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Series Code: SSH
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00:35 Hello, and welcome to another edition
00:36 of the Sabbath School Study Hour right here taking place 00:39 at the Granite Bay Seventh-day Adventist Church 00:42 in the greater area of Sacramento, California. 00:46 It's always good to have everyone join us together, 00:49 both, those who are with us live here 00:50 in the Granite Bay Church, of course, 00:51 that join us each and every Sabbath. 00:53 Always good to have everybody that's joining us live stream 00:56 and the various Facebook pages that are taking place right now 00:59 as well as those who are watching this program 01:02 in the future on various television networks. 01:04 It's always good to have each and every one of you. 01:07 It's always good to have our online members, 01:09 those who are guests and visitors, 01:11 and perhaps you are watching this program 01:12 for the very first time, 01:14 and we want to give a special welcome to you, 01:16 and pray and trust that this program 01:18 will be a blessing for you 01:20 as we continue to study a very important subject 01:22 and that is the topic of stewardship. 01:25 Now, as we look at this particular topic, 01:27 today is no small lesson study 01:29 because basically we are looking at the conclusion 01:32 of this particular topic Stewardship. 01:35 And so we are going to be looking at lesson number 13, 01:38 and that is entitled The Results of Stewardship. 01:41 What are the results of stewardship? 01:44 And, so I look forward 01:45 to continuing to study this important topic 01:48 and as we come to its conclusion. 01:51 Now, before we invite our singers out, 01:52 we always like to share with you a special free gift 01:55 that we can give out 01:56 and today is a very practical one as well as spiritual 02:00 it's entitled From Stress to Joy. 02:02 Just simply dial 1-866-788-3966. 02:08 Again that's 1-866-788-3966 02:13 and ask for offer number 705. 02:16 We will be happy to send that out to you. 02:18 We're just so blessed to be able to have our singers here 02:20 today as they bless us in song 02:22 and help us to be able to praise the Lord in that way, 02:24 and so we're going to invite them out 02:26 even right now as we continue on. 02:29 I'd rather have Jesus than silver or gold 02:36 I'd rather be His than have riches untold 02:43 I'd rather have Jesus than houses or lands 02:51 I'd rather be led by His nail-pierced hand 02:58 Than to be the king of a vast domain 03:05 Or be held in sin's dread sway 03:13 I'd rather have Jesus 03:17 Than anything 03:21 This world affords 03:25 Today 03:30 I'd rather have Jesus 03:35 Than men's applause 03:39 I'd rather be faithful 03:44 To His dear cause 03:48 I'd rather have Jesus 03:53 Than worldwide fame 03:57 I'd rather be true 04:01 To His holy name 04:06 Than to be the king 04:10 Of a vast domain 04:13 Or be held in sin's 04:17 Dread sway 04:21 I'd rather have Jesus 04:25 Than anything 04:28 This world affords 04:32 Today 04:37 He's fairer than lilies 04:41 Of rarest bloom 04:44 He's sweeter than honey 04:48 From out the comb 04:51 He's all that my hungering 04:56 Spirit needs 04:59 I'd rather have Jesus 05:03 And let Him lead 05:07 Than to be the king 05:11 Of a vast domain 05:15 Or be held in sin's 05:19 Dread sway 05:23 I'd rather have Jesus 05:27 Than anything 05:31 This world affords 05:35 Today 05:43 Thank you so much for singing along with us, 05:45 and at this time Pastor Shawn will have our opening prayer. 05:50 Father in heaven, 05:52 we are thankful to be able to come together 05:54 and to be able to ask for Your Holy Spirit 05:56 to be with us that Your will be done today 05:59 as we continue to study Your Word 06:01 and You write Your Word upon our heart. 06:04 We thank You for Pastor Marshall 06:05 as he is going to be teaching us 06:07 our lesson study here today. 06:09 We want to pray that You will be with him in a special way, 06:11 anoint him with Your Spirit. 06:12 Be with each and every person 06:14 that is here in Granite Bay Church 06:15 as well as those who are watching 06:16 on this program even right now, 06:19 God, that Your Holy Spirit will help them and teach them, 06:22 and help them to be able to see the light and the love of Jesus 06:26 in everything that we study here today. 06:28 In Jesus' name, we pray for these things, God. 06:30 Amen. 06:32 Thank you, Pastor Shawn. 06:34 Good morning and Happy Sabbath. 06:37 You know, we are so blessed to study these lessons. 06:41 Each topic that we covered, it's like a marathon. 06:44 You know, at each stage 06:45 there's just so much that you're covering 06:47 and there is so much that you are taking in. 06:49 And it's no different than when we finish the lesson. 06:52 So I am hoping to kind of bring things together 06:55 as we look at this lesson study 06:57 as we close this topic on stewardship. 06:59 We are looking at the results of stewardship. 07:02 All the things that we've been studying, 07:04 now we're gonna look at the results 07:06 of what life is like as a steward for Jesus Christ, 07:10 and so we're gonna look at the results. 07:12 Now, we all love results, right? 07:15 In anything that we do there is always results. 07:18 You know, if you are someone who enjoy sports, 07:22 you always like to look at the standings 07:24 of your favorite teams, 07:25 wins versus the loses, 07:27 because you want to know 07:28 how they stack up 07:30 in relationship to the other team. 07:32 So we are looking at the results. 07:36 You know, it's very interesting this last week, 07:38 you know, I peruse the news once in a while 07:40 to look at different articles 07:41 or what's happening and what's going on. 07:44 And in doing so I noticed, 07:46 it said, this headline was kind of like 07:48 for this little video clip, 07:49 it said, "70 foot shot wins state championship game." 07:55 And I thought, "Oh, I got to see the results." 07:56 And all it was just like 07:57 a 30 second clip of the end of the game 08:01 and that was amazing to see this amazing man 08:03 actually take a pass from the other side of the court 08:06 and throw it 70 feet with a second left 08:08 and actually make it. 08:09 And I had to watch that several time 08:11 just the results of that game. 08:15 You know, just a few weeks ago we had what? 08:16 We had the Winter Olympics, remember that? 08:20 You know, people that are really into the Olympics, 08:22 they love to see the results, the final results, 08:25 which country had the most medals 08:27 in the Olympic Games. 