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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're in the middle of an amazing series,
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The Message to the Hebrews and also to us.
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Our topic today is vitally important,
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Jesus, the Perfect Sacrifice.
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I'm just praying that as we
study together,
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if you've not accepted Jesus
as your Savior,
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you'll do it today,
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because He is the perfect atonement
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for the sin of the world.
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Welcome to Hope Sabbath School.
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Good to see the team, glad you're here.
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Yup, great to be together.
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You can tell I'm excited today
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for a couple of reasons.
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One is that one of our team, Brittany,
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is going to be teaching today.
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Brittany, looking forward to you sharing
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the Word of God with us.
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And we've also got
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some remote team members,
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always happy to see them.
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Rodney, good to see you again
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from Toronto, glad you're here.
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Shaina, good to see you from Maine,
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glad you're with us
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for Hope Sabbath School today.
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And Travis from Michigan,
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Travis, good to have you with us.
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You know, that technology
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allows us to connect together,
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but we're glad that you're here, too,
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because we've got
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Hope Sabbath School members,
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we know of, at least,
in over 200 countries.
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Someone told me there aren't 200 countries
in the world,
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but there are.
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There are just more than the ones
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recognized by the U.N.
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We know our app, Hope Channel app
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(if you don't have it,
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download it on your smartphone),
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is used in more than 200 countries
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around the world; people are watching
Hope Sabbath School.
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We're glad you're part of our family.
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This one is from Jennifer in Australia.
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Jennifer writes and says,
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"We're in Sydney; my 89-year-old mother
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has many health problems
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that have kept her
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from attending Sabbath School
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at her local church
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for the past few years.
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Since COVID-19 and restrictions
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have been worse, we're able
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to watch Hope Sabbath School
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each week - what a blessing."
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(Team) Amen!
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(Derek) "Mum often says
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she can understand things better
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with your discussions
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than just studying by herself."
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How old was she again? 89.
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Never too old to learn.
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"We miss seeing the large panel,
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but we're so grateful
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that you are able to continue,
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even with pandemic restrictions.
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Thank you for your continued service.
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God bless your ministry, each one."
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Well, Jennifer, thanks for writing
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to us from Australia.
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We're glad; give our greetings
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to your 89-year-old mother.
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Here's a note from a Nepali.
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I looked it up; is it Nepalese or Nepali?
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I think it's both, but Nepali
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is what they prefer.
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...From Nepal, living in Australia.
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Everybody's moving to Australia.
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"Hello Hope Sabbath School family!"
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(Team) Hello!
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(Derek) "My name is Pawan,
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originally from Nepal,
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now a citizen of Australia
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in the beautiful city
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of Wollongong, New South Wales.
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I came to know about Hope Sabbath School
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back in 2011," that's a long time ago,
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"and I watch every Friday evening
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with my wife, Manju,
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and with my children
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Neeron and Sahana,
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especially if I have to teach
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the next day at church.
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Every participant there is so encouraging.
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I always have some takeaway
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from your discussion to share
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with my Bible study group
the next morning.
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I pray for all of you,
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that your mission will continue,
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to spread the Word of God
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to the rest of the world.
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Oh, and a very special wave to Jason."
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Jason, could you give
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a wave to Pawan there.
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And you know, it's just so wonderful,
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isn't it, that God is reaching people
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in so many parts of the world.
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Well, here's a regular old note.
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We get these every once in a while,
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hand-written from a donor couple
in California.
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I just want to say thank you
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to each one, but you know who you are
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when I read your note.
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"Dear Hope Sabbath School family,
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during the pandemic,
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we've been watching online,
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and we've been blessed.
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Thank you so much.
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May God bless you.
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We hope this donation will help
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with the ministry of Hope Sabbath School,"
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and a donation of 600 dollars to help
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the ministry of Hope Sabbath School.
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I want to say thank you, California,
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but I want to say thank you to each donor.
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Someone just asked me yesterday,
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is Hope Sabbath School
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a donor-supported ministry?
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The answer is yes.
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We can all be part
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of the great miracle of God.
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Just go to hopetv.org/donate,
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and you can make a secure donation.
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Or, go to our website,
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click on that donate button.
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Thanks for being part
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of the great miracle that God is doing.
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Well, Ajah writes from Nigeria,
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A-j-a-h, "Ah-JAH," or "Ah-HA,"
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depends what the language is, right?
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"I praise God for the Hope Sabbath School
team," writes Ajah.
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"You've been a blessing to me.
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Frankly speaking, you've been
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instruments of inspiration to me,
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especially now that I've been taken
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far away from my local church
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to a place where there are
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no Adventist believers.
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Every Sabbath I listen
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to Hope Sabbath School online,
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sometimes with a friend of mine,
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who, though not a church member, loves
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to listen to the Bible study with me!"
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(Team) Praise God.
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(Derek) Hallelujah,
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that's being a missionary, right, Harold?
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"May God bless you all
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with the wisdom for the work. Amen."
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Well, Ajah, thanks, not only for being
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part of our family,
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thanks for being a missionary
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there in your part of Nigeria.
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One last note, from Joan
in Northern Ireland.
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Joan writes and says, "Hello,
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Hope Sabbath School team."
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(Team) Hello.
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(Derek) Joan gets the wave.
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"I just wanted to say a little message
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of encouragement to you all,
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to let you know how truly blessed
I've been,
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first by finding Hope Sabbath School,
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and I've been truly blessed
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to study alongside with you.
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It's so nice to listen to the way
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each lesson you bring out some points
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I've never thought of myself.
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How much more God has blessed me
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through Hope Sabbath School.
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May God continue to bless you all
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as you serve Him faithfully.
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Your sister in Christ."
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Well, Joan, we're glad we have
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Hope Sabbath School members
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in Northern Ireland.
