WEBVTT
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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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I'm excited because we are beginning
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a brand new series of studies
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on Ezra and Nehemiah.
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You say, "Derek, what would the writings
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of a priest 2,400 years ago
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and a contemporary government official
in Persia
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have to do with our lives today?"
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Well, that's what's exciting
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about studying the Word of God
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because the Bible says
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all Scripture is given
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by inspiration of God and is profitable,
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so we're going to pray
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that God would bless in amazing ways.
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Today, Making Sense of History:
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(as we look at) Zerubbabel and Ezra.
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And I'm glad you joined us
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for Hope Sabbath School.
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And, team, this is going to be
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an amazing journey.
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(Team) Yes.
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(Derek) And we're going to be excited
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to see how ancient Scripture
comes alive for us today.
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We're glad that you're part
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of our Hope Sabbath School team.
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We're always delighted to hear from you.
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Oh, I needed to tell you one other thing.
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We have an awesome app.
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Here's my phone; I'm going
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to go to Hope Sabbath School
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on the new Hope Channel app here.
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It's an awesome app,
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and it's loading right now.
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People around the world are using
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this app; it's free: Hope Channel.
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You can go to your App Store
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or Google Play, download the app.
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Whether you're 10 years old
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or 100 years old, you can download
the app and use it.
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If you need some help,
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talk to your grandchildren, right?
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They'll figure it out.
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But the Hope Channel app is awesome,
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and it's being used
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in many, many countries around the world
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including Madagascar, which is where
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our first email comes from, from Loubien.
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Loubien is 22 years old.
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In fact, he sent a picture for us.
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He's a university student,
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and he says, "Two years ago we started
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an English-speaking church in our town,
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and now I'm part of that church.
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It's the only Adventist church
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where English is the primary language
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in the South of Madagascar,
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and I often teach the Sabbath School,"
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and guess what he uses as a resource?
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(Team) Hope Sabbath School.
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(Derek) He uses the Hope Sabbath School
resource.
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"I'm very happy to follow this program.
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May God bless us all."
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Well, Loubien, thanks for writing
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to us from Madagascar.
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We're excited that you're part of our...
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not only a participant in the study,
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but a leader in teaching
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an in-depth, interactive study
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of the Word of God.
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Owen and Merline write from Florida
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in the United States.
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Anybody from Florida here?
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Anybody been to Florida?
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Stephanie, you've been...Oh, quite a few
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have been to Florida.
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"Dear Hope Sabbath School,
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we absolutely love the program.
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We look forward to watching it
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every Friday Evening.
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The deep, interactive, inspiring way
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the lessons are presented is just amazing.
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Another thing," listen carefully,
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"we're sure the listening world
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appreciates, as we do,
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the openness and honesty
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of the class members' testimonies.
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The testimonies make known that God
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loves us with an everlasting love."
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(Team) Amen.
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(Derek) That's awesome, isn't it?
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"And we can trust Him no matter what.
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We thank God for Hope Sabbath School
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and pray that God will bless
the entire team."
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Owen and Merline, thanks for writing.
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And, you know, that's our prayer.
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None of that is scripted, is it?
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The Holy Spirit may impress
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Travis, Joshua, Liza to share a testimony,
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and if we did it a second time,
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it might be different.
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But the Spirit of God is leading us.
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Thank you for affirming that,
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and we also love to hear from you
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about your testimony of what God is doing.
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Write to us at sshope@hopetv.org.
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Here's one from Guadeloupe
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in the French West Indies.
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Did I say that right?
Thank you, Gladys.
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"Bonjour," bonjour, "a few weeks ago
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I discovered Hope Sabbath School."
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You notice people are
always finding it, right,
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new viewers all the time.
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"Since then, I've been watching it.
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I'm French; I'm sorry
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that my English isn't that good.
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I live in Guadeloupe
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in the French West Indies.
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I am a Seventh-day Adventist
church member.
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Since I have been watching
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Hope Sabbath School,
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I appreciate the subtitles,"
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closed captioning, "in English
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because it helps me to understand more;
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I can understand better
than just speaking.
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Well, thank you for what you're doing
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with Hope Sabbath School,
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and God bless you all, Paul,"
writes to us.
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Paul, thanks for writing from Guadeloupe,
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and may God use you
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to be a powerful teacher
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of the Word of God.
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Here's a note from a donor
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in Minnesota in the United States.
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Oh, wait! Laurel, are you from Minnesota?
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(Laurel) I am.
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(Derek) I'm not going to give the name,
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but would you like to wave
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to the entire state of Minnesota.
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"I have access only to Sabbath School."
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I think this person is unable
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to get out to go to church,
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"but what a blessing it is!
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May God continue to bless each one
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and Hope Sabbath School
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in the finishing of His work."
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And this donor sends 100 dollars
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to help Hope Sabbath School.
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(Team) Amen!
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(Derek) We just want to say thank you.
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This is a donor-supported ministry,
but it's more than that.
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It's a partnership in mission, isn't it?
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And so, thank you, Minnesota,
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for being part of that.
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Well, from the beautiful island
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of Saint Vincent in the Caribbean,
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someone born in Jamaica, living...
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Joshua, you weren't born
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in Jamaica, were you?
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(Joshua) No.
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(Derek) But don't you have
some Jamaican heritage?
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(Joshua) No, Antiguan.
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(Derek) Oh, you're Antiguan; that's also
the Caribbean area.
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(Joshua) Yes, the Caribbean.
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(Derek) Same part of the world, okay.
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This is Saint Vincent,
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not too far away, right?
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"Greetings, saints of God."
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(Team) Greetings!
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(Derek) This is Denise, by the way,
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"Writing from Saint Vincent,
born in Jamaica,
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I really enjoy the study every week,
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and I especially look forward
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to singing the songs."
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Well, we're going to sing
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a song in just a moment.
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"It's a blessing to look
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forward to and see Brother Jason
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singing the Scripture songs."
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Well, Jason, would you like
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to wave to Denise in Saint Vincent?
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"He's so passionate about the Word of God.
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Let's all be faithful and continue
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to share God's Word through the world.
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God bless you all." Amen?
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(Team) Amen.
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(Derek) Denise, thanks
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for writing to us from Saint Vincent.
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And I'm excited today because we've got
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a new Scripture song we're going to sing.
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And I've asked my wife Bodil,
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who is not only executive producer
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but likes to help compose
the Scripture songs,
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to help sing, so come over, Bodil.
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Let's sing together, "To You, O Lord,
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I lift up my soul.
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O My God, I trust in You."
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Let's sing it together.
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♪ music ♪
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(Derek) Amen?
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(Team) Amen!
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(Derek) Thank you, Bodil.
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I think we'll have you come
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and sing all the time.
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It's great to hide God's Word
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in our hearts, isn't it?
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And some of you know that my wife
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started composing Scripture songs...
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The words are straight
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out of the Bible, right?
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But she started...That was
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from Psalm 25, by the way.
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The words are straight out of the Bible,
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but she said, "I want to hide God's Word
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in my heart and the hearts
of our children."
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She had no idea that it
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would not only transform
her husband's life,
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but our Hope Sabbath School family
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around the world. Amen?
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(Team) Amen.
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(Derek) That's what we're going to learn
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from Ezra and Nehemiah.
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When we say, "God, I'm available, to You,"
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He's going to do something amazing.
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(Team) Amen.
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(Derek) And we want to pray for you
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and each one of us as we study
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because the miracle that happened
2400 years ago
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can happen in our lives today.
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Let's pray; Father in Heaven,
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just like the psalmist would say,
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"To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
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Let not my enemies triumph over me,"
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we thank You that in the sacred books
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of Ezra and Nehemiah,
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we will learn of a great and awesome God
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and of men and women
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who have the courage to listen
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to God and follow Him.
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And I pray that You would bless
as we study,
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Hope Sabbath School members
around the world,
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may each life and each family
be blessed today.
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In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
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(Team) Amen.
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(Derek) Well, let's make sense of history.
00:09:44.580 --> 00:09:45.990
This is lesson number one.
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Some people have heard
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about the Jewish people being in exile.
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They speak about the exiles
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and then coming back from the exile.
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Brittany, what's the exile
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they're talking about?
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(Brittany) They're talking
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about when God's people
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were taken from Jerusalem to Babylon,
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and they were in captivity for 70 years.
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(Derek) Okay, so this is when
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Babylonian armies came in,
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not only the city of Jerusalem,
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but all of the territory of Israel, right?
00:10:15.656 --> 00:10:17.640
Now, some people were left, a few people,
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like the prophet Jeremiah,
00:10:18.888 --> 00:10:20.139
for example, right?
00:10:20.139 --> 00:10:21.177
But a lot of people,
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including the young and the gifted,
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you know, the university students,
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because we think of people like
Daniel, Shadrach,...
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(Team) Meshach, and Abednego.
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(Derek) Those were their Babylon names,
actually, right...
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(Derek, Team) Hananiah,
Mishael, and Azariah.
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(Derek) They kind of took
the cream of the crop,
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and they reprogrammed them,
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except it didn't work
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with Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael,
and Azariah, right?
00:10:42.558 --> 00:10:45.012
They determined in their hearts
to honor God.
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By the way, that's
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a whole other book of the Bible, Daniel.
00:10:47.896 --> 00:10:48.917
That will be awesome;
00:10:48.917 --> 00:10:50.977
we're going to study that
in another series.
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But God is teaching His people
00:10:55.228 --> 00:10:58.122
consequences of disobeying Him.
00:10:58.122 --> 00:11:00.619
He doesn't stop loving us, right,
00:11:00.619 --> 00:11:03.080
but He says, "If you go after pagan gods,
00:11:03.080 --> 00:11:05.209
and you abandon your faith in Me,
00:11:05.209 --> 00:11:07.076
there will be negative consequences."
00:11:07.076 --> 00:11:08.440
And Brittany's right;
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they're taken into exile,
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but it's not forever.
00:11:11.862 --> 00:11:14.261
What many people don't know
00:11:14.261 --> 00:11:16.243
is that the return from exile
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happened in different -
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what would we call it?
00:11:18.967 --> 00:11:21.034
Waves, yes, and in fact,
00:11:21.034 --> 00:11:24.619
some of the exiles never returned,
00:11:24.619 --> 00:11:29.670
either because they died in exile
or because...?
00:11:29.670 --> 00:11:31.404
(Team) They chose...
00:11:31.404 --> 00:11:33.535
(Derek) They chose not to come back.
00:11:33.535 --> 00:11:34.690
That's a whole topic
00:11:34.690 --> 00:11:35.862
we'll discuss here, too.
00:11:35.862 --> 00:11:37.154
How could that be,
00:11:37.154 --> 00:11:38.967
when they're told they can go back
00:11:38.967 --> 00:11:40.847
to the land that God had promised them?
00:11:40.847 --> 00:11:42.275
Some of them say, "We're fine
00:11:42.275 --> 00:11:45.266
living in this pagan country," all right?
00:11:45.266 --> 00:11:47.202
So we're going to make sense of history,
00:11:47.202 --> 00:11:48.414
and we're going to start
00:11:48.414 --> 00:11:49.875
with the prophet Jeremiah.
