Participants:
Series Code: IIWSS
Program Code: IIWSS023052S
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00:13 ♪♪♪ 00:16 >>Eric Flickinger: Welcome to "Sabbath School," 00:17 brought to you by It Is Written. 00:20 Well, this is week 13. 00:23 This is the final presentation of this quarter, 00:25 where we've been looking at "God's Mission My Mission." 00:29 And this week, we are looking at "The End of God's Mission." 00:32 What does that look like? 00:34 We are going to end on a very, very high note this week, 00:38 but let's begin with prayer. 00:40 Father, we thank You for being with us 00:42 through this last quarter 00:44 as we've looked at how You call each of us 00:46 to be active in ministry, sharing our faith with others, 00:51 both near and far. 00:53 And we ask that as we draw everything to a close this week, 00:55 You will give us inspiration and encouragement 00:58 to continue on that mission. 01:00 We thank You, in Jesus' name, amen. 01:03 Well, we're grateful to have back with us again 01:05 Greg Whitsett one final time. 01:07 He's the planning director at Adventist Mission. 01:09 Greg, thanks for joining us again. 01:11 >>Gregory Whitsett: Happy to be here. 01:12 >>Eric: So we're looking now at the very end of things here. 01:16 This is a fascinating title, "The End of God's Mission." 01:19 We don't think of God's mission coming to an end. 01:22 We think of God and His perpetuity. 01:26 He continues, and yet there is a part of this mission 01:29 that comes to an end. 01:31 Talk about the events surrounding 01:34 what this last lesson is all about. 01:38 >>Greg: Well, you know, it is interesting; 01:40 and, of course, we probably have to couch it 01:42 because God always has a mission. 01:43 But the mission we're talking about, 01:45 of course, is the rescue of His cherished children 01:48 on Planet Earth. Peter is amazing in his writing. 01:51 He doesn't write as much as Paul, 01:52 but he has some very powerful things, 01:54 and both his letters, 1 and 2 Peter, 01:57 are filled with so much good exhortation, 02:02 good teaching for us. But in verse 11 it says, 02:05 "Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, 02:07 "what manner of persons ought you to be 02:10 "in holy conduct and godliness, 02:12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God?" 02:17 It stops there, it continues a little bit, 02:19 but that's the part for the memory verse. 02:21 This responsibility that we have of two things: to look for 02:27 but also to hasten Christ's return, 02:30 and we kind of look at that a little bit this week 02:32 in this lesson. 02:33 >>Eric: And I think looking forward to-- 02:36 we all look forward to that; at least we should. 02:38 >>Greg: Yeah, exactly. >>Eric: Looking at the world 02:40 that surrounds us and the mayhem and the problems 02:43 and the challenges, looking forward to that, 02:45 and then this concept, as you say, of hastening, 02:49 that's powerful. 02:51 What about hastening with respect to mission? 02:54 How does that sort of fit in together? How can we do that? 02:58 >>Greg: You know, when I look at that verse, 03:00 "looking for and hastening," the looking for is both 03:04 my eagerness, the condition of my heart, 03:06 but it's also the spending time in God's Word, in prophecy, 03:11 to understand what's about to happen, 03:13 but also what's going on in the world around me, 03:16 the signs of the times that indicate 03:19 that His coming is near, 03:21 based on what we know from Scripture. 03:23 But the hastening part of it is all about mission. 03:26 That's what we are doing in hastening His return. 03:30 And what I'd like to do is 03:33 actually turn to Revelation and look at it, 03:35 because Revelation is a missionary manual. 03:39 It's all about mission and what our mission is 03:45 after the New Testament period. 03:47 So it's what is God doing, and what should we be doing? 03:52 But I don't want you to just take my word for it. 03:54 Let's actually look at Revelation, chapter 1 03:56 and see, well, what evidence do we have for this? 04:00 Look specifically--of course, 04:02 it begins with the beautiful words, 04:03 "The revelation of Jesus Christ." 04:05 It is God's mission. 