Participants:
Series Code: SSP
Program Code: SSP200027S
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00:01 Hello, friends, my name is John Lomacang.
00:02 Welcome to the 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 00:04 This is the third quarter 00:06 of our Adult Bible Study Guide Lesson Study and is entitled, 00:10 "Making Friends for God," 00:11 the joy of sharing in His mission. 00:13 And today's lesson study is "Why witness?" 00:16 If you'd like a copy of the lesson, 00:18 go to the following website absg.adventist.org. 00:22 Download that and follow along 00:24 or go to your local Seventh-day Adventist Church 00:27 and join them for an excursion through the Word of God. 00:30 But right now, get your Bible 00:32 and your friends and your family, 00:33 and sit down and join us as we walk through 00:35 God's Word together. 01:07 It's a joy to have you join us for our Bible study, 01:10 lesson study through this quarter 01:12 and we have been so moved by just thinking about 01:16 what we're going to be presenting to you. 01:18 And the writer of this lesson, 01:19 Pastor Mark Finley has done a wonderful job 01:23 and we want to have him share with you briefly 01:26 an overview of 01:27 what we're going to be covering for this quarter. 01:29 Here is Pastor Mark Finley. 01:31 This quarter, the title of our Sabbath School lessons 01:34 is Making Friends for God. 01:37 For the last 53 years, I have traveled the world, 01:41 sharing Christ from His Word. 01:44 And I become profoundly convinced that 01:47 God is going to use members in our local congregations 01:53 in the finishing of His work 01:55 in more powerful ways than we've thought of before. 01:58 And that's really why I've prepared this series 02:01 of Sabbath School lessons. 02:04 We're looking at God's mission. 02:06 And when you look at Scripture, mission is really God's. 02:11 We have the joy of participating 02:13 with Him in His mission. 02:16 Witnessing is not a spiritual gift. 02:20 Some people have the idea that 02:21 witnessing is a spiritual gift only for a few. 02:25 Witnessing is a role that God gives us as Christians. 02:29 Witnessing is a responsibility 02:31 that God gives us as Christians. 02:33 Spiritual gifts are the vehicle that the Bible teaches, 02:38 God uses to accomplish the role of witnessing. 02:43 So God gives to each one of us spiritual gifts. 02:46 In those gifts, we have the opportunity 02:49 to witness for Him. 02:51 The Bible says in Matthew 24:14, 02:54 "This gospel of the kingdom 02:56 shall go into all the world as a witness 02:59 to all nations, then the end shall come." 03:02 That's what this series 03:04 of Sabbath School lessons is all about. 03:06 It's about average people, 03:08 common people taking the gospel message 03:11 to the ends of the earth. 03:13 This series of lessons will motivate you, 03:16 it'll inspire you. 03:18 There'll be sections of instruction 03:21 where God will impress you, 03:23 He'll open your eyes to see people as winnable. 03:27 So the gospel can go to the ends of the earth. 03:30 And Jesus can come, 03:31 prepare for an adventure as you study these lessons. 03:37 Thank you, Pastor Mark Finley, for that overview of our lesson 03:40 and thank you also for the work 03:42 that you put into making this a blessing to us. 03:45 Now, I'd like to invite you to turn to our memory text. 03:49 It's taken from 1 Timothy 2:3-4. 03:54 And what I'd like to do before we read this lesson, 03:56 or read the memory text is to have a word of prayer. 04:00 I think it's so vitally important. 04:02 Ryan, would you pray for us? Absolutely. 04:04 Our Father in heaven, Lord, 04:05 as we embark on this incredible journey, 04:07 Lord of studying Your Word once more, 04:10 diving deep into this topic of learning Your ways, 04:13 seeing the world through Your eyes 04:15 and being able to witness for You, Father. 04:17 We ask for the Holy Spirit to be 04:18 upon each and every one of us, 04:19 also those at home who are watching 04:21 or let this program go out to be 04:23 such a great blessing to each 04:24 and every person viewing right now. 04:26 We thank you so much. 04:28 And we ask these things in Jesus' holy name, amen. 04:30 Amen. 04:31 You know, Sunday, talks about the overview 04:34 of why witnessing and so many people, 04:37 if anything 04:38 we are all witnesses of something. 04:40 You know, when a car accident happens, 04:42 they look for witnesses. 04:44 In every situation and in every court scene, 04:46 there are witnesses to determine the outcome 04:49 of what actually happened. 04:51 And we begin to see from different points of view 04:54 as four individuals standing on 04:56 an intersection, looking at the same accident 04:58 from four different perspectives. 05:00 Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are witnesses, 05:03 looking at the life of Christ 05:04 from four different perspectives. 05:06 But the memory text, 05:08 the Apostle Paul gives us a strong, 05:13 I would say argument as to why witnessing 05:16 is imperative for anyone who knows 05:19 and has an encounter with Christ. 05:21 1 Timothy 2:3-4. 05:24 Notice what the Apostle Paul writes to his protege Timothy. 05:27 He says, "For this is good 05:29 and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 05:33 who desires all men to be saved 05:36 and to come to the knowledge of the truth." 05:40 Witnessing assists people 05:42 in coming to the knowledge of the truth, 05:44 and if anything matters, it's truth. 05:46 That's right. 05:48 If anything really makes 05:49 a difference in the gospel, it is truth. 05:51 Today, in the Christian circles of life, 05:53 many people are distracted by maybe the feel 05:57 of the atmosphere of the church service, 06:00 the entertainment, the music, but the Lord's focus is, 06:04 He wants all of us to be witnesses. 06:06 As a matter of fact, Matthew 24:14 says, 06:10 "And this gospel of the kingdom 06:11 shall be preached in all the world as a witness 06:15 unto all nations, and then shall the end come." 06:18 Mark Finley and the other co-writers 06:21 pointed out four very important things. 06:23 First of all, witnessing is all about Jesus. 06:26 It's all about Jesus. 06:27 It's all about what He has done for us. 06:30 And I think Danny said this so many times, 06:32 he says, "If nothing else, nobody can argue 06:35 with your personal testimony." 06:37 If the Lord has done something for us, 06:39 we should be able to witness for that 06:41 and the strongest argument 06:42 for the gospel is a transformed life. 06:44 So it's all about what Jesus has done for us 06:46 and how He has changed our lives, 06:48 also about the marvelous truths of His Word. 06:51 And truth is vitally important because He says, 06:54 "You shall know the truth 06:55 and the truth shall make you free." 06:57 So just saying I know Jesus, 06:59 but not looking and desiring to have truth, 07:01 it's somewhat of an oxymoron, 07:03 a conflicting view about our Christian walk with Christ. 07:06 And also and most importantly, 07:09 it is about the beauty of the character of Christ. 07:12 You know, as Christians, witnesses shouldn't just say, 07:15 well, I like... 07:17 Well, let's use as an example 07:18 for those of us who like sports. 07:20 I mean, maybe basketball or football, 07:21 maybe in some of your category. 07:23 And we know in the society today, 07:24 people that tend to like basketball, 07:26 they tend to buy the uniforms, put the caps, get the jackets. 07:30 In the very same way 07:31 we should reflect the character of Christ, 07:33 but not put it on physically, but allow our lights to shine 07:36 because Christ is on the inside. 07:38 Somebody made me smile the other day, 07:40 I made this quotation a while ago, 07:43 and I've often said, "I'm just a lampshade, 07:45 Jesus is the light." 07:47 So He is shining through us and He, in fact, 07:50 is witnessing through those who became willing vessels 07:53 to reflect His glory. 07:55 Also, witnessing is about the effect of salvation. 