Participants:
Series Code: SSP
Program Code: SSP000051S
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00:01 The Bible tells us:
00:21 Join us now for the 00:25 Our study today is: 00:35 Oh Hi, we are so glad to see you, 00:37 so glad that you are joining us for 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 00:42 We are studying the Seventh-day Adventist 00:44 Sabbath School Quarterly. 00:46 This is the fourth quarter, and our study is on 00:49 Salvation by Faith Alone in the book of Romans; 00:52 favorite topic, favorite book, so I'm just in hog heaven, 00:56 as we say down south. 00:58 I'm Shelley Quinn, and allow me to introduce the rest of our 01:03 panel, who will be studying with us today. 01:06 These are my dear friends and my extended family: 01:08 Pastor C. A. Murray, Pastor John Lomacang, 01:11 my dear Mollie Sue Steenson, and Jill Morikone. 01:14 We're just so thankful, and I just want to commend each one 01:19 of you for taking the time to study deep into each day's 01:22 topic, because that's what makes it exciting, is when we get 01:27 beyond the surface of the Scripture, 01:29 and go deep into the Scripture. 01:31 If you would like to study along with us, and you don't have a 01:35 Sabbath School Quarterly, you can go to: 01:38 That stands for Adult Bible Study Guide. 01:45 You can download one of those studies, and take notes right 01:51 along with us, or you can go by a Seventh-day Adventist church. 01:54 They would welcome you. 01:56 They could either give you a quarterly, or welcome you 01:59 to their Bible study. 02:00 Before we begin on today's study, 02:03 which is, Overcoming Evil With Good. 02:07 Paul is transitioning now from the theology of the redemptive 02:12 act of Jesus Christ into the covenant expectations; 02:17 what God is expecting of His people. 02:19 And before we begin, C. A. would you like to invite the 02:22 Holy Spirit to be our teacher? 02:24 It would be my pleasure. 02:25 Shall we pray? Father God, again we call upon You to give 02:28 us Spiritual minds, because we know that Spiritual things are 02:32 Spiritually discerned. 02:33 Teach us so that we may teach others. 02:35 Bless us so that we may be a blessing, as we continue our 02:39 study into this marvelous work of Paul that was authored by 02:44 You, the Holy Spirit. 02:45 We thank You, Father, in Jesus' name, Amen. 02:48 Amen, and Amen. Alright, if you have your Bibles, we just want 02:52 you to go ahead and open your Bible to Romans, Chapter 12, 02:55 and you can say the memory verse with us. 03:00 This is on Sabbath's lesson: Romans 12:2. 03:06 And do not be conformed to this world: but be transformed by the 03:13 renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, 03:17 and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. 03:21 Paul is trying to disabuse the Romans of the wrong use of the 03:26 law of God, but he's also trying to show them that actually 03:33 we have stricter requirements of us now. 03:36 You know, he told the Philippians, in Philippians 2:5, 03:39 Let this mind be in you, which was in Christ Jesus. 03:43 When you think of that, that the mind of Christ was one that 03:49 humbly depended upon God, and that is what He 03:53 is wanting us to do. 03:54 So let's look at Sunday. 03:57 We're going to begin this transition as he bridges from 04:02 doctrine to duty in Romans 12:1, your reasonable service. 04:10 Paul says, I beseech you therefore, brethren, 04:12 by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living 04:16 sacrifice, holy, and acceptable to God, 04:19 which is your reasonable service. 04:22 I beseech you brethren. 04:23 He is making an earnest plea with them. 04:26 He's speaking to the children of God. 04:28 And he's now going to give them a practical teaching that will 04:34 rest on the, what he has given to them before, which was the 04:40 theological foundation that he's laid. 04:42 So when he says, I beseech you therefore, therefore is always 04:47 a bridge, bridging back to what he's laid, everything that he 04:51 has already written. 04:52 And now he's going to tell us, because of all of this, 04:56 here's what you should do. 04:57 He says, It is by the mercies of God. 05:02 You know, we have a tendency to make little of the 05:09 word mercy, I would say. 05:10 But Paul, being a Jew, knew Hebrew, and he has well studied, 05:16 so he was familiar with the word hesed. 05:19 Hesed in the Hebrew language. 05:21 And this was a covenant term. 05:24 It wrapped up God's agape love, His mercies, His long kindness, 05:29 His longsuffering with His people. 05:34 It was a term when he said, I beseech you by 05:37 the mercies of God. 05:38 God is such a merciful and loving God that He sent His Son 05:43 to die for us while we were yet sinners. 05:45 Paul said in Romans 5:8 that the gift of God is eternal 05:49 life in Christ Jesus. 05:51 He tells us in Romans 6:23 that we are redeemed, reconciled, 05:56 and justified freely, given peace with God, freed from the 06:00 power of sin, Romans 6:18. 06:03 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are 06:06 in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:1. 06:09 He talks about the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit. 06:12 And he talks about how we have been adopted as the children 06:17 of God, which gives us the assurance of the promises. 06:20 So these are the mercies of God, the most tender compassion. 06:26 He's laid out God as a covenant making, covenant keeping God 06:32 in the first eleven chapters of Romans. 06:34 And now that we recognize these great mercies, he's saying 06:39 it calls for a covenant response. 06:41 So let's go on. He says, I beseech you therefore, brethren, 06:44 by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies 06:47 a living sacrifice. 06:50 This is to yield to God's mercies. 06:54 We are to voluntarily hand over our life to God as a gift. 07:00 This is our act of worship. 07:02 And, you know, this is the same word when he says present. 07:06 It's the same word that was used when Jesus was presented 07:11 in the temple to God, to God's dedication. 07:15 And remember what he said in Romans 6:16? 07:18 Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves 07:24 to obey, you are that one's slaves; whether of sin leading 07:29 to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? 07:34 So we present our life to God, because He's 07:38 done so much for us. 07:39 This is our debt of gratitude, and it just 07:43 expresses our love for God. 07:47 And, you know, when you think about considering what God has 07:50 done for us, this gives us good reason to 07:54 submit to His authority. 