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Right now we need your help.
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We need you to sing
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our theme song with us; it's taken
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from a 3,000-year-old Scripture song.
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Psalm 103, "Bless the Lord, O my soul;
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and all that is within me,
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bless His holy name!"
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Let's sing together.
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(Derek) I'm looking forward
to the study today,
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and, Brittany, as you lead,
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I'm just thinking it really is holy ground
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as we talk about Jesus
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and what He's done to save us.
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So, lead us in prayer
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as we begin our study today.
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(Brittany) Let's pray.
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Dear Heavenly Father, we just want
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to thank You so much
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that we can call You our Father,
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and it´s only because of what Jesus
has done for us.
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We thank You, Jesus, that You came
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and You were that perfect Sacrifice
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and that You are continuing
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Your work for us in Heaven,
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interceding on our behalf.
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And we just ask for Your Holy Spirit
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to be our Guide and our Teacher.
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You promised before You left
this earth, Jesus,
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that You would give us the gift
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of the Holy Spirit,
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and so we're asking today
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as we open Your Word,
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that Your Holy Spirit would illuminate
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our hearts and our minds,
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and that You would just guide us
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as we study, that each one of us
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would draw closer to Jesus,
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and if anyone has not accepted Jesus
as their Savior,
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that they would make that decision today.
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In Your precious name
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we pray, Jesus. Amen.
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(Derek, Team) Amen.
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(Brittany) Well, have any of you
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ever been looking for the perfect gift
for a loved one?
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Maybe their birthday is coming up,
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maybe you just want to show them
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how much they mean to you,
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and you're just thinking
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about their favorite color
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or their favorite clothing
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or their favorite food
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or whatever it may be,
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and you're just searching,
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"What can I give them
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to show them how much I love them?"
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Well, today we get to study
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about Jesus, the Perfect Sacrifice,
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and we can think about Him
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as the perfect gift as well,
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the greatest gift that was ever given
to mankind.
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And so, as we get started together
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in our study about Jesus,
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we're going to look
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at some of the Old Testament sacrifices
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and what they meant
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to Israel and to us today.
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And I'm going to ask Rod to start us off.
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We're going to go to Hebrews,
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chapter 10, Hebrews, chapter 10,
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and we're going to read
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verses 1 through 4.
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And once we get there, Rod,
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would you read that for us?
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(Rod) Certainly, Hebrews,
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chapter 10, verses 1 to 4,
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and I'll be reading
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from the King James Version:
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(Brittany) Thank you, Rod.
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So, the question for the team,
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if it's not possible for the blood
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of bulls and goats to take away sins,
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then what was the purpose?
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Why did God instruct the people -
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God's the One who gave them that system,
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right, to make these sacrifices -
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why, what was the purpose
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of that ceremonial system? Yes, Pedro.
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(Pedro) Well, we see
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that the sacrificial system
pointed to Jesus,
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so it was by faith that the Lamb of God
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will come and die for their sins
in the future.
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The same way we have the same faith
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to look backwards and see
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that Jesus has done,
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and has died for us, 2,000 years ago.
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(Brittany) That's right, so God was trying
to teach them
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the plan of salvation, right,
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through this sacrificial system.
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Shaina, did you have
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something to add to that?
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(Shaina) Yes, as it says in verse 3,
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those sacrifices are a reminder of sins,
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and so, every time we have
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to sacrifice these animals,
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we're reminded of not only what was
going to come
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through Jesus' ultimate sacrifice
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or through the Messiah's
ultimate sacrifice,
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but I'm reminded that it's
because of sin
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and because of the pain
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and the anguish of sin,
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these animals have to die,
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or there has to be blood shed
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in order for my sin to be forgiven.
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(Brittany) So, a reminder
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of the penalty of what sin costs.
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Yes, Travis, you want
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to add to that as well?
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(Travis) So, there is something
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that struck me, too, in these verses,
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and one of the things was
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it says it's not possible for the blood
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of bulls and goats to take away sin.
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And as I was contemplating that,
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and I'd heard somewhere else
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the same ideas, that the thing
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that bulls and goats have
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in relation to human beings
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is that they're created.
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And I thought, "Wow, there's
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a deep underlying beautiful message
in here,
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and that's that I can't
save myself either."
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Back in the Pagan times,
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they would sacrifice children
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and these kind of things to appease a god,
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but God gave Himself.
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And that's what this is pointing to,
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is that God gave Himself,
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and we can't save ourselves,
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even if we would sacrifice
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a human or any, it doesn't qualify.
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Jesus came and gave Himself for humanity.
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(Brittany) Most important point,
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we can't save ourselves.
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And the lambs and the goats
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were all pointing forward to Jesus,
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that perfect sacrifice.
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Now, as we continue in our study,
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we want to look at some of the sacrifices,
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because there were many different types
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in the ceremonial system,
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and each of them was teaching a lesson.
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And so, let's just review
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the book of Leviticus.
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The first few chapters of Leviticus
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give us a description of each type
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of sacrifice that God gave
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for His people to perform.
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And we're just kind of going to do
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a review of some of those sacrifices
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and see what was the point.
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What was God trying to teach them,
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and what can we learn from that today?
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So, as we review some of the sacrifices,
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can anyone think of one
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of the types of sacrifices?
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Any one type of sacrifice come to mind?
Yes, Jason.
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(Jason) There was what was called
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the burnt offering, and that was
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the sacrifice that would happen there
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every day in the courtyard
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at the altar of sacrifice.
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And that specifically was an example
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of Jesus Himself, the Savior,
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the Lamb of God, who would take away
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the sin of the world.
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So, that was very specific
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as a representation of salvation.
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And that's the first sacrifice
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actually listed in the book
of Leviticus here.
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(Brittany) Thank you, Jason,
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so the burnt offering.
