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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 an amazing series of studies

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on <i>Ezra and Nehemiah,</i>

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today's topic, <i>Backslidden People.</i>

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You say, "That sounds depressing,"

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but actually it's good news

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because God <i>loves</i> backslidden people,

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and He wants to restore them

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to a life-changing intimate relationship

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with Himself, to experience

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His immeasurable unfailing love[br]like never before,

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actually, to transform them,[br]to transform <i>us</i>

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into all that He ever intended us to be

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and to use us to bless others.

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It's going to be an amazing study,

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and I'm excited because one[br]of our team members, Jason,

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is going to be teaching today,[br]great topic.

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And we're glad that you're with us.

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In fact, we'd love to hear from you[br]if you've started

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your own in-depth, interactive study[br]where you live,

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because you can take

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the same outline that we use,

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same outline Jason will be using today,

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and you can download it from our website.

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Just go to hopetv.org; by the way,

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you'll not only see Hope Sabbath School

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but lots of other great programs there.

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Download the app if you don't have it;

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Hope Channel, go to your App Store[br]or Google Play.

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It's a free app, powerful;

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it will be a great blessing to your life.

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By the way, it's got a geo-locator on it;

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it will come up in whatever language

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is dominant for your territory - amazing!

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You can study the Word of God[br]with us there.

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But download the outline,

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start a study group of your own.

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We will be excited to hear from you.

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In fact, we're always happy

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to hear from you,

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our Hope Sabbath School members.

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By the way, I'm glad you're[br]here, too, team.

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It's going to be a great study, isn't it?

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Here's a note from Homer and his wife

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in Colorado in the United States [br]of America.

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They said, "We've been watching

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Hope Sabbath School ever since it came

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on DirecTV channel 368.

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We get a lot out of it,

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and pray for each one of you on the team.

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God bless you all."

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Thanks, Homer and Jeannie,

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writing from Colorado

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in the United States.

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You've been watching for awhile[br]on DirecTV,

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and we're glad you're part of our family.

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Here's a note from a donor in Guyana.

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Now, some of you have been to Guyana.

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"Dear Christian friends, greetings

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in the name of our precious Savior

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and soon-coming King.

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I am a beneficiary of what Hope Channel

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is doing around the world.

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In this regard, I would like

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to partner with Hope Channel

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to ensure that the gospel

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reaches the ends of the world."

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(Team) Amen.

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(Derek) "Please receive an enclosed gift

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of 1,000 dollars," from Guyana

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to help with the ministry

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of sharing the love of Jesus

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with the world. Amen?

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Thank you; we are

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a donor-supported ministry,

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and I know the blessing

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will come back to you as you join the Lord

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in His harvest work.

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Swein writes from Zambia.

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Swein says, "I wish to thank you

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for the work you're doing

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and how you present the Bible studies

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on Hope Sabbath School.

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You've really helped me learn

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how to present the study to my class."

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That's what Jason's going to do today.

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We're going to model

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what could be reproduced[br]10,000 times, right?

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So, thank you, Swein;

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we're glad you've got

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a class there in Zambia.

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"I've been teaching the Sabbath School[br]since 2008,

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and because of watching

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Hope Sabbath School,

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all the classes I'm teaching

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have appreciated how I handle the study."

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That's awesome; it can be multiplied.

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"Thanks to Hope Sabbath School.

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May God bless you as you continue

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to labor in His vineyard."

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Well, Swein, thanks for writing

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to us from Zambia; God bless you.

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Give our greetings

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to your in-depth, interactive[br]Bible study group.

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Kofi writes from Ghana and said,

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"I asked God to help me

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take my Bible study seriously,

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and I promised Him not to miss out

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on any of the studies this year.

0:04:10.627,0:04:12.672
But I'm a student in high school,

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I wouldn't get time to read,

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and I was working at the house

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when I was back from school.

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I'm living with my brother and his family,

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and we don't get to church early

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to learn the Sabbath School.

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We also don't study at the house,

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but then I found Hope Sabbath School!"

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(Team) Amen!

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(Derek) "Hope Sabbath School

0:04:32.614,0:04:33.655
was the first channel

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I saw and subscribed to.

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I downloaded the full lesson

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as audio on my phone."

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By the way, our new app - you can do that.

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You can also do an offline download,

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and then you can watch the program

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when you're offline somewhere

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where you don't have a connection;[br]it's awesome.

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"And I listen to it when I wake up

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in the morning and while I'm working[br]or in the night.

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I've not missed any of the studies

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since I found Hope Sabbath School."

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(Team) Amen.

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(Derek) "I downloaded

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your theme song on my phone

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and use it as my alarm tone.

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It touches my heart anytime I hear it.

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I want to be a pastor one day..."

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(Team) Amen.

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(Derek) "...and visit Hope Sabbath School

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and be one of the saints

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who will defend God's Word

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in the Last Days."

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(Team) Amen.

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(Derek) Thank you, Kofi,

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for writing to us from Ghana;[br]what do you say?

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(Team) Amen.

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(Derek) God is raising up men and women,

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young people around the world.

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Joyce writes to us, last one,[br]from Jamaica.

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We have a lot of people in Jamaica

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who watch Hope Sabbath...

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Anyone with Jamaican roots here, Nicole?

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Oh, Enkose, too, Jamaican roots.

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"Hello, Hope Sabbath School family!"

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(Team) Hello!

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(Derek) This is Joyce

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writing from Mandeville, "What a blessing

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it's been for me to sit

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and go through Hope Sabbath School guides[br]with you all.

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I've been watching for awhile,

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and I've been truly blessed.

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My daughter is now 11 years old,

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and she's been listening

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to the Scripture songs

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from when she was a little girl.

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She would run from wherever she was[br]in the house,

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come and sing the Scripture song with me

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and then run back to what she was doing."

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Get this, "As she got older,

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she would sit and watch

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the Bible study with me."

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(Team) Amen.

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(Derek) "What a blessing.

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I've downloaded the study guides

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for the very first time,

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and I look forward to making copies[br]and sharing them

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with my Sabbath School class."

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By the way, we found that the best way

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to have an interactive study

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is to give everyone a copy[br]of this outline.

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So just make a copy

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and give it to everyone,

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and they can follow along.

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"We now all look forward

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to the Bible study every week.

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God bless you, Joyce."

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Well, thanks for writing to us, Joyce;[br]glad you're part

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of our Hope Sabbath School family[br]there in Jamaica,

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and God's doing amazing things, isn't He?

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(Team) Yes.

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(Derek) And one of the things amazing

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that God's doing in these Last Days,

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He's calling people back

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who have drifted away.

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The Bible calls that backsliding,

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slipping away, slipping away.

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He wants to heals us

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because of His immeasurable love,

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call us back to Him.

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That's what we're going to study about

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right after we sing

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our theme song from Psalm 25.

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♪ music ♪

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(Derek, Team) Amen.

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(Derek) You know, wouldn't it be

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a wonderful miracle of God if someone

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watches Hope Sabbath School today

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who has slipped away,

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and they hear the call of God

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and the draw of God's love to come back?

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Let's pray as we begin our study.

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(Jason) Amen. Please bow your heads[br]as I pray.

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Our dear heavenly Father,

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today, as we open Your Word, as we see

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how, even when we've made mistakes,

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whether individually or as a group,

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we can still return to You.

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Lord, help us to take lessons

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from these ancient stories

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and apply them to us here now, Lord.

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Lord, send Your Spirit,

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send Your power with us,

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and most importantly, we pray all of this

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in the holy name of Jesus,

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our Cleanser, our Savior. Amen.

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(Derek, Team) Amen.

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(Jason) Here in Ezra and Nehemiah

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we have the story context,

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the children of Israel

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have kind of returned from exile,

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and they've returned

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even though they've made some mistakes,

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and they're trying to get

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the worship service going,

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and they're trying to sort of reform

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the process as they're going along.

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Now, unfortunately, as we've seen[br]in previous lessons,

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there have been some difficulties,

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and there have been some challenges.

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And one of the words

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that's kind of been used

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to describe this process

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is the word <i>backsliding.</i>

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Now, backsliding is a word

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that not everyone may be familiar with,

0:10:02.708,0:10:05.261
and so I just want to ask on the team here

0:10:05.261,0:10:06.911
if someone or even several people

0:10:06.911,0:10:08.016
can tell me what does

0:10:08.016,0:10:10.285
the word <i>backsliding</i> mean,

0:10:10.285,0:10:11.810
maybe as a definition

0:10:11.810,0:10:15.287
or what it looks like in action?

0:10:15.287,0:10:17.388
Someone here on the team, Gladys,

0:10:17.388,0:10:20.292
I see you kind of nodding your head,[br]and you're smiling.

0:10:20.292,0:10:22.245
When you think of backsliding,

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what comes to mind for you?

0:10:23.758,0:10:24.922
(Gladys) When you have

0:10:24.922,0:10:26.175
made a decision for Christ

0:10:26.175,0:10:30.726
and you somehow backtrack on that decision

0:10:30.726,0:10:33.422
and you start slipping away from Him

0:10:33.422,0:10:36.527
and creating some distance

0:10:36.527,0:10:37.893
between you and Christ.

0:10:37.893,0:10:39.461
(Jason) Slipping away,

0:10:39.461,0:10:43.129
made a decision, backtracking. Adison?

0:10:43.129,0:10:44.674
(Adison) Two words come to mind.

0:10:44.674,0:10:46.984
I think of creep and compromise.

0:10:46.984,0:10:48.394
(Jason) Creep and compromise,

0:10:48.394,0:10:50.256
so, kind of little by little,

0:10:50.256,0:10:52.491
and then compromise, making changes

0:10:52.491,0:10:55.222
that are not consistent with the decision

0:10:55.222,0:10:56.786
that you had made before.

0:10:56.786,0:10:57.810
All right, so we have

0:10:57.810,0:11:00.084
this idea of backsliding; now, let's look

0:11:00.084,0:11:03.228
at how the backsliding happened.

0:11:03.228,0:11:05.270
And so I'd like to ask Jonathan

0:11:05.270,0:11:06.945
if you could open for us.

0:11:06.945,0:11:08.831
We're in Nehemiah, chapter 10,

0:11:08.831,0:11:10.150
and I want you to read

0:11:10.150,0:11:13.939
verses 30 and 31 and then verse 39.

0:11:13.939,0:11:15.811
There are some promises that are made,

0:11:15.811,0:11:17.143
and I want us to look

0:11:17.143,0:11:20.047
at where the backsliding begins,

0:11:20.047,0:11:22.318
which is here with the promises.

0:11:22.318,0:11:24.352
So let's look at the start, and then let's

0:11:24.352,0:11:26.200
see what happens in the story.

0:11:26.200,0:11:27.985
(Jonathan) All right, I'll be reading

0:11:27.985,0:11:29.664
from the New International Version,

0:11:29.664,0:11:31.410
verses 30, 31 and 39:

0:12:14.880,0:12:16.652
(Jason) So, when we read that,

0:12:16.652,0:12:18.342
that sounds pretty positive, right?

0:12:18.342,0:12:19.219
We're going to do

0:12:19.219,0:12:20.666
all these very good things.

0:12:20.666,0:12:22.871
What are some of those things[br]that were listed?

0:12:22.871,0:12:25.587
What are some of the promises, Evelyn,[br]that you saw there?

0:12:25.587,0:12:27.140
(Evelyn) They promised that they

0:12:27.140,0:12:29.206
wouldn't marry into pagan cultures.

