Participants:
Series Code: TDYFW
Program Code: TDYFW210032S
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00:02 I want to spend my life
00:08 Mending broken people 00:13 I want to spend my life 00:19 Removing pain 00:24 Lord, let my words 00:30 Heal a heart that hurts 00:35 I want to spend my life 00:40 Mending broken people 00:46 I want to spend my life 00:51 Mending broken people 01:09 Hello and welcome to 3ABN Today Family Worship 01:12 and Happy Sabbath to you. 01:14 I'm Jason Bradley, and I'm so glad 01:16 that you've decided to worship with us this evening. 01:19 We will be covering the topic loves direction. 01:22 Now you may be asking yourself, 01:24 I didn't know that love had a direction. 01:26 What direction does love go in? 01:28 And we're going to jump into all of that 01:30 in just a little bit. 01:32 Here with me this evening I have pop, 01:36 aka Danny Shelton. 01:38 It's great to have you here. 01:40 Thank you. It's good to be here. 01:41 And I have mom, aka Yvonne Shelton. 01:44 Hey. Hey. 01:46 And then we have Pastor Rafferty Aka... 01:50 Aka Pastor Rafferty. 01:52 Wow. 01:54 It's great to have you. 01:56 Rise's husband aka. 01:57 Oh, that's right. 01:58 That's right. 02:00 Oh, you missed that one. 02:01 There we go. 02:02 Good to be here, Jason. 02:04 I'm looking forward to jumping into this topic. 02:05 But before we dive into the Word of God, 02:07 we need to have prayer and so, Pop, will you pray for us? 02:09 Well, Lord, we thank You for Your blessings 02:12 and Your love and for this beginning of the Sabbath, 02:15 and that You've given us a day of rest, 02:18 a time to come together with You, 02:20 and You chosen this for us. 02:22 And so we pray right now 02:23 for the anointing of the Holy Spirit 02:26 upon everything that said and done, upon every viewer, 02:29 those of us in front of the cameras, 02:30 behind the cameras that literally 02:33 people watching this program today will be watching 02:35 because Your Holy Spirit has drawn them here 02:37 and that You have something for each of us. 02:40 I look forward to getting that myself today. 02:43 So thank You for Your love, and Your plan of salvation. 02:46 In Jesus' name, we pray. 02:47 Amen. 02:49 Amen. 02:50 For our opening scripture, 02:51 we'll start with Ephesians 3:17-19. 02:56 And it says, 02:57 "That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith 03:00 that you being rooted and grounded in love, 03:04 may be able to comprehend with all the saints 03:07 what is the width and length and depth and height 03:11 to know the love of Christ, 03:13 which passes knowledge that you may be filled 03:16 with all the fullness of God." 03:20 What stands out in that verse to you? 03:24 There's so much stuff in there. 03:27 There is. 03:28 It's beautiful, 03:30 It is. 03:31 Several years ago, I read this book 03:36 that it was talking about how if a man loves you, 03:42 he will do the three P's. 03:45 He will provide for you, he will protect you, 03:48 and he will profess you. 03:52 And... I like that, it's cool. 03:55 It's really true. 03:57 And God has done all of them for us, 04:02 and continues to do all of that for us. 04:06 And so, this scripture tells 04:10 how the width and the length and the depth and the height, 04:16 that's so poetic to me. 04:18 The way Paul writes that is so poetic, 04:20 because it shows how we can't even imagine 04:25 how much God loves us. 04:27 But the fact that He provides for us, 04:30 the fact that He protects us, 04:33 and the fact that He professes us, 04:36 shows how much He loves us. 04:38 Someone else wrote this down 04:40 about God's love is talking about 04:42 the height and breadth and the length and width. 04:45 The love of God is greater far. 04:49 And tongue or pen can ever tell, 04:51 it goes beyond the highest star and reaches to the lowest hell. 04:54 I mean think about that. 04:56 The guilty pair bowed down with care. 04:58 God gave His Son to win the erring child 05:01 who reconciled and pardon from their sin. 05:04 I love this, the second verse supposedly there's... 05:09 We don't know who the literally the author of this is, 05:12 but the story goes that someone found this 05:15 during the Dark Ages in insane asylum. 05:19 Wow. 05:20 Yeah, he was insanely in love with Jesus. 05:23 Written on the walls, listen to this, 05:26 and you can imagine the timing. 05:28 Could we with ink the ocean fill, 05:31 and all the skies of parchment made, 05:34 were every stalk on earth a quill, 05:37 and every man a scribe by trade, 05:41 to write the love of God 05:43 above would drain the ocean dry, 05:47 nor could the scroll contain the whole, 05:50 though stretched from sky to sky. 05:52 I mean is that absolutely amazing? 05:55 The chorus. 05:57 All right. 05:58 The love of God, how rich and pure, 06:02 how measureless and strong, 06:04 it shall forever more endure the saints' and angels' song. 06:09 I mean to me, one of the most incredible songs ever written 06:14 and it goes along with this the scripture here 06:17 it kind of everyone to each their own. 06:19 But as you said insanely, 06:21 you know how do you word that... 06:23 Insanely in love with Jesus. 06:24 In love with Jesus. 06:25 So have you heard that story, 06:27 the background of where that was written? 06:28 Is obviously written in times when you're using 06:31 you know, quills and all of this 06:34 but so absolutely amazing. 06:38 I heard Allison Spear talk about it one time on a program 06:41 and she said that this supposedly, 06:45 obviously Christian put in prison, 06:48 put in a mental home actually. 06:49 And this was found written, 06:51 you know, years and years many, many years later, 06:55 with ink the ocean fill. 06:57 They thought John the Revelator was mental too. 07:00 That's why they left him off Patmos. 07:01 They let them go because they thought he was crazy. 07:03 Yeah. 07:04 After he wrote the Book of Revelation. 07:06 You know, there's something that the Book of Revelation 07:08 has in common with the Book of Ephesians. 07:10 You know, I was going to go to the Book of Revelation. 07:12 I bet you were. 07:15 So when you look at Ephesians, it has six chapters. 07:19 And the first three chapters are saturated 07:22 with the love of God 07:24 is predestination for all of us. 07:27 And His grace that saves us, that's Chapter 1, Chapter 2, 07:30 and then Chapter 3 right here. 07:32 It's all love. 07:33 There are no commandments in there. 07:35 There are no duties outlined for us. 07:36 There's nothing that is instructing us 07:40 to do anything in the first three chapters, 07:42 all of it, the first three chapters 07:43 are all focused on God's love for us. 07:46 That's how it starts. 07:47 And then in Chapter 3, the very last word is amen. 07:51 Paul doesn't do that in any of his other epistles. 07:54 He's in the middle of his epistle, 07:55 he's closing it with amen, amen. 07:58 And then in Chapters 4, 5 and 6, 08:00 it's all practical and instructive. 08:02 How to relate to people in the church, in the world, 08:06 in your family, in relationships, 08:08 in the workplace. 08:10 It's all practical, it's all instructive. 08:12 So the first half is all about God's love. 08:13 The second half is all about what God's love looks like, 08:16 when it takes hold of the human heart. 08:18 The Book of Revelation is exactly the same way. 08:21 You know, the first 11 chapters is 22. 08:23 In the first 11 chapters, you don't find any verse 08:25 that describes the people 08:27 who keep the commandments of God, none. 08:29 It's all about all the way through the theme of the first 08:32 11 chapters is about how Jesus Christ the Lamb slain 08:35 from the foundation of the world, 08:37 the Lamb in the midst of the throne, 08:39 has been able to take that scroll, 08:41 that no man in heaven, 08:42 no man in earth, and no man 08:43 under the earth could take and redeem us 08:45 by his blood of every nation, kindred, tongue, people. 