Participants:
Series Code: SSP
Program Code: SSP200026S
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00:01 On this edition of 3ABN Sabbath School Panel,
00:02 we come to the final lesson of the second quarter, 00:05 "How to Interpret Scripture." 00:07 This lesson, lesson number 13 is "Living by the Word of God." 00:12 Want to encourage you to pick up your Bible 00:14 and your pen and your highlighter, 00:16 as well as a notebook to jot down notes 00:19 as we open up the Word of God and study together. 00:22 Also encourage you to get a copy 00:24 of the Sabbath School quarterly for yourself. 00:27 If you don't have your own copy, 00:28 you can go to the following website 00:30 absg.adventist.org. 00:34 That stands for 00:35 adultbiblestudyguide. adventist. org. 00:39 You can download it 00:40 and join us for this study of the Word of God. 01:18 Hello and welcome to 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 01:21 I'm Jill Morikone, and we are so glad 01:23 that you have taken time from your day 01:25 to join us for this study of the Word of God, 01:27 and I cannot believe 01:29 we are on the final lesson of this quarter, 01:33 Living by the Word of God. 01:35 Before we go any further, 01:36 I want to introduce to you our 3ABN family 01:39 who's been part of the panel this quarter. 01:41 To my left, Pastor Ryan Day. 01:43 Amen. It's a blessing to be here. 01:44 We're on the last one and we're going to be talking 01:46 about learning from Jesus today. 01:48 Amen. 01:50 And to your left, Pastor John Lomacang, 01:51 thank you for being here. 01:53 He that shall endure unto the end. 01:55 Praise the Lord. 01:56 So we have been exciting 01:58 about all that God revealed so far 02:00 and this is the capstone of it. 02:02 Looking forward to it. Absolutely. 02:03 To your left, Pastor John Dinzey. 02:05 Thank you for being with us as well. 02:07 It's a pleasure to be here and again, 02:09 God is going to bless with a feast of good things. 02:11 Amen. 02:12 And to your left, Pastor Kenny Shelton. 02:15 Thank you for your study of the Word as well. 02:17 Oh, it's good to study 02:18 the Word of God with you, folks. 02:20 I mean, I enjoy every time, 02:21 God has something good, especially this lesson. 02:23 It says, the living Word of God. 02:24 And I truly believe it is the living Word of God. 02:26 Amen. 02:28 What a great lesson to end with, 02:29 the living Word of God. 02:31 Before we go any further, let's go to the Lord in prayer. 02:33 Pastor Ryan, would you pray for us? 02:35 Absolutely. 02:36 Father in heaven, 02:38 as we have accumulated 02:40 all these amazing studies down to this last one, Lord, 02:45 may we never forget all that we have learned. 02:48 God, I just pray that these studies, 02:49 these lessons each and every one will go out 02:52 and bless people, to inform them, 02:54 to teach them, to guide them, 02:56 and how to interpret Scripture. 02:58 Lord, Your Word is life to us. 03:00 And that's what we want it to be. 03:02 And so right now on this panel, 03:03 we ask for the Holy Spirit to finish strong, 03:06 to be in harmony with Your Word and Your will. 03:09 Give us the Holy Spirit, we ask in Jesus' name, amen. 03:11 Amen. 03:13 As we think about living by the Word of God, 03:15 reading is important. 03:17 Learning is good. 03:19 Interpreting Scripture, you could say is even better. 03:22 But unless we practice what we read, 03:25 unless we obey God's Word, 03:28 we don't grow and our witness is hindered. 03:32 You know, they have what they call 03:33 the learning pyramid. 03:35 Studies show that certain ways of learning 03:37 are more effective than other ways. 03:40 If you just sit back and listen to a lecture, 03:42 guess how much you retain, 5%. 03:46 If you read, you retain 10%. 03:51 If there's some sort of 03:52 audio-visual presentation, you retain 20%. 03:58 If there's a demonstration, you retain 30%. 04:03 If there is a discussion amongst maybe a small group 04:06 and you discuss the topic together, 04:09 you retain 50%. 04:11 If you practice doing 04:14 what you've learned, you retain 75%. 04:18 And if you teach it to someone else, 04:20 guess how much you retain, 90%. 04:24 Our memory text is James 1:22. 04:28 It says, "Be doers of the word 04:31 and not hearers only deceiving yourselves." 04:36 We are called to not just sit back 04:38 and absorb Scripture, 04:39 not just sit back and hear Scripture or read it, 04:42 we are called to practice what we learn. 04:46 We are called to teach it to other people. 04:49 Hearing is good, but hearing without 04:51 doing is empty and even worse, 04:53 it can become self-deception. 04:56 Turn with me to Galatians 5. 04:58 This is what we call the works of the law, 05:01 the works of the flesh, I apologize, 05:03 the works of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit. 05:06 And you see the contrast and behavior between the two. 05:09 What does it mean to be a doer of the work? 05:14 Now clearly, we know those 05:15 who are not doers of the word 05:18 would manifest the works of the flesh. 05:21 Let's read that, we're in Galatians 5:19-21, 05:25 "The works of the flesh are evident, 05:27 which are: adultery, fornication, 05:28 uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, 05:32 contentions, jealousy, outbursts of wrath, 05:35 selfish ambition, dissension, heresy, 05:37 envy, murder, 05:39 just as I also told you in time past, 05:42 that those who practice such things will not inherit 05:46 the kingdom of God." 05:49 Those who are not doers of the Word 05:52 have the works 05:53 of the flesh manifest in their lives. 05:55 By contrast, those who are doers of the Word 05:59 exhibit the fruit of the Spirit. 06:01 We see that in Galatians 5:22-24. 06:04 The next verse, 06:05 "The fruit of the Spirit is love, 06:06 joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, 06:09 faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. 06:12 Against such there is no law. 06:15 And those who are Christ's 06:17 have crucified the flesh with its passions and lust." 06:21 Now I'm going to make a statement 06:23 that you might click and turn the TV off next, 06:26 but hear me out to the entire scene. 06:28 All right. 06:29 The real issue is not obedience. 06:34 Now, let me finish. 06:35 It is whether you are led by the Spirit of God, 06:38 or whether you are led 06:40 by your own sinful flesh and desires. 06:43 You see anyone who is truly born again 06:45 and born of the Spirit will not be able to prevent 06:49 the fruit of the Spirit 06:51 from coming forth in their life. 06:52 But by contrast, anyone who lives in the flesh 06:56 will not be able to produce the fruit of the Spirit. 07:01 So the issue is, who are we surrender to, 07:04 and who controls our heart and our life. 07:07 What do doers do quickly before we jump into Sunday? 07:10 Doers reveal the character of Jesus in their lives. 07:14 That's what we just established. 07:16 Doers share Jesus 07:18 and the truth in His Word with others. 07:20 We call that the Great Commission. 07:22 We're commanded to go and teach, baptize. 07:26 We're commanded to share Jesus. 07:28 Doers of the Word love God and other people. 07:33 That could be called the great compassion. 07:35 Jesus in Matthew 22 said what? 07:38 "Love the Lord, your God with heart, 07:40 mind, soul and strength," 07:42 the first great commandment, 07:43 the second is like unto it, 07:45 "love your neighbor as himself." 07:49 Number four. 07:50 Doers of the Word analyze the state of their own life 07:54 before judging someone else. 07:58 Romans 2 is an amazing passage, the beginning part of it. 08:03 Verse 1, Paul says, "You are inexcusable O man, 08:07 whoever you are who judge 08:08 for whatever you judge another, you condemn yourself, 08:12 for you who judge practice the same things." 