Participants:
Series Code: SSP
Program Code: SSP180050A
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00:30 Hello and welcome, Happy Sabbath!
00:33 We're glad you joined us today for the 00:36 3ABN Sabbath School Panel, I love the Sabbath School Panel. 00:40 I'm coming to love it more as we spend time together, 00:42 so praise God for 3ABN Sabbath School Panel and I hear that 00:46 as we travel around, I hear that 00:48 an awful lot, so I praise God for that 00:51 and all the work that goes in. 00:52 Some people forget there's a lot of work to the 00:54 Sabbath School Panel, so each one gives a little 00:56 credit, a pat on the back and praise God - it helps us 00:59 along the way but we praise God for that. 01:00 We're glad you've joined us today spending some time 01:03 with us, get your Bible, pencil 01:04 and paper to jot some things down. 01:05 My name is Kenny Shelton and we're going to be 01:08 studying lesson #11. 01:10 So when we study the lesson, be sure if you've got your 01:13 Sabbath School Quarterly, be sure and get it out, 01:14 Bible, pencil and paper; all the things you're 01:17 going to need to jot things down because 01:18 I know the ones on this panel. 01:20 They're going to be putting a lot of things out 01:22 there that maybe you've never heard before 01:23 or maybe you've forgotten, and they're going to be 01:25 reminding you. 01:26 We're going to be talking about "Unity in Worship" 01:29 And, you know, in this Quarter, I found it very, very 01:32 interesting, the title, I think is "Oneness in Christ." 01:36 Oneness in Christ is really what we need. 01:39 This is really what it's all about. 01:40 And also I find oneness with our fellowman. 01:43 Oneness with Christ means oneness with our fellowman. 01:47 And so, as we look at it, I'm thinking with this, 01:50 this is God's original plan that He has for this universe, 01:53 you know, for this earth, is for all of us to be in 01:57 harmony, all of us to be in unity and all of us 02:00 to love one another. 02:02 Pretty simple isn't it? It sounds good, 02:03 what a world that would be and I'm looking and I'm 02:05 thinking - probably when we get to heaven, 02:07 but right now, we're going to be working on these lessons. 02:09 And I've learned a lot from these lessons, 02:11 I pray that you have too. 02:13 And again, this Quarter has just been a good one. 02:15 If you don't already have your lesson study... 02:17 I know it's getting late in the quarter, 02:18 but you can still get it. 02:20 You can simply go and download: ABSG.Adventist.org 02:26 Here we go, I'll do that again: ABSG.Adventist.org 02:31 and you can download those and get them 02:34 and follow along with us. 02:35 That is the "Adult Bible Study Guide," 02:38 and I think it's very important to have it, 02:39 at least it is for me, to have it to follow along 02:42 and so they can learn and take notes and 02:44 you'll hear a little bit more about that 02:45 a little bit later on as we go on. 02:47 I'd like to just introduce our panel... 02:50 doesn't need any introduction but as I look around... 02:53 and if you'll just allow me just to kind of go on 02:54 for a second here... I look at the panel and I'm 02:57 very grateful and thankful for each one of you. 02:59 You know, you've really been an inspiration in my life, 03:02 and a help in time of need and the willingness to help 03:07 always is what I see. 03:08 Sister Jill Morikone, bless you, all I ever hear is 03:11 "How can we help you?" 03:13 How can we help you, what can we do for you 03:15 to make things easier, and so I thank God for 03:17 your dedication - I'm not trying to build up. 03:19 We know it's Jesus who lives inside, but this is what I see. 03:23 Sometimes I feel like, you know, 03:24 an outsider coming in, but being part of. 03:26 Sometime you can get back and you can look a little bit 03:29 closer and what you see is what you get and that's 03:32 one of the things that I'm asked always is... 03:34 "Are the people real?" 03:36 Any my answer is always, "Yes they are, 03:39 if they weren't I wouldn't want to be a part of it." 03:41 So I'm thankful for all the work that you do 03:43 and your dedication and most of all your love for Jesus, 03:45 has been a blessing to me, glad you're here today. 03:47 Thank you, it's a privilege to be here. 03:49 And Sister Shelley Quinn, I mean, wow... 03:53 an awesome worker, dedicated to the cause of 03:56 Christ and, you know, you talk to her and she just 04:00 wants to talk about Jesus all the time - isn't that wonderful? 04:02 That's a good subject, isn't it? It is. Amen! 04:04 But I learn from that and the dedication and the hard 04:07 work and I just want you to know I appreciate you. 04:10 Okay, we love you. Glad you're here. 04:12 And Brother Greg Morikone, bless your heart, 04:15 I think as I say, "Greg," I can't say Greg without Jill. 04:17 You know, I can't say "Shelley" without J.D. 04:20 We'll get on to Pastor John in a minute and I think of his 04:23 wife - I just think of just couples, but praise God, 04:25 you're a hard worker and every time I look at you, 04:27 you're busy, you're just busy, busy, busy for the 04:29 cause of Christ and, you know, I can look from that 04:32 and learn and I try and think back and say, 04:34 "Was I really that busy at that age, like that for the 04:36 cause of Christ like he is and to have that love." 04:38 And so, again, I praise God for you. 04:40 It's a blessing to be teamed up together as a team. Amen! 04:43 You know and I think that's the key - is that it's 04:45 really lifting up Jesus Christ and being a team 04:47 spreading this gospel around the world, it's a privilege. 04:49 And isn't that wonderful? 04:50 And you have on your left there, Pastor John Lomacang. 04:53 I see a man that loves Jesus, God's man. Praise the Lord. 04:58 Preaching the word in due season and I don't know, 05:02 I just sense a new vision in his heart and his life 05:06 the last year or so and that's just me, 05:09 it's evangelism, it's the winning of souls, 05:13 it's the love of Christ in the heart and that just comes out 05:15 in wanting to win souls for Christ. 05:17 So he is staying very, very, very busy for the cause 05:20 of Christ and I appreciate this. 05:22 And I look at that, and I say, "Lord, help me to be 05:24 more like that.. I'm glad you're here today. 05:26 Good to be here Kenny. 05:27 Praise the Lord! Okay, let's get right in! 05:29 I spent a little time on that but I think sometimes 05:31 it needs to be and I think we need to express how we feel, 05:34 we express our love for God and we need, sometimes 05:38 to express our love and appreciation for each other. 05:40 And we surely appreciate you and your precious wife, Chris. 05:44 You all are a blessing to the ministry here. 05:46 Well, praise God, it's always good to be a 05:47 part of something that's moving on... 05:49 Movers and Shakers are always called that. 05:51 And, let's have prayer, shall we as we begin, 05:54 and Brother Greg, how about you, 05:57 would you just lead us today? Absolutely! 05:59 Father in Heaven... What a privilege it is to 06:01 open Your Holy Word and we just pray as 06:03 we study the Sabbath School Lesson for this week, Lord, 06:06 that You would open our minds; as sometimes we see truth, 06:09 but we don't always want to implement it in our own lives. 