as if mammals evolved from egg laying 18:47 to those born with live young, 18:50 to those born in a placenta. 18:53 Why is it that we still have egg laying mammals today? 18:58 If some changed, why didn't they all change? 19:03 If mammals came from egg laying reptiles, 19:06 as it is claimed this concept of a common ancestor, 19:11 how do we go from cold-blooded animals 19:15 to warm-blooded? 19:18 What was the process? 19:20 Where is the evidence? 19:23 How does a mammal suddenly start producing milk? 19:28 What were the intervening stages? 19:30 And perhaps the most telling question why? 19:35 Why reptiles don't produce milk? 19:39 You might have a lizard or a blue-tongued 19:41 or another reptile living in your home 19:44 where you see them in your garden 19:45 from time to time. 19:47 We know that when the sun comes out, 19:48 they love to be out in the warm sun 19:50 because they're cold-blooded, but they don't produce milk. 19:54 They have no need of it. 19:56 They live very comfortably without it. 20:00 So why start? 20:04 Here is another example 20:06 of something that Attenborough talks about, 20:10 about how we get from a shrew to a bat. 20:14 Now, I don't know 20:16 if any of you have know what a shrew is. 20:18 It's like a mouse type little animal 20:21 that scurries around on the ground 20:24 and looks for insects and things like that. 20:27 And you can see on the screen here, 20:29 a picture of a shrew 20:32 and a picture of a Daubenton bat, 20:34 and yes, there are some similarities, 20:37 but here is what the commentary 20:39 of David Attenborough says in the DVD series, 20:42 the Life of Mammals and I quote. 20:45 "Their little faces, 20:47 talking about the Daubenton bat, 20:49 are so like a shrew that 20:51 it's easy to imagine the shrew like ancestors in the trees, 20:56 jumping from branch to branch, chasing insects. 21:01 Ever larger flaps of skin 21:03 between their fingers help to extend those jumps 21:07 until eventually they could fly. 21:11 The change from a scurrying animal 21:14 like a shrew to a fluttering bat 21:18 is surely the most magical 21:20 in the whole history of animals. 21:24 Now that's a very interesting quote. 21:27 Do you have a question for Mr. Attenborough and his team, 21:30 his research team? 21:32 I certainly do. 21:34 Where is the evidence? 21:36 Notice the words that he uses, it's easy to imagine. 21:41 We have to imagine there is no evidence. 21:44 There's no science behind this claim 21:47 that somehow shrews turned into bats. 21:54 What were the intervening stages? 21:57 The bone structure had to change dramatically. 22:00 The muscle structure, 22:02 bats use high intensity sound detection 22:05 to find their prey, shrews don't. 22:07 You notice in the picture that the shrew has 22:10 a lot of long hairs around its nose, 22:12 and that's how it finds the things 22:14 that it needs to eat. 22:16 How did that change came about? 22:19 Again, if some shrews changed, 22:23 why didn't they all change? 22:26 Why aren't they changing now? 22:30 An alternate view about nature 22:32 and its origin comes from the Bible, 22:36 which says that God, what? 22:38 Created the heavens and the earth 22:42 and everything that is in them, 22:44 the birds, the animals, the flowers. 22:46 Yes, creation has been impacted significantly 22:50 by the introduction of sin, 22:53 but there is still clear evidence 22:55 of God's design in creation. 22:59 The platypus. Let's go back to these animals. 23:01 The kangaroo, I mentioned that 23:04 the Joey stays in the mother's pouch 23:06 for about nine months after it's born. 23:08 Did you know that the composition, 23:10 the chemical composition of the mother kangaroo's milk 23:14 changes as that little baby Joey grows in its pouch 23:18 to exactly provide the requirements 23:21 that it needs for each stage of its development 23:24 over those nine months in the pouch. 23:26 Birds in their flight, 23:28 we talked about the dragonflies. 23:30 You observe a dragonfly and how it flies. 23:33 Just absolutely amazing. 23:36 Notice what Paul says 23:38 in Romans 1:18. 