Participants:
Series Code: SSP
Program Code: SSP190015A
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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, "Receive with meekness 00:10 the implanted Word 00:11 which is able to save your souls. 00:14 And to be diligent 00:15 to present yourself approved to God, 00:17 rightly dividing the Word of truth." 00:20 Join us now for the 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 00:25 Our study today is Family Seasons. 00:33 Hello, I'm Shelley Quinn. 00:34 And we are so excited that you're joining us 00:37 for Sabbath School panel today. 00:39 We are on the second lesson of a new quarterly 00:41 called Family Seasons. 00:43 And today's lesson is the choices we make. 00:48 And we're gonna look at in this week, 00:51 not only some of the choices we make, 00:53 but how we should make those decisions 00:56 and the impact that it has on not just us but on families. 01:01 Let me introduce our wonderful panel. 01:04 Next to me, Pastor Ryan Day. 01:06 Amen. It's good to be here. 01:07 Oh, pastor, we are glad you're on this panel. 01:10 Then my pastor, Pastor John Lomacang. 01:12 Praise the Lord. 01:14 Always exciting to walk through God's Word. 01:16 It's an excursion that's new every time. 01:17 Amen. 01:19 And then 3ABN General Manager, Jill Morikone. 01:22 Always a privilege to study with each one of you. 01:24 And we're so glad my precious sister 01:26 that you're on this panel, 01:28 and then my precious brother, Pastor Kenny Shelton. 01:31 Always a pleasure. 01:32 Thank you. Thank you. 01:34 Kenny, would you have opening prayer for us? 01:35 Sure, sure. Let's pray, shall we? 01:37 Our merciful heavenly Father, 01:39 we thank You for the privilege of prayer this today. 01:41 We thank You that we can call You our Father, 01:43 thank You that we belong to the family of God. 01:46 Lord, as we open the beautiful pages 01:48 of this book called the Bible, this lesson study for today, 01:52 we ask that the Holy Spirit would take possession of 01:54 each of our hearts and our lives. 01:56 Lord, maybe not just take it as just a job to do 01:58 but maybe look as heaven is speaking to us, 02:01 giving us encouragement, and help us to watch, 02:04 we pray because the time is coming 02:06 when Jesus is soon to come here, 02:08 we need to be ready. 02:09 We're thankful for the lessons 02:11 that talk about the importance of not only serving God, 02:13 putting Him first, but to remember our families. 02:16 Bless us now we pray to this 02:17 and may You have Your will and Your way. 02:20 All that said and all that's done, 02:22 empty our hearts from anything that needs not be there. 02:24 We only need to see Jesus, we only need to hear from Jesus 02:27 and we're gonna thank You in His precious name, 02:29 we pray in for His sake, amen. 02:31 Amen, and amen. 02:32 And we want to encourage those of you at home. 02:35 If you do not have a quarterly, 02:37 you can always go to your local Seventh-day Adventist Church, 02:41 they'll be happy to give you a quarterly 02:43 or you can go online 02:45 to ABSG.Adventist.org 02:51 and download your very own copy. 02:53 So lesson to the choices we make. 02:57 Life is full of choices 02:58 from the moment we wake up till we go to bed. 03:01 Some choices are routine, 03:03 some choices can be very consequential. 03:08 All right. 03:09 And may impact not only us, but those around us. 03:13 That's right. 03:14 And so it is critical to consider 03:18 the consequences of our choices, is it not? 03:22 Yes. 03:23 But I wanna say this just right up front. 03:26 The good news is no matter how many bad choices 03:29 that you've made in your life, 03:30 there is mercy, and love, and grace, 03:33 and forgiveness in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 03:36 So do not worry, 03:39 even if you've made the worst of decisions, 03:41 God is the God of new beginnings. 03:43 Let's look at our memory text, 03:45 Joshua 24:15 from the New King James Version. 03:49 And here's what Joshua says, 03:51 "If it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, 03:54 choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, 03:59 whether the gods which your fathers served 04:01 that were on the other side of the river, 04:04 or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. 04:07 But as for me and my house, 04:10 we will serve the Lord." 04:13 So that is absolutely the most important choice 04:16 we will ever make. 04:18 I have way too much for Sunday's lesson 04:20 because I've added some stuff, 04:22 but I'm gonna try to get through it. 04:24 Sunday, we're talking about free will, free choice. 04:28 And I just have to say this. 04:30 Calvinism is a type of, 04:34 one of their beliefs is it's rather, 04:37 it promotes the idea that 04:41 and it's a mistaken belief 04:43 that God chooses some to be saved or lost, 04:48 even before they're born. 04:50 This is a distortion in our opinion, 04:54 a biblical predestination 04:57 because it's saying regardless of your choice, 04:59 you're condemned, some are condemned to be lost. 05:02 And you know what? 05:04 You add that to the false notion 05:07 that there is an eternal burning hell and punishing 05:11 and that makes God out to be a monster. 05:13 That's right. 05:14 It has absolutely turned some people into atheists. 05:18 As the Seventh-day Adventist Christians, 05:20 our church does not believe that theology. 05:23 We believe, as the Bible clearly states in 1 Timothy 2:4 05:28 that "God desires all men to be saved 05:32 and come to the knowledge of the truth." 05:34 And even before the world began, 05:37 He created us and chose us 05:42 to have eternal life in Christ. 05:45 But it depends on our choices. 05:48 So here's what I want to add as a little bonus. 05:52 God granted humanity, 05:55 the freedom of will, 05:59 the freedom of choice. 06:01 We can either choose or reject God's love. 06:04 But He must honor whatever choice we make. 06:09 And for those who misuse this gift of this freedom, 06:15 if we use a free will to do wrong instead of right, 06:19 following Satan and his rebellion, 06:22 the consequences of sin will follow. 06:25 But people ask me, 06:27 "Why did God create humanity with free will? 06:29 If He knew we were gonna do this, 06:31 why didn't He just, you know... 06:33 Was this some kind of experiment? 06:35 Why didn't He just programmed us 06:36 so that we would always do what's right. 06:39 And if He loves us, 06:40 why does He allow us to experience pain? 06:43 From eternity past, God has been involved 06:47 in a relationship of perfect unity, 06:50 the Father, Son and the Spirit. 06:52 And when He created us, 06:55 that perfect unity is because 06:58 the essence of God's character is love, right? 07:02 So when He created us to be His children, 07:04 He created us and designed us 07:07 so that we could have reciprocal relationships, 07:12 that we could love Him, that we could love others. 07:15 And His loving plan is that He gave us this free will, 07:20 if He programmed us, 07:22 you can't program love, can you? 07:24 No. 07:25 If He just made us little robots, 07:26 we would have nothing 07:30 by which we could determine what was love. 07:34 So He created us in His image with His intelligence, 07:38 His ability to choose, 07:40 His ability to create 07:42 and to make us like Himself. 07:45 He made this little special part 07:47 called the prefrontal lobe. 07:49 And that's what makes us creative. 07:52 That's what gives us freedom of choice. 07:54 Guess what? 07:55 It's also the area that creates pain. 07:58 So that is the same part of the... 08:01 I shouldn't say creates pain, but identifies pain. 08:04 So what you have to know is God loved us enough 08:09 to create us like Himself and He, 08:14 without choice we cannot love. 08:17 He is a God of self-sacrificing love, 08:21 and that's what He created. 