08:15 And it continues, "Doers of the Word analyze 08:17 their own life before looking into someone else's. 08:20 Doers of the Word evaluate their own words. 08:24 They watch what they say and keep their words 08:26 under the control of the Holy Spirit, 08:28 because we know by our words we'll be justified, 08:30 and by our words, we will be condemned. 08:34 Doers of the Word intercede for other people, 08:37 they pray with and for others." 08:40 James 5:16, "The effectual fervent prayer 08:43 of a righteous man avails much." 08:46 On Sunday, we look at the living Word of God 08:50 and the Holy Spirit. 08:53 How do we learn to live by the Word of God? 08:56 First, we understand that the Word is alive. 08:59 The Word is alive. 09:01 Hebrews 4:12, "The Word of God is living and powerful, 09:07 sharper than any two-edged sword, 09:09 piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, 09:12 joints and marrow, and is a discerner 09:14 of the thoughts and intents of the heart." 09:16 So we understand, first of all, that the Word is alive. 09:19 Second, we understand that 09:20 the natural mind is enmity against God and His Word. 09:26 Romans 8:7, 09:28 Paul tells us in Romans 8:7, 09:32 "Because the carnal mind is enmity against God, 09:36 it is not subject to the law of God, 09:38 nor indeed can be." 09:40 Many Christians walk as do those in the world. 09:44 They eat, they think, they act, 09:48 they dress like those who are against God. 09:52 That means that some people who are in the church 09:54 who claim the name of Jesus have never allowed 09:57 the Word to impact their life, 09:59 have never taken the Word in and assimilate it, 10:03 and allow the living Word of God to change them. 10:06 Number three. 10:08 How we learn to live by the Word of God? 10:09 Choose to surrender cherished sin. 10:14 Psalm 66:18. 10:17 We read, "If I regard iniquity in my heart," 10:20 it's kind of a heavy statement, "the Lord will not hear." 10:24 That means if you're holding on to something that God has said, 10:27 "Would you get rid of this, Jill?' 10:29 And I say, "No, I don't think so." 10:30 "Jill, I want, please, I'll take it from you." 10:33 "No, I don't think so." 10:34 That's holding on to cherished sin. 10:38 Choose to surrender that. Number four. 10:40 Accept the indwelling Spirit into your life. 10:45 Romans 8:9 and 11, 10:50 "You are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, 10:53 if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. 10:57 Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, 10:59 he is not His, but if the spirit of Him," 11:02 we're in verse 11, "but if the Spirit of Him 11:04 who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, 11:07 He who raised Christ 11:08 from the dead will also give life 11:10 to your mortal bodies 11:11 through His Spirit who dwells in you." 11:14 The word there in Greek for dwell means to inhabit, 11:17 to dwell, to make a home. 11:19 That means the Holy Spirit 11:20 can take up residence in our hearts 11:24 and in our lives and transform us. 11:28 Number five. 11:29 Allow God to give you 11:30 the desire to follow Him and follow His Word. 11:34 Sometimes, Pastor Ryan, I used to stress about that, 11:37 well, I'm not sure I even desire God enough. 11:39 I'm not sure I even want to follow His ways enough. 11:42 God can give you that desire. 11:45 Philippians 2:12 and 13, 11:48 probably one of my favorite passages in Philippians. 11:50 Philippians 2:12 and 13, "Therefore, my beloved, 11:54 as you have always obeyed, 11:55 not as in my presence only, 11:57 but now much more in my absence, 11:59 work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 12:03 for it is God who works in you, 12:04 both to will and to do of His good pleasure." 12:09 The word will in Greek means wish or desire. 12:13 What does that mean? 12:15 It is God who works in our lives to even give us 12:17 the desire to follow Him, 12:18 to give us the desire to study His Word, 12:21 to give us the desire to surrender all to Him. 12:24 But He doesn't just give us the desire, 12:26 He gives us the power to live for Him. 12:31 He works in us to will and to do. 12:33 That power, He wants to work in us that power. 12:37 Accept His power to bring your life 12:40 into conformity to the Word of God. 12:44 Number seven, final point. 12:46 Be an example to others. 12:49 We're going to the next verse, Philippians 2:15 and 16. 12:54 We're called to share Him with others. 12:56 Remember, the previous verse 12:58 talked about God gives us desire 12:59 and He gives us power to live for Him. 13:03 And why does He do that in our lives? 13:05 Verse 15, "That you may be blameless and harmless, 13:10 children of God without fault 13:12 in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, 13:15 among whom you shine as lights in the world, 13:19 holding fast the word of life, 13:21 so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ 13:24 that I have not run in vain or labored in vain." 13:27 God calls you and I to shine, as lights in the world, 13:32 you know, the light only shines if you turn on the switch. 13:35 We have God to be connected, as we talked about earlier 13:38 with the indwelling Holy Spirit. 13:41 Spend that time in His Word, 13:43 allow Him by the power of His Spirit to change us. 13:46 And then we become as it were, 13:48 the city set on a hill that people look and say, 13:52 "I want what you have. 13:54 I want to live by every word of God. 13:56 I want the Holy Spirit in my life. 13:59 I want to be changed 14:00 and transformed into the image of Jesus. 14:03 We are called to be a chosen generation, 14:06 a royal priesthood, a holy nation, 14:10 God's own special people that we would proclaim 14:12 the praises of Him 14:13 who called us from darkness into His marvelous light. 14:18 Amen. Thank you so much. 14:19 You know, I'm going to kind of piggyback 14:22 on what you just said about the Holy Spirit 14:24 because Monday's lesson is entitled, 14:26 Learning from Jesus. 14:28 And you know, the Holy Spirit works 14:31 in accordance with Christ in the sense 14:33 that John Chapter 16 tells us that 14:35 the Holy Spirit does nothing, 14:37 unless it reveals it directly from Christ. 14:40 Notice John 16:13 and 14. 14:45 It says, "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, 14:48 He will guide you into all truth, 14:50 for He will not speak of His own authority, 14:52 but whatever He hears He will speak, 14:55 and He will tell you things to come." 14:58 And then notice verse 14, "He will glorify Me, 15:01 for He will take of what is Mine 15:03 and declare unto you." 15:06 That's powerful, because, again, Monday's lesson, 15:08 Learning from Jesus. 15:10 Jesus is our example, right? Yeah. 15:12 That's right. 15:13 The Bible tells us that there is no better example 15:16 or inspiration to follow than Jesus Christ. 15:20 He was familiar with the scriptures, 15:21 He was willing to follow 15:22 the written Word of God and abide by it. 15:25 And we've been studying 15:26 so far of how to interpret Scripture, 15:29 and for the purpose of what? 15:32 What's the purpose of learning 15:33 how to properly interpret Scripture? 15:35 So that you can follow in the steps of Christ, 15:39 because Christ was the Word. 15:41 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, 15:42 and the Word was God." 15:45 I want to take us to 15:46 1 Peter 2:21 and 22. 15:53 And this is just establishing 15:55 the fact that Christ is our example. 15:57 We should follow Him always. 