Participants:
Series Code: SSP
Program Code: SSP200052S
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00:01 Hello, friends, we have arrived
00:02 to our very last study of this quarter, 00:05 lesson number 13 on our study in Education, 00:08 we're looking at Christian education. 00:10 And it's been an exciting study indeed. 00:12 This week we're going to be studying 00:14 "Heaven Education and Eternal Learning." 00:17 You may not have a copy of this lesson. 00:20 At this point, you can simply go online 00:22 to ABSG.Adventist.org. 00:26 And, of course, we always want to encourage you 00:27 if you can find a local Seventh-day Adventist Church, 00:30 I'm sure they would love for you 00:31 to continue this study with them. 00:33 Until then, we want you to get your notepads, 00:35 your pens, your pencils, 00:36 anything that you can write with, 00:38 and get ready to take some exciting notes 00:40 and learn more about Jesus 00:41 in this very, very epic Bible study adventure. 01:16 Hello and welcome to 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 01:18 We are so thankful 01:20 that you are joining us again for this week number 13. 01:23 We've been going through our studies on Education 01:25 and it's been such a blessing. 01:27 And we thank you for joining us again 01:29 each and every week for your love, your prayers 01:31 and support of 3ABN Ministry 01:33 and for 3ABN Sabbath School panel 01:34 where we love to study God's Word. 01:36 Again, we're lesson number 13, it's entitled 01:38 "Heaven, Education and Eternal Learning." 01:42 And I guess I will introduce our family, 01:44 our panel family, our family panel, 01:45 however we say that. 01:48 Miss Shelley Quinn, it's a blessing to have you. 01:49 Oh, it's always a blessing to be here. 01:51 Thank you. Praise the Lord. 01:53 And we have Pastor John Lomacang. 01:54 It's always good to have you, Brother. 01:56 And mine is called then shall we know 01:57 in a few moments, you'll know what we know. 02:01 And, of course, 02:02 that was a blessing to have Miss Yvonne Shelton. 02:04 It's a blessing to have you. Thank you. 02:06 It's a wonderful blessing for me to be here. 02:08 Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. 02:09 And, of course, Miss Jill Morikone, 02:11 how are you? 02:12 I'm doing well. 02:13 Excited to open up God's Word 02:15 and to learn from each one of you. 02:16 Amen. Amen. Amen. 02:18 You know, every time we get to these lesson number 13, 02:20 it's almost like, 02:22 I don't know, I thought the energy just picks up 02:24 because it's, you know, it's kind of like a movie, 02:26 you watch a good movie, or you hear a good story, 02:28 and you're just waiting for that, 02:29 that powerful, you know, grand finale ending, 02:32 and I believe that this is going to be it 02:34 because just the topic, heaven. 02:36 I mean, when you're talking about heaven. 02:38 I mean, I get excited about that, 02:39 because you know, this world is not our home, my friends. 02:43 And I want to be the first to tell you 02:44 where we're striving towards heaven. 02:46 And we've been educated 02:48 through this entire study on Christian education. 02:51 And I want to get right into our memory text 02:54 in just a moment. 02:55 But first, we're going to have a prayer. 02:56 And, Miss Yvonne, would you have a prayer for us? 02:58 I would be happy to. 03:00 Father God, we just praise Your name. 03:02 We just thank You so much 03:03 for the privilege of being able to do these programs 03:06 and to study Your Word and we pray for Your presence. 03:09 We pray for the anointing of Your Holy Spirit. 03:12 And we thank You again, Lord, that You are with us, 03:15 in Jesus' name, amen. 03:17 Praise the Lord. Thank you. 03:19 Our memory text is one of my favorites. 03:22 In fact, I quote this often, 03:24 because it helps me to be reminded 03:26 that even though we try to picture or imagine 03:31 what heaven is going to be like, 03:32 God is there to remind and learn. 03:34 You can imagine all day long, but you have no clue. 03:37 You have no clue, 03:38 you can't even begin to create in your mind 03:41 what I have prepared for you. 03:43 1 Corinthians 2:9. 03:45 And this is what the Bible says, 03:47 "Eyes has not seen, nor ear heard, 03:51 nor have entered into the heart of man, 03:54 the things which God has prepared 03:57 for those who love Him." 03:59 Amen. 04:00 And kind of Sabbath afternoon into Sunday's lesson 04:04 is dealing with a topic 04:06 that some people don't like to talk about, 04:08 seems to be kind of an uncomfortable subject. 04:10 And that is the topic of death. 04:12 Because ultimately, 04:14 people don't want to face the reality 04:16 that unless Jesus comes back again, 04:18 each and every one of us will see death. 04:21 And people have questions about death, 04:22 they wonder, they speculate as to is that the end, 04:26 and some people believe that once you die, that's it. 04:29 There's nothing else beyond the grave 04:31 or there's nothing else beyond or after the point of death. 04:35 And that's essentially 04:36 what the point of our lesson is all about, 04:38 Sunday's lesson which I think 04:39 and sum up Sabbath afternoon and Sunday is entitled 04:43 "The Fate of the Dead." 04:45 And we're going to be reading some texts, 04:46 and I have a lot of them here. 04:48 In fact, I don't even know 04:49 if I'm going to get through all of these, 04:50 but we're going to do our best to. 04:52 The Bible has such an abundance 04:54 of messages and passages and scriptures 04:57 on not only what happens to us 04:59 when we die at the point of death. 05:01 In other words, the state of the dead. 05:02 But the beautiful promise, and I like to say, 05:05 I like to call it that the beautiful promise 05:07 because some people when they think of death, 05:09 they think of, you know, oh, that's the end, that's it. 05:12 But yet the Bible says, 05:13 you know, Paul says to die is to gain. 05:15 You know, and lot of people don't know this, 05:17 they don't, they're not aware 05:19 that God has promised us that beyond the grave, 05:21 He has something prepared for us. 05:23 So the fate of the dead, Sunday's lesson. 05:26 I want to start in a passage 05:27 that many people probably wouldn't start. 05:30 But I think it's a great starting point. 05:31 I want us to go to 2 Corinthians Chapter 5. 05:34 Let's go to 2 Corinthians Chapter 5. 05:36 And I want to read a passage 05:37 that's actually often misunderstood, 05:40 based on one verse from this passage, 05:42 but I think there's also a beautiful, powerful message 05:45 that comes from this particular starting point today. 05:48 So 2 Corinthians Chapter 5. 05:50 And I'm going to begin right there in verse 1. 05:53 The Bible says, 05:54 "For we know that 05:55 if our earthly house, this tent," 05:59 and I just want to pause there 06:00 and be clear about what we're talking about. 06:01 When Paul's talking about the earthly house, this tent, 06:05 he's referring to our bodies. 06:06 He's referring to this carnal body, 06:08 this earthly has this, this carnal, earthly beaten, 06:11 and battered body that we have 06:13 as we're traveling through this life 06:15 on the road to our next life. 06:17 He says, 06:18 "This tent is destroyed. We have the building for God, 06:22 a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." 06:25 So Paul often refers to our bodies 06:27 as the temple of the Holy Spirit. 06:28 Another word for temple would be tabernacle, 06:31 and so that our bodies is the tabernacle 06:33 or the temple of the Holy Spirit. 