(inspirational theme music)
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>>Welcome to "Sabbath School,"
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brought to you by It Is Written.
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I'm your host, Eric Flickinger,
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and this week we are
beginning a brand new quarter,
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looking in the
Sabbath school lesson
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at "Managing for the
Master Till He Comes."
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We're looking this
quarter at faith and finances,
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how the two
intertwine with one another.
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And it's a very
important lesson,
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especially considering
the things that have happened
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in the world over the course
of the last couple of years
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and some of the
financial challenges
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that many families
are facing right now.
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Delighted to have
with us the author
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of this
quarter's lesson, Ed Reid.
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He is a licensed attorney
and an ordained minister.
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And we're gonna be delving
in, for the next 12 weeks,
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into this very
significant subject.
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But before we get started,
let's have a word of prayer.
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Father, we want to thank
You for being with us today
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and ask that You will bless
our time together in Your Word.
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Help us to understand how
these two significant subjects,
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faith and finances,
interact with one another,
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and how we can be a blessing
to others as a result of it.
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We thank You in
Jesus' name, amen.
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Ed, thanks for joining us today.
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We're glad that
you could be with us.
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>>It's a pleasure. I've
been looking forward to it.
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>>So give us a little overview
of where we're gonna be going
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during the
course of these 12 weeks
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and maybe a little bit of
behind-the-scenes background
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into how this all came to be.
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You've been
involved with stewardship now
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for quite a few years.
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How did this lesson come into
being and what's it all about?
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>>Well, this is
an interesting topic
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'cause the background
is very unique, I think.
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Right after
finishing law school,
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the Georgia-Cumberland
Conference asked me
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to teach
stewardship in that conference,
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and I used Larry
Burkett's materials,
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"Your Finances in
Changing Times" first.
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And people were so
interested, it was so practical,
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and that's what we're
gonna like about these lessons.
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It's not just theological
or not just ethereal;
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it's actually
practical day-to-day living
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that's gonna be
helpful to people.
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So, the North American Division
called me to serve up there,
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first of all as the secretary
of ASI for three years,
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and during that time the
Review and Herald asked me
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to write a book
about money management
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'cause I've been
doing these seminars.
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So that's when I wrote
"It's Your Money, Isn't It?"
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Which is a bestseller,
still sells really good in ABCs.
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And we did a series, the
Review did a series for us,
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with recording a
video studio and so on.
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So we wrote the
book and the workbook.
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And believe it or not,
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I went to all 58 conferences
in the North American Division
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preaching and
teaching and camp meetings,
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workers' meetings and
teachers' meetings and so on.
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So it's been very popular.
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So this is
actually the culmination of
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about 30 years of study that
we're gonna do this quarter.
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So I'm looking forward
to the practicalness of it.
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>>So we're getting
30 years of experience,
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practical
experience, in this subject,
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all distilled
down into 12 lessons,
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and this is the first one.
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First lesson here
we're starting off
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is "Part of God's Family."
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And it's
interesting, the memory text
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that you've felt
impressed to begin us with
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is 1 John 3,
verse 1, which says,
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"Behold what manner of love
the Father has bestowed on us,
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that we should be
called children of God!"
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So in the scope of
these lessons, why is it so
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significant? What's the
significance of us understanding
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that we're God's children?
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>>That's a very good question,
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because the real bottom
line is if we're God's children,
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we have a relationship with Him.
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People always talk about
having a relationship with God.
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If He's your Father,
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you should have a
good relationship with Him.
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And this is one of
the most practical ways
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to have a relationship with God,
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because it's all a
faith venture. Just--
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one of the lessons,
we'll talk about tithing.
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If you give 10%
right off the top to God,
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you have to trust Him
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to take care of
the rest of it for you.
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And He does that; that's
one of His promises for us.
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So we'll get a whole lesson
on that one in a few weeks.
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>>As we delve into
this week's lesson,
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Sunday's lesson is called
"We Are Part of God's Family."
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I wanna read this verse that
is in the lesson, Ephesians 3,
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verses 14 and 15, actually
a couple of verses here.
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It says, "For this
reason I bow my knees
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"to the Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ,
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from whom the whole family
in heaven and earth is named."
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So what's the
imagery that's evoked here?
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And is there some hope
that we find in these verses?
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I think there is,
but what is that hope?
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>>Well, this is very interesting
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that God has asked
us to be His Father.
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When we look at this,
it's real interesting.
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When Jesus was teaching
in the Sermon on the Mount
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early in His ministry,
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He spontaneously told
'em how to pray, and He said,
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pray "Our Father,
which art in heaven."
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A few months later with
just the private disciples,
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the disciples
came to Him and said,
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"Lord, teach us to pray."
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So when He told them,
He said the same words,
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"Our Father in heaven."
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He later repeats the same thing
privately to His disciples.
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And that's the point
we wanted to make now.
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Interestingly enough,
at the Resurrection day,
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when Mary came to
grab His feet and hug Him,
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Jesus said to her,
"Don't try to hinder me
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"because I haven't
been to my Father yet.
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"But go and tell the brethren
I'm ascending to my Father
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and to your Father, and
to my God and your God."
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So His Father is our
Father, and His God is our God,
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a real close relationship.
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>>So if He's our
Father, how do we--
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that would make
us children of God.
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How does a person
become a child of God?
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>>That's a good question,
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because that's all
we'd wanna do, isn't it?
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Become a child of God. The
concept is real interesting,
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because John, the
first chapter, both the--
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the King James
Version says gives us
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the "power to become the
sons of God," John 1, verse 12.
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But the New King James says,
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"The right to
become the [sons] of God,
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to [them that]
believe [on] His name."
