Participants:
Series Code: IIWSS
Program Code: IIWSS024003S
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00:12 ♪♪♪ 00:15 >>Eric Flickinger: Welcome to "Sabbath School," 00:17 brought to you by It Is Written. 00:19 We are on a journey this quarter through the book of Psalms, 00:22 and this week is lesson number 3, "The Lord Reigns." 00:27 We're gonna look at something very fascinating this week, 00:29 but before we do, as usual, let's begin with prayer. 00:32 Father, we thank You for being with us again this week 00:35 as we continue our journey through the book of Psalms. 00:38 Help us to gain a better picture, 00:40 a greater understanding of who You are and Your impact 00:44 on the Psalms and, ultimately, Your impact in our lives. 00:47 We ask that You'll bless our time together, and we thank You 00:49 in Jesus' name, amen. 00:52 Well, my guest today, as in the last couple of weeks and through 00:55 the remainder of the quarter is Dr. Dragoslava Santrac. 00:59 She is, well, she's passionate about the Psalms. 01:02 I guess that's a good way of saying it. 01:04 Slava, welcome back once again. 01:05 >>Dragoslava Santrac: Thank you. Nice being here. 01:07 >>Eric: So, we've already looked at two lessons, 01:09 and this week we're looking at "The Lord Reigns." 01:12 As we look at this, what are some of the fundamental beliefs 01:16 upon which the world of the Psalms is built? 01:19 What are we understanding--or assuming, 01:22 maybe "assuming" is an appropriate word-- 01:25 as we enter into the book of Psalms, 01:27 with respect to God? How does this all fit together? 01:29 >>Dragoslava: Yes, if there was just a few words to describe 01:35 this fundamental belief, the foundation on which the entire 01:40 building of the Psalms stand, it would be "the Lord reigns." 01:46 And from that, every other theme finds its meaning in that 01:52 every other appeal and activity in the Psalms has its context. 01:58 It's the sovereign reign of the Lord as the sovereign 02:02 Ruler and King of everything that exists. 02:05 >>Eric: Okay, so if we don't understand that, 02:07 Psalms really don't mean too much. 02:10 It is somewhat empty. 02:11 But if that is the case, if the Lord does reign, 02:15 if He is who He is, then all of a sudden the Psalms have 02:20 a much deeper meaning, a much more solid foundation, 02:24 an immoveable foundation, if He is who He is. 02:28 What kind of words would describe the faith of the Psalms 02:32 in a nutshell? 02:35 >>Dragoslava: Yes, I would definitely, 02:37 again, repeat "the Lord reigns." 02:40 That's at the core of the Psalmist's belief, and, 02:45 as we will study even more in the following lessons, 02:49 even when that reign is challenged, 02:53 the Psalms never abandon the faith in this 02:57 basic proclamation, "The Lord reigns." 03:01 And because the Lord reigns, the earth is called to rejoice. 03:07 Because God will do all things in its right time. 03:11 God is not surprised. God is not weak. 03:14 He reigns. He is in control. 03:17 That's the base, the foundation of everything. 03:20 >>Eric: So if that's the foundation 03:23 and everything else kind of springs from that, 03:25 how do we experience that? 03:27 What does that mean to the life of a Christian? 03:30 We know it's foundational, we know it's important, 03:33 but bring that out. 03:35 >>Dragoslava: So how do we experience God's rule 03:38 in our personal lives? 03:40 That's an excellent question, and the first we find that 03:45 the Lord is Creator. 03:47 That's the basic relationship that we have, 03:51 that He's our heavenly Father, the one who created us. 03:56 Then, He is also the Judge, meaning that God created us, 04:03 but He also gave us certain guidelines or His righteous 04:07 principles and laws to guide us in His creation. 04:13 Then also we experience God as the Savior, 04:18 the one who forgives, the one who redeems. 04:21 And of course, we experience God as the one who comes, 04:27 the one whom we expect. 04:29 >>Eric: So He plays a great many roles in our life 04:34 as the Sovereign, and it's not something fluffy, 04:40 it's not something intellectual, but these are very real roles 04:44 that He plays in our lives. 