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00:07 ♪♪♪ 00:17 ♪♪♪ 00:27 ♪♪♪ 00:38 Shawn Brummund: Hello, and welcome to another edition of 00:40 the "Sabbath School Study Hour." 00:42 We are just so pleased to be able to have you join us. 00:44 If you're with us live here this morning, 00:46 nice to have you. 00:47 If you are tuning in later, as we are broadcasting on different 00:51 various networks, it is good to be able to have you join us for 00:55 the next hour as we continue to study in one of my favorite 00:58 subjects which is "Rest In Christ." 01:01 And that's our new quarterly that we've been looking at for 01:04 the last two or three weeks. 01:06 So depending on how you define "new," 01:07 I suppose, on that as well. 01:10 So, again, we're looking at "Rest In Christ." 01:12 Today's lesson study is number 4. 01:14 Lesson study number 4, "The Cost of Rest." 01:18 Well, what does that mean? 01:19 What does the Scriptures talk about in regards to the cost of 01:22 finding that rest in Christ? 01:24 So make sure that you invest in the next one hour, 01:27 as we continue to learn more about God's Word. 01:32 Also want to invite you to take advantage of some further study. 01:34 We have a new free-gift offer 01:37 that we would like to offer to you. 01:39 And this one is a study guide and it's entitled 01:42 "No Turning Back." 01:45 Now, friends, this is one of the most important topics that we 01:47 can study in all of Scripture, and it regards your eternal 01:50 life as well is that rest that we can find in Christ. 01:53 And so, if you've never studied, never had this in your hands, 01:56 please take advantage of our free-gift offer. 01:58 And all you have to do is dial 1-866-788-3966. 02:03 That's 1-866-Study-More. 02:06 Ask for offer number 1-4-6. 02:10 And if you have a smart phone and you would like a digital 02:14 copy of that and download it to your phone, 02:16 and you live in North America, then you can just go ahead and 02:20 text the code S-H-1-3-7, and you want to dial that to the number 02:25 4-0-5-4-4, and that will hook you up with a link online that 02:29 will allow you to downlink that for you. 02:32 And if you live outside of North America, 02:34 you would still like a digital copy of that, 02:36 make sure that you go online on your computer to study.aftv.org 02:41 and then /S-H-1-3-7. 02:46 And so, friends, we're trying this available and readily 02:50 available as to as many people as possible. 02:52 Please take advantage of that, 02:54 and I know that you will be blessed. 02:57 Our teacher today is going to be Pastor Doug Batchelor, 02:59 our lead pastor for our church here in Granite Bay Hilltop as 03:02 well as the President Director of Amazing Facts Ministries. 03:06 And before I invite him out and we open with prayer, 03:08 we're going to invite our musicians out as they bless us 03:11 in worship through music. 03:14 ♪♪♪ 03:17 ♪♪♪ 03:25 ♪♪♪ 03:35 ♪♪♪ 03:45 ♪ Great is thy faithfulness, ♪ 03:50 ♪ O God My Father. ♪ 03:55 ♪ There is no shadow of turning with thee. ♪ 04:04 ♪ Thou changest not. ♪ 04:08 ♪ Thy compassions, they fail not. ♪ 04:14 ♪ All thou hast been thou forever wilt be. ♪ 04:22 ♪♪♪ 04:28 ♪♪♪ 04:38 ♪♪♪ 04:48 ♪♪♪ 04:58 ♪ Great is thy faithfulness. ♪ 05:03 ♪ Great is thy faithfulness. ♪ 05:07 ♪ Morning by morning new mercies I see. ♪ 05:17 ♪ All I have needed thy hand hath provided. ♪ 05:28 ♪ Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me. ♪ 05:43 ♪ Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth. ♪ 05:51 ♪ Thy own dear presence to cheer and to guide. ♪ 06:00 ♪ Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow. ♪ 06:09 ♪ Blessings all mine, with 10,000 beside. ♪ 06:18 ♪ Great is thy faithfulness. Great is thy faithfulness. ♪ 06:27 ♪ Morning by morning new mercies I see. ♪ 06:35 ♪ All I have needed thy hand hath provided. ♪ 06:47 ♪ Great is thy faithfulness. ♪ 06:55 ♪ Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me. ♪♪ 07:30 Shawn: "Father in heaven, this morning as we continue our 07:32 study, we want to pray that your Holy Spirit will guide us 07:35 and lead us. 07:37 We claim that promise that you would send your Holy Spirit to 07:40 teach us, and guide us and lead us into all truth. 07:44 Lord, we come today praying that you will speak the truth to us. 07:49 And not only, Father, do we pray that you will help us to hear 07:51 it, but just as importantly, Lord, 07:54 we want to pray that you'll also help us to be able to embrace 07:56 it, and to be able to love it, and be able to run with it and 08:01 call it ours as well. 08:04 In Jesus's name we pray these things, Lord, amen." 08:07 Again, we want to thank you, Pastor Doug Batchelor for 08:09 teaching our lesson study. 08:13 Doug Batchelor: Good morning. Thank you, Pastor Shawn. 08:16 Morning, everybody. Glad to have you here. 08:19 That's so good to be able to meet together again. 08:21 Can you say amen? 08:22 all: Amen. 08:23 Doug: And I want to welcome our friends while watching via 08:26 satellite or online, and we know we have some of our friends that 08:30 are watching that are a part of the Hilltop online family from 08:34 around the world, and we greet you as well. 08:37 We're continuing in our study dealing with the subject of 08:40 "Rest In Christ." 08:43 And today we're going to be talking about lesson number 4, 08:47 talks about "The Cost of Rest." 08:50 Before we get into the lesson and the memory verse, 08:54 want to share a little amazing fact with you. 08:58 Self-imposed imprisonment. 09:01 For most people, prison is a place you want to escape from. 09:05 But for some South Koreans, in desperate need of a break, 09:09 a day or two in an imitation jail is the escape. 09:13 Since 2013, the Prison Inside of Me facility in Northeast 09:18 Hongcheon has hosted more than 2000 inmates, 09:22 many of them overstressed office workers and students seeking 09:26 relief from South Korea's hyper-demanding 09:28 work expectations. 09:30 For $90 a day, a client can check themselves into prison 09:37 where they get a blue uniform, a yoga mat, 09:40 a tea set, a pen and a notebook. 09:43 They sleep on the floor. 09:45 There's a small toilet inside the room but no mirror. 09:48 Prison rules are strict. 09:50 No talking with other inmates. 09:51 No mobile phones or clocks. 09:53 The menu is rice porridge for breakfast, 09:55 and steamed sweet potato and a banana shake for dinner. 09:59 You might wonder, Why would someone 10:01 be paid to be incarcerated? 10:03 South Koreans work more hours per week than any other 10:06 first-world country. 10:08 This extra stress leads to a very high rate of suicide among 10:12 business professionals and students. 10:15 Park Hye-Ri, a 28-year-old office worker said, 10:17 "The prison gave me a sense of freedom. 