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And Galatians 3:26 says,
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"[You're] all the children of
God by faith in Christ Jesus."
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So, once we enter into a
relationship with God that way,
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He blesses us with the power
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and the strength
to do it as well.
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This is loving
imagery of a family.
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He calls His
people Israel "my people,"
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"sons of God," refers to
the family as "our Father."
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And then the point is that
we are in God's whole kingdom.
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>>When we get
to Monday's lesson,
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this idea of God
being our Father, I think,
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gains an even deeper meaning
because in Monday's lesson,
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it says that God is
the owner of everything.
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Where do we get this idea
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that God is the
owner of everything?
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Is it just
something that we believe,
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or is there a
biblical foundation for it?
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How do we know that
God owns everything?
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If He's our Father,
what does that mean for us?
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>>Well, many
people in my generation
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worked their way through school.
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They worked hard to get their
education paid for and so on.
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So you just think,
"Well, God doesn't own my stuff.
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I own it myself; I've
worked hard for it," and so on.
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But the Bible is very clear,
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and you asked for
biblical references.
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Psalm 50, verses
10-12 talks about
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"every beast of
the forest is mine,
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...the cattle on
a thousand hills."
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One of my
favorite ones is God says,
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"If I [was] hungry,
I wouldn't tell you;
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[because] the world is
mine, and [everything in it]."
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So He's not asking us
for any help that way.
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Then Psalm 24,
verses 1 and 2 talk about
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"the earth is the
Lord's, and the fulness thereof;
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the world, and they
that dwell therein."
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One of my favorite ones
is 1 Chronicles 29:13-14.
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Many of you know
that King David wanted
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to build a house for God.
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He had a beautiful
home for himself and said,
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"I need to build
a place for God."
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So one day Nathan the
prophet came to visit him,
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and he said to
Nathan, "I have this idea
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that I wanna build a
wonderful house for God."
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And he told him about it and
what he thought it looked like.
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And Nathan said, "Go
forward; go with it."
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What would you say
if you were the pastor,
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and one of your
parishioners said,
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"I'm gonna pay for most of this,
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and I'll be responsible for it"?
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You'd say, "When
can we get started?"
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Well, that's what
Nathan said basically.
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But that night when he
went back to talk to God,
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Nathan went back
and had his devotions,
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and God spoke to him and said,
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"You'll have to go
back and tell David
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"that he can't build it
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'cause he's a man of war
and has blood on his hands."
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And then the
interesting part happened.
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David said,
"Well, could you ask God
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"if I could at least get
the building materials together
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and get the
plans drawn and so on?"
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And so he did, and he
was allowed to do that.
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Now, listen carefully to
what I'm gonna tell you next.
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David spent the
rest of his adult life,
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his whole life
from that point on,
00:08:25.50\00:08:27.10
collecting the
material for the temple.
00:08:27.10\00:08:28.97
The Bible says that stones
without number, cedarwood,
00:08:28.97\00:08:32.01
precious stones,
marble, gold, silver,
00:08:32.01\00:08:35.28
brass without number,
and it's all there together.
00:08:35.28\00:08:38.31
So he piled it on the site
00:08:38.31\00:08:39.81
where the
sanctuary would be built,
00:08:39.81\00:08:41.48
and then he called all
the leaders of Israel together
00:08:41.48\00:08:44.05
and said, "We're
gonna have a thanksgiving
00:08:44.05\00:08:45.35
and praise service for
God's been able to do this."
00:08:45.35\00:08:47.59
And that's what 1
Chronicles 29:13-14 says.
00:08:47.59\00:08:50.73
David had a prayer in
this meeting, and he says,
00:08:50.73\00:08:53.06
"Now therefore, our
God, we thank [Thee]
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"and [we] praise
[Thy] glorious name.
00:08:54.56\00:08:56.13
"But who am I,
and who are my people,
00:08:56.13\00:08:58.10
"that we should be able to
offer so willingly as this?
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"[Because] all
things come from You,
00:09:00.64\00:09:02.24
and of Your own
we have given You."
00:09:02.24\00:09:03.54
In other words, we're just
giving You back Your own stuff.
00:09:03.54\00:09:05.61
He recognized that God
was the owner of everything.
00:09:05.61\00:09:07.91
Even though he had
worked hard for it,
00:09:07.91\00:09:09.18
and he had paid
for most of the stuff,
00:09:09.18\00:09:10.78
he gave God credit for it.
00:09:10.78\00:09:12.11
God is the owner of everything
because He is our Creator.
00:09:12.11\00:09:15.18
>>So He's our
Creator. He owns everything.
00:09:16.48\00:09:19.79
And I expect
because we have some of it,
00:09:19.79\00:09:22.72
we are not the owners;
we're simply managing it.
00:09:22.72\00:09:25.19
In fact, that's where the
concept of stewardship comes
00:09:25.19\00:09:29.06
from. On Tuesday you
talk about the resources
00:09:29.06\00:09:32.00
that are
available for God's family.
00:09:32.00\00:09:34.27
We are part of God's family,
00:09:34.27\00:09:35.64
therefore some
of these resources,
00:09:35.64\00:09:37.91
it would seem,
are available to us.
00:09:37.91\00:09:40.11
What are some of these resources
00:09:40.11\00:09:42.41
that God has
made available for us
00:09:42.41\00:09:45.08
so that we can be good
stewards of what He's given us?
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>>That's a good question,
because the last lesson,
00:09:49.92\00:09:52.39
number 12, we're talking about
the rewards of the faithful,
00:09:52.39\00:09:54.99
and a lot of that is
pie-in-the-sky by-and-by, people
00:09:54.99\00:09:58.33
think, but it's real, of course.
