(inspirational music)
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>>Welcome to "Sabbath School,"
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brought to you by It Is Written.
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We're glad to have
you back again this week
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as we continue our
journey through the subject
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of "Managing for the
Master Till He Comes."
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This week is lesson
number seven, "Unto the Least of
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These," "Unto
the Least of These."
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A fascinating subject,
You're going to enjoy it.
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Our guest this week, as every
week this quarter, is Ed Reid.
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He is an ordained minister
and a licensed attorney,
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and we're delighted
to have him back again.
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Before we dive into
this particular lesson,
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we're gonna ask God would
bless our time together today.
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Let's pray together.
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Father, we want to
thank You for being with us
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and for promising to
guide us as we study Your Word.
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As we look at finances and
how they intersect with faith
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again this week, we
ask that You'll help us
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to gain a deeper understanding
not just of finances,
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but of You and
Your plan for our lives.
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And we thank You
in Jesus' name. Amen.
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Ed, thanks for
joining us again this week.
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>>It's a pleasure to be here.
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>>I wanna start by
reading the memory text,
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as we often do here.
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There's a reason
that God has impressed you
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to place this memory text here
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at the beginning
of this week's lesson,
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and it is from Matthew,
chapter 25, verse number 34.
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Here's what it says:
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"Then the King will say
to those on His right hand,
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"'Come, you
blessed of my Father,
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"'inherit the
kingdom prepared for you
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from the
foundation of the world.'"
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This week we are studying
about the least of these.
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Who is Jesus referring to,
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and why are they
considered the least of these?
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>>It's interesting that
the Bible has Old Testament
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and New Testament, very
vivid concern for the poor.
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It's interesting
also that the Lord says
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we'll always
have the poor with us.
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And that's sad, if
you're a poor person,
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but there's things
you can do about it
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when we talk about getting
out of debt and so on, but...
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what I wanna share with you
is that in this particular case,
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it says--this is
Matthew 25, verse 40--
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Jesus referred to "the
least of these my brethren"
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that He wants
us to take care of.
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So who are "the least
of these my brethren"?
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That's the
question that you're asking.
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The Bible speaks
sometimes of strangers,
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sometimes called aliens,
the fatherless, the widows,
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this group of people
who are referred to as
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"the least of
these my brethren."
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Can we identify
these kind of people today?
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It's very, very interesting.
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We live in a very
hostile world, as you know.
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I remember just a few years
ago, where there was a civil war
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in Syria, and over 4
million people left Syria--
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listen carefully now--on foot
carrying all they could carry.
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You've seen big
caravans of people walking,
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carrying what they could
carry. How much--you know,
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we talk about
wagging our luggage
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into the airport sometimes,
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but what if you had to carry
it several miles or many miles
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or several days, how much
would you take along with you?
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And these are these
people that are displaced,
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sometimes called aliens.
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The equivalent our day would be
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for these millions of refugees,
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the fatherless children that
have lost their fathers by war,
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by accidents, by sickness.
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This group could
also include those fathers
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who have been or are in
prison or are otherwise absent,
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a broad field of help
we can offer to people.
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Thank God there
are many ministries
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who do these kinds of things,
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but we can help them, and we
can individually help for those
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that we know about.
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The widows, of course, are those
who have lost their spouses
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for the same
reason as the fatherless.
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Many of these are
single-parent families
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that could use help
from church members,
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help from
fathers of other families
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to encourage the
children, and so on.
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So this week
we're gonna talk about
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Jesus' concern for the poor.
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>>In speaking of
Jesus' concern for the poor,
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that really is Sunday's lesson
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or the title of Sunday's lesson,
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the subject of Sunday's lesson,
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is Jesus'
perspective on the poor.
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We know Jesus was
concerned for the poor.
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How did He demonstrate that?
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He didn't just
speak those words,
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but He lived it, didn't He?
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>>He did indeed,
but He did both, Eric;
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that's the interesting thing,
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that He
practiced what He preaches.
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The story that we first
start out with, and this one is
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when Jesus first
visited Nazareth.
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Interestingly enough,
when you read the Bible,
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you find that during Jesus'
three-and-a-half-year ministry,
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He visited His
hometown Nazareth twice,
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and the people tried
to kill Him both times.
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So that's why He said, "A
prophet is not without honor
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except in his own country."
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But on one of these occasions,
when He visited Nazareth,
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they asked Him to
read the Scripture reading.
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They handed Him
the book of Isaiah,
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and this is in
Luke, the fourth chapter.
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And it's
interesting what He said there.
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He found the place
in Isaiah 61, I believe,
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where He talked about
this, very interesting.
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He said, "The Spirit
of the Lord is upon me,
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"because He [has] appointed me
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"to preach the
gospel to the poor;
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"He [has] sent me to
heal the brokenhearted,
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"to preach
deliverance to the captives,
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"and the recovering
of sight to the blind,
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"to set at liberty
[those] that are bruised,
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to preach the
acceptable year of the Lord."
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It's
interesting that many people
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misunderstood
Jesus' first coming.
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They thought He was
gonna free them from the Romans
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and make Jerusalem
the center of the world
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and be one of the world empires.
So they were disappointed
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when He's talked
about helping the poor.
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And it's also interesting
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that when Jesus was
calling His disciples,
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they said,
"Where are You living?"
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They wanna know
where His home was.
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They thought it
might be a mansion,
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but instead He's just a
poor person living with them.
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Usually the poor were
looked down upon in Jesus' day
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by the unscrupulous
officials as the tax collectors
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and those in business,
even their own neighbors.
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And it was commonly
thought that poverty was a curse
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and that God--in
this unfortunate condition
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must have had their
own fault, these people.
