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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 am excited today as we begin
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a brand new series
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on God's Love and Justice.
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In fact, I feel like we are walking
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on holy ground, and I'm glad
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that you joined us as we talk
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about a God who loves freely.
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So, welcome to Hope Sabbath School
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and welcome to the team,
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good to see you all.
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Thanks for being here.
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We've got some remote team members
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with us, too; let's take a look
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and see who's joining us remotely today.
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Faith, good to see you,
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glad you're with us.
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Tricia Lee, welcome back,
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always good to see you.
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And, Gleny, great
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to have you with us today.
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We're so glad that you're with us, too,
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because you're part
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of our global interactive study together.
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And we're always happy to hear from you,
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our Hope Sabbath School members
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from around the world.
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You can write to us at sshope@hopetv.org.
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You say, "Derek, I've memorized that."
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Well, then send us a note
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and share with us how God is blessing you
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through a study of His Word.
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You say, "Derek, I'm actually teaching
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a class; I'm downloading the outline
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from the website, and I'm sharing
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the Word of God; praise God.
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Write to us and let us know.
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Here's a note from Kyrol
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who writes to us from Papua New Guinea,
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and he says, "I'm truly blessed
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every Sabbath since I started watching
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Hope Sabbath School
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through YouTube last year."
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Well, I don't know.
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It's always dangerous to say
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how many subscribers we have.
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It's close to [120,000],
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but probably that will be out of date,
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Travis, by the next time we read it.
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But one of them is Kyrol
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in Papua New Guinea; isn't that awesome?
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(Team) Praise God.
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(Derek) "I've watched every Sabbath[br]morning
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before I go to Bible study.
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Glory, honor and praise be to God
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for the Hope Sabbath School team."
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And we say? Praise God, right?
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"May God continue to bless
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and use all of you as His witnesses
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to share His amazing truths
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before Christ returns."
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What do we say?
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(Derek, Team) Amen.
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(Derek) Kyrol, thanks for writing to us
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from Papua New Guinea, and we're glad
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you are part of our global family.
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Well, Suwilanji writes to us from Zambia
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and says, "I am a Pentecostal preacher
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in Zambia, and I'm addicted
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to Hope Sabbath School."
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(Team) Wow.
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(Derek) Well, Suwilanji, thanks
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for writing to us.
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We're happy that you're sharing
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the gospel in your country
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and learning more about the Word of God
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on Hope Sabbath School.
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Thanks for your note.
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Here's a hand-written note
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from a donor in Maryland
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in the United States of America.
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For those of you who may not know,
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we actually film Hope Sabbath School
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in the state of Maryland.
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And the donor writes,
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"Hello, Hope Sabbath School."
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You know they do that
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so you'll wave, right?
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"I'm so happy to be with you once again
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to see your smiling faces,
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to be part of your interactive study
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that blesses my heart immensely.
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The study is so plain
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that even an 84-year-old
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like me can understand.
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The team members' testimonies
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are such a blessing to me.
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I thank God for the Hope[br]Sabbath School team
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spreading the gospel around the world.
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Enclosed is a small contribution,"
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the donor writes, but no donation is small
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when God blesses it,
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a donation of 50 dollars.
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Thank you so much, Donor in Maryland.
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You know who you are.
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And thanks to each one of you.
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We're a donor-supported minsitry.
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You say, "Derek, could I have a part?"
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Absolutely! Go to our website,
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hopetv.org/hopess,
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click on the yellow button
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and give online, or you get an address
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and write us a note
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just like this donor did.
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Thank you to each one
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for being part of this miracle.
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One last note, and I'm looking at Travis
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over here, Travis, because Nadine
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is writing from Guyana.
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So, I don't know if we can all
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give her a wave, but, Nadine, we want
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you to know one of our team members,
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Travis, was just in Guyana
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holding some meetings, and so that's
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a special place in [his] heart.
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"Thank you," Nadine writes,
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"for Hope Sabbath School.
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You are such a blessing to us.
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An interactive study of the Word of God
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helps me to have
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a closer relationship with Jesus."
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(Team) Amen.
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(Derek) That's why we do it!
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You know, the demons know a lot
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about the Bible, and people
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could win a Bible quiz and be lost.
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But when you study the Bible and have
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a closer relationship with Jesus,
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that's eternal salvation, isn't it?[br]Awesome.
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"May God continue to bless you all.
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We love you all. Nadine."
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Well, Nadine, thanks for writing to us,
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and I'm excited that you are all part
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of our global family.
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We would love to hear
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from you, so, write to us.
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I noticed a lot of you put comments
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on the YouTube channel when you watch,
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and that's great, too, but you can
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also write to us at sshope@hopetv.org.
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Well, today we're going to learn
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a new theme song.
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It is 3,000 years old.
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We sing Scripture songs here
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on Hope Sabbath School.
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It is Psalm 63, and it says,
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"O God, You are my God;
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early will I seek You,"
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but we lost the tune somewhere
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in the last 3,000 years,
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so my wife put a new tune to it.
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And you can go to our website
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and download the song free
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and the sheet music, if you'd like
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to sing it in your Bible study group.
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Just go to hopetv.org/hopess,
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that's our web address,
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and you can download the song,
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sheet music, and sing it.
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We'd like to teach it to you right now.
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♪ music ♪
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(Derek) Amen? Wow, that was beautiful.
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I hear you sing, too.
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You say, "Derek, you couldn't hear us,"
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but I was just imagining you singing.
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And I just want to challenge us
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with the thought, when the enemy
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comes upon us like a flood,
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we just sing that song, "O God,
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You are my God;
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early will I seek You," right?
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We can run to God, a God
0:09:42.766,0:09:45.424
of love and mercy who will welcome us
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with loving arms.
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Well, great to see
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our remotes singing, too.
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I know we can't see you all,
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but you're singing the Word, too,
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and we're hiding that Word in our hearts.
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Today, we're going to study
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how God Loves Freely.
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It's an amazing study, and we invite you
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to pray with us as we
0:10:02.589,0:10:03.834
open the Word of God.
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Father in Heaven, thank You
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for the revelation in the Word of God.
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The Scripture is given
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by inspiration of God
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and is profitable for us.
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Guide us in our interactive study today
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by your Holy Spirit.
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We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
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(Team) Amen.
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(Derek) Well, we're going to start
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in the book of Exodus,
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that's the second book
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of the Hebrew Scriptures, the second book
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of the Pentateuch as it's called.
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In Exodus, chapter 33, and, Puia,
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I'm going to ask you to begin our study
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today by reading verses 12 to 19.
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I want to invite you and those joining
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around the world to listen
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to what revelation we see
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of the character of God,[br]here in Exodus 33.
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(Puia) Sure, and I'll be reading
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from the New King James Version,
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Exodus 33, verses 12 to 19:
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(Derek) Wow, that is amazing dialogue
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between the Lord and Moses.
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What are some lessons we can learn
0:12:31.621,0:12:32.858
just from hearing it if we
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just had that one Scripture?
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What could we learn
0:12:35.257,0:12:38.713
about the character of God? Kylynda?
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(Kylynda) God wants to be with us.
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(Derek) So, He's a relational God,
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which, by the way, we ought not to take
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for granted because a lot of pictures
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of God are like, "Well, He did something,
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and then He left." Harold?
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(Harold) Very personable, because you
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can talk to Him as a Person.
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(Derek) He wants a relationship,
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and He's communicating.
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Alright. Yes, James.
0:12:59.255,0:13:01.129
(James) He is a God of companionship.
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Moses asked for a companion,
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and God said, "I will be your Companion."
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(Derek) "I will go
0:13:05.934,0:13:07.321
with you," that's right.
0:13:07.321,0:13:09.120
Gleny, what do you hear in this text
0:13:09.120,0:13:10.770
that impresses you
0:13:10.770,0:13:13.460
about the character of God?
0:13:13.460,0:13:15.342
(Gleny) Besides all that was mentioned,
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we see that He is good,
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He shows a lot of compassion,
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and He desires to be known.
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(Derek) Alright, that's a good point[br]Gleny makes.
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His goodness, don't take that
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for granted, you know?
0:13:28.638,0:13:31.419
It's that God is good.
0:13:31.419,0:13:35.814
He wants a relationship with us. Don?
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(Don) Also with the first text,
0:13:37.377,0:13:39.441
"I know you by your name."
0:13:39.441,0:13:41.392
(Derek) Thank you for pointing that out.
0:13:41.392,0:13:43.255
So, talk about companionship
0:13:43.255,0:13:46.915
but not just with Moses, He wants
0:13:46.915,0:13:48.536
a personal relationship with us.
0:13:48.536,0:13:50.923
Now, to put that in context,
0:13:50.923,0:13:53.270
Sophia, if you could go back one chapter
0:13:53.270,0:13:57.232
with us, take us back to Exodus 32
0:13:57.232,0:13:59.420
and read the first three verses.
0:13:59.420,0:14:01.011
Let's have a little context.
0:14:01.011,0:14:02.790
God is saying, "I want a relationship
0:14:02.790,0:14:04.004
with you; I want to show
0:14:04.004,0:14:05.178
My compassion and love."
0:14:05.178,0:14:07.522
Let's see what's just happened
0:14:07.522,0:14:09.428
as part of the exodus.
0:14:09.428,0:14:10.573
(Sophia) I'll be reading
0:14:10.573,0:14:12.099
from the New King James Version,
0:14:12.099,0:14:14.325
chapter 32, verses 1 through 3:
0:14:44.636,0:14:47.629
(Derek) And what did they do with that,[br]anybody remember?
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(Team) Golden calf.
0:14:48.718,0:14:50.412
(Derek) They made a golden calf!
0:14:50.412,0:14:52.670
And not only did they make a golden calf,
0:14:52.670,0:14:54.596
but what did they say?
0:14:54.596,0:14:55.887
(Sophia) "This is our god."
0:14:55.887,0:14:57.902
(Derek) That, "you're the god that brought
0:14:57.902,0:14:58.719
us out of Egypt"!
0:14:58.719,0:15:01.125
I mean, it's like, terrible!