04:06 It is Jesus Christ that Revelation is pointing to. 04:09 That's the center of everything in this book. 04:11 But let's skip down to verse 6, where it talks about that 04:17 "[God] has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, 04:22 "to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen." 04:24 So it's this doxology, but it's focusing on 04:27 that we are made as kings and priests. 04:30 And that should remind us of another passage 04:31 in Peter's writings in the first book 04:35 where he talks about us, that we are 04:36 a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, 04:40 which I think is such a beautiful thing, 04:42 that we're both kings and priests, which, if we're kings, 04:45 that means we're members of God's royal family, 04:47 because He is King of Kings, right? 04:49 And so, the whole idea of that is, 04:51 of course, that we're ruling with Him, 04:53 that we're part of His governance of earth. 04:56 But more importantly, that we are priests, 04:59 and the role of a priest is 05:01 to be the ones to actually bless, right, 05:04 to actually bring God's blessings back in, 05:07 when the sacrificial system, the daily sacrifices would begin, 05:11 in the morning with the sacrifice 05:14 and in the evening. But the priest would take, 05:17 after he had sacrificed the lamb, 05:21 he would then take incense from the altar, 05:23 he'd go in to the holy place, and that would represent 05:27 the prayers of the people, of course, 05:29 ascending up before God. 05:31 But then afterwards, the whole congregation 05:33 in the wilderness tabernacle, they'd all be waiting 05:36 because the priest would come out with a blessing, 05:39 and he would bless the people. 05:41 So, as priests, that's our role. 05:44 Our role is to bless people, 05:47 but also the priests are to educate 05:49 and to draw people to God. 05:52 And so, that's really what I think this, 05:55 a very clear indication, verse 7: 05:58 "Behold, He is coming with clouds, 06:01 "and every eye will see Him, [and everyone] who pierced Him. 06:05 "And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. 06:09 Even so, Amen." So on the one hand, 06:11 we are kings and priests; but on the other hand, 06:15 His coming is in the clouds. 06:17 So, we have the focus on the Second Coming, 06:19 but we see this role that we have in context 06:21 with His return, which, I believe, this is pointing, 06:25 this is all about mission. We are His missionaries. 06:27 >>Eric: Very, very powerful. 06:29 Now, let me jump to Monday's lesson. In Monday's lesson, 06:31 you summarized the three angels' messages. 06:35 Take us through this. Why is it so important for us 06:37 to understand the three angels' messages, 06:40 and why is it so relevant for us today? 06:42 >>Greg: You know, you can only fit so much into one day. 06:45 So I'm glad for this opportunity to build on this a little bit 06:48 to some of the things I was not able to share in that lesson. 06:52 The whole book of Revelation is dealing with the issue 06:56 of once and for all restoring and correcting the evil, 07:04 the injustice, sin, death, all of this that's in the world. 07:09 So there's this anticipation, 07:11 this desire that, even though Christ has died and rose again, 07:15 that we're not yet receiving 07:17 the full gift of His promise to restore this world. 07:21 So in, actually, Revelation, chapter 5, 07:24 we have this interesting picture. 07:27 Maybe what I could ask you to do 07:29 is just to read verses 1 through 3. 07:32 >>Eric: This is Revelation 5:1-3. 07:35 "And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne 07:38 "a scroll written inside and on the back, 07:40 "sealed with seven seals. 07:42 "Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, 07:45 "'Who is worthy to open the scroll 07:47 "and to loose its seals?' 07:49 "And no one in heaven or on the earth 07:51 "or under the earth was able to open the scroll, 07:53 "or to look at it. 07:55 "So I wept much, because no one was found worthy 07:57 "to open and read the scroll, or to look at it. 08:00 "But one of the elders said to me, 'Do not weep. 08:03 "'Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, 08:06 "'the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll 08:09 and to loose its seven seals.'" 