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♪ theme music ♪
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(Derek) Welcome to Hope Sabbath School,
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an in-depth, interactive study
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of the Word of God.
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We are studying about
two great men of God,
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Ezra and Nehemiah, one a priest,
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another a government official
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and lessons that we
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will apply to our lives today.
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Our topic today: Facing Opposition.
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It wasn't just back then,
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but every woman of God,
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every man of God, who's willing
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to be available to God today
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will face opposition.
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How do we deal with that
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in a way that makes us stronger
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and closer to God and even a blessing
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in the midst of the opposition?
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That's what we'll look at.
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We're glad you joined us
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for Hope Sabbath School.
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What a great series,
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and I'm glad that you're with us.
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How many of you here
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have experienced opposition
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at some point in your life?
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Yeah, right, but what Jesus says
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is when you suffer
for righteousness' sake,
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so we're talking about opposition
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because we're doing what God
wants us to do
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and not because we're
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just doing our own thing.
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We believe that we are
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going to learn some lessons today.
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We're glad you're with us.
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Oh, I forgot to tell you
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about our awesome app.
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I should open up my phone here,
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go to the Hope Channel app.
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You can go right there;
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you can choose whatever show.
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Here's Hope Sabbath School.
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There's one of my favorite participants,
Travis, right there,
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and there's Heide right there
on the screen.
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Heide, you're right here today.
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So, right there you can get
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lots of powerful insights.
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You can choose different languages,
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if you'd like to listen
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in other languages.
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Lots of other Bible-based programming
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besides Hope Sabbath School.
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Go to the App Store or to Google Play.
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You can download the free
Hope Channel app;
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it really is amazing.
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We had a simple one
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that we built a little while back that was
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in 150 countries around the world.
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This one is, like, turbo, okay?
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It's, like, super-awesome.
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So, if you haven't downloaded it,
get our new app.
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And talking about reaching
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different parts of the world,
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this is our first email
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from the island of Ukerewe,
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which is the largest inland island
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on the continent of Africa.
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Yes, it's in Lake Victoria.
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The country is Tanzania,
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and Baraka writes to us.
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He says, "I'm 43 years old,
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living on the island of Ukerewe,
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and I am following
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Hope Sabbath School every day."
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(Team) Amen!
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(Derek) By the way, I looked up Ukerewe
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because I didn't know anything about it.
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It is also a sanctuary for albinos
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because in some cultures
they're persecuted
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because they're albino,
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and that apparently is a refuge,
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the island of Ukerewe.
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"Be blessed, everyone in the class,
really blessed.
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God bless us all. Amen."
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(Team) Amen.
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(Derek) Well, Baraka, thanks for writing.
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We really are excited to know -
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we're going to go Google
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on our phones or computers
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and find the island of Ukerewe,
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which is your home.
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Cynthia writes to us from Michigan
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in the United States of America.
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Wait, Jason, aren't you from Michigan?
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Would you like to wave to Cynthia?
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"I am not a Seventh-day Adventist
Christian,
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but I enjoy your programs on Hope Channel,
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especially Hope Sabbath School."
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(Team) Amen.
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(Derek) "Your teaching
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is directly from the Bible."
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(Team) Amen.
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(Derek) That's it, right?
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"Where I previously lived,
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I attended a Baptist church.
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There are only a few differences,
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but I am pleased to see
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that we all worship the same God,
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and we love Him and Jesus Christ
our Savior."
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(Team) Amen.
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(Derek) "Actually, I watch
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a few Christian programs;
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it's very uplifting that the Word of God
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is still being broadcast on television."
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(Team) Amen.
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(Derek) "We can make good choices
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about what we watch," writes Cynthia,
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and we would agree, right?
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(Team) Amen. Yes.
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(Derek) And I'm so glad
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that you wrote to us, Cynthia,
from Michigan,
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and you're right; we can choose,
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and we're glad you're part
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of our Hope Sabbath School family.
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Here's a note from some donors, a couple.
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They say, "We're celebrating
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the continued blessings from the Lord."
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This is from the state of South Dakota.
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"We wish to share a small portion
with you.
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You and all of the Hope
Sabbath School team
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are a large part of our lives.
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We start each Sabbath
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watching Hope Sabbath School."
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(Team) Amen!
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(Derek) "Thank you for all you've done
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and continue to do.
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May we glorify the Lord
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until His soon return,"
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and a gift of 2,000 dollars
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to help the ministry
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of Bible-based programming
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for the world, right?
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And thank you, a donor-supported ministry;
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we appreciate each one
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who partners with us.
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Justina writes a short note
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to us from the Bahamas,
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and Justina says, "Thank you, team,
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for your continuous explanation
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and exploration of the Word of God."
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(Team) Amen.
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(Derek) "God is using Hope Sabbath School
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to bring much light to the viewers."
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And we say praise God, right?
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One last note...Oh, I was excited
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to receive this one
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from a pastor in Nebraska
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in the United States of America.
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Pastor Doyle writes to us;
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Doyle is his first name.
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"I am a senior pastor,
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Bible and Sunday school teacher,
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and I look forward to watching
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Hope Sabbath School every day."
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(Team) Amen!
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(Derek) "I thoroughly enjoy
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the straightforward, interactive,
no-nonsense teaching of the Bible.
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I love the perspectives of the team.
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I pray the Lord's continued blessings
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and success on you.