06:12 And Lord, I just pray that as the Holy Spirit 06:13 speaks to us - that we would say, "Yes Jesus, 06:15 I accept that." 06:17 So Lord, again, today we thank You for this privilege of Your 06:19 Word. In Jesus name we pray... Amen, Amen! Amen! 06:24 Quickly, we won't spend much time on it because it's going 06:26 right down, but Sabbath, we're talking about "Sabbath." 06:28 We will begin with Sabbath for our memory text... 06:31 And the memory text is one that we've all, I'm sure 06:34 have memorized but it's worth reading because there are 06:38 many people who have not heard this... they have never 06:40 read it before, so quickly I will read it, Revelation 14:6-7. 06:45 It says... "Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of 06:47 heaving having the everlasting gospel to preach to those 06:50 who dwell on the earth, to every nation, tribe, tongue, 06:52 and people - saying with a loud voice, "Fear God and give 06:56 glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; 07:00 and worship Him who made what? Heaven and earth 07:03 the sea and springs of water." "Unity in Worship" 07:08 You know, how does this really take place? 07:11 It focuses... this lesson really focuses on our worship 07:15 and how we are to worship, and how worshipping helps 07:18 preserve unity. Yes! That's right! 07:20 ... Which we need among believers in Jesus Christ. 07:23 And our spiritual house is to be, you know, 07:26 is to be one that God approves of. 07:28 I like that 1 Peter 2:5... you can jot it down. 07:32 It says, "Ye are also as lively stones, 07:35 and are built up in a spiritual house." 07:38 (I always liked that) A holy priesthood, to offer 07:41 up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God... who? 07:45 through Jesus Christ." That's wonderful to know. 07:48 Hearts and minds, we realize as we study this lesson, 07:50 are going to be transformed, we realize that. 07:53 Transformation bottom-line leads to service. 07:56 When we are transformed by the grace of God, 07:58 it leads to service every time; you can't help it! 08:01 It's like you can't keep quiet when you want to talk 08:04 to somebody - you want to talk about Jesus; 08:06 you can't keep quiet, you want to do it. 08:08 And also, it leads, like you say - to service 08:10 when our hearts have really been transformed. 08:12 It reminds me of Acts at Pentecost. 08:15 When you talk about the Book of Acts, 08:17 I see every one of you light up every time 08:18 we talk about it because there's so much in there 08:21 and it's a book that we are to study here in the last days, 08:23 the Book of Acts because we can learn 08:25 how to be a soul winner for Christ. 08:27 We can learn how to be ready, as it were, 08:29 for the latter rain. Amen! That's right. 08:31 We can learn how to be ready for the coming of Jesus. 08:33 And they just did the same simple things over and over 08:37 that we need to be doing that we forget. 08:38 In Acts 2:42, it says... "They continued steadfastly 08:42 in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking 08:45 of bread, and prayers." 08:47 Now that doesn't sound very difficult, 08:50 but sometimes it's very difficult in busy schedules, 08:52 so we have to make sure we make time. 08:54 Not going to spend any more time on that 08:56 because we want to try to go hit Sunday's 08:59 lesson, so if you will turn quickly to Sunday's lesson 09:01 with 6 minutes or so that we have here. 09:03 "Worshipping Our Creator and Redeemer" 09:06 You know, how do we do that? 09:07 I've often wondered - how do we really? 09:09 And really, is it acceptable the way that we worship 09:13 our God, our heaven. 09:15 What does it really include? 09:17 How is it done and what does it really mean? 09:21 I think three things, whether we'll get 09:22 into them or not is something. 09:24 Our lesson started out with this passage that I 09:26 like in Psalm 29:2, I really like this 09:30 passage and I know you will too. 09:31 David tells us here... you know when he began to 09:34 praise God, I'm telling you, you stop and you listen, 09:37 to the way that he praised God. Amen! 09:38 He had a lot to be very grateful and thankful for 09:40 just like I do. 09:41 Notice what it says here, it says... "Give unto the Lord 09:44 the glory due unto His name. Worship the Lord in the beauty 09:49 of holiness." 09:50 Worship the Lord is to give Him glory and... what? 09:54 And honor that He simply deserves. 09:57 I looked up that word, I thought, interesting... 09:59 give Him glory - you know, we give Him glory. 10:01 Worship the Lord, give Him glory to worship, 10:04 respect, reverence, homage that is due Him 10:09 because He is our Creator and there will be more things 10:11 that you'll go into in this lesson. 10:13 We beseech Him with reverence and respect. 10:17 We don't (oh, I better be careful here, now we're getting 10:20 on me a little platform here) you know, we need to be 10:22 very careful... we go out like we're going on a picnic 10:25 sometimes to meet with God and to preach the word of God 10:28 when we should give Him our very best whatever 10:30 it might be, so let's just it from there. 10:32 God deserves our honor and respect that we give Him 10:36 because He is our Creator and our Redeemer. 10:39 "Manuscripts 16, 1890," I like this here. 10:42 I've often wondered and read this passage of Scripture 10:45 that we have in Memory Text for years and how can I 10:49 give Him glory? How can I give Him glory? 10:52 How do we give Him glory? 10:53 Well, people say, "Worship." People say, "Just pray." 10:56 And I thought, you know, this is really, really, really good. 10:58 "To give glory to God... just stop right there. 11:00 "To give glory to God is to reveal His character 11:05 in our own; thus, make Him known." 11:09 How do we make Him known to the world? 11:11 Letting Him live in us, right? And let His character come out. 11:14 Notice this... "In whatever ways we make known the Father 11:18 and (notice) the son, we glorify God." 11:22 That's just the bottom line for me. 11:24 So "Whatever way we make known the Father, 11:27 and the Son, we glorify God." That's good. 11:30 And I thought it very interesting here, in the time 11:31 we have... turn in your Bibles, if you will, in Revelation 4. 11:35 I want to know how Heaven worships! 11:38 If I can find out how Heaven worships God, it will help me. 11:42 Does that make sense? It will help, that's good. 11:44 Revelation 4, I'm going to read just two verses here. 11:50 Revelation 4, starting with verse 8 and then 11... 11:54 "And the four beasts which had each of them, 6 wings 11:59 about him and they were full of eyes within and they 12:02 rest not day or night saying, (notice) "Holy, holy, 12:06 holy, God Almighty which was, is and is to come. 12:10 Verse 11 really comes to power. 12:13 "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor 12:18 and power; for thou hast created (here we go, 12:21 we're giving glory and honor) because He has created all 12:24 things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created." 12:27 Notice they are talking about here - that was in heaven. 12:30 Talking about the created, the angels... we realize it says 12:34 here, the Creator... as I look at it, I thought, "Man, that's.. 12:38 What are these - it says there are four beasts and you think 12:41 "Wow, four beasts!" You know, what are these four beasts? 12:45 You know, really, it's just living creatures. 