Humble yourselves before God and resort to prayer, for you cannot and must not attempt to work at variance.
Walk the narrow plank of faith. Trust all on the promises of the Lord. Trust God in darkness. That is the time to have faith. But you often let feeling govern you. You look for worthiness in yourselves when you do not feel comforted by the Spirit of God, and despair because you cannot find it. You do not trust enough in Jesus, precious Jesus. You do not make His worthiness to be all, all. The very best you can do will not merit the favor of God. It is Jesus’ worthiness that will save you, His blood that will cleanse you. But you have efforts to make. You must do what you can on your part. Be zealous and repent, then believe. (Testimonies for the Church 1:167)
I saw that if we do not feel immediate answers to our prayers, we should hold fast our faith, not allowing distrust to come in, for that will separate us from God. If our faith wavers, we shall receive nothing from Him. Our confidence in God should be strong; and when we need it most, the blessing will fall upon us like a shower of rain.
When the servants of God pray for His Spirit and blessing, it sometimes comes immediately; but it is not always then bestowed. At such times, faint not. Let your faith hold fast the promise that it will come. Let your trust be fully in God, and often that blessing will come when you need it most, and you will unexpectedly receive help from God when you are presenting the truth to unbelievers, and will be enabled to speak the word with clearness and power.
There are at least 37 different parables that Jesus told. Some of these stories are repeated in three of the Gospels, but the book of John does not contain any of them. People can listen without hearing, but it’s impossible to hear without listening. When people truly hear someone, they take the words into their hearts. The words stay with them as they consider the meaning and absorb what was said. Really hearing someone involves a commitment.
The Pharisees listened to Jesus speak, but they didn’t really hear Him. Though they might have understood the literal meaning of His stories, they never grasped the deeper concepts about God and His kingdom. His words entered their ears but never made it to their hearts, perhaps because they had decided in advance that they would not believe what He had to say. Their hearts were hardened against Him.
After telling the story of the sower, Jesus explained to His disciples why He spoke in parables. He quoted a prophecy from Isaiah that was fulfilled by the attitudes of the Pharisees who were, by their own choice, spiritually blind and deaf.
God always desires people to turn from their sins and be forgiven. If the Pharisees had been willing to hear Jesus and take His words to heart, God would have been glad to accept them.
KEY BIBLE TEXTS “And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable.”
“And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:”
“That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.”
AN AMAZING FACT: When Alexander the Great was leading his victorious armies down through Asia Minor, the great leader came at last to the foothills of the mighty Himalayas, beyond which lay the Khyber Pass and India. As far as Alexander was concerned, he was standing at the end of the world. You see, up until that time no maps had been made of the vast territory before him. As far as he knew he was marching his soldiers off the map of the world!
Often when ancient mapmakers reached the edge of what had been charted, they drew a line and depicted dragons and monsters beyond. You can understand why this practice didn’t exactly encourage exploration. One Roman commander in the first century had led his troops beyond the line on the map into “dragon territory.” He sent a courier back to Rome with a straightforward message: “We have just marched off the map. Please send new orders.”
In the same way, when Columbus first sailed west in search of a shortcut to the Indies, he knew he would be essentially sailing off the map into a region that mapmakers marked with sea monsters. Moreover, because of the unknown distance ahead, he loaded his ships with as many provisions as they could carry and set sail by faith across the trackless sea, believing God was urging him forward.
When we consider conditions in the world today, with the unprecedented change in every arena of life, it would seem we have reached a point in history where we are drifting off the map! But the good news is that nothing that happens takes God by surprise. All these things have been charted before in Bible prophecy. When Daniel was asked to interpret a strange dream of an ancient Babylonian king, he said, “But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days” (Daniel 2:28).
Nothing is hidden from God’s eyes, not even the ends of the earth. The past, present, and future are all before the Lord.
KEY BIBLE TEXTS: For the LORD thy God hath blessed thee in all the works of thy hand: he knoweth thy walking through this great wilderness: these forty years the LORD thy God hath been with thee; thou hast lacked nothing. Deuteronomy 2:7
The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to uphold a coach’s right to pray on school grounds immediately after high school football games has raised concerns about the wall of separation between church and state. What is the issue, and should you be worried?
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness …
The central issue in the book of Revelation is worship, and Satan tries to pull out all the stops to lead people astray—replacing truth with error. In this brand-new episode, learn why an understanding of the Bible and Bible prophecy is critical as we approach earth’s final days, and why we should believe God’s Word rather than man’s.
