(bright 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 that you
could join us again this week
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as we continue our journey
through the book of Revelation,
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especially looking at
those three cosmic messages,
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the three angels'
messages found in Revelation 14,
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that interact with so many
other portions of the Bible.
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We are on lesson number 4,
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week number 4 on our
13-lesson journey together.
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And this week's
lesson is called,
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"Fear God and
Give Glory to Him."
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We're going to dive
into that in just a moment,
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but let's begin with prayer.
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Father, thank You
for giving us time today
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to pull apart from the
other cares of the world
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and to dwell on You and
Your message for this time.
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We ask that You'll
bless us and help us
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to gain a clear understanding
of the type of relationship
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that You want us
to have with You,
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the motivation for
having that relationship,
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and what we can look
forward to in the future.
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And we thank You in Jesus' name.
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Amen.
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Well, our special
guest this week again
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is Pastor Mark Finley.
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Pastor Mark,
great to have you back.
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>>It is delightful to be here.
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Thank you so much for having me.
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>>So you give this
message, this lesson,
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the title, "Fear God
and Give Glory to Him."
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We don't typically
think of the relationship
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that Christians
should have with their God
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as one built on fear.
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What does fear mean,
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what does it not mean, and
why are we called to fear God?
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>>Actually, Pastor
Eric, the title for the lesson
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comes from Revelation 14 itself,
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where in Revelation,
chapter 14 and verse 6,
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which we've been emphasizing
the last few lessons,
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it talks about the angel who
flies in the middle of heaven,
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a message that goes
to the ends of the earth
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with the everlasting gospel.
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Then in verse 7 it says,
"Fear God and give glory to Him,
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for the hour of
His judgment has come."
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This expression, "fear God",
is a very unique expression.
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It's used throughout the Bible,
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so maybe it would
help us to understand
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what it means to fear God
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if we look at other places
in Scripture where it's used.
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So let's go, for
example, to Genesis, chapter 22.
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Genesis, chapter 22, uses
the expression "fearing God,"
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and it talks, in
fact, about Abraham
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and his fear of God.
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Genesis, chapter 22, and
we're going to look at verse 12.
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>>"And He said, 'Do not
lay your hand on the lad,
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"'or do anything to him;
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"'for now I know
that you fear God,
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"'since you have
not withheld your son,
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your only son, from me.'"
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>>Now that helps us to
understand what it means to fear
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God because Abraham
has brought his son, Isaac,
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onto the mountain at
the instructions of God
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to offer him as sacrifice.
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God was testing Abraham's faith.
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It was not that
Abraham was gonna slay his son,
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but he had to be
willing to do that,
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and God provided a
ram in the thicket.
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But the angel speaks and says,
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"Don't lay your hand on the lad,
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for now I know
that you fear God."
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Did that mean that
Abraham was afraid of God?
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It means that Abraham's
had such reverence for God,
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he took God so seriously
that he did whatever God said,
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even if he didn't understand it.
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What is fearing God?
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Fearing God in Scripture
is having reverence, respect,
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it's taking God seriously,
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so I obey Him, even
if I don't understand.
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We find this relationship
between fearing God and
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obedience also in Ecclesiastes,
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and we find it there
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in the book of
Ecclesiastes, chapter 12.
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And fearing God has to do
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with a state of mind
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in which I take God seriously
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and I do whatever He says,
even if I don't understand it.
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And if we go down there
to Ecclesiastes, chapter 12,
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and we'll look at verse 14,
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and if you could read,
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you know, I think it's
good to start even with 13,
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read 13 and 14 for us.
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>>"Let us hear the
conclusion of the whole matter:
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"fear God and keep His
commandments, for this is man's
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all. "For God will bring
every work into judgment,
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including every secret
thing, whether good or evil."
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>>The structure of this passage
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is very similar to
Revelation 14:7 where it says,
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"Fear God... give glory to Him,
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for the hour of
His judgment has come."
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This text says, "Fear God
and keep His commandments."
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In other words, as you
respect God and reverence God
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and as you take God seriously,
it'll lead you to obedience,
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and this obedience is
significantly important
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in the light of the judgment.
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So in Revelation 14:7,
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there's an appeal to be
very serious about our faith
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with God in the
light of the fact
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that we're living
in the judgment hour.
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There is a section here
that I think is very helpful,
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that I've written
under Sunday's lesson.
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It talks about the
essence of the great controversy
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between Christ and Satan,
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the difference between
Christ's attitude of humility
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and His desire to please God,
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and Satan's attitude
of arrogance and pride.