0:12:29.206,0:12:31.466
(Jason) They wouldn't marry[br]into pagan cultures.

0:12:31.466,0:12:33.915
Yes, Stephanie, I see you smiling there.

0:12:33.915,0:12:35.866
(Stephanie) They would honor the Sabbath.

0:12:35.866,0:12:38.407
(Jason) They would honor the Sabbath.[br]Yes, Adison.

0:12:38.407,0:12:39.885
(Adison) They would be faithful

0:12:39.885,0:12:41.318
in their tithes and offerings.

0:12:41.318,0:12:42.634
(Jason) They'd be faithful

0:12:42.634,0:12:44.946
in their tithes and offerings, all right.[br]Gladys.

0:12:44.946,0:12:47.832
(Gladys) They will respect[br]the seventh year,

0:12:47.832,0:12:49.841
which will be when the land

0:12:49.841,0:12:51.069
cannot be worked on,

0:12:51.069,0:12:53.469
and they had to forgive all debts.

0:12:53.469,0:12:54.855
They will respect that.

0:12:54.855,0:12:56.273
(Jason) All right, so we have

0:12:56.273,0:12:57.899
all these different activities,

0:12:57.899,0:13:00.102
and they sound very positive.

0:13:00.102,0:13:03.130
They're very good promises.

0:13:03.130,0:13:06.125
Now, I want to ask what are your thoughts

0:13:06.125,0:13:07.940
on these promises when you hear them

0:13:07.940,0:13:09.957
because they sound positive,

0:13:09.957,0:13:11.502
they sound beneficial.

0:13:11.502,0:13:13.002
Jonathan, you've got

0:13:13.002,0:13:14.352
a certain facial expression.

0:13:14.352,0:13:16.379
You've got some thoughts on this here.

0:13:16.379,0:13:17.603
(Jonathan) It reminds me

0:13:17.603,0:13:20.654
of when God comes down on Mount Sinai

0:13:20.654,0:13:22.586
and gives the Law,

0:13:22.586,0:13:24.836
and all the people are overwhelmed,

0:13:24.836,0:13:26.588
and they say, "Oh, all these things

0:13:26.588,0:13:28.723
that God says, <i>we</i> will do."

0:13:28.723,0:13:30.115
So I don't know if it's

0:13:30.115,0:13:31.232
quite the same spirit,

0:13:31.232,0:13:32.906
that maybe it sounds like, a bit,

0:13:32.906,0:13:34.979
but it sounds like it could be

0:13:34.979,0:13:37.179
a little bit of self-confidence,

0:13:37.179,0:13:40.775
maybe not recognition of just how prone

0:13:40.775,0:13:42.306
we are to go astray.

0:13:42.306,0:13:44.812
(Jason) So maybe some self-confidence.

0:13:44.812,0:13:47.602
Kenneth, and then I want to ask,

0:13:47.602,0:13:50.805
kind of push back a little bit

0:13:50.805,0:13:52.581
for the sake of discussion here

0:13:52.581,0:13:54.316
because these are legitimate issues,

0:13:54.316,0:13:55.906
and these are legitimate problems

0:13:55.906,0:13:57.094
that they've dealt with.

0:13:57.094,0:13:58.784
And so I want to hear from Kenneth,

0:13:58.784,0:14:00.213
and then I also want to hear,

0:14:00.213,0:14:01.909
what do we think about this tension

0:14:01.909,0:14:03.740
between dealing with legitimate issues

0:14:03.740,0:14:04.819
and responding to them

0:14:04.819,0:14:06.518
in the manner that glorifies God.

0:14:06.518,0:14:07.674
So, Kenneth, yes.

0:14:07.674,0:14:09.658
(Kenneth) I think from our previous study

0:14:09.658,0:14:11.862
where they made all the sacrifices to God,

0:14:11.862,0:14:13.430
you'd be convinced that, okay,

0:14:13.430,0:14:15.810
these people are really going to do it.

0:14:15.810,0:14:17.524
But with their track record,

0:14:17.524,0:14:19.174
just as Jonathan said,

0:14:19.174,0:14:20.621
we don't know whether they are

0:14:20.621,0:14:22.471
able to keep their side of the bargain

0:14:22.471,0:14:25.227
or if they are going to fall back

0:14:25.227,0:14:26.995
and off of what they are promising.

0:14:26.995,0:14:29.124
(Jason) So they don't know[br]that they're able,

0:14:29.124,0:14:30.427
so what's the problem here?

0:14:30.427,0:14:34.930
Why are they not able? Nicole?

0:14:34.930,0:14:36.475
(Nicole) As Jonathan even said,

0:14:36.475,0:14:38.662
it starts with, "We, we, we, will...[br]We will."

0:14:38.662,0:14:40.459
There's not a, "Lord, help us to...,"

0:14:40.459,0:14:42.386
"Lord, lead us to where we need to go."

0:14:42.386,0:14:44.351
It's all, "We're going to do something,"

0:14:44.351,0:14:46.792
And so I think when we believe[br]that our own strength

0:14:46.792,0:14:47.775
can take us through,

0:14:47.775,0:14:51.048
we fail, just really simple, we fail.

0:14:51.048,0:14:52.393
(Jason) So is it fair to say

0:14:52.393,0:14:54.357
that maybe backsliding can begin

0:14:54.357,0:14:58.273
with good intentions about good activities

0:14:58.273,0:15:00.580
but from a heart...? Yes, Derek.

0:15:00.580,0:15:02.542
(Derek) A story from the New Testament,

0:15:02.542,0:15:04.169
Jason, flashed into my mind.

0:15:04.169,0:15:06.080
"Even if everybody else denies you,

0:15:06.080,0:15:09.572
I wont," that's Peter, you know.

0:15:09.572,0:15:12.872
And he's got good intentions,

0:15:12.872,0:15:15.259
but he's in a very dangerous place.

0:15:15.259,0:15:16.790
And you don't even have to turn

0:15:16.790,0:15:18.138
the page in my Bible,

0:15:18.138,0:15:21.181
and he's saying, "I don't even know[br]who He is."

0:15:21.181,0:15:23.307
So I think...the Lord has said,

0:15:23.307,0:15:25.077
"You're at risk," and he says, "No,

0:15:25.077,0:15:28.036
even if everyone else does it, I won't."

0:15:28.036,0:15:30.560
I think that the challenge here

0:15:30.560,0:15:32.609
is that all of us are

0:15:32.609,0:15:34.773
capable of backsliding,

0:15:34.773,0:15:35.991
and we have to say, "God,

0:15:35.991,0:15:38.841
I need You to hold me close to You,"

0:15:38.841,0:15:40.289
you know, "My commitment

0:15:40.289,0:15:41.930
is just this, that I'm not going

0:15:41.930,0:15:43.434
to resist You at all."

0:15:43.434,0:15:44.794
(Jason) Amen. Now, there are

0:15:44.794,0:15:46.999
some principles that Jesus referenced.

0:15:46.999,0:15:50.571
I think of Matthew 22.

0:15:50.571,0:15:52.145
Stephanie, I'd actually like you

0:15:52.145,0:15:53.759
to read that for us

0:15:53.759,0:15:56.083
because I think referencing

0:15:56.083,0:15:57.045
what Jesus has said

0:15:57.045,0:15:58.224
and going to the Gospels

0:15:58.224,0:15:59.844
might be helpful to get our minds

0:15:59.844,0:16:01.473
focused on how we can

0:16:01.473,0:16:02.886
avoid backsliding ourselves.

0:16:02.886,0:16:04.753
So, Stephanie, if you could read for us

0:16:04.753,0:16:08.071
Matthew, chapter 22, verses 37 through 39.

0:16:08.071,0:16:10.123
What are some principles here,

0:16:10.123,0:16:13.784
so that we can avoid going down this path?

0:16:13.784,0:16:15.304
(Stephanie) And I'll be reading

0:16:15.304,0:16:16.698
from the King James Version:

0:16:35.017,0:16:37.066
(Jason) All right, so we see here

0:16:37.066,0:16:40.237
we've got these two, kind of, focuses,

0:16:40.237,0:16:42.749
loving God, loving our neighbor.

0:16:42.749,0:16:45.122
So, what do you see here, Gladys?

0:16:45.122,0:16:47.888
(Gladys) The focus is God first.

0:16:47.888,0:16:50.333
The more that we focus on God,

0:16:50.333,0:16:52.393
everything else, like we said

0:16:52.393,0:16:54.388
in previous studies,

0:16:54.388,0:16:56.298
it would look different.

0:16:56.298,0:16:58.153
So our focus must be God.

0:16:58.153,0:17:00.438
And then when we focus with God,

0:17:00.438,0:17:03.578
we can help other people around us.

0:17:03.578,0:17:07.643
(Jason) All right. Jonathan.

0:17:07.643,0:17:09.282
(Jonathan) I was just going to say

0:17:09.282,0:17:12.605
that loving God

0:17:12.605,0:17:14.764
and being faithful to God

0:17:14.764,0:17:18.347
is something that is placed[br]beyond our reach.

0:17:18.347,0:17:21.498
It is a gift of God itself.

0:17:21.498,0:17:23.236
It is not something that we have.

0:17:23.236,0:17:27.008
Therefore, we have to ask Him[br]for faithfulness,

0:17:27.008,0:17:28.485
ask Him for the capacity

0:17:28.485,0:17:33.779
to make us capable of loving Him.

0:17:33.779,0:17:34.876
(Jason) Travis.

0:17:34.876,0:17:36.561
(Travis) I would just like to say,

0:17:36.561,0:17:38.102
it's listed in here, "Love God

0:17:38.102,0:17:39.721
with all your heart, all your soul

0:17:39.721,0:17:40.627
and all your mind."

0:17:40.627,0:17:41.977
That's the prerequisite

0:17:41.977,0:17:44.032
to loving our neighbor as ourselves.

0:17:44.032,0:17:46.543
It's the prerequisite to living[br]a holy life

0:17:46.543,0:17:48.342
and keeping the promises of God.

0:17:48.342,0:17:49.761
If we have that connection,

0:17:49.761,0:17:52.831
it's only then that we are capable.

0:17:52.831,0:17:55.929
(Jason) Now, let's...Oh, Derek, you[br]wanted to share something...

0:17:55.929,0:17:57.784
(Derek) I was just thinking, Jesus says

0:17:57.784,0:17:59.243
everything else hangs on that.

0:17:59.243,0:18:00.581
So, you know, if I'm just,

0:18:00.581,0:18:01.773
"My focus is I want to be

0:18:01.773,0:18:02.806
so connected with God

0:18:02.806,0:18:04.450
that I love Him with all my heart,

0:18:04.450,0:18:05.503
and let His love flow

0:18:05.503,0:18:06.731
through me to everyone,"

0:18:06.731,0:18:08.924
I think that God would say,

0:18:08.924,0:18:11.342
"Everything else is going to be okay,"

0:18:11.342,0:18:16.207
when you've got those two[br]clear commandments,

0:18:16.207,0:18:18.221
Jesus says "the two great commandments."

0:18:18.221,0:18:19.790
(Jason) Amen. Jonathan.

0:18:19.790,0:18:22.120
(Jonathan) Sometimes we get[br]tired very quickly

0:18:22.120,0:18:23.750
of trying to be faithful,

0:18:23.750,0:18:29.946
of trying to love, either partners,[br]brothers and on.

