Participants:
Series Code: SSP
Program Code: SSP180049A
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00:31 Hello and welcome to our 3ABN Sabbath School Panel.
00:34 If you have been following us from week-to-week, 00:36 you know that you are in a place where we are going to 00:41 continue our journey through the living word of God, 00:44 and we all have been blessed, Amen? Amen! Amen! 00:48 And this lesson is just getting better 00:49 and better, and better, and better! 00:51 We're in Lesson #10 which is: 00:54 "Unity and Broken Relationships" 00:57 And if you're just tuning in for the first time 00:59 and don't have a lesson, you can go to 01:02 the following website: ABSG.Adventist.org 01:06 to download a PDF copy or you can go to your local 01:09 Seventh-day Adventist Church. 01:12 Look up in the phone book, if you don't know where one is 01:13 and go and say, "3ABN sent us here! 01:16 Give us the Sabbath School lesson, 01:18 we want to learn the truth," and we know the Lord will bless. 01:21 Actually, don't do it that way, just say, "Thank you 01:23 and invite us," I'm just a little enthusiastic 01:26 today because it's all about relationships, 01:29 and what is a relationship if Christ is not in it? Amen! 01:32 Good to have you here Jill. 01:33 Thank you Pastor, it's a privilege to be here. 01:35 Yes, and we will no longer call Ryan Day, 01:39 "the new kid on the block." That's right! 01:40 But Pastor, evangelist, great singer and minister of music! 01:45 Yes sir, thank you so much, appreciate it! 01:46 Shelley, always good to have you here my sister. 01:48 Thank you, it's good to be here. 01:49 And Pastor Kenny Shelton, thank you for being here again 01:52 today to share your insights and your experience with us. 01:55 It's a blessing, thank you. 01:56 And on that note, Jill would you have our 01:58 opening prayer for us? Sure, absolutely. 02:00 Holy Father... We come before You in the name of Jesus, 02:03 and we thank You for the privilege of prayer. 02:05 We thank You that we can come boldly before Your 02:08 throne of grace. 02:09 Right now, we ask that we would be emptied of ourselves, 02:12 that You would speak to us from Your word, 02:15 and that it would convict and covert, and we thank You 02:18 in Jesus name... Amen Amen! 02:21 "Unity and Broken Relationships" and I'll also be covering 02:25 Sunday which is: "Restored Friendship" 02:29 There's a comment on Saturday afternoon's lesson 02:33 toward the bottom - it begins with the words "In short." 02:36 Listen to what it says... "In short, the greatest 02:41 demonstration of the power of the gospel is not necessarily 02:45 what the church says but how the church lives." 02:48 Boy, that's a great comment! 02:50 It's a powerful comment and I've heard people say... 02:53 "Don't do what I do, do what I say." 02:55 But in fact, children know it, how parents have tried to 02:58 discipline their children, have often seen their children 03:02 being lived out through them. 03:04 I remember sitting at a lunch once with a good friend of ours 03:07 when we lived in California and she and her husband, 03:12 and my wife and I had a great relationship and she would 03:15 always call me "homie," "Lomie my homie." 03:18 Kind of like what Pastor C.A. does and her little son 03:21 was all of just maybe 3 years old and he could barely 03:24 get up to the table - his head was just slightly 03:27 above the table and he said... "Lomie my homie." 03:30 And she said, BOY! What is wrong with you? 03:33 Who did you get that from?" "You, mommy." 03:35 And she was saying, "Don't you ever say that again," 03:40 but I've said to people, and this is true about the 03:42 Christian world... 03:46 we are not necessarily coming into Christianity 03:49 by what people say, but by what they see. 03:54 And you can't miss a testimony, and we are preachers, 03:59 but I don't know, people always said, "The best sermon 04:03 is not the one that's preached, but the one that is lived." 04:06 And we believe that but we are still preaching - hoping that 04:09 through the foolishness of preaching, 04:11 somebody can find Jesus. 04:13 This particular story is about those who were called 04:19 of the Lord to work in the evangelistic field 04:21 of the growing of the gospel. 04:23 We had Paul and Barnabas; we had John Mark, 04:26 and we had people that had great skills, 04:30 but not everyone with great skills 04:33 has great interpersonal relationship skills. 04:37 Some people are strong and they'll say, "Well if you don't 04:42 like it, that's too bad," and I've seen pastors 04:45 and those of you that have maybe had the opportunity 04:47 of seeing - I've seen people that have great skills, 04:50 but they could brush up somewhat on their 04:52 interpersonal relationship skills... 04:54 And having coached couples for a number of years, 04:57 we say that the tapestry of who we are is often 05:02 put together by the experience of our relationships... 05:05 And so if a mom or a dad was strong, if we come from a 05:08 strong home or if we come from families where we were told 05:11 "children are seen and not heard," whatever our 05:14 experiences were, it tends to shape how we communicate... 05:18 and that's the same thing. 05:19 And so you did something in one of our last lessons, 05:23 and you talked about relationships, the truth, 05:26 and something that you did... I thought that was BRILLANT, 05:29 how the gospel was communicated in ways. 05:32 Sometimes people say, "Well it's the truth no matter 05:34 whether you like it or not," and we proclaim it that way. 05:38 But, Paul and Barnabas and John Mark had to discover 05:42 as workers - laborers together with Christ, 05:44 they had to be laborers together. That's right. 05:47 So let's look at Acts 15 and we're going to look at 05:52 some of the controversies that existed and then we're 05:55 going to look at some principles or the steps 05:57 of restoring friendships... how to restore friendships. 06:01 But you'll also discover - not all friendships are restored. 06:05 Sometimes people are better in that field 06:10 and others are better in that field until they 06:12 both are further converted and then the Lord 06:16 brings them back together. 06:17 But the key that we have to keep in mind in this lesson 06:20 study is we're not going to learn how to get along 06:23 in the kingdom of heaven... we're going to learn 06:25 how to get along down here. Yes! 06:27 This is the school... we display in the school 06:31 of heaven what we have been taught 06:33 in the school while we're on earth. 06:35 So, I was raised in a church that had 1,200 members... 06:39 and we had a lot of aisles, and I could see as I knew 06:43 the different relationships; those who chose not to 06:45 come on communion Sabbath because they were not 06:47 living in a relationship with Christ. 06:49 I could see those who would look across the aisle 06:51 and see somebody else and they'd look across 06:53 aisle and we know that there was a lightning bolt 06:55 between the two of them. 06:57 But they would come to church, and they would feel comfortable 06:59 worshipping the Lord in this dichotomy of separateness. 07:04 They didn't seek to be unified and that's why I believe 07:07 the Lord, in the Beatitudes, Sermon on the Mount, 07:09 said, "Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall 07:12 be called the sons of God." 07:14 But here's a story in verse 36 of Acts 15 and it speaks about 07:18 some of these controversies that exist. 