1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:10,320 Our gracious Father, we want to use technology and we want to use whatever we have in front 2 00:00:10,320 --> 00:00:14,720 to illustrate the truth that we want to communicate. 3 00:00:14,720 --> 00:00:20,280 But do not let us forget that your word is powerful enough. 4 00:00:20,280 --> 00:00:28,640 And help us to be open so we can treasure it in our hearts so it will transform our 5 00:00:28,640 --> 00:00:36,480 lives, it will transform our cosmovision, we will see everything around us as a blessing 6 00:00:36,480 --> 00:00:44,200 and everybody around us as a person being that was created unto your image. 7 00:00:44,200 --> 00:00:47,960 Bless us with your presence and anoint us with your Holy Spirit. 8 00:00:47,960 --> 00:00:51,960 We pray in Jesus' name, amen. 9 00:00:51,960 --> 00:00:56,640 If for some reason my accent gets on the way, raise your hand and I'll explain what I'm 10 00:00:56,640 --> 00:00:58,200 trying to say, okay? 11 00:00:58,200 --> 00:01:00,760 Let me see if this is working already. 12 00:01:00,760 --> 00:01:03,920 How do you see your neighbour? 13 00:01:03,920 --> 00:01:08,720 When you see the one across the street, how do you see him? 14 00:01:08,720 --> 00:01:13,800 Do you see him like the meddler or the grouch? 15 00:01:13,800 --> 00:01:15,720 How do you see your neighbour? 16 00:01:15,720 --> 00:01:21,340 You know, there are some events that have taken place that have changed the way we see 17 00:01:21,340 --> 00:01:24,000 our neighbours. 18 00:01:24,000 --> 00:01:26,080 So how do we see your neighbour? 19 00:01:26,080 --> 00:01:34,440 You know, our vision of our neighbours and of life changed a little during the pandemic, 20 00:01:34,440 --> 00:01:36,560 right? 21 00:01:36,560 --> 00:01:44,740 In the year 2000, some of the people in the congregation were not born. 22 00:01:44,740 --> 00:01:51,680 People said, oh, the war is coming to an end, Y2K, the year 2000, the computers are going 23 00:01:51,680 --> 00:01:59,360 to crash, the market is going to be closed because Anzana kept going, nothing happened. 24 00:01:59,360 --> 00:02:04,960 But when COVID came, things really changed. 25 00:02:04,960 --> 00:02:09,200 People were wide-eyed, very nervous about what was going on, what were the little things 26 00:02:09,200 --> 00:02:14,380 that they couldn't see but that was very dangerous. 27 00:02:14,380 --> 00:02:21,640 Sometimes I would think that it looked nice because that's why it was called corona, corona 28 00:02:21,640 --> 00:02:24,280 means crown. 29 00:02:24,280 --> 00:02:32,000 But then when I saw different pictures of the coronavirus, they looked like pollen in 30 00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:34,000 the steroids. 31 00:02:34,000 --> 00:02:35,520 Awful. 32 00:02:35,520 --> 00:02:38,760 And it changed the way we lived. 33 00:02:38,760 --> 00:02:47,320 People became greedy and they emptied the shelves in the stores and they monopolized 34 00:02:47,320 --> 00:02:49,160 everything. 35 00:02:49,160 --> 00:02:53,880 The most luxurious item was toilet paper. 36 00:02:53,880 --> 00:02:58,080 They even made earrings with the shape of the toilet papers. 37 00:02:58,080 --> 00:02:59,560 I saw them. 38 00:02:59,560 --> 00:03:02,200 I saw them. 39 00:03:02,200 --> 00:03:06,240 And we started using masks and all that. 40 00:03:06,240 --> 00:03:11,760 I'm Greek descent, so I used to be a hugger and a kisser. 41 00:03:11,760 --> 00:03:15,440 Everybody in church would hug me and kiss me. 42 00:03:15,440 --> 00:03:25,960 When the COVID came, the first question was, have you been vaccinated? 43 00:03:25,960 --> 00:03:27,200 Are you planning to give a kiss? 44 00:03:27,200 --> 00:03:29,720 No, no, put your mask on. 45 00:03:29,720 --> 00:03:35,080 And also, before the pandemic, if you wanted to go with a mask into a bank, they would 46 00:03:35,080 --> 00:03:38,680 arrest you. 47 00:03:38,680 --> 00:03:45,560 During the pandemic, if you tried to go into a bank without a mask, they would not let 48 00:03:45,560 --> 00:03:46,560 you. 49 00:03:46,560 --> 00:03:49,760 And if you insisted, they will arrest you. 50 00:03:49,760 --> 00:03:52,200 Things went crazy. 51 00:03:52,200 --> 00:03:54,760 Everything was shaped by that. 52 00:03:54,760 --> 00:04:00,440 And the way we started looking at our neighbors was a little bit different. 53 00:04:00,440 --> 00:04:02,400 His niece. 54 00:04:02,400 --> 00:04:12,520 They said that the most scary way to say thank you during the pandemic was Lithuanian. 55 00:04:12,520 --> 00:04:15,520 Because to say thank you in Lithuanian, you say achoo. 56 00:04:15,520 --> 00:04:17,840 That's thank you. 57 00:04:17,840 --> 00:04:21,220 Oh, he said achoo or his niece. 58 00:04:21,220 --> 00:04:23,720 He should put a mask on. 59 00:04:23,720 --> 00:04:24,720 How insensitive. 60 00:04:24,720 --> 00:04:27,940 He's not thinking. 61 00:04:27,940 --> 00:04:32,840 We started looking at people with suspicion. 62 00:04:32,840 --> 00:04:34,840 Right? 63 00:04:34,840 --> 00:04:43,320 Now, it passed, you know, it disappeared, but there are some other pandemics that still 64 00:04:43,320 --> 00:04:44,320 exist. 65 00:04:44,320 --> 00:04:51,640 You know, the most common one is violence. 66 00:04:51,640 --> 00:04:55,000 People use any excuse to be violent. 67 00:04:55,000 --> 00:04:56,000 You know? 68 00:04:56,000 --> 00:05:01,160 I used to tell people, you know, when there were shootings and discos and nightclubs and 69 00:05:01,160 --> 00:05:06,800 all that, well, that shows that you should avoid being in the wrong places in the wrong 70 00:05:06,800 --> 00:05:08,240 time. 71 00:05:08,240 --> 00:05:14,760 But then the shootings started going to the schools. 72 00:05:14,760 --> 00:05:15,760 And to demonstrations. 73 00:05:15,760 --> 00:05:24,280 And, you know, it is not political, you know, but even politics became a reason to be violent. 74 00:05:24,280 --> 00:05:27,000 And to see, oh, no, he's a Republican. 75 00:05:27,000 --> 00:05:29,480 Oh, no, he favors Trump. 76 00:05:29,480 --> 00:05:32,560 Oh, no, he likes Biden. 77 00:05:32,560 --> 00:05:42,080 And even inside the churches, people started, you know, looking at one another with suspicion. 78 00:05:42,080 --> 00:05:48,480 But that shouldn't happen among the sons and daughters of God. 79 00:05:48,480 --> 00:05:54,320 So the question is, how do you see your neighbor? 80 00:05:54,320 --> 00:05:57,800 Let's say you were not affected by the pandemic. 81 00:05:57,800 --> 00:06:03,960 Let's say you're not a fanatic of one political party. 