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Series Code: SSP
Program Code: SSP220036S
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00:01 The third quarter 3ABN Sabbath School panel is In the Crucible
00:04 With Christ. Today lesson 10 is Meekness in the Crucible. 00:09 If you have yet to get your adult Bible study guide go to 00:14 3abnsabbathschoolpanel.com and you can download a lesson 00:18 and follow along with us. We're so glad you're joining us 00:23 because you're the reason this program exists. 00:27 ♪ ♪ 00:56 Hi, I'm Shelley Quinn, and we welcome you to 3ABN Sabbath 01:01 School panel. We are studying In the Crucible With Christ and 01:04 today Lesson 10 is Meekness in the Crucible. Let me introduce 01:09 you to your 3ABN family who are joining me at the table today. 01:12 Pastor John Lomacang. 01:14 Yeah, it's good to have you here Shelley and good to be here. I'm 01:17 talking about Interceding for Grace. We'll find out how 01:20 important grace is in our Christian walk. 01:22 Amen. Pastor James Rafferty. 01:24 Good to be here with you Shelley I have Tuesday's lesson which is 01:27 entitled Loving Those Who Hurt Us? 01:29 Oh, wonderful. And Pastor John Dinzey. 01:32 It's a blessing to be here. I have Wednesday's A Closed Mouth. 01:36 I thought you were having a little accident and finally 01:43 Evangelist Ryan Day. 01:44 I have Thursday's lesson entitles Our Rock and Refuge. 01:47 Praise the Lord. Ryan you want to have our opening prayer? 01:50 Absolutely. Let's pray. Our Father in heaven, Lord we 01:53 need the Holy Spirit right now to lead and guide us in this 01:57 study. We are so blessed and honored to be able to study, to 02:00 be alive at this time and to be able to represent you and for 02:03 all of us around the world and sitting on this panel to be 02:07 drawn together in the study of your word that's going to uplift 02:10 you Lord. So take over this time We give it to you and we ask you 02:13 to lead and guide us and draw us to our uplifted Savior Jesus 02:16 Christ, we ask in Jesus' holy name, Amen. 02:20 Amen and amen. Thank you. Our memory text today is 02:23 Matthew 5:5-Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the 02:30 earth. What does this word meek mean. It means gentle, mild and 02:35 humble. Meekness accepts God's will and submits to God's will. 02:42 Meekness prepares our hearts for sanctification. It fosters self 02:48 control. You know, Moses was a very strong leader, was he not? 02:54 But Numbers 12:3 says: Now the man Moses was very humble more 03:02 than all who were on the face of the earth. Some translations say 03:08 that he was very meek. You know in Micah 6:8 I love what Micah 03:13 says: You have shown us O man what is good, what does the Lord 03:20 require of us but to do justly, to love mercy and to walk 03:26 humbly with our God. When I think of meekness you know who I 03:31 think of? Jesus Christ, the man of all authority. He possessed 03:36 all the authority of heaven but in Matthew 11:29 He says: Take 03:42 my yoke upon you, learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly, meek 03:50 I am lowly in heart and if you do this you're going to find 03:54 rest in me. He gives us the perfect example of selfless 04:00 humility. To preach the good tidings to the poor, heal the 04:04 broken-hearted, proclaim liberty to the captives and He also 04:10 consoled those who mourn. He gave them beauty instead of 04:16 ashes and the oil of joy for mourning. So in Philippians 04:20 2:5-8 Paul says: Hey, let this mind be in you that was in 04:24 Christ Jesus who humbled himself to become a man and to be 04:29 obedient to the point of death. In Galatians 5:22 and 23 the 04:38 fruit of the Spirit is listed. And one of the fruit, it's one 04:42 fruit, but one portion of that fruit is meekness. So we are to 04:48 pursue gentleness is what the Bible tells us. In 1 Peter 3:4 04:54 He said a gentle and quiet spirit is acceptable in the 04:59 sight of God. It's precious in the sight of God. You know what? 05:04 Our culture doesn't celebrate meekness, do we? You know, we 05:12 want to exalt ourself. That's the way our culture is, but God 05:15 said if you exalt yourself you're going to be humbled. 05:19 Humble yourself and you'll be exalted. And the day is coming 05:23 when all the kingdoms of the universe are going to be given 05:26 to the saints. Now meekness is defined in our quarterly as 05:33 enduring injury with patience and without resentment. It says 05:38 it's one of the most powerful characteristics of Jesus and His 05:45 followers. So that gets us to Sunday's lesson and I love this 05:50 lesson. It is: Broken Bread and Poured-Out Wine. Before we 05:55 jump into the lesson I just have to add this. When I'm thinking 05:59 of broken bread and poured-out wine I think of the sacrificial 06:04 ministry of Jesus. In 1 Corinthians 11:23-25 06:09 Paul write: The Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was 06:14 betrayed, He took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it 06:19 and He says take, eat, this is my body which is broken for you. 06:23 Do this in remembrance of Me. And in the same manner He also 06:28 took up the cup...the wine after supper...and He said, this cup 06:32 is the New Covenant in my blood. This do as often as you drink 06:39 it in remembrance of Me. So Christ was broken bread and 06:46 poured-out wine. You know what? In Philippians 2:7 Paul said, hey: 06:51 I'm being offered as a drink offering. And it's interesting 06:56 because the drink offering we find in Numbers 15:3-4, it was 07:02 poured on top of the animal sacrifices and then as the 07:05 flames were burning the sacrifice the wine that was 07:10 poured on top of the sacrifice vaporized into the air and it 07:17 was...the only reason that Paul could be a drink offering is 07:22 because he had drunk deeply of the living water of the Holy 07:26 Spirit is what I believe. And that's the same Spirit that's 07:29 poured out on us. So our lesson brings out that Oswald Chambers 07:34 says: In the process of being made broken bread and poured- 07:38 out wine, it means that you have to be the nourishment for others 07:41 for their souls until they learn to feed on God, until they learn 07:47 to draw on the life of the Lord Jesus directly. And Oswald 07:52 Chambers says we have to learn how to be broken bread and 07:55 poured-out wine where? On the line of intercession more than 08:03 on the line of personal contact. I find that very fascinating. He 08:07 says quit praying about yourself and spend your life for the sake 08:13 of others as the bondservant of Jesus. I always say intercessory 08:18 ministry is the highest calling to ministry that there is. Why? 08:25 It's the ministry of our risen and exalted Savior. He lives to 08:31 intercede for us now. Now we have various