00:11:49.875 --> 00:11:51.383
And, Harold, if you could begin
00:11:51.383 --> 00:11:53.425
our study in Jeremiah, 25.
00:11:53.425 --> 00:11:54.995
Remember we mentioned
00:11:54.995 --> 00:11:56.930
that when the children of Israel
00:11:56.930 --> 00:11:58.987
were taken captive into Babylon,
00:11:58.987 --> 00:12:00.541
some were left behind,
00:12:00.541 --> 00:12:01.451
and one of the them
00:12:01.451 --> 00:12:03.798
was a prophet named Jeremiah,
00:12:03.798 --> 00:12:06.850
a contemporary of the prophet Daniel
00:12:06.850 --> 00:12:08.544
and the prophet Ezekiel,
00:12:08.544 --> 00:12:11.864
who had been taken into captivity, okay?
00:12:11.864 --> 00:12:14.593
Let's see what Jeremiah tells us
00:12:14.593 --> 00:12:18.394
in Jeremiah 25, verses 11 and 12.
00:12:18.394 --> 00:12:20.002
(Harold) Yes, and I'll be reading
00:12:20.002 --> 00:12:22.155
from the New King James Version:
00:12:51.678 --> 00:12:53.680
(Derek) So the prophet Jeremiah's writing,
00:12:53.680 --> 00:12:55.887
and he's giving a...?
00:12:55.887 --> 00:12:57.134
(Team Member) A prophecy.
00:12:57.134 --> 00:12:58.893
(Derek) ...a prophecy, a prediction
00:12:58.893 --> 00:13:00.456
about something that will happen
00:13:00.456 --> 00:13:01.695
how far in the future?
00:13:01.695 --> 00:13:02.735
(Team) Seventy years.
00:13:02.735 --> 00:13:04.363
(Derek) Now, there are, of course,
00:13:04.363 --> 00:13:06.104
people that say, "That's ridiculous;
00:13:06.104 --> 00:13:07.549
you can't tell what's going...
00:13:07.549 --> 00:13:09.583
You could say, 'Sometime
this might happen,
00:13:09.583 --> 00:13:11.213
but to speak authoritatively
00:13:11.213 --> 00:13:14.257
about the future, that's impossible,'"
00:13:14.257 --> 00:13:16.281
unless, of course, what, Stephanie?
00:13:16.281 --> 00:13:17.868
(Stephanie) Unless God tells you.
00:13:17.868 --> 00:13:19.253
(Derek) Unless God tells you,
00:13:19.253 --> 00:13:21.046
and God, speaking to another prophet,
00:13:21.046 --> 00:13:22.492
says, "I am God who knows
00:13:22.492 --> 00:13:24.508
the end from the beginning," right?
00:13:24.508 --> 00:13:25.988
So He has authority
00:13:25.988 --> 00:13:28.365
even over history, right?
00:13:28.365 --> 00:13:29.548
So there's a prediction.
00:13:29.548 --> 00:13:33.259
Look in Jeremiah 29 and verse 10.
00:13:33.259 --> 00:13:34.668
Gladys, if you have that.
00:13:34.668 --> 00:13:36.792
Again, this is the prophet Jeremiah
00:13:36.792 --> 00:13:38.471
who's still in Jerusalem
00:13:38.471 --> 00:13:41.696
while most of his countrymen
00:13:41.696 --> 00:13:43.538
or what we would call
00:13:43.538 --> 00:13:45.723
prisoners of war, right,
00:13:45.723 --> 00:13:48.312
or exiles, are in Babylon.
00:13:48.312 --> 00:13:49.505
(Gladys) I'll be reading
00:13:49.505 --> 00:13:51.238
from the New International Version,
00:13:51.238 --> 00:13:54.004
Jeremiah, chapter 29, verse 10:
00:14:05.451 --> 00:14:08.195
(Derek) So, there is someone in Babylon
00:14:08.195 --> 00:14:11.003
who believes the Word of God.
00:14:11.003 --> 00:14:13.271
Well, actually there's more
than one, right,
00:14:13.271 --> 00:14:14.991
but let's look at how one
00:14:14.991 --> 00:14:17.358
of those people responds
00:14:17.358 --> 00:14:21.469
in Daniel, chapter 9, verses 1 to 3.
00:14:21.469 --> 00:14:23.510
Pedro, if you could read that for us.
00:14:23.510 --> 00:14:28.424
He's been a prisoner of war for how long?
00:14:28.424 --> 00:14:29.871
(Pedro) About 70 years.
00:14:29.871 --> 00:14:32.846
(Derek) Yeah, right, for the whole time,
00:14:32.846 --> 00:14:38.410
taken captive as a teenager in 605.
00:14:38.410 --> 00:14:40.108
Here he's now saying, "Wait,
00:14:40.108 --> 00:14:42.681
I think the time's up."
00:14:42.681 --> 00:14:44.483
Let's see what Daniel records
00:14:44.483 --> 00:14:46.912
in Daniel 9, verses 1 to 3.
00:14:46.912 --> 00:14:48.052
(Pedro) I'll be reading
00:14:48.052 --> 00:14:50.283
from the New King James Version,
and it says:
00:15:26.574 --> 00:15:27.823
(Derek) So, what does this
00:15:27.823 --> 00:15:29.641
tell us about Daniel
00:15:29.641 --> 00:15:31.116
from what you've heard? Jason?
00:15:31.116 --> 00:15:33.169
(Jason) He's clearly in connection
with God,
00:15:33.169 --> 00:15:34.396
and he's paying attention
00:15:34.396 --> 00:15:36.358
to what has been written down previously.
00:15:36.358 --> 00:15:38.345
(Derek) All right, he's paying attention;
00:15:38.345 --> 00:15:39.978
he's connected to God. Gladys?
00:15:39.987 --> 00:15:41.250
(Gladys) He's longing.
00:15:41.250 --> 00:15:42.599
(Derek) He's longing for...
00:15:42.599 --> 00:15:43.790
(Gladys) For his home.
00:15:43.790 --> 00:15:46.101
(Derek) By the way, does Daniel
ever return home?
00:15:46.101 --> 00:15:48.209
(Gladys) No. The fulfillment
of the promise.
00:15:48.209 --> 00:15:49.577
(Derek) All right, but he's
00:15:49.577 --> 00:15:50.958
longing for that fulfillment,
00:15:50.958 --> 00:15:52.380
which raises the question,
00:15:52.380 --> 00:15:54.514
is it possible that some stay,
00:15:54.514 --> 00:15:56.369
not because they don't want to go home
00:15:56.369 --> 00:15:59.424
but because God tells them to stay?
Is that possible?
00:15:59.424 --> 00:16:00.219
(Team) Yes.
00:16:00.219 --> 00:16:01.861
(Derek) Sometimes we judge people,
00:16:01.861 --> 00:16:03.174
"Well, you didn't go home."
00:16:03.174 --> 00:16:05.783
What if God told you to stay, right?
00:16:05.783 --> 00:16:07.350
"You're still living in a city.
00:16:07.350 --> 00:16:09.277
You should be living in the country."
00:16:09.277 --> 00:16:11.962
What if God told you to go to that city
00:16:11.962 --> 00:16:15.268
to tell people about God, right?
00:16:15.268 --> 00:16:18.456
But he believes the prophecy.
00:16:18.456 --> 00:16:24.284
He believes that what God said
to Jeremiah,
00:16:24.284 --> 00:16:25.872
it's going to be fulfilled.
00:16:25.872 --> 00:16:27.606
So I want to ask a broad question
00:16:27.606 --> 00:16:29.258
because there may be some people
00:16:29.258 --> 00:16:30.927
watching Hope Sabbath School today,
00:16:30.927 --> 00:16:32.374
maybe even for the first time
00:16:32.374 --> 00:16:34.056
(remember Loubien from Madagascar
00:16:34.056 --> 00:16:35.522
just started watching),
00:16:35.522 --> 00:16:38.055
who say, "But I've always been told
00:16:38.055 --> 00:16:40.585
that the Bible is just like
00:16:40.585 --> 00:16:42.357
human words about God.
00:16:42.357 --> 00:16:43.710
You're telling me that God
00:16:43.710 --> 00:16:46.337
can actually reveal things,
00:16:46.337 --> 00:16:50.747
even about the future?"
00:16:50.747 --> 00:16:53.751
Why is it important to believe that?
00:16:53.751 --> 00:16:55.791
What does that do for us
00:16:55.791 --> 00:16:57.849
if we believe that God
00:16:57.849 --> 00:17:00.298
is able to show us? Puia?
00:17:00.298 --> 00:17:02.168
(Puia) I believe, by studying
00:17:02.168 --> 00:17:03.927
the prophecies that God has given
00:17:03.927 --> 00:17:05.311
to us through His Word,
00:17:05.311 --> 00:17:07.713
it teaches us how to live our lives today
00:17:07.713 --> 00:17:09.832
in preparation for what is to come.
00:17:09.832 --> 00:17:11.623
In the context of this book,
00:17:11.623 --> 00:17:14.024
because Daniel was studying
the prophecies,
00:17:14.024 --> 00:17:16.274
he knew something was about to happen,
00:17:16.274 --> 00:17:18.240
or at least it was supposed to happen,
00:17:18.240 --> 00:17:19.987
and it gave him a sense of direction
00:17:19.987 --> 00:17:21.822
on how to live his life
00:17:21.822 --> 00:17:23.415
according to God's Word.
00:17:23.415 --> 00:17:24.637
(Derek) I'm thinking,
00:17:24.637 --> 00:17:25.830
in Daniel, chapter 4,
00:17:25.830 --> 00:17:27.101
and, like I said, we'll do
00:17:27.101 --> 00:17:28.565
a whole series on Daniel,
00:17:28.565 --> 00:17:30.960
but where it says that you may know
00:17:30.960 --> 00:17:34.750
that the Most High God rules
00:17:34.750 --> 00:17:37.055
over the affairs of men
00:17:37.055 --> 00:17:38.787
or over history. Travis.
00:17:38.787 --> 00:17:40.098
(Travis) I think it's John;
00:17:40.098 --> 00:17:41.430
I could be wrong, but John,
00:17:41.430 --> 00:17:43.185
chapter 14, verse 29, I think, says,
00:17:43.185 --> 00:17:44.956
"I told you these things beforehand,
00:17:44.956 --> 00:17:46.197
so that when they happen,
00:17:46.197 --> 00:17:48.167
you'll know that I'm the Lord your God."
00:17:48.170 --> 00:17:49.848
(Derek) Okay, and He says that also
00:17:49.848 --> 00:17:51.252
in John, chapter 16, verse 4,
00:17:51.252 --> 00:17:52.457
"I'm telling you now,
00:17:52.457 --> 00:17:53.834
so that when it happens,
00:17:53.837 --> 00:17:55.755
you'll remember what I told you,
00:17:55.755 --> 00:17:57.972
and you'll believe," right?
