Weekly Insights about the Quarterly Lessons from the 1888 Message Study Committee.
Saturday, June 25, 2016
Friday, June 24, 2016
Friday, June 17, 2016
Insight: Impetuous Living
Impetuous Living
The Queen of England was scheduled to come to America for an official visit. Her assistants thought that it would be good PR if the Queen was to visit a local American resident as part of the royal trip. Consequently, Mrs. Bolton, An African American woman of middle age was selected to have the privilege of the Queen's visit. Naturally, Mrs. Bolton was quite excited about the Queen's visit to her home. She had followed the Queen's life, and remembered her coronation, her wedding, and even when the Queen had children. But never had she imagined that Her majesty would visit her. In anticipation, Mrs. Bolton, who was an excellent cook, set out to prepare the best "'soul food"' she'd ever made. Even her neighbors were saying that her food had never smelled that good.
On the day the Queen was to arrive, Mrs. Bolton, as well as the press, the media, and security personnel were ready early. Unfortunately, no one remembered to teach Mrs. Bolton the protocol for receiving a Royal dignitary into her home. Upon the queen's arrival at Mrs. Bolton's home, cameras flashed, videos cameras and recorders rolled, and security was tight. The queen, stepping out of her vehicle, began the ascent up the pathway to Mrs. Bolton's home. Upon seeing the Queen, Mrs. Bolton moved quickly through her front door, out onto the step, and down the path. In her exuberance, she both embraced and drug the Queen into her home. Reluctantly, the Queen obliged; yet anyone watching could see the discomfort on her face. The Queen's bodyguards became frantic; this had the unfortunate effect of scaring Mrs. Bolton, and making the Queen even more uncomfortable. Not one of the Queen's entourage was accustomed to a host or hostess behaving in such an impetuous manner. Nevertheless, calm was restored after explanations and apologies had been made. Mrs. Bolton, despite the faux pas, rejoiced that the Queen had spent a few minutes in her humble home. The British however, were loath to let the matter go and were indignant at the treatment received by their Queen. Accordingly, the scandal sheets reported the details of the event for weeks.
The scandalous nature of the Queen's treatment reminds me of the story about the woman who anointed Jesus. Her "impetuous" behavior was no less a scandal in her day. Let's read the account in Matthew 26:6-13 (KJV),
Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat. But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste? For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor.
When Jesus understood it, he said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me. For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always. For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial. Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her.
In Luke's account of this story -- Luke 7:36-50, we notice that the host, Simon, also found this incident reprehensible, "for the woman was a sinner." Unlike the Queen, who by protocol was not to be touched by the host, Simon refused to have anyone touch Jesus, which went against the etiquette of his day. However, no one expressed disdain for Simon's breach of etiquette. Instead, Mary, the uninvited guest, performed the welcoming ritual that Simon should have done; only she responded not out of protocol but from gratitude.
In her concern for Jesus, Mary relieved His suffering. Ellen White elaborates in the following quotes,
"The fragrant gift which Mary had thought to lavish upon the dead body of the Saviour she poured upon His living form. At the burial its sweetness could only have pervaded the tomb; now it gladdened His heart with the assurance of her faith and love… And as He went down into the darkness of His great trial, He carried with Him the memory of that deed, an earnest of the love that would be His from His redeemed ones forever" (Conflict and Courage, p. 306).
"The desire that Mary had to do this service for her Lord was of more value to Christ than all the spikenard and precious ointment in the world, because it expressed her appreciation of the world's Redeemer. It was the love of Christ that constrained her. . . Mary, by the Holy Spirit's power, saw in Jesus One who had come to seek and to save the souls that were ready to perish. Every one of the disciples should have been inspired with a similar devotion" (Christ Triumphant p. 252, paragraph.4).
Although the disciples had privately received teachings regarding Jesus' approaching death, they were uncomfortable with the idea and resisted it, which later left them unprepared for trial. In contrast, Mary, an 'improper' woman, not privy to the disciples' intimate knowledge of Jesus, was informed by the promptings of the Holy Spirit and believed. That kind of inspiration she received can only find an entrance in a broken and a contrite heart. Thus, Jesus commended Mary.
The heart of Mary of Bethany was a grateful one. She had truly grasped the Gospel as preached by Jesus, which is why she behaved as she did. Yet, someone called her actions impetuous. In the Dictionary, the word "impetuous" is defined as characterized by undue haste and lack of thought or deliberation. Mary's actions indeed may seem impetuous to some, and wasteful, or shameful to others. However, Jesus gives evidence that the Holy Spirit was moving her to do as she did. By Christ's description of her behavior, it's my guess that we can perceive the impetuosity of agape-love as heaven does -- as aptly describing how God loves us, and the manner in which we will love one another as the Holy Spirit moves us. Moved by the Spirit, Mary Magdalene of Bethany gave to Christ her most precious and costly possession.
So, the question today, comes to us individually: is there room in your life for Spiritual impetuosity? Have you ever been spiritually impetuous? Have you ever been led by the Spirit to live your life not according to the dictates of others, but purely according to His Word, and His prompting? It's so easy to be impetuous about something we love. If we truly love Christ, let's allow Him to have His way with us. Who knows what that fragrance wafting on the air will do for another?