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I live in Omaha; I've been
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searching religious programming
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for the unadulterated gospel.
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I've grown weary of programs.
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While searching, though,
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I came across Hope Sabbath School,
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and the Holy Spirit
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quickened my desire to watch."
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(Team) Amen.
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(Derek) "I was so impressed
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with the clear, concise teachings
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and the interactive discussion.
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I'm a Baptist pastor, and my joy
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is teaching the Word of God.
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My preaching style is didactic,
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so you know while watching
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Hope Sabbath School, I'm in heaven.
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I now watch Hope Sabbath School
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six days a week, and I'm
looking forward to it.
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May God continue to pour out His blessings
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on you and the Hope Sabbath School team."
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God bless you, Pastor.
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Thank you for writing to us from Nebraska.
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Isn't it exciting, from an island
in Lake Victoria
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to a pastor in Nebraska,
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God is touching hearts.
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We'd love to hear from you
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wherever you live on planet Earth.
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I suppose we could get an email
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from off the planet, too,
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but sshope@hopetv.org.
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It really brings us joy, doesn't it?
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We're all volunteers; you're donating.
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I was a volunteer for seven years,
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and then they made me the president
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of the global television network.
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But we come here together
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because we believe in the mission. Amen?
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And we're glad you're part of it, too.
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Right now we need your help to sing.
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We're going to sing our theme song
from Psalm 25.
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"To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
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O my God, I trust in You."
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Let's sing it together.
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♪ music ♪
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(Derek) Three thousand years ago
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the psalmist sang that;
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it was a different tune,
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but I'm sure some day he'll say,
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"I know the words to that song,"
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written by the Holy Spirit,
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and we just found another tune.
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But it's beautiful, isn't it?
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I think it would have been
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a good song for Ezra and Nehemiah,
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"Let not my enemies triumph over me,"
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because they were facing opposition.
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We want to study about that
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and what it would mean for us
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as women of God/men of God
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in the last days of Earth's history,
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trying to be faithful
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to what God's called us to do,
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answering His call or His appeal
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and experiencing some opposition.
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Let's pray; Father in Heaven,
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lessons for us today from Your Word.
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Be our Teacher by Your Holy Spirit.
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And we thank You and praise You.
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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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at Ezra, chapter 4,
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as Ezra and the wave...
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Is this the first wave
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of exiles returning, Ezra?
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First wave? Yes or no. No.
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First wave was Zerubbabel, right, in 538,
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and now we're in 457
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or thereabouts, right?
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So that's about 80 years or so.
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Second wave going back,
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and there's been some opposition
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in the first wave;
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now we're in the second wave,
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Ezra going back, chapter 4, verses 1 to 5.
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Liza, would you begin our study?
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And why do you think the Jewish exiles
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who return to Jerusalem
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refuse to allow other people
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to help them rebuild the temple?
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(Liza) I'll be reading
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from the New King James Version:
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(Derek) So Ezra is actually writing
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history about something that happened
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when Zerubbabel brought the first wave
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of exiles back, right?
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And when they come back,
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apparently some local people
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said, "We'll help you."
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First thing they wanted to do
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was to rebuild the temple.
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Later they are going
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to rebuild the walls, right
(first the temple).
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Why does Zerubbabel, Jeshua, or Joshua,
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and those who came back,
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why did they refuse help?
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You say, "I thought we'd need
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all the help we could get." Heide?
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(Heide) I was wondering
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the same thing when I read it.
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I was like, "What? What in the world?"
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It sounds like they're saying,
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"We worship the same God,
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and we want to come and help you."
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Why would they reject him?
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Reject them, I'm sorry.
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So I inquired a little more,
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and I found from an author
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that she mentioned that they had
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already fallen into disobedience
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as a result of mixing
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with surrounding countries and tribes,
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and that had led them
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into a state of apostasy and disobedience.
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And they were trying to avoid doing that,
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that there was actually wisdom in this,
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that they saw this as a ploy of the enemy
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to lead them away from obedience to God,
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which is what got them
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into that position to start with,
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"and we want to do everything we can
to avoid that."
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And then the way that they react
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shows that they were right.
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(Derek) Ah, that's right.
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Even if you didn't know
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all of that background,
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which is quite interesting;
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that's the "rest of the story."
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All you need to do is read how they react
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in the next few verses, right? Puia?
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(Puia) From the description
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of their name itself here,
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Ezra used "adversaries;"
they can't be friends.
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(Derek) But he may not
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have known that immediately, right?
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It may have taken a little time
to see that,
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but you've got here,
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as soon as they don't get their way,
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they show their true colors.
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(Marcus) They discourage, and then they
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try to bring trouble to them
as they're building.
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(Derek) They hire counselors
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against them to frustrate them.
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So they're using deception.
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They're not coming, saying,
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"We're your enemies.
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We've gone into apostasy,
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and we're trying to hinder your work."
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Does that strategy of deception
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remind you of anybody else? Stephanie.
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(Stephanie) In the Garden of Eden
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with Adam and Eve
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when Satan came to deceive.
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(Derek) And says, "Eat this fruit;
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it will kill you, and it will
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cause misery to all of your descendants."
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That would have been the truth, right?
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"But you'll be like God.
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You'll be wise like God.
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Your eyes will be opened."
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Can you think of any other times
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that Satan....This is deception,
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and the real enemy, again,
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is not these people
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but Satan and his kingdom behind.
