Participants:
Series Code: SSP
Program Code: SSP200018S
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00:01 Hello and welcome to 3ABN Sabbath School Panel.
00:03 What a privilege it is to be able to come into your home 00:06 and be able to study together God's Word. 00:08 We are on lesson number five, you know, By Scripture Alone. 00:12 So we want to make sure 00:13 you get your Bible, pencil, and paper 00:15 and join with us in this study 00:16 and then you can also recall later on 00:18 and let people know that you're studying with us, 00:19 that'd be nice to know, this great big group. 00:21 Anyway, we're thrilled thankful that you're here. 00:23 But by the way, some of you may not have a Study Guide. 00:26 So we want to make sure you have that Study Guide. 00:28 It's very important 00:29 that you follow along with this study. 00:31 You can get those, 00:32 just simply download them at absg.adventist.org. 00:36 That's absg.adventist.org. 00:40 And get your lesson today and follow right on along. 00:43 You can see everybody's busy right now. 00:45 And we're going to be getting right into that lesson. 00:46 So don't go away. We'll see you in just a moment. 01:21 Hello and welcome back 01:22 once again to 3ABN Sabbath School panel. 01:24 We're glad, again, that you've decided to join us. 01:27 These are some, I say to the panel, 01:29 exciting studies. 01:31 I think Pastor John mentioned it, 01:32 at least to me too. 01:34 It's even more than I thought, is it okay to do that? 01:36 It's more because I believe that 01:38 we've been praying for the Holy Spirit 01:39 to bring these things out. 01:41 And I find that I've needed a lot of these things. 01:43 And so I pray that you, you know, 01:45 are digging in with us. 01:47 You got those study guides and you're digging in, 01:48 and you're going to be studying and you see, too, 01:50 that these are a real blessing. 01:52 I heard someone say, 01:53 "Well, I can just do one or two parts of this 01:55 and it's all over." 01:57 There's a lot in God's Word, a lot of digging. 01:59 Again, we're glad that you're with us. 02:01 I want to introduce the panel. 02:04 No one needs introduction here. I understand that. 02:06 But you know, 02:08 I'm under this impression, Sister Jill, 02:09 there are new people all the time. 02:11 And I'm going to believe by hundreds and thousands 02:14 that are joining the 3ABN 02:16 and watching 3ABN all the time as the Sabbath School Panel. 02:19 So we're doing it for them, ain't that right? 02:21 Not that with recognition, but we're doing it for them. 02:23 So, Sister Jill Morikone, always a pleasure. 02:26 Thank you for being able to work with you. 02:28 I appreciate it very much. 02:30 I enjoy working with you too and the rest of the panel. 02:32 Excited about to study the Word of God. 02:34 Yes, Pastor John Lomacang, always a pleasure. 02:37 Praise the Lord. 02:38 And this one about the clarity of scripture, 02:40 we're going to really dive into what a Sola Scriptura 02:42 and how the impact makes a difference 02:44 in our lives daily. 02:45 Amen. And it does. You have Pastor John Dinzey. 02:49 Nice, you're with us today It's a pleasure to be here. 02:51 And we encourage people to get something to write 02:53 with because there's a lot of information 02:54 coming at you. 02:56 Absolutely. Absolutely. 02:57 And I'm telling you just have done a wonderful job, 02:59 and we appreciate that what you're doing. 03:00 And Pastor Ryan Day, bless your heart. 03:03 Always good to have you. 03:04 I kind of feel like we're anchored in good. 03:06 It's all going to hold together. 03:08 I'm locked and loaded and ready to go. 03:10 Praise God. I'm excited about this one. 03:12 Amen. I'm excited too. 03:13 You know, the excitement brings us 03:15 right to the need of prayer, doesn't it? 03:16 Since we're talking to you last... 03:17 Would you pray? Absolutely. 03:19 Yes. Let's pray. 03:20 Father in heaven, as always God, 03:22 we want to come to You and ask for the leadership 03:24 of the Holy Spirit as these messages 03:27 go out to the world. 03:28 Lord, we don't want people to hear us, 03:29 we want to know hear Your word. 03:31 We want to be able to understand Your word. 03:33 And, Lord, we here on this panel 03:35 need to understand Your word. 03:37 We need to be drawn closer to Jesus, 03:39 just like everyone else. 03:40 So God just drown us, Lord, 03:42 cover us with Your Spirit, with Your love, 03:45 and with the leadership and wisdom of Your Holy Spirit, 03:47 that these messages may go out and lead each and every person 03:51 that listens to Jesus Christ, we ask in His holy name. 03:55 Amen. Praise the Lord. 03:56 Okay, lesson number five 03:57 then we're talking about by scripture, you know, 03:59 of only here are Sola Scriptura. 04:02 And so this is what we've been the whole lessons, 04:04 all the lessons we've had so far 04:06 is always pointed us back 04:07 if we tried to go another direction, 04:09 it always brought us back to the, 04:11 what, the Word of God. 04:13 It's the most important thing to do, 04:15 and we praise God for that. 04:16 We're going to go over Sabbath, you know? 04:18 I see a lot of good things on our memory text 04:20 and then Sabbath's lesson. 04:21 You don't want us to go over any of things 04:23 here with just rationally. 04:25 You want to get into it 04:26 and really look at these things. 04:27 And I love the memory text 04:29 found in the Book of Hebrews 4:12. 04:32 Most of you surely know this and it says, 04:34 "For the Word of God is a what, living or quick, powerful, 04:40 sharper than any two-edged sword. 04:42 It's piercing, notice, even the division of the soul 04:47 and the spirit of the joints and the morrow. 04:50 It is a discerner of the thoughts 04:52 and the intents of man." 04:54 So it takes man inside out knows all about, doesn't it? 04:58 God knows all about us. 05:00 I like it because it says it's quick and it's living. 05:03 Powerful means, the word is effective. 05:05 It can really... 05:07 When you put it inside, it becomes effective. 05:08 If you keep it outside, it's not effective. 05:11 You know, we got a battery here, 05:13 you know, it needs to be jumped. 05:16 You got to put the jumper cables on there 05:17 and the jumper cables you put on there, 05:19 you got to have a car with a little bit of power 05:20 to jump that over. 05:22 And I feel like I need that jump of the Holy Spirit, right? 05:24 That power to put into our spiritual batteries today. 05:28 And I'm sure that you do too. 05:29 And I'm thankful that we have a God 05:31 that says living Word is powerful, 05:33 it's sharper than any two-edged sword 05:35 because it rightly divides both ways and separates. 05:39 So lesson brings out, 05:40 Sabbath's part of lesson brings out scripture alone... 05:42 Once again, we'll repeat that to the end of these lessons. 05:45 Scripture alone is the final authority. 05:49 I like that. 05:50 I don't know about you, but I was raised... 05:52 I needed a final authority, you know? 05:55 It can't let me just go any direction that 05:56 there was a bottom line on here. 05:58 So to me the scripture, is it okay to say it? 06:00 The scripture is the bottom line 06:01 for us today. 06:02 And it's the final authority when it comes to doctrine 06:05 and when it comes to, you know, 06:06 any other issues, matters of faith 06:08 and so on so forth. 06:09 When the Protestant Reformation... 06:11 We just step back for just a moment. 06:12 Protestant Reformation revolted against Rome. 06:16 We know that they did. Why? 06:18 Because Roman had been teaching errors of scripture. 06:22 And so the Bible gave the Protestant Reformation, 06:25 a good force, and gave it a good authority, 06:29 a good foundation which to stand on. 06:31 So this week, we look at Sola Scriptura 06:33 in great detail as the ultimate, 06:36 I like this, doctrinal authorities. 