0:15:01.125,0:15:03.753
And yet, in the context of that,
0:15:03.753,0:15:05.635
God shows His love.
0:15:05.635,0:15:07.637
Now, I want to ask Tricia Lee a question.
0:15:07.637,0:15:09.168
Tricia Lee, we always appreciate
0:15:09.168,0:15:10.824
hearing from you.
0:15:10.824,0:15:12.431
Tricia Lee, it says, "I will
0:15:12.431,0:15:14.365
have compassion on whom I
0:15:14.365,0:15:16.259
will have compassion,"
0:15:16.259,0:15:18.140
but tell me somewhere else
0:15:18.140,0:15:20.255
in the Scripture, how many people
0:15:20.255,0:15:22.282
does God have compassion on?
0:15:22.282,0:15:23.943
(Tricia Lee) God has compassion
0:15:23.943,0:15:25.304
on all people; we know that
0:15:25.304,0:15:28.043
from John, chapter 3, verse 16.
0:15:28.043,0:15:29.714
(Derek) And what does it say there?
0:15:29.714,0:15:30.902
Have you memorized it?
0:15:30.902,0:15:32.399
(Tricia Lee) It says, "For God
0:15:32.399,0:15:33.961
so loved the world that He gave
0:15:33.961,0:15:37.149
His only begotten Son, that whosoever
0:15:37.149,0:15:39.811
believes in Him should not perish
0:15:39.811,0:15:42.496
but have everlasting life."
0:15:42.496,0:15:44.308
(Derek) So, I just don't want a person
0:15:44.308,0:15:46.498
to say, "Well, I guess He has compassion
0:15:46.498,0:15:47.809
on the ones," and then pick
0:15:47.809,0:15:51.030
a few here and have compassion on them.
0:15:51.030,0:15:53.059
As Tricia Lee quoted (I think she's got
0:15:53.059,0:15:55.410
another comment to share),[br]"God so loved..."?
0:15:55.410,0:15:56.484
(Team) "...the world."
0:15:56.484,0:15:58.465
(Derek) Right. You want to add to that?
0:15:58.465,0:16:00.480
(Tricia Lee) When I think about that verse
0:16:00.480,0:16:02.010
in Exodus, "I'll have compassion
0:16:02.010,0:16:03.437
on whom I'll have compassion,"
0:16:03.437,0:16:04.392
" I will be gracious
0:16:04.392,0:16:06.161
to whom I will be gracious," I think
0:16:06.161,0:16:07.275
about it in the context
0:16:07.275,0:16:09.195
of the immediate request that Moses
0:16:09.195,0:16:10.798
made to God where he said,
0:16:10.798,0:16:12.845
"Show me Your glory."
0:16:12.845,0:16:14.989
And we know that no one can see God's face
0:16:14.989,0:16:17.532
or His full glory and live, and so I think
0:16:17.532,0:16:19.917
that was just God responding and saying,
0:16:19.917,0:16:22.849
"Yes, I will be gracious in showing you
0:16:22.849,0:16:24.034
who I am, and I will be
0:16:24.034,0:16:26.487
compassionate enough to let you survive
0:16:26.487,0:16:28.780
this encounter and experience with Me."
0:16:28.780,0:16:30.755
I think it was just more God expressing
0:16:30.755,0:16:33.278
that in this request, "Show me Your face,
0:16:33.278,0:16:35.384
show me Your glory," that He was saying,
0:16:35.384,0:16:37.497
"Yes, I can answer and honor
0:16:37.497,0:16:40.496
that special request for you, Moses."
0:16:40.496,0:16:42.448
(Derek) Well, with such an amazing view -
0:16:42.448,0:16:44.357
and, Travis, I want to hear your point -
0:16:44.357,0:16:46.725
with such an amazing view
0:16:46.725,0:16:50.703
of the character of God loving the world,
0:16:50.703,0:16:53.581
why are there so many people
0:16:53.581,0:16:55.206
with distorted views
0:16:55.206,0:16:56.693
of the character of God?
0:16:56.693,0:16:58.586
If you want, make your comment first,
0:16:58.586,0:17:00.913
Travis, and then build on that question.
0:17:00.913,0:17:03.874
(Travis) So, when I read those verses,
0:17:03.874,0:17:06.461
and I read that God would be gracious
0:17:06.461,0:17:07.933
to whom He would be gracious,
0:17:07.933,0:17:09.907
I immediately thought there are people
0:17:09.907,0:17:11.645
in the world that we may see that we
0:17:11.645,0:17:14.743
would believe shouldn't be extended grace.
0:17:14.743,0:17:17.240
And then I remembered, anyone who calls
0:17:17.240,0:17:20.069
on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
0:17:20.069,0:17:23.383
And I think the reason that that was
0:17:23.383,0:17:25.779
written in there is that we may
0:17:25.779,0:17:28.765
in our human minds believe that a person
0:17:28.765,0:17:30.122
shouldn't be extended grace.
0:17:30.122,0:17:31.897
But God says, "I will have compassion
0:17:31.897,0:17:33.771
on whom I will have compassion."
0:17:33.771,0:17:36.730
(Derek) Wow, so people that we
0:17:36.730,0:17:39.367
may not think deserve...
0:17:39.367,0:17:41.150
That could have been us at some point
0:17:41.150,0:17:42.687
in our lives, right? Samantha?
0:17:42.687,0:17:44.348
(Samantha) To answer your question
0:17:44.348,0:17:47.501
about why people have...
0:17:47.501,0:17:48.758
(Derek) Distorted views?
0:17:48.758,0:17:50.645
(Samantha) Yes, I feel like it's
0:17:50.645,0:17:52.019
just what the devil does.
0:17:52.019,0:17:54.565
He tries to discredit who God is,
0:17:54.565,0:17:57.161
and so he puts the wrong thoughts
0:17:57.161,0:17:59.187
of God in peoples' minds.
0:17:59.187,0:18:01.136
Instead of having them believe
0:18:01.136,0:18:04.514
that, "Okay, yes," he has them think,
0:18:04.514,0:18:06.474
"Why would a loving God cause
0:18:06.474,0:18:08.366
your family member to die?"
0:18:08.366,0:18:09.871
"Why would a loving God cause
0:18:09.871,0:18:12.473
your wife to become sick?"
0:18:12.473,0:18:14.437
And so, I feel like it just all a part
0:18:14.437,0:18:16.640
of that Great Controversy where Satan
0:18:16.640,0:18:18.741
tries to discredit who God is.
0:18:18.741,0:18:20.562
And people who do not have
0:18:20.562,0:18:23.443
that full understanding of Him, it's easy
0:18:23.443,0:18:24.637
because if you don't have
0:18:24.637,0:18:27.180
that full armor, then you can easily fall
0:18:27.180,0:18:29.553
for anything that the devil brings to you.
0:18:29.553,0:18:31.126
(Derek) And unfortunately, if you
0:18:31.126,0:18:32.122
look, for example...
0:18:32.122,0:18:34.730
And I see Gleny's hand and Kylynda's, too,
0:18:34.730,0:18:35.994
and Harold; there are lots
0:18:35.994,0:18:37.132
of hands raised here.
0:18:37.132,0:18:38.404
Unfortunately, if you look
0:18:38.404,0:18:41.733
at medieval art, you know, God looks
0:18:41.733,0:18:44.697
like a horrible Person, and He's
0:18:44.697,0:18:46.813
just trying to torture people,
0:18:46.813,0:18:51.523
so it's not just in my imagination.
0:18:51.523,0:18:54.236
There have been people teaching
0:18:54.236,0:18:57.261
false ideas about the character of God.
0:18:57.261,0:18:58.608
I'm going to take the hands,
0:18:58.608,0:18:59.897
and we're going to move on.
0:18:59.897,0:19:01.783
Kylynda, Gleny and Harold.
0:19:01.783,0:19:03.736
(Kylynda) To go off what you said, Derek,
0:19:03.736,0:19:05.087
in the end of Luke 11, Jesus
0:19:05.087,0:19:07.134
critiques the religious leaders,
0:19:07.134,0:19:08.897
and He says, "You know, you're
0:19:08.897,0:19:11.333
overburdening people, you're making God
0:19:11.333,0:19:13.275
seem like a tyrant that's only concerned
0:19:13.275,0:19:16.120
about the smallest external effects,
0:19:16.120,0:19:18.589
not the internal transformation."
0:19:18.589,0:19:20.544
So some of our perception of God
0:19:20.544,0:19:23.045
can, unfortunately, be distorted
0:19:23.045,0:19:25.257
by different religious leaders
0:19:25.257,0:19:27.179
or religious mentors who portray God
0:19:27.179,0:19:29.467
in a way that isn't compassionate,
0:19:29.467,0:19:31.051
that isn't relational.
0:19:31.051,0:19:32.989
(Derek) False teaching.
0:19:32.989,0:19:35.848
Gleny and then Harold.
0:19:35.848,0:19:37.643
(Gleny) Yes, I just wanted to support
0:19:37.643,0:19:39.164
Kylynda's point, too.
0:19:39.164,0:19:40.985
You have your early caregivers,
0:19:40.985,0:19:43.277
like maybe even your parents, teachers,
0:19:43.277,0:19:45.297
as you had mentioned, people who are
0:19:45.297,0:19:48.533
set up to give a representation of God,
0:19:48.533,0:19:50.755
a good example of God, but somehow failed.
0:19:50.755,0:19:53.064
And that makes you wonder, "If the people
0:19:53.064,0:19:55.466
I looked up to had inflicted
0:19:55.466,0:19:57.560
and caused so much pain,
0:19:57.560,0:19:59.605
then God must be the same, too."
0:19:59.605,0:20:01.721
(Derek) Ahh. Harold?
0:20:01.721,0:20:03.281
(Harold) And I just want to add,
0:20:03.281,0:20:04.995
because, yes, the issue of suffering
0:20:04.995,0:20:07.022
and evil are some of the biggest questions
0:20:07.022,0:20:08.888
that everybody has, even atheists have.
0:20:08.888,0:20:11.331
It's like, how can a loving God reconcile
0:20:11.331,0:20:13.034
the suffering that is in the world?
