Participants:
Series Code: SSP
Program Code: SSP190037A
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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 00:10 the implanted Word, 00:11 which is able to save your souls. 00:14 And to be diligent 00:15 to present yourself approved to God, 00:18 rightly dividing the Word of truth." 00:20 Join us now 00:22 for the 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 00:25 Our study today is, "The Least of These." 00:32 Hello, and welcome again to another edition 00:34 of 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 00:37 Such a blessing to have you again 00:38 each and every one of you joining us 00:40 each and every week for these incredible studies. 00:43 We are approaching the finish line 00:45 of this powerful series of studies entitled 00:48 "The Least of These." 00:50 And we're going to have 00:51 another great incredible time of study today. 00:55 And I have an incredible panel here with me today. 00:58 I wanna go ahead and introduce each and every one of them. 01:00 I have Miss Jill Morikone. How are you doing? 01:02 I'm doing well, 01:04 privilege to learn and to study with each one of you. 01:06 You got those list ready? 01:08 I think I do have a list today. 01:10 Wonderful. 01:11 And, Pastor John Lomacang, 01:13 it's always good to have you, Brother. 01:14 It's incredible in your own words to be here. 01:16 Amen. That's right. 01:17 It's always feel like I'm drinking 01:19 from a fire hydrant when you speak. 01:20 So I appreciate your insight, Brother. 01:22 To God be the glory. Amen. 01:23 And then, of course, Miss Shelley Quinn, 01:25 it's a blessing to have you always. 01:27 Well, we are just excited 01:28 to have this opportunity to study together, 01:31 but also to study with those of you at home. 01:34 Wonderful. Praise the Lord. 01:36 And last but not least, Pastor Kenny Shelton. 01:39 Always good to be here. 01:40 Love to study the Word with our folks at home 01:43 and each one of you here 01:44 it's always a blessing, always learned something. 01:45 Amen. Amen. 01:47 I learned from each and every one of you. 01:48 There's so much wisdom on this panel. 01:50 And you know what, 01:51 if you want to continue to study with this, 01:52 you may not have a copy of this lesson. 01:54 It's still not too late. 01:56 You can go online and access it for free 01:58 at ABSG.Adventist.org, 02:02 that stands for Adult Bible Study Guide, 02:05 and you can go right on there 02:06 and access it for free or, 02:08 of course, we always encourage you 02:09 to go find your local Seventh-day Adventist Church, 02:12 and study with a small group because that always helps. 02:14 That always helps me to hear from different people 02:16 and to experience the insight and wisdom of others. 02:21 Living the Advent Hope, 02:24 this is lesson number 11 I believe. 02:27 Lesson number 11, Living the Advent Hope. 02:30 And, of course, 02:31 before we dive deep into this study, 02:33 we want to ask the Lord to be with us 02:34 and to lead and guide us in this study. 02:36 And so, Pastor Kenny, I'm gonna ask you 02:38 if you would ask the blessing on this lesson. 02:40 Okay. Yes, let's pray. 02:42 Merciful Father in heaven, truly, we thank You 02:45 for Your love that You have for us. 02:46 Thank You for the promises 02:48 that You've left in Your Word for us. 02:50 We draw those promises and we claim them today 02:53 that we're gathered to study Your Word. 02:55 You've promised us the Holy Spirit 02:57 to lead, guide and direct in our hearts and lives 02:59 and lead us into all truth. 03:00 Pray for everyone at home 03:02 those who open up scripture right now 03:04 and they have their Bibles 03:05 and they're in a prayerful attitude 03:06 and pray to You'll bless the panel today 03:09 we pray gives heavenly wisdom. 03:11 We pray the angels of heaven 03:13 would love to dwell here with us. 03:14 We pray that the thoughts will come 03:16 to each of our hearts and our minds 03:17 that will help someone along the way 03:19 including ourself. 03:20 Just thank You, 03:21 invite the Holy Spirit now take possession of each of us, 03:23 we pray in Jesus' name. 03:25 Amen. Amen. 03:26 Amen. Praise the Lord. 03:28 Hope you have your Bibles, 03:29 your pens, your notes ready because we're gonna be visiting 03:32 much of the scripture today as always. 03:35 I wanna jump right into our memory texts 03:37 for this particular lesson. 03:38 It's found in 1 Corinthians 15:58, 03:43 and the Bible reads, 03:45 "Therefore, my beloved brethren, 03:47 be steadfast, immovable, 03:49 always abounding in the work of the Lord, 03:52 knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord." 03:56 And I certainly know 03:58 that we need that encouragement at times, 03:59 especially with this particular lesson 04:00 really spoke to me. 04:02 And as we get through this, 04:03 you'll see why I think many of us experience 04:06 the yearning of the return of Jesus. 04:08 The title of this lesson again is Living the Advent Hope. 04:11 And we're gonna talk briefly in a moment 04:13 what it means to be an Adventist. 04:14 And Adventist isn't just someone 04:16 who is necessarily a Seventh-day Adventist, 04:18 but if you're looking forward to the soon return of Jesus, 04:23 you are an Adventist, 04:24 and then we want to clarify that. 04:27 The lesson pulls out or brings out 04:29 that Jesus announced the kingdom of God 04:32 as a present reality that we can be a part of today. 04:38 And, of course, I'm referring to Sabbath afternoon's lesson, 04:41 which highlights the fact that He sent His disciples 04:44 to make the same announcement 04:45 and to enact the kingdom through preaching the gospel, 04:48 and by serving others that is by giving 04:51 as freely as they had received. 04:53 We can read about this in Matthew 10:5-8, 04:57 where Jesus says, 04:59 it says actually starts in verse 5 by saying, 05:01 "These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying, 05:04 'Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, 05:07 and do not enter a city of the Samaritans. 05:09 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 05:12 And as you go, preach, saying, 05:15 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' 05:20 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, 05:24 raise the dead, cast out demons." 05:27 And then, of course, He says, 05:28 "Freely you have received, so freely give." 05:31 And so I think we all can live up 05:32 to that standard we have received freely 05:35 and so now we are to follow that commission 05:37 and going and extending that loving message 05:39 that Christ has given to us. 05:41 However, we have to also know that Christ spoke of a kingdom 05:46 that was not necessarily an ordinary kingdom. 05:48 And we're told here in John 18:36, it says, 05:53 "Jesus answered and said, 05:54 'My kingdom is not of this world. 05:56 If My kingdom were of this world, 05:58 My servants would fight, 06:00 so that I should not be delivered to the Jews, 06:03 but now My kingdom is not from here.'" 06:05 So we know that the kingdom that Christ spoke of 06:07 is His kingdom, a heavenly kingdom, 06:09 a kingdom that He wanted to establish 06:11 and it was His original plan to establish here on earth 06:14 that we may live through that. 06:15 But, of course, we know 06:17 sin brought about a different kingdom, 06:18 a different reality, 06:20 but Christ wants to restore that 06:22 which He had set in the beginning, 06:24 by His incarnation, 06:26 ministry, death, and resurrection, 06:29 the kingdom of God was inaugurated. 06:31 But Jesus also look forward to the time 06:33 when His kingdom would fully replace 06:35 the kingdoms of this world. 