00:09:58.33\00:10:00.10
But the bottom line
is there's blessings
00:10:00.10\00:10:01.70
for your everyday
life, the abundant life.
00:10:01.70\00:10:04.10
And that's what John 10:10 says,
00:10:04.10\00:10:05.73
that He came "that
[we might] have life,
00:10:05.73\00:10:07.80
and...have it more abundantly."
00:10:07.80\00:10:09.50
And I believe
that I can look back
00:10:09.50\00:10:11.94
on a long period of
my life and just say,
00:10:11.94\00:10:13.68
"God has really
taken care of our family."
00:10:13.68\00:10:15.64
There's no question about that.
00:10:15.64\00:10:17.11
So we've had an
abundant life from there.
00:10:17.11\00:10:19.35
We also have John 3:16,
and this one is amazing,
00:10:19.35\00:10:22.62
and that is--everybody
knows this by heart--
00:10:22.62\00:10:24.52
but you have
two options in life.
00:10:24.52\00:10:26.49
You either have
everlasting life, or you perish.
00:10:26.49\00:10:29.36
And that's an offer
that He's given to us.
00:10:29.36\00:10:31.76
This is the hope, Eric, that
we have when we're Christians,
00:10:31.76\00:10:35.10
that we look
forward to the hope.
00:10:35.10\00:10:37.20
It's kind of like the carrot
00:10:37.20\00:10:38.47
for making the
old mule go forward.
00:10:38.47\00:10:40.87
The idea is that
we have this hope,
00:10:40.87\00:10:43.51
and we have a song
about it, we all love it,
00:10:43.51\00:10:45.47
but that's what the hope is
all about. First and foremost,
00:10:45.47\00:10:48.31
of course, we have
the gift of salvation.
00:10:48.31\00:10:50.51
But when we talk about the gift,
00:10:50.51\00:10:52.18
God made it possible
for everybody to get it,
00:10:52.18\00:10:54.25
but it only is to
those who believe on Him
00:10:54.25\00:10:56.05
and follow Him in that way.
00:10:56.05\00:10:58.09
Well, there are
many verses in the Bible.
00:10:58.09\00:10:59.75
Some of our other famous
verses are Psalm 23, verse 1:
00:10:59.75\00:11:03.89
"The Lord is my
shepherd." What's the next part?
00:11:03.89\00:11:06.73
"I shall not want."
00:11:06.73\00:11:08.60
He's taking care of
us, so that's important.
00:11:08.60\00:11:11.40
Psalm 37:25, I can look at this
00:11:11.40\00:11:14.07
and say this is
almost my experience:
00:11:14.07\00:11:16.04
"I have been
young, and now am old;
00:11:16.04\00:11:17.94
"yet [I've never] seen
the righteous forsaken,
00:11:17.94\00:11:19.67
nor his [seed] begging bread."
00:11:19.67\00:11:21.58
So God provides
for our food and drink
00:11:21.58\00:11:23.95
and all the things that
He has. Philippians 4:19--
00:11:23.95\00:11:27.02
"My God [will]
supply all [of] your need
00:11:27.02\00:11:28.48
according to His
riches in...Christ Jesus."
00:11:28.48\00:11:30.62
So, Jesus asked His
disciples when He sent them out,
00:11:30.62\00:11:34.76
"Did you lack anything?"
00:11:34.76\00:11:36.22
No, they didn't.
God took care of them.
00:11:36.22\00:11:38.63
This is the day-to-day
stuff we're talking about.
00:11:38.63\00:11:41.00
>>So God has taken care
of His people in the past.
00:11:41.00\00:11:44.80
We can expect that
He is going to continue
00:11:44.80\00:11:47.27
to take care of His people--that
is, us--in the future.
00:11:47.27\00:11:51.11
And this quarter we're
really looking at that,
00:11:51.11\00:11:53.24
how He takes care of
us, and how He can use us
00:11:53.24\00:11:56.11
to help take
care of other people.
00:11:56.11\00:11:58.11
You know, one of the things
that we're blessed to have
00:11:58.11\00:11:59.85
is a companion book
to this quarter's lesson.
00:11:59.85\00:12:02.82
The lesson, of course, is called
00:12:02.82\00:12:03.89
"Managing for the
Master Till He Comes."
00:12:03.89\00:12:05.82
But we have a companion book
00:12:05.82\00:12:07.09
that goes along
with this quarter,
00:12:07.09\00:12:08.62
which is simply called
"Managing for the Master."
00:12:08.62\00:12:11.16
And, of course, you,
Ed, are the author of this.
00:12:11.16\00:12:13.63
If somebody wants to get more
out of this quarter's lesson,
00:12:13.63\00:12:18.03
give us a
little, little sneak peek
00:12:18.03\00:12:19.80
into what this book contains
that the lesson doesn't.
00:12:19.80\00:12:24.64
>>Very good question.
00:12:24.64\00:12:26.24
It's amazing,
really, that there's--
00:12:26.24\00:12:27.98
when the Pacific Press
asked me to write the book,
00:12:27.98\00:12:29.81
they said, "Don't just repeat
the Sabbath school lesson;
00:12:29.81\00:12:31.55
make it special."
00:12:31.55\00:12:32.88
So there's a lot
of things in that book
00:12:32.88\00:12:34.38
that I've never
written or spoken about
00:12:34.38\00:12:35.62
in public before; it's amazing.
00:12:35.62\00:12:36.95
For example, there's a
whole chapter on covetousness.
00:12:36.95\00:12:39.65
There's a whole
chapter on rewards
00:12:39.65\00:12:40.82
of the faithful in the end.
00:12:40.82\00:12:42.59
And a lot of things
like that are incredible.
