♪ theme music ♪
(Derek) Welcome to Hope Sabbath School,
an in-depth, interactive study
of the Word of God.
We're making our way through The Psalms,
a collection of inspired Scripture songs,
today, Longing for God in Zion.
What does that mean?
I know I long to be closer to God,
for my heart to be steadfast in Him.
We'll talk about Longing for God in Zion
today on Hope Sabbath School,
and we're glad you joined us.
Good to see you again, team.
Can you wave to everybody?
People all around the world, 200 countries
joining us for Hope Sabbath School.
Let's see who's joining us remotely.
Sabina, great to have you with us again.
And, Gleny, good to have you with us,
Gleny; we're glad you're here.
And, Tricia Lee, good to see you.
I love Tricia Lee's double-handed wave.
It's like we're really excited
to study the Word of God together.
And we're glad that you're with us, too.
And I know you can't wave back
to us right now, but you can write to us
at sshope@hopetv.org.
You can tell us how you're blessed
through a study of the Word of God.
Well, I want to just thank those
who have written to us recently,
sharing with us how God's blessed you.
And here are a couple of notes.
Ruth writes to us
from the beautiful country of Kenya,
and she says, "I appreciate
the committed Hope Sabbath School class
where the Word of God is studied
and analyzed in a way we can understand.
You make it clear
that God loves us all..."
(Team) Amen.
(Derek) "...and is calling us,
regardless of who we are,
where we come from, to believe,
repent in Jesus' name."
Yes, that's it, Ruth.
Thanks for writing to us from Kenya,
and God loves all
of His children, doesn't He?
Here's a note from Joe in California
in the United States of America.
I like this note; Joe says,
"Great program, decent people,
learning about the Bible
and Christian religion
in a calm, fun way
instead of those television preachers
who scream and demand money or else.
One of the best religious shows
on television, Hope Sabbath School."
(Team) Amen.
(Derek) "Keep up the great work."
Well, Joe, we'd like to meet you.
You tell it like it is; I can tell that.
We're glad you're part
of our Hope Sabbath School family.
And by the way, we want
to always be pointing people
to Jesus, right, and we don't
have to scream to do that.
Here's a hand-written note
from a donor in Pennsylvania
in the United States, and the donor
writes and says, "I don't know
what I'd do without Hope Channel,
and Hope Sabbath School is my favorite.
But some of the other programs
are great, too, like "Wake Up
with Hope" in the morning
and "Story Encounters," and that's great.
And I'm 85 years old,
so I'm pretty much confined
to my place of living,
but God has kept my body
in fairly good working order;
I'm blessed that way.
Take care, love you all,"
and a donation of 120 dollars to bless
the global evangelistic media ministry
of Hope Sabbath School.
Thank you, donor from Pennsylvania.
You know who you are,
and that's a very cute picture
at the bottom of your note
of a puppy dog (probably doesn't belong to you),
but thank you for being part
of our Hope Sabbath School family.
One last note, from Helen
in the Philippines; we have a lot
of Hope Sabbath School members
in the Philippines.
And Helen writes and says, "I love to see
the host and everyone willing and eager
to share their understanding
of the Word of God."
Sometimes, I have to tell you, Helen,
there are like 10 hands raised
at the same time; it can be challenging,
but we want it to be - what's the word?
(Derek, Team) Interactive.
(Derek) That's how it should be.
"I hope to listen to messages
from the Bible every week
and to be forever connected
to God's Holy Word."
(Team) Amen.
(Derek) "I know I have my shortcomings,
but I know, like everyone else,
we will be renewed by His Word
and steadfast in the faith.
I pray that this ministry
will continue to grow
and inspire others to seek the Lord
and trust His Word. Amen."
(Team) Amen!
(Derek) Well, Amen, Helen.
We agree with you, and we thank you
for writing to us.
You know we have a special gift,
I want to just remind you,
a collection of Scripture songs
that my wife has put to music,
Trilogy Scripture Songs from the Psalms.
It's a unique collection just for you
during this series on The Psalms
including our theme song.
And you can go to our website,
hopetv.org/hopess and click
on the Free Gift tab
and download that collection,
and you can share it with other people.
Bless them by sharing
the Scripture songs with them, too.
Now, one of them
is the theme song from Psalm 105.
