Participants:
Series Code: SSP
Program Code: SSP200033S
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00:01 Hello, friends, we have made it to the halfway point
00:03 of our third quarter study on "Making Friends for God." 00:07 And, of course, we are always excited for you 00:09 to join us in our weekly studies. 00:10 And we thank you for following us 00:13 and studying with us each and every week. 00:15 This week, week seven, 00:16 we're going to be taking on a study 00:17 entitled "Sharing God's Word." 00:20 And that's why we're going to be talking 00:21 about the significance and importance 00:23 of sharing God's Word when we are witnessing. 00:25 So if you don't have a copy of the study, 00:27 please go to your local Seventh-day Adventist Church 00:29 and get that copy for free 00:31 or simply go on to the internet 00:34 to www.absg.Adventist.org. 00:40 Again, that's absg.Adventist.org 00:44 and you can get a copy of the lesson for free. 00:46 So again, get your pens, pencils, paper, iPads, 00:49 whatever it is you use. 00:50 Grab your Bibles 00:52 and join us this week on 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 01:25 Hello, friends, and welcome again 01:27 to another edition of 3ABN Sabbath Panel. 01:29 Again, we are so thankful that you are joining us 01:32 again this week, we're at our halfway point. 01:34 We're studying our... 01:36 We're studying about how to make friends for God. 01:38 And that's what we're doing. 01:39 We're talking about witnessing, 01:41 how we can witness the importance of witnessing 01:43 and sharing the Word of God with others. 01:45 That's what our lesson is this week. 01:47 Lesson number seven. 01:48 We're halfway through this thing already. 01:51 Sharing God's Word. 01:53 Before we go any further, 01:54 I want to go ahead and introduce 01:56 this magnificent panel. 01:57 To my left, we have Miss Jill Morikone. 01:58 It's always a blessing. 02:00 I know you got some list for us. 02:01 We might have one or two. 02:02 It's privileged to studying together. 02:04 Amen. Praise the Lord. 02:05 Brother Kenny, 02:07 it's a blessing to have you, Brother, always. 02:08 It's always good to study the Word of God together. 02:09 Thank you. Amen. 02:11 Praise the Lord. 02:12 And, of course, Pastor John Lomacang, 02:14 always brings a powerful word. 02:15 We appreciate you, Brother. 02:16 Good to be here. 02:18 God is going to work through all of us today. 02:19 Amen. 02:20 And, of course, Brother Danny Shelton, 02:22 it's always a privilege to have you. 02:23 And we know that you have something special 02:25 to share with us today. 02:26 Oh, just the Word of God. Amen. 02:28 It's always great to be here with you all. 02:30 Amen. Praise the Lord. 02:31 Again, as I said, just a few seconds ago, 02:34 we're studying lesson number seven 02:36 entitled "Sharing the Word." 02:38 It is important that we understand 02:40 the importance, the significance 02:42 of sharing God's Word 02:43 when we are witnessing 02:44 and how that fits into the plan of salvation, 02:47 how it fits into the overall narrative 02:50 of Scripture. 02:51 And so we're gonna be talking about that this morning, 02:53 this evening, whatever time you're watching this. 02:56 But we thank you again for joining us. 02:58 Before we go any further into the study though, 03:00 I would like to ask Brother Danny, 03:02 if he would have a prayer for us. 03:03 I will. 03:04 Lord, we want to thank You 03:06 for Your many wonderful blessings 03:07 that You've given us. 03:08 And, Lord, we thank you for this opportunity 03:10 to be here 03:11 to be able to communicate with people 03:12 literally around the world. 03:14 And I pray that each of us 03:16 once we carry the name Christian, 03:17 we accept you as Lord and Savior of our life, 03:20 that we will go and tell what You have done for us. 03:23 I pray now for anointing the Holy Spirit 03:25 upon each person, 03:26 upon this panel on those that are watching, 03:28 those that are studying with us, 03:30 that Your truth will come forward. 03:32 In Jesus' name we pray, amen. 03:34 Amen. 03:35 Thank you so much, Brother, for that. 03:37 Our memory text this week comes from Isaiah 55:11, 03:42 which says, 03:44 "So shall my word 03:45 be that goes forth from my mouth." 03:47 Yes. 03:49 "It shall not return to me void, 03:50 but it shall accomplish what I please, 03:53 and it shall prosper in the thing 03:56 for which I sent it." 03:58 Amen. I love that scripture. 04:00 It shall not return to me void. 04:02 When we declare the Word of God, 04:04 it will not return void. 04:05 It will plant seeds, it will change lives. 04:07 It will do marvelous, wonderful works 04:10 in a person's life. 04:11 And that's what we're talking about today, 04:13 the importance of sharing God's Word. 04:15 And I'm going to just jump 04:16 right into Sabbath afternoon's lesson. 04:18 And I have done this throughout this study, 04:20 because as I've mentioned before, 04:21 many times, I love Pastor Mark Finley, 04:23 the way he writes, the way he preaches. 04:25 He has a wonderful way with words, 04:26 and I love how he set this study up. 04:28 But I'm just gonna read little something 04:30 from the opening portion of Sabbath afternoon study. 04:33 He says, "When we witness, we speak of Jesus. 04:36 But what would we know about Jesus without the Bible? 04:40 In fact, how much would we know about the great controversy, 04:44 the love of God, the birth, life, ministry, 04:48 death, resurrection, and return of our Lord, 04:51 if we did not have the scriptures," right? 04:53 That's right. 04:54 "Although nature reveals the majesty and power of God, 04:58 it does not reveal the plan of salvation. 05:01 Jesus, through the person of the Holy Spirit 05:04 is the true light, 05:05 which gives light to every man coming into the world. 05:09 Still without the Word of God to fully explain divine truth, 05:13 the Holy Spirit's revelation to our hearts is limited. 05:17 God's written Word is the clearest 05:19 and fullest revelation of Jesus, 05:22 the Living Word. 05:23 Jesus is the Living Word." 05:25 And I love that scripture in John 5:39, 05:28 you guys will know this. 05:29 It's one of my favorite texts, 05:31 I quoted often in my evangelistic series, 05:33 but it says it very plainly, 05:34 Jesus says, 05:36 You certainly speaking to the Pharisees, 05:37 again, this is John 5:39. 05:39 He says to the Pharisees, "You search in the scriptures, 05:42 for in them you think you have eternal life, 05:45 and these are they which testify of Me." 05:49 You see, when we open the Word of God, 05:52 and we study not just these words, 05:54 but the multiple passages and the chapters in the books, 05:57 we're studying who Jesus is, that's what it's all about. 05:59 It's revealing God to us. 06:03 The scriptures were not given 06:04 for the primary reason of proving others wrong 06:07 and ourselves right 06:08 even though sometimes we get caught up in that, 06:10 but to reveal Jesus 06:12 in every aspect of truth that we share, 06:15 and I want to jump right into Sunday's lesson, 06:16 because right here in Sunday's lesson 06:18 it's entitled "Symbols of the Word of God." 06:20 And this was right down my alley, 06:22 because we often, 06:23 we often reveal these truths about the very nature 06:26 and the very essence of God's Word, 06:27 and how it's an authority to us 06:30 and how that authority changes people's lives 06:33 when we approach them 06:34 from the perspective of these multiple symbols. 06:37 So I want to start right in on Psalm 119:105. 06:40 That's always the best one to start with. 06:42 It's one that we're very, very familiar with. 06:44 Psalm 119:105, 06:46 you probably could quote it from memory. 