00:12:42.59\00:12:45.39
We understand that what
brought the devil down--
00:12:45.39\00:12:49.23
this is Isaiah 14, verse 14;
00:12:49.23\00:12:51.73
the devil says, "I will
be like the Most High [God]."
00:12:51.73\00:12:54.84
So he wanted it.
Covetousness is the idea
00:12:54.84\00:12:57.91
that you have an
inordinate desire
00:12:57.91\00:13:00.24
for either the person or the
possessions of another person,
00:13:00.24\00:13:02.78
their position or
their possessions.
00:13:02.78\00:13:05.21
And Satan wanted to
be like God. Adam and Eve
00:13:05.21\00:13:09.02
were in the Garden of Eden,
you know, for quite a while,
00:13:09.02\00:13:11.02
and the interesting thing
is the devil kept wondering,
00:13:11.02\00:13:12.82
"What can I do to get them?
00:13:12.82\00:13:14.19
I know what I'll do;
I'll do what got me."
00:13:14.19\00:13:16.42
So he told Eve that,
when she came near the tree,
00:13:16.42\00:13:19.79
"If you eat this,
you'll be like God,
00:13:19.79\00:13:22.00
knowing good and evil."
00:13:22.00\00:13:23.60
Same thing, coveting
the position of another,
00:13:23.60\00:13:25.97
not satisfied
with their own place.
00:13:25.97\00:13:27.77
>>So that's just a
little insight into what is
00:13:29.07\00:13:30.91
in this companion book,
"Managing for the Master."
00:13:30.91\00:13:33.48
If you are
interested in picking this up,
00:13:33.48\00:13:35.14
and I would
encourage you to do so,
00:13:35.14\00:13:37.05
you can find it
at itiswritten.shop.
00:13:37.05\00:13:39.85
Again, that's itiswritten.shop.
00:13:39.85\00:13:42.55
You're looking for the
book "Managing for the Master"
00:13:42.55\00:13:45.12
by G. Edward Reid.
00:13:45.12\00:13:47.62
And I'm gonna be back
with Ed here in just a moment.
00:13:47.62\00:13:49.72
We're gonna take a quick break.
00:13:49.72\00:13:50.93
When we come back,
we're going to continue
00:13:50.93\00:13:52.59
with lesson number one
00:13:52.59\00:13:54.46
as we are looking at
being a part of God's family.
00:13:54.46\00:13:57.30
We'll be right back.
00:13:57.30\00:13:58.57
(inspirational theme
music swells and ends)
00:13:58.57\00:14:01.44
>>[John Bradshaw] You
know that at It Is Written,
00:14:03.27\00:14:05.37
we are serious about the
study of the Word of God,
00:14:05.37\00:14:08.61
and we encourage you to be
serious about God's Word also.
00:14:08.61\00:14:12.88
Well, I wanna share
with you another way
00:14:12.88\00:14:14.98
that you can dig
deeper into the Word of God.
00:14:14.98\00:14:17.72
And here it is:
itiswritten.study.
00:14:17.72\00:14:22.79
Go online to itiswritten.study
00:14:23.59\00:14:25.36
and you can access the It
Is Written Bible Study Guides,
00:14:25.36\00:14:30.00
25 in-depth Bible studies
00:14:30.00\00:14:32.50
that will walk
you through the Bible.
00:14:32.50\00:14:35.00
It's gonna be good for
you, and it's the sort of thing
00:14:35.00\00:14:38.01
that you will want to
tell somebody else about
00:14:38.01\00:14:41.28
so that they can dig
deeper into the Word of God
00:14:41.28\00:14:44.21
and come to know the
things of the Bible intimately.
00:14:44.21\00:14:47.85
As you get into the It Is
Written online Bible study
00:14:47.85\00:14:51.19
guides, you'll understand
the prophecies of the Bible,
00:14:51.19\00:14:53.19
the plan of salvation, and more.
00:14:53.19\00:14:55.39
So don't forget
itiswritten.study,
00:14:55.39\00:14:58.39
itiswritten.study.
00:14:58.39\00:15:00.73
(inspirational theme music)
00:15:03.03\00:15:05.70
>>[Eric] Welcome
back to "Sabbath School,"
00:15:07.50\00:15:09.17
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:15:09.17\00:15:11.41
We're joined here,
of course, by Ed Reid;
00:15:11.41\00:15:13.54
he's the author of
this quarter's lesson.
00:15:13.54\00:15:15.21
And we're looking at
lesson number one of 12.
00:15:15.21\00:15:18.68
Ed, I want to go back to
something that you mentioned
00:15:18.68\00:15:21.02
just a moment ago because it's
really a significant subject.
00:15:21.02\00:15:24.82
And that was on
Sabbath afternoon;
00:15:24.82\00:15:26.89
we were talking
about the significance
00:15:26.89\00:15:28.82
of being God's children.
There are a lot of people,
00:15:28.82\00:15:32.03
a lot of people in
the world today who,
00:15:32.03\00:15:34.60
well, many don't believe in God,
00:15:34.60\00:15:35.96
but some believe that He exists,
00:15:35.96\00:15:38.00
but they don't really have a
personal relationship with Him.
00:15:38.00\00:15:41.00
Why is it so
important for us to understand
00:15:41.00\00:15:43.57
that we are the children of God,
00:15:43.57\00:15:45.74
and what benefits are there?
00:15:45.74\00:15:47.81
Why is that so valuable
for us to really be able
00:15:47.81\00:15:51.41
to internalize that
and allow it to sink in?
00:15:51.41\00:15:55.42
>>Well, the real
interesting point about this is
00:15:55.42\00:15:56.79
that God allows us to
manage His affairs on the earth.