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And I don't know
if you have it there,
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but it's the paragraph
that is just the second
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to last paragraph.
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>>"The essence of
the great controversy
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"revolves around
submission to God.
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"Lucifer was self-centered.
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"He refused to submit to
any authority except his own.
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"Rather than submit to
the One upon the throne,
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"Lucifer desired to
rule from the throne.
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"Put simply, to fear
God is to place Him first
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"in our thinking.
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"It is to renounce our
self-centeredness and pride
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and to live a
life wholly for Him."
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>>That's the definition
of what it means to fear God.
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Fearing God is
linked to obeying God.
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We find that in, for example,
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a number of
passages in Scripture,
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on Monday's lesson, we talk
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about Psalm
119, verse 73 and 74.
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What I want us to
really clearly see
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is that you
cannot say you fear God
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if you openly,
blatantly disobey God.
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So fearing God is
not being afraid of God,
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it's not trembling
because I'm fearful
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that if I do something
wrong, God is gonna zap me.
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Fearing God is
rather a statement of mind
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where I respect God so
much that I take Him seriously,
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and taking Him
seriously, I obey His commands.
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And we find this in
Psalm 119, verse 73 and 74,
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and go ahead and read those.
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>>"Your hands have
made me and fashioned me;
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"give me understanding, that
I may learn Your commandments.
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"Those who fear You will
be glad when they see me,
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because I have
hoped in Your word."
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>>Yeah, so those who fear You,
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those who take God seriously,
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David says are gonna be glad.
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Why? Because I
hope in Your word.
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So in other words, I've
given my total life to Christ,
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and other believers are
gonna be glad when they see me
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because of my faith in
commitment and obedience to
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Christ, so that has
to do with fearing God.
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>>Very good.
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So, not a fear of trembling,
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a fear that's
manifested in trembling,
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but a fear of
reverence and respect
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because we know who God
is and what He offers us.
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A powerful picture there.
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You've talked about, here,
living a God-centered life.
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What does it mean to
live a God-centered life
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rather than a self-focused
or a self-centered life?
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>>You know, we bring that out
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in the lesson on Tuesday,
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what it means to
live a God-centered life.
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And maybe the first paragraph
there is a great one to read,
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and then we can
look at some of the text.
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>>"In an age of consumerism,
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"when secular values
have made self the center,
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"heaven's appeal is
to turn from the tyranny
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"of self-centeredness
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"and the bondage of
self-inflating importance
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"[and] to place God at
the center of our lives.
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"For some, money is
the center of their lives.
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"For others, it
is pleasure or power.
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"For some, it may be
sports, music, or entertainment.
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"Revelation's message
is a clarion call to fear,
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respect, and honor God
as life's true center."
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>>You know, Jesus
talks about that as well
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in Matthew, chapter 6, verse 33,
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Christ talks about
what it means practically
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to take God seriously and
make Him the center of our life.
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Matthew, chapter 6, verse 33,
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we find that here,
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and Jesus talks
about priorities.
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Where are our
priorities in life?
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And go ahead and
read that for us.
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>>Jesus says, "But seek
first the kingdom of God
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"and His righteousness,
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and all these things
shall be added to you."
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>>Jesus is
talking about priorities,
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and He's saying, make the
seeking of the kingdom of God
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first in your life.
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Where are your
priorities in life?
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Do you place a
priority on prayer?
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Do you place a
priority on Bible study?
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Do you place a
priority on devotions?
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Do you place a priority
on giving to the cause of God
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and the cause of Christ?
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Do you place a
priority on worship?
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Seek first the kingdom of God.
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Here in the book of Colossians,
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there's a text that
really has been burning its way
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into my mind recently,
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and I've been
thinking a lot about this text,
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in fact, thinking about
it in the light, Pastor Eric,
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about my own life.
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Colossians, chapter
3 and verse 1 and 2,
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and again, go
ahead and read that.
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>>"If then you
were raised with Christ,
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"seek those
things which are above,
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"where Christ is, sitting
at the right hand of God.
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Set your mind on things above,
not on things on the earth."
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>>And then verse 3, I
think we can add to it.
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>>"For you died,
and your life is hidden
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with Christ in God."
00:10:44.97\00:10:46.61
>>So, if Christ has
transformed our lives,
00:10:46.61\00:10:50.71
how do we fear God practically?
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How do we take Him seriously?
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How do we show Him reverence?
00:10:54.42\00:10:56.32
We set our mind.
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Now, it's
interesting the choice of words
00:10:57.85\00:11:00.49
that the Apostle Paul
used there, "set your mind."
