Participants:
Series Code: SSP
Program Code: SSP190020A
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00:01 The Bible tells us, "In the beginning was the Word,
00:04 and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." 00:08 It says to, "Receive with meekness 00:10 the implanted Word, 00:12 which is able to save your souls 00:14 and to be diligent to present yourself approved to God, 00:18 rightly dividing the Word of truth." 00:21 Join us now for the 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 00:25 Our study today is Family Seasons. 00:33 Hello, and welcome to 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 00:36 I'm Jill Morikone, and we're so excited 00:38 that you have taken time to join us 00:40 in our journey through the Word of God. 00:43 This quarter, Sabbath School quarterly 00:45 is on Family Seasons 00:47 and it's been an incredible study, 00:48 hasn't it on the family? 00:50 Last week we looked at the beautiful intimacy 00:53 between husband and wife and the marriage relationship. 00:56 And this week we talk about family unity. 01:00 Want to encourage you, 01:01 you can get your own copy of the quarterly 01:03 by going to ABSG.Adventist.org, that stands for 01:09 AdultBibleStudyGuide .Adventist.org. 01:13 We always encourage you 01:14 to visit your local Seventh-day Adventist church. 01:17 They would give you a copy of a quarterly 01:19 and they would invite you to fellowship 01:22 and study with them. 01:23 I want to introduce our panel at this time, 01:25 to my left is my friend Pastor Ryan Day. 01:28 Amen. It's good to be here. 01:29 Pastor Kenny Shelton. Good to be here. 01:32 Another friend and preacher of the Word. 01:34 My sister Shelley Quinn. 01:36 Love you. Love you too, Sis. 01:38 And my pastor, Pastor John Lomacang. 01:41 It's always a joy. Amen. 01:42 It's a privilege to share with each one of you. 01:44 Before we go any further, 01:45 we want to go to the Lord in prayer. 01:47 Pastor John, would you pray for us? 01:48 Sure. 01:50 Loving Father in heaven, 01:51 thank You for this wonderful opportunity 01:52 as Your Word open our hearts and minds. 01:55 Through your Holy Spirit speak to us, 01:58 not only inform us, but transform us we ask. 02:01 On this lesson about relationships 02:03 we do pray that we could seek to increase our strength 02:07 between one another by the power and presence 02:09 of the Holy Spirit, we ask in Jesus' name. 02:12 Amen. Amen. 02:14 Thank you so much, Pastor John. 02:16 We're talking about keys to family unity. 02:18 You know, if you read the entire Bible, 02:20 there's only four chapters 02:22 that are written where there's no sin, 02:24 that would be Genesis 1 and 2. 02:26 Because sin was introduced in Genesis Chapter 3, 02:29 that would be Revelation 21 and 22. 02:32 When we get all the way to the end of the book, 02:34 and we see where sin is finally eradicated. 02:38 Scripture shows the consequences of sin 02:40 on family unity, on family togetherness. 02:44 It's replete with examples 02:46 of what happens as a result of sin to the family unit. 02:50 You think about Adam and Eve and the first sin initially 02:54 when they partook of that fruit, what happened? 02:56 He blamed her, she blamed the serpent. 02:58 There was initially, Ryan, 03:00 that sense of disunity in the family 03:03 as a result of sin. 03:05 Now the first two kids they had Cain and Abel, 03:07 they killed each other. 03:08 One killed the other I should say. 03:10 So that is definitely not family unity. 03:13 Abraham was chosen by God 03:16 to be a special peculiar people to himself, 03:18 the father of a nation. 03:21 And yet he was engaged with Hagar, 03:25 not engaged to Hagar 03:26 but he became involved with Hagar 03:29 and he had to send her and his son away, 03:33 that's family disunity. 03:35 Think about Jacob, he married several wives. 03:38 And then 10 of the brothers decided 03:40 they didn't like their little brother 03:41 and they cast him in a pit and sold him as a slave, 03:44 that's family disunity. 03:46 You think about David, his son raped his sister. 03:51 Okay, that's family disunity. 03:54 The biblical narrative is full of stories 03:57 of lust and adultery, power and control, 04:00 hatred, strife, division, and murder 04:03 and it's all a result of sin. 04:07 God's idea is that we would have unity 04:09 in the family 04:11 and unity in the body of Christ. 04:14 Psalm 133:1, David says, 04:16 "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is 04:18 for brothers and sisters to dwell together in unity!" 04:23 Our memory text, John 17, 04:25 which is Jesus prayer there in the garden, 04:29 John 17:21, "That they all may be one," 04:32 His prayer is for us to have unity. 04:35 "As You, Father, are in me, and I in You, 04:38 that they also may be one in us, 04:39 that the world may believe that You sent Me." 04:43 So this week we talked about unity. 04:44 Sunday specifically, Christ as the center of any unity, 04:49 then we'll talk about love, 04:51 we'll talk about selfishness, and submission, and commitment 04:54 and all of those things as they relate to unity. 04:57 But let's look at Christ as the center. 05:01 Turn with me to Ephesians Chapter 2, 05:02 we'll look at how does Christ unite us? 05:05 Now Ephesians Chapter 2, the first 10 verses 05:08 probably is one of my favorite passages in the Word of God, 05:12 wonderful treatise on justification 05:14 by faith and salvation by grace through faith. 05:18 Ephesians 2 really has two parallel passages. 05:20 Verses 1-10 talks about our condition as individuals, 05:24 whether we're Jews or Gentiles. 05:27 I call it the vertical reconciliation 05:29 between us and the Father, right? 05:31 By grace we had been saved through faith. 05:34 Ephesians 2:11-22, 05:36 which is the passage we're gonna look 05:37 at today in Sunday's lesson, 05:39 is about our standing as Gentiles and Jews, corporately. 05:44 This is the horizontal relationship 05:46 and how Christ unites us, 05:49 breaks down the middle wall of partition, 05:51 and unites us as brothers and sisters. 05:54 So we first have to be reunited to Him, 05:57 then we can be united to our brothers and sisters, 06:01 so let's pick it up for an Ephesians 2:11. 06:05 If you divide this section up, there's kind of three sections 06:08 we're looking at what we were in the past, 06:10 then what Christ has accomplished in our lives 06:13 as a result of what He did, 06:15 and then the goal or result of this work. 06:17 So what we are in the past is verses 11-13, 06:21 "Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh, 06:25 who are called Uncircumcision 06:27 by what is called the Circumcision 06:29 made in the flesh by hands, 06:31 that at that time you were without Christ," 06:35 that was all of us at one point, 06:37 "being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel 06:40 and strangers from the covenants of promise, 06:42 having no hope and without God in the world. 06:44 But now in Christ Jesus 06:47 you who once were far off 06:50 have been brought near by the blood of Christ." 06:53 Now the word for far-off in Greek 06:55 is the same word in Luke 15 06:56 when the prodigal was a long ways. 06:59 Remember, it says when he was still far off, 07:01 when he was a long ways, 07:02 the same word, when we were far off from God, 07:05 when we were lost in transgression and sin 07:07 a long ways from him. 07:09 We were brought near, how? 07:11 By the blood of Christ. 07:13 That's right. 