HSS2502007

♪ theme music ♪

(Derek) Welcome to Hope Sabbath School,

an in-depth, interactive study

of the Word of God.

I hope you're blessed with this series

on Bible Prophecies and Stories

for the Last Days.

Today, we're going to look

at Foundations for Prophecy,

how God wants to reveal Himself to us

and the story of three prophets

and what that means for our lives today.

So, we're glad that you joined us.

And welcome, team, good to see you,

say, "Hi," to each other.

We're glad you're here.

And we've got some remotes

joining us, too; let's see who's with us.

Rodney, great to have you back with us.

Shaina, always good to have you with us.

Alex, good to have you with us, too,

as a remote team member.

And we're glad you're here, too,

because you are part

of the great miracle of God.

We're always happy to hear from you,

our Hope Sabbath School members

around the world.

Marge, thanks for writing

to us from California.

She says, "Your show, Hope Sabbath School,

has been a blessing to me since 2019,

and I appreciate

the in-depth, interactive approach

to studying God's Word.

Your teaching method helps me

to better understand the Scriptures,

and the Scripture songs are a great tool

for hiding God's Word in my heart."

(Team) Amen.

(Derek) "I'm also inspired

by the team's testimonies,"

well, Marge, maybe you'll hear

a testimony from a team member

in our study today.

"May God continue to bless your ministry.

I love you all, Marge."

Well, Marge, thanks for writing to us,

and we'd love to meet you in person.

Jok, J-O-K, Jok Abraham writes to us

from South Sudan, "Hello,

Hope Sabbath School members."

(Team) Hello!

(Derek) "I am Jok Abraham

writing from South Sudan.

I've been enjoying Hope Sabbath School

for the last five years,

and it's helped me in my studies

and to prepare to teach a class.

Thank you for the great work

you've been doing, and may God

bless you as we prepare

to meet Him in the skies.

And I do purpose to meet

each one of you on that day."

Well, thank you, Jok Abraham,

for writing to us from South Sudan.

And isn't it exciting to realize

he's replicating, multiplying impact,

by teaching there in his community.

Here's a handwritten note

from South Dakota in the United States,

and a donor writes and says, "God

richly bless you for Hope Sabbath School.

It is such a blessing to those of us

whose first language is not English,"

you know, we try to talk really clearly,
right,

and help people to understand,

"Or," the donor says, "maybe someone

who has a challenge reading."

You know, in Revelation, Puia,

doesn't it talk about blessed are those

who hear and those who read.

(Puia) Yes.

(Derek) So, when you read the Bible

in our study today, maybe someone

who has a challenge reading

is blessed because he or she hears

a clear word from God.

"Hope this little gift

makes a difference," and a donation

of 50 dollars from South Dakota.

Thank you, South Dakota,

you know who you are,

and it does make a difference.

And I want to thank each one of you.

This is a donor-supported ministry,

and you can be part of the miracle, too.

You can go to our website,

hopetv.org/hopess,

click on that yellow Donate button

and say, "I want to be part

of the miracle," or get the address

and send us a note

just like this donor did.

Thank you for partnering with us.

One last note, a beautiful note

from Phyllis in Canada.

Phyllis says, "I've been watching

Hope Sabbath School (my favorite program)

for I don't remember how long.

I have," oh, listen, "I've had

my unchurched sister-in-law

watching with me when she stayed with me

for a few months, and she loved it, too.

I've also introduced it to a few friends,

and they have become faithful members

of Hope Sabbath School."

Sounds like, is that what we

call an evangelist? Right?

"I have two daughters, and they have used

your outline to teach interactive classes,

so it's a family affair here in Canada!"

(Team) Wonderful.

(Derek) "I feel like I've gotten to know

so many of the members over the years,

and I'm always happy to see the return

of a familiar face.

The personal testimonies

are a real blessing," we hear that

over and over again, don't we,

"and an encouragement to me

and many others.

May God continue to bless all of you

who are working so hard

to produce this program

and spread God's love to the world."

You know, I'm so thankful, Phyllis,

that you put that last part.

It's not just working hard

to produce a program, but to share

God's love with the world,

that's what we really get excited about.

Well, before we sing our theme song,

which talks about the word of Christ

dwelling in us, Colossians 3:16,

I want to remind you about that free gift

we have for this series because we're

talking about Bible Prophecies

and Stories for the Last Days,

and, friend, you need protection

and so do I, the protection that only God

can give us as His redeemed children.

So, we're offering a resource

called Radical Protection,

a digital copy of a book.

Just go to our website, and you can

download your free copy,

hopetv.org/hopess, look for the free gift.

You say, "Derek, I already did it."

Well, then, tell someone else!

Be a blessing to them.

Do you know someone who is under attack,

someone who is struggling

because the enemy is trying to crush them?