06:34 And he's simply opening up in this first verse saying, 06:36 you know what, we've grown in this body, 06:38 we desire what God has prepared for us 06:41 in the heavens and you know what? 06:42 One day He's going to change this tent, 06:45 this vile tent into an earthly heavenly tent. 06:48 And then verse 2 goes on to say, 06:50 "For in this we groan, 06:52 earnestly desiring to be clothed 06:54 with our habitation which is from heaven, 06:57 if indeed, having been clothed, 06:58 we shall not be found naked." 07:00 Again, He's just reaffirming the fact 07:02 that we desire to be away 07:04 and out of this earthly battered body, 07:07 and to have that new heavenly body 07:08 that God is going to create for us. 07:10 Notice number four, 07:12 "For we who are in this tent groan, 07:14 being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, 07:17 but further clothed, 07:19 that mortality might be swallowed up of life." 07:22 So this is verse 4 that we just read. 07:25 And I think this is the key to understanding, 07:27 probably one of the most misunderstood text 07:29 which is actually verse 8. 07:31 Okay, let's read through and when we get to verse 8, 07:33 you're going to see what that is. 07:34 Verse 5, let's continue on. 07:35 It says, "Now He who has prepared us 07:37 for this very thing is God, 07:39 who also has given us the spirit as a guarantee. 07:44 So we are always confident, 07:46 knowing that while we are at home in the body 07:49 we are absent from the Lord, 07:51 for we walk by faith, not by sight." 07:53 He's saying, while we have this carnal body, 07:55 we can't be in God's presence. 07:57 So we're going to need an upgraded body. 07:59 When do we get that? 08:00 Well, verse 8, some people twist that, it says, 08:02 "We are confident, yes, well pleased rather" 08:05 King James Version says, 08:06 "will rather, to be absent from the body 08:09 and to be present with the Lord." 08:10 And I want to insert that 08:12 and to be present with the Lord, 08:13 because many people read verse 8, 08:14 and they automatically assume 08:16 that God is saying that immediately when we die, 08:18 at the point of death, 08:20 as soon as we take that last breath, 08:21 some ghostly apparition of some kind 08:25 that's in our body is somehow liberated 08:27 or separated from the body 08:28 and immediately finds itself in the presence of the Lord. 08:31 And we know that the Bible doesn't teach that, 08:33 but I believe verse 4 is the key to understanding 08:36 what Paul is saying here in verse 8. 08:37 Let's look back at verse 4. 08:39 He says, "For we who are in this tent groan, 08:41 being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, 08:44 but further clothed," 08:45 and here's the last part notice, 08:47 "that mortality might be swallowed up of life." 08:49 The question is, 08:51 when did Paul believe that 08:52 this mortality might be swallowed up of life? 08:54 Let's go to 1 Corinthians Chapter 15. 08:56 1 Corinthians Chapter 15. 08:58 And this is where in which we ask the question, 09:00 what is the fate of the dead? 09:02 What do we have to look forward to? 09:04 We're going to answer those questions 09:05 in this particular lesson with the time we have left. 09:08 1 Corinthians Chapter 15. 09:10 What did Paul believe in reference to 09:11 when that mortality is swaddled up of life? 09:14 In other words, when this body, this earthly body is shed, 09:17 we get our new bodies 09:19 and we are now present with the Lord. 09:20 When does that happen? At the point of death? 09:23 Notice what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15, 09:25 beginning with verse 51. 09:26 He says, "Behold, I tell you a mystery: 09:28 We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be" what? 09:31 "Changed." We shall. 09:32 Of course, he's meant when he says, 09:34 we shall not all sleep, is referring to death there. 09:35 We shall not all die, 09:37 because are there going to be people alive and well 09:39 when Jesus comes back? 09:40 That's right. 09:42 But he says, 09:43 whether regardless of whether you're asleep in the grave, 09:45 or you are alive at Jesus' Second Coming, 09:47 we shall all be changed. When? 09:50 In a moment, 09:51 in the twinkling of an eye as soon as you die. 09:54 No, what does the text say? 09:56 It says at the last trumpet, 09:58 that's at the end of this world 10:00 or in this, in the case of at the Second Coming of Jesus 10:02 when He comes back. 10:04 It says, "For the trumpet will sound 10:05 and the dead will be raised incorruptible." 10:07 Is there hope for those who have died in Jesus? 10:10 It says, the dead will be raised incorruptible 10:12 and we shall be changed for this corruptible 10:15 must put on incorruption. 10:16 And here it is, and this mortal must put on immortality. 10:20 So when this corruption is put on incorruption, 10:21 excuse me, 10:23 so when this corruptible has put on incorruption, 10:25 and this mortal has put on immortality, 10:27 then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, 10:29 death is swallowed up at victory. 10:31 In fact, he goes on to say, 10:32 oh, death, where is your steam, right? 10:36 Grave, where is your victory? 10:37 There is hope, my friends beyond the grave. 10:39 If you know Jesus Christ, 10:41 this promise is for those who know Jesus. 10:43 And you say, but, Ryan, 10:45 what about if you don't know Jesus? 10:46 John 5:28-29. 10:48 Jesus makes it very clear. 10:50 He says, "Do not marvel at this, 10:51 for the hour is coming," 10:53 notice hasn't yet but it is coming, 10:55 "and which all who are in the graves 10:57 will hear His voice." 10:58 And he described these two groups. 11:01 He says, "And they will come forth 11:02 those who have done good to the resurrection of life." 11:05 That's at the Second Coming of Jesus, 11:06 that said that when the trumpet of God sounds, 11:08 what we just read in 1 Corinthians 15, 11:10 but then there's a second group and those who have done evil 11:13 to the resurrection of condemnation. 11:16 So there will be two resurrections, 11:17 but my friends, I'm here to give you hope today, okay. 11:21 The reason why Jesus hasn't come back yet, 11:23 for several reasons, 11:24 but one of the reasons is He's giving us time. 11:26 He's merciful for us, He wants us to be ready, 11:29 He wants you to be ready. 11:31 And right now you have hope, 11:32 whether you die now before Jesus comes 11:35 soon in the near future 11:36 or if you're there alive to see Jesus, 11:38 there is hope beyond this life in the next. 11:42 I want to look at 1 Thessalonians Chapter 4. 11:44 The reason I want to go here is because the people of, 11:48 the people at the church of Thessalonica 11:50 actually posed this question to Paul, 11:52 they were worried 11:53 because Paul had talked a lot. 11:55 If you go read the books of 1 and 2 Thessalonians. 11:57 I mean, the common theme that keeps popping back up 11:59 is Paul's talking about the Second Coming, 12:01 the Second Coming, the Second Coming. 12:03 When Jesus is going to come back 12:04 and get His people. 12:05 But here's the thing, they pose the question to Paul, 12:07 they're saying, 12:08 "Hey, what about the loved ones that have died 12:10 that believed in Jesus? 12:12 But you know, they've expired, 12:13 they're in the grave, they're buried. 12:15 What about those people?" 12:16 And Paul says, "You know what? Let me clarify." 12:18 Notice, we're going to start in verse 13 12:20 at 1 Thessalonians 4. 12:21 It says, "But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, 12:24 concerning those who have fallen asleep." 