04:46 You asked some interesting questions during the course 04:50 of this week's lesson. 04:52 One of the questions that you asked is regarding Psalm 97. 04:55 It says, "What characterizes the Lord's reign?... 04:59 [And] the domain of His reign?" 05:02 Can we take a look at that over in Psalm 97? 05:05 I'd like to kind of dwell on that just a little bit. 05:08 So, in Psalm 97, what characterizes the Lord's reign? 05:12 You've mentioned here, or referenced, 05:14 verses 2 and 10: "Clouds and darkness surround Him; 05:17 righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne." 05:19 And verse 10: "You who love the Lord, hate evil! 05:23 "He preserves the souls of His saints; 05:25 He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked." 05:27 Dive into that a little bit more. 05:29 Who is He, and why is this so important? 05:32 >>Dragoslava: Yes, so the Lord bases His reign on justice 05:37 and righteousness. That's who He is. 05:41 He is just, and He is righteous. 05:44 And as such, He has that prerogative to judge the world. 05:49 Now, when we say the word "judge the world," it can create 05:55 some uneasiness in us, but if we just look at verse 1, 06:00 "The Lord reigns; let the earth"--what?-- 06:03 [together] "rejoice." 06:04 And then, verses 11 and 12 speak of gladness, 06:11 speak again of joys. Why? 06:13 Because by His justice and His righteousness, 06:18 God does not punish; God delivers, you know? 06:23 So when we think of God's judgment and His righteousness 06:27 and His reign, we should think of God who delivers, 06:31 the God who comes to save what He can save, 06:35 and that is the reason the earth rejoice. 06:39 Now, will there be some who won't be rejoicing? 06:42 Well, verse 7 says, "Let all be put to shame who serve 06:47 carved images, who boast of idols." 06:51 So those who reject the plan of salvation, 06:54 those who reject this hand that's been given graciously 06:59 to them, there is no other way of salvation. 07:03 And if we reject the only way, there is nothing left 07:07 but shame and destruction. 07:09 But this is not God's desire. 07:12 God desires that by judgment to help us get rid of everything 07:18 that stands between us and Him as our Creator 07:21 and to redeem us from evil. 07:24 >>Eric: You know, Slava, as we look at the world today, 07:27 there is a great deal of concern about injustice, 07:31 about one group judging another, but this should help us to 07:37 lay aside some of those fears because today many people 07:41 may not receive what they consider to be justice. 07:44 The world is an unjust place and injustices abound. 07:49 But this helps us to remember that God is reliable, 07:53 that He's going to bring a genuine justice 07:56 and a genuine hope. 07:58 How might that give someone encouragement today? 08:02 >>Dragoslava: Yes, well, the encouragement is that 08:05 the Lord reigns, that He is the living God, and that 08:09 He is in control and His word will be the last. 08:14 Psalm 96 says, "Say among the nations"--so there is 08:18 a call for the believers to say something about the injustices 08:24 in the world. And the message is, "The Lord reigns; 08:28 "the world also is firmly established, 08:32 it shall not be moved." 08:34 Sometimes we may think we are going to perish, 08:37 all of us; this Planet Earth is going to dissolve. 08:40 But there is a promise here that the world is 08:44 "firmly established, and "it shall not be moved." 08:46 Why? Because the Lord will "judge the peoples righteously." 08:52 But sometimes, Eric, we want to take verses like this 08:55 and say, "The judgment belongs to God," and it does, 08:59 and He's the one who will level all unlevel things and bring 09:04 the right up and the wrong down, but let us not forget verse 10 09:10 that we read in Psalm 97: "You who love the Lord"-- 09:15 do what?-- [together] "hate evil!" 09:18 There is a responsibility on us to speak against injustice 09:23 and to work against injustice, for us to play a part, 09:28 not to be neutral and sit aside and say, 09:30 "Well, one day the Lord will--" 09:32 the Lord wants to use us where we can 09:36 and how He can, even today. 