Participants:
Series Code: IIWSS
Program Code: IIWSS024016S
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00:00 [uplifting music]
00:12 [uplifting music] 00:15 >>Eric Flickinger: Welcome to "Sabbath School," 00:17 brought to you by It Is Written. 00:19 We are taking a journey through an incredible subject, 00:22 "The Great Controversy," and this week we are looking 00:26 at lesson number three, "Light Shines in the Darkness," 00:30 a very important bit of history for Christianity. 00:34 Let's begin with prayer. 00:36 Father, we want to thank you for blessing us 00:39 with an opportunity to study this incredible theme. 00:42 And as we look at this subject this week, we ask that You 00:45 would open our hearts and our minds to a significant element 00:49 of the history of Christianity that can give us hope for today 00:53 and tomorrow, and we thank You in Jesus' name, amen. 00:58 Well, as we take a look at this week's lesson, we will have 01:01 with us once again the author of this quarter's 01:03 Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide, Pastor Mark Finley. 01:08 He is an international speaker, evangelist, author. 01:11 Pastor Mark, we're glad to have you back again. 01:14 >>Mark Finley: Thank you, Eric, it's always great to work 01:17 with my friends at It Is Written television. 01:19 >>Eric: Well, this week, as I mentioned, we're taking a look 01:21 at "Light Shines in the Darkness," 01:24 and this week's memory verse is a significant one. 01:28 I'd like to read it and then give you an opportunity 01:30 to reflect a little bit on it. 01:32 It is found in John 12, verse 35. 01:35 It says, "Then Jesus said to them, 01:37 "'A little while longer the light is with you. 01:40 "'Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; 01:44 he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going.'" 01:49 What's the significance of this text? 01:51 >>Mark: Throughout the Bible, you have this contrast 01:54 between light and darkness. 01:56 Light reveals God's way, God's truth. 02:00 In fact, Jesus in John, chapter 8 said, 02:03 "I am the light of the world." 02:05 So, walking in the light is walking with Jesus. 02:09 Walking in the darkness, Satan is the author of darkness, 02:14 that is, spiritual darkness. 02:17 He wants people confused and not understanding the Word of God. 02:22 So, when Jesus says, "Walk while you have the light," 02:25 just before that, He talked about His crucifixion, and what 02:28 He was saying is, I'm here now; I'm revealing truth to you now; 02:32 walk in the truth you have. 02:34 The spiritual lesson of that to each of us is that at some time 02:39 in every life, God reveals His light and truth, 02:42 and He invites us to walk in it. 02:44 In fact, not only some time, but every day God is revealing 02:48 to us facets of light and truth, and He's encouraging us 02:52 to create an appetite, a desire, the will to do 02:57 whatever He asks us to do and walk in the light of His Word. 03:01 >>Eric: So there is in this world, in this life, 03:03 light and darkness, 03:05 and there are many Bible verses that draw this out. 03:08 I'd like to read a couple of more Bible verses here, 03:11 Pastor Mark, John 14:6 and John 8, verse 44, 03:15 and give you the opportunity 03:16 to compare and to contrast those two. 03:19 I'll start with John 14 and verse number 6. 03:23 In John 14, verse number 6, Jesus says, or, 03:27 "Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. 03:31 No one comes to the Father except through me.'" 03:35 And then we're going to contrast that 03:37 with John 8, verse 44, where Jesus says, 03:40 "You are of your father the devil, 03:43 "and the desires of your father you want to do. 03:46 "He was a murderer from the beginning, 03:48 "and does not stand in the truth, 03:50 "because there is no truth in him. 03:53 "When he speaks a lie, 03:54 "he speaks from his own resources, 03:56 for he is a liar and the father of it." 04:00 So, one of these verses is clearly describing Jesus, 04:03 and the other is clearly describing the adversary. 04:06 Help us to draw some things out of these verses. 04:09 >>Mark: Well, Jesus is the author of truth, 04:12 and all truth resides in Christ, 04:15 and so Jesus reveals the truth of His Word 04:19 to lead us on the pathway of eternal life. 04:22 Truth can only take one form. 04:26 For example, if I say one plus one equals two, 04:30 or three plus two equals five, or five times six equals 30, 04:35 how many right answers are five times six equal 30? 04:38 It's not 31; it's not 28. It's one right answer. 