08:11 >>Greg: Isn't that something? 08:13 So, let's think about that for a moment. 08:16 We have this scroll with the seven seals, 08:18 which is a very interesting thing by itself. 08:22 But the thing that stands out to me the most-- 08:25 I don't know if it does to you-- but it's actually in verse 4, 08:29 where John writes-- he inserts himself into this-- 08:33 where he says, "I wept much." 08:37 John, what's wrong with you? 08:39 Why are you weeping? 08:40 I mean, that's kind of absurd, isn't it? 08:42 Why would you--I don't know if you've ever woken up 08:44 from a dream and you realize you're crying; you know, 08:46 it's so real. Well, this isn't a dream. This is a vision. 08:48 This is a supernatural experience 08:50 he's having that God is helping him, 08:53 to understand what Jesus Christ is doing 08:55 to finish the mission. 08:57 But here John is weeping. He understands something 09:01 that I think we don't understand. 09:03 And I think that's important to understand 09:05 the rest of Revelation. 09:08 The scroll actually represents a legal document. 09:12 And it was a tradition in Rome that you would have 09:15 multiple seals like this for a more important document, 09:17 such as a will and testament or this type of thing. 09:21 So, John knows that there's a problem in heaven 09:25 because we have this document, which I think it's a will 09:32 or it's a title or a deed, and it's very important that 09:36 no one has that ability to open, but the One who is able-- 09:41 you know, John weeps because he sees the problem-- 09:43 but then the One who is able to is Jesus Christ. 09:46 So he is in the process-- you know, 09:48 our planet has been hijacked by Satan, 09:51 and he has tried to claim ownership of this place. 09:55 And now here, after Christ's resurrection, 09:57 He comes back to heaven, and He is able 09:59 to receive that scroll because He is now 10:01 the rightful inheritor of what Adam lost. 10:04 Adam lost and died, but Jesus has now won it back 10:07 through His life, death, and resurrection. 10:10 So that's kind of an important picture. 10:14 So what we see happening is that now we're going to understand 10:17 what are these seven seals, which this lesson 10:19 we don't get into, 10:21 but the fifth seal is what's important. 10:23 Because again, we're trying to understand 10:25 the end-time mission and the theme 10:28 that we're seeing in Revelation, but the fifth-- 10:30 in chapter 6, could you read verse 9 and 10? 10:35 >>Eric: "When He opened the fifth seal, 10:37 "I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain 10:40 "for the word of God and for the testimony 10:42 "which they held. 10:44 "And they cried with a loud voice, saying, 10:46 "'How long, O Lord, holy and true, 10:48 "'until You judge and avenge our blood 10:50 on those who dwell on the earth?'" 10:53 >>Greg: Okay, I don't know, 10:55 when we think of blood being avenged and people crying out, 10:59 I immediately think of Genesis with the story of Cain and Abel 11:02 and how Abel, you know, in his--he's having this-- 11:06 he's murdered by his brother, 11:08 and God approaches Cain and says, 11:12 "The blood of your brother has cried out to me." 11:16 So this is symbolic. 11:17 It's not that there's souls in heaven 11:19 that are crying out under the altar. 11:21 This is all symbolic language, 11:22 but it's basically God sees the injustice, 11:24 the persecution, this sort of thing. 11:26 And what we didn't read-- 11:27 actually, I forgot to mention this, 11:30 but actually, the result of Christ 11:34 being able to take the scroll is that all heaven breaks forth 11:37 in celebration and in praise. 11:40 And it's interesting-- if we can go back to that, 11:42 in chapter 5, verse 9, it says, 11:47 "And they sang a new song, 11:49 "saying: 'You are worthy to take the scroll, 11:51 "'and to open its seals; for You were slain, 11:54 "'and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe 11:58 "'and tongue and people and nation, 12:02 "'and have made us kings and priests to our God; 12:04 and we shall reign on...earth.'" Beautiful picture. 12:07 So, there's this injustice that the Messiah, that the Lamb, 12:12 Jesus, is starting to correct by His own shed blood, right? 