15:59 1 Peter 2:21 and 22 says, for to you, this, excuse me, 16:03 "For to this you were called, 16:05 because Christ also suffered for us," 16:08 here it is, "leaving us an example, 16:10 that you should follow His steps: 16:13 'Who committed no sin, 16:14 nor was deceit found in His mouth.'" 16:17 Are we following Jesus? 16:19 Are we following in His steps? Christ is our ultimate example. 16:23 Again, 1 John 2:6 communicates the same thing. 16:27 This is 1 John 2:6, and it says, 16:29 "He who says he abides in Him also, 16:33 himself also ought to walk just as He walked it." 16:37 Okay, so Christ is our example. 16:39 And we have other biblical characters 16:41 that we can follow the righteous example 16:44 that these brothers and sisters have given us, 16:46 but ultimately, these individuals 16:48 were led by the Spirit of God, 16:49 and where is the Spirit of God leading those and leading us? 16:53 Leading us to be more like Jesus. 16:56 So we can learn something from Jesus, 16:58 you know, we have so many different 17:01 brothers and sisters in this life 17:02 that inspire us. 17:04 I can name a few right now. 17:05 But at the end of the day, 17:07 we shouldn't be looking at each other. 17:08 We shouldn't be looking at ourselves, 17:10 we should be looking at Jesus and saying, 17:11 "I want to be like that." 17:12 I want to follow in His example. 17:15 And being that is the case, let's go to Luke Chapter 4. 17:18 We've kind of already 17:19 somewhat covered this particular point 17:21 that I'm going to make, 17:22 but it's always good to go back and re-emphasize it, 17:25 for the fact that in following in the example of Christ, 17:28 we see how much emphasis 17:29 Jesus put on abiding in the Word 17:32 and always referencing 17:34 and counting on the Word of God to lead and guide Him. 17:37 Notice Luke Chapter 4, 17:38 and we're going to be reading verses 4 verses, verse 8, 17:42 and then verses 10 through 12. 17:44 So again, this is Jesus in the wilderness being tempted 17:47 by the devil and notice what he says in verse 4. 17:50 "But Jesus answered him, saying, 'It is written, 17:54 man shall not live by bread alone, 17:55 but by every word of God.'" 17:58 So Jesus is fighting off the devil, 18:00 emphasizing, it is written, it is written. 18:02 Notice verse 8, same thing, "And Jesus answered 18:05 and said to him, 'Get behind Me, Satan! 18:07 For it is written, 18:09 you shall worship the Lord your God, 18:11 and Him only you shall serve.' 18:13 "And then, of course, verses 10 through 11, 18:15 same echo, Jesus is letting him know, 18:18 the Word of God says, the Word of God says, 18:20 He says in verse 10, "For it is written: 18:22 'He shall give His angels charge over you, 18:24 to keep you, and in their hands they shall bear you up, 18:28 lest you dash your foot against a stone.'" 18:29 This is Jesus, actually, 18:31 this is Satan quoting scripture to Jesus, but then notice, 18:34 and Jesus answered and said to him, 18:36 "It has been said, 18:37 'You shall not tempt the Lord your God.'" 18:39 Again, Jesus fighting back with scripture. 18:42 And so that that should be our example. 18:44 Jesus was the prime example. 18:46 And you know, the power of the Word of God 18:49 is substantial when we understand 18:51 the power of God's Word. 18:52 I know we've quoted this particular scripture 18:54 many times, 18:56 but I can't say it enough because I believe 18:57 it's basically the thesis foundation 19:00 of how powerful God's Word is if we hide it in our heart and, 19:04 of course, I'm referencing Psalm 119:11, 19:07 "Your word I have hid in my heart, 19:09 that I might not sin against You." 19:11 How was Jesus 19:13 able not to live a life of separate from sin? 19:17 How was He able to live through this life 19:18 without any sin at all? 19:20 You know, there's probably many ways that 19:22 people would answer that, but I'm going to tell you, 19:24 Jesus hid the Word of God in His heart. 19:27 He had God's will and God's plan 19:29 always tucked away in His mind and in His heart, 19:31 so that He wasn't going to sin, 19:33 so He could fulfill His mission. 19:35 Jesus always, always points 19:38 His people to the scriptures. 19:42 Some prime examples of this would be Luke 24:45, 19:46 He says, it says here, 19:48 "And He opened their understanding, 19:50 that they might comprehend, there it is, the scriptures. 19:53 Then he said to them, 'Thus it is written.'" 19:56 You see this many times Jesus is saying this, 19:58 it is written, it is written. 19:59 Thus it is written and thus it was necessary 20:01 for the Christ to suffer and to rise 20:03 from the dead the third day. 20:06 I'm always also going to reference Matthew 11:10 here, 20:10 speaking of John the Baptist, 20:12 he says, "For this is he of whom it is written." 20:16 He's always referencing Scripture, 20:18 'Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, 20:21 who will prepare Your way before You.'" 20:24 And then again, John 6:45. 20:26 I know we have a lot of text here, 20:28 but I'm really trying to push 20:29 that point of how we can learn from Christ example. 20:32 Christ flooded His life with the Word of God. 20:35 He was led by the Word of God, He quoted the Word of God, 20:38 He preached the Word of God, 20:39 He lived according to the Word of God, 20:41 He lived out the Word of God to His fellowman. 20:44 And so we see in John 6:45, He says that again, 20:47 "It is written in the prophets, 20:50 'And they shall all be taught by God.' 20:52 Therefore everyone who has heard and learned 20:54 from the Father comes to Me.'" 20:57 You know, this should be our language. 21:00 This should be our conversation. 21:01 This should be our lifestyle, right? 21:03 That's right. 21:05 You know, I find myself more and more as 21:06 I have conversations with people in the world. 21:08 You know, I have people come to me all the time. 21:10 And they'll find out that I'm a minister, 21:12 they'll find out, I'm involved in, 21:13 you know, Christian ministry, and they'll say, you know, 21:15 they'll get engaged in the conversation with me. 21:18 And, you know, you have to be respectful, 21:19 you have to be humble, because you realize that people 21:21 were coming from different walks of life. 21:23 They've been taught different things, 21:24 they've been raised in different backgrounds, 21:26 but I find myself more and more and more, 21:29 there's a common phrase that 21:31 I say all the time, it's a question, 21:32 what does the Bible say? 21:34 When somebody says, You know, I know that my loved ones 21:38 are up there looking down upon me 21:39 who have passed away, and they're watching over me 21:42 and we get in a conversation about that. 21:43 I asked them, "What does the Bible say?" 21:45 That's exactly what Jesus is doing. 21:46 Every one of these texts that I just mentioned, 21:48 is Jesus pointing them back saying, 21:50 "What does the Word of God say? 21:51 It is written. What is God's Word saying? 21:55 We have something to learn from that. 21:57 I love John Chapter 5, 21:58 the example given there in verse 39 specifically, 22:01 Jesus speaking, He says, you searched the scriptures, 22:04 speaking to the Pharisees again, 22:05 these were the teachers of Israel. 22:07 These were the people who were supposed to have 22:08 the Word of God memorized, 22:10 and He's telling them you search the scriptures, 22:12 for in them you think you have eternal life. 22:13 And these are they which testify of Me. 22:16 When we follow in the example of Christ, 22:18 and we're following His Word, we're learning of His ways. 22:21 We're learning of His character. 22:22 We're tucking away His will into our mind and heart. 22:26 And I just want to go back and reference Luke Chapter 24. 