82 00:06:03,960 --> 00:06:09,520 Let's say you are not demonstrating for Palestinians or for Israel. 83 00:06:09,520 --> 00:06:11,400 You're Zionist. 84 00:06:11,400 --> 00:06:13,880 Forget about all that. 85 00:06:13,880 --> 00:06:15,880 Let's come close to home. 86 00:06:15,880 --> 00:06:18,520 How do you see your neighbor? 87 00:06:18,520 --> 00:06:24,880 You know that you are a member of the church that teaches the whole gospel. 88 00:06:24,880 --> 00:06:25,880 Okay. 89 00:06:25,880 --> 00:06:31,840 Does that affect you on the way you see your neighbor? 90 00:06:31,840 --> 00:06:37,600 Or does that help you to see your neighbor in a better light? 91 00:06:37,600 --> 00:06:40,080 How do you see your neighbor? 92 00:06:40,080 --> 00:06:52,360 There was an event on Jesus' life that I want you to turn your Bible and read it with me. 93 00:06:52,360 --> 00:07:05,080 The Gospel of Mark, chapter 8. 94 00:07:05,080 --> 00:07:15,120 I'm going to read verses 22 through 25 and at the end we're going to go back to 25. 95 00:07:15,120 --> 00:07:20,080 Mark chapter 8, verses 22 through 25. 96 00:07:20,080 --> 00:07:29,240 And it says, then he came to Bethsaida and they brought a blind man to him and begged 97 00:07:29,240 --> 00:07:31,480 him to touch him. 98 00:07:31,480 --> 00:07:35,400 What did they want Jesus to do? 99 00:07:35,400 --> 00:07:37,720 But he did something different. 100 00:07:37,720 --> 00:07:50,480 He said, so he took him, the blind man, by the hand and led him out of the town. 101 00:07:50,480 --> 00:08:00,720 And when he had a spat or spit on his eyes and put his hands on him, he asked him if 102 00:08:00,720 --> 00:08:02,400 he saw anything. 103 00:08:02,400 --> 00:08:05,880 What did Jesus do? 104 00:08:05,880 --> 00:08:13,400 Do you believe in the curing power of saliva? 105 00:08:13,400 --> 00:08:16,200 What a strange question. 106 00:08:16,200 --> 00:08:21,200 Sometimes we don't, but if we smash our finger with the hammer, the first thing we do is 107 00:08:21,200 --> 00:08:24,200 ... Right? 108 00:08:24,200 --> 00:08:25,720 Yeah. 109 00:08:25,720 --> 00:08:29,480 Oh, we all do that. 110 00:08:29,480 --> 00:08:34,280 And in the Middle East they use the spitting for a lot of these reasons. 111 00:08:34,280 --> 00:08:39,400 When people is marching down the aisle because they're getting married, they start spitting 112 00:08:39,400 --> 00:08:43,280 at them because it's for good luck. 113 00:08:43,280 --> 00:08:48,040 And they also use saliva for home remedies. 114 00:08:48,040 --> 00:08:55,840 Anyways, Jesus spat on him or maybe put saliva and then anointed him and then put his hands 115 00:08:55,840 --> 00:08:56,840 like this. 116 00:08:56,840 --> 00:08:59,880 Do you see anything? 117 00:08:59,880 --> 00:09:00,880 What do you see? 118 00:09:00,880 --> 00:09:01,880 Okay. 119 00:09:01,880 --> 00:09:10,680 And then he continues saying, and he looked up and said, I see men like trees walking. 120 00:09:10,680 --> 00:09:20,240 Then he puts his hands on his eyes again and made him look up and he was restored and saw 121 00:09:20,240 --> 00:09:23,520 everything clearly. 122 00:09:23,520 --> 00:09:26,280 So he was asked, can you see anything? 123 00:09:26,280 --> 00:09:28,360 Do you see anything? 124 00:09:28,360 --> 00:09:30,440 And what was the answer? 125 00:09:30,440 --> 00:09:37,760 I see men that walk like trees, but they walk. 126 00:09:37,760 --> 00:09:42,240 Do we see men like trees? 127 00:09:42,240 --> 00:09:48,760 Or do we see men for what they are? 128 00:09:48,760 --> 00:09:57,200 Do you see if you're a student, the one that is beating you on mathematics, like your rival 129 00:09:57,200 --> 00:10:02,640 because he's getting better grades than you, you can apply it to a lot of different things 130 00:10:02,640 --> 00:10:03,640 in life. 131 00:10:03,640 --> 00:10:05,320 But what do we see men? 132 00:10:05,320 --> 00:10:07,320 How do we say men? 133 00:10:07,320 --> 00:10:10,600 Do we see like what he is? 134 00:10:10,600 --> 00:10:14,720 A man created under the image of God? 135 00:10:14,720 --> 00:10:22,240 Do we see them like trees that move? 136 00:10:22,240 --> 00:10:32,840 When Jesus touched him again, he said he was restored and he saw everybody clearly. 137 00:10:32,840 --> 00:10:41,880 This is the only occasion when Jesus is shown to perform a miracle in two stages. 138 00:10:41,880 --> 00:10:46,520 It's the only time. 139 00:10:46,520 --> 00:10:52,600 All your times, at the instance, even when we was not trying to perform a miracle, like 140 00:10:52,600 --> 00:11:01,640 when the lady from Syria and Phoenicia came just to touch the edge of his robe and she 141 00:11:01,640 --> 00:11:07,840 was healed, Jesus did not intend to perform a miracle there. 142 00:11:07,840 --> 00:11:09,640 Wow. 143 00:11:09,640 --> 00:11:16,720 But at this occasion, he had to do a second touching to perform the miracle. 144 00:11:16,720 --> 00:11:17,720 I don't know why. 145 00:11:17,720 --> 00:11:23,680 I think Jesus could have done it the first time, but I think he wanted to teach us a 146 00:11:23,680 --> 00:11:27,200 lesson because the question is he reminds. 147 00:11:27,200 --> 00:11:30,640 How do you see your neighbor? 148 00:11:30,640 --> 00:11:37,440 Do you still see your neighbors as trees that move around? 149 00:11:37,440 --> 00:11:41,560 Or do you see them clearly? 150 00:11:41,560 --> 00:11:45,440 Has Jesus performed the second miracle in your life? 151 00:11:45,440 --> 00:11:49,680 That's the important thing. 152 00:11:49,680 --> 00:11:57,760 We are close to Mother's Day, so kids, how do you see your mom? 153 00:11:57,760 --> 00:12:04,480 Do you see her like the multitasking person that can juggle everything around and do like 154 00:12:04,480 --> 00:12:08,520 my wife three or four things at the same time? 155 00:12:08,520 --> 00:12:11,560 When I'm doing something, she can say, please do not distract me. 156 00:12:11,560 --> 00:12:13,560 I have to concentrate on this. 157 00:12:13,560 --> 00:12:17,520 I have to do only one thing. 158 00:12:17,520 --> 00:12:19,600 Okay? 159 00:12:19,600 --> 00:12:20,600 Mothers are multitasking. 160 00:12:20,600 --> 00:12:25,480 They can answer the phone and they can cook at the same time. 161 00:12:25,480 --> 00:12:26,480 We don't. 162 00:12:26,480 --> 00:12:27,480 Okay? 163 00:12:27,480 --> 00:12:29,360 But is that all we see? 164 00:12:29,360 --> 00:12:40,640 Do we see the instructor in her, the feeder, the laundry person, or do we see mom has the 165 00:12:40,640 --> 00:12:43,560 gift that God has given us? 166 00:12:43,560 --> 00:12:53,080 Not only on Mother's Day, which in the United States is the second Sunday of May, in Mexico 167 00:12:53,080 --> 00:12:58,160 is always the 10th of May, regardless of the day of the week. 168 00:12:58,160 --> 00:13:00,760 And all classes are suspended. 