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Series Code: IIWSS
Program Code: IIWSS023016S
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00:16 >>Welcome to "Sabbath School," 00:17 brought to you by It Is Written. 00:19 We're glad that you could join us again this week 00:21 as we continue our journey through the book of Revelation, 00:24 especially looking at those three cosmic messages, 00:29 the three angels' messages found in Revelation 14, 00:32 that interact with so many other portions of the Bible. 00:35 We are on lesson number 4, 00:37 week number 4 on our 13-lesson journey together. 00:41 And this week's lesson is called, 00:44 "Fear God and Give Glory to Him." 00:47 We're going to dive into that in just a moment, 00:49 but let's begin with prayer. 00:51 Father, thank You for giving us time today 00:55 to pull apart from the other cares of the world 00:58 and to dwell on You and Your message for this time. 01:03 We ask that You'll bless us and help us 01:04 to gain a clear understanding of the type of relationship 01:08 that You want us to have with You, 01:11 the motivation for having that relationship, 01:14 and what we can look forward to in the future. 01:16 And we thank You in Jesus' name. 01:18 Amen. 01:19 Well, our special guest this week again 01:21 is Pastor Mark Finley. 01:23 Pastor Mark, great to have you back. 01:25 >>It is delightful to be here. 01:26 Thank you so much for having me. 01:27 >>So you give this message, this lesson, 01:31 the title, "Fear God and Give Glory to Him." 01:35 We don't typically think of the relationship 01:38 that Christians should have with their God 01:40 as one built on fear. 01:43 What does fear mean, 01:45 what does it not mean, and why are we called to fear God? 01:49 >>Actually, Pastor Eric, the title for the lesson 01:52 comes from Revelation 14 itself, 01:56 where in Revelation, chapter 14 and verse 6, 02:01 which we've been emphasizing the last few lessons, 02:04 it talks about the angel who flies in the middle of heaven, 02:07 a message that goes to the ends of the earth 02:09 with the everlasting gospel. 02:11 Then in verse 7 it says, "Fear God and give glory to Him, 02:15 for the hour of His judgment has come." 02:17 This expression, "fear God", is a very unique expression. 02:21 It's used throughout the Bible, 02:23 so maybe it would help us to understand 02:25 what it means to fear God 02:26 if we look at other places in Scripture where it's used. 02:29 So let's go, for example, to Genesis, chapter 22. 02:34 Genesis, chapter 22, uses the expression "fearing God," 02:39 and it talks, in fact, about Abraham 02:43 and his fear of God. 02:45 Genesis, chapter 22, and we're going to look at verse 12. 02:51 >>"And He said, 'Do not lay your hand on the lad, 02:53 "'or do anything to him; 02:55 "'for now I know that you fear God, 02:57 "'since you have not withheld your son, 03:00 your only son, from me.'" 03:01 >>Now that helps us to understand what it means to fear God 03:05 because Abraham has brought his son, Isaac, 03:11 onto the mountain at the instructions of God 03:14 to offer him as sacrifice. 03:16 God was testing Abraham's faith. 03:19 It was not that Abraham was gonna slay his son, 03:22 but he had to be willing to do that, 03:24 and God provided a ram in the thicket. 03:27 But the angel speaks and says, 03:29 "Don't lay your hand on the lad, 03:31 for now I know that you fear God." 03:35 Did that mean that Abraham was afraid of God? 03:38 It means that Abraham's had such reverence for God, 03:43 he took God so seriously that he did whatever God said, 03:47 even if he didn't understand it. 03:49 What is fearing God? 03:51 Fearing God in Scripture is having reverence, respect, 03:55 it's taking God seriously, 03:57 so I obey Him, even if I don't understand. 04:01 We find this relationship between fearing God and obedience 04:05 also in Ecclesiastes, 04:09 and we find it there 04:11 in the book of Ecclesiastes, chapter 12. 