Participants:
Series Code: SSP
Program Code: SSP190034A
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00:01 The Bible tells us,
00:02 "In the beginning was the Word, 00:04 and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." 00:07 It says to, "Receive with meekness 00:09 the implanted Word, 00:11 which is able to save your souls. 00:13 And to be diligent to present yourself 00:16 approved to God, 00:17 rightly dividing the Word of truth." 00:20 Join us now 00:21 for the 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 00:25 Our study today is, "The Least of These." 00:32 Hello, I'm Shelley Quinn. 00:34 And we are so excited 00:35 that you are once again joining us 00:37 for 3ABN Sabbath School panel. 00:39 Our quarterly is The Least of These. 00:43 It's talking about ministering to the poor and the oppressed. 00:47 And we're on lesson eight already. 00:49 It has been such a wonderful study. 00:52 I want to tell you right up front 00:54 that if you'd like to download these lessons, 00:58 you may go to ABSG.Adventist.org 01:04 or you are always welcome. 01:07 I know they would throw their arms open 01:10 and welcome you, 01:11 if you went to your nearest local 01:14 Seventh-day Adventist Church. 01:15 And they'd give you a copy of this quarterly, 01:18 that way you can study along with us. 01:20 I hope you have your Bible. 01:22 We've got some wonderful panel members, 01:24 they're my brothers and sister in Christ. 01:27 And I learned so much from each one of you each time. 01:31 Thank you for your, 01:32 the preparation that you put into these. 01:34 First we have my pastor, Pastor John Lomacang, 01:38 and then Miss Jill Morikone, 01:41 Pastor Ryan Day, and Pastor Kenny Shelton. 01:45 So glad that you're here. 01:46 John, could you open us up in prayer, please? 01:49 Sure. 01:50 Loving Lord, we always rely on Your inspiration, 01:54 Your Holy Spirit, Your power 01:56 to pour into us that as we pour out, 01:59 that Your perfect will 02:00 may be revealed and accomplished. 02:02 Come now and anoint our hearts and our lips 02:04 and what we have studied, 02:06 make it relevant and pertinent 02:07 to those who are listening and watching this program. 02:10 For me all the glory go to You, in Jesus' name, amen. 02:14 Amen and amen. 02:16 Well, lesson eight, 02:17 we're actually coming the title of this lesson 02:20 is The Least of These 02:21 just like the title of the quarterly. 02:23 And you know, when we think about it, 02:26 the way in which Jesus lived His life. 02:28 First of all, He always taught in a practical manner. 02:31 He taught in such a way that you could see and know 02:36 how to put God's truths into practice. 02:40 But the way in which He lived His life, 02:42 He set an example for us 02:44 as He ministered to the poor, to the needy, 02:47 the oppressed, the sick, 02:48 and He demonstrated by His own actions, 02:52 that these are actions that please God. 02:56 So He set us an example. 02:59 And what we do as we minister to others like this, 03:05 it helps us to develop His divine nature 03:09 of unselfish love. 03:12 So I wanted to read just one thing 03:15 here from the Sabbath lesson on lesson eight, it says, 03:21 "Jesus' teachings set up the blueprint 03:25 for His kingdom." 03:26 You know, 03:27 the kingdom of heaven is a reality 03:29 that we can enjoy even now, really. 03:31 Because what we're doing now, 03:34 we see the kingdom of heaven 03:35 has different priorities, different standards. 03:38 But as we put those into practice, now, 03:41 we are seated in the heavenly places 03:44 with Christ Jesus, right? 03:45 Right. 03:47 But it says, Jesus teaching set up 03:48 the blueprint for His kingdom. 03:50 It includes a strong focus on how we serve God, 03:55 and in serving Him how we are to relate to others. 03:59 We also discover that serving others, 04:04 caring for their needs and uplifting them is one way 04:09 in which we can directly offer service to God. 04:14 Who would like to read the memory text, 04:16 which is Matthew 25:40? 04:20 Kenny, do you have that? Yes. 04:21 Okay. 04:24 "And the King will answer and say to them, 04:26 'Assuredly, I say to you, 04:29 inasmuch as you did it 04:30 to one of the least of these My brethren, 04:33 you did it unto Me.'" 04:35 And this is Jesus talking, isn't that amazing? 04:38 And I'm not going to get into it, 04:40 'cause I know somebody's covering it. 04:41 My lesson is Sunday, "The Sermon on the Mount." 04:44 And this was Jesus' longest sermon. 04:47 It's actually a collection of teachings. 04:50 I wouldn't say He necessarily sermonized 04:53 but we call it a sermon. 04:55 And you know, in three chapters, 05:00 covers the Sermon on the Mount. 05:02 And what we find is that this is a survey of the life, 05:06 what life is going to be like in God's kingdom. 05:09 Well, it opens up with statements 05:13 that we have come to call the beatitudes, 05:16 and it's going to be my joy to go through the beatitudes. 05:19 Let's just go straight to them. 05:21 Matthew 5:3, "A beatitude is a blessing." 05:27 And Jesus starts off saying, 05:29 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, 05:33 for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." 05:37 I think that we really need to notice 05:39 that it's poor in spirit. 05:43 The word poor here indicates a dire spiritual poverty. 05:49 It's people who sense their need of God, 05:53 their need of a Savior, 05:55 and the need of the grace that God can give them. 05:58 So poor in spirit means 06:01 to recognize we are undeserving sinners, 06:05 in need of a Heavenly Father and His grace. 06:09 But it's interesting because Jesus says, 06:13 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, 06:15 for theirs is the kingdom in heaven." 06:17 So only those who recognize their need for God, 06:20 I think it's safe to say, 06:22 are going to enter the kingdom of heaven. 06:24 Those who don't recognize the need for God 06:28 will decline His grace 06:30 and they will lose that blessing. 06:32 The next verse, Matthew 5:4, 06:35 "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." 06:41 And I wish I had time 06:42 to connect all of this with Isaiah 61. 06:45 But just let me say this, Isaiah 61, 06:48 the word mourning there 06:49 as it's talking about Israel mourning. 06:52 What they are sorry about 06:55 is that their sins caused them to have to go into exile. 07:00 So if you connect these two, 07:04 what Matthew 5:4 is saying is those who mourn, 07:09 are those who are suffering 07:11 the consequences of their sin, if you will. 07:15 And it brings them to an attitude of repentance. 07:20 You know, that is a natural, if you are poor in spirit, 07:25 you recognize your need for God because you're a sinner. 07:29 It's natural, 07:30 then that you will mourn over your sins. 07:33 Don't you see that's a natural progression? 07:36 So what Jesus though is giving a message of comfort to them. 07:41 This is, you may be in this condition, 07:44 but you're going to be comforted. 07:46 "I'm gonna forgive your sins." 07:48 Hallelujah! 07:49 He meets us, 07:51 He meets our spiritual poverty with a riches of His grace. 07:55 I think that's so exciting. 07:57 And then He sends His Holy Spirit 08:01 to be our comforter, to be the one our Paraclete, 08:05 the one who walks beside us. 08:07 He's in us, He empowers us to do God's will. 08:12 So that is the second requirement 08:15 if you consider yourself a candidate 08:18 for the kingdom of God. 08:20 Matthew 5:5, 08:21 "Blessed are the meek, 08:25 for they shall inherit the earth." 08:28 Meekness is a gentle quality 08:34 of humility. 08:36 Meekness doesn't mean you're over here being 08:39 like the little scared rabbit in the corner. 08:41 Meekness is an attitude of your heart and your mind 08:47 that prepares the way for sanctification. 