06:48 It says, "Your word is a lamp unto my feet, 06:51 and a light unto my path." 06:55 The paths of life are seen more clearly once, 06:58 of course, it is lit by the power of God's Word. 07:01 It changes lives, it illuminates everyone's life 07:04 when we dig deep into studying God's Word. 07:06 Minds darkened with a misunderstanding of God 07:09 are illuminated by the Holy Spirit 07:11 through the Word of God. 07:14 The Medieval Dark Ages, 07:15 and I think of this historically, 07:16 the Medieval Dark Ages were thrust away though 07:18 by the mass publishing of God's Word 07:21 which shone into the hearts of men 07:23 in nearly every home across the globe. 07:26 And so when we dive deep into studying God's Word, 07:29 and then in return 07:30 share that beautiful, bright shining word 07:32 with someone else, 07:33 it illuminates them, it lights them, 07:35 it ignites their hearts to in 07:37 which it burns within them for salvation. 07:40 Another one, Jeremiah 23:29, 07:46 it says, again, this is Jeremiah 23:29, 07:49 "Is not my word like a fire, " says the Lord. 07:53 Yeah. 07:54 "And like a hammer 07:56 that breaks the rock in pieces." 07:57 I like that. 07:59 So according to Jeremiah here that we just read, 08:01 the Word of God is like a fire and a hammer. 08:03 It consumed, 08:05 I love how Pastor Finley brought this out 08:07 in this study lesson. 08:08 He says it consumes the dross of sin in our lives 08:12 and breaks our heart, hard hearts. 08:15 When we help people see in Scripture, 08:17 the glory of Jesus, their hard hearts are broken. 08:21 And the fire of His love 08:23 consumes the dross of selfishness, 08:26 greed, lust and self centeredness, 08:29 like the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. 08:32 And I love that. 08:33 That's one of my favorite stories in Scripture 08:35 and found there in the Book of Luke, 08:37 these disciples are on the road to Emmaus, 08:38 and I'll never forget what they say 08:40 after having this personal Bible study 08:42 with Jesus. 08:43 If I could have been a fly on the wall, 08:45 you know, to hear what Jesus had to say, 08:47 as He was revealing Himself in the scriptures, 08:50 you know, like the two on the road to Emmaus. 08:52 Indeed, our hearts can burn within us. 08:56 Like Jeremiah says, "My Word is like a fire." 08:58 Our hearts can burn within us 08:59 if we engage in deep study of God's Word. 09:04 Another passage that comes to mind. 09:05 And again, we're talking about the symbols of God's Word 09:07 and how it reveals the very nature, 09:09 the very essence and the authority 09:11 and significance of God's Word throughout Scripture. 09:14 Luke 8:11. 09:17 And, of course, this is, this is within the context 09:19 of the Parable of the Sower, 09:22 which is one of my favorite parables. 09:23 In fact, many people may not know this, 09:25 but Jesus told His disciples and those listening, 09:27 He says, "If you don't understand 09:29 the Parable of the Sower, 09:31 then how will you understand all other parables?" 09:33 There was something about the Parable of the Sower 09:35 that He wanted us to comprehend. 09:37 And right there in the midst of that parable, 09:39 Luke 8:11, He says, 09:41 Now the parable is this and in very simple He says, 09:43 "The seed is the Word of God." 09:46 So right here we see the Word of God 09:48 is in symbolism is communicated as a seed. 09:53 And the lesson study brings out very clearly 09:55 and I liked how he worded it here, 09:56 the Word of God is likened to a seed. 09:59 The key characteristics of a seed 10:00 is that it is life giving. 10:03 Seed takes time to grow. 10:05 Not all seeds germinate at the same time, 10:07 not all plants grow at the same rate, 10:10 but under the right conditions, 10:12 okay, and this is a little bit of gardening analogy 10:15 brought in here, okay? 10:17 He says here but under the right conditions 10:19 the life in the seed burst forth 10:22 through the soil into new life. 10:24 When we plant the seed of the Word of God 10:26 in the hearts and minds of others, 10:29 we will not always see immediate results. 10:31 But silently the seed is growing 10:34 and in God's own time, 10:36 if they respond 10:38 to the Holy Spirit's promptings, 10:40 it will produce a harvest for God's kingdom. 10:42 Praise the Lord. 10:44 We must make sure 10:45 just like in that Parable of the Sower, 10:47 we must make sure that we are receiving 10:50 that seed on good ground. 10:53 Remember, there are four different soils 10:55 that are mentioned in that particular parable. 10:57 And, of course, we want to make sure 10:59 that we're not allowing God's seed 11:00 to just fall by the wayside or on a stony heart, 11:03 or in a life that is clouded in and crowded by thorns 11:07 in which the cares of the world 11:09 and all of the lust of the world 11:11 and the pride of life is choking out the Word of God, 11:14 so that it cannot spring forth and grow 11:16 and bear much fruit. 11:17 We want to receive it on that good ground 11:18 because God wants that seed to grow in our hearts and minds 11:21 so that as we receive it, 11:23 and people see the fruit growing in us, 11:25 as we bear fruit, 11:27 others want that same fruit in their life. 11:29 And so we want to make sure we receive that seed, 11:31 the Word of God, 11:32 allow it to be planted within our hearts and minds 11:34 that it may grow forth 11:36 and produce good fruit for the kingdom of God. 11:40 Matthew 4:4. 11:42 Of course, this comes within the context of Christ 11:44 being tempted by the enemy. 11:46 Satan is tempting Him right there in the wilderness. 11:50 And, of course, Jesus doesn't waver. 11:53 He fights him with the Word, 11:54 He combats him with God's Holy Word. 11:57 And it says here in Matthew 4:4, 12:00 "But He answered and said, 12:01 'It is written, 12:03 man shall not live by bread alone, 12:05 but by every word 12:07 that proceeds from the mouth of God.'" 12:10 So he likens the Word of God unto bread, unto food. 12:14 The Word of God satisfies 12:16 the hunger of the soul, my friends, 12:18 and nourishes our inter, inner spiritual longing. 12:22 It will provide strength, healing, restoration 12:25 and revitalization 12:27 to the weakest spiritually malnourished person, 12:30 like the priest in the sanctuary service, 12:33 and this is a little bit of a sanctuary analogy here. 12:36 We must eat of the bread of life everyday 12:38 to remain strong in our faith 12:40 and equipped for spiritual battle. 12:43 And one last one that I want to share here 12:45 before we end my particular segment 12:47 is found in Hebrews 4:12, 12:50 "The Word of God is likened unto a two-edged sword, " 12:53 or as Paul puts it, the sword of the Spirit. 12:56 So Hebrews 4:12, the Bible says, 12:58 "For the Word of God is living and powerful 13:00 and sharper than any two-edged sword, 13:02 piercing even to the division of soul 13:05 and spirit, and joints and marrow, 13:07 and is a discerner of the thoughts 13:09 and intents of the heart." 13:11 You see, the Word of God sometimes cuts, 13:13 it happens that way. 13:15 It cuts to the deepest core of our hearts 13:17 only to expose the shadows in our life that need light. 13:20 Remember, Jesus is the light of the world, 13:23 and the Word of God is a light unto our path, 13:25 unto our feet, right? 13:27 The sword of the Spirit will only cut 13:29 those whose lives are not in harmony 13:31 with the everlasting will of God. 13:33 And so when I find someone who finds a Bible passage 13:36 where I share truth with them, and they say, ah, you know, 13:38 they have contention with that, 13:39 or they not receiving that truth, 13:41 because it's cutting them, 13:43 it's cutting them because again, 13:44 they're thinking their life is not in harmony 13:47 with that truth. 13:49 And unfortunately, you know, 13:50 what was designed to be a weapon of defense, 13:52 again, the sword of the Spirit 13:54 to defend ourselves as Christ did 13:56 from the temptations of the enemy. 13:59 Sometimes people often use and twist 14:01 and abuse the Word of God 14:03 and use that as an offensive weapon 14:04 to drive people further away from God. 14:07 And we have to remember that in Revelation 13:10, 14:11 it says, "Those who kill with a sword 14:14 will be killed with a sword." 