04:14 And fearing God has to do 04:18 with a state of mind 04:20 in which I take God seriously 04:23 and I do whatever He says, even if I don't understand it. 04:27 And if we go down there to Ecclesiastes, chapter 12, 04:33 and we'll look at verse 14, 04:37 and if you could read, 04:38 you know, I think it's good to start even with 13, 04:40 read 13 and 14 for us. 04:43 >>"Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: 04:46 "fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man's all. 04:50 "For God will bring every work into judgment, 04:52 including every secret thing, whether good or evil." 04:56 >>The structure of this passage 04:57 is very similar to Revelation 14:7 where it says, 05:00 "Fear God... give glory to Him, 05:03 for the hour of His judgment has come." 05:05 This text says, "Fear God and keep His commandments." 05:08 In other words, as you respect God and reverence God 05:11 and as you take God seriously, it'll lead you to obedience, 05:15 and this obedience is significantly important 05:18 in the light of the judgment. 05:19 So in Revelation 14:7, 05:21 there's an appeal to be very serious about our faith 05:25 with God in the light of the fact 05:28 that we're living in the judgment hour. 05:30 There is a section here that I think is very helpful, 05:35 that I've written under Sunday's lesson. 05:39 It talks about the essence of the great controversy 05:42 between Christ and Satan, 05:44 the difference between Christ's attitude of humility 05:47 and His desire to please God, 05:49 and Satan's attitude of arrogance and pride. 05:52 And I don't know if you have it there, 05:54 but it's the paragraph that is just the second 06:00 to last paragraph. 06:01 >>"The essence of the great controversy 06:03 "revolves around submission to God. 06:05 "Lucifer was self-centered. 06:07 "He refused to submit to any authority except his own. 06:11 "Rather than submit to the One upon the throne, 06:14 "Lucifer desired to rule from the throne. 06:17 "Put simply, to fear God is to place Him first 06:20 "in our thinking. 06:21 "It is to renounce our self-centeredness and pride 06:24 and to live a life wholly for Him." 06:27 >>That's the definition of what it means to fear God. 06:31 Fearing God is linked to obeying God. 06:35 We find that in, for example, 06:37 a number of passages in Scripture, 06:39 on Monday's lesson, we talk 06:40 about Psalm 119, verse 73 and 74. 06:46 What I want us to really clearly see 06:48 is that you cannot say you fear God 06:51 if you openly, blatantly disobey God. 06:54 So fearing God is not being afraid of God, 06:58 it's not trembling because I'm fearful 07:02 that if I do something wrong, God is gonna zap me. 07:05 Fearing God is rather a statement of mind 07:07 where I respect God so much that I take Him seriously, 07:10 and taking Him seriously, I obey His commands. 07:13 And we find this in Psalm 119, verse 73 and 74, 07:17 and go ahead and read those. 07:19 >>"Your hands have made me and fashioned me; 07:22 "give me understanding, that I may learn Your commandments. 07:25 "Those who fear You will be glad when they see me, 07:28 because I have hoped in Your word." 07:30 >>Yeah, so those who fear You, 07:32 those who take God seriously, 07:33 David says are gonna be glad. 07:35 Why? Because I hope in Your word. 07:37 So in other words, I've given my total life to Christ, 07:40 and other believers are gonna be glad when they see me 07:45 because of my faith in commitment and obedience to Christ, 07:50 so that has to do with fearing God. 07:52 >>Very good. 07:53 So, not a fear of trembling, 07:56 a fear that's manifested in trembling, 07:58 but a fear of reverence and respect 08:02 because we know who God is and what He offers us. 08:05 A powerful picture there. 