During this time in earth’s history, many people don’t know what, or whom, to trust! The book of Revelation shows us that the Bible is unchanging and can be counted on in an ever-changing world. Discover how this Biblical prophecy can give you assurance in the Bible and increase your faith in God.
AN AMAZING FACT: The shortest complete sentence in the English language is “I AM.
”While Moses tended his father-in-law’s flocks in the desert at the base of Mount Horeb, he stumbled upon a burning bush. The bush caught his attention because, although it burned, it did not burn up. Suddenly God’s voice came out of the bush and told Moses to return to Egypt and lead the Israelites out of slavery. Moses challenged the voice, saying, “Who shall I tell them sent me?” God replied, “I AM WHO I AM.”
God needs no definition, no justification, no explanation. He simply is.
“Why do we define ourselves by our circumstances or by what we do for a living?” asks life coach Judy Kelly. I am a housewife, we say. I am a student. I am a father. I am an engineer. I am a doctor. “As Christians, our identity is Child of God,” Kelly says. “All children of God are given gifts, or talents, which can be used to fulfill different roles.” Paul describes these roles as parts of the body of Christ. We are placed in certain roles—son, daughter, brother, sister—and we choose others—student, wife, mother, business owner, church secretary, etc. “Our roles are to be used simply to express our talents, not define who we are,” Kelly says. When we use them to define who we are, we inevitably set unreachable standards that we think we have to achieve in order to be valuable.
But the I AM says you are valuable not for what you do, but simply because YOU ARE—just because He made you.
KEY BIBLE TEXTS For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; Romans 12:4-6
Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah, and thy land Beulah: for the LORD delight in thee, and thy land shall be married. Isaiah 62:4
Satan’s work is to discourage the soul. Christ’s work is to inspire the heart with faith and hope. Mind, Character, and Personality,
AN AMAZING FACT: In ancient Egypt, a person guilty of some wrongdoing might carry a pan of burning coals on his head as a sign of repentance.
A story about a boy at summer camp who received a box of cookies from home. He ate a few and then put the rest under his bed. The next day they were gone. His counselor saw another boy eating them down by the lake, so he approached the first boy and said, “I know who stole your cookies. Would you like to teach him a lesson?” The boy agreed, so the counselor said, “Ask your mom to send you another box of cookies.”
When the new box arrived, the counselor encouraged the boy to go share them with the boy who had stolen his cookies. He hesitated, “But why? Shouldn’t he be punished?” But the counselor insisted he find the boy and try to share with him anyway. Later the counselor saw the two boys walking with their arms around each other’s shoulders. The kindness of the first boy so touched the one who stole the cookies that he insisted his new friend take his pocketknife as payment for his crime.
The hunger in the heart of the little boy who stole the cookies might have been more than physical. Perhaps he didn’t hear from home very much. So by looking beyond the obvious wrong, the first boy touched the heart of this robber and made him a friend. Even though the boy had the right to demand retribution, the counselor’s approach created a companion.
Paul said, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21).
David once had the right to execute justice toward an evil man named Nabal. After David and his men protected Nabal’s flocks and herds for months, they requested some supplies, but David’s men were spurned by Nabal, who even threatened them. The future king of Israel was enraged and marched his troops to teach this selfish man a thing or two. But Nabal’s wife got wind of her husband’s selfish response and prepared a large supply of food for David and his men. Then she intercepted David and humbly pleaded for mercy. It touched David’s heart, and he received her gifts and turned back from his mission of vengeance.
When we show kindness to our enemies, it has the potential to bring remorse, to “burn” their conscience. God rewards us when we seek to show love, even to our foes.
KEY BIBLE TEXTS If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink: For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the LORD shall reward thee. Proverbs 25:21-22
Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art my servant; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away. Isaiah 41:9.
Many have confused ideas as to what constitutes faith, and they live altogether below their privileges. They confuse feeling and faith, and are continually distressed and perplexed in mind; for Satan takes all possible advantage of their ignorance and inexperience…. We are to accept of Christ as our personal Saviour, or we shall fail in our attempt to be overcomers. It will not answer for us to hold ourselves aloof from Him, to believe that our friend or our neighbor may have Him for a personal Saviour, but that we may not experience His pardoning love. We are to believe that we are chosen of God, to be saved by the exercise of faith, through the grace of Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit; and we are to praise and glorify God for such a marvelous manifestation of His unmerited favor. It is the love of God that draws the soul to Christ, to be graciously received, and presented to the Father. Through the work of the Spirit the divine relationship between God and the sinner is renewed. The Father says: “I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people. I will exercise forgiving love toward them, and bestow upon them my joy. They shall be to me a peculiar treasure; for this people whom I have formed for myself shall show forth my praise.”