08:30 And I too, I didn't really watch much of the Olympics 08:33 but I caught some of the results 08:35 of some of the events that I enjoyed looking at also. 08:41 And then finally, you know, medical, 08:42 you know, when we go to the doctors 08:45 and we go with loved ones, or we go ourselves, 08:47 you know, they do a lot of different tests 08:49 to figure out what's going on and what are we doing? 08:52 We are really waiting for what? 08:54 What's on our minds? 08:56 It's the results. 08:57 What's going to come in? 08:59 What's it going to say so that we know how to pray 09:02 and we understand certain things 09:04 that may change our lives, 09:06 you know, results are important. 09:09 And here in this lesson, 09:10 we're gonna look at some key results 09:13 of the life of the steward. 09:14 Now, I have some volunteers that are going to read 09:16 some passages of scripture this morning 09:19 and as we look at this topic of stewardship, 09:22 but results are important. 09:25 In every stage of life, results are important. 09:30 Matter of fact, I want to look at 09:31 the scripture reading for this morning that's kind of 09:34 starts this issue of the results of stewardship, 09:39 it says, "Having your conduct honorable..." 09:41 This is 1 Peter 2:12, 09:44 this kind of starts the lesson, 09:46 it says, "Having your conduct honorable among the gentiles, 09:51 that when they speak against you as evildoers, 09:54 they may by your good words 09:56 which they observe, glorify" whom? 10:00 "Glorify God in the day of visitation." 10:04 We're looking at the works, 10:05 the results of the life of the Christian. 10:09 Everybody is going to observe these things 10:11 in the last days of earth's history, 10:14 and they are going to give glory to God 10:16 and, you know, when we live the life of a steward, 10:19 it's not always easy, 10:21 but we want others to observe Christ. 10:24 We want others to observe these results 10:28 so that God truly may be glorified. 10:31 You know, I'm gonna jump right to Sunday 10:33 and I want to look at a passage, 10:34 I have someone reading 1 Titus 1:1, 10:40 as Paul begins to share or Titus shares with us. 10:44 First, it's Titus 1:1. 10:47 "Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, 10:52 according to the faith of God's elect 10:55 and the acknowledging of the truth 10:57 which is after godliness." 10:59 Okay, interesting what Paul has to say. 11:03 The first result that we're going to look at 11:05 in relationship to stewardship. 11:07 Living the life of a steward 11:09 is the result of godliness, okay. 11:14 This godliness comes from Christ 11:16 as we're going to find out as Paul shares with us 11:19 right here in Titus 1:1 11:22 and it is aligned, 11:23 we'll understand that it is aligned 11:25 with faith and truth. 11:29 Paul starts out by saying, he is a what? 11:30 He is a bondservant. 11:33 What's a bondservant? 11:35 An essence of bondservant is a steward, 11:38 one who belongs to God, 11:40 one who has placed his life 11:41 willingly under the authority of Christ. 11:45 So Paul starts his passage and he says, listen, 11:48 Paul or Titus talking about it, it says, 11:51 "Paul, a bondservant of God 11:53 and an apostle of Jesus Christ, 11:55 according to" what? 11:57 "According to faith of God's elect 12:01 and acknowledgement of the truth 12:03 which accords with godliness." 12:06 Two areas here in the result of godliness 12:10 for the life of a steward, 12:11 faith and truth, Paul being a steward. 12:17 That word accord 12:19 is very interesting to me in this passage 12:22 because the word accords just means 12:25 in accordance with or in relationship to. 12:29 So you are looking at faith and truth. 12:32 These two things blended together 12:35 give us this picture of godliness 12:37 or this result of godliness for the life of a steward. 12:44 Truth and faith coming together 12:47 in the life of a steward of Christ produces what? 12:51 Godliness. 12:52 Friends, one who is godly 12:55 is one that lives after God's own heart. 13:00 Not his heart, not her heart, but God's own heart. 13:05 And Paul writing to Timothy brings this out also. 13:08 Notice with me, you have your bibles, 13:10 I would like you to open also to 2 Timothy. 13:14 Because we are told 13:15 in the last days of earth's history, 13:17 there is going to be those walking about that 13:18 have a form of godliness, 13:21 but that says they deny its power. 13:25 So here are the result of stewardship 13:27 is true godliness based upon two elements, faith and truth. 13:32 But then Paul identifies to Timothy 13:35 that in the last days there is going to be 13:37 those that walk about with a form of godliness 13:41 but they deny its power. 13:43 Notice with me, 2 Timothy 3:4, 5, and 7. 13:49 I'll read verse 1 to kind of give us the context of, what, 13:52 you know, Paul here is sharing with Timothy, 13:54 he says, "But know this, that in the last days 14:00 perilous times will come." 14:02 And then he goes on to describe 14:03 what these perilous times include, 14:06 you know, "for men will be lovers of themselves, 14:08 lovers of money, boasters, proud, 14:10 blasphemers" and he goes on. 14:12 And notice verse 4, he says, "Traitors, headstrong, haughty, 14:17 lovers of pleasure rather than" what? 14:19 "Lovers of God." 14:21 Okay? 14:23 Then he goes on, he says, "Having the form of godliness 14:28 but denying its power and from such people," 14:31 he says to Timothy, what? 14:33 "Turn away." 14:34 It's really, you want to be careful 14:36 to make sure that the godliness 14:38 that you see is true godliness 14:41 versus this kind of false godliness 14:44 that Paul says it's going to be out there 14:48 in front in the last days of earth's history. 14:52 And he breaks this down 14:53 but I want you to notice verse 7, 14:55 he describes, okay, this false godliness 15:00 which denies its power. 15:01 He says, "Always learning 15:03 and never able to come to a knowledge of the" what? 15:07 "The truth." 15:09 Now this is interesting to me, when I looked at these passages 15:12 in relationship to godliness, 15:14 I wanted to look at a few different words. 15:17 One of those back, if you go to verse 5, 15:19 he says, "Denying, okay, its power." 