23:43 Romans 1:18, 23:47 "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven 23:50 against all ungodliness 23:52 and unrighteousness of men 23:54 who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 23:57 because what may be known of God 24:00 is manifest in them. 24:02 For God has shown it to them 24:05 for since the creation of the world, 24:07 His invisible attributes are clearly seen 24:11 being understood by the things that are made, 24:14 even his eternal power and Godhead 24:17 so that they are without excuse." 24:20 God has revealed Himself through nature, 24:23 through the things that are made. 24:27 And the Psalmist echoes this in Psalm 19. 24:31 And I'm sure you know this passage very well. 24:33 Psalm 19:1, what does the Psalmist write there? 24:38 The heavens what? 24:40 Declare the glory of God 24:43 and the firmament shows his handiwork 24:46 day unto day utters speech 24:48 and night unto night reveals knowledge." 24:54 So that begs the next question. 24:56 What is it that nature tells us about God? 25:03 Imagine that you have a friend, 25:05 someone who is skilled in some craft or handiwork. 25:08 Let's take woodworking for example, 25:11 and this person makes 25:13 a beautiful piece of furniture for you. 25:15 Intricate design, 25:17 beautiful carvings on it, delicate work. 25:19 They spend months and months working on it. 25:22 And then they give it to you as a gift. 25:25 What does that say to you? 25:28 Firstly, it says that this person 25:30 is a skilled craftsman, 25:32 that they're very talented. 25:33 They're very gifted 25:35 and they're using their gifts to bless others. 25:38 But secondly, hopefully it says to you, 25:42 you are very special. 25:43 You're a special friend of mine 25:46 and I've made this gift for you to enjoy. 25:50 You're worth going to that trouble for, 25:53 that person cares for you. 25:55 They value your friendship and your relationship. 26:00 And that is the message about God 26:02 that nature speaks to us. 26:05 He is powerful. 26:07 He is omnipotent, all powerful. 26:09 He is the lover of the beautiful. 26:13 He cares for you. 26:16 He makes all of these beautiful things 26:18 for you to enjoy. 26:21 Notice what Ellen White writes in this chapter, 26:24 A Knowledge of God. 26:26 And I'm reading from page 57, if we will but listen, 26:30 she writes, God's created works will teach us precious lessons 26:36 of obedience and trust, 26:39 from the stars that in their trackless courses 26:42 through space follow from 26:44 age to age their appointed path 26:46 down to the minutest atom, 26:49 the things of nature obey the Creator's will. 26:54 Nature teaches us things about God 26:59 and what He is like, 27:02 and here is a lesson that we can take 27:04 from these troubling times 27:06 that we are currently living in. 27:08 Don't worry. 27:10 That is so easy to say, isn't it? 27:13 And it's so hard to put into practice, 27:16 particularly when things are going hard for us 27:19 or difficult for us, 27:21 but let's remind ourselves of the message of Jesus 27:25 in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew Chapter 6, 27:29 reading Matthew 6:25. 27:34 Matthew 6:25, "Therefore I say to you, 27:38 do not worry about your life, 27:40 what you will eat or what you will drink, 27:42 or about your body, what you will put on. 27:45 Is not life more than food 27:46 and the body more than clothing?" 27:49 And then coming down to verse 28, 27:51 "So why do you worry about clothing? 27:53 Consider the lilies of the field, 27:56 how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 27:59 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory 28:03 was not arrayed like one of these. 28:06 Now if God 28:08 so clothes the grass of the field, 28:09 which today is, 28:10 and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, 28:13 will He not much more clothe you, 28:16 O you of little faith?" 28:19 I would encourage you to have something living 28:25 close to you as often as possible. 28:28 Whether you're in a home, a unit, a hut, 28:31 wherever it may be, 28:33 I would encourage you to have something 28:35 living close to you. 28:36 A plant, a garden, even a little fish in a bowl. 28:42 The research is clear about the importance 28:45 of having blue and green in our lives. 28:49 It is no accident that God put Adam and Eve in a what? 28:54 A garden, a garden surrounded 28:58 by living things in our busy lives 29:02 with surrounded by technology, we need to get away. 29:05 We need to find time to get away 29:06 from our computer screens. 