09:38 >>Eric: So there's, there are real, tangible, 09:40 practical ways that we can be involved in God's justice 09:44 that He wishes to see, He desires to see on earth. 09:47 We may not be able to turn the tide of everything, 09:50 but that doesn't mean that we should stay silent, either. 09:53 But there is that encouragement that even when there are things 09:57 that we can't change, things that are beyond our abilities, 10:01 that ultimately God is going to bring up the right 10:06 and bring down the wrong. 10:08 And that ought to give us some hope, 10:11 rather than leaving us in frustration 10:14 that we just can't change everything-- 10:17 >>Dragoslava: Yes, yes. >>Eric: ...everything. 10:19 So the book of Psalms, as you've mentioned, 10:21 gives us a clear picture of God, of His sovereignty. 10:25 But in our first week together, 10:26 you mentioned how the book of Psalms 10:28 kind of transitions from challenging times 10:32 and discouraging things to hope and maybe enlightenment-- 10:37 I don't know if that's a good word to use here. 10:39 So when we feel--when we feel that the world is unjust, 10:44 maybe reading some of those latter Psalms, 10:48 like what we're reading here, 10:50 could lift us up and could encourage us. 10:52 >>Dragoslava: Yes, that's true, absolutely. 10:55 And the Psalms will give us words. 10:58 If there is a victim, the Psalms will give you words. 11:04 You are not to keep quiet. God wants you to speak. 11:08 And also, the Psalms will lead you, 11:13 will lead us, towards that hope. 11:16 So there is this, as we mentioned earlier, 11:19 that the Psalms give us words to pray to God and express 11:24 our thoughts and our hurts, but the Psalms will also provide 11:30 this feedback of hope and lead us to this wonderful message 11:35 that the Lord is coming and His judgment will not be late. 11:39 >>Eric: So it seems sometimes like wickedness is-- 11:43 >>Dragoslava: Prevailing. 11:44 >>Eric: ...is prevailing-- that's a good word. I like that. 11:46 And we look and we say, you know, 11:48 "How long, O Lord?" is that cry. 11:52 But in the book of Psalms, He helps us to understand that 11:54 there is light beyond the darkness, and if we can be 11:57 involved in that, then praise Him for it. 12:00 But even if we can't effect the change that we wish 12:04 that we could or can't undo some wickedness or injustice 12:07 that has been done, we can know that in the future, 12:10 things are going to work out better. 12:12 But we can in tangible ways make some difference today. 12:15 So this is a fantastic week that we're going through 12:18 here with God reigning and His sovereignty. 12:21 And we've mentioned this a couple of times already, 12:24 but if somebody wants to dig more deeply 12:25 into this and other subjects in the Psalms, talk about 12:28 the companion book for just a moment. 12:30 >>Dragoslava: Yes, the companion book, 12:32 a wonderful addition to the Sabbath school quarterly, 12:35 the Sabbath school guide, where you can follow, 12:38 week by week, what we do in this quarterly, 12:42 and then learn more in-depth information about the topics 12:47 and things mentioned in this quarterly, 12:50 or adult Bible study guide. 12:52 >>Eric: Thank you, Slava. 12:54 And if you are wanting to pick that up, 12:55 and I would strongly encourage you to do that, 12:58 it's very easy to do. 13:00 Simply go to itiswritten.shop. 13:03 That's itiswritten.shop, and you will there find 13:07 the companion book to this quarter's Sabbath school lesson. 13:10 Easy to pick up, easy to find, and easy to read through, 13:14 you will find so much more that will bring a great deal of depth 13:19 to your study of the book of Psalms. 13:21 We're going to continue in just a moment when we come back, 13:23 looking at God's reign. We'll be right back. 13:26 ♪♪♪ 13:30 >>John Bradshaw: It's the longest chapter 13:32 in all of the Bible: Psalm 119, 176 verses long, 13:39 with all but just a very few of those verses 13:42 speaking about the word of God. 13:46 Don't miss "Great Chapters of the Bible: Psalm 119" 13:50 and journey through this beautiful psalm. 