examples in our 08:36 lesson today of people who were broken bread and poured-out wine 08:42 It mentions Moses who endured waves of gossip and criticism 08:49 as he led the people to the promised land. It mentions 08:52 Joseph who was betrayed and imprisoned before he was brought 08:57 to a position of service in Egypt. And I love what our 09:03 writer, Anthony Gavin, says. He says that God permitted these 09:08 situations so that these people's lives could become 09:14 theaters of grace. Isn't' that beautiful? Theaters of grace and 09:18 care, not only for themselves but for others. But the crucible 09:23 that was endured by Ezekiel is one of our primary points in 09:26 today's lesson and here's what happened. God tells Ezekiel his 09:31 wife is going to die. Now Ezekiel was madly in love with 09:36 this wife. She was the desire of his eyes. She was precious in 09:42 his sight. It says she was his pride, his delight. But God 09:46 tells him she's going to die and you can't mourn. Don't you mourn 09:51 Can you imagine losing Angie and God said no tears, no mourning. 09:58 But God did this because He's going to use Ezekiel as a sign 10:02 and Ezekiel submits to God's will. But this was a symbolic 10:10 act. It was a heartbreaking sign to show all of the exiles that 10:19 they could not mourn publicly over the destruction of 10:25 Jerusalem for which their sins were responsible. Wow! In other 10:31 words the national sorrow would eclipse personal sorrow. Think 10:38 about that. National sorrow should eclipse personal sorrow. 10:42 So Ezekiel when he was in Babylon he remained silent for 10:48 two years until his prophecies of the destruction of Judah and 10:55 Jerusalem came true and the captives arrived. Our lesson 11:01 says Ezekiel 24:24: God says Ezekiel will be a sign to you 11:07 You will do just as he has done. When this happens you will know 11:12 that I am the Sovereign Lord. So Ezekiel in meekness accepted 11:19 God's commandment and through his example the children of 11:24 Israel were going to be convicted of the truth of who 11:29 God was, the Sovereign Lord and they then would see this truth 11:35 as they experienced the fulfillment of the prophecy that 11:38 Ezekiel's life was symbolizing. So here's the point of the 11:44 lesson. Sometimes things happen to us and the way we react 11:53 suffering has a relationship with meekness. If we learn to 12:00 be meek before the Lord, to be gentle, we can be a sign to 12:08 other people. It's like when we learn to accept, meekness can be 12:16 a strength, not a weakness because God will use us to 12:23 minister to others. You know it's easy to feel hurt or to 12:29 feel angry in certain situations but meekness is a God-given 12:35 ability, it's part of the fruit of the Spirit, to endure 12:45 suffering with patience and without resentment. So let me 12:48 read something to you from The Desire of Ages, p. 301, Ellen 12:55 White writes: The difficulties we have to encounter may be very 12:59 much lessoned by that meekness which hides itself in Christ. 13:03 If we possess the humility of our Master, we shall rise above 13:08 the slights, the rebuffs, the annoyances to which we are 13:13 exposed and they will cease to cast a gloom over the spirit. 13:17 This highest evidence of nobility in a Christian is self 13:22 control. He who will endure abuse or cruelty fails to 13:31 maintain a calm and trustful spirit robs God of His right to 13:35 reveal in him His own perfection of character. Lowliness of 13:39 heart is the strength that gives victory to the followers of 13:44 Christ. It is the token of their connection with the courts above 13:50 That's The Desire of Ages, p. 301. Meekness in the Crucible 13:56 Thank you, thank you, Shelley. Wow! Each of these lessons are 14:00 going to build on the other one and mine is about grace. 14:02 Interceding for Grace. Let's go right to Exodus 32. I'm 14:07 going to go all the way down to verse 14 but let's break them up 14:10 into two categories. (John Lomacang) 14:12 One is the sin of Israel. The second is the interposition and 14:18 intercession of Moses and how God's grace was poured through 14:23 his life at a moment when the people were deserving of 14:27 something other than grace. Exodus 32 verses 1-10: Now when 14:33 the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the 14:34 mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron and said to 14:36 him, Come make us gods that shall go before us. For as for 14:41 this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt 14:44 we do not know what has become of him. And Aaron said to them 14:48 break off the golden earrings which are in your ears and the 14:51 ears of your wives, your sons and your daughters, and bring 14:54 them to me. Just like today. Men and women and girls wear 14:58 earrings. So all the people broke off the golden earrings 15:00 which were in their ears and brought them to Aaron and he 15:04 received the gold from their hands and he fashioned it with 15:06 the engraving tool and made a molded calf. Then they said, 15:11 This is your god O Israel that brought you out of the land of 15:15 Egypt...Hmm...today...Wow...So when Aaron saw it he built an 15:20 altar before it and Aaron made a proclamation and said, Tomorrow 15:23 is a feast to the Lord. Then they rose early on the next day, 15:29 offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings and the 15:31 people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play. And the 15:35 Lord said to Moses. Go, get down for your people whom you brought 15:40 out of the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves...Notice 15:45 God's disassociations. We do that today when they're 15:47 misbehaving, go get your son. When they're doing well, Look at 15:51 my son. God fit the pattern. The people whom you brought out of 15:56 the land of Egypt...verse 9... And the Lord said to Moses I 15:59 have seen this people and indeed it is a stiff-necked people. Now 16:03 therefore, let Me alone that My wrath may burn hot against them 16:06 and I may consume them and I will make of you a great nation. 16:12 Now Moses's interposition and intersession. Notice what he 16:16 asks for in verses 11-14. Then Moses pleaded with the Lord his 16:21 God and said, Lord why does your wrath burn hot against your 16:26 people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with great 16:30 power and with a mighty hand. Why should the Egyptians speak 16:34 and say He brought them out to harm them to kill them in the 16:37 mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth. Turn 16:40 from your fierce wrath and relent from this harm to your 16:46 people. Remember Abraham, Isaac and Israel your servants to whom 16:51 you swore by your own self and said to them, I will multiply 16:55 your descendants as the stars of heaven and all this land that I 16:58 have spoken of I give to your descendants and they shall 17:02 inherit it forever...And here's the response of God...So the 17:07 Lord relented from the harm which He said He would do to His 17:12 people. So often we don't understand the beauty of our 17:16 intercession in behalf of those that cannot do better or are 17:19 choosing not to do better. I look at my sister for example. 