29:09 Our phones, get out for a walk. 29:11 Watch the birds, the waves at the beach, 29:14 the trees, the mountains, the hills, 29:18 because God has come down 29:20 and He has revealed Himself to us, 29:24 His character, His attributes, 29:28 and He has precious lessons that 29:30 He wants us to learn from things 29:33 that are living from nature. 29:37 So firstly, God has revealed Himself through nature. 29:43 Secondly, in this chapter in Steps to Christ, 29:46 Ellen White writes that God speaks to us 29:50 through His providential workings 29:52 and through the influence 29:54 of the Holy Spirit on the heart. 29:58 Now, sometimes it's tempting to think 30:00 that if we only witnessed a real miracle, 30:03 if my unbelieving family members, 30:05 my friends, my neighbors saw a real miracle, 30:09 they would turn their hearts and their lives to God. 30:13 You know, somebody who's been bound 30:14 in a wheelchair since they were born, 30:16 who could now walk, 30:19 someone who had stage four cancer, 30:21 who is now cured. 30:24 But we need to remind ourselves 30:26 that when Jesus was on the earth, 30:29 He performed many miracles, 30:32 but still there were plenty of people 30:34 who didn't believe Him or accept Him. 30:39 What we need to recognize is that God is speaking to us 30:43 in the less spectacular things 30:45 that are happening in our lives all of the time. 30:49 Again, Steps to Christ, page 58. 30:53 Notice what she writes. 30:54 God speaks to us through His providential workings 30:58 and through the influence of His Spirit on the heart, 31:02 in our circumstances and surroundings 31:06 in the changes daily taking place around us, 31:09 we may find precious lessons 31:11 if our hearts are but open to discern them 31:15 in the things that happen around us each day. 31:19 A changed life or heart, a contact, a conversation 31:25 at just the exact time when it is needed, 31:28 the provision of goods or financial support 31:31 when resources are running low. 31:34 My wife and I call them God moments. 31:39 And if you look for them 31:40 or maybe even keep a record of them in a diary, 31:44 it is surprising how often they occur. 31:48 I had the privilege just recently visiting 31:50 one of our churches here in this conference, 31:52 meeting a man by the name of Greg, 31:55 who's had an amazing journey with God. 31:58 Greg was involved 32:00 in all sorts of substance abuse, 32:02 disregard for the law and authority, 32:05 unhealthy relationships, 32:07 and ended up in being incarcerated. 32:11 But God touched his life. 32:13 God touched his heart and turned it right around. 32:16 And now Greg is sharing the message 32:19 of God's love with the friends 32:20 that he was actually in prison with. 32:25 It might be something obvious and significant such as that, 32:28 but it might be something more subtle. 32:32 I can recall being at difficult points 32:35 in my ministry, 32:36 dealing with lots of big issues, 32:39 feeling the pressure, 32:41 but someone would share a thought, a text. 32:45 Somebody would lead out in morning worship. 32:48 And you knew that that message was made just for you. 32:53 And God was speaking to you through that worship. 32:58 Just the word of encouragement that you needed 33:01 at that particular time. 33:04 God speaks to us through His providential workings 33:08 and through the influence 33:09 of the Holy Spirit on our hearts, 33:12 but we need to be open to hearing them. 33:17 Thirdly, God speaks to us through His Word, the Bible. 33:23 And I'm sure we've all had experiences with that. 33:27 Let me share again, in a couple of sentences 33:29 from this chapter on knowledge of God in Steps to Christ. 33:33 She writes, "God speaks to us in His Word. 33:38 Here we have in clearer lines, 33:41 the revelation of His character, 33:44 of His dealings with men and women, 33:46 I'll insert, and the great work of redemption." 33:52 The Bible is a source of teaching and doctrine. 33:55 We know that, but first and foremost, 33:58 it is a book about God, 34:02 what He is like, His attributes, 34:06 His character, how He deals with human beings. 34:11 This is clear 34:12 from the very first chapter of Genesis. 34:16 In the beginning, what's the next word? 34:18 God. 34:19 In the beginning, God created. 34:22 In verse 3, God said. 34:25 Verse 4, God saw, the same verse, God divided. 