06:40 Sunday's lesson, quickly... 06:42 It's right here. 06:43 Scripture as the ruling norm. 06:45 What does that mean scripture as the ruling norm? 06:47 To me, it goes back to what we've all been discussing here. 06:50 Again, it always points back to scripture, Sola Scriptura. 06:54 Seventh-day Adventist Christians are... 06:57 I'm not going to try to say this in any kind of way, 06:58 that'd be offensive for herd of people 07:00 have this head swell or whatever it is. 07:03 But I've met a lot of people, you know, 07:05 and we talked about studying the Bible 07:08 with different ones 07:09 and Seventh-day Adventist Christians 07:10 has always been considered, and tell me if I'm wrong, 07:13 people of the book. 07:15 And we should be. 07:16 And not anything else, but we're people of the book. 07:19 And so likely without the head swelling, 07:21 nothing about that at all. 07:22 It has to do, and I've heard people say 07:24 it all the time and not being one, 07:26 they would say, "If you're going to study 07:28 with a Seventh-day Adventist, you better know the Bible." 07:31 Have you ever heard that? 07:32 If you're going to study with them, you better know. 07:33 That's not trying to lift anything up. 07:35 That's simply we're doing what God has said in His Word, 07:37 to get into the Word, to learn the Word 07:39 because He is the Word that we need inside of us. 07:43 Recognize the authority of the Bible, 07:46 and it is the ruling norm, and this is why 07:49 we take as a Bible for our theology, 07:51 we take it for our life, we take it for our doctrine, 07:54 our teaching, and then trying to find out 07:56 what is truth. 07:58 And I've heard a lot of good comments on that 07:59 trying to find out what truth is. 08:01 And so by doing that we rule out, simply put, 08:04 we rule out emotions and feelings 08:07 and human reasoning and tradition. 08:09 I think we've heard that said so often hear. 08:11 Jesus said this. 08:12 Remember He said in vain do they, what? 08:14 Worship. Read the scripture. 08:15 "In vain do they worship Me," what, "teaching for doctrines, 08:18 the commandments of men." 08:20 I just heard a radio program just the other day, 08:22 and I was captivated by it. 08:24 I'll be honest, I don't listen to too much 08:26 that's out there unless I think that it's solid. 08:30 That makes sense? 08:32 If solid, because I don't want to do anything 08:33 that I understand is not truth in my brain. 08:36 I want to know what truth is, and then build from there. 08:39 But they were talking about tradition and the Bible. 08:41 And a man called in... 08:43 I got to tell stories because, I mean, this is just... 08:46 It was yesterday. 08:48 And a man called in who really wanted... 08:50 When he called into a talk show program, 08:53 and it was of the Roman Church. 08:55 And so there are two men 08:56 who are very educated same and so on and so forth. 08:58 But man called in because he was interested 09:00 in finding out what is truth. 09:02 And so we started talking about the difference 09:04 in tradition and the Bible. 09:07 What's the difference? 09:09 And of course, they tried to convince him 09:10 that tradition was on the same plane 09:12 or even higher than the Word of God. 09:15 But that bothered me. I wanted to get in on the fray. 09:19 I wanted to get in because I sense that the man 09:22 that had called was honest in heart, 09:24 he was trying to figure out. 09:26 And they were trying to point him... 09:28 He said, "What I've been figuring out 09:29 by trying to read the word," 09:31 which he belonged to Roman Church, 09:32 he said, "I've been reading the word, 09:34 and the word says this should be 09:35 our final authority on things. 09:38 And said, "Well, the church is the final authority on this 09:41 and it's above, you know, really the scripture." 09:43 And I... 09:45 Is it okay to say aggravated? 09:47 Spiritually aggravated. 09:49 I turned it off. Yeah. 09:51 Anyway, we're talking about it. 09:53 Jesus said, "It's in vain they worship Me, 09:57 teaching for doctrines and commandments of men." 09:58 I think you've been read Matthew 15:6, 10:01 "Thus you have made the commandments of God," 10:03 as what? 10:04 "None effect by your tradition." 10:07 Traditions that may not affect the teachings of God's work. 10:10 So we have to be careful. 10:12 I found this is actually in letter 43, 1895. 10:15 This was written. 10:17 I love that because there's two words here 10:19 that I'm going to hang on to. 10:20 It's just that simple. 10:22 Here's what it says, "Air could not stand alone." 10:24 Some of you read that. Air cannot do, what? 10:26 Stand alone. 10:27 Air can't stand, you know, it can't stand alone. 10:29 Just like the enemy, he can't create anything, 10:31 he can't do anything, he's a copycat. 10:34 He looked at God, ain't that right? 10:36 And everything that God did, 10:37 he tried to do it in a different way 10:39 and put his stamp on that. 10:41 So air cannot stand alone, notice it, and would soon 10:44 become extinct if it did not fascinate itself. 10:48 Here it is, air is a parasite up on the tree of truth. 10:53 So I like the word parasite. Notice it's there. 10:56 The traditions of men like this, 10:58 notice, floating germs, 11:00 like floating germs attract themselves 11:03 to the truth of God. 11:04 Men regard them as a part of truth. 11:07 See, this is the danger part. 11:09 Right there, men, they see it 11:12 and they goes over and over and is told 11:14 and pretty soon people think that it is, 11:16 it is the truth. 11:17 Notice it, men boldly teach for doctrines 11:19 of commandments of men, 11:21 as tradition passed on from age to age. 11:24 So air then we can look at is a parasite 11:27 that cannot stand on its own, it is a floating germ 11:31 that attaches itself many times to, 11:34 what, truth and tries to draw things out of it. 11:37 So we want to make sure that we don't have any parasites, 11:40 any germs floating around in our experience with Jesus. 11:43 1 Corinthians 4:1-6, 11:45 I'm not going to have time to read that. 11:47 But especially verse six, in 1 Corinthians 4:1-6. 11:51 If we read all these things, we'd run out of time here. 11:53 But I know that you're going to do it 11:55 because you're jotting these things down. 11:56 And you're going to study. 11:58 Paul said, "We should not go beyond," 12:00 we've read this, "what is written." 12:04 And I think sometime our answer should be yea or nay, 12:07 rather than get a little confused 12:08 on certain things and confuse other minds. 12:10 He said, "Don't go beyond what is written." 12:12 Why? 12:14 Because scripture is the ruling norm. 12:17 It should be for us. 12:19 And for anyone to say anything else, you see, 12:21 we need to be brought back and say, look, again, 12:23 no parasites, no floating germs, right? 12:25 We want to stand by, you know, God and His Word. 12:28 So why is this point crucial for our faith? 12:31 Why is it? 12:32 Don't go beyond what is written. 12:34 We know this does not exclude I think brought down 12:37 a couple lesson's previous insights 12:39 in the field of study. 12:40 I mean, we can use, you know, biblical archaeology, 12:43 can we not use that? 12:45 We can use science as it were in the right way 12:47 if we can balance it. 12:48 Can we not use concordances? 12:50 Can we not use, you know, commentaries, 12:52 and I'm going to throw in spirit 12:53 of prophecy if you don't mind. 12:55 Just throw some of these things in here. 12:57 But again, we don't throw those out. 12:59 But we study right, compare them for what is true 13:02 with the Word of God, right? 13:03 Because this runs forever and stands fast. 13:05 So we look and harmonized 13:06 with the Bible, feel free to use it. 13:08 I've often said, I don't care where truth 13:10 comes from as long as it is truth 13:12 and harmonize with the Bible. 