00:11:00.49\00:11:03.19
In other words,
make a positive decision
00:11:03.19\00:11:07.13
in your mind;
00:11:07.13\00:11:08.50
set your mind.
00:11:08.50\00:11:09.60
Make a positive
choice on the things above,
00:11:09.60\00:11:12.60
not on the things of earth.
00:11:12.60\00:11:14.30
So the question is,
where are you focused?
00:11:14.30\00:11:17.71
What's the focus of your life?
00:11:17.71\00:11:19.41
Now obviously, there's
work that has to be done.
00:11:19.41\00:11:23.08
Obviously, we need
to go out day by day.
00:11:23.08\00:11:26.82
Some work in factories,
some work at computers,
00:11:26.82\00:11:29.15
some work in the
medical profession,
00:11:29.15\00:11:30.92
nurses and doctors,
00:11:30.92\00:11:32.22
and some work as
00:11:32.22\00:11:35.42
carpenters and electricians,
00:11:35.42\00:11:38.49
so obviously, we go out to work
00:11:38.49\00:11:40.30
to make a living for our family,
00:11:40.30\00:11:43.50
but the goal of our life,
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the focus of our life,
is not merely making money.
00:11:45.93\00:11:50.91
The focus of our
life, the goal of our life,
00:11:52.14\00:11:53.71
is not merely having
pleasure for ourself.
00:11:53.71\00:11:56.64
Life is much more than simply
getting up in the morning,
00:11:56.64\00:12:00.95
wolfing down a
breakfast, jumping in our car,
00:12:00.95\00:12:03.69
racing to work,
battling traffic,
00:12:03.69\00:12:07.72
coming home at 5:30 half
exhausted, or 6 o'clock or 7,
00:12:07.72\00:12:12.56
exhausted, watching a
little TV while we eat supper,
00:12:12.56\00:12:17.20
and going to bed.
00:12:17.20\00:12:18.43
Life has to be more than that.
00:12:18.43\00:12:20.30
And what Christ is saying in
this "fear God" in Revelation,
00:12:20.30\00:12:24.21
we're living in
the judgment hour.
00:12:24.21\00:12:26.21
Set your
priorities straight in life,
00:12:26.21\00:12:29.01
seek first the kingdom of God,
00:12:29.01\00:12:31.51
set your affection on things
above, not on things on earth.
00:12:31.51\00:12:35.78
>>Worthwhile for us to dwell on,
00:12:35.78\00:12:38.45
and those are
some powerful verses,
00:12:38.45\00:12:40.26
powerful verses that
can, and indeed should,
00:12:40.26\00:12:42.89
guide all of our lives.
00:12:42.89\00:12:44.56
We are tempted, and in
fact, trained by this world
00:12:44.56\00:12:48.56
to look at things
happening in our lives
00:12:48.56\00:12:51.87
on a horizontal perspective
00:12:51.87\00:12:53.90
whereas God wants us to
take a more vertical perspective
00:12:53.90\00:12:57.31
and keep the
things of heaven in mind.
00:12:57.31\00:13:00.21
And along those lines, that's
what we're doing this quarter
00:13:00.21\00:13:02.91
as we're looking at
three cosmic messages.
00:13:02.91\00:13:05.55
I wanna encourage you, again,
00:13:05.55\00:13:06.92
if you have not already
done so, now is the time.
00:13:06.92\00:13:10.19
Make sure you pick
up the companion book
00:13:10.19\00:13:11.92
to this quarter's
"Sabbath School" lesson.
00:13:11.92\00:13:13.89
It is called
"Three Cosmic Messages"
00:13:13.89\00:13:15.96
by Pastor Mark Finley,
00:13:15.96\00:13:17.39
and goes into
much greater detail,
00:13:17.39\00:13:19.43
much greater
depth into this subject,
00:13:19.43\00:13:22.10
and you will be
blessed if you pick this up.
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Where can you do it?
00:13:24.67\00:13:25.87
At itiswritten.shop.
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Again, itiswritten.shop
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is where you will find
"Three Cosmic Messages"
00:13:30.54\00:13:32.94
by Pastor Mark Finley.
00:13:32.94\00:13:34.54
And we're going to continue
looking at what it means
00:13:34.54\00:13:36.64
to fear God and
give glory to Him
00:13:36.64\00:13:39.18
when we come
back in just a moment.
00:13:39.18\00:13:41.12
We'll see you momentarily.
00:13:41.12\00:13:42.88
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>>Planning for
your financial future
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>>Welcome back
to "Sabbath School,"
00:14:52.55\00:14:53.96
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:14:53.96\00:14:55.69
We're looking at what the
Bible says about fearing God
00:14:55.69\00:14:58.63
and giving glory to Him.