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With their mindset, few people
had any concern for the poor
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and their unhappy
plight. So that's why James says
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in James, the
first chapter, verse 27,
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"Pure and undefiled religion
before God and the Father
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"is this: to visit
[the] orphans and [the] widows
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"in their trouble, and
to keep oneself unspotted
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from the world."
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>>So we see that Jesus
had a concern for the poor,
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He spoke that, He verbalized it,
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but He also put it into action.
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One of the beautiful truths
of Scripture is that Jesus says,
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"If you've seen me,
you've seen the Father."
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So if Jesus cared-- >>Right.
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>>...for the poor and
continues to care for the poor,
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we can expect that
the Father does as well.
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What are some ways that God
has promised to provide for,
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to care for the poor,
to minister to the poor?
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How do we see that played out?
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>>Well, the Bible answered
that question very plainly.
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It's interesting
that in Exodus 23,
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right after giving the 10
Commandments, verse 10 and 11,
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God said, "Six years
you shall sow" your field,
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"your land and
gather [your] produce,
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"but [in] the seventh year
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"you shall let it
rest and lie fallow,
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"that the poor [in]
your people may eat;
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and what they leave, the
beasts of the field [can] eat."
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And also, "In like
manner...do [to] your vineyards
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and your olive groves."
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Leviticus 23
also talks about that.
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When you reap your
harvest and your land,
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don't make a clean
riddance of all these;
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don't reap in your corners
and cleaning, make your harvest,
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you know, really
thorough go over everything.
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Don't do that. Leave
something for the poor.
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And they were
told in Deuteronomy,
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the 15th chapter, verse 11,
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this is right, again, before
going into the promised land,
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"For the poor shall
never cease out of the land:
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"therefore I
command thee, saying,
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"Thou shalt open thy
hand wide to thy brother,
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to [the] poor, and to
[the] needy, in thy land,"
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when you get to the land.
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So God always made
provision for the poor.
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It was really interesting
also that Ruth the Moabitess
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that came home with Naomi,
she was gleaning in fields
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that were owned by
Boaz, as you may remember.
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And he told his men,
"Don't get all the stuff,
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but leave some for
these people that are poor."
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So that was part of the
command that God had given.
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>>So God had several ways
that He provided for the poor
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or attempted to
provide for the poor.
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Of course, His people
would have to follow His counsel
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in order for the poor to
benefit from those things.
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But God arranged it; God laid
it out and made that possible.
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It's interesting as we
get to Tuesday's lesson--
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Tuesday's lesson is
called "The Rich Young Ruler."
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And as you pointed out,
all three synoptic gospels
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refer to Jesus' interaction,
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His encounter with
this rich young ruler.
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Why is this story so important?
What lessons can we learn?
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What lessons should
we learn from this story?
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Seeing as how it's in
all three of those gospels,
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it's not
something that's overlooked.
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It's clearly something
that is meant to be lifted up
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as an example.
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>>Well, interestingly enough,
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God's trying to tell
us here that when God,
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when He blesses you
with more than you need,
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you shouldn't
think of storing it up
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and using it for yourself.
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And when he encountered Jesus,
several interesting things,
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the Bible says in one of these
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that he came running to Jesus.
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He was an energetic young man.
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There's no indication
that he had been dishonest
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in his gain, of getting
his property or anything,
00:08:37.05\00:08:39.75
he had been blessed
tremendously for it,
00:08:39.75\00:08:41.55
but he was thinking
about, more about it
00:08:41.55\00:08:43.49
than his eternal life.
00:08:43.49\00:08:44.99
So Jesus told him
something interesting.
00:08:44.99\00:08:47.06
He says, "If you
wanna be perfect,
00:08:47.06\00:08:48.46
go and sell what you
have and give it to the poor."
00:08:48.46\00:08:51.69
And it's interesting that
several verses in the Bible,
00:08:51.69\00:08:54.40
like Proverbs--
00:08:54.40\00:08:55.76
"He who gives to the
poor will...lack [nothing]."
00:08:55.76\00:08:56.56
This is Proverbs 28, verse 27.
00:08:56.56\00:08:58.87
"The king who
judges the poor with truth,
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his throne will be
established forever."
00:09:00.84\00:09:02.20
That's Proverbs 29 in verse 14.
00:09:02.20\00:09:04.64
Psalm 41--I like this
one--verse one, David noted,
00:09:04.64\00:09:07.98
"Blessed is he who
considers the poor;
00:09:07.98\00:09:09.61
the Lord will deliver
him in time of trouble."
00:09:09.61\00:09:11.38
This always is a
priority in ancient Israel,
00:09:11.38\00:09:13.15
and it should be to
ourselves today as well.
00:09:13.15\00:09:15.25
>>So this young man
interacts with Jesus.
00:09:15.25\00:09:17.62
Jesus gives him some counsel;
He gives him some direction;
00:09:17.62\00:09:20.92
He calls him to take
some practical, tangible steps
00:09:20.92\00:09:25.46
in helping to
provide for the poor.
00:09:25.46\00:09:27.73
And we don't see that
this man responds to that...
00:09:27.73\00:09:32.00
positively. What
do we see happening?
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>>It's really interesting, Eric,
00:09:35.10\00:09:36.40
that when we look at the story,
00:09:36.40\00:09:38.64
it indicates that
Jesus had a kind regard
00:09:38.64\00:09:40.41
for this young man.
00:09:40.41\00:09:41.74
He was really hoping
that he would be responsive
00:09:41.74\00:09:43.11
to his counsel, and He
told him to do several things,
00:09:43.11\00:09:46.82
when he came. "What should
I"--he asked the question,
00:09:46.82\00:09:48.98
"What good thing could I
do to inherit eternal life?"