169 00:13:00,760 --> 00:13:03,000 There are special programs. 170 00:13:03,000 --> 00:13:10,200 But sometimes we forget that the rest of the year and the special day is forgotten. 171 00:13:10,200 --> 00:13:11,960 How do you see your mom? 172 00:13:11,960 --> 00:13:16,200 How do you see your pastor when he makes a mistake? 173 00:13:16,200 --> 00:13:17,840 Oh, I'm sorry. 174 00:13:17,840 --> 00:13:20,600 Do pastors make mistakes? 175 00:13:20,600 --> 00:13:23,160 I forgot that. 176 00:13:23,160 --> 00:13:26,480 Do you recognize that pastor on the screen? 177 00:13:26,480 --> 00:13:30,200 Billy Graham. 178 00:13:30,200 --> 00:13:34,920 He was approached one lady, but actually they met on coming out of the elevator. 179 00:13:34,920 --> 00:13:37,680 You're Pastor Billy Graham. 180 00:13:37,680 --> 00:13:40,520 Oh, you are a great man. 181 00:13:40,520 --> 00:13:42,520 You know what he said? 182 00:13:42,520 --> 00:13:50,960 Ma'am, I'm an ordinary man with an extraordinary mission. 183 00:13:50,960 --> 00:13:59,240 We are a pot of clay with a big container, something good inside. 184 00:13:59,240 --> 00:14:03,840 I use that phrase of Billy Graham, somebody on SHP, Sleeping Early Business. 185 00:14:03,840 --> 00:14:05,400 Man, you're a great man. 186 00:14:05,400 --> 00:14:07,840 Oh, no, I say I'm a common man. 187 00:14:07,840 --> 00:14:09,120 But we have a great mission. 188 00:14:09,120 --> 00:14:11,600 Let's keep on going. 189 00:14:11,600 --> 00:14:16,560 So how do you see your pastor? 190 00:14:16,560 --> 00:14:23,320 When he makes a mistake, do you form a commission to go to the conference and make an ugly request, 191 00:14:23,320 --> 00:14:26,040 send us a different one? 192 00:14:26,040 --> 00:14:33,640 Or you decide to talk a lot about him down on your knees? 193 00:14:33,640 --> 00:14:39,280 How do you see the young lady that made a mistake and got in trouble? 194 00:14:39,280 --> 00:14:42,480 You know my meaning. 195 00:14:42,480 --> 00:14:44,480 Do you see her like a pariah? 196 00:14:44,480 --> 00:14:54,520 Or do you see her like a young lady that needs to be embraced, needs to be accepted? 197 00:14:54,520 --> 00:15:03,640 How do you see the stubborn child or teenager that does not want to come into the church? 198 00:15:03,640 --> 00:15:10,400 Or when he comes or she comes into the church, he's doing things that I wouldn't do. 199 00:15:10,400 --> 00:15:12,900 Of course, I'm 74 years old. 200 00:15:12,900 --> 00:15:17,640 I will not drop to the floor to draw on the floor or anything like that. 201 00:15:17,640 --> 00:15:24,680 Do you see them like nuisance and annoying? 202 00:15:24,680 --> 00:15:29,680 Or do you see somebody that is full of energy and he could become a tremendous leader? 203 00:15:29,680 --> 00:15:31,400 We have seen that. 204 00:15:31,400 --> 00:15:33,720 My wife had a student. 205 00:15:33,720 --> 00:15:38,200 My wife was teaching in a Catholic school for 29 years. 206 00:15:38,200 --> 00:15:43,160 And she had two students that were brothers that were members of the Seventy Adventist 207 00:15:43,160 --> 00:15:44,160 Church. 208 00:15:44,160 --> 00:15:46,960 And eventually I became their pastor. 209 00:15:46,960 --> 00:15:53,200 And her student was, we say, La Pata de Judas. 210 00:15:53,200 --> 00:15:56,200 The foot of Judas. 211 00:15:56,200 --> 00:15:57,200 Terrible! 212 00:15:57,200 --> 00:16:02,600 A joker and always talking, always distracting people. 213 00:16:02,600 --> 00:16:07,360 And actually he never changed because even in butchers for minutes I had to tell him, 214 00:16:07,360 --> 00:16:10,760 Adrian, come down. 215 00:16:10,760 --> 00:16:12,760 But he became a tremendous leader. 216 00:16:12,760 --> 00:16:19,480 An evangelist, a pianist, a singer, a teacher. 217 00:16:19,480 --> 00:16:23,280 So how do you see the young kid? 218 00:16:23,280 --> 00:16:26,800 My wife and I were, I was invited to preach in a church. 219 00:16:26,800 --> 00:16:32,760 I seldomly accepted invitation when I was active in the ministry because I had two churches 220 00:16:32,760 --> 00:16:37,040 and I couldn't take away one Sabbath from one of my churches. 221 00:16:37,040 --> 00:16:40,800 But we were invited to a church and taking a sister so I decided to go. 222 00:16:40,800 --> 00:16:45,800 So I went inside and my wife came later on with our granddaughter that was not used to 223 00:16:45,800 --> 00:16:47,520 coming to church. 224 00:16:47,520 --> 00:16:51,440 Her mother was Catholic. 225 00:16:51,440 --> 00:16:52,800 Beautiful lady. 226 00:16:52,800 --> 00:16:54,560 Good. 227 00:16:54,560 --> 00:17:01,520 And she was growing under the pew and putting things in tubs. 228 00:17:01,520 --> 00:17:10,360 And a dear, dear deaconess, zealous of reverence in the church, came and tapped my wife on 229 00:17:10,360 --> 00:17:11,360 the shoulder. 230 00:17:11,360 --> 00:17:18,840 If your girl cannot stand still, you both go out of the church. 231 00:17:18,840 --> 00:17:23,020 So when I came to the pulpit, where is my wife? 232 00:17:23,020 --> 00:17:28,160 My wife was in the car crying because she had been kicked out of the church. 233 00:17:28,160 --> 00:17:35,120 So I would recommend, you know, be patient and be tactful with the little ones because 234 00:17:35,120 --> 00:17:38,080 they don't have the same energy that we do. 235 00:17:38,080 --> 00:17:39,080 Okay? 236 00:17:39,080 --> 00:17:45,480 Right now my left leg asks the right leg to straighten up so I can stand up. 237 00:17:45,480 --> 00:17:49,920 When we were little we would jump from one branch on a tree to the other one. 238 00:17:49,920 --> 00:17:51,020 Different levels of energy. 239 00:17:51,020 --> 00:17:53,800 So I think I need to accelerate a little. 240 00:17:53,800 --> 00:17:56,880 So I just wanted to bring you to think of this. 241 00:17:56,880 --> 00:18:04,720 How do you see the person that is considered as a grouch in the church or in your neighborhood? 242 00:18:04,720 --> 00:18:09,920 You don't talk to the neighbor across the street because he's a grouch. 243 00:18:09,920 --> 00:18:16,180 He's always kicking or piercing the balls of the kids in the neighborhood because he doesn't 244 00:18:16,180 --> 00:18:21,400 want the balls in the flowerbeds or anything. 245 00:18:21,400 --> 00:18:28,040 All this has come to mind to help us really think how do we see our neighbors? 246 00:18:28,040 --> 00:18:31,640 How do you see the homeless? 