Tell them about the resource.

They can get it free on our website.

But right now, we want to sing

an ancient text, actually,

from Colossians, the letter that Paul

wrote to Christians in Colossae.

Colossians 3:16, it says, "Let the word

of Christ dwell in you richly

in all wisdom"; let's sing it together.

♪ music ♪

(Derek) While we were singing,

I saw our remotes singing,

Rodney and Alex and Shaina,

and I thought about you,

Hope Sabbath School member

somewhere around the world,

and you're singing, too,

and hiding God's Word in your heart.

That is an excellent preparation

for the last days, for the Word

to be in our hearts.

So, let's pray that the Holy Spirit

will guide us as we study about a God

who loves to reveal Himself

and His truth to us.

Let's pray; Father in Heaven,

we just want to thank You

that we can study Your Word,

that Scripture is not given

a private interpretation, but holy men

of God spoke as they were moved

by the Holy Spirit, that Your Word

is an inspired witness for us.

And as we study about Foundations

for Prophecy today, please guide

each one of us wherever we are

around the world,

part of our Hope Sabbath School family.

We pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

(Team) Amen.

(Derek) Well, we want to talk together

about a God who wants to reveal Himself

to us and then look

at some Bible characters who were called

to be prophets.

So, we're going to start in Genesis,

chapter 3, which is actually a sad chapter

about sin coming into our world

through the tempter.

But in this chapter, we'll also discover

some glimmers of hope.

And so, I want to look in Genesis,

chapter 3, and begin with verse 21.

And, Zandile, could you read that verse

for us, Genesis 3:21?

Again, now remember the context:

God has created a perfect world.

He has created Adam and then Eve

to be a helpmeet.

They've walked in the garden with Him,

and they experienced

intimate communion with Him.

But they believed Satan's lie

that they could somehow be like God,

which was what the enemy wanted,

to usurp the place of God.

And now they are feeling naked,

and they are separated from God

because of sin, but there are

some glimmers of hope

that God doesn't stop wanting

to reveal Himself.

So, Genesis 3, let's look at verse 21,

and then, Sophia, I'll ask you

to read verse 24.

(Zandile) And I'll be reading

from the New King James Version,

verse 21 says:

(Derek) So, why did they need

"tunics of skin to clothe them"?

I thought it said in chapter 2

that they were naked and unashamed.

So, Joshua, why does God need to make

tunics of skin for them?

(Joshua) Well, because sin

has entered the world,

and it gets cold and they need
to be warmed.

(Derek) Okay, even a climate change,

you're suggesting possibly.

Anybody else? Yes, Nicole.

(Nicole) Well, they now realize

and recognize their nakedness
and there's shame involved

in that nakedness instead of the purity
that was there before sin.

(Derek) ...a different kind

of nakedness, isn't it?

Because the nakedness before

was beautiful, but now there's this sense

that they have lost something.

Alright, anybody else?

Why tunics of skins?

We alluded to this, Puia,

in a previous study.

I mean, He could have made them of grass.

In fact, they tried to make them

with fig leaves; doesn't it say that

in the chapter?

They tried to, "Woo! Let's get something

to cover things up here."

Why did God choose to use

the skins of animals to cover them?

(Puia) The text didn't clearly state,

but it's very possible that God,

right away, wanted them to see

that there is going to be a sacrifice

that will cover for their sins.

There will be the death of Somebody,

a Savior, who would come and die

on their behalf.

And by being covered, it's like they

are covered from their shame,

Someone who would save them

from their shame and sin.

(Derek) You know, I just want to speak

to you, our Hope Sabbath School members.

If you missed the previous study,

actually Puia taught the study

on understanding sacrifice,

and that was so clear.

You can go to our website,

hopetv.org/hopess, watch

the previous study,

Understanding Sacrifice,

or go to our YouTube channel,

and you can watch it there.

We're building one lesson upon another,

and you're absolutely right, this isn't

just, "Well, I'll make it of something."

This was a lesson about the lamb

that would die pointing forward

to the Lamb of God, right?

So, there was a glimmer of hope.

Let's look at another glimmer of hope,

Sophia, in Genesis 3, verse 24.

(Sophia) I'll be reading

from the New King James Version:

(Derek) Shawn, how do you think

that was a word of hope,

to have cherubim guarding

the entrance so they couldn't enter?

(Shawn) Well, it reminds me

of the Ark of the Covenant,

which had the two cherubim,

and what sat between the two

cherubim but the presence of God?

And so, I think God is still alluding

to this reality, that, "Even though you

are leaving the land

that I prepared for you, the garden

I made for you, My presence

is still going to dwell with you

in a way to call you back

to where you belong."

(Derek) And you're absolutely right,

and after Rodney's comment

and Shaina's comment,

everybody wanting to comment on that

(that's good), we'll discover that He

actually gives a promise about, "I

will never leave you or forsake you."

