Friday, February 26, 2010

This Week's insight

The blog does not produce these 1888 Sabbath school insights, I merely distribute them. I simply copy and paste. Unfortunately, this week's insight has some problems. Some of the word's do not translate will from PDF to any other program. And, I had no time to correct the the portions of word's in question. However, here is the link to this week's insight from the original website. http://1888msc.org/site/1/docs/9_BH_Meeknesss.pdf. In fact here is the link to the website: http://1888msc.org/.

The website http://www.1888mpm.org/ also has "insights". There's is called Sabbath School Today. Here is the link to this week's: http://www.1888mpm.org/book/lesson-9-fruit-spirit-meekness. Here is a link to a PDF version: http://www.1888mpm.org/files/Lesson%209-Meekness.pdf.

Sorry for any incovenience. Hope the info serves you well.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

"The Fruit of the Spirit is Faithfulness"

"The Fruit of the Spirit is Faithfulness"

The rewards promised to the faithful defy description: the crown of everlasting life, entrance into the joy of the Lord, and other blessings so great we cannot even imagine them (see Revelation 2:10, Matthew 25:21 & 1 Corinthians 2:9).
Defining the word Faithfulness:

 Psalm 40:10. "I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation."
 Isaiah 11:5 "And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins."
 Psalm 143:1 "O LORD, give ear to my supplications: in thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness."

Taking license from the passages above, and from the 1888 Messengers themselves, we will hereafter use the words faithfulness and righteousness interchangeably.
Alas, we look into our hearts and see that there is "no good thing" (Romans 7:18). If we recognize our true condition, Romans 7:24 will be our heart‟ cry: "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" With Paul, we can thank God for passages such as Lamentations 3:22-23: "It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness."

Revelation 19:11 lists "Faithful" as one of Christ‟ names. The good news is that, wretched though we are, we may choose to make the Lord our "portion" (See Lamentations 3:24). When we are "hid with Christ in God" then His faithfulness is our own. So long as we remain hidden there – dead to self and alive in Him, there is no condemnation (see Colossians 3:1-4).

Many fail of possessing that "goodly portion" for the same reason that Israel failed of fully occupying the land of Canaan. Many giants "great and tall" have occupied the territory of our hearts, and we have not the strength or courage to chase them 2
out.

The priests and rulers rejected Christ because they knew that letting Him into their hearts would change them into His image. They did not desire to become humble and self-sacrificing. His very presence made them see the contrast between their pride and selfishness and His pure, selfless love. They recognized that someone had to die. They chose to keep their pride and kill their Savior. Consider the implications of this choice:

1. They could "let" the mind of Christ to come into them – the mind which "made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men" (see Philippians 2:5).

2. They could resist that humility and love, thus leaving their hearts un-protected from the unscrupulous "prince of darkness" whose purpose is to destroy Christ and all that reflect His faithfulness. They wanted a Messiah that would save them on their own terms. Has that also been our heart‟ desire? "[W]e are often led to seek Jesus by the desire for some earthly good; and upon the granting of our request we rest our confidence in His love. The Saviour longs to give us a greater blessing than we ask; and He delays the answer to our request that He may show us the evil of our own hearts, and our deep need of His grace. He desires us to renounce the selfishness that leads us to seek Him. Confessing our helplessness and bitter need, we are to trust ourselves wholly to His love" (Desire of Ages page 200). "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it" (1 Corinthians 10:13). We need not wonder what that way of escape might be, for Jesus says, "I am the way" (John 14:6).

We are told to seek Him, and find Him (Jeremiah 29:13). How far must we search in order to find the One who is the "way"? He is standing right at the door of our hearts (see Revelation 3:20). There He knocks – persistently, patiently. We have come full circle, back to Philippians 2:5. We have only to open the door of our hearts to Jesus, and let this mind of His come in and "be" in us. Then the "Author and Finisher of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2) will make us faithful, or "sanctify you wholly" (1 Thessalonians 5:23). "Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it" (1 Thessalonians 5:24).

Thursday‟ lesson states that the question is not, "„will God be Faithful?‟but "Will I allow Him to be faithful in me until the end?‟

A. T. Jones answers, "[W]e need the faithfulness of Jesus Christ to keep us faithful. And shall we wait for persecution to scatter us abroad, in order to preach the word? God forbid! Let us go by genuine faith, and in the faithfulness of Jesus, who came voluntarily when God called (November 11, 1893 ATJ, HOMI 222.2).