07:59 We respond to God's love. 08:01 We are transformed by His Spirit 08:04 and we are saved into His kingdom. 08:06 Now the kingdom life doesn't begin 08:07 when we get to the kingdom, 08:09 the kingdom life begins even now. 08:12 You know, "Thy kingdom come on earth 08:15 as it is in heaven." 08:16 So the kingdom life, 08:18 the joy that we have as witnesses, 08:19 we begin to live it now. 08:20 The eternal aspects of it begin when Jesus comes, 08:23 but the kingdom life is something that 08:25 the witness of Christ begins to share now. 08:28 Also the gospel encompasses 08:30 the witnessing life about others. 08:32 We share about His boundless love, 08:35 His measureless mercy. 08:37 How many of you are thankful for the mercy of God? 08:40 Also His endless compassion, 08:43 a beautiful illustration of our God. 08:46 His compassion never fails, 08:48 His exhaustless forgiveness... 08:52 Amen to that. 08:54 And His infinite power, 08:57 a power that never loses its source. 09:00 You know, we usually 09:02 have brownouts here in Southern Illinois 09:04 and it can happen for no apparent reason, 09:06 the weather could be nice, no wind is blowing, 09:08 all of a sudden, power down. 09:11 That never happens in the kingdom of God. 09:14 So as witnesses, we have a power source that 09:17 never loses its connection. 09:20 Look at the four things that witnessing also encompasses. 09:23 Witnessing gives us divine opportunities. 09:25 God provides opportunities 09:27 for people everywhere to know Him. 09:29 And many of us have been in opportunities 09:32 where we have said, you know, 09:33 now that we look back on that we know that God set this up, 09:35 that what happened today, God set it up. 09:38 Yeah. Let's go to Ephesians 2:10. 09:40 Let's see why God sets us up for witnessing opportunities. 09:46 Now we like verse 8 or 9. 09:48 "For by grace are we saved through faith?" 09:49 Oh, yeah. 09:50 But, Jill, do you have Ephesians 2:10? 09:52 Let's look at why God calls us to be witnesses. 09:56 "For we are His workmanship, 09:57 created in Christ Jesus for good works, 10:00 which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." 10:03 That's right. 10:04 So the works were there before God hired us. 10:06 A lot of people, 10:08 and I want to make this very clear. 10:09 God doesn't call Christians to be just church members. 10:13 You could be a member of a fan club, a health spa, 10:17 baseball card club, 10:18 you can be a member of anything. 10:20 But membership leaves off where discipleship begins. 10:24 And, but a disciple has to witness 10:26 it's not even an optional thing. 10:28 It's not something that says, "Well, I'm a disciple, 10:29 I don't want to witness." 10:31 No, Jesus said it clearly to Peter. 10:33 He says, "When you were young, 10:34 you went where you desire to go, 10:35 you did what you wanted to do, but now that you're older, 10:38 somebody else is going to send you 10:39 where you don't want to go, 10:41 somebody else is going to clothe you." 10:42 And then He said to Peter, over and over, 10:44 "Feed my sheep, feed my lamb, feed my sheep." 10:46 So the disciples are not in a category 10:48 where they have options. 10:50 They must be witnesses of Christ. 10:52 So we are His workmanship. 10:53 In other words, He designed us that 10:56 we should give glory to God and the works that 10:59 we do are actually done by the Christ in us. 11:02 So the points are, we are not saved by our works, 11:05 we are saved for God's works. 11:08 We are not simply called to be church members 11:10 but to be witnesses, to be disciples. 11:13 We are not drawn to God to stay, 11:16 we are to follow Him on the commission to go. 11:21 Make that very clear. Look at Luke 14:21-24. 11:26 Very important comparison here we find. 11:30 Verse 21 says, "So that servant came 11:33 and reported these things to his master. 11:35 Then the master of the house, 11:37 being angry, said to his servant, 11:39 'Go out quickly into the streets 11:41 and lanes of the city,' 11:43 notice the commissions go, 'and bring in here the poor 11:46 and the maimed and the lame and the blind.' 11:48 And the servant said, "Master, it is done 11:50 as you have commanded. 11:52 And still there is room.' 11:54 Then the Master said to a servant, 11:55 notice the word again, 11:57 'Go out into the highways and hedges and compel them 12:01 to come in that my house may be filled. 12:03 For I say to you, that none of those men 12:06 who were invited shall taste my supper.'" 12:08 In other words, the Jews rejected the invitation. 12:11 But the Lord didn't stop. 12:12 He says, "Go into the cities and the lanes, 12:15 go to the highways and hedges. 12:16 A disciple is given the commission 12:18 to come to Christ, 12:19 and then to go into the highways and hedges." 12:21 And as Danny said, the blessing is Danny? 12:24 On the go. The blessing's on the go. 12:26 The blessing's not on the stay, the blessing's not on the sit, 12:30 the blessing's not on the singing, 12:32 the blessing's not on the fellowship, 12:33 the blessing's on the go. 12:36 Luke 19:10, look at the example that Christ set for us. 12:40 We are followers of Christ 12:42 in the sense of following His example. 12:44 Luke 19:10, "For the Son of Man has come to seek 12:47 and to save that which was lost." 12:50 That's the mission of Christ. He came to save what is lost. 12:53 And now He sends us to do the very same thing. 12:56 Look at James 5:19 and 20. 12:59 He says, "Brethren, 13:00 if anyone among you wanders from the truth, 13:03 and someone turns him back," I love that," let him know that 13:08 he who turns a sinner from the error of his ways 13:11 will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins." 13:15 So we're not only sent to lead someone to Christ 13:18 who has not even known Him, 13:20 but there are those who have wandered away from Christ. 13:22 That's also a commission and I can think of. 13:24 As I sit here, 13:25 I can think of any number of people 13:27 that once was amongst us, but the Lord is saying to us, 13:29 now it's time to go out and encourage them to come back 13:32 because in many cases, 13:33 they can't bring themselves back. 13:35 Followers of Christ follow His example. 13:37 Followers of Christ 13:39 are called to emulate the passion of Jesus. 13:41 And before we rejoice over the harvest, 13:45 we have to go out and plant the seed. 13:47 The blessing of witnessing is a reciprocal blessing. 13:50 Jesus sends us out 13:51 and the blessings come rolling in. 13:53 Amen. Amen. 13:55 Praise the Lord, man. 13:56 That was a powerful introduction. 13:57 Thank you so much. 13:59 And I know I'm going to really, really enjoy this whole study 14:01 because written by Pastor Mark Finley, 14:03 he's one of my favorite evangelists and speakers 14:05 and if weren't for his ministry, 14:06 I wouldn't be where I am today. 14:08 And so I'm very thankful that him and the other writers 14:10 who have contributed to this particular study, 14:12 it's going to be a really, really good one. 14:14 In fact, as I was reading and studying through 14:16 these particular lessons in preparation for this series, 14:20 I, you know, there was just things that 14:22 he worded so well, 14:23 I couldn't have possibly had said it better 14:25 in my own words. 14:26 So Monday's lesson is entitled, "Making Jesus Glad." 14:30 Why do we witness? 14:31 What are one of the reasons why we witness? 14:32 Making Jesus glad, and I don't know 14:34 what single genuine Christian who would not want to do 14:37 everything that they can to bring joy 14:39 to God's heart, right? 14:41 And to bring gladness to God's heart. 14:42 And so Monday's lesson, "Making Jesus Glad." 14:44 And I love how he opened up this lesson. 14:46 And I just want to read it here. 14:47 It's powerful. 14:49 He says, "Have you, has anyone ever asked you 14:51 how is your day going? 14:53 Is everything all right with you today? 14:56 What if you asked God those questions?" 14:59 "God, how is Your day going?" 