But let's take Rodney's comment first.

(Rodney) And as you mentioned

the word promise there, Derek,

I think there's a sequence here

that leads up to what we are

talking about here that is

very, very important, and Puia

alluded to it, which was in Genesis 3:15,

even before Genesis 3:15, you can see

that man, Adam and Eve, went awry,

then God actually went to find them.

That's the first beautiful thing

that probably happened before chapter 3,

but once we enter chapter 3,

it then speaks to Genesis 3:15,

which is now the promise

of the Messiah, the One who is to come.

And then now out of that promise,

He provides the skin, and then He

also provides the cherubim

that remind them that He

will always be with them.

I know we said earlier that it is

a very challenging chapter, but as you

said, Derek, there are glimmers of hope

for not just them, but also for us.

(Derek) And I like what Rodney

pointed out, and then I'll come to Shaina

and Alex, and that is,

in that same chapter 3 and verse 8,

God comes looking for them in the garden.

And then He calls out,

"Adam, where are you?"

Did He know where Adam was?

Of course, but He's calling him

to stay in relationship with Him. Alex.

(Alex) I wanted to add along with that,

the Garden of Eden was

actually a sanctuary.

You could see the Cherubim blocking

the entrance, which is east.

That's the exact same structure

as the sanctuary, so even there

early on, we can see that's why God

showed the sanctuary model

to His people, to say, "My ultimate goal

is to bring you back into My presence."

(Derek) Fantastic. And, Shaina,

I didn't want to miss your comment, too.

(Shaina) So, ultimately He used

the cherubim to shield them

from the garden because if we look

at verse 22 in the same [chapter,

Genesis 3], the Godhead, the Lord God

said...if I can read verse 22
of chapter 3.

(Derek) Genesis 3, and you'd like

to read which verse?

(Shaina) Verse 22.

(Derek) Verse 22, okay.

(Shaina) And I'll be reading

from the New King James Version, it says:

So, it's not that God didn't want them

to live forever, but now they were

in a state of being exposed.

We mentioned that before, now they

were naked; they were ashamed.

And if He allowed them to stay

in that place and they continued to eat

of that Tree of Life that would cause

them to live forever, then they

would forever be living in the state

of nakedness, of shame, of sin.

And the God of love,

who designed us to begin with, does not

want that for us.

(Derek) I struggle with that text;

I have to be honest.

Maybe you can explain it to me

because the wages of sin is death.

So, I don't know, maybe it would have

just prolonged the dying longer

by having access to that life-giving food?

I don't know; I guess we'll ask that

when we get there, too.

But, for sure you would agree with me

that in the garden, and I like the comment

that Alex made about the cherubim,

and Shawn also, that there is foreshadowed

that God is not going to abandon us

because of sin.

In fact, He wants to draw near to us.

Where is that text found?

Does anyone know where He says,

"I will never leave you or forsake you"?

It's found in a couple of places.

Joshua, do you remember?

(Joshua) In the book of Joshua.

(Derek) We thought you would like

to read that because it

has your name on it.

And then it's repeated

in the book of Hebrews, correct?

But, Joshua, the book that bears

your name, let's see what you read there

in Joshua 1, verse 5.

And then we say, "Was that

just for him, or is that for all of us?"

(Joshua) And I'll be reading

from the New King James Version,

and the Bible says:

(Derek) So, someone says,

well that was for Joshua,

and Joshua says, "I'm glad

my name's Joshua, you know,

because that would be for me, too."

How do I know that that promise

is not just for this leader

of the children of Israel? Kylynda?

(Kylynda) I was thinking

about multiple places this text is found,

and I was reminded, when Jesus

is leaving His disciples, He also gives

the same promise, "I won't

leave you or forsake you."

And it's really a promise

to all followers of Christ.

He's saying, "As you go out in the world,

I am there with you."

(Derek) Did somebody find Hebrews?

Yes, Shawn, how does it read?

It's being quoted for us,

not just about Joshua.

(Shawn) Correct, and I'll be reading

from Hebrews 13, verse 5, and this will be

the English Standard Version:

(that is, God)

(Derek) So, the context there

is learning to be content,

but it affects every area

of our lives, doesn't it?

So, as the darkness of sin settles

on the world, and sin and death,

why is it an encouragement to know

that God says, "I will never leave you

or forsake you"? Scott?

(Scott) I think about Jesus' experience

on the cross; as He was experiencing

the weight of sin Himself, He said,

"My God, My God,

why have You forsaken Me?"

That's what sin does, right?

Sin causes that...and as we

go through our lives, sometimes,

as we're impacted by sin,

we feel abandoned.

And we have to make a choice:

Am I going to go by how I feel,

or am I going to believe God's promise

when He said, "I will never leave you."

