Participants:
Series Code: SSP
Program Code: SSP190014A
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00:01 The Bible tells us, "In the beginning was the Word,
00:03 and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." 00:07 It says to, 00:09 "Receive with meekness the implanted Word 00:11 which is able to save your souls. 00:14 And to be diligent to present yourself 00:16 approved to God, 00:18 rightly dividing the Word of truth." 00:20 Join us now 00:22 for the 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 00:25 Our study today is Family Seasons. 00:33 Hello, everyone, 00:34 and welcome to the 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 00:37 We are so excited 00:38 that you are able to join us again 00:40 for another exciting quarter, a wonderful study. 00:43 Wasn't the previous study on Revelation 00:44 such a good study? 00:46 Amen. I was so excited about that. 00:48 And then we have another amazing study 00:51 this quarter entitled Family Seasons. 00:54 And I must say, 00:55 just to the panel and everyone at home, 00:57 this is a much-needed study, 00:59 especially in the times that we're living in. 01:01 We certainly need some insight 01:03 on godly biblical approach to family, right? 01:06 Amen. 01:08 And so I'm very, very excited about that. 01:09 This also gives me an opportunity to tell you 01:11 how you can get a hold of this lesson. 01:13 Obviously, you can go to ABSG.Adventist.org. 01:19 That stands for Adult Bible Study Guide. 01:21 And, of course, you can access the study there for free, 01:24 or you can simply go 01:25 to your local Seventh-day Adventist Church 01:27 and, of course, I'm sure they would love 01:29 for you to join them in study there 01:30 and provide a copy of this study for you. 01:33 And so I want to introduce this incredible panel 01:35 at this moment. 01:37 I want to start to my left here, 01:38 Pastor John Lomacang. 01:40 Good to be here. 01:41 It's a blessing to have you, brother. 01:42 Always a joy. Amen. 01:44 And, of course, Brother Kenny Shelton. 01:45 Good to be here. Thank you. 01:46 Amen. Praise the Lord. 01:48 And, of course, Miss Shelley Quinn. 01:49 Always excited to join you all for Bible Study. 01:50 Amen. And Miss Jill Morikone. 01:53 Privilege to open up the Word of God 01:54 in this study together. 01:55 Praise the Lord. 01:57 It's such a blessing to have all of you on the panel. 01:58 I learned much from these guys, 02:00 and it's a privilege to work with them to be here 02:03 and to present this powerful, powerful study. 02:07 Before we go any further, 02:08 I would like to go ahead 02:09 and dive right in with the word of prayer. 02:11 In fact, Shelley, I would like for you, 02:13 if you could just pray for us right now. 02:14 Absolutely. 02:16 Heavenly Father, we come in the name of Jesus 02:18 and we come, Father, 02:19 to ask that You would give us ears to hear 02:22 what the Holy Spirit says through Your Word. 02:25 Father, we thank that You created us 02:29 to be relational beings, 02:31 to give us free will 02:34 and give us the choice of loving You 02:37 and loving others. 02:38 And we thank You that You guide us 02:41 in all choices that we make. 02:43 So, Father, please bless this study for this quarter, 02:48 and whether people are married or single, 02:51 everyone is part of a family. 02:53 Please, Lord, have them tune in 02:56 and teach us from Your Holy Word. 02:59 We thank You for Your plan of salvation, 03:03 the gift of salvation, for Jesus, Your Spirit, 03:07 and for giving us Your Word. 03:08 In Jesus' name, amen. 03:10 Amen. Amen. Praise the Lord. 03:13 I mentioned earlier, 03:15 probably and no other time in history 03:18 was this particular lesson better for specially this time 03:22 because it seems like at every single point, 03:25 the devil is attacking families today. 03:27 Yes. That's right. 03:28 And you know, if the devil can attack the family 03:31 that God instituted, 03:32 then he's taken away the core values 03:34 and the core principles, 03:36 the biblical values and principles 03:37 that of course He established 03:39 in order to show us His character, His love, 03:41 and the understanding of His Word. 03:43 And so I'm very, very excited to begin this particular study 03:47 because there was a lot 03:48 that I myself could learn from it. 03:50 I want to go ahead and get us right 03:51 into the very first lesson. 03:53 Actually, Sabbath afternoon, 03:55 I believe that's gonna be March 30, 03:57 you're going to see here, 03:58 it sets a very clear foundation 04:01 for what it is that we're gonna be studying over 04:03 all throughout this entire quarter. 04:04 And I want to start with our memory text, 04:07 it's found in Ecclesiastes 3:1. 04:11 Very simple but very profound, it says, "To everything, 04:15 there is a season, 04:17 a time for every purpose under heaven." 04:20 Amen. 04:22 And that is the truth that I never heard it. 04:24 But I would also like to continue reading, 04:25 because the opening passage to this particular study 04:30 continues on through Ecclesiastes Chapter 8, 04:33 as we just read... 04:34 Starting with now verse 2, 04:35 notice it continue on that point. 04:37 It's Chapter 3? 04:38 Excuse me, Chapter 3, absolutely. 04:40 Ecclesiastes Chapter 3, we just read verse 1. 04:43 I'm gonna start with verse 2 and just read on to verse 8. 04:46 There's a lot of wonderful information here, 04:48 a powerful yet profound text. 04:51 Notice what it says, 04:53 "A time to be born and a time to die." 04:57 That's the truth. 04:59 "A time to plant 05:00 and a time to pluck what is planted, 05:05 a time to kill and a time to heal, 05:09 a time to break down and a time to build up, 05:13 a time to weep and a time to laugh, 05:17 a time to mourn and a time to dance, 05:21 a time to cast away stones 05:23 and a time to gather stones, 05:26 a time to embrace 05:28 and a time to refrain from embracing, 05:32 a time to gain and a time to lose, 05:36 a time to keep and a time to throw away, 05:40 a time to tear and a time to sew, 05:44 a time to keep silence and a time to speak." 05:48 And then verse 8, 05:49 "A time to love and a time to hate, 05:52 a time to war and a time of peace." 05:57 When I read that particular text, 06:00 it kind of just encapsulates the entire human experience 06:04 over span of a lifetime. 06:06 Our lives go through many different stages, 06:09 changes, and experiences. 06:11 I don't know if there's any truth to this, 06:13 someone had told me. 06:15 It kind of seems like, in my personal experience, 06:17 but somebody told me a few years ago, 06:19 that a person's life, their perspective, 06:21 their experience, 06:22 it changes about every five years. 06:24 Now I don't know if that's the truth or not, 06:26 probably more for some than others 06:28 but it seems like at least for my life, 06:30 it seems like I'm a different person 06:33 than what I was five years ago. 06:34 I know I'm a different person than what I was a year ago, 06:37 but it seems like there's this on-going phase 06:39 that a person goes through that their experiences 06:43 and their life changes so much from year to year. 06:45 And as you read that particular passage 06:47 in Ecclesiastes, 06:48 of course, coming from the wisest man 06:50 to ever live, 06:51 Solomon while he was not perfect. 06:53 We know that the Lord blessed him 06:54 with much wisdom, 06:56 and of course, he's communicating here 06:57 all of the multifaceted experiences 06:59 and changes that happens in a person's life overtime. 07:03 I think that's a great foundation 07:05 for where we are going with this particular study. 07:07 In Sunday's lesson, 07:09 it's entitled "In the beginning." 07:12 And, of course, we get this from Genesis 1:1 07:15 which is probably other than John 3:16 07:18 probably one of the most memorized text 07:20 that people can actually quote 07:22 because it's the very first text 07:23 in the Bible. 