07:20 "Then after some days, Paul said to Barnabas, 07:25 "Let us now go back and visit our brethren in every city 07:29 where we have preached the word of the Lord, 07:32 and see how they are doing." (checking out their 07:34 relationships)... Now Barnabas was determined 07:37 to take with him John, called Mark, but Paul insisted 07:42 that they should not take with them the one who had 07:45 departed from them in Pamphylia and had not gone 07:50 with them to the work. 07:52 Then the contention became so sharp, that they parted 07:57 from one another, and so Barnabas took Mark 07:59 and sailed to Cyprus." 08:01 In other words, he probably said to Paul, 08:02 "That's your problem, I like Mark and I need him 08:05 with me and Paul said, "I will not have him with me 08:07 because I remember the last time, he abandoned me." 08:09 So he said, "Fine, you go that way, I'll go that way." 08:12 And this was after they all both made it through 08:15 an interpersonal conflict on their own. Yes. 08:18 Because when they were in Antioch, going back to 08:21 chapter 13, they saw... let's go to chapter 13 in 08:25 the Book of Acts. 08:27 They just dealt with the horrible nature of rancid 08:32 interpersonal relationships, I could use it that way. 08:35 Because look at what happened among their own brethren. 08:38 Now they preached... the sermon was so good that people 08:41 in town wanted to hear the message the next week, 08:43 and the people were Gentiles, and the next Sabbath day 08:47 the whole city came together to hear the message. 08:49 We'll look at the Bible as it picks up... 08:50 Verse 45... "But when the Jews saw the multitudes, 08:56 they were filled with what? Envy! 08:59 (and notice - here's the problem...) 09:01 and contradicting and blaspheming. 09:04 They opposed the things spoken by Paul." 09:08 Now just the week before, they said... Wonderful 09:10 message, keep it up; that's the kind of sermons we like! 09:14 But the sermons were not intended to be the keepers 09:17 of the aquarium but fishers of men. 09:20 And all of a sudden, the fish began to respond to the bait, 09:23 and all of a sudden - now this contention. 09:26 And it says, "Oppose," (notice envy, contradiction 09:29 and opposing) Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said, 09:32 "It was necessary that the word of God should be 09:35 spoken to you first, but since you rejected (in other words, 09:37 since there's no evidence in your life that you accepted it) 09:40 and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, 09:43 behold we turned to the Gentiles." 09:45 And so they turned to the Gentiles and it got so bad, 09:49 instead of saying, "You know, our bad," 09:51 they continued - they did something else... 09:54 Verse 50... "But the Jews stirred up the devout 09:57 and prominent women and the chief men of the city, 10:01 raised the persecution against Paul and Barnabas 10:03 and expelled them from their region." 10:05 And this is the passage where they shook the dust 10:07 off their feet and kept moving. 10:10 Sometimes we feel like shaking the dust off of our feet, 10:13 and keep moving - am I right? Yes! 10:15 Have you had that experience, Pastor Kenny? Yes! 10:17 Sometimes you just feel like saying... "Fine, you keep 10:21 your church and I'll get my own." 10:23 And we've had denominational splits; we've had offshoot 10:26 groups grow out of contention; 10:27 we've had people that have been preaching and they 10:30 just - seems like "till the day they die," they don't 10:32 want to talk, they don't want to... if you hear that 10:34 person's name, you see the angst and the agony that comes up... 10:38 But that's not how we should be 10:41 when it comes to being a Christian. 10:44 Look at some of the things that I've pointed out... 10:47 In the book, "Acts of the Apostles," 10:49 the servant of the Lord comments on this, 10:51 and she says, on page 170, "This desertion caused Paul 10:56 to judge Mark unfavorably, and even severely for a time. 11:02 Barnabas, on the other hand, was inclined to excuse him 11:05 because of his inexperience. 11:07 He felt anxious that Mark should not abandon 11:10 the ministry, for he saw in him qualifications 11:13 that would fit him to be a useful worker for Christ." 11:17 I want to give you a little testimony of my own 11:19 and I'm going to give you some points here of 11:21 steps of restoration. 11:22 When I first entered the ministry in 1987, 11:25 I wanted to preach - I didn't care about visitation. 11:30 Didn't care about all this administrated stuff. 11:32 You're gonna do what? 11:34 "Let me show you how to do visitation." 11:36 "Oh.. boy." Didn't care about any of that, 11:38 but you know what? The Lord saw in me 11:41 through the head pastor I was working with 11:42 and Pastor Doug Batchelor, he and I were in evangelism 11:44 together... He saw in me something that He 11:47 could develop later on. Amen 11:49 And so I was that "Mark," I was that young man 11:53 that had some rough skills that the Lord wanted to 11:56 further develop, and so He gave me the blessing of 11:59 hanging on and here I am, 31 years later, 12:02 and to God be the glory. Amen 12:04 So sometimes you have to be patient and give people 12:06 room to grow, but as someone said, "If someone 12:09 does you something wrong, don't forget the 12:11 good things that they did. Amen 12:15 So let's look at some of the steps of restoration... 12:19 Matthew 5:23-24... Restoration. 12:24 And restoration is best the prelude to worship. 12:29 Restoration is a prelude to genuine worship. 12:32 "Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar 12:35 and there remember that your brother has something 12:37 against you, (notice - you don't have to have 12:39 something against him, but if they have something against 12:42 you, what should we do?) 12:43 ... leave your gift there before the altar 12:45 and go your way. 12:47 First, be reconciled to your brother and then come and 12:52 offer your gift." 12:53 So that's why we are told "to obey is better than to 12:57 sacrifice, than to hearken or listen, than the fat of rams, 13:00 the offering of the rams. 13:02 So the Lord is saying, "it's better to get things right, 13:04 than to worship Me with a divided heart." 13:06 And sometimes we're singing songs but we're 13:08 looking to our left and right and thinking... 13:10 "Oh boy, they're here today." 13:12 You should never have that kind of angst in the 13:13 worship of God - am I right? Thank you! 13:15 Look at another one... Matthew 6:14-15, 13:18 Matthew 6, do you have that one? 13:20 Jill, read that for us. Yeah. 13:22 "For if you forgive men their trespasses, 13:24 your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 13:27 but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, 13:29 neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." 13:32 So then He wouldn't do that either. 13:33 If you feel that forgiveness is something you need, 13:37 then it's forgiveness that somebody else needs forgiveness. 13:41 And I like the way that Jesus illustrated that when He forgave 13:44 those who crucified Him... He forgave them before He died. 13:48 There was no sign of reciprocation. 13:50 They didn't say, "Okay, thank you for the forgiveness." 13:52 He said, "They know not what they do." 13:54 And sometimes people injure you not even considering 13:57 the impact on you. 13:58 And by extending forgiveness, you may not necessarily 14:02 free them right away, but you free yourself. 14:05 But don't say, "I forgive you, now what are you going to do?" 14:08 Now let the Lord... saying sorry is one thing, but 14:11 saying, "I apologize" is one thing, but godly sorrow 14:15 is something that is borne out of time and conviction. 14:18 Something else... Let's look at Hosea 6:1-2... 14:22 how the Lord promised to restore His people. 