247 00:18:31,640 --> 00:18:44,000 Do you see somebody that needs help or somebody that is a slacker and he didn't act wisely 248 00:18:44,000 --> 00:18:46,760 and that's why he doesn't have a home? 249 00:18:46,760 --> 00:18:57,760 We have seen homeless in shelters that are doctors, engineers, and they went bad on the 250 00:18:57,760 --> 00:19:05,880 head because of a trauma or their house burned and all their families burned inside the house 251 00:19:05,880 --> 00:19:09,760 and they decided not to go into a house. 252 00:19:09,760 --> 00:19:11,400 So how do you see the homeless? 253 00:19:11,400 --> 00:19:15,000 How do you see the person that is behind bars? 254 00:19:15,000 --> 00:19:17,000 He asked for it? 255 00:19:17,000 --> 00:19:19,280 Poor fellow. 256 00:19:19,280 --> 00:19:22,000 Have you been in prison ministers? 257 00:19:22,000 --> 00:19:23,920 Try it. 258 00:19:23,920 --> 00:19:30,200 How do you see somebody die in of AIDS? 259 00:19:30,200 --> 00:19:34,760 Somebody that, well, is his fault? 260 00:19:34,760 --> 00:19:37,000 The lifestyle he chose was the wrong one? 261 00:19:37,000 --> 00:19:39,080 Now he's paying for it. 262 00:19:39,080 --> 00:19:45,320 Or is he somebody that needs for you to go and tell him that God loves him? 263 00:19:45,320 --> 00:19:49,800 Oh, man, there are so many decisions we need to make. 264 00:19:49,800 --> 00:19:57,280 How do you see the person that extends his hand to you to receive a little marshal, a 265 00:19:57,280 --> 00:20:01,100 little crust of bread? 266 00:20:01,100 --> 00:20:08,160 Some kids complain because the sandwich has the edge they want to cut and some kids would 267 00:20:08,160 --> 00:20:10,840 like to catch it and eat it. 268 00:20:10,840 --> 00:20:16,280 We used to tell our kids, eat your food because the kids in Africa are dying because they 269 00:20:16,280 --> 00:20:18,280 don't have this food. 270 00:20:18,280 --> 00:20:22,040 They will ask, well, take it to them. 271 00:20:22,040 --> 00:20:29,360 We don't count our blessings a lot of times, you know, but we had an experience. 272 00:20:29,360 --> 00:20:32,480 We visited our university in Costa Rica. 273 00:20:32,480 --> 00:20:36,480 It's called Una Deca. 274 00:20:36,480 --> 00:20:40,400 The Adventist University of Central America. 275 00:20:40,400 --> 00:20:46,360 That's what it means in Spanish, Universidad de Central America. 276 00:20:46,360 --> 00:20:51,920 We sat on a table where there was a pastor that was doing his continuing education from 277 00:20:51,920 --> 00:20:56,120 a different country, Guatemala. 278 00:20:56,120 --> 00:21:00,440 We sat to eat and we said, grace. 279 00:21:00,440 --> 00:21:03,840 We prayed for the food and we started eating. 280 00:21:03,840 --> 00:21:08,800 And two kids, two students came and sat with us. 281 00:21:08,800 --> 00:21:18,840 But one of them had a plate full of food with an empty plate under it. 282 00:21:18,840 --> 00:21:20,560 What is he doing? 283 00:21:20,560 --> 00:21:26,520 He prayed for the food and then he took the full plate and he started dividing the food 284 00:21:26,520 --> 00:21:29,280 and putting it in the empty plate. 285 00:21:29,280 --> 00:21:36,760 And at that moment another fellow came and sat on an empty chair and he shared his food. 286 00:21:36,760 --> 00:21:40,560 The other student did not have money to pay for his food. 287 00:21:40,560 --> 00:21:50,360 And he had paid extra to get extra food so he could eat half of what he usually eats 288 00:21:50,360 --> 00:21:54,560 and share it with his friend. 289 00:21:54,560 --> 00:21:56,800 We were very impressed. 290 00:21:56,800 --> 00:22:00,360 We are retirees so my wallet is very thin now. 291 00:22:00,360 --> 00:22:06,680 But my wife decided to share whatever we had with the poor student. 292 00:22:06,680 --> 00:22:16,680 You know, long ago, thousands or years ago, there was another experience of somebody asking 293 00:22:16,680 --> 00:22:20,160 himself whom he was supposed to help. 294 00:22:20,160 --> 00:22:22,400 Let's look for the text. 295 00:22:22,400 --> 00:22:26,120 And we read it in the beginning. 296 00:22:26,120 --> 00:22:36,000 And I think I'm going to have, what time do you usually end your service? 297 00:22:36,000 --> 00:22:37,400 When I end? 298 00:22:37,400 --> 00:22:38,680 The floor doesn't open? 299 00:22:38,680 --> 00:22:41,400 There's no trap in here. 300 00:22:41,400 --> 00:22:42,960 Okay. 301 00:22:42,960 --> 00:22:56,320 Turn your Bibles on the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 10. 302 00:22:56,320 --> 00:22:57,320 Okay. 303 00:22:57,320 --> 00:23:00,480 And it was read in the beginning. 304 00:23:00,480 --> 00:23:02,800 Melinda read it? 305 00:23:02,800 --> 00:23:03,800 Where's Melinda? 306 00:23:03,800 --> 00:23:05,840 Thank you, Melinda. 307 00:23:05,840 --> 00:23:07,440 She read it. 308 00:23:07,440 --> 00:23:08,440 Okay. 309 00:23:08,440 --> 00:23:10,880 Let's read 25 to 29. 310 00:23:10,880 --> 00:23:18,800 And behold, a certain lawyer, a certain expert in explaining the law, he knew every dot and 311 00:23:18,800 --> 00:23:26,920 tilt and comma and punctuation mark of the law. 312 00:23:26,920 --> 00:23:36,240 He stood up and tested him saying, teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? 313 00:23:36,240 --> 00:23:40,160 Was he a smart fellow? 314 00:23:40,160 --> 00:23:42,600 And why did he ask that? 315 00:23:42,600 --> 00:23:46,680 What do you have to do to inherit something? 316 00:23:46,680 --> 00:23:48,320 Huh? 317 00:23:48,320 --> 00:23:51,080 Yeah. 318 00:23:51,080 --> 00:23:54,120 But the question was dumb. 319 00:23:54,120 --> 00:24:02,200 Because you see, we know that to inherit something, you need to be a child in the family. 320 00:24:02,200 --> 00:24:05,440 Okay? 321 00:24:05,440 --> 00:24:10,640 Your children are going to inherit whatever you have, including your Bibles. 322 00:24:10,640 --> 00:24:12,080 Okay? 323 00:24:12,080 --> 00:24:14,640 So you don't have to do anything to inherit something. 324 00:24:14,640 --> 00:24:17,480 You need to be born in the family. 325 00:24:17,480 --> 00:24:20,600 But at this time, he wanted to know what he needed to do. 326 00:24:20,600 --> 00:24:25,540 He said, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? 327 00:24:25,540 --> 00:24:29,400 He said to him, what is written in the law? 328 00:24:29,400 --> 00:24:32,000 What is your read on it? 329 00:24:32,000 --> 00:24:38,880 So he answered and said, thou shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with 330 00:24:38,880 --> 00:24:46,540 all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and your neighbor as yourself. 