22:29 It's one of my favorite stories of the two disciples on the way 22:33 to Emmaus that rode to Emmaus and, 22:35 of course, they meet this man whom, again, 22:37 their eyes were dimmed, and they can't see 22:40 that it's Jesus, and they're in despair. 22:43 They're in a moment of despair, 22:44 because they've put their life trust 22:46 into this man named Jesus 22:48 who has now been dead for three days 22:50 and He hasn't resurrected yet, 22:52 at least they don't think He has. 22:53 His body's missing and they decide, 22:55 you know what? 22:56 We're just going to go back to Emmaus and so, 22:57 they're on their way there, little did they know that 23:00 Jesus is right there with them in the flesh. 23:02 But notice what Jesus does to them? 23:06 In this time of despair, what does He do? 23:09 He comes, He meets them. 23:11 He gives them a Bible study. 23:13 You know, that says something about us 23:15 if we're going to learn from Christ, 23:17 in times of despair 23:18 when we see our brothers and our sisters failing, 23:21 if we see them that 23:22 they're going through a tough time, 23:23 they're going through trials and tribulations, 23:25 you yourself are going through 23:27 trials and tribulations in your life. 23:29 What better way to go back to God's Word 23:31 because in God's Word is life, is comfort, is peace, is joy 23:36 and so we see Christ giving and I love that last part 23:39 there as they're walking away, 23:41 as they're going back to Jerusalem, 23:42 they're talking to each other saying, 23:43 "Man, you know, did not our hearts burn within us? 23:47 They had, as Brother Ivor Myers would say, 23:49 they had heartburn. 23:50 Their hearts burn within them 23:52 because they had just been given a personal Bible study 23:55 by the Son of God Himself. 23:56 Powerful, powerful. 23:58 You know, we need to be more like Joseph as well. 23:59 Joseph was the type of Christ. 24:01 And in these last days 24:03 we need to be gathering the green, 24:05 which of course gathering the bread, 24:07 the bread of life. 24:09 Amos 8:11 says, "Behold, the days are coming," 24:11 says the Lord God, "that I will send 24:12 a famine on the land, not a famine of bread, 24:14 nor a thirst for water, 24:15 but of hearing the words of the Lord." 24:18 So in these last days, may we learn from Jesus, 24:20 may we hide the Word in our hearts and minds 24:23 that we might not sin. 24:24 Amen. Thank you so much, Pastor Ryan. 24:27 I'm so grateful that Jesus is our example, 24:31 we can learn from Him. 24:32 We're going to take a short break, 24:34 we'll be right back. 24:40 Ever wish you could watch 24:41 a 3ABN Sabbath School Panel again, 24:43 or share it on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter? 24:47 Well, you can by visiting 3abnsabbathschoolpanel.com. 24:51 A clean design makes it easy 24:54 to find the program you're looking for. 24:56 There are also links to the Adult Bible Study Guide 25:00 so you can follow along. 25:01 Sharing is easy. 25:03 Just click share and choose your favorite social media. 25:06 Share a link, save a life for eternity. 25:13 Welcome back to our study, Living by the Word of God. 25:16 We continue on Tuesday with Pastor John Lomacang. 25:19 And mine is entitled, "Jesus Versus Scripture? 25:22 What an oxymoron, 25:24 because Jesus never was in conflict with Scripture. 25:29 But I like the fact that the Bible writers 25:31 bring this thought up 25:32 because some people reading the Bible 25:35 may come to the conclusion 25:36 that it sounds like Jesus is saying, 25:39 I know what it said, but, I know what it said, but. 25:42 And we know, I've said as the pastor, 25:44 one of the ways that you can find out a person 25:46 is in conflict with the Word, they may say, 25:49 I know what the Bible says but. 25:50 Well, you know, amazingly enough, 25:52 there are many statements Jesus makes like that. 25:55 Let me give you an example. 25:56 Let's start with John 5:45- 47. 25:59 Before we go to the statements 26:01 that seem to jog and seem to be in conflict with the Scripture. 26:06 Let's look at one of these that Jesus talked about 26:08 how important it is to understand 26:10 what was said in order to understand who He is. 26:13 John 5:45, "Do not think that 26:17 I shall accuse you to the Father, 26:21 there is one who accuses you, Moses, in whom you trust." 26:25 He's speaking to the Jewish leaders. 26:27 "For if you believed Moses, 26:29 you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me. 26:33 But if you do not believe his writings, 26:35 how will you believe My words?" 26:39 He made a number of statements like that. 26:40 He says, I don't even think you would believe 26:43 if someone rose from the dead. 26:44 When Lazarus rose from the dead, 26:47 they didn't believe. 26:48 When Jesus rose from the dead, they surely did not believe. 26:51 So what is being said here is circumstances 26:54 don't really change an individual. 26:57 They have to get a glimpse of who Christ is 26:59 in order for that change to be affected. 27:01 Some people think that Jesus in His writings, in the gospels 27:05 put His words above 27:07 what was written in the Old Testament. 27:09 Here are a couple of examples. 27:11 Seven times in the Bible, in the gospels, 27:14 you find this word, 27:15 you have heard that it was said, 27:19 but I say. 27:20 You heard that it was said, but I say. 27:22 And sometimes today 27:23 we have arguments with people that say, 27:25 "Well I know what the Bible says, 27:26 "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy," 27:28 but I say, but my denomination says, 27:31 "Don't follow that train of thought, 27:33 thinking that Jesus did the same thing. 27:35 What Jesus did was quite more extensive than that. 27:39 Jesus didn't come to minimize the Old Testament. 27:43 Oh, by the way, 27:45 that's all He had in His day, okay? 27:47 So let's look at one of the examples. 27:49 Matthew 5:43 and 44, 27:54 "You have heard that it was said, 27:57 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 28:02 But I say to you, 'Love your enemies, 28:05 bless those who curse you, 28:08 do good to those who hate you, 28:11 and pray for those 28:12 who spitefully use you and persecute you.'" 28:17 Now, when you follow these two verses, 28:20 you find that Jesus was saying, 28:23 you thought that's all that was to it. 28:26 Like Peter said, 28:27 "Lord, how many times should we forgive? 28:29 Seven? 28:31 Well, it's three, I'm gonna wanna add 28:32 one more for good measure." 28:34 Jesus says not 70 times seven. 28:40 What is Jesus saying to Peter? 28:42 When a person comes to you in sincere repentance, 28:45 there is never a time 28:46 that forgiveness is not appropriate. 28:48 That's vitally important. 28:50 So don't say to the people around us. 28:52 Well, how many times should I forgive you? 28:54 Well, ask yourself the question, 28:56 "How many times has God forgiven you?" 28:59 So Jesus was in essence saying, 29:00 there's more to it than what's written. 29:03 Because the Pharisees loved what was written, 29:06 but Jesus is standing right there. 29:07 And he said to them, 29:08 you keep searching the scriptures, 29:10 in them you think you find eternal life, 29:11 but hey, guys, they are, 29:14 these are they that testify about me, 29:15 I'm right here. 29:17 Don't ignore me. 29:18 So Jesus was in fact expanding what had already been written. 29:22 And you'll find out why. 29:24 Another one, Matthew 5:21, and I'm going to read this one, 29:27 verse 21 and 22. 29:30 The Bible says, "You have heard that 29:31 it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder, 29:35 and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.' 