0:18:29.946,0:18:33.130
This is because we try it by ourselves,

0:18:33.130,0:18:35.780
and we should always ask God to help us.

0:18:35.780,0:18:38.382
We aren't always able to love.

0:18:38.382,0:18:40.337
(Jason) And now let's get into the story,

0:18:40.337,0:18:42.484
and I'm going to ask Gladys

0:18:42.484,0:18:44.291
if you could read for us

0:18:44.291,0:18:48.368
Nehemiah, chapter 13, verses 4 and 5.

0:18:48.368,0:18:49.262
We're going to see

0:18:49.262,0:18:51.369
a specific situation that happens,

0:18:51.369,0:18:53.141
and we're going to see some problems

0:18:53.141,0:18:55.075
that gives some evidence of backsliding.

0:18:55.075,0:18:57.386
And let's kind of look at what's going on

0:18:57.386,0:19:00.447
and what's happening here in the story.

0:19:00.447,0:19:01.451
(Gladys) I'm reading

0:19:01.451,0:19:03.151
from the New International Version,

0:19:03.151,0:19:08.768
Nehemiah, chapter 13, verses 4 and 5:

0:19:41.518,0:19:43.561
(Jason) Now, does anything[br]stand out to you,

0:19:43.561,0:19:44.928
anything kind of startling,

0:19:44.928,0:19:47.509
when you read this? Jonathan?

0:19:47.509,0:19:49.257
(Jonathan) If you look back earlier,

0:19:49.257,0:19:51.813
Tobiah is kind of this foreigner.

0:19:51.813,0:19:54.033
He's like an Ammonite, I guess, a ruler,

0:19:54.033,0:19:56.625
and he was against the Jews,

0:19:56.625,0:19:58.451
against them rebuilding the temple,

0:19:58.451,0:20:00.551
against, I think, rebuilding the wall.

0:20:00.551,0:20:05.191
And now he's related to this priest,

0:20:05.191,0:20:07.889
and because of that...

0:20:07.889,0:20:09.814
How he's related is a curious question.

0:20:09.814,0:20:11.758
And now he has a spot in the temple,

0:20:11.758,0:20:14.345
I'm like, "Uh, what?"

0:20:14.345,0:20:17.053
(Jason) There are some big problems[br]going on here.

0:20:17.053,0:20:18.168
Backsliding has taken

0:20:18.168,0:20:20.055
a whole new level almost. Yes, Kenneth.

0:20:20.055,0:20:21.913
(Kenneth) For me, the irony is

0:20:21.913,0:20:25.284
there is reform, the temple is cleansed,

0:20:25.284,0:20:28.121
and then you give another place

0:20:28.121,0:20:29.533
for this same people

0:20:29.533,0:20:32.181
for which you established a reform.

0:20:32.181,0:20:34.215
So it's like, "You didn't do

0:20:34.215,0:20:37.136
what you started initially.

0:20:37.136,0:20:39.315
You just went back to zero."

0:20:39.315,0:20:40.225
(Jason) Travis.

0:20:40.225,0:20:42.088
(Travis) Well, it says that they

0:20:42.088,0:20:43.127
were allied together,

0:20:43.127,0:20:44.307
and it's quite possible,

0:20:44.307,0:20:45.535
and it's been suggested,

0:20:45.535,0:20:47.377
that their children were intermarried,

0:20:47.377,0:20:49.632
so already breaking some of the promises

0:20:49.632,0:20:51.057
that had been made.

0:20:51.057,0:20:53.409
And so they have, you know,

0:20:53.409,0:20:55.268
"Well, my daughter, your son,

0:20:55.268,0:20:56.974
I guess we're all family now."

0:20:56.974,0:20:59.690
And all of a sudden...

0:20:59.690,0:21:02.428
It astounds me that all of a sudden

0:21:02.428,0:21:04.181
it directly affects the temple

0:21:04.181,0:21:08.184
and the storehouse right away, so quickly.

0:21:08.184,0:21:11.223
(Jason) And Travis alluded to that,[br]where is Tobiah?

0:21:11.223,0:21:13.900
Is he just kind of hanging out,[br]outside the walls,

0:21:13.900,0:21:17.116
kind of watching things? Yes, Stephanie.

0:21:17.116,0:21:20.100
(Stephanie) They've actually moved[br]God's furniture

0:21:20.100,0:21:22.068
and brought his furniture in.

0:21:22.068,0:21:24.129
And we know from chapter 6

0:21:24.129,0:21:28.018
that Tobiah and Sanballat were enemies,

0:21:28.018,0:21:29.911
so the idea of them

0:21:29.911,0:21:33.954
completely replacing God's...for enemies,

0:21:33.954,0:21:37.375
it just baffles my mind.

0:21:37.375,0:21:40.227
(Jason) So Travis alluded to it,

0:21:40.227,0:21:42.151
but what do you think is going on here?

0:21:42.151,0:21:43.341
Why is this all happening

0:21:43.341,0:21:44.775
behind the scenes? Yes, Derek.

0:21:44.775,0:21:46.251
(Derek) I was thinking of a man

0:21:46.251,0:21:48.081
who drifted away from God.

0:21:48.081,0:21:49.591
And I just remembered His words

0:21:49.591,0:21:50.642
as we're reading this.

0:21:50.642,0:21:51.997
He said, "I did things

0:21:51.997,0:21:56.588
I never thought I would do."

0:21:56.588,0:21:59.112
One step led to another.

0:21:59.112,0:22:04.534
If you had told this individual, Eliashib,

0:22:04.534,0:22:05.632
that he would move

0:22:05.632,0:22:07.368
God's things out of the way

0:22:07.368,0:22:11.915
and put a hostile Ammonite official

0:22:11.915,0:22:13.647
in the house of God,

0:22:13.647,0:22:15.112
he would have said,

0:22:15.112,0:22:18.027
"Absolutely impossible."

0:22:18.027,0:22:20.374
But you get intermarriage

0:22:20.374,0:22:22.038
between children and children;

0:22:22.038,0:22:23.745
you get different things happening,

0:22:23.745,0:22:25.646
like with Solomon.

0:22:25.646,0:22:28.975
And I'm hearing this man's[br]testimony to me,

0:22:28.975,0:22:31.142
that when you start slipping,

0:22:31.142,0:22:32.652
you will end up doing things

0:22:32.652,0:22:35.568
you never thought you would do.

0:22:35.568,0:22:36.961
That's what happened here.

0:22:36.961,0:22:38.484
(Jason) So I just want to ask,

0:22:38.484,0:22:40.820
and feel free, no one has to,

0:22:40.820,0:22:42.593
but has anyone experienced this

0:22:42.593,0:22:43.449
in their own life?

0:22:43.449,0:22:47.102
Have you ever, you know, been in a way,

0:22:47.102,0:22:48.224
you thought, you know,

0:22:48.224,0:22:49.965
you started out strong,

0:22:49.965,0:22:52.303
you made some good promises to God,

0:22:52.303,0:22:54.019
but then, little by little,

0:22:54.019,0:22:55.819
maybe you started slipping.

0:22:55.819,0:22:57.392
And the next thing you know,

0:22:57.392,0:23:01.064
Tobiah was hanging out in your room.

0:23:01.064,0:23:03.094
Someone is laughing; is anyone

0:23:03.094,0:23:04.412
comfortable enough to share

0:23:04.412,0:23:05.867
maybe where they had been

0:23:05.867,0:23:07.484
in that situation? Nicole?

0:23:07.484,0:23:09.076
(Nicole) I've shared this before,

0:23:09.076,0:23:13.090
but I was baptized when I was 9 years old[br]into this church,

0:23:13.090,0:23:14.311
and so I was gung-ho.

0:23:14.311,0:23:16.060
I was a Pathfinder; I did everything

0:23:16.060,0:23:17.967
at the church that I was supposed to do.

0:23:17.967,0:23:19.673
I got to college and thought, "Wow,

0:23:19.673,0:23:21.034
the world is so much bigger

0:23:21.034,0:23:22.413
than the church that I left."

0:23:22.413,0:23:23.371
And I found myself

0:23:23.371,0:23:24.813
slowly but gently compromising

0:23:24.813,0:23:26.596
and doing things that I never thought

0:23:26.596,0:23:28.711
I would do, in college.

0:23:28.711,0:23:32.868
And it took the death of my mom

0:23:32.868,0:23:34.832
for me to realize that if I didn't

0:23:34.832,0:23:36.535
change my ways sooner than later,

0:23:36.535,0:23:38.598
I would not be able to see her again.

0:23:38.598,0:23:40.248
And so, literally, at her funeral,

0:23:40.248,0:23:43.428
I was like, "Wow, I really messed[br]this thing up,"

0:23:43.428,0:23:45.461
and God just slowly reeled me back in.

0:23:45.461,0:23:49.507
But, yeah, it's a real thing out there;[br]it's a real thing.

0:23:49.507,0:23:51.326
(Jason) Now you said at the end there,

0:23:51.326,0:23:52.885
"God slowly reeled you back in,"

0:23:52.885,0:23:55.097
so the unfailing...Yes, some good news,

0:23:55.097,0:23:58.690
the unfailing, immeasurable love of God[br]reeling you in,

0:23:58.690,0:24:00.551
Even when you've backslidden,

0:24:00.551,0:24:01.748
God can still be there.

0:24:01.748,0:24:04.316
Now, let's look further in the story,

0:24:04.316,0:24:07.853
and I'd like to ask Evelyn

0:24:07.853,0:24:09.265
if you could read for us

0:24:09.265,0:24:12.078
Nehemiah, chapter 13, verses 6 and 7,

0:24:12.078,0:24:13.565
because, after all, this is

0:24:13.565,0:24:14.728
the book of Nehemiah,

0:24:14.728,0:24:17.310
and so, what's Nehemiah doing[br]during this time?

0:24:17.310,0:24:19.176
Why is he allowing

0:24:19.176,0:24:20.864
all these bad things to happen?

0:24:20.864,0:24:24.906
Why isn't he there to stop them?[br]Yes, Evelyn.

0:24:24.906,0:24:26.207
(Evelyn) I will be reading

0:24:26.207,0:24:28.005
from the New Living Translation:

0:24:52.011,0:24:54.120
(Jason) All right, so, what did

0:24:54.120,0:24:55.528
those verses tell us?

0:24:55.528,0:24:56.987
What is the situation

0:24:56.987,0:24:59.100
going on there, Jason?

0:24:59.100,0:25:00.743
(Jason) Nehemiah, he wasn't there.

0:25:00.743,0:25:01.931
(Jason) He wasn't there.

0:25:01.931,0:25:03.040
So, why isn't he there?

0:25:03.040,0:25:04.174
Did he just decide

0:25:04.174,0:25:05.761
he needed to go on a long trip?

0:25:05.761,0:25:07.614
He just, you know, needed to take care

0:25:07.614,0:25:10.028
of his own personal affairs in Babylon?

0:25:10.028,0:25:12.444
Or are there other things going on?[br]Yes, Jonathan.

0:25:12.444,0:25:13.920
(Jonathan) Hadn't he originally

0:25:13.920,0:25:15.390
asked leave of the king?

0:25:15.390,0:25:18.078
And so now he's invested himself

0:25:18.078,0:25:19.025
here in Jerusalem,

0:25:19.025,0:25:21.447
but he technically needs to go back.

0:25:21.447,0:25:24.216
And so it seems like he goes back,

0:25:24.216,0:25:27.934
and after talking to the king,

0:25:27.934,0:25:29.503
like, everybody realizes that he

0:25:29.503,0:25:31.135
should probably stay in Jerusalem,

0:25:31.135,0:25:32.751
but he has to go back, at least.

