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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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<i>Present Truth in Deuteronomy,</i>

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amazing insights for our lives today.

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If you've missed anything in this series,

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go to our website, hopetv.org/hopess.

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You can watch the entire series[br]and be blessed.

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You can also download the same outline

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that we use in our study today.

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Our topic today, <i>Turn Their Hearts.</i>

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I read that, and I thought,

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"Lord, turn our hearts, too."

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It's about what God wants to do

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for each one of us,

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turning our hearts toward Him.

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So, welcome to Hope Sabbath School

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and welcome to the team.

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What a great series this is,

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<i>Present Truth in Deuteronomy,</i>

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and great to see you again.

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Great to have not only our Gideon's band

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in the studio - you know,

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reduced occupancy due to the pandemic -

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but we've got some

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joining us remotely today,

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and I just want to welcome

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Travis from Michigan.

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Travis, good to have you with us today.

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And I want to welcome Adison

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from British Columbia in Canada,

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good to see you Adison,

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always appreciate having you on the team.

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And good to see Amy from Maryland.

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Amy, great to have you with us again.

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And we're just so excited to expand

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our team through our remote team members.

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We're also happy to hear from you,

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our Hope Sabbath School members[br]around the world.

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You don't know how much we're blessed

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when you write to us at sshope@hopetv.org

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and share the miracles God's doing.

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You're like, "Well, it's just me,[br]just my life,"

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but, you know, that is an evidence

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that God is working through this ministry,

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so, thank you for writing to us.

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Thank you, Elizabeth,

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for writing to us from New Zealand.

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Elizabeth writes and says,

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"My husband and I would like to just say

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thank you for Hope Sabbath School."

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Listen, "We're not big media fans,

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but in our lockdown for COVID management,

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we discovered Hope Sabbath School."

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(Team) Amen.

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(Derek) That's awesome,[br]"Now regularly enjoy

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being part of the class."

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Well, now, this is interesting, Sabina.

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"We rather like the smaller[br]lockdown version..."

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So, they like having five

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rather than twelve; well,[br]that's interesting.

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"...perhaps because we get to know

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the members better during the time.

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My husband teaches

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a teens' Sabbath School,

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and I teach a young adult class,

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so it's very nice to have some time

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with the Hope Sabbath School team

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to recharge our batteries."

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Elizabeth, thanks so much for writing.

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It sounds like Elizabeth and her husband

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are really engaged in ministry.

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"I especially love the Scripture songs

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provided by your wife.

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We appreciate also the good modeling

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that's demonstrated when you share

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leadership with other team members,

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even though we're totally happy with you."

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Well, Elizabeth, that's pretty kind[br]of you to say,

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but you know it is exciting

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to see team members teaching,

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because then another young adult,

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maybe in Nigeria, maybe in Australia,

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says, "Well, if God could use Jason,

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like He did in this series,

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or Sabina or Brittany, God could use me."

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Not all of us will be teaching,

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but we've got tens of thousands

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of people downloading the outline.

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And so, Elizabeth, thank you

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for your encouraging word[br]from New Zealand.

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Julia writes from the country of Georgia,

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not the state of Georgia

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but former USSR, Georgia,

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and she's from Papua New Guinea.

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You say, "How did she

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end up in the country of Georgia?"

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Well, she says, "The church I attend,

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they only speak Russian,

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and I do not understand Russian at all.

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So, I praise God that you are

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a blessing to me for my Bible study.

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Every Sabbath morning, I join

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with Hope Sabbath School

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before going to church." Amen?

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Wow, give Julia a wave there

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in the country of Georiga.

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Yeah, great to have this note.

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"Thank you; your faces

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burst with enthusiasm

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in studying the Word of God;

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you show that you have

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walked with God before you share."

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And we say thank you, Jesus, right?

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"I particularly would like to mention

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Harold and Brittany," well,

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they're actually with us today, Julia.

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They're sitting here, Harold and Brittany;

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they're actually related, you know.

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They just happen to be sitting one

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in front of each other, husband and wife.

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"Thank you for your excellent example

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of a husband and wife team

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studying the Bible." Amen?

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(Harold) Amen.

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(Derek) That's a beautiful testimony.

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"You're a blessing to the global community

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in sharing the Word of God.

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Your testimonies are blessing so many.

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Keep up the good work.

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The least I can do is pray for you

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to reach out to many more."

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Well, Julia, what you've impressed us with

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through your email is that even the way

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we share together here,

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even the way we smile,

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even the way we interact together,[br]is a witness.

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And we thank you for writing to us.

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Well, here is one

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of those old-fashioned notes.

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We still get those sometimes

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that are sent to us,

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and this one is from a donor in Texas

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in the United States of America.

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And the donor writes and says...

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And we don't read the name, you know,

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but we do want to say thank you,

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because we're a donor-supported ministry.

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In fact, God may impress <i>you</i> today

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to say, "I want to be a part

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of this miracle, too,"

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and I'll tell you how in just a moment.

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The donor writes, "I started

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watching Hope Sabbath School

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about two years ago.

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I feel blessed and encouraged

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when I watch the program.

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I appreciate how you provide insight

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about the Word of God

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and give personal stories

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that indicate the love of God

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is moving in your hearts."

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(Team) Amen.

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(Derek) "Please accept this gift

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to continue the ministry

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of Hope Sabbath School,"

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and a donation of 100 dollars.

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I want to say thank you, Texas.

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You know who you are

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because I just read your note,

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but I want to thank each one of you

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for partnering with us.

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If you'd like to learn how you can be part

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of this Impact Movement

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that God's using to bless

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more than 200 countries around the world,

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write to us at sshope@hopetv.org,

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and I'd like to personally respond to you

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and tell how you can partner with us.

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Or you can go to our website,

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hopetv.org/hopess.

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You will make a difference

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when you click on that donate button.

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You will make a difference,

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because as a donor-supported ministry,

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we're working together; we're[br]volunteers, right,

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to see God's work be accomplished

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and Jesus come soon.

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Well, here's a note

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from Lazaro in Tanzania.

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Lazaro says, "Hello, brothers[br]and sisters."

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(Team) Hello!

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(Derek) "My first time writing to you,

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but it doesn't mean that it's

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the first time for me

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making follow-ups of this program, no.

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I've been following you

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for about a year now,

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and sure every time

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I see you on the program,

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I don't want it to come to an end.

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Apart from learning for myself,

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I also share with my family

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and my church members,

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because I am a Bible teacher," praise God.

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"May God of heaven keep using

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Hope Sabbath School

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and bless you beyond your expectations."

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Well, he lives in the Southern Highlands[br]of Tanzania.

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Lazaro, thanks for writing to us.

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Every nation, kindred, tongue[br]and people. Amen?

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We're just so happy you're part

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of our Hope Sabbath School family.

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And one last note,

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from the United States of America,

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from Rhode Island; that's one

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of the small states, right, Jason,

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Rhode Island here on the Eastern Seaboard.

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And Mary Lou writes and says,

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"My husband and I watch

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Hope Sabbath School all the time.

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We enjoy it so much

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and receive many blessings.

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Love all the members and miss them

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when they're not there.

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I'm thankful for what you do.

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Did I say I love all the members?"

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Mary Lou, thanks for writing

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to us from Rhode Island,

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and we feel like we're part

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of a big family, don't we?

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And, Jesus said that's actually a sign

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that, "You're My disciples

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if you love one another."

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And right now, if God loves us

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with an immeasurable and unfailing love,

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He wants to turn hearts toward Him

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so that they can choose life.

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But before we study,

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we have a song to sing.

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It's our theme song for this series,

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from Deuteronomy 31:6,

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"Be strong and of good courage."

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Let's sing it together.

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♪ music ♪

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(Derek) Let's pray together,

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Father in heaven, thank You so much

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that we can study

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<i>Present Truth in Deuteronomy</i> today.

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As we see the appeal of Moses

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at the end of his life,

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appealing to people to turn

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their hearts toward God,

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I pray the Holy Spirit would speak

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to hearts today across the world

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as we, Hope Sabbath School members, study,

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turning our hearts more fully toward You[br]than ever before.

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Please bless, I pray in the powerful name[br]of Jesus. Amen.

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(Team) Amen.

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(Derek) we're going to begin our study

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in Deuteronomy, chapter 4.

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Brittany, would you read for us

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verses 22 through 26.

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It's a prophecy that the prophet Moses

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gave regarding the children of Israel

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after they finally settled.

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Now, remember,

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they're on the borders of Canaan, right?

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But Moses has been told

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he is not going to actually go into Canaan

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but he gives this prophecy

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under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

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Let's read together Deuteronomy 4:22-26.

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(Brittany) And I'll be reading

0:11:22.895,0:11:24.426
from the New King James Version:

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(Derek) Now, that's a sad prophecy,

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and by the way, Moses

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was not allowed to enter the land.

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What was it that he did,

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do you remember, Sabina, that caused

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the Lord to say, "You've spoken..."?

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We don't need to read the text,

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but do you remember the story?

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He did something that, well, it said

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something about God that wasn't true.

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Do you remember what it was?

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He was told to speak

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to the rock, Brittany.

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(Brittany) He was told[br]to speak to the rock,

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and water would come out,

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but instead he struck the rock.

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(Derek) Twice.

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(Brittany) Yup, two times.

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(Derek) He struck the rock

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at the beginning, as God told him,

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but this was all a symbol of what, [br]who's the Rock?

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(Brittany) Christ.

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(Derek) Christ was the Rock,

0:13:04.716,0:13:07.538
and Christ would only die one time.

0:13:07.538,0:13:09.546
So, he would then just need to come...

0:13:09.546,0:13:11.728
Doesn't the Bible say we can come boldly?

0:13:11.728,0:13:12.432
(Team) Yes.

0:13:12.432,0:13:14.827
(Derek) Yeah, in the name of Jesus,[br]we come boldly.

0:13:14.827,0:13:16.867
So, you say, "Well, that[br]wasn't very fair."

0:13:16.867,0:13:18.276
But actually, we'll discover

0:13:18.276,0:13:20.508
in a later study that God had something

0:13:20.508,0:13:22.711
really special in mind for Moses.

0:13:22.711,0:13:25.171
And Moses was loved by God.

0:13:25.171,0:13:26.863
But here's this warning,

0:13:26.863,0:13:30.109
a prophecy of apostasy.

0:13:30.109,0:13:31.704
When was that fulfilled?

0:13:31.704,0:13:34.934
Does anybody know how quickly

0:13:34.934,0:13:37.222
after entering into Canaan

0:13:37.222,0:13:38.610
did the children of Israel

0:13:38.610,0:13:41.340
turn to foreign gods? Harold?

0:13:41.340,0:13:43.017
(Harold) After the death of Joshua,

0:13:43.017,0:13:44.981
because after Moses we see

0:13:44.981,0:13:47.905
that Joshua took his place.