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And something that I found interesting
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when I was studying
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about the burnt offering
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is that the whole animal was consumed.
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And in some of the other sacrifices,
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parts of the animal were burned, and parts
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of them the priests actually ate.
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And this one, the whole thing
was consumed,
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and what that points forward to in Jesus
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is that He gave His whole life.
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He didn't just give a body part.
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Like today, we can be organ donors, right?
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If something happened to us,
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we can donate our organs
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to save someone else's life.
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But Jesus gave His whole life for us.
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And what a beautiful illustration
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of that in the burnt offering.
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And we find that in Leviticus, chapter 1.
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Any other offerings come to mind?
Yes, Rod.
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(Rod) So, in chapter 2,
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there is the grain offering,
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or in my Bible it says the meat offering,
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that "meat" is just being
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a generic term for "food."
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But the grain offering would have been
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an offering, not to forgive sin,
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because there was no shedding of blood,
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so that becomes important to understand,
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especially when you just read
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back in Genesis when you see
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that one brother's sacrifice is accepted
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and another's is not, you know.
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(Brittany) So, the grain offering,
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and what was the grain offering given for?
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There was a purpose
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for that grain offering.
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No shedding of blood, like Rod mentioned.
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Pedro, did you want to add to that?
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(Pedro) It was an offering of gratitude,
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something of a blessing,
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a child given or a family celebration.
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That's the time you come
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and celebrate, and you want God
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to be part of that celebration with you.
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(Brittany) That's right.
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And in each one of these sacrifices,
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we're going to see Jesus represented
in a different part
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of His ministry for us.
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And as I was studying into this,
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I learned that this offering
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of grain or of bread,
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sometimes they would make
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unleavened bread and offer that,
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it was a representation
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of Jesus' sinless life
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that He lived for us.
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Because no blood was shed,
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it wasn't representing His sacrifice,
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but it was representing His perfect life
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that He lived on our behalf.
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And what a beautiful picture of Jesus.
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Any other sacrifices come to mind?
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We've talked about the burnt offering,
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the offering of the grain.
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Any other ones come to mind in Leviticus?
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Rodney, can you think of an offering
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that we haven't mentioned yet?
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(Rodney) Yes, there is one that is called
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a peace or fellowship offering;
that's another one.
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We find that in Leviticus,
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chapter 3, specifically.
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(Brittany) And anyone can explain
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what does that mean?
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What's the significance
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of this peace offering? Yes, Jason.
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(Jason) I'm going to take a stab at it.
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I may not be correct, but I think
it has something to do
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with the relationship
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that God has with us,
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and this offering is an example
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of that relationship.
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In this case it was
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thought of more social,
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but in a larger context,
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it's more the relationship
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that God has with man.
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(Brittany) Yeah, and even in that offering
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part of it was for the priest to eat,
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and part of it was consumed.
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So, we see the relationship
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between God's part and man's part,
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so that's beautiful to see that
as well, yes.
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And then we also have mentioned
this sin offering
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or purification offering.
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That's probably the one
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we're most familiar with.
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We often hear about lambs
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being slain, right, and the reason
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was because of sin.
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Can anyone tell us a little bit
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about the sin offering that was given?
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Harold, would you explain
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that one to us a little bit?
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(Harold) Yeah, and actually,
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it's found in Leviticus, chapter 4.
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And just quickly looking at it,
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the interesting thing, it says if a person
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sins unintentionally or through error,
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they would actually offer
this sin offering.
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And it's interesting that it doesn't say,
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like, willful, if it was willful.
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So, I wonder, it's like, eventually,
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they will understand that it was willful,
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but maybe through the Holy Spirit
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they get that understanding.
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(Brittany) That's a great point.
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And something I found interesting,
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reading about this sin offering,
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the animal was actually burned
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outside of the camp.
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And if we think about Jesus,
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where was He crucified?
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Outside of Jerusalem, right?
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So, each of these sacrifices
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was pointing to Jesus
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in one aspect of His death or His life
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for us, and so beautifully portrayed.
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I'm glad that we don't
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have to sacrifice the animals today,
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but we can learn a lot
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from each of these sacrifices.
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There was one more kind of sacrifice
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mentioned in Leviticus,
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and this one's often called
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the trespass offering
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or the reparation offering.
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Can anyone explain to us
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what that offering was all about?
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Travis, would you be able
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to explain that one to us?
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(Travis) Well, as I studied
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these different offerings,
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Jesus becomes the fulfillment
of each of them.
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And the guilt offering,
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as I was studying it,
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seemed to point to Jesus
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taking the guilt for us on the cross.
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And I could be wrong,
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but the different sin offerings
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and things offered, each one
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pointing to Jesus in a significant way,
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but that's the way I saw this offering.
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(Brittany) Definitely, so Jesus
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takes away our guilt,
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not just the penalty of our sin, but He
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clears our conscience, right, as well.
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Jason, did you have
-
something to add to that?
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(Jason) Sure, and one thing about this,
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not that we work out our own salvation,
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but there is a recognition
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in this sacrifice or this offering
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that there is something we've done wrong,
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and there is a restitution
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that needs to be made.
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And so, there is a part of the sacrifice
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that actually the person has to add or do,
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something specific; I think
it was one fifth.
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So, there's a point there that when you
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have done something wrong,
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there's a rule you have
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to repay the wrong,
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and that was part of the sacrifice.
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(Brittany) Yeah...
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(Derek) I was just listening
to all of this,
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and, of course, it's interesting
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to hear them all,
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and I'm thinking how simple the gospel is.
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Everyone who calls upon the name
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of the Lord shall be saved.
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(Team) Amen.
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(Derek) I think the tragedy,
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and it can happen even today
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with religious services and traditions
and rituals,
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is that Jesus gets lost.
