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Series Code: SSH
Program Code: SSH022132S
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00:13 ♪♪♪ 00:23 ♪♪♪ 00:38 Rod Thompson: Good morning, everyone. 00:40 Welcome to the Granite Bay Hilltop Church Sabbath School 00:43 Study Hour. 00:45 I'm Pastor Rod Thompson. 00:46 I'm going to be leading our study this morning but before we 00:49 get into that, let me point you to our free offering for today. 00:54 It is a small pocketbook called, "From Stress to Joy." 00:59 "From Stress to Joy," and you can get that by dialing 01:02 866-788-3966. 01:06 That's 866-Study-More, and ask for Free Offer number 705. 01:14 If you live outside of North America, 01:16 you can also go to your cell phone and text the code 01:20 "SH031" to number 40544. 01:25 We are continuing our study in 01:28 "Rest in Christ," and today we 01:31 are going to be looking at "Rest in Family Ties." 01:34 But before we get to that, we've got some special music 01:38 with Emma Q. 01:41 ♪♪♪ 01:48 ♪ I feel quite sure if I did my best I can maybe ♪ 01:54 ♪ impress you with tender words or harmonies, ♪ 02:04 ♪ a clever rhyme or two. ♪ 02:08 ♪ But if all I've done in the time we've shared ♪ 02:14 ♪ is turn your eyes on me, ♪ 02:20 ♪ then I've failed in what I've been called to do. ♪ 02:25 ♪ There's someone else I want you to see. ♪ 02:32 ♪ Will you love Jesus more when we go ♪ 02:41 ♪ our separate ways? ♪ 02:44 ♪ When this moment is memory, ♪ 02:48 ♪ will you remember His face? ♪ 02:54 ♪ Will you look back and realize you felt His love ♪ 03:02 ♪ more than you did before? ♪ 03:08 ♪ I pray for nothing less than for you ♪ 03:12 ♪ to love Jesus more. ♪ 03:20 ♪♪♪ 03:30 ♪ We like to keep these memories in frames ♪ 03:37 ♪ of gold and silver, ♪ 03:41 ♪ to reminisce a year from now about ♪ 03:47 ♪ this time we shared. ♪ 03:51 ♪ But above all else I hope you will come ♪ 03:56 ♪ to know the Father's love, ♪ 04:02 ♪ and when we see the Lord face to face you'll ♪ 04:09 ♪ hear Him say, "Well done." ♪ 04:14 ♪ Will you love Jesus more when we go ♪ 04:22 ♪ our separate ways? ♪ 04:26 ♪ When this moment is memory, ♪ 04:31 ♪ will you remember His face? ♪ 04:37 ♪ Will you look back and realize you felt His love ♪ 04:43 ♪ more than you did before? ♪ 04:50 ♪ I pray for nothing less than for you ♪ 04:55 ♪ to love Jesus more. ♪ 05:02 ♪ Will you love Jesus more when we go ♪ 05:11 ♪ our separate ways? ♪ 05:14 ♪ When this moment is memory, ♪ 05:18 ♪ will you remember His face? ♪ 05:24 ♪ Will you look back and realize you felt His love ♪ 05:31 ♪ more than you did before? ♪ 05:38 ♪ I pray for nothing less than for you ♪ 05:44 ♪ to love Jesus more. ♪ 05:52 ♪ I pray for nothing less than ♪ 05:57 ♪ for you to ♪ 06:00 ♪ love Jesus more. ♪♪ 06:10 ♪♪♪ 06:24 Rod: I want to invite you to open up your Bibles 06:27 to 1 Corinthians chapter 3. 06:31 1 Corinthians chapter 3, and let's begin with 06:37 a word of prayer. 06:40 O loving Father, Lord, oh, that we would love You more. 06:47 Lord, we've opened up the word of life and we are praying and 06:51 asking that the Holy Spirit would guide us and, 06:55 Lord, help us to enter into that rest that You desire for us. 07:00 And we ask in Jesus's name, amen. 07:03 I want to start off this morning by asking you a question: 07:10 has sin separated us from God? 07:16 Has sin separated us from God? 07:23 We know the answer to that is yes, right? 07:25 We believe that, we know that. 07:27 But sin has also separated us from each other. 07:34 Sin brings with it selfishness, pride, 07:40 envy, jealousy, hatred, anger, and sometimes even murder. 07:49 Sin has done a major number on us and, 07:54 brothers and sisters, I don't know about you, 07:56 but I am sick to death of what sin has done in me. 08:04 What it has done in you. 08:06 You have your Bibles open to 1 Corinthians chapter 3. 08:09 Notice what the Apostle Paul says in verse 1: "And I, 08:14 brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to 08:21 carnal, as to babes in Christ. 08:23 I fed you with milk and not with solid food; 08:25 for until now you were not able to receive it, 08:26 and even now you are still not able; 08:29 for you are still carnal. 08:31 For where there are envy, strife, 08:34 and divisions among you, are you not carnal, 08:37 behaving like mere men?" 08:42 Brothers and sisters, the apostle Paul is speaking 08:46 to the church. 08:48 He is writing to us, and he says, 08:53 "You are carnal." 09:02 There's envy, there's strife, there's contentions, 09:08 there's mistrust, among the children of God. 09:15 In Romans chapter 7, verse 14 and 15, 09:19 Paul says, "For we know that the law is spiritual, 09:25 but I am carnal, sold under sin. 09:31 For what I am doing, I do not understand. 09:35 The things that I will to do, that I do not practice; 09:40 but the things I don't want to do, 09:43 that I do." 09:47 Now, please don't misunderstand Paul. 09:52 He is not using that as an excuse to sin, 09:57 but rather he is pointing out a very real reality. 10:03 And that reality is that we are in the very fight of our lives. 10:12 And Paul says to the Ephesians, "We don't fight against flesh 10:18 and blood," amen? 10:20 "We fight against principalities and powers and wickedness 10:23 in high places. 