08:22 He's not the author of pain and suffering. 08:25 Where did that come from? 08:27 Sin. From Satan. 08:29 So, God could have programmed us, 08:33 but then we'd have no choice, no creative ability, 08:36 no ability to rule. 08:38 And that's why He wanted us to experience love. 08:42 So when you think about this, 08:44 it wasn't some kind of experiment. 08:46 Yes, God knew we were going to go astray. 08:48 I mean, the lamb was slain 08:50 from the foundation of the world. 08:52 But parents, when parents decide to have 08:56 or when a couple decides to have children, 08:58 they know the child could, maybe end up rebelling. 09:04 But why did they do it? For the experience of love. 09:07 So let's look at Ephesians 1, I'm gonna begin in verse 2. 09:13 In Ephesians 1:2, now I'm gonna have to turn. 09:16 He says, this is Paul writing, 09:19 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 09:23 who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing 09:25 in heavenly places in Christ." 09:27 What a promise! 09:29 We've already been blessed 09:30 with every spiritual blessings in Christ. 09:33 "Just as He chose us in Him 09:36 before the foundation of the world." 09:38 So, see when it says, "He chose us in Him," 09:41 it is referring to spiritual union with Christ. 09:45 So election flows from that union, does it not? 09:50 "So He chose us in Him 09:52 before the foundation of the world 09:54 that we should be holy 09:55 and without blame before Him in love, 09:57 having predestined us, 10:00 His predetermined loving plan, 10:04 to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself 10:10 according to the good pleasure of His will." 10:13 So He planned from the beginning 10:16 to adopt those who accepted His Son 10:19 who are in Christ, to be part of His, 10:22 to enter into this special covenant of family relationship 10:27 where He would accomplish His will in our lives. 10:29 And then He says, 10:31 "To the praise of the glory of His grace 10:33 by which He's made us accepted in the beloved." 10:36 Hallelujah! 10:38 "In Him we have redemption through His blood, 10:41 the forgiveness of sins, 10:43 according to the riches of His grace." 10:45 So we know that grace is His favor, 10:49 and we're not deserving of His favor. 10:53 But holiness and blamelessness are the results of grace, 10:58 not the basis of God's election. 11:01 So He redeemed us from sin and Satan, 11:03 bought us with the price of His own Son's blood. 11:09 Titus 1 verses... 11:13 I'm gonna look at verse 2, and in 2 Timothy 1, 11:16 I wanna look at verse 9. 11:18 It's interesting in both of these passages, 11:21 Paul mentions before time began. 11:24 Look at Titus 1:2, it says, 11:26 "In hope of eternal life, 11:28 which God who cannot lie, promised before time began." 11:33 And in 2 Timothy 1:9, says that, 11:36 "God who has saved us and called us 11:39 with a holy calling, not according to our works, 11:43 but according to His own purpose and grace, 11:46 which was given to us in Christ Jesus, 11:50 before time began." 11:54 You know what's interesting to me, 11:56 physicists have now proven 12:00 time did not exist before our world began. 12:06 Isn't that interesting? 12:07 I mean, the Bible says it all over. 12:09 But they finally, actually this was probably 15 years ago 12:11 that they finally came out and said, 12:14 "Time didn't exist before our world began." 12:17 But God has had a plan all along 12:21 from the very beginning, 12:23 that whoever would accept His salvation 12:27 would become part of His family 12:29 and would spend eternity with Him. 12:31 And you know, however good this news is, 12:33 some people are gonna be lost. 12:35 Why? 12:36 Because of their choices. That's true. 12:39 Because God has chosen us, 12:42 but He's given us this most sacred human gift 12:46 and that is free will. 12:48 Amen. Free will. 12:49 So our lesson asks us, 12:53 what does Matthew 22:35-37 teach about free will. 12:57 Let's look at that. Matthew 25:35. 13:01 Matthew 22:35. 13:04 "One of them, a lawyer, asked him, Christ, a question, 13:10 testing Him and saying, 13:12 'Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?' 13:17 Jesus said to him, 13:19 'You shall love the Lord your God 13:21 with all your heart, with all your soul, 13:23 with all of your mind.'" 13:26 See, let me tell you something. 13:28 The Lord doesn't force us to love Him. 13:30 And you might say, 13:32 "Well, He's commanding us to love Him." 13:34 Anytime He commands us 13:38 that bidding to do something is an enabling in His mind. 13:42 You know, that's right. So what God does? 13:43 Romans 5:5, says, is that, 13:45 "He pours His love into our hearts 13:47 by the power of the Holy Spirit, 13:49 so that we can love Him." 13:52 And you know, we can argue 13:54 that the Bible is the story of God 13:55 reaching out to lost humanity 13:59 to restore us to, 14:04 to restore human beings 14:06 to this loving relationship without coercion. 14:10 And I'm gonna stop there. 14:11 Wow, that's powerful. 14:13 I think it was, maybe misquoting this slightly, 14:17 but paraphrasing and I think will be sufficient. 14:19 I think it was CS Lewis who wrote 14:20 and I have to agree with him. 14:23 Let's see if I can get this right. 14:25 The greatest mystery 14:27 that I think none of us can begin to fathom 14:29 is the fact that the Creator created the created 14:36 with the free will to reject His love, 14:39 with the free will to reject Him in general. 14:43 That's right. That's a choice. 14:45 In other words, God has given us the gift of free will. 14:48 He does not force Himself. 14:49 He does not force His love or His will upon our lives. 14:54 My lesson is covering making the right choices. 14:58 We know we have now the free will to choose, 15:01 but how can I ensure, 15:03 how can I know for sure 15:04 that I can make the right choices? 15:05 And if that's possible, how is that possible? 15:08 I'm just gonna take us 15:10 to a good old fashioned Bible study. 15:11 I think the best way to do it is just simply allow... 15:14 In fact, I'm gonna exercise, hopefully, 15:17 the ability to make the right choice in letting God speak 15:20 rather than myself 15:22 because His Word is so much better than 15:23 what I can possibly say in this subject. 15:25 I want to start here in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17. 15:31 So again, just keep in your mind. 15:33 Again, how can we make sure that we make the right choices? 15:36 How can I make the right choices? 15:38 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17. 15:42 I like to just... I wanna... 15:43 In fact, I added verse 16. 15:45 I think in the lesson it might only include 17 15:47 but I added verse 16. 15:49 Two words, here it is, "Rejoice always." 15:52 Amen. 15:54 Now when I read that, 15:55 following what we're about to read in verse 17. 15:57 What that tells me is, I have to make sure, 15:59 I get my mind right first. 16:01 In other words, put yourself in the right mindset, 16:04 set yourself up for victory in making the right choices. 16:08 Rejoice always, 16:09 always take the time to be thankful 16:11 and rejoice to God, 16:13 you know, on behalf of 16:14 what He's done for you and just who He is. 16:16 Amen. Yeah. 16:17 You know, putting yourself in that right mindset 16:19 can so much help you in setting up the possibility 16:22 and the reality of you making the right choice 16:24 every single time, rejoice always. 16:26 Verse 17, it says, "Pray without ceasing." 16:32 "Pray without ceasing, 16:33 in everything," here it is, "give thanks, 16:35 for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 16:40 So get your mind right and then, 16:42 of course, you know, if you're scared 16:44 that you can't make the right choice or you fear that, 16:46 "Oh, am I making the right choice?" 