0:20:13.034,0:20:15.044
But we cannot forget that our God
0:20:15.044,0:20:16.605
also suffered with us.
0:20:16.605,0:20:19.064
He is not indifferent to our suffering.
0:20:19.064,0:20:21.282
Now, as to why He allows suffering,
0:20:21.282,0:20:22.732
many times we do not know,
0:20:22.732,0:20:24.761
but He does give us the courage
0:20:24.761,0:20:26.112
because He suffered with us,
0:20:26.112,0:20:28.088
and He tells us, "I'll be with you.
0:20:28.088,0:20:29.491
I will give you the strength
0:20:29.491,0:20:31.298
that you'll need to go through this,"
0:20:31.298,0:20:33.013
and eventually we'll know the truth.
0:20:33.013,0:20:34.744
There is a battle behind the scenes
0:20:34.744,0:20:37.370
in the spiritual realm, and God[br]will give us the answer.
0:20:37.370,0:20:38.918
(Derek) Do you know the amount -
0:20:38.918,0:20:40.943
and we're going to move on - [br]but the amount
0:20:40.943,0:20:42.610
of interaction right now - and it's
0:20:42.610,0:20:44.360
like I said, there are 11 of us
0:20:44.360,0:20:47.431
on the team and 14 hands raised -
0:20:47.431,0:20:50.077
shows that this is really,
0:20:50.077,0:20:51.722
we have an expression in English,
0:20:51.722,0:20:54.014
like a hot-button issue.
0:20:54.014,0:20:55.283
People are like, "What is
0:20:55.283,0:20:57.243
the character of God like?"
0:20:57.243,0:21:00.046
We start with a clear revelation
0:21:00.046,0:21:02.091
that God is good, He wants
0:21:02.091,0:21:03.500
a personal relationship,
0:21:03.500,0:21:05.301
He knows us by name,
0:21:05.301,0:21:07.831
and He loves the whole world.
0:21:07.831,0:21:10.092
Now, before we come back to talk
0:21:10.092,0:21:12.859
about how we can show that to the world,
0:21:12.859,0:21:15.180
because there is a lot of distortion,
0:21:15.180,0:21:17.925
let's think about some stories
0:21:17.925,0:21:22.047
in the Bible which show God's love
0:21:22.047,0:21:24.614
for people who either ignore
0:21:24.614,0:21:26.514
or don't appreciate His love.
0:21:26.514,0:21:27.803
Because you said He loves
0:21:27.803,0:21:30.603
even the unworthy people, right?
0:21:30.603,0:21:32.821
Can anybody think of a story?
0:21:32.821,0:21:34.741
Don, can you think of a story?
0:21:34.741,0:21:38.279
(Don) This reminds me of the Prodigal Son.
0:21:38.279,0:21:41.355
The Prodigal Son when he [told] his dad,
0:21:41.355,0:21:44.425
or his father, "Give me my inheritance,"
0:21:44.425,0:21:45.736
but the problem was he
0:21:45.736,0:21:47.840
squandered it all, right?
0:21:47.840,0:21:51.795
But if we compare this to God's love,
0:21:51.795,0:21:53.634
God's love is steadfast.
0:21:53.634,0:21:56.773
His love remains toward us.
0:21:56.773,0:21:58.383
(Derek) But in that same story,
0:21:58.383,0:21:59.882
when he does come home,
0:21:59.882,0:22:02.012
how does the father respond?
0:22:02.012,0:22:04.116
(Don) He accepts him back fully.
0:22:04.116,0:22:05.280
(Derek) What does he do?
0:22:05.280,0:22:06.713
(Team Member) Throws a feast.
0:22:06.713,0:22:08.547
(Derek) He throws his arms around him,
0:22:08.547,0:22:09.813
he kisses him on the neck,
0:22:09.813,0:22:11.372
he throws a party for him.
0:22:11.372,0:22:13.245
And by the way, I don't know about you,
0:22:13.245,0:22:14.505
but some people say, "Oh,
0:22:14.505,0:22:16.247
terrible Prodigal Son," but the son
0:22:16.247,0:22:18.504
that stayed home wasn't very nice,
0:22:18.504,0:22:21.357
and yet the father loved him, too, right?
0:22:21.357,0:22:22.887
Anybody else, think of a story,
0:22:22.887,0:22:26.445
Tricia Lee, a story where it's obvious
0:22:26.445,0:22:27.811
that God is showing love
0:22:27.811,0:22:29.211
even to the people that may
0:22:29.211,0:22:35.350
ignore His love or not welcome His love.
0:22:35.350,0:22:36.324
(Tricia Lee) I think
0:22:36.324,0:22:38.262
about an Old Testament story,
0:22:38.262,0:22:40.512
the story of the people of Nineveh
0:22:40.512,0:22:42.402
of this Assyrian Empire.
0:22:42.402,0:22:44.661
They were known for being very violent
0:22:44.661,0:22:47.361
and cruel, not just to others they
0:22:47.361,0:22:49.808
were conquering but also to themselves.
0:22:49.808,0:22:52.032
And God sent a prophet to warn them
0:22:52.032,0:22:53.316
to correct their ways,
0:22:53.316,0:22:55.931
and he traveled over a whole sea,
0:22:55.931,0:22:58.111
took a ship to reach them,
0:22:58.111,0:23:00.330
But He loved them enough to send them
0:23:00.330,0:23:02.019
a warning message and give them
0:23:02.019,0:23:04.248
an opportunity to change their ways,
0:23:04.248,0:23:06.019
which they did take advantage of.
0:23:06.019,0:23:08.129
And I thought that was an act of love.
0:23:08.129,0:23:09.695
He didn't just leave them
0:23:09.695,0:23:12.142
to just destroy themselves,[br]or destroy them
0:23:12.142,0:23:13.945
without a warning, but He gave them
0:23:13.945,0:23:16.461
an opportunity to really realize,
0:23:16.461,0:23:18.954
"You can do better; you can live better."
0:23:18.954,0:23:20.619
(Derek) So, He shows love to them
0:23:20.619,0:23:22.054
even though the prophet Jonah
0:23:22.054,0:23:24.496
complained about it, like, "God,
0:23:24.496,0:23:26.983
You're really too loving."
0:23:26.983,0:23:28.377
It would be easy to talk
0:23:28.377,0:23:30.718
about the Ninevites who were very violent,
0:23:30.718,0:23:32.933
like Tricia Lee mentioned,
0:23:32.933,0:23:34.862
but actually His own people,
0:23:34.862,0:23:36.005
the children of Israel,
0:23:36.005,0:23:37.666
were very wayward, too.
0:23:37.666,0:23:41.575
I want someone to summarize the mission
0:23:41.575,0:23:43.740
of the prophet Hosea,
0:23:43.740,0:23:46.138
what God asked him to do,
0:23:46.138,0:23:49.454
and what was God trying to teach
0:23:49.454,0:23:52.336
about the extent of His love?
0:23:52.336,0:23:54.774
Anybody want to try a summary? Kylynda.
0:23:54.774,0:23:56.494
(Kylynda) Hosea was a prophet
0:23:56.494,0:23:58.276
for the children of Israel in a time
0:23:58.276,0:24:00.935
when they were often backsliding from God.
0:24:00.935,0:24:02.855
So God [told] the prophet, "I want you
0:24:02.855,0:24:04.478
to marry a woman that you know
0:24:04.478,0:24:06.063
will be unfaithful to you."
0:24:06.063,0:24:06.855
(Derek) Ouch!
0:24:06.855,0:24:09.996
(Kylynda) Right? Quite harsh, but Hosea
0:24:09.996,0:24:11.347
follows God's command.
0:24:11.347,0:24:12.464
He marries Gomer,
0:24:12.464,0:24:15.178
and what happens, happens.
0:24:15.178,0:24:17.756
She has multiple children;
0:24:17.756,0:24:18.982
they're not Hosea's.
0:24:18.982,0:24:21.217
Hosea gives them names that indicate
0:24:21.217,0:24:22.506
this kind of separation
0:24:22.506,0:24:24.249
between God and His people,
0:24:24.249,0:24:27.944
like a child named "Not My People."
0:24:27.944,0:24:30.190
And eventually, even though it's
0:24:30.190,0:24:33.236
not quite clear in the Bible, Gomer
0:24:33.236,0:24:35.800
falls into slavery; it's implicated
0:24:35.800,0:24:38.523
that this [is of] a sexual nature.
0:24:38.523,0:24:43.019
And God says, "Go back to her, be faithful[br]to her even though she's
0:24:43.019,0:24:44.230
not faithful to you."
0:24:44.230,0:24:45.545
(Derek) Doesn't he have
0:24:45.545,0:24:46.977
to actually purchase her back?
0:24:46.977,0:24:49.441
(Kylynda) He redeems her from slavery[br]with money.
0:24:49.441,0:24:50.657
(Derek) Is that a picture
0:24:50.657,0:24:51.595
of the love of God?
0:24:51.595,0:24:53.032
I hope you're listening today,
0:24:53.032,0:24:53.987
that God loves us
0:24:53.987,0:24:56.561
with an immeasurable and unfailing love.
0:24:56.561,0:24:58.628
But just telling that story,
0:24:58.628,0:25:01.754
putting ourselves as a spouse,
0:25:01.754,0:25:03.827
whether a husband or a wife,
0:25:03.827,0:25:06.928
with an unfaithful spouse,
0:25:06.928,0:25:10.789
it would be easy for us to say what?
0:25:10.789,0:25:13.366
"I'm done. I'm done," right?
0:25:13.366,0:25:14.578
(Don) Ready to separate.
0:25:14.578,0:25:16.597
(Derek) Right, but God continues,
0:25:16.597,0:25:19.002
and you're saying, even when she's
0:25:19.002,0:25:21.738
in some kind of enslaved situation.
0:25:21.738,0:25:23.270
(Kylynda) Yes, Hosea goes back.
0:25:23.270,0:25:25.912
He redeems her; he purchases her debt,
0:25:25.912,0:25:28.503
and he loves her, and he says,
0:25:28.503,0:25:29.922
"What's past is past.
0:25:29.922,0:25:31.842
Now we'll be faithful to each other.
