1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:06,360 Dear God, we thank you so much for all that you do. 2 00:00:06,360 --> 00:00:10,280 We thank you for safety and for protection. 3 00:00:10,280 --> 00:00:16,560 And God, I know that it's a little different today, but it can also be exciting and fun 4 00:00:16,560 --> 00:00:21,280 to see snow and to recognize something different in our world. 5 00:00:21,280 --> 00:00:27,680 And so Lord, as we are enjoying a Sabbath in a different way, may our hearts just be 6 00:00:27,680 --> 00:00:34,400 open to you and to your Holy Spirit and just continue to be with us wherever we are today. 7 00:00:34,400 --> 00:00:37,680 In your name we pray, amen. 8 00:00:37,680 --> 00:00:42,860 So in that Bible study that was on the little Sabbath at home ideas down at the bottom, 9 00:00:42,860 --> 00:00:49,600 the first thing suggested sharing a story that you might have of something involving 10 00:00:49,600 --> 00:00:53,360 snow, some experience that you've had with snow in your life. 11 00:00:53,360 --> 00:00:58,560 Now I grew up, most of you know I grew up in Tennessee and so there was not very much 12 00:00:58,560 --> 00:00:59,600 snow. 13 00:00:59,600 --> 00:01:04,160 So when there was snow, it was often fairly memorable. 14 00:01:04,160 --> 00:01:09,520 And so I remember one time, I don't remember my age, but for one particular day, the news 15 00:01:09,520 --> 00:01:15,980 was that Knoxville, Tennessee was the coldest place in the country on that particular day. 16 00:01:15,980 --> 00:01:19,440 And it was 23 degrees below zero. 17 00:01:19,440 --> 00:01:23,840 And I remember that because we, our neighbors had a pond. 18 00:01:23,840 --> 00:01:28,560 And so all the neighborhood kids went over to that pond and it was frozen thick. 19 00:01:28,560 --> 00:01:33,440 And so we were able to go out and we called it hockey, but it was really kicking, you 20 00:01:33,440 --> 00:01:35,820 know, a rock or something around on the pond. 21 00:01:35,820 --> 00:01:40,160 So that was a memorable day in the snow that I had. 22 00:01:40,160 --> 00:01:45,000 And of course, I also remember and some of you probably remember this as well, the blizzard 23 00:01:45,000 --> 00:01:47,400 of 93. 24 00:01:47,400 --> 00:01:50,520 Where were you in 1993? 25 00:01:50,520 --> 00:01:57,200 In 1993, I was a student at Southern Adventist University, then called Southern College. 26 00:01:57,200 --> 00:02:02,920 And I was actually home visiting family on that particular weekend. 27 00:02:02,920 --> 00:02:05,380 And that's when the big snow fell. 28 00:02:05,380 --> 00:02:09,000 And if you weren't around here, it was like 18 inches of snow. 29 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:12,080 It shut things down for many, many days. 30 00:02:12,080 --> 00:02:21,080 And not only that, it was Friday night and I remember I was home and I had a knock on 31 00:02:21,080 --> 00:02:24,360 the door from my dad Sabbath morning. 32 00:02:24,360 --> 00:02:27,960 And he's like, don't worry about getting up. 33 00:02:27,960 --> 00:02:29,520 There's you know, a foot of snow outside. 34 00:02:29,520 --> 00:02:31,440 We're not going to go to church. 35 00:02:31,440 --> 00:02:36,900 And so I always remember my dad woke me up to tell me that I could sleep in on that particular 36 00:02:36,900 --> 00:02:38,520 Sabbath morning. 37 00:02:38,520 --> 00:02:43,320 And I think that's what happened to Jolie this morning as she woke up to then find out 38 00:02:43,320 --> 00:02:46,880 that she the first instruction was that she could have slept in. 39 00:02:46,880 --> 00:02:51,360 So she was giving me a hard time about that. 40 00:02:51,360 --> 00:02:56,680 And then one more story that I've probably told some of you before. 