12:18 But then here we have in chapter 6, 12:20 where there's still this not yet. 12:23 There's something left. And so there's this question: 12:25 How long is this going to continue? 12:29 And so that's the theme of Revelation, 12:31 which helps us understand when we get to Revelation 14 12:34 what it all means. 12:36 Of course, in Revelation 13, just as we come 12:39 into the three angels' messages in 14, before we get there, 12:42 in chapter 13, we see that for 42 months 12:45 there's this persecution of the sea beast, 12:48 and there's martyrs and things happening. 12:50 Of course, the 42 months refer to symbolic 1,260 days, 12:56 and it takes us all the way to the end of time 12:59 with the three angels' messages, which are focusing on saying, 13:01 okay, now you have the sea beast; you have the land beast; 13:04 they're actually forcing you to obey them. 13:07 They're persecuting those who do not obey them but follow God. 13:11 So then the messages are very straightforward. 13:13 A lot of people think that these messages are somehow negative, 13:17 that they're not relevant. 13:18 But all--they can be easily summarized in this, 13:22 that this is the message 13:23 that anyone who has ever faced injustice 13:26 are grateful to hear; because the hour of judgment, 13:29 God is going to correct the problems. 13:32 So worship Him because He's going to judge. 13:34 That's what angel one is all about. 13:36 Angel two, it's all about "Babylon has fallen." 13:38 This power that's persecuting is fallen, 13:42 and it reminds me of another time when God judged. 13:47 And actually it was Babylon, right? 13:49 Remember Belshazzar's feast 13:50 in Daniel, chapter 5-- >>Eric: Right. 13:52 >>Greg: ...where the handwriting on the wall, 13:55 "Mene, mene, tekel, upharsin." 13:57 "You're weighed in the balances and found wanting." 14:00 That's that moment. 14:01 God is writing on the wall, so to speak, 14:03 through the second angel's message to say, 14:06 "Hey, you know, the judgment says that you are condemned." 14:11 And then the third angel's message is simply, 14:12 separate yourself from anything to do with this earthly power 14:17 that's obviously in rebellion 14:19 and is persecuting the righteous. 14:21 And by faith, keep God's commandments; be loyal to Him. 14:25 Even though you're not sure if it's going to play out, 14:28 have faith in God's Word that everything is going to be fine. 14:31 >>Eric: So, in these three messages, 14:33 these are three messages of good news, of justice, 14:37 of rectifying wrongs, of hope, if you will, 14:41 not anything to fear, a great deal of hope there. 14:45 And we hope that you are finding that these messages 14:47 are a great deal of hope. 14:49 We're pulling the last bits of this quarter together 14:52 as we're looking at "The End of God's Mission." 14:54 And just so I don't leave you without one final opportunity, 15:00 if you really want to understand this quarter's lessons 15:03 so much better, be sure that you pick up 15:06 the companion book to this quarter's lesson. 15:09 It is "God's Mission My Mission." 15:11 You can find it at itiswritten.shop, 15:15 and it adds a great deal of depth and breadth 15:19 and resources to what we've been looking at about God's mission 15:22 being your mission and my mission. 15:25 We're going to come back with the very last few thoughts 15:28 about what it means for God's mission to come to an end 15:32 and the role that you and I have to play in it. 15:34 We'll be right back. 15:35 ♪♪♪ 15:39 >>John Bradshaw: During Hollywood's golden age 15:41 and era of glitz and glamor, 15:43 one man's melody would transcend time 15:46 and touch the hearts of millions. 15:48 "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" 15:51 is still heard and enjoyed every Christmas season, 15:54 but behind the song is a story of not only the song 15:58 but also its composer. 16:01 From humble beginnings in Alabama, 16:04 Hugh Martin would travel to New York City, 16:06 where a chance encounter with the legendary Judy Garland 16:10 would catapult him to fame. 16:12 Learn this untold story of fame, faith, 16:15 and a miraculous transformation. 16:17 Amid trials and tribulations came a life-changing encounter 16:20 that would shape Hugh Martin's destiny. 