15:01 What kind of response do you think you would receive? 15:04 Possibly it would be one like this. 15:07 "My day has been extremely difficult. 15:10 Tears filled my eyes at 1000 refugee camps filled 15:14 with cold, hungry, crying children. 15:17 I walked the streets of the world's crowded cities 15:19 and wept with the homeless and destitute. 15:22 My heart breaks over abused women 15:24 and frightened children sold into sexual slavery. 15:28 I witnessed the ravages of war, 15:31 the devastating effects of natural disasters 15:34 and the painful agony 15:36 of debilitating deadly diseases." 15:39 "But God, is there anything that makes You rejoice?" 15:43 And I love this. 15:45 "Is there anything that brings joy to Your heart? 15:47 Is there anything that makes You sing? 15:51 And the answer to that question is yes, and we're going to... 15:53 The lesson guides us 15:54 and takes us to Luke Chapter 15, 15:56 where we're going to see three clear examples 15:58 that Christ communicates in the form of a parable. 16:02 And obviously there's going to be three different parables 16:04 that we reference here. 16:05 But Luke Chapter 15, 16:07 we're going to start with verse 4. 16:08 Of course, this is the parable of the lost sheep. 16:11 And I love these three parables 16:13 because Christ is opening His heart, 16:14 He's sharing and trying to help us 16:16 to see the importance of witnessing, 16:19 the importance of not hoarding 16:20 or holding in this powerful gospel 16:22 to ourselves, 16:23 but taking it out there to the world 16:25 and sharing it with others to a lost 16:26 and dying world. 16:27 And so I love beginning with verse 4 here, Jesus says, 16:30 "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, 16:33 if he loses one of them, 16:34 does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, 16:38 and go after the one 16:39 which is lost until he finds it?" 16:42 And then notice verse 5 on through to verse 7 here. 16:45 He says, "And when he has found it, 16:47 he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 16:51 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends 16:54 and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, 16:56 for I have found my sheep which was lost!'" 16:59 I say to you that likewise, I love these words, He says, 17:02 "I say to you likewise" there in verse 7, 17:04 "there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner 17:08 who repents than over 99 persons 17:11 who need no repentance." 17:13 That is powerful to think about that the witnessing aspect 17:17 of our Christian walk is a vital important part. 17:20 In fact, one minister years ago, 17:22 painted a picture like this. 17:23 He basically said, 17:24 there's three legs on the Christian stool, 17:26 obviously, Bible study and prayer, 17:28 and then he added the witnessing aspect. 17:30 And if you take one of these legs away, 17:32 obviously the stool can't stand. 17:34 Witnessing is vitally important. 17:36 And why should we witness? 17:37 Well, one great reason 17:38 is because it brings gladness to God's heart, 17:41 it brings joy to the Lord. 17:43 I love the parable of the lost coin 17:44 also in verse 8 of Luke Chapter 15, 17:47 beginning with verse 8, 17:48 and going through verse 10 here, it says, 17:50 "Or what woman, having ten silver coins, 17:53 if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, 17:55 sweep the house, and search carefully 17:57 until she finds it? 17:59 And when she has found it, 18:01 she calls her friends and neighbors together, 18:02 saying, 'Rejoice with me, 18:04 for I have found the piece which I lost!' 18:07 Likewise, Jesus says, 'I say to you, 18:09 there is joy in the presence of the angels of God 18:13 over one sinner who repents.'" 18:16 And you can just imagine, you know, 18:18 I love witnessing for the Lord and I've had so many wonderful 18:21 opportunities of helping to lead 18:23 and guide people to Jesus into the truth. 18:25 And to see that person make that decision to say, 18:28 "Lord, I don't want this life anymore. 18:29 I don't want to live this life separated from You. 18:31 I want to live with You Christ. 18:33 I want You to come into my heart to change me 18:35 and to renovate and completely, 18:37 do a complete overhaul of my life." 18:39 To see someone make that decision, 18:40 if it makes us happy, 18:42 think about what it's doing in heaven's courts, right? 18:44 Powerful to think about. 18:46 And the last one that I want to bring out here 18:48 is probably one of my favorite parables 18:50 that Jesus tells and that is the parable 18:51 of the lost son or the prodigal son. 18:54 And I just want to highlight, well, I'm not going to read 18:55 that entire parable here. 18:58 We know obviously the lost son goes away and, 19:00 of course, he eventually comes to his senses and realizes that 19:03 he hadn't made in the Father's house, 19:04 and he wants to return to the Father. 19:07 And, of course, he does return to the father 19:09 and I love in verse 20. 19:10 If you want to talk about the gladness of God, 19:14 if you want to see God's joy in action, verse 20, 19:17 here it says, "And he ran at him, 19:21 when he saw the son afar off. 19:22 He ran to him. 19:23 God ran, it reminds me of that old Phillips, Craig 19:25 and Dean song, you know, actually had that. 19:27 Yeah, when God ran, 19:29 I actually have the lyrics here. 19:30 When God ran to me, He took me in His arms, 19:32 He held my head to His chest, He said, 19:34 "My sons come home again." 19:36 It brings joy to God's heart when a lost person, 19:39 even someone who may have once had 19:41 a relationship with Him, 19:42 but is backslidden or fallen away, 19:44 or fallen into despair, He will run to that person 19:47 in joyful gladness to receive him. 19:51 You know, I remember years ago, I was attending a church. 19:54 And I heard an elder say, and I'll never forget this. 19:57 This was early on in my ministry, 19:58 early on in my Christian experience, 20:00 but I'll never forget. 20:02 This particular elder said, 20:04 because we were talking about evangelism 20:05 and I wanted to do evangelism. 20:07 I was kind of the new blood in the church, right? 20:08 And I'm like, man, we had to glide 20:10 and tell people about this powerful message. 20:12 This is amazing message, right? 20:13 The Adventist beautiful truth 20:15 of God's Word that we find here in God's Word. 20:17 And I'll never forget this elder said, 20:18 "Oh, you know, we've done evangelism, 20:21 evangelism doesn't work. 20:23 You know what they know where we are? 20:25 Why do we have to go to him? 20:27 And that just stuck with me and I remember not one text 20:30 in all of God's Word do you ever find 20:33 where Jesus says, "You know what? 20:34 Just stay there, I'll send them to you." 20:36 No, no, He wants us to go to them 20:38 because the blessing is on the go. 20:41 We have to go to them. 20:42 And so Luke 15:22-24 and also verse 32. 20:48 I love to speak, again speaking 20:49 about the lost son, or the prodigal son. 20:51 Notice the joy of God in this parable. 20:54 It says, but the Father said to his servants. 20:55 This is verse 22 of Luke 15. 20:58 "But the father said to his servants, 21:00 'Bring out the best robe and put it on him, 21:02 and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet 21:05 And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, 21:08 and let us eat and be merry, for this my son was dead 21:13 and is alive again, he was lost and is found.' 21:18 And they began to be merry.'" 21:20 And I love verse 32, 21:21 you got to have this in your also. 21:23 It was, notice, he goes, "It was right that 21:25 we should make merry and be glad, 21:28 for your brother was dead and is alive again, 21:30 and was lost and is found." 21:34 I love that story. 21:35 It brings joy to the heart of God, 21:38 when a sinner is brought to salvation. 21:41 And I think if we would just comprehend that often that 21:44 you know, while there is a blessing for us. 21:47 And I know we're going to talk a lot about the blessing 21:49 that we can receive as individuals. 