Participants:
Series Code: SSP
Program Code: SSP220027S
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00:01 Hello Friends, I'm Jill Morikone
00:02 and it is the start of a brand new Quarter, 00:04 Quarter Number 3: In The Crucible with Christ. 00:07 This lesson... Lesson Number 1 is: The Shepherd's Crucible. 00:11 I am super excited about this Study. 00:14 I want to invite you... 00:15 if you don't have your own copy of the Quarterly, 00:17 you can go to the following website: 00:19 3abnsabbathschoolpanel. com 00:21 again that's: 3abnsabbathschoolpanel. com 00:24 You can download your own copy and follow along 00:28 week by week. 00:29 So, join us for this exciting study of the Word of God. 00:32 Music... 01:03 Hello Friends, I'm Jill Morikone. 01:05 and I'm so glad that you have tuned in 01:07 for a brand-new Quarter: In the Crucible with Christ. 01:11 It's going to be an insightful and a practical study 01:14 of Christianity. 01:16 So, I am looking forward to it. 01:17 To my left is part of my family here, 01:20 Pastor John Lomacang, glad you're here. 01:22 Lomacang: Yeah, thank you, it's good to be here. 01:23 This is a good lesson... not a whole book... 01:25 a very practical... and we thank the Lord for it. 01:28 We're looking forward to learning some new things. 01:30 Jill: Amen, I am as well, to your left, Ryan Day, 01:33 glad you're here. 01:34 Ryan: Amen, always a blessing 01:35 to be a part of the 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 01:37 Jill: Amen, to your left, Pastor John Dinzey, 01:39 delighted you're here as well. 01:41 Dinzey: It's a blessing for me to be here, 01:42 looking forward to this lesson as well. 01:44 Jill: Amen, last but not least, my Sister Shelley Quinn 01:47 anchor in the other end, glad you're here. 01:49 Shelley: It's such a privilege to do this Study 01:52 and I have to say... 01:53 we all get into a crucible every now and then. 01:56 This is Practical Christianity 101... I love it. 01:59 Jill: It is... I am super excited about it. 02:02 Let's go to the Lord in prayer before we go any further, 02:05 Pastor John, would you pray for us? 02:06 Lomacang: Sure, "Gracious Father, loving Lord, 02:09 we open the Bible and we pray that as we do so, 02:12 that we will also open our hearts. 02:14 Father, we need Your Spirit to pour into us. 02:17 We have studied... but what can we do 02:20 without the power that You make available. 02:22 So, come and speak to us, Lord, that we may speak words 02:25 intelligently... spiritually... 02:27 so that someone who may even be in a crucible at this moment 02:30 can find the peace and comfort that comes only through You. 02:33 We desire but one thing 02:35 and that is to give all the glory to You. 02:37 We ask in Jesus' name, amen. " 02:39 Pause... 02:41 Jill: We're going to start the lesson 02:42 maybe a little different angle than you would expect. 02:44 We're going to tell you what the Lesson is not 02:46 and then what the Lesson is. 02:48 The Lesson is not a Theodicy. 02:51 It is not the justification of God in the face of evil. 02:54 It is not... "Why is God seemingly silent 02:57 in the face of evil?" 02:58 Or "Why so bad things happen to seemingly good people?" 03:01 "Why are children abused and neglected... murdered?" 03:04 "Why are women raped?" 03:06 "Why do families have to see their children die?" 03:10 That's out of the natural order of things. 03:12 "Why is there famine?" 03:14 "Why are there car accidents in this world?" 03:17 We will touch a little bit during this Quarter 03:20 on some of those questions. 03:22 We're going to touch a little bit on the book of Job... 03:24 that book of books of suffering. 03:28 Job questions God's fairness 03:31 by speaking against the injustice 03:34 of the divinely permitted tragedies 03:36 that he has to endure. 03:38 and the bookend of Job... I always think... 03:41 is the book of Habakkuk. 03:42 Habakkuk also questions God's fairness 03:45 but it's different than how Job questions. 03:48 Habakkuk questions by demanding that God send judgments 03:53 upon the wicked. 03:54 But that's not really the focus of this Lesson. 03:59 This Lesson is... how do we walk through crucibles? 04:03 How do we endure pain and suffering and trials 04:08 that are a result of the world of sin that we live in. 04:12 How do we find Jesus in the midst of pain? 04:16 You know, if you think about Christ, 04:18 Christ is our Creator. 04:20 John 1:3, "All things were made through Him; 04:23 and without Him nothing was made that was made. " 04:25 He's a God of power... a God of strength... 04:29 He's our Creator God and yet this Creator God 04:32 is also our Redeemer. 04:34 Isaiah 53, "He is despised and rejected of men; 04:39 a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: 04:42 we hid as it were our faces from Him; 04:45 He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. " 04:48 Here we see the conundrum as it were 04:50 of the Creator God... the Omnipotent All-powerful God 04:54 who also suffered with humanity... 04:57 and suffered in a way 05:00 that you or I could never even experience. 05:03 because we just experience our own griefs 05:05 and our own sorrows 05:07 but at the cross, He bore all our griefs 05:11 and our sorrows and our sins. 05:14 The Lesson focuses on the suffering of our Savior 05:16 and the suffering that we see from heroes of faith 05:19 throughout the Word of God 05:20 and how we can learn to grow in grace... 05:23 how we can become more like Jesus. 05:26 How we can be trained in righteousness. 05:28 How we can extend comfort to others 05:31 with the comfort that we ourselves have received from God 05:34 because when it all boils down, 05:37 even if we don't understand, we know that God is love 05:42 and we know that we can still trust our heavenly Father. 05:46 Panel: That's right. 05:47 Jill: This week we look at Psalm 23, 05:49 so, turn with me Psalm 23. 05:50 Each one of us is going to have a portion 05:53 of this most beloved Psalm... David's Psalm. 05:56 The Shepherd's Crucible. 05:58 Of course, God is our Shepherd and we... we are the sheep. 06:03 Most importantly, this Psalm as we look at it is studied. 06:06 Of course, we look at it from the perspective of the shepherd 06:10 but also from the perspective of the sheep. 06:13 Now, I like chiastic structures. 06:15 I like literary structures 06:17 and Psalm 23 is really a chiastic structure. 06:20 You have A which is presence... this is verse 1, 06:23 the Shepherd is with me. 06:25 Then as you move in, you have B 06:28 which is provisions. 06:29 What are the provisions the Shepherd gives us? 06:31 Green pastures... water... restoration. 06:35 As we come in further, 06:37 we come into the central point of the Psalm... that's C. 06:40 That is paths... there are two paths... 06:43 the path of righteousness 06:45 and the path of death right there at the middle. 06:48 Then we come back out to provision. 06:50 If we go further in the Psalm, verses 4 through 6, 06:53 we see the provision... the table... 06:54 the anointing... the oil 06:56 and then we come all the way back out to A again 06:58 at the very end... we come back to presence... 07:01 we dwell in the house of the Lord forever. 07:04 Our Memory Text is Psalm 23 verse 3, 07:08 "He restores my soul; 07:10 He leads me in the paths of righteousness 07:14 for His name's sake. " 07:16 Sunday's Lesson: A Guide For The Journey... 07:19 we take a look at the Shepherd. 07:21 I just have Psalm 23 verses 1 and 2. 07:24 You know, the story is told of children in school 07:28 who are asked to draw a picture of God 07:29 and every one of those children in their picture 07:33 they had a heart in it 07:35 and they said, "Why did you draw a heart?" 