41 00:02:56,680 --> 00:03:01,880 When I was in seminary up at Andrews University, of course, they got a lot of snow. 42 00:03:01,880 --> 00:03:06,560 But the very first time that it snowed when I was up there was on Friday night. 43 00:03:06,560 --> 00:03:08,200 And it snowed about four inches. 44 00:03:08,200 --> 00:03:12,080 So about what we got up here, maybe a tiny bit more. 45 00:03:12,080 --> 00:03:17,480 But being from here, if it snowed this much like today, we would not have church. 46 00:03:17,480 --> 00:03:21,240 And so I called the pastor of the church that I was helping out as a little church called 47 00:03:21,240 --> 00:03:25,280 Coloma about 25 or 30 minutes from Andrews. 48 00:03:25,280 --> 00:03:27,600 And I said, are we having church today? 49 00:03:27,600 --> 00:03:31,180 And he's like, well, it's it's Sabbath, isn't it? 50 00:03:31,180 --> 00:03:32,880 Of course we're having church. 51 00:03:32,880 --> 00:03:35,840 And I said, well, there's there's four inches of snow. 52 00:03:35,840 --> 00:03:41,640 And this pastor in Michigan just kind of laughed at me and said, well, you have a lot to learn. 53 00:03:41,640 --> 00:03:46,800 And so again, I recognize that our roads were probably clear, but we just wanted to make 54 00:03:46,800 --> 00:03:52,440 sure that everybody is safe because driving here in Tennessee and Georgia is different 55 00:03:52,440 --> 00:04:01,580 than Michigan and other places that people have lived because snow plows only a few. 56 00:04:01,580 --> 00:04:06,800 And the roads, I've been to some of your homes and they're very curvy and twisty. 57 00:04:06,800 --> 00:04:11,800 And so that's why we're gathering this this way today. 58 00:04:11,800 --> 00:04:16,520 So I hope that you had the opportunity to share some snow stories with people in your 59 00:04:16,520 --> 00:04:23,820 family that you've some things that you've had in some experiences in the snow. 60 00:04:23,820 --> 00:04:30,520 So just reflecting on snow, there's a couple Bible verses that when people think of snow, 61 00:04:30,520 --> 00:04:32,940 these are the verses that they always go to. 62 00:04:32,940 --> 00:04:37,580 And if you watch the little video I made yesterday when Jolie was throwing snowballs at me, those 63 00:04:37,580 --> 00:04:40,440 were the two verses that that I talked about. 64 00:04:40,440 --> 00:04:43,160 The first one is an Isaiah, chapter one. 65 00:04:43,160 --> 00:04:46,620 And we're not going to look at these except I just want to mention them. 66 00:04:46,620 --> 00:04:54,220 But Isaiah one and verse 18, it says, Come now and let us reason together, says the Lord, 67 00:04:54,220 --> 00:05:01,180 though your sins are like scarlet red, they shall be as white as snow. 68 00:05:01,180 --> 00:05:05,420 Though they are red like crimson, they shall be like wool. 69 00:05:05,420 --> 00:05:11,140 So our sins will be covered over our sins will be whiter than snow. 70 00:05:11,140 --> 00:05:17,240 And then another verse that people often think of when they think of snow is in Psalm 51. 71 00:05:17,240 --> 00:05:24,480 This is the story when David had had that grievous sin with Bathsheba and Nathan had 72 00:05:24,480 --> 00:05:25,860 come in. 73 00:05:25,860 --> 00:05:28,800 And after he had confessed his sin. 74 00:05:28,800 --> 00:05:34,660 This is when he composed this prayer, the Psalm 51, where it says wash me thoroughly 75 00:05:34,660 --> 00:05:38,740 from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. 