Participants:
Series Code: IIWSS
Program Code: IIWSS024015S
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00:11 ♪♪♪ 00:15 >>Eric Flickinger: Welcome to "Sabbath School," 00:17 brought to you by It Is Written. 00:19 We are looking this week at "The Great Controversy" 00:23 and looking at our second installment, 00:25 our second episode, this one on "The Central Issue: 00:28 Love or Selfishness?"-- a fascinating subject, 00:32 and we're going to dive into 00:33 some of the greatest questions that people have about God 00:36 and about Christianity in this week's lesson. 00:39 But before we begin, let's start with prayer. 00:43 Father, we thank You for being with us again as we take a look 00:46 at this significant subject of the great controversy. 00:49 And this week, as we take a look at "Love or Selfishness?"-- 00:53 help us to understand better 00:55 the character of love that You have 00:57 so that we can better understand Your plans for us. 01:00 And we thank You in Jesus' name, amen. 01:04 We are grateful once again also to have back 01:07 the author of this quarter's study guide, 01:10 and that is Pastor Mark Finley. 01:11 He is an international author, speaker, and evangelist 01:15 and much-loved friend here at It Is Written. 01:18 Pastor Mark, welcome back once again. 01:20 >>Mark Finley: Thank you, Pastor Eric, 01:22 always enjoy working with you to share God's Word. 01:26 >>Eric: Absolutely, and that is what we are doing this quarter, 01:29 a significant subject. 01:30 And this week in lesson number two, 01:32 "The Central Issue: Love or Selfishness?"-- 01:35 now, you begin this week's lesson 01:38 by taking a look at the destruction of Jerusalem 01:42 and thousands of people were slaughtered 01:46 in the destruction of Jerusalem. 01:48 It's kind of a--it's an interesting way 01:49 to start a week that talks about love. 01:53 Help us to understand that a little bit more. 01:56 >>Mark: Well, you know, a lot of people ask the question, 01:58 "If God is love, why is there so much suffering in our world?" 02:01 We talked a little bit about that in lesson number one. 02:04 But when you look 02:06 at the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, 02:09 God had borne long with His people 02:13 for millenniums, sending prophets, 02:17 sending messages of appeal, sending messages of love. 02:22 He sent His own Son, Jesus Christ, 02:26 who ultimately was crucified. 02:28 So the destruction of Jerusalem shows that God Himself 02:36 is a loving God, making appeals for generations and centuries. 02:42 And then in addition to that, the lesson on Monday for-- 02:49 Sunday, for example, "A Brokenhearted Savior," 02:53 that lesson reveals that Jesus weeps 02:58 over the destruction of Jerusalem. 03:01 And there's a wonderful Bible passage 03:05 in Matthew, chapter 23, verse 37 and 38 03:11 that I think comes to the very heart 03:13 of the answer to your question. 03:16 Matthew 23, verse 37, 38, 03:18 you can almost hear the pathos in Jesus' voice here. 03:22 You almost can hear the love in His tones, 03:27 and you could almost see 03:29 the tears rolling down His cheeks when He says, 03:32 Matthew 23:37-38, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 03:36 "the one who kills the prophets 03:38 "and stones those [that] are sent to [you]! 03:40 "How often I wanted to gather your children together, 03:45 "as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, 03:47 "but you were not willing! 03:49 "See! Your house is left to you desolate; 03:53 "for I say to you, [you'll] see me no more till you say, 03:55 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!'" 03:58 You know, Jesus says, "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 04:02 "my love for you is endless, limitless. 04:06 "I've sent messages of rebuke 04:09 "and messages of repentance to you. 04:11 "I've reached out to you. I revealed my Son to you. 04:14 "You saw Him when He touched the eyes of the blind 04:17 "and the ears of the deaf and you saw His miracles. 04:19 But you would not." 04:23 Here we find a God 04:25 that has done everything He could to save Jerusalem. 04:30 And you know, actually the destruction of Jerusalem 04:32 is a symbol. 04:34 It's a symbolic portrayal-- although it really happened, 04:37 of course--but it's a symbol 04:39 of destruction of the world at end time. 04:42 And this same God is appealing to humanity today 04:45 to accept His love and grace and be saved 04:48 from the destruction that's to come. 04:49 >>Eric: You know, this idea that 04:51 God allows bad things to happen 04:53 because He doesn't care is popular outside of Christendom, 04:58 and it's often used 04:59 as an argument against Christianity. 