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It could happen in the old system,
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that they thought that actually somehow
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those sacrifices, "Maybe if we
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killed a thousand rams,"
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which Micah says, "No, that's
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not going to please God," that that is...
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But it's all pointing to Messiah.
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And I just love the simplicity,
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Brittany, of the gospel,
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that everyone who calls
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upon the name of the Lord will be saved.
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And all of these lessons can be learned,
-
but it's as simple as saying,
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"Jesus, will You save me?
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Will the work that You accomplished
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be applied on my behalf?"
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(Brittany) That's right, thank you,
Pastor Derek.
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Pedro, did you want to add to that?
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(Pedro) It's a beautiful thing
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to learn this because even today
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we have some traditions that we do
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that might cause us
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to draw ourselves away from God.
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But what I'm thinking
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is that every sacrifice you administer
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to a part of our life, that Jesus can come
-
and fulfill it is the beauty,
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that God can mold and solve
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every aspect of our spirituality.
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And He's there to connect with us
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every step of the way.
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(Brittany) Amen. Thank you
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for sharing that, Pedro.
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One question for the team
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that's not here on the outline,
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but just thinking about all
these sacrifices
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that the people would bring,
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what kind of sacrifice does God
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want from us today?
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We don't kill lambs.
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We don't, you know, take bread
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to the church and burn it,
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or those types of things.
-
But what does God want from us?
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What kind of sacrifice
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could we offer to Him? Yes, Rod.
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(Rod) I think He wants us
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to follow in His example
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where He gave His life, His time,
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His talents in complete submission
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to doing His Father's will.
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I think that's what He's after today,
-
not blood or anything like that, or grain.
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I think He just wants us to sacrifice
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of our time and to be united to His will,
-
bringing other people into understanding
the love of God.
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(Brittany) Definitely, so, our time,
-
definitely our talents, using that
for God's glory.
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Yes, Sabina, did you want to share?
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(Sabina) With your question,
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the first verse that came to me
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is Hebrews 10,
-
actually it's from Hebrews 10:5-10,
-
but most specifically verses 8 and 9.
-
Can I read that? Yes.
-
I'm reading from the New King James
Version, and it says:
-
So, I think the key word here
-
is saying, "Behold, I have
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come to do Your will."
-
So, it's the desire to do God's will
and to please Him
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and to follow His commandments
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and to obey because He loves us
-
and as a response to our own good also.
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(Brittany) Definitely. Yes...
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(Derek) And I thought, also,
-
if I may read a text
-
from Romans, chapter 12.
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When you said what sacrifice,
-
and it ties in with what Rod said, too,
-
Romans, chapter 12 and verse 1.
-
I have the New King James Version
of the Bible,
-
and the Apostle Paul
-
appealing to Christians,
-
so these are people who have been saved
-
by faith in Jesus, right?
-
The salvation is accomplished,
but he says:
-
Not your reasonable atonement,
-
not your reasonable payment.
-
You've been saved by grace
-
through faith in Jesus, your Savior.
-
But he says, "I want you to present
-
your bodies as a living sacrifice,"
-
which, I think, ties in
-
with what Rod said.
-
The way that we live for Christ
-
is our way of sharing our thanks to Him
-
and also a witness to others
-
of what He can do.
-
(Brittany) That's right.
-
Thank you, Pastor Derek, beautiful.
-
And there is much more
-
we could go into about how do we live
-
that life that glorifies God.
-
We could spend a whole lesson on that,
-
but we want to continue on,
-
looking at Jesus, our perfect sacrifice,
-
and He's also our perfect High Priest.
-
And so, the next part of our lesson,
-
we're going to look a little bit
-
at some of the Levitical priests.
-
And we know that,
-
unlike the Levitical priests,
-
Jesus didn't have to offer
-
a sacrifice for Himself, for His sin,
-
and then on behalf of the people.
-
He just offered Himself
-
on behalf of all of us - why was that?
-
Why didn't Jesus have to offer
-
that additional sacrifice? Yes, John.
-
(John) The priests themselves
were sinners,
-
so they needed to make an atonement
-
for them and their family before they
-
make an atonement for the people.
-
But Jesus was not a sinner.
-
Jesus lived a perfect life,
-
and He lived a holy life,
-
so there was no need
-
for Him to offer a sacrifice for Himself.
-
(Brittany) That's right.
-
Are there any verses
-
that we could go to that kind of show us
-
more about Jesus being sinless
-
and how He was that perfect High Priest
and sacrifice.
-
Sabina, did you have one
-
you wanted to share?
-
(Sabina) Yeah, the one verse
-
that came to mind is Hebrews 7:26
-
Maybe, shall we read that?
-
Yeah, so I'll be reading
-
from the New King James Version,
and it says:
-
(Derek, Brittany) Amen.
-
(Brittany) So, here we see
His perfect life
-
and His perfect sacrifice exemplified.
Yes, Pedro.
-
(Pedro) I remember 2 Corinthians 6:21.
-
There it is very blunt...
-
(Derek) Chapter 5, I think,
verse 21.
-
(Pedro) Yes, 2 Corinthians chapter 5.
-
(Brittany) Let's go there.
-
(Pedro) Verse 21, and I'll be reading
-
from the New King James Version,
-
2 Corinthians 5:21, and it says:
-
("For He," mention of Jesus)
-
We see that He had no sin,
-
and He came to this world
-
and died for our sins.
-
(Brittany) Right, thank you, Pedro.
-
And, Rodney, would you share with us?
-
(Rodney) Yes, I'd like for us
-
to look at 1 Peter 2, verses 21 and 22.
-
(Brittany) Let's go there together.
-
(Rodney) First Peter 2,
-
verses 21 and 22, I'm reading
-
from the King James Version:
-
(Brittany) Beautiful, thank you, each,
-
for sharing those promises
-
that show us Jesus is our
perfect High Priest
-
and our perfect sacrifice
because He's sinless.