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Can you think of other times
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when Satan uses deception
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to try to lead people astray? Gladys?
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(Gladys) I think of Solomon
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when he was being king.
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God had already promised him
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that he will be wise
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and that He will be with him.
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And yet he married all these women
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because he was afraid that these kingdoms
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will reunite against him.
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He tried to do it his way,
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so it was kind of like the devil
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trying to influence what God
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had already prescribed to be good,
for something evil.
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So he aligned himself with these women
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that, at the end, just departed his heart
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from the plan of God.
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(Derek) And maybe the enemy said
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to Solomon, "Build some temples
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just to keep your wives happy."
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He's not saying, "And you can
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commit apostasy, too,
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and you can worship false gods."
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But you're absolutely right,
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it did turn his heart away.
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That's an example.
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Someone else, another example. Pedro?
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(Pedro) I would say Jesus
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when He was tempted by Satan.
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He didn't come, like, "Oh, I'm Satan.
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You're in my territory; get out of here."
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No, no, "Make some bread
out of this rock."
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And we can see this here
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that they're trying to trick them
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because if they helped,
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it would also give them the opportunity
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to say, "Well, since we built,
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we want to bring our gods
into your temple now."
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(Derek) Ah, "We helped build the temple,
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so we want a room for our gods."
Okay, Travis?
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(Travis) I think of Balaam.
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You know, the story where he gets paid
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to go and trick or cast a spell for money.
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And that's just how Satan works.
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He wants to make things look attractive,
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but yet their's deception in it.
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(Derek) So, how can we avoid
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that kind of deception?
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We're talking about wanting
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to, in this day, be faithful to God.
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We're going to experience opposition.
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How can we be alert, Jason, when people
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seem to be friendly and helpful,
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but there's actually deception at work?
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(Jason) Thinking of Pedro's reference
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to Jesus' temptations,
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Jesus responded with, "It is written."
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He went right back to Scripture.
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So, knowing the Scriptures
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and being able quote the Scriptures
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is a very powerful tool against deception.
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(Derek) Okay. Anybody else? Yes, Gladys?
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(Gladys) I wouldn't say just quote
the Scripture,
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but having that relationship with God
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when the Word is living in you.
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Then you will be able
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to recognize any counterfeit.
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Because somebody who works in a bank,
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they don't study every counterfeit money
that comes out.
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They just spend time
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recognizing and knowing the real money,
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so when counterfeit comes,
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they recognize it right away.
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So should we, when we study
the Word of God,
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it becomes part of our daily lives.
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So, when something like that comes,
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it will be easier to recognize.
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(Derek) So let's look at another aspect,
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another attempt at deception
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in Ezra, chapter 5, with someone
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by the name of Tattenai, governor
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of the region beyond the Euphrates.
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Puia, if you could take us
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to Ezra, chapter 5,
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let's hear the story
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in verses 8 through 17.
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Now, this is kind of an official
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wanting to use deception
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to hinder the work of God.
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(Puia) And I'll be reading
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from the New King James Version,
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Ezra, chapter 5, verses 8 through 17:
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(Derek) Why is he writing this letter?
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He has no connection with the building
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of the house of God.
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(Stephanie) Stir up trouble.
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(Derek) What's he trying to do, Stephanie?
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(Stephanie) Stir up trouble.
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(Derek) Is he hoping that they
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won't be able to find the record,
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or check the records and see
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if it's actually what they're saying?
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(Marcus) Right, yeah, he's trying
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to hinder the work as well.
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He's a government official,
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but he's, like, on the other side
of the river.
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And so he's trying to kind of spy
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and say, "As an official,
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what are you doing here,
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and why are you building here?
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Who has given you authority
to build here?"
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And sometimes when we face opposition,
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it's hard to come back and stand and say,
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"By the word of our God,
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we are here doing His work."
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That's not always easy to say,
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especially in the face of somebody
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who may be in authority over us.
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(Derek) So, how do you think
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that the people of God responded
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to that letter that was sent back
to the king? Panic?
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(Travis) Prayer.
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(Derek) Prayer, "Okay, Lord,
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You guided, You worked miraculously
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to convince the king to make the decree.
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You need to work miraculously
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in this deceptive work that this governor
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is trying to accomplish."
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Let's see what happens.
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Laurel, could you read for us
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in chapter 6, verses 11 and 12.
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Actually, King Darius sends
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a warning back to this governor
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in chapter 6 of Ezra, verses 11 and 12.
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(Laurel) I'll be reading
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from the New American Standard Bible:
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(Derek) What's the takeaway lesson?
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(Heide) That backfired.
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(Derek) For those of you who didn't hear,
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Heide said, "That kind of sneaky plot
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of Tattenai backfired."
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And the king basically said,
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"Anyone who opposes what I have ordered,
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let a timber be pulled out of his house,
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made into a gallows or hanged, mine says.
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Yours says "impaled on it,
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and his house turned into a heap."
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In other words, God is able to use, again,
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a, can I call him a pagan monarch?
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And yet somehow God's at work
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in that man's heart, right,
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to hinder the deceptions
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and the plotting of the enemy. Puia?
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(Puia) I'm reminded of a verse
in Proverbs.
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I forgot where, but the principle
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is there that says that when you try
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to set a trap for someone,
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it comes back to you.
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(Derek) You can become caught
in your own trap?