We're not going to sing it just yet,
so just hold on; I heard
some of you starting to sing.
But Psalm 105 begins with the words,
"Oh, give thanks to the Lord,"
and I'm going to share something
very interesting with you today.
One our team today, well, that's her name,
"Oh, Give Thanks to the Lord."
And she's from a country and speaks
a mother tongue that many
of you have never heard.
So, please, camera, scan the team here.
Can you do that?
And try to guess who it is.
Let's see, and the name is,
"Oh, Give Thanks to the Lord,"
and the answer is, well, wave if it's you.
It's Tendi; alright,
let's zero in the camera on Tendi,
because Tendi, well, tell us
how you got your name.
And then I want you to read for us
that Psalm 105, the first three verses
in your mother tongue,
which I understand is Kalanga.
How did you get the name
"Oh, Give Thanks to the Lord,"
Tendani in your mother tongue?
(Tendi) Thank you, Pastor Derek.
My parents gave me my name
because I came two months early.
I was a premature baby, and my mom
was on bedrest for the remainder
of her pregnancy.
And I weighed 1.6 kilograms,
and I was 30 centimeters long.
So, they were just giving thanks to God
because I survived.
You see, a year before, my mom
had lost a baby, and now I came,
and she was scared whether or not
I would survive, but I did,
even though I came two months early.
(Derek) And for those who don't know,
30 centimeters, Tendi,
that's not very long, right?
But here you were,
a little precious bundle, and so they
gave you the name Tendani, which means?
(Tendi) "Oh, Give Thanks."
(Derek) And could you read
in your mother tongue
those three verses, maybe,
the first three verses of the Psalm
that begins with your name?
(Tendi) And I'll be reading
from the [Kalanga Bible, Psalm 105:1-3:]:
(Derek) I understood some of that!
"Yahweh," I heard the name of the Lord.
You know, as Tendi was reading that,
I just thought, isn't it amazing,
God is going to call people
from every nation, kindred, tongue, and people.
Tendi, we're glad you're part
of our Hope Sabbath School team.
And I don't want to ask
the rest of the group to sing in Kalanga
because that would be complicated.
We're going to sing in English
a song which bears your name,
"Oh, Give Thanks to the Lord."
Let's sing it together.
♪ music ♪
(Derek) Let's call upon His name just now.
Father in Heaven, as we
are studying Your Word today,
Longing for God in Zion, I pray
that there would grow within our hearts
a deeper and yet deeper longing
for intimacy with You.
You've loved us with an everlasting love,
and You invite us to spend eternity
in a growing love relationship with You.
I pray by the Holy Spirit that You
would guide our study today.
And we thank You
in the name of Jesus. Amen.
(Team) Amen.
(Derek) Well, I love that theme song.
I know my wife has composed
about 200 Scripture songs,
but I just like that one.
Do you know I'm waking up
singing that song now, which means
I've been singing it through the night,
hopefully not too loud,
but it's a wonderful thing to give thanks
to the Lord, isn't it?
(Team) Amen.
(Derek) One of the things
I want to give thanks to the Lord for,
as we begin our study, is that God wants us
to be in relationship with Him.
So let's look at some testimonies
of various psalmists who speak
about a longing for a devoted heart.
And I'm going to ask Gleny
if you would begin our study today,
one of our remote team members,
in Psalm 84, and, Gleny, if you could read
the first four verses of this psalm
of the sons of Korah.
(Gleny) And I'll be reading
from the New King James Version, and it says:
(Derek) So, I want to ask you,
I'm thinking when Gleny was reading,
did any of you sing that, part of that,
in a choir when you were growing up?
That's kind of a famous psalm, isn't it?
It's been put to a choral piece.
Well, let's keep reading because this is
the sons of Korah composing.
And, Tricia Lee, if you could continue
reading for us in this Scripture song
of the sons of Korah, verses 5
through 9 of Psalm 84.
(Tricia Lee) Reading from the New King James Version:
(Derek) And if it stopped there,
we'd say it's an amazing Scripture song,
but, Sabina, I'm going to ask you
to read the last three verses,
verses 10 through 12.
This is actually one
of my favorite psalms, and how do
the sons of Korah end this Scripture song
in Psalm 84, verses 10 to 12?