13:54 The law of God, the statutes of God, 13:57 the commandments of God, the word of God 14:00 focused on by David, the writer of Psalm 119. 14:05 Psalm 119 gives us deep insights into not only the Word of God 14:09 but the faithfulness, the love, and the heart of a mighty God. 14:15 Don't miss "Great Chapters of the Bible: Psalm 119" 14:20 and grow your appreciation for the Word of God. 14:23 "Psalm 119," brought to you by It Is Written TV. 14:30 ♪♪♪ 14:32 >>Female announcer: Planning for your financial future 14:34 is a vital aspect of Christian stewardship. 14:38 For this reason, It Is Written is pleased to offer 14:41 free planned giving and estate services. 14:43 For information on how we can help you, 14:46 please call 800-992-2219. 14:51 Call today or visit our website: HisLegacy.com. 14:55 Call 800-992-2219. 15:01 ♪♪♪ 15:05 >>Eric: Welcome back to "Sabbath School," 15:06 brought to you by It Is Written. 15:08 We are looking at lesson number 3 15:10 about God's reign and His sovereignty. 15:13 Slava, we mentioned a moment ago about God's creatorship 15:19 and the fact that, really, everything in the Psalms 15:21 is making that assumption, that He is the Creator. 15:25 Why is that identity of God being the Creator 15:28 so very critical for us to understand? 15:30 >>Dragoslava: Yes, it is very critical because 15:34 it gives us identity, our true identity. 15:37 Today we hear from psychologists and social workers how people, 15:43 especially young people, struggle with identity, 15:47 with a sense of self-worth, finding purpose in life. 15:52 So, knowing that God is our Creator gives us identity 15:58 as being God's children. 16:00 And it led the Psalmist in Psalm 8 exclaim, 16:04 "How wonderfully I'm created," 16:07 and he rejoices in the fact that the Lord created him 16:11 the way He did. 16:13 So it gives us a sense of who we are. 16:16 It builds the sense of self-worth that we truly need, 16:21 and at the same time, it gives us humility because we realize 16:26 that we are not the center of the universe, 16:29 but it is God who gives everything that is. 16:33 So this self-reliance is so unnecessary. 16:38 We can rest and rejoice in the care and love 16:41 of our heavenly Father. 16:43 And also, God as Creator, understanding that fully 16:48 guard us against idolatry. 16:51 Because, as human beings, we have to put trust in something. 16:57 If it's not ourselves or our money, 17:00 our profession, then maybe it's politics, 17:03 the government, whatever, but we seek for an outward, 17:10 for an outside authority, to place our trust, 17:15 and all these things will disappoint us 17:18 at one point or another. 17:20 But God is our Creator. 17:23 He's the only one worthy of our trust, 17:26 and also it helps us appreciate God but also other people 17:31 because them now are not a product of evolution, where, 17:36 you know, through the fight of the fittest we win the prize. 17:40 They become my brothers and sisters, 17:42 God's children, just like myself. 17:44 It's a wonderful theme: God as Creator. 17:48 It's as important as God being the sovereign King. 17:52 >>Eric: You know, I think what you point out is 17:54 really important because it helps us to understand 17:56 a right relationship that we should have with other people. 17:59 We look around the world today-- probably don't have to look 18:01 very far, you know, turn on your favorite news channel 18:04 or pull up your favorite news app, and you see...discontent-- 18:08 I guess we'll put it that way. 18:10 And that's probably spoken very lightly, compared to 18:12 a lot of the things that are going on in the world today. 18:15 And much of that is because we don't understand 18:17 that we are brothers and sisters. 18:19 When much of the world is trying to teach us that we did evolve 18:23 through macroevolution and we're, you know, 18:26 so many cells that miraculously came together-- 18:30 well, "miraculously" is the wrong word-- 18:32 that by chance came together-- which is really a miracle-- 18:37 but by chance came together, and some have advantages, 18:40 and some have disadvantages. 18:42 It can, indeed, put us at odds with one another. 