08:06 You've talked about, here, living a God-centered life. 08:10 What does it mean to live a God-centered life 08:15 rather than a self-focused or a self-centered life? 08:19 >>You know, we bring that out 08:21 in the lesson on Tuesday, 08:26 what it means to live a God-centered life. 08:28 And maybe the first paragraph there is a great one to read, 08:31 and then we can look at some of the text. 08:33 >>"In an age of consumerism, 08:35 "when secular values have made self the center, 08:38 "heaven's appeal is to turn from the tyranny 08:40 "of self-centeredness 08:42 "and the bondage of self-inflating importance 08:44 "[and] to place God at the center of our lives. 08:47 "For some, money is the center of their lives. 08:50 "For others, it is pleasure or power. 08:52 "For some, it may be sports, music, or entertainment. 08:56 "Revelation's message is a clarion call to fear, 08:59 respect, and honor God as life's true center." 09:03 >>You know, Jesus talks about that as well 09:05 in Matthew, chapter 6, verse 33, 09:08 Christ talks about what it means practically 09:15 to take God seriously and make Him the center of our life. 09:17 Matthew, chapter 6, verse 33, 09:21 we find that here, 09:23 and Jesus talks about priorities. 09:25 Where are our priorities in life? 09:27 And go ahead and read that for us. 09:29 >>Jesus says, "But seek first the kingdom of God 09:32 "and His righteousness, 09:33 and all these things shall be added to you." 09:36 >>Jesus is talking about priorities, 09:38 and He's saying, make the seeking of the kingdom of God 09:42 first in your life. 09:45 Where are your priorities in life? 09:48 Do you place a priority on prayer? 09:51 Do you place a priority on Bible study? 09:53 Do you place a priority on devotions? 09:56 Do you place a priority on giving to the cause of God 09:58 and the cause of Christ? 10:00 Do you place a priority on worship? 10:02 Seek first the kingdom of God. 10:04 Here in the book of Colossians, 10:06 there's a text that really has been burning its way 10:09 into my mind recently, 10:12 and I've been thinking a lot about this text, 10:14 in fact, thinking about it in the light, Pastor Eric, 10:18 about my own life. 10:21 Colossians, chapter 3 and verse 1 and 2, 10:27 and again, go ahead and read that. 10:28 >>"If then you were raised with Christ, 10:30 "seek those things which are above, 10:32 "where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 10:35 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth." 10:40 >>And then verse 3, I think we can add to it. 10:42 >>"For you died, and your life is hidden 10:44 with Christ in God." 10:46 >>So, if Christ has transformed our lives, 10:50 how do we fear God practically? 10:52 How do we take Him seriously? 10:54 How do we show Him reverence? 10:56 We set our mind. 10:57 Now, it's interesting the choice of words 11:00 that the Apostle Paul used there, "set your mind." 11:03 In other words, make a positive decision 11:07 in your mind; 11:08 set your mind. 11:09 Make a positive choice on the things above, 11:12 not on the things of earth. 11:14 So the question is, where are you focused? 11:17 What's the focus of your life? 11:19 Now obviously, there's work that has to be done. 11:23 Obviously, we need to go out day by day. 11:26 Some work in factories, some work at computers, 11:29 some work in the medical profession, 11:30 nurses and doctors, 11:32 and some work as 11:35 carpenters and electricians, 11:38 so obviously, we go out to work 11:40 to make a living for our family, 11:43 but the goal of our life, 11:45 the focus of our life, is not merely making money. 11:52 The focus of our life, the goal of our life, 11:53 is not merely having pleasure for ourself. 11:56 Life is much more than simply getting up in the morning, 12:00 wolfing down a breakfast, jumping in our car, 12:03 racing to work, battling traffic, 12:07 coming home at 5:30 half exhausted, or 6 o'clock or 7, 12:12 exhausted, watching a little TV while we eat supper, 12:17 and going to bed. 12:18 Life has to be more than that. 12:20 And what Christ is saying in this "fear God" in Revelation, 12:24 we're living in the judgment hour. 12:26 Set your priorities straight in life, 12:29 seek first the kingdom of God, 12:31 set your affection on things above, not on things on earth. 