(Sabina) So, I'll be reading
from the New King James Version, and it says:
(Derek) "O Lord of hosts, blessed
is the man," blessed is the woman,
blessed is the boy or girl,
"who trusts in You."
As you heard the sons of Korah -
and by the way, remember
that their ancestor died in a rebellion,
but we don't have to stay
like our ancestors, right?
We can be made new by the power of God.
(Team) Amen.
(Derek) They're composing Scripture songs.
What resonates with your heart
in this Scripture song? Puia?
(Puia) I see a longing
to be in the sanctuary
or in the temple of God
just praising God.
I think that's the theme that I see here.
(Derek) Alright, anybody else.
Anything that connects with your heart? Yes, Pedro.
(Pedro) "I'd rather be a doorkeeper in God's house
than to be with the wicked."
(Derek) Yeah, just like, "Give me
basic operation," you know,
I'll be a doorkeeper "than dwell
in the tents of wickedness," right? Tricia Lee.
(Tricia Lee) I love in verse 6 it mentions
the Valley of Baca, which can
also be translated the "Valley
of Weeping," but it says that God
turns it into a spring.
And so, I like to think of that
as a spring of joy or even a spring
of blessing, that God can take our pain,
our sorrow, our dark periods,
and take us from weeping
to a spring of blessings.
He can turn our situations around.
(Derek) Beautiful, let's go to Psalm 63.
There are several of the psalmists
who express a longing for God,
and in Psalm 63, we find
another testimony, and I believe
this is a psalm of David, right?
And it's interesting, Gladys,
if you could take us and look
at the first four verses,
that he's writing this in the wilderness
of Judah, which means he's
probably running from King Saul, right?
But in the midst of that, let's see
the commitment he makes in Psalm 63:1-4.
(Gladys) And I'm reading
from the New International Version, and it says:
(Derek) Do you see the earnestness
there in the psalmist?
Kylynda, if you could keep reading
verses 6 through 8, still in Psalm 63,
a psalm of David.
(Kylynda) I'll read
from the New King James Version, verse 6:
(Derek) "Come close to me," I mean,
if God's right hand, and, Pedro,
you often talk about the imagery
of the Psalms, right, so you say
maybe this isn't literal, but speaking
about that kind of proximity,
what does it tell us?
The intimacy of God, right?
He's an immanent God; He's not far away
if His right hand is supporting us.
But probably one of the best known psalms
that speaks about a longing for God,
Geoffrey, if you could go...
This is probably one
that many people could sing,
different musical arrangements,
Psalm 42, verses 1 and 2.
Let's see, again the sons of Korah,
how they describe a longing for God.
And Gladys has already started singing,
but if you could read it for us.
(Geoffrey) 142?
(Derek) Psalm 42, verses 1 and 2.
(Geoffrey) Oh, Psalm 42.
(Derek) 42, verses 1 and 2.
And this is another psalm
of the sons of Korah, yearning for God
in the midst of distresses.
Psalm 42, verses 1 and 2.
(Geoffrey) Okay, I'll be reading
from the English Standard Version:
(Derek) And one last, and then I'm going
to give you the chance to share,
one last reference, Psalm 143,
verses 6 through 8, and, Samantha,
if you'd read that
for us, please, Psalm 143:6-8.
We're getting a common theme,
not just one of the psalmists
but different authors of the Psalms.
How does your Bible read
in Psalm 143, verses 6 to 8?
(Samantha) I'll read
from the New King James Version:
(Derek) So, I want to ask a question:
what are your thoughts
about such an earnest longing for God?
What are your thoughts, anybody? Yes, Gleny.
(Gleny) I'm sure many of you
have experienced this, but when you
care for someone or you generally enjoy
someone's companionship or company,
it doesn't matter where you are
or what you are doing.
It can be the most menial task
or even the strangest mission,
but just having them around
is such a pleasure.
So, in all of this you can see David
and the sons of Korah and everyone
explaining that same amount
of appreciation they have
for the company of God.
(Derek) So, I appreciate you sharing that.
I have a confession to make.
While Gleny was saying that,
I was thinking about when I'm separated
from my wife and coming back
to be with her, even if we're
washing dishes or doing something,
I forget what word Gleny used,
but something kind of menial, you know,
but just being together.
Yes, I love that image:
I stretch out my hands to you. Samantha.
