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♪ theme music ♪
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(Derek) Welcome to Hope Sabbath School,
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an in-depth, interactive study
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of the Word of God.
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We are in the middle
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of a very important series,
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Bible Prophecies and Stories
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for the Last Days.
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If you've missed any, go to our website,
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hopetv.org/hopess.
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You can watch the past episodes there.
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Or, go to our YouTube channel,
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Hope Sabbath School, and watch them there.
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Today, we're starting to examine
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The Nations as a theme in Bible prophecy,
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and we're glad you joined us.
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Welcome to the team,
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say, "Hi," to each other,
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glad you're all here.
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You're looking great today.
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And we've got some remotes
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joining us, too; let's see who's with us.
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Gleny, great to have you back with us,
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glad you're here.
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Jorge, good to see you with us today.
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And, Leeah, always good
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to have you with us.
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And we're glad that you're with us, too,
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because you're part of the great miracle
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called Hope Sabbath School
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wherever you are, around the world.
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Why don't you write to us today,
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sshope@hopetv.org.
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Or, you can leave a note
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on our YouTube channel,
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but make sure you include the country
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where you call home.
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Here's a note from Jane in Maine
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in the United States of America.
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She says, "Hi to everyone.
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I love you all.
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Thank you, Hope Sabbath School team."
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Well, let's give Jane a wave, shall we?
Thank you.
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"I receive a great blessing watching
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and studying with you every week.
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I love the interactive study of the Bible.
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May God continue to bless
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each and every one who participates
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in this study of the Word of God,"
and we say...?
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(Derek, Team) Amen.
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(Derek) Wherever you are around the world,
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Jane, you're up there in Maine,
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we're glad you're part
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of our Hope Sabbath School family.
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Paulette writes from Jamaica.
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Oh, we've got some Jamaican connections
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on the team, "Greetings
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to Hope Sabbath School," that's Paulette.
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"I'm writing from Jamaica.
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I must say, I enjoy
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your interaction on the team,
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and I learn a lot from the class.
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Keep up the good work always.
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I pray that God will use me
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for His glory!" Amen?
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(Team) Amen.
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(Derek) You know, that's absolutely true.
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We don't just want people
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to admire something happening.
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We're praying that this can be multiplied
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in our lives and in your life
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around the world.
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Here's an unusual donor note.
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Most of our donors come
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from North America;
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this donor comes from Australia.
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And the donor writes, "Hello,
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Hope Sabbath School team.
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Thank you for continuing
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to share Jesus..."
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(Team) Amen.
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(Derek) "...and sharing His Word
and His love
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in an unconditional, nonjudgmental way.
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May this small gift continue to brighten
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one or two corners of this globe
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until Jesus comes."
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Now, there must be some...
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what do you call it...exchange fees
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for transferring the funds
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from the Australian dollar
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to the U.S. dollar,
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because a generous gift
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of 196 dollars and 78 cents arrived.
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And I want to thank you, Donor
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in Australia (you know who you are)
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for that generous gift
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because we're a donor-supported ministry,
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and thank you for being part
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of the miracle of God,
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and for each one of you.
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Some of you who help once a month,
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some of you help once a year,
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whatever you do, we thank you.
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You can go to our website,
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hopetv.org/hopess, and say, "Lord,
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let me be part of the miracle
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of sharing Your love with the world."
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One last note, from Rosemary in Arkansas
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in the United States of America,
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"Hello, Hope Sabbath School team."
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Do you think they put that
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so we can wave? I think so.
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"I've learned so much
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from watching your show.
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I'm very grateful and blessed.
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I love the Scripture songs
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and often hum or sing them
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throughout the day.
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Thank you so much for everything you do
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to reach the world and spread the gospel
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and the love of Jesus."
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Well, before we sing the song,
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Let the Word of Christ Dwell in You,
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I just want to say, years ago,
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when my wife began to compose
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Scripture songs with a prayer
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that God's Word would be hidden
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in the hearts of our two little boys,
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she had no idea that it would impact
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so many people, but isn't that
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just what God does?
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He just says, "You be faithful to Me
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in your little sphere, and I'm going
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to bless the world through you."
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So, I hope you download those songs
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because there's a free song each quarter,
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a theme song; you can download it free.
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And I hear people saying, "Oh,
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I know all of your songs."
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We were somewhere just last week,
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and the person says,
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"Let the Word of Christ..."
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I said, "Oh, you learned
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some Scripture songs - Praise God."
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But while you're there at the website,
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you can also download the free gift
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for this series, because I was praying,
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"God, is there a special gift?"
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We're talking about Bible Prophecies
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and Stories for the Last Days,
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and I thought of a book
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called Radical Protection.
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I think it was offered years ago,
but there are
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so many new Hope Sabbath School members,
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I said, "We need to offer that again"
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because the prophet Daniel says
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there's coming a time of trouble
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such as never was, and we need
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that supernatural protection
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so we can face the future without fear.
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Because when we face the future
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with Jesus, we're not afraid.
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So, go to our website, hopetv.org/hopess,
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click on the Free Gift tab, and you can
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download a free digital copy
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of that valuable resource
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and share it with your friends.
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But, right now I'd like to hear you sing,
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because we've learned a theme song
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from Colossians 3:16.
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And you say, "Derek, you
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don't sound that good."
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Well, sing with us, will you?
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Let's all sing together and hide
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the Word in our hearts,
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Let the Word of Christ Dwell in You.
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Let's sing it together.
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♪ music ♪
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(Derek) Let's pray together.
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Father in Heaven, we believe this series
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on Bible Prophecies and Stories
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for the Last Days is very relevant
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for our lives today.
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And so, I pray the same Holy Spirit
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who inspired the prophets,
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the same Holy Spirit who protected
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the Scriptures through the generations,
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that same Holy Spirit Jesus promised
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would lead us into all truth,
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that that would happen
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as we study Your Word today, not just here
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but with our Hope Sabbath School family
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around the world.
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We pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
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(Team) Amen.
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(Derek) Well, in this study
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and the one to follow, we're going
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to be studying the theme
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of The Nations and how the nations
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are part of Bible prophecy.
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The first place the nations are mentioned
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is in the book of Genesis,
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and so we'll start there
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in Genesis, chapter 10.
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And actually it's related to chapter 11,
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but let's start by looking in Genesis,
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chapter 10, and, Mighty, I'm going
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to ask you if you'd read for us
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Genesis 10, the first five verses.
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Now, there are some unusual names there,
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but just say them the best you can
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because we don't know
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how to say them either, but Genesis,
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chapter 10, verses 1 through 5.
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(Mighty) I'll be reading
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from the New American Standard Bible,
and it says:
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(Derek) Thank you so much.
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Wow, what a great job
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of reading those names, you know?
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But the last words "into their nations,"
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now, in order to understand -
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and their languages -
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there was actually only one language
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until chapter 11, so really 10 and 11
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are together, and now they're
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forming into nations.
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So, the question is, what happened
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in Genesis, chapter 11, Zaria,
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in verses 1 through 4, if you could read.
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Let's see what happened in Genesis 11:1-4.
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(Zaria) I'll be reading
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from the New King James Version:
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(Derek) So, here they are, and we know
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that the judgment of God comes,
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and languages are confused.
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And now we just read in chapter 10
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that they divide into nations.
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So, was the forming into nations
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an act of obedience
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or an act of rebellion?
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(Team Members) Rebellion.
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(Team Members) No.
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(Derek) Okay, how many said rebellion?
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Two, three, two and a half, okay.
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How many of you think
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it was an act of obedience?
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How many of you don't know?
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How many of you would say
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it could have been one or the other?
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Because they were supposed to go
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to the ends of the earth, right,
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and subdue it; that was the assignment.
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And presumably in that, they would be
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living in harmony with the will of God.
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Unfortunately, as the nations emerge,
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we find a different spirit
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from what God intended,
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and we'll find a clue back in chapter 10.
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Nicole, if you could read for us
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in Genesis, chapter 10,
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verses 8 through 12, and we find
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a character mentioned,
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by the name of Nimrod.
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(Nicole) The New International Version
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of Genesis 10, verses 8 through 12, says:
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(Derek) What do you learn about Nimrod
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from that short description?
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Anybody. Yes, Puia.
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(Puia) Derek, I think what stood out
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for me here is the fact that Nimrod
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is described as a mighty hunter
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before the Lord, and it doesn't sound
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like it is a compliment.
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It sounds like he is
275
00:15:22,067 --> 00:15:23,908
continuing the rebellion
276
00:15:23,908 --> 00:15:26,274
against the governments of God.
277
00:15:26,274 --> 00:15:29,659
(Derek) Anybody else, what impacted
you? Travis?
278
00:15:29,659 --> 00:15:31,242
(Travis) So, what I'm seeing here
279
00:15:31,242 --> 00:15:32,593
from the nations (and Nimrod
280
00:15:32,593 --> 00:15:34,434
is continuing this) is the same spirit
281
00:15:34,434 --> 00:15:35,929
that was at Babel, "Let us make
282
00:15:35,929 --> 00:15:37,011
a name for ourselves."
283
00:15:37,011 --> 00:15:38,617
It continues with Nimrod,
284
00:15:38,617 --> 00:15:39,981
and it continues to this day
285
00:15:39,981 --> 00:15:41,571
with all of the nations,
286
00:15:41,571 --> 00:15:43,501
nation against nation, always trying
287
00:15:43,501 --> 00:15:45,012
to make a name for themselves,
288
00:15:45,012 --> 00:15:48,222
be better and usurp the next nation.
289
00:15:48,222 --> 00:15:49,246
(Derek) Yes, Jenner.
290
00:15:49,246 --> 00:15:50,504
(Jenner) Important to note
291
00:15:50,504 --> 00:15:51,429
is also verse 10,
292
00:15:51,429 --> 00:15:53,394
and from the New American Standard Bible,
293
00:15:53,394 --> 00:15:54,799
"The beginning of his kingdom
294
00:15:54,799 --> 00:15:57,101
was Babel," which introduces us
295
00:15:57,101 --> 00:16:01,453
to the next chapter, so negative language
towards Nimrod the whole time.
296
00:16:01,453 --> 00:16:02,907
(Derek) And of course, he will
297
00:16:02,907 --> 00:16:05,200
end up also building Nineveh,
298
00:16:05,200 --> 00:16:07,781
and we know the reputation that Nineveh
299
00:16:07,781 --> 00:16:10,761
would have, too, right?