06:38 And in God's reign, of course, 06:40 would be made complete through that. 06:42 And, you know, not only Jesus, 06:44 but also His people would long for the day to see Jesus return 06:48 and permanently establish His Kingdom here forever. 06:51 In fact, what we spoke of earlier, 06:53 that's exactly what Adventism is. 06:56 Adventism or someone who is an Adventist. 06:59 If someone who is looking forward 07:01 to the blessed hope of the return of Jesus Christ 07:03 and then, of course, you know, 07:04 I just wanna highlight and make that very clear. 07:06 You know, I'm a Seventh-day Adventist Christian 07:08 and when we get that name from 07:10 is obviously we uphold the seventh day of the week, 07:14 the seven day weekly cycle, 07:16 but we honor the Seventh-day Sabbath 07:18 as mentioned in the Bible hence seventh day 07:20 but, of course, Adventist if you are looking forward 07:23 to that blessed return of Christ, 07:25 you are an Adventist as well. 07:27 In Sunday's lesson 07:28 as we're getting closer to that here, 07:30 Sunday's lesson is a testimony towards the reality 07:32 that there has been and will continue to be 07:36 those who cry out, 07:37 "How long O Lord until You come." 07:40 And I have finally found myself often crying that 07:43 and pleading with the Lord, Lord, come How Long O Lord? 07:46 But we know God's plan is perfect, 07:48 His plan is sufficient. 07:49 And so let's move on to Sunday's lesson entitled 07:52 How Long, O Lord? 07:54 The Bible is full of examples of His people crying out 07:58 lamenting the reality of the oppression of this world 08:01 pleading for the Lord to answer. 08:04 A good example would be the angel of the Lord 08:07 crying out for those who were exiled in Babylon 08:10 and also comes to mind as those who were exiled in Egypt. 08:13 I can imagine them crying out for more than 400 years, 08:16 Lord, where are You God? 08:17 If we're Your people, why haven't You showed up? 08:19 Zechariah 1:12, 08:21 gives us an example of the angel of the Lord 08:24 crying on behalf of those 08:25 who were exiled in Babylon for 70 years. 08:27 It says in verse 12, 08:29 "Then the angel of the Lord answered and said, 08:30 'O Lord of hosts, 08:32 how long will You not have mercy on Jerusalem 08:35 and on the cities of Judah, 08:36 against which You were angry these seventy years?'" 08:41 And, of course, I often think of the Psalms as well 08:43 because the Psalms are also full of cries and concerns 08:46 about the apparent prosperity 08:48 and good fortunes of the wicked, 08:49 while the righteous are abused, exploited, of course, and poor. 08:54 Psalm 94:3-7 is a great example of this. 08:58 Notice what verses 3 and onward tell us, 09:00 "Lord, how long," there it is. 09:02 "How long will the wicked, 09:04 how long will the wicked triumph? 09:07 They utter speech, and speak insolent things, 09:10 all the workers of iniquity boast in themselves. 09:14 They break in pieces Your people, 09:16 O Lord, and afflict Your heritage. 09:19 They slay the widow and the stranger, 09:21 and murder the fatherless. 09:23 Yet they say, 'The Lord does not see, 09:25 nor does the God of Jacob understand.'" 09:28 And we know that in moments like this of harshness, 09:32 and we're experiencing times of adversity 09:35 and trial and tribulation. 09:37 Oftentimes, it's hard to look through 09:40 and see the ultimate plan of God, 09:42 but God does indeed have a plan. 09:44 You see, while we must trust 09:45 that God does indeed have a plan. 09:47 There is a sense of impatience on behalf of the righteous 09:51 who await an answer from God 09:53 that is sometimes met with silence. 09:56 I have experience the silence of God, 09:58 I'm sure every one of us on this panel in our life 10:01 and those at home had experience that silence. 10:04 And while we may not have a sufficient cause, 10:06 to doubt God's goodness, 10:08 we seem to always find harsh times 10:11 to inevitably doubt God's plan. 10:14 Habakkuk 1:2 expresses this. 10:18 Habakkuk 1:2 says, 10:20 "O Lord, how long shall I cry, and You will not hear? 10:26 Even cry out to You, 'Violence!' 10:29 And You will not save." 10:31 So often we find ourselves, 10:33 Lord, saying, Lord, where are You? 10:34 Yes. 10:36 Why are you not responding? 10:37 Especially now, you know, we want God to show up 10:39 and we want Him to show off at times 10:41 and be able to give Him the glory 10:42 for... 10:44 And He certainly does in moments 10:45 according to His plan, 10:47 but, you know, 10:48 we even find in Romans Chapter 8. 10:49 And I think, Jill, you brought this out 10:51 on a previous lesson, 10:52 even all creation is crying out and groaning 10:54 for the creator to return and make all things new. 10:58 And we read about that in Romans 8:19-22. 11:02 And I won't read all of those verses, 11:03 but if you go on to read verse 22, it says, 11:06 "For we know that the whole creation groans 11:10 and labors with birth pangs together until now." 11:13 Lord, oh, come God, 11:14 please show up and deliver Your people. 11:18 In Revelation, 11:19 we see this even in the last book of the Bible, 11:21 in Revelation, there is a cry taken up 11:23 on behalf of those martyred for their faith. 11:25 And we read about this in Revelation 6:9-10. 11:29 It says, "When He opened the fifth seal, 11:30 and saw under the altar 11:32 the souls of those 11:34 who had been slain for the Word of God 11:36 and for the testimony which they held. 11:38 They cried out with a loud voice, saying, 11:40 'O, How long, O Lord, holy and true, 11:43 until You judge and avenge our blood 11:45 on those who dwell on the earth?'" 11:48 Yeah. 11:49 So how long O Lord? 11:51 We want Him to show up. We want Him to deliver us. 11:54 But you know God has a perfect plan. 11:55 And as I said earlier, there may be times 11:58 that we may find sufficient reason 12:01 to doubt God's plan. 12:02 But, you know, we will never have sufficient cause 12:04 to doubt His goodness. 12:06 Amen. He has a perfect plan. 12:07 He says, "My ways are not your ways, 12:08 My thoughts are not your thoughts," 12:10 and just trust in My plan. 12:12 A parable that comes to my mind 12:15 in pertaining to this particular topic 12:16 is found in Luke 18:1-8. 12:20 And in closing, 12:21 I would like to just highlight a few portions of this. 12:22 This is the parable of the persistent widow. 12:26 And it speaks of how, 12:29 "There was a certain judge 12:31 who did not fear God nor regard man." 12:33 It says in verse 2. 12:35 "Now there was a widow in the city 12:36 and she came to him, saying, 12:38 'Get justice for me and from my adversary.'" 12:41 And he goes on to say in verse 4, 12:43 "And he would not for a while, 12:44 but afterward he said within himself, 12:46 'Though I do not fear God nor regard man, 12:48 yet because this widow," notice, 12:50 "troubles me I will avenge her, 12:52 lest by her continual coming she weary me.'" 12:55 This was a persistent woman. 12:57 And in other words, you know, 12:58 this is a great example of how we should be persistent 13:01 and crying out to the Lord and never lose faith 13:03 because He will deliver His people. 13:04 In fact, in closing verses 6 and onward, it says, 13:07 "Then the Lord said, 13:08 'Here what the unjust judge said. 13:12 And shall God not avenge His own elect 13:15 who cry out day and night to Him, 13:17 though He bears long with them? 13:20 I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. 13:23 Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, 13:25 He will really find faith.'" 13:27 Will He really find faith on the earth? 13:29 God is asking that question, 13:30 will He still find faith in His servants? 