34:30 Verse 5, God called. 34:33 And we can go on and on 34:35 in the very first chapter of the Bible. 34:40 Just in this one chapter, 34:41 God is mentioned some 29 times. 34:46 Do you think Moses had a reason for doing that? 34:51 The very first chapter of the Bible emphasizes to us 34:55 that the Bible is a book about God, 34:58 and what He is like. 35:00 And when we read a passage, 35:03 a story, a parable, whatever it is. 35:06 One of the first questions we need to ask ourselves is, 35:10 what does this passage tell me about God? 35:14 And what He is like. 35:17 This is so important because the devil 35:20 has been incredibly successful in maligning 35:23 and misrepresenting the character of God, 35:28 giving us a false picture of Him. 35:31 So instead of seeing God for who He is, 35:34 many people will be afraid of Him. 35:36 They don't want anything to do with Him. 35:38 Still worse, they see God as irrelevant 35:41 or not even existing. 35:44 Notice the words of Jesus in John 5:39. 35:50 John is speaking, 35:52 or Jesus is speaking to the Pharisees 35:54 and is what he says, John 5:39, 35:59 "You search the Scriptures, 36:00 for in them you think you have eternal life, 36:03 but these are they," what? 36:06 "That testify about Me." 36:09 And we're talking about the Hebrew scriptures here, 36:11 the first part of the Bible, what we call the Old Testament. 36:14 Jesus said, "They talk about Me, 36:16 those scriptures tell you what I'm like, 36:19 who I am, My attributes, My characteristics." 36:25 And how did Moses describe God 36:28 when God passed by Moses when he was up on the mountain? 36:32 We have that recorded in Exodus Chapter 34. 36:38 And here is a passage that tells us what God is like. 36:42 Exodus 34, and we'll read from verse 5. 36:46 Exodus 34, reading from verse 5, 36:51 "Now the Lord descended in the cloud 36:53 and stood with him there 36:56 and proclaimed the name of the Lord." 36:58 Verse 6, "And the Lord passed before him 37:01 and proclaimed the Lord, the Lord, God merciful 37:05 and gracious, longsuffering, abounding in goodness 37:10 and truth, keeping mercy 37:12 for thousands, forgiving iniquity 37:14 and transgression and sin 37:16 by no means clearing the guilty, 37:18 visiting the iniquity 37:20 of the fathers upon the children 37:22 and the children's children to the third 37:24 and the fourth generation." 37:26 The Bible tells us what God is like, 37:30 first and foremost, it tells us about Him. 37:34 So as we read a passage, as we read a parable, 37:37 as we read a story, 37:38 let's ask ourselves the question. 37:40 What does this passage tell me about God and what He is like? 37:45 Nehemiah echoes this picture of God 37:49 in his book in Nehemiah 9:17. 37:54 Nehemiah 9:17, the second half of the verse reads, 37:59 "But you are God ready to pardon, 38:02 gracious and merciful, slow to anger, 38:06 abundant in kindness, and did not forsake them," 38:10 talking about the people. 38:13 The Bible is a book about God. 38:17 And it is so important to read it 38:20 for ourselves to find out what God is like. 38:24 Ellen White makes some interesting comments 38:26 in regards to the Bible in this chapter 38:29 in Steps to Christ. 38:33 And where she talks about us, and I'm reading of Scripture. 38:38 She makes these three points. 38:39 Firstly, don't take the testimony 38:43 of any other person 38:44 as to what the Bible teaches. 38:47 Let me translate that for a moment. 38:51 Don't just listen to sermons of other people. 38:56 And that's not saying that listening to sermons 38:57 is not a good thing to do, 38:59 it is, but don't just rely on that. 39:03 By thy web, on the web podcasts, TV, 39:07 or even face-to-face. 39:10 This is the same as trying to get nutrition 39:13 and your daily intake of vitamins and minerals 39:16 by watching what other people eat. 39:20 It's not going to work. 39:22 We have to read the Bible for ourselves, 39:27 and it's important that 39:28 we get a translation that we find easy to read, 39:31 have it readily available. 39:33 Set aside some time to read it each day. 39:38 For new Christians or people 39:39 who are not used to reading the Bible. 39:41 I encourage them to start with the Gospel of Mark. 39:44 At the beginning of Matthew, you've got those genealogies 39:47 and some people start there and think, 39:48 oh, I'm struggling through this. 39:50 What is it all about? 