-
He didn't have to offer any sacrifice
-
on behalf of Himself.
-
He lived that perfect life on our behalf,
-
and then He sacrificed Himself
-
so that we can have hope
-
of eternal life with Him.
-
Sabina, you had something you'd like
to share with the team.
-
(Sabina) I think it's very interesting,
-
at least in my version; it says
-
that this was the fitting sacrifice
-
or fitting High Priest for us,
-
which gives a contrast as to who we are,
-
really in desperate need of a Savior,
-
versus who Jesus was,
-
who was perfect, sinless.
-
When it says that it is fitting for me,
-
it's not because I am a good person,
-
right, that I deserve that.
-
But it's fitting for me
-
because I'm so hopeless
-
that I would need Someone like Jesus
-
who has all these qualities here.
-
He not only says holy,
-
he says holy, harmless, undefiled,
-
separate from sinners,
-
so He needs to be all those things
-
to cover up for our sins.
-
And I just find it beautiful
-
that it says it is fitting,
-
and in His love, He comes to us
-
because we need it.
-
(Brittany) That's right, so it's fitting
-
because that's our greatest need.
-
Yes, Harold, did you want to add to that?
-
(Harold) But He is also a fitting
High Priest
-
because He also became like one of us.
-
Because, I mean, as humans, we have
-
a tendency to point out to people....
-
Like, we relate more with people
-
who have gone through our experiences.
-
Generally, if people who don't experience
what we have experienced,
-
we tend to not listen, like, "You don't
know what you're talking about."
-
I mean, obviously God knows everything.
He doesn't have to be a human.
-
It's like, "I know, I made you;
I'm seeing."
-
But yet, He brought Himself
-
to the lowest level.
-
He gave up glory to show us
-
how much He loves us.
-
I mean, that is amazing love.
-
It's like you telling a king,
-
"Can you become a pauper today?"
-
Jesus was homeless, and I don't
-
know anybody who is in a high position
-
willing to become homeless
-
in order to relate with each other.
-
People can see, like, "Oh, wow.
-
This is so-and-so; I never thought
-
he would be willing to do this."
-
But, yeah, He can empathize,
-
and we can see that.
-
And we can say "Wow,
-
if God is able to do this for me,
-
of course, I'm going to follow Him.
-
I mean, He loves me so much, why not?"
-
(Brittany) That's right.
-
Thank you for sharing, Harold.
-
Travis, you wanted to share something
with our team.
-
(Travis) Yes, I was just thinking
-
about the Mount of Transfiguration.
-
You know, Jesus is being glorified there,
-
and then Peter steps out,
-
and he wants to build a house
-
for Elijah and for Moses,
-
like almost completely missing the fact
-
that it was about Jesus.
-
And then I am thinking
-
about the priesthood in the same way.
-
We can exalt a man, right,
-
Aaron was, or Moses, or whatever kind
-
of prophet God would send.
-
But the point, I think,
-
as Pastor Derek has been pointing out
-
is that it's about Jesus.
-
He was the perfect priest,
-
He was the only One
-
qualified to do the job,
-
and He could do it.
-
And as men, you know, any priests
-
that would have been there prior,
-
whoever it was, they would
-
and did fail over and over.
-
And so, Jesus, needs to be
-
the center of the sacrificial system,
-
and is, in the fulfillment of each thing.
-
(Brittany) That's right.
Thank you, Travis.
-
Now, another unique thing about Jesus
-
is He was not sacrificed many times,
right?
-
Every day the priests were
-
performing these sacrifices
-
on behalf of the people.
-
Many thousands and thousands
-
of animals were slaughtered
-
over the years, right?
-
Why was Jesus sacrificed just once?
-
Why was that the case? Yes, Sabina.
-
(Sabina) All those animals,
-
and even as we read, the high priest,
-
so both the high priest
-
and the sacrifice, they were imperfect.
-
So, even if it was pointing
-
to the perfect One, as we have read
-
and discussed before,
-
even if it was speaking
-
as a shadow of the perfect things to come,
-
Jesus alone is the One
-
that can be the perfect High Priest,
-
sinless, and the perfect sacrifice.
-
And that's the only sacrifice
-
that can be enough to cover up
-
the original sin and for the sins
-
that we carry, you know,
-
since the fall of human beings.
-
(Brittany) That's right Sabina.
-
And, Rod, can you share with us?
-
(Rod) I really like what she just said
-
and just to kind of add to that,
-
there is no way that these animals
-
could actually fulfill the Law
-
the way that Christ's life did.
-
So, in all of these sacrifices,
-
what we see is this recurring theme,
-
is it's drawing attention to the Law,
-
because it's the transgression of the Law
-
that's necessitating this sacrifice.
-
So, it's pointing toward the Law
-
and the Lawgiver by default
-
is also the center of the focus.
-
And the animals can't do that,
-
but Jesus did do that.
-
He came here; He fulfilled the Law.
-
He said, "I didn't come to change the Law;
I came to fulfill the Law,"
-
and that's what He did.
-
(Brittany) Thank you, Rod. And, John.
-
(John) I mean, Jesus was
-
a very unique Person.
-
He was God; at the same time, He was Man,
-
and so His sacrifice was sufficient enough
-
that there was nothing else
-
that was needed in this entire universe
-
to help us escape from the penalty of sin.
-
(Brittany) That's right.
-
Thank you to each one of you
-
for explaining that, expounding that
to us.
-
Jesus' sacrifice
-
was the greatest sacrifice;
-
all the other ones pointed forward
-
to the ultimate sacrifice,
-
and no more sacrifices are needed.
-
He has already paid the price.