0:25:31.842,0:25:33.422
You'll be faithful."
0:25:33.422,0:25:35.053
(Derek) So, I'm going to ask James
0:25:35.053,0:25:37.679
to take us to that little book of Hosea,
0:25:37.679,0:25:40.903
to chapter 14, because there is
0:25:40.903,0:25:46.195
a beautiful revelation, again,
0:25:46.195,0:25:49.384
as Sophia read with the Exodus revelation,
0:25:49.384,0:25:50.906
they had just been dancing naked
0:25:50.906,0:25:52.753
around a golden calf and calling it
0:25:52.753,0:25:55.214
the god that delivered them.
0:25:55.214,0:25:59.848
And here, waywardness typified
0:25:59.848,0:26:02.997
by Gomer's behavior, let's see
0:26:02.997,0:26:06.539
how the Lord speaks in chapter 14
0:26:06.539,0:26:08.425
of Hosea, verses 1 to 4.
0:26:08.425,0:26:10.026
(James) Sure, and I'll be reading
0:26:10.026,0:26:11.933
from the New King James Version:
0:26:56.637,0:26:57.854
(Derek) What do you think
0:26:57.854,0:27:03.657
about that immeasurable, unfailing love
0:27:03.657,0:27:06.778
of God even with such waywardness?[br]Sophia?
0:27:06.778,0:27:09.016
(Sophia) He's such a forgiving Person.
0:27:09.016,0:27:10.581
(Derek) Yeah, forgiving.
0:27:10.581,0:27:12.353
(Sophia) Even when He was so angry,
0:27:12.353,0:27:14.161
you know, cast them away from Himself.
0:27:14.161,0:27:16.286
(Derek) Is it okay to be angry
0:27:16.286,0:27:18.485
when things like that happen?
0:27:18.485,0:27:20.445
Doesn't Scripture say, "Be angry and..."?
0:27:20.445,0:27:21.415
(Harold) Do not sin.
0:27:21.415,0:27:22.916
(Derek) "Don't sin," right?
0:27:22.916,0:27:25.083
So, there's every reason to be angry.
0:27:25.083,0:27:29.605
Actually, not so much angry at the person,
0:27:29.605,0:27:32.667
but angry at what sin is doing
0:27:32.667,0:27:36.341
to damage someone that you love, right?
0:27:36.341,0:27:38.477
"I will heal their backsliding.
0:27:38.477,0:27:42.320
I will love them freely." Yes, Puia.
0:27:42.320,0:27:43.887
(Puia) A verse like this, Derek,
0:27:43.887,0:27:46.496
gives me hope that there is forgiveness
0:27:46.496,0:27:49.459
and a new start for everyone.
0:27:49.459,0:27:51.504
There may be someone here
0:27:51.504,0:27:52.998
listening or among us...
0:27:52.998,0:27:55.477
You know, oftentimes we fall,
0:27:55.477,0:27:57.272
and we make mistakes, and the guilt
0:27:57.272,0:27:59.283
and shame that comes along with it
0:27:59.283,0:28:01.080
is too much to bear for us.
0:28:01.080,0:28:04.201
But here we see God letting us know
0:28:04.201,0:28:05.987
that, "I will heal you.
0:28:05.987,0:28:07.181
You can have a new start,
0:28:07.181,0:28:09.221
a new beginning," what a hope.
0:28:09.221,0:28:11.252
(Derek) I'm going to ask Faith a question.
0:28:11.252,0:28:15.885
Faith, did you grow up...
0:28:15.885,0:28:17.612
I don't know the answer, by the way,
0:28:17.612,0:28:19.806
so there's no right or wrong answer,
0:28:19.806,0:28:22.700
but did you grow up with that perspective
0:28:22.700,0:28:25.772
of the love of God, that even when we
0:28:25.772,0:28:29.920
make terrible choices like Gomer made,
0:28:29.920,0:28:32.450
right, like the children of Israel made
0:28:32.450,0:28:34.791
at various times, that God was
0:28:34.791,0:28:36.947
relentless in His pursuit
0:28:36.947,0:28:38.279
of them to love them?
0:28:38.279,0:28:40.265
Did you grow up with that kind of picture
0:28:40.265,0:28:41.479
of the love of God?
0:28:41.479,0:28:43.676
(Faith) Yes, I think that picture
0:28:43.676,0:28:46.339
was also shown in my parents.
0:28:46.339,0:28:49.882
Obviously they disciplined, but they
0:28:49.882,0:28:53.399
taught us, and they continued to pursue us
0:28:53.399,0:28:55.962
to steer us in the right direction
0:28:55.962,0:28:57.605
and guide us and say, "Oh, this is
0:28:57.605,0:28:58.894
the right thing to do,"
0:28:58.894,0:29:00.820
and never give up on us.
0:29:00.820,0:29:02.581
And I think as I got older,
0:29:02.581,0:29:05.583
and now I'm in college, I have
0:29:05.583,0:29:07.920
a big community, and I also continue
0:29:07.920,0:29:10.149
to read the Bible daily, which allows me
0:29:10.149,0:29:12.394
to see that God won't give up.
0:29:12.394,0:29:15.219
And it's like Puia was saying,
0:29:15.219,0:29:18.349
you have that shame and guilt,
0:29:18.349,0:29:20.283
but you've got to make sure you
0:29:20.283,0:29:21.659
go directly to God,
0:29:21.659,0:29:23.299
and you don't sit in that.
0:29:23.299,0:29:24.469
So, yeah, I did grow up
0:29:24.469,0:29:26.485
with that picture of God.
0:29:26.485,0:29:27.689
(Derek) Thank you so much
0:29:27.689,0:29:28.864
for sharing that, Faith.
0:29:28.864,0:29:31.394
This leads me to a question,
0:29:31.394,0:29:32.980
an interaction question for us,
0:29:32.980,0:29:35.372
because Faith said she saw that
0:29:35.372,0:29:37.369
revealed in her parents, right?
0:29:37.369,0:29:39.678
So, the question I wanted to ask,
0:29:39.678,0:29:41.988
and I think this is a good time:
0:29:41.988,0:29:45.287
With so many distortions
0:29:45.287,0:29:46.592
of the character of God -
0:29:46.592,0:29:47.860
and we see God here,
0:29:47.860,0:29:51.033
loving freely, relentlessly -
0:29:51.033,0:29:53.182
how can we help, Harold,
0:29:53.182,0:29:55.156
how can we help people
0:29:55.156,0:29:57.094
to see a clearer revelation
0:29:57.094,0:29:58.634
of the character of God?
0:29:58.634,0:30:00.687
(Harold) Well, in my case, I believe
0:30:00.687,0:30:01.957
that you need to meet them
0:30:01.957,0:30:04.603
where they're at, reflect God's character.
0:30:04.603,0:30:06.713
If they need a companion, be there.
0:30:06.713,0:30:08.397
If they need help, provide the help
0:30:08.397,0:30:10.018
that they need, because at the end
0:30:10.018,0:30:12.362
of the day, we are ambassadors of Christ.
0:30:12.362,0:30:14.032
We are to represent Him.
0:30:14.032,0:30:16.450
And even Paul says, "The only reason
0:30:16.450,0:30:18.838
why the Gentiles blaspheme the name of God
0:30:18.838,0:30:22.048
is because of you, of your example,
0:30:22.048,0:30:24.058
because you do things, you're hypocrites."
0:30:24.058,0:30:25.895
We're all hypocrites; I've been there.
0:30:25.895,0:30:27.824
(Derek) ...a personal question, Harold,
0:30:27.824,0:30:29.460
because I know you didn't grow up
0:30:29.460,0:30:31.490
in a very strong Christian family.
0:30:31.490,0:30:35.759
So, who helped you - because some people
0:30:35.759,0:30:37.611
have heard a little of your testimony,
0:30:37.611,0:30:40.409
it's quite amazing - but who helped you
0:30:40.409,0:30:43.438
to see that revelation of a God
0:30:43.438,0:30:45.037
who loves freely?
0:30:45.037,0:30:47.411
(Harold) Well, it took, after I was
0:30:47.411,0:30:49.529
introduced to God, maybe 15 years later.
0:30:49.529,0:30:50.689
It was a friend of mine
0:30:50.689,0:30:52.467
in Rochester, New York.
0:30:52.467,0:30:55.902
I never heard that representation of God
0:30:55.902,0:30:57.878
the way she presented it to me.
0:30:57.878,0:30:59.691
I mean, she was not perfect, you know,
0:30:59.691,0:31:02.516
she had her flaws, yet all these years
0:31:02.516,0:31:05.527
I thought God was very demanding,
0:31:05.527,0:31:07.818
very vindictive, and I was
0:31:07.818,0:31:08.910
always afraid of Him.
0:31:08.910,0:31:09.960
But when she said,
0:31:09.960,0:31:11.730
"God is very compassionate.
0:31:11.730,0:31:13.933
You can talk to Him as a friend,"...
0:31:13.933,0:31:15.271
I always had to talk to Him,
0:31:15.271,0:31:17.806
like, with this reverence of like,
0:31:17.806,0:31:19.575
"Oh, yes, Sir," "No, Sir," but I talk
0:31:19.575,0:31:21.075
to Him as a friend.
0:31:21.075,0:31:24.516
And I believe that He can forgive.
0:31:24.516,0:31:26.373
I did not believe He forgave, before.
0:31:26.373,0:31:27.446
Even though I've heard
0:31:27.446,0:31:28.787
the message of forgiveness,
0:31:28.787,0:31:30.569
I did not believe he actually forgave
0:31:30.569,0:31:32.000
because I was too full of sin.
0:31:32.000,0:31:33.393
I thought I had to be perfect
0:31:33.393,0:31:34.989
before I would present myself...
0:31:34.989,0:31:36.754
(Derek) Accepted by Him.
0:31:36.754,0:31:40.222
Gleny, I see your hand; how would you
0:31:40.222,0:31:42.422
like to add to the discussion?
