Weekend Meeting United State | January 13 – 19 , 2025

To brother Wayne Lindy and the theme for his talk is did the Miracles of the bible really happen miracles in the Bible what comes to mind when you think of a miracle that took place in the Bible do you think of Moses parting the Waters of the Red Sea or how about three young men who were thrown into a fiery furnace and then came out Alive do you think of a man walking on water or or turning water into wine how about all the Miracles that Jesus performed or he cured many of their sickness and

disease or how about raising a man who had died back to life again you know according to the Bible record God took dirt from the ground to create The first man but the Miracles that took place in the Bible started at the beginning in Genesis chapter 1 in verse one where it tells us in the beginning God created the heavens and the Earth what did he create the Earth with now that's a miracle see what we call mirac Miracles are events that take place that leave us amazed at the end result and sometimes In the

Bible they're referred to as powerful works if a person believes in God he also believes in God's power to accomplish things that are awe inspiring but we find over the course of history that people have failed to believe in God and that leads them to deny that the Miracles ever took place even today there are some who claim to be Christian and yet fail to recognize or believe in The Miracles in the Bible you know in recent years scientists have made some amazing discoveries in the field of physics and Science and they're starting to understand

some of these laws that govern the universe laws of gravity laws of energy but Jehovah set those laws in motion he completely understands how they work in essence what the scientists say is that they're familiar with all The condition that ever existed and they insist that God must be limited by their understanding of the laws that govern physical things and so we're Limited in what we know so God must be limited in what he can do but today we can take an airplane which may weigh several thousand tons substantial weight put enough jet engine behind

it and lift it up into the air did we perform a miracle Miracle no but we're starting to understand some of these laws of Aviation gravity and physics you see when we examine the Miracles in the Bible it really helps us appreciate Jehovah's wisdom of the laws that govern physical things at some point in the future Jehovah May reveal further insight to us to help us understand his laws but the Miracles that took place in the Bible were not an exaggeration of ordinary events Or some magical trick to fool the audience you know magic often

involves a special setting to create an illusion often times magical acts fool the audience into believing that someone has a special power so they can make a a famous name for themselves but there are some identifying marks that separate Bible miracles from Magic uh miracles in the Bible were done out in the open They were simple and they had a purpose magic often needs a special setting or some special effects and while some who perform magic try to gain notoriety here's another difference individuals who perform miracles in the Bible they weren't interested in selfish prominence

they wanted Jehovah to receive the recognition and the glory let's notice an example that Jesus set In the Book of John chapter 11 and here this is the uh account in regards to the resurrection of Lazarus and you'll see here that Jesus is speaking to Lazarus sister Martha John 11 and beginning here in verse number 40 Jesus says to Martha did I not tell you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God so they took the stone away and Jesus raised his eyes heavenward and he said father I thank you that

you have Heard me true I know that you always hear me but I spoke on account of the crowd standing around so that they might believe that you sent me now through this powerful Act of the Resurrection uh Jesus could have looked to gain Fame for himself but verse 42 shows that he was interested in giving the credit to God uh Jesus wasn't looking to wow the crowd Miracles were done primarily to glorify God Miracles Always helped individuals uh sometimes in a physical way but always in a spiritual way uh notice what took place in

the Book of Matthew if we turn over to Matthew chapter 8 and verse number 16 Matthew chapter 8 and verse 16 it says after it became evening people bought to Jesus many demon-possessed ones and he expelled the spirits with word and he cured all who were suffering if you turn the page there to chapter n in verse 35 it says Jesus set out on a tour of all the cities and Villages teaching in their synagogues and preaching the Good News of the kingdom and curing every sort of disease and every sort of infirmity so in

some cases the whole town was assembled and he cured them all regardless of what their problem was so it's easy to see how they benefited in a physical way some had their sickness healed how did they benefit spiritually Miracles directed attention To God some Miracles showed the power of God in in Egypt the Miracles that Moses performed showed that Jehovah was more powerful than the god of the Egyptians it strengthened people's faith in God that they could look to him they could rely on him that he was a god of love a god of efor

and the Miracles showed that you see how the Miracles would have a spiritual effect in drawing people closer to God Uh if we turn over to the Book of Exodus chapter 3 Let's notice One account here that dealt with a miraculous uh event here in Exodus chapter 3 and here is where Moses is introduced to God Exodus 3 and we'll begin here at verse number two it says Jehovah's Angel appeared to Moses in a flame of fire in the midst of a thorn bush and as he kept looking Moses saw that the thorn bush was

on fire and yet The thorn bush was not consumed so Moses said I'm going to go over to inspect this unusual sight and see why the thorn bush does not burn up when Jehovah saw that he went over to look then God Called to him out of the thorn bush and said Moses Jehovah doesn't call out from the thorn bush and say hey Moses come on over here see Jehovah waits for Moses to take the first step in drawing Close and then God responds at this time recall that Moses didn't have any faith in God

he had a limited knowledge of God and he had no experience in dealing with Jehovah and so in chapters 3 and 4 Jehovah is going to use a series of Miracles to build his faith and show Moses what he's capable of doing so now that I got your attention let me show you what I can do uh chapter 4 Jehovah asks Moses to go Back to Egypt he wants him to lead the Israelites out of EG Egypt so in chapter 4 uh notice here in verse number one Moses has some doubts he has some questions

uh in verse number one what if they don't believe me what if they don't listen to me so Jehovah says in verse two what is that in your hand and and Moses answers a rod what is that in your hand what is that in your Hand I'm going to use what's in your hand to build your faith in me and notice in verse number three Jehovah tells Moses reach uh throw it down on the ground that is the the staff or the stick throw it on the ground and it became a serpent and Moses fled

from it you know if we think of this staff or this stick that Moses traveled with it was probably six or or seven foot long so this Stick now becomes a six or seven foot long snake and Moses ran away from it I don't know about you I don't like snakes apparently Moses didn't either in verse number four uh Jehovah tells him uh reach out your hand and pick it up uh Jehovah was going to use this miracle to teach Moses stop running away from things that scare you stop running Away from challenges in your

life uh stop being afraid of making a commitment don't run away from responsibility if you notice here in verse number six Jehovah asks him uh put your hand inside your garment and and then his hand turns to leprosy in verse seven he returns his hand a second time and then his hand is restored to normal how is it that God could cause and then heal this Disease he knows how we're made and we don't examining not only these Miracles but the effect that these had on people helps to confirm that these events were true see

