Participants:
Series Code: SSP
Program Code: SSP200028S
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00:01 Hello and welcome to our 3ABN Sabbath School Panel.
00:03 We're in the third quarter, "Making Friends for God." 00:07 This is lesson number two, "Winsome Witnesses: 00:10 The Power of Personal Testimony." 00:12 Want to encourage you 00:14 to get your own quarterly to study along with us. 00:16 If you don't have a quarterly, 00:17 you can go to the following website 00:19 absg.adventist.org. 00:23 That stands for 00:24 adultbiblestudyguide. adventist. org. 00:28 You can download that 00:29 and follow along with us as we journey 00:32 through the Word of God 01:05 Hello, friends, and welcome to this edition 01:07 of 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 01:09 As we look at the power of personal testimony, 01:12 you know, it's really difficult 01:13 to argue against someone's personal experience. 01:16 You can debate theology, 01:18 you can argue the interpretation of a text, 01:20 you can ridicule religion, 01:23 but experience if you share 01:25 what Jesus has done in your life, 01:28 that is powerful. 01:29 That's what we're discussing today. 01:31 I want to introduce to you our panel. 01:32 To my left, Pastor John Lomacang. 01:35 Good to have you here. Good to be here. 01:37 To your left Ryan Day. So glad you're here as well. 01:39 Amen. It's always a blessing. Amen. 01:41 To your left, we have Jason Bradley. 01:43 And we're always glad when you can join us, Jason. 01:46 Happy to be here. Thank you. 01:48 And to your left, last but not least, 01:50 Pastor Kenny Shelton. 01:51 So glad to have you here as well. 01:53 It is. 01:54 It's good to be here and study the Word of God together. 01:56 Amen. 01:57 Before we go any further, let's go to the Lord in prayer. 01:59 Pastor John, would you pray for us? 02:00 Sure. 02:01 Loving Father in heaven, this opportunity is one that 02:03 we don't want to waste on humanity. 02:05 We want divinity to come 02:07 and incorporate the power in our hearts and minds 02:09 to communicate this message 02:11 to those watching this program and listening. 02:13 And now anoint each one of us, Father, 02:15 that Your name may be honored and glorified 02:17 and may the understanding of this message be clear. 02:20 In Jesus' name, amen. Amen. 02:23 Thank you so much. 02:24 Our memory text is Acts 4:20. 02:27 We're going to kick off with that memory text. 02:29 Acts 4:20. 02:31 Now this is, of course, 02:32 the disciples when the Pharisee said 02:34 "Don't speak anymore of Jesus." 02:36 This is their response. 02:38 Acts 4: 20, "For we cannot but speak the things 02:42 which we have seen and heard." 02:46 We look this week at winsome witnesses. 02:49 I want to before we jump into Sunday, 02:51 I want to talk for just a moment 02:52 about witnesses throughout the Bible. 02:55 Now, of course, 02:56 in a legal system as Pastor John, 02:58 you referenced last lesson, 02:59 if you're a witness, say of an accident, you see, 03:03 okay, from a different street corner, 03:05 everyone sees their own version of what happened. 03:08 A witness testifies what they have seen, 03:11 or maybe what they have heard. 03:13 And the same thing is true of the word witness 03:15 in the Word of God. 03:17 We see Jesus is the faithful and true witness, 03:20 that's in Revelation 1:4-5. 03:23 Revelation 1:4-5, it says, 03:24 "Grace to you and peace from Him 03:26 who is and who was and who is to come, 03:28 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, 03:33 the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler over the kings 03:34 of the earth." 03:36 Now that word witness in Greek is martus. 03:39 It means an eye or an ear witness. 03:44 We see Jesus is the faithful and true witness. 03:47 John, the Baptist witnessed of Jesus. 03:50 This is in John 1:6-7. 03:53 John 1:6-7, "There was a man sent from God, 03:57 whose name was John. 03:58 This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, 04:02 that all through him might believe." 04:04 That word witness is a spin off from that word martus 04:09 and it is again, an eye or an ear witness. 04:12 John the Baptist is testifying, 04:15 witnessing what he knows of Jesus. 04:18 Then we see, of course, the father's witness of Jesus. 04:22 That's in John 8:18, 04:25 "I am One who bears witness of Myself, 04:28 and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me." 04:32 Again that word witness martus, 04:34 God the Father bears witness of Jesus. 04:38 Then we see Jesus own witness of Himself. 04:40 John 8:14, "Jesus answered and said to them, 04:43 'Even if I bear witness of Myself, 04:46 My witness is true, for I know where I came from 04:49 and I know where I am going, 04:51 but you do not know where I came from 04:53 and where I am going." 04:56 That word again from martus, an eye or an ear witness. 05:00 Then we see that Christ's disciples, 05:02 this is Acts 1:8 were called to be His witnesses. 05:07 "Jesus said, 'You shall receive power 05:09 when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. 05:11 And you shall be witnesses to me." 05:14 That word again martus. 05:16 "In Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, 05:17 and to the end of the earth, 05:19 so you and I are called to testify, 05:22 called to witness of what we have seen, 05:25 what we have heard, what we have experienced 05:29 of the Lord Jesus Christ." 05:31 And we see that, turn with me to 1 John. 05:34 1 John Chapter 1. 05:36 This is one of my favorite passages I think, 05:38 in the New Testament. 05:39 1 John Chapter 1, 05:40 we'll look at the first couple of verses. 05:42 This is John the beloved disciple testifying 05:46 or witnessing to what he has seen 05:49 and what he has heard. 05:50 "That which was from the beginning..." 05:52 Now it doesn't use the word witness, 05:53 but you'll see it's evident here that it is a witness. 05:56 "That which was from the beginning, 05:57 which we have heard," 06:00 that word means to hear or give in the audience of, 06:04 "which we have seen with our eyes, 06:08 which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, 06:11 concerning the Word of life." 06:13 Jump down to verse 3, "That which we have seen 06:16 and heard we declare to you, 06:20 that you also may have fellowship with us, 06:22 and truly our fellowship is with the Father 06:25 and with His Son Jesus Christ." 06:27 So what is John saying here? 06:28 He's saying, "I am sharing with you what I've seen, 06:32 what I've heard, what I have touched, 06:34 what I have witnessed." 06:36 He said, "I observed, the waves and the wind 06:41 and the boat on the sea 06:42 and Jesus standing up and saying, 06:44 "Peace be still, and there was a great calm. 06:47 I saw Jesus reach out and touch the eyes of the blind 06:50 and then be opened or Jesus touched the leper, 06:53 and his flesh become whole again. 06:55 I listened to Jesus speak on the Sermon on the Mount 06:58 and I experienced the touch of Jesus 07:02 when He washed my feet. 07:03 I declare to you 07:05 what I have experienced of Jesus." 07:07 You know we cannot share what we have never experienced. 07:12 So I don't know about you, 07:13 but I have experienced His mercy. 07:15 Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed. 07:19 His compassions fail not, 07:21 they are new every morning, great is His faithfulness. 07:25 I have experienced His forgiveness. 07:28 If we confess our sins, 07:30 He's faithful and just to forgive us 07:31 and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 07:35 I've experienced His love. 07:37 Behold what manner 07:38 of love the Father has bestowed upon us, 07:41 that we should be called His children. 07:43 I have experienced His adoption. 07:46 We did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, 07:49 but we received the Spirit of adoption 07:51 by which we cry out Abba, Father, 07:54 I have experienced His peace, peace I leave with You, 07:58 my peace I give to You, not as the world gives, 08:01 give I unto You, let not Your heart be troubled, 08:03 neither let it be afraid. 