10:20 I was too busy," Park said as she sat in a 10:23 54-foot square cell. 10:26 She said that as she was in the cell. 10:29 Prison co-founder, Noh Ji-Hyang, said "Some customers are a 10:32 little apprehensive about spending a day or two in a 10:34 prison cell until they try it. 10:37 After a stay in prison, many inmates say, 10:39 "This is not a prison. 10:41 The real prison is the hectic life we return to." 10:45 You know the Bible says, "There's many free people out 10:47 walking the streets that are really in prison." 10:51 Some people are so desperate for a little peace and rest, 10:54 they will actually put themselves in prison 10:57 to find that. 10:59 You know what recidivism is. 11:02 Recidivism is the rate of people retuning to jail after 11:08 they've been released. 11:09 Some people get so used the being in jail that after they're 11:13 free and out on the streets, they don't know how to handle it 11:16 and they try to check back in. 11:18 They get institutionalized. 11:21 I heard one man that walked up to a teller in a bank and said, 11:24 "I'm robing the bank for $20." 11:27 She said, "For $20?" Said, "Just want $20." 11:31 So she gave him $20, and he went, 11:32 and he sat down in the waiting area as the police came. 11:36 Said, "That's all it would take for it to be a felony and him 11:38 to go back to jail." 11:40 He wasn't sure how to cope on the outside. 11:44 Well, there are some people that have a hard time finding that 11:49 rest, and then some people who are such at a desperate need of 11:52 rest that they have a breakdown. 11:57 That's where our story is going to go today. 11:59 "The Cost of Rest." 12:01 And a lot of this is based upon the experience that you find in 12:05 2 Samuel chapter 11 dealing with David and Bathsheba and some of 12:09 the fallout from that, and David's repentance. 12:12 But we have a memory verse from Psalm 51, 12:15 and its Psalm 51 verse 10, "Create--" 12:18 I'll give you a chance to find that. 12:19 You can say it with me. 12:21 Psalm 51, verse 10. You know this. 12:24 "Create in me a clean heart, O God, 12:28 and renew a steadfast spirit within me." 12:32 I'm going to invite you to say that with me again 12:33 here at Hilltop, you ready? 12:36 "Create in me a clean heart, O God, 12:39 and renew a steadfast spirit within me." 12:43 This is the new birth where God creates in us a clean heart. 12:48 All right, so under Sunday's Section, 12:49 it starts out talking about worn and weary. 12:53 And we're going to go to in our Bibles to the 2 book of 12:55 Samuel, chapter 11, and we're going to be reading verses 12:58 1 through 5 together. 13:00 And this sort of gives us the backdrop 13:03 for what's happening here. 13:05 2 Samuel 11, verse 1 through 5. 13:08 "It happened in the spring of the year, 13:12 at the time when kings go out to battle, 13:15 that David sent Joab and his servants with him, 13:17 and all Israel; and they destroyed the people of Ammon 13:21 and besieged Rabbah, but David remained at Jerusalem." 13:26 Now, right away, do you see something interesting 13:28 about this passage? 13:31 This is a time when kings go out to battle but David 13:36 stayed in Jerusalem. 13:38 He quite frankly was pretty tired. 13:41 Do you realize if you read the history of David, 13:44 David fought with the Philistines. 13:46 Of course, you probably know Goliath very well. 13:49 He fought with--and he fought several battles 13:51 with the Philistines. 13:53 He fought with the Ammonites, he fought to the Edomites, 13:57 he fought with the Moabites, he fought with the Syrians. 14:02 David fought with virtually every bordering nation 14:05 and some beyond. 14:07 And sometimes, several nations would come together 14:09 in a coalition to fight against David and Joab and Amasai. 14:14 And so he had been fighting wars on every side. 14:18 But now, he had pretty much subdued all of his enemies 14:22 except the people of Ammon. 14:24 And he said, "You know, I need a break. 14:28 And so, I just--I am so stressed out. 14:30 I need to rest." 14:33 And he decided, Joab, you know how this is done, 14:36 I mean they'd been fighting for years at this point. 14:39 He said, "You take the mighty men, 14:40 you go besiege Rabbah. 14:42 Rabbah is the capital of Amman. Now, a siege can be boring. 14:46 When you besiege a city, you're surrounding the capital. 14:48 You don't allow anyone in. 14:50 You don't allow anybody out to get food and you kind of starve 14:53 them into surrender, and it's kind of a waiting game. 14:56 David thought, "I'm not going to be down there on the battlefield 14:59 when I can be up here in the palace. 15:01 I've earned my dues." 15:02 And so David ended up staying in Jerusalem. 15:05 He probably should've been--the season for kings 15:08 to go out for battle. 15:10 But you know, there's a passage, if you read in Ezekiel. 15:14 If you got your Bibles, you know if I were to tell you what was 15:19 the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah, a lot of people would instantly 15:22 say, "Oh yeah, that's an easy one. 15:24 That was talking about the immorality." 15:28 But that's not the whole story. 15:31 You look in Ezekiel chapter 16, verse 49. 15:36 "Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom. 15:40 She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, 15:44 an abundance of idleness. 15:46 Neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy." 15:51 "An abundance of idleness." You ever heard the expression, 15:53 "Idleness is the devil's workshop?" 15:56 They used to say that. 15:58 If you don't have anything to do, 15:59 you get into trouble, and this is what happened. 16:03 David, he said look, "I need some R&R." 16:07 And a little R&R is good, but too much after you've been 16:10 stressed out, you can have a meltdown. 16:13 And it happened when he should have been at battle. 16:15 Go to verse 2, "It happened one evening 16:18 that David arose from his bed." 16:20 Now, when it says evening there, 16:21 it's talking about later in the afternoon. 16:22 Twilight. He had taken an afternoon nap. 16:24 He got up. 16:25 It wasn't uncommon for people when it was hot in that country 16:29 to take an afternoon siesta. 16:32 And it says that--because if it was pitch dark, 16:35 he wouldn't have seen anything. 16:38 Says, "It happened one evening that David arose from his bed, 16:41 and he walked on the roof of the king's house. 16:44 And from the roof," which probably was a good piece 16:47 of real estate. 16:48 Usually higher than other places if it's the king's house. 16:52 He had good view of the surrounding area. 16:55 Says, "From the roof, he saw a woman bathing, 16:59 and the woman was very beautiful to behold." 17:02 Now, you know, if he's walking around the roof, 17:05 just trying to take in some fresh air, 17:07 and he saw a woman bathing. 