Moses couldn't see Jehovah but he knew God was real if some wonder whether this is true or not let's look at some eyewitness accounts if we turn over to Exodus chapter 7 we'll see where these Miracles performed by Moses they were done in the Public and it affected millions of people Exodus 7 notice here in verse number8 Jehovah now says to Moses if Pharaoh says to you you perform a miracle tell Aaron take your rod and throw it down before pharaoh and it'll become a big snake however Pharaoh summoned the wise men the sorcerers and

the magic practicing Priests of Egypt and they did the same thing with their magic each one Threw down his rod and they became big snakes but Aaron's Rod swallowed up their rods now remember back in the wilderness Jehovah had prepared Moses in private for what he's going to do now in public so when these snakes come out it didn't terrify Moses he wasn't shocked or he wasn't jumpy uh think of the people who are present here's pharaoh and all his court and what effect that must have had on Them to see that happened so next

uh Jehovah tells Moses here look down at verse number 19 Jehovah says to Moses say to Aaron take your rod and stretch out your hand over the Waters of Egypt over its rivers its canals its marshes and all its reservoirs and they may become blood and There Will Be Blood In the Land of Egypt even in the wooden and stone containers immediately Moses and Aaron Did just as Jehovah had commanded he lifted up the rod and he struck the water that was in the Nile River before the eyes of pharaoh and his servants and all

the water that was in the river was turned into blood and the fish that were in the river died and the river began to stink and the Egyptians were unable to drink water from the Nile and there was blood throughout the land of Egypt now verse number 20 says all the water that was in the Nile was turned to blood you know there are some documentaries today that try to discredit this account and they say that the river bottom had a red clay soil and that got stirred up and that's what caused the water to

turn red that's not what the Bible says even the water that was in the stone Jars turned to blood let them explain that verse 21 says the Egyptians were unable to drink water now water was a source of Life they needed water for their animals they needed water for cooking for washing their clothes they needed water for drinking it the river was also a source of food it said the fish died so this affected every person in Egypt and these Plagues continued on the Egyptians and people came to realize these Works were from a powerful

Source in chapter 8 there of exodus in verse number 19 e even the priests of pharaoh admit these acts are the work of An Almighty God see Jehovah was going to show that he had authority over everything that they worship Pharaoh asked who is Jehova that I should obey him you want to know who I Am I'm going to show you who I am and it's interesting that these first three plagues or Miracles affected both the Egyptians and the Israelites but then Jehovah steps up in behalf of his people if you notice here in chapter

8 in verse number 21 it tells us that he was going to send this gadfly that Egypt would be full of gadflies and they'll cover the ground in verse number 22 that's Exodus 8 and verse 22 Jehovah says on that day I'm going to set apart the land of Goan where my people are dwelling no gadfly is going to exist there and by this you will know that I Jehovah am here in the land and I will make a distinction between my people and your people tomorrow this sign will take place and Jehovah did so

and heavy swarms of gadflies began to invade the house of pharaoh and the house of his servants and all the land of Egypt the Land was ruined by the gadfly so a distinction was made that from now on all of these plagues would not affect God's people that Jehovah would protect them and the next seven plagues affect ected only the Egyptians you know in the system today uh God's people are affected by many things that affect all people we get sick just like everyone else we're affected financially just like everyone else we experience accidents through

Time and unforeseen occurrence just like everyone else but at some point in this system Jehovah is going to stand up in behalf of his people and we're going to experience Jehovah's protection just like recorded of these Israelites some opponents of the Bible claim that Miracles can be logically explain that Natural Things occurred and Bible writers just attribute it to acts of God but the great variety of Miracles makes a substantial argument as being Backed up by the Creator even though events such as a drought or Locust or hail are not unique in themselves they're coming

in fulfillment of Jehovah's prophecy made them distinctive because God caused those plagues to start and stop when he said so he showed control when he used the frogs or the locusts to cover the land in Egypt showing that he had authority over that insect uh World on several occasions he caused the ground to Quake in the sky to grow dark uh the birth of a child is ordinary but the birth of a child to a woman who had passed the the age of child birth in the case of Sarah or the birth to a young

virgin with Mary was extraordinary it gave evidence of God's intervention now death also is a common occurrence but when death came at a predicted time it pointed to Divine Action if you're still there in Exodus so turn over to chapter 14 and and notice the account here in chapter the end of chapter 14 of Exodus uh beginning in verse number 24 this is uh Moses at the Red Sea he's pinned in on this peninsula and here's this Egyptian Army closing in on him chapter 14 and verse number 24 it says Jehovah gives attention here to

this Camp of the Egyptians and he threw uh them into confusion verse 25 Says he kept taking wheels off their chariots so they were driving him with difficulty I guess so it says the Egyptians were saying let's flee from any contact with Israel because Jehovah is fighting for them against the Egyptians now this is interesting because these aren't Servants of God and yet they recognize that Jehovah is responsible For what was going on if you look at the very end there of chapter 14 and verse 30 uh this is after they passed through the Red

Sea verse 30 says Jehovah saved Israel on that day from the hand of the Egyptians and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore Israel also saw the great power that Jehovah wielded against the Egyptians and people began to fear Jehovah and put Faith in Jehovah who got the credit Jehovah did and a trademark of Bible Miracles that people recognized that Jehovah was responsible even the enemies of God realized it you know one of the greatest Miracles recorded has to do with the resurrection of Jesus after Jesus resurrection he appeared on several occasions to his

followers one time appearing to a large crowd so if we turn over to 1 Corinthians chapter 15 notice here what Paul recorded as it relates to this resurrection of Jesus Jesus 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and beginning here at verse number three Paul writes there for among the first things I handed unto you was what I received that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures that he was buried yes that he was raised up the third day according to the scriptures and he appeared to Peter and then to the 12 after that he appeared

to more than 500 Brothers at one time most of whom are still with us so in a sense Paul says you know when it comes to the resurrection don't believe me ask the 500 others who also saw the resurrected Christ that he appeared out in the open so many had seen that this miracle did happen it gives strong credibility to being a reliable account doesn't that help to give convincing evidence and build our faith You know that was one of the purpose in God's Miracles that Jehovah wanted his people to remember the Miracles that he

did in their behalf as it would build their faith in him now notice in the 105th Psalm Psalms 105 in verse number five this whole chapter of Psalms 105 Jehovah is recording the many miracles and and many accounts that he did in behalf of his people here Psalms 105 and verse number five no notice what that Tells us he he says remember the wonderful Works he performed his miracles and the judgments he pronounced it says remember the wonderful works and the Miracles you know we tend to forget things quickly and so many times Jehovah reminded

them of the Miracles that he delivered them out of Egypt Moses recorded it Joshua remembered it it was written about in Psalms Paul spoke about it how he brought them out out of Egypt How he saved them from the enemies how he delivered them from the Egyptians this is The God Who provided food out of thin air and made water come out of a rock you know we would forget about these Miracles if we didn't think about them and we would forget about the God who was responsible for these events now you see why he

says there at Psalms 105 to remember his wonderful works miracles were often used to confirm the fact that Men were receiving power and support from God many came to realize this about Moses and Jesus because they gave the credit for the powerful works that were done you there's an interesting account in John chapter 3 where Nicodemus came at night to visit Jesus and Nicodemus statement was interesting he says teacher we know that you are from God because no one can perform these signs or these powerful Works that you do unless God was with him who

is the we in we know that would have been those religious leaders that group of 70 the Sanhedrin and so when they were in the big room and they were having their discussion I'm sure that they were talking about Jesus and the activities that he was doing but even though they knew who Jesus was they failed to accept it and exercise faith in him faith is Based on evidence and miracles in that first century clearly established who Jehovah was using there was no question which congregation had his Spirit but in time miraculous gifts would be

done away with and so it doesn't surprise us that Miracles no longer take place today Miracles came to an end as the apostles passed away but wouldn't it help if uh Miracles took place today I mean seeing a resurrection would Convince people wouldn't it you know even if God continued to perform Miracles today it wouldn't convince everyone not not everyone who saw Jesus miracles became Believers and the Miracles that Moses performed had no effect on Pharaoh Miracles played an important role in building faith but everything that we need to build our faith now it is