00:14:58.63\00:15:01.30
So, we've talked already a
little bit about fearing God,
00:15:01.30\00:15:05.13
that it means to
reverence Him and so forth,
00:15:05.13\00:15:08.67
not to shake in fear, but
what about giving glory to God?
00:15:08.67\00:15:12.71
How do we give glory to God?
00:15:12.71\00:15:14.24
What are some ways
that we can do that?
00:15:14.24\00:15:16.11
>>Well, let's look at the
distinction between those two.
00:15:16.11\00:15:19.58
Fearing God and giving
glory to God in Revelation 14:7
00:15:19.58\00:15:22.88
is in the context of the gospel.
00:15:22.88\00:15:25.29
So I can never fear
God or take Him seriously
00:15:25.29\00:15:28.36
if I don't
understand the gospel,
00:15:28.36\00:15:29.92
if I don't understand
that Christ has changed my life
00:15:29.92\00:15:32.53
and that Christ has
transformed my life.
00:15:32.53\00:15:34.63
If His grace is
not filling my life,
00:15:34.63\00:15:37.37
if His love is not
saturating my life,
00:15:37.37\00:15:39.77
I can never take Him seriously.
00:15:39.77\00:15:41.90
I can never give glory to Him
00:15:41.90\00:15:44.04
if I don't have
anything to give glory for,
00:15:44.04\00:15:46.41
but I give glory to Him
because He is my Creator.
00:15:46.41\00:15:49.41
I'm not a speck of cosmic dust,
00:15:49.41\00:15:51.08
He fashioned me,
00:15:51.08\00:15:52.01
He made me.
00:15:52.01\00:15:53.31
I give glory to Him
because He's my Redeemer,
00:15:53.31\00:15:55.62
because He
saved me by His grace.
00:15:55.62\00:15:58.25
I give glory to Him because
He is my interceding Lord,
00:15:58.25\00:16:01.89
my High Priest who
gives me power and strength
00:16:01.89\00:16:04.93
to live every day,
00:16:04.93\00:16:06.29
and I give glory to Him
because He's coming again.
00:16:06.29\00:16:08.30
So it says, give
glory to God, why?
00:16:08.30\00:16:10.00
For the hour of
His judgment has come.
00:16:10.00\00:16:12.33
Now, the Bible helps us
define these two things.
00:16:12.33\00:16:15.60
Fearing God has to
do with what I think;
00:16:15.60\00:16:19.07
giving glory to God
has to do with how I live.
00:16:19.07\00:16:21.98
Fearing God has to
do with a mental state
00:16:21.98\00:16:24.15
of taking God seriously;
00:16:24.15\00:16:26.01
giving glory to God
translates that into my life.
00:16:26.01\00:16:29.08
We find that in a
number of biblical passages.
00:16:29.08\00:16:33.39
Let's just look at one
00:16:33.39\00:16:35.12
in 1 Corinthians,
chapter 6, verse 19 and 20.
00:16:35.12\00:16:40.13
1 Corinthians,
chapter 6, verse 19 and 20,
00:16:41.53\00:16:46.07
Paul is writing to
the church at Corinth.
00:16:46.07\00:16:49.04
Now it's very interesting,
the church at Corinth,
00:16:49.04\00:16:52.41
Corinth is in the
southern part of Greece,
00:16:52.41\00:16:56.64
province of Achaia down south.
00:16:56.64\00:16:59.38
It was a seaport city
00:16:59.38\00:17:01.98
that had the
Temple of Aphrodite,
00:17:01.98\00:17:04.62
which a thousand
pagan mortal priestesses,
00:17:04.62\00:17:08.12
and it was a city with a
lot of transient population,
00:17:08.12\00:17:13.06
ships docked there,
00:17:13.06\00:17:14.36
so you had the ship
workers, the sailors were there.
00:17:14.36\00:17:17.60
It was the party city of Greece,
00:17:17.60\00:17:20.30
pleasure center of Greece.
00:17:20.30\00:17:22.37
So Paul says in
00:17:22.37\00:17:23.77
1 Corinthians,
chapter 6, verse 19 and 20,
00:17:23.77\00:17:28.21
go ahead and read it please.
00:17:28.21\00:17:30.01
>>"Or do you not know
that your body is the temple
00:17:30.01\00:17:33.11
"of the Holy
Spirit who is in you,
00:17:33.11\00:17:35.08
"whom you have from God,
and you are not your own?