12:26 How does Paul describe death? 12:28 Not once, but twice already. 12:30 Asleep, right? So death is asleep. 12:31 Okay. 12:33 He says, "Lest you sorrow as others who have no hope." 12:36 In other words, those people who don't believe in Jesus 12:38 and His resurrection power, they have no hope. 12:40 He goes on in verse 14, 12:42 "For if we believe that Jesus died, 12:44 and rose again, 12:45 even so God will bring with him," 12:47 don't miss this, my friends, 12:49 "even so God will bring with Him 12:50 those who sleep in Jesus." 12:52 Now, many people look at this text, 12:54 and they say, well, that's right. 12:55 My loved ones are in heaven, 12:57 and He's coming back to get those on earth, 12:58 and He's bringing them with them from heaven. 13:00 That's not what Paul is saying here. 13:02 In this verse, he's saying that 13:04 when He comes back to get those 13:06 whom He's going to resurrect, 13:07 and whom He's going to redeem from the earth, 13:09 He's going to wake those brothers and sisters 13:10 who believed in Him and put their trust, 13:12 and He's going to wake them up out of the grave, 13:14 and they will come with Him and the others to heaven. 13:18 That's what he's saying here 13:19 and, of course, he goes on in verse 15, 13:21 "For this, we say to you by the word of the Lord, 13:24 that we who are alive 13:25 and remain into the coming of the Lord 13:27 will by no means proceed those who are asleep." 13:30 Did you get that? 13:31 We will proceed, everybody's going to get 13:32 to go to heaven together, 13:34 and they confirmed this 13:35 and I love verses 16 and 17 and 18, 13:37 you got to throw 18 in there. 13:38 It says, "For the Lord Himself 13:40 will descend from heaven with a shout, 13:41 with the voice of the archangel and with the trump of God, 13:44 and the dead in Christ will rise first. 13:47 Then we who are alive and remain," 13:48 I love this, "shall be caught up together," 13:51 does it say before them? 13:53 No, it says with them at the second. 13:55 My mama who is sleeping in Jesus, 13:57 she's not going to get to go to heaven before me, 13:59 we get to go, to go together, 14:00 we get to put our feet on heaven shore 14:02 at the exact same time, 14:04 I'm excited about that. 14:05 "Then we which are alive and remain 14:06 are caught up together with them in the clouds 14:08 to meet the Lord in the air, 14:09 and thus shall we always be with the Lord." 14:11 And I love these last words, 14:13 "Therefore, comfort one another with these words." 14:15 My friends, comfort one another, 14:17 to know that if you know Jesus Christ, 14:19 and you have sealed up your faith in Him, 14:22 then Jesus, whether you die now, 14:24 or you get to see Him alive, 14:26 He will come and get you again, 14:28 because He has a place prepared for you in heaven. 14:30 Amen and amen. 14:31 And I'm telling you, we're tracking. 14:33 I have Monday, "A New Existence," 14:35 and it begins with Revelation 21:4, it says, 14:39 "God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, 14:43 and there shall be no more death, 14:45 neither sorrow, nor crying, 14:46 neither shall there be any more pain, 14:49 for the former things have passed away." 14:52 I'm sorry, I can't just jump into this 14:54 without doing a chronological review 14:58 of how we arrive at this point. 15:00 In 2 Peter 3:10, it says, 15:02 "The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, 15:06 in which the heavens will pass away 15:08 with a great noise, 15:10 and the elements will melt with fervent heat, 15:13 both the earth and the works 15:14 that are in it will be burned up." 15:16 The Day of the Lord is an eschatological term 15:20 for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. 15:22 The righteous are going to burst forth 15:24 in the first resurrection is John, 15:26 Jesus said in John 5:29. 15:29 And they're going to hear that trumpet, 15:32 they're going to come up and put on immortality. 15:34 And I have to go back to 2 Corinthians 5:4, 15:38 where you were talking about when it says, 15:41 we who are in this tent, groan. 15:44 That's one condition, we've got a tent on. 15:47 But watch this, not because we want to be unclothed. 15:51 That's the second condition when we're in the grave. 15:55 We're unclothed, 15:57 but because we want to be further clothed 16:01 with immortality. 16:03 So what's going to happen? 16:05 This immortality gets, 16:08 our mortality gets swallowed up by immortality 16:12 and Revelation 26 is telling us, 16:16 blessed and holy is He 16:19 who has part in that first resurrection, 16:22 because over such a second death has no power. 16:29 That means, you know, Jesus said, 16:31 either we're going to be gifted with eternal life, 16:34 or we're going to perish. 16:36 So those who are being raised up 16:39 in that first resurrection, 16:41 they're going to be priests of God in Christ. 16:44 And Revelation 26, 16:47 as we shall reign with Him for 1,000 years. 16:52 So it comes down with the trumpet, 16:54 dead rise, 16:56 and those who are living righteous, 16:57 we rise up. 16:59 So where are we going to spend that 1,000 years? 17:01 We're going back to heaven with Him. 17:03 Now, there is a second phase of His judgment, 17:08 the executive judgment. 17:10 We know that the living are destroyed 17:12 by the brightness. 17:13 I mean, the living evil are destroyed 17:15 by the brightness of His coming. 17:17 But after that 1,000 years, 17:19 when we're up there, guess what? 17:22 All the wicked are going to be called up 17:25 for a second resurrection. 17:26 Jesus described that in John 5:29, 17:29 the resurrection of condemnation. 17:32 There's going to be a great white throne judgment, 17:35 Satan and the beast, 17:37 and all sinners will be cast into the lake of fire. 17:40 It is a climactic conclusion. 17:44 When you think about this, 17:46 when God first destroyed the earth, 17:47 what did He do? 17:49 He covered the earth with water, 17:52 there was a flood. 17:53 It was, the earth was a lake of water. 17:57 But in the second, go round, 18:00 when He's going to destroy everything 18:03 and make everything new, 18:04 He is going to cover the earth with fire, 18:06 the earth will be the lake of fire. 18:09 Everything will be disintegrated, 18:12 all the physical earth 18:14 that we know in its present form. 18:15 You know what? 18:17 Isaiah calls this God's strange act. 18:21 The Bible says that God wants all men to be saved. 18:25 He doesn't want anyone to die. 18:28 But when He purges sin, 18:32 to purge the consequences of sin, 18:35 He has to purge sin. 18:37 And those who have clung on to sin, 18:39 those sinners will be purged as well. 18:42 But everyone who refuses to repent 18:46 is going to be cast into this lake of fire. 18:48 But listen what happens, Malachi 4:1 says, 18:52 "Behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, 18:56 all the proud 18:57 or who do wickedly, will be stubble. 19:01 The day which is coming shall burn them up' 19:06 says the Lord of hosts. 19:08 It will leave them neither root nor branch.'" 19:11 Now you think about this. 19:13 Roots are usually protected underground, aren't they? 19:16 Even in a fire, a fire can destroy a vineyard. 19:20 And then if the roots aren't destroyed 19:23 under the ground, that will come back. 19:26 But the destruction of the roots 19:29 is a vivid picture 19:31 of the total obliteration of the evil people. 19:37 There's a total destruction of the wicked. 