300
00:16:10,761 --> 00:16:14,689
So, back to where this ambition came from.
301
00:16:14,689 --> 00:16:18,440
You say it came from wanting to build
302
00:16:18,440 --> 00:16:20,408
the Tower of Babel, but where is
303
00:16:20,408 --> 00:16:24,948
the spirit of the nations coming from?
304
00:16:24,948 --> 00:16:27,632
Well, let's go to a description
305
00:16:27,632 --> 00:16:31,796
by the prophet Isaiah in chapter 14.
306
00:16:31,796 --> 00:16:33,158
Now, I realize some of you
307
00:16:33,158 --> 00:16:34,256
have read this before -
308
00:16:34,256 --> 00:16:36,116
James, maybe you could read it for us,
309
00:16:36,116 --> 00:16:37,659
verses 12 to 14 -
310
00:16:37,659 --> 00:16:39,703
but someone joining us
311
00:16:39,703 --> 00:16:41,086
for Hope Sabbath School today
312
00:16:41,086 --> 00:16:43,414
is hearing this for the very first time,
313
00:16:43,414 --> 00:16:45,950
and it may be quite startling
314
00:16:45,950 --> 00:16:49,012
because this is the testimony
315
00:16:49,012 --> 00:16:54,075
of a fallen angel, one who was created,
316
00:16:54,075 --> 00:16:56,868
Ezekiel says, in perfection,
317
00:16:56,868 --> 00:16:58,930
but who rebelled against God.
318
00:16:58,930 --> 00:17:00,948
And let's listen to the spirit
319
00:17:00,948 --> 00:17:03,408
of this fallen angel as described
320
00:17:03,408 --> 00:17:05,186
by the prophet Isaiah.
321
00:17:05,186 --> 00:17:06,483
(James) And I'll be reading
322
00:17:06,483 --> 00:17:08,222
from the New King James Version:
323
00:17:45,308 --> 00:17:46,689
(Derek) And, Travis, you said
324
00:17:46,689 --> 00:17:49,305
that same spirit is manifested today...
325
00:17:49,305 --> 00:17:50,120
(Travis) Correct.
326
00:17:50,120 --> 00:17:51,804
(Derek) ...with the nations wanting
327
00:17:51,804 --> 00:17:59,865
to exercise dominion, to dominate
328
00:17:59,865 --> 00:18:02,552
powers around them. Yes.
329
00:18:02,552 --> 00:18:04,374
(Travis) I just want to say something
330
00:18:04,374 --> 00:18:05,426
as we just read this.
331
00:18:05,426 --> 00:18:10,326
It says, "you, who weakened the nations,"
332
00:18:10,326 --> 00:18:13,563
it's associating an exaltation of self
333
00:18:13,563 --> 00:18:15,633
to the weakening of a nation.
334
00:18:15,633 --> 00:18:17,318
So, if we would glorify God,
335
00:18:17,318 --> 00:18:19,135
we would have a powerful nation.
336
00:18:19,135 --> 00:18:21,521
And if we would exalt ourselves,
337
00:18:21,521 --> 00:18:22,790
the nation would get weak,
338
00:18:22,790 --> 00:18:24,417
if I am reading that correctly.
339
00:18:24,417 --> 00:18:26,417
(Derek) So, let's talk about what God
340
00:18:26,417 --> 00:18:28,646
wanted to do with Abram.
341
00:18:28,646 --> 00:18:30,414
That was his name originally, right,
342
00:18:30,414 --> 00:18:33,000
and later he was called Abraham.
343
00:18:33,000 --> 00:18:35,034
But Abram, He wanted to form him
344
00:18:35,034 --> 00:18:37,971
into a nation, but a nation that was
345
00:18:37,971 --> 00:18:42,208
very different from "the nations,"
346
00:18:42,208 --> 00:18:45,142
which come out of Babel, okay?
347
00:18:45,142 --> 00:18:48,408
So, let's go to Genesis, chapter 12.
348
00:18:48,408 --> 00:18:49,983
Tendi, if you could read
349
00:18:49,983 --> 00:18:51,869
the first three verses.
350
00:18:51,869 --> 00:18:54,605
What do you see immediately
351
00:18:54,605 --> 00:18:58,235
in this call to Abram to be a nation
352
00:18:58,235 --> 00:19:00,844
that's so different from the attitude
353
00:19:00,844 --> 00:19:02,712
that we read earlier
354
00:19:02,712 --> 00:19:04,300
in the book of Genesis?
355
00:19:04,300 --> 00:19:05,598
(Tendi) And I'll be reading
356
00:19:05,598 --> 00:19:08,390
from the New King James Version:
and it reads:
357
00:19:41,648 --> 00:19:42,904
(Derek) Alright, so what's
358
00:19:42,904 --> 00:19:43,808
the big difference?
359
00:19:43,808 --> 00:19:45,506
What jumps out at you? Nicole?
360
00:19:45,506 --> 00:19:47,124
(Nicole) Well, in this case,
361
00:19:47,124 --> 00:19:48,927
God is offering the blessing.
362
00:19:48,927 --> 00:19:51,346
It's not that Abram is taking them.
363
00:19:51,346 --> 00:19:52,847
It's that He's offering them,
364
00:19:52,847 --> 00:19:54,371
and He's saying, "Through Me
365
00:19:54,371 --> 00:19:55,386
you will be blessed,"
366
00:19:55,386 --> 00:19:57,079
instead of the other one, which is,
367
00:19:57,079 --> 00:19:58,152
"I will ascend; I will
368
00:19:58,152 --> 00:19:59,564
be better, I will, I will..."
369
00:19:59,564 --> 00:20:00,825
(Derek) Okay, so there are
370
00:20:00,825 --> 00:20:03,325
actually several things going on here.
371
00:20:03,325 --> 00:20:07,161
One, instead of saying, "I will be great,"
372
00:20:07,161 --> 00:20:09,313
"I will do this," it is God saying,
373
00:20:09,313 --> 00:20:10,635
"I will do this for you,"
374
00:20:10,635 --> 00:20:14,208
"I will do this for you," but also...?
375
00:20:14,208 --> 00:20:15,233
(Travis) The earth...
376
00:20:15,233 --> 00:20:16,856
(Derek) "The earth will be blessed
377
00:20:16,856 --> 00:20:19,201
because of this nation that will
378
00:20:19,201 --> 00:20:20,552
come forth from you."
379
00:20:20,552 --> 00:20:22,160
Do you see the big difference
380
00:20:22,160 --> 00:20:23,350
between that and what we
381
00:20:23,350 --> 00:20:25,096
read earlier in the chapter?
382
00:20:25,096 --> 00:20:27,494
Well, the prophet Moses
383
00:20:27,494 --> 00:20:30,301
understood that as God's ideal.
384
00:20:30,301 --> 00:20:31,703
Look in Deuteronomy.
385
00:20:31,703 --> 00:20:33,261
Jenner, if you could read for us
386
00:20:33,261 --> 00:20:35,772
in Deuteronomy, chapter 4,
387
00:20:35,772 --> 00:20:37,868
verses 5 through 10.
388
00:20:37,868 --> 00:20:39,396
(Jenner) Deuteronomy, chapter 4?
389
00:20:39,396 --> 00:20:41,976
(Derek) Chapter 4, beginning with verse 5.
390
00:20:41,976 --> 00:20:47,301
Moses understood God's ideal in the nation
391
00:20:47,301 --> 00:20:49,390
that would be formed from Abram.
392
00:20:49,390 --> 00:20:50,688
(Jenner) I will be reading
393
00:20:50,688 --> 00:20:52,523
from the New American Standard Bible,
394
00:20:52,523 --> 00:20:55,059
Deuteronomy 4, starting with verse 5:
395
00:22:26,351 --> 00:22:28,146
(Derek) And you know that word "fear"
396
00:22:28,146 --> 00:22:29,903
can be translated "to be afraid"
397
00:22:29,903 --> 00:22:33,592
or "reverent," right, "Show reverence
398
00:22:33,592 --> 00:22:35,233
toward Me," right,
399
00:22:35,233 --> 00:22:37,433
if the relationship is right.
400
00:22:37,433 --> 00:22:41,919
So, again, God says, "I'll bless you.
401
00:22:41,919 --> 00:22:43,605
Others will be blessed through you,
402
00:22:43,605 --> 00:22:47,576
but even more than that, when others see
403
00:22:47,576 --> 00:22:51,947
the blessing of God," what? What?
404
00:22:51,947 --> 00:22:54,374
(Zaria) They're attracted to it and want
to learn...
405
00:22:54,374 --> 00:22:59,567
(Derek) Make the "it" more specific.
They're attracted to...?
406
00:22:59,567 --> 00:23:03,844
...to learn more about God, right?!
Jenner?
407
00:23:03,844 --> 00:23:06,668
(Jenner) Very specifically,
a personal God.
408
00:23:06,668 --> 00:23:11,543
Verse 7 emphasizes a God that is so near,
409
00:23:11,543 --> 00:23:12,785
and He always listens
410
00:23:12,785 --> 00:23:14,446
whenever we call on Him.
411
00:23:14,446 --> 00:23:15,670
(Derek) I'm going to talk
412
00:23:15,670 --> 00:23:16,962
to some of our remotes here
413
00:23:16,962 --> 00:23:20,105
because some reminders needed to go out.
414
00:23:20,105 --> 00:23:22,695
And we've got three reminders in Isaiah
415
00:23:22,695 --> 00:23:28,450
I'll give to Gleny and Leeah and Jorge.
416
00:23:28,450 --> 00:23:31,600
Let's start with Gleny in Isaiah 42:6,
417
00:23:31,600 --> 00:23:33,573
then we'll look at 49:6
418
00:23:33,573 --> 00:23:35,326
and then 60, verse 3.
419
00:23:35,326 --> 00:23:37,488
It sounds like lots of reminders
420
00:23:37,488 --> 00:23:41,923
had to go out, "Don't forget
421
00:23:41,923 --> 00:23:44,387
why you are a people."
422
00:23:44,387 --> 00:23:45,815
Now, we're going to need that
423
00:23:45,815 --> 00:23:47,335
in the last days as a church,
424
00:23:47,335 --> 00:23:51,106
"Don't forget why I've called you," right?
425
00:23:51,106 --> 00:23:53,609
Not so people will say, "I'm so great.
426
00:23:53,609 --> 00:23:55,545
I have this and this and this,"
427
00:23:55,545 --> 00:23:56,989
but that people would say,
428
00:23:56,989 --> 00:23:59,525
"What a great God you serve."