13:33 Be patient, my friends, 13:34 the Lord will deliver the godly in his lifetime. 13:37 Amen. Amen. 13:39 Thank you so much, Pastor Ryan. 13:40 That is the cry of every Christian. 13:42 Yes. How long, O Lord? 13:44 When are you going to rise up and even those scales 13:48 and so praise the Lord that is coming, that is coming. 13:52 I have Monday's 13:54 which is a Certain Kind of Hope. 13:56 Turn with me to Matthew Chapter 24 and 25. 13:59 We're gonna spend the balance of our time right there. 14:01 Matthew 24 and 25. 14:04 You know, in the gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, 14:06 there are several major discourses of Christ. 14:10 I think of the Sermon on the Mount, 14:11 Matthew 5-7 is one of them, 14:13 where we have an extended teaching written down 14:17 what Christ actually taught to the people, 14:19 we have quite a bit of healing, quite a bit of what took place, 14:22 but this is actually an extended discourse. 14:25 Matthew Chapter 13. 14:26 The entire chapter has quite a bit of parables, 14:30 teachings from Jesus, 14:31 there's a sower, and the wheat and the tears, 14:33 and the mustard seed, 14:35 the leaven, the hidden treasure, 14:37 many different parables within that passage. 14:39 Of course, there's John 13-17 14:41 which is one of my favorite passages 14:44 or discourses from Jesus there, 14:46 the upper room right after the foot washing 14:48 has taken place, 14:50 and then He gives His last counsel 14:53 to His beloved disciples. 14:55 But the discourse we are looking at 14:57 is Matthew 24 and 25. 15:01 It's delivered right after Matthew 23. 15:03 And Matthew 23 is an incredible to use your word, Ryan, 15:06 an incredible scathing rebuke to the scribes and Pharisees. 15:11 There's a great deal of woes pronounced against them 15:15 for their hypocrisy and the false religion 15:17 that they cloaked themselves in. 15:20 And then we pick up with Matthew 24. 15:22 And the disciples asked Jesus three questions. 15:25 When will these things be? 15:27 What will be the sign of Your coming? 15:30 And of the end of the age? 15:33 And Jesus in His answer, in Matthew 24 and 25, 15:36 He kind of lumped the answers together. 15:39 Some of it dealt with the destruction 15:41 of Jerusalem in AD 70. 15:43 And some of it was with the second coming of Christ. 15:46 And we use this passage many times 15:49 to teach the signs of the second coming of Christ 15:51 to teach the importance of it, in the nearness of it, 15:54 but what I'm looking at this lesson 15:57 is from a different perspective. 15:59 This is nine keys 16:01 for how we are to live 16:03 in expectation of the second coming. 16:06 So how are we as brothers and sisters 16:08 as Christians in these last days 16:10 to live as we eagerly look forward 16:13 to the second coming of Jesus? 16:15 That's right. 16:16 Number one, and all of these keys are taken 16:18 from Matthew 24 and 25. 16:20 Now there's many more keys on how we can get ready 16:22 for the second coming and live in expectation, 16:24 but I wanted to pull up specifically 16:26 just for those two chapters. 16:28 Number one, beware of deception. 16:31 Matthew 24:4-5. 16:34 "And Jesus answered and said to them, 16:35 'Take heed that no one deceives you. 16:38 For many will come in My name, saying, 'I'm the Christ,' 16:41 and will deceive many." 16:43 Jesus is warning His disciples 16:45 and that's you and I at the end of time, 16:47 beware of deception 16:49 there will be exceeding deception 16:51 especially at the end of time. 16:53 Matthew 24:24, 16:55 "For false christs and false prophets will arise 16:58 and show great signs and wonders to deceive, 17:00 if possible, even the very elect." 17:04 So what is our solution? 17:06 If we're to be aware of deception, 17:07 I wanna know what I can do about it. 17:09 Study God's Word. Amen. 17:11 You only can identify a counterfeit 17:14 if you actually know what the truth is. 17:15 Amen. 17:17 We need to study what the truth is. 17:18 Amen. 17:20 Isaiah 8:20, compare everything, 17:21 "To the law and to the testimony! 17:23 If they speak not according to this word, 17:25 it's because there is no light in them." 17:29 Number two, be ready at any time. 17:33 Matthew 24:42-44. 17:36 "Watch therefore, for you do not know 17:39 what hour your Lord is coming." 17:42 Therefore you also be ready 17:43 for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. 17:47 And also Matthew 25:13. 17:49 "Watch therefore, 17:50 for you know neither the day nor the hour 17:52 in which the Son of Man is coming." 17:55 So how are we to be ready at any time? 17:57 Live in a state of readiness. 17:59 That's right. Amen. 18:00 I think about the children of Israel, 18:02 remember on the night of their deliverance, 18:04 eating the Passover meal 18:05 with their shoes and sandals on, why? 18:08 Because they are ready at anytime to be delivered. 18:12 So we are called to live every day 18:15 in eagerness and readiness and expectation 18:18 that Jesus could come today. 18:20 Amen. Or Jesus could come tomorrow. 18:22 Number three, 18:24 watch for the signs of His coming. 18:26 Matthew 24:32-33. 18:29 "Now learn this parable from the fig tree. 18:31 When its branch has already become tender 18:33 and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. 18:36 So you also, when you see all these things, 18:40 know that it is near at the door!" 18:43 That's right. 18:45 Watch for the signs of His coming. 18:48 And how do we watch for the signs of His coming? 18:51 Of course, study the Word of God. 18:52 But I think in a special way 18:54 we get to know the person we are waiting for. 18:57 That's good. 18:58 You know, you really know someone, 19:02 if you spend time with him. 19:04 I think about Greg, 19:05 when say we go to visit at someone's house, 19:08 and I can tell when he's ready to go. 19:10 And he doesn't even have to say, 19:12 All right, now, thanks for the dinner. 19:14 And, you know, we've had a great time. 19:15 He doesn't have to say that. 19:17 I can sense instantly. 19:19 Okay, he's about ready to say that, 19:21 or will be riding in the car, 19:23 and all of a sudden will say, you know, 19:25 I was thinking about and I'll say, 19:27 "How did you know I was thinking about that 19:28 at the same time?" 19:30 You begin to think about things at the same time, 19:32 you begin to notice why? 19:34 Because you spend time together. 19:36 That's right. 19:37 Know the person you are waiting for. 19:40 Number four, wait patiently, Matthew 24:13. 19:45 "He who endures to the end shall be saved." 19:50 The word for endure in Greek 19:52 means to persevere and to endure, 19:54 but literally it means remaining under the load. 19:59 Is it a load for us today 20:02 to wait for the second coming of Christ? 20:05 That's right. 20:06 Is it a load to live in this world of sin, 20:08 and sickness, and pain, and suffering, and death? 20:12 Is a load? Absolutely. 20:14 But the Bible says, if you remain under that load, 20:18 and you endure to the end, you shall be saved. 20:22 What is our solution as we remain under the load? 20:25 Look to the promise. 20:26 Hebrews 12:2, "Looking unto Jesus, 20:29 the author and finisher of our faith, 20:32 who for the joy that was set before Him 20:34 endured the cross, despising the shame, 20:37 and has sat down at the right hand 20:38 of the throne of God." 20:40 So how did He endured the cross, 20:41 the joy, the promise that was set before Him. 20:45 So as we endure under the load right now 20:48 living in these end times, 20:50 we are to look to the promise. 20:51 Amen. Jesus is coming again. 20:54 That's right. And He will deliver us. 20:56 Number five, remain busy in the master service. 