07:25 "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." 07:29 So what is this kind of... 07:31 Within this topic of family seasons, 07:33 family values? 07:35 Why would we go here to "in the beginning"? 07:37 I think it would be a disservice for us 07:39 to not start "in the beginning" 07:40 because obviously, 07:42 God set forth family in the beginning. 07:45 He set forth the order 07:47 and the process of how He wanted things 07:49 to be originally right there in the Garden of Eden, 07:51 right there in the first couple of chapters of Genesis. 07:54 In fact, we know Genesis means origins. 07:58 And we know that one day, 07:59 God is going to recreate the heavens and the earth, 08:02 and He's gonna bring and reestablish it back 08:05 to what it once was, what He intended it to be. 08:07 But, of course, we know, 08:08 sin of course has contaminated much of that. 08:12 But did order, 08:14 did God's order stop once sin came into the picture? 08:17 No. Absolutely not. 08:19 And I think that's what this is pointing towards 08:20 is the fact that still, 08:22 much of God's plan, 08:23 much of what God has set in place 08:25 continued even after sin, even after the fall of men. 08:28 Just a real quick recap. 08:30 I know we already know this 08:31 but we see an example of this 08:33 just in the first few chapters of Genesis 08:35 when we're contemplating the creation week, okay. 08:38 And I don't know about you guys, 08:39 I believe it with all my heart 08:41 that when it says God created the world 08:42 in 6 literal 24-hour days, 08:44 I believe that that's very literal. 08:46 Even though it seems like we live in a day and age 08:48 where people are floating away, 08:50 are getting away from the literal understanding 08:53 of creation, 08:54 I believe that with all my heart. 08:55 So in 6 literal 24-hour days, 08:58 we know that God created 08:59 the heavens and the earth and everything in it. 09:01 Now I'm gonna do something 09:02 a little different really quickly. 09:04 I want to take this in consideration 09:06 in the opposite direction. 09:07 In other words, I want to start with day seven 09:09 and work my way back 09:10 because I want to show you something. 09:12 Well, I'll show you the order here, 09:13 something you probably already know, 09:15 but someone out there may not. 09:16 Let's see. 09:17 If God had established rest first, 09:19 a time of rest, would that have made much sense 09:24 in regards to the process of creation 09:27 that He had in mind. 09:28 Absolutely not. Let's go back to day six. 09:30 He creates the land mammals and, of course, He creates man. 09:33 So you have rest, now you have... 09:35 It's almost like a very inorderly process 09:38 if you take this in reverse. 09:40 Day five, the birds, the fishes, the seas, 09:42 the creatures, where would He put them, 09:44 where everything would have been? 09:45 You can see a sense of order, 09:47 a sense of progression 09:49 as you go through these particular days. 09:51 Starting with day one, obviously God created the world 09:54 and gave it its form. 09:55 And there's a reason why He done that 09:56 because, of course, next He would encapsulate 09:58 that within atmosphere 10:00 on day two, He create the sky 10:02 and separate, of course, the waters from the deep. 10:04 And then, of course, you have on day three the land, 10:07 the oceans, and the plants. 10:08 There is a particular order, 10:10 there is a pattern of intelligent order 10:13 in the work of creation. 10:14 And I just want to emphasize that, 10:16 we serve an intelligent God. 10:17 He holds the water in His hands, 10:19 He knows exactly what He is doing. 10:23 But someone might say, why six days. 10:25 Now I'm asking this question because this is usually... 10:29 Many people say, "Well, if God is so omnipotent, 10:31 He's so powerful, He's all knowing, 10:33 then why didn't He just, you know, 10:35 could He have created all in one day?" 10:36 Absolutely. 10:37 But I believe there's a couple of reasons here. 10:39 And in fact, I want to encourage our audience. 10:41 If you think of something else, 10:42 you know, write us in and tell us. 10:44 But I want you to tell... I want you to consider this. 10:45 I think of three reasons 10:46 why God created the world in six days 10:48 rather than just all in one day. 10:50 Number one, obviously, to demonstrate order. 10:52 Our God is an orderly God, to demonstrate order. 10:55 There was a process, there was intelligence 10:58 as we have mentioned in the process of creation, 11:01 as we see everything unpacking there 11:03 in the beginning. 11:04 Number two, this is beautiful. 11:05 I believe God is demonstrating patience 11:09 through this orderly creation. 11:11 For instance, when you consider day one to day seven, 11:14 the complexity of creation, 11:16 obviously everything becomes more complex 11:17 from day one to day seven. 11:19 So there's a reason why God created in six days, 11:22 not that He couldn't but He did for a purpose. 11:25 For instance, over a period of time, 11:27 God is communicating to us His patience 11:30 through His creation, 11:31 through this intelligent orderly design 11:33 that He put in place. 11:34 Almost I get kind of a wonderful analogy here, 11:37 a wonderful illustration that through creation, 11:40 we can see the patience of the Lord 11:41 as He deals with us. 11:43 He's patient with us overtime. 11:45 He gives us time as He took His time 11:48 and He had a very specific purpose 11:50 for why He created the things on the specific days 11:52 that He did. 11:53 It shows the wonderful character, 11:55 the wonderful patience of God. 11:56 And then number three, 11:58 I believe obviously the 6 day, 24-hour day creation week 12:03 that we have there in the beginning 12:05 demonstrates the need of communion and rest. 12:08 There's a reason why God kind of 12:10 puts the cherry on top of the cupcake, 12:12 I guess you could say, 12:13 right there at the end as He's establishing 12:15 this beautiful communion and rest with His people. 12:19 Ellen G. White writes in Signs of the Times, 12:21 June 8, 1908, 12:22 she says, "Order is heaven's first law." 12:26 Amen. Now just go with me on this. 12:28 Now if we know that this order, 12:30 the order of earth was put into place 12:33 almost like a direct replica 12:35 of what He wanted it to be from heaven, 12:36 so if order is heaven's first law, 12:38 how about on earth? 12:40 You better believe that 12:41 that's exactly what God intended as well. 12:43 After sin, there's obviously still a sense of order, 12:47 rhythm, and regularity. 12:49 Notice Genesis 8:22, the Bible says this, 12:53 "While the earth remain..." 12:54 So obviously this is, I believe, 12:56 this is right after the flood. 12:58 Notice what it says, "While the earth 12:59 remains seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, 13:03 winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease." 13:08 And there's good news. 13:10 I don't think it's such a bad thing, 13:11 I still think it's a good thing. 13:13 When God recreates the new heaven 13:14 and the new earth, guess what? 13:16 That same order, 13:17 that same continual progressive creativity 13:20 that God set in place right here, 13:21 Isaiah 66:23, 13:24 "For as the new heavens and the new earth 13:26 which I will make shall remain before Me" says the Lord, 13:29 "so shall your descendants and your name remain. 13:32 It shall come to pass 13:34 that from one new moon to another 13:37 and from one Sabbath to another, 13:39 all flesh shall come and worship before Me, 13:42 "says the Lord." 13:43 You know, I saw, 13:45 and this is enclosing here in my part. 13:47 I found a recent survey, and this is startling that... 13:51 There was a survey, they surveyed 602 pastors, 13:55 and only 19% of these pastors were absolutely certain 14:00 of the recorded Genesis account and creationism. 