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(Puia) Yeah, caught in your own trap.
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So I think what this person here,
the governor, is trying to do
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is set a trap for the people of God,
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intentionally tried to set a trap.
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And that can backfire, like Heide said.
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So we can learn the lesson there
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that, even today, if someone
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is trying to set a trap,
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they better make sure that they are
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doing it for the right reason.
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(Derek) And we don't rejoice
-
that he got caught in his own trap,
-
but we do rejoice that God
-
delivered His people, right?
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(Travis) This reminds me
-
of the story of Mordecai and Haman;
it really does.
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(Derek) Oh, yes.
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(Travis) I mean, there's such a direct...
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(Derek) And actually that's happening...
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(Travis) In the same time, yeah.
-
(Derek) ...same time period.
-
(Travis) The same thing happens,
-
only it turns out really bad for Haman.
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(Derek) He really is hanged on the gallows
-
he prepared to hang
-
one of God's ambassadors, right,
Mordecai.
-
So, yeah, there are some powerful lessons.
-
Well, in the midst of these oppositions,
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tricks, traps, scheming,
-
God sends some prophets
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to encourage His people.
-
So let's look in Ezra, chapter 5,
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the first two verses,
-
and we'll see what message
-
these prophets bring.
-
Ezra, chapter 5, Jason, first two verses,
-
are these prophets, whose names
you recognize?
-
Let's see what they say.
-
(Jason) I'll be reading
-
from the New King James Version,
-
Ezra, chapter 5, verses 1 and 2:
-
(Derek) Now, it doesn't tell them,
exactly, here,
-
what they prophesied,
-
but what was the response to the prophecy?
-
"Go to work," "Let's go and build," right?
-
So the prophecy must have been
-
somewhat related to, "No weapon
-
that's fashioned against you
will prosper," right?
-
"You need to keep doing
-
what God has asked you to do."
-
(Travis) It's amazing to me,
-
as we finish reading in verse 2,
-
that the prophets of God
were there helping them.
-
You know, being a messenger
-
doesn't mean just being a voice.
-
It means getting your hands dirty as well,
-
getting in there and being involved
in the work.
-
(Derek) So, helping them,
-
not just by prophesying,
-
but actually construction?
-
(Travis) Right, laboring.
-
(Derek) Yes, Marcus.
-
(Marcus) And also encouragement.
-
The biggest thing is that they were
-
raised up at a time when God
-
knew and saw that His people
-
were kind of depressed, kind of low,
-
that outside forces were trying
-
to stop them from completing the work.
-
And also, too, they were
-
kind of a little bit resting
on their laurels.
-
So God is like, "Come on,
-
get back to work, get back to work."
-
That's kind of what they're saying, too.
-
(Derek) Do you recognize those names,
Haggai and Zechariah?
-
(Team) Yes.
-
(Derek) So, let's go to the book
-
that bears Haggai's name, chapter 1,
-
and we'll read there
-
a specific message from God
-
that was delivered to Zerubbabel
by the prophet.
-
Travis, would you read,
-
starting in chapter 1,
-
verses 1 through 11.
-
What's the message that God
-
brings to Zerubbabel?
-
(Travis) And I'll be reading
-
from the New King James Version:
-
(Derek) What's the Lord saying
through the prophet?
-
In one sentence, yes, Puia.
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(Puia) The lack of prosperity
in their land
-
is because they have been neglecting
-
to put God's interests first.
-
(Derek) So, put God first.
-
"Seek first the Kingdom," Jesus said,
-
and the other things you need...?
-
(Team) Shall be added unto you.
-
(Derek) Will be added to you.
-
So basically, and that's why we know
-
they got up and started building,
-
he was saying, "That's what you need
to be doing."
-
Well, let's see how they responded,
-
at least according
-
to Prophet Haggai's report.
-
Marcus, could you continue reading
-
in Haggai, chapter 1,
-
verses 12 through 15?
-
(Marcus) Sure, and I'll be reading
-
from the King James Version:
-
(Derek) In other words,
-
when they determined -
-
this is an important life principle -
-
when they determined that they would obey
-
what God asked them to do,
-
what did God do for them?
-
He what? He stirred up?
-
What does that mean,
-
"stirred up their spirits"?
-
(Gladys) Encouraged them.
-
(Derek) He encouraged them, right?
-
He gave them a...?
-
(Marcus) Renewed vigor.
-
(Derek) A renewed vigor, thank you,
-
to say, "You know what?
-
With God, we can do this.
-
We're going to do what God
-
has asked us to do."
-
But it was a response
-
to a word of...I don't know
-
if "rebuke" is the right word,
-
but it was like, "Hey, you're
-
a little bit distracted building
-
your condominiums here," right,
-
"while My house is in ruins."
-
And that's not just saying,
-
"I want My house before yours."
-
It's saying, "What's your
-
top priority in life?"
-
Can you think of a time in your life
-
when God sent a Word
-
to you through a prophet,
-
and probably it will be a prophet
-
who has written something down, right -
-
God could still call a person to give you
-
a prophetic Word, too, I suppose -
-
but when God kind of redirected
-
your course through His Word,
-
and as you look back
-
you thank Him for that.
-
Anybody, can you think
about a time? Billy.
-
(Billy) So, as you know, it was like
-
the recent elections that happened
-
in the United States...
-
(Derek) We're evergreen here,
-
so we don't know about recent elections,
-
but go ahead and share your story.