08:05 I have experienced His joy. 08:08 Weeping may endure for a night, 08:10 but joy, it always comes in the morning. 08:13 I have experienced His strength knowing that 08:16 the joy of the Lord is your strength. 08:18 I have experienced His victory. 08:20 Thanks be to God who gives us the victory 08:23 through our Lord Jesus Christ. 08:24 I have experienced His deliverance. 08:27 If the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. 08:31 We are called simply to share what we have experienced. 08:36 Now in Sunday's lesson, 08:37 we look at two very unlikely witnesses. 08:41 These would be the demoniacs 08:42 and we're going to Mark Chapter 5. 08:45 Now, these are not what you would assume, 08:47 you think a good witness for Jesus might be the elder 08:50 and the church pastor. 08:52 Or it might be Jason, maybe someone who's the pastor 08:56 or someone who's well respected in the community. 08:59 Maybe the leader of the synagogue 09:00 would be a good witness right? 09:02 For Jesus. 09:04 Okay, these are men who were devil, 09:06 demon possessed, 09:08 and yet God Jesus called them as His witness. 09:12 So we're in Mark Chapter 5. 09:14 Now this is recorded in all three 09:16 of the Synoptic Gospels, 09:18 Matthew, Mark, and Luke all tell the story 09:21 of the demon possessed man on the other side of the lake. 09:24 And there's similarities in all three of their stories. 09:27 They all discussed Jesus crossing 09:29 the lake calming the storm. 09:30 They all talk about a demon possessed man. 09:33 They all discuss the pigs, and they all share 09:35 how Jesus brought healing. 09:38 There might be some apparent contradictions 09:41 in some of these stories, but sometimes or not sometimes, 09:47 always I think, 09:49 the apparent contradiction authenticates the validity 09:53 of the historical story. 09:55 Each author would have 09:56 remembered the story differently. 09:58 You see, if they were really in cahoots, 09:59 they would have gotten together. 10:00 Pastor John, I'm going to say such and such. 10:02 Make sure, you better make sure you say the same thing, 10:04 because you want your stories 10:05 to match if you're trying to lie. 10:07 But if you're not, 10:08 you're just sharing from your memory, 10:10 you're sharing from your experience, 10:13 they all would have remembered the story differently, 10:15 and they all would have shared from their perspective. 10:17 The two apparent contradictions, 10:21 one is in the location. 10:22 One of the gospel writers says it's in, 10:24 I can't pronounce it a certain place 10:26 and the other one say it's in Gadarene. 10:28 So they might have some different names. 10:30 But if you really look into it and dig into it, 10:33 one identifies with the main town, 10:34 one might identify with a village 10:36 and the truth is, 10:37 the demon possessed man was in the tombs. 10:39 He was outside of the village, 10:40 so you could have maybe referenced 10:42 either one of the communities and still been accurate. 10:45 The other apparent disparity 10:47 is that Matthew mentions two demoniacs 10:50 and Mark and Luke only mentioned one. 10:53 Now, we don't really have time to get into that, 10:55 except perhaps Mark and Luke focused on the one 10:58 who really interacted with Jesus 11:00 or the one who really spoke there. 11:02 So let's look, Jesus has just calmed the waves, right? 11:06 They have just come across the lake, the Sea of Galilee. 11:09 And that miracle demonstrated 11:11 Jesus authority over nature itself. 11:14 This next miracle is going to demonstrate Jesus' 11:17 authority over Satan himself. 11:21 So we see in Mark 5, 11:23 they come to the other side of the sea. 11:25 We're in verse 1, verse 2, 11:27 "When Jesus come out of the boat, 11:29 immediately there met Him out of the tombs 11:32 a man with an unclean spirit, 11:34 who had his dwelling among the tombs, 11:35 and no one could bind him, not even with chains, 11:38 because he had often been bound with shackles and chains. 11:41 And the chains had been pulled apart by him, 11:44 and the shackles broken in pieces, 11:46 neither could anyone tame him. 11:48 And always, night and day, 11:49 he was in the mountains and in the tombs, 11:51 crying out and cutting himself with stones. 11:54 When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him 11:59 and he cried out with a loud voice and said, 12:01 'What have I to do with You, Jesus, 12:03 Son of the Most High God? 12:04 I implore You by God that You do not torment me.'" 12:08 Now this man dwelt in the tombs, 12:10 most of the tombs of that time were in caves, 12:13 so he probably dwelt in the caves. 12:15 He was wild, he was uncontrollable, 12:18 he was noisy, he was dangerous. 12:21 But in his innermost heart 12:23 and we'll discover later there was thousands of demons, 12:25 legion living inside of him. 12:28 But in his innermost heart, he wanted to be delivered. 12:32 He wanted that deliverance, he ran to Jesus, 12:36 I can only imagine. 12:38 I can't really, I can't even imagine 12:40 what it would feel like and what it would be like 12:42 and knowing that something, 12:44 someone else is controlling you wanting that deliverance. 12:48 But we know that even the demons acknowledge 12:51 that Jesus is son of the Most High God. 12:54 Jumping down, "Jesus said, 12:57 'Come out of the man unclean spirit.' 12:58 And he said, 'What is your name?' 13:00 And the demon answered and he said, 13:01 'My name is Legion for we are many.'" 13:04 Legion was the largest unit of the Roman army 13:06 consisting of up to 6,000 men. 13:10 And yet they said, 13:11 send us to the swine and Jesus said, 13:13 "Okay, you can go to the swine 13:14 and all 2,000 other pigs ran over the hill 13:17 and off into the sea. 13:19 And the townspeople got kind of worked up about it. 13:24 So we see this here in verse 15. 13:28 "They came to Jesus and saw the one 13:29 who had been demon possessed and had the Legion, 13:32 sitting and clothed in his right mind." 13:35 When Jesus gets a hold of you, 13:37 it changes you, He changes you entirely. 13:41 But the townspeople, they were afraid, 13:43 and those who saw told them how it happened to him 13:46 who had been demon possessed about this swine 13:47 and they began to ask Jesus to depart from their region. 13:53 So Jesus left, we don't have time to get 13:56 into why they asked 13:57 but Jesus left and the man said, 14:00 "Please, I want to go with You. 14:01 I want to be with You." 14:03 But Jesus in verse 19 did not permit him but said, 14:05 "Go tell your friends, 14:08 tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, 14:11 and how He has had compassion on you." 14:14 So he departed, the demon possessed man 14:16 and began to proclaim in Decapolis, 14:18 that's 10 cities, 14:20 all that Jesus had done for Him. 14:23 So you see, Jesus takes anyone and changes them. 14:29 And then they can in turn 14:31 share their personal experience. 14:34 What did the demon possessed man half that 14:36 will qualify him as a witness? 14:38 He could share. 14:39 He was an eye and ear witness 14:41 of what Jesus had done for him. 14:42 Amen. Thank you, Jill. 14:44 Thank you for laying that foundation. 14:45 Wow. 14:47 In his right mind, only the Lord can put us 14:50 in our right mind when we are touched 14:52 by His transforming grace. 14:54 We go to Monday, 14:56 "Proclaiming the Risen Christ." 15:01 Matthew 28:5-6. 15:04 We read in the Bible, 15:06 "But the angel answered and said to the woman, 15:09 'Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus 15:13 who was crucified.'" 15:16 The four most beautiful words in the Bible, He is not here. 15:21 He is not here. 15:23 Today, you can't find a place 15:24 where Jesus' birth date and death date on it. 15:27 We could only find one with His burial date 15:30 and His Resurrection Day. 15:32 But there is no place where we can go 15:34 and physically worship the Lord. 15:36 As we went to Jerusalem a number of years ago, 15:38 a couple years ago, about two or three, 15:40 my wife and I, we went to the Garden Tomb 15:43 and the person who was there at the Garden Tomb said, 15:45 "Well, this is one of five locations 15:48 where we believe that Jesus had been buried." 