00:17:35.08\00:17:38.05
"For you were bought at a price;
00:17:38.05\00:17:39.82
"therefore glorify God in
your body and in your spirit,
00:17:39.82\00:17:43.76
which are God's."
00:17:43.76\00:17:45.06
>>So here, how do we
glorify God in our lifestyle?
00:17:45.06\00:17:48.30
Now, there's another passage
we have to put with this,
00:17:48.30\00:17:51.13
and that's 1
Corinthians 10, verse 31,
00:17:51.13\00:17:53.70
and I think if we
get those two together,
00:17:53.70\00:17:55.44
we'll have a good idea
what it means to glorify God.
00:17:55.44\00:17:59.11
>>"Therefore,
whether you eat or drink,
00:17:59.11\00:18:01.41
or whatever you do, do
all to the glory of God."
00:18:01.41\00:18:04.98
>>So here, the scripture says,
00:18:04.98\00:18:06.58
"Whatever you eat or
drink,... whatever you do,
00:18:06.58\00:18:09.52
do... to the glory of God."
00:18:09.52\00:18:10.62
So I give God
glory in the way I live.
00:18:10.62\00:18:14.62
I give God glory in
the choices that I make.
00:18:14.62\00:18:18.39
So the question I have
to ask very practically is,
00:18:18.39\00:18:21.73
is when I sit down to a meal,
00:18:21.73\00:18:24.17
is the food I'm
eating giving glory to God?
00:18:24.17\00:18:26.37
Am I truly giving glory to God
00:18:27.57\00:18:30.37
as I work with Him
to preserve the health
00:18:30.37\00:18:33.48
that He has given me?
00:18:33.48\00:18:35.11
Can I say I'm giving glory
to God if I'm smoking tobacco?
00:18:35.11\00:18:38.68
Can I say I'm giving glory
to God if I'm drinking alcohol?
00:18:38.68\00:18:41.78
Can I say I'm
giving glory to God
00:18:41.78\00:18:43.18
if I'm eating unclean foods?
00:18:43.18\00:18:44.95
Can I say I'm
giving glory to God
00:18:44.95\00:18:46.35
if I totally neglect my health,
00:18:46.35\00:18:48.26
I don't care about exercise,
I don't care about diet,
00:18:48.26\00:18:51.19
if I don't care
about getting adequate--
00:18:51.19\00:18:54.00
in other words, how
do I give glory to God?
00:18:54.00\00:18:56.77
I take Him seriously
in my mind and fear God,
00:18:56.77\00:18:59.53
but I give glory to
Him in the way I live.
00:18:59.53\00:19:01.70
"Whatsoever you eat or
drink, whatever you do,
00:19:02.80\00:19:05.14
do all to the glory of God."
00:19:05.14\00:19:06.78
In what I listen to,
am I giving glory to God?
00:19:08.21\00:19:10.21
The kind of music
am I listening to,
00:19:10.21\00:19:12.48
is that giving glory to God?
00:19:12.48\00:19:14.72
In the activities of my life,
00:19:14.72\00:19:17.59
what I watch on television,
00:19:17.59\00:19:19.59
what I look at on YouTube,
what I watch on Netflix,
00:19:19.59\00:19:23.12
is all of that
giving glory to God?
00:19:23.12\00:19:26.03
Is it possible that I
can claim to be a Christian,
00:19:26.03\00:19:29.83
but yet, defile my
mind by sitting down
00:19:29.83\00:19:34.44
and watching
things on the internet
00:19:34.44\00:19:36.34
that are totally un-Christian?
00:19:36.34\00:19:39.14
Or what if I'm
addicted to the digital world,
00:19:39.14\00:19:42.58
am I giving glory to God there?
00:19:42.58\00:19:44.31
>>You know,
sometimes you run into people
00:19:44.31\00:19:46.41
who have their Christian life
00:19:46.41\00:19:48.18
and then they have the
other life that they live.
00:19:48.18\00:19:51.05
And really, Christianity is
not about a dualistic approach
00:19:51.05\00:19:55.26
to life, it's an
entire wholehearted approach.
00:19:55.26\00:19:58.86
Everything is wholistic,
00:19:58.86\00:20:00.83
I guess if we could
use that with a "w,"
00:20:00.83\00:20:03.37
a wholistic approach to life,
00:20:03.37\00:20:05.03
that everything is involved
in, nothing is separated from.
00:20:05.03\00:20:08.44
>>Exactly.
00:20:08.44\00:20:09.74
There are a couple
passages on that in the Bible.
00:20:09.74\00:20:11.01
Look at 1
Thessalonians, chapter 5.