07:55 When He says your bodies, it is more of your complete life. 08:01 He's talking about your physical body, your mental, 08:04 your emotional, your spiritual, because all of these powers of 08:09 God cannot be separated in mankind. 08:11 So present yourself... This is a wholehearted surrender that Paul 08:16 is telling us we should give to God. 08:19 And we are to dedicate our entire body for right living, 08:24 and honor, and service of God. 08:27 Now there's certainly the significance of the health 08:29 principles, because one thing that I am learning, 08:33 especially through the last six weeks of life that I have been 08:38 so very ill, is that if you don't have strength of body, 08:43 you can't really minister. 08:45 So it is important for us to... God is interested in our health. 08:50 And I do believe he has that meaning here as well. 08:54 Because he said, our bodies are the temple of God. 08:57 Now let's continue on in the rest of this verse. 09:02 He says, We are presenting our bodies a living sacrifice, 09:07 holy, and acceptable to God under the old covenant. 09:12 The living sacrifice, the Levitical sacrificial system, 09:17 they had to slay an animal to be the propitiation, 09:24 the animal's blood would be the propitiation, 09:26 the covering for their sin. 09:27 And this was in a physical temple service. 09:31 But now under the new covenant, Christians 09:34 are living sacrifices. 09:37 We are not... We are a sacrifice without blemish, because we've 09:43 been cleansed by the blood of Jesus. 09:46 But our sacrifice is not a propitiatory one to 09:51 try to cover our sin. 09:52 Ours is a sacrifice of praise. 09:55 So this is our spiritual temple service that we go to the 10:01 spiritual altar and we allow ourselves to be indwelt by the 10:05 fire of God by the Holy Spirit. 10:08 Now you know what the problem with a living sacrifice is? 10:11 It always wants to crawl off the altar, doesn't it? 10:15 So we have to make this surrender, this yielding, 10:22 this presenting ourselves to God a daily affair. 10:26 Now I want to look at... I'm going to skip through some of my 10:31 notes because I want to get to another portion. 10:36 But let's look here then. 10:38 He says, As we present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, 10:43 acceptable to God. This is our reasonable service. 10:47 He's calling us to a life of holiness and sanctification. 10:52 And based on everything that God has done, then as children 10:56 of a holy and righteous God, we should allow God to 11:02 completely restore His image in us. 11:05 We have studied that justification 11:07 was a punctiliar act. 11:09 It happened at a point in time where we accepted Christ, 11:14 and our past sins were forgiven. 11:19 The penalty for that sin was dismissed. 11:23 But now what God wants to do is He wants to deliver us 11:28 from the power of sin. 11:29 And if we want to give Him a holy, acceptable sacrifice, 11:36 or just say, Lord I'm giving you my will. 11:40 Work in me to will and to do. 11:43 Justification, being declared righteous 11:49 by God, is an act of God. 11:53 Sanctification is a work of God. 11:56 So we must ask Him to do this work in us. 12:02 And, you know, I want to read 1 Thessalonians 5:23 and 24, 12:07 because I find such hope in this Scripture. 12:10 He says, Now may the God of peace... That's Jehovah Shalom 12:16 Himself... sanctify you completely; and may your whole 12:21 spirit soul and body be preserved blameless at the 12:24 coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 12:26 He who calls you is faithful, who will also do it. 12:32 So as you surrender to God, this is your acceptable 12:38 sacrifice, your reasonable service. 12:42 Reasonable is logician in the Greek. 12:46 It means rational, intelligent, logical. 12:50 Surface means worship. 12:52 So as we step forward to say, God take my life. 12:57 Do with it as You will. 12:59 Then what God will do, He looks at this as our 13:03 Spiritual act of worship. 13:05 This is how we should start every day; 13:08 is presenting ourselves to God. 13:10 And then he goes on in Verse 2, and he says, Do not be conformed 13:15 to this world, but be transformed... 13:17 That word is metamorpho; that we are going to be... 13:21 It's like when the caterpillar... 13:23 it's the worm is turned into the butterfly. 13:26 ...be transformed by the renewing of your mind. 13:30 How are our minds renewed? 13:32 With the washing of the water of the Word, are they not? 13:36 So we are, our minds are renewed that we may prove what is that 13:42 perfect good and acceptable will of God. 13:47 And, you know, I think sometimes people try to say that... 13:51 or I've heard it said, and I'm not sure that I agree, 13:53 that there's God's acceptable will, there's His perfect will, 13:57 there's His good will. 13:59 I don't think... I think he's talking about one will. 14:02 God's will is always good, acceptable, and perfect. C. A. 14:07 Well said. I liked the way that you ended with that. 14:11 That is very, very true. 14:12 I'm on Monday. And on Monday we're dealing with the idea 14:15 of Thinking Soberly. 14:18 And we're covering a great deal of Scripture. 14:23 Romans 12, beginning at Verse 3 through 21. 14:27 So I'm going to not read them all, but there are some bullet 14:30 points here that I want to read, and then we'll try to ruminate 14:35 on these just a little bit. 14:36 Because in this passage of Scripture there are some of the 14:42 most powerful sentiments in the letter to the Roman church. 14:49 One, we ought to think soberly. 14:53 And that idea in the Greek is an idea of seeing things as they 15:00 really are; to be realistic. 15:03 I had a professor in college for years who used to tell us 15:07 as students, don't blow smoke up your nose. 15:10 And it didn't make sense to me. 15:12 It wasn't until years later... 15:13 Well, he would say, As bad as it is to breathe secondhand 15:17 smoke, it's worse to blow smoke up your own nose. 15:19 And he would say that over, and over again 15:21 to his theology students. 15:23 And I... What in the world is this guy talking about? 15:24 And it was years later I heard myself say to a member of my 15:28 church, It's bad to breathe secondhand smoke. 15:31 That's other people's smoke. 15:32 But it's worse to blow smoke up your own nose. 15:34 In other words, be honest, be realistic, 15:35 be pragmatic with yourself. 15:37 So this is one of the things that Paul is saying. 15:39 He's given us a marvelous theological treatise. 15:43 Now he's saying, here is where the rubber meets the road. 15:46 Here is how you take this theology and make it part of 15:50 your everyday living, and your everyday loving, 15:53 and your everyday walk. 15:54 So we go to Verse 4. 15:56 For as we have many members in one body, but all members 16:02 do not have the same function. 