00:17:57.972 --> 00:17:59.204
By the way, that happened
00:17:59.204 --> 00:18:00.820
with the cleansing of the temple -
00:18:00.820 --> 00:18:03.131
only afterwards they looked back, right?
00:18:03.131 --> 00:18:05.470
So there are all of these prophecies.
Yes, Harold.
00:18:05.470 --> 00:18:06.974
(Harold) I just wanted to add
00:18:06.974 --> 00:18:08.583
that Solomon said in the Proverbs
00:18:08.583 --> 00:18:10.612
that without prophecy, or vision,
00:18:10.612 --> 00:18:12.466
people cast off restraint,
00:18:12.466 --> 00:18:14.417
so the fact that we have prophecy,
00:18:14.417 --> 00:18:15.599
we have that guidance
00:18:15.599 --> 00:18:16.976
that we can look forward to.
00:18:16.976 --> 00:18:19.015
And when it happens, as Travis mentioned,
00:18:19.015 --> 00:18:20.331
it's like, "Oh, we believe.
00:18:20.331 --> 00:18:21.494
Yes, this is true; look,
00:18:21.494 --> 00:18:23.391
God has kept His promise.
00:18:23.391 --> 00:18:24.979
So He is the true God."
00:18:24.979 --> 00:18:26.003
(Derek) So, are there
00:18:26.003 --> 00:18:28.566
any promises in the Scripture,
00:18:28.566 --> 00:18:30.340
either from Jesus or given
00:18:30.340 --> 00:18:31.915
through the prophets,
00:18:31.915 --> 00:18:34.542
that encourage you when you say,
00:18:34.542 --> 00:18:36.086
"Well, I think it's about time.
00:18:36.086 --> 00:18:37.911
How come it's not yet been fulfilled?"
00:18:37.911 --> 00:18:40.777
I mean, what's the greatest prophecy
in the Bible,
00:18:40.777 --> 00:18:43.093
more times than any other prophecy
in the Bible?
00:18:43.093 --> 00:18:44.395
Do you know what it is?
00:18:44.395 --> 00:18:46.534
The Second Coming of Jesus,
00:18:46.534 --> 00:18:47.868
the return of Jesus.
00:18:47.868 --> 00:18:50.098
And people will go, "Well,
00:18:50.098 --> 00:18:51.390
it's not happened yet.
00:18:51.390 --> 00:18:52.961
Maybe it won't ever happen."
00:18:52.961 --> 00:18:54.900
What promises encourage us
00:18:54.900 --> 00:18:58.176
to hold on and believe, like Daniel did,
00:18:58.176 --> 00:19:01.908
that God said it - it's going to happen?
00:19:01.908 --> 00:19:03.196
Stephanie, do you have one?
00:19:03.196 --> 00:19:04.733
(Stephanie) The one that I like
00:19:04.733 --> 00:19:08.195
is Psalm 27, and it's 13 and 14.
00:19:08.195 --> 00:19:09.649
(Derek) All right, give us
00:19:09.649 --> 00:19:13.130
a moment to find that, Psalm 27.
00:19:13.130 --> 00:19:14.916
I immediately recognize the reference
00:19:14.916 --> 00:19:16.086
because it's a song
00:19:16.086 --> 00:19:17.891
that my wife likes to sing.
00:19:17.891 --> 00:19:21.534
Psalm 27, verses 13 and 14,
00:19:21.534 --> 00:19:23.459
now, you're reading from the King James?
00:19:23.459 --> 00:19:24.308
(Stephanie) I am.
00:19:24.308 --> 00:19:26.118
(Derek) All right, verses 13 and 14.
00:19:41.090 --> 00:19:43.111
(Derek) Beautiful. "I would have fainted,"
00:19:43.111 --> 00:19:46.271
my Bible, the New King James, says,
"I would have lost heart."
00:19:46.271 --> 00:19:48.697
I don't know if anyone else
has another translation,
00:19:48.697 --> 00:19:51.971
like, "I would have given up,
00:19:51.971 --> 00:19:54.494
unless I had believed," right?
00:19:54.494 --> 00:19:56.549
"Wait on the Lord; be of good courage,
00:19:56.549 --> 00:19:57.775
and He will," do what?
00:19:57.775 --> 00:19:59.187
(Team) Strengthen your heart.
00:19:59.187 --> 00:20:00.839
(Derek) That's right. Yes, Harold.
00:20:00.839 --> 00:20:02.112
(Harold) I'd like to read
00:20:02.112 --> 00:20:05.886
Habakkuk, chapter 2 and verse 3,
on waiting.
00:20:05.886 --> 00:20:08.921
(Derek) Habakkuk, that's a little book;
00:20:08.921 --> 00:20:11.081
it may be hard for some of us to find,
00:20:11.081 --> 00:20:13.090
right before the end of the Old Testament.
00:20:13.090 --> 00:20:14.809
Habakkuk, chapter 2?
00:20:14.809 --> 00:20:16.506
(Harold) And verse 3.
00:20:16.506 --> 00:20:18.399
(Derek) All right, just give us
00:20:18.399 --> 00:20:20.041
a moment to find that.
00:20:20.041 --> 00:20:23.904
(Harold) It is a small book.
00:20:23.904 --> 00:20:25.537
(Derek) I'm still looking for it;
00:20:25.537 --> 00:20:26.798
anybody else find it yet?
00:20:26.798 --> 00:20:28.207
(Team Members) Yes. We did.
00:20:28.207 --> 00:20:30.446
(Derek) You got it, all right;
I'm almost there.
00:20:30.446 --> 00:20:34.524
Habakkuk, chapter 2 and verse 3.
00:20:34.524 --> 00:20:36.316
How does that read in your Bible?
00:20:36.316 --> 00:20:38.021
(Harold) Okay, so I'll be reading
00:20:38.021 --> 00:20:39.771
from the New King James Version:
00:20:53.286 --> 00:20:55.303
(Derek) Powerful. There's one other verse
00:20:55.303 --> 00:20:56.667
I'd like someone to read.
00:20:56.667 --> 00:20:58.048
Maybe Liza, you could read
00:20:58.048 --> 00:21:01.536
from 2 Peter, chapter 3,
00:21:01.536 --> 00:21:05.286
because that's a beautiful description
00:21:05.286 --> 00:21:09.344
by the Apostle Peter about sure prophecy,
00:21:09.344 --> 00:21:10.962
that it will come to pass
00:21:10.962 --> 00:21:12.332
at the appointed time.
00:21:12.332 --> 00:21:14.377
Second Peter, chapter 3,
00:21:14.377 --> 00:21:15.655
if you could read for us
00:21:15.655 --> 00:21:17.957
verses 9 through 13.
00:21:17.957 --> 00:21:19.172
(Liza) I'll be reading
00:21:19.172 --> 00:21:20.714
from the New King James Version:
00:22:23.897 --> 00:22:26.270
(Derek) So, question: What's the promise
00:22:26.270 --> 00:22:28.272
that God is going to keep,
00:22:28.272 --> 00:22:30.115
that people are saying, "I don't think
00:22:30.115 --> 00:22:31.716
He's going to keep that promise"?
00:22:31.716 --> 00:22:32.924
(Team Member) His return.
00:22:32.924 --> 00:22:34.588
(Derek) The return of Jesus, right?
00:22:34.588 --> 00:22:38.756
And Peter's saying, "No,
He's patient," right?
00:22:38.756 --> 00:22:40.858
But we might change the intonation
00:22:40.858 --> 00:22:43.419
in verse 10, "But the day of the Lord
00:22:43.419 --> 00:22:47.222
will come," will come.
00:22:47.222 --> 00:22:49.005
It's going to happen,
00:22:49.005 --> 00:22:50.903
and things are going to happen with it.
00:22:50.903 --> 00:22:53.211
I love, "looking for new heavens
and a new Earth
00:22:53.211 --> 00:22:55.655
where righteousness dwells,"
that's beautiful.
00:22:55.655 --> 00:22:57.185
"But the day of the Lord..."
00:22:57.185 --> 00:22:58.386
(Team) Will come.
00:22:58.386 --> 00:22:59.476
(Derek) It will come.
00:22:59.476 --> 00:23:01.853
So that confidence is really important.
00:23:01.853 --> 00:23:03.321
Well, with that idea,
00:23:03.321 --> 00:23:05.365
we're looking now at prophecy
00:23:05.365 --> 00:23:07.097
about to be fulfilled,
00:23:07.097 --> 00:23:09.881
that the exile will end,
00:23:09.881 --> 00:23:11.898
and that the Jewish exiles
00:23:11.898 --> 00:23:13.875
have the opportunity to go back.
00:23:13.875 --> 00:23:16.892
Let's go to the book of Ezra to chapter 4,
00:23:16.892 --> 00:23:18.520
and let's look at some history.
00:23:18.520 --> 00:23:20.301
We're making sense of history
00:23:20.301 --> 00:23:21.686
in our first study here
00:23:21.686 --> 00:23:26.922
in Ezra, chapter 4, and, Puia,
00:23:26.922 --> 00:23:28.973
I'm going to ask if you would be willing
00:23:28.973 --> 00:23:33.642
to read for us verses 1 through 7
00:23:33.642 --> 00:23:36.380
of Ezra, chapter 4.
00:23:36.380 --> 00:23:37.448
(Puia) I'll be reading
00:23:37.448 --> 00:23:39.005
from the New King James Version,
00:23:39.005 --> 00:23:41.705
Ezra, chapter 4, verses 1 through 7:
00:25:09.838 --> 00:25:11.171
(Derek) Some of you are glad
00:25:11.171 --> 00:25:13.804
I asked Puia to read that.
00:25:13.804 --> 00:25:16.723
There were a lot of difficult names there,
00:25:16.723 --> 00:25:18.646
actually a listing of kings
00:25:18.646 --> 00:25:22.252
between about 538 and all the way down
00:25:22.252 --> 00:25:26.152
to the mid 400s, about 440,
00:25:26.152 --> 00:25:28.770
the time of Nehemiah,
00:25:28.770 --> 00:25:30.182
and some of the names
00:25:30.182 --> 00:25:31.316
you recognize, right?
00:25:31.316 --> 00:25:32.211
(Team) Yes.
00:25:32.211 --> 00:25:33.668
(Derek) There are a few,
00:25:33.668 --> 00:25:36.813
Cyrus II or Cyrus "the Great";
00:25:36.813 --> 00:25:38.813
that's the one who gives the first decree.
00:25:38.813 --> 00:25:41.108
And, by the way, who was Zerubbabel?
00:25:41.108 --> 00:25:43.860
Who was that who led the first return
00:25:43.860 --> 00:25:47.360
with a priest named Jeshua, or Joshua,
00:25:47.360 --> 00:25:49.839
but not Joshua who "fit
the battle of Jericho."
00:25:49.839 --> 00:25:52.577
Who was Zerubbabel, anybody know? Travis?
00:25:52.577 --> 00:25:54.581
(Travis) He was the grandson
of Jehoiachin.
00:25:54.581 --> 00:25:56.459
(Derek) That's right; he was a grandson
00:25:56.459 --> 00:26:00.181
of one of the last kings of Judah.