04:42 So, truth can take one form; error can take many. 04:45 So, here Satan is the father of lies. 04:49 He will do everything he can to confuse the mind, to lie to us. 04:54 There's another aspect of that, too, when Jesus says, 04:57 "I am the way, the truth, and the life." 04:58 When Christ reveals the truth to us, 05:02 He reveals the truth about salvation, 05:04 the truth about His Word, 05:07 the truth about the fact that we are children of God, 05:10 the truth about the fact 05:11 that He's doing everything He can to save us. 05:14 The devil reveals lies to us; he speaks lies. 05:17 He says, "You're unworthy; you cannot be saved." 05:19 He says, "Your sins are too great; you cannot be saved." 05:22 He says that you have no self-worth or self-esteem. 05:27 In Christ we find the truth about Jesus, 05:31 but we also find the truth about ourselves. 05:33 We find the truth about the plan of salvation. 05:35 Satan wants to distort all that and confuse our thinking. 05:40 >>Eric: Pastor Mark, when we talk about truth, 05:43 years ago, I think, many people accepted 05:46 that there is a truth, there is one truth. 05:48 Today it's become more and more popular to believe that 05:50 I have my truth, and you have your truth, and we all have 05:54 our own truths, and they don't necessarily have to agree-- 05:56 which, if you stop and think about it, 05:58 doesn't make a whole lot of sense, 05:59 but that doesn't stop it from being popular. 06:01 In this lesson you talk about the source of truth. 06:06 What is the source of truth, and why is it so important 06:09 for us to understand that? 06:11 >>Mark: You know, it's really kind of amusing to me, 06:14 Pastor Eric, when people say, "Oh, I have my truth, 06:16 you have your truth, and truth is relative." 06:19 Well, would you say that to your employer? 06:23 "You have your truth. 06:25 "I'm supposed to be here at eight o'clock in the morning, 06:26 but I got my truth. I wanna sleep in till 10:00." [laughs] 06:29 You know, I don't think the employer would accept that. 06:32 There are certain principles. 06:34 What about the law of gravity? 06:36 You know, I've got my truth, and I'm going to step off 06:40 the Grand Canyon because I think I'm going to go up. 06:42 That's not truth; that's delusion. 06:44 You know, the law of inertia, bodies in motion 06:47 remain in motion unless they're stopped by some outside force. 06:50 That's why I can't drive down the highway in the wrong lane 06:55 and hit a trailer truck and think I'm going to survive, 06:59 you see? So, there are objective truths 07:03 in the area of anatomy and physiology. 07:05 There are objective truths. 07:07 You can say, "I've got my truth; you've got your truth; 07:09 you can smoke all you want." No. 07:10 A high-fat diet predisposes me to heart disease. 07:13 There are objective truths. 07:15 So, in the Word of God we find in John 17, verse 17, 07:20 Jesus saying to us, "Sanctify them through Thy [word]: 07:24 Thy word is truth." 07:27 So, truth is not a matter of my definition, truth is not 07:30 a matter of what I think, it's not a matter of what I guess. 07:34 Biblical truth, the truth of morality, the truth of ethics, 07:39 is found in the Word of God, and just like scientific truth, 07:44 just like truth about anatomy and physiology, 07:45 it's very objective, very clear. 07:47 >>Eric: Truth is important for us to understand, to grasp, 07:51 to accept if we want to function in this world in preparation 07:56 for heaven. 07:58 Paul kind of keeps this idea going. 08:01 I'd like to read something that Paul writes--or describes Paul-- 08:05 in Acts 20, verses 27 through 32. 08:09 I'll take a moment to read that here. 08:10 Acts 20, beginning in verse number 27. 08:13 It says, "For I have not shunned to declare to you 08:16 "the whole counsel of God. 08:18 "Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, 08:21 "among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, 08:24 "to shepherd the church of God 08:26 "which He purchased with His own blood. 08:28 "For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves 08:32 "will come in among you, not sparing the flock. 08:35 "Also from among yourselves men will rise up, 08:38 "speaking perverse things, 08:39 "to draw away the disciples after themselves. 08:42 "Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did 08:45 "not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears. 08:49 "So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word 08:52 "of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you 08:56 an inheritance among all those who are sanctified." 09:01 What idea is he trying to get across here? 09:04 And then I want to read another passage from 2 Thessalonians. 09:07 >>Mark: Well, Paul, Pastor Eric, 09:09 is meeting with the elders at Ephesus. 09:12 He's at a place called Miletus. 09:14 I visited that place, great preserved ruins there. 09:18 And so, the elders know that Paul is going by ship; 09:21 the ship is going to stop at Miletus. 