17:22 So many times throughout the years, she left the church at 16 17:26 she's now 66, 50 years. And she's been in so many situations 17:30 even as an EMT at Ground Zero on September 11 back in 2001. And 17:35 she made the decision. I believe God touched her heart to make 17:39 the decision to go to work four hours later. Had she gone four 17:42 hours earlier she would have died with the compatriots when 17:45 the building came down. And all through our lives, every day, I 17:49 pray for my sister for God to sustain her. She lost so many 17:52 friends in the post 9/11 incident that died of all the 17:56 diseases, kidney failure, cancer from all the harmful toxins that 18:00 were there. She was there nine months at ground zero and lost 18:05 the use of her kidneys but she's still doing well today. Got a 18:08 new kidney that's been lasting for a long time. And I'm still 18:11 praying that God will bring her in and I believe that if we decide 18:15 to intercede in behalf of those who are not yet where God 18:18 wants them to be 18:20 we'll appreciate something that's called, not grow because 18:26 because of grace but grow in grace. Now let's look at this. 18:31 2 Peter 3 verse 17. Grow in grace is a very powerful thing. 18:35 Now I'm just going to simply read verses 17 and 18: You 18:39 therefore beloved since you know this beforehand, beware lest you 18:44 also, fall from your own steadfastness being led away 18:47 with the errors of the wicked. But grow in the grace and 18:52 knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Now notice 18:55 something. Grow IN grace. The illustration I could use is a 19:00 plant doesn't grow into the pot to become a plant. It grows in 19:03 the pot because it is a plant. A fish doesn't swim into the sea 19:08 to become a fish. It swims in the sea because it is a fish. 19:11 We don't grow into God's grace. We grow IN God's grace because 19:16 that's the only place that a Christian can allow human 19:21 frailty to still reveal the glory of God. We need the grace 19:25 of God. When we get to heaven we're not going to get to heaven 19:27 because of the 28 fundamentals. We're going to get to heaven 19:29 because of God's grace. You know the Bible talks about the 12 19:32 gates to the new Jerusalem and one writer suggests that we'll 19:35 go through the gate that best describes what we overcame, but 19:39 I believe that every gate is going to be a gate of grace. 19:42 Titus 2 verse 11: For the grace of God that brings salvation 19:46 has appeared to all men. So everyone that will be saved 19:52 everyone that will not be saved will recognize that God has not 19:56 withheld His grace from anyone. But those who receive the grace 19:59 of God and grow in it, here's what we have the obligation to 20:02 do. Teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we 20:07 should live soberly, righteously and Godly in this present age. 20:13 How can we do that? John 1 verse 14, because Jesus is the one 20:18 referred to as full of grace and truth. So when Christ is abiding 20:23 in us all that we need is revealed in and through His life 20:27 Let me also go further down in the interest of sharing with you 20:31 what I believe I can cover at this particular time. We have to 20:35 also, remember that when people are in difficulty there's a 20:38 grace that God is requiring of us to extend to those who are 20:43 not yet where they ought to be. In Galatians 6 and verse 1: It 20:48 says, brethren if a man is overtaken in a trespass... 20:54 here's the prerequisite...You who are spiritual restore such a 20:56 one in the spirit of gentleness considering yourself lest you 21:00 also be tempted. And Paul told Timothy, his protégé, in 21:05 2 Timothy 2 verses 24 and 26... Why do we need grace? Because 21:09 there are times when I'll be honest with you I think my good 21:12 friend, I won't mention his name but a pastor once said, very 21:16 well-known pastor he says, why don't God allow us to slap some 21:19 people sometimes. A very, very familiar pastor, I won't mention 21:27 his name. But sometimes we feel that we just kind of want to 21:32 just kind of grab somebody and shake them up. But listen what 21:35 the Bible says. 2 Timothy 2 verses 24-26: A servant of the 21:43 Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, 21:48 patient, in humility, correcting those who are in opposition if 21:52 God perhaps will grant them repentance so that they may know 21:55 the truth and that they may come to their senses and escape the 21:58 snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his 22:02 will. So, yes, we need the grace of God because there are times 22:05 when our humanity tries to overwhelm the fact that we are 22:09 partakers of the divine nature and we want to appeal to our 22:13 humanity rather than to the divinity that Christ has so 22:16 freely offered to us. That's why this quotation is significant 22:20 before I pass it back to Shelley Testimonies, Vol. 2, p. 113.1 22:27 And this has helped me through the years. Since 1995 when God 22:30 revealed this to me, this has given me the blueprint of how 22:35 to be in times of difficulty. It says: Life is disciplinary. 22:39 While in the world, the Christian will meet with adverse 22:44 influences. There will be provocations to test the temper 22:47 and it is by meeting these in a right spirit that the Christian 22:52 graces are developed. If injuries and insults are meekly 22:56 borne, if insulting words are responded to by gentle answers 23:02 and oppressive acts by kindness this is evidence that the Spirit 23:08 of Christ dwells in the heart, that sap from the Living Vine is 23:14 flowing to the branches. So it's not what happens to us and I've 23:19 said this before but God has given me, this and I'm becoming 23:22 repetitious here because it's not what happens to us but it's 23:26 what happens in us that determines whether or not we are 23:30 evidenced to be connected to Christ or connected to the enemy 23:34 and displaying human flesh rather than God's abundant 23:39 grace. Why is it important for us to display God's abundant 23:42 grace? Matthew 5 and verse 9. I believe this is the cadence 23:46 for all Christians: Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall 23:50 be called the sons of God. Only as we display God's abundant 23:55 grace can we display the grace of God. 23:58 Amen and grace is most needed when it's least deserved. 