429
00:23:59,525 --> 00:24:01,149
Gleny, what's the reminder
430
00:24:01,149 --> 00:24:04,533
in Isaiah 42, verse 6?
431
00:24:04,533 --> 00:24:05,825
(Gleny) And I'll be reading
432
00:24:05,825 --> 00:24:08,318
from the New King James Version,
and it says:
433
00:24:20,981 --> 00:24:22,506
(Derek) So, God's ideal then was
434
00:24:22,506 --> 00:24:25,660
that they would be what, to the nations
or the Gentiles?
435
00:24:25,660 --> 00:24:26,830
(Derek, Team) A light.
436
00:24:26,830 --> 00:24:31,040
(Derek) Let's look in 49, verse 6, Leeah,
437
00:24:31,040 --> 00:24:34,427
Isaiah 49:6, and see how the prophet
438
00:24:34,427 --> 00:24:38,792
reminds them of that mission.
439
00:24:38,792 --> 00:24:41,180
(Leeah) In the English Standard Version,
it reads:
440
00:24:55,333 --> 00:24:58,307
(Derek) Ah, so it's not just some blessing
441
00:24:58,307 --> 00:25:01,066
for Abraham and his descendants,
442
00:25:01,066 --> 00:25:03,993
that is, the nation of Israel, but it is
443
00:25:03,993 --> 00:25:06,726
to bless the entire world, right?
444
00:25:06,726 --> 00:25:10,334
One last reference from Isaiah, Jorge,
445
00:25:10,334 --> 00:25:14,871
in chapter 60 and verse 3.
446
00:25:14,871 --> 00:25:16,939
(Jorge) Isaiah 60, verse 3,
447
00:25:16,939 --> 00:25:17,712
I'll be reading
448
00:25:17,712 --> 00:25:20,616
from the New King James Version, it says:
449
00:25:26,806 --> 00:25:28,474
(Derek) I want to thank you, Jorge.
450
00:25:28,474 --> 00:25:30,280
One of the things we have to remember,
451
00:25:30,280 --> 00:25:33,171
then, is when they "come to your light,"
452
00:25:33,171 --> 00:25:35,122
what do we need to do?
453
00:25:35,122 --> 00:25:36,730
(Nicole) Reflect them up.
454
00:25:36,730 --> 00:25:40,763
(Derek) We need to deflect that praise,
455
00:25:40,763 --> 00:25:44,281
right, to the Light of the world.
456
00:25:44,281 --> 00:25:47,687
Gleny, I see your hand.
457
00:25:47,687 --> 00:25:49,920
(Gleny) And I was just quickly trying
458
00:25:49,920 --> 00:25:54,107
to think of what makes this nation
459
00:25:54,107 --> 00:25:56,138
a light to the world, and I think
460
00:25:56,138 --> 00:25:59,096
it's the distinct principles it runs on.
461
00:25:59,096 --> 00:26:00,451
Like, for instance, when you
462
00:26:00,451 --> 00:26:03,068
look at Maslow's hierarchy of needs,
463
00:26:03,068 --> 00:26:04,951
you start with food, shelter,
464
00:26:04,951 --> 00:26:06,620
all of those things.
465
00:26:06,620 --> 00:26:09,332
But here, the kingdom of God
466
00:26:09,332 --> 00:26:12,194
focuses on seeking Him first,
467
00:26:12,194 --> 00:26:14,807
and that's the way you get
468
00:26:14,807 --> 00:26:16,680
all of your needs met.
469
00:26:16,680 --> 00:26:19,163
So, I'm imagining all the nations
470
00:26:19,163 --> 00:26:22,875
seeing this kingdom that follows
471
00:26:22,875 --> 00:26:26,256
under this principle of a God who says,
472
00:26:26,256 --> 00:26:28,908
"Look at Me, and you will get
473
00:26:28,908 --> 00:26:30,989
all of your deepest desires met,"
474
00:26:30,989 --> 00:26:33,851
rather than the other way around.
475
00:26:33,851 --> 00:26:35,761
(Derek) Thank you for pointing that out.
476
00:26:35,761 --> 00:26:38,192
That's deep thought right there.
477
00:26:38,192 --> 00:26:40,538
And it ties into my question,
478
00:26:40,538 --> 00:26:43,901
and that is, what's the difference,
479
00:26:43,901 --> 00:26:45,534
just from our initial study
480
00:26:45,534 --> 00:26:47,745
between the nations,
481
00:26:47,745 --> 00:26:49,846
which actually reflect the character
482
00:26:49,846 --> 00:26:54,250
of the fallen angel once called Lucifer,
483
00:26:54,250 --> 00:26:56,637
and the nation that God
484
00:26:56,637 --> 00:26:58,671
calls out of Abraham?
485
00:26:58,671 --> 00:27:00,725
And certainly we'll find later
486
00:27:00,725 --> 00:27:03,262
He desires to be manifest in His church.
487
00:27:03,262 --> 00:27:05,780
What's the big difference? Yes, Zaria?
488
00:27:05,780 --> 00:27:07,396
(Zaria) I would say the difference
489
00:27:07,396 --> 00:27:09,033
is the world decided to follow
490
00:27:09,033 --> 00:27:11,722
after their own will, their own desires,
491
00:27:11,722 --> 00:27:14,320
worshiping other gods and other idols,
492
00:27:14,320 --> 00:27:16,423
and that's why they were led astray often,
493
00:27:16,423 --> 00:27:17,926
doing so many different things.
494
00:27:17,926 --> 00:27:19,655
They got sick, whereas God's nation,
495
00:27:19,655 --> 00:27:21,407
we follow His Word and His light
496
00:27:21,407 --> 00:27:22,780
and His direction.
497
00:27:22,780 --> 00:27:23,857
(Derek) One following
498
00:27:23,857 --> 00:27:25,255
their own will and leading
499
00:27:25,255 --> 00:27:26,485
to the gods of this world
500
00:27:26,485 --> 00:27:27,737
(Leeah, I see your hand),
501
00:27:27,737 --> 00:27:28,902
the other following God.
502
00:27:28,902 --> 00:27:31,114
What difference do you see, Leeah,
503
00:27:31,114 --> 00:27:33,271
between the nations
504
00:27:33,271 --> 00:27:37,118
and the special nation God calls out?
505
00:27:37,118 --> 00:27:38,835
(Leeah) There seems to be an element
506
00:27:38,835 --> 00:27:41,131
of peace that comes when you surrender
507
00:27:41,131 --> 00:27:42,983
to God and His will for your life,
508
00:27:42,983 --> 00:27:44,294
whether that be as a nation
509
00:27:44,294 --> 00:27:45,886
or as an individual.
510
00:27:45,886 --> 00:27:47,661
It's so much more difficult
511
00:27:47,661 --> 00:27:50,424
to live by your own standards
512
00:27:50,424 --> 00:27:52,460
and try to be your own leader
513
00:27:52,460 --> 00:27:54,895
or your own god as opposed to surrendering
514
00:27:54,895 --> 00:27:56,576
to the will of God.
515
00:27:56,576 --> 00:27:58,183
He provides so much more peace,
516
00:27:58,183 --> 00:27:59,375
and your life is laid out
517
00:27:59,375 --> 00:28:01,678
so much, not necessarily easier,
518
00:28:01,678 --> 00:28:04,321
but there is just so much peace
519
00:28:04,321 --> 00:28:06,473
when God is in control.
520
00:28:06,473 --> 00:28:08,275
(Derek) It seems through history
521
00:28:08,275 --> 00:28:10,945
(thank you, Leeah) that the nations
522
00:28:10,945 --> 00:28:15,833
are built by violence; that's history.
523
00:28:15,833 --> 00:28:18,452
The nation that God's calling,
524
00:28:18,452 --> 00:28:22,579
He desires it to be built by love, right?
525
00:28:22,579 --> 00:28:25,625
Love for Him and love for the community.
526
00:28:25,625 --> 00:28:27,426
It's a drastic difference.
527
00:28:27,426 --> 00:28:29,692
And some skeptics might say,
528
00:28:29,692 --> 00:28:33,003
"That other nation you're talking about,
529
00:28:33,003 --> 00:28:35,753
[it] isn't even possible
530
00:28:35,753 --> 00:28:38,442
to have a nation like that."
531
00:28:38,442 --> 00:28:40,351
It's only the survival
532
00:28:40,351 --> 00:28:41,999
of the fittest, right?
533
00:28:41,999 --> 00:28:43,667
That's the only way it will happen,
534
00:28:43,667 --> 00:28:44,742
but we'll see that God
535
00:28:44,742 --> 00:28:46,240
does have a plan. Puia?
536
00:28:46,240 --> 00:28:47,495
(Puia) Derek, I think it's
537
00:28:47,495 --> 00:28:48,636
very interesting to note
538
00:28:48,636 --> 00:28:50,991
that as we contrast and compare
539
00:28:50,991 --> 00:28:52,623
the nations around the world
540
00:28:52,623 --> 00:28:53,824
and the nation that God
541
00:28:53,824 --> 00:28:55,607
was raising up through Abraham,
542
00:28:55,607 --> 00:28:57,374
I think the key difference is
543
00:28:57,374 --> 00:29:00,301
how God reveals Himself closely
544
00:29:00,301 --> 00:29:02,829
with that nation through Abraham.
545
00:29:02,829 --> 00:29:05,358
Although we see a lot of conquering
546
00:29:05,358 --> 00:29:07,866
and violence in the other nations,
547
00:29:07,866 --> 00:29:09,145
I think we have to qualify
548
00:29:09,145 --> 00:29:10,397
that even in those nations
549
00:29:10,397 --> 00:29:13,144
there is that battle between the forces
550
00:29:13,144 --> 00:29:14,733
of good and evil.
551
00:29:14,733 --> 00:29:16,800
But what sets [apart] the nation
552
00:29:16,800 --> 00:29:20,214
through Abraham is that God
553
00:29:20,214 --> 00:29:23,393
had given them that special revelation.
554
00:29:23,393 --> 00:29:25,818
And I think Jenner pointed out,
555
00:29:25,818 --> 00:29:28,248
God is very near to them.
556
00:29:28,248 --> 00:29:30,007
And I want to piggyback
557
00:29:30,007 --> 00:29:32,643
on what Leeah said earlier, when you have
558
00:29:32,643 --> 00:29:35,149
that special revelation from God,
559
00:29:35,149 --> 00:29:37,181
you get to enjoy peace
560
00:29:37,181 --> 00:29:38,251
that the other nations
561
00:29:38,251 --> 00:29:39,920
probably did not get to enjoy.