00:09:48.98\00:09:50.92
And Jesus said, "What?
Why do you call me good?
00:09:50.92\00:09:53.39
If you want eternal
life, keep the commandments."
00:09:53.39\00:09:55.62
And he said, "Well, which ones?"
00:09:55.62\00:09:56.99
So Jesus started quoting the
10 commandments, and he said,
00:09:56.99\00:09:59.43
"Well, you can stop now.
00:09:59.43\00:10:00.53
I've been doing
that since I was a kid.
00:10:00.53\00:10:01.83
What do I still lack?" And
God told him, Jesus told him,
00:10:01.83\00:10:05.10
"Sell what you have and
give to the poor, and then"--
00:10:05.10\00:10:07.34
this is very
interesting--"come, follow me."
00:10:07.34\00:10:09.57
Those were the exact
words, "Come, follow me,"
00:10:09.57\00:10:11.34
that He told to all
of the 12 disciples.
00:10:11.34\00:10:13.41
He was inviting him
into the inner circle
00:10:13.41\00:10:15.24
of his work on earth.
00:10:15.24\00:10:17.45
And if he would
just do this one thing.
00:10:17.45\00:10:20.38
Now, it's interesting
that God doesn't ask us all
00:10:20.38\00:10:22.92
to sell everything we
have and give to the poor.
00:10:22.92\00:10:25.22
That wasn't the whole point.
00:10:25.22\00:10:26.29
But this man's
god was his money,
00:10:26.29\00:10:28.02
and He knew that was the only
thing He could tell him to do
00:10:28.02\00:10:30.33
that would really turn
him around and save his soul.
00:10:30.33\00:10:33.50
I remember as a young person
studying the Bible through
00:10:33.50\00:10:36.20
first or second time, I
came to such a conviction
00:10:36.20\00:10:39.27
about the truth of
Scripture that I said, "God,
00:10:39.27\00:10:42.00
You have my permission to do
whatever it takes to save me."
00:10:42.00\00:10:45.24
"Did You hear what I just said?
00:10:45.24\00:10:46.81
"You have my permission to do
whatever it takes to save me."
00:10:46.81\00:10:48.88
Then I added,
00:10:48.88\00:10:50.15
"Please help me learn
my lessons the easy way."
00:10:50.15\00:10:51.98
So what I wanted to tell you is
00:10:51.98\00:10:54.02
if God tells
you to do something,
00:10:54.02\00:10:55.62
it's for your own
benefit that you do it,
00:10:55.62\00:10:57.85
because it's--interestingly
enough, that man,
00:10:57.85\00:10:59.42
young man, went away
sorrowful. Why was he sorrowful?
00:10:59.42\00:11:01.72
'Cause he knew he was
making an eternal decision.
00:11:01.72\00:11:03.89
We never hear
from this man again.
00:11:03.89\00:11:05.59
He traded his earthly
possessions for eternity.
00:11:05.59\00:11:07.73
And that is a bad decision.
00:11:07.73\00:11:09.93
>>So trading
things that today are
00:11:09.93\00:11:13.30
and tomorrow will be "cast
into the oven" for something
00:11:13.30\00:11:16.27
that will last throughout
eternity is a poor trade,
00:11:16.27\00:11:20.31
and it's not
something that you want to do.
00:11:20.31\00:11:22.71
By the grace of God, He
gives us the opportunities
00:11:22.71\00:11:25.11
to make
decisions, to make choices
00:11:25.11\00:11:26.92
every single day in our lives.
00:11:26.92\00:11:28.25
And part of those
choices, part of those choices,
00:11:28.25\00:11:31.75
are the choices that
we make with our finances.
00:11:31.75\00:11:34.02
We can either use those finances
00:11:34.02\00:11:36.42
to help relieve the troubles,
the challenges of the poor,
00:11:36.42\00:11:40.43
to help spread the gospel,
to take care of our needs,
00:11:40.43\00:11:44.03
or we can spend
them frivolously,
00:11:44.03\00:11:46.03
and one day we will
be given the opportunity
00:11:46.03\00:11:49.37
to give an account
for what we have done
00:11:49.37\00:11:51.27
with every area of our
lives, including our finances.
00:11:51.27\00:11:54.38
And by the grace of
God, we will be able to say,
00:11:54.38\00:11:57.31
"Lord, here's what I
did with those finances
00:11:57.31\00:11:59.41
"that You entrusted to me,
that You allowed me to manage.
00:11:59.41\00:12:03.18
"And I've used them
faithfully to help others,
00:12:03.18\00:12:06.05
"to spread the gospel,
00:12:06.05\00:12:07.12
and to take care of
the needs of my family."
00:12:07.12\00:12:09.42
If you are finding this
particular quarter's lessons
00:12:09.42\00:12:11.96
insightful and
helpful, I wanna encourage you
00:12:11.96\00:12:14.73
to pick up a copy of
this quarter's lessons'
00:12:14.73\00:12:18.93
complementary, or
supplementary, material.
00:12:18.93\00:12:21.27
It is this book, entitled
"Managing for the Master"
00:12:21.27\00:12:23.91
by G. Edward
Reid. He, of course,
00:12:23.91\00:12:26.01
is our guest this quarter
00:12:26.01\00:12:27.78
as we look at the
Sabbath school lesson.
00:12:27.78\00:12:30.08
This particular book
is a phenomenal supplement
00:12:30.08\00:12:33.31
to what you are
studying in the quarterly.