14:16 My friends, I want to encourage you today 14:18 rather than just reading and preaching words. 14:22 And sometimes when people open this word, 14:23 that's all that they see, they see words on paper. 14:27 But rather than just reading and preaching words, 14:29 we need to allow ourselves 14:32 and others to come to know the God of the Word. 14:35 Amen. 14:36 When we read this word of life, we allow it to be the light, 14:39 when we allow it to be that fire, 14:41 it will burn a fire within us 14:42 and we will come to know the God of the Word 14:45 because as John 1:1 says it very, very clearly, 14:48 "In the beginning was the Word, 14:50 and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." 14:53 Amen! That's powerful, Ryan. 14:56 Thank you so much. What an incredible opening. 14:59 The Word of God is a lamp, and a fire, and a hammer, seed, 15:03 bread and then the two-edged sword. 15:05 I like that. 15:07 On Monday we have 15:08 the Creative Power of God's Word. 15:11 And I'm so grateful I have this particular lesson 15:14 because I love studying, 15:17 thinking, talking and applying the thought 15:21 that the Word of God has creative life giving power. 15:25 In fact, when I discovered 15:27 that God's Word had life giving power 15:29 when His Word is alive, when I discovered that, 15:32 it revolutionized my walk with Jesus 15:35 in my prayer life. 15:36 We're going to talk today 15:38 about both the spoken Word of God 15:39 and the written Word of God. 15:41 So turn with me to Hebrews, Hebrews Chapter 1. 15:46 We're going to look at Hebrews 1, 15:48 John 1, and Genesis 1, 15:50 so we're gonna toss 15:51 between all three of those passages. 15:53 We're starting with Hebrews 1. 15:55 You know the world's religions and philosophies, 15:57 they try to answer certain questions, 15:59 is there a God? 16:00 Where is He? 16:02 Can we know Him? 16:03 How do we make sense out of the trials of our life? 16:08 The letter to Hebrews answers these questions. 16:11 Hebrews simply says, Jesus is better. 16:14 The temple in heaven is better. 16:16 Our high priest is better. 16:18 Jesus' sacrifice is better. 16:21 Hebrews teaches absolute truth. 16:24 There's nothing subjective or even tolerant about it. 16:28 Hebrews says that God is and that He has spoken, 16:32 and that God's Son Jesus is the supreme ruler over all. 16:37 And He asks for total allegiance 16:40 from us to Him. 16:41 So let's look at Hebrews 1:1, 16:43 and we're going to compare this with John 1:1 and Genesis 1:1. 16:47 Hebrews 1:1, 16:48 God who at various times and in various ways 16:52 spoken time passed to the fathers by the prophets. 16:56 So I see immediately three truths 16:59 outlined in this first verse. 17:02 First of all, God exists. 17:04 The author of Hebrews doesn't even question, 17:06 doesn't say, 17:08 okay, now let me begin to tell you a bit about God. 17:11 He begins with God who at various times, 17:14 he begins with the presupposition 17:16 that God exists, 17:17 that God, the second truth is God has spoken, 17:21 because it said He's spoken time passed 17:24 to the fathers by the prophets. 17:25 The third truth is that God's Word is divine, 17:30 because God's the one who spoke through the prophets. 17:32 Right. 17:34 Let's compare that with John 1:1. 17:35 We could quote that and you just quoted that, Ryan. 17:38 "In the beginning was the Word, 17:40 and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." 17:44 What truths are here? 17:45 God is preexistent. 17:47 In other words, 17:49 God existed from the beginning of time, 17:51 before there was anything God existed, 17:54 not only God but the Lord Jesus Christ, 17:56 the Word who was made flesh and dwelt among us. 17:59 Jesus is preexistent. 18:01 God and Jesus existed from the beginning of time, 18:04 and Jesus is divine. 18:07 That's very clear from that passage 18:09 that the Word was with God 18:10 and the Word, that's Jesus, was God. 18:13 Let's jump to Genesis 1:1. 18:15 You can quote this passage too, I'm sure. 18:18 "In the beginning, 18:20 God created the heavens and the earth." 18:24 Again, Genesis 1:1 begins much like Hebrews 1, 18:27 and the fact that it just begins 18:29 with the presupposition that God exists. 18:31 That's right. 18:32 There's no discussion, just simply God exists. 18:35 And we see here that God is the Creator. 18:38 That's the second truth I see. 18:40 God created the heavens and the earth. 18:43 And again, we see that God preexisted. 18:46 Everything we know here because God existed 18:48 before there was anything, 18:49 before there was heaven or before there was earth. 18:52 Now that word created, 18:54 Pastor Mark did an incredible job 18:55 in the lesson 18:56 talking about the Hebrew origin of that word, 18:59 and I wanna spend just a moment on that. 19:01 It's Bara, it means to shape or create, 19:05 but in this particular form, 19:07 it is used of God's activity 19:09 to create something from nothing. 19:12 So this verb is used only when God is the subject, 19:17 that is only God can Bara. 19:19 Only God can create something from nothing. 19:23 So when it says, "In the beginning, 19:25 God created the heavens and the earth." 19:28 That means literally, only God can take nothing, 19:33 and create something, create life. 19:36 It's in fact the same word used in Psalm 51:10, 19:39 which was incredible to me 19:40 because I had never studied this 19:42 before now. 19:43 You know, David says what? Create in me a clean heart. 19:45 It's the same word Bara, 19:48 meaning only God can take what was dead. 19:53 What was nothing in your heart and in your life 19:57 and create something. 19:59 Only God can take nothing and turn it into something. 20:04 That's how when it says, He spoke and it was created, 20:08 He did that and it stood fast, 20:09 He commanded and it stood fast. 20:11 Only God can do that, the power of His Word. 20:15 Let's go back to Hebrews 1. 20:16 We're going to read the first three verses now. 20:18 Hebrews 1:1-3. 20:20 We already read the first verse, 20:22 God who at various times, and in various ways 20:25 spoken time passed to the fathers by the prophets. 20:27 We already discovered that God exists, 20:30 that God has spoken, that God's Word is divine. 20:34 Let's go to verse 2. 20:35 I see a couple truths outlined in verse 2. 20:39 "Has in these last days spoken to us by His son." 20:44 Clearly, Jesus is God's Son. 20:48 He's the fulfillment 20:49 of the Old Testament prophecies. 20:51 Remember the first messianic prophecy 20:52 in Genesis 3:15, 20:55 about the seed and the bruising that would take place. 20:58 He's the fulfillment of the Messiah, 21:00 the prophecies about the Messiah, 21:01 the Anointed One. 21:03 He is our Deliverer, He is our Savior. 21:07 Let's continue, "Whom He has appointed heir, 21:10 this is the Son Jesus, 21:11 He is appointed heir of all things, 21:13 through whom also he made the world. 21:17 Now some people say 21:19 only God was involved in creation. 21:21 With John 1:1 is very clear 21:22 that Jesus was involved in 2 and 3, 21:25 as well as this verse in Hebrews, 21:27 that through whom? 21:29 Through the Son Jesus, He made all the worlds, 21:32 that means Jesus was involved intimately 21:35 in the creation of the worlds. 21:37 Let's read verse 3, 21:38 "Who being the brightness of His glory, 21:42 only through Jesus can we know the Father." 21:46 Remember Philip said in John 14, 21:48 "Show us the Father and it is sufficient for us." 21:50 And what did Jesus say? 21:52 Have I not been with you such a long time? 21:54 If you've seen Me, you have seen the Father. 21:58 He is the brightness of the glory of the Father. 22:01 And if the writer says, Paul says, 22:04 if you want to be even clearer, 22:05 He is the express image of his person. 22:09 Jesus is divine. 22:11 He's the exact representation, 22:13 the exact likeness of the Father. 