14:03 So more than ever, I say praise God, 14:06 we need to study about family, 14:08 we need to study the family seasons, 14:09 and we need to get back to the Word of God. 14:10 What better place to go, Pastor John, 14:12 than to the Word of God? 14:13 Amen. Amen. 14:15 Thank you for setting that... 14:16 Amen. Thank you for setting that cadence. 14:17 Now we follow the cadence into something 14:19 called the rhythms of life. 14:21 Now this one is kind of unique to me, 14:23 because I came out of, 14:25 you did too, 14:26 the disc jockey world 14:27 where rhythm was so much a part of everything we did, 14:30 you know, catching the rhythm 14:32 of the former record or tune, 14:33 mixing it to the rhythm of the one coming up. 14:35 Well, there's a rhythm that the Bible talks about. 14:38 It's the cicada rhythm, 14:40 and the Bible doesn't use the word cicada 14:43 but you laid the foundation beautifully 14:44 that God's creation has complete order 14:47 connected to it. 14:48 Everything happens according to God's time clock. 14:51 And the cicada rhythm 14:52 are the physical rhythms of the body 14:54 that are not altered by time, by seasons, 14:59 by weather patterns, by age. 15:01 They happen 24 hours a day, 15:03 they are unbroken rhythms that the body goes through. 15:06 There are also rhythms that are established 15:08 in the cycle of human life. 15:10 For example, life begins at pregnancy, 15:13 that's the first rhythm, then infancy, 15:16 and then the toddler years, then childhood, rhythm, 15:21 unbroken, it happens for everyone. 15:23 Then puberty, remember the puberty years, 15:26 you know, we go from puberty to older adolescence. 15:29 And many of us, particularly guys, 15:32 we go from voices that are high than 15:33 a girl soprano to one morning, wake up, "Good morning, mom." 15:37 And she doesn't know who we are. 15:39 That's that puberty to older adolescence. 15:41 And then adulthood, 15:43 where... 15:44 Many years ago, there's a program on television 15:46 called Wonder Years 15:47 where parents wondered what was gonna happen 15:50 to their child as the acne was coming out, 15:53 the body was going through so many chemical changes, 15:56 they were angry and happy all in the same split second. 15:59 And young ladies goes through so many chemical changes. 16:03 One day, they wanna die, next day they wanna live, 16:06 next day they're depressed, next day they're happy, 16:08 next day they're bored. 16:09 It's a cycle of adolescence. 16:11 And so if you're growing, hold on, hold on, 16:15 let the rhythm carry you the way 16:16 that God intended to do that. 16:18 Then we go from adolescence to adulthood. 16:21 And Paul says, and I love this, he says... 16:24 Not the Apostle Paul, 16:25 but matter of fact, yeah, he does say. 16:27 He says, "When I was a child, I thought as a child." 16:29 Now there should be some changes 16:31 as we go from one cycle to the other. 16:33 There should be some changes. 16:35 Can you imagine a person of the 12th grade 16:37 acting like they're in the 3rd grade? 16:39 There should be some changes. 16:40 Can we get an amen? Amen. That's true. 16:42 So these rhythms are intended not only to change our bodies 16:44 but to change us psychologically 16:46 and physiologically. 16:48 Then we go to middle age. 16:50 For those... Some people get to that middle age, 16:52 and we've had this phrase called, 16:54 "They're in a middle age life crisis." 16:57 Oh, boy! 16:58 Because some guys get to middle age, 16:59 their hair is falling out, 17:01 so they decide, "I'm not gonna cut it, 17:02 I'm gonna make it longer than it's ever grown." 17:05 And at the very top, there's this bald. 17:08 They get a leather jacket, they buy a motor cycle, 17:12 they start to get the cool sunglasses, 17:14 they can't handle the middle age life cycle. 17:17 But the Lord intends at some point, 17:19 we got to embrace it, 17:21 you know. That's right. 17:22 So that's one of the reasons... 17:23 It fits right here. All right. 17:25 That's one of the reasons 17:26 why I decided to stop coloring my hair 17:28 with Just for Men, 17:29 I wanna embrace this rhythm of life 17:31 called adulthood to middle age. 17:34 And then there are the senior years. 17:37 And the Bible talks about the importance of that. 17:39 You know, the Bible says, "First of all, 17:41 let no one despise your youth, but as you get older, 17:43 the older people should be 17:45 an example to the younger people." 17:47 One of the worst things in the cycles of life 17:48 is for a older person to behave worst 17:50 than a young person. 17:51 Yes, amen. Oh, my. 17:53 You say, "Man, they refuse to grow up." 17:54 Somebody once says, "Getting older is mandatory, 17:57 growing up is optional." 17:59 And that's true for many people. 18:00 So let's look at some of the life cycles in the Bible 18:02 because these life cycles 18:04 are intended to teach us something. 18:06 Every one of them 18:08 has a certain degree of regularity 18:10 that exists in our bodies. 18:11 But the body, as the body is maturing, 18:14 the mind should mature also. 18:16 And no mind can mature 18:17 better than when it's guided by the Word of God. 18:19 Amen. 18:21 Let's look at some of these things. 18:22 And one of the questions are, 18:23 what are the predictable seasons of life 18:25 mentioned in the following passages of scripture? 18:27 And how do they directly tie into family life? 18:31 One of the first ones, 18:32 point one, everything has a season and time. 18:35 You made that point but I reiterate, 18:37 a time to be born, a time to die, 18:39 a time to plant, a time to pluck up 18:40 what is planted, everything has a season. 18:44 And I look back, I have clothing... 18:46 My wife and I are going through a purge now. 18:49 We are getting rid of stuff. 18:51 If you want stuff, write us. 18:52 We got stuff. 18:54 My junk may become your treasure. 18:55 We have stuff that we have had, we remember when. 18:59 And you know, 19:01 that piece of wood that you picked up 19:02 when you were graduating out of high school 19:04 that you knew you're going to use one day 19:05 but now it's mildewed 'cause it has no life left. 19:08 We have stuff. 19:09 And we have focused on 19:11 getting rid of at least 75% of it. 19:14 Because you get to a certain point in life, 19:16 when you realize, you can't take it with you. 19:18 Right. That's right. 19:20 You can't take it with you. 19:21 So don't get too connected to the stuff. 19:23 Everything has a season, 19:24 a season to gather 19:26 and a season to chuck, throw away. 19:29 The other thing is each one of us 19:31 goes through a process of growth in our lives. 19:34 Genesis 21:8 says, 19:36 "So the child grew and was weaned." 19:39 Somewhere along the way, 19:40 you have to get to the weaning stages. 19:42 You cannot keep living the way you used to. 19:44 You got to wean 19:46 certain things out of your life. 19:47 This is not just a physical weaning, 19:49 but it's also emphasizing a spiritual weaning. 19:51 And there are those people... 19:53 You know, my sister, 19:54 we have such a great love relationship. 19:56 My sister and I, we talk, we just frank with each other, 19:59 because we're New Yorkers, I mean, that helps. 20:02 And she tells me what she thinks, 20:03 and I tell her what I think. 20:05 But we go through those stages 20:07 where we are weaned from the practices of the past. 20:10 Praise God, He's delivered all of us 20:12 from practices of our past. 20:13 He's weaned us. 20:15 Not only that, Judges 13:24, it says, 20:18 "So the women bore a son and called his name Samson, 20:23 and the child grew." 20:25 Now you could look at Samson's life 20:26 and you might say, 20:27 "In some stages, he grew in the wrong direction." 