16:48 How about trusting in the counsel of God's Word, 16:50 when he says, "You know, come to Me, 16:52 ask and it shall be given to you. 16:53 Knock and it shall be opened. I will present that to you. 16:56 I will give you the gift of making the right choice." 16:59 James 1:5-8, notice what the Bible says, 17:03 "If any of you lacks wisdom," 17:04 and I think all of us lack wisdom to a certain extent, 17:07 "let Him," there it is, 17:08 "ask of God who gives to all liberally 17:13 and without reproach, 17:15 and it will be given to him," I love that. 17:17 "But let him ask in faith." 17:20 It's one thing to say, "Okay, I'm gonna say a prayer, 17:22 and I'm gonna ask God for wisdom." 17:24 But are you asking in faith? 17:25 Are you truly believing 17:27 that He's gonna come through for you? 17:28 Do you truly believe that He can grant you 17:31 the victory and the ability to make the right choice? 17:33 He says, you know what? 17:35 "But let him ask in faith," 17:36 this is verse 6 of James Chapter 1, 17:38 "with no doubting, 17:41 for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea 17:43 driven and tossed by the wind." 17:45 I love this verse 7 here. 17:47 "For let not that man suppose, 17:50 let not that man suppose 17:52 that he will receive anything from the Lord." 17:53 In other words, "Well, I might receive it. 17:56 I might receive it." 17:57 No, you will receive it, 17:59 maybe not in the time that you want to receive it. 18:02 I like to think of God as an on time God. 18:05 There was a song out there years ago called 18:07 "He's an on time God." 18:08 Yes, He is. 18:10 He may not come when you want Him, 18:11 but He'll be there right on time. 18:12 I know that's a reality in my life 18:14 because I have come to learn. 18:16 Lord, when I pray and ask of something, 18:17 I'm not just expecting always the Lord to answer immediately. 18:20 Sometimes He does. 18:22 But then most of the time, 18:23 He knows the exact spot, the exact point 18:26 in which He's gonna bless you and answer that prayer. 18:29 And in this case, He's going to come on time 18:32 to deliver you and give you the ability 18:34 to make the right choice every single time. 18:37 Praying, ask, trust in the Lord's counsel, 18:40 believe in faith. 18:42 And, of course, He is an on time God. 18:44 He will show up. He will answer your prayer. 18:46 Isaiah 1:19, I'm just gonna spit them out here. 18:49 They're beautiful verses, promises that we can count on. 18:53 And I love that, I love how this starts out here. 18:54 Isaiah 1:19. 18:57 And I'm also gonna read verse 20. 18:59 It says, "If you are willing and obedient..." 19:02 That's right. Yes. 19:03 Okay, notice this, 19:05 first of all you have to be willing 19:08 to respond the way the Lord would have you to respond. 19:10 Yes. 19:11 In other words, to make the right choice, 19:13 you have to be willing." 19:14 Lord, I'm willing to follow Your counsel. 19:15 Lord, I'm willing to follow Your will." 19:17 "If you are willing and obedient, 19:19 you shall eat of the good of the land." 19:21 But notice, "If you refuse and rebel," 19:23 we don't want that rebellious attitude, 19:25 but if you are that way, it says, 19:26 "you will be devoured by the sword, 19:28 for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.' 19:30 " So when you go into a decision making process, 19:33 going with an obedient heart and obedient spirit. 19:36 Lord, You know what? 19:37 I don't know what's best for me, but You do. 19:39 You know what's best for me. 19:41 Help me to make the right decision, 19:42 because I don't trust myself. 19:44 That's the spirit that we have to have here. 19:46 A rebellious people 19:47 never make the best decisions, okay? 19:50 When you rebel, 19:51 you're always gonna end up making the decision 19:53 that you're gonna regret later on. 19:55 The Lord knows what's best, He created you. 19:57 Amen? Yes. 19:58 He is the Creator. 19:59 Matthew 7:24-25, 20:01 "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of mine and does them 20:04 I will liken him to a wise man 20:06 who built his house on the...?" 20:07 Rock. "On the rock." 20:09 Christ is that rock 20:10 and who better person to go to or what better person to go to 20:13 than that of Jesus Christ. 20:14 He knows how to counsel us. He knows what's best for us. 20:17 Thy Word oh, Lord, what is that? 20:19 Psalm 119:105. 20:21 "Your Word, oh, Lord 20:23 is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." 20:25 Ryan, how can I make sure 20:27 that I can make the best decisions? 20:29 How about go to the Lord? 20:30 Yes. Amen. 20:32 How about trust in His Word? 20:33 I have, you know, I don't always do this perfect, 20:35 I have to admit. 20:36 But I strive in all situations to 20:40 when I'm put in a situation 20:42 where I'm having to endure a trial 20:43 or some type of temptation or something that, 20:46 you know, I'm not very sure about even as a minister who, 20:48 you know, I like to think I know the Bible pretty well. 20:50 But you know there's always that temptation 20:52 to think you know more than what the Lord does, 20:55 and I can reassure you that you don't, 20:58 and so we have to trust in the Word of God. 21:01 The Word of God will always give you the answer. 21:03 Trust in the Lord. 21:05 It's a light unto your path, it's a lamp unto your feet, 21:09 submit to the council of scripture 21:11 in how many things? 21:13 All things. All things. 21:15 Proverbs 3:5-6. This is a powerful text. 21:18 Trust in yourself with all your heart. 21:20 No. The Lord. 21:22 Is that what it says? No. 21:23 That's not what it says. 21:25 Notice again, Proverbs 3:5-6, 21:26 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart 21:28 and lean not on your own understanding, 21:32 in all ways acknowledge Him and He," notice this, 21:35 "He's promised us He will direct our paths." 21:38 There is a way... 21:39 Proverbs 14:12, 21:41 "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man." 21:44 I have not met a person yet, 21:47 who in some point in their life, 21:49 or in some point throughout their day 21:50 thinks that they can make the best decision 21:52 or that they know all that there is to know 21:54 about a certain situation. 21:55 In other words, everything that they choose to do, 21:57 everything they choose to say, it's their way seems best. 22:01 But at the end of the day, you know what? 22:02 Our way always fails. 22:03 His way is perfect. That's right. 22:05 Submit your will to God. Submit your will to God. 22:10 Submit to the will of God 22:13 that will always guide you in this lifetime. 22:16 You know, we just came from 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17. 22:21 Notice 1 Thessalonians 5:19, very short, but very profound. 22:27 In this, again, we're asking the question, 22:28 how can I make sure that I'm making the right decisions? 22:32 First of all, 1 Thessalonians 5:19 says, 22:36 "Do not quench the spirit." 22:39 Amen. 22:40 Yes, we can rebel to a point, 22:42 we can reach the point in our life 22:44 where we think, we have it all figured out 22:46 that we are actually, 22:47 where we're creating a spiritual call us on our ear 22:49 that the Holy Spirit can't reach our heart. 22:52 And what did Jesus say about the Holy Spirit 22:53 in John 14 and John Chapter 16? 22:55 I'm gonna read John 14:26. 22:58 Notice what he said about the Holy Spirit, 23:00 "The Helper, the Holy Spirit, 23:02 whom the Father will send in My name, 23:04 He will teach you all things," you have to be willing, 23:08 "and he will bring your remembrance," 23:10 notice, "to your remembrance all things that I said to you." 23:12 Chapter 16. 23:14 This is John 16:8, 13. 