15:24 I have to look up that word 'its' 15:25 and I found that actually in the Greek 15:27 it's in the nominative form 15:29 and so the word 'its' 15:31 actually is describing a definite person. 15:34 So it's not really its power, it's his power. 15:40 And you think about it, 15:42 who is the "his" that we are talking about. 15:45 If you go back to verse 4, 15:48 it says, "Traitors, headstrong, haughty, 15:50 lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of" who? 15:53 "Of God." 15:54 So Paul is actually saying to Timothy, 15:56 having a form of godliness but they deny God's power. 16:01 They deny His power. 16:04 And then he gets into that even further in verse 7 16:06 when he says, "This is what it looks like." 16:09 He says, "They are always learning 16:13 and never able to come to a knowledge of the truth." 16:16 I had to look at that phrase 16:18 "to come to a knowledge of the truth" 16:20 and actually it literally means to come 16:22 into the knowledge of the truth. 16:26 So you have a group of people 16:27 that have the form of godliness, 16:30 but they are really denying God's power, 16:33 still learning but they never really come 16:36 into a knowledge of the truth, 16:38 that settling into the truth 16:40 and that's what stewardship, 16:41 this whole lesson on stewardship 16:43 was really about. 16:44 It's about being a steward for Christ. 16:46 It's about coming into a knowledge of God 16:50 and God's power, 16:51 and how is that applicable practically in my life? 16:57 And so Paul says, "Listen, be careful" 17:00 and his idea of coming into the truth. 17:03 You know, it's really, it is to come 17:07 to an understanding of meaning of something 17:10 with special emphasis upon the process. 17:15 Okay, in other words, 17:16 this coming into the knowledge of the truth 17:19 is really a process of learning, 17:22 and applying, and growing 17:24 so that the power of God may change me. 17:28 How many of us want to be changed? 17:31 It's a process, isn't it? 17:34 You know, I was in a big... 17:37 Well, let me put it this way, math wasn't my greatest subject 17:42 because in math there is always a what? 17:45 There is a process to arrive at the answer, okay? 17:50 The result being the answer, 17:52 but there is this process that you have to go through. 17:55 And I didn't get it, you know. 17:57 Matter of fact, when you work 17:58 with young people sometimes on math, 18:00 they always want to get to the answer. 18:02 As like here, let me throw out an answer, 18:04 and when you ask them, well, what does your work look like? 18:07 Show me how? Okay? 18:10 You've arrived at this answer, they struggle. 18:14 Okay. 18:15 Because we are not used to going through that process 18:18 to actually arrive at the result 18:22 which in this case is the process 18:24 of understanding and learning truth, 18:26 so that the result as a steward will be, what? 18:30 Godliness, godliness. 18:34 And so, in high school, 18:36 I remember there was a teacher though. 18:38 It was a first time a teacher ever told me 18:40 to go to the back of the book 18:42 and look at the answer first. 18:44 I thought, I get to start with the right answer 18:48 and it opened up a whole new world, 18:50 I was like, "Oh, I can start with the answer. 18:52 Now, let me learn how to arrive at that answer." 18:56 And oftentimes God does that in scripture. 18:58 He gives us the answer and He says, 19:00 "Now, I want you to study further so that you can" what? 19:04 "Come into the knowledge of the truth 19:06 and arrive at that answer in your personal life." 19:10 This is the result of stewardship, stewardship. 19:15 Paul brings this out, matter of fact, 19:16 notice, this is not the first time 19:18 he talks about this 19:19 coming into a knowledge of the truth. 19:20 If you go to 1 Timothy 2:1-10. 19:24 Notice with me, 1 Timothy 19:27 in his first epistle to Timothy. 19:30 He writes here, 1 Timothy 2, 19:35 okay, verses 1 through 10. 19:41 It says, "Therefore I exhort first of all 19:44 that supplications, prayers, intercessions, 19:47 and giving of thanks be made for all men. 19:51 For kings and for all who are in authority, 19:54 that we may lead 19:55 a quiet and peaceable life in our" what? 19:59 "Godliness." I love this. 20:00 When you put faith and truth together, 20:03 the result is godliness. 20:05 Stewardship is really putting faith and truth into practice, 20:09 so that you arrive at the result of godliness. 20:13 And he says another result here 20:15 just on the side is quietness and peace. 20:19 Think about that, a person who is living that godly life 20:23 through faith and coming into the truth, 20:26 they experience a quietness and a peace. 20:30 A peace is we always think about, right? 20:31 That passes all understanding. 20:35 Paul goes on, he says and reverence, 20:40 "For this is good and acceptable 20:43 in the sight of God our Savior, 20:44 who desires all men to be saved 20:47 and to come into the knowledge of the truth." 20:50 Here we see it again, what's God's greatest desire? 20:54 God's greatest desire for us 20:55 is that He wants us to be saved, bottom line. 20:59 And to do so, He says, 21:00 "I want you to come into a knowledge of the truth. 21:04 I want you to go through the process 21:07 so that this may be a result in your life," 21:10 this result being godliness. 21:12 And now, Paul is gonna talk about it in practical terms. 21:16 As they go through the process, we see change. 21:19 Notice verse 7, I'm gonna jump to verse 7, 21:22 it says, "For which I was appointed 21:24 a preacher and an apostle, 21:26 I am speaking the truth in Christ and not lying, 21:29 a teacher of the gentiles in" what? 21:32 "Faith and truth." 21:33 We see these things brought together 21:35 just like in Titus 1:1. 21:38 And then He goes on and He says, 21:40 "I desire therefore that men pray everywhere, 21:42 lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting, 21:45 in like manner also that the women adorn themselves 21:48 in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, 21:51 not with braided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly clothing, 21:55 but which is proper for a women professing" what? 21:59 "Godliness." 22:00 One who exhibits faith and truth 22:03 "which with" what? 22:04 "Good works." 22:06 So here we see it practically applied to the life. 22:09 There are certain things that happen in the life, 22:11 not only internally but what? 22:14 Externally, okay. 22:16 This is true godliness. 