-
(Billy) So, my personal story
-
is that I was struggling
-
with the person who got elected,
-
and I felt sometimes a resentment.
-
And then God sent me a Word in Matthew 5,
-
talking about loving your enemies.
-
And that was very radical,
-
because it was somebody
-
that I felt like was going
-
the opposite direction in terms
-
of encouraging hate,
-
and now God is asking me
-
to add that person to my prayer list.
-
(Derek) So, if a person is watching
-
from Venezuela or they're watching
-
from the continent of Africa,
-
they're going to apply that
-
to their own situation.
-
What if a leader comes into power
-
that I don't like, you know?
-
I may live in Thailand or I may live,
-
just, you know, they may have a new king,
-
or they may have a new president
or prime minister,
-
and you're saying that the Spirit of God
-
said to you, "You need to pray
for that person."
-
(Billy) Especially in Matthew 5,
-
talking about, you know,
-
we need to pray for our enemies.
-
(Derek) "Love your enemies,
-
bless those who curse you," yeah.
-
(Billy) Exactly, so...
-
(Derek) Do good to those
-
who spitefully use you, right?
-
So, okay, that was a lesson
that you learned
-
in that experience. Gladys?
-
(Gladys) Yes, a while ago
-
I was called to teach kindergarten,
-
and I was teaching upper graders,
-
and I didn't feel like I could do it.
-
And I cried and fought with God.
-
I was saying, "I don't want to do it."
-
But God kept insisting in my heart
-
that that's where He wanted me to be.
-
And the words of Jeremiah 33:3
-
gave me encouragement
-
where He said, "Call unto Me,
-
and I will answer, and I will show you
-
great and mighty things
-
that you don't know."
-
And those words just,
-
like, changed my heart
-
in a position that now
-
I wouldn't see myself, you know...
-
I look back and say, "Wow."
-
God really made a change,
-
not only in my life
-
but the direction that I was going."
-
(Derek) That's one of my wife's
favorite passages
-
from Jeremiah, by the way, Jeremiah 33:3.
-
And for those of you watching the program
-
or those on the team that couldn't see,
-
Gladys did not read that; it's inside.
-
She quoted it, "Call to Me,
-
and I will answer you,
-
and show you great and mighty things,
-
which you do not know."
-
So, that Word was in her heart.
-
Now, the question is,
-
just to help with the story,
-
did you know that Word
-
before He brought it to your remembrance?
-
(Gladys) Of course.
-
(Derek) Why do you say, "Of course"?
-
Was that useful that that Word was in her?
-
(Gladys, Team) Yes.
-
(Derek) Absolutely, right,
-
because the Holy Spirit
-
brought it to her remembrance, Abigail,
-
you're absolutely right.
-
If it's not there, He can't
-
bring it to your remembrance, all right?
-
So that became a Word to you,
an encouraging Word.
-
Someone else, where God
-
brought a Word to you?
-
You didn't have the live prophet,
-
Jeremiah, because he sleeps
-
until the Resurrection Day, right?
-
But through the written testimony
of Jeremiah,
-
that Word came to you. Okay, Travis?
-
(Travis) Through my walk
-
coming back to God,
-
you know, sometimes you stumble and fall,
-
and you make mistakes.
-
And I would always be reminded,
-
the Holy Spirit would bring
-
1 John, chapter 2, verse 1.
-
"My [brethren], I write
-
these things to you that you
may not sin."
-
"My little children," he says,
-
"that you may not sin,
-
but if you do, you have an Advocate
with the Father."
-
(Derek) And that's Jesus Christ
the righteous One, right?
-
(Travis) Jesus Christ the righteous.
-
And then it would just remind me
-
that I need to go back
-
to the foot of the cross,
-
and then another verse would come
into my head,
-
"Thy word have I hid in my heart,
-
that I might not sin against Thee."
-
And the Holy Spirit's encouraged me,
-
"Hide the Word of God in your heart.
-
Hide the Word of God in your heart,"...
-
(Derek) And right before 1 John
-
about, "I pray that you
-
would not sin, little children,"
-
right before that, in chapter 1, says,
-
"If we confess our sins..."
-
(Team) He is faithful...
-
(Derek) "He is faithful and just
to forgive us, and to..."?
-
(Team) Cleanse us.
-
(Derek) "Cleanse us from all
unrighteousness."
-
So that word comes as an encouragement.
-
And apparently Zerubbabel
-
and Joshua the high priest and others
-
needed a little encouragement,
-
and God sent the prophets.
-
The lesson that I'm learning is,
-
if we listen to the prophets
-
during the times of ease and calm times,
-
then when we really need that Word,
-
the Holy Spirit will bring it back to us.
-
Well, we're going to hyperspace
to Nehemiah now;
-
we're around 444 B.C.,
-
and we're going to go
-
to chapter 4 of Nehemiah.
-
All the way through Nehemiah,
-
he's going to experience opposition,
-
but I'd like to look specifically
at chapter 4
-
and see how he responded
to the opposition
-
while he clearly knew
-
he was doing the work of God.
-
Stephanie, could you read
-
the first three verses for us,
-
and then I'll have someone else
-
continue from verse 4.
-
(Stephanie) All right, and I'm reading
-
from the King James Version:
-
(Derek) These enemies,
-
what are they doing?
-
(Team) Mocking.