0:31:42.422,0:31:44.476
(Gleny) As a therapist, I had been working
0:31:44.476,0:31:46.925
with a client at a residential
0:31:46.925,0:31:49.242
depression/anxiety recovery program,
0:31:49.242,0:31:51.546
and he was so blown away,
0:31:51.546,0:31:53.467
but also simultaneously confused
0:31:53.467,0:31:55.040
with the compassion and love
0:31:55.040,0:31:56.879
he was experiencing around him.
0:31:56.879,0:31:59.006
I remember he mentioned that he
0:31:59.006,0:32:01.344
doesn't want to be like the people.
0:32:01.344,0:32:03.357
He knew who would get so rigid
0:32:03.357,0:32:05.082
and dictatorial when they would read
0:32:05.082,0:32:07.294
the Word and understand God, and he said,
0:32:07.294,0:32:09.547
"I just don't want to be like that."
0:32:09.547,0:32:12.383
And I asked him, like, there are many
0:32:12.383,0:32:13.864
of us who understand and read
0:32:13.864,0:32:15.032
the Word of God; do you
0:32:15.032,0:32:17.364
think that we are the same?
0:32:17.364,0:32:19.509
And he said, "Oh, wait, that's right.
0:32:19.509,0:32:22.246
You guys are some of the first people
0:32:22.246,0:32:24.763
I've met who had a different response,
0:32:24.763,0:32:27.469
actually a very positive response
0:32:27.469,0:32:30.091
after intentionally learning about God."
0:32:30.091,0:32:32.362
So, by their fruits, you shall know them.
0:32:32.362,0:32:34.849
And he was drawn to God by the way
0:32:34.849,0:32:36.692
we were working with him.
0:32:36.692,0:32:38.336
(Derek) So, we're hearing a theme.
0:32:38.336,0:32:39.556
Thank you so much, Gleny.
0:32:39.556,0:32:41.283
We're hearing a theme that, with all
0:32:41.283,0:32:42.050
of the confusion
0:32:42.050,0:32:43.712
about the character of God
0:32:43.712,0:32:46.663
that followers of God, you said,
0:32:46.663,0:32:49.045
could actually be part of the problem.
0:32:49.045,0:32:51.091
We could even have false teachers
0:32:51.091,0:32:53.381
who are religious teachers, right,
0:32:53.381,0:32:55.632
who give a confused picture of God.
0:32:55.632,0:32:59.008
Or we can be a living example[br]of that. Travis.
0:32:59.008,0:33:00.581
(Travis) Derek, one of the things
0:33:00.581,0:33:01.978
that I've learned about being
0:33:01.978,0:33:03.573
a powerful witness for Jesus
0:33:03.573,0:33:05.991
is in Acts, chapter 1, verse 8,
0:33:05.991,0:33:07.987
It says, "You will receive power
0:33:07.987,0:33:09.912
to be my witnesses."
0:33:09.912,0:33:12.253
And we're not that smart,
0:33:12.253,0:33:14.362
and God will give us the power
0:33:14.362,0:33:17.697
to be appropriate witnesses of the gospel.
0:33:17.697,0:33:19.372
(Derek) So there is a revelation.
0:33:19.372,0:33:21.404
I see Sophia, and then, Tricia Lee,
0:33:21.404,0:33:22.761
I see your hand.
0:33:22.761,0:33:24.150
(Sophia) Just the distortion
0:33:24.150,0:33:25.482
of the character reminded me
0:33:25.482,0:33:29.267
of the Puritans in 1600s America.
0:33:29.267,0:33:31.865
They came to America to escape
0:33:31.865,0:33:33.094
religious persecution,
0:33:33.094,0:33:35.309
and right after they made their colony,
0:33:35.309,0:33:36.431
they began to persecute
0:33:36.431,0:33:37.812
everyone around them
0:33:37.812,0:33:40.042
because of their strict[br]religious standards.
0:33:40.042,0:33:41.654
(Derek) To be fair, we might say
0:33:41.654,0:33:43.199
some of them began to persecute
0:33:43.199,0:33:44.978
those around them because there were
0:33:44.978,0:33:46.667
probably some who really did reveal
0:33:46.667,0:33:47.998
the love of God, right?
0:33:47.998,0:33:51.317
But it's easy for us to fall into that,
0:33:51.317,0:33:54.823
that we don't reflect
0:33:54.823,0:33:56.354
the immeasurable, unfailing love
0:33:56.354,0:33:58.212
of God. Tricia Lee?
0:33:58.212,0:33:59.760
(Tricia Lee) There's a Scripture
0:33:59.760,0:34:02.240
I'd like to share in Jeremiah,
0:34:02.240,0:34:08.094
chapter 32, verses 38 through 40.
0:34:08.094,0:34:10.458
(Derek) What translation are[br]you reading from,?
0:34:10.458,0:34:11.657
(Tricia Lee) I'm reading
0:34:11.657,0:34:16.595
from the New King James Version,[br]and it reads:
0:34:50.093,0:34:52.608
And "fear" being that loving respect.
0:34:52.608,0:34:54.418
I love this Scripture because it
0:34:54.418,0:34:57.619
reminds me of this idea of a covenant,
0:34:57.619,0:34:59.690
and that that is what God's love is.
0:34:59.690,0:35:02.213
And repeatedly in this passage He says,
0:35:02.213,0:35:05.926
"I will, I will, I will."
0:35:05.926,0:35:08.012
So often in our human experience,
0:35:08.012,0:35:10.245
love is like a transaction,
0:35:10.245,0:35:12.395
"I'll do this if you do that."
0:35:12.395,0:35:13.476
"If you do this,
0:35:13.476,0:35:15.234
then I'll always do this."
0:35:15.234,0:35:17.436
But God's everlasting love
0:35:17.436,0:35:19.331
is a covenant to us,
0:35:19.331,0:35:21.726
that, no matter what we do,
0:35:21.726,0:35:24.566
He will never stop loving us,
0:35:24.566,0:35:26.442
and that He has committed
0:35:26.442,0:35:28.141
to what He will do.
0:35:28.141,0:35:30.022
And so, there are times where there are
0:35:30.022,0:35:32.047
conditional promises and things like that,
0:35:32.047,0:35:34.860
but His love is everlasting, and it's
0:35:34.860,0:35:36.290
always a promise
0:35:36.290,0:35:39.038
of "I will, I will, I will."
0:35:39.038,0:35:41.104
And I think that's very different
0:35:41.104,0:35:43.412
than how we treat each other.
0:35:43.412,0:35:45.637
You know, you don't hear someone
0:35:45.637,0:35:47.364
in a marriage ceremony saying,
0:35:47.364,0:35:48.650
"I will do these things
0:35:48.650,0:35:50.274
only if you do that."
0:35:50.274,0:35:51.546
You always state your vows
0:35:51.546,0:35:52.942
as what you're committing
0:35:52.942,0:35:55.143
to that person, and in a way,
0:35:55.143,0:35:56.479
this everlasting covenant is
0:35:56.479,0:35:58.028
how God has committed
0:35:58.028,0:36:02.457
His unfailing, immeasurable love to us.
0:36:02.457,0:36:03.302
(Derek) Thank you
0:36:03.302,0:36:05.175
so much for sharing that.
0:36:05.175,0:36:06.736
There was a word that Tricia Lee
0:36:06.736,0:36:08.382
was repeating over and over again
0:36:08.382,0:36:09.920
that leads us into the next part
0:36:09.920,0:36:11.676
of our study, and that is
0:36:11.676,0:36:13.771
the everlasting love of God.
0:36:13.771,0:36:15.400
And I'd like someone to read
0:36:15.400,0:36:19.809
John 17 and verse 24.
0:36:19.809,0:36:22.749
John 17, Faith, do you have that?
0:36:22.749,0:36:25.650
John 17 and verse 24?
0:36:25.650,0:36:28.274
Let's see what testimony Jesus gave
0:36:28.274,0:36:30.797
regarding the everlasting love of God.
0:36:30.797,0:36:32.126
(Faith) And I'll be reading
0:36:32.126,0:36:33.660
from the New King James Version,
0:36:33.660,0:36:36.549
John 17, verse 24:
0:36:51.878,0:36:54.250
(Derek) Alright, so there's a revelation.
0:36:54.250,0:36:55.418
You say, "Oh, no, that's
0:36:55.418,0:36:59.549
just that the Father loved His Son
0:36:59.549,0:37:01.511
before the foundation of the world."
0:37:01.511,0:37:04.131
What evidence do you find, anybody,
0:37:04.131,0:37:08.365
in the Scriptures that God's love for us
0:37:08.365,0:37:10.590
is also everlasting?
0:37:10.590,0:37:13.958
It's not bound by time, you know,
0:37:13.958,0:37:15.310
kind of like a time clock,
0:37:15.310,0:37:18.050
"You've got three years left," right,
0:37:18.050,0:37:21.428
or three mistakes left, or something,
0:37:21.428,0:37:22.996
but that it's everlasting.
0:37:22.996,0:37:25.458
Jesus said, "The Father has loved Me
0:37:25.458,0:37:27.471
since before the foundation of the world."
0:37:27.471,0:37:31.468
Anybody think of a Bible text?[br]Yes, Samantha.
0:37:31.468,0:37:32.711
(Samantha) Well, I thought
0:37:32.711,0:37:35.943
of Romans 8, verses 38 and 39.
0:37:35.943,0:37:36.977
(Derek) Okay, give us
0:37:36.977,0:37:38.263
a moment to find that.
0:37:38.263,0:37:40.575
Romans, chapter 8?
0:37:40.575,0:37:42.871
(Samantha) Verses 38 and 39.
0:37:42.871,0:37:44.427
(Derek) And the letter
0:37:44.427,0:37:47.335
to the Romans was written by?
0:37:47.335,0:37:49.986
Anybody? The Apostle Paul, that's right.
0:37:49.986,0:37:51.290
So, these are to Christians
0:37:51.290,0:37:53.380
living in Rome, and you're reading
0:37:53.380,0:37:55.145
verses 38 and 39.
0:37:55.145,0:37:57.406
(Samantha) Yes, from the New[br]King James Version.
0:37:57.406,0:37:58.485
(Derek) How does...?
0:37:58.485,0:37:59.414
(Samantha) It says:
0:38:24.153,0:38:26.059
(Derek) Somebody excited about that?