08:47 So there's a great multitude around the throne, 08:49 shouting salvation to our God, it's all about that. 08:52 But then you get to Chapter 12. 08:54 And after you get halfway across the book, 08:56 after you got all this emphasis 08:57 on God's love delivering us 08:59 from the dragon and the plagues 09:00 and all the different judgments that you see there, 09:03 as you get into the second half of the book, 09:04 all of a sudden you see people 09:06 who keep the commandments of God. 09:07 And have the testimony of Jesus and the faith of Jesus. 09:10 It's the same layout as Ephesians, 09:12 it starts and the whole thing is evangelistic 09:15 because the whole purpose of that is to instruct us 09:18 in the basic principles of saturate people 09:20 with God's love, saturate people with God's goodness 09:23 and lead them to repent, it'll turn their lives around. 09:26 And it also goes along with Ephesians. 09:29 We didn't quite get to verse 19 but 20. 09:32 Now unto Him that is able to do exceedingly abundantly 09:35 above all that we could ask or think according to the power 09:39 that worketh in us, and what power is that? 09:42 We know what that is. 09:43 But unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus 09:47 says throughout all the ages, 09:49 world without end. 09:51 I mean, so unto Him 09:52 that is able to do exceedingly abundantly more 09:56 than we could ever ask or think. 09:58 So here we're getting along and all a sudden 10:00 somebody insults me, 10:01 James, I get all upset, oh boy, this is terrible. 10:04 And why do people treat me like this? 10:06 You know, and I'm just so depressed 10:08 about every little thing that happens. 10:10 Just what in the world is going on, 10:12 you know, and then we have all of this, 10:14 we win, Revelation ends up saying, 10:16 we win Ephesians saying we win, 10:19 all we have to do is give it to Christ, 10:22 and accept Him, commit our lives literally to Him, 10:26 ask Him to forgive us from our sins, 10:28 He will cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10:30 And so now, I mean, think about it, 10:33 we are serving a God who can do above anything. 10:37 So we're, boy, I wish I had, oh, boy, I wish it. 10:40 No, He can do above what we could ever imagine. 10:42 Yeah. 10:44 In fact, eye have not seen nor ear heard, 10:45 neither has it entered into the heart of man, 10:47 the things that God has prepared for them 10:49 that love Him. 10:51 So we need to be encouraged, we should be excited. 10:54 I mean, we should be the happiest people 10:56 on the face of the earth honestly. 10:58 Absolutely. 10:59 You know, one of the things 11:01 that stands out in this verse to me, 11:03 is rooted and grounded in love. 11:06 Okay. 11:07 When you think about the roots of a plant, 11:09 it's anchored into the soil. 11:10 And so from the soil come the nutrients, 11:13 and that's what gives, sustains the plants, 11:16 it gives them life, helps them grow. 11:18 But that grounded in love. 11:20 And so when you think about rooted, 11:23 where should we be rooted? 11:25 We should be looking to the Word of God 11:27 to get our spiritual nutrients to help us grow. 11:31 And, you know, out of doing that, 11:33 we learn about Christ's love, 11:35 we learn about God's love for us. 11:37 And we should be sharing that with other human beings. 11:42 Well, I like that kind of metaphor of, 11:47 you know, love in the plant and getting its nutrition 11:51 from love and then sharing it. 11:55 Yeah. 11:56 I think that is really beautiful. 11:57 And this verse really is powerful 12:01 because it shows again, it's poetic, 12:07 the width and length and depth and height. 12:12 You know, Paul was, he was, 12:14 you know, we'd say, he's putting it together here. 12:17 And I just think that it's a beautiful, 12:20 beautiful verse. 12:22 When we think of, a lot of times 12:26 we say to ourselves, 12:28 how could God love me when I've done this? 12:31 Or how could God love me 12:34 when I've let Him down so many times. 12:36 But what the Word teaches us 12:39 is that God cannot deny Himself, 12:42 He is who He is. 12:44 God is love. 12:45 He's not just loving, God is love. 12:49 And so when we mess up, when we make mistakes, 12:54 when we let Him down, He still love, 12:57 He's never going to be anything other than that. 13:00 And that's why He did everything, 13:05 and does everything to save us. 13:07 Everything, gave His Son, the Father gave His Son. 13:11 Many times we compartmentalize the Father, 13:15 as being stern and rigid and mean. 13:19 And Jesus is kind of the go-between, 13:21 the one who's going to... 13:25 What's the word I'm looking for? 13:26 Mediate. 13:28 Mediate. 13:29 But there's a word that has to do with kind of like, 13:32 quenching the father's. 13:33 Yes, like, pacify the father's anger. 13:35 No, the father... 13:37 Jesus said, when you've seen Me, 13:39 you've seen the Father. 13:42 He's come to reveal He came to reveal the Father 13:46 and the Father's love to us. 13:48 So we don't need to. 13:51 And that's why the book on Focus on Truth on Hellfire 13:54 is so important. 13:55 Because again, God's character is exemplified 14:00 through the word, He is love. 14:02 He's not burning people forever, 14:04 people are nowhere burning right now. 14:07 You know, it's like, it is amazing to me 14:12 that He loves us so very much 14:15 that no matter what we do, He still loves us. 14:17 Now, there's going to be a consequence for what we do. 14:21 But the love that He shows to us 14:24 every single minute of every single day 14:27 is so profound. 14:28 And if we allow ourselves to really think about that, 14:31 that's why when I was looking up some texts for this lesson, 14:34 I was like, wow, this is such a great study, 14:37 thinking about how much God loves us. 14:40 So I'm really... He's our best friend. 14:43 Amazing. 14:44 Satan's last greatest attack against God 14:48 is on His character, that He's not a God of love. 14:52 That's why we've been surprised. 14:54 I don't know why I should say that word surprise, 14:56 but of the several books we've written, 14:57 the one getting the most response 15:00 from non-Adventist preachers so far have been, 15:05 wasn't just a book on the commandments, 15:07 or the book on salvation, was a book about hell. 15:09 Yes. 15:10 One of them said, "I've always wondered, 15:13 been a pastor 55 years, I always wondered, 15:17 and I've taught that, you know, people are in hell burning, 15:20 and that they'll burn forever and ever till eternity." 15:23 But I've always, in my mind said, 15:24 "How could God create us, 15:27 allow us to only live now 15:29 we live maybe 100 years at most, 15:31 some little longer, but then going to burn us 15:34 for the eons of time for billions of years." 15:36 This makes so much sense. 15:38 So Satan saw it in heaven, he tried to make Oregon's God, 15:42 he got thrown out and a third of the stars went with him. 15:46 And so he came to this earth. 15:47 So what's he tried to do now? 15:49 He tries to, he saw during the Dark Ages 15:51 tried to kill all the Christians. 15:53 What did that do? 15:54 That stamp to stamp out religion, 15:56 pastor instead, light started, 15:58 people started fleeing all around the world. 