22:17 Continuing on, 22:18 He's expressed image of His person, 22:20 upholding all things by the word of his power, 22:22 when He had by Himself purged our sins, 22:25 He is our Redeemer, 22:27 and sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on High. 22:30 Let's jump back to John 1:1-3 quickly here. 22:35 "In the beginning was the Word, 22:36 and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." 22:39 He was in the beginning with God, 22:41 that means Jesus was in the beginning with God. 22:44 "All things were made through Him. 22:47 And without Him 22:48 nothing was made that was made." 22:50 Meaning, Jesus was intimately involved 22:54 in the creation process. 22:56 We also know not only was God the Father involved 22:58 and God the Son, but God the Holy Spirit. 23:00 Genesis 1:2 23:02 talks about the earth being without form and void, 23:04 darkness upon the face of the earth. 23:06 And the Spirit of God 23:08 was hovering over the face of the water. 23:10 So all three of the Godhead been involved in creation. 23:14 But God's Word has creative, life giving power, 23:20 Psalm 33:6, "By the word of the Lord, 23:22 the heavens were made, 23:24 and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth." 23:29 Psalm 33:9, "For He spoke, and it was done. 23:31 He commanded and it stood fast." 23:33 And we see this in the Genesis account. 23:35 We see God saying, 23:36 "Let there be light and where there was nothing, 23:39 there's light," 23:41 God's saying, "Let there be air, " 23:42 and all of a sudden air appears. 23:45 God said, "Let there be trees, and flowers, and seeds, 23:48 and fish, and mammals." 23:49 And God said, "Let there be, " 23:51 and it existed and it happened. 23:54 The creative power, 23:55 only God can create something from nothing. 23:59 That same creative power Bara 24:02 is inherent right here in the Word of God, 24:07 not just in the spoken Word of God 24:09 at creation, 24:10 but in the written Word of God. 24:12 Ryan read Hebrews 4:12 24:14 about the Word of God having this life giving power. 24:18 It is quick and powerful. 24:20 Isaiah 55:11, which was our memory text. 24:23 "So shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth, 24:26 it should not return to Me void, 24:28 but it shall accomplish what I please 24:30 and it shall prosper in the thing 24:31 for which I sent it." 24:33 God's Word has life giving power. 24:34 John 6:63, 24:36 "It is the Spirit who gives life, 24:38 the flesh profits nothing. 24:41 The words I speak to you, the Word of God. 24:45 They are spirit and they are life." 24:47 Finally, Romans 4:17, 24:49 "God who gives life to the dead 24:52 and calls those things 24:53 that are not as though they already were." 24:56 So I don't know where you are today, 24:59 but if you need a new heart, 25:00 if you want something new done in your life, 25:03 read the Word of God, 25:06 the same creative power in God's Word 25:08 when He spoke this world into an existence 25:11 exists in the Word of God today. 25:12 Amen. Amen. 25:14 Thank you so much. Yes. 25:15 God can create something from nothing. 25:18 Andy tells often my atheist friends 25:20 I believe in a Big Bang theory. 25:23 God said it and bang it happened. 25:26 We're gonna take a short break. 25:27 Don't go anywhere. We'll be right back. 25:34 Ever wish you could watch 25:36 a 3ABN Sabbath School Panel again, 25:38 or share it on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter? 25:41 Well, you can by visiting 3abnsabbathschoolpanel.com. 25:46 A clean design makes it easy 25:49 to find the program you're looking for. 25:51 There are also links to the Adult Bible Study Guide 25:54 so you can follow along. 25:56 Sharing is easy. 25:57 Just click share and choose your favorite social media. 26:00 Share a link, save a life for eternity. 26:04 Hello and welcome back to 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 26:07 We're going to pass it on to Brother Kenny Shelton 26:10 on Tuesday's lesson 26:11 entitled "The Benefits of Sharing God's Word" 26:14 or studying God's Word actually. 26:15 There we go, sharing and studying, 26:17 we'll just split it out. 26:18 Sharing and studying is very good 26:19 and I'm kind of like Sister Jill said here, 26:21 I'm glad that I got this portion. 26:23 Amen. 26:25 When we, you know, when they're divided up, 26:28 I believe the Holy Spirit does the dividing. 26:29 Praise God for that. 26:31 So anyway, we're going to be studying 26:32 the benefits of studying God's Word, 26:33 and there are a lot of benefits, 26:35 we'll not be able to go through all of them, 26:36 but I thought it'd be nice to start out 26:38 with a little simple Bible study. 26:39 That means looking up 26:41 some passage of scripture real quick, 26:42 and we won't be able to look them all up 26:44 because I'll just read portions of them, 26:45 but please jot them down. 26:47 Let's go through a few of these text, shall we, 26:49 the benefits of studying God's Word? 26:52 2 Peter 1:4. 26:54 2 Peter 1:4. 26:58 Now again, a benefit of studying God's Word, 27:00 we become partakers of the divine nature. 27:02 That's right. 27:04 How desperately we need that 27:05 by the grace of God to become what? 27:07 Like Jesus. 27:08 James 1:21. 27:12 James speaks of the implanted word, 27:15 notice that, that means the engrafted word, 27:18 which is able to save your souls. 27:21 Oh, I like that, 27:22 to have it implanted in the mind, 27:24 to put it into the mind, to insert it into the mind, 27:27 then it's able to save your soul. 27:29 This talk about benefits of studying the Word of God. 27:32 Acts 20:32. 27:34 Acts 20:32, Paul's speaking here. 27:38 He said, "The word of His grace 27:41 is able to build you up and give you an" 27:44 hmm, "an inheritance 27:45 among all those who are sanctified. 27:48 And then John 5:39. 27:51 Mitch, I love this. 27:52 Jesus says to the Jews, 27:54 no, He said, "Search the scriptures, 27:57 for in them you think you have" what? 27:59 "Eternal life," but what? 28:00 "They are they which testify of Me." 28:03 I love that scripture. 28:05 2 Timothy 3:15. 28:07 2 Timothy 3:15. 28:09 Notice, it says, 28:11 "The Holy Scriptures are able to make 28:13 the wise unto salvation, know, through faith, 28:18 which is in Christ Jesus." 28:19 This just a few passages, 28:20 we'll do a few more here in a moment. 28:22 But as we look, 28:23 as we started from the top at 2 Peter 1:4, 28:25 if we look into the Word of God and the benefits of it, 28:28 I become a partaker of divine nature, 28:31 then the Word of God if it's implanted 28:33 and grafted in me and put in my heart 28:35 and my mind is able to save your soul. 28:38 Good. That's right. 28:39 All of us want to be saved in the kingdom of God, 28:41 is that not right or at least engraft this, 28:42 put it in our minds and in our hearts. 28:46 Paul says right here, 28:47 that it's the Word of God is able to build you up. 28:51 All of us want to be built up in the cause of Christ, 28:54 not in this world, but in the cause of Christ. 28:56 And then as this built up, we'll receive an inheritance. 29:00 Praise God. 29:02 That means to me the inheritance is heaven. 29:04 And that's what it's all about. 29:05 The bottom line is heaven. 29:07 And then, of course, Jesus says, 29:08 search the scriptures, 29:09 because when you, listen, when you search the scriptures, 29:12 it says, you will find Jesus, 29:15 you cannot help but find Jesus 29:17 when you began to study and read Scripture. 29:20 And in 2 Timothy we talked about here, 29:22 the scriptures are able, praise God for this, 29:25 is able to make you wise. 29:28 I have no wisdom in this world, 29:30 but I'm telling you, scripture reading, 29:31 it makes you wise unto salvation. 29:34 You know, I praise God that we can find Jesus, 29:37 we can be wise unto salvation. 29:38 Read a couple of more, I think here a few more, 29:40 studying God's Word, John 14:6. 