16:06 Now I want to jump down to Verse 6. 16:08 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is 16:13 given to us, let us use them. 16:17 So God has given us gifts, but they're not to be static. 16:20 They are to be used. 16:21 There is, Pastor John, a sneaker commercial, and its catch phrase 16:30 is, Just do it, you know, Just do it. 16:33 And that's what he's saying. 16:34 If you have the gift to minister, then minister. 16:37 If you have the gift to prophesy, then prophesy. 16:39 If you have the gift to exhort, then exhort. 16:41 Whatever gifts God has given you; use those gifts. 16:45 Just, just do it! Just do it. 16:48 We go down to Verse 9. 16:50 Let love be without hypocrisy. 16:53 Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. 16:57 Then I jump to Verse 14. 17:01 Bless those who persecute you: bless and do not curse. 17:07 Easy to say, real tough to do. 17:10 Bless those who persecute you. 17:13 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. 17:17 Now Verse 17. Repay no one evil for evil. 17:22 18. If it is possible,... If it is possible... 17:28 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, 17:37 live peaceably with all men. 17:40 Do not avenge yourself. 17:43 Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. 17:47 So you don't have to lay awake at night thinking of ways to get 17:50 back at people who do you evil. 17:51 Just keep serving the Lord, and the Lord will take care of that. 17:55 Therefore, if your enemy is hungry, feed him; 17:58 if he is thirsty, give him a drink... 18:01 Now this is your enemy we're talking about now. 18:04 If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, 18:07 give him a drink: for in so doing you will heap coals 18:11 of fire on his head. 18:13 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. 18:20 You know, I just want to just go back to this heap 18:22 of fire on his head. 18:23 In ancient Egypt there was actually a custom to show 18:27 humility of putting hot coals in a pot and 18:30 wearing it on the head. 18:32 So this is coming from something that really happened; 18:35 this idea of heaping more coals of fire. 18:38 You just do good and then you're forcing them to do that. 18:43 A couple of things: the lesson says this, and it is very true, 18:47 we can get so hung up on... I'll use that terminology. 18:52 ...on theology that we forget to put that 18:56 theology in practice. 18:58 One of the things that led up to the 1888 General Conference 19:03 was the idea that Ellen White told the church, We have, 19:07 we've done lost so much we are as dry as the hills of Gilboah. 19:10 We just law, law, law, law, law. 19:12 Where is Jesus? Where is love? 19:14 Where is grace? Where is faith? 19:16 It's just keep the law, keep the law, keep the law. 19:18 And that can be dry. 19:20 It's the foundation for what we do. 19:22 And Paul established this with the church of Rome. 19:25 We spent the first several chapters taking about faith, 19:28 and grace, and sanctification and justification. 19:30 Okay, we got that. Now what do we do with that? 19:35 Will we apply it to our brothers, our sisters, those we 19:38 love, and those who hate us, not just those who love us. 19:42 So now he's moving into what we do. 19:44 We have to remember that those things that we talked about, 19:48 the grace, the faith, the sanctification, 19:51 the justification are the outworking of a pre-existing 19:54 love relationship with Jesus. 19:56 And if the love relationship with Jesus does not exist, 19:59 all of that other stuff that we talked about cannot happen, 20:03 because it is not motivated, or it is not driven by a 20:08 relationship with Jesus Christ. 20:09 So he's moving into that area now telling us these are the 20:14 things that this grace, and this faith, and this sanctification, 20:18 and this justification ought to work out in you. 20:21 These things ought to be seen in you, because Christ is you. 20:25 It's not law over love, it's law and love, or love and law. 20:31 They work together to make us whole in Jesus Christ. 20:34 He talks about in honor preferring one another. 20:38 And there's so much in this section. 20:41 The word for preferring... Let me get it 20:43 right, is posthumous. 20:47 Anything pro means forward or before. 20:50 So he is saying basically, you've got to 20:54 put others before you. 20:55 You don't want to do anything from a selfish motive. 20:58 Prefer others. And even when you disagree, it's not, there is 21:02 no problem when Pastor Lomacang and I agree on everything. 21:05 It's when we disagree. 21:07 When does the Jesus reveal itself? 21:09 At the point of disagreement. 21:11 It's easier to love those who pat you on the back, 21:13 and loving you and kissing you, but when we have a disagreement 21:16 that's when the Jesus has to come forward. 21:19 So he's saying prefer one another. 21:20 There are some things that we need to put our feet down on. 21:23 If you are breaking Sabbath, if you're drinking, 21:25 if you're smoking, and if you're carousing, we need to tell you 21:28 those things are wrong. 21:29 We have justification for that from Ezekiel. 21:31 But there are some other things, Shelley, that may be nuanced, 21:36 that are not salvific issues. Right. 21:38 And I need to give you the latitude, first to grow, 21:43 but not necessarily to grow in my opinion, 21:46 but to grow in grace. Yes. 21:48 And if you're growth in grace brings you to my opinion, 21:51 Well, praise the Lord. 21:53 If not, then I've got to allow you that, 21:54 because it's not a salvific issue. 21:56 And so many times we make issues out of things 21:59 that are non-issues. 22:01 And it really shows our lack of love than our point of love. 22:07 So we've got Spiritual gifts, we've got things to do, 22:11 we've got a call from God to do some things, 22:13 and we need to get them done. 22:15 This idea of balance; don't, you know, if we just look at Peter, 22:21 Peter says we are a royal priesthood, a holy nation. 22:23 You can kind of get lifted up. 22:25 So Paul brings a balance now. 22:28 Don't think of yourself a little more than you should. 22:30 So there's a balance. 22:31 Don't look too high; don't look too low. 22:32 Kind of keep your life balanced. 22:34 Be sober. Look at yourself as you really are. 22:37 And the problem is a lot of Christians look at themselves 22:41 through parallax mirrors. 22:42 You know, you go to the fun house and if you're thin the 22:45 mirror can make you look fat, and if you're fat the mirror 22:47 can make you look thin, you know, kind of thing. 22:48 And we're looking through these parallax mirrors, 22:51 and we're not seeing ourselves as we really are. 22:54 Paul is saying, See yourself as you really are. 22:57 Be honest with yourselves. 