0:38:26.059,0:38:27.791
That's pretty amazing, isn't it?
0:38:27.791,0:38:30.120
Nothing can separate us. Puia.
0:38:30.120,0:38:32.788
(Puia) So, back to John 17:24
0:38:32.788,0:38:34.787
that we read earlier, what I see here
0:38:34.787,0:38:38.070
is that before creating the world,
0:38:38.070,0:38:40.704
God had already enjoyed
0:38:40.704,0:38:43.198
being in a relationship of love.
0:38:43.198,0:38:44.431
So, in a sense, God
0:38:44.431,0:38:46.246
didn't need to create us.
0:38:46.246,0:38:51.330
He didn't owe us this existence, nor love.
0:38:51.330,0:38:54.833
So this idea of God loving us freely,
0:38:54.833,0:38:59.360
voluntarily, is all an act of sacrifice
0:38:59.360,0:39:03.613
in a way, and we don't deserve
0:39:03.613,0:39:06.681
this level of love from God.
0:39:06.681,0:39:10.833
(Derek) But it's who God is, right?
0:39:10.833,0:39:13.617
Isn't there a text that says, "God is..."?
0:39:13.617,0:39:16.486
(Derek, Team) "...love."
0:39:16.486,0:39:18.029
(Derek) He doesn't just love,
0:39:18.029,0:39:20.916
He does love, but He loves because it's...
0:39:20.916,0:39:21.891
(Puia) His nature.
0:39:21.891,0:39:23.036
(Derek) The very essence
0:39:23.036,0:39:24.087
of who He is. Harold?
0:39:24.087,0:39:25.587
(Harold) I was going to read...
0:39:25.587,0:39:26.617
(Derek) Yes...
0:39:26.617,0:39:30.115
(Harold) It's in Lamentations, chapter 3.
0:39:30.115,0:39:31.753
(Derek) Lamentations doesn't sound
0:39:31.753,0:39:34.234
like a very happy book, does it?
0:39:34.234,0:39:36.746
But the prophet Jeremiah has
0:39:36.746,0:39:38.530
a beautiful promise there.
0:39:38.530,0:39:40.952
Lamentations, chapter 3 and verses?
0:39:40.952,0:39:42.578
(Harold) 22 to 24.
0:39:42.578,0:39:44.189
(Derek) 22 to 24, my wife
0:39:44.189,0:39:46.912
likes to sing this, so how does that read?
0:39:46.912,0:39:48.402
What translation are you...?
0:39:48.402,0:39:49.568
(Harold) I'll be reading
0:39:49.568,0:39:52.623
from the English Standard Version,[br]and it reads:
0:40:12.548,0:40:13.964
(Derek) Beautiful, that's one
0:40:13.964,0:40:15.639
of my favorite verses, by the way.
0:40:15.639,0:40:18.475
And by the way, the context of that
0:40:18.475,0:40:20.647
is not that everything is going perfectly.
0:40:20.647,0:40:22.055
What's just happened?
0:40:22.055,0:40:24.401
(Harold) The Israelites were[br]under captivity.
0:40:24.401,0:40:26.658
(Derek) They had just been taken[br]into captivity.
0:40:26.658,0:40:27.668
(Harold) To Babylon.
0:40:27.668,0:40:29.504
(Derek) That's right, Daniel, Ezekiel,
0:40:29.504,0:40:31.459
and all those prophets are there.
0:40:31.459,0:40:33.284
Jeremiah is left in Jerusalem.
0:40:33.284,0:40:39.143
It's been ransacked, and he's lamenting.
0:40:39.143,0:40:41.257
But he says, "Through the Lord's mercies,"
0:40:41.257,0:40:42.914
I'm quoting the New King James,
0:40:42.914,0:40:45.215
"we are not consumed,
0:40:45.215,0:40:47.113
because His compassions fail not."
0:40:47.113,0:40:48.126
Thank you for sharing
0:40:48.126,0:40:49.667
that text, beautiful. Yes, Don.
0:40:49.667,0:40:52.575
(Don) Another unfailing love from God,
0:40:52.575,0:40:55.891
if you'll allow me to read Isaiah 54?
0:40:55.891,0:40:58.158
(Derek) Give us a chance to find it.
0:40:58.158,0:40:59.018
(Don) I'm reading
0:40:59.018,0:41:00.259
from the New King James.
0:41:00.259,0:41:01.958
(Derek) Hold on just a minute then,
0:41:01.958,0:41:05.466
"Eye-ZAY-ah" or "Eye-ZY-uh," chapter 54.
0:41:05.466,0:41:06.535
(Don) Verse 10.
0:41:06.535,0:41:07.706
(Derek) And verse 10,
0:41:07.706,0:41:09.538
and what translation?
0:41:09.538,0:41:10.540
(Don) New King James.
0:41:10.540,0:41:11.732
(Derek) New King James,
0:41:11.732,0:41:14.183
"Eye-ZAY-ah" or "Eye-ZY-uh," 54:10.
0:41:14.183,0:41:15.328
(Don) And it says:
0:41:32.905,0:41:34.497
(Derek) We could find many texts,
0:41:34.497,0:41:37.505
I'm sure, in the Scripture that speak
0:41:37.505,0:41:40.596
about the everlasting love of God,
0:41:40.596,0:41:43.717
but one of the reasons
0:41:43.717,0:41:46.955
that people struggle is because they've
0:41:46.955,0:41:48.324
been in a relationship
0:41:48.324,0:41:50.777
where love has failed.
0:41:50.777,0:41:52.417
And they go, "Well, maybe God's
0:41:52.417,0:41:53.494
just like that, too."
0:41:53.494,0:41:55.096
"I thought it was
0:41:55.096,0:41:58.632
a loving, safe environment."
0:41:58.632,0:42:01.175
It may be a family member left,
0:42:01.175,0:42:03.004
like a parent or a spouse
0:42:03.004,0:42:05.198
or a close relationship,
0:42:05.198,0:42:07.772
and it's like it's hard for us
0:42:07.772,0:42:09.563
not to think, "Well, maybe God
0:42:09.563,0:42:11.310
is that way, too."
0:42:11.310,0:42:14.750
Anybody have an experience like that,
0:42:14.750,0:42:21.558
yeah, challenged that, but somehow God
0:42:21.558,0:42:23.473
made a clear picture that He
0:42:23.473,0:42:26.931
would not abandon you that way?
0:42:26.931,0:42:30.396
I don't know if anyone can relate to that.
0:42:30.396,0:42:33.575
I see a couple of reticent hands going up.
0:42:33.575,0:42:35.336
That's a tough question, isn't it,
0:42:35.336,0:42:37.159
but could you see how that could...
0:42:37.159,0:42:40.283
You know, daddy leaves, and it's like,
0:42:40.283,0:42:41.859
"Well, maybe my heavenly Father
0:42:41.859,0:42:44.071
is like that, too; maybe some day
0:42:44.071,0:42:47.021
He will just stop being there," right?
0:42:47.021,0:42:48.895
It's very real, isn't it? Harold?
0:42:48.895,0:42:51.797
(Harold) Well, my father, it got
0:42:51.797,0:42:53.019
to a point that I stopped
0:42:53.019,0:42:55.120
calling him father.
0:42:55.120,0:42:56.831
He was a very angry person.
0:42:56.831,0:42:58.595
He was a womanizer.
0:42:58.595,0:42:59.753
We would go to the park,
0:42:59.753,0:43:01.379
and he will tell me, "This will be
0:43:01.379,0:43:04.720
your new mom," and I'm like, "Excuse me?"
0:43:04.720,0:43:12.947
And I barely saw him, so...
0:43:12.947,0:43:15.242
(Derek) It's hard.
0:43:15.242,0:43:17.992
(Harold) It did hurt because I
0:43:17.992,0:43:21.603
always wanted a father, and I want
0:43:21.603,0:43:27.393
to be there for my daughter, too.
0:43:27.393,0:43:29.994
Not to mention the family was not good
0:43:29.994,0:43:33.939
because my mom also had her problems
0:43:33.939,0:43:37.827
growing up, so I did feel alone,
0:43:37.827,0:43:42.048
so, oh, I'm sorry.
0:43:42.048,0:43:47.023
(James) It's alright, it's alright.[br]Tell your story.
0:43:47.023,0:43:49.225
(Harold) I did feel alone.
0:43:49.225,0:43:53.357
I didn't have the family that I wanted
0:43:53.357,0:43:56.283
because I didn't have birthdays...
0:43:56.283,0:43:59.899
Like, I got very indifferent about things
0:43:59.899,0:44:03.647
that people do as a family.
0:44:03.647,0:44:06.090
So, I just tried to protect myself
0:44:06.090,0:44:07.962
by trying to be indifferent
0:44:07.962,0:44:12.331
to these things so I could move on in life
0:44:12.331,0:44:14.452
because it's like, you know what, I cannot
0:44:14.452,0:44:16.964
allow these things to control me
0:44:16.964,0:44:19.279
or to dictate how I should live.
0:44:19.279,0:44:20.877
I need to do something.
0:44:20.877,0:44:23.898
So I do thank God that He did put people
0:44:23.898,0:44:26.550
along the way that started painting
0:44:26.550,0:44:29.767
this picture of God and trying to show me
0:44:29.767,0:44:31.625
who God really is.
0:44:31.625,0:44:33.119
And thankfully my mom,
0:44:33.119,0:44:34.612
even with her problems, she did
0:44:34.612,0:44:35.802
introduce me to the Bible
0:44:35.802,0:44:37.686
at a very young age.
0:44:37.686,0:44:40.371
So, I started reading and trying
0:44:40.371,0:44:43.228
to understand God from that angle.
0:44:43.228,0:44:46.755
So, then eventually, of course, I said,
0:44:46.755,0:44:48.636
like my friend from Rochester,
0:44:48.636,0:44:51.290
she eventually painted this bigger picture
0:44:51.290,0:44:53.230
of God to help me, like, "Oh, wow,
0:44:53.230,0:44:55.481
this is who God truly is;
0:44:55.481,0:44:56.985
I can call You my Father
0:44:56.985,0:44:59.173
because I always wanted a father,
0:44:59.173,0:45:01.070
but You are my Father that has been..."