0:13:47.905,0:13:50.008
But after <i>he</i> died, then we see

0:13:50.008,0:13:52.359
this lack of leadership.

0:13:52.359,0:13:54.341
And all of a sudden tons of people

0:13:54.341,0:13:55.925
are following foreign gods

0:13:55.925,0:13:57.822
of the surrounding nations.

0:13:57.822,0:13:59.370
(Derek) You're absolutely right.

0:13:59.370,0:14:01.232
Amy, I wonder if you could read for us

0:14:01.232,0:14:02.657
from Judges, chapter 2.

0:14:02.657,0:14:07.180
There's a theme...Judges 2:7-13.

0:14:07.180,0:14:09.355
There's a theme in the book of Judges.

0:14:09.355,0:14:10.458
Do you know what it is?

0:14:10.458,0:14:12.841
"And everyone did what was right..."?

0:14:12.841,0:14:14.651
(Derek, Team) "...in their own eyes."

0:14:14.651,0:14:16.629
(Derek) So, that's the problem, isn't it?

0:14:16.629,0:14:17.789
Instead of saying, "God,

0:14:17.789,0:14:19.785
what do You want me to do?"

0:14:19.785,0:14:22.679
wanting to do what seems right[br]"in my own eyes."

0:14:22.679,0:14:24.306
And let's see where they ended up.

0:14:24.306,0:14:25.780
Amy, read for us, if you would,

0:14:25.780,0:14:30.831
from Judges 2, verses 7 through 13.

0:14:30.831,0:14:32.320
(Amy) Okay, and I'll be reading

0:14:32.320,0:14:34.047
from the New King James Version:

0:15:30.367,0:15:31.324
(Derek) Now, it says

0:15:31.324,0:15:32.628
they didn't know the Lord.

0:15:32.628,0:15:35.163
What does that mean, Jason?

0:15:35.163,0:15:36.976
They must have known about Him, right?

0:15:36.976,0:15:38.926
(Jason) Yeah, they definitely knew about,

0:15:38.926,0:15:40.604
because they still had the stories,

0:15:40.604,0:15:42.422
but they didn't have the relationship.

0:15:42.422,0:15:44.907
There wasn't emotional, spiritual knowing.

0:15:44.907,0:15:47.877
They only had academic, [br]intellectual knowledge.

0:15:47.877,0:15:49.680
(Derek) I'm thinking, later Jesus

0:15:49.680,0:15:51.725
would say, "This is life eternal,

0:15:51.725,0:15:53.739
that they might know Thee."

0:15:53.739,0:15:56.447
That's talking about an intimate[br]relationship, isn't it?

0:15:56.447,0:15:57.847
So, they knew about God,

0:15:57.847,0:15:59.161
but they didn't know Him,

0:15:59.161,0:16:01.929
and the result: apostasy.

0:16:01.929,0:16:04.564
But let's see what else Moses prophesied.

0:16:04.564,0:16:06.294
John, if you could read on for us

0:16:06.294,0:16:08.413
in Deuteronomy, chapter 4,

0:16:08.413,0:16:13.037
verses 27 and 28.

0:16:13.037,0:16:14.486
(John) Deuteronomy, chapter 4,

0:16:14.486,0:16:15.875
verses 27 and 28, I'm reading

0:16:15.875,0:16:18.349
from the King James Version; it says:

0:16:37.996,0:16:39.747
(Derek) And when was that fulfilled,

0:16:39.747,0:16:43.204
that "scattering," anybody know? Jason?

0:16:43.204,0:16:44.630
(Jason) Well, that was the end

0:16:44.630,0:16:47.000
of the period of the kings.

0:16:47.000,0:16:49.490
It happened for both Israel and Judah,

0:16:49.490,0:16:52.093
when Assyria took away[br]the Northern kingdom,

0:16:52.093,0:16:53.608
and then Babylon came

0:16:53.608,0:16:55.291
and took away the Southern kingdom.

0:16:55.291,0:16:56.794
It was several hundred years,

0:16:56.794,0:16:58.840
but it eventually was fulfilled there.

0:16:58.840,0:17:00.287
(Derek) That's right, starting

0:17:00.287,0:17:03.069
in, what, the eighth century,

0:17:03.069,0:17:04.322
end of the eighth century,

0:17:04.322,0:17:06.898
and then down 605, I think Daniel,

0:17:06.898,0:17:09.151
and then in the 500s,

0:17:09.151,0:17:11.899
later when more are taken captive.

0:17:11.899,0:17:14.508
So, this prophecy was also fulfilled.

0:17:14.508,0:17:17.356
Now, I want to ask you a question.

0:17:17.356,0:17:20.764
Was it inevitable? Maybe I can ask Adison.

0:17:20.764,0:17:23.047
Adison, joining us from British Columbia,

0:17:23.047,0:17:29.148
was it inevitable that these prophecies[br]would be fulfilled?

0:17:29.148,0:17:31.128
Could they have repented?

0:17:31.128,0:17:34.827
Or, did it have to be that way,

0:17:34.827,0:17:37.808
that they would serve idols

0:17:37.808,0:17:39.367
and eventually be scattered?

0:17:39.367,0:17:42.027
What do you think, Adison?

0:17:42.027,0:17:43.079
(Adison) Pastor Derek,

0:17:43.079,0:17:45.144
that's such a phenomenal question,

0:17:45.144,0:17:47.442
and I'll say this, I believe

0:17:47.442,0:17:49.657
it was a conditional prophecy.

0:17:49.657,0:17:52.585
I believe that if they had stayed

0:17:52.585,0:17:54.491
close to the Lord (as the Lord had said,

0:17:54.491,0:17:57.352
He is their life), if they[br]had clung to Him,

0:17:57.352,0:17:59.141
if He had been their life support

0:17:59.141,0:18:00.855
through thick and thin,

0:18:00.855,0:18:04.284
they would have been facing[br]a different outcome.

0:18:04.284,0:18:05.987
(Derek) Can you think of an example

0:18:05.987,0:18:07.019
of that in Scripture?

0:18:07.019,0:18:10.079
Yes, Travis, think of an example?

0:18:10.079,0:18:11.715
(Travis) I'm thinking of the story

0:18:11.715,0:18:12.752
of Jonah, you know,

0:18:12.752,0:18:14.681
when he went to Nineveh.

0:18:14.681,0:18:18.874
And he said that the city[br]would be destroyed.

0:18:18.874,0:18:21.723
And, of course, we know from the story

0:18:21.723,0:18:22.952
that it wasn't destroyed.

0:18:22.952,0:18:25.693
And I forgot, but in the book of Jeremiah,

0:18:25.693,0:18:28.162
it says somewhere in the book of Jeremiah,

0:18:28.162,0:18:30.332
that when someone makes a prophecy,

0:18:30.332,0:18:32.563
if that people repent,

0:18:32.563,0:18:35.261
that that prophecy would not be fulfilled.

0:18:35.261,0:18:36.879
So, I believe that if the children

0:18:36.879,0:18:38.704
of Israel had stayed close to God,

0:18:38.704,0:18:40.298
that this would not have happend.

0:18:40.298,0:18:43.420
(Derek) And even if the children of Israel

0:18:43.420,0:18:45.779
as a people had chosen

0:18:45.779,0:18:48.211
to go after other gods...

0:18:48.211,0:18:49.673
Finish the sentence for me.

0:18:49.673,0:18:52.041
Even if, as a people, they'd chosen

0:18:52.041,0:18:55.551
to go after other gods, still, what?

0:18:55.551,0:18:58.566
(Sabina) Still there would be hope[br]for those who were remnant...

0:18:58.566,0:19:00.834
(Derek) That's right! Absolutely, Sabina.

0:19:00.834,0:19:03.489
There's always hope for the remnant

0:19:03.489,0:19:06.036
that says, "We're not going to do that."

0:19:06.036,0:19:08.240
An example on the plain of Dura,

0:19:08.240,0:19:09.930
a whole bunch of people bowed down.

0:19:09.930,0:19:11.420
Now, if I understand correctly,

0:19:11.420,0:19:13.333
there were many other young people

0:19:13.333,0:19:16.632
taken captive besides Daniel,

0:19:16.632,0:19:19.187
Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,

0:19:19.187,0:19:22.229
but everybody else bowed down.

0:19:22.229,0:19:25.841
So, we still have a choice, don't we?[br]Yes, Sabina.

0:19:25.841,0:19:27.662
(Sabina) And by the way, Pastor Derek,

0:19:27.662,0:19:29.601
the entire book of Deuteronomy,[br]actually,

0:19:29.601,0:19:30.840
which we already discussed

0:19:30.840,0:19:33.826
how it's a reinforcing of the law,

0:19:33.826,0:19:34.989
what would be the point

0:19:34.989,0:19:37.222
of reinforcing, giving so much warning,

0:19:37.222,0:19:38.715
if they had no choice?

0:19:38.715,0:19:39.811
What would be the point

0:19:39.811,0:19:41.813
of insisting they choose life

0:19:41.813,0:19:43.614
if they could not repent

0:19:43.614,0:19:45.513
and could not turn away in the future

0:19:45.513,0:19:47.464
from potential harm?

0:19:47.464,0:19:49.011
So, I definitely think that they

0:19:49.011,0:19:50.789
could have done much better.

0:19:50.789,0:19:52.828
(Derek) Alright. Yes, John.

0:19:52.828,0:19:54.046
(John) It reminds me also

0:19:54.046,0:19:55.993
of the story of Belshazzar.

0:19:55.993,0:19:59.471
His grandfather, of course,

0:19:59.471,0:20:01.987
followed other gods, but he repented.

0:20:01.987,0:20:03.440
(Derek) Nebuchadnezzar, right?

0:20:03.440,0:20:04.809
(John) Yeah, Nebuchadnezzar.

0:20:04.809,0:20:06.391
But Belshazzar, although he knew

0:20:06.391,0:20:08.284
what God had done to his grandfather,

0:20:08.284,0:20:11.127
he did not obey the God that he worshiped.

0:20:11.127,0:20:12.610
So, it's very interesting

0:20:12.610,0:20:14.149
to see that same pattern.

0:20:14.149,0:20:15.863
(Derek) And by the way, when Daniel

0:20:15.863,0:20:17.805
kind of rebukes him there in Daniel 5,

0:20:17.805,0:20:19.959
he says, "And you knew

0:20:19.959,0:20:23.008
all these things, O king," right? Jason?

0:20:23.008,0:20:24.727
(Jason) And building off that idea,

0:20:24.727,0:20:28.082
there's a distinction between nations[br]and individuals.

0:20:28.082,0:20:29.431
And so, well, what was going

0:20:29.431,0:20:30.534
to happen with Babylon,

0:20:30.534,0:20:32.030
we knew that the head of gold,

0:20:32.030,0:20:33.005
it was going to end,

0:20:33.005,0:20:35.336
it didn't have to be with Belshazzar.