0:25:32.751,0:25:33.886
(Jason) Nicole.

0:25:33.886,0:25:36.164
(Nicole) Maybe, I don't[br]remember the story,

0:25:36.164,0:25:37.252
but didn't he promise

0:25:37.252,0:25:38.721
when he left the king

0:25:38.721,0:25:39.706
that he would return

0:25:39.706,0:25:41.053
when he finished his duties?

0:25:41.053,0:25:42.541
So he was only keeping his word

0:25:42.541,0:25:44.067
in terms of returning back home,

0:25:44.067,0:25:45.541
which is something that we all

0:25:45.541,0:25:47.994
need to learn to do, is keep our word.

0:25:47.994,0:25:50.215
(Jason) So, he's keeping his word.[br]Yes, Gladys.

0:25:50.215,0:25:51.612
(Gladys) He's the cupbearer.

0:25:51.612,0:25:54.919
So, like Nicole said, he gave his word.

0:25:54.919,0:25:56.921
The king asked him before he left,

0:25:56.921,0:25:58.693
"When are you going to return?"

0:25:58.693,0:26:01.431
So he had to fulfill his word.

0:26:01.431,0:26:03.143
(Jason) So he's fulfilling his word,

0:26:03.143,0:26:05.124
he's back there in Babylon,

0:26:05.124,0:26:07.427
and then during this time,

0:26:07.427,0:26:10.394
all these problems begin to emerge.

0:26:10.394,0:26:12.924
So, it's possible...Yes, Jonathan.

0:26:12.924,0:26:14.348
(Jonathan) I just want to say

0:26:14.348,0:26:16.964
that I want to highlight the importance

0:26:16.964,0:26:19.803
of the presence of a godly leader,

0:26:19.803,0:26:24.401
the importance of the presence[br]of a godly leader.

0:26:24.401,0:26:28.307
And also the fact that we,

0:26:28.307,0:26:30.431
even without man's supervision,

0:26:30.431,0:26:32.133
should be faithful to God,

0:26:32.133,0:26:33.548
remain faithful to God.

0:26:33.548,0:26:34.650
Sometimes it happens

0:26:34.650,0:26:36.508
that if there is a faithful pastor,

0:26:36.508,0:26:38.484
then the church remains faithful.

0:26:38.484,0:26:39.607
If there is a pastor

0:26:39.607,0:26:43.071
that compromises with the world,

0:26:43.071,0:26:45.545
then the church compromises.

0:26:45.545,0:26:49.146
So we should individually be faithful.

0:26:49.146,0:26:50.830
(Derek) What I like about Nehemiah,

0:26:50.830,0:26:52.416
because they're absolutely right,

0:26:52.416,0:26:54.416
he kept his word to go back, but his heart

0:26:54.416,0:26:55.840
was still there in Jerusalem.

0:26:55.840,0:26:57.183
It was much more comfortable

0:26:57.183,0:26:59.924
for him to stay with the king,

0:26:59.924,0:27:02.781
but he's basically keeping his word,

0:27:02.781,0:27:05.429
but his plan is, as soon as possible,

0:27:05.429,0:27:07.304
he'll be able to go back.

0:27:07.304,0:27:08.682
I think what's more important

0:27:08.682,0:27:11.653
is how he responds when he gets back,

0:27:11.653,0:27:12.934
which means that he's not

0:27:12.934,0:27:14.767
just kind of washed his hands,

0:27:14.767,0:27:16.619
"Okay, I'm done with that assignment."

0:27:16.619,0:27:19.556
His heart is really committed

0:27:19.556,0:27:21.340
to what God wants to happen

0:27:21.340,0:27:23.074
there in Jerusalem.

0:27:23.074,0:27:24.805
(Jason) And on that note, Adison,

0:27:24.805,0:27:27.385
let's read what happens when he gets back

0:27:27.385,0:27:29.148
because we've seen in verse 7

0:27:29.148,0:27:31.556
he came to Jerusalem; he sees this.

0:27:31.556,0:27:33.518
But now he's got a certain response,

0:27:33.518,0:27:35.646
and so, if you could read for us, Adison,

0:27:35.646,0:27:38.565
Nehemiah, chapter 13, verses 8 and 9,

0:27:38.565,0:27:41.500
let's see, what is Nehemiah's response

0:27:41.500,0:27:43.248
now that he has returned

0:27:43.248,0:27:45.426
and sees the situation.

0:27:45.426,0:27:46.627
(Adison) And I'm reading

0:27:46.627,0:27:48.019
from the King James Version:

0:28:07.597,0:28:09.657
(Jason) All right. So, there are

0:28:09.657,0:28:12.110
quite a few different activities[br]that happen here,

0:28:12.110,0:28:14.258
but I want us to kind of look at them

0:28:14.258,0:28:15.219
in order if you can.

0:28:15.219,0:28:17.010
What's the first thing he does?

0:28:17.010,0:28:18.193
Does he jump right in,

0:28:18.193,0:28:19.875
and, you know, attack Tobiah?

0:28:19.875,0:28:22.169
Is his first response one of attack,

0:28:22.169,0:28:23.833
or what is the first thing it says

0:28:23.833,0:28:25.131
right in the very beginning

0:28:25.131,0:28:26.288
that he does, Stephanie?

0:28:26.288,0:28:28.382
(Stephanie) It grieved him.[br]He was in pain...

0:28:28.382,0:28:29.432
(Derek) He's mourning.

0:28:29.432,0:28:31.048
(Stephanie) ...because of it, yes.

0:28:31.048,0:28:33.146
(Jason) So there is some[br]personal reflection,

0:28:33.146,0:28:37.156
there is some kind of emotional response.

0:28:37.156,0:28:39.202
There is a sort of, you could almost say,

0:28:39.202,0:28:40.679
even an individual focus

0:28:40.679,0:28:44.064
before he goes out and does any kind[br]of attack. Yes, Travis.

0:28:44.064,0:28:45.668
(Travis) I would like to just say

0:28:45.668,0:28:47.237
that it probably didn't take him

0:28:47.237,0:28:48.955
too long to make that decision

0:28:48.955,0:28:51.065
because he was a God-fearing man,

0:28:51.065,0:28:53.268
and he knew...I mean, he was there

0:28:53.268,0:28:55.534
when they made the promises and pledges.

0:28:55.534,0:28:57.210
He knew this wasn't supposed to be.

0:28:57.210,0:28:58.800
So, while I think he was grieved,

0:28:58.800,0:28:59.954
it didn't take him long

0:28:59.954,0:29:01.427
to say, "This doesn't belong."

0:29:01.427,0:29:02.774
(Jason) Yes, Kenneth.

0:29:02.774,0:29:05.848
(Kenneth) Also, I can sense from the fact

0:29:05.848,0:29:08.796
that it says it grieved him bitterly.

0:29:08.796,0:29:11.073
He wasn't just grieving about it;

0:29:11.073,0:29:12.705
somehow he was praying about it

0:29:12.705,0:29:15.518
and asking God what to do.

0:29:15.518,0:29:16.340
(Jason) Jonathan?

0:29:16.340,0:29:17.965
(Jonathan) It just makes me wonder

0:29:17.965,0:29:19.394
how many other people saw this

0:29:19.394,0:29:20.826
and maybe were disturbed by it

0:29:20.826,0:29:23.522
but didn't stand up and say,

0:29:23.522,0:29:26.733
"No, this is not right," and, "Let me

0:29:26.733,0:29:29.555
talk to others...," and, yeah.

0:29:29.555,0:29:30.995
(Jason) Yes, Jason.

0:29:30.995,0:29:33.451
(Jason) As we were reading this,

0:29:33.451,0:29:35.468
it dawned on me that this was a foreshadow

0:29:35.468,0:29:37.492
of what Jesus did in the temple, you know,

0:29:37.492,0:29:39.136
dealing with the "den of thieves."

0:29:39.136,0:29:41.668
Just that it is in that context[br]of that grieving,

0:29:41.668,0:29:44.125
just wasn't abruptly being angry[br]for no reason.

0:29:44.125,0:29:45.846
I mean, he literally saw

0:29:45.846,0:29:47.407
this ungodliness taking place,

0:29:47.407,0:29:48.687
and he acted upon that

0:29:48.687,0:29:50.449
because the Spirit of God was in him,

0:29:50.449,0:29:52.113
and he expressed it in such a way.

0:29:52.113,0:29:54.091
(Jason) So he expressed it in such a way.

0:29:54.091,0:29:55.153
How did he express it?

0:29:55.153,0:29:57.810
What does Nehemiah actually do, Evelyn?

0:29:57.810,0:29:59.758
(Evelyn) It seems that his first concern

0:29:59.758,0:30:01.629
is to make sure the temple is cleansed.

0:30:01.629,0:30:03.055
So, he's like, "Okay, we need

0:30:03.055,0:30:04.694
to get Tobiah's things out of here

0:30:04.694,0:30:06.473
and clean this place up."

0:30:06.473,0:30:08.076
(Jason) Get these things out

0:30:08.076,0:30:12.687
and clean this place up. Yes, Jonathan.

0:30:12.687,0:30:15.510
(Jonathan) And I'm just thinking,

0:30:15.510,0:30:19.844
I like to think and imagine.

0:30:19.844,0:30:24.353
To make reformation, it takes boldness.

0:30:24.353,0:30:28.938
It takes courage, a sanctified courage.

0:30:28.938,0:30:34.153
So he had to go against people's desires

0:30:34.153,0:30:37.140
and things like that...

0:30:37.140,0:30:40.794
And also, when there is a radical problem,

0:30:40.794,0:30:44.415
we also should take radical actions.

0:30:44.415,0:30:45.864
(Derek) Yeah, it definitely,

0:30:45.864,0:30:48.291
like Jason said, this is like Jesus.

0:30:48.291,0:30:51.537
When they saw Jesus cleanse the temple,

0:30:51.537,0:30:53.077
it says they remembered,

0:30:53.077,0:30:58.038
"Zeal for Your house has eaten me up."

0:30:58.038,0:31:00.511
I mean, I think Travis is right,

0:31:00.511,0:31:01.719
I don't think it took him

0:31:01.719,0:31:02.701
a whole lot of time.

0:31:02.701,0:31:05.505
He was bitterly grieving over it,

0:31:05.505,0:31:06.899
and he said, "These things

0:31:06.899,0:31:08.653
are going out of here."

0:31:08.653,0:31:11.426
It almost seems a little later,

0:31:11.426,0:31:13.331
I mean, some of his actions,

0:31:13.331,0:31:15.578
like he's a little bit wild.

0:31:15.578,0:31:18.378
And yet, as was said, you know,

0:31:18.378,0:31:20.850
why didn't anybody else do anything?

0:31:20.850,0:31:23.084
I mean, this is the pagan official

0:31:23.084,0:31:24.869
who was opposed to the things of God

0:31:24.869,0:31:26.508
throughout the whole story,

0:31:26.508,0:31:29.315
living in the temple!

0:31:29.315,0:31:30.830
Nehemiah's willing to take

0:31:30.830,0:31:32.860
whatever consequences will come.

0:31:32.860,0:31:34.030
(Jason) Now, in verse 9,

0:31:34.030,0:31:35.196
what is the last portion

0:31:35.196,0:31:37.132
that he does there at the end?