07:15 The blood of Christ cleanses us, 07:16 the blood of Christ offers a salvation 07:18 but also it reconciles us to the Father, 07:21 that's vertically and to each other, 07:23 that's horizontally. 07:25 Now let's look at what Christ has accomplished, verses 14-18. 07:30 "For He Himself, Jesus Christ is our peace, 07:35 who has made both one, 07:37 and has broken down the middle wall of separation, 07:40 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, 07:42 that is the law of commandments contained in ordinances, 07:46 so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, 07:49 thus making peace, 07:51 and that He might reconcile them 07:52 both to God in one body through the cross, 07:55 thereby putting to death the enmity. 07:58 And He came and preached peace to you 08:00 who were afar off and to those who were near. 08:03 For through Him we both have access 08:06 by one Spirit to the Father." 08:09 Now first of all, 08:10 Paul is not saying that that law, 08:12 the Ten Commandment law was abolished or done away 08:14 with, that is not the point at all of this passage. 08:17 He's talking about some of those 08:19 Old Testament ordinances 08:20 and one of those Old Testament ordinances 08:22 had to do with the separation of the Jews and the Gentiles. 08:25 You think about in the temple, 08:27 they had several courts as it were, right? 08:29 They had the Court of the Gentiles 08:31 then the next level in, the Court of the Women, 08:34 next level, the Court of the Israelites, 08:36 next level Court of the Priests 08:38 and then you get all the way into the Holy place itself. 08:41 Remember in Acts, I think it's 21. 08:43 Paul was accused of bringing a Gentile into the temple 08:47 and that's how he got arrested in the first place. 08:49 Now he was falsely accused, he never did that. 08:52 But he was accused of that. 08:54 They had a sign posted in Greek and in Latin, 08:57 whoever is caught entering the inner court 09:00 will have himself to blame for his ensuing death. 09:04 In other words, you better know 09:06 that if you cross this boundary, 09:08 that you have yourself to blame, 09:09 you're gonna be put to death. 09:11 When Jesus came, He broke down and tore down 09:15 that middle wall of separation between Jew and Gentile. 09:20 But also today, I think, 09:24 what middle wall do you have in your life? 09:26 You know this middle wall of partition, 09:28 maybe it's pride or arrogance, 09:30 that middle wall 09:31 that's in the midst of your family. 09:34 Maybe it's prejudice or a sense of superiority, 09:37 maybe it's hatred and strife for envy and jealousy 09:41 or resentment and bitterness. 09:42 These are all middle walls of partition 09:45 that disrupt the family unity 09:49 and Christ came to be the center of our homes 09:52 and the center of our hearts, 09:54 and to break that down 09:56 and then we see the result of this, verses 19-22, 10:00 "You are no longer strangers and foreigners, 10:03 but fellow citizens with the saints 10:05 and members of the household of God." 10:06 God has united us as brothers and sisters. 10:12 Five takeaways in my remaining time. 10:16 And when we talk about family unity, 10:17 and we talk about making Christ the center of our hearts 10:21 and the center of our home. 10:23 First, allow Christ to break down the barriers, 10:26 the walls in your home, 10:28 whether it's in your home, 10:30 whether it's in your church, 10:32 whether it's in your community, 10:34 allow him to be that middle wall 10:36 and to take that down 10:38 and to break that partition down as it were. 10:41 Number two, don't dwell in the physical 10:44 or in the emotional, 10:46 but we're called to dwell in the spiritual. 10:49 Colossians 3:2 says, set your mind, where? 10:53 On things above. 10:54 On things above, not on things of the earth. 10:59 So many times in our family relationships 11:02 we set our mind in the physical, 11:04 we set our mind on the things that bug us, 11:07 or that irritate us, 11:08 or that we want to do differently, or whatever. 11:12 Instead of setting our mind on things above, 11:14 we set them on the Lord Jesus Christ 11:17 that makes a difference in the family unity. 11:20 Take away number three, 11:22 consent to let Christ put to death your old man 11:27 or your old woman, 11:28 and the old way of doing things. 11:31 This is also in Colossians 3:5-8, 11:33 remember Paul talks about putting off 11:36 those works of the flesh 11:37 that would be fornication and uncleanness, 11:40 and passion and evil desire and covetousness. 11:44 That would be anger and wrath and malice, 11:47 and blasphemy and filthy language. 11:50 So can you imagine a home 11:51 where there's a great deal of anger? 11:54 Okay, well, that's the home. 11:56 Number one, Christ cannot be the center of 11:58 but that's the home of disunity. 12:00 Can you imagine a home where there's a lot of 12:02 filthy talk and filthy language 12:04 or there's a home where there's fornication 12:07 or stepping outside the bounds of marriage 12:10 and some sort of adulterous affair. 12:12 All of those are ways to break up the family unit. 12:16 But God calls us to put off the old man 12:20 with all of those old habits and carnal practices, 12:25 but we don't just empty the house 12:27 and sweep it clean and sit there. 12:29 And okay, I'm good, Pastor Ryan, what do we do? 12:32 We have to be filled with the spirit 12:35 and that's takeaway number four. 12:37 This is Colossians 3:12-15. 12:39 We won't read it all here, but we are called to put on. 12:42 He says not only to put off, but to put on tender mercies. 12:47 Imagine a home where there's mercy. 12:49 You know, you extend grace and mercy to other people. 12:52 We're to put on kindness, put on humility. 12:56 Whoo! 12:57 If you walk in humility 13:00 and being willing to forgive each other, 13:03 all issues and conflicts are resolved in a moment, 13:06 if you're willing to do that, 13:08 if both parties are willing to do that. 13:10 Put on humility, meekness, long suffering, 13:13 forbearance with other people, forgiveness, peace. 13:17 These are the qualities 13:18 that we can't conjure up ourselves. 13:21 They come as a result 13:23 of opening up our hearts to the Lord Jesus Christ, 13:26 setting our mind and affection on Him, 13:29 and letting Him work that in our hearts and lives. 13:32 And finally number five. 13:34 make that choice for Jesus every day. 13:36 I could say, I made a choice for Jesus years ago, 13:39 when I was baptized. 13:40 I'm good. 13:41 But no, every day. 13:43 Paul says, I die daily. 13:45 Every day we make the choice for Jesus 13:47 and many times throughout the day, 13:49 make the choice to have Jesus Christ 13:52 as the center of your home. 13:54 Pastor Ryan. 13:56 Wow! 13:57 Jill, that was fantastic and it was really flawless. 14:00 I probably appreciated that. 14:02 I guess Monday's lesson, let's move on to it 14:04 because this one is 14:07 a very, very sensitive topic, in my opinion, 14:09 because it deals with an issue and as topic 14:14 that is really being misused and abused today. 14:17 First of all, there's a lot of talk in Christianity 14:19 about unity these days. 14:21 What is true biblical unity? 14:24 And, of course, Monday's lesson is entitled, 14:26 "Becoming One Through His Love." 14:30 And so there I find more and more 14:31 as I'm listening to more ministers 14:33 and talk about this subject today. 