12:35 >>Worthwhile for us to dwell on, 12:38 and those are some powerful verses, 12:40 powerful verses that can, and indeed should, 12:42 guide all of our lives. 12:44 We are tempted, and in fact, trained by this world 12:48 to look at things happening in our lives 12:51 on a horizontal perspective 12:53 whereas God wants us to take a more vertical perspective 12:57 and keep the things of heaven in mind. 13:00 And along those lines, that's what we're doing this quarter 13:02 as we're looking at three cosmic messages. 13:05 I wanna encourage you, again, 13:06 if you have not already done so, now is the time. 13:10 Make sure you pick up the companion book 13:11 to this quarter's "Sabbath School" lesson. 13:13 It is called "Three Cosmic Messages" 13:15 by Pastor Mark Finley, 13:17 and goes into much greater detail, 13:19 much greater depth into this subject, 13:22 and you will be blessed if you pick this up. 13:24 Where can you do it? 13:25 At itiswritten.shop. 13:27 Again, itiswritten.shop 13:30 is where you will find "Three Cosmic Messages" 13:32 by Pastor Mark Finley. 13:34 And we're going to continue looking at what it means 13:36 to fear God and give glory to Him 13:39 when we come back in just a moment. 13:41 We'll see you momentarily. 13:42 (bright music) 13:47 (bright music) 13:49 >>Planning for your financial future 13:50 is a vital aspect of Christian stewardship. 13:54 For this reason, 13:56 It Is Written is pleased to offer free planned giving 13:58 and estate services. 14:00 For information on how we can help you, 14:02 please call 800-992-2219. 14:07 Call today or visit our website, hislegacy.com. 14:11 Call 800-992-2219. 14:17 >>(Announcer) If you enjoy coloring, 14:18 then you're going to love 14:20 the "Buried Treasure Coloring Book" 14:21 from My Place With Jesus. 14:23 The "Buried Treasure Coloring Book" 14:25 has more than just pictures to color. 14:27 You'll also enjoy activity pages, 14:29 each accompanied by their very own audio story. 14:32 >>(Narrator) Mr. Dixon came across a small, well-weeded 14:36 rice patch out in the middle of a field. 14:39 >>(Announcer) Get ahead of a rainy day 14:40 or a relaxing evening as a family, 14:42 and order the "Buried Treasure Coloring Book" 14:45 from It Is Written. 14:48 (bright music) 14:52 >>Welcome back to "Sabbath School," 14:53 brought to you by It Is Written. 14:55 We're looking at what the Bible says about fearing God 14:58 and giving glory to Him. 15:01 So, we've talked already a little bit about fearing God, 15:05 that it means to reverence Him and so forth, 15:08 not to shake in fear, but what about giving glory to God? 15:12 How do we give glory to God? 15:14 What are some ways that we can do that? 15:16 >>Well, let's look at the distinction between those two. 15:19 Fearing God and giving glory to God in Revelation 14:7 15:22 is in the context of the gospel. 15:25 So I can never fear God or take Him seriously 15:28 if I don't understand the gospel, 15:29 if I don't understand that Christ has changed my life 15:32 and that Christ has transformed my life. 15:34 If His grace is not filling my life, 15:37 if His love is not saturating my life, 15:39 I can never take Him seriously. 15:41 I can never give glory to Him 15:44 if I don't have anything to give glory for, 15:46 but I give glory to Him because He is my Creator. 15:49 I'm not a speck of cosmic dust, 15:51 He fashioned me, 15:52 He made me. 15:53 I give glory to Him because He's my Redeemer, 15:55 because He saved me by His grace. 15:58 I give glory to Him because He is my interceding Lord, 16:01 my High Priest who gives me power and strength 16:04 to live every day, 16:06 and I give glory to Him because He's coming again. 16:08 So it says, give glory to God, why? 16:10 For the hour of His judgment has come. 16:12 Now, the Bible helps us define these two things. 