13:14 People say, well, this group brought this part, 13:16 this group brought that part. 13:17 Well, praise God, that's wonderful. 13:19 But because it is truth of God's Word 13:21 is what I want in my heart and life. 13:23 So scripture is a ruling norm needs to be for us 13:26 and to arrive at the proper interpretation. 13:30 You know, scripture has to have priority 13:31 about everything we talked about, 13:33 every aspect with again science 13:35 or whatever it might be, even our viewpoints. 13:37 So we must evaluate scripture. 13:41 Paul made that point very clear in his writings. 13:45 Maybe make one more point here before we close 13:47 Matthew 4:4 very familiar what we need to be doing here. 13:51 It is, what, "It is written, 13:53 'Man shall not, what, live by bread alone.'" 13:56 I love this passage. I love this passage. 13:59 To me, it's simple and so straight 14:02 and, you know, it's just... 14:04 It kind of makes you hungry in a sense. 14:05 You know, I mean, it talks about bread. 14:06 You know, what I mean? Spiritually hungry. 14:08 Man must not live by bread alone, 14:10 but by every word 14:12 that proceeds out of the mouth of God. 14:15 We go back to Sola Scriptura, you know, by scripture alone, 14:18 and I encourage you to use 14:20 that principle every day of your life, 14:22 God will be with you and you will be blessed. 14:24 Amen. 14:25 Thank you so much, Pastor Kenny, 14:27 what a wonderful foundation, Sola Scriptura. 14:30 And that's really 14:32 what our entire lesson is about. 14:33 We're in lesson number 5, and we're going to continue 14:36 this all the way to lesson number 13 14:38 because of the importance of the Word of God 14:41 is our authority for faith and practice. 14:44 On Monday, we look at The Unity of Scripture. 14:49 I want to look at the cohesive unity of the Word of God. 14:53 And we have several points. 14:54 Number one, the Bible is unified 14:58 because it has one author, that's God. 15:00 Now we talked about in previous lessons 15:03 that the Word of God, 15:04 of course, we know comprises 66 books. 15:08 There's probably 40 authors spanning 1,500 years, 15:13 3 continents, Asia, Africa, and Europe. 15:17 And you think about that many authors, 15:21 but yet God is the author overall 15:24 because God is the one who inspired. 15:27 We know 2 Timothy 3, and we've quoted the scripture 15:30 before and by the end of this quarter, 15:31 you'll have memorized it. 15:33 2 Timothy 3:16 and 17. 15:35 "All scripture, each and every scripture, 15:39 is given by inspiration of God, 15:41 and is profitable for reproof, for correction, 15:44 for instruction in righteousness. 15:47 That the man of God may be perfect or complete, 15:51 thoroughly equipped for every good work." 15:54 2 Peter 1:20 and 21, "Knowing this first, 15:57 that no prophecy of Scripture 15:59 is of any private interpretation, 16:01 for prophecy never came by the will of man, 16:04 but holy men of God spoke as they were moved 16:08 by the Holy Spirit." 16:10 You know, it'd be pretty rare 16:12 for one author to contradict themselves. 16:14 Maybe unless they're a liar. 16:16 Maybe you could catch yourself, 16:18 you know, in some twisted lines. 16:20 But if you're an honest person, and you wrote, 16:23 usually what you say is going to be consistent, 16:25 it would be impossible for God. 16:28 Because we know in Numbers 23:19, 16:31 this is Balaam, remember 16:33 when he was supposed to curse Israel? 16:34 He said, "God is not a man, that He should lie, 16:37 nor a Son of man, that He should repent. 16:39 Has he said, and will He not do it? 16:41 Or has he spoken and will he not make it good?" 16:45 So it is impossible for God to lie. 16:47 God is the author of truth, God is truth. 16:50 The Bible is unified because it has one author, God. 16:54 Number two, the Bible is unified in doctrine. 16:57 Although, it has many varied parts, 17:00 the Bible really contains 17:02 many different types of literature. 17:05 The law, the books of the law, 17:07 the first five books written by Moses, 17:09 The Mosaic Law, The Ten Commandment Law. 17:12 The Bible contains prophecy. 17:14 We have eschatological prophecies 17:16 or end time prophecies, 17:18 we have apocalyptic prophecies 17:20 or revelatory prophecies revealing, 17:23 unveiling what is going to take place in the future. 17:27 We have Messianic prophecies, 17:29 Old Testament prophecies foretelling 17:33 the coming Messiah. 17:35 The Bible contains literature and history. 17:39 There's a great deal 17:40 of historical books in the Word of God, 17:43 starting after those books 17:44 from Moses continuing all the way through Esther. 17:47 The Bible contains wisdom and poetry books, 17:50 specifically Job and Psalms and Proverbs, 17:53 Ecclesiastes Song of Solomon. 17:55 And the Bible contains the Gospels, 17:57 the story of Jesus and His life and ministry 18:01 and death and resurrection. 18:03 The Bible contains parables. 18:05 That's a different type of literature 18:08 that we would find in the Word of God, 18:09 a short story told by Jesus 18:12 teaching a moral or spiritual lesson. 18:15 Of course, the Bible contains epistles, 18:17 which would be letters written 18:20 specifically to a person or a church 18:22 or a group of people. 18:24 Number three, the Old Testament 18:26 and the New Testament 18:28 are in perfect harmony with each other. 18:32 Many people say, many Christians say, 18:35 the Old Testament is full of a vengeful God 18:39 or an angry God. 18:41 The New Testament, 18:43 we're not under the law anymore, 18:45 we're under grace 18:46 and that is full of grace and mercy. 18:48 But the truth is that there is no discord 18:51 between the Old Testament and the New Testament. 18:54 The Old Testament is unfolded in the New Testament. 18:58 And the New Testament is built on the Old Testament. 19:02 Think of the sacrificial system 19:04 that was instituted in the Old Testament. 19:06 You think about every sacrifice, 19:09 every time the lamb was sacrificed, 19:11 every ordinance contained within the sanctuary system 19:14 pointed forward to the New Testament, 19:18 pointed forward to Jesus, the Lamb of God. 19:22 Think about justification by faith. 19:24 Many times we say 19:26 the Old Testament was about works, 19:27 the New Testament's about grace, 19:29 but the truth is, justification by faith 19:31 existed in the Old Testament. 19:35 Genesis 15:6, I love this scripture. 19:38 "Abraham believed God, 19:40 and He accounted it to him for righteousness." 19:44 That word accounted meaning 19:46 in Hebrew to impute to wrecking. 19:50 That is justification by faith, Pastor Kenny, 19:52 that is when he believed God by faith. 19:56 Christ credited to his account, his righteousness. 20:01 We see that in Psalm 32:1 and 2, 20:03 "Blessed is he who is transgression is forgiven, 20:07 whose sin is covered. 20:09 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord 20:11 does not impute iniquity," there's that word again, 20:15 "and in whose spirit there is no deceit." 20:18 Now Paul corroborates this. Paul agrees with this. 20:21 In Romans 4. 20:22 He says the justification by faith 20:24 that Abraham experienced took place, 20:28 even before he was circumcised, 20:30 before any external works of the law. 20:33 Paul says it took place before that justification 20:37 by faith took place then. 20:39 The New Testament builds on the old. 20:41 Pastor Kenny, I think you were the one 20:42 who reminded us in a previous lesson 20:45 of Matthew 5:17, 20:46 Jesus speaking says, "Do not think that 20:49 I came to destroy the law or the prophets. 20:53 I did not come to destroy but to fulfill." 20:57 And then He goes on with the Sermon on the Mount. 