14:35 There's this sense of ecumenism floating around 14:39 that let's all be one in love, 14:41 just push aside doctrine and all these things 14:44 and, you know, the truth is we do need to be. 14:46 I just want to clear the air, 14:47 we do need to become one 14:49 and it has to happen through love. 14:51 But there has to be a proper, healthy, mature, 14:54 biblical approach to unity through this love. 14:58 And so what I would like to do 14:59 is just, just kind of set all personal interpretation aside 15:02 and just allow the Bible to speak for itself as always, 15:05 you can never go wrong with that. 15:07 I want to start in 1 Thessalonians 3:12, 15:12 beautiful text. 15:13 In fact, in the lesson, there's really... 15:14 You'll notice in the lesson 15:16 there's not even any commentary prior to this. 15:18 The writer just jumps right into 1 Thessalonians 3:12. 15:22 Now in the lesson, it's in the NIV, 15:23 I think I'm reading mine from the New King James Version. 15:27 But it says this, 1 Thessalonians 3:12, 15:30 it says, "And may the Lord make you increase 15:33 and abound in love to one another and to all, 15:38 just as we do to you," 15:40 So Paul is basically writing to the church at Thessaloniki 15:42 and saying, look, you know, we need more love. 15:45 I hope that the God increases you in love as we have to you. 15:49 So he's saying we set that example, please continue 15:52 to increase and abound in love much, much more. 15:55 When I think of love, 15:57 when I think of just that the word love, 15:59 the concept of love, 16:00 there is one text that comes to my mind. 16:02 To me, it's the master, 16:03 it's the champion of all love scriptures 16:05 and it might actually surprise you. 16:07 Because most people when they think of love, 16:10 they think of the love chapter, 1 Corinthians Chapter 13, 16:13 which we will spend some time in 16:14 during this particular lesson. 16:16 But 1 John 4:8, in my opinion, 16:19 is the champion of all love verses, 16:22 and it's very short, very simple, but very profound. 16:25 Notice what the Bible says here. 16:27 "He who does not love does not know God," 16:33 and why is that? 16:35 "For God is love." 16:38 Okay, notice how it doesn't say that, He's just mere loving. 16:43 Okay, there's a difference between someone being loving 16:45 and, of course, this identification of God 16:48 being love. 16:49 God is not just loving, He is love. 16:54 Okay, that means that's who He is, 16:56 that's his identity that is his very character. 16:59 If you were too, there was another name for God, 17:02 the only proper name would be love. 17:04 And I believe this verse particularly brings it out. 17:07 And notice here the first part of this verse, 17:09 "He who does not love does not," what? 17:11 "Know God." 17:12 You don't know God. 17:14 And there's a lot of Christians today 17:15 that you know, Oh, I'm saved, 17:17 or I got saved back at this time. 17:18 But you know, the Bible says 17:20 that you will know them by their fruits 17:22 and there's many people they claim to know God, 17:24 but they don't have love. 17:25 And so at the end of the day, we have to come to know 17:28 that God love to have 17:29 that God love been manifest in our lives, 17:31 that we may be able to, 17:33 you know, be unified as a unit, as a group, 17:35 as a people in the Lord. 17:38 John 17:3, we mentioned our scripture. 17:41 I think our memory text is from John Chapter 17. 17:45 But perhaps maybe the most popular verse 17:47 in John Chapter 17 is verse 3 17:50 because it deals directly with salvation. 17:52 And I want you to notice the connection 17:53 between 1 John 4 and 8 and John Chapter 17:3, 17:57 and of course, we know it says, 17:58 "And this is eternal life, that they may..." 18:01 There it is. 18:03 "Know You, the only true God, 18:04 and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." 18:07 So it is essential for us to know God 18:09 because that is directly associated with our salvation 18:12 and our redemption. 18:14 So I want to know God, 18:15 but the only way that I can know God 18:18 is if I'm growing closer to Him, 18:19 if I'm being unified under His manifestation of love. 18:23 To know God is our goal 18:25 and it is eternal life, that's clear. 18:27 This love will mend and unite the coldest of hearts 18:31 only the true love of God. 18:32 And one must simply be willing, we have to be willing 18:35 to receive and humble ourselves as Jill mentioned, 18:38 humility is key in uniting the church, 18:41 uniting each one of us under the love of God. 18:44 I want to continue on in John 17:20-26. 18:48 Christ really expounds 18:49 on how this love is to be manifest 18:52 and what it's gonna look like. 18:54 Once we have accepted, 18:56 we've been willing to allow God to work in us 18:58 through the power of the Holy Spirit, 18:59 what will this look like? 19:01 What is the goal that Christ set? 19:03 He explains it right here in His prayer to the Father. 19:06 Verse 20 says, "I do not pray," 19:08 excuse me, "I do not pray for these alone, 19:12 but also for those 19:13 who will believe in Me through their word 19:16 that they all," notice, "may all be one, 19:19 as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You." 19:23 Does Christ want anyone left out? 19:25 No. 19:26 You know, God loves us all and that's the thing 19:28 you know, we are all the children of God. 19:30 And we're all in different paths. 19:32 We've all had different experience, 19:34 we're all coming from different backgrounds 19:36 but at the end of the day, Christ wants us all 19:38 to be a part of His church. 19:41 He goes on to say, 19:42 "That they also may be one" notice, "in us." 19:48 It says, 19:49 "That the world may believe that You sent Me. 19:52 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, 19:55 that they may be one just as we are one." 19:58 So notice the correlation here 20:00 Christ is praying to Him and saying look, Father, 20:02 we have a good thing, we have a great thing. 20:05 You and me, we're like this. 20:06 You know, we're like two peas in a pod, 20:08 you know, that's what I want for them. 20:11 I want My children, I want Our church, 20:12 I want My people to be one as we are one. 20:15 Because again, when we reflect that of the character of Jesus, 20:18 we are reflecting love. 20:20 When people look into us, when they see the church, 20:22 they should see God. 20:23 They should see God's love. 20:25 Verse 24, it says, "Father, I desire that they also 20:27 whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, 20:30 that," notice, "they may behold My glory 20:33 which You have given Me, for You loved Me," 20:36 notice the thing "You loved Me 20:37 before the foundation of the world 20:38 O righteous Father! 20:40 The world has not known You," 20:42 there it is again, notice how this correlation 20:44 between knowing God and love keeps popping back up, 20:47 "but I have known You, 20:48 and these have known that You sent Me. 20:52 And I have declared to them Your name, and I will declare," 20:55 notice here it is again, 20:56 "that the love which You loved Me 20:59 may be in them, and I in them." 21:01 This love draws and unites everyone. 21:05 That was Christ prayer, Lord, draw them together, 21:07 unite them into one as You and I are one, 21:10 but how does it happen? 21:12 Through love. 21:14 So love brings unity. 21:17 John 13:35, 21:19 "By this all will know that you are My disciples, 21:23 if you have love for one another." 21:26 Love is the outward sign. 21:28 It is the clear indicator that the most powerful witness 21:32 that we truly belong to Him. 21:35 Plain and simple, plain and simple. 