The Father sets His love upon His elect people who live in the midst of men. These are the people whom Christ has redeemed by the price of His own blood; and because they respond to the drawing of Christ, through the sovereign mercy of God, they are elected to be saved as His obedient children. Upon them is manifested the free grace of God, the love wherewith He hath loved them. Everyone who will humble himself as a little child, who will receive and obey the word of God with a child’s simplicity, will be among the elect of God.13The Signs of the Times, January 2, 1893.
You can prove yourself elected of Christ by being faithful; you can prove yourself the chosen of Christ by abiding in the vine.
Memory Text: “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2, NKJV).
Hebrews 11 and 12 are probably the most-loved chapters of the book. They describe the Christian life as a race in which we all participate and in which all who stay faithful will receive the reward. They also describe the drama of Redemption as a race in which people of faith from the past persevered, despite sufferings, but have not yet received the reward.
And that’s because the story ends with us, as well, not just them. We are the concluding act. The drama culminates with our entering and running the last part of the race, and with Jesus seated at the goal line at the right hand of God. He provides inspiration as well as the ultimate example of how the race is run. He is the ultimate Witness that the reward is true and that He is the Forerunner who opens the way for us (Heb. 6:19, 20; Heb. 10:19–23).
Hebrews 11 explains that faith is confidence in God’s promises, even if we cannot see their fulfillment yet. This lesson will explore what faith is and how it is obtained through the examples of the past and, especially and centrally, through the example of Jesus, “the founder and perfecter of our faith” (Heb. 12:2, ESV).
The United States Bullion Depository, located on the Fort Knox Army post site, is said to be the most impregnable vault on Earth. The virtual fortress is built out of granite, concrete, and steel, sealed behind a 22-ton door, protected by a 109,000-acre U.S. military base, and watched over day and night by Army units with tanks, heavy artillery, and Apache helicopter gunships at their disposal.It is ringed by fences and multiple alarms, and few people have been inside the highly classified Fort Knox bunker. The depository is a top-secret facility. Visitors are not permitted, and exceptions are not made. It is easy to see why the depository’s nickname, Fort Knox, has become synonymous with total security and inspired expressions like “It’s locked up tighter than Fort Knox.”
The U.S. Mint says that the Fort Knox vault contains 147.2 million troy ounces of gold, stacked in bars measuring 7 inches long, 3 and 5/8 inches wide, and 1 and 3/4 inches thick. Each bar weighs approximately 400 ounces, or 27 and 1/2 pounds. In today’s market that’s about $238 billion. If all the pure gold were put in a single cube, it would measure 20.3 feet on a side. In total, the depository holds 2.5 percent of all the gold ever refined.
Since its construction in 1937, the treasures locked inside Fort Knox have included more than gold. During the uncertainties of World War II, other national treasures from Europe and the U.S. were also protected in the vault. These included the United States Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, the Gettysburg Address, the Magna Carta, and three volumes of the Gutenberg Bible. Yes, Bibles! Those priceless copies of the Scriptures may have been the most valuable bullion ever stored in Fort Knox.
How valuable are the Scriptures in your life? King David wrote that he loved God’s commandments more than fine gold, while King Solomon said, “How much better to get wisdom than gold!” (Proverbs 16:16). If David, called a man after God’s own heart, and Solomon, the wisest king in history, valued God’s Word so highly, shouldn’t we make it our top priority as well?
KEY BIBLE TEXTS
Therefore I love thy commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold. Psalms 119:127
You cannot atone for your past sins; you cannot change your heart and make yourself holy.
But God promises to do all this for you through Christ. When you believe that promise. When you confess your sins and give yourself to God. When you will to serve Him. Just as surely as you do this, God will fulfill His word to you.
If you believe the promise,–believe that you are forgiven and cleansed.
Those who are the partakers of the grace of Christ will be ready to make any sacrifice, that others for whom He died may share the heavenly gift. Steps to Christ, p.78
WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO PEOPLE WHO HAVE NEVER HEARD ABOUT JESUS?
The apostle Paul dealt with this question when writing to the church at Rome. In speaking of the light of the law as clearly given in the Old Testament, he says, “For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law” (Romans 2:12). In other words, we will be judged by the light we are given.
Then Paul goes on somewhat of a tangent to discuss the deeper purpose of the law and how even the Gentiles have been given some light. “For not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified; for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness” (v. 13–15). So even if the small impulse to do good is planted in the heart of every person, and such a person responds to this divine light, they are keeping the law because “love is the fulfillment of the law” (13:10).
