Genesis Napod

Advent HOPE Sabbath School

The Four Most Important Questions

For those of you who don't know who I am, my name is Genesis Knapwood.

Genesis is like the first book in the Bible.

Now, a lot of people, when I visit churches, they ask me this question, so I'm going to save you the trouble.

Do you have a brother or sister named X or Leviticus?

And I tell them, no, they have normal names.

But I remember back in seventh grade, you know in seventh grade you're trying to be cool, you're trying to fit in?

I was trying to fit in, trying to dress like everybody else, trying to be like everybody else.

In seventh grade math class, our counselor comes in and says, you have a new student.

And we all turn to look, who is this new student?

And it's this girl, she's tall and skinny, we all look, and she says, make her feel welcome, her name is guess.

And all of a sudden everybody looks at me and they start smiling because they're going to tease me for the rest of the school year, and for eighth grade, and throughout high school, and even in college, it's still less.

But in case you're wondering, I'm the first of 3, hence the beginning of the family.

And as you can see, today's presentation, good it's not upside down, the 3 most important questions that you will ever ask.

The 3 most important questions that you will ever ask.

Father in heaven as we come to you this morning I pray that your spirit would be with us.

I pray that you would speak through me and hide me behind the cross, that Christ would be glorified.

I know that nobody is here by accident, nobody's listening by accident, but they are here, Lord, to hear your word.

Please speak to us individually, in Jesus' name, amen.

I hope you guys brought your Bibles today.

We're gonna do a little bit of a Bible study, but today's presentation is the 3 most important questions that you will ever ask.

Now that sounds slightly intimidating, doesn't it?

The 3 most important questions that I will ever ask.

You might be thinking, well, I can think of more important questions and maybe you will, but these are 3 questions that have come to my mind and I think that depending on how you answer these 3 questions will help you determine the other questions that you will face in life.

Now, in life, there are many questions, right?

We have many, many questions, especially for those of you who are students.

You have many questions that could change your life, right?

During finals, depending on how I answer these questions will determine if I will pass or if I will fail, if I will graduate or if I have to take summer school, right?

And you might be asking, well, what's next in life?

Where do I see myself in the next 5 or 10 years?

Many important questions that deserve very good answers.

Now, everybody's answer might be different.

But nevertheless, we have to think about this.

But today, I want to ask you 3 questions that are very important.

And the first 1 I want to ask you is, where did we come from?

Now some of you are probably thinking, I just came from my dorm.

Okay, but on a bigger perspective, where did we as humans come from?

Now this is very controversial, but not too long ago, there was a debate between, do you guys know who these 2 are?

When I was growing up, I used to love watching Bill Nye as a kid because he made science fun and interesting.

But not too long ago, there was this debate and they were debating over where we came from.

Did we come from God, intelligent design, or did we come from evolution, the Big Bang?

Now Bill Nye argues that we came through the Big Bang, that a long, long time ago, perhaps billions of years ago there was something called the Big Bang and through this Big Bang things just came to be.

The nitrogen, the hydrogen, the oxygen, and all elements came together and somehow, someway, randomly formed the Earth, the Sun, the Moon, and the stars and everything that we see today.

And through the process of survival of the fittest in evolution, humans came to be.

He argues that this world is very old, perhaps millions or even billions of years old.

On the other hand, we have Ken Ham, who is a creationist, he's a Christian, and he says that he believes the Bible.

And he believes something that we believe as well.

If you have your Bibles, go with me to the book of Genesis.

I really like the book of Genesis, not just because my name is Genesis, but it's a very good book.

Let us go to the book of Genesis, chapter 1.

Our question, our first question is, where did we come from?

Genesis, chapter 1, we read a familiar verse, chapter 1, the Bible says, In the beginning, who?

So who was at the very beginning of time?

God created heaven and earth and how did he do it?

The Bible says in John chapter 1, it says, in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God.

The Bible says all things were made through the word Jesus Christ.

