Participants:
Series Code: SSP
Program Code: SSP220012S
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00:01 Hello, friends, I'm Jill Morikone,
00:02 and I just want to welcome you to another edition 00:04 of 3ABN Sabbath School Panel, 00:06 as we journey through the Book of Hebrews. 00:09 It's hard to believe 00:10 we're almost at the end of this journey. 00:12 We're on lesson number 12 this week, 00:14 Receiving an Unshakable Kingdom. 00:16 I want to remind you 00:18 if you have not already gotten your own copy 00:20 of the quarterly to follow along with us, 00:23 you can go to the following website, 00:24 3abnsabbathschoolpanel.com 00:27 and you can download your own copy to follow along, 00:30 or you can catch up with any of the programs 00:33 that we've aired in the past. 00:34 That website once again is 3abnsabbathschoolpanel.com 00:39 So grab your Bible and your pen and paper, 00:41 and get ready for this edition of 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 01:16 I have so loved this journey through the Book of Hebrews. 01:19 What a blessing it's been 01:21 to dive deep into the Word of God 01:22 and study with you at home. 01:24 Thank you for being part of the 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 01:28 And today, I'm on the panel with my brothers. 01:31 The brethren are here today. 01:33 I want to introduce them to you. 01:35 They don't really need any introduction, 01:37 because they're part of the family. 01:38 To my left, Pastor James Rafferty, 01:39 good to have you here. 01:41 Good to be here, Jill. 01:42 I'm going to be looking at You Have Come to God, 01:43 The Judge of All. 01:45 Amen. 01:46 To your left, Pastor John Lomacang, 01:48 glad you're here, Pastor. 01:49 Good to be here and I'm covering 01:50 Shake the Heavens and the Earth. 01:52 Sounds good. 01:53 To your left, Pastor John Dinzey, 01:55 glad you're here. 01:57 I'm blessed to be here. 01:58 I have Wednesday, An Unshakable Kingdom. Amen. 02:02 I'm looking forward to this study. 02:03 Last but not least, 02:04 Pastor Ryan Day, glad you're here too, Brother. 02:06 Always a blessing. Yes. 02:08 And today we're going to be learning 02:09 How To Be Grateful In The Lord. 02:11 Amen. 02:12 Ryan, would you pray for us before we open up our study? 02:14 Yes, let's pray. 02:16 Our Father in heaven, Lord, 02:17 this has been such an honor to be here on this panel 02:20 to be able to go through this study together, Lord. 02:23 And, God, we praise You for Your Word, 02:25 we praise You for Your truth. 02:27 And for this day You have given us, Lord, 02:29 to once again reflect and dive deep into Your Word, 02:32 to learn more of Your will. 02:34 So, we ask for the Holy Spirit once more, Lord, 02:36 to lead and guide us, to give us the words, 02:38 to give us the thoughts that of Jesus Christ, 02:41 that each and every one of us, those at home, 02:43 all watching around the world, 02:44 and those of us here on this panel 02:45 and here in this studio, Lord, 02:48 may we all be drawn to Jesus Christ 02:50 because of the powerful gospel message 02:52 that we are learning through the Book of Hebrews. 02:54 We thank You, and we praise You. 02:56 And we ask this in Jesus' Holy Name. 02:58 Amen. Amen. 02:59 Amen. Thank you so much. 03:01 Last week, we studied, of course, 03:02 The Saints' Hall of Fame. 03:04 I think that's what Shelley called it. 03:06 Hebrews Chapter 11 and then Hebrews Chapter 12, 03:09 the very beginning that we look unto Jesus, 03:11 the author and finisher, or perfecter of our faith. 03:16 This week, we continue on in Hebrews Chapter 12, 03:19 specifically, verses 18 all the way down through 29. 03:23 Receiving an Unshakable Kingdom. 03:26 You know, there's a comparison, the lesson brought out 03:28 on Sabbath's portion of the lesson. 03:29 Hebrews Chapter 1 begins with what? 03:31 "God, who spoke to us in times past, 03:35 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son." 03:38 We come down to Hebrews 12:25. 03:41 And what does it say? 03:42 "See that you do not refuse Him who speaks." 03:46 So in the beginning, He's speaking to us, 03:48 we get to the end, we need to pay attention 03:51 when He speaks to us. 03:54 This lesson is kind of divided into four different sections, 03:56 and we're all going to cover one of those sections. 03:59 The beginning is The Inauguration 04:01 of the New Covenant. 04:02 Jesus became the mediator of the New Covenant. 04:05 He provides His blood, 04:06 provides salvation for all believers. 04:09 At Jesus' ascension to heaven, 04:11 where He sat at the right hand of the Father, 04:13 His kingly rule and priestly ministry began. 04:17 We look at The Judgment That is Coming, 04:19 the judgment that brings destruction to His enemies, 04:22 but that brings vindication to His people, 04:25 because judgment is in favor of the saints. 04:29 We look at God's Eternal Kingdom. 04:32 Christ received the kingdom, 04:33 and He will share it with the believers. 04:36 The saints of the Most High will possess it forever. 04:40 The righteous will not be shaken, 04:42 and Christ's kingdom cannot be shaken. 04:45 And finally, we look at Acceptable Worship. 04:48 What is acceptable worship to God? 04:51 Let's look at our memory text. 04:52 We're in Hebrews 12:28. 04:55 Memory text is Hebrews 12:28. 04:58 "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom 05:01 which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, 05:05 by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence 05:09 and godly fear." 05:11 On Sunday's lesson, we look at You Have Come to Mount Zion. 05:15 And the lesson wants us to read Hebrews 12:22-24. 05:18 But I want to go back, 05:19 because I believe that sets the contrast 05:22 between the two mountains, the mountain, 05:23 and the Mountain Zion. 05:25 Let's go back to Hebrews 12:18, 05:26 we're going to pick it up there. 05:28 And we have seven takeaways today, 05:31 for the Old Covenant experience 05:33 and the New Covenant experience. 05:35 So in Hebrews 12:18, 05:37 "For you have not come to the mountain." 05:39 Now this is Mount Sinai, discussed in Exodus Chapter 19. 05:44 "You have not come to the mountain 05:45 that may be touched and that burned with fire, 05:48 to blackness and darkness and tempest, 05:51 the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words, 05:54 so that those who heard it 05:56 begged that the word should not be spoken to them anymore." 05:59 Verse 20, 06:00 "For they could not endure what was commanded: 06:04 'And if so much as a beast touches the mountain, 06:07 it shall be stoned or shot with an arrow." 06:09 That's a direct quote from Exodus 19:21, 06:14 "And so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, 06:18 'I am exceedingly afraid and trembling.'" 06:22 What's happening here? 06:23 This is the Old Covenant given on Mount Sinai. 06:27 We see the blackness, and the darkness, 06:29 and the tempest, 06:31 the fear and terror that the people felt. 06:34 Takeaway number one, 06:36 time period does not necessarily equal experience. 06:41 Now you might say, 06:42 "What in the world are you talking about, Jill?" 06:44 I believe this is an Old Covenant time, 06:49 and many people under the Old Covenant time 06:52 had an Old Covenant experience. 06:54 Exodus Chapter 19, 06:56 that's where the people felt fear and terror, 07:01 and blackness, and darkness, and tempest. 07:04 Now, they were clearly under the Old Covenant time, 07:06 Jesus had not come yet. 07:07 And they were under the sacrificial system, 07:09 they were under that Old Covenant time. 07:12 And yet, they had an Old Covenant experience of fear, 07:14 and terror, and rules, and regulations. 