07:38 And the children said, "Because God is love. " 07:41 But, you know, as we become older, 07:43 we become more cynical. 07:46 God doesn't change but we do. 07:49 Malachi 3:6... He says, 07:52 "I am God... I do not change. " 07:53 Hebrews 13:8... Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, 07:56 today and forever... " 07:57 and yet, as we grow older, 08:00 we learn that people... they're not always trustworthy. 08:02 We learn that we can expect good 08:05 but yet, sometimes bad creeps up behind you. 08:08 We learn that you can eat right... you can exercise... 08:11 you can get sleep at night... 08:13 you can trust in God... 08:14 and you still might get a disease. 08:16 Is God still love in the midst of this world that we live in? 08:20 Absolutely, but Satan seeks to twist our understanding 08:27 of the character of God. 08:29 Let's read Psalm 23 verse 1, 08:31 the first verse, 08:33 "The Lord is my shepherd; 08:35 I shall not want. " 08:38 A symbol of a shepherd is used for God 08:40 both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. 08:43 Since we have, God is our Shepherd, 08:45 we have need for nothing else. 08:49 Now, I want to give you in my remaining time 08:52 eleven things that the Shepherd does for us. 08:55 we're going to move very quickly. 08:57 Number 1: We're going to Psalm 28... 08:59 we were in Psalm 23... jump over... Psalm 28 verse 9, 09:03 what does a Shepherd do for us? 09:05 Number 1: God the Shepherd... He keeps us together. 09:08 Psalm 28: 9, "Save Your people, 09:11 bless Your inheritance; 09:13 Shepherd them also, 09:15 and bear them up forever. " 09:17 He keeps us from scattering as a sheep. 09:20 He gives us guidance and direction. 09:22 He keeps us together. 09:24 Number 2: we're still in Psalm, Psalm chapter 80, 09:27 jump over to Psalm 80 verse 1, 09:29 God gives us direction, "Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, 09:34 You who lead Joseph like a flock; 09:36 You who dwell between the cherubim, shine forth!" 09:39 He leads us... He gives us guidance. 09:42 Number 3: we're going to Isaiah, Isaiah 40 verse 11, 09:48 the first half of that verse, Number 3: 09:50 God grants us provision. 09:53 "He will feed His flock like... " what's that word? 09:57 "a shepherd... " 09:58 God gives us provision. 10:00 Number 4: God deals with us tenderly... 10:04 we're in the same verse... we're just going to finish it. 10:06 Verse... Isaiah 40 verse 11, the second half of the verse, 10:09 He will gather the lambs with His arm, 10:12 and carry them in His bosom, 10:13 and gently lead those who are with young? " 10:17 This, of course, is the portrait of the coming Messiah 10:20 but we see God as Shepherd deals with us tenderly. 10:24 Number 5: we're going to Jeremiah. 10:25 Jeremiah chapter 23 10:27 and we'll get several points out of this, 10:29 Jeremiah chapter 23... pick it up in verses 1 and 2, 10:32 Number 5 is: God will judge those who hurt you. 10:37 "Woe to the shepherds 10:38 who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! 10:41 says the Lord. 10:43 Therefore thus says the Lord God of Israel 10:44 against the shepherds who feed My people: 10:46 'You have scattered My flock, 10:48 driven them away, and not attended to them. 10:51 Behold... '" what is He going to do? 10:53 "'I will attend to you for the evil of your doings,' 10:57 says the Lord. " So, what does that mean? 10:58 God would judge those who hurt you. 11:01 Number 6: God restores us... 11:04 we're still in Jeremiah 23 let's read verse 3, 11:07 "But I will gather the remnant of My flock 11:11 out of all the countries where I have driven them, 11:13 and bring them back to their folds; 11:16 and they shall be fruitful and increase. " 11:18 God as our Shepherd restores us. 11:21 Number 7... we're reading verse 4, 11:24 we're still in Jeremiah 23 verse 4, 11:26 Number 7: "I will set up shepherds over them 11:29 who will feed them; 11:30 and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, 11:33 nor shall they be lacking," says the Lord. 11:35 So, God ensures... we are not afraid 11:38 and again, He provides for us. 11:41 Going to Number 8: 11:43 the last of them are from John chapter 10. 11:45 So, turn over to John chapter 10. 11:47 We're going to pick it up in verse 11, 11:48 Number 8: God sacrificed Himself 11:51 so that you and I can be saved. 11:54 John 10:11, "I am the good Shepherd, 11:57 The good Shepherd gives His life for the sheep. " 12:01 God sacrificed Himself to save us. 12:04 Number 9: God knows us intimately. 12:08 John 10 verse 14, 12:10 "I am the good shepherd; 12:11 and I know My sheep, 12:13 and am known by My own. " 12:16 God knows us intimately. 12:18 Number 10: God brings unity. 12:21 John 10 verse 16, 12:24 "Other sheep I have which are not of this fold; 12:26 them also I must bring, 12:28 and they will hear My voice; 12:29 and there will be one flock and one shepherd. " 12:31 God brings unity... and finally Number 11: 12:35 God speaks to us... we're in John 10 verse 27, 12:39 "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, 12:42 and they follow Me. " 12:43 Do you want to be led by the good Shepherd? 12:47 Do you want Jesus as your Shepherd to lead you. 12:50 No matter what trial you're going through... 12:52 no matter what you experience in your life, 12:55 He is your good Shepherd. 12:57 He is the one who keeps you together. 12:59 He is the one who gives you direction. 13:01 He is the one who gives you provision. 13:03 He is the one who deals with you tenderly 13:05 and judges other people who hurt you. 13:07 He is the one who restores you and ensures you are not afraid. 13:11 He is the one who sacrificed His life 13:14 so that you could go free. 13:16 He is the one who knows you intimately 13:18 and wants to bring unity into your life. 13:20 He is the one who speaks to you 13:22 and finally, Psalm 23 verse 2, 13:25 "He makes you lie down in green pastures; 13:28 He leads you beside the still waters. " 13:30 He gives you rest. 13:32 Do you want rest? 13:35 He promises us this in Matthew 11, 13:37 "Come to Me all, you who labor and are weary and heavy laden, 13:42 and I... I will give you rest. " 13:46 Come to the Shepherd of your soul... 13:49 no matter the crucible that you are experiencing... 13:52 and He will give you rest. 13:54 Panel: Amen... amen. 13:55 Lomacang: Thank you Jill, wow! 13:56 How do you fit in eleven points in all that time? 13:59 It's amazing how you do that. 14:01 You know, the 23rd Psalm is just an amazing... 14:03 amazing passage... I've often said... 14:05 it is in fact... in the Bible the complete summary 14:08 of the Christian's life. 14:10 If you can say, "The Lord is my Shepherd... " 14:12 everything that is listed in the 23rd Psalm 14:14 will be a part of your experience. 14:16 From the beginning where He found you as a lost sheep, 14:19 all the way to the point 14:21 where we dwell in the house of the Lord forever. 14:23 I'm in Psalm 23 verse 3, which is: He restores my soul: 14:29 He leads me in the paths of righteousness 14:32 for his name's sake. 14:34 You know, righteousness is never for our glory, 14:38 it's always for God's glory. 14:40 That's why He says, "Let your light so shine. " 14:41 I'm going to read the introduction 14:43 that the writer of the lesson put in it 14:45 because it was so wonderfully put together. 14:46 Talking about a journey, 14:48 just imagine being on a path of righteousness 14:50 or a path at all 14:52 and you just cannot see the end of the journey. 