76 00:05:38,740 --> 00:05:45,220 And then in verse seven, David writes, Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean. 77 00:05:45,220 --> 00:05:48,580 Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow. 78 00:05:48,580 --> 00:05:53,980 And then just a few verses later, it says, Create in me a clean heart and renew a steadfast 79 00:05:53,980 --> 00:05:55,620 spirit within me. 80 00:05:55,620 --> 00:05:59,220 So incredible powerful verses about snow. 81 00:05:59,220 --> 00:06:02,720 But what I want to look at today is a different one. 82 00:06:02,720 --> 00:06:06,740 And that is in Isaiah 55. 83 00:06:06,740 --> 00:06:09,500 Isaiah 55 is where we want to go. 84 00:06:09,500 --> 00:06:12,940 Isaiah 55. 85 00:06:12,940 --> 00:06:16,780 An incredible chapter all the way through Isaiah 55. 86 00:06:16,780 --> 00:06:24,580 It starts off and it says in Isaiah 55 one, Ho, everyone who thirsts come to the waters 87 00:06:24,580 --> 00:06:27,460 and you have no money come buy and eat. 88 00:06:27,460 --> 00:06:31,860 Yes, come buy wine and milk without money and without price. 89 00:06:31,860 --> 00:06:36,540 When we have snow around here, many people flock to the stores and we buy milk and we 90 00:06:36,540 --> 00:06:39,220 buy bread and we buy eggs. 91 00:06:39,220 --> 00:06:44,340 But this says if you're thirsty, come and you don't have to pay for what God wants to 92 00:06:44,340 --> 00:06:45,340 give us. 93 00:06:45,340 --> 00:06:46,860 It's a free gift. 94 00:06:46,860 --> 00:06:52,380 And then just a few verses later in verse six, Isaiah 55 and verse six, it says, Seek 95 00:06:52,380 --> 00:06:55,380 the Lord while he may be found. 96 00:06:55,380 --> 00:06:58,380 Call upon him while he is near. 97 00:06:58,380 --> 00:07:02,600 Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts. 98 00:07:02,600 --> 00:07:06,380 Let him return to the Lord and he will have mercy on him. 99 00:07:06,380 --> 00:07:10,980 So it says, Seek the Lord while he may be found. 100 00:07:10,980 --> 00:07:16,100 Wherever we are, we can be looking for God because we know that God is waiting for us. 101 00:07:16,100 --> 00:07:20,900 We know that God is calling out to us and he's seeking after us. 102 00:07:20,900 --> 00:07:24,940 And then it says in the next verse, for my thoughts are not your thoughts. 103 00:07:24,940 --> 00:07:32,340 And then verse nine, God says, my ways, God's ways are higher than your ways and God's thoughts, 104 00:07:32,340 --> 00:07:35,140 my thoughts are higher than your thoughts. 105 00:07:35,140 --> 00:07:42,820 But the verse about snow is in verse 10, Isaiah 55 and verse 10. 106 00:07:42,820 --> 00:07:50,260 It says, for as the rain comes down and the snow from heaven and does not return there, 107 00:07:50,260 --> 00:07:56,940 but water the earth and make it bring forth and bud that it may give seed to the sower 108 00:07:56,940 --> 00:07:59,480 and bread to the eater. 109 00:07:59,480 --> 00:08:02,380 So it's talking about some natural things. 110 00:08:02,380 --> 00:08:07,060 It says the rain falls and the snow comes down. 111 00:08:07,060 --> 00:08:10,140 And it says that it has a purpose. 112 00:08:10,140 --> 00:08:18,340 And the purpose of the rain and the snow is to water this earth, to provide moisture so 113 00:08:18,340 --> 00:08:20,040 that things can grow. 114 00:08:20,040 --> 00:08:25,620 And we would recognize now that our brothers and sisters out in California, they wish that 115 00:08:25,620 --> 00:08:30,420 they had some rain falling from heaven or even some snow falling to help put out some 116 00:08:30,420 --> 00:08:32,060 of those fires. 117 00:08:32,060 --> 00:08:38,900 And we may think, oh, really, I don't think of snow when I think of Israel and when I 118 00:08:38,900 --> 00:08:42,220 think of the Bible lands. 119 00:08:42,220 --> 00:08:45,300 But believe it or not, it does snow in Israel. 