(Samantha) For me, it's
like an S.O.S. call, just to depict
our dire dependence on God.
It's like when Peter, when he was sinking,
all he had time to say
was, "Lord, save me."
So that's how I get that...
(Derek) Okay, it's an S.O.S., but it's
actually something that he wanted
to do every day, right, "cause me
to hear Your lovingkindness."
We have 17 hands raised right now,
but this is an important topic.
I'm trying to get to everyone.
Short responses, yeah, how do you relate
to that deep longing?
(Gladys) I like that verse in Psalm 42
about the deer, so I went online,
and I researched what does it mean
when a deer pants for the water.
And it means when a mother,
the mother deer, when she has a baby,
she cannot move because she has
the baby close to her.
So she makes this sound
when she longs for the water
that she cannot reach.
And that's exactly how, that desperation
that God wants us to have for Him...
(Derek) That's a new insight to me.
(Gladys) Yeah, that it's
just like a need, that He wants us
to be like the part that moves
the whole body towards Him.
(Derek) Kylynda.
(Kylynda) Earnest longing is intentional.
It's not dictated by the circumstance
or even the feeling.
You know, David is running away;
it's not a great circumstance.
Psalm 42, the psalmist is depressed,
in Psalm 143, the psalmist is anxious,
so it's intentional.
(Derek) It's intentional and it's
not dependent on the circumstance, as you're saying.
So, I want to give someone else
who's raised their hand,
but answer another question
because we've got to move on.
So, I see Sabina waving to me,
and I see another hand raised,
but, Sabina, help me with this.
And I don't know the answer
that you will give, but who has
modeled for you, someone who has
an earnest longing for God?
Many of us may not have grown up
with someone like that very close to us.
Where did you find someone
that really modeled that for you,
and you said, "I'm catching a glimpse
of what that looks like," what we've
been reading about in the Psalms?
(Sabina) Derek, I'm thinking
of some experiences I had in my church
back in Brazil, I know,
from my teenage years
up until I was 26, 27.
I was very involved in a ministry
that involved worship and creative arts.
And I had lots of children
that were part of it.
And for me, it was always very inspiring
to see the way that they
were experiencing God, in that they
would also be able to express
in their praise, in their art,
in their poetry, the ways
in which they saw God work in their lives.
So, for me, even though they were
younger than I, in some ways that was
modeling to me some sort
of pure longing to God
that marked my life.
(Derek) Isn't that beautiful?
Little boys and girls become mentors.
Jesus said we have
to become like the little children,
but just that earnest longing for God.
Someone else, who really modeled
that for you? Yes, Puia.
(Puia) Pastor Derek, I would say one
of the people who have modeled
a good example for me is you, actually,
having worked with you
inside and outside of the studio.
I really appreciate
the life that you live.
(Derek) Well, I'm desperate for God,
and we all know where
we would be without Him, right?
So, "As the deer pants," new insight,
"Hhuh, hhuh," for the water,
so pants my soul for you, O God."
So, I have a question for you:
Is this deep longing for God
something that can be developed?
You used the word intentional, Kylynda.
Or, is it a gift from God?
You say, wait, that kind of intimacy...
What's the answer?
What do you think, Pedro?
(Pedro) Looking toward society today,
humanity searches for God,
and unfortunately many of them
seek God in things
instead of His presence.
So I think God has put in our hearts
the desire for Him.
(Derek) So, that would be
a gift, then, wouldn't it?
But, Kylynda, let me come back
to the word intentional, because I think
Pedro makes a really good point,
that we're, like, dead
in trespasses and sin,
so God calls us as a gift?
Where does our intentionality come in?
(Kylynda) It's both.
As Pedro mentioned, it's a gift
from God in that initial spark,
and we read in Psalm 84, they said
the person is blessed "whose heart
is set on pilgrimage."
So, there has to be...you know,
God is desiring towards us,
and then we have to accept that
and seek His face as well.
(Derek) I wish we could stay here longer,
but I'm going to have to ask us
to move to Psalm 122,
because part of longing for God
back in the time of the children of Israel
was going up to the house of the Lord.
And we want to look at that,
but then we want to ask ourselves
what does that mean for us today?
So, Tendi, if you could take us there
in Psalm 122 and read
the first nine verses,
I want you to notice what emotions
the worshipers experience as they're
going up to the house of the Lord.