07:18 I believe that under the Old Covenant time, 07:22 some people could have a New Covenant experience. 07:26 Now, that's not to say that Jesus had come. 07:29 I'm not trying to say that theologically, 07:31 we understand that Jesus had not come 07:33 under the Old Covenant time. 07:34 But yet in Deuteronomy 11, 07:37 it says that He could write the law in their hearts. 07:39 That's a New Covenant experience. 07:41 In Deuteronomy 10, it says, "The Lord delighted in you 07:44 and loved you in your fathers." 07:45 That's a New Covenant experience. 07:48 In Exodus 19, it said, "He bore you on eagle's wings." 07:51 That's a New Covenant experience. 07:54 So, what God wanted was the people, 07:56 even under the Old Covenant 07:57 to have the New Covenant experience, 08:00 but sadly many people didn't. 08:02 Then we have the New Covenant time, 08:04 and the New Covenant experience, 08:06 which is the best of both worlds. 08:09 We see in the Book of Hebrews, 08:11 it's supposed to be the New Covenant time 08:13 and the New Covenant experience, 08:15 where Jesus is the mediator of the New Covenant. 08:17 And we see Jesus' high priestly ministry 08:20 and the access through the veil to the Father, 08:23 we see that there's no longer animal sacrifices 08:25 that Jesus died once and for all. 08:28 But sadly, many people today live under 08:31 the New Covenant time, 08:33 and we have an Old Covenant experience. 08:35 Is that your experience? 08:36 Do you live under the New Covenant time, 08:39 because clearly, Jesus has come, 08:40 we are under the New Covenant time, 08:42 and yet we don't allow Him to write the law in our hearts. 08:44 We don't live with Jesus, 08:47 we live with just rules and regulations. 08:50 We don't experience the blood of Jesus, 08:52 we don't have assurance of salvation. 08:54 We have that fear, and terror, 08:56 and blackness experience from Exodus Chapter19. 09:00 We don't have the light of His presence. 09:02 So, takeaway, that leads us to takeaway number two, 09:05 Beware, lest you walk today in an Old Covenant experience. 09:11 Many Christians today can walk even under the New Covenant, 09:15 but still in an Old Covenant experience. 09:17 Paul warned the Galatian believers of this. 09:20 In Galatians 3:3, he says, "Are you so foolish? 09:23 Having begun in the Spirit, 09:25 this is the New Covenant experience, 09:26 recognizing that we're saved by grace through faith. 09:30 "Are you now made perfect in the flesh? 09:31 Are you going back to the Old Covenant experience, 09:35 even though you truly are under the New Covenant? 09:38 Are you walking in the Old Covenant experience?" 09:41 Galatians 5:4, to me, 09:42 is one of the saddest verses in the whole Bible. 09:46 It says, "You've become estranged from Christ, 09:49 you who attempt to be justified by law, 09:52 you have fallen from grace." 09:54 You are in the New Covenant 09:55 and you could have the experience of walking 09:58 in the New Covenant experience, 09:59 but are you walking in an Old Covenant experience? 10:02 Now, let's look at the New Covenant experience. 10:04 So, in Hebrews 12, 10:06 we had looked at that mountain of fear and terror 10:08 and trembling is the Old Covenant. 10:10 Let's look at the New Covenant, we pick it up in verse 22. 10:13 Hebrews 12:22, but you have come, 10:16 you don't have to be stuck in Mount Sinai. 10:18 "You have come to Mount Zion, 10:20 and to the city of the living God, 10:22 the heavenly Jerusalem, 10:23 to an innumerable company of angels." 10:27 We've come to Mount Zion 10:29 through faith in the person of our representative, 10:32 Jesus Christ. 10:33 That's right. 10:34 We've come to Mount Zion as opposed to Mount Sinai, 10:37 where there's darkness, and tempest, and fear. 10:40 Jesus is the center of this celebration with God 10:43 and the angels. 10:45 We see here, the inauguration of the New Covenant, 10:47 Jesus' enthronement after His ascension. 10:52 Takeaway number three, because of Jesus, 10:54 we have everything. 10:56 We have the New Covenant experience. 10:58 We have access to Him through the veil, 11:00 Hebrews Chapter 10. 11:01 We have cleansing from sin, Hebrews Chapter 9. 11:05 We have access to the Father, Hebrews Chapter 4. 11:08 We have rest, Hebrews Chapter 3 and 4. 11:11 We have an intercessor and a high priest, 11:13 Hebrews Chapter 7 and 8. 11:15 We have a mediator, Hebrews Chapter 9 and 12. 11:20 So, it's interesting, it says, "We have come to Mount Zion." 11:23 I won't spend too much time on this. 11:25 But if you look back to Psalm Chapter 2. 11:27 Now, Paul actually quotes this in Hebrews 1. 11:30 He references back to Psalm 2 and Psalm 110. 11:33 But Psalms 2:6 and 7, it says, 11:37 "Yet I have set my king 11:40 on my holy hill of Zion." 11:43 I have set, God is acting here, 11:45 and "I have set" is a technical term, 11:47 meaning install into office. 11:51 "I would declare the decree, 11:53 the Lord has said to me, you are my son. 11:55 Today, I have begotten you." 11:57 Now, we covered this on previous lessons. 11:59 It does not mean Jesus was created. 12:01 Jesus was pre-existent, Jesus is divine. 12:04 Jesus was the creator. 12:06 We see that clearly in John 1. 12:08 We see that clearly in Hebrews 1, 12:10 and many other passages of the Word. 12:12 But at this time, we're speaking specifically 12:15 of the inauguration of the New Covenant, 12:17 Jesus being installed as the priest king 12:19 after His ascension. 12:21 We see the same thing in Psalm 110:1, 12:24 "The Lord," that's God, the Father, 12:27 "said to my Lord," that's Jesus, the Messiah, 12:30 "sit at My right hand," that's the place of power, 12:34 "till I make your enemies your footstool." 12:37 We see the same thing in Revelation Chapter 5, 12:40 "Who could open the scroll and loose the seals?" 12:43 Jesus, the Lamb of God slain from the foundation 12:47 of the world, the lion of the tribe of Judah, 12:50 He rose up. 12:51 And this is His time of ascension. 12:54 You could say right after the ascension, 12:55 the enthronement, 12:57 right there at the right hand of the Father, 12:59 the inauguration of the New Covenant, 13:01 and his kingly and priestly rule. 13:04 Verse 23, this is Hebrews 12:23, 13:08 "To the General Assembly in church of the firstborn 13:10 who are registered in heaven, 13:14 to call the Judge of all, 13:15 to the spirits of just men made perfect." 13:17 Now, we're going to go very quickly. 13:19 But takeaway number four is, because of Jesus, 13:22 our names can be registered in the book of heaven. 13:26 Next verse, verse 24, 13:28 "To Jesus, the mediator of the New Covenant, 13:30 and to the blood of sprinkling 13:32 that speaks better things than that of Abel." 13:35 Takeaway number five, because of Jesus, 13:37 we receive an eternal inheritance. 13:41 Takeaway number six, because of Jesus, 13:43 we are purchased back, 13:45 we are redeemed from what our sin deserved. 13:48 Ephesians 1:7, "In Him, 13:49 we have redemption through His blood, 13:53 the forgiveness of sins, 13:54 according to the riches of His grace." 13:57 Jesus' death bought us back from what our sins deserved, 14:01 because He's the mediator of the New Covenant, 14:03 we receive forgiveness. 14:04 And finally, takeaway number seven, 14:07 because of Jesus, 14:08 sins committed before Jesus came, 14:10 they can be forgiven as well. 14:13 Not just the sins since He came, but the sins before, 14:16 when people sacrificed animals, 14:18 looking forward with faith to the coming Messiah, 14:22 that blood of Jesus covers all sin. 14:24 Amen. Amen. 14:26 Amen. That was such a blessing. 