And so God created this world by the power of his word and how long did he do it?

He created the world in 6 days, and on the seventh day, he rested.

Chester Clark

Dalton SDA Church

The Science of Thankfulness

There once was an old preacher in North Dakota.

The people were always amazed for no matter what was going on in his church or in the community, he always found something to be thankful for.

And as he made his rounds on 1 blustery cold December morning, he was late getting to the worship service because the snow drifts were so deep that he had to wade through.

He came rather bedraggled and frazzled and as he began the worship service with prayer, his parishioners were anxious to see what it was that he would be thankful for on this day.

The old preacher began his prayer, Gracious Lord, we thank you that all days are not like today.

You know, there's always something to be thankful for, isn't there?

Last week we were talking about the pattern of thanksgiving throughout the Old Testament, and this week we're going to be looking at the science of thankfulness.

To me it's very encouraging as I see what the simple thing of giving thanks can do.

The activity that we might take for granted or only practice on an annual basis, if carried out throughout the year, could revolutionize our lives and our cultures.

And so we're gonna begin by just reflecting on some of the texts in the New Testament that encourage us to give thanks.

And we begin with some of the writings of Paul.

And Paul was no hypocrite, as we'll see later.

He himself gave thanks, but he urged people everywhere.

And a few verses later he says, in everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Ephesians 5 verse 20 says, giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Very inclusive language here Paul uses, isn't it?

He continues on in Philippians 4, in verse 4, Rejoice in the Lord always, and in case we thought there were some exceptions to the always, he says, and again I say to you, rejoice, right?

He's drilling in that concept into our consciousness that we ought to always rejoice.

Now this may seem like these are familiar verses, and of course we know that, but when we reflect on our daily lives, do we really practice it?

That's the question that we ought to ask ourselves.

Philippians 4 and verse 6, a few verses later, be careful for nothing.

Some translations say don't be anxious about anything.

Be careful, be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." And then it goes on and it says, the peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your heart and your mind through Christ Jesus.

We're going to see this morning some of the modern scientific evidence that suggests that the Bible is true.

Of course, we knew that already, didn't we?

We knew that the Bible is true and that God who created us, who programmed us, who knows how we are made, that we are fearfully and wonderfully made, he knows best how we can thrive, not just survive.

And so the Bible says that if we will let God know everything about our lives, with thanksgiving, With grateful hearts, the peace of God that passes all understanding will keep our hearts and our minds through Christ Jesus.

Paul in his epistles often began, almost always began his epistles with something to be thankful for.

You can go through each of his letters, and of course he wrote most of the books of the New Testament so it's not just a few, and you can see how he was the 1 who was writing thankfulness and gratitude as he began his epistles.

Romans begins this way, first I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.

1 Thessalonians begins similarly, we give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers.

Now today we recognize that this is a New Testament injunction, that God encourages us to be grateful, that Paul did it, the apostles did it.

But did you know That simply being thankful can have a multitude of benefits in your life.

I found this little diagram and we're not going to spend time on each and every 1 of these areas, but we'll just give a little bit of an overview of all the different ways that gratitude and thanksgiving can impact your life.

And that's a little hard to read isn't it?

But you can see that in the area of personality, Gratitude makes you less self-centered, more optimistic, better self-esteem, more spirituality, emotions, more good feelings, more relaxed, more resilient, less envious, social, more social, a healthier marriage, kinder, more friendships, deeper relationships, career, better management, improved networking, improved decision making, and health.

Do you know you sleep better when you're grateful?

I learned a lot working on this study today.

Less sick, more longevity, increased energy.

Are you interested in some of these health benefits?

Are you interested in knowing how it actually works and how you can be benefited by them?

1 of the books that I read in preparing for this was called Thanks by Robert Emmons.

Now, he's a University of California, Davis, professor, and he has been very involved in studying the science of gratitude.