09:24 They hasten from Ephesus to meet him. 09:26 He pours his soul out to them. 09:29 He says in verse 27, "I have not shunned to declare 09:32 the whole counsel of God." 09:34 In other words, Paul says, I'm not resisting sharing with you 09:37 the truths of God's Word 09:39 because I'm afraid you won't accept them. 09:40 This is God's counsel, and by the Holy Spirit, 09:43 as church leaders, share this counsel with the church. 09:47 Then he says, "Take heed to yourselves." 09:50 In other words, be careful; watch out; be on guard. 09:53 "Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, 09:56 which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers." 09:58 Then, "I know this, after my [departing] 10:01 savage wolves will come in." 10:03 So, there will be persecution from without. 10:07 The early Christian church faced Roman persecution from without. 10:12 Many were burned at the stake, 10:15 others were killed with the sword, 10:17 some were imprisoned, and some even thrown to lions, 10:20 savage wolves, 10:21 and Paul was saying it's only the counsel of the Word of God, 10:24 only the truth of God's Word that can preserve you. 10:27 But then he makes this amazing statement. 10:30 Verse 30: "Also among yourselves men will rise up"-- 10:34 from where, from where?-- "among yourselves," 10:37 right in the midst of the Christian church. 10:40 They'll speak "perverse"-- or crooked--"things.... 10:42 Watch, and remember." 10:44 And then he says, verse 32, 10:46 "I commend you" the Word of God that's "able to build you up... 10:49 give you an inheritance among...[the] sanctified." 10:52 What Paul is actually saying is beware of two things. 10:55 First, persecution from without, the persecution that comes 11:00 from what he calls savage wolves that want to destroy you. 11:04 But second, and even more deadly, there'll be those 11:08 that rise among you within the Christian church 11:12 that will teach error for truth, they'll bring in compromise, 11:17 and Paul says there's only one way to avoid that: 11:20 "I commend [to] you" the Word of God that can "build you up." 11:25 >>Eric: And Paul gives us this warning in several places, 11:29 actually, quite a few places. 11:31 I'm thinking of 2 Thessalonians here, chapter, 2; 11:33 I'll read a few verses. 11:35 This is chapter, 2, verses 7 through 12. 11:37 He says, "For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; 11:41 "only He who now restrains will do so 11:44 "until He is taken out of the way. 11:46 "And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord 11:48 "will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy 11:51 "with the brightness of His coming. 11:53 "The coming of the lawless one is according to the working 11:55 "of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 11:59 "and with all unrighteous deception 12:01 "among those who perish, because they did not receive 12:04 "the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 12:07 "And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, 12:11 "that they should believe the lie, 12:12 "that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth 12:16 but had pleasure in unrighteousness." 12:19 It sounds here like truth is really important. 12:22 >>Mark: It is incredibly important. 12:24 There'll be a day when the Holy Spirit is withdrawn. 12:26 There'll be a day that church and state unite. 12:30 There'll be a day that the antichrist reigns 12:33 upon the throne of this world. 12:35 But, Paul says, why are people deceived? 12:39 Because they received not the love of the truth, 12:43 so they believe a lie. 12:45 So you can never know a lie, you can only know the truth, 12:47 but you can believe a lie. 12:49 And so, Paul is saying is the truth of God's Word, 12:53 the Scriptures, are the safeguard 12:56 against the lies of Satan in the last days. 13:00 >>Eric: And that's really why we're studying this quarter's 13:03 lesson, is to be able to discern truth from error, understand 13:06 the light and the darkness, the right and the wrong, 13:09 black and white, and all the mixture in between 13:15 that sometimes we can get confused about. 13:18 Pastor Mark, there is a supplement, 13:21 a complement to this quarter's study guide; it is another book 13:24 that is called "The War Between Good and Evil." 13:27 Tell us a little bit about that book 13:29 and why we might want to pick that up. 13:32 >>Mark: "The War Between Good and Evil" takes the themes 13:35 that we have been studying each week in our "Sabbath School" 13:38 lessons and expands upon them. 13:40 We go into stories of Christian history, Christian martyrs 13:45 who stood firm for Christ. 13:47 We reveal their dedication and their commitment. 