00:26:00.181 --> 00:26:01.747
So, why do you think
00:26:01.747 --> 00:26:05.882
he led the group back?
00:26:05.882 --> 00:26:06.833
What do you think?
00:26:06.833 --> 00:26:07.976
(Harold) He was part
00:26:07.976 --> 00:26:09.385
of the royal family of Judah,
00:26:09.385 --> 00:26:11.282
so most likely he will be the leader
00:26:11.282 --> 00:26:13.829
and appointed governor to take back...
00:26:13.829 --> 00:26:15.321
(Derek) So you think he sensed
00:26:15.321 --> 00:26:17.338
that it was his responsibility to do that?
00:26:17.338 --> 00:26:19.125
There are lots of people, Liza,
00:26:19.125 --> 00:26:20.327
who have responsibility
00:26:20.327 --> 00:26:21.813
but don't do it, right?
00:26:21.813 --> 00:26:22.732
So why do you think
00:26:22.732 --> 00:26:25.338
he took the exiles back?
00:26:25.338 --> 00:26:27.508
(Liza) I think he was following
God's leading.
00:26:27.508 --> 00:26:29.096
I mean, after seeing the examples
00:26:29.096 --> 00:26:31.032
of previous kings and their failure
00:26:31.032 --> 00:26:33.072
to get Israel on the right track,
00:26:33.072 --> 00:26:34.652
I think he felt this conviction
00:26:34.652 --> 00:26:36.400
in his spirit to follow the way
00:26:36.400 --> 00:26:38.801
God was leading the children of Israel.
00:26:38.801 --> 00:26:40.323
(Derek) So, he's going back;
00:26:40.323 --> 00:26:41.946
he's got a priest with him.
00:26:41.946 --> 00:26:42.875
We're going to talk
00:26:42.875 --> 00:26:44.262
about some more details,
00:26:44.262 --> 00:26:45.518
but that's during the time
00:26:45.518 --> 00:26:46.738
of Cyrus the Great.
00:26:46.738 --> 00:26:47.913
Then you've got someone
00:26:47.913 --> 00:26:51.353
who's not mentioned in the text,
Cambyses II.
00:26:51.353 --> 00:26:52.287
That's just in case
00:26:52.287 --> 00:26:53.687
you'd like to know that.
00:26:53.687 --> 00:26:56.880
Then Darius I, mentioned in verse 5,
00:26:56.880 --> 00:27:00.065
then Xerxes, mentioned in verse 6,
00:27:00.065 --> 00:27:02.333
who's also called Ahasuerus
00:27:02.333 --> 00:27:03.747
in the book of Esther.
00:27:03.747 --> 00:27:06.065
Remember that, Ahasuerus and Vashti,
00:27:06.065 --> 00:27:08.149
and then Esther becomes queen.
00:27:08.149 --> 00:27:09.892
And then you've got Artaxerxes
00:27:09.892 --> 00:27:12.461
who's very important because he's the one
00:27:12.461 --> 00:27:13.660
that gives the decree
00:27:13.660 --> 00:27:15.701
during the time of Ezra.
00:27:15.701 --> 00:27:16.906
Now, I'm glad we're not
00:27:16.906 --> 00:27:17.987
having a spelling test
00:27:17.987 --> 00:27:19.272
or I'm not asking you
00:27:19.272 --> 00:27:21.216
to write that whole list down,
00:27:21.216 --> 00:27:23.778
but I do have this question for you;
00:27:23.780 --> 00:27:25.311
it's an important question:
00:27:25.311 --> 00:27:28.469
Why do you think Ezra includes all
00:27:28.469 --> 00:27:32.540
of that historical data in the book?
00:27:32.540 --> 00:27:34.150
Why does he do that?
00:27:34.150 --> 00:27:35.587
What's the significance?
00:27:35.587 --> 00:27:37.302
Don't we believe that all Scripture
00:27:37.302 --> 00:27:41.115
is given by inspiration of God? Alex?
00:27:41.115 --> 00:27:42.845
(Alex) I think a lot of it, I mean,
00:27:42.845 --> 00:27:44.556
we see in later books in the Bible,
00:27:44.556 --> 00:27:46.230
it was used for us
00:27:46.230 --> 00:27:47.447
referring back to history
00:27:47.447 --> 00:27:48.658
to check dates and times
00:27:48.658 --> 00:27:50.015
for future prophecies.
00:27:50.015 --> 00:27:52.072
(Derek) Okay. That's especially true
00:27:52.072 --> 00:27:56.298
when we get to the time of Artaxerxes
00:27:56.298 --> 00:27:58.768
and the 457 decree,
00:27:58.768 --> 00:28:00.188
which is pretty significant
00:28:00.188 --> 00:28:01.181
when you're studying
00:28:01.181 --> 00:28:02.652
the book of Daniel, right?
00:28:02.652 --> 00:28:05.398
So you're saying that later generations
00:28:05.398 --> 00:28:06.761
will need to be aware
00:28:06.761 --> 00:28:08.420
of that historical sequence.
00:28:08.420 --> 00:28:09.732
Okay, anybody else?
00:28:09.732 --> 00:28:11.514
It's a lot of history. Liza?
00:28:11.514 --> 00:28:13.568
(Liza) I think also being displaced people
00:28:13.568 --> 00:28:15.542
who had lost their heritage and customs,
00:28:15.542 --> 00:28:17.268
they've lost a lot in this process,
00:28:17.268 --> 00:28:18.488
it was important for them
00:28:18.488 --> 00:28:20.952
to document them as they were
00:28:20.952 --> 00:28:22.601
moving through this transition
00:28:22.601 --> 00:28:24.563
so that, as you said, later generations
00:28:24.563 --> 00:28:25.991
who were wanting to know more
00:28:25.991 --> 00:28:28.438
about their heritage and the journey
that they took,
00:28:28.438 --> 00:28:29.764
they could go back to that
00:28:29.764 --> 00:28:31.623
and feel a sense of security.
00:28:31.623 --> 00:28:33.593
(Derek) We'll find later in the books,
00:28:33.593 --> 00:28:35.426
both of Ezra and Nehemiah,
00:28:35.426 --> 00:28:37.850
huge or long lists of names.
00:28:37.850 --> 00:28:40.426
And I'm not going to ask you
to read them all
00:28:40.426 --> 00:28:43.195
because you might say, "Well,
00:28:43.195 --> 00:28:44.689
do I really need to know them?
00:28:44.689 --> 00:28:46.935
I mean, I like to memorize the Bible,
00:28:46.935 --> 00:28:48.124
but I don't think I want
00:28:48.124 --> 00:28:50.081
to memorize all of those names."
00:28:50.081 --> 00:28:53.366
But they may have significance
for your family
00:28:53.366 --> 00:28:55.236
if you say, "This is my heritage."
00:28:55.236 --> 00:28:56.674
But let's look at one verse
00:28:56.674 --> 00:29:00.948
in 2 Peter, chapter 1 and verse 16,
00:29:00.948 --> 00:29:02.528
that may shed some light.
00:29:02.528 --> 00:29:03.723
Do you have that, Jason,
00:29:03.723 --> 00:29:06.876
2 Peter 1 and verse 16?
00:29:06.876 --> 00:29:08.015
(Jason) I'll be reading
00:29:08.015 --> 00:29:09.574
from the New King James Version,
00:29:09.574 --> 00:29:13.215
2 Peter, chapter 1, verse 16:
00:29:26.245 --> 00:29:27.343
(Derek) So it's like...
00:29:27.343 --> 00:29:31.467
This isn't just, like, a fairytale, right?
00:29:31.467 --> 00:29:34.852
"This is history, and we're naming
the people,
00:29:34.852 --> 00:29:37.241
and we're going to tell you
what happened."
00:29:37.241 --> 00:29:39.177
And that gives us confidence,
00:29:39.177 --> 00:29:40.952
but I think Alex has got a point,
00:29:40.952 --> 00:29:42.906
not just to know that it happened,
00:29:42.906 --> 00:29:44.275
but there may be some things
00:29:44.275 --> 00:29:45.301
that we need to know
00:29:45.301 --> 00:29:46.841
that will help us understand
00:29:46.841 --> 00:29:48.608
other prophecies of the Bible.
00:29:48.616 --> 00:29:50.514
Well, let's go on to Ezra,
00:29:50.514 --> 00:29:53.314
in chapter 7 of Ezra's book,
00:29:53.314 --> 00:29:55.322
verses 1 through 10,
00:29:55.322 --> 00:29:57.082
and we'll learn something about Ezra
00:29:57.082 --> 00:30:00.993
who leads what some might call
the second wave,
00:30:00.993 --> 00:30:03.647
Zerubbabel, about 538,
00:30:03.647 --> 00:30:07.290
now we're about 458, 457.
00:30:07.290 --> 00:30:08.853
And, Brittany, if you could read
00:30:08.853 --> 00:30:12.846
the first ten verses of Ezra, chapter 7,
00:30:12.846 --> 00:30:16.698
I'd like you to listen carefully
00:30:16.698 --> 00:30:18.525
and say, "What do we learn
00:30:18.525 --> 00:30:21.592
about this priest named Ezra
00:30:21.592 --> 00:30:23.450
from the account in chapter 7?"
00:30:23.450 --> 00:30:24.886
(Brittany) And I'll be reading
00:30:24.886 --> 00:30:26.440
from the New King James Version,
00:30:26.440 --> 00:30:29.045
Ezra, chapter 7, verses 1 through 10:
00:32:09.518 --> 00:32:10.519
(Derek) Wow, verse 10
00:32:10.519 --> 00:32:12.184
is just a powerful verse, isn't it?
00:32:12.184 --> 00:32:13.461
But again, back, Liza,
00:32:13.461 --> 00:32:15.375
to what you were saying earlier,
00:32:15.375 --> 00:32:16.603
what's the function...
00:32:16.603 --> 00:32:19.840
By the way, well read, all those names.
00:32:19.840 --> 00:32:21.315
What's the purpose
00:32:21.315 --> 00:32:24.518
of the first five verses,
00:32:24.518 --> 00:32:28.245
and then verse 6 says, "this Ezra"?
00:32:28.245 --> 00:32:30.114
(Liza) It's very clear that Ezra
00:32:30.114 --> 00:32:32.396
came from a very distinguished family.
00:32:32.396 --> 00:32:33.936
He was a descendant of Aaron
00:32:33.936 --> 00:32:36.703
who was in some ways Moses' right hand
00:32:36.703 --> 00:32:38.801
when delivering the children of Israel.
00:32:38.801 --> 00:32:41.260
And so he comes from this
priestly lineage,
00:32:41.260 --> 00:32:42.738
and he probably grew up
00:32:42.738 --> 00:32:44.773
with a lot of knowledge of the law of God.
00:32:44.773 --> 00:32:45.838
He was probably taught
00:32:45.838 --> 00:32:48.262
by his father, his father's father.
00:32:48.262 --> 00:32:50.071
And so, he had a lot of knowledge
00:32:50.071 --> 00:32:52.024
and understanding of God's law.