24:03 I love that. 24:06 Oh please stay tuned. We'll be right back. 24:08 ♪ ♪ 24:13 Ever wish you could watch a 3ABN Sabbath School panel again? 24:16 Or share it on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. 24:19 Well you can by visiting 3abnsabbathschoolpanel.com 24:24 A clean design makes it easy to find the program you're looking 24:28 for. There are also links to the Adult Bible Study Guide so you 24:33 can follow along. Sharing is easy. Just pick share and choose 24:37 your favorite social media. Share a link, Save a life 24:41 for eternity. 24:42 Now as we continue we're going to invite Pastor James Rafferty 24:46 to do Tuesday's lesson. 24:48 (James Rafferty) I have Tuesday's lesson which is 24:50 entitled Loving Those Who Hurt Us. It's based in Matthew 24:53 chapter 5 verses 43-48. And the author calls us to read these 24:58 verses. We're going to take a look at Matthew chapter 5 verses 25:02 43-48. It's basically a summary of a sermon that Jesus is 25:07 sharing with a group of people on the mount of Beatitudes and 25:12 as He summarizes His thoughts here beginning in verse 43 He 25:17 literally shocks the people that are listening to Him. Now these 25:20 people are religious people. A lot of them are Jews. Some of 25:22 them are Pharisees and He has taken them to a whole new level, 25:26 a whole new standard of belief in Christianity in what it means 25:29 to be a believer in God. And He summarizes here in these verses 25:33 beginning in verse 43: You have heard it has been said...this is 25:36 something that's used all through the sermon...Thou shalt 25:39 love thy neighbor and hate thine enemies, but I say unto you love 25:45 your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that 25:50 hate you, pray for them that despitefully use you and 25:53 persecute you, that you may be the children of your Father 25:57 which is in heaven. Stop right there. Now this is shocking to 26:01 those who are listening. They're overwhelmed, as we are today 26:04 probably, overwhelmed with this idea. But then He adds something 26:08 kind of like you know the cherry on the top. Something that goes 26:12 even further to astound them if you will. He says: Not only that 26:17 you may be the children of your Father which is in heaven...but 26:19 He says: For He, for He makes His sun to rise on the evil and 26:29 on the good and He sends rain on the just and the unjust. Now 26:33 it's one thing for God to be calling the people there to this 26:37 standard that is maybe higher than them, but for Jesus to add 26:40 to that that God actually has that standard before you do. 26:43 And, of course, this is the basis of our Christian 26:46 experience. God is calling us not to do something that He 26:49 doesn't already do. God is calling us to step into the 26:51 reality of who He is. God is calling us to step into His very 26:55 own experience. He's sending sun He's sending rain on the just, 27:00 on the unjust, on the good and on the evil. You don't see this 27:03 phenomenon unless of course you're right at a point where 27:06 the rain is no longer falling. Sometimes I've been driving down 27:08 the road when a rain storm and all of a sudden we get to a 27:11 certain point on the road and there's no more rain. But most 27:14 of the time when it's raining it's raining on the houses of 27:17 the Christians and it's also raining on the houses of those 27:20 who aren't Christians. You know when you see the sunshine 27:22 and it's shining on all the houses of the Christians and 27:25 it's also shining on the houses that aren't Christians. This is 27:28 God's what we call grace, unmerited favor to the whole 27:36 world. And Jesus is bringing this up in the context of this 27:40 new sermon, if you will, this cutting edge sermon to the 27:43 people there on the mount of Beatitudes. He goes on here and 27:46 He says, verse, where did we leave off, verse 46 yeah. 27:54 For if you love them which love you what reward have ye for do 28:00 not even publicans the same... And publicans would be tax 28:03 collectors, IRS, right, government workers, whatever 28:05 you want to apply them to in our day...And if you salute your 28:09 brethren only what do you more than others, do not even 28:13 publicans so?... Here it comes. Here's the conclusion, verse 48: 28:17 Be you therefore perfect even as your Father which is in heaven 28:21 is perfect. Now how many times have we taken that last verse 28:24 completely out of context and we've applied that to everything 28:28 and anything but what Christ was applying it to. In fact, 28:31 we've applied it to the very things that He was rebuking here 28:34 We've applied it to a lower standard, we've applied it to 28:36 our outward appearance and the things that we eat and the 28:39 things that we believe and you know the fundamentals. We're 28:41 not applying it to relationships that have gone awry, 28:45 relationships that are difficult for us to navigate, 28:48 relationships with people who despitefully use us and 28:51 persecute us, relationships with people that we find difficulty 28:55 navigating. And that's what Jesus is doing here because He's 28:58 taking us right to the crux of the issue and the crux of the 29:01 issue is you can look good but you are not good and you need a 29:07 heart transformation and God is going to allow us to come in 29:10 contact with situations and difficulties in the guise of 29:13 people just like with Job and his friends that bring out the 29:16 need that we have which is a heart transformation. Don't be 29:20 upset, don't even question whether or not you are a 29:24 believer or a Christian or a follower of God because these 29:27 things come out, but praise the Lord, praise the Lord that they 29:30 come out because God is seeking to get you to turn to Him and a 29:34 revelation of who He is that can bring you to that higher plane 29:38 the higher standard. You know the words of that hymn, I'm 29:42 walking on the onward way, new heights I'm gaining every day. 29:45 I'm pressing on the upward way. New heights I'm gaining every 29:46 day. God is bringing us to new heights every day. And He 29:50 doesn't bring it to us all at once. You know, because it would 29:53 overwhelm us. It would overwhelm us. So next week and then the 29:57 next month and the next year and then you know I've been at 29:59 this for 38 years now plus and all of a sudden I'm starting to 30:02 see things that I never saw before. When I was a single guy 30:04 man I was just on the straight and narrow. I had all my ducks 30:09 in a row. I had every T crossed and ever I dotted and then I got 30:14 married. And it had nothing to do with my wife. I started 30:17 seeing things in myself that I hadn't noticed before, right? 30:21 You notice things about yourself when you're around other people. 