17:09 Bathing, you're not usually, 17:11 you're not properly clad for that. 17:13 It wasn't a sin for him to notice that. 17:16 But when he continued to look, 17:18 that observation turned into sin. 17:22 Now, whether you're a man or woman, 17:24 if you're walking down the street and you happen to notice 17:26 somebody that is immodestly clothed or not clothed at all, 17:29 it's not a sin if that comes to your attention. 17:32 But when you then begin to focus on that-- 17:36 and that's what happened. 17:38 You think about it, the little mistake. 17:41 You know Job--yeah, Job. 17:43 Job says, "I've made a covenant with my eyes, 17:45 why should I behold a young maiden? 17:48 "Made a covenant with his eyes." 17:49 And every believer needs to make a covenant with their eyes. 17:52 And if they're seeing something they shouldn't be seeing, 17:54 don't keep looking. 17:56 Turn away. 17:58 What did Joseph do when Potiphar's wife cast 18:01 her eyes upon him? 18:03 He ultimately, he made it a point not to be where she was 18:06 and then he ran when she actually got a hold of him. 18:10 Well, David, he knew better, but it says, 18:15 "She was very beautiful." 18:16 And he thought, "You know, I'm the king." 18:19 I can't read his mind, but this is the kind of thing that 18:21 sometimes is a prelude to sin. 18:25 "I'm the king and I've worked hard. 18:26 And you know, she should know better than to bathe right there 18:33 in my vista." 18:34 Who knows what he was thinking? 18:37 But he looked long enough where he became intrigued. 18:39 He became infatuated. 18:41 And he went his servants and he said, 18:43 "You know that house around the corner? 18:47 It's on Beautiful Street, number 666. 18:52 He said, "Who lives there?" 18:55 And they said, "Oh, that's where Uriah lives, the Hittite. 19:01 Your soldier. One of your sergeants. 19:03 He's one of your mighty men. You know Uriah. 19:05 That's his wife Bathsheba." 19:08 And it says, "She is the daughter of Eliam. 19:10 You know Eliam. Eliam is the son of Ahithophel. 19:13 You know Ahithophel. He is your counselor." 19:15 So he knew who this was. 19:18 And I'd just like to mention that because sometimes people 19:21 think, "Well, Bathsheba, she was just, you know, 19:23 a pretty, empty-headed girl that was not paying 19:27 attention when she was out bathing." 19:28 She was actually very intelligent. 19:30 She gave birth to Solomon and her father 19:34 was David's wisest counselor. 19:37 So she was not only beautiful, she was bright. 19:41 And it tells us that he did something. 19:44 Note his servants are saying, 19:45 "Hey, David, look, you got ten wives. 19:47 This is the wife of Uriah." 19:51 He said, "Well, I know, you know. 19:52 He's off at battle." He said, "I'm kind of lonely. 19:54 Just tell her to come on up. 19:56 I want to show her a new song I wrote." 20:01 I don't know. Something happened. 20:05 And so, "David sent messengers, and took her," 20:08 brought her to the home, and he said, "You hungry?" 20:12 Has his servants bring out this little feast. 20:14 Says, "I want to play for you." 20:16 David could sing, and he could play the harp. 20:19 And he swooned her. 20:21 And David, the Bible says was good-looking. 20:23 These are facts in the Bible. 20:25 We know he had a great voice; we know he was one of the best 20:28 songwriters in history, and that he was good-looking, 20:32 and he was strong. 20:34 So yeah, that kind of set the table. 20:37 I don't think--some people say that he raped her. 20:39 There's nothing in the text that says that. 20:42 By the way, in the judgment that came, 20:44 the judgment came on David and Bathsheba. 20:49 So he took her. 20:51 I think he took advantage of his power and his position 20:54 and seduced her, and it says, "He laid with her. 20:59 For she was cleansed of her impurity." 21:01 You know the Bible, there was a certain period, 21:03 this is during and shortly following the monthly cycle that 21:08 you are not to come together. 21:10 And while the siege goes on, 21:14 she notices that something's happening. 21:19 Maybe she's feeling seasick and she's missing those normal 21:24 dates, and she sends a message to David and said, 21:28 "I am with child." 21:31 You know you cannot sow wild oats on Saturday night and then 21:34 pray for crop failure on Sunday. 21:37 The Bible says, "that what you sow you're going to reap." 21:40 God is not mocked. 21:43 So we see here that David, 21:47 and maybe he had just been working too long. 21:49 He hadn't been taking appropriate rest, 21:51 and so when he finally did rest, he was exhausted. 21:56 His guard was down. 21:57 When does the devil come with temptation? 22:01 When did the devil come to Jesus? 22:04 Hungry, tired. Yeah. 22:09 Now, Karen and I are a little different. 22:12 When she gets hungry, she'll feel a lot better and be a lot 22:15 nicer if you feed her. 22:17 I can go a while without food and I'm okay, 22:19 but if I get sleepy, I get grumpy. 22:23 And so everyone's wired a little different. 22:25 But the devil takes advantage of it if you are hungry, 22:28 and you are tired and you are stressed. 22:30 I mean he had been under distress. 22:32 He'd been chased by King Saul for years, 22:34 and he's been in constant battle, 22:36 and there was civil war in the kingdom. 22:38 And he's got all these things going on. 22:40 And in a moment of weakness, he just gave in. 22:47 And then you read on in 2 Samuel 11, verse 6. 22:51 Then after she says she's with child, 22:53 David thinks instead of confessing and coming to God and 22:56 finding rest, the cost of rest is repentance, 23:00 and that's where we're going in this lesson. 23:01 But instead of repenting, instead of confessing, 23:04 he tries to do a man-made cover-up. 23:07 David's pretty smart. 23:09 He thinks, "Well, I don't want to get her in trouble, 23:12 so it's got to look like her husband's responsible, 23:16 but he's out of town on business." 23:19 He thought, "Well, I'll find-- I'll create an excuse to get 23:23 Uriah to come home." 23:25 So David sends a messenger, and to Joab. 23:27 And he says, "Send Uriah to me." 23:30 And Uriah comes. And he says, "How is Joab doing? 23:36 Joab is a general. "And how other people doing? 23:39 How is the work prospering?" 23:41 And then David said to Uriah, 23:42 "Now, go on down to the house. 23:45 And he actually catered a little meal. 23:46 He says, "I've sent a present. You don't even have to cook. 23:49 I don't want your wife busy cooking. 23:50 And you go down to your house." 23:52 And he's trying to set things up so that, 23:54 you know, Uriah would enjoy the normal privileges of a husband 23:59 and wife after being gone for a long time. 24:01 And David thinks "problem solved," 24:04 except something goes wrong. 24:06 He doesn't know how dedicated Uriah is. 24:11 The Bible says, "Uriah departed from the king's house, 24:14 and a gift of food from the king followed him. 24:16 But Uriah slept at the door of the king's house with all the 24:21 servants of his lord, and he did not go down to his house. 