It doesn't matter if you feel

like God has left you or not;

He promised, and you can take

that to the bank.

(Derek) That's an English expression,

which means, "You can count on it,"

by the way, if people were wondering

what it means to take it to the bank.

But knowing that God has promised

to never leave us or forsake us

really does make a difference,

doesn't it? Yes, Zandile.

(Zandile) I was going to say that it's

a recurring concept or theme in the Bible

where from Genesis 1, He comes to them.

Even though they had disobeyed,

He shows that He cares; He looks for them.

And throughout the Bible, God is

still saying to us, "I will

never leave you, and I will

never forsake you."

So, if He is repeating it,

there should be some seriousness

and some truth in it because He

wouldn't be saying it if He

does not mean it.

(Derek) Alright, I saw some remote hands

over there, I think Rodney and Alex,

and then Puia, and then we'll move on

to look at some young people

who were called to speak for God

because He doesn't want anyone to think

He's left us or forsaken us. Rodney?

(Rodney) I think we have seen so far

in our discussion, all the way through

God just being with His people.

That was the intent with Adam and Eve

when God made the coats of skin, right,

or the clothing of skin.

In other words, wherever they

went in the garden, they were

wearing clothes, so they were

in God's clothing, if you will.

So, wherever they went, it was

a reminder for them, not only to cover

their shame but also as a reminder

to them that He's with them.

You see it also in the desert when they

were traveling from Egypt to Canaan.

God said, "Make Me a sanctuary

that I may dwell among you."

And so He wanted

to really commune with them.

You see when Jesus came,

He was with His disciples.

All the way through,

even to the very last chapter

of the book of Revelation,

it says, "Surely I am coming quickly."

So, we just see a depiction

that, no matter where or how far

we have gone, Jesus wants

to have an intimate relationship with us.

(Derek) Alright, thank you for sharing.

Alex, I think you had your hand

raised, too; would you like

to add to that?

(Alex) Yes, and to go with the idea

of hope, when people have hope,

it will help them to push through

even through difficult times.

And I just want everyone,

whoever is watching, to put your name

in Joshua 1:5 where God said, "As I was

with Moses, so I will be with," Joshua,

and, "I will be with you, too."

(Derek) Beautiful, I like

that personalizing of the text,

"As I was with Moses,

I will be with...," Sophia, Nicole,

put your name there and say,

"Is that really true?"

Well, Jesus is the same yesterday,

today and forever, so His promise

is not just for Joshua in ancient times,

but it's for each one of us. Puia?

(Puia) I like what Rodney said.

I think this is the theme

that we're seeing throughout Scripture,

the presence of God.

You know, when humanity fell into sin,

we can look at that from different angles,

but one of the main things we lost

was that direct presence of God,

that face-to-face relationship

that humanity had.

But even in verse 24, chapter 3

of Genesis that we read, that God

placed cherubim, you know,

the word "placed" in the Hebrew language

is the same word for "tabernacle."

(Derek) Ah, so He "pitched" them.

(Puia) He pitched the cherubim,

like He tabernacled, He continued

to show humanity that, "Even though

you have fallen into sin, My presence

will still be here."

We will one day be united again,

and that is so beautiful.

(Derek) It really is.

Well, let's look at a few individuals

who were called to be prophets.

And you say, "Well, Derek, I'm

not called to be a prophet,"

but we'll actually learn some lessons

that will help us to know God

wants to reveal Himself to us.

So, let's go to 1 Samuel, chapter 1.

Nicole, if you could read

verses 27 and 28.

And we're asking the question,

how did the Lord prepare

young Samuel to prophesy?

And we'll see the preparation

actually began even before he was born.

(Nicole) The New International Version

of 1 Samuel, chapter 1,

verses 27 and 28, says:

(Derek) And if you'd stay with us,

Nicole, and read in chapter 2,

verses 18 and 19, since you are

also a mother, so you can understand

a mother's prayers as Hannah,

remember, that was her name,

is praying for this child.

(Nicole) And continuing

in the New International Version, it says:

(Derek) Now, let's think

back about the garden and the robe

that was made in the garden.

So, I want to ask a question.

Some of you are parents, too.

What do you think was

going through Hannah's mind -

and we've got some parents here

on our team - what was going

through Hannah's mind as she made

that covering, that robe,

for her son, Samuel, every year?

Anybody, what do you think? Yes, Scott.

(Scott) I'm drawn to the description

of his clothing, that it says

he was wearing a linen ephod.

Now, we don't know exactly

what an ephod was, but it

had to do with priestly ministry.

And so, Hannah has lent him to the Lord,

and now she is clothing him

in the trappings for his service for God,

so she is preparing him, from a young age,

to serve God, to minister for God.