14:25 I'm going to go very quickly here... 14:26 "Come and let us return to the Lord for He has torn 14:29 but He will heal us. 14:31 He has stricken but He will bind us. 14:33 (that's when the Lord has to rebuke us sometimes) 14:36 He has torn but He will heal; He has stricken 14:38 but He will bind us." 14:39 Then Isaiah 61:7 and look at the blessing of restoration. 14:44 This is powerful! This is powerful! 14:47 "Instead of your shame, you shall have double 14:51 honor and instead of confusion, they shall rejoice 14:55 in their portion; therefore in their land, 14:59 they shall possess double. 15:02 Everlasting joy shall be theirs." 15:05 And the beauty of this whole ideology of restoration 15:09 is we've got to understand that God's ideal, 15:11 as Jeremiah 29.11 says, "I know the thoughts I think 15:14 towards you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace 15:18 and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." 15:21 We have a future and a hope if we work on restoring 15:24 our friendships, restoring our relationships so that brother 15:28 and brother and sister and sister can have their 15:31 worship acceptable to the Lord. Amen! 15:34 Thank you so much Pastor John, 15:36 and what a wonderful foundation for reconciliation, 15:39 for the restoring of relationships and my day 15:42 continues that with the restoration of the relationship 15:45 between slave and master. 15:47 I'm talking about Philemon and Onesimus, 15:50 so turn with me to the Book of Philemon. 15:52 It's kind of a hard book to find because there's only 15:54 one chapter in their Ryan, and it makes it kind of 15:56 hard to find - it is just before the Book of Hebrews. 15:59 So if you find Hebrews, it's the book before. 16:02 Philemon is the shortest epistle that Paul ever wrote. 16:06 It's also his most personal and endearing letter. 16:10 It focuses on acceptance, reconciliation and forgiveness. 16:16 There are three key characters, as it were, 16:18 in this story - I always like looking at stories 16:21 and the characters inside it. 16:22 We have, of course, Paul who was scholarly, who was 16:27 a zealous Jew - used to be Pharisee, 16:30 but he became a Christian. 16:33 Then we have Philemon who was a very wealthy, Gentile 16:37 businessman who also became a Christian. 16:41 Then we have the slave, actually the runaway slave, Onesimus, 16:46 who became a Christian as a result of probably Paul's 16:51 ministry there while Paul was in prison. 16:54 They all came from various backgrounds and there's a 17:00 potential for either great conflict or great glory 17:04 when you have people who come together from differing 17:07 backgrounds, it brings great glory to God... 17:10 when people who would normally be at odds; normally be 17:12 fighting, that they can then come together and be in unity. 17:16 I think of that with Paul and John Mark. 17:18 What great glory that brought to God because they used 17:21 to be against each other, and then at the end of 17:24 Paul's life, what happened? 17:25 There was that reconciliation and that restoration, 17:29 that's what God wants to do. 17:30 So the Epistle of Philemon was one of the prison epistles, 17:33 as it were. 17:34 We know that Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 17:36 and Philemon were written while Paul was a 17:38 prisoner there in Rome. 17:40 I want to talk about seven principles 17:43 for godly relationships that I see here in this Book of 17:47 Philemon, but before we do the principles, 17:49 slavery was very, very common in the Greco-Roman world. 17:54 The world in which Paul was writing, 17:57 slavery was very common. 17:58 They think a third of the people were slaves. 18:02 Now that's a high percentage. 18:04 Slaves were highly educated; in fact, most of the doctors 18:08 in that day were slaves; teachers were slaves; 18:11 and lawyers and clerks and accountants. 18:14 People we would not expect to be slaves. 18:16 Of course there were agricultural slaves; 18:18 there were household slaves, and gladiators and those who 18:23 worked in the mines - those slaves probably had 18:25 the shortest life because they had the most demanding job, 18:29 the most dangerous jobs, you could say. 18:31 Slavery in the Roman world was not ethnically based. 18:35 Slavery - the Romans were happy to enslave anybody... 18:39 So slavery was based - sometimes it was a trophy of war; 18:42 sometimes it was a debtor and somebody who couldn't 18:45 pay their debt. 18:46 So we do not know why Onesimus became the slave 18:49 of Philemon but we know that he was. 18:51 Verse 1 tells us who this epistle is addressed to... 18:54 Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus and Timothy our brother, 18:57 to Philemon, our beloved friend and fellow laborer. 19:01 To the beloved Apphia, (I don't know how to pronounce that name) 19:05 Archippus our fellow soldier, 19:06 and to the church in your house..." 19:09 So this is addressed to Philemon. 19:11 Many people believe that his wife's name was 19:14 Apphia - so it's addressed to Philemon and his wife. 19:17 And then some people say that Archippus was a leader 19:20 of the church there and then others say 19:22 it was actually their son. 19:23 So whoever it was, it was written to Philemon, 19:26 his family, his household and the church there. 19:31 The setting for the story, I'll just mention this briefly 19:33 and then we will get to the seven keys 19:35 for godly relationships. 19:37 The setting for this... A couple of years before Paul 19:40 was a prisoner in Rome, so we know it happened 19:42 a couple of years before this story took place. 19:44 A slave killed a Roman senator, now this is documented 19:47 in history, and their Roman law says that if a slave killed 19:51 the master, then all of the other slaves had to be killed. 19:55 Well the public had a great outcry against this 19:57 because the Roman senator had 400 slaves and they did not 20:01 want to see this person killed... all of these slaves, 20:04 all for 399 and there were 400 of them killed. 20:07 And the senate decreed that the law had to be carried out, 20:11 and all 400 of them were executed. 20:13 So against this backdrop, you think if Paul could 20:16 convince Philemon to extend grace, to extend mercy, 20:21 to extend forgiveness toward his slave 20:24 who had wronged him, that news would spread 20:27 like wildfire in their culture and in their world. 20:31 So here's our seven keys to godly relationships: 20:34 1... Recognize that the foundation of any relationship 20:38 is God and His love. 20:41 Verses 5-6, it says... "Hearing of your faith 20:45 (Paul is writing to Philemon) hearing of your faith and love 20:48 which you have towards the Lord Jesus and toward 20:52 all the saints, that the sharing of your faith 20:54 may become effective by the acknowledgement 20:57 of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus." 21:00 Many relationships are not built 21:02 on a relationship with the Lord Jesus. 21:04 Many personal relationships we have might be based on 21:08 deception and I don't even want you to know 21:10 who I really am, Ryan, but I'm going to try to be deceptive. 21:13 Or, Pastor John, boy - you surely seem popular, 21:16 and I want to become friends with you because then 21:19 maybe that's going to improve my image. 21:21 Okay, that's not a good motive for friendship, right? 21:23 That's based on ego; sometimes it's based on a 21:26 political move, sometimes we have relationships with people 21:29 based on deception and if it's male or female, 21:31 it could even be based on lust. 21:32 But any godly relationship has its basis in love for God. 21:38 #2... Affirm the value of each person. 