12:47 These four living creatures and they had six wings, 12:49 and in Isaiah 6, the seraphim's had six wings, 12:54 and in Ezekiel 1:6, they had four wings and so we look at 12:59 these are things that God had created for His honor 13:01 and for His glory and they can teach us how we should 13:06 worship God by what Heaven does. 13:09 Why? Colossians 1:17 says... "He is before all things 13:13 and by Him... what? All things consist! That's beautiful! 13:17 God's purpose then in creating man and creating 13:21 angels and everything is what? 13:22 To reflect His love and we then are to bring that in 13:27 and reflect it to others. 13:28 His character... Show appreciation to our Creator. 13:33 I wonder if we do that enough, do we really do that enough? 13:36 Do we really show appreciation. 13:38 So maybe we can say today, maybe we can say today 13:42 that worship begins when God's creation simply responds to Him. 13:50 Think about that - it begins when we respond to Him; 13:55 respond to His love, respond to what He has done 13:57 for us, just as a response, and certainly that includes 14:00 salvation; that includes the whole thing for sure. 14:03 And I want to make sure we get this in Revelation 15:3-4, 14:07 tells us (notice this)... how heaven worships! 14:11 It says right here, "And they sing the song of Moses, 14:16 that's all of created beings and the servant of God, 14:20 the song of the Lamb, saying: "Great and marvelous 14:22 are thy... what? Are thy works. 14:25 Lord God Almighty! Just and true are thy ways, 14:29 thou King of saints." Oooo, I can hear that 14:31 echoing all over heaven, can't you? 14:33 verse 4... "Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify 14:38 thy name and for thou only art holy: for all 14:44 nations shall come and worship before thee 14:46 for thy judgments are made manifest." 14:50 It's beautiful! Scripture reveals to us... what? 14:53 God! And through the life and ministry of none other 14:57 than Jesus Christ, God is made more fully revealed to us 15:02 (I like that) and certainly He is worthy of our praise! 15:07 Can you think of anybody else 15:08 more worthy of our praise than God? No. 15:10 So there's nothing wrong with going around day by day, 15:13 and simply say, "Praise God!" 15:16 Praise God, even when things maybe are not going 15:18 quite as well as you would maybe like for those things 15:20 to go!. He is worthy! He is more than worthy! 15:24 And you look at your own life today and can you not say 15:27 with me... "He is worthy, the Lamb of God that was slain 15:30 from the foundation of the world." Amen! Amen! 15:34 Thank you so much, Pastor Kenny, what an incredible 15:36 job; what a wonderful foundation for worship! 15:39 It makes me want to come higher. 15:41 It makes me want to worship more, more reveal 15:44 His character to the world. 15:46 I have the opposite of Pastor Kenny's lesson... 15:50 For every truth that God has given us, 15:53 Satan has invented a counterfeit. 15:56 My day, on Monday, is: "False Worship" 16:00 There is true worship - you talked about the true worship, 16:03 but Satan has invented a false worship. 16:06 You know this thing that we call the "Great Controversy," 16:08 the battle between good and evil, between Christ and Satan 16:13 is all about worship. Yes. 16:15 It's all about who we are going to worship. That's right. 16:19 You think about the origin of sin in heaven... 16:22 Sin, we know, did not begin on this earth with Adam and Eve, 16:25 it began in heaven and that was about worship. 16:29 Remember in Isaiah 14, Lucifer said... "I will ascend into 16:34 heaven; I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; 16:38 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; 16:41 I will be like the Most High." 16:44 So Lucifer turned Satan, wanted the worship 16:47 that belonged to God alone. 16:49 Now we come down to this earth and we see Cain and Able... 16:52 and that was about worship. 16:54 Remember? Cain wanted to do it his way, his fruit, his own 16:59 works of obedience. 17:00 Able wanted to do it God's way; God's provision; 17:06 God's sacrifice, faith in His righteousness. 17:10 We come down quite a few years to Mount Carmel... 17:14 Elijah is standing there and he says, "How long are you 17:17 going to halt between two opinions? 17:20 If the Lord be God, follow Him, but if Baal, then follow him. 17:23 That issue was over worship. 17:26 We come down a few years later to three Jewish young men 17:32 who were in captivity in Babylon on the plain of Dura. 17:37 There was a false image erected. 17:40 We know it was a false image because the true image was 17:43 the vision that God had given to Nebuchadnezzar. 17:45 But Nebuchadnezzar decided he didn't like that vision 17:48 so well and he wanted an entire image of gold - representing 17:52 that Babylon would continue forever. 17:54 We know that's not biblical, but he wanted worship, 17:58 this is false worship. 18:00 Turn with me to Daniel 3, in Daniel 3, we see Shadrach, 18:04 Meshach and Abednego standing firmly for God in the 18:09 midst of everyone else, Pastor Kenny, who worshipped 18:12 the false God who worshipped 18:14 when they were not supposed to. 18:16 Now the word "worship" occurs many times in Daniel 3. 18:20 "And certain Chaldeans came to the king and said, 18:23 "O king, these Jewish brethren that you have elevated 18:28 to a position in government, you know what? 18:30 They're not even obeying your orders. 18:32 They're not falling down and worshipping." 18:35 And we get down to verse 17, and Shadrach, Meshach 18:39 and Abednego answered the king and they say, "If that is 18:42 the case, our God whom we serve, is able to deliver us from the 18:46 burning, fiery furnace and He will deliver us from your 18:50 hand, O king; but if not, let it be known to you, O king, 18:53 that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship 18:59 the golden image which you had set up." 19:02 So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego chose not to 19:05 engage in false worship; they chose not to worship 19:09 a false god. 19:11 We come down to the time of Jesus; the temptations of Jesus. 19:14 Turn with me to Luke, Luke 4 and we know there 19:20 were several temptations to Jesus, but the one I want to 19:22 reference is the one about worship. 19:24 Luke 4:5-8... "Then the devil taking Him (that's Jesus) 19:30 up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms 19:33 of the world in a moment of time. 19:35 And the devil said to Him, "All this authority, 19:38 (that's "exousia," power to act, authority) 19:41 I will give you and their glory, for this has been delivered 19:44 to me and I give it to whomever I wish. 19:47 Therefore, if you will worship 19:49 before me, all will be yours." 19:51 And Jesus said, "Get behind Me Satan for it is written, 19:56 "You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only 19:58 you will serve." 20:00 Now in this case, Jesus refused the authority, 20:03 we could say, that Satan wanted to give Him. 20:07 He refused to worship Satan. 20:11 Adam had dominion, we know that, in the Garden of Eden, 20:14 over all creation, right? 20:16 God gave him that dominion. 20:18 He forfeited that dominion when he chose 20:21 to partake of the fruit when he stepped into sin. 20:25 From that time, Satan believed that he had dominion 20:30 over the earth. 20:32 Jesus won that back, once and for all, on the cross. 20:38 John 12:31... "Now is the judgment of this world; 20:42 now the ruler of this world will be cast out." 20:45 Jesus says, "I, if I am lifted up from the earth, 20:48 ... what happens Shelley? I will draw all unto Myself. 