23:17 Notice what he says here, 23:18 "He," speaking of the Holy Spirit, 23:20 "will convict the world of sin 23:21 and of righteousness and of judgment." 23:23 Verse 13, "He will guide you into all truth." 23:27 Lord, I don't trust myself. 23:29 I know there's a possibility, 23:31 I'm gonna make the wrong choice. 23:32 Lord, I need You to send the Holy Spirit to guide me, 23:35 to teach me to make sure 23:36 that I submit to the council of the Holy Spirit. 23:39 That's a very important point. 23:41 That little voice, 23:42 sometimes we call it a conscience, 23:44 call it what you want, but at the end of the day, 23:46 we know that that is the Spirit of the Lord 23:47 trying to steer us in the right direction. 23:50 That's right. 23:51 You know, I just want to end with this. 23:54 2 Chronicles 7:14, 23:56 "If My people who are called by My name 23:59 will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, 24:03 and turn from their wicked ways, 24:04 then will I hear from heaven, 24:06 and I will forgive their sin and heal their land." 24:08 Humility is the key to making the right decision. 24:12 When you humble yourself before the Lord, 24:14 reject self, deny self, 24:16 you can be victorious in Jesus Christ. 24:18 Praise God. Amen. 24:19 The Word of God is powerful and it tells us 24:22 how to make the right choices. 24:24 Please stay tuned, we'll be back in just a moment. 24:32 Ever wish you could watch 24:33 a 3ABN Sabbath School panel again, 24:35 or share it on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter? 24:38 Well, you can by visiting 3abnsabbathschoolpanel.com. 24:43 A clean design makes it easy 24:46 to find the program you're looking for. 24:48 There are also links to the adult Bible study guide 24:51 so you can follow along. 24:53 Sharing is easy. 24:55 Just click share and choose your favorite social media. 24:58 Share a link, save a life for eternity. 25:04 We are ready to advance now to Tuesday's lesson. 25:07 Pastor John Lomacang who's gonna tell us 25:09 what the Bible says about choosing friends. 25:12 I absolutely, 25:14 am excited about this topic, Choosing Friends. 25:19 You know, one of the most important choices 25:21 we will ever make in life is choosing our friends. 25:24 There's a saying that goes this way, 25:26 "Show me your friends, I'll show you your destiny." 25:30 Every one of us is molded by the people 25:33 that are in the circle of our influence, 25:35 undeniable. 25:37 You've heard the phrase 25:38 "Birds of a feather flock together." 25:39 That's why we're always together 25:41 because we're birds of a feather. 25:42 We love God's Word, 25:44 that's why we're always together. 25:45 Birds of a feather flock together. 25:48 And a lot of times people don't choose their friends, 25:52 but sometimes just by hanging around people 25:54 that see things the way that they see things, 25:57 all of a sudden they begin to develop a friendship. 25:59 But today, in this electronic world, 26:03 a lot of people say they have friends on Facebook, 26:05 or Twitter, or Instagram, or whatever, the Snapchat 26:09 or whatever the video portal might be. 26:14 That's not really what I mean by friends. 26:16 Because when the challenges of life come your way, 26:20 oftentimes people that choose digital friends, 26:23 default back to literal friends, 26:27 people that are right next to them, 26:29 a mom, a dad, or brother, or sister, 26:31 people that are in their circles 26:32 that really take to heart, 26:34 their wellbeing and their future. 26:36 So today, we're gonna talk about 26:37 some of the principles of choosing a friend. 26:39 And the Bible gives us some beautiful counsel. 26:42 Let's begin with Proverbs 12:26. 26:47 Proverbs 12:26. 26:49 And the reason why this is also encouraging to me 26:51 is because I was raised in New York City, 26:53 I had a lot of friends, 26:55 but if I didn't choose the Lord above my friends, 26:59 I would be dead today, I honestly believe that. 27:00 Amen. 27:02 I lived the gambler life, the pool, hustler, partier, 27:05 I was the consummate disc jockey, 27:07 I was in the street life of New York City. 27:10 Thank the Lord, I had enough sense not to take drugs 27:12 and I drank alcohol casually. 27:15 But I didn't buy a beer, I never bought whiskey. 27:17 And that was not the kind of person, 27:18 I was in the highty-tighty mindset of, 27:20 you know, you do it in the club. 27:22 But I made enough choices that 27:23 if I continued in that trajectory, 27:25 I wouldn't be here today. 27:26 I would not be in my right mind, 27:29 because many of my friends I go back to New York City, 27:31 back to Brooklyn, back to Bed-Stuy 27:33 and a lot of them are not alive any longer. 27:35 Because they've chosen the path, 27:37 they stayed on a path that led to their destruction. 27:39 So council number one Proverbs 12:26. 27:42 Jill, do have that, read for me? 27:43 Yeah. 27:45 Choose friends carefully, listen to this. 27:46 "The righteous should choose his friends carefully, 27:49 for the way of the wicked leads them astray." 27:51 Amen. 27:52 The righteous to choose his friends carefully. 27:55 Lot of people say, "Well, 27:57 my friends don't influence me to do wrong things, 28:00 it's my own choices." 28:01 That may be true. 28:03 Because we each one of us has a choice that we must make. 28:06 But friends do tend to impress us 28:10 as to how to make decisions 28:12 and what kinds of decisions to make, 28:14 to make a years ago, 28:16 and we're influenced a lot by our media, 28:18 by the culture that we live in. 28:20 A years ago, there was a song that says, 28:21 parents just don't understand. 28:23 Remember that TLC? Parents just don't understand. 28:26 Well, the good news is one of those young ladies in TLC 28:29 is now an ardent follower of Pastor Doug Batchelor, 28:31 and God is changing her life. 28:33 But parents do understand 28:36 because what a lot of young people fail to realize 28:38 is parents are where they used to be. 28:41 That's right. 28:43 So choose your friends carefully. 28:44 And when your parents give you advice to say, 28:47 "That's not a good friend." 28:48 Don't make the parent 28:50 appear to be ignorant about the things 28:52 that you are getting yourself involved in. 28:55 And I made that example one day 28:56 to a girl that was 15 years old, 28:57 I said, "Is your three year old sister smarter than you?" 29:00 She said, "No". 29:01 I said, "Why would you think your mother's dumber than you?" 29:05 She said, "Well, I never ever thought about it that way." 29:07 Choose friends carefully. 29:08 Here's another one, Proverbs 17:17. 29:10 Who can get to that for us? 29:12 Proverbs 17:17. 29:14 You have that, Shelley? 29:15 "A friend loves at all times 29:17 and a brother is born for adversity." 29:20 That means friend, 29:22 that means love and adversity coexists. 29:27 Love and adversity coexist. 29:29 Now, in adversity it's important to know 29:32 who really loves you. 29:33 And love is not conditional, love is not materialistic. 29:36 We should not love people 29:38 because they speak the way we do, 29:40 or because they always have something for us. 29:43 One person once said, 29:44 "A person with much money has a lot of friends." 29:48 You'll really know who your friends are 29:50 when you really have nothing. 29:51 That's a true friend. 29:53 A friend loves at all times, 29:55 that's the purpose of the scripture. 29:57 A brother is born for adversity. 29:58 That means, sometimes the worst trials 30:00 you can have could be with your own siblings. 30:02 Right. 30:04 Right? Yes. 30:05 Sibling rivalry, a brother is born for adversity. 30:08 And so, if you have adversity in your home... 30:12 My sister and I, for example, 30:14 she's three years older than I am, 30:16 I won't tell you what that age actually is. 30:18 But we speak to each other straight. 