available to the literate population in The world uh the bible really contains the most substantial evidence proving that the Miracles did happen that there was many eyewitnesses who gave testimony of what they saw but are we convinced you know simply stated building our faith is essential because that's all we're going to have we're not going to see Miracles today but we can continue to learn from some of these past Experiences the Miracles and the gospel accounts teach us lessons about Jesus concern for people what do we learn about Jesus when a man who had leprosy

approached him and said if you want to you can make me clean and the account says Jesus was moved with pity that is he had concern for the man he said I want to that is I want to help you now what do we learn about Jesus when a crowd gathered to hear him teach For 3 Days in Matthew chapter 15 it says Jesus uh tells his disciples there I don't want to send them away fasting that is the crowd that they might give out on the road and then he performed a miracle where he

fed thousands of people with just a few Food Supplies but you see how the Miracles teach us about Jesus concern for people and the scriptures also point to a time in the future where even more Powerful works are yet to happen the Miracles and the past provide us with a pattern for things to come and so when Jesus resurrected people back to life it it showed on a small scale that the resurrection would occur when God's kingdom arrives when he cured sickness and disease he showed that in that new system sickness and disease would be

done away with when he expelled Demons Jesus proved that he had authority over that Spirit realm you know one last uh scripture here we'd like to look at together and it's found in the Book of Luke chap 5 now turn over to Luke chap 5 and this deals with another miracle that took place early in Jesus ministry uh Luke 5 beginning here at verse number four it says when Jesus stopped speaking he said to Peter pull out to where it is Deep and let down your nets for catch but in reply Peter said instructor we

toiled all night and we caught nothing but at your word I will lower the Nets well when they did this they caught a great number of fish in fact their Nets began ripping apart so they motioned to their Partners in the other boat to come and assist them and they came and filled both boats so that these began to Sink now you remember that Jehovah used a miracle to build Moses Faith what is Jesus use here to catch Peter's attention you know Peter said we fished all night and we didn't catch any sometimes God may

let you fail at something you're good at in order to Humble you or teach you to rely on him you know what Peter must have thought here I am a Professional fisherman and you what do you know about fishing but Peter saw that Jesus had authority over the fish oh there's something special here and his obedience led to a blessing you know sometimes our work today is just an effort and frustration you might work hard at what you do but the reality is it's just to eek out a living no offense if you're at Bethl

but this miracle shows that in the new system when Jehovah blesses our work and blesses the ground to be more productive maybe teaches us to use a little more of this uh we won't have to work harder those men didn't work harder to catch more fish the difference was they had Jesus blessing notice in verse number nine the result uh that same chapter Luke 5 and: 9 for both Peter and those who are with him were overwhelmed with astonishment At to catch a fish they had taken verse 11 says they brought the boats back to

land they abandoned everything and followed him this miracle had an effect on those men it moved them to action right for forget that fishing let's go with him but what effect does the Mir Miracles have on us does it move us do do we believe that the Miracles happened you know there are some Miracles that God performed in the past You don't have to understand it how did he do that you don't have to explain it why did he do that what you need to know is that this is someone we should listen to The

Miracles give us hope no matter how bad things might be com in this system Jehovah has the ability to fix it or heal it and make it right these many eyewitness accounts are Like raindrops you know two or three raindrops really don't amount to much but many raindrops accumulate into a river of water you know if it was just two or three eyewitness accounts not much evidence or credibility but when 3 million people walked through the Red Sea when 500 saw the resurrected Christ when thousands were healed of their sickness and disease when when thousands

of others were fed miraculously see these many Eyewitness accounts provide enough evidence or raindrops to wash away any doubt that the Miracles in the Bible did take place clearly these miracles in the Bible are more than just displays of power they glorify God they also serve as a preview of the powerful works when Jesus is going to exercise authority over the Kingdom at that time everyone on Earth is going to be blessed by Jehovah in a miraculous ways believing in God's ability really Answers the question for our discussion did the Miracles in the bible really

happen [Applause] thank you very much brother Lindy for helping us to see that those Miracles that we read about in the bible really did happen and they can strengthen our faith today so thank you very much for that next week we have another talk to look forward to this will be given by brother Grayson Griffin from the north Milford congregation the theme is coping with life anxieties so we invite all to attend that next week now we'll give our attention to brother Layman and he'll introduce our Watchtower Study friends let's begin our Watchtower Study by

standing and singing Together song number 138 it's entitled Beauty in grayhead reflect the lesson that we have for for us today which is entitled learn from The Parting words of Faithful Men the text that it is the theme for us is job 12 and verse 12 which says is wisdom not found among the Aged and does not understanding come with a long life so what can we expect in our lesson today well we're going to consider the farewell words of three faithful older men recorded in the Bible and as we review these words we'll find

what we can learn from both their obedience and their faithfulness lessons that can help us now and more importantly in the Future so we look forward to your comments our reader today is brother Bas Jason basil so let's follow along with that first paragraph all of us need guidance in making life's important decisions we can obain much of that guidance from elders and other mature Christians if they are much older than we are we should not automatically dismiss their advice as out dated Jehovah wants us to learn from older ones they have had more time

than We have had to acquire experience understanding and wisdom we're going to build on that theme scripture with this question why why can we learn from older ones brother fle if age comes experience understanding wisdom therefore they can give us advice and guidance yes they can young man and uh sister Guyer many times when we're we're looking for a surgeon or a doctor we Want someone that's done it someone that's you know performed these that's been around they've been able to uh to see so they know anything that that comes up they're going to be

able to handle it so when we're making some of these important life decisions these choices why not ask go to someone that they've seen it they've done it they've been around there and job 12:12 talks about wisdom being found among the Aged and there's so many gems we can get from Them very nice illustration too sister fiser and so that's why these ones are so valuable in the congregation because we really appreciate when they pass on this spiritual experience and their many life lessons that is the key point and sister def Francis and we know

um a lot of young ones today always think well what do you know you know and and sometimes even me and Paul tell Addison Believe It or Not we've Lived longer than you we have experience so um so again the older ones they're mature and go and ask for their advice um they truly have our best interest at heart and they know what they're talking about that's good parental advice let's go to paragraph two in Bible times Jehovah used faithful older ones to encourage and guide his people consider for example Moses David and the Apostle