29:38 But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother 29:41 without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. 29:44 And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' 29:47 shall be in danger of the council. 29:49 But whoever says, 'You fool!' 29:51 shall be in danger of hell fire.'" 29:53 Verse 27, "You have heard that 29:55 it was said to those of old, 29:57 'You shall not commit adultery.' 29:59 But I say to you that 30:00 whoever looks at a woman to lust for her 30:03 has already committed adultery in his heart.'" 30:07 Again, you have heard that it was said of all, 30:10 "You shall not swear falsely, 30:13 but shall perform your oath to the Lord." 30:16 So Jesus was continually saying, 30:18 you've heard, you've heard, but it's far wider than that. 30:21 So let me tell you, 30:22 I'll give you eight points as to what Jesus is doing. 30:25 Jill is rubbing off on all of us. 30:27 We cannot rescue ourselves from her influence. 30:30 Very good one at that. 30:32 Isaiah 42:21, what is Jesus doing? 30:35 Isaiah 42:21, the prophet says, 30:40 "The Lord is well pleased for His righteousness' sake." 30:45 He will magnify. What word did I just say? 30:48 "Magnify the law and make it honorable." 30:51 The Lord make it honorable, the Lord magnified. 30:55 You have really not killed your brother, 30:57 but I can tell you in your heart, man, 31:00 I know it's in your heart. 31:01 And you might as well have killed him 31:03 because you hate him so badly that if you could do it 31:06 and get away with it, you'll do it. 31:09 Lord was revealing the hidden issues of the heart. 31:12 Jesus also came to fulfill the law, 31:16 because they live by the letter. 31:18 He said, "The letter kill it, but the spirit make it a lie." 31:21 Jesus said, "There's a letter and there's a spirit." 31:23 The spirit is just as important as the letter. 31:25 And on that point, I'm going to make a point. 31:27 The spirit and the letter are equally important, 31:31 but some people say 31:32 the principle of the commandments 31:34 are important. 31:35 And they do that in order 31:36 to violate the commandment itself. 31:39 So they just apply the principle. 31:41 Pick a day, they apply the principle. 31:43 When the Lord has specified today. 31:45 Jesus came to fulfill the law. Here it is. 31:48 Matthew 5:17 and 19, "Do not think that 31:51 I came to destroy the law or the prophets. 31:53 I did not come to destroy but to fulfill." 31:56 And then he goes on to show you. 31:57 He said, "I came to let you see 31:59 that all that was written of Me, 32:02 has to be fulfilled." 32:04 So He didn't come to get away. 32:05 He didn't come to get rid of what was already there. 32:07 He came to bring it to fruition. 32:10 Jesus came to reveal the issues, 32:12 the hidden issues of the heart. 32:14 Murder might be in your heart, although you didn't do it, 32:18 you already guilty of killing your brother. 32:20 Hebrews 4:12. 32:21 Notice how the Bible does that. 32:22 Hebrews 4:12, 32:24 "For the word of God is living and powerful, 32:26 and sharper than any two-edged sword," 32:28 how far does it go? 32:30 "Piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, 32:33 and of joints and marrow," and watch this, 32:36 "and is a discerner of the" what? 32:39 "Thoughts and intents of the heart, 32:43 and there is no creature hidden from His sight, 32:47 but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him 32:50 to whom we must give account." 32:52 The Lord was able to look at people and say, 32:54 "Why do you reasons such in your heart?" 32:56 You know, sometimes we could look at people 32:58 when we say something to them, we say, 32:59 "Hey Ryan, go pick that up for me 33:01 and why am I go? 33:02 Come on man, 33:04 why you want to treat me like that? 33:05 He hasn't said a word. 33:06 If we could do that, 33:08 how could Jesus the divine one not be able to do that? 33:11 What Jesus came to do is said, 33:13 the hidden issues of your heart are just as important 33:18 as the things that are obvious. 33:20 You know, we have to deal 33:22 with the issues of our heart that are hidden, 33:23 because the judgment is going to bring out 33:25 even the things that men have not seen, 33:28 which brings me to my fourth point. 33:29 Jesus came to make us aware 33:31 of the secret things of our hearts. 33:34 Ecclesiastes12:14, 33:35 and here's why He wants us to be saved, 33:38 "For God will bring every work into judgment, 33:41 including every secret thing, whether good or evil." 33:45 So one of the reasons why Jesus makes it clear, 33:49 He wants to get to the root of the issue. 33:51 A lot of us say, "Well, I'm so glad that 33:53 God gave me victory over alcohol 33:55 and cigarettes and pornography and lying and cussing." 33:59 And, but we don't ever talk about the things 34:00 that's really there and the Lord says, 34:03 "But I still see something in there." 34:05 He goes to the joints and marrow, divided the issues. 34:08 Number five, Jesus came 34:09 to reveal the motives of the heart. 34:11 Luke 8:17, "For nothing is secret 34:15 that will not be revealed, 34:16 nor anything hidden that will not be known 34:19 and come to light." 34:20 When you don't confess 34:21 those things that are hidden, it will come to light. 34:23 Number six very carefully, 34:25 the things that we fail to confront, will confront us. 34:30 Romans 2:14-16, "For when the Gentiles, 34:32 who do not have the law, 34:34 by the nature do the things in the law, 34:36 although not having the law, are a law to themselves, 34:39 who show the work of the law written in their hearts, 34:42 their conscience also bearing witness, 34:44 and between themselves their thoughts accusing 34:47 or else excusing them in the day 34:49 when God will judge the secrets of men 34:52 by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel." 34:54 Number seven. 34:56 Jesus came to show us that 34:57 we need to be honest about our condition. 34:59 1 John 2:9-11, 35:01 "He who says he is in the light, 35:03 and hates his brother, is in darkness until now." 35:05 Jesus wants us to know what's going on in our hearts. 35:08 And number eight. 35:09 Jesus came to show us that 35:11 our condition is self-deception except we be honest. 35:14 1 John 1:8-10, "If we say that we have no sin, 35:18 we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." 35:21 But here's the good news. 35:22 "If we confess it, He is faithful 35:24 and just to forgive us of our sins 35:26 and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 35:29 Amen. Amen and amen. 35:30 Yes. 35:32 As we continue, we have the title, 35:34 "Quiet Times with the Word of God." 35:38 Now in this busy society, 35:40 we have all kinds of things thrown at us 35:42 and people really get busy or really get stressed. 35:46 And I have to say here that 35:49 I have seen myself sometimes, 35:52 you get so busy, you're in a rush, 35:54 and you rush out of the house and, 35:56 oh, you didn't have your devotion, 35:58 you woke up late. 36:00 And you handle things differently. 36:03 Perhaps you are quicker to get upset, 36:05 quicker to get stressed out. 36:07 But if you spend time with the Lord, 36:08 you will handle things differently. 36:11 And so, it's not that people, the lesson brings out 36:14 something interesting. 36:16 People get so busy, so stressed, 36:18 they go from one thing to another 36:19 and some people listening, 36:21 probably may have two jobs or even three jobs. 36:24 I've heard of people having five jobs. 36:27 How do they do this? 36:29 I mean, how do you handle this and keep your balance in life 36:34 where you dedicate time to the Lord? 36:37 What do we do? 36:38 It's not that we're unbelievers, 36:40 it's just that we're not 36:41 dedicating quality time with the Lord. 36:44 And we need quality time with the Lord. 36:47 I want to read from Psalms 119 which we have quoted many times 36:52 during these study guides. 