08:50 Because if meekness is humility, 08:54 I always say, based on Philippians 2:5-8, it says, 08:57 "Let this mind be in you, which was in Christ Jesus." 09:00 And it goes on to talk about, He humbled himself, 09:03 he was totally dependent upon God. 09:06 That's what humility is, 09:08 is to recognize our total dependence upon God. 09:11 And right now, it says right here, 09:14 Jesus is saying, 09:15 if you will be dependent upon God, 09:18 if you will be meek toward God, 09:21 accept His will for your life, except His direction, 09:26 then check on it, inherit the earth. 09:29 Hallelujah! 09:30 All right, Matthew 5:6, 09:33 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, 09:39 for they shall be filled." 09:42 You know, this hunger and thirst 09:44 is a metaphor for fervent desire. 09:49 Remember, what David said, 09:50 as the deer pants for the water, 09:54 so my spirit pants for you, so I long for you. 09:58 No earthly source can satisfy this kind of hunger and thirst. 10:04 When you have that hunger and thirst 10:06 for God's righteousness, 10:07 you know, we all were born with eternity in our heart. 10:11 That's what, 10:13 what is that Ecclesiastes 3:11, I think? 10:16 But that's what Song of Solomon 10:18 or Solomon said in Ecclesiastes. 10:21 Solomon was the wisest man on earth. 10:26 And he tried to fill his life 10:28 with philosophies, with material riches, 10:32 he tried to satisfy his physical appetite. 10:36 He had honor, power, he tried it all. 10:40 And what did he end up saying, it's all vanity. 10:43 He realized nothing will bring satisfaction 10:47 like a relationship with Jesus and with God. 10:50 And He finally recognized and you'll see that 10:53 in Ecclesiastes 3:12, 13, and 14, 10:56 that he's recognizing that 10:58 this is the only thing that matters 11:00 is having that relationship with God 11:02 and following Him. 11:04 But I wanted to point out when it says, 11:07 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst 11:10 for righteousness," 11:11 notice this, "they shall be filled." 11:15 That's passive voice. 11:17 That means, if it weren't an active voice, 11:19 that means you would be saying, 11:21 "You'd have to fill up yourself." 11:23 But this is passive voice, 11:25 which it's called the divine passive here. 11:28 It means, God is going to do that action. 11:31 You can't make yourself righteous. 11:33 All you can do is surrender to God. 11:36 And God is the one who's going to fill you, 11:41 and make you righteous. 11:43 When Jesus said, 11:44 "Lest your righteousness surpass that of the Pharisees," 11:48 they used to scare me to death. 11:50 And I think, per se, 11:53 He's talking about a divine gift, 11:54 it is God who's going to do it. 11:57 Matthew 5:7, 11:59 "Blessed are the merciful, 12:00 for they shall obtain mercy. 12:04 Blessed are the pure in heart, 12:08 for they shall see God." 12:11 And let me, I'm skipping over the mercy. 12:14 I think that one's pretty clear. 12:16 But when you're pure in heart, this is your mind, 12:19 your conscience, your inner man. 12:22 And the pure in heart will be clothed 12:25 with the robe of Christ's righteousness, 12:27 because they have forsaken sin 12:30 as the ruling principle of their life. 12:33 If you're pure in heart, 12:34 you're going to follow God's will, 12:38 and being pure in heart 12:40 doesn't mean that you're perfect, 12:41 doesn't mean that you're sinless. 12:43 It just means your motives are pure. 12:45 And if the motives are pure, the life is going to be pure, 12:48 if you're following God. 12:49 "Blessed," Matthew 5:9 says, "are the peacemakers, 12:53 for they shall called sons of God." 12:56 And in verse 10 says, "Blessed are those 12:58 who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, 13:01 for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 13:03 Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, 13:05 and say all kinds of evil 13:07 against you falsely for My name's sake. 13:10 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, 13:13 for great is your reward in heaven, 13:17 for so they persecuted the prophets, 13:19 who were before you." 13:21 I don't have time to get to the salt and light, 13:24 but I'm gonna pass it on to you, John. 13:26 Okay, Overcoming Evil with Good. 13:29 Wow, what a concept! 13:31 It's one that is completely foreign 13:33 to the natural person. 13:35 You know, the existence of the common people 13:36 in the days of Jesus 13:38 was made even more difficult under the Roman rule, 13:41 and also dealing with the Pharisees, 13:44 who were anything but spiritual. 13:46 They were very religious, 13:47 but their standards was so high, 13:50 that they set standards that they themselves 13:52 were not willing to accomplish. 13:55 But they put these burdens 13:56 on the shoulders of individuals. 13:58 And, but the Lord came to offer something 14:04 that was completely unavailable on earth. 14:08 This whole concept of overcoming evil with good 14:10 is completely unnatural. 14:12 Yes, it is. 14:14 Totally unnatural. 14:15 I'm going to read Matthew 5:38-48, 14:18 to just encapsulate what Jesus came to offer. 14:22 And then we're going to walk through how this could happen, 14:26 and how it cannot happen. 14:28 Let's look at this, Matthew 5:38-48. 14:32 "You have heard that it was said, 14:33 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.'" 14:36 And by the way, that's practice in some places 14:37 around the world still. 14:40 "But I tell you, not to resist an evil person. 14:43 But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, 14:46 turn the other to him also.'" 14:48 I cannot tell you the last time I did that. 14:53 No confessions, 14:54 but I doubt we'll find that on this table either. 14:57 "If anyone wants to sue you, 15:01 and take away your tunic, 15:02 let him have your cloak also. 15:05 And whoever compels you to go one mile, 15:07 go with him two. 15:09 Give to him who asks you, 15:10 and from him who wants to borrow from you 15:13 and do not turn away.' 15:15 You have heard that it was said, 15:17 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 15:19 But I say to you, love your enemies, 15:21 bless those who curse you, 15:22 do good to those who hate you, and pray for those 15:24 who spitefully use you and persecute you, 15:27 that you may be," and here's the key, 15:29 the identifying factor, 15:30 "that you may be the sons of your Father in heaven, 15:34 for he makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, 15:37 and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.'" 15:40 In other words, don't think you're unique. 15:44 "For if you love those who love you, 15:45 what reward have you? 15:48 Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 15:49 And if you greet your brethren only, 15:52 what do you do more than others? 15:54 Do not even the tax collector do so? 15:57 Therefore you shall be perfect, 15:59 just as your Father in heaven is perfect." 16:02 Can I just say it, Lord have mercy? 16:05 Praise God, it's divinely. 16:07 What a tall order! 16:08 Yeah. Yes. 16:10 How do we go the extra mile? 16:13 How do you turn the other cheek? 16:16 How do you give the shirt off your back 16:18 when somebody is already taken your coat? 16:20 And how do you keep your mouth shut 16:22 when you just want to just purge, 16:25 what's stirring in your chest 16:27 and surely already in your head? 16:29 I want to begin by saying, let's go to 1 Corinthians 2:14, 16:33 because we are incapable of turning the other cheek 16:37 and loving our enemies with our natural tendencies. 16:41 Jill, 1 Corinthians 2:14. 16:43 Here's the reason why we are incapable. 16:45 "But the natural man does not receive the things 16:48 of the Spirit of God, 16:49 for they are foolishness to him, 16:51 nor can he know them, 16:52 because they are spiritually discerned. 