18:45 But understanding that God is our Creator, 18:48 that we have that same identity, that same relationship, 18:53 with one another, that we are all of one blood, 18:57 it really, it changes the playing field 19:00 on the planet, or at least it should, 19:03 if we all had that understanding. 19:06 But seeing that we are, indeed, created beings-- 19:08 you mentioned also that it's--we shouldn't be 19:11 so full of ourselves, but appreciating God 19:16 for what He has done in us and through us 19:19 and is continuing to do in us is really, really huge. 19:24 I want to come back to something we touched on 19:25 a little bit earlier, and that is judgment. 19:28 When we take a look at God's judgment, 19:30 we mentioned that God's judgment is good news, 19:32 and you hit on something in Wednesday's lesson. 19:36 The question is asked: "The theme of God's judgment prompts 19:38 "a significant question: How can God's people have peace with God 19:42 and assurance of salvation at the time of judgment?" 19:47 There are many Christians who struggle with this: 19:52 Am I good enough? Have I done enough? 19:57 And really, these are questions that are based 19:59 on a misunderstanding of salvation and lean 20:02 more toward a salvation-by-works approach. 20:05 But when we understand God's sovereignty and who He is 20:09 and His role in the judgment, how should that give us 20:14 encouragement, and how can we face the judgment 20:19 without the fear and trepidation 20:20 that so often embody people's thoughts 20:25 about the judgment or worries about the judgment? 20:28 >>Dragoslava: Yes, yes. Well, I will use 20:30 one simple illustration from everyday life 20:33 that I believe many can relate to. 20:36 I am married. 20:38 I love my husband, and I know that he loves me. 20:41 Being married means that we are in a covenantal 20:45 marital relationship. 20:47 Now, do we sometimes have some disagreements? 20:52 Am I allowed to say publicly "yes"? 20:56 But then am I to wonder, "Oh no, now my husband 21:00 "is going to leave me. 21:02 "He doesn't love me anymore because I told him-- 21:06 I was frustrated, and I said that." 21:07 Or maybe the lunch I prepared was not to the best 21:12 of his tasting and all, so am I to fear now he's going to leave, 21:17 he is going to love me less? Never. Why? 21:21 Because our relationship is based on much stronger 21:26 and bigger things than these little disagreements 21:30 we may have from time to time. And that is what? 21:34 Covenant faithfulness to that marital covenant, 21:38 and number two, love. 21:40 Now, if we human beings who are sinful and selfish by nature 21:45 implement these high values in our lives, 21:49 how much more God? 21:51 So the key word that makes God's judgment good news is covenant-- 21:58 or two words: God's covenant. 22:00 God is faithful to His covenant. 22:03 And we read in Psalm 94, which is a psalm about God's judgment, 22:10 in verse 14 and 15, "For the Lord will not cast off 22:16 His people, nor will He forsake"--or forget-- 22:21 "His inheritance. But judgment will return to righteousness, 22:25 and all the upright in heart will follow it." 22:29 In many other psalms, we read how God remembers 22:33 His covenant, and because He remembers His covenant, 22:37 He takes pity on His erring, sinful, repentant children. 22:43 And that's the wonderful news. 22:45 >>Eric: So that's something that we should spend more time 22:48 thinking about and less time worrying about, am I good enough 22:53 to be saved, am I ready to be saved? 22:56 We should all feel ready to be saved, by the grace of God. 22:59 But it's not by something that we are actively doing. 23:02 We're trusting in His goodness and His promises 23:07 that He's not going to forsake us. 23:09 If we've chosen Him and we've surrendered our lives 23:11 and ourselves to Him, then we're in that relationship 23:16 that we shouldn't spend time worrying so much. 23:19 On Thursday, you talk about 23:20 "Your testimonies are very sure." 23:23 And you give us a list of verses that we can read there 23:27 through the Psalms, and a common thread that runs through them: 23:31 If His testimonies are very sure, 23:34 why does that give us hope? 23:36 >>Dragoslava: It give us hope that God does not change. 