562
00:29:39,920 --> 00:29:41,681
(Derek) Okay, I've got lots of hands,
563
00:29:41,681 --> 00:29:44,019
Mighty and Jorge.
564
00:29:44,019 --> 00:29:46,083
(Mighty) Going off of what Puia is saying,
565
00:29:46,083 --> 00:29:47,300
he just sparked something
566
00:29:47,300 --> 00:29:49,218
in my mind there, and I'm also recalling
567
00:29:49,218 --> 00:29:50,497
that last week's lesson is
568
00:29:50,497 --> 00:29:51,942
coming into play here as well,
569
00:29:51,942 --> 00:29:54,369
is that we are in a marriage with Christ.
570
00:29:54,369 --> 00:29:56,330
We are in a marriage with Jesus.
571
00:29:56,330 --> 00:29:58,827
And I remember one of the verses we read
572
00:29:58,827 --> 00:30:01,265
was Revelation, chapter 19, verse 7:
573
00:30:08,075 --> 00:30:10,023
We are that bride, and how are we
574
00:30:10,023 --> 00:30:13,247
making ourselves ready for Christ to come?
575
00:30:13,247 --> 00:30:15,365
So, we have to absorb that light
576
00:30:15,365 --> 00:30:17,211
that we have from God and that wisdom
577
00:30:17,211 --> 00:30:18,633
and understanding and display
578
00:30:18,633 --> 00:30:20,719
that character that Christ is looking for.
579
00:30:20,719 --> 00:30:22,757
[Make] herself ready
580
00:30:22,757 --> 00:30:24,371
by displaying that character
581
00:30:24,371 --> 00:30:25,638
that Jesus is looking for,
582
00:30:25,638 --> 00:30:27,050
that wisdom and understanding
583
00:30:27,050 --> 00:30:28,479
of His will, and displaying it
584
00:30:28,479 --> 00:30:30,286
to the nations, so they can be blessed
585
00:30:30,286 --> 00:30:32,366
and others can come into our nation
586
00:30:32,366 --> 00:30:33,571
and make themselves ready
587
00:30:33,571 --> 00:30:34,565
for Christ to come.
588
00:30:34,565 --> 00:30:36,132
(Derek) And I think to be fair,
589
00:30:36,132 --> 00:30:37,917
and, Jorge, I'm coming to your point,
590
00:30:37,917 --> 00:30:40,461
the way we make ourselves ready
591
00:30:40,461 --> 00:30:43,176
is to allow God to make us ready.
592
00:30:43,176 --> 00:30:45,329
In other words, it is God
593
00:30:45,329 --> 00:30:47,797
who is shaping this nation, right,
594
00:30:47,797 --> 00:30:50,200
rather than, "We will," "I will,"
595
00:30:50,200 --> 00:30:52,154
"I will," "I will," right,
596
00:30:52,154 --> 00:30:53,771
which is very self-focused.
597
00:30:53,771 --> 00:30:55,827
Now, we have a choice to make,
598
00:30:55,827 --> 00:30:58,540
but that choice is to draw close to God
599
00:30:58,540 --> 00:31:00,685
who can make us a new creation.
600
00:31:00,685 --> 00:31:01,780
It's a different kind
601
00:31:01,780 --> 00:31:05,045
of nation, for sure. Jorge.
602
00:31:05,045 --> 00:31:07,387
(Jorge) Yes, I'm reminded of a portion
603
00:31:07,387 --> 00:31:09,148
as well from last week's lesson
604
00:31:09,148 --> 00:31:11,982
where Abraham told Eliezer, "No,
605
00:31:11,982 --> 00:31:13,974
don't go back to where I came from
606
00:31:13,974 --> 00:31:16,384
to get a wife for my son."
607
00:31:16,384 --> 00:31:18,638
And it reminds me of how we read earlier
608
00:31:18,638 --> 00:31:21,484
in the lesson that God asked Abraham
609
00:31:21,484 --> 00:31:24,181
to come out of his country or his nation
610
00:31:24,181 --> 00:31:25,532
so that He can establish him
611
00:31:25,532 --> 00:31:27,058
as a new nation.
612
00:31:27,058 --> 00:31:28,775
And that dynamic between coming
613
00:31:28,775 --> 00:31:30,778
out of something so God can teach us
614
00:31:30,778 --> 00:31:33,059
something new and use that
615
00:31:33,059 --> 00:31:35,182
for something even greater is a lesson
616
00:31:35,182 --> 00:31:36,493
we see throughout Scripture
617
00:31:36,493 --> 00:31:37,936
with Moses coming out of Egypt
618
00:31:37,936 --> 00:31:39,814
and being taught, John the Baptist
619
00:31:39,814 --> 00:31:41,195
going out to the wilderness
620
00:31:41,195 --> 00:31:42,041
and being taught.
621
00:31:42,041 --> 00:31:43,463
We see these parallels a lot.
622
00:31:43,463 --> 00:31:46,050
I'm reminded of a situation
623
00:31:46,050 --> 00:31:47,161
where I was in a cave;
624
00:31:47,161 --> 00:31:48,559
it was completely dark,
625
00:31:48,559 --> 00:31:49,878
and the guide that was
626
00:31:49,878 --> 00:31:51,519
leading us had a lighter.
627
00:31:51,519 --> 00:31:52,856
He lights the lighter,
628
00:31:52,856 --> 00:31:55,364
and instinctively everybody
629
00:31:55,364 --> 00:31:56,874
just kind of got closer to him
630
00:31:56,874 --> 00:31:58,891
because they could see where the light was
631
00:31:58,891 --> 00:32:01,061
and without it, it was pitch black.
632
00:32:01,061 --> 00:32:02,735
And I'm reminded of this verse here
633
00:32:02,735 --> 00:32:05,430
in Isaiah when it says that everyone
634
00:32:05,430 --> 00:32:06,763
will come to your light.
635
00:32:06,763 --> 00:32:08,009
The kings will come
636
00:32:08,009 --> 00:32:10,617
to the [brightness of your rising].
637
00:32:10,617 --> 00:32:13,554
And when I think about the difference
638
00:32:13,554 --> 00:32:15,456
between these nations, God is giving
639
00:32:15,456 --> 00:32:18,376
a light that no one else has.
640
00:32:18,376 --> 00:32:20,311
It's a darkness in the other nations,
641
00:32:20,311 --> 00:32:22,730
and so it is instinctively attractive
642
00:32:22,730 --> 00:32:23,785
when they come to you,
643
00:32:23,785 --> 00:32:25,800
and kings and all these other magistrates
644
00:32:25,800 --> 00:32:27,285
will come to you even as you're
645
00:32:27,285 --> 00:32:28,483
rising as a kingdom.
646
00:32:28,483 --> 00:32:29,928
And so, there's an attraction
647
00:32:29,928 --> 00:32:30,953
that God is using us
648
00:32:30,953 --> 00:32:33,335
through our light.
649
00:32:33,335 --> 00:32:34,885
(Derek) So, here's the question,
650
00:32:34,885 --> 00:32:36,687
how well did Israel do?
651
00:32:36,687 --> 00:32:39,590
And maybe there's not a simple answer.
652
00:32:39,590 --> 00:32:42,005
Maybe there were times they did well,
653
00:32:42,005 --> 00:32:44,644
but what would you say, big picture?
654
00:32:44,644 --> 00:32:47,047
How did they do as a light
655
00:32:47,047 --> 00:32:53,183
to the Gentiles, to the world? Anybody?
656
00:32:53,183 --> 00:32:55,006
(Jenner) They didn't do well.
657
00:32:55,006 --> 00:32:55,942
(Derek) They didn't
658
00:32:55,942 --> 00:32:58,392
do well, you would say.
659
00:32:58,392 --> 00:32:59,989
(James) Rejected the light.
660
00:32:59,989 --> 00:33:01,764
(Derek) Rejected...I mean, there were
661
00:33:01,764 --> 00:33:04,587
some good men and women, right?
662
00:33:04,587 --> 00:33:06,060
But you're saying, overall?
663
00:33:06,060 --> 00:33:07,153
(Jenner) Overall, it...
664
00:33:07,153 --> 00:33:08,676
(Derek) You'd say the nation...
665
00:33:08,676 --> 00:33:11,283
I mean, think of King Josiah; he was
666
00:33:11,283 --> 00:33:14,118
awesome, but then someone else would...
667
00:33:14,118 --> 00:33:17,264
Up and down or mainly down? Travis?
668
00:33:17,264 --> 00:33:18,551
(Travis) It's interesting,
669
00:33:18,551 --> 00:33:21,214
at the burning bush, God refers
670
00:33:21,214 --> 00:33:24,434
to the children of Israel as "My son,"
671
00:33:24,434 --> 00:33:26,486
"My son, the children of Israel."
672
00:33:26,486 --> 00:33:28,578
Jesus gets baptized, and He said, "This is
673
00:33:28,578 --> 00:33:30,767
My Son in whom I am well pleased."
674
00:33:30,767 --> 00:33:32,098
What we are finding out is
675
00:33:32,098 --> 00:33:33,757
that the children of Israel
676
00:33:33,757 --> 00:33:34,925
really didn't please Him
677
00:33:34,925 --> 00:33:37,457
in everything that they did.
678
00:33:37,457 --> 00:33:41,394
And I praise God because, if we keep going
679
00:33:41,394 --> 00:33:43,669
as we will through the prophecies,
680
00:33:43,669 --> 00:33:44,897
or studying these stories
681
00:33:44,897 --> 00:33:47,351
of the prophecies, we'll find out that God
682
00:33:47,351 --> 00:33:49,259
does eventually finish the work
683
00:33:49,259 --> 00:33:51,601
through His people, you know?
684
00:33:51,601 --> 00:33:52,994
And I think that's something
685
00:33:52,994 --> 00:33:54,164
to look forward to.