(Derek) Alright, in a physical sense,

you mean, by making this robe?

I want to know, Nicole, what was

going through her mind

while she was making...

What was she doing while she was

weaving or sewing that garment?

(Nicole) I can see her putting tears

in that garment because her son

is not with her, but also love, because

she knows that her son is going to wear

that garment and have a part of her

with him every day that he is
ministering to God.

(Derek) Would someone like to add

another word besides tears and love?

(Joshua) Gratitude.

(Derek) Gratitude. I'm looking

for one more word.

(Sophia) Joy.

(Kylynda) Care.

(Derek) How about prayer?

Because she prayed, you told us,

at the beginning, right?

Did she stop praying?

Do we stop praying for our children,

those of us who have children?

She never stops praying that he

will be covered, that he will understand

the grace of God.

And, by the way, if you read this book,

there are some wicked things happening

in the temple.

It's a miracle that this young boy

is remaining pure and true to God.

Well, let's pick up the story.

Sophia, if you could take us to chapter 3

of 1 Samuel, and we're going to look

at the first 10 verses.

Now, some of you might say, "Derek,

I know this story," but maybe you're

going to hear this for the first time.

Remember, people are listening.

And I want you not just to tell us

what happened, but what can we learn

for our lives today that will help us

to prepare for the last days, okay?

Chapter 3, verses 1 through 10.

(Sophia) I'll be reading

from the New King James Version:

(Derek) What do you learn

from this story?

It's a beautiful story, right?

What lessons do you learn?

I see Rodney, you're

just kind of shaking your head.

There's got to be something

you're thinking while you're

shaking your head.

(Rodney) Derek, this story
is unbelievable.

I'm just watching the progression

of both Samuel and Eli.

I see Samuel, here, trying to understand

the voice of God, because the Bible says

there that the voice of the Lord

was rare in those days.

And so, if he hears anything that is

sounding like...I notice he goes to Eli.

He didn't go anywhere else;

he went to Eli, so he's expecting

that Eli would have been the person.

But I just like how Samuel is

following the instructions of Eli.

Now, Eli himself also went

through a progression.

If you notice, Eli himself

didn't even know, but the third time

he recognized that God was

speaking to this young man

and instructed him accordingly.

So, I can see growth and development

in these two characters

being displayed here,

and so it is with us.

God wants us to grow with Him as well.

(Derek) Okay, I see some hands

in the studio, and then I see Alex,

one of our remotes. Nicole.

(Nicole) I'm taken

by the obedience of this child.

I have children, and it's hard

to get them, sometimes, to listen

to what you're saying.

But in this case, it's refreshing to see

that this child is able to be obedient.

And when Eli tells him what to do,

he does it; that's from the prayer

of his mom saying that this child

is going to be raised and do

the service of God.

And so, that is important for us

as parents to know, we have

to pray for our children to be able

to hear God's voice.

(Derek) So, Samuel, this little boy, is

covered in prayer in more ways than one.

He's got the little robe, right,

but he's also covered in prayer. Alex?

(Alex) And it's powerful, and if I

were to sum this up, for me,

it is the fact that God does not call

the qualified, but he

qualifies the called.

This is a young boy, but as long as you're

willing, whoever you are,

or how old you are, doesn't matter;

as long as you say, "Here am I, Lord,"

He will work through you.

(Derek) So, you don't have

to be the high priest like Eli.

Tragically, Eli's not listening,

and, "The word of the Lord

was rare in those days."

A lesson you learned, Scott.

(Scott) What really struck me is

that it says that Samuel did not yet know

the voice of the Lord.

And what stood out to me is that God

calls us before we are in a position

to reach out to Him.

We are not the one who initiates.

Samuel didn't start this up.

God was the One who took the initiative,

and He initiated this call,

and He spoke to him.

(Derek) Do we have any idea

how old Samuel was at this time?

Does anybody know?

Shawn, you've got a couple of little boys.

Can you imagine the Lord God saying,

"I'm going to choose

little Michael," or Matthew?

(Shawn) That'd be amazing.

(Derek) Wouldn't it be?!

But I appreciate what you said, Alex,

and I would say to you,

our Hope Sabbath School family,

God wants to speak to us,

if we're willing to listen.

Could we also as parents bathe

our children in prayer so that when God

speaks to them, they'll listen,

they'll recognize the voice,

and they'll listen.

It's quite amazing.

Sophia, you had a thought.

(Sophia) It says that He came and stood,

He came to him just like He came

to Adam and Eve in the garden;

He found them.

(Derek) I noticed that also,

that in the first [three],

it just says, "He called."

Did you notice that?

But the [fourth] time, it says,
"The Lord..."?

(Derek, Team) "...came and stood"

(Derek) ...and called the [fourth] time.

So, what lesson can we learn

for our lives from this?