-
Now, let's look a little bit more
-
at some verses because sometimes
-
we celebrate what Jesus did for us
-
in a service we call
-
the communion service, right?
-
And whenever we partake
-
of the communion service,
-
we could look at it in two different ways.
-
And many times, if you look
-
at many different churches
within Christianity,
-
it is looked at in two different ways.
-
So, how does Jesus want us
-
to look at this communion service?
-
Is it a reenactment of His death
-
over and over again,
-
or is it a remembrance
-
of His sacrifice for us?
-
Can anyone give us
-
some enlightenment on that? Yes, Travis.
-
(Travis) So, the communion service
-
has become something really special to me,
-
especially in my studies
-
of the book of Revelation.
-
Jesus explains in Revelation 14
-
that He doesn't want anyone
-
to receive the wine of the wrath of God,
-
which is poured out of this cup;
-
that's what it talks about.
-
In the Garden of Gethsemane,
-
Jesus prays that the cup
-
might be taken away.
-
Of course, there's no reply from Heaven
-
because it was the only way -
-
He had to drink the cup,
-
which means that He suffered the wine
-
of the wrath of God in our place,
-
and He offers us the cup
-
of communion in return.
-
And so, communion has become
beautiful to me,
-
because it's like I get the trade,
-
the blood of Jesus, for Him taking
-
the wine of the wrath of God,
-
which is poured out full strength.
-
And I'm thinking that's unfair;
-
He didn't deserve that,
-
and what a beautiful thing.
-
So, to me, communion is special
-
in the sense that it's an amazing trade
-
where He gets what He didn't deserve,
-
and I get what He did deserve.
-
(Brittany) Beautiful, thank you, Travis.
-
Shaina, would you like to share with us?
-
(Shaina) Yes, so in 1 Corinthians 11,
-
verses 23 to 26, it's recounting that...
oh, yes, I can [read it].
-
(Brittany) First Corinthians.
-
(Shaina) I'll be reading
-
from the New King James Version,
-
1 Corinthians 11, verses 23 to 26:
-
And so, what I remember,
-
the word "remember," and He says
-
to do it "in remembrance of Me,
-
to remind yourselves
-
of what I did for you."
-
And I'm also thinking
-
back to another verse
-
where He also says to remember,
-
and I'm thinking of the fourth commandment
-
where He says to, "Remember
-
the Sabbath day, to keep it holy."
-
And so, we're not honoring God
-
by, you know, doing any sacrifices,
-
but we're remembering Him,
-
we're honoring Him,
-
we're obeying His Word
-
by remembering when we partake
-
of the communion,
-
when we celebrate the Sabbath.
-
(Brittany) Thank you, Shaina,
-
for those two great points.
-
Rodney, please share with us.
-
(Rodney) Just to pick up
-
from Shaina's point, God was
-
the One that instructed
-
the Israelites to look
-
at the sacrificial system
-
and to perform the sacrificial system.
-
And in everything that was there,
-
it was a pointer to Jesus.
-
Every article, even the veil
-
was a representation of the Lamb
-
that was supposed to come.
-
And here it is again
-
in the New Testament.
-
Jesus is encouraging us
-
to remember, to do the communion service,
-
as we call it today,
-
in remembrance of Him.
-
And back then, unfortunately,
-
they missed the point.
-
They missed the point of seeing Jesus
-
in the sanctuary system.
-
And so, if we're not careful,
-
we can look at all, just like
-
back in the Israelite time,
-
we can look at all the form
-
and how we turn the cup, and the bread,
-
and where the bread should be placed,
-
all the form around the service
-
rather than focusing on Jesus.
-
Jesus is the ultimate sacrifice
-
that we should really accept
-
in our hearts and live today.
-
So, the encouragement is for all of us
-
to focus on the reason why
-
we're having the communion service,
-
which is all about Jesus.
-
(Brittany) That's right.
-
So, just like the Old Testament sacrifices
-
we're pointing forward to Jesus
-
and were giving them a little picture
-
of what He was going to do,
-
now the communion service
-
is pointing back to what Jesus did
-
for those of us living after the fact,
-
so that we can remember
-
what He did do, right?
-
All of it's a reminder
-
pointing forward to Jesus,
-
that ultimate sacrifice,
-
that greatest gift we could ever receive.
-
Now, we want to continue on in our study,
-
and we're looking at the greatness
-
of Christ's sacrifice,
-
which is a continuation of everything
-
we've been talking about.
-
But we want to look at Hebrews, chapter 9.
-
And I'm going to ask Rodney
-
to read that for us, in Hebrews,
-
chapter 9, verses 22 through 28.
-
(Rodney) Hebrews, chapter 9,
-
verses 22 to 28, and I'm reading
-
from the King James Version:
-
(Brittany) Amen. What a beautiful hope
-
that we have, right?
-
Those of us who have accepted that gift,
-
looking forward to His returning
-
where we get to see Him in person
-
and thank Him personally
-
for what He's done for us, right?
-
We can thank Him today
-
when we're talking to Him,
-
but I don't know what it's going
-
to be like to see Him in person
-
and bow before Him and hug Him
-
or however we're going to react.
-
It's going to be beautiful.
-
There are so many passages
-
that we can look at in Scripture
-
that show us the greatness of Jesus
-
and His sacrifice for us.
-
Can any of you think of a promise
-
or passage of Scripture
-
that is meaningful to you that shows you
-
how great Christ's sacrifice
is for us? Pedro.
-
(Pedro) I am reminded
-
of one of my favorite verses in the Bible
-
is 1 Corinthians 1, I'm sorry, 2...
-
(Brittany) First Corinthians, chapter 2?
-
(Pedro) Chapter 2, verses 1 to 5,
-
1 Corinthians 2, verses 1 to 5.
-
(Brittany) Please read that for us.