19:39 He goes on in Malachi 4:3, it says, 19:42 "You shall trample the wicked, 19:45 for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet, 19:49 on the day that I do this says the Lord of host." 19:53 So the destruction of the wicked is inescapable. 19:57 They're not going to have everlasting life. 20:00 Only those who come up in the first resurrection 20:03 who hear that trumpet are going to come up. 20:06 And as Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:54, 20:09 be clothed with immortality. 20:13 And let me say this. 20:14 I had someone the other day asked me, 20:16 "Well, do Seventh-day Adventists believe 20:20 in predestination and eternal hell?" 20:23 And I said, 20:24 "Can you imagine for one minute, 20:27 if someone believed that God predestined, 20:30 who's going to be saved, and who's going to be lost?" 20:34 But then he says, 20:35 "To those that were going to be lost 20:37 or you're predestined 20:39 to burn unceasingly to be in torment forever." 20:45 He would be worse than Hitler, Pol Pot, 20:47 Mussolini any other. 20:50 I mean, how could a God of love 20:51 and I want to ask you this question. 20:54 If you believe that, if you believe, 20:57 which I think a deep Bible study 20:59 will show you, 21:00 hell is over, 21:02 they're going to be burned up. 21:04 But let me ask you this question. 21:07 Do you believe that 21:09 Jesus Christ paid the full penalty 21:12 for our sins? 21:14 Well, if you think 21:17 that we have to burn unceasingly, 21:21 then He didn't. 21:23 Do you see what I'm saying? 21:24 He paid the full price. 21:27 So that is a powerful thought. 21:30 Now, we get to that point. 21:32 Revelation 21, it says, 21:35 "Now, after all of this has happened, 21:38 I saw a new heaven and a new earth 21:39 for the first heaven and the first earth 21:41 had passed away, 21:43 and there was no more sin 21:44 and I, John saw the Holy City, 21:47 New Jerusalem." 21:48 And that's, New Jerusalem is the capital city of heaven. 21:52 And he says, 21:54 "It's coming down out of heaven from God 21:56 prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." 22:00 Genesis opens with Eden lost, they're kicked out of Eden. 22:05 Revelation closes with Eden restored, 22:08 the shining city comes down with all the saints in that, 22:13 that are clothed 22:14 with the righteousness of Christ. 22:16 It descends from heaven, 22:19 and the city and its occupants 22:23 are described 22:24 as a bride adorned for her husband. 22:27 Now listen, verse 3, Revelation 21:3, 22:31 "And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, 22:34 'Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men.'" 22:39 You know what? 22:40 That's what God's wanted all along, 22:41 His covenant has been. 22:43 I will be their God, they will be My people. 22:45 I will dwell with them. 22:46 And it says, 22:48 "He will dwell with them, they shall be His people, 22:51 God Himself will be with them and be their God." 22:54 And at this point, 22:58 God's with His, I mean His eternal purpose 23:01 is to be with His created beings. 23:04 God will, verse 4, 23:05 "God will wipe away every tear from their eyes, 23:10 there shall be no more death, 23:11 no more sorrow, nor crying, there shall be no more pain, 23:15 for the former things have passed away, 23:18 sin's dreadful consequences 23:20 have been completely abolished." 23:24 No more death, 23:25 those in the first resurrection put on immortality, 23:28 there is nothing in the New Earth 23:31 that is going to be sad or disappointing or deficient, 23:35 nothing's going to be wrong in the New Earth. 23:37 And then Revelation 21:5 says, 23:40 "Then he who sat on the throne said, 23:42 'Behold, I make all things new.'" 23:44 And He said, 23:45 "Write, for these words are true and faithful." 23:48 And then Jesus says to him, 23:49 "It is done. 23:51 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, 23:54 I will give the fountain of the water of life 23:58 freely to him who thirst." 24:02 One more thought, eternal life, 24:05 you're not going to be floating around on the cloud up there. 24:07 Jesus said in John 14:2 24:09 that He's gone to prepare a place for us. 24:11 We're going to have a condo in the New... 24:15 That's our city home, condo in the New Jerusalem. 24:18 But Isaiah 65:17 tells us 24:21 we're going to have a country home too. 24:23 He says, "For behold, I create new heavens 24:25 and a new earth and the former 24:27 shall not be remembered or come to mind." 24:29 And then Isaiah 65:21 says, 24:31 "They shall build houses inhabit them, 24:33 they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit." 24:37 Hallelujah. 24:40 Call the fire department in here. 24:43 Get us all excited to run around this table, that's real. 24:46 Praise the Lord. 24:47 You can already see we're excited about this topic. 24:49 We know you got to be too. 24:50 We're going to take a short break. 24:52 We'll be right back. 24:57 Ever wish you could watch 24:58 a 3ABN Sabbath School Panel again, 25:01 or share it on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter? 25:04 Well, you can by visiting 3abnsabbathschoolpanel.com. 25:09 A clean design makes it easy 25:11 to find the program you're looking for. 25:13 There are also links to the Adult Bible Study Guide 25:17 so you can follow along. 25:19 Sharing is easy. 25:20 Just click share 25:21 and choose your favorite social media. 25:23 Share a link, save a life for eternity. 25:27 Hello and welcome back to 3ABN Sabbath School Panel, 25:29 we're still on fire. 25:31 We're going to pass it over to John Lomacang, 25:33 Pastor John Lomacang, 25:34 and he's going to keep the fire going. 25:36 "Then Shall We Know." 25:39 I want to begin with 1 Corinthians 13:12. 25:43 You know, right now there are lots of things we don't know 25:46 and we don't understand. 25:48 And the Apostle Paul opens the door to us and says, 25:51 "For now," I love those words. 25:54 "For now we see in a mirror, dimly." 25:57 King James says through a glass dimly. 26:00 But then, those two words are an entire sermon for now 26:05 but then, that's an entire sermon. 26:07 But then face to face now I know in part. 26:11 But then, 26:13 I shall know just as I also am known. 26:16 Friends, come with me to the closing scenes 26:19 and the drama of the ages. 26:21 Listen as the gathering crowd 26:23 as they take their rightful place 26:25 on the sea of glass. 26:26 What a day that's going to be. 26:28 We've just been told about it, 26:29 but God has been planning for this event 26:32 for 6,000 years. 26:34 You talk about an event planner. 26:38 He says, I need to get this thing right, 26:40 I'm going to get some mansions together. 26:42 And I'll tell you what? 26:44 When it's all settled and done, 26:46 I'm going to come back and bring you home, 26:48 the conductor of the universe 26:49 is about to raise the curtains on the victory of the ages. 26:53 And I know you want to be there and I want to be there 26:55 because Paul says, 26:56 "For now, we see dimly, 26:59 but then face to face, 27:01 I will know even as I also am known." 27:04 In the book Education, 27:06 Ellen White gives us a glimpse. 27:07 She says, 27:08 "Heaven is a school. It's a field of study. 27:12 The universe, its teacher, the infinite one, 27:17 a branch of this school was established in Eden, 27:20 and the plan of redemption accomplished, 27:23 Education will again be taken up 27:26 in the Eden school." 27:27 So what was preempted in Eden on earth 27:31 will continue in Eden in heaven. 