22:59 Look at yourself in the light of the gospel. 23:01 I should not compare myself to Pastor Lomacang. 23:03 He should not compare himself to me. 23:05 Because if I compare myself with Pastor Lomacang, I will always 23:11 find something that I can say is better with me than with him. 23:16 You know, you're going play with this so that you come out on top 23:20 some, because your ego will make you do that. 23:21 Right. The natural leaning. 23:23 Precisely. But if I look at Jesus... 23:25 Can I say there ain't no way? 23:28 There ain't no way I'm ever going to come out 23:31 better than Christ, because I see myself as I really am. 23:36 So I close with this statement: Christian humility is being so 23:43 secure in God and His gifts that you don't have to look up to 23:47 anyone, but it is also being so secure in God and His gifts 23:52 that you don't have to look down on anyone. 23:55 It's looking at yourself as you really are in Christ Jesus. 23:59 Wow! Thank you Pastor C. A., thank you Shelley. 24:03 I have Tuesday's lesson, The Christian and the State, 24:09 The Christian and the State. 24:11 Now this is so timely, because we're living right now where, 24:15 on the heels of the last 8-12 years of elections, 24:20 your Christianity, or lack thereof, has become a very real 24:27 litmus test to occupy offices in America, 24:30 where it never was intended to be; not by our Constitutional 24:34 framers, by our Bill of Rights. 24:35 Religion was never intended to be the precursor. 24:39 And even to pander to those who are religious was never intended 24:44 to divide a nation. 24:46 And so right now we have a nation that's somewhat 24:48 fragmented, and divided into all different categories. 24:51 And religion tends to be at the central focus of that. 24:55 So when you have a lesson that forces you to go back to 25:00 Romans 13, you ask yourself the question, Does the religious climate give me the freedom to 25:04 climate give me the freedom to now go ahead and segue to 25:11 the authorizes that be? 25:12 We're almost coming to the place now where we are questioning 25:15 authority so much that we would aquesque to authority 25:19 if we agree with it. 25:20 But I want to just point out, I want to bring out a particular 25:23 comparison about authority. 25:26 And a few things that I want to lay the foundation for: one is 25:31 perceived authority and actual authority. 25:33 Man's authority is generally perceived authority. 25:37 As one person once said, The speed limit is only applicable 25:41 when the police are around. 25:42 I tend to think that. 25:45 You tend to think that, but that's not the case. 25:48 To the person who wants to live within safety, the speed limit 25:51 is the speed limit whether the police are around or not. 25:53 But we tend to look at the speed limit as optional, 25:56 because the person to enforce it is not present. 25:59 Where in fact in God power is actual, 26:03 because God is never absent, and manpower is perceived. 26:07 And manpower is bestowed, and God power is resident. 26:12 And manpower is temporary, and God power is eternal. 26:18 And manpower is conditional, and God power is constant. 26:23 So when we are told what we are told in Romans 13... 26:27 And I'm going to begin by reading that because this 26:29 lesson, The Christian and the State, is a very real issue. 26:32 As Adventists we know the time is not far distant when we have 26:37 to take a stand like the early Apostles did. 26:39 We ought to obey God rather than man. 26:40 But until that climate comes, we ought not to run ahead of the 26:47 prophetic timetable to bring upon ourselves 26:50 unjust persecution. 26:51 And I think sometimes you can be so heavenly minded that 26:55 you're no earthly good. 26:56 You can be so concerned that the world ends that you're trying to 26:59 bring about your own Armageddon. 27:00 And we've seen that in many of these religious movements. 27:03 And the people of the, you know, the Jim Jones, 27:06 the list goes on and on, but that's just an example, 27:09 the David Koresh's. 27:10 We malign the government needlessly only to give rise to 27:15 the legitimacy of our cause, when in fact our cause is 27:18 illegitimate in God's sight, because it's one that brings 27:21 division and not unity. 27:22 And that's the same thing that happens in Christianity. 27:24 When the cause we stand for results in division, 27:27 and God is not supportive of it, it's not something 27:30 that God has endorsed. 27:31 So Paul brings out this point in Romans 13:1-7. 27:35 Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. 27:39 For there is no authority except from God:... 27:42 That's actual authority. 27:43 ...and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 27:47 Paul is obviously in a contextual of his day. 27:49 But as time goes on we wonder, you know, we look at the 27:52 authority that Hitler had. 27:54 We know that God didn't give him that authority. 27:55 We look at the wars through the dark ages, where millions of 27:59 Christians were persecuted. 28:00 We know that God did not give man that authority. 28:02 But the context that Paul is talking about, the development 28:05 of the Christian church, these authorities that existed in the 28:10 Jewish economy, among the Pharisees, Scribes, 28:13 Sadducees, and Asians. 28:14 This authority was given to them by God. 28:16 But because they had rejected Christ and the righteousness 28:20 that comes through faith, they delegitimize themselves. 28:25 But the authority was, nonetheless, appointed by God 28:28 for more than a thousand years. 28:29 But he says in Verse 2, Therefore whoever resists the 28:34 authority, resists the ordinance of God: and those who resist 28:37 will bring judgment on themselves. 28:39 For rulers are not a terror to good works,... 28:43 That could be argued in the courts of, 28:47 does it really matter? 28:48 Because Jesus pointed out His persecution was, He says, 28:51 At least, at least give Me a pass for My good works. 28:56 If you don't believe I'm the Messiah, at least judge 28:59 Me based on My works. 29:01 You know, By their fruits you will know them. 29:02 It says: For rulers are not a terror to good 29:05 works, but to evil. 29:07 Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? do what is good, 29:11 and you will have praise from the same: For he is God's 29:16 minister to you for good. 29:18 But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword 29:22 in vain:... In other words the system of justice will, 29:26 as one person says, It grinds oh so slow, but oh so fine. 29:30 So people that live out of harmony with the laws of the 29:33 laws of the land, they're really not getting away with anything. 