05:02 But what we see as we read the Bible 05:04 is that that's not the case. 05:05 It's not that God doesn't care; it's not that He's heartless, 05:09 that He's a tyrant. 05:10 He does care about His children, and He's doing what He can 05:15 to help them make the right decisions, 05:18 to make the right choices, and head in the right direction. 05:21 And even though the destruction of Jerusalem was terrible, 05:24 was horrible, there was a silver lining, 05:28 if we can call it that, 05:29 in that there were some who escaped, 05:32 some who did not meet destruction. 05:35 How did that come to pass? 05:36 >>Mark: You know, Jesus gave them warning, 05:38 and that's another aspect of His love. 05:41 Jesus puts it this way in Matthew 24, verse 15, 05:45 when He says, "Therefore when you see 05:47 the 'abomination of desolation'"-- 05:48 that's the approach of the Roman armies 05:51 to surround Jerusalem--"spoken of by Daniel the prophet, 05:54 "standing in the holy place 05:56 "(whoever reads, let him understand),... 05:58 "let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 06:00 "Let him who is on the housetop 06:02 "not [come] down to take anything.... 06:04 Let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes." 06:07 And then He says, "Pray that your flight [be not] 06:08 in [the] winter or on the Sabbath." 06:10 In other words, Jesus pointed out 06:12 that the Roman soldiers would surround the city. 06:16 But as they were approaching, Jesus said, 06:18 "When you see this, it's a signal that the city 06:22 is going to be destroyed, so flee." 06:24 Now, the interesting thing about it is that Cestius, 06:27 the Roman general in 69 AD, came to destroy the city, 06:34 and as he came, for some reason, 06:37 he pulled back and didn't destroy it. 06:40 The Christians knew that that was a sign 06:43 that the city would be destroyed. 06:45 They fled, and we are told 06:47 that not one Christian lost their life 06:49 in the destruction of Jerusalem. 06:51 So again, you see two things on God's love. 06:55 One, the repeated warnings that He gave 06:58 to Israel and the Jewish nation 07:01 that the city would be destroyed and the appeals in His love. 07:05 But secondly, He said, when you see the Roman armies come-- 07:10 so this was not something exclusively for Christians only, 07:14 but it was for anybody who wanted to flee, 07:18 who heard the Word of God, 07:20 and Christians did, and they fled. 07:23 So in other words, you see God's love trying to protect 07:26 His people from the destruction. 07:28 >>Eric: So God in Old Testament times, 07:30 as well as New Testament times, has given warnings. 07:33 He's given promises of His watch care for people. 07:38 What kind of promises are there in the Old Testament 07:42 that help us to understand 07:45 that God's presence is there with us, 07:48 even when we are in times of trial today? 07:51 >>Mark: Oh, there's some wonderful promises, 07:53 and I think one of my favorite, Eric, is Isaiah 41, verse 10. 07:59 In Isaiah 41:10, it is a very, very precious promise. 08:05 It says, "Fear not, for I am with you; 08:09 be not dismayed"-- in other words, 08:10 don't be confused-- "for I am your God. 08:13 "I will strengthen you, [yea], I will help you, 08:16 I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." 08:19 You know, God says, "Don't fear; don't be all confused." 08:22 He says, "I'm gonna strengthen you. 08:24 I'm gonna help you. I'm gonna uphold you." 08:27 Then, of course, you take a psalm like Psalm 46: 08:31 "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 08:36 "Therefore [will not we] fear, 08:37 "...though the earth be removed, 08:38 and...the mountains...carried into the midst of the sea." 08:41 And so God is our refuge and strength. 08:44 So you have these wonderful promises in the Bible. 08:47 Psalm 91: "A thousand [will] fall at your...side, 08:50 "...ten thousand at your right hand; 08:53 "but it [will] not come [nigh] you.... 08:55 "For [He'll] give His angels charge over you, 08:57 to keep you in all your ways." 09:00 So you have these promises that as we're faithful to God, 09:04 He is there with us in the trials, 09:08 the difficulties, the challenges of life. 09:10 >>Eric: So He's there. 