30:23 And then we got some pets and then we got kids. In other words 30:30 right, God is showing us more and more of ourselves. Great 30:33 peace have they that love thy law and nothing shall offend 30:36 them. And when things offend and when things are coming in and 30:39 rubbing us it's a call for us to come into that peace, that grace 30:44 that God has for us. And so God is revealing this to the people 30:48 through Christ. You can just imagine what they're thinking. 30:52 Probably the same thing we're thinking but even more so because 30:54 they hate the Romans. Ah we just hate the Romans. And God saying 30:58 hey, I love the Romans. You know I send rain, I send sunshine on 31:01 the Romans. I love the Romans. In fact, God loves all people. 31:04 You know, the Bible says in John 3:16 God so loved the...(world) 31:08 world that He gave his only begotten Son. And that's an 31:11 unconditional gift that God has given to us. Now why did He give 31:15 us that unconditional gift? So that whosoever will would 31:18 believe, right? God loves us unconditionally in order for us 31:22 to be saved. He knows that the power of salvation comes through 31:27 a manifestation of this unconditional love. That's why 31:30 we're told in John chapter 1 verse 9 that Jesus Christ is the 31:34 light that lights all those who come into the world, right? 31:38 Every single person is lighted by Jesus Christ. We're told in 31:43 Acts chapter 17, Paul is hanging out there in Athens Mars Hill 31:46 and he says you know To the Unknown God. In Him you live and 31:51 move and have your being. All people have life and breath and 31:55 all things through Jesus Christ. And then we're told in Romans 32:01 chapter 10 and of course Hebrews chapter 12 verse 1 but Romans 32:04 chapter 10, no not Romans chapter 10, Romans chapter 14 32:08 God has given a measure of faith to all people. He's the author 32:13 of our faith. So God give us His love, He gives us His life, He 32:17 gives us light, He gives us faith. Titus 2 verse 11: The 32:21 grace of God has appeared unto all. He's bathed us with this 32:26 atmosphere of grace. The sun and the rain remind us of the 32:29 atmosphere of grace in which we are bathed. God draws all people 32:32 Jesus says in John chapter 12:32 I, if I be lifted up...on the 32:37 cross of Calvary...will draw all...not just the Christians, 32:40 not just the believers, not just those who have potential. I'm 32:42 going to draw everyone to me. I'm even going to draw the 32:45 fallen angels to me, not that they can be saved. I'm going to 32:49 draw them because they're going to see something that this 32:51 universe needs to see and that is my unconditional love for the 32:55 the world, my self-sacrificing, others-centered love for the 32:58 world. And it's going to answer the great controversy. And 33:01 that's what we're told in Revelation chapter 12. I always 33:03 go back to Revelation; you know that. John chapter 12: The 33:06 prince of this world is cast out That's what Jesus says in 33:08 Revelation chapter 12 Now is come salvation and strength 33:11 we're told in Revelation chapter 12. He died for all. Hebrews 33:16 chapter 2 verse 9 tells us. He mediates for all, right Shelley? 33:19 Jesus Christ is the mediator for all men. He is the Savior of all 33:24 men. In 1 Timothy 4 and verse 10 He's the mediator of all men. He 33:27 gives love to all, He gives life to all men, He gives faith to 33:29 all men, He gives grace to all men and so Jesus Christ has 33:32 come to reveal the Father. This is what the Father is like. This 33:36 what the Father looks like. If you've seen me you've seen the 33:39 Father. And of course these words are going to come out of 33:41 His mouth. What else would come out of His mouth? Be ye 33:44 therefore perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect. But in 33:50 we have a little bit different ending to the sermon on the 33:53 mount. Luke chapter 6 and verse 36 gives a little bit of a 33:56 different slant to the sermon on the mount and I really think 33:59 that perhaps because of our misunderstanding of the word 34:02 perfect that perhaps Luke gives us a better ending that helps us 34:08 to understand what Jesus is really talking about. He goes 34:11 through all of the same points and he ends in Luke 6:36 and he 34:15 says: Be ye therefore merciful as your Father in heaven is 34:19 merciful. In other words, perfection is being merciful. 34:23 Mercy and perfection are one and the same thing. And of course 34:29 mercy implies the imperfection of the object upon which it is 34:33 bestowed. Unfallen angels don't need mercy. But human beings 34:36 need mercy and God is saying listen, I have poured out upon 34:39 you every good thing. I have saturated you with my grace. 34:45 Now what I want you to do to those Romans, what I want 34:47 you to do to those republicans and those democrats, what I want 34:51 to do to those people that you have such a hard time with is I 34:54 want you to be merciful as your Father in heaven has been 34:57 merciful to you. 34:58 Amen, amen. Praise the Lord. What a blessing so far we have 35:01 received and I hope you have been blessed so far. We are now 35:06 on Wednesday's portion of the lesson. My name is John Dinzey. 35:08 and the lesson is entitled, creative title, A Closed Mouth. 35:14 Why is it give this title? It is because sometimes we have to 35:20 endure things as Christians and keep our mouths shut. So the 35:25 most powerful example the lesson says of meekness in the crucible 35:29 comes from Jesus. When He said to come and learn of me for I am 35:35 meek and lowly in heart. Matthew 11:29. This is interesting 35:40 because Jesus, when you consider Him, He is worthy of all praise 35:44 The very presence of Jesus commands respect and you want 35:47 to bow before Him but He says come and learn of me for I am 35:50 meek and lowly of heart. What an example we have in Jesus. He 35:56 says in the lesson He meant it in ways we probably 36:00 can't imagine. 36:02 I also want to read this from the lesson. It says: It is 36:05 terrible watch someone else treat another unjustly and it is 36:09 extremely painful when we are at the receiving end of such 36:16 treatment. So this is because, it says here, we normally have a 36:21 strong sense of justice. When injustice occurs our instincts 36:25 are to put things right while carrying out what we believe to 36:29 be a righteous and just anger. I remember when I was I think it 36:33 was the second grade something happened by where we were 36:37 sitting, it was in a public school. And the guy sitting 36:42 across from me, he made a mess and everybody was giggling about 36:45 it in that area and the teacher said, What's going on back there 36:48 And the teacher walked over to where we were and he asked who 36:51 made this mess. And he looked at both of us because apparently he 36:56 thought one of us did it. And the guy next to me he says, I 37:01 swear by the Virgin Mary it wasn't me. And so the teacher 37:06 automatically, Come here! I was in trouble. I didn't swear by 37:08 the Virgin Mary so he thought I must be guilty. So he made an 37:12 example of me and put me in front of the class and he says 37:14 For anybody else that makes a mess like this, this is what's 37:17 going to happen to you. And I was there sad, upset. And I was 37:22 like, Why in the world did that make him automatically innocent? 