29:43 If we get no farther than this, it's okay 29:45 because I'm getting excited myself 29:46 about the word here. 29:48 John 14:6. Why? 29:50 Because Jesus said, He said, "I'm the way and I'm the what? 29:53 I'm the truth and I'm the life. 29:55 No man cometh to the Father but by Me. 29:58 He is the way. 29:59 We find this by studying Scripture. 30:01 He's the way, He's the truth, and He is the life. 30:04 Romans 6:23, 30:05 just the last part as you will know. 30:08 It says the gift of God is what? 30:09 Eternal life. 30:11 The gift of God is eternal life. 30:12 Benefits of studying the Word of God? 30:14 We're going to have by the grace, a gift of God, 30:16 it says eternal life, 30:17 which I'm very grateful and thankful for 1 John 5:11. 30:20 It says this, 1 John 5:11. 30:23 This is the record 30:25 that God had given to us eternal life. 30:27 Notice this, this life is in His Son. 30:31 Praise God. 30:33 This is the record, this is written down. 30:34 This is the way that it is, God has given us well already. 30:38 He's given us eternal life. 30:39 He's given you eternal life. 30:41 Just by faith, we need to reach out and grasp, 30:43 but we talked about the Word, 30:45 you mentioned while ago 30:46 that His Word will not return void. 30:48 Put that word out there, there's going to be a harvest. 30:50 There's going to be the souls into the kingdom. 30:52 God says right here, eternal life. 30:54 He is life and life is in His Son. 30:57 1 Timothy 1:15. 30:59 1 Timothy 1:15. 31:02 Jesus simply said, He came to do what? 31:04 Jesus came to this world for a purpose. 31:08 And if you could put a bottom line 31:10 also maybe may go different direction, 31:12 but I like to go this direction 31:13 because the Bible said, 1 Timothy 1:15, 31:16 "He came to save sinners." 31:18 Paul said, he was, was he the chief? 31:20 Chief. He's a chief. 31:22 And I think each of us as we look in the mirror today 31:24 when it should be real to us to look and say I'm chief. 31:27 I'm the chief of sinner, 31:28 because the Bible said there's none good, 31:31 no, not one. 31:32 We have nothing to tout. 31:33 We have nothing to try to elevate. 31:35 We simply have Jesus we want to lift up, 31:36 save sinners. 31:38 And then we learned this in Matthew 1:21. 31:41 The Bible simply says, 31:42 "Why did Jesus come into this world?" 31:44 He came to save His people from their what? 31:46 He comes to save us from their sin. 31:48 Everybody else says, well, not in their sins, absolutely, 31:50 but from their sins. 31:52 So the benefits of studying God's Word, 31:54 you could go passage after passage after passage, 31:57 and each one I think would give you encouragement 31:59 and give you strength here. 32:00 So, you know, again was Tuesday's lesson 32:02 we start out this thought, which is a good foundation. 32:06 I've always believed in a good foundation. 32:09 Sometime I think maybe I've stood 32:11 on some has been a little bit crumbly 32:12 and little bit shaky and they've cracked 32:14 and they'll fall through. 32:15 But when you build something, 32:16 you want it on a good foundation. 32:18 You're building your life in Christ. 32:20 You must have the good foundation, 32:22 you must have that solid rock and this rock is on, 32:25 this rock is Jesus, but He's the only one. 32:29 The Great Controversy, 32:30 page 555, the lesson brings it out, 32:33 Great Controversy 555 says this, 32:35 "It is the law, 32:37 both of the intellect and spiritual nature, 32:41 that by" what? 32:42 "Beholding" what happens? 32:43 "We become changed." 32:45 Now notice this, 32:46 the mind gradually adopts itself 32:49 to the subjects 32:50 upon which it is allowed to dwell. 32:53 Now that could be good and bad. 32:55 Could it? 32:56 So something in the mind 32:58 that has if we dwell on these things 33:00 that's what we become like. 33:02 So we want to make sure 33:03 we dwell on the good things of God. 33:05 Don't let the things of the world 33:06 and things of the enemy come in. 33:07 And that certainly supported by 2 Corinthians 3:18, 33:12 to simply paraphrasing, but we behold Christ. 33:15 We behold Him in His Word, then we become what? 33:18 Changed. 33:19 Like ourself in a mirror, right? 33:20 We become like Him. 33:22 Again, again, looking at the benefits 33:24 of studying God's Word. 33:26 I've heard this say 33:27 and I think probably you have too, 33:30 to know God is to love Him. 33:32 To know God is to love Him. 33:34 But you know, there's only one reason 33:36 people maybe they don't love God. 33:38 You say, "They don't love God." 33:40 It's because you don't know Him. 33:42 I mean, it's very simple. 33:43 That's really is mind boggling as you think about it. 33:45 If you know Him, you will love Him. 33:51 Our love for Him 33:52 and our love for Him 33:54 and as we gain a knowledge of Him, 33:56 it just continues to grow and grow and grow, 33:59 and we have this kind of love 34:01 that we need to share with one another. 34:02 I need that kind of love in my heart, 34:04 not only for my fellow man, but you know, 34:06 we need that for God and for our fellow man 34:09 that we might reach out and touch someone for Jesus. 34:12 So it's a knowledge then of the truth 34:14 about God which sanctifies, sanctifies, 34:18 and only those 34:19 who were gonna make it to heaven 34:20 that needs to be sanctified, isn't that right? 34:22 That's right. Was it John 17:17 says what? 34:25 Sanctify them through thy truth, 34:27 thy word is truth." 34:29 Benefits of the Word of God. 34:30 It brings sanctification to the life. 34:32 That's right. 34:33 No one's going to make it to the kingdom 34:34 without being sanctified by the Word of God 34:36 and certainly we're talking about Christ. 34:38 God transforms us through the means of truth, 34:43 and certainly of a knowledge of Himself 34:46 which would be His character 34:48 and, of course, of His love by constantly beholding Him. 34:53 That means how do we constantly behold Christ? 34:55 In His Word. 34:57 Be constantly beholding Him in His Word. 34:59 We will continue constantly be growing in grace. 35:03 And then growing in grace allows us 35:06 to become more and more like Him into His character. 35:10 Benefits of studying God's Word. 35:12 Many of those, absolutely, 35:13 we receive a knowledge of the truth. 35:16 It certainly converts, it convicts, 35:17 we realize that it sanctifies, it transforms, 35:20 it perfects the character. 35:22 You know, I need perfection of character, 35:24 you know, I could look in the mirror, 35:25 I can look in the Word of God. 35:27 And I can see some changes need to take place 35:29 before the coming of the Lord and Savior. 35:31 Why? 35:33 because I'm not looking at the world, 35:34 I'm not looking at the preacher, 35:36 I'm not looking at evangelists, 35:37 I'm not looking at anybody for my example. 35:38 I'm looking to Jesus Christ, My Lord and my Savior. 35:41 And every time I look at Him, I see I fall short. 35:43 That's right. 35:44 That doesn't discourage me and make me want to quit 35:46 like some people say, "Well, I just want to give up." 35:48 No, it drives me to my knees and to Jesus, you see, 35:53 and then by beholding we become changed. 35:55 It will give us exactly what we need 35:57 because the Word of God can change us and convert us. 36:00 You know, I think we need a cleansing, don't you? 36:03 Last passage, Ephesians 5:26, that "He might do" what? 36:07 "Sanctify and cleanse it." 36:09 Who is He gonna sanctify and cleanse? 36:11 He's talking about the church. 36:12 He's talking about us, remember we need, 36:14 you know, some of us need a little more than cleansing, 36:15 a little more water, we need scrubbed. 36:17 That's right. 36:18 We need a little scrubbing going on. 36:19 So I'm asking God to come in 36:21 and do some scrubbing on me first. 36:22 That's what I do. 36:24 And, you know, the Word of God does build us up, 36:26 edifies us and it does cleanse us 36:28 and leads us to Him. 36:29 Amen. 36:31 Thank you, Pastor Kenny, appreciate that. 36:32 Now, Wednesday is "Applying God's Word." 36:35 Amen. 36:36 You know, applying God's Word and you both are builders. 