21:38 The Fruit of the Spirit, 21:40 many people say the Fruit of the Spirit 21:41 and it's this long list of things, 21:42 but I want you to notice 21:44 that the very beginning of that list 21:45 the Fruit of the Spirit is love. 21:46 Everything else falls into that banner. 21:48 Everything else falls under the banner of love, 21:50 if only we just have love for one another. 21:52 And when the outward world sees us, 21:54 when the world sees that love in us, 21:56 they are seeing the love of God. 21:58 That is a good indicator, 21:59 a clear, powerful witness that we belong to God. 22:03 If we love one another, 22:04 Christ's love will be put on display for all to see. 22:07 Amen. 22:08 I just want to skip down here. 22:10 You know, let's talk practicality 22:11 in these last few seconds I have. 22:13 Ryan, I know it's love, I need the love of God 22:15 and I know that love 22:17 is what truly unites God's people, 22:19 and we want to be united under the banner of love. 22:21 But how can I make sure... 22:25 Is there something I can do 22:27 in response to the Lord's calling in my life 22:29 because the Bible clearly communicates 22:31 that the Holy Spirit, this is Romans 5:5, 22:33 as well as John 16:14, 22:36 the Holy Spirit is the one 22:39 who brings and it works through you 22:41 to make that love manifest in your life. 22:44 But I want you to just... 22:45 I want to use the example of John 3:14. 22:48 Notice what Christ says here, 22:49 speaking to Nicodemus, He says, 22:51 "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, 22:53 even so must the Son of man be lifted up." 22:56 Now why would I read that text in connection with this topic? 22:59 Because that is the practicality, 23:01 in the entire Chapter of John 3 23:04 where Mrs. White says, in no other part of the Bible 23:06 is salvation made more clear. 23:09 When you read that chapter, 23:11 the only time that Christ communicate something 23:13 that we can do to, I guess swiftly, 23:19 you know, increase the chances 23:20 of the process of the Holy Spirit 23:22 working in us and changing us. 23:24 The one thing that He says we can do, 23:26 He mentions it right here, 23:28 as Moses lifted a serpent in the wilderness, 23:29 even so must the Son of man be lifted up, 23:32 as we look to Christ, and we behold Christ. 23:38 Like looking into a mirror, as Paul writes, 23:41 glory to glory he mentions. 23:43 That glory of the Father, 23:44 the love of the Father will reflect in us. 23:47 By beholding we become changed. 23:49 And I just want to say here in closing, 23:51 Look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith. 23:54 Look at the uplifted Savior, as we are drawn to Him, 23:57 His love will be made manifest in us 23:59 and therefore the church, 24:01 and therefore we will be unified. 24:02 Glory to God. Amen. 24:04 Thank you so much, Ryan. 24:05 What an incredible job. 24:07 Praise God that He is love, 24:08 and He can pour His love into our hearts. 24:11 We're gonna take a break, we'll be right back. 24:13 Amen. 24:19 Ever wish you could watch 24:20 a 3ABN Sabbath School Panel again, 24:22 or share it on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter? 24:26 Well, you can by visiting 3abnsabbathschoolpanel.com. 24:31 A clean design makes it easy 24:33 to find the program you're looking for. 24:35 There are also links to the Adult Bible Study Guide 24:39 so you can follow along. 24:40 Sharing is easy. 24:42 Just click share and choose your favorite social media. 24:45 Share a link, save a life for eternity. 24:52 Welcome back to our study on unity 24:54 and we're gonna pick up with Tuesday's lesson. 24:56 Pastor Kenny, you have a lesson on selfishness. 24:59 Yes, that was kind of interesting 25:00 that I get selfishness, 25:01 you know, I love the, 25:03 you know, Christ the center. 25:05 And you know, I love when you're talking 25:07 about the love of Christ and what we need, 25:09 you know, what we can become through Him, love. 25:11 But also we have to face this thing called selfishness 25:14 'cause I really believe 25:16 that selfishness is at the root of every sin, is it not? 25:18 Yes. 25:19 Every sin, it begins at the very bottom, 25:20 the self for somehow 25:22 has insinuated itself up in the issue. 25:25 And I thought that'd be good 25:27 if we just kind of went back and look 25:29 at the importance of selfishness, 'cause selfishness 25:32 can and will destroy your family, 25:34 it will destroy your marriage, it destroys friendships, 25:37 it destroys the church, if we let it go. 25:40 And it is a sour, it's a disease 25:44 and it continues to get worse, if it's not, 25:47 you know, if it's not directly attack by the Word of God. 25:50 And I went back and I read in Jeremiah 8:10 25:53 because this here... 25:55 And we're gonna look over several things 25:57 that the selfishness, 25:58 and I'm gonna say selfishness destroys. 26:00 Now remember, selfishness does what? 26:02 Selfishness destroys. 26:03 Jeremiah 8:10 says, 26:05 "For everyone from the least even unto the greatest 26:08 is given," notice, " to covetousness, 26:11 from the prophet even to the priest 26:14 everyone dealeth falsely." 26:17 So this was talking about going back to the church 26:20 and even to the leadership that there was selfishness. 26:23 Now you will say we used a word covetousness in there, 26:25 but as we read on that that's selfishness too. 26:28 That's right. So we didn't realize that. 26:29 So selfishness destroy, 26:31 let's go quickly as we can through this. 26:32 Notice this, now if I asked the question, 26:35 I got excited here and I start asking the question 26:37 to raise your hand 26:38 and I'll tell you up front, it might be a trick question. 26:42 It might be a trick question, 26:43 but do you know 26:45 can Christ abide in the heart or in the soul, 26:48 you know, if selfishness is present? 26:54 No. 26:55 Okay, good. 26:57 It really wasn't that hard, but you think about it. 26:58 We were little hesitant. We might say as Christ... 27:01 Okay. Does Christ abide in your soul? 27:04 Or do you love Jesus with all your heart 27:05 what you've been telling here. 27:06 Every one of us, I think would raise our hand. 27:09 But the test would come and it came to me 27:12 as I looked at this, I said, 27:13 Christ cannot abide in the soul, 27:15 only way He can is when selfishness is dead. 27:18 And I'm not sure when I look at myself, 27:20 is selfishness is really dead. 27:22 What motivates me to do the things that I do? 27:24 What motivates you to do what you do? 27:26 Remember, Christ cannot abide in the soul 27:30 unless self is completely dead. 27:32 That's right. 27:33 So we need some self examination, 27:35 at least I do here. 27:37 And here's what Christ come back. 27:39 He knew that, He struck right at the root of selfishness. 27:43 And you know why? 27:44 Because He denied himself and He went to the cross, 27:46 and He died for me and He died for you. 27:48 What is selfishness? 27:50 I jotted down a few things 27:51 I thought were very interesting. 27:52 Selfishness number one is an abomination 27:55 in the sight of God. 27:57 We like to label things. 27:58 This is bad. This is worse. 28:00 Oh, I'd never do that. 28:02 But think, we almost like eliminate selfishness, 28:05 it's like, it's not such a big deal. 28:07 But it's an abomination in the sight of God. 28:09 Like many other things we've been in our lesson panel, 28:11 they are abomination to God, 28:13 we need to look at that very closely. 28:15 Selfishness is covetousness, selfishness is idolatry. 28:21 We're gonna break all the commandments here 28:23 if we keep right on going here, 28:24 and we'll find that really we do 28:26 because self gain is at the very bottom. 