10:25 We are fighting against a carnal nature and evil spirits that are 10:32 trying to lead us to follow that evil nature." 10:37 He goes on in Romans chapter 7, verse 24 and 25 to say, 10:41 "O wretched man that I am. 10:45 Who is going to save me from this body of death?" 10:49 And praise God, he gives us the answer. 10:53 He says, "Oh, I thank God for Jesus Christ our Lord. 10:58 So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, 11:03 but with the flesh the law of sin." 11:07 Here we see that Paul is telling us that there's two different 11:11 laws that are at work here. 11:14 There is the law of God which is spiritual, 11:17 and there is the law of sin which is carnal. 11:23 And brothers and sisters, it often appears, 11:27 doesn't it, that the law of sin is winning. 11:31 Satan is doing everything that he can to destroy us and 11:36 to destroy our families. 11:39 And it doesn't take a lot of effort to see what sin has done 11:45 to the family. 11:48 We see the results right from the beginning. 11:52 Adam and Eve sinned against God and when they heard Him in the 11:56 Garden they ran and they hid themselves. 11:59 Sin had separated them from God. 12:02 And sin also separated them from each other. 12:05 They began to blame others. 12:08 Adam says to God, "The woman that You gave me, 12:10 she gave to me and I ate." 12:15 He's blaming God, "It's Your fault. 12:17 You gave her to me." 12:19 He's blaming her. 12:20 Eve blames it on the serpent. 12:22 Sin has separated us from God and it has separated us 12:25 from each other. 12:29 And then they have children. 12:32 And there's contention and strife and envy and hatred 12:40 and Cain murders Abel. 12:45 And just three chapters later, in chapter 6, 12:51 verse 5, it says: "Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man 12:54 was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts 12:58 of his heart was only evil continual." 13:01 It took a very short time for sin to enter the world and there 13:06 was murder and now there's division among all of the people 13:10 and there's only wickedness in their hearts and in their minds, 13:14 and God destroys the entire world except eight people. 13:23 But, brothers and sisters, those eight people took their carnal 13:28 nature with them through that flood. 13:32 And when they came out the other side and they began multiplying 13:36 on the face of the earth, once again it didn't take very long 13:40 for wickedness to step in, sin, and rebellion. 13:45 Nimrod rebels against God and the carnal nature is 13:54 winning the fight. 13:56 And so, God has to bring further separation and He confuses 14:01 their language. 14:05 You have the story after that of Abraham. 14:09 And we see the difficulties that Abraham faced. 14:14 We see the failures of Abraham. 14:17 He tries to fulfill God's promise to him in his own power, 14:25 in his own way of having the son of promise that God had promised 14:30 with his wife's servant, Hagar. 14:37 And immediately, it brings strife into the family. 14:43 Eventually, Abraham and Sarah, his wife, 14:48 do have the son of promise and immediately that brings strife 14:52 and contention into the family. 14:56 There is feuding between the mothers of the two sons, 15:00 and even the sons themselves. 15:05 And then Isaac has two sons, Jacob and Esau, 15:10 and there is contention. 15:13 There is fighting for the supremacy, 15:16 for both the love of the parents and the blessing of God. 15:20 And Jacob deceives his brother into giving him his birthright. 15:25 He tricks his father into giving him the blessing of the elder 15:30 son, and now Jacob has to flee because his brother is 15:36 contemplating killing him. 15:41 And then Jacob enters into his own strife and contention. 15:46 He falls in love with Rachel. 15:50 But his father-in-law, Laban, tricks him into marrying 15:55 Rachel's older sister, Leah. 15:58 And then the problem is compounded even further where he 16:02 makes a deal with Jacob and he says, 16:06 "I'll give you Rachel also if you'll serve me for seven more 16:08 years," and Jacob agrees to that. 16:15 But the problems-- the envy, the strife, 16:18 the contention, the hatred--continues. 16:28 Leah has a couple of sons, and Rachel becomes jealous. 16:34 And so, Rachel can't have any children. 16:38 She's barren so she gives Jacob her handmaid, 16:42 Bilhah, and she has a couple of children. 16:47 And then Leah becomes jealous. 16:50 She sees that she's no longer having children and so she gives 16:54 Jacob her handmaid, Zilpah, and she has a couple of children. 17:03 And finally, Rachel eventually has Joseph and then eventually, 17:10 another son. 17:13 But, brothers and sisters, what is the result of this 17:17 blended family? 17:20 There is contention, there is strife, 17:24 there is hatred. 17:27 Won't you turn with me in your Bibles to James chapter 4. 17:31 James chapter 4, and I want you to notice what it says starting 17:40 in verse 1. 17:43 He asks a very important question. 17:47 He says, "Where do wars and fights come from among you? 17:52 Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war 17:56 in your members? 17:59 You lust and you do not have. 18:01 You murder and covet and cannot obtain. 