20:59 We see this further explanation 21:02 as it were of the true breadth, 21:07 length, depth, and height of the Word of God. 21:12 He says, "You think," Jesus speaking. 21:14 He says, "You think, okay, don't commit adultery 21:17 because that's what the letter of the law said." 21:20 But He said, "I say to you, if you even look on someone 21:24 with lust that is committing adultery." 21:28 You say, don't kill someone because that's murder, 21:31 and that's the letter of the law. 21:34 But Jesus says, "But I say to you, 21:37 if you even hate your brother or sister, 21:40 if you have that against someone else, 21:42 you have already committed murder 21:45 in your heart." 21:46 So Jesus did not ignore the law, 21:52 He did not make it void, He did not say, 21:55 "Oh, we're just existing under grace." 21:58 He magnified the law. 22:01 He exalted the law to the level that 22:04 they didn't even understand in the Old Testament 22:07 to almost the spiritual level of the law. 22:10 Number four, the Bible is unified. 22:13 And in each book of the Bible 22:16 is of equal importance and inspiration. 22:19 The Bible is unified. 22:22 We see this in Paul, you look at the Book of Romans, 22:26 he quotes, make a guess, 22:28 and I know this is putting you all on the spot. 22:30 Make a guess, 22:31 how many verses in the Book of Romans 22:33 does Paul quote from the Old Testament? 22:35 You think 20, 30, 40? 22:39 One hundred and five. 22:41 One hundred and five Old Testament verses 22:45 all makes reference to. 22:48 Now you would think, "Okay, 22:49 if he just quotes from one book, 22:50 he's saying, well, this one book 22:52 is more important than the rest." 22:53 He quotes from 19 Old Testament books, 22:57 19 of them. 22:58 He quotes from Genesis, and Exodus, Leviticus, 23:01 and Deuteronomy, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Chronicles, 23:06 Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Isaiah, Jeremiah, 23:08 Ezekiel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, 23:10 Nahum, Habakkuk, and Malachi. 23:12 Nineteen Old Testament books, the Apostle Paul quotes from, 23:17 showing that each book of the Bible 23:21 is of equal importance and inspiration. 23:23 Yes. 23:24 Finally, number five, the Bible is unified in its teaching. 23:28 So it is easy to identify false doctrine. 23:33 Think about the qualifications for an elder in the church. 23:36 Now Paul tells Timothy, that in 1 Timothy 3. 23:39 But we're going to go to Titus 1:9. 23:41 He says, "Holding fast the faithful word 23:44 as he has been taught, 23:46 that he may be able, by sound doctrine, 23:49 both to exhort and convict those who contradict." 23:54 A healthy church is a doctrinally pure church 23:57 and a doctrinally sound church. 24:00 The lesson says without the unity of the Bible, 24:03 the church would have no means to distinguish truth 24:07 from error and to repudiate heresy. 24:12 So the Word of God, and the unity 24:15 we find in the Word of God is a defense as it were, 24:19 against error creeping into the church. 24:23 Amen. Praise the Lord. 24:25 What a foundation which to build here 24:26 like the unity of scripture. 24:28 So you see it's a good lesson so, 24:29 you know, don't go away 24:31 because we'll be right back after this. 24:37 Ever wish you could watch 24:38 a 3ABN Sabbath School Panel again? 24:41 Or share it on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter? 24:44 Well, you can by visiting 3abnsabbathschoolpanel.com. 24:49 A clean design makes it easy to find the program 24:52 you're looking for. 24:53 There are also links to the Adult Bible Study Guide, 24:57 so you can follow along. 24:58 Sharing is easy. 25:00 Just click Share and choose your favorite social media. 25:03 Share a link, save a life for eternity. 25:08 Welcome back to the 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 25:10 We know you're enjoying the lessons. 25:11 We want to quickly get to 25:13 Tuesday's lesson with Pastor John Lomacang. 25:15 The Clarity of Scripture. 25:18 I want to begin with Ephesians 4, 25:20 I'm going to read verse 13. 25:23 And this verse, I would say, 25:25 would be the anchor to the point 25:26 that the lesson is going to bring out 25:28 the clarity of scripture. 25:30 It begins with the words, 25:31 "Till we all come to the unity of the faith 25:36 and the knowledge of the Son of God, 25:39 to a perfect man, 25:41 to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." 25:45 But now verse 14, amplifies what unity is all about, 25:49 "That we should no longer be children, 25:52 tossed to and fro and carried about 25:55 with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, 25:59 in the cunning craftiness by which 26:01 they lie in wait to deceive." 26:04 We are living in... 26:06 It was apparent in Paul's day 26:08 that even back then men were preparing to deceive. 26:13 And Paul said, "The only way that 26:14 deception will not be possible 26:17 is if we come to the unity of the faith." 26:20 And on what? 26:21 On the knowledge of the Son of God. 26:23 And then he talked about how important it is 26:25 that doctrines will come up, that will bring about disunity, 26:30 that will be formulated by the trickery of men, 26:33 cunning craftiness. 26:35 If it was true in his day, what is it in our day? 26:39 2 Timothy 3 says, "Ever learning 26:41 and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth." 26:44 And so the clarity of scripture is vitally important. 26:47 Any appeal, to believe something 26:50 that is not supported by the scripture, 26:53 falls into the category 26:55 of the cunning craftiness of man hands. 26:58 Tradition, experience, belief, reason, 27:01 we talked about that on our prior lessons, 27:03 I just can't forget that thought, 27:04 it was so amazing. 27:06 None of those should supersede 27:08 the importance of the Word of God. 27:10 Let's begin. Clarity is important. 27:12 How do you clarify ambiguous scriptures? 27:15 Jesus made a particular point, I'll read a few passages. 27:18 And there's something that 27:20 He brought out on each one of these passages 27:21 that makes it obvious 27:23 as to why He asked the question. 27:25 Matthew 21:42. 27:27 Notice what the Lord says, "Jesus said to them, 27:30 'Have you not read in the Scriptures. 27:32 The stone which the builders 27:34 rejected has become the chief cornerstone. 27:36 This was the Lord's doing, 27:38 and it's marvelous in our eyes?'" 27:40 Then in Matthew 12:3, "But He said to them, 27:43 'Have you not read what David did 27:45 when he was hungry, 27:46 he and those who were with him?'" 27:48 And then in Matthew 19:4, 27:51 "And He answered and said to them, 27:52 'Have you not read that 27:53 He who made them at the beginning 27:55 made them male and female.'" 27:57 And finally Matthew 22:31, 27:59 "But concerning the resurrection of the dead, 28:02 have you not read 28:03 what was spoken to you by God, saying." 28:06 And then He quotes in verse 32. 28:09 But there's a phrase that comes up every time 28:11 in which, what is it? 28:12 Have you not read? Have you not read? 28:14 Have you not read? 28:16 And I want to make a point, 28:18 which I like that this author... 28:21 The authors of this lesson, 28:22 brings it out over a number of lessons. 28:25 Have you not read is the question. 28:29 If you have not read, what you believe is not valid. 28:35 And if somebody told it to you, it's not valid. 28:39 If you have not discovered it in a Thus sayeth the Lord, 28:42 it is not valid. 28:44 Jesus made the point. You've got to read. 28:47 So let's point out some of the scriptures. 28:49 The very first one is we've got to read, 28:52 search the scriptures daily. 28:55 Acts 17:11, principles to understand the Bible. 