30:20 I mean, my wife laughs. 30:22 My wife, Angela, she just the other day 30:24 she said, "I cannot help 30:26 getting over the way you and your sister converse." 30:28 What I don't like, I tell her. 30:30 What she doesn't like, she tells me. 30:31 And she says to me, 30:33 "No matter what, you're gonna love me anyway." 30:34 I said, "You're right. I don't care what you do. 30:35 I'm gonna love you anyway." She's said, 30:37 "All right. So shut up." 30:40 Well, we're that straight. Yeah. 30:41 But if I don't like the guy she's hanging around with 30:43 or the choice that she's making and the place she's going. 30:45 I said, "Come on, Val, really honestly." 30:47 And she says, "It's my choice." 30:48 I said, "I know it's your choice, 30:50 but I'm gonna tell you when I don't like it." 30:52 A brother is born for adversity. 30:55 Here's another one, Proverbs 18:24. 30:57 Look at that one. 30:59 This is really important. 31:00 Who has that one? 31:01 Okay, Ryan, you have it? 31:03 Yeah, sure, absolutely. 31:04 You said 18:4? 18:24. 31:06 18:24 and it says, 31:08 "A man who has friends must himself be friendly, 31:11 but there is a friend 31:13 who sticks closer than a brother." 31:14 That friend is Jesus but... That's right. 31:16 The principle is so vitally important, 31:18 people say, "I don't have friends." 31:20 But they're not friendly. 31:22 Some people are morose. 31:24 You know what morose means? Yes. 31:26 It means they're sully, they're sober, they're crabby, 31:29 they're grouchy, they are testy, 31:31 they're snappish, they're peevish, 31:33 they're crusty, they're waspish, 31:35 they're low spirited, they're melancholy, 31:37 they're doleful, they're miserable, 31:39 they're dismal, they're depressed, 31:40 dejected, despondent, downcast... 31:43 Do I need to keep going? Whoo! 31:44 No, I don't think so. I'm starting to get it. 31:46 Don't be any of those things and say, "Nobody likes me." 31:51 People are not attracted. 31:54 Bugs, even bugs 31:57 don't go to light bulbs that are turned off. 32:02 A bulb will give his life for a bright light. 32:05 Even bugs know when lights are bright. 32:08 Don't have a dull bulb and say nobody's attracted to you. 32:12 Pray for the Lord to change who you are. 32:15 People will be attracted 32:17 to the lovely characteristical traits. 32:20 Ellen White says, we must learn to put 32:22 loveliness into our character. 32:24 You got to learn to do that and that's not even 32:26 because Ellen White said so, 32:28 but the Bible makes it very clear, 32:30 those who have friends must first 32:31 to show themselves to be friendly. 32:33 Here's another one, Proverbs 22:24-25. 32:36 I'll read that. 32:37 Be careful when your friends display constant anger, 32:40 don't follow their example. 32:41 Here's what the Bible says. 32:42 "Make no friendship with an angry man. 32:45 And with a furious man do not go. 32:48 Lest you learn his ways and set a sneer for your soul." 32:52 I recently told a story about three young people 32:55 that inadvertently thought it was a prank 32:56 to remove a stop sign. 32:59 It took the life of three 18-year-olds 33:01 that were returning home from bowling. 33:03 They removed the stop sign, 33:05 these young people ran through the stop sign 33:07 that was supposed to be there 33:08 and got hit by an 8 ton 18 wheeler. 33:11 It was a joke to them. 33:13 Sadly, enough, 33:16 their lives were snatched out and plunged into eternity. 33:20 But there are people that are angry 33:21 and they don't think about the next decision. 33:23 And so many young people they get angry, 33:26 they stab friends at school, they carry guns, 33:30 they talk about what they're gonna do to hurt people, 33:32 brothers, young people, 33:34 don't let your mind with the angry moments 33:37 destroy the future of your life because people are in prison. 33:41 There are some teenagers that are 13 33:43 that are in delinquency homes, 33:45 and they're gonna go to the big house 33:46 when they hit 18 33:48 because they could not control their anger. 33:50 Here's another one. 33:51 God can work through any circumstance. 33:53 Amen. 33:54 God can work through any circumstance, 33:56 but we must practice forbearance. 33:58 Romans 8:28, do we know that? 34:00 Yes. 34:01 "And we know all things work together 34:02 for good to those who love God, 34:04 those who are the called according to God's purpose, 34:07 according to His purpose." 34:08 God can work through every circumstance. 34:11 Another one, 34:13 whatever work that God has begun in you, 34:15 He will complete it. 34:16 Proverbs 17:17. 34:18 Well, actually, Philippians 1:6, 34:20 "He who has begun a good work in you will what?" 34:22 "Complete it." He will complete it. 34:24 Let the Lord work on whatever challenges you have, 34:27 because He will complete it. 34:29 I look at who I am today and who I used to be, 34:31 and I end with this one. 34:33 We will be surprised 34:35 at the perfection of God's work. 34:37 1 John 3:1-2, 34:39 "Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, 34:42 that we should be called children of God. 34:45 Therefore the world does not know us 34:46 because He did not know Him. 34:47 When we change the world loses, 34:49 gauging He doesn't know who we have become." 34:52 But listen, this is the verse I love. 34:54 "Beloved, now we are children of God, 34:57 and it has not yet been revealed 34:58 what we shall be, 35:00 but we know 35:01 that when He is revealed we shall be like Him, 35:03 for we shall see Him as He is." 35:05 When you let the Lord mold your life, 35:08 your choices will be different. 35:09 You'll be amazed at who you have become, 35:12 because your life is now in the hand of a capable Lord. 35:16 Amen. 35:17 Thank you so much, Pastor John. 35:18 Wonderful principles for finding friends 35:21 and for keeping friends. 35:23 And I know I want to incorporate more of those 35:25 into my own life and heart. 35:27 On Wednesday, I have choosing a life partner, 35:31 and I love this topic, so I'm excited. 35:33 Thank you, Shelley for picking this one for me. 35:36 I like this one. 35:37 A sign from accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior, 35:41 the choice for who you marry. 35:43 Your spouse is the most important decision 35:47 you could ever make. 35:48 It has eternal consequences. 35:51 Now our choice for friends has eternal consequences too, 35:53 we're not negating that choice. 35:56 But I think in a special way, 35:57 the choice for a spouse has eternal consequences. 36:01 1 Corinthians 15:33, 36:03 "Do not be deceived, 36:05 'Evil company corrupts good habits.' " 36:08 So who else would you associate with more than your spouse, 36:12 so it can have a negative impact, 36:15 but also can have a positive impact. 36:18 Proverbs 27:17, "As iron sharpens iron, 36:23 so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend." 36:26 Now the Bible says friend, but you could even say spouse. 36:28 Greg and I've been married going on 17 years. 36:32 The best 17 years of my life, 36:34 but marriage has changed me, 36:37 and I know that it has. 36:38 I'm watching Greg. 36:41 He's my best friend 36:42 but watching his unconditional love for me, 36:47 there's nothing like that, 36:48 having that sense of peace and security. 36:51 Marriage can be heaven on earth. 36:53 I know that, but it can also be painful. 36:56 It can also be difficult. 36:59 Think about Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. 37:02 We say, how do we know who to marry? 37:06 What are the principles we should look for 37:07 in finding a godly spouse? 37:09 Adam and Eve didn't have a lot of choices, 37:11 it was only two of them, right? 37:13 One man and one woman, 37:14 it wasn't so hard to find a godly spouse. 37:17 But today, it can seem much more difficult. 