23:40 They say that in psychology of education for children, 23:45 the worst--one of the worst-- things parents can do is to be 23:49 unreliable in what they demand or expect from their children. 23:55 So if it is one day "I want you to wash the dishes every day," 23:58 and then tomorrow, "I just don't care if you didn't," 24:01 say, "Ah, it's fine," the child is going to be confused. 24:04 Am I supposed to do this or that, or does it matter? 24:08 But with God, His word is sure. 24:11 His precepts are always right. God does not change. 24:15 His will, revealed in His Word and through His righteous laws, 24:21 are clear, and they do not change. 24:23 And by following them, we get this reassurance 24:27 that we are given guidance in this life. 24:31 The psalmist will say in Psalm 119 that 24:35 "Your word is [the] lamp to my feet." 24:39 In his culture, they literally had lamp attached to the feet 24:44 to help them see in the dark the path so that a snake 24:49 or some other dangers are not there. 24:51 So this firm Word of God, His righteous laws, 24:56 they give us direction, and we can rely on them. 25:01 >>Eric: So He's very consistent. >>Dragoslava: Yes. 25:03 >>Eric: You're right, one of the things, the challenges 25:05 that we face in this life is that life seems to be 25:07 inconsistent, but we can come back to God, and we can know 25:10 He is consistent, His Word doesn't change, 25:12 He doesn't change, and because of that 25:15 we can have confidence that He's going to do 25:16 what He's promised to do. 25:18 If somebody is concerned, they're worried 25:23 about themselves, about someone that they care about-- 25:27 more often than not they're worried about themselves 25:29 and their relationship--what kind of words of encouragement, 25:32 of hope would you give to that person to remind them 25:36 that our God reigns, 25:39 that He is on His throne, and that they don't need 25:43 to spend so much time worrying? 25:45 Maybe spend less time worrying and more time trusting? 25:47 >>Dragoslava: Yes, yes. Well, I can think 25:51 of many verses in the book of Psalms, 25:54 but I just remembered, when I heard your question, 25:57 Psalm 61, verse 2: "When my heart is overwhelmed; 26:04 lead me to the rock that is higher than I." 26:08 And I believe that today there are many people whose hearts 26:12 are overwhelmed. 26:14 If not because of our personal life situation, 26:18 then just by listening to the news and hearing 26:22 about the atrocities happening around the world. 26:25 It is just too overwhelming. 26:28 And we tend to sink and get deep into depression and sorrow 26:34 because we feel helpless. 26:36 However, the Psalms remind us that the Lord reigns. 26:41 He is the one who created us. 26:44 He's the one who sustains our lives. 26:47 And He's the one who, through His righteous judgments, 26:51 will redeem this world from all these evils 26:56 and sadness and atrocities. 26:58 And the prayer here that we read: 27:01 "Lead me to the rock that is higher than I." 27:06 Who is that rock? What is that rock? 27:08 It is the Lord. 27:10 In the Psalms, the Lord is pictured as 27:13 "the rock of my salvation." 27:15 What I love about this verse is that 27:18 that rock "is higher than I." 27:22 And, you know, when you are on a higher level, 27:24 you can see much bigger, broader, picture 27:28 than when you are down in the valley. 27:31 Let us remember that God is high, lifted up. 27:35 He sees the entire picture. 27:37 He sees your life. He sees this world. 27:40 >>Eric: Slava, thank you for that verse, 27:41 for those thoughts, for the something to dwell upon 27:44 and really draw close to our hearts. 27:47 They are encouraging words. 27:49 And thank you for joining us once again this week as we 27:52 have continued our journey through the book of Psalms. 27:55 We, of course, will be back again next week 27:58 with lesson number 4 as we learn more about Jesus 28:02 through the book of Psalms. 28:04 This has been "Sabbath School," 28:06 brought to you by It Is Written. 28:09 ♪♪♪ 28:22 ♪♪♪ 28:26 [Closed captioning by Aberdeen Captioning www.abercap.com] |
Revised 2024-01-12