0:31:37.132,0:31:40.633
We see that he grieves, he takes action

0:31:40.633,0:31:42.381
and kicks Tobiah's stuff out,

0:31:42.381,0:31:45.369
he cleanses, and then what else[br]does he do? Yes, Kenneth.

0:31:45.369,0:31:47.742
(Kenneth) He brought back[br]all the articles of God.

0:31:47.742,0:31:49.866
(Jason) He brought them back.

0:31:49.866,0:31:52.879
He begins the process of restoration.

0:31:52.879,0:31:54.634
And in a way, if you think about it,

0:31:54.634,0:31:57.275
this, kind of, is also...You can see this

0:31:57.275,0:31:59.550
in one's personal spiritual life.

0:31:59.550,0:32:03.898
First of all...Nicole's referenced[br]her story before,

0:32:03.898,0:32:06.675
there is grieving, then there's an action.

0:32:06.675,0:32:09.013
You have to get rid of certain things.

0:32:09.013,0:32:10.545
(Nicole) Friends.

0:32:10.545,0:32:12.231
(Jason) Friends in her case, yes.

0:32:12.231,0:32:14.575
There's cleansing, and then little

0:32:14.575,0:32:15.867
by little...Yes, Gladys.

0:32:15.867,0:32:16.905
(Gladys) Restoration.

0:32:16.905,0:32:18.296
(Jason) Restoration, you have

0:32:18.296,0:32:20.235
to put back in. Yes, Jonathan.

0:32:20.235,0:32:21.439
(Jonathan) I was thinking

0:32:21.439,0:32:24.012
if maybe there might have been[br]something like...

0:32:24.012,0:32:25.730
They'd just built this temple,

0:32:25.730,0:32:27.807
and they had some of the furniture[br]returned,

0:32:27.807,0:32:29.716
but they didn't have maybe all...

0:32:29.716,0:32:31.529
It wasn't, maybe, as fancy as...

0:32:31.529,0:32:34.359
So, maybe it was simple, and, you know,

0:32:34.359,0:32:36.015
maybe, "That room could be

0:32:36.015,0:32:37.331
better used," or something,

0:32:37.331,0:32:39.159
and it makes me think, like, sometimes

0:32:39.159,0:32:40.283
the temptation in life

0:32:40.283,0:32:41.542
is to take other things

0:32:41.542,0:32:42.880
that <i>seem</i> like they're

0:32:42.880,0:32:45.009
better than the simplicity

0:32:45.009,0:32:46.558
of God's Word and His ways.

0:32:46.558,0:32:48.012
Like, God's Word and His ways

0:32:48.012,0:32:49.134
aren't quite as fancy,

0:32:49.134,0:32:51.376
aren't quite as well dressed[br]as everything else,

0:32:51.376,0:32:53.465
so it's tempting to put it

0:32:53.465,0:32:55.478
in our little rooms

0:32:55.478,0:32:56.946
rather than to trust

0:32:56.946,0:32:58.535
in maybe the simple things

0:32:58.535,0:33:00.509
and let God make them beautiful.

0:33:00.509,0:33:02.141
(Jason) That's a very good point.

0:33:02.141,0:33:03.246
And so let's also look

0:33:03.246,0:33:05.089
at another problem that happened.

0:33:05.089,0:33:07.121
Malaina, if you could read for us

0:33:07.121,0:33:10.760
Nehemiah, chapter 13, verse 10,

0:33:10.760,0:33:13.367
we're finding out additional problems[br]that take place

0:33:13.367,0:33:15.349
in this process of backsliding.

0:33:15.349,0:33:16.543
(Malaina) I'll be reading

0:33:16.543,0:33:18.369
from the New King James Version:

0:33:27.351,0:33:28.752
(Jason) So, why is this

0:33:28.752,0:33:30.617
a problem, Nicole - what's going on?

0:33:30.617,0:33:31.908
Who cares about the Levites

0:33:31.908,0:33:34.170
and in the field and all of that?

0:33:34.170,0:33:35.665
What's going on here?

0:33:35.665,0:33:37.806
(Nicole) Remember, we read[br]about the promise,

0:33:37.806,0:33:38.988
that they were not going

0:33:38.988,0:33:40.357
to neglect the house of God.

0:33:40.357,0:33:42.599
And there was a whole, kind of, campaign

0:33:42.599,0:33:43.869
to make sure that they had

0:33:43.869,0:33:45.515
the right people come back

0:33:45.515,0:33:46.614
to make sure the temple

0:33:46.614,0:33:47.904
was operating properly.

0:33:47.904,0:33:49.930
And then they've neglected the priests.

0:33:49.930,0:33:52.614
So now, who's doing the spiritual guidance

0:33:52.614,0:33:55.231
for this whole community?

0:33:55.231,0:33:58.095
No one, so they're all losing their focus

0:33:58.095,0:33:59.990
because there's no one there to provide

0:33:59.990,0:34:01.616
any spiritual leadership for them.

0:34:01.616,0:34:03.852
(Jason) They're losing their focus.[br]Yes, Gladys.

0:34:03.852,0:34:05.425
(Gladys) We also have to remember

0:34:05.425,0:34:06.476
that the Levites lived

0:34:06.476,0:34:08.336
out of what was brought to the temple.

0:34:08.336,0:34:10.291
They didn't have a field of their own.

0:34:10.291,0:34:13.184
They didn't have an inheritance, per se.

0:34:13.184,0:34:14.427
So, what they had was

0:34:14.427,0:34:16.087
what the people <i>gave.</i>

0:34:16.087,0:34:17.862
So if they didn't give anything,

0:34:17.862,0:34:19.587
they had to go and do something else

0:34:19.587,0:34:22.526
to make sure that their families[br]would not starve.

0:34:22.526,0:34:23.664
(Jason) Yes, Kenneth.

0:34:23.664,0:34:25.395
(Kenneth) And I feel like the people

0:34:25.395,0:34:27.076
also reacted to the poor leadership

0:34:27.076,0:34:29.103
of the priests' leadership,

0:34:29.103,0:34:31.081
and that is why they refused,

0:34:31.081,0:34:32.846
instead of doing something about it,

0:34:32.846,0:34:36.068
So their response was to cause

0:34:36.068,0:34:38.627
other innocent people to suffer

0:34:38.627,0:34:40.410
because of one man's decision

0:34:40.410,0:34:42.909
to bring the enemy into the house of God.

0:34:42.909,0:34:43.856
(Jason) And this is

0:34:43.856,0:34:45.743
kind of the pattern of backsliding.

0:34:45.743,0:34:48.130
Step by step, the leaders, the people,

0:34:48.130,0:34:52.170
eventually it becomes this process[br]that we recognize,

0:34:52.170,0:34:54.256
whether it happens on the individual level

0:34:54.256,0:34:55.375
like Nicole referenced,

0:34:55.375,0:34:56.435
or whether it happens

0:34:56.435,0:34:58.531
with the whole community[br]as we've seen here.

0:34:58.531,0:35:00.919
So now Nehemiah, we saw

0:35:00.919,0:35:02.278
what he did with Tobiah,

0:35:02.278,0:35:04.296
but apparently he has to do something

0:35:04.296,0:35:06.280
a little more with the community.

0:35:06.280,0:35:09.488
And so I'd like to ask Travis

0:35:09.488,0:35:10.810
if you could read for us

0:35:10.810,0:35:12.698
Nehemiah, chapter 13,

0:35:12.698,0:35:14.449
verses 11 through 13.

0:35:14.449,0:35:16.807
Let's see what else does Nehemiah do.

0:35:16.807,0:35:19.661
How does he address this situation?

0:35:19.661,0:35:21.052
(Travis) And I'll be reading

0:35:21.052,0:35:22.619
from the New King James Version:

0:36:06.091,0:36:07.785
(Jason) All right, so, there are

0:36:07.785,0:36:10.310
some things that go on here.

0:36:10.310,0:36:12.582
And, first of all, before we get[br]into specifics,

0:36:12.582,0:36:14.186
I just kind of want to ask,

0:36:14.186,0:36:15.357
what is Nehemiah's

0:36:15.357,0:36:18.099
sort of general impression[br]and feeling here?

0:36:18.099,0:36:21.909
Does he kind of enter soft and gentle,

0:36:21.909,0:36:26.695
and with this colloquial "Kumbaya" [br]kind of expression?

0:36:26.695,0:36:28.165
We're all laughing because...

0:36:28.165,0:36:31.184
Nicole, yes, how does Nehemiah[br]handle this?

0:36:31.184,0:36:33.203
(Nicole) He's like, "What have you done?"

0:36:33.203,0:36:35.961
Literally he's like, "What have you done[br]to God's temple?"

0:36:35.961,0:36:38.387
And he comes in, and he says,[br]righteously he says,

0:36:38.387,0:36:40.847
"We've got to fix this; we've got[br]to make this right

0:36:40.847,0:36:43.466
because we are representing God[br]here on Earth.

0:36:43.466,0:36:46.810
So he comes in with righteous indignation,[br]we call it,

0:36:46.810,0:36:49.664
and says, "No, you can't do this."

0:36:49.664,0:36:51.194
(Jason) "No, you can't do this."

0:36:51.194,0:36:53.565
And it's interesting, the New King James,

0:36:53.565,0:36:54.866
the version I have,

0:36:54.866,0:36:57.472
it says he "contended with them."

0:36:57.472,0:36:59.129
And so...Yes, Derek.

0:36:59.129,0:37:00.898
(Derek) Someone said to me, one time,

0:37:00.898,0:37:02.815
"Be more concerned about what God thinks

0:37:02.815,0:37:04.545
than what people think."

0:37:04.545,0:37:07.351
And it's clear to him

0:37:07.351,0:37:10.560
that this needs to be addressed.

0:37:10.560,0:37:12.938
And there probably are some people

0:37:12.938,0:37:15.671
whispering in the background

0:37:15.671,0:37:17.326
saying, "Who does he think he is?"

0:37:17.326,0:37:18.772
But he's not preoccupied

0:37:18.772,0:37:20.853
with what they think or say

0:37:20.853,0:37:23.449
but what God has told him to do,

0:37:23.449,0:37:25.863
and he addresses it courageously.

0:37:25.863,0:37:27.172
(Jason) Now, I want to ask,

0:37:27.172,0:37:28.538
this idea of contending,

0:37:28.538,0:37:30.689
because the word contending

0:37:30.689,0:37:34.087
means to argue, debate, fight.

0:37:34.087,0:37:36.448
And we kind of have this idea

0:37:36.448,0:37:37.806
sometimes in the church

0:37:37.806,0:37:40.388
that good Christians, they don't contend.

0:37:40.388,0:37:43.239
They're just nice, peaceful,[br]and all of that.

0:37:43.239,0:37:45.548
So I'd like to ask some people[br]on the team,

0:37:45.548,0:37:46.985
what would you say to someone

0:37:46.985,0:37:48.972
who says, "Good Christians don't contend,

0:37:48.972,0:37:51.077
don't fight, don't cause problems"?

0:37:51.077,0:37:52.285
Kenneth, you kind of have

0:37:52.285,0:37:54.004
a questionable expression there?

0:37:54.004,0:37:55.529
(Kenneth) I would say,

0:37:55.529,0:37:56.850
even when we are contending

0:37:56.850,0:37:58.473
we do it in the Spirit of Christ.

0:37:58.473,0:37:59.445
(Derek, Team) Yes.

0:37:59.445,0:38:02.271
(Kenneth) We don't do it like the way[br]the world would do it.