686
00:33:54,164 --> 00:33:56,250
(Derek) So, I'm going to ask Gleny
687
00:33:56,250 --> 00:33:58,574
if you'd read for us
688
00:33:58,574 --> 00:34:02,606
from 1 Samuel 8, verses 4 and 5,
689
00:34:02,606 --> 00:34:04,469
because you're saying they're not doing
690
00:34:04,469 --> 00:34:07,053
that well, and in the midst of that,
691
00:34:07,053 --> 00:34:09,274
certainly, you read the book of Judges,
692
00:34:09,274 --> 00:34:11,297
and there's a theme over and over,
693
00:34:11,297 --> 00:34:12,639
"And they did what was right
694
00:34:12,639 --> 00:34:14,385
in their own eyes," "They did
695
00:34:14,385 --> 00:34:16,052
what was right in their own eyes,"
696
00:34:16,052 --> 00:34:18,521
rather than in the sight of God.
697
00:34:18,521 --> 00:34:20,506
And now, Gleny, if you'll read,
698
00:34:20,506 --> 00:34:23,531
they make another mistake
699
00:34:23,531 --> 00:34:27,576
in 1 Samuel 8, verses 4 and 5.
700
00:34:27,576 --> 00:34:28,903
(Gleny) And I'll be reading
701
00:34:28,903 --> 00:34:31,131
from the New King James Version,
and it says:
702
00:34:48,148 --> 00:34:50,151
(Derek) Why did they want a king
703
00:34:50,151 --> 00:34:51,705
like the nations?
704
00:34:51,705 --> 00:34:52,994
We know the characteristic
705
00:34:52,994 --> 00:34:55,456
of "the nations," right,
706
00:34:55,456 --> 00:34:57,655
in terms of what we've been shown
707
00:34:57,655 --> 00:34:59,578
in the book of Genesis.
708
00:34:59,578 --> 00:35:04,271
Why did they want a king like the nations?
709
00:35:04,271 --> 00:35:06,284
Look at one verse in the warning
710
00:35:06,284 --> 00:35:10,731
that Samuel gives in 1 Samuel 8, verse 15.
711
00:35:10,731 --> 00:35:11,796
Nicole, could you read
712
00:35:11,796 --> 00:35:13,607
1 Samuel 8, verse 15?
713
00:35:13,607 --> 00:35:16,444
(Nicole) Sure, New International Version
says:
714
00:35:19,574 --> 00:35:20,837
(Derek) Yup, you're right.
715
00:35:26,670 --> 00:35:29,870
(Derek) Does something there sound
716
00:35:29,870 --> 00:35:32,630
like a little bit off?
717
00:35:32,630 --> 00:35:34,897
What does it sound like?
718
00:35:34,897 --> 00:35:37,217
(Travis) Like the king is stealing
719
00:35:37,217 --> 00:35:39,417
the tithe that belongs to God.
720
00:35:39,417 --> 00:35:40,336
(Derek) It sounds
721
00:35:40,336 --> 00:35:43,586
like, instead of a theocracy
722
00:35:43,586 --> 00:35:47,358
where God is King, right,
723
00:35:47,358 --> 00:35:50,717
and honoring God as the source
724
00:35:50,717 --> 00:35:54,950
of all blessing, they were to return a...?
725
00:35:54,950 --> 00:35:56,936
(Derek, Team) ...tithe.
726
00:35:56,936 --> 00:36:01,434
(Derek) Now, they're giving a tithe
727
00:36:01,434 --> 00:36:04,015
to a human person.
728
00:36:04,015 --> 00:36:06,028
Now, I'm not saying they didn't continue
729
00:36:06,028 --> 00:36:06,993
to return a tithe
730
00:36:06,993 --> 00:36:08,769
to the temple; I don't know.
731
00:36:08,769 --> 00:36:10,236
But it's kind of interesting
732
00:36:10,236 --> 00:36:11,813
that it's the same.
733
00:36:11,813 --> 00:36:16,190
It's almost like a switch, isn't it?
734
00:36:16,190 --> 00:36:18,910
So again, help me, someone.
735
00:36:18,910 --> 00:36:21,327
Gleny and Jorge, I see your hands raised.
736
00:36:21,327 --> 00:36:24,329
Why would they want a king
737
00:36:24,329 --> 00:36:27,934
if God has called them, and in a sense
738
00:36:27,934 --> 00:36:29,652
He is their King?
739
00:36:29,652 --> 00:36:33,246
Zaria, too, okay, let's start with Gleny.
740
00:36:33,246 --> 00:36:36,142
(Gleny) I think the whole theme
741
00:36:36,142 --> 00:36:38,655
of where we see humans err
742
00:36:38,655 --> 00:36:40,641
ever since the Garden of Eden
743
00:36:40,641 --> 00:36:44,351
is when we lack trust in God
744
00:36:44,351 --> 00:36:45,645
and His methods and lean
745
00:36:45,645 --> 00:36:47,672
on our own understanding.
746
00:36:47,672 --> 00:36:49,574
So, there's this idea of we know better;
747
00:36:49,574 --> 00:36:51,212
we think we know better,
748
00:36:51,212 --> 00:36:53,931
and let's go with that.
749
00:36:53,931 --> 00:36:56,252
(Derek) Alright, let's see who else.
750
00:36:56,252 --> 00:36:59,654
Jorge, you had your hand raised.
751
00:36:59,654 --> 00:37:01,489
(Jorge) Yes, in verse 5
752
00:37:01,489 --> 00:37:04,476
of that same passage that we just read,
753
00:37:04,476 --> 00:37:06,461
we kind of see a little bit of the answer
754
00:37:06,461 --> 00:37:08,651
to your question where it says, "Look, you
755
00:37:08,651 --> 00:37:10,039
are old, and your sons
756
00:37:10,039 --> 00:37:11,617
don't walk in your ways."
757
00:37:11,617 --> 00:37:13,701
So, we are seeing that essentially
758
00:37:13,701 --> 00:37:15,333
the spiritual leadership
759
00:37:15,333 --> 00:37:16,362
or the spiritual head
760
00:37:16,362 --> 00:37:19,588
of Israel is lacking, and there is
761
00:37:19,588 --> 00:37:21,217
no one to turn to, and so they are
762
00:37:21,217 --> 00:37:22,902
starting to look for somebody else.
763
00:37:22,902 --> 00:37:24,437
And we see a similar example
764
00:37:24,437 --> 00:37:25,738
that took place with Moses;
765
00:37:25,738 --> 00:37:27,784
when He appeared to delay,
766
00:37:27,784 --> 00:37:29,257
they started looking elsewhere.
767
00:37:29,257 --> 00:37:31,664
And so, perhaps one of the reasons is
768
00:37:31,664 --> 00:37:34,390
because the leadership started
769
00:37:34,390 --> 00:37:38,817
[turning] their view [from] God, and so it
770
00:37:38,817 --> 00:37:42,849
caused a downstream effect to the people.
771
00:37:42,849 --> 00:37:44,479
(Derek) That's a powerful insight.
772
00:37:44,479 --> 00:37:48,488
If the appointed leaders of God
773
00:37:48,488 --> 00:37:52,797
had been faithful, it might have prevented
774
00:37:52,797 --> 00:37:54,588
or averted turning
775
00:37:54,588 --> 00:37:57,025
towards a human king. Tendi?
776
00:37:57,025 --> 00:37:59,870
(Tendi) So, in 1 Samuel 8, verse 7,
777
00:37:59,870 --> 00:38:01,625
the Lord tells Samuel
778
00:38:01,625 --> 00:38:03,226
that they rejected Him,
779
00:38:03,226 --> 00:38:06,647
that's why they wanted to appoint a king.
780
00:38:06,647 --> 00:38:08,670
(Derek) Let's look at his warning.
781
00:38:08,670 --> 00:38:10,778
If someone would read that for us.
782
00:38:10,778 --> 00:38:13,925
Puia, would you read 1 Samuel 8,
783
00:38:13,925 --> 00:38:15,633
verses 10 through 18?
784
00:38:15,633 --> 00:38:17,102
This is the same Samuel
785
00:38:17,102 --> 00:38:19,904
who, as a little boy, when nobody else
786
00:38:19,904 --> 00:38:22,595
was listening to God, heard the Lord
787
00:38:22,595 --> 00:38:25,455
call him, "Samuel, Samuel," right?
788
00:38:25,455 --> 00:38:27,257
Now, he's an old man.
789
00:38:27,257 --> 00:38:29,809
He's been a faithful prophet of God
790
00:38:29,809 --> 00:38:31,771
through the years.
791
00:38:31,771 --> 00:38:35,512
Let's hear his warning.
792
00:38:35,512 --> 00:38:37,064
(Puia) Sure, and I'll be reading
793
00:38:37,064 --> 00:38:38,605
from the New King James Version,
794
00:38:38,605 --> 00:38:41,100
1 Samuel, chapter 8, verses 10 to 18:
795
00:40:03,958 --> 00:40:04,775
(Derek) It sounds
796
00:40:04,775 --> 00:40:07,048
like a fairly serious warning,
797
00:40:07,048 --> 00:40:09,857
but, James, how do they respond, verses 19
798
00:40:09,857 --> 00:40:13,692
and 20 of the same chapter of 1 Samuel 8?
799
00:40:13,692 --> 00:40:15,626
(James) The New King James Version says:
800
00:40:34,903 --> 00:40:37,400
(Derek) What?! Nicole?
801
00:40:37,400 --> 00:40:38,963
(Nicole) That's it; they did not
802
00:40:38,963 --> 00:40:43,393
want to be a separate and special people.
803
00:40:43,393 --> 00:40:45,165
They wanted to be like everyone else.
804
00:40:45,165 --> 00:40:46,830
I think we have that problem today,
805
00:40:46,830 --> 00:40:48,879
that the Lord calls us to be apart
806
00:40:48,879 --> 00:40:51,499
and separate and to be His chosen people,
807
00:40:51,499 --> 00:40:53,433
but we choose to be like everyone else
808
00:40:53,433 --> 00:40:55,425
because we don't want to stand out.
809
00:40:55,425 --> 00:40:57,471
We don't want anyone to notice us
810
00:40:57,471 --> 00:40:58,906
to be different than they are,
811
00:40:58,906 --> 00:41:00,714
and I think that was Israel's problem.
812
00:41:00,714 --> 00:41:03,914
They wanted to be like everyone else
around them.
813
00:41:03,914 --> 00:41:05,376
(Derek) I was startled.
814
00:41:05,376 --> 00:41:07,037
I don't know if you caught this
815
00:41:07,037 --> 00:41:09,066
(and then I see some hands raised),
816
00:41:09,066 --> 00:41:10,053
"And [our king] will
817
00:41:10,053 --> 00:41:11,690
go out...and fight our battles"?
818
00:41:11,690 --> 00:41:14,346
(Jenner) That's correct, like conquering.