18:03 You fight and war. 18:05 Yet you do not have because you do not ask. 18:07 You ask and do not receive because you ask amiss and that 18:10 you may spend it on your pleasures. 18:12 Adulterers and adulteresses! 18:14 Do you not know that friendship with the world is 18:16 enmity with God? 18:17 Whoever therefore wants to be friends of the world makes 18:19 himself an enemy of God. 18:21 Or do you think that the Scriptures say in vain, 18:25 'The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously'? 18:28 But He gives more grace. 18:30 Therefore He says: 'God resists the proud, 18:32 but gives grace to the humble.'" 18:35 Here, we see that James is showing us there's contention, 18:40 there's difficulties, there's wars, 18:42 there's problems among us, even among God's family, 18:46 even among his children, even among our immediate families. 18:51 And that brings us to today because, 18:56 brothers and sisters, we still have the same problem today that 19:00 they had back then, don't we? 19:03 And so here is the question that we need to answer today: this 19:10 quarter, we are doing this study on "Rest in Christ," but if 19:16 there is contention, if there's strife, 19:18 if there is difficulty in the family of God, 19:23 if there's jealousy and envy within our immediate families, 19:29 then how are we going to find rest? 19:32 How can we find rest in family ties? 19:38 We want to answer that question today, 19:40 and the best way to do that is by looking at the greatest 19:43 example in the Bible of a dysfunctional family because, 19:50 brothers and sisters, we can relate to that, 19:53 can't we? 19:56 I'd like to read to you if you have your Quarterly, 20:01 look with me on Sabbath afternoon's lesson and let's 20:05 look at the second paragraph there. 20:09 It says, "We get to choose many things in life but we don't get 20:16 to choose our family. 20:19 No one is perfect and none of us have perfect families and 20:22 perfect family relationships. 20:25 Some of us are blessed by parents, 20:28 siblings, and other family members that reflect God's love, 20:32 but many have to settle for less than the ideal. 20:36 Family relationships often are complicated and painful, 20:39 leaving us restless, hurt, and carrying loads of emotional 20:44 baggage that we, in turn, offload on others. 20:48 How can we find rest in this area of our lives?" 20:54 That's a good question. 20:55 How are we gonna find rest in family ties when there is sin 21:00 that is separating us, causing us to contend with each other, 21:06 strive with each other, cause hurt and pain and struggles 21:11 within the family? 21:15 So as we look at this dysfunctional family of Jacob 21:21 today, we can imagine the rivalry between the mothers. 21:30 You've got Leah and her handmaid, Zilpah. 21:36 You've got Rachel and her handmaid, Bilhah. 21:41 And you can imagine these mothers contending with 21:48 each other for the love of Jacob. 21:51 And you can imagine that that contention spilled over 21:56 into the children. 22:00 Imagine for a moment that Leah and Zilpah's children 22:10 on one side contending with Rachel and Bilhah's children 22:16 on the other side. 22:18 You can imagine there constantly being a strife between them. 22:23 But then imagine that Leah's children start fighting 22:29 with Zilpah's children. 22:33 Or perhaps Rachel's children start fighting with Bilhah's 22:37 children, and then somebody from the other side gets 22:41 in the middle of it. 22:43 You can imagine that those that were fighting, 22:45 now join forces and contend with the other. 22:49 That reminds me of that very famous verse, 22:52 "The enemy of my enemy is my friend." 22:57 You can see and you can even feel the contention 23:03 between the family. 23:05 Now, we already talked about the difficulties in the family 23:08 of Abraham, Isaac, and now Jacob. 23:11 But let me ask you a question. 23:15 If there is contention and all of this strife in the family, 23:20 how can it be that in Hebrews chapter 11, 23:23 what we call the Hall of Faith, how is it that Abraham, 23:27 Isaac, and Jacob are referred to as "Heroes of the Faith"? 23:35 And the simple answer is that God's champions of faith often 23:41 fall short of the glory of God. 23:44 They often make mistakes. 23:47 And the fact is that these three men are in Hebrews chapter 11 23:55 not because of the dysfunction in their family, 24:00 but in spite of it. 24:03 They learned often the hard way about faith and love and trust 24:10 in God, as they wrestled with their family issues. 24:17 Put yourself in Joseph for a moment, 24:20 one of the sons of Jacob. 24:22 Joseph is a type of Christ. 24:26 I want you to notice what it says in the book, 24:31 "Patriarchs and Prophets," page 209: "Jacob unwisely manifested 24:37 his preference for Joseph. 24:41 And this excited the jealousy of his other sons. 24:46 As Joseph witnessed the evil conduct of his brothers, 24:49 he was greatly troubled. 24:53 He ventured gently to remonstrate with them, 24:59 but only aroused still further their hatred and resentment. 25:04 He could not endure to see them sinning against God and he laid 25:09 the matter before his father, hoping that his authority 25:12 might lead them to reform." 