29:35 They are bringing on themselves unnecessary judgment, 29:39 as my good friend would say, Pastor Ricardo Graham, 29:43 a good friend of ours. 29:44 He's now Union President in California, the Pacific Union. 29:49 He says, The Devil will throw stones at you, 29:51 but don't give him any. 29:52 And sometimes Christians give the Devil stones. 29:56 And here is being pointed out that the judgments are there. 29:59 The sword will be swung against those who live out 30:01 of harmony with God. 30:03 It says: For he is God's minister and avenger to execute 30:06 wrath on him who practices evil. 30:08 That's the context. 30:10 Therefore you must be subject not only because of wrath, 30:14 but also for conscience sake. 30:16 In other words, if a Christian can walk down the street 30:19 not looking over his or her shoulder at the police when they 30:21 pass by, that's a clear conscience. 30:23 If you could walk into a building and know that people 30:26 look at you with great respect and honor and admiration, 30:29 you're living a life worthy of that. 30:31 But don't bring the attention to yourself 30:32 and call for worthiness. 30:34 Live a life that's worthy of your calling. 30:36 Verse 6. For because of this you also pay taxes: for they are 30:46 God's ministers, attending continually to this very thing. 30:49 And I like this part: Render therefore to all their dues: 30:53 taxes to whom taxes are due; customs to whom customs; 30:57 fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor. 31:00 I want to bring out the fact that we're living in what I call 31:04 the anti-authorian society. 31:07 But I must remember, and as Isaiah 9:6, As we look at the 31:11 governments of the world... And right now there's a lot of 31:13 fragmentation in our world. 31:14 It's not new. It has been residing from one 31:17 Administration to the other. 31:19 So for those of us who are surprised by the present 31:20 Administration, let us not get beyond ourselves. 31:24 Because America, while it's a country of laws, and principles, 31:27 and maxims, and things that are constant, everything that is in 31:33 operation in our country is run by frail human beings. 31:37 So we have to accept the reality. 31:40 But the thing that gives me courage is Isaiah 9:6. 31:42 The government shall be upon His shoulders. 31:45 The final authority is always going to be God's. 31:48 Then also come to the realization that, 31:51 as Peter pointed out, that one day we're going to have to part 31:54 ways with our government. 31:55 Because Matthew 24:9, Then they will deliver you up to 32:00 tribulation, and kill you: and you will be hated of all nations 32:03 for My name's sake. 32:04 So when the scenario changes, and Christians become the focus 32:09 of being ostracized in society, the comfort that we must get 32:13 are: Blessed are those who are persecuted for 32:15 righteousness sake. 32:16 Alright? Paul also suggests that we should live out of 32:23 harmony with the government, when it is not 32:26 in harmony with God. 32:27 But we also should be model Christians. 32:33 But I like the stand that Daniel and the Hebrews took. 32:36 You know, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, 32:37 they said to Nebuchadnezzar, The God whom we serve 32:42 is able to deliver us. 32:44 But we shouldn't serve God just because He delivers us. 32:46 We should serve God because what He calls us 32:49 to serve Him for is right. Alright? 32:53 Daniel did not modify his walk as a Christian. 32:57 When I say the word Christian, we use that word today, 32:59 but as a person who honored God, he said, when Daniel knew 33:04 the writing was signed, he continued in 33:06 his daily prayer life. 33:08 So when the government says you cannot pray, you cannot worship, 33:12 continue, because the outcome will be a blessing when our 33:16 allegiance to God is not modified by political maxims. 33:20 Don't change your allegiance to conform to the laws of the land. 33:24 But don't forget to render to Caesar what belongs to him, 33:27 and to God what belongs to Him. 33:29 And finally, remember this very important thing: The end of the 33:33 scenario would be, as Paul says in Philippians 3:20, 33:35 For our citizenship is in heaven; from which we all 33:41 so eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ:... 33:45 My encouragement is this: Conform to those things that are 33:48 not out of harmony with God's principles, and God's laws. 33:51 Tolerate and be accepting of those who differ from you. 33:58 But do not needlessly cause controversy between you and 34:03 those in positions of legal authority. 34:05 May your life always be an honor and a reflection of 34:09 the character of Christ. 34:10 Amen, you know I've got Wednesday, and we're looking 34:15 at, Love One Another. 34:17 And it starts with Romans 13:8, which is right, comes right 34:22 after what you just shared. 34:24 You know, I almost went there, but I said, Mollie has that. Ha! 34:26 And it would have been fine if you did, because I'm sure what 34:29 you had to share would be different from me. 34:31 Because God gives different things to different people. 34:34 But this is so appropriate to go now into, Loving One Another. 34:40 Paul is dealing with how we relate to one another. 34:43 He's dealing with personal relationships, and he's showing 34:48 that the principle of loving one another isn't a New Testament 34:52 principle, or a New Testament concept. 34:55 It was an iatrical part of the Old Testament system. 34:59 Let's read Romans 13:8. 35:05 Owe no one any thing, except to love one another: for he who 35:12 loves one another has fulfilled the law. 35:15 Now we're back to the law. 35:16 That's right. Back to the law. 35:18 Okay, owe no one anything. 35:21 What does debt do? What does debt do? 35:24 It will make you a slave. 35:25 It makes you a slave. 35:27 Debt brings you into bondage. 35:28 Hal and I made a decision between ourselves years ago. 35:34 If somebody comes to us and asks us to borrow. 35:37 And money is what we're thinking. 35:39 If they want to borrow our lawn mower, if we had one, you know, 35:43 we wouldn't give them our lawn mower, necessarily, but if they 35:47 want to borrow money. 35:48 And I'm just telling the whole world this, the answer is not 35:51 always yes, but we never loaned money to anybody. 35:55 We, if we had it to give we would give it to them. 35:59 But they didn't because, have you ever had a friend, 36:03 and you loaned them something, money particularly, 36:06 and they were your friend. 36:07 And then they had trouble looking you in the eye, 36:11 because they couldn't repay it. 36:12 So we aren't to owe anybody anything, because that debt 36:20 brought separation to the point where it could destroy a close 36:24 friendship, because they couldn't repay. 