And 1 of the things that he, 1 of the experiments they conducted in doing their research, they instructed people to keep a journal listing 5 things for which they felt grateful.

I mean, some of us are not very good at journaling.

I wish I'd kept a diary and I could remember some of the places I've been better if I could go back and reflect on some of my musings when I was there, but I'm just not that good at journaling or diaries.

This is just 5 things for which we feel grateful.

So this is what they had to do, list 5 things for which they felt grateful, like a friend's generosity, something they've learned, a sunset they enjoyed.

The second group, they had write about daily irritations or things that had displeased them.

And the third group, the control group, wrote about events that had affected them.

They were told to write about anything that affects them throughout their day, doesn't have to be positive or negative.

And the gratitude journal was to be brief, the things they were writing was to be brief, only 1 sentence per item, so 5 sentences.

And that's not a long exhaustive writing, right?

Only 5 sentences, and it was only to be done once a week.

1 group, things they're grateful for, 1 group, things that irritated them, another group, just things that affected them.

After 10 weeks, those who wrote about gratitude were more optimistic and felt better about their lives.

Surprisingly, they were also exercising more and had fewer visits to physicians than those who had focused on the stresses of and the sources of aggravation.

Further benefits were observed when they did this with a group of polio survivors and others with neuromuscular symptoms and problems.

The ones who kept a gratitude journal reported feeling happier and more optimistic than those in the control group.

And not only were they reporting to be more happier, their spouses corroborated their increased happiness.

So just a little bit of a second opinion there.

But interestingly enough, these people also, these grateful people also fell asleep more quickly at night, slept longer, and woke up feeling more refreshed.

Just by keeping a journal once a week, 5 sentences, 5 things they're thankful for.

Emond says, if you want to sleep more soundly, count blessings, not sheep.

Another leading researcher in this field, Dr.

Martin Seligman, a psychologist at the University of Pennsylvania, tested the impact of various positive psychology interventions on over 400 people, each compared with a control assignment of writing about early memories.

When their week's assignment was to write and personally deliver a letter of gratitude to someone who had never been properly thanked for something they had done in their lives.

They were asked to personally deliver a letter of gratitude to someone who had not been properly thanked for something that had been done in their lives.

Participants immediately exhibited a huge increase in happiness scores.

This impact was greater than any other intervention the psychologists tried.

Just writing a letter of thank you and they found that the effects lasted for more than a month.

More than a month after simply writing a letter of gratitude and thanks to someone else.

Another study had to do with those who had the chronic fatigue syndrome.

And again, they asked them to write journals reporting about the satisfaction of things in their lives.

And people who wrote in the gratitude journals reported they were more optimistic and they were sleeping more, spending less time awake before falling asleep and feeling more refreshed in the morning.

1 of the researchers said that If you really want to sleep well, you need to be thankful, you need to have gratitude.

Another study in the University of Connecticut found that gratitude can have a protective effect against heart attacks.

Studying people who had experienced 1 heart attack, the researchers found that those patients who saw benefits and gains from their heart attack, in other words, they looked back at this terrible experience they'd had in their lives with some thankfulness or gratitude, they were thankful for the benefits that had come about because of this heart attack, the researchers found that those patients experienced a lower risk of having another heart attack just by being thankful for their first heart attack.

Now that doesn't sound like something to be thankful for, but these people found something, some benefit that they could find in their heart attack.

In fact, another research that I saw was done by Roland McCarty, McCraty, of Heart Math.

Simple Christianity

Tom Waters

Restoration International

What Will We Do

This morning, for this closing message, I want to ask us a question.

You know, as John prayed there at the opening prayer, he said, we're coming off of the mountaintop.

We need mountaintop experiences, don't we?

We're told that Enoch went from the mountain to the multitude, and then back to the mountain.

I have to tell you, friends, that we need mountaintop experiences, don't we?

But we need to go back into the valleys too, don't we?

But we don't have to lose the Lord when we return down into the valleys?