"As sons in God's house we are to exercise the same faithfulness that Christ did, and this we can do because He gives us His own faith. „The life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God.‟Gal. ii. 20. Christ dwelling in the heart by faith, exercises His own faith, by which He kept the Father's commandments, and abode in His love; so that it can be said: „Here are they that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.‟Rev. xiv. 12. This faith alone overcomes the world. (September 30, 1897 EJW, PTUK 612.7)

" God's presence gives life to the throne on which He sits, and to the soul in which He dwells. Departure from Him means certain death. Wherefore take heed, and keep the faith" (October 21, 1897 EJW, PTUK 659.35).

Revelation 2:10 says, "Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life." It seems clear that those who persist in keeping the heart‟ door open to the knocking Christ of Revelation 3:20 will have within them that steadfast faithfulness. "When the character of Christ shall be perfectly reproduced in His people, then He will come to claim them as His own" (COL 69.1)

E. J. Waggoner summarizes our study on faithfulness thus: "[T]he faith of Christ must bring the righteousness of God, because the possession of that faith is the possession of the Lord himself. This faith is dealt to every man, even as Christ gave himself to every man. Do you ask what then can prevent every man from being saved? The answer is, Nothing, except the fact that all men will not keep the faith. If all would keep all that God gives them, all would be saved" (January 16, 1896 EJW, SITI 36.5).
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Friday, February 12, 2010

"The Fruit of the Spirit is Goodness"

Do you ever listen reflectively to the conversations that take place around you every day?

Someone says, "Hi! How are you?" We may answer, "I‟m good. How about yourself?" We hear another person exclaim, "Look at that! Oh my good----!" Then there‟s the familiar admonition, "Watch where you‟re going, for good----‟ sake."

This week‟s Sabbath School lesson, focusing on goodness as a fruit of the Spirit, provides a wonderful opportunity for us to reflect on this God-given gift and what it means to you and me in the context of the most precious message God sent to prepare us for Christ‟s soon-coming (see Testimonies to Ministers, pp. 91-93).

As the foregoing examples illustrate, being "good" and references to "my goodness" are often stated in casual, exclamatory or flippant contexts. The focus of this week‟s Sabbath School lesson, however, is not about the goodness of man, but the goodness of God.

The Psalmist writes, "Oh that men would praise the Lord for His goodness and for His wonderful works to the children of men" (Psalm 107:8, 15, 21, 31).*

Psalm 107:1 begins with the exhortation "Oh, give thanks to the Lord for He is good."

In the beginning when God created our world, the Bible says, "Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good" (Genesis 1:31).

Sin came in and changed everything: "Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually"(Genesis 6:5). Further, we read: "There is none who does good, no not one" (Romans 3:12).

But the gospel brings Good News to light. God did not abandon us, sinful though we were. When Jesus left the heavenly courts to come to this world as our Savior, angels announced His birth to the shepherds, flooding the night-time skies with Good News! They proclaimed: "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:10, 11). Fear was the very first consequence of sin. Adam and Eve hid from their Maker in the garden. But Jesus came to this world to reconcile us to Himself.

This good news would cast out fear. It would embolden martyrs throughout the ages to die by flame or sword, their faces lit with holy joy. It would inspire gospel workers to brave unknown dangers in distant lands to carry the precious gospel seed. It would prompt the rich to give all for Him. It would cause those who proclaimed it to rejoice in trial and hardship. This powerful good news propelled the gospel to the world in a single generation in Christ‟s day, and this is the good news that will soon lighten the whole earth with the glory of God!

The miraculous transformation of the human heart from vile to pure; the transformation that fills Christ‟s followers with holy boldness, is the result of beholding God‟s goodness to us. In Romans 2:4 the apostle Paul writes, "Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?"

E.J. Waggoner says, "We need not try to improve on the Scriptures, and say that the goodness of God tends to lead men to repentance. The Bible says that it does lead them to repentance, and we may be sure that it is so. Every man is being led toward repentance as surely as God is good. But not all repent? Why? Because they despise the riches of the goodness and forbearance and long-suffering of God, and break away from the merciful leading of the Lord. But whoever does not resist the Lord, will surely be brought to repentance and salvation" (Waggoner on Romans, p. 42).