819
00:41:14,346 --> 00:41:16,110
(Derek) Oh, certainly the conquering,
820
00:41:16,110 --> 00:41:17,853
but, like, really, they're thinking
821
00:41:17,853 --> 00:41:19,855
this one person is going
822
00:41:19,855 --> 00:41:21,682
to go out and fight their battles
823
00:41:21,682 --> 00:41:23,753
when before, the Lord had said,
824
00:41:23,753 --> 00:41:27,430
"I will go before you," right?
825
00:41:27,430 --> 00:41:33,236
Like at Jericho, "I will go before you."
Like when...
826
00:41:33,236 --> 00:41:34,762
(Jenner) Opening of the Red Sea.
827
00:41:34,762 --> 00:41:36,106
(Derek) ...He opens the sea,
828
00:41:36,106 --> 00:41:37,511
"I will go before you,"
829
00:41:37,511 --> 00:41:41,549
and now you're going to send a person?
830
00:41:41,549 --> 00:41:42,459
Something is wrong
831
00:41:42,459 --> 00:41:45,612
with their thinking, right? Travis?
832
00:41:45,612 --> 00:41:47,554
(Travis) That danger, Derek,
833
00:41:47,554 --> 00:41:49,110
is still even to this day.
834
00:41:49,110 --> 00:41:51,325
I have been reading lots
835
00:41:51,325 --> 00:41:52,743
of books on history,
836
00:41:52,743 --> 00:41:56,045
and there were many religious groups
837
00:41:56,045 --> 00:41:59,514
who lobbied to have Hitler put into place.
838
00:41:59,514 --> 00:42:03,404
He was a vegetarian, he didn't drink,
839
00:42:03,404 --> 00:42:05,036
and he looked out for the welfare.
840
00:42:05,036 --> 00:42:07,341
And just a few short years later,
841
00:42:07,341 --> 00:42:09,945
we see, I mean, just recent history,
842
00:42:09,945 --> 00:42:11,352
we see what happened.
843
00:42:11,352 --> 00:42:13,398
And the psalmist said, "Don't
844
00:42:13,398 --> 00:42:15,367
put your trust in a prince,
845
00:42:15,367 --> 00:42:16,454
or the son of man,
846
00:42:16,454 --> 00:42:17,722
where there is no [help].
847
00:42:17,722 --> 00:42:19,167
Because the very day they die,
848
00:42:19,167 --> 00:42:21,289
their plans perish."
849
00:42:21,289 --> 00:42:23,888
But God always fought battles
850
00:42:23,888 --> 00:42:25,196
for the children of Israel,
851
00:42:25,196 --> 00:42:26,860
and you're right, for them to want
852
00:42:26,860 --> 00:42:28,567
a man now to fight their battles
853
00:42:28,567 --> 00:42:31,583
just seems crazy!
854
00:42:31,583 --> 00:42:34,185
(Derek) So, here's the question:
855
00:42:34,185 --> 00:42:39,673
Why did God grant their request?
856
00:42:39,673 --> 00:42:42,993
Because didn't God tell Samuel
857
00:42:42,993 --> 00:42:46,480
to anoint someone who is taller
858
00:42:46,480 --> 00:42:49,876
than anybody else, and handsome?
859
00:42:49,876 --> 00:42:51,366
The kind of one that, if he was
860
00:42:51,366 --> 00:42:54,488
in a popularity contest, they would say,
861
00:42:54,488 --> 00:42:57,981
"Why don't you vote for Saul?"
862
00:42:57,981 --> 00:43:00,644
And we all know how that turned out.
863
00:43:00,644 --> 00:43:02,461
Well, maybe we don't, but you can read
864
00:43:02,461 --> 00:43:04,419
about King Saul, and it's
865
00:43:04,419 --> 00:43:07,718
a sad, sad story.
866
00:43:07,718 --> 00:43:13,602
Why did God allow that and even direct
867
00:43:13,602 --> 00:43:18,583
the prophet Samuel to anoint Saul?
868
00:43:18,583 --> 00:43:20,981
I think he was son of Kish, wasn't he?
869
00:43:20,981 --> 00:43:23,467
Why did He direct to have him
870
00:43:23,467 --> 00:43:24,856
anointed as king?
871
00:43:24,856 --> 00:43:26,053
Zaria, what do you think?
872
00:43:26,053 --> 00:43:27,752
(Zaria) I would say it's because He
873
00:43:27,752 --> 00:43:29,070
wanted us to have our will.
874
00:43:29,070 --> 00:43:31,687
He's not going to always just allow us
875
00:43:31,687 --> 00:43:33,130
to do what He wants, right?
876
00:43:33,130 --> 00:43:35,009
He's going to allow us to have our will
877
00:43:35,009 --> 00:43:36,440
and what we desire just so we
878
00:43:36,440 --> 00:43:37,538
can learn from it.
879
00:43:37,538 --> 00:43:39,116
Even in our own lives right now,
880
00:43:39,116 --> 00:43:40,378
sometimes my flesh chooses
881
00:43:40,378 --> 00:43:41,943
something else, and then I learn
882
00:43:41,943 --> 00:43:42,963
from that experience,
883
00:43:42,963 --> 00:43:43,995
and I go back to God.
884
00:43:43,995 --> 00:43:46,057
And we can see this trend throughout time.
885
00:43:46,057 --> 00:43:47,910
They sin, and then they cry out to God,
886
00:43:47,910 --> 00:43:49,006
and then He saves them.
887
00:43:49,006 --> 00:43:50,403
They sin again...it just goes
888
00:43:50,403 --> 00:43:52,163
in circles over and over again.
889
00:43:52,163 --> 00:43:53,851
But we learned from now,
890
00:43:53,851 --> 00:43:55,546
all the prophets, what they wrote,
891
00:43:55,546 --> 00:43:57,668
that we now need to trust in God.
892
00:43:57,668 --> 00:43:59,744
So, it's been a lesson for them
and for us.
893
00:43:59,744 --> 00:44:01,479
(Derek) So, you would say, and I see
894
00:44:01,479 --> 00:44:03,878
some other hands that are twitching here,
895
00:44:03,878 --> 00:44:07,125
but you would say that God,
896
00:44:07,125 --> 00:44:11,362
if we are persistent,
897
00:44:11,362 --> 00:44:16,137
will grant us what we demand
898
00:44:16,137 --> 00:44:20,475
even if it is not His will - is that true?
899
00:44:20,475 --> 00:44:22,243
(Team) Yes.
900
00:44:22,243 --> 00:44:24,037
(Derek) That God will grant us
901
00:44:24,037 --> 00:44:30,167
what we demand even if it is not His will?
902
00:44:30,167 --> 00:44:31,878
Puia, we need your help.
903
00:44:31,878 --> 00:44:33,163
(Puia) I think that is true
904
00:44:33,163 --> 00:44:35,270
to a certain degree, because time
905
00:44:35,270 --> 00:44:37,243
and time again, what we see in the Bible
906
00:44:37,243 --> 00:44:39,029
is that God does not always get
907
00:44:39,029 --> 00:44:41,478
what He wants personally
908
00:44:41,478 --> 00:44:43,948
because He gives us the freedom to choose,
909
00:44:43,948 --> 00:44:45,433
and love by definition
910
00:44:45,433 --> 00:44:47,202
cannot be forced, right?
911
00:44:47,202 --> 00:44:49,588
God cannot force a relationship
912
00:44:49,588 --> 00:44:51,955
between Him and us.
913
00:44:51,955 --> 00:44:54,675
And so, it does appear that way,
914
00:44:54,675 --> 00:44:57,321
that God would grant certain things,
915
00:44:57,321 --> 00:44:59,852
even if it is not His best plan.
916
00:44:59,852 --> 00:45:01,242
But the good news, of course,
917
00:45:01,242 --> 00:45:03,351
is that even when we make those decisions
918
00:45:03,351 --> 00:45:04,982
that are not in His best plan,
919
00:45:04,982 --> 00:45:07,105
God always continues to pursue us
920
00:45:07,105 --> 00:45:09,440
to bring us back through those lessons
921
00:45:09,440 --> 00:45:11,775
that we learn from those mistakes.
922
00:45:11,775 --> 00:45:13,810
(Derek) Let's take a look at one example,
923
00:45:13,810 --> 00:45:15,800
and, Jorge, I'm going to ask you to read
924
00:45:15,800 --> 00:45:20,324
Romans 1 for us, please, verses 22 to 25,
925
00:45:20,324 --> 00:45:21,971
which I believe would support
926
00:45:21,971 --> 00:45:24,405
what Zaria and Puia have just said.
927
00:45:24,405 --> 00:45:26,241
Now, I don't think God does that
928
00:45:26,241 --> 00:45:28,676
with any kind of joy in His heart.
929
00:45:28,676 --> 00:45:30,495
I don't think He does that going,
930
00:45:30,495 --> 00:45:32,496
"Well, you're going to really mess up,
931
00:45:32,496 --> 00:45:35,683
and you deserve it," kind of attitude.
932
00:45:35,683 --> 00:45:42,121
But, if we persist in demanding something,
933
00:45:42,121 --> 00:45:47,757
God will allow that to happen.
934
00:45:47,757 --> 00:45:53,478
Let's see, Jorge, Romans 1:22-25.
935
00:45:53,478 --> 00:45:56,397
(Jorge) Romans 1:22-25, I'll be reading
936
00:45:56,397 --> 00:45:59,491
from the New King James Version, it says:
937
00:46:33,624 --> 00:46:37,068
(Derek) What was the expression there,
God did what?
938
00:46:37,068 --> 00:46:38,112
(Team) Gave them up.
939
00:46:38,112 --> 00:46:40,315
(Derek) He gave them up.
940
00:46:40,315 --> 00:46:41,886
Now, please, that's not the same
941
00:46:41,886 --> 00:46:44,792
as "gave up on them," right,
942
00:46:44,792 --> 00:46:48,008
because He will pursue us
943
00:46:48,008 --> 00:46:50,545
with an immeasurable and unfailing love
944
00:46:50,545 --> 00:46:52,821
until our final breath.
945
00:46:52,821 --> 00:46:55,733
But giving them up means what?
946
00:46:55,733 --> 00:46:58,256
(Travis) Let them have their way.
947
00:46:58,256 --> 00:47:00,448
(Derek) Let them have their way.
948
00:47:00,448 --> 00:47:03,132
And of course, history tells us
949
00:47:03,132 --> 00:47:06,471
what happened to the nation.