00:20:11.01\00:20:14.18
This brings out exactly
what you've said, Pastor Eric.
00:20:14.18\00:20:18.61
1 Thessalonians,
chapter 5, verse 23.
00:20:18.61\00:20:22.35
It really
illustrates Paul's concept,
00:20:22.35\00:20:26.39
inspired by the
Holy Spirit of course,
00:20:26.39\00:20:28.82
of what it means
to give glory to God.
00:20:28.82\00:20:30.73
1 Thessalonians 5, verse 23.
00:20:30.73\00:20:33.19
>>"Now may the
God of peace Himself
00:20:33.19\00:20:35.46
"sanctify you completely;
00:20:35.46\00:20:37.50
"and may your whole
spirit, soul, and body
00:20:37.50\00:20:40.44
"be preserved blameless
00:20:40.44\00:20:42.04
at the coming of
our Lord Jesus Christ."
00:20:42.04\00:20:44.11
>>Yeah, sanctify you complete,
00:20:44.11\00:20:45.64
your whole spirit,
that's your mental attitude.
00:20:45.64\00:20:47.71
You know, we've said sometime,
00:20:47.71\00:20:48.91
that person is an angry spirit,
00:20:48.91\00:20:50.65
that person is a kind spirit.
00:20:50.65\00:20:52.05
It reveals our attitude.
00:20:52.05\00:20:54.02
And then says, your soul,
00:20:54.02\00:20:55.42
that's the spiritual
faculties of the human being.
00:20:55.42\00:20:59.12
And body, that's the physical.
00:20:59.12\00:21:00.72
So you have mental,
spiritual, and physical,
00:21:00.72\00:21:03.63
and we give glory to God
in every aspect of our life.
00:21:03.63\00:21:08.66
>>So we
reverence God, we fear Him,
00:21:09.80\00:21:11.67
we give glory to Him in
every area of our lives.
00:21:11.67\00:21:15.57
Now if we are reverencing
Him and giving Him glory,
00:21:15.57\00:21:19.47
then you get into
the next question is,
00:21:19.47\00:21:21.44
what about overcoming?
00:21:21.44\00:21:22.74
What about those
challenges that we face in life?
00:21:22.74\00:21:25.68
None of us is
impervious to temptations,
00:21:25.68\00:21:30.75
and it's a whole lot
easier to fall to temptations,
00:21:32.09\00:21:33.69
at least it seems,
than to resist them.
00:21:33.69\00:21:36.93
Is there any hope?
00:21:36.93\00:21:38.53
We wanna do the right things,
00:21:38.53\00:21:40.06
we wanna be ready
for Jesus when He comes.
00:21:40.06\00:21:42.90
Is there actual hope
that we could overcome
00:21:42.90\00:21:45.70
some of those bad
habits, some of those sins,
00:21:45.70\00:21:48.00
that so easily beset us?
00:21:48.00\00:21:50.07
>>You know, it's fascinating
00:21:50.07\00:21:52.17
when you look at
the book of Revelation,
00:21:52.17\00:21:54.44
because Revelation is
a book about overcoming.
00:21:54.44\00:21:58.21
The seven churches in
Revelation, chapter 2 and 3,
00:21:58.21\00:22:01.12
Ephesus, he that overcomes,
00:22:01.12\00:22:04.19
Smyrna, he that overcomes,
00:22:04.19\00:22:06.22
Pergamos, he that overcomes,
00:22:06.22\00:22:08.09
Thyatira, he that overcomes,
00:22:08.09\00:22:09.09
Sardis, he that overcomes,
00:22:09.09\00:22:10.59
Philadelphia, he that overcomes,
00:22:10.59\00:22:11.93
Laodicea, he that overcomes.
00:22:11.93\00:22:13.90
So, what God is saying in that
00:22:13.90\00:22:17.77
is wherever you find yourself.
00:22:17.77\00:22:19.10
If you find yourself in
the midst of compromise,
00:22:19.10\00:22:21.30
you can overcome.
00:22:21.30\00:22:22.70
If you find yourself in
the midst of evil and darkness,
00:22:22.70\00:22:24.51
you can overcome.
00:22:24.51\00:22:25.84
If you find yourself in the
midst of spiritual complacency,
00:22:25.84\00:22:28.71
you can overcome.
00:22:28.71\00:22:30.05
If you've drifted from
Christ and once knew Him,
00:22:30.05\00:22:32.41
you can overcome.