0:20:35.336,0:20:37.355
(Derek) And by the way, that would be true

0:20:37.355,0:20:38.878
for today, wouldn't it, folks?

0:20:38.878,0:20:42.745
Just because I'm part of the church,

0:20:42.745,0:20:43.913
I've still got a choice,

0:20:43.913,0:20:46.180
an individual choice to make, right?

0:20:46.180,0:20:48.943
And if a church that I'm a part of...

0:20:48.943,0:20:50.369
Some people have written to me

0:20:50.369,0:20:53.030
and said, "Pastor, I feel like my church

0:20:53.030,0:20:56.524
has gone away from the Bible."

0:20:56.524,0:20:59.135
Does that mean that that church member

0:20:59.135,0:21:01.034
has to also go away from the Bible?

0:21:01.034,0:21:02.082
(Team) No.

0:21:02.082,0:21:04.048
(Derek) Well, that's what the Reformation

0:21:04.048,0:21:05.336
was all about, wasn't it?

0:21:05.336,0:21:07.221
We're trying to protest

0:21:07.221,0:21:08.768
going away from the Bible.

0:21:08.768,0:21:10.774
Bring people back to the Word of God.

0:21:10.774,0:21:13.731
Well, we want to go on with this prophecy,

0:21:13.731,0:21:16.410
because the good news is,

0:21:16.410,0:21:18.007
that even the prophecy

0:21:18.007,0:21:22.684
about apostasy, idolatry, captivity,

0:21:22.684,0:21:25.425
is not without hope.

0:21:25.425,0:21:27.717
Harold, can you read for us, please,

0:21:27.717,0:21:31.632
Deuteronomy 4 and verse 29?

0:21:31.632,0:21:33.209
(Harold) Yes, and I'll be reading

0:21:33.209,0:21:36.528
from the New King James Version; it reads:

0:21:48.252,0:21:50.696
(Derek) "From there," where's[br]the "there" again?

0:21:50.696,0:21:51.542
(John) Captivity.

0:21:51.542,0:21:53.543
(Derek) From captivity,[br]that's right, John.

0:21:53.543,0:21:56.135
From your place where you've ended up

0:21:56.135,0:22:00.406
because of your failures, "You will..."?

0:22:00.406,0:22:01.547
(Harold) Seek the Lord.

0:22:01.547,0:22:02.877
(Derek) Seek the Lord, how?

0:22:02.877,0:22:04.324
(Team) With all of your heart.

0:22:04.324,0:22:05.713
(Derek) With all your heart.

0:22:05.713,0:22:07.502
Does that remind you of another verse

0:22:07.502,0:22:08.898
in the Bible, anybody?

0:22:08.898,0:22:11.679
It's actually a contemporary prophet

0:22:11.679,0:22:13.286
during the captivity.

0:22:13.286,0:22:14.472
Who was that, that spoke

0:22:14.472,0:22:17.033
about "with all your heart"?

0:22:17.033,0:22:18.044
Do you remember that?

0:22:18.044,0:22:18.859
(Team) Jeremiah.

0:22:18.859,0:22:20.355
(Derek) Jeremiah, that's right.

0:22:20.355,0:22:21.889
John, could you read that for us

0:22:21.889,0:22:25.304
in Jeremiah, chapter 29,

0:22:25.304,0:22:27.371
verses 11 through 14.

0:22:27.371,0:22:28.822
So, that makes me wonder,

0:22:28.822,0:22:31.571
do you think Jeremiah was aware

0:22:31.571,0:22:33.459
of the prophecy of Moses?

0:22:33.459,0:22:34.212
(Team) Oh, yes.

0:22:34.212,0:22:36.745
(Derek) Absolutely. The Holy Spirit says,

0:22:36.745,0:22:38.082
"Don't forget what I said

0:22:38.082,0:22:40.585
through the prophet Moses," right?

0:22:40.585,0:22:43.796
How does Jeremiah repeat that concept,

0:22:43.796,0:22:47.233
John, in Jeremiah 29, verses 11 to 14?

0:22:47.233,0:22:49.860
(John) Reading from the King James[br]Version, and it says:

0:23:28.795,0:23:30.034
(Derek) So, Travis, I have

0:23:30.034,0:23:32.436
a question for you: Why is it important

0:23:32.436,0:23:35.046
to seek the Lord with all our heart?

0:23:35.046,0:23:36.790
Is God trying to hide from us?

0:23:36.790,0:23:38.369
I mean, in the Garden of Eden,

0:23:38.369,0:23:39.597
it's God who is looking

0:23:39.597,0:23:41.744
for the sinful pair, right,

0:23:41.744,0:23:44.528
the ones who have just made a poor choice.

0:23:44.528,0:23:46.439
Why do we have to seek God

0:23:46.439,0:23:48.926
with all of our heart?

0:23:48.926,0:23:50.962
(Travis) Well, Derek, I'm thinking

0:23:50.962,0:23:52.693
of a Bible verse; I'm thinking

0:23:52.693,0:23:54.574
of the book of Matthew, where it says,

0:23:54.574,0:23:57.539
"No one, having set their hand to the plow

0:23:57.539,0:24:00.912
and looking back, has eternal life."

0:24:00.912,0:24:03.386
I think of another, I think it's in Mark,

0:24:03.386,0:24:05.630
where it's talking about the end of time,

0:24:05.630,0:24:06.876
and the things going on.

0:24:06.876,0:24:08.982
It says, "Remember Lot's wife."

0:24:08.982,0:24:11.463
So, there's no middle ground.

0:24:11.463,0:24:14.199
We can't serve two masters.

0:24:14.199,0:24:16.024
The Bible says we'll love one

0:24:16.024,0:24:17.034
and hate the other.

0:24:17.034,0:24:18.175
And so, when we turn

0:24:18.175,0:24:19.987
to God with all our heart,

0:24:19.987,0:24:21.241
it's then that He can work

0:24:21.241,0:24:23.593
in us and through us to change us,

0:24:23.593,0:24:25.622
to be a blessing to others.

0:24:25.622,0:24:28.073
But there is no middle ground.

0:24:28.073,0:24:29.891
(Derek) So, I was thinking about that,

0:24:29.891,0:24:31.638
and I'll come to your point, Adison.

0:24:31.638,0:24:32.591
It's true with love.

0:24:32.591,0:24:34.454
I mean, you know, if I said to my wife,

0:24:34.454,0:24:37.931
"I'll love you on Mondays and Thursdays,"

0:24:37.931,0:24:39.969
what would you say?

0:24:39.969,0:24:41.609
That can't be true love, right?

0:24:41.609,0:24:42.866
You can't just love

0:24:42.866,0:24:44.548
on Mondays and Thursdays,

0:24:44.548,0:24:45.678
if you're going to love

0:24:45.678,0:24:46.814
with all your heart,

0:24:46.814,0:24:49.972
it will be a total commitment.

0:24:49.972,0:24:52.764
Not that God is requiring that

0:24:52.764,0:24:54.027
in order to accept us.

0:24:54.027,0:24:55.558
He's seeking for us.

0:24:55.558,0:24:56.931
It's like Travis said,

0:24:56.931,0:24:59.052
there really is no other way, is there?

0:24:59.052,0:25:01.550
Adison, you want to add to that?

0:25:01.550,0:25:03.534
(Adison) Yeah, I thought of one word

0:25:03.534,0:25:06.000
that, when I think about this subject,

0:25:06.000,0:25:09.119
I think of the word <i>impartiality</i>.

0:25:09.119,0:25:10.114
The only way to have

0:25:10.114,0:25:12.722
a relationship with God,

0:25:12.722,0:25:13.869
a constant relationship,

0:25:13.869,0:25:16.680
is to go into it without a divided heart,

0:25:16.680,0:25:18.627
to say, "Lord, I'm completely Yours,

0:25:18.627,0:25:20.818
surrendering to You each and every day.

0:25:20.818,0:25:23.920
No impartiality. I am all Yours."

0:25:23.920,0:25:25.549
(Derek) So, let's think about that

0:25:25.549,0:25:26.709
in terms of the context.

0:25:26.709,0:25:28.153
It's a time of failure,

0:25:28.153,0:25:29.734
but the prophecy is,

0:25:29.734,0:25:31.371
in this time of failure,

0:25:31.371,0:25:33.819
"If you seek Me with all of your heart,

0:25:33.819,0:25:35.808
you <i>will</i> find Me.

0:25:35.808,0:25:36.852
P.S., I'm not trying

0:25:36.852,0:25:38.733
to hide from you," right?

0:25:38.733,0:25:41.312
But, "You seek Me with all of your heart."

0:25:41.312,0:25:44.990
Can you think of a Bible character

0:25:44.990,0:25:47.094
who experienced - and there are

0:25:47.094,0:25:50.765
probably many of them - terrible failure,

0:25:50.765,0:25:56.353
but rather than choosing to give up

0:25:56.353,0:25:59.425
and be eternally lost,

0:25:59.425,0:26:01.858
he or she said, "I'm going to seek

0:26:01.858,0:26:03.401
the Lord with all my heart"?

0:26:03.401,0:26:04.946
Amy, can you think of someone

0:26:04.946,0:26:06.402
that comes to your mind?

0:26:06.402,0:26:07.941
Said, "I'm not going to give up.

0:26:07.941,0:26:11.312
I'm not going to," yeah, "despair;

0:26:11.312,0:26:13.297
I'm going to seek God with all my heart."

0:26:13.297,0:26:15.387
Who comes to your mind?

0:26:15.387,0:26:17.964
(Amy) I think David comes[br]to my mind first.

0:26:17.964,0:26:19.733
You know, after his terrible sin

0:26:19.733,0:26:21.448
and fall with Bathsheba,

0:26:21.448,0:26:25.409
one of the famous quotes

0:26:25.409,0:26:27.452
in the Bible maybe, or one of the songs

0:26:27.452,0:26:29.028
that's made from a Bible verse

0:26:29.028,0:26:31.455
is, "Create in me a clean heart."

0:26:31.455,0:26:32.916
You know, it's this whole idea

0:26:32.916,0:26:34.598
of seeking God with his whole heart

0:26:34.598,0:26:36.295
and recognizing that God is the One

0:26:36.295,0:26:37.812
who can change the heart, too.

0:26:37.812,0:26:39.172
(Derek) Oh, I can imagine...

0:26:39.172,0:26:40.769
That's a great illustration, Amy.

0:26:40.769,0:26:43.126
I can imagine, if King David[br]was listening,

0:26:43.126,0:26:44.976
he'd say, "Amy, it wasn't just

0:26:44.976,0:26:47.744
that adulterous affair with Bathsheba,

0:26:47.744,0:26:51.492
but I also killed her husband,

0:26:51.492,0:26:53.276
who was more honorable

0:26:53.276,0:26:55.476
in his conduct than I was,

0:26:55.476,0:26:59.916
and I brought shame to the name of God."

0:26:59.916,0:27:02.177
But you're absolutely right, Amy.