13:51 We look at early Adventist history and talk about 13:55 the faithfulness of early Adventist believers. 13:59 But then the book, the last four or five chapters, 14:02 focuses on end-time, last-day events 14:06 and really illuminates what's coming in the future. 14:10 I know it would be a great blessing to your viewers, Eric. 14:13 >>Eric: So that book, once again, is called 14:15 "The War Between Good and Evil." 14:17 The author is Pastor Mark Finley, and you can find 14:21 that book very easily by going to itiswritten.shop. 14:26 Again, that's itiswritten.shop. 14:29 We're going to be coming back in just a moment 14:31 as we continue looking at light shining in the darkness, 14:34 so that we can understand the significance of this subject 14:38 and prepare for the days ahead. We'll be right back. 14:41 [uplifting music] 14:45 >>Male announcer: If you'd like to deepen your understanding 14:47 of the powerful themes brought out in this program, 14:49 we invite you to explore the book 14:51 "The Great Controversy." 14:53 For more information, simply text the code "GC24" to 71392. 14:58 This book delves into critical end-time themes, 15:01 offering profound insights into historical events, 15:04 Bible prophecy, and spiritual preparation 15:06 essential for today's unique challenges. 15:09 Discover how "The Great Controversy" 15:11 can illuminate your path in these uncertain times. 15:15 >>John Bradshaw: You know that at It Is Written 15:17 we are serious about studying the Word of God, 15:19 and we encourage you to be serious as well. 15:22 Well, here's what you do if you want to dig deeper 15:24 into God's Word: go to itiswritten.study 15:27 for the It Is Written Bible Study Guides online, 15:30 25 in-depth Bible studies that will take you 15:33 through the major teachings of the Bible. 15:35 You'll be blessed, and it's something 15:37 you'll want to tell others about as well: 15:39 itiswritten.study. 15:40 Go further: itiswritten.study. 15:45 >>John: Welcome to "Line Upon Line," 15:47 brought to you by It Is Written. 15:49 [upbeat music] 15:52 "If the atonement was complete at the cross, 15:55 "then what is Christ doing in the most holy place 15:59 of the heavenly sanctuary?" 16:01 [upbeat music continues] 16:03 "Does the soul leave the body 16:05 once the heart stops beating or before?" 16:10 [music continues] 16:12 >>Wes Peppers: Yeah, it's very simply the combination 16:15 of the body and the breath of life. 16:17 >>John: How do you know it does not? 16:18 Because it sounds like it does. >>Wes: It sounds like it. 16:20 Sometimes the Bible will say certain things, and it sounds 16:23 like it's saying something, but when you compare that 16:26 to the rest of the Bible, you find it's really not doing that. 16:29 >>John: And, you know, it's good to have curious questions 16:31 about some of these things, but at times we're just not told. 16:34 More "Line Upon Line" in a moment, brought to you 16:37 by It Is Written. 16:39 [upbeat music] 16:45 [uplifting music] 16:50 >>Eric: Welcome back to "Sabbath School," 16:51 brought to you by It Is Written. 16:53 We are looking at light shining in the darkness, 16:57 and, Pastor Mark, I'm going to read another couple 16:59 of Bible verses here, and we've been looking at truth and error, 17:03 right and wrong, light and darkness, 17:05 and we see this theme over and over again. 17:07 This is John 17, verses 15 through 17. 17:12 In John 17, verse 15, Jesus says, 17:14 "I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, 17:18 "but that You should keep them from the evil one. 17:21 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world." 17:25 Then in verse 17, he says, "Sanctify them by Your truth. 17:28 Your word is truth." 17:31 And over in the book of Acts, chapter 20, in verse number 32 17:35 we find these words written: 17:37 "So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word 17:41 "of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you 17:44 an inheritance among all those who are sanctified." 17:48 So, we read that verse just a little while ago, 17:50 but we're comparing that over here to John 17. 17:53 How does the Word of God help us to not be deceived 17:58 if we are willing to read it and understand it 18:01 and believe it and put it into practice in our lives? 18:04 >>Mark: The Word of God reveals the truth of God 18:08 for the people of God to prepare them for the coming of God 18:13 or the coming of Jesus Christ. 18:15 So, the Word is God's objective statement of reality. 18:20 It's a roadmap from earth to heaven. 18:23 And so, when the Bible says, "Sanctify them through Thy word: 18:28 Thy word is truth," notice the word "sanctify." 18:34 The word "sanctify" means "set them apart." 