25:16 And you can imagine how Joseph pleaded with them 25:22 to get right with God. 25:26 And then in that same book, "Patriarchs and Prophets," page 25:29 210, it says this: "As the lad," that's Joseph. 25:32 "As Joseph stood before his brothers, 25:36 his beautiful countenance lighted up with the spirit of 25:39 inspiration, they could not withhold their admiration, 25:44 but--but they did not choose to renounce their evil ways and 25:52 they hated the purity that reproved their sins. 25:57 The same spirit that actuated Cain was kindled 26:03 in their hearts." 26:05 And you can imagine that if Joseph is a type of Christ, 26:10 and Joseph was hated by his brothers because his purity 26:16 pointed out their sin, you can imagine what it did to Christ, 26:22 as they saw His purity and His love. 26:27 And so Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery. 26:32 But as he was being carried away to Egypt, 26:38 he made a decision right there in that moment, 26:43 in his heart, that he was going to serve the God of his father, 26:48 no matter what happened to him. 26:52 And even in the midst of anguish and hurting, 26:57 Joseph begins to find rest for his soul. 27:05 Why? 27:08 Because he had put his trust in God. 27:11 In Deuteronomy chapter 4, Moses is warning the children of 27:19 Israel not to worship idols, not to get involved in idolatry. 27:27 And he says to them that if they do, 27:33 then God is going to scatter them among the heathen. 27:40 And in Deuteronomy chapter 4, verse 29, 27:43 he says this: "But from there," that is from being scattered 27:49 among the world, "you will seek the Lord your God and you will 27:54 find Him if you seek Him with all of your heart and 27:57 all of your soul." 28:00 Here we see that Moses is telling us that if we seek God 28:06 we will find Him. 28:09 Psalm 14, verse 2 says: "The Lord looks down from heaven upon 28:13 the children of men to see if there are any who understand, 28:16 if there are any who seek God." 28:19 In Isaiah 55, verse 6, it says: "Seek the Lord while He 28:22 may be found. 28:23 Call upon Him while He is near." 28:26 And if you remember last week's lesson, 28:30 we looked at that phrase, "Come to Me." 28:34 It came from that verse in Matthew chapter 11, 28:37 verse 28, where Jesus said, "Come to Me all you who are 28:41 weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." 28:44 Brothers and sisters, if we come to God, 28:47 we can find rest for our souls. 28:54 We must come to Him. 28:58 That is a prerequisite to us finding rest for our souls. 29:04 Notice what it says again in that book, 29:08 "Patriarchs and Prophets," page 213: "Joseph believed that 29:17 the God of his fathers would be his God. 29:21 He then and there gave himself fully to the Lord and he prayed 29:25 that the keeper of Israel would be with him in 29:28 the land of his exile." 29:30 Joseph was determined that he was going to place 29:34 his trust in God. 29:38 You know, Joseph had a promising future. 29:41 He had relatively a life of ease being the favored son of Jacob. 29:49 But things were about to change. 29:54 But then and there, Joseph realized that his life was in 30:01 God's hands and in the providence of God, 30:06 even that experience in Egypt was going to bring him blessing. 30:14 And he could claim that promise of Romans 8:28 that God can take 30:21 all things and turn it into something good for those who 30:24 love Him and are called according to His purpose. 30:29 "Patriarchs and Prophets," page 214, 30:33 goes on to say: "He would serve the Lord with 30:36 an undivided heart. 30:38 He would meet the trials of his lot with fortitude and perform 30:41 every duty with fidelity. 30:43 One day's experience had been the turning point 30:46 in Joseph's life. 30:49 Its terrible calamity had transformed him from a petted 30:52 child to a man, thoughtful, courageous, 30:57 and self-possessed." 30:59 Brothers and sisters, each and every one of us needs to have 31:02 that kind of an experience. 31:06 I'd like you to turn with me in your Bibles to Hebrews chapter 31:09 12, just back a couple of pages. 31:12 Hebrews chapter 12, and I'd like you to notice what it says 31:19 starting in verse 3. 31:22 The apostle Paul says to us: "For consider Him," that is 31:28 Christ, "who endured such hostility from sinners against 31:33 Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. 31:39 You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, 31:42 striving against sin. 31:44 And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you 31:47 as to sons: 'My son, do not despise the chastening of the 31:50 Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; 31:54 for whom the Lord loves He chastens, 31:57 and scourges every son whom He receives.' 32:01 If you endure chastening, 32:03 God deals with you as with sons; 32:05 for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? 32:09 But if you are without chastening, 32:13 of which all have become partakers, 32:16 then you are illegitimate and not sons. 32:19 For furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, 32:23 and we paid them respect. 