16:54 That's right. 16:55 When somebody says, 16:57 "So I heard they punch you in the face in school. 16:59 Go ahead and turn the other cheek, 17:01 let him punch on the other side tomorrow." 17:03 You'll say like Paul the Apostle, "What?" 17:07 You know, I love the King James Version 17:09 for that reason, Paul said, "What? 17:11 Do you not know that your body is the temple? 17:13 You'll say, "What are you talking about? 17:15 He hit me." 17:16 Well, tomorrow let him hit you on the other side. 17:19 And don't say anything when he does it. 17:20 And you're thinking, "This is not even sensible." 17:23 Even in Revelation Chapter 16, there's this echoing of Lord, 17:27 how long is it going to be before you avenge our blood 17:31 on those who dwell on the earth. 17:33 What's up with that? What's taken so long? 17:34 He says, relax, 17:36 just take a while I'll take care of it. 17:38 But this radical reaction, listen, 17:40 the radical reaction to natural tendencies 17:43 was the means whereby Christianity 17:45 became the religion of empowerment. 17:47 Radical reaction to natural tendencies 17:50 was the means whereby Christianity 17:53 became the religion of empowerment. 17:55 Jesus was continually challenged throughout His life, 17:59 this is powerful, to show His divinity 18:02 in the phase of human challenges. 18:04 See the temptation, let's go ahead and get to it. 18:07 Satan tempts us to reveal our humanity 18:11 while we're claiming to be partakers 18:13 of the divine nature. 18:16 Satan tempted Jesus to reveal His divinity, 18:19 while claiming to be partakers of a divine, 18:21 of a human nature. 18:23 That's good. That's really good. 18:24 Look at the comparisons. Look at the comparisons. 18:26 Matthew 4:38, let's go there. 18:28 Look at how he tempted Jesus continually 18:31 to reveal His divinity because he knew that 18:33 if this divine being revealed His divinity, 18:36 all bets would have been off. 18:38 Not that our salvation was a bet, 18:40 but any attempt to save us would have been cancelled. 18:43 Matthew 4:3, you have that, Ryan? 18:45 Absolutely. What it did to Jesus? 18:47 The Bible says, 18:48 "Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, 18:50 'If you are the Son of God, 18:52 command that these stones became bread.'" 18:55 If you really are divine, 18:57 stop dealing with this week humanity, 18:59 show us who you are. 19:01 Look at another one. 19:02 Matthew 27:42. 19:04 Shelley, can you get there, Matthew 27:42. 19:06 Look at what the devil, 19:08 he continually buffeted Jesus to show His divinity. 19:11 Matthew 27:42, says, 19:16 "He saved others, Himself He cannot save. 19:19 If He is the King of Israel, 19:21 let Him come down from the cross, 19:23 and we will believe Him." 19:24 That's right. 19:26 Continually he said, show us Your divinity 19:27 'cause, oh, you have on human flesh. 19:31 But we know where you're from. 19:32 The devil knew where He was from. 19:34 That's why he continually pressed that divine button. 19:37 But Jesus could not overcome sin in a divine way. 19:42 He would have defeated the fact 19:44 that He's tempted in all points just as we are. 19:47 But He couldn't have been. Perfect sacrifice. 19:49 So He had to be that perfect sacrifice. 19:51 Here's another one, Isaiah 53:7. 19:53 Who can get there? And I haven't read that. 19:56 Could I have read Matthew 4? 19:57 Isaiah 53:7? Isaiah 53:7. 20:00 "He was oppressed and He was afflicted, 20:02 yet He opened not His mouth. 20:03 He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, 20:05 and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, 20:08 so he opened not His mouth." 20:09 Look at that. 20:10 How many times do we get to the point 20:12 where we just don't want to say anything? 20:14 Matter of fact, I think what Christians do is 20:16 we go home and we argue, 20:17 we practice what we're going to say. 20:19 Have you ever done that? 20:21 You know, what I should have said? 20:22 You know, what I should have said? 20:23 You wait till I see him tomorrow. 20:25 You wait till I get to work. 20:26 I'm gonna be waiting for him at the entrance of the... 20:28 When I see him come to studio, remember yesterday. 20:33 And that's human tendencies. 20:34 And so Christianity is not a religion 20:39 that defaults to our natural tendencies. 20:42 The uniqueness of Christianity 20:44 is not contributory to inherent qualities. 20:48 You can't get. It's not in here. 20:50 I know that in my flesh dwelleth what? 20:53 No good thing. No good thing. 20:55 And so it says, and I wrote this down, 20:57 it recognizes man's utter helplessness 21:00 to exhibit divine qualities. 21:02 John 15:5, look at that. 21:04 Pastor Kenny, could you get there, John 15:5? 21:06 If not, I'll read it. Sure. 21:08 He was so quick. 21:09 He says, you don't have the ability to do anything. 21:11 Try it. And look at what Jesus says. 21:13 Try it, try to do it without my help, 21:15 and you'll really be in trouble. 21:17 John 15:5 says, 21:18 "I am the vine, you are the branches. 21:21 He that abideth in me, and I in him, 21:23 the same bringeth forth much fruit, 21:25 without me ye can do nothing." 21:27 You try to control your temper without me, 21:29 let's see how far it gets you. 21:32 Overcome evil with good, really, honestly 21:34 after what he did to you, 21:37 do you really want to overcome evil with good? 21:39 Try it. 21:41 And the devil urges us and pushes us 21:42 to that place where we say, "You know, I'm so sorry." 21:45 And we say, 21:47 "I should have thought about it." 21:48 Because you know, here's one thing 21:49 I've learned as a pastor. 21:51 This is powerful, and leaders, 21:53 there are certain things that leaders do 21:54 that will not be forgotten soon. 21:58 And people will remind you, 21:59 but you're the General Manager of 3ABN, you're not just... 22:02 Yeah. 22:03 And they'll mention other departments. 22:05 You just don't have the freedom 22:06 to just tell people off from the foyer. 22:09 You know, and I know you haven't done that. 22:11 And I know Shelley has never gotten mad at anybody. 22:14 But we just don't have those licenses 22:17 to put God's character on trial. 22:20 And that's exactly what happens when we blow it. 22:23 So the Lord is saying, 22:24 here's what he's come to do for us. 22:26 Philippians 4:13, 22:27 I'll just read it in interest of time. 22:29 "I can do all things through Christ 22:30 who strengthens me," 22:32 including chew that lip. 22:39 The Christian life is not a natural practice 22:41 but a spiritual enabling. 22:43 The principles of Christianity 22:45 are not lived out of natural grit, 22:47 but out of spiritual power. 22:50 So you can't just do it. 22:51 So what is easier to lash out or to be restrained? 22:55 It's easy to lash out. 22:57 What is easier, to fight back or to walk away, 22:59 or to argue or to hold your peace? 23:00 Well, here it is, very quickly. 23:02 What did God promised to do? 23:04 Exodus 14:14, 23:05 "The Lord will fight for you, you shall hold your peace." 23:08 Exodus 14:13, 23:09 "Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, 23:12 which he will accomplish for you." 23:14 1 Samuel 17:47, 23:15 "For the battle is the Lord's, 23:18 He will give them into your hands." 23:20 God is a... Psalm 46:10, 23:21 "Be still and know that I'm God." 23:23 When we get there, 23:25 then we will be able to overcome evil with good. 23:27 Amen. Amen. 23:28 John, that was powerful. Thank you. 23:30 And we hope that you're enjoying this 23:32 as much as we are. 23:33 We'll take a short break and be right back. 23:36 Please stay tuned. 23:42 Ever wish you could watch 23:44 a 3ABN Sabbath School Panel again, 23:46 or share it on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter? 23:49 Well, you can by visiting 3abnsabbathschoolpanel.com. 23:54 A clean design makes it easy 23:57 to find the program you're looking for. 23:59 There are also links to the Adult Bible Study Guide 24:02 so you can follow along. 