16:00 And so here come these lights and all of a sudden, 16:03 people hearing so everything he did to destroy the gospel, 16:07 about the love of God for fallen man, 16:10 blew up in his face. 16:12 So now he says, "Okay, last days, I got a better plan. 16:15 I'm going to go set in the pews, 16:17 in the church pews. 16:18 In fact, I'm going to really work on these preachers. 16:22 And I'm going to have these preachers 16:24 misrepresent the character of God 16:26 because He wants to serve a God who doesn't love you." 16:29 So, Jay, it's a great topic. 16:30 I don't think we'll ever will exhaust, 16:32 that's why we need heaven for eternity. 16:34 Yeah. 16:35 So we can finally start understanding 16:37 and maybe comprehending over a period of time, 16:39 the love of God. 16:40 Amen. Amen. 16:42 Amen. Amen. 16:43 Absolutely. 16:44 You know, I want us to look at 16:46 some ways that God provides for us, 16:47 some ways that God protects us, 16:49 and some ways that He professes His love for us. 16:51 Because I think, all throughout Scripture 16:54 are these themes. 16:56 We see that all throughout Scripture. 16:57 So, Mom, if you want to take 17:02 Genesis 1:27-29. 17:07 "So God created man in His own image, 17:10 in the image of God He created him, 17:13 male and female He created them. 17:16 Then God blessed them, and said to them, 17:19 'Be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it, 17:22 have dominion over the fish of the sea, 17:24 over the birds of the air, 17:26 and over every living thing that moves on the earth.' 17:28 And God said, 'See, 17:30 I have given you every herb that yields seed 17:33 which is on the face of all the earth, 17:34 and every tree whose fruit yields seed, 17:37 to you it shall be for food.'" 17:41 So He gave man man's original diet. 17:44 He gave man, He provided, He's provided so much, 17:50 it's like, but okay, we just focus on this one, 17:53 this one person. 17:55 He provided when He created 18:00 the world Elohim 18:01 when the Godhead created the world, 18:07 everything we needed was here. 18:12 Everything we needed to eat the beauty of it all. 18:17 It was paradise, like we see earthly areas now 18:21 places in the Bahamas and other places, 18:23 and they're beautiful. 18:25 But... 18:26 But nothing compares to the original Garden of Eden. 18:30 Yes. 18:32 Which, you know, we'll see when we go to heaven, 18:34 because we can't even imagine 18:36 what is going to be there, the Word says. 18:38 So he provided everything that we need for sustenance 18:43 and just everything that we need to show us 18:48 again to demonstrate His love for us. 18:52 And He gave man purpose. 18:53 Yes. 18:55 Purpose. Yes. 18:56 You know, it's also pretty cool 18:58 that you know, He put Adam to sleep, 19:01 he took a little nap and he woke up with a wife. 19:06 I go to sleep every night. 19:09 And I haven't, you know, gotten up 19:11 and seen any wife yet. 19:13 Yeah, it's coming, it's coming. 19:16 Yeah, so, I mean, even that part's cool. 19:20 Then He gave us that purpose and that responsibility 19:24 to take care of everything that He provided. 19:27 And that could be pretty tiring too. 19:30 So then He gave us rest. 19:32 He gave us rest after that. 19:34 And He had to take the rib out, see the ribs got to go 19:36 before you get a wife, right? 19:40 Yeah. That's true. 19:42 He took a rib out, right? 19:43 He took a rib out. 19:44 Some was taken in order to get, you know, so... 19:47 That was a different type of anesthesia. 19:53 Pastor Rafferty, will you read Genesis 2:1-3? 19:58 All right, Genesis 2:1-3, 20:00 "Thus the heavens and the earth, 20:01 and all the host of them, were finished. 20:04 And on the seventh day God blessed, 20:06 God ended His work which He had done, 20:08 and He rested on the seventh day 20:09 from all His work which He had done. 20:11 Then God blessed the seventh day 20:13 and sanctified it, because in it He rested 20:15 from all His work which God had created and made." 20:21 So how important is rest? 20:22 It's huge. 20:24 I was just listening to a doctor this morning, 20:25 because my wife is a registered dietician, 20:27 nutritionist in functional medicine. 20:29 She's not here to say, 20:30 I hate it when you say that. 20:33 And she listens to a lot of stuff, 20:35 you know, doctor stuff, or whatever. 20:37 And there was a doctor on the day 20:39 just talking a little bit about COVID, 20:40 which I don't want to get distracted on that. 20:42 But he was just basically saying, 20:43 rest is huge when it comes to your immune system, 20:47 and, you know, resisting virus, 20:49 resisting disease resisting infection. 20:51 And, of course, we know that, 20:53 I mean, as Adventists, we know that, right? 20:55 We've got these eight laws, and one of them is rest. 20:57 But it's hard to be restful when you're anxious. 21:00 It's hard to be restful when you're worried about, 21:02 you know, what's going on, 21:03 and what's going to happen next, or whatever. 21:04 So again, going back to Book of Revelation, 21:06 Matthew 24, God has revealed to us the future in prophecy, 21:11 to help us to be more restful 21:12 about what's coming around the corner, 21:14 to help us be more able to just because and so that we say, 21:18 we see the same thing in Genesis. 21:20 So what does God do in Genesis? 21:22 Man wakes up basically, as created in this world. 21:27 They don't know anything about how they got there, 21:29 who God is or what's going on. 21:31 So the first thing God does 21:33 is He sits with them for a whole day. 21:36 He gets together with them, 21:38 and He just didn't say that, "Okay, I'm God. 21:39 And these are animals. 21:41 And this is the world." 21:42 Yeah, you can just picture it. 21:44 What does that call when you're a new employee, 21:46 and you go through that... 21:47 Orientation. Orientation. 21:48 He's given them an orientation, 21:50 you know, an orientation and rest 21:52 is what we need to be healthy and strong 21:54 in order to prepare for whatever it is 21:56 that God has for us, 21:58 which Adam and Eve was to tend the garden, 21:59 you know, before the fall. 22:01 So I love that. 22:02 You know, Jay, when I was a kid, 22:05 I would exhaust my mom, 22:06 because I always asked a lot of questions. 22:08 And sometimes she didn't like it, 22:10 because I would ask too many, 22:12 she'd give me an answer, and I'd come back and I said, 22:14 but mom, I would ask her, 22:17 but so my little mind sometimes works. 22:20 I don't know if it's good or bad or indifferent, 22:21 but it works differently. 22:24 Well, it occurred to me when I was pretty young, 22:27 well rest is so good. 22:30 But God could have created us where we didn't need any rest. 22:33 Why didn't He just make us like, we'll be in heaven? 22:35 Just we don't need a seventh day, 22:37 we don't need any one day of the week. 22:39 And why do we need anything now? 22:42 And it's like the Lord went, 22:44 you know, really hit me over the head. 22:46 He did it for a reason. 22:48 That's to spend time with Him. 22:49 Just think about it. 22:51 If we never needed rest, we were busy working, 22:54 busy making money, we'd never think about God, 22:56 we'd never ever be spend time with Him 22:59 because we just have too much to do. 23:02 So he made our systems where we need that day of rest. 23:06 That's why He blessed it and he sanctified it 23:08 and made it a holy day, a holy convocation. 23:10 I like that. 23:11 So that we can set literally one day. 23:14 He says, "I'm willing to spend this day with you. 23:16 I'm willing all the time. 23:17 But at least this one day, 23:19 let's have this special relationship." 23:21 So it's the same thing with us with Rise. 23:24 If you go eight days, 23:26 and never spending time with her, 23:28 that's not going to be a very good relationship very long. 23:31 One day isn't going to work. 23:33 That's right. 