14:54 Sometimes, the mountains block 14:55 and sometimes the crest of the hill 14:57 obscures the journey for me. 15:00 Sometimes the turn is so steep, you can't see around it 15:03 but you know that at the end of this journey... is home. 15:06 More specifically, in the beauty of it... God's home. 15:09 Listen to the way He says it, He says, 15:12 "Imagine the paths of righteousness 15:14 stretching out before you way into the distance. 15:17 You cannot see the end, 15:18 but you know that at the end of the journey 15:20 is home... God's house. 15:23 As you focus a little closer to you, 15:25 do you see where the path leads? 15:28 You can see some clearly or some places clearly 15:32 but other parts are totally obscured 15:34 by large or dangerous obstacles. 15:36 Sometimes, the path disappears over a ridge. 15:39 Some parts of the path are easy to walk along, 15:41 others are difficult. 15:43 It was just like this in Israel's travel from Egypt 15:47 to the Promised Land 15:48 and it is described the same way in this Psalm. " 15:52 So, it's the journey of the Christian. 15:54 Each one of us has those parts in our lives 15:56 where... man... we just want to get up on the desert 15:59 but I want to bring up the four things 16:00 because the 23rd Psalm... it talks about the locations. 16:05 Mine is entitled: Locations on the Journey 16:07 and my wife and I do this sometimes. 16:09 We've been in ministry now for 35 years 16:11 and every now and then we look at the journey... 16:14 where we were when we started... 16:15 what happened along the way... 16:17 the part of the journey we wanted to quit 16:19 and then we say, "I'm so glad we didn't quit... 16:21 God is faithful from the very beginning to the very end. 16:25 But the 23rd Psalm... I'll break this down 16:27 because there are four takeaways, Jill, 16:30 that come out of the picture of the 23rd Psalm. 16:33 Let's look at the 23rd Psalm and I'll break this down as we go. 16:36 I'll read it one more time. 16:38 "He restores my soul: 16:40 He leads me in the paths of righteousness 16:43 for His name's sake. " 16:45 What kind of paths? 16:47 Green pastures. 16:48 Jill: Yeah. 16:50 Lomacang: And when you look at that, 16:51 this shows the abundance of God. 16:54 God never leads us to a lack... 16:56 He always leads us to an abundance 16:59 that we might have life and have it more abundantly 17:02 and so, we find the abundance of God... 17:04 it's talked about by David 17:06 but illustrated all through the New Testament. 17:08 Philippians 4:19, 17:09 "And my God shall supply all your need 17:11 according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. " 17:15 The abundance of God... that path that's always green, 17:18 Ephesians 3 verse 20, 17:19 "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly 17:23 above all that we ask or think, 17:24 according to the power that works in us... " 17:26 God is an abundant God... Luke 6 and verse 38, 17:29 But God's abundance sometimes is also reciprocal. 17:33 Sometimes, we can unlock God's abundance by what we do. 17:37 "Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, 17:40 pressed down, shaken together, 17:41 and running over will be put into your bosom. 17:43 For with the same measure that you mete... or use... 17:46 it will be measured back to you. " 17:48 Again... so some of us can participate 17:50 from the abundance that comes our way 17:52 by being cheerful givers. 17:54 Not just tithe and offerings, 17:56 but helping to carry the burdens of our brothers and sisters. 17:59 What other way does God lead? 18:01 What other way can we find on the locations 18:04 that are along the way? 18:05 Still waters... which talks about the stability of God. 18:09 First, the abundance of... abundance of God... 18:12 next the stability of God. 18:14 Had a time getting that word out. 18:16 Isaiah 41 verse 10, 18:18 what's God's stability? 18:19 "Fear not, for I am with you; 18:21 be not dismayed, for I am your God. 18:23 I will strengthen you, 18:25 yes, I will help you, 18:27 I will uphold you with My righteous right arm. " 18:30 God is stable all the time. 18:32 We may change... but how often is God the same? 18:35 Yesterday, today, and forever. 18:37 What else does the Bible tell us. 18:39 Psalm 96 verse 10, 18:40 "Say among the nations, 'The LORD reigns; 18:43 the world also is firmly established, 18:46 it shall not be moved... " 18:48 the stability of God. 18:50 Then we find in the paths of righteousness 18:54 the transformation of God. 18:56 We don't go into paths righteous... 18:59 we go into paths of God and become righteous. 19:01 Panel: Hmmm... 19:02 Lomacang: 1st Peter 2 and verse 9... 19:04 this is what happens in the path. 19:06 "But you are a chosen generation... " 19:08 let me re-phrase that... 19:09 "But you become a chosen generation, 19:11 you become a royal priesthood, 19:13 you become a holy nation, 19:15 you become His own special people... " why? 19:18 "that you may proclaim the praises of Him 19:21 who called you out of darkness... off the path... 19:23 into His marvelous light. " 19:25 Which is all along the way. 19:26 Now, sometimes the path is obscured 19:29 in the darkness of our experience, 19:32 but the path is never dark 19:34 because God doesn't deal with darkness... 19:36 in His presence is glorious light 19:39 but sometimes, in our own experience. 19:42 I remember knowing someone's... 19:43 I had an experience with someone who... 19:45 no, you can say the nicest thing 19:47 and this person will always find the crumbs 19:49 at the bottom of the barrel. 19:51 They'll always look at the residue of the glass... 19:52 something's always wrong, like he'll say... 19:54 "Hey, let's go to the Amusement Park... " 19:56 they'll say, "Well somebody died last week 19:58 on the rollercoaster. " 20:00 "Hey, let's go to the beach... " 20:01 "You know there are sharks in the ocean. " Panel: Laughter. 20:02 Lomacang: He always found the negative side. 20:04 "Hey, let's go for a walk. " 20:05 "You know, somebody got hit with those... " 20:07 You know, they always find the negative side. 20:09 But it's not God... 20:10 some people have their own personal cloud. 20:12 But when you are with God, 20:14 which brings us to the fourth part, 20:16 "the valley of shadows of death... " 20:17 it's also along... 20:19 and I know we're bringing that out even more as we go on 20:21 but in this, we go from the transformation of God 20:24 to the comfort of God. 20:26 Psalm 23 verse 4, I know you'll develop this more, 20:29 but it says, "Yea, though I walk through the valley 20:32 of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; 20:34 for You with me; 20:35 Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. " 20:37 But then, I also saw 2nd Corinthians chapter 1 20:40 verses 3 and 4... the comfort of God. 20:42 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 20:45 the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 20:48 who comforts us in all our tribulation, 20:52 that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, 20:56 with the comfort with which we ourselves 20:59 are comforted by God. " 21:00 "Comfort" four times... 21:02 God comforts us... we can comfort others. 21:04 Jill: That's right. 21:06 Lomacang: As we experience the comfort of God, 21:07 only then can we say to someone in tribulation, 21:10 "The Lord will comfort you. " 21:13 But here's the other thing that this points out. 21:16 You know the righteous... we don't need to know 21:18 which way we're going. 21:20 We just need to trust the God who's leading us. 21:21 Panel: Yes... amen. 21:23 Lomacang: And that's something that's always, you know, 21:24 what does God have up His sleeves? 