24:04 Sharing is easy. 24:05 Just click share and choose your favorite social media. 24:08 Share a link, save a life for eternity. 24:15 And now we're continuing in lesson eight. 24:17 Jill Morikone has Tuesday's lesson, 24:20 "The Good Samaritan." 24:21 Thank you. 24:23 Thank you so much Shelley and Pastor John, 24:24 what a wonderful foundation! 24:26 I could sit for a long time and listen 24:28 to what you were just sharing about overcoming evil with good 24:32 and sitting back and waiting for God, 24:35 that's powerful. 24:36 On the Good Samaritan. 24:38 Before we jump into that, 24:40 turn with me to Luke Chapter 10, 24:42 'cause we're going to spend our time 24:43 in Luke Chapter 10. 24:45 So you can turn there. 24:46 I want to talk to you just a moment 24:47 about the letter of the law versus the spirit of the law. 24:51 And to me, this is the crux of the matter 24:53 of what the young lawyer is asking Jesus. 24:56 The letter of the law versus the spirit of the law. 24:59 When one obeys the letter of the law, 25:01 but not the spirit. 25:03 One is obeying the literal interpretation 25:06 of the Word, 25:07 but not necessarily the intent of those who wrote the law. 25:12 What does a Christian's life look like that pleases God? 25:16 Is it a life of rules and restrictions 25:18 or life of freedom and joy and peace? 25:22 I think I'm sure you all have met people who say, 25:24 "I'm a good person. 25:26 I tried to obey The Ten Commandments. 25:29 Yet, somehow I don't have any peace 25:31 and joy in my life. 25:33 Am I not doing enough? 25:35 Is there something wrong here?" 25:37 And this is really what the young lawyer said. 25:40 So let's look at that. 25:42 Luke 10:25-29, we'll set the stage here. 25:46 "And behold, a certain lawyer," or expert in the law of Moses, 25:51 "stood up and tested Him, saying, 25:54 'Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?' 25:57 He said to him, 'What is written in the law? 26:00 What is your reading of it?' 26:01 So he answered and said," 26:03 we've talked about this before on this panel for this quarter, 26:06 "You shall love the Lord your God 26:08 with all your heart, with all your soul, 26:10 with all your strength, with all your mind, 26:13 and your neighbor as yourself.' 26:16 And he said, You have answered rightly, 26:18 do this, and you will live.' 26:20 But he," this is the lawyer, the expert in the law, 26:24 "wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, 26:29 'And who is my neighbor?'" 26:31 He quoted from Leviticus 19:18, which says, 26:35 "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." 26:37 The lawyer's question showed his heart and his motive. 26:41 Really, he's saying, is like a little kid. 26:43 "Do I have to," right, a little kid? 26:46 And the mom says, "Do this," 26:47 and says, "Do I have to?" 26:49 So let's look at the story of the Good Samaritan. 26:51 I've divided it down into seven parts. 26:54 I always like when I read stuff, to me, 26:56 I like to just compartmentalize. 26:57 So seven parts here, 26:59 we're going to look at the question, 27:02 the attack, the priest, 27:04 the Levite, the Samaritan, 27:07 the lesson, and then the attitude. 27:09 So let's look at the question. 27:11 There are really two questions that the lawyer asked. 27:14 The first question, 27:16 "What shall I do to inherit eternal life?" 27:17 And the second question, "Who is my neighbor?" 27:22 Most of the parables that Jesus told, 27:24 answered a question, 27:26 but they also dealt with an attitude, 27:28 Pastor John. 27:30 Not just answering the question, 27:31 but we're dealing with some sort of attitude. 27:33 And the attitude in this parable 27:35 is self-righteousness. 27:37 The lawyer was seeking to justify himself. 27:41 That was the problem with Israel, 27:42 and Jesus addressed that 27:44 by giving the parable, and frankly, 27:46 that can be the problem with us today as well. 27:49 I want to talk to you before we get to the attack, 27:51 just a moment about the Jewish hierarchal society, 27:54 because this is important as we look at 27:56 what takes place in this parable. 27:59 Robert in the control room did this for me. 28:02 So thank you very much. 28:03 If you see here at the centre, if you imagine a circle, 28:06 so at the center, you have the priests. 28:08 This would be like the highest order there 28:10 in their Jewish society. 28:12 Then, next, if you go out of the circle just a little bit, 28:15 you would get to the Levites, you can see that. 28:17 You will go out a little further, 28:19 you get to the Jews. 28:20 Then you have the tax collectors, 28:22 the outcasts or the sinners. 28:24 Now these are people more untouchable. 28:26 They're not as welcome or highly favored in society. 28:30 Then we get to the Samaritans who were a mixed race people, 28:34 combination of Jewish and Gentile in it. 28:37 The farthest outermost point would be the Gentiles. 28:41 Now, we know this is not how God looks at us. 28:45 And this is not how God looked at the people at that time. 28:49 But this is how many of the Jewish people 28:52 looked at other people. 28:54 So keep that in mind as we hear this story. 28:56 So let's look at the attack. 28:58 Luke 10:30, 29:01 "Then Jesus answered and said," 29:02 now I'm going to stop right here 29:04 'cause the word answered in Greek 29:06 literally means taken up. 29:08 So in other words, the lawyer said, 29:10 "Who is my neighbor?" 29:12 And Jesus took up the challenge. 29:13 He didn't just simply, 29:14 "Okay, I'm going to answer you." 29:16 But He actually took up that challenge. 29:18 "A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho..." 29:22 And those of you who have been to Israel know literally, 29:25 you go down in elevation, 29:28 from Jerusalem to Jericho, 29:30 it descents probably 3000 feet, from Jerusalem to Jericho, 29:34 over a distance of maybe 18 miles. 29:37 And it's very rocky there. 29:40 And so a certain man went down, 29:42 he's leaving Jerusalem going to Jericho. 29:45 "And this man fell among thieves 29:46 who stripped him of his clothing, 29:48 wounded him and departed, 29:51 leaving him half-dead." 29:53 So now we'll see three different people 29:55 who come along. 29:56 First is the priest. 29:58 Now, where is the priest in that circle? 29:59 Where was his position? 30:00 Right at the center. It was at the center, right? 30:02 Okay, so this would be the top position. 30:04 First comes the priest. 30:06 Luke 10:31, "Now by chance a certain priest 30:09 came down that road. 30:11 And when he saw him," what did he do? 30:14 Passed by. 30:15 "He passed by on the other side." 30:18 Now in English, we have a whole bunch of words 30:20 passed by on the other side. 30:22 And Greek is one word, but it means the same thing. 30:26 Literally, he passed by opposite to 30:29 or on the other side. 30:31 Now in their culture, the Jews, if they touched a dead person, 30:35 they would be considered unclean. 30:36 So at first glance, you might think, 30:39 "Okay, we might be able to excuse him 30:41 because he doesn't want to be considered unclean. 30:43 He didn't know if this person was dead." 30:46 But I don't think that they could use that excuse. 30:49 He was leaving Jerusalem, 30:51 meaning probably he had been there 30:53 to officiate somehow, and he's probably headed home. 30:57 He had accomplished his duties, and he's going home. 31:00 The story reveals his hypocrisy 'cause he went to worship God, 31:04 and he's not even willing to love his neighbor. 31:08 He loved God or he thought he did, 31:10 but he's not loving his neighbor. 31:12 So the second person who comes along is the Levite, 31:14 this is the second sphere for going out in our circle. 