14:29 A great summary of the Book of Hebrews, Jill. 14:32 And it's so hard for us. 14:34 I think we're at the end of this now, 14:35 it's so hard to kind of stop because there's so much here. 14:39 I looked at the quarterly and I thought, "Wow, 14:41 these are great lessons." 14:42 And I thought, "But there's so much more we could." 14:45 I think, John, you mentioned that there was a quarterly 14:47 that covered the Book of Hebrews in three quarters, 14:50 instead of one quarter, if you can imagine. 14:52 I'm James Rafferty, and I have Monday's lesson, 14:54 which is called or entitled, You Have Come to God, 14:56 The Judge of All, 14:58 and it's based on Hebrews 12:23. 15:03 Let's just read that verse, Hebrews 12:23. 15:06 Here's what it says, 15:07 "To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, 15:11 which are written in heaven, 15:12 and to God the Judge of all, 15:15 and to the spirits of just men made perfect." 15:18 And the lesson basically says, "Let's read that, 15:21 and then let's recognize that this is a celebration." 15:25 But if this is a celebration, 15:27 why is God described as a judge? 15:30 How can a judge be part of a reason for celebration? 15:34 And it asks us to read Daniel Chapter 7, 9, 15:37 and 10 and verses 13-22. 15:39 But I'm not going to go there. 15:41 I want to go to Revelation, my favorite book, 15:43 Revelation 19:1-6, 15:46 because we have this incredible explanation of the celebration, 15:51 and the reasons for the celebration 15:53 in these verses. 15:54 Now, Revelation Chapter 19 15:55 is kind of wrapping up the Book of Revelation, 15:57 kind of summarizing, if you will, 15:59 not only Revelation, 16:00 but the whole great controversy. 16:02 And here's the summary that God brings to us, 16:04 beginning in verse 1, Revelation Chapter 19. 16:07 "And after these things, I heard a great voice 16:09 of much people in heaven saying, 'Alleluia! 16:14 Salvation and glory and honor 16:15 and power unto the Lord, our God.'" 16:17 Now, just pause there for a second, 16:19 Revelation 19:1 16:21 is paralleling Hebrews 12:23 and 24. 16:25 We're in heaven, we're on Mount Zion, 16:27 we hear a great voice. 16:29 But there's more here, 16:30 it kind of builds on the picture. 16:31 Because Revelation 14 talks about Mount Zion, 16:34 and 144,000 being there, and a gathering taking place. 16:38 Revelation 19 brings us a bigger, 16:40 fuller picture in the context of Daniel, 16:43 oh, excuse me, Hebrews 12:23 of judgment. 16:45 Next verse. 16:46 Verse 2 says, "For true and righteous are His judgments." 16:50 Now, the previous verses calling us to say, "Alleluia," 16:53 which means praise the Lord, why? 16:55 For true and righteous are His judgments. 16:58 Now, let's just pause for a second. 17:00 Have you ever been misjudged, misrepresented? 17:03 Have you ever seen judgments in this world that are unfair 17:06 and unrighteous? 17:07 Well, now, we have the final settling of accounts. 17:11 We have true justice, we have true judgments, 17:14 we have truth taking place here, 17:16 righteousness taking place here. 17:19 And they are God's judgments, "For He," it says in verse 2, 17:22 "has judged the great whore, 17:24 which did corrupt the earth with her fornication 17:26 and avenged the blood of His servants 17:29 at her hand, vengeance is mine, 17:31 I will repay, says the Lord." 17:33 So, if your enemy is hungry, feed him. 17:34 If he's thirsty, give him water to drink. 17:36 That is challenging, to turn the other cheek, 17:38 to go the extra mile. 17:39 The thing that motivates us to do that, partly, 17:42 is not just the love of God, but also, 17:44 the fact that God will judge. 17:46 God will take care. 17:48 "Vengeance is mine, I will repay," says the Lord. 17:50 And we've come to that day in Revelation 19 17:52 when God is repaying. 17:54 That's what the celebration is about in Hebrews Chapter 12, 17:56 but it goes on. 17:58 And again, they said, verse 3, Alleluia. 18:01 So, we've already been asked to praise God one time, 18:04 now we're asked to praise Him again, 18:05 after we hear the reason, 18:07 that His judgments have been made manifest. 18:09 Because if you've been beaten, if you've been battered, 18:13 if you've been bruised by sin, by evil, if you've been robbed, 18:17 or raped, or ridiculed, 18:20 if you've been hurt or hated or hunted, 18:22 if you've gone through any of the things 18:24 that are described, not only in the Bible, 18:26 but in this world, 18:27 the things that we experience in this world, 18:29 you are going to be praising the Lord, 18:31 that of judgment, that of righteousness, 18:33 that of fairness has finally been established. 18:35 And that is what Revelation Chapter 19 is telling us. 18:38 In fact, in verse 4, it says, 18:40 "And the four and twenty elders 18:41 and the four beasts fell down and worshiped God 18:44 and they sat on the throne saying, 18:46 Amen, alleluia." 18:48 And then in verse 5, it says, 18:49 "And a voice came out of the throne, saying, 18:51 Praise God, all you servants, and ye that fear Him, 18:54 small and great." 18:55 So, there's a command given to praise God 18:57 because of His righteous judgments. 18:58 And verse 6, 19:00 "And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, 19:02 and as it were, the voice of many waters, 19:04 and the voice of mighty thunderings, 19:06 saying, Alleluia: 19:08 for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth." 19:12 Our voice, combined together, I should say, 19:15 our voices combined together, 19:16 are going to sound like the voice of many thunderings. 19:18 You know, thunder is powerful. 19:20 Oh, I love to hear that thunder. 19:21 I remember I was sitting on the edge 19:23 of my bed one evening, 19:24 just listening to the thunder 19:26 and watching the lightning off in the distance, 19:27 you know, and I was just saying, 19:32 and all of a sudden a lightning bolt hit right in front 19:33 of our window and the thunder clapped, 19:36 and I jumped off my bed on to the floor. 19:38 It was so scary. 19:40 The thunder is powerful, thunder is beautiful, 19:42 but thunder reveals the power and the presence of God. 19:46 Many times in the Bible, 19:47 we're told that God thunders with His voice. 19:49 In fact, when God spoke to Jesus at the temple there, 19:52 a lot of people that heard that voice 19:54 thought that it thundered. 19:56 So, we have this proclamation, 19:58 if you will, this command in a sense, 20:00 to praise God for His righteousness, 20:02 for His righteous judgments. 20:04 That is why it's described 20:05 as a celebration in Hebrews 12:22-24. 20:10 It alludes the quarterly says, the author says, 20:12 "To a future judgment, God, the judge presides, 20:16 the books are used, they're opened 20:18 and the result of this future judgment from the books 20:20 is that God's people receive the kingdom." 20:24 The quarterly goes on to say, 20:25 "This scene invokes the great pre-advent judgment 20:28 described in Daniel 7, 20:29 which portrays a judgment scene where God, 20:32 the Ancient of Days, 20:33 sits on a throne made of fire, 20:35 and is surrounded when ten thousand times 20:37 ten thousands of angels, books are opened. 20:41 And the judgment is described in favor, 20:43 or decided in favor of the saints 20:45 of the Most High." 20:47 I love that. Judgment is made in our favor. 20:50 And then it goes on to say, "And we, 20:52 the saints of the Most High, then possess the kingdom." 20:56 So, this is similar to Hebrews 12:22-29, 20:59 which describes the judgment scene on Mount Zion, 21:01 the heavenly Jerusalem, where God, the Judge of all, 21:04 is surrounded with thousands of thousands of angels. 