In the same way that every person has physical life because of the power of Christ, so also does each person have spiritual light, a perception of what is right. That divine light might not be very bright and that desire to do good can be snuffed out by evil choices, yet it has been given in some measure to every person.
Earlier Paul explains that “since the creation of the world [God’s] invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:20). Each person is given some capability to see and understand God through nature and through the mind. Though limited, it is sufficient to provide a stepping-stone toward the Creator.
Those who have been allied to the world should heed the invitation of the Lord. He says, “Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing.” … The bright beams of the Sun of Righteousness are to shine upon you, that you may be beautified with holiness.
The Covenant
The book of Hebrews, in all its depth and sublimity, is, in many ways, just one long exhortation to Jewish believers in Jesus. And what it exhorts them to do is: Stay faithful to the Lord!
This faithfulness, of course, should stem from our love of God, of who He is and of His character and goodness, most powerfully expressed at the cross of Christ.
One of the sincerest religious people in the Bible was Saul of Tarsus. He explained his credentials by stating, “I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, taught according to the strictness of our fathers’ law, and was zealous toward God as you all are today” (Acts 22:3).
But his fervor took a sudden turn: “I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prison both men and women, as also the high priest bears me … from whom I also received letters to the brethren, and went to Damascus to bring in chains even those who were there to Jerusalem to be punished” (verse. 4, 5).
When it came to salvation, the man who would become the apostle Paul didn’t need more zeal. He needed a converted heart. We can sincerely try to do what we think is right, but it might be very wrong. That’s why we must come before the searcher of all hearts; we must expose ourselves to Bible truth and ask God to convict us of sin. Unless we repent and turn from self, our best efforts to do right are like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). The most respected religious teacher in Israel, Nicodemus, was told quite directly by Christ that he needed to be “born again” (John 3:3).
Zeal and sincerity are not bad in and of themselves, but in an unconverted heart they can lead us astray, like in the life of Saul. If we were to replace the word zeal for “my best efforts” and then ask, “Will not my best efforts save me?” the Bible answer is “No!” Even good works will not save us. “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5).
KEY BIBLE TEXTS Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, 2 Timothy 1:9
If Christ is dwelling in our hearts, He will work in us
I, the Lord , search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings. Jeremiah 17:10
Accepting Jesus (or “starting a relationship with Jesus” or “inviting Jesus into your life” or “becoming a Christian”) is not the same thing as following Jesus. It’s just the first step in a lifetime of steps.
Sadly, some people never move past accepting Jesus. They say “yes” to his forgiveness, enjoy the moment, and then set it aside. Maybe they think “following Jesus” is like following someone on social media, which is totally passive. All you need to do is click a link, swipe a screen, or confirm a request.
But following Jesus requires us to be actively and intentionally connected to him personally. We can’t just check in now and then, or mute his updates or ignore the notifications. We need to make time to be with him, to listen to him, to learn about him, and to learn from him.
Human hearts are like soil. Things grow there – thoughts, ideas, and attitudes. Some of the things that grow are good. Some aren’t. Even in the most beautiful gardens, weeds grow and need to be pulled so the good plants can be healthy. And even in the rockiest places, where there’s no dirt to be seen, trees and other plants find ways to grow. But they can’t survive heavy storms, and they won’t grow tall and strong without deep roots.
Heart “soil” can change. Hard and rocky hearts can be transformed into gentle and loving hearts. Dry and dusty hearts can be changed into joyful and kind hearts. Weedy hearts can be changed into clean and pure hearts.
We can’t change our hearts on our own. Only God can make that kind of change, which he promises to do if we give up control and trust Him to work in our lives.
THINK ABOUT THIS
What things might cause a heart to be rocky? shallow? filled with weeds and thorns?
What needs to change about the “soil” of your heart?
Even healthy soil needs tending – weeding, fertilizing, mulching, etc. How do you tend the soil of your heart? What tending do you still need?
Luke 8:11-15 “Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.
Jesus said, “A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. A tree is identified by its fruit”. He’s talking about people, not trees. And “fruit” symbolizes our thoughts, attitudes, and actions.
“Good fruit” are things like love, joy, peace, patience, honesty, kindness, goodness, justice, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control.
“Bad fruit” are things like selfishness, pride, greed, anger, envy, gossip, unkindness, and hatred.
As we follow Jesus and grow closer to him, his Spirit living in us will help us produce more and more good fruit, and less and less bad fruit. The changes in thoughts, attitudes, and actions will continue for a person’s whole life because God is never done teaching us, shaping us, encouraging us, and transforming us into the person he created us to be – someone who consistently loves him and loves others.
For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. Galatians 5:17-23