00:22:32.41\00:22:33.75
So the emphasis
of Revelation is we,
00:22:33.75\00:22:37.75
through the grace of Christ,
00:22:37.75\00:22:39.09
not through our own strength,
not through our own power,
00:22:39.09\00:22:41.92
it's possible to overcome.
00:22:41.92\00:22:44.33
As you and I were
talking a little bit off camera,
00:22:44.33\00:22:46.93
we'd never wanna limit God.
00:22:46.93\00:22:48.50
Unpack that a little bit for us.
00:22:49.40\00:22:51.27
>>Yeah, I was once asked whether
I thought it was possible
00:22:51.27\00:22:54.57
for someone to overcome,
00:22:54.57\00:22:56.40
and the answer that I gave,
00:22:56.40\00:22:57.91
and I hadn't
prepared the answer,
00:22:57.91\00:22:59.11
I think God just gave it to me,
00:22:59.11\00:23:01.31
was I would not feel
comfortable putting any limits
00:23:01.31\00:23:05.88
on what God can do
in the life of a person
00:23:05.88\00:23:08.65
who is completely and
totally surrendered to Him.
00:23:08.65\00:23:11.92
You know, if we are
indeed truly surrendered to Him,
00:23:11.92\00:23:16.42
then He has carte blanche,
He can do whatever He wants,
00:23:16.42\00:23:20.16
and the last time I checked,
00:23:20.16\00:23:21.33
God doesn't have any
limitations in that department.
00:23:21.33\00:23:24.67
And so He--but it's up to
us to be willing to lay down
00:23:24.67\00:23:28.60
our wills at His feet
and let Him take the wheel.
00:23:28.60\00:23:32.31
>>Yea, you know, the
question we'd have to ask too,
00:23:32.31\00:23:34.08
and then that's
such a great answer,
00:23:34.08\00:23:35.51
God has no limitations.
00:23:35.51\00:23:36.88
But the question
we'd have to ask is too,
00:23:36.88\00:23:38.95
what sins are so great
00:23:38.95\00:23:41.52
that God's power cannot
enable us to overcome them?
00:23:41.52\00:23:45.15
You know, because He
says that He is "the Author
00:23:45.15\00:23:49.29
and Finisher of our faith."
00:23:49.29\00:23:50.79
Hebrews 12:1-2.
00:23:50.79\00:23:52.43
He says that "I've
begun a good work in you,"
00:23:52.43\00:23:55.73
Philippians 1:6-7,
00:23:55.73\00:23:57.33
"and I will finish
the work that I began."
00:23:57.33\00:24:00.27
I don't know how God's gonna
finish His work in my life,
00:24:00.27\00:24:03.07
but I know He
promises to finish it,
00:24:03.07\00:24:05.01
and I don't wanna
limit what God can do.
00:24:05.01\00:24:07.08
>>That promise is
one that gives me hope,
00:24:08.18\00:24:10.08
that He who began a
good work will perform it,
00:24:10.08\00:24:12.71
or finish it, or complete it
until the day of Jesus Christ.
00:24:12.71\00:24:15.45
I may not be yet
who I aspire to be,
00:24:15.45\00:24:19.82
but I'm not who I
used to be either,
00:24:19.82\00:24:22.16
and so, we're on a journey,
00:24:22.16\00:24:23.83
and God, day by day, if we're
willing to go on that journey
00:24:23.83\00:24:26.86
with Him, will
lead us step by step.
00:24:26.86\00:24:28.70
>>There is a paragraph
that I've written on page 35
00:24:28.70\00:24:32.10
that might be
helpful on this point.
00:24:32.10\00:24:34.10
It's on Thursday's
lesson, April 20th.
00:24:34.10\00:24:37.17
It says, "Jesus,
the divine Son of God,
00:24:38.27\00:24:41.04
"has overcome the
wiles of the devil.
00:24:41.04\00:24:44.21
"He faced temptations
trusting in the promises of God,
00:24:44.21\00:24:47.92
"surrendering His
will to the Father's will,
00:24:47.92\00:24:50.62
"and depending on
the Father's power.
00:24:50.62\00:24:53.09
"Trusting Him, looking
to Him, believing in Him,
00:24:53.09\00:24:56.32
"we, too, can be victorious.
00:24:56.32\00:24:58.56
Jesus is our all in all,
00:24:58.56\00:25:00.66
"and the three angels'
messages are all about Him.
00:25:00.66\00:25:03.63
"Revelation's message is
one of victory, not defeat.
00:25:03.63\00:25:07.10
"It speaks of a
people who through His grace
00:25:07.10\00:25:09.64
and by His power overcome."