331 00:24:46,540 --> 00:24:51,560 He was quoting the Shema, the most popular prayer in Israel. 332 00:24:51,560 --> 00:24:53,880 They still do it every day. 333 00:24:53,880 --> 00:25:01,080 And he said, good, do this and you will live. 334 00:25:01,080 --> 00:25:05,080 But he said, what did he say? 335 00:25:05,080 --> 00:25:06,080 Who is my... 336 00:25:06,080 --> 00:25:08,440 Sorry, I went back. 337 00:25:08,440 --> 00:25:12,600 The question he asked is, but who is my neighbor? 338 00:25:12,600 --> 00:25:15,040 But he said, but trying to justify himself. 339 00:25:15,040 --> 00:25:19,000 He said, who is my neighbor? 340 00:25:19,000 --> 00:25:24,800 And that's why Jesus told him about who. 341 00:25:24,800 --> 00:25:25,800 This is not a parable. 342 00:25:25,800 --> 00:25:30,480 It's something that a lot of scholars say it will happen. 343 00:25:30,480 --> 00:25:35,160 I'm going to relate on it, narrate it. 344 00:25:35,160 --> 00:25:38,120 Okay, he said, let me tell you something. 345 00:25:38,120 --> 00:25:45,480 A man was descending from Jerusalem to Jericho, 800... 346 00:25:45,480 --> 00:25:57,080 No, no, it's about 10, 13 miles by a descent of 3,000 feet. 347 00:25:57,080 --> 00:26:05,080 And when he was in a rocky place of the desert, he was robbed. 348 00:26:05,080 --> 00:26:08,440 He was assaulted and he was beaten. 349 00:26:08,440 --> 00:26:17,080 They took everything he had and they left him because he thought he was already dead. 350 00:26:17,080 --> 00:26:24,080 And it happened to us that a certain priest was coming that way. 351 00:26:24,080 --> 00:26:37,080 And when he saw the man laying on the floor, he went a little further away from him and 352 00:26:37,080 --> 00:26:38,640 continued his way. 353 00:26:38,640 --> 00:26:41,080 Did not even look at him. 354 00:26:41,080 --> 00:26:42,800 Why? 355 00:26:42,800 --> 00:26:45,080 Why did he do that? 356 00:26:45,080 --> 00:26:52,800 Well, there are reasons, but we're going to see them in a minute. 357 00:26:52,800 --> 00:26:55,560 There's a Levite. 358 00:26:55,560 --> 00:27:02,160 Who were the Levites? 359 00:27:02,160 --> 00:27:07,240 The Levites were mostly the chiefs of the priests. 360 00:27:07,240 --> 00:27:08,920 They were the bosses. 361 00:27:08,920 --> 00:27:14,040 They were the most holy persons in Israel. 362 00:27:14,040 --> 00:27:17,720 And when he came, he was curious, so he went like this. 363 00:27:17,720 --> 00:27:21,900 Oh no, I'm not going to touch him. 364 00:27:21,900 --> 00:27:29,520 The first one was a priest, a leader in the church, a head elder or the head deacon or 365 00:27:29,520 --> 00:27:33,880 a sub-school teacher or maybe the pastor in the church. 366 00:27:33,880 --> 00:27:42,520 And he said, well, he asked for it. 367 00:27:42,520 --> 00:27:48,200 Why did he decide to descend from Jerusalem to Jericho? 368 00:27:48,200 --> 00:27:54,600 Why did he decide to leave the church, to put it in modern times? 369 00:27:54,600 --> 00:28:00,360 Besides, the robbers can be around there and I'm in danger. 370 00:28:00,360 --> 00:28:02,760 I got to go. 371 00:28:02,760 --> 00:28:06,140 The Levite comes a little closer. 372 00:28:06,140 --> 00:28:09,080 Maybe he could reach him very easily. 373 00:28:09,080 --> 00:28:14,840 Oh no, I'm in charge of the song service today. 374 00:28:14,840 --> 00:28:23,680 I'm in charge of opening the doors in the church and I cannot contaminate myself. 375 00:28:23,680 --> 00:28:25,800 He could be dead. 376 00:28:25,800 --> 00:28:32,760 And if he's dead and I touch the courts, I'm going to be unclean until sunset and I'm going 377 00:28:32,760 --> 00:28:36,880 to have to wash myself seven times. 378 00:28:36,880 --> 00:28:45,040 Besides, the robbers can be around there and I'm in danger. 379 00:28:45,040 --> 00:28:54,800 And then the third person came and it doesn't even say what occupation he had, but he was 380 00:28:54,800 --> 00:28:59,480 a Samaritan. 381 00:28:59,480 --> 00:29:08,760 And when Jesus said a Samaritan came by, he didn't say a good Samaritan. 382 00:29:08,760 --> 00:29:13,640 For the Jews, the only good Samaritan was one that was dead. 383 00:29:13,640 --> 00:29:20,560 If he was alive, he was a bad person because he was a Samaritan. 384 00:29:20,560 --> 00:29:30,880 But the Samaritan, the spice one, the dog, they were called dogs. 385 00:29:30,880 --> 00:29:38,640 Some others were also called dogs, but they used the word cunarion, which means puppy. 386 00:29:38,640 --> 00:29:42,320 You call puppy with tenderness. 387 00:29:42,320 --> 00:29:46,680 When your husband is aggressive, man, he's a bear. 388 00:29:46,680 --> 00:29:52,480 But when you want to be expressive, oh, my teddy bear. 389 00:29:52,480 --> 00:29:54,440 Same bear? 390 00:29:54,440 --> 00:29:55,880 Okay. 391 00:29:55,880 --> 00:30:00,520 So now the Samaritan decided to do something. 392 00:30:00,520 --> 00:30:01,520 Let's read it. 393 00:30:01,520 --> 00:30:02,520 30 to 35. 394 00:30:02,520 --> 00:30:06,320 And I'm going to accelerate a little bit more. 395 00:30:06,320 --> 00:30:07,320 Okay? 396 00:30:07,320 --> 00:30:09,320 30 to 35. 397 00:30:09,320 --> 00:30:10,320 Thank Jesus. 398 00:30:10,320 --> 00:30:11,320 Oh, wait. 399 00:30:11,320 --> 00:30:12,320 I'm sorry. 400 00:30:12,320 --> 00:30:13,800 We have 30. 401 00:30:13,800 --> 00:30:18,200 Let's read from 33. 402 00:30:18,200 --> 00:30:27,840 But a certain Samaritan, a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came near the one who was 403 00:30:27,840 --> 00:30:30,880 assaulted. 404 00:30:30,880 --> 00:30:36,780 And when he saw him, he had compassion. 405 00:30:36,780 --> 00:30:46,400 So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. 406 00:30:46,400 --> 00:30:54,120 And he set him on his own donkey or animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 407 00:30:54,120 --> 00:30:56,960 Stayed some days with him. 408 00:30:56,960 --> 00:31:05,560 On the next day, after taking care of him, when he departed, he took out two denarii, 409 00:31:05,560 --> 00:31:18,040 the salary of two days, gave it to the innkeeper, and said to him, take care of him. 410 00:31:18,040 --> 00:31:25,320 And whatever you spend extra, when I come again, I will repay you. 411 00:31:25,320 --> 00:31:28,560 You know, in Spanish, it's a little bit different. 412 00:31:28,560 --> 00:31:31,160 They say, cuídamelo. 413 00:31:31,160 --> 00:31:37,680 It means take care of my friend. 