37:20 Who should I marry? 37:23 We're gonna talk about three keys 37:24 to finding a life partner. 37:27 And then we get to key number three 37:29 and there's five points springboard enough of that. 37:31 So first is the three keys, first is to pray. 37:34 Prayer brings our will into line with God's will. 37:39 Psalm 37:4 says, 37:40 "Delight yourself in the Lord 37:42 and He will give you the desires of your heart." 37:46 It brings my will and to align with 37:49 who God has for me 37:50 and what God has for my life. 37:53 Adventist Home, page 71, 37:55 "If men and women 37:56 are in the habit of praying twice a day 37:59 before they contemplate marriage, 38:02 they should pray four times a day 38:05 when such a step is anticipated. 38:08 Marriage is something 38:10 that will influence and affect your life, 38:12 both in this world and in the world to come." 38:15 So first we want to pray. 38:17 Second is you want to practice. 38:19 What I mean by that... 38:20 We're not talking about a pseudo marriage. 38:21 What I mean by that, 38:23 if you are looking for the right person to marry, 38:26 first you have to become the right person. 38:31 Matthew 7:12, 38:33 "Therefore whatever you want men to do to you, 38:36 do also to them for this is the law 38:39 and the prophets." 38:40 We're looking for certain character 38:42 and habits and all of that in other people. 38:44 Well, that means God calls us to develop within ourselves 38:48 those same character, that same character, 38:51 those same habits. 38:53 Now, I want to be careful here, 38:55 sometimes we try to explain the unexplainable 39:00 and we hurt people right here at this point. 39:03 We criticize or blame because I have heard it, 39:07 unmarried people, by saying, 39:10 "You haven't become the right person, 39:11 that's why God hasn't brought anybody into your life. 39:14 If you would just have more faith, 39:16 you would be married today. 39:17 If you would only bloom where you're planted 39:19 and serve God in your singleness, 39:22 then God would bring someone into your life." 39:26 It's damaging when we say that to other people. 39:30 I have friends, godly friends, 39:33 seeking God's face seeking the spouse 39:35 who are unmarried. 39:37 So we have to be careful with this whole concept 39:41 that we don't criticize, 39:43 or we don't jump on top of people 39:45 because some things we don't understand, 39:48 some things, 39:49 maybe when we get to heaven will know. 39:51 I don't even begin to comprehend that. 39:53 The third key is principles. 39:55 Now these are principles to look for 39:57 in a potential partner. 39:58 Okay. 40:00 And these are conversion, character, chemistry, 40:03 compatibility, and conflict resolution. 40:06 So let's look at those principles 40:08 when looking for a potential partner. 40:10 First is conversion. 40:13 Now we often say, 40:14 we're Seventh-day Adventist Christians. 40:16 We quote Amos 3:3, 40:18 "Can two walk together unless they are agreed?" 40:21 So we say Pastor Kenny, you need to look for a spouse 40:24 within the Seventh-day Adventist Church, 40:26 within your denominational affiliation. 40:29 But I also want to say, 40:31 you have to look for spouse that's converted. 40:32 Amen. 40:34 There could be men and women in the church 40:36 and we know this happens, 40:38 who don't know Jesus, are not Christians. 40:42 They claim the name of a certain denomination 40:46 of Seventh-day Adventist, 40:47 but you could marry them and be just as unequally yoked, 40:51 as if they did not share your same faith. 40:54 So it's important to look for someone 40:56 with spiritual unity, 40:57 someone who is converted. 41:00 Number two, look at their character. 41:02 Who is the person inside? 41:05 Now I just jotted down 41:06 qualities that are important to me. 41:09 Are they honest? 41:10 Do they possess integrity? 41:13 Are they truthful? 41:14 Are they unselfish, 41:17 compassionate, kind? 41:20 Are they loving toward God and other people? 41:22 Are they generous? 41:24 Do they possess joy? 41:26 Are they peaceful, and patient, and humble, and teachable? 41:29 And now these are character qualities 41:31 that are important to me. 41:33 But I think in any marriage, 41:35 those qualities would be important. 41:38 So look to make sure the person 41:40 that you're looking at are they converted, 41:42 look at their character traits. 41:44 Third is chemistry. 41:45 Now, this is vitally important because sometimes people say, 41:50 "Oh, this person's really converted. 41:52 This is a good spiritual, godly person." 41:55 And they have great character. 41:57 You ought to marry them. 41:58 Well, chemistry is an important piece 42:02 to this entire puzzle. 42:04 Some Christian beliefs 42:08 because I used to be taught this, 42:10 say that you can grow in chemistry 42:13 as long as you have 42:14 the biblical principles in place, 42:16 chemistry is gonna grow, 42:18 but you know what? 42:19 James 1:17, says, 42:21 "Every good gift 42:22 and every perfect gift is from above." 42:25 So why would God bring someone into your life, Pastor John, 42:29 who you can't get along with 42:30 or who you're not even attracted to. 42:32 I remember when Greg and I, we met over 20 years ago, 42:37 that makes me feel little old in college. 42:39 And I remember, I was really attracted to him, 42:45 not only did I like the character qualities, 42:47 but I just liked him. 42:49 And I remember thinking, 42:51 "Surely the one I naturally like 42:53 can't be the one God has for me." 42:55 But how could that be more wrong, 42:58 because every good gift 42:59 and every perfect gift is from above. 43:00 There you go. 43:02 So we look for the conversion, and the character, 43:03 and chemistry, then we look for compatibility. 43:05 Now, this is not spiritual things. 43:08 This is just similar interests. 43:10 Do you both like hiking, and biking, 43:12 and camping, and skiing? 43:14 Okay, well, those are similar interests, 43:16 you can do things together. 43:18 Maybe you like quiet bookstores, 43:20 and walks by the beach, and candlelight dinners. 43:23 Those are similar interests. 43:25 Maybe you like to travel, or to garden, or to cook. 43:28 You don't have to have all interests in common, 43:31 but you need some, that's important 43:34 that you have similar interest things 43:36 to do together. 43:38 Greg, if you were here, 43:40 he would tell you he always kept a list for who, 43:43 what he wanted in a future spouse, 43:45 and this would be some of these similar interests, 43:47 some of this compatibility. 43:48 And he said, he never wrote the list down 43:51 because he's afraid someone would find it. 43:52 And then they'd say now, who are you looking for? 43:55 So said, he kept the list in his head. 43:58 Compatibility. 43:59 Finally is conflict resolution. Very good. 44:03 In marriage conflicts are gonna rise. 44:05 That's right. 44:06 Conflicts over money, conflicts over sex, 44:08 or kids or career 44:09 or when you go through a stressful or traumatic time, 44:14 conflicts are gonna arise. 44:16 How do you handle those conflicts? 44:19 And how does the person that you're looking at 44:22 as a potential spouse, 44:23 how do they handle conflicts? 44:25 I can tell you, Greg 44:27 and I handle conflict very differently. 44:30 But almost 17 years, Pastor Kenny, 44:33 we've each adjusted how we handle conflict, 44:38 and now we actually handle conflict fairly similarly. 44:40 Why because we grew from each other, 44:42 we learned, these are areas that you can grow in. 44:46 So principles to look for is conversion and character, 44:51 chemistry, compatibility, conflict resolution, 44:53 that is not an all inclusive list, 44:55 there's more things as well. 44:57 But the most important thing 44:58 is to pray and to seek God's face, 45:02 and He will show you 45:03 and He will bring you to the right person. 