21:26 What is He up to now? 21:27 What is God doing? 21:29 Have you ever said that before? 21:31 I mean, is... is God really the one calling me? 21:34 Is this really God behind or... 21:36 or is it just some deep desire that I'm manifesting 21:38 because I heard about something that's ahead of me? 21:41 We don't need to know where we're going, 21:43 we just need to trust the One who is leading us? 21:45 Well, you've heard the passage, Proverbs 3 verses 5 and 6, 21:50 "Trust in the LORD 21:52 with all your heart, 21:53 and lean not on your own understanding; 21:55 in all of your ways acknowledge Him, 21:57 and He shall... " do what? 21:59 "direct your paths. " 22:01 Why does He direct our paths? 22:04 When we become righteous... 22:06 in the path of righteousness... 22:09 Psalm 37 verse 23 said, 22:11 "The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD... " 22:14 why? "He delights in his way. " 22:17 When we are walking in God's way, 22:20 God delights because we are walking with Him 22:22 in the way, He has led us. 22:24 But the Lord leads in multiple ways. 22:28 First, the path of God are the right paths 22:31 because they lead to the right destination... 22:35 the Shepherd's home... 22:37 it may not feel like the right path 22:39 because we get trials on that path. 22:41 You know, sometimes in our churches... in our homes... 22:43 in our families... in the places we work... 22:45 in the experiences of life... 22:47 it doesn't always work out 22:48 but it is not the path that we should blame, 22:50 it's just simply the incidence. 22:52 From Egypt to Canaan, there were serpents and scorpions 22:55 but God was still leading. Panel: That's right. 22:58 Lomacang: Secondly, the path is right because 23:00 they keep us in harmony with the right person... 23:03 the Shepherd Himself. 23:04 Many people may try to distract you 23:07 but stay focused on Christ... it's His path 23:09 and only the Shepherd can keep His sheep 23:12 if we focus on Him. 23:13 Thirdly, they are the right paths because they train us 23:17 to be the right person... to be like the Shepherd. 23:21 Panel: Amen. Lomacang: The Shepherd molds us. 23:23 We become like Him not at the very beginning 23:25 but if we endure... we become like Him 23:27 because He's the One doing the molding. 23:30 And fourthly, it is the right path 23:32 because it gives us the right witness 23:34 as we become the right people. 23:36 We give glory to God. 23:38 They are right... are righteous paths 23:41 whether the... whether the going is easy or difficult. 23:45 And finally, Proverbs 4 and verse 18, 23:48 "The path of the just is like the shining sun, 23:52 that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day. " 23:55 Stay on the path... it's just one of the locations 23:58 before we get to the Lord's house forever. 24:01 Jill: Amen, I love that, thank you, Pastor John, 24:04 I want to be on the path of the just. 24:06 We're going to take a short break... we'll be right back. 24:08 Music... 24:13 Ever wish you could watch a 3ABN Sabbath School Panel again 24:17 or share it on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter? 24:20 Well, you can by visiting 3abnsabbathschoolpanel. com 24:25 A clean design makes it easy 24:27 to find the Program you are looking for. 24:29 There are also links to the Adult Bible Study Guide 24:33 so you can follow along. 24:35 Sharing is easy, 24:36 just click "Share" and choose your favorite Social Media. 24:39 Share a link... Save a Life for Eternity. 24:43 Jill: Welcome back to our study on the Shepherd's Crucibles 24:46 Psalm 23 and we're going to kick it over to Ryan and Tuesday. 24:49 Ryan: Amen, I'm Ryan Day and I have Tuesday's Lesson 24:54 which is entitled: Unexpected Detour 1: The Valley. 24:58 I think Pastor Dinzey has the Unexpected Detour 2, 25:02 so, you know it's amazing because along our journey... 25:05 along our path as we are following Christ, 25:07 sometimes we... you know, we can end up in places 25:10 and we're going to talk about this in this Lesson. 25:13 Sometimes we can end up in places 25:15 that we might not have thought we would ever be 25:18 and in this case, we're talking about the valley, 25:20 Pastor touched a little bit on verse 4 there, 25:23 we're going to read verse 4 25:24 and then we're going to just kind of break it apart 25:26 and highlight some of the high points here 25:28 but Psalm chapter 23 verse 4, we've heard these words a lot 25:32 especially when someone is... 25:33 is dealing with some type of tribulation 25:36 or trial or sorrow or difficulty or challenge in their life, 25:39 they'll often quote this text, 25:40 "Yea, though I walk through the valley 25:43 of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; 25:46 for You are with me; 25:47 Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. " 25:50 You know, I've thought of David, David is the one who wrote this 25:54 and this brother... 25:55 this brother went through some valleys of shadows in his life. 25:59 I mean... I don't... probably other than Job 26:01 and maybe a couple of others, you could say... 26:03 this brother... in fact he practically lived there 26:05 his entire life. 26:07 I mean, more than three-fourths of his life was spent in war 26:10 and battle and combat 26:11 trying to fend off the enemies of, you know, 26:14 that wanted to destroy him and the children of Israel, 26:16 I mean, this brother spent a lot of time in trial and tribulation 26:19 and... and in the valley of the shadow of death, 26:22 but yet, he learned to depend on his Shepherd 26:24 and the Lesson brings this out... 26:27 you know, just a short ways in, it asks the question: 26:29 and this really resonated with me 26:30 because as I was pouring through this Lesson 26:32 and just, you know, 26:34 trying to determine how I was going to approach this Lesson, 26:36 wow! it really hit close home to me 26:38 because here is the question it asked, 26:40 "Think about the times you have been 26:42 in your valley of the shadow of death. 26:44 What has it been like? 26:47 Did you have fear or even though... 26:49 even though you knew that the Shepherd was there?" 26:52 And then it asks, 26:53 "Which Bible verses were the most precious to you 26:55 at the time and why?" 26:57 You know, I have had moments in my life 26:59 where I felt like I've, 27:00 you know, been walking through those shadows, 27:02 you know the valley of the shadows 27:04 but I can tell you, probably the most difficult time in my life 27:08 where I walked through... literally where I experienced 27:10 the literal valley of the shadow of death 27:13 was when I watched my mother literally, approach her end... 27:17 in that valley of the shadow of death. 27:19 Three years ago, my mother passed 27:21 and, you know, I know we all have had loved ones 27:25 and friends and family over the years, 27:26 it just seems like it's a part of... 27:28 it's a normal part of this life. 27:29 People die... we lose friends and family 27:31 and it's... it's horrible 27:33 but, you know, God blessed my family in the sense that 27:37 He allowed me almost to the age of 30 27:39 to not experience any type of death in my immediate family 27:42 and so, my mother and I and our family... 