21:43 Paul affirmed both Philemon in this letter and Onesimus. 21:46 He affirms the value of both of them. 21:48 In verse 7, he says to Philemon, "We have great 21:51 joy and consolation in your love because the hearts 21:54 of the saints have been refreshed by you, brother. 21:56 He called him brother, he says, "The hearts of the 21:59 saints have been refreshed by you. 22:01 He affirms him and what Philemon has done, 22:03 but he also affirms Onesimus. 22:05 Verse 12, he says... I am sending him back, 22:09 (him being Onesimus) I'm sending him back. 22:11 You, therefore, receive him, that is my own heart." 22:15 The literal translation in Greek, if you do word for word, 22:18 says, "I have sent back to you in person, 22:21 he who is my very heart." 22:24 So he sent back to Philemon, so he's affirming Onesimus 22:27 in saying Onesimus is very valuable to me. 22:30 #3... Appeal rather than command. 22:34 Many times, as a master, as a manager, as even a parent, 22:40 it's easy to command... "Do this because I said so." 22:44 Boy, I heard that a time or two when I was a kid. 22:46 But appeal rather than command... 22:49 Verses 8-10, Paul appeals because he's older. 22:53 He is aged, he also appeals because he's 22:56 in bonds - he's in prison. 22:57 Verse 8... "Therefore, though I might be very bold in Christ 23:01 to command you what is fitting, yet for love's sake 23:03 I rather appeal to you, being such a one as Paul 23:07 the aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ. 23:10 I appeal to you for my son, Onesimus, whom I have 23:13 begotten while in my chains." 23:15 So he makes an appeal rather than a command. 23:18 #4... Don't manipulate or presume on a relationship 23:23 to your advantage. 23:24 Don't use a person or use a relationship to your advantage. 23:30 Paul could have kept Onesimus with him. 23:32 In fact, he said he wanted to keep him with him. 23:35 Verses 13-14... He said, I wish to kept Onesimus 23:40 with me because Onesimus was useful to him. 23:42 But yet he didn't want to presume on the relationship 23:45 with Philemon and he said, I'm sending him back. 23:47 #5... Use tact. This entire epistle is really an evidence 23:51 of diplomacy, you could say. 23:53 Paul begins first by telling Philemon how much he loves 23:56 and appreciates him, how much he prays for him. 23:59 He tells Philemon, he's glad that Philemon ministers 24:01 to other people... Then he says, there's a 24:04 particular person that I want for you to love. 24:07 Then he talks about himself as an aged prisoner. 24:11 Then by the time we get to verse 10, he finally 24:13 mentions the name Onesimus. 24:15 He describes a change that took place in Onesimus. 24:19 He used to be useless, now he's useful for ministry. 24:25 Then we get all the way down to verse 17 before he states 24:28 his request... Please receive Onesimus as you would 24:32 receive myself... receive him as you would Paul. 24:36 #6... Bear the cost of the relationship. 24:39 Paul was willing to part with Onesimus, 24:42 that was part of the cost. 24:43 He was willing to pay whatever Onesimus had wrongfully 24:47 taken, restore that. 24:48 Onesimus, on his part, was willing to part from his mentor 24:52 Paul - remember Paul probably led him into the gospel truth, 24:56 and Paul is his mentor. 24:57 Not only that, Onesimus is willing to give up his 25:00 freedom and he's willing to work to make restitution, 25:03 to do the right thing. 25:05 Usually in any relationship, the cost of a relationship 25:08 is forgiveness. Learning to forgive. 25:12 #7... Be accountable. Final point - be accountable. 25:16 Verse 22, Paul says... Prepare the guest room because I'm 25:20 coming to visit soon. So be accountable. 25:23 Principle keys for godly relationships and restitution. 25:26 Amen! Amen! 25:28 Jill, thank you so much for that from slave to son, 25:33 and we can use that from supervisor to manager, 25:36 to whatever department. 25:37 We're going to take a short break right now 25:39 for one minute and we'll be back to continue 25:41 our lesson study. 25:46 Ever wish you could watch the 3ABN Sabbath School Panel 25:49 again or share it on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter? 25:53 Well, you can by visiting 3ABN Sabbath School Panel.com. 25:58 A clean design makes it easy to find the program 26:01 you're looking for. 26:03 There are also links to the Adult Bible Study Guide 26:06 so you can follow along. 26:07 Sharing is easy, just click share and choose your 26:11 favorite social media. 26:12 Share a link, save a life for eternity! 26:17 Welcome back to our study on: "Oneness in Christ" 26:21 and we're going to pick up on Tuesday with Ryan Day: 26:24 "Spiritual Gifts for Unity" 26:25 Spiritual gifts man, absolutely! 26:28 So Tuesday's lesson is about "Spiritual Gifts for Unity" 26:31 So God gives us spiritual gifts for the purpose of 26:34 unifying the church. That's right! 26:35 Absolutely, and so we're going read a few texts here 26:38 that I find are vitally important for us understanding 26:41 this particular topic. 26:42 1 Corinthians 3:5-11, this is an interesting passage where Paul 26:50 basically affirms the different roles that we play in unity 26:56 in forgoing the gospel commission. 26:58 So notice verse 1 Corinthians 3:5-11, Paul says here... 27:05 in verse 5, "Who then is Paul? And who is Apollos? 27:10 But ministers through whom you believe, 27:13 as the Lord gave to each one, (and then I like this, he says) 27:17 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. 27:22 So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, 27:27 but God who gives the increase. 27:30 Now he who plants and he who waters are (I like this, 27:34 they are one, so they're in unison now) and each one 27:38 who receives his own reward according to his own labor. 27:42 And then verse 9 says... For we are God's fellow 27:45 workers; you are God's field, you are God's building. 27:50 According to the grace of God which was given to me, 27:53 as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, 27:57 (I love this, he says...) and another builds on it. 28:00 (and he continues to say...) But let each one take heed 28:04 how he builds on it. For no other foundation 28:08 can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ." 28:13 I can actually attest to this... 28:14 I have some incredible stories 28:15 over the years through evangelism and one particular 28:20 one that kind of sits out in my mind is - I went to this 28:25 church and I did a series, and there was 28:26 this particular couple there. 28:27 And they came every single night and they were really responding 28:31 very well to the messages, but it came down to the last 28:36 few nights where we were giving those final appeals, 28:38 you know, we're really pressing for the people and praying 28:41 for them to make that decision for Christ. 28:44 And we went and we visited with them, we went to their homes 28:48 and we spent some time with them and it was interesting 28:50 because after conversing and talking with them, 28:52 they said, "You know, we've heard all of your messages, 28:55 we've seen this, but we're just not quite ready 28:57 to make that decision." 28:59 Now, it can be a little discouraging because you really 29:03 want to see those people make a decision for Christ. 