37:26 He was the guilty one, but he used, I swear by the Virgin Mary 37:30 and he got away with it. And so sometimes we suffer unjustly. I 37:34 didn't like being up there in the front, being an example to 37:37 the whole class. Oh, he's guilty, he's the one that did this mess. 37:42 And so we suffer and sometimes we have to understand the best 37:48 witness that can be is for us to be silent. I'm going to read 37:54 this also from the lesson: It is not easy to live like this. It 37:58 is perhaps impossible unless we embrace one critical truth that 38:03 in all unjust situations, we must believe that our Father in 38:08 heaven is in control and that He will act on our behalf when it 38:11 is according to His will. In the lesson we are called to read 38:16 from 1 Peter chapter 2 verses 18-25. I'm going to back up a 38:20 little bit to give a background so I'm going to 1 Peter chapter 38:23 1 verses 15 and 16. Notice: But as he who called you is holy, 38:30 you also be holy in all your conduct because it is written 38:34 be holy, for I am holy. In 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 17 38:39 And if you call on the Father who without partiality judges 38:44 according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout 38:48 the time of your stay here... that's right, for us here...in 38:53 fear knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things 38:57 like silver or gold from your aimless conduct received by 39:01 tradition from your fathers but with the precious blood of 39:06 Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. This 39:11 is who we have been redeemed by, Jesus Christ as a lamb without 39:17 spot or without blemish. So now we go into 1 Peter chapter 2 39:22 verses 18-25. Notice he's making a special focus on servants 39:28 because they are in a situation that could be out of their 39:31 control. It says: Servants, be submissive to your masters with 39:36 all fear, not only to the good and gentle but also to the harsh 39:43 What? Paul don't you understand how hard I have it, this guy 39:47 this is horrible. He's harsh, they're harsh on me. But he says 39:51 to be submissive. Why? Continuing on, he says: For this 40:00 is commendable. If because of conscience toward God one 40:04 endures grief, suffering wrongfully. This is commendable. 40:08 This is worthy of honor. God is honoring us with the privilege 40:12 of demonstrating before people the character of God. Why? 40:19 because it is a witness to people reminding us that in 40:22 Matthew chapter 5 it says: Let your light so shine before men 40:26 that they may see your good works and glorify your Father 40:30 which is in heaven. There is a similar passage in Colossians 40:32 chapter 3 verse 22-24. Notice what it says here: Bondservants 40:37 obey in all things your masters according to the flesh not with 40:42 eye service as men pleasers but in sincerity of heart fearing 40:49 God. So we should do it with sincerity of heart. For this we 40:53 have to be surrendered to the Lord. It's not putting on an act 40:56 Oh I have to do this because I have to do it. No, with 40:59 sincerity of heart allowing the Lord to work through you. And 41:02 notice what it says in verse 23. In whatever you do, do it 41:06 heartily as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the 41:11 Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance for you serve 41:15 the Lord Christ. So in the situations that we are whatever 41:19 our situation is, whether it is at home, school, or work, and we 41:23 have to deal with harsh people we should serve doing it 41:29 heartily as serving the Lord and not men. So moving on to verse 41:34 For what credit is it if when you are beaten for your 41:39 faults you take it patiently, but when you do good and suffer 41:43 if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. This 41:48 maybe a message to them to help them make a decision to follow 41:53 the Lord Jesus Christ. It is very interesting in the book The 41:56 Great Controversy there is a quote here that is very, very 41:59 powerful. I want you to consider it. It says: The gospel 42:02 continued to spread. I'm reading from Great Controversy, p. 41. 42:08 The gospel continued to spread and the number of the adherents 42:11 to increase. It penetrated into regions that were inaccessible 42:15 even to the eagles of Rome. Said a Christian, expostulating with 42:20 the heathen rulers who were urging forward the persecution. 42:24 You may kill us, torture us, condemn us. Your injustice is 42:29 proof that we are innocent. Nor does your cruelty avail you. It 42:35 was but a stronger invitation to bring others to their persuasion 42:39 The oftener we are mown down by you the more in number we grow. 42:44 The blood of Christians is seed. This is quoted also in 42:48 Tertullian Apology, paragraph 50 So here we have an example even 42:55 they in those times the way Christians suffered was a 43:01 message to others and hearts were touched and lives were 43:04 converted. Recently a few months ago I read in a magazine, I 43:07 think it was the ASI magazine, a story. A modern story. It's a 43:11 real story of a place in a Muslim country and this Muslim 43:16 man, his story was being told, his picture was there and his 43:19 face was darkened so you do not see who he is. He used to be 43:23 part of a gang. And as a Muslim his job was to find Christians, 43:27 beat them and torture them and if necessary, kill them. And he 43:32 said, I was so impressed by the way these Christians suffered 43:37 that I said, there's something about what they believe in. 43:38 There's something about this Jesus, they believe in. So he 43:41 decided to look into it and the story was telling his testimony 43:45 that because of the way these Christians suffered, He was led 43:50 to follow Jesus and he was converted. Powerful, powerful 43:56 testimony. And so I encourage you if you are in a situation 44:00 and if you are called to suffer for Christ and if it's your part 44:05 to be quiet, be quiet. Let that be...Sometimes silence is 44:10 eloquence, I've heard and this is a time when silence can be 44:14 eloquence in favor of the gospel 1 Peter chapter 2 verse 21: For 44:19 this you were called because Christ also suffered for us 44:23 leaving us an example that you should follow His steps. Christ 44:28 suffered and He was beaten and abused, tortured and he suffered 44:35 quietly. He suffered and that was a testimony that we should 44:41 imitate. Verse 22: Who committed no sin nor was deceit found in 44:45 His mouth. And so we have here that Christ has left us an 44:51 example to follow and if need be if the Lord wants us to speak 44:55 He will give us the words to speak. But they will be spoken 44:58 in love and demonstration of the Spirit of Christ. 