27:44 we were very, very, very close 27:46 and when I watched my mother struggle for 53 days 27:49 in a hospital fighting for her life, 27:50 it was hard 27:52 and it's interesting because I remember 27:54 on the first day that she went in, 27:55 and she was preparing for this emergency surgery, 27:57 that she was about to have to go through, 27:59 she looked up with teary eyes and she said to me, she said, 28:01 "Son... " she said, "pray for me... " 28:03 she said, "I don't know if I'm coming out of this one... " 28:06 and we were all like, 28:07 "Mom, come on, stop with that negative talk... " you know, 28:10 "you... you... you're going to come through this... 28:12 you're going to come through this... " 28:13 but something was like, she knew... she knew something 28:16 and we watched her struggle for 53 days in the hospital 28:18 and... and... but something miraculous happened 28:22 in that valley of the shadow of death, 28:24 my mom who had drifted very, very far away from God... 28:27 it took her going through that valley 28:30 for God to bring her back to Him. 28:32 It was in the darkest period of her life 28:36 that God was able to draw her back to Him. 28:39 I watched my mom's life convert. 28:41 I watched her... her character change... 28:43 she became a completely different person... 28:45 someone who was uninterested in spiritual things... 28:47 uninterested in the Bible... 28:49 uninterested in... in church... 28:50 uninterested in these things... 28:52 become so devoted praising God from her bed 28:55 in the hospital and singing and... and... 28:57 and it just... it was amazing to see 28:59 that through this valley of the shadow of death, 29:02 God was allowing my mother and us as a family 29:05 to go through this... to watch my mom suffer 29:08 to the point that it was... it was difficult. 29:10 It was... it was a trying time 29:11 to the point that I remember the day that she died 29:14 I honestly thought God was going to pull her out of this 29:17 because I had seen the change 29:18 we had made plans for her to come 29:19 and stay here in my house and... and... and come and learn 29:23 and grow at Thompsonville Church 29:24 and it was just... it was an awesome thing 29:26 but yet, God took her 29:27 and I remember calling out to God and saying, 29:29 "Lord, why... why... why?" 29:31 But I remember God used JD and Shelley Quinn at that time 29:35 to really minister to my heart 29:36 and speaking of the verses that really helped me catch a glimpse 29:43 because I remember asking, 29:44 "Lord, I had thousands of people praying for my mother, 29:47 do you not hear Your people's prayers? 29:49 Could you not have saved her life, Lord, 29:51 to allow her to continue on and... " 29:53 But God knows best... God had a plan... 29:55 God was going through that valley of the shadow of death 29:58 with her and He had a plan. 29:59 He could see things that we couldn't see 30:01 and I remember a verse that was shared with me 30:03 that I'd read many times 30:04 but never really considered its impact until then 30:07 was Isaiah 57 verse 1, 30:09 "The righteous perishes, 30:11 and no man takes it to heart; 30:12 merciful men are taken away, 30:15 while no one considers that the righteous 30:18 is taken away from evil. " 30:19 You know, I don't know that that's the case 30:21 but I have a hope saying, 30:23 "Lord, I don't know why you didn't answer my mother's prayer 30:25 but I saw my mom change 30:26 and for whatever reason you decided to take her life... " 30:29 perhaps He saw something ahead in her path down the road 30:33 beyond that valley of the shadow of death 30:35 that might her drawn her away, 30:36 maybe the enemy could have drawn her away, 30:38 he still can see things that we can't, 30:40 the Shepherd can see things often in our path... 30:43 down the road that we can't see 30:45 and even though we might have to often have to walk through that 30:47 valley of the shadow of death 30:49 and we're looking up and we're saying, "God, why? 30:51 Why is this happening to me?" 30:53 There's a reason why oftentimes we fall in to that path. 30:56 Just a couple of other verses that really comforted me 30:59 during that time... Matthew 11:28 31:01 which Jill read earlier but Jesus says, 31:03 "Come to Me, all you who labor 31:04 and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. " 31:06 Our Shepherd would comfort us. 31:08 Philippians chapter 4 verses 6 and 7, 31:11 "Be anxious for nothing, 31:12 but in everything by prayer and supplication, 31:14 with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 31:17 that the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, 31:20 will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. " 31:24 Your Shepherd will bring comfort if you would allow Him. 31:26 Do you trust in Him? 31:28 Then the... then the... then the the... 31:29 the lesson asks this question, 31:31 "How do you think the Shepherd ended up... 31:33 how do you think the sheep ended up in the valley? 31:36 Do you think the sheep went there on their own 31:39 or the Shepherd lead the sheep that way Himself?" 31:41 I think there's a double application here, 31:44 in the sense that I think oftentimes 31:45 we can find ourselves in that valley of the shadow of death 31:48 because we put ourselves there. 31:49 Isaiah chapter 53 verse 6 says, 31:51 "All we like sheep have gone astray; 31:53 we have turned, every one, to his own way; 31:55 and the LORD has laid up on Him the iniquity of us all. " 31:58 So, sometimes we can often find ourselves in that valley 32:01 because we put ourselves there 32:02 but you know sometimes the Lord is there to also 32:05 lead us through that valley when it's appropriate 32:08 and when He sees something that needs to be done 32:10 in our character and in our lives, 32:12 I think of Jeremiah 29 and 11, 32:15 you know, 11 verses 14... 11 to 14 there that 32:18 famous passage where God says, "I have plan for you... " 32:20 you know, but yet in verse 14, He says, 32:22 "I will be found by you, says the Lord, 32:24 and I will bring you back from your captivity; 32:26 I will gather you from the nations... 32:28 from all the places where I have driven you... " 32:31 God had to drive the children of Israel 32:33 to a place that wasn't His original plan for them to go 32:36 but because of their iniquities... 32:38 because of their rebellion, He allowed them 32:40 and in a sense drove them to captivity 32:43 to teach them a lesson... 32:44 hopefully to go through this valley of the shadow of death 32:47 for the purpose of getting their attention 32:49 and awakening them. 32:50 James chapter 1 verses 2 through 4, what does it say? 32:53 "My brethren, count it all joy 32:54 when you fall into various trials, 32:56 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 32:59 But let patience have its perfect work, 33:01 that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. " 33:05 And the latter part of this verse here... 33:07 Psalm 23 verse 4 it says, 33:09 "I will fear no evil... 33:10 I will fear no evil. " 33:12 The Lord has not given us a spirit of fear. 33:14 The Bible makes that clear 33:16 but oftentimes we fear, I believe for too many reasons, 33:18 now, it's not limited to these two reasons 33:20 but I think for too many reasons many people fear 33:22 and that is... we are not abiding in Him 33:24 and need to abide. 33:26 Oftentimes, we know we're not abiding in Christ, 33:28 we're not abiding in the Shepherd 33:29 and because we're not abiding, 33:31 we know we're not abiding in Him when we fall into those traps... 33:33 into to those valleys of the shadow of death. 33:35 Sometimes, we find ourselves in fear 33:37 because we know we're not right with God. 33:38 We just simply need to abide. 33:40 And, of course, Number 2: 33:41 one of the Number 1 reasons why we often, 33:44 you know, we have... experience that fear 33:48 is that we do not trust Him... 33:49 we don't trust the Shepherd. 