28:59 You've got to read if you haven't read it. 29:01 And nothing troubles me more, panelists, than people saying, 29:05 "I know the Bible says it somewhere, 29:06 but I'm not sure where it is." 29:09 Don't even go there if you don't know where it is. 29:12 It's like saying, "Where does Pastor Kenny live?" 29:14 "I know, it's somewhere around here." 29:15 Okay, well, once you say that, I need to ask somebody else. 29:19 Because you don't really know. 29:20 I know it's somewhere around here. 29:22 We've got to be a people of the word 29:23 and know God's Word and what it says. 29:26 Acts 17:11, search the scriptures for yourself. 29:29 "These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, 29:32 in that they received the word with all readiness, 29:37 and searched the Scriptures," how often? 29:39 Daily. 29:41 "Daily to find out whether these things were so." 29:44 I've met pastors and leaders and teachers and preachers 29:47 and members in prelates and the list goes on and on. 29:52 And people have said, 29:53 "Well, my pastor says or my Church says, 29:55 or my teacher told me, or my parents believed, 29:58 or my generation, 29:59 or this is what my denomination holds." 30:02 And I want to ask them, 30:03 have you read that in the Bible? 30:06 And Jesus made that point clear. 30:08 He referred to all these Old Testament experiences 30:11 and He says, "Have you not read?" 30:13 And if you haven't read and know it for yourself, 30:16 it's nothing but speculation and speculation 30:18 when it comes to eternal life is a dangerous thing. 30:21 That's correct. 30:23 The second thing, be diligent students. 30:25 Be what kind of students? Diligent. 30:27 Diligent students. 2 Timothy 2:15. 30:30 And we've repeated some of these passages 30:31 that it fits right here. 30:33 Be diligent students. 30:34 "Be diligent to present yourself 30:36 approved to God, 30:38 a worker who does not need to be ashamed, 30:41 rightly dividing the word of truth." 30:46 Another word that has been lost in the sauce, truth. 30:50 Who's the writer said what is truth? 30:53 Was it Pilate? What is truth? 30:56 Well, truth is not open to negotiation. 30:59 Truth is based on the Word of God. 31:01 "Sanctify them through thy truth, 31:03 thy word is truth," John 17:17. 31:06 You will know the truth 31:07 and the truth shall make you free. 31:09 In this day and age, 31:10 one thing that's missing in Christianity 31:13 is what is the truth? 31:15 It's not about the experience of your church or the choir, 31:18 or how nice the community programs are. 31:20 It's not about the size of the denomination, 31:23 nor the popularity of its leader or its speaker. 31:26 It's not about the stained glass 31:28 nor the place that they meet if it's not about truth. 31:31 I rather be on a two-seater plane 31:33 that's going in the right direction 31:35 than on a luxury line 31:37 that's going in the wrong direction. 31:39 So don't close those doors. 31:40 And I love it when the pilot says 31:42 and the passenger say, not the passenger, 31:44 but the flight attendant says, 31:45 "If Phoenix is not your destination, 31:48 this is a good time to get off the plane." 31:51 If truth is not important to you, 31:53 this is a good time to leave the church. 31:55 Don't stay in a church that does not have truth 31:58 just because you like the musical 31:59 or the entertainment and all its tradition. 32:02 Okay, I'm preaching Pastor Kenny, 32:03 is that what you did? 32:05 Third reason, know what the scripture teaches. 32:08 Galatians 4:30. 32:12 Paul begins with this very potent question. 32:16 Nevertheless, what does the scripture say? 32:20 Isn't that powerful? Yes. 32:22 I don't need the rest of it because he's talking about 32:24 the bondwoman and the free woman. 32:26 But the question is, what does the scripture say? 32:29 If you don't know what the scripture says, 32:31 you are a wandering generality 32:34 rather than a meaningful specific. 32:38 The other one, don't twist the things 32:40 that you do not understand. 32:42 2 Peter 3:16. 32:45 "As also in all his epistles, 32:47 speaking in them of these things, 32:49 in which are some things hard to understand, 32:53 which untaught and unstable people 32:57 twist to their own destruction, 33:00 as they do also the rest of the Scriptures." 33:04 Don't ever build a doctrine on a portion of a verse. 33:08 The verse that just irritates me, 33:10 Pastor Kenny, 33:11 like a gnat just flying around my ear that 33:14 I can swat is to be absent from the body is to be present 33:18 with the Lord. 33:19 The Bible doesn't teach that the moment 33:20 you leave, you're going to heaven. 33:22 Read the context, read the foreword, 33:26 read the pretext. 33:27 I'll say this and one of the other programs 33:29 because my mind is going here. 33:31 But text without context is pretext. 33:35 If you can't support that 33:36 single statement with the rest of the Bible, 33:39 it's a just a good model, 33:40 but it's not what God's Word teaches. 33:43 And the rest it to their own destruction. 33:46 The next one, when you don't understand it, 33:49 do what David did. 33:50 Psalm 119:18. Look what he said. 33:54 "Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law." 34:00 If your eyes are not open, God's law is not wonderful. 34:03 If your eyes are not open by the Spirit of God 34:05 working through you, 34:06 what you're looking at is not wonderful. 34:08 It's just something you're seeing. 34:09 Pray for spiritual insight, the Spirit of God 34:12 that wrote it wants to be the one 34:14 that makes it clear to us. 34:16 The other thing is, follow the Lord and His Word 34:19 when it comes to you the first time. 34:21 Jonah 1:1, "Now the word of the Lord 34:24 came to Jonah the son of Amittai." 34:26 What happened when it came to him? 34:28 He ran in the opposite direction. 34:30 But the Word of the Lord came to him a second time. 34:33 When the Word of the Lord comes to you, 34:35 that's the best time to accept it, 34:37 and not become like Jonah, the only man that knows 34:40 what it's like to arrive at evangelism, 34:43 smelling like a fish. 34:45 Lastly, be willing to hear the Word of the Lord. 34:49 Jeremiah 22:29. 34:51 "O earth, earth, earth, hear the Word of the Lord!" 34:56 And finally, order your life 34:58 according to the Word of the Lord. 35:00 1 Kings 12:24, "Thus says the Lord, 35:02 'You shall not go up nor fight against your brethren 35:06 the children of Israel. 35:07 Let every man return to his house, 35:09 for this thing is from Me.' 35:10 Therefore they obeyed the word of the Lord, and turned back, 35:15 according to the Word of the Lord." 35:17 Amen, amen. 35:21 Perhaps, I should give up my time to you. 35:26 Well, we have arrived here 35:28 at Wednesday's portion of the lesson. 35:30 And it's Scripture Interpret Scripture. 35:33 And it is because God is the author. 35:37 Since God is the author, 35:38 He's going to make sure that all the scriptures harmonize. 35:42 So when you find 35:44 a difficult passage in the scripture, 35:46 continue reading, asking the Lord to guide you, 35:48 and He will guide you to the Holy Spirit, 35:50 into the truth. 35:52 Now this is a principle of the scriptures 35:56 that the scripture interpret scripture. 36:00 Now we're going to look at some examples 36:02 during this moment. 36:04 And so join me as we consider the moment 36:10 when the disciples 36:13 were disappointed, 36:16 sad, sorrowful that Jesus Christ had died. 36:22 And they're on the road to Emmaus 36:27 and Jesus joins them. 36:30 "What are you guys talking about? 36:32 Why are you guys sad?" 36:34 Now this is in Luke 24. 36:36 And we're going to 36:38 verse 44 through 47. 36:43 Well, actually, I need to read verse 27 first. 36:46 Luke 24:27. 36:47 It says here, "And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets." 36:53 This means He took them all the way to Genesis. 36:56 "He expounded to them in all the Scriptures 36:59 the things concerning Himself." 