15:50 He said, "But the truth of the matter 15:51 is maybe the sixth location, 15:53 and we don't know where that is." 15:55 But he said, "But the fact of the matter is, 15:57 wherever He was buried, He's not there. 16:00 He is risen." 16:01 And then right after that we had such a spiritual time 16:03 as we went into one of the, 16:05 as were like a little temple there at the Garden Tomb 16:09 and we had a service and I preached about 16:11 the resurrected Lord. 16:13 You know, what's so wonderful about that? 16:14 He is not here, for He is risen. 16:16 And there is something about proclaiming 16:18 the resurrected Christ. 16:19 This is something that 16:21 no other religion on the planet can do. 16:23 No one can talk about a resurrected leader. 16:26 You know, we have shrines, we have pilgrimages. 16:28 We have places where, like when we went to Russia, 16:31 about the Kremlin there, we, you know, 16:32 people stand in line to see this coffin and, you know, 16:35 that's ceremonial to some degree. 16:37 But there is no such place 16:39 where we can say our Lord is dead and buried there. 16:42 We serve a risen Savior. 16:44 So when we ask the question, what was Mary's response 16:46 when she discovered that Christ was risen from the dead. 16:50 Look at Mark Chapter 16. What was her response? 16:54 Her response was amazing. 16:56 And we read very quickly verses 1-11. 16:58 I'll just point out a few things. 17:01 Okay, and it says, verse 4, "But when they looked up, 17:06 they saw that the stone had been rolled away, 17:09 for it was very large. 17:10 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed 17:13 in a long white robe sitting on the right side, 17:16 and they were alarmed. 17:18 But he said to them, 'Do not be alarmed. 17:19 You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. 17:23 He is risen! He is not here. 17:25 See the place where they laid Him.'" 17:28 And notice the commission to Mary, 17:30 "But go, tell His disciples, and Peter that 17:33 He is going before you into Galilee, 17:36 there you will see Him, as He said to you." 17:40 So now it says in verse 9, 17:42 "So when He rose early on the first day of the week, 17:46 He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, 17:49 out of whom He had cast, notice, seven demons. 17:52 She went and this is their response. 17:54 She went and told those who had been with Him, 17:58 and they mourned and wept. 18:00 And when they heard that 18:02 He was alive and had been seen by her, 18:07 they did not believe." 18:08 Wow. 18:10 But that was not the case with Mary indeed, 18:12 the power and the impact of personal testimony. 18:16 What did Mary do, 18:17 the power of her personal witness, 18:19 she ran to tell the story of the resurrected Christ. 18:22 When you experience Christ, you got to tell somebody. 18:26 The good news is worth sharing. 18:28 Nobody could deny what you have witnessed, 18:32 as we've seen in the Bible, 18:33 what I've witnessed from the beginning 18:35 what I've touched what I've taste, 18:36 and that's why I've said the worst time of the year 18:38 is Thanksgiving 18:40 when you're watching it on television. 18:43 It may look good, 18:44 but until you taste it, right, Jason? 18:47 That's right, taste and see. It's just an act of futility. 18:49 It's not enough to look at the gospel. 18:51 We have to have a personal experience with Christ. 18:54 When we taste and see the Lord is good, 18:56 we've got to say to somebody. 18:58 You think your food was good, I met the bread of life. 19:00 That's right. 19:02 You think your drink was great, 19:03 I just tasted of the water of life. 19:05 We've got to tell somebody. 19:07 It is impossible to keep 19:08 the good news of the gospel silent 19:11 when it is personal. 19:13 And when you meet the resurrected Christ, 19:15 He transforms your life. 19:17 Look at Mark 5:19. Mark 5:19. 19:21 The Bible says, "However, Jesus did not permit him, 19:24 but said to him, 'Go home to your friends, 19:27 the power of personal testimony, 19:29 and tell them what great things 19:32 the Lord has done for you, 19:34 and how He has had compassion on you.'" 19:36 Anything that the Lord does for us is a great thing. 19:39 That's right. Yes. 19:41 I mean, great God, who is above all gods 19:44 never does just a thing, He does a great thing. 19:48 And so when we look at Mary in the story, 19:49 I think that Mary is a parlay or representation, 19:52 a parallel to the church. 19:54 What Jesus told Mary to do 19:56 is what he tells the church to do. 19:58 The commission of the church is to tell the world 20:01 about the resurrected Christ. 20:03 Now some people choose 20:04 one weekend a year to talk about that. 20:06 Hey, every day, can I say that, Ryan? 20:09 Every day, we should tell people 20:12 about the resurrected Christ. 20:13 He is not resurrected during Easter weekend alone. 20:17 He's alive every day. We serve a risen Savior. 20:20 Secondly, the commission 20:22 to Mary is the commission to the church. 20:23 The witness of the church is not only to tell 20:26 of the resurrected Christ, 20:28 but to display in our minds and our behavior, 20:32 the behavior and the character of the resurrected Christ. 20:35 If we say He changed us, 20:38 we ought to let our light shine as His light was shining. 20:42 He is the light of the world when He is in our lives, 20:45 His light is also seen. 20:47 Not only that, the purpose of the church 20:48 is to become the center of the fellowship of the saved. 20:53 You know, when you have a fellowship with Christ, 20:55 when we walk in the light as He is in the light, 20:57 we have fellowship with one another. 20:59 Koinonia cannot happen. 21:01 Don't go to church to seek friendship 21:03 when you have experienced with Christ, 21:05 it is fellowship far deeper than friendship. 21:08 Why is it far deeper? 21:09 1 Peter 2:9, the Bible says, 21:11 "But you are a chosen generation, 21:15 a royal priesthood, 21:17 a holy nation, His own special people, 21:21 that you may proclaim the praises of Him 21:22 who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." 21:27 Jill, four points of the impact of the risen Christ. 21:31 Four points. 21:33 First of all, we partake of His resurrected life. 21:36 Our favorite book, Romans, 21:39 we partake of His resurrected life. 21:40 Romans 6:5, 8, "For if we have been 21:45 united together in the likeness of His death, 21:49 certainly we also shall be 21:51 in the likeness of His resurrection." 21:53 That's a guarantee. 21:54 If you experience His death, if you join Him in His death, 21:58 that means by faith, Lord, 21:59 Your death has been imputed and imparted to my life. 22:03 If that is your testimony, 22:05 you must also have the same experience 22:07 and display the resurrected life. 22:09 Look at verse 8, "Now if we died with Christ, 22:13 we believe that we shall also live with Him." 22:16 Some people think that meant heaven, 22:17 no that meant now, that life you live now. 22:21 I've been crucified with Christ 22:23 and the life which I now live in the flesh. 22:26 I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me 22:28 and gave Himself for me, that's not coming up life. 22:30 That's the life right now. 22:32 1 Corinthians 15:49, 22:34 "And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, 22:37 we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man, 22:41 we partake of the resurrected life." 22:42 That's the first point. 22:44 Second point, we are changed 22:45 by the faith transfer of His life to us. 22:49 Colossians 1:27, 22:50 "To them God willed to make known 22:52 what are the riches of the glory 22:54 of his mystery among the Gentiles: 22:56 which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." 22:59 That's the faith transfer Christ in us. 23:02 2 Corinthians 5:17, "If anyone is in Christ, 23:05 he is a new creation, old things have passed away, 23:07 behold," how many things? 23:09 "All things have become new." That's the faith transfer. 23:12 We are changed by the faith transfer. 