00:32:52.026 --> 00:32:53.677
(Derek) So, it could be, you know,
00:32:53.677 --> 00:32:55.320
there are a lot of Lizas or Jasons
00:32:55.320 --> 00:32:58.177
or Joshuas in the world, but, "I'm the one
00:32:58.177 --> 00:33:00.123
who is a direct descendant
00:33:00.123 --> 00:33:02.352
of the high priest, Aaron,
00:33:02.352 --> 00:33:03.727
which means that, of course,
00:33:03.727 --> 00:33:05.825
he's also in the priestly line, right?
00:33:05.825 --> 00:33:08.786
So, that's his heritage,
00:33:08.786 --> 00:33:11.022
but what about him as a person?
00:33:11.022 --> 00:33:13.252
What did you hear as a person, Liza?
00:33:13.252 --> 00:33:14.404
(Liza) I think one thing
00:33:14.404 --> 00:33:15.654
that this verse teaches us
00:33:15.654 --> 00:33:17.285
is you can't choose your heritage.
00:33:17.285 --> 00:33:18.489
I mean, you are born
00:33:18.489 --> 00:33:20.230
in whatever family you are born in,
00:33:20.230 --> 00:33:22.203
but he made a conscious decision
00:33:22.203 --> 00:33:24.248
to prepare his heart to seek after God.
00:33:24.248 --> 00:33:26.162
And that's the part that you can change.
00:33:26.162 --> 00:33:29.376
He was convicted to do something different
00:33:29.376 --> 00:33:31.678
and to follow God with his own heart,
00:33:31.678 --> 00:33:33.913
and that's what qualified him,
00:33:33.913 --> 00:33:35.561
later on we'll find that he was
00:33:35.561 --> 00:33:37.986
the fit person to lead the children
of Israel.
00:33:37.986 --> 00:33:39.278
(Derek) Because not all
00:33:39.278 --> 00:33:41.198
of the descendants of Aaron
00:33:41.198 --> 00:33:44.252
followed God, did they, right?
00:33:44.252 --> 00:33:46.478
So, that's nice; I like
00:33:46.478 --> 00:33:48.668
the way that you said that:
00:33:48.668 --> 00:33:51.415
We cannot choose our ancestry,
00:33:51.415 --> 00:33:53.626
but we can choose who we are
00:33:53.626 --> 00:33:54.871
by the grace of God.
00:33:54.871 --> 00:33:56.563
All right, what else did you notice
00:33:56.563 --> 00:33:58.934
about Ezra as a person? Yes, Puia.
00:33:58.934 --> 00:34:00.419
(Puia) That he was skilled.
00:34:00.419 --> 00:34:02.380
(Derek) Okay.
00:34:02.380 --> 00:34:03.718
(Puia) Verse 6 mentioned
00:34:03.718 --> 00:34:05.151
that he was a skilled scribe
00:34:05.151 --> 00:34:06.441
in the Law of Moses.
00:34:06.441 --> 00:34:09.488
(Derek) So, what does that tell you?
00:34:09.488 --> 00:34:11.160
(Puia) Probably he was smart...
00:34:11.160 --> 00:34:15.212
(Derek) How do you get
skilled at something?
00:34:15.212 --> 00:34:18.599
Education and practice, right?
00:34:18.599 --> 00:34:20.961
Attitude is one thing, that's good,
00:34:20.961 --> 00:34:23.695
but skilled is another thing, right?
00:34:23.695 --> 00:34:24.595
(Puia) Training.
00:34:24.595 --> 00:34:26.096
(Derek) That involves training,
00:34:26.096 --> 00:34:28.392
education, practice. Harold?
00:34:28.392 --> 00:34:29.755
(Harold) The other thing is,
00:34:29.755 --> 00:34:30.885
at the end of verse 10,
00:34:30.885 --> 00:34:33.869
it says that he tried to teach
00:34:33.869 --> 00:34:36.176
the statutes and ordinances in Israel,
00:34:36.176 --> 00:34:37.777
so he was not just trying to keep
00:34:37.777 --> 00:34:39.856
this knowledge from the Scriptures,
00:34:39.856 --> 00:34:40.929
but he was working
00:34:40.929 --> 00:34:42.805
to spread it and share it,
00:34:42.805 --> 00:34:45.087
because, again, this is about restoration,
00:34:45.087 --> 00:34:46.855
trying to lead these people back
00:34:46.855 --> 00:34:49.884
to the Word of God and to God Himself.
00:34:49.884 --> 00:34:53.816
(Derek) So, he seeks it, the law of God,
and he...?
00:34:53.816 --> 00:34:55.333
(Team Member) Teaches it.
00:34:55.333 --> 00:34:57.326
(Derek) No, there's something in between.
00:34:57.326 --> 00:34:58.229
He seeks it, he...?
00:34:58.229 --> 00:34:59.599
(Derek, Team) He does it.
00:34:59.599 --> 00:35:00.735
(Derek) And he...?
00:35:00.735 --> 00:35:02.260
(Derek, Team) He shares it.
00:35:02.260 --> 00:35:03.849
(Derek) You know, to just seek it
00:35:03.849 --> 00:35:05.266
and share it without doing it
00:35:05.266 --> 00:35:06.497
is not going to work.
00:35:06.497 --> 00:35:08.184
It's not credible, is it?
00:35:08.184 --> 00:35:09.117
(Team) No.
00:35:09.117 --> 00:35:10.478
(Derek) But here's this man,
00:35:10.478 --> 00:35:11.946
just emerges out of nowhere,
00:35:11.946 --> 00:35:13.700
but from a distinguished family,
00:35:13.700 --> 00:35:16.284
and he purposes in his heart.
00:35:16.284 --> 00:35:18.070
Does that remind you of someone else?
00:35:18.070 --> 00:35:19.065
(Team) Daniel.
00:35:19.065 --> 00:35:21.187
(Derek) Daniel and his
three friends, right,
00:35:21.187 --> 00:35:22.484
Purposing in their hearts,
00:35:22.484 --> 00:35:23.769
they made a decision.
00:35:23.769 --> 00:35:25.897
They wanted to not only know about God
00:35:25.900 --> 00:35:27.559
but obey God and...?
00:35:27.559 --> 00:35:31.269
And share that with other people.
Yes, Travis?
00:35:31.269 --> 00:35:32.885
(Travis) I was just going to say,
00:35:32.885 --> 00:35:34.796
the first part of verse 10, it says,
00:35:34.796 --> 00:35:36.859
"Ezra prepared his heart
to seek the Lord."
00:35:36.859 --> 00:35:39.230
So this wasn't something
that just happened.
00:35:39.230 --> 00:35:43.010
This is something that...He sought God
00:35:43.010 --> 00:35:46.447
and was preparing his heart
to be the leader.
00:35:46.447 --> 00:35:48.557
He didn't know the future,
00:35:48.557 --> 00:35:49.737
what he was going to do,
00:35:49.737 --> 00:35:51.256
but he was preparing his heart,
00:35:51.256 --> 00:35:53.006
and then God called him.
00:35:53.006 --> 00:35:55.334
(Derek) Jason, I want you to read...
00:35:55.334 --> 00:35:57.328
We didn't read - there's a long list
00:35:57.328 --> 00:35:59.170
of names coming up here in chapter 8,
00:35:59.170 --> 00:36:01.031
which I'm not going to ask you to read.
00:36:01.031 --> 00:36:04.114
But I do want you to read in chapter 7
00:36:04.114 --> 00:36:08.628
the entire decree, verses 11 to 26,
00:36:08.628 --> 00:36:11.224
of King Artaxerxes to restore
00:36:11.224 --> 00:36:12.658
and rebuild Jerusalem.
00:36:12.658 --> 00:36:14.297
And then I want to ask
00:36:14.297 --> 00:36:16.627
the question of the group and of those
00:36:16.627 --> 00:36:18.373
who are watching around the world,
00:36:18.373 --> 00:36:20.488
why do you think the Holy Spirit
00:36:20.488 --> 00:36:24.595
inspires him to write the entire decree
00:36:24.595 --> 00:36:25.913
of this ancient king?
00:36:25.913 --> 00:36:27.464
I think there's an answer,
00:36:27.464 --> 00:36:29.513
and, Alex, you kind of alluded to it
00:36:29.513 --> 00:36:30.998
earlier in our study.
00:36:30.998 --> 00:36:32.775
But let's listen to the decree,
00:36:32.775 --> 00:36:37.939
starting in verse 11 of Ezra, chapter 7.
00:36:37.939 --> 00:36:39.281
(Jason) I'll be reading here
00:36:39.281 --> 00:36:41.155
from the New King James Version,
00:36:41.155 --> 00:36:46.099
Ezra, chapter 7, verses 11 through 26:
00:40:42.754 --> 00:40:44.683
(Derek) Now, while Jason's reading this,
00:40:44.683 --> 00:40:48.574
I'm thinking, "This is astonishing."
00:40:48.574 --> 00:40:54.755
Why would a pagan king make such a...
00:40:54.755 --> 00:40:58.826
How would you describe this decree?
00:40:58.826 --> 00:41:05.611
Gracious, generous, God-honoring decree?
00:41:05.611 --> 00:41:08.024
What's the answer? Liza?
00:41:08.024 --> 00:41:09.907
(Liza) I think he was God-fearing, too,
00:41:09.907 --> 00:41:12.325
because in verse 23 it says,
00:41:12.325 --> 00:41:13.842
"For why should there be wrath
00:41:13.842 --> 00:41:16.015
against the realm of the king
and his sons?"
00:41:16.015 --> 00:41:17.284
meaning he felt that,
00:41:17.284 --> 00:41:18.356
if he didn't do this,
00:41:18.356 --> 00:41:19.643
there would be consequences
00:41:19.643 --> 00:41:21.087
of his disobedience.
00:41:21.092 --> 00:41:23.840
(Derek) Okay, so you think
00:41:23.840 --> 00:41:26.215
that he's not just a generous person,
00:41:26.215 --> 00:41:28.875
but he was under conviction
00:41:28.875 --> 00:41:31.657
of the Spirit of God, too? Pedro?
00:41:31.657 --> 00:41:33.044
(Pedro) We see that Ezra
00:41:33.044 --> 00:41:34.152
knew the law of God,
00:41:34.152 --> 00:41:36.191
and he could see the blessings
00:41:36.191 --> 00:41:38.217
that God has put upon the people of Israel
00:41:38.217 --> 00:41:42.766
and also those that are over them.
00:41:42.766 --> 00:41:44.337
He saw that calamity
00:41:44.337 --> 00:41:46.059
could come upon himself
00:41:46.059 --> 00:41:47.495
if he would not obey God,
00:41:47.495 --> 00:41:50.101
and he had plenty of evidence
00:41:50.101 --> 00:41:52.298
from the history of the people of Israel
00:41:52.298 --> 00:41:54.719
inside the captivity there,
00:41:54.719 --> 00:41:56.313
of what happened to those
00:41:56.313 --> 00:41:58.656
who have gone against God's people.