00:15:56.79\00:16:01.49
Every local church
has a treasurer there,
00:16:01.49\00:16:03.16
and every
conference has a treasurer.
00:16:03.16\00:16:04.73
No one ever gets a
check signed by God;
00:16:04.73\00:16:06.56
it's always through people who
have a relationship with God.
00:16:06.56\00:16:09.46
And so He allows us to
manage His affairs on the earth.
00:16:09.46\00:16:11.83
He blesses us
with the resources,
00:16:11.83\00:16:14.04
and then we are the ones that
He's entrusted to manage them.
00:16:14.04\00:16:18.61
So we collect the
money, we write the checks,
00:16:18.61\00:16:20.68
we do the electronic
transfers, we make the budgets,
00:16:20.68\00:16:24.08
and we bring in our
tithes and offerings
00:16:24.08\00:16:25.41
as worship on Sabbath morning.
00:16:25.41\00:16:26.98
So there's a direct relationship
00:16:26.98\00:16:29.15
between our
relationship with God
00:16:29.15\00:16:30.22
and what happens on the earth.
00:16:30.22\00:16:31.99
It's really interesting also
that the Bible encourages us
00:16:31.99\00:16:35.32
to spend resources
that God's given us
00:16:35.32\00:16:37.06
for three different things.
00:16:37.06\00:16:38.63
One is for our own needs,
and that's always put first.
00:16:38.63\00:16:40.93
And the second one is
for the needs of others
00:16:40.93\00:16:43.03
that God puts around us.
00:16:43.03\00:16:44.67
And the third one is to
help advance the cause of God.
00:16:44.67\00:16:47.17
And the second two help
store up treasures in heaven,
00:16:47.17\00:16:49.20
as you probably know.
00:16:49.20\00:16:50.54
It's really interesting
that, incredible as it may seem,
00:16:50.54\00:16:53.01
God allows us to
raise His children,
00:16:53.01\00:16:57.81
build His buildings,
00:16:57.81\00:16:59.68
and educate the
succeeding generations as well.
00:16:59.68\00:17:03.32
So there's a lot of
responsibility and a lot of
00:17:03.32\00:17:05.69
action and a lot of
happiness involved as well.
00:17:05.69\00:17:09.09
>>That's amazing that God--
00:17:09.09\00:17:10.56
I dunno if I wanna use
the word "condescends"--
00:17:10.56\00:17:12.46
He condescends to allow
us to play a very real role
00:17:12.46\00:17:16.46
in the care of others,
00:17:16.46\00:17:17.73
in the spread of the
gospel all around the world
00:17:17.73\00:17:20.64
by some of the
finances that He entrusts to us.
00:17:20.64\00:17:23.81
He then trusts
us to put that back
00:17:23.81\00:17:26.34
into spreading the gospel.
00:17:26.34\00:17:27.84
Of course we know that the
gospel has to go to all the
00:17:27.84\00:17:29.81
world before Jesus comes back.
Jesus makes that very plain.
00:17:29.81\00:17:33.15
And we get to
play an active role
00:17:33.15\00:17:35.22
in doing that. That's exciting.
00:17:35.22\00:17:37.19
Which kind of leads
us to Wednesday's lesson:
00:17:37.19\00:17:39.82
"The Responsibilities
of God's Family Members."
00:17:39.82\00:17:43.96
So God gives us
all of these gifts.
00:17:43.96\00:17:48.60
He entrusts all of this to us.
00:17:48.60\00:17:51.50
What should we do?
00:17:52.33\00:17:55.40
How does that play
itself out in our lives?
00:17:55.40\00:17:59.57
Because He's given us all
these gifts, how do we respond
00:17:59.57\00:18:03.68
to that in a way
that makes God happy,
00:18:03.68\00:18:07.38
puts joy in His heart, and
also is a blessing to others?
00:18:07.38\00:18:10.65
>>Well, the real response
given to us in the Bible,
00:18:10.65\00:18:12.95
both Old and New Testament,
is the total commitment to God.
00:18:12.95\00:18:16.59
And we call that the "shema,"
actually, as Deuteronomy 6:5,
00:18:16.59\00:18:20.83
where it says, "Thou
shalt love the Lord thy God
00:18:20.83\00:18:22.46
"with all [thy]
heart, ...with all thy soul,
00:18:22.46\00:18:24.43
...with all thy might."
00:18:24.43\00:18:25.83
And then Jesus, when
He was giving His sermon,
00:18:25.83\00:18:27.57
to one of the disciples
said, Jesus said unto him,
00:18:27.57\00:18:30.97
"Thou shalt love the Lord
thy God with all thy heart,
00:18:30.97\00:18:33.74
all thy soul, and all thy mind."
00:18:33.74\00:18:35.64
So the really interesting
part is the book of Deuteronomy,
00:18:35.64\00:18:38.68
most of you are very
familiar with the book,
00:18:38.68\00:18:40.12
it's Moses's last
comments to Israel,
00:18:40.12\00:18:43.59
and he says in that--he
reviews all the leadings of God
00:18:43.59\00:18:47.89
from the Exodus
clear to the Promised Land.
00:18:47.89\00:18:50.96
It's an amazing story.
00:18:50.96\00:18:52.36
And then he says
in Deuteronomy 28,
00:18:52.36\00:18:55.30
"If you will diligently obey
the voice of the Lord your God,
00:18:55.30\00:18:57.60
"and do all the
things He's commanded you,
00:18:57.60\00:18:59.00
"then I'll bless you,
00:18:59.00\00:19:00.44
and all these blessings will
come on you and overtake you."
00:19:00.44\00:19:02.20
Now, this is interesting.