23:35 But I believe that God created us exactly 23:38 what would be best for our salvation. 23:41 And so that once a week, 23:43 and that's why it's so important today 23:45 that people don't understand that we need a day of rest. 23:49 Not any day will do. 23:52 He says the seventh day. Yeah. 23:54 The seventh day not of the Jews, not of the, 23:57 you know, the seventh day of the Lord thy God. 24:00 Yes. Right. 24:01 It's God's day, the Lord's day, 24:03 and I'm writing new book The Lord's Day. 24:05 We're going to find out the Lord's Day. 24:07 God does have a day, but it's not Sunday. 24:09 I got some things to share with you now. 24:11 Oh, good. Good. 24:12 We've been writing like crazy, and I say, didn't it? 24:14 I got some stuff to share with you now. 24:15 Yeah. 24:16 And it's really is so I... To me, God knows exact. 24:19 He's God. He's God. 24:21 He knows exactly what He was doing, 24:22 what's best for us. 24:25 Yeah, we need that day of rest to come apart and physically, 24:29 but He created us that way 24:31 so we can see we're dependent on Him. 24:33 My dad used to say, "Son when I go on my own, 24:36 son yours independent is a Hogan eyes." 24:39 Never didn't know what it meant. 24:40 What does that mean to you? 24:41 Yeah, what it meant. 24:43 Well, Hogan eyes are not very independent 24:45 because He's slipping and sliding on everywhere. 24:47 But I would think that I was. 24:49 So we as humans we think 24:50 we're as independent as Hogan eyes, 24:52 we don't need God. 24:54 But we're out there all legs going every which way. 24:56 We need to come back every week, 24:58 least that one day set it aside, 25:00 forget the television, forget all the other stuff, 25:03 and concentrate on that relationship. 25:07 And literally bring in the love of God 25:09 and understanding and say wow this is. 25:11 And when what comes in, it's going to come out. 25:13 I, if I be lifted up from the earth 25:15 will draw some men. 25:16 All. 25:18 I'm sorry, all men. 25:19 Yeah. Okay. 25:20 Yeah. 25:22 Jay got me. 25:23 He got your back on that, 25:25 you know, we need to keep him straight. 25:26 Oh, thank you. 25:29 I was going to say too that, physically, 25:31 you know, we tend to wind down by the end of the week, 25:35 if you notice, like God put certain rhythms in place, 25:40 in our bodies and nature. 25:42 And so, toward the end of the week, 25:44 you tend to kind of wind down 25:47 and the Lord knew we would need rest, 25:50 we would work ourselves into the next life 25:54 and be drawn away from Him. 25:56 If we did not have this, 25:58 so He provided that rest for us physically, 26:03 spiritually, emotionally that we could rest in Him 26:07 during that time. 26:09 Yes, which... Recharge. 26:10 Beautiful, beautiful. 26:13 You know, there's so much going on in the world 26:15 and people get busy and there's so much external 26:19 stimuli vying for our attention and temptations 26:22 and all of that. 26:23 What's something else that God provides for us 26:26 when we're faced with temptation? 26:30 Well, I got it. 26:32 God provides a way. 26:34 This sums us all. 26:35 That's right. 26:37 We look at 1 Corinthians 10:13, 26:39 "No temptation has overtaken you 26:42 except such as is common to men. 26:45 But God is faithful, who will not allow you 26:48 to be tempted beyond what you are able, 26:50 but with the temptation 26:52 will also make the way of escape 26:55 that you may be able to bear it." 26:58 Yeah. 27:00 So there's always an exit plan. 27:01 Yes. 27:02 There's an exit strategy, 27:04 but you have to walk through the door. 27:06 You have to remove yourself from the situation. 27:09 So I think that's powerful. 27:10 This is a good verse. 27:12 You know, sometimes when we think about love, 27:13 we get a wrong idea of what it is, 27:15 I think, loves being kidnapped, you know. 27:18 For example, in the Bible, I was thinking about this word 27:21 when it says God is faithful. 27:23 In the Bible, it says in Proverbs somewhere, 27:25 faithful are the wounds of a friend. 27:28 But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful. 27:30 Right. 27:31 Well, you know, when you think about love, 27:33 you think about kisses, you don't think about wounds. 27:34 Yeah. 27:36 But when the Bible is identifying love 27:37 and faithfulness, the Bible is identifying God's love 27:41 as being faithful to wound us and not just to kiss us. 27:44 And that's, a lot of times we struggle with that 27:47 because we identify love as, whoa, God loves me, 27:50 that means He just kissing me with all these blessings, 27:52 He's kissing me with all this goodness. 27:54 He's never going to do anything 27:56 that would wound me or hurt me in any way. 27:58 But you look at all the Bible stories 28:00 and how God had to lift people out of different situations 28:03 and allow them to go through these trials and challenges, 28:07 you know, Joseph, and Abraham, 28:08 and, you know, all the way through Moses, etc. 28:12 And you realize there are times in our lives, 28:14 when God's love comes in the form of a chastening, 28:17 you know, as many as I love, I rebuke and chasten, 28:20 correction, discipline, or whatever it is. 28:22 So sometimes we get in the situation of temptation. 28:25 And, you know, God doesn't tempt us, 28:27 James says, He doesn't tempt us. 28:29 But we are tempted when we're drawn away 28:31 of our own lusts and enticed, 28:33 and God will sometimes allow that situation to take place. 28:37 You know, the Spirit led Jesus in the wilderness, 28:39 and there came the devil. 28:40 And there was this, you know, these temptations 28:41 that came to Him, 28:43 but I love this them because no matter what, 28:45 God is faithful, He gives us this way of deliverance, 28:49 He gives us this way of escape, 28:50 no matter what the situation is. 28:52 See, and that what's also important about 28:56 God is His people. 28:58 In fact, we're actually writing a book on this one, too, 29:01 on the rapture, because people, the devil is coming in saying, 29:06 "Oh, you don't have to worry about anything 29:07 'cause when times get tough, you'll be raptured out of here, 29:11 before everybody else." 29:13 Well, you just said, God gives us 29:16 that for our chastisement for us to really 29:19 become, you'd say dependent on Him to realize 29:22 who we are and who God is. 29:24 Right. 29:25 So people sitting around saying, 29:26 no, I'm not worried about anything, 29:28 the rapture comes. 29:29 So I've had several people now and recently, 29:32 so one's been calling us very well, 29:34 world famous name been calling us and said, 29:37 "Are we really going? 29:38 Are you kidding? 29:40 Are we really going to have to go through the rapture, 29:41 the tribulation?" 29:43 You know, we're like, "Well, yes." 29:45 You know, and he goes, 29:46 but I never dreamed that all my life, 29:48 you know, I never thought we'd go through, I thought. 29:51 I said, "What do you go through it now?" 29:52 I mean, the rain falls 29:54 on the just as well as the unjust. 29:56 Now, what happens when things really get tough? 30:00 Do we give up? 30:01 Or do we say, "Boy, am I glad 30:03 I can stay in the arms of Jesus?" 30:04 Yeah. 30:06 You know, right under His wings, 30:07 I'm safely abiding to know that there is a way 30:10 as you said of escape. 30:11 Yes. 30:13 And so, yes, we... 30:14 God chastises those whom He loves. 30:16 So expect to go through trials and tribulations. 30:19 When again when I was young, 30:21 I'd say to my dad, "Dad, why me?' 30:22 He said, "Why not? 30:24 Why not?" 30:26 And then, you know, all of a sudden, 30:27 it puts you in perspective. 