36:39 To me if I could use this analogy quickly, 36:41 applying God's Word 36:43 is like applying paint to a house. 36:45 Okay. It's not enough to have it. 36:48 It has to be applied to make it different. 36:49 Come on, it's good. 36:50 And so when we think about the power of God's Word, 36:53 you know, Pastor Finley pointed out 36:54 that somebody mentioned 36:56 that there are more than 3000 promises of God 36:58 in the Word, 37:00 but promises mean nothing if you don't apply them. 37:03 So I thought about a couple of things 37:04 and one of my favorite speakers 37:06 who's resting in the Lord now Pastor CD Brooks. 37:08 He said the issue is never God's Word, 37:10 is how a person applies it. 37:12 As he said in a beautiful way, he says, 37:14 "You know the Son of God or the Word of God 37:17 melts butter but also hardens clay." 37:20 It depends on the condition of the human heart. 37:22 The Word of God is surgical for one person, 37:26 but healing for the other. 37:28 For the other person it's dynamic, 37:29 for the other person it's didactic, 37:31 meaning it's continually leading, 37:33 continually guiding. 37:34 To one it's a lie disseminator, 37:36 to the other one it's a lie detector. 37:38 So the Word of God is, 37:39 you know, it has multifaceted aspects to it. 37:42 The Bible reveals the mind of God. 37:44 It also reveals the state of man, 37:46 reveals the way of salvation, reveals the doom of sinners 37:49 and the happiness of believers. 37:50 Its precepts are binding, its history is true, 37:54 its decisions are immutable, 37:55 but it always depends 37:57 on how you apply the Word of God. 37:59 For example, David in Psalm 119:130, 38:01 he talks about the light disseminating qualities 38:04 of God's Word. 38:06 He said, "The entrance of Your Word gives light. 38:09 It gives an understanding to the simple." 38:12 Also the Bible is a sin preventer. 38:15 David in Psalm 119:111, 38:17 "Your Word have I hidden in my heart, 38:19 that I might not sin against thee." 38:21 But in every one of these applications so far, 38:24 it's applied. 38:25 In every one of these scriptures so far, 38:27 it has to be applied to prevent sin, 38:30 to give light and also it's a life provider. 38:34 Psalm 19:150, 38:35 "This is my comfort in my affliction, 38:38 for Your Word has given me life." 38:41 One of the greatest problems in the world today 38:43 is have to have something so powerful, Danny, 38:47 and just let it sit on your dining table. 38:51 I mean, can you imagine it's surgical, it's healing, 38:55 it's dynamic, didactic, it leads, it guides, 38:58 it disseminates lie, it prevents sin, 39:01 it gives wisdom, all these things. 39:03 And it's better than any medication 39:05 you have in your house. 39:06 That's right. 39:08 But people complain and they have the best antidote 39:09 right there on their... 39:13 nightstand. 39:14 Healing is just an extended arm away. 39:17 Elijah talked 39:19 about how the application of God's Word 39:21 was a blessing to him. 39:22 1 Kings 18:36, the Bible says, 39:25 "And it came to pass at the time of the offering 39:27 of the evening sacrifice, 39:29 that Elijah the Prophet came near and said, 39:32 'Oh Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac in Israel, 39:36 let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, 39:39 and I am your servant, and that," 39:42 I love this, "I have done all things, 39:46 all these things at Your Word." 39:49 So once again, 39:51 that's the application of God's Word. 39:53 Everything that we do as servants of God 39:57 should not be done by whim or by, 39:59 whoa, this is what I think would work. 40:01 But God's Word guides us, enlightens our path. 40:05 It gives us wisdom, it makes the simple. 40:07 It makes the simple wise. 40:09 You know, as the Bible talked about the testimony, 40:11 the testimony of the Lord is sure making wise the simple. 40:14 The testimony come from God's Word. 40:16 But not only that, 40:18 it, even all the things I've mentioned, 40:20 well, Danny, you know, this passage. 40:22 It's able to do exceedingly abundantly 40:25 above all that you could ask or think. 40:28 That's God's Word. Amen. 40:30 So we could come up with all these applications 40:33 for God's Word, 40:35 and then the Bible says 40:36 He's still able to do exceedingly, abundantly 40:40 above all that you ask or think. 40:42 So that's a powerful tool to have this tool in your hand, 40:45 and I found that when we need light and understanding. 40:50 I've had examples. 40:52 I'll use an anecdotal story here. 40:53 You know, there's some evenings when I'm just tired. 40:55 You know, when we put together Sabbath School 40:57 and we really go at it. 41:00 And we are, we get busy, 41:02 we go home become drained and exhausted. 41:04 I'm sitting there and Angie said, 41:05 "We have devotions." 41:07 I said, "I'm tired." 41:10 She gets out the Bible, 41:12 and it's like dropping a match in the fire. 41:16 And she gets the fire started 41:17 and I'm applying for another hour. 41:19 She said, 41:20 "Would you please turn the light off? 41:21 I got to go to bed." 41:23 I said, "Honey, you started a fire. 41:24 And I just found something that I didn't see before." 41:27 That shows the breathing of God's Word 41:30 is the living Word. 41:32 I did a sermon few years ago called The Book that Breathes. 41:35 It gives continual light. 41:37 And it is by the Word of God 41:40 that Paul the Apostle is able to say these words. 41:44 He who did not spare, Romans 8:32, 41:47 "He who did not spare his own Son, 41:50 but delivered him up for us all, 41:52 how shall he not with him 41:54 also freely give us all things?" 41:57 So through the Word of God, we have access to all things, 42:00 because the Word of God is not just the written Word, 42:02 it is the living Word. 42:04 Right. 42:05 The Living Word of God, we have all things. 42:07 So let's look at some of the promises. 42:09 The promises of God's Word 42:11 is based on the provision of God's Word. 42:13 He says, "If we confess our sins, 42:15 He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins 42:18 and cleanse us" from how much? 42:19 "All." Can we take Him at His word? 42:22 Of course, it's a promise. 42:24 That's a promise. 42:26 Not only is it a passage 42:27 that we have repeated a number of times, 42:29 but it's a promise, 42:31 as a little kids who say to the parents, 42:32 but you promised. 42:34 Yes, Father, He promised if we confess our sins, 42:38 He is faithful and just to do what? 42:40 Forgive us and cleanse us from how much? 42:42 All. 42:43 One that ends with all. 42:45 So if you cleanse from all unrighteousness, 42:47 what are you? 42:48 Righteous. 42:50 Thank you, say it again, Jill. 42:51 Righteous. Thank you. 42:52 We can only be righteous 42:54 by the cleansing promises of God's Word. 42:57 Not only that, we have the assurance 42:59 that comes through God's Word. 43:01 Philippians 4:13, we all know what? 43:02 I can do all things through Christ. 43:04 How many things, Danny? All. 43:06 All things. 43:08 Danny, it's all God, all power, all authority, 43:11 probably all you need. 43:12 I can do all things through Christ 43:14 who strengthens me, 43:15 but not only through the living Christ, 43:17 but through the written. 43:19 Yes. Jesus is the written Word. 43:21 He's the living Word and the written Word. 43:23 Not only that, another promise, Philippians 4:19. 43:28 "And my God shall supply 43:31 all of my need according to his." 43:33 Good thing you're sitting right next to me. 43:35 I don't have anybody to talk to. 43:37 Thank you. I'd remember that one. 43:40 But in God, my God shall supply 43:41 all of your need 43:43 according to his riches and glory. 43:45 These are promises that when we have times of lean 43:49 or times of plenty. 