23:14 The third thing, we are empowered 23:17 by the Christ life in us, by Christ's life in us. 23:20 Acts1:8, "You shall receive power 23:23 after the Holy Spirit 23:24 is come upon you and you shall be witnesses." 23:28 Ephesians 3:20, what kind of witnesses? 23:30 "To Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly 23:34 above all that we ask or think, 23:35 according to the power that works in us." 23:39 That faith transfer, Christ in us. 23:40 And the last thing, we cannot keep silent 23:45 when we have an encounter with Christ. 23:47 Luke 24:32- 35, "And they said to one another, 23:51 'Did not our hearts burn within us 23:54 while He talked with us on the road, 23:56 and while He opened the Scriptures to us?' 23:58 So they arose that very hour and returned to Jerusalem.'" 24:02 There has to be something that changes, 24:04 you got to come back with a testimony. 24:06 And they were running back at night, Jill and my panel. 24:09 They were running back to Jerusalem at night, 24:10 but Ellen White says, 24:12 there was an unseen guest guiding their pathway. 24:15 If somebody is coming back to the church 24:17 and they're stumbling and bumbling during the night. 24:19 Don't worry about it, 24:20 they're on the way back to Jerusalem. 24:22 The Bible says in verse 34, 24:24 "When they when they met the disciples, 24:26 they said, "The Lord is risen indeed, 24:29 and has appeared to Simon! 24:30 And they told about the things that happened on the road, 24:34 and how he was known to them in the breaking of bread." 24:37 It is impossible to keep silent 24:40 when you have an encounter with Christ. 24:43 Amen. 24:44 Thank you so much, Pastor John, the impact of the risen Christ. 24:49 We're going to take a break. We'll be right back. 24:57 Ever wish you could watch 24:58 a 3ABN Sabbath School Panel again, 25:00 or share it on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter? 25:04 Well, you can by visiting 3abnsabbathschoolpanel.com. 25:09 A clean design makes it easy 25:11 to find the program you're looking for. 25:13 There are also links 25:15 to the Adult Bible Study Guide so you can follow along. 25:18 Sharing is easy. 25:20 Just click share and choose your favorite social media. 25:23 Share a link, save a life for eternity. 25:27 Hello, and welcome back 25:29 to our study of Winsome Witnesses: 25:31 The power of Personal Testimony. 25:32 We pick up with Ryan on Tuesday. 25:34 Amen. 25:35 Tuesday's lesson entitled, 25:37 "Changed Lives Make a Difference." 25:39 And so I got to keep the energy up 25:41 because pastor had all that energy going 25:42 just a few seconds ago so yeah, we got to keep it going. 25:45 But you know I love this because, 25:47 just the very title of this lesson alone 25:49 is truth in and of itself, 25:51 change lives do make a difference. 25:53 When people see a change in us, 25:55 when they see that 25:56 the supernatural power of God has changed us, 26:00 it makes a difference. 26:01 And so it is a testimony in and of itself. 26:04 And so we're going to see this today. 26:05 But I'd like to set a little bit of groundwork 26:07 because what we're going to be diving into is Acts Chapter 4. 26:10 And we're going to be reading the bulk of Acts Chapter 4. 26:12 So if you guys want to go ahead and go there in your Bibles, 26:15 just kind of sound, set the groundwork, 26:17 obviously, Jesus has been crucified, 26:20 and He has now been resurrected and, 26:22 of course, Pentecost has occurred in Acts Chapter 2. 26:25 And we know that 3,000 people 26:27 were converted on the day of Pentecost. 26:29 Now, you don't, 3,000 people 26:31 can be converted and you don't hear something 26:33 about that, right? 26:35 I mean, these 3,000 lives 26:37 were transformed by the grace of God. 26:39 And we know that just a few weeks from now, 26:42 in Acts Chapter 4, which we're going to go to 26:44 in just a moment, we're going to see thousands 26:46 more added to the kingdom of God. 26:48 And again, these thousands and thousands of lives, 26:51 there's got to be a shaking, 26:52 there's going to be some rumbling occurring, 26:54 because as pastor brought up beautifully, 26:56 when a life is transformed by the grace of God, 27:00 you just can't be silent, right? 27:01 You got to tell someone. 27:03 So these lives have been transformed by the grace. 27:05 And, of course, we know that 27:07 this causes a little bit of rumbling 27:09 amongst the leadership of Israel. 27:11 And so that's what we're going to pick up 27:13 Acts Chapter 4, beginning in verse 1. 27:16 And I'm just going to kind of read through this 27:17 and give some commentary along the way, 27:19 because I believe the scripture speaks for itself very clearly. 27:22 Acts Chapter 4, beginning in verse 1, it says, 27:24 "Now as they spoke," and by the way, 27:25 this is just to set this clear, I guess I should. 27:28 John and Peter have just delivered a lame man, 27:31 they have just healed a lame man 27:32 by the power of God and all of these people 27:34 in Jerusalem has witnessed it. 27:36 And so now it's starting to create some talk 27:39 and people are getting excited about 27:40 what they have witnessed. 27:42 Now it's gotten back to the Sanhedrin court, 27:44 and the Pharisees, the Sadducees, 27:45 all these different people have now come to John 27:48 as we're about to see 27:49 and they're going to start trouble. 27:51 And so it says here in verse 1, 27:52 "Now as they spoke to the people, the priests, 27:54 the captain of the temple, 27:56 and the Sadducees came upon them, 27:58 being greatly disturbed that they taught the people 28:02 and preached in Jesus the resurrection from the damn. 28:06 And they laid hands on them, and put them in custody 28:09 until the next day, for it was already evening. 28:12 However, many of those who heard the word believed, 28:16 and the number of the men 28:18 came to be about five thousand." 28:20 So this was even greater than the day of Pentecost, 28:22 they heard the word preached, 28:24 they saw the miracle perform, they believe, 28:26 they begin believing in the power of Jesus. 28:29 Now, here comes 28:30 the addressing of the Sanhedrin. 28:32 Verse 5 says, "And it came to pass, 28:34 on the next day, that their rulers, elders, 28:36 and scribes, as well as Annas the high priest, 28:39 Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and as many as were 28:42 of the family of the high priest, 28:44 were gathered together at Jerusalem. 28:46 And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, 28:50 "By what power or by what name have you done this?" 28:54 So here comes the interrogation. 28:56 Here comes, they're about to interrogate much like 28:58 they're going to do to Stephen in a couple of years, 29:01 in two or three years, they're going to put Stephen, 29:03 they're going to put God's people on the stands. 29:05 And that's essentially 29:06 what's happening to Peter and John in this situation. 29:08 They're being interrogated by whose name are you preaching? 29:11 Who is this that you're talking about that stirring the masses? 29:14 And so here comes this powerful, 29:16 spirit filled message from John and Peter. 29:18 Here it is. 29:19 It says, "Then Peter," and I love this, 29:21 "filled with the Holy Spirit," 29:22 and I love that because, again, we're told 29:25 and we're going to see in just a few moments, 29:26 that just as these guys have been put on the stand, 29:29 to speak for the name of Christ. 29:31 Remember, Jesus said that in the very moment, 29:34 don't even conjure up or think of your own words, 29:36 because in that very moment, 29:37 the Holy Spirit will give you the words to say 29:40 and that's exactly what's happening right here 29:42 with these brothers. 29:43 So it says, Peter filled with the Holy Spirit, 29:44 said to them, 29:46 "Rulers of the people and elders of Israel: 29:48 If we this day are judged for a good deed done 29:51 to a helpless man, 29:53 by what means he has been made well, 29:56 let it be known to you all, 29:58 and to all the people of Israel, 29:59 that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, 30:02 whom you crucified," here comes the rebuke, 30:05 "whom God raised from the dead, 30:06 by Him this man stands here before you whole. 