21:00 Matthew 24:26, 21:02 "Blessed is the servant 21:03 whom his master, when he comes, 21:05 will find him so doing." 21:07 That's right. Keep at your work. 21:09 Remain at your work. 21:10 Luke 19:13. 21:12 "Occupy, He says, Until I come." 21:16 Moving quickly. Number six, evangelize. 21:21 As far as you can, as much as you can, 21:25 and as often as you can. 21:26 Matthew 24:14. 21:28 "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the world 21:31 as a witness to all nations, and then the end shall come." 21:36 We are called to evangelize 21:38 as we are waiting in eager expectation 21:41 for the soon return of Jesus, we are called to evangelize. 21:44 Number seven, be filled with the Holy Spirit. 21:48 Matthew 25, the beginning of it, 21:50 the first few verses talks about the parable 21:52 of the wise and the foolish virgins 21:54 waiting for the coming of the bridegroom, 21:57 and we know the difference between them 21:59 is that in verse 4, 22:01 the wise took the oil 22:02 in their vessels with their lamps 22:04 and the foolish took no oil with them. 22:08 The wise had that extra oil. 22:09 So we are to ask 22:11 for a daily baptism of the Holy Spirit. 22:14 Amen. 22:15 Every day as we're waiting eagerly 22:18 anticipating the soon return of Jesus 22:20 asked to be filled with the spirit. 22:23 You need your lamp filled up and overflowing. 22:26 Number eight, actively minister to the needs of others. 22:30 So during this waiting time, 22:32 we're called to minister to the needs of others, 22:35 the sheep and the goats. 22:36 We know that story Matthew 25:31-43, 45. 22:42 We're called to give the hungry food. 22:46 We're called to give the thirsty something to drink. 22:48 We're called to take the strangers in 22:51 and to clothe the naked 22:53 and to visit those who are sick and those who are in prison. 22:57 And number nine, finally, this is a don't, 23:01 we are not called to date set. 23:04 Matthew 24:36. 23:06 "But of that day, and hour nobody knows, 23:10 not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only." 23:13 That's right. 23:15 We come all the way full circle back to the solution 23:18 which is to study God's Word. 23:20 In 2 Timothy 2:15, 23:22 "Study to show yourself approved unto God, 23:25 a workman that needs not to be ashamed, 23:28 rightly dividing the word of truth." 23:30 So we know that Jesus is coming again. 23:34 And there are things that we can do as we wait 23:37 in eager anticipation of His soon return. 23:39 Amen. Amen. 23:41 Praise the Lord. 23:42 That's a very, very powerful lesson. 23:43 I appreciate that, Jill. Yes. 23:45 We're gonna take a short break 23:46 and we'll see you in just a moment. 23:53 Ever wish you could watch 23:54 a 3ABN Sabbath School Panel again, 23:56 or share it on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter? 23:59 Well, you can by visiting 3abnsabbathschoolpanel.com. 24:04 A clean design makes it easy 24:07 to find the program you're looking for. 24:09 There are also links to the Adult Bible Study Guide 24:12 so you can follow along. 24:14 Sharing is easy. 24:16 Just click share and choose your favorite social media. 24:19 Share a link, save a life for eternity. 24:25 Hello, and welcome back again 24:26 to the 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 24:28 We're going to send it over to Pastor John Lomacang 24:30 for Tuesday's lesson, Resurrection Hope. 24:34 Well, I'm excited about this one 24:35 because when I looked at it, I thought to myself, 24:38 "Do I really have to do this lesson?" 24:40 And I said, "Yes." 24:41 And praise the Lord for it. 24:43 You know, every time we approach a lesson 24:44 in the Bible, 24:46 whether it's a topic that we're familiar with 24:48 or topic that we're just being introduced to, 24:50 we always learn something. 24:52 If it's a topic we've heard before, 24:54 the Lord always brings out something, 24:55 it's like an artichoke, He peels back another leaf. 24:58 Yes. Amen. 24:59 And you'll never get to the heart of the matter 25:00 because it's such divine anointing on it. 25:04 There's always something more the Lord reveals. 25:06 This one, the Resurrection Hope. 25:08 When you read the lesson 25:09 and you understand the New Testament, 25:11 you'll find that the resurrection hope 25:12 was the key element of the Advent hope, 25:16 as Ryan pointed out, Advent, 25:18 those looking forward to the second coming of Christ, 25:20 as opposed to as compared to Seventh-day Adventist, 25:24 also keeping the Sabbath. 25:26 The New Testament Christians 25:28 were in fact Seventh-day Adventist 25:30 because they were keeping the Sabbath, 25:32 and they were looking forward to the second coming of Christ. 25:34 You find all through the Book of Acts, 25:36 the Sabbath was continually kept by the apostles, 25:39 by Paul the Apostle, 25:40 by Barnabas, by the Gentile converts, 25:44 by the Greeks. 25:46 You find all through the New Testament, 25:47 they were Seventh-day Adventist. 25:48 So let me encourage you. 25:50 A while we think the Advent hope 25:51 is our only focus. 25:53 Let's not ignore what the apostles did 25:55 after the ascension, 25:57 after the resurrection of Jesus, 25:59 the Sabbath was still in place. 26:01 And so therefore 26:02 it's not something disconnected. 26:04 And we say either or but it's both. 26:06 Just wanna make that point very clear. 26:08 The other thing is Acts 1:8. 26:10 I want to just lead into the resurrection on this note, 26:12 Acts 1:8. 26:14 Notice a passage that sometimes 26:16 we don't always get the full picture of it. 26:18 Right. 26:19 But Acts 1:8 says, "But you shall receive power 26:22 when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, 26:24 and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, 26:28 and in all Judea and Samaria, 26:30 and to the ends of the earth." 26:31 The question is witness of what? 26:34 It's good. Witness of what? 26:36 Well, look at Acts 2:38. 26:40 What you're gonna see 26:41 is the resurrection so fueled the disciples. 26:46 Now I wanna make a point here, not the crucifixion, 26:48 they were hiding because of the crucifixion. 26:51 The crucifixion didn't throw them at all. 26:53 They thought they were next on the list. 26:55 It was the resurrection that fueled them. 26:58 You couldn't, I mean, you could possibly say, 27:01 "Who is this God that we serve just got Himself killed?" 27:05 But you cannot deny His divinity in His power 27:07 when you see His tomb is empty. 27:08 That's right. That's right. 27:10 So when Peter and John saw the empty tomb, 27:13 they were fueled. 27:15 Peter and John saw, you find the apostles now, 27:18 witnesses of what? 27:20 Acts 2:32. 27:22 Look at what they said, 27:23 "This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses." 27:28 So they are saying we thought He was dead, 27:30 but now we know for a fact He's alive. 27:32 And then He affirmed this, 27:34 as He was ascending and the angel said, 27:36 "This same Jesus who was taken up 27:38 from you to heaven, 27:39 shall so kind of like manner as you have seen Him go." 27:41 Can you imagine? Somebody says, "I'll be back." 27:45 You leave guys, we got some work to do. 27:48 And they were fueled, 27:49 they didn't care about anything. 27:51 And look at Acts 22:15. 27:55 This witness was not just witness to the gospel, 27:58 to the healings, to the miracles, 27:59 but to the witness of the fact that He rose. 28:03 That's what drove them. 28:04 It says, 28:06 "For you will be witnesses to all men 28:08 of what you have seen and heard." 28:11 Amen. 28:13 You saw me after the resurrection. 28:16 That's right. 28:17 So go do it and that alone, they were invincible. 