43:50 In times of plenty, 43:52 we must remember God gave us all. 43:54 In times of lean, we must remember 43:56 God can give us all because He owns all. 43:59 Also but however, however, 44:02 there are conditions to these promises. 44:04 Hebrews 3:19. 44:06 Look at one of the conditions to the promises of God. 44:08 Here it is. 44:10 So we see that they could not enter in 44:14 because of unbelief. 44:16 So if you don't believe God's promises, 44:19 can't do anything for you. 44:20 Hebrews 11:6 says, "But without faith, 44:24 it is impossible to please Him. 44:27 For he who comes to God must believe that He is, 44:31 that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." 44:36 You got to believe that, if you're going to come to God, 44:39 you know, people might say dimensionally, 44:40 can I feel God? 44:41 Can I see God? No. 44:43 But His promises continually repeated 44:45 and fulfilled, 44:47 is evidence that God is real. 44:49 His continual evidence that God is real, 44:53 but without faith, it's impossible 44:55 because you'd have to come to Him 44:56 through the curtain of belief. 44:58 Not only that, 45:00 Matthew 13:58 points out how effective God's Word can be 45:04 and how ineffective it can be. 45:07 He says, "Now he did not do many works there 45:11 because of their unbelief." 45:13 That's the place where Jesus was raised 45:15 in his own community. 45:16 Now, how many times is that true? 45:18 A profit is without honor in his own country. 45:22 Some people, I've met people at Walmart say, 45:25 "I know, Mr. Shelton. 45:27 I knew when he was a little kid, 45:28 I saw him raised up." 45:30 And I said, "Well, why don't you come out to 3ABN 45:31 and see what God has done through his life." 45:33 "Well, I watch him on television, 45:34 that's good enough for me." 45:36 God can do much more. 45:37 Oh, yeah. Yeah. 45:39 If we understand that by God's Word, 45:40 everything is done. 45:42 This ministry came into existence 45:43 by God's Word, 45:44 but Danny had to believe it. 45:47 And so we all have to believe that what God can do 45:50 and has done is done by His Word. 45:52 And then I like this one, Mark 9:23. 45:57 Mark 9:23. 45:58 This is what the promise of God is all about. 46:01 You see, friends, when you are doubting 46:04 and when you are without, 46:06 and when you are lonely and when you feel 46:08 that you've been tossed aside and forgotten. 46:11 Remember what the Lord said in Mark 9:23. 46:16 He says, "If you can believe, all things are," what? 46:23 "Possible." 46:24 And the Apostle Peter in 2 Peter 1:3, 46:27 made it clear 46:29 about how the platform of God's promises are based. 46:33 He says, "As His divine power has given to us all things 46:37 that pertain to life and godliness 46:40 through the knowledge of Him 46:42 who called us by glory and virtue." 46:45 Amen. Yes, it's beautiful. 46:46 I love it. 46:48 Good news for sharing, right? 46:49 That's right. 46:51 Danny, when you got married, did you send out announcements? 46:55 Were you telling everybody about it? 46:57 Absolutely. Yeah. 46:58 Kenny, how about when you got that 1957 Chevrolet car 47:01 in high school, 47:02 it was fairly new back then, I hate to say that, beautiful. 47:05 Did you tell anybody about it? 47:06 Told everybody about it, and I call it Dragon Main. 47:09 Dragon Main go up and down street, 47:11 we drag Main Street, West Frankfort. 47:13 You're excited about. 47:14 How about when you've got your first Good job? 47:16 You graduated school? 47:17 How about when you got your first home you moved into, 47:20 whether you rented it, you built it, you own it? 47:23 That's exciting news. 47:24 You told everybody, didn't you? 47:25 Yeah. 47:27 I remember when Melody was born way back. 47:28 She won't let me say her age. 47:30 She should brag about it at that age. 47:32 But way back when Melody was born, 47:34 I went to the hospital and they told me, 47:35 you have a little girl. 47:37 Now I thought it was going to be a boy 47:38 because they didn't weren't able 47:39 to tell back then. 47:41 But I was thrilled. 47:42 When I saw that little baby girl, 47:43 I told everybody, 47:45 I didn't do the passing out the cigars, 47:47 which we used to do you know when you had a baby. 47:49 I didn't do that. 47:50 But I told everybody about Melody 47:52 and how wonderful this was to have this little girl. 47:55 Now all these years later, 47:58 I'm still telling everybody 47:59 how wonderful it is to have this little girl. 48:02 Now I see her up front singing for Jesus. 48:04 And I'm so happy. 48:05 I'm still in love with my little girl, 48:08 still love her with all my heart. 48:10 Same way with your spouse, you fall in love with that. 48:13 When you fall in love with Jesus, 48:14 can you remember being that excited 48:16 about your first love with Jesus, 48:18 when you fell in love with Jesus? 48:20 We should remember that. 48:22 You should be, Kenny, going back to that 57 car, 48:24 that impressed me. 48:26 And I mean, I was younger than you, 48:27 I didn't have a car at the time. 48:28 That's, I still remember that. 48:30 But when you fall in love with Jesus, 48:32 how many times do we forget about it 48:35 over the years. 48:36 So today what we want to talk about is sharing the Word. 48:39 And I'm so thankful to be a part of a ministry 48:42 that believes in sharing the Word. 48:45 And I like to go back, 48:47 we're going to go back to the Bible, 48:49 we're at Acts 4:20. 48:50 And so, it says, 48:51 "When the religious leaders tried to stop the apostles 48:54 from preaching the gospel, 48:56 Peter declared, 48:58 'For we cannot but speak the things 49:00 which we have seen and heard.'" 49:02 In other words, I can't control myself. 49:05 Even if I don't want to, I have to. 49:07 It's in me, what I've learned, what I've experienced, 49:10 what I've seen, what I've heard, 49:11 the joy of the Lord is my strength. 49:14 And now I can't quit. 49:15 Then Paul over in Romans 1 says, 49:18 "I'm ready to preach the gospel 49:19 to those of you that are in Rome, 49:21 for I'm not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, 49:23 or there's a power of God unto salvation 49:26 to everyone that believe it, to the Jew first, 49:28 and then also to the Greek." 49:30 I want to tell you this today, 49:32 you are the most effective preacher there is. 49:36 I might stop for a second, let you think about it. 49:38 I'm talking about you. 49:40 You all are great preachers and teachers. 49:42 But the greatest teacher and preacher 49:44 on this earth right now is you, 49:46 it's not Pastor Finley who wrote this, 49:48 it's not the others. 49:49 You know why? 49:50 Because your personal testimony is your greatest asset. 49:54 So when you tell people about what Jesus did for you, 49:58 that's life changing for people. 50:00 When they hear it, they can read the Bible. 50:03 Somebody can tell them what happened. 50:05 But when you say, this is what happened to me, 50:08 your life changes. 50:10 You're not who you used to be. 50:12 I mean, I... 50:13 Something really big happens when you meet Jesus. 50:16 There's a song says, "Then I met the master. 50:18 Now I belong to Him." 50:20 Yeah. 50:21 So when you meet Jesus, you meet the master, 50:23 your whole life's going to change. 50:24 That's right. 50:26 It's not going to be business as usual. 50:28 I tell you, I've interviewed over the years 50:30 many of you have too. 50:31 We've interviewed prostitutes, thieves, drug addicts, 50:36 yes and even murderers, 50:38 but their testimony when they get on 50:40 and you give your personal testimony, 50:43 it's life or death to somebody else. 50:45 So what I'm saying today is you can watch 3ABN 50:47 and you can watch all the people, 50:49 but responsibility comes back to you. 50:51 Do you really love Jesus? 50:53 If you do, Ryan, you can't help. 50:55 Ryan can't stop preaching. That's right. 50:57 Even if you wanted to, you can't stop preaching 50:59 because you're still excited about the Lord, 51:02 you still have that first love that we all should have. 51:06 2 Peter 4:2 says, 51:08 "Preach the word, be instant in season, 51:11 out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort, 51:15 and with all with longsuffering and doctrine." 