-
(Pedro) Yes, and it says:
-
Now, when looking to this verse here,
-
I see the importance of focusing on Jesus.
-
Verse 2 is my favorite verse there.
-
It's just to focus on Jesus.
-
Paul was determined not to know anything
-
among the people other than Jesus Christ
-
and Him crucified because Christ
-
was the center of his life.
-
He's looking at Jesus and saying,
-
"He died for me; I want
-
to die for Him, as well."
-
(Brittany) Thank you, Pedro,
beautiful passage.
-
Anyone else have a passage
-
that they would like to share
-
about the greatness
-
of Christ's sacrifice? John.
-
(John) Revelation, chapter 5,
-
verses 8 through 14,
-
talk about why Jesus is worthy.
-
Often the book of Revelation is only seen
-
as symbols and scary beasts,
-
but it centers once again
-
around Jesus and His ministry for us.
-
So, Revelation, chapter 5,
-
verses 8 through 14, tell us,
-
and I'm reading from the English Standard
Version:
-
(Brittany) What a beautiful picture.
-
That's the greatest worship service
-
we can ever imagine, right?
-
Our little worship services
-
in our little churches or our homes
-
are just a tiny little picture
-
of this beautiful, immeasurable
worship service
-
of our King of kings, who died for us,
in Heaven.
-
And one day we'll get
-
to join them, right, before the throne,
-
and that will be amazing.
-
There are so many other passages
-
that we could look at
-
that show us the greatness of Jesus
-
and His sacrifice for us.
-
And the whole point of it
-
is because God wants to show us
-
the immeasurable and unfailing love
-
that He has for each one of us.
-
And there's a passage I'd love
-
for us to read in Romans, chapter 5,
-
and I'm going to ask Rod
-
to read that for us in Romans,
-
chapter 5, verses 6 through 8.
-
And it's just amazing because we think
-
about how people will sacrifice
-
for someone that they love
-
and someone who's done
-
kind things for them,
-
but we're going to see that Jesus
-
goes above and beyond that call.
-
Rod, would you read that for us?
-
(Rod) Romans, chapter 5, and what were
the verses?
-
(Brittany) 6 through 8.
-
(Rod) 6 to 8, from the King James Version,
It says:
-
(Brittany) What a beautiful picture
-
of the love of Jesus
-
for each one of us, right?
-
Rod, you're part of the military, right?
-
And you have served your country
-
in protecting people who are good people,
-
people who are not good people, right,
-
but you've been on the call of duty,
-
and I think of this verse
tying in with that.
-
You know, scarcely for a righteous person
-
would someone die, but Jesus looked at us
-
when we were rebelling against Him,
-
when we were His enemies, and died for us.
-
And I'm just reminded of how you served
-
your country so well, and how Jesus
-
is even a greater example of that.
-
(Rod) Better example.
-
(Brittany) Yes, that's right.
-
Travis, would you like to add to that?
-
(Travis) This is just a beautiful picture
of God's love
-
for each and every one of us.
-
And I'm sitting here thinking,
-
many times I've come across people
-
who are struggling with sins,
-
struggling with many things.
-
And the question is always asked,
-
"Well, what should I do?"
-
or, "What can I do?" as if they
-
have to do something to earn God's favor.
-
And so, I always tell them,
-
and I reiterate to myself
-
when I do tell them,
-
is that you don't have to earn it;
-
you already have it.
-
Jesus loved us while we
were still sinners.
-
You don't ever have to wonder
if God loves,
-
no viewer, myself, any of us,
-
we don't have to wonder.
-
God already does love us.
-
Nothing can separate us
-
from the love of God,
-
which is in Christ Jesus.
-
And that's a beautiful picture.
-
(Brittany) That's right; thank you
-
for sharing that, Travis,
-
because there are many of us
-
who are struggling, thinking that we
-
have to do something
-
to clean ourselves up first
-
or make ourselves acceptable before God,
-
but He says, "No, I already died for you
-
in your sinful state."
-
(Derek) And just to add to that,
-
we already have it if we accept it.
-
So, you started, Brittany,
-
at the very beginning of our study
-
saying maybe someone's watching today,
-
saying, "I need a Savior."
-
And the answer is salvation
-
is available through Jesus,
-
but we have to accept that gift.
-
That's the choice we have to make.
-
(Brittany) And that's the last part
-
of our lesson together.
-
What are the consequences
-
if I choose to reject that gift?
-
What would happen if I do not accept
-
that immeasurable, unfailing love of God?
-
So, let's look at a few verses.
-
Let's go to Hebrews in chapter 2,
-
verses 1 through 4, and Shaina,
-
would you please read that for us,
-
Hebrews, chapter 2, verses 1 through 4.
-
(Shaina) Hebrews 2, verses 1 to 4,
-
and I'll be reading
-
from the New King James Version:
-
(Brittany) So, what stands out
-
to you in that verse?
-
What would happen if we do not
-
accept Jesus, the greatest sacrifice?
Yes, Harold.
-
(Harold) Death, I mean,
-
the wages of sin is death,
-
and if we want to cling to that,
-
that is killing us,
-
in the end, we will cease to exist.
-
(Brittany) Yes, definitely.
-
(Derek) And also, Brittany, I think
-
the onlooking universe,
-
and sadly, even those of us,
-
it may be a loved one
-
who chooses to walk away,
-
that we will confess, "God, there is
-
nothing else that You could have done.
-
You did everything, even miracles,
-
signs and wonders, to reveal
-
Your grace and love."
-
But that person had a choice to make.
-
(Brittany) That's right, and what I loved
-
about that passage in Hebrews,
-
it showed us, it mentioned an escape,
-
the only way of escape.
-
And I think about, you know,
-
we're in this world of sin;
it's crumbling.
-
It's almost like we're
-
in a burning building,
-
and there is only one way out.