27:34 But we did not understand 27:35 because sin interrupted the process, 27:38 we will begin to understand in the kingdom made new. 27:40 And you know when the Bible talks about this, 27:42 "Behold, I see a new heaven and new earth." 27:45 You had my text 27:46 so I have to take some other ones. 27:47 I saw a new heaven and a new earth, 27:50 for the first heaven 27:51 and the first earth had passed away. 27:52 I love those passages, though, because through the ages, 27:56 Paul talks about it this way. 27:57 Notice what he says in Colossians 1:26 and 27, 28:00 because those things that were a mystery, 28:04 when you become a child of God, 28:06 He starts raising the curtain slowly. 28:09 He starts giving you a glimpse. 28:11 You know, one of the reasons why children like Christmas 28:14 is because parents often say 28:16 now write down a list of what you want 28:18 and when they write down that list, 28:21 all of a sudden they can't wait for Christmas to come. 28:24 Well, the Bible is a list of what we can look forward to. 28:28 Notice how the Apostle Paul says 28:29 in verse 26 of Colossians Chapter 1, 28:32 "The mystery which has been hidden from ages 28:35 and from generations, 28:37 but now has been revealed to His saints." 28:39 The Lord is raising the curtain. 28:41 When you see an excited Christian 28:42 because the Lord is raising the curtain on, 28:44 there're no more death, 28:45 there're no more night, there're no more tears, 28:47 there're no more heartache, there're no more sin, 28:49 we are seeing that, 28:51 we are seeing that tree that never fades, 28:53 the flower that never dies. 28:55 He speaks of us. 28:56 He says to them in verse 27, 28:58 "God willed to make known 29:00 what are the riches of the glory of this mystery 29:03 among the Gentiles, 29:05 which is Christ in you the hope of glory." 29:08 Amos says the people of God has been given an advantage. 29:11 He says, surely the Lord God does nothing, 29:14 except He reveals His secrets to His servants the prophets. 29:17 So even though we haven't seen heaven, 29:19 He's saying, 29:20 I'll tell you what it's like, but they won't know. 29:23 Until you give your life to Christ, 29:25 you'll always be on the opposite side, 29:27 the wrong side of the mystery. 29:29 But when you give your life to Christ, 29:30 all of a sudden the curtain begins 29:31 to be raised slowly but surely. 29:34 The Apostle Paul confirms this 1 Thessalonians 5:4, he says, 29:38 "But you brethren, are not in darkness, 29:42 so that this day 29:43 should overtake you as a thief." 29:45 But everything is all about time. 29:47 Everything has a timetable connected to it. 29:50 1 Corinthians 4:5, 29:52 "The time is going to come 29:54 when the things that are not known will be known." 29:57 Listen to the words that the Apostle Paul. 29:58 He says, 30:00 "Therefore judging nothing before the time, 30:02 until the Lord comes, 30:04 who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness 30:08 and reveal the counsels of the heart, 30:11 then each one's praise will come from God." 30:14 We will know on that particular day 30:16 that we have no other reason to praise 30:19 other than the fact 30:20 that there are two words in the Bible, 30:21 and I love this 1 Corinthians Chapter 13. 30:23 You know, no temptation has overtaken you 30:25 but such as come to man, but God. 30:28 Look at those two words, but God. 30:29 When you look at the Bible, you see but God, he says, 30:32 whatever is on that side, 30:34 sin could have swallowed you up, 30:35 hell could have burned you up, crime could have locked you up, 30:39 the world could have dried you up, but God. 30:41 Am I telling the truth? 30:42 So I know where I was, but God. 30:45 That's the line between my past and my future, but God. 30:49 And Ellen White gives us a glimpse into this. 30:51 She says in Great Controversy, 677, 30:53 she says, 30:55 "All the treasures of the universe will be open 30:58 to the study of God's redeemed. 31:00 Unfettered by mortality, 31:04 they will wing their tireless flight 31:07 to worlds afar." 31:08 Can you imagine, where you going, Ryan? 31:11 Come on, help me out. 31:13 He's all right. 31:14 Where you going? 31:16 They're winged to worlds afar, it's tireless flight. 31:20 She says a world that thrilled with sorrow 31:22 at the spectacle of human roar 31:24 and rang with songs of gladness. 31:26 At the tiding of the ransom soul, 31:28 there were worlds that rejoiced when one sinner came home, 31:32 those worlds that were sad when they saw a sinner fall, 31:35 but they rejoiced 31:36 when that one sinner was redeemed." 31:38 She goes on, she says, 31:39 "With untethered delight the children of earth 31:43 enter into the joy 31:45 and the wisdom of unfallen beings, 31:47 beings that said, I don't know what it's like, 31:49 could you tell me what it's like to be redeemed? 31:51 And they all gather around to say, 31:53 they hear the story of Moses, the story of the lamb, 31:56 the story of redemption, 31:57 the story of the blood of Christ, 31:59 and how its efficacy has never been diluted by time. 32:03 They share the treasures of knowledge and understanding, 32:05 gained through ages upon ages 32:08 in contemplation of God's handiwork, 32:10 with undimmed division 32:12 they gaze upon the glory of creation, 32:14 suns and stars and systems all in their appointed order, 32:17 circling the throne of deity 32:19 upon all things from the least to the greatest, 32:22 the creator's name is written 32:24 and in all the riches of His power displayed 32:27 but this is what I love. 32:30 I'll take a breath. 32:34 The Great Controversy has ended. 32:36 That's right. Hallelujah. 32:38 Yes. 32:39 Sin ends, sinners are no more. 32:42 The entire universe is clean. 32:45 One pulse of harmony and gladness 32:48 beats through the vast creation. 32:51 From Him who created all 32:53 flow life and light and gladness 32:56 throughout the realms of illimitable space 32:59 from the minutest atom to the greatest world, 33:02 all things, animate, and inanimate, 33:07 in their unshadowed beauty and perfect joy, 33:11 declare that God is love. 33:13 He said what? 33:15 Then shall we know. We don't know this. 33:17 We are reading a book 33:20 whose pages have not yet been cracked to our experience. 33:23 That's right. 33:25 We are reading the desires of a lamb 33:26 who says I'm not willing that any should perish. 33:29 We are reading 33:30 the resume of the movie theater of eternity 33:34 that God has already bought us a seat to sit in. 33:37 He said you haven't seen how I made the world. 33:39 I'm going to show you how I got it started. 33:41 For 1,000 years, 33:42 we're going to review how all that happened. 33:44 And when we're done here, 33:46 I'm going to give you a front row seat 33:47 in the recreation process, is that okay? 33:50 I want to be there. I want to be there. 33:52 He says in Matthew 25, 33:54 then that King will say to those on his right hand, 33:57 you're in row one seat two. 33:59 You're in row two, seat three. 34:01 You in table four, seat five, you in table six. 34:03 And Ellen White says 34:05 in that great and glorious dinner day. 34:08 She says, we will look and the tables 34:09 will seem as though they will stretch infinitely. 34:13 But she says no matter where you sit, 34:15 you'll feel like you're in the presence of God. 34:18 And then the ground will begin to shutter 34:20 as the first Adam silhouette breaks into the dinner setting. 34:24 And the last Adam, 34:26 we see the shadow of His undimmed glory, 34:29 lighting up the streets of gold 34:31 as the first Adam and the last Adam embraces. 