0:38:02.271,0:38:04.222
We do it thinking that, yes,

0:38:04.222,0:38:05.832
we may not understand everything,

0:38:05.832,0:38:08.313
but there are some core things

0:38:08.313,0:38:09.671
that we can all understand.

0:38:09.671,0:38:11.443
For instance, we all love

0:38:11.443,0:38:13.128
to seek the souls of men

0:38:13.128,0:38:14.717
into the Kingdom of Heaven.

0:38:14.717,0:38:16.281
That one we can't negotiate

0:38:16.281,0:38:17.891
because that is what God gave us.

0:38:17.891,0:38:19.980
But as to the carpets

0:38:19.980,0:38:22.176
of the church or the pews,

0:38:22.176,0:38:24.101
we can have some different preferences,

0:38:24.101,0:38:25.454
but in all, we should treat

0:38:25.454,0:38:27.173
each other with love

0:38:27.173,0:38:28.465
so that it doesn't go

0:38:28.465,0:38:30.386
beyond what we are supposed to do.

0:38:30.386,0:38:31.315
(Jason) Jonathan.

0:38:31.315,0:38:34.552
(Jonathan) I was thinking of a quote[br]from an author that I appreciate

0:38:34.552,0:38:35.932
that says, "When Christ spoke

0:38:35.932,0:38:37.169
His words of condemnation,

0:38:37.169,0:38:39.278
He spoke them with tears in His voice."

0:38:39.278,0:38:42.884
And I think that before you[br]say some things,

0:38:42.884,0:38:44.495
you have to make sure that you're

0:38:44.495,0:38:46.788
coming with the same heart of compassion

0:38:46.788,0:38:49.326
and making sure it's coming[br]from the right place

0:38:49.326,0:38:50.891
because there are so many things

0:38:50.891,0:38:51.999
in our hearts that are

0:38:51.999,0:38:53.691
not necessarily the right grounding

0:38:53.691,0:38:54.715
as a starting point.

0:38:54.715,0:38:55.629
(Jason) Travis.

0:38:55.629,0:38:57.465
(Travis) We related this

0:38:57.465,0:38:59.395
to the cleansing of the temple

0:38:59.395,0:39:01.358
when Jesus chased out the money changers

0:39:01.358,0:39:02.877
and nobody stopped Him

0:39:02.877,0:39:04.719
because they recognized His authority.

0:39:04.719,0:39:06.649
I think there was a certain recognition

0:39:06.649,0:39:08.603
of Nehemiah's authority here

0:39:08.603,0:39:09.724
because it doesn't say

0:39:09.724,0:39:10.994
that people got in his way

0:39:10.994,0:39:12.446
and tried to stop him.

0:39:12.446,0:39:14.146
He set them in their place.

0:39:14.146,0:39:15.343
He appointed people here;

0:39:15.343,0:39:16.660
he appointed people there,

0:39:16.660,0:39:17.975
and he got everything

0:39:17.975,0:39:19.710
pointed back in the right direction.

0:39:19.710,0:39:23.066
So he came with a recognized authority.

0:39:23.066,0:39:24.977
(Derek) That's such an important point,

0:39:24.977,0:39:25.943
and the love of God

0:39:25.943,0:39:27.737
in our hearts is so important.

0:39:27.737,0:39:30.330
John the Baptist confronted evil, too,

0:39:30.330,0:39:32.701
but it says some people even wondered

0:39:32.701,0:39:34.405
if he was the Christ.

0:39:34.405,0:39:36.326
I mean, he was so reflecting

0:39:36.326,0:39:40.753
the love of God and the character of God.

0:39:40.753,0:39:42.341
And I think there are some people

0:39:42.341,0:39:43.271
who love to come in

0:39:43.271,0:39:45.158
and just criticize everyone,

0:39:45.158,0:39:46.196
and they think that's

0:39:46.196,0:39:47.734
their mission in life,

0:39:47.734,0:39:50.305
when our mission is actually to reflect

0:39:50.305,0:39:52.571
the immeasurable, unfailing love of God,

0:39:52.571,0:39:54.304
which may mean, in love,

0:39:54.304,0:39:55.620
with tears in our eyes,

0:39:55.620,0:39:57.531
confronting a person who's

0:39:57.531,0:39:59.493
doing something destructive.

0:39:59.493,0:40:01.524
But they're not going to have any question

0:40:01.524,0:40:06.099
about our motive or where our heart is.

0:40:06.099,0:40:11.416
By God's grace, we've earned[br]that, what, "right"?

0:40:11.416,0:40:13.011
That's what Jesus earned,

0:40:13.011,0:40:14.414
John the Baptist earned.

0:40:14.414,0:40:15.850
Nehemiah had earned the right,

0:40:15.850,0:40:18.114
by the way he lived,

0:40:18.114,0:40:19.735
to confront that evil.

0:40:19.735,0:40:21.738
(Jason) Now, one way that you can also see

0:40:21.738,0:40:23.262
whether your contending

0:40:23.262,0:40:25.475
is from a spirit of God

0:40:25.475,0:40:28.265
is the reaction, the effect that happens.

0:40:28.265,0:40:29.814
And so, what do we see here?

0:40:29.814,0:40:31.016
What is the effect

0:40:31.016,0:40:33.974
of Nehemiah's sort of battle[br]with the leaders?

0:40:33.974,0:40:36.085
What ends up coming out of this?[br]Yes, Gladys.

0:40:36.085,0:40:37.974
(Gladys) It seems that everything

0:40:37.974,0:40:40.274
began to be back in place.

0:40:40.274,0:40:42.093
You know, the Levites returned,

0:40:42.093,0:40:43.931
the tithes were brought back.

0:40:43.931,0:40:45.660
So everything started to go

0:40:45.660,0:40:48.373
in the way that God intended it to go.

0:40:48.373,0:40:49.807
(Jason) And what happens here?

0:40:49.807,0:40:50.692
There's some kind

0:40:50.692,0:40:52.599
of organizational reference that's made,

0:40:52.599,0:40:53.794
some kind of situations.

0:40:53.794,0:40:54.761
So, Travis, tell me,

0:40:54.761,0:40:57.886
what goes on here in this situation?

0:40:57.886,0:41:01.224
How does the organizational process[br]take place?

0:41:01.224,0:41:05.435
(Travis) Well, first off, the Levites

0:41:05.435,0:41:07.270
had nothing to live on.

0:41:07.270,0:41:09.087
So, when they were sent back,

0:41:09.087,0:41:11.052
and the temple service is set back up,

0:41:11.052,0:41:13.947
then he begins to set things[br]back in place,

0:41:13.947,0:41:16.299
the sacrificial services and that,

0:41:16.299,0:41:19.937
and then establishes the Sabbath

0:41:19.937,0:41:21.584
with the congregation.

0:41:21.584,0:41:22.842
(Derek) And then, I think

0:41:22.842,0:41:24.006
what you're looking for,

0:41:24.006,0:41:25.930
in verse 13, he sets up treasurers.

0:41:25.930,0:41:28.648
He says, "Let's get this organized,"

0:41:28.648,0:41:30.600
because who knows, whether, in addition

0:41:30.600,0:41:32.893
to Tobiah living in the temple,

0:41:32.893,0:41:35.957
they weren't siphoning off some things

0:41:35.957,0:41:37.297
that were coming in.

0:41:37.297,0:41:39.309
"So, let's have godly people

0:41:39.309,0:41:41.286
who will monitor this,

0:41:41.286,0:41:42.607
so that the people that are

0:41:42.607,0:41:46.195
supposed to get these offerings and gifts

0:41:46.195,0:41:47.874
actually receive them."

0:41:47.874,0:41:50.692
(Jason) Jonathan, and then we'll[br]have to move to the prayer.

0:41:50.692,0:41:53.118
(Jonathan) It just struck me[br]how a lot of the things

0:41:53.118,0:41:54.293
that were backsliding

0:41:54.293,0:41:56.147
were actually organizational procedure.

0:41:56.147,0:41:57.479
I mean, it was given by God

0:41:57.479,0:41:58.910
and was having real effects,

0:41:58.910,0:42:00.813
but it was like they weren't doing this.

0:42:00.813,0:42:01.996
And so it makes me think

0:42:01.996,0:42:03.389
that organizational procedure

0:42:03.389,0:42:06.773
can be important, and grounded well[br]is important.

0:42:06.773,0:42:08.384
(Jason) So God is a God of order,

0:42:08.384,0:42:10.899
and organization can be part of His plan.

0:42:10.899,0:42:15.114
All right, and so I'd like to ask Jason

0:42:15.114,0:42:16.538
if you could read for us

0:42:16.538,0:42:19.450
Nehemiah, chapter 13, verse 14.

0:42:19.450,0:42:21.321
Nehemiah, it's actually recorded,

0:42:21.321,0:42:23.317
that he has a little bit of a prayer here.

0:42:23.317,0:42:24.994
So read the prayer, and then I want

0:42:24.994,0:42:26.516
to hear some thoughts on that.

0:42:26.516,0:42:28.227
(Jason) My pleasure, and I'm reading

0:42:28.227,0:42:29.814
from the New King James Version,

0:42:29.814,0:42:30.935
and the Bible says:

0:42:40.629,0:42:42.433
(Jason) All right, so, what are

0:42:42.433,0:42:44.492
your thoughts, Gladys, on that prayer?

0:42:44.492,0:42:46.564
I see you had some kind[br]of expression there.

0:42:46.564,0:42:48.950
(Gladys) He wants to make sure

0:42:48.950,0:42:50.929
that he's faithful to God's house,

0:42:50.929,0:42:52.412
and that was one of the things

0:42:52.412,0:42:53.737
that he established before.

0:42:53.737,0:42:57.440
He wanted God's house to be a priority

0:42:57.440,0:42:59.280
in the lives of his people

0:42:59.280,0:43:01.669
and just be restored...

0:43:01.669,0:43:04.972
He said, "Please remember me[br]because I did this."

0:43:04.972,0:43:05.768
(Jason) Kenneth.

0:43:05.768,0:43:07.439
(Kenneth) To summarize, I see

0:43:07.439,0:43:10.055
that as a prayer of dedication[br]of these leaders

0:43:10.055,0:43:11.881
so that in a way, God

0:43:11.881,0:43:13.335
will also remember them,

0:43:13.335,0:43:14.765
while he's crying out to God,

0:43:14.765,0:43:16.384
and they will also hear the prayer

0:43:16.384,0:43:19.056
that God wants them to do something,

0:43:19.056,0:43:21.791
and they shouldn't allow this good deed

0:43:21.791,0:43:23.534
that they are trying to do

0:43:23.534,0:43:25.010
in the house of God to go away.

0:43:25.010,0:43:26.859
So it's a prayer, it's a charge,

0:43:26.859,0:43:30.191
and it's also a dedication.

0:43:30.191,0:43:31.401
(Jason) Travis.

0:43:31.401,0:43:32.963
(Travis) I would like to suggest

0:43:32.963,0:43:34.823
that this prayer isn't even about him

0:43:34.823,0:43:37.352
asking for a blessing at all on himself

0:43:37.352,0:43:39.908
but rather on the temple service

0:43:39.908,0:43:42.422
and the things, the restoration,

0:43:42.422,0:43:44.493
because, "Lord, I've been faithful to You;

0:43:44.493,0:43:48.699
answer my prayer that this

0:43:48.699,0:43:50.085
will continue," you know,

0:43:50.085,0:43:53.032
"that the things I've set in place,

0:43:53.032,0:43:54.477
that they will work."