20:30 So we have to make sure 20:31 we're growing in the right direction, 20:32 because growth is... 20:36 It's circumstantial, which way you're growing. 20:39 One thing I've learned about nature 20:41 and this is something amazing. 20:42 When I lived in California, we drive by highway 680, 20:46 and the mountain or the hills were slanted. 20:48 And I noticed, no matter how slanted the hills were, 20:50 the trees were straight up. 20:52 Come on. 20:53 And I wondered why? 20:55 Because the trees are always growing, 20:56 leaning toward the sun. 20:57 And I believe, if we lean toward Jesus, 20:59 we'll always be straight up. 21:01 That's good. 21:02 No matter how the circumstances of life lean 21:04 and how they angle, 21:06 if we grow towards God, we'll always be straight up. 21:08 Another point is, at one point, each of us was a youth. 21:12 I think this is a good point for older people, 21:14 and I'm going to say this with great respect. 21:15 Some of the older people in our church 21:17 forget that they used to be young. 21:18 Oh, boy. Isn't that true? 21:20 And they are so hard on the young people 21:22 that the young people don't wanna ever get old. 21:24 Because they said, 21:26 "If this is what getting old is all about, 21:27 man, this is horrible." 21:29 We must, even as older people, be cheerful. 21:32 Let the fruit of the Spirit 21:33 still reflect through our lives. 21:35 Don't let young people, at the sight of an old person, 21:37 think, "Run for your life." 21:39 We should also be kind because some people grow older 21:42 and they grow meaner. 21:44 I'm being honest with you. 21:46 Some people don't get away from... 21:48 They don't let the fruit of the Spirit... 21:49 And then at the funeral, we say, 21:51 "Well, that's just how they were." 21:52 The Lord intends for us to grow away from who we were, 21:56 and to who He wants us to be. 21:58 Let the fruit of the Spirit reflect through your life 22:01 at any age, and it should be there 22:03 as you get older. 22:05 Another point, 22:06 ultimately every one of us will face old age and death. 22:10 Genesis 15:15, 22:12 "Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace, 22:15 you shall be buried at a good old age." 22:18 You know, somebody once said, I remember the story. 22:20 There was a king that was getting older, 22:22 and he called his court jester into the court and he said, 22:25 "I'm getting to that point where my departure is at hand." 22:28 And the court jester said, 22:29 "Do you know where you're going?" 22:31 He said, "I don't know." 22:32 He said, "Do you understand what preparation is necessary?" 22:34 He said, "I don't." 22:36 Prior to that, the king told the court jester, 22:39 he says, "You are the biggest fool in our court." 22:41 The court jester's purpose was to make the king laugh. 22:44 But on this day, 22:45 the court jester said to the king, 22:47 "You told me years ago, 22:48 if I find a greater fool than myself, 22:50 to give him my hat, 22:52 because you have not prepared 22:53 for the closing moments of life, 22:55 I finally found a greater fool than myself." 22:56 Wow. 22:58 So we must understand that death is coming. 23:00 We must live with the inevitability 23:02 of what is the next step after death. 23:04 Now we don't believe that you go to heaven after... 23:06 We believe you rest. 23:07 But in the resurrection, 23:09 which one are you going to be in? 23:10 Live your life so that you can be guaranteed 23:12 a place in the first resurrection. 23:14 The other one is every one of us 23:16 has a limited time to live. 23:17 The days of our lives are 70 years 23:20 and if by reason of strength, they are 80. 23:23 I always admire older people. 23:25 We have a man in our church just turned 99, Claude Turner. 23:29 We are praising God from... 23:31 He stands up straight. 23:32 He's still witnessing, he's on fire for the Lord. 23:34 But I love what he said. 23:36 He said, "I went to a nursing home 23:37 and I saw what was before me." 23:38 And he said, "I'm not ready for that yet." 23:41 And he's working in our pastoral department 23:42 and what a job he's doing, praise God for that. 23:45 Point number six, 23:46 each one of us came from the same Creator. 23:50 Acts 17:26, 23:52 "He has made from one blood every nation of men, " 23:55 another rhythm of life, 23:56 but to appreciate where we are headed, 23:59 we have to appreciate where we've come from 24:01 and from whom we have come. 24:03 And finally, 24:05 the glory of the young man is his strength 24:07 and the splendor of the old man is his grey hair. 24:12 Praise God. 24:13 On that note, I am in my splendor moment of life 24:15 and I have learned to embrace it. 24:17 Pastor Kenny, embrace it with me. 24:19 I think we're going to pause right now, 24:21 and we'll be back in just a moment. 24:28 Ever wish you could watch 24:30 a 3ABN Sabbath School Panel again 24:32 or share it on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter? 24:35 Well, you can by visiting 3abnsabbathschoolpanel.com. 24:40 A clean design makes it 24:42 easy to find the program you're looking for. 24:44 There are also links to the Adult Bible Study Guide 24:48 so you can follow along. 24:50 Sharing is easy. 24:51 Just click share and choose your favorite social media. 24:54 Share a link, save a life for eternity. 25:01 It's good to have you back with us. 25:03 We're gonna pass it on to Pastor Kenny 25:04 for Tuesday's lesson. 25:06 Thank you. Thank you. 25:07 I'll tell you, it's exciting so far 25:09 because we talked about creation, 25:10 and we talked about changes that take place in our life, 25:13 they're normal, 25:14 but my lesson there on Tuesday is the unexpected. 25:18 Sometime people say, 25:19 "Well, I didn't think this would happen." 25:21 Or they say, "Well, this has happened to me. 25:24 It came on suddenly. I really wasn't expecting it." 25:26 And not all changes is negative. 25:29 Some changes can be good. 25:30 And I think our lesson brings that out. 25:32 We can make something good out of something 25:34 maybe that appears to be bad 25:36 by the blessings and grace of God. 25:38 And sometimes it seems to be going good. 25:40 You probably had this, 25:41 I've had it lot of times in my life, 25:43 things going along real well. 25:44 You think you've got it all together, 25:45 everything's working out real well. 25:47 And then all of a sudden, suddenly, unexpectedly, 25:49 something happens. 25:51 And then how do we deal with the issue? 25:53 When something like that takes place in our hearts 25:55 and in our life, then what? 25:57 So, you know, usually something good happens, 25:58 I'm gonna jump and shout, and maybe dance a little bit. 26:01 You know, you kind of get excited, 26:03 "Whoo, something good is happening," 26:04 you know, 26:05 but what if it's something that's bad? 26:07 How do you react? How do I react? 26:08 You know, how should we react? 26:10 And the changes are going to come, 26:12 there's no doubt about it. 26:13 And when they come, 26:14 it's going to disrupt our family. 26:16 It may disrupt our church, 26:18 it may disrupt our relationship with our, 26:21 you know, friends and family. So things change. 26:25 It's where it comes about. One thing stands good for sure. 26:27 I jotted down Psalms 52:1, just a couple of words. 26:30 Psalms 52:1 says, "The goodness of God endureth continually." 26:36 Oh, and the Bible gives a lot of good examples, 26:39 by the way, of how, you know, 26:40 of our lives and our families 26:42 that were transformed by the unexpected. 26:45 So sometimes things, good can happen in our life, 26:47 we can be transformed, we can be changed. 26:49 And we think of Job, we can think of Abel, 26:52 we can think of Joseph, Paul. 26:56 And so we like to live... 26:57 I think it's been mentioned here in a rhythm, 26:59 you know, like a rhythm. 