34:36 And the saints begin to say, sin will be eradicated. 34:41 Death will be exterminated. 34:43 Pain will be eliminated. 34:45 Sorrow will be terminated. 34:47 War will be assassinated. 34:49 Hate will be obliterated. 34:51 Sinners will be extricated. 34:53 Life will be celebrated. 34:56 Satan will be annihilated and Jesus will be vindictive. 35:00 Then we shall know, 35:02 but for now, my brethren but for now, 35:07 my sister, be patient, let patient. 35:11 Patience have its perfect work, 35:13 because Jesus has to get one more person at that table. 35:17 Maybe your brother, maybe your sister, 35:18 maybe your mother, maybe your dad. 35:20 He's holding up 35:21 because He knows the den is going to be great. 35:23 But how much more beautiful it will be 35:25 if you give your life to Christ, 35:27 then if you give Him your life, you will also know. 35:32 Amen. Amen. 35:35 I'm just ready to shout. I'm serious. 35:38 You have to just hold yourself back 35:40 because as I'm listening to each of these presentations, 35:44 it's so amazing to me 35:46 that okay, last night, 35:48 I had my whole presentation done 35:50 and then the Lord laid on my heart 35:51 to come from a different direction 35:53 and I had to redo this presentation. 35:56 And now I see why. 35:58 Now I see why. 36:00 So I have Wednesday's lesson, "The school in the Hereafter." 36:04 And it opens with the 2 Corinthians 4:17-19. 36:08 And it says, 36:10 "For our light affliction, 36:11 which is what for a moment is working for us 36:14 of far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 36:18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, 36:21 but at the things which are not seen 36:23 for the things which are seen are temporary, 36:26 but the things which are not seen 36:28 are eternal." 36:29 And so today, 36:31 what I'd like to do 36:32 is to contrast the Christ centered school 36:34 in the hereafter 36:35 with the humanistic schools of today, 36:38 particularly those that teach new age philosophies. 36:42 And these have crept into our society 36:45 at an alarming rate. 36:46 According to britannica.com, 36:48 more than one out of five adults 36:50 in the West give credence to astrology, 36:54 an equal number have practiced some form of meditation, 36:57 3-5 million Americans identified themselves 37:00 as new agers 37:02 or as accepting the beliefs and practices 37:04 of the New Age movement. 37:06 Now we might say, oh, well, that's fine for them. 37:08 But that doesn't happen with Christians. 37:10 Oh, no, according to the Pew Research Center, 37:13 while 8 out of 10 Christians say 37:15 they believe in God as described in the Bible, 37:18 6 out of 10 believe in at least one in four 37:22 of these New Age beliefs and practices, 37:25 reincarnation, astrology, psychics, 37:28 and the presence of a spiritual energy 37:31 in physical objects like mountains or trees. 37:35 Overall, roughly 6 out of 10 American adults accept 37:38 at least one of these beliefs. 37:40 So let's kind of look at the New Age movement 37:42 and then let's look at the school of hereafter. 37:47 In the New Age movement, 37:49 the New Age movement has united 37:51 a diverse body of believers with two ideas. 37:55 First, it predicted that 37:56 a new age of heightened spiritual consciousness 37:59 and international peace would arrive 38:01 and bring an end to racism, poverty, sickness, hunger, 38:05 this is supposed to be due to a consciousness. 38:09 And secondly, 38:10 the individuals could obtain a foretaste of the New Age 38:13 through their own spiritual transformation. 38:16 And this is, 38:17 if they're on a path of continual growth 38:20 and transformation. 38:21 It's called the Sadhana, SADHANA. 38:25 And the New Age philosophy included tools and practices 38:29 such as yoga, acupuncture, meditation techniques, 38:33 astrology, tarot reading crystals, 38:36 and mediumship 38:37 to promote its agenda of personal transformation. 38:41 So let's contrast this now with the hereafter. 38:45 And I made a little acronym out of hereafter, 38:49 I love acronyms. 38:50 So let's make the comparison a little bit more interesting. 38:54 So let's take the age in hereafter. 38:57 That is hope. 38:59 Hope. 39:01 While the New Age movement 39:02 emphasizes the human potential to become as God, 39:06 we have hope in Jesus Christ, who is God. 39:09 We have the hope 39:11 that the things that are currently hidden to us 39:13 will become clear. 39:16 We don't have to tap into some spiritual energy 39:19 in order to become God. 39:21 We can never be God. 39:22 We are the creatures, He is the Creator. 39:26 We can never become God. 39:27 We can seek the divine Savior for ourselves. 39:30 Without a medium 39:32 we have the hope of eternal life. 39:34 We have the hope that life as we know it 39:36 with all of its pain and sorrow will never return. 39:40 The E is for eternity. 39:43 We will have forever 39:44 to learn about anything our heart's desire, 39:48 from science, to astronomy, to physics, etc. 39:51 This will be our eternal reality 39:54 learning and growing 39:55 and sitting at the feet of the Master Teacher, 39:59 Jesus Christ Himself. 40:01 R is revelation. 40:04 Spiritual wisdom will be revealed over time. 40:08 Ephesians 1:17-21. 40:11 It's kind of, it's a long passage, 40:13 but I'll read it. 40:14 It says that 40:15 the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, 40:17 the Father of glory 40:18 may give to you the spirit of wisdom 40:20 and revelation in the knowledge of Him, 40:23 the eyes of your understanding, being enlightened." 40:26 You know, they're always talking about enlightenment 40:29 in the New Age movement. 40:31 I lost my place. 40:32 That you may know 40:34 what is the hope of his calling. 40:35 Are you in verse 17? 40:37 Yes, go ahead. Read it for us. 40:38 "That you may know 40:39 what is the hope of His calling, 40:41 what are the riches of the glory 40:42 of His inheritance in the saints." 40:44 Yes. And what is the exceeding? Thank you, Jill. 40:46 What is the exceeding greatness of His power 40:49 toward us who believe, 40:50 according to the working of His mighty power, 40:53 which He worked in Christ 40:55 when He raised Him from the dead 40:56 and seated Him at His right hand 40:58 in the heavenly places, 41:00 far above all principality and power 41:02 and might and dominion, 41:04 and every name that is named, 41:06 not only in this age 41:07 but also in that which is to come." 41:10 And so this revelation 41:12 that we have in Christ is just that, it's in Christ. 41:17 We don't need that temporary 41:19 and superficial Jesus' consciousness 41:22 or Christ's consciousness. 41:23 That's a substitute for the real deal. 41:26 The real deal is trust in Jesus Christ, 41:30 and He will reveal to us what we need to know. 41:33 The E is for exceedingly more than we can imagine. 41:36 1 Corinthians 2:9, our memory verse says, 41:40 "Eye has not seen nor ear heard, 41:42 neither is entered into the heart of man 41:44 the things which God has prepared 41:45 for those who love Him." 41:46 Notice the phrase here is that God has prepared. 41:50 It's not what we do. 41:51 It's what God has done for us. 41:54 And then the A is for assurance. 41:57 We can be assured of the fulfillment 41:59 of God's promises to us 42:00 if we just hold on to Jesus by faith. 42:03 Hebrews 6:11 says, and 12, 42:06 "And we desire that each one of you 42:08 show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope, 42:11 until the end, 42:13 that you do not become sluggish, 42:14 but imitate those who do faith and patience, 42:17 inherit the promises. 