21:51 When we witness 21:53 and we share our heart with others 21:54 and when we share the gospel of Jesus with others, 21:56 there is indeed a powerful blessing 21:58 that comes from us being co-laborers 22:00 with God in this finishing work of salvation. 22:03 But it also brings joy to God's heart. 22:06 Like what? 22:07 Just to be able to fully fathom the fact 22:10 that when we are working 22:12 to bring someone else to Christ, 22:13 how that makes God feel. 22:15 And we see examples like this in the Bible 22:17 and the Word of God as we read through this, 22:18 and we read the clear text that tells us exactly how God feels, 22:22 but can we really begin to fathom the fact 22:24 that it brings so much joy to God that, 22:26 as we're going to read in just a few moments 22:28 that it makes God sing. 22:29 That God sing, we know the angels sing 22:31 we know the heavenly courts above just, you know, 22:33 rejoice when a sinner is brought to Jesus, 22:36 but we're going to read here, in fact, 22:38 it's Zephaniah 3:17, 22:41 I love this verse, Zephaniah 3:17. 22:45 And this is God talking about how He will save 22:48 and when He brings that lost soul 22:50 to a saving relationship with Him, notice what He says. 22:53 It says, "The Lord your God in your midst, 22:56 The Mighty One will save, 22:59 He will rejoice over you with gladness, 23:02 He will quiet you with His love, 23:04 He will rejoice over you with singing." 23:09 Like that's powerful because you know I love music. 23:12 I'm a singer myself, I love singing, 23:13 I love praising the Lord. 23:15 I love hearing great singers 23:16 and musicians like Pastor Lomacang 23:18 and Danny and hearing all these powerful songs 23:20 that the Lord puts on their heart 23:22 and you know, other great singers you know, 23:24 could you imagine hearing the voice of God sing? 23:27 That when a sinner is brought that 23:29 perhaps God stands from His throne 23:31 and just spells out a beautiful note 23:33 you know rejoicing. 23:34 I can imagine heaven singing that song. 23:36 Oh, happy day... Okay. 23:39 You got me started now. 23:41 You know, I don't know, man, 23:42 that's just my imagination going wild there. 23:45 But I could just imagine God saying, 23:47 get the choir going. 23:48 Sing that this person has been brought to Me. 23:50 It brings gladness, it brings joy to God's heart 23:54 when we bring a lost soul to Jesus. 23:56 So witnessing for Him, why should we do it, 23:59 for no other reason than to please our God. 24:01 Wow, Ryan. Amen. That is good. 24:03 Danny's starting trouble already, 24:05 getting us to singing. 24:07 Now we can get oh, happy day out of our mind. 24:09 But it is a happy day when a sinner comes back home 24:12 and what a story the prodigal son 24:15 or specifically the prodigal father. 24:17 We're going to take a short break 24:18 and come right back as we continue 24:19 our study through why witness. 24:29 Ever wish you could watch 24:30 a 3ABN Sabbath School Panel again, 24:32 or share it on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter? 24:36 Well, you can by visiting 3abnsabbathschoolpanel.com. 24:41 A clean design makes it easy 24:43 to find the program you're looking for. 24:45 There are also links 24:47 to the Adult Bible Study Guide so you can follow along. 24:50 Sharing is easy. 24:52 Just click share and choose your favorite social media. 24:55 Share a link, save a life for eternity. 25:00 Welcome back to our lesson study. 25:02 We now turn to Tuesday, Pastor Kenny Shelton, 25:04 the title, "Growing by Giving." 25:06 The time is yours. 25:08 You know, to me this is a good part of the lesson, 25:09 all of them is good. 25:10 I thank each one for your input 25:12 and you're resetting the good foundation on this, 25:15 this set of studies because I know 25:17 they're going to be good. 25:18 You know, as I was praying about and studying, 25:20 I just felt this sense 25:22 of the Holy Spirit being close to us 25:25 in this whole quarter that 25:26 something good is going to happen. 25:28 And it's not just for those of you 25:29 who are out there. 25:31 I believe it's going to be good for us. 25:32 So we're looking at 25:34 I want to look at something here 25:35 because growing by giving good illustration, 25:36 certainly go at Jacob's Well, 25:39 we find Jesus and the Samaritan woman. 25:41 And I want to read something first 25:43 from the Desire of Ages, page 195. 25:45 That fits right in with this. Notice what it says. 25:47 It says, "As soon as she had found the Savior, 25:50 the Samaritan woman brought others to Him." 25:53 This is what the whole lesson is about. 25:55 Soon as we meet Jesus, 25:56 soon as we give our life to Him, 25:58 automatically we want to bring others to Him. 26:01 This woman represents as you study working 26:04 a practical faith in Christ and every person who's ever... 26:08 You're born again in Christ, the first thing you want to do 26:12 is to witness and, but when we're born 26:14 and reborn again, we all are missionaries. 26:17 God wants us to be missionary, had that missionary spirit, 26:20 we call it evangelistic spirit, 26:21 we want to go and tell others about Jesus. 26:23 So and we're going to study a lot about drinking 26:26 of that living water 26:27 and part of our lesson covers that, 26:28 the living water. 26:30 And once we drink that water, we become a fountain ourselves. 26:35 That fountain is just to give to others. 26:37 The receiver so accept Christ you're receiver, 26:40 once you receive then you become a giver. 26:43 Receiver becomes what? A giver. 26:45 Yeah, the grace of Christ in the soul, notice like this, 26:48 is a spring in the desert. 26:50 Someone's in the desert, man, 26:52 I've been times I've been awful thirsty. 26:53 Maybe not been out in the desert, 26:55 not having any water but, man, I've been thirsty. 26:57 I can't think of anything but water. 26:58 I can't think of anything but quenching the thirst. 27:01 And Jesus says, "I'm the water and I refresh all." 27:04 So if you're a little bit dry and you need something, 27:07 God says, "I'm going to meet that need for you." 27:09 Because to me today the world that we live in, 27:12 there's millions perishing, you know, 27:14 for the lack of Jesus Christ in their life, 27:17 and He just says, "Come unto Me." 27:18 So we're looking at our lesson, it brings out, I like this. 27:22 Brother Mark Finley brought out, the Dead Sea. 27:25 Dead Sea marks the earth's lowest elevation, 27:28 you know, and illustration is good here. 27:30 Illustration that its salt 27:31 and its mineral content is very high is what? 27:34 Over 33%. 27:36 That means that really nothing really can live in that. 27:38 There's no fish, there's no plants, 27:40 there's little can survive in that situation. 27:44 No place to go. It's a dead end. 27:47 How about it with us? 27:48 Could this possibly illustrate us 27:51 in our Christian experience in our lives, 27:54 Christ flows in us, He flows His grace 27:57 and His love into us and then somehow 28:00 we have to by the grace of God let it go out. 28:04 It's not always just coming in, 28:05 it's what goes out to other people. 28:08 And if it doesn't just like the Dead Sea, 28:11 it becomes stagnant. 28:13 You know, some old pond, 28:15 we have a lot of dead end ponds here in Southern Illinois. 28:18 And after a while they become stagnant, 28:20 they're dead and actually it begin to stink. 28:23 And so as we look at this right here, 28:25 we'll find out stagnant means it becomes, 28:26 we become dull if we're not imparting it to others, 28:29 we become very sluggish 28:31 and we're without any kind of motion. 28:34 And God wants us to be as you mentioned 28:35 before in motion, so it becomes, we say, 28:38 it's stinky if there's not some movement going on. 28:40 So as a Christian, we don't want to be stinky, 28:43 we want to be what? 28:44 We want to be something that's moving forward 28:46 and will help others along the way. 28:47 So believers were to receive 28:49 those streams of living water that 28:51 Jesus offers to us. 28:53 John 7:37 and 38. 