(Tendi) And I'll be reading
from the English Standard Version,
Psalm 122, verses 1 to 9,
"A Song of Ascents. Of David," verse 1:
(Derek) So, they're going up, by the way,
literally because Jerusalem's
at about 2,500-feet elevation,
so Mount Zion is mount, right,
so going up and they're rejoicing.
What is it about the house of the Lord
that is so precious
to the believers, anybody?
Yes, it's not just a nice building, right,
like, go on a tour and see
the nice construction.
It was very impressive
until it was destroyed, but what was it,
Puia, about the house of the Lord
that made it so special?
(Puia) I believe the presence of God
was the main thing that attracted them.
And everything that the Israelites did
around the sanctuary, or their lives
in the bigger picture, revolves
around the sanctuary service.
So I believe David is glad, as he said,
"I was glad when they said, 'Let us go
to the house of God,'" because there you
can experience the presence of God.
(Derek) Before they even built a temple,
where did the presence
of the Lord dwell, do you remember?
(Gladys) In the sanctuary.
(Derek) In the tabernacle, right?
And how did the Lord reveal His presence?
Sabina, do you remember?
How did the Lord reveal His presence
even when it was a tent or a tabernacle
in the wilderness?
(Sabina) Yes, there was special furniture
and rituals that had been
around the sanctuary, so definitely one
of the places where the Bible says
that He was revealing or expressing
His presence was in the Ark
of the Covenant where, for instance,
the Law of God was kept.
But I think for them, the rejoicing also
of going to Zion or going to the temple
when it was built, I believe,
was also involved with the opportunity
they had to partake
in the sacrificial system that God
had implemented as a reminder
of His forgiveness.
So, for us it is now pointing to Jesus,
but I imagine back in their day also
it was a memorial of the availability
of pardon from God, that God was willing
to forgive and renew
their relationship with Him.
(Derek) So, I just want to focus
here first, you mentioned the furniture,
but between the cherubim
in the most holy place of the tabernacle,
what was it called, John, do you remember?
The visible presence of God, the glory of God was called the...?
(John) Shekinah Glory.
(Derek) The Shekinah Glory.
And by the way, the glory of God,
while no one could look upon that,
there was a curtain there, right,
but it was undoubtedly visible,
though covered, the glory of God.
When they built the temple, how was
the glory of God revealed in the temple,
Solomon's temple, do you remember?
(Gladys) Glory of the Lord filled the temple with smoke.
(Derek) At the dedication, the glory of the Lord
filled the temple.
Interestingly, the temple was destroyed,
rebuilt, and then refurbished by Herod,
but never is there an account of the glory
of the Lord filling that temple.
When did the glory of the Lord
fill the temple that we call the temple
in the time of Herod?
(Derek, Team) When Jesus came in.
(Derek) The glory of the Lord
filled the temple.
Now, we don't have the temple today.
We don't have a tabernacle
in the wilderness,
so we don't have a place where you
can say, "Why are you
looking so happy, Tendi?"
"Well, I'm going to the house of the Lord."
Well, I'd be happy; I'd see
the very visible presence
of the glory of God.
So, help me, Tricia Lee, if you would,
where is the house
of the Lord for us today?
Is it a geographic location?
Is it an experience?
What do you think, so that you can
say to me, "Derek, I'm glad when they
tell me, 'Let's go to the house of the Lord.'"?
What would you say?
(Tricia Lee) I'd say it's both,
because we know that the Father,
whom we have not met as yet,
dwells in the throne room in Heaven,
but through the power of the Holy Spirit,
God can dwell in our hearts.
And so, we're also told in Scripture
that, "Know ye not that ye are
the temple of God," and so the Holy Spirit
can live in us as we accept Jesus,
and we get that "down payment," if you would,
through the Holy Spirit.
And we can be living temples
for His glory, so I say it's both.
(Derek) Tricia Lee, you made my head spin,
because I've never thought of that,
but if God dwells in my heart,
Christ makes His home with me -
He says, "We will come to you
by the Holy Spirit" - that means
when I spend time with the One
who dwells with me,
I am in the house of the Lord.
Whew, that made my head spin. Pedro.
(Pedro) We've been looking here
to the house of God as not only telling us
that we long for Him, but He also longs
for us, to be with us.