16:15 Fearing God has to do with what I think; 16:19 giving glory to God has to do with how I live. 16:21 Fearing God has to do with a mental state 16:24 of taking God seriously; 16:26 giving glory to God translates that into my life. 16:29 We find that in a number of biblical passages. 16:33 Let's just look at one 16:35 in 1 Corinthians, chapter 6, verse 19 and 20. 16:41 1 Corinthians, chapter 6, verse 19 and 20, 16:46 Paul is writing to the church at Corinth. 16:49 Now it's very interesting, the church at Corinth, 16:52 Corinth is in the southern part of Greece, 16:56 province of Achaia down south. 16:59 It was a seaport city 17:01 that had the Temple of Aphrodite, 17:04 which a thousand pagan mortal priestesses, 17:08 and it was a city with a lot of transient population, 17:13 ships docked there, 17:14 so you had the ship workers, the sailors were there. 17:17 It was the party city of Greece, 17:20 pleasure center of Greece. 17:22 So Paul says in 17:23 1 Corinthians, chapter 6, verse 19 and 20, 17:28 go ahead and read it please. 17:30 >>"Or do you not know that your body is the temple 17:33 "of the Holy Spirit who is in you, 17:35 "whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 17:38 "For you were bought at a price; 17:39 "therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, 17:43 which are God's." 17:45 >>So here, how do we glorify God in our lifestyle? 17:48 Now, there's another passage we have to put with this, 17:51 and that's 1 Corinthians 10, verse 31, 17:53 and I think if we get those two together, 17:55 we'll have a good idea what it means to glorify God. 17:59 >>"Therefore, whether you eat or drink, 18:01 or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." 18:04 >>So here, the scripture says, 18:06 "Whatever you eat or drink,... whatever you do, 18:09 do... to the glory of God." 18:10 So I give God glory in the way I live. 18:14 I give God glory in the choices that I make. 18:18 So the question I have to ask very practically is, 18:21 is when I sit down to a meal, 18:24 is the food I'm eating giving glory to God? 18:27 Am I truly giving glory to God 18:30 as I work with Him to preserve the health 18:33 that He has given me? 18:35 Can I say I'm giving glory to God if I'm smoking tobacco? 18:38 Can I say I'm giving glory to God if I'm drinking alcohol? 18:41 Can I say I'm giving glory to God 18:43 if I'm eating unclean foods? 18:44 Can I say I'm giving glory to God 18:46 if I totally neglect my health, 18:48 I don't care about exercise, I don't care about diet, 18:51 if I don't care about getting adequate-- 18:54 in other words, how do I give glory to God? 18:56 I take Him seriously in my mind and fear God, 18:59 but I give glory to Him in the way I live. 19:02 "Whatsoever you eat or drink, whatever you do, 19:05 do all to the glory of God." 19:08 In what I listen to, am I giving glory to God? 19:10 The kind of music am I listening to, 19:12 is that giving glory to God? 19:14 In the activities of my life, 19:17 what I watch on television, 19:19 what I look at on YouTube, what I watch on Netflix, 19:23 is all of that giving glory to God? 19:26 Is it possible that I can claim to be a Christian, 19:29 but yet, defile my mind by sitting down 19:34 and watching things on the internet 19:36 that are totally un-Christian? 19:39 Or what if I'm addicted to the digital world, 19:42 am I giving glory to God there? 19:44 >>You know, sometimes you run into people 19:46 who have their Christian life 19:48 and then they have the other life that they live. 19:51 And really, Christianity is not about a dualistic approach 19:55 to life, it's an entire wholehearted approach. 19:58 Everything is wholistic, 20:00 I guess if we could use that with a "w," 20:03 a wholistic approach to life, 20:05 that everything is involved in, nothing is separated from. 20:08 >>Exactly. 20:09 There are a couple passages on that in the Bible. 20:11 Look at 1 Thessalonians, chapter 5. 20:14 This brings out exactly what you've said, Pastor Eric. 20:18 1 Thessalonians, chapter 5, verse 23. 