18:37 It means "to cleanse them, make them holy." 18:41 The Word of God is the living Word. 18:44 When the seed of the Word is planted in the soil 18:48 of our minds, it transforms and changes our lives. 18:53 God moves powerfully through His Word. 18:59 Jesus is exalted through the living Word of God 19:05 to reveal to us His truth. 19:08 >>Eric: And as you mentioned, that truth is objective. 19:12 It doesn't matter whether we believe it or not, it remains 19:15 the truth, and there's some significant consequences 19:17 both ways if we believe it and walk in it or not. 19:21 Pastor Mark, on Tuesday's lesson there are a couple of paragraphs 19:25 that I think are very powerful, the last two paragraphs 19:28 on Tuesday's lesson. 19:30 I'd like to give you an opportunity to read those 19:33 and to also just elaborate on them a little bit and share 19:38 why you think those are so important, why those words were 19:43 penned by you and incorporated into this quarter's lesson. 19:46 >>Mark: Sure, you know, as I was thinking about 19:48 the truth of God's Word, I was thinking about 19:51 what would you know about Jesus if you didn't have the Bible? 19:54 I mean, what would you know about the plan of salvation 19:56 if you didn't have the Bible? 19:57 So, I wrote these words; this is Tuesday's lesson: 20:00 "After all, what would we know about the plan of salvation 20:04 "[if we didn't have] the Bible? 20:06 "How much, if anything, would we understand about the birth, 20:09 "life, teachings, and ministry of Jesus? 20:12 "Without the Scriptures, would we even begin to comprehend 20:14 "the depth of Christ's sacrifice, 20:16 "the glory of His resurrection, 20:18 the power of His intercession, and the majesty of His return?" 20:21 I mean, I think the answer to the question, 20:23 Pastor Eric, is obvious. 20:25 If we did not have the Bible, we would be ignorant 20:29 of the great plan of salvation. 20:32 And then I go on to write, "All these crucial truths 20:35 "are revealed, taught, and emphasized in the Word of God. 20:39 "It, and it alone, must be the final and ultimate standard 20:43 "for understanding all...truth. 20:45 "Hence, we must fight against any and all attempts 20:49 "to undermine its authority or inspiration, 20:51 "even from those who, while professing great love 20:54 "of the Bible, bring doubts about it, even subtly. 20:58 "Tragically, especially through the inroads of modern thinking, 21:02 "many theologians and Christians focus so much on the human side 21:05 "of Scripture that the Bible becomes the word of man 21:08 [rather than] the Word of God." 21:10 And then the last paragraph, I take a little shot 21:15 at some of those who are criticizing the Bible, 21:18 and I say, "Really, now?" 21:20 If the Bible is of no relevance, "Really, now? 21:22 "If this were true, why should we, living today 21:24 "in the twenty-first century, really care about 21:27 what these people thought"-- that is, the Bible writers, 21:30 if they're just human writers-- 21:32 "much less...what they thought about the foundation 21:35 [of] our hope [for] eternity?" 21:37 In other words, if the Bible is simply culturally shaped-- 21:41 now, we do not deny that there are cultural influences 21:44 in the Bible, but the inspiration of the Bible, 21:48 God works through human agents to pen His divine Word. 21:54 Sure, they are a product of their culture, 21:56 but what God reveals to them and how they write that down 22:01 is the living Word of God inspired by God. 22:06 That's why 2 Timothy 3:16 says, 22:08 "All scripture is given by inspiration of God." 22:10 So, we don't deny that these men were part of their culture. 22:14 What we do say is that culture does not shape, 22:17 does not overshadow, does not become superior 22:23 to the revelation of God, which is divine truth. 22:27 Over 3,000 times in the Bible, it says God revealed truth. 22:32 God said, God said, God revealed truth. 22:36 So, I can take the Bible in my hands and know 22:38 that it is the living Word of God. 22:41 >>Eric: And in a world today where truth, as you mentioned, 22:45 seems relative, it's nice to know 22:48 that we can hold on to something. 22:50 On Wednesday's lesson you tell a story about 22:52 being lost in the woods. 22:54 Share that story with us and why that's important 22:57 to our discussion. 22:58 >>Mark: Well, my wife and I were flying, 23:00 I think it was to the Middle East, it was, 23:02 and we stopped over in Switzerland, we had a night 23:04 because our plane flew from the United States, 23:08 got to Switzerland mid to late afternoon, and then we were 23:12 to go the next day to fly to the Middle East. 23:14 So, sundown probably wasn't until 7:30 or 8 o'clock, 23:18 so we had some time. 23:20 We were staying in a hotel not far from the mountains 23:22 with some forest, and I said to my wife, "Look, this is amazing. 