00:19:02.20\00:19:03.47
I like that all the
verses, all the translations
00:19:03.47\00:19:05.17
of the Bible that I've read,
00:19:05.17\00:19:06.24
talk about
blessings overtaking you.
00:19:06.24\00:19:08.71
We see a lot in
the crime world today;
00:19:08.71\00:19:10.31
people are getting their
car carjacked or something;
00:19:10.31\00:19:12.88
you always have to
watch out what's around you.
00:19:12.88\00:19:14.75
How would you like to
have a look around you
00:19:14.75\00:19:16.25
and have blessings
coming that overtake you?
00:19:16.25\00:19:18.32
That's what it
talks about there.
00:19:18.32\00:19:20.19
So, it's
important that we understand
00:19:20.19\00:19:22.42
that God's wanting to bless us.
00:19:22.42\00:19:25.63
>>And I think that's
evident as you read the Bible.
00:19:25.63\00:19:27.86
God does want to bless us,
00:19:27.86\00:19:29.30
and He gives us
some practical ways
00:19:29.30\00:19:30.93
that we can make
ourselves more open
00:19:30.93\00:19:33.64
to receiving those blessings.
00:19:33.64\00:19:35.90
I think some of the
blessings that He wants us
00:19:35.90\00:19:37.84
to receive are,
of course, financial,
00:19:37.84\00:19:39.44
but there are other
ones, there's health,
00:19:39.44\00:19:41.01
and there's spiritual
blessings and so forth.
00:19:41.01\00:19:43.48
It's interesting--on Thursday,
00:19:43.48\00:19:45.68
the lesson is
entitled "Treasure in Heaven."
00:19:46.82\00:19:49.92
And the verses--Matthew 6,
verses 19-21--are, I think,
00:19:51.29\00:19:55.59
familiar verses
to many Christians.
00:19:55.59\00:19:58.03
I wanna read those
verses because I think that this
00:19:58.03\00:20:02.06
passage really helps
us to put into perspective
00:20:02.06\00:20:05.50
how God's
blessings and our situations
00:20:05.50\00:20:08.97
that we find ourselves in, our
realities, can come together.
00:20:08.97\00:20:12.41
Here's what it says in
Matthew 6, verses 19-21.
00:20:12.41\00:20:16.61
Jesus says, "Do not
lay up for yourselves
00:20:16.61\00:20:19.18
"treasures on earth,
where moth and rust destroy
00:20:19.18\00:20:22.95
"and where thieves
break in and steal;
00:20:22.95\00:20:25.75
"but lay up for
yourselves treasures in heaven,
00:20:25.75\00:20:29.09
"where neither
moth nor rust destroys
00:20:29.09\00:20:31.49
"and where thieves do
not break in and steal.
00:20:31.49\00:20:34.40
"For where your treasure is,
00:20:34.40\00:20:36.70
there your heart will be also."
00:20:36.70\00:20:40.00
So these are words from Jesus,
spoken by Jesus, and they're,
00:20:40.00\00:20:44.41
really, they're
directed towards us,
00:20:44.41\00:20:46.24
just as much as
anything else Jesus had to say.
00:20:46.24\00:20:49.34
And He tells us,
00:20:49.34\00:20:50.85
do "lay up for
yourselves treasures in heaven,"
00:20:50.85\00:20:52.48
not here on
earth. What do heaven's--
00:20:52.48\00:20:56.32
what are the treasures
that we lay up in heaven have
00:20:56.32\00:20:59.05
over the treasures that
we lay up here on earth?
00:20:59.05\00:21:02.42
>>Let me first give
you a little bit more
00:21:02.42\00:21:03.63
about the setting here, Eric.
00:21:03.63\00:21:05.46
The setting is
right in the middle
00:21:05.46\00:21:06.73
of the Sermon on the Mount.
00:21:06.73\00:21:08.33
And anybody that's
taken speech lessons,
00:21:08.33\00:21:10.40
there's an introduction,
a body, and conclusion.
00:21:10.40\00:21:12.50
Really the body of
Jesus's sermon is about money
00:21:12.50\00:21:15.50
management, and so He's
trying to give good counsel
00:21:15.50\00:21:17.17
about where to
make your investments.
00:21:17.17\00:21:19.71
So in this particular case,
00:21:19.71\00:21:21.01
He's talking about
don't lay them up on earth
00:21:21.01\00:21:23.11
'cause they're not safe here.
00:21:23.11\00:21:24.68
It's not because it's
wrong; it's because it's stupid.
00:21:24.68\00:21:27.15
You lay it up
here--you're gonna lose it.
00:21:27.15\00:21:29.42
Everything's gonna
get burned up pretty soon,
00:21:29.42\00:21:31.29
as we all know.
00:21:31.29\00:21:32.59
The point is that,
either way, remember that,
00:21:32.59\00:21:36.99
don't lay it up here
'cause it isn't safe,
00:21:36.99\00:21:38.56
that's the reason,
but lay it up in heaven.
00:21:38.56\00:21:40.50
But notice where the
text says, that you read,
00:21:40.50\00:21:42.36
"Lay up for yourselves..."
00:21:42.36\00:21:45.07
Now, this is
not--some people think,
00:21:45.07\00:21:46.43
"Well, if I give a
whole bunch of money to God,
00:21:46.43\00:21:47.90
"it just goes
into a big black hole,
00:21:47.90\00:21:49.10
and that's the end of it."
00:21:49.10\00:21:50.41
But you're laying
up treasures in heaven
00:21:50.41\00:21:51.67
when you advance
the cause of God.
00:21:51.67\00:21:53.31
That's the
important thing to remember.
00:21:53.31\00:21:55.18
I think that what we
can can look here and see
00:21:55.18\00:21:57.78
is there's no thieves
that break through and steal,
00:21:57.78\00:22:01.12
that it's safe there;
00:22:01.12\00:22:02.22
the treasures laid
up will be there also.