27:00 If you're playing sports, 27:02 I know you're not going to do that, I know. 27:03 Rhythm, you get in a rhythm. 27:05 You've got it, and you just can't miss. 27:09 That's never been me, but just you get a rhythm. 27:12 That's if you're studying, it seem like it's a rhythm. 27:15 If you're doing something else, it's a rhythm. 27:16 And we all like that, 27:18 that security to be kind of in a rhythm. 27:20 And you don't want anybody to break up that rhythm. 27:23 The dictionary talks about... 27:25 You're just talking about music a little while ago, 27:26 whatever rhythm, 27:27 and it talks about... It defines rhythm. 27:29 It said, "It's a flow, it's a movement. 27:32 It's a beat, there's a rise, and then there's the fall, 27:36 and then it's heavy some time, and then it's light sometime, 27:40 it's weak sometime, and it's strong sometime." 27:42 And then even Webster's gives it, 27:44 I thought it very interesting, an illustration of rhythm. 27:47 And it just simply says, the heart. 27:50 A heart, we want to have good rhythm physically 27:55 in our heart. 27:56 We want our heart right with God, but physically. 27:58 So I kind of pose the question, what if we're 30 or 40 years 28:01 that you live life 28:03 and your heart was in perfect rhythm? 28:05 Everything going just fine, nothing unexpected happen, 28:08 you're just beating good. 28:09 And you say, "Man, this is all good." 28:11 And then all of a sudden, suddenly, unexpectedly, 28:14 your heart begins to miss beats, it adds beats, 28:17 it seems to stop at times, and then it goes sometimes, 28:20 it goes a lot faster than you want it to. 28:21 I just wonder unexpectedly, how would we... 28:25 How do we deal with that, because it's an interruption. 28:28 And in this life, we're gonna have interruptions. 28:30 That's right. Things are going to happen. 28:32 Sometimes we say we have to deal with it. 28:34 How will it affect your life? 28:36 How will it affect my life 28:38 if something like that happens to me? 28:40 It could be for good, it could be for bad. 28:43 And again, unexpected. 28:45 But would it affect... 28:46 And I found this out, 28:48 when things like this happen to me. 28:49 It affects my decisions, it affects my decisions. 28:52 If something happens to you that might threaten your life 28:55 or something, a loss of a loved one, death, 28:57 whatever, it affects or it should, 28:59 you know, the decisions that you make in the future. 29:01 Priorities. Yeah, absolutely. 29:02 Yeah, priorities, if we're going to put them 29:04 in the line that they ought to be 29:05 rather than maybe things of the world. 29:07 You know, after all, we might be like Job, 29:10 you remember. 29:11 Bless his heart. Oh, Job said there in Job 1:1. 29:13 It said Job, and it just talked about his character. 29:16 It said, Job was what? 29:17 He was blameless, upright, 29:19 one that feared God and shunned evil." 29:22 So sometimes we might think, "Well, we know we serve in God, 29:24 everything is going to go real well for us. 29:26 Well, we don't have to worry." We move on. 29:28 God blessed and there's no doubt about it. 29:30 He had a good wife, he had, what, 29:31 seven sons, three daughters, 29:33 and he was wealthy. 29:35 He had a lot of things in his life. 29:38 I thought it was very interesting, but he suffered, 29:41 and our lesson brings out six major things, 29:43 most of us probably couldn't get through one. 29:45 We might fall apart. Yes. 29:47 We don't have our hand in the hand of God. 29:48 I'm telling you, when these things come unexpected to us, 29:51 'cause we want order, we want organization, 29:53 we want things to be in rhythm. 29:55 It doesn't always happen that way 29:57 and the enemy likes to kicks out of rhythm. 29:59 It's better serving God, during our Bible Study, 30:00 and so on so forth. 30:02 But he lost all his property. 30:04 Some people lose property, that's all that they give up, 30:06 they throw their hands up. 30:07 He lost his employees, he lost his children, 30:11 he lost his health, 30:13 he lost the support of his wife, 30:15 he lost the support 30:16 and the encouragement of his friends. 30:18 Any of those are enough to just probably, 30:20 you know, put people right down in their bed for a while 30:24 and then want to just simply give up. 30:26 It seems that everything went wrong that could go wrong. 30:30 I don't know if you've ever said that or not. 30:32 Yes. 30:33 I got an illustration on that this morning. 30:36 I had a good illustration, I won't use it 30:37 because I'll just move on with that. 30:40 There's one day I come and say, "What else could go wrong?" 30:42 Well, I guarantee you, something else can. 30:44 Don't ever say that. 30:45 Yeah, just say thank you, Lord, and move on. 30:48 Because we can come to a point in our life 30:50 when things happen unexpectedly, 30:52 and we get out of rhythm or out of source a little bit, 30:54 just like this man, a German man 30:58 at the end of World War II 31:00 when Hitler was, you know, 31:02 no longer in rule and in control, 31:04 and so many things had happened. 31:07 He gave the story and this reminds me 31:08 so much about Job. 31:10 He simply is... He's giving his testimony. 31:12 I'm talking, we can come to wits' end. 31:13 Either these things that happened 31:15 can draw us closer to Christ 31:16 or we will pull away from Christ, 31:19 decision that we must make by the grace of God. 31:21 The man simply said, when I interviewed him, 31:23 he said, "My son was killed in action." 31:25 He said, and notice, "My daughter is missing. 31:28 I don't know where she's at. 31:30 I lost my wife, I lost my home, I lost my property. 31:34 Everything is gone. 31:35 Oh yeah, I've got clothes on my back, 31:37 but they were given to me. 31:38 "I have nothing." 31:41 He said, "The point has come in my life, 31:44 I can't even pray anymore." 31:46 And he said, you know, 31:48 "And I really can't even think anymore 31:50 because of all these things that have happened. 31:52 I just want to give up." 31:55 And he said, you know, "I think I just will, 31:58 because I can't go forward and I can't go backwards." 32:02 Sometimes we get stuck in a rut. 32:05 As Christians, be careful 32:06 you don't get in that little rut, 32:08 and you can't find your way out. 32:09 God could help you get out of rut, 32:10 He didn't want us to be in the ruts. 32:12 He wants us to be up on solid ground, 32:13 you know, solid rock and move forward 32:14 and do what we should be doing. 32:16 So, you know, I look at this and so, 32:17 how do we react when we get out of rhythm 32:19 or something happens unexpectedly our timing? 32:22 You know, remember that in Job Chapter 1, 32:25 I'm not going to read all that right now 32:27 because of our time in Job 2. 32:28 Job Chapter 1 and Job Chapter 2 32:30 is simply said, and this is... 32:32 Every time I read, I said, it said, "There was a day. 32:37 There was a day, and then everything erupted." 32:41 And in your life and in my life, 32:43 I can guarantee you, there will be a day. 32:46 God, help us. 32:48 There will be a day, and it could be 32:49 pretty devastating. 32:51 But we still have the Lord to hang on to 32:53 and we need to be hanging on to Him. 32:54 Purpose of Job's life, 32:56 Desire of Ages, 471 simply says... 32:59 Desire of Ages, 471, "The history of Job has shown 33:03 that suffering is," notice this, 33:05 "is inflicted by Satan." 33:07 Praise God, it's brought out clear. 33:09 "And is overruled by God for the purposes of mercy." 33:13 Thank God that He overrules. 33:15 Things are going to happen, 33:16 God's still in control, He's still on the throne, 33:18 He still wants to help you out of it. 33:20 You know, the Jews believed that a person suffered, why? 33:22 You know, because they were so sinful, 33:23 they suffered a lot. 33:25 And that teaching allowed, 33:27 it prepared the Jews to reject Jesus Christ 33:29 when He came to this earth. 