24:26 So when they told David, 'Uriah did not go to his house,' David 24:29 said to Uriah, "'Did you not come from a journey? 24:32 Why then did you not go down to your house?'" 24:34 David is mystified. 24:36 I mean what soldier who has been out in the field eating army 24:40 rations and, you know, who's sleeping in a dirty tent with a 24:47 bunch of stinking soldiers, you go home, 24:49 and you're married to Bathsheba, and you don't go home, 24:51 but you sleep with the king's servants 24:54 in the barracks of the king? 24:59 You know, the hero in this story, 25:00 people always focus on David and Bathsheba, 25:03 and the scandal, but there's a hero in the story. 25:06 And you read here in 2 Samuel 11, 25:14 Uriah says, and this is 2 Samuel 11:11. 25:17 It's a great verse. 25:18 Uriah--it's the only time Uriah speaks. 25:21 Uriah is listed among the mighty men of David, 25:24 but here's the only place he speaks. 25:26 "And Uriah says to David, 'The ark.'" 25:28 What's the first words out of his mouth? 25:30 The ark. What was the ark? 25:32 Where was the presence of God? 25:34 If you needed to put your finger on the land of Israel and say 25:37 where do find God's presence? 25:39 It would be the ark. 25:40 That's where God appeared to Moses. 25:43 That's where the Word of God was. 25:45 He says the ark. 25:46 First thing out of his mouth, the ark. 25:48 Now, it calls him, "Uriah the Hittite"because he had been 25:50 from a Hittite background, but he had converted 25:52 to Jehovah and Israel. 25:55 He talks about God and his neighbors. 25:57 What's the two great commandments? 25:59 Love the Lord and love your neighbor. 26:02 This is the first thing comes out of his mouth. 26:04 "And Judah, the people of God, are dwelling in tents," 26:08 They're out in the field. 26:10 And my lord Joab." 26:12 He's got respect for leadership. 26:14 "And the servants of my lord are encamped in the open fields." 26:18 They're involved in a battle. 26:20 "Shall I then go to my house and eat and drink, 26:23 and lie with my wife? 26:25 As you live," he actually articulates the very thing David 26:27 was hoping, "as you live and as your soul lives," 26:31 he makes a vow. 26:32 He says, "I will not do this thing." 26:34 Why did he say that? 26:35 Now, if you're Bathsheba, would you be a little offended? 26:39 Your husband comes home and he's within a stone's throw from your 26:44 house and he doesn't come home? 26:46 You know, I think what Uriah was doing is the men had often made 26:50 covenants and they said, "We are not going to rest until this 26:53 battle is won." 26:54 Uriah also was a leader. He had other men under him. 26:58 And he probably thought, "I don't want to demoralize my men. 27:02 They're suffering. I'm going to suffer with them." 27:03 Uriah is like a type of Christ in the story. 27:06 He ends up dying the sacrificial death. 27:09 He dies to cover David's sin. 27:12 Isn't that what Jesus does? 27:14 Matter of fact, when David hears this, 27:18 he realizes--who's the best man in the story, 27:20 David or Uriah? 27:23 David's saying, "He's a better man than I am." 27:27 And he says, "Well, I know what I'll do. 27:29 I'll get him drunk. 27:30 If I could get him to drink, it will lower 27:32 his natural resistance." 27:33 I mean after all David could read in the Bible where Lot's 27:36 daughters got their father drunk and he did the unthinkable. 27:40 So David things Noah got drunk and wandered around naked. 27:44 I mean let's face it, when you drink you're not the same. 27:48 And that's why Christians shouldn't drink, amen? 27:51 And so, he says, "I'll just get him to drink a little bit and 27:56 I'll say, "Okay, Uriah, let's toast the army." 27:59 And he says--he respectfully says [inaudible]. 28:01 And he gives in the strongest drink--wine they've got. 28:03 You know, wine could have varying levels of alcohol. 28:06 And he makes them drunk. 28:08 And he thinks, "Surely now, he'll go to his home. 28:12 He'll go staggering home. 28:14 And then when Bathsheba comes up pregnant and has a baby after 28:17 only six months, we'll just say, 28:19 'Oh, I guess, it was a premature.'" 28:23 But even drunk, he does not go against his conscience. 28:27 This guy's remarkable. 28:30 He goes back and he sleeps again in the barracks. 28:33 David said, "Enough is enough." 28:36 And so what Davis does is he writes a letter. 28:39 Now, I'm condensing the story because--but you need to know 28:43 the background for the Psalms we're going to study. 28:46 David writes a letter. 28:48 Now, keep in mind, Uriah is one of his friends. 28:51 He and Uriah have lived in caves together 28:53 fighting the Philistines. 28:55 And I mean, they are old friends. 28:57 He writes a letter. 28:59 He's so worried about losing the respect of his people, 29:01 and literally, Uriah's got the right to kill David for what 29:04 he's done according to the Bible. 29:07 So David writes a letter. He becomes frightened. 29:09 Still doesn't repent and confess. 29:10 Doesn't trust that even God's going to get him out of this. 29:14 Sends it Joab, a sealed letter. 29:16 Sends it by the hand of Uriah, his own death sentence. 29:22 And Joab reads the letter, and the letter says, 29:25 "Take Uriah, set them at the forefront of the hottest battle 29:30 and retire from him that he dies." 29:34 Now Joab is--he's an obedient general. 29:37 He may not know what's going on, 29:39 but he's got a direct order from the king. 29:42 It's a sealed order which means it's top secret. 29:46 And so Joab, I think Joab failed here too. 29:49 He knew Uriah was a good soldier. 29:52 Joab takes Uriah and he puts him at the forefront. 29:55 There was a place where the gates were guarded. 29:59 It was probably the main entrance of Rabbah, 30:01 and they had the the mightiest men there. 30:03 And he assigns Uriah and his little contingent of soldiers. 30:06 And says, "I want you to go charge; storm the gates." 30:08 And Uriah looks at Joab, he says, 30:11 "Hey, look, you guys, we've been fighting together for years. 30:14 We understand war tactics. 30:15 You realize this is a suicide mission? 30:18 Why would we charge the gates?" Joab says, "We'll cover you." 30:23 You ever heard that before? "We'll cover you. 30:25 We got your back." 30:29 And so, obediently, Uriah and his men, 30:32 they charged the gates of Rabbah. 30:36 And at first, Uriah and his soldiers are covering them, 30:38 then they withdraw. 30:40 And the soldiers up on the wall, they get down, 30:42 they fire down a hail of arrows just as you would expect. 30:46 And several soldiers are killed, including Uriah. 30:50 It's a tragedy. 30:51 So Uriah goes into a suicide mission. 30:53 He basically lays down his life to obey. 30:56 That's a great lesson for us. 30:59 So David thinks, all right, as soon as Bathsheba gets with that 31:04 Uriah is dead, she wears her--she goes through the 31:07 customary period of mourning but it's not very long. 31:10 I think it's truncated, because as soon as she's done mourning, 31:14 David takes her as wife so that when she comes up with the baby 31:17 in about six months, at least, 31:20 they've got some semblance of a story. 