42:19 This assurance brings with it a security." 42:22 Again, it comes with a belief in 42:25 and trust in Jesus Christ. 42:27 The F is future. 42:29 We have a future with God Himself. 42:32 Revelation 21:3, 42:35 "Behold the tabernacle of God is with men, 42:39 and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people." 42:42 God Himself will be with them and be their God. 42:46 Some new ages believe that 42:47 the here and now is the most important time. 42:51 But our lives are not determined 42:54 just by the here and now. 42:56 Jesus has a plan for us, a future for us 42:59 and He promises a life with Him, 43:01 where we will have an eternal destiny 43:04 that is wrapped up in Him. 43:07 T is trials, tears and temptations. 43:10 They're all a thing of the past, 43:12 Revelation 21:4. 43:14 I mean, this is amazing to me, 43:15 because the Lord is, 43:17 He just brought all of this together in summary, 43:20 and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes, 43:23 there shall be no more death, no sorrow, no crying, 43:26 there shall be no more pain, 43:27 for the former things have passed away. 43:29 Some new agers think that 43:31 you must have a change of consciousness 43:34 to be happy and fulfilled, 43:36 and that there is no such thing as sin. 43:39 All of these teachings will be removed 43:40 along with our trials, tests and temptations. 43:44 E is for enlightenment. 43:47 One of the goals of some new agers 43:49 is enlightenment. 43:50 I was talking about enlightenment, 43:51 but true enlightenment will come 43:54 when we sit at Jesus' feet and learn directly from Him. 43:58 Psalm 18:28 says, 44:00 "For you will light my lamp, 44:02 the Lord my God will enlighten my darkness." 44:06 For now we see through a glass, 1 Corinthians 13:12, 44:11 "For now we see through a glass darkly 44:13 but then face to face 44:15 now I know in part, 44:16 but then I shall know even as I even also, 44:21 even as also I am known." 44:22 And then the R because 44:24 I'm racing with the clock, the R is redemption. 44:29 New Age philosophy 44:30 doesn't include the concept of redemption 44:34 or that a Savior has paid the price for our sins 44:37 and made a way for us to study His ways 44:40 and His will for eternity. 44:42 We will all have all of eternity 44:46 to study His ways, 44:48 to study the plan of redemption. 44:50 We'll hang out with our guardian angels 44:53 and ask them 44:54 what they thought of the Savior sacrifice. 44:57 We can ask the Savior what was going through His mind 44:59 as He watched Adam and Eve taste the forbidden fruit. 45:02 Nowhere in New Age philosophy 45:04 is there room for the concept of sin or Savior. 45:08 New Age is temporal, the Word of God is eternal. 45:12 The Word of God will stand forever. 45:15 And we have a connection, 45:18 we have a link, we have security, 45:20 we have the assurance that one day, 45:23 if we just hold on to Jesus, if we're just faithful, 45:27 and we hold on, 45:28 He is going to take us up out of here, 45:30 and we will be together in the school of the hereafter. 45:34 Amen. 45:36 Powerful. Praise the Lord. 45:38 Thank you, Yvonne. 45:40 Thank you. 45:41 Amen. 45:43 Thank you, Pastor John 45:44 and Shelley and Ryan and Yvonne. 45:45 I am overwhelmed at the goodness of our God. 45:51 How He loves us with an everlasting love. 45:53 And He is not willing that any should perish, 45:56 but that all should come to repentance 45:58 that He puts this plan of salvation in motion 46:02 before the world began 46:04 so that you and I 46:06 have the opportunity to spend eternity with Him. 46:10 On Thursday, we look at, "The Great Teacher." 46:14 We started this quarter with education. 46:17 We actually, the whole quarter was on education. 46:20 In the middle, we had a couple lessons on Jesus, 46:23 the Master Teacher, 46:25 and we end with Jesus as the greatest teacher 46:29 the world has ever known. 46:31 I want to look at seven lessons, 46:33 Pastor John, 46:34 that we can learn from Jesus as the great teacher. 46:38 And all seven of these lessons come from John Chapter 16. 46:43 So turn with me to John Chapter 16. 46:45 I had not planned on pulling them off of John 16, 46:48 it's just a way as I started to study 46:49 they just all popped out there. 46:51 So John 16. 46:54 Number one, lesson number one 46:56 that I learned from Jesus as the great teacher 46:59 or as the master teacher, 47:00 acknowledge your students' limitations. 47:04 That's number one. 47:05 John 16:12, 47:07 "I still have many things to say to you 47:09 but you cannot bear them now." 47:14 Have you ever tried to force feed someone else, 47:17 a doctrine, a truth, 47:20 something in the Word of God, 47:22 when maybe you thought they're ready for this, 47:25 I'm ready, I'm going to give it to them 47:27 whether they're ready for it or not. 47:28 But Jesus said, 47:30 I have many things to say to you, 47:31 but you're not ready. 47:32 You cannot bear them now. 47:35 So acknowledge the students' limitations, 47:37 understand what they can bear 47:40 and what they cannot at that time. 47:41 Number two, allow 47:43 the Holy Spirit to be the teacher. 47:47 The next verse, John 16:13. 47:50 "However, when He the spirit of truth has come, 47:53 He will guide you into all truth." 47:58 Now, I hope I explained this correctly 48:00 the way it was in my mind 48:02 when I was studying this last night. 48:04 Jesus is divine, right? 48:06 Clearly, He could have said, 48:08 "I got this, I'm the teacher. 48:11 You don't need anybody else, I got this." 48:14 And yet He still allowed the Holy Spirit 48:17 to come and to teach 48:19 and to lead them into all truth. 48:21 Now I understand 48:22 He was getting ready to leave them. 48:24 That's why He had the Holy Spirit 48:26 there with them. 48:27 But to me, it teaches me 48:29 don't be embarrassed or worry if you don't know at all. 48:33 Or if you can't do it all ask the Holy Spirit. 48:38 Allow the Holy Spirit to be the teacher. 48:41 You're not the one instructing. 48:43 You're not the one bringing conviction. 48:45 You're not the one showing or teaching truth. 48:47 It is the Holy Spirit, who is a teacher. 48:52 Lesson number three, 48:53 anticipate their unspoken needs and wants. 48:58 John 16:19. 49:01 Now Jesus knew that they desire to ask him, 49:04 and He said to them, 49:05 "Are you inquiring among yourselves 49:06 about what I said? 49:08 A little while and you will not see me. 49:10 And again a little while and you will see me." 49:12 Now if you read the context, 49:14 the disciples have been asking these questions, 49:16 but Jesus already knew what they were thinking. 49:18 That's right. 49:19 He knew what was in their heart. 49:21 He anticipated their unspoken needs, 49:23 their unspoken wants what they wanted to know. 49:27 And so He just asked them, is this what you're thinking? 49:29 Is this what you're asking? 49:30 I already know, He anticipated that. 49:33 Lesson number four, 49:34 adjust your instruction based on the situation. 49:40 John 16:25, 49:43 "These things I have spoken to you 49:45 in figurative language, 49:47 but the time is coming 49:48 when I will no longer speak to you 49:50 in figurative language, 49:52 but I will tell you plainly about the Father." 49:56 He spoke in that figurative language 49:59 because they weren't ready at that time, 50:02 but then later 50:03 He was going to speak to them plainly. 50:06 So based on that situation, 50:07 sometimes they're ready for an entire Bible study. 