30:30 He would go into a little more detail, 30:31 "Son, do you have any idea 30:33 how many grains of sands are on this earth?" 30:35 I was like, "No." 30:37 He said, "Well, you're just one little speck, 30:38 the world doesn't revolve around you. 30:41 You're in the world, but not of the world. 30:43 So you get in, and you understand 30:45 you're special in God's eyes, but nobody else's. 30:48 So you need to... 30:52 You need to remember 30:53 that lest you end up in a whole lot of trouble." 30:54 Yeah. 30:56 And so it's true, really, 30:57 you know, that we really should become dependent 31:00 on the Lord to know who He is, 31:02 and who we are, then everything. 31:04 Okay, God, He's going to give me peace 31:07 amidst the storm, when that person offends me. 31:09 Oh, isn't that great peace have they which love thy law 31:12 and nothing shall offend them. 31:14 That's where we want to get to. 31:16 We're not all there, but we want to get there. 31:18 Yes, especially in our homes. 31:22 Yeah, I was talking to a young person 31:23 the other day, 31:25 and he was saying that 31:26 this is one of his favorite verses, 31:28 because he's trying to, 31:30 he wants to live a life for Jesus. 31:34 But sometimes he gets, you know, really tempted. 31:37 And so he's taken this as one of the verses 31:40 that he's memorizing, 31:42 so that he can remind himself 31:45 that when he's in temptations way, 31:48 that the Lord will make a way of escape, 31:51 that he might be able to bear it. 31:53 So it's, this is a beautiful, beautiful verse, 31:56 because it's saying that anything we go through, 32:01 there's nothing new under the sun, 32:02 that the same issues, you know, it's common to man, 32:06 all these different temptations are common to man. 32:09 But that little conjunction, 32:12 but God is faithful, He is El HaNe'eman. 32:16 He is the faithful God, 32:18 and He will not allow you to be tempted above 32:20 that which you are able. 32:22 That He knows how much we can handle. 32:25 Yeah. 32:26 He's not going to let it be so heavy 32:28 that we can't bear it. 32:30 He'll make a way of escape, He'll open that door. 32:33 Now, it's our decision 32:36 as to whether or not we want to be tempted and sin, 32:40 because we can't control the temptation, 32:42 but we can control what we do with it. 32:43 Yeah. 32:44 The decisions that we make. 32:46 And sin is a series of choices. 32:48 It's not just one thing. 32:50 Usually it's a series of choices. 32:52 So we can make the decision 32:55 to go out that escape route 32:58 or we can go through the door of sin, 33:01 and the Lord has made a way 33:03 so that we don't have to go the route of sin. 33:07 So he's provided that for us. 33:09 Amen. 33:10 Absolutely. 33:12 God also provides instructions. 33:15 Pop, you want to take this verse here. 33:17 We've got 2 Timothy 3:15-16. 33:23 Okay, I'm going to look it up here. 33:26 You probably have it there. 33:27 Yes, sir. 33:29 Okay, 2 Timothy? 33:31 Yes, 3:15-16. 33:34 3:15-16. 33:35 Okay, I'm getting here. 33:37 All right. 33:38 There's a bigger print on here. 33:40 Okay. 33:41 And that from a child right there, 33:43 is that where you want me to start? 33:44 Yes, sir. 33:46 "That from a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures, 33:48 which are able to make thee wise unto salvation 33:50 through faith which is in Christ Jesus." 33:55 Can I read the next? 33:56 Oh, yes, please. 33:57 Oh, this one's great. 33:59 I love this one. 34:00 All scripture, well, some scripture. 34:02 All. I messed up. 34:03 I should have said some scripture, 34:05 they would have caught me again. 34:07 "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, 34:10 and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof." 34:13 What is reproof? Correct. 34:15 And what would that be? 34:17 Okay, for reproof, and for correction, 34:21 for instruction in righteousness, 34:24 that the man of God may be perfect, 34:26 thoroughly furnished, unto all good works. 34:30 So once again, we're going through that same thing, 34:32 but all scripture is given. 34:34 So people say, "Well, that Old Testament, 34:37 you know, that was done away with it at the cross." 34:40 So I've asked people how can we have a whole Bible, 34:42 I've been just take a half, 34:44 just take the New Testament." 34:46 You know, if, why, you know, 34:49 oh, well, well, no, 34:50 all scripture is given for inspiration. 34:53 So it's for our good. 34:55 Here's the beauty about God. 34:57 When people say, oh, how God blessed me 34:59 or you know, why does He allow this to happen? 35:02 The thing that God does, that none of us 35:05 can do on our own is that He can save us. 35:08 And that what He does, yes, we may go through, 35:12 people say, "Well, I prayed for my husband, 35:14 but he died, you know, so I'm mad at God." 35:17 So why are you mad at God when it's Satan, 35:19 who's out to steal, kill and to destroy? 35:22 Jesus says, "I've come to give you life 35:24 and give it more abundantly." 35:25 But what the Lord does, He... 35:28 When we submit and commit our lives to Him, 35:30 He does not allow, 35:31 Satan can maybe rob us of our home, 35:33 of our car, he can rob us of our health, 35:36 because it's appointed once a time for every man 35:38 to die on this earth. 35:40 He can rob us, but he cannot rob us of our salvation. 35:43 So that's the beauty. 35:44 The security that we have in Jesus, 35:46 is that no matter what the devil wants to do, 35:49 people, well, I'm offended at God. 35:51 No, being offended is a choice. 35:53 Nobody's just offended 35:55 because you can't help it, right? 35:56 It's a choice. 35:58 So what we have to understand again, 36:00 who God is, and who we are. 36:02 And so when we study the Bible, 36:04 it screams out, God is love. 36:07 Yes. God is love. 36:08 How much love is it? 36:10 It's love to get us from here to an eternity with Him. 36:14 That's a lot of love. 36:16 It is. 36:19 Several years ago, before, 36:21 when I just come back to the Lord, 36:24 I think it was 1985. 36:26 And I was studying Word with different Christians, 36:30 we were all studying and some, 36:35 I want to, I asked the Lord to just give me a blank slate, 36:38 just wipe the slate clean 36:39 and let me just start from beginning 36:41 because I was raised as an Adventist. 36:44 But I wanted to know, 36:45 is this where the Lord wanted me to be? 36:47 Or should I look at other things? 36:49 Should I... 36:51 There were people speaking in tongues. 36:52 Should I consider tongues? 36:54 What do you want me to do, Lord? 36:56 And I opened the Bible to, 37:00 and I was raised as an Adventist, right? 37:02 Wow. 37:03 I was an Adventist Christian, went to Adventist schools 37:05 and all that. 37:07 I opened the Word to 2 Timothy, verses, 37:12 let's start with 14, it was 14, 15, 14 and 15. 37:18 "But you must continue in the things 37:20 which you have learned and been assured of, 37:24 knowing from whom you have learned them, 37:26 and that from childhood 37:29 you have known the Holy Scriptures, 37:30 which are able to make you wise 37:33 for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus." 37:36 So the Lord was telling me, "Stay where you are." 37:39 Wow. 37:40 You don't need to go 37:43 into any of these other places. 37:46 The doctrines that you learned as a child, 37:50 this is where you're supposed to be. 37:52 And I think we're, you know, we're not saved 37:54 because we're Adventists or saved because we... 37:57 We're saved because of Jesus Christ 37:59 and what He's done. 38:02 But there, but doctrine matters. 38:04 You know, there are a lot of people who think, 38:06 well, as long as you love Jesus, 38:08 doctrine matters. 