0:27:02.177,0:27:04.153
He said, "I'm going to seek God.

0:27:04.153,0:27:05.462
Create in me a clean heart.

0:27:05.462,0:27:06.461
I'm going to seek God

0:27:06.461,0:27:07.596
with my whole heart."

0:27:07.596,0:27:10.598
And he found forgiveness,[br]right? Hallelujah.

0:27:10.598,0:27:12.603
Brittany, can you think of another story?

0:27:12.603,0:27:13.948
(Brittany) I think of Peter,

0:27:13.948,0:27:15.073
the disciple of Christ,

0:27:15.073,0:27:17.060
and how Jesus had warned him

0:27:17.060,0:27:19.120
that, "You will deny Me

0:27:19.120,0:27:21.847
before the rooster crows," and Peter did.

0:27:21.847,0:27:25.914
And afterwards, he was very sorrowful.

0:27:25.914,0:27:27.552
He repented, and Jesus,

0:27:27.552,0:27:28.906
when He arose from the dead,

0:27:28.906,0:27:30.624
came and had a conversation with him

0:27:30.624,0:27:32.097
where He restored him,

0:27:32.097,0:27:35.462
not just to this loving relationship[br]with Himself,

0:27:35.462,0:27:37.338
but He restored him to go and serve

0:27:37.338,0:27:39.198
and bring others to Him.

0:27:39.198,0:27:41.339
And it was beautiful to see, He asks him

0:27:41.339,0:27:43.093
three times, "Do you love Me?"

0:27:43.093,0:27:45.470
And Peter responds, "You know

0:27:45.470,0:27:48.441
I love You, Lord; You know all things."

0:27:48.441,0:27:50.346
And so, we see that even someone

0:27:50.346,0:27:52.018
who was walking with Jesus

0:27:52.018,0:27:53.696
for three-and-a-half years

0:27:53.696,0:27:55.457
committed a great failure,

0:27:55.457,0:27:57.058
but God restored him

0:27:57.058,0:27:58.950
and gave him a mission to go

0:27:58.950,0:28:00.452
and find others who had

0:28:00.452,0:28:02.220
maybe made the same mistake,

0:28:02.220,0:28:03.421
that they could come back

0:28:03.421,0:28:04.540
to the Savior as well.

0:28:04.540,0:28:06.741
(Derek) And that story of Peter,

0:28:06.741,0:28:08.562
Simon Peter, paralleled with Judas.

0:28:08.562,0:28:10.114
You know, both denied Jesus,

0:28:10.114,0:28:14.289
and one opted for despair, right?

0:28:14.289,0:28:15.691
And the other one opted

0:28:15.691,0:28:19.404
to seek the Lord with his whole heart.

0:28:19.404,0:28:22.409
And, as we mentioned in a previous study,

0:28:22.409,0:28:25.513
Jesus not only forgave him,

0:28:25.513,0:28:28.293
but He gave him an important mission.

0:28:28.293,0:28:30.692
You know, that's the grace[br]of God, isn't it?

0:28:30.692,0:28:33.985
So, when we read this prophecy of Moses

0:28:33.985,0:28:36.247
in Deuteronomy, chapter 4,

0:28:36.247,0:28:40.482
it really is a prophecy of hope.

0:28:40.482,0:28:42.204
Now, I want to give a testimony.

0:28:42.204,0:28:43.879
People write and say, "I appreciate

0:28:43.879,0:28:45.657
how people are willing to share."

0:28:45.657,0:28:48.016
Can you think of a time,

0:28:48.016,0:28:54.283
a time when you experienced failure,

0:28:54.283,0:28:56.199
but you said, "I'm going to choose

0:28:56.199,0:28:58.024
not to give up in despair,

0:28:58.024,0:29:00.557
but seek God with my whole heart"?

0:29:00.557,0:29:01.709
Now, because some people

0:29:01.709,0:29:03.364
may be watching and saying, "Well,

0:29:03.364,0:29:04.848
the Hope Sabbath School members

0:29:04.848,0:29:06.534
are all perfect, and they don't

0:29:06.534,0:29:07.990
understand how I feel.

0:29:07.990,0:29:09.092
They don't understand."

0:29:09.092,0:29:11.521
"I've experienced failures in my life,

0:29:11.521,0:29:13.461
but God showed mercy to me."

0:29:13.461,0:29:16.171
Jason, people will probably say, "Jason

0:29:16.171,0:29:18.670
has never had a problem in his life,"

0:29:18.670,0:29:21.216
but we're all on the planet, right?

0:29:21.216,0:29:23.322
We're all sinners in need of grace.

0:29:23.322,0:29:25.345
Can you think of a time of failure,

0:29:25.345,0:29:27.294
when, instead of giving up -

0:29:27.294,0:29:28.412
which, by the way,

0:29:28.412,0:29:30.318
who tempts us to give up?

0:29:30.318,0:29:33.747
The enemy, right, "Curse God[br]and die," right?

0:29:33.747,0:29:35.333
But instead, you said, "No,

0:29:35.333,0:29:37.309
I'm going to seek God with all my heart."

0:29:37.309,0:29:38.881
(Jason) Yeah, so, during the time

0:29:38.881,0:29:40.185
when I was in high school,

0:29:40.185,0:29:41.677
I was in a high school that had

0:29:41.677,0:29:43.002
a lot of spiritual emphasis

0:29:43.002,0:29:44.820
and really helped me grow spiritually.

0:29:44.820,0:29:46.304
But then during the summers,

0:29:46.304,0:29:47.689
I would leave school,

0:29:47.689,0:29:48.953
and I would be back home.

0:29:48.953,0:29:50.427
I mean, home was a good place,

0:29:50.427,0:29:52.840
but also, I'm with friends and others

0:29:52.840,0:29:55.141
who could guide me

0:29:55.141,0:29:56.635
in other different directions.

0:29:56.635,0:29:58.162
I remember there was one summer,

0:29:58.162,0:30:00.349
particularly, where, being separated

0:30:00.349,0:30:02.632
from the spiritual connection[br]I had at the school

0:30:02.632,0:30:03.917
was really hitting me hard.

0:30:03.917,0:30:05.835
And so, I was feeling that,

0:30:05.835,0:30:07.686
and I was wanting to replace it

0:30:07.686,0:30:08.948
with whatever I could.

0:30:08.948,0:30:12.059
And so, that summer I really got

0:30:12.059,0:30:15.314
into watching all these kinds of movies[br]and TV media.

0:30:15.314,0:30:16.565
There were a lot of things

0:30:16.565,0:30:17.969
that were not godly,

0:30:17.969,0:30:20.542
and I was just desperate for something.

0:30:20.542,0:30:23.077
And so, I was just spending my time

0:30:23.077,0:30:24.760
absorbed in all this media

0:30:24.760,0:30:26.542
that was not good for me.

0:30:26.542,0:30:28.691
And there was about a two-week period

0:30:28.691,0:30:30.728
that was really dark during my life

0:30:30.728,0:30:31.643
during that time,

0:30:31.643,0:30:32.970
and I felt, like, darkness.

0:30:32.970,0:30:34.329
But I felt kind of trapped.

0:30:34.329,0:30:35.778
I was like, "I know this bad.

0:30:35.778,0:30:37.350
I know I shouldn't be doing this,

0:30:37.350,0:30:38.506
but I'm just desperate."

0:30:38.506,0:30:42.078
And so, I was just in this dark period.

0:30:42.078,0:30:45.067
And then after about two weeks there,

0:30:45.067,0:30:46.847
I finally was like, "Lord,

0:30:46.847,0:30:48.233
I can't stand this anymore.

0:30:48.233,0:30:50.768
Lord, I've got to give myself[br]back to You."

0:30:50.768,0:30:52.474
And I really just kind of...

0:30:52.474,0:30:54.007
I think I would open my Bible.

0:30:54.007,0:30:55.128
I just started praying.

0:30:55.128,0:30:56.367
I was like, "Lord, please,

0:30:56.367,0:30:58.146
get me out of this situaton."

0:30:58.146,0:30:59.576
And thankfully I was able

0:30:59.576,0:31:01.391
to go on a little bit of a trip

0:31:01.391,0:31:03.676
and move out of that situation.

0:31:03.676,0:31:05.141
And then a couple weeks later,

0:31:05.141,0:31:06.876
I was back at school.

0:31:06.876,0:31:08.509
I was in my spiritual atmosphere,

0:31:08.509,0:31:10.487
and I was able to talk with others

0:31:10.487,0:31:13.039
who were able to encourage[br]and strengthen me.

0:31:13.039,0:31:17.566
And that really kind of helped restore me.

0:31:17.566,0:31:20.141
That time was dark; it was difficult,

0:31:20.141,0:31:22.705
but I realized that by having[br]the Word of God

0:31:22.705,0:31:24.466
and being able to surround myself

0:31:24.466,0:31:25.903
with others who could give me

0:31:25.903,0:31:27.712
spiritual encouragement, particularly

0:31:27.712,0:31:29.768
at a time that I really needed it,

0:31:29.768,0:31:31.654
that got me through that dark time.

0:31:31.654,0:31:33.275
(Derek) I learned something here,

0:31:33.275,0:31:34.535
Maybe someone on the team,

0:31:34.535,0:31:35.408
you want to react.

0:31:35.408,0:31:37.797
But it sounded like environment

0:31:37.797,0:31:39.473
was an important factor,

0:31:39.473,0:31:42.489
either negatively or positively.

0:31:42.489,0:31:44.944
Amy, I see you nodding.

0:31:44.944,0:31:47.223
Why is environment so important?

0:31:47.223,0:31:48.445
You say, "Well, I'm free.

0:31:48.445,0:31:49.628
I can choose whatever."

0:31:49.628,0:31:50.747
Why does environment

0:31:50.747,0:31:53.973
affect people so much?

0:31:53.973,0:31:55.705
(Amy) That's a really good question,

0:31:55.705,0:31:57.896
and I think that there are[br]a number of reasons.

0:31:57.896,0:31:59.233
But a lot of times the world

0:31:59.233,0:32:01.473
looks a little bit better[br]than following God,

0:32:01.473,0:32:05.347
And I know, as a parent of young people,

0:32:05.347,0:32:08.660
teenagers and now getting[br]into their twenties,

0:32:08.660,0:32:10.364
you know, a lot of times our church

0:32:10.364,0:32:12.168
and God's Word looks more like

0:32:12.168,0:32:14.018
a list of do's and dont's

0:32:14.018,0:32:15.660
rather than a welcoming

0:32:15.660,0:32:18.008
and inviting place to be.

0:32:18.008,0:32:19.453
And so, I think that the world

0:32:19.453,0:32:20.642
really does have a draw,

0:32:20.642,0:32:22.838
especially on our young people,[br]but any of us.

0:32:22.838,0:32:24.391
And, you know, again it's Satan.