00:12:33.31\00:12:36.52
It will give you additional
insights, deeper insights,
00:12:36.52\00:12:39.65
more stories, and more
evidence of how God is at work
00:12:39.65\00:12:43.59
in finances, in your finances,
00:12:43.59\00:12:46.13
and in the finances of
people all around the world
00:12:46.13\00:12:49.43
as they seek to help
spread the gospel far and wide.
00:12:49.43\00:12:53.54
You can find that
at ItIsWritten.shop.
00:12:53.54\00:12:56.37
Again: ItIsWritten.shop.
00:12:56.37\00:12:58.04
Just look for the title, that
is "Managing for the Master,"
00:12:58.04\00:13:02.24
and you will be blessed
if you pick up that book.
00:13:02.24\00:13:04.75
We'll be back in just a moment
as we continue our study now
00:13:04.75\00:13:08.32
looking at the least of these.
00:13:08.32\00:13:10.49
We'll be back in just a moment.
00:13:10.49\00:13:11.89
(inspirational
music swells and ends)
00:13:11.89\00:13:14.59
>>[John Bradshaw]
It has been celebrated
00:13:15.72\00:13:17.59
in song, in poetry, in art.
00:13:17.59\00:13:22.40
Civilizations have
worshiped gods dedicated to--
00:13:22.40\00:13:25.90
and it's been said wars
have been waged over--love.
00:13:25.90\00:13:30.74
The Bible says
that "God is love,"
00:13:30.74\00:13:34.14
that "God so loved the world
00:13:34.14\00:13:36.34
that He gave His only
begotten Son." [baby crying]
00:13:36.34\00:13:39.71
Love led God to free
His people from captivity.
00:13:39.71\00:13:43.62
Love led Jesus to
open the eyes of the blind,
00:13:43.62\00:13:47.62
to forgive sinners,
and to heal the sick.
00:13:47.62\00:13:51.29
So what was it, then, that
led God to destroy the earth
00:13:51.29\00:13:54.83
with a flood or
to command King Saul
00:13:54.83\00:13:57.43
to destroy an
entire people group?
00:13:57.43\00:14:00.47
Don't miss
"Love and Destruction"
00:14:00.47\00:14:03.64
as we discuss love
00:14:03.64\00:14:06.11
and take a close
look at the love of God.
00:14:06.11\00:14:09.31
"Love and Destruction,"
00:14:09.31\00:14:11.45
brought to you
by It Is Written TV.
00:14:11.45\00:14:14.78
More and more people are
watching It Is Written TV.
00:14:16.45\00:14:20.46
They're watching their
favorite It Is Written programs,
00:14:20.46\00:14:23.63
listening to inspiring
sermon series, and much more.
00:14:23.63\00:14:27.96
They're watching them
here, here, and even here.
00:14:27.96\00:14:31.83
See for yourself why people
are turning to It Is Written TV
00:14:31.83\00:14:35.44
to watch their
favorite Christian programs
00:14:35.44\00:14:37.54
live and on demand.
00:14:37.54\00:14:39.51
Watch It Is Written TV
00:14:39.51\00:14:40.61
for free anytime
on Roku, Apple TV,
00:14:40.61\00:14:44.05
and at itiswritten.tv.
00:14:44.05\00:14:46.38
(inspirational music)
00:14:46.38\00:14:49.28
>>Welcome back
to "Sabbath School,"
00:14:51.19\00:14:52.72
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:14:52.72\00:14:54.82
We are continuing our
study of lesson number seven,
00:14:54.82\00:14:57.29
"Unto the Least of These."
00:14:57.29\00:14:59.46
And we're moving
through very rapidly.
00:14:59.46\00:15:00.96
We are on
Wednesday's lesson right now
00:15:00.96\00:15:03.10
looking at the subject--or
the person--of Zacchaeus.
00:15:03.10\00:15:08.04
Ed, who was Zacchaeus?
What can we learn from him?
00:15:08.04\00:15:11.91
It's a story
that some of us know,
00:15:11.91\00:15:14.31
well, at the very
least as a children's song.
00:15:14.31\00:15:17.45
But what's the main lesson
that God wants us to learn
00:15:17.45\00:15:20.88
from the story of Zacchaeus?
00:15:20.88\00:15:23.05
What did he do wrong,
and what did he do right?
00:15:23.05\00:15:26.86
>>Well, it's an
interesting story.
00:15:26.86\00:15:29.32
It's actually the
19th chapter of Luke;
00:15:29.32\00:15:30.86
the first 10 verses
talk about Zacchaeus.
00:15:30.86\00:15:33.33
And I like to know that
Jesus, you know, He went out
00:15:33.33\00:15:36.46
and prayed a lot
early in the morning,
00:15:36.46\00:15:38.47
and I think He
asked for guidance.
00:15:38.47\00:15:40.57
And I'll tell
you why I think that,
00:15:40.57\00:15:41.90
because I think the Father
and the Holy Spirit told Him,
00:15:41.90\00:15:44.97
"Today when you
go through Jericho,
00:15:44.97\00:15:46.71
"You're gonna
encounter a man up a tree.
00:15:46.71\00:15:48.01
"And his name is Zacchaeus.
00:15:48.01\00:15:49.11
He needs to talk with
You. Go home with him."
00:15:49.11\00:15:51.71
So when Jesus came to
Jericho, walking through,
00:15:51.71\00:15:55.92
Zacchaeus had closed his office.
00:15:55.92\00:15:57.85
My guess--he was a publican,
00:15:57.85\00:15:59.45
so he was either a
CPA or an attorney.
00:15:59.45\00:16:01.42
And he closed his office,
he'll be back in two hours,
00:16:01.42\00:16:03.73
the little clock on his door,
and he ran off to the city,
00:16:03.73\00:16:06.43
to the main street through town.