00:22:02.22\00:22:05.99
>>You know, Ed,
you make mention of a,
00:22:05.99\00:22:08.19
or you quote an
interesting passage here
00:22:08.19\00:22:11.56
from a book called
"Christ's Object Lessons."
00:22:11.56\00:22:13.83
I wanna read this
from page number 351.
00:22:13.83\00:22:17.03
I think it's valuable,
and maybe you can elucidate
00:22:17.03\00:22:20.87
a little bit on
this for a moment.
00:22:20.87\00:22:23.44
It says, "Money has great value,
00:22:23.44\00:22:26.04
"because it can do great good.
00:22:26.04\00:22:28.78
"In the hands of God's children
it is food for the hungry,
00:22:28.78\00:22:32.65
"drink for the thirsty,
and clothing for the naked.
00:22:32.65\00:22:36.45
"It is a defense
for the oppressed,
00:22:36.45\00:22:38.79
"...a means of help to the sick.
00:22:38.79\00:22:41.12
"But money is of
no value than sand,
00:22:41.12\00:22:44.63
"only as it is put to use
00:22:44.63\00:22:47.30
"in providing for
the necessities of life,
00:22:47.30\00:22:50.00
in blessing others, and
advancing the cause of Christ."
00:22:50.00\00:22:54.70
So, money has no value
00:22:55.57\00:22:57.71
unless it is put
to something good.
00:22:57.71\00:23:01.48
And the author here
lists a number of things
00:23:01.48\00:23:04.35
that money can be put toward
00:23:04.35\00:23:06.82
in order to be a
blessing to others.
00:23:06.82\00:23:08.78
Any other thoughts on that?
00:23:08.78\00:23:10.19
>>Yes, I think it's
interesting there's--
00:23:10.19\00:23:12.02
people always ask, "How can I
store up treasures in heaven?"
00:23:12.02\00:23:14.36
And the last sentence
there is one of the ways.
00:23:14.36\00:23:16.86
Of course we all need
to provide for ourselves,
00:23:16.86\00:23:20.06
but then the other two,
00:23:20.06\00:23:21.43
helping others and helping
advance the cause of God,
00:23:21.43\00:23:22.70
store up treasures in heaven.
00:23:22.70\00:23:24.90
You can just take any of
the stories of the Bible,
00:23:24.90\00:23:26.84
but I'll just give
you an illustration.
00:23:26.84\00:23:28.84
The rich young ruler is
mentioned three times in the
00:23:28.84\00:23:31.67
Bible; all three synoptic
gospels mention the rich young
00:23:31.67\00:23:34.24
ruler. He came to Jesus
and said, "What can I do to be
00:23:34.24\00:23:36.91
saved?" And He said,
"Well, keep the commandments."
00:23:36.91\00:23:38.65
"Which ones?" he'd say.
00:23:38.65\00:23:40.02
Well, Jesus started telling
him about the 10 Commandments.
00:23:40.02\00:23:43.05
"Oh, I've been doing
that since I was a kid.
00:23:43.05\00:23:44.39
What do I lack yet?"
00:23:44.39\00:23:45.72
He says, "Sell what
you have, give to the poor,
00:23:45.72\00:23:48.62
and thereby you'll
have treasures in heaven."
00:23:48.62\00:23:51.03
All three of
the synoptic gospels
00:23:51.03\00:23:52.36
mention treasures
by helping others.
00:23:52.36\00:23:54.20
So it's a practical illustration
00:23:54.20\00:23:56.33
of that as well, in that case,
00:23:56.33\00:23:58.33
blessing others and
advancing the cause of God.
00:23:58.33\00:24:01.27
But money's valuable
because it can do great good.
00:24:01.27\00:24:03.84
The bottom
line, I think, in life
00:24:04.71\00:24:06.24
is that we wanna die penniless.
The trick is dismantling.
00:24:06.24\00:24:08.71
How do we give it away to
the right causes and so on?
00:24:08.71\00:24:11.35
So Kathy and I pray
daily that we'll be able
00:24:11.35\00:24:13.11
to advance the cause of
God by things that we can do,
00:24:13.11\00:24:16.18
to help others,
help our local church,
00:24:16.18\00:24:18.42
and help advance
the cause of God.
00:24:18.42\00:24:21.16
>>So it sounds like, as
members of God's family,
00:24:21.16\00:24:24.56
when He entrusts
us with these funds,
00:24:24.56\00:24:27.03
He's entrusting,
or He's trusting,
00:24:27.03\00:24:29.90
that we will do
something beneficial with them.
00:24:29.90\00:24:32.50
You mentioned
there are certain needs
00:24:32.50\00:24:34.10
that we need to take
care of for ourselves,
00:24:34.10\00:24:36.10
our food, our clothing, our...
00:24:36.10\00:24:40.28
where we live, our
shelter, if you will.
00:24:40.28\00:24:43.35
But there's also a lot
of things that we can do
00:24:43.35\00:24:45.48
for the benefit of others.
00:24:45.48\00:24:46.72
Some of them are very
practical, maybe providing food
00:24:46.72\00:24:49.62
or clothing or
shelter for somebody else
00:24:49.62\00:24:51.72
in this life, if you will.
00:24:51.72\00:24:54.52
But there are
also spiritual things
00:24:54.52\00:24:57.29
or ways that we can help
out spiritually with others
00:24:57.29\00:24:59.59
in advancing the
cause of the gospel
00:24:59.59\00:25:02.50
and helping people to
get a better understanding
00:25:02.50\00:25:04.30
of who Jesus is and what
His plan for their life is.