0:32:24.391,0:32:29.220
He's good at what he does, unfortunately.

0:32:29.220,0:32:30.742
(Derek) You know, I can remember

0:32:30.742,0:32:32.277
(this is my personal testimony),

0:32:32.277,0:32:34.084
I can remember, in public high school,

0:32:34.084,0:32:36.352
I did live in a Christian family,[br]but when I was

0:32:36.352,0:32:37.879
with my non-Christian friends,

0:32:37.879,0:32:39.514
I would act a certain way.

0:32:39.514,0:32:41.312
I would talk differently.

0:32:41.312,0:32:44.448
And the environment, that would mean

0:32:44.448,0:32:46.394
I ought to choose my environment

0:32:46.394,0:32:47.869
carefully, right, Harold?

0:32:47.869,0:32:49.838
Travis, I see you responding

0:32:49.838,0:32:51.635
to that concept of choosing

0:32:51.635,0:32:54.070
your environment carefully.

0:32:54.070,0:32:56.412
(Travis) Well, Derek, it wasn't

0:32:56.412,0:32:59.479
an environment I guess I chose.

0:32:59.479,0:33:01.057
I come from a broken family,

0:33:01.057,0:33:05.322
and at 15 I went and lived with somebody

0:33:05.322,0:33:08.564
who lived obviously contrary

0:33:08.564,0:33:10.111
to the will of God.

0:33:10.111,0:33:13.052
Like, I had never sworn

0:33:13.052,0:33:15.101
or did anything like that before,

0:33:15.101,0:33:17.402
so I kind of, from 15

0:33:17.402,0:33:19.363
on into my 20s and 30s,

0:33:19.363,0:33:21.477
I grew up in this environment.

0:33:21.477,0:33:25.592
And I began cursing, and I began drinking

0:33:25.592,0:33:27.556
and smoking and chewing tobacco

0:33:27.556,0:33:30.548
and living an adulterous lifestyle,

0:33:30.548,0:33:32.976
I mean, just really bad.

0:33:32.976,0:33:35.865
So now here, just thinking of Peter

0:33:35.865,0:33:38.423
as was just mentioned, I'm thinking,

0:33:38.423,0:33:40.184
coming out of that,

0:33:40.184,0:33:42.273
Satan reminds us constantly

0:33:42.273,0:33:44.560
of our failures and our past.

0:33:44.560,0:33:49.503
And it means so much more, John 3:16

0:33:49.503,0:33:51.726
means so much more to me now

0:33:51.726,0:33:52.916
because I have to believe

0:33:52.916,0:33:54.277
that Jesus forgives me.

0:33:54.277,0:33:55.645
I have to believe that Jesus

0:33:55.645,0:33:57.948
can change the ways.

0:33:57.948,0:33:59.651
But the surroundings

0:33:59.651,0:34:01.461
and the environments in which we're in

0:34:01.461,0:34:05.297
have a profound impact on our lives.

0:34:05.297,0:34:07.180
It completely changed the person I am,

0:34:07.180,0:34:10.275
and, praise God, I am being changed again

0:34:10.275,0:34:11.801
into a new person

0:34:11.801,0:34:13.671
because I have a life with Jesus.

0:34:13.671,0:34:16.081
(Derek) And maybe a tribute, Travis,

0:34:16.081,0:34:20.421
there was a gentleman that God used,

0:34:20.421,0:34:22.103
a godly man that God used

0:34:22.103,0:34:24.833
to help turn your heart.

0:34:24.833,0:34:27.428
We're going to talk aobut turning hearts.

0:34:27.428,0:34:30.660
What was his name, and how did he help you

0:34:30.660,0:34:34.219
to seek the Lord with all your heart?

0:34:34.219,0:34:35.756
(Travis) Well, Derek, there were

0:34:35.756,0:34:39.468
actually several people along the way,

0:34:39.468,0:34:40.979
so I don't want to give credit

0:34:40.979,0:34:42.739
to one particular person.

0:34:42.739,0:34:45.547
But the very first person was a man

0:34:45.547,0:34:46.929
by the name of Randy

0:34:46.929,0:34:48.936
who was in the mountains of Wyoming.

0:34:48.936,0:34:50.594
He was leaned back

0:34:50.594,0:34:52.139
and kicked up on a chair

0:34:52.139,0:34:53.499
at a cabin in the mountains.

0:34:53.499,0:34:55.197
He started talking to me about God.

0:34:55.197,0:34:56.895
And that was my first introduction,

0:34:56.895,0:34:59.708
but there have been many people[br]along the way.

0:34:59.708,0:35:01.497
God has put people in to start

0:35:01.497,0:35:03.772
steering me and leading me back.

0:35:03.772,0:35:05.384
(Derek) That's a beautiful story,

0:35:05.384,0:35:07.036
and that's an interesting thought,

0:35:07.036,0:35:08.723
that God uses a variety of people.

0:35:08.723,0:35:12.072
And God not only accepted you

0:35:12.072,0:35:14.773
when you sought Him with your whole heart,[br]but He put you

0:35:14.773,0:35:16.786
onto the Hope Sabbath School team, Travis,

0:35:16.786,0:35:18.019
great to have you here.

0:35:18.019,0:35:20.473
We want to go on to the next verse,

0:35:20.473,0:35:22.244
and, Sabina, if you could read fo rus

0:35:22.244,0:35:24.331
Deuteronomy 4 and verse 30.

0:35:24.331,0:35:26.255
There is so much in these few verses,

0:35:26.255,0:35:29.615
right, present truth for our lives today

0:35:29.615,0:35:33.832
because it speaks about turning[br]to the Lord.

0:35:33.832,0:35:34.855
Could you read for us

0:35:34.855,0:35:36.347
Deuteronomy 4, verse 30?

0:35:36.347,0:35:37.799
(Sabina) Yes, I'll be reading

0:35:37.799,0:35:40.312
from the New King James Version,[br]and it says:

0:35:48.747,0:35:50.563
(Derek) And you're going to stop there

0:35:50.563,0:35:52.339
because we're going to read verse 31

0:35:52.339,0:35:54.149
in a minute to see what God will do,

0:35:54.149,0:35:57.242
but let's explore that phrase

0:35:57.242,0:35:58.849
"turn to the Lord."

0:35:58.849,0:36:01.151
Brittany, is that talking

0:36:01.151,0:36:02.768
about, "Oh, the Lord's there,

0:36:02.768,0:36:04.600
and so I'm turning my body"?

0:36:04.600,0:36:06.868
What does it mean to, "Turn to the Lord"?

0:36:06.868,0:36:08.899
(Brittany) I think of the word repentance.

0:36:08.899,0:36:10.529
Repentance means turn towards God,

0:36:10.529,0:36:13.202
or turn away from sin.

0:36:13.202,0:36:15.506
And so, we all have choices.

0:36:15.506,0:36:17.424
We talked about this in our last lesson.

0:36:17.424,0:36:19.756
Choose life or choose death,

0:36:19.756,0:36:21.433
God is giving us the choice.

0:36:21.433,0:36:22.701
He's right there waiting.

0:36:22.701,0:36:24.337
He's right next to us.

0:36:24.337,0:36:26.511
And He never leaves us nor forsakes us,

0:36:26.511,0:36:28.098
but He doesn't force us.

0:36:28.098,0:36:30.626
So, when it says, "Turn,"

0:36:30.626,0:36:33.341
it's giving us the opportunity to choose.

0:36:33.341,0:36:35.461
Am I going to <i>choose</i> to follow God,

0:36:35.461,0:36:38.180
or am I going to choose to go my own way?

0:36:38.180,0:36:40.096
(Derek) Adison, you want to add to that?

0:36:40.096,0:36:44.432
What does it mean to <i>turn</i> to the Lord?

0:36:44.432,0:36:46.144
(Adison) Well, can I use an analogy?

0:36:46.144,0:36:48.536
I thought of being on a road;

0:36:48.536,0:36:52.092
you're driving down a long,[br]maybe, interstate.

0:36:52.092,0:36:53.384
And you see all these signs

0:36:53.384,0:36:55.389
that are telling you not to go that way.

0:36:55.389,0:36:56.926
It's like a road to destruction.

0:36:56.926,0:36:58.627
And finally, you see the signs,

0:36:58.627,0:37:02.500
you believe the signs, and you see

0:37:02.500,0:37:05.338
what's good in the opposite direction,

0:37:05.338,0:37:06.832
and you make a U-turn.

0:37:06.832,0:37:10.044
You make a complete "360" maybe,

0:37:10.044,0:37:12.813
or I should say "180,"

0:37:12.813,0:37:15.100
and you go the other way,[br]and you serve the Lord.

0:37:15.100,0:37:17.388
(Derek) I can remember one time

0:37:17.388,0:37:19.119
on a divided highway,

0:37:19.119,0:37:21.455
and someone got on, and they

0:37:21.455,0:37:22.979
were driving on the wrong side

0:37:22.979,0:37:25.614
of the highway towards the rest of us.

0:37:25.614,0:37:27.837
And everybody's going, "Honk, honk!

0:37:27.837,0:37:29.853
Honk, honk, honk, honk!" to try,

0:37:29.853,0:37:31.452
and flashing their lights,

0:37:31.452,0:37:32.881
because if that person

0:37:32.881,0:37:35.665
doesn't make a U-turn,

0:37:35.665,0:37:36.763
they're going to have

0:37:36.763,0:37:39.302
a head-on collision, right?

0:37:39.302,0:37:44.279
So, great illustration, Adison. Travis?

0:37:44.279,0:37:45.560
(Travis) Just building off

0:37:45.560,0:37:46.786
of what Adison said,

0:37:46.786,0:37:48.599
the implication in the verse,

0:37:48.599,0:37:49.819
"Turn to the Lord,"

0:37:49.819,0:37:51.910
is that your back is to the Lord.

0:37:51.910,0:37:53.915
So, by implication, it's saying

0:37:53.915,0:37:55.357
that your back is to the Lord,

0:37:55.357,0:37:57.721
and that's not a good place, right?

0:37:57.721,0:37:59.819
We need to be "looking unto Jesus,

0:37:59.819,0:38:01.628
the author and finisher of our faith."

0:38:01.628,0:38:03.331
(Derek) And so, maybe the turning

0:38:03.331,0:38:04.655
is from looking down

0:38:04.655,0:38:06.699
or even looking at myself, my sin,

0:38:06.699,0:38:08.329
or my pleasures, or whatever,

0:38:08.329,0:38:12.269
and turning towards the Lord,

0:38:12.269,0:38:18.461
focusing on Him, making that choice.

0:38:18.461,0:38:20.056
That idea of the U-turn, though,

0:38:20.056,0:38:21.568
I like that; thank you, Adison.

0:38:21.568,0:38:23.936
That U-turn, I may actually have

0:38:23.936,0:38:26.931
to leave some things behind

0:38:26.931,0:38:30.896
or some intended destinations,

0:38:30.896,0:38:32.258
to use the image, right,

0:38:32.258,0:38:33.689
I'm heading on a...