-
(Derek) They're mocking; is that all?
-
(Stephanie) Trying to discourage.
-
(Derek) Yeah, they're trying
to discourage, trying to...?
-
(Team Member) Undermine.
-
(Derek) Undermine, intimidate, right?
-
Let's see, Heide, how Nehemiah responds,
-
verses 4 and 5 of chapter 4.
-
(Heide) I'll be reading
-
from the New King James Version,
and it says:
-
(Derek) In other words,
-
to use the language
-
of our earlier conversation,
let them be...?
-
(Gladys) Caught in their own trap.
-
(Derek) Caught in their own trap, right?
-
"We're doing what You wanted us to do."
-
But notice again, intimidation, mocking,
-
and what's Nehemiah's first response?
-
(Team) Prayer.
-
(Derek) Right? Call out to God.
-
Next verse, Travis, could you
read verse 6?
-
(Travis) And I'll be reading
-
from the New King James Version:
-
(Derek) God gave them encouragement,
-
and they said, "We're not going to worry
-
about these people opposing us;
-
they'll be caught in their own trap.
-
And they continued to make progress.
-
Billy, could you read verses 7 and 8?
-
We're still in Nehemiah, chapter 4,
verses 7 and 8.
-
(Billy) Sure, I'll be reading
-
from the King James Version:
-
(Derek) All right, so, did you notice
-
that the number of people
-
in opposition increased again?
-
(Team) Yes.
-
(Derek) Now we've got all kinds
-
of other people being added to the list.
-
It was two, then it's three;
-
how many is it now?
-
And these represent groups
of people, right?
-
And verse 9, what did you notice?
-
What's the first thing
-
that Nehemiah does?
-
(Team) Pray!
-
(Derek) You got it now, right?
-
The first thing he does -
-
he prays to God, and...?
-
(Stephanie) Set a watch.
-
(Derek) Help me with that, unpack that.
-
(Heide) I pray, but I can't,
-
if I have an exam, say, "Lord,
-
help me to get an A," and not study.
-
They also did their part.
-
(Derek) I hope every student in the world
-
just heard what Heide said.
-
Is it good to pray
-
if you're getting ready for an exam?
-
(Team) Yes.
-
(Derek) Is it good to study?
-
(Team) Yes.
-
(Derek) Applying it to Nehemiah.
-
He's under attack; in fact,
-
they're actually conspiring to do what?
-
To attack and create confusion,
my Bible says.
-
So, good to pray?
-
(Team) Yes.
-
(Derek) Good to set watch-people
on the wall?
-
(Team) Yes.
-
(Derek) Absolutely, as we see
-
the wisdom of this leader responding.
-
They also, though, had
-
some internal opposition.
-
Look in verse 12; Liza, could you read
-
chapter 4 of Nehemiah and verse 12?
-
(Liza) I'll be reading
-
from the New King James Version:
-
(Derek) What?! What was the little -
-
what would we call this?
-
Like a mantra, right, a little -
what's the word?
-
A little anthem or, you know?
-
It's like, what do you call that
-
when you keep flashing the same message?
-
(Team Member) Repetition.
-
(Derek) Yeah, it's propaganda;
-
that's the word I was thinking,
propaganda.
-
What's the propaganda?
-
(Marcus) "They're going to come upon you."
-
(Derek) Yeah, "Whatever place you turn,
-
they'll be upon us."
-
"Whatever place you turn,
-
they'll be upon us."
-
"Whatever place...," how many times?
-
(Team) Ten times.
-
(Derek) "Whatever place you turn..."
-
These are not the people out there.
-
These are the people...?
-
(Gladys) Inside.
-
(Derek) In here. Lesson? Travis?
-
(Travis) I was just thinking
-
of Caleb and Joshua.
-
When they came back,
-
there were 10 people that said,
-
"There are giants in the land;
-
we'll never be able to go and take it."
-
"We'll never...," you know?
-
I'm sure there's no correlation,
-
but it just seems funny that people
-
from the inside, their own people...
-
(Derek) And there were 10.
-
(Travis) Yeah, 10 discouraging them.
-
(Derek) That's propaganda, too, right?
-
It was negative propaganda
-
over and over again.
-
It's almost like having,
-
today we might say you have
like a megaphone,
-
and you're just shouting
-
over the workplace, "It's
going to fall down,"
-
"It's going to fall down,"
-
"It's going to fall down."
-
How do you handle
-
that kind of propaganda,
-
which is deliberately intended
-
to hinder what God wants you to do?
-
What's the word?!
-
(Team) Pray!
-
(Derek) Pray and then what?
-
(Team) Do the work.
-
(Derek) Do the work?
-
(Team) Move forward.
-
(Derek) Get earplugs?
-
Noise-cancelling headphones?
-
You do whatever you need to do,
having prayed,
-
to keep the work going, right?
-
(Team) Yes.
-
(Derek) Does that make sense?
-
What are you thinking about this situation
-
from a human perspective, Abigail?
-
(Abigail) That's it's really...
-
In some point, it's supposed to be
so discouraging,
-
but it also tells us the importance
-
of being in constant communication
with God,
-
to ask Him to empower us
-
and give us the zeal to go ahead
-
and do what He has called us to do.
-
Because, regardless if we want it or not,
-
we're going to have opposition
-
coming from all sorts of directions.
-
And sometimes the strongest ones
are from within.