36:26 So we are to owe nobody anything but what? but love. 36:32 And I've always got an abundance of love to share. 36:36 And you've got an abundance of love to share. 36:38 And I want to look at this. 36:40 Now it says that, For he who loves another 36:45 has done something. 36:46 He's fulfilled the law. 36:49 Now how could that be? 36:52 Because the ten commandment law of God, His moral law, 36:58 and we're going to show you that this is the law that 37:02 Paul is talking about. 37:03 It's a transcript of what? the the character of 37:06 God, and God is love. 37:10 Therefore to love is to fulfill the law. 37:13 And that's 1 John 4:7, 8. 37:16 There's a song about this. 37:18 But let me quote this to you. 37:19 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; 37:25 and every one who loves is born of God, and knoweth God. 37:29 He who does not love does not know God; for God is love. 37:36 Now I think we get confused sometimes with this word love. 37:40 Because now we've said it here on this 37:44 Sabbath School Panel repeatedly. 37:45 I love this Scripture. 37:47 I love that. I love you, Pastor John. 37:48 I love my Bible. We kind of use that word a lot. 37:53 And I love my ink pen. 37:56 Well, no I don't love that ink pen! 37:58 Love, we've got to separate... They are just different kinds 38:01 of, different types of love. 38:03 And I wanted to just look at the agape love of God. 38:09 The love that we're talking about here. 38:11 Now God's love is Divine love. 38:16 And this is what Paul tells us in Romans 5:5. 38:20 Now hope does not disappoint; because the love of God... 38:26 Not this love I'm talking about: loving my ink pen, 38:29 loving this object. 38:31 ...but the love of God has been poured out. 38:35 Now the King James says, shed abroad, but I like this 38:39 in the New King James. 38:40 It's been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit 38:45 who was given to us. 38:48 That agape love. Let me just tell you, I don't think we could 38:53 describe it with a whole Webster's Dictionary. 38:56 I don't think there's enough words in there that could 38:59 describe this love of God. 39:00 But let me use a few. 39:02 It involves faithfulness, commitment, an act of the will. 39:09 It is distinguished from other types of love by its lofty moral 39:15 nature, and strong character. 39:18 And that love, this is rejoicing time, that love has been poured 39:24 out in every one of our hearts by the Holy Spirit. 39:27 We can't say, I just can't love someone. 39:32 I'm sorry, Pastor, I just can't love that church member. 39:35 Because it's not our love. 39:37 The love of God has been poured into our hearts, and now that 39:44 love is what we love others with. 39:48 We rely on what God has put into our... 39:51 The Holy Spirit has poured the love of God; poured it, 39:55 not sprinkled it, but poured the love of God into your heart. 39:58 Now Pastor C. A. looked at a Scripture earlier. 40:01 It's Romans 12:14. Bless them which persecute you:... 40:06 And Pastor C. A. said, You know, that's a hard, 40:09 that's a hard saying, isn't it? Pastor C? 40:11 A hard thing to do. 40:13 But Matthew 5:44 goes even further. 40:17 It says, Love your enemies... 40:20 Do what? Love your enemies. 40:24 Then it goes on to say, bless them that curse you... 40:28 That's a hard saying. 40:30 That's a difficult thing to do. 40:32 And to think we had to do it in our own strength, 40:34 we could definitely say, I cannot love that person. 40:38 I cannot do it in my own strength. 40:40 But because of this love of God that's been poured out in our 40:44 hearts, Yes, we can. 40:46 We do it by asking God to love that person through me. 40:51 Can you imagine God saying, You know, I just can't love her? 40:55 You know God is love. 40:57 All God can do is love. 40:59 And that very love, that very love, it's the love of God 41:04 that's been poured into our hearts, Pastor John. 41:06 We've got the very love of God poured into our hearts. 41:10 We all say we love Jesus. 41:13 Can we all say that? 41:15 We love Jesus. But there's a thing called a litmus test. 41:19 That's like proof of action. 41:23 And that would be... Let's look at that Scripture. 41:26 It's John 14:15. You don't have to turn to it because every 41:30 one of you can quote it. 41:31 If you love Me,... do something. ... keep My commandments. 41:36 Okay. Proof of action; litmus test is what? to show that we 41:42 love God, or that we keep His commandments. 41:46 We want to show our love for Him, but the only way we can 41:49 keep these ten commandments isn't in our own strength, 41:53 but it's got to be in the context of love. 41:57 We keep His commandments, not as a matter of legalism, 42:01 which people would try to make you think, 42:03 but as a matter of love for Him. 42:05 We're delighted to do what He tells us to do. 42:09 This is not legalism or bondage, it's not a debt. 42:13 What this is liberating freedom. 42:16 That love of God is in our heart, and we love Him. 42:19 Now let's look at some commandments... 42:24 I've got to hurry on this. 42:26 ...that illustrate the principle of love. 42:28 And the reason we know that it's the ten commandments law 42:31 that Paul was talking about... 42:32 Look at this. And we're in Romans 13:9-10. 42:36 Hurry with this. For the commandments... 42:38 Now remember these are commandments that illustrate 42:41 the principle of love. 42:42 For the commandments, you shall not do what? commit adultery, 42:45 you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not bear 42:48 false witness, you shall not covet; and if there is any other 42:52 commandment, are all summed up in the saying, namely, 42:55 you shall love your neighbor as yourself. 42:56 Love does no harm to a neighbor: therefore love is the 43:00 fulfillment of the law. 43:02 How do these commandments exemplify or illustrate 43:06 the principle of love? 43:08 Because if you love your neighbor, you're not going to 43:12 commit adultery with your neighbor's spouse, right? 43:15 Alright. You're not going to steal from your neighbor. 43:19 You're not going to bear false witness against your neighbor. 43:22 That's demonstrating the principle of love. 43:26 The principle of loving your neighbor wasn't 43:28 a new principle at all. 43:30 Paul is quoting Leviticus 19:18. 43:37 You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against 43:40 the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor 43:44 as yourself: I am the Lord. 43:46 And then James so aptly repeats this when he says, If you really 43:51 fulfill the what? the royal law. 43:54 According to the Scripture, you shall love your 43:57 neighbor as yourself. 