414 00:31:37,680 --> 00:31:39,760 He just met him. 415 00:31:39,760 --> 00:31:44,360 But he had taken ownership of the wounded man. 416 00:31:44,360 --> 00:31:49,080 You know what the Samaritan man did? 417 00:31:49,080 --> 00:31:53,840 First, he says he had compassion of him. 418 00:31:53,840 --> 00:31:55,840 What is compassion? 419 00:31:55,840 --> 00:31:57,480 Pity? 420 00:31:57,480 --> 00:31:59,760 Is it pity? 421 00:31:59,760 --> 00:32:03,040 It's more than that. 422 00:32:03,040 --> 00:32:04,040 Compassion. 423 00:32:04,040 --> 00:32:07,040 Love, compassion. 424 00:32:07,040 --> 00:32:11,560 In other words, sympathy. 425 00:32:11,560 --> 00:32:16,120 He had the same feelings. 426 00:32:16,120 --> 00:32:23,600 He felt in his own flesh what the man was going through, like if it had happened to 427 00:32:23,600 --> 00:32:25,320 him. 428 00:32:25,320 --> 00:32:27,600 He felt compassion. 429 00:32:27,600 --> 00:32:33,320 He got down from his animal, his donkey or mule, whatever, to help him. 430 00:32:33,320 --> 00:32:40,000 He did not look around and be ready to spur the animal in case somebody was coming to 431 00:32:40,000 --> 00:32:41,000 assault him, too. 432 00:32:41,000 --> 00:32:42,880 No, he got down. 433 00:32:42,880 --> 00:32:47,360 He did not spare his supplies. 434 00:32:47,360 --> 00:32:54,920 I don't know what his business was, but why was he carrying so much oil and wine? 435 00:32:54,920 --> 00:32:56,960 He was going to stay in an inn. 436 00:32:56,960 --> 00:33:01,680 He didn't need oil to cook in a campout. 437 00:33:01,680 --> 00:33:05,000 Maybe. 438 00:33:05,000 --> 00:33:07,040 This is my imagination. 439 00:33:07,040 --> 00:33:11,520 I haven't found any research on this. 440 00:33:11,520 --> 00:33:14,160 He was a merchant. 441 00:33:14,160 --> 00:33:18,240 He had oil to sell and wine to sell. 442 00:33:18,240 --> 00:33:19,240 He had money. 443 00:33:19,240 --> 00:33:21,840 He paid for the inn. 444 00:33:21,840 --> 00:33:28,480 He paid the salary of two days of work to the innkeeper to continue looking over the 445 00:33:28,480 --> 00:33:30,480 wounded men. 446 00:33:30,480 --> 00:33:33,800 So he did not spare his supplies. 447 00:33:33,800 --> 00:33:40,120 Maybe he could say, oh, there goes the prophet. 448 00:33:40,120 --> 00:33:45,840 Maybe that trip he broke even on because he used his supplies. 449 00:33:45,840 --> 00:33:50,320 He did not stop to think on the danger. 450 00:33:50,320 --> 00:33:57,400 You see, the prince and the Levite said, if I stop to help him, what is going to happen 451 00:33:57,400 --> 00:33:59,640 to me? 452 00:33:59,640 --> 00:34:07,600 But the Samaritan said, if I don't stop to help him, what is going to happen to him? 453 00:34:07,600 --> 00:34:10,960 The focus was different. 454 00:34:10,960 --> 00:34:17,240 He was thinking on the person that needed his help. 455 00:34:17,240 --> 00:34:22,800 He made a commitment to cover all the expenses that he incurred. 456 00:34:22,800 --> 00:34:28,520 Now, let's go back to the beginning of the story. 457 00:34:28,520 --> 00:34:40,400 The lawyer said, wanting to justify himself, who is my neighbor? 458 00:34:40,400 --> 00:34:42,640 Who is my neighbor? 459 00:34:42,640 --> 00:34:49,400 In the Greek language, the modern Greek, there are three words that have a very close meaning. 460 00:34:49,400 --> 00:34:53,240 This is not a Greek lesson, but I want to make a point. 461 00:34:53,240 --> 00:34:57,560 If you want to say neighbor, you say gate or not. 462 00:34:57,560 --> 00:35:03,800 Forget all the words if you want to, but don't forget the end of it. 463 00:35:03,800 --> 00:35:10,880 The word for next, like you're in line. 464 00:35:10,880 --> 00:35:17,960 One person comes and next, the one that is coming, there is nobody in between you and 465 00:35:17,960 --> 00:35:18,960 him. 466 00:35:18,960 --> 00:35:23,680 Next, you say epomena. 467 00:35:23,680 --> 00:35:32,120 And then the one that is near, over there you are calling him, right beside you, you 468 00:35:32,120 --> 00:35:34,080 call him Plesion. 469 00:35:34,080 --> 00:35:38,320 That's in modern Greek. 470 00:35:38,320 --> 00:35:45,920 In ancient Greek, in the New Testament, the word used over there, you see it in yellow 471 00:35:45,920 --> 00:35:51,200 over there, Plesion. 472 00:35:51,200 --> 00:35:55,960 The one in yellow, the yellow rectangle says Plesion. 473 00:35:55,960 --> 00:36:00,520 That is the word that means near or close. 474 00:36:00,520 --> 00:36:04,960 So answering the question, who is my neighbor? 475 00:36:04,960 --> 00:36:13,480 Plesion means neighbor, it means near, it means next. 476 00:36:13,480 --> 00:36:17,840 So when Jesus answered the question, who is my neighbor? 477 00:36:17,840 --> 00:36:23,400 Actually Jesus told him, your neighbor is the one you have access to. 478 00:36:23,400 --> 00:36:26,140 Is the one that is near to you. 479 00:36:26,140 --> 00:36:32,400 It is the one that is right next to you, that nobody is between you and him. 480 00:36:32,400 --> 00:36:39,280 And then you ask, but if he doesn't want to be near, if he is far away, then you get close 481 00:36:39,280 --> 00:36:41,840 to him. 482 00:36:41,840 --> 00:36:49,000 The one that was assaulted was not close to the Samaritan when he was assaulted. 483 00:36:49,000 --> 00:36:57,520 But he became close to the Samaritan because the Samaritan decided to draw near to him. 484 00:36:57,520 --> 00:37:01,280 So who was the neighbor? 485 00:37:01,280 --> 00:37:02,920 That's the question. 486 00:37:02,920 --> 00:37:09,080 This is a quote from the Deseraphages, and I didn't have it in English, so I translated 487 00:37:09,080 --> 00:37:12,760 it from Spanish. 488 00:37:12,760 --> 00:37:15,080 So the question, who is my neighbor? 489 00:37:15,080 --> 00:37:18,040 Is answered once and for all. 490 00:37:18,040 --> 00:37:23,880 Christ demonstrated that our neighbor is not merely he who belongs to the same church or 491 00:37:23,880 --> 00:37:27,480 faith that we do. 492 00:37:27,480 --> 00:37:34,520 He has nothing to do with distinction of race, color, or social class. 493 00:37:34,520 --> 00:37:40,800 Our neighbor is every person that needs our help. 494 00:37:40,800 --> 00:37:42,840 Lift your fingers one by one. 495 00:37:42,840 --> 00:37:48,120 Our neighbor is every person that needs our help. 496 00:37:48,120 --> 00:37:55,680 Second, our neighbor is every soul, every person that has been wounded and bruised by 497 00:37:55,680 --> 00:37:59,000 the adversary, the enemy, Satan. 498 00:37:59,000 --> 00:38:05,440 And three, our neighbor is everyone that belongs to God. 499 00:38:05,440 --> 00:38:09,720 Is anybody else? 500 00:38:09,720 --> 00:38:13,400 Now what is left out? 501 00:38:13,400 --> 00:38:14,440 Everybody is our neighbor. 