31:25 Now, God gives David all this time to repent, 31:28 you know, God is patient. 31:30 The Bible says in Ecclesiastes, and I forget the verse, 31:33 but I remember the passage. 31:34 "Because sentence against an evil work is not executed 31:38 speedily, therefore the hearts of the sons of men are fully set 31:42 in them to do evil." 31:43 That means that because God does not thump us with a hammer from 31:47 heaven, as soon as we do wrong, we think that we're okay. 31:50 God did not send judgment on David right away because he was 31:53 giving him time to repent. 31:55 There's a lot of people that have peace in their lives right 31:57 now, not because they're doing well but because God is patient. 32:02 Think about how patient God was when Noah was building the ark 32:06 with that world. 32:07 It says, "The thoughts of their hearts 32:09 were only evil continually, and God give them 120 years." 32:14 God is loving and he's patient. 32:17 God rescued Sodom and Gomorrah through Abraham before he 32:19 destroyed them years later. 32:21 Gave them patience. 32:23 So God gives David this probationary period of time 32:27 to repent and confess. 32:28 There was a lot of the things about David. 32:31 You know, God loved David. 32:32 David had done a lot-- God had chosen David. 32:35 But David had fallen for this terrible sin. 32:39 And so, do you think David had peace during that time? 32:45 Man, how could you? 32:47 You kill a loyal friend to take his wife to cover up your sin 32:53 and other been died in the process. 32:57 I'm sure that he was tormented by that, 32:59 but he had somehow stifled his conscience. 33:03 And then you go to now, the wake-up call. 33:05 This is our next section, and you turn to 2 Samuel chapter 12. 33:10 Oh by the way, the end of chapter 11, 33:14 it says, "The thing that David had done displeased the Lord." 33:18 Now, that is the understatement of Scripture. 33:22 Displeased. That word "displeased"there; 33:24 it means God was extremely aggravated. 33:29 He was disappointed. 33:32 He was grieved by what David had done. 33:37 Go to chapter 12, verse 1, and we'll be reading through verse 33:41 7, "And the Lord sent Nathan to David. 33:45 And he came to him, and said, 33:47 'There were two men in one city.'" 33:49 Now, what's happening here, it was common for the king to sit, 33:54 usually a couple of times a week and he was the supreme court. 33:57 They had priests scattered throughout the land. 33:59 The Levites were to be judges. 34:01 The Levites were like your doctors too. 34:02 Whenever anybody was examined for any kind of uncleanness or 34:05 disease, the Levites often would prescribe a cure. 34:08 They declared them unclean if it was contagious. 34:10 And the Levites would also adjudicate 34:13 small cases and disputes. 34:15 They had judges in every town, and they had Levites that would 34:18 help do this. 34:19 But then the supreme court was the king. 34:20 If they had difficult cases, it would come to the king. 34:22 Remember the two women that had the baby, 34:24 and died during the night and they're fighting over the baby? 34:27 The king would sit in judgment on these difficult cases. 34:30 So Nathan, the prophet, friend of David, 34:33 God told Nathan what was going on. 34:35 But Nathan now is going to get David to confess and basically 34:41 to condemn himself. 34:47 He says to the king, "There were two men in one city." 34:51 Doesn't say what city. "One rich; the other poor. 34:54 The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds. 34:58 But the poor man had nothing, except one little ewe lamb which 35:02 he had bought up, ever since it was a lamb, 35:04 and nourished, and it grew up together with him 35:07 and with his children." 35:08 It was a family member. 35:11 "It ate of its own food and drank from its own cup." 35:14 We used to have goats years ago, and when we milked the goats, 35:19 because the goats would fight over the feed and we didn't have 35:21 a barn built yet, we'd bring the goats into the house. 35:24 I know I shouldn't tell you that. 35:25 You probably think I'm unsanitary but-- 35:28 so, you know, you kind of somewhat relate 35:30 here a little bit. 35:31 But--and they said, "It ate of its own food." 35:37 And any or you ever feed your dogs from the table? 35:39 Come on. 35:41 Not supposed to do it. All the guilty just laughed. 35:47 Ate of its own food, drank of its own cup and lay in his 35:50 bosom; and it was like a daughter to him. 35:54 And a traveler came to the rich man, 35:57 who refused to take from his own flock." 36:00 Now, it was a custom in Bible times that if a traveler came, 36:03 you were supposed to host them. 36:06 And you are remember when the two travelers came to Abraham, 36:09 he told Sarah, "Kill the fatted calf and we're going to, 36:13 you know, have a meal." 36:14 So this traveler comes and instead of providing from his 36:18 own many flocks and herds, he forcefully takes his poor 36:23 neighbor's only lamb and kills it, 36:28 and feeds it to his guests. 36:31 "David's anger was greatly aroused." 36:34 Now God is--that's sort of silly to say God is very smart 36:37 because that's obvious. 36:39 But what was David's occupation his whole early life? 36:45 So he puts this in a story 36:47 that David could really resonate with. 36:51 Did David, when he was young, did David lay down his life to 36:54 defend little lambs that were taken by the bear and the lion? 36:58 And here to have this stranger, this wealthy stranger 37:01 who is so greedy. 37:02 David had dealt with a wealthy, greedy, 37:05 friend--it wasn't a friend, a wealthy, greedy neighbor. 37:08 His name was Nabal. 37:09 That's how David ended up with his wife Abigail. 37:12 Nabal was a selfish, stingy man. 37:15 And so, David's going, "Yeah, yeah. 37:17 Boy, this guy. He took his only lamb?" 37:20 And David, when he hears this, "His anger was greatly aroused 37:25 against the man, and he said to Nathan, 37:27 'As the Lord lives, the man who has done this shall surely die! 37:32 And he will restore fourfold for the lamb, 37:35 because he did this thing and because he had no pity.' 37:39 And then Nathan said, "these are some of the most stirring words 37:44 in the Bible, "Nathan said, 'You are the man.'" 37:49 Now, there are several videos I want to see 37:51 when I get to heaven. 37:55 And just little vignettes, you know? 37:58 But I always--I think I've told you; 38:01 I want to see the look on Haman's face, 38:06 you know, in the story of Esther? 38:09 When Haman's invited to this feast and he doesn't know why 38:13 he's coming to this feast, but he's just really honored that 38:15 he's invited to a feast, just him, 38:17 the king and the queen, and he's invited to this feast. 