22:18 This is godliness that does not deny His power. 22:24 So result number one of stewardship is godliness. 22:29 The second result, 22:32 we are going to come to in just a minute, 22:34 I have someone read Proverbs 3:5, 22:37 but before so I want to go back to our scripture reading, 22:40 you know, stewardship is an expression of a godly life 22:46 in good times and in hard times, 22:49 it's consistent. 22:52 Okay, consistent. 22:53 And this is kind of what the scripture reading 22:55 as we read just a little bit earlier 22:57 starts to kind of bring out and encapsulate. 23:00 And I'll read it again so that we kind of get it, 23:02 kind of in our minds, it says, "Having your conduct 23:05 honorable among the gentiles 23:07 that when they speak against you as evildoers." 23:10 And believe me, we are living in a day 23:13 where good is evil and evil is good, 23:15 and people really don't know 23:18 and we say all things about different kinds of people 23:20 and especially those that live for God. 23:23 But they are told, 23:25 they are going to be spoken against as evildoers, 23:28 that they may by your good works 23:31 which they, what? 23:32 Observe. 23:34 Glorify, who? 23:35 God, in the day of visitation. 23:39 It's truly awe for the glory of God. 23:42 True godliness is about glorifying God 23:45 in whatever we do, wherever we go, 23:48 whatever we say, it's consistent, 23:50 and God is gaining the honor and the glory. 23:54 Now, I'm gonna actually move to Tuesday's lesson 23:56 and I have someone reading here Proverbs 3:5 24:00 and then we're gonna actually come back 24:02 to Monday's lesson on contentment. 24:04 But we're gonna first talk about trust, Proverbs 3:5. 24:09 "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, 24:14 and lean not unto thine own understanding." 24:18 Trust in the Lord with what? 24:20 All your heart. 24:22 As we live the life of a stewardship, 24:24 result number two is trust. 24:28 A steward develops 24:30 a complete trust in God. 24:35 In hard times, as we're talking and in challenging times, 24:40 Jesus told us some of the signs before He comes again. 24:44 We are told there is going to be wars 24:46 and rumors of wars in Matthew 24. 24:49 He also said, "Listen, nation will rise against nation. 24:53 There will be famines, there will be pestilences, 24:56 there is going to be earthquakes in various places." 24:59 Are we not seeing these things? 25:01 And we're seeing these things increase exponentially 25:05 as we're approaching the second coming of Christ. 25:09 Definitely, enough things to worry about, 25:13 not including all the small things 25:15 we face from day to day, 25:17 enough things to worry about. 25:19 There is enough things 25:20 in our world to be depressed about, 25:23 yet in the middle of all of this. 25:27 I want you to turn with me to Matthew 24, 25:29 in the middle of what Jesus has to say. 25:32 He also says something very interesting, 25:34 Matthew, 24, Matthew 24:6. 25:44 Love to hear those pages turning, 25:46 Matthew 24:6, 25:49 Jesus says in the middle of all of these things 25:51 that we can be worried about, that we can be depressed about, 25:54 that we can be anxious about as they exponentially grow, 25:58 Jesus says something very interesting, 26:00 "And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars." 26:03 He says what? 26:04 See that you are not troubled. 26:09 Now in the midst of all this chaos, Jesus says, 26:13 "No, but you shouldn't be" what, "Troubled." 26:17 In other words, you should be trusting. 26:22 Remember the disciples on the boat 26:23 in the midst of a storm, right? 26:26 And were they not troubled? 26:29 And yet Jesus is in the back of that boat sleeping away, 26:33 not troubled at all. 26:34 Why was He not troubled? 26:36 Because He trusted. 26:38 The life of a steward, one of those other results 26:41 is this complete trust in God 26:44 no matter what the situation. 26:45 So Jesus says, "When you see all these things..." 26:48 He says, "Listen, please do not be troubled." 26:51 And that word troubled means to be in a state of fear 26:56 associated with surprise. 27:01 Have you ever been surprised so much 27:03 so that you were little taken back? 27:07 Okay, maybe even fearful because something just happened 27:11 out of the blue that you weren't expecting. 27:15 And it takes you back kind of on your heels 27:18 but Jesus says, we shouldn't be this way, 27:22 because we should have trust. 27:23 You know, God doesn't leave us hanging. 27:25 He is going to tell us what's going to come. 27:27 He is going to tell us what's going to happen. 27:29 He is telling us what's taking place, 27:31 and if we live the life of stewards, 27:33 we will develop this continual and complete trust, 27:37 no matter what the situation is, 27:40 no matter what the situation is. 27:41 The steward of Christ trusts in Christ, 27:46 therefore, he or she is not troubled. 27:50 Now I've got another verse, 27:51 it's going to be read in just a second 27:53 in relationship to this in Isaiah 26:3 and 4. 27:58 And I love the words here of the Prophet Isaiah 28:02 as he is under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. 28:04 The Spirit of God is leading him and guiding him 28:07 and he writes about God, the Father and Jesus Christ. 28:11 And he writes about this trust that all stewards should have. 28:16 And I want you to notice this passage, 28:17 Isaiah 26:3 and 4. 28:22 "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, 28:25 whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. 28:29 Trust ye in the Lord for ever: 28:32 for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength." 28:36 Says trust in the Lord, right? 28:37 Those who keep their minds stayed on the, right? 28:43 They trust in you. 28:45 And he ultimately says, as a result of this trust, 28:49 there is another thing that's connected to this trust, 28:52 that is perfect peace and everlasting strength. 28:57 You know, I don' think we really comprehend 28:59 and I speak for myself. 29:01 Comprehend is, you know, perfect peace 29:07 to wrap our minds around perfect peace, 29:11 or everlasting strength. 