0:45:01.070,0:45:03.018
Even though I did suffer, it was painful.
0:45:03.018,0:45:05.850
I did go through experiences that you
0:45:05.850,0:45:07.420
would think like, "Why would You
0:45:07.420,0:45:08.364
allow that, God?"
0:45:08.364,0:45:10.748
I mean it was done to me personally.
0:45:10.748,0:45:12.408
I mean, I cannot share
0:45:12.408,0:45:15.840
because of probably younger children,
0:45:15.840,0:45:18.686
but it's like, sure, I did
0:45:18.686,0:45:20.630
go through this experience, but I
0:45:20.630,0:45:22.087
cannot blame God because I am
0:45:22.087,0:45:23.408
in a broken world.
0:45:23.408,0:45:24.825
There are so many distortions
0:45:24.825,0:45:28.125
of God in the world, but yet we are
0:45:28.125,0:45:30.065
accountable for these things.
0:45:30.065,0:45:31.709
We are accountable, and we need
0:45:31.709,0:45:33.049
to take responsibility.
0:45:33.049,0:45:35.657
I cannot always put the blame on God.
0:45:35.657,0:45:37.693
But at the end of the day, I do praise God
0:45:37.693,0:45:44.012
that I was able to find a loving wife,
0:45:44.012,0:45:46.787
my family, and I don't want
0:45:46.787,0:45:51.331
to live like that; I really hated it.
0:45:51.331,0:45:53.875
I just want to be there for Sophia.
0:45:53.875,0:45:57.091
I want to give her a good representation
0:45:57.091,0:46:00.414
of who God really is.
0:46:00.414,0:46:02.722
(Derek) That's beautiful, Harold.
0:46:02.722,0:46:05.045
For those of you who don't know,
0:46:05.045,0:46:06.946
Brittany, who is one of our team members
0:46:06.946,0:46:08.531
and actually will be teaching one
0:46:08.531,0:46:10.934
in this series, but Brittany and Harold
0:46:10.934,0:46:12.820
just had a beautiful little girl.
0:46:12.820,0:46:15.004
And the name Sophia was mentioned,
0:46:15.004,0:46:18.315
so I can repeat it publicly.
0:46:18.315,0:46:22.278
And I'm really blessed
0:46:22.278,0:46:25.222
by what Harold just shared, and that is,
0:46:25.222,0:46:28.267
"I want my little girl to see
0:46:28.267,0:46:30.132
a true representation of the character
0:46:30.132,0:46:32.577
of our loving heavenly Father," right?
0:46:32.577,0:46:33.316
(Harold) Amen.
0:46:33.316,0:46:35.287
(Derek) And whether we're a parent
0:46:35.287,0:46:39.462
or a friend, right, or a child
0:46:39.462,0:46:41.505
to a parent, we want to be
0:46:41.505,0:46:43.338
a living representation
0:46:43.338,0:46:44.897
of what the loving character
0:46:44.897,0:46:47.760
of God looks like.
0:46:47.760,0:46:50.495
Whew, that's pretty intense,
0:46:50.495,0:46:52.645
but I need to move us on
0:46:52.645,0:46:54.547
to the last section,
0:46:54.547,0:46:58.559
because let's start again:
0:46:58.559,0:47:00.532
How many people does God love?
0:47:00.532,0:47:01.542
(Team) Everybody.
0:47:01.542,0:47:03.953
(Derek) He loves everyone,
0:47:03.953,0:47:07.150
but somehow we have a choice to make
0:47:07.150,0:47:08.970
whether we will accept
0:47:08.970,0:47:10.352
that intimate relationship
0:47:10.352,0:47:13.629
that we studied about.
0:47:13.629,0:47:16.406
Let's go to a story that Jesus told
0:47:16.406,0:47:21.799
in Matthew 24, verses 1 to 14,
0:47:21.799,0:47:26.488
Matthew 22, excuse me, verses 1 to 14,
0:47:26.488,0:47:29.388
and let's look; Kylynda, maybe you
0:47:29.388,0:47:31.418
could read it for us.
0:47:31.418,0:47:32.991
You say, "What has this got to do
0:47:32.991,0:47:34.213
with the love of God?"
0:47:34.213,0:47:38.027
Well, let's listen, because apparently,
0:47:38.027,0:47:40.492
lots of people are invited to a banquet.
0:47:40.492,0:47:41.698
So, how does this story
0:47:41.698,0:47:43.127
read in your Bible?
0:47:43.127,0:47:44.425
(Kylynda) I will be reading
0:47:44.425,0:47:46.219
from the New Living Translation:
0:49:23.069,0:49:26.363
(Derek) Wow, that's a pretty intense[br]story.
0:49:26.363,0:49:28.893
Why would the king, if he said,
0:49:28.893,0:49:31.359
"Go find any," both good and?
0:49:31.359,0:49:32.591
(Team) Bad.
0:49:32.591,0:49:35.017
(Derek) So that would include us, right?[br]Praise God.
0:49:35.017,0:49:36.562
Don't tell me which one you are,
0:49:36.562,0:49:37.571
but we're all saved
0:49:37.571,0:49:39.459
by the grace of God, right?
0:49:39.459,0:49:41.290
We're saved by the grace of God.
0:49:41.290,0:49:43.162
Why would the king be upset
0:49:43.162,0:49:44.714
if one person didn't have
0:49:44.714,0:49:46.828
a wedding garment on?
0:49:46.828,0:49:49.828
The only logical conclusion is?
0:49:49.828,0:49:50.954
(Sophia) He needed one.
0:49:50.954,0:49:52.820
(Derek) Well, he obviously needed one.
0:49:52.820,0:49:57.765
(Don) He needed to be really genuine[br]or to fully accept the invitation.
0:49:57.765,0:50:01.370
(Derek) Who provided the wedding garment?
0:50:01.370,0:50:03.281
(Travis) He was unwilling to put it on.
0:50:03.281,0:50:04.465
(Derek) He was unwilling
0:50:04.465,0:50:06.632
to put on a wedding garment
0:50:06.632,0:50:09.957
that was provided!
0:50:09.957,0:50:12.094
If he had said, "Well, I didn't have one.
0:50:12.094,0:50:13.276
Nobody gave it; I stood
0:50:13.276,0:50:14.638
in the wrong line."
0:50:14.638,0:50:20.668
He's speechless because he's[br]without excuse.
0:50:20.668,0:50:23.064
He's without excuse.
0:50:23.064,0:50:27.301
The wedding garment, that righteousness
0:50:27.301,0:50:31.451
which covers us, is a gift of God's grace.
0:50:31.451,0:50:35.252
To show up thinking we're okay without it
0:50:35.252,0:50:37.844
is a fatal mistake, right?
0:50:37.844,0:50:40.041
So, what does this last verse mean
0:50:40.041,0:50:43.186
in the story that Kylynda read?
0:50:43.186,0:50:48.911
"Many are called, but few are chosen"?
0:50:48.911,0:50:51.341
How many is the many who are called? Puia?
0:50:51.341,0:50:52.363
(Puia) All.
0:50:52.363,0:50:54.282
(Derek) It's everybody; how do you know?
0:50:54.282,0:50:55.705
(Harold) Good and bad were...
0:50:55.705,0:50:57.252
(Derek) Good and bad, everybody.
0:50:57.252,0:50:59.031
Everybody is called.
0:50:59.031,0:51:00.490
So, what does it mean?
0:51:00.490,0:51:03.113
"Many are called, but..."?
0:51:03.113,0:51:06.151
What does it mean, "Few are chosen"?
0:51:06.151,0:51:08.301
(Samantha) Only those who accept
0:51:08.301,0:51:10.310
that invitation and decide
0:51:10.310,0:51:12.721
to receive God's grace will be able
0:51:12.721,0:51:15.102
to enter into the Kingdom,[br]will be chosen to enter.
0:51:15.102,0:51:16.871
(Derek) ...sounds like poor English,
0:51:16.871,0:51:21.379
but those who choose to be chosen, right?
0:51:21.379,0:51:24.430
Who wants to be chosen? Right?
0:51:24.430,0:51:26.400
Everyone is given the invitation.
0:51:26.400,0:51:28.990
The garment is provided.
0:51:28.990,0:51:30.303
Some people don't even want
0:51:30.303,0:51:32.300
to come, right?
0:51:32.300,0:51:33.644
In fact, most of the people
0:51:33.644,0:51:36.768
don't want to come.
0:51:36.768,0:51:39.440
But then some show up
0:51:39.440,0:51:42.479
without putting on the garment.
0:51:42.479,0:51:44.248
We have a choice to make. Travis?
0:51:44.248,0:51:45.632
(Travis) Interestingly, Jesus
0:51:45.632,0:51:46.831
starts out the beatitudes
0:51:46.831,0:51:48.403
in Matthew, chapter 5, verse 3,
0:51:48.403,0:51:49.657
[by saying], "Blessed are
0:51:49.657,0:51:51.502
the poor in spirit," those who realize
0:51:51.502,0:51:54.243
their brokenness, "for theirs is
0:51:54.243,0:51:55.358
the Kingdom of Heaven."
0:51:55.358,0:51:56.357
(Derek) Praise God.
0:51:56.357,0:51:57.709
So, I'm going to have you do
0:51:57.709,0:51:59.213
a little computer scan.
0:51:59.213,0:52:01.068
I want our remotes to be engaged here,
0:52:01.068,0:52:03.361
I'm going to ask you to be involved[br]in that.
0:52:03.361,0:52:05.560
Can you think of someone
0:52:05.560,0:52:08.883
who received an unexpected invitation
0:52:08.883,0:52:10.314
to be part of the banquet -
0:52:10.314,0:52:11.371
which means to be part
0:52:11.371,0:52:13.624
of God's eternal kingdom, and experience
0:52:13.624,0:52:16.873
His immeasurable, unfailing love forever -
0:52:16.873,0:52:18.130
someone who received
0:52:18.130,0:52:22.120
an unexpected invitation and accepted it?!