28:21 That's why Peter said, 28:23 "We ought to obey God rather than man." 28:25 That's why nothing stopped them in their determination, 28:27 and nothing can quell them in pushing the gospel forward 28:30 because they had a fact of it. 28:32 So we're gonna look at the gospel today in seven ways, 28:34 the resurrection in seven ways. 28:35 For example, I'll start with John 5:28-29. 28:39 There's going to be a resurrection. 28:40 Death is not an alternate route to heaven. 28:42 Amen. That's right. 28:43 We got to stop perpetrating that lie in Christianity. 28:46 Death is not an alternate route. 28:48 I can tell you the amount of times I'm frustrated 28:50 when I hear a pastor say, "They're looking down on us." 28:52 Now, you can't find that in scripture. 28:54 That's a fairytale, that's a facade, 28:56 that's just a frank lie. 28:58 They are in the grave as Christ was in the grave, 29:01 and as Christ rose, so also shall they rise. 29:05 Jesus didn't go directly to heaven, 29:07 how could Christians die and go directly to heaven? 29:09 He spent time in the tomb. 29:11 So see at that, John 5:28-29. 29:14 "Do not marvel at this, for the hour is coming 29:16 in which all who are in the graves," 29:18 how many who are in the graves? 29:19 All. 29:21 "All who are in the graves 29:22 will hear His voice and come forth, 29:23 those who have done good, to the resurrection of life," 29:26 that's the first resurrection, "those who have done evil, 29:28 to the resurrection of condemnation." 29:30 In Revelation 20:5-6 says, 29:32 "Blessed are those 29:33 who have part in the first resurrection. 29:35 Over such the second death has no power." 29:37 Amen. 29:39 "But they shall be priests of God and of Christ, 29:40 and shall reign with Him a thousand years." 29:42 So the first resurrection is the resurrection of life. 29:45 But let's look at the resurrection 29:46 seven quick points. 29:47 Jill, you affected me. 29:49 I've to say that. 29:50 First of all, the fact of the resurrection, 29:56 1 Corinthians 15:3-4. 29:59 The Apostle Paul, 30:00 "For I delivered to you first of all 30:03 that which I also receive, 30:04 that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 30:08 and that He was buried, 30:09 and that He rose again the third day 30:12 according to the Scriptures." 30:13 That's the facts of the resurrection. 30:17 You cannot find a tomb in Jerusalem or anywhere 30:21 where Jesus' body is contained. 30:24 Secondly, the importance of the resurrection. 30:28 Look at verse 17, 30:30 the importance of the resurrection. 30:32 Here it is. 30:34 "And if Christ is not risen, 30:36 your faith is futile, you are still in your sins!" 30:40 Verse 18, "Then also those who have fallen asleep 30:43 in Christ have perished. 30:44 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, 30:47 we are of all men most pitiable." 30:49 Or like the King James Version, miserable. 30:51 "If Christ was not raised, we are miserable." 30:55 Third thing, the order of the resurrection. 30:58 1 Corinthians 15:22-23, 31:01 "For as in Adam all die, 31:02 even so in Christ all shall be made alive." 31:05 But get this. 31:06 "But each one in his own order, Christ the first fruits," 31:10 He's the first one to conquer death, 31:12 "afterward those who are Christ's," when? 31:15 "At His coming." 31:17 That's when we're going to conquer death 31:19 through the power of the resurrected Christ. 31:21 Death will be conquered permanently 31:23 at the second coming of Jesus. 31:26 Fourth thing, 31:27 the moral implication of the resurrection. 31:30 1 Corinthians 15:31. 31:33 You see Paul while addressing death in the future, 31:37 in death in the past, he said, 31:38 there's another point of death that we have to keep on. 31:41 Verse 31, "I affirm, by the boasting in you 31:45 which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily." 31:49 He says, "I know we're looking forward 31:50 to the future death." 31:52 But you got to die every day to benefit 31:54 from the future death. 31:56 You got to benefit from the future resurrection. 31:58 I die daily. When you die daily to self. 32:01 If you ever die, 32:03 you will come forth in the first resurrection. 32:05 So I die daily. 32:07 The other one is the physical implication 32:09 of the resurrection. 32:11 That is verse 49, 32:14 the physical implication. 32:16 "And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, 32:19 we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man." 32:23 Amen. That's a fact. 32:24 I'm not gonna always need contacts. 32:27 Thank you. 32:28 Glasses, wheelchairs, it's all temporary. 32:32 It's all paraphernalia that's not going with us. 32:35 It's not going to heaven. 32:36 There's going to be no drug stores, 32:38 no hospitals, no X-ray machines, 32:40 nobody going to the all night clinic in heaven. 32:43 Everything that we see down here is temporary. 32:45 As we have borne the image of the man with a dust, 32:49 you would just like Adam, 32:50 but you're gonna be just like Jesus, amen? 32:52 And let's see how. 32:54 Let's look next to the physical implication 32:56 of the resurrection. 32:58 Verse 51-52, "Behold, I tell you a mystery. 33:02 We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed." 33:06 By the way, I saw that on a mother's room once. 33:09 Ah, that's true. Think about that. 33:11 "We shall not all sleep, we shall all be changed." 33:15 I like that one. 33:16 Don't everybody put that on your mother's room now? 33:17 That's gonna be overthrown. 33:19 "We shall not all sleep, 33:20 but we shall all be changed, in a moment, 33:23 in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. 33:26 For the trumpet will sound, 33:28 and the dead will be raised incorruptible, 33:30 and we shall be changed." 33:32 There's no changed. 33:34 Here's the biggest reason, are you ready for it? 33:36 Grab on with out to you. 33:37 The reason why we cannot die and go straight to heaven 33:40 is because the change doesn't take place 33:42 until the second coming. 33:45 Job says in Job 14, 33:47 "All the days my appointed time 33:49 I will wait, till my change comes." 33:52 Amen. 33:53 He says, "I will hide in the grave 33:55 until your wrath is past. 33:57 Appoint me a set time 33:59 all the days of my appointed time, 34:00 I will wait till my change comes." 34:02 And lastly, 34:04 the permanent implication of the resurrection. 34:06 Verse 54. 34:08 "So when this corruptible has put on in corruption, 34:11 and this mortal has put on immortality, 34:14 then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written," 34:17 here it is the permanent application. 34:19 "Death is swallowed up in victory." 34:20 Amen. Amen. 34:22 "O Death, where is your sting? 34:23 O Grave, where is your victory?" 34:25 One day, we're gonna come out of the tomb and say death. 34:27 What death did to Jesus is nothing compared 34:31 to what Jesus is going to do to death. 34:33 Amen. 34:34 Glory to God, that was... Amen. 34:36 These are great lessons, I'm enjoying each one of you. 34:40 I have Wednesday, Judgment Hope. 34:43 Let me ask you this. 34:45 Do you think that life is unfair? 34:47 It could be. 34:48 When you look around, 34:50 there's certainly apparent evils. 34:51 There's foolishness that goes on. 34:54 People are suffering injustices 34:58 and sometimes the contradictions, 35:01 the mysteries of all of this. 35:03 It's perplexing, and it distressed 35:05 even the wisest man who ever lived, Solomon. 35:08 He wrote in Ecclesiastes 8:9, 35:14 he talks about cruel people rise to power. 35:18 What? 35:20 Wicked people are honored in public, 35:23 he says in verse 10. 35:25 Verse 11, he's saying the wicked avoid punishment. 