28:56 It says this, this, I mean, this is really good 28:58 when you look into it. 29:00 It says, "In the last days, the great day of the feast." 29:03 Notice he didn't say anything about the first few days of it, 29:06 just said the last day, there's something to this here. 29:09 The feast, Jesus stood up and cried, saying, 29:11 "If any man thirst," notice this, 29:14 "let him come unto me and drink." 29:17 The verse 38, "He that believeth on me, 29:20 as the scripture hath said, out of his belly," 29:24 that would be out of his heart, wouldn't it? 29:26 "Out of his mind, out of his being" 29:28 and one of the word translates, 29:29 "out of his wound as it would be flows rivers." 29:32 And that word is translated floods, right, 29:34 floods of living water. 29:36 I looked at it and I thought, how interesting outflows water 29:39 and it says there one 29:40 of the translations is drinkable water, 29:43 not stagnant, not stinky water, but it's drinkable water 29:47 because Jesus wants to, you know, to come inside of us. 29:51 And here we see in this passage right here, 29:54 the fullness, the substance of the gospel. 29:58 Jesus says, "Come unto me", 29:59 notice, unto me, come unto Christ, 30:01 come to me I give to you, 30:02 but I want you to go and then give it to others. 30:05 This is our mission. This is our goal. 30:07 But I might encourage you, you know, you cannot, 30:10 I cannot give what I don't have. 30:13 We've heard that over a lot. You can't give what you... 30:15 And people try to give, but they don't have it. 30:18 You see, and so God wants us to come to Him, 30:20 be filled with this living water 30:21 and then give it to other people. 30:24 Notice that Jesus took 30:25 this opportunity on the last day, 30:27 you know, He always has a plan. 30:29 There's a plan. I love His plan. 30:31 It's always the best plan. 30:32 And He want to reach out and when He did, 30:34 He wanted to reach out to a bunch of people. 30:36 Now think about a bunch of people. 30:38 People are getting ready to leave, 30:39 there are ready to go home, returning to home, 30:43 He wanted them to, 30:45 I think like we have meetings here at 3ABN 30:47 or you know, evangelistic crusade, 30:49 you want people to take something back with them. 30:53 If they don't take anything back with him, 30:54 it's not been a fruitful, you know, meetings, 30:57 whatever it might be here, but note, 30:58 we must consider every opportunity 31:00 as though it could be our very last. 31:03 I don't know about you, but I've missed out 31:04 on those opportunities in my life. 31:06 When you're talking to somebody, you know, 31:08 they need Christ, you know, 31:09 maybe that they've maybe fallen short, 31:11 maybe they're reaching out somewhat, 31:12 maybe they're not, 31:14 but you have an opportunity to talk to them, 31:15 or maybe just on this panel, 31:18 every person that I meet for this day, 31:21 it's impressed on my mind more and more, 31:22 I may not have that opportunity again, ever. 31:26 And I want the impression to be a good impression. 31:29 I want it to be something they can take home with them, 31:31 something that maybe by the grace of God 31:33 will meet their need in this hour 31:35 that we're living in. 31:37 So if there's anything that I can say, 31:38 anything that it can do, and certainly accompanied 31:40 by the Holy Spirit of the Living God. 31:42 We need to do it, now the Bible said 31:44 is the acceptable time. 31:46 Now's the time, right, 31:48 and they're talking about salvation. 31:49 It's not tomorrow, it's not the next week 31:51 or when things are like 31:52 I want them to be, but today is the day. 31:55 Jesus stood out and He cried. This always touched my heart. 31:58 He stood out as it were, the Bible said He cried out, 32:01 He got the people's attention 32:02 because He thought this may be the last time 32:05 that I'll be able to talk to them in this life. 32:08 And so all it showed, 32:09 when He cried out, it showed His love. 32:11 When you cry out as it were, reach out to somebody, 32:13 you're showing your love to them 32:15 and how you care for them 32:17 and how you want heaven to be their home. 32:19 He was crying out to those 32:21 who the Bible talks about have ears to hear. 32:24 We have to have ears to hear. 32:25 We need to pray that Matthew 13:9 talks about that. 32:27 And Jesus says, "I'm offering you know, 32:30 I'm offering this free grace, I'm offering this free mercy." 32:34 Isaiah 55:1 says, 32:36 "Ho, every one that thirsteth," do what? 32:40 "Come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money," 32:44 I like this, that puts me in that class, 32:46 "you don't have any money, just come, buy, and eat, 32:48 yea, come, buy wine and milk 32:51 without money and without price." 32:53 God said, I'm offering you something free. 32:54 Man, your money is not going to buy it. 32:55 You can't earn it, but I'm going to give you 32:57 so just come 32:58 but you're going to have to ask. 33:00 Jesus gives a general invitation to come. 33:05 I think in meetings and evangelism 33:06 and sometimes there's a general call, right, 33:09 then there are specific calls. 33:11 Jesus was giving a general call, all. 33:14 And today, we're going to give that call, 33:16 all, all come just kind of, it's for everyone. 33:20 And so we have to ask ourselves a question, 33:21 are we really thirsty? 33:24 Do you really want or do you really need a change? 33:28 Are you just happy with the way that things are going? 33:31 You have to walk that change. 33:32 And I think people today are looking and say, 33:34 we need some changes. 33:35 And God said, "I want you to drink of this water. 33:38 I want you to drink this well. This will never run dry. 33:40 It'll meet all your needs." He said, "It's a peace. 33:44 I'll give you a peace in the midst of a storm, 33:46 a peace that the, you know, 33:48 the world can't give you and they can't take it away." 33:51 Only God can give you that. 33:53 And He simply says, bottom line "Come to Me." 33:56 He didn't say go to some person. 33:59 Go to this place over here. He said, "Come to Me." 34:03 It's not come to some philosophy. 34:05 It's come to Me, He said. But how, and then what? 34:10 He is the fountain, He passes on that water. 34:13 He gives it to us, our cup is full, 34:15 and our fountain and then we begin to by 34:16 the grace of God to pass it on to others. 34:19 There's several songs certainly got to pass it on. 34:22 I always like that, pass it on. Don't hang on to it. 34:26 Bible says there in verse 30 as we read on down and He said, 34:29 "He that believeth on me out of his belly shall flow," 34:32 notice, "this living water." 34:33 That means what? 34:35 Running water, that means water 34:36 that is in motion, living water, 34:39 prompts us to action. 34:41 I've often said I like to be around people of action. 34:44 I like to be where things that are going on. 34:46 I don't want to become stale in my Christian experience. 34:49 I want to be alive, I want to be to new, 34:51 I want to be a new experience every day 34:53 which God promises 34:54 if we're drinking of that living water. 34:57 It's not whole hum, it's not dough. 34:59 It's a new experience every day with Him. 35:02 We can get up with excitement, say, "God, what is it... 35:04 What are we going to do today?" 35:06 Almost said that in a nice way by the grace of God, 35:08 how are you going to use me today 35:09 for Your honor, for Your glory? 35:11 This is the acceptable time. Amen. 35:14 Thank you, Brother Kenny. That's great. 35:16 It's encouraging us to go forward. 35:18 I love this because the witnessing, 35:20 of course, 3ABN is an evangelistic tool, 35:24 is a witnessing tool. 35:25 But today we're going to be talking more about individuals, 35:28 at least in my mind when I read this, 35:30 it's not about what's everybody else doing. 