00:25:04.30\00:25:08.94
So it's not just
limited to earthly things,
00:25:08.94\00:25:12.74
and it's not just
limited to heavenly things,
00:25:12.74\00:25:15.11
but it sounds like
it's a mixture of both.
00:25:15.11\00:25:16.88
>>Yes, indeed, and
something interesting also is
00:25:16.88\00:25:19.41
in this same
sermon, verse 33, it says,
00:25:19.41\00:25:21.88
"I know you have
needs of these things"--
00:25:21.88\00:25:23.65
food, clothing,
and shelter and so on--
00:25:23.65\00:25:25.02
"But seek first the kingdom
of God and His righteousness,
00:25:25.02\00:25:27.52
and all [this
will] be added unto you."
00:25:27.52\00:25:29.29
So that's the,
kind of the culmination
00:25:29.29\00:25:30.63
of Jesus' stewardship materials
in the Sermon on the Mount.
00:25:30.63\00:25:33.36
This is the longest recorded
sermon of Jesus in His life,
00:25:33.36\00:25:36.03
on this earth, of course.
And right in the middle of it,
00:25:36.03\00:25:38.20
He has this good
counsel on stewardship:
00:25:38.20\00:25:39.97
"Seek first the kingdom of God."
00:25:39.97\00:25:41.87
That means if we put God
first, He'll bless the rest,
00:25:41.87\00:25:45.11
and that our whole
lives will be blessed
00:25:45.11\00:25:46.78
as a result of that.
00:25:46.78\00:25:48.21
>>So that's encouraging.
00:25:48.21\00:25:49.31
Now we know, in case
we didn't beforehand,
00:25:49.31\00:25:51.58
that we are
part of God's family.
00:25:51.58\00:25:53.52
And as a part of God's family,
He wraps His arms around us,
00:25:53.52\00:25:57.59
He promises to
take care of our needs,
00:25:57.59\00:25:59.55
and He gives us some
counsel, some wise counsel,
00:25:59.55\00:26:02.72
on how we can best
take care of the gifts
00:26:02.72\00:26:05.43
that He has given us,
00:26:05.43\00:26:06.83
what He expects us
to do with those gifts.
00:26:06.83\00:26:10.07
Ed, give us just a
sneak peek, a keyhole view,
00:26:10.07\00:26:14.50
of where we're going to
go for the next 11 weeks.
00:26:14.50\00:26:18.84
We don't wanna
steal all the thunder,
00:26:18.84\00:26:20.91
but we want to give a little,
00:26:20.91\00:26:21.98
a little idea of
some exciting things
00:26:21.98\00:26:23.91
that we're gonna look
at in the next 11 weeks.
00:26:23.91\00:26:25.71
>>One of the first things
I'll tell you about is the fact
00:26:25.71\00:26:27.75
that God makes
contracts with us.
00:26:27.75\00:26:30.35
In law school, first
year of most law schools,
00:26:30.35\00:26:32.85
you take a
course called contracts.
00:26:32.85\00:26:35.46
Most contracts are bilateral;
if you do this, I'll do that.
00:26:35.46\00:26:39.86
Well, the contracts that
God gives us are the same way.
00:26:39.86\00:26:42.63
There's a few unilateral
contracts when God says,
00:26:42.63\00:26:44.47
"Whether or not you do
anything, I'll do this."
00:26:44.47\00:26:45.80
Like He says, "I'll
never put another flood
00:26:45.80\00:26:47.67
on the whole earth."
00:26:47.67\00:26:49.47
Sun and moon will
come, sun and springtime,
00:26:49.47\00:26:53.01
and showers will
come to people and so on.
00:26:53.01\00:26:55.34
That's unilateral,
no matter what we do,
00:26:55.34\00:26:57.51
God's gonna provide for us.
But most of them are bilateral.
00:26:57.51\00:27:00.82
The tithing contract
we're gonna study in a few weeks
00:27:00.82\00:27:02.92
is the same thing.
00:27:02.92\00:27:04.05
God says, "If you
do this, I'll do that."
00:27:04.05\00:27:06.22
And that's the way
we know God exists.
00:27:06.22\00:27:08.26
Because of His providential
leading, His promises are true,
00:27:08.26\00:27:12.03
prophecies fulfilled, and so on,
00:27:12.03\00:27:14.30
those kinds of
things, we know God exists.
00:27:14.30\00:27:16.23
So, we're gonna be able
to make it very practical.
00:27:16.23\00:27:19.43
I'll just
mention one other thing.
00:27:19.43\00:27:20.67
The prodigal son
when he came back--
00:27:20.67\00:27:22.44
so anybody that
hasn't been faithful,
00:27:22.44\00:27:23.81
when they come back to God,
00:27:23.81\00:27:25.17
He'll give you the ring
again to sign the checks.
00:27:25.17\00:27:27.61
In other words, you'll be a
faithful part of God's family.
00:27:27.61\00:27:31.01
>>That's pretty exciting.
00:27:31.01\00:27:32.41
So we're gonna be looking
at all of that coming up,
00:27:32.41\00:27:34.32
and we're looking
forward to having you join us.
00:27:34.32\00:27:36.65
God bless you. Thanks
for joining us this week.
00:27:36.65\00:27:38.62
Next week I'll be
back again with Ed Reid
00:27:38.62\00:27:40.72
as we continue our study
of this incredible subject.
00:27:40.72\00:27:44.09
We are looking at "Managing
for the Master Till He Comes."
00:27:44.09\00:27:46.86
God bless you,
we'll see you next time.
00:27:46.86\00:27:48.73
(inspirational theme music)
00:27:48.73\00:27:52.47
(music ends)
00:28:26.37\00:28:28.84