39:52 But the Gospel of Mark starts right in 39:54 with a story of Jesus. 39:56 And we can all relate to the story. 40:01 If you're not in the habit 40:02 of reading the Bible for yourself, 40:04 this is a good place to start. 40:07 Secondly, Ellen White comments, don't rush. 40:13 It's not a race. 40:15 Take your time. 40:18 Don't feel that you have to read 40:19 a certain number of chapters at a time. 40:22 Now I've talked to many people in the course of my ministry 40:26 and who liked to read the Bible 40:28 through every year from start to finish. 40:31 And that's fine. 40:32 But that means that you have to read 40:34 a number of chapters every day to get through. 40:38 I like to do something different. 40:41 I do like to read the Bible systematically 40:43 from the start to the finish noticing 40:45 or keeping in mind that 40:46 the Bible is not written sequentially, 40:49 but I do like to read it through, 40:53 but you have to take your time. 40:55 You have to let the passage sink in 40:58 and you have to ask yourself some questions. 41:00 As we've already mentioned, what is this passage? 41:03 What is this chapter? 41:05 What is this story telling me about God? 41:09 I had the privilege of joining 41:11 a group of school children visiting the gold mining area, 41:16 just around Bathurst. 41:18 Some of you may have been there. 41:19 And we went to this area where this, 41:22 where you could do some panning, gold panning. 41:24 There was an elderly gentleman 41:26 there who gave us some instructions. 41:29 And it was interesting to see the school children 41:31 as they raced off the bus. 41:33 And they picked up a pan and they got the shovel 41:35 and they put some clay or some dirt 41:37 from the little stream 41:39 that was flowing down into the pan. 41:41 And they sloshed it around a little bit. 41:43 And they said, oh, this doesn't work. 41:44 I haven't found any gold. 41:46 You know you can understand that the kids were expecting 41:49 to find huge nuggets in 41:51 just a very short period of time. 41:53 But then I watched this elderly gentleman 41:56 as he went about gold panning, 41:58 who obviously had been doing it for quite some time. 42:01 Yes, he got a pan. 42:02 Yes, he got a shovel and put some dirt into the pan. 42:07 And some of you may have done this, 42:08 had the privilege of doing it, but then he puts some water. 42:11 You just dip the edge of the pan 42:14 in the water 42:15 that was flowing in the stream 42:16 and he sloshed it around carefully. 42:19 And then with the back of his hand, 42:21 he just took off a couple of layers 42:23 of fine layers of dirt off the top of his pan. 42:28 And then he repeated the process. 42:30 He went and got some more water 42:31 and he sloshed it around. 42:33 And the back of his hand, 42:34 he just took off another couple of layers, 42:36 find layers of dirt. 42:37 He repeated this over and over again, 42:40 until finally he just had a little section 42:44 of gravel in the bottom of his pan. 42:46 And there you could see a few little specs of gold. 42:51 I discovered that day that 42:53 it takes time and patience 42:56 to find things that are precious. 42:59 And the same is true with Scripture. 43:01 Don't rush, Ellen White says, allow the words, 43:04 allow the pictures that the Bible writers 43:08 are saying to sink into our lives, 43:10 to sink into our minds, into our hearts. 43:13 Don't rush. 43:16 And then Ellen White also says, 43:19 always pray before you read the Bible. 43:23 Father guide me, speak to me, 43:26 teach me what You want me to hear. 43:29 The Bible is God's inspired word, 43:32 and only He can help us to understand and apply, 43:35 understand its message, 43:37 and apply it to our life. 43:42 The Bible is a book about God. 43:47 And when we read a passage, when we read a section, 43:50 a chapter, even a few verses, 43:52 whatever it is, one of the first questions 43:55 we have to ask ourselves is what does this passage 43:59 tell me about God, 44:01 His character, His attributes, 44:04 because the Bible reveals God to us. 44:09 So let's summarize for a moment. 44:12 By our own efforts, 44:14 it is impossible for us to know God, 44:18 even if we had a fancy spaceship 44:21 and we're able to go up into the universe 44:24 or into the solar system, where would we go to find God? 44:28 Where is He? 44:29 Is He in the Milky Way Galaxy? 