-
So we have to be constantly praying.
-
(Derek) I guess we should be praying,
-
and, you know, that somehow,
-
by the grace of God, that the enemies
-
either from without or within,
-
would look and say,
-
"We just don't understand these people.
-
They're unstoppable," right?
-
"They're just so focused
-
on what God has asked them to do
-
that nothing we're doing
-
is slowing them down." Marcus?
-
(Marcus) But then that would also point
-
to that there is not just a human element
at work here.
-
And, of course, we come to that conclusion
-
later on in the chapter.
-
They come to that conclusion,
-
but that God was within the work
-
and with the work the whole entire time.
-
(Derek) So, let's keep
-
going in the chapter.
-
We're still in chapter 4.
-
This is ancient history,
-
but it's also modern lessons for us,
-
and, Stephanie, could you read
-
verses 13 through 18 of chapter 4
-
and see how Nehemiah
-
responds to the opposition.
-
As Abigail has mentioned,
-
it's both external and internal.
-
Let's see how this leader of God responds.
-
(Stephanie) The King James Version says:
-
(Derek) Wow, that's pretty intense, right?
-
You have a tool in one hand
-
and a sword in the other hand.
-
What would that look like today? Liza?
-
(Liza) I think that's a good lesson
-
in that, in everything
-
that God does in our lives,
-
we have to be on offense and defense,
-
just to use a sports metaphor.
-
Like, we're moving forward
-
to do God's work,
-
but at all times we're alert,
-
we're on our toes,
-
we're not letting the enemy
-
catch us off guard,
-
so we're always offense and defense
at all times.
-
(Derek) All right. Travis?
-
(Travis) The Bible is the sword, right,
it's our sword,
-
so we can work diligently
-
but keep the sword in our hand, right?
-
The sword of truth.
-
(Derek) So you would see that this...
-
You don't want us all to be, like,
-
having weapons and whatnot.
-
You think the spiritual weapon...
-
But they actually did have
-
spears and swords because they were
-
saying, "You come to kill
-
our wives and our children,
-
and we're going to defend ourselves."
-
Of course, whether they
-
would have needed to or not,
-
God could have done...
-
He could have had an angel
-
fly over the enemy.
-
But they were sending a visual message
-
that, "We're not coming down," right?
-
Puia, could you read on
-
for us verses 19 to 23.
-
It's actually quite an epic drama,
isn't it,
-
with all kinds of scheming and traps.
-
And the people of God are saying,
-
"No, we're going to keep doing
-
what God's asked us to do."
-
Nehemiah, chapter 4, verses 19 to 23.
-
(Puia) All right, I'll be reading
-
from the New King James Version:
-
(Derek) No nap times, no personal days.
-
They only took their clothes off
-
when they got so dirty
-
they needed to wash them.
-
So, you mentioned that earlier, Travis,
-
about servant leadership.
-
What do you see here?
-
(Travis) Something really stood out to me,
-
"The work is great and extensive,
-
and we're separated."
-
The harvest is great,
-
and the laborers are few.
-
We've all been called
-
into this harvest work for souls,
-
and we need to get back
on the wall, right?
-
Labor together; we'll face opposition,
-
but stay focused on our mission,
-
keep the sword of the Spirit
in our hands
-
and focus on Jesus,
-
the promises of Jesus.
-
(Derek) So, I'm going to give you
-
a chance to think.
-
That was 2,400-and-some years ago.
-
I'd like you think about your own life,
-
a time when God sent you on a mission,
-
and you experienced
-
some intense opposition,
-
which you may not have particularly liked,
-
either from external or internal sources.
-
And yet, as you look back,
-
you see how God was with you.
-
Puia, you're smiling.
-
Do you have a story that you could share?
-
(Puia) I do. In the previous study
-
I quickly mentioned about a movement
-
that I started with some of my friends
-
here in the United States
-
for my fellow Mizo young people.
-
God had put a burden on my heart
-
to do something, a ministry
-
or a movement of some kind
-
for my fellow Mizo young people
-
because we're all scattered
-
across the United States,
-
and we're in different parts
of the conferences
-
and different parts
-
of the division itself.
-
(Derek) So let me just...
-
because some people...You say "Mizo."
-
Mizoram is a territory in Northeast India
-
and Western Myanmar,
-
And there are Mizo people...
-
(Puia) Who have immigrated here.
-
(Derek) ...come here.
-
And God has put on your heart
-
a special burden to miinister
-
to these young people.
-
(Puia) Yes, because immigrants
-
face an extra layer of challenge
-
when it comes to living
-
and settling here.
-
And so, I prayed about it,
-
and I talked to different pastors,
-
different youth leaders
-
and different churches.
-
And we had a meeting
-
where we talked about plans
-
to start a federation
-
so that we can organize events
-
like a spiritual retreat
-
where we can bring in our youth
-
and teach them about the Bible
-
and train them for mission work
-
and things like that.
-
(Derek) Would you have those meetings
-
in the Mizo language?
-
(Puia) Mizo language.
-
(Derek) Okay. Does that sound
-
like something God might ask
-
a young leader who speaks Mizo to do?
-
(Team) Yes.
-
(Derek) Okay. Why would anyone
-
want to oppose something like that,
do you think?
-
We don't want to be negative
-
because sometimes people say,
-
"Well, that's too complicated,"
-
or, "You'll never build it."