29:15 You know, there is times in our lives 29:17 when we just feel at a point where we're just totally weak. 29:21 Lord, what do I do? 29:22 And yet, the Lord says, 29:23 "Listen, if you keep your mind stayed on Me, 29:27 you will understand what everlasting strength is like." 29:32 You will understand what perfect peace is like. 29:38 You know, I shared some time ago about India 29:41 and I had the opportunity to go to India. 29:43 And this is not about me but there is a friend of mine 29:45 who actually stayed a lot longer. 29:47 Matter of fact, he was originally there 29:48 and he was there for a period of ten years, 29:51 he and his family, 29:52 and their girls kind of grew up there in Northern India. 29:56 And he shared with me one experience 29:59 after I had come back some years later, 30:01 he was, I wanted to know, 30:02 you know, how did things go after I left? 30:04 I was only there for a short time, a year. 30:06 And after I came back 30:07 and then when finally they come back to the States 30:09 and I was like, "How did things go?" 30:11 Because they had, there was one point in time 30:13 when they had to move from where they were 30:16 up to the northern part of India 30:19 because things were getting really challenging. 30:23 And he had to send his family away first, 30:26 I mean there were death threats, 30:27 it gotten so bad to the point 30:29 where he had death threats on his life 30:31 and he had guards literally around the house. 30:35 There was definitely a gate there 30:37 but the gate or the wall was, 30:38 you know, only so high 30:40 so, you know, kids would sit on that, 30:42 you know, wall all the time 30:44 when we do something in the yard 30:45 and we would have like 300 people there. 30:46 And he was the only family, the only English family or, 30:50 you know, white family that out of like 30:52 five million people, ten million people 30:54 and they all spoke Hindi, he spoke Hindi fluently. 30:58 And yet he is getting these death threats 31:01 and so they had to put guards around the house 31:03 and he sent his family up north. 31:05 He said, "But Marshall, that's not it though." 31:08 You know, it was at that time that I had the greatest peace 31:12 I have ever experienced. 31:15 When he had all these death threats, 31:16 he is experiencing what Isaiah talks about when he says what? 31:20 If we keep our mind stayed on Him, 31:23 He will keep us in what? 31:24 Perfect peace. 31:26 He will keep us in perfect peace, 31:27 no matter the situation. 31:29 And I was amazed, 31:30 you know, I thought about that day after day, 31:33 Lord, to have that peace, perfect peace 31:38 and to experience everlasting strength, 31:43 the type of complete trust in God. 31:45 This type of complete trust in God 31:48 is associated very closely with contentment. 31:52 This is kind of why I wanted to talk about trust first 31:56 before we talk about contentment. 31:58 Because when we have complete trust in God, 32:02 that's when ultimately we will be content 32:05 no matter what the situation. 32:08 And so, okay, the first result 32:10 is godliness of life of a steward. 32:13 The second result is trust, a complete trust in God. 32:19 And now the third thing 32:20 we're going to talk about is this contentment. 32:24 You know, I really appreciate 32:26 if you turn with me in your Bibles to Psalm 23. 32:31 You know, often times we hear this Psalm, 32:33 most of the time read when we experience 32:36 a memorial of some kind. 32:37 We always, you know, turn in those times 32:40 to this passage in Psalms 23, 32:43 because it's in those times that people are looking for, 32:46 you know, contentment, comfort. 32:51 And I look at Psalm 23, 32:53 it's kind of a psalm of contentment. 32:56 So if you look at this with me carefully, 32:58 it's very interesting what David has to say 33:00 and David went through a lot of things. 33:02 And you read all over the Bible about the life of David. 33:06 You know, Pastor Doug preached 33:07 the whole series on the life of David in, 33:08 and you realize all of these things 33:11 that David experienced. 33:12 He writes this psalm even in the midst of all, 33:15 that he says, "The Lord is my shepherd." 33:18 He says, "I shall not want?" 33:21 Sounds like contentment to me. 33:23 "I shall not lack" Why? 33:25 Because the Lord comes first. 33:27 See, when I completely trust in God, 33:29 He is first, then contentment follows. 33:33 He says, "The Lord is my shepherd 33:34 I shall not want. 33:35 He makes me to lie down in green pastures. 33:38 He leads me beside the still waters. 33:40 He restores my soul. 33:42 He leads me in the paths of righteousness 33:45 for his namesake." 33:46 Notice, in every case here, who comes first? 33:49 God comes first and God supplying comes second, 33:54 and David's response is contentment. 33:59 I shall not want. 34:01 He makes me to lie down in green pastures, 34:03 beside the still waters and he goes on. 34:06 Notice verse 4, "Yay, though I walk 34:08 through the valley of the shadow of death, 34:10 I will fear no evil. 34:12 In other words, he says, "I will not be troubled." 34:16 Just like what Jesus said 34:17 in the last days of earth's history, 34:18 His stewards do not need to be troubled. 34:23 He goes on, "I will fear no evil, 34:24 for you are with me. 34:26 Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 34:28 You prepare a table before me 34:31 and the presence of mine enemies. 34:32 You anoint my head with oil, my cup runs over surely." 34:37 And ultimately in the end he says, 34:38 "Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow me 34:41 all the days of my life 34:44 and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." 34:48 I long for that day 34:49 when we can dwell in the house of the Lord for how long? 34:52 Forever, but David's writing a psalm of contentment 34:56 because God is with him every step of the way 34:59 and he recognizes it, and he longs for it, 35:02 and he desires God to be there every step of the way. 35:05 Now, that doesn't mean 35:06 that David didn't have his moments 35:09 like we all have our moments where we slip and we fall. 35:14 We have a, you know, a lapse in faith, 35:16 a lapse in trust but we are talking about 35:19 the general train of the life. 35:22 And if you look at David's life generally speaking, 35:25 he trusted in God and God gave him contentment 35:31 with whatever the situation was, 35:32 he was going to be content. 35:35 Notice with me 1 Timothy 6:6 and 7. 35:40 1 Timothy 6:6 and 7. 35:49 Back to Timothy again, back to Timothy. 