36:55 Psalms 119:105, 36:58 "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." 37:03 If this word is a lamp to our feet 37:06 and light to our path, 37:07 why are we keeping away from the light? 37:11 We need the light of the Lord. 37:14 And I might add this 37:15 because it's wonderful to go to church 37:18 and like the Bible says to dwell in unity 37:22 and praise God in church 37:24 is wonderful to have family worship. 37:27 But we all need time alone with the Lord. 37:30 That's right. 37:32 We all need time alone with the Lord. 37:33 It's like Jesus said, 37:35 these things you ought to have done 37:37 but not to leave the other undone. 37:40 So I encourage you to spend time 37:43 alone with the Lord. 37:47 The lesson brings out a good question 37:48 how can the Holy Spirit speak to us 37:51 if we did not pause to listen? 37:54 Let's go to Psalms 37. 37:56 Psalms 37:3-7, "Trust in the Lord, 38:00 and do good, dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness." 38:05 Have you fed on His faithfulness? 38:07 "Delight yourself also in the Lord, 38:09 and He will give you the desires of your heart. 38:13 Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, 38:17 and He shall bring it to pass. 38:18 He shall bring forth 38:20 your righteousness as the light, 38:21 and your justice as the noonday." 38:24 Notice, "Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him, 38:29 do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, 38:33 because of the man 38:34 who brings wicked schemes to pass." 38:37 So we really need to take time to rest in the Lord. 38:41 The busy things of life, you know, we have to... 38:46 We may need to prioritize our things, 38:49 you know, so that we dedicate the time 38:52 that we need with the Lord. 38:55 There are many things that demand our attention 38:57 and seems like the devil 38:59 also puts different thoughts in your mind. 39:01 I don't know if it's happened to you. 39:02 We open the scriptures, 39:05 and there you are trying to concentrate on the Word. 39:07 Oh, you got to do that. 39:09 Don't forget, you have to do this. 39:10 And, oh, remember that? Anybody? 39:15 Oh, yes. Oh, yeah, in both hands. 39:16 And this happen, so we need to make an effort 39:19 even while we're reading the scriptures to focus 39:22 and put our attention into it because God wants 39:25 to communicate with us. 39:27 And when we have those wonderful times, 39:31 I'm sure everyone will say, yes, 39:32 that's happened to me, 39:34 that you're reading the scriptures 39:35 and you're enjoying it so much, 39:37 you're delighting yourself in the Lord and say, 39:38 "Oh, wait a minute, I have to get ready for work?" 39:41 You don't want to pull away from that. 39:42 Oh, God wants to give us those wonderful times. 39:45 He has so much to us, 39:46 give us so much to bless us with. 39:49 If we only took the time to dedicate with the Lord. 39:52 Psalms 46:10-11, be still, 39:58 you need to take time to be still. 40:00 "Be still, and know that I am God, 40:03 I will be exalted among the nations, 40:05 I will be exalted in the earth! 40:07 The Lord of hosts is with us, 40:08 the Lord of Jacob is our refuge." 40:11 So we need to take time to be still 40:13 and know that God is God. 40:17 There's so much here. 40:18 Let me see, I may have to skip something because of the time. 40:23 How about Psalms 62? Psalms 62. 40:25 In Psalms 62, we have these wonderful scriptures. 40:30 I'm going to have to start in verse 1, 40:31 I'm going to have to start in verse 1, 40:33 "Truly, my soul silently waits for God, 40:37 from Him comes my salvation. 40:41 He only is my rock and my salvation, 40:43 He is my defense, I shall not be greatly moved. 40:48 My soul wait silently for God alone, 40:51 for my expectation is from Him. 40:54 He is my rock and my salvation. He is my defense. 40:57 I shall not be moved. 40:59 In God is my salvation and my glory, 41:01 the rock of my strength and my refuge is in God. 41:06 Trust in Him at all times you people. 41:08 Pour out your heart before Him. 41:10 God is our refuge for us." 41:12 In order to do this, 41:13 you have to spend time with the Lord. 41:17 You have to ask yourself, 41:18 how was it that David was able to face Goliath? 41:23 This guy was huge, this guy was scary. 41:27 And not only that, 41:29 he didn't speak like a peaceful guy. 41:31 He wanted to fight. 41:35 And he's the one... 41:38 I'm sure you've heard it, Pastor Lomacang, 41:40 is from New York. 41:41 You hear some people small but they talk like 41:43 they're tougher than their height. 41:46 This guy was tough. He spoke tough. 41:50 Why was David able to face him? 41:52 Because he has spent time with the Lord, 41:54 he was connected with the Lord. 41:57 That's why he went to face 41:59 the giant in the strength of the Lord. 42:01 The way we receive our strength is 42:03 by spending time with the Lord. 42:07 I would like to move now 42:11 to Genesis 5:21-24, 42:17 and I see some, Pastor Ryan, 42:19 I see you have it, Genesis 5:21-24, please. 42:22 All right, 21 through 24? Yes. 42:24 Okay. 42:25 So it says, "Enoch lived sixty-five years, 42:28 and begot Methuselah. 42:29 After he begot Methuselah, 42:31 Enoch walked with God 300 years, 42:33 and had sons and daughters. 42:35 So all the days of Enoch were 365 years, 42:39 and Enoch walked with God, 42:40 and he was not, for God took him. 42:45 Methuselah lived 187 years, and begot Lamech." 42:49 Thank you very much. 42:52 So we have here that Enoch walked with God. 42:56 I have to add that, you know, you spend time with the Lord 43:00 because you have stopped your devotional time 43:03 and you have to get ready for work doesn't mean 43:05 you put God out of your mind. 43:07 You can continue throughout the day, 43:10 walking with the Lord. 43:11 And this is the way that Enoch walked with the Lord. 43:14 He went about doing the things he had to do, 43:15 but he was in communion with the Lord. 43:17 He was singing, he was considering the things 43:21 that God had done for him. 43:22 Throughout the day, 43:24 we can be in communion with the Lord 43:26 and lifting up your heart in prayer. 43:28 Many things demand our attention, 43:30 but continue your connection with the Lord. 43:33 And that's why we've mentioned 43:35 many times to hide the Word of God in our hearts 43:41 that we might not sin against Him. 43:44 Now, we just heard that Jesus said, it is written. 43:47 Why? Because He spent time with the Heavenly Father. 43:51 So let's consider taking time with the Lord. 43:54 What shall we do? What can we do? 43:56 We need to find a place where you can read 43:59 and reflect on God's Word without interruption. 44:02 This is something brought out in the lesson 44:03 and this is a wonderful thing. 44:05 In our hectic life, 44:08 this can only happen if you deliberately reserved 44:12 a specific window of time with the Lord. 44:16 Make it a daily routine, a daily habit that you say, 44:21 this is the time for the Lord. 44:23 You have your time that you're going to eat lunch, 44:25 you have your time 44:26 you gonna eat breakfast and all these. 44:27 Specify your time, 44:29 this is the time I am dedicating with the Lord. 44:32 When you do this, you are going to be blessed. 44:36 Let me see if I can sneak in another one here. 44:41 You know, in the morning, 44:42 it seems to like your mind is fresh, 44:44 mornings are the best time. 44:46 Let me see if I can quote this that I've mentioned before. 44:48 I don't have the time. 44:50 "The Word of the living God is not merely 44:52 written but spoken." 