38:21 And finally, at the feast, the king says, 38:23 "Esther, you've asked for this feast two times now, 38:26 we've had the feast and I'm here with Haman." 38:28 He said, "What's up." 38:30 And Esther says, "Your Highness, there's someone who wants to 38:36 annihilate me and my people. 38:38 And if you wanted to make us slaves, 38:40 that would be okay but to exterminate us, 38:42 I can't bear this." 38:43 And the king says, "Who is it that would dare 38:45 to do such a thing?" 38:48 And Haman goes, "Yeah, who? 38:53 And Esther said, "Thou art the man." 38:55 She said, "It is this wicked Haman." 38:58 I want to see that video to look at how the blood drains 39:03 from his face. 39:06 And you know Jesus, he goes around the table, 39:09 and he says, "This night, one of you is going to betray me. 39:12 And all of the apostles, one by one, 39:15 said "No, we all love you. 39:16 No, none of us. We'd die for you." 39:19 Peter actually said that. "I'll lay down my life for you. 39:21 Even if all of these forsake you. 39:23 I'll never forsake you." 39:25 Then one by one, they say it, "Lord, is it I? 39:29 Is it I? Is it I? 39:30 Is it I?" 39:31 Finally, Judas sees everybody looking at him because 39:33 he hasn't asked yet. 39:36 And he goes, "Is it I?" 39:38 And Jesus said, "Thou hast said." 39:43 "So when Nathan said to David, 'Thou art the man,' thus says 39:47 the Lord God of Israel. 39:48 'I anointed you king over Israel, 39:50 and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. 39:53 I gave you your master's house and your master's wives 39:56 into your keeping. 39:58 I gave you the house of Israel and Judah, "and if that--" 40:02 This is something that is just amazing. 40:03 God says, "And if that had been too little, 40:06 I would have given you much more." 40:10 He says, "David, if you had said, 40:12 'Lord, I'm just lacking. 40:14 I need more land, and more palaces, 40:16 and more kingdoms or whatever,"he said, 40:18 "I would've given you more. 40:21 I wouldn't have think you'd need any more wives." 40:24 I mean, you know one is plenty. 40:30 But yeah, someone asked Benjamin Franklin, 40:31 you've heard me share this. 40:34 They asked Benjamin Franklin, they got into a theological 40:35 argument with him, and they said, 40:37 "There's nothing in the Bible that says a man can't have more 40:39 than one wife." 40:40 Franklin disagreed. 40:41 He says, "It says, 'You cannot serve two masters.'" 40:47 And he said to him, "If you wanted more, 40:49 I would've given you more. 40:51 Why have you despised the commandment of the Lord?" 40:55 Not only the commandment that says though shalt not murder but 40:58 the commandment that says, "Thou shalt not commit adultery,"and 41:01 the commandment that says, 41:02 "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife." 41:05 David broke several commandments here. 41:08 "Why have you despised the commandment of the Lord, 41:11 and done evil in his sight? 41:13 You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword." 41:17 David is thinking, "Well, I wasn't there." 41:20 God's saying, "You did it. 41:22 It's your blood--it's his blood on your hands. 41:26 And you've taken his wife to be your wife and you killed him 41:30 with the sword of the people of Amman. 41:31 You killed him with a sword. 41:32 You just used someone else's sword to do it." 41:35 "Now, therefore the sword will never depart from your house 41:39 because you've despised me, and you've taken the wife of Uriah 41:42 the Hittite for your wife. 41:44 Thus says the Lord, 'Behold, I will raise up adversaries 41:47 against you from your own house and I'll take your wives before 41:50 your eyes and give them to your neighbor. 41:53 What you do to others will be done to you." 41:57 And it wasn't just one wife. 41:58 Absalom laid with ten of David's wives. 42:01 They were his concubines. 42:03 David took Abigail and his other wives with him when he fled from 42:06 Jerusalem, but his ten concubines who were left behind, 42:10 in the presence of everybody, Absalom went into the harem. 42:16 He says, "Because you've done this, 42:17 I'll raise up adversaries from your own house," his own sons. 42:22 "For you did this thing secretly, 42:23 but I'll do this thing before Israel and before the sun." 42:28 Now David is so overcome with guilt and shame, 42:31 finally he comes to his senses. 42:34 This is the turning point where he discovers rest, 42:38 but he has to go through repentance. 42:42 He says, "I have sinned against the Lord." 42:45 As soon as he repents of his sin, 42:47 Nathan says, "The Lord has put away your sin. 42:50 You shall not die." 42:52 However, there are consequences. 42:54 Because of this deed, you've given great occasion to the 42:56 enemies of the Lord to blaspheme." 42:58 By the way, this is in the Bible. 43:00 Did everybody in Israel soon know? 43:01 Was it in all of the tabloids and the newspapers 43:03 what David had done? 43:05 Did he lose the respect of his people after 43:08 this to a great extent? 43:09 They would never have followed Absalom against David if David 43:13 hadn't lost the respect of the people. 43:15 How can David judge his people when he's done this? 43:22 "You have given great occasion for the enemies 43:24 of the Lord to blaspheme. 43:26 The child who is born to you shall surely die." 43:28 God is basically saying, "I can't bless this relationship 43:31 and the whole world's going to see." 43:34 "Then Nathan departed to his house. 43:36 And the Lord struck the child." And you know this story. 43:38 David spent seven days on his face, 43:40 and he prayed, and God kept his Word and the baby died. 43:45 Now think about this. 43:47 That son of David died because of David's sin. 43:50 What is Jesus's title? 43:53 The son of David died because of our sin. 43:57 Isn't that right? 43:58 So there's a beautiful analogy here. 44:02 As a result of that--now turn in your Bibles to-- 44:06 oh, you know what? 44:07 There's one more story. See if I can squeeze it in here. 44:10 Talking about, "Thou art the man." 44:12 How many of you remember in the Bible where Judah had a son, 44:20 and he married a local Canaanite gal name Tamar. 44:24 And Judah's son died. 44:26 The Lord slew him because he was evil. 44:28 So as the custom was, the younger brother married Tamar 44:33 and then he died. 44:34 Now you're thinking, "This girl's bad luck." 44:37 Now Judah's supposed to give his younger son Shelah to Tamar, 44:41 but he said, "I've lost two sons married to her. 44:44 I don't know what's wrong but I'm not going to do the third." 44:47 Well, she's wearing her widow garments for years and he never 44:50 follows what he's supposed to do. 44:53 And so Tamar says, "Look, I'm going to be a widow and 44:56 childless the rest of my life." 44:58 And so she disguises herself and probably paints herself up 45:03 pretty good, dresses like a harlot. 