37:02 They were shocked, you know, Jesus Christ died on the cross. 37:06 They thought it was Him 37:07 that would deliver Israel but Jesus died. 37:11 Their hopes were dashed. 37:14 So He begins to tell them that this had to happen. 37:17 Verse 44. 37:19 "Then He said to them, 'These are the words 37:20 which I spoke to you while I was still with you, 37:23 that all things must be fulfilled 37:25 which were written in the Law of Moses 37:27 and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me." 37:30 And notice this part, 37:32 "And He opened their understanding, 37:35 that they might comprehend the Scriptures." 37:39 We need to ask the Lord to open our understanding 37:43 and that we might comprehend the scriptures. 37:46 "Then He said to them, 'Thus it is written, 37:49 and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer 37:54 and to rise from the dead the third day, 37:57 and that repentance and remission of sins 38:00 should be preached in His name to all nations, 38:03 beginning at Jerusalem.' 38:06 "And so Jesus helps them understand 38:10 why He had to die. 38:12 And you remember that Peter said, "Oh, no, 38:15 this is not going to happen to you, Lord." 38:17 He did not understand fully the mission of Christ. 38:21 But how thankful he was when he understood. 38:25 And that's why he was able to say that 38:27 Jesus Christ as a lamb without blemish. 38:30 We have been purchased not by silver or gold, by what? 38:35 By the blood of the Lamb Jesus Christ. 38:36 And so the beauty of scripture is to... 38:39 The beauty of letting the scripture 38:40 interpret scripture 38:42 is that it sheds further light on its own meaning. 38:44 And as we looking at description, 38:47 we're trying to understand 38:48 something just like Pastor Lomacang said, 38:50 you have to look at the context. 38:53 Look at the immediate context, look at the remote context. 38:56 Read before, read after, 38:58 and look if you're studying a subject, 39:02 don't just stay in one area, 39:04 you have to go from place to place. 39:07 Here a little, there a little, 39:09 interpret the scripture with the scripture. 39:12 Now let's look at some other example. 39:15 Because the Bible really is its own expositor. 39:18 Scripture has to be compared with Scripture. 39:21 And this is why I like to take you 39:24 to Revelation 17. 39:28 And I would like a kind soul to help me 39:31 read Revelation 17:1 39:36 which brings out something 39:38 that we need to explain with another scripture. 39:40 Absolutely. 39:41 I got it hear Revelation 17:1, "Then one of the seven angels 39:44 who had the seven bowls came 39:46 and talked with me, saying to me, 39:48 'Come, I will show you 39:49 the judgment of the great harlot 39:51 who sits on many waters.'" 39:53 So here we have a harlot sitting on many waters. 39:57 And now if we let scripture interpret scripture. 40:00 We don't have to come up with something 40:03 out of thin air like we've heard before. 40:06 We can let scripture interpret scripture. 40:08 So the angel in Revelation 17:15, 40:10 "He said to me, 'The waters which you saw, 40:15 where the harlot sits, are peoples and multitudes 40:18 and nations and tongues." 40:20 So the scripture is interpreting the Scripture. 40:24 We don't have to invent something. 40:25 We can rely on the Word of God. 40:28 Let's look at some other one. 40:30 This is a very interesting when you go to Book of Daniel. 40:33 The Book of Daniel 8. 40:35 In the Book of Daniel 8, 40:37 there we will see a delineation of a prophecy, 40:42 a vision that Daniel saw. 40:44 And so I'm going to begin in verse three. 40:47 He says, "Then I lifted my eyes and saw, and there, 40:51 standing beside the river, was a ram which had two horns, 40:55 and the two horns were high. 40:57 But one was higher than the other, 40:59 and the higher one came up last. 41:01 I saw the ramp pushing westward, 41:03 northward and southward, 41:05 so that no animal could would stand him. 41:07 Nor was there any that could deliver from his hand, 41:10 but he did according to his will 41:12 and became great. 41:14 And as I was considering, 41:15 suddenly a male goat came from the west, 41:18 across the surface of the whole earth, 41:20 without touching the ground. 41:22 And the goat had a notable horn between his eyes." 41:25 And as you read this, 41:26 "What in the world does this mean? 41:28 What is all this going on here?" 41:31 And so continue reading, so I have to continue reading. 41:34 And as you continue reading in Daniel 8, 41:38 and you arrive at verse 19, 41:40 "The angel begins to interpret for him, 41:43 "And he said, 'Look, I am making known to you 41:46 what shall happen 41:48 in the latter time of the indignation, 41:49 for at the appointed time the end shall be. 41:54 The ram which you saw, 41:56 having two horns they are the kings of Media 42:00 and Persian. 42:01 And the male goat is the kingdom of Greece. 42:04 The large horn that is between its eyes is the first king. 42:08 As for the broken horn 42:10 and the four that stood up in its place, 42:13 four kingdoms shall arise out of that nation, 42:16 but not with its power.'" 42:18 So we see here, I then read to you 42:21 all it says all the Book of Daniel, 42:22 we could've started in Daniel 8:1 42:25 to get more context, but you see that scripture 42:29 is being interpreted by scripture, 42:31 and this is a firm ground. 42:32 Now there is a principle here. 42:34 So when it talks about a horn, we understand 42:37 then that it means a kingdom or a power. 42:40 And so we saw this applied here in Daniel 8. 42:45 And when you go to other places in the Bible, 42:47 and it talks about it... 42:48 We're talking about Bible prophecy. 42:50 Now not every time you see a horn, 42:51 "Look, there must be a nation," no. 42:53 When we're talking about Bible prophecy. 42:56 Now this is a wonderful one that I'd like to share with you 42:58 and perhaps we may have to end with this one. 43:02 In John 1, we have a wonderful scripture 43:07 memorized by many. 43:08 Beginning in verse one, we have these words, 43:11 "In the beginning was the Word, 43:14 and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 43:19 He was in the beginning with God. 43:20 All things were made through Him, 43:22 and without Him 43:24 nothing was made that was made." 43:26 So we have scripture already being interpreted here. 43:28 If you'd read verse one, 43:30 it says, "In the beginning was the word." 43:31 What was the word? "And the Word was with God." 43:33 Oh, wait a minute, "And the word was God." 43:36 Okay, the word here was God. 43:38 But then, when you go down to verse 14, 43:41 it brings to you a revelation because it establishes, 43:45 you know, here the Word, which is really Jesus. 43:50 He was with God from the beginning. 43:53 But then, in verse 14, we have these words, 43:58 "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, 44:02 and we be held His glory, 44:04 the glory as of the only begotten 44:07 of the Father, full of grace and truth." 44:12 So here, we see that if you continue reading, 44:16 you will understand these things. 44:19 Now there's a scripture that I won't have time to get into. 44:23 I'm just going to mention it 44:24 so that you can do some homework. 44:27 Jesus at one point said to His disciples, 44:31 "There are some standing here, 44:33 which will not taste of death 44:35 till they see the Son of Man coming." 44:37 And then the chapter ends. 44:43 Right? It stops right there. 44:45 Now if you did what I did at one time 44:47 when I was younger, I went to sleep wondering, 44:49 "Oh, wow, 44:51 are those disciples still alive? 44:53 What happened to them? 44:54 Because they're not supposed to taste death 44:56 till they see the Son of Man 44:57 coming in the clouds of heaven." 