30:10 This is the stone 30:12 which was rejected by the builders, 30:15 which has become the chief cornerstone. 30:18 Nor is there salvation in any other, 30:20 for there is no other name under heaven given among men 30:23 by which we must be saved.'" 30:25 So I love this because 30:26 they're basically stepping up to the plate 30:29 and they're saying, "Okay, let's get this clear out 30:31 in the open right now. 30:32 Okay, look, if you're going to judge us, 30:34 if you're going to put us on the stand, 30:36 and you're going to judge us and ultimately sentence us, 30:38 let it be clear that you're not just judging us 30:41 because you're bringing judgment upon Christ, 30:42 whom by the way you've already crucified, 30:44 you've already condemned to death. 30:46 This is the chief cornerstone. 30:48 This is the Messiah, 30:49 your Messiah that you have murdered. 30:51 We're doing this by the power in the name of Jesus Christ. 30:54 And so these brothers under intense adverse pressure, 30:58 and we're told that this is going to happen to us. 31:00 I don't think that these guys found themselves 31:02 surprised by this situation, 31:04 because Jesus had already told them 31:06 that they were going to be delivered up, 31:07 that they were going to be persecuted and arrested. 31:09 And so they knew that 31:11 these things were going to happen 31:12 but the spiritual boldness of the spirit comes out 31:15 and we see this evident right here. 31:18 They're not going to waiver, 31:19 they're not going to shake in their boots, 31:21 they're going to tell the truth for what it is, 31:23 live or die, they're going to declare the gospel. 31:25 And I love that. And so I love this right here. 31:27 Notice, verse 13, 31:29 the response of the Sanhedrin, it says, 31:31 "Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, 31:34 and perceived that 31:35 they were uneducated and untrained men, 31:38 they marveled. 31:39 And they realized that they had been with Jesus." 31:43 Notice, even the Sanhedrin is sitting back going, 31:45 "Whoa, wait a second. 31:46 These guys, this is legit. They had been with Jesus." 31:49 But it's interesting that it says they noticed 31:51 and were marveled by the fact 31:52 that they were untrained and uneducated. 31:54 Does that sound something? 31:55 Does that sound like something familiar 31:57 we read before? 31:58 We are told in the last days by Mrs. White. 31:59 God gave her clear vision 32:01 that God's work will be finished 32:03 by untrained men and women, men and women 32:06 who had not been to seminary, who had not receive degrees 32:08 and I'm not certainly taking down 32:10 those educational avenues, 32:12 because those are wonderful things, 32:13 but God is going to raise up a people in the last days, 32:15 who had never walked through the door 32:17 of a seminary or been trained by a theologian or a scholar. 32:21 God is going to raise up a people in the last stage, 32:23 just as He's doing here with these fishermen. 32:25 And He's going to proclaim the good news. 32:28 And it's going to cause a shaking, Brother Kenny. 32:29 That's what the Bible says. 32:31 And I love this, verse 14, "And seeing the man 32:34 who had been healed standing with them, 32:37 they could say nothing against it. 32:40 But when they had commanded them 32:42 to go aside out of the council, 32:44 they conferred among themselves saying, 32:46 'What shall we do with these men?'" 32:47 So they begin to plot 32:49 and they begin to say to themselves, 32:50 man, we got to do something about this. 32:51 Well, we can't, you know, we can't really punish them. 32:53 We can't really do nothing, because the people, 32:55 the masses have already seen and here it is. 32:58 This man's life changed. They've seen a changed life. 33:01 It's evident that 33:03 something supernatural has happened, 33:05 that the Gospel of Christ has transformed, 33:08 not just these two brothers 33:10 who are preaching and declaring this message 33:12 to the Sanhedrin, 33:14 but the man who's been healed by them. 33:15 And so they come to the clear conclusion, 33:17 you know what, let's just, let's just threaten them. 33:19 And let's just send them away 33:21 and tell them don't be preaching 33:22 in the name of Jesus anymore, right? 33:24 And we know that that don't work. 33:25 In fact, I love the response. And so notice verse 18 here. 33:28 It says, "So they called and commanded them to speak 33:30 not at all nor teach in the name of Jesus." 33:33 And I love their response. 33:34 "But Peter and John answered and said to them, 33:36 'Whether it is right 33:37 in the sight of God to listen to you 33:39 more than to God, you judge." 33:41 Here's our key verse here, our memory verse, 33:44 "For we cannot but speak the things 33:47 which we have seen and heard." 33:51 What would God's Church do today 33:53 if we held to that beautiful commission truth right there? 33:58 But I'm sorry, it's just a natural response 34:00 when the Holy Spirit gets a hold 34:02 of a brother or sister in Christ, 34:04 and begins to transform that life from the inside out, 34:07 the natural response is that 34:09 we can't help but talk about it. 34:11 We can't help but open our mouth 34:12 and go tell someone. 34:14 And in no other time in history, 34:16 do we have more available avenues to preach this truth 34:20 than ever before, than any other generation 34:22 before us with social media 34:24 and this wonderful, amazing network 3ABN. 34:27 You know, I feel so privileged and honored to be here, 34:30 to be able to preach and teach the gospel 34:32 because I know there's someone right now 34:34 at home watching this lesson today 34:36 that's going to be blessed by it, 34:37 that it's going to create a spark between them 34:40 and Christ that's going to lead 34:42 to a transformation in their life. 34:44 I love steps to Christ, page 78, 34:46 got to read this one. 34:47 It says, "No sooner does one come to Christ 34:50 than there is born in his heart, 34:51 a desire to make known to others 34:54 what a precious friend he has found in Jesus, 34:57 the saving and sanctifying truth 35:00 cannot be shut up in his heart." 35:04 So my commission, you know, my appeal, 35:07 my personal commission is to follow that 35:09 of what Christ has given us. 35:11 He's saying, "Look, 35:12 even if you're not a theologian, 35:14 if you're not a scholar, 35:15 if you're not a biblical teacher 35:17 or preacher, you don't have to be. 35:18 Just simply go out and tell someone about 35:20 what God has done for you." 35:22 Do you think that demoniac was a scholar? 35:24 Do you think he was a preacher or teacher? 35:26 No. 35:27 But he had an amazing story 35:28 about how God had delivered him. 35:30 And each and every one of you at home watching today, 35:32 you have a story on how God has transformed you. 35:35 Go tell someone about it, because it could bring someone, 35:39 it could bring that lost person to Jesus today. 35:42 Pastor Ryan, I love your excitement 35:44 and your enthusiasm for spreading the gospel. 35:46 Now I'm excited about Wednesday's lesson entitled, 35:49 "Sharing Our Experience." 35:51 In this lesson, Paul, formerly known as 35:54 Saul begins to share his powerful testimony 35:57 with King Agrippa. 35:58 Paul was a Pharisee, prior to his conversion, 36:00 and he wasn't just any Pharisee, 36:03 he was the ultimate Pharisee, the ultimate Pharisee. 36:07 You know how some people 36:08 are just incredibly good at their job? 36:10 Think about that person 36:12 in sales who's always going above 36:14 and beyond their quota. 36:17 Or the individual that got employee of the month, 36:21 every month out of the year. 36:24 That's how he was. 36:25 He was an overachiever if you will. 36:29 Saul was that type of Pharisee. 36:31 He was constantly persecuting God's people. 36:33 You see, he believed in a workspace theology 36:36 and it wasn't until after his conversion experience 36:39 that he embraced grace through faith in Christ. 36:43 But thank God that Paul's story didn't end with him 36:48 persecuting God's people. 