09:11 Now, some people misunderstand that to mean 09:14 that if God is there with you, 09:16 that He will automatically preserve your life 09:19 or keep you from getting sick or miraculously heal you 09:23 if you happen to become ill. 09:25 But we read the New Testament story 09:27 of the New Testament church. They went through trials, 09:29 they went through persecution, they experienced death, 09:33 yet the church grew rapidly. 09:36 How did that happen with that kind of persecution? 09:40 >>Mark: As Christians, we are not playthings of the devil. 09:44 So the devil doesn't have free access to us 09:46 to do whatever he wants to do. 09:49 If God, because of natural causes, 09:52 allows suffering, He can accomplish 09:55 the purpose of deeper faith, deeper trust, 09:59 deeper dependence upon Him. 10:02 And so it's not that a Christian will never get sick; 10:06 it's not a Christian 10:08 that will never have deformities. 10:09 It's not that at all. It's not that a Christian 10:12 will never die in a car accident. 10:14 It is rather in the controversy between good and evil, 10:19 God allows natural processes to work out, 10:23 but He promises, Matthew 28, verse 20, 10:26 "Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the [earth]." 10:30 Hebrews 13: "I will never leave you [or] forsake you." 10:34 So God is there with us 10:36 in every challenge of life to strengthen us. 10:40 But those challenges, in the context of suffering, 10:43 being in a very real world, those challenges 10:47 deepen our faith, and they can draw us closer to Him. 10:50 >>Eric: Now, that's a pretty deep subject 10:52 and perhaps a subject 10:54 that somebody might want to dig more deeply into. 10:57 We've touched it, we've scratched the surface, 10:59 as it were, but it's an important one. 11:02 There is a companion book 11:03 to this quarter's "Sabbath School" lesson 11:05 that's called "The War Between Good and Evil." 11:08 It's a supplement, a companion 11:10 to what we're studying in this quarter's lesson. 11:14 You've written this book. 11:16 What is in this book, and why might someone 11:18 want to pick it up and delve into its depths? 11:22 What would they get out of it 11:23 if they picked up this companion book? 11:25 >>Mark: Well, a couple of things. 11:27 First, it will take the themes that we've been studying 11:30 in the "Sabbath School" lesson and broaden them. 11:32 I'll add a lot more, a lot more illustrations. 11:35 I will explain Bible text more fully. 11:38 But on this subject of if God is good, 11:40 why is the world so bad, and human suffering 11:42 and the intensity of our faith, 11:45 we'll delve into that in chapter 2, 11:47 and we'll look at the fact that God is there with us 11:53 in human suffering. 11:54 So the companion book really helps us 11:57 to round out these subjects, deepens our understanding, 12:02 and is filled with practical illustrations. 12:06 >>Eric: And if this is something that you would like to pick up, 12:09 and I hope that you will 12:10 because you will get a great deal out of it. 12:12 It's very easy to find this companion book. 12:16 Just go to itiswritten.shop. 12:19 Again, that's itiswritten.shop. 12:21 And you're looking for the book "The War Between Good and Evil" 12:25 by Pastor Mark Finley. 12:27 As you read that book, as you dig into it, 12:30 as you study it, 12:31 you are going to get a clearer picture of who God is, 12:35 a clearer picture of His character, 12:37 and a much clearer picture of His love for you. 12:41 Now, you may trust God, you may believe in Him, 12:44 but you may know some people 12:47 who have a difficult time trusting in God 12:49 or believing that He loves them or that He cares about them. 12:54 This will be an important book for you to pick up 12:56 so that you can share these great themes 12:58 with them in a way that is winsome, that is compelling, 13:02 and that will draw them closer to their Savior. 13:04 Again, you can find that book at itiswritten.shop. 13:08 We're going to be back in just a moment 13:09 as we continue looking at "The Great Controversy," 13:12 this difference between love and selfishness. 13:17 We'll be right back. 13:19 ♪♪♪ 13:23 >>Announcer: If you'd like to deepen your understanding 13:25 of the powerful themes brought out in this program, 13:27 we invite you to explore the book 13:29 "The Great Controversy." 13:30 For more information, 13:32 simply text the code "GC24" to 71392. 13:36 This book delves into critical end-time themes, 13:39 offering profound insights into historical events, 13:41 Bible prophecy, and spiritual preparation 13:44 essential for today's unique challenges. 13:47 Discover how "The Great Controversy" 13:48 can illuminate your path in these uncertain times. 