44:59 So if you stop there, 45:00 you have to understand that the chapters were added. 45:04 I mean, the chapter divisions was added later. 45:07 And sometimes it seems to hinder your understanding 45:10 if you stop like I did. 45:11 I was wondering all night, "What happened? 45:13 Are these disciples still live?" 45:15 But here if you continue reading, 45:17 it will become clear to you 45:19 and that's why find that passage 45:21 and continue reading. 45:22 Amen. Great stuff, man. 45:24 Praise the Lord. 45:26 Well, I have Thursday's lesson once again, 45:28 and it's entitled Sola Scriptura 45:31 and Ellen G. White. 45:33 Now this could be one of those lessons that, 45:36 you know, you get a lot of responses from 45:38 because there's so many different 45:39 differing opinions 45:41 on the position of scripture in connection 45:45 with the inspirational writings of Ellen G. White. 45:48 And so what we want to do 45:49 is we simply just want the truth of the matter 45:52 and that's what I'm going to attempt 45:53 to do right now is simply take a healthy, 45:55 balanced approach to the truth and how we can relate... 45:59 What is the relationship 46:01 between the Bible and Ellen G. White's writings? 46:05 And so we want to put that in proper perspective. 46:07 I want to start with Isaiah 8:20, 46:10 I think is a great foundational text to start. 46:12 Isaiah 8:20 says, "To the law and the testimony! 46:16 If they do not speak according to this word, 46:18 it is because there is no light in them." 46:22 So being that this is entitled 46:24 Sola Scriptura and Ellen G. White, 46:26 you know what, Ellen G. White also has to fall in line 46:29 with that particular council that we have in this verse. 46:33 And that means anyone Ellen G. White, 46:35 Ryan Day, Pastor John Lomacang, Brother John Dinsey, 46:37 anyone who does not speak according to the Word of God, 46:41 the Bible says there was no light in them. 46:43 So we want to always make sure that Sola Scriptura, the Bible, 46:46 and the Bible alone is our guide. 46:49 Now I'd like to read a statement by Ellen G. White 46:53 in Great Controversy, page 595. 46:55 Now we're going to read a few texts from Ellen G. White 46:57 because I'm a firm believer that if you really want 47:00 to come to understand a person's intentions, 47:02 their goal, their purpose, their agenda, 47:04 you should probably go study a little bit of 47:06 what they say so that you can get a proper 47:09 balanced understanding of their approach 47:11 and their understanding of their own, you know, 47:14 their own... 47:16 In this case, Ellen G. White's, what does she feel? 47:18 What did she think? 47:19 What was her position on the relationship 47:22 with her writings to the Bible? 47:24 Notice what she says here. 47:25 I'm going to begin 47:27 with Great Controversy page 595. 47:28 She says, "But God will have 47:29 a people upon the earth to maintain the Bible." 47:35 Notice how she didn't say 47:36 maintain the writings of Ellen G. White, 47:38 she says, "They will maintain the Bible, 47:41 and the Bible only, 47:43 as the standard of all doctrines 47:45 and the basis of all reforms. 47:47 The opinions of learned men, the deductions of science, 47:50 the creeds or decisions of ecclesiastical councils, 47:54 as numerous and discordant 47:56 as are the churches which they represent, 47:59 the voice of the majority." 48:01 She says, "Not one nor 48:02 all of these should be regarded as evidence for 48:06 or against any point of religious faith." 48:09 She says, "Before accepting any doctrine or precept, 48:12 we should demand a plain 48:15 Thus saith the Lord in its support." 48:18 So you know, there may be someone 48:19 watching right now that says, 48:21 "You know, I'm not sure of Ellen G. White." 48:22 You know, I would just encourage you 48:24 before you judge a book by its cover, 48:26 read some of her writings. 48:27 I can't say that I have read every single line 48:31 that she has ever written. 48:32 But I have certainly read quite a bit of what 48:35 Ellen White has wrote in her lifetime. 48:38 And I can tell you, I'm amazed and overwhelmed 48:40 at how biblically sound and biblically foundation 48:43 that this powerful woman of faith was. 48:45 Always pointing back to the scripture, 48:47 always telling people, "No, go back to the Bible. 48:50 The Bible is your guide of faith." 48:53 When I was studying for this particular lesson, 48:55 I ran across probably 48:56 one of the most powerful documents 48:59 that can be written to show us a healthy balanced relationship 49:04 between the Word of God and Ellen G. White's writings. 49:06 And this came from Andrews University 49:08 seminary Professor Merlin D. Burt. 49:11 He's still considered one of the premier Ellen White 49:14 scholars on her writings and her life. 49:16 And so much of the stuff that I found 49:18 from this I thought 49:19 was just fantastic and in harmony 49:21 with what the lesson was teaching. 49:23 He points out here, and I'm going to be reading 49:25 from the sketch of a Christian experience 49:27 and views of Ellen G. White. 49:29 Notice what she had to say early on in her ministry. 49:31 In fact, from my understanding, this is the conclusion 49:34 from Ellen White 49:35 in her very first published work ever in 1851. 49:39 Notice what she says. 49:40 She says, "I recommend to you, dear reader, the Word of God 49:44 as the rule of your faith and practice. 49:46 By that Word we are to be judged. 49:48 God has, in that Word, 49:51 promised to give visions in the last days, 49:53 not for a new rule of faith." 49:55 Notice that, "Not for a new rule of faith 49:57 but for the comfort of his people, 50:00 and to correct those who err from Bible truth." 50:03 So she's emphasizing that Biblical truth. 50:06 Notice what she continues 50:07 to say here in Great Controversy, 50:09 page 204, "In our time, there is a wide departure 50:12 from their," speaking of the reformers, 50:14 "doctrines and precepts, and there is need of a return 50:17 to the great Protestant principles," 50:20 notice, "the Bible, and the Bible only, 50:24 as the rule of faith and duty, Sola Scriptura. 50:27 In fact, it's interesting to note that 50:29 in all Ellen White's published writings 50:32 contain the phrase Bible and the Bible only 45 times. 50:37 And of course, the Bible and the Bible alone 47 times. 50:40 So this woman was a powerful woman of faith, 50:42 always giving heed to the Bible, 50:44 always pointing people to the God of the Bible 50:47 and the scriptures alone. 50:48 Now that being said, on April 30, 1871, 50:53 she had a dream and which led her 50:56 to perhaps her most direct discussion 50:59 of the relationship of her writings to the Bible 51:02 in which she's going to explain why she, you know, 51:05 why God gave her these writings 51:07 and how they relate to scripture. 51:08 Notice what she says here, okay? 51:10 She saw herself addressing 51:11 a large group at a church meeting, 51:14 and this is what she says, 51:16 "You are not familiar with the scriptures." 51:18 Notice how she starts that, you, speaking to these people, 51:20 you're not familiar with the scriptures. 51:22 "If you had made God's Word your study, 51:25 with a desire to reach the Bible standard 51:28 and attain to Christian perfection, 51:31 you would not have needed the Testimonies." 51:33 Speaking of her writings. 51:35 You wouldn't need my writings, you would need the testimonies. 51:37 But she goes on to say, 51:39 "It is because you have neglected 51:40 to acquaint yourselves 51:42 with God's inspired Book that He has sought to reach you 51:44 by simple, direct testimonies." 