32:26 Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father 32:29 of spirits and live? 32:32 For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best 32:35 to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers 32:40 of His holiness." 32:45 Here we can see that Paul is telling us that God allows 32:51 difficulties and allows difficult people into 32:56 our lives to transform us. 33:01 He uses those as the tools to mold us more and more into the 33:06 image of Christ, and Joseph is about to enter into 33:13 the schoolhouse of God. 33:18 He would be tempted by a seductress, 33:23 but God would be glorified in the faithfulness of his servant. 33:28 Joseph understood something that we all need to learn, 33:33 and that is simply this: there is nowhere you can go, 33:37 there is nothing that you can do, 33:42 that God isn't there, that God doesn't see it. 33:47 Jonah had to learn that lesson the hard way. 33:49 He tried to run away from God. 33:56 But, of course, there was a price to be paid 34:01 for doing what is right. 34:05 And you know the story. 34:10 Joseph would suffer for his principled decision. 34:19 He would be thrown into prison. 34:22 Turn with me to Luke chapter 6. 34:25 Luke chapter 6. 34:28 I'd like you to notice something that Jesus says to us. 34:35 Luke chapter 6, starting in verse 27. 34:44 Jesus says: "But I say to you: Love your enemies, 34:52 do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, 34:58 and pray for those who spitefully use you. 35:01 To him who strikes you on the one cheek, 35:03 offer the other also. 35:05 And from him who takes away your cloak, 35:07 do not withhold your tunic either. 35:10 Give to everyone who asks of you. 35:12 And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. 35:15 And just as you want men to do to you, 35:17 you also do to them likewise. 35:19 But if you love those who love you, 35:24 what credit is that to you? 35:28 For even sinners love those who love them. 35:32 And if you do good to those who do good to you, 35:35 what credit is that to you? 35:37 For even sinners do the same. 35:41 And if you lend to those with whom you hope to receive back, 35:44 what credit is that to you? 35:46 For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. 35:50 But love your enemies, do good, and lend, 35:54 hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, 35:59 and you will be sons of the Most High. 36:01 For He is kind to the unthankful and the evil. 36:04 Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful." 36:09 Brothers and sisters, here we see that Jesus is showing us you 36:14 can't control the choices, the decisions, 36:18 of others. 36:21 But you can choose how you will respond, 36:24 even if you live in a dysfunctional family, 36:28 you can still have rest in Christ. 36:34 And so the question is, how are we going to respond when someone 36:41 says something that hurts us? 36:44 When there's strife and contention in the family, 36:48 and the question is how does Joseph who is a type of Christ, 36:52 how does he respond? 36:56 Now, obviously, his conditions were not ideal, 37:02 but they were real. 37:05 And rather than feeling sorry for himself, 37:09 rather than becoming angry and lashing out, 37:13 rather than trying to fix the problem himself, 37:17 he puts himself in the hands of God and he trusts that God is 37:22 going to work things out for him. 37:26 And instead of becoming bitter and angry with his brothers, 37:32 he forgives them. 37:35 And rather than spending his time in despair or in depression 37:40 or committing suicide, Joseph spends his time helping others. 37:47 So much so, that the guards notice that he is helpful to 37:57 them in encouraging the other prisoners and they, 38:01 so to speak, promote him. 38:07 He is given freedoms within the prison that others don't have. 38:13 And Joseph has the opportunity to help others and you know 38:17 the story. 38:18 There were two men that had dreams and God blessed Joseph 38:22 with the ability to interpret dreams and he tells them 38:27 what's going to happen to them. 38:29 And one is going to be restored to service of the king, 38:32 and the other is going to lose his life for the things 38:36 that he has done. 38:39 Now notice what it says in that book, 38:40 "Patriarchs and Prophets," this time on page 219: "Joseph 38:44 gradually gained the confidence of the keeper of the prison and 38:48 was finally entrusted with the charge of all the prisoners. 38:53 It was the part he acted in prison, 38:57 the integrity of his daily life and his sympathy for those who 39:01 were in trouble and distressed that opened the way for his 39:06 future prosperity and honor. 39:10 Every ray of light that we shed upon others is reflected 39:14 back to ourselves. 39:16 Every kind and sympathizing word spoken to the sorrowful, 39:21 every act to relieve the oppressed, 39:24 and every gift to the needy, if prompted by a right motive, 39:29 will result in blessing to the giver." 39:36 And Joseph says to the one who's going to be restored to service 39:43 to the king, he says, "Remember me. 39:46 When you stand before the king, tell him about me, 39:50 that I've been falsely accused, and please help me get 39:53 out of this place." 39:57 But you know, it didn't work that way, did it? 40:01 At first. 