00:16:06.43\00:16:08.63
But when he got there, you
can understand what happened.
00:16:08.63\00:16:10.77
The crowd was already
there ,and he couldn't see,
00:16:10.77\00:16:12.83
said, "Please, give way. I'm
a short man." They said, "Well,
00:16:12.83\00:16:14.74
"you should've
thought about that yesterday.
00:16:14.74\00:16:15.87
We've been
waiting for a long time."
00:16:15.87\00:16:17.87
So he ran ahead and
climbed up in a tree.
00:16:17.87\00:16:20.01
So if you can imagine a
man in his business suit
00:16:20.01\00:16:21.88
climbing up a
tree, this is incredible.
00:16:21.88\00:16:24.05
Little kids do
that, but not big men.
00:16:24.05\00:16:26.08
So he's sitting up
in tree just to get--
00:16:26.08\00:16:27.82
all he wanted to
do was see Jesus.
00:16:27.82\00:16:29.32
That was the incredible
thing. "I wanna see this man."
00:16:29.32\00:16:32.52
So when Jesus came
through, a miracle happened.
00:16:32.52\00:16:36.22
Remembering what the
Father and the Holy Spirit
00:16:36.22\00:16:37.73
had told Him,
this must be Zacchaeus.
00:16:37.73\00:16:39.59
And so He said,
"Zacchaeus, come down."
00:16:39.59\00:16:42.06
And then Jesus did something
that none of us would ever do.
00:16:42.06\00:16:45.03
He invited
Himself home for lunch.
00:16:45.03\00:16:47.44
This is incredible to me because
I've never invited myself
00:16:47.44\00:16:49.87
home to
anybody's place for lunch.
00:16:49.87\00:16:51.21
And I don't think anybody's
ever invited themselves
00:16:51.21\00:16:52.34
to our place for
lunch without an invitation.
00:16:52.34\00:16:54.61
But, interestingly
enough, when you invite Jesus,
00:16:54.61\00:16:57.28
you get 12 hungry men
00:16:57.28\00:16:58.41
that don't get
regular meals coming with Him,
00:16:58.41\00:17:00.28
so it's 13
people coming for lunch.
00:17:00.28\00:17:02.18
But Zacchaeus was a wealthy man,
00:17:02.18\00:17:03.49
so he could take care
of that. So he called--
00:17:03.49\00:17:05.39
he must have sent word ahead
to his wife or his servants
00:17:05.39\00:17:08.02
and said, "I'm
bringing 13 men for dinner."
00:17:08.02\00:17:10.56
Interesting thing about this
is that he was a wealthy man;
00:17:10.56\00:17:13.23
he was a publican. He
worked for the hated Romans
00:17:13.23\00:17:15.30
collecting taxes from the Jews.
00:17:15.30\00:17:17.07
But, interestingly enough,
the difference between this man
00:17:18.43\00:17:21.50
and Zacchaeus is
that--listen carefully--
00:17:21.50\00:17:25.71
one encounter with Jesus,
00:17:25.71\00:17:27.18
one encounter with
Jesus this time at his home,
00:17:27.18\00:17:30.41
after Jesus
talked to him, he said,
00:17:30.41\00:17:31.88
"Half of my goods I'm
gonna give to the poor.
00:17:31.88\00:17:33.55
"And if I've taken
anything by illegal means,
00:17:33.55\00:17:36.38
I'm gonna give
it back fourfold."
00:17:36.38\00:17:38.49
Just one encounter with
Jesus. Jesus then said to him,
00:17:38.49\00:17:41.62
"Today salvation
has come to your house."
00:17:41.62\00:17:44.23
And this is amazing. There's
probably not a person on earth
00:17:44.23\00:17:47.10
wouldn't give most anything
00:17:47.10\00:17:48.66
to have Jesus say
that at their house--
00:17:48.66\00:17:50.17
"Today salvation
has come to your house."
00:17:50.17\00:17:51.80
That was the end story with him.
00:17:51.80\00:17:53.17
So, instead of running
away from the request of Jesus
00:17:53.17\00:17:56.97
to help the poor,
he volunteered that,
00:17:56.97\00:17:59.41
and that's why Jesus told him
00:17:59.41\00:18:02.08
salvation had come to his house.
00:18:02.08\00:18:04.28
>>So it sounds like
Zacchaeus--his encounter with
00:18:04.28\00:18:08.62
Jesus changed not just
his financial position,
00:18:08.62\00:18:13.42
ultimately, but it sounds
like it changed his heart,
00:18:13.42\00:18:16.12
and the change in the heart
00:18:16.12\00:18:17.43
was what prompted
some of those things.
00:18:17.43\00:18:19.36
Would that be accurate? >>Yes.
00:18:19.36\00:18:21.20
The real
interesting part about Zacchaeus
00:18:21.20\00:18:23.20
is that he had a whole
time change in his life;
00:18:23.20\00:18:28.10
life focus changed completely.
00:18:28.10\00:18:30.07
Rather than thinking of
himself, he thought of others.
00:18:30.07\00:18:31.77
And this is amazing.
That's the character of Christ.
00:18:31.77\00:18:34.61
And somehow what he'd heard
about Jesus was more than true.
00:18:34.61\00:18:38.01
So when Jesus talked to him,
00:18:38.01\00:18:39.11
he was ready to
make the decision.
00:18:39.11\00:18:41.45
>>So that brief encounter
made all the difference
00:18:41.45\00:18:44.02
in Zacchaeus' life, and
ultimately you can expect
00:18:44.02\00:18:46.96
that it made a huge difference
in the lives of others
00:18:46.96\00:18:49.76
when he started giving of
many of the means that he had
00:18:49.76\00:18:52.53
to help the poor and
those he defrauded and so forth.