0:52:22.120,0:52:25.695
Someone share a story with me,
0:52:25.695,0:52:27.045
unexpected invitation
0:52:27.045,0:52:29.924
and accepted it. Yes, Puia.
0:52:29.924,0:52:31.570
(Puia) It reminds me of Zacchaeus.
0:52:31.570,0:52:32.838
(Derek) Okay, Zacchaeus,
0:52:32.838,0:52:34.487
you don't need to read the story,
0:52:34.487,0:52:36.078
but tell us; Zacchaeus was a...?
0:52:36.078,0:52:37.138
(Puia) Tax collector.
0:52:37.138,0:52:38.141
(Derek) Very wealthy.
0:52:38.141,0:52:40.141
(Puia) And he probably didn't expect Jesus
0:52:40.141,0:52:43.171
to even know his name or invite him,
0:52:43.171,0:52:45.490
or, you know, dine with him.
0:52:45.490,0:52:48.094
That story just came into my mind.
0:52:48.094,0:52:50.981
(Derek) So, Luke 19, great story,
0:52:50.981,0:52:52.935
"I'm going to eat at your house today,
0:52:52.935,0:52:54.633
but more than that, salvation comes
0:52:54.633,0:52:58.341
to this house today," right,[br]amazing story.
0:52:58.341,0:53:00.949
Someone else, an unexpected invitation.
0:53:00.949,0:53:04.608
I see Tricia Lee's hand raised.[br]Tricia Lee?
0:53:04.608,0:53:05.828
(Tricia Lee) Yes, I think
0:53:05.828,0:53:07.518
about the thief on the cross.
0:53:07.518,0:53:10.294
He is guilty, and he is in the midst
0:53:10.294,0:53:13.747
of being punished for his crime or crimes,
0:53:13.747,0:53:16.823
and God extends salvation to him.
0:53:16.823,0:53:19.394
He has no chance to come down and live
0:53:19.394,0:53:22.104
a reformed life or do good things.
0:53:22.104,0:53:24.498
It is simply the faith, grace, and mercy
0:53:24.498,0:53:26.851
of God because we believe and know
0:53:26.851,0:53:30.793
that He is saved still hanging[br]on that cross.
0:53:30.793,0:53:32.231
(Derek) Beautiful. Wow, that's
0:53:32.231,0:53:33.745
an amazing one.
0:53:33.745,0:53:35.793
I see Gleny's hand raised, too.
0:53:35.793,0:53:37.901
Gleny, somebody else that received
0:53:37.901,0:53:40.546
an unexpected invitation to be part
0:53:40.546,0:53:43.701
of this banquet which symbolizes
0:53:43.701,0:53:45.917
the Kingdom and said, "Yes!"
0:53:45.917,0:53:47.861
(Gleny) There's Matthew, who was
0:53:47.861,0:53:51.987
a very bad candidate for being a disciple
0:53:51.987,0:53:53.691
of Christ's because he was hated
0:53:53.691,0:53:55.659
as a tax collector, but he accepted
0:53:55.659,0:53:57.369
the invitation to follow Christ.
0:53:57.369,0:53:58.980
(Derek) Yeah, I hope that Matthew
0:53:58.980,0:54:00.776
and Zacchaeus got to be good friends,
0:54:00.776,0:54:02.994
you know, both tax collectors. Sophia.
0:54:02.994,0:54:03.775
(Sophia) Paul.
0:54:03.775,0:54:06.973
(Derek) Saul of Tarsus, what was he doing
0:54:06.973,0:54:09.060
before he accepted the invitation?
0:54:09.060,0:54:11.226
(Sophia) Persecuting Christians,[br]killing them.
0:54:11.226,0:54:12.707
(Derek) Persecuting Christians!
0:54:12.707,0:54:15.806
Killing people, forcing them to blaspheme
0:54:15.806,0:54:17.744
the name of Jesus!
0:54:17.744,0:54:19.118
And he gets an invitation.
0:54:19.118,0:54:21.556
Where was he when he got the invitation?
0:54:21.556,0:54:23.410
On the Damascus road, and when he
0:54:23.410,0:54:25.911
got to Damascus, he gets the invitation,
0:54:25.911,0:54:28.567
and he says, "Yes."
0:54:28.567,0:54:29.803
Now, tragically, I wish we
0:54:29.803,0:54:30.869
could just end there,
0:54:30.869,0:54:32.324
but remember there's a choice.
0:54:32.324,0:54:33.725
So, someone, you're watching,
0:54:33.725,0:54:35.456
and you're going, "But you're saying
0:54:35.456,0:54:36.415
people could say no.
0:54:36.415,0:54:37.905
Maybe everybody will be saved."
0:54:37.905,0:54:39.725
Can you think of someone who received
0:54:39.725,0:54:43.365
a surprise invitation and said no?
0:54:43.365,0:54:44.973
(Samantha) The rich young ruler.
0:54:44.973,0:54:46.668
(Derek) Alright, Samantha mentioned
0:54:46.668,0:54:49.172
the rich young ruler who Jesus says,
0:54:49.172,0:54:51.632
"Get rid of the stuff
0:54:51.632,0:54:55.084
that's getting in the way and follow Me,"
0:54:55.084,0:54:57.097
and he walked away.
0:54:57.097,0:54:59.267
Anybody else? Yes, Harold.
0:54:59.267,0:55:01.507
(Harold) Judas Iscariot, unfortunately.
0:55:01.507,0:55:02.618
(Derek) After being one
0:55:02.618,0:55:05.202
of the close team members of Jesus,
0:55:05.202,0:55:11.886
Judas Iscariot rejected the invitation.
0:55:11.886,0:55:12.605
And, of course,
0:55:12.605,0:55:17.010
there's a shocking realization
0:55:17.010,0:55:18.480
that when we walk away
0:55:18.480,0:55:20.546
from the love of God,
0:55:20.546,0:55:25.551
there is no hope, there really isn't.
0:55:25.551,0:55:29.735
And tragically, he hangs himself.
0:55:29.735,0:55:31.212
But the love of God gives us
0:55:31.212,0:55:34.353
a reason to live.
0:55:34.353,0:55:35.899
What's the most important lesson
0:55:35.899,0:55:37.543
you've learned in our study today?
0:55:37.543,0:55:39.234
We've got a few seconds to wrap up.
0:55:39.234,0:55:41.718
Most important lesson, anybody. Puia.
0:55:41.718,0:55:43.460
(Puia) God is faithful even when we
0:55:43.460,0:55:44.749
are not faithful.
0:55:44.749,0:55:46.414
(Derek) But we can then choose...
0:55:46.414,0:55:47.536
(Puia) To be faithful.
0:55:47.536,0:55:49.905
(Derek) ...and to receive His love.[br]Yes, Samantha.
0:55:49.905,0:55:51.862
(Samantha) God's love knows no bounds.
0:55:51.862,0:55:53.172
(Derek) It knows no bounds.
0:55:53.172,0:55:57.732
What's its only limit?
0:55:57.732,0:55:58.451
(James) Us.
0:55:58.451,0:56:00.588
(Derek) Us, that's right, James.
0:56:00.588,0:56:01.744
I want to appeal to you.
0:56:01.744,0:56:02.993
We're starting a series
0:56:02.993,0:56:05.323
on God's Love and Justice.
0:56:05.323,0:56:07.957
I want to testify by the Word of God
0:56:07.957,0:56:09.855
that Jesus loves you.
0:56:09.855,0:56:12.402
He came to reveal the Father's love
0:56:12.402,0:56:13.685
who has loved you
0:56:13.685,0:56:15.697
since the foundation of the world.
0:56:15.697,0:56:18.444
And He wants you to experience
0:56:18.444,0:56:20.102
an intimate relationship with Him,
0:56:20.102,0:56:22.365
to spend forever with Him.
0:56:22.365,0:56:23.902
You say, "Derek, you don't know
0:56:23.902,0:56:24.980
the things I've done."
0:56:24.980,0:56:26.715
It doesn't matter what you've done;
0:56:26.715,0:56:28.246
He can cleanse you, forgive you
0:56:28.246,0:56:29.634
of your sin, and give you
0:56:29.634,0:56:31.313
the gift of eternal life.
0:56:31.313,0:56:32.422
I want to appeal to you
0:56:32.422,0:56:33.667
to accept His love today.
0:56:33.667,0:56:35.888
You say, "Derek, I did that long ago."
0:56:35.888,0:56:37.878
Then, would you tell someone around you?
0:56:37.878,0:56:40.497
Would you tell someone who needs to know
0:56:40.497,0:56:43.438
really what God is like?
0:56:43.438,0:56:44.407
Let's pray together.
0:56:44.407,0:56:45.415
Father in Heaven,
0:56:45.415,0:56:47.585
we're just starting this journey,
0:56:47.585,0:56:49.597
studying about Your love and justice.
0:56:49.597,0:56:52.007
And I pray that Your Holy Spirit
0:56:52.007,0:56:54.417
would give supernatural revelation,
0:56:54.417,0:56:56.893
even as a result of this study,
0:56:56.893,0:56:59.530
of Your beautiful character of love,
0:56:59.530,0:57:01.787
that You will never stop loving us.
0:57:01.787,0:57:03.505
May we open our hearts to receive
0:57:03.505,0:57:05.257
Your love, even today.
0:57:05.257,0:57:07.118
In Jesus' name. Amen.
0:57:07.118,0:57:08.232
(Team) Amen.
0:57:08.232,0:57:09.617
(Derek) Thanks for joining us
0:57:09.617,0:57:10.774
for Hope Sabbath School.
0:57:10.774,0:57:13.395
This is going to be an amazing journey.
0:57:13.395,0:57:15.175
You say, "Derek, it's going to change
0:57:15.175,0:57:17.197
my picture of God." Praise God!
0:57:17.197,0:57:19.663
See God for the awesome loving God
0:57:19.663,0:57:20.810
that He really is.
0:57:20.810,0:57:22.110
And, friend, don't keep
0:57:22.110,0:57:24.260
that good news to yourself.
0:57:24.260,0:57:26.021
Go out and be a blessing
0:57:26.021,0:57:27.020
to those around you.
0:57:27.020,0:57:52.123
♪ theme music ♪