29:05 They've come every night, they've heard and been very 29:07 attentive to the message, but it just doesn't happen, 29:10 and sometimes that happens, but I remember leaving that 29:14 meeting - the very next year, my brother, Dakota, 29:17 he is also an Amazing Facts evangelist, and he went to that 29:21 same church and he did a series and those same people 29:26 went through his entire series and they ended up making a 29:29 decision at the end.. Amen! Praise God! 29:30 And so when I read this passage here where Paul talks 29:32 about, you know, "I planted, Apollos watered, 29:35 but God gave the increase," you know, I came along and I 29:39 kind of planted that seed and through that particular series 29:42 of my brother's, Dakota was able to water and give a little 29:46 extra something - perhaps maybe they didn't see before, 29:49 but really God gave the increase. 29:51 They were ripe to be harvested at that time. Amen! 29:53 And that's really what the gospel unity in mission 29:57 and with these spiritual gifts, we certainly see that with the 30:01 gifts that God has given us, we can make an incredible 30:03 difference if we are unified. That's right. 30:05 Now there are many different spiritual gifts 30:07 and we have to be very clear on that and that is found in 30:11 1 Corinthians 12:1-11, this is a very famous passage 30:15 that when you want to know the list of the different 30:17 spiritual gifts that God has blessed us with or God has 30:20 given the church, you can find that in 1 Corinthians 12:1-11. 30:25 Now I may not read every single verse, but I 30:27 do want to start out with the very first verse which makes it 30:31 clear and I like this... It says, "Now concerning 30:33 spiritual gifts brethren, (I love Paul's words here) 30:36 He said, "I want do not want you to be ignorant, 30:39 (please don't miss the point and, you know, 30:41 I feel like in the Christian church as a whole, 30:44 there's a lot of confusion about spiritual gifts. 30:47 And I'm not just simply talking about just Adventism, 30:50 just across Christianity as a whole, there's a lot of 30:52 contention, a lot of confusion and distortion about 30:56 the Spirit of God and the Spiritual gifts of God. 30:59 Notice what Paul continued to say in verse 4... 31:02 He says, "There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.." 31:07 Now that's important because we know that while there is a 31:11 genuine real Spirit of God that is working to draw 31:15 God's people to Jesus Christ. 31:16 We know there's also a false spirit - there's that spirit 31:20 that, of course, the spirit of Satan that is 31:23 warring and waging on our 31:24 heart to pull us away from Christ, but it goes on to say... 31:28 "There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 31:30 Verse 5.. "There are differences of ministries but the same Lord. 31:34 And there are diversities of activities but it is the 31:39 same God who works in all and all in all. 31:42 Verse 7... "But the manifestation of the Spirit 31:45 is given to each one for the profit of all; 31:49 (and then we start to have this list of spiritual gifts) 31:52 Picking up there in verse 8... it says, "... for to one is 31:55 given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, 31:57 (and I like the emphases, you're going to see - through the 32:00 Spirit, by the Spirit - all of this is given) 32:02 to another, the word of knowledge through the 32:04 same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, 32:08 to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, 32:12 to another the working of miracles, 32:14 to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, 32:18 and to another different kinds of tongues,, 32:21 to another the interpretation of tongues. 32:24 But one and the same Spirit... 32:27 (I have to really emphasize that - But one and the same 32:30 Spirit)... works all these things distributing to each one 32:35 individually as He wills." 32:37 So does this passage tell us that we all receive 32:40 the same gifts? No. Absolutely not. 32:43 And I think there's a little bit of confusion out there 32:45 because many people think that we have where we all each 32:48 individually have to exercise and take upon ourselves 32:52 the use of each one of those spiritual gifts and that 32:55 simply is not the case. 32:56 God gives each one a special gift 32:59 that depending upon how He wants you to use that 33:02 for the ministry. 33:03 But, you know, I came from a Pentecostal church... 33:07 In the Pentecostal Church, they kind of take that list 33:09 of Spiritual gifts and they kind of flip-flop it upside-down 33:12 and there's the emphasis of the speaking in tongues. 33:15 So a lot of people in the Pentecostal realm and in the 33:17 charismatic communities believe that if you don't 33:20 speak in tongues, then you don't have the Spirit of God 33:23 and, you know, that's becoming more prevalent more spread 33:26 across Christianity today, but we want to be clear 33:29 that while the gift of tongues is real, you have to believe it 33:32 biblically - there's a biblical right application to the 33:36 gift of tongues, but not everyone will receive 33:39 the gift of tongues and that is important to emphasize there. 33:42 I read this in our lesson and I have to emphasize this... 33:46 Our God-given gifts are not for selfish display, 33:51 and they are given by the Holy Spirit for service 33:54 in the spreading of the gospel, that's what it's for! 33:58 We're to use our talents and use our gifts and there was a 34:01 portion in the message which, my time is getting away 34:03 from me... but I just want to mention - Paul talks about 34:06 in 2 Corinthians 10:12-15, 34:11 he says... "For we dare not class ourselves 34:14 or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves." 34:17 So in other words, he's talking about comparing ourselves 34:19 to others - it's very easy in the ministry or even in the 34:23 church - you don't even have to necessarily be a minister 34:25 or preacher, but in the church in general - it's very easy 34:28 for us to look at others and say, "Oh, that person is not 34:30 as good as me, "Oh, that person doesn't play the piano 34:33 good, well why are they up there playing?" 34:35 Or, "That person doesn't sing as well, so why are they 34:37 up there singing?" Or, "Why is Brother John 34:38 Lomacang up there preaching, he certainly doesn't use 34:40 his words as good as I do?" 34:42 We end up comparing ourselves in ways, at times, that's very 34:45 divisional, it's very harmful to the mission 34:49 and unity of God's church. 34:51 But as Paul indicates very clear, we are all working 34:54 for the same mission. Amen! 34:57 We are all commended and we are all 34:59 given these gifts by the same God. 35:02 God wants His church to be in unity. 35:05 You know, in closing here in the last minute that I have, 35:08 I thought of a story... Prior to coming to 3ABN, 35:12 I was literally just about to accept a position 35:17 in Texas - in the Texas Conference to be a pastor, 35:20 and I had met with the conference president; 35:23 I had met with some other individuals... 35:25 it was about to go through. 35:27 But I remember at the last minute I had to make the 35:29 decision - the Lord was leading me to 3ABN in this direction, 35:32 and I had some of the brethren in the church... 35:34 They said, "Oh, we are literally a week away from the 35:38 executive committee voting me through, but I still felt 35:41 the Lord was leading me and guiding me in this direction, 35:43 and so I had ministers say, "Oh brother, you're messing up, 35:46 if you tell them "no," they'll never invite you back, 35:49 they'll never accept you back into the Texas Conference." 35:52 I remember, I called the conference president and I 35:54 had a discussion with him, and I'll never forget 35:56 this... he said to me, "Brother, we're all working 35:59 for the same cause - we're all working for the same Lord! 36:02 Whether you're at 3ABN or you're right here in the 36:05 Texas Conference, it doesn't matter, 36:07 we're still serving God together. 