45:06 Pastor. Amen. Praise the Lord. 45:08 What a platform you set up here, 45:10 so we come to the point Thursday's lesson 45:13 is choosing a course. 45:15 So they're all pretty similar. 45:16 But you know, there comes a point in time, 45:18 we have to make a choice. 45:19 We look at all the principles, and we line them all up, 45:21 and so on, so forth. 45:23 But there comes a time, 45:24 we have to choose and someone said, 45:25 pull the trigger. 45:27 So there's times we have to make that... 45:28 I'm gonna start with a question. 45:31 And let's take it right from there. 45:32 So how many people, notice this, 45:34 at the end of their lives 45:37 would wish that they spent more time at work, 45:40 more time at the office 45:42 than they did and less time with the family? 45:45 Nobody. 45:46 Probably all of us would probably say, 45:48 "Well, no, we wouldn't." 45:49 But many people are making that choice today. 45:51 Oh, it's so true. 45:52 Because we're trying to gain the world. 45:54 Maybe we might lose our own soul, 45:55 maybe lose our own family, but there comes a time that 45:57 we need to make a decision on that. 45:58 That's right. 46:00 So when choosing a course, there's a warning here, beware. 46:03 And then our lesson brings out, 1 Timothy 6:10. 46:07 That's very familiar, it says, 46:08 "For the love of money is the..." 46:10 Root. 46:11 1 Timothy 6:10, "Is root of all evil, 46:14 which while some coveted," 46:15 notice, "after, they have erred from the faith, 46:18 and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." 46:21 Well, that's kind of interesting here 46:23 and I'm not gonna try to re-punctuate the Bible, 46:25 Pastor, but I thought very interesting. 46:26 It says, "Which while some coveted it," 46:31 put it, comma there instead of after, 46:34 "they have erred from the faith." 46:36 If you're in the faith, 46:37 you probably wouldn't come to that point to covet 46:40 after all these other things. 46:41 Right. 46:43 You know, just think about while you're in the faith, 46:44 really money or the love of money 46:46 should not really be an issue, 46:47 if Christ is your object or my object, 46:50 money really wouldn't be the issue. 46:52 And so, you know, Paul implies this, 46:54 the love of money, material things in verses 9-10, 46:58 I thought was very interesting. 47:00 He implied, they're really not God's men or women. 47:04 If you have a love for the world 47:06 and things of the world and money, 47:08 you're really not man, not God's man or woman. 47:10 I thought how interesting that is. 47:13 For because Matthew 6:24 says, "No man can serve," what? 47:16 Two masters. "No man can serve two masters." 47:18 It seem like 47:19 we have a world full of people that try. 47:21 And maybe you've tried, maybe I've tried in times past, 47:24 but the Bible is always right. 47:26 Principles are always there. You can't serve two masters. 47:29 And then in Luke 12:34, says, "Where your treasure is, 47:34 there will your heart be also." 47:37 And I know from decisions that we make 47:39 are going down lives road, and we begin to make decisions 47:44 and some of the decisions that we have made, 47:47 we might regain. 47:49 We may have fallen by the wayside. 47:51 We may have made the wrong choice. 47:53 But you know, when we can come back to God 47:55 and when we come back to God, 47:57 you know, there's gonna be some bruises, 47:59 and some bumps and there's gonna be some scars 48:03 many time that remain just like, you know, 48:05 with our precious Lord and Savior, 48:07 these scars you'll have them for all eternity. 48:10 It makes me weak to think about 48:12 that what he carries with him for eternity 48:13 to remind us about sin. 48:15 And sometime we carry some things around with us 48:17 because we made bad choices maybe, 48:20 you know, long ago or maybe last week, 48:23 but we know we can recover, praise God from that. 48:27 I think of some don't. Wasn't it the rich young ruler? 48:31 What God's, you know, Jesus said to him. 48:33 Go sell what you had all, sell everything 48:36 and give to the poor and he turned away sorrowfully. 48:39 So sometime riches, you know, money, things of the world, 48:42 people make final decisions right there 48:44 need to be very careful. 48:46 Paul makes it a difference between, I like this, 48:48 between the love of money and the possession of riches. 48:52 You know, it's not wrong. It's not wrong to have money. 48:55 It's not wrong to be blessed of God 48:58 and have things of God. 49:01 For those he be trustworthy. 49:03 You know, I said many times on here I, 49:05 I prayed every day I think, 49:07 I'll say God help me to be trustworthy, 49:10 trustworthy in the little things, 49:11 trustworthy in a bit, whatever it might be 49:13 just to be trustworthy that you could trust me. 49:15 And, of course, God knows how to work on you 49:17 when you pray those kinds of prayers. 49:19 Interesting, this, the passage we read, 49:21 it says, the root, money is the what? 49:24 Root. Is the root of all evil. 49:26 Love of money. Huh? 49:28 Love of money. The love of it. Yeah. 49:29 So I think about, 49:31 I'm gonna use the word root here. 49:32 If you think about the interesting enough, 49:34 the roots are not seen in anything, 49:37 the roots are below the surface. 49:39 So sometimes we think because you have something, 49:41 you have money, we begin to judge and, 49:43 you know, whether not this or not that. 49:44 We don't see the roots down below. 49:46 And we're not to judge the motives of the heart 49:49 that only the, you know, what's below the surface. 49:52 So we need to be very careful. 49:53 There's danger in prosperity, there's no doubt about it. 49:56 But you know what? 49:57 I think the danger and prosperity 49:59 is of our own doing, 50:01 not being prosperous, but how we act with that. 50:05 My grandpa used to give us a shovel in the corn bin 50:07 and he say, "Now how you gonna act?" 50:10 In other words, how you're gonna shovel, 50:11 where you got to act right when you shovel? 50:13 There's pitfalls, there's sorrows that happen, 50:16 you know, in this life, but a lot of them 50:18 when it pertains to money material things 50:19 are self-induced. 50:21 That's true. 50:22 They're self induced, we bring them on our self, 50:24 it doesn't have to be that way. 50:26 But the choices that we make, we put other things before God, 50:29 we certainly don't want to do that. 50:31 Many spend their whole life... 50:33 And I think maybe good intention. 50:35 I've always loved to work. 50:37 I've always loved to work with my hands. 50:39 And I think in times past, 50:40 I spent too much time doing that, 50:42 and less time with my family, which we come back later on 50:46 and you know, and sometimes those are wrong choices 50:48 and wrong decisions. 50:49 But as always busy and always felt 50:51 this is the way it should be 50:52 and the man is judged by what he accomplishes, 50:55 you know, and the other stuff will take care of itself, 50:57 that's not true and maybe too late in life. 51:00 That many, some of you may be, 51:02 you know, you're watching or listening, 51:03 you may come to the point that you wake up one day, 51:05 mom and dad you wake up one day, 51:06 "I don't even know my children." 51:08 And the children may wake up some day and say, 51:10 "I don't even know mom and dad." Why? 51:12 Maybe we made wrong choices 51:14 because we went to the ways of the world 51:16 not just wanted so much, 51:17 we just figured that's the way it was, 51:19 we were making decisions along the way. 51:20 And I can guarantee you this, 51:23 there's no amount of money that can be put in the bank, 51:26 you know, that's gonna buy back our neglected time. 51:30 You can't get it back. 51:32 Once it's gone, you cannot get it back. 51:34 So at some point in life, 51:35 we just all have to make a decision, a choice of 51:38 what we're gonna do in life, 51:40 whether it's a job, whether it's a, 51:41 you know, kind of career, what we're gonna make a living, 51:44 which is where we're gonna work, 51:46 but whatever the choice. 