35:54 1 Timothy 6:6 and 7, Paul again writing to Timothy, 35:58 he says what? 35:59 "Now godliness with" what? 36:01 "Contentment is great gain" 36:05 not just gain, it's great gain. 36:10 Notice the convergence of these two results of stewardship. 36:15 The first result we talked about godliness, 36:17 the result we currently are speaking about 36:19 is contentment and what Paul does is, 36:21 he says, let me bring this thing together for you 36:25 and help you to realize 36:27 that as you experienced 36:29 the results of these two things, 36:32 you will experience great gain, 36:38 "For a steward to be truly content with everything." 36:43 Means that they have to give up control of everything, 36:48 trusting that God will see him or her through... 36:53 everything. 36:56 Contentment, I don't have to be in control, God's in control. 37:02 I don't have to be worry about anything 37:04 because God will take care of everything. 37:07 Because He has promised 37:08 and as I choose to live the life of a steward 37:11 and giving over everything to God, 37:14 God gives everything in return. 37:18 Remember what Jesus said, 37:19 "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, 37:22 and his righteousness, 37:24 and all these things shall be added unto you." 37:27 We can be content with whatever the situation, 37:32 whatever the challenge, we can be content 37:38 because we are stewards of Christ, 37:40 and stewards of Christ will be content. 37:45 So you got the first one, 37:46 I am going back over these so we get done. 37:48 The first one as we're concluding this lesson, 37:50 the first result of stewardship is godliness, true godliness. 37:54 The second result of stewardship is trust, 37:58 complete trust in God. 38:00 And the third is contentment, to be content in all things, 38:06 to not feel like we have to be in control 38:09 and believe me there are times 38:10 when I feel I have to be in control, 38:13 and the Lord reminds me, no, you don't. 38:16 You know, I had an accident about year and half ago 38:20 and the vehicle I was in flipped three times. 38:25 I've never been in a vehicle before that has lost control. 38:29 And believe me when you are sitting in that seat, 38:33 there is nothing you can do, you are just turning. 38:36 But, you know, God was in control, 38:39 literally a miracle. 38:40 We passed this huge street sign, 38:42 the back end of it flipped right past it, 38:45 right over a tree, it didn't hit anything 38:48 but you could see the marks. 38:49 I mean a guy from the newspaper is like, "How did this happen?" 38:51 I am like, I have no idea. 38:53 And for me to get out of that car 38:55 and the person sitting next to me was sleeping. 38:57 To get out of that car 38:59 and to walk away with no bruises, 39:00 no scratches, nothing. 39:01 Who was in control? 39:04 God was completely in control. 39:07 When we trust Him completely, 39:09 we can be content in every situation 39:12 and this is what stewards live by. 39:15 These are the results of the life of a steward. 39:18 And in the end, the fourth result, 39:21 we're going to hear those words, 39:22 I'm kind of jumping right to the end here. 39:25 I want to bring this out a little stronger 39:27 is the fourth result 39:29 and that is to hear the words we want to hear. 39:32 This is Thursday's lesson 39:34 in this lesson of the results of stewardship. 39:38 We hear the words we want to hear. 39:41 And in just a minute we're going to hear those words 39:43 read to us, Matthew 25:21. 39:47 The words of Jesus is what we're going to hear 39:50 when He comes in the clouds of glory 39:52 to take the redeemed of the earth home. 39:56 These are the words 39:59 and I hope we desire to hear these words, 40:03 Matthew 25:21. 40:06 "His Lord said to him, 40:07 "Well done, good and faithful servant, 40:10 you were faithful over few things, 40:13 I will make you ruler over many things, 40:15 enter into the joy of your Lord." 40:20 This is the conclusion 40:22 when Jesus comes in the clouds of glory. 40:24 We're talking about the conclusion 40:26 of the study of stewards 40:28 but here in Matthew 25, 40:30 we're talking about the conclusion of the whole matter 40:34 when Jesus comes in the clouds of glory. 40:36 He's got a declaration to make, and believe it or not, 40:39 He is going to make that declaration 40:42 and that declaration is very special to His stewards. 40:47 They have given up everything, they have walked away, 40:49 they have given control over, they are living faithfully, 40:52 they are growing into a knowledge of the truth, 40:55 and they are going to hear these words, 40:57 "Well done, thou good and faithful servant." 41:01 I long to hear those words from the mouth of Jesus, 41:07 that I've been the steward that by His grace 41:11 He is making me to be, that He is making us to be, 41:14 "Well done, thou good and faithful servant." 41:18 Do you realize that Matthew 25 41:22 is a continuation of Matthew 24. 41:27 You know, Matthew 24:45 and 46, 41:31 Jesus poses a question and the question is this, 41:36 He says, "Who then is a faithful and wise servant? 41:40 Whom his master made ruler over his household, 41:43 to give them food in due season, 41:45 blessed is that servant." 41:47 Now, we're talking about servants, 41:48 we're really talking about God's stewards. 41:52 And he is saying, "Who then is faithful and wise." 41:56 And then he says, "Blessed is that servant." 41:58 And this is in the context of the second coming. 42:02 Do you know where Jesus answers that question? 42:04 He answers this very question in Matthew 25. 42:08 The first parable is about the wise and the unwise. 42:12 The second parable is about 42:13 the faithful and the unfaithful. 42:16 And the third parable is about the blessed and the cursed. 42:19 So really Matthew 25 42:21 is a continuation of Matthew 24, 42:25 and it all revolves around the second coming of Christ. 42:28 And the faithful steward is going to hear the words, 42:34 so will the wise steward, so will the blessed steward. 42:39 They are all going to hear these words, 42:42 "Well done, thou good and faithful servant. 42:45 You were faithful over a few things, 42:47 I will make you ruler over many things." 42:52 And then what does he say at the end? 42:53 "Enter into the joy of your Lord." 42:57 What a day that's going to be like 42:59 when those pearly gates swing open, 43:03 and the dead in Christ have risen, 43:06 and those that are alive 43:07 that still remain are going to be risen up into the clouds 43:10 and they are going to taken into heaven, 43:12 and those pearly gates are going to swing open, 43:14 and what is God's stewards going to do? 43:17 They are going to enter. 