36:08 So I praise God for people like that - that should be the 36:11 example that we follow. AMEN! 36:14 Thank you and boy are we glad 36:16 that the Lord brought you here! 36:19 I have Wednesday's and I've just got way too much to say, 36:23 so let me get started... 36:25 We're talking this week about unity and broken relationships, 36:29 and my topic from Wednesday is: "Forgiveness" 36:33 Let me just read - it starts off like this in our Quarterly... 36:37 "What is forgiveness? Does forgiveness justify 36:40 the behavior of someone who has horribly wronged us? 36:42 Is my forgiveness dependent on the offender's repentance? 36:46 What if the one with whom I am upset does not 36:51 deserve my forgiveness?" 36:53 You know, John has already mentioned... Jesus on the cross 36:57 was an example of divine forgiveness 36:59 when in Luke 23:34, He said, "Father forgive them 37:04 they know not what they do." 37:06 I want to say this... Before I say what forgiveness is, 37:11 because someone out there, 37:13 I'm going to say what forgiveness is, 37:15 and you're going to go... "I don't like that." 37:19 So what I want to do first is describe what forgiveness 37:24 isn't so that you can understand better what it is, okay? 37:28 So very quickly, human-to-human forgiveness - what it's not... 37:34 It is not condoning the offence, you are not saying "it's okay." 37:39 It doesn't justify their actions or their behavior. 37:42 It is not forgetting what happened because 37:45 we'd never learn from our experiences 37:48 if we forgot what happened. 37:50 It does not guarantee that the other person 37:54 will change their behavior, and if they are unrepentant, 37:58 and unchanged, what that does is it changes, for you, 38:03 the rules of engagement. 38:05 You have to kind of guard yourself against 38:08 repeated injury. 38:10 It is NOT naively restoring trust. 38:14 Trust must be earned and reconciliation 38:18 is always the goal but it can't be assumed. 38:21 It is not necessarily easy to forgive, 38:26 it requires divine strength. 38:28 Forgiveness can be difficult, even with the first offense, 38:32 but if somebody continues to repeat the offense against us, 38:37 then it can just seem humanly impossible. 38:40 And you know, it's interesting because Peter came to Jesus, 38:43 it's recorded in Matthew 18:21-22, and he says, 38:47 basically, Lord, how many times do I have to forgive them, 38:51 seven? Because seven was the number of perfection, right? 38:54 And Jesus says, "I tell you, seventy times seven." 39:01 And so that's 490 times! 39:04 Just think, if somebody just keeps doing 39:07 the same thing to you. 39:08 Forgiveness is not surrendering to a person, 39:13 it's surrendering to God and it's not doing the offender 39:17 a favor, it's doing yourself a favor. 39:21 You know, unforgiveness is like taking poison into your body 39:25 to punish somebody else for what they've done. 39:28 But it's you that's being poisoned... 39:31 Your being poisoned emotionally; 39:33 you're being poisoned spiritually, even physically 39:36 because unforgiveness can cause obsessive behavior. 39:39 It can cause us to be depressed. 39:41 It can cause all kinds of physical stress 39:45 and it contributes to depression. 39:48 What happens when you're unforgiving? 39:50 You get frozen in this little capsule 39:53 of time when the offense took place. 39:56 So now let's look at what forgiveness is. 40:01 There are two types of forgiveness. 40:03 There's relational forgiveness and then 40:06 there is legal forgiveness. 40:09 Relational forgiveness is human-to-human. 40:13 Now God forgives us relationally as well, 40:17 but we can only forgive relationally. 40:21 We cannot forgive legally. 40:23 We cannot justify someone or pardon them for their sin. 40:28 So basically what forgiveness is for us, relational 40:32 forgiveness, it's just releasing negative feelings of anger 40:37 and bitterness and rage. 40:40 And what is the source of relational forgiveness? 40:44 God's love! That's it! 40:46 So what you have to do... essentially what God has 40:50 taught me to do is pray to 40:51 see the other person through God's eyes. 40:54 You know, Lord, help me to see what a broken 40:56 person they are and how they need mending. 41:00 Forgiveness is the essence of our faith, 41:04 and let me say this... it is a choice 41:07 we are commanded to make. 41:10 Forgiveness is a nonnegotiable act of obedience. 41:16 You know, I think about Joseph... he made a choice 41:19 to forgive his brothers and that could have 41:21 been very difficult. 41:22 But here's what Paul says about - Colossians 3:12-13... 41:26 "Therefore as the elect of God holy and beloved 41:29 put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, 41:33 meekness, longsuffering, bearing with one another, 41:37 forgiving one another. If anyone has a complaint 41:42 against you, even as Christ forgave you, 41:45 you so also must do, but above all things, 41:50 put on love which is the bond of perfection." 41:53 So it's a matter of... See, I don't know you very 41:58 well, so I can say this... Well I mean - use you as 42:01 an example. 42:03 I love you, I don't know you, but I love you because 42:08 I ask God always to put love in my heart as His love 42:14 for other people, but I can't love you 42:17 without God's Spirit working in me. That's right. 42:23 So, let me tell you the story real quick because 42:26 my time is getting away and I want to get back to this. 42:28 But I asked God once for an illustration on forgiveness 42:32 because He had taken me and walked me through forgiveness 42:35 commanding me to forgive somebody and I'm like... 42:37 "I don't want to and I don't know how to," and He said 42:42 "Pray for their salvation." 42:43 I didn't want them to be saved. 42:45 I mean, this was a bad person, I didn't want them in 42:48 heaven with me. 42:51 Anyway... so as God walked me through this, 42:54 I started praying for their salvation and suddenly 42:58 I didn't... and I told the Lord, I will but You know I 43:01 don't mean it... but guess what? 43:04 Within a couple of weeks, I'm praying and I meant it. 43:07 I mean I've got tears in my eyes, I am pleading 43:10 for their salvation and all of a sudden, I realized 43:13 I had forgiven them. 43:15 And I asked God for an illustration and this is so 43:17 powerful - to me this is just heaven-sent. 43:20 If there is a stream and I've shared this before but 43:24 you can't over-share this one. 43:27 If there is a stream and it comes down into a little valley, 43:31 if I were to take a wire and I anchored it on one side 43:34 of the stream and anchored it on the other, somebody upstream 43:37 throws trash into the stream, it collects on that wire. 43:41 Over a period of time, as more and more people throw trash 43:44 in the stream, what's going to happen? 43:46 Just like a beaver builds a dam, stick by stick... 43:50 it's going to block the flow of water. That's true. 43:54 God told me that wire is like unforgiveness in our heart, 43:59 and then what happens is all the trash, all the negative 44:04 comments people make or times that we get offended... 44:07 what happens is it begins to build around that wire of 44:12 unforgiveness and the next thing you know, 44:14 you've got bitterness and resentment in your heart, 44:16 and guess what? It blocks the flow of the Holy Spirit! 