35:32 It's what God asked me to do. 35:34 How am I faithful to the cause of Christ command? 35:38 Loyalty to Christ requires a commitment to do His will. 35:42 Again, I'm like you, Ryan. 35:43 Some of that Mark laid some of this out so well, 35:46 I just have to go right with it, 35:48 couldn't have done it better as you say yourself. 35:50 It necessitates obedience to His commands. 35:53 It places priority on the things that 35:56 He places priority on. 35:59 1 Timothy we've heard it already, 36:00 but 2:3-4 says, "For this is good 36:04 and acceptable in the sight of God, 36:06 our Savior, who will have all men 36:08 to be saved," not some, "all men to be saved 36:11 and to come to the knowledge of the truth." 36:13 Very important. Let's hang on to that. 36:15 2 Peter 3:9, The Lord 36:17 is not slack concerning his promise, 36:20 as some men count slackness; 36:22 but is longsuffering to us-ward, 36:24 not willing that any should perish, 36:26 but that all should come," 36:29 I love that little word all, right, it's so complete, 36:32 "all should come to repentance." 36:33 The SDA commentary makes an observation 36:36 on the little word but. 36:38 The Greek for the word but is alla, 36:41 it says here alla we'll call it. 36:43 It's used here to emphasize the contrast 36:46 between the misinterpretation of God's nature namely, 36:50 that He might be willing for some to perish 36:53 and the truth, of course, that He wants all to be saved. 36:58 John 3:16, "For God so loved the world 37:00 that He gave His only begotten Son 37:02 that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, 37:06 but," there's that word, "but have everlasting life." 37:09 Christ's command for each and every one of us 37:12 is to participate in His mission 37:15 as witnesses of love 37:16 and grace and truth, as an out... 37:19 It's actually an outgrowth 37:20 of His desire for all humanity to be saved. 37:24 These passages tell us about the heart of God that is 37:28 passionate about saving people, the love of God, 37:31 how rich and pure, right? 37:34 Amazing, are we going back to these songs again? 37:37 Acts 13:47 says, 37:39 "For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, 37:42 I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, 37:46 that thou shouldest be for salvation 37:48 unto the ends of the earth." 37:50 And Isaiah 49:6, "And he said, 37:53 'It is a light thing that thou shouldest 37:55 be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, 37:59 and to restore the preserved of Israel: 38:01 I will also give unto thee a light to the Gentiles, 38:05 that thou mayest be my salvation 38:07 unto the end of the earth.'" 38:09 So in a nutshell here, what Jesus is saying is 38:12 I call it literally Matthew 28:18. 38:15 I've lived on this for, Ryan, almost 35 years, 38:19 the great gospel commission 38:21 is Jesus spake unto them and I love it. 38:24 He says, "All, that word again, 38:25 all power is given me in heaven and earth. 38:28 Go ye therefore, right? You know the rest of it. 38:31 Teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, 38:34 the Son, and the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe, 38:38 the word again, all things 38:40 whatsoever I have commanded you to do, 38:42 and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the earth. 38:45 I mean, this is an incredible thing 38:47 what Jesus has said, I've counted my resources 38:50 in advance and found him not wanting. 38:52 Dr. Thompson taught me that a long time ago. 38:55 So when He said, "Go ye into all the world." 38:56 We can do it. 38:58 May not be literally 38:59 in the other parts of the earth, 39:00 but your world that God has put you in, 39:03 your neighbors, your church members. 39:05 So this great gospel commission is tremendous. 39:08 As we've already said, it's go ye. 39:11 Now, while all this seems so easy, 39:13 and it's all set out for us, 39:15 and we all should be able to do it. 39:16 You think the devil is happy about this to have in churches, 39:19 and in these churches? 39:21 All right, we know the truth. 39:22 We can take the Bible, we can go through 39:24 The Ten Commandments, 39:25 we can go through all kinds of prophetic doctrines, 39:27 we can do all of these things. 39:29 So the devil says, "I can't beat that, 39:31 but I'm going to go work into the church." 39:33 So what I want to focus on for just a few moments 39:36 is how does all this relate to us as a church, 39:39 in the community, our local church? 39:41 Are we doing what God told us to do? 39:44 We know about witnessing, 39:45 but I'm with you, Brother Kenny, 39:47 how can we give something if we don't have it? 39:49 You can't give somebody something 39:50 that you don't already have. 39:52 So the problem I see in the church today 39:54 the devil has set us up for failure. 39:57 The Lord wants us to be witnesses, 39:59 but a witness for Jesus must tell the truth. 40:01 So, to me, it says we must first come 40:05 to the foot of the cross. 40:06 I'm gonna say it again, 40:08 we must first come to the foot of the cross 40:10 and experience forgiveness and mercy before we can go out 40:13 and truly be a witness for Christ 40:15 by representing His character within our lives, 40:19 right, so people can see it. 40:20 If we're not fully committed to Christ, 40:22 several things happen. 40:23 Number one, it knocks out a lot of professed Christians 40:27 who interpret the Bible to say what they wanted to say, 40:30 rather than what it really says. 40:32 Right? 40:34 So to be a witness, we have to tell the truth. 40:35 You all talked about being a witness while ago. 40:37 Secondly, many of us 40:39 will not pass the witness for Jesus test, 40:42 because frankly, we don't love God enough 40:45 or people enough to sacrifice our time, 40:47 our talents, our abilities, our finances, 40:50 to take the gospel to the world. 40:52 So many people are trying to be Christians in the flesh. 40:56 They haven't experienced that relationships with Jesus 41:00 because they don't want to go to hell. 41:01 Way too many preachers spend their efforts 41:03 trying to scare people into heaven. 41:06 I'll tell you a little story. 41:07 A few years ago, I was out to West Frankfurt Park, 41:10 had a baseball game, kids were playing. 41:13 Preacher came up to me, not of our faith 41:15 but he came up to me and he said, 41:17 "Danny, I've known you for years. 41:18 I watched 3ABN, but no more. 41:20 I am done with 3ABN. I said, "Why?" 41:23 And he said, "You better pay attention 41:24 to who you have preaching on there." 41:26 And he was upset. I said, "Why?" 41:28 He said, "I heard a guy 41:29 the other night saying that the people don't, 41:32 God don't burn people for forever and ever." 41:34 And he said, "That is just wrong. 41:36 That is terrible for you." 41:37 He said, "Are you aware of that?" 41:39 I said "Yeah, God doesn't torture people forever." 41:42 And he said, "You believe that junk too?" 41:45 And I said, "Yeah." 41:46 And I said, "Well, why don't we do this? 41:47 Why don't we have a little study? 41:49 We'll get together, pastor, 41:50 we'll study and see if we can maybe help each other 41:52 and see what the Bible really has to say." 41:54 You know what he said? 41:55 "I don't, I'm not going to do that. 41:57 I don't need to study. 41:58 Listen, let me just tell you this. 41:59 If you don't teach people that you're going to burn forever, 42:02 how are you going to get them saved?" 42:05 He said that, put my hand up. 42:07 Pastor said to me, 42:08 "How else you're going to get them saved?" 42:11 He warned us. 42:12 I said, "Well, you tell them about the love of Jesus." 42:15 You don't try to scare people into being saved. 42:18 God is love. 42:19 We should serve the Lord because He first loved us 42:22 and gave His life for us on the cross of Calvary, 42:24 not out of fear. 42:26 When we try to do God's will 42:27 without having the heart of God instilled in us 42:31 by the Holy Spirit, we become very unhappy, 42:34 critical, judgmental, impatient, 42:36 and crappy people, right? 