13:53 >>John Bradshaw: He was the first person ever created, 13:56 the father of the human family, and his life is marked 14:00 by the greatest fall in the history of humankind. 14:04 He was present when God promised redemption to the world, 14:08 and he witnessed the devastating effects of sin 14:12 on his family and on his planet. 14:15 Don't miss the first episode in the new It Is Written series 14:19 "Great Characters of the Bible" as we look at the life of Adam, 14:25 a journey into Scripture that takes us 14:27 to some of humanity's deepest lows 14:30 and yet speaks of the promise 14:32 of the highest points of human history. 14:35 "Great Characters of the Bible," the story of Adam, 14:40 a story of tremendous failure, of tremendous success, 14:44 and of the grace of a loving God. 14:46 "Great Characters of the Bible: Adam," 14:49 brought to you by It Is Written TV. 14:53 ♪♪♪ 14:57 >>Eric: Welcome back to "Sabbath School," 14:59 brought to you by It Is Written. 15:02 Pastor Mark, let's come back to where we left off 15:04 just a moment ago 15:05 on persecution and trial and tribulation and death. 15:09 These are things that we experience today 15:12 that humanity has suffered ever since the Fall 15:15 back in the garden of Eden. 15:17 But when we look at the trials, the persecution, 15:20 the death that Christians have gone through, 15:22 especially in ages past, 15:24 we see how this led to a spread of the gospel. 15:28 How are those two linked together? 15:30 >>Mark: You know, it's amazing when you look, 15:32 for example, at the book of Acts. 15:35 I was thinking of one specific experience 15:38 in the book of Acts 15:39 when Paul and Silas were thrown into prison. 15:43 And as they go into prison here in Acts, 15:49 the scripture tells the story of them in prison, 15:55 singing praises to God. 15:57 The prison walls fall down in a great earthquake. 16:01 The Roman jailer is so astounded 16:05 he's about ready to fall on the sword and commit suicide 16:09 because of the fact that if the prisoners get away, 16:12 the Romans will take his life. 16:14 Paul says, "Don't do that." 16:16 And as this prison guard, this keeper of the prison, 16:21 as he sees Paul and Silas, his heart is open, 16:25 Paul preaches to him, 16:27 and he's converted his entire household. 16:29 So here you have an instance of Paul and Silas in chains, 16:33 beaten, bloody back, bruised, black and blue, 16:37 singing praises to God. 16:39 And in the context of that suffering, 16:41 the Roman centurion-- or the Roman guard, 16:44 who never would have come to Christ 16:45 if they weren't in prison, most likely. 16:47 Now, God could have had some other way, I don't know, 16:49 but God used suffering to bring them to Jesus. 16:53 And I think of the fact of--take Paul; 16:56 he's on a boat going to Rome, he's shipwrecked, 16:59 and the entire crew hears about the goodness of God. 17:03 Or you think about Paul when he's imprisoned in Rome, 17:06 and he says even some of Caesar's household-- 17:09 some of Caesar's household-- accepts the gospel. 17:12 So you can see very, very clearly in Scripture 17:17 that suffering does not destroy witness. 17:22 It really enhances it. 17:24 In fact, you remember Tertullian, 17:28 one of the early church leaders, said this: 17:30 "The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the gospel. 17:35 The more they try to kill us, the more we grow." 17:38 >>Eric: And there was no shortage of persecution 17:40 and no shortage of the spread of the gospel. 17:43 So we see that evidenced out in history. 17:47 One of the great commands that Jesus gave 17:50 to His followers, to His church, 17:51 to Christianity, is to love one another. 17:55 Now, what did the New Testament church 17:57 practically do to demonstrate 18:01 what it meant to love one another? 18:03 >>Mark: There's a couple of things that I think 18:05 are interesting in the text, and I want to add something, 18:08 a historical narrative 18:09 that I've read recently by the author 18:12 by the name of Rodney Starkey, just marvelous material. 18:15 But first, you look at the book of Acts. 18:17 In Acts, chapter 2, they ate together with a common meal, 18:21 they fellowshipped and prayed together, 18:24 they shared their wealth and resources together, 18:27 very practical. You come to Acts, chapter 6, 18:31 where you have widows that are short of food, 18:36 and they--New Testament church provides that food for them. 18:42 When in Jerusalem there is a famine, 18:45 Paul takes up a famine relief offering 18:47 to help the church at Jerusalem 18:50 to have adequate nourishment and adequate food. 18:53 You look at some of the miracles that were worked of healing. 