00:41:58.656 --> 00:42:00.481
So he was trying to protect, probably,
00:42:00.481 --> 00:42:02.113
his kingdom during this time.
00:42:02.130 --> 00:42:03.682
(Derek) He certainly knew also
00:42:03.682 --> 00:42:05.485
about Daniel and Shadrach,
00:42:05.485 --> 00:42:06.555
Meshach, and Abednego.
00:42:06.555 --> 00:42:08.125
We could take a lot of time here,
00:42:08.125 --> 00:42:09.319
but we've got to move on.
00:42:09.319 --> 00:42:10.224
But would you agree
00:42:10.224 --> 00:42:12.401
that something supernatural
is happening here?
00:42:12.401 --> 00:42:13.095
(Team) Yes.
00:42:13.095 --> 00:42:14.457
(Derek) It's not just, "He's
00:42:14.457 --> 00:42:16.142
a very nice pagan king who's saying
00:42:16.142 --> 00:42:18.153
wonderful things about the God of Heaven,"
00:42:18.153 --> 00:42:20.389
and giving all of the resources
that are needed.
00:42:20.389 --> 00:42:23.644
Let's look in verses 27 and 28,
00:42:23.644 --> 00:42:25.616
Alex, if you could read for us,
00:42:25.616 --> 00:42:29.764
how Ezra responded to this, can I call it,
00:42:29.764 --> 00:42:33.903
a startling decree of a pagan king.
00:42:33.903 --> 00:42:34.989
(Alex) I'll be reading
00:42:34.989 --> 00:42:36.887
from the King James Version:
00:43:01.550 --> 00:43:05.990
(Derek) What did Ezra recognize?
00:43:05.990 --> 00:43:07.974
God is at work here, right?
00:43:07.974 --> 00:43:09.403
"God is at work here;
00:43:09.403 --> 00:43:10.917
God is at work with me;
00:43:10.917 --> 00:43:13.012
God is at work with the king," right?
00:43:13.012 --> 00:43:14.833
Something amazing is happening,
00:43:14.833 --> 00:43:17.154
and so he prepares.
00:43:17.154 --> 00:43:18.457
Now, we could read
00:43:18.457 --> 00:43:22.237
verses 1 through 14 of chapter 8;
00:43:22.237 --> 00:43:23.539
I'm not going to.
00:43:23.539 --> 00:43:24.779
But does anybody know
00:43:24.779 --> 00:43:28.323
approximately how many of the exiles
00:43:28.323 --> 00:43:31.813
decided to go with Ezra?
00:43:31.813 --> 00:43:33.688
(Team) About 1500 men.
00:43:33.688 --> 00:43:35.195
(Derek) Someone's done the math
00:43:35.195 --> 00:43:36.535
and said about 1500.
00:43:36.535 --> 00:43:38.044
Now, I don't know if that means
00:43:38.044 --> 00:43:40.176
there were children, too,
and family members,
00:43:40.192 --> 00:43:42.429
but you say, "Derek, that's, like,
00:43:42.429 --> 00:43:45.199
a tiny group of people,"
00:43:45.199 --> 00:43:46.869
after they've seen what?
00:43:46.869 --> 00:43:48.731
What have we just read?
00:43:48.731 --> 00:43:49.896
(Team) A miracle.
00:43:49.896 --> 00:43:53.031
(Derek) A miraculous intervention of God
00:43:53.031 --> 00:43:56.718
touching the heart of a pagan king.
00:43:56.718 --> 00:43:59.887
So here's the difficult question:
00:43:59.887 --> 00:44:01.990
Why do you think so few
00:44:01.990 --> 00:44:09.082
chose to return back to Judah with Ezra?
00:44:09.082 --> 00:44:10.848
There may be many reasons,
00:44:10.848 --> 00:44:12.881
but let's look at a few of them, shall we?
00:44:12.881 --> 00:44:13.998
Let's start here, Alex?
00:44:13.998 --> 00:44:15.365
(Alex) I think a lot of them
00:44:15.365 --> 00:44:16.615
had just become complacent
00:44:16.615 --> 00:44:17.677
with where they're at
00:44:17.677 --> 00:44:19.483
and comfortable with where they're at.
00:44:19.483 --> 00:44:20.551
That actually makes me
00:44:20.551 --> 00:44:23.213
think about me in situations.
00:44:23.213 --> 00:44:24.874
It's easy to judge them with that,
00:44:24.874 --> 00:44:26.490
but it's like we get comfortable
00:44:26.490 --> 00:44:28.699
with where we're at so often,
and it's like...
00:44:28.699 --> 00:44:30.014
(Derek) "You really want me
00:44:30.014 --> 00:44:31.113
to go on a mission trip
00:44:31.113 --> 00:44:32.871
where I'm going to sleep on the floor
00:44:32.871 --> 00:44:34.301
and have bugs crawling around
00:44:34.301 --> 00:44:37.491
when I can stay in my condo," right?
00:44:37.491 --> 00:44:39.890
I mean, so you're saying one reason,
00:44:39.890 --> 00:44:42.587
they just felt really comfortable
where they were,
00:44:42.587 --> 00:44:44.717
and do you think they were right
00:44:44.717 --> 00:44:46.718
to recognize there would be some hardships
00:44:46.718 --> 00:44:47.807
if they went home?
00:44:47.807 --> 00:44:49.038
(Team Member) Absolutely.
00:44:49.038 --> 00:44:50.130
(Derek) Anybody else,
00:44:50.130 --> 00:44:51.398
another reason. Pedro?
00:44:51.398 --> 00:44:53.266
(Pedro) I believe not many had
00:44:53.266 --> 00:44:54.465
an encounter with God.
00:44:54.465 --> 00:44:56.198
We see that they were in captivity
00:44:56.198 --> 00:44:57.664
because they were disobedient,
00:44:57.664 --> 00:44:59.803
and there were not many changes of heart.
00:44:59.803 --> 00:45:04.519
We see the king, who had
a change of heart,
00:45:04.519 --> 00:45:05.688
to give that blessing,
00:45:05.688 --> 00:45:07.568
We see that God does the same thing
00:45:07.568 --> 00:45:08.682
with most of the kings
00:45:08.682 --> 00:45:10.145
in the Old Testament.
00:45:10.145 --> 00:45:11.988
And we see the Pharaoh.
00:45:11.988 --> 00:45:14.017
God came in an encounter with the Pharaoh,
00:45:14.017 --> 00:45:16.078
but he chose not to encounter
00:45:16.078 --> 00:45:17.932
a relationship with God.
00:45:17.932 --> 00:45:20.658
(Derek) But Nebuchadnezzar did,
right, eventually.
00:45:20.658 --> 00:45:24.488
So you're seeing these changes.
00:45:24.488 --> 00:45:27.397
Is it possible that God wanted some
00:45:27.397 --> 00:45:29.546
to stay by in exile?
00:45:29.546 --> 00:45:31.421
(Team) That's possible.
00:45:31.421 --> 00:45:33.442
(Derek) I like what Pedro said,
00:45:33.442 --> 00:45:35.390
that maybe for many, it was just
00:45:35.390 --> 00:45:36.875
they lacked that relationship.
00:45:36.875 --> 00:45:38.936
When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
00:45:38.936 --> 00:45:40.265
refused to bow down
00:45:40.265 --> 00:45:41.616
to the golden idol,
00:45:41.616 --> 00:45:43.199
how many other of the captive
00:45:43.199 --> 00:45:47.823
children of Israel stood?
00:45:47.823 --> 00:45:50.496
They bowed down; some say even the king,
00:45:50.496 --> 00:45:52.295
a descendant, maybe a relative
00:45:52.295 --> 00:45:56.696
of Zerubbabel was there and bowed down.
00:45:56.696 --> 00:45:58.909
So, I think there's something to this,
00:45:58.909 --> 00:46:02.739
comfortable and disconnected from God.
00:46:02.739 --> 00:46:05.250
Now there may be a few exceptions, right,
00:46:05.250 --> 00:46:07.654
like Daniel, that God says...
00:46:07.654 --> 00:46:09.211
Of course, Daniel's gone now,
00:46:09.211 --> 00:46:10.939
but with the first group
00:46:10.939 --> 00:46:12.252
with Zerubbabel leaving,
00:46:12.252 --> 00:46:14.142
God may say, "Stay by, Daniel,
00:46:14.142 --> 00:46:15.163
I've got some work
00:46:15.163 --> 00:46:17.029
I want you to do." Travis.
00:46:17.029 --> 00:46:18.884
(Travis) I think, too, they had houses,
00:46:18.884 --> 00:46:20.071
land and possessions.
00:46:20.071 --> 00:46:22.132
So if you can imagine you had a nice house
00:46:22.132 --> 00:46:23.389
and all these possessions,
00:46:23.389 --> 00:46:25.013
when you leave, that's gone.
00:46:25.013 --> 00:46:26.557
It's not like you sell the house
00:46:26.557 --> 00:46:28.176
and buy something somewhere else.
00:46:28.176 --> 00:46:31.677
You have to go build a new house,
plant new crops.
00:46:31.677 --> 00:46:34.551
I mean, this is a life-changing thing.
00:46:34.551 --> 00:46:35.826
(Derek) Starting again.
00:46:35.826 --> 00:46:36.692
(Travis) Yes.
00:46:36.692 --> 00:46:40.752
(Derek) But I like what Alex was saying,
00:46:40.752 --> 00:46:42.218
I think this has something
00:46:42.218 --> 00:46:44.075
to do with us today.
00:46:44.075 --> 00:46:47.638
You know, if we are not connected to God,
00:46:47.638 --> 00:46:50.505
and we're too comfortable and complacent,
00:46:50.505 --> 00:46:53.012
God might ask us to do something,
00:46:53.012 --> 00:46:56.541
and we'll just say, "No." Liza?
00:46:56.541 --> 00:46:58.617
(Liza) I think also they struggled
00:46:58.617 --> 00:47:01.090
to believe in God's goodness.
00:47:01.090 --> 00:47:03.370
I mean, they were there, as Pedro said,
00:47:03.370 --> 00:47:05.178
as a result of their disobedience,
00:47:05.178 --> 00:47:06.388
so it is a punishment.
00:47:06.388 --> 00:47:08.073
And so I think it was hard for them
00:47:08.073 --> 00:47:09.711
to change their perspective of God
00:47:09.711 --> 00:47:11.441
and say, "Well, God has forgiven us.
00:47:11.441 --> 00:47:12.865
God is ready to work with us.
00:47:12.865 --> 00:47:14.223
God is willing to bless us."
00:47:14.223 --> 00:47:16.149
I think that was hard for them to accept
00:47:16.149 --> 00:47:18.067
because they knew what they did wrong.
00:47:18.067 --> 00:47:20.482
(Derek) So let's, in our last part
of the study,
00:47:20.482 --> 00:47:22.589
go back to Ezra and look
00:47:22.589 --> 00:47:24.495
at some of the preparations he made
00:47:24.495 --> 00:47:26.051
because if he made them,
00:47:26.051 --> 00:47:27.970
and God said, "Go," and he went,
00:47:27.970 --> 00:47:29.632
maybe those are preparations
00:47:29.632 --> 00:47:31.521
that would be helpful for us
00:47:31.521 --> 00:47:34.105
in the Last Days, yes or no?