40:03 Joseph spent another two years in prison. 40:10 But all that while, he was obedient to his masters. 40:19 He did the will of God from the heart, 40:24 and the Bible says that God was with him. 40:30 You see, brothers and sisters, life on planet Earth isn't fair, 40:36 and God is not always rewarded. 40:40 And evil is not always immediately punished. 40:44 It was that way for Joseph and it is that way for us. 40:50 Turn with me in your Bibles to Ephesians chapter 6. 40:55 Ephesians chapter 6, the apostle Paul is speaking to the 41:00 church in Ephesus. 41:02 He's speaking to us and notice what he says, 41:07 starting in verse 5. 41:10 He says, "Bondservants," that's Joseph. 41:13 That's you and me, slaves to sin and addiction. 41:19 "Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters 41:22 according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, 41:25 in sincerity of heart, as to Christ; 41:27 not with eye-service, as men-pleasers, 41:30 but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God 41:35 from the heart, with goodwill doing service, 41:39 as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that whatever good 41:42 anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, 41:44 whether he is a slave or free." 41:49 Here we see that Paul is telling us that it doesn't matter what 41:54 someone says to you or does to you. 41:57 Yes, those things are hurtful, yes, 41:59 they cause pain, yes, they cause us to have a lot of baggage that 42:02 we carry around with us. 42:05 But in spite of that, we have a choice. 42:09 We can choose whether or not to love them in spite 42:13 of their failures. 42:15 And he says we do it not to men, but we do it as 42:21 working unto God. 42:23 Jesus said, "Whatever you've done for the least of these, 42:26 you've done to Me." 42:29 I'd like you to look with me if you have your Quarterly study 42:32 with you, let's go to Thursday's lesson 42:36 and I'm running out of time. 42:37 I've got to hurry. 42:39 But I'd like you to notice what the last chapter says 42:42 on Thursday's lesson. 42:44 "Our relationships are miniature reflections of the great 42:49 controversy between Christ and Satan. 42:53 This means, then, that there are no perfect relationships. 42:58 Every relationship must have grown dynamics and Satan has 43:02 a vested interest in using all our relationships, 43:04 especially those closest to us to his advantage in order to 43:09 hurt and frustrate God's will for our lives. 43:12 We can be thankful that we are not left to fight these battles 43:15 on our own. 43:17 God's Word sets out principles for our relationships: 43:20 His promise to give us wisdom is also extended to our 43:24 relationships, and He--as He was with Joseph, 43:27 He promises to be with us, when our relationships prove 43:31 to be complex." 43:40 You see, brothers and sisters, God never claims to take away 43:48 the trouble. 43:51 He doesn't promise you a rose garden, 43:55 but He promises to be with you in the midst 43:58 of it all, amen. 44:00 Hebrews chapter 13, verse 5, says: "Let your conduct be 44:03 without covetousness, be content with such things as you have, 44:07 for He Himself has said, 'I will never leave you 44:10 nor forsake you.'" 44:13 God did not leave Abraham alone when he went to rescue Lot. 44:21 Those three Hebrew boys were not alone in the fiery furnace. 44:26 Daniel was not alone in the lion's den. 44:29 David was not alone fighting Goliath. 44:32 Joseph was not alone setting in the prison, 44:36 and you are not alone in whatever strife and contention 44:40 and difficulties that you are facing. 44:44 God is with you. 44:46 Turn with me in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 7. 44:49 Matthew 7. 44:51 I want you to notice what Jesus says, 44:56 starting in verse 24. 44:59 Matthew 7, verse 24: "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of 45:06 Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who 45:08 built his house on a rock: and the rain descends, 45:12 the flood came, the winds blew and beat on that house; 45:15 and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. 45:18 But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, 45:20 and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his 45:23 house on the sand: the rain descended, 45:25 the floods came, the winds blew and beat on the house; 45:27 and it fell. 45:29 And great was its fall." 45:32 You see, brothers and sisters, you cannot control what anyone 45:36 else says or does, but you can control how you respond. 45:40 And in the power of God, you can live that righteous life. 45:45 Christ wants to live His life through you, 45:48 and if you build your life on the rock of Christ, 45:52 you have a firm foundation to stand. 45:55 And even in the midst of dysfunction in the family, 45:58 even amongst strife and difficulties and challenges, 46:01 you can have rest. 46:04 You can have peace in God if you place your trust in Him. 46:09 Romans chapter 12, verse 18 says: "If it is possible, 46:13 as much as it depends on you, live at peace with all men." 46:20 In Matthew chapter 11, verse 28, Jesus said, 46:23 "Come unto Me all you who are weary and heavy laden 46:28 and I will give you rest." 46:31 So, brothers and sisters, even in the midst of sin, 46:35 even in the midst of the strife and contentions of family life, 46:41 we can still find rest in Christ. 