Sister White explains the power of God‟s goodness in leading us to Himself: "As Christ draws them to look upon His cross, to behold Him whom their sins have pierced, ... they begin to comprehend something of the righteousness of Christ. ... The sinner may resist this love, may refuse to be drawn to Christ; but if he does not resist, he will be drawn to Jesus; a knowledge of the plan of salvation will lead him to the foot of the cross in repentance for his sins, which have caused the sufferings of God‟s dear Son" (Steps to Christ, p. 27).

Speaking to a group convened for the 1895 General Conference session, Brother Jones explores the depths of God‟s goodness in giving up everything for us:

"Did Jesus come to this world and then go back as He was before, and thus His sacrifice be for only thirty-three years? The answer is that it was for all eternity. The Father gave up His Son to us, and Christ gave up Himself for all eternity. Never again will He be in all respects as He was before.

"„He who was one with God has linked Himself with the children of men by ties that are never to be broken.‟ Wherein did He link Himself with us?—In our flesh; in our nature. That is the sacrifice that wins the hearts of men. Many look upon it, that the sacrifice of Christ was for only thirty-three years, then He died the death on the cross and went back as He was before. In view of eternity before and after, thirty-three years is not an infinite sacrifice at all. But when we consider that He sank his nature in our human nature to all eternity,—that is a sacrifice. That is the love of God. And no heart can reason against it. Whether the man believes it or not, there is a subduing power in it, and the heart must stand in silence in the presence of that awful truth. I will say it over: ever since that blessed fact came to me that the sacrifice of the Son of God is an eternal sacrifice, and all for me, the word has been upon my mind almost hourly: „I will go softly before the Lord all my days‟" (General Conference Bulletin, 1895, pp. 381, 382, condensed).

"

"For it is God which works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure" Phil. 2:13.

We can say with confidence that God is good! Whatever work He does in or through us is good.

We can praise the Lord every day for His goodness! And we can invite Him to reveal the fruits of His Spirit in us each day, "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them" Ephesians 2:10 (the memory text for this week).

- Patti Guthrie

*All Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version unless otherwise noted.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

"The Fruit of the Spirit is Goodness"

Do you ever listen reflectively to the conversations that take place around you every day?

Someone says, "Hi! How are you?" We may answer, "I‟m good. How about yourself?" We hear another person exclaim, "Look at that! Oh my good----!" Then there‟s the familiar admonition, "Watch where you‟re going, for good----‟ sake."

This week‟s Sabbath School lesson, focusing on goodness as a fruit of the Spirit, provides a wonderful opportunity for us to reflect on this God-given gift and what it means to you and me in the context of the most precious message God sent to prepare us for Christ‟s soon-coming (see Testimonies to Ministers, pp. 91-93).

As the foregoing examples illustrate, being "good" and references to "my goodness" are often stated in casual, exclamatory or flippant contexts. The focus of this week‟s Sabbath School lesson, however, is not about the goodness of man, but the goodness of God.

The Psalmist writes, "Oh that men would praise the Lord for His goodness and for His wonderful works to the children of men" (Psalm 107:8, 15, 21, 31).*

Psalm 107:1 begins with the exhortation "Oh, give thanks to the Lord for He is good."

In the beginning when God created our world, the Bible says, "Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good" (Genesis 1:31).

Sin came in and changed everything: "Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually"(Genesis 6:5). Further, we read: "There is none who does good, no not one" (Romans 3:12).

But the gospel brings Good News to light. God did not abandon us, sinful though we were. When Jesus left the heavenly courts to come to this world as our Savior, angels announced His birth to the shepherds, flooding the night-time skies with Good News! They proclaimed: "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:10, 11). Fear was the very first consequence of sin. Adam and Eve hid from their Maker in the garden. But Jesus came to this world to reconcile us to Himself.

This good news would cast out fear. It would embolden martyrs throughout the ages to die by flame or sword, their faces lit with holy joy. It would inspire gospel workers to brave unknown dangers in distant lands to carry the precious gospel seed. It would prompt the rich to give all for Him. It would cause those who proclaimed it to rejoice in trial and hardship. This powerful good news propelled the gospel to the world in a single generation in Christ‟s day, and this is the good news that will soon lighten the whole earth with the glory of God!

The miraculous transformation of the human heart from vile to pure; the transformation that fills Christ‟s followers with holy boldness, is the result of beholding God‟s goodness to us. In Romans 2:4 the apostle Paul writes, "Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?"