120 00:08:45,300 --> 00:08:50,260 We usually think of, you know, hot and desert and different things like that. 121 00:08:50,260 --> 00:08:56,020 But when I had the opportunity to be in Israel about probably eight years ago, it was like 122 00:08:56,020 --> 00:08:57,020 a heat wave. 123 00:08:57,020 --> 00:09:04,420 It was the hottest time of the year and the hottest year that they'd had in a long time. 124 00:09:04,420 --> 00:09:10,140 But they do have snow, particularly a place called Mount Hermon, which is on the north 125 00:09:10,140 --> 00:09:13,620 side of the country on the border with Syria. 126 00:09:13,620 --> 00:09:19,860 And in fact, Mount Hermon has a ski resort. 127 00:09:19,860 --> 00:09:22,340 It's the only ski resort in Israel. 128 00:09:22,340 --> 00:09:27,300 But unfortunately, because of the conflict with the borders and different things, it's 129 00:09:27,300 --> 00:09:29,020 been closed for the last two years. 130 00:09:29,020 --> 00:09:33,700 But I was looking up because I wanted to see the elevation. 131 00:09:33,700 --> 00:09:40,740 And so Mount Hermon has an elevation of 9,232 feet. 132 00:09:40,740 --> 00:09:43,140 So that's a very tall mountain. 133 00:09:43,140 --> 00:09:47,460 And so on that mountaintop of Mount Hermon, they get snow. 134 00:09:47,460 --> 00:09:51,620 And in fact, just around New Year's Eve, they had about two feet of snow. 135 00:09:51,620 --> 00:09:55,580 And so I just kind of thought that that was interesting that we don't think of snow in 136 00:09:55,580 --> 00:10:00,660 the Holy Land, in the Bible land, but snow is there. 137 00:10:00,660 --> 00:10:04,720 And so this verse talks about snow coming down from heaven. 138 00:10:04,720 --> 00:10:06,860 And it's got a purpose. 139 00:10:06,860 --> 00:10:10,340 It says it's going to water the earth. 140 00:10:10,340 --> 00:10:18,540 And in verse 11, God says, So shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth. 141 00:10:18,540 --> 00:10:25,380 It shall not return to me void, but shall accomplish what I am doing for it. 142 00:10:25,380 --> 00:10:29,300 So God says, you know what? 143 00:10:29,300 --> 00:10:33,620 God says that he is going to accomplish the purpose. 144 00:10:33,620 --> 00:10:38,860 His word is going to accomplish what it is supposed to be doing. 145 00:10:38,860 --> 00:10:42,860 So God says this rain, the snow is going to accomplish what it's supposed to. 146 00:10:42,860 --> 00:10:48,000 And then it says, So shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth. 147 00:10:48,000 --> 00:10:51,660 It shall accomplish what I please. 148 00:10:51,660 --> 00:10:59,140 God's word is going to make a difference in the lives of the people and what is going 149 00:10:59,140 --> 00:11:02,020 on and what is happening. 150 00:11:02,020 --> 00:11:05,420 God's word is going to make a difference. 151 00:11:05,420 --> 00:11:09,380 God's word is going to do something incredible. 152 00:11:09,380 --> 00:11:16,100 And so we can recognize that when we take time to be in God's word, that that makes 153 00:11:16,100 --> 00:11:21,900 a difference in our life because that's what God has said it's going to do. 154 00:11:21,900 --> 00:11:26,020 And so what is God's word going to accomplish? 155 00:11:26,020 --> 00:11:31,820 We've talked about it as we start off a new year that we need to be spending time in God's 156 00:11:31,820 --> 00:11:33,140 word. 157 00:11:33,140 --> 00:11:38,820 And so I just want to look at one more verse here in 2 Timothy chapter three. 