44:54 The Bible is God's voice speaking to us, 44:57 just as surely as though we could hear it with our ears. 45:01 If we realize this, with what all we would open 45:04 God's Word and with what earnestness 45:06 would we search its presets the reading 45:09 and contemplation 45:10 of the scriptures would be regarded 45:13 as an audience with the infinite one." 45:15 Testimonies to the Church, volume 6, page 393. 45:20 So when you dedicate time with the Lord, 45:23 it's like you're having a one on one with God, 45:26 and you should take time to listen as well, 45:30 as well as speaking to Him. 45:31 Amen. Praise the Lord. It's all good stuff. 45:34 I'm telling you coming down through, 45:35 I've enjoyed each and every one of you. 45:37 I have Thursday's lesson here and it's going to be 45:39 "Memory and Song." 45:41 So, you know, I'm going to have 45:43 to quote a scripture everybody did here 45:44 and why shouldn't I do it? 45:46 Because it starts out 45:47 with Psalms 119, isn't that right? 45:48 11,"Thy word have I," what? 45:50 "Hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee." 45:54 We'll keep that paramount in our mind. 45:55 Going to read Ephesians Chapter 5. 45:57 Another passage here, verse 19. 45:59 Our lesson brings out Ephesians 5:19. 46:03 It says, "Speaking to yourself 46:05 in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, 46:09 singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord." 46:13 Man, that's good counsel. Isn't that good counsel? 46:15 And certainly we can put the Word of God 46:17 in our heart that way. 46:18 Here's a secret. 46:20 We're looking at a secret here, I hope secret here, 46:21 secret of living the Christian life 46:22 is simply what we just read. 46:24 Take what? 46:25 Take the Word of God, put it in our heart 46:26 and our minds and this becomes weapons. 46:31 Weapons of what? What kind of weapons? 46:34 It's which to meet the enemy 46:35 with when he comes to attack you. 46:37 That's right. These are weapons that we have. 46:39 2 Corinthians 10:4 says, 46:41 "For the weapons of our warfare," is what? 46:45 "Are not carnal 46:46 but they're mighty through the," what? 46:48 "Through God 46:49 and the pulling down of strongholds." 46:52 The Word of God is powerful. 46:53 I think through this whole series quarter, 46:56 it becomes very clear that the Word of God is powerful 47:00 and we need to be putting in our hearts and our mind. 47:02 After all, memory and song. 47:04 These are ways in which we can put it into our minds. 47:07 And remember, probably easier for me, 47:10 I don't know about you, those who sing a lot 47:12 is that you once you can sing something 47:15 and memorize it, seemed like faster than you can 47:17 if you're trying to memorize something, 47:18 if you put a little tune to it. 47:19 It really works. 47:21 We'll look at that a little bit later on here in just a moment. 47:23 In Proverbs 2:1 and 9, 47:27 here's what the Word of God says, 47:28 "My son if thou will receive my words," 47:32 and notice, "hide my commandments with thee." 47:35 Verse 9, "Then shalt thou understand," 47:38 I like this righteousness," righteousness and judgment, 47:41 and equity, and yea, every good path." 47:45 Jeremiah 31:33, we know this, and I'm sure, you know, 47:48 we put it to memory. 47:50 "This shall I be, this shall be the covenant 47:52 that I will make with you and the house of Israel, 47:56 after those days, saith the Lord," 47:57 what He's going to do? 47:59 "I'm gonna put My law," good, "in their" what? 48:02 "Inward parts, and write it in their hearts, 48:04 and will be their God, and they shall be My people." 48:07 That is the promise. 48:09 God said, "I'm going to be your God, 48:10 but you have to put Me inside." 48:12 Put Him inside and I'll be your God, 48:14 I'm going to be there for you. 48:15 So memorizing scripture 48:17 brings blessing to us in the many ways, 48:19 many examples already been 48:21 given in our quarter and even yet today. 48:24 If we put the Word of God in our hearts and our minds, 48:27 it impacts us, it directly impacts us. 48:30 In other words, in ways that, in ways that I think, 48:33 if I'm putting the Word of God you said here 48:34 first thing of a morning, 48:36 I'm putting my heart and my mind. 48:37 It does change the way that 48:38 I deal with issues during the day. 48:41 So we got put it in our mind. 48:42 It affects the way that we think, 48:44 it affects the choices that we make, 48:48 what kind of values that we have, 48:51 the way that we act, the way we talk, 48:53 the way that we live, 48:55 the way that we even worship God 48:57 how we put the Word of God in our heart. 48:59 It is a sure defense also we know against falsehood 49:04 and err and deception, 49:07 because Jesus warned us over and over about what? 49:09 Not to be deceived. 49:12 And certainly God is not mocked on this. 49:13 And He brings it over and over in a lot of different ways. 49:15 Be not deceived, you know. 49:17 And so we put the Word of God in our heart. 49:19 You know, I have a very difficult time 49:22 even listen to a lot of things sometime. 49:23 If in my heart and in my mind, 49:25 I believe there's truth and I hear an untruth. 49:27 It's kind of, I don't... 49:29 I'll be honest with you, 49:30 I just don't go on and listen from that point. 49:31 As soon as I hear something 49:33 that I think doesn't harmonize with Scripture, 49:35 I just turn it off because I don't need to hide 49:37 the word of the enemy in my mind. 49:41 You know what I mean? 49:42 It's like you're trying to memorize something good 49:44 or you see something's bad, 49:46 when you were child you still remember to this day. 49:49 You know? That's right. 49:50 Something good sometimes takes hard, 49:52 the enemy's fighting us all the way here. 49:53 You know, of course, 49:55 the Bible is available to all, you know, 49:57 and the devil is saying, 49:58 I don't want the Bible available to you. 50:01 Because when you have it, when the challenges come, 50:03 God says, His Word is going to help us 50:05 to meet those challenges 50:06 and be more than conquerors through Him. 50:08 Again, thy Word have I what? Hidden in my heart. 50:11 That means that we have a position 50:12 that we can think like with a level. 50:15 We level it right out, right? 50:17 We're very positive. 50:18 I've heard my dad said sometimes, 50:20 "Kenny be level-headed?" 50:21 That makes sense to be level-head. 50:23 Level yourself out, the Word of God does that. 50:25 There's a story of a 75-year old lady 50:28 and it's true story. 50:30 Actually she was constrained to a hospital bed 50:33 because she had had an accident and she broke her back. 50:36 So they didn't know she'd ever get out this bed 50:37 or not and whatever. 50:39 And so, she's laying there with this broken back. 50:40 It's very serious and she's of that age, 50:44 she's saying, might end, I'm just, 50:45 she came the point she said, I'm just no good. 50:47 I'm not any good anymore. 50:49 And, you know, there's no use 50:50 no purpose for me to go ahead and live. 50:53 And then a friend came by to visit her 50:54 and he asked her a question. 50:57 First of all, he said, 50:59 "What have you been doing lately for God? 51:02 Well, she had been in the hospital bed, right? 51:04 Fastened down, she couldn't get out. 51:05 So he asked this question. 51:06 And at first, she got a little bit feisty. 51:09 You know, it kind of got on her nerve a little bit. 51:11 She said, "If I could get out of this bed, 51:14 if I could just get out of this bed." 51:16 Well, then she thought about a little bit. 51:17 And then he said, "Well, wait just a minute. 51:19 Let me explain. 