28:30 What does it do? 28:31 It blinds us and it deceives us. 28:34 That's what selfishness does. 28:35 And that's what it does in the family sometime 28:37 in the family circle, in the church. 28:39 It brings discord. 28:41 Wherever you are at, whatever you're doing, 28:44 you'll find if there are selfish individuals around, 28:47 we all have a little of that in, 28:48 God help us and when I make that statement, 28:50 I'm saying does God can really abide in my heart 28:52 when it's there. 28:54 So I'm gonna be praying day 28:55 that all goes and I hope that you're praying that too. 28:58 It blinds us and deceives us. 29:00 It brings discord that we talked about. 29:02 It's a spiritual corroding power. 29:06 You know, on the batteries what you get, 29:08 you know, they were going good 29:09 but every once in a while they start to do what? 29:11 Corrode. Corrode. 29:12 You don't see it at first. 29:14 Sometime we can hide some selfishness 29:15 but every once in a while when we hit a point 29:17 oh, you can see some selfishness is popped out. 29:20 With the battery cable you have to get in there 29:22 and you have to take a wire brush. 29:24 It's not easy. 29:25 You know, if you approached it a little sooner 29:27 and got you a little ratchet 29:29 and undone one little nut on there 29:30 and take the little sandpaper... 29:32 It's taking care of, 29:33 you don't have to worry about it. 29:34 But when it's corroded, 29:36 you take the wire brush, at least that's what I do 29:38 wire brush and, boy, you really clean that baby 29:40 but, you know, it leaves some scars. 29:43 Those battery post on there, 29:45 you know, like a lead, they're very tender and soft. 29:49 And when you hit them with that wire brush, 29:50 it leaves some... 29:52 That's a spiritual thinking here I think. 29:54 It corrupts the heart. 29:55 It's deadly evil. 29:57 Selfishness is, the influence of it is very evil. 30:02 Interesting here I read, 30:03 I think it was in Life Sketches, 30:05 it said, "Every other sin 30:07 comes under the general heading of selfishness." 30:11 It's in the church, it's in the family 30:13 and notice this, we're talking about the family, 30:15 selfishness is developed in our children. 30:19 And the most dominant 30:21 is the first three years of their life. 30:23 Mom and dad parenting, we have to catch that, 30:26 that's our obligation is to catch the selfishness 30:29 in our own children. 30:30 And lot of time mom and dad don't want to be fair, 30:32 all they see is a little angel laying there. 30:34 You know, we need to open our eyes a little bit 30:36 and we should see it with love. 30:38 So yeah, we need to be able to see if there's false. 30:40 We need to see if there's problems there. 30:42 I've seen that happen over, and over, and over, 30:44 where you put two babies in the little, you know, cradle 30:47 put them in a bassinet, 30:48 what are you put them in, put them into bed. 30:50 And they're not a year old, but there's 20 toys in there. 30:53 They'll fight over the same one. 30:55 They don't know that they're really doing that, 30:57 I don't think but it's just something inherit, 30:59 we have a sinful nature. 31:01 We've had that sinful nature, 31:02 and we prone to be very, very selfish. 31:06 And I'm gonna say this because our time is gonna go by 31:07 for, you know, just go but, how can we really shun it? 31:11 You know, how can we really gain the victory? 31:12 And then we'll continue on what time we have but... 31:14 I thought this 2 Testimonies 132, very simple answer. 31:18 I like simple answers. 31:19 I'm a simple person. 31:21 It says, "Through God's strength." 31:22 I can't do it on my own. 31:24 I'm a selfish guy. 31:26 I can't do it on my own, 31:27 but I can do it through the strength of Christ. 31:29 We can live, notice this, how do we conquer? 31:31 I can live to do good for others. 31:34 I can learn to share, I can learn to give, 31:36 I can learn to go out and give Bible studies, 31:38 you know, I can learn to do good for others. 31:41 In that way we shun the evil of selfishness. 31:45 I mean, that's pretty heavy duty 31:46 and we're talking about here 31:47 in our lesson it brought out in Early Writings page 119. 31:50 It brought this out, I thought was very interesting, 31:53 just a couple of lines. 31:54 "If pride and selfishness," 31:57 that's another dirty word pride. 31:59 We have to careful with that. Same thing. 32:01 Yeah, "pride and selfishness were laid aside, 32:04 five minutes would remove most difficulties." 32:06 Yeah. 32:08 And that's very difficult so just pride and self, 32:09 just lay it aside 32:11 and then all these difficulties will disappear. 32:12 You know, again, I mentioned our first problem that we have 32:15 when we deal with this issue of, 32:17 in the family it destroys family 32:20 and we kind of had the tendency to do it, 32:22 you know, I grew up in a family, 32:23 there's a lot of woo! 32:24 There's a lot of competition. 32:26 You know, and the younger brother beat you in something, 32:28 you got just a little bit selfish. 32:30 Not in your family. 32:31 No, it's pretty heavy duty. 32:33 You know, pastor, you know it. 32:35 But especially, if the one was younger than you 32:39 and can kind of beat you in something. 32:41 You have to be very careful 32:42 that because pride begins to come in, 32:44 selfishness will begin to come in 32:46 and somehow you're gonna figure out 32:47 how you're gonna gain the upper hand on that. 32:49 So problem we're born in sinful fallen nature. 32:53 That's a debate many people have. 32:55 There's no doubt about it. That's right. 32:56 We're born into this world in the sinful, fallen nature, 32:59 we're subject to it. 33:01 And the change has to come. 33:04 Like you've been talking about, a change has to come 33:06 because I'm born this way, this is the way that I am. 33:08 But by the grace of God, we invite Him in. 33:10 So everybody has to make a decision, 33:11 if you never made a decision for Christ, 33:13 you need to do that right now. 33:15 It's our only hope what we have in here, 33:17 and we become a nation and we have a family sometime. 33:21 I, me, mine, what about me? 33:23 What am I gonna do? 33:25 I said that, my son said that to me one time 33:27 because he didn't get to go to a place 33:29 where he wanted to go, everybody was going. 33:32 And then I said, "No, you can't go." 33:33 He said, "Why?" 33:35 I said, "Because everybody's going." 33:36 Somebody didn't get that. 33:38 Yeah, I got it. Because everybody's going. 33:39 He said, "Yeah, but dad." 33:41 Tear coming down. 33:42 What about me? 33:44 What am I gonna do? 33:47 I said, "What you're gonna do, you're not gonna go." 33:48 That's what... 33:51 Family, they're there to protect. 33:53 They realize there's things that are out there 33:55 and we should be able to try to protect our children. 33:57 And then we'll notice this in a minute or so we have. 34:00 We say many, many children think about, 34:02 many children have inherited selfishness 34:05 from their parents. 34:07 Signs of the Times 813, 1896. 34:10 We look at the children, we blame the children, 34:11 but what happened? 34:13 They've seen it in their own moms and dad. 34:15 We need to gain the victory ourselves over that. 34:18 How we talk to them, how we handle this situation. 34:20 Show them what it's like to be unselfish. 34:23 And I think about that myself, 34:25 that's the root, is have to come out 34:28 that rudeness of selfishness 34:29 has to, you take the axe to it 34:31 and you've got to cut, you've got to shape, 34:32 you've got to mold, you've got to get it out there. 