00:47:34.105 --> 00:47:36.460
Absolutely, right?
00:47:36.460 --> 00:47:39.756
So let's look again in Ezra, chapter 7.
00:47:39.756 --> 00:47:41.459
Laurel, if you could read
00:47:41.459 --> 00:47:43.827
verse 6 and verse 10 again.
00:47:43.827 --> 00:47:45.992
I think you have another translation,
00:47:45.992 --> 00:47:47.772
so let's see how the translators
00:47:47.772 --> 00:47:51.438
capture verse 6 and verse 10 of Ezra 7.
00:47:51.438 --> 00:47:52.584
And the question is,
00:47:52.584 --> 00:47:56.186
what important preparation had Ezra made
00:47:56.186 --> 00:47:58.423
that enabled the Lord to use him,
00:47:58.423 --> 00:48:01.251
and we might also say enabled him to hear
00:48:01.251 --> 00:48:02.915
when God asked him to act?
00:48:02.915 --> 00:48:04.698
(Laurel) Okay, I'll be reading
00:48:04.698 --> 00:48:09.008
from the New American Standard Bible,
Ezra 7:6:
00:48:30.032 --> 00:48:31.302
(Derek) And then verse 10.
00:48:31.302 --> 00:48:32.417
(Laurel) Verse 10:
00:48:42.619 --> 00:48:46.299
(Derek) So, help me, Harold,
what's some preparation
00:48:46.299 --> 00:48:49.079
men and women might make today,
00:48:49.079 --> 00:48:51.072
just like Ezra made back then,
00:48:51.072 --> 00:48:52.412
so when God says, "I've got
00:48:52.412 --> 00:48:54.049
a work for you to do,"
00:48:54.049 --> 00:48:59.337
that we'll say, "Here I am,
Lord, send me"?
00:48:59.337 --> 00:49:01.416
(Harold) We need that alone time with God,
00:49:01.416 --> 00:49:03.534
that solitude, so that we can pray
00:49:03.534 --> 00:49:04.812
and meditate on His Word,
00:49:04.812 --> 00:49:07.133
not just read, but meditate.
00:49:07.133 --> 00:49:10.498
And, like, really find deeper things
and re-read it
00:49:10.498 --> 00:49:11.648
because he was skilled,
00:49:11.648 --> 00:49:13.498
and you become skilled when you repeat
00:49:13.498 --> 00:49:15.548
and do the same things
over and over again.
00:49:15.563 --> 00:49:18.271
(Derek) It was not just a casual reading
of the Word.
00:49:18.271 --> 00:49:19.445
All right. Stephanie?
00:49:19.445 --> 00:49:21.234
(Stephanie) There's something to say
00:49:21.234 --> 00:49:22.917
about having that daily commitment
00:49:22.917 --> 00:49:24.667
because then you're staying in tune
00:49:24.667 --> 00:49:26.049
with the voice of God,
00:49:26.049 --> 00:49:27.764
and also you know the Word of God.
00:49:27.764 --> 00:49:30.325
So, if a call comes to you,
00:49:30.325 --> 00:49:32.004
you can determine whether or not
00:49:32.004 --> 00:49:34.768
it is God's voice.
00:49:34.768 --> 00:49:36.785
(Derek) Now, it's interesting in verse 6
00:49:36.785 --> 00:49:38.748
it said the king granted his request
00:49:38.748 --> 00:49:40.719
because he saw the hand of God.
00:49:40.719 --> 00:49:41.977
How do people see
00:49:41.977 --> 00:49:44.528
that the hand of God is upon you?
00:49:44.528 --> 00:49:46.445
How do they see that?
00:49:46.445 --> 00:49:48.196
(Gladys) Through your actions.
00:49:48.196 --> 00:49:50.510
(Derek) Through your actions?
00:49:50.510 --> 00:49:54.895
Is that supernatural, too? Pedro?
00:49:54.895 --> 00:49:58.608
(Pedro) I see here a very important word;
it says "skilled."
00:49:58.608 --> 00:49:59.696
(Derek) Skilled.
00:49:59.696 --> 00:50:01.996
(Pedro) I know when you have a craft,
00:50:01.996 --> 00:50:04.828
and you know how to work with some craft,
00:50:04.828 --> 00:50:07.052
like I like to work with cars,
00:50:07.052 --> 00:50:08.245
for me, not to just watch
00:50:08.245 --> 00:50:10.663
a video on YouTube or learn a lesson
00:50:10.663 --> 00:50:12.646
from "How to Change Oil"
00:50:12.646 --> 00:50:15.401
or to change a head gasket on a car,
00:50:15.401 --> 00:50:17.476
will give me the ability to do it.
00:50:17.476 --> 00:50:19.558
But he sought to learn
00:50:19.558 --> 00:50:20.932
from the law of God,
00:50:20.932 --> 00:50:24.122
He'd do it, he does, and then
00:50:24.122 --> 00:50:27.611
he spread to others, he'd teach others.
00:50:27.611 --> 00:50:29.381
And I think that's very important.
00:50:29.381 --> 00:50:32.982
He was skilled, not because he
knew about His Word,
00:50:32.982 --> 00:50:34.231
he practiced on his life,
00:50:34.231 --> 00:50:36.818
and he told others, and that made him
00:50:36.818 --> 00:50:38.366
very knowledgeable about it.
00:50:38.366 --> 00:50:40.207
(Derek) I see Stephanie looking at you
00:50:40.207 --> 00:50:41.237
saying, "I never knew
00:50:41.237 --> 00:50:43.489
you were a skilled mechanic."
00:50:43.489 --> 00:50:45.428
"What is a head gasket?" right?
00:50:45.428 --> 00:50:47.576
(Stephanie) No, I know what
that is, actually.
00:50:47.576 --> 00:50:49.756
(Derek) Yeah, you know what
a head gasket is.
00:50:49.756 --> 00:50:51.625
It's part of the engine, but, you know,
00:50:51.625 --> 00:50:53.751
you don't just get that
automatically, right?
00:50:53.751 --> 00:50:56.324
There's preparation; there's discipline.
00:50:56.324 --> 00:50:59.560
So these are some important
preparations he made.
00:50:59.560 --> 00:51:01.158
I'm going to take a couple more,
00:51:01.158 --> 00:51:02.495
and then I want you to think
00:51:02.495 --> 00:51:04.266
of some other people besides Ezra
00:51:04.269 --> 00:51:06.150
that you could say, "Well, they made
00:51:06.150 --> 00:51:07.979
important preparation, too,
00:51:07.979 --> 00:51:09.034
so that when God
00:51:09.034 --> 00:51:10.394
gave them an assignment,
00:51:10.394 --> 00:51:11.704
they were ready. Puia?
00:51:11.704 --> 00:51:13.214
(Puia) I think the other aspect
00:51:13.214 --> 00:51:14.580
we can learn from this story
00:51:14.580 --> 00:51:16.775
is the importance of education.
00:51:16.775 --> 00:51:17.810
In context of today,
00:51:17.810 --> 00:51:20.926
I think God can use you more
00:51:20.926 --> 00:51:22.945
as you learn more about the history
00:51:22.945 --> 00:51:25.193
and the context of the Scripture
and all of this
00:51:25.193 --> 00:51:27.888
even in today's context when serving God.
00:51:27.888 --> 00:51:29.261
(Derek) There's a saying;
00:51:29.261 --> 00:51:31.416
I believe it's in the book of Ecclesiastes
00:51:31.416 --> 00:51:35.852
where Solomon said, "When the ax is dull,
00:51:35.852 --> 00:51:39.797
more effort is required,
00:51:39.797 --> 00:51:43.854
but wisdom will bring success."
00:51:43.854 --> 00:51:47.715
What's the wisdom? To sharpen the ax.
00:51:47.715 --> 00:51:49.969
And that's what education does,
00:51:49.969 --> 00:51:52.391
and practice - skilled.
00:51:52.391 --> 00:51:53.987
Thank you for pointing that out.
00:51:53.987 --> 00:51:56.224
So, "God, if You want me
00:51:56.224 --> 00:51:57.660
to be powerful in the Word
00:51:57.660 --> 00:52:00.172
before a council someday,
00:52:00.172 --> 00:52:01.355
I want to take time
00:52:01.355 --> 00:52:03.385
with the Word now," right?
00:52:03.385 --> 00:52:05.257
I want to be skilled.
00:52:05.257 --> 00:52:06.456
"If You want me to speak
00:52:06.456 --> 00:52:08.353
in the power of the Holy Spirit
00:52:08.353 --> 00:52:11.098
before the nations some day,
00:52:11.098 --> 00:52:13.642
I want to speak for You now to my neighbor
00:52:13.642 --> 00:52:15.194
in the Holy Spirit." Joshua?
00:52:15.194 --> 00:52:17.052
(Joshua) I think it's really important
00:52:17.052 --> 00:52:18.606
for us to embrace the principles
00:52:18.606 --> 00:52:20.447
of the Bible in our lives
00:52:20.447 --> 00:52:22.387
and to truly practice them.
00:52:22.387 --> 00:52:24.878
And what I find to be amazing is that
00:52:24.878 --> 00:52:27.706
I listen to these great motivational
00:52:27.706 --> 00:52:30.472
and inspirational speakers of the world,
00:52:30.472 --> 00:52:32.643
and they'll say things that people will
00:52:32.643 --> 00:52:35.063
listen to and hold onto and practice,
00:52:35.063 --> 00:52:39.227
not realizing that that same principle
is in the Bible.
00:52:39.227 --> 00:52:40.774
And, so, many people
00:52:40.774 --> 00:52:43.985
have profited off of God's principles
00:52:43.985 --> 00:52:45.797
that He has given to us for free,
00:52:45.797 --> 00:52:47.505
but they'll pay hundreds of dollars
00:52:47.505 --> 00:52:49.116
to go to a seminar and hear
00:52:49.116 --> 00:52:51.130
the same thing from someone else's mouth.
00:52:51.132 --> 00:52:52.927
(Derek) A great revelation,
00:52:52.927 --> 00:52:55.219
but it's still true, right?
00:52:55.219 --> 00:52:56.599
It's a principle of truth
00:52:56.599 --> 00:52:58.779
that is also spelled out
00:52:58.779 --> 00:53:00.061
in the Word of God.
00:53:00.061 --> 00:53:01.757
Let's talk about some other people.
00:53:01.757 --> 00:53:03.289
Ezra was not alone.
00:53:03.289 --> 00:53:04.719
We might say, well, Nehemiah,
00:53:04.728 --> 00:53:05.840
and we're going to talk
00:53:05.840 --> 00:53:07.460
about both of them in this series.