45:04 That's what the Bible says. 45:06 She knows Judah's going to be travelling alone 45:07 between his flocks. 45:09 She seduces him successfully. 45:12 She says, "Instead of payment, you know, 45:15 give me your staff and give me your signet ring." 45:18 And he does, and then when he goes to get those things back to 45:23 redeem them with money, never can find this harlot. 45:28 Several months later, someone tells Judah, 45:30 "You realize that your daughter-in-law is pregnant?" 45:36 And Judah says, "That scoundrel. Bring her forth and burn her." 45:42 So they bring her out with the mob and they're going to burn 45:44 her publicly for her adultery. 45:47 And she says, "Well, just before you burn me, 45:50 I think I ought to let you know that I'm pregnant by the person 45:52 who owns these things." 45:55 Basically she says to Judah, "Thou art the man." 46:00 So does Jesus say be careful about judging others? 46:05 Because in doing so, you might have one of those aha moments, 46:10 where God says, "Before you take the speck out of your neighbor's 46:13 eye, you might want to get the log out of your own eye," right? 46:18 Okay, that one's not in the lesson but it's good theology. 46:20 I wanted you to just know that. Also happened to Paul. 46:24 He's killing all the Christians and Jesus appears and said, 46:28 "Paul, you're not fighting for God, 46:29 you're fighting against God." 46:31 Thou art the man. 46:32 You're the bad guy not the good guy. 46:33 So there's several of those in the Bible. 46:35 So go with me in your Bibles to Psalm 51. 46:39 And here you see where God has said he's forgiven David's sin, 46:44 and this is under "Forgiven and Forgotten." 46:46 Let's look at the first six verses. 46:49 "Have mercy upon me, O God." 46:50 David writes a song, pleading for God's mercy. 46:53 "According to Your lovingkindness. 46:55 According to the multitude of Your tender mercies. 46:57 Blot out my transgressions. 47:00 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, 47:02 and cleanse me from my sin. 47:04 For I acknowledge my transgression, 47:06 and my sin is always before me. 47:08 Against You and You only, have I sinned." 47:10 Well, I thought he had sinned against Uriah 47:12 and maybe even Bathsheba. 47:14 But ultimately who is sin against? 47:17 God. 47:19 When Joseph was tempted by Potiphar's wife, 47:22 Joseph said to Potiphar's wife, "How can I sin against God?" 47:26 He didn't say against my master. 47:28 All sin is ultimately breaking the law of God. 47:31 It's a sin against our Creator. 47:34 "Against You and You only, have I sinned, 47:36 and done this evil in your sight, that--" 47:38 Can we ever sin outside of God's sight? 47:41 Can you run from his presence or is everything "naked and open to 47:45 the eyes of God, "as it says in Hebrews? 47:49 "That you may be found just when You speak, 47:51 and blameless when You judge. 47:53 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, 47:55 and in sin my mother conceived me. 47:57 Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts. 48:00 And in the hidden part, you will make me to know wisdom." 48:04 You read on in the Psalm now, this is under the section, 48:06 "Something New." 48:08 "Purge me with hyssop," verse 7, "and I will be clean. 48:11 Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow." 48:13 What's that promise in Isaiah? 48:16 "Put away the evil of your doings." 48:19 And it says, "that though our sins be as scarlet, 48:21 they shall be as white as snow. 48:23 Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." 48:27 "Make me hear joy and gladness, that the bones that You have 48:30 broken may rejoice." 48:32 We are humbled sometimes through conviction, 48:34 but God wants to lift us up. 48:37 "Hide Your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquities. 48:40 Create in me a clean heart, O God and renew 48:44 a steadfast spirit within me." 48:46 And then when God does that, what's the result? 48:49 We then become reflectors of his light. 48:52 When you do that, it says, 48:54 "Restore to me the joy of your salvation. 48:57 Then," verse 13, "I will teach transgressors Your ways." 49:01 How can we convert others if we're not surrendered? 49:04 If we have not repented of our sins? 49:06 "I will teach others your ways 49:08 and sinners will be converted to You." 49:10 Beautiful Psalm. 49:11 One of the most beautiful Psalms of repentance. 49:14 David also wrote Psalm 32. 49:16 You can read that, verses 1 through 11, 49:18 but we don't have time today. 49:20 We--I think I've-- we're up for lesson. 49:24 Want to remind those who may be tuning in a little bit late, 49:26 we do have a free offer connected with today's study. 49:29 And it's called "No Turning Back." 49:31 How do you consecrate yourself 49:32 to the Lord and not change your mind? 49:34 If you would like a free copy of this, 49:36 you can simply Call 866-788-3966 and ask for offer 146. 49:44 And you can also text S-H-1-3-7 to 4-0-5-4-4. 49:49 You can actually read this online. 49:51 Thank you so much for studying with us, friends. 49:54 And God willing, we'll continue to study his word 49:56 together again next week. 49:59 male announcer: Don't forget to request today's 50:01 life-changing, free resource. 50:03 Not only can you receive this free gift in the mail, 50:05 you can download a digital copy straight to your computer 50:08 or mobile device. 50:09 To get your digital copy of the today's free gift, 50:12 simply text the keyword on your screen to 4-0-5-4-4 or visit the 50:16 web address shown on your screen. 50:19 And be sure to select that digital download option 50:21 on the request page. 50:22 It's now easier than ever for you to study God's Word with 50:26 "Amazing Facts," wherever and whenever you want. 50:29 And most important, to share it with others. 50:37 announcer: "Amazing Facts. Changed Lives." 50:46 Josh: Our family was Christian to begin with. 50:49 Mom and dad were involved at the church at times. 50:51 On the inside, our family wasn't really Christian, I guess. 50:54 It was just, it was a front that we put on. 50:57 My dad suffered from bipolar disorder. 51:00 Instead of taking his medication, 51:01 he turned to alcohol. 51:03 He could be mad one second and then in the next second, 51:05 he'd be happy, and it was so confusing for us. 51:08 Most of the time, we'd be upstairs to try to avoid him. 51:13 I made good grades all the way up until high school. 51:15 High school, I started struggling because my mom was a 51:18 single parent at a time, and I had to get a job. 51:21 And I was working every day after school. 51:24 I didn't have many friends to talk to, 51:25 so I was getting depressed. 51:27 I was always tired. 51:29 I started failing my assignments because I would fall asleep 51:31 during class, and I couldn't listen to the teachers. 51:33 I couldn't comprehend what they were saying. 