38:09 So this, He's provided instruction for us. 38:14 And this is, for me that was just so rich, 38:17 like the Lord was speaking directly to me. 38:20 Don't go anywhere, stay where you are. 38:22 This is where you're supposed to be. 38:23 That's powerful. 38:25 God's principles, they are the principles 38:26 we live by are biblical, they matter. 38:29 If you don't think they do, 38:30 just look at the world around you right now. 38:32 Look at us here 38:33 in the United States of America. 38:35 How crazy and upside down everything here is. 38:39 Things that a few years ago we call mental illness, 38:42 now we celebrate it like transgenders 38:44 and stuff like that. 38:46 I don't want to get into all of that. 38:47 But I'm just saying, that's upside down. 38:50 That's messed up, you know, and so I don't understand, 38:53 but it's because people get away 38:56 from the principles of the Bible. 38:57 Yes. 38:59 And so then when we don't when we're away, 39:01 we don't know the difference. 39:02 Somebody says, "Oh, this is good." 39:03 And we're all great. I didn't know that. 39:05 Well, this is wonderful. Exactly. 39:06 Are you being blown by every wind of doctrine 39:08 because you didn't really dig into the Word of God, 39:11 didn't study, for reproof, 39:13 for diocese is profitable for doctrine, 39:16 for reproof and correction 39:17 and instruction in righteousness. 39:19 You get away from this, 39:21 you're going to see what we're seeing now 39:22 when we turn on the television the news every evening, 39:25 no matter what channel you turn on. 39:29 I really like what you're saying, Yvonne, 39:30 because you know in Hebrews 5 and 6, 39:34 a lot of times are connect with Adventists 39:37 who are just coming back to the Lord 39:39 and they've been out of the church, 39:40 they just been out and... 39:41 Chapters 5 and 6? 39:43 Yeah, they don't know where to go. 39:44 So I always take them to Hebrews Chapters 5 and 6, 39:46 you know, it says here. 39:50 I'm just going to start in verse 11 of Chapter 5, 39:53 "Of whom we have many things to say, 39:54 and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing." 39:57 So Adventist coming back there, 39:59 they know something, 40:01 but they don't really know it anymore. 40:03 But like you said they've been raised for when, verse 12 says, 40:08 "For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, 40:11 ye have need that one teach you again 40:13 which be the first principles of the oracles of God, 40:16 and are become such as have need of milk, 40:19 and not strong meat. 40:21 For everyone that uses milk is unskillful, 40:23 in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 40:26 But strong meat belongs to them that are full of age, 40:29 even those who by reason of use 40:32 have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil." 40:36 Now, this is kind of building into what Danny was saying 40:39 there that, you know, when we exercise ourselves 40:43 in the Word of God, we begin to be able to discern 40:45 between good and evil. 40:46 Yes. We can figure it out. 40:48 But if we've been gone from the Lord 40:50 for a while or whatever, 40:51 we have to go back to the first principles, 40:53 verse 1 of Chapter 6 says of the doctrines of Christ. 40:57 So again, we're not leaving the doctrines, 40:59 the doctrines are important, 41:01 but you don't go off somewhere else, 41:03 you go back to the first principles, 41:05 you gonna have to go back and start again. 41:06 So I tell these young people, 41:08 or some of them, they're older, I say, 41:10 you need to start all over again with the milk. 41:12 Okay. 41:13 And you need to reintroduce yourself 41:15 to the first principles. 41:16 And as you exercise yourself in those first principles, 41:19 you know, it's like, you know, as kids, we do milk, right? 41:22 And then we grow, we do hard food. 41:23 But if you break your jaw, 41:25 if you go through some serious situation in your life, 41:27 you might have to go back to the liquid, right? 41:29 And do liquid diet again, before you can get back, 41:32 you know, where you need to be chewing again, 41:34 and that's the way it is in the Word of God, too. 41:35 You know, so, the reason I say that is because a lot of people 41:39 that have been raised in the Adventist Church, 41:40 or let's just say, in Christianity, 41:42 and all of a sudden, they have this awakening, 41:44 you know, they realize, whoa, 41:46 look what is happening in this world. 41:48 They're mandating stuff, they're forcing us, 41:50 we're not going to be able to buy or sell, 41:52 and then all of a sudden, they wake up, 41:53 you know, those 10 sleeping virgins, they wake up, 41:56 and they start getting their Bibles in order, 41:57 because it says they're trimming their lamps, 41:59 but they get overwhelmed. 42:00 Because you're like, 42:02 "Man, I'm never going to be able to catch up, 42:03 but I'm never going to... 42:04 Man I should, you know." 42:06 And so I said, "No, don't think that in one day, 42:08 you've got to live up to all the light you've ever known. 42:10 Just go back now and start with those first principles 42:13 and lay that foundation that God would have you'.' 42:15 Yeah. 42:17 All very excellent points. 42:18 Excellent points. 42:19 You know, this, I'm liking that you didn't say 42:22 let's go back to our feelings that we had before. 42:25 Right. 42:26 You said our principles. 42:28 So, you know, when we take a look at society, 42:30 I think part of the problem 42:31 is that we're in a feelings based society. 42:35 You know, and that leads us in a direction 42:38 that we don't want to go in. 42:40 We need to be a principle oriented society, 42:42 with principles that are found in the Word of God 42:44 because they don't change. 42:46 Right. 42:47 And, so, yeah, we see ourselves in a world of trouble. 42:51 And in a world of enablers 42:52 because it's, you know, if... 42:54 Oh, yeah. 42:55 They condone the behavior rather than rebuking it 42:59 and you know, in a loving way, rebuking it and telling them 43:03 that God can help them through whatever it is 43:06 that they're dealing with whatever stronghold. 43:08 They were too busy, too busy playing politics, 43:11 and what's politically correct even within the church. 43:14 That's another way the devil is making great inroads, 43:17 because we don't want to offend anybody. 43:19 That's true. 43:21 We better be quiet. 43:23 Don't say anything. 43:24 Right now, I'll guarantee you there'll be some emails 43:26 people say, you shouldn't have said that. 43:28 But honestly, I hate to say that, someone said, 43:32 there's way to say respectfully. 43:33 I really don't care what they think, 43:35 I know what is truth. 43:36 And so we have to speak truth and love. 43:39 And so, God loves everybody. 43:41 So when I talk about what it just did, 43:44 that God loves people and we should love everybody. 43:46 Absolutely. 43:48 But it doesn't mean we have to join those 43:49 that are mentally ill and tell them 43:51 how great this is for them to not even know 43:53 what sex they are, 43:55 in fact, be one biologically 43:56 and claim they're something else. 43:58 I'm not going to go along with that. 44:00 It'd be wrong for me to do so. 44:03 I need to tell the truth. 44:05 Now, it's not for me to judge, it's not for me to condemn, 44:08 that's between them and God. 44:10 And I have my own sins, my own problems in my life. 44:12 So I'm no better than anybody else. 44:14 Right. 44:15 But I'm still not going to go along 44:16 what everybody's saying, it's, 44:18 we have to stand up for what's right. 44:20 And we're all sinners saved by grace. 