36:50 And it goes on to show 36:52 how graceful and loving our God truly is. 36:56 You see, his story is that of a love story, 36:59 and we'll get into that. 37:00 And his experience can be broken down into three parts. 37:04 How many parts? Three parts. 37:06 All right, we've got part number one, 37:08 Paul's early life. 37:10 His second part is Paul's conversion experience. 37:14 And the third part is Paul's post conversion life. 37:18 Let's look at Paul's early life. 37:20 Let's take a look at that. 37:21 Go with me to Acts Chapter 26 37:25 and really verses 1 through 11, kind of sum up 37:30 or he gives his account of his early life, 37:32 but we're going to start in verse 2, 37:34 and then we're going to jump down 37:35 to verses 8 through 11. 37:37 Beginning in verse 2, 37:38 "I think myself happy, King Agrippa, 37:41 because today I shall answer for myself 37:44 before you concerning all the things 37:46 of which I am accused by the Jews." 37:48 Now, I can't imagine being happy 37:50 in a trial type of situation 37:54 where you're in a trial in front of the king 37:58 and his court, kind of defending yourself 38:00 for your life, but Paul viewed this 38:03 as a witnessing opportunity. 38:06 Let's look at verse 8. 38:07 It says, "Why should it be thought 38:09 incredible by you that God raises the dead? 38:12 Indeed, I myself thought I must do many things 38:15 contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 38:18 This I also did in Jerusalem, and many of the saints 38:21 I shut up in prison, having received authority 38:24 from the chief priests, 38:26 and when they were put to death, 38:27 I cast my vote against them. 38:29 And I punished them often in every synagogue 38:32 and compelled them to blaspheme 38:34 and being exceedingly enraged against them. 38:37 I persecuted them even to foreign cities." 38:40 So we see here that prior to Paul's conversion, 38:43 he was doing the exact same things 38:45 that the Jews sought to do to him. 38:47 He was persecuting God's people, 38:49 and putting them to death. 38:52 Now let's take a look at Paul's conversion experience. 38:56 This is where things get really exciting. 38:59 This is Paul's conversion experience. 39:01 Turn the page in your Bible over to... 39:05 We're still in Chapter 26, 39:07 but now we're looking at verses 12 through 18, 39:10 "While thus occupied, as I journeyed to Damascus 39:13 with authority and commission 39:15 from the chief priests, at midday, O king, 39:18 along the road I saw a light from heaven, 39:20 brighter than the sun, shining around me 39:23 and those who journeyed with me. 39:25 And when we all had fallen to the ground, 39:27 I heard a voice speaking to me 39:29 and saying in the Hebrew language, 39:31 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? 39:34 It is hard for you to kick against the goads.' 39:37 So I said, 'Who are You, Lord?' 39:40 And He said, 'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 39:44 But rise and stand on your feet, 39:46 for I have appeared to you for this purpose, 39:50 to make you a minister and a witness 39:52 both of the things which you have seen 39:54 and of the things which I will yet reveal to you. 39:57 I will deliver you from the Jewish people, 39:59 as well as from the Gentiles, 40:01 to whom I now send you, to open their eyes, 40:04 in order to turn them from darkness to light, 40:06 and from the power of Satan to God, 40:09 that they may receive forgiveness of sins 40:12 and an inheritance among those who are sanctified 40:15 by faith in Me." 40:18 That is powerful. That is powerful. 40:21 Paul had a powerful conversion experience. 40:24 And he also discovered 40:25 his God given purpose on this earth. 40:28 Verses 16 through 18 make that very clear. 40:32 Now we're jumping into part three. 40:34 Stay with me, now, we're jumping into part three. 40:36 We're looking at Paul's post conversion life, 40:39 which can be found in Acts 26:19-23. 40:44 All right, "Therefore, King Agrippa, 40:46 I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, 40:50 but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, 40:54 and throughout all the region of Judea, 40:56 and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, 41:00 turn to God, and do works befitting repentance. 41:04 For these reasons the Jews seized me 41:06 in the temple and tried to kill me. 41:08 Therefore, having obtained help from God, 41:10 to this day I stand, 41:11 witnessing both to small and great, 41:14 saying no other things 41:15 than those which the prophets and Moses said would come, 41:18 that the Christ would suffer, 41:19 that He would be the first to rise from the dead, 41:22 and would proclaim light to the Jewish people 41:24 and to the Gentiles." 41:26 One of the things that 41:27 I love about Paul is he doesn't discriminate. 41:29 You see, he's spreading the gospel 41:31 to multiple people groups, 41:32 anybody he can share the gospel with. 41:34 Even if he's on trial, he is excited. 41:37 He is excited to share the gospel. 41:41 And so he didn't limit it to one people group. 41:43 And God sought to do amazing things through Paul. 41:48 In fact, let's look at Paul's post. 41:52 We looked at his post conversion life, 41:54 but now let's go to Acts 19:11-12, 41:58 because I want to show you some of those amazing things 42:02 that God did through Paul. 42:05 Now verse 11 and 12, it says, 42:07 "Now God worked unusual miracles 42:10 by the hands of Paul, 42:12 so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought 42:15 from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them 42:18 and the evil spirits went out of them." 42:21 I mean, that is absolutely incredible, 42:23 especially when you take into consideration Paul's past 42:26 and where, where he was when he was Saul. 42:30 The purpose though, of those miracles, 42:33 the purpose of the miracles 42:35 was to bring honor and glory to Christ 42:37 because if you read later on in that story, 42:39 you find an interesting and in my opinion, 42:42 a rather funny account of people 42:44 who did things with the wrong motive. 42:47 And the evil spirits they said, you know, we know Jesus, 42:51 we know Paul, but who are you 42:53 and then they proceeded to beat him up, 42:56 beat them up and send them out of the house naked. 43:01 I love what the lesson points out here. 43:04 It says, witnessing is never about us, 43:06 it's always about Him. 43:08 He is the God who forgives our iniquities, 43:11 heals our diseases, crowns us with loving kindness 43:14 and satisfies us with good things. 43:17 Witnessing is simply sharing our story 43:20 of His amazing grace. 43:22 We all have a story to share 43:24 whether you've been in the church your whole life, 43:27 or you're just coming back. 43:29 If you've given your heart to the Lord, 43:31 you have a story to share. 43:33 Or if you were working against God, 43:36 and now you're leading people to Him, 43:38 you have a story to share. 43:41 The fact is, our stories are still being written. 43:43 So don't be discouraged. 43:45 As the lesson so beautifully states, 43:47 although John and Paul had different life experiences, 43:51 they both had a personal encounter with Jesus. 43:54 Their experience with Jesus was not one that occurred 43:57 at a particular point in the past 44:00 and was then over. 44:02 It was an ongoing daily experience 44:05 of rejoicing in His love 44:06 and walking in the light of His truth. 44:10 I think we need to take a look at 44:11 this like a marriage, right? 44:14 You wouldn't just marry your spouse and say, 44:16 "Okay, honey, we're married. 44:18 That's our experience. 44:19 That's the end of our experience." 44:21 Of course not, every day brings about new experiences. 44:25 The same is true about our walk with the Lord. 44:28 Every day, we have the opportunity 44:30 to rejoice in God's love and spend time with Him. 44:34 We should never be afraid to share our experience 44:38 of what Christ has brought us through, 44:40 where He has brought us to and what He has given us to do. 44:45 There are valuable lessons to be learned 44:48 from Paul's conversion experience. 