I want to take those 4 words, and I want to ask 4 questions.

Every person here, I've talked to many of you.

I wish I could have time to talk to all of you, but Many of you I've talked to, and I know what some of you are thinking and what God, what God is asking you to do.

You see, it's the right use of the will that makes the difference in the success or failure in the Christian life.

Everything we're told in inspiration, everything, How much?

Everything depends upon the right use of the will.

That's a pretty important statement, isn't it?

Yes, we know what God is putting in our hearts.

We know what he's brought into our experience, but what will we do?

And How will we connect our weakness with the strength of Jesus Christ?

You see, Jesus has done an awful lot for us, has he not?

He has redeemed us with his precious blood.

Because we have something to do in this situation.

You know, there's a long distance between the what and the do, isn't there?

There's a distance between those 2 places.

And we can have the conviction, we can have the knowledge, we can have the belief, we can have the desire, but when it comes right down to it, Jesus said, not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter in, but he that doeth the will of my Heavenly Father.

You know the Apostle Paul writes to us in 1st Corinthians 9 verse 24 he says, Know Ye not that they which run a race run all, but 1 receiveth the prize.

First of all, it's clear to us that we must run if we will obtain.

And we must run in such a way that we shall obtain.

The will in this case is to choose to run and to choose to run in the strength of Jesus Christ.

And it is, yes, you, and it is me, that must run in the race.

And we must actually run, and not just talk about getting ready to run and about how good it will be when we run and what advantages we will receive if we run.

And then going down to verse 26, he says, I therefore so run, not as uncertainly, so fight I, not as 1 that beateth the air, but I keep my body under.

Oh, people don't like those kind of words.

It sounds too much like a monk in a monastery, doesn't it?

But it's how it's brought into subjection.

Lest when I have preached to others, I myself should be what?

Now this brings it down very personal, doesn't it?

Because now what Paul is doing is he's telling us about how he accomplished this work.

He's telling us something about Self-denial.

That means that he makes choices that overrule the flesh in the strength of Jesus Christ.

He called it being crucified with Christ.

The same faith that made Jesus Our Savior, our example in all things, is the same faith that the Apostle Paul took hold of when he died to self.

Our self-centeredness recoils and is repulsed by the thought of the practical significance that this brings to us personally.

I want to tell you about my treadmill Because this is what came to my mind as I was thinking about the Apostle Paul in his illustration in his day of the Roman Colosseums.

The running of the race for a wreath, a very special wreath that 1 person would win when all these people spent all this time, 1 person would have a chance for this corruptible crown of a wreath.

What they went through, and I was thinking about my treadmill and the workouts that I do on my treadmill.

And I can remember when I began to recognize how important it was for me to get on a regular exercise program.

This is 1 of the most missed areas in the 8 naturals of professing health-minded Christians.

Because exercise means that we have to bring our body under in subjection.

Let me tell you the treadmill program that I do right now.

I start at 4 miles an hour to warm up at 4% incline for 1 minute.

And Then I go to 5 miles an hour and I increase the incline every time I increase the miles per hour.

I do that for another minute and then I go to 6 for 2 minutes, 6% and 7 for 2 minutes.

And then 8 for a minute at 8%, and then I go back down to 5 again for 1 minute.

And I want to tell you that when I get to 8, at 8% incline, I cannot wait for that 1 minute to get over with.

When I get to 5, at 5 percent incline, I wish it would last longer.

Back to Menu

All Teachings

The Four Most Important Questions

48m

The Science of Thankfulness

40m

What Will We Do

57m

Healing the Hurt

56m

Christian Integrity

1h

Knowing God’s Will

44m

Empowered Choices

52m

We Shall be Like Him

53m

14 - Beautiful Believing Rest

1h 9m

13 - Five Coon Preachers

54m

12 - Mark of the Beast Principle - Part 2

56m

11 - Mark of the Beast Principle - Part 1

55m

Sound Doctrine