35:30 That's unfair. 35:32 But let's look at verse 14. 35:34 Ecclesiastes 8:14, 35:39 here's very wise Solomon, 35:42 and he's looking at the unfairness of life. 35:45 And he says, 35:46 "There is a vanity which occurs on earth, 35:50 that there are just men, good men, 35:54 righteous men, men like Job, 35:57 just men to whom it happens 36:01 according to the works of the wicked." 36:04 In other words, 36:05 what you would think the wicked, 36:08 bad things are happening to good people. 36:10 That's just how I'll say it. Right. 36:12 Bad things are happening to good people. 36:15 And then, in his statement, 36:17 Solomon now has the juxtaposition there. 36:20 And he says, and again, 36:23 for your further consideration, 36:25 "There are wicked men to whom it happens 36:30 according to the works of the righteous." 36:32 Amen. 36:34 You would think good things 36:35 were gonna happen to good people, 36:37 bad things to bad people, 36:39 but he's saying what's going on? 36:42 And he says, 36:44 "This also is vanity." 36:49 What our lesson brings out 36:51 is that suffering and oppression 36:55 is difficult to handle always. 36:59 But even more difficult 37:02 if it appears to be meaningless. 37:06 If it happens, without someone seeming to notice. 37:11 Let me read just what he says. 37:13 And this is a direct quote, 37:16 the possible meaningless of sorrow 37:19 is heavier than its initial burden. 37:22 Right. 37:23 The meaningless of sorrow 37:25 is heavier than its initial burden. 37:29 A world without record or final justice 37:34 is the ultimate and cruel absurdity. 37:37 No wonder atheist writers in the 20th century 37:40 lamented about what they believed 37:43 was the absurdity of the human condition. 37:49 Why these atheists had no hope? 37:51 There was no hope of justice, no hope of judgment, 37:55 no hope of things being made right. 38:00 And without that this would be an absurd world. 38:03 That's right. 38:04 But let me say this. 38:07 Don't let the inequities or the inequalities in life, 38:12 weaken your faith. 38:13 Amen. 38:15 You know, we have to maintain a positive attitude 38:19 and trust that God, the God who is wise enough 38:23 and powerful enough to create this universe, 38:27 He is able to set everything right in the end. 38:32 He alone knows the end from the beginning. 38:37 You know, sometimes, 38:38 I think, I don't know who said that. 38:40 Maybe it was you 38:42 that it's not that we don't trust God. 38:46 But we wonder about His plans sometimes. 38:49 Well, Isaiah 55:8-9. 38:52 God says this, 38:55 is looking down on you and he says precious one. 38:59 "My thoughts are not your thoughts, 39:01 My ways are not your ways, 39:04 as the heavens are higher than the earth, 39:08 so are My ways higher than your ways, 39:11 And My thoughts than your thoughts." 39:13 That's right. 39:14 So what he's saying is, 39:15 I know you don't, you know, as a parent, 39:18 every parent's had this experience 39:20 where they tell their child something 39:22 or plan something in the, you know, 39:24 take a little sick child to a doctor, 39:26 and they've got to get a shot 39:28 or they've got to have surgery or this 39:30 and you're trying to explain 39:31 and they're looking up and going like, 39:33 "Why are you doing this to me mommy?" 39:36 And every parent has had that experience 39:39 where they've had to say, 39:40 "Honey, you just got to trust me. 39:42 I know you don't understand right now." 39:43 And that's what God is saying to us. 39:46 But we have to remember 39:49 because His ways are so much higher. 39:50 He sees the end from the beginning. 39:53 We can't make Him conform to our will 39:56 to what we want, 39:58 and eventually He will right all wrongs. 40:02 Our lesson brings this out the cry of Ecclesiastes 8:14, 40:08 where he's saying, 40:09 "Hey, good things happen to bad people 40:11 and bad things happen to good people." 40:14 It's not the end of the story. That's right. 40:17 At the end of his protest, Solomon takes a sudden turn. 40:21 He's going on through all of this. 40:23 And in the midst of His laments about meaningless, 40:27 He says, essentially, hold on a minute. 40:31 God is going to judge 40:35 so many things not meaningless. 40:37 In fact, right now, 40:40 everything and everyone matters. 40:42 So we want to look at Solomon's conclusion, 40:48 if you will, if you've got your Bibles, 40:50 turn to Ecclesiastes Chapter 12. 40:53 And look at verses 13 and 14. 40:55 Put that in your mind Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 41:00 because if you don't know these two verses, 41:03 you cannot interpret the Book of Ecclesiastes properly. 41:08 This is how we understand the accurate interpretation. 41:14 And so here's what he says, 41:17 Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 41:19 he's been lamenting all the evils in the world 41:22 and all the vanities. 41:24 And he has been saying, by the way, 41:26 hey, life is short, enjoy your life 41:28 and you know your days under the sun. 41:30 But he says this, 41:32 let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter. 41:35 In other words, 41:37 this is the only thing that matters. 41:40 "Fear God, 41:42 that's to respect Him to have all 41:44 and keep His commandments, for this is man's all. 41:49 For God will bring every work into judgment 41:52 including every secret thing, 41:56 whether good or evil." 41:58 We got to remember that. 41:59 God is gonna review every person's life. 42:02 Mercy. 42:03 Everything that has happened in our lives 42:06 with choices that we made, 42:09 and whether or not we decided to follow Him and say 42:13 one thing that we can't do, 42:15 we can't use iniquities as an excuse, 42:21 that it would be a futile excuse to say, 42:23 well, Lord, life wasn't fair. 42:25 So I did this, this, and this. 42:28 God's gonna say, 42:29 "Hey, look what happened to My Son." 42:33 And so the rule of life is to revere God, 42:38 to keep our eyes upon Him 42:42 with honor, and worship, and respect. 42:45 Put God first in our lives by walking in obedience, 42:51 fear God and keep His commandments. 42:53 Psalm 16:11 is one of my favorite promises. 42:58 And what Psalm 16:11 says is, 43:01 "He will show you the path of life." 43:04 You know, Jesus said, 43:05 broad is the way to destruction, 43:07 but narrow is the way to eternal life. 43:11 Well, Psalm 16:11 says, 43:12 "He will show you the path of eternal life 43:16 and you're gonna find pleasures forevermore in His presence." 43:22 And then I also love Psalm 143:10-11. 43:28 And the psalmist writes. 43:30 Oh, "Teach me to do Your will, 43:33 for You are my God, Your spirit is good. 43:36 Lead me in the land of uprightness. 43:41 Revive me, O Lord, for Your name's sake! 43:43 For Your righteousness' sake bring my soul out of trouble." 43:48 See, when Solomon said, 43:52 here's the conclusion of the whole matter, 43:55 "Love God, fear God, keep His commandments." 43:59 Yes. 44:00 It's not that we're doing this on our own. 44:02 It's as God directs His working in us 44:06 to will and to do His good pleasure, 44:08 teaching us His will, and leading us. 44:13 Solomon is explaining that, 44:15 yes, we need to search for life's meaning, 44:17 but it's not measured by human endeavor. 44:21 We have to receive everything from God as a gift. 44:26 Enjoy life. Yes. 44:28 But we have to look 44:30 beyond our temporal life 44:35 to life eternal and follow God. 44:39 Amen. Praise the Lord. 44:40 I have Thursday's lesson. 44:43 I love the title. 44:44 I think everybody here said 44:45 they love their title or whatever. 44:47 It's such good news, No More Tears or Pain. 44:50 To me it's just exciting. 