23:26 We've stopped in Switzerland; let's go hiking." 23:29 So, we begin to hike, 23:30 and she said, "Are you sure you know the way?" 23:31 I said, "No problem, dear, I know the way." 23:34 Kept hiking further into the forest-- 23:35 "Are you sure you know how to get back?" 23:36 "Oh, yeah, we're just gonna turn around on this trail." 23:38 And then I took a right, and I took a left, 23:40 and I took another right. 23:42 I hated to admit it, Pastor, but I got so hopelessly lost 23:47 in the forest that I didn't know where I was going, not at all. 23:51 The sun was setting; it was beginning to get semi-dark. 23:57 You know, I didn't know where I was going. 23:59 We were hopelessly lost, four or five miles from our destination, 24:03 way out in the forest, and oh, man, not only was I embarrassed; 24:08 I was concerned. 24:10 But then I saw some people walking down the trail who knew 24:12 where to go, and I said to them, "Hey, we're staying 24:17 in this hotel, and we're kind of lost." 24:19 They said, "Look, you're five miles 24:21 "from where you ought to be. 24:23 "Look, we've got our car parked by the road out here. 24:26 If you come with us, we'll give you a ride back to your hotel." 24:29 What did I need when I was lost? I needed a guide. 24:33 I needed somebody who knew the way. 24:35 So, the Bible is God's guide. 24:39 It reveals to us, "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, 24:44 and a light unto my path." Psalm 119:105. 24:48 So, God's Word is the objective revelation 24:51 of His will that provides a guide for us 24:55 in these critical times of earth's history. 24:59 >>Eric: Pastor Mark, as we're kind of getting ready to tie off 25:01 this week's lesson, we're in a great controversy right now, 25:05 and Satan has a primary focus in this battle. 25:09 What is his primary focus, and how can we guard against that? 25:14 >>Mark: Satan's primary focus is deception. 25:17 As we read in John 8, verse 44, 25:20 he is a liar and the father of lies. 25:23 The book of Revelation reveals a system of religion, 25:29 a false system called Babylon, and it says Babylon is fallen. 25:33 The word "Babylon" means "confusion." 25:35 So, the devil's prime goal is to confuse us, to deceive us, 25:40 to get us to think that the Word of God is irrelevant 25:44 in this generation, to lead us to our own human reasoning 25:49 and human thinking, as it says in Isaiah 53, verse 5, 25:54 everyone went his own way; as it says in Judges 5, 25:58 that they did what was right in their own eyes. 26:00 So, the devil's goal is to get us to live lives 26:03 separate from God and to trust our own human reasoning. 26:08 As the Bible says, there's a way that seems right unto the man, 26:11 Proverbs 14:12; it ends in death. 26:14 God's plan is to lead us to Jesus and to lead us 26:17 to desire to do Jesus' will, 26:19 to lead us to follow Jesus' word, and by the power 26:23 of the living Christ, to walk in the way of truth 26:26 and not in the way of error. 26:28 >>Eric: So, we want to go to God's Word. 26:31 We want to find truth there. 26:33 How can we keep from misinterpreting it? 26:36 Because there are many interpretations of Scripture 26:39 out there, what's the safest way 26:41 that we can keep heading in the right direction? 26:43 >>Mark: We keep from misinterpreting truth 26:46 by having an honest heart. 26:48 Understanding truth is as much a matter of the heart 26:51 as it is the mind. 26:53 In fact, Jesus says in John 7, verse 17, "If any man 26:57 will do His will, he shall know the doctrine." 27:01 So, the desire is to know the will of God. 27:05 As we get on our knees and play fair with God, we say, "God, 27:08 all I want to know is Your will; reveal it to me." 27:10 So, first we come with an honest heart, 27:12 then we come with an informed mind. 27:14 We come with an honest heart telling God, "I'll do whatever 27:17 You want me to do," and then we come with an informed mind 27:20 asking God to direct us through His Word. 27:24 >>Eric: And, Pastor Mark, if we do that, we can expect 27:27 that He is indeed going to answer that prayer. 27:30 I want to thank you once again, Pastor Mark, for guiding us 27:33 through this week's lesson, and I want to thank you for joining 27:36 us again this week as we take this incredible journey 27:40 through "The Great Controversy," discerning truth and error, 27:45 and choosing to follow Jesus all the way. 27:48 We look forward to having you join us again next week 27:50 as we continue our study here on "Sabbath School," 27:53 brought to you by It Is Written. 27:56 [uplifting music] 28:23 [uplifting music] 28:26 [Captions provided by Aberdeen Captioning www.abercap.com] |
Revised 2024-04-12