502 00:38:14,440 --> 00:38:17,960 I did an experiment once. 503 00:38:17,960 --> 00:38:24,880 I was praying with my elders, and I said, oh Lord, I want to ask you to bless Osama bin 504 00:38:24,880 --> 00:38:25,880 Laden. 505 00:38:25,880 --> 00:38:28,640 And they reacted. 506 00:38:28,640 --> 00:38:34,160 And when I finished my prayer, pastor, why did you pray for Osama bin Laden? 507 00:38:34,160 --> 00:38:37,920 I said, because he needs repentance. 508 00:38:37,920 --> 00:38:40,440 He needs salvation. 509 00:38:40,440 --> 00:38:42,160 He's my neighbor. 510 00:38:42,160 --> 00:38:50,480 He could be the enemy, because he is enticing Christian people to come and bomb and kill, 511 00:38:50,480 --> 00:38:54,440 but he needs help. 512 00:38:54,440 --> 00:38:56,360 And Jesus died for him, too. 513 00:38:56,360 --> 00:39:01,680 Can you imagine if all Christians were praying for him, and he had repented? 514 00:39:01,680 --> 00:39:05,000 Well, I'm not going to do that anymore. 515 00:39:05,000 --> 00:39:13,120 But the three categories that the Spirit of the Prophet says, the three groups of people 516 00:39:13,120 --> 00:39:20,480 that are considered our neighbors, anyone who needs our help. 517 00:39:20,480 --> 00:39:27,720 Two, every soul that has been wounded or bruised by the adversary. 518 00:39:27,720 --> 00:39:32,360 Three, everyone that belongs to God. 519 00:39:32,360 --> 00:39:35,120 Do you believe that? 520 00:39:35,120 --> 00:39:41,880 Do you believe that somebody to wrong you is your neighbor? 521 00:39:41,880 --> 00:39:45,480 It's hard to think. 522 00:39:45,480 --> 00:39:54,480 We met a lady in the General Conference Continuous Meeting in St. Louis, Missouri. 523 00:39:54,480 --> 00:39:58,240 She came up front to give her testimony. 524 00:39:58,240 --> 00:40:05,680 Her husband and her kids were killed with machetes in front of her. 525 00:40:05,680 --> 00:40:07,200 Pierce with the... 526 00:40:07,200 --> 00:40:15,200 And you know, you can see it. 527 00:40:15,200 --> 00:40:21,640 And when she said that, he called the young man. 528 00:40:21,640 --> 00:40:29,240 The young man that had killed her husband and her kids with a machete. 529 00:40:29,240 --> 00:40:38,760 He said, I met this young man after he killed my husband and my kids in a concentration 530 00:40:38,760 --> 00:40:41,580 camp where he had been detained. 531 00:40:41,580 --> 00:40:43,720 And I decided to feed him. 532 00:40:43,720 --> 00:40:46,000 And he kept feeding him. 533 00:40:46,000 --> 00:40:48,600 He would take food to him every day. 534 00:40:48,600 --> 00:40:51,280 Every day. 535 00:40:51,280 --> 00:40:58,360 And by the end, after a few days, she decided to go to the commander in the concentration 536 00:40:58,360 --> 00:40:59,840 or detaining center. 537 00:40:59,840 --> 00:41:06,440 Said, I want you to release this young man to my care. 538 00:41:06,440 --> 00:41:11,640 She said, he told her, we release only family to people. 539 00:41:11,640 --> 00:41:16,720 Said, then I'm gonna adopt him. 540 00:41:16,720 --> 00:41:22,360 And she adopted the killer of her husband. 541 00:41:22,360 --> 00:41:24,520 I wouldn't do that. 542 00:41:24,520 --> 00:41:31,720 I love God, I love my neighbors, but I don't know if I have the heart to do that. 543 00:41:31,720 --> 00:41:36,640 But that is what the Bible and what the Spirit of the Prophet says. 544 00:41:36,640 --> 00:41:39,960 My neighbor is anyone who needs my help. 545 00:41:39,960 --> 00:41:46,480 My neighbor is every person that has been wounded by the adversary. 546 00:41:46,480 --> 00:41:53,520 My neighbor is anybody that belongs to God. 547 00:41:53,520 --> 00:42:00,800 There is a poem I couldn't really translate it with rhyme and front to English, it's in 548 00:42:00,800 --> 00:42:09,000 Spanish, by one of the best poets in Mexico, Madelon Ervo, To Give, Dar. 549 00:42:09,000 --> 00:42:14,520 Every man who looks for you is going to ask you for something. 550 00:42:14,520 --> 00:42:19,000 The board rich, the amenity of your conversation. 551 00:42:19,000 --> 00:42:21,600 The poor, your money. 552 00:42:21,600 --> 00:42:24,660 The sad, a consolation. 553 00:42:24,660 --> 00:42:28,260 The weak, a stimulus or encouragement. 554 00:42:28,260 --> 00:42:31,960 He who fights, moral help. 555 00:42:31,960 --> 00:42:42,080 Every man who looks for you is certainly or surely is going to ask you for something. 556 00:42:42,080 --> 00:42:44,640 And you dare to be impatient? 557 00:42:44,640 --> 00:42:49,080 And you dare to think, what a bummer, wretched. 558 00:42:49,080 --> 00:42:57,960 The hidden lot that mercifully distributes excellences has designated to grant you the 559 00:42:57,960 --> 00:43:04,920 privilege of privileges, the good of goods, the prerogative of prerogatives. 560 00:43:04,920 --> 00:43:06,520 To give. 561 00:43:06,520 --> 00:43:10,420 You can give. 562 00:43:10,420 --> 00:43:19,640 It has many hours in the day you give, even if it is a smile, even if it is a handshake, 563 00:43:19,640 --> 00:43:22,680 even if it is a word of encouragement. 564 00:43:22,680 --> 00:43:26,560 It has many hours, has the day. 565 00:43:26,560 --> 00:43:30,000 Do you look like him? 566 00:43:30,000 --> 00:43:39,520 He who is nothing but perpetual giving, perpetual diffusion and perpetual gift. 567 00:43:39,520 --> 00:43:47,880 You should fall on your knees before the Father and say, thank you that I can give for my 568 00:43:47,880 --> 00:43:49,960 Father. 569 00:43:49,960 --> 00:43:56,280 Never again will it pass through my face the shadow of impatience. 570 00:43:56,280 --> 00:44:02,560 Truly I tell you, it is better to give than to receive. 571 00:44:02,560 --> 00:44:09,800 So the question is, you still can see your brother clearly? 572 00:44:09,800 --> 00:44:11,840 Even the one that you don't like? 573 00:44:11,840 --> 00:44:16,680 We were talking about liking in South school class. 574 00:44:16,680 --> 00:44:21,660 Maybe there's a person that I don't like, but I have to love. 575 00:44:21,660 --> 00:44:25,800 Sometimes I don't like my kids, but I love them. 576 00:44:25,800 --> 00:44:32,600 And I say sometimes my wife doesn't like me, but she loves me. 577 00:44:32,600 --> 00:44:37,920 When I'm a grouch, oh no, I'm a pastor, so I'm a grouch. 578 00:44:37,920 --> 00:44:45,900 So if you don't see your neighbor, it doesn't matter what his demeanor is. 579 00:44:45,900 --> 00:44:53,240 Like what his, if you still see him like a tree that is moving around, maybe Jesus needs 580 00:44:53,240 --> 00:44:55,680 to touch you again. 581 00:44:55,680 --> 00:44:59,360 Would you like for Jesus to touch you again? 