44:21 Yeah. And we're in this together. 44:24 Absolutely. 44:25 Yeah, you might need some protection from the email. 44:27 So let's look at how God protects us, shall we? 44:33 A good segue too. 44:34 Mom, if you want to take Psalm 34:7? 44:38 Yes. 44:39 Oh, this is my mom's favorite verse. 44:43 The angel of she used to say, 44:44 she did from the King James Version. 44:47 "The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them 44:49 that fear Him and delivereth them." 44:52 You didn't even look at the page. 44:54 No. 44:55 That's the James Version, right? 44:56 King James. 44:59 Well, my mom used to say that verse all the time, 45:02 that was her favorite verse and it's really true. 45:06 So many times, I mean, I know all of us can look back and see 45:10 how God has protected us through so many different, 45:15 through physical dangers through emotional, 45:18 financial issues. 45:19 I mean, He encircles us, you know, the angels. 45:25 Yes, he encamps. 45:27 That's so deep, isn't it? 45:29 I love encampeth, that's great. 45:31 He encamps, I'm not encamper. 45:33 But... Yeah. 45:35 We've got a motor home. 45:36 We got a motor home now. 45:38 We graduated from tents to motor home so. 45:41 Okay, okay. Yeah. 45:42 I'm with that. 45:43 But, yeah, the angels of the Lord, 45:45 so the Lord sends His angels to protect us. 45:50 Even when we're not believers, right? 45:51 Yes. 45:53 Even when we're out in the world like we look back, 45:54 we think, wow, God was actually watching over me 45:56 with all the things I did. 45:58 Yes. It could have been really bad. 45:59 Yes. 46:00 I don't know how I got through that that. 46:02 Praise His love and mercy, He didn't want you to die, 46:04 He could see the future, knew that you at some point, 46:07 all of us would accept Him and be workers in the vineyard 46:11 so you know God in His mercy and all-knowing wisdom. 46:14 But, Jay, the very next says, 46:15 oh, taste and see the Lord is good." 46:17 Oh, yes. 46:18 Blessed is the man 46:20 that trusteth in Him. 46:25 Blessed is the man that trusteth in Him, 46:27 so we should all be blessed. 46:28 There's no reason you can say oh, 46:30 one of the friends that we used to know 46:32 in ministry as a supporting ministry. 46:34 At church I would call him I'd say, 46:36 "Brother, how you doing?" 46:37 He'd say, I tell you the devil's beat me. 46:39 You know, the devil's beat me up. 46:42 No matter when I call and how often talked to him 46:44 about once a month, how you doing, Brother? 46:46 The devil's beat me. 46:48 So finally he said, "How you doing?" 46:49 I know who that is. 46:51 I think you do too. 46:53 Oh, yes. Yeah. 46:54 Well, I'm not going to say but... 46:57 But then I would say he'd say, "How are you doing?" 47:00 I'd say, "If I was any better, I couldn't stand." 47:01 "You get a big donation?" 47:04 I said, "No, I'm blessed. 47:06 I'm blessed, you know. 47:07 I read the back of the book Revelation, 47:10 it says, we win, they overcame him 47:12 by the blood of the Lamb 47:13 and the word of their testimony. 47:14 I'm not worried about all these little things 47:16 that happened around, you know." 47:17 And he's say, "Oh, okay, well, I thought maybe, you know." 47:20 So I said, "No, no, no, we should always say 47:23 praise the Lord from whom all blessings flow." 47:25 Yes. 47:27 Count our blessing instead of sheep as that old song says. 47:29 Yes, yes, absolutely. 47:32 So much thinking therefore. 47:36 That's experience. 47:37 Pastor Rafferty, Isaiah 41:10? 47:41 Isaiah 41:10, "Fear not, for I am with you, 47:45 do not be dismayed, for I am your God. 47:48 I will strengthen you. 47:49 Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you 47:52 with My righteous right hand." 47:55 I was going to read it from... 47:56 I've got it here in my phone Bible 47:59 which is New King James 48:00 and I was thinking about it in the King James. 48:02 Yeah. 48:03 I'll uphold you, ye. 48:05 Yeah. 48:08 I was almost switching that automatically 48:10 as I was reading the verse. 48:11 I love it. 48:13 Yeah, and then Isaiah 43:1-3, which just that's one, 48:18 three of my favorites. 48:19 "Fear not, for I've redeemed you, 48:21 I've called you by name, you are mine. 48:25 When you pass through the waters, 48:27 I will be with you into the rivers. 48:29 They will not overflow you, when you walk through the fire, 48:32 you will not be burned, 48:34 neither will the flame kindle upon you, 48:35 for I am the Lord your God, 48:37 the Holy One of Israel, your Savior." 48:40 Who's that? Who wrote that? 48:42 Isaiah. Isaiah. 48:43 So that was something that three worthies there 48:46 and Daniel, they were familiar with. 48:47 Oh. 48:49 Because Isaiah was before the Babylonian captivity, 48:52 before they went into Babylon. 48:54 So if you know that when you pass through the fire. 48:57 Yeah, that's it. 48:58 You should be singing that to some through the water, 49:00 some through the fire. 49:02 Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. 49:03 Some through great riches, but all are great trials, 49:06 but all through the blood. 49:08 Yeah. 49:09 So we're going through the fire that song. 49:11 Yeah. 49:12 You can sing that, you got to sing that for us 49:14 one of these days. 49:15 Ryan Day takes off 49:16 when songwriting our Sabbath school. 49:18 Yeah, that's good. He takes all the time. 49:20 Lot of them like the present. 49:23 Yeah. 49:25 But, yeah, those verses to me say that 49:29 with each level of trial that you have. 49:32 That's good. 49:34 You know, if it's the waters, 49:35 that's one level, basic, the rivers... 49:38 That's another level. 49:40 That's another level, and then the fire. 49:42 That's the deepest, 49:44 that's the worst you could go through. 49:46 But at each level, fear not, I have redeemed you. 49:50 I've called you by name, that is so intimate. 49:53 Yes. 49:54 You are mine. 49:56 Again showing His love, 49:57 showing the direction of His love. 49:59 Which way is that direction? 50:01 It's toward us. 50:03 And so, that for me, I love those verses. 50:06 Isaiah has some beautiful... He does. 50:09 Beautiful verses. 50:10 We just as we get older we understand 50:12 from the spiritual perspective, because as Christians, 50:16 we learn to live 50:17 in the spiritual and not physical. 50:19 So, again, I meet so many people 50:22 that are discouraged with God 50:24 because son or daughter, someone died. 50:27 And I always tell them, "Well, who hasn't died?" 50:29 I mean, think of all the billions of people 50:31 on planet earth and show me one that's, 50:34 that lived more than 130 years ago. 50:36 Everybody hear is new or new people on this earth. 50:40 And as already mentioned, precious in the sight 50:42 of the Lord are the death of His saints. 50:43 So what I try to understand is, it's not about this life. 50:48 So even when we die, he's like oh, 50:51 boy, my prayers weren't heard. 50:52 No, if we died in the Lord, 50:54 that's what we should be praying for. 50:55 Amen. 50:57 Because all of us are going to die should the Lord tarry. 50:59 That's no big deal. 51:00 It's that are we ready to meet Jesus? 