44:21 So when Jesus told us to be 44:24 forgiving, He wanted us to have a vibrant Spiritual life, 44:28 and if we hold unforgiveness in our hearts, we can't have that. 44:34 You know, legal forgiveness is God's part. 44:37 In Romans 5:8-11, it says... "God demonstrates 44:41 His own love for us in this, that while we were yet 44:45 sinners, He sent Christ to die for us and much more than 44:51 having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved 44:54 from wrath through Him. 44:55 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God 45:00 through the death of His Son, much more having been 45:02 reconciled. We shall be saved by His life, halleluiah, 45:07 halleluiah! Amen! 45:09 So it is only the atoning blood of Jesus 45:14 that can bring us that legal forgiveness. 45:17 But let me just say this... 45:19 Jesus placed great emphasis on horizontal forgiveness, 45:24 person-to-person. 45:26 In Matthew 6:14-15, he says, "For if you forgive men 45:30 trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 45:33 but if you do not forgive their trespasses, 45:36 neither will your Father forgive you yours." 45:40 I wonder why? You know what? If we don't 45:43 accept Jesus' death on the cross as sufficient to pay for our 45:48 enemies' sins, we're disqualifying His death 45:52 as the payment for sin. Yes. Wow! 45:55 Good. Thank you Shelley! 45:58 Well Pastor Kenny! Yes. That's heavy-duty stuff 46:03 right there and I'm in agreement with, 46:05 you know, we're talking about here forgiveness, 46:07 because people ask me, "How can I know that I've 46:10 actually forgiven that person." How do you really know? 46:13 I'll say in my own experience, it came when I get on my knees 46:16 and I could bring that person's name before the throne 46:19 of God and I felt no kind of reservations because I 46:23 did it for years - I took their name but I had a reservation 46:26 every time and I knew I had a reservation, 46:28 but I knew it was the right thing to do. Amen! 46:30 But when the time came that I could take him to the Lord 46:32 in prayer, and just leave it there - I knew it all 46:34 had been well with God through His blood. 46:36 Thank you for sharing that. Yes. 46:38 We're going to do Thursday's lesson here: 46:40 "Restoration and Unity" is what everyone has been 46:42 talking about here, Sister Shelley, what you were 46:45 talking about here, praise God in the Bible 46:47 we can find out how to take care of these issues 46:50 we've been talking about forgiveness. 46:51 It's so outlined in Scripture, Matthew 18:15-17 46:56 to help solve this issue here and we'll read that 46:59 in just a moment, but I want us to think for a moment, 47:01 Jesus gave us Matthew 18, there's a reason why... 47:03 because of issues, because of things that will happen 47:06 in the church among church people that need 47:08 to be taken care of. 47:10 There's a correct way of handling it. 47:12 There's no doubt about it. 47:13 We might want to bypass and go a different direction, 47:17 but I'm telling you, it behooves us to do the way 47:19 God says to do it because He left it in His word. 47:23 And, there's always difficulty maybe between two parties 47:26 that need to be straightened up. 47:28 We need to realize quickly that when there is an issue, 47:31 we need to keep it as closely as we can knit within 47:34 as few parties as possible. Amen! 47:37 We'll see that as we go along here... not broadcasting, 47:40 not doing things we shouldn't be doing. 47:41 It get clear as we read that in just a moment. 47:43 The more we get involved, notice this... the more 47:46 contention is created. 47:48 The more people you get, the more problems you have. 47:50 People begin to take sides; they begin to get in groups; 47:53 they begin to separate; they begin to divide... 47:56 Pretty soon the church is having maybe a split because 47:59 it wasn't handled properly, too many people involved, 48:02 lines drawn, battles begins, look out! 48:04 You know, things can happen. 48:06 So how do we really follow God's plan, is there's a way to do it? 48:08 Matthew 18:15-17, our lesson gives three steps here, 48:14 and we know those steps or we should know them and 48:17 follow them. 48:18 Three steps to help resolve the problem and if we're 48:22 wronged by another church member. 48:24 When I think about the problems we have in the church, 48:26 we need to follow exactly what God said. 48:28 Matthew 18... I don't think I have it, I'm going to turn here 48:31 real quick and take time to read it. 48:33 Most of you have it, I'm sure, memorized... 48:36 A lot of people say they have it memorized, 48:38 but when it comes right down to it, 48:39 I don't think they do... If we have it memorized, 48:42 hopefully, we'll follow it. That's right. Isn't that right? 48:44 Matthew 18 and then notice this, read along with me 48:48 if you have it in your Bible, Matthew 18:15-17, 48:51 those of you at home. 48:54 The Bible says here at the bottom of the page... 48:55 "Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, 48:57 go and tell him... what? His fault (notice this) 49:01 between thee and him alone; if he shall hear thee, 49:03 thou has gained thy brother. 49:05 16... But if he will not hear thee, take... what? 49:07 with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of 49:12 two or three witnesses every word may be established. 49:15 17... If he shall neglect to hear them, tell it to the 49:18 church; but if he neglect to hear the church, 49:20 let him be unto thee (oh, this is interesting) as a heathen 49:23 man and a publican. 49:25 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind 49:28 on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever 49:30 ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." 49:32 That's pretty heavy duty stuff when you look at right there. 49:35 I thought about that and looked at it as with studying, 49:37 and I said, "You don't normally think about this... 49:40 this is my opinion - "I think this is probably the most 49:44 abused teaching in Scripture." 49:48 I have a right to my opinion. Absolutely. 49:51 This is one of the most abused teachings in Scripture. 49:55 Neglected or abused? It's neglected, it's abused. 49:58 It's not even neglected, it's really abused because 50:00 we're not following it, it seems like at all. Okay. 50:04 Because somebody has an issue, somebody gets into it 50:06 in the church - where do they go? 50:07 They go to their neighbors, they go to friends, 50:09 other church members and all of a sudden they tell them 50:11 and say, "Well I know you're not going to tell it, 50:13 and I know you're not going to say anything about it, 50:14 but that's not what the Bible says to do... 50:16 Already we're off base, already we're in for a problem. 50:21 Again, we look in verse 15, I'll do it quickly here. 50:23 It begins a new teaching, as we go down here, Jesus said, 50:26 ... But it's closely parallel to the parable of the lost sheep, 50:30 right before that in Matthew 18:12-14, 50:33 so it's close there - just read that. 50:34 Jesus tells that it's not the Father's will that 50:37 one of these little ones should do what? 50:38 Should perish... Then He moves on, then He begins (notice this) 50:43 to discuss the attitude of a Christian. 50:46 The attitude of the Christian should take when a believer 50:50 injures him - this is our attitude or... 50:53 the word there is when he misses the mark, 50:56 when he gossips or backbites maybe about me or you. 50:59 When he errors, "he did me wrong," - how many times have 51:02 you heard that? "Well he did me wrong, 51:03 he deserved it." 51:05 Or we might say, "Well he sinned against me." 51:07 But you know, as we look at the Bible, 51:09 the first words that Jesus commands... 51:12 Someone mentioned here, was talking about the day 51:14 Jesus commanded - it's not an option. 