46:45 I'd like to close with a quote from "The Spirit of Prophecy, 46:49 Volume I," chapter 14. 46:51 In talking about the story of Joseph, 46:55 it says this: "Here is an example to all generations who 46:59 shall live upon the earth. 47:01 Although they may be exposed to temptations, 47:03 yet they should ever realize that there is a defense at hand. 47:06 And it will be their own fault if they are preserved. 47:11 God will be a present help, and His Spirit a shield. 47:15 Although surrounded with the severest temptations, 47:18 there is a source of strength to which they can apply 47:20 and resist them. 47:22 How fierce was the assault upon Joseph's morals. 47:25 It came from one of influence, the most likely to lead astray, 47:29 yet how promptly and firmly he resisted. 47:33 He suffered for his virtue and integrity, 47:36 for she who had led him astray, revenged herself upon the virtue 47:40 she could not subvert and by her influence caused him to be cast 47:44 into prison by charging him with a foul wrong. 47:48 Here Joseph suffered because he would not yield his integrity. 47:53 He had placed his reputation and interests in the hands of God. 47:58 And although he was suffered to be afflicted for a time, 48:02 to prepare him to fill for an important position, 48:06 yet God safely guarded that reputation that was blackened by 48:11 a wicked accuser, and afterward, in His own good time, 48:15 caused it to shine." 48:19 And God can do the same for you. 48:24 I want to close by reminding you of our free offer this morning, 48:29 this pocketbook called, "From Stress to Joy." 48:33 You can receive that by calling 866-788-3966 and ask 48:38 for Offer Number 705. 48:41 If you're outside of North America or you just desire 48:45 a digital download, you can text "SH031" to the number 40544. 48:53 Brothers and sisters, you can have rest in Christ, 48:57 in spite of everything going on around you. 49:01 You want that kind of joy? 49:04 You want that kind of peace? 49:08 Let's pray. 49:09 O loving Father, we thank You for this study today. 49:13 Thank You for the reminder, Lord, 49:15 that our joy, our peace, our rest, 49:18 doesn't come from others, but it comes from You. 49:21 And, Lord, in spite of everything that's going on 49:23 around us, we can have rest, even in our families today. 49:29 And it seems, Lord, that we have the greatest contentions with 49:33 those that we love the most. 49:35 Forgive us and help us to exemplify Christ to our families 49:41 and we pray and ask it in Jesus's name, amen. 49:46 male announcer: Don't forget to request today's life-changing 49:49 free resource. 49:51 Not only can you receive this free gift in the mail, 49:53 you can download a digital copy straight to your computer 49:55 or mobile device. 49:57 To get your digital copy of today's free gift, 50:00 simply text the keyword on your screen to 40544 or visit the web 50:04 address shown on your screen and be sure to select the 50:08 digital download option on the request page. 50:10 It's now easier than ever for you to study God's Word with 50:14 Amazing Facts wherever and whenever you want. 50:17 And most important, to share it with others. 50:25 announcer: "Amazing Facts", Changed Lives. 50:33 male: I met my ex-wife and her family were real big 50:36 into drugs. 50:37 And it started out with them wanting me to go to the doctor 50:40 to help get them drugs. 50:42 And, you know, I'm noticing they're going to the doctor, 50:45 they're coming back with, like, 60 pills and they're selling 50:47 these pills for, like, a thousand bucks. 50:49 And I'm thinking, "Wow, this is a lot of money I'm giving these 50:53 people, so I'm just going to start selling it myself." 50:55 The problem with that was we had all this money but we was 50:59 absolutely miserable. 51:01 She would go out and sleep with other guys to get drugs and 51:05 that ended my marriage. 51:07 But during this time, I have to get a job to build back up 51:10 to where I was at, to open my shop again. 51:13 So I get a job at Food City and when I get this job at 51:16 Food City, there's my wife now, Rebecca, 51:19 she's a cashier there. 51:20 And when I walk in, she's the most beautiful girl I've ever 51:23 seen in my life. 51:25 I was, like, "Man, I could never have a girl like that. 51:28 Wow, she's so beautiful." 51:30 But as I'm working with her, she's actually kind of mean to 51:33 me and she's saying, "I don't want anything to do with you. 51:37 Get away from me," stuff like that. 51:39 But, you know, I just keep being nice to her and keep trying to 51:42 give her my phone number and it's around Christmas Eve, 51:46 we'd just been dating for a little while and 51:48 moved in together. 51:49 My ex-wife shows up with my three children 51:52 that I had by her. 51:53 And she's like, "Here's your kids. 51:55 Here's their birth certificates. 51:57 Here's their Social Security cards. 51:58 I'm done." 52:00 And we're starting a family, we already have three kids. 52:02 During this time, we spent the next year watching nothing but 52:06 "Amazing Facts" on YouTube. 