And we see here, through the symbol
of the tabernacle, God longed
to be with us, and through the Holy Spirit
He longs for us to be with Him
and also be together
as we preach the gospel.
That's why the Holy Spirit
is being given to us,
so we can finish the work through Him,
and we can be with Him forever.
(Derek) Okay, I see Gleny, I see
your hand raised, and Sabina, too.
Let me just ask a question,
can a church where we go to worship
each week be the house of the Lord for us?
(Team) Yes.
(Derek) But not automatically, right?
But it could be,
if we're meeting God there.
I see many hands raised.
I'm going to go to Gleny and Sabina first
and then come back to the studio.
Gleny, talk to me about where the house
of the Lord is for us today.
(Gleny) I was just about to give
a comment on that, too, where God
is seen in our midst whenever there is
a congregation of believers,
like in Matthew 18, verse 20, it says:
Not just gathering for no reason,
but when we are like-minded,
and you see that in the book of Acts, too,
when people laid their differences aside,
and came together and had
the Holy Spirit work with them,
you can see God was in their midst.
(Derek) That's a powerful thought.
It suggests that the house of the Lord
doesn't have to be a physical building.
It can be when the Lord is in our midst.
Sabina, you want to add to that?
Where's the house
of the Lord for us today?
(Sabina) Yes, what I want to add is that I
just think it's so beautiful that God
makes sure not to attach that
necessarily to a geographic place
or a time or a country,
so that it's accessible
to any person in any time.
Even our church buildings
that we treasure, and they are
important also, the places for gathering
where we can invite people together,
they unfortunately can become,
just like Jesus mentioned back in the day
about their temple, "a den of robbers,"
right, like a place where there is
no glory or presence of God,
if we are not personally seeking God
in the true temple that is ourselves.
So, even those places where we gather,
it's important that we primarily develop
that personal relationship with Jesus,
then we come to share about it,
because just being in a building
in the name of God
doesn't really grant that He is
willing to be there - well, He is willing,
but that He will be there
if we don't allow it.
(Derek) So, there's so much more
we could share about this,
but certainly we would agree
that when we come into God's presence,
whether it's personal worship
with the Spirit dwelling in our hearts
or in a group of two or three,
that we can experience joy when we come
to the house of the Lord, right?
Absolutely we can.
But there is also in the Psalms
a reference to the significance
of a specific geographic location.
And I want to just take a moment to look
at Mount Zion and what the significance
of Mount Zion is in salvation history.
So, Geoffrey, if you could take us
to Psalm 87 and read
the first three verses,
we're going to look
at four psalms together that speak
about the significance
of Jerusalem and Mount Zion.
(Geoffrey) Okay, I'll be reading
from the English Standard Version:
(Derek) And if, John, you could read
following that in Psalm 48, verses 1 to 3.
Hear the theme, "Glorious things of you
are spoken, Zion, city of our God."
What is it about that location?
(John) I'm reading
from the English Standard Version, it reads:
(Derek) Alright, what about Psalm 46,
Kylynda, if you could read
the first seven verses of Psalm 46.
Now, there are lots of thoughts here,
but we're listening for the significance
of this location, Mount Zion.
(Kylynda) From the New King James Version:
(Derek) And one last passage,
Pedro, if you could read
Psalm 125, verses 1 and 2.
(Pedro) I'll be reading
from the New King James Version.
Psalm 125, verse 1, says:
(Derek) So, we're up there
in the mountains, and there is Mount Zion.
There's more significance
than just that it's
the capital city, right?
I mean, it is the capital up there;
Jerusalem is there, right?
But there's something more significant
about that geographic location.
Somebody do a scan
of the Book of Beginnings;
it's called Genesis.
We don't have to read the whole story,
but a patriarch, what was his name...?
(Team) Abraham.
(Derek) ...Abraham, first called Abram,
but after having a son is called Abraham,
is told to go to a specific location.
Somebody tell me the story.
Alright, Gladys, tell us the story.
By the way, if people would like
to read it, it's there in Genesis 22.
But Abraham is told to go
to a specific location,
and what is he told to do?
(Gladys) Well, God promised to give him
a son, and after the son is born,
God tells him, "Go to Mount Moriah
and sacrifice him there for Me."
And Abraham believed in God,
even though this was
this child of the promise,
and he went to Mount Moriah
to follow what God said.