33:50 What does Proverbs 3 verse 5 and 6 say? 33:52 I think Pastor just read it earlier, 33:54 "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, 33:55 and lean not on your own understanding; 33:57 in all your ways acknowledge Him, 33:59 and He shall direct your paths. " 34:01 Powerful! just trust in the Shepherd. 34:02 The Shepherd will lead 34:04 and, of course, the next part of the verse there 34:06 in Psalm 23 verse 4 says, "You are with me; 34:08 Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. " 34:10 You know, why the rod and the staff? 34:12 What is the purpose of the rod and the staff? 34:14 Or the rod and the staff is one and the same? 34:16 The "rod" conveys the conception of authority, 34:18 power and discipline 34:20 and, of course, the staff represents 34:22 all that is longsuffering and kind 34:24 but it's also for the defense of the sheep. 34:27 The enemy wants to destroy and scatter the sheep 34:30 so He defends it. 34:32 Let me tell you something, 34:33 and this... I say this in all sincerity, 34:36 crouching-tiger-hidden-dragon has nothing on your Shepherd. 34:39 All of your famous action heroes that we look to 34:42 for this redemptive myth of violence that somehow... 34:45 Jesus... the Bible says, "He is your Shepherd... 34:48 He is your Protector... 34:50 He is the God that will... that will defend you 34:52 and He will protect you. " 34:53 When the enemy comes, trust in your Shepherd... 34:55 trust in the Lord 34:57 and He... with His rod and His staff... 34:58 He will bring comfort 35:00 and He will lead and guide His people if you will allow. 35:02 Panel: Amen. 35:03 Dinzey: Well, now let's go over here to Psalm 23 verse 5, 35:08 and we see in Psalm 23 verse 5, 35:11 "You prepare a table before me 35:14 in the presence of my enemies; 35:16 You anoint my head with oil; 35:19 my cup runs over. " 35:21 Now, the title for this Section is: 35:23 Unexpected Detour 2: The Surrounded Table 35:27 and what is this unexpected detour? 35:29 Let's take a look at what's happening 35:31 because Saul... King Saul in 1st Samuel chapter 13... 35:35 Saul makes an unlawful sacrifice... 35:39 he did not wait for the Prophet Samuel to come 35:42 and he made an unlawful sacrifice 35:45 and the Prophet Samuel is alarmed 35:47 and he told him, "You should have waited. " 35:50 In 1st Samuel chapter 14 we see Saul making a rash vow 35:54 because of what was going on in the battle 35:57 and he wanted to kill his own son, Jonathan 36:00 but Jonathan had done what was right 36:03 and Saul, because of his vow, wanted to kill Jonathan 36:07 and it was because of the people that he was stopped. 36:10 In 1st Samuel chapter 15, we see King Saul 36:15 was told that he should slay everyone 36:18 including the animals 36:20 but he kept the king of the Amalekites alive 36:24 and some of the animals. 36:27 Now, let's go to 1st Samuel chapter 15 verse 9 36:30 and here's what we have, 36:32 "But Saul and the people spared Agag... 36:34 the king of the Amalekites and the best of the sheep, 36:37 and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, 36:39 and the lambs, 36:41 and all that was good. " 36:44 So, we see here that he's on a path of disobedience 36:48 and so, this is when the Lord talks to the Prophet Samuel 36:53 and he tells him in 1st Samuel chapter 15 verses 10 and 11, 36:58 "Now the word of the Lord came to Samuel, saying, 37:00 'I greatly regret that I have set up Saul as king, 37:06 for he has turned back from following Me, 37:09 and has not performed My commandments. ' 37:12 And it grieved Samuel, 37:14 and he cried out to the Lord all night. " 37:18 So, the Prophet Samuel felt this pain 37:22 because here's the King of Israel going astray... 37:26 he took a detour from the path of God 37:29 but we're talking about a different detour 37:32 and that is about King David. 37:33 Let's go into that in a moment. 37:35 In 1st Samuel chapter 15 verse 26, 37:37 because of what Saul has done, here's what... 37:42 because of the Prophet Samuel tells King Saul, 37:46 "And Samuel said unto Saul, 'I will not return with thee, 37:49 for thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, 37:52 and the Lord hath rejected thee from being king of Israel. " 37:58 So, there we see that Paul was rejected from... 38:01 I mean Saul... Saul the King was rejected from being King 38:06 and the Lord gave that to someone else. 38:09 He told them there in 1st Samuel chapter 15 38:12 that the kingdom was given to someone else. 38:16 Now, of course, this puts King Saul in... 38:19 "Who is it? Who is it?" 38:21 And surely enough he sees David killing the giant Goliath 38:26 and doing great heroic things 38:29 and people singing songs about King David. 38:32 So, we say... "King Saul has killed his hundreds" 38:36 or "his thousands... 38:38 and David has killed his tens of thousands. " 38:40 So, Saul begins to get jealous 38:42 and he allows the devil to lead him in a path of evil 38:47 and this is... now I take you to 1st Samuel 22 verse 17 38:51 and here in the pursuit of David, 38:55 King Saul goes to one of the priests and says, 39:01 "Was David here?" 39:02 and "Yes, he was here... he ate some bread. " 39:04 And he said, "You are against the kingdom" 39:08 so, he accuses the priest of hiding his enemy 39:11 and in 1st Samuel chapter 22 verses 17 and 18, 39:15 these are the words that we find, 39:16 "And the king said unto the footmen that stood about him, 39:20 'Turn, and slay the priests of the LORD; 39:23 because their hand also is with David, 39:25 and because they knew when he left, 39:27 and did not show it to me. 39:28 But the servants of the king would not put forth their hand 39:32 to fall upon the priests of the LORD." 39:34 And King Saul does not take that as an answer, 39:37 he still wants to do evil and he's... 39:40 in 1st Samuel 22 verse 18, it says, 39:42 "And the king said to Doeg, 39:43 'Turn thou, and fall upon the priests. ' 39:45 And Doeg the Edomite turned, and he fell upon the priests, 39:48 and slew on that day 39:50 fourscore and five persons that did wear a linen ephod. " 39:54 Eighty-five priests were killed 39:55 because of the King Saul just going astray 40:00 from the path of the Lord 40:02 sinking further and further into evil. 40:04 Now, King Saul becomes the enemy of King David. 40:11 He had not become king yet but he had been anointed as king. 40:14 Now, you ask yourself, 40:16 you know, here is David anointed to be King 40:21 by the Prophet Samuel 40:23 and it took somewhere between five and ten years 40:26 that he got to the throne 40:28 and all through that time, David was faithful to the Lord. 40:32 There were times he was there playing for the king... 40:35 King Saul... 40:36 and there was a point in time in which he even threw a javelin 40:39 King Saul... to kill David 40:41 and David had to flee. 40:42 Between five and ten years, it's not sure how many years, 40:46 he was pursued like an animal 40:50 and David went from one place to another living in caves 40:53 and there were two times 40:54 when David had the opportunity to kill Saul 40:58 but he was on the path of righteousness 41:01 and he said, "I am not going to stretch my hand 41:04 against God's anointed. " 41:06 Now, it is interesting when you see this verse... 41:10 Psalm 23 verse 5, 41:11 you... you prepare a table before me 41:15 in the presence of my enemies. 41:17 Taking a look at that, 41:18 we see that as Christians, we may have enemies. 41:22 Did David go around looking for an enemy? 