950
00:47:06,471 --> 00:47:08,914
Now, in the closing section, we want
951
00:47:08,914 --> 00:47:12,433
to look at how, just as He desired
952
00:47:12,433 --> 00:47:16,237
the nation bringing up through Abraham
953
00:47:16,237 --> 00:47:19,594
to be different, He wants His church
954
00:47:19,594 --> 00:47:22,109
to be radically different
955
00:47:22,109 --> 00:47:24,456
from the nations.
956
00:47:24,456 --> 00:47:26,788
But earlier Nicole said we could fall
957
00:47:26,788 --> 00:47:29,050
into the same trap.
958
00:47:29,050 --> 00:47:32,017
But let's look at what Jesus has to say.
959
00:47:32,017 --> 00:47:34,630
Leeah, if you could take us to Matthew,
960
00:47:34,630 --> 00:47:38,409
chapter 20, I think this is
961
00:47:38,409 --> 00:47:40,678
a really important passage,
962
00:47:40,678 --> 00:47:46,417
Matthew 20, verses 25 through 28,
963
00:47:46,417 --> 00:47:50,638
because really, if you are of faith,
964
00:47:50,638 --> 00:47:52,940
Scripture says, you're Abraham's seed.
965
00:47:52,940 --> 00:47:56,261
So, the people of God
966
00:47:56,261 --> 00:47:59,881
post the coming of Jesus
967
00:47:59,881 --> 00:48:02,634
are His church, right?
968
00:48:02,634 --> 00:48:04,723
And He desires His church,
969
00:48:04,723 --> 00:48:05,676
would you say then,
970
00:48:05,676 --> 00:48:07,236
to be a light to the world?
971
00:48:07,236 --> 00:48:08,216
(Team) Yes.
972
00:48:08,216 --> 00:48:10,308
(Derek) And He desires His church
973
00:48:10,308 --> 00:48:13,911
not to have the attitude of the nations.
974
00:48:13,911 --> 00:48:17,816
Let's see, Leeah, what counsel Jesus gave.
975
00:48:17,816 --> 00:48:19,043
(Leeah) Alright, Matthew,
976
00:48:19,043 --> 00:48:23,208
chapter 20, verses 25 to 28,
977
00:48:23,208 --> 00:48:25,155
the English Standard Version says:
978
00:48:51,121 --> 00:48:52,773
(Derek) So, we could, in the place
979
00:48:52,773 --> 00:48:55,936
of "the Gentiles," put "the nations,"
980
00:48:55,936 --> 00:48:58,968
right, "lord it over each other,
981
00:48:58,968 --> 00:49:05,258
but it shall not be that way among you.
982
00:49:05,258 --> 00:49:06,811
But you should be a servant,"
983
00:49:06,811 --> 00:49:08,504
and, of course, even Jesus,
984
00:49:08,504 --> 00:49:10,339
the Son of Man, was a servant.
985
00:49:10,339 --> 00:49:11,928
Look at the history
986
00:49:11,928 --> 00:49:14,884
of the Christian church.
987
00:49:14,884 --> 00:49:16,863
Let's start at the very beginning
988
00:49:16,863 --> 00:49:18,582
in the book of Acts.
989
00:49:18,582 --> 00:49:22,271
Where do you see
990
00:49:22,271 --> 00:49:27,220
the character of a loving God revealed
991
00:49:27,220 --> 00:49:28,416
in the character
992
00:49:28,416 --> 00:49:30,850
of the early Christian church,
993
00:49:30,850 --> 00:49:32,911
the new nation?
994
00:49:32,911 --> 00:49:35,328
Where do you see it manifested?
995
00:49:35,328 --> 00:49:37,351
From your reading, what do you know?
996
00:49:37,351 --> 00:49:39,650
(Travis) In Acts, chapter [2], it says
997
00:49:39,650 --> 00:49:41,768
they shared with one another
998
00:49:41,768 --> 00:49:44,929
so that none had more than the other.
999
00:49:44,929 --> 00:49:47,311
(Derek) Yes, Acts 2 and Acts 4 also.
1000
00:49:47,311 --> 00:49:50,147
It says that they held everything
in common. Jenner?
1001
00:49:50,147 --> 00:49:51,505
(Jenner) Yes, "with gladness
1002
00:49:51,505 --> 00:49:53,277
and simplicity of heart."
1003
00:49:53,277 --> 00:49:54,465
(Derek) They ate together
1004
00:49:54,465 --> 00:49:57,447
"with gladness and simplicity of heart."
1005
00:49:57,447 --> 00:49:59,546
And if there was a need,
1006
00:49:59,546 --> 00:50:03,601
people like Barnabas sold a piece of land,
1007
00:50:03,601 --> 00:50:06,193
brought [the money] to the Apostles' feet.
1008
00:50:06,193 --> 00:50:10,564
It's very much, what?
1009
00:50:10,564 --> 00:50:12,700
What is it a reflection of?
1010
00:50:12,700 --> 00:50:15,228
(Derek, Team) The character of God.
1011
00:50:15,228 --> 00:50:19,177
(Derek) Right? That's the picture
1012
00:50:19,177 --> 00:50:20,390
of the early church.
1013
00:50:20,390 --> 00:50:22,778
But if you do a scan
1014
00:50:22,778 --> 00:50:24,528
through church history
1015
00:50:24,528 --> 00:50:27,924
through the centuries, where do you see
1016
00:50:27,924 --> 00:50:30,534
this kingly power start
1017
00:50:30,534 --> 00:50:33,410
to manifest itself?
1018
00:50:33,410 --> 00:50:36,536
Anybody a student of church history? Puia.
1019
00:50:36,536 --> 00:50:37,882
(Puia) So, when we look back
1020
00:50:37,882 --> 00:50:39,363
in church history, we see
1021
00:50:39,363 --> 00:50:42,746
that probably around the fourth century
especially,
1022
00:50:42,746 --> 00:50:46,286
the church began to court
1023
00:50:46,286 --> 00:50:48,288
the power of the state,
1024
00:50:48,288 --> 00:50:50,167
and eventually there was a combination,
1025
00:50:50,167 --> 00:50:52,666
a union, between the church and the state.
1026
00:50:52,666 --> 00:50:54,719
And as a result, the church was
1027
00:50:54,719 --> 00:50:57,161
corrupted with power, a desire
1028
00:50:57,161 --> 00:50:58,929
to act like a king.
1029
00:50:58,929 --> 00:51:03,259
And the church in turn persecuted
1030
00:51:03,259 --> 00:51:05,049
a lot of God's own people.
1031
00:51:05,049 --> 00:51:06,660
And the darkest chapters
1032
00:51:06,660 --> 00:51:08,972
of Christian history is filled
1033
00:51:08,972 --> 00:51:12,646
with the church persecuting God's people
1034
00:51:12,646 --> 00:51:15,012
through the power of the state.
1035
00:51:15,012 --> 00:51:16,870
(Derek) We're going to study about that
1036
00:51:16,870 --> 00:51:19,102
in our next program
1037
00:51:19,102 --> 00:51:22,224
because that is exactly what happens.
1038
00:51:22,224 --> 00:51:25,065
And instead of the light of God
1039
00:51:25,065 --> 00:51:26,805
shining in the people of God,
1040
00:51:26,805 --> 00:51:30,884
drawing others to the church of God,
1041
00:51:30,884 --> 00:51:35,779
they use violence to try
1042
00:51:35,779 --> 00:51:39,426
to force people, which was not
1043
00:51:39,426 --> 00:51:41,339
the character of God at all.
1044
00:51:41,339 --> 00:51:42,777
That's actually the character
1045
00:51:42,777 --> 00:51:46,322
of the fallen angel, right?
1046
00:51:46,322 --> 00:51:51,232
So, how do we avoid falling into the trap
1047
00:51:51,232 --> 00:51:57,815
of using the methods of the nations
1048
00:51:57,815 --> 00:52:01,694
and staying as God wants His church to be,
1049
00:52:01,694 --> 00:52:03,585
a light to the world?
1050
00:52:03,585 --> 00:52:07,766
How do we avoid that trap?
1051
00:52:07,766 --> 00:52:09,011
(Travis) Humble ourselves.
1052
00:52:09,011 --> 00:52:11,176
(Derek) Okay, Travis, talk
to me about that.
1053
00:52:11,176 --> 00:52:12,283
What did you say?
1054
00:52:12,283 --> 00:52:15,324
(Travis) Humble ourselves before God.
1055
00:52:15,324 --> 00:52:16,907
(Derek) Especially if He puts you
1056
00:52:16,907 --> 00:52:19,462
in a position of leadership, right?
1057
00:52:19,462 --> 00:52:22,603
When you stand up to teach the class,
1058
00:52:22,603 --> 00:52:25,072
it's like, "Lord, hide me behind You,"
1059
00:52:25,072 --> 00:52:26,985
right? Yes, James?
1060
00:52:26,985 --> 00:52:29,882
(James) When we recognize that we are
1061
00:52:29,882 --> 00:52:31,366
part of a royal priesthood,
1062
00:52:31,366 --> 00:52:34,847
a chosen nation, in God we know
1063
00:52:34,847 --> 00:52:37,234
that the Great Commission
1064
00:52:37,234 --> 00:52:39,452
of going into all the world is not
1065
00:52:39,452 --> 00:52:41,915
that of Nimrod or of Satan,
1066
00:52:41,915 --> 00:52:44,408
which was meant for conquering,
1067
00:52:44,408 --> 00:52:47,560
but rather to conquer hearts.
1068
00:52:47,560 --> 00:52:50,590
I use that word loosely, to convert hearts
1069
00:52:50,590 --> 00:52:53,351
to Jesus so that we can live
1070
00:52:53,351 --> 00:52:55,738
in harmony and interdependence.
1071
00:52:55,738 --> 00:52:58,038
That's what I see in the book of Acts,
1072
00:52:58,038 --> 00:52:59,640
people living communally
1073
00:52:59,640 --> 00:53:03,128
with interdependence and living for God.
1074
00:53:03,128 --> 00:53:04,846
(Derek) You know, the text that you
1075
00:53:04,846 --> 00:53:06,660
quoted there, "You are
1076
00:53:06,660 --> 00:53:10,367
a chosen generation," 1 Peter 2:9,
1077
00:53:10,367 --> 00:53:13,914
"a royal priesthood, a holy..."?
1078
00:53:13,914 --> 00:53:14,836
(Team) "...nation."