And God delivered him.
God tested him, and he proved faithful,
and God provided for Himself a sacrifice.
(Derek) And if you've read the story,
and I want to encourage you if you're
hearing this story for the first time
to read in Genesis 22,
what evidences were there, anyone,
that he was trusting God,
because this sounds like something
God would not ask him to do, right?
But that was something the pagans did;
they sacrificed their sons and daughters.
He asked him to be willing
to lay everything down.
But can you remember the story,
any evidences of faith, John?
(John) In verse 5, Abraham talks
to his servants and he says:
(Derek) I like my Bible,
it says, "We will return," we will return.
There was another place,
they're walking along;
Puia, do you remember, and Isaac says,
"Wait a minute, father,"
that's a paraphrase, right?
"Wait a minute, father, we've got the wood and the fire..."
(Team) "Where is the sacrifice, the lamb?"
(Derek) "Where's the sacrifice, father?"
And, Puia, do you remember,
just from memory, the story?
How does Abraham respond to his son?
(Puia) I believe he said,
"The Lord will provide."
(Derek) "The Lord will
provide a sacrifice,"
so here's this word of faith.
Now, by the way, in the book of Hebrews,
it says he believed that if necessary
God would raise his son
from the dead, right?
So they get to the mountain,
and it's the mountain "that you
will be shown," but it is Mount Moriah.
Now, some scholars argue, is Mount Moriah
and Mount Zion the same,
or they're right in the same vicinity;
it's right in the same cluster
right there; it's that location.
Somebody tell me what happens
when he raises the knife - he's willing.
(Samantha) The Angel called out...
(Derek) Samantha, tell me what happens.
He raises the knife
to sacrifice his son Isaac...?
(Samantha) Verses 11 [and 12]:
(Derek) I imagine him using
my favorite Hebrew word...
I don't know if they were
speaking Hebrew back then,
I think they were, "Hallelujah,
praise the name of Yahweh."
He was willing to lay everything down
because the Lord asked him to, right?
That mountain is where, as Samantha
just read, it was told, "The Lord will..."?
(Derek, Team) "...provide."
(Derek) Do you know what that is,
anybody, in Hebrew?
(Team) Jehovah Jireh.
(Derek) Yeah, Yahweh Yireh
or Jehovah Jireh, "The Lord Will Provide."
That was pointing forward to what event
that would happen on the same mountain?!
(Team) Crucifixion of Jesus.
(Derek) The crucifixion of Jesus.
Let's go to the story, and, John, if you
could begin reading.
We'll have several of you read.
And we could take Matthew, Mark,
Luke or John, but we're going
to the Gospel of Mark, chapter 15,
and I want you to think with me.
We're talking here about Longing
for God in Zion, and I'm thinking,
as we read this, of the admonition,
"It would be good for us to spend
a thoughtful hour each day
contemplating the life of Christ,
especially the closing scenes."
So, we're going to read some
of the closing scenes.
We ought to then say, "Oh, I'm
looking to Mount Zion.
I'm looking to the place where God will,
now God has, provided," right?
Let's start in Mark, chapter 15,
verses 16 through 20, John.
(John) Mark 15, verses 16 to 20,
in the English Standard Version reads:
(Derek) Tricia Lee, if you could
follow on for us in verses 21 to 26.
My heart is already saying, "Oh, God,
what Jesus suffered for us."
Let's read on in the story, if you'd read
for us verses 21 to 26 of Mark 15.
(Tricia Lee) Reading from the New King James Version:
(Derek) So, here is an amazing part
of the story, a man named Simon comes.
And by the way, did you notice
it tells us his two sons' names?
Why would it tell us
the names of his two sons?
Why does it even tell us his name?
Except, on that mountain his life
was transformed, and he became
a follower of Jesus.
Something amazing happening
on the mountain.
I'm going to ask Sabina if you'd continue
reading - this is sacred space for us -
verses 27 to 32.
This is the mountain where it
was prophesied 2,000 years earlier,
"The Lord will provide."
This is the mountain where the temple
once stood, and they looked to Mount Zion.
Now, we're on Mount Zion,
and what do we hear in verses 27 to 32?
(Sabina) I'll be reading
from the New King James Version, and it says:
(Derek) We talked about that one thief
who said, "Lord, remember me,"
but at first it says even the thieves,
both of them, reviled Him.