0:43:54.477,0:43:56.047
(Derek) So I'm reading four times

0:43:56.047,0:43:58.808
in his letter that he says, "Remember me,"

0:43:58.808,0:44:00.470
three times in chapter 13,

0:44:00.470,0:44:01.692
"Remember me, O my God,

0:44:01.692,0:44:02.855
concerning this also,"

0:44:02.855,0:44:05.136
"Remember me, O my God, for good."

0:44:05.136,0:44:08.604
And I'm a little uncomfortable with it.

0:44:08.604,0:44:11.745
I am, and that just tells me again

0:44:11.745,0:44:15.329
that God uses imperfect people.

0:44:15.329,0:44:16.967
You know, it's like telling

0:44:16.967,0:44:19.087
the king of Persia, "Remember me

0:44:19.087,0:44:22.844
when you're doing the distributions."

0:44:22.844,0:44:24.152
I'd like to read it all

0:44:24.152,0:44:27.675
as totally wonderful,

0:44:27.675,0:44:29.742
and write a careful description

0:44:29.742,0:44:32.759
of why this is what Jesus would have said.

0:44:32.759,0:44:37.046
But I, kind of, you know,

0:44:37.046,0:44:40.630
"Chalk this up, Lord, remember me,"

0:44:40.630,0:44:43.843
So, I may be wrong, but I do know

0:44:43.843,0:44:45.292
from reading the Scripture,

0:44:45.292,0:44:46.999
Peter is a great example,

0:44:46.999,0:44:49.677
that God called an imperfect person

0:44:49.677,0:44:51.127
to help lead His church.

0:44:51.127,0:44:52.158
(Jason) That's true.

0:44:52.158,0:44:55.421
(Derek) And Nehemiah, I would dare say,

0:44:55.421,0:44:57.250
was not perfect either,

0:44:57.250,0:44:59.387
and I'm just wondering why three times

0:44:59.387,0:45:01.079
in one chapter he's saying,

0:45:01.079,0:45:03.252
"Remember me, God."

0:45:03.252,0:45:05.313
(Jason) We definitely know[br]he was imperfect.

0:45:05.313,0:45:07.036
One thing, though, that he did well

0:45:07.036,0:45:10.266
was restore, and with some of the reforms.

0:45:10.266,0:45:12.926
And so I'd like to ask Stephanie,

0:45:12.926,0:45:14.095
if you could read for us

0:45:14.095,0:45:16.971
Nehemiah, chapter 13, verses 15 and 16.

0:45:16.971,0:45:18.502
We have more problems,

0:45:18.502,0:45:20.144
more backsliding that's gone on.

0:45:20.144,0:45:22.666
And so let's see what this backsliding[br]is now, here.

0:45:22.666,0:45:24.192
(Stephanie) And I'll be reading

0:45:24.192,0:45:25.786
from the King James Version:

0:46:00.486,0:46:05.274
(Jason) So what's going on here, Gladys?

0:46:05.274,0:46:07.158
(Gladys) Yes, the same thing

0:46:07.158,0:46:08.556
that they promised before,

0:46:08.556,0:46:10.124
that they will keep the Sabbath,

0:46:10.124,0:46:12.394
that they would not buy on the Sabbath.

0:46:12.394,0:46:13.435
That's the same thing

0:46:13.435,0:46:14.475
that they were doing.

0:46:14.475,0:46:16.459
People were actually pressing the wine,

0:46:16.459,0:46:18.319
and they were bringing loaves

0:46:18.319,0:46:21.572
and selling them in Jerusalem,[br]in the holy city.

0:46:21.572,0:46:23.657
(Jason) On Sabbath. Yes, Kenneth.

0:46:23.657,0:46:25.349
(Kenneth) I'm beginning to see

0:46:25.349,0:46:28.431
that perhaps because they've[br]been in captivity,

0:46:28.431,0:46:30.490
after they came back,

0:46:30.490,0:46:32.959
they needed a lot of instruction

0:46:32.959,0:46:35.232
to be in accordance with God.

0:46:35.232,0:46:38.092
And probably something that I

0:46:38.092,0:46:40.423
would have suggested for Nehemiah to do

0:46:40.423,0:46:42.819
was to read the law,

0:46:42.819,0:46:44.666
the book of the law, to them,

0:46:44.666,0:46:46.770
so that they would know the ways of God.

0:46:46.770,0:46:49.106
Because now it's like, from one thing,

0:46:49.106,0:46:51.311
they do this, and then he takes action.

0:46:51.311,0:46:53.530
But probably if there had been some time

0:46:53.530,0:46:54.987
for him to instruct them

0:46:54.987,0:46:56.659
just like some of the kings did.

0:46:56.659,0:46:58.450
After they found the book of the law,

0:46:58.450,0:46:59.795
they instructed the people,

0:46:59.795,0:47:03.753
then the people started following[br]the reforms.

0:47:03.753,0:47:05.298
But now it's like they do this,

0:47:05.298,0:47:06.837
then they go overboard.

0:47:06.837,0:47:08.812
And then he responds to it.

0:47:08.812,0:47:10.880
So that's what I'm sensing

0:47:10.880,0:47:12.248
from the Scripture reading.

0:47:12.248,0:47:13.439
(Jason) Well, if we know

0:47:13.439,0:47:14.647
one thing about Nehemiah,

0:47:14.647,0:47:16.167
he is going to respond.

0:47:16.167,0:47:17.336
And he is going to...

0:47:17.336,0:47:18.381
(Derek) Do something.

0:47:18.381,0:47:19.408
(Jason) Do something.

0:47:19.408,0:47:21.002
So, Kenneth, can you read for us

0:47:21.002,0:47:22.485
Nehemiah, chapter 13,

0:47:22.485,0:47:24.374
verses 17 through 22,

0:47:24.374,0:47:25.728
and let's see here,

0:47:25.728,0:47:28.990
how does Nehemiah deal with <i>this</i> issue.

0:47:28.990,0:47:30.178
(Kenneth) I'll be reading

0:47:30.178,0:47:31.714
from the New King James Version,

0:47:31.714,0:47:34.741
Nehemiah 13:17-22:

0:48:56.101,0:48:59.335
(Jason) All right, there is a lot there.[br]Yes, Jonathan.

0:48:59.335,0:49:01.904
(Jonathan) So maybe we should have people

0:49:01.904,0:49:03.346
outside the church making sure

0:49:03.346,0:49:05.237
everyone's keeping the law

0:49:05.237,0:49:07.301
and Sabbath just right?

0:49:07.301,0:49:09.284
Shutting the door if they...I don't know.

0:49:09.284,0:49:10.797
It brings up lots of questions.

0:49:10.797,0:49:13.112
It's like, "Okay, what is the principle,

0:49:13.112,0:49:15.477
and what are the right ways?"

0:49:15.477,0:49:17.365
(Jason) It brings up lots of questions.

0:49:17.365,0:49:19.041
Stephanie, what are your thoughts

0:49:19.041,0:49:20.374
as you read this and as you

0:49:20.374,0:49:21.749
see the situation unfolding?

0:49:21.749,0:49:23.329
(Stephanie) I was just thinking,

0:49:23.329,0:49:25.665
if I had been one of those people

0:49:25.665,0:49:27.816
that was at the door on Sabbath,

0:49:27.816,0:49:29.605
and he talked to me like that,

0:49:29.605,0:49:32.842
I wouldn't have come back either,

0:49:32.842,0:49:34.401
just being honest about it.

0:49:34.401,0:49:37.676
But I think, like Jonathan's saying,

0:49:37.676,0:49:39.333
there is a balance, right?

0:49:39.333,0:49:40.719
But apparently he needed

0:49:40.719,0:49:43.168
to make a very clear reform

0:49:43.168,0:49:46.291
to let them know, "This is[br]not acceptable."

0:49:46.291,0:49:48.947
And actually in Nehemiah,

0:49:48.947,0:49:50.861
earlier in Nehemiah,

0:49:50.861,0:49:52.896
Ezra did speak to them from the law,

0:49:52.896,0:49:54.101
and they did understand

0:49:54.101,0:49:57.266
the Word of God, so...

0:49:57.266,0:49:58.547
(Jason) Derek.

0:49:58.547,0:50:01.516
(Derek) I'm so thankful that Jesus came,

0:50:01.516,0:50:04.605
because, even though there's

0:50:04.605,0:50:08.701
this strict enforcement,

0:50:08.701,0:50:10.488
which they've obviously slipped away

0:50:10.488,0:50:12.168
from remembering the Sabbath

0:50:12.168,0:50:15.043
and not doing their will

0:50:15.043,0:50:17.747
or their work on His holy day,

0:50:17.747,0:50:20.187
the Sabbath was meant to be a blessing

0:50:20.187,0:50:23.202
not just a time to not do things.

0:50:23.202,0:50:25.625
And so you see Jesus coming,

0:50:25.625,0:50:28.814
and He's not saying, "If you do that,

0:50:28.814,0:50:31.214
I'm going to lay hands on you."

0:50:31.214,0:50:32.924
That's what Nehemiah said, right?

0:50:32.924,0:50:34.535
Jesus is saying, "Folks,

0:50:34.535,0:50:36.130
you need to understand,

0:50:36.130,0:50:39.215
the Sabbath was made for man,

0:50:39.215,0:50:41.364
not man for the Sabbath.

0:50:41.364,0:50:42.420
By the way, it's good

0:50:42.420,0:50:43.772
to do good on the Sabbath."

0:50:43.772,0:50:47.928
So He's restoring the beauty,

0:50:47.928,0:50:49.586
and I'm just so glad He came.

0:50:49.586,0:50:54.043
And, again, I know that God[br]used Nehemiah,

0:50:54.043,0:50:55.781
and we do need to guard

0:50:55.781,0:50:57.590
what we do on the Sabbath.

0:50:57.590,0:50:58.945
But we also need to say,

0:50:58.945,0:51:00.655
"Okay, that's what we shouldn't do.

0:51:00.655,0:51:01.969
What <i>should</i> we do?"

0:51:01.969,0:51:03.113
And the answer is,

0:51:03.113,0:51:04.912
we focus on our relationship

0:51:04.912,0:51:06.793
with God who loves us

0:51:06.793,0:51:08.521
and has set aside this special time.

0:51:08.521,0:51:12.401
So Jesus really comes,

0:51:12.401,0:51:16.980
I guess you would say, as a radical...

0:51:16.980,0:51:18.008
(Stephanie) Reformer.

0:51:18.008,0:51:19.471
(Derek) Reformer, yeah,

0:51:19.471,0:51:22.718
and a restorer of what God[br]really intended.

0:51:22.718,0:51:24.508
(Jason) And you quoted there,

0:51:24.508,0:51:27.279
Mark 2:27 and 28, about the Sabbath

0:51:27.279,0:51:28.309
being made for man,

0:51:28.309,0:51:30.397
giving us some practical principles

0:51:30.397,0:51:31.588
to help us understand

0:51:31.588,0:51:33.511
the purpose of the Sabbath.

0:51:33.511,0:51:36.630
Even if men, well intentioned[br]or otherwise,

0:51:36.630,0:51:39.554
Nehemiah may have had a little bit,

0:51:39.554,0:51:42.666
not quite fully divine,

0:51:42.666,0:51:45.333
you could say in some ways, understanding.[br]Yes, Jonathan,

0:51:45.333,0:51:47.290
(Jonathan) I guess I feel like I'm torn,

0:51:47.290,0:51:48.716
because on one hand I'm like,

0:51:48.716,0:51:50.024
"Man, that's really tough."