44:52 We look forward to that and I know you do to those 44:54 who are watching or listening, No More Tears or Pain. 44:57 And soon as I said that, 44:59 to me it's just like it deserves a question. 45:01 That's right. 45:02 You gonna come back and say, "Well, what do you mean? 45:04 There's gonna come a time when there's no more tears or, 45:05 you know, no more pain." 45:07 And when does this come about? 45:09 Because we would certainly like that 45:10 I'm sure in this life. 45:12 Amen. We're tired of the pain. 45:13 We're tired of the tears of sorrow, 45:14 things that we go through in this life. 45:17 But the Book of Revelation, it just makes... 45:20 I love Revelation 21:4 45:23 because it tells about those who are shedding tears. 45:25 The Bible says, "God shall wipe away," 45:29 how many tears? 45:30 "All tears," 45:32 that means every tear, doesn't it? 45:33 "Every tear from their eyes, 45:35 and there shall be no more death." 45:38 You like that, it's been talked about, 45:39 literally, the death shall be no longer, 45:43 notice that, 45:45 death that came about as the result of sin. 45:49 There be no more death, praise God for that. 45:52 So you can start seeing right now 45:53 then no more tears, no more pain 45:55 because God has a plan. 45:56 That's right. 45:58 And we're gonna work right into that plan 45:59 as we study here. 46:01 Paul says the same thing basically been reading 46:02 I think in 1 Corinthians 15. 46:04 I think, Pastor, you read there 54 simply says 46:08 death is swallowed up in... 46:10 Victory. In victory, praise God. 46:12 Literally. 46:13 Death was swallowed, notice this, 46:15 down in victory. 46:17 Literally, it's swallowed down in victory. 46:19 Now back to Revelation 21:4, 46:22 this makes it beautiful, it says, we are told 46:24 "Neither there'll be no sorrow," 46:25 that means what? 46:27 "No grief, no crying, no outcry, 46:30 neither shall there be any more pain." 46:33 Now notice, a lot of our misery in life is due to what? 46:37 Pain. 46:39 Due to pain. Oh, yeah. 46:40 That we go through, our loved ones go through, 46:41 our children go through, and we suffer that pain too. 46:43 So it says that, 46:45 "For this the former things I love it are passed away." 46:49 The conditions that we are used to 46:53 in this life, they gonna pass away forever, 46:55 we don't have to worry with them anymore. 46:58 One day, I do believe this as Bible is clear 47:00 the last battle's gonna be fought. 47:02 Victory is certainly already been won at the cross, 47:05 but it's gonna be won 47:06 in each of our individual lives. 47:07 Sin and sinners are no more. 47:10 There'll be coming a day 47:12 that we're all gonna be in harmony. 47:13 And I think we need to be working 47:14 on that right now, don't you? 47:16 A little more of the harmony than the differences. 47:19 But the next words is until then 47:21 and I couldn't help but study when it says until then. 47:23 I started humming. Yeah. 47:25 I'm not a singer, but I started humming. 47:28 Soon as you said it, I did too. 47:29 But until then, do you remember the song, 47:32 the old song that many of you know at home? 47:33 You can't help, you be humming that today. 47:35 You can't help it but until then. 47:37 Now if someone mentioned until then we need to be 47:40 about our Father's business for sure. 47:42 And that business is what, 47:43 ministering to those who are in need, in Luke 2:49. 47:47 But the still is that old song that goes back through my mind. 47:50 I wrote it down, 47:51 I don't know that I have the words. 47:52 I haven't seen the words in literal years 47:54 and maybe this is the chorus, says, 47:56 but until then my heart will go on... 47:58 Singing. 47:59 Singing, until then with joy, 48:02 I'll carry on until the day my eye behold that city 48:07 until the day God calls me home. 48:09 Amen. 48:10 I thought how beautiful that is. 48:12 Somebody must have had an experience. 48:14 When they wrote that song, somebody had an experience, 48:17 and that's usually the way songs are written 48:19 by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. 48:22 And one of the verses just starts out, 48:24 a heartache here is about a stepping stone. 48:27 Yes. 48:29 That's what heartache is sorrow and pain. 48:30 These are stepping stones to eternity. 48:33 These are God's little workmen 48:35 that's proving and trying my character. 48:37 I don't know about yours, make us what we ought to be. 48:40 John said it like this. 48:42 He said, I saw in Revelation 21:1. 48:48 He said, "I saw a new heaven," 48:49 I love this. 48:51 "I saw a new heaven and a new earth, 48:53 for the first heaven and the first earth 48:55 were passed away." 48:57 And then, you know, as a young personal I said, 48:59 why are they passed away? 49:01 As a new Christian, you might say, 49:03 "Well, what happened the first heaven 49:04 and the first earth when Jesus comes?" 49:07 Well, Peter got involved in this in 2 Peter, 49:10 we know verse 3, verse 10. 49:12 2 Peter 3:10. 49:13 Peter tells us why? 49:15 He says, "But the day," notice this, 49:17 "of the Lord will come as a..." 49:18 Thief. 49:20 "Thief in the night, in which the heavens 49:21 shall pass away with a great noise, 49:24 the elements shall melt with fervent heat, 49:26 the earth also, and the works there 49:28 and shall be," do what? 49:30 "Is going to be burned up." 49:31 That's what the Bible said, 49:33 not gonna continue to burn, and burn, and burn, burn, 49:35 it's going to be burned up what the Bible said. 49:36 That's right. 49:38 Now, so what do I look forward to? 49:39 First heaven, first earth is gonna be passed away. 49:42 I have to have something to look forward to. 49:44 I need that that hope, 49:46 the hope of the coming of Christ, 49:48 the hope of what He's gonna do? 49:49 Where are we gonna live? What are we gonna do? 49:51 2 Peter. 49:52 Peter continues on in 2 Peter 3:13. 49:56 I like the way he just comes out, 49:58 he says, "Nevertheless," 50:00 I like somebody when they just, 50:01 they're already down to the point, 50:03 they've already just come to the conclusion 50:04 say what you wanna say nevertheless. 50:07 That's right. 50:08 But that just simply means but, okay, 50:10 this is gonna passed away, heavens gonna by, 50:12 the earth's gonna pass away but here's what he says. 50:14 Notice what he says in verse 13. 50:17 "We according to His promise, 50:18 look for a new heaven and a new earth 50:22 wherein dwelleth with righteousness." 50:24 You can't help but love that. 50:26 Yes. Amen. 50:27 The righteousness and you can see this 50:28 where God is gonna be in control. 50:30 I can see right then, no pain, no sorrow, no tear, no death. 50:33 These things are former, they're gone. 50:36 So the earth will be formed a new, right? 50:39 We have man this redeemed from sin, 50:42 praise God from that, you know, we think about it. 50:44 We're going to, He's going to be restored 50:46 into His original dominion. 50:49 That's a wonderful thought right then it will be back 50:51 like it was meant to be in the beginning. 50:55 Peter probably was quoting the scripture. 50:57 He's probably referring to the Old Testament, 50:59 Isaiah 65:17 says same thing. 51:02 But notice in the Old Testament, 51:04 it's always interesting, people say 51:05 I'm just a New Testament believer. 51:07 I'm all scripture believer. 51:08 I don't know about you, 51:09 I love to go to the Old Testament 51:11 because that's where as many of them 51:12 drew their thoughts are from the Old Testament. 51:15 Isaiah 65:17 says, "For behold, I create," a what? 51:19 "A new heaven and a new earth, 51:21 and the former shall not be remembered," 51:23 nor what? 51:25 "Nor come to mind." 51:27 Here in this lesson, 51:28 the Bible describes I like this a life after sin. 51:33 Notice that, Pastor, that's a good sermon title. 