21:07 This scene is also a fiery one, according to Hebrews 12:29. 21:11 It includes books, 21:13 because the saints are enrolled in them, 21:15 which implies a favorable judgment for the saints. 21:19 The spirits have just been made perfect 21:20 would be the spiritual character of just man 21:23 perfected by the righteousness of Jesus Christ. 21:27 And then it goes on to ask this question 21:29 toward the end of our lesson for Monday. 21:31 It says, "How does what we study today 21:33 help us to understand that God's judgment 21:37 in the three angels' messages is good news 21:39 because the everlasting gospel says to all the nations 21:43 that dwell on the earth, fear God and give glory to Him 21:46 for the hour of His judgment is come." 21:48 Well, there are three reasons why the judgment is good news. 21:50 Reason number one, three takeaways. 21:53 Takeaway number one, 21:54 Revelation Chapter 14 is good news, 21:57 because it comes down to the proclamation 21:59 of the everlasting gospel. 22:00 And the everlasting gospel is good news. It's good. 22:02 And we have to define the judgment in that context. 22:07 And, of course, Romans Chapter 14 tells us, 22:09 that the reason why the judgment is good news 22:12 is because it gets us off the hook. 22:14 Everyone's going to stand 22:15 before the judgment seat of Christ. 22:16 So, we don't need to judge anyone anymore. 22:19 You don't need to judge me, I don't need to judge you. 22:20 We are taken off the hook from judging one another, 22:24 because God is the final judge. 22:26 Matthew Chapter 7 tells us it's good news, 22:28 because Matthew 7 explains, that there are people 22:31 who come to the Lord in the end of time, 22:33 and they point to their good works, 22:35 and they say, "We've done this, 22:36 and we've done that, let us in." 22:38 Well, the judgment basically reminds us 22:41 not to depend on our good works 22:43 to be entering into the kingdom of heaven. 22:45 Yeah. Jesus will say, "I don't know you." 22:47 Our entrance into heaven is not based upon our good works, 22:51 it's based upon our relationship with Christ, 22:53 and our trust in His righteousness. 22:54 Amen. 22:56 The third reason for the judgment 22:57 being good news is found in Revelation 12:9, 10 23:03 and 11. 23:04 And in Revelation Chapter 12, it basically tells us 23:06 that Jesus Christ be lifted up was the reason 23:09 why the devil was cast out of this earth. 23:13 And his angels were cast out with him. 23:15 In other words, Jesus Christ and the cross, 23:19 the everlasting gospel finally not only vindicates us, 23:23 but also vindicates God's character. 23:25 It silences the accusations of Satan against us, 23:29 because in Revelation 12:10, we're told that, 23:31 "The accuser is cast down, 23:32 who accuses us before God day and night," 23:35 24/7, 365 days a year, we have this accuser, 23:39 and we hear his words, he points to our history, 23:42 he seeks to undermine our confidence in Christ 23:45 and His righteousness, 23:46 he seeks to place upon us a guilt trip to wear us down. 23:50 This is the fruit of the tree 23:51 of the knowledge of good and evil, 23:53 this guilt that God wants to press us down with, 23:55 excuse me, that Satan wants to press us down with, 23:57 and Satan is finally going to be vanquished. 24:00 So the judgment is good news. 24:01 Because we don't have to judge others, 24:03 because we don't have to trust in our works to be saved. 24:05 And because the accuser's voice is going to be silenced 24:08 according to Isaiah Chapter 54:17, 24:11 I believe it is, 24:12 "That is our heritage or our inheritance, 24:16 every weapon that is formed against us 24:18 is going to come to naught, 24:20 and his voice is finally going to be silenced 24:22 by the righteous claims of Jesus Christ." 24:26 Amen. Thank you so much. 24:28 What great hope. Good news. 24:30 Praise the Lord. 24:31 We're going to take a short break, 24:33 we'll be right back. 24:39 Ever wish you could watch 24:40 a 3ABN Sabbath School Panel again, 24:42 or share it on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter? 24:45 Well, you can by visiting 3abnsabbathschoolpanel.com 24:50 A clean design makes it easy 24:53 to find the program you're looking for. 24:55 There are also links to the Adult Bible Study Guide 24:58 so you can follow along. 25:00 Sharing is easy. 25:01 Just click share and choose your favorite social media. 25:05 Share a link, save a life for eternity. 25:09 Welcome back to our study on Hebrews Chapter 12, 25:11 Receiving An Unshakable Kingdom. 25:14 And now, I'm going to toss it over to Pastor John, 25:15 in Tuesday's lesson. 25:17 Yes, Shake The Heavens and The Earth. 25:20 Who do you know that can do that? 25:22 Only God. 25:24 The writer of Hebrews takes us to some scenes in the Bible 25:28 that are often overlooked, God intervening. 25:31 And I'm going to talk about it in seven different ways. 25:35 The intervention of God. 25:37 You know, one of the wonderful things about being a child 25:39 of God is, we have God on our side. 25:41 And I begin with the words of the Apostle Paul, 25:43 "If God be for us, who can be against us?" 25:47 That's right. That's right. 25:48 And so, one plus God equals the majority. 25:51 When we look at God's intervention 25:52 throughout human history, 25:54 the writer of Hebrews brings us to that work 25:57 that God is going to accomplish, 25:59 the shaking of the heavens and the earth. 26:01 And he describes that this is an event 26:04 that has yet to occur. 26:06 Hebrews 12:26, Hebrews 12:26, he describes, 26:11 "Whose voice then shook the heaven, 26:14 but now, He has promised saying, 26:18 'Yet once more I shake not only the earth, 26:20 but also heaven." 26:22 Verse 27, "Now this, 26:24 'Yet once more, ' indicates the removal 26:27 of those things that are being shaken, 26:30 as of things that are made, that the things 26:34 which cannot be shaken may remain." 26:37 When I was growing up, my mother used to make cakes, 26:41 and she would give me the responsibility 26:43 of sifting the flour. 26:45 And these old days, you just do it by hand, it had, 26:47 it looked like a container 26:50 that had three or four different strainers. 26:53 The larger one, then the medium size, 26:54 and the smaller one and the very fine one. 26:56 And she would say, 26:58 "Keep pouring the flour in there and just go ahead 27:00 and shake it, shake it, shake it." 27:01 And the powdery flour would come out the end, 27:04 she said, "Okay, do it one more time, 27:06 do it one more time." 27:07 And as I look at that, 27:09 I think about God is making sure, 27:12 in the shaking time, that only those things 27:15 that cannot be shaken will remain. 27:18 He's removing all of the dross, 27:19 the things that we don't see with our human eyes. 27:22 He's purifying the church, 27:23 getting it ready for that ultimate victory. 27:26 And as the writer of Hebrews, 27:28 Paul, writes this in Hebrews 12, 27:30 it's a throwback to Haggai 2:6 and 9. 27:34 It says, "For thus says the Lord of hosts, 27:37 once more is a little while. 27:39 It is a little while. 27:41 I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land, 27:45 I will shake all nations, 27:48 and they shall come to the desire of all nations, 27:50 and I will fill this temple with glory, 27:53 says the Lord of hosts." 27:54 Verse 8, "The silver is mine and the gold is mine, 27:56 says the Lord. 27:58 The glory of the latter temple 27:59 shall be greater than the former, 28:01 says the Lord of hosts. 