44:31 Is He in another galaxy? 44:33 We can't find out God on our own. 44:36 God has to reveal Himself to us. 44:39 He has to take the initiative and come down to us. 44:43 And then we ask the questions. 44:46 How has He revealed Himself to us? 44:49 And what is it that He has revealed? 44:52 And then we noted three ways 44:54 that Ellen White in this chapter, 44:56 A Knowledge of God in Steps to Christ, 44:59 the three ways 45:00 that God reveals Himself to us. 45:02 Firstly, in nature, secondly, 45:06 through His providential workings 45:08 and the influence of the Holy Spirit 45:10 on our hearts and thirdly through His Word. 45:16 Now, let me ask you this question. 45:19 Where does your picture of God come from? 45:23 You may have been brought up as a Christian, 45:26 as an Adventist Christian. 45:28 And you may read the Bible regularly 45:30 and that's, I trust that you do, 45:33 but think about it for a moment. 45:36 Where does your picture of God come from? 45:39 Does it come from your parents? 45:41 If you perhaps a little bit younger, your dad. 45:45 Some have good dads, 45:47 some have not so good dads, your family, 45:50 your friends, your school teachers. 45:52 Where does your picture of God come from? 45:57 Both of my parents have passed away 46:00 and I am very grateful to them 46:02 for what they did for me as I was growing up. 46:05 They provided for me as best as they could, 46:08 sometimes in very difficult circumstances 46:11 with very few resources, 46:14 but compared to the Bible 46:16 and the picture of God in the Bible, 46:18 I grew up with a hazy or a fuzzy picture of God. 46:23 I grew up with the understanding 46:24 that first and foremost, I needed to be a good person. 46:29 I needed to do the right things. 46:30 And the more I did right things, 46:33 the more that God would love me. 46:37 And the more likely it was that I would go to heaven. 46:42 For many years, I had that understanding 46:45 until I got hold of the Bible that was in my room. 46:49 And I started to read it for myself. 46:52 Not because we had a memory text to learn 46:55 or because I had an assignment for school 46:57 and had the privilege of going 46:59 to an Adventist high school in Adelaide growing up, 47:02 but to read the Bible for myself 47:05 and to find out for myself what God is like. 47:11 We mentioned before that 47:12 the devil has been incredibly successful 47:15 in misrepresenting the character of God, 47:19 giving people a false picture, an inaccurate concept. 47:25 So many so that people would be scared of God 47:29 or think that He's angry with them, 47:30 that He wants to hit us with a big stick across the... 47:34 wherever as soon as we step out of line. 47:38 But that is not what God is like. 47:42 God reveals Himself. 47:45 God reveals His true character 47:47 in the Garden of Eden 47:49 after Adam and Eve sinned. 47:54 You will remember that God knew exactly 47:57 the consequences of that action, 47:59 the pain and the suffering 48:02 that it was going to bring. 48:04 What it was gonna mean for God, the Son 48:07 that He was gonna have to leave heaven 48:09 and come down to this earth 48:11 and be treated like a common criminal. 48:14 And you think of all of the pain 48:15 and hurt and suffering 48:17 that has happened throughout history. 48:19 God knew exactly what was going to happen 48:22 with the introduction of sin. 48:24 How does God respond when Adam and Eve sinned? 48:27 Are you silly people, look what you've done. 48:30 You've messed up everything. 48:31 I made this beautiful world for you to enjoy. 48:34 And now look what's happened. 48:36 Is that the way that God responded? 48:38 No. 48:40 The Bible says in Genesis 3, that God came down 48:43 seeking and searching for Adam and Eve, 48:47 looking for them, knowing that they were hiding, 48:50 but wanting to restore that relationship, 48:53 wanting to give them the assurance that 48:55 He hadn't rejected them. 48:57 Yes, sin had entered the world 49:00 and the consequences were enormous, 49:03 but God's love for Adam and Eve had not changed. 