33:31 You know, days of trouble abound, 33:33 we're thinking about death it seems. 33:35 There's days that death to some people, 33:37 seems better than life. 33:39 Many lose their hold on God. They lose, you know, like Job. 33:43 But praise God, what did Job do? 33:45 Through all of these things, he rose out of the heaviness 33:47 and the darkness of the things that maybe easily beset him, 33:50 but this doesn't seem too easy to me. 33:52 Discouraged, he wanted to just give up, 33:55 but he reached a higher plain. 33:56 Praise God for that. 33:58 We need to reach out for a higher plain 33:59 when something unexpected happens to us. 34:01 Job said, Job 13:15... 34:04 Remember, he came to this point, 34:05 "Though he slay me," what? 34:07 "Yet will I trust him." 34:10 Here's what happened, here's the key to it quickly. 34:12 When Job began to look to God rather than to himself, 34:17 he repented in dust and ashes. 34:19 Sometime we look to ourselves too much, 34:21 too many things going wrong, and they're going haywire, 34:23 we dwell on those things and we shouldn't. 34:25 I love this. 34:26 Man, I want to end up with this, this is so exciting. 34:28 In Prophets and Kings 164 tells us this. 34:31 You kind of brought it on a while ago little bit, Pastor. 34:33 Okay. I think you said here. 34:35 But notice what it says about Job, it says, 34:37 "Then after all these things happen, 34:40 after they happen." 34:42 It simply said God revealed to him, 34:43 it says, "The Lord was able to bless him 34:46 when he took his eyes," what? 34:47 "Off of himself, 34:49 begin to view God and all of His glory 34:51 and all of His power. 34:52 Bless him abundantly and to make," notice, 34:55 "his last years the best of his life." 34:58 Amen. Amen. 35:00 That's kind of encouraging for some of us 35:02 who are getting older, right? 35:04 Trust in God. And, you know what? 35:06 The last years we have are going to be the best. 35:08 Amen and amen. Thank you. 35:10 You know, as you were talking, I was thinking, 35:12 every change that comes into our life 35:15 can change the rhythm of life. 35:17 You see, you lose a spouse. 35:20 Boy, the rhythm of your life changes completely. 35:23 You lose a child, you lose a job, 35:26 and it can change completely. 35:28 I have Wednesday's lesson, 35:30 and that lesson is on transitions. 35:35 We do agree, we're all creatures of habit. 35:38 And the longer we practice the habit, 35:40 what happens? 35:41 We can get set in our ways, can we not? 35:46 Let me repeat something that you've probably heard often. 35:50 Watch your thoughts, your thoughts become words, 35:55 your words can become actions. 35:58 Watch your actions because your actions become habit, 36:03 and your habits become your character. 36:08 I'm so glad that God is in the business 36:11 of giving us new character, changing our character. 36:18 And we want to look at an example of that. 36:20 Let's turn to Acts Chapter 8, 36:24 Acts Chapter 8, and we will begin with verse 1. 36:30 This is at the stoning of Stephen. 36:32 Stephen is one of the deacons of the early church. 36:36 He is filled with the Holy Spirit. 36:38 He's talking with the Jews. 36:40 He's going through the whole history of the Jews, 36:43 and they just are gnashing their teeth 36:45 against him in anger. 36:47 And listen what Acts Chapter 1 says, 36:51 "Now Saul," who becomes the Apostle Paul 36:54 once God gets a hold of him, 36:56 "Saul was consenting to Stephen's death." 36:59 In Acts 8:1 Acts 8:1, I'm sorry. 37:03 Thank you. 37:04 "At that time, a great persecution arose 37:06 against the church which was at Jerusalem. 37:08 They were all scattered throughout the regions 37:11 of Judea and Samaria except the apostles. 37:14 And devout men carried Stephen to his burial." 37:18 So here's Saul, this great Pharisee of Pharisees 37:22 who's approving of the death of Stephen, 37:26 it says, "As devout men carried Stephen to his burial, 37:31 made great lamentations over him as for Saul," 37:35 what's he doing? 37:36 "He made havoc of the church, entering every house, 37:40 dragging off men and women, committing them to prison." 37:45 Now, look at Acts 9, Chapter 1, 37:50 Acts 9, Chapter 1. 37:52 Oh, Acts 9:1, I'll wake up. 37:56 Here we see the continuing saga of the Pharisee Saul. 38:01 It says, "Saul still breathing 38:04 threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, 38:07 went to the high priest," and what did he ask him for? 38:11 He asked for letters that would give him passage 38:15 to the synagogues of Damascus so that if he found anyone 38:19 that was walking in the way, 38:21 that's what they call the Disciples of Christ, 38:24 whether men or women, he might bring them 38:26 bound to Jerusalem. 38:30 So here is this zealous Pharisee Saul, 38:34 and he becomes the primary persecutor 38:39 in the campaign against the Christian church. 38:43 He's commissioned by the Sanhedrin. 38:46 He's ravaging the church, smashing down doors, 38:50 scaring people off in the middle of the night. 38:53 He didn't seem like a very nice character to me, does he? 38:55 In all the while, guess what? 38:57 He believes he is sincerely doing his job 39:03 to keep the law. 39:04 He thinks that he is getting rid of this destructive force, 39:08 those who walk in the way. 39:10 So now let's look at what happens. 39:14 Acts 9:3, 39:16 "So he's got his letter from the high priest, 39:20 he's on his way to Damascus, and as he journeyed, 39:23 he came near Damascus and suddenly... 39:27 Suddenly. Whoo-hoo! 39:29 "Suddenly, a light shone around him from heaven, 39:33 and he fell to the ground. 39:35 He heard a voice saying to him, 39:38 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?' 39:41 " Wow. 39:43 You see, all sin, no matter who is sin against, 39:45 but all sin is ultimately against God. 39:49 And when you think of Joseph and Potiphar's wife, 39:52 when Potiphar's wife is trying to get Joseph 39:55 to commit adultery, 39:57 he says, "How can I do this awful thing 39:59 and sin against God?" 40:01 Yeah. 40:02 And the prodigal son, 40:03 what did he say when he came back? 40:05 "Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you." 40:07 So all sin is against God. So in Acts 9:5, it goes on. 40:14 Saul who's seen this great light says, 40:18 "Who are you, Lord?" 40:20 Then the Lord said, 40:21 "I am Jesus whom you are persecuting." 40:24 Jesus Himself shows up to see Saul. 40:27 "It is hard for you to kick against the goads." 40:29 So Saul trembling and astonished says, 40:33 "Lord, what do you want me to do?" 40:35 And the Lord said to him, "Arise, go into the city, 40:38 and you'll be told what you must do." 40:40 So he is blinded by the light. 40:43 He has had this encounter, 40:45 he goes into the city, three days he is praying. 40:48 He is not eating, he is not drinking. 40:50 I mean, he has encountered the risen savior. 40:53 Yes. 40:55 So he yields to the convicting power of the Holy Spirit. 41:01 He is confessing his own unworthiness, he wants... 41:04 The focus of Saul 41:06 becomes the righteousness of Jesus Christ. 41:09 So God is bringing Saul into harmony 41:14 with God's eternal purposes for his life. 41:17 So God speaks to Ananias, He says, "Hey, go see Saul." 41:22 Listen to what Ananias says. 41:23 I think this is cute, Acts 9:13. 41:25 I like this. He gets to this... 41:27 Ananias has a vision and God is speaking to him 41:30 through this vision. 41:32 He is saying, "Hey, go restore Saul's sight." 41:35 And Ananias says, 41:36 "Lord, I have heard from many about this man, 41:39 how much harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. 41:43 And here he has authority from the chief priest to bind all 41:47 who call upon your name." 41:49 But the Lord said to him, "Go." 41:54 The blessings on the go, right? 