18:57 So the New Testament church had a broad-based ministry: 19:01 physical, mental, spiritual healing. 19:06 Rodney Starkey looked 19:08 at the second and third century of Christian growth, 19:12 which would be about 100 to 200 AD, the second century; 19:16 and 200 to 300 AD, the third century. 19:19 And he looked at--there were two times that the church 19:23 just catapulted ahead in growth. 19:26 One was when there was a great pandemic or plague in 160 AD, 19:30 and the other was in 260 AD. 19:32 But at that time, the pagans, 19:35 because the disease was spreading so rapidly, 19:37 there were city--there were whole villages 19:39 where 90% of the population or thereabouts died, 19:43 people were looting the bodies in the streets in the cities, 19:46 and the pagans would simply take their father, 19:50 their mother, their child, who got these diseases, 19:52 throw them out in the street, and let them die. 19:54 Christians came, and the Christian nurses, for example, 19:58 would come and try to nurse those people back to health, 20:01 and many of the Christian nurses died themselves. 20:04 And Rodney Starkey says it was the love of these Christians 20:10 and the demonstration of that love 20:12 that won so many hearts and led people back 20:16 and led many of the pagans to Jesus. 20:19 >>Eric: You know, that's a powerful story. 20:21 And in fact, you reference it, I think, on page 19 20:24 on Thursday's lesson of this particular-- 20:28 of this week. I wanna read that in its entirety. 20:31 I think it's powerful. 20:33 It says, "Most of our brother Christians 20:34 "showed unbounded love and loyalty, 20:36 "never sparing themselves 20:38 "and thinking only of one another. 20:40 "Heedless of danger, they took charge of the sick, 20:43 "attending to their every need 20:45 "and ministering to them in Christ, 20:47 "and with them departed this life serenely happy; 20:50 "for they were infected by others with the disease, 20:53 "drawing on themselves the sickness of their neighbors 20:56 and cheerfully accepting their pains." 21:00 You know, as you look at the New Testament church, 21:02 what's a characteristic, a word, a thought 21:07 that you think really encapsulates 21:09 what helped the Christian church 21:11 in these days and these years to grow? 21:14 >>Mark: Well, you know, that's an interesting statement, 21:16 the one you just read, 21:17 and I'll come right to your question. 21:19 That was written by Dionysus, who wrote a lengthy tribute 21:23 to the heroic nursing efforts of the local Christians. 21:27 You know, he was one of the very early Christian writers. 21:29 And so this was something written by himself. 21:32 You know, I think, Eric, one of the things that helped 21:34 the early Christian church to grow 21:36 was this sense of compassion, 21:39 that God had created every human being in His image. 21:43 And when these early Christians came to Christ 21:46 and they accepted the love that flows from Calvary 21:50 and they saw this multifaceted ministry of Jesus-- 21:53 Jesus had a multifaceted ministry; 21:56 it says He "went about" in Matthew, chapter 4. 21:59 See, what made the church grow was these early Christians 22:02 were imitating the ministry of Christ, 22:06 and if you look, for example, at Matthew, chapter 4, 22:11 it talks about, in verse 23, "Jesus went about all Galilee, 22:15 "teaching in their synagogues, 22:17 "preaching the gospel of the kingdom, 22:19 "and healing all [the] kinds of sickness 22:22 and all kinds of disease among the people." 22:24 So Jesus taught them 22:25 the principles of the kingdom of God 22:27 that gave them a better life. 22:29 Jesus preached to them 22:31 the message of salvation that transformed them. 22:33 And Jesus was a healer. 22:35 He was concerned about their bodies. 22:37 He was concerned about their health. 22:40 He was concerned about their physical life as well. 22:43 So when you look at this entire panorama, 22:47 this story of the growth of Christianity, 22:50 it's because the New Testament church 22:53 was so moved by the love of Christ, 22:56 so inspired by His example, 22:58 that they went out to meet the physical, 23:00 mental, emotional, and spiritual needs of people. 23:05 >>Eric: So it really was a wholistic ministry-- 23:09 W-H-O-L. 23:11 He ministered, as you said, 23:13 preaching and teaching and healing. 