42:38 Hardly anyone's worst to be 42:40 around than legalistic Christian. 42:42 Did you notice that? 42:43 So all you have to do is read Facebook posts 42:46 by those who claim to be Christians. 42:48 I have actually had people cuss me 42:50 in the name of religion, 42:51 because they didn't like what I said on Facebook. 42:54 Now, think about that. 42:55 What does that do to people when they read 42:58 all these things we put on Facebook 43:00 that are not Christians? 43:01 How does it impact them 43:02 the folks that don't go to church, 43:04 are not Christian? 43:05 It feeds into the... 43:07 I don't go to church 43:08 because there's just way too many hypocrites category. 43:12 That's where it fits in exactly. 43:13 We should ask the Holy Spirit to fill us with joy, 43:16 the joy of the Lord. 43:17 The Bible says the joy of the Lord, 43:19 right, is your strength. 43:21 The joy of the Lord gives us strength to reach 43:23 for God's provision of love and salvation. 43:25 For the Lord your God is living among you. 43:28 He is a mighty Savior, 43:29 He will take delight in you with gladness. 43:31 With His love, He will calm all your fears, 43:34 He will rejoice over you. 43:36 Ryan, you said this with joyful songs. 43:38 Speaking of music, 43:39 our music in many of our churches 43:41 are either dead or on the critical list, right? 43:44 And I see you one or the other or just the opposite, 43:49 they're all about hype and entertainment. 43:51 So that's a whole another subject. 43:53 We don't have time for that. 43:54 You make known to me the path of life 43:57 and you will fill me with joy. 43:59 It's the joy that people need to see. 44:01 The joy in your presence 44:02 with eternal pleasures at your right hand. 44:05 With joy, you will draw water from the wells of salvation. 44:10 When that happens, 44:11 people will want to come to church. 44:13 They'll want to get to know you. 44:14 They'll want to be around you. 44:15 When we have the joy of the Lord in our heart, 44:17 it makes its way out as a bright light to others. 44:20 John 12:32 says, 44:22 "And I, if I be lifted up from this earth, 44:24 will draw," what's that word again, 44:27 "all men unto me." 44:28 Isn't that amazing? 44:29 Remember, if we're going to be a witness for Jesus 44:31 and our words in our life will line up with God's word, 44:36 yes, we will still make mistakes, 44:38 we'll still come short of the glory of God, 44:40 but we can confess our sins and when we do, 44:43 He is faithful and just to forgive us 44:45 from our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 44:49 Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life." 44:53 I'm about, I've run out of stuff 44:54 but let me just leave your last one here. 44:56 My time is about out to encourage you, Hebrews 12:1, 44:59 "Wherefore seeing we are compassed 45:01 about with so great a cloud of witnesses, 45:04 let us lay aside every weight, 45:05 and the sin which doth so easily beset us, 45:09 and let us run with patience 45:12 the race that is set before us." 45:14 Amen. Thank you so much Danny. 45:17 What an incredible lesson. Why witness? 45:20 We witness because it's God's desire 45:22 that we are saved. 45:23 We witness because it makes the heart of Jesus glad, 45:27 as you shared. 45:28 We witness because it grows our own faith 45:31 and walk with Him 45:32 and we don't become like the Dead Sea. 45:34 We witness because it is God's command to witness 45:37 and because He has changed us 45:40 and we want to share that joy with others. 45:43 We witness because He first loved us 45:47 and because we are motivated by love. 45:49 That's my lesson Thursday is "Motivated by Love." 45:53 We witness because He loved us. 45:56 This is an incredible lesson. 45:57 Special thanks to Pastor Finley. 45:59 I know everyone said that, 46:00 but I've just been so blessed by this study. 46:04 He said this, in the lesson, here's a quote from him, 46:07 "There are things you will do 46:08 for love that you will do for no other reason." 46:13 Is that why you go to work when you'd rather stay home? 46:17 Is that why you take out the trash 46:19 when you'd rather sit and watch TV? 46:21 Is that why you cook the meal 46:22 when you'd rather just order pizza? 46:24 Is that why you release the remote 46:27 and let your spouse watch what they want to watch? 46:30 Is that why you stand for your spouse or your friend, 46:33 when others turn against them? 46:36 There are things that you do for love when you do it 46:38 for no other reason. 46:41 They say to love dearly from the heart, 46:43 all those that love you, 46:45 and to love even more those that hate you. 46:50 When I think about love, I think about 1 Corinthians 13. 46:53 What better illustration of love 46:56 than 1 Corinthians 13, the love chapter. 46:57 So let's go there. 46:59 We're going to read the whole chapter. 47:00 1 Corinthians Chapter 13. 47:03 I've broken it down into three different sections, 47:06 you knew that was coming, Pastor John. 47:07 That's right. 47:08 The pre-eminence of love, the practice of love 47:13 and the perpetuity of love. 47:16 So the pre-eminence of love 47:17 we see in the first three verses. 47:19 "Though I speak 47:21 with the tongues of men and of angels." 47:22 And I want to pause a moment, 47:24 that word though, means in the Greek if. 47:27 It's conditional, so you could replace 47:30 the though with if. 47:32 "Though I speak or if I speak 47:34 with the tongues of men and of angels, 47:36 but have not love, 47:37 I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal." 47:41 And though or if I have the gift of prophecy, 47:44 and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, 47:46 and if I have all faith, 47:49 so that I could remove mountains, 47:50 but have not love, I am nothing. 47:53 And if I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, 47:56 and if I give my body to be burned, 47:58 but have not love, it profits me nothing." 48:02 Now this is the pre-eminence of love. 48:04 1 Corinthians 12, which just finished 48:07 before we got to 1 Corinthians 13 48:08 is all about the spiritual gifts 48:11 that God has given to the body of Christ. 48:15 1 Corinthians 13 tells us that 48:17 any of those spiritual gifts 48:18 that Paul referenced in 1 Corinthians 12, 48:21 even if they're exercised 48:22 to their highest level of performance, 48:26 they're greatly diminished 48:27 if they're exercised without love. 48:30 Think about the gift of tongues. 48:32 The loveless exercise 48:33 of that gift doesn't edify others, 48:35 it irritates them because 48:36 it becomes like a clanging cymbal. 48:39 I remember my cousin when he began to learn 48:41 to play the violin, it was very irritating, 48:43 because all you heard 48:45 was squeaking right on those strings. 48:49 The loveless exercise of it 48:51 does not edify others but it irritates them. 48:53 The loveless exercise of the gift of prophecy 48:55 or faith leaves one worthless 48:58 because it says even if I have that gift of prophecy 49:01 or the gift of faith, 49:02 but have not love I am nothing. 49:06 The loveless sacrifice does not benefit the giver even 49:10 if I give all my goods to feed the poor, 49:13 but have not love, it profits me nothing. 49:16 Now clearly it would profit other people. 49:18 If you gave away all your possessions 49:20 it would definitely help the poor, 49:22 but it would not benefit you. 49:25 I think about Jonah preaching to the Ninevites, 49:28 it clearly helped them, they repented, 49:30 but it did not benefit him. 49:33 That's the pre-eminence of love. 49:35 Let's look at the practice of love. 49:36 Now Paul, instead of defining love, 49:39 he gives us characteristics of love. 49:41 We see that seven characteristics of love 49:44 and eight attitudes of love that we are to shun. 49:47 I see that just in these couple verses here. 49:50 Let's look at those characteristics. 49:51 It says love suffers long and is kind. 49:55 That's the first two characteristics. 