28:03 And in this place I will give peace, 28:05 says the Lord of hosts." 28:07 The day of Pentecost was an amazing day. 28:10 But the former shall be more glorious than the latter. 28:13 That's right. 28:15 It was located in Jerusalem, but when the glory of God 28:17 is revealed in the end time shaking, 28:19 it is going to be global. 28:20 The glory of God, Isaiah 60, "Arise, shine, 28:24 for the light has come and the glory of the Lord 28:27 shall be risen upon you at a time 28:29 when darkness covers the earth." 28:31 So let's look at one of the examples 28:32 of how throughout history, 28:34 that God's presence was noted by the shaking. 28:38 You find in Judges 5:20, this is an example 28:42 when God fought on behalf of His people. 28:46 It shows that when God shows up to deliver His people, 28:49 when Deborah and Barak fought against Sisera, 28:52 God fought from the heavens on their behalf. 28:55 Judges 5:20, "They fought from the heavens, 28:58 the stars, from their courses, fought against Sisera." 29:03 That's God using nature to fight in behalf of His people. 29:08 You know, the fire by day, the pillar of cloud by day, 29:11 the fire by night, 29:13 God uses nature to fight in behalf of His people. 29:17 And this is emphasized once more in Judges 5:4-5, 29:22 indicating now, this shaking is a reference 29:26 to the presence of God being revealed. 29:29 Judges 5:4-5, 29:31 "Lord, when you went out from Seir, 29:34 when you marched from the field of Edom, 29:37 the earth trembled, and the heavens poured. 29:41 The clouds also poured water, 29:43 the mountains gush before the Lord. 29:46 This Sinai, before the Lord God of Israel." 29:50 So, we find clearly the presence of God 29:52 thundering as James uses. 29:54 You know, when God walks, when God's presence is near. 29:57 Another Bible writer, I think it's the Book of Micah, 29:59 he says, "The clouds are the dust of God's feet." 30:04 And so, when we see the presence of God, 30:06 we see that nature participates in introducing God, 30:10 when He steps in on behalf of humanity. 30:12 We also find in the third example, 30:15 the Lord stepping in and thundering the heavens, 30:19 to deliver His oppressed people. 30:21 Psalm 68:7-8, 30:24 "Oh, God, when You went out before Your people, 30:27 when You marched through the wilderness Selah, 30:31 the earth shook. 30:32 The heavens also dropped rain at the presence of God. 30:35 Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, 30:39 the God of Israel." 30:42 We find that happening in the experience 30:44 of the children in the wilderness. 30:45 Then we go to number four, Psalms 96:9-10, 30:48 the shaking signal God's judgment, 30:50 as He asserts His authority on the earth in behalf 30:54 of His people once again. 30:56 And the prophet predicted this would happen. 30:58 Psalms 96:9, 31:00 "I worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness, 31:02 tremble before Him all the earth." 31:04 Verse 10, "Say among the nations, the Lord reigns. 31:09 The world also is firmly established, 31:11 it shall not be moved. 31:13 He shall judge the people righteously." 31:17 And then we find that the Lord uses shaking 31:22 of the heavens and the earth to destroy the enemies of God. 31:26 This is what God promised at the enthronement of Jesus. 31:30 Look at Hebrews 1:13. 31:33 Hebrews 1:13, 31:36 "But to which of the angels has He ever said, 31:39 sit at my right hand, 31:41 till I make your enemies your footstool." 31:44 And this is what God is going to do, 31:47 He's going to shake the heavens. 31:48 You'll find at the enthronement of Jesus, 31:50 there would be signaling that the presence of God 31:55 is stepping to the forefront, 31:56 indicating the enthronement of Christ. 31:59 We also find in Hebrews 2:14 and 16, 32:02 the Bible talks about the defeat 32:04 of the enemy of God. 32:06 And this one doesn't use the word shaking much in it, 32:10 but it's a reference back to the presence of God 32:13 being invoked in behalf of His people delivering them. 32:17 And in this case, 32:18 instead of this being a physical shaking, 32:20 it is shaking the kingdom of darkness. 32:22 Hebrews 2:14 and 16, 32:24 "Inasmuch then as the children have partaken 32:27 of flesh and blood, 32:28 He Himself likewise shared in the same, 32:31 that through death He might destroy him 32:33 who had the power of death, that is, the devil, 32:35 and release those who through fear of death 32:37 were all their lifetime subject to bondage." 32:40 Verse 16, "For indeed, 32:42 He does not give aid to angels, 32:46 but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham." 32:48 Amen. 32:50 He's fighting on behalf of the people of God, 32:51 He's fighting in behalf of His children. 32:54 Now, let's move down to the time of the end. 32:56 We also go to Luke 21:25 and 26. 33:00 This shaking is a sign from God signaling 33:04 the inhabitants of the earth, 33:06 that we are approaching the time of the end, 33:09 living in the time of the end. 33:11 Luke 21:25 and 26, 33:14 "And there will be signs in the sun, 33:16 in the moon, and in the stars, 33:20 and on the earth distress of nations with perplexity, 33:23 the sea and the waves roaring." 33:26 Verse 26, "Men's hearts failing them from fear 33:31 and the expectation of those things 33:33 which are coming on the earth," why? 33:35 "For the powers of the heavens will be shaken." 33:39 God is signaling earth and its inhabitants 33:41 that the time of My return, 33:43 the time of My visitation is near, 33:45 and men's hearts are being drawn to the event, 33:48 shaking men's hearts, 33:50 so they're fearful of what is coming upon 33:53 the earth in the closing hours of earth's history. 33:56 Finally, number seven, 33:58 the shaking of the earth happens 33:59 at the appearance of the return of Jesus. 34:02 Jeremiah 4:26. 34:04 We read these words, 34:06 "I beheld, and indeed the fruitful land 34:09 was a wilderness, 34:11 and all the cities were broken down 34:13 at the presence of the Lord, by His fierce anger." 34:18 You can't break cities down like New York 34:20 and Chicago and Los Angeles, 34:22 unless there's a whole lot of shaking going on. 34:24 And so, God is going to shake the earth. 34:26 All these fortresses that men have built 34:28 to defy the authority and the divinity of God 34:31 will come crumbling down. 34:32 That's why we read Revelation 6:9 and 10, 34:35 what will their response be? 34:37 Revelation 6:9-11. 34:40 "When He opened the fifth seal, 34:41 I saw under the altar the souls of those who have been slain 34:43 for the Word of God, 34:45 and for the testimony which they held. 34:47 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, 34:49 'How long, O Lord, holy and true, 34:51 until You judge and avenge our blood on those 34:53 who dwell on the earth?" 34:55 And verse 11, 34:57 "Then a white robe was given to each of them, 35:01 and it was said to them, 35:02 that they should rest a little while longer, 35:05 until both the number of their fellow servants 35:07 and their brethren who would be killed 35:10 as they were, was completed." 35:13 When God steps forward to avenge His people, 35:15 there will be a whole lot of shaking going on. 35:19 Amen. Amen. 35:20 Amen, amen. 35:22 Well, I'm John Dinzey, and I have Wednesday's portion, 35:25 the title is An Unshakable Kingdom. 35:28 Praise God. 35:30 So, here, in this lesson, 35:34 we have an announcement that He will shake the heavens 35:37 and the earth, which means He will destroy 35:40 the enemy nations. 35:42 And we are going to look at some scriptures 35:45 that talk about things that cannot be moved. 