41:56 "For he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name 41:59 before the gentiles, the kings, and the children of Israel. 42:02 And I will show him how many things 42:05 he must suffer for My name's sake." 42:07 So Ananias goes and he says to him, "Brother Saul, 42:10 Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road 42:13 as you came has sent me that you may receive your sight 42:18 and be filled with the Holy Spirit." 42:20 What did Saul do? 42:22 I mean, Ananias touches his eyes, 42:24 the scales fall from his eyes, Saul arises and he is baptized. 42:28 That's right. 42:30 And then it says, "Immediately." 42:33 I mean, he is baptized, 42:34 he starts preaching Christ in the synagogue, 42:36 he has got a personal testimony, 42:38 he is gonna share it. 42:40 And everybody who hears him is amazed and they say, 42:44 "Hey, isn't he the one that the chief priest sent here 42:46 to destroy the way, and now he is preaching this?" 42:51 So what happened? 42:53 God reached into the darkness. Yeah. 42:56 He brings Saul out of the darkness 43:00 into His marvelous light. 43:02 And once Saul had an encounter with Jesus Christ, 43:07 what do we see? 43:08 A total change in his character. 43:10 Amen. That's right. 43:12 He's filled with humility, 43:13 and God changes his way of thinking. 43:17 And because his thinking is changed, 43:18 his actions have changed. 43:20 Because his actions have changed, 43:22 now he gets into a habit, doesn't he? 43:24 Yeah. 43:26 No wonder when you think about it, 43:27 how astonished the Jews must have been to see him. 43:32 But what Paul's action did become a habit? 43:36 And he proved that his conversion was real. 43:39 You know, sometimes people go through and they'll say, 43:42 "Oh, praise the Lord, I've met Jesus, I'm saved." 43:46 And nothing changes. 43:49 In Galatians 1:15, Paul says this. 43:54 He says, "When it pleased God 43:57 who separated me from my mother's womb 43:59 and called me through His grace to reveal His Son in me 44:04 that I might preach Him among the gentiles. 44:06 I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood, 44:10 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those 44:12 who are apostles before me, 44:14 I went to Arabia, I returned again to Damascus. 44:17 And after three years, I went up to Jerusalem 44:21 to see Peter and remained with him 15 days." 44:24 Wow. 44:25 "But I saw none of the other apostles, 44:27 except James the Lord's brother." 44:29 You know, I find it interesting. 44:32 First of all, the disciples were taught by Jesus, 44:35 how many years? 44:37 Three and half years. 44:38 Three and half years, but he goes up 44:39 for three years to be taught. 44:41 And his message came by direct revelation. 44:47 It was Jesus. 44:48 So most conversion stories are not as dramatic as Saul's. 44:53 You know, we wish they would be. 44:55 But the truth is, the process can be long, 44:58 and we've got to hold on to two Bible promises. 45:01 Philippians 1:6 says that, "God is faithful 45:04 to complete the good work He has begun in you." 45:07 And Romans 8:1 says, 45:08 "There's therefore now no condemnation 45:11 for those who are in Christ Jesus, 45:13 who do not walk according to the flesh, 45:15 but according to the Spirit." 45:17 Amen. Thank you so much, Shelley. 45:19 As we think of the rhythms of life 45:22 and the seasons of life, 45:23 the decision for Jesus is the most impactful decision 45:26 we could ever make. 45:27 And what a difference that makes 45:29 and the trajectory of the rest of your life. 45:31 Amen. 45:32 On Thursday, I have the lesson titled as Interactions, 45:35 but I've retitled it. 45:37 How to live in relationship with other people? 45:40 Okay. 45:42 How to live in relationship with others? 45:44 You might have heard the song by Paul Simon. 45:47 I am an island I've built walls 45:49 A fortress deep and mighty That none may penetrate 45:52 I have no need of friendship Friendship causes pain 45:56 It's laughter and it's loving I disdain Don't talk of love 46:01 But I've heard the words 46:02 before It's sleeping in my memory 46:04 I won't disturb the slumber of feelings 46:06 that have died 46:07 If I never loved, I never would have cried 46:11 I have my books And my poetry to protect me 46:14 I am shielded in my armor Hiding in my room, 46:17 safe within my womb I touch no one 46:22 and no one touches me 46:24 I am a rock I am an island A rock feels no pain 46:28 And an island never cries I'm here to tell you, 46:32 that is not true. 46:35 We were created to live in relationship... 46:40 That's right. Amen. 46:41 That's right. With other people. 46:43 Now we might push people away because we feel hurt. 46:46 We might try to become an island and push them. 46:49 But the truth is, no one's an island. 46:51 We all touch and impact someone else for eternity. 46:57 Think about Adam and Eve in the beginning, 46:59 God said, "It is not good for man to be alone." 47:01 And that's not only for husband and wife, 47:03 but that's in community as believers. 47:06 We are called to live in community 47:08 and each one of us has an impact 47:11 whether it's positive or negative on other people. 47:15 That's right. 47:16 Every person in my life influences me 47:18 and I influence other people, whether for good or for evil. 47:22 So today on this lesson, 47:24 I want to talk about principles of relationships. 47:27 How we interact with others? 47:29 We're gonna look at three areas that we need to watch. 47:32 Pastor John, you know, I was like malice. 47:34 So three areas that we need to watch, 47:37 and then three lessons that we need to learn. 47:41 So the three areas we need to watch, 47:43 watch how you speak, 47:45 watch what grows in your heart, and watch your thoughts. 47:51 So let's look at watch how you speak. 47:53 We're gonna spend the balance of our time 47:54 actually in the Book of Ephesians, Ephesians 4:29. 47:59 Ephesians 4:29, watch how you speak. 48:02 And there are some dos and don'ts 48:04 in how we are to speak 48:05 and interact with brothers and sisters. 48:07 We're gonna start with the don'ts. 48:09 Ephesians 4:29, "Let no corrupt word," 48:14 that word for corrupt in Greek is rotten, 48:18 worthless, useless, corrupt or putrid. 48:24 Have you ever spoken a worthless word? 48:26 Yes. I have. 48:28 Have you ever spoken a useless word or a rotten word? 48:32 It says, "Let no corrupt word, no worthless word, 48:36 no useless word proceed out of your mouth, 48:41 but what is good for necessary edification 48:44 that it may impart grace to the hearers." 48:47 So don't use rotten or useless words. 48:50 Yes. Don't lie. 48:53 Ephesians 4:25, 48:55 "Therefore, put away lying," don't lie. 49:00 "Don't speak in anger or carry or hang onto your anger." 49:06 Ephesians 4:26, 49:08 "Do not let the sun go down on your wrath." 49:12 But what are we to do? What are we to speak? 49:14 We're to speak the truth. 49:16 Ephesians 4:25, the rest of that verse. 49:20 It says, "Put away lying." 49:21 And what does it say, "Let everyone of you 49:23 speak truth with his neighbor." 49:26 Yes. 49:28 Now in the Greek, truth literally means true to fact. 49:30 There was a woman I heard speak once. 49:33 She does women's retreats, 49:34 and she was telling a story about 49:36 how she had been with a whole group of friends, 49:38 and she explained the whole circumstances 49:40 of how they had gotten from point A to point B. 49:43 So they took a cruise ship as she described it, 49:46 and she describes sitting on the deck 49:49 and watching the sunset, and the food they ate, 49:52 and the friends they mingled with, 49:54 and she got to the end of this incredible recital. 49:57 And her husband said two words, "We flew." 50:00 They got from point A to point B by an airplane. 