50:11 Other times we have to say, what are they ready for now? 50:14 And what can I share now 50:16 and then tomorrow, or the next week, 50:18 we will present something else. We will continue that study. 50:22 Lesson number five, 50:24 alert your students to dangers in the way. 50:28 John 16:1. 50:30 And normally I read 50:31 from the New King James Version, 50:32 but I like this from the NLT, the New Living Translation. 50:36 "I've told you these things 50:38 so that you won't abandon your faith. 50:43 Alert them to dangers in the way. 50:47 Has someone ever warned you about something coming up, 50:50 something in the way, 50:52 something that you needed to be cautious of, 50:54 or you needed to be careful of, 50:56 so that you would not abandon your faith? 50:59 Is God calling you to warn someone in your family, 51:03 someone in your community, 51:04 someone at work 51:06 that they are ready to shipwreck their faith, 51:09 they are ready to walk away from God. 51:12 They're confused and broken and alone and hurting 51:15 and God is calling you to warn them, 51:19 alert them to the dangers in the way. 51:23 Lesson number six, 51:24 approach the student differently 51:26 based on the situation. 51:28 John 16:4, 51:30 "These things I did not say to you at the beginning 51:32 because I was with you." 51:34 So in other words, He taught different things 51:36 to His disciples when He was with them 51:38 then when He was ready to be apart from them. 51:41 I remember when I went to college, 51:43 my mom writing me letters, 51:44 those old-fashioned handwritten letters. 51:47 And the thing she told me in those letters 51:49 when I was away from her 51:52 were different than the things she gave to me every day 51:55 when we were together all the time 51:57 and when I lived at home. 51:58 Why? 52:00 Because it was a different situation. 52:01 And she knew I was away from her 52:03 and she needed to adjust her counsel to me 52:06 at that time. 52:07 Lesson number seven, final lesson, 52:09 affirm your student with words of hope and peace. 52:14 John 16:33, 52:15 "These things I've spoken to you 52:18 that in me you may have peace. 52:19 In the world you will have tribulation, 52:23 but be of good cheer, I have overcome them." 52:27 We are always called to share hope, 52:30 to share help, to share peace, 52:32 to share Jesus with a lost and dying world. 52:36 All true education points back to Jesus 52:39 as our Savior, 52:41 He is our Creator. 52:42 He is our Redeemer, 52:44 He bridged the gap between heaven and earth, 52:48 to reconcile us back to the Father. 52:51 We are justified by His blood, reconciled by His death, 52:56 sanctified by His Spirit, 52:58 and we will be glorified when He comes again. 53:03 I want to talk in the closing moments 53:04 about heaven. 53:06 Turn with me to Revelation Chapter 4. 53:08 This is the picture of the throne room in heaven. 53:12 We're going to look at a couple of verses 53:13 Revelation 4 and then, 53:15 of course, Revelation 5 is when Jesus, 53:17 this Lamb of God shows up in the throne room 53:21 after the cross, 53:23 after the crucifixion He ascends to His father, 53:25 and He's there, the Redeemer, 53:27 the worthy Lamb that was slain 53:29 from the foundation of the world. 53:31 Revelation 4:8, 53:34 "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, 53:39 who was and is and is to come." 53:42 God is holy. God is eternal. 53:47 Verse 11, Revelation 4:11. 53:50 "You are worthy, O Lord, 53:52 to receive glory and honor and power, 53:55 for you created all things, 53:57 and by Your will they exist and were created." 54:02 God is worthy. God is our Creator. 54:06 God is our sustainer. 54:09 Now we get to Revelation 5, 54:12 where Jesus shows up in the throne room. 54:14 Revelation 5:9. 54:17 You are worthy, speaking of Jesus, 54:19 the Lamb of God. 54:20 You are worthy to take the scroll 54:22 and to open its seals, 54:25 for you were slain 54:26 and have redeemed us to God by Your blood. 54:29 Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, 54:32 and have made us kings and priests to our God, 54:36 and we shall reign on the earth. 54:39 Christ is worthy. 54:41 Christ is our Redeemer. 54:44 Salvation was freely purchased, not freely purchased, 54:48 but freely offered to you and to me, 54:53 and He has made us kings and priests to God. 54:57 You know, I think about Genesis began with that perfect world. 55:00 We talked about it at the beginning of this lesson 55:02 Adam and Eve. 55:04 And we saw sin enter this world, 55:05 we saw the great controversy unfold. 55:10 And for thousands of years, 55:12 Satan has sought to hold people captive. 55:15 But Jesus came that we would be free. 55:18 Jesus came to bring deliverance to forgive and cleanse 55:22 and cover our sins, 55:24 so that we could spend an eternity 55:27 with our Father in heaven. 55:28 Worthy is the Lamb that was slain 55:30 from the foundation of the world. 55:32 Amen. 55:34 Praise the Lord. 55:35 Folks, as you can see, sometimes we just have church. 55:38 I'm sorry, forgive that. 55:39 It's just how it goes sometimes. 55:41 Let's get some final thoughts. 55:42 Well, I'm just thinking about 1 Corinthians 15:54 55:47 that talks about 55:48 when this mortal puts on immortality 55:53 at that last trumpet is, it's when it's going to happen. 55:57 You know, I know there are many people at home, 56:00 that you've got pain, you've got sorrow, 56:03 there's sadness, there's worries. 56:05 But when we are resurrected in that first resurrection, 56:11 we're going to have a new existence. 56:13 And there will be no more of that. 56:16 No more disappointment. 56:18 Paul said it, and I appreciate it. 56:20 I have fought a good fight. 56:21 I finished my course. 56:23 I kept the faith. 56:25 Finally there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, 56:30 which the Lord the righteous judge 56:31 will give to me on that day, 56:34 but not to me only, 56:35 but also to all those who love His appearing. 56:38 That's my hope. Amen. 56:41 Titus 1:2 said, 56:43 we have basically 56:44 we have the hope of eternal life, 56:46 that God who cannot lie promised before time began. 56:52 We have hope in the hereafter because we have a Savior, 56:57 who has given us everything we need to have eternal life. 57:02 Amen. 57:04 Romans 5:8, 57:05 "God demonstrated His own love for us 57:06 and that while we were yet sinners, 57:09 Christ died for us." 57:12 Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. 57:14 Man, this has been, 57:15 this has been just such a spiritual blessing. 57:17 I don't know about you guys, 57:18 but I can't wait to move into my heavenly condo. 57:21 You guys are invited to come over to my heavenly condo 57:24 when we get there. 57:25 Praise the Lord. Amen. 57:26 Folks, this has been such a wonderful blessing 57:28 of a study education. 57:31 I've learned so much, I don't know about you guys. 57:33 But we want to thank you so much for joining us 57:36 all the way through this journey. 57:37 But, hey, we're just getting started 57:39 because next week, 57:40 we're going to be right back here again. 57:41 And we're going to be diving deep 57:43 into our new quarterly study on the Book of Isaiah. 57:47 So get your Bibles ready. 57:48 Meet us back here next week. 57:50 We hope to see you there. 57:51 Until then we just want to say God bless you, 57:53 we're praying for you. We thank you. 57:55 We love all of you. 57:57 And until next time, may God bless you abundantly. 57:59 Take care. |
Revised 2020-12-27