35:48 Let's look at Psalm 16:8, 35:50 this is one of the scriptures presented in the lesson. 35:54 It says, "I have set the Lord always before me, 35:57 because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved." 36:02 When we have the Lord with us, 36:04 we shall not be moved. 36:06 Look at Psalm 21:7, 36:08 "For the king trusts in the Lord, 36:11 and through the mercy of the Most High, 36:13 he shall not be moved." 36:15 We have to have God as the one we can trust, 36:21 and we shall not be moved. 36:22 Psalm 62:1-2, 36:24 "Truly, my soul silently waits for God, 36:28 from Him comes my salvation. 36:31 He only is my rock and my salvation. 36:33 He is my defense, I shall not be greatly moved." 36:38 Praise the Lord. 36:39 Psalm 116, Psalm 112, 36:42 now, we go to verse 6, it says, 36:44 "Surely he will never be shaken. 36:48 The righteous will be in everlasting remembrance." 36:52 Praise the Lord. That's Psalm 112:6. 36:56 And so now, we turn to the scripture 36:58 that is the foundation for this portion, 37:00 it says Hebrews 12:26-27, notice, 37:04 "Whose voice then shook the earth, 37:06 but now He has promised saying, 37:09 'Yet once more I shake not only the earth, 37:11 but also heaven." 37:13 Now, this, 'Yet once more,' 37:15 indicates the removal of those things 37:17 that are being shaken, as of things that are made, 37:20 that the things which cannot be shaken will remain." 37:24 The lesson brings out this thought 37:26 that I like to share with you, the Bible is clear. 37:29 God will create new heavens and new earth 37:33 as you see in Isaiah 65:17, 37:36 in Revelation 21:1-4, 37:40 "And we will have a resurrected body, 37:43 we will be changed." 37:45 You can see that in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17, 37:49 and I'd like to read to you from 1 Corinthians Chapter 15, 37:55 beginning in verse 51, this is powerful, 37:57 and we need to picture this, notice, 37:59 "Behold, I tell you a mystery: 38:02 We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed," 38:05 talking about the Christians, "in a moment, 38:08 in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. 38:12 For the trumpet will sound 38:13 and the dead will be raised incorruptible, 38:16 and we shall be changed. 38:18 For this corruptible must put on in corruption, 38:21 and this mortal must put on immortality. 38:25 So when this corruptible has put on in corruption, 38:27 and this mortal has put on immortality, 38:30 then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: 38:34 'Death is swallowed up in victory.'" 38:37 Praise God. 38:39 And verse 55, "O Death, where is your sting? 38:41 O Hades, where is your victory? 38:43 The sting of death is sin, 38:46 and the strength of sin is the law. 38:48 But thanks be to God 38:50 who gives us the victory," how? 38:53 "Through our Lord Jesus Christ." 38:56 Amen. That's right. 38:57 So, as you look at the scriptures, 38:59 you will notice as the lesson says, 39:01 that permanence and stability are associated with Jesus. 39:06 Hebrews 1:10-12 says, "And you, Lord, 39:10 in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth 39:14 and the heavens are the work of Your hands. 39:17 They will perish, but You remain, 39:20 and they will all grow old like a garment, 39:23 like a cloak You will fold them up, 39:25 and they shall be changed, but You are the same, 39:28 and Your years will not fail." 39:31 Praise the Lord. 39:33 Now, concerning Jesus, the Bible says this, 39:38 it says in Hebrews 7:3, "Without father, 39:41 without mother, without genealogy, 39:42 having neither beginning of days, 39:44 nor end of life, made like the Son of God, 39:47 remains a priest continually." 39:50 Jesus remains a priest continually. 39:56 Hebrews 7:24-25, 39:58 "But He, because He continues forever, 40:01 has an unchangeable priesthood. 40:04 Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost 40:08 those who come to God through Him, 40:10 since He always lives to make intercession for them." 40:15 Oh, this Jesus is the one that you need to follow. 40:18 This Jesus is the one who has died for you. 40:21 And this Jesus is the one who will be coming to take you 40:24 to live eternally with Him. 40:26 Amen. 40:27 Hebrews 12:28, notice, 40:30 "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom 40:33 which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, 40:38 by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence 40:42 and godly fear." 40:44 So, this kingdom that cannot be shaken, 40:48 how is it that there is such a kingdom, 40:51 promised to God's children? 40:53 I point you to Jesus. 40:55 And in Revelation 12:10, an announcement is made, 40:59 because when Jesus died on the cross, 41:01 He secured for us salvation, and He secured for us, 41:07 a kingdom that cannot be shaken. 41:09 Amen. 41:10 Notice Revelation 12:10, 41:12 "Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, 41:13 'Now salvation, and strength, 41:17 and the kingdom of our God, 41:19 and the power of His Christ have come, 41:23 for the accuser of our brethren, 41:25 who accused them before our God day and night, 41:27 has been cast down." 41:30 Satan has been defeated." Satan has been defeated. 41:34 The kingdom belongs to God, 41:37 a kingdom that cannot be shaken, 41:39 and you can be a part of that kingdom, 41:42 if you give yourself completely to the Lord, 41:45 accept that sacrifice. 41:47 The word needs to be spread all over the world. 41:51 And the Bible says in Matthew 24:14, 41:53 "And this gospel of the kingdom 41:56 shall be preached in all the world, 41:59 for witness unto all nations, then the end shall come." 42:03 And when God does away with all the evil, Satan, 42:07 and all the wicked, 42:08 God's everlasting kingdom 42:10 will be established forever new heavens and a new earth. 42:14 Now, I want to highlight some interesting differences 42:17 between the righteous and the wicked, 42:20 because there's a difference between the two. 42:23 Notice in Psalm 32:10, 42:25 "Many sorrows shall be to the wicked, 42:28 but he who trusts in the Lord, mercy shall surround him." 42:33 Praise the Lord. 42:35 Isaiah 57:20-21, 42:37 "But the wicked are like the troubled sea, 42:40 when it cannot rest, 42:42 whose waters cast up mire and dirt. 42:45 There is no peace, says My God, for the wicked." 42:49 There's no peace for the wicked. 42:51 There cannot be peace for the wicked. 42:53 But notice Isaiah 26:3-4. 42:55 This is a blessing for God's children here and forever. 42:58 "You will keep him in perfect peace, 43:00 whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. 43:04 Trust in the Lord forever, for in Jehovah, 43:08 the Lord is everlasting strength." 43:10 Praise the Lord. 43:11 Job 20:4-5, "Do you not know this of old, 43:15 since man was placed on earth, 43:18 that the triumphing of the wicked is short?" 43:22 Praise the Lord. 43:23 "And the joy of the hypocrite is but for a moment." 43:27 But notice Psalm 37:29, 43:30 "The righteous shall inherit the land 43:33 and dwell in it forever." 43:35 That's right. Praise God. 43:37 Notice now, Psalm 37:20, "But the wicked shall perish, 43:42 and the enemies of the Lord, 43:44 like the splendor of the meadows, 43:46 shall vanish. 43:48 Into smoke they shall vanish away." 43:52 Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. 43:54 John 10:27-28, 43:57 "My sheep hear my voice, 43:59 and I know them and they follow Me. 44:03 And I give them eternal life, 44:06 and they shall never perish, 44:07 neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand." 44:12 Jesus Christ, as the Lamb of God, 44:17 died for us on the cross. 