45:02 (Amen.) Amen, amen. Thank you so much. I'm Ryan Day. I have 45:06 Thursday's lesson entitled Our Rock and Refuge. And man this 45:13 lesson who this lesson really spoke to me. And I know that 45:16 much of what we're going to study in this lesson, many of 45:19 you can understand it, you can relate to it and I know many of 45:22 us here on this panel. I tried to avoid just reading big 45:26 sections of the lesson because I know you at home are going to 45:28 do that and around the world at your churches, but sometimes 45:32 it's worded just so well you just got to read it. And I love 45:34 the intro to this lesson because it really sets us up for the 45:37 content that we're going to be covering and so it brings out, 45:40 it says: So often the most proud people, the most arrogant and 45:43 pushy are those who suffer from low self-esteem. Their arrogance 45:48 and pride and total lack of meekness or humility exist as a 45:54 cover perhaps even unconsciously for something lacking inside. 45:58 What they need is something we all need, a sense of security 46:03 of worthiness, of acceptance, especially in times of distress 46:08 and suffering. We can find it only through the Lord in...it 46:15 says we can only find that through the Lord. And then it 46:17 says, In short meekness and humility, far from being 46:21 attributes of weakness are often the most powerful manifestation 46:25 of a soul firmly grounded on the Rock. That one right there is a 46:31 little bit of a conviction to myself, because the Lord is... 46:35 we're all growing, right? And that's the one thing. I've kind 46:38 have been open about my lack of patience and sometimes meekness. 46:41 The Lord is working on me, so pray for me brothers and sisters 46:43 But I love that last line there. That in short meekness and 46:48 humility, far from being attributes of weakness, are 46:51 often the most powerful manifestation of a soul firmly 46:54 grounded on the Rock. And then it brings us to Psalm chapter 61 47:00 verses 1-8. So we're going to go there, Psalm 61 and we're 47:03 going to read verses 1-8 and the lesson basically brings out, it 47:07 says what can we learn from this great passage and ah man as I 47:10 was reading it, it's just powerful. I've read it many 47:13 times but the fact that it's brought within the context of 47:16 this lesson you know Christ, or God, our refuge and our Rock. 47:20 our Rock and refuge. It's a powerful message. So Psalm 61 47:24 we're going to start with verse 1 and read through verse 8. 47:26 It says: Truly my soul silently waits for God. From Him comes my 47:32 salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation. He is my 47:39 defense. I shall not be greatly moved. How long will you attack 47:46 a man. You shall be slain all of you like a leaning wall and a 47:51 tottering fence. They only consult to cast him down from 47:55 his high position. They delight in lies. They bless with their 48:00 mouth but they curse inwardly. Selah it says. My soul waits 48:06 silently for God alone for my expectation is from Him. He only 48:11 is my rock and my salvation. He is my defense. I shall not be 48:17 moved. In God is my salvation and my glory; the rock of my 48:22 strength and my refuge is in God Trust in Him at all times you 48:29 people. Pour out your heart before Him. God is a refuge for 48:35 us. Selah. (Reference for that again?) Psalm 61 verses 1-8. 48:40 Sixty-two Psalm 62. 48:41 Oh is it Psalm 62? Oh okay. Well thank you for that correction. 48:45 So let's just correct that, Psalm 62 verses 1-8 is what I 48:48 was just reading, just for those who might want to go back and 48:51 read that again. But it's a powerful passage. It's just 48:56 highlighting the humility of the writer here who's pouring out 48:58 his heart and saying you know what, God is my refuge, God is 49:01 my strength. I don't have to go out and open myself up and 49:05 exhaust myself and my energies to fight my battles or to come 49:10 against my enemies. God is the one who does that for me. And 49:14 you know, there's an Ellen White quote here in the Upward Look, 49:17 p. 177 that man when I read this thing it was just like I have 49:22 been here I understand this part here because I think all of us 49:26 many times in our life we experience aspects in our 49:30 relationship with God, in our walk with God, where the enemy 49:33 will try to use others, within the ministry context, I'll just 49:36 say sometimes the devil will use others in ministry or within 49:40 your ministry sphere of influence to sometimes bring you 49:45 down or to try to discourage you or to try to attack you in a way 49:49 that will cause contentions. And it's interesting because in 49:53 this quote here...this is the Upward Look, p.177. Listen to 49:57 this. Powerful words. It says: Without cause, men will become 50:01 our enemies. The motives of the people of God will be 50:05 misinterpreted, not only by the world but by their own brethren. 50:11 The Lord's servants will be put in hard places, a mountain will 50:16 be made of a molehill to justify men in pursuing a 50:21 selfish, unrighteous course. By misrepresentation these men 50:25 will be clothed in the dark vestments of dishonesty because 50:30 circumstances beyond their control made their work 50:34 perplexing. They will be pointed to as men that cannot be trusted 50:40 and this will be done by the members of the church. God's 50:46 servants must arm themselves with the mind of Christ. They 50:51 must expect to escape insult and misjudgment. Excuse me let me 50:56 read that again. They must NOT let me clarify, they must not 51:00 expect to escape insult and misjudgment. They will be called 51:05 enthusiasts and fanatics. But let them not become discouraged. 