We're talking about a story here

for the last days.

What lesson, Puia, could I learn

from this story?

You say, "What a great story."

What could I learn?

(Puia) I think God, even to this day

and in the last days, wants to continue

to communicate with us, so I think

the lesson, here, is to be willing,

as Alex pointed out, to have

a willing heart to say, "Here I am, Lord,"

"Here I am, send me,"

"Here I am, I'm listening."

And I really love how Samuel responded,

"Speak, Your servant hears."

I think the lesson is there

for us to continue to listen

to the voice of God.

Today, the Bible is the Word of God,

that we can listen to His Word every day,

and God will speak to our hearts.

(Derek) Let's look at another prophet.

Kylynda, if you'd take us

to Isaiah the prophet.

Now, this is several centuries later.

This is about the eighth century B.C.,

and God calls another prophet

named Isaiah, and if you could read

for us chapter 6 of the book -

because this is where Isaiah

actually tells us about his call -

verses 1 through 5.

(Kylynda) I'll be reading

from the New King James Version:

(Derek) What do you think

about Isaiah's reaction

to this revelation?

Now, again, you know he obviously had

a relationship with God, right,

though I do think, Scott, you pointed out

that we don't have to have

everything together before God

might come and call us.

But he's a man seeking God,

and yet this is a totally...

What would you say?

A more overwhelming revelation

of God's presence and truth to him.

What do you think

about his reaction, Joshua?

(Joshua) To me, he seemed intimidated

and unworthy; he felt

as though he was unworthy.

(Derek) Okay.

(Joshua) I know the following Scriptures

seem to clarify that and what God did

in order to prepare...

(Derek) Okay, let's unpack

the "intimidated"; that implies some fear?

Do you think there was some fear there?

(Joshua) The vision of what he

was seeing? Yeah.

(Derek) You know, it would be nice

to think no fear,

but any time even holy angels showed up,

they had to say, "Fear not," right?

"Fear not, I bring you glad tidings..."

"Fear not," why?

Because the glory of God

is really overwhelming

to sinful human beings. Yes, Puia.

(Puia) I think this is a common theme

we see in the Bible.

Whenever someone gets close to God,

they begin to see their own sinfulness.

You know, the closer you are

drawn to God, the more you

see your failures.

And yet, that's where we see

the grace of God coming through also.

(Derek) You speak about grace, Puia.

I'd like you to read on, verses 6 and 7

of the same chapter.

The story doesn't end there,

"Woe is me, I'm done, bye."

Fortunately, the prophet continues

to record the story, and what do we learn?

(Puia) And I'll be reading

from the New King James Version,

Isaiah 6, verses 6 to 8:

(Derek) Oh, hold verse 8; we're going

going to read that in just a minute, okay?

So, we've got a hot coal coming

from an altar; there's

some symbolism here, what is that?

(Joshua) Purification.

(Derek) Purification, and what's the altar

it's coming from?

It kind of reminds us of...?

(Team) Burnt offering.

(Derek) Burnt offering, of the sanctuary.

Does anybody have an idea?

Yes, Rodney, you're going to tell us

where this burning coal came from,

an altar of some kind.

(Rodney) Yes, there's an intimation here

that it is from the altar of incense

where there is prayer,

and back to Joshua's point

around purification that takes place.

It really just is a great symbolism

that indicates that, "Well,

you're now ready."

God is saying, "I am purifying you

of your sin, and now you are ready

to represent Me to My people."

(Derek) So, heavenly sanctuary, right,

or earthly sanctuary - no.

It's heavenly sanctuary

this is coming from; it's a symbol.

And, Puia, you wanted to read on,

and we want you to read it for us,

because what options does

this young man, Isaiah, have
at this point?

What are his options?

(Puia) Say no to God.

(Derek) He could say no.

He could say, "This

would be very difficult."

"They've killed prophets before,

and they'll kill prophets later.

They might even kill me."

Or, he says...let's see how he responds

in Isaiah 6 and verse 8.

(Puia) And I will be reading

from the New King James Version:

(Derek) So, we're not called

to be prophets.

Shaina, I'm going to ask you

a question in just a minute here,

because when we're called

even to be on Hope Sabbath School,

right - we're sharing the Word of God

with the world - it would be easy

for us to go, "I don't think so.

Why don't You call someone else

who's more...," more what?

(Team) Qualified.

(Derek) Qualified or talented or whatever.

Shaina, when you joined the team,

I don't think it was just my wife

who asked you; I think God

was inviting you, and you've

been a great blessing

to the Hope Sabbath School team.

How did God interact with you

when that invitation came?

(Shaina) Well, I had to respond

positively to His call as well,

and I found that in reading His Word

and spending more time in His Word

and in communicating, I felt strengthened

and more equipped.