44:50 And I think Jill will be pleased with this 44:52 because I think we have 44:53 quite a few lists going on here. 44:56 And so I'm going to share a couple lessons that 44:58 I've learned ever so quickly. 45:01 Lesson number one, God wants to save us 45:04 and He is willing to go above and beyond to do so. 45:08 But we have to be willing. 45:11 Lesson number two, our lives have purpose. 45:14 And God wants to use us 45:16 to do great things despite our past. 45:18 Lesson number three, 45:20 God wants to use us to help others 45:23 and lead people to Him. 45:25 Lesson number four, when we serve the Lord, 45:28 we have a peace that surpasses all understanding. 45:32 Paul was happy to share his experience, 45:34 even while he was in bondage in the king's court. 45:37 And lesson number five, 45:39 we are to have a daily experience with God. 45:43 What is your experience? 45:45 Share it with all those you come in contact. 45:48 Amen. Praise the Lord. 45:49 Thank you very much. Awesome. 45:50 Thursday's lesson, this is kind of 45:52 what we've all been leading up to, lesson is 45:55 "The Power Of Personal Testimony" 45:57 we've all been talking about. 45:58 So why don't we just kind of 45:59 quickly go over like four points 46:01 that I think everyone has made clear here. 46:03 You can find it in Desire of Ages, 340 46:05 and do some more reading and so on in there. 46:06 But first of all is tell, number one, 46:09 tell what you know. 46:12 What you know, don't try to tell 46:13 what you don't know, or what you've not experienced, 46:15 but tell what you know that what God has done for you. 46:18 Number two, what we our self has, 46:21 we've read here, what we have seen our self. 46:24 And then what we have heard our self, 46:27 and then I even like this, what we have felt. 46:31 You know, a lot of people are scared about 46:33 feelings and emotions, 46:35 I'm not because but I want to base it 46:37 with what the Scripture tells us. 46:38 But there is a feeling and there is emotion based upon 46:41 the truth of God's Word here 46:43 that we sense the presence of God many times. 46:46 We sense Him leading and opening doors for us. 46:49 So if we're following step by step, 46:51 Christ, our life every day, we're studying, we're praying, 46:54 we're following Christ step by step. 46:56 There's going to be something in your life that 46:58 you're going to be able to tell someone else concerning 47:01 how he's led you, 47:02 and then I like the promise of how He's not only lead you, 47:06 but how He's going to lead you in the future. 47:08 Praise God for that. 47:10 Witness, I think I read something 47:12 in Desire of Ages again through about 340, 47:15 where it says the world, you know, 47:16 the world is dying, perishing, for the want of a good witness 47:21 or a good testimony. 47:22 This is what changed. 47:23 When people begin to say, 47:25 this is what God has done for me. 47:27 My ears perk up, I don't know about yours, 47:29 but automatic, they might be saying, 47:31 well, here's what I've learned and I've learned this 47:33 and you will get that sometime on the panel, 47:35 believe it or not, people will call and say, 47:36 well, I know what she said and he'd said, 47:38 and they said, and you said. 47:40 When they say this is what God has done for me, 47:42 I'd love to share the testimony. 47:43 I'm all ears. 47:45 I'm all ears because I want to hear 47:47 what they've done for you. 47:48 It encouraged and strengthened me 47:50 and I'd love to share what God has done for me 47:52 and still doing for me, praise God. 47:54 There's a song says, 47:55 "I was lost, but now I'm found." 47:58 That's right. 47:59 You know, that's what this lesson, 48:01 this quarter is about, 48:02 that we're lost but now we're found through Him. 48:04 Desire of Ages, 341 says this. 48:06 I'm reading this because I think this will be an 48:09 encouragement to you as it was for me. 48:11 "Souls that have been degraded into instruments of Satan. 48:16 He gets a hold of someone, he degrades you, 48:18 and God's going to or the enemy is going to try 48:20 to use this, notice, through the power of Christ 48:23 there's a transformation that takes place 48:25 through the messenger of righteousness, 48:27 he sends forth," notice this, "by the Son of God, 48:30 and to tell what great things," 48:32 somebody mentioned that before in our lesson, 48:33 "what great things God had done." 48:35 Not just things, but what? Great things. 48:38 God doesn't do just things, 48:40 He does great things exceptional above 48:43 and beyond our mind, our comprehension. 48:45 And then we can certainly tell others about that. 48:48 You know, Thursday's lesson's a power 48:49 of personal testimony focuses once again 48:51 on our personal testimony of what God has done in 48:55 and through us and how we give it to others. 48:57 John Chapter 9, I do want to hit on this, 48:59 I think it very, very important. 49:00 John Chapter 9, a lot of verses there, 49:02 22 through 34. 49:04 I'm not going to read those 49:06 if you just allow me to go through, 49:07 but I want you to read those. 49:09 May I just say, that's your assignment, 49:10 take those and read every verse 49:12 because you want to make sure you're hearing 49:13 what is true. 49:14 John 9:22-34. 49:17 This is a story because we're talking about 49:19 an example of life that's changed. 49:21 We're talking about a story 49:23 of an individual personal testimony is given. 49:26 And I really like it. I've always liked this story. 49:29 Number one, because God's working but notice, 49:31 He's working through someone that was born blind, 49:33 and Jesus performed this miracle 49:36 and what happens? 49:37 Here comes, oh, be careful now. 49:39 Here come the leaders of the church. 49:42 That's not everybody's that way, 49:43 but you know, what? 49:45 Call it as it reads it. 49:46 This is what it happened, 49:48 doesn't mean it's always that way, now, 49:49 it's always going to be. 49:51 This is what happened right here. 49:52 Notice there, they were, 49:53 they knew that this guy was blind, right? 49:55 They knew that he had been healed. 49:56 And so they went to him and they said, you know, 49:59 "If any man says," verse 22, 50:02 notice what it says, "the Jew said it, 50:04 notice, if any man said it was Jesus, 50:06 he's going to be put out of," what? 50:10 "Synagogue." Synagogue. 50:11 They knew the people's going to say, 50:12 who did the healing here, 50:14 okay, and get this time for a witness. 50:15 Absolutely. Who's done the healing here? 50:17 But listen, if anybody comes here 50:19 and they say, "Who did it?" 50:20 Listen, you better watch what you... 50:22 Oh, my. 50:23 You better watch what you say, 50:24 or we're going to put you out of the synagogue. 50:27 Now, is that what it said? 50:29 That's what it said, he puts you out of synagogue 50:31 and then what we would say today, 50:33 if you do what we... 50:35 Well, we're going to disfellowship you. 50:37 See, you can be disfellow. 50:39 The same word, same thing is 50:40 just transpiring and taking place here 50:41 good, better, or ugly. 50:43 They were trying to set him up 50:44 and like I think you mentioned there, 50:46 Pastor Ryan, about, you know, 50:48 they were setting up some things. 50:49 That's right. 50:50 Because they realize they didn't want 50:52 this attributed to Jesus, 50:53 the King of kings and the One that could perform 50:55 and work miracles. 50:56 And so they said like, "Nope, 50:58 if anybody comes you don't dare say that it was Jesus, 51:00 'cause if you do, you're going to be 51:01 out of the church, you're going to be 51:03 disfellowshipped and then they thought, 51:04 "Well, okay, now we need to go to the parents." 51:06 You know, in the story, 51:08 you need to go to verse 23 just simply says there, 51:10 so they asked the parents, you know, 51:12 parents, you know. 51:13 What did the parents do? 51:15 Well, may I ask it nicely, they threw him under the bus. 51:19 They threw their own son, 51:20 that's what we would say nowadays. 51:22 They threw him under the bus immediately 51:24 and they said, "Man, he is of age. 51:28 Ask him, don't ask me because I don't want to, 51:31 you know get in problem with the church. 