31:17 Verse 32, 31:18 "Levite, when he arrived at the place, 31:20 came and looked, and passed by 31:23 on the other side." 31:25 The same Greek word as the priest, 31:27 passed by on the other side. 31:29 Now I want to look at the word looked, 31:31 'cause we're going to see the Samaritan 31:33 had the same word for looked. 31:35 The Levite looked, 31:37 so the priest is passed by in the other side. 31:39 He just, "I'm going by." 31:41 But the Levite actually had a look, 31:45 it means to see, to perceive, to experience. 31:47 So he actually looked and then he passed by. 31:50 Now Jesus, you would think if you follow this structure, 31:54 who is Jesus going to go to next? 31:55 The tax collector. 31:57 Maybe the tax collector is going to come by. 31:59 Or a Jew, maybe a tax collector, 32:01 but here he skips a few steps. 32:04 All of a sudden, a Samaritan comes by. 32:07 Verse 33, "A certain Samaritan, 32:09 as he journeyed came where he was. 32:12 And when he saw him, he had compassion." 32:15 When I see the Samaritan, I see compassion, I see care. 32:20 And then there's a cost involved, 32:23 to having compassion, 32:24 and there's a cost to giving care to someone else. 32:28 He had compassion. 32:30 He looked, it says, 32:31 when he saw him, 32:33 that's the same word in Greek as the Levite. 32:36 So they looked the same, but the Samaritan acted. 32:40 He was moved with compassion for this person. 32:43 Then he gave him care. 32:44 Verse 34, 32:46 "When he went to him, he bandaged his wounds, 32:48 pouring on oil and wine," 32:49 which would be like their medicine kit of that day. 32:52 "And he set him on his own animal, 32:54 brought him to an inn and took care of him." 32:56 So probably, 32:57 if you put the man on the animal, 32:58 he probably walked, 33:00 so that the man could ride his animal. 33:02 And then we look at the cost. 33:04 Verse 35, "On the next day, when he departed, 33:06 he took out two denarii, 33:08 and gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, 33:11 'Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, 33:13 when I come again, I will repay you.'" 33:15 Two denarii is probably two days wages. 33:18 But he didn't just give him two days wages, 33:19 he gave him an open ended invitation. 33:23 He was willing to be vulnerable. 33:24 I'm willing to pay whatever it takes, 33:27 so that this man can be taken care of. 33:30 The lesson. 33:32 Verses 36-37, 33:33 "So which of these three 33:35 do you think was neighbor to him 33:36 who fell among the thieves?' 33:38 And he said, 'He who showed mercy on him.' 33:42 Then Jesus said, 'Go and do likewise.'" 33:44 You notice the lawyer couldn't even bring himself 33:46 to answer the question. 33:48 He didn't say, "Oh, it was some Samaritan." 33:49 He said, "Oh, he who showed mercy on him." 33:53 The lawyer asked, "Who is my neighbor? 33:55 Who do I have to love? 33:57 And how much do I have to love?" 33:59 Jesus flipped the question on his head you could say. 34:03 Love asks, "What can I do to help?" 34:06 Finally the attitude. 34:07 The attitude of the robbers is what's yours is mine, 34:10 and I'm going to take it. 34:12 The attitude of the priests and Levites 34:14 is what's mine is mine, and I'm going to keep it. 34:18 The attitude of the Samaritan is what's mine is yours, 34:21 and I'm going to share it. 34:23 Amen. Wow! 34:24 Praise the Lord! 34:25 Wednesday's lesson, "The Rich Man and Lazarus." 34:30 This is one of those parables that we often, 34:33 we use to explain 34:37 or to try to get around 34:39 the false concept of hellfire 34:41 and brimstone for, you know, all eternity 34:44 and whether you're Adventist or non-Adventist, 34:46 this seems to be the mentality 34:48 we take when we're reading this particular parable, 34:50 we focus more on the aspects of the judgment 34:53 that the rich man has to endure as, you know, 34:56 versus in contrast to that of Lazarus. 35:00 But actually, 35:01 when Christ told this particular parable, 35:03 He had a different intent in mind. 35:04 It wasn't His purpose to communicate 35:07 the truths regarding hellfire, or heaven, or the afterlife 35:10 when He was presenting this particular parable. 35:12 So we'll come back to some of those points 35:14 in just a moment. 35:15 But I want us to go to Luke Chapter 16. 35:18 Lots to be said, 35:20 and as I want to just jump right into it. 35:21 Luke Chapter 16, 35:23 we're going to begin with verse 19. 35:24 We're just going to introduce this parable 35:27 of the Rich Man and Lazarus. 35:28 Now, I want to just say up front, 35:30 I've had many people challenge me 35:31 over the years, they say, 35:33 "How do you know it's a parable?" 35:34 Because many people in the outside 35:36 of the Adventist sectors, 35:38 I guess the non-Adventist sectors, 35:40 they believe that this is a real true story. 35:43 And as we read through this particular parable, 35:46 if you were to apply 35:47 literal applications and interpretation 35:50 to every single aspect of this story, 35:54 you will see just how insane you must be to think 35:57 that this particular story is a literal story. 36:00 And I don't mean that 36:01 in a disrespectful or critical sense, 36:03 but just simply, 36:05 you will see that by the wording 36:06 and the details of this particular parable, 36:08 that it is indeed a parable. 36:10 I'm going to begin in Luke 16:19. 36:13 The Bible says, "There was a certain rich man 36:17 who was clothed in purple and fine linen 36:20 and fared sumptuously every day. 36:24 But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, 36:28 who was laid at his gate, 36:31 desiring to be fed with the crumbs 36:33 which fell from the rich man's table. 36:36 Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores." 36:40 So we kind of have an idea that 36:41 this is a parable type story that Jesus is telling, 36:45 just by simply how He introduces it to us. 36:47 "There was a certain rich man," 36:49 Jesus would often use this type of language. 36:51 But then He introduces the two main characters 36:54 of this particular parable, 36:55 one that He just calls the rich man 36:57 and then another one, 36:58 He gives an actual name to Lazarus, 37:00 which is very interesting. 37:01 We might get to that in just a moment, 37:02 as to why Jesus might have used the name Lazarus. 37:05 But in the absence of social welfare, 37:09 and then lesson brings this out, 37:11 in the absence of social welfare 37:13 community hospitals, or soup kitchens, 37:17 it was a common practice for those in need, disabled 37:21 or otherwise disadvantaged, 37:24 to beg outside the homes of the wealthy. 37:26 This is a common historical thing 37:28 that you find in many civilizations 37:31 in the older days. 37:32 It was expected that the rich would be generous 37:35 in sharing a little of their wealth 37:38 to alleviate the suffering. 37:40 And of course, Christ's Object Lessons, 37:43 page 261 confirms this by saying, 37:46 "The rich man was selfishly indifferent 37:50 to the needs of his suffering brother." 37:53 And so now we're kind of getting 37:54 into the core purpose of why Christ 37:57 is communicating this particular parable. 38:00 Because again, if you read before this, 38:02 the Pharisees and the teachers of Israel 38:05 have approached Jesus, 38:06 and they've presented this concept, 38:08 this idea many times to Him, 38:10 not just in this aspect, many times, 38:12 throughout the gospels, 38:14 we find where they're challenging Jesus. 38:15 And they almost have this sense of, you know, entitlement, 38:18 like, "We're the Jews," you know, 38:20 "We get special treatment. 38:21 We're of a higher class. 38:22 We're of a higher race. We're special." 