John they lived at different times and their circumstances Differed greatly as they neared the end of their life they gave wise advice to younger ones each of these faithful older men emphasized the value of being obedient to God Jehovah preserved their wise words for us today whether we are young or old we can benefit by reviewing their counsel in this article we will consider The Parting words of these three older men and the lessons we can draw from what they said paragraph two what will this Article discuss sister Marte it will discuss the um the

example of Moses David and the Apostle John good and we'll take each one of them one at a time how do the scriptures tie in with this lesson sister Hawkins Romans 15:4 says all things were written beforehand were written for our Instructions so we know that these three men lived at a different time they had different circumstances maybe that we have but we can learn a lot from what they did and what they said yes you with our appetite sister uh tuosto and it's true we're going to consider what these individuals said but Jehovah allowed

what they said to be put in the scriptures and the scriptures are inspired by him that's a beautiful Point paragraph 3 starts our first subheading you will endure a long time Moses was wholly devoided to Jehovah he served as a prophet a judge a commander and a historian Moses had a lot of experience in life he led the nation of Israel out of slavery in Egypt and personally witnessed many of Jehovah's Miracles Jehovah used him to write the first five books of the Bible Psalm 90 and possibly Psalm 91 he also likely wrote the Book

of Job number three in what capacities did Moses serve and let's go to zoom and sister Mahan you dropped off the radar sister Mahan got he served as a prophet a judge a commander and a historian he was holy devoted to Jehovah that that says it all doesn't it sister Austin Jehovah used him in a very special capacity to start a very special Project which was written record of his dealings with mankind the Bible yes and indeed and brother tuosto and so as we study some of his parting words they're just another it's just not

another average human talking to us here we have a man who was seasoned in God's service faithful loyal so his words carry weight yes he has some dep to him now brother a crook and there in Psalm 90 uh he's praying to Jehovah and verse 12 says Teach us how to count our days so that we may acquire a heart of wisdom so we're still learning how to do that too and we pray that prayer as well yes what good advice and brother Morales so certainly what a broad spectrum of experience he would have you

can just take just two commander and historian how different um so when we talk about um looking at his his words his wisdom and his experience he really has a good depth that will touch so many Different areas and of course it's inspired by God so let's dig into that a little bit paragraph four shortly before he died at the age of 120 Moses called together all the Israelites to remind them of the things they had seen and experienced in their youth some of his listeners had witnessed the many signs and miracles performed by Jehovah

as well as his judgments against Egypt they had walked Through the parted Waters of the Red Sea and had seen the destruction of Pharaoh's Army in the wilderness they had experienced Jehovah's protection and care now as the station stood Nation stood poised to enter the promised land Moses grasped this last opportunity to encourage the people you may want to comment on the footnote that's associated with this paragraph but here's our question whom did Moses encourage and Why see brother L I think that's brother Lopez well if you think about it he was encouraging a nation

of Israelites who had lived in a Wilderness for 40 years and there was nothing to eat in the wilderness yet they were all he healthy and alive and fine but they still need to be reminded because as we know later on those same people would soon be rebelling against him those same people were for example the ones who celebrated the golden calf and so Moses needed to Make sure that they would remember all the lessons that Jehovah was trying to teach them yes what a rich history uh brother Turner I appreciate from Brother Lindy's talk

he talked about miracles as powerful as they were um people forgot and we forget and not just the actual event but what was the lesson of the event that's why in uh Deuteronomy 83 and4 he talks about um the lesson that man does not live by bread alone but every expression from Jehovah's mouth so he didn't just tell a story about where they came from he taught the lesson too he did sister maresi and so when you think about who he's talking to he's talking to um a leftover Nation really because the scripture said that

those 20 and ages 20 years of age and older um would die in the wilderness so some of these people were quite Young when all these Miracles were happening so they needed to be reminded in a way That would make them uh fresh and alive in their memory yes that's good Insight sister or brother lucies seems like a theme through our whole meeting today on these Miracles but they're so important even today because it builds a preciation for Jehovah and what he has done what he has done and he continues to do so meditating on

it like we are today uh constantly that will help us draw closer to Jehovah and that's exactly what Moses was trying to Do here to these uh these ones and uh like we have meetings every week this was his big meeting to strengthen their faith yes we need it don't we and uh sister uh Theodora please St Hill and as a footnote brought out that the vast majority of the Israelites who went through the Red Sea did not enter into the promised land so one saved is not always safe so that's a a wake up

for us we might be faithful to Jehovah Today but are we going to be faithful tomorrow and next year and when the Great Tribulation come so it takes active work on our part to build our faith and the Israelites lost faith in Jehovah yes what a good question ask all of ourselves let's move on to paragraph five what did Moses say Deuteronomy 309 and 20 says I take the heavens and the Earth as witness against you today that I have put life and death before you the blessing and the curse and you must must Choose

life so that you may live you and your descendants by loving Jehovah your God by listening to his voice and by sticking to him for he is your life and by him you will endure a long time in that land Jehovah swore to give to your forefathers Abraham Isaac and Jacob the nation of Israel had prospects for a wonderful future with Jehovah's blessing the Israelites could live for a long time in the land that he had promised them and what a beautiful Fruitful land that was Moses described it for them great and fine city that

you did not build houses full of all sorts of good things that you did not work for human sisters that you did not dig and Vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant paragraph five Moses parting words found at Deuteronomy 309 and 20 give what Assurance to the Israelites sister McMillan well Moses assured them of a Long and wonderful life and he vividly described the beauty of the promised land and that detailed depiction gave them the picture of what it would be like for them to live there and this likely gave them the strength

that they would need in the challenges ahead in um taking the land exactly and uh sister clag and we see that um these words have so much more weight knowing that it was at the end of his life and all the things He had seen and all the people he had seen lose their life by not following these words and so when he says to love Jehovah and to continue to listen to his voice and stick to him um because that is our life and so it shows such a positive hope not a negative um

look back at his own life yes that's so weighty and uh sister crook uh he also mentioned that the choice was really theirs Jehovah wasn't going to force them to serve him uh so they had To make that decision and follow through on their own yes as do we and uh Brother Wolf interesting this was not a multiple choice option a option b option C option D it came down to make the choice life or death it's profound isn't it paragraph six please Moses also gave the Israelites a warning in order to continue living in

their Bountiful land they had to obey Jehovah's Commandments Moses urged them to choose Life by listening to Jehovah and by sticking to him however the Israelites rejected Jehovah so in time God allowed the Assyrians and later the Babylonians to conquer them and take them into Exile there are some cited scriptures that can help answer this question why did God allow other nations to conquer Israel uh sister augustson the uh Israelites had two very Clear paths so they could have walked as far as their life was concerned and the benefits of the one and the consequences

of the other were very clearly stipulated as well but the uh is ites evidently didn't fear those consequences or love Jehovah as much as they should have and so they chose death as in rejecting Jehovah and as a result Jehovah stepped out of the way and allowed the Assyrians and the Babylonians to march on their war path And take them into Exile it's almost inconceivable isn't it uh sister to Francis I just find it so shocking that Jehovah gave all these things to the Israelites literally parted a sea for them but they still decided to

reject Jehovah so as a result Jehovah allowed the Assyrians and Babylon to not only attack but conquer the Israelites that was well said uh brother Bess so you remember from uh verses 19 and 20 that we read the last paragraph There was three things that the Israelites needed to do love Jehovah listen to his voice and stick to him and if any one of those three things was lacking they were going to fail in their service to him so they may have still loved Jehovah but they didn't listen to his voice and stick to him

and so uh it was really important that all three parts of that were were present for them to succeed powerful councel uh sister Swang and we can really see what a bad Attitude the nation of Israel had at 2 Corinthians um I'm sorry second chronicles 36:16 it brings out how uh not only did they just reject Jehovah's Messengers but they ridiculed them they despised his words and they mocked His prophets and it brings out that then they were Beyond healing so really Jehovah just gave up on them now what a bad example brother Roga and

in 2 Kings there it also talks about verse 14 just how bad they had Become uh it talks about how they remain just as stubborn as their forefathers so in other words the younger generation did not make any real improvements here they are still ref refusing to listen to Jehovah's Commandments his laws and the reminders from His prophets how disappointing and uh brother hash so obeying Jehovah wasn't just a one-time thing it needed to be a way of life and as long as they continue to obey well then they could continue to Live in that