20:51 Yes, "I will draw all men unto Me." 20:53 Now let's go down to Revelation 13, the sea beast 20:57 and the land beast... we do not have time to get 21:00 into these and what they really mean, but in Revelation 13, 21:04 we see earthy powers that accept authority from the dragon 21:10 from Satan and we see another false worship established here. 21:17 Revelation 13:4... "So they worshipped the dragon 21:22 who gave authority to the beast and they worshipped the beast 21:25 saying, "Who is like the beast? 21:26 Who is able to make war with him?" 21:29 The sea beast blasphemes God. 21:31 We won't get into the identity and all of that. 21:34 The sea beast persecutes those who will not bow down 21:37 and worship him... that's in verse 7 of Revelation 13. 21:42 It was granted to him to make war with the saints 21:44 and to overcome them. 21:46 And authority was given him over every 21:48 tribe, tongue and nation. All who dwell on the earth 21:51 will worship him whose names have not been written 21:53 in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain 21:55 from the foundation of the world." 21:56 And then we jump over Revelation 13:15, we see another 22:00 false image erected. 22:02 Now this reminds me of the plain of Dura in Daniel 3. 22:07 He was granted power to give breath 22:09 to the image of the beast; that the image of the beast 22:12 should both speak and cause as many as would not 22:14 worship the image of the beast to be killed." 22:16 So at this point in history, we know this is 22:19 at the end of time, it would appear as if you do not 22:23 engage in false worship, you're making a mistake... 22:26 that is a lie from the enemy. That's right. 22:28 We know the Third Angel's Message in Revelation 14. 22:33 Revelation 14, it says... "If anyone worships the beast 22:36 and his image; if anyone engages in false worship, 22:39 he, himself, shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God." 22:42 That means this great controversy, this whole 22:45 issue of worship will be settled and it's going to be 22:47 settled on the side of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's right. 22:50 Anyone who engages in false worship, who looks like 22:53 "Yeah, I might be winning at the moment," 22:55 that is a lie because God's way wins in the end. Yes! 23:00 I want to give you, quickly in closing, five characteristics 23:04 of false worship: 23:06 #1... Lack of preparation. 23:09 An unprepared heart leads to false worship. 23:12 An unprepared heart fails to recognize 23:15 my own condition; spends no time in soul-searching; 23:18 no time in prayer. 23:20 An unprepared heart focuses on myself more than God. 23:24 Thinks of myself more than God. 23:26 #2... Characteristics: Lack of confession of sin. 23:30 Anywhere people gather and there's no soul-searching, 23:34 there is no confession of sin, there is no repentance... 23:38 that leads to false worship. 23:41 #3... Lack of biblical teaching. 23:45 Lack of biblical teaching and the lack of applying 23:49 biblical teaching. 23:50 Any church that you attend that does not teach 23:53 "a thus saith the Lord," is engaging in false worship. 23:57 Any church that maybe teaches what the Bible says, 24:00 but they do not apply the principles of the word of God 24:05 to their own hearts and lives, 24:07 they are engaging in false worship. 24:10 #4... Lack of Godly leadership 24:16 Ungodly leadership fosters false worship in a congregation 24:22 because the people follow. 24:23 We know this example, Pastor Kenny, 24:25 of the children of Israel - the people follow the leader, 24:28 and if the leader is walking with God, if the leader is 24:31 biblical, if the leader is teaching from the word of God, 24:34 and practicing from the word of God, what happens? 24:37 The people are going to follow in the right way. 24:40 The people are going to engage in true worship 24:43 instead of false worship. 24:45 And finally, #5... The characteristic of false 24:49 worship - they engage in lack of biblical prayer. 24:53 They might engage in prayer, but it's not 24:56 a biblical form of prayer. 24:58 There's a certain type of prayer, contemplative prayer, 25:01 other types of looking inside that it leads us 25:05 into false worship. 25:09 So God calls us not to engage in false worship, 25:12 but to worship the Lord Jesus Christ and Him alone. Amen! 25:16 We're going to take short break and we'll be right back 25:19 with Tuesday's lesson, don't go away. 25:25 Ever wish you could watch a 3ABN Sabbath School Panel 25:29 again or share it on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. 25:32 Well, you can by visiting 3ABN Sabbath School Panel.com 25:37 A clean design makes it easy to find the program 25:41 you're looking for. 25:42 There are also links to the Adult Bible Study Guides 25:46 so you can follow along. 25:47 Sharing is easy, just click share and choose your 25:50 favorite social media. 25:52 Share a link, save a life, for eternity! 25:57 Welcome back! Here we are on lesson #11 and we're on 26:01 Tuesday's lesson and sister Shelley, you have that, 26:03 and I know you want to get into it. 26:05 I know you're excited about the topic, 26:07 so we can't wait to hear it. 26:08 Amen and each day builds perfectly. 26:11 Thank you for that lesson on Monday, Jill. 26:14 I have Tuesday's which is "The First Angel's Message" 26:20 And, you know, that is the mission and core message 26:25 of the Seventh-day Adventist Church - the message that is 26:27 to be preached at the end of time to all the world. 26:32 So let's look at the First Angel's Message, 26:35 it's Revelation 14:6-7, it says... "Then I saw another 26:42 angel flying in the midst of heaven having the everlasting 26:46 gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth 26:49 to every nation, tribe, tongue and people. 26:53 Let me hit the pause button... 26:55 The everlasting gospel is the foundation of the Three 27:01 Angels Messages and you can preach about the Sabbath; 27:05 you can preach about judgment; you can preach 27:07 about anything else you want, but if you're not basing it on 27:11 the foundation of the everlasting gospel, 27:14 nobody is going to listen to you. 27:16 So he says with a loud voice, this is a voice that all will 27:21 hear and there's a sense of urgency - it's like the 27:25 fulfillment of Matthew 24:14 to let ALL the nations hear. 27:30 He says, "Fear God and give glory to Him for the hour 27:35 of His judgment has come, and worship Him who made 27:38 heaven and earth, the sea, and the springs of water." 27:42 So the message needs to go to the whole world, everyone 27:47 needs to have a chance to hear this. 27:50 So now let's go back and break it to pieces, in parts 27:54 not break it to pieces, but let's break it down. 27:58 What is the everlasting gospel? 28:00 In Malachi 3:6, God says... "I'm the Lord, I change not." 28:04 Hebrews 13:8, it says... "Jesus is the same 28:09 yesterday, today and forever." 28:12 So an unchanging God has an unchanging gospel. Yes. 28:20 Before God created the earth, He had the Calvary salvation 28:25 plan in mind. 28:27 In Revelation 13.8, it says that Jesus was the Lamb 28:31 who was slain from the foundation of the earth. 