0:38:33.689,0:38:34.675
What are some things

0:38:34.675,0:38:36.919
I might have to leave behind

0:38:36.919,0:38:39.127
when I say, "I'm going to turn to the Lord

0:38:39.127,0:38:41.492
and seek Him with my whole heart," Sabina?

0:38:41.492,0:38:43.259
(Sabina) I think that the first thing

0:38:43.259,0:38:44.362
we need to leave behind

0:38:44.362,0:38:46.068
is our own selfish desires,

0:38:46.068,0:38:48.080
you know, our own ideas

0:38:48.080,0:38:49.636
of what life is about

0:38:49.636,0:38:51.764
and even about who God is.

0:38:51.764,0:38:54.048
And so, letting the self go

0:38:54.048,0:38:57.111
and letting God, then, direct our lives.

0:38:57.111,0:38:58.655
For me, it's one of the steps.

0:38:58.655,0:39:00.685
(Derek) Letting go of our selfish desires.

0:39:00.685,0:39:02.460
Now, doesn't it say somewhere

0:39:02.460,0:39:06.460
in the Bible, "Trust in the Lord

0:39:06.460,0:39:07.813
with all your heart," right?

0:39:07.813,0:39:09.536
But I'm thinking of another one

0:39:09.536,0:39:10.827
where He will give you

0:39:10.827,0:39:12.437
the desire of your heart.

0:39:12.437,0:39:15.009
So, desires of our heart are not bad

0:39:15.009,0:39:17.664
as long as our heart is...(someone[br]finish the sentence).

0:39:17.664,0:39:19.007
(Brittany) In tune with God.

0:39:19.007,0:39:20.594
(Derek) Turned toward God, right?

0:39:20.594,0:39:21.860
Then I'm saying, "Oh, God,

0:39:21.860,0:39:23.591
I'm looking for a companion

0:39:23.591,0:39:25.762
who wlll love me and love You."

0:39:25.762,0:39:27.504
That's a good desire, right?

0:39:27.504,0:39:29.528
When my heart is turned to God,

0:39:29.528,0:39:32.037
it brings that into alignment. Jason?

0:39:32.037,0:39:33.444
(Jason) Sometimes we may need

0:39:33.444,0:39:35.396
to turn away from people.

0:39:35.396,0:39:36.735
They could be friends.

0:39:36.735,0:39:38.241
They could be family.

0:39:38.241,0:39:41.910
They could be even supervisors at work

0:39:41.910,0:39:44.147
or even teachers, anyone who

0:39:44.147,0:39:45.800
might have an influence on us

0:39:45.800,0:39:48.267
that isn't leading us towards God.

0:39:48.267,0:39:50.807
(Derek) You talked in your testimony

0:39:50.807,0:39:55.334
about turning away from certain forms[br]of media, right?

0:39:55.334,0:39:56.504
There may be some things

0:39:56.504,0:39:59.382
I need to leave behind. Yes, Adison.

0:39:59.382,0:40:00.476
(Adison) Yeah, so I was

0:40:00.476,0:40:02.721
thinking about this, and I think

0:40:02.721,0:40:06.704
it even applies to our future plans[br]and wonderings.

0:40:06.704,0:40:09.606
Like, "Lord, what would You have me to do?[br]What's Your plan?"

0:40:09.606,0:40:11.543
I still am sort of wrestling

0:40:11.543,0:40:13.484
with some of those questions,

0:40:13.484,0:40:16.077
but yet I'm constantly reminded,

0:40:16.077,0:40:17.616
and I praise God for this verse.

0:40:17.616,0:40:20.449
He brings it to my mind all the time;[br]it's Matthew 6:33

0:40:20.449,0:40:22.196
where He says, "Seek first."

0:40:22.196,0:40:24.985
Not seek second, not seek third,[br]but seek first,

0:40:24.985,0:40:26.964
make God your first priority.

0:40:26.964,0:40:28.346
"Seek first His kingdom

0:40:28.346,0:40:29.589
and His righteousness.

0:40:29.589,0:40:30.638
All these other things

0:40:30.638,0:40:32.240
shall be added unto you."

0:40:32.240,0:40:35.792
So, with future endeavors,

0:40:35.792,0:40:37.858
with the desires of your heart,

0:40:37.858,0:40:38.986
I mean, God is so good.

0:40:38.986,0:40:40.093
And I pray that He will

0:40:40.093,0:40:42.234
give me the strength and the faith

0:40:42.234,0:40:44.677
to continue to move forward by His grace.

0:40:44.677,0:40:46.209
(Derek) Amen. And we're praying

0:40:46.209,0:40:47.832
for you, Adison, because these are

0:40:47.832,0:40:49.175
important times as we think

0:40:49.175,0:40:51.465
about what we're going to do[br]with our lives.

0:40:51.465,0:40:54.967
I love the prayer of Saul of Tarsus.

0:40:54.967,0:40:56.232
He's about to be changed

0:40:56.232,0:40:57.620
to Paul the apostle.

0:40:57.620,0:41:00.193
He prays a simple prayer, "Lord,

0:41:00.193,0:41:02.309
what do <i>You</i> want me to do?"

0:41:02.309,0:41:04.761
I mean, that is just so simple.

0:41:04.761,0:41:06.555
I can remember that one.

0:41:06.555,0:41:08.333
"Lord, what do <i>You</i> want me to do?"

0:41:08.333,0:41:10.442
Amy, what are some things

0:41:10.442,0:41:12.123
you were thinking about we may have

0:41:12.123,0:41:13.791
to turn away from, or what were you

0:41:13.791,0:41:17.519
thinking as we talk about these choices[br]we're making?

0:41:17.519,0:41:18.588
(Amy) I was just going

0:41:18.588,0:41:19.947
to second what Adison said.

0:41:19.947,0:41:21.898
You know, sometimes our future plans.

0:41:21.898,0:41:23.134
I remember I was studying

0:41:23.134,0:41:24.718
with a young lady in Asia,

0:41:24.718,0:41:26.663
and she was on a fast track

0:41:26.663,0:41:30.052
to a high-paying career and was

0:41:30.052,0:41:33.538
building up a really good reputation,

0:41:33.538,0:41:36.154
popularity, within her business.

0:41:36.154,0:41:38.395
And she felt like God

0:41:38.395,0:41:39.890
was calling her away from that.

0:41:39.890,0:41:41.399
And even, she had a picture

0:41:41.399,0:41:43.416
of what her husband was going to look like

0:41:43.416,0:41:46.330
and who he was, even though she didn't[br]have a man in her life.

0:41:46.330,0:41:47.589
She just had this picture,

0:41:47.589,0:41:48.821
and she felt like she was

0:41:48.821,0:41:49.952
having to give that up.

0:41:49.952,0:41:51.030
And it was a struggle.

0:41:51.030,0:41:52.793
You know, sometimes turning to God

0:41:52.793,0:41:54.806
and leaving some of these things[br]behind us.

0:41:54.806,0:41:57.106
I think of Lot's wife.

0:41:57.106,0:41:58.465
She turned around and looked

0:41:58.465,0:42:00.036
because she was leaving something

0:42:00.036,0:42:01.972
that was important to her,

0:42:01.972,0:42:03.497
and it can be a challenge.

0:42:03.497,0:42:04.930
And I think that this is where

0:42:04.930,0:42:06.428
community is really important.

0:42:06.428,0:42:07.779
That, as we're turning away,

0:42:07.779,0:42:10.178
and as we have friends and colleagues

0:42:10.178,0:42:12.120
and family and disciples

0:42:12.120,0:42:13.611
who are turning away from God,

0:42:13.611,0:42:15.153
they need help and encouragement

0:42:15.153,0:42:16.614
and support as they're turning

0:42:16.614,0:42:17.759
away from whatever it is

0:42:17.759,0:42:19.603
that God is calling them away from.

0:42:19.603,0:42:22.032
(Derek) It may not always be easy, right?

0:42:22.032,0:42:23.473
It may not always be easy.

0:42:23.473,0:42:24.824
Sabina, I'm going to ask you

0:42:24.824,0:42:25.899
to continue reading.

0:42:25.899,0:42:29.231
You were ready to read verse 31, I know.

0:42:29.231,0:42:32.261
But, if we turn to the Lord,

0:42:32.261,0:42:34.259
there the prophet's writing,

0:42:34.259,0:42:35.297
Moses is writing;

0:42:35.297,0:42:38.208
this is his heartfelt appeal[br]to his people.

0:42:38.208,0:42:40.535
What does he tell us in the next verse,

0:42:40.535,0:42:42.780
in Deuteronomy 4, verse 31?

0:42:42.780,0:42:44.378
(Sabina) Okay, so I'll be reading

0:42:44.378,0:42:46.719
from the New King James Version,[br]and it says:

0:42:57.405,0:42:59.580
(Derek) So, what's the word of hope?

0:42:59.580,0:43:01.641
(Sabina) He will not leave or forsake us.

0:43:01.641,0:43:04.780
(Derek) Right. If we turn to Him,

0:43:04.780,0:43:06.139
and we've used the wording

0:43:06.139,0:43:07.917
"with all our hearts,"

0:43:07.917,0:43:08.728
He's not hiding.

0:43:08.728,0:43:11.282
He's not pushing us away, right?

0:43:11.282,0:43:13.874
He's ready there to welcome us.

0:43:13.874,0:43:16.806
There's another verse that reinforces that

0:43:16.806,0:43:20.981
in the prophet Isaiah, chapter 55.

0:43:20.981,0:43:22.473
Travis, I think, if you

0:43:22.473,0:43:24.199
could find that for us...

0:43:24.199,0:43:26.911
We actually sang this

0:43:26.911,0:43:27.950
in one of our series,

0:43:27.950,0:43:30.435
on <i>Isaiah, the Gospel Prophet.</i>

0:43:30.435,0:43:32.952
I think it was our Scripture song.

0:43:32.952,0:43:37.834
Isaiah 55, verses 6 and 7.

0:43:37.834,0:43:39.290
Verses 6 and 7, how does

0:43:39.290,0:43:41.596
that read in your Bible?

0:43:41.596,0:43:42.769
(Travis) I'll be reading

0:43:42.769,0:43:44.468
from the New King James Version:

0:44:06.915,0:44:08.486
(Derek) What a beautiful picture.

0:44:08.486,0:44:13.230
That reminds me of a New Testament[br]Jesus story.

0:44:13.230,0:44:15.137
What's the story that comes to your mind

0:44:15.137,0:44:16.410
when you hear that picture

0:44:16.410,0:44:19.683
of "He will abundantly pardon"?

0:44:19.683,0:44:21.316
(Harold) The woman who was caught

0:44:21.316,0:44:25.148
in adultery, and she was about[br]to be stoned.