beautiful land and continue to receive Jehovah's blessings but as as soon as they stopped obeying and being unwilling to do that well then Jehovah was no longer going to support and bless them we never should forget that paragraph 7 what is the lesson for us obedience leads to life like the Israelites who were on the threshold of the promised land we are on the verge of entering God's promised new world where we will See the Earth transformed into a paradise the devil and his demons will be gone no longer will false religion lead people away

from Jehovah no longer will human governments oppress those under their care Paradise will have no place for Rebels people everywhere will obey Jehova's righteous laws which promote unity and peace thus they will love and trust one another what a wonderful Prospect what is more if we obey Jehovah we can continue to live on A paradise Earth not just for hundreds of years but for all eternity let's put the picture up that's associated with this paragraph our question what can we learn from the words of Moses brother vilpo we can see that obedience is the key

uh we can see a lot of parallels from Moses's time to our time they they were going into the promised land we're trying to get into the paradise and we Can see that if we are at least obedient to Jehovah his Commandments we can be successful and attain to that for sure let's go to let's see are you on there Brother Rice I'll come back to oh there you go uh Brother Rice on Zoom please yes I appreciated that uh nice comment there in the paragraph it says Paradise will have no place for Rebels and

in Psalm 3710 And1 it assures us of this when it says the wicked will be no More you will look for them but they will not be there and then what will the result be for the meek and the humble ones he goes on and says the meek will find Exquisite Delight in the abundance of Peace what a wonderful time that will be no more wicked with everyone enjoying life and obedience to Jehovah we love those verses uh sister J boach and I'm going back to brother bu's um comment Moses had said three things One

of them was to listen to Jehovah's voice and we know he was more than qualified to say that because all his life he always listened to Jehovah but the one time he didn't it caused him his Blessing listen to the promised land so for sure he knew firstand that if we did listen do all those three things then we were guaranteed um a blessing from Jehovah yes what an example brother hash and the Israelites could see the promised land before they even had the Opportunity to to enter it we can see a spiritual Paradise we

have that now when we meet here together daily when we go to International conventions and we see the worldwide Brotherhood together and that in action now it gives us a glimpse of what we'll have in Paradise paints a beautiful picture sister Layman and what will make this happen is Isaiah 11:9 the Earth will certainly be filled with the knowledge of Jehovah so that's something that we're doing right Now that's what's unifying us and that's what will bring Eternal peace is the Earth being filled and uh serving Jehovah uh unitedly certainly let's get a comment on

our artwork brother tacket so we see our couple here um no doubt they're totally faithful to Jehovah they're doing they're being obedient sharing in the witnessing work of form of it here and they have the hope of the paradise and they know it's A reality and so then we see them in the future being part of that reality and being there in Paradise as they've hoped for for years and years we see ourselves there don't we yeah brother to Francis and as we look at the picture on the right we see them maybe just a

little bit younger but neither one of them have glasses on which will be nice that is a good catch I'd like to get rid of these things uh sister Creger we can we can also be sure that Satan doesn't make obedience easy for us there's a lot of things in this world that make our obedience uncomfortable at times but when we look at an example like this in the photo of what's ahead and we'll have so much peace and things will become much easier we know that we're making the right decision now we are and

sister Hawkins it's true we have a wonderful um Future Hope of being in the paradise but Jehovah doesn't leave us empty right now it's looking at the couple um in this present World um doing Witnesses they're smiling they're happy so Jehovah blesses us even now a few paragraphs back talked about how the Israelites when they were in the wilderness their clothes didn't wear out their shoes didn't wear out their feet didn't swell and Jehovah right now we're receiving blessings from Jehovah he's helping us to endure and get through the system and he's given us Things

to make us happy now that's heartwarming isn't it paragraph 8 if we keep keep God's promise of everlasting life closely in mind we will want to stick to him no matter what trials we may face that promise can also Empower us to fight personal weaknesses one longtime missionary in Africa who struggled with a persistent fleshly weakness said realizing that my Prospect of living forever was threatened made me all the more determined to fight the Problem and to supplicate Jehovah fervently with his help I I was then able to overcome it we have a read scripture

who'd like to share Jude 20 and 21 sister fle but you beloved ones build yourselves up on your Most Holy Faith and pray with Holy Spirit in order to keep yourself in God's love while you await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Jesus Christ with everlasting life in view Thank you for the good reading our question how did the promise of everlasting life help one longtime missionary sister Morales a missionary in Africa had a problem that they struggled with but they knew obedience leads to life that Ministry was determined to pray to Jehovah and fight

the problem because they didn't want any anything to make them miss out on Paradise you got it totally and uh let's See sister basil I think sister Mor and mentioned about the the sister in Africa and she went through the times that can be pretty hard so as she um determined that she said that she had determined to fight my problem and to someone car jeah fervently so looking at the scripture of Jude 2021 that she will have the Holy Faith and pray with the Holy Spirit those are Key and brother Turner so this was

a personal weakness but it could be discouragement um a tendency to get discouraged it could be old age it could be a sickness maybe we're a caregiver it could be anything where we it makes us tired and maybe feel like giving up we think about that picture living forever and then we keep fighting the formula Works doesn't it brother colbrook and that's certainly in harmony With the scripture here in Jude 20 and 21 you notice you notice it begins by saying build yourselves up so it's a personal responsibility we have we must be willing to

put forth the effort that's necessary to fight whether it's a weakness whether it's anything that challenges our faith so that we can remain faithful and obedient that's the lesson now let's move on to David with our new subheading you will succeed number Nine David was a great king he was also a musician a poet a Warrior and a prophet he experienced many trials for some years he lived as a fugitive fleeing from jealous King Saul after becoming King David again had to run for his life when his son Absalom tried to steal his throne despite

David's difficulties and personal failings he proved loyal to God to the end of his life Jehovah described him as a man agreeable to his heart David's counsel Is worth listening to number nine what trials did David experience in his life sister Rivera well David experienced two trials that dealt specifically with people that he deeply loved so Not only was he physically fleeing from them he was dealing with Mentor mental turmoil and that was his family so that blow must have really hit deep yet he continued to prove faithful to Jehovah so it's a really good

example that we don't serve People we serve Jehovah yes we do and uh sister Rich David lived as a fugitive for a period of time first from King Saul who tried to kill David many times and next from his own son Absalom who honored his throne thank you mine that was wonderful and brother uh javet and the uh this verse isn't mentioned in the Watchtower but it's it's Psalm 51:12 it's David here uh praying and he prays to Jehovah stir Within me a willingness to obey you so David struggled with obedience himself uh to Jehovah

at times so he certainly uh we can see from his track record how he was successful it was a challenge um but he's an excellent example of somebody who has overcome uh those Tendencies um to not obey at times we can really relate to him paragraph 10 consider for example the counsel that David gave to his son and successor Solomon the young man had been chosen by Jehovah to continue to promote pure worship and to build a temple to honor God Solomon would face difficulties what would David say to him let us see why did