51:34 That's a good title. 51:36 I couldn't help, but I didn't want to say 51:37 man, one of these days, and so every one of us here 51:38 will be preaching one of these days, 51:40 life after sin. 51:42 I mean, that's something is exciting. 51:44 It's hard to imagine, hard to imagine 51:46 life without heartache, 51:48 and pain, and sorrow, and death, 51:49 and so on, and so forth because that's all we've known. 51:53 But again, back to Revelation 21. 51:55 If you went through verses 1-5, again, 51:57 describes the New Jerusalem. 51:59 I love it and I can say it 52:00 over and over and over and I praise God, 52:02 I'm gonna say it over and over when John was envision, 52:05 I loved what he said. 52:07 He said, "I saw, I saw a new heaven, 52:10 I saw a new earth." 52:11 That tells me right there that he saw, 52:14 the others has to be passed away, 52:15 these old things are gone, 52:17 I see, said, I saw a new heaven. 52:18 Now notice new here. 52:20 Some of you have studied, 52:21 maybe some haven't looked at in a while. 52:23 New here refers to the newness in the point of time. 52:26 Yes. 52:28 Notice, right? Newness of time. 52:29 It's a re-creation 52:33 using existing elements. 52:36 So it's not a creation. 52:38 So when it came from the hand of the Creator, 52:40 we know Genesis 1:31. 52:42 Oh, it was good. 52:43 It was excellent everything that God did but what? 52:46 Man came along as usually messed it up. 52:49 He martyred up, we marred up, messed up 52:51 about everything we're big enough too. 52:52 It's true. 52:54 And one of these days God's going to step in. 52:56 It's just telling the truth. It's just telling the story. 52:58 Man's messed up, God started out perfect, 53:00 we came along thought we knew more than God. 53:01 And so we messed things all up. 53:04 Again, the former things are passed away, 53:07 behold, all things become new. 53:08 And the Bible says in Revelation 22:3, 53:11 and we start to wrap it up here, 53:13 it says here, 53:14 "And there shall be no more curse." 53:16 I love that. 53:17 "There shall be no more curse, 53:18 but the throne of God and of the Lamb 53:20 shall be in it." 53:22 Revelation 22:3, 53:23 "And His servants shall serve Him," 53:26 and I like the translation show, 53:28 worship him. 53:29 That's who we should be worshiping anyway, isn't it? 53:31 You know, it's gonna be a good place 53:33 because the Bible said, 53:35 "The throne of God is there and that the lamb is there." 53:38 That's got to be good. 53:40 Revelation 22:4. I like this. 53:43 Now this is something 53:44 I've been longing to do right here. 53:46 Revelation 22:4 says, "And they shall see His?" 53:48 Face. 53:50 "His face, and His name shall be in their foreheads." 53:53 Represents what a close relationship 53:55 that we have with Jesus Christ. 53:58 His name is in our forehead. 53:59 Sinner, I mean, it's a symbol of our ownership. 54:03 God owns us. Amen. 54:05 You know, and that's not only in heaven 54:07 right now we need to make sure that we pay, you know, 54:11 we give to Him what's due to Him. 54:12 Amen. That's right. 54:14 It's simply ourselves. That's all we have to give. 54:16 There's a song that says that Lord, 54:17 I come to you I have nothing which to give but myself. 54:20 That's all that He's ever asked for. 54:21 That's all that He ever wants. 54:23 He wants us to come to Him today, 54:25 where there's know be the day come, 54:26 no tears, no sorrow, no pain, 54:28 I've created a place for you, it's gonna be a wonderful place 54:30 to live with happiness and peace forevermore. 54:33 But I need you to make that commitment to me today. 54:36 And I want you to make 54:38 that commitment please to Jesus today, 54:39 give your life to Him, 54:40 man, I tell you, it'd be the best thing 54:42 that you ever did, think about it. 54:43 Jesus is coming. We need to be ready. 54:45 The former things are passed away, behold, 54:46 all things glory become new. 54:48 Amen. Amen. 54:50 Praise the Lord. 54:51 Most powerful, Brother Kenny, 54:52 thank you so much. 54:54 You know, I think all of us are, 54:55 to a great degree are looking forward 54:56 to that coming of Jesus, the return of Christ. 54:59 When He comes back and begins to make all things new. 55:02 But, you know, I also believe there's a, 55:04 probably a part of us 55:06 that's also crying out and saying, 55:07 "Lord, thank you for tarrying." 55:09 Because we have loved ones we have people 55:11 that still need to know Jesus, even ourselves. 55:13 We are walking that path of righteousness 55:15 trying to come to know our Savior more, 55:17 and I praise God that He knows best 55:19 and He knows that His plan is perfect. 55:22 We have just a few closing minutes here, 55:25 why don't we go back and get some final thoughts. 55:28 Revelation 22:12, 55:30 "Behold, I'm coming quickly, 55:33 My reward is with Me 55:34 to give everyone according to his work." 55:36 Blessed are those who do His commandments, 55:39 that they may have right to the tree of life 55:41 and they may enter through the gates 55:43 into the city. 55:44 We know that Jesus is coming again soon. 55:48 And when He comes, 55:50 there will be a writing of those wrongs 55:53 that you had talked about, 55:54 and I'm looking forward to that day. 55:56 Amen. 55:58 It's not about a better life, a better job, a better home, 56:00 it's about a better resurrection. 56:02 That's right. 56:03 And Hebrews 11:35 says, 56:08 "That they might obtain a better resurrection." 56:12 If I go to sleep before the Lord comes, 56:14 I want a better resurrection. 56:15 Mm-hmm. 56:16 Make sure you come up in that first resurrection, 56:18 right? 56:19 That's right. 56:21 I guess my day was on Judgment. 56:22 And I just have to say this. 56:24 God is so loving creator, He created this world, 56:28 He created you. 56:29 And don't fear if you come to the same conclusion 56:35 as Solomon that you fear God and keep His commandments 56:38 that mean just to have a close relationship 56:41 and walk with Him. 56:42 You don't have to fear judgment 56:44 because He's gonna judge on behalf of His people 56:48 in favor of His people. 56:50 But judgment of God is loves justice. 56:53 It's just God putting everything 56:56 back into the right order. 56:58 Amen. 56:59 I think through the whole lesson 57:00 I just said, you know, we hear a lot of times talked about 57:02 our lives really do matter. 57:05 They matter to heaven. 57:06 He said, "I'm coming. 57:08 I'm coming back to receive you into my side 57:10 where I am there you may be also." 57:12 I know that's Your plan. 57:13 That's our plan here to be ready 57:14 when Jesus shall come. 57:16 Amen. Praise the Lord. 57:17 If only we would believe in the promises of God's Word. 57:20 He knows what's best. 57:21 I'd like to leave us 57:23 with the encouraging words of Jesus in John 14:1-3. 57:27 Jesus says, "Let not your heart be troubled, 57:30 you believe in God, believe also in Me. 57:33 In My Father's house are many mansions, 57:35 if it were not so, I would have told you. 57:39 I go to prepare a place for you. 57:42 And if I go to prepare a place for you, 57:43 I will come again and receive you to myself, 57:45 that where I am, there you may be also." 57:50 We are so blessed to have each and every one of you 57:52 to visit us today on this powerful program. 57:55 We're gonna have another one next week. 57:57 Less than 12 entitled, "To Love Mercy." 58:00 But until then, 58:01 we'll hope to see you next week. 58:03 Have a blessed day. God bless. |
Revised 2019-09-12