51:36 By my 11th-grade year, I dropped out and I tried homeschooling. 51:41 I just ended up working full-time. 51:44 I had lots of girlfriends growing up, 51:45 but I was always terrified of talking to guys, 51:47 like my hands would start to sweat. 51:49 I would tense up. I just couldn't talk. 51:52 I guess that's when I started developing an attraction. 51:55 Gay guys weren't scary to talk to. 51:57 So I started talking to them, and then I started meeting them 52:00 and then it just went from there. 52:01 And then I started having relationships with them. 52:05 I just wanted to find someone who would care. 52:08 After high school, most of my friends were gone but there were 52:11 a few left to home. 52:13 We all started getting into drugs and smoking 52:15 weed and drinking. 52:16 I was able to leave my depression behind 52:18 and I wasn't shy anymore. 52:20 I was able to talk to anyone I wanted to. 52:22 It wasn't real, but it felt real at the time. 52:26 During this time, I felt like God had left me. 52:29 And I'd hear conversations at church talking about gays and 52:33 people on drugs and stuff. 52:34 And you know, they talked so bad about them, 52:36 it drove me to leave church. 52:37 I eventually I just left church; I left God. 52:40 I just didn't care anymore. I didn't care what God thought 52:42 because I didn't think he cared about me. 52:46 At the beginning of this year, I moved in with my boyfriend. 52:49 I still felt empty. I still wasn't happy. 52:50 I thought I had what I wanted. 52:52 I had a guy that I could love, and I thought he loved me, 52:54 but I was still empty. 52:56 I still felt like if I died today, 52:57 I wasn't sure where was going to go. 52:59 And I wasn't sure if I'd be a disappointment to everyone. 53:05 Josh: My grandma texted me. 53:07 She told me that an "Amazing Facts" evangelist was coming to 53:10 our church to do a prophecy seminar. 53:12 I didn't really want to go because I've been to those 53:14 before, and they were normally pretty boring, 53:16 and I'd fall asleep. 53:17 I was planning on making excuses for every night, 53:19 but she was dedicated. 53:20 She really wanted me to go, and so did my mom. 53:23 So I ended up going to church and the evangelist that was 53:25 speaking, he was speaking on the sanctuary that morning. 53:29 It made sense to me that there was someone up in heaven 53:31 pleading may cause. 53:33 I've never heard Jesus this way before. 53:35 I went back all the nights that I could, 53:37 except the nights that I worked. 53:38 At the end of it, I ended up getting rebaptized. 53:41 I made a decision to leave this life behind. 53:43 I was still attracted to men, 53:45 but I wanted to leave the lifestyle. 53:47 I didn't want to live in it anymore, 53:49 any longer, because I knew it was wrong. 53:51 The evangelist that was at our church that did the prophecy 53:54 seminar, became my mentor. 53:55 He told me about the school, AFCOE. 53:57 It stands for Amazing Facts Center of Evangelism. 54:00 And I was like, "Well, I want that, 54:02 because I want to learn how to share Jesus. 54:03 I want to learn how to be able to help others. 54:06 I prayed about it, and I applied online. 54:08 They accepted my application, 54:09 but I still had the money problem left. 54:11 That night, right before I left, he provided over $3000, 54:16 and he's been providing for me ever since. 54:18 The tools that I've learned here are tools that will stick with 54:21 me forever, and it was life-changing to be able to come 54:23 here, to AFCOE. 54:25 I would love to help other people in my situation because a 54:29 lot of people have prayed that God would take this stuff away, 54:32 and then they get discouraged when he doesn't. 54:34 But what they don't know is that Jesus is there. 54:37 He'll help you through it. 54:39 My name is Josh, and "Amazing Facts" 54:41 has helped change my life. 54:44 ♪♪♪ 54:47 ♪♪♪ 54:57 announcer: "Amazing Facts. Changed Lives." 55:05 male: I had grew up here in New York City. 55:08 I guess dealing with all the temptations that you would have 55:11 in a big city. 55:12 Everything that you could imagine that you could run into 55:16 drugs, crime was always here. 55:20 When I was at a young age, I actually got into trouble with 55:23 the law, and my only out was to join the military at the time in 55:28 order to not do time. 55:30 So I left New York and traveled the world a little bit while I 55:34 was in the military. 55:36 Eventually, I came back. 55:38 Having grown up as a hip-hop kid, 55:40 I eventually found myself working 55:42 in the music business actually. 55:44 I worked at a couple of major radio stations, hip hop, reggae. 55:47 I was at all the big reggae shows, working them. 55:50 No matter what I did to try and satisfy myself, 55:53 nothing really worked. 55:56 I remember I used to play at this one club in Manhattan. 55:59 Used to play there every Friday night. 56:02 So I came home one Saturday morning after leaving the club 56:06 and I turned on the video channel like I usually do. 56:09 So there was this guy in the video channel talking and he was 56:11 definitely out of place, but the things that he was saying just 56:16 totally amazed me. 56:18 I had never heard anyone speak about the Bible like this 56:21 before, so I started coming home early on Saturday mornings just 56:25 to catch this show. 56:26 I found the things that he was saying absolutely amazing. 56:30 To the point where it literally made me stop and start to think 56:35 about how I was living my life. 56:38 So I found that all of these things that I had been doing to 56:40 try and find happiness, were actually not making me happy at 56:44 all, but were really just leaving me empty inside. 56:48 When I started reading the Bible and it started to make sense, 56:51 I started to make changes. 56:53 I even tried to keep the Sabbath, 56:56 which I failed at miserably. 56:58 So I was actually invited by "Amazing Facts" to go to see a 57:02 live series at one of the local churches. 57:05 But after going the first night, I ended up going another night 57:09 and another night. 57:10 I stayed for the entire series. 57:12 That was the day I made a decision that changed the rest 57:14 of my life forever. 57:15 I give my life to Christ, 57:17 and everything was different after that. 57:20 I made a decision to give up the music business, 57:22 stop hanging out at all of the clubs. 57:23 I made a decision 57:25 that was eternal for me and for my family. 57:29 I started going to church. 57:32 I got a position in church where I was actually in charge of the 57:35 Personal Ministries Department. 57:38 And the same "Amazing Facts" studies that changed my life, 57:41 I actually got to share them with people, 57:44 and sit down with them and tell them about Jesus. 57:47 ♪♪♪ 57:55 ♪♪♪ 58:05 ♪♪♪ 58:15 ♪♪♪ 58:20 CC by Aberdeen Captioning 1-800-688-6621 aberdeen.io |
Revised 2021-07-20