38:25 And indeed, we have scriptures, of course, 38:27 that Great Covenant in Exodus Chapter 19, 38:29 where, you know, God communicates to Israel, 38:31 that He wanted them to be His special people 38:33 on the condition that they would obey His voice 38:36 and keep His covenant. 38:37 These people were indeed not obeying His voice 38:39 and keeping His covenant. 38:41 So Jesus has kind of flip the story around 38:43 to particularly minister to them of the wrong concept 38:47 of the social prejudices of the day. 38:50 And we'll just go on 38:52 and continue to read some of the details 38:54 of this particular parable. 38:56 Notice verse 22 and onward, it says, 38:57 "So it was that the beggar died, 38:59 and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom." 39:03 So automatically, we're starting to get some language 39:05 and if we were to apply this literally 39:07 as a real story, 39:08 notice how Christ is clearly using figurative language 39:11 to describe, you know, a righteous man in this case, 39:14 Lazarus going to the kingdom of God. 39:15 He described it as Abraham's bosom. 39:17 And so we know that not all of the righteous 39:20 are going to fit into Abraham's bosom, 39:22 that would just be a little corny to believe that. 39:27 But we know there's some figurative language used here. 39:29 He goes on to say, 39:31 "The rich man also died and was buried. 39:33 And being in torments in Hades," okay? 39:36 "He lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, 39:39 and Lazarus in his bosom." 39:41 Verse 24, "Then he cried and said, 39:43 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, 39:45 and send Lazarus that he may dip," notice this, 39:47 "the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, 39:51 for I am tormented in this flame.'" 39:53 So we know automatically, 39:55 the very language of this particular sentence here 39:57 confirms to us, this must be a figurative short story 40:01 that Christ is telling to teach a moral lesson. 40:03 Because again, if you were inflamed, 40:05 that a little tiny drop of water 40:08 on the end of your tongue 40:09 is not going to soothe your soul 40:10 or soothe your torments, 40:12 if that was the case. 40:13 So Christ is speaking in symbolic language here. 40:16 Verse 26, says, "And besides all this between us," 40:20 excuse me, I missed verse here, did I? 40:22 Yes, 25. Verse 25. 40:24 Verse 25, here we go. 40:25 "But Abraham said, 40:26 'Son, remember that in your lifetime 40:28 you received good things," 40:29 So notice here, 40:30 here comes that social indifference here, 40:32 "you received good things 40:33 and likewise Lazarus evil things. 40:35 But now he is comforted and you are tormented.'" 40:37 So Christ has actually flipped the stake here. 40:39 Because again, 40:41 from this fairy cynical concept of the afterlife, 40:45 and the blessings of life, 40:46 if you were rich, you were blessed by God, 40:48 if you were poor, you were cursed. 40:50 So now Christ has flipped the picture. 40:52 We go on and read in verse 26. 40:54 "And besides all this, between us and you 40:55 there is a great gulf fixed, 40:57 so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, 41:00 nor can those who pass from there to us.' 41:03 Then he said, 'I beg you therefore, Father, 41:05 that you would send him to my father's house, 41:07 for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, 41:11 lest they come to this place of torment.'" 41:13 And then notice this, "Abraham said to him, 41:15 'They have Moses and the prophets, 41:17 let them hear them.' 41:20 And he said," notice his response here, 41:23 "No." 41:25 No, he doesn't just say that. 41:26 But the first word out of his mouth in response is, 41:29 "No, Father Abraham, 41:30 but if one goes to them 41:32 from the dead, they will repent.' 41:34 But he said to him, 41:35 'If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, 41:36 neither will they be persuaded 41:38 though one rise from the dead.'" 41:40 So we read this particular parable, 41:41 and it teaches us that 41:43 just because you are rich and wealthy, 41:45 that doesn't mean you have an automatic right into heaven, 41:48 because of the blessings of your riches. 41:51 Okay, we know that, you know, 41:52 God does bless His people abundantly in many ways. 41:55 But that does not necessarily mean 41:56 that you are in favor with God. 41:58 In fact, we should be reminded of the words of Christ 42:01 in Matthew 19:23-24, 42:04 where He says, "Assuredly, I say to you, 42:06 that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 42:09 And again, I say to you, it is easier for a camel 42:11 to go through the eye of a needle 42:13 than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." 42:16 It's not that Christ was saying 42:17 that it's impossible for a rich man 42:19 to make it into the kingdom of God, 42:20 but very, very unlikely 42:22 given the fact that, of course, associated with 42:25 the different pressures of society 42:26 and the different things that take place. 42:28 Again, many people, 42:30 when they're seeking and searching for riches, 42:32 they do it at the expense of their salvation. 42:34 And we're seeing Christ calling this out. 42:36 This parable also testifies to Christ's understanding 42:39 of the prejudices of the day. 42:41 You know, I read this parable, 42:42 and I see, now Lazarus was would have probably 42:45 been likened unto that, you know, 42:47 that Samaritan or those Gentiles, you know, 42:49 'cause Israel looked at them in a very negative light. 42:52 And of course, the rich man here, the Jew, 42:54 that special people, but Christ is clarifying 42:57 and making a special point here. 42:59 Also want to encourage you to go read Luke 12:13-21. 43:03 We don't have time for that. 43:05 But if you also read that, 43:06 it's the Parable of the Rich Fool, 43:08 who again, Christ tells the story 43:10 about how he yielded plenty in his crops and in his farm, 43:14 but he tears down his old barns and builds new and he says, 43:16 "I'm going to build greater and I'm going to, you know, 43:19 create more and more and more 43:20 and build up more and more for myself." 43:22 But Christ rebukes him, 43:23 He says, "I will say to you, 43:28 'Soul, you have many goods laid out for many years, 43:32 take your ease, eat, drink, and be merry.' 43:34 But God says, 'Damn fool! 43:35 This night your soul will be required of you, 43:38 then whose will those things be which you have provided for." 43:42 You know, I think of Jesus' words 43:45 in Matthew Chapter 6. 43:48 When I read these particular parables, 43:49 Christ is trying to communicate to us 43:51 that we should all thinking in a sense of equality, 43:55 that we should meet the needs 43:56 of our brothers and our sisters in need. 43:58 Not searching after the things of the world. 44:00 Jesus said, "Do not lay up for yourselves 44:02 treasures on earth." 44:03 This is Matthew 6:19. 44:05 "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth." 44:07 This old world is passing away everything 44:09 and it's going to burn, 44:11 we should be seeking first in the kingdom of God. 44:13 That's what He says in verse 33. 44:14 "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, 44:18 and all these things shall be added to you." 44:21 Seek Jesus, and Jesus will make all things better. 44:25 All things will be right. Amen. 44:27 Amen. Praise the Lord! 44:29 Oh, that's good. 44:30 I have Thursday's lessons, and the title of it, 44:33 the title of it I guest of our whole week here, 44:35 "The Least of These." 44:37 And I was really blessed by it. 44:39 And I think it changed my thinking 44:42 and in my heart and things that I know 44:45 that I think I should be doing 44:47 that sometime I've neglected to do. 44:49 So that's what a lesson I think is for us when we read it, 44:53 that there's a reformation to follow. 