43:20 They are gonna enter the home they have longed for, 43:23 the home that they have lived for, 43:26 the home that they have hoped for, 43:28 it's all going to be real. 43:30 It all is real to a steward of Christ. 43:35 Gonna hear those words. 43:38 What a day when those pearly gates swing open 43:40 and we enter into the joy of your Lord. 43:43 And for Jesus to say that, for Jesus to sit there and say, 43:47 "Oh, you know, they are going to open them." 43:48 And He is going to say that, "You guys can all enter." 43:51 Oh, man! 43:53 There are so many things I want to see in heaven. 43:55 So many places I want to run to, 43:58 but He is going to say 43:59 enter into the joy of your Lord. 44:03 At the end of the lesson, 44:06 and I'm gonna actually read it right here, 44:07 it's on page 105 of our lesson, 44:11 this is in Thursday's lesson. 44:14 There is a powerful statement from the book Desire of Ages 44:16 and it's page 523, Desire of Ages, page 523, 44:25 it says, "When Christ's followers 44:28 give back to the Lord His own, 44:32 they are accumulating treasure which will be given to them 44:38 when they shall hear the words." 44:40 So, right now what are we accumulating? 44:43 In our stewardship, 44:46 in our ongoing relationship with Jesus Christ, 44:50 what are we accumulating? 44:52 We are accumulating treasure. 44:54 You may not think you are rich now, 44:56 you may not think you have all the things you need now, 45:00 you may not think, you know, you can make it 45:02 but the Lord says, "Listen, if you are following Me, 45:05 believe it or not, you have all these things. 45:07 They're just accumulating, you know, it's like interest. 45:13 We love to see the accumulate if it's on our side. 45:17 We don't like to see the accumulation of interest 45:19 if it's the other way 45:22 but we love to see the accumulation of interest 45:25 on our side, don't we? 45:28 Because we know what? 45:29 We're accumulating a treasure 45:30 that may help future generations, 45:34 but more than that 45:35 is the accumulation of this treasure. 45:39 She goes on to say, 45:42 "They accumulate the treasure which will be given to them 45:45 when they shall hear the words..." 45:47 We're waiting for the day when He says here, 45:49 listen, "Here's the treasure you've been accumulating." 45:54 And He says, "Well, done now good and faithful servant, 45:57 enter into the joy of your Lord. 46:00 In the end..." 46:02 And I'm reading the last part of the lesson here on Thursday. 46:05 "In the end stewardship is a life lived 46:08 in which the two greatest commandments, 46:10 love for God and love for our neighbors 46:13 are the motivations and driving forces 46:16 in all that one does." 46:20 It's following after Jesus Christ. 46:24 The life of the steward is all about 46:25 following after Jesus Christ. 46:28 So the results, looking at the results, 46:31 the results are in, on the life of a steward, 46:34 result number one, godliness. 46:38 Result number two, complete trust in God. 46:42 Result number three, contentment, 46:45 being content in all things. 46:47 And result number four, 46:50 hearing the words we all want to hear. 46:53 "Well done..." 46:55 From the lips of Jesus, 46:57 "Well done, thou good and faithful servant, 47:00 enter into the joy of your Lord." 47:02 Now I want to share something with you, 47:03 God does not lie, right? 47:05 The Bible says God does not lie. 47:07 God is looking for His stewards 47:09 that He can make this declaration about 47:13 because He's going to make the declaration. 47:17 Just like in creation when He said, 47:19 listen, everything is very good, 47:22 He's just waiting for His stewards 47:25 to allow Him to do all these things in their lives 47:29 so that He again can make the declaration. 47:33 "Well done thou good..." 47:35 He's turned it all the way around, 47:36 brought it full faith, full circle. 47:39 "Well done, thou good and faithful servant, 47:41 enter into the joy of your Lord." 47:44 May God bless us 47:46 as we continue to be His stewards. 47:50 May people observe these characteristics in our lives, 47:57 godliness, trust in God, contentment in all things, 48:03 and that will hear those words, 48:05 "Well done, thou good and faithful servant." 48:11 Let's have a word of prayer together. 48:13 Father in heaven, we thank You so much for this Sabbath day. 48:17 Lord, we thank You that You've given us 48:19 in Your Word an understanding of true stewardship, 48:24 each aspect of the life of what a steward looks like, 48:29 and, Lord, may in the end these results be our results, 48:34 in our lives for Your honor and for Your glory. 48:39 We thank You so much for Your many blessings 48:42 and we thank You so much 48:43 that we've had this time to study. 48:45 Lord, help us to come into a knowledge of this truth 48:50 more and more as we see the day approaching 48:52 when You'll will come in the clouds of glory. 48:55 We thank You and we praise You 48:57 in the precious and holy name of Jesus, Amen. 49:02 I'd like to remind our viewers and those that are watching, 49:05 we do have a free offer for today, 49:08 it's From Stress to Joy. 49:11 It's offer number 705 49:14 and you can get that by just calling 49:16 1-866-788-3966. 49:21 Again, that's offer number 705 49:23 and it can be mailed anywhere in North America. 49:25 If you're outside North America, 49:27 just go to amazingfacts.org 49:28 and you can find this and download it 49:30 and truly learn to live 49:32 a stress free life in Jesus Christ. 49:36 May God bless you. 49:48 Can you hear me now? Can you hear me now? 49:51 Can you hear me now? 49:54 Actually I know they can't hear me 49:55 'cause there's no cell phone reception here. 49:57 We're right now standing in what is known as a quiet zone 50:01 and there's a very good reason for that. 50:04 Hidden nestled among the jungle mountains of Puerto Rico 50:07 is a giant Sentinel, an aluminum ear 50:10 1,000 feet across located 10 mile south 50:13 of the coastal city of Arecibo, 50:15 this enormous space age parabolic dish 50:18 is aimed at the sky, listening. 50:21 Build in 1963 by Cornell University, 50:24 the Arecibo Observatory dish is one of the largest curved 50:27 focusing antennas on earth. 