43:59 And as we are showing our love one for another, we are actually 44:04 showing our love for God. 44:06 So let me encourage each one of you. 44:08 The love of God has been shed abroad in your heart. 44:11 You have the ability to love not only God, but to love your 44:16 brothers and sisters. 44:18 Amen! Well done Miss Mollie. 44:20 Thank you so much. I've been so blessed sitting here 44:23 listening to each one of you getting into the Word of God. 44:26 I think Romans, Chapter 12, is probably one of my favorite 44:30 chapters in the whole Bible. 44:31 I love Romans 12; such practical application. 44:35 I love practical application. 44:37 I like a practical working out of the theology that we study 44:41 in the Word of God; but then how is it put into practice? 44:45 So on Thursday I have, Now Is Our Salvation. 44:49 This is Romans 13; picking up right after where you 44:53 left off, Miss Mollie. 44:54 I'm looking at Verses 11 through 14. 44:58 Now it's interesting, and I think, Pastor C. A., 45:01 Shelley touched on this, and several have touched on this. 45:03 The focus of the book of Romans was really the role of faith and 45:08 works in the new covenant context: 45:11 how are we saved, justification by faith, sanctification by 45:15 faith, the role of sin, the law, righteousness. 45:18 Now we're into Christian growth, you could say. 45:22 But in this section, the four verses that I have, 45:25 we're looking at a doctrine: the second coming of Christ. 45:29 Now most of what Paul has written about the second coming 45:33 of Christ would be covered in what, the Thessalonian epistles, 45:36 or the Corinthian epistles? 45:38 But in this section he takes just a couple of 45:40 verses to touch on that. 45:42 Let's look at Verse 11. 45:44 Now I'm going to look at two aspects: first we'll look at the 45:48 nearness of Christ's return, and then we are going to look at 45:51 how are we to live in light of His return. 45:55 So first let's look at the nearness of His return, 45:57 Verse 11. And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high 46:02 time to awake out of sleep: for now our salvation is nearer 46:08 than when we first believed. 46:11 You know, Greg's grandfather is, I think he's 94, 46:15 lived a full life. When he was a young man he was instructed 46:20 by the elders in the church. 46:21 He was a teenager. Do not get married. 46:24 Do not have children. 46:27 The Lord is coming soon! 46:29 Now, you know, there is truth to this Scripture. 46:33 Paul wrote it 2,000 years ago, and what did 46:35 he say at that time? 46:36 Now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. 46:41 And, you know, for each one of us probation closes 46:44 at a different time. 46:45 Sabbath night when Greg and I have worship, 46:50 and close the Sabbath, Greg always prays some variation 46:52 of this, but: Father we don't know what this coming 46:55 week is going to hold. 46:56 We don't know what we're going to face, and honestly we don't 47:00 even know if we're going to be here tomorrow. 47:01 Tomorrow is not guaranteed. 47:03 We want to live now, right now for Jesus, in light of His 47:09 second coming, reaching out to other people. 47:13 So Paul says here in Romans 13:11, Be aware: 47:17 Christ is coming soon. 47:19 Let's look at Verse 12. 47:21 It says: The night is far spent, the day is at hand: 47:25 therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, 47:29 let us put on the armor of light. 47:33 In the New Living translation I like that verse. 47:35 It says: The night is almost gone, the day of salvation will 47:40 soon be here: so remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, 47:44 and put on the shining armor of right living. 47:48 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. 47:51 It says: let us cast off the works of darkness,... 47:55 To cast off: it means to put off, lay aside, or renounce. 47:58 Let's put those aside. 48:00 And then what are we to do? 48:02 We are to put on the armor of light. 48:04 Now, interestingly, the word for armor can mean a weapon, 48:08 implement, or a tool. 48:11 It's also used in 2 Corinthians 10, you know, where it says, 48:15 The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through 48:18 God through the pulling down of strongholds. 48:20 The word for weapons is the same one you used here as armor. 48:23 So if we were to replace that word, just for interest sake, 48:27 it says, Let us put on, instead of the armor of light, 48:29 let us put on the weapons of light. 48:31 It, this symbolizes warfare that we're engaged in here. 48:35 So let's look at how are we to live in the light of His return? 48:40 And I want to look at four ways that we're to live. 48:43 1. We already touched on this. 48:45 This is from Verse 11. 48:46 We're to wake up. We're to be aware of the 48:50 signs of His return. 48:51 Remember the parable of the foolish and wise virgins 48:56 from Matthew, Chapter 25? 48:57 They both had... They both fell asleep; all ten of them. 49:02 But remember, five had the oil, and then five did not. 49:05 And when the call came: the bridegroom's coming; 49:08 go out to meet him. 49:10 Five of them said, Oh, we don't have any oil. 49:12 We've got to go buy it. 49:13 And then five were prepared and ready. 49:15 Now, you know, when I read this, and this is just Jill's 49:18 interpretation, but when I read that, I don't want to be a wise 49:22 or a foolish virgin, to be honest with you. 49:24 I want to be one of those whose making the cry at midnight. 49:28 One of those who's not of the ten who are sleeping. 49:31 I want to be one of those who's awake, who says, Behold, the 49:34 bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him. 49:37 God calls us to be awake. 49:40 It says: Knowing the time, be aware of the last day events. 49:45 Be aware of the signs of the times, be aware that 49:47 Jesus is coming soon! 49:49 The second: first is to wake up, second is to 49:53 use proper weaponry. 49:55 That would be to put off the works of darkness, 49:58 and to put on the weapons of light, 50:00 or the armor of light, as is mentioned. 50:02 Ephesians 4:22. That you put off concerning your former conduct 50:07 the old man, which grows corrupt according to deceitful lust. 50:12 There's many verses in the Bible that talk about putting off 50:16 the old man; putting off those works of darkness. 50:19 And when I think about putting on the weapons of light, 50:22 you know, the verse I think of is Ephesians 6, talking about 50:26 the armor of God, or the weapons that we are to wear as we 50:30 engage in this warfare. 50:31 That would be the waist girded with truth, the breastplate of 50:37 righteousness, the sandals shod with the preparation of 50:42 the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of 50:48 salvation, the sword of the spirit. 