51:48 She continues on, "The Lord designs to warn you, 51:50 to reprove, to counsel, through the testimonies given, 51:53 and to impress your minds 51:54 with the importance of the truth of His word. 51:57 The written testimonies," 51:59 notice, speaking of her writings, 52:00 "the written testimonies are not to give new light, 52:03 but to impress vividly upon the heart the truths 52:06 of inspiration already revealed. 52:09 So she makes it very clear. 52:10 In fact, she would go on to say, 52:12 in the work, an open letter from Ellen G. White, 52:16 this is reported in Review in Herald January 20, 1903. 52:19 She says, speaking of her writings, 52:21 "Little heed is given to the Bible," 52:24 she says, "the Lord has given 52:26 a lesser light to lead men and women 52:28 to the greater light." 52:30 So I think probably this particular quote, 52:32 very short, very simple, 52:33 probably explains everything that we've just studied 52:36 and read so far, 52:37 in the sense that Ellen G. White herself. 52:40 And I have to just say for a moment, 52:41 I know I have little time but, you know, 52:43 there's many, many people 52:44 who have a bad taste in their mouth 52:46 for the writings of Ellen G. White. 52:47 And I believe the reason why 52:48 that is because people misuse and abuse her writings. 52:52 They take what she did not intend for it 52:54 to be used to be equal 52:56 or above scripture, and they use it in that way. 52:59 I heard a minister once say one time, it's quite comical. 53:03 But then again, it's not and it's very truthful. 53:04 He says, "You know 53:06 what the largest book ever written is?" 53:08 Ellen White it says. 53:11 Because in the church, you know, 53:13 we often have people good, well, meaning people, 53:16 and I say that respectfully, that it's like every word 53:18 out of their mouth is, you know, 53:19 "Ellen White says, Ellen White says." 53:20 If Ellen White was alive today, 53:22 she would probably rebuked those type of people 53:24 from one side of the room to the other. 53:25 Because Ellen White when she was alive, 53:27 she was always asking the question, 53:28 what does the Bible say? 53:30 And right here, she says, speaking of the Bible, 53:32 the Lord has given a lesser light, 53:34 her writings, to lead men and women 53:35 to the greater light 53:37 which she is making clear is the Bible. 53:38 So in Ellen White's point of view, 53:40 she's saying to us, 53:41 counseling us, she's saying, "Look, here's the Bible, 53:44 and here's my writings, okay? 53:46 That doesn't mean that they're not important. 53:48 That doesn't mean we don't listen to them. 53:49 But the Bible is the greater light, 53:50 kind of like the relationship between the moon and the sun. 53:53 You had the greater light, the sun, 53:55 but the moon is also a light, but it's not a light 53:57 in and of itself 53:59 and that it reflects the light of the sun. 54:01 And Ellen G. White's writings fit in that context 54:03 and we should have that relationship 54:05 clearly established. 54:08 In essence, Ellen G. White's writings are like that 54:11 of many prophets of scripture. 54:12 I love this point. That the Lord spoke to... 54:16 Notice, many prophets in the scripture that 54:18 the Lord spoke to and through them 54:21 that never made it into the canon of scripture." 54:23 So I kind of got my words mixed up there. 54:25 What this is saying? 54:26 What this particular quote is saying is that 54:27 there are prophets in scripture 54:30 that actually wrote books and their canon, 54:32 their particular text did not make it 54:34 into the canon of Scripture. 54:36 A good example would be Nathaniel, 54:37 excuse me, Nathan, the prophet Nathan. 54:40 In 1 Chronicles 29:29, it tells us right there 54:43 that there's a book 54:44 called The Book of Nathan the Prophet. 54:47 Nathan was a prophet, but you know what, 54:48 his books, his writings did not make it into the Bible. 54:51 What we're saying to this is that, in closing, 54:53 we need to have a proper balanced relationship 54:56 in the sense that well Ellen G. White 54:58 was inspired. 55:00 You hear me quote her writings on this panel, 55:01 you hear it all the time. 55:03 We believe in the inspirational writings 55:04 of Ellen G. White. 55:06 We believe God used her. 55:07 But at the end of the day, we have to make sure that 55:10 the Bible is the ultimate authority. 55:12 The Bible is the ultimate source, 55:14 and that her writings are a lesser light 55:16 that we use to lead men and women 55:19 to the greater light of scripture. 55:21 I praise God for the Bible, and I praise God 55:23 for the writings of Ellen G. White. 55:25 Amen. Amen. 55:26 That is wonderfully done. Well covered. 55:29 I mean, what we covered scripture the ruling norm, 55:32 unity of scripture, clarity of scripture, 55:35 and we're looking at... 55:36 Wednesday was scripture interprets scripture. 55:39 I like that. 55:40 And then the relation between Bible 55:42 and Spirit of Prophecy very well put. 55:44 I appreciate that very much. 55:45 We're going to have closing thought each one go around. 55:47 Sister Jill? It's been a great study. 55:49 I want to close 55:50 with this scripture Ephesians 4:13, 55:53 "Till we all come to the unity of the faith 55:57 and of the knowledge of the Son of God, 55:59 to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature 56:01 of the fullness of Christ." 56:03 God calls us as the body of Christ to be unified, 56:06 but unified on the Word of God. 56:09 That is to be our sole authority 56:10 of faith and practice. 56:12 Not experiences, not feeling on God's Word. 56:16 Praise the Lord for that, Jill. 56:17 And I've been gleaning 56:19 Luke 24:45 is a beautiful passage. 56:22 If you don't understand something, pray this prayer. 56:25 "And He, the Lord, opened their understanding, 56:29 that they might comprehend the Scriptures." 56:32 When you ask, you shall receive, 56:35 He will open your understanding. 56:36 Amen. 56:38 The Bible is one of the great gifts 56:41 that God gave to us as human beings. 56:44 And it's waiting, God is waiting for us 56:48 to open the scriptures that He can show us 56:50 so many wonderful things that are there waiting for us 56:54 to discover and understand and apply in our lives. 56:56 Amen. Amen. 56:57 You know, I just want to reiterate 56:59 what I was saying on my particular lesson 57:00 and the fact that, you know, 57:02 there may be someone watching that says, 57:03 "You know what, I just don't think 57:05 we need Ellen White's writings and we have the Bible." 57:07 You know, Ellen White 57:08 actually said, those sentiments, 57:10 "If you had your Bible, follow the Bible, 57:11 you wouldn't need my writings." 57:13 But that being said, 57:14 I want to encourage you at home, 57:15 you know, there's not a week that goes by that 57:17 I don't pick up the writings of Ellen G. White, 57:19 and I read them, not because I replace it 57:21 for the Bible but because I allow it 57:23 to point me back to the Bible in a healthy, 57:26 appropriate way. 57:27 Amen. Praise the Lord. 57:28 Found this and 3 Selected Message 33 says, 57:31 "When you make the Bible your food, 57:33 and your meat, and your drink, 57:35 when you make it the principle elements 57:37 of your character," notice this, 57:39 "you will know better 57:41 how to receive counsel from God." 57:43 I don't know about you, but I feel like 57:45 I need counsel from God, every day of my life 57:47 and every direction in which I go, 57:49 and I'm sure you feel that way too. 57:51 It's been a real pleasure spending this time 57:52 with each and every one of you. 57:54 We know that God is leading, 57:55 guiding, directing in your own heart, 57:57 in your own life. 57:58 You know, next week we're going to be looking at 57:59 why is interpretation needed. 58:01 So it's an awful good lesson. Don't miss it. 58:02 Thank you for joining 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 58:04 We'll see you next time. 58:06 Amen. Amen. |
Revised 2020-04-29