50:30 The dish surface is made of 50:32 nearly 40,000 perforated aluminum panels 50:35 each measuring about three feet by six feet 50:37 and supported by a mesh of steel cables. 50:39 The vast antenna surface covers 18 acres 50:43 or about the same size as 26 football fields. 50:46 When the huge telescope switches to radar mode, 50:49 it beams out a powerful signal of one million watts 50:52 towards the planets, moons, asteroids, and comets. 50:55 The faint echo of the signal bouncing off 50:57 its astronomical targets is collected by the huge dish 51:01 and then amplified allowing scientists to create 51:04 scanner like images and maps of the object 51:06 but another primary purpose 51:08 for the Arecibo Observatory is SETI. 51:11 SETI set is an acronym 51:12 for Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence. 51:15 They're listening for messages from above. 51:18 For over 50 years, 51:20 radio astronomers have used 51:21 the world's largest radio telescope 51:23 to study the radio signals emanating from the cosmos. 51:27 While listening to the strange songs 51:29 buried in the heart of distant stars and quasars, 51:32 they're also listening 51:33 and analyzing every signal for signs of intelligent life. 51:38 It's really astonishing when you think about it 51:40 that for more than 50 years now, 51:41 the Arecibo Observatory has been scanning the heavens, 51:45 spending millions of dollars 51:47 wondering if there's intelligent life out there. 51:50 Yet in more than half a century of listening 51:52 SETI has not identified a single radio signal 51:55 that seems to come from extraterrestrial intelligence. 51:59 Perhaps they're missing the forest 52:00 because the trees are in the way. 52:02 Some messages have actually already come from space. 52:05 You know, the Bible tells us in the Book of Romans, 52:08 "Faith comes by hearing 52:09 and hearing comes by the Word of God." 52:12 It seems often when God wants to talk to us, 52:14 He has to take us where we can actually hear His voice. 52:17 When God wanted to speak to Elijah, 52:19 He ended up down in the deserts of Mount Sinai. 52:21 There was a fire, an earthquake, and a wind 52:24 but God was not in earthquake or the fire or the wind, 52:27 but God spoke through a still small voice. 52:30 Jesus wants to talk you, He has a plan for your life, 52:33 but you need to have a quiet place 52:35 where you can hear Him. 52:39 Oh, it's for you. 52:50 Amazing Facts changed lives. 52:58 I'm Tlingit Indian from Sitka, Alaska. 53:02 My Tlingit name is Wahchdustid Clou. 53:05 It was a very depressing time for the people of Alaska, 53:09 a lot of alcohol abuse was taking place, 53:15 and unfortunately my mother got caught up in the alcohol. 53:21 It made myself and my siblings 53:26 grow up in 53:29 a pretty horrible environment. 53:32 It was really hard to understand God. 53:37 It was really hard to understand what love was. 53:41 I ended up having a child 53:47 in my 12th grade 53:49 and leaving home when I was 15 years old. 53:53 But somehow someway we made it 53:56 and I became alone, I became a hermit, 53:59 so I went up to the biggest marijuana county, 54:03 to Humboldt County and started my new career. 54:08 Things weren't right though, 54:10 no matter how nice I kept thinking life was, 54:14 living up on top of the mountain, 54:17 not having to worry about wearing clothing, 54:21 just waking up and watching the plants grow, 54:25 searching still for more and more. 54:28 I went to the post office 54:32 and I was standing there by myself, 54:34 I looked down 54:36 and here was this what is called handbill, a postcard 54:41 and the letters on it grabbed my attention 54:44 and it said Revelations. 54:46 I never heard Revelation taught before and I thought, 54:50 "Gosh, that would have been so good." 54:53 I looked at the time and the date and I said, 54:56 "Wow, that's today." 55:00 And for six weeks I sat there 55:03 in the front seat of that building 55:08 and could not believe the things that I heard, 55:12 and I found this hunger 55:16 that I had in my heart for decades being filled. 55:20 I was actually like a starving child, 55:23 you know, wanting to get into, 55:25 learn more about Revelations 55:27 and I chose to be baptized on April 3rd. 55:33 Even though I chose to serve God, I kept falling. 55:38 I was going to Bible studies all four times a week 55:42 and just so hungry to learn as much as possible. 55:48 God just overnight had me studying the Word of God 55:53 through AFCOE and the miracles 55:56 that happens through AFCOE is so incredible. 56:00 The only preacher I was listening to 56:02 was Pastor Doug Batchelor 56:04 who I didn't even call by his name, 56:07 I called him the caveman 56:09 and then here all of a sudden I'm sitting in front of him 56:14 in his classroom learning from him. 56:18 On October 11th, I sat there though in my room saying, 56:24 "Lord, here I am studying Your Word 56:27 but what am I doing here? 56:32 What do I need to do? 56:34 What is it You want me to do?" 56:36 And that night about one in the morning 56:38 God spoke to me and He said, 56:41 "I want you to write a note to Pastor Doug 56:44 and tell him what you do." 56:45 I sat there and I said, "No, I'm not going to write a note 56:47 and I'm not going to write a note." 56:48 And I said, "Okay." 56:50 So I ripped up a piece of paper and I wrote on the note 56:53 and I said, "I'm an experienced fashion designer, 56:57 I can sew anything I could make, any patterns, 57:00 if there's any way that I can be of any service to you. 57:05 God told me to be bold and tell you." 57:07 And I walked up and I handed him the note 57:09 and he didn't know what it was but he said thank you. 57:12 And four hours later 57:13 I got a phone call from Amazing Facts. 57:16 Pastor Doug told me that I was an answer to their prayers. 57:20 They had been looking for wardrobe stylist 57:24 for their new film that they're producing. 57:27 Action. 57:28 Two, three. 57:30 Amazing Facts has changed my life 57:34 in the direction that God wants me to go. 57:38 And now out of all the knowledge 57:40 that was taught to me, 57:42 I'm able to go out into this world 57:45 and share the gospel 57:47 and finish the work for Jesus Christ. 57:52 Friends, it's because of God's blessing 57:54 and your support that thousands of others 57:57 like Nida have found Jesus and everlasting life. |
Revised 2018-03-26