And as I continued to communicate

with Him, the initial fear,

because to be honest, I used to film

in the studio regularly when I lived

in the area, and in my brain,

sitting there in the studio was like,

"Oh, these cameras; I'm being

viewed by the world."

It was kind of an intimidating feeling,

but as I said, as time went on,

and I kept communicating with Him,

and also being surrounded by believers

who were equipped by Him as well,

it started to become natural to me.

And so, it's like, as we continue

to communicate with Him

and spend time in His Word,

He will fuel us with the strength

that we need in order to do

what He called us to do.

(Derek) And I want you to stay with us,

Shaina, because some

of our Hope Sabbath School family

know that you faced a great crisis

when you had an accident some years ago.

Tell us about that, and that

might have been a great way out,

to say, "Well, I'm going through all

of this difficulty; I don't think

I can do this anymore."

And yet, God called you to continue.

Talk to us about that.

(Shaina) It was about four years ago

I underwent the greatest tragedy

of my life so far.

I was in a major car accident,

was on life support for two days,

and after I got off life support

had short-term memory loss.

So, meaning I would most likely be

repeating the same things I said

30 seconds ago in this conversation.

Lots of prayers were sent up

around the world for me, and I remember

Pastor Derek's wife reaching

back out to me after I felt better.

And I was like, "I cannot not do this,

because look at what He has done for me."

I didn't have to have my memory restored.

I didn't have to be walking.

I didn't have to look

like nothing happened to me basically.

And people look at me today,

and they would never be able

to tell that I was in that state.

And so, this is just like my gratitude,

to say, "Thank You, God.

You saved me from that physical death,

and ultimately the spiritual death,"

and it's like I can't...

I don't even know if this is

enough to say thanks.

And so, it's very little that I can do

to say thanks, and He continues

to strengthen and equip me to do the work.

(Derek) Thank you so much.

It's a powerful testimony.

Thank you so much for sharing it.

And I guess, you say, "Well, Samuel,

that was like a long time ago."

Or, "Isaiah, that was a long time ago."

But we have a choice to make.

And Shaina said, "Here am I, use me,"

right, "Use me."

Oh, but Satan comes, and, I mean,

we know God didn't cause the accident.

You say, "Well, it was

just someone's driving."

But, ultimately the enemy is

behind the chaos of this world.

But God says, "We're not done."

You know, the cherubim are still there,

right, "My presence between them."

"I've still got you covered."

And Shaina's testimony today

will be used by God

to impact people around the world.

Well, there's another young person

that the Lord called;

his name was Jeremiah.

And, Alex, I'm going to ask you,

you're a young man, God called you,

and by the way, I'm going to give you

an opportunity to share a little

of your testimony, too.

but I would like you to read the text

for us first, if you would,

from Jeremiah, chapter 1,

verses 4 through 10.

(Alex) Okay, and I'll be reading

from the New King James,

and starting at verse 4, it says:

(Derek) Stay with us, Alex,

because I want to give you an opportunity.

You actually were called by God

as a young man, too,

and maybe Hope Sabbath School people

watching go, "Well, he probably grew up,

you know, a perfect child

and never had any challenges,

and he doesn't understand."

But share with me a little,

and with our Hope Sabbath School family,

a little of your testimony.

I remember some of the things

that you were involved with

and how God literally turned

your life around.

And He's called you now to proclaim

to the nations the truth

about His immeasurable love.

(Alex) Yes, and it really touches me

whenever I look back, because I

really don't see myself whenever I share,

and it's like, "That's not me."

But that was me before, and, no,

I didn't grow up fearing the Lord.

I had friends that I shouldn't

have been hanging around with.

I had done things that I shouldn't

have been doing.

I was mostly, unfortunately,

into a lot of violent sports,

and because of that, it really numbed me

into not caring for people,

not caring for how people think,

how people feel, what people say,

and I had an anger problem.

But I remember the Lord

really convicting me

and drawing me out of it.

And one of the ways - because before I

didn't believe in God - but one
of the ways

He revealed to me that He was real

was through Bible prophecy.

I couldn't deny it, and I knew

that I had to accept it.

And that really led me to the Savior.

And really looking at the cross

and seeing that that was real,

that really broke my heart.

That pierced my heart, and it led me

to see that I needed to change.

And God, out of mercy, called me

out of that world.

I was stuck in a very embarrassing
and hard time,

and I had to call out to God

and say, "Lord, I don't know

what You want from me,

but now I want to give You my all.

And I don't know the future,

but I want to give You my all."

And He called me out; He led me,

He guided me, and I saw Him

leading me into spreading His Word.

And I've loved it ever since,

and as I study His Word,

He not only sanctified my lips

but my mind, my heart, my actions

to where, when people hear

of my testimony, they say,

"You don't look like that person

that belongs in the streets

or speaks that way."