50:51 And then it also says, praying always, right after that, 50:55 So I think prayer is integral with all the other weaponry 50:58 that we are to put on. 51:00 So first we're to wake up; know the nearness of the time. 51:03 Second, use proper weaponry: cast off the works of darkness, 51:06 put on the armor of light. 51:09 Third, walk appropriately. 51:11 We find that in Verse 13. 51:14 Let us... And let's look at how we're to walk, 51:17 and then how we're not to walk. 51:19 Verse 13: Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry, 51:25 and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, 51:29 not in strife and envy. 51:31 How are we to walk? 51:33 The word for walk is not just symbolizing to walk, 51:36 but it can also mean how to conduct my life, 51:39 or how I live my life. 51:41 So we're to live our life for the Lord Jesus Christ, 51:45 and not to walk in revelry. 51:48 In the Greek that's a riotous party or drunken feast, 51:52 which hosted unbridled sexual immorality. 51:56 We're not to walk in drunkenness. 51:58 And we all know what that means. 52:00 We're not to walk in lewdness; repeated 52:04 immoral sexual encounters. 52:06 We're not to walk in lust or licentiousness, wantonness. 52:11 We're not to walk in strife or contention. 52:14 Not to walk in envy toward other people. 52:18 But there's one more step: that is prepare for battle. 52:21 That's found in Verse 14. 52:24 Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the 52:30 flesh to fulfill its lust. 52:31 Now, Mollie, you talked about we use the word love a lot. 52:34 I'm going to use it again. 52:35 I love this Scripture. 52:37 It's been pivotal in my own journey, my own walk with God. 52:41 Put on the Lord Jesus Christ. 52:43 I think from Romans 12:1, where this practical instruction 52:46 begins, all the way through the end of the book of Romans, 52:50 this could be one of the pivotal verses. 52:52 We are to put on Christ. 52:54 We are to be clothed with the disposition, the attitude, 52:57 the habits, and the character of the Lord Jesus Christ. 53:00 And at the same time we are to make no provision for the flesh 53:04 to fulfill its lust. 53:06 The word for provision means foresight, forethought, 53:10 or allowing for something to happen. 53:12 So you know what that means? if you have don't make 53:16 provision for temptation? 53:19 If you have books in your home that are causing you to stumble, 53:23 get rid of the books. 53:24 If there's TV in your home, and you can't keep from watching 53:29 certain programs, cancel your cable. 53:32 If it's movies that are a struggle, throw that movie out. 53:38 If it's a magazine, don't pick up the magazine 53:41 at the supermarket checkout. 53:42 You know, if that's what causes you to struggle. 53:44 If it's food, stay away from the mall. 53:47 If it's clothes, sorry, if it's clothes stay away from the mall. 53:51 If it's food, and there's a certain thing you struggle with, 53:55 don't buy that particular item of food. 53:57 If it's someone else that you're struggling with, with emotional 54:00 feelings for, and you meet them at the gym, 54:02 cancel that membership and go to a different gym, 54:05 or if they're at your place of work, find a different job. 54:08 Make no provision for the flesh. 54:11 So Paul tells us to wake up, use proper weaponry, 54:15 walk appropriately, and prepare for battle. 54:18 And I know my time is almost gone. 54:19 And I want to read one quote from 8 Volume 54:21 of the Testimonies, 253. 54:23 The Lord is soon coming. 54:26 We must be ready and waiting for His appearing. 54:29 How glorious it would be to see Him, and be welcomed 54:32 as His redeemed ones. 54:34 Long have we waited, but our hope is not to grow dim. 54:38 If we can but see the King in His beauty, 54:40 we shall be forever blessed. 54:42 I feel as if I must cry aloud: homeward bound. 54:46 Amen and Amen. Thank you, Jill. 54:49 That was beautiful. 54:50 And I always love how you bring it down to several points 54:52 at the end of practical application. 54:55 Because actually that is what Paul is doing 54:58 here today, is it not? 54:59 The first eleven chapters he's laid out the doctrine, 55:03 the theology, and now he's going from doctrine to duty. 55:08 What are God's expectations of His new covenant people? 55:12 And as we began Paul said, Therefore if you consider all 55:18 that God has done for you, he said, then present yourself 55:23 as a living sacrifice. 55:24 Let your mind be renewed by the... 55:27 Be transformed by the renewal through the Scriptures, 55:32 and through having the mind of Christ in you. 55:35 I'd like each of you just to take... Boy we are really short. 55:38 ...twenty seconds. 55:40 Give me just a summary point; a little zinger from your lesson 55:44 that you'd like to share. 55:45 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. 55:50 Amen! John. And whatsoever state you're in be content. 55:57 That's right, the Christian state. 55:59 Whatsoever state you're in, be content. 56:01 And that's something that it takes a little practice to 56:04 learn to be content. 56:06 But it is a true blessing when it is. 56:09 I want to reiterate Romans 5:5, The love of God... 56:13 That love that God loves us with is also in our hearts. 56:17 It's been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit. 56:20 We are filled with God's love. Amen! 56:23 And I just want to encourage you. 56:25 Jesus is coming soon. 56:27 We have the privilege and opportunity now to 56:29 spend time in His work. 56:31 Get to know Him. Accept Him as your personal Savior, 56:35 and know that we have the hope of spending eternity with Him. 56:39 Amen. I just wanted to add something to what Mollie has 56:42 said when we were taking about the love being 56:45 poured into our heart. 56:46 Listen to what Paul told the Thessalonians in 56:48 1 Thessalonians 3:12, 13. 56:51 He says, May the Lord make you increase and abound in love to 56:55 one another, and to all, just as we do to you, so that... 56:59 For the purpose of. 57:00 so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness 57:04 before our God, and Father, at the coming of our Lord 57:06 and Savior Jesus Christ. 57:08 If you want to be blameless in holiness, if you want to 57:11 overcome evil with good, open your heart to God. 57:14 Let Him pour out His love, because the more you are filled 57:19 with the love of God, the holier you will become. 57:22 You'll be just like Him! 57:24 Well, we just want to thank you so much for joining us. 57:27 Our prayer is that the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus 57:29 Christ, the love of the Father, and the fellowship of the 57:32 Holy Spirit will be with you always. 57:35 See you next time. |
Revised 2023-11-23