158 00:11:38,820 --> 00:11:46,500 Paul writes an incredible thought about God's word, and it's probably something that you've 159 00:11:46,500 --> 00:11:49,500 memorized at some point in the past. 160 00:11:49,500 --> 00:11:59,180 It says in 2 Timothy 3 verse 15, it says that from childhood, you have known the Holy Scriptures, 161 00:11:59,180 --> 00:12:02,500 which are able to, here's what God's word is going to do. 162 00:12:02,500 --> 00:12:08,620 It's going to make you wise for salvation through faith, which is what God's word is 163 00:12:08,620 --> 00:12:10,420 going to do, which is in Christ Jesus. 164 00:12:10,420 --> 00:12:15,900 God's word is going to make you wise for salvation through faith. 165 00:12:15,900 --> 00:12:17,460 It's going to bring you to Jesus. 166 00:12:17,460 --> 00:12:20,460 It's going to help you to have faith in Jesus. 167 00:12:20,460 --> 00:12:27,580 And then verse 16 says all scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable. 168 00:12:27,580 --> 00:12:29,140 It's of value. 169 00:12:29,140 --> 00:12:34,880 It's from God and it's profitable for several things, for doctrine. 170 00:12:34,880 --> 00:12:36,520 We can learn about God. 171 00:12:36,520 --> 00:12:38,540 We can learn about his love. 172 00:12:38,540 --> 00:12:44,020 And then it says for reproof, for correction, for the things that we're falling short in, 173 00:12:44,020 --> 00:12:47,900 the times when we're distracted from God. 174 00:12:47,900 --> 00:12:53,020 Scripture is going to correct us and bring us back to the path that we need to be on. 175 00:12:53,020 --> 00:12:56,760 And then it says for instruction in righteousness. 176 00:12:56,760 --> 00:13:00,880 So God's word gives us wisdom for salvation. 177 00:13:00,880 --> 00:13:06,080 It gives us instruction for righteousness, how we can live our life for God. 178 00:13:06,080 --> 00:13:12,700 And then it says that the person of God, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly 179 00:13:12,700 --> 00:13:15,420 equipped for every good work. 180 00:13:15,420 --> 00:13:20,380 If you want to live your life for God, if you want to be thoroughly equipped to serve 181 00:13:20,380 --> 00:13:25,620 God, then make sure that you're spending some time in his word. 182 00:13:25,620 --> 00:13:30,420 Not just because it's the beginning of the year, not just because of anything else that's 183 00:13:30,420 --> 00:13:33,980 happening, but because it'll make you wise for salvation. 184 00:13:33,980 --> 00:13:39,820 It will correct the areas of your life and bring you back to a path towards God. 185 00:13:39,820 --> 00:13:46,460 And it will help you to be thoroughly equipped for God in all that you do as you serve others, 186 00:13:46,460 --> 00:13:50,740 as you serve your family, as you serve your church. 187 00:13:50,740 --> 00:13:58,840 Want to look back at Isaiah 55, because there was one more section to that incredible chapter. 188 00:13:58,840 --> 00:14:05,220 It talked about the snow falls, the rain falls, and it completes its purpose. 189 00:14:05,220 --> 00:14:07,800 God's word is going to complete its purpose. 190 00:14:07,800 --> 00:14:16,060 And then the very next verse says, you shall go out with joy and be led forth in peace. 191 00:14:16,060 --> 00:14:21,680 When we serve God, when we allow God into our life, when we recognize his salvation, 192 00:14:21,680 --> 00:14:26,820 as we go out into our life and into our world, we're going to have joy and we're going to 193 00:14:26,820 --> 00:14:31,900 have peace, even when we have challenging times in life. 194 00:14:31,900 --> 00:14:39,100 Let me tell you one more snow story, and then I'll let you get back to spending time with 195 00:14:39,100 --> 00:14:43,220 your family on this snow day Sabbath. 196 00:14:43,220 --> 00:14:49,660 I mentioned being in Michigan and that it snowed on Friday night and four inches. 197 00:14:49,660 --> 00:14:50,660 We still had church. 