1079
00:53:14,836 --> 00:53:16,684
(Derek) Ah! There's the word.
1080
00:53:16,684 --> 00:53:19,378
You've got the nations, but you are
1081
00:53:19,378 --> 00:53:21,326
a holy nation, but back to something
1082
00:53:21,326 --> 00:53:22,729
Nicole said earlier,
1083
00:53:22,729 --> 00:53:29,443
"His own special people," peculiar.
1084
00:53:29,443 --> 00:53:30,908
(Jenner) God's own possession.
1085
00:53:30,908 --> 00:53:33,290
(Derek) Yeah, God's own possession,
1086
00:53:33,290 --> 00:53:35,496
but hear the last part,
1087
00:53:35,496 --> 00:53:39,151
"That you may proclaim [your praises]."
1088
00:53:39,151 --> 00:53:41,828
(Team) No!
1089
00:53:41,828 --> 00:53:44,118
(Derek) "Is not this great Babylon
1090
00:53:44,118 --> 00:53:45,710
that I have built," no, no,
1091
00:53:45,710 --> 00:53:48,539
Or, "Is not this great church...," or, no.
1092
00:53:48,539 --> 00:53:51,010
"That you may declare the praises of..."?
1093
00:53:51,010 --> 00:53:52,232
(Derek, Team) "...Him..."
1094
00:53:52,232 --> 00:53:54,124
(Derek) "...who called you out of..."?
1095
00:53:54,124 --> 00:53:55,612
(Derek, Team) "...darkness..."
1096
00:53:55,612 --> 00:53:56,580
(Derek) "...into.."?
1097
00:53:56,580 --> 00:53:58,265
(Team) "...His marvelous light."
1098
00:53:58,265 --> 00:53:59,978
(Derek) Oh, man, that's God's ideal.
1099
00:53:59,978 --> 00:54:01,899
Jorge, talk to me about that,
1100
00:54:01,899 --> 00:54:05,288
because that is so different
1101
00:54:05,288 --> 00:54:09,524
from the kingdoms of the world.
1102
00:54:09,524 --> 00:54:11,221
(Jorge) Yes, and I think, to answer
1103
00:54:11,221 --> 00:54:13,164
your question, how can we not fall
1104
00:54:13,164 --> 00:54:15,749
into that same trap, is by remembering
1105
00:54:15,749 --> 00:54:18,902
that He is the vine, we are the branches.
1106
00:54:18,902 --> 00:54:20,742
And we need to stay abiding
1107
00:54:20,742 --> 00:54:22,740
in Him constantly.
1108
00:54:22,740 --> 00:54:25,040
And He will keep us from ourselves
1109
00:54:25,040 --> 00:54:27,433
and going into a place that would cause us
1110
00:54:27,433 --> 00:54:28,668
to deter from where He
1111
00:54:28,668 --> 00:54:30,579
would have us to be.
1112
00:54:30,579 --> 00:54:32,895
(Derek) We are not more loved by God
1113
00:54:32,895 --> 00:54:36,231
than any in the nations; is that right?
1114
00:54:36,231 --> 00:54:38,226
God loves all of His children
1115
00:54:38,226 --> 00:54:40,687
in the same way, but He wants us
1116
00:54:40,687 --> 00:54:45,274
to go out as servants to the nations
1117
00:54:45,274 --> 00:54:47,289
to share the light of God with them.
1118
00:54:47,289 --> 00:54:49,078
So, I want, in the few minutes
1119
00:54:49,078 --> 00:54:52,116
that's closing, remotes, be ready, too,
1120
00:54:52,116 --> 00:54:54,817
to share a time when God
1121
00:54:54,817 --> 00:54:57,303
sent you out to the nations.
1122
00:54:57,303 --> 00:54:59,003
It's one thing to just stay at home
1123
00:54:59,003 --> 00:55:00,790
and try to stay out of trouble,
1124
00:55:00,790 --> 00:55:04,043
but God sends us out to the nations
1125
00:55:04,043 --> 00:55:05,715
to be a witness.
1126
00:55:05,715 --> 00:55:07,513
Anybody have a time you want to share
1127
00:55:07,513 --> 00:55:11,133
when God did that for you? Yes, Puia.
1128
00:55:11,133 --> 00:55:12,692
(Puia) I actually want to answer
1129
00:55:12,692 --> 00:55:14,404
in a slightly different way.
1130
00:55:14,404 --> 00:55:17,823
I'm so thankful for the missionaries
1131
00:55:17,823 --> 00:55:21,527
who came to my land, to my ancestors,
1132
00:55:21,527 --> 00:55:24,580
to Mizoram and Burma,
1133
00:55:24,580 --> 00:55:27,199
to tells us about this light,
1134
00:55:27,199 --> 00:55:29,535
and becoming a light to the Gentiles.
1135
00:55:29,535 --> 00:55:31,420
And as a result of those missionaries,
1136
00:55:31,420 --> 00:55:33,789
we came to learn, I came to learn
1137
00:55:33,789 --> 00:55:35,698
this message about Jesus.
1138
00:55:35,698 --> 00:55:37,926
I'm so thankful for missionaries.
1139
00:55:37,926 --> 00:55:39,275
(Derek) Has God sent you out
1140
00:55:39,275 --> 00:55:41,090
at any time to the nations, too?
1141
00:55:41,090 --> 00:55:42,025
(Puia) Yes, I have.
1142
00:55:42,025 --> 00:55:43,982
I have traveled, and I have preached,
1143
00:55:43,982 --> 00:55:45,194
and it's a result
1144
00:55:45,194 --> 00:55:46,729
of one person stepping out,
1145
00:55:46,729 --> 00:55:50,438
and the ripple effects continue.
1146
00:55:50,438 --> 00:55:51,737
(Derek) Now, Jorge, I know
1147
00:55:51,737 --> 00:55:56,912
you're about to go to the Philippines.
1148
00:55:56,912 --> 00:56:00,111
What motivated you to sacrifice the time
1149
00:56:00,111 --> 00:56:03,138
and the resources to go out
1150
00:56:03,138 --> 00:56:06,505
on that mission to the nations?
1151
00:56:06,505 --> 00:56:11,136
(Jorge) Yes, we had Henry Suluvale,
a gentleman
1152
00:56:11,136 --> 00:56:16,482
who came by and did a vespers, as it were,
1153
00:56:16,482 --> 00:56:19,085
on a mission trip that he did
1154
00:56:19,085 --> 00:56:20,703
in Papua New Guinea.
1155
00:56:20,703 --> 00:56:24,140
And he gave, I guess, a little exposé
1156
00:56:24,140 --> 00:56:26,458
of his experience and the thousands
1157
00:56:26,458 --> 00:56:27,559
and thousands of people
1158
00:56:27,559 --> 00:56:30,230
that were baptized as a result.
1159
00:56:30,230 --> 00:56:33,762
And there was a small group of us there,
1160
00:56:33,762 --> 00:56:35,477
and, well, we were listening
1161
00:56:35,477 --> 00:56:37,754
to his experience and how people
1162
00:56:37,754 --> 00:56:39,270
were moved, the different works
1163
00:56:39,270 --> 00:56:40,085
that were needed,
1164
00:56:40,085 --> 00:56:41,417
the needs that were there,
1165
00:56:41,417 --> 00:56:43,085
and he expressed how they
were going
1166
00:56:43,085 --> 00:56:45,658
to do a mission trip in the Philippines.
1167
00:56:45,658 --> 00:56:47,459
We jumped at the opportunity
1168
00:56:47,459 --> 00:56:49,399
as we understood that God was leading us
1169
00:56:49,399 --> 00:56:52,085
to say, "We have the time, we have
1170
00:56:52,085 --> 00:56:54,670
the health, we have the resources;
1171
00:56:54,670 --> 00:56:56,705
let's give them to the Lord while we can."
1172
00:56:56,705 --> 00:57:00,376
And so, we're heading over there to do it.
1173
00:57:00,376 --> 00:57:01,641
(Derek) And I want to hear
1174
00:57:01,641 --> 00:57:03,686
in an upcoming program, Jorge,
1175
00:57:03,686 --> 00:57:05,617
what happens, okay?
1176
00:57:05,617 --> 00:57:08,784
So, you take some notes.
1177
00:57:08,784 --> 00:57:11,919
We may not all go to Palawan,
1178
00:57:11,919 --> 00:57:13,746
We may not all go to Mizoram
1179
00:57:13,746 --> 00:57:15,746
because we don't speak the Mizo language,
1180
00:57:15,746 --> 00:57:18,657
or we don't speak Burmese,
1181
00:57:18,657 --> 00:57:22,290
but God has a mission for each one of us.
1182
00:57:22,290 --> 00:57:24,283
He wants us not to attract attention
1183
00:57:24,283 --> 00:57:27,253
to ourselves but to let the light of Jesus
1184
00:57:27,253 --> 00:57:29,288
shine through us to the nations
1185
00:57:29,288 --> 00:57:31,239
because He loves all of His children.
1186
00:57:31,239 --> 00:57:32,945
Will you accept that challenge?
1187
00:57:32,945 --> 00:57:34,994
By the way, that's a lesson
1188
00:57:34,994 --> 00:57:38,374
for the last days of this earth's history.
1189
00:57:38,374 --> 00:57:39,466
Let's pray together.
1190
00:57:39,466 --> 00:57:42,851
Father in Heaven, that You would call us
1191
00:57:42,851 --> 00:57:45,104
to bring a life-changing message
1192
00:57:45,104 --> 00:57:47,456
to the nations is quite remarkable.
1193
00:57:47,456 --> 00:57:48,611
But thank You that those
1194
00:57:48,611 --> 00:57:50,509
You call You enable.
1195
00:57:50,509 --> 00:57:53,154
And may Your presence be with us as we go.
1196
00:57:53,154 --> 00:57:55,097
In Jesus' name. Amen.
1197
00:57:55,097 --> 00:57:55,881
(Team) Amen.
1198
00:57:55,881 --> 00:57:57,309
(Derek) Friend, whether you go
1199
00:57:57,309 --> 00:57:59,083
to your neighbor or across the world,
1200
00:57:59,083 --> 00:58:00,526
take the light of Jesus
1201
00:58:00,526 --> 00:58:02,260
to dispel the darkness.
1202
00:58:02,260 --> 00:58:04,160
Be a blessing to those around you.
1203
00:58:04,160 --> 00:58:28,425
♪ theme music ♪