16:23 Join me for "A Blessed Little Christmas" 16:26 and learn the story behind the song, 16:28 the story of a man who turned away 16:30 from the bright lights to embrace a loving Savior. 16:33 "A Blessed Little Christmas," brought to you 16:35 by It Is Written TV. 16:39 >>John: There's something I wanna tell you about 16:41 that is so important. It's My Place With Jesus, 16:45 It Is Written's ministry to children. 16:48 Take the children you care about 16:50 to myplacewithjesus.com. 16:53 At My Place With Jesus, 16:55 you'll find so much that will bless your children 16:58 or grandchildren or great-grandchildren 17:01 or the children at church. 17:03 There are the My Place With Jesus Bible Guides, 17:06 21 studies that will take the children you care about 17:10 into the Word of God. 17:12 They'll learn the important things, 17:14 especially the love of God 17:16 and the sacrifice Jesus made for them. 17:19 As well, take your children to Journey Through the Bible. 17:23 It's there at myplacewithjesus.com. 17:25 It's a special Bible-reading program that will get children 17:29 into the habit of reading their Bible daily 17:31 and connecting with God regularly. 17:33 So don't forget myplacewithjesus.com 17:36 from It Is Written. 17:39 ♪♪♪ 17:43 >>Eric: Welcome back to "Sabbath School," 17:45 brought to you by It Is Written. 17:47 We're looking at "The End of God's Mission" here. 17:49 We've been talking about the significance 17:51 of the three angels' message. 17:54 In light of this, of the importance, 17:56 the significance, the hope that we find there, 18:00 what should we really be looking at as our focus 18:03 at the end of time? 18:04 What role do we play in all of this? 18:08 >>Greg: Well, thankfully, even though God is quite capable 18:12 of doing everything, we play such an important role 18:15 because He has put us dead center 18:16 as kings and priests at the center of His mission. 18:19 And it's interesting, you know, there's, 18:23 when we think about mission and we think about success, 18:25 how do we measure success? 18:27 How do we know that we're on the right track 18:29 and that sort of thing? 18:30 I think that we can often focus on the wrong things. 18:33 There's a passage in 1 Corinthians, chapter 3, verse 6, 18:38 where Paul is pointing out to the church of Corinth-- 18:40 you know, they're kind of, 18:42 a little bit of conflict they're having there. 18:44 He says, "I planted, Apollos came and he watered, 18:47 but God gave the increase." 18:50 So success ultimately is God's responsibility. 18:53 But both Paul and Apollos had a very important part to play 18:58 in the development of the church 19:00 in the city of Corinth in his time. 19:03 So, clearly, what I think our focus should be is 19:08 on the role we play, leaving those results to God's hands 19:12 because He's the only one that can actually bear fruit. 19:16 He's the one who gives the blessing 19:17 to the work we're doing. 19:19 But there's two things I want to focus on 19:21 to think about the success. 19:23 The first is that God has told us clearly 19:25 in Matthew, chapter 28, verses 18 to 20, 19:29 that we are to "go and make disciples, 19:32 "baptizing them in the name of the Father, 19:33 "Son, and the Holy Spirit, and to teach them 19:36 "all things I have commanded you. 19:37 And lo, I'll be with you even to the end of the age," He talks. 19:39 Well, what's interesting in those verses is that 19:43 there's four things, 19:44 but the heart of it is to make disciples. 19:47 That's the only imperative. 19:48 The others are actually forming more like modifiers, 19:51 to add meaning to what that central command word is. 19:56 But also Paul wrote 19:58 in 1 Corinthians, chapter 4, verse 16, "Imitate me." 20:03 And I remember when I was studying theology in college, 20:09 Atlantic Union College in Massachusetts, 20:13 I came across that verse, 20:15 and I was spending some time studying that. 20:16 I was like, "Boy, that seems kind of conceited, 20:18 'Imitate me.'" 20:20 What does Paul mean with that? And I began to realize 20:22 as I explored and understood more, 20:24 that Paul is saying, "Just as I'm following Christ, 20:27 you also follow Christ in that way." 20:28 So he's wanting them to imitate him in how he follows. 