0:44:25.148,0:44:26.182
And then we see Jesus

0:44:26.182,0:44:28.451
showing abundant mercy,

0:44:28.451,0:44:30.510
because He knew what was the intention

0:44:30.510,0:44:32.545
of the other people.

0:44:32.545,0:44:34.076
(Derek) Yeah, and I was thinking

0:44:34.076,0:44:35.771
of another one, too. Jason?

0:44:35.771,0:44:37.043
(Jason) The Prodigal Son?

0:44:37.043,0:44:40.200
(Derek) Right, how does the father respond

0:44:40.200,0:44:44.504
to this wayward son who has clearly been

0:44:44.504,0:44:46.854
in a place of failure, right?

0:44:46.854,0:44:48.512
How does he respond to him,

0:44:48.512,0:44:52.045
as recorded in Luke 15, Jason?

0:44:52.045,0:44:53.389
You don't need to read it...

0:44:53.389,0:44:55.004
(Jason) So, I'll share the story.

0:44:55.004,0:44:58.244
So, he's sitting there; he's waiting

0:44:58.244,0:44:59.705
to see when his son will come.

0:44:59.705,0:45:01.413
And when he sees him afar off,

0:45:01.413,0:45:02.890
he literally runs out to him,

0:45:02.890,0:45:04.630
even though he's this high official.

0:45:04.630,0:45:05.567
And he doesn't care

0:45:05.567,0:45:07.357
about any of his customs or anything.

0:45:07.357,0:45:09.227
And then he's crying, and he hugs him.

0:45:09.227,0:45:12.458
It's a very emotionally intense experience

0:45:12.458,0:45:15.305
of love and receiving him back.

0:45:15.305,0:45:18.405
(Derek) Absolutely amazing.

0:45:18.405,0:45:20.367
And, by the way, and we're going to go on

0:45:20.367,0:45:22.748
and talk about when we turn;

0:45:22.748,0:45:25.345
there'll be changes in our behavior.

0:45:25.345,0:45:27.199
What changes - let's take

0:45:27.199,0:45:29.861
the Prodigal Son as an example -

0:45:29.861,0:45:35.334
what changes has that son already made

0:45:35.334,0:45:39.390
before he gets embraced by his father?

0:45:39.390,0:45:42.030
There are several key changes. John?

0:45:42.030,0:45:43.721
(John) He left his friends

0:45:43.721,0:45:45.334
that influenced him badly,

0:45:45.334,0:45:46.934
and he turned towards his father.

0:45:46.934,0:45:48.958
(Derek) He changed his environment, right?

0:45:48.958,0:45:51.853
"I'm leaving the pigpen." What else?

0:45:51.853,0:45:53.494
What other turn did he

0:45:53.494,0:45:55.282
have to make? Sabina.

0:45:55.282,0:45:57.861
(Sabina) I feel like that he was turning,

0:45:57.861,0:46:00.472
also, in honoring his father,

0:46:00.472,0:46:02.642
because he had left his family,

0:46:02.642,0:46:05.265
left his father, as if he had died,

0:46:05.265,0:46:06.898
as if the father had passed away.

0:46:06.898,0:46:08.602
And now he was honoring his father

0:46:08.602,0:46:10.371
according to God's command.

0:46:10.371,0:46:12.931
(Derek) Beautiful. To his father,

0:46:12.931,0:46:14.275
that he had basically said,

0:46:14.275,0:46:15.758
"I wish you were dead,"

0:46:15.758,0:46:19.081
now he's saying, "I know my father

0:46:19.081,0:46:23.020
is a man of love and honor and integrity.

0:46:23.020,0:46:25.209
I'm going to go and throw myself

0:46:25.209,0:46:27.539
on his mercy," basically, right? Jason?

0:46:27.539,0:46:29.478
(Jason) He made the decision to go home,

0:46:29.478,0:46:31.029
to come back home.

0:46:31.029,0:46:33.078
(Derek) Not just leave the pigpen,

0:46:33.078,0:46:34.760
but come back home.

0:46:34.760,0:46:37.656
But let's look at the prophet[br]John the Baptist,

0:46:37.656,0:46:41.387
John the Baptist, in Matthew, chapter 3.

0:46:41.387,0:46:42.776
He also speaks about the fact

0:46:42.776,0:46:43.894
(and, Jason, maybe you

0:46:43.894,0:46:45.121
could read that for us,

0:46:45.121,0:46:46.850
the first eight verses of Matthew 3)

0:46:46.850,0:46:49.952
that repentance will involve

0:46:49.952,0:46:51.329
some changes in behavior.

0:46:51.329,0:46:53.274
But please hear what we're saying.

0:46:53.274,0:46:56.849
That is not to earn the love of God.

0:46:56.849,0:46:58.857
He already loves us.

0:46:58.857,0:47:01.923
It's to get those things out of the way

0:47:01.923,0:47:03.957
that are hindering

0:47:03.957,0:47:06.206
a life-changing relationship with Him.

0:47:06.206,0:47:09.168
Matthew 3, Jason, verses 1 through 8.

0:47:09.168,0:47:11.673
(Jason) I have the New King James[br]Version here,

0:47:11.673,0:47:14.424
Matthew, chapter 3, verses 1 through 8:

0:48:17.832,0:48:19.266
(Derek) Now, in Luke's Gospel,

0:48:19.266,0:48:20.866
and, Amy, maybe you could read it

0:48:20.866,0:48:23.251
for us in Luke, chapter 3,

0:48:23.251,0:48:26.219
John the Baptist gets very specific.

0:48:26.219,0:48:27.973
You know how the synoptic Gospels

0:48:27.973,0:48:31.055
complement each other, and Luke,

0:48:31.055,0:48:33.245
under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit,

0:48:33.245,0:48:38.048
records some very specific words[br]that this U-turn,

0:48:38.048,0:48:40.360
to use Adison's analogy there,

0:48:40.360,0:48:42.494
making a U-turn and saying, "I'm heading

0:48:42.494,0:48:43.849
on the road to destruction."

0:48:43.849,0:48:46.375
Everyone's honking; people of God

0:48:46.375,0:48:47.785
are flashing their headlights

0:48:47.785,0:48:50.379
and saying, "Wrong way."

0:48:50.379,0:48:52.681
What are some specifics, Amy,

0:48:52.681,0:48:54.468
that John the Baptist talks about

0:48:54.468,0:48:59.259
in Luke 3, verses 10 to 14?

0:48:59.259,0:49:02.230
(Amy) This is from the New King James[br]Version:

0:49:33.562,0:49:35.698
(Derek) What do they all have in common?

0:49:35.698,0:49:37.625
We're listening to some of those things;

0:49:37.625,0:49:40.347
what do they all have in common?

0:49:40.347,0:49:42.262
Anybody? Yes, Sabina?

0:49:42.262,0:49:44.134
(Sabina) It looks like they are curious

0:49:44.134,0:49:47.144
to know what they should be doing,[br]so they are asking questions.

0:49:47.144,0:49:48.348
(Derek) Okay, the people!

0:49:48.348,0:49:50.026
Thank you, my words weren't clear,

0:49:50.026,0:49:51.410
but the people, all in common

0:49:51.410,0:49:52.520
say that there have got

0:49:52.520,0:49:55.160
to be some changes, right? Thank you.

0:49:55.160,0:49:57.274
Now, let me ask the question again.

0:49:57.274,0:50:00.407
So, what do the things that John

0:50:00.407,0:50:02.236
asked them to do all have,

0:50:02.236,0:50:04.599
what do they all have in common?[br]Yes, Brittany.

0:50:04.599,0:50:07.215
(Brittany) It's all about how they[br]treat their neighbor.

0:50:07.215,0:50:07.966
(Derek) Okay.

0:50:07.966,0:50:10.634
(Brittany) Jesus talks about loving Him[br]first, and loving

0:50:10.634,0:50:12.315
our neighbor as we love ourselves.

0:50:12.315,0:50:14.789
So, it's all how they treat each other

0:50:14.789,0:50:16.555
that would reveal if they have

0:50:16.555,0:50:18.214
the love of God in their hearts.

0:50:18.214,0:50:19.748
(Derek) It's a shift, isn't it,

0:50:19.748,0:50:22.757
from you being the center of the world,

0:50:22.757,0:50:26.322
right, to thinking about how to care[br]for other people.

0:50:26.322,0:50:32.299
And that is an evidence of what?

0:50:32.299,0:50:33.609
Not just that you're trying

0:50:33.609,0:50:36.221
to be a nicer person...

0:50:36.221,0:50:37.074
(John) Love.

0:50:37.074,0:50:38.458
(Derek) That the love of God

0:50:38.458,0:50:39.646
is in your heart, right?

0:50:39.646,0:50:40.668
That you've connected

0:50:40.668,0:50:42.388
with the God of heaven who loves you

0:50:42.388,0:50:44.503
and also loves everyone around you.

0:50:44.503,0:50:46.535
And so, you're treating them differently,

0:50:46.535,0:50:47.767
whether you're a soldier

0:50:47.767,0:50:48.906
or a tax collector,

0:50:48.906,0:50:51.403
or whatever your occupation might be.

0:50:51.403,0:50:53.182
It's affecting the way

0:50:53.182,0:50:55.720
that you relate to those around you.

0:50:55.720,0:50:58.121
Now, one other change

0:50:58.121,0:51:01.618
that happens in this U-turn

0:51:01.618,0:51:05.415
is found in Acts, chapter 2 and verse 38.

0:51:05.415,0:51:07.995
Many people, maybe people

0:51:07.995,0:51:09.517
without a Christian background,

0:51:09.517,0:51:11.032
they say, "You know, I've heard

0:51:11.032,0:51:13.993
about Christian baptism;

0:51:13.993,0:51:15.751
what does that mean?

0:51:15.751,0:51:18.279
What's the significance of that?"

0:51:18.279,0:51:21.320
Well, it's part of this turning

0:51:21.320,0:51:22.969
of our hearts, isn't it?

0:51:22.969,0:51:24.945
It's part of this turning

0:51:24.945,0:51:27.404
away from the things

0:51:27.404,0:51:29.528
that are destroying us, toward God.

0:51:29.528,0:51:31.252
Brittany, would you read for us

0:51:31.252,0:51:35.442
in Acts, chapter 2 and verse 38,

0:51:35.442,0:51:36.727
and let's see what it says.

0:51:36.727,0:51:37.963
(Brittany) I'll be reading

0:51:37.963,0:51:39.518
from the New King James Version,

0:51:39.518,0:51:40.988
Acts, chapter 2, verse 38:

0:51:55.747,0:51:57.990
(Derek) I have a question for you, John:

0:51:57.990,0:51:59.832
Does the water of baptism

0:51:59.832,0:52:02.589
actually wash away sin?

0:52:02.589,0:52:03.729
(John) No.