582 00:44:59,360 --> 00:45:04,600 We all need to touch Jesus if we really want to see our neighbor the way we should see 583 00:45:04,600 --> 00:45:06,160 him. 584 00:45:06,160 --> 00:45:12,660 We will see him like a person that was bought by the blood of the lamb. 585 00:45:12,660 --> 00:45:18,280 We will see him like a person that originally was created under the image of God. 586 00:45:18,280 --> 00:45:23,600 It was lost because of sin, but Jesus has decided to restore it to him, to take him 587 00:45:23,600 --> 00:45:26,960 to eternity. 588 00:45:26,960 --> 00:45:29,560 We need to see our neighbor like that. 589 00:45:29,560 --> 00:45:32,720 They did an experiment in England. 590 00:45:32,720 --> 00:45:41,120 In a park, a very dear lady, very devout in this church, in an area where maybe it was 591 00:45:41,120 --> 00:45:47,480 the Bible Belt of England, like this area in Chattanooga is considered the Bible Belt 592 00:45:47,480 --> 00:45:52,040 of, well. 593 00:45:52,040 --> 00:45:54,760 And the old lady called. 594 00:45:54,760 --> 00:45:58,080 It was just annoying and everything. 595 00:45:58,080 --> 00:46:01,120 She called the police. 596 00:46:01,120 --> 00:46:08,080 There is a bomb sleeping on a bench in the park across from my house in the campus of 597 00:46:08,080 --> 00:46:11,800 the church. 598 00:46:11,800 --> 00:46:18,600 So the police said, well, if he's sleeping on a bench and this is annoying and this below 599 00:46:18,600 --> 00:46:22,560 zero, we better send the paramedics. 600 00:46:22,560 --> 00:46:26,560 So the paramedics came and they gave him, hey buddy. 601 00:46:26,560 --> 00:46:33,200 And when they did that, they realized that he was not a person. 602 00:46:33,200 --> 00:46:35,320 It was a statue. 603 00:46:35,320 --> 00:46:44,440 It was something somebody had molded out of a material and it looked very real. 604 00:46:44,440 --> 00:46:54,920 But then when they examined him, they realized that there were wounds in his feet. 605 00:46:54,920 --> 00:47:03,640 And they realized that somebody wanted to teach the neighborhood a lesson. 606 00:47:03,640 --> 00:47:09,400 So Jesus said, it has much. 607 00:47:09,400 --> 00:47:14,640 Because you did it to one of my little brethren and those are the little brethren over there, 608 00:47:14,640 --> 00:47:22,440 the homeless, the migrant, the one behind the bars in prison. 609 00:47:22,440 --> 00:47:24,280 I have been to prisons. 610 00:47:24,280 --> 00:47:27,280 I baptized people in the prisons. 611 00:47:27,280 --> 00:47:33,320 And believe me, it's easier to preach to them because they are captive bodies. 612 00:47:33,320 --> 00:47:38,640 And I asked them, okay, in five weeks I have a Sabbath that I have off. 613 00:47:38,640 --> 00:47:40,440 I can come and see you. 614 00:47:40,440 --> 00:47:43,080 And one said, we're not going anywhere. 615 00:47:43,080 --> 00:47:50,760 Later on I realized, I learned that he was the son of seven of the Adventist missionaries. 616 00:47:50,760 --> 00:47:55,600 He grew up in one in the mission field. 617 00:47:55,600 --> 00:47:57,840 He knew a lot. 618 00:47:57,840 --> 00:48:05,120 And later on he told me, when I came to prison, I learned to love the word that I have been 619 00:48:05,120 --> 00:48:11,360 studying all my life, what I have been hearing my father preach about. 620 00:48:11,360 --> 00:48:14,560 And I learned to love Jesus. 621 00:48:14,560 --> 00:48:27,920 So how do we see the homeless, the one behind bars, the hungry, the men with SIDA? 622 00:48:27,920 --> 00:48:30,120 Do we help them or do we turn away? 623 00:48:30,120 --> 00:48:41,760 We don't want to maybe they had lies or they brought a bed box from somewhere? 624 00:48:41,760 --> 00:48:42,760 No. 625 00:48:42,760 --> 00:48:46,120 They are children of God. 626 00:48:46,120 --> 00:48:47,120 They need our help. 627 00:48:47,120 --> 00:48:50,760 They have been wounded by the adversary. 628 00:48:50,760 --> 00:48:52,960 They belong to God. 629 00:48:52,960 --> 00:49:00,000 And Jesus said, inasmuch as you did it to one of my little brethren, this is the test 630 00:49:00,000 --> 00:49:07,320 God is not going to tell you inasmuch as you can explain the 2300 days, you can explain 631 00:49:07,320 --> 00:49:12,720 who is the little horn, you can explain the mark on the number of the beast. 632 00:49:12,720 --> 00:49:14,840 He doesn't say that. 633 00:49:14,840 --> 00:49:15,840 It's good to study. 634 00:49:15,840 --> 00:49:23,600 But I said, inasmuch as you did it to one of my little brethren, you did it unto me. 635 00:49:23,600 --> 00:49:27,080 Come inherit the kingdom. 636 00:49:27,080 --> 00:49:28,560 Wow. 637 00:49:28,560 --> 00:49:35,200 Maybe it's something different of what you expected to hear. 638 00:49:35,200 --> 00:49:43,760 But I do want to tell you, we need to ask the Lord to open our eyes to put more saliva, 639 00:49:43,760 --> 00:49:50,960 to put the Holy Spirit on us so we can see the people around the church, around our house, 640 00:49:50,960 --> 00:49:57,640 in our neighborhood, the one we find on Walmart, even the one we see that is pulling something 641 00:49:57,640 --> 00:50:01,240 and putting it, I have seen that. 642 00:50:01,240 --> 00:50:04,040 We see him like a thief. 643 00:50:04,040 --> 00:50:12,680 We see him like our little brethren from whom Jesus died and he is our neighbor. 644 00:50:12,680 --> 00:50:21,080 Somebody said, I approached my brother because I wanted to show him my love and he drew a 645 00:50:21,080 --> 00:50:25,700 circle around him and left me out. 646 00:50:25,700 --> 00:50:36,000 But with God's help, love and I drew a bigger circle and we enclosed him and drew him near. 647 00:50:36,000 --> 00:50:43,240 I pray that God will always keep in our mind that our little brethren around us are there 648 00:50:43,240 --> 00:50:49,400 for us to show that we really love Jesus by showing our love to our neighbor. 649 00:50:49,400 --> 00:50:51,800 You want to do that? 650 00:50:51,800 --> 00:50:57,480 Jesus Father, thank you for every lesson you teach us in your holy word. 651 00:50:57,480 --> 00:51:03,920 And thank you because we can love because you loved us first. 652 00:51:03,920 --> 00:51:06,440 There is a reason. 653 00:51:06,440 --> 00:51:13,600 Help us to really feel that you love us, to really understand that dying on the cross 654 00:51:13,600 --> 00:51:21,040 was the maximum, the greatest show of your love for us and help us to love others because 655 00:51:21,040 --> 00:51:22,040 you loved us first. 656 00:51:22,040 --> 00:51:51,320 In Jesus' name we pray, amen.