28:36 And Hebrews 13:20 says, His blood is the blood of the 28:41 everlasting covenant... let me read that. 28:43 "Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus 28:46 from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, 28:49 through the blood of the everlasting covenant..." 28:53 It has been before the foundation of the world, 28:58 God had a covenant of grace; He was going to send Jesus 29:04 Christ to redeem and restore humanity to unbroken 29:10 fellowship with Him and this everlasting gospel has been 29:17 abiding from the Garden of Eden. 29:20 In Genesis 3:15, God says... "I will put enmity between 29:26 you and the woman, and between your seed 29:29 and her seed; He shall bruise your... what? Your head. 29:39 And you shall bruise His heel." 29:41 Something that I've always found interesting... 29:44 in John 8:56, Jesus said... "Your Father Abraham 29:50 saw My day and He rejoiced in it!" 29:54 Do you know what he was saying? 29:56 Abraham knew the plan of salvation. 29:59 Abraham saw the day of Jesus coming to earth as man. 30:04 God showed Abraham Christ on the cross. 30:08 This is why he was able to offer his son because 30:13 in Hebrews it says that in faith he figured - Hey, 30:16 even if He takes him, He's going to raise him back up 30:19 because He knew he was the son of promise. 30:21 So - when did this happen? 30:24 I think it was in Genesis 15 when God cut covenant 30:27 with him and put him into a deep sleep. 30:29 I think he showed Abraham that day. 30:33 But the Bible tells us in Genesis 22:8, Abraham says... 30:38 "My son, God will provide for Himself 30:42 the Lamb for a burnt offering. Yes. 30:45 So it shows the faith that he had in the Calvary plan, 30:49 and we know that Paul said, Romans 4:9 that Abraham 30:53 was justified by faith; faith was accounted 30:59 to him as righteousness. 31:00 So it's always been salvation by grace through faith. 31:04 Now this surprises some people... 31:06 Did you know the old covenant is a continuation 31:10 of the covenant of Abraham? 31:12 Let me prove that to you... 31:14 In Exodus 2:24, you know some people think that the old 31:18 covenant, God just did something completely different, 31:21 no, no, no, no... everyone of God's covenants is a 31:26 progressive revelation; each covenant builds on 31:32 the previous covenant. 31:34 He is an unfolding one eternal plan of salvation. 31:39 And look at what happens in Exodus 2:24. 31:43 The Hebrew children are in slavery and it says... 31:46 "God heard their groaning and God remembered His 31:50 covenant with whom? With Abraham! 31:55 He remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. 32:00 And so God comes down in covenant love and He 32:03 is going to rescue His people. 32:08 In the Old Testament, the prophet Jeremiah, 32:11 in chapter 33:16, he says, "The Lord our righteousness." 32:18 And then Isaiah 64:6, talks about our righteousness 32:24 is like filthy rags before Him. 32:26 And we know in Zechariah 3, he talks about putting on 32:30 the new robe and the new turban and all this... 32:33 so salvation has always been by grace, always - both 32:38 the Old and the New Testament say that salvation 32:41 belongs to the Lord. 32:42 Now listen to this... Ephesians 1:4-5, it says, 32:47 "Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation 32:51 of the world, that we should be holy without blame before Him 32:54 in love, having predestined us (before the foundation 32:58 of the world) to adoptions as sons by Jesus Christ 33:02 to Himself according to the good pleasure of His will. 33:05 He chose us, He predestined everyone that would accept 33:09 Christ as their Savior was going to be adopted 33:12 into his family and this was planned in eternity past, 33:19 so it clearly points out His grace. 33:22 Salvation is an act of God that pours forth 33:26 from a heart of love 33:28 So now we return to Revelation 14:7... "It says fear God 33:32 and give glory to Him." 33:34 We've already talked about this some - we're to come 33:37 to Him with reverence and awe. 33:41 I believe that giving glory to God means that we 33:44 must surrender completely to Him. 33:48 We must yield to Him and walk in covenant loyalty with Him. 33:54 And then Revelation 14:7 also says... "The hour of His 33:57 judgment has come." 33:59 Well, what are we talking about - the hour of His 34:00 judgment has come? 34:02 In Daniel 8, we don't have time to do the whole thing, 34:05 but there's a 2,300 day prophecy that began in 34:08 457 B.C. and ended in 1844 A.D. 34:14 And 1844 A.D. is the time that when this came to a close, 34:21 the "Investigative Judgment" began. 34:24 And I have to say this... Today is the day of 34:27 salvation - that means next week, if I can say it's today, 34:34 today is the day of salvation, salvation is not 34:36 past for anyone. 34:38 But in 1 Peter 4:17, he says... that judgment begins where? 34:45 With the house of the Lord. 34:48 See, when Jesus returns, He's already 34:52 going to know who is saved, who's not saved. 34:55 He knows who are the tares, who is the wheat because 34:57 He says in Revelation 22:12, "... Behold, I am coming 35:01 quickly and My reward is with Me, I'm going to give 35:04 to each one as he deserves." 35:06 So this Investigative Judgment comes to a close 35:10 before He returns. 35:11 And when He says, "worship Him," in Revelation 14:7, 35:15 "who made," He's talking about worshipping God 35:19 as the Creator and He goes on to talk about... 35:23 "He made the heavens and the earth and all that is in them," 35:26 that's Sabbath language. 35:29 He is talking about worshipping God as our Creator 35:32 and we're nearly out of time, so I just have to say this... 35:35 Two classes of people when Christ returns... 35:40 those who worship the beast and those who worship God. 35:44 Everybody is going to be worshipping; 35:47 it's a matter of WHO you worship. Yes! Amen! Amen! 35:51 Good job, praise the Lord! Amen! So you know what we're doing 35:53 today is we're - opening the word of God. Amen! 35:56 You know and that's a beautiful thing and my lesson is Wednesday 35:59 and it's: "Bible Study and Fellowship" 36:01 And I don't know if you can see it here on camera, 36:03 but Pastor John, I don't know how many colors 36:05 or highlighters you have... 36:06 I have five... each one has a specific meaning. 36:09 He's doing his Bible Study and marking right here on the set. 36:12 I see Jill here with her marker. 36:13 You know, I wish you could see it because from my angle, 36:16 I can see all these Bibles and there's a lot of marking, 36:18 a lot of highlights in these Bibles and that's powerful. 36:21 And we hope that you are doing the same thing at home too, 36:24 you're marking your Bible, you're putting notes in there 36:26 because God's word is powerful. Amen! 36:30 "Bible Study and Fellowship" in the early Christian Church. 36:33 When you talk about Bibles, do you know how many Bibles 36:36 are sold annually in the world? One-hundred million! 36:41 In the United States on an annual basis, the average is 36:44 between 20 and 25 million Bibles in the United States. 36:48 Now this is a sad fact, they say that 80% of people in the 36:53 United States find Bible study difficult or confusing. 36:57 Isn't that sad? Eighty percent of those in America 37:00 find Bible study confusing and 37:03 difficult and that's a sad thing. 37:05 And we want to look at the early Christian Church, 37:07 but I also want to apply it to our own lives 37:09 and the importance of Bible study. 37:10 Let's look quickly at Acts 2 and let's look, under the lesson 37:16 I think it says 42, but let's look at 41-42. 