-
And Jesus is that escape plan.
-
He is the only way out,
-
and He has already done everything
-
for us to be rescued.
-
But we just have to hold onto His hand
as He leads us
-
out of this burning building, right?
-
And he's going to lead us
-
to a brand new world, and we're not going
-
to be in another burning building someday.
Yes, Rod.
-
(Rod) You actually bring up a good point.
-
There is a time coming
-
where there will be a heat,
-
where the rocks and the elements
-
will even melt away.
-
There is a fire that's coming,
-
and the only escape
-
is to be in that city with Jesus.
-
That's our only chance;
-
that's our only hope.
-
And whatever the devil
-
could possibly offer you
-
cannot possibly withstand
-
that kind of power.
-
You have to choose the only side
-
that's going to give you salvation,
-
like Harold said, or you're going to die.
-
I mean, there is just no other way.
-
There is no other name that can
save you other than Jesus.
-
(Brittany) Thank you, Rod.
-
Pedro, did you want to add to that?
-
(Pedro) Yes, and I see the beauty of God.
-
God says, "I paid for all your sins."
-
All of our sins have been paid for.
-
There is no sin that is not paid
at the cross.
-
And God is saying, "Now,
-
I'll give you My judgment,
-
and the judgment is going
-
to be between choosing life in Me,
-
or continue in death,
-
which is the condition that you are in."
-
So, we have to choose, and God is saying,
-
"I want you to choose Me."
-
That's what the judgment is all about,
-
"Choose Me," "Choose Me," "Choose Me,"
-
and we come, and we choose Him
-
because He is a loving Savior.
-
(Brittany) That's right.
-
Travis, please share with us.
-
(Travis) So, in Revelation,
-
the end of Revelation, chapter 6,
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it's describing the coming of Jesus,
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and it says, "Who is able to stand?"
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The question is asked,
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"Who is able to stand?"
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You're talking about fire and escape,
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and if we continue reading on in 7,
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John says, "I looked, and I saw
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a multitude of every nation,
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tribe and tongue and people,
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and they had clothed themselves
-
with the righteous robe of Jesus Christ."
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And I'm sitting here thinking,
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we can escape always
-
when we take Jesus at His Word.
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It's not about us; it's about Jesus,
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and when we clothe ourselves
-
with His righteousness,
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we will be able to stand,
-
we will be able to escape.
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(Brittany) That's right.
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Thank you for reminding us
-
of that promise in that passage, Travis.
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Rodney, please share with us, and then
we're going to have to wrap up,
-
because there's so much more
on this topic, go ahead.
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(Rodney) I was just following up
-
on what Rod was saying
-
a little bit earlier.
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In Revelation 20, we're going
-
to be in one of two spots.
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We're going to be in that city descending,
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or we'll be around that city
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like sands of the sea.
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And what Jesus is saying to us is,
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"Come to Me; I will save you,
-
and you will be in that city
-
if you accept Me.
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But if you will not,
-
if you do not accept Me,
-
you'll be like the sands of the sea.
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And Revelation 20 tells us what happens
-
to those that are outside of the city.
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Essentially fire will consume all of them.
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So, we encourage each other
-
that we will choose Jesus today
-
and be in that city.
-
(Derek) And I just want to share that text
-
that God is not willing
-
that any should perish,
-
so that tells me, Brittany, that God
-
doesn't want anyone outside the city.
-
People have this distorted view of God
-
that Satan has propagated or promoted
-
that God is vengeful.
-
If God didn't care,
-
the plan of salvation wouldn't even exist.
-
But He loves us with an immeasurable
and unfailing love.
-
He wants us to repent
-
and to get inside the city.
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(Brittany) That's right; He wants
-
to spend eternity with you and me.
-
That's His ultimate goal,
-
and that's why He set in motion
-
this whole plan of salvation, right?
-
That's why He was willing
-
to give Himself, the greatest gift,
-
because He loves us so much.
-
So, as we wrap up our study,
-
I just pray for each one of us
-
that we will accept that gift.
-
He's holding it out to us.
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He's saying, "I gave everything for you.
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Please, just accept Me,
-
and you can live with Me forever."
-
Would you pray for us, Pastor Derek?
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(Derek) Thank you so much, Brittany.
-
What a powerful study, I just want
-
to use my favorite Hebrew word.
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(Derek, Team) Hallelujah!
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(Derek) I don't know about you,
-
maybe you're watching, I have a loved one
-
who has rejected Jesus,
-
and I'm just praying
-
while there's still time that he will
-
accept the grace of God.
-
I'm encouraged by the testimony
-
of a dying thief, "Lord,
-
will You remember me when You come
-
in Your Kingdom?"
-
You say, "Derek, that's me!
-
I've been trying to sit on the fence."
-
I just want to appeal to you today,
-
while you're hearing
-
of the immeasurable, unfailing love
of God,
-
to say, "Jesus, save me,"
"Jesus, save me."
-
And the amazing and beautiful truth
is He will.
-
He's able to save to the uttermost
-
all who come to Him in faith.
-
Let's pray together.
-
Our Father in Heaven, we have seen again
-
Your immeasurable and unfailing love.
-
You've provided all that is needed
-
for our salvation.
-
How can we escape if we reject
-
so great a salvation?
-
You're not willing that any should perish.
-
I thank You that even today
-
someone is saying, "Jesus, save me.
-
Let the plan be effective for me."
-
And, God, may we also be courageous
-
and bold to share that good news,
-
that others, too, might be with us
-
inside that heavenly city,
-
saved by Your grace.
-
In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
-
(Team) Amen.
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(Derek) Thanks for joining us
for Hope Sabbath School.
-
We've got good news to share.
-
Accept what Jesus has done for you,
-
and then go out and share the good news
-
with those around you.
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♪ theme music ♪