51:20 Even though your body 51:22 is maybe unusable at this point in time, 51:25 your mind isn't." 51:27 That's right. It's good. So take this mind. 51:28 I want you to take your mind, 51:29 I want to challenge you to begin to take your mind 51:31 and memorize Scripture. 51:35 Well, what did she do? She wasn't going anyplace. 51:37 She's going to be there for a while. 51:38 She said, You know what? I accept that challenge. 51:41 You know, most of us we like a good challenge, right? 51:43 We accept that challenge. So she accepted that challenge. 51:45 And she started with the Book of Psalms. 51:48 You may start wherever you might want you to start, 51:49 but Psalms Chapter 1. 51:51 And by the time she was 51:53 and she was released from the hospital, 51:55 she had memorized close to half of the Book of Psalms. 51:59 She'd already memorized it. 52:01 So it was working well with her. 52:02 It was a long time before this man 52:04 who got this challenge to her ever came back. 52:06 I'm sure he checked with her little bit 52:08 but it says 20 years later. 52:10 Twenty years later this friend comes by to visit her. 52:12 This time, notice it, 52:14 he noticed how sharp her mind was. 52:17 He said, "Man, I'm catching this right 52:19 how quicker her mind sharper than it was before." 52:22 And he also noticed everything she talked about 52:24 her relationship with God was good. 52:26 She told him her secret 52:28 and maybe we need to understand the secret a little bit more. 52:31 She said, "After you left I never stopped memorizing. 52:35 I never stopped memorizing." 52:37 By now, she had, ooh, glory, 52:39 almost half of the Bible memorized. 52:43 I just, can I say blows your mind. 52:45 He's just like, wow. 52:46 Over half of the Bible, 75 years of age already. 52:49 Notice this. 52:51 I'll say it again, hidden in the heart. 52:53 She might not sin against him. 52:55 Psalms 119:114. 52:56 The Bible says, 52:58 "You are my refuge and my shield, 53:00 I have put my hope in Your Word." 53:03 I put my hope and I put my trust in the Word of God. 53:06 There's nothing here in this world to grab 53:07 a hold of that's any good, it's going to, it's lasting. 53:10 So put like your mind, heart into the Word of God. 53:13 Somebody once said this, said, 53:15 "Imagine each verse as a brick, 53:21 the more verses that you commit to memory, 53:25 the higher and the stronger 53:27 that wall will be built against the enemy." 53:31 Think about it, 53:33 it's going to get the enemy, a wall. 53:35 We need a wall between us and the enemy. 53:37 And the Word of God is certainly that wall. 53:39 Again, Psalms 119:143, 53:42 the Bible says, it talks about 53:45 giving some emotional benefits here. 53:46 It said, "Trouble and distress have come upon me, 53:49 but your commands give me delight." 53:51 Praise God, right, 53:53 we need to delight in the Word of the Lord. 53:54 And, of course, one of the easiest ways 53:56 to connect to Scripture to memory 53:58 is by singing the Word, isn't that right? 54:00 Singing the Word of God. 54:01 It can change the situation, it can change the mood. 54:05 It's for little children, 54:06 it's for adults and everyone in between. 54:09 We need to learn to sing, isn't it right? 54:10 Make a joyful noise unto the Lord. 54:13 Psalms 89:1 says, "I will sing of the mercies 54:16 of the Lord forever with my mouth," 54:19 notice this, "will I make known 54:21 the faithfulness of all generations." 54:24 I'm going to read something right here 54:26 because our time is really coming down 54:27 because I want to get about Jesus, 54:29 how He handled and has been brought forth, 54:31 you know, clearly here by the Word of God 54:32 and how you hid in His heart, how He answered the old enemy, 54:35 how He gained victory was by, was by the Word, 54:38 but this might be intriguing to you. 54:41 I'm sure some of you read it before. 54:42 But if not, this is a way maybe 54:45 to meet a real temptation, to real tempt 54:48 when the old devil comes hard against you, 54:49 Evangelism 498 says this, 54:51 "As He, Jesus, grew older, He was tempted. 54:55 We know He's tempted always in life. 54:57 But the song His mother 54:59 had taught Him to sing came to mind. 55:02 He would lift His voice in praise," 55:05 notice this, and before, notices this, 55:08 "before they knew that His companions were, you know, 55:11 before they became aware of what He was doing and singing, 55:14 and it says they would be singing along with Him." 55:18 That just changed the whole atmosphere of everything. 55:20 When there's confrontation, the devil came again, 55:22 Jesus lifts His voice in singing. 55:25 And then before he knew what? Everybody around began to sing. 55:28 We hear that at this table 55:30 we hear a note every once in a while, 55:31 sometimes we just join right in with you. 55:32 Amen. 55:34 Thank you so much, Pastor Kenny. 55:36 What a wonderful lesson to end with, 55:38 living by the Word of God, practicing the Word of God, 55:41 memorizing the Word of God, singing the Word of God. 55:45 Spending time in the Word of God. 55:47 Wanna give each one of you a moment 55:49 to share something about the lesson? 55:51 Well, Jesus loves Me this I know, 55:55 for the Bible tells me so. 55:57 I mean, you sing the Word 55:59 and that's what we've been learning about 56:01 how to interpret Scripture and you know what? 56:03 I just praise God for the opportunity to be 56:05 able to study this because I've learned so much 56:08 and will encourage my friends at home 56:10 to continue to get in the Word, 56:11 hide the Word of God in your heart 56:13 that you might not sin against Him. 56:15 Amen. 56:16 Jesus is never in conflict with the Word. 56:19 As a matter of fact, the Bible says in Hebrews 12, 56:21 to looking into Jesus, 56:23 the author and finisher of our faith. 56:26 If you set your eyes on Christ, 56:28 He's the one that inspired the authorization of it, 56:31 and He's the one 56:33 that's going to finish its power 56:34 and impact in your life. 56:35 Yes. Amen. 56:37 I believe that, when we spend time 56:40 with the Lord alone, we are planting seeds 56:43 that are going to bear fruit. 56:45 Galatians 6:7 and 8, "Do not be deceived, 56:50 God is not mocked, 56:51 for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap, 56:54 for he who sows to his flesh 56:56 will of the flesh reap corruption, 56:58 but he who sows to the Spirit 57:00 will of the Spirit reap everlasting life." 57:03 Spending time along with the Lord, 57:04 you're planting seeds that will bear good fruit 57:07 for your blessing and for the blessing of others. 57:09 Amen. 57:10 Just a little quick one from the Advent Review Sabbath 57:12 Herald 4-8-1884 says this, 57:15 notice, "When Satan would lead the mind 57:17 to dwell upon the earthly and the sensual known things. 57:20 He is most effectively resisted with," 57:24 what we've repeated this whole lesson, 57:25 "it is written." 57:27 Thank you so much, Pastor Kenny, Pastor Johnny, 57:30 Pastor John and Pastor Ryan, 57:32 for your study of the Word of God. 57:34 This is from Selected Messages, book 1, page 411, 57:39 "No one is able to explain the scriptures 57:41 without the aid of the Holy Spirit. 57:44 When you take up the Word of God 57:45 with a humble, teachable heart, angels of God will be 57:49 by your side to impress you with evidence of the truth." 57:53 So at 3ABN, we just encourage you to take up 57:55 the Word of God with a humble, teachable heart. 57:59 Join us next week for our brand new quarter. 58:02 This is quarter number three, Making Friends for God, 58:06 the joy of sharing in His mission. 58:09 That's written by Pastor Mark Finley. 58:11 Join us next week. |
Revised 2020-06-25