51:32 I don't want to be disfellowshipped, 51:34 I don't want to be thrown out." 51:35 So you ask him, verse 24, 51:38 "Then they call the man that was blind." 51:40 I like that. 51:41 That's where we should have started as far as I'm concern. 51:43 Go to the one and asked him verse 24. 51:47 And they said, "Listen, you know, 51:49 when people ask you how, 51:51 see, they knew he was blind from birth. 51:53 They knew it was a miracle. They couldn't get around it. 51:55 And so they said, right here, somebody comes to you 51:57 and ask you who did this miracle, 51:59 you say God did it. 52:02 Basically, they might have been tougher language in that, 52:04 they might have said, don't you dare. 52:05 Don't you dare. 52:06 I'm just saying what you think don't give God the praise. 52:10 They told him what he should be saying, 52:14 rather than what he wanted to say 52:15 from the heart, 52:17 because we see that as we go on. 52:18 You know, because why? 52:21 Because the one that claims to have healed is a sinner. 52:26 They call Him the King of kings and Lord of Lord a what? 52:28 A sinner. 52:30 And so they said, he's a sinner. 52:31 He couldn't do it. Verse 25, I like this. 52:33 The once blind man 52:35 sets the record straight, notice by what? 52:38 By his personal, by his personal testimony. 52:42 It was his personal testimony. I like it. 52:44 I mean, he said, "Listen, 52:45 when he comes to you, people start asking you, 52:47 here's what you better say." 52:48 And he said, look, hey, look this is the way it is. 52:51 Whether he be a sinner or not, what does this say? 52:55 I don't know. But one thing I know. 52:58 See, I love this, but one thing, 53:00 see if you know there's nobody that can take it away from me. 53:02 That's right. 53:04 You know that Christ lives in your heart. 53:05 He's worked a miracle in your life, 53:06 you were sinner and saved by grace, 53:08 which we all are. Worked a miracle in our life. 53:11 No one can take that away from you 53:12 and don't let anyone take that away from you. 53:14 Amen. 53:15 He said, All I know is he sinner or not, I don't know. 53:18 But one thing I know wherein I was blind, now I see. 53:22 This thing, I mean, I could say it 53:24 over and over all day long. 53:25 You know, I was blind, but now I see. 53:28 They couldn't fight that, 53:29 they didn't know what to do for him. 53:30 They said, "Oh, my." And he goes on. 53:32 And I don't know if he wants to get their God 53:34 just a little bit more or not when he said, 53:37 the volume had said there's nothing has happened 53:39 like this since the foundation that where I was born blind. 53:41 We don't know of anybody 53:42 in Scripture that now is healed. 53:44 Verse 34. What happened? 53:46 They couldn't take it. 53:48 Verse 34, best to paraphrase, 53:49 they couldn't take it anymore the testimony 53:51 and they cast him out. 53:54 They cast him out. 53:56 Sometime when you're doing what God wants you to do 53:58 and you're bearing a testimony, 53:59 you may be out in the world, you may they 54:01 say demon possessed or maybe all kinds of things 54:03 going on low down dirty, whatever it might be. 54:06 But let's say, God can come in 54:07 wherever you want to sit here on this panel, 54:08 He can touch, He can change, He can make you whole, 54:11 nothing is too big for God. 54:13 God loves to do good thing. 54:14 He just simply says, "Come unto me, 54:16 all you that are labor and heavy laden 54:18 and I will give you rest." 54:20 There's many who are looking for rest 54:22 because they're running out around through that, 54:24 was it the graveyard? 54:25 That's right. You know, I mean, 54:26 they're the demons and things are going on. 54:28 They don't know where they're going, 54:29 what they're doing in life, 54:30 and they're looking for direction. 54:32 I spend more, little time about Paul 54:33 but you covered it very well because part of the back, 54:35 second part of the lesson deals with Paul and Agrippa. 54:37 But notice you had Paul who was a born again Christian, 54:41 his heart was filled with the love of Jesus, 54:44 you had Agrippa who had a hard heart. 54:45 He didn't want anything to do with Christ and the two met. 54:49 And you notice that, when you have a hard heart 54:51 and you're cold, bless your heart, 54:52 you can't draw anyone to Christ. 54:54 You got this long face, you're walking around 54:56 is dragging on the sidewalk. 54:57 You call yourself a Christian. 54:59 No one's going to pay any attention. 55:00 Isn't it true, no one's going to pay attention to that? 55:02 I like to see a smile on somebody's face. 55:04 You say you love Jesus, you should be happy 55:05 no matter what's going on in your life. 55:07 God can look and make us happy for sure in Him. 55:10 But I just want to encourage you today. 55:13 We have a power of a personal testimony. 55:16 That's right. 55:18 Again, that no man can give you, 55:19 no man can take away 55:20 and I just encourage you to stay with that. 55:22 You say, I don't know the Bible, 55:24 I can't give a Bible study. I can't be a witness. 55:26 I don't how to do it. 55:27 Tell, we said it over and over and we'll continue to say it 55:30 this whole quarter, tell what God has done for you. 55:33 That's right. 55:34 My life probably has been changed as I realized, 55:36 you know, by people trying to give Bible study 55:38 but I've been changed much more by people who say, 55:40 this is what God's done for me. 55:42 Oh, you have a personal testimony. 55:43 Please share it with others, 55:45 it'll change their heart and their life. 55:46 Amen. 55:48 Thank you so much, Pastor Kenny, 55:49 the power of personal testimony. 55:51 Want to give each one of you a moment to share 55:53 something about your day 55:54 or just about this week in general? 55:55 Okay, I'll summarize it in two separate lines. 55:59 Our reaction to the gospel is not as important 56:02 as our change because of the gospel. 56:06 It is not just what we believe, but it is what we become 56:10 that makes the difference in the life of a witness. 56:12 Amen. Amen. 56:15 Brother Kenny just brought it out so clearly, 56:17 probably one of the greatest simplest lines of witness 56:21 that a person can read in all of Scripture 56:23 is right there in the 25th verse of John 56:24 Chapter 9, when the brother says, 56:26 "One thing I know, though I was blind, now I see." 56:30 I think every single one of us can relate to that story that 56:33 once I was blind, and now, 56:35 Ryan Day sees by the grace of God. 56:38 Amen. I love that. 56:40 You know, as I think about Wednesday's lesson, 56:42 it just really goes to show that 56:45 God wants to use us in spite of us. 56:47 And so maybe you're thinking to myself, 56:50 like I've never had that experience 56:52 or maybe I've never given God a chance. 56:55 Today is your day to give God a chance, 56:58 so that you can now have an experience 57:01 to share with others. 57:02 God wants to do great things in your life. 57:04 And we see that He did great things in Paul's life. 57:07 So give him a chance today and the Bible, 57:11 not even, don't take my word for it. 57:14 Take the word of God for it. 57:16 God will not leave you the same 57:18 and you will be all the better for it. 57:20 Amen. Just two simple quick lines. 57:22 It says here, "Take heed and do thyself 57:24 and into the doctrine," 57:26 but notice, "thyself needs the first attention." 57:30 That's good. 57:31 Thank you so much, Pastor Kenny, and Jason, 57:34 and Ryan, and Pastor John, 57:35 thank you for opening up your personal testimony 57:37 and the Word of God. 57:39 Thank you for joining us as well. 57:40 I want to leave you with this quote 57:42 from Desire of Ages, 340, 57:44 "As witnesses for Christ we are to tell what we know 57:47 what we ourselves have seen and heard and felt. 57:50 If we've been following Jesus step by step, 57:53 we shall have something to say concerning the way 57:57 that He has led us." 57:58 So I want to encourage you to get out and share 58:01 what Jesus has done in your own life. 58:04 Join us next week, 58:05 "Seeing People Through Jesus' Eyes." |
Revised 2020-07-09