David give counsel to his son and successor Solomon our visiting sister right on the aisle according to the research guide David might have taught that Solomon was not qualified to oversee such an important project and so because the temple was exceedingly magn magnificent And Solomon was at a time young and in and inexperienced yet David knew that Jehovah would equip Solomon to handle the work given to him so David focused on what he could do to assist preparing the M materials in great quantity yes nice summary and uh please sister Jackson it's a good lesson

how uh David was really setting Solomon up for Success we know the thinking in the world sometimes um an older generation Might want young people to fail and then teach them like how to do something or um they're not supportive from the beginning but we see how much uh the older friends are so different in Jehovah's organization that they want you to succeed from the beginning they want to impart all their knowledge and they have a true um um nurturing way that they're helping young people succeed yeah in 1 Chronicles 22:5 he certainly did prepare

for Solomon let's Move on to paragraph 11 what did David say First Kings 2 2 and 3 reads I am about to die therefore be strong and prove yourself a man you must keep your obligation to Jehovah your God by walking in his ways and by observing his statutes his Commandments his judgments and his reminders as they are written in the law of Moses then you will succeed in everything you do and everywhere you turn David told his son that if he Obeyed Jehovah he would succeed in life and for many years Solomon enjoyed considerable

success he built the Magnificent Temple and wrote and contributed to several books of the Bible he became famous for his wisdom and wealth but as David explained Solomon would be successful only as long as he obeyed Jehovah God sadly later in life Solomon turned to other gods Jehovah withd through his favor and Solomon lost the wisdom to Govern in righteousness and Justice let's put up the artwork with this paragraph and our question on 11 according to First Kings 22 and 3 what Assurance did David give Solomon and how did these words prove true sister augustas

you see the U concern in David's voice when he uh T told Solomon to please continue to keep your obligation to Jehovah just obey him and everything you do will succeed the Account goes on to mention how Jehovah did make Solomon exceedingly successful because of his obedience now all the mighty ones submitted themselves to Solomon he was very influential in the Bible um but when he received those blessings he had to continue to remember it was contingent on his obedience and when he did eventually lose respon his responsibility to Jehovah he lost the wisdom the

wisdom went out the window and he finished his kingship not on a Very high note so that was a sad consequence of his feeling to obey yeah warning example and uh brother Roga I really love the way that David conveys this message to his son and when he says to prove yourself a man in other words being a man is not being independent doing your own thing like this world would have you believe but it's knowing you have an obligation and that obligation is to Jehovah you need To live by the things that you know

you know you're supposed to do don't do your own thing so great counsel for all of us but especially Brothers to think about that avoiding that independent spirit and be obedient to Jehovah just so brother fiser and so as was noted when Solomon listened he did very well so much so in 1st Chronicles 29 cited there verse 25 it said Jehovah made Solomon exceed exceedingly great bestowed on him Royal Majesty such as no King over Israel ever had before so when Solomon listened to David's words then he was successful so we can see the pattern

for us we can and sister Turner I really appreciated the scripture cited there at First Kings 11 says although Jehovah was Furious when Solomon disobeyed Jehovah was so patient he still warned him about not about not obeying about obeying him continuing to obey him but um he did not it says but Jehovah tried yes what a warning let's leave those pictures up with our next paragraph number 12 what is the lesson for us obedience leads to success of course Jehovah has not promised to give us the riches and the glory of Solomon but if we

obey Our God he will give us wisdom that will enable us to make sound decisions his principles can guide us in such practical matters as employment education entertainment and money Applying Godly wisdom will protect us from lasting harm we will cultivate strong friendships and we will have the guidance we need for a happy family life number 12 what can we learn from the words of David sister Rodriguez we learned from him that if we listen to Jehovah and we're obedient in all things he promises that promises us that we will succeed so although we may

not receive riches Or Glory like Solomon Were promised in James 1 uh verse5 that Jehovah will give us wisdom generously Without End absolutely let's look at this picture again so what's the lesson that we're looking at uh sister too so on the left Solomon is receiving Jehovah's instruction through his father um for most of us today we receive it through the Earthly part of Jehovah's organization as these Pioneers are receiving it in the Pioneer school and that instruction isn't just provided to Have a pleasant week all that instruction is designed for us to apply it

and when we apply it it pleases Jehovah and He blesses it so true and the brother of Ramirez the previous paragraph talked about the wisdom Solomon had in First Kings talking about other kings and rulers coming to visit him because they were so impressed with his wisdom because this was the wisdom Jehovah had provided or had given him The same thing with us when we are obedient to Jehovah Jehovah provides us certain amount of wisdom as well to make good decisions whether again like the paragraph mentions whether it's employment education entertainment all these things that

the world will also recognize or recognizes when they see Jehovah's servants saying you know what you're making good choices and even our young ones make good choices whether in school work or whatever it may be so Again things that we benefit from being obedient to Jehovah yes no doubt paragraph 13 Carmen who lives in mosm Beek thought that higher education was the key to success she enrolled in a university and studied architecture I loved what I was learning she wrote but it took so much of my time and energy I was at school from 7:30

a.m. until 6:00 p.m. it was hard to get to meetings and my spirituality suffered deep within me I Realized that I was trying to serve two masters she prided about her situation and did research in our Publications she added after receiving sound counsel from mature brothers and from my mother I decided to leave University to serve Jehovah full-time this helped me to make the best choices in my life and I have no regrets 13 how did Carmen find the way to success in life uh sister lafy This dear sister learned that higher education is not

the highest education the highest education comes from Jehovah peace Unity wisdom especially and so when her family and the congregation Elders started to see some deterioration in her spiritual progress because of the the cost of a higher education what people call a higher education today she uh she got Good Counsel and she prayed and she uh returned to um full-time serving Jehovah and it helped her very Much a nice reversal and uh please sister bz so we might get um confused by what's truly successful when we feel because Carmen she really loved what she was

studying at University it was it was satisfying to her mind she enjoyed it very much but it wasn't deeply satisfying inside herself she knew that something was off and so deep contentment and success in life doesn't just depend on us enjoying ourselves or Having a um a level of contentment that's not all the way through that's a fine point and uh brother Richards and this is such an important lesson for us to learn especially for parents who have children who are in school today because they are bombarded with this false idea that higher education is

the way to be successful they are paragraph 14 Moses and David loved Jehovah and deeply appreciated the value of obeying him in their parting words they Encouraged their listeners to follow their example by sticking with Jehovah their God both of them also warned that those who would leave Jehovah would lose his favor as well as the blessings he had promised them their advice is valuable for us today centuries later yet another servant of Jehovah showed the value of faithfulness to God 14 what was the basic message of both Moses and David brother lucies well if

we go back to that uh scripture We had in the beginning of this subheading there in First Kings 2:2 David said therefore be strong prove yourself a man so it takes strength in order to do what's right the easiest thing to do is go down the path the world has uh we know that's the that's the wide Road leading off to destruction so David and and Moses both showed that it takes strength but but appreciate and value obeying Jehovah well said let's go to our next uh subheading which Introduces John No Greater Joy 15 John

was a beloved Apostle of Jesus Christ John accompanied Jesus throughout his ministry witnessed his miracles and stuck with him during difficult times he watched as Jesus was executed and saw him after he was resurrected he also witnessed the spread of Christianity in the first century from a small group of faithful ones until the good news had been preached in all creation under Heaven 15 what did the Apostle John Experience during his life sister fle John accompanied Jesus throughout his ministry witnessed his miracles and stuck with him stick with him during difficult times that's a great