-
"If you stand on it,
-
the wall will fall down,"
-
or, "You might offend someone." Abigail?
-
(Abigail) I'm thinking, the reason
-
why someone would oppose that
-
is because you are doing this
-
to draw many youth to God
-
and to uplift the name of God.
-
And the enemy will put that negativity
-
in somebody's heart
-
to stop that from happening.
-
And they may discourage you
-
and tell you, "This is never
-
going to actually be successful."
-
But if you keep pushing
-
and you allow God to be your sword,
-
then you are going to be able to achieve
-
even greater things for His namesake,
for His glory.
-
(Derek) I'm going to come to Liza's point
-
and then back to Puia.
-
Is it possible someone might oppose it
-
because they think, "I wish
-
I'd thought of that,"
-
"Wish that it was my idea,"
is that possible?
-
(Team) Yes.
-
(Derek) Or, "Well, you're not doing it
-
for this group of people, for my group,
-
how come he's doing it for his group?"
-
There are lots of reasons, right? Liza?
-
(Liza) I was going to say that,
-
that it probably is jealousy or envy,
-
like, "Oh," you know,
-
"look at that person; they're willing.
-
I could have done that,
-
but I probably was not willing
-
or did not accept God's call in my life."
-
And so we see that a lot
-
with these types of oppositions,
-
especially from within.
-
It's those people who,
-
their hearts are hardened,
-
they didn't follow through
-
what God had called them to,
-
and when someone else
picks up that mantle,
-
it's that jealousy of, "Why them?"
-
And they try to discourage that.
-
(Derek) So we don't know
-
what it is in this situation,
-
but there may be a lot of things.
-
I want to give you the end
-
of Nehemiah's story,
-
and then we're going to come back
-
to the end of the Mizo story, okay?
-
Nehemiah 6, verses 15 and 16,
-
Gladys, could you read that for us,
Nehemiah 6:15-16?
-
(Gladys) Nehemiah, I'm reading
-
from the New International Version,
-
Nehemiah, chapter 6, verses 15 and 16:
-
(Team) Amen.
-
(Derek) My Bible says, "This work
-
was done by our God,"
-
and yet someone would say, "Yes,
-
but He used hands, too,"
-
including hands of prophets, right?
-
Fifty-two days to get the work done.
-
Rest of the Mizo story.
-
Maybe it's still happening, you see.
-
(Puia) So, most of the leaders
-
that I work with in this context,
-
they all loved the idea,
-
and we were planning to have a convention
-
where we brought all
-
the young people together,
-
but there came a few oppositions
-
from a few elders,
-
citing that I was too young,
-
inexperienced, without the knowledge
-
of working with different age groups,
-
and that in the past they have tried,
-
and it never worked because the problem
was always...
-
(Derek) Has anybody ever heard that line?
-
"We tried it once," you know,
-
"30 years ago, and it didn't work."
-
We don't want to be negative,
-
but these are some of the messages
that could come.
-
(Puia) Right, but to make
the long story short,
-
I think the situation brought me
-
to my knees so many times.
-
Sometimes I could never sleep...
-
(Derek) Is that good?
-
(Puia) Yeah, sometimes I wasn't
able to sleep,
-
like, I would stay up the whole night
-
pondering about this
-
and with the burden on my heart,
-
thinking that God really put this
on my heart.
-
But in the end, everything came around,
-
and people came out.
-
And the people who did not
-
support me at first,
-
they spread lies and rumors.
-
I mean, it was bad, but in the end,
-
with the results that the movement
-
produced in the lives of our young people,
-
people were able to see,
-
"Oh, maybe this actually
is a good movement."
-
And now we're in the next stage
-
of transferring the leadership
this summer and then...
-
(Derek) Did you have a group that met?
-
(Puia) Yes.
-
(Derek) How many came together?
-
(Puia) Over 300, yeah.
-
(Derek) Three hundred young people.
-
(Puia) And now we're planning
to send back, if possible,
-
student missionaries back to our country.
-
So, that's the next stage of our goals.
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(Derek) And the wall was built in 52 days!
-
But not without opposition.
-
So, what's the lesson for our lives?
-
The lesson is, God does not
-
always ask us to do the easy work.
-
He asks us to do His work.
-
The harvest is not always easy,
-
but it is great, and the laborers are few.
-
And He's calling us to be part
-
of that harvest work.
-
And I pray the testimonies
we've heard today
-
will inspire us to say, "Lord,
-
if it's what You asked me to do,
-
You will empower me;
-
Your hand will be with me
-
to accomplish the work for Your glory."
-
Let's pray that can happen
-
in our circle of influence.
-
Father in Heaven, thank You so much
-
for this inspired testimony
-
that we've heard from Ezra and Nehemiah
-
and the modern testimonies
-
we've heard from our group.
-
Thank You, God, that You guide us
-
even through opposition
-
from without and within
-
to accomplish Your work
-
for Your glory alone, we thank You.
-
May we be willing servants
-
to follow wherever You lead.
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In Jesus' name. Amen.
-
(Team) Amen.
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(Derek) Thanks for joining us
-
for Hope Sabbath School.
-
There may be a special work
-
God's calling you to do.
-
It may not be easy, but He'll give you
-
the power and the wisdom to do it.
-
And when angels sing,
-
you be sure to give Him the glory.
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And right now, go out and be a blessing
-
to those around you.
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♪ theme music ♪