41:25 No... as Christians we shouldn't go around looking for enemies, 41:29 but people may become our enemies 41:32 and so, what do we do with that? 41:34 Do we stretch out our hand against him? 41:37 We have the example of David 41:38 that we shouldn't really stretch out our hands 41:41 against people and the... 41:43 especially if they are in a position 41:46 that should be of respect 41:47 and so, David chose to be faithful to the Lord. 41:52 If we look at 1st Samuel chapter 15, 41:55 and the life of... of... of David, 41:57 you see that he's asking the Lord, 41:59 "Lord, should I go here? Should I go there? 42:01 Should I go up against these people?" 42:03 And the Lord was answering him. 42:05 So now, David is saying, "You prepare a table before me 42:10 in the presence of my enemies. " 42:11 David is saying that... it doesn't matter, you know, 42:14 you walk in through the valley of shadow of death... 42:16 you're not going to fear evil because the Lord is with you 42:19 and now you will even see the Lord providing for you. 42:22 David was speaking from experience. 42:24 He saw the Lord providing for him 42:27 even in the most difficult of times 42:29 when enemies are in pursuit of him, 42:31 God was preparing a table before him. 42:34 Two things you can see of this and that David was saying, 42:38 "The Lord is taking care of me... 42:40 He is providing for me. " 42:41 The other thing is that the enemy... 42:43 because he says "in the presence of my enemies... " 42:45 the enemies are saying, "Hey, God is providing something 42:49 for this... this... this guy... 42:51 He's... He's... He's preparing things for him. " 42:54 And that should be a message to them... 42:55 "he's on the side of the Lord... 42:57 the Lord is providing for him... 42:59 we'd better back away. " 43:00 And it's a message of warning that the Lord sometimes 43:03 blesses His children 43:05 so that the enemy will see, 43:06 "We'd better leave these people alone 43:08 because God is with them... " 43:10 and if they continue to pursue evil... 43:12 and try to kill you... try to do you harm... 43:15 the Lord will visit them with judgment. 43:17 We have to remember that the Lord says, 43:19 "Vengeance is mine, I will repay... says the Lord. " 43:22 In Matthew chapter 5 verse 44, 43:24 the Lesson brings this verse out, 43:26 "But I say to you, love your enemies, 43:28 bless those who curse you, 43:30 do good to those who hate you, 43:33 and pray for those who spitefully use you 43:37 and persecute you. " 43:39 This is unnatural for us as human beings. 43:42 "What? love our enemies? What? 43:44 Do good to those that are persecuting me? 43:46 Wait a minute... no... I'm going to get even, 43:48 I'm going to get back to them, 43:49 I'm going to give them... 43:51 if they give me one, I'm going to give them two. 43:52 If they punch me once, I'm going to punch them twice. " 43:54 This is the way we are 43:56 but as we are surrendering our hearts to the Lord, 43:59 our response will be transformed 44:02 into the response that Christ will give 44:05 and it is only by the grace of God 44:07 that we can love our enemies. 44:08 We can, by the grace of God, bless those who curse us 44:12 and do good to those who hate us. 44:14 So, we should... by God's grace surrender daily to the Lord 44:17 and as Jesus said, "Take up your cross daily 44:20 and follow Me... " 44:21 and as we take up our cross daily and follow Him, 44:24 we will be able to do good to those who do evil to us 44:27 and this is, again, a message for them 44:30 that they should repent. 44:32 It may be that they will repent. 44:34 Remember, God has not dealt with us 44:36 after our sins nor rewarded according to our iniquities 44:40 Psalm 110 verse 10. 44:42 And it is because of the Lord's mercies 44:44 that we are not consumed 44:46 because His compassions fail not. 44:48 They are new every morning... Great is His faithfulness. 44:53 Lamentations chapter 3 verses 22 and 23 44:55 and notice that even while we are enemies, 44:58 in Romans chapter 5 verse 8 says, 45:01 "But God commendeth His love toward us, 45:03 in that, while we were yet sinners, 45:05 Christ died for us. " 45:07 So, yes, the Lord will take care of us 45:09 even though we have enemies, 45:11 He will do good for us in the presence of our enemies. 45:14 Panel: Amen and amen. 45:16 Shelley: Thank you all for such a wonderful lesson 45:19 and, you know, I was thinking here we've got David, 45:22 he's just a young lad when he was first anointed 45:25 in front of his family anyway 45:27 as... to be the king... the next king of Israel 45:31 and he's out... he's the youngest of Jesse's sons, 45:35 he's out tending to the sheep, he's anointed... teenager... 45:39 he was 30 years old when he became king. 45:41 So, there was this time that he spent fleeing in the desert... 45:46 running from... from Saul 45:48 and let me just ask you, 45:51 "What would your feelings be 45:53 if you were in the desert surrounded by your enemies 45:56 who are trying to kill you?" 45:57 I wonder... would we be tempted to feel like 46:01 God had abandoned us and we're all alone? 46:05 Or, maybe, would we feel that God's not doing much? 46:09 Or that if He was really working for us, 46:13 we wouldn't be in that situation at all? 46:16 That's why possible that we get... we get trapped 46:21 and we feel like, "Lord, where are you?" 46:23 But this is not David's feelings. 46:28 He was certain of two things, I have Psalm 23 verse 6 46:33 and by the way, my name is Shelley Quinn, 46:36 we're so glad you're here with us today. 46:39 So, I have Psalm 23 verse 6, 46:42 and here's what David said, 46:45 "Surely goodness and mercy... " 46:48 and this word "mercy" is "Chesed" pronounced: KHesed 46:52 my favorite Hebrew word. Jill: Yes. 46:55 Shelley: "Surely goodness and mercy... Chesed... 46:58 shall follow me all the days of my life: 47:01 and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. " 47:07 So, what is David describing about God's covenant commitment? 47:13 You know, in the New Testament, you probably... 47:17 if you've been a Christian for any time, 47:19 you've heard the word "grace" 47:21 you've heard that that's God's underserved favor. 47:25 You've heard the word "agape" 47:28 which is unconditional love. 47:30 Those are both Greek words 47:32 and we find them in the New Testament. 47:34 But there's a word that far surpasses those 47:38 in the Old Testament 47:40 and that is God's covenant commitment to us 47:45 is the word... the Hebrew word is KHesed... 47:50 and let me tell you something, 47:51 you cannot translate KHesed by one English word. 47:56 KHesed is a covenant term 47:59 that includes all the positive attributes of God... 48:02 His love... His covenant faithfulness... 48:06 His mercy... His grace... 48:08 His kindness... His loyalty... 48:11 His devotion 48:13 and it's way beyond what we would think is His duty. 48:19 See, people tell me, 48:20 "Oh, you don't find grace in the Old Testament. " 48:24 Oh, you find grace there, it is so beautiful. 48:27 So, here's what David says, 48:29 "Surely goodness and mercy... KHesed... 48:33 shall follow me all the days of my life... " 48:36 you know that word "follow" I love it in the Hebrew 48:40 and in... in most often 48:42 the Hebrew word that is translated "follow" here 48:47 it is most often translated "Pursuit. " 48:51 So, what picture do you get in your mind 48:56 if David is saying, "Oh, God has said 49:00 He is pursuing me. " 49:03 Can you imagine the goodness and KHesed... the love of God 49:08 pursuing you? 49:10 Our loving heavenly Father will not forsake us. 49:15 He does not change... He pursues us to this day. 49:20 I'll tell you what... 49:21 I can testify to God who pursued me with His love 49:28 for many years. Panel: Amen. 49:31 Shelley: And He... I... I've turned my back on Him, 49:34 He pursued me with His love... He chased me down 49:38 and you know what? 49:39 He is still pursuing me with His love today. 