00:18:52.53\00:18:56.73
So a beautiful story of
how Jesus touched the life
00:18:56.73\00:18:59.70
of one individual, and
through that individual,
00:18:59.70\00:19:01.97
the lives of many
others were, no doubt, changed.
00:19:01.97\00:19:04.71
Ed, I want to
jump to Thursday now.
00:19:04.71\00:19:06.81
Thursday is called
"Consider the Man Job."
00:19:06.81\00:19:10.61
Now, there's a
whole book of the Bible
00:19:10.61\00:19:13.72
that's called the book of Job,
which deals with this story.
00:19:13.72\00:19:18.79
And there's a lot in that book.
00:19:19.59\00:19:22.42
It's sometimes a
book that people overlook.
00:19:22.42\00:19:25.89
Some might consider
it a discouraging book.
00:19:25.89\00:19:28.06
I don't think that's the case
when you see how it all ends.
00:19:28.06\00:19:31.17
But what do we
learn about the poor
00:19:31.17\00:19:33.97
when it comes to
the story of Job?
00:19:33.97\00:19:37.17
>>Well, Job is an
interesting character
00:19:37.17\00:19:38.54
because the Lord described
him as "perfect and blameless,"
00:19:38.54\00:19:42.58
that he was one
who cared for people,
00:19:42.58\00:19:43.95
and we know that when
his kids got together,
00:19:43.95\00:19:47.22
he would pray for them
00:19:47.22\00:19:48.45
that they would do
everything right and so on.
00:19:48.45\00:19:50.45
This is a most interesting
story because we know
00:19:50.45\00:19:53.76
why he was being persecuted,
why he lost his wealth
00:19:53.76\00:19:56.59
and his children and
his livestock and so on.
00:19:56.59\00:20:00.90
But he didn't know it until
the minute he let--you know,
00:20:00.90\00:20:03.50
I don't know how
long that lasted,
00:20:03.50\00:20:04.60
but several
weeks or months later,
00:20:04.60\00:20:06.37
he figured out
what was going on.
00:20:06.37\00:20:08.27
But the main thing
is he described himself
00:20:08.27\00:20:10.47
as one who helped the poor.
00:20:10.47\00:20:12.34
In his own words,
he says in Job 29:16,
00:20:12.34\00:20:15.04
"And I searched out the case
00:20:15.04\00:20:16.51
that I did not
know" about the poor.
00:20:16.51\00:20:18.25
He's trying to help people.
00:20:18.25\00:20:19.78
He looked and said, "Is
everything going okay for you?"
00:20:19.78\00:20:21.95
He would ask
people how they're doing
00:20:21.95\00:20:23.28
and what's the situation.
00:20:23.28\00:20:24.55
"Do you know
anybody that needs prayer?
00:20:24.55\00:20:25.65
"Do you know anybody
that needs assistance
00:20:25.65\00:20:27.69
of anyone like that?"
00:20:27.69\00:20:29.26
>>So Job was somebody
who looked out for others,
00:20:29.26\00:20:31.66
he opened the door to
assist them, and encouraged,
00:20:31.66\00:20:36.73
it sounds like,
through his example,
00:20:36.73\00:20:38.83
others to help the poor as well.
00:20:38.83\00:20:40.30
Would that be
fair? >>Yes, indeed.
00:20:40.30\00:20:42.17
And this is interesting, Eric,
00:20:42.17\00:20:44.27
because this is a
level of stewardship
00:20:44.27\00:20:47.61
beyond which
most of us even think.
00:20:47.61\00:20:49.81
And we think it's a big
deal that we just are faithful
00:20:49.81\00:20:51.75
with our tithe and offerings.
00:20:51.75\00:20:53.05
But this is
something about helping others,
00:20:53.05\00:20:55.55
and I think this is
incredible about it.
00:20:55.55\00:20:58.29
>>So an entire book of the
Bible about the man named Job,
00:20:58.29\00:21:01.76
an individual who cared for
the poor, encouraging to see.
00:21:01.76\00:21:06.83
On Friday, Ed, I
wanna read a statement here
00:21:07.96\00:21:09.16
and give you an
opportunity to respond to it.
00:21:09.16\00:21:11.87
This statement is from the book
called "The Desire of Ages."
00:21:11.87\00:21:14.54
It's found on page 637.
Here's what the statement says:
00:21:14.54\00:21:18.21
"'When the Son of man
shall come in His glory,
00:21:18.21\00:21:20.38
"'and all the
holy angels with Him,
00:21:20.38\00:21:22.58
"'then shall He sit
upon the throne of His glory:
00:21:22.58\00:21:25.61
"'and before Him shall
be gathered all nations:
00:21:25.61\00:21:27.92
"and He shall separate
them one from another.'
00:21:27.92\00:21:30.95
"Thus Christ on the
Mount of Olives pictured
00:21:30.95\00:21:33.66
"to His disciples the
scene of the great judgment day.
00:21:33.66\00:21:37.46
"And He represented its decision
as turning upon one point.
00:21:37.46\00:21:42.00
"When the nations
are gathered before Him,
00:21:42.00\00:21:44.27
"there will be but two classes,
and their eternal destiny
00:21:44.27\00:21:47.84
"will be determined
by what they have done
00:21:47.84\00:21:50.47
"or have neglected to do for Him
00:21:50.47\00:21:53.21
in the person of the
poor and the suffering."