Tendi, could you read the last portion
of our reading from Mark 15,
verses 33 to 39?
(Tendi) And I'll be reading
from the English Standard Version, Mark 15:33-39:
(Derek) It happened on the mountain,
the mountain where, 2,000 years earlier,
the promise had been given,
"The Lord will provide."
But what else happened
on the mountain, Puia,
besides the sacrifice to take away
the sins of the world, that all
who believe in Him might not perish
but have everlasting life?
What else happened on the mountain?
(Puia) That was also the place
where He was resurrected.
He was resurrected on the third day.
He came back to life.
(Derek) Let's go to Luke 23, if you
could read the last verses
of chapter 23 for us.
And then I'm going to ask Gladys if you'd
read the first verses of chapter 24.
We could read from many
of the Gospel writers,
but Luke 23, verses 50 to 56.
(Puia) And I'll be reading
from the New King James Version:
(Derek) But the story is not over, Gladys.
If you could pick up
in chapter 24, verses 1
through, let's see, maybe 1 through 8?
And just remember, this is also happening
on the mountain where it was prophesied,
"The Lord will provide."
(Gladys) I am reading
from the New International Version, and it says:
(Derek) So, on the mountain,
God provided through the death
and resurrection of Jesus.
So, let me ask you, as Christians, and I'm
going to ask Gleny a question here,
as a follower of Jesus, we don't look
to a temple on a mountain.
What does it mean to us as Christians
to look to Mount Zion?
(Gleny) I would assume that it means
to see how God has provided in the past
and provided for redemption
and to see that He is able to do
the same for us even today.
(Derek) Okay, anybody else?
Kylynda, to look to Mount Zion?
(Kylynda) The psalmists found joy
going to Mount Zion.
These people went from perplexion
to joy as they gathered.
As we look to Heaven, you know, the future
where we will one day be next to God,
and there will be
absolutely no separation,
we will also have joy.
(Derek) And that's kind of looking forward,
and that's good;
we want to look to the New Zion,
or New Jerusalem, but, Sabina,
by faith, looking, keeping my eyes
fixed on Mount Zion,
what do you think that means?
(Sabina) For me, it means looking
to victory, you know, as we journey
through this life, as we walk
into the eternal Zion,
like in the heavenly dwelling
of God for eternity.
I, in the meantime, just look
to the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus
that took place on this Mount Zion,
and I'm reminded that Jesus wins,
you know, like He won it.
I just need to stay by Him,
and that's all good.
(Derek) Isn't there a Bible text
that says, "Fixing our eyes..."?
(Derek, Team) "...on Jesus, the author...
(Team) "...and finisher..."
(Derek) "...and perfecter," or finisher "of our faith."
To keep our eyes fixed on Mount Zion
is to say God provided all that we need
through Jesus, and I'm going
to keep my attention focused there.
But Kylynda is right, there is
also a New Jerusalem.
There is, if you will, a New Zion,
the mountain of God,
and that is portrayed...and, Kylynda,
maybe as we close our study,
you can read from Revelation,
chapter 21, verses 1 to 4,
and let's talk about that.
Because of what happened
on Mount Zion 2,000 years ago,
we have assurance of a blessed hope.
Read to us Revelation 21:1-4.
(Kylynda) From the New King James Version:
(Derek) Praise God.
I want to speak to our Hope Sabbath School family,
and I just want to say, that blessed hope
happens because of what happened
through Jesus on Mount Zion.
It happens because of what was
promised through Abraham,
that the Lord will provide.
And I want to encourage you to look
to what God has done
through Jesus, for you, so that you
can have the blessed hope
of being in that New Jerusalem
and spending eternity
with a God who loves you
with an immeasurable and unfailing love.
Let's pray together.
Father in Heaven, thank You
for what Jesus accomplished on Mount Zion.
Thank You for the blessed hope
we have in Him even today.
In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
(Team) Amen.
(Derek) I want to encourage you,
dear friend, if you've never accepted
what Jesus accomplished for you,
the Lord has provided, trust Him today.
Say, "Lord, will You save me,
so that I can have that blessed hope
of eternity with You."
And then don't keep it to yourself.
Go out and share that good news
with those around you.
♪ theme music ♪