52:08 I didn't even know they even had a website at this time. 52:11 I just knew that this little guy on YouTube was super-smart, 52:14 was teaching Bible, and I wanted to follow him. 52:18 I wanted to be a Christian. 52:19 I gave my life to God now because of these truths that 52:22 I'm learning from Doug Batchelor. 52:24 Just because Doug taught it didn't make me real sure about 52:27 going to this church and I really didn't want anything 52:30 to do with it, but I called the guy up and I'm telling him, 52:32 and I'm not very nice about it, actually. 52:35 I'm telling him, "Look, we was thinking about coming to your 52:38 church," and he's really nice and he's, 52:40 like, "Well, you're more than welcome to. 52:42 We'd like to have you come." 52:44 And I'm like, "Well, hold on. 52:45 I'm going to lay down some ground rules." 52:47 I'm telling him, I said, "Look here, 52:48 I'm covered in tattoos and I'm a tattoo artist," and he don't 52:51 say, "Well, you know, wow, I didn't know all that. 52:54 Don't come to my church." 52:55 He says, "You're more than welcome. 52:57 We would love to have you. 52:59 Please come." 53:01 He asked me what I want to do and I said, 53:03 "Well, I want to preach." 53:05 I said, "I have all these truths, 53:07 I have all this knowledge, stuff I'd never known before. 53:10 Stuff if I'd have had when I was younger that would have been 53:12 life-changing to me." 53:15 I said, "I've got to share this with the world." 53:17 I said, "I want to preach, I want to teach." 53:19 He gives me the book, says, "Study that." 53:22 Well, now that I'm a Bible worker, 53:23 I'm able to go reach people that most of the normal churches 53:27 wouldn't even bother to even speak to. 53:29 I'm able to go out and reach the people who have lived the life 53:33 that I've lived. 53:34 I'm able to let 'em know that I am like you. 53:37 I've been there, I've done that. 53:39 I want to show you what my life is like now. 53:42 I want to teach you this Bible. 53:44 I want to show you what Jesus can do for you. 53:47 It's not too late. 53:49 ♪♪♪ 53:59 ♪♪♪ 54:03 ♪♪♪ 54:05 announcer: "Amazing Facts", Changed Lives. 54:12 female: Well, my conversion story is when I was in the 54:17 Philippines, I just graduated as a nurse and afterwards I did not 54:22 have any religion and one time I found myself inside a small 54:28 church, Catholic church, in Manila, 54:33 and before a big cross. 54:35 And I was kneeling before and I could hear Jesus telling me to 54:41 enter the convent, save myself and also my family. 54:46 And I said, "Lord, I would like to follow You all the way." 54:49 At that point, I seemed to be happy externally, 54:53 but because inside the convent we don't read the Bible, 54:57 we don't study about the Word of God. 54:59 We prayed the rosaries, we also at the same time studied 55:03 the lives of the saints and also our founders, 55:08 and the encyclicals of the Pope and the Virgin Mary. 55:12 And so I do not know the truth and I had this torture of 55:15 conscience, the guilty feelings that cannot be resolved. 55:20 So I would confess to the priest in the confessional box, 55:23 saying, "Father, forgive me. 55:25 Since my last confession was last week. 55:29 Since then I have committed the following sin including the root 55:33 cause: why am I falling and falling in that same sin 55:36 over and over again." 55:39 And still for 21 long years, I struggle and I struggle 55:44 and I struggle. 55:46 I realized that I was totally empty, 55:49 I was totally helpless and hopeless. 55:53 And so depressed and so desperate that I would like 55:57 already to end my life. 55:59 I was working for five years as dean of the University 56:03 of San Agustin College of Nursing in Iloilo City, 56:06 one of the islands in the Philippines. 56:10 After five years I received a commission from my parents to 56:15 help my sister who is being a battered woman. 56:19 This is one of the reasons why I came over to United States. 56:24 It is because my sister needs my help. 56:29 As I was working in the hospital in New York, 56:31 my boss set up--and he was so gracious enough to give me 56:35 an invitation to the Millennium Prophecy. 56:38 As I was listening to Pastor Doug Batchelor's presentation, 56:43 my heart really was beating so fast, 56:46 and my mind, I'm able to grasp the truth, 56:49 that this is the truth that I've been longing to hear all my 56:55 life, that I have been seeking for so long. 56:59 My personal relationship with Jesus, 57:02 I can see Jesus as my personal Savior. 57:06 He is not only the Savior of the whole world but He is 57:10 my personal Savior. 57:12 He was the one who delivered me mightily from the depths of sin, 57:18 from the mighty clay. 57:20 Pastor Doug Batchelor has been used by the 57:23 Lord in my conversion. 57:25 The Amazing Facts, I owe to them. 57:28 The Lord really blessed this ministry and I'm so proud I was 57:34 able to attend this Millennium Prophecy. 57:38 My life has never been the same. 57:40 It has given me the peace, the joy, 57:43 that never--I have never tasted in my life, 57:48 and now I am set free to be able to work for Him 57:53 and to follow Him. 57:55 ♪♪♪ 58:05 ♪♪♪ 58:15 ♪♪♪ |
Revised 2021-08-01