But, God is merciful, and I

just praise God that His glory

may be shown in my life.

(Derek, Team) Amen!

(Derek) Amen. I remember Alex

sharing with me.

It was actually in the middle

of a mixed martial arts fight

where he was actually really fighting

for his life, that he heard

the Lord speak to him.

Alex, I'm remembering this story

and how God delivered him through that.

He actually knocked the person out,

and people thought, "Wow, now he's

really going to be famous

and go into a career

and make lots of money."

But that day, he made the decision

that he was finished

with that violent activity.

And so, God's turned him into a warrior

for the Kingdom of Heaven.

Someone ought to say, "Praise God."

You say, "That's a miracle

of God's grace."

Now, I need to take us,

to wrap up the story...

I know you want to share, but one

of the things I noticed as Alex

was sharing was a spirit of humility.

Did you notice that?

I noticed it also with Shaina.

And I want to just speak

to you now and speak

to our Hope Sabbath School family

around the world, when God calls us,

He may not call you to be a prophet

who speaks of the future.

Alex is a pastor now, a pastor!

Someone say, "Praise God!"

He's a pastor now.

But, to stay humble when we see

God work in miraculous ways

(Rodney, I see your hand),

so that all of the glory is deflected

to God and not to us,

because a testimony...

Remember what Alex said?

He shares his testimony, and people

are like, "Is that the same person

that I'm seeing here

testifying about God?"

How do we stay humble, Rodney,

when we're prophesying

of what God has done in our lives?

(Rodney) One of the things I observed

throughout our study, as we read

the Scripture about Isaiah, Jeremiah,

we listen to Shaina's story,

we listen to Alex's story,

I realize that God has a unique way

of getting to each person.

So, if you notice that their testimonies

are not the same, but the end goal

is the same, which is

to draw closer to Jesus.

And it is very, very important

for all of us to remain in Jesus

so that we can remain humble

because if we don't, we will go awry.

We will be off track, and so then we

start to draw the attention to ourselves

rather than Jesus.

So, in order to attain that, we have

to keep close to Him so that He

can keep us aligned.

(Derek) You know, one of the pitfalls

that Lucifer fell into was exalting self.

"I will," "I will,' "I will," if you read

in Isaiah, chapter 14, exalting self.

But the faithful servant of God

is always deflecting all of the praise

and glory to God.

Now, I want to close with this thought.

The Apostle Paul said, "God did something

to me to keep me humble."

I mean, he was talented, well educated,

a great orator, but he said, "God allowed

a thorn in the flesh to come to me."

It's in 2 Corinthians; we don't need

to read it, but you say, "What was that?"

It doesn't really matter.

Some say, "I think it was

his poor eyesight."

But has God taught any of you,

reminded you, of the need

to stay humble before Him

by a thorn in your flesh,

a challenge that you have?

I see several hands.

Anybody want to testify?

Nicole, God sometimes allows things

to come to us (He doesn't cause them)

to keep [Him] saying,

"Just trust Me completely, Nicole."

How has He done that for you?

(Nicole) Well, He's done it

a few times for me, but I can remember

distinctly when I was applying

for medical school I did not do well

on the entrance exams.

And in my mind, I thought, "I have this.

I've done well in college.

This is nothing for me."

And it reminded me that I have

to look to God and be doing this

for His glory and not for my own glory.

And so, I had to step back, take a look

at what my intentions were, and once I

really dedicated my service to God,

He then said, "Okay, I'm ready

for you now to go to this next step."

And I ended up doing well on my exams
and getting into medical school,

but I had to go through a challenging time

to really get to that place where I was
doing it for Him and not for me.

(Derek) That's interesting.

You're not a preacher, right?

You're a physician.

But whatever our occupation,

I'm just talking to you now here

wherever you are.

You say, "Derek, well, I do this or that,"

"I'm a teacher," or, "I'm an electrician,"

or, you tell me what your profession is.

God wants to use you just like He called

Samuel, Isaiah, Jeremiah,

just like He called Shaina and Alex.

He wants to use us, Nicole.

He wants to use us with the gifts

He's given to us and the passion

and love for Him to make a difference

for the Kingdom of Heaven.

Would you be willing to make

that commitment today?

Let's pray together.

Father in Heaven, as Rodney reminded us,

our stories are all different,

and yet the call is the same,

"Who will go and speak for Me?

Who will tell the world the truth

about a God who loves all of His children

with an immeasurable and unfailing love?"

God, I pray for each one watching today,

that we could say in our place,

"Lord, here I am, would You use me?"

And may lives around us be blessed.

We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

(Team) Amen.

(Derek) Thanks for joining us.

You say, "What! Some amazing testimonies!"

We'd love to hear your testimony

because God is still working miracles

in these last days.

Go out and share that

with those around you.

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