20:22 It really illustrates Paul's concept, 20:26 inspired by the Holy Spirit of course, 20:28 of what it means to give glory to God. 20:30 1 Thessalonians 5, verse 23. 20:33 >>"Now may the God of peace Himself 20:35 "sanctify you completely; 20:37 "and may your whole spirit, soul, and body 20:40 "be preserved blameless 20:42 at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." 20:44 >>Yeah, sanctify you complete, 20:45 your whole spirit, that's your mental attitude. 20:47 You know, we've said sometime, 20:48 that person is an angry spirit, 20:50 that person is a kind spirit. 20:52 It reveals our attitude. 20:54 And then says, your soul, 20:55 that's the spiritual faculties of the human being. 20:59 And body, that's the physical. 21:00 So you have mental, spiritual, and physical, 21:03 and we give glory to God in every aspect of our life. 21:09 >>So we reverence God, we fear Him, 21:11 we give glory to Him in every area of our lives. 21:15 Now if we are reverencing Him and giving Him glory, 21:19 then you get into the next question is, 21:21 what about overcoming? 21:22 What about those challenges that we face in life? 21:25 None of us is impervious to temptations, 21:32 and it's a whole lot easier to fall to temptations, 21:33 at least it seems, than to resist them. 21:36 Is there any hope? 21:38 We wanna do the right things, 21:40 we wanna be ready for Jesus when He comes. 21:42 Is there actual hope that we could overcome 21:45 some of those bad habits, some of those sins, 21:48 that so easily beset us? 21:50 >>You know, it's fascinating 21:52 when you look at the book of Revelation, 21:54 because Revelation is a book about overcoming. 21:58 The seven churches in Revelation, chapter 2 and 3, 22:01 Ephesus, he that overcomes, 22:04 Smyrna, he that overcomes, 22:06 Pergamos, he that overcomes, 22:08 Thyatira, he that overcomes, 22:09 Sardis, he that overcomes, 22:10 Philadelphia, he that overcomes, 22:11 Laodicea, he that overcomes. 22:13 So, what God is saying in that 22:17 is wherever you find yourself. 22:19 If you find yourself in the midst of compromise, 22:21 you can overcome. 22:22 If you find yourself in the midst of evil and darkness, 22:24 you can overcome. 22:25 If you find yourself in the midst of spiritual complacency, 22:28 you can overcome. 22:30 If you've drifted from Christ and once knew Him, 22:32 you can overcome. 22:33 So the emphasis of Revelation is we, 22:37 through the grace of Christ, 22:39 not through our own strength, not through our own power, 22:41 it's possible to overcome. 22:44 As you and I were talking a little bit off camera, 22:46 we'd never wanna limit God. 22:49 Unpack that a little bit for us. 22:51 >>Yeah, I was once asked whether I thought it was possible 22:54 for someone to overcome, 22:56 and the answer that I gave, 22:57 and I hadn't prepared the answer, 22:59 I think God just gave it to me, 23:01 was I would not feel comfortable putting any limits 23:05 on what God can do in the life of a person 23:08 who is completely and totally surrendered to Him. 23:11 You know, if we are indeed truly surrendered to Him, 23:16 then He has carte blanche, He can do whatever He wants, 23:20 and the last time I checked, 23:21 God doesn't have any limitations in that department. 23:24 And so He--but it's up to us to be willing to lay down 23:28 our wills at His feet and let Him take the wheel. 23:32 >>Yea, you know, the question we'd have to ask too, 23:34 and then that's such a great answer, 23:35 God has no limitations. 23:36 But the question we'd have to ask is too, 23:38 what sins are so great 23:41 that God's power cannot enable us to overcome them? 23:45 You know, because He says that He is "the Author 23:49 and Finisher of our faith." 23:50 Hebrews 12:1-2. 23:52 He says that "I've begun a good work in you," 23:55 Philippians 1:6-7, 23:57 "and I will finish the work that I began." 