198 00:14:50,660 --> 00:14:52,120 I shoveled the driveway. 199 00:14:52,120 --> 00:14:55,100 We drove 25 minutes to church. 200 00:14:55,100 --> 00:14:59,600 But it seemed like that first winter, every time it snowed, it snowed on Friday night. 201 00:14:59,600 --> 00:15:05,740 So Sabbath morning, I'd be shoveling the driveway to make sure that I could go to church the 202 00:15:05,740 --> 00:15:07,480 next day. 203 00:15:07,480 --> 00:15:14,000 One Sabbath morning, it snowed and I was looking out and, okay, I got to put my boots on. 204 00:15:14,000 --> 00:15:15,000 It's cold. 205 00:15:15,000 --> 00:15:16,000 I got to bundle up. 206 00:15:16,000 --> 00:15:22,040 And about that time, I heard a noise and it was like an engine. 207 00:15:22,040 --> 00:15:26,740 It was like a chainsaw or a lawnmower or something like that. 208 00:15:26,740 --> 00:15:33,620 And I looked out my window and my next door neighbor, he had a riding lawnmower, but on 209 00:15:33,620 --> 00:15:39,120 the front of it, like many people in Michigan do, it had a snowblower attachment. 210 00:15:39,120 --> 00:15:40,460 And he was out there. 211 00:15:40,460 --> 00:15:44,160 He cranked up his snowblower. 212 00:15:44,160 --> 00:15:49,760 But as I looked out the window, he was not cleaning off his driveway. 213 00:15:49,760 --> 00:15:52,920 He was cleaning off my driveway. 214 00:15:52,920 --> 00:15:59,620 He had seen me out there on Saturday mornings shoveling snow numerous times. 215 00:15:59,620 --> 00:16:02,840 This gentleman was not a Seventh-day Adventist. 216 00:16:02,840 --> 00:16:06,440 I'm not sure if he even went to church, but he had seen me out there and he said, you 217 00:16:06,440 --> 00:16:07,440 know what? 218 00:16:07,440 --> 00:16:09,900 I can make a difference in this young man's life. 219 00:16:09,900 --> 00:16:17,400 And so he cranked up his snowblower and he cleaned my driveway off in about five minutes. 220 00:16:17,400 --> 00:16:20,920 What a difference that made for me that morning. 221 00:16:20,920 --> 00:16:27,740 As this says, you can go out with joy and be led forth, led out with peace. 222 00:16:27,740 --> 00:16:29,560 And that's what God wants to do for us. 223 00:16:29,560 --> 00:16:32,520 God wants to make a difference in your life. 224 00:16:32,520 --> 00:16:36,460 So make sure no matter what you're doing today, that you're taking a little bit of time to 225 00:16:36,460 --> 00:16:44,040 be in God's word, that you're studying with him, that you're allowing God to give you 226 00:16:44,040 --> 00:16:49,160 what were those things, wisdom for salvation, instruction for righteousness, and so that 227 00:16:49,160 --> 00:16:51,380 you can be thoroughly equipped. 228 00:16:51,380 --> 00:16:54,920 And then you can make a difference in somebody else's life. 229 00:16:54,920 --> 00:16:57,200 Let's bow our heads for a word of prayer. 230 00:16:57,200 --> 00:16:58,600 Dear God, thank you. 231 00:16:58,600 --> 00:17:00,060 Thank you for your word. 232 00:17:00,060 --> 00:17:01,660 Thank you for your protection. 233 00:17:01,660 --> 00:17:04,040 Thank you for your safety and your salvation. 234 00:17:04,040 --> 00:17:07,080 Be with each person no matter where they are today. 235 00:17:07,080 --> 00:17:08,880 Guide them and keep them safe. 236 00:17:08,880 --> 00:17:10,360 In your name we pray. 237 00:17:10,360 --> 00:17:11,480 Amen. 238 00:17:11,480 --> 00:17:17,000 And now as we close, we're going to have a special music and that's going to be you singing 239 00:17:17,000 --> 00:17:18,560 to the people that you're with. 240 00:17:18,560 --> 00:17:22,160 So enjoy your song and have a wonderful Sabbath afternoon. 241 00:17:22,160 --> 00:17:42,560 Bye bye.