E.J. Waggoner says, "We need not try to improve on the Scriptures, and say that the goodness of God tends to lead men to repentance. The Bible says that it does lead them to repentance, and we may be sure that it is so. Every man is being led toward repentance as surely as God is good. But not all repent? Why? Because they despise the riches of the goodness and forbearance and long-suffering of God, and break away from the merciful leading of the Lord. But whoever does not resist the Lord, will surely be brought to repentance and salvation" (Waggoner on Romans, p. 42).

Sister White explains the power of God‟s goodness in leading us to Himself: "As Christ draws them to look upon His cross, to behold Him whom their sins have pierced, ... they begin to comprehend something of the righteousness of Christ. ... The sinner may resist this love, may refuse to be drawn to Christ; but if he does not resist, he will be drawn to Jesus; a knowledge of the plan of salvation will lead him to the foot of the cross in repentance for his sins, which have caused the sufferings of God‟s dear Son" (Steps to Christ, p. 27).

Speaking to a group convened for the 1895 General Conference session, Brother Jones explores the depths of God‟s goodness in giving up everything for us:

"Did Jesus come to this world and then go back as He was before, and thus His sacrifice be for only thirty-three years? The answer is that it was for all eternity. The Father gave up His Son to us, and Christ gave up Himself for all eternity. Never again will He be in all respects as He was before.

"„He who was one with God has linked Himself with the children of men by ties that are never to be broken.‟ Wherein did He link Himself with us?—In our flesh; in our nature. That is the sacrifice that wins the hearts of men. Many look upon it, that the sacrifice of Christ was for only thirty-three years, then He died the death on the cross and went back as He was before. In view of eternity before and after, thirty-three years is not an infinite sacrifice at all. But when we consider that He sank his nature in our human nature to all eternity,—that is a sacrifice. That is the love of God. And no heart can reason against it. Whether the man believes it or not, there is a subduing power in it, and the heart must stand in silence in the presence of that awful truth. I will say it over: ever since that blessed fact came to me that the sacrifice of the Son of God is an eternal sacrifice, and all for me, the word has been upon my mind almost hourly: „I will go softly before the Lord all my days‟" (General Conference Bulletin, 1895, pp. 381, 382, condensed).

"

"For it is God which works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure" Phil. 2:13.

We can say with confidence that God is good! Whatever work He does in or through us is good.

We can praise the Lord every day for His goodness! And we can invite Him to reveal the fruits of His Spirit in us each day, "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them" Ephesians 2:10 (the memory text for this week).

- Patti Guthrie

*All Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version unless otherwise noted.

Wednesday, February 03, 2010

"The Fruit of the Spirit is Kindness"

In Colossians chapter 3*, Paul exhorts those who are “being saved,” those for whom “the grace of God toward them was not in vain,” those to whom the light that shone out of darkness has shone into their hearts “to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” Speaking to that new man, Paul says, “Seek those things which are above…set your mind on things above not on
things on the earth. For you died and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:1-3). He continues in verse 12, “Therefore, as the elect of God holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering….” Certainly kindness is one of those things that Paul considers to be “things above.” He asks us to set our minds on it. In probably one of the best known and most frequently quoted chapters in all of the New Testament, 1 Corinthians 13, Paul discusses the greatest gift, love. He speaks of that love which is uniquely God’s, and says that it is kind. Kindness is love in action. So this week we are privileged to study kindness and to do so we will look at the story of kindness
to a “dead dog.”

David the son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, the friend of Jonathan, Saul’s son, was king over all Israel. Saul and his son Jonathan had died in battle and many in Saul’s household were dead. 2 Samuel 9 beginning in verse 1 records, “Now David said, Is there still anyone who is left of the house of Saul, that I may show
him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” It is not clear from this verse to whom David is speaking, but someone fetched Ziba, a servant in the house of Saul, who came to David. David repeated his question. “Is there not still someone of the house of Saul to whom I may show the kindness of God?” Ziba said yes,in fact, Jonathan had a son who is lame in his feet and he lives in Lo Debar. King David sent and brought
this son who was lame in his feet from Lo Debar and said to him in verse 7, “I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father’s sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your grandfather and you shall eat bread at my table continually.” Mephibosheth bowed himself and said, “What is your servant that you should look upon such a dead dog as I?”

The background of this story is rooted in a covenant that was made between David and Jonathan. “And you shall not only show me the kindness of the Lord while I still live, that I may not die; but you shall not cut off your kindness from my house forever, no, not when the Lord has cut off everyone of the enemies of David from the face of the earth. So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David…” (1 Samuel
20:14-16). We must not miss the great parallels between this story and the story of redemption – the gospel story.