--
Thursday, June 09, 2016
1888 Glad Tidings : Insight #11 June 11, 2016
INSIGHT #11 JUNE 11, 2016
Second Quarter 2016 Adult Sabbath School Lessons
Last Day Events
June 11, 2016
Last Day Events
June 11, 2016
The Second Coming of Christ is the climax of the Christian faith. Isaiah 43:7 says that we were created for His glory, namely, to reflect the character of Christ. Sin marred that plan, but through the Gospel and the New Covenant promises Christ will complete that plan in the people who are found faithful at the end of time. The final events on earth are actually a blessing, as they provide us with the trials which are intended to result in a fuller faith, total surrender, and the revelation of Christ's love to a fallen world, as the whole earth is lit with His glory. The Gospel and the Cleansing of the Sanctuary are inextricably linked, and they will result in a people to stand for the truth in the last days, when there are few with the faithful, and most of the earth has fallen for the deceptions of the "beast" power of Revelation 13.
In Jesus' call to the Jewish leaders to repent and accept Him, we can see a similar theme to that of the Laodicean Church at the end of time. Those God loves He rebukes, chastens, and calls to repentance, but He also offers full fellowship and an abiding relationship. God had chosen the Jewish people to be a "light to the Gentiles" and to bring "salvation" to the "ends of the earth." Is. 49:6. They had not proven to be faithful, nor to repent, and God finally had to, as a part of the 490 prophecy and the principles of His Kingdom, move away from the Jewish nation for the anticipated positive response of the church in the New Covenant. Gal. 3:29 describes them as the faithful Israel, or the "seed of Abraham" and heirs to the promises. There is a positive lesson to be seen here. Jesus was faithful in attempting to reach Israel to the end of His ministry and time on earth, and to the ending of the Daniel 9 prophecy. It reveals the character of God's agape love, willing to sacrifice and to suffer long with us in patience, trying to reach our hearts through the manifestation of His love. The Old Covenant was the same gospel we have, typified in the sacrificial system, depicting the substitutionary atonement and thus the depths of God's love for fallen humanity. They, sadly, chose salvation through the works of the law instead of a faith response, never understanding the need to yield to the righteousness of God in Christ. Laodicea today faces the same choice, to replace "self righteousness" with the free gift of Christ's righteousness, a miracle and free gift to be received in living faith, a faith which works by love and purifies the soul.
Matthew 24, in a dual way, reveals the ultimate fate of Jerusalem as a result of Israel's intransgiency, but also is a lesson to us as to the ultimate fate of the world if they do not receive Christ. Many things are experienced as a result of the continuing rejection of Christ and the false hope of the promises (lies) of Satan, namely, that sin will be beneficial and will elevate us to a state of wisdom, godhood, and freedom, instead of the truth of the bondage and slavery of sin. God allows winds of doctrine, deceptions, natural disasters, etc. as a way of speaking to the minds and hearts of people in the world that there was a decided changed needed in choice, heart, motive, action, and faith response. The Great Controversy must and will come to its intended close, in which all have ample opportunity to hear and respond to the Gospel and the prompting of the Holy Spirit, and to see the utimate outworking of both Satan's plan to take the throne from God, and the ultimate truth of the power of Love and the healing nature of that love in those who respond to God's message and drawing.
The Bible promises that Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith. As Malachi 3 tells us, Christ will refine us as gold tried in the fire, for the true experience of righteousness by faith is a life demonstrating the fruit of the spirit and total abandonment in faith and surrender to Christ. The trials will include the various deceptions of Satan, including deception regarding the Second Coming itself. Satan is said to deceive through miracles, signs, and wonders. The "remnant" will instead prioritize the power of love, and the character of God, as opposed to external events and power over love. Satan will come claiming to be Jesus, but those who have experienced the power of the Holy Spirit, and have come to know the character of Christ, will recognize the deceiver and not fall for His attempts to lure people into a false security and ecumenical unity that will both disparage the Bible and subtly express an independent spirit and will against Christ.
The one main point of Matthew 24, which also extends into Matthew 25, is a "watchfulness", a recognition of our continual need to keep our eyes upon Christ and not let daily living, or the problems and pressures of the world steal the seed out of our hearts. We are told to stay faithful even if there is seeming delay, for daily expressing our faith in God, and our duty to the world forms a character of perseverance, endurance, and bondedness with the heart of Christ. We live in an evil world, one increasingly filled with worldliness, unbelief, spiritualism, false teachings, carnality, secular humanism, eastern mysticism, skepticism, a denial of creation, and many other issues with which prove to be a test to our spiritual endurance and peace. The Gospel, in the life of Christ in us, produces a "hope of glory" and a faith that will be sustained as the sin problem comes to an end. The Gospel promises to both forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, to give us courage, faith, love, and a sound mind, and an ever growing commitment and love relationship with Jesus. I encourage all to stay faithful, to watch and wait, and to believe that Jesus will return again soon.
~Pastor Tom Cusack
~Pastor Tom Cusack
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