50:04 So we are called to speak the truth. 50:09 Speak the truth when it hurts, 50:11 speak the truth when it is uncomfortable, 50:14 when it is hard, when it is unpopular. 50:20 But we always speak the truth in kindness and in love. 50:23 Amen. That's right. 50:25 Ephesians 4:32, "Be kind one to another." 50:29 That word for kind, 50:31 we don't have any word really in English 50:34 that would be the same as the meaning in Greek 50:37 because that means both good and kind. 50:39 So not just kind, but it also means good. 50:42 "Be kind and good to one another, 50:45 tenderhearted, 50:46 forgiving one another 50:48 even as God and Christ Jesus has forgiven you." 50:51 Amen. 50:52 So we're to watch how we speak, 50:53 we're to watch what grows in our heart. 50:57 Ephesians 4:31, "Let all bitterness..." 51:01 Let's stop right there. 51:03 Do you have bitterness growing in your heart today? 51:06 Do you have resentment in your heart 51:09 growing against a brother or a sister? 51:12 That impacts your relationships 51:15 and how you relate to other people. 51:17 Yeah. 51:18 "Let all bitterness, let all wrath," 51:21 that word in Greek is a passion-driven behavior, 51:24 like a sudden outburst of anger. 51:27 But the next word is anger, 51:29 and that word in Greek is a fixed, 51:31 settled, anger, opposition. 51:34 So not only are we to put away bitterness, 51:37 we put away those sudden outbursts of anger 51:40 which can really hinder relationships. 51:42 We put away that fixed or settled anger 51:45 that just lingers and simmers there. 51:47 "Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, 51:50 evil speaking be put away from you with all malice." 51:54 Yes. 51:55 We watch how we speak. 51:57 We watch what grows in our heart. 51:59 We watch our thoughts. 52:02 Proverbs 23:7, 52:03 "For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he." 52:07 Yeah. Yeah. 52:09 What you think about other people 52:10 affects how you treat them. 52:12 Oh, boy, yeah. 52:14 What you think about yourself 52:16 also affects how you treat other people. 52:18 That's true. That's right. 52:20 What you think about God 52:21 affects how you think about yourself, 52:23 and in context, how you treat other people. 52:27 Amen. 52:28 All of that comes back to our thoughts, 52:30 comes back to how we relate to other people. 52:33 Those are the three watches. 52:35 Now let's do quickly the three learns. 52:38 Learn to forgive, learn to walk in humility and unity, 52:44 and learn to love one another Number one, learn to forgive. 52:49 We're back to Ephesians 4:31, "Be kind to one another, 52:53 tenderhearted, forgiving one another." 52:56 Yes. 52:58 Forgiveness is freely done, 53:00 not based on any merit of the person 53:01 receiving the forgiveness. 53:03 We forgive because Christ forgives us. 53:06 We forgive because... 53:07 I don't know about you, but I am in need 53:10 of forgiveness and mercy. 53:11 Amen. 53:13 We forgive because God commands us 53:15 to forgive our brothers and sisters. 53:18 Number two, learn to walk in humility and unity. 53:24 Ephesians 4:1-3, 53:27 "I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, 53:28 beseech you to walk worthy of the calling 53:31 with which you were called, 53:32 with all lowliness and gentleness, 53:36 with longsuffering, 53:38 bearing with one another, 53:39 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit 53:41 in the bond of peace." 53:43 I remember, several years ago, 53:44 I got an eight-page handwritten letter 53:47 from a precious woman 53:49 who decided to address some issues she saw in my life. 53:52 Well. 53:53 There was an issue on every page. 53:55 So I had over eight issues, Pastor Kenny. 53:57 And I remember reading it, and then taking it to God, 54:00 and just trying to get over it, you know. 54:01 All right. 54:03 And then one day, I read Romans 15:5-7, 54:06 "May the God of patience and comfort 54:08 grant you to be like-minded toward one another, 54:12 according to Christ Jesus, that you may, 54:14 with one mind and one mouth, 54:16 glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 54:19 Therefore, receive one another just as I have received you." 54:23 That's right. 54:25 And as soon as I read that, it was like the Holy Spirit 54:26 pricked my conscience, and said, 54:28 "I have received this woman who sent you the letter. 54:31 Do you not think you could receive her 54:34 as your sister in me?" 54:37 And so the Lord rebuked my heart, 54:38 and I asked for forgiveness, 54:40 and I reached out, and we became friends. 54:43 What a beautiful picture. 54:44 God wants us to walk in humility and unity 54:48 toward one another. 54:49 Amen. 54:51 And number three, we are called to learn to love one another. 54:54 1 Thessalonians 3:12 and 13, 54:58 "May the Lord make you increase," 55:00 Shelley loves this scripture. 55:01 I love this scripture. 55:03 "And abound in love to one another and to all, 55:05 just as we do to you 55:06 so that He may establish your hearts 55:08 in blameless and holiness 55:10 before our God and the Father at the coming of our Lord 55:13 Jesus Christ with all His saints." 55:16 Christ is the one who enables us to forgive, 55:18 to walk in humility and unity, and to love one another. 55:22 Amen. Amen. 55:24 Good job. Absolutely. 55:25 Wow. Praise the Lord. 55:27 This is gonna be an exciting study. 55:29 That's right. 55:30 It's gonna be an exciting study. 55:32 And so I guess we have just a couple of minutes left, 55:34 wanna go back through the panel here. 55:36 Start with you, Pastor John, just give us some insight. 55:38 Sure, well, I see 55:40 because of the timing and of the rhythm, 55:41 "We lived in deeds not years, 55:43 in thoughts not figures on the dial. 55:45 We should count time by heart-throbs. 55:48 He who lives who thinks most, feels the noblest, 55:52 and acts the best." 55:54 That's good. Amen. 55:55 Wow. 55:57 Well, I think from this lesson, I've drawn out some 55:59 quite a few different things, but one of that, 56:00 I know, by God's grace, 56:02 I need to learn to live, and to act, 56:05 and to work, you know, 56:07 in such a way that when we think about, 56:09 we're around our family, 56:11 around our friends, people that we work with, 56:14 there's no longer they see us, 56:16 but they see the one who lives inside of us. 56:18 They need to know that we have been with Jesus. 56:21 Amen. Amen. 56:23 My thought right now is that change can be challenging. 56:27 Yes. 56:28 But what we have to do during times changes, go to the Lord, 56:32 and let Him help us through the transition 56:34 because 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, 56:37 "He's made us into a new creation, 56:39 and He'll work it out for us." 56:40 Amen. Amen. 56:42 No man or woman is an island, 56:43 we all live in community as brothers and sisters, 56:47 so God calls us to guard 56:48 our influence over other people. 56:52 Praise the Lord. 56:53 Just a few seconds, but you know, 56:55 Jill, to kind of playing off 56:57 what you said in your lesson and also mine as well, 56:59 you know, in the Garden of Eden, 57:01 God established a family. 57:03 That's right. He created family. 57:06 And, you know what, family goes beyond blood. 57:08 Each and every one of us are of the family of God. 57:11 That's right. 57:12 Inside the church, outside of the church, 57:14 in relationship with God, 57:16 or not really in a relationship with God, 57:18 we serve a mighty God and we are family. 57:20 But that being said, 57:22 we're so excited that you were to be able to join us this week 57:25 and we hope that you join us next week 57:27 for our second lesson, which I believe is entitled 57:30 "Making the Right Choices." 57:32 So you have a wonderful day. 57:34 We hope to see you next week. God bless. |
Revised 2024-08-26