37:19 And it says, "Then they that gladly received 37:23 His word were baptized and this was after Pentecost, 37:27 and the same day, they were added unto them 37:29 about how many people? Three thousand souls! 37:34 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine 37:38 and fellowship and in breaking of bread and in prayers. 37:42 I wanted to just touch on verse 42... "And they 37:45 continued steadfastly." 37:47 In the Greek, that means to "remain firm, to stay in a 37:51 fixed direction," that's really key... 37:54 To stay in a fixed direction, the word of God... that is key. 37:59 So the early Christian Church, 3,000, that's a lot added 38:01 in one day... there were 120 already, isn't that correct? 38:03 So you add 3,000 to 120, that's a massive 38:07 addition to your church. That's right. 38:09 That's for sure... Then just on fellowship quickly, 38:11 The Greek word, I don't know if I'm saying this correctly, 38:13 "koinonia," is that how you say that? Yes! 38:16 The intimate bond of fellowship which unites Christians, 38:19 and I think that's a powerful thing as well. 38:21 You know, there's a common bond there. 38:23 They had just been through this major conversion experience, 38:25 and here they are - that formed a special bond. 38:28 You can have friends with someone but when you go 38:30 through an experience, especially a spiritual one, 38:32 wow - there's a bond like none other. 38:35 1 John 1:7... "If we walk in the light (this is conditional, 38:38 ... IF we walk in the light) as He is in the light, 38:42 we have fellowship with one another and the blood 38:44 of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanses us from all sin." 38:47 We were just talking about the size of the early 38:50 Christian Church family, from 120 to 3,000... 38:53 My sister and I come from a small family; it's just myself, 38:57 she is three years younger than me - that's it for siblings. 39:00 You've heard of the families like 19 kids and counting, 39:03 and you know, large families. 39:06 The largest family or amount of kids that a married couple 39:09 has had is how many, do you think? 39:12 I have no idea. 69. 39:14 Oh my goodness, all by the same mother? 39:17 All by the same mother and father, now this was back 39:19 in the 1700s from 1725 to... Laughter 39:23 Let's hope they were all sets of twins! 39:25 I'm going to give you some statistics on it real quick. 39:27 So from 1725 to 1765 and there's a little discrepancy... to say, 39:31 Aw, I'm not sure, but a monastery actually reported 39:33 this - it's in Russia, a Russian couple, 39:35 and this is what they had... 39:36 They had 69 children over a 40 year period. 39:39 They had 16 sets of twins, 7 sets of triplets, 39:43 and 4 sets of quadruplets. 39:45 Now there is some argument, did that happen, did it not? 39:47 I don't really know, but that's what they're saying 39:49 is from a couple, 69 children, but that happened 40 years. 39:54 Three thousand babies in the early Christian Church 39:57 happened what? Basically over night in one day. 39:59 So you talk about excitement, 40:01 I mean, I can just think about, in a family - there's a lot of 40:04 noise and stuff going on, and a lot of excitement... 40:06 probably like you just heard here on the set. Laughter! 40:08 But there's excitement going on over the early Christian Church 40:12 and I can only imagine the disciples and all the apostles 40:16 like - Woo, boy, this is amazing but wow, what a challenge! 40:19 Acts 2:42... "And they continued steadfastly." 40:23 That is so key. Steadfastly in the word of God, that's what 40:26 kept them on track. 40:29 Boy, time goes by in a hurry, doesn't it? I know! Yeah, wow. 40:32 So the hub to worship is the study of God's word, 40:36 the centrality, that's got to be the central part 40:38 of anything that we do and I think there's something 40:40 beautiful about the word of God - that it is important 40:43 in any part of our spiritual journey. Amen! 40:46 It was very important for the early Christian Church; 40:48 the 3,000 studying the Old Testament, studying 40:51 Jesus Christ and His mission, you know, that had been 40:53 accomplished here on this earth, but in any spot 40:56 in your journey, whether you've been 40:57 in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, 40:58 you've been a Christian all your life; 41:00 the study of God's word is critical and key. 41:04 I think about 1 Peter 2:2, and it says... "As newborn babes 41:08 desire the pure milk of the word, 41:11 that you may grow thereby." 41:12 1 Corinthians 3:1-2... "And I brethren, could not speak 41:16 to you as to spiritual people, but as to carnal, 41:19 as to babes in Christ. 41:20 I fed you with milk and not solid food; for until now 41:24 you were not able to receive it, 41:25 and even now you are still not able..." 41:28 I want to encourage you, don't get discouraged. 41:30 If you're a babe in the word, don't get discouraged. 41:32 You may see some of the people on the panel like 41:33 "Oh my, how do they break that down, 41:35 I don't even understand that." 41:36 Don't get discouraged, there is a process 41:39 in your spiritual journey. 41:41 I have never seen... I've never seen anyway, 41:43 a mother, a newborn baby one week old, has no teeth, 41:46 his digestive system is still trying to get things 41:48 figured out... and dad says, "You know what, let's give 41:51 baby John a peanut butter and jelly sandwich." 41:55 We don't do that, right? 41:56 The poor baby would probably choke, his digestive system 41:58 would clog up... I mean it would be a mess! Yes! 42:01 He's given milk for a reason. 42:02 It's all part of the spiritual process. 42:04 And I like how this is put here because I think in our 42:07 own spiritual lives, that's how we also have to look at it 42:09 and not judge people. 42:10 We are quick to judge, I am quick to judge people, 42:14 and I also don't want you to get discouraged. Amen! 42:16 Go through that process. 42:18 Okay, from the lesson, this was good... 42:21 The study of God's word forms the core of both our 42:24 worship to God and our unity as a people 42:27 who have been called to proclaim the Three Angel's Messages 42:30 to the world. 42:32 You know, this again, just blows me away... 42:36 You think of this - this is God's Holy Word, 42:38 inspired, isn't it? Yes. 42:40 In this Bible, has the menu for a newborn baby, 42:45 all the way to the menu to the mature 42:47 Christian that's still in that process. 42:49 You know, there's milk and there's meat 42:51 in the word of God, isn't that powerful and what God's 42:55 word can do in each one of our lives and you at home. 42:59 Six things the word of God can do for believers. 43:01 I may not have time to read all of this so... 43:03 #1... Convicts us of sin. 43:06 Hebrews 4:12... "The word of God is living and powerful 43:09 and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even 43:11 to the division of soul and spirit, and of the 43:14 joints and marrow, and is a discerner of 43:16 the thoughts and intents of the heart." 43:18 #2... It reveals truth. Acts 17:10-11, and basically 43:23 this is talking about the Bereans and at the very end, 43:26 verse 11 says... "And they searched the Scriptures 43:29 daily to find out whether those things were so." 43:32 #3... The Bible instructs us and teaches us. 43:35 2 Timothy 3:15-17, I do like this passage. 