0:52:03.729,0:52:05.212
(Derek) So, you're telling me

0:52:05.212,0:52:07.526
an unrepentant sinner could say,

0:52:07.526,0:52:09.269
"Well, everybody's getting baptized;

0:52:09.269,0:52:10.852
I'm going to go be baptized,"

0:52:10.852,0:52:15.333
that he or she would go into the water,

0:52:15.333,0:52:18.849
come out just a wet, unrepentant sinner?

0:52:18.849,0:52:19.722
(John) Yep.

0:52:19.722,0:52:22.586
(Derek) So then, what is the significance[br]of baptism?

0:52:22.586,0:52:25.909
Apparently, it was an important invitation

0:52:25.909,0:52:27.986
on the Day of Pentecost.

0:52:27.986,0:52:30.830
(John) I think baptism is a symbol

0:52:30.830,0:52:33.158
of what the Holy Spirit has already done

0:52:33.158,0:52:35.290
within the heart of a person.

0:52:35.290,0:52:36.681
(Derek) Alright, the fact

0:52:36.681,0:52:38.602
that you've chosen to surrender

0:52:38.602,0:52:40.966
your life wholly to Jesus?

0:52:40.966,0:52:43.081
Ask Him to forgive your sins.

0:52:43.081,0:52:44.245
So, you're saying that's

0:52:44.245,0:52:47.401
just a visual representation

0:52:47.401,0:52:48.899
of what He's already done?

0:52:48.899,0:52:49.636
(John) Yes.

0:52:49.636,0:52:51.772
(Derek) Sabina, what do you think[br]about that?

0:52:51.772,0:52:53.229
(Sabina) I think, when you see

0:52:53.229,0:52:54.538
a person being baptized,

0:52:54.538,0:52:56.065
that you turn the person down,

0:52:56.065,0:52:57.307
you know, on the back,

0:52:57.307,0:52:58.686
and then when they come back

0:52:58.686,0:53:00.457
it's like if you die with Christ,

0:53:00.457,0:53:01.899
and then you are raised again.

0:53:01.899,0:53:03.487
That's what the Word of God says,

0:53:03.487,0:53:05.217
that when we are buried with Christ,

0:53:05.217,0:53:06.505
and then we are raised up,

0:53:06.505,0:53:07.455
in the baptism,

0:53:07.455,0:53:09.836
it's just a public confession

0:53:09.836,0:53:12.821
of this dying to our own desires,

0:53:12.821,0:53:14.627
as you were saying, the selfish ones,

0:53:14.627,0:53:17.341
the ones that are not aligned[br]with God's will,

0:53:17.341,0:53:20.772
and surrendering to His will in our lives.

0:53:20.772,0:53:23.822
(Derek) And rising up in a new life[br]in Christ, right?

0:53:23.822,0:53:24.907
You were quoting there

0:53:24.907,0:53:26.913
from Romans, chapter 6.

0:53:26.913,0:53:28.806
I remember I had the privilege

0:53:28.806,0:53:31.750
of participating in a baptism one time,

0:53:31.750,0:53:33.685
and the person said,

0:53:33.685,0:53:36.046
"Hold me under for a long time;

0:53:36.046,0:53:37.166
there are a lot of sins

0:53:37.166,0:53:39.247
that need to be washed away."

0:53:39.247,0:53:41.449
Well, it's just the symbol,

0:53:41.449,0:53:44.055
but it is not insignificant.

0:53:44.055,0:53:46.102
It's saying, somebody said,

0:53:46.102,0:53:47.968
publicly, I think Sabina, right?

0:53:47.968,0:53:50.436
It's a public confession

0:53:50.436,0:53:52.695
that I have, what?

0:53:52.695,0:53:54.038
(Brittany) Turned to Christ.

0:53:54.038,0:53:55.319
(Derek) I've turned, yeah,

0:53:55.319,0:53:56.520
I've turned to God.

0:53:56.520,0:53:58.947
I've turned to Jesus as my Savior,

0:53:58.947,0:54:01.745
and I'm not ashamed

0:54:01.745,0:54:04.320
to make that confession.

0:54:04.320,0:54:06.231
It's a beautiful passage

0:54:06.231,0:54:07.757
here in Deuteronomy.

0:54:07.757,0:54:14.384
Even though prophecy of apostasy,[br]idolatry, failure,

0:54:14.384,0:54:16.954
that we don't have to stay there, right?

0:54:16.954,0:54:19.361
We can choose to turn to the Lord,

0:54:19.361,0:54:21.378
knowing He will welcome us back. Sabina?

0:54:21.378,0:54:22.741
(Sabina) I'm just thinking

0:54:22.741,0:54:24.579
that, Pastor Derek, we've been talking

0:54:24.579,0:54:25.789
even in previous classes

0:54:25.789,0:54:28.917
about the importance of choosing well,[br]to choose life.

0:54:28.917,0:54:30.079
And that's it, you know?

0:54:30.079,0:54:31.613
It's just about choosing life.

0:54:31.613,0:54:35.613
It's not something about just what we[br]are letting go.

0:54:35.613,0:54:36.706
It's also what we are

0:54:36.706,0:54:38.375
choosing for the future.

0:54:38.375,0:54:39.990
It's not just about the "don'ts,"

0:54:39.990,0:54:41.682
but about the do's and what God has

0:54:41.682,0:54:42.984
for you in your future.

0:54:42.984,0:54:45.033
(Derek) So, let's imagine we have a friend

0:54:45.033,0:54:46.785
like in the place that Jason

0:54:46.785,0:54:48.864
was in some years ago.

0:54:48.864,0:54:51.355
He was in high school, so a teenager

0:54:51.355,0:54:53.606
who says, "Amy, I know

0:54:53.606,0:54:56.440
I should turn away from those things

0:54:56.440,0:54:58.904
because they are leading me away from God,

0:54:58.904,0:55:01.269
but I just don't feel like it,"

0:55:01.269,0:55:02.581
what would you say to her?

0:55:02.581,0:55:04.040
What would you say to him?

0:55:04.040,0:55:05.873
They're being honest, right?

0:55:05.873,0:55:07.169
"I know I should turn away.

0:55:07.169,0:55:08.841
Those things are deadening

0:55:08.841,0:55:10.466
my spiritual sensitivity,

0:55:10.466,0:55:12.114
but I just don't feel like turning

0:55:12.114,0:55:13.361
away from those things"?

0:55:13.361,0:55:14.737
What would you say?

0:55:14.737,0:55:16.973
(Amy) That's kind of a hard question[br]to answer,

0:55:16.973,0:55:18.232
but I think we all know

0:55:18.232,0:55:19.935
that it's the Holy Spirit

0:55:19.935,0:55:21.844
that leads us to repentance.

0:55:21.844,0:55:23.464
And so, my encouragement to them

0:55:23.464,0:55:24.977
would be, "The Holy Spirit

0:55:24.977,0:55:26.157
is working in your life.

0:55:26.157,0:55:28.116
You're not wanting to repent of your own.

0:55:28.116,0:55:30.726
This is something that the Holy Spirit[br]is doing in you.

0:55:30.726,0:55:32.204
And trust the Holy Spirit;

0:55:32.204,0:55:35.200
lean into Him, trust God,

0:55:35.200,0:55:37.570
and surround yourself with a community

0:55:37.570,0:55:39.076
of believers who can help

0:55:39.076,0:55:41.903
support you through this;[br]don't be afraid."

0:55:41.903,0:55:44.762
(Derek) Okay, could I pray to God

0:55:44.762,0:55:48.750
to help me to hate the things that I love

0:55:48.750,0:55:50.124
that are opposed to Him?

0:55:50.124,0:55:51.845
Would that be an appropriate prayer?

0:55:51.845,0:55:53.000
What do you think, John?

0:55:53.000,0:55:54.599
(John) There's a promise in Acts,

0:55:54.599,0:55:58.280
chapter 5 and verse 31 which says,[br]talking about Jesus:

0:56:05.950,0:56:07.845
(Derek) So, you would tell your friend,

0:56:07.845,0:56:09.614
"It's okay if you don't feel like it.

0:56:09.614,0:56:10.906
Ask God to give you

0:56:10.906,0:56:12.798
a spirit of repentance"?

0:56:12.798,0:56:14.552
Or, maybe someone's watching today,

0:56:14.552,0:56:16.432
and you're saying, "Pastor Derek,

0:56:16.432,0:56:17.907
that's me," you know.

0:56:17.907,0:56:19.138
"I've got these things

0:56:19.138,0:56:21.131
that are dragging me away from God

0:56:21.131,0:56:22.714
that will lead me to destruction,

0:56:22.714,0:56:24.203
but I don't feel like I can

0:56:24.203,0:56:26.276
be freed from them."

0:56:26.276,0:56:27.531
The Word of God is saying

0:56:27.531,0:56:29.648
that God gives us the gift of repentance.

0:56:29.648,0:56:31.290
We can also choose

0:56:31.290,0:56:33.782
to change our environment;[br]we've learned that.

0:56:33.782,0:56:35.479
We can choose to turn,

0:56:35.479,0:56:37.115
even though we're weak,

0:56:37.115,0:56:38.217
and see a loving God

0:56:38.217,0:56:40.328
running to meet us, who loves us

0:56:40.328,0:56:42.279
with an immeasurable and unfailing love.

0:56:42.279,0:56:44.271
My friend, if that's you,

0:56:44.271,0:56:45.530
I want to appeal to you

0:56:45.530,0:56:47.832
to turn to the Lord with all your heart.

0:56:47.832,0:56:50.351
If you know someone, you love someone,

0:56:50.351,0:56:51.307
who needs to turn,

0:56:51.307,0:56:53.256
you pray for her; you pray for him,

0:56:53.256,0:56:56.301
because our God is a miracle-working God.

0:56:56.301,0:56:59.219
Let's pray together; Father in heaven,

0:56:59.219,0:57:01.327
<i>Turn Their Hearts,</i> what a theme.

0:57:01.327,0:57:04.263
We thank You that You are ready

0:57:04.263,0:57:07.164
and longing to welcome us with acceptance,

0:57:07.164,0:57:11.902
forgiveness, salvation, grace and joy.

0:57:11.902,0:57:14.690
I pray for those making that turn today,

0:57:14.690,0:57:16.295
and I pray we would reflect

0:57:16.295,0:57:18.667
the love of God to those around us.

0:57:18.667,0:57:20.895
In Jesus' name. Amen.

0:57:20.895,0:57:21.890
(Team) Amen.

0:57:21.890,0:57:23.752
(Derek) Well, you were listening today,

0:57:23.752,0:57:25.015
and you said, "That's me,"

0:57:25.015,0:57:26.285
or, "someone I know."

0:57:26.285,0:57:28.491
Don't keep that good news to yourself.

0:57:28.491,0:57:31.034
God loves with an immeasurable[br]and unfailing love.

0:57:31.034,0:57:33.360
Go out and share that good news

0:57:33.360,0:57:34.750
with those around you.

0:57:34.750,0:58:29.379
♪ theme music ♪