51:04 So we shouldn't base God's love to us 51:06 based on what did He give me this, did I get that 51:09 because I was really wanting that new car, 51:11 or I wanted this or, you know, that? 51:14 No, no, we don't do that, that He's giving us His Word, 51:17 so that we can stick to this Word, 51:20 and by the Holy Spirit, 51:23 by the knowledge that He gives us 51:25 the understanding and that He's able to change hearts, 51:28 that we now are looking as Hebrews Chapter 11, 51:31 we're looking for all, we're sojourners, 51:34 you know, we're here, but there's our home, 51:37 we're like the homing pigeon, 51:38 you know, you, that's always, you know, comes back. 51:41 Well, we're going, we were originated in heaven 51:44 through God. 51:45 So we're going to go back, we go through this life, 51:48 but we always realize we're just strangers here 51:51 that we'll make into heaven, so praise God. 51:53 So if we can concentrate more on the spirit 51:57 when we're reading all these texts, 51:58 on the spiritual part, that God's going to save us, 52:02 because He loves us so much. 52:03 It's up to you and me, as I said earlier, 52:05 no one can cost us our salvation. 52:08 Devil is not strong enough to do that. 52:10 God is all powerful. 52:12 So it's just between us and Him. 52:14 And all we have to do, I think it's actually harder, 52:18 or I think it's easier to be saved than it is to be lost. 52:22 You know, really, I didn't think that 52:24 growing up sometimes as kid, 52:25 we heard all the do's and don'ts. 52:27 Yes. 52:28 But the very fact is, it's a very simple plan, 52:30 for God so loved the world 52:32 that He gave His only begotten Son, 52:33 that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, 52:37 but have everlasting life. 52:39 I mean, there it is, in a nutshell, the love of God. 52:42 Yeah. 52:43 And we got to look at who's doing the saving 52:45 and who's doing the losing. 52:46 Yeah. 52:48 So God's doing the saving 52:49 and the Satan is doing the losing. 52:50 So who's more powerful? God. 52:52 I think the guy that's doing the saving is more powerful 52:53 than the guy who is doing the losing, right? 52:55 But Satan wants us to think that he's more powerful. 52:57 Yes. 52:58 And he gets our mind on his powering focused on him. 53:01 That's why when you read the Book of Revelation. 53:04 Back to Revelation. 53:06 Everyone focuses on the negative. 53:07 That's true. 53:09 Jesus is all through the book, 53:10 and you get focusing on the negative 53:12 and you lose sight of the power 53:13 and then you get overwhelmed 53:14 and then you start thinking, 53:16 how am I going to make it through 53:17 the, you know, the last plagues? 53:18 I thought it was going to be raptured out of here. 53:20 Yeah. 53:21 No problem if you got your mind on Jesus, 53:22 because anywhere where Jesus I can safely go. 53:24 Yes, come on. 53:25 Anywhere. Anywhere. 53:27 Here I cannot know. 53:28 Yes, that's beautiful. 53:30 And that's encouraging too, you know, that is encouraging. 53:33 And, you know, let's look at 53:34 how He professes His love for us. 53:36 You called in on John 3:16. 53:39 But there's also Romans 5:6-8, which says, 53:43 "For when we were still without strength, 53:45 in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 53:48 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die, 53:51 yet perhaps for a good man, someone would even dare to die. 53:55 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, 53:58 in that while we were still sinners, 54:01 Christ died for us." 54:03 There comes that King James. 54:04 He didn't wait for us to be perfect to die for us. 54:07 He died for us while we were still sinners. 54:09 That's right. That's powerful. 54:10 That's love. 54:12 That is. 54:13 And so, I'm so happy that that sacrifice 54:16 has been made during that time, 54:18 there's no greater love than that. 54:20 That's right. There's no greater love. 54:22 That's right. 54:23 That's why when I think about God's, 54:24 you know, what we started with, 54:26 with the length and breadth and width, 54:27 you know, the width of God's love is it's all inclusive. 54:30 You know, God so loved the world. 54:31 Yeah. 54:32 If I be lifted up, I will draw all, 54:34 you know, in Isaiah 53:6, it says, 54:37 you know, "All we like sheep have gone astray, 54:39 and the Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all." 54:42 Even like you said earlier, Danny, 54:44 you know, God knew certain people 54:45 were going to do certain things and He could use them, 54:47 but even people who, you know, He knew 54:50 weren't maybe going to change like Judas, 54:52 Jesus still washed his feet. 54:53 Jesus still invited him in The Last Supper. 54:55 You know, what I'm saying. Yes. 54:56 Jesus still said to the leaders, 54:59 Father forgive them for they know not what they do. 55:01 So you got that, you've got that, I love that width, 55:04 because it's all inclusive 55:06 and then you've got that length. 55:07 You know, I think of God's longsuffering love, 55:09 God is longsuffering to us, 55:11 just goes longer and longer and longer. 55:13 I think about the depth of God's love 55:15 how he came all the way, 55:16 Jesus came all the way down, right? 55:18 And the height of God's love is, 55:20 we're going to sit with Him on His throne. 55:22 That's what it says in Revelation 3. 55:24 I've got a place for you on my throne. 55:25 Yes. 55:26 Amen. 55:28 That brings us right back to the love of God 55:30 is greater far than tongue or pen can ever tell. 55:33 It goes beyond, as you just said, 55:35 the highest star and reaches to the lowest hell. 55:37 There's, you can't confine God's love. 55:41 And so that's incredible, then the very last, 55:44 oh, love of God, how rich and pure, 55:46 how measureless and strong, 55:48 it shall forever forevermore endure, 55:51 the saints' and angels' song. 55:53 We serve a God of love. 55:54 Amen. And that's so powerful. 55:56 You know, He loves us so much 55:58 that whether or not we choose to believe in Him, 56:01 He still loves us. 56:02 I remember I was having a conversation with an atheist. 56:05 He was my Uber driver. 56:06 And we're just talking and he was like, 56:08 "Well, what are you out here for?" 56:10 And I said, "You know, I'm here. 56:11 I'm a general manager 56:13 of a Christian television network. 56:14 And we've got a camp meeting going on and everything." 56:17 And he was like, "Well, no offense, 56:18 I don't believe in God." 56:20 I said, "None taken." 56:21 I said the same God I serve is the same one 56:23 that allows you to have the choice 56:25 whether or not you want to serve Him. 56:27 Amen. He loves you that much. 56:28 So that's your choice, no offense. 56:31 And so we just talked and then just planted the seed 56:33 and who knows where God... 56:35 Absolutely. Yeah. 56:36 Did or where He will take it. 56:38 My job is not to convict, I'm not the Holy Spirit. 56:40 That's right. 56:41 So, you know, he's going to work on the heart 56:43 and so just pray for that individual. 56:45 But that's how much God loves us 56:47 to give us that choice. 56:49 He doesn't force us... That's right. 56:50 He died for that choice. 56:52 Jesus died to preserve that choice. 56:54 That's why I think one of the greatest condemnations 56:56 that you find in the Bible 56:58 is against a system called Babylon 57:00 because it compels and forces people against their choice, 57:03 against their freedom. 57:04 And God says that system is coming down 57:06 and I'm going to bring it down with the gospel. 57:08 I'm going to bring it down with the cross, 57:09 because on the cross, I died. 57:11 And I said, they can choose whichever way they want to go, 57:13 I'm not going to force them. 57:14 That's beautiful. It's great. 57:15 And praise God for that. 57:17 We don't like to be forced with anything. 57:19 That's right. 57:20 And that's human tendency. 57:22 We want to give up the red, we don't want to taken out of. 57:23 That's right. That's right. 57:25 And so, to sum it all up, 57:27 love's direction points heavenward. 57:30 So God pours out His love, and we look up to Him. 57:34 Amen. 57:35 Until next time, God bless you. |
Revised 2021-11-29