24:00 I don't know how God's gonna finish His work in my life, 24:03 but I know He promises to finish it, 24:05 and I don't wanna limit what God can do. 24:08 >>That promise is one that gives me hope, 24:10 that He who began a good work will perform it, 24:12 or finish it, or complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. 24:15 I may not be yet who I aspire to be, 24:19 but I'm not who I used to be either, 24:22 and so, we're on a journey, 24:23 and God, day by day, if we're willing to go on that journey 24:26 with Him, will lead us step by step. 24:28 >>There is a paragraph that I've written on page 35 24:32 that might be helpful on this point. 24:34 It's on Thursday's lesson, April 20th. 24:38 It says, "Jesus, the divine Son of God, 24:41 "has overcome the wiles of the devil. 24:44 "He faced temptations trusting in the promises of God, 24:47 "surrendering His will to the Father's will, 24:50 "and depending on the Father's power. 24:53 "Trusting Him, looking to Him, believing in Him, 24:56 "we, too, can be victorious. 24:58 Jesus is our all in all, 25:00 "and the three angels' messages are all about Him. 25:03 "Revelation's message is one of victory, not defeat. 25:07 "It speaks of a people who through His grace 25:09 and by His power overcome." 25:11 That's the purpose of these three angels' messages, 25:14 to lead us in the light of the judgment hour, 25:17 in the light of the second coming of Christ, 25:19 to fear God, to take Him seriously, 25:21 to give glory to Him in every aspect of our lives, 25:24 believing that through His grace and by His power, 25:27 we can overcome. 25:28 >>So Pastor Mark, let me give you an opportunity to speak 25:30 to those who are watching or listening, 25:33 who may be struggling with something, 25:35 who may be frustrated, 25:38 and they believe that God can give them victory, 25:42 but they're not experiencing it, 25:44 they believe that God can change their lives, 25:46 but they're not seeing it happen, 25:48 and they keep stumbling and falling, 25:51 and they're kind of at a point where they say, 25:54 "I believe, yet it's not manifesting itself." 25:57 What kind of encouragement could you give to someone? 25:59 >>Well, thank you so much for asking. 26:01 The question that I would ask that person is this, 26:04 remember what Jesus said. 26:06 He said to the man who was shaking from head to toe 26:09 with a palsy, "Will you be made whole?" 26:13 In other words, do you desire healing? 26:16 So, if you're struggling with something in your life today, 26:21 and if that thing you've fallen on again 26:23 and again and again, I would ask you this question, 26:27 do you really want the power of Christ? 26:30 Do you really want to give up that thing? 26:32 And you say, "Pastor, yes, I do." 26:34 Make then a decision that today, 26:38 you're gonna surrender that very thing to Jesus. 26:41 Come to Jesus and say, "Jesus, I'm weak, I'm frail. 26:47 I know that I can't do this on my own," 26:49 but this is the confidence that we have in Him, 26:52 1 John 5, verse 14. 26:54 "If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us." 26:59 If you know it is God's will 27:01 for you to give something up and surrender it, 27:04 if the Holy Spirit's been impressing you with that, 27:07 surrender that to Him today. 27:10 And 1 John 5:4 says, 27:12 "This is the victory that overcome[s] the world, 27:14 even [by] faith." 27:16 Don't wallow in your failures, 27:18 by faith, accept His victory, 27:21 by faith, accept His power, 27:23 by faith, you believe you can overcome, and you will. 27:27 >>Pastor Mark, thank you so much for being with us again 27:29 this week, and thank you for helping us to understand 27:31 what it really means to fear God and give glory to Him. 27:35 Thank you for joining us as well. 27:38 We are continuing our journey again next week, 27:41 looking at "Three Cosmic Messages." 27:43 Until then, may God bless you, 27:45 and we'll see you next time on "Sabbath School," 27:47 brought to you by It Is Written. 27:50 (bright music) 28:25 (music ends) |
Revised 2023-04-13