start and brother uh Rodriguez and he got to experience a close friendship with Jesus as well at John 19:26 it said it described uh John as the disciple whom he loved and Jesus Gave him the privilege of watching over his mother after he passed away what an experience let's build on that paragraph 16 near the end of his long life John was privileged to contribute tribute to God's inspired word he recorded the a inspiring Revelation by Jesus Christ he wrote the Gospel bearing his name he also wrote three inspired letters he addressed his third letter

to a faithful Christian named gaas whom John viewed as a beloved spiritual Child by then there Must have been many whom John viewed as his spiritual children what this faithful older man wrote has encouraged all of jesus' followers down to our day 16 who have benefited from John's letters sister basil and John was um addressing his a third letter to a faithful Christian named gayes um and looking at the third John um uh one that the old man is SC that beloved who am I trly love so so um joh viewed as a beloved Spiritual

child yes G has certainly benefited and sister Marte so not only did he send this letter to his spiritual children but it has benefited all the Christians until this day and that's why we're here and uh brother Lindy we can appreciate uh John's patience in waiting on Jehovah to reveal these matters as he's much later uh aged in life when he writes his uh gospel account and the Book of Revelation but he's blessed in that Jehovah reveals things to him that many of the other disciples didn't know they had all passed on at this point

uh when he writes Revelation 14 he talks about the number of 144,000 that's the first time that that number is revealed so it's likely that none of the others knew about that number but but the patience of John and waiting on Jehovah's Spirit to reveal things turned out to be a blessing for John as well as a blessing for us today yes very interesting let's go to paragraph 17 what did John write 3D John 4 reads No Greater Joy do I have than this that I should hear that my children go on walking in the

truth John wrote of the joy that obedience to God brings by the time John wrote his third letter some individuals were spreading false teachings and causing divisions however others continued Walking in the truth they obeyed Jehovah and were walking according to his Commandments these faithful Christians brought Joy not just to John but also to Jehovah himself 17 according to 3r John verse4 what brings great joy brother uh Ramirez in John it says that there's no Greater Joy than hearing that your children go walking in truth that's direct and to the point isn't it Brother too

and by obeying the truth uh they not only brought joy to themselves to John but Proverbs 2711 says when we obey him out of love then we make his heart also Rejoice nothing could be finer and uh please sister Mulla and in 2 John verse4 um there wasn't just a little Joy but John mentioned that he rejoiced very much for finding those still walking in the truth so we Can be happy not only for our own spiritual growth and our obedience but others too what a good point and brother laferty it's uh interesting the context

uh uh John was in his 990s when he wrote this so he'd seen a lot and U made a comment here in the paragraph by the time that John wrote his letter some individuals were spreading false teachings and causing divisions so he could have gotten very discouraged just focusing on that but he focused instead On what brought him Joy thank you for some context There Brother Wolf and to add to that John may have been one of the last of the Apostles but again he was not discouraged because in his Visions it was revealed that

Jesus was the head of the congregation and Jesus had control of things he was caring for things so he knew that the congregation would continue on and nothing has changed has it 18 Please what is the lesson for us faithfulness leads to Joy for example we have the joy of knowing that we make Jehovah happy he rejoices to see us reject the Temptations of the world and accept the truth others in heaven also Rejoice we too can find joy in seeing one another remain faithful especially in the face of Trials and temptations then when this

system passes away we will have the satisfaction of knowing that we demonstrated our loyalty to Jehovah even in a world dominated by Satan 18 what can we learn from the words of John sister fle going along with what we read in 2 Thessalonians 1:4 as we reject Temptations and endure many trials we can take great pride in our own faithfulness and that of others because we make Jehovah happy and remaining loyal exactly and sister both sister Boule 1 John 5:3 teaches us that obeying Jehovah is not a burden and instead Jehovah knows our limitations and

doesn't ask more of us than we can handle so instead of drawing back from obedience we embrace it as an opportunity to show Jehovah we love him and make him happy thank you for tying in the scriptures sister Harris and then when it's all said and done we'll have the joy and um satisfaction of knowing that we were loyal to Jehovah um the whole time that um in a world That was dominated by Satan so we'll have that as we head into the new world nothing could be better um brother basil we can even affect

uh the Jo the Angel's view of us uh whether it's somebody who's just coming out of the world world changing their course of action or when we make mistakes which we will do sometimes by proving true and following Jehovah it leads to their Joy good while you're up let's read paragraph 19 we are especially joyful when we share the truth with others Rachel who lives in the Dominican Republic feels that teaching someone about the wonderful God we serve is a privilege beyond words reflecting on her spiritual children she says it's it's hard to describe the

joy I feel when I watch those I teach grow to love Jehovah make him their anchor and adjust their lives in order to make him happy that feeling More than makes up for any effort and sacrifice I might have made to teach them let's put the pictures up with this paragraph and our question what did a sister named ra Rachel say about teaching the truth to others s Bradley she said that she was able to experience firsthand the joy that um John was talking about in the previous um paragraphs um she felt that it was

a privilege uh to teach them and to really To see them grow in their love for Jehovah was really hard to describe and so that it is really true um when you teach someone the truth um it is such an honor and privilege there's nothing like it is there and a comment on what's Illustrated in our pictures the brother of Swang we can see the sister on the left she's studying with her student and as time goes on the student learns more and then progresses to joining her in the Field Ministry that is it's an

amazing feeling know what you can you have to experience it yourself to to know what that's like that is so true and uh sister colbrook and I was thinking the the time and effort that's involved to get the person from the first picture to the second picture it usually takes a lot because people often have a lot of changes to make in their lives but as we see them make these changes and take a Firm stand for the truth and then after a number of years stick to the truth it does bring a lot of

joy for sure and brother uh Mari and one very simple little thing we see in in both of those images or in the second image especially is the Joy on their face the big smile that they both have now can't miss it now our next subheading benefit from The Parting words of Faithful Men number 20 Moses David and John lived in time Periods and circumstances that were different from ours but we have much in common with them they serve the true God and so do we like them we pray to Jehovah rely on him and

look to him for guidance and like those men of old we are confident that Jehovah richly blesses those who obey him number 20 what do we have in common with Moses David and John sister Stevens like those men of old we pray rely on Jehovah and look to him for guidance and We have the confidence that when we are obedient to him he will he will richly bless us that is the whole package and uh brother laferty and so that's reason that today when we uh read in our Publications about life stories uh you see

some of these same themes repeated because uh ones have come up listening to the wise sayings of those that we've just read about and they copy it and they can pass it on to us the Next Generation that's How it works isn't it our last paragraph 21 let us therefore heed The Parting words of those older men by obeying Jehovah's Commandments then we will have true success in all that we do we will have life and endure a long time yes forever and we will have the joy of pleasing our loving heavenly father who fulfills

all his promises in ways far beyond anything we can anticipate or even imagine thank you for reading brother Basil we enjoyed it was very enthusiastic number 21 what blessings are in store for those who heed the counsel of such faithful older ones as Moses David and John our visiting brother please we can see through the Council of these faithful older ones uh there's really three things success in all we do um a long life and life in the new system of things to come but also we can have the greatest joy of pleasing our Heavenly