34:34 And we have to be aware 34:36 of that association with other children, 34:37 how they watch other children react, 34:39 how we react in the home, how we react with one another. 34:43 The children catch every little thing. 34:45 Oh, absolutely. 34:46 And I say with me, why do they act like this? 34:49 And sometimes they look and say, 34:51 well, 'cause mom and dad. 34:52 They have inherited that. 34:54 So we need to be very careful with that. 34:55 But, you know, one of the most unselfish things in the world 34:58 we can learn from this is simply look to Jesus, 35:01 look to the cross of Calvary. 35:03 Amen and amen. 35:04 Boy, you have set me up perfectly. 35:06 My lesson for is on submission. 35:11 And I would submit to you that, 35:14 you know, it is God who works in us to will 35:17 and to do His good pleasure. 35:18 We know that. 35:20 And Philippians 4:13 says, 35:22 "We can do all things through Him 35:25 who strengthens us." 35:26 So submission is the way to overcome selfishness. 35:33 Let's look at this. 35:34 Philippians 2:5-8. 35:38 Philippians 2:5-8. 35:41 Paul counsels us and he says, 35:43 "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 35:49 who being in the form of God, 35:52 did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 35:56 but made Himself of no reputation, 35:59 taking the form of a bondservant, 36:01 coming in the likeness of men. 36:02 And having been found in the appearance of man, 36:06 He humbled Himself 36:08 and became obedient to the point of death, 36:12 even the death of the cross." 36:16 I could talk on this for 30 minutes, an hour, 36:20 but I'm gonna limit myself 36:22 'cause I wanna get to the rest of it. 36:24 The bottom line is Jesus 36:28 set the standard for us, for humility. 36:31 That's right. 36:33 Let this mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus 36:36 who humbled Himself. 36:38 The definition I'll tell you 36:40 what God has led me to understand. 36:45 The definition of humility is total dependence upon God. 36:50 Yes. It's good. 36:52 Think about that. 36:53 Anytime we are not dependent upon God 36:58 that is His whole plan of salvation 37:00 is to be depended upon Him. 37:01 But anytime we take it upon our self and it's like, 37:04 oh, I don't need to worry 37:05 about what God wants me to do here. 37:08 That is when pride is rearing its ugly head. 37:13 And so that's just the opposite 37:15 Jesus set the bar 37:16 and we are to be of the same attitude. 37:19 So let's look at Ephesians 5:21 37:22 because the Bible counsels all of us regarding humility, 37:29 and service, and relationships. 37:31 Hebrew, excuse me Ephesians 5:21. 37:36 Paul says that we all are to be 37:40 "Submitting to one another in the fear of God." 37:44 The word submit means to place yourself humbly 37:49 before another person. 37:51 It means that this is voluntary. 37:53 It's a personal choice. 37:55 It's, but it's he shows us reciprocity, 37:58 a mutuality, that we are to submit to one another 38:03 because this is the way we achieve harmony. 38:06 This is how we overcome selfishness. 38:09 This is how we gain unity. 38:14 This is what it's all about. 38:16 And the opposite of humility 38:21 is self-seeking, self-assertion, 38:23 when people got to have their own opinion 38:26 and in their own selfish preferences, 38:29 and they're rude, and they're hardy, 38:32 they're selfish. 38:33 They're selfish. 38:35 So submission is an important attitude, 38:39 not only in a marriage, in a family, but in the church. 38:44 That's right. 38:45 Reverence for Christ 38:47 is the motivation for submission. 38:50 And we are to let this mind be in us 38:53 that we're in Christ Jesus and follow in His footsteps. 38:57 So I would submit to you 39:00 that as we submit to God and others, 39:03 this is what characterizes a true Christian. 39:06 I mean, it's all about being filled with the Holy Spirit. 39:10 And you know what? 39:11 This principle is unique to Christianity, is it not? 39:15 I mean, how many leaders of religions 39:19 submitted themselves and humbled themselves. 39:24 So Christ talks about servant leadership 39:26 in Matthew 20:26-28. 39:30 He says, He's talking about those 39:33 who kind lorded over others. 39:35 And He says, "Hey, no, no, no, no, 39:37 don't let that be more like that among you." 39:40 But whoever desires to become great among you, 39:45 let it be your servant, 39:46 whoever desires to be first let him be your slave. 39:49 Just as the Son of man did not come to serve, 39:52 to be served, but to serve, 39:55 and He gave His life a ransom for many. 39:58 Remember in John Chapter 13 at the Last Supper, 40:05 there shouldn't be in a slave or a servant, 40:10 I will put it that way there to at these banquets. 40:14 There was always a servant who washed the feet. 40:18 The feet, you know, were pretty dirty 40:20 'cause I mean, you think 40:22 about what was going on in the streets 40:24 and there was maneuver dung, there was everything. 40:27 And so they'd walk through this, 40:28 and the feet were dirty. 40:30 Well, here, they're all seated and everybody's looking around 40:33 like, hey, there's no servant here to do this. 40:36 And you can just see Peter, I'm not gonna do it, 40:39 you know, you can, Judas, I'm not gonna do it. 40:42 Jesus gets up and He puts a towel, 40:44 I mean, girds Himself and puts a towel 40:46 and He washes their feet. 40:49 What humility? 40:51 So humility, a submission 40:55 is a mutuality in self-giving. 40:58 And as I said, this is a revolutionary philosophy. 41:03 I mean, I don't see that we find it anywhere 41:05 except in Christianity. 41:07 So let me skip over here. 41:10 My, our time flies. 41:14 We're gonna read some more in Ephesians Chapter 5. 41:17 Now Paul's writings, 41:19 he consistently speaks first to those 41:23 who are socially weaker. 41:27 So like he will speak to the wife 41:30 before the husband, 41:32 he will speak to the child before this, the parents. 41:36 He speaks rights to the slaves before the owner. 41:40 And there is a qualifying phrase, 41:44 he's gonna be talking about submission. 41:46 First, he says submit everybody, 41:48 but there's a qualifying phrase 41:51 always attached to their submission. 41:54 And each one of these people 41:57 is going to receive a directive. 42:01 And the directives, 42:03 probably astonished the people of the first century. 42:06 You know, probably when you think about it, 42:08 and what they do is level the ground, 42:12 that the cross around the cross 42:15 and open the way for true oneness 42:17 to be experienced in relationships. 42:19 So let's look at Ephesians 5:22. 42:25 It says, "Wives submit to your own husbands, 42:28 as to the Lord. 42:30 For," this is the qualifying phrase, 42:33 "submit to your husbands," what? "As to the Lord. 42:38 For the husband is head of the wife, 42:41 as also Christ is head of the church, 42:43 He is the Savior of the body. 42:45 Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, 42:48 so let the wives 42:49 be to their own husbands in everything." 42:51 Let me ask you. 42:53 Does Christ demand that the church do this? 42:57 Does Christ lord it over us? 43:00 How does Christ lead the church? 