00:21:53.21\00:21:56.91
So, it's good
to know your Bible,
00:21:56.91\00:21:59.81
it's good to be
theologically correct,
00:21:59.81\00:22:02.68
it's good to go to church,
00:22:02.68\00:22:04.09
it's good to return
tithe and offerings,
00:22:04.09\00:22:06.82
it's good to pray
and sing and so forth,
00:22:06.82\00:22:10.13
but this statement,
this statement's pretty...
00:22:10.13\00:22:14.63
well, it's pretty straight.
00:22:14.63\00:22:16.40
Talk to us a little bit
about this statement, Ed.
00:22:16.40\00:22:18.53
>>Well, I included
this statement in the lesson
00:22:18.53\00:22:20.04
in the quarterly,
in the book as well,
00:22:20.04\00:22:21.60
because it's the
most terse statement
00:22:21.60\00:22:25.27
on character development,
showing of character.
00:22:25.27\00:22:28.84
If we're willing to help others,
00:22:28.84\00:22:29.94
our character's
more like Christ.
00:22:29.94\00:22:31.05
If we're selfish, it's
still-- more like Satan.
00:22:31.05\00:22:33.78
So what we're talking about
here is being able to determine
00:22:33.78\00:22:36.38
our relationship to
the poor helps God to know
00:22:36.38\00:22:39.79
whether we're safe
to save for eternity,
00:22:39.79\00:22:41.06
not that we're gonna
encounter poor people in heaven,
00:22:41.06\00:22:43.32
we probably won't,
but the bottom line is
00:22:43.32\00:22:46.06
that it illustrates
that we've been transformed
00:22:46.06\00:22:49.66
from selfishness to love
00:22:49.66\00:22:51.10
and we're ready for
translation to His kingdom.
00:22:51.10\00:22:53.30
>>So, clearly, helping
out the poor in practical ways
00:22:53.30\00:22:56.57
is part of a Christian walk.
00:22:56.57\00:22:58.74
I know for my family,
we do that in several ways,
00:22:58.74\00:23:02.04
and it's been a blessing to us
00:23:02.04\00:23:03.18
and a blessing to our children.
00:23:03.18\00:23:05.15
Often when we're
driving from point A to point B,
00:23:05.15\00:23:08.35
we'll pass someone who's
standing by the side of the road
00:23:08.35\00:23:10.92
with a little cardboard
sign or something like that
00:23:10.92\00:23:13.76
asking for, well, anything.
00:23:13.76\00:23:16.22
And we've been hesitant
in the past to give money
00:23:16.22\00:23:19.06
because you're never quite sure
00:23:19.06\00:23:20.06
what the money's going to go to.
00:23:20.06\00:23:21.36
But something that we have done
that's been a blessing to us
00:23:21.36\00:23:24.13
and been a
blessing to many people
00:23:24.13\00:23:25.50
is to carry little bags
of food, a brown paper bag
00:23:25.50\00:23:29.20
with a bottle of water
and maybe a fruit juice
00:23:29.20\00:23:32.41
and some granola
bars and things like that.
00:23:32.41\00:23:34.41
And to give those to people
so that they can have something
00:23:34.41\00:23:37.11
to eat and to share
with others as well.
00:23:37.11\00:23:39.85
We also regularly will--
00:23:40.62\00:23:41.95
we have a ministry for
the homeless in our church
00:23:41.95\00:23:46.12
that feeds the
homeless downtown once a month;
00:23:46.12\00:23:48.82
we'll take them
sometimes backpacks filled with
00:23:48.82\00:23:52.86
necessities. What are some other
things that either an individual
00:23:52.86\00:23:55.96
or a church entity
might be able to do
00:23:55.96\00:23:58.40
to minister to the poor, Ed?
00:23:58.40\00:24:00.54
>>Well, that's a very good
question and a good practice,
00:24:00.54\00:24:02.34
and I commend you for that.
Our local church where we attend
00:24:02.34\00:24:05.17
has what we
call a "blessing box"
00:24:05.17\00:24:06.81
that's put out right
above the road near our church,
00:24:06.81\00:24:09.24
and people bring
stuff to the church
00:24:09.24\00:24:11.21
to put in the blessing box,
00:24:11.21\00:24:12.51
non-perishable
food items generally,
00:24:12.51\00:24:15.02
some toiletry
items as well sometimes,
00:24:15.02\00:24:17.52
but the people in the
community who are of need
00:24:17.52\00:24:20.36
stop by, and there's
a little sign that says,
00:24:20.36\00:24:22.49
"Give what you can,
take what you need."
00:24:22.49\00:24:24.63
And there's no charge
for anything like that.
00:24:24.63\00:24:26.66
So several of our churches
in the area have blessing boxes
00:24:26.66\00:24:30.20
the people in the
community know about;
00:24:30.20\00:24:31.83
they can come by and get
something, if they need it,
00:24:31.83\00:24:34.40
and share it with
others or bring something
00:24:34.40\00:24:36.40
that they'd like to share.
00:24:36.40\00:24:37.47
In fact, some of the
neighbors of our church
00:24:37.47\00:24:39.14
help us to
furnish the blessing box.
00:24:39.14\00:24:41.94
But there's many
things we can do.
00:24:41.94\00:24:43.61
We have, the fourth
Sabbath of each month
00:24:43.61\00:24:45.18
in our church, we have called
Something Else Sabbath school,
00:24:45.18\00:24:48.18
where we have a charity or
a ministry in our local town
00:24:48.18\00:24:51.95
that we can support
with clothes items in winter
00:24:51.95\00:24:56.93
and food items throughout
the year and things for kids
00:24:56.93\00:25:00.46
when they start
back to school and so on.
00:25:00.46\00:25:01.70
So there's always
something that you can do.