Father Jehovah indeed and brother goes I like many have a pretty good imagination and yet Ephesians 3:20 says that uh super abundantly beyond anything we can conceive is what we will receive from Jehovah for our faithfulness to him so I'm looking forward to that that's a gem of a point thank you let's get some more of your comments with our review questions the first one is what can we learn from The Parting words of Moses Sister Hardy we learned the lesson that obedience leads to life like in Deuteronomy 30 chapter chapter 30:20 it says Jehovah

he is your life if we listen to his voice and stick to him and then we'll be able to receive that reward that he's been uh eagerly anticipating for us yeah yes that is basic isn't it number two what can we learn from The Parting words of David sister White that true success comes from um being obedient to Jehovah and observing his Commandments and I love the um experience that they use of David because David knew this from experience he could tell Solomon these things because he lived it was his life always easy no did

he always make the best decisions know but um sometimes even things if they aren't easy for us if we stick to Jehovah we can know that it isn't always Experience that's the best teacher but it's Jehovah yes we feel the same way and our last question what can we learn from The Parting words of John sister creger so that John wrote of the joy that obedience to God brings and so he had wrote there in um third John verse 4 that No Greater Joy does he have to hear that his children go and walking in

the truth so we know that um as people stay obedient and stay faithful it brings Joy Not just to ourselves but to others yes that is so heartwarming isn't it so we learned much from these three older men we uh have a lot of elderly ones let's not call them elderly we have a lot of seasoned brothers and sisters in our congregation that we can benefit from just like these three in the Bible record so don't let it go to waste tap them as a resource appreciated your good comments today we just have one announcement

before we Conclude our meeting uh this is from the society it's a dated January 15 2025 for congregations it's entitled minimum age for appointment of ministerial servants and Elders effective immediately a baptized brother must be at least 18 years of age to be appointed as a ministerial servant a baptized brother must be at least 21 years of age to be appointed as an elder if a brother is already serving as a Ministerial servant or as an elder but is younger than the minimum age he can continue to serve and this announcement will be reread on

our midweek meeting so that brings our meeting to a close we have a beautiful song to conclude with it's song 129 we will keep enduring and then we'll ask brother Lindy to say our closing prayer lessons from the farewell Council of Faithful Men job 1212 says is not wisdom found among the Aged and does not Understanding come with a long life throughout history Faithful Men of God have offered final words of wisdom before their departure these farewell councils serve as powerful reminders of Faith endurance and Reliance on Jehovah one such example is Jacob who gathered

his sons to bless them before his death in Genesis 49 he not only pronounced blessings but also provided warnings and prophetic insights his words demonstrated the Importance of obedience and loyalty to Jehovah's purpose Moses another faithful servant used his final days to reaffirm Jehovah's Covenant with Israel in Deuteronomy he urged the nation to remain faithful and warn them against turning away from Jehovah his farewell speech reminds us that true wisdom comes from fearing Jehovah and keeping his Commandments David also left a legacy of spiritual counsel before his death in First Kings 22-3 he told Solomon

be strong and prove yourself a man keep your obligation to Jehovah your God by walking in his ways his advice highlights the need for courage and steadfastness in worshiping Jehovah similarly the Apostle Paul near the end of his life gave heartfelt counsel to Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:7 to8 he expressed confidence in his faithful course stating I have fought the fine Fight I have run the race to the finish I have observed the faith his words encourage us to remain faithful to the end knowing that Jehovah rewards those who endure the these examples remind us

of the deep wisdom found in the farewell Council of Jehovah's servants their words recorded in the scriptures continue to teach and strengthen us today may we value the wisdom that comes with experience and cherish the Spiritual insights of faithful ones who have walked before us Moses another faithful servant used his final days to reaffirm Jehovah's Covenant with Israel in Deuteronomy he urged the nation to remain faithful and warned them against turning away from Jehovah his farewell speech reminds us that true wisdom comes from fearing Jehovah and keeping his Commandments David also left a legacy of

Spiritual counsel before his death in First Kings 22:3 he told Solomon be strong and prove yourself a man keep your obligation to Jehovah your God by walking in his ways his advice highlights the need for courage and steadfastness in worshiping Jehovah similarly the Apostle Paul near the end of his life gave heartfelt counsel to Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:7 to8 he expressed confidence in his faithful Course stating I have fought the fine fight I have run the race to the finish I have observed the faith his words encourage us to remain faithful to the end

knowing that Jehovah rewards those who endure these examples remind us of the deep wisdom found in the farewell counsel of Jehovah's servants their words recorded in the scriptures continue to teach and strengthen us Today may we value the wisdom that comes with experience and cherish the spiritual insights of faithful ones who have walked before us another remarkable aspect of these Faithful Men is how long they endure in their service to Jehovah many of them remained faithful for decades enduring hardships opposition and personal struggles Moses for example LED Israel for 40 years displaying patience and Unwavering

trust in Jehovah his endurance serves as an example for us today showing that steadfastness in faith brings great rewards the Apostle John also demonstrated remarkable endurance Living Well into old age while continuing to encourage fellow Christians despite being exiled to the island of Patmos he remained spiritually strong and received the profound Visions recorded in Revelation his experience reminds us That no matter how long we serve Jehovah he continues to strengthen and use us for his purpose these Faithful Men show us that endurance in Jehovah's service is not measured in days or years alone but in

the consistent effort to remain loyal and obedient their words and example Inspire us to persevere trusting that Jehovah values our faithful service no matter how long we endure Moses after leading Israel for decades had a lifetime of experience in Witnessing Jehovah's power and mercy he endured the complaints and weaknesses of the people yet remained faithful in his role as leader his Farewell speeches in Deuteronomy were not just reminders of Jehovah's laws but heartfelt appeals to stay faithful his life teaches us the value of persistence and unwavering trust in Jehovah David too had an extraordinary life

Experience from his days as a Shepherd to becoming Israel's King he learned deep lessons about patience humility and Reliance on Jehovah his final words to Solomon in First Kings 22-3 encapsulate a lifetime of devotion be strong and prove yourself a man keep your obligation to Jehovah your God by walking in his ways his experiences remind us that true success comes from spiritual strength not Personal power Paul having faced countless trials imprisonments and hardships encouraged Timothy by drawing from his own life he had endured persecution but had remained steadfast in his faith his letters are filled

with wisdom gained through experience urging Believers to remain firm in their Devotion to Jehovah despite opposition these Faithful Men were not wise merely because of their age but Because of the experiences they lived through in service to Jehovah their lives were shaped by trust in him endurance through trials and deep spiritual reflection their words and actions remain valuable to us today guiding us in our own faithful course may we learn from their experiences valuing the lessons Jehovah taught them and applying those lessons in our lives as we strive to remain Faithful Servants Of Jehovah benefiting

from the farewell words of these Faithful Men the fairwell words of Jehovah's Faithful Servants are not just historical records They are valuable lessons for us today their experiences teach us the importance of Faith endurance and Reliance on Jehovah we can benefit greatly by meditating on their words and applying their wisdom in our own lives Jacob's prophetic blessings remind Us to align our lives with Jehovah's purpose Moses's heartfelt appeals reinforce the need for obedience and Trust in Jehovah's guidance David's final instructions to Solomon highlight the importance of spiritual strength and courage Paul's counsel to Timothy encourages

us to endure hardships with unwavering Faith by reflecting on these farewell words we gain insight into Jehovah's ways and strengthen our determination to Remain loyal to him may we continue to seek wisdom from the faithful examples of the past and use their guidance to navigate our spiritual journey today