43:39 "And that from a childhood you have known the Holy 43:41 Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for 43:44 salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 43:47 All Scripture - ALL Scripture is given by inspiration 43:51 of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, 43:54 for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 43:57 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly 44:00 equipped for every good work." 44:02 #4... It washes us. Ephesians 5:26-27... 44:07 "That He might sanctify and cleanse for the church 44:09 with the washing of water and by the word." 44:12 Going on to #5... It gives us direction. 44:15 Psalm 119:105, it says... "Your word, the Holy Scripture, 44:20 is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." Praise the Lord! 44:26 #6... It keeps us from sin. Psalm 119:11... "Your word 44:31 have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against you." 44:35 I just have to share in my own personal life, 44:37 Jill and I have some CD Scripture songs that we've now 44:40 put on a hard drive and we love those songs. 44:42 You know, that is, I believe helping to store God's 44:45 word in your heart. 44:47 And I have also found in my life that sometimes an up 44:49 and down journey with committing myself to memorizing 44:53 Scripture but when I commit myself to that, 44:56 I find my mind at a different level spiritually. 44:59 To commit passages of Scripture to memory, 45:02 it does something spiritually. 45:04 I think God wants us to do that. 45:06 This is in closing here from "Acts of the Apostles," p.232... 45:10 "Wherever the truths of the gospel are proclaimed, 45:12 those who honestly desire to do right are led to a 45:16 diligent searching of the Scriptures. 45:19 If, in the closing scenes of this earth's history, 45:22 those to whom testing truths are proclaimed 45:24 would follow the example of the Bereans, 45:26 searching the Scriptures daily and comparing with God's 45:29 word the messages brought them, there would be today 45:32 a larger number loyal to the precepts of God's Law 45:36 where now there are comparatively few." 45:39 So my question for you is... 45:40 "How firmly grounded are you in the study of God's word?" Amen! 45:45 Wow! Very good. Thank you everyone for 45:48 getting the stove started for me. 45:50 I'm on fire right now, so I'm just going to 45:53 sit here and let the Lord warm your hearts 45:55 through the study of His word. Amen! 45:57 Thursday is: "Breaking of Bread and Prayer." 46:01 And as you'll find out in my breakdown or dissemination of 46:06 this study is - it's a component of each of 46:09 what you've covered so far with the exception of the 46:13 First Angel's Message, I'm not going to go there, 46:15 but you cannot proclaim that message without God's word, 46:19 and prayer being a part of that 46:21 and that's the only thing I'll say. 46:22 But the New Testament Church had challenges. 46:26 Do we have challenges? Yes. Always. 46:29 Challenges are a part of the journey of everyone's life; 46:34 therefore, challenges will be a part of corporate life; 46:37 it will be a part of family life; it will be a part of 46:40 marriage life; it will be a part of worship life, 46:43 and surely the reason why there are challenges is, 46:46 as Jill said... "We are living in the midst 46:48 of great controversy. 46:50 The controversy between light and darkness, good and evil, 46:53 Christ and Satan. 46:55 And we know, as Danny would often say, "Read the back 46:58 of the Book, we know that the victor already is Christ, 47:01 we're just joining the winning side." 47:03 But when we look at the challenges of the word, 47:06 we find, and this was pointed out earlier, 47:08 that the New Testament Church was united in present truth. 47:12 So what would Satan seek to do? Divide them. 47:16 They were united in truth; he is seeking to divide us 47:19 in error. That's right! That's a good point. 47:21 And the challenges coming to our church today... I mean, 47:24 we've had one internal controversy after the other, 47:27 but then what church hasn't? 47:28 But the devil would be more desirous to bring controversies 47:33 where he knows the truth is, 47:35 than where he knows the truth is not. 47:37 If somebody is already sleeping, I'm not going to 47:40 wake them up and put them to sleep. 47:41 They're already sleeping. That's true. 47:43 But for those who are awake, he tries to get them 47:47 inoculated to fall asleep and the controversies 47:50 that we've had to deal with through the years... 47:52 have been because of Revelation 12:17... 47:55 "The dragon is angry with the woman; he went to make war 47:59 with the remnant of her seed which keep the commandments 48:01 of God and the testimony of Jesus." 48:03 He only wars against those that he knows has an arsenal 48:07 that is successful against him. 48:10 And what is that arsenal, look in Hebrews 4:12... 48:12 The best arsenal. Hebrews 4:12... Let me see 48:18 which one of you get it first. 48:23 Jilleth... Alright! Read it for us, Hebrews 4:12. 48:26 This is the best weapon against Satan's arsenal. 48:29 Hebrews 4:12... "The word of God is living and powerful, 48:32 shaper than any two-edged sword, piercing even 48:35 to the division of soul and spirit, and joints and marrow, 48:38 and is a discerner of the thoughts 48:40 and intents of the heart." Amen! 48:43 So if the devil can keep you from a Book that knows 48:45 what you're thinking and your intentions, 48:47 and you don't know it, then you cannot 48:49 discern what a person is thinking because 48:53 the entrance of God's word gives light. Yes. 48:56 So if the light is off, you can't see in darkness. 48:59 Peoples' thoughts that are dark, you can't see it. 49:01 Peoples' intentions that are dark, you can't see it. 49:03 Satan's imperceptible footsteps, as the servant 49:08 of the Lord says, "They are silent." 49:12 He approaches us silently, and I've taken 49:15 the pleasure sometimes of looking at a lot of 49:17 nature videos - I love nature videos. 49:19 But the ones that always get me to sit up is when 49:21 a tiger is slowly but stealthily... 49:26 And they said a young tiger has to practice because 49:31 he sees the mother doing it and I saw a video where 49:35 he lowered his paw and it cracked a branch and he 49:39 backed up and said, I gotta try this again... 49:40 because he knew that just that crack of a branch... 49:43 the deer heard it coming and the deer fled. 49:46 The devil is that way, but we ought to know 49:48 when we are in enemy's territory and the only way 49:51 to know that is through the perceptive and revealing 49:55 word of God. Amen! 49:57 So what they had in the New Testament Church is this 49:59 constant seeking after truth. 50:01 And a statement I want to make... there are some 50:04 churches that say, "Well we don't teach doctrine." 50:05 Well that's not a church, 50:07 that's maybe a social club. 50:11 And people go to church for all kinds of reasons. 50:13 But the church is an army, the church is an army. Yes. 50:18 The Lord says, "We must endure hardship as good soldiers." 50:20 But a soldier with a beautiful uniform on, that does not know 50:24 how to use his weapon - which is the Word of God... 50:27 you can send 20 million American soldiers to the battlefield 50:30 without weapons and an enemy would say, "They really 50:35 look nice - they're going to be beautiful corpses." 