49:07 There was nothing they could do to add to that love, 49:09 nothing they could do to subtract from that love. 49:13 God reveals His true character in His relationship 49:17 with the children of Israel, 49:20 who for hundreds of years turned their back on God, 49:25 disobeyed him, 49:27 adopted the practices of the nations around them. 49:31 Even to the point of following 49:32 some of the worship practices of the Canaanite religion, 49:35 which were absolutely horrendous. 49:38 But what did God do? 49:39 Say, okay, that's it, I'm done. 49:42 Let start over again. 49:44 No, God sent prophet after prophet. 49:47 God sent message after message 49:49 wanting to draw the people back to Him. 49:52 That's the kind of God that He is. 49:55 And that's what the Bible says about God. 49:59 God reveals His true character through Jesus. 50:03 In the story of the woman 50:04 caught in adultery as recorded in John Chapter 8, 50:08 a powerful story. 50:11 You know this, you know, the story well. 50:14 This woman who's dragged before Jesus 50:17 who knows where her male partner was, 50:20 but terrible scene, was the woman guilty? 50:25 Yes. Had she done the wrong thing? 50:28 Yes. 50:30 So had a male partner, 50:32 but what is the reaction of Jesus? 50:37 What does Jesus say to her? 50:40 You know, the story, "Where are your accusers? 50:45 Has no one condemned you? 50:48 Neither do I condemn you, 50:51 neither do I condemn you." 50:53 And then He said, "Go and sin no more." 50:59 What a beautiful picture of God. 51:01 And that's why it's so important for us 51:03 to read these passages 51:05 for ourselves and ask that question. 51:07 What is this passage telling me about God and what God is like? 51:12 His characteristics, His attributes, 51:16 because as we do that, 51:19 we build up this beautiful picture, 51:21 the correct picture, 51:22 the right picture of what God is like 51:24 rather than an incorrect picture. 51:28 Where does your picture of God come from? 51:32 Is that correct? 51:34 Is that the right picture? 51:37 Let God speak to you through nature, 51:42 through the beautiful things that He has made. 51:45 Let's take the time to get out and be in nature 51:49 and allow the lessons of God to be part 51:52 or to speak to our hearts and to speak to our minds 51:56 that surround us ourselves with living things, 52:00 things that are blue and green, 52:04 that is so important for us. 52:07 Let God speak to you through nature. 52:10 Secondly, let Him speak to you through 52:12 His providential workings 52:14 and the influence of the Holy Spirit. 52:17 The things, the little things often 52:20 that happened in your lives, the God moments, 52:23 the chance meeting with that friend, 52:26 the conversation, the worship that speaks 52:29 right into your heart, 52:30 that God has that message 52:31 just for you for that particular time, 52:34 little God moments. 52:36 And then lastly, thirdly, 52:39 let God speak to you through His Word, 52:43 through the Bible. 52:44 As we take it each day and read it for ourselves 52:48 and allow that correct picture of God 52:51 to be built up in our lives, in our hearts, in our minds. 52:56 Where does your picture of God come from? 52:59 Is it a right picture? 53:01 Is that a correct picture? 53:04 Let's bow our heads as we close with prayer. 53:09 Father in heaven, thank You for this opportunity 53:12 we have had to open Your Word. 53:16 Thank You for the beautiful 53:18 devotional book Steps to Christ. 53:19 Thank You for the messages that are contained in it. 53:22 And, Father, we thank You that 53:24 You have revealed yourself to us. 53:26 You have taken the initiative and revealed Yourself to us 53:31 to tell us what You are like, 53:34 Your attributes, Your character. 53:37 And, Father, as we go about our lives. 53:40 And often they're very busy. 53:41 Often there's so many we need to do. 53:44 Father, we pray that we will take the time 53:49 to build up that correct picture 53:51 of who You are, 53:53 to look at the things around us, 53:55 to learn those lessons, to see You working in our lives 53:59 each day in the little things that take place 54:03 and to see Your work and to see a correct picture 54:06 of who You are through Your Word, through the Bible. 54:10 Father, thank You for who You are. 54:12 Thank You for Your love, Your mercy, Your grace to us. 54:15 Thank You for Your Word. 54:17 We pray these things in Jesus' name. 54:19 Amen |
Revised 2021-04-29