20:31 So, discipleship is at the heart of what mission is all about. 20:38 Therefore, when it comes to identifying success, 20:41 we need to be looking at disciples. 20:44 What qualities do they need to have? 20:47 Because these disciples need to be able to withstand 20:51 the opposition of the world. They need to have a loyalty, 20:55 when many who follow Christ are actually not being loyal. 21:00 So I think that the same place that we were just at 21:04 in Revelation 14 is a great place to look 21:07 to understand what kinds of disciples they should be. 21:11 Maybe you could read for us, just to set the context, 21:15 verse 1 and 2 of chapter 14. 21:17 >>Eric: "Then I looked, and behold, 21:19 "a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, 21:21 "and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, 21:23 "having His Father's name written on their foreheads. 21:26 "And I heard a voice from heaven, 21:28 "like the voice of many waters, 21:29 "and like the voice of loud thunder. 21:32 And I heard the sound of harpists playing their harps." 21:35 >>Greg: Okay, so this is the scene that we're setting. 21:37 Now let's skip down, and let's look at 4 and 5. 21:40 Read those, please. 21:42 >>Eric: "These are the ones who were not defiled with women, 21:44 "for they are virgins. 21:46 "These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. 21:49 "These were redeemed from among men, 21:51 "being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. 21:54 "And in their mouth was found no deceit, 21:56 for they are without fault before the throne of God." 21:59 >>Greg: Okay, the study guide actually gets in 22:02 and has us look at a number of verses to help us understand 22:05 what some of these are. 22:07 It doesn't have it all connected with this passage, 22:09 but this is where I'm drawing that from in the study guide. 22:14 There's basically four pieces here I'd like to focus on. 22:18 The first one in verse 4 is that 22:20 they are "not defiled with women, for they are virgins." 22:24 Now, of course, this means that this is symbolic. 22:26 And in 2 Corinthians, chapter 11, verse 2, 22:30 Paul is actually exhorting again the church of Corinth. 22:33 We refer back to the church of Corinth, 22:35 where he tells them, "I betroth you to Christ. 22:38 Stay pure and connected to Him." 22:40 So this, the idea here of them being virgins 22:44 and not being defiled, not being impure, 22:45 is the idea that they have one fiancé. 22:48 And, of course, what is the wedding? 22:49 It's the Second Coming of Christ. 22:51 So their first love and their only love is Christ. 22:55 And so, the type of disciples that we should be making 22:59 are people who are thoroughly and completely and absolutely 23:03 in love with Christ, and there's no other gods before them. 23:06 The second is here; these are the ones who do--what? 23:10 They "follow the Lamb wherever He goes." 23:14 Let's take a look at a Bible passage. 23:16 Many of us are familiar with John 10, verse 10: 23:21 "The thief comes to...kill, ...to destroy, 23:25 "but I...come that they might have life. 23:28 and that they might have it more abundantly," Jesus says. 23:32 And He identifies Himself as the Good Shepherd. 23:36 But look, if you could, read verse 27 there. 23:39 >>Eric: "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, 23:43 and they follow me." >>Greg: Ahh. 23:46 So there's something about--here, of course, 23:50 in Revelation, it was, we are following the Lamb, 23:52 but here now He's the Shepherd, 23:53 so both images or metaphors are used for who Christ is. 23:57 But here they have the ability to know, 24:00 to recognize God's voice. And a lot of times we think, 24:04 well, that's just the Word of God. 24:06 And, of course, that is. 24:07 The Word of God is the standard of knowing God's will. 24:11 But the Bible doesn't tell us who to witness to 24:15 or what to say to them. 24:16 The Bible doesn't tell me, you know, if I'm a young person, 24:19 what degree should I study in college, 24:21 or if I'm wanting to get a different job? 24:24 Well, should I take this one or not? 24:27 In Paul's experience, of course, 24:28 the Holy Spirit met him one night. 