0:51:50.024,0:51:52.296
But is it fair, do we go too far,

0:51:52.296,0:51:54.886
if we look at somebody and say,

0:51:54.886,0:51:56.767
"Oh, because their actions

0:51:56.767,0:51:58.871
seem too strong for us,

0:51:58.871,0:52:00.211
that they're not Christlike,

0:52:00.211,0:52:01.845
or they're not following God.

0:52:01.845,0:52:04.305
I mean, it was Christ who gave...

0:52:04.305,0:52:05.967
We had it on here, like,

0:52:05.967,0:52:07.446
someone would stone this person

0:52:07.446,0:52:10.505
if they cooked over a fire.

0:52:10.505,0:52:13.278
So Christ Himself gave to Moses

0:52:13.278,0:52:15.720
some very strong things,

0:52:15.720,0:52:17.040
including on the Sabbath.

0:52:17.040,0:52:19.895
So it seems like there is a place

0:52:19.895,0:52:21.830
for strong boundary-making.

0:52:21.830,0:52:23.392
Now, should we be

0:52:23.392,0:52:24.743
very cautious about that,

0:52:24.743,0:52:27.038
and I think on both sides

0:52:27.038,0:52:30.850
there's caution that should be made[br]about judging.

0:52:30.850,0:52:32.906
(Jason) Travis, you want to try[br]to help us?

0:52:32.906,0:52:36.370
(Travis) I think we're being a little hard[br]on Nehemiah; I do.

0:52:36.370,0:52:40.471
He's not the Sanhedrin

0:52:40.471,0:52:43.092
or the Jewish leaders

0:52:43.092,0:52:46.476
in Jesus' day, condemning everybody.

0:52:46.476,0:52:48.442
The Jews understood very clearly

0:52:48.442,0:52:51.327
in Deuteronomy the Sabbath commandment,

0:52:51.327,0:52:52.924
"Keep the Sabbath because I am

0:52:52.924,0:52:54.569
the Lord your God who brought you

0:52:54.569,0:52:56.712
out of the land of Egypt," out of bondage.

0:52:56.712,0:52:57.989
It was a memorial that God

0:52:57.989,0:52:59.564
has freed us from slavery.

0:52:59.564,0:53:01.253
And He was just now doing

0:53:01.253,0:53:02.981
the exact same thing again,

0:53:02.981,0:53:06.008
bringing them out of Babylon,[br]out of bondage.

0:53:06.008,0:53:07.870
And I think he's just, like, pleading,

0:53:07.870,0:53:10.177
like, "This is a memorial for us

0:53:10.177,0:53:11.474
to remember that God

0:53:11.474,0:53:12.909
has just redeemed us.

0:53:12.909,0:53:14.430
He took us out of Babylon.

0:53:14.430,0:53:16.105
He's restored the temple.

0:53:16.105,0:53:18.044
He's restored Jerusalem."

0:53:18.044,0:53:19.850
Like, "Please!" you know?

0:53:19.850,0:53:22.063
This is how I picture it.

0:53:22.063,0:53:22.831
(Jason) Nicole.

0:53:22.831,0:53:25.860
(Nicole) I'm not going to be mean[br]to Nehemiah.

0:53:25.860,0:53:27.296
What I do want to say, though,

0:53:27.296,0:53:29.125
is that we can fall in the same trap

0:53:29.125,0:53:31.097
of believing that we are doing

0:53:31.097,0:53:33.564
what's best for what we see around us

0:53:33.564,0:53:35.511
and not really being led by the Spirit.

0:53:35.511,0:53:37.751
So I just want us to be cautious,

0:53:37.751,0:53:39.150
that we are seeking the Lord

0:53:39.150,0:53:41.376
whenever we want to talk

0:53:41.376,0:53:42.699
about what someone's doing

0:53:42.699,0:53:44.071
that we don't think is right

0:53:44.071,0:53:45.526
because that's where it comes

0:53:45.526,0:53:46.624
from a spirit of love.

0:53:46.624,0:53:47.979
And whether or not this came

0:53:47.979,0:53:50.746
from a spirit of love I don't know[br]because I wasn't there.

0:53:50.746,0:53:52.783
Reading the words, it seems kind of harsh.

0:53:52.783,0:53:54.606
But if it comes from a spirit of love,

0:53:54.606,0:53:56.690
and God is leading him in this direction,

0:53:56.690,0:54:00.500
then we have nothing to say about what did[br]or did not happen (just my two cents).

0:54:00.500,0:54:03.060
(Jason) And we just have to trust[br]that God is working.

0:54:03.060,0:54:04.206
And whether He's working

0:54:04.206,0:54:05.728
through Nehemiah's imperfections

0:54:05.728,0:54:07.592
or Nehemiah's strong zeal,

0:54:07.592,0:54:08.888
guided by the Holy Spirit,

0:54:08.888,0:54:11.023
either way, God is still working;

0:54:11.023,0:54:12.348
God is still moving.

0:54:12.348,0:54:13.687
I want to look very quickly

0:54:13.687,0:54:14.862
at one little story

0:54:14.862,0:54:16.248
from the life of Jesus.

0:54:16.248,0:54:18.511
Jonathan, if you could read for us

0:54:18.511,0:54:22.075
Mark, chapter 3, verses 1 through 6,

0:54:22.075,0:54:24.124
I just want to look real quickly here

0:54:24.124,0:54:26.086
at this little story

0:54:26.086,0:54:28.492
and how it may give us some lessons

0:54:28.492,0:54:32.250
for the way to deal with the Sabbath

0:54:32.250,0:54:34.859
and how Jesus dealt with the Sabbath.

0:54:34.859,0:54:39.067
Mark, chapter 3, verses 1 through 6.

0:54:39.067,0:54:41.001
(Jonathan) All right, I will be reading

0:54:41.001,0:54:42.818
from the New International Version:

0:55:31.172,0:55:33.892
(Jason) Very quickly, what are[br]some principles we see here

0:55:33.892,0:55:34.937
about how Jesus dealt

0:55:34.937,0:55:36.989
with the issue of the Sabbath?[br]Yes, Kenneth.

0:55:36.989,0:55:38.438
(Kenneth) The first principle

0:55:38.438,0:55:39.958
is that He makes sure He places

0:55:39.958,0:55:41.882
how God wants man to relate

0:55:41.882,0:55:43.794
to each other and to Him

0:55:43.794,0:55:45.115
on the Sabbath day.

0:55:45.115,0:55:46.306
(Jason) Yes, Stephanie.

0:55:46.306,0:55:48.188
(Stephanie) He did good on the Sabbath.

0:55:48.188,0:55:50.025
(Jason) Do good on the Sabbath. Jason.

0:55:50.025,0:55:52.986
(Jason) It's about life, preserving life,[br]rather than killing.

0:55:52.986,0:55:55.689
(Jason) About preserving life[br]rather than killing.

0:55:55.689,0:55:57.497
(Derek) I just think that Jesus knew

0:55:57.497,0:55:59.183
that they would react

0:55:59.183,0:56:01.143
in a very hostile way.

0:56:01.143,0:56:04.078
But the truth about the character of God,

0:56:04.078,0:56:05.542
that the Sabbath was a time

0:56:05.542,0:56:07.090
of healing and blessing,

0:56:07.090,0:56:08.704
was more important

0:56:08.704,0:56:10.591
than the hostility of His enemies.

0:56:10.591,0:56:13.563
He just had to tell the truth about God.

0:56:13.563,0:56:16.529
(Jason) Amen. And I want to challenge you.

0:56:16.529,0:56:19.018
Maybe you've made some choices in life,

0:56:19.018,0:56:21.142
maybe you've backslidden

0:56:21.142,0:56:22.397
as we've referenced here.

0:56:22.397,0:56:24.590
Whether it's in keeping Sabbath

0:56:24.590,0:56:26.695
or giving tithe and offerings,

0:56:26.695,0:56:28.131
whatever you've done,

0:56:28.131,0:56:29.254
I want to challenge you

0:56:29.254,0:56:31.902
that, maybe as you read through the story,

0:56:31.902,0:56:33.463
ask the Holy Spirit to guide you

0:56:33.463,0:56:35.126
and ask Him to show you

0:56:35.126,0:56:37.708
how you can return to God's love.

0:56:37.708,0:56:39.021
We've read here about His

0:56:39.021,0:56:41.171
unfailing, immeasurable love,

0:56:41.171,0:56:43.119
and just let God change you

0:56:43.119,0:56:44.916
and return you, restore you,

0:56:44.916,0:56:47.821
back to how He created us to be.

0:56:47.821,0:56:49.022
(Derek) Thanks so much.

0:56:49.022,0:56:50.552
Well, we've all been challenged.

0:56:50.552,0:56:52.331
You know, the truth of the matter is,

0:56:52.331,0:56:53.979
it's easy to look at other people,

0:56:53.979,0:56:57.713
but we've all slipped away in some ways.

0:56:57.713,0:57:00.160
But instead of seeing God[br]chasing after us,

0:57:00.160,0:57:02.602
to see Him reaching out in love

0:57:02.602,0:57:03.666
to draw us to Himself,

0:57:03.666,0:57:06.429
that is a picture that can[br]change your heart.

0:57:06.429,0:57:09.719
Let's pray; our Father in Heaven,

0:57:09.719,0:57:14.207
thank You so much for the truth revealed

0:57:14.207,0:57:16.061
in the life of Jesus.

0:57:16.061,0:57:19.877
Sometimes we see truth

0:57:19.877,0:57:21.284
in the Old Testament,

0:57:21.284,0:57:25.032
but we don't see a full revelation[br]of Your character.

0:57:25.032,0:57:26.817
I'm so thankful that Jesus came

0:57:26.817,0:57:30.376
to be the full revelation[br]of Your character.

0:57:30.376,0:57:31.890
Jesus said, "If you've seen Me,

0:57:31.890,0:57:33.633
you've seen the Father."

0:57:33.633,0:57:36.302
And, Lord God, wherever we've[br]slipped away,

0:57:36.302,0:57:38.174
as Jason has said, may we hear

0:57:38.174,0:57:40.301
Your loving call to come back

0:57:40.301,0:57:44.191
into a life-transforming relationship[br]with You.

0:57:44.191,0:57:45.570
We thank You that You're

0:57:45.570,0:57:47.690
longing and waiting,

0:57:47.690,0:57:50.404
and we thank You that You will welcome us.

0:57:50.404,0:57:52.432
In the name of Jesus. Amen.

0:57:52.432,0:57:53.760
(Team) Amen.

0:57:53.760,0:57:55.490
(Derek) If you've been blessed today

0:57:55.490,0:57:57.182
as we've studied the Word of God,

0:57:57.182,0:57:58.534
we'd love to hear from you.

0:57:58.534,0:58:00.969
Write to us at sshope@hopetv.org.

0:58:00.969,0:58:02.992
We're all on a journey, aren't we?

0:58:02.992,0:58:05.122
And it's a journey towards a God[br]who loves us

0:58:05.122,0:58:07.260
with an immeasurable and unfailing love.

0:58:07.260,0:58:09.272
Go out and share that good news

0:58:09.272,0:58:10.859
with those around you.

0:58:10.859,0:58:29.378
♪ theme music ♪