51:15 Jesus commanded - He said, "Go and tell him." 51:19 When you're injured, "Go and tell him." 51:21 Well I'll call the pastor, I'll tell the elder, 51:23 I'll call these people and we'll them first, 51:24 and then... it didn't say that! 51:26 It would save a lot of problems if we did what 51:28 the Bible said and even if it be true, 51:30 ... you know you read "5 Testimonies," 51:33 I think 57 or 58, it says there, "Even if it's true, 51:38 does not justify you telling it." 51:40 Well, it's the truth, so I'm just going 51:41 to go ahead and tell it. No, it's justify, ever 51:43 because that person may ask for forgiveness, 51:45 having changed his life... you destroyed their character. 51:48 We have to be very careful about trying 51:49 to destroy character. 51:50 Galatians 6:1 should be considered... 51:53 It says simply here, "If a man be overtaken 51:56 in a fault, ye which are... what? 51:58 Galatians 6:1- spiritual, do what...? 52:02 It's been talked about here. Restore such a one in 52:05 the spirit of meekness, considering thyself 52:08 less... what? Thou also be tempted. 52:11 "Desire of Ages," p.441, says this about it... 52:14 "For evils that we might have checked and this is when 52:16 those are impositions that could stop it, right? 52:18 Let's get started here... We are just as responsible 52:22 as if we were guilty of the acts our self." 52:24 You could have stepped into it, helped to get a rein 52:29 on this thing. Read that again please. 52:30 It says, "For evils that we might have checked, 52:33 sometimes we're in a position, somebody comes 52:34 to you and says, "Well, Joe Blow did do this..." 52:36 You have the opportunity... are you with me? 52:38 You have the opportunity to say, "Wait a minute here, 52:41 why don't we follow what the Bible says here?" 52:43 But we don't, we go ahead and we give an ear... 52:45 There's going to be gossipers, backbiters, talebearers 52:47 or whatever - as long as they have ears 52:49 that will listen to them. 52:50 If they don't have ears, they have to shut up and go home. 52:53 Okay... let's go on with that. 52:55 Next word to me is powerful, (notice this) it says, 52:58 "Go between he and thee alone," right? That's right. 53:01 Not anybody else, between he and thee 53:02 alone to settle this issue. 53:04 Every situation (notice this) where someone is wounded, 53:08 the less publicity that is given to it, we know it is 53:11 the best thing (notice this) best... if we talk about it 53:14 to others, what have we done? 53:17 It maybe become impossible to win that person back 53:21 because they've been hurt, they've been talked about 53:22 and so they say, "Well no, I'm the... you know, 53:25 this issue is going to never be resolved and we realize 53:28 guilt is going to lie at the door of that one person 53:31 or two people or all those who were involved that shouldn't 53:33 have been involved - we have to be very careful. 53:35 We have to realize, we have to give an account for every 53:37 word, every deed, everything that we do... 53:39 so this is no exception to the rule even when we think 53:42 that we are helping someone. 53:45 If the brother doesn't hear it or admit to the wrongs 53:48 then take two or three, we read that, with you. 53:50 Those who are not personally involved as witnesses... 53:52 They are there as witnesses so 53:55 that they can... what? Say, "I heard this brought to 53:58 the brothers, sisters, so this doesn't get out of control." 54:00 Two sides to ever disagreement, we know; two parties 54:03 always involved, but you know what? 54:05 Most generally, we just hear one side of the story; 54:07 we sit there and we sit in judgment; 54:08 and we listen to what we shouldn't be listening to 54:10 because somebody said... it was, you know, 54:12 they're accountable, they wouldn't tell me if it wasn't," 54:15 And we make a decision - that's not for us to do at all. 54:18 That's not what the Bible says to do. 54:21 We're dealing with the destiny of souls - remember that. 54:25 If that fails, verse 17 says, Go to... what? 54:27 Go to the church, right? Go to the church and 54:30 tell the church and then, if he doesn't accept it, 54:33 it says - treat him as... what? 54:34 A heathen, as Gentile or a publican, or tax collector, 54:38 but notice this... "Desire of Ages" says 54:40 quickly as I wind it down, "By refusing the counsel 54:42 of the church, the erring person has severed himself 54:46 from fellowship." Wow... 54:48 Now see, he severed himself from fellowship if he refuses, 54:51 "Desire of Ages," p.441, the counsel of the church. 54:54 Then notice this... The counsel of the church must be based 54:56 upon the Bible and the word of God, not just being a group 55:00 that got together and we decide this is the way 55:01 we're going to do it. Amen! 55:03 But when the counsel of the church is based upon 55:05 the word of God, we have to be very, very careful. 55:07 Caution here - we are out to... what? 55:10 Win him and bring him back, we know that, 55:12 but notice that winning back is not the way... 55:15 If it appears that we're going to, you know, share his 55:18 point-of-view or we're kinda with him and so on and so forth, 55:21 when we know it's dead wrong, that's not the way 55:23 you try to win a brother back. 55:25 Make it very obvious that... we love you, we care for you, 55:27 God loves you, but issues have to be taken care of and changed. 55:32 A different course of action, and Jesus says, 55:35 "What's bound on earth, will be bound in heaven," 55:37 once again - as long as it coincides with the word of God! 55:42 And God is going to take care of it! Man, let's follow that! 55:44 Man, we won't have any troubles in the church! 55:46 Amen! Boy, Pastor Kenny, did somebody 55:48 drop some gasoline on you? Laughter... I love it! 55:52 That was fired up! Praise the Lord and all 55:54 of the conversations - thank you Jill, Ryan, Shelley and 55:57 Pastor Kenny and now Pastor Day, I want to say that 56:00 too because you are surely an evangelist. Amen! 56:03 And thank you for taking the time to tune in. 56:05 Jill, just summarize for me in the time we have, 56:08 and each of you has the opportunity to do that. 56:10 2 Corinthians 5 talks about how we are a new creature, 56:13 a new creation in Christ Jesus and how God 56:16 has reconciled us back to Himself and it's given 56:19 to us the privilege of extending that healing reconciling 56:23 ministry to others. Okay, Ryan... 56:25 I heard a pastor once say that "If you could sum the Bible 56:29 up in just a couple of sentences or a few words, 56:32 the Bible is literally about a God who loves His people 56:35 and is constantly trying to restore a broken 56:38 relationship with those people." Amen! 56:40 And I think that is the most important thing is 56:42 that we need to be seeking God now more than ever 56:46 than we ever have before so that we can be 56:48 completely reconciled with Him. Amen! Shelley... 56:50 Just do yourself a favor, if you're holding unforgiveness 56:53 in your heart, let it go, give it to God; 56:56 ask Him to help you and you will find out 56:59 your life is changed. Amen! 57:01 Pastor Kenny, you have 10 seconds... 57:02 Yeah, just quickly, we need to wholly place our self 57:06 on the side of Christ and all things work 57:08 together for good. Amen! Amen! 57:10 So you've heard it right here at 3ABN, our Sabbath School 57:13 Lesson Study - remember whatever you desire that 57:15 people will do to you, do likewise to them. 57:18 We call that the golden rule, 57:19 so that Christ could be seen in your heart. 57:21 Join us again the next time for the study of 57:23 "Unity in Worship" God bless you. |
Revised 2018-12-06