00:25:01.70\00:25:04.27
We always--kids
enjoy going back to school
00:25:04.27\00:25:06.70
and buying new
pencils and notebooks
00:25:06.70\00:25:08.97
and erasers and
all those things,
00:25:08.97\00:25:10.77
and many of them
can't afford to get
00:25:10.77\00:25:12.34
what they would like to get,
00:25:12.34\00:25:13.51
but if we can
provide help for them,
00:25:13.51\00:25:15.81
I'm sure they're
very thankful for it,
00:25:15.81\00:25:17.98
and God will bless
us as a result as well.
00:25:17.98\00:25:20.45
>>He does, most certainly,
and through our example,
00:25:20.45\00:25:23.72
our children are
being influenced as well.
00:25:23.72\00:25:25.82
And I know for our kids,
when we carry those paper bags
00:25:25.82\00:25:29.29
filled with food,
lunch bags filled with food,
00:25:29.29\00:25:30.86
around in our car, our kids
will keep an eye out for people
00:25:30.86\00:25:33.70
that we can give them to.
00:25:33.70\00:25:34.76
And sometimes we have
to drive around the block
00:25:34.76\00:25:36.63
in order to be able to
make that delivery to somebody.
00:25:36.63\00:25:38.90
But it's great for
the kids to be saying,
00:25:38.90\00:25:40.37
"We wanna minister to
these individuals as well."
00:25:40.37\00:25:42.50
I think it starts
00:25:42.50\00:25:44.81
a spirit of giving and
selflessness from a young age.
00:25:44.81\00:25:49.51
Ed, I wanna read
one more statement here
00:25:49.51\00:25:50.91
from 1 Timothy 6, verses 17-19
00:25:50.91\00:25:53.31
and give you just a
moment to comment on it.
00:25:53.31\00:25:55.05
Paul says, "Command those
who are rich in this present age
00:25:55.05\00:25:58.39
"not to be haughty, nor
to trust in uncertain riches
00:25:58.39\00:26:01.49
"but in the living
God, who gives us richly
00:26:01.49\00:26:03.86
"all things to enjoy.
00:26:03.86\00:26:05.56
"Let them do good, that
they be rich in good works,
00:26:05.56\00:26:09.20
"ready to give,
willing to share,
00:26:09.20\00:26:11.47
"storing up for
themselves a good foundation
00:26:11.47\00:26:13.80
"for the time to come,
00:26:13.80\00:26:15.20
that they may lay
hold on eternal life."
00:26:15.20\00:26:18.31
Some quick thoughts on that?
00:26:18.31\00:26:20.08
>>Well, it's interesting
what this talks about
00:26:20.08\00:26:21.68
is that instead of
trusting in our riches
00:26:21.68\00:26:23.01
and what we've saved up, we
trust in God to take care of us.
00:26:23.01\00:26:25.88
We'll have more
time this quarter
00:26:25.88\00:26:27.95
to talk about that as
well, but I would just suggest
00:26:27.95\00:26:30.25
that our first
trust should be in God
00:26:30.25\00:26:33.32
'cause He takes
care of us, we know that,
00:26:33.32\00:26:34.72
we can thank Him for it,
00:26:34.72\00:26:35.82
and we can give
Him praise and honor.
00:26:35.82\00:26:37.19
But people pray for
help, and we can be an answer
00:26:37.19\00:26:40.43
to people's prayers, Eric.
00:26:40.43\00:26:41.73
I think that's a
blessing to know in your heart
00:26:41.73\00:26:44.00
that whatever we
do to help people,
00:26:44.00\00:26:45.87
we're answering their
prayers to God on their behalf.
00:26:45.87\00:26:49.34
So we're God's hands
and God's feet on this earth
00:26:49.34\00:26:51.51
to minister as He did.
00:26:51.51\00:26:53.34
Most of Jesus'
ministry was to common people,
00:26:53.34\00:26:55.31
and He helped them,
feeding the 5,000 and the 4,000
00:26:55.31\00:26:58.48
and healing the sick and so on.
00:26:58.48\00:27:00.58
So anything we can do to help
people physically, mentally,
00:27:00.58\00:27:02.95
or spiritually is a
blessing to them and to us.
00:27:02.95\00:27:05.79
And I'm also
saying that the values
00:27:05.79\00:27:07.42
that your children are learning
00:27:07.42\00:27:08.49
when you do things
with them are incredible.
00:27:08.49\00:27:10.93
Character development, passing
on values more than money
00:27:10.93\00:27:14.00
is really an
asset, I would think.
00:27:14.00\00:27:16.60
>>I would agree with
you wholeheartedly, Ed.
00:27:16.60\00:27:19.00
This week we've taken a
look at the least of these,
00:27:19.00\00:27:21.64
how God desires
to care for the poor
00:27:21.64\00:27:24.24
and how He desires
to use us to help Him
00:27:24.24\00:27:27.18
in caring for the poor,
00:27:27.18\00:27:28.61
and through doing
that, we are helped as well.
00:27:28.61\00:27:31.78
Ultimately, God
wants all to be saved.
00:27:31.78\00:27:34.25
We just have to develop
that character of Christ
00:27:34.25\00:27:37.45
and accept His way of
life rather than our own
00:27:37.45\00:27:40.72
in order to benefit from that.
00:27:40.72\00:27:42.32
God bless you. Thank you once
again for joining us this week
00:27:42.32\00:27:44.69
on "Sabbath School,"
brought to you by It Is Written,
00:27:44.69\00:27:47.23
and we will see you
again next week. Take care.
00:27:47.23\00:27:50.10
(inspirational music)
00:27:50.10\00:27:53.30
(music ends)
00:28:26.84\00:28:28.97