44:55 So we're not just reading and trying 44:56 to get a hold, you know, a certain point, 44:58 but we're wanting to change our hearts in our lives. 45:00 So take the name of Jesus, we're talking about 45:03 if a person takes the name of Christ, 45:05 to me, that's a heavy responsibility. 45:07 To say, I'm a Christian, I'm Christlike. 45:10 There's a lot of responsibility with that. 45:12 And if we do it lightly, sometime, 45:15 we'll find that there's no power in the life, 45:17 there's no meaning in the life, 45:19 there's no action going on. 45:21 And as a Christian, 45:22 we need all of those things going on in our life. 45:25 And, of course, when Jesus walked this earth, 45:27 He was asked questions after question 45:29 after question, all the time. 45:30 I like the way He answered. He took up the challenge. 45:32 I kind of like that. 45:34 You know, the Bible study sometime is like a challenge. 45:35 There are the people in challenge. 45:36 And so Jesus always took it up. 45:38 And they were always asking about 45:39 when He's going to come again, 45:41 what's going to happen 45:42 in prophecy and different things. 45:43 And I thought 45:45 it's very interesting in this part, 45:46 The Least of These, what Jesus really constitutes, 45:48 it's more than us realize or wanting to know 45:51 the day and the hour when Jesus comes 45:53 when no man could know that. 45:55 But we can know it's near, even at the door. 45:58 But it's interesting how Jesus went over that, 46:00 but He really begin to hit on the things 46:02 that was very, very important. 46:04 Maybe most important, 46:06 is how to be ready for His coming. 46:09 And so He did it in a way, 46:11 talked about there in Matthew 24:25. 46:14 I'm going to go over like six points Jesus makes. 46:17 When He goes over and details disciples, 46:19 they asked question, 46:21 He tells and then He talks to them about that. 46:23 Then He gets into, I want to call maybe some meat. 46:26 The meat of the word when He talks about here, 46:28 for instance, Matthew 24:23. 46:31 Now remember, He's concluding the talk already, 46:34 but now He's coming back and say, 46:35 "Yeah, now you know the answers to this." 46:36 But how is your life? 46:40 Is it more important to prepare 46:41 and be ready for the coming of Jesus 46:43 or is it more important 46:44 to know everything in Scripture? 46:46 It's just the thought. Here's what Jesus said. 46:48 So He opened it up with a parable of 46:51 in Matthew 24:32, 46:53 The Parable of the Fig Tree. 46:55 And so we know about the Parable of the Fig Tree. 46:57 What is He doing? 46:58 He's going back and saying, "Yeah, but are you ready? 47:00 You want to know when I'm going to come, 47:01 but are you ready for Me to come?" 47:03 And so He answers the question, but I thought... 47:06 It says the open sinner is less guilty. 47:10 Think about, the open sinner 47:11 is less guilty than the professed Christian, 47:15 notice this, who bears no fruit. 47:19 If you're looking to tree, 47:21 now you think about that's pretty heavy duty. 47:23 Then He goes on, and He goes on with Matthew 24. 47:26 Each one of those you can spend a lot of time. 47:28 Matthew 24:37, 47:29 then Jesus goes in right quick, and He says, 47:31 "As it was in the days of Noah." 47:34 Wow! What is He doing? 47:35 He just talked about the destruction of Jerusalem, 47:38 He's talking about the signs of Second Coming 47:39 and all the things that would go on. 47:41 But then He comes right back, and He says, 47:42 "As it was in the days of Noah." 47:44 He's letting us, no, man, as a word it's going to be 47:47 is coming of Jesus. 47:48 That's two. 47:50 Number three, Matthew 25:1, 47:53 He says, "The kingdom of heaven is like ten virgins." 47:57 You know, there's a wise and then there's a foolish. 47:59 Man, what a lesson in that! 48:01 Was He going back? 48:02 Are you ready? Are you ready? 48:04 You're wanting to know the answer to this, 48:05 you want to know the answer, 48:07 but are you ready to meet Me when I come? 48:09 Matthew 25:13, number four, He says, 48:12 "I want you to watch and of course, to pray, 48:15 because you know not the day or the hour." 48:18 It may come, we're not ready for the coming of Jesus. 48:21 You think you are but no man knows the day or the hour, 48:23 but you need to be watching, you need to be praying. 48:25 Number five, Matthew 25:14, 48:29 talks about the Parable of the Talents, 48:31 the five, the two and the one. 48:33 Jesus is saying here, 48:35 "I've given you these gifts, are you using them 48:37 for My honor, and for My glory? 48:38 Are you doing? 48:40 And when I come, is there going to be 48:41 some interest in on these things? 48:43 Now remember, He's talking about those 48:44 that's going to inherit the kingdom. 48:46 It's not that all knowledge, 48:47 it's all I've memorized the Bible, 48:48 I know every text there is to know, 48:50 I can never cover every subject. 48:51 He said, "Are you using those gifts 48:54 that I've given to you? 48:56 Are you ready? Are you watching? 48:58 Are you ready?" 48:59 You realize in the days of Noah. 49:01 And then He goes on... 49:03 See number six, Matthew 25:31-33. 49:08 He goes about the sheep and the goats. 49:11 Think about that for just a moment. 49:12 I thought that's interesting, sheep and the goats. 49:15 Jesus separates the sheep from the goats. 49:19 There's certainly a reason for that. 49:21 He said, sheep going, what? 49:23 The right hand and the goats will go on the left. 49:27 So He's separating here 49:28 because He's talking about the sheep on the right hand 49:31 will inherit the kingdom. 49:32 Well, that's where I want to be. 49:34 That's where you want to be. 49:36 That's where we all want to be. 49:37 But we have to realize 49:38 we're going to have to follow God's plan 49:40 in order to be the sheep on the right hand. 49:42 And He makes it very clear. 49:44 Oh, you may have all these gifts, 49:45 you may have all these building, 49:47 you may do all these things right here, 49:48 but have you done the things 49:49 that I've asked you to do as a Christian? 49:51 And then He gives six more things 49:53 I think is very, very important for us to look at. 49:55 Now notice these six things 49:58 cover the physical and the spiritual. 50:02 Jesus was always good about getting the physical, wasn't, 50:04 and then He give you some spiritual. 50:05 Man, He just did such a wonderful way 50:07 and we can learn from that. 50:08 We should, I think take that to heart. 50:09 Here's what He does, quickly. 50:11 He said, first of all, 50:12 those are going to inherit the kingdom... 50:14 He looked at me and said, 50:15 "Kenny, have you fed the hungry?" 50:16 "Well, but, Lord, I've been giving Bible study. 50:18 Man, I've been out doing ministry. 50:19 I've been holding evangelistic series. 50:20 I've been," you see, some time... 50:23 And He said, "Kenny, have you fed the hungry?" 50:26 And I thought, "Man, fed the hungry?" 50:30 How many of us have really done that? 50:33 Then He says... 50:34 Again, it could be meat in due season, 50:36 He talk about physical and spiritual. 50:37 Are we getting the word? 50:38 Are we getting the physical food 50:40 when they need it? 50:41 Number two, he said, 50:43 "Have you given water to the thirsty?" 50:45 And I thought, 50:46 "Man, this sounds pretty simple." 50:48 Physical and spiritual, and you think about it. 50:51 He says, "The water that you will drink, 50:53 if you drink the right water, you'll thirst no more." 50:55 And then there's time people are really thirsty. 50:57 They have no good water to drink. 50:58 Are we trying to meet that need? 51:00 Number three. 51:01 Jesus said, "Kenny, I was a stranger." 51:04 Notice this. 51:05 "And yet," what? 51:07 You took me and this is what He's saying. 51:08 Have you took in the stranger that needs something? 