51:09 God's hands are on the wheel of His providence guiding His work 51:15 to the glory of His name. Wow! Wow! That is so true. And as I 51:20 was reading through that also taking in consideration what we 51:23 read in Psalm 62 just a moment ago at the beginning portion of 51:27 this lesson. As I was going through this lesson, I thought of 51:29 Daniel. Daniel was a righteous man. In fact, while we know that 51:35 he was a sinner because the Bible says that all have sinned 51:37 there's nothing negative recorded about Daniel the 51:39 Prophet as there are of other major Bible characters. But it's 51:42 interesting that if you read Daniel chapter 6 verses 1-5 it 51:46 gives us a glimpse of just what we just read, that in times 51:51 where the enemy has a plan to even possibly use members of our 51:54 church, brethren within our influence or our sphere or close 51:58 by us sometimes we have to as we just learned close our mouths and 52:04 recognize that the Lord is leading us, that the Lord is 52:06 guiding in the situation, that He will take over and He will 52:08 bring us out of this dark situation that we may be in. 52:12 Daniel chapter 6 verses 1-5. It's quite interesting. I love this 52:16 story because it says: It pleased Darius to set over the 52:20 kingdom 120 satraps and being over the whole kingdom and over 52:24 these three governors of whom Daniel was one and the satraps 52:28 might give account to them so that the king would suffer no 52:31 loss. This this Daniel distinguished himself above the 52:35 governors and satraps because an excellent spirit was in him 52:39 and the king gave thought to setting him over the whole realm 52:43 So the governors and satraps sought to find some charge 52:48 against Daniel concerning the kingdom but they could find no 52:52 charge or fault because he was faithful nor was there any error 52:56 or fault found in him. Then these men said we shall not find 53:02 any charge against this Daniel unless we find it against him 53:05 concerning the law of his God. Notice where they're going. You 53:09 know we're not going to find any fault with this brother but we 53:12 can find some type of fault in the law of his God and you know 53:14 the rest of the story. They go on to conspire against Daniel 53:17 and to basically deceive the king into passing this law of 53:21 the Medes and the Persians that says Daniel can't pray or anyone 53:24 in the kingdom can't pray to anyone or praise anyone other 53:27 than the king of the Medes and the Persians. And it's quite 53:30 interesting because Daniel 6 verse 10, it says: Now when 53:33 Daniel knew that the writing was signed he went home and in his 53:37 upper room with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down 53:39 on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks 53:42 before his God as it was his custom since early days. This 53:46 brother went to that window, he opened one, he opened the second 53:49 one, he kneeled down right there so the world could see him 53:51 and he was praising God and he was praying to his God because 53:55 there was no one or anything that was going to keep him from 53:58 being the righteous man that he was. And so in this case my 54:01 friends, I just have to ask the question, can you be bold for 54:05 God? Can we be bold for God? Can you and us, can all of us be 54:09 radical for God among the culture, among the people, 54:11 among the society that scoffs at the thought of true, genuine 54:16 Christianity? We have to come to a point where we allow God to be 54:20 our refuge, that we stake our faith in Him and know that He 54:23 will fight out battles. I think of Matthew chapter 7 verses 54:26 24-27. It says: Therefore whoever hears these sayings 54:29 of mine and does them, I will liken unto a wise man who built 54:32 his house upon a rock, and the rains descended, the floods came 54:35 the winds blew and beat on that house and it did not fall for 54:38 it was founded on the rock...But in contrast, Jesus says...But 54:43 everyone who hears these sayings of mine and does not do them 54:46 will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand and 54:50 the rain descended and the floods came and the winds blew 54:52 and beat on the house and it fell and great was its fall. My 54:56 friends, get out of the sand. Leave that sand alone. Put your 55:01 life, stake your faith and ground yourself on the rock of 55:04 Jesus Christ today. 55:07 Amen. Glory to God! What a wonderful lesson. We're really 55:11 enjoying this quarterly and I know you are as well. We have 55:14 just a couple of moments for some closing comments. 55:17 Pastor John. 55:18 Yes, Romans 3 verse 23 and 24. You know, I love the fact that 55:23 there's only one thing higher than God's law. It is His grace. 55:27 It's His mercy. The mercy seat is above the law of God. Romans 55:33 3:23: For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. 55:36 Verse 24: Being justified freely by His grace through the 55:41 redemption that is in Christ Jesus. 55:44 (Amen) That's grace. 55:45 Amen, amen. 1 Corinthians chapter 13 verse 7 says: Love 55:49 hopes all things bears all things and endures all things. 55:52 God isn't necessarily calling us to like other people or like 55:57 what other people but he's calling us to love them, that is 55:59 to hope the best for them, to bear with them, to pray for them 56:02 to intercede for them. That is the principle of love. 56:07 Amen, amen. Sometimes we have to suffer for things that we 56:10 have not done. In other words, suffer wrongfully. But by the 56:15 grace of the Lord we can suffer for things we have not done 56:19 with grace and dignity. Jesus said in John 16:33: These things 56:24 I have spoken to you that in me you may have peace. In the world 56:29 you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have 56:31 overcome the world. 56:33 Amen. I love what Jesus says to the Pharisees in Matthew 21 56:36 verses 42 and 44. He says: Have you never read in the scriptures 56:39 the stone which the builders rejected has become the chief 56:43 cornerstone, that this is the Lord's doing and it is marvelous 56:45 in our eyes. And then verse 44. He says: And whoever falls on 56:49 this stone will be broken but on whomever it falls it will grind 56:54 him to powder. And I can't help but every time I read that text 56:57 to fall on this stone, whoever falls on the stone will be 57:02 broken, I think of that song ♪ Lean on me when you're not 57:06 strong, I'll be your friend, I'll help you carry on, Lean on 57:12 me ♪ Lean on Jesus. Make Him your rock and refuge today. 57:18 Oh thank you so much, Ryan, Johnny, James, and John. And we 57:21 just have to remember what Jesus said in Matthew 5:5 Blessed are 57:27 the meek for they shall inherit the earth. Meekness is to be 57:31 mild, to be gentle, to be humble like our Savior Jesus Christ who 57:36 said I am meek and lowly in heart...And His ministry of self 57:42 sacrificing love made him broken bread and poured-out wine for 57:50 all and what you can do to do that is start interceding, be 57:54 like Jesus. Hebrews 7:25 says: He's able to save to the 57:59 uttermost who come to God through Him because he always 58:04 lives to make intercession for them. Join us next week and we 58:09 will be talking about Waiting in the Crucible. 58:13 ♪ ♪ |
Revised 2022-10-13