51:18 So let me ask you this. 51:19 How long after you fall in love with Jesus 51:22 should it be before you're able to go 51:24 preach the Word? 51:26 Do you need to go the seminary that we always say seminary, 51:30 sometimes cemetery, 51:31 but should we go the seminary a few years 51:33 and then decide to preach? 51:35 Do I need to study with Pastor John for a year? 51:37 Once you accept Jesus, 51:39 when you have that come to Jesus moment, 51:42 Lord Jesus come into my life, 51:43 forgive me for my sins, and He's faithful 51:46 and just as you already talked about, 51:48 and cleanse me from all unrighteousness. 51:50 How long do you need before you become qualified 51:53 and equipped to preach? 51:55 Instantly? 51:56 You're ready 51:57 because your life has been changed. 51:59 I'll never forget that I interviewed a couple 52:01 from way in the northern part of the United States. 52:04 The guy owned pornography magazine. 52:07 His wife was a madam of you know what it is, 52:10 I'm not gonna explain it to you. 52:12 All right, just trust me. 52:13 It wasn't good thing at the time. 52:15 So they're on vacation, 52:16 and they're gone for several weeks, 52:18 they come home, 52:20 and they turn on the television at night the guy does, 52:22 I love watching TV. 52:24 And he didn't have any television. 52:25 His cable had been disconnected. 52:27 So the cable is disconnected. 52:29 So he said, "What am I going to do?" 52:31 Well, he hadn't paid the bill. They forgot about it. 52:33 So they just, the only channel he could get 52:36 was 3ABN, the only channel. 52:39 So during the night, he watched for hours. 52:42 He said, "I watched for hours, I couldn't stop. 52:45 Then probably two or three in the morning, 52:47 Elder John Carter was on 52:48 and made an appeal 52:50 to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. 52:53 And he said, "If you're unhappy, 52:54 if you don't have peace." 52:55 And all of a sudden guy says, "I'm unhappy, I have money. 52:58 I have all these things. I don't have peace. 53:00 I don't have joy in my life. 53:02 So I gave my life to Jesus." 53:04 I was so excited that I woke my wife up. 53:07 Now remember our businesses. 53:09 I said, Honey, I've just become a Christian. 53:11 Jesus has saved me. 53:13 I thought she'd be excited. 53:14 He said, she said, 53:16 "What in the world is wrong with you?" 53:18 And he said, "Nothing. 53:19 I've accepted Jesus, I felt the change in my life." 53:23 They got into a big argument. 53:24 She became so upset that he said, 53:27 "I saw demons in her coming at me." 53:31 And I, he said, "I'm brand new Christian, 53:33 but what I do? 53:34 I rebuke the demons when they came. 53:36 All right. 53:37 So how long does it take 53:39 once we accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of our life? 53:42 Instantly. 53:44 God can, just as He created the world with the Big Bang, 53:46 you said, He spoke it and bang it happened. 53:49 That's right. Absolutely. 53:50 I agree with that too, I love it. 53:52 My appeal today as we look back over our Christian experiences, 53:55 do you still love Jesus? 53:56 Amen. Or have you drifted away? 53:58 Are you still so happy with Jesus 54:00 that everybody around you knows it, right? 54:02 You can't contain it. 54:04 The devil will try to deceive you. 54:05 He'll try to rob you of your joy. 54:07 But you've got to stay in contact 54:09 just like your relationship. 54:11 You got to pray, Bible studies, 54:13 John says even though you're tired, 54:14 you and Angie, you have your Bible studies. 54:17 Because if we lose our first love, 54:19 Revelation 2:4-5 says, 54:22 "But I have this against you, 54:23 that you've abandoned the love you had first. 54:26 Remember therefore that where you have fallen, 54:29 repent and do the works you did at first." 54:32 He says, "If not, I'll come and remove you, 54:34 remove your lampstand 54:35 from its place unless you repent." 54:38 So my question today in the closing is, 54:41 are we ready for Jesus to come? 54:43 Do you have that first love that you once had? 54:46 If Jesus came to your house, there's an old song years ago, 54:49 most of you too young to remember 54:51 it says of Jesus. 54:52 I'm gonna give you the words. 54:54 One of these you talk and you sing at the same, 54:55 I think Porter Wagoner or somebody. 54:57 If Jesus came to your house to spend a day or two, 55:00 if He came unexpectedly, I wonder what you'll do? 55:03 When you saw Him coming, 55:05 would you meet Him at the door 55:06 with arms outstretched 55:07 and welcome your heavenly visitor? 55:09 Or would you need to change some things 55:11 before you let Him in? 55:13 Like burn some magazines 55:14 and put the Bible where they'd been? 55:17 Oh, I know that you'd give Him your nicest room 55:19 to such an honored guest. 55:21 And all the food you'd serve Him 55:22 would be your very best, 55:24 that serving Him in your home was a joy beyond compare. 55:28 But what about your family conversation? 55:30 Would it keep up its normal pace? 55:32 And would you find it hard to say a grace, table grace? 55:36 Would you be glad to have Him stay forever on and on? 55:39 Or would you sigh relief when He would finally gone? 55:43 You know, it might be interesting 55:44 to know the things you would do 55:46 if Jesus came in person to spend some time with you. 55:50 What would you do if Jesus came to your house? 55:54 Hmm, good question. 55:56 My question is for you, 55:57 would Jesus recognize Himself in You and me. 56:02 If Jesus came to my house, if Jesus came to your house, 56:05 would He recognize Himself in us? 56:09 If so, would He see that desire 56:12 to take this great gospel of the kingdom? 56:14 Go ye therefore into all the world. 56:17 That's my hope and prayer for each one of us today, 56:20 as we have the opportunity 56:23 to share the great gospel commission 56:25 and the love of Jesus Christ to lost and dying world. 56:29 Amen. Praise the Lord. 56:30 Man, I'm getting excited down here, 56:31 all that enthusiasm. 56:33 Praise the Lord. We got a little over a minute. 56:35 Give some final thoughts. 56:36 2 Corinthians 1:20, 56:38 "All the promises in God, 56:41 of God in Him are yes and amen in Christ Jesus." 56:45 So, claim those promises in the Word. 56:47 There's power in the Word. 56:49 Amen. 56:50 Simply what we've been studying about here. 56:52 Excuse me, through the study of God's Word and prayer. 56:55 The heart is melted and it's changed. 56:58 It's filled with love, grace and patience. 57:01 May the Spirit of the living God 57:03 just come in and do that 57:04 in each of our hearts in our lives today. 57:07 And if the Word of God 57:08 was needed at the inauguration of the church, 57:11 how much more is the Word of God needed 57:13 when we are preparing 57:15 for the coronation of the church. 57:16 Yes. Amen. 57:17 Are you still excited about Jesus? 57:20 Do you have that first love? 57:21 If not, today is a great time. 57:23 This is a great moment to ask Jesus 57:25 to come into your heart, mind, in your life, 57:28 and to start all over and get that excitement 57:30 and that joy to go tell others of His soon coming. 57:34 Amen. Praise the Lord. 57:35 I think Lanny Wolfe wrote it best 57:37 in the song Jesus did it for me. 57:38 All right. 57:39 It says, you ask me how I know, 57:41 Jesus' blood washed me whiter than snow. 57:43 I can say that I know it so because Jesus did it for me. 57:47 We all have a powerful testimony. 57:49 Share that testimony for Jesus today, my friends. 57:51 We're so thankful 57:52 that you've joined us this week. 57:54 We hope that you join us next week. 57:55 We're going to have another powerful study 57:57 lesson number eight 57:58 entitled, "Ministering like Jesus." 58:01 God bless. Have a good day. 58:02 Amen. |
Revised 2020-08-14