24:31 His plan was to go to Asia Minor, and the Holy Spirit said, 24:33 "No, I want you to go to Europe," 24:36 and so he goes in a different direction. 24:38 This is something that I think is 24:39 what it means to hear the voice of God, 24:43 to follow the Lamb wherever He leads us. 24:45 And later, Jesus even refers to the fact that He's going 24:49 to give the disciples the Holy Spirit, 24:51 and He's going to "guide you into all truth." 24:53 Not that it's going to be different 24:55 than everything He had taught, 24:56 but that it was going to continue to open 24:58 and to be revealed to them more and more 25:00 as they were carrying out His mission. 25:02 So I think that this is an important characteristic 25:04 of a disciple, that they are able 25:06 to discern God's will and to follow Him 25:08 in every unique situation. 25:10 The next item there that we see in Revelation 14 25:12 is going down into verse 5, 25:15 is that there's no deceit found in their mouths, 25:17 or maybe "no guile," it says in the old King James, 25:19 or no lies, some of the translations talk about. 25:23 You know, John says that, 25:25 "If anyone says that I have no sin, the truth is not in them." 25:29 The greatest deception, I think, is not just the deception 25:32 of speaking against the Word of God, 25:35 but it's the deception where I think I'm good, 25:38 where I think that, you know, I have no problem. 25:42 But to recognize our own need of correction 25:45 and of growth is so important. 25:47 The last point I want to point out here is in verse 5. 25:51 It says that they have-- 25:52 "They are without fault before the throne of God." 25:55 And this picture, also in the study guide, 25:57 you can look at the different verses there, 25:59 but we see that the great multitude 26:02 that come out of the tribulation 26:03 had their robes washed white in the blood of the Lamb. 26:06 So these are important things, 26:08 that this is the qualities of the disciples. 26:10 So if we're thinking about success, 26:11 we need to be thinking these are the kinds of disciples 26:13 that we want to disciple-- not just enough to say, 26:15 "Oh yeah, you have the truth. 26:17 "I'll be baptized, and I'll come to church," 26:18 but where they're growing and strengthening 26:20 also in their relationship with Christ. 26:22 >>Eric: Greg, we haven't much time left, 26:24 but if somebody was going through this quarter's lesson 26:28 and said, "I want to be more effective in mission," 26:31 what encouragement would you give them, 26:34 and how would they move forward? 26:36 >>Greg: Well, I'd like to turn our attention 26:38 to Hebrews, chapter 10. Hebrews, chapter 10, 26:41 if we could take a quick look at that, 26:43 I'd like to leave you with this. 26:46 It says in Hebrews, chapter 10, verse 23 to 25, 26:50 "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, 26:53 "for He who promised is faithful. 26:56 "And let us consider one another 26:58 "in order to stir up love and good works, 27:01 "not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, 27:03 "as is the manner of some, 27:05 "but exhorting one another, and so much...more 27:07 as [we] see the Day approaching." 27:09 You know, the ability-- we need to come together, 27:13 press together "to stir each other up 27:14 in love and good works." 27:16 Of course, this love is a love to seek and to save the lost. 27:19 The love that God has for this world is the love 27:22 He wants to have in our hearts, 27:23 which will be the means that we have to hasten His soon return. 27:27 >>Eric: Powerful words to leave this quarter off with. 27:30 Greg, thank you so much for joining us, 27:32 and we appreciate you joining us, too. 27:34 Thank you for joining us, and we hope 27:36 that we have inspired and encouraged, 27:38 and perhaps the Lord is impressing you 27:42 to be more fervent in sharing the love of Jesus with others. 27:47 We pray that God will bless you 27:49 as you continue to put into practice 27:51 the things that you have learned this quarter, 27:53 and we look forward to seeing you 27:55 next week for a brand-new quarter of "Sabbath School" 27:57 here on It Is Written. 27:59 ♪♪♪ 28:25 ♪♪♪ 28:27 [Captioning provided by Aberdeen Broadcast Services] |
Revised 2023-12-26