51:47 And many times there's choices around the world 51:49 that's limited. 51:50 Say, I feel like in this country, 51:51 where we're not really limited. 51:53 There's a lot of things that we can do. 51:54 But in some country you're limited to 51:56 how far maybe you can go, 51:57 we're not talking about how God can bring us but just, 51:59 you know, they're limited with that. 52:00 But I just encourage you this, when you're making a choice, 52:04 you're going down life's road, 52:05 you're making decision of 52:06 who and what you're gonna be doing, 52:08 do not leave God out of the calculation. 52:12 Put Him in there. That's the very first thing. 52:14 I think, everybody's kind of brought that 52:15 out on their own, their principal here, 52:17 because it says whatever we do, was it 1 Corinthians, 52:20 whatever we do, 10:31, 52:23 "Whatever we do, do to the," what? 52:25 Glory of God. "Do all to the glory of God." 52:27 See, I like that. 52:28 Whatever we do, whatever we choose to do, 52:30 whatever occupation, wherever you go in life, 52:32 if we do all to the glory of God, 52:34 you know what? 52:35 It's gonna be good, because we're doing it 52:37 for His honor and for His glory. 52:39 Work is good. 52:40 Nothing wrong with that, that was given to us 52:42 in the very beginning, in the garden, 52:43 when we go back to the Genesis 2:15. 52:45 But I encourage you this, work is good, 52:48 but balance it, learn to balance. 52:50 I don't know that I've learned to balance it yet. 52:52 I want to balance it. 52:53 I wanna do the right, I'm just being honest, 52:55 I'm just laying it out. 52:56 And I say church, pray for me. 52:58 Because sometimes it's just there things there 52:59 and you're just doing one thing right after the other, 53:02 and we need to be balanced with it. 53:04 Don't make your work or whatever might be, 53:06 and we're talking about not in ministry and so on, 53:08 but don't make that the center of your life 53:10 and your joy, make your family, bring them in there. 53:12 Make them, you know, it's important 53:13 and certainly the cause of Christ. 53:16 And you know, I keep thinking about, 53:18 this is one way we can stay on track. 53:20 That the end of all, you know, it was Solomon, 53:22 remember, he looked over everything, 53:24 we don't have time to go through it. 53:25 But just quickly run a couple of things, Solomon, 53:27 as he tried everything. 53:29 Ecclesiastes 2:1-11, there's a lot of things, 53:31 there's 11 things that he mentioned there. 53:33 And I'm gonna mention quickly as I can, first of all, 53:35 he just starts off, it's vanity. 53:37 He talked about laughter, 53:38 we're talking about foolish gesture here. 53:40 Merry heart doeth good like a medicine. 53:42 Praise God. I like to chuckle some time. 53:44 I love to laugh. It does good for the heart. 53:46 But he's talking about foolishness here. 53:47 And he said, "It's all mad and all mirth." 53:50 He also, he tried wine. 53:52 And he said, "Along with my wisdom, 53:53 and it's folly, great works..." 53:56 He had great works. He had houses. 53:57 He had vineyards. He made pools of water. 54:00 He had servants. He had maidens. 54:02 He had great possessions. 54:03 Do you notice all that, all these things he had? 54:05 He had silver and gold 54:07 and singers there in verse, was 8 54:09 and musical instruments, verse 9. 54:11 "So I was great." 54:13 He even come, I was great, he said, my wisdom remain. 54:16 Whatever I saw, he said, I what? 54:18 I enjoyed it. I enjoyed. 54:21 This was the portion, he said of what? 54:24 Of my labor. 54:25 But when he backed up, he looked at all these things. 54:27 Verse 11, he said, "I looked at the works of my hands, 54:30 had brought on my labor," 54:31 he said, "Behold all is vanity and vexation of spirit." 54:36 Without Jesus, without Him being you control, 54:37 your heart, and your life, 54:38 without putting Him first in your home, 54:41 first in the world, everything, just put Him right, 54:42 the center of your joy is Jesus. 54:44 Everything at the bottom line, when the bottom falls out, 54:47 your time runs out in this life, 54:48 you wake up you were 30 one day, 54:50 it seemed like the next day you were 65, 54:52 I'm telling you right now, you don't leave Jesus out, 54:54 and make Him the center of your joy. 54:56 He shattered nerves, quickly, I'm gonna read this right here, 54:58 Review and Herald said, 55:00 "He shattered nerves and wasted frame 55:02 show the results of violating nature's law. 55:05 He confessed to a wasted life and then successful chase 55:08 after happiness is mournful," 55:11 notice this, "is mournful will was all is vanity 55:14 and vexation of the spirit." 55:16 Amen. 55:17 And then thank you for that, you know, as you were talking, 55:19 I was thinking, I sometimes thank God that 55:23 He didn't trust me with riches 55:25 because it would be easy to get prissy. 55:29 I mean, you see it happened to too many people. 55:32 So what is this lesson saying this week? 55:35 It's the choices we make. 55:37 I believe that number one important choice 55:40 that we can make in our life 55:41 is to accept Christ as our Savior. 55:44 But beyond that, 55:45 there's no eeny, meeny, miny, moe. 55:48 We need to pray and go by biblical principles. 55:51 Why don't each one of you just give us a little wrap? 55:53 And I just wanna really quickly 55:55 talk about on my lesson entitled 55:56 making the right choices. 55:58 There was an aspect, I didn't get to go through 56:00 And that is that Proverbs 24:6, reminds us 56:03 that there is safety in a multitude of counselors. 56:06 Amen. 56:07 You know, God has placed spirit filled people in our life 56:10 that when we can't trust ourselves, 56:12 and sometimes 56:13 we don't have the faith to go straight to God, 56:14 you know, He has placed people in our life. 56:16 And I praise the Lord for this panel 56:18 because I can trust these wonderful people 56:20 and the people that God has put in my life. 56:22 Praise God. Amen. 56:24 Well, above choosing what to do, 56:28 we are told to choose who to serve. 56:31 When we choose who to serve, He chooses what to do. 56:34 Choose you this day 56:35 whom you will serve as the council. 56:37 And then He your Savior will choose what to do. 56:40 He'll do it through you. 56:42 Piggybacking up for what you said, 56:43 Pastor, choose you this day whom you will serve. 56:45 But as for me, and my house, we will serve the Lord. 56:49 So whether you're married or single, 56:51 with a family or whatever state you're in, 56:54 choose today to serve Him. 56:56 Decisions that we made, gonna be making, 56:58 make sure we keep Christ in mind, 57:00 if we realize how they impact our own life, 57:04 and our family's life and our future life, 57:06 it'd be a lot different than we made in the past. 57:08 Amen and amen. 57:10 Well, thank you so much each and every one of you 57:12 for the study you put into this, 57:13 and we hope that you have really learned something 57:16 that you can take home. 57:18 Take it to the bank, if you will. 57:20 Grace writes the check, faith takes it to the bank. 57:24 So join us next week, 57:26 we will be looking at a lesson called Preparing for Changes. 57:31 Our prayer for you is the grace of our Lord 57:33 and Savior Jesus Christ, the love of the Father, 57:35 and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit 57:37 will be with you always. |
Revised 2024-08-26