51:10 You think about the guys passing by, 51:12 the guy's laying drunk or with drugs 51:14 on the side of the road, 51:16 are we really interested in that? 51:17 I passed him up a lot of times, 51:19 I'll be honest, and also get down to him. 51:22 Jesus said, "You want to make the heaven, 51:24 have you pass these people by?" 51:27 I was a stranger and you took me in. 51:30 I mean, we might have been alone 51:31 without any hope. 51:32 And He said, I was naked. 51:36 Number four, "I was naked and you clothed me." 51:39 Think about this. 51:41 "I gave you a robe of righteousness." 51:43 He offers to us His robe of righteousness. 51:45 We have no clothes. 51:47 Have you seen those who have no clothes? 51:48 Are we willing to help them and to go do those things? 51:51 Or is it kind of out of our ways 51:53 that we're out of our line of work? 51:55 Are we too busy doing other things? 51:56 He's saying, "These are My sheep. 51:58 They hear My voice and they do these things, 52:00 they will inherit My kingdom." 52:03 So sometime I think I have maybe priorities 52:05 maybe in the wrong spot, 52:06 and I need to have those things corrected. 52:08 Because we can be doing both, you know, 52:11 getting the message out and doing what God asked to do. 52:13 But we have to be doing these things here. 52:15 Number five, He said, 52:16 "I was sick, and you visited me." 52:19 You know, that's a ministry himself 52:21 to visiting the sick. 52:22 You know, this sick and well, 52:24 so many times get physical and spiritual again, 52:26 sick and in sin. 52:28 And Jesus comes to heal that. 52:30 And we were sick physically, and He's a great healer 52:32 has been brought out here in our lessons. 52:34 Number six, He said, 52:35 "I was in prison and you did," what? 52:38 "I was in prison and you visited me." 52:40 Think about it. 52:41 You see what, prison house of sin. 52:42 Naturally we're talking about gaining the victory over sin 52:44 through the righteousness and the blood of Jesus Christ. 52:47 Again, you visit to me physically and spiritually. 52:50 The goats, He said, get on the left over there 52:52 because the goats, He said, Jesus said, 52:55 "That entered to everlasting fire 52:57 prepared for the devil and his angels," 52:59 in Matthew 25:40, for one, I believe it is. 53:02 The difference in the sheep and a goat, 53:04 you may think you're a sheep today, 53:05 but you may just be a big old goat. 53:08 You know, I'm going to challenge myself, 53:09 and I'm gonna challenge those out here 53:11 because we have to really look at it. 53:12 Because a lot of times I'm talking about myself, 53:14 because when you're in ministry, 53:16 and you're doing all the time, 53:17 it seems like for others, 53:19 we forget to do these things that Jesus said. 53:21 These are the ones going to inherit eternal life. 53:23 We can't forget these things. 53:25 And He said, the difference in sheep and goat, what is it? 53:28 The sheep hear His voice and do what? 53:30 And they follow. 53:32 And the goats, 53:33 they're always going and saying what? 53:36 I would do it, but, did anybody get it? 53:39 Goats are doing what? But. 53:42 It's but, that's all they did. 53:43 They're going to do it. 53:45 But it's just, but, and that's what they do. 53:47 Jesus said in Matthew 25:40, quickly, 53:50 "Inasmuch as you have done it in to," what? 53:51 Least of these. 53:53 "The least of these, 53:54 My brethren you have done it unto Me." 53:57 Desire of Ages, 638, read quickly here. 53:58 Notice this. 53:59 This is just so beautiful, 54:01 brought tears my eyes when I wrote it down. 54:02 "How surprised and how gladden 54:04 will be the lowly among the nations 54:07 and among the heathen, 54:08 to whom from the lips of the Savior, 54:11 'Inasmuch as ye have done it 54:12 unto one of the least of these My brethren, 54:13 ye have done it unto me!'" 54:15 Matthew 24. 54:16 "How glad will be the heart of the Infinite Love 54:19 as His followers look upon with surprise and joy 54:23 at the words of the approved. 54:25 Not to any, Christ," notice this, 54:27 "class is Christ's love restricted. 54:30 He identifies Himself with every child of humanity." 54:33 Amen. God, thank you. 54:35 You know, it occurred to me 54:36 as we've been going through these lessons 54:38 that some of the things we're talking about, 54:41 we actually don't spend that much time preaching on. 54:43 And there's so much in the Bible 54:46 about the poor and the oppressed 54:48 and reaching out and ministering to others. 54:51 Because that's how we develop the divine nature 54:54 of unselfish love of God's. 54:57 He actually pours His love into our heart 54:59 which enables us to do that. 55:01 Quick comment. 55:03 Overcoming evil with good gives us an assurance 55:07 that not overcoming evil will never give us. 55:11 You know, when Jesus tackled evil, 55:14 the Bible says, 55:15 "Therefore, if the Son makes you free, 55:17 you shall free indeed." 55:19 So don't battle the evil yourself, 55:22 et Jesus battle it, and you will really be freed. 55:25 Amen. 55:26 This has been an incredible study, 55:28 each one of the lessons but I think in particular, 55:30 this lesson really spoke to my heart. 55:32 And I was just reminded, who am I? 55:35 Am I the Good Samaritan? 55:37 Or God forbid, am I a priest or a Levite 55:41 in that case or I mean, 55:42 in that situation passing by? 55:44 So we just come to God and say, 55:46 "Search me, O God, and know my heart 55:48 and try me and know my thoughts reveal to me. 55:51 That's my prayer, reveal to me my heart. 55:54 Amen. 55:56 You know, reflecting on my particular day, 55:58 the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, 56:01 I see that the rich man could not see his need 56:04 to serve his brother, Lazarus, 56:07 because of his own selfish chase 56:09 of the things of the world and the riches of it. 56:13 We live in a world today 56:15 where people are really striving 56:17 to get more and more and more and more and more. 56:20 You know, they can't get enough, 56:21 you know, we got to have more and more. 56:23 But, you know, truthfully, the Bible tells us here 56:25 and these are the words of Christ 56:26 on the Sermon on the Mount, 56:29 Matthew 6:21-24, it says, 56:31 "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 56:35 No one can serve two masters 56:37 for either he will hate the one and love the other, 56:40 or else he will be loyal to the one 56:43 and despise the other. 56:44 You cannot serve God and mammon." 56:47 Amen. Very good. 56:48 So the question comes to me is, who is my neighbor. 56:50 That who is my neighbor. 56:52 It's not just the one who lives next door, 56:53 is not the one that we go to church with, 56:55 and my brothers and my sister, 56:57 for our neighbor is, every person we come in contact 57:00 that needs our help, 57:02 and every person who is wounded and has been hurt by the enemy. 57:06 Who is my neighbor? Everyone. 57:08 Amen and amen. That's good. 57:10 You know, I'm just thinking that 57:12 in the Sermon on the Mount, 57:14 in Matthew Chapter 5, 57:15 Jesus said that, He says, 57:18 "You are the salt of the earth." 57:19 Then He goes on, He says, "You are the light there." 57:23 And you know, salt preserves, salt adds flavor, 57:28 salt is something very important. 57:31 And light pushes back darkness. 57:35 I mean, darkness cannot exist when there is light, right? 57:39 So I think that Jesus is telling us 57:41 through all of these three chapters 57:44 of the Sermon on the Mount, 57:45 this collection of teachings, 57:48 He's just saying, "Hey, I'm going to use you. 57:52 And I will empower you 57:54 to influence and improve the lives of others." 57:59 Because that's what the kingdom of God 58:01 is really all about. 58:03 Join us next time, till then bye-bye. |
Revised 2019-08-22