44:19 He is our high priest, 44:20 ministering in the Most Holy Place in heaven. 44:23 He has, for you and me, an unshakable kingdom, 44:27 a kingdom that will last forever 44:30 and ever and ever. 44:31 And today, the door of mercy is still open. 44:34 And I encourage you if you have not made your decision, 44:36 if you have not placed your trust 44:39 and your life in the hands of the Lord, do it. 44:42 Don't let the moment pass by, 44:44 because we need to have our salvation 44:48 secured in Jesus Christ. 44:51 Satan is as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 44:54 And you have the opportunity now 44:57 to give your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ, 44:59 so you can be part of that unshakable kingdom. 45:02 And so, take the opportunity while you have it. 45:05 Don't wait for another moment, 45:07 because you are not promised another moment. 45:10 So, I encourage you to take Jesus as your savior, 45:13 and allow Him to lead and guide in your life, 45:16 so that you can have peace 45:17 and live eternally throughout or without end. 45:22 Amen. Amen 45:23 Amen. Praise the Lord. 45:24 Thank you, Pastor Dinzey. 45:26 I love that, The Unshakable Kingdom. 45:27 My name is Ryan Day, 45:29 I have Thursday's lesson entitled, Let Us Be Grateful. 45:32 And, of course, the lesson brings out 45:34 that Hebrews concludes the section by pointing out 45:38 the appropriate response to God for all the wonderful things 45:42 He has done for us to show gratitude, 45:44 by offering Him an appropriate type of worship. 45:49 This is important. 45:51 Showing gratitude is showing an appropriate type of worship. 45:54 Of course, this is building on Hebrews 12:28, 45:57 we've read it a couple of times, 45:59 let's read it again. Hebrews 12:28. 46:01 The Bible says, "Therefore, 46:03 since we are receiving a kingdom 46:04 which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, 46:08 by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence 46:11 and godly fear." 46:14 And then, of course, also Hebrews 13:15-16, 46:18 with that, notice what Hebrews 13:15-16 says, 46:21 "Therefore by Him, let us continually offer 46:24 the sacrifice of praise to God, 46:26 that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. 46:31 But do not forget to do good and to share, 46:34 for with such sacrifices God is well pleased." 46:39 In the Old Covenant system, 46:42 the sacrifice of animals was the way 46:44 people showed repentance and gratitude. 46:46 But these sacrifices were to be but a token of gratitude 46:50 and repentance in the heart of the worshiper. 46:53 Thus, God made clear in the Psalms 46:55 and through the prophets, 46:56 that what really pleased Him was not the blood of animals, 46:59 but of the gratitude, good deeds, 47:03 and righteousness of the worshiper. 47:04 We see this in Psalm 50:7-23, 47:08 as well as Isaiah 1:11-17. 47:12 And, of course, I just want to highlight Isaiah 1:16-17, 47:15 because the Lord says there, He says, "Wash yourselves, 47:18 make yourselves clean, 47:20 put away the evil of your doings before my eyes, 47:25 cease to do evil, learn to do good, seek justice, 47:29 rebuke the oppressor, defend the fatherless, 47:32 plead for the widow." 47:34 These are the things that please God, 47:36 these are the things that show forth true worship 47:39 and gratitude towards our God. 47:41 These are the things that catches God's eye. 47:43 Thus, Paul invites us 47:45 to worship God in the heavenly sanctuary 47:47 by offering sacrifices of praise, 47:50 confession, thanksgiving, and good works, 47:53 which is true worship that delights Him. 47:56 And I just want to take time 47:57 to just highlight each one of those elements, 47:59 because when we think of worship oftentimes, 48:00 we think of the actions that we do, and you know, 48:03 maybe, you know, extending of the hands, 48:06 or maybe a prayerful type of declaration. 48:09 All of these things are forms of worship, they are actions. 48:12 A lot of times we get the liturgy of services 48:15 confused with worship. 48:16 These are expressions of worship. 48:18 But, my friends, at the end of the day worship 48:19 is the attitude of their heart. 48:21 And there are many different forms 48:23 in which we can communicate, 48:24 express our worship to the Lord. 48:27 We have mentioned this a few times already, 48:28 but praising God, just simply offering up. 48:31 How often do you praise God? 48:33 Do you praise God as you should? 48:36 Psalm 103:1, "Bless the Lord, oh, my soul, 48:40 and all that is within me, bless His holy name." 48:44 I had the privilege of working with many pastors 48:47 over the years, but, you know, 48:49 one particular pastor comes to mind. 48:50 I'm spending time as I was at 48:52 an evangelistic series with him, 48:53 and this brother, I mean, 48:55 he would walk around randomly, 48:56 in all kinds of different points of the time 48:58 of the day, and he would say, "Halleluiah." 49:00 Walking by, we'd be at the dinner table, 49:02 and this brother mid bite would just say, 49:04 "Praise His holy name." 49:06 And he would just offer up praises all the time. 49:08 And there will be times he didn't even know 49:10 I was in the next room, or in the house, 49:12 and you would hear him walking through the house saying, 49:14 "Glory be to God." 49:16 I mean, this brother was genuine in his praise for God 49:19 and it let me know, you know what, 49:20 I need to worship God more. 49:21 I need to praise God more. Why? 49:23 Because the Bible says He is worthy to be praised. 49:26 He is our creator, Psalm 9:2, or excuse me, 49:30 Psalm 9:1-2, it says, 49:32 "I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart, 49:35 I will tell all of Your marvelous works. 49:37 I will be glad and rejoice in You, 49:39 I will sing praise to Your name, 49:42 O Most High." 49:43 There are so many different texts 49:45 that we could talk about in reference of praising God, 49:47 but when you praise God, 49:48 you are showing your gratitude towards Him. 49:50 You are giving Him worship, the worship that pleases Him. 49:54 Also thanksgiving, expressing thanksgiving, 49:58 which is a little, it's different than praise. 49:59 You're giving thanks to God for who He is 50:02 and what He's done for you. 50:03 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, I love this, it says, 50:07 "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing. 50:10 In everything," what is that word there again? 50:13 Give thanks. Give thanks. 50:14 "In everything give thanks, 50:16 for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 50:20 1 Chronicles 16:34, 50:22 "Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, 50:24 for His mercy endures forever." 50:28 And another great text, I'm not going to read it 50:29 for sake of time here, but Philippians 4:4-7. 50:33 My friends, when we give and express our thanks to God, 50:36 we're showing our gratitude towards Him 50:38 because He indeed is worthy. 50:40 We show forth worship, 50:42 we communicate our gratitude through the good works 50:45 that we do for God. 50:47 Ephesians 2:8-10. 50:49 We know the words too well, 50:50 "For by grace you have been saved through faith, 50:53 and that not of yourselves, 50:54 it is the gift of God, not of works, 50:56 lest anyone should boast." 50:57 And many people stop right there. 50:59 They don't read verse 10. 51:00 Verse 10 is tacked on, 51:02 right on with these previous verses. 51:04 Yes, we are not saved by our works. 51:06 We're saved by the grace of God through faith in Him. 51:09 But make no mistake, my friends. 