43:02 Think about that. 43:04 It's through love, through wooing, 43:08 through gentle correction from time to time. 43:11 You may go off in this direction, 43:13 He is leading you back. 43:14 So the husband is to do likewise, 43:18 and the bottom line is, 43:19 the husband has a spiritual authority 43:25 or a spiritual responsibility, 43:27 which requires spiritual at the work. 43:30 You were talking about the husband 43:31 being the priest of the home. 43:35 If you're a man 43:37 and you are not stepping up to the plate, 43:40 to have your children and your family 43:43 have a family worship, teach them to pray. 43:46 God is holding you accountable. 43:48 Amen. That's right. 43:49 And women have to often step into that position 43:51 'cause their husbands won't. 43:53 But when he is saying wives, be submissive, 43:57 there is a responsibility which requires authority. 44:01 Husbands have to be the protectors. 44:03 But now look what he says, "Husbands, love your wives," 44:07 here's the qualifier, 44:09 "just as Christ loved the church 44:12 and gave Himself for her, 44:14 that He may sanctify and cleanse her 44:16 with the washing of the water of the word." 44:18 Hey, husbands that's your responsibility, 44:20 you are to see that your wife is growing spiritually, 44:24 and you can't, nobody can change your heart, 44:27 you can't change another person. 44:29 So what you have to do is what Christ did. 44:32 You have to model that behavior. 44:34 You have to be loving and supportive. 44:37 You have to be setting up an environment 44:41 that makes them want to grow in Christ. 44:44 Wow! 44:45 I can go on and on on this, but let's look. 44:48 The Christian home 44:51 is to be a little bit of heaven on earth. 44:54 That's right. 44:55 That's what God intended 44:57 and the symbol of Christianity... 45:00 What do we think of when we think of church? 45:02 The army of Christ, right? 45:04 Well, there's rules of engagement. 45:07 In the army, aren't there? You were in the army. 45:09 I mean, and there are people 45:11 who have different responsibilities, 45:13 different authorities. 45:15 So submission 45:17 is just to build a loyal living 45:22 to the Lord in the home. 45:24 Amen. Amen. 45:25 Okay, thank you all. 45:27 You know, what I like about going last 45:29 is I'm gleaning from everyone of you. 45:32 But surely, this topic is a tremendous topic, 45:36 whereas Ryan would say incredible. 45:38 That's right. And it's wonderful. 45:40 Thursday, May 16, lesson number, 45:45 lesson number seven Living the Love We Promise. 45:49 Now what I like about this lesson, 45:51 it brings this out 45:52 in four primary areas of our lives. 45:55 It brings it out in the parent child commitment. 45:58 It talks about the sibling commitment, 46:01 the family commitment, 46:03 and then the marital commitment. 46:05 And Jill and carrying on the tradition, 46:09 I'll have six points at the end. 46:12 She has affected me in a real good way though. 46:15 I'll have six points at the end. 46:16 But let's look at a couple of examples. 46:18 We'll start in the Book of Genesis Chapter 33. 46:23 You know, submission, 46:24 one of the most beautiful stories in the Bible 46:27 is Abraham and Isaac. 46:29 You know, Abraham, an older man, his son, 46:33 could have easily overpowered him. 46:35 That's right. 46:37 But he chose to submit 46:39 that was the child submitting to the parent. 46:44 But then this example is brought out 46:45 in Genesis Chapter 33 a different example. 46:49 But it says in verse 12, 46:50 "Then Esau said, 'Let us take our journey, 46:55 let us go, and I will go before you.' 46:58 But Jacob said to him, 47:00 'My lord knows that the children are weak, 47:03 and the flocks and herds which are nursing are with me. 47:07 And if the men should drive them hard one day, 47:11 all the flock will die. 47:13 Please let my lord go ahead before his servant. 47:17 I will lead on slowly at a pace 47:19 which the livestock that go before me, 47:22 and the children, are able to endure, 47:24 until I come to my Lord in Seir.'" 47:27 Notice, even though Esau had one desire, he submit it. 47:31 A better plan. 47:33 A lot of times in family circles, 47:36 people are more desirous to get the praise 47:39 than to choose the best plan. 47:41 I've seen that in so many settings, 47:43 a person would be married to their decision, 47:46 rather than to the decision that will be best. 47:50 And there are some people 47:51 that will be quick to grab an idea. 47:53 Not because it's the best idea 47:56 but it's because it's their idea. 47:58 And then even when another one is suggested 48:01 they would push, and push, and push, and push, 48:03 and not commit or submit to the better idea. 48:06 And in the corporate settings, 48:08 there's a book called, like 360 Leadership, 48:12 which teaches you, 48:13 it's not important to always get the credit, 48:15 but it's important to let the team win. 48:17 And if somebody on the team comes up with a better idea, 48:20 I may not be, I may be the leader of the project, 48:23 but somebody in the project may come up with a better idea, 48:26 take the better idea. 48:28 Don't look for the credit. 48:29 And what they say, 48:32 "Success has many mothers, 48:33 but failure is always an orphan." 48:37 That's a great saying. 48:39 So people want that success. 48:41 They wanna identify with a success. 48:43 Parent does the same thing. 48:44 When a child is doing well 48:46 and mother says, "Look at my child." 48:48 When he's messing up she says her husband, 48:49 "Would you go get your child." 48:51 Your child just like your father, 48:54 and in a lot of cases, 48:55 it's actually the other way around. 48:57 The parents often sometimes disconnect themselves 49:00 from the failure of a situation. 49:01 Another one in Genesis 37:17-18, 49:06 17 to 28 49:07 I'm not gonna read the whole thing, 49:08 but just verse 22. 49:10 Because Joseph's brothers, Joseph had a problem. 49:15 He praised himself a lot. 49:18 And he knew he was a good kid 49:20 and he told everybody was a good kid. 49:22 You know, when the Lord gave him a vision 49:24 that his sons were gonna praise him one day, 49:25 he said, "You know, one day you guys gonna bow down to me." 49:28 I mean, I'd probably want to choke that sibling too 49:31 because he's always bragging. 49:32 Then he has the most beautiful coat in the house 49:34 and he's bragging up. 49:35 You like my coat? 49:36 So they said, "Here he is. 49:38 He's coming. Let's kill him." 49:39 But sibling to sibling commitment. 49:41 Then verse 22. 49:42 "And Reuben said to them, to his other brothers, 49:44 'Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit, 49:47 which is in the wilderness, and do not lay a hand on him.' 49:50 " Now had the other siblings not submitted to Reuben, 49:55 Joseph would have been dead. 49:56 So sometimes siblings, in this sibling's rivalry 50:00 sometimes we don't wanna submit. 50:01 That's right. 50:03 And the anger that had festered up 50:05 in the other brothers was enough 50:06 to overpower Reuben's one decision 50:08 they'll say, "Okay, let's vote." 50:10 You one, us 10, 50:12 which one should we do? 50:14 We're gonna do because more of us, 50:15 but they submitted to Reuben. 50:17 And I believe there was a God component in that. 50:20 Absolutely. 50:21 Because when you look at the rest of the story, 50:22 there could not be anything but a God component. 50:25 The Lord used Reuben 50:27 because the plan that he had for Joseph 50:29 was for the safety of his entire family. 50:32 What a saga. 50:33 I preached a sermon call from pits to palaces. 50:36 And that story, how long sometimes 50:37 it takes for us to understand 50:39 the juxtaposition of life 50:40 and why things happen the way they do. 50:42 And then we come back and look and realize, 50:45 really Joseph wasn't the problem, 50:46 Joseph was the solution. 