1. David is a type of Christ. John 7:42 says that Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was born. Romans 1:3 tells us He was born of the seed of David according to the flesh.

2. Jonathan and David entered into an everlasting covenant relationship that, should Jonathan’s offspring encounter difficulty, David would show them kindness. We are told by the Messenger of the Lord that so great was the Father’s love for the world that He covenanted to give His only-begotten Son that whosoever believed would not perish but have everlasting life. The Desire of Ages page 834: “Before the
foundations of the earth were laid, the Father and the Son had united in a covenant to redeem man if he should be overcome by Satan. They clasped Their hands in a solemn pledge that Christ would be the surety for the human race.”

3. Jonathan’s son, Mephibosheth, was lame in the feet from a fall. He was now living in obscurity in Lo Debar, which means place of “no-pasture.” How could it be that a man born to be royalty should end up in a place of no-pasture? He was the reduced son of a prince, forgotten as a dead man, out of mind. Adam and Eve, made in the image of God, according to Their likeness, walked and talked with their Creator.
But then they fell and went into hiding.

4. Mephibosheth’s condition in his own words was a “dead dog,” and he asks David, “what is your servant that you should look upon such a dead dog?” Paul describes mankind’s condition as being “carnal sold under sin,” “dead in trespasses.” The Psalmist says in Psalm 8:4, “What is man that You are mindful of him and the son of man that You give attention to, or care for him?” This sounds a lot like Mephibosheth’s question.

5. David is the one who took the initiative to seek out “anyone who is left of the house of Saul.” One of the most precious concepts in the message of 1888 is Christ, the Good Shepherd, who is seeking His lost sheep even though we have not sought Him. The lost sheep never went out looking for the shepherd. In Christ’s Object Lessons, Ellen White says, “Christ, the heavenly merchantman seeking goodly pearls, saw
in lost humanity the pearl of great price. In man, defiled and ruined by sin, He saw the possibilities of redemption…God looked upon humanity…in Christ, saw it as it might become through redeeming love. He collected all the riches of the universe and laid them down in order to buy the pearl.”

6. David was kind, but he correctly identifies it as “the kindness of God.” As we mentioned at the outset, kindness is love in action. Ellen White, in the book The Desire of Ages page 19, echoes what Peter marvels at in 1 Peter 1:12 when she says, “the mystery of redeeming love is the theme into which angels desire to look.” Paul describes it like this: “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who,
being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:5-8). This amazing act of kindness, which compelled Christ to give up the glory of heaven and give back the scepter into His Father’s hands and step down from the throne of the universe, fills our minds with awe. This choice was made with great agony on Christ’s part. We read in The Desire of Ages page 690 that His humanity wanted to shrink from that awesome act of kindness. He prayed three times that He wouldn’t have to pay the ultimate price. But praise God, “the history of the human race comes up before the world’s Redeemer. He sees the helplessness of man. He sees the power
of sin…He sees its impending fate and His decision is made. He will save man at any cost to Himself.” Amazing love, how can it be? Its more amazing than we think because Scripture tells us in Romans 5 that He did this for us while we were ungodly, sinners, and even enemies.

7. We are told three times in 2 Samuel 9 that Mephibosheth ate at the king’s table continually, or always. Paul says of us, in Ephesians 2:4-6, “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses” (lame in the feet), “made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),” and here it is, “raised us up together and made us sit together in
heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” What does this story tell us? David, who was a type of Christ, let his kindness to Mephibosheth serve to illustrate the kindness and
love of God toward fallen mankind. God did not have to redeem us; after all we were ungodly, sinners and enemies. Man rebelled against God like Saul’s house rebelled against David, and because of that we became lame after the fall. Jesus Christ came to seek and to save that which was lost when we did not seek after Him, By His supreme, selfless, self-sacrificing love and kindness, God reconciled the world
back to Himself. For those who accept and receive this abundance of grace, the lost inheritance is restored. David sought to use God’s kindness as the model and motivation for his kindness to the house of Saul. When we comprehend our undeserved mercy and kindness from God, His love, which is kind, is “shed abroad in our hearts,” and we respond in kindness to our fellow man. Matthew 5:44 and 48 says,
“But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you…therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” As we contemplate what this text could mean this Sabbath, two texts are helpful. Colossians 3:14 says, “But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.” Luke 7:47 says, “Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.” May God grant us the divine eyesalve we need to see the kindness of God.

Lyndi Schwartz
*All