51:11 Verse 10 says, "For we are His workmanship, 51:13 created in Christ Jesus for good works, 51:17 which God prepared beforehand 51:18 that we should walk in them." 51:20 It is God's plan. 51:22 It's His will for us to do good works. 51:24 It's His will that we do these things, 51:26 not because it saves us, 51:28 because it shows forth our relationship with Him. 51:31 It shows forth that the genuineness of our faith 51:33 is pure in our gratitude, and our worship in Him. 51:37 James 2:14-17 says, 51:40 "What does it profit, my brethren, 51:42 if someone says that he has faith 51:43 but does not have works? 51:45 Can faith save him? 51:46 If a brother or sister..." 51:48 Now, it gets down to the nitty-gritty, 51:49 "If a brother or sister is naked 51:51 and destitute of daily food, 51:53 and one of you says to them, 'Depart in peace, 51:56 and be warmed and filled, 51:57 but you do not give them the things 51:59 which are needed for the body, what does it profit?" 52:01 And then in verse 17, "Thus also faith by itself, 52:05 if it does not have works, it is dead." 52:08 You can say all day long, and just like Christ said, 52:10 "They draw nigh to me with their lips, 52:12 but their heart is far from Me." 52:14 Do you have a worshipful heart? 52:16 Does your works tell the story, 52:19 the reality of your faith in God? 52:21 Because when we see our brothers 52:22 and sisters in need, 52:24 how we relate to our brothers and sisters, 52:26 how we show forth our love for them 52:28 shows how much of the love of God is in our heart, 52:31 and how much of that worship we give to Him. 52:33 John 15:12-13, "This is My commandment," 52:35 Jesus says, "that you love one another 52:38 as I have loved you. 52:39 Greater love has no one than this 52:41 that they lay down one's life for his brother." 52:44 Repentance and confession. 52:46 This is crucial. 52:47 When you repent, 52:49 when you're in a state of repentance, 52:50 and you're confessing before the Lord, 52:51 you're expressing your gratitude 52:53 for what He has done for you. 52:54 You're expressing a form of worship to Him. 52:57 2 Chronicles 7:14, one of my favorite texts. Yeah. 53:01 "If my people who are called by My name 53:02 will humble themselves and pray, and seek My face, 53:07 and turn from their wicked ways, 53:08 then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin 53:12 and heal their land." 53:14 1 John 1:8-10, 53:16 is that gospel sandwich 53:18 we learned about in previous lessons, 53:20 "If we say that we have no sin, 53:21 we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 53:24 If we confess our sins, 53:26 He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins 53:29 and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 53:30 If we say that we have not sin, we make Him a liar, 53:33 and His word is not in us." 53:35 Is the Word of God in you? 53:37 Do you have the heart of the Savior? 53:39 Are you expressing that worship and that gratitude 53:41 through the form of repentance and forgiveness 53:45 because of what Christ has done for you? 53:47 That's what the lesson is talking about. 53:49 Obedience. 53:50 This is one of the greatest forms, 53:52 the highest form of worship. 53:54 Obedience. 53:55 Acts 5:32, 53:57 "And we are His witnesses of these things. 53:59 And so, also is the Holy Spirit, 54:01 whom God has given to those who obey Him. 54:04 "If you are purposely willfully not obeying God, 54:09 my friends, there's no evidence 54:10 of the Holy Spirit's work in your life 54:12 because you have rejected the Holy Spirit. 54:14 That's why Jesus said in John 14:15, 54:17 we've heard it too many times, 54:19 "If you love Me, keep My commandments." 54:22 It's all based on a relationship of love. 54:24 Even Jesus said in Luke 6:46, "But why do you call Me Lord, 54:30 Lord, and do not do the things which I say?" 54:34 Jesus is looking for genuine Christians, 54:37 genuine followers, genuine disciples, 54:40 who are expressing by their works by the attitude 54:43 of their heart, their worship for Him, 54:45 their gratefulness, their thankfulness, 54:47 their praise, it shows forth and tells the story 54:49 of the genuineness of their faith. 54:51 That's why I love 1 John 5:3, 54:54 because we don't obey God because it gains us salvation, 54:58 we obey Him because we love Him. 54:59 We obey Him because He has saved us. 55:01 We obey Him because He is worthy. 55:04 He is the God of the universe. 55:06 1 John 5:3, 55:07 "For this is the love of God that we keep His commandments, 55:11 and His commandments are not burdensome." 55:14 We don't serve a God that burdens us, 55:16 we serve a God who has saved us. 55:18 Are you grateful for His love? 55:20 Are you grateful for that God of love? 55:23 Show forth that love today. 55:25 Give praise to Him. 55:27 Give honor to our King. Amen. 55:30 Thank you so much. 55:31 I love that, because worship is so much deeper than we think. 55:35 Thank you so much Pastor Ryan, Pastor Johnny, 55:38 Pastor John and Pastor James, 55:39 thank you for the study this week. 55:41 My heart has been so blessed. 55:43 Want to give each one of you a moment, 55:44 share something about the week. 55:46 Well, thank you, Jill. 55:47 It's been a blessing to be on this particular program. 55:49 Isaiah 54:17, 55:52 just to summarize a little bit 55:53 of what we have been talking about, 55:55 "No weapon that is formed against me shall prosper, 55:58 and every tongue that shall rise 56:00 against thee in judgment, thou shall condemn. 56:04 This is the heritage, 56:07 the inheritance of the servants of the Lord, 56:09 and their righteousness is of Me, 56:11 says the Lord." 56:12 Amen. That's right. 56:14 And we're living in times that are going 56:15 to challenge our spiritual walk but I end with the words 56:17 of the Apostle Paul in 2 Thessalonians 2:2, 56:20 He says, "Not to be soon shaken in mind, 56:23 or troubled, neither by spirit, or by word, 56:27 or by letter, as if from us, 56:29 as though the day of Christ had come, 56:31 the day is coming, but until that day, 56:34 do not allow the things of this world, 56:36 the challenges of life to shake your faith." 56:39 Amen. Amen. 56:40 Amen. 56:42 And I would like to share from 1 Corinthians 2:9, 56:44 "But as it is written, 56:46 eyes have not seen nor ear heard, 56:48 nor have entered into the heart of man, 56:50 the things which God has prepared 56:52 for those who love Him." 56:54 You can be a part of that unshakable kingdom 56:56 and the things that God has prepared for us, 56:58 you cannot even imagine. 56:59 Amen. Praise the Lord. 57:01 Psalm 63:3-4 says, 57:04 "Because Your loving kindness is better than life, 57:09 my lips shall praise You. 57:11 Thus, I will bless you while I live. 57:14 I will lift up my hands in Your name." 57:17 Right there, if Danny Shelton was here right now, he'd say, 57:18 "That's a two-hander." Praise the Lord, oh my soul. 57:22 Amen. 57:24 It's been an incredible journey through the Book of Hebrews. 57:26 It's not done, there is one more week left. 57:30 Next week, lesson number 13. 57:32 The title is Let Brotherly Love Continue. 57:36 I want to remind you that we can't change the time. 57:39 We can't change where we live, 57:42 but we can change our response and our experience. 57:46 We are under the New Covenant, praise the Lord for that. 57:49 But we have a choice to make each and every day. 57:53 Are we going to walk in that 57:55 New Covenant experience with Jesus? 57:57 Are we going to experience Him? 58:00 Are we going to walk in the Old Covenant experience? 58:02 The choice, my friends, is yours. |
Revised 2022-02-10