50:48 Yes. 50:50 So we look at the person sometimes that 50:51 doesn't agree with us and seems to be 50:52 out of step as the problem. 50:54 Sometimes that person is the solution. 50:57 And then the other one, family commitment. 50:59 One Ruth and Ruth 1:16-18, 51:02 you know the story of Naomi and Ruth, 51:05 the suggestion was you go your way 51:06 and we'll go my way. 51:07 And Ruth says, "Entreat me not to leave thee." 51:11 I'm hearing the song, but to it 51:12 not to return from following thee. 51:15 We had a trio many years ago when I lived in Florida, 51:17 Ruth, Jack, and John, the three of us. 51:20 And whenever Ruth would sing that song, 51:21 we had a lady named Ruth that sang that song. 51:24 And she and Jack would, he played the guitar, 51:26 and I could hear them still many, many years later, 51:29 "Entreat me not to leave thee." 51:32 And that's the whole key. 51:34 Ruth says, I am not leaving you. 51:37 Entreat me not to leave thee, 51:39 and that was a family commitment. 51:41 Wherever you go, I am going to be there. 51:43 You know what happened to family members 51:45 committed themselves to one another that way? 51:47 Yes. 51:48 I think the larger the family and, Kenny, 51:50 how you were preaching 'cause I was on your side, 51:52 but I think the larger families have larger issues. 51:56 Because there's so much diversity 51:58 and then you were raised with how many brothers? 52:00 Four brothers? Okay. 52:02 So I mean, each one of you is gifted in your own right, 52:05 then you have cousins gifted in their own right, 52:07 lot of gifts in this family. 52:09 And so in this case, 52:11 members of the same family committed one to the other. 52:15 So we're gonna go ahead and then marrow commitment, 52:17 which is something my wife and I have 52:19 so appreciated for the last 35, 52:21 36 years. 52:22 When the Lord told Hosea in Hosea 3:1-3. 52:25 "Go love a woman who is loved by a lover 52:28 and is committing adultery, 52:29 just like the love of the Lord." 52:32 And he had a lesson to teach Hosea 52:35 and that's an amazing story. 52:36 And I did a sermon years ago called remember when, 52:39 how God looks at us where we are, 52:41 and he looks at us where we used to be 52:43 and he brings us in. 52:44 So let's quickly in time we have remaining 52:46 I'll see if I can do like Jill can. 52:49 Ecclesiastes 5:6-8. 52:51 The first suggestion of living the love we promise, 52:55 follow through on your commitments. 52:57 Amen. That's good. 52:59 Solomon says Ecclesiastes 5:5-6, 53:02 "Better not to vow than to vow and not to pay. 53:05 Do not let your mouth cause your flesh to sin, 53:08 nor say before the messenger of God that it was an error. 53:11 Why should God be angry at your excuse 53:13 and destroy the work of your hands? 53:15 For in the multitude of dreams 53:16 and many words there is also vanity. 53:19 But fear God." 53:20 Never say your relationship is a mistake. 53:24 But work through the mistakes of your relationship. 53:27 So that God can be glorified. 53:29 Second one become a peacemaker. 53:32 1 Peter 3:11. 53:33 "Let him turn away from evil and do good, 53:35 let him seek peace and pursue it." 53:37 Psalm 34:14, 53:39 "Depart from evil and do good, seek peace and pursue it." 53:43 So many people don't have peace. 53:45 You know why? 53:46 Because they don't pursue peace. 53:47 Peace will run right by him. 53:49 He won't go after it. 53:50 They'll see peace right there, 53:51 you wait till I get my emotions out. 53:54 And so many of us are, 53:55 we love our emotions and I think in some cases, 53:58 emotions to some people, is like an endorphin release, 54:01 it's just like a flooding of dopamine. 54:04 They just like that feeling of anger, 54:06 and hostility, and revenge. 54:07 No, you wait. 54:09 One lady came to church on Sabbath, not here, 54:11 she said, "Pastor, I'm angry and do not try to convince me 54:13 to leave my anger outside." 54:17 I'm angry and I'm gonna hold on to it. 54:19 Let me go quicker. 54:20 Third one, use love as medicine, 54:23 use love as medicine. 54:24 Love suffers long and is kind. 54:26 Love does not envy, love does not parade itself, 54:30 it is not puffed up, 54:31 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own. 54:33 You know the whole list. 54:35 Sure. 54:37 Use love as a medicine. 54:39 Another one, pray for a sanctified life. 54:41 A life that's not sanctified, 54:42 you could do everything you can in your human ability 54:45 and you'll fail every time. 54:46 But a sanctified life will experience success. 54:50 Sanctify them by your truth. Your word is truth. 54:53 If God's Word says it pray for the power 54:54 to live in harmony with it. 54:57 The other one pray for I to die. 54:59 Yes. 55:01 Galatians 2:20. 55:02 "It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me." 55:04 So many of us 55:05 I think Kenny was talking about this. 55:07 We have I problems and I is the altar 55:09 in the middle of sin is the letter I. 55:12 Right in the center of sin is I. 55:15 Pray for I to die, so Christ could live. 55:18 And then number six, stop living in the flesh. 55:23 Those who live in the flesh cannot please God. 55:27 And finally, Hebrews 13:5, 55:29 "Let your conduct be without covetousness, 55:31 be content 55:32 with such things as you have. 55:34 For He Himself has said, 55:36 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.' 55:39 " Let Christ be at the center of every solution. 55:40 Amen. 55:42 Thank you so much, Pastor John, I love the six points. 55:45 We want to give the panel just a few moments each 55:48 to share a closing thought. 55:49 Pastor Ryan? 55:51 Absolutely. Yeah. 55:52 My lesson was about love and unity 55:55 and unity comes through love. 55:57 And I just love this scripture in 1 John 4:19, 56:00 it says, "We love Him because He first loved us." 56:02 You know, we have to follow the example of our Lord 56:05 and Savior Jesus 56:06 and that's my prayer for myself, 56:08 for my family, and for God's people. 56:10 Amen. Amen. 56:12 You know, and this lesson, 56:13 it really brought out at least clear to me, 56:14 the cause of division, and discord in the families, 56:17 the church, and in the world. 56:19 It is simply because our separation from God, 56:22 the secret of unity, union with Christ. 56:25 Amen. Amen. 56:27 Submission to the Lord, let this mind be in you, 56:29 which was also in Christ Jesus, 56:31 we need to be humble depended upon God 56:34 in our relationships to really submit 56:38 to one another. 56:40 That's right. 56:41 And tackle the problem. 56:42 Don't tackle each other. 56:44 Amen. 56:46 Fight that problem together, and you'll win together. 56:49 Amen. 56:50 Thank you so much, Pastor Ryan, 56:51 Pastor Kenny, Shelley, and Pastor John. 56:53 What an incredible study, Keys to Family Unity. 56:57 I want to leave you with this quote 56:58 from Adventist Home, 56:59 page 179, 57:02 "The cause of division and discord in families 57:05 and the church is separation from Christ." 57:08 Yes. 57:09 "To come near to Christ is to come near to one another. 57:12 The secret of true unity in the church 57:15 and in the family is not diplomacy, 57:17 not management, 57:19 not a superhuman effort to overcome difficulties, 57:22 but union with Christ." 57:25 We want to encourage you to accept Jesus into your life 57:28 and make Him the center of your home, 57:30 your church, and your community. 57:33 That's all the time we have for today. 57:34 We will see you at next week. 57:36 Bye-bye. |
Revised 2019-05-16