49:56 Suffers long literally means long tempered as opposed, 50:00 Danny, to being short tempered. 50:03 Love suffers long, God is long suffering. 50:06 Romans 2:4, "Do you despise the riches of His goodness, 50:09 forbearance, and longsuffering, 50:12 not knowing that the goodness of God, 50:14 is what draws us to repentance?" 50:18 Love suffers long. Number two, love is kind. 50:22 If patience is the passive side of love, 50:25 kindness is clearly the active side. 50:28 Doing good, reaching out. 50:30 Ephesians 4:32, "Be kind to one another, 50:33 tenderhearted, forgiving one another, 50:36 even as God in Christ has forgiven you." 50:38 Now, we're going to remember 50:40 there were seven characteristics of love, 50:41 but when you read it through the Bible, 50:43 it gives the first two, love suffers long and is kind. 50:46 And then it goes to all those attitudes 50:48 we're to shun, 50:49 so let's go to the negative side. 50:51 These are those attitudes that we are to shun. 50:53 Attitudes that are foreign to love. 50:55 It says love does not envy. 50:59 In other words, we're to shun jealousy. 51:01 Jealousy is wishing for something or wishing 51:05 for someone that 51:06 I cannot have wishing for your car 51:09 or your boat or your home, 51:11 or your spouse or your position or your money, jealousy. 51:16 Love does not envy. Love does not parade itself. 51:21 Love is not arrogant. 51:23 I think arrogance and boasting 51:25 are the opposite side of jealousy. 51:28 You see, jealousy is my sinful response 51:31 to the prosperity of other people. 51:32 While arrogance is my sinful response 51:35 to my own seeming or apparent prosperity. 51:39 It's letting other people be 51:42 aware of my seeming success in a way that 51:44 tempts them to be jealous. 51:46 Think about Isaiah 14. 51:48 That's arrogance is definitely a character trait of the devil. 51:51 What did he say? 51:53 "I will ascend to heaven, 51:54 I will exalt my throne above the stars of God. 51:57 I will sit on the mount 51:58 of the congregation in the sides of the north, 52:00 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, 52:02 I will be like the Most High." 52:06 It says love is not puffed up. 52:09 The word in Greek is from the word we get bellows, 52:12 literally puffed up you know 52:13 if you like blow the bellows to on a fire, 52:16 get puffed up. 52:18 We are not to be arrogant or prideful or puffed up. 52:21 Love does not behave rudely. 52:24 Have you met any rude Christians in your life? 52:27 Love does not seek its own. It is not self-seeking. 52:31 From the cradle to the cross, 52:33 Jesus lived a self-sacrificing love, 52:37 and He lived to bless others. 52:39 It is not provoked, love does not have anger. 52:43 It keeps thinks no evil 52:46 or literally keeps no score of wrongs. 52:49 It does not rejoice in iniquity. 52:52 Now we jump back 52:53 to those characteristics of love. 52:55 But it rejoices in the truth. 52:57 That's a positive thing. 52:58 But it bears all things and believes all things 53:02 and hopes all things and endures all things. 53:06 So we see the pre-eminence of love. 53:08 We see the practice of love 53:09 how we are called as Christians to practice love. 53:12 And then the perpetuity of love. 53:15 That is the last part of the chapter. 53:17 We won't read it all. 53:18 But it simply says that love never fails. 53:21 We can have prophecy, we can have knowledge, 53:23 we can have all kinds of spiritual gifts, 53:26 but they're all eventually going to pass away 53:28 but love never fails. 53:32 What takeaway lessons do I get from this lesson? 53:34 I'm motivated by love. 53:36 Number one, God is the originator of love. 53:39 1 John 4:8, the Bible says, "God is love." 53:45 Number two, love awakens love. 53:49 1 John 4:19, "We love Him 53:52 because He first loved us." 53:56 You see, we don't even love without God loving us first 54:00 and awakening in our heart that love response for Him. 54:05 Number three, a true Christian will love others. 54:09 1 John 4:7-8, "Beloved, 54:12 let us love one another, for love is of God, 54:15 and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 54:18 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love." 54:23 A true Christian will love others. 54:26 Number four, God's love in us 54:29 is what motivates us to witness 54:32 and to share Him with others. 54:35 2 Corinthians 5:14-15. 54:38 Paul says, "The love of God compels us," 54:41 the love of God constrains us, 54:43 the love of God urges, motivates, impels us, 54:48 "because we judge thus: that if One died for all, 54:51 then all died; and He died for all, 54:53 that those who live should live no longer for themselves, 54:56 but for Him who died for them and rose again." 54:59 The love of God in our hearts constrains us, 55:03 compels us to share Jesus with others. 55:07 And finally, number five, 55:08 we are called to be His ambassadors. 55:13 2 Corinthians 5, we are called to share 55:16 that reconciling message of God with the world. 55:20 I'm so grateful that love is the motivation. 55:23 Amen. Wow. 55:25 We'll give each one of you a chance oh, 55:27 happy day making God happy. 55:29 What could you say? No, I appreciate it, Brother. 55:32 Yeah, you know Brother Kenny 55:33 actually said something that's sparked my attention. 55:35 He said no one likes stinky water. 55:37 And you referenced the Dead Sea and as we were talking, 55:41 going through these lessons, 55:43 I remembered, you know, very, very nice illustration here. 55:46 The Dead Sea is dead for a reason. 55:47 Not only is it the lowest point, 55:49 but it receives water. 55:51 In other words, it receives most of its water 55:52 from the Jordan River, 55:53 but it doesn't put out anywhere. 55:56 You know, much like our experience, 55:57 are we receiving the goodness of God, 55:59 but not putting it out and not sharing it with others. 56:01 This series is going to help us have 56:03 a new perspective that hopefully 56:05 in sharing the gospel with others. 56:07 Amen. Stinky water? 56:12 Tuesday's lesson, I was drawing 56:13 something else I've been going by giving. 56:15 Now here I see a promise. 56:17 And I like a promise with satisfaction guaranteed. 56:20 And Jesus simply says, "Let him come and drink. 56:23 If any man's thirsty just come unto Me." 56:25 He's going to give you what you come for. 56:27 He's going to give you more maybe than what you even ask. 56:30 You can count on that. And then what? 56:33 We grow by giving by simply as God gives to us, 56:35 we simply just give to others. 56:37 That's right. Amen. Good. 56:39 Our dad used to say mine and Kenny's dad used to say 56:42 people do what they want to do. 56:45 So really, there's no excuse not to witness today. 56:48 Maybe you're confined to home, 56:50 whatever else most of you have at least one of these. 56:52 You can go on this, you can use your telephones, 56:55 you can write letters, you can talk to people. 56:58 There's all ways to communicate. 57:00 But in order to communicate the gospel, 57:03 we need to come to the foot of the cross, 57:05 deny ourselves, then it says, 57:07 pick up the cross and follow Him. 57:09 And then go give our own personal testimony. 57:11 Ellen White says, "Our greatest asset 57:13 is our own personal testimony of what God has done for us." 57:17 Amen. 57:18 Romans 5:8, "God demonstrated His own love for us 57:21 and that while we were still sinners, He died for us." 57:25 Thank you so much for all those happy days, 57:28 stinky water. 57:29 It's about all the things that people love. 57:32 And finally, we are witness to give people 57:34 their only chance to be saved, 57:36 we witness to give people their best chance to be saved. 57:40 We thank you for taken the time to join us. 57:42 We'd like to encourage you, 57:43 we have another wonderful lesson coming up. 57:45 When some witness 57:46 the power of personal testimony, 57:49 may you experience the power of your personal witness 57:52 until we see you again. |
Revised 2020-07-06