49:42 So, in spite of all these trails, 49:45 David knew about God's covenant commitment of KHesed 49:53 that it would continue to pursue him. 49:55 So, let's look at it one more time, 49:57 same verse... I'm just repeating it. 49:59 Psalm 23:6, 50:02 "Surely goodness and mercy... KHesed... 50:06 shall follow me or pursue me... 50:09 all the days of my life: 50:11 and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. " 50:15 Did you know... Divine Love... God's divine love... 50:22 His purpose of covenant is to dwell with us? 50:26 God wants to dwell with us 50:29 and He wants to have an intimate relationship with us... 50:34 David knew this. 50:35 He knew that even though he's running 50:37 and he is hiding out in the desert, 50:39 he would... he had continual ongoing opportunities 50:45 for intimate fellowship with the God of covenant love. 50:50 He knew for certain that God was going to guide him 50:54 and protect him throughout his life 50:57 and that he would bring him back to his house to live forever. 51:02 And you know something? 51:03 We can know the same today. 51:05 In Ephesians 1:4, Paul writes, and he says, 51:11 "He... God... chose us in Him... in Jesus Christ... 51:18 before the foundation of the world, 51:23 that we should be holy and without blame 51:27 before Him in love. " 51:30 Now, I want to say this, 51:32 some people believe the election of God means: 51:35 okay, some were created to be saved... 51:38 some were created to be lost. 51:40 I don't believe that that can jive with free will. 51:46 I don't believe that that... 51:48 if we really have a study on that, 51:50 I don't believe that. 51:52 See, before the foundation of the world, 51:56 here is the everlasting gospel... 51:59 the Lamb of God was planned to be slain 52:05 before the foundation of the world 52:06 and God's purpose was that all who accept Jesus Christ 52:11 as their Savior, 52:13 would be saved... and not only saved 52:18 but adopted as sons. 52:19 Let's continue on. 52:21 In 1st Timothy 2:4, God our Savior... 52:25 the Bible says that He desires that all humanity would be saved 52:31 and come to a knowledge of the truth. 52:34 So, if you accept Jesus Christ, 52:38 you are predestined to be adopted as God's son. 52:43 Ephesians 1:5 says, 52:46 "He predestined us to adoption as sons... as children of God... 52:51 by Jesus Christ to Himself, 52:55 according to the good pleasure of His will. " 52:59 So, we accept Christ as Savior... 53:02 He gives us the Holy Spirit... 53:04 we are born again... born anew into the family of God. 53:09 He adopts us and you know what? 53:13 we are spiritually born again, 53:16 we've got His spiritual DNA 53:19 and then He begins to conform us to the image of Jesus. 53:22 Now, I've got to skip down toward the end of my notes. 53:26 It wasn't just David who went through these crucibles, 53:31 let's look at Hebrews 11:13 through 16. 53:35 Hebrews 11 said, 53:37 it's talking about all these patriarchs... 53:41 all of the people of the Christians, 53:44 it says, "These all died in faith, 53:46 not having received the promises... " 53:49 they were... they were following the promise of God, 53:53 looking for the country that was not here on earth. 53:58 It says, "It did not receive the promises, 54:01 but having seen them afar off were assured of them, 54:04 they embraced them... 54:05 they confessed that they were strangers 54:07 and pilgrims on the earth. 54:08 For those who say such things declare plainly 54:13 that they seek a homeland. 54:14 And truly if they had called to mind that country 54:17 from which they had come out, 54:19 they would have had opportunity to return. 54:21 But now they desire a better... that is a heavenly country. 54:26 Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, 54:29 and He has prepared a city for them. " 54:33 So, here's the quote from the Quarterly, 54:36 "No matter how deep the valley or how persistent the enemies, 54:40 the certainty of God's goodness and unfailing love 54:43 and the certainty of His guidance 54:46 to the very end of our journey is unquestionable. " 54:51 Panel: Amen. 54:52 Shelley: A personal note... 54:54 I've been in a crucible since December of 2019. 54:58 I live in chronic pain and it's a pretty severe pain 55:03 and it's several areas of my body 55:05 but here's what I want to tell you, 55:08 I praise God every day because I know that Jesus... 55:12 the same thought that sustained David 55:17 sustained Jesus on the cross 55:19 and God sustains me day by day drawing me closer to Him 55:24 in this crucible. 55:25 Jill: Amen, thank you all so much... 55:28 Shelly... Pastor Johnny... Pastor Ryan 55:30 and Pastor John for sharing 55:31 and sharing from your experience 55:33 because we all go through crucibles 55:36 and yet, look at what God is doing 55:38 in the midst of each one of them... praise His Name. 55:40 I want to give each one of you a moment 55:41 to share a closing thought, 55:43 we'll start with Pastor Lomacang. 55:44 Lomacang: You know, I look at the story... 55:45 we often think that God overwhelms us 55:47 but, you know, God does not lead us in paths 55:49 that overwhelm us, 55:50 His love overwhelms us so that He may lead us into paths. 55:54 Isaiah 26:7, "The way of the just is upright; 55:58 O Most Upright, 55:59 you weigh the path of the just. " 56:01 It will never overwhelm us when God is leading us. 56:04 Jill: Amen... Panel: Amen. 56:05 Ryan: Trust in the Shepherd's plan. 56:06 Jeremiah 29 verse 11 and onward it says, 56:10 "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, 56:12 thoughts of peace and not of evil, 56:14 to give you a future and a hope. 56:15 Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, 56:18 and I will listen to you. 56:20 And you will seek Me and you will find Me, 56:22 when you search for Me with all your heart. " 56:24 Search for Him... trust in the Shepherd 56:26 and He will see you through. 56:27 Dinzey: Amen, if you have enemies, 56:30 allow the Lord to prepare a table before you 56:32 and it says here, "You anoint my head with oil, 56:35 my cup runs over. " 56:37 This is an indication of God comforting 56:39 and God providing till you run over. 56:41 Allow the Lord to do this for you. 56:44 Now, this idea of anointing includes favor from God 56:51 and divine favor. 56:53 Allow the Lord to do this for you 56:55 in the presence of your enemies. 56:56 Panel: Hmmm... 56:58 Shelley: No matter what crucible you are in, 57:01 just like David, remember that God's mercy... His goodness... 57:06 His loving kindness... 57:07 His... His grace... 57:09 His agape love... 57:11 He is pursuing you 57:13 and He will get you through to the other end of the trial... 57:18 going through that fiery trial, 57:20 you'll come out not smelling like smoke. 57:22 Jill: Amen, thank you all so much. 57:24 I'm just reminded that He is our good Shepherd. 57:26 What an incredible promise we have to hold on to 57:30 that the Shepherd gave His life for the sheep. 57:34 The Shepherd wants you in the kingdom. 57:37 He wants to save you. 57:38 He wants to transform the crucible 57:41 that you are in the midst of 57:42 and bring you out on the other side. 57:44 Join us next week... next week is Lesson Number 2: 57:48 The Crucibles That Come 57:50 and I love the titles and I'm going to read them. 57:52 Crucibles of Satan... 57:53 Crucibles of Sin... 57:55 Crucibles of Purification... 57:58 and Crucibles of Maturity. 58:01 It's going to be an amazing study, 58:02 join us next week. 58:04 Music... |
Revised 2022-08-30