50:39 Because they have on all the pieces of the armor, 50:41 but they have no knowledge of how to use their weapon. 50:44 The weapon was what they did know how to use. 50:48 Acts 2:42, 46, how often did they practice 50:53 using their weapons? 50:55 It says, in Acts 2:42... "And they continued steadfastly 51:00 in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship (there's the word 51:04 "koinonia" again and I'll bring it up again) 51:05 in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. 51:08 (in what two things? breaking bread - that's 51:11 Bible study and prayer) 51:12 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, 51:17 and breaking bread from house to house, (both locations) 51:20 they ate their food with 51:22 gladness and simplicity of heart." 51:24 And I think that statistic you brought out, Greg, 51:26 about the millions and millions of Bibles... 51:28 One of the reasons why people don't understand the Bible is 51:30 they don't pray - many people don't pray before they 51:33 open their Bibles. Yes. 51:35 You know, we have to pray the prayer David prayed 51:37 in Psalm 119:18... "Open my eyes that I may behold 51:41 wonderful things." 51:43 We cannot see the things that the Spirit writes except 51:46 the Spirit opens our eyes, and how amazing it is 51:49 that one of the conditions of the Last Day Church is 51:51 "anoint my eyes with eye salve that I may see." 51:54 So that's not just a condition in our church but that's a 51:58 condition in Christianity - they don't see. 52:01 They feel - the music leads them to feel. 52:05 So we live in a religion of feelings today; 52:07 in a religion of enterprise, but not a religion 52:10 that's based solidly on the unchanging word of God. 52:14 So they won't have then what the early church had, 52:16 they had koinonia. Yep. 52:17 But the koinonia was based on 1 John 1:7. 52:20 Look at the koinonia that's the fellowship. 52:22 Fellowship is not based on good coffee, which we don't 52:25 drink at all, and donuts in the lobby and wonderful 52:29 praise music and great programs, it's based on 52:32 1 John 1:7, you have that Shelley? 52:36 1 John 1:7... "But if we walk in the light as He is 52:41 in the light, we have fellowship with one another 52:43 and the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, 52:45 cleanses us from all sin." 52:47 So what do we have to have to have fellowship? 52:49 We need to have light. Gotta walk in the light! 52:51 Not walk in the building, not walk in the club, 52:54 not walk in the church, but walk in the light. 52:57 And light is a constant, I mean, I like light, 53:01 I always have flashlights with me, I love flashlights. 53:05 They are constants, you have to 53:06 know where to find the light. 53:08 And the Word of God is the light, but also the Lord 53:10 says in 1 John 2:3-4... "He who says, "I know Him," 53:14 and does not keep His commandments is a liar 53:16 and the truth is not in him." 53:17 Isaiah 8:20... "To the law and to the testimony, 53:20 if they speak not according to this word, 53:21 it is because there is no light in them." No light! 53:25 The light is the truth of God's Word. 53:27 If the fellowship and the breaking of bread was 53:29 needed at the inauguration of the church, 53:31 how much more is it needed as we prepare 53:34 for the coronation of the church. Amen! 53:36 The beginning - the glory that it began with 53:39 will be the glory greater that it ends with, 53:41 but the Word of God is always there... 53:43 And it's not a consideration, 53:45 but it's not a coincidence either... 53:47 that when Jesus comes back, on His thigh will be written 53:50 the phrase, "Word of God." 53:52 In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with Christ 53:55 in the garden of temptation and the Word 53:57 is going to be at the end because He is not only 54:00 the Word, but the Living Word and the victorious Word. 54:03 And that's why, the church, when it comes time 54:04 for Bible study, and Shelley, you all know this is my 54:08 this is my pet peeve, as a pastor... 54:10 I cannot understand why we don't gather together 54:13 as a church to study our Bibles more - when 54:15 opportunities gather - with the reality of Hebrews 10:25... 54:19 "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together 54:22 as is the manner of some (I say the manner of many) 54:26 but exhorting one another and so much the more 54:29 as you see the day approaching." 54:31 Very quickly... why do we need to study God's Word? 54:34 Four very important points. 54:36 1... We are spiritually weak. 54:38 The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. 54:41 2... Prayer increases our faith. 54:44 How? Faith comes by hearing, hearing by the Word of God. 54:48 And when they pray, whatever things they ask, 54:50 believing they'll receive it. 54:52 Prayer is also an intercessory act. 54:55 I exhort, first of all, supplication, prayers 54:58 intercession and the giving of thanks be made for all men... 55:01 1 Timothy 2:1. 55:03 And then Philippians 4:6, prayer opens our heart 55:06 to God... "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by 55:09 prayer and supplication, make your requests known to God." 55:13 Very quickly, "Steps to Christ," "Why should the sons and 55:16 daughters of God be reluctant to pray when prayer is 55:19 the key in the hand of faith to unlock heaven's 55:21 storehouse where are the treasures and 55:24 boundless resources of omnipotence," 55:27 "Steps to Christ," p.94-95. Wow! Amen, Amen! Amen! 55:31 Well done, praise the Lord! 55:32 There are a lot of things that I've been soaking in 55:35 and jotting down, praise God for that! 55:37 Let's wrap it up, shall we? 55:38 Last few seconds, thoughts each 55:40 one of you might have on this lesson... 55:42 Mine was on false worship, but I just want to 55:45 make an appeal to you at home... 55:46 At the end of time, specifically the days that we are 55:49 living in - God is calling us, "Who will you worship?" 55:53 Make a choice for Jesus. Amen! 55:55 I just want to remind everybody that there are two classes 55:58 of people at the end of time; those who receive the mark 56:01 of the beast and worship the beast or those who have 56:04 received the seal of God and worship God. 56:06 And we need to remember that the Third Angel's 56:14 Message, even though the beast says they're going to 56:18 kill anyone who doesn't worship him, 56:20 The Third Angel's Message says judgment comes on the 56:24 people who do worship. Amen! 56:27 I want to encourage you to involve yourself in 56:31 daily Bible study. 56:32 My lesson was on Bible study and I want to go 56:35 to Psalm 119:11, we read it earlier... "Your word have I 56:38 hid in my heart that I might not sin against You." 56:41 That's right... And prayer is the opening 56:44 of the heart to God - as to a friend. Amen! 56:49 Make the Lord your friend by opening your heart 56:51 in prayer and the study of His word. Amen! 56:55 "Desire of Ages," p.22, quickly, says... "The plan for our 56:57 redemption was not an afterthought, a plan 57:00 formulated after the fall of Adam. 57:03 It was a revelation of the mystery which has been 57:06 kept in silence through times eternal." Praise God for that! 57:10 And praise God for you joining us here on 3ABN Sabbath 57:12 School Panel... we've had a good time. 57:14 We pray that the Lord has blessed you and we look forward 57:16 to spending some time with you next week. |
Revised 2019-01-28