00:25:09.64\00:25:11.91
That's the purpose of
these three angels' messages,
00:25:11.91\00:25:14.78
to lead us in the
light of the judgment hour,
00:25:14.78\00:25:17.05
in the light of the
second coming of Christ,
00:25:17.05\00:25:19.38
to fear God, to
take Him seriously,
00:25:19.38\00:25:21.82
to give glory to Him in
every aspect of our lives,
00:25:21.82\00:25:24.69
believing that through
His grace and by His power,
00:25:24.69\00:25:27.16
we can overcome.
00:25:27.16\00:25:28.52
>>So Pastor Mark, let me
give you an opportunity to speak
00:25:28.52\00:25:30.96
to those who are
watching or listening,
00:25:30.96\00:25:33.26
who may be
struggling with something,
00:25:33.26\00:25:35.70
who may be frustrated,
00:25:35.70\00:25:38.67
and they believe that
God can give them victory,
00:25:38.67\00:25:42.44
but they're not experiencing it,
00:25:42.44\00:25:44.11
they believe that God
can change their lives,
00:25:44.11\00:25:46.41
but they're not
seeing it happen,
00:25:46.41\00:25:48.51
and they keep
stumbling and falling,
00:25:48.51\00:25:51.35
and they're kind of at
a point where they say,
00:25:51.35\00:25:54.28
"I believe, yet it's
not manifesting itself."
00:25:54.28\00:25:57.39
What kind of encouragement
could you give to someone?
00:25:57.39\00:25:59.45
>>Well, thank you
so much for asking.
00:25:59.45\00:26:01.46
The question that I
would ask that person is this,
00:26:01.46\00:26:04.59
remember what Jesus said.
00:26:04.59\00:26:06.43
He said to the man who
was shaking from head to toe
00:26:06.43\00:26:09.96
with a palsy,
"Will you be made whole?"
00:26:09.96\00:26:13.57
In other words, do
you desire healing?
00:26:13.57\00:26:16.94
So, if you're struggling with
something in your life today,
00:26:16.94\00:26:21.21
and if that thing
you've fallen on again
00:26:21.21\00:26:23.85
and again and again, I
would ask you this question,
00:26:23.85\00:26:27.18
do you really want
the power of Christ?
00:26:27.18\00:26:30.15
Do you really want
to give up that thing?
00:26:30.15\00:26:32.35
And you say,
"Pastor, yes, I do."
00:26:32.35\00:26:34.62
Make then a decision that today,
00:26:34.62\00:26:38.93
you're gonna surrender
that very thing to Jesus.
00:26:38.93\00:26:41.06
Come to Jesus and say,
"Jesus, I'm weak, I'm frail.
00:26:41.06\00:26:46.13
I know that I
can't do this on my own,"
00:26:47.27\00:26:49.10
but this is the
confidence that we have in Him,
00:26:49.10\00:26:52.21
1 John 5, verse 14.
00:26:52.21\00:26:54.98
"If we ask anything according
to His will, He hears us."
00:26:54.98\00:26:59.41
If you know it is God's will
00:26:59.41\00:27:01.55
for you to give
something up and surrender it,
00:27:01.55\00:27:04.05
if the Holy Spirit's
been impressing you with that,
00:27:04.05\00:27:06.92
surrender that to Him today.
00:27:07.92\00:27:10.29
And 1 John 5:4 says,
00:27:10.29\00:27:12.83
"This is the victory
that overcome[s] the world,
00:27:12.83\00:27:14.56
even [by] faith."
00:27:14.56\00:27:16.50
Don't wallow in your failures,
00:27:16.50\00:27:18.90
by faith, accept His victory,
00:27:18.90\00:27:21.20
by faith, accept His power,
00:27:21.20\00:27:23.00
by faith, you believe you
can overcome, and you will.
00:27:23.00\00:27:27.04
>>Pastor Mark, thank you so
much for being with us again
00:27:27.04\00:27:29.51
this week, and thank you
for helping us to understand
00:27:29.51\00:27:31.55
what it really means to
fear God and give glory to Him.
00:27:31.55\00:27:35.08
Thank you for
joining us as well.
00:27:35.08\00:27:38.15
We are continuing our
journey again next week,
00:27:38.15\00:27:41.06
looking at
"Three Cosmic Messages."
00:27:41.06\00:27:43.89
Until then, may God bless you,
00:27:43.89\00:27:45.63
and we'll see you next
time on "Sabbath School,"
00:27:45.63\00:27:47.76
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:27:47.76\00:27:49.76
(bright music)
00:27:50.80\00:27:55.87
(music ends)
00:28:25.10\00:28:27.77