23:16 That's what the early Christian church was like. 23:18 And I don't think it's much of a stretch to say 23:21 that Christianity would probably be 23:23 a whole lot more popular today if we took a wholistic-- 23:28 W-H-O-L--wholistic approach 23:30 to ministering to others as well. 23:33 Let me come back to what we're talking about in this week. 23:36 One of the areas we're talking about is persecution. 23:39 There's, of course, just the evil that comes upon us 23:44 living in a sin-cursed, fallen world. 23:47 But there's also persecution. 23:48 What function, what positive function, 23:52 does persecution serve? When we look at, 23:56 you know, why are good people persecuted? 23:58 Why are helpful people attacked? 24:02 What role does persecution serve? 24:06 >>Mark: Well, first, we don't desire persecution 24:08 as Christians; we don't get on our knees and say, 24:11 "Oh Lord, send the persecution," you know? (laughs) 24:13 So that's not something that we are desiring, 24:15 saying, "Hallelujah, let me sing the doxology; 24:18 I just got persecuted," you know, not at all. (laughs) 24:21 But persecution is the result 24:26 of men and women who stand for Christ, 24:28 men and women who are faithful to Christ 24:32 in an evil, sinful world. 24:34 What value does persecution have or what function does it have? 24:38 First, persecution enables 24:40 the individual being persecuted 24:42 to deepen their faith. 24:44 You look at Hus and Jerome, and Hus, particularly, 24:47 in a filthy prison for weeks, months, 24:49 and he said that when he was in there, 24:51 it was a precious experience with Jesus. 24:54 You look at Dietrich Bonhoeffer, 24:56 who was imprisoned during the Second World War 24:58 by the Nazi regime, 25:00 who said that the Psalms became the precious guide of his life. 25:04 So when you look at persecution, first thing it does 25:08 is it deepens the faith of the one persecuted. 25:11 The second thing that persecution does 25:14 is that it, when others see that faith deepened, 25:20 it inspires them; it encourages them. 25:25 Not long ago, I had an anointing service 25:28 of a dear friend of mine, a lady. 25:30 I've known she and her husband for many years. 25:34 And she was diagnosed 25:35 with a very, very serious cancer. 25:39 She's doing well now, incidentally, 25:41 and we anointed her. 25:43 But I will tell you, her faith, her positive attitude, 25:48 her courage, her never-blaming God 25:51 inspired both me and my wife, Teenie, immeasurably. 25:56 So I think persecution can deepen one's faith. 26:01 It can inspire others looking by. 26:03 And I think when one hangs on to Christ 26:07 in the midst of persecution, 26:09 it impresses as well those unbelievers, 26:12 and they then can respond to the grace of God 26:16 because they see grace in action. 26:19 >>Eric: So persecution gives God an opportunity to shine 26:24 in a person's life, not something that we desire, 26:26 not something we want or look for or ask for, 26:29 but it presents an opportunity 26:30 for people to get a better picture 26:32 of who God is and His love for us. 26:34 One quick question as we're kind of tying things together here: 26:38 How can a local church become 26:40 a more loving, caring entity in the community? 26:44 >>Mark: I think that as churches are on their knees seeking God, 26:51 asking God for a vision 26:53 of what He wants that church to be in the community-- 26:56 I think this is a matter of prayer. 26:59 It's a matter of seeking God. 27:00 Secondly, it's a matter of assessing 27:02 the needs of the community 27:04 and having the church meet those needs. 27:08 The church is the body of Christ, 27:11 redeemed by grace, filled with love, 27:14 meeting needs everywhere. 27:16 >>Eric: So, Pastor Mark, this week we've taken a look 27:18 at the central issue being love or selfishness. 27:21 Jesus is depicted. 27:23 If you could depict Jesus in one word, 27:24 it would be love. 27:25 If you were to depict the Father in one word, 27:27 it would be love. 27:29 And if we hoped that people in our community 27:32 could depict us in one word, 27:34 it would probably be love as well. 27:36 And as we become less selfish and more like Christ 27:39 by the grace of God, that's what's going to happen. 27:41 Pastor Mark, thank you once again 27:43 for being with us this week, 27:45 and thank you once again for joining us as well. 27:48 We'll be back again next week 27:49 as we continue our journey through "The Great Controversy." 27:52 We look forward to seeing you then. 27:54 This has been "Sabbath School," 27:55 brought to you by It Is Written. 27:57 ♪♪♪ 28:24 ♪♪♪ 28:26 [Captions provided by Aberdeen Captioning www.abercap.com] |
Revised 2024-04-02