00:53:07.460 --> 00:53:09.376
But let's scan broader in the Scripture
00:53:09.376 --> 00:53:11.091
and say, "There's a young woman,"
00:53:11.091 --> 00:53:12.612
or, "There's an older man,"
00:53:12.612 --> 00:53:15.303
older woman, young, whatever age group,
00:53:15.303 --> 00:53:18.441
"that their preparation was crucial
00:53:18.441 --> 00:53:20.203
for the work God called them to do."
00:53:20.203 --> 00:53:22.095
Anybody have a - just share
00:53:22.095 --> 00:53:23.584
a story with me that comes
00:53:23.584 --> 00:53:26.188
to your mind. Anybody?
00:53:26.188 --> 00:53:27.414
(Alex) I think of Daniel.
00:53:27.414 --> 00:53:28.920
We talked about it already,
00:53:28.920 --> 00:53:30.229
but, I mean, look at how he
00:53:30.229 --> 00:53:32.803
prepared himself with his friends,
00:53:32.803 --> 00:53:35.282
with eating well, with his diet.
00:53:35.282 --> 00:53:37.224
(Derek) That's right, Daniel, chapter 1,
00:53:37.224 --> 00:53:39.758
even taking care of his body
00:53:39.758 --> 00:53:43.114
was part of his training, right?
00:53:43.114 --> 00:53:44.343
Good point. Yes?
00:53:44.343 --> 00:53:46.047
(Puia) I remember Paul
00:53:46.047 --> 00:53:48.289
who was previously Saul.
00:53:48.289 --> 00:53:50.675
He was a learned man as well,
educated man,
00:53:50.675 --> 00:53:52.571
and when God transformed his heart
00:53:52.571 --> 00:53:55.088
when he met Jesus, he was very useful.
00:53:55.088 --> 00:53:57.962
And, in fact, most of the New Testament
00:53:57.962 --> 00:53:59.335
is written by Paul.
00:53:59.335 --> 00:54:00.961
So I think we see an importance
00:54:00.961 --> 00:54:02.546
of training as well here.
00:54:02.557 --> 00:54:03.890
(Derek) And another person,
00:54:03.890 --> 00:54:05.561
which you may not have thought of,
00:54:05.561 --> 00:54:06.767
who wrote a major portion
00:54:06.767 --> 00:54:08.079
of the New Testament
00:54:08.079 --> 00:54:10.605
if you add the book of the Gospel
00:54:10.605 --> 00:54:12.596
and the book of Acts together,
00:54:12.596 --> 00:54:14.858
you've got a major contributor
00:54:14.858 --> 00:54:17.728
who happened, by profession, to be...?
00:54:17.728 --> 00:54:20.495
A physician, Dr. Luke,
00:54:20.495 --> 00:54:23.203
writing to his friend Theophilus, right?
00:54:23.203 --> 00:54:25.496
So there's another one, preparation.
00:54:25.496 --> 00:54:27.123
Someone else. Pedro?
00:54:27.123 --> 00:54:29.618
(Pedro) I think Esther.
00:54:29.618 --> 00:54:31.533
I was thinking about, she was
00:54:31.533 --> 00:54:32.736
prepared for that moment
00:54:32.736 --> 00:54:34.301
to liberate God's people.
00:54:34.301 --> 00:54:36.267
We don't know, it might not be education;
00:54:36.267 --> 00:54:37.489
it might not be something
00:54:37.489 --> 00:54:39.800
that we can go to school for,
00:54:39.800 --> 00:54:42.355
but I think through her
00:54:42.355 --> 00:54:44.939
process of learning from her uncle,
00:54:44.939 --> 00:54:47.918
she would be able to be prepared
00:54:47.918 --> 00:54:52.440
to confront even the king
in a time of need.
00:54:52.440 --> 00:54:53.825
(Derek) What about us today?
00:54:53.825 --> 00:54:55.500
We've got a couple of minutes left.
00:54:55.500 --> 00:54:56.438
What can we do?
00:54:56.438 --> 00:54:58.484
I think we've talked about some principles
00:54:58.484 --> 00:54:59.672
from Ezra and from some
00:54:59.672 --> 00:55:01.726
of these other great women and men of God.
00:55:01.726 --> 00:55:03.128
What are some things, Joshua,
00:55:03.128 --> 00:55:04.468
we can do today, we can do?
00:55:04.468 --> 00:55:05.835
(Joshua) I think that we can
00:55:05.835 --> 00:55:07.038
be as effective as Jesus
00:55:07.038 --> 00:55:09.164
if we do the things that He did
00:55:09.164 --> 00:55:10.495
in the way that He did it,
00:55:10.495 --> 00:55:12.339
meaning, every interaction,
00:55:12.339 --> 00:55:16.075
every experience that He had with someone,
was life-changing.
00:55:16.075 --> 00:55:17.586
(Derek) And He did it and said,
00:55:17.586 --> 00:55:19.352
"The Spirit of the Lord is..."?
00:55:19.352 --> 00:55:20.403
(Team) Upon Me.
00:55:20.403 --> 00:55:21.615
(Derek) So it's happening
00:55:21.615 --> 00:55:24.016
by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Okay, Liza?
00:55:24.016 --> 00:55:25.116
(Liza) I think we need
00:55:25.116 --> 00:55:26.198
to prepare our hearts,
00:55:26.198 --> 00:55:27.816
and that means going on a journey
00:55:27.816 --> 00:55:30.413
of soul-seeking, reflecting, praying
00:55:30.413 --> 00:55:32.566
to God to show what's in our hearts,
00:55:32.566 --> 00:55:33.955
to bring that to the surface,
00:55:33.955 --> 00:55:35.489
so that we can resolve
00:55:35.489 --> 00:55:37.412
whatever things that we're dealing with.
00:55:37.412 --> 00:55:38.486
I mean, clearly, Ezra
00:55:38.486 --> 00:55:39.721
was not a perfect person,
00:55:39.721 --> 00:55:41.271
but he went through that process
00:55:41.271 --> 00:55:42.424
of being pure-hearted...
00:55:42.427 --> 00:55:43.790
(Derek) Could I pray, "God,
00:55:43.790 --> 00:55:45.459
if there's anything holding me back
00:55:45.459 --> 00:55:46.763
from being the woman of God
00:55:46.763 --> 00:55:47.846
You want me to be,
00:55:47.846 --> 00:55:49.064
from being the man of God
00:55:49.064 --> 00:55:50.187
You want me to be..."?
00:55:50.187 --> 00:55:51.625
There's that wonderful prayer
00:55:51.625 --> 00:55:53.671
in Psalm 139, "Search me, O God,
00:55:53.671 --> 00:55:55.841
and know my heart." Brittany?
00:55:55.841 --> 00:55:58.876
(Brittany) I was just repeating
the verse with you.
00:55:58.876 --> 00:56:01.130
(Derek) "Try me, and know
my anxious thoughts."
00:56:01.130 --> 00:56:02.345
Travis, one last thought.
00:56:02.345 --> 00:56:04.136
(Travis) I'm just thinking,
00:56:04.136 --> 00:56:06.960
the Bible says, "Be not only hearers
00:56:06.960 --> 00:56:08.125
of the Word, but doers."
00:56:08.125 --> 00:56:09.835
So, if we study the Word of God
00:56:09.835 --> 00:56:11.335
and say, "God, show me
00:56:11.335 --> 00:56:13.434
how you want me to live my life,"
00:56:13.434 --> 00:56:14.880
and put the words that we read
00:56:14.880 --> 00:56:16.255
from the Bible into action,
00:56:16.255 --> 00:56:18.917
then we can be a light to the world.
00:56:18.917 --> 00:56:23.471
(Derek) Two thousand four hundred plus
years ago,
00:56:23.471 --> 00:56:25.843
the Spirit of God impresses someone
00:56:25.843 --> 00:56:28.599
from a noble family, really, right,
00:56:28.599 --> 00:56:30.386
distinguished family, Ezra,
00:56:30.386 --> 00:56:33.242
to say, "It's not just about where you
came from,
00:56:33.242 --> 00:56:36.201
it's about who I want you to be today."
00:56:36.201 --> 00:56:38.353
And he purposed in his heart,
00:56:38.353 --> 00:56:41.865
and he did the hard work of education.
00:56:41.865 --> 00:56:45.098
He became skilled, to not only hear
00:56:45.098 --> 00:56:47.858
but to do and then to share.
00:56:47.858 --> 00:56:51.736
And God used him to impact his generation.
00:56:51.736 --> 00:56:52.937
And there's a lesson
00:56:52.937 --> 00:56:54.550
for each one of us today
00:56:54.550 --> 00:56:56.638
by the power of the Holy Spirit,
00:56:56.638 --> 00:56:58.647
as Joshua said, that God
has a work for us.
00:56:58.647 --> 00:57:00.238
And God has a work for you, too.
00:57:00.238 --> 00:57:02.911
I don't know what it is, but I'm excited
00:57:02.911 --> 00:57:04.964
because God has plans for us
00:57:04.977 --> 00:57:07.688
way beyond what we could ever imagine.
00:57:07.688 --> 00:57:09.143
And it's not just a matter
00:57:09.143 --> 00:57:10.714
of saying "God, I'm available."
00:57:10.714 --> 00:57:12.165
It's saying, "God, what do You
00:57:12.165 --> 00:57:14.565
want me to do now to prepare,
00:57:14.565 --> 00:57:16.305
not to earn Your love or favor,
00:57:16.305 --> 00:57:20.008
but to be a sharp ax in Your hand,
00:57:20.008 --> 00:57:22.097
a useful tool, a faithful servant?"
00:57:22.097 --> 00:57:23.364
Let's pray we can be that
00:57:23.364 --> 00:57:26.046
as we continue this wonderful journey,
00:57:26.046 --> 00:57:27.893
studying Ezra and Nehemiah.
00:57:27.893 --> 00:57:30.864
Father in Heaven, thank You
for the inspiration
00:57:30.864 --> 00:57:33.291
of this man's life, Ezra.
00:57:33.291 --> 00:57:35.605
Thank You for the inspired testimony.
00:57:35.605 --> 00:57:37.382
And God, for us today, may we
00:57:37.382 --> 00:57:39.135
be the women of God, the men of God,
00:57:39.135 --> 00:57:41.561
who not only hear, but do and share
00:57:41.561 --> 00:57:43.401
for the honor of Your name.
00:57:43.401 --> 00:57:45.036
In Jesus' name. Amen.
00:57:45.036 --> 00:57:45.902
(Team) Amen.
00:57:45.902 --> 00:57:47.974
(Derek) It's going to be
an exciting journey
00:57:47.974 --> 00:57:49.671
as we study two ancient books,
00:57:49.671 --> 00:57:52.802
once clustered together as one single book
00:57:52.802 --> 00:57:54.184
in the Hebrew Scriptures,
00:57:54.184 --> 00:57:55.893
Ezra and Nehemiah, lessons
00:57:55.893 --> 00:57:57.397
for our lives today.
00:57:57.397 --> 00:57:59.194
Right now I know: Hear it,
00:57:59.194 --> 00:58:00.685
do it, and share it.
00:58:00.685 --> 00:58:02.630
Be a blessing to those around you.
00:58:02.630 --> 00:58:29.183
♪ theme music ♪